Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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.

RANTER, v., n. Also rantar (Sc. 1904 I. Sinclair Thistle and Fleur de Lys 52); rander.

I. v. 1. To join two pieces of material very neatly by laying them edge to edge and making a fine flat seam with a running stitch (Sc. 1808 Jam.). Comb. ranterbase, id. (Bwk. 1921 T.S.D.C.). See Baiss, v.¹Edb. 1989 Whites of Liberton advertisement :
We also do a first class ranter patching service.

2. To darn (Cai. 1907 County Cai. (Horne) 82, Cai. 1963), esp. to reinforce the heels of new stockings with running stitches (Sh. a.1838 Jam. MSS. XI. 123; Cai. 1907 County Cai. (Horne) 82; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.; Ork. 1929 Marw.; Ork., Cai. 1967, rander); to mend cloth (m.Lth. 1967). Also in Eng. dial.Cai. 1916 John o' Groat Jnl. (7 April):
Stockings were always “randered” in those days, and a great deal of the guidman's underclothing was made of scourings.

3. By extension: to mend hastily, to stitch roughly and hurriedly (Ags. 1808 Jam.; Sc. 1882 Francisque-Michel Language 387).e.Lth. 1930:
“Ranter that thegither” — sew up that seam roughly.

4. To work in a hurried, careless manner (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 140).

II. n. 1. A method of stitching a flat seam, in comb. ranterfield, id. For -field, cf. Eng. fell, to hem, and phr. run-and-fell.Edb. 1827 M. & M. Corbett Odd Volume 258:
No ane — can do back-steek, bane-steek, ranterfield, and dodgel-hem, half sae weel as my Tibby.

2. The process of hastily stitching a garment, a rough sewing. Also attrib. and fig. = a hasty scribble or scrawl.Abd.¹³ 1910:
We speak of giving any garment that is much worn a ranter up, meaning a hasty sew.Cai. 1929 John o' Groat Jnl. (8 Nov.):
A fair rander o' scribbles lek 'at.Ags. 1957, obsol.:
A ranter steek an' a dirdgel hem — a stitch done in a hurry when one of the men tears his clothes at harvest.

†3. A type of woollen material, ? one with a weave resembling darning, a kind of serge.Sc. 1705 J. Hodge Considerations for Supplying Present Scarcity of Money 11:
A Credit on Bills . . . to be Employed . . . partly in promoting Manufactures of Bazes, Perpets, Ranters, Stockings, Linen-Clothes, etc.

4. A piece of hastily, carelessly done work (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 140); a hurried careless worker, one who plays or sings badly (Ib.), the last phs. due to confusion with Rant, v.