Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
PEDLAR'S DROUTH, n.comb. A jocular term for hunger, desire for food, prob. from the pedlar's custom of asking the housewife for a drink of water in the hope that something more solid will accompany it. Cf. packman's drouth s.v. Pack.Bwk. 1856 G. Henderson Pop. Rhymes 45:
When folks have the “pedlars drouth”, that is, hunger, they are likely to eat more than they drink.
