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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SCOWTH, n., adv. Also skowth, scouth, skouth, scooth, skooth; reduced form scou, and irreg. scouf, scowf(f), skowf, skoof. [skʌuθ, skuθ; skʌuf, skuf]

I. n. 1. Freedom of movement, liberty to range, (elbow-) room, scope, lit. and fig. (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Ayr. 1811 W. Aiton Agric. Ayr. 693; Cai. 1904 E.D.D.; Ork., n. and em. Sc. (a), Edb., Dmb., Lnk., Wgt. 1969), freedom to express oneself, latitude, permissible limits; plenty, abundance, as much as one could wish.Sc. 1700 D. Williamson Sermon in Parl. Ho. 14:
Prelacy that gave too great scouth to prophane inclinations.Sc. 1728 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) II. 18:
By break of Day he seeks the dowy glen, That he may Scowth to a' his Mourning len'.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 19:
Whate'er betides them, it relieves their heart, Fan they get scouth their dolor to impart.Ayr. 1785 Burns To Rev. J. M'Math x.:
They talk o' mercy, grace, and truth, For what? — to gie their malice skouth On some puir wight.Sc. a.1835 Robin Hood and the Beggar, II. in Child Ballads No. 134. xlii.:
If to get scouth to weild his tree, I fear you'll both be paid.Per. 1857 J. Stewart Sketches 26:
Youth maun hae scowth for its outbursts o' glee.Clc. 1882 J. Walker Poems 45:
Hech! Ned, on priests ye tak your skouth, But you hae spak the naked truth.Lnk. 1893 J. Crawford Verses 26:
Unbridled was our glorious scooth, Rampagin' free's the wun' that blaws.Mry. 1914 H. J. Warwick Tales 148:
She'll nae get muckle scowff fan ye're aboot.Cai. 1921 T.S.D.C.:
To get one's scou of anything is to get all one wants.Lth. 1921 A. Dodds Antrin Sangs 8:
A' liket the games wi' the kissin'! And every yin had their scowf.Ork. 1930 Orcadian (13 Feb.):
A man would say of his farm that whether he had good land or not, yet he had extent enough, “he had plenty o' skouth”.Ags. 1954 Forfar Dispatch (18 Feb.):
It gies wi mair paice for a crack, for fin Bob's there, we dinna hae the same scowth.Bnff. 1967 Banffshire Jnl. (20 July) 8:
Staun back, loons, or I gits scouf tae throw.m.Sc. 1979 Donald Campbell in Joy Hendry Chapman 23-4 (1985) 66:
Unwad the day she kent ye
ye'd dae weill to gie her scouth
that aa the bairns ahint ye
maunna tak your lees for truth. Ags. 1988 Raymond Vettese The Richt Noise 25:
Scotland brocht intil the warl aince mair
an' wi the scouth tae dree its ain weird
white'er it micht be, or micht be made. Per. 1990 Betsy Whyte Red Rowans and Wild Honey (1991) 74:
'Well, I doubt you will want it,' I answered, 'except you fetch it yourself.'
'Come, come, wee woman,' Mother put in. 'You have had plenty of scouth all day. Fetch the water for your sister.'

Hence (1) adj. scowthie, scouthie, capacious, roomy, bulky, big (ne.Sc. 1969); (2) phr. scowth and rowth, room to range and food or means in plenty; abundance, as much as one could wish.(1) Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 150:
He's biggit a scouthie house. That's a fine scouthie steer.Abd. 1887 R. S. Robertson On Bogie's Banks 106:
The fine plenished hoose, and the scouthie yard tee.(2) Sc. 1825 Jam.:
That's a gude gang for your horse; he'll have baith scouth and routh.Abd. 1900 G. Williams Fairmer's Twa Tint Laddies 49–50:
“Hame's hame”, quo' he, “there's scouth an' routh O' meat for a' men there”.Lth. 1928 S. A. Robertson With Double Tongue 27:
For mournin ye'll hae scowth and rowth when twafauld ower a rung yet.

2. Start, advantage, handicap in a game (Rs. 1958, scoof); room to play.Abd. 1904 E.D.D.:
One may claim ‘scouth' [in marbles], i.e. if his bool has been obstructed he sends it farther on.

3. Release or relaxation from work, a holiday, time off.Edb. 1867 A. Leighton Romances 96:
Ye've been sitting owre close. Take scouth for a day.Ags. 1894 A. Reid Sangs 76:
Like wind they scoored owre dale an' hill, An' took their scowth wi' richt guid-will.

4. Scope, opportunity, chance to improve or prosper (Cai., ne.Sc., em.Sc. (a), Dmb., Lnk., Wgt. 1969).Sc. 1926 H. M'Diarmid Drunk Man 70:
Sae man returns in endless growth Till God in him again has scouth.Abd. 1928 Abd. Press & Jnl. (8 Nov.) 6:
Still there wid be plenty scooth in Austrawlia an' Canada yet.Sc. 1936 J. G. Horne Flooer o' Ling 71:
Forbye what scouth hae ye ava On ae gut string?

5. Abundance, plenty (Sc. 1808 Jam.). Developed from phr. with rowth under 1.Wgt. 1804 R. Couper Poetry I. 144:
Scouth o' sic wights already prance, Unfetter'd owre our isle.Rnf. 1815 W. Finlayson Rhymes 38:
The sturdy tiller o' our plains, Whose work demands nae scowth o' brains.

¶II. adv. For a- or in scowth, a-plenty, in abundance.Sc. 1862 A. Hislop Proverbs 286:
The rain comes scouth when the wind's in the South.