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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

WEE, n.¹, adj., adv. Also †wi (Sc. 1795 Scots Mag. (Nov.) 720), wie (Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 61, 178); we (Sc. 1782 J. Sinclair Ob. Sc. Dial. 110); wey (s.Sc.). [wi:; †s.Sc. wəi]

I. n. 1. A small measure, quantity or degree, of any thing or commodity, of time, space, etc., a little while, a short distance, freq. in adv. constructions, as a wee, somewhat, rather, for a little (Sc. 1808 Jam.), nae wee, in no small measure. See also Awee.

(1) Of amount or degree:Sc. 1720 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 179:
It lulls a wee my Mullygrubs.e.Lth. 1796 R. Gall Poems (1819) 36:
Ilk ane ferlied nae a wee.Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality vii.:
There's whiles convenience in a body looking a wee stupid.Ayr. 1822 Galt Sir A. Wylie i.:
He was great company, . . . though at times a wee fashious.Slk. 1831 Hogg Good Queen Bess (1874) 194:
I'm a wee doubtfu' o' the story still.Fif. 1862 St Andrews Gazette (25 July):
It leads insensibly on, by littles, an' wees, to a state o' unconscious intoxication.Lth. 1894 M. Oliphant Who was Lost i.:
It micht be more cheery for me if he were a wee less preceese.Wgt. 1912 A.O.W.B. Fables 99:
Grummlin' nae wee that he'd fail't in his plan.Dmf. 1912 J. L. Waugh Robbie Doo 201:
To add a wee, noo and again, to my bank accoont.Lnk. 1926 W. Queen We're A' Coortin 29:
I'm a wee feart it micht burn.

(2) Of time, also in dim. forms weeock (wm.Sc. 1825 Jam.), -uck.Wgt. 1706 Session Rec. Kirkinner MS. (1 Sept.):
Let me in, Margaret McLumpha, a litle wie.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 15:
But howsomever, in a little wee, Himsel he gathers, and begins to see.Ayr. 1789 Burns Willie Brew'd iii.:
She shines sae bright to wyle us hame, But, by my sooth, she'll wait a wee.Gsw. 1807 J. Chirrey Misc. Poetry 171:
But stop a wee-ock, what thinks Jock O' thir ca'd criticising fo'k?Dmf. 1820 Hogg Winter Ev. Tales I. 282:
We let him try his hand at the courtin' for a wey.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xxxiv.:
A wee afore five o' clock the company begoud to arrive.m.Lth. 1894 W. G. Stevenson Puddin' 126:
I'll be back in a wee.Sc. 1909 R. M. Fergusson Silver Shoe-buckle 27:
I noticed after a wee that Rob Roy and a lot o' his kilties was prowling aboot.Lnk. 1947 G. Rae Sketches 98:
In a wee the sunlicht o' a new day will bre'k roon us yince mair.m.Sc. 1996 Christopher Brookmyre Quite Ugly One Morning (1997) 4:
'Naw, wait a wee ... [splash] Aw, in the name of ...' Uls. 2002 Belfast News Letter (27 Apr) 22:
Another lively poem from rhymer and performer Charlie Gillen from Dervock, County Antrim, ...
THE WEANS SEZ, GET A COMPUTER DA,
SO WE CAN GW'ON THE NET,
SEZ I YE'LL HAE TAE WAIT A WEE,
THEY MICHT GET CHAPER YET,

(3) Of distance:Sc. 1728 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) II. 43:
Sign'd Lyon, and a wee beneath, Baboon.Rnf. 1827 W. Motherwell Ballads 310:
Stand off, stand off, you braw bridegroom — Stand off a little wee.Kcb. 1897 T. Murray Frae the Heather 71:
A tartan petticoat she wore A wee below her knee.

2. A term of affection used to a child.Sc. 1933 J. Beith No Second Spring ix.:
“Hush, my wee”, whispered Allison, laying her hand softly over the child's mouth.

