Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
GANSEY, n. Also ganzy, -ie, gansie, genzie, -y, gensy, gensee, gensey, guenzie, gunzie. [Sc. ′gɑnzi, but Crm., Mry., Lnk., Ayr., Kcb. ′gɛnzi]
1. A jersey, esp. one worn by fishermen (I. and n.Sc., Lth., Lnk., Ayr., Kcb., Uls. 1954; gansey Sh., Ork., Cai., Bnff., Ags., Edb., Dmf.; gunzie Abd. 2000s). Also in Eng. dial. Cf. Garnsey.Sh. 1886 J. Burgess Sk. & Poems 68:
He rubbit aff da shute wi' da sleeve o' his gansey.Sh. 1916 J. Burgess Rasmie's Smaa Murr, Navember 15:
A gansey-sleeve wi a airm in it aye maks da boaniest belt.Bnff. 1923 Banffshire Jnl. (5 June) 5:
Here he comes, basket on shoulder, short and sturdy, the upper part of his body sheathed in a “gansey,” always blue.Abd. 1935 J. White Sea Road i.:
For a long afternoon he lumbered, in a sweat from high-necked gansey to his big sea-boots.Bnff. 1950 N. Paterson Behold Thy Daughter 54:
She knitted her father a black fisherman's ganzy with buttons up the side of the neck.Hebr 1983 Norman Malcolm Macdonald Calum Tod 13:
Angus was barefoot and wore a thick wool gensey and a pair of his father's trousers with the legs cut off. Abd. 1992 David Toulmin Collected Short Stories 254:
Wearing his kersey-tweed trousers and dark blue fisherman's ganzie. Cai. 1992 James Miller A Fine White Stoor 154:
'I'm no clad for the sea,' said Dougie.
'It's no cold,' argued Donald's Jamie. 'Ye've a gansey there that'll do ye fine.' Ork. 1995 Orcadian 23 March 4:
Earth-hooses an' ferm-museums're aal very weel, bit thir herdly labour-intensive, an' ah kinna see the Orkney economy supported by a labour-force aal gaan aboot in navy-blue breeks an' gansies. Abd. 2004:
Ye need a thick gunzie in 'is caal days.
2. A blue-striped cotton shirt; a farmer's short jacket made of galatea (Ayr.4 1928).
[Corrupt or variant forms of Eng. guernsey, idem. The form Garnsey (as place-name) is found in 16th cent. Eng. The dropping of the -r- suggests that the word has been borrowed from Eng. dial.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Gansey n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 24 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/gansey>
