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.
DEBOSH, Debush, v., n., adj. Sc. forms of Eng. debauch. [də′bɔʃ]
1. v. In Eng. senses found only in ppl.adj. (Sc. 1828 Scott F. M. Perth iv., deboshed; Bnff.2, Abd.2, Fif.10 (deboshed) 1940; Slg.3 c.1900; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 165, debushed). Also found in intr. (orig. refl.) sense of “to indulge one's self in the use of any thing to excess; as tea, snuff, etc.” (Sc. 1825 Jam.2, debosh); gen. used with wi(th) (Ib.) or upon (Abd. Ib., debush); obs. In this sense debauch has been obs. in Eng. since early 18th cent.Abd. 1731 in Sc. N. and Q. (Jan. 1935) 12:
I would much sooner send him to the plantations . . . then . . . keep about me a meenspirited deboshed Duruken beast of a son.
2. n.
(1) = Eng. debauch, (a bout of) excessive indulgence (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 37; Bnff.2 1940; Abd. 1825 Jam.2).Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch (1839) xv.:
I have been at the expense of a cart-hire and a horse's up-putting, let alone Tammie's debosh and my own.
‡(2) “Extravagance; waste” (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 37).Abd. 1949 Huntly Express (25 Feb.):
The writer's parents would have called such land extravagance “a real debush.”
†(3) A person who is intemperate in any way (Abd. 1825 Jam.2), a debauchee. Obs. in Eng., last quot. in N.E.D. 1719.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 37:
He's naething bit a debosh wee smokan; the cutty's niver oot o's cheek.
3. adj. Drunk (Mry.1 1925, debosh).
[Debosh(ed) and debaushed are found in Eng. as early forms (16th and 17th cent.) of debauch(ed), but deboshed became obs. in Eng. before the middle of 17th cent.; it was revived by Scott and was frequent in literary Eng. of 19th cent. with a somewhat vaguer sense than debauched.]
