Scotch

Scotch, a. and n.³
  (skɒtʃ)
  Also 7 Scot'sh.
  [Contracted var. of Scottish.
  The three forms of the adj., Scotch, Scottish, Scots, are still current, with some difference in use, which, however, is somewhat unsettled. Down to the middle of the 16th c. the only form used in southern English was Scottish; but in the dialect of Scotland (and in that of the north of England in the 14th and 15th c.) the form was Scottis (cf. Inglis = English), subsequently contracted to Scots. So far as our quotations show, the contraction of Scottish into Scotch is not recorded before 1570 (in the compound Scotchman), though the colloquial pronunciation which it represents may well be much older; instances of Scotch cap, Scotch jig occur in 1591–99, but the adj. did not become common in literature until the second half of the 17th c. From that time until the 19th c. Scotch has been the prevailing form in England, though Scottish has always been in use as a more formal synonym. In Scotland, the authors who wrote in dialect (down to Ramsay and Fergusson early in the 18th c.) used Scots, while those who anglicized adopted the form Scottish. But before the end of the 18th c. Scotch had been adopted into the northern vernacular; it is used regularly by Burns, and subsequently by Scott; still later, it appears even in official language in the title of the ‘Scotch Education Office’. Since the mid 19th c. there has been in Scotland a growing tendency to discard this form altogether, Scottish, or less frequently Scots, being substituted. At the beginning of the 20th c., while in England Scotch was the ordinary colloquial word, the literary usage prefered Scottish in applications relating to the nation or the country at large or its institutions or characteristics. Thus it was usual to speak of ‘Scottish literature’, ‘Scottish history’, ‘the Scottish character’, ‘a Scottish lawyer’, ‘the Scottish border’. On the other hand, it would have sounded affected to say ‘a Scottish girl’, ‘a Scottish gardener.’ Although ‘the Scottish dialect’ is now the usual designation, it is seldom that Scottish is used as a n. instead of Scotch. Recent usage favours Scots in ‘Scots law’, and it is now almost universal in historical references to money, as ‘a pound Scots’.
  In the 20th c. the word Scotch has been falling into disuse in England as well as in Scotland, out of deference to the Scotsman's supposed dislike of it; except for certain fixed collocations, (such as ‘Scotch mist’, ‘Scotch whisky’) Scottish (less frequently Scots) is now the usual adjective, and to designate the inhabitants of Scotland the pl. n. Scots is preferred (see Gowers/Fowler Mod. Eng. Usage (1965)).]
  A. adj.
  1. a. Of persons: Of, belonging to, or native to, Scotland.

1606 Warner Alb. Eng. xiv. lxxxiv. (1612) 350 Ferquard did with the fatall Chaire, earst spoke-of, send his Sonne. That thereupon of Scotch-Kings Here the Title first begunne, And all Scotch-Crownings earst as his, on it were Else-where done. 1654 H. L'Estrange Chas. I (1655) 166 The Scot'sh Revolters in the state I left them, were not like to meliorate nor to goe lesse in animosity. c 1655 Milton Sonn., On new Forcers Consc. 12 By shallow Edwards and Scotch what d'ye call. 1701 Cowel's Interpr., Acre, an old sort of Duel fought by single Combatants, English and Scotch, between the Frontiers of their Kingdom, with Sword and Lance. a 1704 T. Brown Laconics Wks. 1711 IV. 15 An English Bull-dog, and a Scotch Presbyterian, are of a different Species from all the Bull-dogs and Presbyterians in the World. 1775 Brit. Chronol. II. an. 1717, 19 June, Several of the Scotch clergy, being convicted a second time, of not praying for king George by name, were silenced for three years. 1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scot. Pref. 7 To which no Scotch lawyer of the present century can refer, without [etc.]. 1860 Thackeray Round. Papers, On some carp at Sans Souci, That tipsy Scotch gentleman who used to come to the chambers sometimes. 1861 Pearson Early & Mid. Ages Eng. xxvi. 313 His marriage with Maud, the aunt of the Scotch king. 1894 Sir J. D. Astley Fifty Yrs. Life II. 201 He had no Scotch blood in him that I know of! 1943 Sun (Baltimore) 25 June 12/7 My father came from Invernesshire and certainly never restricted the use of Scotch to the whiskey. It is only in recent years that certain Anglo-American friends have made me feel guilty of committing a particularly bourgeois faux pas by using the word. We always looked on Scottish as rather affected, overly poetic. 1976 Times 11 May 15/3 Professor Trevor Roper..tries to irritate and provoke by using the word ‘Scotch’ knowing well that many decent Scots..have come to regard this as a demeaning adjective.

  b. Scotch cuddy, Scotch draper, † Scotch merchant, etc.: a travelling draper or pedlar: see quots. and Scotchman¹ 1 a.

