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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

LIPPEN, v.¹ Also lippin, lipen, lyppen. [lɪpn]

1. (1) tr. To trust, rely or depend on, have confidence in (a person (to do something)) (Sc. 1782 J. Sinclair Ob. Sc. Dial. 89; Ayr. 1811 W. Aiton Agric. Ayr. 692). Gen.(exc. I.)Sc. Also in n.Eng. dial. Sometimes used absol.Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch (1898) xxii.:
I thought I might lippen him awee to try his hand in the shaping line.Lnk. 1862 D. Wingate Poems 56:
Men, whase words can weel be lippen't.Abd. 1865 G. Macdonald Alec Forbes liii.:
The verra lasses are no to be lippent oot them-lanes.Kcb. 1893 Crockett Raiders xxi.:
That thochtless and unmindful that he can hardly be lippened to do anything but feed the hens.Bwk. 1897 R. M. Calder Poems 200:
Aye keep your weather eye awake, An' lippen Providence.em.Sc. 1913 J. Black Gloamin' Glints 24:
We mayna ken what follows Oor life's dim gloamin' here, But mony a ane has lippened , An' gane withoot a fear!Slk. 1915 Border Standard (17 April) 10:
We were lippened tae haud the drug, so ye see what it is tae be respectable.Abd. 1916 G. Abel Wylins 10:
If I only cud but lippen as I ocht, the Pilot says, I'd get thro' the swallin' river at the ford.Sc. 1944 Scots Mag. (June) 219:
The Laird's lass of Burn-heid knowe Has lovers mony ain … Lang, lang she'll lippen nane.

Deriv. lippenable, dependable, trustworthy.Abd. 1955 W. P. Milne Eppie Elrick viii.:
'E young Keeng priggit … tae be set doon upo the shore o' Scotlan wi … een ur twa lippenable men.

(2) More usually intr. with tae, til (Sc. 1808 Jam.). Gen.Sc. Also in n.Eng. dial.Sc. c.1708 Copie of a Baron's Court 12:
These are the Lads that I may lippin till.Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 239:
Lippen to me, but look to your self.Ayr. 1789 Burns To Dr Blacklock ii.:
I lippen'd to the chiel in trouth.Slk. 1818 Hogg B. of Bodsbeck iii.:
If he's an honest man, and lippens to me, od, I'll gie them the last drap o' my heart's bluid.Sc. 1824 Scott St Ronan's Well iii.:
I lippen no muckle to their honesty.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb vi.:
Dinna ye be keepin' up, lippenin' till a muckle price afore hairst.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 137:
[I] tal'd the Man that pleads abeun I lippen'd tae him wholly.Ags. 1894 F. Mackenzie Cruisie Sk. iv.:
I hae been a fule ever sin' I lippened to your guidin'.Kcb. 1911 G. M. Gordon Clay Biggin' 3:
I'm thinking thae statements are no a' thegither til be lippen't til.Dmf. 1937 T. Henderson Lockerbie xv.:
A guid wheen roon aboot lippen tae him tae keep them wi' a drap in the hoose. Fif. 1994 Nellie Watson in Joan Watson Memories and Reflections: An East Neuk Anthology 37:
That God in His mercy will aye see us through
If we live oot oor lives in the best way we can -
And we lippen tae Him, then we wunna gan wrang. em.Sc. 1999 James Robertson The Day O Judgement 13:
An ye that lippent tae the warld,
Will ye no greit tae see't owerfawn,
As it gangs warslin doun wi daith
As a strang man smoors in soukin saun?

Used freq. in phr. no to lippen tae or til, not to be trusted or depended upon (n., m. and s.Sc. 1961).Sc. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxii.:
Though Tib's no muckle to lippen to neither.Bwk. 1856 G. Henderson Pop. Rhymes 50:
The dead folk o' Arsletoun are no to lippen to.Lth. 1882 J. Strathesk Blinkbonny 138:
I wadna like to say very muckle about them, for Dan's no' aye to lippen to.Mry. 1914 H. J. Warwick Tales 148:
They're nane o' them tae lippen till.

