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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

PEY, v., n. Also py (Ayr. 1716 Hunterston Papers (S.R.S.) 87), pye (Uls. 1924 Northern Whig (18 June)). Pa.ppl. peyed, pied (Ayr. 1808 J. Lamb Annals Ayr. Par. (1896) 213), pait. Sc. forms and usages of Eng. pay. Hence peyer, peyment, etc. [pəi]

I. v. 1. As in Eng., also used tr. = pay for. Gen.Sc.Sc. 1817 Scott Rob Roy xxviii.:
“Fa's to pay my new bonnie plaid,” said the larger Highlander.Fif. 1867 St. Andrews Gaz. (19 Jan.):
Faither will hae them to pay.Wgt. 1877 G. Fraser Wigtown 367:
“There's nae hurry for peyment,” said the undertaker. “A bit A'll pey't the noo.”Ags. 1893 Arbroath Herald (11 May):
To pey a gill an' a bottel o' ale he's been aichin' for nine weeks noo.Abd. 1943 Scots Mag. (Nov.) 127:
Oh, Jock, it'll help tae pey the coal. sm.Sc. 1979 Alan Temperley Tales of Galloway (1986) 22:
"Why couldn't you do that before?" "Ah, well," Billy replied, "ye hadna peyed me for the spunes then." m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 44:
Tam wi a gey ill grace
peyed him the awin siller. Per. 1990 Betsy Whyte Red Rowans and Wild Honey (1991) 55:
'Come, and I'll pay you on the chair-o-planes,' he asked, but no way would Ann go on them. Dundee 1991 Ellie McDonald in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 84:
Whit ails the man, peyan nae heed tae a brither,
is he deif i the lug that he hears nae a soun?
I'se warrant he'd raither staun there an swither
than tak tent o law, the neepheidit loon. Abd. 1994 Sheena Blackhall in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 134:
Jist merriet, Janet McHardie wis bein led roon the guests like a prize heifer, bi her faither, Jeems Cochrane. The guests hid pyed guid siller for the presents - hidna mockit her - war entitled tae gie her the aince-ower. Edb. 1995 Irvine Welsh Marabou Stork Nightmares (1996) 143:
I could set anything up; that wis barry, you just got on wi it. I set it up, and some smarmy cunt peyed five times as much took the credit. It didnae bother ays though. m.Sc. 1998 Ian Cameron The Jimmy Shand Story 16:
Jimmy was very aware of the situation, as more than once he found his mother in tears as she could not 'pey her shop' (she did not have the money to settle the grocery bill at the Co-op). em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 64:
'Lauderdale owed me a favour. It's peyed noo, that's the difficulty. The Bass Rock was yin hauf o the bargain atween us, and the tither ... weill, the tither was the port of Leith. ... '

Sc. combs. and phrs.: (1) ill-payed, see Ill-Peyd; (2) pey aff, to pay for others' drink or entertainment, “stand treat” (Ags., wm.Sc. 1965); (3) pey ane when a'man peys ither, to pay (one's creditor) when everyone pays everyone else, sc. never, “at the blue moon” (Abd.⁴ 1928; ne.Sc. 1965); (4) pey counts (to), to court (a woman), pay one's addresses, woo, phs. arising from a corruption of court; (5) pey (ane) hame, to pay (one) out, give him his deserts, pay him back in his own coin. Obs. in Eng.; (6) pay in, “to give in charity”, to subscribe (Edb. 1859 F. W. Bedford Heriot's Hosp. 344). Heriot's Hosp. slang; (7) pay-way, n., a meal given in honour of a departing friend or colleague. Also attrib. = valedictory, farewell (Ayr. 1825 Jam.); (8) pay-wedding, payin'-, a wedding at which the guests contribute towards their own entertainment and to give a start in life to the young couple, a penny-wedding, see Penny (Lth., Kcb. 1965; m.Lth. 1980s); (9) to pey wi 'e lang heel, to abscond to avoid paying a debt (Cai. 1965).(2) Fif. 1912 D. Rorie Mining Folk 393:
On the first appearance of the newly-married man at his work he had to “pay aff” or “stand his hand”. . . . Failing this he was rubbed all over with dust and grime. This was called “creelin”.(4) Abd. 1921 T.S.D.C.:
“Is there word o' John an' Jean beein' marriet?” “No! but he's peyin' counts tull 'er.”(5) m.Lth. 1811 H. MacNeill Bygane Times 36:
Gude faith! ye pay'd him hame, my cock!(7) Ayr. 1823 Galt R. Gilhaize II xiii.:
He did not find the causey owre wide when he was going home, after partaking of Captain Hepburn's pay-way supper.Ayr. 1836 Tait's Mag. (Aug.) 511:
A leave-taking, or payway, given to the citizens in general.(8) Ayr. 1821 Galt Annals xlviii.:
It was a pay-wedding, in order to set up the bridegroom in a shop.Sc. 1827 R. Chambers Picture Scot. I. 38:
A paying, or penny-wedding, — that is, a wedding where every guest pays a small sum for his entertainment, and for the benefit of the young couple.Lnk. 1928 H. Lauder Roamin' 68:
Our marriage was what is known in Scotland as a “pay-waddin” — all the outside guests paid for their tickets. Most marriages in the Black Country forty years ago were conducted on these highly sensible lines. . . . In our case the price was fixed at eight-and-sixpence the double ticket.Fif. 1952 B. Holman Diamond Panes 63:
The first thing to be discussed was whether or not it was to be a “peyin' waddin'.”