1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Pedler, one that sells small Wares about the Streets; a Hawker; a Scotch or wand'ring Merchant. 1818 Scott Rob Roy xxii, [He] spoke of Jarvie as a petulant, conceited Scotch pedlar, with whom there was no dealing. 1894 Northumb. Gloss., Manadge-man, an itinerant vendor of goods on credit for household requirements. Sometimes called in Newcastle a ‘Scotch draper’. 1901 G. Douglas Ho. Green Shutters 96 The ‘Scotch Cuddy’ is so called because he is a beast of burden, and not from the nature of his wits. He is a travelling packman, who infests communities of working men, and disposes of his goods on the credit system, receiving payment in instalments. Ibid. 98 Sandy..had been a Scotch Cuddy in the Midlands. 1908 E. Parry in Daily Chron. 9 June 4/7 A Scotch draper is a credit travelling draper, and I believe they originally came from Scotland.

  c. In the names of military bodies consisting of Scotchmen.
  Scotch Greys: sometimes used for the official form Scots Greys (see grey n. 8).

1756 Act 29 Geo. II, c. 17 §5 The Corps in the Service of..the United Provinces, distinguished by the Name of The Scotch Brigade. 1817 J. Scott Paris Revisit. (ed. 4) 139 At this moment the Scotch Greys poured in upon the enemy as a flood. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. iii, The corps long maintained in the service of the States of Holland, and called the Scotch Dutch. 1853 Stocqueler Milit. Encycl., Scotch Brigade, a brigade of Scotchmen, gentlemen and others, who served under the elector of Bavaria in the reign of James I, and subsequently under Gustavus Adolphus in the thirty years' war.

  d. Characteristic of Scotland or its people.

1815 R. Bell Conveyance of Land Introd. 8 The statute acting (agreeably to Scotch ideas) as a charter of confirmation in favour of every subsequent purchaser. 1834 M. Scott Cruise of Midge viii, ‘What ship is that?’ This was answered Scotch fashion—‘What felucca is that?’ 1900 St. James's Gaz. 9 Apr. 3/1 What the sailors call ‘Scotch seamanship’, which is all stupidity and main strength. 1906 E. Dyson Fact'ry 'Ands xvi. 209 Well, he's touched me three times in a week, and I'm as Scotch as most people. 1912 J. N. McIlwraith Diana of Quebec iii. 49 ‘You would be the first to throw me a penny..?’ ‘A sixpence, truly, if he be not too Scotch,’ said Nelson. 1932 Amer. Speech VII. 403 Mr. ―, if you weren't so Scotch we could have a good time here.

  e. Scotch cousin: a distant relative (in allusion to the practice in Scotland of tracing kinship to remote degrees). Also, with similar connotation, Scotch sister.

1861 J. S. Mill Repr. Govt. xviii. 335 The most important offices would be thrown to Scotch cousins and adventurers. 1864 Times 10 Aug. (Hoppe), A Scotch cousinship of ten removes. 1866 Mrs. Gaskell Wives & Dau. I. xix. 219 She called her a sister, but whether it was a Scotch sister, or a sister à la mode de Bretagne, would have puzzled most people. 1887 M. Cholmondeley Danvers Jewels i, I have no deserving nephew or Scotch cousin.

  2. a. Of things: Of or pertaining to Scotland or its inhabitants (often denoting a particular variety or quality of the thing named, e.g. Scotch ale, Scotch ballad, Scotch cambric, Scotch carpet, Scotch paling, Scotch reel, Scotch rite, Scotch salmon, Scotch snuff, Scotch whisky, etc.).