(3) Less commonly with on, for, in (a person or thing, circumstance, etc.). Gen.Sc. Vbl.n. lippenins, lippenance, trust, reliance (Abd. 1961).Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 76:
But gin your strait to me sud e'er be kend, Ye may lay count to lippen on a friend.Abd. 1863 G. MacDonald D. Elginbrod iv.:
I wad fain read it ower again, afore I lippen on giein' my opingan on the maitter.Fif. 1896 G. Setoun R. Urquhart ii.:
Thae trains is no' to be lippened on.Ayr. 1903 G. Cunningham Verse 44:
We never could lippen on gettin' full darg.em.Sc. 1920 J. Black Airtin' Hame 10:
And humbly may we lippen, wi' minds in peacefu' frame, For comin' o' God's angels to bear oor spirits hame.s.Sc. 1931 Border Mag. (Nov.) 163:
I'll lippen on ye to keep yer promise.Abd. 1954 Buchan Observer (26 Oct.):
A wad aye be inclin't tae pit a gey lot o' lippenance in fat he thocht.Ags. 1959 Arbroath Herald (23 Oct.) 8:
“Lippen on Angus” … is really quite a modern phrase, at least in its adoption as the county motto … The motto, with its suggestion of a battle-cry, had originally been suggested for the Angus section of the Scottish War Memorial in Edinburgh by Mrs Agnes Lindsay Carnegie of Anniston.

2. Gen. with tae or wi: to entrust (something) to (someone) or (someone) with (something) (ne.Sc., Ags., Per., m.Lth., Ayr., sm.Sc., Slk. 1961).Rnf. a.1810 R. Tannahill Poems (1900) 275:
Sae, he reckonit the profit an loss If his house tae a wife he shoud lippin.Slk. 1818 Hogg B. of Bodsbeck x.:
I haena biggit a bield o' the windlestrae, nor lippened my weight to a broken reed!Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 20:
This young fallow wham Thou hast seen guid to lippen wi' sae muckle gear.Fif. 1895 G. Setoun Sunshine and Haar 293:
It's the day I've to do wi. I lippen the morn to Him.Abd. 1900 J. Milne Poems 27:
We're lippent feet to gang the road But nae wi' wings to flee.Ags. 1920 A. Gray Songs from Heine 29:
For ilka day you lippen Yoursel' to the bousterous sea.Dmf. 1921 J. L. Waugh Heroes 7:
Juist sling your 'brella on the hingers there; ye maunna lippen it behind ye for it micht fa' oot.s.Sc. 1930 Border Mag. (Aug.) 17:
I wadna jist lippen ye safe wi' the cat.Per.⁴ 1950:
It's guid ye hae somebody ye can lippen your hens tae when ye're awa.

3. tr. (1) to expect, look for with (gen. pleasurable) anticipation, count on, reckon (Ayr.¹1910; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl; Sh., Bnff., Ags., Ayr. 2000s). Gen.Sc. Also occas. intr. with for, on. Comb. lang-lippened, long-expected (Sh. 1961). Also used absol. Vbl.n. lippenin, expectation.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 86:
This spak he lippning Colin wad deny, An' sae betweesh them score poor Bydby by.Edb. a.1774 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 223:
But patient lippen for the best.Sh. 1836 Gentleman's Mag. II. 590:
A hel boats-kru o' Norruk men, lipnin a tulie atweest Meggie o' Digran an Annie Sudderlan.Wgt. 1880 G. Fraser Lowland Lore 101:
An' I lippen they're few, that are in the toon noo, Wha min' o' the fun was wi' Fluke's auld Fish Cairt.Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 226:
I was lippenin' on ye to be hame for your dinner gin twall-oors.Sc. 1904 R. Ford Vagabond Songs 89:
But dinna lippen, laddie, I canna promise, laddie.Fif. c.1920 R. Holman Scottish Sketches 31:
There are a lot mair rogues in this warld than we ken o'. There's ane mair than ony o' us lippened on.Edb. 1928 A. D. Mackie Poems 42:
Nae poet was but socht tae scan The lippenin' o' God in man.Ork. 1931 Orcadian (7 May):
Ma'be 'e waas lippinan a tuthful, wha kens; his mooth waas aye hingan apen for a drap.Ags. 1945 Scots Mag. (Feb.) 334:
I lippened that in a' that stramash I'd get ti ma seat withoot bein' seen.Sh. 1958 New Shetlander No. 48. 13:
Da stars wir ida sky (whar ta da ill-helt did doo lippen dem ta be?). Per. 1979 Betsy Whyte The Yellow on the Broom 8:
No, no I don't know what they do with the bairns in they Homes but I do know they are pure rogues when they come out of them. Hendry has been chased from camp to camp for his cockiness and thieving. The other travellers will not hit him or report him and he knows that and lippens on it. Edb. 1999:
She'll lippen on you when she realizes ye've won the lottery.

(2) By extension: to begin to understand, get the drift of (Ork. 1961).