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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

JANITOR, n. Sc. usages: 1. The caretaker of a building, esp. a school or college, who has charge of the keys and of the cleaning and heating of it and who formerly also used to act as school attendance officer.  Colloq. dims. jannie, jaunie, ¶jennie (Slg.3). Gen.Sc. Also in U.S.Sc. 1708 Acct. Govt. Ch. Scot. 18:
When a Student enters the University [of Edinburgh] he must pay Half a Crown to the Porter or Janitor and Seven Pence to his Servant.
Abd. 1712 Fountainhall Decisions II. 726:
Requiring the janitor to ring the bell at the hour he used to have his lessons, and to open the common-hall door.
Gsw. 1720 Burgh Rec. Gsw. (1909) 103:
To admitt Alexander Maxwell, janitor to the college, burges and gild brother.
Edb. 1791 T. Brown Hist. Shires Scot. 42:
The High School [Edinburgh] . . . There is a Janitor, whose place is supposed to be worth about £70 a year. His business is to take care of the boys in the play ground.
Dmf. 1821 Town Council Notice (19 March):
They have nominated John Knight to inhabit the lodge lately built and to act as Porter or Janitor.
Ayr. 1901 G. Douglas Green Shutters xiv.:
He marched into the vestibule of the High School . . . “Where's your gaffer?” he roared at the janitor.
Abd. 1954 Abd. Press & Jnl. (7 April):
The Education Committee, however, had recommended that a janitor be appointed, and that he be responsible for all janitorial and cleaning work at the school, including maintenance of the gardens.
Gsw. 1972 Molly Weir Best Foot Forward (1974) 57:
This clock was the pride and joy of the 'Jannie', as we called the school janitor.
m.Sc. 1986 William Montgomerie in Joy Hendry Chapman 46 10:
Ye're late! Ye're late!
The jaunie's baurred the gate
wm.Sc. 1998 Alan Warner The Sopranos (1999) 85:
... Chell's spindly legs hit-hitting the seat back making her go OOF, OOF and the slap of the little girl's feet on the polished floor not stopping till the janitors caught the chair at the door to the Big End ...
Gsw. 2000 Herald 5 May 19:
Of more concern to the jannie was that after the Lolitas had put on their lipstick, they would press their lips to the mirror, leaving dozens of little prints.

Hence janitation, the duties of a janitor, janitorial, pertaining to a janitor (see 1954 quot. above); janitorship; janitress, a female janitor, a woman porter or caretaker (Inv. 1817 Inverness Jnl. (16 May)).Ayr. 1935 Ayrshire Post (12 April):
Mr Robert K. Porter, attendance officer, Kilmarnock, has accepted a transfer to the janitorship of Tarbolton Public School. It has been remitted to the Director of Education to submit a list of members of the present janitation staff.

2. Appar. a kind of usher or junior master, who performed menial duties and assisted in the discipline and phs. also in the elementary teaching in a school, often a poor scholar who in return completed his own education gratis.Sc. 1700 Burgh Rec. Abd. (B.R.S.) 331:
The master pitch upon some fitt persone to be janitor who is to officiat instead of the publict censor, and doe all other duetie incumbent on a janitor, and have for his panis from each scholar twelve pennies Scots money quarterly.
Sc. c.1725 Johnson Lives of Poets (Hill 1905) III. 400:
David Malloch was, by the penury of his parents, compelled to be Janitor of the High School at Edinburgh.
Sc. 1763 Boswell London Jnl. (1950) 209:
Many a tender bum has smarted by his barbarous birch when he was janitor of the High School at Edinburgh.
Edb. 1779 H. Arnot Hist. Edinburgh 421:
To the rector, from all the boys at school, who are not at his own class, one shilling each, and to the janitor sixpence each.
n.Sc. 1801 D. Sage Mem. Domest. (1889) 151:
To the school-hours of attendance we were summoned by the blowing of a post-horn, which the pauper, or janitor, blew lustily. . . . After this he proceeded to the schoolhouse to arrange it for our reception, by sweeping the floor and lighting the fire. For all this drudgery the only remuneration he received was a gratis education — whence his designation of the pauper or “poor scholar”.
 

[O.Sc. janitor, = 1. from 1567, = 2. from 1584. Lat. ianitor, a doorkeeper.]

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

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