Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
†SLAIRT, v., n., adj. Also slaurt. [slert]
I. v. 1. To gobble food in a messy way, to eat quickly and gluttonously (w.Sc. 1880 Jam.).
2. To treat with contempt and contumely, to insult, “do down”, scorn.Ayr. 1817 D. McKillop Poems 108:
Till to this cure [whisky] I took adherence Tho' gude fo'k slaurt it.Fif. 1825 Jam. s.v. Pallawa:
“Will I be slairtit be sic a Pallawa?” Shall I be outdone by such a poltroon?
3. Gen. with about: to lounge around in a slovenly fashion (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.).
II. n. A useless, loafing character, a weakling, “a silly dastardly fellow; a term used by the fishers of Buckhaven” (Fif. 1825 Jam.).
III. adj. Of persons: idle, slovenly, useless, contemptible (Sc. 1880 Jam.).
[The forms may not all belong to the same word. I. 1. may be altered from slairk, Slairg, or Slerp; 2. suggests a fig. use of obs. Eng. and Sc. slate, to bait with dogs, to set a dog at; the others may be intensive variants with -r- of Slait.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Slairt v., n., adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 29 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/slairt>
