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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

PASS, v. Also pas. Sc. usages:

1. As in Eng. Ppl.adj. passing, in comb. passing road, a public road, thoroughfare; used quasi-prep. of number or measure: more than, exceeding, beyond. Now obs. or arch. in Eng. Deriv. passer, n., a large iron hoop passed around the staves of a barrel to hold them in position during construction (ne.Sc. 1965). Also parson hoop [< passin(g) hoop], id.Mry. 1751 Session Papers, Gordon v. Braco Information 33:
These Men asked how they came to travel that Road with Cattle, for it was not a passing Road.Abd. 1875 W. Alexander My Ain Folk 220:
Jock hed gane weel, for it wasna muckle passin' twa oors fan he's back.Bnff.² c.1930:
Han' in aboot th' passer noo' an'I'll set the barrel up. When the barrel is finally set up, what is known as the parson hoop drops off.

Combs. and phrs.: (1) it passes me (him, etc.), it is beyond my (his, etc.) comprehension, “it beats me” (Sh., Bnff., Ags., Uls. 1965). Also in Eng. dial.; (2) pass lock, one of a set of locks that can be opened with one key (Cai., Edb. 2000s); (3) pass-ower, -over, n., (i) an intentional omission, something that is swiftly passed over or ignored, esp. because not understood (Abd., Ags., Uls. 1965). Phr. to ca, mak, etc. (a thing) a pass-over, to omit, “skate over” something; (ii) a make-shift, “apology for” the real thing. Cf. pit-past, s.v. Past, adv.; (4) pass-remarkable, Too ready to comment. (5) to be passing one's time, to be lingering on one's death-bed, about to die; (6) to pass off (the) time, to occupy oneself idly while awaiting something, to “mark” or fill in time; (7) to pass the harrow, a divination rite practised in Sh. (see quot.); (8) to pass water, of a bucket or the like: to leak (Sc. 1886 J. Barrowman Mining Terms 49).  (1) Per. 1894 I. MacLaren Brier Bush 179:
It passes me hoo a body wi' sae little in him hes the face tae open his mooth.(2)Edb. 1995:
When we moved to a multi-storey flat in 1967 all doors had pass locks and we had to wait until it was changed before we could move in.(3) (i) Sc. 1822 Scott F. Nigel xiv.:
I wish to Heaven I was mair worthy of the name; but let that be a pass-over.Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 312:
At country schools, when the scholars were learning to read the buik, whenever they came to a cramp word to pronounce, the Dominies bade them call that a passover, and “syne skelp awa”.Ayr. 1830 Galt Lawrie Todd i.:
A passage in my history that should not be a passover.Sc. 1833 Fraser's Mag. (Oct.) 396:
I could master the tenth chapter of Nehemiah, without making above a dozen pass-overs.Ags. 1890 Brechin Advertiser (9 Sept.):
There's some twa'r three fine farms o' which we canna mak' a passover.(3) (ii) Ags. 1896 A. Blair Rantin Robin 121:
A drap milk an' bread or ony ither thing that would be a pass-ower o' a dinner.(4)wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 5:
She's very passremarkable 'boot ither folk!Edb. 1986:
I hope you'll excuse my being pass-remarkable, but I do like your hair-cut.Fif. 1987:
You're very pass-remarkable today.Gsw. 1990 Alan Spence The Magic Flute (1991) 315:
'Don't start,' he said. 'Start what?' 'Being so pass-remarkable. Again.'wm.Sc. 1991 Liz Lochhead Bagpipe Muzak 51:
Don't want Our Steven or that passremarkable smart-arsed tart he's shacking up with.Sc. 1992 Herald (10 Dec) 10:
Down the years, however, snappy, sobersided observations have been mainly for Edinburgh, and frequent. Few people in the word business have left town without scratching an opinion in the visitors' book. They have persisted in being pass-remarkable, despite the advice of Dr Samuel Johnson that the city is too well known to admit description.Sc. 2004 Scotsman (9 Jan) 20:
"She was modelled on my granny in Paisley and her friends, who were very funny unintentionally - very pass-remarkable as they say in Glasgay".Sc. 2005 Herald (15 Feb) 12:
Eric Hudson, of Bearsden, bought a three-dimensional Valentine card for his wife and felt that the written warning on the back was unnecessarily pass-remarkable. It said: "Not suitable for children under five years old due to small parts."(5) Arg.² 1930:
"How's your father today?" "Oh, he's juist passin' his time," i.e. he's dying. (6) Abd. 1851 W. Anderson Rhymes 50:
I' the edge o' the gloamin', some hunners wad meet . . . An' pass aff the time till the evening grew dark.(7) Sh. 1899 J. Spence Folk-Lore 193:
Passin' the Harrow. — This was supposed to unfold the future, even the spirit-world; and the person who had the hardihood to “go i' da harrow” never revealed what they either saw or heard. . . . Three harrows were placed, some distance apart, outside the open fodder door of an old barn, and at the hour of midnight a person went blindfold into the yard and passed back foremost over each harrow in turn, thence through the barn window, and at the end of this journey he was supposed to fall into a sort of trance and hear and see unutterable things.

