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.
GULL-MAW, n.comb. Also gulmaw, gil(l)-, ¶gullamaur, †gollimer. Cf. goo-maw, s.v. Goo, n.2
1. The great black-backed gull, Larus marinus (e.Lth. 1885 C. Swainson Brit. Birds 208); also applied to other birds of the Larus family (Abd.16 1936).
2. A local name for an inhabitant of certain coastal towns. Cf. Gull, n.1, 1.Rnf. 1820 Greenock Telegraph (10 July 1894):
Amid the derisive shouts of the Paisley urchins “Leuk at the gullamaurs” (seagulls) the corps marched into Paisley.Ags. 1912 Abd. Jnl. N. & Q. V. 148:
East Ha'en Stinkers, And West Ha'en gull-maw, Come and sweep our sand awa'.
3. A voracious eater, a guzzler (Rxb. 1825 Jam., gillmaw, 1923 Watson W.-B., gil-, gul-). Also †gollimer (Rxb. (Tvtd.) 1825 Jam.).
[Gull + Maw, the common gull. O.Sc. has goul mau, a species of gull, 1549.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Gull-maw n. comb.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 3 May 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/gullmaw>
