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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

DRIVE, v., n., adv. Sc. usages and grammatical forms.

I. v.

A. Forms.

1. Pa.t. drave (Sh., Ork., Ags., Ayr.), dreev(e), dr(i)eve; driv (Ags., Rxb. 2000s), druv(e); drevvd ( Dundee). Pr.t. also dreive (m.Lth. 1857 Misty Morning 266), representing an Edb. pron. [drɛɪv] [dre:v Sc., ne.Sc. driv, Lnk., Kcb. + drɪv, Uls. + drʌv]Sc. 1787 W. Taylor Poems 68:
Ane drave the Cawf, the Stot, an Stirk.Sc. 1826 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) I. 91:
Just to get rid o' the endless fash o' letters by the carrier, I druve into toun here.Sc. 1935 I. Bennet Fishermen iv.:
I heard my grandda tell us that in his young day the laird cam' doon tae the shore wi' a stick in his han' and dreve them oot in the boatie in a' weathers.Sh. 1891 J. J. H. Burgess Rasmie's Büddie 65:
Da fiends 'at drave da tenant furt . . . Lay cursin deep.Bnff. 1924 Swatches 82:
An' dreev their sheep, and forgatna te look Baith aheid an' ahin.ne.Sc. 1884 D. Grant Lays (1908) 110:
Tailyour Deans. . . . . . . drieve his closin' steek.Dundee 1990 Sheila Stephen in Joy Hendry Chapman 60 51:
"This is the interestin bit, Bella!" Ina rushed on, clearly enjoying herself. "A wummin drevvd up in een o thae Beetle cars and went 'toot', 'toot' on hir hoarin. Up loupit the mannie and went across ti her. ... " em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 65:
' ... He drave a reasonable bargain, John. Rich men can aye be civil wi each ither. ... 'Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch (1839) xxiii.:
Never shall an ounce of it cross the craig of my family, — that is as sure as ever James Batter drave a shuttle.Arg. 1992:
He driv the coals fae the coal-ree an e driv the whisky tae the pier. Rnf. 1999:
Ye must mind! He wis the man that driv yer Mammie tae the scuil. Kcb. 1895 S. R. Crockett Bog-Myrtle ii. i.:
Mony a time he drave by to the Pairish Kirk.n.Ir. 1900 E.D.D.:
I dhruv past him.

2. Pa.p. and ppl.adj. drine, dreen, dri(e)en, dryne (s.Sc.: see P.L.D. § 70.1); dreven, druv (due to Ir. influence).Kcb. 1911 G. M. Gordon Clay Biggin' 22:
Following ahint was a spring cairt . . . druv by an auldish man.s.Sc. 1793 T. Scott Poems 323:
Snaw in spitters aft was dreen.Rxb. 1847 J. Halliday Rustic Bard 259:
A neck as white as the new dri'en snaw.Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 15:
A patriarch-leike body, . . . eis baird, wheite as the drieen snaw, flaffin i the wund.Dmf. 1877 R. W. Thom Jock o' the Knowe 52:
An' aft has drine the winter snaw.Dmf. 1894 J. Shaw in Trans. Dmf. and Gall. Antiq. Soc. 146:
Have you ever dryne sheep over that road?n.Ir. 1900 E.D.D.:
I've dhruv that horse these five year.

B. Sc. usages.

1. tr. †(1) With up: to force with a blow, to smash by force, to burst open.Fif. 1882 in Froude Early Life Carlyle I. 55:
A carpenter . . . rushed across, axe in hand, drove up the door.Rnf. 1733 W. Hector Judicial Rec. (1876–78) I. 140:
Also proven that after these she proceeded and Drove up the Complainers doors.

(2) To throw with force or speed.Sc. 1816 Scott Black Dwarf x.:
I'se een drive a stane at it.Abd. 1900 E.D.D.:
He dreeve a stane through my window.Ib.:
Drive up the sheaves or we'll no be finished the nicht.

