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.
Quotation dates: 1714-1762, 1899-1936
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†TARLEATHER, n., v. Also tarledder (Sh.).
I. n. A strip cut from the edge of a hide or dressed skin, a strong strip of ox-hide, flayed from the belly, treated in peat smoke, and used as a thong or strap for various purposes (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Sh. 1972).Slg. 1714 Stirling Burgh Rec. (1889) 135:
That no fleshers take any tarleathers off their hides.Sh. 1936 Gentleman's Mag. II. 592:
A rivleen aff o' a niu tarleddir.Sh. 1899 J. Spence Folk-Lore 239:
I rax'd da tar ledder o' da grice for humblibaands.
II. v. To cut (a hide) in strips.Ags. 1762 J. M. Beatts Municipal Hist. Dundee (1878) 115:
They suffer not their hides to be tar-leathered.
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"Tarleather n., v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Feb 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tarleather>
