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). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

†TOSIE, adj. Also tos(e)y, tozie, -y; erron. toshie. [′tozi]

1. Of persons and places: comfortable, cosy, snug, agreeably warm (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 451; Cld. 1825 Jam.). Hence tosilie, tozilie, adv., snugly, tosiness, tozi-, n., cosiness, comfort (Cld. 1825 Jam.).Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 141:
How tosie is't tae snuff the cauller Air.Ayr. 1890 J. Service Notandums 71:
Sune took me to as tozie a howff as you would fin' in a' Glesco or the Gorbals.Edb. 1928 A. D. Mackie In Two Tongues 18:
In this auld hole-in-the-wa', my tozy nest.

2. Giving a feeling of comfort, cheering, esp. of drink.Sc. 1722 W. Hamilton Wallace 41:
Wealth of Meat and tosie Drink.Ayr. 1830 Galt Lawrie Todd vi. v.:
We had a tosy glass of punch.

3. (1) Slightly intoxicated, merry and elevated with drink, in high spirits, tipsy (Sc. 1808 Jam.). Reduplic. form tozy-mozy, id.Abd. 1723 W. Meston Poet. Wks. (1802) 49:
After she's got her Jimrie-cosie Of well-mull'd sack, till she be tosie.Ayr. 1786 Burns Jolly Beggars Recit. i. ii.:
An ay he gies the tozie drab The tither skelpin kiss.Ayr. 1821 Galt Annals iii.:
Decent ladies coming home with red faces, tozy and cosh from a posset masking.Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch xvii.:
We had another jug, after which we were both a wee tozy-mozy.Slg. c.1830 J. Love Antiq. Notes (1910) II. 111:
They never devaulved till they were a' gay and tosey.Sc. 1924 T. R. Barnett Road to Rannoch 183:
An old done limmer who was toshie.Lth. 1929 C. P. Slater Marget Pow 23:
He was not exackly what you would call drunk, but just a wee thing tozy-mozy like.m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 76:
Ye'd think Rab Burns had nivir seen a boattle.
Whit maitter? Yin wha med braw sangs lik thae,
gin he wes gey an tozie aw the time.

(2) of the cheeks: having a glowing cheerful appearance, flushed, high-coloured, “with drinking warm drink” (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 451). Now only liter. Cf. Tosh, I. 3. (1).Dmf. 1810 R. Cromek Remains 24:
His cheeks are tosie and dry When tears are on a' our cheeks.Sc. 1936 J. G. Horne Flooer o' Ling 41:
Frae some bit tosie-cheekit lad.