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: 1700-1825, 1893
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†RANTIE-TANTIE, n. Also ranty-tanty.
1. A plant with reddish leaves found growing in cornfields and formerly boiled for greens, probably the common sorrel, Rumex acetosa (n.Sc., Rnf. 1825 Jam.). Also in n.Eng. dial.Sc. 1724 Ramsay T.-T. Misc. (1876) I. 20:
With crowdy mowdy they fed me, Lang-kail and ranty-tanty.Ayr. 1825 Jam.:
Ranty-tanty. In Ayrshire old people still use it in spring instead of greens. Its leaf is said to resemble scurvy-grass.Sc. 1893 T. F. Henderson Old World Scotland 51:
The natural vegetable of Scotland was the green kale, of which nettles, leeks, onions, ranty-tanty (sorrel), carrots and turnips were most of them, probably late, and all of them certainly inadequate, and partial rivals.
2. A drink distilled by country people from heath and other vegetable substances (†Ayr. 1825 Jam.).
3. Fornication.Sc. 1700–1799 Merry Muses (1959) 62:
I myself a thumpin quine And try'd the rantie-tantie O.
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"Rantie-tantie n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/rantietantie>
