Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1819, 1933-1934
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BILF, BULF, n.2
1. Something large and clumsy.Sc. 1819 J. Rennie St Patrick III. xi. 265:
Nursin' thae muckle bilfs o' kytes o' yours, it's gude for nae gear I can see.
2. Applied to a growing, sturdy, young, fellow.Bnff.4 1933:
Fat a bilf ye've growin sin I saw you last.Abd.9 1934:
He's growan' a big fat bulf.
Hence bulfie.Ags.1 1934:
A stout, podgy person was called a bulfie.
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"Bilf n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 3 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bilf_n2>
