Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
SKEGG, n. Also skeg. The awns or beard of barley (Ork. 1929 Marw., Ork. 1970). In n.Eng. dial. applied to a variety of bearded oat. [sk(j)ɛg]Ork. 1912 Old-Lore Misc. V. i. 35:
That [barley] intended for malt and burstin was put into a large tub, and chopped with a tuskar to free the mettins from skegs.
Comb. skegg-peat, the outermost peat in a peat-bank, freq. left uncut at the end of the season to assist in the drainage and by next year shaggy and frayed out as a result of winter weather, any shaggy or grassy peat (Ork. 1929 Marw., Ork. 1970).
[Norw. skjegg, O.N. skegg, beard, awns.]
