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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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HODDEN, n. Also hod(d)in, †hoding, ¶hoden (Edb. 1821 W. Liddle Poems 213), hoddan (Sc. 1841 Tait's Mag. (June) 361); †huddin(g), †hudden (Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems 213), huddem; hidden (Dmf. 1891 J. Brown Hist. Sanquhar 328); †howden (Edb. 1851 A. MacLagan Sketches 144). [′hɔd(ə)n]

1. Coarse homespun, undyed woollen cloth, of a greyish colour, due to a mixture of white and black wool. Gen.Sc. Also used attrib. and fig. = rustic, homely (Sc. 1911 S.D.D.; Fif. 1957).Bnff. 1706 Sc. N. & Q. (Ser. 2) II. 75:
Ten pair of hudding plaid wherof two old plaieds.Sc. 1726 Ramsay T.-T. Misc. (1876) I. 176:
The rost was teugh as raploch hodin, With which they feasted Jenny and Jock.Edb. 1773 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 186:
Wi' new kam'd wig, weel syndet face, Silk hose, for hamely hodin?Ags. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ IV. 242:
Hodden, which is mostly used for herds cloaks, and is sold at 1s. 8d. the yard; plaiding, etc.Rxb. 1811 A. Scott Poems 10:
What tho' hard poverty's your lot, To work out bye in hodden coat.Sc. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. III. i. vi.:
The hodden or russet individuals are Uncustomary.Gsw. 1877 A. G. Murdoch Laird's Lykewake 23:
Ere I had cuist my hodden coat, . . . A tremblin' hand, wi' waefa touch, was on my shouthers laid.ne.Sc. 1884 D. Grant Lays 38:
Claid was he in honest hodden, Woven in his ain true leem.Sc. 1907 D. Macalister Echoes 27:
Hap me in my hodden goon, An' my tartan plaidie.Fif. 1985 Hamish Brown in Joy Hendry Chapman 40 50:
Clothe me with hodden solitude,
Step me, peace-shod, to the west. Sc. 1991 Roderick Watson in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 106:
It's passed, it's passed, an I'm hodden
Here wi my wits an my senses gane,
Trauchled, sair, an soure as a rodden,

Combs.: (1) hodden-clad, dressed in home-spun; (2) hodden gray, (a) homespun woollen cloth of the natural undyed colour. Gen.Sc. Freq. used attrib. and fig. to describe one dressed in simple rustic fashion, or a homely unaffected individual; (b) with def. art.: used as a nickname for the London Scottish Regiment which orig. wore tunics and kilts of this colour. See 1925 quot. under (a).(1) Fif. 1812 W. Tennant Anster Fair ii. xx.:
Tenant and laird, and hedger hodden-clad.(2) (a) Sc. 1705 Dialogue between a Country-Man and a Landwart School-Master 6:
A few Websters to Work our Plaiding and Hoding Gray.Sc. 1725 Ramsay Gentle Shep. v. ii.:
But Meg, poor Meg! maun with the Shepherd stay, And tak what God will send, in Hodden-gray.Abd. 1749 Aberdeen Jnl. (26 Dec.):
He had on when he made his Escape a Hudden-grey Vest, no Coat, and a blue Bonnet.Ayr. 1795 Burns A Man's a Man ii.:
What though on hamely fare we dine, Wear hoddin grey, an' a' that?Rxb. 1825 R. Wilson Hist. Hawick 268:
The blunked blue or hoddin gray, which the outer garments of our forefathers displayed.Rnf. 1835 D. Webster Rhymes 141:
Droll Will Dunbar was a rhymer they say, Whas hurdies were happit wi' gude howden grey.Kcb. 1893 Crockett Stickit Minister 134:
A plain man was John Smith of Arkland — as plain and hodden grey as his name.Per. 1910 W. Blair Kildermoch 112:
Whatever relevance the poet's words had to a rough hodden-grey shepherd.Sc. 1925 J. H. Lindsay London Scottish 4:
[Lord Elcho] clothed his Battalion in hodden grey, relieved however by facings of royal blue.(b) Sc. 1929 Aberdeen Press & Jnl. (27 July):
The Mackintosh extended traditional Highland hospitality to the men of the “Hodden Gray”.Sc. 1950 Scots Mag. (July) 315:
St Columba's [Church in London] is the spiritual home of the Hodden Grey.

†2. A coarse homespun woollen blanket; stockings worn by children (Per. 1825 Jam.).n.Sc. 1828 P. Buchan Ballads II. 107:
And make us a bed o' green rashes, And covert wi' huddins sae grey.