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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.

SLAVER, v., n. Also slaiver, slaever (Sh.), slevver, slever-; sliv(v)er (Bch. 1825 Jam.; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 167; Abd. 1917 C. Murray Sough o' War 41; ne.Sc. 1970). Sc. forms and usages. [′slevər; ne.Sc. ′slɪvər]

I. v. Sc. form of Eng. slaver.wm.Sc. 1989 William McIlvanney Walking Wounded 133:
'My Goad. You've wanted yer hands on that money since Ah won it. The one time in ma life Ah've had a few pounds by me. An' ye're slevering at the chops tae get yer hands on it.'

Sc. usages: 1. intr. To talk nonsense, drivel, to chatter in a silly, empty way, to blether (Cai., Bnff., Slg., Fif., em.Sc.(b), wm., s.Sc. 1970); to talk in an ingratiating or insincerely polite manner (Fif., Edb. 1970), also occas. tr.Abd. 1883 G. MacDonald Donald Grant xxiv.:
The rascal slaverin' his lees ower my Eppy.Lnk. 1922 Hamilton Advert. (2 Sept.):
He slaiverit an' bletherit — Lo'd sake he could rant.Abd. 1924 Scots Mag. (Aug.) 342:
If onybody's expectin' mim-mowed slaverin' wi' their tipenny ha' penny trok — they needna come to My shop for't.Fif. 1952:
Sittin slaiverin (chattering). Haud yer slaiverin tongue.

2. intr. To indulge in courtship, act in a fond or sentimental way towards one of of the opposite sex, “spoon” (Slg., Fif., wm.Sc., Dmf. 1970).Lnk. 1926 W. Queen We're A' Coortin 67:
We've juist the same richt tae canoodle an' slaiver as the younger yins hae.

II. n. 1. (1) As in Eng., saliva, salivation, but freq. used in pl. Combs. slaver-chops, slavermagullion, a slobbering person, a foolish drivelling fellow, a half-wit (Ayr. 1825 Jam.). Cf. Eng. slobber-chops, slobber-degullion, id., and Gullion, n.² Deriv. slavery, slivvery, covered in slavers, in fig. sense: foolish, lubberly.Edb. 1720 A. Pennecuik Helicon 68:
Slover [sic] Chops to your Stilts, lay open your Sores.Edb. 1773 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 187:
Tassels teugh wi' slavers.Lnk. a.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 9:
Auld slavery dufe, he wants naething of a cow but the clutes.Ayr. 1787 Burns To the Toothache iii.:
Adown my beard the slavers trickle!Abd. 1824 G. Smith Douglas 30:
Yon slavery fleep, that Norval ca'd awa, Wha wadna fight, for fear that he su'd fa'.Sc. 1923 R. Macrailt Hoolachan 24:
The slaivers was dreepin' owre his beard.Cai. 1992 James Miller A Fine White Stoor 187:
But does he see a horrible sicht, some twisted, deformed craitur wi green een and slevvers running fae a bloody jaw, some further depth o Hades as black as the Earl o Hell's waistcoat, is Auld Nick there himself hotching on the pipes wi maybe a wee tam o'shanter on his heid atween the twa horns?Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 43:
I'd tae be gey cannie wi his pets - the Primary 7s are breeding puddocks an the taddies hiv new-grown legs wi the tails nae drappit aff their docks yet. The watter wis glaury and slivvery. I'd tae watch an nae loss ony puddocks doon the sink cheengin the watter. wm.Sc. 1998 Ciara MacLaverty in Donny O'Rourke and Kathleen Jamie New Writing Scotland 16: The Glory Signs 108:
I go into the open cubicle and yank off an arm's length of pink bog roll. She uses it to wipe the slevers from her nose. Abd. 1998 Sheena Blackhall The Bonsai Grower 49:
Aabody sookit pandrops tae thole the dreid o the sermon. Bit there wis an airt tae the sookin: nae crinchin wis allooed - ye'd tae sook canny an slaw; stap the fite baa aneth yer tongue till it melled wi yer ain slivvers.wm.Sc. 1998 Alan Warner The Sopranos (1999) 15:
Orla removed a flat, grey blob of chewed gum from out her mouth that, using her tongue, she'd jammed up the back and squeezed. Fionnula took the shiny, slavery block of chuddy, squinted at it and using two erect fingers, passed it on to Manda. Ayr. 2000:
As he chapt in the stab, the slevers wis fleein frae him.

(2) extended usages: slime, exudation, sticky moisture (Ork., Kcd., Ags., Per. 1970); fine rain, drizzle (wm.Sc., Kcb. 1970). Adj. slevery, of weather: wet, rainy (Cai., wm. and sm.Sc. 1970).Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 221:
T'is nicht's a wee slevery.Ork. 1929 Marw.:
Used of very slimy tangles — ‘just reepan wi' slaver'.

(3) Combs. and phr.: (i) slaiver-piece, a piece of lead used to give added width to a roof-gutter at a point where different channels meet and tend to overflow (Fif. 1955); (ii) slivers and sharp teeth, a phr. used in reply to an enquiry about a coming meal, implying that no food will be forthcoming (see quot.); (iii) sliver sloch, a jelly-fish. Cf. Loch-liver, id.; (iv) slavery-buckie, slaevery-, one of the whelk family of shells, variously applied to Fusus islandicus (Kcd., Ags. 1970) and Buccinum undatum (Ork. 1954 Ork. Miscellany H. 56) so called from a slimy exudation which trails from them.(ii) Abd.²⁷ 1949:
Fit's for the denner, Ma? Jist slivers and sharp teeth.(iii) Bnff. 1930:
The sliver-slochs were washen in in thoosans on the shore.

2. Light or empty talk, babbling, chatter. Also in Eng. dial.; one who talks nonsense, a foolish chatterer (Cai. 1970, in pl.).Lth. 1866 J. Smith Merry Bridal 13:
Sic munchin' — sic runchin' — Sic slaver, an' sic chatter.