Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1721, 1808-1931
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ORT, n.1, v. Also oart. Also s.Sc. variants wort, wurt. See W, letter, 3.(1). [ort]
I. n., gen. in pl.: what is useless and has been cast aside, leavings, left-over fragments, esp. of food (Ayr. 1811 W. Aiton Agric. Ayr. 693, 1923 Wilson D. Burns 177; Mry. 1925; Sh., Fif., Uls. 1964); light corn blown away in winnowing (Ags. 1857 N. & Q. (Ser. 2) iv. 19); "food for horses, the seed of hay and corn mingled together" (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 368); refuse (Dmf. 1894 Trans. Dmf. and Gall. Antiq. Soc. 158), dross; the refuse of fodder left uneaten by animals (s.Sc. 1825 Jam., worts; ‡Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., worts, wurts). Also fig. Now only dial. in Eng.Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 96:
Evening Oarts is good Morning Foder. Spoken when a Man Breakfasts upon what he left for Supper.Ayr. 1822 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage 77:
A depository for fish offal, and other orts of the town.Sc. 1827 Scott Letters (Cent. Ed.) X. 203:
I doubt that the Whigs will be satisfied with their share of orts and grains.Sc. 1832 A. Henderson Proverbs 16:
Mak nae orts o' gude hay.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 121:
Laddie, gang an' tack a puckle horse orts, an' bed the pigs.Abd. 1884 D. Grant Lays 77:
Toils to free for trustfu' readers Sober facts fae gossips' orts.Ayr. 1892 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage 237:
Whaur will I find this Andro Keir, The orts o' lawless men?Dmf. 1899 Country Schoolmaster (Wallace) 339:
They jib their kye, feed them on orts and locks.Edb. 1916 T. W. Paterson Wyse-Sayin's xvii. 3:
There's a pat for takin the orts oot o' siller.Sc. 1928 Scots Mag. (May) 144:
And man, man, what hae we dune wi't? Coost it wi' the orts!Abd.4 1931:
A heap o' foul oarts for ae clean winlin — said in contempt of one who has been praised, or set up as example to others.
II. v. 1. To reject, throw away, refuse (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Edb., Kcb. 1930); to deal wastefully with food, as by picking out the best parts and casting aside the rest (Uls. 1931 Northern Whig (5 Dec.) 13; Kcb.3 1939), or by crumbling it (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.); to waste, spoil or use unthriftily, esp. of food or fodder (s.Sc. 1825 Jam., wort); also fig. used of flirting or love affairs as in a. 1838 quot. Also with over (Uls. 1931 Northern Whig (9 Dec.) 11); to pick out what is to be rejected (Kcb. 1964), to pick and choose; to distribute wastefully and extravagantly (Ork. 1929 Marw.). Vbl.n. pl. o(a)rtins, -ans, left-over scraps or fragments, leavings (Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl., 1931 Northern Whig (9 Dec.) 11; Bte. 1959).wm.Sc. 1808 Jam.:
The lasses nowadays ort nane of God's creatures; the reflection of an old woman, as signifying that in our times young women are by no means nice in their choice of husbands.Bwk. a.1838 Jam. MSS. XI. 216:
Wort . . . is used in a singular sense, in regard to toying with females: "That chield worts the women"; it is said when a young fellow salutes one and neglects another.wm.Sc. 1868 Laird of Logan 511 Add.:
"Ort the man's dochters"; a saw, signifying to make Jacob's selection in the order of a family — to pass the elder, and marry the younger.
2. To work energetically but in a rough and therefore wasteful manner.Ork. 1929 Marw.:
He's ortan in it like an ox in an oot-dyke.
