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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Guse, Guis, n.¹ Also: gus, guise, guisse, guyse, gwis(e, gwyse, goys, goos(e; pl. geis(e, geys, geyis(e, gaise, geas, gesce, gysce. [ME. goos, OE. gós; pl. gies, gees, ges(e, OE. gés.]

1. A goose.a. sing. (a) 1366 Reg. Episc. Aberd. II. 58.]
[Johannes Wildguse c1420 Wynt. iv. 1170.
That yhet Brennyus wonnyn had, Had noucht that gus sic crakyng mad c1450-2 Howlat 786.
He couth … Mak of a gray gus a gold garland a1500 Henr. Fab. 345.
Thy guse is gude Id. III. 151/41.
The claik of ane gus 1497 Treas. Acc. I. 360.
For ane gus, to enter ane halk with c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 159.
Quhen thow heiris ane guse cry in the glennis 1513 Doug. viii. Prol. 52.
Sum grenys eftir a guse To fars his wame full 1535 Stewart 57237.
He … As fra ane fox fled lyke ane fleit guse 15.. King Berdok 3.
Quhen Phebus rang in sing of Capricorn And the mone wes past the gusis cro 1540 Lynd. Sat. 2022 (B).
All that thay half in vse, Thocht it be kow, sow, ganar, gryce, or gwse 1560 Rolland Seven S. 916.
As the griffoun will catche to him ane guse 1573 Sat. P. xlii. 83.
Quhen ȝe … ar daft and ȝoung … ȝe knaw als mekill as ane guse a1578 Pitsc. II. 53/18.
The cardinall … gart hang thame because they eat ane rostit guse in Lentroun 1596 Dalr. I. 25/3.
This guse ȝeirlie in the spring tyme returnes to ws 1600-1610 Melvill 134.
He was fean till eat of a magre guse, skowdrit with bar stra(b) c1420 Wynt. iv. 1172 (C).
Had noucht the goys sic crakyng made 1535 Stewart 38066.
Preist or clerk … Gat no moir girth no vther guis or hein 1551 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I. 453.
Payand heirfor … half ane guisse, thre capones, thre pultre 1553 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 18.
The best tame guis xx d … , the best wyld guis … iij s. 1590 Lanark B. Rec. 96.
For the theftus steling of ane guis, quhilk scho eit in William Clarksones ?1549 Monro W. Isles 64.
In this ile ther haunts ane kynd of foule callit the colk, little less nor a guise 1622-6 Bisset II. 210/27.
In Orknay … ane guise is twa maillis, … ane capone half ane guise 1621-40 Melville Commonpl. Bk. 11.
He that medlis with all thingis may go schoe the guise(c) 1549 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I. 434.
Payand heirfor … ane half ane pultre and ane half half ane gwyse Ib. 435, etc.
Ane half haf ane gwise 1550 Reg. Cupar A. II. 241.
He gettand for ilk wild gwis iij s. 1569 Inverness B. Rec. I. 181.
Ane gwis and four fleissis woll 1602 Shetland Sheriff Ct. 31.
The gudwyff of Lie wantit aine gwisb. pl. (a) 14.. Acts I. 41/2.
That na castelayne sall ryn … within a burges house to sla swyne, grysys, na geyse na hennys c1420 Wynt. iv. 1186.
The Romanys ware To geys dettyd in honowre mare Than to thare goddis all 1506 Treas. Acc. III. 399.
To the woman that brocht grene geys to the King 1514 Prestwick B. Rec. 47.
[Dunlop accuses Symsone] that he scathit hym wyth his geys in the mwr corn 1544 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV. 24.
Sex geyis, … tway geyis 1548 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 260.
I left in my huise certane stuff, sic as meill, malt, beif, cheise, geyise 1559 Inverness B. Rec. I. 32.
Thom Crone … is mad fre of slachtyr of Hendre Kar geys(b) 1490 Acta Conc. 140/2.
xviij geise, price of the guse viij d. c1515 Asloan MS. I. 172/5.
In ane ile ar wild geis with twa hedis c1500 Rowll Cursing 13.
Fyve fat geis of Ser Iohine Rowlis Ib. 114.
Geis and caponis rostit hait 1531 Bell. Boece I. p. xlviii.
Restis now to speik of the geis generit of the see, namit clakis 1533 Boece iii. xii. 109 b.
The ilis aboundit … in … capoins, geis, dowis, and moiny vthir sortis siclike 1561 Inverness B. Rec. I. 68.
His horse, … kow, scheip, gait, gaise [etc.] 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 302.
The said horsmen brocht to Edinburgh … xxvij laid of quheit and beir, … with mony geis 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I. 135.
Scho haueing the number of thriescoir geis, thow cumis to ane of the said geis, and plucks thrie fedders aff of hir 1604 Aberd. B. Rec. II. 521.
Puir folkis geir, sic as geisse, foullis, peittis, aind vtheris vivaris(c) 1473 Reg. Cupar A. I. 178.
He payand til ws ȝerly … iiij dusane of fed gysce, … and thir gesce to be prouidit … of the first and erast … in the cuntre

2. The game of the goose. 1602 Treas. Acc. MS. 213 b.
To James Workman painter for painting and causing mak the brod quhilk his maiestie pleyis at, callit the guse

3. A tailor's smoothing-iron. Also guse-iron. 1617 Edinb. Test. L. 24 b.
Ane irone guis 1641 Ib. LIX. 269.
Sex double gees of irone and thrie single gees of irone 1646 Ib. LXII. 270.
Ane irne goose for goosing of cloaths 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 362.
Ane iron for holding of guise irons

4. Attrib. with croft, dub, fald, feather, fles(ch), hauch, heid, lone, teind, wambe. Also guseheadit adj. 1538 Prot. Bk. J. Cristisone 61.
[An annuel rent … from his lands called the] Gwis croft — 1563 Glasgow Prot. V. 60.
[A tenement and barn called] Gusdubbis 1571 Ib. VI. 47.
[A tenement called] Guisdub 1670 Glasgow B. Rec. III. 140.
The syre that runes throw that place callit the Goos dubs — 1580 Prot. Bk. J.
Mr James Weilky … ordanis the guis fald dyk to be tane doune at the miln led 1564-86 Scott 90 b. — 1650 Stirling Ant. IV. 157.
She was holding ane old hobbill of a shoe and geas feathers to the kowes nose — 1579 Black Bk. Taymouth 142.
Gyff ony man … ettis ony gwys fles in ony of thir thre dais he sal hawe the ffaland ewil — 1554 Prot. Bk. R.
The strynd of the said well … rynnis on the north syd of the guis hawch of Kynmynty 1538-62 Lumsdane 31. — a1605 Montg. Misc. P. x. 5.
They get ay a good goosheid In recompense of all thair pane 1603 Philotus cxvi.
Thair is ane gus-heid — 1581 Burne Disput. 187 b.
The … guseheaddit persones, asinvittit vicares — 1665 Irvine Mun. II. 187.
The gooslone sett to James Broun — 1566 Prot. Bk. T. Johnsoun 151.
To uptak … teynd lam, … lynt teind, ges teynd [etc.] — 1597 Crim. Trials II. 29.
Scho baid him get a greine gwise, with four or fyve kitlingis, and put the kitlingis in the guise wambe, and roist the samyn