1591, 1595 [see Scotch cap]. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado ii. i. 77 The first suite is hot and hasty like a Scotch jigge (and full as fantastical). 1669 Digby Closet Opened 114 The excellent Scotch Ale is made thus. a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew s.v. Luggs, A Scotch Proverb. 1733 S. Carolina Gaz. 7 Apr. 4/3 (Advt.), To be sold..cut Tobacco, Scotch Snuff, and Pigtail. 1738 Gentl. Mag. VIII. 296/2 The Scotch Settlement there [at Darien]. 1774 Scotch carpet [see Wilton1]. 1785 Spanish Rivals 7, I have stuck to my master like a Scotch plaid, in all weathers. 1785 Burns Scotch Drink i, I sing the juice Scotch bear can make us. Ibid. ii, O thou, my Muse! guid, auld Scotch Drink! 1792 F. Burney Jrnl. May (1972) I. 153 Miss Cooper..gave me a relation of her having been..at Mrs. Broadhead's masquerade as Jenny, from the Scotch ballad. 1808 Scott in Lockhart (1837) I. i. 58 The Scotch law lectures were those of Mr. David Hume. 1820 Trials for High Treason Scot. (1825) I. 93 We are here to deal with Scotch law in a Scottish court. 1832 Scoreby Farm Rep. 5 in Libr. Useful Knowl., Husb. III, Scotch-Paling, neat light fence, peculiarly adapted for gardens, for securing single trees,..was introduced at Scoreby [Yorkshire], from Lanarkshire, by John Wood, Esq., M.P., a few years ago. 1835 Dickens Sk. Boz (1837) 2nd Ser. 39 Mr. Thomas Potter ordered the waiter to bring two goes of his best Scotch whisky, with warm water and sugar. 1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scot. 5 In Scotch law language, however, the term absolute disposition is generally used in relation to heritable property. 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 263 The three-ply imperial carpet, called the Scotch, is coming very much into vogue. 1855 J. F. W. Johnston Chem. Common Life xiv. I. 337 While malt liquors give our Scotch and Irish whiskies. 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Scotch-cambric, a cotton fabric made in imitation of French cambric. 1861 Pearson Early & Mid. Ages Eng. xxviii. 337 The transition of races that was rapidly going on in the Scotch Lowlands. 1883 Grove's Dict. Mus. III. 437 The impressions of his [Mendelssohn's] Scotch tour in 1829. 1891 S. M. Welch Home Hist. 183 It was not uncommon to see a couple of portly old gentlemen meeting on the street offering their boxes of Maccaboy, Rappee or Scotch, each to the other. Ibid. 376 [In] the ‘Scotch Reel’,..each lad must needs have two lassies. 1893 T. Hardy Let. 6 Oct. in Hardy & Pinion One Rare Fair Woman (1972) 28 Lady J[eune]..played and sang at least a dozen Scotch ballads to me. 1953 Word for Word (Whitbread & Co.) 10/2 Scotch ale, a draught or bottled ale of the Burton type, brewed in Scotland. 1960 Connoisseur's Handbk. Antique Collecting 251/1 Scotch carpets, double-cloth or ply weavings for the floor, also known as Kidderminster or Ingrain. 1965 V. Canning Whip Hand xii. 143 We had..Scotch salmon with a cucumber salad. 1969 Daily Tel. 30 Apr. 29/7 New definitions of whisky..are contained in the Finance Bill, published last night... ‘Scotch whisky’ is to mean whisky which has been distilled in Scotland. 1978 J. Mann Sting of Death iii. 25 Alex would probably be ordering..gulls' eggs and Scotch salmon. 1980 R. Lewis Certain Blindness iii. 80 Parton put a pint of Scotch Ale in front of him.

  b. As the epithet of various weights and measures, etc. (differing from the English standard), used formerly in Scotland. Scotch acre, 6,084 square yards; Scotch ell, 37·0958 inches; Scotch mile, see mile n.¹ 1: etc. Cf. Scots a. 16, Scottish a.

1774 Pennant Tour Scot. in 1772, 314 The half-Davoch..consists of ninety-six Scotch acres of arable land..with a competent quantity of mountain or grazing land. 1785 Burns Death & Dr. Hornbook vii, Its stature seem'd lang Scotch ells twa. 1786 ― Auld Farmer's Salut. Mare x, But sax Scotch mile, thou try't their mettle. 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) X. 718/1 The Scotch quart contains 210 inches. 1799 J. Robertson Agric. Perth p. vi, Table Weights etc., 1 Scotch pint = 103·4 cubic inches... A Scotch acre commonly = 6084 square yards. N.B. If the difference of inches were narrowly attended to in making the Scotch chain, a Scotch acre would be equal to 6150·7 square yards. 1801 Farmer's Mag. Apr. 179 A good crop of hay, upon an English statute acre, will not exceed 240 Scotch stone. 1818 Scott Rob Roy xix, At the rate of twelve shillings (Scotch) per diem. 1843 Loudon Encycl. Agric. Suppl. (1857) §8308 The following table exhibits the cost per Scotch acre of draining in this method.

  c. With the names of various animals and birds.
  Scotch dipper, Scotch duck, Scotch teal, local U.S. for the Charitonetta or Bucephala albeola (in Cent. Dict. 1891 and later Dicts.).

a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Scotch-hobby, a little sorry, scrubbed, low Horse of that Country. 1726 D. Eaton Let. 31 Dec. (1971) 87, I think the Scotch cattell were dearer than if they had been bought in our country [i.e. district]. I mean cattel of their size might have been bought in our markets for less mony. 1847 W. C. L. Martin The Ox 61/1 Black Scotch cattle. 1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 515/2 The chief breeds of coursing greyhounds now in vogue are the Newmarket, the Lancashire, and the Scotch. 1885 Swainson Prov. Names Birds 28 [The sedge-warbler is called] Scotch nightingale (Roxburgh; Stirling). 1887 Field 18 June 845/3 Some people at Felling-on-Tyne..were taken in by buying skinned cats for ‘Scotch hares’. 1980 A. Bell Sydney Smith 117 Scotch sheep provided material for Sydney's only contribution to agricultural literature.

  d. With the names of various insects, esp. butterflies and moths. (See quots.)

1832 J. Rennie Butterfl. & Moths 13 The Scotch Ringlet (Hipparchia Blandina, Leach) appears in August. Ibid. 19 The Scotch Argus (Polyommatus Artaxerxes, Stephens) appears at the end of July. Ibid. 135 The Scotch Pug (Eupithecia cognata, Stephens)... Scarce. Fifeshire and Mid Lothian. 1869 Newman Brit. Moths 68 The Scotch Amulet (Dasydia obfuscata). 1876 J. Gibson in Encycl. Brit. IV. 595/1 Other species are extremely local, as the Scotch Argus (Lycæna artaxerxes), confined to a few Scottish hillsides. 1887 Cassell's Encycl. Dict., Scotch-sawfly, the genus Lophyrus.

  e. Typogr. The epithet of a variety of modern typefaces deriving from one sent from an Edinburgh foundry in 1837 to the printing firm of S. N. Dickinson in Boston, Massachusetts. So Scotch-cut adj.

