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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BLACK, n., adj., v., adv. [blɑk Sc.; blǫk Fif., Lth.]

1. n. As in St.Eng. Special Sc. usages: (1) “A vulgar designation for a low scoundrel, corresponding in sense to the Eng. adj. black-guard” (Sc. 1825 Jam.²).Ags. 1900 J. M. Barrie Tommy and Grizel x.:
If I was sich a black as to be chief wi' ony woman . . . she might gie me a pair o' gloves.

(2) Smut in plants.w.Lth. 1794 J. Trotter Agric. of w. Lth. 34:
Liquoring of seed wheat, to prevent black, or what is called smutt, is generally known and practised here.

(3) Mourning clothes. Gen. in pl.Abd.(D) 1920 C. Murray In the Country Places 15:
But noo when Sunday mornin' comes I hearken for the bell, An' few set oot in runkled blacks mair eager than mysel'.Mearns 1933 “L. G. Gibbon” in Scots Mag. (Feb.) 335:
He changed to his black and he helped with his brothers to carry the coffin.Ags. 1889 J. M. Barrie W. in Thrums vii.:
There's no one 'at's better behaved at a bural, being particularly wise-like (presentable) in's blacks, an' them spleet new.Edb. 1872 (2nd ed.) J. Smith Habbie and Madge 37:
What a weary job it was to get “blacks” for his funeral.

(4) pl. “Blacks. Coaly blaes” (Rnf. 1920 Memoirs Geol. Survey Scot., Gloss. Sc. Mining Terms). See Blaes, n.²

(5) The area blackened by coal-dust round a coal-pit. m.Lth. 1755 Session Papers, Hog v. Wallace (19 Dec.) 1, 10:
The House which the Respondent has begun to build upon his Coal-hill of Cairny, is upon the Black of the Coal-hill. . . . The said Cellar or Sutlery was built as near to the Coal-pit as it could conveniently be, and was within the Black of the Coal.

2. adj.

(1) Intensive use, meaning extreme, overpowering, downright (in bad sense). Gen.Sc.ne.Sc. 1836 J. Grant Tales of the Glens (1869) 24:
Black lees, wife! d'ye ca' the minister a black leear?Arg.¹ 1932:
Ye should think black shame tae be huttin a bit lassie lake that.

(2) Perfect, dead.Sh. 1926–1928 J. Gray Lowrie an' da wadder Forecast in Sh. Times:
Hit'll be a black calm.

(3) Sad.Ayr. 1822 Galt Sir A. Wylie xcix.:
I hae heard black news.

(4) Phr. the black trade, the business of an undertaker. Dmf. 1917 J. L. Waugh Cute McCheyne 5:
The black trade wasna to be sneezed at, I assure you.

 (5) Comb. black sore throat, a popular term for typhoid fever. Abd. 1915 H. Beaton Benachie 100:
He contracted "black sore throat", and was gathered to his fathers.

(6) Of a hill: covered with heather. Cf. White, adj., 4.Arg. 1954 D. Mackenzie Farmer in W. Isles 68:
Cheviots do tolerably well in Mull, but prefer a more grassy hill than that at Ballygown, which is a 'black' hill - i.e. heather-clad. Ayr. 1966:
Sheep farmers in the Girvan area talk about the Black Hills, those covered with heather, and the White Hills, those covered with grass.

3. v.

(1) With paper: to put pen to paper, make an agreement (with).Sc. 1745 Lord Lovat in Chambers Rebellion (1869) 157:
I will never black paper with them.

(2) To become, grow black.ne.Sc. 1881 W. Gregor Folk-Lore of N.-E. Scot. 132:
It was accounted unlucky if the sheep on a farm began to bring forth stock of various colours; hence the saying: — “Fin the nout begins t' fleck and gehr, Ye may lat oot the byre mehr and mehr; Fin the sheep begins t' black and brook, Ye may tack in the cot at ilky neuk.”

(3) To supply with mourning clothes.Rxb. 1922 Kelso Chron. (14 April) 2/7:
“Whan he dee'd he got as muckle money oot o't as blackit them a'.” In other words the dead man's emoluments [i.e. money] had served to clothe the friends in mournings.

