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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

‡SOWD, n. Also soud. [sʌud]

1. A (large) quantity or amount of money or possessions (Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis; Abd. 1965); specif., payment for goods in kind (Ork. 1920 J. Firth Reminisc. 153).Sc. 1746 Lyon in Mourning (S.H.S.) II. 221:
Nor a' the gowd Your father stoll shall hence retrive you, An immense sowd.Mry. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XIV. 74:
The tradesmen are paid with a certain sum or quantity of victual annually agreed on, called soud.Abd. 1845 in P. Still Cottar's Sunday 172:
Great souds o' hidden treasure.Abd. 1922 Weekly Free Press (28 Jan.) 3:
Th' lawyers need a gey sowd for arrangin' th' transfer.Abd. 1936 Huntly Express (2 Oct.) 7:
They've a feu, an' they've flunkeys, a flat an' a phone, An' a sowd i' the bank.ne.Sc. 1956 Mearns Leader (27 Jan.):
She spent a sowd o' siller.

2. In gen., a large amount or number (Abd. 1925); of liquor: a copious draught.Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch ii., xix.:
After a sowd of toddy was swallowed,. . . . A sowd of strange faces.ne.Sc. 1884 D. Grant Lays 98:
Twa reamin' bowls o' toddy Were brewed, an' ladled roun' an' roun', A sowd to ilka body.Abd. 1929:
They made a sowd of toddy to herten theirsels afore settin' furth.

3. A large ungainly person (Bnff., Abd., Ags. 1971). Dim. sowdie, -y, soudi(e), -y, id., esp. of a woman (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 432; Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), soudi, s.v. sodi; Uls. 1953 Traynor; Abd., Ags. 1971); also attrib. = stout, heavy.Gsw. 1877 A. G. Murdoch Laird's Lykewake 21:
But sowdie Pate, wi' frichten'd stare, Edged closer on the fire his chair.Wgt. 1883 D. McWhirter Ploughboy's Musings 103:
White-faced Mal ance yoked ticht, An' seated weel the sowdie wicht.Per. 1895 R. Ford Tayside Songs 160:
Auchteen stane, an' sax feet ane — Wha wadna' fancy sic a sowdy?Uls. 1901 Northern Whig:
Sandy had married a great big sowdy of a woman.Abd. 1929:
Jeems wis a richt herty sowd.