Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BESSIE, BESSY, n.²

1. Used to designate the loach in Sc. dial.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B. 54:
Bessie . . . the loach.

2. Used as part of a comp. n. to indicate (1) a bird — viz. the dipper; (2) the loach. In Eng. dial. it is used to indicate birds and insects. (See E.D.D. and Suppl.)(1) Slg. 1884–1885 J. A. Harvey-Brown List of Slgsh. Birds in Trans. Slg. Nat. Hist. and Antiq. Soc.:
Bessy-dooker. The Dipper.(2) Rxb. 1825 Jam.²:
Bessy-lorch. The fish in E[ng.] called a loach, Gobitis pluviatilis, of which this seems merely a corr[uption].Rxb.¹ c.1920:
Bessy-bairdie, -lutchie, -lotchie, the loach.Rxb. 1921 Kelso Chron. (11 Nov.) 4/4:
Here we sported, forking eels and bessie-beardies, these small fish that hide beneath the stones.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B. 54:
Bessie-bairdie (beardie), the loach. Also black Bessie-bairdie (w.Rxb.) . . . Bessie-loochie (‡w.Rxb.), -lorchie (e.Rxb.), -lotchie (e.,w.,s.Rxb.), †Bessy-lorch (Rxb.).