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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SPADE, n., v. Also Sc. forms spead (Ork. 1734 P. Ork. A. S. (1923) 65), and, now only ne.Sc., spad(d) (Edb. 1743 Edb. Commiss. Test. MSS. cvii.; Bnff. 1745 Sc. N. & Q. (Ser. 2) III. 167, 1901 Banffshire Jnl. (12 Feb.); ne.Sc. 1914 G. Greig Folk-Song cxxxiii.), spaad (Abd. 1808 Jam., 1918 C. Murray Sough o' War 34, Bnff. 1954 Banffshire Jnl. (29 June)), spaud (Abd. 1868 G. MacDonald R. Falconer xi., 1932 R. L. Cassie Sc. Sangs 28). Dim. spadie (Dmf. 1861 R. Quinn Heather Lintie 46). Hence spaadfu (Bnff. 1934 J. M. Caie Kindly North 14), spade'l (Ags., Per. 1904 E.D.D.), spadeful, spedman (Rxb. 1721 J. Wilson Hawick (1858) 67). [sped; ne.Sc. spɑ:d]

Sc. usages:

I. n. 1. As in Eng. Combs.: (1) spa(de)dar(r)ack, spidarrock, the number of peats that can be cut with a spade by one man in one day (Abd. 1759 Session Papers, Forbes v. Fullarton (15 Jan.) 23). See Darg, n.¹; (2) spade-lug, see quot. (Cai. 1971); (3) spade peat, a surface peat cut with an ordinary spade as opposed to the deeper peats cut with the tuskar, and gen. used for banking a fire (Cai. 1904 E.D.D.; I.Sc., Cai. 1971); (4) spade's casting, a measurement employed in the cutting of peats variously defined as in quots.(1) Abd. 1733 Title Deeds in Abd. Univ. MSS.:
Casting and winning 7 Spadarrack of Peats (reckoning a Spadarrack to be as many Peats as can be casten by one Man in one Day and one and the same Man throughout the whole Day).Kcd. 1736 J. A. Henderson Banchory-Devenick (1890) 20:
30 “spidarrock” of peats to be cast annually out of the moss of Findon.Abd. 1767 Abd. Journal (1 June):
Seven Spadarack of Peats yearly out of the Moss of Pettymuck.(2) Abd. 1794 J. Anderson Peat Moss 4:
For this purpose it [peat] is cut with great facility by means of a narrow wooden spade shod at the point with a little iron, and having on one side fixed a kind of knife arising from it at right angles, vulgarly called the spade lug.(3) Ork. 1734 W. Mackintosh Kirkwall (1887) 132:
Two fadoms speadpeats.Cai. 1772 Session Papers, Henderson v. Sinclair (26 Oct.) 13:
Casting spade peats and feal in the said hill of Sordale.Ork. 1907 Old-Lore Misc. I. iv. 133:
They burned rough kinds known by various names such as spade or foggy peats.(4) Bnff. 1763 Banffshire Jnl. (29 May 1900) 3:
A “spade's casting” of peats . . . was defined in Banffshire in 1763 as being “24 Scots elns of lair in length and as many in breadth.”Abd. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XVII. 410:
Buying peat at the rate of 10s. 6d. for a spade's casting, i.e. for as much peat as can be laid and dried upon 480 ells square.Bnff. 1904 E.D.D.:
A spade's casting — equal to nine score barrowfuls; sixteen peats formerly went to a barrowful; now, however, casters give only twelve to the barrowful. Also: 180 square yards of ground to lay peats down on.

2. Specif. with def. art.: the ceremonial spade used during the Common-Riding festivities in Langholm, Dumfriesshire, for cutting sods at different points to mark the boundaries of the town's common. Comb. spade-bearer.Dmf. 1912 J. & R. Hyslop Langholm 551:
For over 50 years the Spade was carried by William Armstrong.s.Sc. 1965 Dmf. Standard (4 Aug.) 1:
The River Ewes was in flood and the water was cold, but it did not deter “spade” bearer Alex Little from wading across — fully clothed — to cut the sod at Castleholm.

3. Fig. of anything spade-shaped or used as a spade: (1) the upper part of a pig's snout, used for rooting (Ags. 1953); (2) a large flapping ear; ¶(3) the female pubes.(2) Kcd. c.1850:
Davie Ross has little luggies; our Davie has great spauds.(3) Sc. a.1758 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) III. 286:
To ilka ane her conquering Spade like a spred Eagle was displayed.

4. Spadille, the ace of spades in ombre or quadrille (Sc. 1782 J. Sinclair Ob. Sc. Dial. 160).

II. v. As in Eng., chiefly dial., to dig, delve, vbl.n. spadin(g), a spade's depth (or breadth) of earth, a trench of one spade-depth (Ork., em.Sc.(a), wm.Sc., Wgt., Rxb. 1971); also used pass. of soil: to be capable of being dug.Slg. 1759 Session Papers, Wallace v. Morison (15 Jan.) 36:
About six foot length, of a spading-breadth.Ayr. 1793 W. Fullarton Agric. Ayr. 33:
To half trench an acre, with one spading and a shoveling. A double trenching, with two spadings and two shovelings.Sc. 1799 Trans. Highl. Soc. I. 93:
Ditches where the ground spades to the bottom, can be done at 10d. per fall; but if the soil is hard, or gravelly, the work will cost 1s. per fall.Sc. 1842 J. Aiton Clerical Econ. 125:
The first spading being rich soil taken from the trench.Per. 1904 E.D.D.:
How many spadin's will we need to turn over this plot? Put your weeds into the trench and turn up your next spadin' on them.