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

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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Wirry, -ie, Wer(r)y, Wor(r)y, -ie, v. Also: wirrey, wir(r)e-, wyr(r)y, wyri-, virry, -ie, virre-, vyrrie, virie, werey, werye, weyrry, very, worrey, wor(r)e-. Pres. t. also voris. P.t. also virit, verrit. P.p. also wirreitt, weryde, weirit, worrit. [ME and e.m.E. werid, wirid p.t. (both Cursor M.), wirw(en, werew(en (c1300), worow (Rolle), wirie(n (Wyclif), worie(n (14th c.), wery (c1400), worrow (a1529), wyrry (1529), worried p.p. (1594), werry (1638), OE wyrᵹan. Also in the later dial.]

1. tr. (To cause) to die, to kill by strangulation; to strangle. Also proverb.(a) a1400 Leg. S. xxvi 994.
The fend … In lyknes of a palmere … weryt hyme [L. eum strangulavit] a1500 Seven S. 2056.
Than weryit he the bird 1533 Boece 341a.
The quene … with hir awne handis weryit him 1533 Boece 504b.
Gillecriste … weryit hir in ane corde 1616 Orkney & Zetl. Sheriff Ct. 61b.
Weyrryet(b) 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 1215.
How feirs Achilles stranglit with his handis … Cygnus … Achilles … wirryit him be force a1538 Abell 27b.
He … slew the king wirriand him in his bed 1538–9 Crim. Trials I i 214.
And so continued till they pulled the stool from under his feet, and so wirried him and after burnt him 1573 Crim. Trials I i 512.
Wirryit a1578 Pitsc. II 191/25.
Thay wirrit him to the deid 1596–7 Misc. Spald. C. I 85.
Wirreys 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I 155.
The justice … ordanit the saidis four persounis to be … bund to ane staik, virreit thairat quhill thaj be deid, and thairefter brint 1601 Trial David Roy 3.
Virrie a1605 Birrel Diary 7.
If he had not beine creuelly vyrriet … with his awen garters, he had leived(c) 1558 Q. Kennedy Tractive 104.
That thay abstayne … fra it that is worreit [c1520-c1535 Nisbet Acts xv 29, strangilit] 1567 Inverness Rec. I 148 (see Sale n.³ (printed n.⁴)).
Worreyt 1581 Hamilton Facile Tr. in Cath. Tr. (STS) 240/5.
East Laudiane knawis the loue and fidelitie of ane of thair ministers towards his wyf, wha worriet hir before he passit to his preaching 1606 Reg. Privy C. VII 185.
He pressed to have worryed her, pat violent hands in her, graiped her be the throte [etc.] 1649 St. A. Baxter Bks. 119.
Abuisit the said James Pitcairne and almost woriet him with his ruiffproverb. a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 773.
Hangit and weirit is all ane deid

