Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1772-1942
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SHOW, n.3 Also showe, schow, sho(a), shew, shoo, shoe. Reg. in pl. [ʃo:, ʃʌu]
1. The refuse or fragments of the stems of flax broken off in scutching (Sc. 1808 Jam.; ‡Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Rnf. 1970). Also in n. Ir. dial. Adj. schowy. Comb. show-burn, a bonfire of shows.Sc. 1772 Weekly Mag. (5 March) 291:
Shos . . . the broken stalks of the flax separated by the first dressing of the lint.Bwk. 1801 "Bwk. Sandie" Poems 31:
A Show-burn blaz'd, an' a' aroun' was mirk.Rxb. 1808 A. Scott Poems 122:
Some down were dous'd amang the shoas.Ags. 1816 Montrose Courier (26 April) 4:
It's ill heckled and fou' o' left shows.Gall. 1832 J. Denniston Craignilder 76:
Dundrennan lasses turn your wheels, Lick aff the schowy stoor, man.Ayr. 1845 Stat. Acc.2 V. 214:
A rope formed of "shews," or the refuse of dressed lint.Rxb. 1868 Trans. Hawick Arch. Soc. 7:
A dance usually terminated the evening's enjoyment, either in the barn or round a fire of the blazing "shoos," as the refuse from the swingling was called.s.Sc. 1900 Scotsman (23 Oct.):
The shows being now removed, the heckling process followed.Uls. 1942 E. E. Evans Irish Heritage 64:
Old houses in the north-east sometimes have a thick layer of flax waste or "shows" under the thatch.
2. The refuse of hay (n.Sc. 1825 Jam.).
3. The awns or beard of barley (Ork. 1929 Marw., Ork. 1970).
[Sc. variant of Eng. shove, id., itself thought to be a variant of Shive, with the same meaning, and ultimately of the same orig. as Shiver, n.2]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Show n.3". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 2 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/show_n3>
