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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Soup, Swepe, v.³ Also: soupe, sowp(e, soope, sweip(e, sueip, sweep, swyp, swap. P.t. also swopit, swoupit, sweippit. P.p. also swopit, swoupit, sweippet, swipit, swipt. [ME and e.m.E. suepe (Cursor M.), swepe (Rolle), sweepe (Chaucer), swyp(e (Caxton), OE swápan (p.t. swéop, p.p. swápen), ON sópa, earlier *swópan, cognate with the OE form.]

1. tr. To clean (a floor, street, etc.) with or as with a broom, etc. Also fig.(1) pres. 1537 Linlithgow B. Ct. 9 Nov.
He … sowpand & schulland the causa perfitlie and sowpand the tolboitht 1554 Edinb. B. Rec. II 196.
To watter and sowp the queir euery vlk anis 1561 Edinb. B. Rec. III 128.
Jok Symsoun sall nychtlie walk the said kirk … sowpe and hald the samyn clene 1591 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 460.
Twa werkmen … to cleng & soup the well efter the aisler stanes was layd 1638 Baillie I 84.
The Thesaurer … makes soupe the Cross for the hangings 1638 Henderson Serm. 219.
He will light the candle, and soup the house for one lost piece of money 1658 Melrose Reg. Rec. I 190.
[The judge] ordaines aither partie to soupe efter thair mucking and dighting in the entrie, and when they doe not mucke to dicht and soope day about the entries 1698 Soc. Ant. III 196.
[The Sacristane] … to watter and soup the queir once every oulk(b) 1555–6 Edinb. B. Rec. II 365.
To buy bussomis to swepe the kirk at Yuill, Paische, and Witsonday(c) c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) xiv 73 (see (2) below). 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 25.
For a brusche to sweip the wallis and chalmers 1622 Perth Kirk S. MS 22 April.
That foure of the ordinaris oulkis as it is fallis theme in ordour to sueip the kirk 1631 Buccleuch Household Bk. 29 Oct.
For besoms to sweipe the ludging 1665–7 Lauder Jrnl. 75.
The most part of them that sweips the chimelies in France we discovered to be litle boyes(d) 1574–5 Haddington Treas. Acc. 1.
To yowng Bowye that … swyppis the kyrk 1574–5 Haddington Treas. Acc. 8.
To beir up the red and swyp the kyrk(e) ?a1648 Polemo-Mid. 81.
Et doctam sweeppare fleurasp.t. 1611–2 Glasg. Univ. Mun. III 563.
To John M^cIlvane … quhen he … soupit the chymnay heid vj s.(b) 15.. Clar. iii 929.
The house scho swoupit and did all that effeirit(c) 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 46.
To a wyfe that sueiped the houssis 1626 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 194.
To tua men that sweippit the munitioune hous and red it, vi s.(d) 1700 Foulis Acc. Bk. 279.
To the woman swyped the lodgingp.p. 1589 St. A. Kirk S. 652.
That … the pulpeit and daskis … be sowpit and haldin clein 1591 Edinb. B. Rec. V 43.
That the mylne be cleyne soupit quhen ony nychtbour hes thair malt to grynd(b) 1605 Edinb. B. Rec. VI 11.
That the scholes be all sweippet thrie days in the oulk 1677 Edinb. B. Rec. X 325.
The chimnies where they ordinarly keep fyre to be sweiped each quarter of a yearfig. c1598 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 15a.
For the mane that supes the schor(2) c1500-c1512 Dunb. (STS) xiv 73 (M).
Sic foull taillis that soupis [B. to sweip] the cassay clene 1533 Bell. Livy I 252/6.
The soroufull moderis … sowpand the templis with thare hare a1540 Freiris Berw. 220 (B).
That being done thow sowp the hous clene syne(b) 1614 Inverness Rec. II 128.
That all maner of men tak away thair middings of the kingis streits, and … cause sweipe the sam clein everie Sattirday

b. intr. Also proverb. 1618 Inverness Rec. II 154.
That na man presume to hald muck or midding on the kingis casay, and that thai cause sweipe and [sic] afoir thair yettis everie Saterday 1658 Melrose Reg. Rec. I 190 (see (1) pres. above).proverb. a1598 Ferg. Prov. No. 76.
A new bissome soupes clean

c. fig. 1596–7 Crim. Trials II 12.
His maiesteis haill seruandis was commandit to be soupit af the gait and to soup the calsay with thame

2. To remove by sweeping.(1) 1556–7 Edinb. Old Acc. II 73.
Coft ij dosone hadder bussomes to sowp the mouswalbis our all the kirk(2) a1500 Henr. Fab. 76.
Iowellis ar tint … Vpon the flure and swopit furth anone

b. transf. and fig. Chiefly with adv. complement. Also const. of (= out of). Also ellipt.(1) ?1438 Alex. i 1974.
Sary was than Emynedoun Quhen he saw how his feris war Scalit and soupit heir and thair(2) 1596–7 Crim. Trials II 12 (see 1 c above). 1600-1610 Melvill 424.
A dwabbling countrey ryme, meittar to be swipped away with the mouse-wobbes, nor [etc.] a1649 Drummond II 71/145.
Man a long line of yeeres hath continued, this man euerie hundreth is swipt away c1650 P. Gordon Brit. Dist. 114.
That the Royalists might be swyped out of the kingdomellipt. 1460 Hay Alex. 2989.
Quhare thai befoir haid maid the mekill mott, Vpoun the morn away was swipit clene And rycht nocht left(3) a1585 Arbuthnot Maitl. Q. 140/2.
Gif it be trew that storeis doe rehers That sorrow souppis sinceritie of sens

3. To spread (something) (upon a person) by sweeping. 1632 Lithgow Trav. x 469.
I was miserably afflicted with the beastly plague of gnawing vermin which lay crawling … within, without and about my body. … And for a greater satisfaction to their … mindes, the gouernour caused … his silver plate keeper to gather and swipe the vermine vpon me

4. To wave or brandish with a sweeping movement. c1550 Lynd. Meldrum 1351.
Sweipand his sword round about

5. To inundate, overwhelm. 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 118/105.
The heauen … Now sweeps her with his floods

6. Of a ship: To rake (another ship) with gunfire. c1590 Fowler I 233/18.
How the wandring pyratt hes the marchand spoyld and swipt With thundring schott and fyre

7. intr. Only in Doug.: Of ships, also (once) of sea creatures: To move (through the sea) with a rapid, flowing movement. Also quasi-tr.: To sweip … (one's) way.(1) 1513 Doug. iii ii 111.
By the iland swepit [L. volamus] we onon … hait Naxon 1513 Doug. v iv 112.
So followys Pistrys … With fellon fard furth swepand alsso fast 1513 Doug. vi xvi 22.
The cost endlang the ille Circea Thai swepyng fast by 1513 Doug. viii xi 76.
The delphyn fysches … swepand fast throu fludis grene(2) 1513 Doug. vii i 8.
Out our the calm streym … With ayris palmys sweip thai furth thar way

8. tr. To move swiftly over (a hill), to pass over. 1541 Craig-Brown Selkirkshire II 42.
[Straight up] swapand the 3 bridder [sc. Three Brethren hill] [to the old cairn of stones on the height of the hill, and then even down northly the watershed of the hill [etc.]