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.
Quotation dates: 1776-1906, 1991-1999
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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'.
