Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1934 (SND Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
'AT, AT, YT, dem. adj., dem. pron., adv. That. [ɑt; (in 2(2)) ət, ɑt]
1. dem.adj. That. Used also with a pl. noun.Cai.(D) 1929 “Caithness Forum” in John o' Groat Jnl. (8 Nov.):
Ye'll no' slack wi' 'at ill-scraped towngue o' yirs.Abd.13 1914:
Jinse is awa t' see gin she get ony knittins aboot 'at merriage.Bch.(D) 1926 P. Giles in Abd. Univ. Rev. (July) 221:
'At flags iz nae mowse i' snaw. [For loss of th see P.L.D. §§ 139, 158.]
2. dem.pron. That.
(1) General usage.Cai. 1929 “Caithness Forum” in John o' Groat Jnl. (27 Dec.):
Licht up yir auld clayag an' try yir mathematics on 'at.Abd. 1914 J. Leatham Daavit 15:
'At's the stair!Bch.(D) 1926 P. Giles in Abd. Univ. Rev. (March) 111:
Syne there was the 'ear o' the short crap, fin I cam' ashore, 'at wiz twenty sax, and aifter that there wiz [etc.].
(2) Referring to a word or phr. in a previous sentence or clause, at introduces a brief repetition (for emphasis) of an assertion or intention. The inverted order is complete in Sc., while in the corresponding Eng. expression it is partial; cf. Sc. “at wull A,” Eng. “that I will.”Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality x.:
Ye should think shame o' yoursell, at should ye.m.Lth. 1882 “J. Strathesk” Bits from Blinkb. vii.:
Ye're just a big babbie — 'at are ye.Gall.(D) 1901 Trotter Gall. Gossip 66:
If A wantit him dead he wud leeve till he wus auler nor McThusalem, yt wud he!Wgt. 1880 G. Fraser Lowland Lore 108:
I'll sing wi' a' my birr,'at wull I.w.Dmf. 1908 J. L. Waugh Robbie Doo (2nd ed.) 58:
I nicket it, 'at did I.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B. 43:
“A'll tell ma faither, at wull A” (= that will I). — Hei's a perfec' skemp, at is hei.
3. adv. of degree = so. See That.Cai.(D) 1929 “Caithness Forum” in John o' Groat Jnl. (11 Oct.):
Hid's no' 'at lang since 'e fairmers' ball.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"'at demonstr. adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 22 Nov 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/at_demonstr_adj>