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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CLATCH, Klatch, Clotch, v.¹ Also clach.

1. intr. To move, gen. amongst wet or mud, with a splashing, squelching sound (Abd.², Lnk.³ 1937; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., see quot. s.v. Clarty, adj.); to flap (of wet clothes); to slip up and down at heel (of boots) (Ork. 1929 Marw., klatch).Gall. 1923 Gallov. Annual 31:
He warroch'd oot, tho' haflins drooned, His claithes aboot him clatchin.

2. tr.

(1) With up: (a) to fill or stop up with any adhesive substance (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Kcb.⁹ 1937); (b) to throw up, build, in a careless, clumsy manner (Ags.¹, Lnk.³ 1937).(a) Gsw. 1744 Burgh Rec. Gsw. (1911) 179: 
Any mendings that has been is altogether insufficient and boutched work, clatched up and broken pieces of glass instead of whole lozens.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.:
Clatchin' up a wasp-bike hole wi' glaur.(b) Sc. 1808 Jam.:
A house or wall is said to be clatched up when the workmen do it in such haste, and so carelessly, that there is little prospect of its standing long.Kcb. 1937 (per Kcb.⁹):
It's jist clatched-up ony wey.

(2) With doon: to dump.Sh.(D) 1922 J. Inkster Mansie's Röd 16:
I took me grain o' tae, an' öt da bread wi' da corne o' marjereen, 'at Girzzie clatched doon.

(3) “To besmear with mud” (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 136), “to daub with lime” (Sc. 1808 Jam.); to spread thickly, to plaster. Often followed by such preps. as on and ower.Sh.(D) 1919 T. Manson Humours Peat Comm. II. 188:
An don't clatch on da butter half a inch tick; juist a scrape.Sh. 1926–28 J. G. Lowrie on Mort Caalds an' Silage in Shet. Times:
Da man haands him a caird aa clatched ower wi stamps.Bnff.² 1937:
Sic a sicht o' a job! Ye wid think he had just clotched on the hail wi' a spaad.

(4) To slake (lime), to make a mortar out of lime. Sc. 1752 Caled. Mercury (6 April): 
Lime in Shells, is to be sold at Cousland for 9d per Boll. A Boll of Lime shells will yield two and a half Bags of clach'd Lime.