Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1886-2004
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GANSEY, n. Also ganzy, -ie, gansie, genzie, -y, gensy, gensee, gensey, guenzie, gunzie. [Sc. ′gɑnzi, but Crm., Mry., Lnk., Ayr., Kcb. ′gɛnzi]
1. A jersey, esp. one worn by fishermen (I. and n.Sc., Lth., Lnk., Ayr., Kcb., Uls. 1954; gansey Sh., Ork., Cai., Bnff., Ags., Edb., Dmf.; gunzie Abd. 2000s). Also in Eng. dial. Cf. Garnsey.Sh. 1886 J. Burgess Sk. & Poems 68:
He rubbit aff da shute wi' da sleeve o' his gansey.Sh. 1916 J. Burgess Rasmie's Smaa Murr, Navember 15:
A gansey-sleeve wi a airm in it aye maks da boaniest belt.Bnff. 1923 Banffshire Jnl. (5 June) 5:
Here he comes, basket on shoulder, short and sturdy, the upper part of his body sheathed in a "gansey," always blue.Abd. 1935 J. White Sea Road i.:
For a long afternoon he lumbered, in a sweat from high-necked gansey to his big sea-boots.Bnff. 1950 N. Paterson Behold Thy Daughter 54:
She knitted her father a black fisherman's ganzy with buttons up the side of the neck.Hebr 1983 Norman Malcolm Macdonald Calum Tod 13:
Angus was barefoot and wore a thick wool gensey and a pair of his father's trousers with the legs cut off. Abd. 1992 David Toulmin Collected Short Stories 254:
Wearing his kersey-tweed trousers and dark blue fisherman's ganzie. Cai. 1992 James Miller A Fine White Stoor 154:
'I'm no clad for the sea,' said Dougie.
'It's no cold,' argued Donald's Jamie. 'Ye've a gansey there that'll do ye fine.' Ork. 1995 Orcadian 23 March 4:
Earth-hooses an' ferm-museums're aal very weel, bit thir herdly labour-intensive, an' ah kinna see the Orkney economy supported by a labour-force aal gaan aboot in navy-blue breeks an' gansies. Abd. 2004:
Ye need a thick gunzie in 'is caal days.
2. A blue-striped cotton shirt; a farmer's short jacket made of galatea (Ayr.4 1928).
[Corrupt or variant forms of Eng. guernsey, idem. The form Garnsey (as place-name) is found in 16th cent. Eng. The dropping of the -r- suggests that the word has been borrowed from Eng. dial.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Gansey n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 2 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/gansey>
