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.
TAR, n., v. Also taur; ter(r) (s.Sc. 1829 Quarterly Jnl. Agric. II. 703; Dmf. 1931–3 Trans. Dmf. and Gall. Antiq. Soc. 257; Rxb. 1942 Zai; Sh. 1949 J. Gray Lowrie 103). Sc. forms and usages. [Sc. tɑ:r; Sh., s.Sc. tæ:r. See P.L.D. § 104.]
I. Sc. form of Eng. tar. Also attrib.Gsw. 1991 Margaret Sinclair Windae Hingin' and Busker Singin' 31:
Sittin'
oan the pavement, burstin' black taur bubbles,
Ye
better get up fae there, ye're gonnae get intae trouble.Sc. 1999 Herald 6 Mar 28:
Penicillin,
he suddenly screamed. Taur MacAdam! Steam engines! The big ships! We've
did the lot! The greatest wee nation ever Goad put braith in.
Sc-o-o-o-t -l-a-a-a-n-d!
II. n. In combs. and deriv.: 1. tar-buist, a box containing tar for smearing and marking sheep (Slk., Rxb. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Cai., Bwk., Lnk., sm. and s.Sc. 1972). See Buist, n.1; 2. tar-horn, a cow's horn used to hold tar; 3. tarrie, the cutch used as a preservative for herring-nets (Fif. 1972). Tar or creosote was orig. used for this purpose; 4. tar-map, a mop or brush for smearing on tar; 5. tar-mark, a mark smeared with tar on the fleece or hide of a farm-animal as a sign of ownership. Hence tar-markit, so marked; 6. tar-pig, a jar of tar for marking sheep (Sc. 1911 S.D.D.); 7. tar-raip, a tarred rope (Kcb. 1972).2. Sc. 1776 D. Herd Sc. Songs II. 143:
A hempken heckle, and a mell, A tar-horn, and a weather's bell.3. Bwk. 1906 D. M'Iver Eyemouth 177:
Getting into the loft where some “tarry” (kutch) was found in a liquid state.4. Fif. 1845 T. C. Latto Minister's Kailyard 221:
They cry that his head's like a towsy tar-map, They're clear that his legs are sae bandy.5. Ags. 1825 Jam.:
An old Angus laird, who was making a visit to a neighbouring baronet, on observing that one of the young ladies had both earrings and patches, cried out in apparent surprise, in obvious allusion to the means employed by store-farmers for preserving their sheep; “Wow, wow! Mrs Janet, your father's been michtilie fleyed for tyning you, that he's baith lug-markit ye and tar-markit ye.”Sc. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm III. 1282:
The letter P on the rump to shew the tar-mark of the farm on which it had been bred.7. Kcb. 1885 A. J. Armstrong Friend and Foe i.:
That'll bleese like a tar-raip.
III. v. 1. In phrs.: (1) a' tarred wi' ae pin, all having the same faults, “all tarred with the same brush” (Cai. 1916 J. Mowat Proverbs 11), — the same stick, id. Gen.Sc.; (2) to tar the fingers to do something, to have the greatest difficulty in doing something, to work at something intricate (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 231).Sc. 1818 Scott Rob Roy xxvi.:
They are a' tarr'd wi' the same stick — rank Jacobites and Papists.
2. Transf. To beat. Only in vbl.n. tarrin', a beating.Abd. 1784 Caled. Mercury (11 Oct.):
He'll ken till's cost, That it can gi'e his rigg a tarrin'.
