Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1724, 1782-1898
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PRAISE, n. Also prase. Sc. usage: a euphemistic substitute for the words God; Lord, etc. (Sc. 1808 Jam.), gen. in such phrs. as praise be blessed, thanks to praise, etc. Gen.Sc. Cf. Guid, III. 5. (1), Peace, etc.Sc. 1724 Ramsay T.-T. Misc. (1874) I. 81:
She danc'd her lane, cry'd Praise be blest! I have ludged a leil poor man.Sc. 1782 J. Callander Ancient Sc. Poems 45:
Praise be blest, God be praised. This is a common form still in Scotland with such as, from reverence, decline to use the sacred name.Ayr. 1792 Burns The Tither Morn iii.:
But praise be blest! my mind's at rest.Fif. 1827 W. Tennant Papistry Storm'd 146:
Thank't his faeman in his heart . . . And hummit, Praise be blest.Abd. 1873 P. Buchan Inglismill 28:
We've a' thing safe an' soun, — sae Praise be blest!Sh. 1898 Shetland News (31 Dec.):
Lat dem come, tanks da priase we're no needin'.
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"Praise n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 16 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/praise>
