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.
BOLTA-STANE, BOLSTEN, BOLTISTEN, n. “A stone of about 16 lb. weight, attached by fishermen to the buoy-ropes for sinking the long lines at the ‘Haaf'” (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., bolta-stane; 1908 Jak. (1928), bolsten; 1914 Angus Gl., boltisten). [′boltəsten, ′bolsten]Sh. 1931 J. Nicolson Shet. Incidents and Tales 53:
Each sixaern [six-oared boat] was furnished with a “fleet” of lines. . . . The fleet had four “bow-tows” of from 90 to 100 fathoms. These were weighted with stones known as . . . “bolta-stanes.”
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"Bolta-stane n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 16 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/boltastane>
