1839, Robert Gleig, Legends of the Lochs and Glens. No. I.—The Linn of the Caldron., The hasps, which were evidently intended to be secured by padlocks, had lost their fastenings, which were supplied by two skean-dhus—the small dagger of the Highlander—which had been thrust through the iron loops, and kept the casket perfectly water-tight.
1931, Francis M. Kelly, A Short History of Costume & Armour Chapter ‘Mixed’ Armour (Late), It is to be noted that the Dagger does not become a regular feature of knightly accoutrement till the middle of the fourteenth century. ... A very usual form, both in military and civilian circles, was the Ballok Knife (moderns term it a "kidney dagger"), a type that persisted till the sixteenth century, and whose modern analogue is the Highland dirk (skean-dhu).