1847 S. N. Dickinson Hand-bk. Specimen Printing Type Pref., Our Scotch Faces were selected from the very extensive Foundry of Alexander Wilson and Sons of Edinburgh and also from an eminent letter cutter of that city. Ibid., The symmetry of the Scotch cut figures. a 1863 Specimens of Borders, Ornaments, Rules, Dashes, etc. from Dickinson Type Foundry (Boston, U.S.) Back cover, A superior collection of the Scotch-cut letter, so highly appreciated by the trade. 1900 T. L. De Vinne Practice of Typogr. vi. 212 As first made the Scotch-face was a small, neat, round letter, with long ascenders, and not noticeably condensed. 1922 D. B. Updike Printing Types II. xx. 193 As produced by Wilson it is a very handsome and serviceable letter, and in it we have another English type-family—the Scotch modern face. 1951 S. Jennett Making of Bks. xiv. 248 Bodoni is an excellent letter, but capable of great degeneration, and in Scotch Roman we see the degeneration commencing. 1966 H. Williamson Methods Bk. Design (ed. 2) viii. 99 The original Scotch faces were a vaguely defined class, and generalization about their letter-forms is impossible.

  3. As the designation of the variety of northern English which is vernacular in Scotland. Hence of words, expressions, etc., belonging to this, and of works composed in it. Cf. Scots a. 2, Scottish a.

1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XIV. 560/1 marg., Causes of the purity of the Scotch dialect of this ancient language. 1801 W. Beattie (title), Fruits of Time Parings, being a small collection of original poems, Scotch and English. 1828 P. Cunningham N.S. Wales (ed. 3) II. 239 Many spoke the Scotch dialect so broadly as almost to puzzle me to unravel it. 1829 Scott Rob Roy Introd., To secure the adherence of stout, able-bodied, and, as the Scotch phrase then went, pretty men. 1863 Smith's Dict. Bible III. 1649/2 Similar to the Scotch pronunciation of the initial H. 1878 Encycl. Brit. VIII. 398/2 So in early Scotch books we find zellow, ze, yat, yem.

  4. a. Special collocations: Scotch bait (see quot.); Scotch Baronial a. = Scottish Baronial s.v. Scottish a. 5; Scotch Blackface, a sheep belonging to the breed so called, developed in mountain and moorland regions of Scotland and northern England, and distinguished by black legs and muzzle and long wool; Scotch boiler [so called from its having been introduced in Scottish shipyards], a fire-tube boiler in which combustion takes place inside the shell; † Scotch boot = boot n.³ 3; Scotch († barley) broth, a soup containing meat, vegetables and pearl barley; † Scotch bum, a kind of bustle; Scotch catch Mus. = Scotch snap; Scotch chocolate, coffee slang (see quots.); Scotch collops (see collop¹ 2 c); Scotch douche [= F. douche écossaise] (see quot.); Scotch egg, a hard-boiled egg enclosed in sausage-meat; Scotch face Printing (see quot.); † Scotch fall, an article of dress; Scotch fiddle slang, the itch (see fiddle n. 4 c); Scotch fines, a particular quality of rags used in paper-making; Scotch furnace, ‘a simple form of ore-hearth used in smelting lead ores’ (Cent. Dict. 1891); Scotch hand, hearth (see quots.); † Scotch-land, Scotland; Scotch marriage (see marriage 2); Scotch mist, (a) (see mist n.¹ 1 c), also allusively; (b) something insubstantial, unreal, freq. used sarcastically in a retort or rhetorical question to imply that someone has imagined or failed to comprehend something; (c) a drink of whisky served with a twist of lemon; hence Scotch-misty a., characterized by Scotch mist; Scotch pancake = drop-scone s.v. scone 1; Scotch pebble (see pebble n. 2 c); Scotch peg, rhyming slang for ‘leg’; Scotch prize Naut., a capture by mistake; † scotch rabbit, ? a ‘Welsh rabbit’; † Scotch saddle, a particular variety of saddle (cf. Scotissh sadell, saddle n. 1 b), also attrib. or adj.; Scotch scale Mus. (see quot.); † Scotch-sleeve, ? a person wearing sleeves of ‘Scotch cloth’; Scotch snap Mus. (see quot.); Scotch spur Her., a bearing representing a prick spur; Scotch stone (see quot.); Scotch terrier, a small stocky terrier of the breed so called, usually black or brindle, with thick, shaggy fur, erect, pointed ears and tail, and a square, bearded muzzle; formerly, a terrier belonging to one of several other Scottish races, now treated as separate breeds (cf. terrier n.²); Scotch woodcock: see woodcock n. 3 d; Scotch yoke, a mechanism by which a steady circular motion can be transformed into a linear simple harmonic motion, consisting of a crank bearing a peg which, as the crank revolves, slides in a straight slot constrained to move to and fro along a straight line in a plane at right angles to the plane of the slot. See also Scotch bonnet, cap, cloth.

