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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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STILPERT, n., adj., v. Also -art, stillpert, stalpert. [′stɪlpərt]

I. n. 1. A stilt (Abd. 1904 E.D.D.; ne.Sc. 1971). Phr. up on stalperts, fig., in a lofty abstruse fashion, above one's head.Mry. 1873 J. Brown Round Table Club 278:
Ye're up on stalperts, sir. I kenna fat kin' o' particles ye're spikin' aboot.Ags. 1880 J. E. Watt Poet. Sk. 81:
To gae upon stilperts as heigh as the hoose.Abd. 1889 Bon-Accord (7 Sept.) 18:
“Stilpert”-walking has also broken out with great severity in Peterhead.Abd. 1905 Banffshire Jnl. (28 March) 3:
Neist nicht on stillperts they'd gang stumpin'.

2. The act of walking with long lifted steps (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 182).

3. A tall lanky person, with long legs (Ib.; ne.Sc. 1971), freq. in phr. stilpert o a loun, quine, etc. Also of animals.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xlix.:
Half-a-dizzen stilperts o' cock chuckens.Abd. 1888 Bon-Accord (18 Feb.) 9:
A stilpert o' a quean he fee'd.Abd. 1929 J. Alexander Mains and Hilly 95:
Big stilperts o' quines on the leys, near up to be weemen.

II. adj., from attrib. use of n.: thin, lanky, long-legged. Also fig.Ags. 1881 Montrose Standard (30 July) 6:
His stilpert legs were lang an' bent.Bnff. 1933 M. Symon Deveron Days 14:
Owre the spurs o' Chanak Bahr gaed twa lang stilpert chiels.Abd. 1995 Flora Garry Collected Poems 28:
Cam clyack, rummlin cairts, the hairst meen.
Stilpert myrrh stalks bore their tines o seeds,
Stumps o shammelt teeth in aal men's heids.

III. v. To walk with long, stiff strides, lifting the feet high and awkwardly (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 182; Bnff., Abd., Kcd. 1971).