2. tr., intr. and absol. To beat, belabour, chastise (Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems Gl.; Sc. 1825 Jam.; Sh. a.1838 Jam. MSS. XII. 170; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 124; Fif.¹⁰ 1935). Gen.Sc., now dial. in Eng. Hence vbl.n. peyan (Gregor), deriv. peymen(t), pemmint, pymin', a beating, drubbing, thrashing (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.; Bnff., Abd. 1965); comb. hand-payment, see Hand, n., 9. (25); ppl.adj. peyed, paid, in phr. fully-, hale-, weel-peyed, completely beaten. thoroughly overcome and cowed, quite defeated (Rxb. 1825, Cld. 1880 Jam.); phr. to pay one's hide, skin, etc., to administer a good beating, thoroughly drub (Sh. 1965).Sc. 1717 R. Wodrow Corresp. (1843) II. 224:
When he was come within two stone-casts of the church, the people came and met him, and paid his skin to very good purpose.Sc. 1737 Ramsay Proverbs 15:
As sair greets the bairn that's paid at e'en as he that gets his whawks in the morning.Sc. 1753 J. Burnett Crim. Law (1811) 277:
Having laid hold of one of them, [he] called to his son “to come up and pay well, but spare the life.”Dmf. 1770 Session Papers, Stewart-Nicolson (6 April) 16:
He seldom separated the idea of a pay'd doup and Mamma.Abd. 1777 R. Forbes Ulysses 23:
The lads O' Troy wad pay his hyde.Ayr. 1796 Burns Twa Herds viii.:
[He] New-Light herds could nicely drub, And pay their skin.Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality xxxvii.:
If twa men could hae won a field, we wadna hae gotten our skins paid that day.Fif. 1848 Feast Liter. Crumbs (1891) 44:
Wha, when I brak the nine-pint stoup, Flet sair, an'deftly peyed my doup?Sh. 1879 Shetland Times (22 March):
He's gaen hame laek a pey'd dog.Abd. 1905 W. Watson Auld Lang Syne 187:
Oh, ye've come for peymen', hiv ye? Nyod, ye sall be pey'd.Wgt. 1912 A.O.W.B. Fables frae French 29:
He tuik a stoot stick, an' pey'd her a whack.Bnff. 1959 Banffshire Advertiser (22 Jan.):
A'm jaun tak' ma belt an' gie the bairn the biggest pymin' he ivver got.

3. To do something with energy and application, specif. (1) with up (Abd. 1965):Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 124:
The men hid t' pey up the flail three oors ilky mornin'.Abd.²⁷ 1947:
I've been peyin up the thinkin' sin' ye tell't me that.

(2) with on, alang, etc.: to go quickly, hasten, hurry (Bnff. 1965).Mry. 1804 R. Couper Poems I. 175, II. 82:
The wee bit maukin, far afore Pays on wi lightning's speed. . . . He look't na east, he look't na west, But pey't alang the fail.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 124:
Fin a met 'im, he wiz peyin' on (or peyin' in) the rod wee a's micht.

II. n. 1. As in Eng., wages, salary. In Sc. specif. with indef. article: the weekly amount received as such. Also fig. Combs. pey line, A pay slip (Sh., Ags., Edb., Gsw., Ayr., Dmf. 2000s); pey-poke, pay-packet. See also Pock; pey-tea, an extra good high-tea, sc. that served up on pay-days (Ayr. 1965).Rxb. 1919 Hawick Express (7 Feb.):
Oo'd like tae sei them wi' a pay.wm.Sc. 1928 J. Corrie Last Day 66:
Idle time an' wee peys sune skite the beauty aff us, an' knock us oot o' shape.Gsw. 1938 Edward Gaitens in Moira Burgess and Hamish Whyte Streets of Stone (1985) 12:
'Ye'll have a pay-poke on Saturday the same as me!' said his father, ... Sc. 1965 Weekly Scotsman (4 March) 10:
The memorable first “pey poke”, set prominently upon the mantlepiece by a proud “maw.” wm.Sc. 1985 William McIlvanney The Big Man (1987) 141:
'I was your pay-poke, that was all. Fair enough. But don't start tryin' to put it to music. ...' Sc. 2000 Herald 25 Feb 21:
All four had annual pay pokes around the £500,000 mark. But having such a disposable income can have its problems.. w.Lth. 2000 Davie Kerr A Puckle Poems 5:
An things wur gaun that wey,
ye wurnae shair o yir pey
an the wife goat a new colour telly
an wellies for oor wee Ellie
an fish suppers fae the tallies

2. In pl.: blows, strokes, punishment (n.Sc. 1825 Jam.; Ork., Ags. 1965).Ags. 1868 G. Webster Strathbrachan III. xii.:
I'll gie you your pays for frightening me.