Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

EN, n., v. Also en', ein, ey(a)n, eyen, eyne, e'en. Sc. forms and usages of Eng. end. [ɛn, en Sc., but n.Sc. + əi(ə)n]

I. n.

Sc. form:Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 5:
Sandy Milne frae the garage, biggin bales ivnoo at the eyn o the Coutts' park,...ne.Sc. 1996 Phyllis J. Goodall in Sandy Stronach New Wirds: An Anthology of winning poems and stories from the Doric Writing Competitions of 1994 and 1995 9:
On the wye ti Cullen
There wis an eyn-o-sizzon sale
At a gairden cintre, ...

Sc. usages:

1. A room, orig. one of the rooms in a two-roomed cottage. Gen.Sc. Found also in Nhb. and Dur. dial. Hence single-en(d), a one-roomed house or flat (Gen.(exc. ne.)Sc.), sometimes used humorously of a coffin (wm.Sc. 1950). For combs. ben-end, but-end, see Ben, adj., But, adj.Kcb. 1814 W. Nicholson Poems 27:
Then wad he kindly lead her ben, An' seat her in the parlour en', Where tea an' trock'ry a' war ready.Rxb. 1825 R. Wilson Hist. Hawick 280:
The men, an' women, an' bairns, an' swine, a' live thegether, in ae bit end.Ags. 1896 J. M. Barrie Sentimental Tommy xvi.:
It had been the ordinary dwelling room of the unknown poor, the mean little “end” — ah, no, the noblest chamber in the annals of the Scottish nation.Lnk. 1897 J. Wright Scenes of Sc. Life 27:
It was a very humble home, “a single en”, or one apartment.Per. 1904 R. Ford Hum. Sc. Stories (2nd Series) 105:
Just requisite trok'ry to plenish twa ends.Sc. 1949 Bulletin (23 Dec.) 1:
Old and frail people were being left to die in their single ends.

†2. Portion, instalment, proportion of anything.Gall. 1701 Session Bk. Minnigaff (1939) 67:
With this reserve that the ordinary collections for the poor be defalcat off the first end of them.Ags. 1758 Private Bond (per Fif.¹):
The Articles of Roup provide that out of the first end of the price [he] is to pay all charges.Fif. 1896 D. S. Meldrum Grey Mantle 243:
He's left us the big end o' his money. . . . Sixty thoosand: no' a penny less.

3. In shoemaking: the thread used in sewing leather, now waxed at the end. The term was originally applied to the bristle which is attached to the end of the thread but became extended to mean the thread itself (Abd.² 1943). See also s.v. Lingle, Roset, Yarkin. Also found in Eng. dial.Abd. 1737 W. Meston Poems (1767) 98:
Laden with tackle of his stall, Last, ends and hammer, strap and awl.Dmf. 1817 W. Caesar Poems 42:
Will McWha was bred a souter, Better ne'er a lingan drew, Waxed his en's weel, was nae fouter.Ags. 1880 A. M. Soutar Hearth Rhymes 55:
The hale day lang, wi' awl an' end, John busily the boots did mend.Sc. 1909 Colville 134:
Every way more entertaining was sutor as he . . . deftly birsed a fresh lingle end.

Phr.: to pack up one's ends and awls, to pack one's belongings; see also s.v. Awl.Ayr. 1821 Galt Ayrshire Legatees v.:
Miss Nanny, if you were going to pouse your fortune, you could not do better than pack up your ends and your awls and come to London.

4. In weaving: a warp thread of yarn or silk (Fif., Slk. 1950).Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems 131:
By some wrang cadge she ga'e her hand, She's tint her end, and wark maun stand, 'Cause she's but weak o' sight.wm.Sc.¹ 1950:
For your next web, take out these two blue ends and put in a pair of red ones instead.

5. In the game of curling: that portion of a game which is played from one end of the rink to the other (Abd.⁹, Slg³, Knr.¹, Lnk.¹¹, Wgt.⁴, Kcb.¹⁰ 1945). Used similarly in Eng. in the game of bowls.Lth. 1885 “J. Strathesk” Blinkbonny 273:
A final end was played. . . . It was a well-played head, and only settled by David Tait's last stone worming its way past “guards.”Sc. 1890 J. Kerr Hist. of Curling 393:
Should a stone happen to be broken, the largest fragment shall be considered in the game for that end — the player being entitled to use another stone, or another pair, during the remainder of the game.Sc. 1951 Scots Mag. (Jan.) 301:
And there they go [curlers]. Up an' doon, up an' doon, for 15 ends or 21 ends or until it gets dark and it's time for a dram and awa' hame.

