Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1860-1934
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‡MAXIE, n. An abbreviated dim. form of the Latin maximus error, a gross error in a Latin translation, entailing the highest deduction of marks as a penalty (ne.Sc. 1962).Ags. 1860 A. Whamond James Tacket xviii.:
I took great pains to avoid what we called maxies, construed every sentence, and was satisfied that I had made no grammatical errors.Abd. 1868 J. Riddell Aberdeen and Its Folk 28:
He had examined a version which was correct in every respect, except in the use of one unfortunate word near the end, by which mischance a “maxie” had to be marked on the paper.Kcb. 1904 Crockett Strong Mac xxiv.:
None of the crew but Wee Peerie could read a page of Virgil without a dozen “maxies”.Bnff. c.1920 D. G. McLean Fordyce Academy (1936) 190:
By the fire sat Mr Simpson, with a bundle of Latin exercises on his knee, hunting for “maxies” with, to us, an altogether perverted energy.Abd.16 1934:
A mistake entailing deduction of four marks was a “maxie”.
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"Maxie n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Feb 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/maxie>
