SAW

A Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue · 1811 · p. 4

An old saw; an ancient proverbial saying. SAWNY or SANDY. A general nick-name for a Scotch man, as Paddy is for an Irish man, or Taffy for a Welchman; Sawny or Sandy being the familiar abbreviation or diminution of Alexander, a very favourite name among the Scottish nation.