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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

PLACE, n., v. Also plaice; pleece (Cai. 1909 D. Houston 'E Silkie Man (1935) 18). See P.L.D. § 157. (1); pless, pliss. Dim. placie, plaicie. Sc. forms and usages. See also Piece.

I. n.

Sc. forms of Eng. place.Dundee 1996 Matthew Fitt Pure Radge 6:
an intirfaith drug ring
set up shoap
ben in oor cludgie
an the eejit that stuck the heid
on aa the mirrors in the pless
wull no schaa his fess roon heir again
in a hurryEdb. 2003:
She wis the only wumman in the pliss.

Sc. usages:

1. As in Eng. Used adv. in pl. = to or into places. Cf. sim. U.S. usage to go places. Sc. combs. and phrs.: (1) adv. phr. nae (ony, some, etc.) place, no- (any-, some-, etc.) where (Ayr. 1923 Wilson D. Burns 65). Gen.Sc. Also as n., as in 1876 quot.; (2) place of repentance, see Repentance; (3) the bad place, = (5) (ne.Sc. 1966); (4) the guid place, -gueede-, Heaven, Paradise (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 27; Sc. 1880 Jam.; Sh., 1966); (5) the ill place, Hell, the nether regions (Ib.). See also Piece, n.; and Ill, I.m.Lth. 1857 Misty Morning 20:
It'll maybe learn him no tae clim' an' crawl places whaur he's nae business.(1) Ayr. 1786 Burns Twa Dogs 11:
Whalpet some place far abroad.Ayr. 1786 Burns Hallowe'en xiv.:
I daur you try sic sportin, As seek the foul Thief onie place.Rnf. 1876 D. Gilmour Pen' Folk 1:
The dear old corner (“Naeplace”, we called it) where we used to congregate at gloamings.Sc. 1964:
Aye, A'm gaein some place else.m.Sc. 1987 Andrew Cowan in Iain Crichton Smith Scottish Short Stories 1987 100:
'Spain and that,' said George. 'We wis over there as well, me and Josie. Didnae see you anyplace.'(3) Mry. 1898 J. Slater Seaside Idylls 95:
I thocht I saw the baad place, an' the gleams.(4) wm.Sc. 1837 Laird of Logan 142:
I dreamt that I was dead, and that I gaed awa to the gude place.Lth. c.1895 D. Cuthbertson Auld Kirk Minister 95:
She will never get to the good place.(5) Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin iv.:
Three mile o' gait beyont the Ill-Place.Rnf. 1876 D. Gilmour Pen' Folk 52:
I'll never believe the Lord ordeens ony ane tae the ill place.

2. As in Eng., now chiefly dial., the mansion-house of an estate (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Lth. 1926 Wilson Cent. Scot. 259; Sc. 1952 W. M. Alexander Place-Names Abd. (S.C.) 352), commonly as a place-name in phr. The Place of —. Combs. manor-place, id.; place-seat, the pew in a church assigned to the local landed family.Sc. 1713 R. Wodrow Analecta (M.C.) II. 163:
He lived in a country house near the place of Foulis.Ork. 1725 A. Peterkin Notes (1822) 213:
When the pyrates landed they . . . marched with their armes towards the manner place.Sc. 1773 Boswell Journal (Pottle 1936) 372:
I was glad to have at length a very fine day, on which I could show Dr Johnson the Place of my family.Abd. 1791 J. Newte Tour 171:
It was the mansion, or manor-place of the Barony of Philorth.Per. 1802 S. Kerr Poems 8:
Sin that time whan we coft the cow, Down at Balrachan place.Ayr. 1826 Galt Last of the Lairds v.:
Jock inquired if I was for “The Place,” as the house of Auldbiggings was commonly called by the servants and villagers.Fif. 1831 Fife Herald (4 Aug.):
The Place, or Home Farm, contains about 200 acres.Dmb. 1863 St. Andrews Gazette (19 Dec.):
The front seat in the north gallery, commonly known as the “Place Seat,” as it belongs to the House of Cumbernauld.Gall. 1876 M. M. Harper Rambles 250:
The ancient tower or castle called the Old Place of Mochrum.Peb. 1964 Stat. Acc.³ 95:
Kilbucho Place — “Place” is the usual term for the principal estate residence in these parts.

