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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

THOUMART, n. Also thoomart, thumourt, thum(m)ert, thum(m)art. [′θumərt, ′θʌmərt]

1. The pole-cat, Mustela putorius (Sc. 1825 Jam., thumart; Ayr. 1923 Wilson D. Burns 190), often confused with the weasel.Ayr. 1784 Burns Twa Herds vi.:
The thummart, wil'-cat, brock and tod.
Sc. 1836 J. Baillie Works (1853) 622:
Tell thy errand, then, and no lurk that gate, in a nook, like a thoumart in a dowcot.
Ayr. 1850 J. D. Brown Ballads 98:
His cleedin' was skins o' the thoumart and tod.

2. Used contemptuously of a small, odd-looking or furtive person.Ayr. 1822 Galt Sir A. Wylie x.:
There never was surely a droller like thummert o' a creature seen entering a biggit land.
m.Lth. 1857 Misty Morning 141:
Muckle you care about my feelings, ye sleeky thoomart!

[Variant of Foumart, q.v. See T, letter, 9. (1) (i). O.Sc. thulmard, = 1., 1695.]

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"Thoumart n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 28 Mar 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/thoumart>

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