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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

GAE, v. = Eng. go.

A. Sc. forms:

1. Pr.t.: gae (Gen.Sc.); ge (Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.), ¶gey (Lnl. 1908 J. White Pen Sketches 15); ‡gie (Gall. 1832 J. Denniston Craignilder 56; Bwk. 1900 A. T. G. Annals Thornlea 34; Dmf. 1915 D. J. Beattie Oor Gate En' 55). Pr.t. and imper., in unstressed position: ga, g'. See esp. IV. 4. 

2. Pr.p.: (1) from O.Sc. gaand — gaun, ga(a)n, gaain, ga(u)in, gaw(i)n (Cai., ne., m. and s.Sc., Uls.), †gaen, †gaing; ¶gone (see B. III. 2. (3)); gya(a)in, gya(u)n, gyaen, dya(u)n (Sh., ne.Sc.), gjaain (Sh.); jyaain (ne.Sc. 1874 W. Gregor Olden Time 40); (2) from gae- — gaean (Rs.), gaein (Ags., Fif., Uls.); (3) from gie- — gien (Bwk. 1900 A. T. G. Annals Thornlea 32). (i) The pr.p. in the continuative tense when followed by the inf. combines with to occas., esp. in careless speech, as follows: gaun(n)a, ganna; gaunie, gennay (Fif., Lth.) [cf. P.L.D. §§ 89, 94]; ginnie (Rnf. 1835 D. Webster Rhymes 181), genna (Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond My Man Sandy (1899) vii.), dyauna (Abd. 1924 Swatches o' Hamespun 45;   gaunnae, gaunny, gauny, gaunni, gonnae, gonny, gonnie, gonni, goany, goan (Ags., Fif., Edb., Arg., Gsw., Ayr., Dmf. 2000s). (ii) Used to express a request, 'could you please,' also in negative. (i)Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 28:
gauny Going to: 'Ah'm gauny loss the heid in a minute!'Gsw. 1987 Matt McGinn McGinn of the Calton 96:
There was a billiard hall in the Gallowgate, two stairs up, facing Charlotte Street and outside the window they would place this thing and as Barrowland was emptying of revellers-with or without lumbers or escorts-they would shout through the partly open window, 'stand out the road, I'm gonnie jump.'Gsw. 1990 Tom Rae in Joy Hendry Chapman 60 67:
"Ah'm no gonny get intae bother just because of you."Gsw. 1990 Moira Burgess in Hamish Whyte and Janice Galloway New Writing Scotland 8: The Day I Met the Queen Mother 1:
His hand shot out and she started away again. 'Wisny gauny hurt you!' he wailed.Sc. 1990 Robert Crawford in Hamish Whyte and Janice Galloway New Writing Scotland 8: The Day I Met the Queen Mother 5:
Ah'm goannae mollocate
Yir fey wynds, goannae burstle
Yir douce stanes, goannae bigg
A new ToonGsw. 1991 Margaret Sinclair Windae Hingin' and Busker Singin' 26:
The pained look o' innocence, naw it wisnae me,
Well we're gonnae look fur a stranger, when ah gie yeese all yer tea.Gsw. 1993 Margaret Sinclair Soor Plooms and Candy Balls 14:
She's gonni look for bogies
If there's any in your heid.
They eat at ye and eat at ye
Until ye wish ye're deid.Arg. 1993:
If he doesna look ahin im, he's gonny hit that fuckin yacht.m.Sc. 1994 Martin Bowman and Bill Findlay Forever Yours, Marie-Lou 11:
Ye kin go back tae yir bed, Carmen, it's no this moarnin ah'm gaunnae murder yir mither!Edb. 1995 Irvine Welsh Marabou Stork Nightmares (1996) 26:
People in the big hooses, hooses that were the same size as our block, which sixty families lived in; they would just go away and phone the polis. They must have thought we were gaunny chorie aypils or something.Slg. 2001 Janet Paisley Not for Glory 2:
I mean, wean needs a dad. Makes sense, din't it? She's oot at work aw day, wha's gaunae watch it? Me, course.(ii)Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 28:
gauny Going to: 'Ah'm gauny loss the heid in a minute!' This also forms questions or requests (literally, are you going to) and is roughly equivalent to 'will you please': 'Gauny gie's a break, eh?' 'Gauny see if the rain's aff yet?' The negative form of this is gauny no (roughly, will you please refrain from): 'Gauny no swear in front a the weans ya bampot?'m.Sc. 1990 Douglas Lipton in Hamish Whyte and Janice Galloway New Writing Scotland 8: The Day I Met the Queen Mother 61:
Goany gie's a light, Jim?Gsw. 1993 Margaret Sinclair Soor Plooms and Candy Balls 21:
Mammy, need any messages? Gonnae gi' me a penny?
Wean, ah wid give ye wan, but ah hivnae any.m.Sc. 1999 George Inglis in Moira Burgess and Donny O'Rourke New Writing Scotland 17: Friends and Kangaroos 66:
'Gaunnae geeze it, Jeannie?' he said, 'gaunnae geeze it?' His hauns were aw ower the place.em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 85:
'Gaunae let us go, pal?' the guy said. 'Otherwise, tell ye, I'm fucked, I'm finished. This is ma fuckin life.'Sc. 2000 Herald 13 Mar 16:
Among the stellar cast are those On/Off The Ball lads Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove; Chewin' The Fat's Ford Kiernan and Greg - Gonnae No Dae That - Hemphill;

3. Pa.t.: (1) from gae- — gaed, †gade; †gede (Slk. 1813 Hogg Queen's Wake 167); †gaet (Kcb. 1911 G. M. Gordon Clay Biggin' 151); ged (ne.Sc. 1884 D. Grant Lays 25), gid (ne.Sc.); (2) from O.Sc. yede, yude, O.E. ēode — †yeed (Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 9; Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems 215); (3) from a conflation of these — göid, guid, gude, gued, gu(u)d (Sh.); geed (Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 254; Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 2; Cai. 1909 D. Houston Silkie Man 8: ne.Sc. 1881 W. Gregor Folk-Lore 78); gied (Cai. 1829 J. Hay Poems 66; e.Rs. 1916 (per Mry.²); Mry. 1887 A. G. Wilken Peter Laing 17; Bnff. 1933 M. Symon Deveron Days 37; Abd. 1923 R. L. Cassie Heid or Hert 38; Edb. 1866 J. Smith Poems 42; Lnk. 1893 J. Crawford Verses 27; Rnf. 1889 D. Gilmour Paisley Weavers 141). (4) Sc. form of Eng. went. In illiterate speech and occas. in Gall. from Irish influence the pa.p. gane is used for the pa.t. (Gall. 1907 J. Donnan Poems 101, gean). The pa.t. is also freq. supplied by went as in Eng., esp. in m.Sc. (1)Abd. 1991 George Bruce in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 22:
He struck oot sooth. The lift gaed the wrang wey,
turned aff tae a side-road, syne intae a sma glen.m.Sc. 1991 Tom Scott in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 39:
Past trees o coral, sunken hulks, he gaed,w.Lth. 2000 Davie Kerr A Puckle Poems 49:
Wi standard heist abuin the scree,
yon conventicle ashore,
sae clear confirmed oor creed, when we
gaed back ti Eilean Mor.em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 269:
'That he escaped doon Blackfriars Wynd, my lord, and gaed up the Cougate and intae Maister Fergusson's hoose, anither rebel, my lord, where he pit on a periwig, and syne he cam back oot on the street and huntit himsel.' (3)Ork. 1952 R. T. Johnston Stenwick Days (1984) 50:
"He gied awey ower tae the ferm o' Pleeps, whar Galahad Davie's wife's haein' a bern, aboot half an 'oor ago."Cai. 1992 James Miller A Fine White Stoor 68:
'Aye, aye,' mused Pogo. 'There's a lot o watter geed doon the burn since then.'Sh. 1993 New Shetlander Sep 29:
It wis worse as da day my ketling died.
It wis laek da day wir John güid tae Canada, Sh. 1994 Laureen Johnson in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 172:
I guid ta cline mair biscuit. Shö followed me inta da kitchen wi her cup. (4) Abd. 1994 Stanley Robertson in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 17:
Een day Morag wint walking on a different pairt o the countryside tae see if she could maybe see some oot o the ordinary. Weel it wis a fateful day and things were already in the making.

4. Pa.p.: (1) Sc. forms gane (m. and s.Sc.), gan, †gaen, †gean; geen, gien (Sh., n.Sc.); †gin; (2) Wk. forms (gen. in uneducated speech) gaed (Slg. 1860 R. M. Fergusson Village Poet (1897) 25; Kcb. 1950); gied (Cai. 1829 J. Hay Poems 90; Uls. 1879 W. G. Lyttle Readings by Robin 15). (1) m.Sc. 1994 John Murray in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 102:
Spraichled on ma bed i the hert o Midlothian, like slaister on a causie stane, Ah wunner whaur aa th'aul men hae gan, whae yaised tae sweir an pynt an shak thair neives at aa the thrang ...Ayr. 1994 Billy Kay in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 144:
As Sannie thocht about McTurk, the big ane's worries shin become his ain, an he hauf weished he had gan tae his wark tae get some money for the faimily.

[Pr.t.: Sc. ′ge:, gə′, s.Sc. ‡′gɪə; pr.p.: em., wm., s.Sc. gǫ:n, I. and n.Sc. g(j)ɑ:n, sm.Sc. ′gɑ:(ɪ)n, Rs., Ags. ′ge:ən; pa.t.: Sc. ge:d, s.Sc. gɛd, ne.Sc. gɪd, Sh. g(j)ød, n.Sc. gi:d; pa.p.: sn.Sc., s.Sc. ge:n, I., n. and m.Sc. gi:n, s.Sc. ‡′gɪən]

B. Sc. usages, also found with the alternative forms Gan, Gang, Ging, Gyang, Dyang, q.v., in districts where these occur in place of gae.

I. 1. To walk, move about on foot (Bnff., Abd., Ags., Fif. 1953). Also in Eng. dial. Sometimes used tr. = to cover on foot, walk the length and breadth of, often as a pedlar (Abd.²⁷, wm.Sc.¹, Kcb.¹⁰, Rxb.⁴ 1953); cf. III. 3. (3). gaun, going, of a young child, at the stage of walking (Sh., Ork. 1975). Wgt. 1715 Session Rec. Whithorn MS. (28 Aug.):
I have a bonny going bairn up at Percys yonder.Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 11:
A going Foot is ay getting, if it were but a Thorn.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 61:
Had I done that, I might been there ere now, I've spent mair time, than wad ha gane't I trow.Ayr. 1786 Burns Holy Fair ii.:
The third, that gaed a wee a-back, Was in the fashion shining Fu' gay that day.Lnk. 1827 J. Watt Poems 67:
There's auld Tam Glen, guid worthy man! . . . The country's gane . . . For mair than half a cent'ry.Sc. 1838 J. Grant Sk. in London 39:
“And do you think, man, that ye can gae like a cripple?” inquired the Scotchman.Lnk. 1893 J. Crawford Sc. Verses 55:
Plump rosy Jenny, no lang gane her lane.Ork. 1904 Dennison Sketches 12:
I ken bae what I heard him mumellan' at he t'oucht himsel' gan' at the fit o' a high craig i' Orkney.Abd. 1920 R. H. Calder Gleanings 10:
Gyaun like a chiel spacin' tatie grun'.Abd.²⁷ 1952:
He gaed on twa staffs. He gaed the fleer a' nicht. I gaed the hail o' Aiberdeen lookin' for the marra o' the gravat I tint. 1988:
Hae ye went ti the shops yet? m.Sc. 1994 Martin Bowman and Bill Findlay Forever Yours, Marie-Lou 15:
... Oh, aye, ah could've went tae Steinberg's tae buy smoothy [sic] but ah didnae feel like it! Sure, ah could've saved six cents - big deal! It's a long wey tae Steinberg's in the winter cauld and ah'm no fur gettin ma feet frozen jist fur tae save six cents!

