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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CUPAR, COUPAR, COUPER, COWPER, n. In phrs. and combs.: (1) as coorse (coarse) as Cupar harn, very coarse (Ags.⁶ 1870); (2) Cupar gundy = Clack, n.² (Fif. 1910 (per Mry.²)); (3) Cupar (Cowper, Coupar) justice, formal trial after summary punishment (Sc. 1808 Jam., Cowper — ); cf. Jeddart justice s.v. Jeddart; (4) Coupar mob = 500: “five hunder, a Couper mob” (Ags.⁶ 1870); (5) he that will to C(o)upar maun to C(o)upar, a wilful man must have his way (Bnff.², Abd.⁹ 1941); also he that will to Cowper, will to Cowper (Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 141) and known to Edb.⁴ (1928) in form he that will to Cupar maun to Fife.(1) Fif. 1896 A. J. G. Mackay Hist. Fife 270:
As coarse as Cupar harn, three threads to a pund, and each pund an oxterfull.(3) Sc. 1698 J. Kirkwood Plea before Kirk 95: 
'Tis not much unlike the thing, which some call Couper-justice; first to hang a man, and then to appoint an Assize.Sc. 1825 Jam.²:
Cupar Justice. The popular tradition is, that a man, who was confined in prison in Cupar-Fife, obstinately refused to come out to trial; and that water was let into his cell, under the idea of compelling him to forsake it, till he was actually drowned; and that those who had the charge of him, finding this to be the case, brought his dead body into court, and proceeded regularly in the trial, till it was solemnly determined that he had met with nothing more than he deserved. [See also Sc. N. & Q. 1928 (June) 123.]Sc.(E) 1868 D. M. Ogilvy Willie Wabster's Wooing (1873) 33:
I'll gie ye Coupar justice.(5) Sc. 1819 Scott Bride of Lamm. xviii.:
He that will to Cupar maun to Cupar.Sc. 1825 Jam.²:
The Prov[erb] fully expressed is, “He that will to Coupar maun to Coupar, though Killiemuir [Kirriemuir] had sworn't.”Sc. 1862 A. Hislop Proverbs 98:
He that will to Cupar maun to Cupar. Applied to foolish or reckless persons who persist in carrying on projects in the face of certain failure, of which they have been duly advised. Why Cupar, the capital of the kingdom of Fife, should have been selected as typical of such “pigheadedness,” we are unable to say.