2. tr. (1) To avoid, by-pass. Obs. in Eng.Dmf. 1894 R. Reid Poems 88:
The herds wad gang five mile aboot Tae pass this lanely brae.

(2) to release, set free, let go.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 50:
Sae he looted doon an passed baith the peerie selkies on the rock. The mither teuk dem i' her megs.

(3) to give up, relinquish, abandon, quit.Sc. a.1714 Earls Crm. (Fraser) II. 500:
He medled no further then to pas his securities in what he haid accquired.Sc. 1824 Scott Redgauntlet xiv.:
“What the devil should I gain,” he said, “by passing so poor a card as you are? — Have I not had ace of trumps in my hand?”Ork. 1904 Dennison Sketches 3:
Mans dan toucht hid time tae pass his grip; an' his sins harled him i' the boat.

(4) with to, of pers. obj.: to remit, waive, exonerate from (an imposition, obligation or the like), “not to exact a task that has been imposed” (Sc. 1825 Jam.); to excuse, forgive, overlook.Gall. 1725 Session Bk. Penninghame (1933) II. 27:
The Session having considered the affair found no reason to pass that to him more than to others guilty of the like sin.Wgt. 1726 Session Bk. Wigtown (1934) 374:
The Session taking the affair into their consideration desired the minister in their name to pass bygons and to exhort them to forgiveness and a mutual forbearance.Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems 34:
My boy was clear'd, and he fin'd to the boot; Nor wad his honour pass ae single groat.Sc. 1802 H. Martin Helen of Glenross I. 247:
I tell you, I will not, cannot pass that boy's bravado.Fif. 1894 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xxx.:
Pass him, did ye say? If it sid cost me a' I'm worth in this warl' I'll never rest till I hae the villain punisht.

(5) to surpass, excel. Obs. in Eng.Rnf. 1960:
To pass yersel — to give a good account of oneself, one's skill, etc., to “star”.

3. intr. (1) To encroach, trespass.Fif. 1868 St. Andrews Gazette (24 Oct.):
Mr. Walker rose indignantly from his seat, and as he was leaving said that that was passing too much upon their time.

(2) to serve or sit (on a jury, inquest, trial, etc.).Sc. 1732 J. Louthian Form of Process 33:
The said Persons of Inquest, to pass upon his Assize, and the said Witnesses to bear leal and soothfast witnessing.Bte. 1750 Burgh Rec. Rothesay (B.R.S.) II. 808:
The said Baillie . . . ordained the following persons to pass as an Inquest of the nighbourhood on the premises.Sc. 1929 Encycl. Laws Scot. VIII. 545:
In criminal cases it [jurors'oath] is in these terms: — Do you fifteen swear by Almighty God . . . you will the truth say and no truth conceal so far as you shall pass in this assize.

4. Sh. Usage: to pass on gossip, tell tales, betray confidences (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), pas). Hence ¶passa, n., a scandal-monger, gossip, tell-tale, always of a woman (Ib.).