Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
PUNCH, n.1, adj. Sc. usages of Punch, the puppet.
I. n. 1. In comb. Punch and Polly = Eng. Punch and Judy.Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch iii.:
Punch and Polly, and puppie-shows, and mair than I can tell.
2. A short, stout person or animal, a fat little man or woman (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 135). Also in dim. forms punchie, punchik(ie), id. (Ib.; ne.Sc. 1967), freq. as a nickname. Hence punchie, -y, adj., thick and short, of persons or animals (Lnk., Rxb. 1825 Jam.; ne.Sc. 1967). Cf. II. and Bunch, n. Also in Eng. dial.Peb. 1793 R. Brown Carlop Green (1817) 134:
Snell, punchy Peg, that whisky mak's.
II. adj. Of persons or animals: stout, thickset, dumpy (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.). Now only dial. in Eng.
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"Punch n.1, adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 22 Nov 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/punch_n1_adj>
