Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1894
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
BUFF, adj. As in Eng., of a light brown or yellow colour. Sc. usage in phr. A/B buff, the alphabet, so called from the colour of the school primer which contained it; hence of something very simple or elementary (‡ne.Sc. 1974). See Buff, n.3, 2. (1) and Penny, n., 4. (8).Edb. 1894 P. H. Hunter J. Inwick 123:
It never entered into her heid that a' I had to dae wasna as simple as A B buff.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Buff adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snd00088188>
