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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

LON'ON. Also Lonan, Lunnon, Lunnen, -an, -in, -(n)un. Sc. forms of London, the capital of England. Hence Lon(d)oner, a native or inhabitant of London; in pl.: the two-way motion ofa skipping-rope doubled, with one half swung one way and the other in the reverse direction (Abd.²⁷ 1920, Sh., Abd. 1961). Also londies, id. (Sh., Abd., Ags. 1961). [′lʌnən]Ayr. 1786 Burns Twa Dogs 119–20:
Or tell what new taxation's comin An' ferlie at the folk in Lon'on.Sc. 1818 Scott H. Midlothian xxvi.:
Lunnon — and the queen — and her sister's life!Ayr. 1823 Galt Gathering of West (1939) 51:
The Lononers hae been made sae het and fou by the lang residenting o' the Court amang them.Edb. 1851 A. Maclagan Sketches 92:
But our auld mess John had a Lunnan-bred son.Abd. 1877 G. MacDonald M. of Lossie vi.:
Will ye sail wi' me the nicht for Lon'on toon?Ags. 1929 Scots Mag. (May) 135:
Yer faither telt me ye'd gane tae Lunnon tae be a gentleman.Abd. 1991 George Bruce in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 22:
She tell't him the A68's for lifts. Noo
in Lon'on toun she's in the moneys there,
and her wi freens. Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 48:
In hyne-aff Embro, or far-oot Lunnen, twis fair the dab tae tell the warld an its mither ye were gay- faith! ye micht roar it frae the reeftaps in yon cosmopolitan hotch-potch o fowk...

Combs.: 1. London biscuit, a kind of soft-fired, doughy baker's roll; 2. London bun, a glazed bun flavoured with currants and orange peel and sprinkled on top with crystallized sugar. Gen.Sc.; 3. Lunnon-candy, a kind of sweetmeat; 4. London-carry, in pl., = king-cairy s.v. King, 3. (6); 5. London ropes, in skipping: = Londoners above (Abd., Edb. 1961); 6. London shawls or shalls, a move in the game of Chucks or fivestones, in which a stone or shell is thrown in the air and another picked up before the first is caught on its descent, the two then being thrown while another is picked up, and so on till all the stones have been picked up, thrown and caught (wm.Sc.¹ c.1900; Ags. 1961). See Shall.1. Gsw. 1957 Bulletin (25 Feb.):
This identical article has two other names — “London biscuit” and (up the east coast) “soft biscuit.”2. Rnf. 1873 J. Nicholson Wee Tibbie 57:
First, there was a fat London bun.Ayr. 1903 A. Kirkland Bakehouse 100:
London buns are made from the cookie dough by pounding loaf sugar into small pieces, and adding to the dough along with square-cut orange peel.3. Abd. 1832 W. Scott Poems 146:
An' crookit puddin's, stuff'd wi' bleed, — An' lunnon'-candy.m.Lth. 1844 J. Ballantine Miller 39:
Three papered sticks o' Lunnon candy.4. Sc. 1829 Wilson Noctes Amb. II. 283:
Bear a hand, Mr Ambrose, and give Mr Hogg London-carries to his chair. [North and Ambrose mutually cross wrists.]