Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
COFF, Koff, v.1 To buy, purchase. Also in form cowff (Per. (Strathearn) 1916 T.S.D.C. II.). Pa.t. coft, koft (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.; 1914 Angus Gl.), rarely caft. Ppl.adj. coft. Gen.Sc. Now rather arch. [kɔf; pa.t. kɔft Sc.; kɑft Rnf.]Sc. 1928 L. Spence in Scots Mag. (May) 141:
Nineteen ten — aye, nineteen ten it wis that he coft the big hoose up the road.Sh.(D) 1922 J. Inkster Mansie's Röd 48:
Dey're dear coft tatties ta dee, püir bairn, if dey wir as guid as iver cam oot o' müld.Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems 40:
I sought the Fair, for honester employ, To coff what bonny trinkets I mith see.Ags. 1774 Weekly Mag. (30 Dec.) 15:
Lads for them coff broach sae bright.Ags. 1825 J. Ross Sermon, etc. 21:
I've neither house nor had, ye ken, Nor ought to coff them wi'.Rnf. 1807 R. Tannahill Poems 124:
His master caft him frae some fallows, Wha had him doom'd unto the gallows.
Proverbial uses:Sc. 1737 Ramsay Proverbs 38:
It is dear coft Honey that's licked aff a Thorn.Sc. 1832 A. Henderson Sc. Proverbs 38:
Kindness comes o' will, but canna be coft.Sc. 1896 A. Cheviot Proverbs 135:
He has it o' kind, he coft it not.
Comb.: coff-coffe, “to barter, to exchange” (Sh. and Ork. 1866 Edm. Gl.).
[Orig. only the pa.t. and pa.p. coft were used, being adapted from Mid.Du. cofte, gecoft, pa.t. and pa.p. of the v. copen, to buy (Mod.Du. koopen). First appearance in Sc. c.1420 (D.O.S.T.). The infinitive is a modern back-formation.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Coff v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 May 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/coff>
