Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1877-1934
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BON, Bonn, n.2 Lit. bone, and hence: a scrap, particle (applied to fish). [bɔn]Sh.(D) 1922 J. Inkster Mansie's Röd 88:
Hit's weel kent what a mercy a bon o' fish is till a family in a voar day, no ta spaek o' gittin' as mony ling as could get a air o' mael.Sh.7 1934:
“Der no a bonn o' fish i' da hoose” means that the household is without fish.
Phr. at da bons o' meesery, resembling a skeleton.Sh.(D) 1877 G. Stewart Sh. Fireside Tales (1892) iii.:
Du lüte dy horse eat tangles an' redwir till he wis at da bons o' meesery.
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"Bon n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bon_n2>
