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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.

SPRET, n.¹ Also sprett, spreat, spraet, sprate, sprit(t), sprith-, spruit; also met. forms spert, spirt (Sc. 1904 E.D.D.). Cf. Sprat, n.¹, Sprot n.¹. A coarse, reedy rush growing on marshy ground, freq. used in rope-making and stack-thatching, esp. Juncus articulatus (Sc. 1777 J. Lightfoot Flora Scotica II. 1131 App., sprett; n.Sc., Rxb. 1825 Jam., sprit; Rxb. 1915 Jedburgh Gaz. (17 Sept.) 3, spraet, 1923 Watson W.-B., sprate, spret; Ayr. 1923 Wilson Dial. Burns 187; Uls. 1953 Traynor, sprit; wm., sm. and s.Sc. 1971). Also in Eng. dial. Freq. coll. [sprɛt, sprɪt]Sc. 1743 R. Maxwell Select. Trans. 100:
The Grass of it is become very sour, full of sprets.Wgt. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XIII. 583:
A coarse kind of grass called sprett.Per. 1799 J. Robertson Agric. Per. 268:
Sprits, rushes and other aquatics.Rxb. 1802 J. Leyden Remains (1819) 70:
And on the spot where they boiled the pot, The spreat and the deer-hair ne'er shall grow.Fif. 1841 C. Gray Lays 203:
The fine, plump, yellow-sided flapper, 'Midst spret and gutter-dub to splatter.Arg. 1882 Arg. Herald (3 June):
Fesh my cutty oot the bual an' a sprit to raymilt.Dmf. 1891 J. Brown Hist. Sanquhar 334:
It [lint] was tied in sheaves with bands of ‘spret'.Ayr. 1906 Trans. Highl. Soc. XVIII. 14:
Moorland growing good grass and what is known as “spruit.”Gall. 1933 Gallov. Annual 85:
A pool in the “spritts” of the Black Hill.

Comb. and deriv. (1) spret-binning, a stall-rope made of rushes or straw. See Binnen, 3.; (2) spretty, sprithy, sprittie, -y, (i) rush-like, rushy; (ii) abounding in rushes (Rxb. 1825 Jam.; Ayr. 1923 Wilson Dial. Burns 187; Ayr., Dmf. 1971).(1) Ayr. 1847 R. Chambers Pop. Rhymes 233:
The goodman plettin' spret-binnings for the kye.(2) (i) Sc. 1808 R. Forsyth Beauties Scot. V. 298:
Spretty coarse grass is not easily killed by frost.Bwk. 1878 Proc. Bwk. Nat. Club VIII. 453:
Spretty-grasses, a general term for the succulent products of meadow or bog-land, but chiefly for the different rushes (Juncus) which are cut for bog-hay.(ii) Rnf. 1708 Crawfurd MSS. XVII. 178:
Ane sprittie furr on the north syde of the fourth ridge calld the Meadowlands.Ayr. 1786 Burns To his Auld Mare xii.:
Till sprittie knowes wad rair't an' risket.Slk. 1823 Hogg Shep. Cal. (1874) i.:
Lying in a little green spritty hollow.Dmf. 1874 R. Wanlock Moorland Rhymes 18:
Frae spretty cleuchs the grey curlew.Kcb. 1911 Crockett Smugglers xii.:
The myriad paths and “spritty” knowes of the wild country.