Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

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

EEDIOT, n. Gen.Sc. form of Eng. idiot, a fool, simpleton. Also eedyit (Sh.¹⁰, Abd.², m.Lth.¹, Uls.⁴ 1945); eejit (Ags.¹⁹, Fif.¹⁰ 1945); eedjit, eedgit, eidiot; eedit (Ags. 1922 J. B. Salmond Bawdee Bowden ii.; Slg.³ 1942; Bwk.² 1949); eeduit, eedeet (Ags.¹⁷ 1942); eedyut (Ags. 1893 F. Mackenzie Cruisie Sk. (1894) vi.); eadit; eediwat; eddiewut; eedyet (Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl. Ant. and Dwn.). See also Idiwut. [′idiət, ′idjət, ′idɪwʌt]Fif. a.1847 in Colville (1909) 75:
Chalmers used to tell of a wedding in the fishing village of Buckhaven at which the groom quite forgot the responses, when a more experienced friend's stage whisper was heard, “Ye eediwat, can ye no boo!”Edb. 1895 J. Tweeddale Moff 48:
What for in the name o' the sons o' Adam temps you born eadits to big yer hooses in the middle o' the street?Sc. 1897 R. L. Stevenson St Ives (1898) x.:
And diagnosed me for a “gesterin' eediot.”Lnk. 1902 A. Wardrop Hamely Sk. 132:
There's a wheen o' born eediewuts o' men, an' a' that's in them's instinct, daviedens an' co-operative stores.Rxb. 1916 Kelso Chron. (26 May) 2/8:
He sat doon on the brainch. but the eedyit sat on the wrang end, an' whan he had sawn't richt throo, doon he fell.wm.Sc. 1954 Robin Jenkins The Thistle and the Grail (1994) 208:
Then from Turk's corner came a growl. "Will yous eedjits shut your gubs? I was listening to Sam. You go on, Sam. Tell us what the young bloke's going to say." m.Sc. 1983 Frederic Lindsay Brond 20:
'Are you an entire eejit?' she asked, with something more than an idle curiosity. Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 23:
eejit A local pronunciation of idiot. Eejit-heid is a name applied to anyone considered stupid. Gsw. 1985 Jeff Torrington in Peter Kravitz Edinburgh Review 71 5:
Ma, if I knew her, was more likely to be yelling: 'You've done what, you eedgit? Chucked your bloody job!' wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 18:
An eejit is an eejit, nothin' worse!
Yon yin husnae got the sense he wis born wi! Gsw. 1987 James Kelman Greyhound for Breakfast (1988) 214:
Ronnie grunted and shook his head, glanced at the middle-aged man. And then he said, Look at them. Pair of bloody eedjits. They're going to wind up capsizing the thing-look at them! Sc. 1991 Forbes Macgregor in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 17:
When he awoke the simple eediot
Fell deep in love and wed immediate;
For three oors without kirk or papers
They cut some matrimonial capers, Arg. 1992:
They're a right loat o eejits. [of the Scottish football team, following 3-1 defeat by Switzerland] Sc. 1994 Pete Fortune in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 157:
"Gin the eidiot's gaun ti thraw his weicht aboot to impress his bit limmer he's hae to suffer the coansequences.