Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1946
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†VISITING COUGH, n.phr. An epidemic of coughs or colds amongst the inhabitants of St Kilda, caused by lack of resistance to infection from visitors landing on the island. See boat-cold s.v. Boat, n.2, 2.Hebr. 1946 Scots Mag. (Dec. 1946) 205:
That strange phenomenon which is known variously as the "visiting cough," the "boat-cold," the "Harris cold," or the "stranger's cold" (in Gaelic, cnatan nan gall).
