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: 1703-1880
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MISGIE, v. Sc. form of Eng. misgive. See Gie, v.1 Pa.t. misgae; misgied; pa.p. mis(s)gien. Sc. usages:
1. intr. To fail to function or to come up to expectations, to miscarry; freq. of a crop: to give a poor yield, to fail to grow.Sc. 1703 J. Brand Descr. Ork. & Zet. 170:
Upon which the 1st. and 2nd. Brewings misgave likewise, but the 3d. was good.Sc. 1705 Seafield Letters (S.H.S.) 37:
Tho business misgive in ther hands, they think they have support by a pairtie in England.Sc. 1729 W. Macintosh Inclosing 176:
Sow your Turnep Seed . . . the latest, Saint John Baptist's Day, and then if they misgive, plowing of your Land the Middle of July, you may sow Rape seed for Winter feeding.Sc. 1751 Caled. Mercury (12 Dec.):
The Gypsies, finding that their Scheme for escaping had misgiven, retreated upstairs.Mry. 1798 Grant & Leslie Survey Mry. 267:
The crop is always precarious, and frequently misgives to a distressing degree.Dmb. 1817 J. Walker Poems 73:
For peats misgie'd this backward year.Sc. 1819 Scott Bride of Lamm. xxv.:
Ane tries to serve their friends, and sometimes they may happen to prosper, and sometimes to misgie.Sc. 1833 Chambers's Jnl. (May) 136:
If I set my brood hen when thy [moon] waxing I see, I am sure that the lauchter will never misgie.
†2. Specif. of a gun: to fail to go off, to misfire.Sc. 1730 Caled. Mercury (26 Jan.):
[He] snapp'd his Pistol, which luckily misgave.Sc. 1774 Caled. Mercury (3 Sept.):
The military gentleman fired, and missed his antagonist, the other's pistols misgave.
3. tr. To (cause to) fail, to betray, play false, “let down” (Sh., Ayr. 1963).Rxb. 1821 A. Scott Poems 89:
But, John, I own my mem'ry's bad, And often times misgi'es me, lad.Sc. 1827 G. R. Kinloch Ballad Book (1891) 42:
But I thought my gun would me misgie, When I had her on my shouther.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 23:
Is they wur settan her doon, the tulfer mis-gae her fit.
¶4. To ignore, disobey, pay no heed to.Abd. 1820 A. Skene Poems 35:
Tho' inclination may you prob, I say misgive 'er.