II. adj. 1. Small, tiny, little, restricted in size (Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis, 1808 Jam.). Gen.Sc. Compar. weeer, wee-er, weer, superl. weeest, weeist, wiest. Freq. used redupl. as wee, wee, and with other dim. words, little wee, wee sma, teeny wee, and with (or in place of) dim. forms of the n. in -Ie, -Ock. Deriv. weeness, smallness, small size.Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 31:
A wie House well fill'd, a wie bit Land well Till'd, and a wie Wife well will'd will make a happy Man.Sc. 1728 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) II. 190:
To wiest Insects even'd and painted.Edb. 1772 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 93:
A wee soup drink dis unco weel To had the heart aboon.Ayr. 1790 Burns Tam o' Shanter 176:
The sark she coft for her wee Nannie.s.Sc. 1793 T. Scott Poems 367:
A wee wheen books, while's twa three frien's like you.Kcb. 1814 W. Nicholson Tales 42:
My fouks a' died whan I was wee.Sc. 1817 Scott Rob Roy xxiii.:
If my duty were to be dune, ye couldna change your atmosphere, as the minister ca's it, this ae wee while.ne.Sc. 1828 P. Buchan Ballads I. 13:
Out it speaks the little wee boy.Fif. 1864 St Andrews Gazette (15 Oct.):
The wee-est, box-looking affairs in the way of dwellings which one can well imagine. . . . The weeness of these buildings, indeed, never fails to arrest the attention of the traveller.Abd. 1873 P. Buchan Inglismill 48:
An' wee, wee lords in gorgeous garbs war' there.s.Sc. 1915 Border Mag. (June) 129:
Its weeness, along with its beauty, constitutes its claim to afection.m.Sc. 1917 J. Buchan Poems 32:
Yont to the glens whaur Tweed rins wee?Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 12:
The little wee station at the back o beyond.Abd. 1973 Fraserburgh Herald (25 May) 5:
Wee folk have the ability to make themselves felt.wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 3:
Wee Marianne. Obedient to the letter! Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 75:
wee ... A comparative form of wee exists in speech, but how do you spell it?: 'Naw, still too big. Have ye no got a wee-er wan?' Gsw. 1987 James Kelman Greyhound for Breakfast (1988) 91:
The place was full of tables. The horseshoe one where the chemmy was played but a great many weer ones too, and not all of them were circular. Per. 1990 Betsy Whyte Red Rowans and Wild Honey (1991) 204:
'It's either there, or it's no', and nae amount o' schooling or learning will give it to them. So dinnae criticize a wee wean for something that it canne dae, because it's beyond it's power.' Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 13:
A third chukken spakk. He wis a brither o the lave, haein bin born in the same whigmaleerie - but it hid vrocht him a thochtie different, wi a braider beak an wee-er shanks. Sc. 2000 Herald (19 Oct) 2:
You would not mind, but the lady is 71 and not one says a word of thanks to the wee body in the smart hat, Scotland's most senior active politician. Uls. 2004 Belfast News Letter (12 Jun) 26:
As with Burns's songs "Ae fond kiss", and "Let me in this ae nicht", ae or yae often has a sense of 'one in particular', and indeed can mean 'one and only' - ma yae wee wean, or A'm Tam M'Kee's ae ae sinn. Sc. 2004 Press and Journal (20 Sep) 3:
"It's beyond belief to expect wee bairns to walk down that road,

