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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

PUDDIN, n. Also pudden. Reduced form pud. Sc. forms and usages of Eng. pudding (Sc. 1706 Just Reflections on a Nonsensical Pasquil 7). [′pʌd(ɪ)n]

1. A type of sausage made from the stomach or entrails of a pig, sheep or similar animal stuffed with various mixtures of oatmeal, onions, suet, seasoning, blood, etc., and boiled and stored for future use. Gen.Sc. Obs. in Eng. exc. dial. Deriv. puddeny, adj., having the appearance of a pudding, fat, stuffed-looking, “puddingy” (ne. and em. Sc.(a), Lnk., Dmf. 1966).Sc. 1776 D. Herd Sc. Songs II. 160:
Our goodwife got puddings to make, And she's boiled them in the pan.e.Lth. a.1801 R. Gall Poems (1819) 66:
The puddings, bairns, are just in season — They're newly made.n.Sc. 1828 P. Buchan Ballads I. 261:
Whan the puds were sodden And weel hung up to dry.Sc. 1832 A. Henderson Proverbs 110:
Everything has an end, and a pudding has twa.Ags. 1858 People's Jnl. (10 April) 2:
Hame I cam', burstin like a puddin'.Fif. 1933 J. Ressich Thir Braw Days 27:
“Puddeny Willie” they ca'ed him, he wis that terrible fat.

Combs. and phrs.: (1) black puddin, a savoury type of sausage made of oatmeal or flour, suet, seasoning and blood, gen. that of a pig. Gen.Sc. See also (2), (3) and (19) below; (2) blood puddin, (i) = (1) above (Sc. 1837 M. Dods Manual 480); (ii) in form bloody puddin, bleedy — (Cai.), a nickname for an inhabitant of Stromness in Orkney (Ork. 1903 County Folk-Lore III. 266; Ork., Cai. 1966); (3) mealie puddin, an oatmeal sausage similar in type to (1) above but with more fat in it and without the addition of blood. Gen.Sc. See Jimmie, Mealie, and cf. (1), (2) and (19); (4) pock-puddin, see Pock, n.², 2. (7) (ii) and (14) below; (5) puddins an' wort, an exclamation of contempt or disbelief, “stuff and nonsense!” (ne.Sc. 1930; Kcb. 1966); (6) puddin-bree, -broo, the water in which a pudding has been boiled (Ork., Abd., Per., Kcb. 1966); (7) puddin fair, see quot.; (8) pudding-houghed, adj., of persons: having a shapeless leg with no variation in width from thigh to ankle (Uls. 1930; Abd. 1966). Cf. (9) below; (9) pudding-leg(gie), a shapeless leg. Cf. (8) above; (10) puddin-link, used attrib. of a chain: ? having the links joined end to end like puddings in a string, and hence not interlocking; (11) puddin-lug, the projecting ends of a pudding, also as an exclamation of impatience, sc. something of no importance (Abd. 1966); an ear which has swollen as the result of a blow, a “thick ear” (wm.Sc. 1966); (12) puddin-market, a child's word for the stomach, the “tummie” (Ork., Kcd., Ags. 1966). Cf. Painch; (13) puddin pin, a wooden skewer used to secure the end of a pudding. Cf. (15); (14) puddin-pock, a scornful or abusive term for an Englishman from his reputed fondness for eatables, a reversed variant of pock-puddin, id., s.v. Pock, n.², 2. (7) (ii); (15) puddin-prick, = (13) above; (16) puddin school, a nickname for a college of domestic science (Edb. 1975); (17) to carry puddins to Tranent, “to carry coals to Newcastle”, Tranent being well known in the 18th c. for its butcher market and manufacture of puddings. See P. McNeill Tranent (1883) 220, 235; (18) to haud (keep) the puddin boilin (het, reekin, etc.), to maintain the continuity and speed in any game or activity, to keep the pace up, “keep the pot boiling” (m.Sc. 1966); (19) white puddin, = (3). Gen.Sc. See also White.(1) Sc. 1715 Household Bk. Lady G. Baillie (S.H.S.) 282:
Scots collips with marow and black pudins about them.Sc. 1818 Scott Bride of Lamm. xxi.:
There is black pudding and white-hass — try whilk ye like best.Sc. 1837 M. Dods Manual 310:
Scotch black Puddings. — Salt the blood when drawn; strain it; mix it with a little sweet milk or broth; stir into it shred suet and dried oatmeal, with plenty of pepper, salt, and minced onions. Fill the skins, and boil as white puddings. Savoury herbs may be added.Edb. 1916 J. Fergus The Sodger 20:
For braxy an' black puddens he nae longer seemed to care.Sc. 1948 Scots Mag. (Aug.) 343:
Robieson's puddens were the best black puddens in the country.(2) (i) Sc. 1743 Household Bk. Lady G. Baillie (S.H.S.) 278:
Saterday broth without meat, and cheese, or a puden or blood pudens, or a hagish, or what is most convenient.n.Sc. 1854 H. Miller Schools v.:
A not unpalatable sort of blood-pudding, enriched with butter.(ii) Ork. 1908 Old-Lore Misc. I. viii. 320:
There's naither a stirlin' . . . crab . . . mare or bluidy puddin 'll vot for 'im.(6) Sc. 1706 Short Survey Married Life 9:
One may know by your din Skin, you have been Baptiz'd with Pudding Broo.Sc. 1776 D. Herd Sc. Songs II. 160:
What ails ye at the pudding-broo, That boils in the pan . . . Will ye kiss my wife before my een, And scald me wi' pudding bree?(7) Fif. 1830 A. Stewart Dunfermline (1889) 34:
The “puddin' fair” in November or December was so named on account of many pigs being killed about that time of the year, when there were many puddings made and used in the households in town and country.(9) Lnk. 1844 J. Lemon St. Mungo 63:
Wi' his wee puddin leggie he trots like a naggie.(10) Clc. 1845 Stat. Acc.² VIII. 26:
The hydraulic machine, as then applied in this parish, was a water-wheel, with the axle across the pit-mouth; over this were several tires of endless pudding-link chains, and when the water was scarce, then comparatively few buckets were attached to the chains.(11) Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb viii.:
“A puddin' lug, min,” exclaimed Johnny. “That's aye the gate wi' you chiels.”(12) Edb. 1960:
“Doun Craig's Close an intae Puddin Market” — said to a child in coaxing it to eat.(13) Ayr. 1822 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage 56:
I dinna gie a puddin' pin How ithers crack.Sh. 1919 T. Manson Peat Comm. 3:
Dan ye'll see a peerie felt rig-oot stuck in wi preens aboot da lent o puddin pins.(14) Sc. 1829 E. Logan Restalrig xiv.:
I gat leave to thresh thae puddin-pocks of Englishers.Slk. 1875 Border Treasury (10 April) 419:
The Englified puddin'-pock had to retreat, Handcuffed like a criminal, out to the street.(15) Edb. 1798 D. Crawford Poems 95:
Often have done greater tricks, Than split his stults to pudding-pricks.(17) Ags. 1853 W. Blair Aberbrothock 94:
But it wad be like sendin' saut to Dysart, or carryin' puddins to Tranent.(18) Edb. 1844 J. Ballantine Miller ii.:
Slides made by the boys . . . on which slippery steep the urchins were keeping “the pudding het”, and rolling over each other.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xxxv.:
They “held the puddin' reekin'” till four o'clock the followin' mornin'.Edb. 1898 J. Baillie W. Crichton 189:
The long slides were well patronised. Small boys and tall boys, men and girls, . . . all were following one another in motley procession waving their arms, and shouting “Keep the puddin' hot.”(19) Sc. 1776 D. Herd Sc. Songs II. 160:
And first they ate the white puddings, And then they ate the black.Sc. 1837 M. Dods Manual 308:
Scotch White Puddings. — Mince good beef suet, but not too finely, and mix it with about a third of its own weight of nicely-toasted oatmeal. Season very highly with pepper, salt, and finely-shred par-boiled onions. Have the skins thoroughly cleaned and cut of equal lengths. Fill them with the ingredients, and fasten the ends with a wooden pin. . . . Boil the puddings for an hour.Lth. 1882 J. Strathesk Blinkbonny (1884) 187:
Her stews and “hashes”, and haggises and white puddings . . . were never too rich, but palatable, digestible, and tempting.Sc. 1929 F. M. McNeill Sc. Kitchen 203:
White or Mealie Puddings.

