Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1930
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BUSH ROPE, n. comb. The rope to which the nets of a drift are attached; also commonly called the “messenger” (ne.Sc. 1905 (per Cai.7); Bnff.2 1937; Cai., Abd., Kcd., Ags. 1972 Patterns in Folk-Speech (Wakelin) 16). “This mode of rigging drift nets is modern and not yet universally adopted” (Cai. 1898 in E.D.D. Suppl.). [bʌʃ]Sc. 1930 P. F. Anson Fishing Boats, etc. 16:
After three or four hours the process of hauling begins. The warp or “bush rope” is led through a block to the steam capstan and down into the rope room forward, where “the boy” coils it down so as to be ready again when next wanted.
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"Bush Rope n. comb.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bush_rope>