2. also go. To like, want.Gsw. 1962 Bill McGhee Cut and Run 95:
'Could ye go a jag?'Gsw. 1987 James Kelman Greyhound for Breakfast (1988) 181:
I had arrived at the following conclusion: even in communal pitches people will claim their portions of space; he who sits in the left-hand corner of one room will expect to obtain the equivalent corner in every room. This is something I cannot go but I felt obliged to conform to standard practice.Edb. 1991:
I could fair go a cup of tea.Gsw. 1991:
I canna go his voice at aa. (said of someone on the radio)m.Sc. 1992 Daily Record 18 Mar 22:
To be honest I don't really go The Wife's pals. Fact is, most of them give snobs a bad name.

3. To use, operate, etc.Gsw. 1987 Peter Mason C'mon Geeze Yer Patter! 80:
Ah canny go a bike. I am unable to ride a bike.Bnff. 1990:
Go a bicycle.Edb. 1994:
I cannae go roller blades.

II. Of animals: to graze, to go (about) looking for food (Gall. 1900 E.D.D.; ne.Sc. 1953).Sh. 1899 Shet. News (20 May):
I wis up luikin fir a grey yow o' wirse 'at guid aboot Hjoganeep.

III. Special uses of the participles:

1. Pa.p. (1) In absolute constructions, of time (gen. preceding the period specified) = ago, past (Sh.¹⁰, Ork.⁵, Bnff., Abd., Ags.¹⁹, Per., Slg., Fif.¹⁷, Peb. 1953), freq. in phr. nae farrer gane (than), as recently (as). Obs. in Eng. since 17th cent. but still found in Eng. dial. Cf. parallel use of Come, v., II. 6.Gall. 1716 Session Bk. Penninghame (1933) I. 370:
The Session met at Corsby Weddensday gone eight dayes and distributed the poors mony according to appointment.Bwk. 1759 G. Ridpath Diary (S.H.S.) 248:
May 24th: Sir Robert Pringle and John Hunter attended the meeting of Heritors intimated here on Sunday gone a se'enight.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 89:
Indeed, quo she, but yesterday I saw, Nae farer gane, gang by here lasses twa.Ayr. 1785 Burns Death & Dr Hornbook xvi.:
'Twas but yestreen, nae farther gane.Dmf. 1837 Carlyle in Atlantic Monthly (1898) LXXXII. 304:
There was word from Jane on Sunday gone a week.Gsw. 1877 A. G. Murdoch Laird's Lykewake 182:
Nae farrer gaen back than yestreen We bred owre the weans a bit gel.Per. 1881 R. Ford Hum. Sc. Readings 8:
Oor neebour woman tauld me yestreen, nae farrer gane, to tak' guid care o' mysel' when I cam' hereawa'.Kcb. 1885 A. J. Armstrong Friend and Foe 334:
I picked a caird o' his off the stair nae farrer gane than the day.Fif. 1894 J. Menzies Our Town 130:
He was tellin' me, nae faurer gaen than this mornin', that Saunders Watt has been trying his Early Regents.Rnf. 1898 J. M. Henderson Kartdale 316:
Ye mind o' that plush he brought hame frae Glasgow for you, a week or twa gin; weel him and me had a callieshangie about that.Rxb. 1914 Hawick News (31 July) 4:
“Oor yin was juist speakin' aboot them nae ferther gane than last nicht,” said Mrs Brown, who always referred to her better half as “oor yin.”

(2) Preceding or following a number (in a statement of age): past, over. Gen.Sc.Sc. 1858 Carlyle Fred. the Gt. II. 151:
No hurry abont Fritz's marriage: he is but eighteen gone.Ags. 1898 J. T. Boyle Spectre Maid of Ogil 87:
Her age it was gane forty-twa.

(3) Mad, crazy (Abd. 1922 Swatches o' Hamespun, Gl., geen; Abd., Dmf., Rxb. 1953).Lnk. 1929 Scots Mag. (March) 455:
He can read backward. If l'm no' mista'en That's hoo he reads the Hebrew; — he's clean gane.

2. Pr.p. in n.phrs.: (1) gaun-a-du, “a resolution never reduced to practice; as, ‘That's amang my gaun-a-du's'” (Lth. 1825 Jam.; Fif. 1953, -dae); (2) gaun-aff claes, one's sea-going clothes (Fif. 1975). See Gang, v., below. (3) gaunfolk, pedestrians, travellers on foot, as opposed to riders (Ork. 1975); (4) gaun-land, common pasture, rough grazing; †(5) gaun-to-dee, “a state approximating death. Used in a Proverb, applied when people say they are going to do something which we do not suppose they are likely to accomplish; — ‘It's lang or gaun-to-dee fill the kirk-yard'” (Dmf. 1825 Jam.). (3)m.Lth. 1857 Misty Morning 109:
Them that winna look at gaun folk, the riders gae past them.(4)Bwk. 1842 Proc. Bwk. Nat. Club (1849) 66 note:
At the period of its improvement, there was bordering upon it, "a piece of auld gaun land," answerable to the description.

