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.
†BUTTERY BENJIE, n.comb. A nickname for a first-year student at Aberdeen University (Abd. 1854 Blackwood's Mag. (Oct.) 433). [The second element is a corrupted dim. form of Bejan. For the first cf. Buttery Willie Collie s.v. Collie, n.1, 3. There is poss. some allusion to a tavern nicknamed the Buttery College owned by one Butter near Slains in Abd., which was jocularly said to award degrees in toping. See J. Watson Choice Coll. (1711) III. 56.]
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Buttery Benjie n. comb.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snd00088227>