1785 Grose Dict. Vulgar T., *Scotch bait, a halt and a resting on a stick, as practised by pedlars.

1880 J. J. Stevenson House Archit. I. xiv. 360 The *Scotch ‘Baronial’ architecture, as it is called, resembles that of the Renaissance châteaux of France. 1931 E. Sackville-West Simpson ii. vii. 144 Salathiel held up a glass globe, inside which was a miniature Scotch-baronial castle in china.

[1888 J. & C. Scott Blackfaced Sheep i. 1 The origin of the Scotch blackfaced sheep is shrouded in mystery.] 1945 J. F. H. Thomas Sheep ii. 30 It deserves the title *Scotch Blackface because in that country it is of paramount importance.

1903 H. de B. Parsons Steam-Boilers v. 97 (caption) *Scotch boiler, single-ended, with common combustion-chamber. 1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. VIII. 119/2 Later boilers are of the express or water-tube type, burning fuel oil, though Scotch boilers are still used in some cases and may burn either coal or fuel oil.

1697 Collier Ess. Mor. Subj. i. (1709) 123 They..immediately..got a sort of *Scotch-Boot to bend their Hams in.

1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery vi. 65 (heading) To make *Scotch barley broth. 1834 T. Hood Tylney Hall I. xv. 175 We shall have an ounce of mutton swimming in a tureen of barley-water—I've heard of their Scotch broths. 1969 R. & D. De Sola Dict. Cooking 203/1 Scotch broth, rich soup made of beef or mutton and vegetables, thickened with barley.

1607 Dekker & Webster Westw.-Hoe ii. ii, That French gowne, Scotch fals, *Scotch bum, and Italian head-tire you sent her.

1785 Grose Dict. Vulgar T., *Scotch chocolate, brimstone and milk.

1864 Hotten's Slang Dict., *Scotch coffee, biscuits toasted and boiled in water. Sea. 1883 Clark Russell Sailor's Lang., Scotch coffee, hot water flavoured with burnt biscuit.

1891 Century Dict., *Scotch douche, a douche of hot water, beginning at a temperature of 40°C., increased gradually to 45–50°C., and immediately followed by cold water; more generally, a succession of alternate hot and cold douches.

1809 M. E. Rundell New Syst. Domestic Cookery (new ed.) viii. 207 *Scotch eggs. Boil hard five pullet's eggs, and without removing the white, cover completely with a fine relishing forcemeat. c 1965 A. Christie Autobiogr. (1977) xi. iv. 525 He fed us entirely on..‘Scotch eggs’; excessively indigestible. 1972 P. D. James Unsuitable Job i. 19 Pushing a half pint of shandy and a Scotch egg across the counter. 1977 D. Williams Treasure by Degrees xv. 145 A lonely Scotch egg..was the only visible justification for the plastic proclamation ‘Snacks at the Bar’.

1891 Century Dict. s.v. Serif, in the *Scotch-face it [the serif] is curved like a bracket on the inner side.

1607 *Scotch fall [see Scotch bum].

1675 Earl of Rochester Tunbridge Wells 120 And then more smartly to expound the Riddle Of all this Prattle, gives her a *Scotch Fiddle.

1880 J. Dunbar Pract. Papermaker 23 *Scotch Fines.

1884 Girl's Own Paper Jan. 155/3 Little rolls of butter (made with the two little wooden bats known as *Scotch hands).

1881 Raymond Mining Gloss., *Scotch hearth, a low forge or furnace of cast-iron, with one tuyere, in which rich galena is treated by a sort of accelerated roasting and reaction process.

1654 Gayton Pleas. Notes iii. iv. 88 In *Scotch-land.

1768 Goldsm. Good-n. Man v, Landlady... For certain, *Scotch marriages seldom turn out well.

1647 J. C[leveland] Char. of Lond.-Diurn. 7 This is he, that hath put out one of the Kingdoms eyes, by clouding our Mother-University, and (if the *Scotch-mist further prevaile) will extinguish this other. 1662 Gusman's Ephemeris A 2 b, Since the first Scotch Mist in England 20 [years]. 1679 C. Nesse Antichrist 204 By sundry vials powr'd upon it, a Scotch mist is upon it. a 1700– [see mist n.1 1 c]. 1943 Hunt & Pringle Service Slang 57 Scotch mist, sarcastic comment on your eyesight, inferring that you are seeing things. 1962 New Statesman 18 May 708/2 ‘Are yer married?’ ‘Course she is. What do yer think that is? Scotch mist?’ Rube points to my wedding-ring. 1965 O. A. Mendelsohn Dict. Drink 303 Scotch mist, cocktail of Scotch whisky and lemon peel. 1974 Pacifist Feb. 13/1 What are all these price-rises we are suffering now? Scotch mist? 1977 W. H. Manville Good-bye iii. 27 You can start by ordering me a Teacher's Scotch Mist on the rocks.

