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.
Quotation dates: 1828, 1893-2000
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GOB, n.2, v.2 Common in Eng. dial.
I. n. A mass or lump, gen. of something soft (Bnff., Fif., wm.Sc., Uls. 1954); “a quantity of spittle or expectoration” (Ant. 1900 E.D.D.). Also fig.Sc. 1828 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) II. 68:
A father that gaed aff at a city feast wi' a gob o' green fat o' turtle half-way down his gullet.Kcb. 1893 Crockett Stickit Minister 197:
Cleg took a “gob” of hard mud in his hand.Uls. 1898 J. Barlow Irish Idylls iii.:
He was a dacint poor lad any way, and a rael gob o' good nature.Ayr. 1901 “G. Douglas” Green Shutters vii.:
Swipey Broon . . . planted a gob of mud right in the middle of his brow.Clc. 1950 Bulletin (3 Feb.):
They make bottles with moulds — above is a piece (or “gob”) of molten glass ready to fall into the moulding machine.em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 82:
He held Carlin with his cloudy, shallow stare, then sniffed and hawked and landed a huge gob on the pavement in front of him.
II. v. To spit (Sc. 1909 Colville 170; wm.Sc.1 1954).
[Mid.Eng. gob, n., O.Fr. gobe, mouthful, lump, ultimately of same orig. as Gob, n.1]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Gob n.2, v.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 1 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/gob_n2_v2>
