Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
SHOW, n.3 Also showe, schow, sho(a), shew, shoo, shoe. Reg. in pl. [ʃo:, ʃʌu]
1. The refuse or fragments of the stems of flax broken off in scutching (Sc. 1808 Jam.; ‡Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Rnf. 1970). Also in n. Ir. dial. Adj. schowy. Comb. show-burn, a bonfire of shows.Sc. 1772 Weekly Mag. (5 March) 291:
Shos . . . the broken stalks of the flax separated by the first dressing of the lint.Bwk. 1801 “Bwk. Sandie” Poems 31:
A Show-burn blaz'd, an' a' aroun' was mirk.Rxb. 1808 A. Scott Poems 122:
Some down were dous'd amang the shoas.Ags. 1816 Montrose Courier (26 April) 4:
It's ill heckled and fou' o' left shows.Gall. 1832 J. Denniston Craignilder 76:
Dundrennan lasses turn your wheels, Lick aff the schowy stoor, man.Ayr. 1845 Stat. Acc.2 V. 214:
A rope formed of “shews,” or the refuse of dressed lint.Rxb. 1868 Trans. Hawick Arch. Soc. 7:
A dance usually terminated the evening's enjoyment, either in the barn or round a fire of the blazing “shoos,” as the refuse from the swingling was called.s.Sc. 1900 Scotsman (23 Oct.):
The shows being now removed, the heckling process followed.Uls. 1942 E. E. Evans Irish Heritage 64:
Old houses in the north-east sometimes have a thick layer of flax waste or “shows” under the thatch.
2. The refuse of hay (n.Sc. 1825 Jam.).
3. The awns or beard of barley (Ork. 1929 Marw., Ork. 1970).
[Sc. variant of Eng. shove, id., itself thought to be a variant of Shive, with the same meaning, and ultimately of the same orig. as Shiver, n.2]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Show n.3". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 May 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/show_n3>
