Show Search Results Show Browse

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SLIB, adj. Slippery (Lth. 1825 Jam.). Also in form slibbie, id. (Ib.; Ags. 1953). Deriv. slibber, n., slipperiness, that which causes slipperiness, slush, melting snow or the like (Sc. 1880 Jam.), adj. slibberie, slippery (Ags. 1970). Hence slibberkin, slibrikin, used attrib. as a pet or fondling name for a small, sleek creature, see 1776 quot. [′slɪb(ri)]Sc. 1776 D. Herd Sc. Songs II. 218:
And how do ye do, my little wee Nan, My lamb and slibrikin mouse?
Ags. 1953 Forfar Dispatch (22 Jan.):
Gosh, that's affa slibbery. I'll jeest fesh saut and scatter some on't.

[Slib is phs. a back-formation, influenced by Slid, from slibber(ie), Mid. Du. slibber, slime, M.L.Ger. slibber(ig), slippery.]

You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.

"Slib adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 29 Mar 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/slib>

24471

snd

Hide Advanced Search

Browse SND:

    Loading...

Share: