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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

START, v., n.¹ Also stairt (Sc. 1854 D. Vedder Poems 82; Ork. 1927 H.C. Jean's Garden 23; Mry. 1927 E. B. Levack Lossiemouth 42); stert (Abd. 1879 G. MacDonald Sir Gibbie liv.; Cai. 1890 J. Sinclair Scenes 188; Edb. 1895 J. Tweeddale Moff 154; Dmf. 1912 J. L. Waugh Robbie Doo iii.; Arg. 1917 A. W. Blue Quay Head Tryst 55; Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 2; Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1923–6 Wilson; Sh., Cai., Ags., Per., s.Sc. 1971). [stɑrt; I.Sc., Cai., Ags., s.Sc. stɛrt]

I. v.

Sc. form of Eng. start, jump from surprise.Dmf. 1979 Ron Butlin in Joy Hendry Chapman 23-4 (1985) 36:
I seen thae glinterin things come clawin fer ma hairt,
sae mony bricht an brilliant birds they were.
I clapped ma hauns th'gither that they'd stairt
an flee awa,
insteid the haill sky breckt apairt.

Sc. usages:

1. tr. and intr. As in Eng.: to commence, to make a beginning (of). Pr.t. stert (Sh., Ork., Ags., Edb., Gsw., Ayr., Dmf., Rxb.); stairt (Abd. 2000s). Pa.t., pa.p. startit; start, stert, obs. in Eng. since 17th c. Phr. startin the plough, = streekin the plough s.v. Streek, v. (Abd. 1929 W. Littlejohn Bch. Cottar Stories 6).Ork. 1927 H. C. Jean's Garden 31:
We a, congregated an' collected an' got start.Sc. 1928 J. G. Horne Lan'wart Loon 27:
Whan his mither stert the mendin'.wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 30:
An' bring me linament - Ah'm awfy liable
Tae rheumaticks wi' bein' so lang oan the caul' flair, kneelin'.
It sterts wi peens an' needles then Ah lose a' feelin' ...
It's gi'ein' me gyp, so git thon embrocation - wm.Sc. 1986 Robert McLellan in Joy Hendry Chapman 43-4 31:
I hae to coont his pulse afore I stert. (To Janet and McKillop) Haud caunles close, will ye? m.Sc. 1997 Liz Niven Past Presents 11:
Seein the saft white wool
She'd pickt up the needles
An stertit tae knit
Tae clothe her bairn em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 221:
'Awright, if ye're no gaun tae say nuthin, I'll gie ye a few hints. Get ye stertit. Aw I want is a full confession. Eftir that, I'll lea ye alane. ... '

2. intr. Of the hair: to stick up in an unkempt fashion, to bristle (Lnk., Slk. 1971).Slk. 1947:
His face a' streekit and his hair stertin'.

3. tr. To bounce a ball (Sh., Cai. 1971).

4. tr. To make to start, to startle, disturb suddenly or sharply (Sh., Bnff., em.Sc. (a), w.Lth., Lnk., Wgt., s.Sc. 1971).Edb. 1856 J. Ballantine Poems 172:
In the lone glen, whaur there's naething to start.Sc. 1867 N. Macleod Starling vii.:
It'll start Smellie ower his calico and braid claith.Sh. 1886 J. Burgess Sketches 66:
I wis kind o' startit.Knr. 1895 H. Haliburton Dunbar 109:
Nae braggin' rival start nor steer ye.Kcb. 1896 Crockett Grey Man ii.:
He was somewhat wakerife in the mornings, easily started.Per. 1915 Wilson L. Strathearn 98:
I was kind o ill about it — startin the cratur.

II. n.

Sc. form of Eng. start.m.Sc. 1998 Nuclear Free Scotland Feb 2:
At the stairt o' oor camp, they were a' in tentsEdb. 2000:
Ah missed the stairt o the picture.

Sc. usages:

1. As in Eng.: a leap, spring, a sudden involuntary movement. Phrs.: (1) start and owerlowp, -o'erloup, the trespassing of farm animals, sc. by leaping over a boundary, on a neighbour's ground, in which a certain limited latitude was permissible: also transf. in 1824 quot. in regard to poaching. See Owerlowp; (2) to play start, to give a sudden start, to shy. Adj. starty, of a horse: apt to shy, nervous, restive (n.Sc. 1825 Jam.; Cai. 1904 E.D.D.; I.Sc., Cai. 1971).(1) Sc. 1707 Fountainhall Decisions (1761) II. 408:
If they [drovers' herds], in their transient passage, do any skaith by start and o'er-loup, the owner is indeed liable to make up the damage.Dmf. 1763 Session Papers, Maxwell v. Brown (15 Oct.) 13:
Cattle belonging to the tenants of Auchingeath pasturing upon the west-side of the said march down to the Blackstand-burn, by start and over-loup.Rxb. 1774 Sc. Farmer II. 301:
A neighbour of mine took the liberty of start and o'er-loup, as it is called, without allowing of which there is no living in good neighbourhood.Sc. 1824 Scott St Ronan's W. iii.:
How could she help twa daft hempie callants from taking a start and an ower-loup?Rxb. 1825 R. Wilson Hist. Hawick 17:
The tenants of his Grace, whose farms lay contiguous to the town-common, had been in the practice of taking start and o'er loup with their cattle on the burgh muir.(2) Lnk. 1853 W. Watson Poems 26:
The foal play'd start.

2. A short time, a moment, a brief while (Sh. 1914 Angus Gl., Sh. 1971). Obs. in Eng. in 17th c.Bte. 1701 Session Bk. Kingarth (1932) 217:
[They] confessed that . . . they did yoak ther plough for a short start.Nai. 1768 Session Papers, Campbell v. Rose (24 Dec.) 25:
He served as herd to Hugh Rose for half a year, and a start in harvest at another time.Per. 1802 Letters J. Ramsay (S.H.S.) 80:
Having not been (except for a start) at a country wedding for twenty years.Sc. 1825 Jam.:
Ye maunna bide a start. In a start, in a moment.Sh. 1899 J. Spence Folk-Lore 239:
Du'll better lay dee doon a peerie start.Sh. 1958 New Shetlander No. 46. 18:
I maks oot owre for da bus ta linn me a start afore we sood laeve.