Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
SKRIFT, n. Also scrift, skriff. A very thin or lean person, animal, or object, a thin piece or slice of a substance such as bread, cheese, wood, etc., a fragile object (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., 1914 Angus Gl.; Ork. 1929 Marw.; I.Sc., Ags., Per. 1970). Deriv. skrifty, lean, spare (Ork. 1970).Sh. 1897 Shetland News (19 June):
Da drought 'ill be brunt up her bits o' skrifts o' buirds.Sh. 1904 E.D.D.:
A pör aamis scrift o' a ting. A boat built of thin wood is termed a scrift o' a boat.Ork. 1956 C. M. Costie Benjie's Bodle,115, 181:
He wis wan o' yin peerie skrifty men aboot the colour o' a moth. . . . Yin scrifty, scrunty t'ing; thir's a hantle o' differ atween denty an' scrifty!
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Skrift n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 May 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/skrift>