Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1882-1916
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TRATE, n. Also tre(i)t (Cai.). Orig. an ointment spread on cloth, now specif. the cloth itself, specif. a strip of linen or cotton, dipped in a mixture of beeswax, etc., and lard or mutton fat and used as a dressing for sores or boils (Kcd. 1921 T.S.D.C.; Cai., Fif. 1958), also in comb. trate-claith. [tret]Fif. 1882 S. Tytler Sc. Marriages III. ix.:
A bit 'trate-claith' (a mysterious Scotch preparation of calico, beeswax and lard, applied as a sovereign remedy for every description of hurt).Cai. 1916 John o' Groat Jnl. (7 April):
Sometimes the "croytal" or yellow growth on old dykes was boiled in "rynded fat," then strained; old cotton rags were put in the mixture, and bits of this known as "treits" were applied to sores of all kinds.