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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.

DOOK, n.², v.². Also variant duck and misreading doub.

I. n.

1. A wooden peg driven into a wall to hold a nail. Gen.Sc.n.Sc. 1939 N. M. Gunn Wild Geese 82:
An apprentice . . . began a bit of trapeze work that burst a rotten dook [in the scaffolding round a house].Ags.⁶ 1916:
Scottish architects use the term dook to mean the wooden plug in the wall to which the boards are fixed, on which again the laths are placed.Edb. 1705 Foulis Acct. Bk. (S.H.S.) 369:
To the wrights for putting doubs in the wall to set up the knock.e.Lth. c.1733 in P. H. Waddell Old Kirk Chron. (1893) 28:
For 3 oak dooks put into the kirk wall for supporting the Communion Table, the old ones being quite consum'd.

2. The bung of a cask (Mry.¹ 1925; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 222; Bnff.² 1940), the plug of a boat.Bnff. 1847 A. Cumming Tales (1896) 79:
Under pretence of taking up his oar, he . . . slips out the dook or plug from her bottom.

3. Comb.: dook hole, (1) a hole cut in a wall to receive a dook or peg (Bnff.², Abd.⁹, Ags.¹⁷, Kcb.¹⁰ 1940); (2) the plug hole of a cask (Bnff.⁹ c.1927; Kcb.¹ 1940) or boat (Cai. 1916 T.S.D.C. II.; Cai.⁷ 1940).(1) Sc. 1935 Scotsman (19 Jan.) 11:
In the wall in the south transept, about six feet from the ground, a small hole was noticed in a stone. It seemed at first to be a dook hole, like several other holes.

4. A plumber's turnpin, used for enlarging the mouth of a lead pipe (Fif. 1956).

II. v.

1. To cut the dook holes (in a wall). Gen.Sc. Hence dooking iron, the tool used to cut the dook holes.Gsw. 1754 Burgh Rec. Gsw. (1911) 399:
Rachling and ducking to the wrights.

2. “To erect or fix up (a shelf) by means of ‘dooks'” (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Kcb.¹⁰ 1940).

3. To bung a cask (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 222; Bnff.² 1940). Also dook-hole, id. (Bnff.⁹ c.1927).