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: 1793
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BODSY, Bodsie, adj. Dapper. Correctly to be construed as a n., a little dapper or neat, brisk person (Abd. 1975). See -Sie, suff., 1.[′bʌdzi] Abd. 1793 Byron in Moore's Byron (1830) I. i.; Abd.22 1935:
I was sent, at five years old or earlier, to a school kept by a Mr Bowers, who was called "Bodsy Bowers," by reason of his dapperness.
Comb.: needle-noddle bodsie, "futile, insignificant person" (Sc. 1935 R. Angus in Sc. Notes and Q. (Feb.) 30).
[Perhaps from Bod, n.2, q.v., and hypocoristic suff. -sie (-sy) as in Betsy, Babsy, etc.]
