Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1908-1916
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KRAM, v., n. Also kramm, cram.
I. v. Of an animal, esp. a cat: to scratch (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., 1914 Angus Gl., Sh. 1960).Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928):
De cat kramms . . . to de wast: considered to indicate that the wind is going to be westerly.Sh. 1916 J. Burgess Rasmie's Smaa Murr (Siptember 30):
It's no ower wise a bairn, 'at da cat is aye krammin.
Derivs.: kramma, -er, a fisherman's taboo-name for a cat (Sh. 1899 J. Spence Folk-Lore 121, Sh. 1960).
II. n. A paw, a claw, esp. of a cat, sometimes applied jocularly to the hand (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), Sh. 1960). Dim. krammek, crammack, id., in phr. cat's-krammeks, -crammacks, “clouds over the sky having something of the appearance of hairs streaming from an animal's tail”, small, detached, drifting clouds (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., 1908 Jak. (1928)).
[Norw. dial. krama, to grab, snatch, Faer. kráma, to snatch at. Prob. ultimately of Ger. orig., cf. Ger. krammen, to scratch, claw.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Kram v., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/kram>
