Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1754, 1822
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†LITHRY, n. Also liethry. A crowd of people, specif. of rather disreputable characters, a rabble, mob (Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems Gl., 1825 Jam.). [′liðri]Abd. 1754 R. Forbes Jnl. from London 29:
In came sik a rangle o' gentles, an' a liethry o' hanziel slyps at their tail.Sh. 1822 S. Hibbert Descr. Shet. 236:
Lord Robert brought with him a great number of dependants into Orkney and Shetland, styled in these islands “broken men” … It was on this account that the name of a “livery” or “lithry”, answering to a retinue of serving-men, long became in Scotland the by-word that was used to signify a despicable crowd.
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"Lithry n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 10 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/lithry>
