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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

GRAND-, adj. Also gran-. Used in Sc. combs. indicating a second degree of relationship: 1. gran(d)bairn, a grandchild (Sh.¹⁰ 1955); 2. grandchilder, grandchildren (Uls.⁴ 1955); 3. grand(d)a, a grandfather (Sh., ne. and em.Sc.(a), Wgt., Uls. 1955); 4. gran(d)-daddy, id.; †5. grand-dey, grandey, grandye, a grandfather (Fif. 1825 Jam., Fif. 1955). Cf. also grannie-dey s.v. Grannie, n., 8.; 6. gran(d)-dochter, a grand-daughter. Gen.Sc.; 7. gran(d)faither, -fader, graundfaither, Also attrib., (1) a grandfather. Gen.Sc.; (2) the winged seed of certain trees; †8. gran(d)gutcher, a great-grandfather; †9. grandmammy, grandmamma; 10. gran(d)minnie, -y, a grandmother (Sh.¹⁰ 1955); 11. grandmither, -midder, = 10. (Sh., Ags., m.Lth., Kcb. 1955). Also used in excls. of derision, cf. Grannie, n. 6.; 12 Gran'paw, Sc. form of Eng. grandpa; 13. grand-wean, = 1. (Kcb., Dmf. 1955); 14. grandy, dim. shortened form of granda(me), -father, etc., also of grandfather's chair.1. Ayr. 1882 J. Hyslop Dream of a Masque 136:
An' may gran-bairns sab “Sirs, the auld man' wun awa.”Ags. 1899 W. L. Watson Sir Sergeant v.:
An' yet ye'll have Whigs for grandbairns.wm.Sc. 1989 Anna Blair The Goose Girl of Eriska 74:
Time and again Rob escaped them and lived to tell his grandbairns of the most savoury of such episodes. Sc. 1994 Sunday Mail 9 Jan 8:
"I was in there with my nine grandbairns and my daughters." Sc. 1997 Daily Record 26 Apr 9:
"My grandbairn was in the shower when it happened and she got an awful fright." Sc. 1999 Edinburgh Evening News 11 Aug 1:
I went to get a cigarette and then two kids were shouting: 'Kate your grandbairns are under a lorry'.2. Ayr. 1822 Galt Sir A. Wylie ciii.:
“Arena they my ain grandchilder!” exclaimed the laird.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xxxiii.:
There was the douce auld couple o' three score years wi' their grandchilder hingin' by their skirts.3. n.Sc. 1891 A. Gordon Carglen 145:
Whist, again say I, grandda.Ags. 1901 W. J. Milne Reminisc., App. 301:
Oor great grand-da made it, a hunner year gane.Mry. 1954 Bulletin (10 Aug.) 4:
Granda reiterated his remark about lazy farmers.Edb. 1994 Douglas McKenzie in James Roberston A Tongue in Yer Heid 2:
The rest of the week we ate sheepsheid broth an clapshot. Granda used tae get violent when he saw his denner. Sc. 1994 Sunday Mail 16 Jan 42:
I told my wee four-year-old grandaughter Megan that getting an electrical shock could make her hair fall out. Quick as a flash she said: "Is that what happened to you granda?" Uls. 1997 Belfast News Letter 9 May 16:
Being a bit of a full-on guitar fan myself I would gladly sell my grannie, and granda, just to raise enough funds to hop over to this one.4. Ags. 1834 A. Smart Rhymes 162:
When our grand-daddies ower the braes . . . Ran breekless as the stirks that graze.Uls. 1893 J. Barlow Bog-land Studies 92:
For if gran'daddy sted on asleep, he'd be wantin' no supper that night.Kcb. 1898 Crockett Standard Bearer 120:
The grand-daddy o' me was then a limber loon.5. (1) Fif. 1845 T. C. Latto Minister's Kail-yard 221:
My folk are a' teasing an' jeerin' me sair, Feyther, mither, an' sisters, an' grandey.Ags. 1853 W. Blair Chron. Aberbrothock 7:
Yere grandey there minds as weel as me o' Tam threepin on's deathbed.m.Sc. 1987 Ian Bowman in Joy Hendry Chapman 50-1 77:
I kent a bit aboot the E.U. Kirk, for my grandye, Erchie Bowman, had been pastor o the E.U. Kirk at Beith, Ayrshire.6. Abd. 1865 G. Macdonald Alec Forbes lxxix.:
Are ye a niece, or a gran'-dochter o' the hoose?Fif. 1895 “S. Tytler” Macdonald Lass iii:
You the grand-dochter of a minister.7. (1) Edb. 1856 J. Ballantine Poems 94:
My grandfaither suns himsel' on the door-stane.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxxviii.:
The aul' cadger mannie that ees't to ca' fish . . . was 'er gran'fader.Sc. 1893 Stevenson Catriona xv.:
My grandfaither was out at the white fishing.m.Sc. 1927 W. P. McKenzie Bits o' Verse 5:
Gran'faither wasna pleased ava'.Ags. 1988 Raymond Vettese The Richt Noise 78:
My granfaither wad hae deed for a pan drop.
