Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
FOUSOME, adj. Also foulsome, -sume, fousom, -sum; foosome, -sum, -sem, -sim, fowsome, -sum, fooisome, fusome, -sum. Variant forms of Eng. fulsome. [′fu:səm]
†1. Having fullness or abundance, well-supplied; surfeited. Obs. in Eng. since 17th cent. Rare.Rxb. 1805 A. Scott Poems 40:
Nor fall they victims to a fulsome rift.Wgt. 1885 G. Fraser Poems 142:
She yinst had a hoose that was fu'some an' braw.
2. Of food: filling, cloying, surfeiting. Hence over-rich, nauseating, coarse (Ayr.4 1928; Sh., Abd., Ags. 1953). Also fig. Deriv. fowsomeness, “lusciousness” (Cld. 1825 Jam.). Obs. in Eng.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 4:
Then Scota heard, and said your rough spun ware Sounds but right douff an' fowsome to my ear.Edb. 1772 R. Fergusson Poems (1925) 15:
While glaikit fools, o'er rife o' cash, Pamper their weyms wi' fousom trash.Sh. 1897 Shetland News (23 Oct.):
Cocoa! a lock o' greasy fooisome trash.
3. Disgusting in gen., filthy, foul, dirty, slatternly (n.Sc., Ags. 1953). Also applied to moral character. Obs. in Eng.Sc. c.1800 Lord Thomas in Child Ballads No. 73 I. x.:
A fusome fag by yer fire!n.Sc. 1825 T. D. Lauder Lochandhu iii.:
Siccan a fusome sight as I am.Fif. 1827 W. Tennant Papistry 29:
Have at the fousome Kirk, and batter Her lustfu' banes untill they clatter.Bnff. a.1829 J. Sellar Poems (1844) 22:
A fusum nasty drunken pilshach.s.Sc. 1857 H. S. Riddell Psalms xiv. 3:
Thaye ar a'thegither becum foulsume; ther is nane that deth guid, na, nat ane.Ayr. 1912 G. Cunningham Verse 247:
The Gair'ner o' the universe Dibbled in a foulsome hole.Mry. 1927 E. B. Levack Lossiemouth 40:
An' m'Aunt Mary says 'at ye're a hape fousumer nor ma grannie yersel'.Cai. 1934 John o' Groat Jnl. (19 Jan.):
Ye could fa aff o' Princie an' no mak' sic a pooshinous foosum mess o' yir jaikad.Abd. 1943 W. S. Forsyth Guff o' Waur 40:
His boon companion was his cat, a weel-scarred fu'some breet.Cai. 1992 James Miller A Fine White Stoor 187:
He raises his hand to shield his dark-weakened een fae the glare. And instead o the foosim Caliban? A large, cheery gentleman in a white suit, ... Ags. 1993 Mary McIntosh in Joy Hendry Chapman 74-5 112:
The fousome guff wis like tae mak him boak but he chockit it back.
4. Of weather: dirty, stormy, tempestuous (Rs. 1916 T.S.D.C. II.).
[O.Sc. fulsume, a.1400, fowsum, 1533, foulsum, a.1586, foul, offensive, loathsome, fousome, cloying, 1600, Mid.Eng. fulsum, full, abundant, c.1250, offensive, c.1400. From full, Fou + -some, with early confusion of the first element with Foul, adj.]