(3) To nail a shoe to a horse's hoof (Bnff.² 1940). Also used absol. Vbl.n. driving.Abd. 1923 Bnffsh. Jnl. (29 May) 3:
Horse-shoe making is a fascinating operation, surpassed only by that of fixing them to the hoofs, or “driving”, as it is called.

Hence driver, (see quot.).Kcb.¹⁰ 1940:
In a large smithy one man sometimes does nothing but nail on shoes and is called a driver.

2. tr. and intr. In golf: to strike the ball for a distance shot, now esp. in playing off the tee. Hence driver, the club thus used, also ‡driving cleek, ‡-iron, †-putter. Now accepted as St.Eng.Fif. 1857 H. B. Farnie Golfer's Manual 17:
Drivers. . . . There are two members of this class; the play club, and the grassed driver. The first is employed, as a rule, to play over safe ground where no hazards lie exposed to the stroke.Ib. 20:
The driving-iron nearly resembles him of the bunker, in everything but weight; it is used amongst difficulties also, but only when the ball is intended to be, and admits of being, sent some distance.Ib. 21:
Driving-putters are most frequently used in the place of short or baffing spoons, to drive the ball up to the putting-green, when no hazard or awkward inequality of ground intervenes to prevent the roll of the ball.Fif. 1897 R. Forgan Golfer's Manual 15:
The “Driving Cleek” differs from the ordinary Cleek chiefly in respect of the handle, which is somewhat longer, and has a more clearly perceptible spring.Ib. 17:
The “Driving Iron” is lighter and less sloped in the face than the “Sand Iron.” It is chiefly employed in “approaching the hole,” when the Cleek would drive the ball too far.

†3. tr. and intr. With aff, on, ower: to pass, while away (time), of time: to pass away. Obs. since 17th cent. in Eng.Sc. 1718 Ramsay Chr. Kirk iii. x. in Poems (1721):
Clashes, mingled aft wi' Lies, Drave aff the hale Forenoon.Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality x.:
“Where is the serjeant?” “Drinking and driving ower,” quoth Jenny, “wi' the steward and John Gudyill.”Ayr. 1791 Burns Tam o' Shanter ll. 45–6:
The night drave on wi' sangs and clatter; And ay the ale was growing better.

4. intr. To drift ashore; to wash up with the tide (Sh.¹⁰ 1950).Sh. 1898 Sh. News (16 July):
Der as mony o' da knappilds 'at drave twa year frae syne, lyin' apo' da butt laaft.Sh. 1926–28 J. Gray in Sh. Times:
A'm no been dat far, only da lent o' Selkie seein if dey wir onything drivin.

5. Phrs.: (1) to drive a biscuit, to roll out the dough for a biscuit with a rolling-pin (Fif., Lnk. 1975); (2) to drive a rig, see Rig; (3) to drive a spreagh, see Spreagh; (4) to drive swine (pigs), to snore loudly in one's sleep (Ork.⁵ 1950; Abd.¹³ 1910; Per., Kcb., Dmf. 1950 (per Fif.¹⁷); (5) to drive the pigs through someone's game (the garden), to interfere with or upset (someone's plans); (6) to drive the pun(d), see Pund.(5) Sc. 1824 Scott St. Ronan's W. v.:
This . . . tramper . . . has come hither . . . to drive the pigs through my game.em.Sc. (a) 1896 “I. Maclaren” Kate Carnegie (1903) 111:
I've been wonderin', neeburs, gin the auld Earl didna drive the pigs through the gairden; he's prood an' maisterfu'.

II. n. A forceful blow, a “swipe”.Sc. 1846 Anon. Muckomachy 15:
. . . ne'er did happen In Fife sic slappin'; Sic dunts, and drives and dandiefechans.m.Sc. c.1840 “J. Strathesk” Hawkie (1888) 52:
With that I made a drive at him, when he fell from the stone on which he had rested.Per. 1900 E.D.D.:
He gaed me a drive wi' his fist.

III. adv. In phr. to play drive, to come with full force (Slg.³ 1940).Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch (1839) ii.:
A dog that, wakening out of its slumbers with a yell . . . played drive against my uncle.