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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SAX, num. adj. Sc. form (now mainly l. and n.Sc.) of Eng. six (Cai. 1904 E.D.D., Abd. 1926 Dieth Bch. Dial. 34). Hence saxt, sixth, saxteen, saxteent, saxty, saxpence, etc. See also Six. [sɑks]Sc. 1726 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) III. 199:
Thrice fifty and sax Towmonds neat.Ayr. 1786 Burns 2nd Ep. to J. Lapraik x.:
Now comes the sax an' twentieth simmer.Dmf. 1808 J. Mayne Siller Gun 80:
John had seen saxty simmers pass.Sc. 1819 Scott Bride of Lamm. xxiv.:
Twenty fourth of June, saxteen hundred and se'enty-nine.Slk. 1820 Hogg Tales (1874) 116:
The king wears ane [a chain] sax times as big as that of yours.Ayr. 1822 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage 233:
It was just the saxt year afore the dear meal.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb viii.:
Sax month or so there for half o' your life time an' never save a saxpence to bless yersel's wi'.Sh. 1886 G. Temple Britta 33:
“How old are you, Britta?” “Saxteen, come Aul' Yule.”Ags. 1889 Barrie W. in Thrums vi.:
Leeby was saxteen month younger than Joey.Sc. 1893 Stevenson Catriona xv.:
Since the days o' James the Saxt.Kcb. 1912 A. Anderson Later Poems 217:
Fareweel, but min' that saxty miles Is nocht to gie ye ony fear.Bnff. 1924 Scots Mag. (June) 187:
Saxteen brakfasts, forbyes fleein' cuppies an' antrin drams in atween times!Abd. 1951 (Boddam):
They dinna think their saxpence ill siller, i.e. they have a good opinion of themselves.m.Sc. 1982 Douglas MacLagan in Hamish Brown Poems of the Scottish Hills 158:
The Sassenach chap they ca' Balfour,
Wi' ither five or sax, man, m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 45:
Thon bonnie peacock up et the Big Hoose
wad pace the green wi his lang fedders spreid,
his staurie tail gey near sax feet abreid. m.Sc. 1994 William J. Rae in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 114:
I see by yesterday's paper that Norrie Campbell's awa, and he wadna yet be saxty. Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 3:
Their merriagable sizzen wis a hantle o years atween saxteen an twinty-sax. em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 235:
'Sax months syne,' said Lauder, 'I would hae disputed wi ye on baith points. But noo I think ye're richt. Maister Mitchel himsel was o the same opinion when I saw him in June.

Special derivs. and phrs.: (1) six(es) and sax(es), very much alike, with little to choose between, six and half-a-dozen (Cai. 1904 E.D.D.; ne., wm. and sm.Sc. 1969); †(2) saxear, a six oared boat, a Sixern; (3) saxer, a six-months' engagement as a farm-servant (Ags. 1940); a six-weeks' holiday; (4) sax month, a period of six months (I. and ne.Sc., Ags. 1969); (5) saxpenny, (i) priced at sixpence, †specif. applied to a school reading book used about the middle of the primary course; (ii) in pl., in form saxpennys, construed as a sing., a sixpence. See Penny; (6) saxsome, n. and adj., a group of six persons, etc.; common to six persons, shared or performed by six. Phr. saxsome reel, a reel danced by three couples (Ork. 1911 Old-Lore Misc. VI. iv. 176). See -Some. Saxsome in R. Chambers Picture Scot. I. 135 is a mistake for sax soume. See Soum.(1) Lth. 1925 C. P. Slater Marget Pow 162:
The platforms and the folk on them are just six and sax.Gsw. 1947 J. F. Hendry Fernie Brae 171:
“It's sixes and saxes”, said his mother.(2) Ork. 1884 R. M. Fergusson Rambles 162:
That saxear comean fae the haaf fu' tae the wayles o' ling and tosch.(3) Ags. 1958 People's Jnl. (5 April):
A summer saxer — happy days!(4) Abd. 1931 Evening Express (30 May):
It's a mercy it comes only eence in the saxmonth.(5) (i) Ags. 1889 Barrie W. in Thrums viii.:
In the glen my scholars still talk of their school-books as the tupenny, the fowerpenny, the saxpenny.(ii) Sc. 1819 Scott Bride of Lamm. xxxiv.:
This disna look like a gude saxpennys.