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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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

GAESINTIE, n. Also gaes-in-ties, gis-in-taes, gizinties. In pl.: a children's term for sums in division (‡Per. 1975).Gsw. 1985 Anna Blair Tea at Miss Cranston's 7:
One young mother recently measured her tenement flat hallway for floor covering and took her gizinties to a carpet store.
Gsw. 1987 Peter Mason C'mon Geeze Yer Patter! 70:
Ah never did git the hang of yon big gizinties at school. I was never able to cope with long division at school.
Abd. 1992 Press and Journal 29 Aug 2:
What turned them into unimaginative lazy, truculent adults was the restrictions imposed by sitting for hours in schools chanting their "gis-in-taes" and their "timetables".
Abd. 1992 Press and Journal 19 Sep :
Lots of readers of this column noticed that the children who came through the mill of sitting in rows of miniature desks chanting their gaes-in-taes ended up being able to read, write, count and even spell. ... By the way, a few who are young or have forgotten wrote to ask what gaes-in-taes is...two gaes-in-tae four, two. Two gaes-in-ta six, three.

[Gae, v., + Intae, sc. from the formula, e.g. “twa gaes intae echt fower times.”]

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"Gaesintie n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 16 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snd00088835>

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