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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

FEY, adj., v.¹ Also †fay, †fie; †fee (Rxb. 1821 A. Scott Poems 178), faey (Ork. 1922 J. Firth Reminisc. 151), fei (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)); †fye (Sc. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XXI. 148), ¶foy (Sc. 1887 Jam.). [fəi, ‡faɪ]

I. adj. 1. Fated to die, doomed, as evinced by peculiar, usually elated, behaviour thought to portend death. Gen.Sc., now only poet. Sometimes in a vaguer sense = having some contact with the supernatural. Deriv.: feyness.Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 333:
There is fay Blood in your Head. That is, you adventure upon a thing that will be your Death. The Scots call a Man Fay when he alters his Conditions, and Humours, which they think a sign of Death.Abd. 1742 R. Forbes Ajax (1748) 9:
This doughty lad he was resolv'd Wi' me his fate to try, . . . Bat 'las his bleed was fey.s.Sc. a.1784 Jock o' the Side in Child Ballads No. 187 B. xxx.:
There'll nae man die but he that's fie.Ayr. 1790 Burns Sherramuir ii.:
And thro' they dash'd, and hew'd, and smash'd, Till fey men died awa, man.Sc. 1822 Scott Pirate v.:
“She must be fey,” he said; “and in that case has not long to live.”Bnff. 1830 T. D. Lauder Mry. Floods 258:
Surely my goodman is daft the day. I ne'er saw him dance at sic a rate. Lord grant that he binna fey!Sc. 1854 H. Miller Schools 194:
At the same moment, a man urged on by his fate, or, in Scottish language, fey, arrived at a gallop, and prepared to cross the water.ne.Sc. 1881 W. Gregor Folk-Lore 126:
It was believed that a dog would not approach a fey person, i.e. a person who was soon to die.Kcb. 1895 Crockett Moss-Hags xxv.:
I think we were all fey at this time. . . . The word and doom were written.Ork. 1914 Old-Lore Misc. VII. I. 35:
Hid was ower weel seen hid wad never kame a grey head, for it was as witty as a' auld body. Ay, hid was truly a faey bairn.Lnk. 1919 G. Rae Clyde and Tweed 91:
Low fa's the whaup's wild cry across the muir, As yin whase soul is fey.Sc. 1921 R. Bain James the First 76:
The King is fey. Else why this travel, Mad at all seasons, madder still at this.Sh. 1939 W. Moffat Twilight over Sh. i.:
Kirsty . . . was regarded as “a fey body” and a witch. She had the evil eye; could cast a spell, and woe to him who incurred her displeasure.Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web iii:
I didna spikk muckle as a bairn, but I drew picturs constantly. "A dour vratch!" ae great-uncle caad me. I didna draw jist onythin an aathin bit raither ferlies I wis smittit wi, ferlies that catchit ma thocht in their bonnieness or their feyness.

2. Hence, without the notion of impending death: behaving in an odd, excited or irresponsible manner as if bewitched, crazy, daft, worked-up (Sc. 1887 Jam.; ne.Sc., Ags., Slg., Fif., Ayr., Kcb., s.Sc., Uls. 1950). With about, for, desperately eager for, anxious about.Ayr. 1822 Galt Entail viii.:
Surely the man's fey about his entails and his properties.Edb. 1856 J. Ballantine Poems 207:
Is this young Wat Scott? an' wad ye rax his craig, When our daughter is fey for a man?Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 129:
She was however at times a little unco and fey.Abd. 1893 G. Macdonald Sc. Songs 71:
Birdie, come doon — Ye're fey to sing sic a merry tune!Arg. 1907 N. Munro Daft Days xviii.:
To-night Miss Bell outdid even Ailie in her merriment, . . . said such droll things, and kept the company in such a breeze that Ailie cried at last, “I think, Bell, that you're fey!”Sh. 1914 Angus Gl. 166:
Du's no fey yet! [ironically for “You still seem to have all your wits”].Ags. 1920 A. Gray Songs and Ball. 37:
Your een, sae blue and sae bonny, Have plagued me till I am fey.Sc. 1928 J. Wilson Hamespun 20:
But he kens that there's nane sic a guid wife will mak him As mysel, that they a' count sae glaikit an' fey.Slk. 1986 Harvey Holton in Joy Hendry Chapman 43-4 168:
a fey charger for him at's no blate in battles;
when, in the silent skug o the harn, the auld hame,
oor ain authors' histories we hae an micht ken wm.Sc. 1987 Anna Blair Scottish Tales (1990) 22:
Neil Macdonald of South Uist once saw a mermaid. And he would have told you so quite firmly if you had been living at that time, which was some years before the great '45.
Anyway Neill was not a gullible youth, nor fey, for he was man-enough later to wander throughout two months with the fugitive Charlie, ...

3. By extension: easily touched off, susceptible. Rare.Ayr. 1821 Galt Ayr. Legatees viii.:
It [gas] is brought in pipes aneath the ground from the manufactors, which the doctor and me have been to see — an awful place — and they say as fey to a spark as poother.

4. Combs.: †(1) fey-bespoke, fated to die, claimed by death; †(2) fey-crap, see quot. (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 224); (3) fey fotk, doomed people. Also “the little folk,” the fairies, phs. from a confusion with fay, a fairy: hence fey folk's dance, see quot.; (4) fey-ful, any strange migratory bird, regarded as an ill omen; †(5) fey-puckle, “a grain [of corn] that has lost its substance, or become decayed” (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.); †(6) fey-taikin, (Ib.), -token, a sign of approaching death.(1) Dmf. 1836 A. Cunningham Lord Roldan III. viii.:
I hope ye're no fey-bespoke.(2) ne.Sc. 1874 W. Gregor Olden Time 133:
A crop more than usually good foreshadowed the death of the goodman, and went by the name of a fey-crap.(3) Sh. 1899 J. Spence Folk-Lore 114:
A feeling of languor or tendency to sleep indicated the approach of thunder and rain — hence the saying: “It's fey folk that thunder waukens.”ne.Sc. 1921 Swatches o' Hamespun 11:
An uproar i' the lum . . . gart 'im loup fae's cheer. . . . “Oh! it's the fey fouk! the fey fouk!” screamed Meggie.Sh. 1949 New Shetlander No. 16. 11:
With a warm sunny evening da mirlin' is best seen about sunset. It is known by various names such as da Fey Folk's dance.(4) Sh. 1937 J. Nicolson Restin' Chair Yarns 82:
Dey'r some ill goin' ta happen: I saw a fey-ful dis mornin'.(6) Sc. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XXI. 150:
A neighbour . . . observing that in the course of nature she could not long survive, “Ay,” said the good old woman, with pointed indignation, “what fey token d'ye see about me?”Mry. 1813 W. Leslie Agric. Mry. 455:
Sneezing is sometimes said to be a fye token.

II. v. Nonce usages: to behave in a wild manner, to rage, to go fey.Sc.(E) 1871 P. H. Waddell Psalms ii. 1:
Whatfor fey the far-aff folk?w.Sc. 1929 R. Crawford In Quiet Fields 36:
An' fummlin' fey at magic wells Oor preein' lips.