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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CLOVE, v. and n. [klo:v]

1. v. “To break or split the fibres of flax preparatory to heckling it” (Sc. 1887 Jam.⁶). See, however, the quot. s.v. n.(1) for a secondary application. Also vbl.n. cloving.Sc. 1782 in The Charmer (1784) I. 340:
And skutch and clove and heckle lint and spin a pund of tow.Sc. [1826] R. Chambers Pop. Rhymes (1870) 84:
The goodman was clovin' lint, and the goodwife hecklin'.Ayr. 1896 J. Lamb Annals Ayrsh. Par. 227–228:
The steps thro' which the flax passed from flax to cloth were: — rippling, steeping, drying, cloving, scutching, heckling.

2. n.

(1) “An instrument used in the preparation of flax; by it the ‘shows' [refuse, husks] are removed which have not been taken off at the ‘scutch mill'” (Uls. 1880 W. H. Patterson Gl. Ant. and Dwn.). But see also quot. Also in comb. clove-at-hand.Lnk. 1880 W. Grossart Shotts 219: 
The "clove-at-hand" is, unfortunately, imperfect.Uls. 1930–31 Catalogue Linen Industry Research Assoc. Exhibition (per Fif.³):
The Clove consisted of two semi-cylindrical pieces of iron by means of which the Irish peasants cleaned up the fibre after scutching. This implement was used at times simply for breaking the retted straw prior to scutching.

(2) “Of a mill: that which separates what are called the bridgeheads” (Sc. 1808 Jam.).Rnf. 1715 Brigend Papers MSS. 26: 
Lifting tree, Sword, Cloves, bridg, and foot stone with the Meal Syl all sufficient.

(3) See quot.: Fif. 1955: 
A forked stick used when barking fishinglines. The sneds were all put across the fork, and then the whole lot of lines could conveniently be handled together while dipping, and at the same time the sneds were kept up out of the bark.