2. Freq. qualifying nouns which in themselves signify a small amount, as Bit, n.¹, 2., Lock, n.², 2. (hence the forms weelock, weilock), Piece, Thing, n.¹, 4., q.v., as an intensifier. The dropping of the prep. o after such nouns (see O, prep., 1. (5)) in Sc. usage has led to quasi -adj. and -adv. uses of a wee bit, etc., in the sense of “very small, tiny, somewhat, rather, to a small extent” (see quots.).Sc. 1724 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) V. 150:
Rousted with age, a wie pice gate seems lang.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 28:
For her gueed luck, a wie bit aff the pead Grew there a tree wi' branches thick an' bred.Slk. c.1800 Hogg Poems (1874) 91:
On a wee lock cosey hay.Sc. 1818 Scott H. Midlothian v., xiii.:
A wee bit short in the temper. . . . There's but a wee bit word left out.Ayr. 1822 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage 31:
Gif I dinna mak my claes a wee thing whiter than my han's.Fif. 1864 St Andrews Gazette (20 Feb.):
There was a kinda bend a wee thing alang where ane could see ower to the scaur.Sc. 1893 Stevenson Catriona xix.:
Ye come a wee thing ahint-hand, Mr. Balfour.Uls. 1904 Vict. Coll. Mag. 34:
When an old person is asked how he is, he may reply: “I'm just putting in my wee bit time.”Per. 1915 Wilson L. Strathearn 98:
I wis hindered a wee thing.Ags. 1923 V. Jacob Songs 36:
I'll bide wi' him i' tinkler-van, Wi' a wee-bit pot an' a wee-bit pan.Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 19:
A duist caa cannie a weilock.Sc. 1955 J. Beith The Corbies 141:
Ay, she's a wee thing flighty, . . . but, oh man! is she no bonnie?m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 69:
Ach, wheesht, said Tassie wi a grin;
juist bide yir time, ye'll shuin see hou
a sair heid's aw will bother him ...
he's naething but a wee thing fou. wm.Sc. 1989 Anna Blair The Goose Girl of Eriska 107:
The truth was that, though Annie was a happy lass, she was a wee-thing slap-dash for his lady-wife and Jed was taking her away with their blessing, so the old hand-cart was small price to pay. Sth. 1996 Gordon Stewart in Timothy Neat The Summer Walkers: Travelling People and Pearl-Fishers in the Highlands of Scotland 87:
Once March came round we'd feel a wee bittie heat in the sun, like bees in a hive we'd be wanting out and the horses would be stamping, chaffing the bit. Sc. 1999 Herald (6 Sep) 21:
... bearing on that average price, perhaps pulling the whole market downwards.
But then, what would a wee bit collie dug know? Edb. 2000:
Hoo could she be expected tae be a mither? She's nothin but a wee bit lassie hersel. w.Lth. 2000 Davie Kerr A Puckle Poems 13:
Oor wee bit toun has bred her share
o cooncillors. Ne'er dauntit,
they monthly meet
ti girn an greet, -
then gan hame weel contentit.

