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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

WARE, v.³ Also wair, wear, wer-; war, waar (Cai. 1905 E.D.D.; Bnff. 1924 Swatches o' Hamespun 10), waur, wur (Abd. 1879 G. MacDonald Sir Gibbie xxx.); and, by adoption of pa.t. or pa.p. forms as the pres. stem, waird, ward, esp. in I.Sc. [wer; wɑ:r, wǫ:r. Cf. P.L.D. § 76.1.]

1. (1) tr. and absol. To spend, lay out, expend, discharge, dispose of (money, goods, etc.) (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson; Mry., Ags., Dmf. 1926; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Rxb. 1942 Zai; Uls. 1953 Traynor; Abd., Kcd., Ags., Per., Slg. 1973). Vbl.n. waarin, goods, wares, material (Ork. 1929 Marw.). Obs. in Eng. exc. dial.Bte. 1711 Rothesay T.C. Rec. (1935) II. 604:
Thirty shillings for lyme and a lock was wared on the schoolhouse.Sc. 1724 Ramsay T.-T. Misc. (1876) I. 90:
Love says,'Tis my duty To ware what heav'n has lent me Upon your wit and beauty.Edb. 1773 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 161:
Their orro pennies there to ware.Ayr. 1785 Burns Ep. to Davie ii.:
While coofs on countless thousands rant, And ken na how to wair't.Slk. 1818 Hogg B. of Bodsbeck xvi.:
A' that she has wared on ye I'll make up to her a hunder an' fifty fauld.Sc. 1827 Scott Chron. Canongate v.:
An ony of the vermint had come there, her father wad hae wared a shot on them.Per. 1857 J. Stewart Sketches 45:
The tailor wicht Gart me, on drink, wair my last tippence.Sc. 1893 Stevenson Catriona i.:
An I had been you, I would hae waired my siller better-gates than that.Kcb. 1900 R. J. Muir Muncraig xx.:
You will not wair any of your own money on me, if ye please.Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 23:
Hei waird eet afore ma lookin een on o leemeenade.Abd. 1929 J. Alexander Mains & Hilly 64:
There's an awfu' siller waurt on claes nooadays.

(2) With out.Sc. 1708 Morison Decisions 13420:
The expence wared out in repairing the tenement.Abd. 1715 Records Burgh Abd. (B.R.S.) 352:
To disburse and ware out what money shall be requisit.Rnf. 1769 Session Papers, Ballantyne v. Wallace Proof 18:
He intended to hire a chaise, and take her into Glasgow, and ware out £50 upon his house.Fif. 1835 R. Gilfillan Songs 26:
Last week I gaed in to the fair, To wair out my Hallowmas guinea.

2. Fig. (1) To spend, expend, employ (one's time, life (-blood), efforts, thoughts, skill, etc.) (Sc. 1808 Jam.); to waste, squander. Vbl.n. wairin, in †phr. at one's wairin, at one's disposal, for one to spend.Sc. 1726 Ramsay T.-T. Misc. (1876) I. 160:
But now, the mask fall'n aff, I scorn To ware a thought on thee, Donald.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 48:
My heart-bleed for her I wad frankly ware.Ayr. 1789 Burns To Dr Blacklock iii.:
Some dainty fair one To ware his theologic care on.Sc. 1819 Scott Bride of Lamm. xxviii.:
There would be little love wared on the matter.Per. 1857 J. Stewart Sketches 19:
When time's at your wairin', O, spend a half hour.Dmf. 1877 R. W. Thom Jock o' Knowe 16:
Her thinking was wair'd in vain.Fif. 1887 S. Tytler Logie Town II. x.:
He has waured all his wiles that would decoy the very bird from the tree.Mry. 1897 J. Mackinnon Braefoot Sk. 80:
Leezbeth niver wear't anither look upon 'im efter't.Ags. 1966 Forfar Dispatch (22 Sept.):
Nae profit me waurin my brain wi uiseless cogitation.

