▪ I. yair, yare, n. Sc. and north. dial.
(jɛə(r))
Forms: 2–3 ihar, yhar, 3 yhare, (yere), 3–9 yare, 4 yar, 4–6 yaire, 5 ȝar, 6–9 yair, 9 yaar.
[OE. ᵹear, ᵹer, recorded in comb. mylenᵹear, -ᵹer ‘mill-yair’.]
a. An inclosure extending into a tide-way in a river or on the sea-shore, for catching fish; a fishgarth.
| 1178–1219 Chartulary of Abbey of Lindores (S.H.S.) 11 Omnes piscarias in they..preter vnam piscariam meam, scilicet, vnam iharam ad colcrike. c 1200 Newminster Cartul. (Surtees) 15 Piscarias meas de Benton in Tyna, &c. Hames yhare et Burnemuth yare. 1369 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. (1814) 66/1 Cum piscariis infra aquas de Northesk, et Suthesk, in crois, yaris, et Rethibus. 1408 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 53 In cccc sperlynges de nostro ȝar, ij s. 1511 Exch. Rolls Scot. XIII. 443 note, With all woddis, forestis, wateris, lowis, yairis and fischingis thaireof bath in fresch watir and in salt. 1580 Burgh Rec. Edin. (1882) IV. 553 The demolescheing and doun casting of the cruvis and yairis on the watter of Forth. c 1680 Macfarlane's Geogr. Collect. (S.H.S.) III. 211 Some of them [sc. herrings]..are taken in the Yairs. 1791 Statist. Acc. Scot. I. 282 There are a good number of salmon caught on the sea coast [Kiltearn]..by means of yaires, or small inclosures, built in a curve or semicircular form near the shore. At high water the salmon comes within these yaires, and at low water is easily taken. 1793 Ibid. VIII. 597 They erect what are called yares, a sort of scaffold projecting into the water; upon which they build little huts..; from these scaffolds they let down..their nets. 1883 Standard 10 May 3/6 He..destroyed a yare in which they often caught a number of herrings. |
b. attrib. and Comb.: yair-fishing, fishing by means of yairs; yair-net, a long net fixed by poles and extending into a river so as to form a yair.
| 1796 Statist. Acc. Scot. XVII. 217 The Zair or Yair Fishings, so productive in this parish [sc. Cardross]. 1805 State v. Leslie of Powis 109 (Jam.) The yare-net is about thirty-six fathoms in length, and about two and one-half fathoms in depth. Ibid. 356 The..yare nets extend at least three fourths across the channel of the river. |
▪ II. yair, adv.
(jɛə(r))
Austral. var. of yeah adv.
| 1953 A. Upfield Venom House i. 3 ‘You manage all right without brakes?’ ‘Yair. Nothing wrong with the ruddy engine to ease her up.’ 1959 S. H. Courtier Death in Dream Time xii. 164 ‘My coat still there?’ ‘Yair.’ 1964 R. Braddon Year Angry Rabbit (1967) i. 8 ‘You can virtually rig the ballot in two of our most important rural divisions?’ ‘Yair,’ said Alfill. 1977 C. McCullough Thorn Birds xv. 344 Yair, but in the glasshouse youse don't keep getting shot at. 1980 Herald (Melbourne) (City ed.) 14 Apr. 2/2 Yair, but it was only in Melbourne. |
▪ III. yair
graphic variant of þair, obs. f. their, there: so yairfor, yairof, etc., obs. Sc. ff. therefore, thereof, etc.