Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
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.

THIRTY, num. adj. Also therty (Sc. 1827 G. R. Kinloch Ballads 3; Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxix.; Ags. 1892 A. Reid Howetoon 39; Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Rxb. 1942 Zai; I., m., s.Sc. 1972); threttie, -y (Ayr. 1703 Ayr Presb. Reg. MS. (3 Nov.); Sc. 1705 Lord Seafield's Letters (S.H.S.) 181; Ayr. 1785 Burns 3rd Ep. J. Lapraik viii.; Sc. 1818 Scott H. Midlothian xii.; Per. 1857 J. Stewart Sketches 32; Abd. 1904 W. Farquhar Fyvie Lintie 134; Gall. 1928 Gallov. Annual 45), thretie (Peb. 1706 Burgh Rec. Peebles (B.R.S.) 174), thretty (Ags. 1794 “Tam Thrum” Look before Ye Loup 23; em.Sc. 1898 H. Rogers Meggotsbrae 210), threty (s.Sc. a.1784 G. Caw Museum 150); thritty (wm.Sc. 1882 Songs and Ball. Cld. (Nimmo) 135); and I.Sc. forms terty (Ork. 1908 Old-Lore Misc. I. vi. 222), tretti (Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.), tretty (Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 33). Ordinal forms †threttieth (Lnk. 1707 Minutes J.P.s (S.H.S.) 13, Fif. 1867 D. Cook Pittenweem 119); thirtiet (Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xviii.). Sc. forms and usages. [m. and s.Sc. ′θɛrte; I.Sc. ‡′trɛte]

Sc. forms.wm.Sc. 1989 Anna Blair The Goose Girl of Eriska 100:
'Threttie golden pounds paid I for my coal-black horse, and more faith have I in her, than in your malisons.' And the last she heard was the thunder of hooves.Sc. 1991 Roderick Watson in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 105:
This is the thrittieth year o my age
Whan I've puked my shame an boozed again
No wice no sage,
An mind the mony scarts I've taen

Sc. combs.: 1. thirty-two, a plait of straw rope made up of thirty-two straws; 2. thirtytwosome, a Scots reel danced in sets of thirty-two dancers. Cf. Echtsome, sixteensome s.v. Six, 7.1. Ork. 1920 J. Firth Reminisc. 49:
The narrowest kind of plait had seven straws in its breadth, and was therefore called “sevens”, another was termed “elevens,” while the widest was known as “thirty-twos”.2. Sc. 1938 St Andrews Cit. (13 Aug.) 9:
He is much in request to teach foursomes, eightsomes, sixteensomes, and thirty-twosomes.Sc. 1954 H. A. Thurston Scotland's Dances 51:
A spectacular further development gives us the thirtytwosome reel, which breaks up into four separate eightsomes at points where the quadruple figure would be too clumsy. This dance seems to have been invented in the army.Sc. 1970 G. M. Fraser General Danced 85:
I have been told that back in the Nineties the First Black Watch sergeants danced a thirty-twosome.