Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1816-1819, 1888
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BLACK-FISHER, n. A night poacher of fish.Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality ii.:
By recruiting one or two latitudinarian poachers and black fishers, Mr Harrison completed the quota of men.Sc. 1819 J. Rennie St Patrick III. ii. 42:
Ye . . . took me aiblins for a blackfisher it was gaun tae ginle the chouks o' ye.Ags. 1888 J. M. Barrie Auld Licht Idylls ii.:
As a rule, every face was blackened; and it was this, I suppose, rather than the fact that dark nights were chosen that gave the gangs the name of black-fishers.
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"Black-fisher n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/blackfisher>
