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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

‡FERNYEAR, n. Also fa(i)rnye(a)r; faern-, fearn- (Sh.); fernyer, -yir, -yur, firnyir (ne.Sc.); fernar, -ner (Cai.); †fernger (Ayr. 1811 W. Aiton Agric. Ayr. 691); †fernzear, -zeer, -zier. [′fɛrn(j)ir, -(j)ər, ′fɛrɲɪr]

1. Last year; the (a) preceding year (Slg.³ 1922; Arg.¹, Kcb.³, 1936; Abd.², Lnk.¹¹ 1945). Used attrib., esp. of cheese (e.Per. 1900 E.D.D.).Edb. 1772 R. Fergusson Poems (1925) 9:
Kickshaws, strangers to our view, Sin Fairn-year.Mry. 1803 R. Couper Tourifications II. 205:
Amang a thousand fleas, Ten fernyears caff, and duddy claise.Rxb. 1821 A. Scott Poems 95:
Fernzier, at our simmer fair.Sh. 1822 S. Hibbert Descr. Shet. 512:
I tink Martinabullimus dae fearnyear wis da warst dae I ever saw.Sc. 1862 A. Hislop Proverbs 218:
Ye'll get as muckle for ae wish this year as for twa fernyear.Arg. 1882 Arg. Herald (3 June):
Oor bitatoes didna bleed weel at aa this year or fernyear.Cai. 1891 D. Stephen Gleanings 60:
A young man who purposed marriage said, “I want to be thing'd as my brither Georthie was fernar.”Abd.⁷ 1925:
If one has committed some act or made some mistake or blunder which is regretted, he will tell you “Gin I live or anidder year, I'se ca' this fernyear,” which simply means, “Once burnt twice shy.”

2. A remote, indefinite period, long ago, “a time that never was or may never come” (Cai. 1907 D. B. Nicolson in County of Cai. 71). Also used attrib.Kcb. 1789 D. Davidson Seasons 5:
Auld farnyear stories come athwart the mind.

3. Phrs. and combs.: (1) auld fernyears, stories of long ago (Abd.²⁷ 1940); †(2) erefernyear, the year before last (Kcb. 1929); †(3) fernyear's news, stale news (Sc. 1808 Jam.); ‡(4) fernyear was a year, †— wis a towmon' geen, = (2).(1) Mry. 1790 Aberdeen Mag. 31:
Frae the gardy-chair, syne, wi' a hach an' a flyre, Auld fairnyers will soon be begun.Abd. 1926 Abd. Univ. Review (March) 117:
A like t' hear ye fin ye get on the aul' fernyurs.(2) Sh. 1922 J. Inkster Mansie's Röd 13:
A muckle grey claith wab, da naebor o' da ane 'at we selled ere faern year.(4) Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxiii.:
A cheelie that was wi' me fernyear was a year.Abd. 1922 Swatches o' Hamespun 56:
At Hecklestrushle's meal-an'-ale, fernyir wis a towmon' geen.