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.
ILL NATURE, n. Used in Sc. (and n.Eng. dial.) in the weakened sense of bad temper, irritability. [-′netər]Mry. 1728 Elchies' Letters (MacWilliam) 43:
It must certainly be a good deal of ill-nature that has made him use the children so.Inv. 1739 Trans. Gael. Soc. Inv. XIII. 142:
I wish that the drugs that you sent her may Cure her of her ill nature as well as of her Ill Diseases.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxv.:
His excitement infected the mole-catcher, who also cried “Keep to the pint”; “Nane o' yer ill natur',” and so on.Sh. 1898 Shetland News (8 Oct.):
Juist set dee doon agen laek a güde boy . . . as doo'll pit me in ill-nature.Ags. 1904 Arbroath Guide (26 March) 3:
Dinna gie me ony mair o' yer ill-nature.
Hence ill-natur(e)d, -naturet, -na(y)tert, peevish, irritable, bad-tempered, cross (Sc. 1825 Jam.). Gen.Sc.Fif. 1721 Abd. Univ. Review (Spring 1957) 7:
The children of the colliers whom they wished to avoid as “humourish . . . and ill natured.”Fif. 1843 A. Bethune Sc. Peasant's Fireside 80:
I'm aye ill-natured when I think that you had some hand in driving my best . . . friend, from the house in which she was born and bred.Abd. 1882 G. Macdonald Castle Warlock lxviii.:
I was ill-natert, an' spak the thing wasna true.Abd. 1918 W. Mutch Hev ye a Spunk 39:
An' Mullie's broon horse, gin he like — Ill-naytert deevil that he is — can stan' on't for a day.Fif.14 1945:
A remark made by a wife of her husband in his presence was, “He's that ill-natured”, referring particularly to his frequently complaining of his rheumatic pains.Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 42:
Could she nae hae gaen ma an ordinary punnie, like lines, or sums, or missin gym? Bit nae, nae her. Nae Miss McTavish. My ma says Miss McTavish maun ett nesty peels tae mak her sae ill-naturet.
