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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1976 (SND Vol. X). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

WEEL-DAEIN, ppl.adj., vbl.n. See Dae, v.¹ Sc. usages:

I. adj. Well-to-do, prosperous. Gen.Sc.Ayr. 1821 Galt Annals v.:
A douce and discreet man, fair and well-doing in the world.Ayr. 1834 Galt Stories of Study III. 44:
Lions is surely a very well-doing town, but it is not just such a thriving place as Glasgow.Mry. 1887 W. H. L. Tester Poems 50:
Ye'll get her, Sam, get her — yer a weel-doin' man.Sc. 1928 J. Buchan Montrose 237:
The plenishing of many a well-doing citizen.Gsw. 1935 McArthur & Long No Mean City i.:
The Ramsays were well-doing for slum people. They lived in one of the better streets.wm.Sc. 1974 Roddy McMillan The Bevellers 14:
Yez'll be quite a well-doing wee family, then? wm.Sc. 1987 Anna Blair Scottish Tales (1990) 97:
An orphan, reared in the well-doing home of James and his wife, he had grown to be a constant source of distress to both of them, for he was hard drinking, would have gamed away his soul and was violent when crossed. w.Lth. 2000 Davie Kerr A Puckle Poems 3:
Lang lums,
black belchin reek,
mark shair the thrivin toun
that lives
weel-daein there. Edb. 2004:
She mairriet a weel-daein laddie fae Perth.

II. n. In phr. in the wey o' weel-daein, in a prosperous way, thriving; also allusively of a woman: pregnant (Fif. 1899 Proc. Philos. Soc. Gsw. XXXI. 41).Mry. 1897 J. Mackinnon Braefoot Sk. 80:
The son's in a wy o' weel-daein'.