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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

EEMOCK, n. The ant (Knr.¹ 1949; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein). Also emmack; eemach; eemack; eemich; emock; eimok; imo(c)k; immick (Sc. 1880 Jam.⁵; Per. 1902 E.D.D.); emmock (Lth., Rxb. 1825 Jam.²); eemick (Fif., Lth. Wilson); emmick (Per., Fif., Lth., Ib.; Ags.¹⁸ 1947); eemake, -uck, emmic, -ock (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.); and reduplicative form †imaky-amaky (Slk. 1825 Jam.²). See also Emmerteen. [′imɔk, -ʌk, -ek, -ɑx, -ɪç, ′ɛm-]Edb. 1773 R. Fergusson Poems (1925) 59:
He taught auld Tam to hale the dules, And eidant to row right the bowls Like ony emmack.Lnk. c.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 117:
The imock-powder began to operate.Rnf. 1850 A. McGilvray Poems 123:
The odds from emocks up to whales.m.Sc. 1870 J. Nicholson Idylls 33:
A' 'bout trees, an' ferns, an' mosses, Eemocks, eft-stools, birds an' bees.Lnk. 1902 A. Wardrop Hamely Sk. 32:
Does Professor Drummond really . . . think that mothers ance were Eemicks.e.Lth. 1905 J. Lumsden Croonings 40:
The crouds are a' asteer on ilka knowe, An' scour about like eemacks!

Hence applied to persons of diminutive stature; a fairy, “an imp” (Bch. 1916 T.S.D.C. II., eemach; Abd.² 1943).Ags. 1914 I. Bell Country Clash 21:
Mak' it braw firm, for thae little immicks'll think naething o' tearin't doon.Abd. 1922 J. Wight in Swatches 65:
We'll . . . link it ower the green wi' the fairies, the green-cwitet wee eemachs. [Ib. p. 66, eemich.]Sc. 1995 David Purves Hert's Bluid 18:
Lintie an laiverok, whaup an houdie craw,
foumart an eimok, houlet, pickmaw,
mowdiewart an horniegollach, brok an tod anaw;
sum gait, thai'r littil sib til Inglish beiss ava. Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 24:
Frae a hauf-etten hamburger haived doon aneth the sun, Henry saw a phalanx o emmacks merchin wi Spartan virr ben a pathie as straucht's a Roman roadie, aff tae ane o their colonies jist like the reivin Romans thirsels micht hae daen.