Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1832-1998
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HYTER, v., n., adj., adv. Also †hytter, heyter, hoiter, highter, and reduplic. form hyter-styter (Gregor). [′həitər]
I. v. To walk with lurching, unsteady movement (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 87; ne.Sc. 1957), to stumble, trip (ne.Sc., Ags. 1957); fig. to work feebly and unskilfully (Gregor); to stammer, talk confusedly (ne.Sc. 1957).Abd. 1895 W. Allan Sprays II. 79:
Gin luck gars ye hyter on some slippy stane.Abd. 1904 Wkly. Free Press (26 March):
He . . . ran in a clumsy hoiterin' fashion.Bnff. 1918 J. Mitchell Bydand 20:
Ach, dagit, Dave, ye highterin' hurb, ye've barkit a' my shin.Bnff. 1954 Banffshire Jnl. (29 June):
I heytert an' strained my queet.m.Sc. 1985 William J. Rae in Joy Hendry Chapman 40 18:
Weel, Ogilvy hytert tae his feet, and tellt His Majesty he wis awfy sorry but he wis the maist gowkit o owls. Abd. 1992 David Toulmin Collected Short Stories 45:
A bit loonie hoiterin on ahin 'im. Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 24:
Hyterin ooto his bed in the blae dawn, he cowpit hissel ower the auld wife's suitcase an fell rick-ma-tack tae the fleer. Fif. 1998 Tom Hubbard Isolde's Luve-Daith 4:
As mony year it seemed as we follaed thon fankle
O pit-mirk pads whaur I wis feart ti hyter
Ower the skelets o men an aiblins o weemen an weans:
II. n. A lurch, a stumble (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 87; ne.Sc. 1957). Hence by extension: 1. a state of confusion or ruin (Gregor); 2. arrant nonsense (Ib.); 3. a stupid person, an oaf (Ib.; Kcd. 1957); 4. the act of working in a confused, feeble manner (Gregor).Abd. 1932 R. L. Cassie Sc. Sangs 20:
But on we stot, wi' monie a heyter.3. Bch. 1832 W. Scott Poems 55:
Ane blaws his snout wi' sic a fearfu' soun', Till hauf the hytters i' the kirk goup roun'.
III. adj. Ruined, “down and out”.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 87:
He did weel a filie, but he's a' hyter noo, an hiz taen t' the sellan o' spunks an' cabbitch.
IV. adv. With weak or uncertain stumbling step; in a state of ruin (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 87; Bnff., Abd., Ags. 1957).Abd. 1832 W. Scott Poems 139:
An' rowed some hytter i' the gutters.Abd.15 1924:
He gid hyter-styter ben the road.
