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: 1867-1990
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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.
