Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1934 (SND Vol. I). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

ACCOUNT, ACCOONT, n. [ə′kunt] Sc. forms and usages of Eng. account.

1. Sc. forms:Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 88:
"Ca cannie wi yon gun tho. Nae on my accoont. Bit fur yersel - dinna skaith yersel."em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 235:
'Sax months syne,' said Lauder, 'I would hae disputed wi ye on baith points. But noo I think ye're richt. Maister Mitchel himsel was o the same opinion when I saw him in June. In fact, I find masel noo haein tae mak representation tae ye on his accoont.'

Sc. usages:

2. pl. News, details, information.Sc. 1745 Spalding Club Misc. (1842) II. 27:
I pray God may preserve you, and give me good accounts of you.w.Dmf. 1908 J. L. Waugh Robbie Doo (1912) 51:
Beguilin' the time wi' accoonts o' the new railway and its wonderfu' horse o' ern.

3. Phrases.

(1) Lay ane's accoont wi', to reckon upon, expect. (Said by N.E.D. to be originally Scots, but now common in its Eng. form.)Kcb. 1894 S. R. Crockett Raiders (1895) x.:
Ye micht be killed by the enemy if you obeyed; but ye wad be killed of a certainty gin ye didna, so ye micht lay your accoont wi' that.

(2) Gie in ane's accoont (cf. Rom. xiv. 12), to die, to appear before God.Sh.³ 1930.Cai.(D) 1909 D. Houston 'E Silkie Man 3:
'Ey've a' geen in 'eir accoont.

(3) (up)on account, followed by a noun clause: because, by reason of the fact that. Ags. 1835 W. Blair Aberbrothock 26, 36:
Dinna keep aye lookin' at the moon on account that she dinna fa' i' the midden. . . . I wadna hae tauld you sae muckle o' Josie's story, but upae the 'coont he was my wife's half cuisin.