Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CHESSART, Chesser, Cheshert, Chesset, Chisset, Chizzart, Chis(s)at, Cheesard, n. A cheese-vat; a cheese-press. Jam.² gives chessart for e.Sc., chessirt, chesswirt for Fif.; T.S.D.C. (1916) gives chesswort for Bwk.; Rnf.¹ c.1920 gives chessert, chessit, Ayr.⁴ 1928, chessiot, and Watson in Rxb. W.-B. (1923) gives chesset. Known to Abd.², Abd.⁹, Ags.¹⁷ (chesser), Fif.¹⁰, Kcb.⁹ (chesset) 1939. Cf. Kaisart. Also fig. [′tʃɛsər(t), ′tʃɛs(j)ət, ′tʃɪzə(r)t, ′tʃizərd]Sc. 1746 Nairne Peerage Evidence (1873) 80:
Item a cheese tub and four cheesards one shilling.Sc. 1896 A. Cheviot Proverbs 96:
Every cheese maun keep its ain chisset, i.e., we must keep our place.Ags. 1712 A. Jervise Land of the Lindsays (1853) App. 342:
In ye milk house three kirns, six milk cougs, three chessers.Ags. 1853 J. Nevay Rosaline's Dream 216:
An' dainty sweet-milch kebbuck — granny's pride — That frae the chizzart came at Lammastide.Fif. 1887 “S. Tytler” Logie Town II. iii.:
The curd had to be committed to the “cheshert,” the great stone screwed in the frame so that the weight might further condense and shape the cheese.Ayr. 1870 J. K. Hunter Life Studies of Char. xxix.:
I had never come far out of the chesset I was staned in.sm.Sc. 1988 W. A. D. and D. Riach A Galloway Glossary :
chisset a wooden bowl, mould, chest for pressing cheese.

Proverbial sayings:wm.Sc. [1835–1837] Laird of Logan (1868) Notes 492:
Keep within the chissat ye were stan'd in.Arg.¹ 1929:
The cheese munna forget the chisat.