3. In combs.: (1) wee ane, a young child, a little one (Sc. 1755 Johnson Dict.). In m.Sc. now coalesced in the form Wean, q.v.; (2) wee bauk, -bawk, the small truss or collar-beam nearest the apex of a roof (see quot.); (3) wee-boukit, of small size, of a person, having a small physique (m.Lth. 1974). Cf. sma-boukit s.v. Sma, adj.; (4) wee coal, a shallow seam coal (see quots.); (5) wee coat, an under-petticoat. See Coat, 1.; (6) wee cork, a workman who set himself up in business in a small way, and subcontracted work to others, a small employer. See Cork, 1.; (7) Wee County, with def. art.: a soubriquet for Clackmannanshire, the smallest county in Scotland; (8) wee fowks, (i) “people of the lowest ranks” (Cld. 1825 Jam.); (ii) the fairies; (9) Wee Free, see Free, n., III. 1.; (10) wee furr, the small furrow made at the completion of a rig (Arg. 1937). See Furr, n.; (11) wee hauf, a nip of spirits, a small whisky, orig. something less than half an imperial gill and now by statute, a fixed fraction of a gill, usu. one-fifth (orig. wm.Sc. but now fairly Gen.Sc.); (12) wee house, an earth-closet, a latrine. Gen. (exc. I. and s.) Sc.; (13) wee Jock, see quot.; (14) wee man, (i) an odd-job man, an orraman (see Orra, adj., 2. (2) (Lnk., Dmf. 1973); (ii) a euphemism for the Devil, esp. in phr. in the name o the wee man, as an expostulation (Ags., Gsw. 1974); (iii) term of endearment used of a small person or child; (iv) a penis; (15) wee pawn, an unlicensed pawnbroker, one often engaged in illicit dealings; (16) wee peck, a dry measure formerly in use in N. Ayrshire, the smaller of two peck measures used for wheat and oats respectively. The exact capacity is uncertain, phs. between 600 and 800 cubic ins. See Peck, n.²; (17) wee raa, the band of reinforced meshes on the lower-edges of a herring trawl-net (Arg. 1940). See Raw, n.¹; (18) wee Rangers, Berwick Rangers Football Team; (19) wee schule, the infant department in a school (Abd., Ags. 1973); (20) wee sermon, the public rebuke or homily delivered in church to offenders against Church discipline. See Sermon; (21) wee Setterday, see Seturday, 10.; (22) wee spell, see Spell, n.¹; (23) wee taws, see Taw, n.¹, 1. (Lth. 1885 quot.); (24) wee team, a reserve team; (25) wee thing, (i) a small child; (ii) see 2. above; (26) wee-toon-clock, the moschatel, Adoxa moschatellina, so called from the clock-like appearance of the corolla (Ayr. 1828); (27) wee wheel, see Wheel, 2.; (28) wee yin , also wee one, (i) a small child; cf. II. 3. (1); (ii) a short alcoholic drink. (1) Edb. 1772 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 91:
There's sic yellowchin and din, Wi' wives and wee-anes gablin.Ayr. 1822 Galt Sir A. Wylie l.:
A shilling a-piece to the wee anes.Mry. 1824 J. Cock Hamespun Lays 29:
A' the bliss o' man an' wife, O' parent an' o' wee ane.Ayr. 1836 J. Ramsay Woodnotes (1848) 53:
Wee anes, daubit wi' blackman.(2) wm.Sc. 1825 Jam., s.v. Sile:
Two transverse beams go from the one sile-blade to the other. . . . The lower beam is called a jeest, or joist; the one above a bawk, and sometimes a third is added, called a wee-bawk.(3) m.Lth. 1856 J. Ballantine Poems 133:
Tho' cruikit, wee-buikit, an' stickit, He's no very easily licket.Lnk. 1881 D. Thomson Musings 94:
Tho' she's wee boukit, [She] may wear geyan teugh.(4) Dmf. 1843–5 Trans. High. Soc. 293:
3d Coal is called the wee coal. It is about 21 inches thick, having its roof composed of slate-clay and impure iron ore.Lnk. 1864 J. Greenshields Annals Lesmahagow 248:
Auchinheath Oil Coal. — Better known as the “Wee” or upper gas coal.Lnk. 1937 Econ. Geol. Cent. Coalfield I. 73:
This seam has received different names in the surrounding districts, such as Upper Wee, First Wee and even Possil Upper Coal.(5) Sc. a.1796 Burns Merry Muses (1965) 139:
I gied her her wee coat in her teeth, Her sark an' a'.(6) Gsw. 1843 Children in Trades Report (2) i 22:
