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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

PLOT, v., n. Also plott; ploat (Fif. 1909 Colville 308); plowt, plout; and erron. plett; irreg. ¶plat; quasi-dim. form plottie (Sc. 1852 S. R. Whitehead Two Families I. 185).

I. v. 1. tr. (1) To scald (an object) with boiling water in order to clean or sterilise it (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Mry. 1925; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Rxb. 1942 Zai). Gen.Sc. Combs. plot-gut, n., a jocular name for hot tea (Abd. 1931); plot(tin)-het, adj., scalding hot (n.Sc. 1825 Jam.; Abd., Fif., Dmf. 1966).Sc. 1724 Ramsay T.-T. Misc. Ded. vii.:
E'en while the tea's fill'd reeking round, Rather than plot a tender tongue.Per. 1747 J. Christie Witchcraft in Kenmore (1893) 9:
She advised them to wash and plot their milk looms well.Lnk. a.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 10:
My guidame plotted him wi the broe that was to mak our brose.Lth. 1813 G. Bruce Poems 18:
Het pints like to plot ye.Dmf. 1833 Carlyle Letters (Norton 1888) II. 91:
Our servant Nancy has plotted the skin off her foot.Abd. 1836 J. Grant Tales 57:
Sorrow plott them, gin they'll believe aught but fat they see.Ags. 1840 G. Webster Ingliston xxviii.:
The cheque napkin [from an infected corpse] he gae afterhend to the minister's lass: it was ne'er a hair the waur after it was plottit.Bwk. 1856 G. Henderson Pop. Rhymes 121:
It's plot hot, like Jock Vertue's tea.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb i.:
Another exhortation, to be sure “an' plot 'er milk dishes weel, in this byous weather.”Sh. 1900 Shetland News (22 Dec.):
Da plottin' watter wid need ta be boilin whin da gaat's head is aff.Abd. 1962 Buchan Observer (27 March) 3:
The milkin's behan' and the plottet pails stackit.

Specif. (i) to immerse (the carcase of a fowl, pig, etc.) in boiling water to facilitate the plucking or scraping process; to remove (hair, feathers, etc. from) by scalding (I. and ne.Sc., Ags., Per., Lth., wm. and sm.Sc. 1966). Comb. platting-tub, a tub for scalding a pig in.Gsw. 1718 Burgh Rec. Gsw. (1909) 5:
No flesher in either the flesh or mutton mercats kill bleed or plett [sic] any kind of beast whatsomever within any of the mercats.Sc. 1816 Scott Letters (Cent. Ed.) IV. 301:
The degradation of genius seems to give as little pain to vulgar minds as the plotting a bird does to a cook.Slk. 1818 Hogg Tales (1874) 234:
She . . . gae the butcher her gairtens to bind me, that he might get me bled, an' plottit, an' made into beef-steaks.Rnf. 1850 A. M'Gilvray Poems 198:
The colour of a plotted grumphie.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin vi.:
The haill regiment o' them [pots] lip fou o' water, for gussie to be plottit in, after having his craig nickit.Ork. 1913 Old-Lore Misc. VI. ii. 87:
A blot (wash), strong with soap and soda, was prepared in the big “platting tub” . . . (a tub made for the special purpose of scalding pigs in when they were being dressed by the butcher).Sh. 1916 J. Burgess Rasmie's Smaa Murr (Faebruary 14):
Ye canna plott a grice wi a tinny o watter.

(ii) to foment a sore by bathing it in very hot water (Dmf. 1825 Trans. Dmf. & Gall. Antiq. Soc. XIII. 35). Gen.Sc.Sc. 1899 Mont.-Fleming:
To plout a sore finger into as hot water as can be “tholed”.Edb. 1934:
Heard from a girl who was suffering from a festering little finger — “I'm awa' to plot my pinkie.”Sc. 1957 Daily Express (9 Jan.) 6:
The phrase “Plowt your finger!” — an instruction to plunge one's finger into boiling hot water if it had a “spail” in it.

