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.
†MONTAPUS, n. A nonsense word in a child's enigmatic rhyme, standing for “fire” in the context.Sc. 1847 R. Chambers Pop. Rhymes 326:
The gray cat o' grapus Is up the steps o' fundus Wi' montapus on her tail.
