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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

DIET, Dyet(t), n.² Sc. usages.

1. A meeting or session of a court, council or other (gen. official) body on an appointed day; a meeting for the purpose of examining in the Catechism.Sc. 1708 in Earls of Crm. (ed. Fraser 1876) II. 81:
I wold need to know it before the next diet of that turbulent presbytery.Sc. 1730 T. Boston Memoirs (1852) 404:
A warm exhortation to practical religion, the which I sometimes used also in the diets of catechising the parish.Sc. 1800 D. Hume Trial for Crimes II. 2:
The diet of a criminal process is a peremptory diet.Sc. 1876 J. Grant Burgh Sch. Scot. ii. iv.:
In the week preceding, the classes shall be tried at two different diets by examiners appointed by the town council.

Phrs.: †(1) diet of examination, — o' examine, a meeting held in a house by the minister for the purpose of examining the residents of the district as to their religious knowledge (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 171, — o' examine); (2) diet of visitation, idem; (3) to call the diet, to summon the parties into court for the hearing of the case; (4) to desert the diet, see Desert.(1) Sc. c.1751 R. Mackenzie John Brown of Hdg. (1918) x.:
Another day was fixed for a “diet of examination.”wm.Sc. 1835–37 Laird of Logan I. 171:
Thomas Todd o' the Winnyyetts, was a regular attendant at “diets of examination.”(2) Fif. 1815 T. Chalmers Journal in W. Hanna Memoirs T. Chalmers (1849–52) I. 456:
January 13th. — Had diets of visitation at Hawkhill and East Kinneir.(3) Sc. 1893 Daily News (28 Dec.) 5/4:
Outlawry is a sentence pronounced in the Supreme Criminal Court of Scotland in the absence of the accused at the calling of the diet, that is, the day on which he is summoned to appear and stand his trial.

2. A day or date fixed for such a meeting, or for a market. Freq. in phr. to keep the dyet, to appear on the day appointed.Sc. 1701 J. Grant Seafield Corresp. (S.H.S. 1912) 337:
But only in generall desir'd them to keep the dyet, and show them there was a mater of publick concerne in hand.Sc. 1903 J. Erskine Princ. Law Scot. iv. iv. 53A:
The accused may hasten on his sentence if he has made up his mind to plead guilty, and through a procurator gives written notice thereof to the Crown agent. The diet of trial is fixed at not less than four days after the notice.Abd. 1705 in Trans. Bch. Field Club (1912) X. 146:
Mr Farqhr is “excused for former absence, but exhorted to keep the dyets in tyme coming.”Peb. 1702 Burgh Records (1910) 167:
Therfor they think of it to alter the dyet of ryding the Eschellie common fra the Teusday after Pasch to the third Munday of Apryll.Lnk. 1707 J.P.s Lnk. (S.H.S. 1931) 10:
To attend upon the said Justices . . . upon the particular dyetts above sett down.Gall. 1692 A. Symson Large Descr. of Gall. (1823) 26:
There is a market for good fat kine kept on Friday . . . this market being rul'd by the dyets of the nolt-market of Wigton.

Phr.: diet of compearance, the day on which a party to a civil or criminal process is cited to appear in court (Sc. 1890 Bell Dict. Law Scot. 324).Sc. 1754 J. Erskine Princ. Law Scot. iv. iv. 54:
The diets of compearance, in the Court of Justiciary, are peremptory.

3. A church service (Abd.²⁷ 1948; Arg.¹, Kcb.¹ 1940). Often diet of worship (Abd.¹⁹, Ags.², Fif.¹⁰, Slg.³, Kcb.¹ 1940).Sc. 1933 E. S. Haldane Scot. of Our Fathers 150:
In winter the two “diets of worship” were run into one so that there was a second sermon preached after a psalm had been sung to betoken the end of the first, and perhaps an interval in which to take a “piece” or bannock.Ags. 1891 J. M. Barrie Little Minister x.:
The afternoon diet began in the ordinary way, and a' was richt until we came to the sermon.Slg. 1932 W. D. Cocker Poems 58:
But the beadle's thrawn speerit had risen in riot: — “We'll keep them [intimations],” says he, “till the efternune diet.”Lth. 1925 C. P. Slater Marget Pow 52:
We were there this forenoon, no' at a diet of worship . . . but just to see it, like.Kcb. 1894 S. R. Crockett Raiders ii.:
Men . . . who met statedly for their diets of worship at Springholm.

4. A group of meetings or examinations.Sc. 1981 (unpublished) letter from Central Regional Council :
". . . the above matter will be considered by the Education Committee at their next diet of meetings."Sc. 2000 Herald 16 Aug 18:
It doesn't take a genius to work out which certificate a candidate will present and who will remember to check that certificates are from the 2000 diet? As we try to market Higher Still abroad, I wonder if anyone can have any faith in the "Gold Standard" (what a lovely phrase) of Higher again?Sc. 2000 Herald 17 Aug 20:
Scotvec aided and abetted by TVEI money from the Department of Employment for a five-year stint supported modules, groups of successes (passes) and continuous internal assessment, intermittently modified by outsiders. The SEB supported sudden death at an examination diet and usually one option of a resit.Ork. 1998 (unpublished) letter from Orkney Islands Council :
Your application for grant aid was considered by Orkney Islands Council at the recent diet of meetings.wm.Sc. 1979:
A student passed at the first diet of examinations.Edb. 1963 Edinburgh University Calendar 421:
"There will be one diet of examinations in each academic year."