At the time the duty was taken off, a heap of workers who had saved some bawbees, started up, they were called “wee corks”.(7) m.Sc. 1954 Bulletin (11 Nov.) 6:
Mr Woodburn certainly has a heart for the Wee County.(8) (ii) Uls. 1992:
They wouldn't cut down the hawthorn tree in case it annoyed the wee folkm.Sc. 1999 Sunday Mail (17 Jan) 31:
Others have seen strange diminutive figures - possibly the "wee folk" of old.
The spooky stories started to emerge from research for an investigation called Strange Tales From The Hill, commissioned by the magazine The Field. Sc. 2002 Daily Record (26 Oct) 10:
Master storyteller Duncan Williamson uncovers the mysteries of the people found in Traveller stories - the wee folk, the broonies, the selkies and Jack.Sc. 2004 Aberdeen Evening Express (13 Jul) 10:
Five wee folk who took up residence uninvited in a North-East garden are so settled they receive letters from English friends. The five gnomes moved in to a Westhill garden a few weeks ago, to the bemusement of Brian and Eileen Morrison.(11) Lnk. 1873 A. G. Murdoch Doric Lyre 19:
A ‘wee hauf' held my heart in cheer.Gsw. 1973 Sc. Short Stories (Paterson) 169:
Wull ye huv a wee half tae drink ma daughter's health?(13) wm.Sc. 1868 Laird of Logan App. 524:
A cant term, denoting a mixture of intoxicating liquors administered to an individual without his knowledge. “To gie Wee Jock”, a trick well understood in Paisley.(14) (i) Lnk. 1928 W. C. Fraser Yelpin' Stane 140:
As cowherd, and later as wee man at Raggamgill.(ii) Gsw. 1970 George MacDonald Fraser The General Danced at Dawn (1988) 31:
"In the name o' the wee man," said Fletcher. Gsw. 1995 Chris Dolan Poor Angels 101:
Och in the name of the wee society man! Why can't she just say, Becoming a Lady? That's Farah all over the back. No decorum. And listen to her making excuses for the child. Sc. 1995 James S. Adam New Verses for an Auld Sang 24:
Bit i the name o the wee man
whitna kind o boorach
wull they mak the morn
o Godfrey an Christopher
gin they cut them short? Gsw. 2001 Allan Morrison Cummoangetaff! 70:
'In the name o' the wee man, ur you tellin' me, Inspector, that this wee soul should be pit in a shelf in the Depot?' Sc. 2004 Scotsman (20 Feb):
It turns out that whatever we're really about it's not playing football. 4-0, in the name of the wee man! (What are we good at? Curling, drinking and asthma.)(iii) Gsw. 1983 James Kelman in Moira Burgess and Hamish Whyte Streets of Stone (1985) 69:
Because Wee Danny could pot a ball with a headcase at his back all ready to set about his skull with a hatchet if he missed. Nothing could put the wee man off his game.Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 75:
wee man A friendly title for a small person: 'Look who it is - how's it gaun wee man?'Gsw. 1990 John and Willy Maley From the Calton to Catalonia 2:
Don't come wide, ur ah'm liable tae come snide. Wan toot and yer oot, wee man. Shut up, greetin face.Edb. 1991 Gordon Legge In Between Talking about the Football 146:
'Hey, wee man. You've agreed with me on something. When was the last time you did that?'Gsw. 1991 John Burrowes Mother Glasgow 208:
It was three days before he recovered consciousness and Sammy was there, together with a policeman waiting for a statement. An arm and a leg were in traction and his face was badly discoloured, one side covered in heavy bandaging.
'How're you feeling, wee man?' Sammy said softly.em.Sc. 1992 Ian Rankin Strip Jack (1993) 153:
'Aye, you give him big licks, wee man,' he said into the telephone.Edb. 1999:
Moan wee man, we'll buy ye an ice cream.(iv) Gsw. 1990 John and Willy Maley From the Calton to Catalonia 11:
An tae cap it aw, there's a guy here that thinks the sight a his wee man's gonnae send us intae shock.Gsw. 1996 Herald (1 Mar) 23:
One thing cheers me: unlike the younger generation my sperm count is into Mensa figures. Maybe not much works for me but at least the wee man is still in business.(15) Rnf. 1842 Children in Trades Report ii. i. 59:
Another flagrant cause of immorality is the “wee pawns”, or small unlicensed pawnbrokers.Edb. 1850 G. Bell Blackfriars Wynd 13:
“Wee pawn” brokers are jackals — providers for the lions of the city.Fif. 1864 St Andrews Gazette (11 June):
The facilities given by pawnbrokers, and especially ‘wee pawns,' for the disposal of stolen cloth and yarn.(16) Ayr. 1847 J. Taylor Annals Fenwick (1970) 78:
Oatmeal was selling at £3. 5. 0 to £3. 7. 0 per load. It was retailing at 20 and 21 pence per wee peck.(18) Sc. 1995 Daily Record (7 Feb) 46:
Berwick keeper Osborne couldn't gather a Wilson cross and the ball bounced to Mark Cowan, who headed into his own net. But the wee Rangers equalised seven minutes later when Graeme Fraser turned in a left-wing cross from sub Kevin Kane.(19) Lth. 1885 J. Strathesk More Bits 12:
The ‘wee schule”, called nowadays the ‘infant department,' or the ‘junior division.'(20) Ags. 1769 W. M. Inglis Angus Parish (1904) 138:
The Minister gave the word to the beadle, he ordered the culprit frequently to stand on the stool, or assisted him or her considerably to do so, as a sign of repentance. Thereupon they received their rebuke and the “Wee Sermon.”(24)Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 75:
wee team Used to designate a reserve team, irrespective of the size or ages of the players.Sc. 1995 Big Issue No 57 18-31 Aug :
Now, before we go any further, some of you will say: "What about those hiding the 'wee team' closet?" This is indeed a strange Scottish phenomenon; people claim to support a "wee team" but take great delight in seeing Celtic gubbed.Sc. 2000 Herald (12 Aug) 10:
Between them, encouraged by a chairman, Dominic Keane, whose own enthusiasm and commitment are contagious, they intend to make the Scottish football public take notice of the wee team that was spawned out of a flitting from Edinburgh of another wee team, Meadowbank Thistle. (25) (i) Sc. 1776 D. Herd Sc. Songs II. 213:
When I was a wee thing, And just like an elf.Ayr. 1785 Burns Cottar's Sat. Night iii.:
Th' expectant wee-things, toddlin, stacher through To meet their dad.Ags. 1794 “Tam Thrum” Look before ye Loup II. 14:
An' the wee things climmin' upon his knees.Dmf. 1808 J. Mayne Siller Gun 36:
Wie-things giggling i' the arms O' their fond mithers!Abd. 1845 P. Still Cottar's Sunday 19:
The wee-things now demand a mither's care.(28) (i) Gsw. 1987 James Kelman Greyhound for Breakfast (1988) 173:
They had paused at the traffic lights at the junction and now as the green showed Gordon continued walking immediately and Brian went alongside him, and began saying. Naw what it is Gordon, the wee yin, the lassie, she'll just no go near they school meals at all.Gsw. 1990 John and Willy Maley From the Calton to Catalonia 1:
Quick! There's a scramble in Parnie Street! The wee yin there's away wae a hauf-croon.wm.Sc. 1995 Alan Warner Morvern Callar 5:
Out there were no people. Puddles were frozen and wee-ones off from school had burst all ice.(ii) Gsw. 1987 James Kelman Greyhound for Breakfast (1988) 175:
Nah ... Brian sniffed.
Well a half pint then. Or a wee yin? a goldie - eh? I'm having one myself.Edb. 2004:
Ye'll hae a wee yin? Ah've goat a 15-year-auld malt in the cupboard.

4. Transf. Mean, of conduct, small-minded, petty; niggardly, stingy (Uls. 1901 Northern Whig (8 May)). Hence weeness, mean-spiritedness (Cld. 1825 Jam.).Cld. 1825 Jam.:
That was very wee in him.

III. adv. With verbs of speaking: softly, in a low voice.wm.Sc. 1911 H. Foulis Para Handy 108:
I canna hear mysel' readin' for you chaps barkin' at each other. I wish ye would talk wee.Rnf. 1928 G. Blake Paper Money vii .:
“Wheesht, Alan!” she answered . . . “Speak wee — ”