Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1854-1925
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GRAY, n.2 An arithmetic book written by James Gray, schoolmaster of Peebles (1781–1810), and much in use in Scottish schools during the 19th c. Hist.Kcd. 1854 W. Jamie Emigrant's Family 48:
Lammer beads, and keys to Gray, Tobacco pipes and baas.Per. a.1869 C. Spence Poems (1898) 84:
Our teachers shelve the Grays and grammars.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb ix.:
To have gone well through the inevitable "Gray," rule by rule, and yet be unable to face a very plain question in "Proportion" or "Practice," without heartfelt dread if it happened to lie outside of Mr Gray's "examples."Lnk. 1880 P. M'Arthur Amusements 40:
Their "Grays" an' their grammars seem dry books o' lear.Bwk. 1897 R. M. Calder Poems 265:
An' admonished to be eydent Owre oor "Lennie's" an' oor "Gray's."Knr. 1925 J. L. Robertson Horace 177:
Straucht through the Gray his way he urged, Nae coont he missed, nae answer forged.
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"Gray n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/gray_n2>
