Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1718, 1777-1892
[0,1,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
COCKERNONY, COCKERNONNY, Cockernon(n)ie, cock-a-nanny, n. [′kɔkər′nɔnɪ̢ Sc.; ′kɔkər′nonɪ̢ Abd.; ′kɔkɑ′nɑnɪ̢ Uls.]
1. "The gathering of a young woman's hair, when it is wrapt up in a band or fillet, commonly called a snood" (Sc. 1808 Jam.), a high coiffure. (Some of the examples may belong more properly to one of the other sections.) Obs. except hist.Sc. 1718 Ramsay Chr. Kirk III. vii. in Poems (1721):
[She] dung a' her Cockernonny A jee that Day.Abd. 1851 W. Anderson Rhymes, etc. 164:
A manky gown, my Lucky wore — A cockernony, plaitet weel.Lth. [1811] G. Bruce Poems (1813) 65:
Now broken was the bridal bread, Owre the bride's cockernony.Dmf. [1777] J. Mayne Siller Gun (1808) 63:
But, lang ere e'en, her cockernonny Was toozel'd sair.
Phr.: to busk (up) one's cockernonie, see Busk, v., Phrs. (3).
2. A pad of false hair used to give a full appearance to the coiffure. Obs. except hist.Sc. 1824 Scott St Ronan's W. I. xiv.:
I wad sune see if her cockernonnie was made of her ain hair or other folks'.
Hence cockernonied, adj., wearing a "cockernonie."Hdg. 1892 J. Lumsden Sheep-head and Trotters 51:
An' lasses, sweet! as lads are stoure! — Braw cockernonied leddies! Show faces that wad papists sour.
3. A woman's cap with starched crown. Obs. except hist.Sc. 1819 Scott Bride of Lamm. xii.:
Her mother . . . sat by the fire in the full glory of a grogram gown, lammer beads, and a clean cockernony.Abd.(D) 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xix.:
Gin that didna tak the stiffin' oot o' Kirsty's cockernony, I'se lea'e't.
4. Fig. "A staple with a fancy top to complete the thatching of a stack" (Tyrone, Armagh 1929 (per Uls.2), cock-a-nanny).
†5. "Any thing . . . [or] person, small, neat, and having an old-fashioned air; commonly applied to females" (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 220). Also used attrib. = picturesque, old-fashioned.Ayr. 1830 Galt Lawrie Todd vii. v.:
Forays, moss-troopers, and other cockernony minstrelsy.
6. A small sweet bun, esp. given as a tit-bit to a child. Prob. from its shape. Fif. 1781 St Andrews Baxter Bks. 181:
Nor give any other Consideration whatever to any person that sells their bread, further than a bitt of bread or a Cockernony to a Child.
