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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.

STEEP, n.¹, v.¹ Also sti(e)p (Sc. 1709 Household Bk. Lady G. Baillie (S.H.S.) 74) and misreading stap (Slk. 1717 T. Craig-Brown Hist. Slk. (1886) II. 94). Sc. forms and usages of Eng. steep, to soak.

I. n. 1. As in Eng., the act or process of steeping or soaking, esp. in Sc. of barley for brewing or flax for retting. Phrs. and combs. a-steep, in (the steep), in the process of being soaked or macerated, applied to malt, ham, clothes, etc. (Abd. 1971); fig. of the mind: in a state of deep thought or study. Cf. II. 1.; steep-burn, water used for steeping. See Burn, n.; steep-stone, a hollowed stone trough in which flax, malt, etc. may be steeped; steep of weet, drenching rain.Slg. 1757 Session Papers, Wallace v. Morrison, State of Process (18 Nov.) 46:
He had occasion to know the course of the said water . . . by taking steep-burn in stands out of it through the croft.Sc. 1757 Caled. Mercury (22 Jan.):
Malt-barn, Girnels, and Malt-Kiln, all very conveniently situate, and has Water at Pleasure to serve the Steep-stone.Sc. 1763 Caled. Mercury (20 June) 295:
Stables, barns, steep-stone, and pertinents.Ork. 1773 P. Fea MS. Diary (20 Nov).:
Put 8 bar Ingled Bear in steep for Malt.Ayr. 1834 Galt Stories of Study III. 29:
It came on such a steep of weet that was just extraordinary.Sh. 1894 J. Nicolson Tales of Thule 107:
It's past ten o' clock, an' my claes no in steep.Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond B. Bowden (1922) 101:
I'm aye howpin' he'll pit his brains in steep some day.Per. 1896 D. Kippen Crieff 42:
Their wits were set in steep to discover the cause.Fif., Lnk. 1921 T.S.D.C.:
Lay yer brains a-steep = exercise all your wits.

2. A place or vessel in which things are put to steep (Sc. 1904 E.D.D., lint-steep. maut-steep).Sc. 1711 Tatler (13 Jan.):
Two Malt-Barns, and Lofts for holding of Victual, Wall and Kill, and a Steep that will hold 30 Bolls of Bear.Ayr. 1868 J. K. Hunter Artist's Life 104:
Fifteen farmers were . . . put into a manure steep.Abd. 1956 People's Friend (29 Dec.):
At the back of the barn was a place called “the steep”. The flax was soaked there.

3. Gen. in dim. pl.: bread sops, pieces of bread soaked in water or milk and sweetened. as food for children, pet animals, or the like (ne.Sc., Ags., Per., Fif. 1971). Also in Yks. dial.Ags. 1896 Arbroath Guide (2 May):
Princie hadna time to taste his grain steepies.Per. a.1943 W. Soutar Poems (1948) 158:
Steepies for the bairnie.Ags. 1959 Forfar Dispatch (24 Dec.):
Feedin on steepies for a week.Ags. 1990s:
Steepies: n. sops. Ags. 1996 Courier 22 June :
A Courier reader, who has enjoyed our items on bread in the 1940's writes - "Recently a member of our family had a very sore mouth, so much so, he somewhat wryly said, that if his mouth didn't improve, he would be reduced to supping Scots steepies, that is bread soak or steeped in milk.

4. Rennet, or some substitute for curdling milk, as the lesser spearwort, Ranunculus flammula (Dmf. 1894 Trans. Dmf. & Gall. Antiq. Soc. 155; Wgt. 1971). Combs.: steep-grass, butterwort, Pinguicula vulgaris. which has similar properties (s.Sc. 1777 J. Lightfoot Flora Scotica II. 1131; Gall. 1904 E.D.D.); steep-leather, the stomach of a calf dried and salted for use in making rennet. Cf. Eng. dial. steep-skin, id.Dmf. 1832 Carlyle MSS. (N.L.S.) 12 June:
She was very glad of the steep-leather, etc.

II. v. 1. As in Eng. Comb. steepit loaf, bread soaked in boiled milk, bread-sops (Abd. 1930 Abd. Press and Jnl. (31 Oct.)). Used fig. in phrs. (1) to lat (a thing) steep, to allow (some matter) to mature (Abd., Kcb. 1971); (2) to set one's brains or harns to steep, to steep one's brains, to set one's mind to a problem, to ponder or study hard (m. and s.Sc. 1971). See I. 1.; (3) to steep one's heid, in imper. = Eng. “boil your head,” don't talk nonsense (n. and m.Sc. 1971); (4) to steep the withies, to get ready, prepare to start, in quots. as a translation of Gael. bogadh nan gad, “soaking of the willow wands,” i.e. to make them pliable for use as harness.(1) Abd. 1921 T.S.D.C.:
A'll say nae mair ev'noo; A'll jist lat it steep for a filie.(2) Lnk. 1895 A. G. Murdoch Readings I. 50:
Could ye no steep your brains a bit, an' invent a new umbrella.Ags. 1897 F. Mackenzie Northern Pine xix., xxi.:
Set your brains to steep. . . . Set your harns to steep, and let me to my wark.(4) Arg. 1901 N. Munro Shoes of Fortune xxxix.:
It's time you were steeping the withies to go away, as we say in the language.Highl. 1924 T. R. Barnett Road to Rannoch xv.:
Steep the withie, draw the door, and turn the rusty key. Gl.: To steep or soak withies in water, bend them, and nail them to a closed door is the sign that the house holder has left home suddenly.

2. To soak, drench, saturate, esp. in vbl.n. steepin, a soaking, with rain, etc., torrential rain, steepit, soaked, sodden. Gen.Sc. Also in Eng. dial. Hence steeper, a heavy, drenching rain.e.Lth. a.1801 R. Gall Poems (1819) 109:
Then wad I ripe my pouch, an' draw, An' steep it weel amang the maut.Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 382:
Sawnie, loath to have his clothes steeped, flung them aff his back.Sh. 1898 Shetland News (27 Aug.):
My claes wis dat wye steepid 'at da watter ran doon ower my hide.em.Sc. 1909 J. Black Melodies 68:
The stooks that stude for weeks on en' Were steepit through an' through.Crm. 1914:
A sooth-east wun an' dreepins, A nor-wast wun an' steepins.Abd. 1925 R. L. Cassie Gangrel Muse 37:
The yird is swelt an' steepit Wi' months o' eident rain.Ork. 1968 M. A. Scott Island Saga 70:
Ye tried the binder, tried it weel, till steeper after steeper Bore aits and strae doon tae the groond.

3. To infuse (tea) (Kcb. 1971).Sc. 1934 M. Morrison Written for Elizabeth xlix.:
Mrs MacFarlane's voice over the hedge interrupted his thoughts.“Please, sir, the tea is steeped.”

4. To curdle milk (Gall. 1904 E.D.D.; Wgt. 1971). Also in n.Ir. dial. Cf. n., 4.

5. To soak in, seep, percolate (Sh. 1971).Sh. 1949 New Shetlander No. 19. 34:
I coodna drink anidder drap but just you pour a grain ower me an it will aye steep in.