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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

HINDMAIST, adj., adv., n. Also hint-; hin- (n. and wm.Sc.); hain-, hen(d)-; hid(Sh.), and, by various forms of assimilation of nm, hi-, †hu-, †hew-, + -maist, -mest, -mist, -most, himmest (Fif.), hembaist (Ags., Fif.). [Sc. ′hɪndməst, ′hɪnt-; ′hɪ-; em.Sc.(a) ′hen-, ′hɛn-, n. and wm.Sc. ′hɪn-, Sh. ′hɪd-]

I. adj. 1. As in Eng.: last in position, in the rear. In this sense the form hintmest is used in s.Sc. as opposed to hinmest in sense 2. (N.E.D.). Gen.Sc.Edb. 1701 D. Robertson S. Leith Rec. (1925) 5:
The maltmen had sett to him the hindmost two laigh seats in the body of the church.

2. Last, final (in order, time, etc.) (Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis; n.Sc. 1825 Jam.; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl., hintmost). Gen.Sc. Used as a call by a boy when claiming to be the last to play at a game (Lnl. 1948, himaist). Cf. 3. (3).Sc. 1750 Scots Mag. (March) 113:
The aught-hour bell had gien the hindmost chap.Ayr. 1786 Burns Earnest Cry ix.:
An' plunder'd o' her hindmost groat, By gallows knaves?Dmf. 1874 R. Reid Moorland Rhymes 68:
And mony a weary comrade Like me fu' aften prays That the bonnie hills o' Wanlock May see his hinmaist days.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 26:
The hin'mest fau'ter wha steud i' the Mary Kirk joggs wus Willie Brock.Fif. 1909 R. Holman Char. Studies 65:
The himmest letter I got frae him said that he wis startin' in a wey o' dealin' for himsel'.Abd. 1917 D. G. Mitchell Clachan Kirk 22:
My hinmaist word is for the young callants an' lasses.Ags. 1945 Scots Mag. (Feb.) 334:
Bairns, this is the henmost time l'll teach the schule . . . Your new teacher 'll be comin' the morn.Sh. 1949 J. Gray Lowrie 155:
Dis hidmast twa simmers is been winderfull.Abd. 1991 David Ogston in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 117:
The hinmaist fortnicht o my mither's cancer -
The cancer they could only hinner some
Wie radium - the days gaed bleezin by Ags. 1993 Mary McIntosh in Joy Hendry Chapman 74-5 112:
The hind-maist wurd wis a hairsh scraich. He delascht a roon o billits at the ruif. Aathing went quait. Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 9:
At last, the hinmaist eggie wis colleckit an the loons gaed inno an ootlyin steadin far Neil's faither keepit his snares an ither trock.

3. Combs. & Phr.: (1) hin'most cut, the last sheaf of corn to be cut in the harvest field, the reaper of which will be, by tradition, the first to be married (Teviotd. 1825 Jam.); (2) hinmaist day, hendmost —, the day of Judgment (Sh., Abd., em.Sc., Rxb. 1957); (3) hinmaist in(s)ter, last to enter, (a call in) a game of marbles in which the players laid down one marble each and tried in turn to hit any of these with a second marble which was left lying if unsuccessful, the owner of a successful marble impounding all he hit. It was thus an advantage to play last (Abd. 1957); (4) hinmist tich, a goodnight salutation formerly given by children to their elders by a touch of the hand (Abd.⁴ 1931).(2) Ags. 1920 A. Gray Songs 37:
I've written a hantle o' verses. That'll live till the Hendmost Day.w.Sc. 1929 R. Crawford Quiet Fields 32:
They're lyin' in ablow the grun', An' waitin' on the hinmaist day.

II. adv. Finally, last (Sh., ne.Sc., Kcb. 1957).Rnf. 1788 E. Picken Poems 84:
Hinmast, I've a poke o' siller, Ha'f as big's a knockin' mell.e.Lth. 1885 J. Lumsden Rhymes & Sk. 12:
The grave gudeman, the “coo” in hand, Cam' soberly an' hinmaist.Abd.¹³ 1910:
Ye're cauper, ye wis hinmaist up. Last up in the morning claws the brose caup.

III. n. The last, farthest back; of time: the close, end. Gen. used in Eng. only in proverbial phr. devil take the hindmost. For phr. daidley hinmaist see Daidle, v.¹, 1. (1).Edb. 1819 J. Thomson Poems 47:
I had nae coal nor candle light, Yet was na' hin'most on that night.Rnf. 1835 D. Webster Rhymes 6:
Some roar'd the hindmost was foremost.ne.Sc. 1880 D. Grant Lays 110:
. . . a' the week, Which was gettin' near its hin'most.Abd. 1923 B. R. M'Intosh Broom Scent 33:
They're drappin' awa', drappin' awa, An' syne I'll be the hinmaist o' a.