Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1795-1855
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†GOWDANOOK, GOWDNOOK, n. The skipper or saury, Scomberesox saurus (Sc. 1884 F. Day Fishes II. 152). Also erroneous forms gandanook, -nock.Clc. 1795 Stat. Acc.1 VIII. 598:
Sometimes, about the end of September, there comes a vast shoal of fish, called gandanooks, or Egyptian herrings. They have a faint resemblance of the mackarel, but with a long sharp bill, like a snipe.em.Sc. 1811 Wernerian Soc. Mem. I. 542:
Almost every autumn it enters the Frith of Forth in considerable shoals. Here it is named Gowdnook, Gowdanook, . . . and sometimes Egypt-herring.em.Sc. 1855 Scotsman (5 Nov.):
Vast shoals of fish of the genus Scomberesox, commonly known as Gowdnooks or Egyptian herrings, ascended the river Forth.
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"Gowdanook n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/gowdanook>
