Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
†CLOW, Clowe, v. An obs. variant of Claw, v., q.v.
1. To scratch; to file. (For Ayr. quot. below, cf. Proverbial saying (2) s.v. Claw, v.).Ayr. 1790 J. Fisher Poems 93:
Dear Tam, whare got ye sic a pow? Did it down frae Parnassus row? . . . Whether or no, may ye lang clow The same, my lad.Kcb. a.1902 J. Heughan in Gallovidian (1913) No. 59 108:
Then Puirtith's raggit claws Richt's risp shall clowe.
2. “To beat down, used both literally and metaph.” (Gall. 1825 Jam.2).
3. “To eat or sup up greedily” (Slk. (Ettr. For.) 1825 Jam.2).
[The verb does not appear in O.Sc. in this form (though it is found in Mid.Eng.), but the n. (= a claw) is used by Dunbar, c.1500, and Douglas, 1513.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Clow v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/clow_v>
