Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
SLEUTH, n. In combs.: 1. sleuth-dog, a breed of bloodhound formerly used esp. in the Border country for hunting or tracking game, fugitives, etc. Liter.; 2. sleuth-hound, sleugh-, slough-, -hund, and reduced or elided forms slow-hound; sleuthun, -an (Cld. 1825 Jam.), slughan (Rxb. 1825 Jam.), slochan, sluchan, -en, -un, sloughen; sloond, slowan, slo(o)an, sl(o)u(a)n; ¶slogan, sleuchtan, spluen, (1) = 1. (s.Sc. 1802 J. Sibbald Chron. Sc. Poet. Gl., slouan). Now obs. or hist., as revived by Scott; (2) esp. in elided forms: a slow-moving lumbering person, a lazy good-for-nothing, a soft lubberly fellow (Cld. (sloun, sleuthan, -um), Rxb. (slowan, slughan) 1825 Jam.; Abd. 1915 H. Beaton Benachie 26, spluen; Ork. 1929 Marw., sloond; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Ork., Cai., Rxb. 1970, sluan); a covetous person (Bwk. 1825 Jam., a greedy sloan); a glutton (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., sloughan, Rxb. 1970). Also used as a v., to idle away one's time (Cld. 1825 Jam., sloun). [sluən; Rxb. ′slʌuxən]. The Wgt. forms sluneoch, -uch, -yoch are prob. derivs. of this, used (i) adj., lazy, idle, in phr. to draw the sluneuch car, to loaf about, to dodge work; (ii) n., a mean mischievous boorish person (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 428); a coarse gluttonous fellow; (iii) v., to lounge idly about (Wgt. 1877 G. Fraser Sketches 274).1. Sc. 1802 Scott Minstrelsy I. 190:
Lang Aicky, in the Souter moor, W' his sleuth-dog sits in his watch right sure.Sc. 1822 Scott Peveril xli.:
The sleuth-dog, which, eager, fierce, and clamorous in pursuit of his prey, desists from it as soon as blood is sprinkled upon his path.2. (1) Sc. 1700 Edb. Gazette (11 March):
A Long ear'd, long tail'd, brown slow Hound.Sc. 1765 Forfeited Estate Papers (S.H.S.) 232:
Two slow-hounds, two gray hounds and four Terriers.Ayr. 1793 Burns Works (Chambers 1896) IV. 381:
The blood slough hounds, belonging to the Laird of Riddel, in Tweeddale.Dmb. 1804 T. Thornton Sporting Tour (1896) 52:
Four or five couple of still worse fed hounds, called here slow-hounds, in opposition to the grey-hound.Sc. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxii.:
Twa couple of slow-hunds, five grews, and a wheen other dogs.Slg. 1885 W. Towers Poems 37:
Like a sure sleugh-hound I'll track his steps.Wgt. 1912 A.O.W.B. Fables frae French 70:
As he spak a slowan cam' in sicht.(2) Gall. 1723 Session Bk. Minnigaff (1939) 434:
He (meaning, as the deponent took it, her husband) is but a slogan.Dmf. 1822 Letters T. Carlyle to his Brother (Marrs 1968) 126:
He is a very praiseworthy sloon in all respects as you could wish.Sc. 1834 Chambers's Jnl. (June) 158:
The king always called the young Lord Erskine “Jock the Slowan,” the character of a slobbering insatiable boy.Rxb. 1847 J. Halliday Rustic Bard 91:
Next time ye shall hae't sublime, Or ca' me sluchun.Wgt. 1880 G. Fraser Lowland Lore 150:
A great, muckle, slobbery, Sleuchtan.Cai. 1963 Edb. John o' Groat Liter. Soc. Mag. 10:
A shouldna sleep wi' a slooan lek ye Ye foosum drowken sod.(i) Wgt. 1877 G. Fraser Sketches 274:
He has been drawin' the sluneuch car for the last five weeks, an' his present coat-neck is dune.(ii) Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 135:
The slunyoch's visage was fu' ruddy, His sillar up in meat he'd hanch.
