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 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.

GLITTIE, -Y, adj. Also glettie, gleety, glutty, ¶glittye (Slk. 1820 Hogg Winter Ev. Tales II. 71).

1. Slimy, greasy, oily, mucous (ne.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Sh., ne.Sc., Peb., Ayr., sm.Sc., Rxb. 1954).Slk. 1798 Farmer's Mag. (1811) XII. 187:
In the rills . . . many small stones are found; some of them overspread with a gleety or glutinous substance.Lnk. 1820 Scots Mag. (May) 423:
The water-asks, sae cauld and saft, Crawl'd ower the glittie flure.Rxb. 1848 T. Aird Poet. Works 308:
The outer wheel still black, Though sleeked with gleety green, and candied o'er With ice, is doing duty.Sh. 1877 G. Stewart Fireside Tales 69:
Dere wis nedder hide nor hair o' da baste [seal] ta be seen, except a sma' thing o' glettie lumie, upo' da water, whaur he haed gaen doon.Uls. 1898 A. McIlroy Meetin'-Hoose Green xiii.:
Stannin' ower the knees in spring water a' day, throwin' glitty lint oot o' a dam.m.Sc. 1992 Claire MacRae in Janice Galloway and Hamish Whyte New Writing Scotland 10: Pig Squealing 112:
Your glutty eyes are nae use, might as well be properly blind and sit at home all day.

Hence glittilie, adv., “in a manner of ooze” (Lnk. 1820 Scots Mag. (May) 452); glittiness, n., ooziness (Ib.; ‡Ayr.⁴ 1928).

2. “Having a very smooth surface; often applied to that which has become so smooth that it will not sharpen edge tools” (Rxb. 1825 Jam., 1923 Watson W.-B.; Kcb.¹⁰ 1954); slippery with damp (Kcb., Rxb. 1954).