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.
BANKER, n.1 and v.
1. n. A bench or rough table on which a mason rests the stone he is working.Sc. 1931 T. Smellie in Glasgow Herald, Architecture Scotland (3 Nov.) 5:
The “banker,” a kind of heavy stool, sometimes of wood, sometimes a mere temporary arrangement of rough blocks of stone, on which a hewer shapes a stone.Dmf. 1832 T. Carlyle Reminisc. (1881) I. 46:
The master builder, pleased with his ingenious diligence, once laid a shilling on his “banker.”
2. v. To place a stone in position for working on the banker.Lnk. 1890 J. Coghill Poems 84:
Banker your stane an' show ye're a mellsman.
