Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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.

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