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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SPATE, n., v. Also spaight, spait(t), speyt, speat(t), speate, speet, spet. [spet; Sh. spit]

I. n. 1. (1) A flood, a torrent of water which bursts its banks, a sudden rise of water in a stream or river (Sc. 1755 S. Johnson Dict., spet, 1782 J. Sinclair Ob. Sc. Dial. 196, speat, 1808 Jam.). Gen.Sc., adopted in Eng. in 16th-c.; a tide-rush (Gall. 1930 H. Maxwell Place-Names Gall. 250); flooding, flood-water.Sc. 1701 Seafield Corresp. (S.H.S.) 340:
Great speatts in the burns and rivers.Fif. 1710 R. Sibbald Hist. Fife (1803) 423:
An earthquake occasioned by a speate of water.Sc. 1747 Caled. Mercury (2 Feb.):
Seven Sail of Brigs and Sloops broke loose in the Harbour with the Violence of the Speat.Ayr. 1786 Burns Brigs o' Ayr 121:
Crashing ice, borne on the roaring spate.Sc. 1802 Scott Minstrelsy I. 131:
The water was great and meikle of spait.Sc. 1844 W. H. Maxwell Sports (1853) 173, 189:
After a spaight there are some fine fish caught. . . . A heavv spaight had swelled the river.ne.Sc. 1884 D. Grant Lays 1:
The mem'ry o' the Muckle Spate Has never left my min'.Kcb. 1897 T. Murray Poems 43:
Tho' the spates the burnies drummel.Sh. 1901 Shetland News (10 Aug.):
Doo'll see what's afore dee noo 'at da Lammas speets is come.Cai. 1928 John o' Groat Jnl. (10 Feb.):
'E grun' ‘ill be 'at thin efter 'is speyts 'at ye can steer'd wi' a stick.Lth. 1928 S. A. Robertson With Double Tongue 25:
When it's red wi' Lammas spate crossin may be mair ficklie.

(2) Phrs. and combs. (i) in (‡a) spate, of a river: in flood, swollen with flood water. Gen.Sc.; of land: flooded, inundated; (ii) spate-ridden, swollen with floodwater, flooded; (iii) spate river, a river subject to frequent flooding; (iv) to run a spate, of a river = to flood.(i) Sc. 1803 Scott Minstrelsy III. 262:
Yestreen the water was in spate.Sc. 1827 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) II. 36:
He's like a river in spate — drumly.Abd. 1879 G. MacDonald Sir Gibbie xxxiv.:
A' the warl' aneath Glashgar lyin' in a speat.s.Sc. 1897 E. Hamilton Outlaws ii.:
A rush like the Whiterhope in spate.Sh. 1931 Shetland Times (14 March) 7:
Whin da burn rins in speet.Edb. 1970s:
Ye hae tae ken whit flies tae yaise as bait. If the river's quiet it's different tae when it's in spate. em.Sc. 1992 Ian Rankin Strip Jack (1993) 98:
The others were down by the river itself. It was in spate after the recent rain.(ii) Abd. 1900 C. Murray Hamewith 12:
An' ower him there her anger brak' Like some spate-ridden burn.(iii) Sc. 1901 Scotsman (4 March):
Floods are of very short duration on those spate rivers.(iv) Bwk. 1856 G. Henderson Pop. Rhymes 14:
Let Whitadder rin a spate, Or the wind blow at ony rate.

2. Of rain: a torrential fall, heavy downfall (s.Sc. 1802 J. Sibbald Chron. Sc. Poetry Gl.; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 433; Cai. 1904 E.D.D.). Gen.Sc. Also in Eng. dial.Sc. 1727 P. Walker Remark. Passages 16:
With a Speat of Rain, to raise the Waters.Rxb. 1762 Session Papers, Waugh v. Carre (28 Oct.) 18:
He has frequently seen water there after a speat of rain.Peb. 1805 J. Nicol Poems I. 114:
We've brush'd the bent thro' monie a speat O' brauslie weather!Rxb. a.1860 J. Younger Autobiog. (1881) 3:
The small pebbles . . . washed out of the earth by the summer spate.Sc. 1871 Daily News (25 Aug.):
All day long there had been a ‘spate' of rain in Inverary.Sc. 1887 Stevenson Underwoods 101:
God sends a spate outower the plain.

