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.
Quotation dates: 1931
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GAFS, v., n. Also gavs, gavis. Cf. Jafs, v.1, n. [gɑfs, gɑvs]
I. v. "To eat ravenously, swallow rapidly, to 'wolf' down; e.g. of a dog — 'He was gafsan an' eatan as fast as he could.' 'Look at him gafsan doon his meat like a hungry hound'" (Ork. 1929 Marw.).Ork. 1931 J. Leask Peculiar People 272:
Noo boys gavis into ye.
II. n. "A snap, pretended bite — of a dog; e.g. 'He made a gavs at me in fun'" (Marw.).
[Norw. dial. gafsa, to devour, bolt, deriv. of gapa, to gape.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Gafs v., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/gafs>
