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: 1768, 1825, 1953
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HIDE, n.2 Also †hyd(e).
1. Used as in Eng. = the skin of an animal; and, jocularly or contemptuously, the human skin. Hence phr. †hyd and (or) hew, skin and (or) complexion, natural bloom or colouring [O.Sc. from c.1420].Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 115:
An' truly, Lindy, I maun this allow, The lass is feer for feer, for hide an' hew.Lth. 1825 Jam.:
It's sae dirty, it 'ill never come to hyd or hew.Uls. 1953 Traynor:
She brought her hide with her hair, said of red-haired people who have, usually, very white skins.
2. Applied with pejorative force to female domestic animals and to women (Upp. Lnk., Rxb. 1825 Jam.); also occas. applied to a man, a disagreeable fellow (Sc. 1893 W. Gregor Dunbar's Wks. (S.T.S.) III. 52).
3. By synecdoche: an Ork. name for a seal (Ork. 1929 Marw.). Also used in the island of N. Ronaldsay as a term for a human being (Ib.). Phs. a taboo-name, and also connected with the Orkney belief that seals could discard their skins and return to their original human state from time to time.
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"Hide n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/hide_n2>
