Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
BOWDY, adj. "Having bandy legs" (centr.–w.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Bnff., Fif., Edb., Dmf., Rxb. 2000s). Also known to Edb.7 1935.
Combs.: (1) bowdy-kite, "(a) a small corpulent person, (b) an impudent fellow" (s., centr.Rxb. Ib.); (2) bowdy-leggit, "having bandy legs" (Rxb. Ib.); (3) bowdy-legs, "(derivisely) a bandy-legged person" (centr.Rxb. Ib.).
[From bow'd s.v. Bow, v.3, 1.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Bowdy adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bowdy>


