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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

TICK, n.¹, v. Sc. usages:

I. n. 1. As in Eng., now only dial., a slight pat or tap with the hand or some instrument. The form ticket given by Jam.² in this sense is due to a misunderstanding of Ticket. Specif. in Sc. in the names of various games or amusements: (1) the game of Tig or ‘touch and run' (Abd. 1880 Jam.; Sh. 1972). Also in dim. and deriv. forms tickie-tak, ticky-tack, tick-and-tack (ne.Sc., Ags., Per. 1972), for which cf. Tak, v., Takkie and obs. or dial. Eng. tick and tag, -toy, of various games; (2) comb. tic(k)-tac(k)-to(e), a game played by children in which figures are written down on a slate, the player shuts his eyes and taps on the slate with a piece of slate-pencil to the rhythm of a rhyme and at the conclusion of the rhyme is awarded the score of the figure on which his pencil came to rest (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 193). Also in Eng. dial. and used as a v., to beat out a tune by tapping with the fingers; (3) comb. ticky-molie, the prank of tapping at night with a button on a thread agaist a window-pane to annoy those within. For the form cf. Chickie-mellie and note.(1) Sc. 1884 W. Black Judith Shakespeare iii.:
The children playing tick round the grave-stones.Kcb. 1899 Crockett Anna Mark vi.:
Like children playing ‘tick' about a preaching in the open air.Abd. 1922 G. P. Dunbar Whiff o' Doric 22:
Loons gaithert in boorichs Or played “tickie-tak” in the stue.Abd. 1963 J. C. Milne Poems 101:
To play tick-an'-tack Roon the kirkyaird stanes.(2) Sc. 1886 Stevenson Letters (Colvin 1899) II. 36:
I could tinker and tic-tac-toe on a piece of paper.Kcb. 1899 Crockett Anna Mark xii.:
Playing at quoits, tops, marbles, tic-tac-toe, Jacks, knuckle-bones.(3) Fif. 1899 Proc. Philosoph. Soc. Gsw. XXX. 14:
The long evenings favoured such pranks as ‘Tammy-reekie', ‘Ticky-molie ', and ‘Guisin'.

2. As in Eng., the sound made by the mechanism of a clock. Phr. upon tick, in a state of activity (Abd. 1825 Jam.).

3. A small spot or speck of colour on the skin, a fleck (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.). Also in derivs. ticker, id., a small dot in gen. (Id.), -tickle, id., in comb. Ferntickle, a freckle.

4. A small quantity of anything, a grain, drop, fraction, etc. (Ags. 1962 D. Philips Lichty Nichts 58; n., em., wm.Sc., Kcb., Rxb. 1972), freq. in dim. form tickie; the least bit.Ags. 1890 Brechin Advert. (18 Feb.) 3:
Or maybe a cuppie o' congo Sweetened up wi' a tickie o' ream.Ags. 1896 A. Blair Rantin Robin 82:
I gaed an' got the wee goblet, put in water, a wee knoit butter, an' a tick meal.Ags. 1918 J. Inglis The Laird 9:
A wee tick treacle on the tap.Gsw. 1934 D. Allan Hunger March 93:
Would you like a tick o' baking-soda?Ags. 1961 Forfar Dispatch (10 Aug.):
Add a tickie olive oil.em.Sc.(a) 1992 Sheila Douglas ed. The Sang's the Thing: Voices from Lowland Scotland 195:
So I got set to and I cooked the partridges and whatever else there was to cook and it went up the stair. When the plates came back down again, there was wee tickies o' corn and grass on the side of the plates. I'd forgotten to take the gebbie oot! The partridge's crop.

II. v. 1. To tap lightly, esp. in the game of Tig (Sh., ne.Sc., Ags., Per., Slg., Ayr. 1972). Obs. exc. dial. in Eng.wm.Sc. 1832 Whistle-Binkie 50:
A ghaist frae this warld did tick at their door.

2. As in Eng., of a clock. Phr. tick-at-the-wa', n., a wall-clock. Cf. wag-at-the-wa, id., s.v. Wag.Ork. 1868 D. Gorrie Orkneys 316:
A small table, a “tick-at-the-wa'” clock.