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

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

Thift, Theft, n. Also: thifft, thifte, thyf(f)t, thyift, theift(e, theyft, thieft, theeft. [ME and e.m.E. thift (Cursor M.), theft (Wyclif), theefte (Caxton), OE þíefð, þýfð, -t, þeofð, -t, ON þýfð, þýft.]

1. Theft, the action or practice of stealing. Also commoun thift (see Commoun adj. 5), and, freq., in collocations with Ref(e n.¹ and Rub(b)ry n., qq.v. for further examples. Also personified and fig.(a) 1386 Rot. Sc. II 85/2 (see Ref(e n.¹ 2 (1)).
Thift 14.. Burgh Laws c. 31 (B).
Gyf ony burges appele anothir of ony thyng he may nocht fycht on hym bot defend hym thrw lauch of the burgh bot gyf it be of traytory or of thyft than he aucht to defend hym wyth bataile 14.. Acts I 7/2.
Al barounis the quhilkis has galowys and pyt of thyft alsua sal haf galowys of slachter 1456 Hay I 135/21.
And ȝit wald sum men say it [sc. losing, and failing to restore, borrowed armour] war a poynt of thift a1500 Henr. Fab. 822.
Dreidand na thing the samin lyfe to leid In thift [Bann. stouth] and reif as did his father befoir c1500 Barounis Lawis 15b.
Gif he be taken with … reid hand in thift 1501 Acta Conc. III (1993) 83.
His hienes will nocht geif remissionis be composicionis for … commone thift, commone resset of thift [etc.] 1501 Red Bk. Menteith II 304.
Thyfft 1531 Bell. Boece I xxvii.
In the time of peace, thay ar so accustomit with thift that thay can nocht desist, bot invadis the cuntre … with ithand heirschippis 1533 Boece 54.
Apoun thift and reif for the maist parte thai liffit 1553 Reg. Privy S. MS XXVI 6.
Throw being of the saidis personis justificiit and put to the deid for thyft 1560 Rolland Seven S. 6351.
Be commoun thift, sum makis thair schift 1562-3 Winȝet I 106/22.
Rubberie of the kirk guidis … quhilk thing ȝe man … grant … to be sacrilege war than commoun thift c1575 Balfour Pract. 522.
Thair ar twa kindis of thift, the ane is publict, the uther privat. Publict and manifest thift is, quhen the theif is takin … havand in his possessioun the thing that is … stollin, sic as he quha, beand followit be the awner of the gudis, is takin reid hand, that is, in hand havand, or on bak beirand. Privat thift is, quhen ane is suspectit or delatit for thift, be the fame and brute of the countrey, or be way of dittay 1596 Dalr. I 183/3.
Thay … vexed Argyle … with reif and thifte 1600 Acts IV 230/2.
The slaying of salmond in forbiddin tyme or of kipper, smoltis or sic blak fische at ony time sall be … ane cryme of thyift 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. i 6.
The fraudfull … concealing of treasure [etc.] … sould be punished be death … except the crime of thift and man-slauchter quhilk perteins to the schiref … but thift and man-slauchter taken vp be dittay sould be determined before the justitiar be ane assise of neighbours 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. i 69.
Slauchter, thift or anie other felonie(b) 1555 Misc. Bann. C. I 9.
Theifte 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. ii 42.
Gif ane knicht … challenge any man of reif, slauchter, theift, revising of women or … any other crime quherethrow battell may arise(c) 1567 Acts (1597) ii 14.
Anent thieft and receipt of thieft(d) a1658 Durham Commandments (1676) 257.
Consideration of the punishment of theft, what it may be in the civil courts of men 1678 Mackenzie Laws & C. i xix 15 (1699) 104.
The breaking of dove-coats, coneygairs, parks, or stanks … is declared to be punisht as theftpersonified 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 2167.
Thow art bot stouth—thift [L. thyft] louis licht but lite 1540 Lynd. Sat. 3210 (B).
[Thift] Hursone, thay call me commoun thift 1554 Duncan Laideus Test. 152.
Falsheid had him [sc. Truth] ay at mortall feid And Thift brocht Lawtie finalie to deidfig. a1599 Rollock Wks. I 426.
Hes thou power to reif it [sc. the body] out of the handis of the Lord? The Lord hes the power of thy bodie, and in that last day thou shall be challenged with thift and sacriledge 1611-57 Mure True Crucifixe 1133.
And this [sc. the second Commandment] of place amongst the ten [they] depriue … to hide the thift, Vsing a shamelesse sacrilegious shift

b. An instance of stealing. Also, const. of the thing stolen.(1) 14.. Burgh Laws c. 41 (B).
And he nyte the thyft a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 263.
Ane churle … Quhilk for his thift micht clim na nar the heuin c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. xv 19.
For of the hart gais furth euile thouchtis, manslaing, adultries, fornicatiouns, thiftis, fals witnessingis, blasphemyes 1586–7 Elgin Rec. II 6.
Comoun harlotry with thiftis and pykerie 1587 Acts III 464/1.
Quhensoeuer ony heirschippis … and thiftis salhappin to be committit … in the hielandis … be ony captane of clan 1620 Fraserburgh Kirk S. 105b (8 March).
He did cast the peicis off paper in watter thairby to try the thift suppoing [sic in MS] that to be the giltie persone quhais name did sink 1631 Bk. Carlaverock II 49.
He may caus execute justice upon him within the bounds of his office, where his thifts and stouthes wer most frequent and ordinar(b) 1634 Thanes of Cawdor 280.
Theyftis pyikeries and otheris crymes 1665 Lauder Jrnl. 70.
They that commits any pitty roobery or theifte are whipt thorow the toune and stigmatized with a hote iron 1698 Banff Field C. (1905-6) 153.
The magistrets and counsell [of Banff], considering how loose the countrie at present is and how many theifts are nightlie committed … enact that from henceforth there be ane nightly gaurd kept within the out roome of the tolbuith(c) 1698 S. Ronaldshay 72.
Whereas Mr. Alexander's family is reflected on by reason of his servant's theeft, it's answered that thair theeft was a thing he could not forsee(2) 14.. Acts I 53/2.
Of byrthynsak that is to say of the thyft of a calf or of a ram or how mekil as a man may ber on his bak

2. Stolen goods. 14.. Burgh Laws c. 19 (A).
Giff ony burges be chalangit of ony vplandis man of ony maner of thifft fundyn in his hous in his sesing 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. ii 18.
Qvha resets theift stollen fra anie man he salbe estemed as ane common theif and … punissed with the like paine 1616 Haddington Corr. 132.
A miserabill body, takin keipand sum stowlin stirkis quhilk sum lymmeris had left with him … takin reidhand with the thift a1633 Hope Major Pract. II 42.
Barrons may doe justice upon ane man … seised with manefest thift in hand haveand

3. Stealth, treachery; wickedness. c1475 Wall. xi 592.
The Erll of Ȝork bad thaim so gret gardoun, At thai be thyft hecht to put Wallace doun 1669 S. Ronaldshay 58.
[That] he might never thryve by sea or land, nor the hous he wer in, and at sea he might come aschoare lyk whale blubber, with other wicked words of thift