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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Quotation dates: 1892-1921

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WHIRLY, adj. Also whurly. ? Puny, shrunken.Edb. 1892 J. W. McLaren Scots Poems 106:
To air this bauld pedantic view, A whurly birkie starts up noo.Slg. 1921 T.S.D.C.:
Ye're lookin' unco white an' whirly.

[The definition is based on the conjecture that the word is an altered form of Wirly but this is uncertain. The quotations may represent two different words.]

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"Whirly adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/whirly>

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