Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1710, 1888, 1949
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HARR, n. Also herr (Sh. 1900 Shetland News (3 Feb.)); har; haur.
1. The hinge of a door or gate (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.); the upper of the two pieces of a wooden door-hinge (Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.; Sh., ‡Ork. (herr) 1956). Also in Eng. dial.Ork. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. Addend. to Douglas Aeneis:
In Orkney they say, . . . The door is off o' har, i.e. off the hinges.Sh. 1888 Archæol. Review 349:
Oh! dan I'll jangle upo' my harrs.Sh. 1949 New Shetlander No. 17. 15:
The grinnd, swinging in its wooden harr, had been repaired . . . time and again.
2. The corner of a gate or door to which hinges are fastened; the pivot on which they turn (Dmf. 1825 Jam., ha(u)r; ‡Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., harr). Now obs. in Eng. exc. dial.
Hence used fig. in phr.: ¶to ruse one's arse out o' har, “to praise a person till he be too much elated” (Dmf. 1825 Jam.).
[O.Sc. herre, a hinge, 1456, fig. in phr. out of har, in disorder, 1513, O.E. heorr(a), O.N. hjarri, id.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Harr n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 1 May 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/harr>
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