Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1931, 1986-2005
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ALLOW, v. Also alloo.
1. Sc. form of Eng. allow.w.Lth. 2000 Davie Kerr A Puckle Poems 75:
Aa deid-doun deid, till up-steer sap
alloos belief,
that hauden-doun will yince mair rise
ti life, unbow'd.Edb. 2003:
Are ye allooed tae gang there?
2. A Scotticism is the use of allow followed by adv. or adv. phr., in sense of allow to go — e.g. "he was allowed home."Sc. 1931 J. Wilkie Bygone Fife 251:
The latter [was] allowed ashore.
3. Followed by personal pron., used to refer to someone who had done more than he/she ought to have, or was expected to. wm.Sc. 2005:
Allow him. He always gets what he wants, even if the rest of us can't.Gsw. 1986 Moira Burgess in Deirdre Chapman Scottish Short Stories 1986 35:
'Allow you,' observed Lizzie, but she grabbed it all the same,...
