E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Dab, Din,
etc.
“Hab Dab and David Din
Ding the deil o’er Dabson’s Linn.”
1
“Hab Dab” means Halbert Dobson; “David Din” means David Dun; and “Dabson’s Linn,” or Dob’s Linn, is a waterfall near the head of Moffat Water.
2
Dobson and Dun were two Cameronians who lived for security in a cave in the ravine. Here, as they said, they saw the devil in the form of a pack of dried hides, and after fighting the “foul fiend” for some time, they dinged him into the waterfall.