1866 Carlyle Remin. I. 210 A windless, *Scotch-misty, Saturday night.

1930 Bennion & Stewart Cake Manufacture xiv. 122 Soda scones, *Scotch pan cakes, and milk scones,..can be baked on the hot plate. 1977 D. Williams Treasure by Degrees viii. 71 Tea..could be quite a different matter. He recalled some truly outstanding Scotch pancakes.

1857 ‘Ducange Anglicus’ Vulgar Tongue 17 *Scotch peg, leg. 1917 W. Muir Observat. Orderly xiv. 225 If he had occasion to allude to his leg he would probably have called it ‘Scotch peg’.

1818 ‘A. Burton’ Johnny Newcome iii. 170 'Tis but a *Scotch prize he has stolen! 1867 Smyth Sailors' Word-bk., Scotch prize, a mistake; worse than no prize, or one liable to hamper the captors with heavy law expenses.

1747 H. Glasse Cookery ix. 97 To make a *Scotch-Rabbit. Toast a Piece of Bread.., butter it, cut a Slice of Cheese,.. toast it on both Sides, and lay it on the Bread.

1598 Florio, Naso schiacciato, a flat *Scotch-saddle nose.

c 1800 Busby Dict. Mus. *Scotch-Scale, a Scale differing from that of the other nations of Europe by its omission of the fourth and seventh; a peculiarity from which all the genuine Scottish melodies derive their national and distinguished character.

1705 Hickeringill Priest-cr. ii. iii. 30 Poor Lawn-Sleeves (or *Scotch-Sleeves)..was so assaulted, as..he had probably perished by their violence.

1883 J. M. Wood in Grove's Dict. Mus. III. 437 *Scotch Snap or Catch is the name given to the reverse of the ordinary dotted note which has a short note after it—in the snap the short note comes first and is followed by the long one.

1688 Holme Armoury iii. vii. 304/1 *Scotch Spur. 1847 Gloss. Heraldry 293 The Scotch or prick-spur has a spike instead of a rowel.

1881 Encycl. Brit. XII. 135/1 Among hones of less importance..may be noted..Water of Ayr stone, *Scotch stone, or snake stone, used for tools and for polishing marble.

1810 Sporting Mag. XXXVI. 61/1 Portraits of a poodle and *Scotch terrier. 1847 H. D. Richardson Dogs vii. 70 There are two varieties of the common Scotch Terrier. 1863 [see terrier n.2 1]. 1880, 1889 [see Aberdeen terrier s.v. Aberdeen 2]. 1927 E. C. Ash Dogs II. ii. 422 Two kinds of terriers are described—the rough-haired Scotch and the smooth-haired English.

1927 Ham & Crane Mechanics of Machinery ii. 27 Figure 36 shows an application of the *Scotch yoke as it has occasionally been used on small engines and steam pumps. 1959 Karplus & Soroka Analog Methods (ed. 2) viii. 242 Mechanical Harmonic Synthesizers... The sine and cosine components are almost invariably generated by Scotch yoke mechanisms. 1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. I. 377/2 The modification of the Scotch yoke shown in Fig. 25 can be used to generate a tangent function over a limited range of the argument.

  b. In names of plants: Scotch asphodel (see asphodel 2 d); Scotch attorney, a name given in Jamaica to various species of Clusia or woody vines which twine round the trunks of trees and destroy them (cf. Scotchman 1 d); Scotch barley, (a) a Scotch variety of barley; (b) ‘a variety of pot-barley (barley n. 1 b), made by simply grinding off the husk’ (Ogilvie Suppl. 1855); Scotch bear, bigg, bear (n.²), and bigg, grown in Scotland; Scotch broom, ‘an American designation of the common broom, Cytisus scoparius’ (Cent. Dict. 1891); Scotch cinquefoile, crocus, curlies (see quots.); Scotch elm, the wych-elm, Ulmus glabra; Scotch fir (see fir 1); Scotch gale = gale n.¹; Scotch geranium, Geranium Robertianum (Britten & Holland 1886); Scotch grass, the Panicum molle of the West Indies (see quots.); Scotch greys, a variety of oats; Scotch heath or heather (see quot.); Scotch kale (see kale 1 b); Scotch laburnum (see laburnum); Scotch lilac (see quot.); Scotch lovage = lovage b; Scotch mercury (see Mercury n. 10 d); Scotch parsley = lovage b; Scotch pine (see pine n.² 2); also attrib.; Scotch primrose (see primrose 2); Scotch rose (see quot. 1820); † Scotch scurvy-grass, the sea-side bindweed, Convolvulus Soldanella. See also Scotch thistle.

1796 Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) II. 358 Tofieldia palustris..*Scotch Asphodel, Marsh Tofieldia.

