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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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

REEST, v.2, n.2 Also reist, riest; reesht; rest; roost.

I. v. 1. intr. Of a horse: to stop suddenly and refuse to move forward, to jib, baulk (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Lth., Ayr. 1923–26 Wilson; Uls. 1953 Traynor; ne., em.Sc.(b), w., sm. and s.Sc. 1968), to remain motionless. Also in n.Eng. dial. Transf. to persons, or other animals, or vehicles, and used fig. Ppl.adj. reistin, apt to jib or baulk. Phr. to reist on somebody, to refuse to obey someone's commands, to play up with someone.Ayr. 1786 Burns To Auld Mare xiv.:
In cart or car thou never reestit.
Sc. 1806 Scots. Mag. (Sept.) 696:
Didna' pleasure's gladd'nin bowl Keep our senses a' frae reistin.
Sc. 1818 Scott Antiquary xv.:
Our powny reists a bit, and it's dooms sweer to the road.
Sc. 1827 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) I. 336:
A puir auld horse, reesting at a steep pull in the trams.
Abd. 1867 W. Anderson Rhymes 32:
She could start reisted horses without spur or whip.
Bwk. 1869 J. Landreth Fastern's E'en 38:
Surely, after behavin' sae weel in a' thae things ye'll no reist at the Creelin'!
Ayr. 1882 A. L. Orr Laigh Flichts 46:
Some nags that reest an' winna steer A fit for either love or fe ar.
m.Lth. 1885 J. Strathesk More Bits 294:
The carrier's heartily-expressed good wishes for the young couple in which he hoped “that they wad lang pu' thegither, an' never reist”.
s.Sc. 1885 W. Scrope Salmon Fishing 159:
The fish had riestit in the deepest part o' the pool.
Bnff. 1895 N. Roy Horseman's Word xiii.:
I saw her reest on him ae day afore, and near hae a bite o' him.
Mry. 1898 Abd. Weekly Free Press (25 June):
Hillocks and sheughs where a waggon might reist.
Abd. 1918 C. Murray Sough o' War 31:
Lead fae a roup a reistin' stirk, that's like to brak the branks.
Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.:
The meer reistit. A reistin' horse.
m.Sc. 1947 Scots Mag. (April) 11:
She [a tractor] reisted hauf an hoor back, an' A'm fair bate wi' her.

Derivs.: (1) reester, reister, a jibbing horse; transf. a stubborn person. Also in n.Eng. dial.; (2) reestie, -y, adj., of a horse: inclined to jib, either from stubbornness or nervousness (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 406; Uls. 1953 Traynor; Lnk., sm. and s.Sc. 1968); of human beings and fig. of things: obstinate, recalcitrant, not forthcoming. Also in n.Eng. and Ir. dial.; (3) reistways, adj., fitful, apt to stop suddenly (Kcb. 1968).(1) Rnf. 1862 A. McGilvray Poems and Songs 76:
Horses ye bought that would not tame, Crib-biters, reesters, blind and lame.
Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr. Duguid 21:
Bring back the reister with a yerk of Gospel grace to Thy fauld.
Arg. 1921 Oban Times (16 July) 6:
The “reister” is an animal which is avoided — should one not rather say “passed-on”
(2) Per. 1739 A. Nicol Nature 8:
If e'er my grov'ling reesty Rills of Sense Shall fail to glide in easy Eloquence.
Kcb. 1898 Crockett Standard Bearer xiii.:
Like a reesty powny that winna gang.
(3) wm.Sc. 1947 H. Reid Soiree Crackers 11:
My thochts get a' jummelt an' reistways.

2. intr. Of a person or his limbs: to stop short in his tracks, to come to a sudden halt, to become rooted to the spot (Kcb. 1968). Ppl.adjs. reistin, reestit, fixed in one spot, not moving (Abd.4 1933), stubborn.Lnk. 1827 J. Watt Poems 13:
Hadna I thought I'd been sair beastet, I frankly own I'd fairlie reestet.
Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xiv.:
My shanks were reestin' i' the bit, an' doublin' under the wecht o' my body.
Kcb. 1882 G. Murray Poems 56:
Reested at last, and wadna steer To Hymen's altar.
Per. 1904 R. Ford Hum. Stories (Ser. 2) 83:
He reisted at the door and askit for “Bogle Tamson”

