The Proverbs of Scotland Part 110

Ye'll be hang'd and I'll be harried.

Ye'll break your neck as sune as your fast in this house.

Ye'll dee without amends o't.

Ye'll cool and come to yoursel, like MacGibbon's crowdy when he set it oot at the window-bole.

Ye'll dee like a trooper's horse--wi' your shoon on.

Ye'll do onything but work and rin errands.

Ye'll follow him lang or he'll let five s.h.i.+llings fa'.

Ye'll gang a grey gate yet.

"You will take a bad, evil, or improper course, or meet an evil destiny."--_Jamieson._

Ye'll gar him claw a sair haffit.

"'Haffit,' the side of the head."--_Jamieson._

Metaphorically, you will do something to injure or annoy him.

Ye'll gar me seek the needle where I didna stick it.

"That is, send me a-begging. Spoken to thriftless wives and spending children."--_Kelly._

Ye'll gather nae gowd aff windlestraes.

Ye'll get as muckle for ae wish this year as for twa fernyear.

"Fern" signifies the preceding year. The proverb means that wis.h.i.+ng begets nothing.

Ye'll get nae mair o' the cat but the skin.

Ye'll get waur bodes ere Beltane.

Addressed to a person who refuses the price offered for an article, meaning that, as worse offers will be made, the seller will be sorry he did not accept the present one.

Ye'll get your gear again, and they'll get the widdie that stole't.

Ye'll get your head in your hands and your lugs to play wi'.

Ye'll get your kail through the reek.

"The fact is, everybody about the house kens o' the muirburn that the mistress rais'd on you yestreen, for takin' up wi' Miss Migummery. Ye see when your auntie's in an ill key, she gars folk hear that's no hearknin'; an' ye ken yoursel', if she didna gie you your kail through the reek, Maister James."--_The Disruption._

Ye'll hae the half o' the gate and a' the glaur.

Spoken facetiously when we make a friend take the outside of the footpath.

Ye'll hang a' but the head yet.

Ye'll let naething tine for want o' seeking.

Yellow's forsaken, and green's forsworn, but blue and red ought to be worn.

In allusion to the superst.i.tious notions formerly held regarding these colours.

Ye'll ne'er be auld wi' sae muckle honesty.

Ye'll ne'er cast saut on his tail.

Ye'll ne'er craw in my cavie.

This means that such a person will never be welcomed in my house.

Ye'll ne'er grow howbackit bearing your friends.

From this we can infer that the person addressed does not allow himself to be troubled by his friends.

Ye'll ne'er harry yersel wi' your ain hands.

Ye'll ne'er mak a mark in your testament by that bargain.

That is, you will lose money by that transaction.

Ye'll ne'er rowte in my tether.

Of similar meaning to "Ye'll ne'er craw in my cavie."

Ye'll neither dance nor haud the candle.

Ye'll neither dee for your wit nor be drowned for a warlock.

A saying used to signify that a person is neither very wise nor very clever.

Ye'll no dee as lang as he's your deemster.

Ye'll no let it be for want o' craving.

Ye'll no mend a broken nest by dabbing at it.

Ye'll play a sma' game before you stand out.

Ye'll see the gowk in your sleep.

"When you awake in the morning you will see matters differently."--_Jamieson._