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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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

SUNDAY, n. Also ¶Sinday (Sc. 1887 Stevenson Underwoods 106). Sc. usages in combs. and phrs., the reg. Sc. idiom. now obsol., being to use the possessive Sunday's: (1) Sunday blacks, the black suit formerly worn by men for attending church on Sunday (Sc. 1904 E.D.D.). Gen.Sc.; ¶(2) Sunday-breek mutch, a Mutch or old woman's cap, black-coloured and tight fitting like a man's Sunday trousers; (3) Sunday's claes, one's church-going clothes, one's best clothes (Sc. 1808 Jam.). Gen.Sc.; (4) Sunday's coat, one's best coat (Id.); (5) Sunday('s) face, a solemn, somewhat sanctimonious look. Gen.Sc.; (6) Sunday, Monday, the name of a game in which each of the players is called by a day of the week and has to catch a ball if the name of his day is called out by the thrower, called elsewhere “All the days of the week.” (ne.Sc., Ags. 1971). See Day, 3. (2); †(7) Sunday's morning, Sunday morning (Sc. 1782 J. Sinclair Ob. Sc. Dial. 47); (8) Sunday name, one's formal baptismal name, as opposed to a familiar form of it (m.Sc. 1971); (9) Sunday salt, salt made at the week-end (see quots.) (Edb. 1939). Also in Eng. salt-making usage; (10) Sunday's sark, one's best shirt, worn specif. on Sunday, when one changed one's linen. Gen.Sc.; (11) Sunday spree, see quot.; (12) Sunday strae, an extra amount of straw threshed at the end of the week to tide the animals over the weekend and so avoid threshing on Sunday (I. and n.Sc. 1971); fig. a minister's sermon prepared previous to Sunday; (13) whistlin Sunday, the Fast Day (usu. a Thursday) before the Communion because it was permissible to whistle on that day (Kcd. 1961). (2) Mry. 1883 F. Sutherland Memories 229: Auld wives deckit up wi' their Sunday-breek mutches.(3) Edb. 1773 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 90:
Country John in bonnet blue, An' eke his Sunday's claes on.(4) Sc. 1818 Scott H. Midlothian xlii.:
His best light-blue Sunday's coat, with broad metal-buttons.(5) Sc. 1756 M. Calderwood Journal (M.C.) 147:
You would take them for so many seceders, they put on such a Sunday face, and walk as if they would not look up.Lnk. a.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 51:
Put on a Sunday's face, and sigh as ye were a saint.Ayr. 1786 Burns What ails ye now vii.:
Wi' pinch I put a Sunday's face on, An' snoov'd awa' before the Session.(6) Ags. 1946 Forfar Dispatch (2 May):
We played beazie and Sunday-Monday.(8) Lnk. 1881 A. Wardrop J. Mathison 18:
It was an awfu' mistak', ye ken, Robin, but it wis Kirsty's Sunday name that did it.Edb. 1971 Scotsman (21 July) 7:
The Tron Kirk. It has a Sunday name — Christ's Church at the Tron.(9) Sc. 1756 F. Home Bleaching 238:
The sea salt, which I used, is a particular kind that is only made on Sunday; and therefore called Sunday-salt, or great salt, from the largeness of its grains.Hdg. 1827 R. Chambers Picture Scot. II. 161:
The process of making one pan of salt requires upwards of twenty-four hours, so that they only make five pans in the week. Their fires, however, are never permitted to cool, and they employ the interval between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning, in simmering, without attendance, a small quantity of water, the product of which, called Sunday Salt, is in great request on account of its being finer and in larger particles than ordinary salt.Fif. 1933 E. S. Haldane Scot. of our Fathers 203:
‘Sunday salt' was specially valued as having had a specially long time to crystallize in the receptacle. ‘Sunday salt' was also used with the dry potatoes eaten on Sunday, when the minimum of cooking was permitted.(10) Ayr. 1785 Burns Holy Fair vi.:
I'll get my Sunday's sark on. Ayr. 1880 Jam.: Sunday sark. Among the poorest classes it means a clean shirt; but among the more provident, a shirt of finer texture reserved for Sabbath wear.(11) Sc. 1885 E. J. Guthrie Old Sc. Customs 145:
Among the former [customs] may be mentioned Sunday Sprees. These were long in high favour and were carried out to great lengths. Sabbath after Sabbath bands of disorderly men would meet in some appointed place, when drinking to great excess was indulged in.(12) Sc. a.1800 A. Hislop Anecdotes (1875) 150:
A farmer said to Rev. Mr Foote of Fettercairn: “Ay, ay, Sir, ye'll be gaun awa hame to thresh your Sunday strae.”Bnff. 1902 Banffshire Jnl. (28 Jan.) 6:
An extra amount had to be threshed for Sunday called Sunday strae.