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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SWEER, v., n. Also sweir (Abd. 1868 G. MacDonald R. Falconer x.; Sc. 1879 Stevenson Deacon Brodie i. ii. 3), †suere (Peb. 1701 Burgh Rec. Peb. (B.R.S.) 65); sware. Sc. forms and usages of Eng. swear (Kcb. 1893 Crockett Raiders xxxiii., Gsw. 1904 J. J. Bell Jess and Co. ii.; ne.Sc. 1932 Abd. Univ. Rev. (July) 209). Agent n. sweerer (Gall. 1901 R. Trotter Gall. Gossip 15). [swi:r; em.Sc. (a) swer. See P.L.D. § 57.]

I. v. A. Forms. Pr.t. as above. Pa.t. strong swuir (Sc. 1814 Scott Waverley xiv.; s.Sc. 1873 D.S.C.S. 208; Knr. 1878 J. L. Robertson Poems 44; Rxb. 1942 Zai; I., wm., sm. and s.Sc. 1972), swure (Sc. 1815 Scott Guy M. xi.; Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 258; Kcb. 1901 R. Trotter Gall. Gossip 63), swoor (Ayr. 1787 Burns When Guildford Good ix.; Edb. 1897 C. Campbell Deilie Jock 70) [swø:r]; sware (Peb. 1805 J. Nicol Poems I. 29; Lnk. 1827 J. Watt Poems 12; Sc. 1928 Scots Mag. (July) 273); and, after Eng., swore (Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Gen.Sc.); weak sweered (Slk. 1899 C. M. Thomson Drummeldale 47; Ayr., Wgt., Rxb. 1972), sweared (Bwk. 1942 Wettstein). Pa.p. strong sworn (Gen.Sc.), misreading suerne (Rs. 1751 W. MacGill Old Ross-shire (1909) 192), swoorn (Edb. 1897 C. Campbell Deilie Jock 51), swoor (s.Sc. 1809 T. Donaldson Poems 15); swurn (s.Sc. 1873 D.S.C.S. 208).m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 90:
He'll sweir et ye frae ben the tattie-shaws
an eats yir grozets richt afore yir face.Slg. 1991 Janet Paisley in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 129:
Well, she faulded her airms, sniffs as if she's in pain.
'Maggie,' she says, 'don't you ever sweer in here again.'Abd. 1995 Flora Garry Collected Poems 18:
Big, bonny cat-beast, douce an tame,
Ye wanner roun ma kitchen fleer
An wanner throwe ma thochts; I'll sweir
That there ye've fun a second hame.em.Sc. 1999 James Robertson The Day O Judgement 19:
"Aw ye that tae Auld Hornie swure,
Gleg for yer erles when he wud fee;
Hou weill it sers ye nou tae fin
Ye're bocht for aw eternity. ... "Edb. 2004:
Dinnae you sweer at me!

B. Usages. As in Eng. Vbl.n., ppl.adj. swearin, swaran, in combs. (1) swaran free, positively or absolutely free, sc. so that one could asseverate it on oath; (2) swearin' Tam, the sedge-warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobarbus (Ayr. 1912 D. McNaught Kilmaurs 323).(1) Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 100:
Tae t'ink ae t'ing an say anither, O' that I'm seur I'm swaran' free.

Phrs.: (1) sworn a bit, used imprec. with the force of an emphatic neg. = devil a bit, not a blessed piece . . .!, short for “I'll be sworn,” i.e. not, on my oath; (2) to swear for, to deny or repudiate under oath, to forswear; †(3) to take sworn, to administer an oath to, put on oath (as a witness). Obs. in Eng.(1) Dmf. 1820 Blackwood's Mag. (May) 158:
Sworn a bit o' ought that's eatable will thae sackless sinners get.(2) Gall. 1709 Session Bk. Penninghame (1933) I. 237:
John Douglas offered to give her money to go to Ireland with the child, threatening if she would not do it he would rather swear for it then abide the tongues of the gentrie and Church censures upon that account.(3) Gall. 1705–35 Session Bk. Minnigaff (1939) 156, 596:
4 persons, who all appearing were taken sworn what they could say in that affair.

II. n. A curse, imprecation, piece of profanity, a swear-word, now only colloq. or dial. in Eng. Gen.Sc. Adj. sweerie in comb. sweerie-word, sweary word, id. (Edb. 1964 J. T. R. Ritchie Singing Street 135).Sc. 1871 C. Gibbon Lack of Gold I. v.:
A good swear is a cure for the bile.Edb. 1897 W. Beatty Secretar ix.:
The Secretar had given a last dirl at the pin, and a gude swear to help it.Slk. 1901 C. Thomson Drummeldale 46:
I dinna want to lairn ony sweers.Abd. 1963 J. C. Milne Poems 13:
[They] gang their ain gait wi' a lach or a spit or a sweir.wm.Sc. 1975 William McIlvanney Docherty (1985) 76:
'Noo, doo, sur,' Tam said. 'These is sweary-words ye're usin'. That's no nice.' Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 67:
sweary word A somewhat precious term for a piece of foul language: 'The only time he looks at a dictionary is to look up sweary words.' Edb. 1992:
When I wiz wee I thought ye went tae the burnin fire fur yasin sweerie words. Sc. 1992 Scotsman (5 Nov):
There's an American publication called Maledicta (The International Journal of Verbal Aggression), which some people might be tempted to dip into after a hard day at the cathode face. It's full of sweary words. w.Lth. 2000 Davie Kerr A Puckle Poems 19:
In language descriptive, dynamic, compellin, -
Tho' the odd sweery-word embellish't the tellin.