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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BUIK, BEUK, Buke, Beuck, n. and v.¹ Sc. forms of St.Eng. book. See also Byeuk. [bjuk Sc.; byk Lth., sm.Sc., s.Sc.; bøk I.Sc., sn.Sc.; bjʌk wm.Sc. See P.L.D. §§ 86, 94]

I. n.

1. A book, in gen. Also dims. bukie, buikie. Also beuky, a nickname for a bookseller. Cf. Clockie, Dancie, etc. and -Ie, suff., 2. Gen.Sc.Sc. 1858 E. B. Ramsay Reminisc. (1862) I. iv.:
Before ye dee, ye should burn a' your wee bukies.Sc. 1991 R. Crombie Saunders in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 29:
The mither looks frae her buik then:
"Nae lass, bot fower hae deed
Sen your faither they hae yirdit
Doun at the graifan-stede." Bnff. 1880 J. F. S. Gordon Chron. of Keith 230:
He denounced a pack of Cards as the “Deevil's Buiks.”ne.Sc. 1996 Claire Murray in Sandy Stronach New Wirds: An Anthology of Winning Poems and Stories from the Doric Writing Competitions of 1994 and 1995 12:
Eence apon a time a deevilock wis lonely an decided tae mak a freen. He thocht he wid like tae hiv a twin o himsel, so he looket up a speel in es beuk o speels; an conjured up a speel. Abd. 1926 P. Giles in Abd. Univ. Review (March) 111:
A cam upon't ae day in a little buikie o' Joseph Robertson's.Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web iv:
I didna learn Doric frae a buikie. I learned it frae ma bluid kin, at kistins, at waddins, at wark an at play, in the howfs an parks an glens o Deeside, Skene an Cromar. Rnf. 1807 R. Tannahill Poems and Songs 129:
I've wander'd out, wi' serious leuk, To read twa page on Nature's beuk.Ayr. 1817 D. McKillop Poems 136:
Grocer Bob, an' beuky H[ill].Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 103:
She, puir body, was haudin' me up to Stair as a perfect sample of industry at the beucks and the coonts.

2. (1) The Bible. In pl. it is used to include also the psalm- and hymn-books. Gen.Sc.Mry.² 1934:
The beadle wiz muntin' the poopit stairs wi' the Buiks.Bnff.(D) 1847 A. Cumming Tales of the North (1896) 61:
He preach'd an' read — Threw by the beuk, an' aff he led.Edb. 1894 P. H. Hunter J. Inwick i.:
He aye markit doun the text and whiles the heids on the side o' his buik.Dmf. 1810 R. H. Cromek Rem. Nithsd. and Gall. Song 21:
The Beuk maun be taen whan the carle comes hame, Wi' the holie psalmodie.

(2) As an extension of above: reading of the Bible, family worship (Bnff.², Abd.², Ags.¹, Lnk.³ 1937). Sometimes in pl.Sc. 1898–1901 W. Watt in R. Ford Vagab. Songs, etc. (1904) 126:
The pedlar ca'd in by the house o' Glenneuk, When the family were by wi' the breakfast and beuk.Mry.² 1930:
Dinna mak a noise, the faimly's at the beuk in the ben-en'.Abd. 1863 G. Macdonald D. Elginbrod I. i.:
Meg! whaur are ye gaein' that get, like a wull shuttle? Come in to the beuk.Ayr. 1822 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage, etc. 62–63:
Our pilgrims . . . were excused, by particular dispensation, from attending upon the “buiks.”w.Dmf. 1903 J. L. Waugh Thornhill vi.:
Keeping the Bible in his oxter he went out to the back door and called down the garden: —. . . “Come in to the beuk, and be damned to ye.”

