glaum

verb

1. (Ireland, Scotland)To grasp or snatch (at), usually feebly or ineffectually; to grope (at) with the hands, as in the dark.

   “My heart, for fear, gaed sough for sough, / To hear the thuds, and see the cluds / O' clans frae woods, in tartan duds, / Wha glaum'd at kingdoms three.”

   “"Few get what they glaum at."”

   “She plays a game of blind-man's bute, / Glaums at the first she touches; / Even if the coof has coin enough, / She multiplies his riches.”

   “"Katty, Katty Regan, for God's sake" he cried, all in a breath, his voice wild and high with surprise and despair, his hand glauming at nothing. Only with her last word had her own voice broken from her, letting him know whose[…]”

   “... used to be always embracing me Josie whenever he was there meaning him of course glauming me over and when I said I washed up and down as sar as possible asking me did you wash[…]”

2. (dialectal)To search (for something).

   “Pádraig Ó Cíobháin, of An Spidéal, heard the word glauming from his mother-in-law , Kathleen Lanigan, in Kilkenny. The good lady offered this gloss: 'She'd be going around the house glauming for something - searching for [it].'”

   “Linda eyed Teddy intently, he was still glauming his mind for something, anything. He was not giving up. Linda asked himself, just what happened to this guy? Tina was still sulking from the balcony, Mrs Abebe attempted throughout the[…]”

3. (Northern-England, Scotland)To look sullen or sad; scowl, frown.

   “I drop my bantering side, glauming a hard frown. “Why would your clients not want you to execute on these in full? Obviously you have a skilled eye for dramatic impact. And I know naught of intricate fashion construction,[…]”

4. To look (at), to stare (at).

   “He drummed on the table, glauming at me and through me until I wondered if I should count the interview ended. Then of a sudden he shouted, […]”