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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 2005 (SND, online supplement).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CORN(ED) BEEF, n. Rhyming slang for deef (s.v. deaf) (Edb., Arg., Gsw., Ayr., Dmf. 2000s).Gsw. 1971 Hugh McBain in Moira Burgess and Hamish Whyte Streets of Stone (1985) 100:
With the sauce bottle poised in his hand, Chris stared at George. 'What! What did ye say?' 'For God's sake, Chris,' George was a little annoyed, perhaps because of the drink, perhaps for another reason. 'Are ye corned beef? I said gimme another dozen.'Gsw. 1980s:
Are you corn beef as well as stupid?Gsw. 1985 Bulman TV drama 22 Aug :
"Are you corn beef?" You mean Mutt and Jeff — deaf?" "Naw, I mean corn beef — deef."Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 81:
corned beef Deef, i.e. deaf. Sometimes shortened to corny.Gsw. 1991 James Kelman The Burn (1992) 193:
She said something to the old lady but maybe she was a bit corn beef because she just smiled for a wee minute and then she started walking, leaving the woman with the red hat just standing there with what you would call a bemused look on her face.Gsw. 1992 Jeff Torrington Swing Hammer Swing! (1993) 154:
'Hey McLaurin,' shouted Gebbie, 'Your auld man was corn-beef, was he no?'
McLaurin, at the doms table, frowned. 'Aye, ya daft bugger, but he wisnae blin and dumb intae the bargain.'Sc. 2002 Guardian 29 Apr 1:
So now, on top of the glottal stop and the distinctive burr, translators will have to contend with such obscure Scots phraseology as corned beef, as in "deif", as in deaf. And chorus, as in chorus and verse, as in "erse", as in arse. Salvador, as in Dali, as in "swallie", as in swallow, as in drink. Jagger as in lager.Sc. 2002 Scotsman 13 Aug 3:
Steve Day, the comic who is 70 per cent "corn beef", has been doing pretty well at the Underbelly with Deaf in the Afternoon.Sc. 2003 Herald 6 Aug :
A father taking his baby son around a Govan supermarket was startled by the noise of a drill ... The racket affected his son, too, who immediately burst into tears. At which a pensioner strolling past remarked to him: "Dinna worry son — at least ye know he's no corned beef!" ...