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 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tash_n1_v1>
