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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

THAE, pron., adj. Also thay (Sc. 1808 Jam.); thai (Bwk. 1902 Prophecy in the 19th century 19); thea (Rnf. a.1901 Poems and Ball. Kilbarchan (Lyle 1929) 52), theae (s.Sc. 1873 D.S.C.S. 182), they (Edb. 1791 J. Learmont Poems 29; Sc. 1867 N. Macleod Starling (1881) ii.; s.Sc. 1933 Border Mag. (April) 60; Sc. 1953 Scots Mag. (Sept.) 450). [ðe:]

I. pron. The pl. form of that, those (Sc. 1808 Jam.; s.Sc. 1873 D.S.C.S.; Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson; Rxb. 1942 Zai; Uls. 1953 Traynor; m. and s.Sc. 1972).Sc. 1713 Answer to Queries on Address of Episc. Clergy in Edb. 11:
They of them that had the Courage to creep out on the Lord's Day.Sc. 1724 Ramsay T.-T. Misc. (1876) I. 28:
The saddle's nane o' my ain, An thae's but borrow'd boots.Edb. 1773 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 211:
Wi' thoughts like thae your heart may sairly dunt.Ayr. 1790 Burns Tam o' Shanter 151–2:
Now Tam! O Tam! had thae been queans, A' plump and strappin in their teens!Slk. 1822 Hogg Perils of Man I. v.:
Hech! an Charlie Scott had a' thae.wm.Sc. 1834 College Album 131:
Exceedin'ly dark mornin's thae, Sir.Per. 1857 J. Stewart Sketches 103:
Hills rise owre hills in countless nummer, Thae clad wi' heather, thir wi' tummer.Edb. 1906 V. Spiganovicz Night Life 17:
“Away! d'ye ken they?” exclaimed another boy.Ags. 1945 Scots Mag. (Feb.) 335:
Thae were the kind o' thochts bummin' through my heid.wm.Sc. 1998 Alan Warner The Sopranos (1999) 161:
Aye, one of they. Aye. Thanks, Fionnula sorta twisted, to get at the zipper, back of her shoulder bag an took out her purse.

II. adj. 1. Those (Sc. 1808 Jam.; m. and s.Sc. 1972). In the northern dialects the pl. is gen. not distinguished from the sing. (see That).Sc. 1724 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) III. 81:
How be thay Faes we are undone, That staw the sacred Stane frae Scone.Ayr. 1785 Burns Scotch Drink xix.:
Thae curst horse-leeches o' th' Excise.Mry. 1806 J. Cock Simple Strains 87:
Like thae Gowks, wha ser' the De'il.Sc. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxii.:
Clavering about thae auld-warld stories.Slk. 1820 Hogg Winter Ev. Tales II. 242:
The tears ran down ower thae auld wizzened cheeks.Sc. 1887 Stevenson Underwoods 109:
They ither folk, for richt or wrang, They suffer, bleed, or dee.Ags. 1899 Barrie W. in Thrums v.:
Hoo could thae twa hae been fechtin'?Bnff. 1934 J. M. Caie Kindly North 59:
Thae rosetty trees, foo they blaudit yer claes.Sc. 1951 Scots Mag. (Sept.) 454:
The Board needna think this Council's gaun tae lie doon while they mak a' thae potholes.wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 3:
Lukkin' oot thae big blue een and never blinkin' -
Ah bet your daddy's never shair whit you're thinkin'. Gsw. 1985 Michael Elder Stookie 11:
"Clean your own glasses first, ye grotty little beast, ye, and dinny mess up my good telescope holdin' it to they filthy things o' yours," ... m.Sc. 1986 Colin Mackay The Song of the Forest 43:
"What is there to think about?" cried Seonaid. "It's murdered we're all going to be, and yous ken it too, when they bloody wolves come down the glen!" em.Sc. 1988 James Robertson in Joy Hendry Chapman 52 72:
An I'm no shair about thae three bodachs, juist hou lang they'll be there, wi their bairds tae the grun an growin lik sea-ware aa roun their skerry, ... Gsw. 1990 John and Willy Maley From the Calton to Catalonia 10:
They lice are gien me gyp. Cai. 1992 James Miller A Fine White Stoor 69:
'There's nane o thae stinking rabbits coming in this hoose,' says she, and she lets hiff wi anither cup. Edb. 1995 Irvine Welsh Marabou Stork Nightmares (1996) 154:
It's an awfay shame fir they stray dugs thit huv no goat good homes like Winston, eh Roy, eh it's a shame? Sometimes ah wish that we could take aw they dugs, just sort ay adopt thum aw, eh Roy? Per. 1996 Timothy Neat ed. The Summer Walkers: Travelling People and Pearl-Fishers in the Highlands of Scotland 191:
But he loved to sing, he sang at the plough and he sang in the bothy, and Belle tells of how 'to find out the richt words o' the sangs, my faither sat for a hale week, every nicht, ootside the door o' the bothy, till he learned every word o' they twa songs! ... .' Dundee 1996 Matthew Fitt Pure Radge 3:
ken thai proclaimers ken
thai twa spekky guys
wi the national healthers
an guitars owre thair shooders
an plooks aa owre thair puses. m.Lth. 1997 Cecilia Grainger Pit Talk 2:
See thay Russians Thay say When yi Waken thi Bear Watch oot. em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 186:
'I believe he was guilty o thae crimes. I believed it then. There was nae dootin it.'

2. Occas. used for Eng. these. These and those are often confused by Sc. speakers.Rxb. 1897 J. Dibdin Border Life 96:
He's been gane thae twa hoars an' mair.m.Sc. 1922 J. Buchan Huntingtower viii.:
It's been my cheese-box thae thirty year.