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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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

YAUD, n. Also yad(e), yawd (Lnk. a.1832 W. Watt Poems (1860) 353), yode (Gsw. 1860 J. Young Poorhouse Lays 30), ¶yud; †yead (Lth. 1819 J. Thomson Poems 162), yaid (Sc. 1887 Jam.). [jɑ:d] 1. An old mare, or horse, esp. in a broken-down, wornout condition (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 496; Sc. 1825 Jam., also yad; Sc. 1869 J. C. Morton Cycl. Agric. II. 727; Abd. 1913; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., 1942 Zai; s.Sc. 1974). Also fig. See Jaud, n. Rarely applied to an old cow (Morton, ib.).Sc. 1724 Ramsay T.-T. Misc. (1876) I. 7:
On his gray yad as he did ride.Sc. 1776 D. Herd Sc. Songs II. 115:
Our bra' basin'd yade, Will carry ye hame your corn, What wad ye be at, ye jad?Ayr. 1794 Burns Election Ball. 3. vii.:
That auld grey yaud a' Nidsdale rade.Sc. 1816 Scott Black Dwarf i.:
Landlord, get us our breakfast, and see an' get the yauds fed.Slk. 1818 Hogg B. of Bodsbeck vii.:
A douse-looking man wi' a brown yaud.Wgt. 1877 “Saxon” Gall. Gossip 29:
After the murder and burial of the ‘aul yaud'.Ags. 1897 A. Reid Bards Angus 133:
Ae nicht the farm lads Had stabl'd up their wearied yauds.Bnff. 1927 Banffshire Jnl. (31 May) 2:
The three airn cleeks whilk he drave in the wa' To tie up wild yads when heigh customers ca'.Edb. 1940 R. Garioch 17 Poems for 6d. 6:
King Charles's yud, prancin owre Knox's grave.

2. Fig. A contemptuous term for a woman, freq. one of slovenly or dissolute habits (Sc. 1887 Jam.). Comb. bait-yaud, a woman who gathers shellfish and the like for fishing-bait. For yule's yaud see Yule, 3. (48).Abd. 1787 A. Shirrefs Jamie and Bess 15:
I own I anes had liking for the yade, But couk to think o't since she turn'd a bawd.Bwk. 1856 G. Henderson Pop. Rhymes 107:
Raw lads, and bait-yauds, On wi' creels, and on wi' pads.Lth. 1885 J. Strathesk More Bits 257:
The auld harridan was a yammerin', yaffin', yelpin', yatterin', yad.

3. Transf. usages: (1) “A piece of bad coal, which becomes a white ashy lump in the fire” (Fif. 1808 Jam., yad), a large piece of slatey bad-burning coal (Fif. 1974). Cf. Ghaist, 2.(3).

(2) in reeling yarn: a thread that has not gone properly round the reel but is left hanging between the spokes (Lnk. 1822 G. R. Kinloch MS.; Rxb., Ayr. 1825 Jam.; Rnf. 1837 Crawfurd MSS. X. 189).

(3) a large variety of the common limpet (Bwk. 1885 Hist. Bwk. Nat. Club XI. 162).Bwk. 1842 Proc. Bwk. Nat. Club. (1849) 36:
Our fishermen distinguish three kinds of Limpets: viz. (1) Yawds, which have a tough leathery foot of a cream-yellow colour, and tentacula of the same colour but a shade lighter.