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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

DAMBROD, -BOARD, -BO(O)RD, n. comb. and v. [′dɑm(b)rɔd, -burd, bɔrd]

1. n.

(1) A draught-board (Sc. 1818 Sawers Dict. Sc. Lang.; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 158; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., damboard, dambrod, obsol.). Gen. (exc. I.) Sc.Sc. 1734 J. Spotiswood Hope's Practicks 541:
The Tables, Table-men and Dam-broad.Sc. 1858 E. B. Ramsay Reminisc. (1860) 108:
A draft-board used to be called (as I remember) by old Scotch people a “dambrod.”Ags. 1889 J. M. Barrie W. in Thrums i.:
I have only to open the drawer with the loose handle to bring out the dambrod.Gsw. 1877 A. G. Murdoch Laird's Lykewake, etc. 20:
Haith! wha wi' him [the Devil] wi' dambrod play Had better lang defer the day.Gsw. 1987:
Children ... played draughts on the dambrod on rainy days...

(2) With def. art.: the game of draughts; sometimes now in pl. (Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., obsol.). Known to Abd. correspondents 1939.Sc. 1826 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) I. 124:
The tailor o' Yarrow Ford dang ye a' to bits, baith at gammon and the dambrod.Mry. 1873 J. Brown Round Table Club 374:
Gin ony o' ye hae a notion o' the dambrod, ye wad get a tussle afore ye cam' aff wi' the victory.Abd. 1934 D. Scott Stories and Sk. 38:
A could get some o' the ither chaps t' rise an' ha'e a game o' dambrods wi' me.Dmf. 1875 P. Ponder Kirkcumdoon 16:
Fonder o' the public hoose, an' playin' at the dam-boord . . . than I was o' my wark.

(3) Used attrib. = chequered; having a pattern similar to that on a draught-board (Bnff.², Abd. correspondents, Fif.¹⁰, Slg.³ 1939; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., obsol.).Sc. 1779 MS. Inventory Goods D. Steuart, Earl of Bch. (N.E.D.).:
8 damboard T[able] Cloths.Inv. 1812–13 in E. Grant Memoirs Highland Lady (ed. Lady Strachey 1928) 194:
There was the “dam-brod” pattern supposed to be the Highland translation of dame-board or backgammon.Kcb. 1894 S. R. Crockett Lilac Sunbonnet ix.:
He wore a broad blue Kilmarnock bonnet, checked red and white in a “dambrod” pattern round the edge.

(4) Comb.: dambrod-checkeet = (3). Known to Abd.⁹ 1939.Rxb.(D) 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes an Knowes 14–15:
Jethart Casle! A body wad need ti ken'd off leike as Wattie Laidlaw kennd eet, for ti tell owre, off-luif, aa its dambrod-checkeet story.

2. v. Used in pa.p. damborded = 1 (3), above.Sc. 1820 Blackwood's Mag. (Nov.) 154:
See that upland loon wi' the damborded back is drapping them down his Highland weazon, as gin they were lordly daintiths.