3. Ppl.adj. †(1) Brisk, active, busy.Sc. 1740 Caled. Mercury (3 July):
There is likewise a going Coal in the Ground, to be set either with or without the House.Sc. 1823 Blackwood's Mag. (March) 313:
Ye had the gaun days o' prosperity for twenty years!Lth. 1882 “J. Strathesk” Blinkbonny 261:
The place is like a gaun fair . . . I canna get on wi' my wark for folk comin'.

(2) In combs. (a) gaun gear, (i) “the moving machinery of a mill, as distinguished from stannin graith [see Graith, n., 4.], i.e. the fixtures, such as posts, etc.” (Fif. 1825 Jam.; Abd.²⁷, Fif., Peb. 1953); hence extended to movable property in gen. (Abd.²⁷ 1953); †(ii) “applied to persons . . . going to wreck” (Sc. 1825 Jam.), or those going into a decline (Ags.¹⁸ c.1890) or mortally ill; (iii) money and property that is being wasted (Abd., Ags., Wgt. 1953); (b) gaain-wey, of stone: the grain (Abd. 1932; Ags. 1953); cf. Awte, n., 2.(a) (i) Lnk. c.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 12:
My father left me when he died, fifty merks . . . an the gawn gear was to be divided between me and my mither.Sc. 1825 Jam.:
The phrase, Gude gäin gear, is used when all the implements about a mill are going well.(ii) Dmf. 1822 A. Cunningham Tales II. 315:
He's going gear; he's going gear; he winna shoot over the coming midnight.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 59:
Peer lassie, she's gain' gear; a'm unco wae, fin a leuk on 'ir bonnie, sweet fite face, an' lang thin fingers.Kcb.⁴ 1900:
Of a person supposed to be dying, it is said: “I doot he's gaun gear.”(iii) Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 59:
His is gain' gear, an' a dinna see foo we sudna get a haul o't ass weel's ony ither ane.Lth. 1885 “J. Strathesk” Blinkbonny 225:
Ye got a bit glass for naething on Sabbath, when it was gaun gear ony way.

(3) also gaun-aboot (i) Vagrant, esp. in n.phr. gaun bodie (sm.Sc. 1953), gaun-aboot bodie (Ork., n.Sc., Ags., Fif., Kcb., Dmf. 1953), a tramp, hawker; a tinker, gipsy (Ayr.⁹ 1953). Used as a nickname in 1725 quot.; (ii) Moving about, esp. of someone who likes to be on the move. (i)Lnk. 1725 W. Grossart Shotts (1880) 65:
To James Russel, alias gone Jamie, to help to buy a horse . . . £2.Slk. 1875 Border Treasury (24 April) 443:
Is he a decent-lookin man? . . . He's nae gaun body, is he?Fif. 1886 A. Stewart Dunfermline 171:
Many of those “gaun-aboot bodies” had a wonderful amount of mother-wit and genuine humour.Uls. 1900 A. McIlroy Craig-linnie Burn 22:
A puir, gan'-aboot cratur . . . but he's God's wean, an' folk shud niver mislist an aul' budy.Wgt. 1904 J. F. Cannon Whithorn 59:
One forenoon a “gaun man” called at her house.Kcb. 1909 Crockett Rose of the Wilderness ix.:
“Gaun bodies” were wanderers with a pledged and prescriptive, if not a legal, right to bed and board. “Tramps,” on the other hand, paraded the roads as if they belonged to them.Abd. 1928 P. Grey Making of a King 17:
I'm jist a peer, gaein'-aboot crater wi' ma basket an' needles an' threed an' laces an' hair preens tryin' tae haud body and soul thegither.Ags. 1947 J. B. Salmond Toby Jug ii.:
The bit field whaur gaen-aboot fouk like us have the richt ti bide, runs richt through a muckle wud.s.Sc. 1952 Sc. Home & Country (Sept.) XXVIII. No. 9. 270:
He was nocht but a gaun-aboot buddie, trauchlin frae door tae door like a tinker wi' buit-laces an preens.(ii)Cai. 1992 James Miller A Fine White Stoor 223:
To the amazement of ordinary, gaun-aboot citizens, a demonstration filled the streets of the town on the afternoon ... Abd. 2004:
She's an affa gaun-aboot bodie.

Hence gaun-about business, the trade of a hawker.Sc. 1931 J. Lorimer Red Sergeant xvi.:
Gin Jimmuck the Caird disna throw sand eneuch in folks' een tae mak' ye twa pass as twa 'prentices at the gaun-about business, he's been cleckit ower late in the day.

