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.
KISS, v.2, n. Sc. usages in phrs. and combs.:
1. kissing kind, adj., “seemingly, but not really, kind” (Sc. 1911 S.D.D. Add.); 2. kissing time, see quots.; 3. kiss-my-luif, -loof, lit., “kiss my hand”, (1) as a sign of obeisance: a person given to excessive compliment, a fawner, toady, effeminate person (Kcd., Per., Fif., m.Lth., Ayr., Kcb., Dmf. 1960); ¶(2) as a gesture of disdain, in phr. not to gie a kiss-my-luif, not to care a jot; 4. kiss the cap, a tippler. Cf. 5., 6.; 5. the kiss of a caup, see Cap, n., 5. (5); 6. to kiss (a, the) cap(s), see Cap, n., 5. (8); 7. to kiss one's ain bairn, see quot.2. Mry. 1836 J. Grant Penny Wedding 31:
When the fiddlers made a pause . . . the young lads cried “kissing time”, it being the general rule that every lad should kiss his partner.Abd. 1875 W. Alexander My Ain Folk 245:
The gentlemen range themselves by their partners, on tiptoe, to begin; when the leading fiddler pushes his fourth finger far up his first string, and brings down his bow with a long-drawn squeak. This is “kissing time” . . . an attempt . . . on the part of each male dancer to kiss his partner's cheek.3. (1) Kcb. 1893 Crockett Raiders x.:
Out-sailed, out-fought, out-witted — such a set of kiss-my-loofs, you King's men.Sc.(E) 1913 H. P. Cameron Imit. Christ i. viii. 12:
Binna a kiss-my-loof o' the walthy, an' schaw yersel unwitten afore their knabbs.wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 6:
Oh, face to face it's kiss-me-luif and palsy-walsy
But ahint your back you should hear whit they all say!(2) Edb. 1789 A. Steel Shepherd's Wedding 5:
Sae tho' ye now ca me a coof, I dinna gie a kiss-my-loof.Rxb. 1960:
When he's efter a fish, hei doesna gie a kiss-my-luif for ony keeper or baillie.4. Edb. 1798 D. Crawford Poems 97:
As soon as kiss-the-cap heard tell, He swore.7. Ags. 1830 Perthshire Advert. (11 Feb.):
Last week, a few would-be wags . . . carried off a number of hare skins from the shop of a respectable merchant here. They were not long gone, when the skins were sent back to their owner for sale . . . The merchant . . . gave a liberal price for his own property, which his obliging neighbours converted into a noggin of porter, sending for the dupe to “kiss his ain bairn”, as they termed it.
