Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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SETTER, n.¹ Sc. usages:

†1. One who lets or gives out on lease, a lessor. Combs. chaise-setter, horse-setter, etc. (Sc. 1808 Jam.).Sc. 1716 Burgh Rec. Gsw. (1908) 578:
William George, horse setter, twenty four pund Scots.Sc. 1756 Acts of Sederunt (1790) 503:
It shall be lawful to the heritor, or other setter of the tack, . . . to obtain letters of horning.Sc. 1798 Edb. Weekly Jnl. (31 Jan.) 40:
Thomas and William Cockburn, vintners, chaise-setters, and horse dealers in Glasgow.

2. A jibbing horse (Per. 1915 Wilson L. Strathearn 266; Bnff., Abd., Per. 1970). Cf. Set, v., 7.

3. The strip of wood supporting the row of end- or side-loaves in a batch of bread in a baker's oven (Sc. 1949 A. R. Daniel Bakers, Dict. s.v.), in Eng. called an upset.Ayr. 1842 McKellar MS. Acct. Bk. (12 May):
To a seter, Pel shaft, slabs . . . . . 2s 2d.Rnf. 1862 A. McGilvray Poems 327:
Lay by the prickles, slips, and pins, The barrels, broads, and setters.Fif. 1895 G. Setoun Sunshine and Haar 184:
Placing a couple of loaves on the palm of the peel. — "Hand me a setter, Geordy", he added.

4. A bedding-stone used in road-making.Bnff. 1849–51 Trans. Highl. Soc. 82:
These are covered with broken metal to a depth in all of at least 14 inches, including the "setters," or wedge-shaped stones.

5. A large lump of coal put on to keep a fire in, a gathering-coal (Fif., Lth., Lnk. 1970). Also in n.Eng. dial.