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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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

GRUTE, n., v. Also gruit, grut, groot, grout; grøt (Jak.). [Sc. grøt, Ork. grut, grʌut]

I. n. 1. Thick sediment, esp. the sediment of oil made from fish-livers (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., grute, 1914 Angus Gl., grüt; Ork. 1922 J. Firth Reminisc. 151, groot, 1929 Marw.; Cai. 1907 D. B. Nicolson in County of Cai. 73, Cai. 1955); any thin liquid mess of food, mud, etc. (Ork.⁴ 1955); “oil for wool-carding” (Sh. 1913 J. M. Hutcheson W.-L., grüte; Cai.⁴ c.1920).

Hence (1) grootie, adj., of oil: full of sediment, dirty (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), 1914 Angus Gl.; Ork. 1955, grootie); (2) grootins, n.pl., any dirty, oily thing (Sc. 1911 S.D.D. Add.). Also in combs. grootie barrel, grooty-pig, a barrel or jar for holding oil rendered from fish livers (Ork. 1929 Marw.; Sh. 1955), grootie kettle, the pot or cauldron in which the livers were boiled (Sh. 1955), also grotty-, grutty- (Ib.); (3) gruito, the drain or channel in a byre, the Gruip (Ork. 1929 Marw.).(1) Ork.¹ 1940:
Thir's some grooty oil in yin flask.Sh. 1953 New Shetlander No. 35. 5:
An weel I mind whin I was young, Da kollie hingin doon, aa gröttie.

2. Extended to denote “any dirty evil-smelling substance” (Cai. 1907 D. B. Nicolson in County of Cai. 74), an unseemly mixture (Cai.³ 1940); “potato soup” (Fif. 1916 T.S.D.C. II., grout).

Hence (1) groutie, adj., roughish, gritty (Upper Cld. 1825 Jam.). In Yks. dial. = full of sediment; (2) gruitly, awkward, messy, complicated

II. v. To grub, poke about amongst muddy or messy matter (Cai.⁹ 1939, groot; Ork., Cai. 1955). Hence grootin, messy (Ork.⁵ 1955, “a grootin job”).