Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1969
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PYE, n. Also pie. A counting-out rhyme, a jingle (Abd., Kcd. 1967). Phr. to say a pye (Id.); to count a pye (see quot.).Abd. 1969 I. & P. Opie Children's Games 29:
Counting a pie. The usual term in Aberdeen. French Tick and Tack is played by counting a pie and the odd man out is the mannie. In the nineteenth century counting-out was often conducted by each boy putting a finger in somebody's cap, where the fingers were then counted, and the counter was not readily able to identify whose finger he counted out. This was known as 'putting in the pie'.
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"Pye n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/pye>
