Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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.

‡CALSHES, Calches, Calshies, n.pl. Also culshies (Lnk. 1880 P. McArthur Amusements 40). “A portion of dress for boys. For younger boys it is a sort of slip-dress buttoned behind, forming jacket and trousers; for older boys it forms vest and trousers, and a jacket is worn above” (Sc. 1887 Jam.⁶, calshes); “a boy's dress consisting of a sleeved waistcoat with a row of buttons round the lower edge, to which the trousers were buttoned” (Ayr.⁴ 1928). Arg.¹ 1929 gives it as now obs., but current 50 years ago. [′kɑlʃəz]Sc. 1857 A. Wallace Gloaming of Life ii.:
No “bawbees” were ever so highly valued as those which were given to “hansel” the first “calches” of . . . the “coming man.”Ayr. 1822 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage, etc. 193:
I can see that tho' ye've laid by your blue jacket and harn calshes, ye hae na laid by your drowth.Gall. 1906 A. McCormick Tinkler-Gypsies (1907) App. xxiii.:
Gall., Per. and Arg. Tinkler-Gypsies' cant, calshes, Eng. trousers.Rxb. c.1920 J. Allen W.-L.:
He's got bonny new calshies.