2. In pl.: the entrails or viscera in man or animals, the bowels, tripes, guts. Gen.Sc. Also in Eng. dial. Hence by extension the stomach as a receptacle for food (Lnk. 1825 Jam., pud). Combs. pudden-band, cat-gut (Sc. 1911 S.D.D.); puddin hive, distension or inflammation of the stomach. Cf. Bowel-hive, id.; pudden-leather, the lining or walls of the stomach, the stomach itself.em.Sc. 1706 J. Watson Choice Coll. i. 61:
My Liver, Puds and Tripes.Sc. 1716 in H. Tayler Hist. Family Urquhart (1946) 234:
Captain Urquhart of Burdgeyeards, was wounded in the belly . . . soe as his puddings hang out.Bnff. 1787 W. Taylor Poems 176:
First we pang'd our puddin leather Wi' oysters fresh an' herrin sawt.Edb. 1792 “Juvenis Scoticus” Melpomene 48:
Let him wha has the pudden hive, Frae gormandizing get reprive.Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 400:
His glory was to rive and kill; Pu' puddings out, and warm blude spill.Ork. 1915 Old-Lore Misc. VIII. i. 44:
Sheu gaed an' coopid da puddens i da waal an' gaed dem a blot.Abd. 1955 W. P. Milne Eppie Elrick xi.:
Gin ye wis tae get it cad weel intae the kite o' some peer breet an' seen giet't a bit o' a thraa, it wadna dee his puddins nae gweed.

Phr. in the puddin club, of a woman: pregnant (Ags., Edb. 1975).m.Sc. 1973 J. Wood North Beat vi.:
Seems a pity she's in the pudden club.

3. A sausage-shaped pad used to give height and shape to a woman's hair.Edb. 1773 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 70:
To see sae mony bosoms bare, An' sic huge puddings i' their hair.Rxb. 1833 A. Hall Sc. Borderer (1874) 19:
Her hair rolled back over a pudding, was surmounted by a fly-cap.

4. In reduced form pud: courage, spirit, pluck, “stomach”.Ags. 1921 T.S.D.C.:
He hadna pud for a fecht.

5. A stupid or clumsy fellow. Gen.Sc. m.Lth. 1972 M. Jamieson Old Wife 112:
How this "dreep" or that "puddin" should be left out of the team.