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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: 1826

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CHESS, n.11. “The quarter or any smaller division of an apple, pear, etc., cut regularly into pieces” (Rxb. 1825 Jam.2; 1923 Watson W.-B., obs.); 2. a section of an orange (Ib.). Cf. n.Eng. dial. chess, one tier or layer above another; a row side by side; in pl., the rows of corn in the ear (E.D.D.).1. Sc. [1826] R. Chambers Pop. Rhymes (1870) 158:
I've a cherry, I've a chess; I've a bonny blue glass.

[Phs. from the idea of the rows of squares or chessmen on a chessboard.]

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"Chess n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/chess_n1>

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