Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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BOUCHT, BOUGHT, BUCHT, BUGHT, n.¹ and v.¹ Cf. Bought, n.¹ and v. [buxt, bʌxt, bʌuxt]

1. n.

(1) A bend of any kind, a fold; a knot; a coil of rope; a creek or bay in a river.Sc. 1808 Jam.:
"The bought of a blanket," that part of a blanket where it is doubled. Where the sea forms a sort of bay, it is said to have a bought.Sc. 1899–1901 A Lassie Lives by Yonder Burn in R. Ford Vagab. Songs, etc. (1901) 26:
I'll ben the spence and dress a wee, Wi' knots and bughts sae gaudy.Rnf. 1872 J. Young Lochlomond Side 44:
I've fish't this bank baith up an' doun, Yon bucht I've whuppit roun' an' roun'.Ayr. 1914 (per Rnf.³):
The farm-workers speak about putting a "bucht" or twist on a rope.(Also Bnff.² 1935)

(2) A length of fishing line, 40–50 fathoms (perhaps gauged by the number of coils).Sh. 1801 G. Goudie Diary of Rev. J. Mill (1889) 121–122:
As peace is made with Denmark, will prove a great blessing to this countrey, whence we have dales [deal planks], boats, Bughts etc. they can't be without.Sh. 1931 J. Nicolson Shet. Incidents and Tales 53:
Each sixaern [six-oared Norway skiff] was furnished with a "fleet" of lines, variably termed "tows" and "buchts," and equalling 50 fathoms.

Comb.: boucht-knot, "a running knot; one that can easily be loosed, in consequence of the cord being doubled" (Sc. 1808 Jam.).

2. v. To bend in any way, to turn over, double.Sc. 1808 Jam.:
Boucht, bought, to fold down.

Hence bouchting-blanket, boughting blankit, "a small blanket, spread across a feather bed, the ends being pushed in under the bed at both sides" (Sc. 1825 Jam.²).Ags. 1712 A. Jervise Land of the Lindsays, App. (1853) 341:
A boughting (cradle) blankit, a bolster.