Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1852-1957
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0]
HICK, n.1, v.1 Also hic and dim. or freq. form hicker. Cf. Hix. [hɪk]
I. n. A hiccup, the act of hiccuping (Ags., Per. 1825 Jam.; Abd., Ags. 1957).Per. 1893 R. Ford Harp Per. 319:
Jamie began, wi' a “hic” an' a stan', Like ony whase heart's ower fu'.Fif. 1929 A. Taylor Bitter Bread 126:
Ye'd think a man that had lost a leg wi'oot a murmur wad never mak' sic a stramash aboot a hicker in his thrapple.
II. v. 1. To hiccup (Ags., Per. 1825 Jam.; Abd., Ags. 1957).Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 20:
A hickeet an tuik the rewe, for the . . . look o'd wad heh gien a body the scunners.Fif. 1957:
To hick on it — to have one's gorge rise, on a last mouthful when one has eaten too much already.
2. To catch the breath and make a hiccuping sound preparatory to bursting into tears, to sob noisily (s.Sc. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.); to grieve (†Rxb. Ib.). Also in n.Eng. dial.Clc. 1852 G. P. Boyd Misc. Poems 25:
Cheer up, my sweet auld-farrant dearies, Near hick tho' your heads cast their hairies.
