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: 1744-1877, 1992
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TEISTIE, n. Also teisty, taiste, -ti, ti(e)sti(e), tystay, -te, -ti(e), misprinted tytsie; testi(e), and monosyllabic forms toist, tyst. [′təist(i)] The black guillemot, Uria grylle (Ork. 1806 P. Neill Tour 200, teisty; Cai. 1887 Harvie-Brown and Buckley Fauna Cai. 241, tystay, tystie; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.; Abd. 1930; I.Sc., Cai. 1972).Sh. 1744 T. Gifford Hist. Descr. Zetland (1879) 98:
There are many sorts of wild fowl; namely, . . . whaps, toists, liers, kittewacks, maws, plovers, scarfes, &c.Ork. 1774 G. Low Tour 46:
The Taiste or Black Guilemot like the rest lays but one egg.Ork. 1795 Stat. Acc.1 VII. 547:
The tyste or lyre, which last is a bird somewhat larger than a pigeon.Ork. 1812 Scots Mag. (Oct.) 736:
The grey toist of the Orcadians is only the young of the blavk toist, or Uria grylle.Bnff. 1845 Stat. Acc.2 XIII. 11:
The Greenland dove, or black guillemot, (Cephus grylle, here called the testie).Sh. 1877 G. Stewart Fireside Tales 27:
He turned as fat as a tiestie.Sh. 1992 Bobby Tulloch A Guide to Shetland's Breeding Birds 61:
BLACK GUILLEMOT
(Cepphus grylle)
Shet: Tystie
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"Teistie n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 4 Feb 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/teistie>
