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

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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Widdy, -(i)e, Wed(d)y, -é, Wethy, n. Also: widey, (widemes), viddy, -(i)e, wyddie, wyddy, vyddy, weddie, wedye, wedey, veddé, weiddie, wethé, wethi, wo(o)ddie, voithie. Pl. also widdis, wyddis, weidis, withes, widois. [ME and e.m.E. wiþþe (Orm), wiððe (Layamon), wythe (a1400), with (1583), a band or tie made of withies, a halter; wiði (a1225), withey (1325), wythy (15th c.), wethy (1523-34), a willow tree; wethe (1330-31, Raine N. Durham 272) ? a wicker basket; withy (a1400), withie (1564), a withy, a rope made of withies, OE wiþiᵹ a willow tree, wiþþe a band, halter, MLG wedde, ON við, víðir.]

I. 1. A rope, properly one made of (? twisted) withies or the like. b. ? A halter. Quot. Burne may be intended to convey some implication of sense 2. c. A means of fastening a door.(a) 1471 Peebles B. Rec. I 167.
Quhat women at flytis … thai sal be led to the four yetis of the town with the seriandis hyngand on thar schowder ij stanys in a irne chenya or in a wedy c1475 Wall. iii 215.
Thai band thaim fast with wedeis sad and sar, On bowand treis hangyt thaim rycht thar 1618 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 118.
To tak doun a piece of the … south gavill … for tua new weidis to cut doun the same(b) a1500 Rauf C. 366.
He kest twa creillis on ane capill, with coillis anew, Wandit thame with widdeis to wend on that wane a1578 Pitsc. II 90/2.
This Frinche captane devyssit this great ingyne thir cannons to pase doune the gait thair lane witht the ingyne of man witht widdieis [I. windassis] and towis 1610 Reg. Privy C. VIII 479.
[And there detained him, bound hand and foot with cords and] wyddies [for eight days] 1633 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 385.
For sax widemes [? erron. for widdies] at xii s. the peice 1662 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. I 237.
They have most cruellie … tortured the women by … binding of them with widdies about the neck and feet and carying them so alongst on horseback to prison 1667 Highland P. II 25.
Duncan More came with the heads of 4 men in a widdie quhilk he threw at his master's feet 1684 Law Memor. 39 n.
He [sc. the Devil] cries to her ‘Janet Campbell wilt thou cast me thy belt?’ Quoth she, ‘What a widdy wilt thou do with my belt?’ ‘I would fain (says he) fasten my loose bones close together with it’(c) c1475 Wall. vii 410, 415.
Than xx^ty men he gert fast wetheis thraw … Than festnyt thai with wetheis duris fast(d) 1695 Law Memor. (App.) 270.
Did make stronger and sronger bindings of withes and other things; but still all were brokenb. 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 232.
Out throw the wod come rydand catiues twane, Ane on ane asse, a widdie about his mone 1573-1600 Burne Disput. in Cath. Tr. 144/9.
Paul Mephuen … vas conuoyit throuche the cuntrey on horsbak (in ane viddie) veil armit vith pistolattis to slay pure folkis hennisc. 1513 Prestwick B. Rec. 45.
For the wrangwys … takyn out of ane calf out of Cuthbert Myllaris hous & cuttyn of the vyddyis of the dur

