Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1786-1823, 1877-1916, 1988
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YIRR, v., n., int. Also yerr. [jɪr]
I. v. 1. To snarl or growl, of or as a dog (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Sh. 1974).Slg. 1804 “Transforthanus” Poems 83:
You yirr, you yowl, you bark — but darena bite!Ags. a.1823 G. Beattie John o' Arnha' (1883) 204:
The watch-dogs yirr'd and yowf'd wi' fright.Gsw. 1877 A. G. Murdoch Laird's Lykewake 32:
The yirrin' collie bark't an' yelpit.Per. 1895–6 Royal Caled. Curling Club Annual 99:
Ilka brither blamed some ither Maist like to yirrin' dugs.
2. To make an outcry, to complain or fret persistently (Sh. 1974).Sc. 1812 The Scotchman 52:
He'll yerr an bark about the dearth o the meal.Edb. 1916 T. W. Paterson Wyse-Sayin's xxi. 13:
Whan, some day, he's yirrin an' yaumerin himsel.
II. n. The snarl or growl of a dog (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Sh. 1974). Also fig.Lnk. 1893 T. Stewart Among the Miners 212:
When some curly wee cur in the ages tae come, Gied a challengin' yirr.Ags. 1988 Raymond Vettese The Richt Noise 19:
Scotland's aye the haflin but withooten yon yirr
that gars ilka hope eidently stir.
This is oor eemage, this kilted cratur
III. int. Imit. of a bark or snarl: gurr!Ayr. 1786 Burns To Major Logan ii.:
Yirr! fancy barks, awa' we canter.
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"Yirr v., n., interj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 8 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/yirr>
