Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
CHANCE, n. and v. Also chaunce, chunce. Sc. forms and usages of Eng. chance.
Sc. forms:m.Sc. 1990 Douglas Lipton in Hamish Whyte and Janice Galloway New Writing Scotland 8: The Day I Met the Queen Mother 58:
Yin mair go fur luck, eh? D'ye fancy yir chaunces this time?Slk. 1991 Harvey Holton in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 132:
Syne cauldrife claitteran the scree frae the summit
byles up the bluid wi the chaunce o a chase.ne.Sc. 1993 Ronald W. McDonald in A. L. Kennedy and Hamish Whyte New Writing Scotland 11: The Ghost of Liberace 69:
...ye haed mair chunce o finnin oot the Horseman's Wird fae a ploomin than gettin siller oot o Peter Mitchell.Abd. 2000 Sheena Blackhall The Singing Bird 33:
Ah, did ye meet in derkened wids, bi chaunce,
Thon singer, fa o luv an wae dis sing?
An did ye see him lauch, or see him greet?
Sc. usages:
1. n.
(1) Gen. in pl. and quot. Tips, perquisites (Bnff.2, Abd.2, Fif.1, Slg.3, Lnk.3 1939). Sc. 1751 A. B. Grosart Poems R. Fergusson xxx.:
4s 2½d. and chance for shoes, shirts. clothes, &c.Ags.17 1939:
Ten bob a week an' yer chances.Fif. 1937 St Andrews Cit. (1 May) 3/2:
The Government paid him only £5 a year and he [the keeper of St Andrews Castle] had to get his living by his “chances.”
(2) A share.Cai.7 1939:
Fishermen used to go to sea for a small wage plus “chance” or “half-chance.”
(3) Phr. at ony chance, anyhow, in any event. Mry. 1873 J. Brown Round Table Club 94:
That's nae rhyme at ony chance.
2. v., tr. To risk (Cai.7, Bnff.2, Abd.9, Fif.10, Edb.1 1939). The tr. use is also found in colloq. Eng.Per. 1883 R. Cleland Inchbracken xxiv.:
Ye ne'er had but ane [child] an' . . . the Lord ne'er chanced ye wi' anither.Ayr. 1891 H. Johnston Kilmallie iii.:
Grandmother's cheenie is owre good to chance wi' them.
