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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.

FRO, n., v. Also froe; froa, frui (Watson), frau, frae, froh, froo, frou, frow. The Rxb. and Bwk. forms froïe, froey given by Jam., Watson, and Wettstein appear to be orig. adjs., sc. milk, etc. [Sc. fro:, Bwk., Rxb. + frø(e)]

I. n. 1. Froth, foam (Sc. 1755 Johnson Dict.; w.Sc., Rxb. 1825 Jam.; Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928); Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Rxb. 1942 Zai; Mry., Abd., Ags., Per., Fif., Slk. 1953).Dmf. 1894 J. Cunningham Broomieburn xii.:
It's maist a' frou. He has to shut his een tae drink it.Fif. 1896 “G. Setoun” R. Urquhart iii.:
The other looks up an' wi' a loud laugh he blaws the fro' o' the porter frae his mou'tache.Dmf. 1915 D. J. Beattie Oor Gate-en' 54:
Div 'e no' see the froo comin' oot o' his mooth?Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 23:
Black shoogir-waeter, a paep a sook, . . . A've only gotten a sook o froa — A hehna gotten a drink!Sc. 1936 J. G. Horne Flooer o' the Ling 67:
An' switchin' [eggs] yet, Tüme a' the gowden froe intill't.Slk. 1985 Walter Elliot Clash-ma-clavers 20:
The river that day wus whuppit tae frae

2. Specif.: whisked cream, a mixture of cream and whey beaten up and sprinkled with oatmeal. Hence combs. froh-milk, id. (Mry., Bnff., Abd., Ags. 1953); ‡fro(h)-stick, see quots. (Abd. 1953).Sc. 1760 R. Pococke Tours (1887) 116:
A great pot of whey was over the fire, of which they were making Frau.Abd. a.1897 in M. M. Banks Cal. Customs Scot. I. 89–90:
This [cream] is whisked by the “froh-stick” . . . [which is] always made in the same manner. It consists of an upright stalk about 18 inches long, to one end of which are fixed pieces of wood in the shape of a cross, with arms of equal length. On the ends of the arms are grooves, and into these and in a circle round the cross is fixed a rope of hair taken from the cows' tails. The hair is properly cleaned and then twisted into a circle large enough to go round the ends of the cross. . . . Of course in whisking the cream, a few pieces of the hair come off. . . . It is accounted lucky to get such a piece of hair in the portion of the cream one gets.Ags. c.1900 Ib. III. 90:
After Michael Fair we had “froh milk” or “vrocht milk” for supper. There must be three hairs from the “froh stick” floating on the surface; if they were not there, they had to be put there. This was to keep the milk from swelling on the stomach.Mry. 1951 People's Jnl. (10 Nov.):
The working of the “frostick” was a knack. We had a little rhyme which we used to repeat to ourselves — “Not too high, not too low, not too fast and not too slow.”

3. A suck from a bottle of liquorice water (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.). Cf. 1927 quot. under 1.

II. v. To froth, foam (Abd., Per., Fif., Slk. 1953); to bubble.Edb. 1791 J. Learmont Poems 178:
Gif . . . frowin' to its base or border Rude nature a' Her quagmires — stagnant pools like ordure — Did to us shaw?Lnk. 1818 A. Fordyce Country Wedding 68:
His cattle were crazy, and fro'd like a spunge.Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 19:
The pluiffin ter froes up atween the causastanes.