Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 2005 (SND, online supplement).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
JAKEY, n. [Perh. f. jaikie, a jackdaw (see jack n.1 4.) or see 1988 quot.] A down-and-out, a tramp (Edb., Gsw. 2000s).Gsw. 1988 Michael Munro The Patter Another Blast 36-37:
jakey A slang word for a down-and-out, especially one who obviously drinks lots of jake [methylated spirits]. 'This aul jakey comes up and bites ma ear fur the price o a cup a tea.'s.Sc. 1991:
A Jakey is a tramp or scruffy personSc. 1996 Scotsman (2 Dec) 13:
It used to be that pedestrians would jump at the chance to inveigle any charged situation, between jakeys or drunks, out of malice or concern.Sc. 1998 The List (23 Jan - 5 Feb) 21:
At the other end of the evolutionary scale are the jakeys' drinking dens where they serve Buckie on optics and you can get stabbed for owning more than one pair of shoes.Gsw. 2002 Herald (8 Aug) 14:
Reader David Walker of Kilmacolm ... recalls the story of Glasgow's city fathers decreeing that there should be no drinking in public places, much to the chagrin of the jakeys in Kelvingrove Park.Sc. 2003 Sunday Mail (13) Apr 25:
So, he might sing like an addled jakey at times but, at 67, there's something truly inspiring about his joyous stage presence.Gsw. 2004 Daily Record (1 Sep) 3:
That's according to a Maryhill jakey I bumped into a few years ago who claimed he'd put in the 'research' during a 20-year spell busking around the globe.
