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.
TUCK, int., n.1, v. Also teuck, tewk, and dim. forms tuckie, -y, teuckie, tewkie, tukey. [t(j)ʌk, tjuk]
I. int. A call to hens to come for food (Per. 1905 E.D.D.; Ork. 1929 Marw.; n.Sc., Per., Ayr. 1973), freq. in reduplic. form tuck(ie)-tuck(ie).Gsw. 1844 Songs for Nursery 53:
Heard ye weans cry “teuckie, teuckie!” Here's some moolins, bonnie chuckie?Cai. 1869 M. Maclennan Peasant Life 305:
At the dairy-woman's feeblest “Teuckie!” not a wing was left aside.Lnk. 1884 T. McLachlan Thoughts 87:
“Tuck, tuck, tuck” tae a' the hens.Abd. 1965 H. Diack Village on Don 116:
I tried to bring my mind to concentrate on the hens . . . to say “Tucky-tucky! Here, tucky-tucky!”
II. n. In dim. tuckie: a child's name for a hen or chicken (Uls. 1924 Northern Whig (3 Jan.), tukey; ne.Sc., Ags., m.Lth. 1973), freq. in comb. tuckie-hen (Ags., Per. 1973).Ags. 1843 Whistle Binkie V. 85:
There's the hen wi' her teuckies thrang scraping their meat.Gsw. 1902 J. J. Bell Wee Macgreegor 139:
Hoo lang dae wee tewkies tak' to come oot their eggs?
III. v. To cluck, as a hen.em.Sc. (a) 1906 J. A. Harvie-Brown Fauna of Tay Basin 290:
Poor “Tucky” was as dead as potato peelings could make her, never again would she “tuck”.
