Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
DO-NAE-BETTER, n.phr. A friend, esp. a sweetheart, whom one has to be content with, for want of a better.Lnk. 1910 C. Fraser Glengonnar 66:
I dinna believe he would ever ha'e proposed if I hadna helped him. . . . He never spoke till I asked him what wey he'd been sic a stranger. “What do ye tak' me for?” he burst oot in a temper “Your do-nae-better?”
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"Do-nae-better n. phr.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 31 Oct 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snd00088662>
