thrawn, ppl. a. Sc.
(θrɔːn, θrɑn)
Also 6–9 thrawin, (6 throwin).
[Sc. and north. dial. form of thrown; used in senses in which thrown is not now used in English. Cf. thraw v.]
1. Twisted, crooked, bent from the straight; mis-shapen, drawn awry, distorted.
| 1513 Douglas æneis ii. ii. (i.) 70 In jonyngis of the thrawin wame of tre Festinyt the lance. 1715 Ramsay Christ's Kirk Gr. ii. x, A thrawn knublock hit his heel. 1752 Rec. Elgin (New Spald. Cl.) I. 465 All..sowms, thramels, rigwoodies, tethers, wallropes, thrawn wawns [wands] and all other wood or work of wood, straw, bent, or rushes. a 1824 Ld. Saltoun & Auchanachie vi. in Child Ball. viii. (1892) 348/1 He's bowed on the back, and thrawin on the knee. 1871 G. Lawrence Anteros xv, She had seen the husband..brought home a corpse stiff and thrawn. 1897 Thrawn thrapple [see threap n. 2]. 1901 Westm. Gaz. 9 Apr. 3/1 ‘Dramatic idyls’..peopled by the stark ‘thrawn’ figures of the Pre-Raphaelite world. |
b. Of the mouth or face: Drawn awry or distorted by anger, ill-temper, or the like; frowning.
| 1513 Douglas æneis iii. ix. 89 His mekle E, That lurkit allane vnder his thrawn front. Ibid. vii. viii. 23 Alecto her thrawin vyssage dyd away. a 1585 Polwart Flyting w. Montgomerie 784 Iock Blunt, thrawin frunt! 1719, 1897 [see 3]. |
2. fig. Perverse, contrary; cross-grained, ill-tempered, crabbed, peevish, cross.
| c 1450 Holland Howlat 918 Thus wycit he the walentyne thraly and thrawin. c 1470 Henry Wallace x. 593 Thar salusyng was bot boustous and thrawin. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 129 Sa mot I thriue, I am thrawin, Begin we to threip. 1585 Jas. I Ess. Poesie (Arb.) 39 Lyke the curr,..sparing alwaies those are to him knowin, To them most gentle, to the others throwin. 1718 Ramsay Christ's Kirk Gr. iii. i, Greedy wives wi' girning thrawn, Cry'd lasses up to thrift. 1719 ― To Arbuckle 109 Wishing thrawn parties wad agree. 1737 ― Sc. Prov. v. (1750) 15 A thrawin question should have a thrawart answer. 1816 Scott Bl. Dwarf xviii, Though he was thrawn and cankered in his converse, he likeit dumb creatures weel. 1862 Leisure Hours in Town 13 The expressive Scotticism which says of a perverse and impracticable man that he is a thrawn person; that is, a person who has got a thraw or twist. 1889 Barrie Window in Thrums xix, He cried it oot fell thrawn. 1893 Crockett Stickit Minister 117 A grummle from that thrawn stick o' a registrar. |
3. Comb. as thrawn-faced, -gabbit, -mowit adjs., having a ‘thrawn’ face or mouth (see 1, 1 b); hence, crabbed, ill-tempered, snarling.
| 1578 Inv. Royal Wardr. (1815) 249 Ane moyane of fonte thrawin mowit without armes maid be Hanis Cochrane. 1719 Ramsay 2nd Answ. to Hamilton vii, Thrawn-gabbit sumphs that snarl At our frank lines. 1897 Crockett Lad's Love iii, Ye thrawn-faced, slack-twisted muckle haythen ye. |
Hence ˈthrawnly adv. Sc., awry; perversely, ill-temperedly; ˈthrawnness Sc., perversity, obstinacy, cantankerousness.
| 1513 Douglas æneis vii. vii. 133 Wyth bludy ene rowing full thrawinly. 1825 Jamieson, Thrawinness, perverseness, obstinacy. 1862 Leisure Hours in Town 18 Perversity, or general Unpleasantness and Thrawn-ness. 1883 Stewart Nether Lochaber lii. 328 A perverseness of disposition and a thrawnness of temper. 1899 J. Buchan Grey Weather 250 ‘What bird are ye?’ he asked thrawnly. 1980 Times Lit. Suppl. 28 Mar. 373/1 The Kilbrandon Commission found the stage army of the Scottish good solidly pro-devolution... Only the Labour Party remained thrawnly hostile to the whole idea. |