Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
¶LEYS, n. See quot.Dmb. 1808 Farmer's Mag. (Sept.) 303:
The common plough drawn by the point of the beam, without any chain, answers very well, provided the muzzle is horizontal, and the iron, to which it is attached, by a nail at the point of the beam, is vertical. … This iron, in some provincial dialects gets the name of the leys of the plough.