Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1776, 1930
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SKUNK, n. Also †skonke. The sole or messenger rope of a herring drift net (Arg. 1936 L. McInnes S. Kintyre 15). [skʌŋk]wm.Sc. 1776 J. Girvin Herring Fishery (1800) 42:
Both trains (of nets) are tied together by the back rope and sole or skonke.Arg. 1930:
Haal in yer back-rope an' tak the strain aff the skunk.
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"Skunk n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 10 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/skunk>
