Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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About this entry:
First published 1934 (SND Vol. I). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1773, 1914
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ALMS, AMIS, n. [ɑ:mz]
1. (A good act, like almsgiving; hence, ironically.) Deserved punishment. Cf. Awmous.Bch. 1914 Abd.14:
Alms = punishment. "I'se gie ye yer alms."Edb. 1773 R. Fergusson Sc. Poems (1925) 53:
Truly I think it right you get your amis, Your high heart humbled amang common drams.
2. Payment for a small service; a child's pocketmoney (Mry. 1975).Bch. 1914 Abd.14 1914 in T.S.D.C. I. 14:
A boy who carried a pail of water for a woman asked for his "alms."
