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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.

SKAAVE, v. Also skav (Jak.), skaav. To scrape, shave, scratch, to skin, abrade; to hoe, scrape off weeds (Ork. 1970). Freq. in vbl.n. and deriv. skaavin, 1. in pl.: the scrapings of food from the bottom of a pot (Sh. 1970). Cf. Skovin; 2. a sea-taboo term for a cat (Sh. 1897 J. Jakobsen Dial. Shet. 27), deriv. skavnas(h)i, id. (Ib.). For the second element cf. O.N. nasar, the nose, nostrils. [skɑ:v]Ork. 1929 Marw.:
He skaaved his knuckles against the wa'. Are you skaaved your tatties yet?

[Norw. dial. skava, O.N. skafa, to scrape, rub off, shave. Jak. explains the taboo name as from the cat's habit of washing its face with its paw with a kind of shaving motion, but scratching with the claws may rather be alluded to. Cf. kramma s.v. Kram.]

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"Skaave v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 27 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/skaave>

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