Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1877-1949
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SCATTAN, n. Also scatyin, -un; skadyen (wm.Sc. (1835 Gsw. Journal (19 Dec.) 104). A herring (ne.Sc., Arran, Ayr. 1969). Only in areas such as the Moray Firth and the Firth of Clyde where there has been contact with Gaelic-speaking fisherman. Comb. scattan gow, the herring gull (Mry., Bnff. 1969), also Johnnie scattan, Robbie scattan, id. (Id.). [′skɑtən]Wgt. 1877 “Saxon” Gall. Gossip 264:
He was “gaun tae hae a day at the Scatyins”.Mry. 1883 F. Sutherland Memories 134:
A pot stuff'd wi' tatties an' scattan.Arg. 1899 R. Ford Vagabond Songs (1904) 242:
The captain, being kind to us, Put on the muckle pot, Wi' scatyuns for to boil to us.Bnff. 1923 Banffshire Jnl. (5 June):
“Scattan galore”, I hear a Gael say.Bch. 1949 W. R. Melvin Poems 84:
The Empire o' the Danes wis foun't on scattan banes.
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"Scattan n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/scattan>
