Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 2005 (SND, online supplement).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1965-1990
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BAMSTICK, n. [Cf. bampot.] also balmstick. Sc. form of Eng. barmstick, a mad person.wm.Sc. 1965 Alan Sharp A Green Tree in Gedde (1985) 184:
'It was that bamstick MacIllhatton. He missed, if he missed wan he missed five. Five. Sitters.'
'Naw, he wisnae good,' said the other man carefully.
'No good?' indignant at such toleration; 'he was bloody diabolical.'Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 9:
bampot or bamstick An idiot, fool, or sometimes a nutcase. This is often shortened to bam, and any eccentric named Thomas risks being dubbed 'Tam the Bam'.Abd. 1990 Stanley Robertson Fish-Hooses (1992) 93:
He wis feart onybody would mang tae him and he felt a right balmstick walking sic a beast.
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"Bamstick n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snd00090312>
