A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1500-1543, 1598-1626
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Scaffar, Skaffar, -er, n. [Scaff v.] One who lives at the expense of others by extortion, sponging, etc.; a parasite. c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 130/45.
Scaffaris and scamleris in the nuke, And hall huntaris of draik and duik 1531 Bell. Boece II 99.
Eugenius … commandit all idill pepil, as juglaris, menstralis, bardis, and scaffaris [M. skafferis] othir to pas out of the realme, or ellis to find sum craft to win thair leiffing 1533 Boece 162b.
Lugthak … vsit stile sic skaffaris and rubbaris his tendir freyndis and bredir 1542 Aberd. B. Rec. I 180.
Sayand common beggaris and skafferis, thair meltyd wes bot small for all thair cuttit out hoys 1543 Aberd. B. Rec. XVIII (Jam. s.v. Misperson).
He had mispersonit the bailye, calland him skaffar 1598 Aberd. B. Rec. II 167.
Thair is sic a multitude of regrateris and skafferis of the wymbes of the puir rissin vp within this burght 1622-6 Bisset I 49/14.
He banisched all tavernaris, druncardis, skaffaris … out of his house
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"Scaffar n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/scaffar>
