Part 128

"He freed Rashleigh from my hold, and securing me, notwithstanding my struggles, in his own Herculean gripe, he called out, 'Take the bent, Mr Rashleigh--make ae pair o' legs worth twa pair o' hands; ye hae done that before now.'"--Rob Roy.

Mak a kiln o't, and creep in at the logie.

We surmise that this is intended as an advice to a person who has become possessed of an article, and does not know what to do with it, like the old lady who won the principal prize in the lottery, said prize consisting of a live elephant! A "killogie" is, says Jamieson, "a vacuity before the fireplace in a kiln for drawing air."

Mak a kirk or a mill o't.

Similar to the preceding proverb. Equivalent to saying such a thing is entirely in your own control; you may do what you please with it.

Mak friends o' fremit folk.

Mak hay while the sun shines.

Mak nae bauks in gude bear-land.

To "bauk" is to leave small strips of land unturned in ploughing. Kelly says of this proverb that it is "spoken when it is proposed to marry the youngest daughter before the eldest."

Mak nae orts o' gude hay.

Literally, do not throw aside good hay.

Mak nae toom ruse.

"Toom ruse" means empty praise, and the proverb signifies that we should not praise indiscriminately, or without knowledge of the subject.

Mak the best o' a bad bargain.

Mak your wife a gowdspink, and she'll turn a water-wagtail.

That is, if you indulge a person freely to a certain extent, the probability is he will exceed the limits.

Malice is aye mindfu'.

Man proposes, God disposes.

Man's twal is no sae gude as the deil's dizzen.

No, because "man's twal" is twelve, while the "deil's dizzen" is thirteen.

March comes like a lion and gangs like a lamb.

March comes wi' adders' heads and gangs wi' peacocks' tails.

March dust and March win', bleaches as weel as simmer's sun.

March dust and May sun mak corn white and maidens dun.

March water and May sun makes claes clear and maidens dun.

The explanation of this saying, which belongs to the Mearns, is, that water in the month of March is supposed to be of a more cleansing quality than in any other month. The same idea is also expressed in the following saying:

March water's worth May soap.

March whisquer was ne'er a gude fisher.