Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1788
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BLITTER, n.1
1. The snipe, Capella gallinago.Ayr. 1788 Burns My Hoggie (Cent. ed.) ii.:
But the howlet cry'd frae the castle wa', The blitter frae the boggie.
2. A sea-taboo word for a sheep, a "bleater" (Sh. 1958).
[Variant of Bleater, q.v.]