Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

STIFF, adj., v. Sc. usages:

I. adj. 1. As in Eng. Combs.: (1) stiff-back, a game consisting of two players seated on the ground, with the soles of their boots pressed against each other's and grasping either end of a stick by which the one tries to pull his opponent off the ground, the sweir-tree (see Sweir) (Cld. 1825 Jam.): (2) stiff-gabbit, talking endlessly, loquacious: (3) stiff-rich, very rich, wealthy. Cf. Eng. dial. stiff, id.(2) Ags. 1867 G. W. Donald Poems 23:
Ye stiff-gabbit haverils, tak notice o' Bessie, Wha claik wi' y'r cummers the weary day lang.(3) Edb. 1895 J. Tweeddale Moff 36:
Nae doot, Laird, you that's stiff rich will be a heavy shareholder in iles?

2. See quot.Abd. c.1890 Gregor MSS.:
When large masses of clouds, often of a white colour having their edges tinged with red arise, the sky is said to be “stiff”. Unsettled weather is at hand.

II. v. To make stiff; specif. to starch (clothes), also in deriv. stiffen (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 182). Hence vbl.n. stiffin(g) (n.Sc., Rxb. 1971), -en, -an, stiffenin (Slg., wm.Sc. 1971), starch (Sc. 1825 Jam.); deriv. stiffer, a band of stiff material worn round the neck on which a neck-cloth was wound.Rnf. 1701 W. Hector Judicial Rec. (1878) II. 159:
Half a pound of sop: ane ounce of stiffen.Ags. 1794 W. Anderson Piper of Peebles 6:
Fan stiffen wasna sought, nor blue To mutches.Fif. 1823–7 P. R. S. Lang Duncan Dewar (1926) 22, 44:
Stiffer . . . 1s. 2d. To a Stiffer . . . 8d.Mry. 1824 J. Cock Hamespun Lays 104:
The chiel's nae stift wi' stinkin' pride.Abd. 1832 W. Scott Poems 144:
Sower milk, rampin' lang like stiffin'.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xix.:
Gin that didna tak' the stiffin' oot o' Kirsty's cockernony, I'se lea'e it.Kcd. 1894 J. Kerr Reminisc. III. 148:
Soda, an' stiffan for dressin' claith wi'.