Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1711, 1808-1842
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BISHOP'S FOOT, n.comb. (See first quot.)Sc. 1711 J. Kirkwood Hist. 27 Gods Lnl. 29:
The Meat that was a preparing for Dinner (no question overboil'd, and the Bishop's Foot, as we say in Scotland, at the Bottom of the Pot).Sc. 1808 Jam.:
It is said the Bishop's foot has been in the broth, when they are singed. [Also said of milk, porridge, etc.]Sc. 1842 C. North Recreations (1857) II. 182:
The good old man . . . detected the Bishop's foot in the first course, and died of a broken heart!
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"Bishop's Foot n. comb.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Jan 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bishops_foot>
