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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

FERLIE, n., adj., v. Also ferl(e)y, fairl(e)y, fairli(e), fairely; farl(e)y; fairily, feralie (Ork.). [′fɛrlɪ, ′ferle Sc., ‡′fɑrle Cai., Uls.]

I. n. 1. An unusual or strange sight; a wonder, marvel; a novelty, curiosity (fairlie Cai., Bnff., Abd.; ferlie Bnff., Ags., Ayr., Dmf. 2000s). Gen.Sc. Also attrib. Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 108:
Fools wonder ay at Farlies.Sc. 1737 Ramsay Proverbs (1750) 94:
The langer we live, we see the mae ferlies.Edb. 1772 R. Fergusson Poems (1925) 6:
Nature to him had gi'en a kindly lore, Deep a' her mystic ferlies to explore.Ayr. 1822 Galt Sir A. Wylie x.:
I'll e'en gae out and look at the ferlies and uncos o' Glasgow.Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 263:
The first umbrella that ever was braced in Galloway belonged to a Sutor, who won'd about the Gate-house fifty years ago; he ran allwheres through the country to display the fairly.Sc. 1887 Stevenson Underwoods 179:
In mony a foreign pairt I've been An mony an' unco ferlie seen.Abd. 1900 C. Murray Hamewith 21:
The Packman spread his ferlies oot, an' ilka maid an' man Cam' soon on something sairly nott, but never missed till than.m.Sc. 1927 J. Buchan Witch Wood vii.:
Ye saw ferlies, but they werena flesh and bluid, sir.Kcd. 1934 “L. G. Gibbon” Grey Granite (1937) 203:
An eclipse of the moon or sun — some fairely or other.Bwk. 1947 W. L. Ferguson Makar's Medley 61:
Whae hesna read in Border lore That Duns o' ferlies hauds a store.Abd. 1980 David Toulmin Travels Without a Donkey ix:
On the other hand my mother and Jane's father lived to riper age, when their married families (including myself) had procured a motor-car, and they were enabled to travel further and see more ferlies. m.Sc. 1987 Tom Scott in Joy Hendry Chapman 47-8 25:
Upon a midnicht dreary
My sperit wi the lowes o love aleamin
(O ferlie ploy and eerie!) sm.Sc. 1988 W. A. D. and D. Riach A Galloway Glossary :
ferlie 1. a new or unusual thing. Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web iii:
I didna spikk muckle as a bairn, but I drew picturs constantly. "A dour vratch!" ae great-uncle caad me. I didna draw jist onythin an aathin bit raither ferlies I wis smittit wi, ferlies that catchit ma thocht in their bonnieness or their feyness. em.Sc. 1999 James Robertson The Day O Judgement 15:
Syne on his braw an byous throne
Frae Heiven's heicht he will cum doun;
A ferlie like nane iver seen -
The Godheid's splendour bleezin roun. Abd. 2000 Herald 27 Mar 20:
The Farmer and the Breadwinner have been to Edinburgh. They enjoyed themselves. They saw many ferlies. Ags. 2000 Maurice Fleming The Sidlaws 119:
The building of the railway between Dundee and Perth must have been as great a 'ferlie' for the people along the Carse as the one that crossed the Sidlaws from Dundee to Newtyle. ne.Sc. 2004 Press and Journal 5 Jul 12:
The Doric wirdies an phrases jist loup oot at ye nae maitter the ferlie an aa aspects o a country quine's life are covered, includin Halloween, the tattie howkin, the bonfires an the skweel.

2. Used contemptuously of a person (Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl.) or animal, sc. vermin (Abd.²⁷ 1952); a monstrous creature seen in hallucinations (Id.).Ayr. 1786 Burns To a Louse i.:
Ha! whare ye gaun, ye crowlan ferlie!Sc. 1887 Stevenson Merry Men ii.:
Fish — the hale clan o' them — cauld-wamed, blind-ee'd uncanny ferlies.Kcd. 1932 “L. G. Gibbon” Sunset Song (1937) 18:
When he was real drunk and the fairlies came sniftering out of the whisky bottles at him.Bch. 1946 J. C. Milne Orra Loon 1:
For ferlies in the caff-bed Widna let me be.Lnk. 1991 Duncan Glen Selected Poems 62:
But see there
out of the setting sun
into these dark and humdrum days
stots a sleekit ferlie,
ilka makar haein his ain laugh. Abd. 1995 Sheena Blackhall Lament for the Raj 8:
Ahin the monastery, doon bi the road,
There's a kirkyaird o connached ferlies. Dundee 2000 Matthew Fitt But n Ben A-Go-Go 22:
The pouer o Diamond Broon's siller wis world-kenspeckle. On Inverdisney it could mak the strechtest guaird skellie an the sweirest inmate heeligoleerie. On the Parishes it rummled up honest provosts' douce-like dreams. It gart fattygus commissars jink up an doon like ferlies.

3. A piece of (surprising) news; gossip, gen. in pl.; an object of gossip or scandal. Gen.Sc.Rxb. 1847 H. S. Riddell Poems 5:
For weel, weel does he loe to crack And hear the ferlies.Abd. a.1880 W. Robbie Yonderton xi.:
It wid be a bonnie story if ma nain hiret hoosekeeper cudna wite o' ma fan aw wiz onweel without beein' made a fairley o' ower a hail quintra side.Kcb. 1885 A. J. Armstrong Friend and Foe 273:
Dae ye min the day ye cam speerin ferlies aboot thae folks doon the brae?Ayr. 1902 Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald (27 June):
It's no muckle ill news that's brocht my gate: what's the latest ferlie noo?Abd. 1920 G. P. Dunbar Peat Reek 18:
Gin a lichtie bit glimmer, or ferlies we hear.Ork. 1929 in Peace's Almanac 139:
Hard du da neous 'at da mare o' Nazegoe's haen a pair o' foals — twa staigs, dat's a feralie noo.

