ppl. a. Sc. 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 sb. 2].
1901. Westm. Gaz., 9 April, 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. Ibid. (1719), To Arbuckle, 109. Wishing thrawn parties wad agree. Ibid. (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 sparl At our frank lines.
1897. Crockett, Lad’s Love, iii. Ye thrawn-faced, slack-twisted muckle haythen ye.
Hence Thrawnly adv. Sc., awry; perversely, ill-temperedly; Thrawnness 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.
1833. Stewart, Nether Lochaber, lii. 328. A perverseness of disposition and a thrawnness of temper.
