Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1804, 1913-1928
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BULLAX, BULLAS, BILLAX, n. An axe. Also used attrib. Cf. Bill-aix. [′bʌlɑs Mry.; ′bʌlɑks Bnff.; ′bɪlɑks Wgt.]Mry. 1913 R. Cairns in Kenilworth Mag. II. iii. 54:
A boy at a farm drew my attention to a bullas and its name, while the father pooh-poohed the name though not denying its use.Bnff.7 1928:
Lat's see the bullax there, laddie, till I split up this block.Wgt. 1804 R. Couper Poems II. 86:
Syne flourishin' his billax sheen, He coost his coat and ran.
Comb.: bullax-vricht, “a clumsy, unskilful wright” (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 218).
[O.Sc. bul(l)ax, bulle aix, a hatchet (D.O.S.T.); Dan. Buløkse, O.N. bol-øx, wood-axe, from bolr, tree-trunk (Zoëga).]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Bullax n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bullax>
