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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SHITHER, v., n.1 Also shuther. [′ʃɪðər]

I. v. To shiver, shudder (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., Rxb. 1970). Hence shitherin'-bite, a piece of bread eaten after bathing to allay shivering (Id.). Cf. Chitterin' Bit.Rxb. 1808 A. Scott Poems 34:
Wow but the thoughts o' siccan dirdum, brither, Is fit to gar ilk hill o' feeling shuther.
Fif. 1825 Jam.:
The hungry shitherin' orphan's tale.
em.Sc. 1999 James Robertson The Day O Judgement 13:
Aw throu itsel the haill warld grues;
The stanes o its mountains shither an pairt;
Awfu tae hear its doolsome murn
An the rivin o its hert.

II. n. A shudder, shiver.Clc. 1882 J. Walker Poems 54:
There crap owre me an eerie shither.

[Orig. somewhat uncertain. The form is found also in n.Eng. dial. and may be merely a variant of shiver, but in Sc. there may also be some influence from shudder (see D, 4.) and phs. Chitter.]

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"Shither v., n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Jun 2023 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/shither_v_n1>

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