2. Of an animal: To attack ((the throat of) its victim), to bite, kill by this means; to savage. b. Of a person: To cause a dog to do this. c. proverb. d. In fig. context. a1400 Leg. S. i 441.
Wery a1400 Leg. S. iii 259.
Verrit a1400 Leg. S. vi 97.
A fel hund … veryt hym, & drank his blud c1420 Wynt. iii 611.
It happynyde syne at a huntyng Wytht wolwys hym to weryde be c1420 Wynt. v 4398.
Werryd 1460 Hay Alex. 534.
Of his keiparis he [sc. Bucephalus] wirreit mony men a1500 Henr. Fab. 1975.
Thow [sc. the fox] can … mak ane suddand schow vpon ane scheip Syne with thy wappinnis wirrie him to deid 1490 Irland Mir. II 6/2.
Of this best … the mouth was of the lione … this horrible best signifyis … the gret innemy of hell … Richtsua the innemy of hell … hauldis thame sai fast & wereyis thame be the throt that na way thai may eschape 1494 Deidis of Armorie 24.
The wolf … for the wodnes of reiff and rapacite he deuouris and voris ony best that he findis c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 101/7.
He turnis to me again, and barkis, As he was wirriand ane hog 1523 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 69 (see Mer adj.).
Worrit c1536 Lynd. Compl. Bagsche 91.
Lanceman, Lyndesayis dog, Quhilk ay hes keipit thy laute, And neuer wirryit lamb 1541 Linlithgow B. Ct. 30 March.
Ane ȝo quhilk the said Johne Dauison doge virit a1568 Bann. MS 156a/21.
Virry 1569 Kinnaird Farm Bk. 56a.
Of the hogis thair is wyriet be the tod iiij hogis … sua of thir hoggis that ar daid and wyryet wyth the tod [etc.] 1591-2 Rob Stene 10.
Thy bludy berd bewrayis thy slicht, For thow hes wirreit … Ane lamb 1596–7 Misc. Spald. C. I 96.
Ane catt … wireit ane of hir awin kitlingis 1596–7 Misc. Spald. C. I 100.
Ane ewill spreitt, in liknes of ane kae … hed destroyit and wirreit thi youngest sister, war nocht [etc.]b. 1532–3 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 131.
Gef James Turnbull can preff that Martyne Smaill worreit his yow that ilk day he howndit the scheip of his gers [etc.] 1569 Reg. Privy C. II 70.
Fifty persons … come to the said Hew Cathcartis landis … and thair … houndit wirreit drownit and ane part clippit … his and his tenentis scheipc. a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 916.
Kings & boares ofttyms wirries ther keipers a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 1280.
Tua wolfs may wirrie on sheep a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 445.
Dicht your baird ye have weirit a rottond. 1549 Compl. 156/22.
There is ouer mony doggis in Scotland that virreis there master as Acteon vas virreit … I repreif the ouer prodig expensis that sum … makkis on … doggis 1570 Sempill in Sat. P. xii 33.
I wald ȝe war not vane To haif ȝour waik anis wirryit with the tod 1596 Dalr. II 465/5.
Men … placet in the principal tounes … partlie to keip abak the force of the wolfes quha war lyk to wirrie the flok; partlie to conteine the ȝouth … within the boundes of the kirk as of the faulde 1692 Pitcairne Assembly iii i (1817) 45.
I'll worry all [curates] I see; my dogs are sure mouth'd

3. a. Of an object: To cause a person to choke. Also reflex. Also, to be choked on an object. b. intr. To choke (on (apoun) something). Also fig. or in fig. context.a. c1420 Wynt. vii 500.
Gyve evyr I thowcht [etc.] … at this … bred … off it nevyr a crote Quhill I be wyrryd owre-pas my throt 1531 Bell. Boece II 276.
God gif that breid wory me 1585 Reg. Privy C. IV 35.
They stoppit ane naipkine in hir thrott, quhairthrow she wes almaist wirreitt a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 1347.
The cook is wirried on a wilkreflex. 1535 Stewart 40609 heading.
How Godowyn worreit himself to deid ?1672 M. Bruce Sermon in Edinb. Tolbooth 15.
Some sort of meat … will not disjeast on their stomack, but it comes up and gars them wirry them, but shall not go downb. c1420 Wynt. vii 500, 504.
That brede than he begouth till ete Bot owre hys throt it mycht noucht get Swa suddanly … He wyrryd and spak newyre a word … Before that he deyd 1533 Boece 470a.
I beseik almychty God that I werye apoun this brede, gif [etc.] 1688 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XIII 253.
Thomas Ross … did worrie wpon ane peic beeffig. c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 194/24 (B).
Now quhill thair is gude wyne to sell, He that dois on dry breid virry I gif him to the devill of hell a1605 Montg. Flyt. 322 (T).
Wirriand on wind flaiffis 1600-1610 Melvill 716.
‘Bisschope,’ (said he,) ‘is this your chewit meit? Me thinkis that ye and we boith ar lyk to wirrie on it!’ 1622 Scot Course of Conformity 110.
Time, place motion &c., … have so many bones, that the philosophers are like to wirrie on them, and have need of cranes to pluck them out of their throats 1719 Life and Death of Sharp 118.
If you aucht a bishoprick, I wish you wirry upon the bones of it

4. tr.In an asseveration. 1540 Lynd. Sat. 4408.
The devill wirrie me … Bot I sall break thy pallet

5. reflex., fig.Of sects: To dispute fiercely among themselves. 1602 Colville Paraenese 51.
Martin Luther hes most satirikly scharpit his pen agans the Anabaptists [etc.] … being deuydit in infinit sectes thai so vrangill and virie [L. digladiantur] thair self that thay can giue no greter argument … of thair erronius doctrin

6. intr., transf. To gather up greedily for one's exclusive use. Cf. SND Worry v. 4 and Wirriar(e n. c. 1613 Glasgow Trades House 49.
They … said devill ane penny they wald pay and that thai war nane present wordie to ressaue the samyn saying that the haill commoun guidis of the craft [sc. wrights] was wirreit vp be thrie or four in hoills by the restis consentis as at mair lenth is contenit in the said deacon bills