sawney
/ˈsɔːni/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.46 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
A diminutive of the male given name Alexander, of Scots origin.
Example Sentences
- "Tyrrell, another boy, confirmed their testimony, and said, on one occasion, when they had stolen a heart, liver, and lights, the prisoner said, "go out, one or two of you, and see if you can get a bit of sawney!" (meaning a bit of bacon)."
- "If a boy comes to the house on a night without money or sawney, or something to sell to the lodgers, a handkerchief or something of that kind, he is not admitted, but told very plainly, ‘Go thieve it, then.’"
- "A man came in as she spoke, and drawing a large piece of bacon from his pocket, flung it down upon the counter. 'How much d'ye want for it?' said the lodging-house keeper, weighing it with his eyes. 'Sixpence.' 'Sixpence for a bit of sawney! (thieved bacon). We can't give more than fourpence in this shop, my buffer.'"
- "Sawney Bean"
- "But Sawney grew weary, and fain would be civil, / Being auld, and unfeary, and fail'd of his strength"
- "“They can live upon barley-meal without a morsel of meat from week-end to week-end, can these miserable Sawnies,” quoth another."
Etymology
Word Breakdown
- Root: -
Usage
- Countable
- British usage
- Obsolete
- Uncountable
- Archaic
- Derogatory