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 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BY-ORDINAR, Bye -, Biordnar, Byordnar, Byordinaur, Byor'ner, By-or'nar, adj., adv. [′bɑɪ′ɔrdnər, ′bɑɪ′ɔrnər Sc., but em. and wm.Sc. + -or(d)nər]

1. adj. Extraordinary, unusual, out of the common. Gen.Sc. Also absol. Adv. bye-ordinarly (Ags. 1975). Sc. 1979 T. S. Law in Joy Hendry Chapman 23-4 (1985) 81:
Thare is naething byordinar tae yer nichtit ee
atween the day ye saw an the day ye daenae see. Sc. 1834 H. Miller Scenes and Legends (1850) xviii.:
The ring's a bonny ring, an' something bye ordinar.Abd. 1923 J. Lawrence in Bnffsh. Jnl. (13 Feb.) 2:
Miss Milne, who “keepit hoose” for her brother, was a woman “by-ordinar.”Abd. 1985 Robbie Kydd in Alexander Scott New Writing Scotland 3 54:
He was someone byordinar altogether, black-browed and tiny and fierce, his arms grimly folded. Abd. 1993:
At win's byordinar. Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 49:
Sin he'd been knee-heich tae a chunty, he'd seen foo fowk treated the byordinar, the deviant - they war fremmit kye in a pedigree herd o normals; ferlies tae be lichtlified, ootlinned an peetied. Dundee 1991 Ellie McDonald The Gangan Fuit 34:
Nou, ye're miesslan awa wi the lave.
A rickle o banes i the nave
o Corstorphine Kirk.
Naithin biordinar. m.Sc. 1979 William J. Rae in Joy Hendry Chapman 23-4 (1985) 79:
Weel, he had scarce but lowpit ashore and begun a hop or sae in the wey o the Gudgie Burn puddocks, whaun Eck tuik a byordinaur fit o croakin. m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 33:
Yon muckle aik that stuid sae strang an ticht
bi yon byornar Januar blest wes bait. em.Sc. (a) 1931 J. Ressich in Glasgow Herald (8 Aug.):
Sam . . . could baith read an' write — an' that wis mair by-ordinar' in thir days nor ye micht think.em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 72:
'He's a byordinar man. I canna deny I'm muckle obliged tae him, and that gars me bite ma tongue, but it wasna himsel I meant in particular.' Fif. 1896 D. S. Meldrum Grey Mantle and Gold Fringe 242:
That wouldn't keep people in the street; and something far more by-ordinar, I knew, had to account for my walking into a stir.w.Lth. 2000 Davie Kerr A Puckle Poems 14:
Ow'r oor new walkway hikers bash
an seek 'guid health' byor'ner.Edb. 1994:
The pairtie wiz byordnar. Ayr. 1889 H. Johnston Chron. of Glenbuckie 259:
It's by-or'nar what's revealed to bruit beasts.Kcb. 1891 M.A.M. Halloween Guest 52:
I am bye-ordinarly vexed that I canna find yer breast-preen.Dmf. 1998 Jilly Hawker in Neil R. MacCallum Lallans 51 13:
Yin was byornar tho. Eilidh had first got sicht o this magneeficent winged craitur, soarin effortlessly hie abuin the island in the bay. Hou gentie an free ....!

2. adv. Extraordinarily, unusually. Gen.Sc.Ags. 1924 A. Gray Any Man's Life 45:
It is indeed A maist byordinar bonny nicht.Per. 1903 H. MacGregor Souter's Lamp 98:
Ye're no byor'nar late, takin' a'thing into consideration.Gsw. 1879 A. G. Murdoch Rhymes and Lyrics 51:
Thanks to his “bonnet,” what he said Was aye by or'nar harkit.