Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1767-1785, 1924
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BROWSTER WIFE, BROUSTER-WIFE, n. An ale-wife or female publican; landlady; often in a derogatory sense. Cf. Brewster-Wife. Known to Abd.22, Fif.10 1936. [′brʌustər —, ′brustər —]n.Sc.(D) 1924 J. C. Austin in Swatches o' Hamespun 79:
There's Mergit Fyfe, the browster wife, Wha deals in booze an' ballants.Abd.(D) 1767 R. Forbes Jnl. from London, etc. (1869) 13:
A browster wife's ingle.Edb. 1773 R. Fergusson Sc. Poems (1925) 55:
But here's the brouster-wife, and she can tell Wha's win the day, and wha shou'd wear the bell.Ayr. 1785 Burns Third Epistle to J. Lapraik (Cent. ed.) v.:
But browster wives an' whisky stills — They are the Muses!
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"Browster Wife n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 20 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/browster_wife>
