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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 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

DOCTOR, n. and v. Also doactor, doactir. Sc. forms and usages of Eng. doctor.

Sc. forms:m.Sc. 1994 Martin Bowman and Bill Findlay Forever Yours, Marie-Lou 36:
And what had the doactir tellt him? The selfsame thing he's tellt you: no drink!Gsw. 1990s:
'When are ye sittin, doactor.'

Sc. usages:

I. n.

†1. An assistant-master in a school. Cf. rare Eng. doctor, a teacher or instructor.Sc. 1730 T. Boston Memoirs (1852) 13:
The school-doctor's son having, in his childish folly, put a pipe-stopple in each of his nostrils.Bnff. 1714 in Rec. Bnff. (N.S.C. 1922) 296:
Objections to the appointment of Patrick Morrison, late doctor in the school of Banff as Burgh Schoolmaster, because he is not a graduat.Fif. 1704 in E. Henderson Ann. Dunfermline (1879) 375:
The Counsell unanimously elected Mr Thomas Anderson to be doctor of the grammar school.Edb. 1708 J. Chamberlayne Present State Gt. Britain ii. Bk. iii. 745:
The Queen's School in Edinburgh. Master. Doctors or Ushers. Writing-Master.Ayr. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ VII. 179:
Before our connection with America was dissolved, many young men from that country and the West Indies were sent here for their education. Mr Cunningham, who was then rector, and had always a doctor under him, had frequently from 20 to 26 boarders in his house.

2. “The red-tailed bumble-bee” (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Rxb.⁵ 1940).

3. (1) “A black insect with red streaks, which boys pick up and place upon the hand or arm, saying: ‘Doctor, doctor, draw bluid, or else A'll kill ee.' It is regarded as so doing, or as dropping red serum upon the hand” (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.); also called doctor draw-bluid (Ib.); (2) a ladybird, “supposed to cure cuts when placed on them” (Ags.¹⁹ 1948), also doctor Ellison (Ags.¹⁷ 1940). Doctor is applied to the cleg or horse-fly in n.Eng. dial. (2) n.Sc. 1808 Jam. s.v. Landers:
In the North of S[cotland] there is a third rhyme, which dignifies the insect with the title of Dr. Ellison. Dr. Dr. Ellison, when will I be married? East, or west, or south or north? Take ye flight, and fly away.

4. A large minnow (Fif. 1950 (per Abd.²⁷); Edb.⁵ 1940), the red-breasted minnow (Ayr.⁹ 1949). In e.Dur. the term is applied to a stickleback.Sc. c.1860 J. B. Hunter in Scotsman (13 Sept. 1910):
“Fishin' for doctors” Fishing for minnows with big bellies.Fif. 1985 Christopher Rush A Twelvemonth and a Day 68:
The females... , showing me their distended bellies full of eggs about to spawn. Always they died during the night, and if we came down early in the morning we found them lying lifeless for lack of oxygen in the water, their big upturned bellies like floating graveyards under the sky. But the males, called 'doctors', with their red fronts, usually survived, so we took them home to be kept in jars of fresh water in the house, often for many months, and always outliving my tadpoles.

5. The white skate, Raja alba (Abd. 1880–84 F. Day Fishes II. 340).

II. v. To do for, finish off (Sh.¹⁰ 1948; Lnk.¹¹ 1940); “to kill” (Cld. 1825 Jam.²). Also in Eng. dial.Ayr.⁴ 1928:
When two boys had a fight one would say of the winner, “He fairly doctored Jock this time.”