Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1880-1956
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0]
TARF, adj. Also tarff. [tɑrf]
1. Harsh, bad-tempered, rough-spoken (Ork. 1887 Jam., 1929 Marw., Ork. 1972).Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 101:
Gin every lass bees as unstowly, An' gaes her lad as tarf a prowly.Ork. 1956 C. M. Costie Benjie's Bodle 174:
Maggie wis a tarf een, an' you wadno set afore her whit sheu wadno deu.
2. Bitter, rancid in taste (Ork. 1929 Marw., Ork. 1972).Ork. 1920 J. Firth Reminisc. 96:
The mention of wormwood recalls childhood and the “tarf” morning dose.
3. Of weather: severe, intense (Ork. 1929 Marw., Ork. 1972).
[Ork. variant of Derf, bold, severe, harsh, rough. Cf. also Norw. djerv, O.N. djarfr, bold, daring.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Tarf adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tarf>
