Facts are chiels that winna ding

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Meaning

Facts are stubborn things that cannot simply be knocked down or dismissed. Literary Scots. It asserts the resistance of evidence to contradiction, not that every claimed 'fact' is necessarily true. Regional use: Scots literary and proverbial use.

Origin

Robert Burns used the line in 'A Dream,' published in 1786. In Scots a 'chiel' is a fellow or person, 'winna' is will not, and 'ding' can mean beat, overcome or refute. Burns personifies facts as sturdy fellows that resist being overthrown, a formulation that later became proverbial in Scottish argument and public life.

Research Sources

  1. Chield Dictionaries of the Scots Language
  2. Chield World English Historical Dictionary

Variants

  • Facts are chiels that winna ding and downa be disputed

Usage Examples

  • The minister disliked the figures, but facts are chiels that winna ding.
  • Facts are chiels that winna ding, and the survey showed the bridge was unsafe.
  • No flourish could rescue the claim; facts are chiels that winna ding.

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