Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
STROW, n.1, v. Also strowd (Gregor). [strʌu]
I. n. 1. A contention, squabble, struggle, quarrel (s.Sc. 1802 J. Sibbald Chron. Sc. Poetry Gl.; Ags. 1808 Jam.; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 185); a commotion, bustle, turmoil, general excitement or to-do (s.Sc. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., Rxb. 1957); specif. a scatter of coins at a wedding for children to scramble for (Rxb. 1967). Cf. How -strow.Edb. 1791 J. Learmont Poems 80:
Amid this strowe o' warl's wae.s.Sc. 1815 J. Ruickbie Poems 219:
Num'rous legions Which breed an awfu' strow in hell's Dark gloomy regions.Sc. 1823 R. McChronicle Legends Scot. II. 113:
The man that made a' the strow atween ye and bonny Jemmy Malcolm.Bnff. 1852 A. Harper Solitary Hours 43:
Sometimes he rais'd a strow at drinking.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 185:
They wir ance thick eneuch; bit some unco strowd's come amo' thim.
‡2. A confusion, mess, litter (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.). Also in Nhb. dial.
3. A fit of bad-temper (Ags. 1808 Jam.; I. Sc. a.1838 Jam. MSS. XII. 215; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 185, strowd).
4. A short illness (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 185, strowd).
II. v. ‡1. To strew, scatter about (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).Sc. 1713 Two Students (Dickinson 1952) 81:
For strowing the Common Schools at the Semi black stone . . . 12s.Sc. 1778 A. Wight Present State Husbandry II. 162:
He strows on the floor of the dovecot, oat-chaff or sheeling-seeds.Peb. 1805 J. Nicol Poems I. 46:
For you I'll strow the little grain.Knr. 1917 J. L. Robertson Petition to Deil 11:
Lure him alang the brunstane road Wi' broken touns an' treaties strow'd.
‡2. To mingle, commix, as a busy crowd (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).
[O.Sc. strow, = II. 1., 1375, prob. a variant of Eng. strew, to scatter about, a scattering about, the form strow(e) also being found in Eng. from the 14th c. Cf. note to Straw, v. The form strowd seems to be due to formal confusion with Strowd below.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Strow n.1, v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/strow_n1_v>
