Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

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

S(c)hor(e, S(c)hoir, v.¹ Also: shoar(e. [Late ME schore (once, c1400), of unknown origin. Perhaps, OED conjectures, cognate with S(c)hore adj. See also S(c)hor(e n.¹]

1. tr. Of a person: To threaten (another) by one's words or actions; to try to influence by threatening harm, punishment, etc.Also with inanimate subject.Also with clause or infin. complement.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xlii 58.
Syne vthir tyme thai wald Hir schore vith visage bald a1450 Fifteen Ois 100.
Quhen Thi innomes … With mony fell wordis can Thé schore a1500 Rauf C. 733.
Than the coilȝear quoke … Quhen he hard the suith say how he the king schord a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 276.
Or he be strenyeit with strenth, yone sterne for to schore, Mony ledis salbe loissit a1500 Prestis of Peblis 1317.
Shore a1500 Seven S. 1896.
This pyot can scho schore 1533 Boece 325b.
Illuding … kirkmen, be writingis of Cristin princis in Albioun war schorit 1560 Rolland Seven S. 4385.
For ony tyke, in this wise to be schorit, … I had rather be smorit 1567 G. Ball. 111.
With ire sa scharplie thay vs schorit 1597 Reg. Privy C. V 388.
[He] schorit Adam Guthrie … and held ane bendit pistollet to his breist 1650 Dumfries Treas. Acc. MS p. 24.
The 7 day of Julij 1650 quhen he was schoreing us for the mantenance(b) 1567 Sat. P. iii 122.
Gif God … for ainis fault ane multitude did shoir a1568 Bann. MS 222a/15.
Dreidfull Dispair oft syis dois me schoir 1605 Stewart Mem. 114.
Jhone Stewart … boistis schoiris monassis and inuadis the seid complener 1609 Reg. Privy C. VIII 783.
[Cummings] daylie bragis, boistis, shoiris and minassis [Henry Conning] 1625 Garden Kings 67.
Th' English than, that with thair swords thee shoirs, Thow fights(c) 1663 Boyd Fam. P. No. 263 (June).
Who having conceived ane deadlie hatred … boasts shoares menaces and invades the saids complainers(2) c1590 J. Stewart 85/183.
He socht till schift the sorrow that so did him schoir 1626 Garden Worthies 14.
Th' unbridl'd barrons … Whose swords forsuorn there soveraigne lord did schore(3) 1516 Caldwell P. 53.
Ye … come furth … and with greit manissing wordis schoiring [ed. schowing] the said Johne [etc.] … for to slay them perforce 1533 Boece 192.
Donald of the Ilis … schorit all his presoneris thai suld be slane 1573 Reg. Privy C. II 229.
Continewalie boisting and schoring him that gif he insistit to persew his rycht, he hes avowit to have his lyff alsua 1576 Ib. 571.
And quhen thay answer the ane, thay ar schorit to be compellit to mak dowbill payment ower agane to the uther 1640 Acts V 620/1.
My creditouris schoires me daylie to incarcerat me and put me in ward

b. Const. to, of, (as) for or with a specified mishap or fate. ?1438 Alex. ii 9970.
Thoch thay all … Come shorand him as for the dede … He wald not fle 1533 Boece 85b.
Gillus … be treson of conspiratouris was schorit to dede; and tharefore prayit thaim for supple to recovir his realme 1570–1 Cal. Sc. P. III 506.
[In Lochleven she was] schorit and bostit of hir leife without scho demmittit hir crowun 1588 Reg. Privy C. IV 339.
Schoiring thame … with death giff thay shew ony kynd of nychtbourheid to him 1592 Ib. V 26.
[And there] boisted and minassed him and shoirit him for his lyffe 1612 Ib. IX 417.
[He] boistis, shoiris, and minassis thame for thair bodelie hairme 1638 Baillie I 51.
In his returne at Falkirk, the wives railed, and shord him with stones Ib. 76.
A number of women waits on, and did shoare him with stroakes 1674 Argyll Justic. Rec. 37.
[They] shoared the complainers of ther lifes 1676 Dunbar Social Life II 92.
[He] be himself and his forsaids, boasts, shoares, and minaces the saids compleaners for their bodily harme

