A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Never-do-well, n. (Also in the later Sc. dial. and in mod. Eng. (19th c.) as ne'er-do-well, -weel.) —1664 Pitcairn Spiritual Sacrifice 760.
Remember that this delusion is a black mark of a never-do-well