TARTAN, TARTANE, s. Woollen cloth, checkered, &c.] Insert, after cloth—or silk;
It would seem, that the ancient Gauls were much attached to parti-coloured garments: and, as their posterity of the lower classes still do, deemed the dress honourable in proportion to the variety of colours. This appears from an old law mentioned by Ohalloran; although we must be allowed to entertain some doubts with respect to the aera affixed to it.
“The respect paid to lettters, in Ireland, extended to its professors, who were held, in rank and estimation, next to the blood royal; as appears by a sumptuary law passed—about the year of the world 3050, which allows to Ollamhs, or Doctors in different sciences, but one colour less in their garments than to the princes, viz. six; the knights and prime nobility being allowed but five; the Beatachs, or keepers of constant open house for all strangers, four; military subalterns, three; soldiers, two; and artizans and plebeians, one. This custom of many coloured garments, we find to be extremely ancient: thus we read in Genesis, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colours.” Introd. to Hist. and Antiq. of Irel. p. 19, 20.
It would seem, that the bars or stripes of fur, by which the parliamentary robes of peers are still marked, as distinguishing their rank, is a vestige of this ancient custom.
The earliest mention made of tartan, as far as I have observed, is in the reign of James III. in the Acct. of John Bishop of Glasgow, Treasurer to the king, A. 1474.
“ Item, fra Will. of Rend, 7 Maii, and deliverit to Caldwell, halve ane elne of double tarian, to lyne riding collars to the Queen, price - 0 8 0.” Borthwick's Brit. Antiq. p. 189.
It was also used “for my Lorde Prince.”
“For 4 elne and ane halve of tartane, for a spar wort aboun his credill, price elne 10s. - 2 5 0
—“Ane elne and ane half of blen tartane, to lyne his gowne of a clath of gold - - 1 10 O.” Ibid. p. 142, 143. -
From its being called blew, it appears probable that the term was not then appropriated to variegated stuffs.
Lord Hailes seems disposed to give the use of tartan a very early origin in our country. Having quoted the Acta Sanctorum, in proof that our good Queen Margaret used her influence to get the inhabitants of S. to wear garments cum diversis coloribus, he adds; “That parly-coloured stuff called tartan, which has been long a favourite with us, was perhaps introduced into Scotland by Margaret.” Annals, I. p. 37. N. A. 1093.
THREAD O' BLUE, a phrase used to denote any thing in writing or conversation that is smutty, Gall. Enc.; q. a thread not corresponding in colour with the rest of the web.
TONNY, adj. “Ane tonny quot,” perhaps a tawney-coloured coat; Aberd. Reg. Cent. 16.
TRUE-BLUE, adj. An epithet given to rigid Presbyterians.l Add;
—“The haill house dogs, messens, and whelps within Aberdeen killed upon the streets, so that neither hound, messen or other dog was left alive that they could see; the reason was this, when the first army came here, ilk captain and soldier had a blue ribband about his craig, in despite and derision whereof, when they removed from Aberdeen, some women of Aberdeen (as was alleged) knit blue ribbands about their messens craigs, whereat thir soldiers took offence, and killed all their dogs for this very cause.” Spalding, i. 160.
“Blue was the favourite colour of the covenanters; hence, the vulgar phrase of a true blue whig.” Min strelsy Border, iii. 224.
2. Metaph. used in S. to denote a person of integrity and steadiness.
“True blue will never stain,” S. Prov. “A man of fixed principles, and firm resolutions, will not be easily induced to do an ill, or mean thing.” Kelly, p. 303.
TWITTERY, adj. Slender; properly, spun very small, S.
“Nor were the people of Galloway acquainted with dyeing any other colour than black, which, when mixed with white wool, was made into clothing—(hodden grey) for both lairds and ladies, and was far afore the twittery worm-wabs made now-a-days.” Edin. Evin. Cour. July 1, 1819.
URE, s. 1. “A kind of coloured haze, which the sun-beams make in the summer-time, in passing through; that moisture which the sun exhales from the land and ocean;” Gall. Enc.
2. This is expl. “a haze in the air,” Clydes. “The mune be this was shinan clearly abune a' ure.” Edin. Mag. Sept. 1818, p. 155. This seems to be its meaning in the following passage.
Whiles glowring at the azure sky, And loomy ocean's ure, Which Phoebus makes when he is dry, Thrang sooking waters pure. Gall, Encycl. p. 133.
When the weather is very dry, it is called dry ure. The east was blae, dry ure bespread the hills. - Ibid.