2. To hold out (a specified fate, punishment, etc.) by way of threat.With simple or clause object.(1) 1551 Hamilton Cat. 28.
Quhat punitions ar thai that God … bostis and schoris aganis all the brekaris of his commandis? Ib. 32.
All the malesonis [etc.] … quhilk God … schoris to the transgressouris of his commandis Ib. 289.
The terribil vengeance of Gods judgement quhilk he schoris to cum apon yow c1590 J. Stewart 40/392.
O lustie ladeis, heir ȝour deth is schord Ib. 182/11.
The bold blindit boy, Quhois dart of noy my death dois dalie schoir(2) 1533 Boece 357.
The king … schoring … he suld dant thare folie attemptatis Ib. 474b.
Schoring gif he refusit he suld fech him … be force of armes 1578 Reg. Privy C. III 37.
He … schoris that he sall hald him thair quhill he dee a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xl 39.
Fortun fals ay shorde that we suld shed

3. To state or signify, one's intention to carry out an action harmful, or disadvantageous, to another person, freq. in order to influence that person, or others, in a particular way; to threaten to do something. a1500 Bk. Chess 505.
Bot gif he tald scho schord hir sone to sla 1513 Doug. xii xii 166.
Ene Can thame mannans … Schorand the cite to distroy … Gif ony help … to hym [sc. Turnus] schew 1533 Boece 114.
In presens of mony nobillis he schorit to revenge thir outrageous iniuris 1577 Reg. Privy C. II 661.
Hieland men … schorit … to hang him, except he declarit [etc.] 1579 Ib. III 127.
The maister … resistit thair weikit interpryise schoiring to have schot thame with pistolettis gif they desistit not 1590 Misc. Maitl. C. I 281.
The furnissaris … schoris daylie to wse the rigour and extremitie of the law aganes tham a1595 Cullen Chron. Aberd. 61.
Ellias bluid show schoiritt to spill 1598 Reg. Privy C. V 469.
He … boistis, minassis, schoiris and avowis to have his lyffe 1600-1610 Melvill 59.
The regent … uses grait thretning against the maist zelus breithring, schoring to hang of thame 1630 Maxwell Mem. II 212.
If I had not shorit to haive petitioned the king, ȝour cheif wald haive done no guid 1632 Glasgow Weavers 70.
William Pollok … violentlie output … theis present … schoiring to strek them a1651 Calderwood IV 8.
Wherby he testifeis his inward rancour; shoring to offer me bodilie harme 1660 Lanark B. Rec. 177.
[He] shoirit to throw doune his stair 1663 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. I 405.
He … daylie threattens and shores to putt the … sentence in execution

b. It was schorde, a threat was made. 1570 Sat. P. xiv 23.
My self to poysoun it was schorde

c. In weakened sense: To announce one's intention of acting in a specified way. Also, in passive, to be made an unwelcome offer. c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) xiv 36.
This to correct thay schoir with mony crakkis 1645 Glasgow B. Rec. II 77.
And his cariage … is ane bad example for others that daylie shors to vse the lyk courses — 1641 Baillie I 359.
When the lyke of me, who to this day had declyned to moderate a presbyterie, was shored to be leeted for to moderate a Generall Assemblie

d. To pretend (to threaten), to feint. 1645 Baillie II 262.
In the meantyme, the enemie, after this long storme, schoreing to fall downe on Glasgow, turned to Argyle

4. Of a thing: To seem likely to cause harm. a1568 Montg. Bann. MS I p. 53/36.
Thy absens lykwayis schoris To cutt my breth

5. intr. To utter threats; to portend unwelcome happenings. ?a1400 Nine Nobles 34 in Alex. I cxliv.
Nichanore At in his dais wald neuer schor No multitud be adred of men 1560 Rolland Seven S. 4432.
Auld men ar sle and cruell … Howbeit sum time thay wil not chyde nor schoir 1567 G. Ball. 197.
Preistis, sober be And fecht not, nouther boist nor schoir a1568 Bann. MS 14a/5.
In this thair rage thaye riballis brag and schoir c1590 J. Stewart 39/342.
Friuoll fortoune … Quha seyndill schoirs vith single sorrow schort c1600 Montg. Suppl. xxxiv 13.
For to beir witness schairp and schor Aganis the wickit trane — c1590 J. Stewart 29/512.
Scho ansuered nocht, For Rennawlt now so nar approtching schorde