Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1875-1905
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LOOLIE, n. Also looly; loorie. A child's name for a street-lamplighter (Inv. 1948).Inv. 1875 Highland News (27 March 1948):
In those days the equipment of the "loolie" was a ladder of very light weight with hooks at the top, together with a small oil-burning lantern having a hook handle.Inv. 1905 J. Fraser Reminiscences 20:
The lamplighter, bearing a torch and ladder, might be seen wending his way through muddy streets, followed by a group of urchins calling out, "Looly, looly, light the lamp."
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"Loolie n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/loolie>
