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

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Salsar, Sausar, Sassar, Sas(s)er, Salster, n. Also: salsare, -ear, -ere; salcer; sausser, -our, sawsar, -er, sawcer, (suaser); sasur, sascer, sacer, -yer; saiser, saiscer; sa(u)ster. Psalsar. [ME and e.m.E. saucer (1340), sauser (1352–3), sawser(e (14th c.), sausser (Caxton), sasser (1588), saser (1615), OF saussiere, sauciere (1328, 1379 in Larousse), salsiere (1410 in Wartburg), med. L. salsarium.] A dish or deep plate to hold (appar. orig.) sauce, also ? salt or condiments. Also attrib. and comb.An appar. early example is the Selkirkshire place-name Sausarelande (1429 Exch. R. IV 495). 1478 Acta Aud. 67/1.
iiij gret pewder chargeouris ij salsaris [ed. salsatis] ij saltfattis 1488 Treas. Acc. I 82.
Thre platis of siluer … tuelf salsaris 1499–1500 Acta Conc. II 403.
Salsare 1502 Treas. Acc. II 241.
Salsaris of silver quhit 1511 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 377.
Salseris 1524–5 Wigtownshire Chart. 63.
iv tyn salsaris, ii tyn saltfattis 1552 Dundee B. Ct. II fol. 171b (13 July).
Ane salsere ane tronscheour of pewder 1567 Kirkcaldy B. Rec. App. 314. 1572 Edinb. Test. II 155b.
Salceris Ib. 238b.
Ellevin how dischis … xj small salsaris 1578 Inv. Wardrobe 241.
Aucht blew salceris 1605 Black Bk. Taymouth 343.
iii paintit salseris of leam 1615 Reg. Privy S. MS 21 Nov.
Four pewder salsearis(b) c1461 Reg. Episc. Aberd. II 85.
In coquina … parapsidem discum dublar et savsar 1512 Rentale Dunkeld. (SHS) 227.
13 perapsides, 10 disci, 5 lie sausseris 1513 Ib. 263.
6 sauseris (salsoriorum) 1520–1 Stirling B. Rec. I 8.
vj poder plattis, vj dissches, iij sawsaris, ij trenscheris 1522 Dunferm. B. Rec. I 209.
Ane plait ane sausar ane truncheour 1534 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 144.
Ane tyne plait … ane saussour, ane salt fat 1540 Maxwell Mem. I 408.
Ane dosan sawsaris 1562 Inv. Q. Mary 55.
Tua quheit sawsars 1565 Prot. Bk. Thomas Johnsoun 97.
Sawsaris 1568 Edinb. Test. I 119.
Sevin sauseris of Inglis pwder c1575 Balfour Pract. 235.
Ane sauser, ane trunscheour 1590 St. A. B. Ct. 8 April.
Ane chargeour ane plait haill maice halff maice ane sawcer ane pewder dische ane salt fatt 1606 Edinb. Test. XLII 84b.
Sex sawsers price of thame xiij s. iiij d.(c) 1457 Peebles B. Rec. I 119.
A daplar and a sassar 1539 Ex. Processes (Reg. H.) No. X (Scott v Scott & McDowall).
Twelf disseis xij sassaris with ane chargeour 1570 Canongate Ct. Bk. 206.
Ane saser of tin 1575 Dumfries B. Ct. 25 Oct.
Ane plet ane coverand saser [transcr. safer] ane dische ane trunschor 1595–6 Sc. Hist. Rev. X 302.
Sasers 1615 Haddington Corr. 289.
And four siluer sassers 1616 Edinb. Test. XLIX 162b.
Thrie saseris of tin pryce of the pece ten s. 1631 Brechin Test. V 51.
Sex leam saseris four lem babeis 1639 Edinb. Test. LIX 83.
Ten laime Flanderis saseris 1640 Glenurquhy Heirlooms in Innes Sketches 508.
Ane dussone of silver sasers partlie overgilt 1651 Buccleuch Mun. 11.
Sasceris 1656 Brechin Test. VI 23.
Fyve sasuris worth viij s. 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII 363.
11 peuther sasers(d) 1562 Inv. Q. Mary 55.
Twa gilt sacers 1567 Ib. App. cxlix.
Ane cowip with ane cower and ane sacyer gilt 1694 Inchmahome Pr. 161.
Ane large peuther aple frame, with four little sacers, and four topes for screwing on(e) 1515–16 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 36.
A saiser 1611 McKay Kilmarnock 308.
Ane dusoun pewdir trunschoris; … sevinteine saisceris(f) 1597 Edinb. Test. XXX 44b.
xvj trunscheouris … xiiij sasteris 1630 Bamff Chart. 222. 1631 Buccleuch Household Bk. 25 Sept.
For sax sasters 1632 Inv. Newark 6a.
Silver plaitis … silver trencheris … silver sasteris 1634 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. II 423.
Twentie sex Indian sausters with ane great plett for confectiones 1658 Boyd Fam. P. No. 236 (27 Feb.).
Twentie three peuder truncheris foure meiklle sasteris and tua littlle anes 1663 Kirkcudbr. Min. Bk. 187n.
In the garnell house, … twelff trencheres and four salstersproverb. a1598 Ferg. Prov. No. 412.
Of false persons … He bydes as fast as a cat bound with a sacerattrib. 1645 Edinb. Test. LXI 184b.
Ane vther mould of bras for plaitt … ane trinscher & ane sacer mould weyand tua staine wecht … ane Inglisch sauster mould and ane satfilt mouldcomb. 1577 Edinb. Test. V 264b.
Tua litill salseris discheis 1593 Ib. XXV 288.
Small pan basing chargour plait counterfute sacer dische

b. A representation of a saucer engraved onto a stone, used by the burgh of Aberdeen as an official boundary mark. Also comb. and attrib. in sauser-mark, -stane. 1578 Aberd. Chart. 337.
And that the first marche of the saidis Justice Mylnis begynis at the graye stane quhair it is pottit and ingrauit the townis commoun mark viz^t ane sauser and swa callit the sawser stane Ib. 340.
Linealie north-wast as the saser staneis lyis Ib.
Quhill it cum to the ruiff quhair the saser stane is maid in the syd of the said ruiff Ib. 338.
Sauser stane Ib.
Saser stane 1615 Aberd. B. Rec. II 322.
Quhilk stane wes ordanit to be helpit in the suaser mark thairof Ib.
Thay fand ane merche stane perfytelie merkit with the signe of the sauser finding the same to be ane of the towne of Aberdeines merches of propertie Ib. 325.
Ane great sauser stane merkit with twa sausers Ib. 326.
To ane merche stane … merkit with ane sauser and ane key and thairfra keipand the northeast gett stane be stane as thay ar merkit with the said sauser and key 1698 Kennedy Aberd. Ann. I 382.
Ane great stone, marked with an sauser