Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

PEDDER, n., v. Also peddir; pether, -ir(t) (Rxb. 1825 Jam.).

I. n. A pedlar, travelling merchant, packman (Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis; Rxb. 1825 Jam., ‡1923 Watson W.-B.; Edb., MidLoth 1990s). Also pedder-coff, id., arch. See Coff. Also in Eng. dial. Comb. pedder's brose, a dish made by stirring oatmeal, salt and a little butter into boiling water, cf. cadger's brose, id., s.v. Cadger. Now only in arch. usage.Rxb. 1703 Craig and Laing Hawick Trad. (1898) 146:
David Wilson, carier, and George Deans, pedder.Slk. 1805 Hogg Mountain Bard 188:
Thy post shall be to guard the door, An' bark at pethers, boys, an' whips.Sc. 1820 Scott Monastery xxxv.:
The pedder-coffe who travels the land has need of more courage than them all.Dmf. 1823 J. Kennedy Poems 69:
His vera claiths and peddir staff, The cankert currs that keepit aff.Sc. 1837 Chambers's Jnl. (16 Dec.) 372:
The Scotch term for pedlar is pether, which being found in England and other countries as a family surname, may lead to the conclusion that persons so called are the descendents of the Scotch pedlars who roved so extensively abroad in ancient times.s.Sc. 1887 Fishing Gazette (2 July) 3:
Yitmeal Brose, Pedder's Brose.Wgt. 1912 A.O.W.B. Fables 29:
Three Pedders appeared, an' cried: Sic a shame, Did ever ye see! s.Sc. 1992 Sheila Douglas ed. The Sang's the Thing: Voices from Lowland Scotland 22:
There was pethers, there was potters, there was gingerbreid stands,
There was peepshows, there was puff-dairts an great carryvans.

‡II. v. To sell inferior articles, as or like a peddlar (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).