Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
BUSH ROPE, n. comb. The rope to which the nets of a drift are attached; also commonly called the “messenger” (ne.Sc. 1905 (per Cai.7); Bnff.2 1937; Cai., Abd., Kcd., Ags. 1972 Patterns in Folk-Speech (Wakelin) 16). “This mode of rigging drift nets is modern and not yet universally adopted” (Cai. 1898 in E.D.D. Suppl.). [bʌʃ]Sc. 1930 P. F. Anson Fishing Boats, etc. 16:
After three or four hours the process of hauling begins. The warp or “bush rope” is led through a block to the steam capstan and down into the rope room forward, where “the boy” coils it down so as to be ready again when next wanted.
