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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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

DITTAY, Ditty, n.

1. Sc. law: “the matter of charge, or ground of indictment, against a person accused of a crime” (Sc. 1890 Bell Dict. Law Scot. 335), freq. in phr. point of —; the indictment itself. Obs. or arch.Sc. 1746 W. M. Morison Decis. Court Sess. (1811) XVII. 14267:
Several acts of Parliament had made transgressions in this matter a point of dittay.Sc. 1797 D. Hume Commentaries II. 487:
Sedition is . . . set down as a point of dittay in our oldest book of law.Sc. 1819 Scott Bride of Lamm. xxxi.:
I find it mentioned in the articles of dittay against Ailsie Gourlay.Ork. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XIV. 328, Note:
Above the gate was the famous inscription, which, among other points of ditty, cost Earl Patrick his head.em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 267:
Sir Archibald Primrose, Lord Justice General, opened the proceedings. The charges in the dittay were to stand, he said. The confession made by the panel had been made before the Committee of the Council, and was therefore judicial, and could not be retracted.m.Sc. 1927 J. Buchan Witch Wood 180:
I will prepare my dittay, and bring it before Mr Muirhead of Kirk Aller.Arg. 1901 N. Munro Doom Castle xiii.:
Fifteen Campbell assessors and the baron bailie might have sent a man to the Plantations on that dittay ten years ago, but we live in different times, Mr MacTaggart.Ayr. 1890 J. Service Notandums 104:
Gin it were set furth in your dittay that you cured folk o' the land ill by graipin' them.Kcb. 1896 S. R. Crockett Grey Man xlix.:
Then the court being set, the dittay was read.

Phrs.: (1) lit.: (a) to be in dittay, to be indicted; (b) to take (up) dittay, to obtain information and proof with a view to prosecution before Circuit courts (Sc. 1890 Bell Dict. Law Scot. 335); (2) fig.: (a) to get one's ditt(a)y, to receive a severe reproof (Mearns 1825 Jam.²); (b) to gie (someone) their ditty, to punish, to beat (someone).(1) (a) Sc. 1828 Scott F. M. Perth xxv.:
Your slightest language has been espied, your best-meaning phrases have been perverted, and you are in dittay as a gross railer against church and churchmen.(b) Lnk. 1718 J.P.s Lnk. (S.H.S. 1931) 226:
And that dittay be taken thereof yearly and punished, as said is, in the Justice air.(2) (a) Ayr. 1784 Burns in Merry Muses (1800):
My handsome Betsy by my side, We gat our ditty rarely.(b) wm.Sc. 1868 Laird of Logan 166:
You do for me! just come awa' out by to Lodge my-Louns, whaur I gied half-a-dizzen o' your friends, the weavers, their ditty.Lnk. 1818 A. Fordyce Country Wedding 51:
I gied him his ditty — he'll no grien again.

2. A story, a tale.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 40:
An dat's de ditty o' Baubie Skithawa's windin sheet.