Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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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.
†GASTROUS, adj. Also gasterous, ghastrous. Monstrous (Dmf. 1808 Jam.); shocking, horrifying, unearthly.Rxb. 1824 J. Telfer Border Ballads 68:
[The witches] raise, with ghastrous look.Rxb. 1824 in Rymour Club Misc. II. 46:
His gibbet-like face, and his gasterous-like look.Abd. 1851 Banffshire Jnl. (2 Dec.):
But coming hame I got a gastrous fright.em.Sc. 1999 James Robertson The Day O Judgement 17:
An likewise open ivery hert
Sae awbody can see an ken
Each scunnersome an gastrous thing
Scowkin an lurkin ben.
Hence ¶gastrouslye, adv., monstrously, in a horrifying manner.Slk. 1821 Hogg in Scots Mag. (Oct.) 357:
And he gapit gastrouslye.
