Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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HUILIE, adv., adj., v., n. Also huillie, huil(l)y, huly, ¶huiley; hölie (Sh.); hool(l)ie, -y, hoolyie; ¶hoilie, and ne.Sc. forms heelie, -y, healy. [′høli; ne.Sc. ′hili]

I. adv. Slowly, gently, without haste (Abd. 1808 Jam., heelie; Cai. 1902 E.D.D.). Often used as int. = be careful, go slow, wait a moment, have patience! Gen.Sc. Hence †hoolily, id. (Bnff. 1782 Caled. Mercury (14 Aug.)).Sc. 1737 Ramsay T.-T. Misc. (1876) II. 142:
O hooly, hooly rose she up, To the place where he was lying.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 29:
He claught her by the claise, An' said sweet lassie, huly, an' ye please.Edb. 1772 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 91:
Ye wives, as ye gang thro' the fair, O mak your bargains hooly!Ayr. 1786 Burns To J. Smith vii.:
Something cries, "Hoolie! I red you, honest man, tak tent! Ye'll shaw your folly."Sc. 1816 Scott Antiquary viii.:
Ca' hooly, sirs, as ye wad win an auld man's blessing!Rxb. 1847 J. Halliday Rustic Bard 123:
Aha, aul' lass! joost bide an tak' it hooly.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xviii.:
Heely, Gushets, draw bridle a minit.Per. 1895 R. Ford Tayside Songs 122:
But hoolie gudeman, see the hands o' the clock! Rax the Books, an' let's aff to oor bed.Wgt. 1912 A.O.W.B. Fables 29:
The cuddy bore baith, an' hooly did gang.Sc. 1935 D. Rorie Lum Hat 23:
Jock heard it a' an' turned awa An' hooly gaed his pace.

Phrs.: 1. hooly and fair(ly), slowly and gently but steadily, cautiously; 2. høli(e) be wi' you (dee), impers., used as an expression of incredulity or surprise (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)); 3. to come hooly (heely) on, — tae, to have indifferent success, to fare badly (Ayr.⁴ 1928; ne.Sc., Slg. 1957); 4. to play huilly wi', to upset, to throw into disorder (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).1. Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 125:
Hooly and fair, goes far in a Day. Working constantly, though soberly, will dispatch a great deal of Business.Sc. 1751 Charmer II. 58:
O gin my wife wad drink hooly and fairly!Sc. 1793 Tam Thrum Look before ye Loup 11:
Hooly an' fairly, lad, there's some o' us think we have little reason to complain.Sc. 1827 Scott Two Drovers ii.:
"Prutt, trutt! let me have my weapon," said Robin Oig, impatiently. "Hooly and fairly," said his well-meaning friend.Fif. 1897 S. Tytler Lady Jean's Son v.:
Hooly and fairly, Leddy Stair, I'll speak my mind where and whan I like.Arg. 1901 N. Munro Doom Castle xxxvii.:
Ay, ay! caw awa' wi' yer chanter, Sim, ye'll play hooly and fairly ere ever ye play't i' the lug o' Leevie Lamond.Sc. 1924 W. A. Craigie in Sc. Tongue 46:
"Huly and fairly" is likely to come better speed than too ambitious efforts at the outset.2. Sh. 1899 Shetland News (25 March):
Jeemie Willie guid aeft ta shut da rudder, bit höli be wi you, diel rudder wis inside her.Sh. 1922 J. Inkster Mansie's Röd 56:
Hölie be wi' you, dere I fan hit!3. Mry. 1897 J. Mackinnon Braefoot Sk. 80:
But 'in A hadna kent a' the oots an' ins o't mysel', A'd a come heely tae.Abd. 1926 M. Argo Makkin' o' John 25:
I'll leave it in her han's, for I'm dootin' I wad come bit heely tee.Abd.¹⁵ 1953:
He cam' but heelie on at the plooin' match.

II. adj. Slow, cautious, careful (Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis). Deriv. ¶huliness, tardiness. Comb. huilie-lookin, having a sad, dejected, depressed appearance (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)).Sc. 1715 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 66:
She'd gar them a' be hooly Fou fast that Day.Abd. 1739 Caled. Mag. (1788) 503:
Up the kirk-yard he fast did jee, I wat he was na hooly.Peb. 1805 J. Nicol Poems I. 144:
Now tup-horn spoons, wi' muckle mou, Plish-plash'd; nae chiel was hoolie.Rnf. 1815 W. Finlayson Rhymes 94:
I fear ye'll make but hoolie speed In doing well.Sc. 1820 Scots Mag. (May) 422:
The trauchl't stag i' the wan waves lap, But huliness or hune.

Comb. & Phrs.: 1. huilie-daidlie, indifferent, neither good nor bad, insipid, characterless. Also in form huilie-doddle, used adv. See Daidle, v.¹, Doddle; 2. to ca' one's hogs til a huilie (heely) market, fig., to make a bad bargain (Abd. 1919 T.S.D.C. III. 16; ne.Sc., Ags. 1957); 3. to hae huily waan o', to have little hope of (Ork. 1929 Marw.).1. Fif. 1934:
A huilie-daidlie sort of affair it was.

III. v. To pause, halt, hesitate, take a breath (Abd.¹⁹ 1930; Mry., Kcd., Slg. 1957); used refl. (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)).Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 263:
This, or something like this, was Robin's tale. But here I maun hooly a wee, and let Willie tell it.Per. 1898 C. Spence Poems 188:
Then's the time for you to hoolie And cram your wallet wi' the spoolie.Bnff. 1924 Swatches o' Hamespun 83:
An' aye as I hooliet, an' scrattit my pow, Doon they cam dingin: the mengie did growe.

IV. n. A momentary pause (Sh.¹⁰ 1957).