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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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

EIK, n.², v.¹ Also eke, eek. eeck(ie), †eick. [ik, eik, əɪk]

I. n.

1. An addition, extension or increase of any kind; e.g., the distance between two notches in a belt, measuring stick, etc. (Per.⁴ 1950); a board used to heighten the sides of a cart (Abd.²⁷ 1950); a wooden mouthpiece to a clay pipe (Ork.⁵ 1950). Gen.Sc. Obs. exc. dial. in Eng. Hence eikrie, an eking out.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 63:
An' fan I saw their piece was but a gnap, I thought my sell of mending their mishap. Sae ilka day I stealt to them an eek.Sc. 1786 A. Geddes Prospectus 95:
[One class of the italics in the Authorised Version] are generally ill assorted and clumsy ekes, that may well be spared.Sc. 1823 Scots Mag. (May) 574:
Thae base rheumaticks — first in ae shoulder, then in anither; wi' them, an' ither ailments, I've hardly a day to do weel; an' this filthy weather gies them ay anither eik.Ayr. 1826 Galt Lairds iv.:
On the very first morning that he took up the meal-pock for eikrie o' life . . . . I was standing at the yett.Sc. 1916 T. W. Paterson Wyse-Sayins x. 14:
Men o' mense are aye gleg to pit an eik to what they ken already.

Phr.: by eick and additione, by adding to (in excess of statutory) weight.Ayr. 1705 in Arch. and Hist. Coll. Ayr. and Wgt. (1884) IV. 206:
The haill fewares, vassalis . . . of the said barony of Corshill . . . confessed guilty of transgressing the haill penal statutes, and particularlie anent peck and boll, or buying and selling of victual by eick and additione.

†2. A tag to a bell-rope. Obs. in Eng. since 16th cent.Per. 1746 in J. Meikle Hist. Alyth Par. Ch. (1933) 215:
Once in January 1746, “an eek to the Bell Tow” was bought for five shillings.

3. An addition or extension to a garment; a patch, a gusset. Gen.Sc.Edb. 1773 R. Fergusson Poems (1925) 70:
Still making tight wi' tither steek, The tither hole, the tither eik.Ayr. 1823 Galt Entail xv.:
Is't no possible to put in a gushet or a gore, and to make an eke?Per. 1857 J. Stewart Sketches 184:
As for my breeks, I grant they've steeks, An' plenty eeks, an' shoals an' creeks, Whaur a' the winds can jink, man.

4. A lean-to, an addition to a building (Slg.³ 1943).Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality xxxvii.:
Jenny has sae mony bairns . . . that troth I maun speak to Lord Evandale to gie us a bit eik, or outshot o' some sort, to the onstead.

5. An additional ring of plaited straw or wood used to enlarge a beehive in order to make more room for the honey (Sc. 1825 Jam.², eik, eek, 1900 E.D.D., eke; e.Rs.¹ 1929, eke; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Bnff., Abd., Knr., Wgt., Kcb. 1950).Abd. 1726 Monymusk Papers (S.H.S. 1945) 183:
Cause gairdners in winter nights make bee scaps and eiks and baskets.Sc. 1747 R. Maxwell Pract. Bee-Master 52:
Concerning the Removal of this larger Eek, you shall be advised when I come to speak in general of the removing of Eeks.Abd. 1867 Mrs Allardyce Goodwife at Home xxix.:
Wer nain bees, fernyer, never keest, Bit hang at the skep-moo Till Lammas, fan they gat an eke; An they're clean dozent noo.Kcd. 1900 “W. Gairdner” Glengoyne II. 76:
I think I maun put anither eik to that bee skep i' the corner.

†6. Sc. Church usage: (see quot.).Abd. a.1750 in T. Mair Ellon Presb. Rec. (1898) 405:
The Exercise. This sermon or discourse given by one of the members of the Presbytery at their meetings was wholly discontinued by the middle of the 18th century; the “Eke” or addition given by a second speaker had fused into the main Exercise long before that time.

