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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

EAT, v., n.

A. v.

I. Sc. forms.

1. Pr.t. and inf.: eht (Abd. 1894 W. Gregor in Trans. Bch. Field Club III. 148); et (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), 1914 Angus Gl.); eyt (Cai. 1930 John o' Groat Jnl (28 Feb.)); ett (Bnff., Abd., Rxb. 1942; Cai., Bnff., Edb., Arg., Rxb 2000s); aet (Uls.⁴ 1949; Sh., Ork., Cai., Bnff., Abd., Ags., Edb., Dmf. 2000s). See also Ait, v. [it Sc., but Sh., Abd. + ɛt, ne.Sc., Fif., Per. + et]Abd. c.1750 R. Forbes Jnl. from London (1755) 34:
They might aet ither, as Towy's hawks did.Abd. 1929 T. W. Paterson (ed.) Sc. Readings 89:
Noo, Peter, gin ye dinna gie's a richt price for my deuks I'll ett them mysel.Abd.¹ 1930:
Ye needna try on that yarn, geese wid aet hens throu't [it is so full of holes.]Sh. 1993 New Shetlander Sep 29:
"Granny, I don't aet meat". Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 42:
Could she nae hae gaen ma an ordinary punnie, like lines, or sums, or missin gym? Bit nae, nae her. Nae Miss McTavish. My ma says Miss McTavish maun ett nesty peels tae mak her sae ill-naturet.

2. Pa.t. (1) Strong pa.t, Sc. form of Eng. ate: eat (Abd.²⁷ 1948); eet (Uls.⁴ 1949); ett (m. and s.Sc. 1950; Cai., Bnff., Edb., Arg., Rxb 2000s); üt, u(u)te, üit (Sh.). [it, ɛt Sc.; øt, yt Sh.]Sh. 1891 J. Burgess Rasmie's Büddie 100:
Whin Aedie üt da blyde-maet for himsell An her, pür lass, 'at dan belanged ta him.Sh. 1897 Shet. News (17 July):
Doo . . . cutted aff da legs o' da hardest anes . . . an' üit dem dysel.Abd.⁷ 1925:
Peter, my neeper, mairriet a wife An' cudna keep 'er, He stappit her intull a bole i' the wa', An the mice eet'er.Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 14:
Ei says ei's leike ti bowk (vomit). A dinna wunder at eet; ei ett till ei was leike ti burst.m.Sc. 1994 Martin Bowman and Bill Findlay Forever Yours, Marie-Lou 18:
In the name!...ah said the ither day it wis Roger ett the rest ae the strawberry jam, and it wis him, right!

(2) Weak pa.t.: aeted; eatit; eated (s.Sc. 1873 Murray D.S.C.S. 204; Fif., Lth. 1926 Wilson Cent. Scot.). [′itət(d), ′ætət(d)]Sc. 1745 J. Clerk Memoirs (1895) 188:
They . . . committed no disorders about the House except that they eated and drank all they cou'd find.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 20:
Right yape she yoked to the pleasing feast, An' lay an' eated half an hour at least.Slk. 1817 Hogg Poetic Mirror 107:
He hough'd the calf and eated the cow.Mry. 1873 J. Brown Round Table Club 197:
The perishin' sheep eatit the 'oo aff ane anither's backs.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 30:
They drank weel, an' aeted nee less.Per. 1903 H. Dryerre Blairgowrie Worthies 102:
The rats were that michty fond o't they eated the teeth aff the saw afore mornin'.

3. Pa.p.: etten (Gen.Sc.; Sh., Ork., Bnff., Abd., Ags., Edb., Gall., Rxb. 2000s); eytin'; aeten (Sh. 1897 Shet. News (17 July)); ettin; eten; see also Aten.Kcb. 1894 S. R. Crockett Lilac Sunbonnet xxvii.:
I could hae etten her, I likit her that weel.Gall. 1901 Trotter Gall. Gossip 110:
The puir Saxon English wud 'a haen tae 'a roastit their puddins the wey they did their beef, or else 'a etten them raw.Sh. 1914 Angus Gl. 163:
A'm seen maer as A'm etten.Abd. 1926 P. Giles in Abd. Univ. Review (July) 223:
My frien' was tauld that eyven Sawtie cudna restore a kebbuck fin it wiz feckly etten.Cai. 1930 John o' Groat Jnl. (30 May):
Man, hesna e' grub eytin' ma corn?wm.Sc. 1988 Scotsman 12 Nov 4:
The farmer said to me: "That's the third cushie that hawk's kilt since yesterday. If you gang up tae the wid you'll see the ither two, wi' the breists eten oot of them."Gsw. 1995:
Get that etten.Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 12:
Bit ain o them, fas down wis yalla, an fa, haein ettin his fill, hid naethin tae dae and wisna satisfeed wi jist newsin aboot the things they cud see, drew frae the warmth o the sun a memory he shared.