2. A rope used for hanging a person, also (the) widdie, the noose, the gallows. See also Pin n.¹ 2, Rax v. 4 b and Waw v. 2 and 5 for further examples. Also proverb. and attrib. Also a representation of such a rope. b. A noose as a symbol of submission. c. fig. To put one's heid in the widdie, to put one's head in the hangman's noose, to court danger.(1) c1450-2 Howlat 823 (A) (see Thraw(e v. 1 c (2)). 15.. Bk. Dean Lismore 48.
Quhat alyt ye man to ved a vyf Cowd ȝou nocht find … A viddy or a raip of pycht A heltyr for to hang ye vitht c1500 Rowll Cursing 40 (M).
Fyre swerd watter or widdie c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 162/48.
He had purgatioun to mak a theif To dee withowt a widdy [A. wedye] 1535 Stewart 34850.
The widdie syne he gaif thame to thair meid c1536 Lynd. Compl. Bagsche 224.
Wyddie 1540 Lynd. Sat. 4015 (see Pis(c)h(e v. 1 (1)). 1563–4 Perth B. Ct. 40 (3 March).
Robert Alexander … injurit Allane Justice scribe of the court sayand the said Allane wald ane widdy about his crag 1570 Sempill in Sat. P. xii 56.
Gif ȝe twa want the widdie now thay wrang ȝow(b) 1683 Shetland Decreet MS (Gardie House, Bressay) No. 858.
If his old neck had bein hanging in the voithie he wold not be put to this truble 1571 Disc. tviching estait B. vii.
His craig wald be fleitar for the widdie c1575 Balfour Pract. 527.
Gif ony theif … is hangit, and thairefter fallis out of the widdie, and fra the gallows [etc.] 1577–8 Reg. Privy C. II 661.
[They] put ane widdy about the nek of James Boyd … and schorit thairwith to hang him 1596 Breadalbane Ct. Bk. 128.
The said Duncane Roy to be hangit with ane weiddie … quhill he leif the lyfe 1596 Dalr. II 222/6.
Quha war condamnet of thift, slauchter, or trasone, endet thair lyfe in a widdie 1612–13 Elgin Rec. II 132.
Elspet Edmound … callit hir theiffis geit, and that hir father was borrowit from the widdie 1673 Fugitive Poetry II xxxiv 2/29.
But ere we two on widdies also hing 1686 G. Stuart Joco-Ser. Disc. 67.
Some … should … twine a widdy ‘bout his craig To ken him from a straying naig(2) a1508 Kennedy Flyt. 413.
A stark gallowis, a wedy, and a pyn, The hede poynt of thyne elderis armes ar(3) proverb. c1536 Lynd. Compl. Bagsche 151.
This prouerb it is of verite … Hiest in court nixt the weddie a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 188.
A widdie and a windie day a1598 Ferg. Prov. No. 651.
Neirest the king, neirest the widdie a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 1365.
The water wil never reave the widdie 1658 R. Moray Lett. 295.
Waters and widdies keep fair quarter to one another(4) attrib. a1500 Henr. Fab. 654.
Widdienek and crakraip callit … And till oure hire hangit vp be the hals(b) a1585 Polwart Flyt. 751 (H).
Spew blecke, wooddie neckeb. c1420 Wynt. vii 2872.
Yhit swa cwnrayid he thame then, That thai, that provyd war till hym falls, Wyth rapys and wethyis abowt thare hals, Put thame in to the kyngys will 1535 Stewart 45815.
Than for the moir effecc Come with ane widey knyt about his [sc. Somerleid's] neck, Befoir the king … On his kneis beseikand him of grace 1570 Leslie 82.
The principallis of the trubillis come … with nakitt sordis in thair handis and widdyis about thair neckis ?15… Extracta & Cronicis 224 in Sc. Ant. XV 120.
Nisi cum le widdys in colles [MS collis] venirentc. 1596 Dalr. II 251/1.
To reteine … stil our king in Ingland … evin as hapned King James the first; Quhairfor al man requeistes our king and prayes him that nathing he think of that jornay, except he wald put his heid in the widdie

II. 3. A quantity, ? orig. a bundle tied with rope, of iron. Also attrib.(a) 1438 Exch. R. V 58.
Pro fabrica septem wethyis ferri in clavos 1453 Misc. Spald. C. V 49.
Tua wethis of irne, 5 s. 4 d. 1456 Exch. R. VI 278.
Viginti vangis ferri dictis wethiis(b) 1456 Hay Geneal. Sainteclaires 93, 94.
A hundreth weddy of yrn … the wedy sold for 8 s. 1456 Misc. Bann. C. III 94.
Wedeys 1482–3 Acta Conc. II cxxiv.
iij^xxxv wedeis of irne, price of the wedde ij s. 1512 Treas. Acc. IV 462.
For iiij wedy of irn for mending … ancoris 1527 Sutherland Bk. III 79.
Veddeis 1575–6 Inverness Rec. I 246.
Weddie(c) 1482 Edinb. B. Rec. I 45.
Hundredth widde of Oismond irne 1484 Exch. R. IX 239.
xx wyddis ferri 1490 Exch. R. X 183.
Widdis 1501–2 Treas. Acc. II 48.
For xij wyddy of irne xxx s. 1513 Rentale Dunkeld. (SHS) 185.
[Purchase of 2] lie widde [for plough irons] 1556 Dundee B. Ct. III 85b (1 Dec.).
Vidde of yrn 1583 Edinb. Test. XII 83b.
Tuentie wyddie of small Sutherland irne price of the wyddie x s. 1590 Thanes of Cawdor 193.
Tua widois and ane clais of irne 1603 Reg. Great S. 516/1.
Ilk hundreth wyddie of Oismond iryn of unfremen cumand to Leith(d) 1580 Edinb. Test. IX 52.
Sex scoir thre woddie of clois woddie irne at xxx ss. the woddieattrib. a1540 Aberd. B. Rec. XVI (Jam. s.v. Widde).
I ressauit agane fyfte aucht widde irne fra him 1580 Edinb. Test. IX 52 (see (d) above). 1581 Edinb. Test. X 75.
Sex scoir thrie widdeis of clois widdie irne at xxx ss. the widdie

III. 4. A withy, a pole or length of wood similar to a withy. 1565 Inverness Rec. I 127.
vj pennort weddeis and half dussan caberis 1634 Monteith Stewartry Ct. 29 May.
Confest the cutting of arne widdeis and rungis