IV. In comb. with advs. or preps.:

1. gae aboot, of a disease or complaint: to be prevalent (Sh., Abd., wm.Sc., Arg., Ayr. 1953), to spread; also in Nrf. dial.; 2. gae afore, to fall over (a cliff, etc.) into the sea and perish (Ork. 1953); †3. gae again, of frost: to appear in the form of hoar-frost in the morning and dissolve before the influence of the sun can affect it (Lnk., Twd. 1825 Jam.), “viewed as an almost certain prognostic of rain sometime in the course of the day” (Ib.); 4. gae awa, (1) to die (‡Abd., Ags.¹⁸, Rxb. 1953); also in 17th cent. Eng.; ppl.adj. gaen-awa', dead, departed (Cld. 1880 Jam.); hence the gane-awa land, the land of the departed; (2) to faint, swoon (Ags., Fif.¹⁴, Kcb. 1953); also in 18th cent. Eng.; hence gaun-awa'-ness, faintness; (3) as imper. in excls. of impatience, incredulity or derision (Sh., Cai., Bnff., Abd., Arg., Ayr., Kcb. 1953), g'wa wi ye (Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 11; Sh., Abd., Slg., Edb., Lnk., Rxb. 1953) = colloq. Eng. go on!, go along with you!; 5. gae back, to deteriorate, fall off, lose ground (of persons, animals or growing things); common in Eng. dial.; also in phr. to gae back in milk, of cows: to cease the yield or lessen the quantity of milk (Ork.⁵, m.Lth.¹, Arg.³, Ayr.⁸, Kcb.⁹ 1953); cf. 12. (2). Also to fail, fall through (of a plan, etc.). Hence going back, n.; 6. gae by, (1) to pass by a friend's home without “calling in”, to shun, gen. in phr. to gae by the door; Gen.Sc.; (2) with refl.: to go off one's head (Abd.²⁷ 1953); see also By, 4. (17); also = to get fuddled (Bnff. 1893 W. Gregor in W. Dunbar Poems (S.T.S.) III. 99); ¶(3) to befall; used appar. only by Burns; †7. gae doun, (1) to be hanged; (2) n. (a) a spree, “a guzzling or drinking match” (Sc. 1825 Jam.); (b) an appetite; (c) a drink; 8. gae fae, see 11.; 9. gae fae ither, to fall apart, fall to pieces (Abd., Kcb.⁹ 1953); see also Ither; 10. gae forrit, see Forrit; 11. gae frae (fae), to cease, abstain from (something) (Abd.²⁷ 1953); to lose taste or interest in (something); 12. gae in, (1) of a church, school, etc.: to assemble (Sc. 1881 A. Mackie Scotticisms 56); Gen.Sc.; now also in colloq. Eng.; (2) to shrink, contract (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Sh., Abd.²⁹, wm.Sc.¹ 1953), of a burn after a spate (Ags. 1953); also phr. to go in i' milk, of a cow: to lessen the yield of milk (Ork.⁵ 1946); cf. 5.; (3) with wi': to agree with (Sh., Ork., Abd., Slg., Fif., Edb., Dmf. 1953); †(4) to approach (a point of time); cf. obs. Eng. go on, id.; (5) with by: to visit (Sh., Ork., Cai., Bnff., Abd., Ags., Edb., Ayr., Dmf., Rxb. 2000s); 13. gae into, to open and search any container, e.g. a bag, drawer, trunk (Abd., Arg., Kcb., Rxb. 1953); 14. go off, in ploughing: used imper. as a call to a horse to turn at the end of a ridge (Sc. 1810 Farmer's Mag. (Dec.) 512); 15. gae on, (1) to make a fuss or disturbance, to talk at length or in a quarrelsome manner (Sh., Mry., Abd.²⁹, Ags.¹⁸, Per.³, Slg.³, Fif.¹⁴, Rxb.⁴ 1953), gen. followed by aboot; also in dial. and colloq. use in Eng.; (2) go on!, often in phr. gaun yersel, gawn yersel, go on yersel, as expression of encouragement or approval; 16. gae out, to go as a soldier, to take the field, with special reference to the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745; 17. gae o(w)er, (1) to get the better of; to be beyond (a person's power or control) (Sh., Ork., Cai., Bnff., Abd., Ags., Fif. 1953); (2) to cover, overrun (Sh. 1953); ¶18. gae round, n., anything that revolves, e.g. a mill-wheel; 19. gae tae, (1) v., intr., to shut, close (Sh., Abd., wm.Sc., Kcb. 1953); †(2) n., a brawl, a squabble, a row (Lnk. 1825 Jam.); 20. gae thegither, stressed as a comp. [ge:ðe′gɪðər] (1) to come together, unite, close (Sh., Arg., Kcb., Rxb. 1953); (2) fig. to get married; stressed as a phr. [′ge:ðə′gɪðər]; (3) to consort (of lovers), to court; Gen.Sc.; 21. gae throw, (1) to waste, squander (money), esp. in phr. to gae throw't, to become bankrupt, penniless; Gen.Sc.; hence †gae-through-land, n., a bankrupt; (2) to bungle, make a botch of (a story, sermon, etc.); to blunder in speaking, commit solecisms, mix Scots and English (Cai., ne.Sc.); also in phrs. to gae through ither, to make a mess of things (Abd., Ags.¹⁸ Fif.¹⁴ 1953), to gae through oneself, to tell a story that contradicts itself (Kcb.¹⁰ 1953); (3) n., †(a) a storm in a tea-cup, “a great tumult or prodigious bustle, often about a small affair” (Rxb. 1825 Jam.; ‡1923 Watson W.-B.); cf. Ca' through, 2. (2); †(b) labour; difficulty (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 225); †22. gae to, to set (of the sun), found only in vbl.n. gaïn-to (Sc. 1825 Jam.); obs. since 17th cent. in Eng.; 23. gae wi', (1) to keep company with (one of the opposite sex), to court: Gen.Sc.; also in colloq. and dial. Eng.; †(2) to destroy, make away with; also in Nhb. dial.; (3) gae wi anesel, to take oneself off, get along; (4) to go pleasantly and smoothly with (ne.Sc., Per. 1975); 24. gae (a') with (wo(r)th), see Worth.1. Ags. 1920 D. H. Edwards Men & Manners 237:
She gradually became frail and “sair fashed wi' a gaen-aboot trouble — rheums.”2. Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.:
“Yea, lamb, he's gaen afore” — that is, he has fallen over the banks or cliffs.Sh. 1886 G. Temple Britta 33:
