Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

TEUCH, adj., adv., v.¹ Also teugh (Sc. 1705 J. Spreull Accompt Current 24; Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 23; Ayr. 1789 Burns The Five Carlins iii.; Sc. 1816 Scott Black Dwarf xvii.; Rxb. 1826 A. Scott Poems 106; Uls. 1879 W. G. Lyttle Readings 29), tewch (Sc. 1808 Jam.); teough (Per. 1883 R. Cleland Inchbracken xiv.), tyeuch (Abd. 1906 Banffshire Jnl. (12 June) 2, 1946 J. C. Milne Orra Loon 35), tyooch (Dmf. 1894 Trans. Dmf. and Gall. Antiq. Soc. 157), tyuch (Rnf. Ib.), tyugh (Uls.); tuegh (Cai. 1930 John o' Groat Jnl. (3 Jan.), tugh-, tuich (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 352); tyoch (Sh. 1955 Shetland News (20 Dec.); I.Sc., Cai., Rs. 1972); cheuch (Lnk. 1893 J. Crawford Verses 71; Dmf. 1912 J. L. Waugh Robbie Doo 53; Edb. 1915 T. W. Paterson Auld Saws 100; Abd. 1923 R. L. Cassie Heid or Hert iii.), cheugh (Edb. 1895 J. Tweeddale Moff 188; Ayr. 1928 J. S. Gall Muses 33). Sc. forms and usages of Eng. tough (Sc. 1724 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) III. 88, 1772 Lyon in Mourning (S.H.S.) III. 264, 1816 Scott O. Mortality xxviii.; Crm. 1854 H. Miller Schools 288; Ags. 1891 Barrie Little Minister x.; Kcb. 1897 A. J. Armstrong Robbie Rankine 51; Gsw. 1927 J. H. Bone Loud Speaker 29; Abd. 1931 D. Campbell Uncle Andie 74). Also derivs. teuchie (Kcd. 1971), teuchish (Bwk. 1880 T. Watts Woodland Echoes 65), teughish (Rxb. 1875 N. Elliott Nellie Macpherson 71), rather tough. [ne.Sc., Ags., em.Sc. (b), sm.Sc. tjux; em.Sc. (a), wm.Sc. tjʌx, s.Sc. tjux(ʍ); I. and nn.Sc. tjɔx]

I. adj. 1. As in Eng.
 Sc. forms.wm.Sc. 1974 Roddy McMillan The Bevellers 25:
Hielanmen, they used tae eat them. But their meat wis tough - tyuch - teuch! That's how thay called them teuchters.Arg. 1993:
That wis a gey cheuch peach ye sellt me yesterday.Edb. 2004:
Ah cannae eat teuch steak ony mair.

Sc. combs. and deriv.: (1) teuch Jean, a kind of sticky, chewy boiled sweet (Ags., Slg., Fif., wm. and sm.Sc. 1972). See also Cheuch Jean; (2) teuchle, (i) n., a tough morsel, a gristly piece of meat, etc. (Kcb. 1930); (ii) v., to chew something tough (Dmf. 1921 T.S.D.C.); ¶(3) teuch-tackle, used coll., chewy sweets, such as toffee or candy. Cf. (1).(1) Lnk. 1910 W. Wingate Poems (1919) 74:
Her muckle “teuch-jeans” at a faurden the pair.wm.Sc. 1936 C. W. Thomson Sc. School Humour 45:
A “curdie” represented two “teuch Jeans” (big cushion-shaped “balls” which no wearer of false teeth could ever have manipulated).Sc. 1947 H. Reid Soiree Crackers 13:
Auld Bell is still there in her Teugh-Jean shop.(3) Sc. 1925 Scots Mag. (Jan.) 279:
There'll be a bonnie tulzie o' that same unco teuch-tackle.

2. Persistent, durable, long-drawn out, protracted; tedious. Adv. teuchly, persistently, for a long time, pertinaciously.Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 207:
Our Crosses teughly last us mony a Year, But unco soon our Blessings disappear.Rxb. 1805 A. Scott Poems 191:
Tughly she hang by his tails.Sc. 1808 Jam.:
The Spring e'enings are lang and teuch.Lnk. 1873 A. Murdoch Lilts 58:
He ae nicht teuchly graipit for't, An' fand it big in you.

3. Of persons: rough, coarse (Kcd. 1948, teuchie; Sh., Cai., Ags., Ayr., Wgt. 1972).Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond Bawbee Bowden (1922) 80:
She's a gey teuch-lookin' tink.

4. Of weather: rough, wet and windy (Kcd. 1948, a fell teuchie day; Sh., Cai. 1972).

II. adv. Pertinaciously, protractedly, durably, stoutly.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 107:
Bydby they ca' her — bargains teuch an' sair That Lindy there sud by his promise byde.Rxb. 1806 A. Douglas Poems 12:
At Luncarty they fought fu' teuch.Dmf. 1810 R. Cromek Remains 43:
We've fouchten teuch, an' warstled sair.Lnk. 1881 D. Thomson Musings 94:
Tho' she's wee boukit [she] may wear geyan teugh.

¶III. v. To make tough, toughen. Ppl.adj. teuched.Lnk. 1909 W. Wingate Poems (1919) 68:
The black-stackit, weel teuched bean was his joy.