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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SWARDIE, n. The cuttle fish, Sepia loligo.Fif. 1937 Scotsman (6 March) 17:
The old name for them in the coastal villages of West Fife was “swardies,” or sometimes “ink-fish,” and they were used. when cut up into bits, as bait for catching skate and cod.

[Appar. to be associated with Eng., L.Ger. swart, Du. zwart, black, swarthy, though the precise formation is uncertain, phs. a jocular usage of a dim. form of naut. Eng. ‡swart, a negro, a black man, from the inky liquid the squid emits. Cf. Ger. blackfisch, id.]

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