Neat

NEAT, sb. Sc. n.Cy. Yks. Stf. Not. Lei. Nhp. War. Shr. Suf. Wil. Som. [nīt] 1. An animal of the ox-tribe, esp. of horned or black cattle; also used attrib. Cf. nowt, sb.1 Sc. A man kens little till he's driven a spreagh of neat cattle (say) ten miles through a throng lowland country, Stevenson Catriona (1893) xi. n.Yks.1 n.Yks.2, ne.Yks.1, m.Yks.1 (s.v. Nowt). Stf. A good plant for neat beasts which they are fond of when young, Marshall Review (1814) IV. 42. Not.1, Lei.1, War.3 Obs. Suf.1 Neat-beasts, neat-cattle. Wil. Bull, cow, calf: one-yearling heifer or bull, first year; two-yearling heifer or bull, second year, Davis Agric. (1813) I. 37. 2. Comb. (1) Neat-geld, obs., cornage rent, originally paid in cattle; a horn tax; (2) Neat-herd, a herdsman; (3) Neat's-tongue, an ox-tongue; (4) Neat-shippon, an ox-stall. (1) N.Cy.1 (s.v. Nout-geld). (2) w.Som.1 Obsol. (3) Nhp.1, Shr.2 (4) n.Yks. Atkinson Whitby (1894) 15.

NEAT, adj., adv. and v. Sc. Irel. Yks. Nhp. Ken. Sus. Dor. Som. Also in forms naet Abd.; nate Lnk. Ir.; neaty, neatty Abd. [nīt, nēt.] 1. adj. Obs. Pleasing to the eye, pretty. Sc. A neat house, is a pretty house; a neat picture, a masterly picture, Monthly Mag. (1798) II. 435. 2. Of live stock: free from taint and coarseness, trim, well-shaped. Som. (C.M.R.) 3. First-rate, excellent. Don. As the wages is nate... I might go further and fare worse, MacManus Chim. Corners (1899) 161. 4. Exact; mere; precise, identical. Cf. netty, adj. Abd. Wha were they, but the same neaty three, That with the raips gard him the dolour dree? Ross Helenore (1768) 49, ed. 1812; Her heart with neatty grief began to rise, ROSS Helenore 86. Lnk. Jist say a nate sixpence worth, Murdoch Readings (1895) I. 71. Dmf. Splittin o' peas to gie neat wecht, Wallace Schoolmaster (1899) 333. 5. Complete, thorough. Nhp.1 Always used in a bad sense, as ‘He's a neat rascal.’ Hence Naetly, adv. completely. Abd. Sax an' thirty plates naetly full't o' milk pottage, Alexander Johnny Gibb (1871) xl. 6. adv. Exactly. Cf. net(t. Sh.I. Her lespun' o' butter weighed saxteen pund neat, Stewart Tales (1892) 113. Per. It cam tae the hundred neat, Ian Maclaren Brier Bush (1895) 201. Sus.1 'Tis ten rod neat, no more nor no less. 7. v. To make neat and clean. Ken.1; Ken.2 She neats about. 8. Obs. To yield a net return. ne.Yks. It would have neated only 2d. a foot, Marshall Rur. Econ. (1796) I. 231.

NEAT, adj. 5. n.Yks. (I.W.)