3. Phrases: (1) at's buik, reading, studying (Bnff.², Abd.¹⁹, Fif.¹⁰, Slg.³, Lnk.³ 1937); (2) far i' the buik, deeply read, learned, clever (Ork., ‡Abd. 1975); (3) to be i' the gudeman's buiks, to be in favour, in a person's good books (Bnff.², Abd.¹⁹, Ags.¹ 1937). Also found in centr.Eng. dial. (E.D.D.); (4) to tak the Buik(s), “to perform family worship” (Sc. 1825 Jam.²; Bnff.², Slg.³, Lnk.³ 1937).(1) Abd. 1879 G. Macdonald Sir Gibbie II. viii.:
Donal sat a little way from the river, reading. “He's aye at 's buik!” said Nicie.(2) Lnk. a.1854 W. Watson Poems (1877) 30:
O Ebie! Ebie! now I see Ye're owre far i' the buik for me.(3) Ags. 1819 A. Balfour Campbell I. xviii.:
For I'm wae to say, that you're no i' the gudeman's buiks yet.(4) Kcb. 1894 S. R. Crockett Raiders xxxiv.:
Tak' the Buik nicht an mornin'.Rxb. 1917 Kelso Chron. (19 Oct.) 2/6:
“Taking the buiks” in these days by the fathers of families is an exercise more honoured in the breach than in the observance.

4. Combs.: (1) buik-buird, beuk-, book-shelf in a pew, pulpit, etc.; (2) beuk-fowk, scholars, learned people; (3) buik-lare, -lear, beuk-lear', learning, education; hence (a) buik-leern't, learned, educated; (b) beuk leernin', education; (4) buikman, a scholar.(1) Edb. 1894 P. H. Hunter J. Inwick ii.:
There he stüde, like a muckle stucky eemage, gruppin at the buik-buird, an' heezin his sel frae the tae leg to the tither.Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 23:
Taking in the situation at a glance, she just raxed owre the beukbuird, and said . . . “Dinna fash your heid.”(2) Abd. 1879 G. Macdonald Sir Gibbie II. v.:
He wad never hae opened his moo' anent it . . . gien it hadna been 'at a wheen pride-prankit beuk-fowk . . . thoucht to bleck the Maister.(3) Sc. 1808 Jam.:
A man, who has never been taught to read, says, “I gat nae buik-lare.”Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto Tammas Bodkin (1868) i.:
Neither to the wisdom o' the philosopher, nor to the beuk-lear' o' the skilfu' scribe.Kcb. 1893 S. R. Crockett Stickit Minister vii.:
He's young an' terrable ram-stam an' opeenionated — fu' o' buik-lear.(a) Abd.(D) 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxx.:
There's fyou o' yer buik-leern't fowk like him.(b) Abd.(D) 1903 W. Watson Auld Lang Syne 90:
He had little “beuk leernin',” and his reading was limited to the People's Journal.(4) Sc. 1912 A.O.W.B. Fables frae the French 38:
A Man, wha cudna read, becam' the heir To an auld Manuscript an' unco rare; He tuik it to a buikman, an' quo' he: “This pairchment may be guid — but no for me.”

II. v. To record the names of a betrothed couple in the books of the session clerk before marriage (Bnff.², Abd.¹⁹, Ags.¹ 1937). See also Book, v.Bnff. 1856 J. Collie Poems and Lyrics 134:
Nae cause then had I to lament, The day that wi' her I was buiket.Ags. 1830 A. Balfour Weeds and Wildflowers 136:
I'm happy to tell your leddyship he's to be buikit, on Saturday, wi' Lizzie Johnstone.

vbl.n. buikin', beukin. (See first quot.) Also used attrib.Abd.(D) 1915 H. Beaton At the Back o' Benachie 39:
The “buikin'” was the giving in of the “cries,” or “banns,” and the “buikin' nicht” was a sort of jollification, as a fore-runner to the marriage celebrations.Fif. 1894 W. D. Latto Tammas Bodkin, Swatches o' Hodden-Grey xxiii.:
Then cam' the Beukin whan ye had to drink a cawker oot o' the Dominie's bottle.