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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

HYTER, v., n., adj., adv. Also †hytter, heyter, hoiter, highter, and reduplic. form hyter-styter (Gregor). [′həitər]

I. v. To walk with lurching, unsteady movement (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 87; ne.Sc. 1957), to stumble, trip (ne.Sc., Ags. 1957); fig. to work feebly and unskilfully (Gregor); to stammer, talk confusedly (ne.Sc. 1957).Abd. 1895 W. Allan Sprays II. 79:
Gin luck gars ye hyter on some slippy stane.Abd. 1904 Wkly. Free Press (26 March):
He . . . ran in a clumsy hoiterin' fashion.Bnff. 1918 J. Mitchell Bydand 20:
Ach, dagit, Dave, ye highterin' hurb, ye've barkit a' my shin.Bnff. 1954 Banffshire Jnl. (29 June):
I heytert an' strained my queet.m.Sc. 1985 William J. Rae in Joy Hendry Chapman 40 18:
Weel, Ogilvy hytert tae his feet, and tellt His Majesty he wis awfy sorry but he wis the maist gowkit o owls. Abd. 1992 David Toulmin Collected Short Stories 45:
A bit loonie hoiterin on ahin 'im. Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 24:
Hyterin ooto his bed in the blae dawn, he cowpit hissel ower the auld wife's suitcase an fell rick-ma-tack tae the fleer. Fif. 1998 Tom Hubbard Isolde's Luve-Daith 4:
As mony year it seemed as we follaed thon fankle
O pit-mirk pads whaur I wis feart ti hyter
Ower the skelets o men an aiblins o weemen an weans:

II. n. A lurch, a stumble (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 87; ne.Sc. 1957). Hence by extension: 1. a state of confusion or ruin (Gregor); 2. arrant nonsense (Ib.); 3. a stupid person, an oaf (Ib.; Kcd. 1957); 4. the act of working in a confused, feeble manner (Gregor).Abd. 1932 R. L. Cassie Sc. Sangs 20:
But on we stot, wi' monie a heyter.3. Bch. 1832 W. Scott Poems 55:
Ane blaws his snout wi' sic a fearfu' soun', Till hauf the hytters i' the kirk goup roun'.

III. adj. Ruined, “down and out”.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 87:
He did weel a filie, but he's a' hyter noo, an hiz taen t' the sellan o' spunks an' cabbitch.

IV. adv. With weak or uncertain stumbling step; in a state of ruin (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 87; Bnff., Abd., Ags. 1957).Abd. 1832 W. Scott Poems 139:
An' rowed some hytter i' the gutters.Abd.¹⁵ 1924:
He gid hyter-styter ben the road.