3. Fig. (1) a flood (of tears). Gen.Sc.Sc. 1784 Jock o the Side in Child Ballads No. 187 B. ii.:
Tears in spaits fa fast frae her eie.

(2) of liquor; by extension, a bout of drinking, a carousal.Ayr. 1822 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage 270:
Wi' storms o' witty fun, Jock, An' spates o' barley bree.wm.Sc. 1837 Laird of Logan 238:
We had a great spate o' clatter as weel as a spate o' drink.Kcd. 1857 Stonehaven Jnl. (21 May) 4:
And yet for a' the spates he took, A torn-down hash he didna look.Abd. 1877 W. Alexander Rural Life 132:
The “spate” in which he had indulged with the Magistrates.

(3) of other liquid substances, perspiration, etc.Ayr. 1845 Ayrshire Wreath 136:
In a very spait o' perspiration.Kcb. a.1902 Gallovidian (1913) 109:
Honey in spates adoon the aiks shall rin.

(4) of a large crowd or throng of people.Knr. 1891 H. Haliburton Ochil Idylls 61:
Ye that flood the street, A roarin' spate o' people.

(5) a torrent (of words or the like), an outburst of emotion or activity in speaking, arguing, writing, etc. (Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis s.v. flum, 1808 Jam.). Gen.Sc. In full spate, in a flood of eloquence.Sc. 1731 Plain Reasons Presbyt. Dissenting 138:
The most honest cause is often run down with the torrent and speat of law-quirks.Ayr. 1791 Burns Pastoral Poetry ix.:
Nae bombast spates o' nonsense swell.Sc. 1826 Scott Journal (1890) I. 250:
Here is a fine spate of work — a day diddled away, and nothing to show for it!wm.Sc. 1854 Laird of Logan 81:
Woman, that's an awfu' spate o' ill nature.Abd. 1865 G. Macdonald Alec Forbes xxii.:
It turned the spait o' words a bit.Sc. 1870 E. B. Ramsay Reminisc. 168:
Sic a speat o' praying, and sic a speat o' drinking, I never knew.Sc. 1920 A. Gray Songs from Heine 35:
A new spring-time spate o' sang.Sc. 1931 J. Lorimer Red Sergeant ix.:
By the end of this spate of speech.

(6) an overwhelming rush of incidents or events; one thing after another in quick succession. Gen.Sc.Bnff. 1882 W. M. Philip K. MacIntosh's Scholars 140:
[He] had been almost swept away in the great “spate” known as the “Disruption.”Rxb. 1923 Jedburgh Gazette (28 Dec.) 3:
A Spate of Tries. Jed-Forest, 8 tries; Edinburgh Borders, 0.

(7) specif.: a powerful current of public feeling or opinion, a clamour, general outcry.Sc. 1704 Court of Session Garland (1881) 21:
The speat was so high against the paroch and them all the time.Sc. 1730 T. Boston Memoirs (1776) 320:
The spate ran high for the transportation when we came to town.Sc. 1736 Trial Capt. J. Porteous 34:
The Speat having once been created against the Pannel, it grew into a Torrent.

II. v. 1. tr. To flood, swell. Freq. in ppl.adj. spated, in flood.Sc. 1853 W. Watson Poems 26:
While sheughs an' deep fur-drains were jawin' To spate the burns.Edb. 1816 J. Aikman Poems 43:
Wha views the rumblin' speated flood That deep an' heavy bursts its way.Sc. 1827 J. Aikman Hist. Scot. III. 374:
The speated Tweed came down heavy two days before.Abd. 1841 J. Imlah Poems 213:
Lest kelpie wait our guiding, Across the speated stream, my boys!Bwk. 1863 A. Steel Poems 64:
Ee the rowin' spated tide, Wi' his bit creel.

2. intr. To rain heavily (I., ne.Sc., Fif., s.Sc. 1971). Also with on.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 230:
It spaitit on the hail nicht.

3. Fig. To berate vehemently, to open the flood-gates of one's wrath upon.Lnk. 1881 A. Wardrop J. Mathison's Courtship 44:
“What are ye making all the fuss about?” “Dinna speak tae me or I'll spate ye.”