1864 Grisebach Flora W. Ind. Islands 787 *Scotch attorney: Clusia. 1871 Kingsley At Last v, The Matapalo (or Scotch Attorney, as it is rudely called here).

1707 Mortimer Husb. (1721) I. 131 In Lincolnshire they sow a sort of Barley that they call *Scotch Barley. 1825 Loudon Encycl. Agric. §4689 Of pot-barley there are two sorts, pearl and Scotch; both are produced by grinding off the husk.

1839 Ure Dict. Arts 87 The *Scotch beer or bigg, is the hordeum vulgare hexasticon. Ibid. 91 An inferior Scotch bigg.

1843 Baxter Brit. Phænog. Bot. VI. 470 Sibbaldia procumbens. Procumbent Sibbaldia. *Scotch Cinquefoil.

1882 Garden 28 Jan. 66/2 The Cloth of Silver or *Scotch Crocus is a large variety of the Italian Crocus biflorus.

1891 Century Dict., *Scotch curlies, a variety of kale, so called from its curled leaves.

1799 W. Nicol Pract. Planter i. 34 The *Scotch Elm may with propriety be reared for this purpose [sc. ship-building] on thin gravelly soils. 1838 J. C. Loudon Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum III. 1399 The Scotch elm has not so upright a trunk as the English elm. 1840 Baxter Brit. Phænog. Bot. V. 386 Ulmus montana. Mountain Elm. Scotch Elm. Wych Elm. 1969 T. H. Everett Living Trees of World xiv. 131/1 The Scotch elm or wych elm..forms a rather open, broad-headed specimen.

1696 Plukenet Almagestum Wks. 1769 II. 297 The *Scotch Firr. 1897 Baring-Gould Bladys xxii, The wind sang in a Scotch fir rooted in the red cliff overhead.

1795 Statist. Acc. Scot. XIV. 60 Near to the King's Well, in the same barony, is to be found what is called the *Scotch-gale, a species of the myrtle.

1756 P. Browne Jamaica (1789) 133 *Scotch Grass. This plant is cultivated and thrives very luxuriantly in all the low and marshy lands of Jamaica. 1839 Penny Cycl. XIII. 75/1 The Scotch grass grows with great luxuriance by the sides of the rivers [of Jamaica].

1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. I. 578 The blue oat..is suggested in Miller's Dictionary as the sort known to farmers under the title of *Scotch Greys.

1891 Century Dict., *Scotch heath or heather, most properly, Erica cinerea..; also (U.S.), the common heather, Celluna vulgaris.

1840 Paxton Bot. Dict., *Scotch laburnum, see Cytisus alpinus.

1759 Miller Gard. Dict. (ed. 7) s.v. Syringa, One of these [varieties] has white Flowers, one blue, and the third has purple Flowers; the latter is commonly known by the Title of *Scotch Lilac, to distinguish it from the other.

1731 Ibid., Ligusticum; Scoticum... *Scotch Lovage.

1774 Pennant Tour Scot. in 1772, 310 Ligusticum scoticum, *Scotch parsley, or the shunis of this island [Hebrides].

1731 Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Abies 3/2 The *Scotch Pine of Pinaster, will grow on the North or East side. 1840 Loudon tr. Köllar's Treat. Insects 363 The Scotch Pine Bark-Beetle. Hylesinus (Hylurgus) piniperda, Fabr.

1863 Prior Plant-n. 184 *Scotch-Primrose.

1731 Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Rosa 6, The strip'd *Scotch Rose... The sixth Sort is found wild in Scotland. 1820 J. Sabine in Trans. Hort. Soc. (1822) IV. 281 The Scotch Rose has been, and still is, sometimes called the Burnet Rose; it is the Rosa spinosissima of the English authors. 1892 C. M. Yonge Old Woman's Outlook 161 The little thorny Scotch roses..are creeping over the cottages. 1972 Country Life 23 Mar. 695/1 Possibly the toughest of the wild roses is..the Scotch or Burnet Rose which flourishes in the sand dunes of Great Britain and Germany.

1787 Lightfoot Flora Scot. I. 140 Convolvulus foliis reniformibus pedunculis unifloris..Sea Bindweed. *Scotch Scurvy-Grass.

  B. n. (Elliptical uses of the adj.)
  1. a. the Scotch (pl.): The inhabitants of Scotland or their immediate descendants in other countries.

1743 M. W. Montagu Let. 16 Sept. (1966) II. 310 Several Scotch pass here often. 1781 J. Ripley Sel. Orig. Lett. 41 Let the words English and Scotch be entirely obliterated and lost in that more ancient and significant word Britons. 1818 Scott Rob Roy iv, The Scotch of that period were guilty of similar injustice to the English. 1825 Loudon Encycl. Agric. §4718 The fine powder which is produced by husking the corn,..forms the sowens of the Scotch. 1861 Pearson Early & Mid. Ages Eng. xxviii. 337 Meanwhile, the Scotch were divided by a quarrel as to who should lead the van. 1979 Jrnl. R. Soc. Arts Jan. 107/2 Since then I have had the greatest admiration for the education offered to, or seized by, the Scotch—Miss Murray's word and her grandfather's.

  b. Scotch and English: the English Border name for prisoner's base; cf. French and English (see French n. 2 b).

