Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
TALLY, n. Sc. usages of Eng. tally, a reckoning, score:
†1. The number five, used when counting sheep by making four perpendicular strokes with another across (Sh. 1914; Sh., Cai. 1972). Tally is used in Eng. dial. in counting the last unit in every so many bricks, bundles, fish, etc., gen. the twentieth or hundredth. See E.D.D.
2. A wedge used to adjust the coulter of a plough, so called from its shape like that of a miner's tally (Fif. 1957).
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"Tally n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tally>