(4) To inform upon; to brand.Fif. 1897 “S. Tytler” Witch-Wife xi.:
I would not “black” her; but, O Glenfierroch! what shall I do? [Already in O.Sc. 1567 in Bain Calendar Document Scot. II. 393: Tala . . . can blake some great men with it [the murder] (J.B.J.).]

4. adv. (1) Completely, dead. Gen.Sc.Edb. 1881 J. Smith Habbie and Madge 71:
The fire black oot.Rxb.² 1923:
The fire's black oot.

(2) Intensely, grossly, to the utmost pitch.Sc. a.1706 Bonny Heck in J. Watson Choice Collection (1869) i. 68:
O fy, Sirs, for black burning Shame, Ye'll bring a Blunder on your Name!Sc. 2000 Sunday Mail (26 Nov.)  21:
And black, burning shame is what our political leaders should feel over the plight of Britain's fishing industry, nearly two thirds of which is based in Scottish ports. Sc. 2004 Daily Record (2 Sep.)  42:
Black burning shame on you both Foster and Cram, would have been my granny's condemnation. I couldn't put it much better.Sh. 1974 New Shetlander No. 108. 22:
Wir baith black fantin.Abd. 1985 Sheena Blackhall in Julie Milton Original Prints 96:
"...He should think black burnin' shame on himsel, bringin' his bairns up tae that."Abd. 1987 Donald Gordon The Low Road Hame 8:
An fan he got duntit,
Dae ye ken fit she said?
I wis black affrontit!
The impident besom!Ags. 1929 J. S. Buist in Scots Mag. (May) 150:
Ye micht think black-burnin' shame o' yirsel tae torment an auld wumman like me.Dundee 1990 Matthew Fitt in Hamish Whyte and Janice Galloway New Writing Scotland 8: The Day I Met the Queen Mother 13:
... Shift manageress McHale would hear him and come raging up ... and swear at him something terrible, curses so vivid and vile that even Hauf-Shut's family, who were all dead and buried, were black-affontit, ...Dundee 1994:
If yer mother had been alive today, she'd've been black burnin ashamed of ye.e.Per. 1894 “I. Maclaren” Bonnie Brier Bush 214:
A've never been sae black affrontit.em.Sc. 1999 James Robertson The Day O Judgement 17:
They'll no can dout that God is fair:
Black-burnin shame will melt their chowks,
An there's nae furnace burns sae sair.wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 40:
Tae insult yir Holy Name, ah'm black affronted!Gsw. 1972 Molly Weir Best Foot Forward (1974) 191:
When I tried to take her arm she shook me off. 'I was black affrontit,' she said. 'Fancy laughing like that, and you supposed to be a lady. I don't know what you learned in that college, but it certainly wasn't manners.'Gsw. 1985 Anna Blair Tea at Miss Cranston's 15:
And the black-burning shame of turning up at the church hall without the new braws is as sore after eighty years as it was that Sunday morning.Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 11: 
 black-affronted Ashamed, mortified, or offended: 'I was black-affronted when I went to pay and couldn't find my purse.'Gsw. 1991 Anna Blair More Tea at Miss Cranston's 130:
My mother was black-affronted once when someone saw only half of the back door of Cooper's van outside her house...didn't see the 'er's...and said to her. 'didn't know you dealt with the Co-op, Mistress Hunter.'Kcb. 1894 S. R. Crockett Raiders i.:
I could have broken his head, for I was black angry at the senseless . . . cruelty.Uls. 1997 Bernard MacLaverty Grace Notes (1998) 40:
Going to her father's funeral in jeans would annoy everyone. Her mother would be black affronted.

5. Phrases: (1) Black afore the (my, his, etc.) nail, something of very little account; (2) black on ye, a mild imprecation; (3) black tak ye, id., but rather more forcible.(1) Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto Tammas Bodkin (1868) xii.:
He had tane his crawl withoot giein' puir Mrs Snifters sae muckle as the black afore his nail.Slk. 1820 Hogg Winter Ev. Tales I. 9:
I carena the black afore my nail about it. [Occurs in e.Suf. dial., see E.D.D. s.v. nail, sb.¹, Phr. (3).](2) Cai.³ 1934:
Black on ye, man, ye micht hae keepit yer thoom on 'at.(3) Id.:
Black tak ye, ye hae singed the sooans.