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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

WHILES, adv., conj. Also whyles and, by analogy with While, n., in quasi-dim. forms whilies, whileocks. See also Files. [ʍəilz]

I. adv. Sometimes, at times, occasionally (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Cai. 1905 E.D.D.; Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson; Uls. 1953 Traynor). Gen. (exc. I.) Sc. Also in n.Eng. dial.Ayr. 1789 Burns To Dr Blacklock viii.:
Wha does the utmost that he can Will whyles do mair.Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality v.:
A pain I hae whiles in my ain stamach.Edb. 1844 J. Ballantine Miller xvi.:
I took a wee drapie dribble, maybe whiles ower muckle.Lnk. 1853 W. Watson Poems 54:
Anither faut, she's whileocks lazy.Dmf. 1873 A. C. Gibson Folk-Speech Cum. 127:
Sweethearts a score I whyles rhyme ow'r — their names, Bell, Barbara, Bess. . . .Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond Bawbee Bowden (1922) 66:
Atween you an' me, I thocht whyles they werna far wrong.Bwk. 1900 A.T.G. Ann. Thornlea 32:
Whiles ane 'll sit doon.ne.Sc. 1929 M. W. Simpson Day's End 53:
Maistly for siller — an' whilies for a dram.Slk. 1964 Southern Reporter (16 April) 9:
I whiles think it is like cutting off your nose to spite your face.wm.Sc. 1979 Robin Jenkins Fergus Lamont 259:
'I'll take lots of rests.'
Like the widow in the ballad whiles I would gae and whiles I would sit. wm.Sc. 1980 Anna Blair The Rowan on the Ridge 68:
" ... Wis he no' aye fond of the mill? I see him doon there wi' your John whiles. ... " Ags. 1988 Raymond Vettese The Richt Noise 40:
Syne up he sprauchles an' wauchles owre
tae the pub door an' sweys a moment
an' craiks: "Mind me noo," wi near a glowre
i the mochie een, "Mind me, tak tent."
I could only gie ane o my peelie-wersh smiles
an' nod the heid. Whit can ye say whiles? Abd. 1991 George Bruce in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 20:
We socht for bait on the bay sands, braid
ahint the far-oot sea, whiles at nicht-fa
and the mune up. Abd. 1991 Douglas Kynoch in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 87:
An whiles, yon haan o hers that straikit me sae croose
Made on as though tae flyte bairn cantrips nae that douce. Abd. 1992 David Toulmin Collected Short Stories 107:
Whiles she'd let the milk curdle and make a hangman cheese, hanging it outside on a nail in the wall for nearly a week or it dried and hardened. Edb. 1994:
Whiles I would go and whiles I would stey. Abd. 1998 Sheena Blackhall The Bonsai Grower 63:
Whyles he'd screive an official letter wi the biro tae the tax fowk wha'd made sic a snorrel o his returns.

Freq. in correlative constructions whiles . . . whiles, at one time . . . at another.Sc. 1705 R. Wodrow Analecta (M.C.) I. 75:
She continued two or three years, whiles praising, whiles neglecting prayer.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 66:
Whiles slouming, whiles starting wi' her fright.Ayr. 1790 Burns Tam o' Shanter 83–4:
Whiles holding fast his gude blue bonnet. Whiles crooning o'er some auld Scots sonnet.Slk. 1824 Hogg Tales (1874) 518:
They say the de'il's often seen gaun sidie for sidie w'ye, whiles in ae shape an' whiles in anither.Hdg. 1903 J. Lumsden Toorle 127:
Whyles she ‘but to hae me aff-haun,' Whyles ‘she wadna wed for a Croun.'Sc. 1917 D. Mitchell Clachan Kirk 14:
Whiles fechtin wi' storm, whiles wearied wi' heat.s.Sc. 1933 Border Mag. (June) 82:
Whiles wading thro' the slush and snaw, whiles basking on the brae.

II. conj. While, whilst. Obs. in Eng.Sc. 1756 M. Calderwood Journal (M.C.) 189:
Whiles Mr Calderwood went through the colledge, Daniel attended me.Cai. 1869 M. McLennan Peasant Life 326:
I'll lift his fore-fut whiles ye pit on the saydle.