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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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

NEATH, prep. Also ne(i)th, naith. Beneath, below, underneath (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 352; Cai. 1903 E.D.D.; Lnk. 1919 G. Rae Clyde and Tweed 104; Dmf. 1925 Trans. Dmf. and Gall. Antiq. Soc. 33, Abd. 1928 J. Baxter A' Ae 'Oo 33). Mainly Sc., chiefly poet. [niθ, neθ]Bnff. 1787 W. Taylor Poems 25:
Grannie's crown fu' weil he claw'd, An' 'neath her kirtle, E'en wi' the spurtle.Ayr. 1840 J. Ramsay Eglinton Park Meeting 17:
She leukt sae awfu' queer frae 'neath her bonnet.Lth. 1887 P. McNeill Blawearie 177:
One of the pair caught him by the feet, the other neath the arm-pits.Per. 1893 R. Ford Harp 162:
I fand my faither 'neth the yird.Hdg. 1903 J. Lumsden Toorle 250:
My pantry table, whan 'twas set, Groan'd like a Lord's neth its load!Abd. 1924 M. Angus Tinker's Road 47:
Reistlin' the heather, and keekin' 'naith the weeds.Abd. 2000 Sheena Blackhall The Singing Bird 45:
Frae howff an office, wirkers takk their ease,
Ettin their denner piece neth kirkyaird trees.

Hence ne(a)thmost, neith-, -maist (Abd. 1915 H. Beaton Benachie 32), nethmist, -mest (ne.Sc. 1881 W. Gregor Folk-Lore 79), nedmist (Sc. 1808 Jam.), newmost (Abd. c.1782 Ellis E.E.P. (1889) V. 774), n(y)ow-, adj., lowest, undermost (Abd., Slk. 1825 Jam.; Abd. 1929 J. Milne Dreams o' Buchan 30; ne., em.Sc. 1963). Obs. in Eng. from 15th c. [′neθmɪst, Abd. + ′njʌu-]Sc. 1736 Ramsay Proverbs (1776) 37:
He that wrestles with a turd will come foul aff, whether u'most or nowmost.Abd. 1754 R. Forbes Jnl. from London 24:
My side happen'd to be newmost.Ags. 1790 D. Morison Poems 27:
Till garter height the neith'most clout, Is bang'd wi' awfu' force.Abd. 1824 G. Smith Douglas 79:
Wae to him that's nethmost whan he's flung.Ayr. 1870 J. K. Hunter Studies 280:
Expectin' to see the corpse o' him lyin' on the neathmost step.Abd. 1928 Weekly Jnl. (11 Oct.) 6:
An' the nyowmost half wis his diary, an' here he vrat doon a' he hid deen that day.