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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

ILK, adj.¹, n.

I. adj. Same, esp. that ilk, the very same (person, place or thing just mentioned). Arch.Rxb. 1821 A. Scott Poems 83:
The cap he wore was crimson red, And of that ilk his morning gown.Sc. 1862 G. Henderson St Matthew xxv. 16:
He wha had gotten the five talents gaed, an' coft an' trocked wi' that ilk.Bnff. 1880 J. F. S. Gordon Chrons. Keith 144:
The young Laird of Glengerrack . . . engaged the fellow, and the sword of that ilk had again freed the country from another of those pests.Lnk. 1897 J. Wright Scenes Sc. Life 42:
The Boyds of Greenend, miners of that ilk.

Freq. in phr. of that ilk, of the same (name), e.g. as Houstoun of that ilk = Houstoun of Houstoun, Grant of that ilk = Grant of Grant, chiefly employed after the surname to distinguish the senior from cadet branches of landed families (see 1935 quot.). Gen.Sc., but now arch.Fif. 1710 R. Sibbald Fif. & Knr. 131:
The Family of Anstruther of that ilk is very Antient.Ayr. 1726 Burgh Rec. Prestwick (1834) 88:
William Fullartoun of that ilk . . . admitted burgess of this burgh.Sc. 1772 Weekly Mag. (3 Sept.) 320:
S. Dame Elizabeth Cleland, Lady of Sir William Johnston of that ilk, Bart.Sc. 1816 Scott B. Dwarf ii.:
Young Earnscliff, “of that ilk”, had lately come of age, and succeeded to a moderate fortune.Hdg. 1845 Stat. Acc.² II. 109:
The manor of Salton . . . appears to have been possessed by William de Abernethy, son of Sir Patrick Abernethy of that ilk.Sc. 1935 Scots Mag. (March) 405:
Lairds were designated by their Christian names and the title of their lands, which last usually became the family surname, but since Scots Law required that every landowner be designated by his fief, when surnames became usual, cadets added the name of their estates to the family surname derived from the chief's estate, while the chief himself simply repeated the fief name which had also become his patronymic, and thus the title dominus ejusdem, or “of that ilk,” came to indicate the head of a family. . . . He who was “Maclachlan” at home became “Maclachlan of that ilk” on formal occasions and in public assemblies, and this practice was recognised in Crown charters so early as 1529. The words “of that ilk” are in practice restricted to the chief and his heir, wives and daughters being designated as “Mrs Macfarlane of Macfarlane” or “Miss Dundas of Dundas.”Sc. 2000 Herald 26 Sep 20:
Anthony Nesbitt of that Ilk, BA, CA, FSAScot, clan chief; born July 14, 1935, died September 2000 Sc. 2002 Press and Journal 3 Jul 3:
Both sponsored events were aimed at raising funds for the Macmillan Cancer Relief charity, founded by Douglas of that ilk in 1912. Sc. 2002 Press and Journal 28 Sep 5:
The Clan Arthur traces its roots back centuries to the Loch Awe area. Mr MacArthur had been clan commander for 10 years but having proved his genealogical claim to the chieftainship he now gains the hereditary title; James Edward Moir MacArthur of that Ilk, finally ennobling the Clan Arthur.

Hence by extension = of the landed gentry.Sc. 1724 Ramsay Gentle Shep. ii. iii.:
But change thy Plaiding-Coat for Silk, And be a Lady of that Ilk.Sc. 1820 Scott Monastery iv.:
Because she was the wife of a cock-laird, she thinks herself grander, I trow, than the bowerwoman of a lady of that ilk!

II. n. From the phr. of that ilk above, ilk came to be thought of as a n. and hence by extension to mean family, race, quality, sort, kind. This erroneous meaning is now occas. found in Eng.Ayr. 1790 J. Fisher Poems 155:
Ilk ane a cap an' cloak o' silk Has got, as if she was a lady, An' that indeed, o' nae sma' ilk.Gsw. 1863 W. Miller Nursery Songs 12:
Auld baudrons sae gaucy, and Tam o' that ilk Would fain ha'e a drap o' my wee laddie's milk.Kcb. 1898 T. Murray Frae the Heather 207:
Sing oor hunter's name wha's gane, Ane o' that ilk was he.Abd. 1926 L. Moon Drumorty 104:
The Fraser men were a godless ilk that would rather tend broth than praise the Lord.