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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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.

SCATTER, v., n. Also sketter (Slk. 1915 H. J. C. Clippings from Clayboddie (1921) 148). Sc. form and usages. [‡′sketər]

I. v. 1. Specif. at a wedding: to throw handfuls of coins or sweets about on the street for children to scramble for (m., s.Sc. 1969). Cf. II. 1.Ags. 1921 A. S. Neill Carroty Broon xvi.:
“They'll scatter!” she cried gleefully. It was the custom for a marriage party to “scatter” coins and sweets (“conversations”) on the road, and the children scrambled for them.

Combs.: (1) scatter-willie, a reckless devil-may-care person, a scatterbrain (Rnf., Lnk. 1960); (2) scattert-wit, -wut, id. (Per., Lth., Slk. 1969). Hence scatter-wittit (Abd. 1969). Also in Eng. dial.Abd. 1867 W. Anderson Rhymes 106:
A scatter-witted kiltit loun The neebors thocht a fool.Wgt. 1912 A.O.W.B. Fables 33:
Hoo dare Ye, scatter-wut, my precious time to tak To answer ye!

2. To plough the ground between one rig and another, to plough in an anti-clockwise direction, to Skail (Uls. 1950).

II. n. 1. The throwing-out of money to be scrambled for at a wedding, on a holiday, etc. (m., s.Sc. 1969). See I. 1.Mry. 1915 Northern Scot (23 Oct.):
Fu' mony a merchant I could name Has gien a splendid scatter.Edb. 1967 St. George's West Church Notes (Nov.) 5:
The increasing volume of traffic today makes the traditional “poor oot” or “scatter” a hair-raising experience.

2. In derivs. scatterach, a sprinkling, a few of anything here and there, specif. of herring, a sparse gathering of people (Arg.² 1930); scatterment, scatthermint (Uls.), a scattering, dispersal, rout (Abd. 1969).Kcb. 1895 Crockett Bog-Myrtle 213:
She [a gun] wad mak' an awfu' scatterment gin she war to gang aff.Uls. 1898 S. MacManus Bend of Road 210:
A he-goat that made short work an' a scattherment o' the oul' lady.Per. 1990 Betsy Whyte Red Rowans and Wild Honey (1991) 129:
She was a great reader and was nearly always sitting amidst a scatterment of books when she was in the house.