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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 2005 (SND, online supplement).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BEAR, n.².   A rough working man, esp. one associated with the oilrigs.Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 10:
bear A name loosely applied to any noisy or belligerent young man, usually a heavy drinker, varying from the merely boisterous to the positively dangerous. A pub frequented by many of these is known as a bearpit: 'Ah wiz oot wi ma wee cousin an his mates; a right crowd a bears they were an aw.'Sc. 1990 Daily Record 3 Mar :
A big pay rise has been thrown to the angry "bears" in the North Sea oil production platforms.Sc. 1990 Daily Record 27 Jun :
Angry oil workers are urging a strike offshore to mark the second anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster. Leaders of the North sea "bears" are meeting in Glasgow tomorrow to consider calls for a 24 hour stoppage.Gsw. 21 Jun-4 Jul 1996 Big Issue 24:
Was it his playboy philandering that first attracted you? Mary: Right from day one Rab was a post-modern reconstructed new lad, or "bear" as we called them back then.Sc. 12 Jun 1998 p Herald :
The economics of buying a beer on the Champs Elysees can be daunting. The bears, of course, lug huge carry-outs of cheap supermarket beer wherever they go.

Comb.: bearpit, A rough pub.Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 10:
bear A name loosely applied to any noisy or belligerent young man, usually a heavy drinker, varying from the merely boisterous to the positively dangerous. A pub frequented by many of these is known as a bearpit: 'Ah wiz oot wi ma wee cousin an his mates; a right crowd a bears they were an aw.'