Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

MAW, n.³ Also ma(a)we. The stomach; freq. of a fish (Ork. 1929 Marw.).

m.Sc. 1991 Tom Scott in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 39:
Past trees o coral, sunken hulks, he gaed,
And fishes' maws grew rounder at the sicht.
Hermit-crabs fair couried doun frae them,
Dauphins skelpit awa like fleggit queyns,

Sc. usages in combs.: 1. maw-bag, the stomach; 2. maw-man, see quot.; 3. maw-turned, affected with nausea, sickened. Deriv. maawie, in maawie puddin, a haggis (Ork. 1930).1. Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 238:
The mawbag o' a butterflee Weel dried and stuff'd ahame had he.2. Knr. 1958:
Maw-man. Hawker of maws, with pony and float. Maws were calves' stomachs, pickled in brine and sold for making rennet.3. Lnk. a.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 17:
Some said he was maw-turn'd wi' the fa'; for he bocked up a the barley.