Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
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.

BOSS, v. “To hole or undercut” (Sc. 1886 J. Barrowman Sc. Mining Terms 11).

Hence bossing, vbl.n. (1) (see quot.); (2) the woodwork on the recessed part on the inside of a wall below a window (Sc. 1952 Builder (20 June) 943). Gen.Sc. (1) Sc. 1886 J. Barrowman Sc. Mining Terms 12:
Bossing, the holing or undercutting of a thick seam, as of limestone, the height of the undercutting being sufficient for a man to work in.Lnk. 1843 Trans. Highl. Soc. 84:
I have heard that very extensive "bossings" or wastes exist in the higher seams in the Gill.