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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

HONOURS, n.pl. In phr. the Honours (of Scotland), the Regalia of the Kingdom of Scotland, viz. the Crown, Sceptre and Sword of State, now preserved in terms of the Act of Union of 1707 in Edinburgh Castle.Sc. 1701 True Acct. Preservation Regalia Scot. 14:
The Eminent Service done and performed by Sir George Ogilvie of Barras, . . . the preserver of his Majesties Crown, Sword, and Scepter, the Antient Honours of the Kingdom of Scotland.Sc. 1818 Edb. Ev. Courant (12 Feb.):
As the honours of Scotland are now ascertained to be therein contained, a centinel is stationed beneath the window of the room.Sc. 1829 Scott Tales Grandfather II. ii.:
In this strong fortress [Dunottar Castle] the Honours of Scotland, as they were called, had been deposited after the battle of Dunbar [1650]. These were the crown, sceptre, and sword of state, the symbols of Scottish sovereignty.Sc. 1952 Scots Mag. (Sept.) 476:
A few months later [after being rediscovered by Sir W. Scott in 1818] the Honours of Scotland were placed on public exhibition in the Crown Room of the Castle . . . They have remained on view ever since.Sc. 1952 Scotsman (18 Nov.):
It is the Queen's desire that the Honours of Scotland (the Crown, the Sceptre, and the Sword) should be carried to the Cathedral on the occasion of the service.

Hence the honours three, id. Scott Riddell's phr. (see 1847 quot.) should be construed to refer to Scotland, but was erroneously taken to apply to the toast, implicit in “drink a cup,” by confusion with honours as in Highland honours (see Hieland), and was later used to mean “three cheers” or the like.s.Sc. 1847 H. S. Riddell Poems 276:
I'll drink a cup to Scotland yet Wi' a' the honours three.ne.Sc. 1881 W. Gregor Folk-Lore 95:
The health of the bride and bridegroom was proposed. The glasses were drunk off at once, and the toast received with “a' the honours three.”Sc. 1914 N. & Q. (Ser. 2) IX. 34:
What Scott Riddell had in his mind when he introduced the “honours three” into the refrain of his lyric was probably the thrice-repeated “Hip, hip, hurrah!” that accompanies the drinking of a toast.