Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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About this entry:
First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1833, 1894
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SPOTTIE, n. Also spotty.
1. An appellation for the will-o'-the wisp, esp. in phr. like spottie (wantin' the tail), instantaneously, at great speed, in a flash (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 178: Abd. 1971). Cf. Spunkie.Ags. 1833 J. S. Sands Poems 95:
To see him i' the loupin' ague, Loupin' like Spottie ow're fouks' houses.Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond B. Bowden (1922) 83:
Aff they gaed like spotty wantin' the tail.
2. The plaice, Pleuronectes platessa (Kcb. 1971), from the red spots on its skin.
[Dim. or hypocoristic form of spot. ]