6. Phrs.: (1) from end to one, from one end to the other, throughout (Sh.¹⁰ 1950); (2) on en', excited, roused, agitated (Abd.²⁷ 1950); (3) one's ain end, ? of one's own free will, for one's own purpose; (4) the far end o' (an affair), the bottom of (a matter); (5) to come for end, to make up one's mind (Ork.⁵ 1951); cf. Fine, n.; (6) to gae one's ends, to misconduct oneself (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.); (7) to make a good end of something, to use something for a worthy purpose (Sh.¹⁰ 1950); (8) to tak end, to come to an end, to be settled (Sh. 1975).(1) Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl. Ant. and Dwn.:
I've cleaned the hedge from end to one. The story's known from end to one through the whole place.(2) m.Lth.¹ 1950:
Prince was fair on en' till A gi'ed 'im 'is heid, an' A wis on en' masel by the time A got awa.(3) Cai. 1872 M. MacLennan Peasant Life (2nd Series) 139:
Jamie had a high religious tendency, very unusual in his class. He never absented himself “frae the kirk his ain end o' the Lord's day.”(4) Rxb. 1875 N. Elliott Nellie Macpherson 79:
He winna let me rest till he kens the far end o' the hail affair.(6) Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 11:
Hei is gaun eis ends.(7) Sh. 1886 J. Burgess Sk. and Poems 33:
See 'at doo mak's a guid end o' it, an' spends it no' in foally.(8) Sc. 1894 Scots Mag. (Oct.) 367:
If licentiates and fees were both available, the matter took end. If not - why then - try a student.

7. Combs.: (1) end-gird, the end hoop of a barrel, tub, etc. (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Abd.⁹ 1943; Sh.¹⁰ 1950); (2) end-hooping, id. (Ayr., Rxb. 1825 Jam.²); also used fig. in quot.; cf. cast a gird s.v. Gird, n.¹; (3) end-pickle, the grain of corn at the top of a stalk (Abd.⁹, Ags.² 1943); cf. Tap-pickle; (4) en(d)-rig(g), the land at the end of a furrow on which the plough is turned; Gen.Sc.; see also Fleed, id.; (5) en(d)'s errand, see Aince Errand.(2) Sc. 1827 Merry Muses (ed. Burns) 27:
She sprung an end-hooping Which banish'd poor Sandy from bonny Dundee.(3) Lnk. 1856 “Young Glasgow” Deil's Hallowe'en 34:
And she that pu'ed the luckless ear, Where nae end-pickle did appear, Had lost, — what she may seek in vain, But never find to lose again.Ib. 59:
On Halloweve, the presence of an end-pickle, or a head of corn, drawn at random from a stack, is considered a proof of virgin purity.(4) Bnff. 1745 in Rec. Bnff. (S.C. 1922) 372:
Where their lands join the highway they take care to make out head riggs and end riggs.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xliv.:
I min' as bricht 's a paintet pictur' fat like ilka knablich an' ilka sheugh an' en' rig was.wm.Sc. 1903 “S. Macplowter” Mrs McCraw 121:
As we wis passin' the en'rig, ma neebour cries oot, “Losh! there's Jock McCrawl”

Deriv.: endmaist, last (Bnff., Ags., Ayr., Dmf. 2000s).ne.Sc. 1994 Alison Mann in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 195:
... an the faimly helped tae mak it as snod as it's possible tae dae wi an endmaist hoose on a hill.

II. v.

1. tr. and intr. To set on end, to carry endways. Of things: to stand on end (Sh.¹⁰, Ags.¹⁹, m.Lth.¹, Kcb.¹⁰ 1950); of persons: to stand up. Also found in n.Eng. dial.Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 266:
And there was need o' some strong folk To en' him down the stair.e.Lth. 1885 J. Lumsden Rhymes and Sk. 207:
End up, I say, this moment, as bests ye dow, an' yerk us aff a sang belyve.Ayr. 1890 J. Service Notandums 72:
There's aye a wheen toom barrels endit up and waiting to be filled.

2. tr. To kill, despatch; Gen.Sc. Rarely used intr. = to die.Sc. 1858 T. Carlyle Frederick the Gt. (1864) VI. xv. x.:
A cannon-ball smites the life out of him, and he ended here.Abd. 1873 P. Buchan Inglismill 58:
“Wae's me!” thocht Inglis, “I'll be en'it noo; This comes o' gain frae hame an' getting fou”.Kcb. 1898 S. R. Crockett Standard Bearer xxxiii.:
Oor maister near ended him as soon as he laid hand on him.wm.Sc. 1903 “S. Macplowter” Mrs McCraw 65:
He wis gey wild an' a' the fowks wis lauchin' like till en'.

Hence endin' strake, death blow.Sh. 1898 Shet. News (28 Aug.):
Puir Grizzie is gotten her endin' strake da day.