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.
BALL MAN, n. (See quot.)Lnl. 1930 J. Paris (in letter):
The stillman . . . at the old Linlithgow distillery some 30 years ago . . . was known as the “ball man,” from his use of hollow glass balls or beads in testing the strength of the spirit.
