A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1573-1605, 1690
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(Sleuthing,) Slewthing, Slouthing, Slowthing, Slothing, vbl. n. [Late ME slewthynge (c1450); Sleuth v.] Neglect, delay. — 1573 Lanark B. Rec. 69.
Oblest him … to mak compt … and gef he dois nocht sall pey … fyve pundis for his slewthing thairof a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 542 (W).
Persauis thou not quhat pretious tyme Thy slewthing [L. slowthing] dois oreschute? a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 824 (Wr.).
The season With slouthing slydes away c1690 J. Fraser in Select Biographies II 239.
Mispending of time, excess in lawful comforts, slothing of private duties [etc.]
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"Sleuthing vbl. n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/sleuthing>
