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 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BYRE, n. and v. Also byar (Sc. 1725 Ramsay Gentle Shep. i. i.; Lnk. 1806 J. Black Falls of Clyde 120). [′bɑɪər, ′bəiər]

1. n. Sc. usages in combs. and phrase: (1) byre-claut, a handled scraper for cleaning out a byre (Ags.¹, Kcb.¹, Kcb.⁹ 1938); (2) byre-gang, the passage-way in a byre; (3) byre-knot, a way of trussing up the skirt behind, adopted by a milk-maid in a byre; (4) byreman, a cattleman (Bnff.², Kcb.¹ 1938); (5) byre-mucker, one who cleans out a byre (Cai.⁷, Ags.¹ 1938); see Muck, v.; (6) byre-woman, a woman who looks after the cows (Bnff.², Kcb.⁹ 1938); (7) to mak' a byre o' yer belly, “to overeat” (Abd.⁴ 1929). (1)Gall.1877 "Saxon" (ed.) Gall. Gossip 57-58: 
I hae . . . the very best muck-graips and byre-clauts made.(2)Slg. 1912 J. Bryce Story of a Ploughboy 152: 
In the byre-gang I encountered my old tyrant.(3) Per. 1938 J. Macdonald Old Callander 156: 
Their skirts conveniently gathered behind in the "byre knot".(4)Rxb. 1915 Kelso Chron. (1 Jan.) 3:
The woman steward, the shepherd and the byreman were generally fixtures.(5) Ayr. 1790 Burns Works (ed. Currie 1800) II. 310:
As ill spelt as country John's billet-doux, or as unsightly a scrawl as Betty Byremucker's answer to it.(6) Gall.(D) 1901 Trotter Gall. Gossip 48:
She wus byre-woman at Barlocco. A suppose A should 'a' ca't her the Dairymaid.

2. v. To put cows in the “byre” or cow-house (Abd.¹⁹ 1938).Abd.(D) 1924 “Knoweheid” in Swatches o' Hamespun 12:
I'se awa oot te look at a beast we've byre't. He's a bittie aff's feed.