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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SCONE, n., v. Also scon(n), skon(n), scoan. [skɔn]

I. n. 1. A large round cake of wheat or barley flour baked on an iron plate or Girdle and gen. cut across into three-cornered pieces also called scones (Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis, 1782 J. Sinclair Ob. Sc. Dial. 152). Gen.Sc., adopted in Eng. in the 19th c. Called also specif. bearmeal, brown, currant, soda, tattie, treacle, etc. scone, according to the nature of the ingredients. Combs. drop(ped) scone, one made by allowing the mixture to drop on the girdle or hot plate and hence producing a circular cake, rather like a pancake (Sc. 1929 F. M. McNeill Sc. Kitchen 179). See also Drap, v., 4. (3). Pancakes are known as scones in Ork.; Combs. scone tea, tea and scones in a tearoom or café; stepmither scone, the thin skin of a barley-meal scone which has been raised up or blistered by the fire in baking, so called because it had little substance (Rnf. c.1850 Crawfurd MSS. (N.L.S.) S. 147); sweetie scone, a flat round loaf enriched with raisins, currants and spices (Sc. 1808 Jam., s.v. Yule). For souple scone, sour —, see Souple, I. 1. (4), Sour, I. 1. (17).Sc. 1744 Sc. Jnl. Topography (1848) I. 334:
3 Pyes and Bread and a Currand Scone.Bwk. 1764 Session Papers, Yules v. Others State of Process 85:
Wheat that made half a dozen of scones.Lnk. a.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 41:
The corn riddle fu' of the three nucket scons.Ayr. 1787 Burns Scotch Drink iv.:
In souple scones, the wale o' food.Sc. 1820 Scott Monastery viii.:
The barley scones, which “the departed saint, God sain her! used to say were so good.”Sc. 1837 M. Dodds Manual 373:
Flour Scones, or Slim Cakes, are often used in the Highlands, and in country situations, for breakfast or tea.Abd. 1884 D. Grant Keckleton 97:
A flour scone an' a bowl o' sweet milk.Ags. 1889 Barrie W. in Thrums iii.:
The scones is no our ain bakin'.Fif. 1899 E. Heddle Marget 100:
She would bake drop-scones, and carry in my tea with her own hands.Dmf. 1899 Country Schoolmaster (Wallace) 20:
Potato scones, soda scones, “droppet” scones, treacle scones.Ork. 1905 W. T. Dennison Weddings 35:
At supper large quantities of pancakes (here called scones) were handed about on weichts. There were sowan-scones, alie-scones, garie-scones, and white-sides.Sc. 1929 F. M. McNeill Sc. Kitchen 178:
Scones in Scotland are served fresh-baked — warm from the oven, but not hot. There are many varieties of scone — syrup, treacle, spice, raisin and so on.Arg. 1966 Hist. of Ford (S.W.R.I.) 37:
Girdle scones, pancakes and oatcakes are still as good as ever, though not made on a girdle hooked over a peat fire.Edb. 1979 Colin Douglas The Houseman's Trilogy (1985) 364:
'I know you can't stop people having coronaries and, as Ronnie said, she could have had it over a scone tea in Jenners' and everyone would have said, what a nice way to go.Lnk. 1997 Duncan Glen From Upland Man 7:
new-baked scones and pancakes straucht frae the girdle.
And the scones and rowth o high-tea cakes that
gars your teeth watter.

Phrs. (i) a scone o' (the day's, yesterday's etc.) bakin, one of the same kind as others, an average specimen of the sort, in fig. or proverbial expressions applied to persons considered as typical of their class, generation or the like and gen. in reference to their age, maturity or wordly wisdom. Gen.Sc.; (ii) to earn one's scone, to pay for one's keep (Cai. 1969); (iii) wha stole your scone? used jocularly = why are you so glum? (Ayr. 1969). Also of someone who looks glum.(i) Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 273:
One Scon of a baking is enough. It is unreasonable to expect two Gratuities out of one Thing.Rnf. c.1850 Crawfurd MSS. (N.L.S.) S. 23:
When one wishes to marry a sister of his brother's wife, it is said, “ae scone out of ae baking is aneuch.”Wgt. 1880 G. Fraser Lowland Lore 160:
He (or she) is nae scone o' yesterday's bakin'.Ags. 1950 Forfar Dispatch (23 Feb.):
But Bob's no' a scone o' the day's bakin.(ii) Mry. 1954 Bulletin (12 Oct.) 4:
Calculations on how much keep this beast or that other is going to need before she comes to earning her scone.(iii) m.Sc. 1939 James Barke The Land of the Leal (1987) 433:
'I suppose somebody's stolen your scone tae?' Gsw. 1985 Anna Blair Tea at Miss Cranston's 159:
There were times, when you were wee, that it was just your teddy or yur doll that you wanted ... when someb'dy'd stolen your scone or give [sic] you a cuff on the ear. Dmb. 1991:
Who stole yer scone? Edb. 1992:
'You look down in the dumps - who stole your scone?' 'My girlfriend's run off with the milkman.' Ayr. 2000:
Wha stole yer scone?

