Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

DRAIK, v. and n. Also drake, drack, draak, drawk, drauk, †drach-, †drech-. The form daik (Jam.⁵) seems erroneous. Cf. Droke. [drek, drɑ(:)k]

1. v.

(1) To saturate, drench, slake, soak, esp. to soak meal in water (Per., Fif., Lth. Wilson, draik; Bwk. 1949 (per Abd.²⁷), drawk; m.Dmf.³ c.1920, drack; Slk. 1949 (per Abd.²⁷), Rxb. 1942 Zai, drawk). ¶With oot: to quench. Also fig. Ppl.adj. draket, wet, bedraggled. Also in n.Eng. dial.Sc. a.1776 D. Herd Sc. Songs (2nd ed.) II. 99:
His wig was like a drouket hen, And the tail o't hang doun, like a meikle maan lang draket gray goose-pen.Per. 1933 W. Soutar Seeds in the Wind 35:
Like it wud loup attour the müne An' draik the sma sternes oot.Fif. a.1880 Mrs Morton in Sc. National Readings (1914) 168:
She whyles took ane her meal to draik in.Lth. 1813 G. Bruce Poems 76:
Wi' water cauld hae drak'd their meal.wm.Sc. 1868 Laird of Logan 387:
Come awa, lads, my throat's as dry as a whistle, and gi'e me a dram to draik the dust.Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 123:
I am of the opinion that folk are nooadays drakit with owre mony new-fangled drogs.Gall. 1877 “Saxon” Gall. Gossip 276:
The young minister came into the house drauk't wi sweat.

(2) With up: to absorb, soak up.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.:
The meal drackit up the waiter.

2. n. ‡(1) Damp, wet weather; mist or rain (Arg.¹ 1940, obs.).Kcb. 1902 A. J. Armstrong in Gallovidian IV. xvi. 189:
I ga'ed to Ba'maghie the day In a' the drawk an' gloom.

Hence drackie, drawky, etc., damp, wet, misty (Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl. Ant. and Dwn., drawky, droghey; Uls.¹ c.1920, drakey).Sc. 1824 R. Howden in Royal Sc. Minstr. 121:
As I came down the drechy moor, A heard the coaches dunner.wm.Sc. 1937 W. Hutcheson Chota Chants 20:
The dreepy sky's a draukie scunner, A whole dry day's an awesome won'er.Arg.¹ c.1870:
Isn't this the draaky day.Kcb.⁴ 1900:
When rain falls, not in torrents but continuously, the day is said to be drackie.Uls. 1901 Some Ulsterisms in North. Whig:
“A drachy day” is also a wet day, but a wet day with the added unpleasantness of sloppiness, stickiness, and general moist discomfort.

(2) In phr. †in the draik, in a slovenly, neglected and disordered state, like something that is put aside unfinished.Mry. c.1780 R. Jamieson in Dunbar Poems (ed. Laing) II. 327:
A superstition prevailed in Morayshire about 50 years ago to the effect that no female would leave her work in the draik on Christmas Eve.Mry. 1806 R. Jamieson Pop. Ballads I. 288:
He stennet in; hys hart did quaik; For ilka thyng lay in the draik.