Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1864, 1928, 1992-1995
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CLIPSHEAR, CLIPSHEER, n. Also clipsher. An earwig (Fif.10, Lnl.1, Lnk.3 1937; Fif., Edb. 2000s). [′klɪpʃir]Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto Tammas Bodkin xxx .:
"Ou, it's maybe no a flech ava," quoth I, turnin' roond to compose mysel' to sleep again, "it's maybe a clipsheer."Edb. 1928 A. D. Mackie Poems in Two Tongues 27:
And for a' the worms and the clipshears raikin' aboot They've peace o' their banes.Edb. 1992:
It's scary if ye find a clipshear in yer bed. Edb. 1995 Irvine Welsh Marabou Stork Nightmares (1996) 23:
The auld man didn't understand that it was only clipshers I put in Kim's hair. - It wis jist clipshers, Dad, I pleaded. - Clipshers dinnae sting.
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"Clipshear n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/clipshear>
