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.
Quotation dates: 1805-1985
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TOVE, v.1, n.1 Also toave; toove; †tuive; and freq. or emphatic forms ¶tovie, touize. [to:v]
I. v. 1. tr. To emit (smoke or flames), of a fire, etc. (Rxb. 1825 Jam., 1923 Watson W.-B.; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Rxb. 1942 Zai; Bwk., Rxb. 1972); intr. of smoke: to issue in a cloud, to billow out, to rise in the air (Rxb. 1825 Jam., 1942 Zai); also with at, to smoke, puff (a pipe, etc.) (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., Rxb. 1972); of a fire: to burn or blaze up (Watson), hence adj. tovy, increasing in smoke and flame (Ib.), steaming, .fig. emitting warmth and comfort (Fif., Lth., Slk. 1825 Jam.).Rxb. 1805 A. Scott Poems 35:
The luntain cutty toving prime.Slk. 1824 Hogg Shep. Cal. (1874) xii.:
The auld Tod toving out tobacco-reek like a moorburn.Edb. 1844 J. Ballantine Gaberlunzie iii.:
Gudewife, see if ye can mak us a wee drap tovy warm stuff.Fif. 1883 W. D. Latto Bodkin Papers 34:
Tovin' awa at a cigar.Kcb. 1897 A. J. Armstrong Robbie Rankine 3:
He was tooving awa' at his cutty.Sc. 1913 H. P. Cameron Imit. Christ iii. xlix.:
The lowe toves-na withoot reek.Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 22:
The reek toavd up throwe the lum.
2. Transf.: to rise into the air, in gen., to spiral upwards, to soar; to move at speed, hurry along, puff on (Bwk. 1972).Slk. 1814 Hogg Queen's Wake 84–5:
That burd . . . tovit to the aire again.Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 245:
The drone of the bumbee toving to the air wi' its lade o' hinney.
3. intr. To issue in a dense mass, to swarm or stream out.Rxb. 1871 H. S. Riddell Poet. Wks. I. 218:
They tove abroad by hill and glen.Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 22:
The peip bursteet, an the waeter toavd oot leike a fluid. The mill-yins war toavin oot for the mael-oor.Bwk. 1951:
The folk's tovin up frae the shore.Slk. 1985 Walter Elliot Clash-ma-clavers 5:
"Look owre an ye'll see, as plain as kin be
The deid risin oot o their graves".
They toved oot the lot, what a gliff that they got ...
4. tr. and intr.: to (cause to) swell or rise, as dough or yeast, to puff up (Rxb. 1825 Jam., ‡1923 Watson W.-B., tuive). Ppl.adj. tovin, swelling (Cld. 1880 Jam.).Cld. 1880 Jam.:
The heat toved it till it burst.
5. Fig., also with up: to puff up with flattery, to praise in a fulsome way, to raise one's expectations or self-esteem (Rnf. c.1850 Crawfurd MSS. (N.L.S.) T.145, tovi up); to brag, boast (Cld. 1880 Jam.). Hence touie, tovie, boastful, esp. in drink, flown with liquor (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 451; Uls. 1990s), babbling, talking incoherently (Cld. 1880 Jam.).Ayr. 1821 MS. in Jam.2:
I am doons sweir to let my pen fa' without tovizing you a wee for the auld farrant letter whilk ye sent me.Kcb.4 1900:
He's tovie wi' drink the nicht, sayin' he cud thrash ony man i' the clachan.
II. n. 1. A smoke of a pipe, esp. one accompanied by a chat (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).Kcb. 1897 A. J. Armstrong Robbie Rankine 8:
Geordie was puin' oot his tobacco box to licht up for a good-nicht toove.
2. A boaster, a braggart (Uls. 1920 J. Logan Uls. in X-Rays 76, 1931 Northern Whig (5 Dee.) 13). Cf. I. 5.
[Appar. an aphetic form of Stove, v., q.v., phs. by wrong division of he's, etc. stovin. There may have been some confusion under I. 5. with Tosie.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Tove v.1, n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 May 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tove_v1_n1>
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