“I'm da eldest o' da hail o' them, incep Malcolm. Dere wis anither, bit he's gaen afore!” “Gone before?” “Yea — dround. It's wir wy o' speakin'.”Ork. 1887 Jam.:
If a man falls over the pier, he is said to have “gaen afore the quay.”Ork. 1949 in E. Marwick Anthology Ork. Verse 131:
It's six year bye come Lammas, Sin' he gaed afore the face.4. (1) Peb. 1817 R. D. C. Brown Lintoun Green v. vii.:
Gae bring the Doctor, or a' houp Will vanish frae my eyes — I'm ga-an away!!Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 37:
Gin dey mak' a mock o' ane anither i' the gane-awa land, Best kens, for I ken no'.Rxb. 1887 Trans. Hawick Arch. Soc. (1949) 17:
On the Sabbath before his death I got a message from him in homely phrase “that he would like to have a crack with me before he gaed awa.”s.Sc. 1887 R. Allan Poems 125:
And nought could daunten us ava Till our auld gudeman he gaed awa'.(2) Fif. 1894 A. S. Robertson Provost 27:
It was when he was haudin' forth aboot the sea, an' its michty waves, an' a' the mysteries o' the deep, that she gaed awa in a fit.Lnk.¹ 1929:
A kin o' gaun-awa'-ness comes ower me, whan I try to rise.(3) Sc. 1823 J. G. Lockhart Reg. Dalton I. 205:
“What a beautiful, beautiful town,” cried Reginald, as they were about to get in. . . . “Gae wa', gae wa',” roared Saunders, “ye've never seen Bonny Dundee, my boys.”Sc. 1824 Scott St Ronan's W. xvi.:
“Does this minister of yours come much into company?” “Company? — gae wa',” replied Meg, “he keeps nae company at a'.”Ayr. 1890 J. Service Notandums 75:
“G'wa'! g'wa!” quo' she, “wi' your ravlins and dressin'!”Ags. 1894 J. Inglis Oor Ain Folk xi.:
Gae wa' wi' ye. Fu' could I guess?Edb. 1894 P. H. Hunter J. Inwick iv.:
“Me an elder!” says I; “g'wa wi' ye, minister, ye're takin your nap aff me.”Abd. 1931 Abd. Press & Jnl. (5 Dec.):
This led to loud expostulations from the young chaps. “G'wa, feyther,” they exclaimed derisively, “ye're a' wrang, min!”5. Sc. 1718 T. Boston Memoirs (1853) 304:
She having become scarce of milk, and child begun to go back. Sc. 1732 W. Fraser Chiefs of Grant (1883) II. 302, 310:
Anxiously inquireing at him into the reasons why this mariage has gon back. . . . A letter upon the going back of my marriage.Ayr. 1889 H. Johnston Glenbuckie xii.:
The kye, who are such timorous creatures, may go back in their milk with fear.Sc. 1952 Sporting Post (9 Aug.) 1:
The standard of Scottish football has definitely gone back. They don't have the players now that they had in my day.Rxb.⁴ 1953:
He's gaen back ever since he's gaen to that schule. He's gaen back ever since he hed yon accident. Thae neeps are gaun back.6. (1) Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems 251:
He does the public aid solicit; And those who were his friends before, He hopes they'll no gae by his door.m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 33:
ye're daft, said ma auld-mither,
he'll spend it on the drink. But I couldna jist gae bye him.(2) Ags. 1822 A. Balfour Farmers' Three Daughters I. 253:
The lassie's surely gane by hersel'! Disna a cothie, weel-furnished house signify?(3) Ayr. 1788 Burns Duncan Gray i.:
Weary fa' you, Duncan Gray! . . . Wae gae by you, Duncan Gray.Ayr. 1796 Burns Here's his Health 5–6:
O, wae gae by his wanton sides, Sae brawly's he could flatter!7. (1) Sc. 1803 Scott Minstrelsy III. 89:
The lasses and lads stood on the walls, Crying, “Hughie the Græme, thou'se ne'er gae down.”(2) (a) Sc. 1816 Scott Antiquary iv.:
[We] built this bit thing here that ye ca' the — the — Praetorian, and a' just for a bield at auld Aiken Drum's bridal, and a bit blithe gae-down we had in't.(b) Sc. 1825 Jam.:
A gude gae-down, a keen appetite.Edb. 1894 P. H. Hunter J. Inwick xvii.:
It was a puir meal we made atween us. I hadna my üsual guid gae-doun, an' as for Jess, she juist made a show o' eatin.(c) Sc. 1746 Origins of the '45 (S.H.S.) 251:
A large bowl full of creme, of which he took two or three hearty go-downs.s.Sc. 1897 E. Hamilton Outlaws ii.:
There's mony ane . . . wadna need telling what to say . . . gin she'd steppit . . . to bring them a gaedoun of milk.11. Rnf. 1861 J. Barr Poems 16:
The callant's fairly gane frae meat; He canna sleep at nicht.Ags. 1945 “S. A. Duncan” Mary Ann 19:
Wi' that he gaed oot, slammin' the door ahent him, an' for a while we gaed fae speakin'.12. (1) Lnk. 1844 J. Lemon St Mungo 49:
We played aye at twalhours, Until the schule gaed in.(2) Ayr.⁹ 1952:
This jumper's gane in i' the wash.(3) Edb. 1894 P. H. Hunter J. Inwick vi.:
Of coorse I didna gae in wi' his opeenions.(4) Sc. 1727 Session Papers, Petition Rev. J. Monro (31 Jan.):
By the above Narrative, your Lordships see, that it is now going in Four Years since my Process was begun, and near Two since my Modification was decerned.Edb. 1828 W. Roughead Burke and Hare (1921) 147:
"How old are you?" "Going in sixteen." Dmb. 1846 W. Cross Disruption xiv.:
I'm gaun in my ane-and-twenty.13. Sc. 1881 A. Mackie Scotticisms 16:
You are not to go into my drawer.Sc. 1950 Weekly Scotsman (15 Sept.):
There are other expressions which should not be taken literally, such as: “Go into my handbag and get my purse.”15. (1) Fif. 1894 J. Menzies Our Town x.:
What are ye a' gaun on aboot? Can ye no lat a bodie sleep?Sh. 1899 Shet. News (22 July):
He wis gaein on ta get a bonnie skin fir a fit-bass, an' he'll no want ane noo.(2) Gsw. 1955 J. Fullerton Miller in Moira Burgess and Hamish Whyte Streets of Stone (1985) 119:
