Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BY-AFFAIR, n. comb. A great or imposing display, something out of the common. [′bɑɪ ə′fe:r]w.Dmf. 1917 J. L. Waugh Cute McCheyne 5:
But the laird's funeral — well, it was no ordinary occasion — zinc shell, polished oak box, hearse and sixteen coaches a' the wey frae Thornhill, forby the issuin' o' three hundred and fifty intimations and invitations. Oh, it was a by-affair.