Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1880-1887, 1956
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ILL END, n. comb. Lit. a miserable death; used in Ork. in expletive phrs. ill-end apae thee! (Ork. 1929 Marw., Ork. 1958), what ill-end, what the deuce! Hence illendfu', dreadful, deadly.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 122:
An' winno' pu' me oot o' this Sae black illendfu' pow.Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 115:
They had baith of them an ill end, and indeed, from their way of leeving, it was a thing to be looked for.Ork. 1956 C. M. Costie Benjie's Bodle 60:
Whit ill-end can he be wantan here the day.
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"Ill End n. comb.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/ill_end>
