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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BITTIE, n., adj. (quasi), and adv. [′bɪtɪ̢]

1. n.

(1) A small piece, a little bit.Abd. 1865 G. Macdonald Alec Forbes I. viii.:
Only I wad sair like a bittie o' can'le.Abd.(D) 1909 G. Greig Mains's Wooin' 13:
Noo' try that bittie first, and watch yersel'.

(2) A short distance.Bnff. 1860 Bnffsh. Jnl. (25 Dec.) 2:
There lives yont the water a bittie A restless and camstarie chiel.Ags.(D) 1894 J. B. Salmond My Man Sandy (1899) xvii.:
I juist edged alang a bittie.Dmf. 1908 J. L. Waugh Robbie Doo (1914) 150:
And he understood, for he walked on a wee bittie aheid.

(3) A short time. Sc. 1886 R. L. Stevenson Kidnapped iii.:
Bide here quiet a bittie.

(4) Difficulty.Abd.(D) 1928 Mains and Hilly in Abd. Wkly. Jnl. (27 Sept.) 6/3:
We're nae gyaun tae compleen, gin we get it hairstit ony weel. Bit that's fyles the bittie, for ye never ken fat widder ye're tae get.

2. adj. (quasi). By the omission of prep. of. See Bit, 2.Abd.(D) 1915 H. Beaton Back o' Benachie 101:
I'm sair needin' . . . a bittie tobacco wi't.Fif. 1900 “S. Tytler” Jean Keir of Craigneil xx.:
Maister Lumsden was allowed to have a bittie fish for his dinner.Gsw. 1930 J. J. Bell in Scots Mag. (Jan.) 257:
D'ye no' think it's time Kate had a wee bittie freedom frae the hoose?

3. Used adverbially in phr. a bittie = somewhat (Cai., Bnff., Abd., Ags., Edb., Arg., Gsw., Ayr. 2000s).Ork.(D) 1880 Dennison Orcad. Sk. Bk. 38:
Whin Andro begood tae cower [recover] a bittie, he skrimed [saw dimly] Black Jock sittan' on de middle o' the fleur.Abd.(D) 1923 R. L. Cassie Heidor Hert iv.:
Leukin' fyles at the reidenin' sin throwe the open windows, an' wussin' that he war doon an' the air a bittie callerer.Fif. 1905 “S. Tytler” Daughter of the Manse ii. ii.:
I own Nellie is a bittie soft and feckless.Abd. 1992 David Toulmin Collected Short Stories 42:
He's a bittie scrimp wi the measure-joog. Sc. 1998 Herald 7 Nov 30:
McTavish: That's perhaps overstating our claim just a bittie, but we have the capacity, I reckon, to give the rat population a scare, right enough. Uls. 2001 Belfast News Letter 5 May 22:
The'r a haill new wabsteid haes been writ frae an American as gies aa the wittins ye wid be wantin anent Scotch taak in Ulster (an aiblins a bittie ye widna!): Abd. 2002 Herald 5 Aug 17:
My feeling was a bit different as I had a council house in the village. Jimmy the grieve came to see me and he said: 'You'll need a bittie extra seeing you haven't a house on the farm, but dinna tell the other men'. ne.Sc. 2003 Aberdeen Evening Express 11 Jun 18:
All I'm saying is that it's hard not to go a bittie squint if you're trying to smile and hold in your stomach at the same time. ne.Sc. 2004 Press and Journal 13 Sep 12:
I suppose it's a bittie unfair tae pick oot a favourite guest, as they were aa gweed an fittit inta fit ma programme o Reel Blend is aa aboot, ...