He'd sook them day an' nicht
wi toothless tortoise gooms leathert
aifter monie years withooten dentures Sc. 1990 David Purves in Joy Hendry Chapman 59 76:
Lest year, graundfaither dee'd at seivintie-sax, -
he liggs ablo the mouls on Brierielaw Dundee 1996 Matthew Fitt Pure Radge 10:
the bairn didnae half gie his granfaither a fleg Abd. 1998 Sheena Blackhall The Bonsai Grower 61:
Bit I kent him as Faither. Sax fit twa in his stockent feet he stude, like a muckle respeckit granfaither knock, straicht an heigh an regular's the mairch o the meenit hauns ower its face: ... (2) Ags. 1952 People's Journal (13 Sept.):
A few “grandfathers” floated by.8. Mry. 1928 “J. Ruddiman” Tales 60:
By the spirit of my brave grandgutcher, that fell fighting for the covenant.Hdg. 1903 J. Lumsden Toorle 10:
Thinkna ye shame o' yersel', ye daft, doited frailty? A wooer! A gran'-gutcher, rather!9. Kcb. 1894 Crockett Lilac Sunbonnet iv.:
But, grandmammy dear, I thought that you said that the officer men ran away from you.10. Sc.(E) 1933 W. Soutar Seeds in the Wind 31:
A mousie loupt oot o' his granminny's mutch.Ags. 1935 J. Angus Homecoming ii. i.:
Have you any wax, grandminnie?Abd. 2000 Sheena Blackhall The Singing Bird 56:
My granminnie, sae kind, sae douce
(Her peenie hings yet frae yon heuk)
Hir spikk gaed skippin throwe the hoose11. Edb. 1856 J. Ballantine Poems 94:
[He] dreams o' my grandmither lang dead and gane.ne.Sc. 1888 D. Grant Keckleton 66:
“Twa shillin's and twa ounces o' rael Irish twist, your grandmither!” sneered the vulgar scum.12.Sc. 1993 Scotsman 16 Sep :
Dundee may too often be presented in the media as being the Hicksville of the four Scottish cities but, like auld Granpaw Broon himself, perhaps the last laugh often quietly goes to the Dundonians.Sc. 1998 Herald 4 Apr 8:
Fans of one boy and his bucket and mix-ups over what Granpaw really did tell the Bairn could be laughing all the way to the bank if they take their early Broons and Oor Wullie annuals to the Glasgow Book Fair today.Sc. 2001 Daily Record 2 Feb 91:
Larsson clearly has little to add to the cause of the Scottish national team. He's a Scandinavian who regularly graces the yellow and blue of Sweden. Not even Craig Brown would ask where his granpaw came from.Sc. 2003 Daily Record 4 Apr 54:
Granpaw missing you. Very proud of you - Grandkids ... Love you.13. Gsw. 1897 D. W. Brown Cld. Litterateurs 159:
Till grand-weans and great-grand-weans, clap and applaud.Sc. 1992 Herald 22 Sep :
The Use of Language and That: A rare example of verbal talent overheard on a North Sea ferry. A Scottish granny is admonishing her half-German grandwean: "Gretchen! If ye dinnae stoap that you'll get yer heid in your hauns to play wi'." Rnf. 1993 History on your Doorstep, The Reminiscences of the Ferguslie Elderly Forum 18:
My mother said I like to see my grandweans but I like to see them going away. Gsw. 1993 Margaret Sinclair Soor Plooms and Candy Balls 2:
Thank God for ma gift o' life, it goes without sayin'
Lookin' at ma lovely grandweans is like lookin' at ma ain. Sc. 1994 Scotsman 18 Jun :
They're closing down our baths for refurbishment, and that Time Capsule, it costs the grandweans a fortune. Sc. 1996 Daily Record 13 Sep 34:
Even when stationary, women trolley drivers are a menace. If Wee Betty stops to tell Big Annie about her new grandwean, they block off fresh fruit for an hour, causing a four-aisle tail-back. Sc. 2004 News of the World 18 Apr :
I'm sorely tempted to give it to the number 10 of the blue Rangers' kids' team that played at half-time, because believe me, being man of the grown-ups' match isn't anything to tell the grandweans about. Sc. 2004 Daily Record 23 Nov 37:
Perhaps if more pensioners used this allowance for its intended purpose - payment of fuel bills - instead of blowing it on fags and booze or buying presents for 'granweans', there would be fewer cases of hypothermia over the winter.14. Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 6:
The jizzen bed wi' rantree leaves was sain'd, An' sick like craft as the auld grandys kend.Ags. 1932 Barrie Julie Logan 39:
He was nodding in the grandy with fatigue.Bwk. 1948 A. Hepple House of Gow xviii.:
“Yes, Grandy,” lied Jane, stolidly and hurried on. “You know, grandpa, I think Walter is tiring a little.”