Word of the week

• hirple v. hobble, limp, walk unsteadily; move unevenly
• feeze v. twist, cause to revolve; wriggle, wag; ingratiate oneself (with someone)

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hirple v. hobble, limp, walk unsteadily; move unevenly

“hirple v. hobble, limp, walk unsteadily; move unevenly”

12th August 2008

hirple

Hirple is a word of unknown origin, recorded in Scots sources from the late fifteenth century onwards. It is also found in some dialects in the north of England. In early literary texts, hirple is often used to describe the gait of particular animals, as in Alexander Montgomerie’s poem, the Cherrie and the Slae (a1605): "I saw the hurcheon (hedgehog) and the hare In hidlings (secretly) hirpling heir and thair".

In later texts, humans hirple just as much as animals. Robert Fergusson uses it in his famous poem, Leith Races (1773), in his description of the aftermath of the day’s events: "The races o’er, they hale the dools (celebrate their winnings), Wi’ drink o’ a’ kin-kind; Great feck gae hirpling hame like fools, The cripple lead the blind". In Sir Walter Scott’s novel, The Pirate (1821), a different incapacity is implied: "Neil Ronaldson … canna walk a mile to hear the minister, but he will hirple ten if he hears of a ship embayed (i.e. in the harbour)".

In modern literature, many different circumstances account for unsteady movements. In John Byrne’s TV script for Your Cheatin Heart (1990), "Frank, one boot half-on, hirples towards the door of the rehearsal room" and in Jeff Torrington’s novel, Swing Hammer Swing! (1992): "snowballs were cracking against the cab’s windows as it hirpled over the snow-covered debris which gave the street its sinister lumpy appearance". Newspapers too frequently use the term, often in relation to more serious impairments. In June of this year, The Scotsman remarked on Tiger Woods "hirpling to glory on a wounded knee at Torrey Pines" and last September, the Sunday Herald discussed back pain and the workplace. Office workers were most at risk, followed by nurses and professional drivers, "with labourers and teachers hirpling into fourth and fifth places respectively".