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.
Quotation dates: 1864-1880
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CURLIE, Curley, n. 1. Usu. pl.: curly colewort (n.Sc. 1808 Jam., curlies; Mry.1 1925, curlie; Bnff.2, Abd.9, Fif.10 1941, Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B. s.v. curly-green, Uls. 1880 W. H. Patterson Gl. Ant. and Dwn., curleys). Also used attrib. Mearns c.1880 Proverb in Montrose Standard (21 June 1929):
Time tries a' an' frost the curlies.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xvii.:
They [hares] come into my kaill yard under clud o' nicht, like evil-doers, an' eat up my bits o' curlie plants stoup an' roup as fast as they grow.
2. A sea-taboo name for a pig (Sh. 1958), from its curly tail. Comb. curlie-tail, id. (Kcd. 1975).
[1: a reduced form of Curly Kail, id., q.v.; 2: from its curly tail.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Curlie n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/curlie>
