Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1858-1928
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BA(A), v.2 and n.2 Used as in St.Eng. in the sense of bellow, bleat, v. and n.; also as a v. in the following senses in Sc. [Phon. as Ba',n.1]
1. v. Of human beings.
(1) To speak in a bellowing or bleating tone, like a sheep, cow or other animal. Gen.Sc.Abd. 1881 W. Paul Past and Pres. of Aberdeenshire 30:
To haud me baain' and baain' here till there's scarcely a breath in my body.Abd.(D) 1905 W. Watson Glimpses o' Auld Lang Syne 242:
He began't [a prayer] wi' "Houly, houly, houly," an' baa't a grait lang Amen.
(2) To mock at, to howl at.Ayr. 1928 Ayrshire Rhyme (per Ayr.4):
For like the bill amang the kye They baa at us as we gang by.
2. n. An indistinct sound — of human beings.Sc. 1858 E. B. Ramsay Reminisc. (22nd ed.) iv.:
They neither said ba nor bum.
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"Ba v.2, n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 7 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/baa_v2_n2>
