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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

TORY, n., adj. Sc. usages:

I. n. A term of disparagement or disapprobation, often jocular, applied specif. to a child, = Eng. rascal. Common in Ir. dial. from which it was prob. borrowed. Also attrib.s.Ayr. 1825 Jam.:
A term expressive of the greatest indignation or contempt; often applied to a child; as, “Ye vile little tory.” It is used especially in the higher parts of Kyle.
Dmf. c.1902 A.E.M. Lilts frae the Border 19:
Eh Jamie, ye wee Tory loon.

II. adj. Appar. = non-committal, indeterminate, humming and hawing, as a supposed characteristic of a Conservative.Fif. c.1900 Readings and Dialogues 39:
Patie was rale tory owre't, an' asked if I cud leave it for a day so as he cud mak' a thorough examination.

[The n. usage harks back to Tory in its orig. sense of an Irish outlaw, an Irish Royalist soldier of the Civil War period.]

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"Tory n., adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 29 Mar 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tory>

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