Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1719-1903, 1961
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SHAUP, n., v. Also shawp, sha(a)p. [ʃɑ:p, ʃǫ:p]
I. n. 1. The seed husk of a leguminous plant, a pea-pod (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson: Uls. 1931 Northern Whig (5 Dec.) 13; m.Sc. 1970), also the husk of oats. Freq. in combs. as bean-shap, pea-shaup (Ib.); shap-meal, shap-sheeling, bran, coarse meal from the husks of corn; shapuck [ < shaup-pock] , a bag for holding the husks after grinding, used in 1719 quot. as a nickname.Dmb. 1719 G. E. Todd Byeways (1900) 167:
The daughter of the last-named, and William M'Goun, were dubbed respectively Skapuck and Muterpock.Lnk. 1765 Session Papers, Maxwell v. Baird (22 Jan.) 17:
He never saw multure paid for the tail-sheeling, that being commonly grinded for the hen-meal and shap-meal. The hens meal and shap-sheeling, were grinded at the Drip mill.Lnk. a.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 154:
A pea-shap wad haud his siller.Ayr. 1822 Galt Entail lxxiv.:
She flings away the peas, and maks her hotch-potch wi' the shawps.Sc. 1862 A. Hislop Proverbs 235:
Nane can tell what's i' the shaup till it's shelt.Ayr. 1891 H. Johnston Kilmallie vii.:
Puir fushionless creaturs, wi heads as empty as pea-shaups.
2. Fig. An empty-headed, light-brained, frivolous person, a useless creature, a mere husk (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 425); a person of lean or slim build, a delicately made person (Kcb.4 1900). Adj. shaupie, shawpy, lank, not well-filled out or plump (Per., Lth., wm.Sc. 1825 Jam.; Lnk., Ayr. 1970).Sc. 1728 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) II. 90:
Proud Shaups, dull Coofs, and gabbling Gowks.Sc. 1820 Anon. Smugglers I. 219:
Your grown portly, an' she, poor thing's a wee shawpy, as we say.wm.Sc. 1835 Laird of Logan 254:
A poor fusionless whey-faced shawp o' a creature.
3. A twisted piece of paper used to hold sweets or the like, a paper cornet or screw.Lnk. 1850 J. Struthers Poet. Wks. I. ci.:
Whether it was sold to be read [or] cut into squares to be shaups for sweeties.
4. A fragment, shred, broken piece, gen. in pl., bits, smithereens (Bnff., Abd., Kcd.1970).Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 154:
Fin he poort the bilin' wattir in o' the punch bowl, it geed in shaups.Abd. 1882 T. Mair John o' Arnha's Latterday Exploits 35:
Till brandishin my stick I papps The nearest scoundrel's skull to shaups.Abd. 1903 W. Watson Auld Lang Syne 59:
Jock was not allowed to let on but a very limited quantity of water [on the threshing mill wheel] in case it should, as his father said, "Ca' her a' tae shaaps."Abd. 1961 Buchan Observer (28 Feb.):
Knockin' my bonnie lamp gless an' globe tae shawps.
II. v. 1. To form pods, of peas, in ppl.adj. comb. weel-shaupit, having many well-filled pods (wm.Sc. 1825 Jam.).
2. To shell pea-pods, to take the peas from the husks (Cld. 1880 Jam.; Sc. 1903 E.D.D.; Slg., wm.Sc. 1970).
[N.E.D. suggests a palatalised form ad. Dan. skalp, a pea-pod, O.N. skalp, scabbard, but there are formal difficulties about supposing the change from sk- to sh- in northern dialects.]
