Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
LIBERTY, n. Sc. combs.: 1. liberty-fish, a fishermen's taboo-name for the salmon, the burghs of Arbroath and Montrose having the privilege of salmon-fishing within their own liberties or bounds (Ags. 1960); 2. liberty money, see quot.2. Sh. 1931 J. Nicolson Tales 49:
It was even a rule on some estates that if a young lad went to the Greenland whale fishing, instead of continuing to work on the beach at the laird's fish, his parents had to pay the sum of one guinea. This usually took the form of increased rent, and was termed “liberty money.”
