A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Thraw, Throw, n. [e.m.E. throwe (1530) an act of throwing a missile; Thraw(e v. Cf. Thrawcruik n.] A twisting or turning movement; a twisting, turning or wrenching, so as to become crooked; a contortion, distortion. Also, on ane thraw, irregularly, crookedly.1513 Doug. ii iv 9.
Twa gret lowpit edderis, with mony thraw, Fast throu the flude towart the land gan draw 1513 Doug. xiii iv 86.
[The snail] with mony wrikis and thrawys Presys forto eschew the feirfull heit a1585 Polwart Flyt. 584 (T).
Hes richt trim teith, sum quhat sett on ane thraw c1590 J. Stewart 47/168.
Quhair euir he verts his force and awfull face … Be onlie thraw of his victorius front Both heir and thair At vill he dois thaim hont 1632 Lithgow Trav. x 465.
Each torture consisting of three winding throwes of every pinne; which amounted to twenty one throwes 1645 Rutherford Tryal Faith (1743) 271.
So is a convert in his first framing neither perfectly untamed corruption, because there's a crack and a throw in the iron-sinew of the neck; nor is he a thorow child of light, but … in the dead-throw 1653 Binning Wks. 68.
Man's fall from God hath made a wretched thraw and crook in the soul, that it cannot look any more after him, but bows downwards towards creatures below it 1653 Binning Wks. 101.
God made man upright; Eccl. vii 29. There was no thraw or crack in all; all the powers of the soul bending upright towards that fountain of all goodness 1687 Bk. Old Edinb. C. XXVII 132.
It is a verie unsetled motion that throw of the body whereby you turn down the left shoulder and up the right, so that therby you will verie often misse the [golf] ball and allmost never hitt it exactly
b. To have a thraw by, to be cross with, antipathetic towards (someone).1598 Misc. Spald. C. I 120.
The Devill thy maister quhom thow termes Christsonday and supponis to be ane engell and Goddis godsone albeit he hes a thraw by God and swyis to the Quene of Elphen