(2) Specif.: to expend or waste (words). Phr. to ware one's wind, to waste one's breath.Sc. 1816 Scott Black Dwarf x.:
Ane that winna sae muckle as ware a word on me.Ayr. 1822 Galt Entail xcix.:
I needna cast my pearls o' great price before swine, by waring my words o' wisdom wi' the like o' you.Abd. 1868 W. Shelley Wayside Flowers 97:
I took the dwams, fell aff my meat, And fand few words to ware on glee.Kcb. 1895 Crockett Moss-Hags xviii.:
He had never wared many words on a boy such as I seemed to him.Rxb. 1916 Kelso Chron. (12 May) 2:
War has created a scarcity of cash in the coffers of the kirks, and some oratory will be wared on the fact.Ags. 1959 Forfar Dispatch (26 March):
I'm no listenin tae nae mair o yer dry history, so dinna waur yer wind.

3. Combs.: (1) ill-wared, -wairdit, ill-spent, lit. and fig., misspent, wasted, out of place, coming amiss or undeservedly (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Cai. 1902 E.D.D. s.v. Ill; Sh., ne.Sc., Fif. 1973). Obs. in Eng. exc. n. dial.; (2) weel-wared, -warded (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.), well-spent, well-deserved, worth while (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 208; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.; Sh., ne.Sc., Slg. 1973), compar. better waired. Freq. with †at or in one's hand, to, upon, and implying ‘it served one right.' The construction in 1836 quot. is ungrammatical.(1) Sc. 1711 Great Tincklarian to the Commendation of the Scriptures 16:
I think it is ill waird Silver he gets from me.Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 176:
Ill won, ill ward.Ayr. 1822 Galt Sir A. Wylie xxiv.:
Your whuffing and bouncing are baith ill-war't on me.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin iii.:
The blessin's an' benedictions poured upon my youthfu' head maun either hae been little worth or dooms ill-wairdit on me.Abd. 1898 J. R. Imray Sandy Todd iv.:
Aifter a' I hae seen the day, I dinna coont my siller ull waur't.Lnk. 1910 C. Fraser Glengonnar 155:
The men noo-a-days are juist six an' half-a-dizzen wi' them [bigsy han'less women]. It's no likely they will be ill-wared on yin anither.Sh. 1916 J. Burgess Rasmie's Smaa Murr (Mey 8):
A braa baen is no ill waard on a göd dug.Abd. 1952 Buchan Observer (11 March):
Frost and snow in good season wir ne'er ill-waurt.(2) Sc. c.1706 Letter from a Country Farmer:
An anes the Englises had us on their haunch, they'll skult us to purpose; and it were well ward, that we were soundly beltid for our daffen.Ayr. 1725 Session Bk. Dundonald (1936) 622:
Upon Isobel Thomson's chideing of Alexander Stuart, her husband, for having such a vile slutt in her bed his answer to his wife was, It is well wared in your hand. You might have come sooner home.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 102:
A' that I've doon I'll think the better wair'd, That a young lady I see you fash hame.Ayr. 1784 Burns Poet's Welcome (1801) vi.:
Thro' a' thy childish years I'll e'e thee An, think 't well war'd.Dmf. 1836 A. Cunningham Lord Roldan I. x.:
[A work-party] began to make the channel [of the Elfin-burn] straight. . . . “It's weel may wared! the burn's a downright deevil of a burn. It drowned Wattie Kennedy.”Knr. 1886 H. Haliburton Horace 10:
Surely a mutchkin o' the stock 'S weel wair'd upon them.Slk. 1899 C. M. Thomson Drummeldale 129:
It'll be weel waired t' his haund if he gets naither siller nor coamfort wi' her.Abd. 1966 Huntly Express (18 Nov.):
Ye're thinkin' aboot that drunken vratch o' a mannie tynin' his siller. Weel waured on 'im.

4. Nonce usages developed from 3. (2): (1) to think (something) worth while, to desire very much; (2) to deserve.(1) Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 58, 123:
I wad ward hid weel tae gong t'ree weeks, or lie ither, wi' a tether, gin I could get sic' a fang i' the net again. . . . Noo mind tell Jennie tae hap me weel, Hid's what I weel, weel ward.(2) Abd. 1954 Buchan Observer (8 July):
The young chiels, who said they weel waurt a foot-washing after the neep muck.

5. To wager, bet.Fif. 1895 S. Tytler Macdonald Lass xv.:
I'll waur my poor brother Jock's nut against your owning that she's the bonniest.

¶6. To bestow, afford, expend on.Sc. 1907 D. MacAlister Echoes (1923) 127:
A freeman's life he fain wad lead, A freeman's grave we'll wair him.