Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1874-1995
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FORCIE, adj. Also forc(e)y. [′forse]
1. Vigorous, active, forceful, hustling, impetuous (Sh., ne.Sc., Ags. 1953; Abd. 1993).n.Sc. 1874 A. Hislop Sc. Anecdotes 612:
Another farmer wanted more “forcy” preaching.Bnff. 1887 W. M. Philip Covedale xvi.:
I'm nae sae forcy as I ance was.Abd. 1925 R. L. Cassie Gangrel Muse 41:
The aik, the ash, the elm are bare, Bit forcie buds swall late an' ear'.Abd. 1928 Abd. Weekly Jnl. (20 Sept.):
I thocht a forcie man like you wid 'a' made a start or noo.Bnff. 1934 J. M. Caie Kindly North 28:
Gin ye werena jist sae forcey ye'd win a' the seener free.Abd. 1995 Flora Garry Collected Poems 22:
Some o's, ye'll min', gey forcey, cuttit ower green,
An syne the widder broke.
2. Of weather: warm and dry, propitious for crops, esp. in harvest, tending to speed growth or ripening (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 52; ne.Sc. 1953).Abd. 1877 W. Alexander Rural Life 112:
On a “forcy” leading day in harvest, he had gone to the stackyard.Abd. 1928 Abd. Weekly Jnl. (18 Oct.):
We cud be weel on wi' the hairst gin we'd gotten mair forcie widder.Abd. 1952 Huntly Express (26 March):
The flat fields of clay or peat soil have not been sufficiently dry to be sown, there being few rale forcey days.
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"Forcie adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 4 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/forcie>
