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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BOTTLE, Buttle, Battle, Buttill, n.2 and v. [bɔtl, botl, bʌtl (see P.L.D. § 93.2), bɑtl (see P.L.D. § 54)]

1. n. A bundle of hay or straw; a sheaf. The noun is widely distributed in Eng. and Sc. dials. (see E.D.D.). N.E.D. describes bottle as somewhat local, the Un. Eng. Dict. as obsol. and rare, and Webster as obs. except dial. Battle and buttle are special Sc. forms.Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 95:
Every Best [beast] his Bottle.
Ags. 1893 Brechin Advertiser (16 May) 3/5:
An' the farmer o' Little Keithock winna be very ill to pay for a bottle or twa o' strae.
m.Sc. 1996 John Cameron in Kathleen Jamie and James McGonigal New Writing Scotland 14: Full Strength Angels 11:
How many fourteen year old townie boys are left in charge of a pedigree dairy farm? I made the battles, tight bundles of hay, for the bull boxes.
Arg.1 1929:
“Are ye feedin the sheep this wather?” “Ay, I'm feedin them: I gied them two bottles o' hey on Tuesday and other two yesterday.”
Rnf. 1813 E. Picken Poems, etc. I. 193:
I bindit the buttles o' grain.
Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 50:
Battles o' Strae. Bundles of straw, folded neatly, as it were, into themself [sic].
Kcb.3 1929:
Buttill, Buttle, a bundle of hay, grass or straw. In Wigtownshire it used to be called a battle of straw, etc.
Kcb. 1935 Proverb (per Kcb.1):
To lose battles gathering straws.
w.Dmf. 1925 W. A. Scott Vern. of Mid-Nithsdale in Trans. Dmf. and Gall. Antiq. Soc. 18:
Bottle o' strae, bunch of straw wrapped round with a band.
Uls. 1880 W. H. Patterson Gl. Ant. and Dwn.,
battle, bottle
; Uls.2 1935,
bottle.
Uls. 1993:
A battle of hay.

2. v. The verb is rare in Eng. dial., E.D.D. giving only one quot. (Yks.). Most of the Eng. dicts. regard it as dial. or obs.

(1) To bundle up hay or straw for fodder.Sc. 1825 Jam.2; Ags.1 1935:
To Bottle or Battle Strae, to make up straw in small parcels, or windlins.
Ayr. 1847 Ballads and Songs of Ayrsh. (ed. J. Paterson) II. 53:
He'll thrash, ca' the fanners, or buttle the strae.
Uls.2 1929:
“Two men threshing, a wee bird pickin', and an ould woman bottling straw,” is a child's play formed with the fingers. [Known also to Lnk.3 1935.]

(2) To bundle up something which, for any reason, does not lend itself to such treatment. An order to do anything stupid of this kind denotes contempt for the person addressed.Per. 1802 S. Kerr Poems, etc. 124:
Your cunnin witchlike spells, That led them aff frae common gates, Wi' you to gang, and bottle peats!

In phr. gang tae [e.g.] Buckie and bottle skate, an exclamation of impatience (Bnff.2, Abd.22 1936).Abd. 1993:
Gang tae Foggie an bottle skate.
 s.Sc. 1912 Madame Roland in Scotsman (26 Jan.):
The northern phrase “Go to Birse and bottle skate” reminds me of a similar contemptuous one in the south — “Go to Birgham and bottle broom.” [Northern phrase known to Bnff.2, Abd.19 1935.]

[O.Fr. botel, dim. of botte, a bundle.]

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"Bottle n.2, v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 28 Mar 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bottle_n2_v>

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