Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1790-1814, 1880-1912
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MAD, adj., adv. Sc. usages:
I. adj. 1. Infuriated, beside oneself with rage, violent in temper, explosive (Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson). Freq. in a less strong sense = angry, annoyed, vexed. Gen.Sc. Colloq. or dial. in Eng.Ayr. 1790 Burns Tam o' Shanter 53–4:
Care, mad to see a man sae happy, E'en drown'd himself amang the nappy.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 24:
He wus a vero mad mesterfu' man, an' wanted a'things his ain wey.Kcb. 1895 Crockett Bog-Myrtle 379:
Says I, as plain as if he hadna been a minister, I was that mad.Ags. 1896 Barrie Sentimental Tommy iii.:
She'll be mad when she gets it.Abd. 1912 G. Greig Mains's Wooin' i. i.:
I'm awfu' mad to lat yon shepherd chiel get the better o' me.
2. With for, extremely eager for or desirous of (Cld. 1880 Jam.: Cai. 1903 E.D.D.). Gen.Sc.
3. Combs.: (1) mad dog('s) berries, woody nightshade, Solanum dulcamara (Mry. 1839 G. Gordon Flora Mry. 9; Nai. 1892 Trans. Northern Assoc. I. v. 62); (2) mad-leed, deranged talk, used attrib. = raving, unbalanced. See Leed, n.1; (3) mad-loup, a disease of cattle causing madness, = Darn, n., 2.(2) Bch. 1804 W. Tarras Poems 17:
Whare will ye land, when days o' grief Come sleekin in, like midnight thief, An' nails yir mad-leed vauntin.(3) Sc. 1814 J. Sinclair Agric. Scot. III. 105:
This distemper is said to have sometimes appeared among the cattle in Jed forest, where it is known by the name of mad loup.
II. adv. Used with intensive force = extremely, very, to the extent of madness, with adjs. e.g. mad angry, infuriated (Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl,; mad keen, very eager (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.). Gen.Sc.