Perhaps originally the same with Isl. ur pluvia. G. Andr.; ros, pluvia, Haldorson. V. Oorie. Or shall we trace it to the same fountain with E. hoar, Isl. hor, mucor P Lye has given A.S. urig as signifying canus, hoary; which would seem to indicate that there had been an A.S. s. in the form of ur.
WADD, s. Woad, used in dyeing.] Add;
It also occurs in the form of wad.
—“Anent the spoliacioune & wrangwis withhaldin fra the said Elizabeth of twa tune of wad, j poke of mader" [madderl, &c. Act. Audit. A. 1473, p. 31.
“That none of these acts speak—of exporting, &c. but mainly of not selling wax, wine, silks, spiceries, wood, wadde,” &c. Fount. Dec. Suppl. ii. 644.
Mr. Todd has inserted Wad from Barret's Alvearie, as “old English for Woad.” Fraunces gives it in a much earlier age. “Woode or wad for lyttynge. Gando.” Prompt. Parv.
Gando is probably by mistake for L.B. gualda glastum; (or gaida,) apparently formed from O. Fr. guaide, gualt, &c. id. V. Du Cange and Roquefort.
WAID, s. The dye-stuff called woad. “Ane pipe of waid:” Aberd. Reg. V. WADD, and
WALD.
WALD, s. Yellow weed, dyer's weed, Reseda luteola, Linn. -
“Thre half pokis of wald.” Aberd. Reg. V.24.
—“Noe vther incorporation—to buy or sell–spiceries, wald and vther materialls for dying.” Acts Cha. II. Ed. 1814, VIII. 63. -
“For every pound of yarm allow three fourths of a pound good English wald.” Max. Sel. Trans. p. 368.
In E. this is called Weld, and viewed by Johns, as quite different from Woad; although Lightfoot gives to the Luteola the name of Wild-woad.
A.S. wad, waad, glastum.
WASH, WESCHE, s. Stale urine, S.] Insert, be fore the quotation from Lyndsay;
There was a still more filthy and pernicious use of urine, in former times, in the fermentation of ale, in order to make it intoxicating. It is thus described by the Knight of the Mount.
Subjoin to the quotation from Lyndsay;
But however congenial this practice may seem to the manners of our forefathers, we cannot claim the whole honour to ourselves. It has evidently prevailed, in the North of E. at least, in a much later period. Hence, as Ray gives land, lant, leint, as signifying urine, he adds, “To leint ale, to put urine into it to make it strong;” Coll. p. 42, and Gl. Grose.
Yorks. “wesh, or wask, urine;” Thoresby, Ray's Lett. p. 341.
“Thow fals heretick said that hollie watter is not so guid as wesch.” G. Wischart's Trial, Pitscottie's Cron. p. 468.
“Put into your copper a little stale nash, which will make your wald spend and raise your colour.” Maxwell's Sel. Trans. p. 368.
WASH-TUB, s. A large tub or cask into which urine is collected, S.O.; synon. Maister-can. “A cask, into which urine was collected—known by the name of the wash-tub.” Ag. Surv. Ayr. p.114
WAUCHIE, adj. Sallow and greasy, Lanarks.
Also expl. wan-coloured, disgustingly pale; as, “a wauchie skin.”
“A fleeful fien' will rise at your feet, Wi’ nauchie cheek and wauland ee.
“This word is applied only to the countenance, and denotes that the person has a sallow and greasy face.” Edin. Mag. July 1819, p. 527, 529.
“When the bad Fairies carried off a child, they always left one of their own number in its place, generally described in the language of the country as an ill-faur'd mauchie wandocht of a creature.” Edin. Mag. Oct. 1818. -
The term may have the same origin with Wak, moist. C. B. gwelwn signifies pale, gwelwgan pale white, gwelwgock pale red.
To WHITE, v. a. To flatter, Galloway.
“To White, to flatter for favour;” Gall. Enc. C.B. hud-o, to wheedle, chwyd-an, to trick. Hence,
WHITIE, WHITELIP, s. A flatterer. “An auld whitie, a flatterer: the same with whitclip;" Gall. Enc. V. WHITE Folk.
WHITE-CRAP, s. A name applied to grain, to distinguish it from such crops as are always green, S. -
“White-crops, corn, as wheat, barley, &c., Glouc.” Grose.
WHITE-FEATHER. To have a white father in one's wing, a proverbial phrase denoting timidity or cowardice, South of S.; analogous to E. White-livered.
