Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

FISHER, n. n.Sc. usages: A member, female as well as male, of a fishing community (Cai., Rs., Bnff., Abd. 1951). Also attrib. in combs., as in fisher-body, id.; fisher-fowk; fisher dizzen, 13 or more, acc. to the generosity of the fisherman in selling his fish (ne.Sc. 1952); fisher doddie, a fisherman (Bnff.² 1945): see Doddie; fisher-land, "land on the seashore used by fishermen to dry fish, spread nets, etc." (Sc. 1911 S.D.D.); †fisher-nannie, a fisherwoman; fishers' hen, a sea-gull (Ags. 1975);fisher-toun, a fishing village. Cf. Fish, 3. (9).ne.Sc. 1726 Edb. Ev. Courant (5 May):
The Managers of the Fishing Copartnery are to expose to publick Sale by Roup the Lands and Fisher Town of Peterhead. ne.Sc. 1764 Caled. Mercury (2 July) 319:
They belong to Whitehills, a Fisher-town in the Murray Frith.Abd. 1826 D. Anderson Poems 7:
Clanish as the curious fisher fouk.Mry. 1832 Fife Herald (3 May):
A son of St Crispin, whose knowledge of the English Language does not exceed a fisher's dozen words.Abd. 1842 Blackwood's Mag. (March) 299:
They have a dread of being counted, of which the mischievous boys of Aberdeen were wont to avail themselves, by crying as the fisherwomen passed — “Ane, twa, three, What a lot of fisher-nannies I see!”Fif. 1843 Jnl. Agric. (1845) 82:
In St Andrew's, “generally neat and clean, with the exception of the houses of the fishers.”Abd. 1877 G. Macdonald M. of Lossie xvi.:
Ye was naething but a fisher-body upon a sma' watter.Bnff. 1880 J. F. S. Gordon Chron. Keith 71:
Sicken a muckle faimely: ane, twa, three, four, sax, acht, — aye, a hale fisher dizzen.Abd. 1932 J. White Moss Road xvi.:
“Ye come of fisher-folk, then?” said Robbie. “I always thought they were hame-drachtit folk, the fishers.”Abd.²⁷ 1951:
Fishers aye eest tae mairry fishers.Abd. 1965 Sc. Poetry I. 54:
Ca' yon wir shore-road An' faar's wir fisher-toon?Abd. 1974 Buchan Observer (8 Oct.) 10:
Damned fishers' hens. I wish they'd bide at hame and ate their ain stinkin' herrin'.