2. An oatcake, esp. the large round before it is cut up (Sh. 1969).Fif. 1731 Two Students (Dickinson 1952) lxvi:
Each bursar hath a scon and a third part of a scone every day of oat bread baken in the oven each scon weighing ten unces.Abd. 1753 R. S. Rait Univ. Abd. (1895) 205:
Half a scone of oat bread with a mutchkin of milk at each diet.Edb. 1791 J. Learmont Poems 215:
Ait scoans or draps o' brie.Sh. 1897 J. Inkster Mansie's Röd (1922) 15:
Haes doo no a bit o' aetmeal bannock, or a bit o' skon wi' hit?

3. Anything round, flat and soft resembling a scone: (1) of butter: see quot.Sc. 1825 Receipts in Cookery 4 (Jam. (1841) s.v. Skon):
Take twenty ounces of good salt butter and wash out the salt; then drive it in a broad scoan, and lay it in cold water to stiffen.

(2) plat of cow-dung (Ork. 1866 Edm. Gl., 1929 Marw.), formerly used as fuel. Hence sconhoose, see 1968 quot.Ork. 1868 D. Gorrie Orkneys 224:
Shards of cow-dung, mixed with straw, are cut into “scones”, nine inches in diameter and three or four inches in thickness. The scones are then stuck on the walls of buildings to dry in the sun, and when the baking process is completed, they are used as fuel, emitting an unsavoury reek that tickles the inexperienced nostril.Ork. 1968 M. A. Scott Island Saga 144:
Such “scons” were stored in a house built for the purpose, and called a “sconhoose”.

(3) the broad round bonnet formerly worn by men in the Lowlands, the Kilmarnock bonnet, gen. in comb. scone-bonnet, -cap (Ayr., Dmf. 1825 Jam.; ‡Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Kcb. Ags., Fif., Edb., Ayr. 1969).Dmf. 1822 A. Cunningham Tales (1874) 178:
The mitre as little reverenced as grey hairs. or a scone-bonnet.Sc. 1826 G. R. Gleig Subaltern xvii.:
The Lowland bonnet, or scone.Ayr. 1862 J. Baxter The Kirn 45:
His ain new braw scone bonnet.s.Sc. 1897 E. Hamilton Outlaws iv.:
His broad scone-cap fell from his head.

(4) Combs. sconeface, a nickname for a person or thing with a flat round face (Ags., Per., Fif., 1969), in quot. of a clock; scone-fittit, flat-footed (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).Bnff. 1933 M. Symon Deveron Days 8:
Aul' sconface we ca'ed it, hairst-bap an' the like.

(5) a thin firebrick used for packing in mounting a boiler (wm.Sc. c.1920), in this case rectangular and measuring 9 inches by 4½ inches by 2 inches or less, called in Eng. split.

(6) fig.: a weak-willed, irresolute person, one who is easily imposed on, a “softie” (Abd. 1969); a mollycoddled boy (Fif. 1969). Also someone as an object of pity. m.Lth. 1992:
Ye're awfy cauld, come intae the fire, my puir wee scone. Edb. 2005:
Puir wee scone, her shoes are lettin in.

4. A slap with the flat of the hand or any flat surface, a smack, spank (Kcd. 1825 Jam.; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 162; ne.Sc., Ags., Fif., Lnk. 1969). Child's pl.dim. form scondies, smacks, a spanking (ne.Sc. 1969).Ags. 1912 A. Reid Forfar Worthies 12:
A'll gi'e ye a scon i' moo.

II. v. 1. To strike the surface of with some flat object, to crush flat with a slap (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 162; Cai. 1904 E.D.D.; Ork., Cai., Abd., Ags. 1969); to make flat stones skip along the surface of water (Cld. 1825 Jam.), also intr. of the stones themselves, to skim, skip (Id.); to flap to and fro against something.Lnk. 1818 A. Fordyce Country Wedding 76' 133:
A purse, that scones against the wind . . . Thy mistress, snug on thee enthron'd, The e'en frae monie a dub has scon'd.Cai. 1961 Edb. John o' Groat Lit. Soc. 5:
Chean skirled an' louped an' shook her clothes, An' sconed 'e moosie flat.

2. To slap with the open hand, esp. to smack a child's bottom, to spank (Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis; Sc. 1808 Jam.; Mry. 1813 W. Leslie Agric. Mry. 464; ne.Sc., Ags. 1969; Bnff., Abd., Ags., Edb., Ayr. 2000s). Vbl.n. skonnan (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 162).Abd. 1851 W. Anderson Rhymes 203:
I'll scone ye, you troublesome geet.Abd. 1871 R. Matheson Poems 112:
The sairer did his mither scone his dock.Kcd. 1933 L. G. Gibbon Cloud Howe (1937) 69:
And damn't! if he didn't take down her bit things and scone her so sore she grat like a bairn.Edb. 1992:
Shut up or I'll scone ye! Ayr. 1996:
I was sconed. Sc. 2000 Sunday Herald 17 Dec 9:
And when Ashcroft himself appears after an agonising wait ... the throng go absolutely bananas like only a Scottish crowd can. This involves, in typically robust style, a lot of chucking of plastic pint glasses and in one incredible, accidental moment - just, in fact, as Ashcroft reaches the mic stand to launch into Lucky Man - he's sconed right on the napper by one of the (empty) missiles. Abd. 2004:
She sconed e bairn's dock.