Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
LOWRIE n.2 Only in n.combs. lowrie-hook, -tow, a hook or rope by which something may be dragged (Sh., Abd., Ags. 1961), esp. in nautical usage. [′lʌuri;′lre]Sh. 1931 J. Nicolson Tales 88:
One day a number of the hands were told off to fetch a quantity of seal skins. . . . Lowrie was one of the crowd, and as they were leaving the ship one of the men, wishing to help him seeing that he was green, inquired if he had brought his “lowrie tow,” this being the name given to the line used for dragging the skins.Sh. 1945 Scots Mag. (Jan.) 252:
Each youngster had come armed with a “lowrie tow,” a six-foot length of line to which was spliced a sharp hook.Abd. 1960 Buchan Observer (1 Nov.) 3:
We ran wi' clips and lowrie hooks To see fit wis adee, It wis the biggest roker skate That ivver swam the sea.
