Stirling Castle
Preserved but no longer current.
Their presence was unsus- pected, and was revealed through the bare- footed scouts treading on thistles and suddenly crying out; the alarm was given, the Scots fell upon the party and defeated them with terrible slaughter.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Stirling Castle” mean?
Their presence was unsus- pected, and was revealed through the bare- footed scouts treading on thistles and suddenly crying out; the alarm was given, the Scots fell upon the party and defeated them with terrible slaughter.
Is “Stirling Castle” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.