Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
FLUSH, n. Also †flusch (Jam.); flosh (Gall., Dmf.), †flews. [flʌʃ, flɔʃ]
1. A piece of boggy ground, esp. one where water frequently lies on the surface, a swampy place, a pool of water in a field (Gall., Rxb. 1825 Jam.; Dmf. 1894 Trans. Dmf. and Gall. Antiq. Soc. 147, flosh; Arg., Rxb. 1951). Found in place-names. Deriv. floshan, -in (Gall. 1825 Jam.), -en, a large shallow puddle (Kcb.4 1900).Kcb. 1789 D. Davidson Seasons 218:
When ducks a-paddock-hunting scour the bog And powheads spartle in the oosy flosh.Gall. 1822 Scots Mag. (Oct.) 419:
Through all the depths and green defilements of the byre-door-dub, or floshen.Sc. 1823 Scots Mag. (Dec.) 714:
I could see peat-mosses on all hands, filled with peat-stacks, and, occasionally, pretty large floshens, or collections of moss-water.Ayr. 1890 J. Service Notandums v.:
There had been pies and porter at the flushes [at a curling match].s.Sc. 1918 Sc. Jnl. Agric. I. 263:
The reason for a green gair or flush is the outflow of a spring.
†2. Slush, a mixture of snow and water on the ground after a thaw (Sc. 1808 Jam.).
†3. A sluice for turning water off an irrigated meadow (Rxb. 1825 Jam., flews). Also in Lan. dial., in form floos.
[O.Sc. has flus, 1375, flosche, c.1420, flusch, 1513, a pool, puddle, Mid.Eng. flosche, id. Of doubtful origin. Prob. to be associated with Eng. dial. flash, a pool, and flouse, to splash, appar. of echoic origin. See note to Flash, n.1]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Flush n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 22 Aug 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/flush>