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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Tak, n.² Also: tack(e, take, teik. [17th c. Eng. take (1654); Ta(k v.¹]

1. A catch or haul (of fish), an episode or occasion of catching (fish). Cf. Drave n.²(a) 1531 Bell. Boece I xxxiii.
Quhare … wes gret plente and tak of herying c1575 Balfour Pract. 82.
The king … sould have of everie boat that passis to the draive and slayis hering, ane thousand hering of ilk tak that haldis, viz. of the Lambmas tak, of the winter tak, and of the Lentroun tak ?1549 Monro W. Isles (1961) 61.
Loch Leafan, gude tak of hering in it ?1549 Monro W. Isles (1961) 68.
Within this ile thair is gude tak of salmond fische upon five principall wateris … In this ile thair is ane fresh water loch quhairupon thair is slane salmond and kipper 1596 Dalr. I 40/27.
In ony place quhair a tak of herring is 1611 Conv. Burghs II 316.
[Licence granted to the inhabitants of Musselburgh] to resort to the tak of hering, salmond or quhytt fische in all the pairtis of the realme and thair to pak and peill the samyne 1621 Conv. Burghs III 121.
That na fishers at the said tak sall mix peillit hering with pakkit hering 1629 Reg. Privy C. 2 Ser. III 18.
In the middes of the waters where the tacke of thair fishes wes most plentifull and usuall 1666-74 Fraser Polichron. 222.
That in Lochurn there was never such a tack of herring seen, so good, so great, and such plenty 1666-74 Fraser Polichron. 494.
This rich tack and shoal of heareing continued … till March 1686 Short Accoumpt Earl Argyls Invasion 1685 26.
It pleased God to send a tack of sea-fishes in some parts of the shyre(b) 1628 Ritchie Ch. S. Baldred 214.
The twentie of August … verie windie … The draife removing: ane great take befor

b. The capture (of a bird of prey). 1626 Kirkwall Sheriff Ct. Act Bk. 12.
Quhatsomever persone … sall slay the erne or eagl sall have of the bailȝe … viij d. for everie teik within the parochine

2. a. Exaction (of a gift). b. Receipt (of goods); the (quantity of) goods received; ? an instance of receiving or taking (goods).Some aspects of Rothesay B. Rec. quot. remain obscure.a., b. 1489 Acts (1566) c. 35.
Certane gentilmen hes vsit to tak caupis of the quhilk tak thair, and exactioun thairof, our souerane lord … knew na … resonabill cause 1535–6 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 160.
I hard Voll Ellot say to Sande that he suld pay hyme for the half el of braid broun that is in your vyffis goun, quhilk I sal preif with Jhone Andersone tailyeour that ye bad tak of that half ell 1647 Edinb. Test. LXIII 196.
Twa tacks of lining cloaths estimat to xxx s. 1659 Rothesay B. Rec. 34.
Johnne Campbell tuik instruments … quheras Allister M^cConochy haid licenciatt him to tak anything belongit to him out of the said Allexanders house … Johne Campbell … gave in his defenses in maner following, first acknowledget a take quhilk is the ground of the cleame who protestit be his answer a double of the take that he micht ansuer thairto particularly, quhilk the judges admittis and to that effect ordaynes the clerk to give him the double of the tak upon reasonabill chairges and payment assignes to him the nixt court day being this day eight dayis to answer