4. Wonder, marvel; a cause for surprise, esp. used predic. with omission of the v., as in nae ferlie, sma' ferlie, etc. Phr. †in ferlies, in amazement.Sc. 1745 Scots Mag. (June) 274:
Nae ferley, neighbour, ye had frightfu' dreams.Ayr. 1786 Burns To J. Smith xxviii.:
Ye are sae grave, nae doubt ye're wise; Nae ferly tho' ye do despise.Kcb. 1808 J. Mayne Siller Gun i. xxx.:
The ferly is, withouten Scorn, They walk'd sae Sicker.Sc. 1817 Scott Rob Roy xxvii.:
It's nae mair ferlie to see a woman greet than to see a goose gang barefit.Gsw. 1877 A. G. Murdoch Laird's Lykewake 199:
But, noo, I'm in ferlies to see ye sae free — A lairdie to crack wi' the likes o' me!Hdg. 1896 J. Lumsden Battle of Dunbar 2:
What ferly gif the gods decide A “glorious victory” he should gain?Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.:
He's no caald da nicht for a fairli.Bnff. 1924 Swatches o' Hamespun 82:
An' the ferly did growe, that craiters sae heedless, Sae lairge an' sae fest, te this place shid fa.

5. Phr. and combs.: (1) ferlie-ballant, a strange ballad; a tale of wonder in verse; (2) ferlie-troke, a collection of strange or novel wares; (3) to spy ferlies, to pry into what does not concern one, be inquisitive (Cai., ne.Sc., Fif., Kcb. 1951).(1) Sc. 1923 D. Macalister Echoes 165:
I'll owretell a ferlie-ballant, Croon a lilt to you.(2) Per. 1895 R. Ford Tayside Songs 147:
An' fidgin' fain, we claw'd oor pows, To see his ferlie-troke a' shown.(3) Lnk. c.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 268:
It was not for any love he had unto him, he was coming to visit him, but to spy fairlies.Sc. 1806 Thomas Rhymer in Child Ballads No. 37. C i.:
Thomas lay on the Huntlie Bank, A spying ferlies wi his eee.Wgt. 1880 G. Fraser Lowland Lore 170:
Far less them that comes to glower aboot them' wi' nae better intent than spyin' farlies.Ayr. 1896 Note in Galt Provost (ed. Meldrum) II. 267:
To this day Ayrshire folks would say of a gossip, “She's streekin' her neck to spy ferlies.”Dwn. 1901 Northern Whig, Ulsterisms:
I don't know what brought him in except to spy farlies, for him and me is not very great, though we never had a fall out.Abd. 1923 J. R. Imray Village Roupie 5:
Some o' them haed come wi' intentions to buy, An' ithers, nae doots, a' the ferlies to spy.

6. A whim, fancy, fanciful notion (Ork. 1975). Sc. 1829 New Scotch Haggis 177:
I took a ferly into my head to come out and see what sort o' fowk they're in America.

II. adj. Strange, wonderful, remarkable. Also used adv. Found in n.Eng. dial.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 93:
An' eathing some and some anither said, But fairly few, of faults poor Nory freed.Ork. 1893 Sc. Antiquary VIII. 57:
Co' doon, co' doon! Lathie Odivere Co' doon, an' see me [my] farly fang.Sc. 1931 J. Lorimer Red Sergeant xxiii.:
We two young folks were to benefit in such a ferlie fashion by his misfortune.Gsw. 1991 James Alex McCash in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 15:
Full-mouth'd, airch-back'd, and full-bell'd mugiency:
Man, beist, and fowl slough off,
Like ferlie princess kiss'd, the ferme denizens'
sleepery trance in winter raw. m.Sc. 1991 Tom Scott in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 39:
Or her that saved Ulyssie frae the swaws
Petied this cheil tae, I dinna ken,
But ken some ferlie spell kept him frae daeth.

III. v. 1. To wonder, marvel, be surprised. With at or obj. clause. Gen.Sc., obsol.Sc. 1725 Ramsay Gentle Shep. ii. iv.:
Peggy. They'll wonder what can make us stay. Patie. And let them ferly.Edb. 1773 R. Fergusson Poems (1925) 33:
Whare do ye win, gin ane may spier For I right meikle ferly.Ayr. 1786 Burns Twa Dogs 121–2:
[They'll] tell what new taxation's comin, An' ferlie at the folk in Lon'on.Per. c.1800 Lady Nairne Wha'll be King i.:
The news frae Moidart cam' yestreen, Will soon gar mony ferlie.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xlix.:
Na, Hairry, but ye dee gar me ferlie.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 56:
An I wad no farly bit the'll be a life i' the net.Cai. 1929 John o' Groat Jnl. (11 Oct.):
I've something for ye to farley at e nicht.m.Sc. 1968 Edith Anne Robertson, transl. Translations into the Scots Tongue of poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins 19:
I ferly at thee, maister of the rides,
Of the Voar-flude, of the neep-tides' fall,
Dunchin and fouth of the gully's sides, ... wm.Sc. 1994 Sheila Douglas in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 60:
Al refleckit on whit the herd had said an ferlied at his smeddum.

‡2. impers. = it will surprise.Sh. 1914 Angus Gl. 42:
Hit fairlies me if he bus na snaw afore mornin.Sh. 1922 J. Inkster Mansie's Röd 26:
Weel, we made oot da supper, Magnus, atween put an' row, bit hit fairlies me if der mony ta get da year.