Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1976 (SND Vol. X). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1985-1992
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1]
GAESINTIE, n. Also gaes-in-ties, gis-in-taes, gizinties. In pl.: a children's term for sums in division (‡Per. 1975).Gsw. 1985 Anna Blair Tea at Miss Cranston's 7:
One young mother recently measured her tenement flat hallway for floor covering and took her gizinties to a carpet store. Gsw. 1987 Peter Mason C'mon Geeze Yer Patter! 70:
Ah never did git the hang of yon big gizinties at school. I was never able to cope with long division at school. Abd. 1992 Press and Journal 29 Aug 2:
What turned them into unimaginative lazy, truculent adults was the restrictions imposed by sitting for hours in schools chanting their "gis-in-taes" and their "timetables". Abd. 1992 Press and Journal 19 Sep :
Lots of readers of this column noticed that the children who came through the mill of sitting in rows of miniature desks chanting their gaes-in-taes ended up being able to read, write, count and even spell. ... By the way, a few who are young or have forgotten wrote to ask what gaes-in-taes is...two gaes-in-tae four, two. Two gaes-in-ta six, three.
