Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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.

†CORSY-BELLY, Corset Belly, n. comb. “A shirt for a child, open before; an infant's first shirt” (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.). This garment “was fashioned by boxpleating and stitching one end of the length of material the required size for the bodice part” (Abd.¹ 1931).Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 6:
A burning coal with the hett tangs was ta'en, Frae out the ingle mids, well brunt an' clean, An' thro' the corsy-belly letten fa', For fear the wean should be ta'en awa'Abd.¹ 1931:
In her last days she woke from a sleep, smiling, and said: “I hae been dreamin' I wis pleatin' a bairnie's corset belly.”w.Sc. 1866 R. W. Buchanan London Poems 229:
No corsy-belly warm'd at Effie's fire, No doctor's watch tick'd by the jizzen-bed.