Toggy lifted two of his hen birds. 'Goan, lassies, fetch them two fellas to your faither.'Gsw. 1977 Alan Spence in Moira Burgess and Hamish Whyte Streets of Stone (1985) 159:
'Gawn yersel!' said Kenny, as some of the others shouted encouragement and took up the rhythm, beating it out on the furniture or clapping their hands.Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 28:
gaun A local pronunciation of go on. Used on its own or with an insulting name it is a term of rude dimissal: 'Gaun ya daft eejit ye!' Gaun yersel is a phrase of encouragement or approval, perhaps coming from fooball in the sense of a player making a long run. I was once present at a rally in Queen's Park which was addressed by Tony Benn. Amidst the applause and cheering that followed his speech a wee Glasgow wifie was heard to cry "Gaun yersel Mr Bogeyman!'Gsw. 1988 George MacDonald Fraser The Sheikh and the Dustbin (1989) 66:
"Get tore in, McCaw! Go on yersel!"Gsw. 1990 Moira Burgess in Hamish Whyte and Janice Galloway New Writing Scotland 8: The Day I Met the Queen Mother 2:
'Whitsa matter wi you?' he yelled. 'No good enough or whit?' he dragged out another can and his crooked finger could hardly find the ring. ''S aw you're gettin. Lea it, gaun, fuckin sterve.'Sc. 1991 Sunday Times 10 Nov :
Non-natives of Scotland, or those who have been educated away, might argue that the Scots language is in no danger of extinction, citing "gaun yersel", "see you Jimmy, yurr blootered so ye ur" and other quaint Glaswegian phrases to prove it.Edb. 1999:
Goan, get me a bag o chips!16. Sc. 1814 Scott Waverley xxxix.:
I thought my best chance for payment was e'en to gae out mysell.Sc. 1825 Jam.:
He gaed out in the Forty-five.Sc. 1858 E. B. Ramsay Reminisc. (1874) vii.:
One of the lairds . . . proposed to go out, on the occasion of one of the risings for the Stuarts.Fif. 1895 “S. Tytler” Macdonald Lass viii.:
The rest of their branch of the clan had gone “out” with the Prince in the recent rebellion.17. (1) Sc. 1819 J. Rennie St Patrick II. x.:
Listen — wasna yon a skreigh? I think it'll ne'er gae out o' my min'. I ditted my ears with canna down, but it ne'er gaes owre the ring.n.Sc. 1825 Jam.:
“That gaes owre me,” it surpasses my ability.Ags. 1857 “Inceptor” Tom of Wiseacre 44:
Gie'm a het ane or twa [pandies], Sandy, for he'll gae o'er's a' thegither.Mry. 1873 J. Brown Round Table Club 263:
“The deil's gane ower Jock Wabster!” exclaimed Saunders. “Gweed save a' body!” [see further s.v. Jock.](2) Cai. 1776 Weekly Mag. (25 Jan.) 145:
What pickle's this you're in? — Your pobrach pow Is a' gaen o'er wi' feathers, caff an' tow.Sh. 1877 G. Stewart Fireside Tales 42:
Da kail . . . dat's gaen ower wi' shickenwirt.18. Dmf. 1836 A. Cunningham Lord Roldan II. xi.:
Wha looks after yere wee wheels, and . . . yere mony gae rounds when yere awa?19. (1) wm.Sc. 1888 Anon. Archie Macnab 56:
The voices ceased, twa doors gaed tae wi' a bang.(2) Dmf. 1836 A. Cunningham Lord Roldan I. vii.:
Because she wadna bow the knee to Baal and worship their saints . . there was a grand gae to.20. (1) wm.Sc. 1868 Laird of Logan 177:
Your een are just gan thegither.(2) Sc. 1794 J. Ritson Sc. Songs I. 203:
We are but young, ye ken, And now we're gawn the gither.Lnk. 1853 W. Watson Poems 31:
'Tis certain that Janet took up wi' a jo, . . . hows'ever they gaed na thegither.Sh. 1886 J. Burgess Sk. & Poems 31:
I truly wid laek ta see dem gaain tagedder.(3) wm.Sc. 1888 Anon. Archie Macnab 12:
We've gane thegither lang enough, Jist lang enough for me.Ags. 1891 A. Lowson Trad. Frfsh. iii.:
They were, in the homely phraseology of the town, “gaen th'gither.”21. (1) Sc. 1808 Jam.:
He gade throw aw his gear.Abd. 1828 Clerk Tamas xiii. in Buchan Ballads I. 45:
Wou'd I forsake my ain gude lord, And follow you, a gae-through-land?Abd. a.1880 W. Robbie Yonderton (1929) 157:
Aw winner fat's come o' Tam noo; he wiz a great man for a file, bit aw believe he gaed a' throw't i' the hinner en'.Ags. 1880 J. E. Watt Poet. Sk. 81:
The showman gaed through't, an' when a'thing was gane, As a beggar he tried to mak' use o' the wean.(2) Sc. 1808 Jam.:
He gaed through his discourse; he lost his recollection, so as not to deliver it rightly.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxxvi.:
Noo, min' yer nae to gae throu' yer gremmar gin' Sir Seemon speer onything aboot the Free Kirk at ye.Ags. 1891 J. M. Barrie Little Minister iii.:
“I didna say it to Mr Urquhart, the ane that preached second,” Sneck said. “That was the lad that gaed through ither.”Edb. 1897 P. H. Hunter J. Armiger's Revenge 107:
It was plain to a'body that there was somethin' faur wrang wi' him last Sabbath. I thocht he wad ha' gaen through his discoorse a'thegither.Bch. 1932 J. White Moss Road 110:
What sorra . . . possesses the fool woman to discuss motors an' suchlike havers wi' a man o' sense an' learnin'! An' in English, too, that she goes through like a stone through a wet poke.23. (1) Rnf. 1807 R. Tannahill Poems (1900) 202:
She's gi'en him the gunk and she's gaun wi' Willy.Sh. 1886 J. Burgess Sk. & Poems 128:
I geed wi' her twa winters.(2) Slk. 1818 Hogg B. of Bodsbeck I. iii.:
They had amaist gane wi' a' the gairs i' our North Grain.Lth., Upp.Lnk., Rxb. 1825 Jam. s.v. gang:
The weans are gaun wi' the grosets.(3)Wgt. 1877 "Saxon" Gall. Gossip 158:
He . . . told her to be gaun wi' hersel.(4)Sc. 1776 D. Herd Sc. Songs II. 45:
A' the wark about the town Gaes wi' me when I see him.

