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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

THEM, pron. Also †thame, thaim; thim (Abd. 1913 W. Fraser Jeremiah Jobb 3), thum (Edb. 1870 J. Lauder Warblings 102, Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 5). Sc. forms and usages. For Sh. forms see Dem, pron. [ðɛm, unstressed ðəm]

1. Sc. forms of Eng. them. m.Sc. 1991 William Neill in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 51:
Gin thay'd taen Hitler, Napolean an aa the lave
o the born leaders o sufferin mankind
an gart thaim fecht in nocht but thair drawers an semmits
yon wad hae been a solid mover towards peace.Sc. 1991 William Wolfe in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 65:
Glower o sun an snell wund drocht thaim sair an
Bluid an watter crine on peths wi nae devaul.Gsw. 1993 Margaret Sinclair Soor Plooms and Candy Balls 10:
Wee ragged troosers reachin' tae their knees
The rain's no botherin' thame, daein' as they please.m.Sc. 1994 Martin Bowman and Bill Findlay Forever Yours, Marie-Lou 6:
CARMEN You make yirsel a prisoner in this kitchen an spend yir life thinkin aboot thaim.
LEOPOLD Ye'll turn oan the tears tae git mair sympathy...
CARMEN Fur the past ten years, you've did nothin but harp oan aboot thum!w.Lth. 2000 Davie Kerr A Puckle Poems 7:
It's been thaim an us up ti noo.
Boss's v unions, lay-affs an strikes.

2. Used in place of the nom. they: (1) when co-ordinated with other pers. prons. Only in colloq. speech.s.Sc. 1873 D.S.C.S. 190:
Them and huz did vera weel thegither.Sc. 1972:
Them and us is no speakin. Me and them gaed on the bus-trip last Seturday.

(2) As the antecedent of a relative pron., where Eng. now gen. uses those. Gen.Sc. Also in Eng. dial.Sc. 1816 Scott Antiquary xxvi.:
Them that sell the gudes guide the purse.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxi.:
Them't sets to coortin' the lasses.Per. 1883 R. Cleland Inchbracken ii.:
It's juist a most terrible nicht, though nae doubt them 'at sent it kens best.Slk. 1899 C. M. Thomson Drummeldale 159:
Them that was abune raised the forty-sixth psalm.Fif. 1933 J. Ressich Thir Braw Days 48:
Them that had pit doon the money.

In combs. (1) them-lane(s), by themselves, alone. See Lane, adj., 2.; (2) themsel(l)(s), themselves, the sing. form themsel gen. being used in a collective sense (see theirsel s.v. Their). Gen.Sc. Also emsels. Also, as in colloq. Eng., used as the reflex. pron. for a sing. subject which implies a pl. or refers to either sex. Phr. themselves twa, just the two of them, the two by themselves. Gen.Sc. Themsels is also used in fisher taboo-speech for pigs (Rs. 1950). For Sh. form see Dem, pron.(1) Abd. 1826 D. Anderson Poems 102:
The lasses left them lane began to won'er.Abd. 1884 D. Grant Lays 14:
Folks fa live them lanes.Kcb. 1895 Crockett Moss-Hags xi.:
It shall never be said that Mardrochat left twa weel-faured lassies them lane.(2) Kcb. 1726 Session Bk. Minnigaff (1939) 477:
Nobody but themselves two.Wgt. 1745 Session Bk. Wgt. (1934) 612:
If he saw them ever in the house themselves two.Ayr. 1784 Burns Twa Herds ii.:
The twa best herds in a' the wast . . . Hae had a bitter, black out-cast Atween themsel.Sc. 1818 Scott H. Midlothian xxiii.:
If there was any other person in the lodging excepting themselves two.Sc. 1819 Scott Bride of Lamm. xxiv.:
Folk may let their kindred shift for themsells.Dmf. 1823 J. Kennedy Poems 37:
The lovers weel pleased, are left to themsel.Abd. 1836 J. Grant Tales of Glens 59:
They may ha'e just sic anither matter to tell about themsel's.em.Sc. 1842 Children in Mines Report II. 387:
Vast of women are confined before they have time to change themsel.Sc. 1880 Jam.:
Every ane for themsel.Abd. 1993:
E bairns wis left emsels ower lang.