Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1900, 1988
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†FILSH, n.1, v.1 Also filch, filsch (Jam.).
I. n. “Any kind of weeds or grass covering the ground, esp. when under crop” (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.). Hence derivs. 1. filchan, filshen, “a confused, disorderly or dirty mess” (Abd. 1900 E.D.D.); in pl. “bundles of rags patched or fastened together; the attire of a travelling mendicant” (Ags. 1808 Jam.); 2. filschy, adj., of a sheaf of corn “when swelled up with weeds or natural grass” (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.; Cai. 1900 E.D.D.).1. Abd. 1900 E.D.D.:
Fat foul filchan's that ye've got? The garden's in a filchan o' weeds.Ags. 1988 Raymond Vettese The Richt Noise 37:
I mean the richt
dauntin tattie-bogle
wi the fairmer's filshens
flafft i the wun
II. v. Only in ppl.adj. filched up = filschy s.v. I. 2. (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.).
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"Filsh n.1, v.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 16 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/filsh_n1_v1>
