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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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

CHOOKIE, Chookay, n.

1. A m.Sc. variant of chuckie (see Chuck, n.¹), a chicken, known to Fif.¹, Slg.³, Edb.¹, Arg.¹, Kcb.¹ 1940. J. Wilson in Dials. centr. Scot. (1926) gives chookay for Lth.Sc. 1985 Elizabeth Case in Julie Milton Original Prints 45:
"Ah well, who's for a bit of chookie birdie then?" he said brandishing the carving knife. m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 90:
For aw his yirdin-claes the craw ye'll see
hes aye a braisant skinkle in his ee.
Struntin aboot the ferm on laither legs
in ilka seck an trouch an kist he'll pree,
then lowp thro boles tae lift the chookie's eggs.Ayr. 1913 J. Service Memorables R. Cummell 24:
They leeved on milk and meal wi' whyles a fat chookie boiled in their kail.Gall. 1930 (per Wgt.³):
I'm surpris't ye couldna tell the deil frae a wheen chookies.Kcb. 1911 G. M. Gordon Auld Clay Biggin', etc. (1913) 5:
They cud rear chookies an' jukes tae sell til the merchants.

2. (1) a bird (chookie Bnff., Edb., Ayr., Dmf., Rxb.; chookie burdie Bnff., Gsw., Ayr., Dmf., Rxb. 2000s). Sc. 1997 Herald 15 Mar 39:
These esoteric good tidings come to us in the annual report of Mr John "the bird" Chester, the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Warden on the island for the past 13 years. This is a man who knows Eigg like no other, having surveyed every square inch of it in a ceaseless quest to observe and record the life and times of thousands of wee chookie birdies who call the place home.Sc. 1998 Herald 18 Jun 16:
In one corner of the exhibition room a large cardboard cutout of a Greak Auk stands, flipper on hip, clutching a wineglass. It depicts artist and poet Sydney Goodsir Smith. "Save the Auk" it says. Chapman is no threatened chookie.w.Lth. 1989 Jinkin and Joukin: West Lothian children's games and rhymes past and present 9:
Chookie, chookie burdie, tow-lo-lol
Laid an egg on the windae sole
The windae sole began tae crack
An chookie, chookie burdie roared and grat.Dmb. 1990:
Wee chookie-burdies.Gsw. 1987 James Kelman Greyhound for Breakfast (1988) 5:
There was a bird whistling in a tree nearby. ... What was it looking for? It was looking for a mate. A wee female. A wee chookie.Gsw. 1988 Alistair Fyfe in Joy Hendry Chapman 54 30:
Jiss sat therr churpin.
Wee chooky burd.
An see thirza bell innitreeGsw. 1994 Herald 2 Jun 12:
The BBC's series of short natural history programmes, following the progress of sundry wee chookie burdies in nests all over the West of England, has provided some harrowing viewing.

(2) an attractive young woman (Ayr. 2000s).Edb. 1991:
Before ye ken it they laddies'll be gettin oaf wi wee chookie burdies at the dancin.