DCHP-3

scrammed

DCHP-2 (Jun 2016)

Spelling variants:
scranned, shrammed, schrammed, scrammy

1adj. — Newfoundland, possibly dated

stiff with cold, numb.

Type: 2. Preservation — As seen in EDD (s.v. "scram" (v3.1)), scrammed originally comes from West Country English, the varieties of southwestern England. The surge in immigrants to Newfoundland from this area in the 17th to 19th centuries resulted in many preservations from this particular dialect (Clarke 2010b: 6-7). OED-3, which marks the term as southwestern (s.v. "scram" (v.1)), cites the Old English verb "scrimman", meaning 'to shrink or shrivel', as the likely root for scrammed. Internet data shows that the variant shrammed is still used most frequently in the UK, with usage in Canada following close behind (see Chart 1).
See also DNE, s.v. "scrammed" (1).

Quotations

1863
MORETON 34 Schram'd. Cramped, and clammy cold.
1896
Dial Notes i, 380 'Are you very cold?' 'Yes, I am just scrammed.' (Nfld).
1916
'Scrammed' with the cold was equal to chilled with the cold.
1922
"If you want to find out you must pay through the nose; / "And we scrammed with the cold and our fists nearly froze, / "After flying all day over oceans of ice, / "If you want information you must pay the price."
1937
SCRANNED Benumbed with the cold.
1979
CHILLED OR NUMBED WITH COLD: scrammed, scranned, starved
1986
But when I came in camp a while later, red in the face and lugging those heavy lard tins with the wire handles cutting into my fingers that were scrammed with the cold, Tom had a good laugh.
1994
St. Michael's Bay was more usually known to Newfoundland fishermen as Scrammy Bay, from a Newfoundland term meaning "benumbed with cold" (most often used to refer to the hands).
2007
The week before Christmas would find us huddled round the stove each morning, warming our scrammed hands and toes. Some of us wore coats until recess time.
2adj. — Newfoundland, obsolete

stiff, cramped, or paralyzed from disease or injury.

Type: 2. Preservation — As with meaning 1, scrammed in this sense is preserved from dialectal British English (EDD, s.v. "scram" (v3.2)). This particular meaning, however, is far less common in written sources than the meaning associated with 'cold' and was, even in its heyday in the 19th century, always much less frequent generally than meaning 1.
See also DNE, s.v. "scrammed" (2).

Quotations

1909
What comfort can you really find / If your poor feet are scrammed? / Then bring your order right to Mike, / HIS WORK CAN NOT BE JAM'D.
1910
Bill is a strange figure to look at, limping on the left leg, and with the corresponding hand "scrammed," or partly paralyzed.

References

  • OED-3
    • "scram"
  • Clarke (2010b)
  • EDD
  • DNE

Images

Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 12 Jun. 2014 (Note: variant "shrammed" was used as "scrammed" produced too much noise).

Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 12 Jun. 2014 (Note: variant "shrammed" was used as "scrammed" produced too much noise).