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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SCUTTER, v., n.¹ Also skutter; ¶skatter. [′skʌtər]

I. v. 1. tr. and intr. To do anything in a slovenly or bungling manner, to botch, make a mess (of), spill or splash about, spatter (Bnff., Abd. 1825 Jam.; Bnf. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 152; Cai. 1904 E.D.D.; I. and n.Sc. Ags., Per. 1969). Ppl.adj. scutterin, inept or slovenly at work (Gregor).Abd. 1832 W. Scott Poems 22:
Tak' aff their milk, an' leave their edders teem. An' trail the raip, an' scutter a' the reem.Sc. 1891 J. G. McPherson Golf & Golfers 1, 45:
The time was when a mistake at any place was severly punished; now, the course can be “skuttered” without much loss. . . . He was disgusted at the miserable play of a learned Professor: “Ye jist skutter at gowf”.Fif. 1899 E. F. Heddle Marget at the Manse 42:
She hates a scutterin' mess o' men's boots on her clean floor!Abd. 1930 Nan Shepherd The Weatherhouse (1988) 74:
'You've no knives on your table, Nell,' scolded Theresa.
'No, no. No.' She scuttered at the open drawer, sat down again by Garry, smiling.Ags. 1933 W. Muir Mrs Ritchie xviii.:
I winna have any scuttering about on this floor.Abd. 1955 W. P. Milne Eppie Elrick iii.:
Awa wi ye, ye scutterin crater o' a deem.Sc. 1994 Scotland on Sunday 20 Feb :
They might have missed Jim Sandison clouting an 80-yard ball into the stride of Lawrence, who scuttered his shot tamely wide, but, by that time, everything seemed to have been decided. em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 286:
There were so many wanderers in the world: deceivers and deceived, folk that planned and organised and folk that scuttered through life, the ones that seized the moment and the ones that were seized by it.

2. To be engaged in some troublesome time-wasting, pointless work, to fiddle or potter about in an aimless confused manner, to dawdle, dally (n.Sc., Ags., Per. 1969). Ppl.adj. scutterin, fiddling, time-wasting.Mry. 1883 F. Sutherland Memories 127:
Auld Scroggie's sair changed since we scuttert wi' scanticks.Abd. 1887 Bon-Accord (12 Nov.) 14:
Fat an awfu' scutterin' wauy o' daen' it is hae'n tae flit?Ags. 1895 Caledonia I. 433:
In my young days a loon wis considered weel aff gin he got his meat for herdin' or for any orra scutterin' wark.Abd. 1918 C. Murray Sough o' War 32:
[I] scutter in the lang forenichts wi' britchin, bit, an' haims.Abd. 1931 A. M. Williams Bundle of Yarns 78:
“Hiv ye stoppit gaun tae the kirk?” “Aye,” was the answer, “A'm scutterin' awa' wi' ma sowl masel' th' noo.”Sh. 1957 Shetland News (5 March):
Laurence could “skatter aboot da croft an' hill work as good as the next man.”Abd. 1962 H. Diack Boy in Village 30:
Fut are ye scutterin' aboot wi' that door for?Abd. 1991 Douglas Kynoch in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 87:
Urania was scuttrin
Wi some ferlie in the skies;
An Clio was teen up wi
A historical treatise. Abd. 1992 David Toulmin Collected Short Stories 126:
He hadna time to scutter he said for he was hungry. Sc. 2004 Aberdeen Evening Express 11 Jun 24:
Saturday morning was a scorcher, so we grabbed our swimming cozzies, a picnic and headed for one of the tiny beaches round the loch, surrounded by thick trees.
We scuttered about in the water then lay down on the sand.

3. To hinder with some fiddling trifle, to detain through some needless or annoying cause (ne.Sc., Ags., Per. 1969).Bnff. 1871 Banffshire Jnl. (26 Dec.) 7:
I've never engaged ony o' that stemmers. I've seen some fouk scuttert wi' some o' them.Abd. 1936 D. Bruce Cheengefu' Wordle 26:
I've been scuttert ower lang the nicht already.

II. n. 1. The doing of work in an awkward dirty manner, a botch, bungle (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 152; I., n. and em.Sc. (a) 1969); any footling time-consuming occupation, one that irritates by its troublesomeness and triviality (Kcd. 1880 Jam.: n.Sc., Ags., Per. 1969). Dim. scutterie, deriv. scutterification, id. Adj., scutterie, troublesome, of a job, time-wasting, muddling, footling (ne.Sc. 1969).Mry. 1870 W. Tester Select Poems 209:
Auld maiden ladies — a scunner an' scutter.Ags. 1893 Arbroath Guide (13 May) 3:
I'm wantin' a bit lassie to dae my little scutterie.Abd. 1898 J. R. Imray Sandy Todd viii.:
Mony scutterie bits o' jobbies.Sc. 1924 Scots Mag. (Oct.) 60:
“Yon's a scutter o' a job; he's awfa scuttery wi's wark”.Abd. 1931 Abd. Press and Jnl. (18 Feb.):
The writer of the short story above is not singular in making a scutter of the whole thing.Abd. 1958 Huntly Express (28 Feb.):
I fear we are committed to a “scutterie” spring.Abd. 1955 W. P. Milne Eppie Elrick viii.:
A' the hinneration and scutterification 'at we hid hid in France.

2. One who works in an ineffective, muddled or dirty manner (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 152; n.Sc., Ags., Per. 1969); a dilatory, dawdling, exasperating creature.Abd. 1867 W. Anderson Rhymes 25:
Benjie, although but a scutter through life.ne.Sc. 1957 Mearns Leader (22 Feb.):
Tae treesch wi' that sweet-mou'd scutter o' a beast finever she tak's a tigg o' this kine.

3. A state of excitement, a flurry.Abd. 1931 D. Campbell Uncle Andie 5:
It's ma hairt that's geen a' tae a scutter, flutterin' up an' doon in my breist like a railway seegnal.