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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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GIZZEN, v., adj. Also giz(e)n, geezen, geizen, -an, g(e)yzen, guizen, ga(i)z(e)n; gjizzen, gis(s)en (Jak.), †gjaesn (Sh.), giezen, †gizzin, -an, †geysen, -an, †gysen, -an, -on, †geisen, -an, -in; †gisan (Sc. 1821 Blackwood's Mag. (Jan.) 432), giesen (Dmf. 1910 J. Corrie Glencairn 147), ¶guisan (s.Sc. 1926 "H. McDiarmid" Penny Wheep 27), ¶gizz, ¶geyzing. [Sc. ′gɪzən, ′gəiz-, ′gi:z-, but Ork., Arg., Uls. + ′gez-, Rxb. + ′gɪs-]

I. v. Most commonly used in ppl.adj. Cf. Kizen.

1. Of wood or anything made of wood: to shrink, warp, become leaky owing to dryness. Gen.Sc.Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 221:
The Ships lang gyzen'd at the Peer Now spread their Sails and smoothly steer.Edb. 1773 R. Fergusson Poems (1925) 3:
My kirnstaff now stands gizzand at the door, My cheese-rack toom that ne'er was toom before.Kcb. 1789 D. Davidson Seasons 112:
After ilk shot he'd tak' a drap, An', bann wi' birr the geezen'd cap.Sc. 1824 Scott St. Ronan's W. ii.:
Crackit quart-stoups and geisen'd barrels.Abd. 1827 J. Imlah May Flowers 121:
O! never drouth — my boozin' bowl! Thy girded ribs shall gizzen.Fif. 1835 R. Gilfillan Songs 229:
Ye've lang had cause to glunch an' gloom, Your quaich's been gyzened sair an' toom.wm.Sc. 1835 Laird of Logan 92:
Better . . . sautless than sillerless, and is't no better to hae a sairy sautfat, than a geyzened girnal?Ork. 1904 Dennison Sketches 1:
Bit sheu [boat] hed lain gaznan' i' the sun.Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 19:
An i simmer . . . wud turns geizant and ern lowps abreed.Bnff. 1934 J. M. Caie Kindly North 37:
The neeps were fozy, cankert, wizen't, The wallies failed, the bowies gizen't.Sc. 1987 T. S. Law in Joy Hendry Chapman 50-1 148:
... That same crynin draps the sneck in snodlie, the gaizent brodes growne free ne.Sc. 1996 Ronald W. McDonald in Sandy Stronach New Wirds: An Anthology of winning poems and stories from the Doric Writing Competitions of 1994 and 1995 68:
Her hert thumpit lik a stame mull; her lungs gaspit lik a gizzent kist o whustles, an thair wis a steek in her side lik a red-het needle.

2. Extended uses: (1) used lit. and fig. of things or persons in gen.: to be or become dried up, withered and shrivelled (Fif.¹⁴ c.1944 (of shoe-leather); Sh.¹⁰, Ork.⁵, ne.Sc. 1954).Edb. 1792 in Scots Mag. (April 1947) 69:
But gie to me a bright nor'-east, And eke a geezen'd sky.Slk. 1818 Hogg Wool-gatherer (1874) 80:
Deed, Rob, I'll just speak as I think; there sall naething gyzen i' my thrapple that my noddle pits there.Sc. 1844 Sc. Songs (Whitelaw) 243:
Now winter comes, wi' breath sae snell, And nips wi' frost the gizen'd gowan.Ags. 1853 W. Blair Chron. Aberbrothock viii.:
She was sair forfochen for lang wi' an ill cauld she teuk, and her speerits, it seems, begood to geizen.Edb. 1856 J. Ballantine Poems 30:
The soil, a' gizen'd sair before, Is filled wi' moisture to the core.Lnk. 1895 W. Stewart Lilts and Larks 77:
There's his aunties an' his uncles — Geezent, weezent, auld carbuncles.Uls. 1901 J. W. Byers Lecture 11 in North. Whig:
A friend of mine, on a very warm sunny day, during a hot summer, meeting an old woman on the road, said, "That's a very warm day." "Yes, sir," she replied, "I am beginnin' to gazen."Abd. 1942 Scots Mag. (July) 275:
He bocht aul' gizzen't horse an' kye, An' scrimpit muck an' seed.Abd. 1995 Flora Garry Collected Poems 23:
Bit the Spring o the year'll thowe the nirlt grun,
Slocken the gizzent gowan-reet, kennle the funn, ... em.Sc. 1999 James Robertson The Day O Judgement 23:
"Ablow the beuchspreid set ye doun:
It's bloom will niver gizzen or dee;
Like mavises amang the green
Tune up yer tungs in praise o me. ... "

(2) To be parched with thirst, gen. of the throat and referring to strong drink (Sh., Ork., Abd., Ags. 1954). Also fig. Rarely tr. = to parch, dry up.Edb. 1772 R. Fergusson Poems (1925) 16:
And swallow o'er a dainty soup, For fear they gizzen.Abd. 1778 in A. Ross Works (S.T.S.) 5:
May thrist thy thrapple never gizzen!Sc. 1795 Scots Mag. (Nov.) 720:
My wazen now, I doubt nor fear, Shall be well season't, Wi' plenty o' the best o' chear, For faith it's gyson't!Ayr. 1816 A. Boswell Poet. Wks. (1871) 150:
Wark, ye ken yersels, brings drouth, Wha can thole a gaizen'd mouth.Cai. 1829 J. Hay Poems 46:
And if the thirst wad gizz his wizzen.Per. 1835 J. Monteath Dunblane Trad. 78:
Two days slockened him, — and, as he expressed it, "kept him from geyzenin'" for several months.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xlix.:
Yet when one is "gizzen't" for want of news some shift must be made.Sc. 1923 R. Macrailt Hoolachan 30:
Afore I'd gotten richt upon my feet, and pu'd mysel' thegither, my gizzen'd thrapple — I mean my throat — wad ha'e been soothed.

II. adj. 1. Of wooden vessels: cracked, leaky, in consequence of drought (Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems, Gl.; Abd.⁴ 1929; Sh.¹⁰, Ork.⁵, Ags.¹⁹, Per.⁴, Knr.¹, m.Lth.¹, Rxb.⁴ 1954).n.Sc. 1825 Jam.:
To gang gizzen, to break out into chinks from want of moisture, a term applied to casks, etc.Arg. 1914 N. Munro New Road xi.:
Here's this bitch of a boat, and she's geyzing like a boyne. I doubt she'll not can stay afloat till we reach the other side.Abd. 1937 Abd. Press & Jnl. (27 Aug.):
A coggie a wee thrum gizzen at the lyagin.

2. Dry, parched, shrivelled (Sh.¹⁰, Rxb.⁴ 1954), lit. and fig.Rs. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ III. 390:
There is a sand bank, called the Gizzin Briggs . . . extending from the Ross to the Sutherland side.Mry. 1806 J. Cock Simple Strains 82:
My Muse is maistly grown gizzen, But that 'ill sort her.Sc. 1809 Scots Mag. (Aug.) 608:
Nought cares the polish'd man o' wealth, Tho' wizzen wame and a' gae gizzen.Bnff. 1844 T. Anderson Poems 51:
I scarcely thought rhymes could be made Whan throats ware gizzen.