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.
Quotation dates: 1456-1685
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Nice, Nys(e, a. Also: nyce, nyice, nyis, naice, (nies). [ME. (c 1290) and e.m.E. nice, nise, etc., OF. nice (12th c.) ignorant, silly, naive.]
1. Of persons: Foolish, silly; simple, naive; misguided, ill-advised.1456 Hay I. 181/22.
The senescall suld nocht have bene sa nyce na sa symple that he suld traist [etc.] 1456 Ib. 297/12.
It is nocht spedefull till a realme to have a symple king na a nyce c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace viii. 1420.
Fyrst with ȝour gold … Ȝhe wald ws blynd, sen Scottis ar so nys a1500 Taill of Rauf Coilȝear 428. a1500 Quare of Jelusy 533.
O nyce foole, thine owin harme for to schewe c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxxix. 35.
Quha that dois deidis of petie … Is haldin a fule and that full nyce c1500-c1512 Id. lxiii. 65. 1513 Doug. v. xiv. 41. 1535 Stewart 54407.
I rew full soir that he wes than so nyis, This gude Ramsay befoir that wes so wyis 1535 Ib. 56721.
Weill ma ȝe wit tha ar nocht sa wnwyis Agane sa mony for to be so nyis And tha sa few 1567 Gude and Godlie Ballatis 151.
Man was sa wylde and nyce, And rageing in all vyce a1585 Maitland Maitland Quarto MS xv. 7. 1617 Bruces of Airth 51.
Many a nyse wyfe and a back doore Oft maketh a riche man poore
b. ? Wanton, loose of conduct; lascivious.1513 Doug. iv. Prol. 100.
Quhat, is this lufe, nys luffaris, at ȝe meyn Or [etc.] a1568 Bannatyne MS 256 a/20.
Will scho glaik & go nyis I leif hir to play hir
2. Of actions, situations, etc.: Foolish, absurd, preposterous.a1500 Tale of the Colkelbie Sow Proh. 55.
Lat se quhat cais ȝe think most nyce Wisdome vmquhile holdis the nycest wys a1500 Lancelot of the Laik 127.
Lat be thi nys dispare c1490 Porteous Noblenes 180/5.
Ydilnes is fule nyce carlich vnprovidit c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxxv. 41.
My dreme it wes so nyce Fra everie wicht I hid it as a vyce c1500-c1512 Id. xlv. 22.
In luve to keip allegance it war als nys an ordinance As [etc.] c1500-c1512 Id. xlvi. 65. 1535 Stewart 13849.
And that I think mest nyis To lerne folie quhen tyme is to grow wys a1568 Bannatyne MS 77 b/66.
This fals warld full of dissaitis nyce Felȝeand away quhilk neuir wes fundin trew c1550 Rolland Court of Venus i. 739.
[Quha did] reheirs ane certane nyse sermonis … [Of me con]trair
3. Of persons and their conduct. a. Disdainful, haughty.c1460 Thewis Wysmen 395.
Of helynes thai pas mesour, Nys, proud and wanglorious c1460 Ib. 418.
With woid wordis ful of vanite And nys bourdis but honestee c1460 Thewis Gud Women 21.
Nocht nys, proud na ourdeligat a1500 Henr. Fab. 591 (H).
b. Shy, timid; reserved, distant or stand-offish; coy.a1500 Lancelot of the Laik 1944.
The … wice Wich makith o king within hyme self so nyce That al thar flattry and ther gilt he knowith … and ȝhit he hyme with-drowith Them to repref a1500 Ib. 1956.
As beith not to schamful nore to nyce … But … reprewith as afferis 15.. Christis Kirk 17 (M).
Thay war so nyce quhen men tham nicht Thay squeild lyk ony gaitis a1568 Scott xxii. 8.
I fynd ȝow ay so nyce a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 417 (L).
Our heych, our law, our rasche, our nyce c1590 Fowler I. 228/10.
Baithe deafe and nyce to ansuer mak disdaynes 1599 Maxwell Mem. II. 9.