3. tr. To bring to a halt, hold up, stop in its tracks, arrest the motion or action of (a person, animal, piece of machinery, etc.) (ne.Sc. 1968), sometimes implying the use of witchcraft. Ppl.adj. reestit, fig., stunted in growth or progress (wm.Sc. 1887 Jam.). Also refl. in imper. re(e)st ye, stop!, halt! (in games, speech. etc.).Sc. c.1770 Herd's MSS. (Hecht 1904) 233:
That'll be plenty of bree Sae lang as our well is nae reisted.
Dmf. 1817 W. Caesar Poems 108:
Your reestit bluid I will bring out.
Ayr. 1821 Galt Annals viii.:
The coal carts from the Dowray Moor were often reested in the middle of the causeway.
Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xxii.:
Had they been incontinently reisted to the grund where they stood.
Abd. 1880 W. Robbie Yonderton vi.:
The auld boy'll fin' 'imsell reistit i' the spot.
Abd. 1894 Trans. Buchan Field Club 127:
The wheel of a mill could be stopped by throwing into the race some mould taken from a churchyard — “meels” — at twelve o'clock at night, repeating the Lord's Prayer backward during the act of casting the “meels” into the water. This act was called “reestin the mill”.
Per. 1895 R. Ford Tayside Songs 225:
They reisted their naigs by the Haw Burn brae.
Ags. 1901 W. J. Milne Reminiscences 31:
I have heard the younger members of the female persuasion there wishing Mrs. Hardwird might be “reisted” where she sat.
Lnk. 1902 A. Wardrop Hamely Sk. 43:
Rest ye there, Peggie; rest ye.
Abd. 1903 W. Watson Auld Lang Syne 103:
Among her many cantrips she [a witch] “reistet” a horse and cart while passing her door.
Kcb.1 c.1930:
Reest is used in the game of Hide and Seek. The seeker calls “Reest ye there, John Black!” when he spies a hider.

4. To arrest, seize (goods) for debt, to poind (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.), to arrest wages (Rxb. 1968).Sc. 1825 Jam.:
He reistit his furniture.
Abd. 1882 W. Alexander My Ain Folk 49:
The law's strick, ye ken, an' ony o' them mith reest the siller in my han'.
Abd.1 1929:
The Shirra's officiar cam an' reeshtit a stirk for the rent.

5. To smother or dull down (a fire) for the night, to cover up (the embers) with ashes or turfs and leave them undisturbed all night so that they can be fanned into flame in the morning (Cai. 1903 E.D.D.; Sh., n.Sc., Ags., Fif. 1968). Also fig. Vbl.n. restin, ppl.adjs. restit, restin (see combs.). Some of the short vowel forms suggest confusion with Rest, v.1Edb. 1773 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 140:
The restit ingle's done the maist it dow.
Abd. 1826 D. Anderson Poems 9:
Hardly a shurral even to rest a fire.
Abd. 1883 Folk-Lore Jnl. I. 26–7:
After the Hallow-Fires were consumed, . . . some were in the habit of gathering together the ashes, and covering them up — “ristin the halla-fire” — and placing in the ashes a small stone to represent each member of the household. If the stone which represented a member was not found, that member would be removed by death before the next Hallow-Fire was kindled.
Ags., Fif. 1887 Jam.:
To reist the fire”, to bank or damp the fire, i.e. to heap it so as to keep it up all night.
Sh. 1894 J. Nicolson Tales of Thule 71:
Sae sit by me, gudewife, an' see Da restin' o' da fire.
Cai. 1907 County of Cai. (Horne) 76:
A peat fire is “rested” at bedtime to “keep kenlin”, i.e. the glowing peats are laid flat on the hearth and covered with ashes. In the days before lucifer matches it was a serious matter in a remote house to “lose kenlin”
Abd. 1913 C. Murray Hamewith 101:
Lang haired heath'ry truffs to reist the fire.
Sh. 1931 Manson's Sh. Almanac 193:
We waitit till da lights wir oot o' da hoose except twartree lowin braands among da restin' ess.
Abd. 1962 Buchan Observer (27 March) 3:
I'll be ristin the fire noo afore sattlin' doon.

Hence combs. re(e)stin-, ristin-, -clod, -peat, a turf or peat laid over the glowing embers of a fire to keep it burning slowly all night (Mry.1 1925, -clod; Sh., ne.Sc. 1968).Abd. 1884 D. Grant Lays 20:
Pat i' the fire a risten' clod, Drew up the asse atap.
Sh. 1897 Shetland News (22 May):
Girzzie pat up hir air o' “oo”, an' hüved da restin' paets ita da fire.
Sh. 1932 J. M. E. Saxby Trad. Lore 146:
They sat down by the fire, raked out the “restin'-pates”

II. n. The act of stopping short and refusing to move forward, gen. of horses, a jib, baulk (Slg. 1968). Phr. to tak the reist, to jib, baulk (Rxb. 1825 Jam., 1923 Watson W.-B.).Gsw. 1871 Gsw. Weekly Herald (17 June):
He saw Wat Ainslie belabouring an unfortunate donkey which had apparently taken the reist.
Wgt. 1880 G. Fraser Lowland Lore 100:
Aifter mony a reist the puir, dowie, auld beast, Wi' the whup aft reminded, wad dae as 'twas gairr't.
Sc. 1887 Stevenson Underwoods 113:
While she wi' mony a spang an' reist, Flang heels ower bonnet.
Uls. 1953 Traynor:
He tuk the reest in the cart the other day.

[O.Sc. rest, to distrain goods, 1565, aphetic form of arrest, also found in St. Eng. till early 17th c. For the long vowel cf. Breist, Neist, east, feast, priest, etc.]

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"Reest v.2, n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 29 Mar 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/reest_v2_n2>

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