Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1721-1723, 1786-1830, 1890-1936, 1988
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TOSIE, adj. Also tos(e)y, tozie, -y; erron. toshie. [′tozi]
1. Of persons and places: comfortable, cosy, snug, agreeably warm (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 451; Cld. 1825 Jam.). Hence tosilie, tozilie, adv., snugly, tosiness, tozi-, n., cosiness, comfort (Cld. 1825 Jam.).Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 141:
How tosie is't tae snuff the cauller Air.Ayr. 1890 J. Service Notandums 71:
Sune took me to as tozie a howff as you would fin' in a' Glesco or the Gorbals.Edb. 1928 A. D. Mackie In Two Tongues 18:
In this auld hole-in-the-wa', my tozy nest.
2. Giving a feeling of comfort, cheering, esp. of drink.Sc. 1722 W. Hamilton Wallace 41:
Wealth of Meat and tosie Drink.Ayr. 1830 Galt Lawrie Todd vi. v.:
We had a tosy glass of punch.
3. (1) Slightly intoxicated, merry and elevated with drink, in high spirits, tipsy (Sc. 1808 Jam.). Reduplic. form tozy-mozy, id.Abd. 1723 W. Meston Poet. Wks. (1802) 49:
After she's got her Jimrie-cosie Of well-mull'd sack, till she be tosie.Ayr. 1786 Burns Jolly Beggars Recit. i. ii.:
An ay he gies the tozie drab The tither skelpin kiss.Ayr. 1821 Galt Annals iii.:
Decent ladies coming home with red faces, tozy and cosh from a posset masking.Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch xvii.:
We had another jug, after which we were both a wee tozy-mozy.Slg. c.1830 J. Love Antiq. Notes (1910) II. 111:
They never devaulved till they were a' gay and tosey.Sc. 1924 T. R. Barnett Road to Rannoch 183:
An old done limmer who was toshie.Lth. 1929 C. P. Slater Marget Pow 23:
He was not exackly what you would call drunk, but just a wee thing tozy-mozy like.m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 76:
Ye'd think Rab Burns had nivir seen a boattle.
Whit maitter? Yin wha med braw sangs lik thae,
gin he wes gey an tozie aw the time.
(2) of the cheeks: having a glowing cheerful appearance, flushed, high-coloured, “with drinking warm drink” (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 451). Now only liter. Cf. Tosh, I. 3. (1).Dmf. 1810 R. Cromek Remains 24:
His cheeks are tosie and dry When tears are on a' our cheeks.Sc. 1936 J. G. Horne Flooer o' Ling 41:
Frae some bit tosie-cheekit lad.
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"Tosie adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tosie>
