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.
Quotation dates: 1824-1832, 1899-1996
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SCABBERT, n., adj. Also -art, sca(w)bert, †scalbert, skalbert. [′skɑ:bərt]
I. n. 1. One suffering from scab; fig. “a low-lifed, scabby-minded individual” (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 421, scalbert), “a strong-made person of somewhat stubborn, disagreeable temperament” (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 148).Sh. 1899 J. Spence Folk-Lore 228:
They that gae wi' the ska 'ill get wi' the scabbart.
2. A bare, shallow, stony piece of land (Abd. 1911 Abd. Weekly Jnl. (20 Jan.); Bnff., Abd., Ags. 1969). Cf. Scabbit.ne.Sc. 1921 Swatches o' Hamespun 10:
Mony a scattert scabbert o' a craftie.Abd. 1957 People's Jnl. (13 July) 10:
Fut eest tae be bare scabbarts o' knapps are a' noo muckle widds.
II. adj. 1. Scabbed, bare; fig. destitute, down-and-out. Deriv. skalberty, lean, gaunt, shrunken-looking (Ork. 1929 Marw.).Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 246:
Sae scalbert bodies limping spruce, And scurrs belike the gallows.Abd. 1832 W. Scott Poems 66:
Bat now I hear he's roupit to the crook, An' gaun as scabert as a pluckit rook.ne.Sc. 1996 Ronald W. McDonald in Sandy Stronach New Wirds: An Anthology of Winning Poems and Stories from the Doric Writing Competitions of 1994 and 1995 67:
On tap o e scabbert knoweheid, e flames lichtet up awye lik it wis daylicht.
2. Socially pretentious, snobbish, aspiring to gentility (Abd. 1825 Jam.).
[Mid.Eng. scabbard, a scabbed person, from scab + -ard, -art suff., with fig. extensions of meaning. The form scal- suggests confusion with Scaw, q.v.]
