Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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About this entry:
First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1877-1894, 1993
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NEST, n. Sc. usages:
1. Phrs.: (1) corbies' nest, craw's —, a difficult or embarrassing situation; (2) egg in the nest, a Scotch egg, a meat rissole enclosing a hard-boiled egg (Sc. 1960 Sunday Times (21 Aug.) 11; Ags. 1964); (3) to look ower the nest, to keek ower the nest, of a young person: to begin to act independently of his parents (Sc. 1887 Jam.; Ayr., Gall., Rxb. 1964).(1) Dmf. 1877 W. Cross Disruption vi., xxvi.:
Ye hae fairly brocht me intil the corbie's nest. . . . What for did ye bring me intil the vera craw's nest to get the pocket book?(3)s.Sc. 1993:
Keek ower the nest.
2. Derivs.: (1) nessel, a nestful. Cf. Cairtle, Hantle; (2) nes(s)lin, nestlin(g), the smallest and most weakly bird in a nest (Sc. 1887 Jam.), the first egg a young goose lays (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)).(1) Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond Bawbie Bowden (1922) 97:
They scattered like a nessel o' rottens.
