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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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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.

DROUK, DROOK, v., n. Also druke, †druck, †drouck, †drowk. [druk]

1. v. Gen. found in ppl.adj. or vbl.n.

(1) tr. To drench, to soak, to wet thoroughly; “to wet or steep meal or bran in hot water” (n.Ant. 1924 North. Whig (14 Jan.)); to make (tea). Gen.Sc. Also in n.Eng. dial. Also freq. drookle (Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.; Sh.¹⁰ 1950; Bnff.² 1940; Fif.¹⁶ 1950).Sc. 1816 Scott Antiquary vi.:
Marching in terribly drouket, an mony a sair hoast was amang them.Sc. 1823 J. G. Lockhart Reg. Dalton I. 243:
Ellen, when she came ashore, was as druckit as a water-wagtail.Ork. 1920 J. Firth Reminisc. (1922) 57:
Girls often came home from a feet-washing “fairly drooked”, but a wetting like this was never regretted by the one who secured the ring.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 37:
Ayont the pool, I spy'd the lad that fell; Drouket an' looking unko ourlach like.Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 3:
... an kent them as friens an neebors throw blin-drift, birsslin het an the on-ding o drookin thunnerplowts, frae bairn tae halflin, tae bodach an back again. m.Sc. 1982 Douglas MacLagan in Hamish Brown Poems of the Scottish Hills 160:
For they were drookit to the skin m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 39:
Eftir yon wearie daurg frae burn tae heidrigg
cowpin the furrs owre in the droukin rain, em.Sc. 2000 James Robertson The Fanatic 298:
She doesn't wait for an answer. She marches on inside. A few moments later droukit Hugh and dry Weir hear a door slamming and a loud peal of female laughter. w.Lth. 2000 Davie Kerr A Puckle Poems 19:
Drookit miners at lowsin, whan hame fae the mine,
Suin stripp't aff thir pee-wee's, ti a scrub in the bine.Edb. 1844 J. Ballantine Miller vi.:
The jaded coal horses, scranky an' lean, Are a' droukit through wi' the cauld raw sleet.wm.Sc. 1980 Anna Blair The Rowan on the Ridge 39:
"Och I'm no' drooked. I jist didnae see it comin'" she told him. Gsw. 1999 Anne Donovan in Moira Burgess and Donny O'Rourke New Writing Scotland 17: Friends and Kangaroos 40:
Ah didnae want tae go hame but ah couldny think of where else tae go so ah wandered roon the streets, getting mair and mair droukit,... Rnf. 1788 E. Picken Poems 50:
Or, whan we're drowket to the skin, An' hae some clink at will.Ayr. 1792 Burns Weary Pund o' Tow ii.:
And ay she took the tither souk To drouk the stourie tow.Kcb. 1896 A. J. Armstrong Kirkiebrae ii., xxxii.:
I'll drook the tea, an' hae a cup. . . . The tea was drook'd, and a rare brew it was.Slk. 1991 Harvey Holton in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 132:
Heich owre hazel-shaw, owre hedder oo hechle
sweit staunan sterk oan body an brou,
drookit by drizzle frae alien airts
oo schauchle tae shelter tae pick at oor piece. Uls. 1910 C. C. Russell Ulster 41:
A day to entice you to go out, and when you are well away without your umbrella, to send you home “drukin',” or “druket.”

Hence drooky, drookety, wet, damp (Slg.³ 1940; Ags. 2000s).Sc. 1992 Herald 7 Dec 8:
We ate this wondrous repast this evening after a drookety day out skip-raiding and it was a deeply bonding experience, I can assure you.Kcb. 1896 S. R. Crockett Grey Man xiv.:
The promise of oncoming foul weather was in the feel of the raw, drooky air. No sooner was it dark than a smurr of rain began to fall.

(2) intr. To drip with moisture (Slg.³ 1940). Also in Yks. dial.Gall. c.1870 Bards of Gall. (ed. M. Harper 1889) 162:
. . . the wee bashfu' flowers Hung a' droukin' wi' dew, 'neath the willows' green bowers.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.:
Ee're duist fair drookin' (wi' wat).

(3) Ppl.adj. in comb. drookit (drookled) stour, mud (Abd.⁴ 1928, drookled-; Ags.¹⁷ 1940).Sc. 1923 R. MacRailt Hoolachan 28:
Weel, just to mak' it plainer to your understanding, glaur, whilk is identical wi' glaupit clart, is just, as ony bairn wad ken, drookit stour.

2. n. A drenching; a soaking state (Cld. 1825 Jam.²; Ags., Fif. 1950), esp. in phr. in a drouck o' swaet, in a bath of perspiration, in a lather of sweat.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 28:
He lay an ferkied wi' hid a peerie while i' the kirk-yaird, till he wus i' a drouck o' swaet.