Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

NA, adv.³ Also nae (Lnk. 1875 T. Stewart Doric Rhyme 12), neh, ni(h); no (Abd. 1895 J. Davidson Old Abd. Ministers 102, ne.Sc. 1963) and reduced form -in. Used interrog. or precatively at the end of a sentence or sense group (s.Sc. 1873 D.S.C.S., neh; Ags. 1899 Barrie W. in Thrums vii.; Ayr. 1923 Wilson Dial. Burns 70; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., nae, neh, nih), the gen. force being to tone down or apologise for the directness or abruptness of the question, request or statement, = now, then. For comb. noona(e), -nih, -nie, -ny, see Noo, 2. (6). [nə, ne.Sc. + no]Ayr. 1833 J. Kennedy Geordie Chalmers 215:
“Was ye ever at the Green Oak in your travels! ” “Once, sir.” “Juist na.”Edb. a.1850 J. Smith Hum. Sc. Stories (1875) 62:
I ken ye'll be for a fine braw cod, na.Lth. 1857 Misty Morning 67, 240:
Jist sit ye doun there, nae . . . Ye needna be sae thrawart and cam-stram naither nae.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb vii., xi.:
Did the wifie Wull come hame wi' yer aunt an' you, no?. . . . “The stibble lan', likein'? ” “Ay, ay, stibbles.”Rxb. 1873 Trans. Hawick Arch. Soc. 202:
Where die leeve na, gin a may speer?Ags. 1880 A. M. Soutar Hearth Rhymes 38:
What's i' the wind na' the nicht?Kcb. 1897 Crockett Lad's Love xvi.:
Nance will hae been writin' regularly-na?Abd. 1914 J. Leatham Daavit 36:
Fat kin' o' a dog wid ye ca' that, ni'?Fif. 1926 I. Farquhar Pickletillie 80:
Ye'll be thrang puttin' in the seed, nae?Lnk. 1951 G. Rae Howe o' Braefoot 74:
“Let me see nae,” and Peter gazed on the ceiling to work out his arithmetical problem.