▪ I. sumph, n.1 Sc. and north. dial.
(sʌmf)
[Origin unascertained.]
A soft stupid fellow; a simpleton, blockhead. Also, a surly or sullen man.
| 1719 Ramsay 2nd Answ. to Hamilton vii, Thrawn-gabbit sumphs that snarl At our frank lines. 1789 Shirrefs Poems (1790) 289 When noble souls ly in the dirt, While sumphs jump up so high. 1818 Scott Br. Lamm. xii, It's doing him an honour him or his never deserved at our hand, the ungracious sumph. 1831 J. Wilson Noctes Ambr. Nov., Wks. 1856 III. 282 A Sumph..is a chiel to whom Natur has denied ony considerable share o' understaunin, without ha'in chose to mak him just a'thegither an indisputable idiot. 1871 Black Daughter of Heth (1872) 73 ‘Dinna be a sumph!’ said the Whaup. |
Hence ˈsumphish a., stupid; also, sullen; whence ˈsumphishly adv., ˈsumphishness.
| 1728 Ramsay General Mistake 65 The sumphish mob. 1802 J. Struthers Poor Man's Sabbath xc. note Wks. 1850 I. 53 These audacious,..sumphishly selfish assumptions. 1846 C. Brontë in Mrs. Gaskell Life (1857) II. 16 Indiscriminating irony and fault-finding are just sumphishness. 1858–61 Ramsay Remin. vi. (1870) 182 A sumphish weather⁓beaten man. |
▪ II. sumph, n.2
(sʌmf)
[Echoic.]
The sound of something heavy and limp falling.
| 1844 Lever T. Burke II. 167 With a heavy sumph the body fell from their hands. |
▪ III. sumph, v. Sc.
(sʌmf)
[Cf. sumph n.1]
intr. To be stupid; now chiefly, to be sulky.
| a 1689 Cleland Poems (1697) 113 (Jam.) They're skant of wit, Who..Will sumph and vote they wot not what. 1867 Gregor Banffsh. Gloss., Sumph, to show sour, sulky temper. 1894 Crockett Lilac Sunbonnet 73 Liein' sumphin' an' sleepin' i' the middle o' the forenicht. |
▪ IV. sumph
variant of sump n.