Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1789-1790, 1891-1925
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CUITTLE, Kuittel, v.2 and adj.
1. v.
(1) To tickle (Lnk.11, Kcb.1 1941).Sc. a.1790 A. Macdonald in Scott Waverley (1814) xi.:
And mony a weary cast I made, To cuittle the moor-fowl's tail.
(2) tr. and intr. To kindle (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., cuittle).Rxb.(D) 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes an Knowes 18:
A hantle heh the twaesome seen sin the beacons war kuittelt on ther heathery pows.
2. adj. Difficult, “ticklish” (Lnk.11, Kcb.1 1941).n.Sc. 1891 A. Gordon Folks o' Carglen 140:
It'll be a cuittle question that for the lyer chiels.
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"Cuittle v.2, adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/cuittle_v2_adj>