7. Sc. law: an addition to a formal document, such as a codicil to a will: “an addition made to the inventory by an executor, so as to include additional property” (Sc. 1946 A. D. Gibb Legal Terms 31). Phr. eik to a reversion, (see 1899 quot.) (Sc. 1734 J. Spotiswood Hope's Practicks 242).Sc. 1770 in R. Fergusson Poems (ed. Grosart 1878) lxxiii.:
For writing an infeftement … 2 … 6 … For an eik … 1 … 0.Sc. 1818 Scott Letters (1933) V. 186:
You will agree with me that there must be an Eke to the Condescendence.Sc. 1830 Nairne Peerage Evidence (1873) 78:
Copy of the Testament Testamentar of William, Lord Nairne, dated 14th October 1830, and of an Eik thereto dated 1st December 1830.Ayr. 1890 J. Service Notandums iii.:
By ane eik to his test, he left to Peter Scartle the soom of five shillings.Sc. 1899 G. J. Bell Principles Law Scot.¹⁰ § 907:
The loan may be enlarged by an extension of the security, called an “Eik to the Reversion”; which, like the principal security, requires to be recorded in order to have effect against third parties.

8. An additional drink, a little drop more; “an additional half-tumbler of toddy” (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 43, eeck(ie); Bnff.², Abd.², Ags.², Fif.¹⁰ 1943).Mry. 1873 J. Brown Round Table Club 380:
One glass of wine for a lady, Saunders. . . . That's the fashion; but some o' them tak' an eke quaitly . . . fin nane sees them.Sc. 1882 C. Mackay Poetry and Hum. Sc. Lang. 78:
I like to see a cannie, respectable, honest man, tak his sax tumblers and an eke in the bosom of his family, but I canna thole intemperance!Edb. 1895 J. Tweeddale Moff xi.:
They did not hold with the one glass, for each prevailed upon the other to take an eke.Gall. 1900 R. J. Muir Mystery Muncraig ii.:
“But help yourself, minister.” “Well, I will just take an eke before I go.”

Hence phr.: Balmerino's eik (see quot.).Fif. 1864 J. W. Taylor Hist. Antiq. n. Fif. (1868) 44:
The later wearers of the Balmerino title did not inherit the high qualities of their ancestors. The phrase “Balmerino's eik”, tells of the jolly propensities of one of them. It means an eik which knew no end, for the punch-bowl was constantly replenished and thus was never finished.

9. Phrs. and Combs.: (1) eiks an' ens, odds and ends; †(2) eikend, “the short chain which attaches the theets or traces to the swingletrees in a plough” (Cld. 1825 Jam.²); (3) eik-name, a nickname [i.e. an eke-name], “used among fishing-folk to distinguish those who bear the same names” (Sc. 1911 S.D.D.; Sh.¹¹, Ork.⁵ (obsol.), Bnff. 1949). Also corrupt form eetname. Obs. in Eng. since 15th cent.(1) Dwn. 1844 R. Huddleston Poems 77:
Wi' eiks, an' en's, an' holes, an' paws, The aul' clouts worse o' wear — circe — They've cast them aff.Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl. Ant. and Dwn. 35:
Ekes an' ens rise to something if you just put them together. Between ekes an' ens I've managed this.(3) Ork. 1931 in Orcadian (7 May):
Jock Smith, wha gaed bae da eetname o' “Da braaken luggid soo.”

II. v. Used as in Eng. with out = to supplement, and also in the following Sc. senses:

1. To increase, add (to), supplement, in general. Also with on, to and used fig. Gen.Sc.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 51:
Altho' her weam was clung, an she grown yape, Love eek'd wi' care helpt to fill up the gap.Hdg. 1801 R. Gall Poems (1819) 77:
Sic weel-kent scenes aye made her mourn, An' eiked to her wae.Lnk. 1868 J. Hamilton Poems 250:
An' the dominie's ekit D.D. to his name.Gall. 1901 Trotter Gall. Gossip 332:
He joost use't odd bits o't, an eekit on a few words appropriate tae the occasion.Sh. 1949 J. Gray Lowrie 27:
It's a dash hound . . . afore shu wins far shu'll hae ta get his legs eeked wi' sontin.

