Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1723-1772, 1866
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TASH, n.1, v.1 Also tashe; tatch. Sc. forms and usages of Eng. tach(e), now obs. or arch. [tɑʃ, †tɑtʃ]
I. n. 1. A clasp (Sc. 1741 A. M'Donald Galick Vocab. 19), a buckle, ribbon or fastening for clothes; a pendant.Sc. 1772 Edb. Ev. Courant (14 Dec.):
A gold tash in her ears.Edb. 1866 J. Inglis Poems 194:
Tiers like tae full harvest moons, Wi' flyin' tatches.
2. A fringe; a shoulder-knot (Peb., Slk. 1825 Jam.).
3. A rope or strap, esp. one for tying rough flax in heads or bundles (Ags. 1921 T.S.D.C.); the bundle itself.Ags. 1723 in A. J. Warden Burgh Laws Dundee (1872) 187:
The shipmaster stated that the lint belonged to Mr Renny, merchant in Riga, and made offer of it at seven merks Scots per stone, Amsterdam weight, with a stone to the score, ready money, or three months trust after deliverance on good security; no tashes to be broke, but to be delivered in haill tashes.
II. v. Also with in: to drive in or fix a nail sufficiently only to give a slight hold (Abd. 1825 Jam.); with thegither: to nail loosely together in a temporary manner for later adjustment (Id.).
[O.Sc. tasche, leather strap, 1658, Mid.Eng. tache, O. Fr. tache, a clasp. The [tʃ] derives from Northern Fr.; the [ʃ] represents a later borrowing from Cent. Fr.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Tash n.1, v.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 1 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tash_n1_v1>
