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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CLATTY, Clattie, Claty, Clauty, adj. [′klɑtɪ̢, ′klt]

1. Dirty, muddy, slimy; disagreeable (Lnl.¹, Arg.¹, Lnk.³ 1937; Edb., Gsw., Ayr., Dmf. 2000s).Abd. 1990 Stanley Robertson Fish-Hooses (1992) 11:
Many a time he wid say: "Why dae ye nae wash yer neck, cos ye're awfy clatty." Abd. 1994 Stanley Robertson in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 19:
"Whit a clatty wee guffie ye are. Dae ye never clean up yer hoose?" she snapped.Edb. 1843 J. Ballantine Gaberlunzie's Wallet viii.:
Your auld knee-breekums, rent and clattie.Arg. a.1850 Flory Loynachan iii. in Colville 115:
Nor [am] I a claty skybal, thus To sclaffer after thee.Arg. 1992:
Wid ye look at that clattie hoor there wi a the weans. Gsw. 1983 James Kelman Not not while the giro 39:
Ach, he said, I cant be bothered washing. I'll wait till we get to the canteen. Clatty auld bastard, I said. Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 16:
clatty or clarty Dirty or muddy: 'My shoes are clatty.' 'Away an wash yer hauns ya clatty article.' Gsw. 1991 Maud Devine in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 126:
Aye
ma cairn
thoan's luv
the petrified wee jorrie
weans rowl doon clatty drains. Lnk.⁵ 1936:
It's a clauty nicht.Uls. 1923 W. F. Marshall Verses from Tyrone 40:
An' if me shirt's a clatty shirt The man to blame's me da.

Deriv.: clattiness, dirtiness.Abd. 1990 Stanley Robertson Fish-Hooses (1992) 80:
"Shanish, shanish, here comes the ten leagues of clattiness coming tae the kane!"

†2. “Obscene” (Clydes. 1825 Jam.²).

3. Used adverbially.Lnk. 1882 A. Nimmo (ed.) Songs and Ballads of Clydesd. 204:
Lazy, leein' dirty Dan, got himsel' so clatty fou, He was carried thro' the toon like a newly stickit sow!

4. Mean, unscrupulous. Gsw. 1860 J. Young Poorhouse Lays 157:
The landlord saw the clatty trick . . . there wad hae been a splore.