smirr

English

Variant form of smur, of unknown origin.

smirr (plural smirrs)

(Scotland) Fine rain; drizzle. Fine drizzle, lighter than drizzle that hings in the air and does not actually precipitate.
- 2020, Douglas Stewart, Shuggie Bain, page 269:
  In the November smirr they made his team take off their shirts. He walked up and down the pitch, rubbing at his chest, unsure whether it was frozen or scalding hot from the wind.
- 2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 499:
  The man was dead but Kidd aimed the gun once more and a light mist sprayed his cheeks like a cool smirr of rain.

smirr (third-person singular simple present smirrs, present participle smirring, simple past and past participle smirred)

(Scotland, intransitive) To drizzle; to rain finely.
- 2014, William McIlvanney, The Papers of Tony Veitch:
  The queue was about the size of a small football crowd and in the smirring rain it should have been a formula for misery. But the place was jumping joyously.
(Scotland, transitive) To cover with fine rain.
- 2022, John MacKay, The Road Dance:
  Rain clouds smirred the horizon, but for now the grey mists above were content to drift on.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

smirr (plural smirrs)