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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BLAFLUM, BLAEFLUM, Blaefum, Blafum, Blawflum, n. and v. [′blɑf(l)əm, ′blef(l)əm, blə′f(l)ʌm]

1. n.

(1) Nonsense, idle talk; a hoax, illusion. Also used attrib.Ags. 1824 Literary Olio (20 March) 81/2:
A blae-flum, sirl Ye canna surely hae forgotten what they did short syne in Demerary.Ags. 1988 Raymond Vettese The Richt Noise 74:
but I hae tried, ettlin that ye winna forget
that aince ye read poems in Scots and some hit
straucht tae a hairt ye mebbe didna ken ye'd got.
Gif sae then here's nae blaflum, nor grouth yet shot.Gsw. 1877 A. G. Murdoch Laird's Lykewake 81:
But jist to hear her fulish talk, I couldna weel contain, Sae hoastit oot my chockin' mirth, an' chack'd the blawflum strain.w.Dmf. 1899 J. Shaw Country School-master 333:
M'Laren set ye a' richt! It's pure blafum.Rxb. 1847 J. Halliday Rustic Bard 170:
It's a' blae-fum — he isna dead, But's thrivin' weel.Uls. 1880 W. H. Patterson Gl. Ant. and Dwn.:
Blaflum, Blafum, nonsense; something said to mislead.

Hence blaeflummery, n., nonsense, vain imaginings. [blə′flʌmərɪ̢]Ags. 1823 A. Balfour in Edb. Mag. XII. 683:
When I see a poor man . . . flingin' awa' twa or three pounds for a [grave] stane, made by some gilly-gapus, wi' a heap o' whigmaleries upon a'e side, an' a parcel o' blaeflummery on the tither, I consider it as an evidence baith o' his vanity an' folly.

(2) “Blafum, a pompous, empty person” (Ayr. 1825 Jam.², s.v. blaw-flum; Ayr.⁴ 1928).

2. v. To cajole, deceive. [blə′flʌm]Sc. 1728 Ramsay Poems II. 136:
Which bears him to blaflum the Fair.Sc.(E) 1913 H. P. Cameron Imit. of Christ iii. xxvii. 130:
For this is grit wyssheid, no tae be cairriet awa wi' ilka wun o' wirds, nar gie the lug tae the Siren fauselie blaflumin.Bnff. 1853 Kate and the Weaver in Bnffsh. Jnl. (11 May):
He sits humdrum, and looks sae glum, He'll nae blaflum the weaver.Ags. 1814 J. Ross Poems and Songs 99:
But she may outlive ye, an naething may give ye An' fairly blaeflum ye.