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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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.

YOUR, poss. adj. Also Sc. forms, chiefly in unstressed position: yer (Rnf. a.1810 R. Tannahill Poems (1900) 204; s.Sc. 1834 Wilson's Tales of the Borders I. 3; Mry. 1873 J. Brown Round Table Club 334, Wgt. 1877 “Saxon” Gall. Gossip 3; Rxb. 1901 W. Laidlaw Poetry 29; Abd. 1923 L. Coutts Hotch Potch 12), yere (Per. c.1800 Lady Nairne Songs (Rogers 1905) 255, Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch xiv.; Abd. 1917 D. G. Mitchell Clachan Kirk 126), yeer (Edb. c.1770 J. Nasmyth Autobiog. (1883) 21, 1886 R. F. Hardy Within a Mile vii.), yeir-, yir (ne.Sc. 1881 W. Gregor Folk-Lore 147; Per. 1894 I. MacLaren Brier Bush 11; Ags. 1929 Scots Mag. (May) 150) yur; and reduced form 'r (Ags. 1830 Perthshire Adv. (3 June)). See also Eer, poss. adj. Hence yerlane (Abd. 1917 D. G. Mitchell Clachan Kirk 190), yirleen (Abd. 1924 Swatches o' Hamespun 66), alone by yourself. See Lane, adj.; yoursel(l) (Sc. 1736 Ramsay Proverbs (1776) 7; Ayr. 1786 Burns Ep. to a Young Friend v.; Sc. 1815 Scott Guy M. ix., 1886 Stevenson Kidnapped xi.; Gen.Sc.), yersel (Rxb. c.1885 W. Laidlaw Poetry (1901) 45, Edb. 1893 W. G. Stevenson Wee Johnny Patterson 36; Abd. 1928 P. Grey Making of a King 8); yersell; yeirsel (Uls. 1844 R. Huddleston Poems 70), yirsel (Dmf. 1899 Country Schoolmaster (Wallace) 373), yourself, sometimes referring to more than one person (Ayr. 1786 Burns To the Unco Guid i.), freq. also orig. in representations of Highland Eng. as an emphatic form of you, = Gael. thu fhein, but now in more gen. use. See Sel.Sc. 1886 Stevenson Kidnapped xxix.:
Is that yoursel', Mr Balfour?Sc. 1953 Scots Mag. (Dec.) 188:
“Good-evening to you,” Sandy returned, then, looking up, “Och, it's yourself now,” he said.wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 15:
Take yir time, but Ah haveny
got a' day. m.Sc. 1991 William Neill in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 51:
Ye've shairly got tae ken whit ye're fechting fur
tae tak the haill Roman Empire on in yer buff. m.Sc. 1994 Martin Bowman and Bill Findlay Forever Yours, Marie-Lou 4:
How did ye no stey in yir bed? Sc. 1995 David Purves Hert's Bluid 19:
Tak yeir pype an yeir auss out o here
or A clatter yeir lug wi ma ring! wm.Sc. 1998 Alan Warner The Sopranos (1999) 28:
Talking of tits did you..., Fionnula podged a finger gently into Manda's left, Bring yur wonderbra? w.Lth. 2000 Davie Kerr A Puckle Poems 20:
Sit back an tak yir ease wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 12:
A solomon! A dominie! you're no' saft -
A peety that a' body but yirsel' is daft. wm.Sc. 1986 Robert McLellan in Joy Hendry Chapman 43-4 20:
(From the byre) Is it yersell, Janet? Sc. 1991 T. S. Law in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 35:
"Oh, it's yersel, John!" wm.Sc. 1991 James Russell Grant in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 55:
Bairn ae a street bringin back bairnhood days
Mither deckin ye oot in white an blue
Yirsel a soulfu wee craitur maist happy whiles m.Sc. 1998 Lillias Forbes Turning a Fresh Eye 18:
Dinna bide in yon chaumer
Wi the wee, clorty winnock
At the tap o the hoose
Up the kypie stair
I tell ye, ye'll no ken yersel
Aince up in yon chaumer
An the door steekit efter ye.