II. Sc. usages.

1. To cause to be eaten (by grazing animals) (Sh., Bnff., Abd., Ags., Kcb. 1945).Sc. 1812 J. Sinclair Systems Husb. Scot. I. 350:
He occasionally also eats the herbage of a part of his hay land, in the spring, with his fattening sheep.Arg.³ 1949:
We ett off the foggage wi' the yeeral stirks.

2. Phrs. and Combs.: (1) eaten and spued, used fig. = unhealthy (Sh.¹⁰, Abd.⁹, Kcb.¹⁰ 1942 (etten-)); (2) eaten corn, oats eaten by domestic animals trespassing on growing crops (Cai. 1900 E.D.D.; Bnff.² 1942; Sh.¹⁰ 1949); obs. since the enclosure of fields; (3) eaten out o' ply, see Aten; (4) eat-meat, ate-, an idler, a parasite (Bnff.², Abd.²⁷ 1942); (5) eat-the-breid, a person with a large appetite; (6) eet-nor-weet, (with neg.), not a particle of anything to eat or drink (Abd.⁴ 1929); †(7) to eat in (one's words), to retract, cf. Eng. phr. to eat one's words; (8) to eat oneself, — one's thumb, to be consumed with chagrin or vexation (Sc. 1911 S.D.D. Add.; Sh.¹⁰, Abd.²⁷, Ags.¹⁹ 1949); (9) to eat the tetherin' bare, of tethered cattle: to consume all the grazing provided; extended fig. to the exhaustion of one's credit in any particular place (Kcb.⁴ 1900, Bnff.² 1942).(1) Lnk. c.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 61:
His face was whitly white, like a well bleatch'd dish-clout, he looked just as he had been eaten and spued again.Ayr. 1890 J. Service Notandums 26:
The Reverend Mr Godsneuaffs, a kin' o' eaten and spued leukin' body.Edb. 1895 J. Tweeddale Moff 213:
What needs 'e look sae etten an' spued ower't?(4) Abd. 1875 W. Alexander My Ain Folk 212:
. . . one or two of her sons “at hame” during the winter season. “Mere ate-meats till Can'lemas.”(5) Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 23:
eat-the-bread A nickname, usually applied to anyone having a big appetite: 'Bit eat-the-breid's snaffled the last yumyum'.(7) Sc. 1725 Ramsay Gentle Shepherd Act IV. Sc. i. in Poems (1728):
Ye leed, auld Roudes . . . and, in Faith, had best Eat in your Words; . . .Sc. 1827 W. Motherwell Minstrelsy 254:
Come ye here to eat in your words, That you're not the Rose of Yarrow?Sc. 1834 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1856) IV. 125:
But wull ye no alloo a man to eat in a few o' his words, sir?(8) Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 11:
For they were a' just like to eat their thumb, That he wi' her sae far ben should a come.Abd. 1867 Mrs Allardyce Gudewife at Hame 1.:
John 'ill be like to ate himsel, That he hasna won in.Ags. 1893 F. Mackenzie Cruisie Sk. xiii.:
Gin I dinna brak that grey heid o' yours I'll eat my thooms.

3. In ppl.adj. etten, cantankerous, crusty, peevish (Sc. 1911 S.D.D. Add.; Abd.²⁷ 1949).

B. n. Also et(t).

1. The action of eating (Bnff.², Abd.²⁷ 1942); hence phr. †gude to the eat, tasty, palatable (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.).

2. What is eaten, a meal or feast (Bnff.², Abd.⁹, Abd.²⁷ 1942). Cf. muckle ait s.v. Ait, n. Dim. eattock, tit-bit, dainty.Abd. 1905 E.D.D. Suppl.:
Dinna spen' yer bawbees on eattocks, noo.Bch. 1941 C. Gavin Black Milestone vii.:
He missed a reg'lar belly mercy. . . . You chaps got a richt rive o' an ett.

3. Of fish: readiness to take the bait; also applied to a shoal in that condition.Sc. 1908 Jak. (1928):
Der'r a et upo de fish, de fish is in a et, the fish takes the bait willingly . . . a et o' fish . . . in boat-fishing; a shoal of fish, many of which take the bait willingly.