Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

ANGEL, n. Sc. usages: 1. In cotton-spinning: appar. a scutching machine so called from the wings or vanes of the fan which sucks away the fine dust produced in the beating process.Per. 1845 Stat. Acc.² X. 1235:
This willow is a revolving cylinder with iron teeth, which divides and breaks down the masses. The material is then conveyed to another machine—the Angel. The cotton is then weighed, spread out and put in a machine to regulate the grist, then put through pairs of rollers, and sieved to get rid of finer dust.

2. A semi-circular piece of iron fitted on the sock of a plough and used to uproot turnips in the drill on the drill on either side of the plough, so-called because of the likeness to outspread wings when in use (Abd. 1951).