V. Phrases: 1. a gaun fit's aye gettin, people already involved acquire more involvement (Sh., Bnff., Abd., Ags., Ayr., Dmf. 2000s). 2. gae a bonnie length, -one's length, see Lenth; 3. go about the bush, to approach a matter in a roundabout manner, to resort to circumlocutions (Ags.¹⁹, Slg.³, m.Lth.¹, Uls.⁴ 1952); used in Eng. up to 18th cent. but now replaced by to beat —; 4. gae back fire, see Back-fire; 5. gae done, to become exhausted, be used up, come to an end; Gen.(exc. I.)Sc.; 6. gae i(n) twa, to break, snap, divide into two (Sc. 1825 Jam.; ne.Sc. 1954); 7. gae lie, to go to bed (Wgt. 1900 E.D.D.; Gall., Rxb.⁴ 1953), “to take to bed through illness” (Rxb.⁵ 1953); fig. of the sun: to set; 8. gae on leike a tuim mill, to pursue a vigorous course of action, to go “the whole hog” (Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 11); 9. gae one's (a) dinger, see Dinger, n., 3.; 10. gae one's ends, see En, n., 6.; 11. gae one's miles, see Mile; 12. gae one's reegs, see Rig; 13. gae one's ways, see Wey; 14. gae through the fluir (grund, yirth, etc.), to be overcome with shame, embarrassment, astonishment; Gen.Sc.; †15. gae to the bent, to abscond (Cld. 1825 Jam.); cf. (to take) to the bent s.v. Bent, n.¹, 2., id.; 16. gae to itself, — oneself, to vanish, be lost (Sh. 1899 J. Spence Folk-Lore 120), to die (Sh. 1905 E.D.D. Suppl., -oneself); 17. gae wull, see Will.1. Gsw. 1973 Molly Weir A Toe on the Ladder (1975) 89:
Meg Buchanan had a lovely old Scottish saying, 'A gaun fit's aye gettin'.'Sc. 1995 Scotsman 29 Dec 11:
Ae scabbit sheep will smit a hail hirsel; a fool is happier thinking weel o himsel than a wise man is of ithers thinking weel o him; after dinner sit a while, after supper walk a mile; aft ettle, whiles hit.
And, one of ours: A gaun fit's aye getting ... were it but a thorn or a broken tae.3. Sc. 1819 Blackwood's Mag. IV. 621:
He never goes about the bush for a phrase.Ant. 1892 Ballymena Obs. (E.D.D.):
A'll no go aboot the bush tae tell it tae him.5. Gsw. 1863 W. Miller Nursery Songs 25:
For learning's a' worldly riches aboon — It's easy to carry, and never gaes done.Per. 1918 J. Meikle Old Session Bk. 216:
The quicker a quantity of soap went done, the more rain there must have been.7. Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 3, 195:
All new Things sturts; quoth the good Wife, when she gae'd ly to the Hireman. I will never cast off me, before I go ly.Kcb. 1789 D. Davidson Seasons 7:
The sun, bra honest light! Now o'er the lift a larger circuit takes; Gets sooner out of bed, goes later ly.Gall. 1903 per Abd.⁵:
Are ye gauna lie?Lnk. 1910 C. Fraser Glengonnar 39:
When they got to Cappereily Brae the auld auntie had gane lie, a' was in darkness.14. wm.Sc. 1835 Laird of Logan 133:
Betty M'Quat had forgotten to howk some early potatoes on the Saturday night. . . . What was to be done? Betty was like to gae through the yirth about it.

VI. Used in constr. with simple inf. to express movement to carry out the purpose of the dependent verb. Obs. in Eng. exc. dial. Ags. 1774 C. Keith Farmer's Ha' (1776) 24:
But Morpheus begins to chap, And bids them a' gae tak a nap. Ayr. 1788 Burns Silver Tassie i.:
Go' fetch to me a pint o' wine. Slk. 1820 Hogg Tales (1874) 186:
I maun gae ride, ye see. Ags. 1823 A. Balfour Glenthorn I. 142:
I maun go rin hame an' tell my mither. Per. 1857 D. Gorrie Passages 50:
We'll hae to go seek her.