Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
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.

SLIDE, v., n.

I. v. A. Sc. forms: Pa.t. slade (Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 25; Ayr. 1785 Burns Death and Dr. Hornbook xxvi.; Sc. 1821 Scott Pirate xxx.; Per. 1869 Harp Per. (Ford 1893) 344; Edb. 1892 J. W. McLaren Sc. Poems 61; Ags. 1897 Bards Ags. (Reid) 70; Wgt. 1912 A.O.W.B. Fables frae French 16; Sh. 1932 J. M. E. Saxby Trad. Lore 176): slaid (Per. 1802 S. Kerr Poems 62; Ags. c.1900 Glen Anthol. (Michie) 11; Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1923–6 Wilson; I. and ne.Sc., Ags., wm.Sc. 1970); slaed (Kcb. 1897 T. Murray Frae the Heather 40); sled (Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 19; Ags. 1794 W. Anderson Piper of Peebles 7; Per. 1915 Wilson L. Strathearn 267; Sh. 1963 New Shetlander No. 65. 4); slede (Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 22). Pa.p. slidden (Ayr. 1870 J. K. Hunter Life Studies 151; s.Sc. 1873 D.S.C.S. 207; Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson; I., ne.Sc., Lth., wm.Sc., Rxb. 1970).

B. Sc. usages: 1. in combs. and derivs.: (1) slider, (i) the movable metal loop, fitted with a hook and sliding on a rod on the shaft of a cart, to which the back-chain is attached (Per. 1915 Wilson L. Strathearn 267; Abd., Kcd., Per. 1921 T.S.D.C.; Ork., n. and em.Sc. 1970); ¶(ii) a skate; (iii) an ice-cream wafer or sandwich. Gen.Sc.; †(2) slide-thrift, a variety of the game of draughts in which the player's object is to have all his men captured as quickly as possible (Rxb. 1825 Jam.), “first off the board”. Cf. shool-the-board s.v. Shuil, II. 1.; (3) sliding-car, a kind of sledge used for the transport of peats. See Car, n.¹, 1.; (4) slid(e)y, adj., slippery, very smooth of surface (ne. and em.Sc. (a), wm.Sc., Dmf. 1970); fig. of persons: sly, untrustworthy, given to duplicity (I.Sc. 1970).(1) (ii) Abd. 1898 J. M. Cobban Angel of Covenant i.:
Awa' wi' ye to the Burn wi' your iron sliders.(iii) Gsw. 1915 J. J. Bell Wee Macgreegor Enlists xv.:
Wud ye like a slider?Rxb. 1916 Kelso Chron. (11 Aug.) 6:
The “sliders” sold by an enterprising ice-cream merchant.Kcd. 1933 L. G. Gibbon Cloud Howe 92:
The selling of ice-cream sliders.Rnf. 1959 Sunday Post (24 May):
Three Men Fight “Cold War” For 20,000 Sliders.(3) Dmf. 1866 R. Simpson Cottars of Glen 18:
The peats were dug in the mountain mosses, and then brought down, in what is [sic] called “sliding cars”, to the cottages.(4) Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 4, 99:
The rock grew sae slidy that his taes could help himm neen. . . . He's a slidey tike an fa's' as every braeth'd.em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson in Conrad Wilson In Scotland 3 43:
Willie had decided she must be from the chemist's shop up the road because it was the only place nearby where the girls wore those slidey uniforms like the one she had on.

2. Of living creatures, esp. farm animals: to lose weight, fall off in flesh.Sc. a.1814 J. Ramsay Scot. and Scotsmen (1888) II. 68:
It was imagined they would slide — i.e., lose beef and tallow.

3. To deviate from the strict truth, to tell a mild lie or fib, to indulge in exaggeration or a flight of fancy (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Bnff., Abd. 1970). Ppl.adj. slidin(g), given to exaggeration or fanciful tales, fibbing, mendacious (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 167).

II. n. 1. As in Eng., in Sc. applied specif. to (1) a sliding bolt to fasten a door (Ags. 1818 per Private MS.); (2) the sliding window of a carriage; (3) a gentle slithering shot, of a curling stone.(2) Edb. 1876 J. Smith Archie & Bess 32:
Draw up that slide again, man, Archie. It's a cauld east wind that's blaw'n'.(3) Sc. 1951 Scots Mag. (Jan.) 301:
Play the slide, elbow in.

‡2. A lapse from the strict truth, a piece of exaggeration, a mild lie or fib (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 167; Bnff., Abd. 1880 Jam.).