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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

NINETEEN, n. Also †nynteen. Sc. usages. Adj. nineteent, nineteenth (Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson; ne.Sc. 1964).

1. A lease of a farm for nineteen years (Abd. 1882 W. Alexander My Ain Folk 15; Ork., ne.Sc., Ags., Per., Lth. 1964), i.e. three courses of a six-year rotation of crops, the final year restoring the cropping to its state when the farm was taken over.Ags. 1822 A. Balfour Farmers' Three Daughters 15:
According to the custom of that period, the lease was for three nineteens, and a liferent after.Ayr. 1871 J. Paterson Reminisc. 116:
I ha'e had a gey lang tack o' life — maist four nineteens and a half.Lnl. 1881 H. Shanks Musings 337:
A farmer, wi' a “nineteen” tack, Ye maun hae been.Kcd. 1900 W. Gairdner Glengoyne II. ii.:
Auld Cairnie . . . wis here afore ye cam', an' . . . deed near twa nineteens sin' syne. . . . W've been here ae nineteen an' vera near anither.Abd. 1933 C. Murray in Abd. Press & Jnl. (16 March):
Anither Nineteen's little mair nor begun.

Comb.: nineteen oatcake, also nineteen canteen. At some indeterminate time in the past, a long time ago (nineteen oatcake Ork., Cai., Bnff., Ags., Fif., Edb. 2000s). Sc. 1994 Roddy Lumsden in Daniel O'Rourke Dream State 208:
The Class of Nineteen Oatcake, Mousies,
Cloppers, clumphers, the incompetent.Sc. 1994 Daily Record (23 Feb) 10:
I think Mr Mitchell should go back to nineteen canteen with all the other male chauvinists in this world.Sc. 1995 Scotsman (13 Mar) 26:
They are once again making one of their infrequent sorties into contention in the Scottish Cup which they haven't won since nineteen oatcake.Sc. 1998 Herald (11 Apr) 13:
Even allowing for the uninhibited ambitions of 14-year-olds, it is unlikely that either Jim Jefferies or Billy Brown, as they took the field for Musselburgh Grammar back in nineteen canteen, could have envisaged leading out together the Hearts team of 1998 for their third major cup final.Sc. 1999 Daily Record (27 Jan) 3:
Believe it or not, it wouldn't be the first time Scotland played in a pink strip. Back in nineteen-oatcake, the side donned a nifty little pink and primrose number for an international to honour Lord Roseberry - the strip was based on the noble lord's racing colours.Sc. 2002 Scotsman (7 Nov):
Richard "Victor Meldrew" Wilson will be there, as will the cast of Taggart (since nineteen-canteen), Kate Atkinson, Billy Boyd, Russell and Una (the uncrowned regents of Scottish theatre), John Byrne, Stuart Hepburn and our own Joyce McMillan and Stanley Eveling.Sc. 2005 Daily Record (5 Jan) 2:
For weeks we had been informed about the various ways in which Hibs' youngsters would beat/hammer/thrash/ annihilate (delete as appropriate) Hearts on January 2.
Would it be another 6-2, or possibly a repeat of their 7-0 win from Nineteen Oatcake?

2. = Nineteenth (Abd. 1962). For this use of the cardinal for the ordinal, cf. Feifteen, etc.Kcb. 1723 Session Bk. Minnigaff 432:
Upon the nynteen day of this instant.Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality viii.:
Second Kings, feifteen chapter, nineteen verse.