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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CONCEIT, Consaet, Consate, Concait, n. Also consait. Hence consaitedness, conceit, conceitedness (Slk. 1899 C. M. Thomson Drummeldale 177). [kɔn′sit, kɔn′set]

1. Personal opinion (of oneself), with qualifying adjs. gude, ugly, etc. (Cai.7, Bnff.2, Abd.19, Lnk.3, Kcb.9 1937); good opinion in gen., esteem, high regard (Sh., Cai., Bnff., Abd., Edb., Arg., Gsw., Ayr. 2000s). This sense has been obs. in Eng. except in dial. since early 19th cent. Sc. 1794 Tam Thrum Look Before Ye Loup II. 39:
In crying out forever against the abuses an' imperfections of our Constitution, they may bring the fo'k to tyne conceit o't aw thegither.
Sc. 1796 Scots Mag. (Jan.) 55:
Whan things are got at sick cheap rate, Some fock o' them soon lose conceit.
Sc. 1992 Herald 13 Feb 8:
In this production, by final-year students of RSAMD, Ian Cairns plays a crucially Scottish Malvolio, in Black Watch kilt and dress Highland jacket. He is entirely credible as the competent and trustworthy family servant with a guid conceit of himself.
Sc. 1994 Guardian 7 Jun 18:
The city [Glasgow] has a "guid conceit" of itself, and secretly quite enjoys its street-fighting image.
Sc. 1997 Daily Record 26 Jul 8:
We Scots have always had a guid conceit of ourselves. Once our Parliament is up and running, we'll have even more reason to think we're Cocks O' The North.
Sc. 1999 Scotsman 28 Oct 14:
For such a diminutive island, ecclesiastically Great Cumbrae has a guid conceit of itself: it boasts the smallest cathedral in Britain, ...
Sc. 2000 Scotland on Sunday 2 Jan :
... do we wish our sportsmen and women to be likeable losers, fluffy nothings with quick sound bites, or tough-as-teak, trench-warfare exponents? In athletics, that hive of hugely-inflated egos, a guid conceit is a prerequisite for survival, ...
Sh.(D) 1916 J. J. H. Burgess Rasmie's Smaa Murr, 3 Janniwary:
Mony a boany lass haes a ugly consaet o hersell.
m.Sc. 1979 John Kincaid in Joy Hendry Chapman 23-4 (1985) 28:
We are a quasi-nation with perhaps too guid a conceit of ourselves in the entertaining triviata of life, but largely impotent in making decisions on important matters that might be deleterious to our destiny.
wm.Sc. 1836 Sc. Annual 178:
I had nae objection to the arrangement, for I never had ony great conceit o' the shopboard.
wm.Sc. 1987 Anna Blair Scottish Tales (1990) 12:
He still had a fair conceit of himself, had Willie though, and was sure that if he could lay his hands on even a hundred pounds he could start from next to nothing and by clever deals soon be upsides with his father.
Gsw. 1985 Anna Blair Tea at Miss Cranston's 170:
Seems he had a right good conceit of himself ...
Ayr. 1788 Burns Letter to Clarinda (7 March) in Letters (Collins) 200:
Lord, send us a gude conceit o' oursel'!

2. An idea; opinion (Abd.22, Ags.2 1937). This sense became obs. in Eng. in the 18th cent.Sc. 1825 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) I. 19:
“Wha's conceit was the Boiler?” “Your humble servant's.”
Ayr. 1822 Galt Sir A. Wylie I. vi.:
Noo, Mr Tannyhull, what's your conceit? — I doubt he has nae got the cast o' grace needful to a gospel-minister.

3. Interest, lively attention or concern. In phr. to tak(e) a conceit (consate) in, to take an interest in, to take pleasurable pride in (Abd.2, Fif.10 1937).m.Sc. 1870 J. Nicholson Idylls o' Hame 54:
In beggar weans an' helpless folk she taks a queer conceit.
Rnf. 1788 E. Picken Poems 125:
I glowr' a while wi' girt conceit.
Uls. 1880 W. H. Patterson Gl. Ant. and Dwn.:
He takes a great consate in his garden.

4. “Neatness” (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 30, concait).Bnff.2 1937:
Sic a bonny dall! I like the concait o't.

5. “Good taste” (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 30).Bnff.2 1941:
My gairner's never far wrang; I like his concait.

6. Applied to anything small, neat, quaint; a quaint or dainty person or animal (Ags.2, Lnk.3 1937).Sc. 1832–46 Whistle-Binkie, Songs of the Nursery (1846) 21:
I leugh clean outright, for I couldna contain, He was sic a conceit — sic an ancient-like wean.
Abd. 1851 W. Anderson Rhymes, etc. 89:
I'll explain The queer conceits o' Eppie's aumrie.
m.Sc. 1930 “O. Douglas” Day of Small Things xx.:
Mrs Jackson turned back the sheet and showed pale-pink blankets bound with broad satin ribbon. “Aren't they a conceit?” she said. “I saw them in a shop in Bond Street.”
Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch (1839) xx.:
The hennie was quite a conceit of a thing.
Kcb.1 1941:
Addressed to a little girl, wearing a new frock: “You're just a wee conceit this morning.”

7. Comb.: conceit-net, a fishing-net fixed by poles, enclosing a portion of a tidal river or bay.Abd. 1795 in Process Powis v. Fraserfield (1805) 78:
Interrogated for the heritors, Whether the feith-nets, and conceit-net, and yare-net, are stent-nets? depones, That they are not.
Ib. 109:
The conceit-net is thirty fathoms in length, and two and one-half fathoms in depth.

8. A pleasant experience, a feeling of delight. ? Cf. Yks. dial. concait, to have a liking for, relish. Slk. 1909 W. S. Brown Ne'er-Do- Weel 167:
What a conceit it is when ye reach a fine run on a warm spring mornin'.

[O.Sc. has conceat, conceit, from 16th cent. = good opinion, favour; fancy, idea; a fancy article or ornament; also consait, consate, from c.1420 = an idea, an idea or opinion of one, a fanciful device or article, etc. (D.O.S.T.).]

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"Conceit n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 28 Mar 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/conceit>

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