1802 W. Hutton Hist. Roman Wall 105 The children of this day, upon the English border keep up the remembrance [of former scenes] by a common play, called Scotch and English, or, The Raid (inroad). 1825 Jamieson, English and Scotch, a common game among young people. 1869 M. Somerville Personal Recoll. (1872) i. 22 In our play-hours [at school in 1790] we amused ourselves..at ‘Scotch and English’, a game which represented a raid on the debatable land, or Border between Scotland and England, in which each party tried to rob the other of their playthings.

  2. The Scotch language: see A. 3.

a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Sawny, a Fool. He's a meer sawny, he is very soft, tho' (in Scotch) it is only for Alexander. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. iv, Which is to say, in plain Scotch, the gallows. 1824 ― Redgauntlet let. iii, I myself have since that time acquired Scotch in perfection, and many a Scotticism withal. 1878 Encycl. Brit. VIII. 400/2 The revival of [interest in] Lowland Scotch last century. 1896 J. Ashby-Sterry Tale of Thames viii, I can read French as well as I can English, but it is impossible for me to comprehend Scotch.

  3. a. Often elliptically (the n. being contextually known), e.g. for Scotch whisky; also = a glass of Scotch whisky. Also formerly for Scotch snuff. Also = Scotch ale (in sense A. 2 a), face (A. 2 e)

1778 S. Foote Cozeners iii. ii. 76, I have a box of Scotch in my pocket. 1823 J. Badcock Dom. Amusem. 100 The finely levigated snuff, known as ‘Scotch’. 1886–96 Marshall He Slumbered (‘Pomes,’ 118) (Farmer) In the early evening watches he had started well on Scotches. 1893 H. Crackanthorpe Wreckage 125 Two bitters and a small Scotch. 1894 Sir J. D. Astley Fifty Yrs. Life II. 124 And over a drop of Scotch and a cigar discuss the leading topics of the day. 1898 G. B. Shaw Plays II. You never can tell 307 Waiter..Scotch and syphon for you, sir? 1906 Linotype Bull. Oct.–Dec. 6/2 (heading) 8-Point Scotch. 1945 O. Simon Introd. Typogr. iii. 12 The roman lower-case letters of Scotch and Baskerville..are wide and generous. 1962 S. Chaplin Watchers & Watched x. 199 The beer was as bitter as bile... ‘Is there anythin' wrong?’ ‘Your Scotch doesn't taste too well.’ 1964 S. Jennett Making of Books (ed. 3) xiv. 251 Though Scotch is a portent, it is not itself as poor as its descendants became. 1966 H. Williamson Methods Bk. Design (ed. 2) viii. 99 The first Scotch to be cut for machine composition was produced by the Merganthaler Linotype Co. in 1902. 1976 Observer (Colour Suppl.) 1 Feb. 9/3 All Scotches are blended spirits: a mix of malt and grain whiskies. The ratio can vary between 2 to 3 and 3 to 2, and a bottle of Scotch can be a mixture of 30, 40 or even more whiskies. 1977 Listener 3 Mar. 275/1 You could order ‘a pint of Scotch’—Scotch Ale, because it is the cheapest beer, is still the majority drink on Tyneside.

  b. ellipt. for Scotch peg (see sense A. 4 a above).

1859 Hotten Dict. Slang 87 Scotches, the legs. 1962 R. Cook Crust on its Uppers ii. 30 Down to wearing my head in its proper place and not between my scotches like a sporran.

  
  
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   ▸ Scotch marmalade n. a type of orange marmalade, originally made in Scotland, usually with added peel for extra richness.

?a 1800 R. Abbot Housekeeper's Valuable Present 42 *Scotch marmalade, when you make your orange marmalade, put a little by; then cut some orange-peel into fine strips, and giving them a boil in a little clarified sugar, mix them in the marmalade, and put them into pots. 1859 E. G. Storke Domest. & Rural Affairs 64 Rhubarb preserve, if made according to the following directions, is almost equal to the celebrated Scotch marmalade. 1904 News (Frederick, Maryland) 23 Apr. 2/2 Cover them with Scotch marmalade, then a thin upper crust and bake an hour. 1992 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 18 Jan. It tasted better, this Scotch marmalade which was thin enough to spread.

  
  
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   ▸ Scotch pie n. a type of small, circular meat pie, traditionally made with mutton.

1893 Middletown (N.Y.) Daily Times (Electronic text) 7 Dec. Especial features this evening will be an auction with Mr. A. B. Hutchison as auctioneer, and the ‘*Scotch pie’, prepared by Mrs Lizzie Boyce. 1977 J. Wilson Making Hate i. 15 He'd bought a couple of Scotch pies..to keep himself going. 2002 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Electronic ed.) 9 Feb. 8 Forget oysters, asparagus and all that nonsense, I'm talking about proper aphrodisiacs like haggis, stovies, and scotch pies.

Oxford English Dictionary