Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1812, 1871-1937, 1991
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SPERFLE, v. Pa.ppl. forms spelfert, ¶sperfalt. [′spɛrfl]
1. To scatter, disperse, divide up (Sc. 1808 Jam.). Now only in liter. use. Also ppl.adj. sperflin. Sc. 1812 The Scotchman 65:
War my land spelfert, it wad gang frae the family.Sc. 1871 P. H. Waddell Psalms cvi. 27:
Till ding their seed by, amang folk; an' till sperfle them clean owre the kintras.Sc. 1913 H. P. Cameron Imit. Christ iii. xlviii.:
Sen' furth yer fire-flaught an' sperfle thame.Sc. 1937 Oor Mither Tongue (MacWhannell) 89:
My family's sperfled far an' wide.Sc. 1991 T. S. Law in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 31:
that sweels aroond him lik the groo scaum
o the sperflin stoor
as the heavie ammo buits plowter the saund attoore.
2. To scatter wastefully, squander money, goods, etc. (Lth., Ayr. 1825 Jam.; Rnf. 1837 Crawfurd MSS. XI. 328; Arg. 1882 Argyllshire Herald (3 June), sperfalt).Gsw. 1922 Glasgow Herald (15 April):
The improvident happy-go-lucky who “sperfled” his good.
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"Sperfle v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/sperfle>
