Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1790-1835
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GAUDY, adj. Also †gaudie, †gad(d)ie. Obs. Sc. forms and usages of Eng. gaudy.
†1. Fig. of words: flowery, highly ornate; or phs. rather = tricky, cf. Gaud, n.1Rnf. 1790 A. Wilson Poems (1876) 105:
Tho' her phraizing (far owre gaudie), Gars me cock my tap fu' skeigh.Abd. 1828 P. Buchan Ballads I. 276:
Ye'll call your daughter to the door, And ye will speak wi' words fu' gadie; And see if she is willing to wed, Wi' me, that's a brisk young Highland laddie.
†2. Gay, dashing.Rnf. 1807 R. Tannahill Poems 21:
But ah! waes me! wi their sodg'rin sae gaudy, O, The Laird's wys'd awa my braw Highland laddie, O.Abd. 1828 P. Buchan Ballads II. 155:
A bonny laddie brisk and gay, A handsome youth sae brisk and gaddie; And he is on to Glasgow town, To steal awa' his bonny Peggy.Slk. a.1835 Hogg Tales (1837) II. 287:
Wha gae to me a pledge o' love, That gars me look sae gaudy.
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"Gaudy adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/gaudy>
