Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
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.

NEST, n. Sc. usages:

1. Phrs.: (1) corbies' nest, craw's —, a difficult or embarrassing situation; (2) egg in the nest, a Scotch egg, a meat rissole enclosing a hard-boiled egg (Sc. 1960 Sunday Times (21 Aug.) 11; Ags. 1964); (3) to look ower the nest, to keek ower the nest, of a young person: to begin to act independently of his parents (Sc. 1887 Jam.; Ayr., Gall., Rxb. 1964).(1) Dmf. 1877 W. Cross Disruption vi., xxvi.:
Ye hae fairly brocht me intil the corbie's nest. . . . What for did ye bring me intil the vera craw's nest to get the pocket book?(3)s.Sc. 1993:
Keek ower the nest.

2. Derivs.: (1) nessel, a nestful. Cf. Cairtle, Hantle; (2) nes(s)lin, nestlin(g), the smallest and most weakly bird in a nest (Sc. 1887 Jam.), the first egg a young goose lays (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)).(1) Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond Bawbie Bowden (1922) 97:
They scattered like a nessel o' rottens.