Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1716, 1818-1829
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HARDS, n.pl. 1. The coarse refuse of flax or hemp separated by heckling (Sc. 1880 Jam.; Cai. 1902 E.D.D.). Now only dial. in Eng.Abd. 1716 Abd. Jnl. N. and Q. VII. 251:
12 March — For . . . ¾ stone hards to my wife 2 libs. 14 shil.Sc. 1818 Scott Letters (Cent. ed.) V. 56:
These Regalia . . . were smuggled out by a clergyman's wife under a quantity of hards of lint.
2. Coarse linen (Sh. 1956).
3. Torches made of rags, or more correctly hards, dipped in tar.Sc. 1829 Scott Guy M. xxvi. Note:
When rags, dipped in tar, are employed [as torches], they are called Hards.
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"Hards n. pl.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/hards>