Hence vbl.n. eiking (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 193, eakin); ppl.adj. eikit (Arg., Kcb. 1950).m.Lth. 1788 J. Macaulay Poems 153:
An' our enjoyments aye maun cease Without an eeking.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 97:
Her neck wus lang an' unco' sma', Tho' maybe there wur aen or twa Sma' gentry on the eekin o'd.Ags. 1880 J. E. Watt Poet. Sk. 34:
The Doctor e'en deemed his bit life worth the eekin'.Arg.¹ 1929:
An “eikit cheese” is one that has not been completed in one day's working.

†2. To join one thing to another; to unite in marriage or friendship. Vbl.n. eeking.Edb. 1773 R. Fergusson Poems (1925) 63:
Black be the day that e'er to England's ground Scotland was eikit by the Union's bond.Bch. 1804 W. Tarras Poems 14:
Lat's try this income [the New Year], how he stands, An' eik us sib by shakin hands.Ayr. 1821 Scots Mag. (April) 351:
Lang syne, whan the twa croons ware tyit thegither, or astit the eeking o' twa kintras, waesucks, for it was than whan my auld mither-tongue fell wi a dawd to the grun'.Bwk. 1823 A. Hewit Poems 135:
At last the lang looket for day Arrived to get them baith eiket.

3. To add (to) by way of repair, to lengthen, patch. Gen.Sc.Gsw. 1711 Burgh Rec. Gsw. (ed. Marwick 1908) 674:
July 29: Item, eiking the soldiers hole door which was burnt throw.Dmf. [1777] J. Mayne Siller Gun (1808) 11:
Nae matter tho' the clout that eeks Is black or blue.Sc. 1841 Tait's Mag. (June) 361:
The same hoddan grey suit was first let down, and then eked in the legs and arms.ne.Sc. 1922 G. Calder in Swatches 68:
An for ae oor I wouldna' care, Tho' clip they here, or eek it there.

4. Of beehives: to extend, enlarge, add further frames to.Lth. 1795 J. Bonner Bee-hives 113:
To save the trouble of eeking the hive.Sc. 1870 A. Pettigrew Handy Bk. of Bees 117:
Hives are enlarged or eked by the use of riddle-rims, or four or five rolls of hives about the same width as the hives raised by them.

†5. Sc. law: to make an addition to some formal statement or document such as a will (Sc. 1890 Bell Dict. Law Scot. 352); esp. in phr. to add and eik, to make such an addition.Sc. 1716 Morison Decisions 12153:
The conclusions insisted on by the pursuer were eiked to the libel.Ags. 1722 MS. Marriage Contract (per Fif.¹):
They oblidge them . . . to Add and Eik other Two thousand merks.Sc. 1818 Scott H. Midlothian xii.:
“Ay; but,” said Saddletree, “that was under protestation to add and eik; and so ye craved leave to amend your libel, and made it thretty.”Ayr. 1822 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage 107:
I, therefore, crave leave to eik, in that belief, twa three words as a kin o' codicil to your joint testimony.Dmf. 1836 A. Cunningham Lord Roldan III. x.:
See and dinna eke a codicil to it as ye did to the laird o' Skipmire's will.

6. With up: of liquids or their containers: to supplement a deficiency, to fill up (m.Lth.¹ 1950).Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xxix.:
Hoosomdever, I cured the kettle by ekin' it up wi' cauld water. [It had been steaming away for a long time.]Edb. 1895 J. Tweeddale Moff iii.:
Now, lads, eke up, and let's drink a guid wife tae the laird.