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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

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.

TAUCH, n. Also taugh, tah-; ‡talch (Sc. 1879 P. H. Waddell Isaiah 7); talla, tallie, -y, tallan, -(l)in, -on, -ound (Kcb. 1700 Kcb. Sheriff Ct. Deeds (1953) II. 830), -own-. Sc. forms and usages of Eng. tallow. [‡tǫx; ′tɑlə; Sh. ′tɑlən]

1. As in Eng. Jam. differentiates tauch in its natural state from tallow when it has been melted down for use in candles, etc.Sc. 1736 Session Papers, Petition P. Moffat (2 March) 4, 6:
The Prices of Candles, which depends entirely upon the Prices of Taugh. . . . The worst Taugh yields less Tallow than what the best does, tho' the Tallow produced by both, when Rynded, is of the same Goodness.Edb. 1805 Edb. Ev. Courant (5 Oct.):
Taugh was sold by Tron weight, merely to make allowance for the garbage or refuse, which was unavoidably mixed with it in slaughtering.Nai. 1828 W. Gordon Poems 217:
Lasses' braws were spoil'd wi' tallan.Sh. 1897 Shetland News (4 Dec.):
A'm no tinkin 'at dey'll be muckle talin apo da kye.Sh. 1962 New Shetlander No. 61. 13:
A treacly duff med wi neer tallin.

Adj. tauchie, -y, tachy, ta(ug)hie, -y, tallowny, misprinted lauchty (Sc. 1823 C. K. Sharpe Ballad Bk. (868) 84), smeared with tallow or fat, greasy (Slg. (tauchty) 1972); sticky, humid, clammy, of weather (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 443, a tahie day); of ice: slightly melted, no longer slippery for curling or skating (Rnf. c.1850 Crawford MSS. (N.L.S.) T. 93); of the skin: moist, greasy, damp with sweat (Ork. 1960). Hence combs. tauchy-eyed, rheumy-eyed, tauchey-faced, tallowny-, having a greasy, sallow face (Cld. 1825 Jam.), tauchie-raw, a bumpkin (Kcb.⁴ 1900). Phr. a tauchy fleece tae scoor, a difficult job to do.Edb. 1700 Edb. Gazette (29 July):
A White Horse a little Paunch Mouthed and Tauchy Eyed.Sc. c.1760 J. Maidment Ballads (1859) 38:
She had tauchy teeth, and kaily lips.Dmf. 1823 J. Kennedy Poems 99:
Wi' tauchy cord to tie my feet.Gsw. 1860 J. Young Poorhouse Lays 18:
Her stringless mutch stuck, gif the thing ye could mark, Aye close as a bir tae her daurk tauchie hair.Sc. 1867 N. Macleod Starling xxiv.:
He has a taughy fleece tae scoor in this parish.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 114:
Tae warm his tachy soles.Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 223:
Nae great heart-break hersel', — awfu kin' o tallowny-faced an' coorse-traited.

2. Combs.: (1) brew-taugh, -tallon, tallow paid by tenants to a landowner for the privilege of brewing; (2) tallow-brod, a board smeared with tallow and drawn over the warp of a loom to make the (linen) threads waxy and stiff; (3) tally-lamp, a (miner's) lamp using tallow as fuel; a miner's lamp in its modern form (Fif., Ayr. 1972); (4) tallow leaf, a layer of fat round an animal's intestines: (5) tallow powk, a bag through which melted tallow was strained to clarify it; (6) taugh stock, a block or bench on which tallow is cut up; ‡(7) tallie-wheecher, = (3), so called from its rank smell (Fif., Lth. 1972). See Wheech, n.²(1) Abd. 1711–3 Third S.C. Misc. I. 21–26:
The Bailiff ordains the present brewers to pay £ four Libs Scots or a stone of brew tallon yearly . . . Each of the foresaid brewers by-run brew taugh.(2) Fif. 1909 J. C. Craig Sangs o' Bairns 203:
He spak' aboot the “treddle-hole,” The “tallow-brod,” the “fan,” the “caums.”(3) Fif. 1909 R. Holman Char. Studies 51:
He saw the twa o' them wi' a tally lamp learnin' their lessons.Fif. 1967 Scots Mag. (Oct.) 8:
In the early days of the pit, the colliers used the “tally” lamp.(4) Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 443:
When an ox or sheep has a gude tallow-leaf it is considered to have fed well, and to be deep on the rib.(5) Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 443:
People with tanny skins are said “to hae hides as din as the tallow-powk.”(6) Edb. 1800 Edb. Advertiser (23 Jan.) 51:
One candle cauldron, one new wooden taugh stock.

3. Cord or string which has been smeared with tallow or other preservative; tarred string for tying heather besoms (Lnk. 1953); “a term used to denote the threads of large ropes” (Cld. 1825 Jam.).