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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Hose, Hois, n. Also: hos, hois(s)e, hoys(e, hoes, howis, house, hoose, (hoas). [ME. hose, sing. and collect., hosis (1382), -en (c 1205), plur., OE. hosa m. (rare), ON. hosa f. In Sc. chiefly as a (collective) plural.]

1. A close-fitting garment for the leg; a stocking, short or long, worn by men, women, or children. Usually as a plural.(a) c1420 Wynt. ii. 1107.
Messengerys … Wytht aulde hose and rywine schone 1456 Hay I. 64/7.
Ane broche of stele … put doun on lang his hos 1473 Treas. Acc. I. 35.
½ elne … of blac for ij pare of hos to the Qwene 1498 Halyb. 161.
A dobyllat, hat and hos 1502 Treas. Acc. II. 145.
For ane maid cote … to the rouch lad, and for ane pair of schone to him and hos(b) c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 1931.
Pallamydes … tuke of baith hois & schone c1475 Wall. vi. 447.
Thi gowne and hois in haist thow put off syne 1490 Irland Mir. fol. 281.
Ane euill govn, ane euill hois, an euill scho 1535 Stewart 57191.
Baith wyfe and barne … All sark allane withoutin hois or scho 1548 Treas. Acc. IX. 211.
Ane elne of stemmyng to be hir foure pair of hois 1578 Inv. Wardrobe 236.
Ten pair of wolvin hois of gold, silver and silk 1630 Glasgow B. Rec. I. 374.
To by alsmekill kairsay claithe as to be coitt, breikis, and hois c1650 Spalding II. 320.
Ilk soldiour wes furneshit with tua sarkis, cot, breikis, hois, and bonet 1660 D. Ure Hist. Rutherglen (1793) 65.
A pair of shooes and hoise(c) 1489 Treas. Acc. I. 149.
For … Fransche blak to be ij party hoyse to the King Ib.
For … cotton quhyt to be odir ij hoyse to the same ij blak hoyse 1567 Fleming Q. Mary 509.
Of sylk to be hoys to the Quens grace viij unce

b. To win the hois, to gain the prize. 1560 Rolland Seven S. 7580.
With thy fals taillis of tene, thow trowis to win the hois 1562-3 Winȝet I. 58/32.
Hes he nocht win the hois worthelie, in forgeing a mok to me … ?

c. In sing. with a : a stocking-leg. 1596 Dalr. I. 42/29.
For nocht sa mekle fishe thay with nettis, as with … long kreilis, win with wickeris in the forme of a hose sa round wouen

d. Plur. Stockings of mail as part of a suit of armour. 1494 Loutfut MS. 46 a.
Item hosis of mail abone the harnes of lambes

2. A garment for the loins and legs (as worn by men and boys). Freq., a pair of hose. Also attrib. Also with defining terms. as arming, harnes, justing, riding (q.v.).(a) 1473 Treas. Acc. I. 15.
v elne of braid clath to turs the Kingis dowblatis and his hoss vij s. vi d. 1503 Ib. II. 219.
For ane elne wellus to be brekis to ane pair of hos 1506 Ib. III. 252.
For iij quartaris grene dames to breke the hale scarlet hos c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 200.
Thy hostand hippis lattis nevir thy hos go dry c1500-c1512 Kennedy Ib. 501.
Louse thy hose That I may touch thy tone with tribulation c1568 Lauder Minor P. i. 425.
Moir grit expens is maid … Upon ane pair of prophane monstruus hose, [etc.] 1584 Sat. P. xlv. 736.
Of omnigatherine now his glose; He maid it lyk a Wealchman hose 1611 Rep. Mar & Kellie MSS. 67.
4 yards of Jenes fuschian to line the dublet and pockets to the hose(b) 1499 Dunferm. B. Rec. 91.
Of vterhalf of ane par of hoys 1534 Treas. Acc. VI. 195.
For … silkin poyntis … to thir hois foirsaidis 1538 Ib. VII. 103.
For ryssillis blak, to be him ane pair of hois, with tua pair of schankis 1542 Inv. Wardrobe 95.
Ane pair of hois of quhyt velvott … cuttit out upon reid taffate and hippit with clayth of gold 1556 Inverness Rec. I. 3.
Souerte to the balȝes for the spice and the wine and his gyld hoys 1561 Treas. Acc. XI. 84.
lxiij elnis of blak gray to … bouster thair [sc. the pages'] hois 1570 Inverness Rec. I. 190.
For the prowestis hois and banket as wse is a1585 Maitl. Q. clxxviii. 86.
Thay spred abrod thair buffit hois(c) 1530 Balmerino & L. Chart. ii. 32.
Thre dwiplats … , thre pair of blak howis wytht ane pair of blak soikksattrib. 1570 Canongate Ct. Bk. 274.
The thiftuis steling ... of his purs ... furth of his hois thie in the chalmer quhairin he lay

b. In the plur. form hoses, hoisis. 1540 Acta Conc. & Sess. MS. XIV. 54 b.
Ane pair of hoisis … of cullordelayroy 1575 Bk. Univ. Kirk I. 335.
In the ministers … we thinke all kynd of brodering vnseimlie, all bagaries of velvett on gownes, hoses or coat 1605 Tailors' Acc. Bk. MS. 32.
Blak plading to thir same hoissis to bus the hair vpoun

3. Schort hose, knee-breeches. 1488 Treas. Acc. I. 156.
Cayrsay to be x payre of schort hoyse to the Dwke 1494 Ib. 225.
For … quhit clath, to be schort hos to the kne 1534 Ib. VI. 193.
To be the King tua pair of schort hunting hois, ane elne grene 1601 Misc. Spald. C. II. 145.
Tua pair of brekis, ane pair of schort hoise

4. transf. a. ? A case or covering of coarse cloth, for a flag. b. The socket of a metal tool for receiving the shaft. c. The holster or case for a pistol. d. The sheath or husk of corn.a. 1506 Treas. Acc. III. 90.
For ane blew steik of sey … for the toungis … for the lioun in the banar and to the hos of the standart to the schip 1507 Edinb. Hammermen 62.
For ane eln bukcrem to mak hois to thaim [the banners] 1540 Treas. Acc. VII. 311.
For making of the grete ansenȝeis [for the ships] … and bukrem to be hois to thame 1556–7 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 204.
For taffitye to be ane standart to the towne, … and bukcram to be ane hois theirtob. 1582 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 125.
Ane fork with ane hois to ane lang tre to help vp with the ladderis Ib. 146.
For ane schoulle with ane hois of irne to patill the kirk 1633 M. Works Acc. XXVIII. 24.
Ane dussone of raik teith with ane hose to the heid 1694 Foulis Acc. Bk. 172.
For laying the axe and mending the hoose of it c. 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 356.
A pair of pistoll hoise, 2 leather beltsd. a1646 Wedderb. Vocab. 21 (J).
Vagina, the hose of corn

e. = Hose-net(t n. 1693 in Session Papers Leslie v. Fraser (1805) 330.
To desist from stenting of their nets, ... going pleat, hoas, honywaters [? read herry-] ... during the saturday's sloop