Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1786-1952
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‡SPRATTLE, v., n. Also spratle; sprottle; erron. spattle.
I. v. To scramble, struggle, sprawl (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Abd. 1913; Ayr. 1923 Wilson Dial. Burns 187). Also fig. Vbl.n. sprattling, sprottling.Ayr. 1786 Burns To a Louse iii.:
Swith, in some beggar's haffet squattle; There ye may creep, and sprawl and sprattle.Peb. 1805 J. Nicol Poems I. 190:
Why soud they then attempt to sprattle In doggrel rhyme?Bnff. 1864 Banffshire Jnl. (22 Nov.):
The puir horses wriggle and sprattle.Ags. 1879 Arbroath Guide (1 March) 4:
May thro' pity aff wad sprattle.Knr. 1886 H. Haliburton Horace 88:
There they breed like Jacob's cattle, Till to the boun's they spread an' sprattle.s.Sc. 1920 Border Mag. (Feb.) 22:
The familiar jerk, tug, rush, and lively “sprottling” [of a hooked trout].Lth. 1928 S. A. Robertson With Double Tongue 43:
The auld mear sprattled, nocht avail't.
II. n. A scramble, sprawl, strenuous effort (Sc. 1825 Jam.); a contest, fight, struggle.Edb. 1821 W. Liddle Poems 50:
Num'rous spats, that is nae beauty, Frae bite and spratle [of a flea].Sc. 1824 Scott Redgauntlet xxv.:
Making a sprattle for your life.Sc. 1894 Chambers's Jnl. (1 Sept.) 554:
After the sprattle at Tibbermuir last September.Abd. 1952 Buchan Observer (4 Nov.):
The laggards still further lagged, having scarcely recovered their breath from the previous sort of spattle.
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"Sprattle v., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 2 Feb 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/sprattle>
