Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1824, 1894
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HALLACH, n. Also hal(l)yoch. [′hɑləx]
1. The strange gabbling noise heard when one is listening to others speaking in a language unknown to one.Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 252:
Thus a club of Manxmen together are said to haud an unco gabbie labbie o' a hallyoch wi' ither.
2. A guffaw, a noisy outburst (of laughter) (Abd.27 1956).Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond My Man Sandy (1899) xviii.:
Pottie was juist in the middle o' a great hallach o' a lauch, when I grippit him by the collar.
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"Hallach n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 9 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/hallach>