(2) in gen., freq. fig., usages: to expose to great heat, to overheat, burn, roast, scorch, boil, stew; “to make any liquid scalding hot” (Sc. 1825 Jam.; ne.Sc., Ags., Per. 1966). Comb. plottit butter, butter which has become granular and lumpy through having become overheated in churning, Bursen butter (Abd.¹³1910). Ppl.adj. plottit, fig., of persons or animals: too delicately reared, fond of warmth, unable to stand cold (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 131).Abd. 1746 W. Forbes Dominie Depos'd (1777) 26:
I never sooner money got, But all my pouches it would plot, And scorch them sair, it was sae hot.Mry. 1810 J. Cock Simple Strains 136:
Now Bruntie o'er the fire was streeket, An' gat himsel' sair plotet.Kcb. 1814 W. Nicholson Tales 127:
Let Welshmen plot an' toast their cheese.Abd. 1881 W. Paul Past & Present 68:
Fan I buried my last wife I was like to be smored wi' sna', and this time I'm like to be plotted wi heat.Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr. Duguid 27:
Auld Habkin o' the Pethfit . . . scartled a wheen scadded pennies on the street at his dochter's waddin', and Stair warsled for them among the stoor, and plowted his fingers wi' the lave.Kcd. 1950 per Fif.¹⁷:
When lambs lie on a sheep's back they plot the sheep and its wool comes off.

(3) to pluck wool from a sheep or feathers from a bird (Rxb. 1825 Jam., 1923 Watson W.-B.). Also fig. to plunder, despoil, “fleece”, “skin”. Ppl.adj. plottit, bare, despoiled, plundered, having a miserable or sickly appearance (Slk. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.), also plottit-lookin, id. (Ib.): vbl.n. plottin, fleecing, plucking, used attrib. in 1818 quot.Slk. 1810 Hogg Tales (1874) 69:
The poor bit plottit, fore-foughen corby.Slk. 1818 Ib. xi.:
What's to come o' the poor bits o' plottin baggets [sheep] a' winter, is mair nor I can tell.Cld. 1882 A. Nimmo Cld. Songs 110:
When old John Knox and other some Began to plott the bags of Rome.s.Sc. 1898 E. Hamilton Mawkin xviii.:
I doot we shall be plottit as bare as a birk.

2. intr. To become very hot, “boil”. Also fig. of human beings and animals; to “stew”, swelter. Also ppl.adj. plottin, feeling or causing great heat. Gen.Sc.s.Sc. 1809 T. Donaldson Poems 141:
Yon chiel that's sitting plotin' Amang the thrums.Ags. 1891 Arbroath Guide (1 Aug.) 3:
I'm just plottin' o' heat.Bnff. 1923 Banffshire Jnl. (18 Sept.) 8:
The kirk grows close, fock's like to plot, tho' doors stan' t' the wa'.Abd.⁷1925:
Persons who are very angry declare that they are “plottin wi' rage”.Kcd. 1961 Dundee Courier (22 April) 6:
I was "plottin'" before I reached the top.Ags. 1990s:
Aa'm fair plottin: I'm very warm indeed. Abd. 1998 Sheena Blackhall The Bonsai Grower 20:
The hairst wis weel-forrit noo an the fowk o the fairm cam hame ferfochen ilkie nicht, worn oot bi lang days in the parks as the blades gaed skelfin throwe the rig o barley like a knife ben butter, teemin oot the bales o strae ower the grun fur the hairsters tae bigg thegither like hooses, dryin aneth the birsslin hett o the plottin sun.

II. n. 1. A scalding, an immersion in boiling water (Sh., Abd., Ags., Fif., wm.Sc. 1966).Cld. 1880 Jam.:
Gie't a plot i' the pat afore ye begin. Dim. plottie, a hot beverage, specif. a toddy or punch made with hot mulled wine and spices (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).Edb. 1735 W. Mitchel Letter to Sir J. de Graham 17:
I did nothing but spent my Time in Plotties with my Neighbours, the Bow-Wives.Sc. 1824 Scott St. Ronan's W. xxviii.:
Get us a jug of mulled wine — plottie, as you call it . . . Your plottie is excellent, ever since I taught you to mix the spices in the right proportion.Per. 1831 Perthshire Advert. (29 Dec.):
[He] very considerately invited the party into a neighbour's house to get a “plotty” and a merry plotty they had, “little waur than a wedding.”Ags. 1851 R. P. Gillies Memoirs I. 19:
See that the fire 's blazin', licht the cawnels, pet the punch bowl filled wi' plottie on the breakfast table.Per. 1857 J. Stewart Sketches 114, 151:
Arise, an' tak' your morning plotty . . . Is't whisky that mak's us sae canty? Na, na, it's our plotty o' tea!Sc. 1906 Chamber's Jnl. (27 Jan.) 131:
Rounds of beef, turkeys, and jeelies, washed down by an abominable compound of port wine negus called “plottie”.

2. An overheated state, a “sweat”, swelter (Sh., ne.Sc., Ags., Per., Fif. 1966).Ags. 1896 Barrie Sentimental Tommy iii.:
When you are wraxing ower your kail-pot in a plot of heat.