“He has a white feather in his ning this same West burnflat after a’,” said Simon of Hackburn, some what scandalized by his ready surrender. ‘He'll ne'er fill his father's boots.” Tales Landl. i. 180.
WHITE FOLK, a designation given to wheed lers, S. *
“You are as white as a loan soup. Spoken to flat terers who speak you fair, whom the Scots call White Folk.” Kelly's S. Prov. p. 371.
I see no particular reason for the use of this me taphor by our ancestors, unless we should suppose that it originated in the preference given to this colour by those who laid claim to greater purity than others, as in the dress of priests, virgins, &c., who too often gave practical evidence that their purity lay chiefly in their dress. The only approach to the use of a similar metaphor, which I have observed, is in the Fr. phrase, C'est le cheval aux quatre pieds blanc, which Cotgr. says, “is most used to expresse a companion that promises much, and performes nought.”
Another Fr. phrase conveys the same idea: Ils sont tout blanc au-dehors, & tout noirs au-dedans; c'est-à-dire, qu'ils sont verteux en apparence, mais qu'au fonds ce sont des méchans. Dict. Trev.
WHITE HARE, the Alpine hare, S. “Lepus variabilis. Alpine Hare.—S. White hare.” Edin. Mag. July 1819, p. 507.
WHITE HAWSE, “a favourite pudding; that which conducts the food to the stomach with sheep;” Gall. Enc.
WHITE-IRON or AIRN, s. Tin-plate, S.
WHITE-IRON smith, a tin-plate worker, S.
“We observed two occupations united in the same person, who had hung out two sign-posts. Upon one was, ‘James Hood, White Iron Smith,’ (i. e. Tin plate Worker.) Upon another, ‘the Art of Fencing taught by James Hood.” Boswell's Journal, p. 54.
WHITE LEGS, s. pl. The smaller wood, such as branches, &c., of a hag or cutting, Berw.
“The smaller wood, provincially termed white legs, is sold for temporary fences, or fire wood.” Agr. Surv. Berw. p. 334.
WHITE-LIVER, s. This word is used in a sense quite different from the E. adj.; for it denotes a flatterer, Roxb.
White is used by our old writers as signifying hy ocritical. V. Quhyte, adj.
WHITE-MEAL, s. Oat-meal; as distinguish ed from what is made of barley, called Bread meal, Clydes.
WHITENIN, s. The chalk used for making walls or floors white, S.
WHITE PUDDING, a pudding made of meal, suet, and onions, stuffed in one of the intestines of a sheep, S
And first they ate the nhite puddings, And then they ate the black. Herd's Coll. ii. 159. V. BLACK PUDDING.
WHITE SHOWER, a shower of snow, Aberd.; pron. Fite shower.
WHITE-SILLER, s. Silver money; as, “I’ll gie ye white siller fort,” I shall give you a six pence at least, S.
The phrase hwit seolfer occurs in A.S., but as signifying pure silver; Lye, vo. Seolfer. Sw. hwita penningar, silver money.
WHITE WAND. W. WAND of PEACE.
WHITE-WIND, s. Flattery, wheedling; a cant term. To blaw white wind in ane's lug, to flatter one; Clydes., Roxb.
WHITE-WOOD, s. The white and more decayable wood on the outside of a tree, S.
“The oaks [in the mosses] are almost entire; the white wood, as it is called, or the outermost circles of the tree only are decayed." Agr.Surv. Stirl. P. 40.
WUDWISE, s. “A yellow flower, which grows on bad land, and has a bitter taste;”
Gall. Enc.
Perhaps the Genista Tinctoria, Dyer's weed or Wood-waxen, E.
YELLOWS, YELLOWSES, s, pl. The jaundice in sheep, South of S.
This disease is said to be produced in consequence of feeding on the Dutch Myrtle, S. -
“Morbus hicce pastoribus nostris nomine, the yellows, nuncupatur.” Dr. Walker's Essays on Nat. Hist. p. 525.
“Yellows, or Jaundice, Mr. Singers. Yellowses, or Jaundice, Mr. Scott. Yellow Sickness, or Jaundice, Mr. J. Hogg. Yellowses, or Headswell, Mr. Beattie. Head ill, Mr. W. Hog.” Essays Highl. Soc. iii. 437.
The A.S. name for jaundice was geoluwe adl.
YELLOW TUNG, Fucus nodosus, Linn., S.
YELLOW-YORLIN, s. A name given to the yellow-hammer, Roxb.
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