skean dhu

See also: skean-dhu

English

Noun

skean dhu (plural skean dhus or skeans dhu)

1. Alternative spelling of sgian dubh
   • 1874 March, Archibald Forbes, “The Inverness Character Fair”, in The Gentleman’s Magazine, volume XII (New Series), London: Grant & Co., […], →OCLC, page 325:

     It strikes me that quite three-fourths of the shops of Inverness are devoted to the sale of articles of Highland costume. Their fronts are hidden by hangings of tartan cloth; the windows are decked with sporrans, dirks, cairngorm plaid-brooches, ram's head snuff[-]boxes, bullocks' horns and skean dhus.

   • 1941 September, Pat Dwyer, “The Adventures of Bill”, in Frank G. Steinebach, editor, The Foundry, volume 69, number 9, Cleveland, Oh.: The Penton Publishing Co., →OCLC, page 78, column 1:

     The smith can take a hunk of metal and hammer it out to the desired shape. He can see the result of every hammer stroke. He knows before the job is finished whether the skull cracker, the skean dhu or stingaree is going to serve its purpose in a private or public bickering, or merely is a piece of scrap to be hidden in the clinkers, cinders and junk pile back of the forge or under the bellows.

Alternative forms

• skean-dhu

Anagrams

• unshaked