3. Gen. in dim. form placie, a small farm or croft (Ork., n.Sc., Ags. 1966). Comb. ferm-place, id.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xxxv.:
Andro Souter's farm placie, bein' within twa oors' journey o' Dundee.Cai. 1871 M. MacLennan B. Blake ii. xxiii.:
I hae got a bit o' a plaice oot awa' at the back o' Fanflare. I'll hae twa score acre for saxteen pun o' rent.Abd. 1912 Buchan Assoc. Mag. (Jan.) 1:
Nae very big, jist a twa-horse placie.Fif. 1926 I. Farquhar Pickletillie 123:
Beechknow wad jist be an ordinar' ferm placie withoot the beeches.Kcd. 1933 L. G. Gibbon Cloud Howe (1937) 15:
He moved to Glenbervie and there took a place.Ork. 1956 C. M. Costie Benjie's Bodle 58:
If the Peerie Laird wad sign a paper maakan the placie tae him.Abd. 1964 Scots Mag. (Aug.) 463:
Long before subsidies were thought of, the sale of the stirk was reckoned to pay the rent of many a “wee placie” in Lowland as well as Highland Scotland.

4. In Mining: the length of coal-face assigned to each miner, “a room in stoop-and-room working” (Sc. 1886 J. Barrowman Mining Terms 51; Ayr. 1966).w.Fif. 1952 B. Holman Diamond Panes 58:
He looked out for a “place o' his ain” when he would be allocated a small part of the coal “face” in one of the coal seams to produce the coal.Dmf. 1962 J. C. I. McConnel Upper Nithsdale Coalworks 56:
A Place is where two miners work as “neighbours”, generally an older and a younger man. A place was the heading or room between pillars.

5. In dim. form with def. art., a nick-name or familiar name for the town of Forfar in Angus (Ags. 1966).Ags. 1928 H. Lauder Roamin' 109:
Forfar is known far and near as “The Plaicie”.

II. v. 1. As in Eng. Deriv. placer, a kind of playing marble, one placed in the centre of the ring to be knocked out (Ags., Edb. 1966).

2. In the Presbyterian Church: to settle a licentiate or Probationer minister in his first charge; also occas. to induct an ordained minister to a new charge. Vbl.n. placing, the appointment by the Presbytery of a minister-elect to his new congregation, sometimes loosely used to include the ceremony of ordination or induction. Comb. placed minister, -clergyman, an ordained or practising clergyman in charge of a parish or congregation.Sc. 1733 P. Lindsay Interest Scot. 124:
Where one placed Minister dies at least three young men are licensed.Sc. 1818 Scott H. Midlothian vi.:
Butler replied, that he was in orders, but was not a placed minister.Ayr. 1821 Galt Annals Intro. 1, 4:
I was placed and settled as the minister of Dalmailing . . . The great opposition that was made to my placing.Ags. 1864 Arbroath Guide (23 Jan.) 2:
I mind fine o' the day yet on whilk he wis placed.m.Lth. 1894 P. H. Hunter J. Inwick iii.:
I maun alloo that nae man could ha' düne better, for a guid while after he was placed.Kcb. 1898 Crockett Standard Bearer xii.:
I ken I am too young and light and foolish to be fit company even for a probationer, let alone a placed minister.Uls. 1902 A. McIlroy Druid's Island 77:
Wad ye tak' him to be a place't man or a laycentiate?Fif. 1905 S. Tytler Daughter of Manse II. v.:
Only the bands of a “placed” minister was wanted to make his fitting costume complete.Rxb. 1916 Kelso Chron. (17 March) 4:
Aa'm just gaun away up tae see Nell and hear aboot the placin' o' the minister.