I ame sorie that ye uas so nyce uith the Lorde Murley, for he is my olde freinde 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1891) 448.
Who dow bide Christ's love to be nice? 1685 Sinclair Satan's Inv. World 160.
I drew near to her but she shunned my company and, when I insisted, she became angry and very nyce
c. (To be) nice (of or concerning something, to do something), to be reluctant or disdainful. To mak (it) nice, to display reluctance, reserve or coyness (to do something, etc.).(1) a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 801.
O I vnding, of all helping so naice 1606 Birnie Kirk-b. xvi.
If men be so nyce of their owne … dwelling that … they were constrained to bury abroad [etc.] —a1568 Scott iv. 91.
The nycest to ressave Vpoun the nynis will nip it 1679 J. Barclay Descr. Cath. Ch. 34.
He was not nice to go, and I resolved to bear him company(2) c1550 Rolland Court of Venus iii. 827.
Raab and Ruth … War licht iadeis, thocht ȝe it mak sa nice 1558-66 Knox I. 41.
It came at last to my lord him seif who, macking it veray nyce for a lytill space, gave in the end ane plain confessioun 1558-66 Ib. II. 379.
The bischope … maid it nyse to entyre befoir the Erle of Argyle a1568 Bannatyne MS 279 a/45.
& ȝit howbeit that men mak it sa nyce, God will gud wemenis fame defend 1587-99 Hume 73/174.
If their be hast, but hyre they make it nice a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xlii. 17.
Wald ȝe be made of, ȝe man mak it nyce 1603 Philotus cxl.
Mak nyce and gar the larbair lowne Beleue ȝe be a mayd 1606 Birnie Kirk-b. xi.
Althogh they seeme to make nyce in praying for dead 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1862) I. 205.
4. Of dress: Extravagant.a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 220.
Venus … cled in ane nyce array c1500-c1512 Dunb. xiv. 9.
So nyce array a1568 Bannatyne MS 52 a/101.
Ay prowd in busking and garmond nyis
5. Strange, remarkable, extraordinary, astonishing.Common only in Douglas.1513 Doug. i. i. 52.
Juno inflambit, musing on thir casis nyce 1513 Ib. viii. 2.
Quhill as the manfull Troian Eneas To se thir nyce figuris thocht wonder was 1513 Ib. x. vii. 117.
The low … Blesand and crakand with a nyce reuery 1513 Ib. xi. Prol. 190.
To wyn the feild, and nevir preif thy mycht, That war nyce thyng! 1513 Ib. vii. i. 147, vi. 94. 1535 Stewart 40691.
Thair come ane man the quhilk schew to the King Of nyce newis in the tyme wes done c1568 Lauder Minor P. iv. 20.
I think this change is wonderus strange & nyce!
6. Involving precision or attention to detail, carefully judged; intricate.a1500 Henr. Fab. 2722 (Bann.).
O man of law! lat be thy sutelte, With nys iympis and frawdis interkat 1513 Doug. iii. Prol. 14.
Nyce laborynth, quhar Mynotawr the bull Was kepte 1513 Ib. iv. 138.
Our falloschip excers palestral play … Nakyt wreslyng and struglyng at nyce punte 1513 Ib. v. iv. h. of ch.
Quhou the schippys stryvys on the see Of thar nyce rays 1513 Ib. xii. Prol. 238.
The styrlyng changis diuers stevynnys nys 1580 Hume Promine 109.
b. Of an instrument: ? Carefully adjusted, precisely poised.1641-8 Skipper's Acc. (Smettone) 19.
To Daved Lowgnes vyff after the coumpes wos nies 20 li. 16 s.
7. Unallocated instances of doubtful sense.a1500 Henr. III. 152/72. c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 177.
Nyse nagus 1513 Doug. ii. vii. 67.
And tha traist coistis nyce [L. litora fida] 1535 Stewart 29325.
[To] caus tha pepill of nature sa nyce To trow in Christ and for to leif thair vyce 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 752.
Nyce is the nychtingale The Empreour gaue hir credence hale And neuer word trew
