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.
Quotation dates: 1946
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CROCKAN, Croakan, n. A piece of food which has been shrivelled and burnt in cooking. Also applied to a shrunken person. [kro:kən]Cai. 1946 (per Cai.9):
That loaf's as hard (or dry) as a croakan.Cai. 1946 (per Cai.9):
He is like a wizened auld croakan.
Phr.: as black as a crockan, very black, dirty (Cai. 1911 D.D. in John o' Groat Jnl. (17 Feb.)).
[Etym. obscure. Cf. Gael. croganach, shrivelled up. The word, however, may be a met. form of Gael. corcan, a little cork.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Crockan n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/crockan>
