A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1632
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(Quho but he,) Who but he, phr. [Quho pron. 1 c (2); Quha pron. 1 c (4). In mod. Sc. as wha but he (him).] To denote that the person referred to is pretentiously grand, is putting on airs, gets himself up as beyond compare, a nonsuch. — 1632 Rutherford Lett. (1891) 78.
The wooer's busking and bravery (who cometh to you as ‘who but he?’) are in vain
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"Quho But He phr.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 16 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/quho_but_he>
