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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

OUTCOME, n., v. Also outcum, ootcome.

Sc. usages. [′utkʌm]

I. n. 1. A coming-out, appearance, emergence, escape. Obs. in Eng. Specif. a skin eruption, a boil, imposthume (Ork. 1964).Gsw. 1865 J. Young Homely Pictures 51:
[She] had a cluster o' white pearls [teeth] . . . Ere the glegest mither could discern Their outcome in an or'nar bairn.Kcb. 1885 A. J. Armstrong Friend and Foe 207:
To congratulate ane anither on the happy outcome frae tribulation.

2. The result, effect, upshot, end-product, termination (Sc. 1808 Jam.). Gen.Sc., introduced into Eng. by Carlyle.wm.Sc. 1788 R. Galloway Poems 13:
And for the outcome o' the story, Just trust it to your ni'bour tory.Sc. 1832 Carlyle Essays (1840) IV. 39:
We do the man's intellectual endowment great wrong, if we measure it by its mere logical outcome.Edb. 1894 J. W. M'Laren Tibbie and Tam 43:
Seein' naethin' mair was to be the ootcome o' their veesit, Jenny and the postman left the hoose.Dmf. 1913 J. L. Waugh Cracks wi' R. Doo 2:
A certain solidifyin' o' character which is the ootcome and result o' Life's varied experience.Lnk. 1922 T. S. Cairncross Scot at Hame 13:
The ootcome canna' noo be helped.

3. Produce, product; the excess, surplus or difference between raw material and manufactured article, a favourable balance between income and expenditure, profit (Cai. 1907 County of Cai. (Horne) 80; Sh., Kcb. 1964); progeny.Ayr. 1823 Galt Entail xxvii.:
My father . . . has gi'en Charlie a' the outcome frae the till.Sc. 1827 C. I. Johnstone Eliz. de Bruce I. vi.:
The gudewives o' the congregation thought her but a doin'less boddie, to make so short outcome o' a stipend o' thirty English pounds.Sc. 1879 P. H. Waddell Isaiah xxxix. 7:
Aye, an' o' yer sons, that sal be yer ain outcome.Sc. 1892 Scots Mag. (Sept.) 304:
When the cloth was sent home, there was not, as Jenny considered, sufficient outcome for the yarn supplied; at the very least computation there should have been two yards more.Kcb. a.1902 Gallovidian (1911) 109:
Wha's shillin maist-like skliffer-thin shall be Wi' meal ootcome, nae bygane day did see.Cai. 1903 E.D.D.:
Much used by curers of herrings. They may say that on certain qualities they get a certain percentage of “oot-comes”, i.e. more barrels of cured fish than crans of “green fish.” On other qualities they may have no “oot comes.”Rxb. 1912 Kelso Chron. (25 Nov.):
We're now thinkin' that the paragraph maun hae jist been the ootcome o' a strong imagination.

4. A stretching out, prolongation; specif. applied to the time of year when the days begin to lengthen.Sc. 1706 J. Watson Choice Coll. I. 43:
I pray you, Duncan, thole me here, Until the outcum of the Year.Sc. 1715 R. Wodrow Corresp. (1843) II. 87:
They talk that Mar . . . designs to quarter in Perth this season till the outcome of the year.Bwk. 1900 A. Thomson Thornlea 51:
He had made up his mind . . . no tae look like the gentry till the ootcome o' the year.

II. v. 1. In ppl.adj. outcome, resulting from handling or manufacture, resultant, produced; surplus, residual; 2. vbl.n. outcoming, profit, gain, worth-while result (Ayr. 1833 J. Kennedy Geordie Chalmers 78). Cf. n., 3.1. Sc. 1776 Weaver's Index 94:
As for the outcome Cloath, this being liable to as many accidents as the Breadths, must be referred to experience.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 120:
We hid twa bushel o' oot-come corn.2. Ayr. 1836 Galt Rich Man (1925) 40:
I saw that, with canny handling, there was outcoming in the provision line.Dmb. 1844 W. Cross Disruption v.:
He's nane o' the sneaking, gude-fer-naething creature that would sell his birth-right for a mess of parridge. There'll be some out coming o' him.