Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1866
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†FREESK, v.1, n.1 Also freisk, friesk (Gregor). [fri:sk]
I. v. 1. To scratch; to rub roughly or energetically, to curry (Ags. 1808 Jam.; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 54). With up: to beat soundly.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 54:
A freiskit 'im up for deein 't.
2. To work with energy (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 54).
3. To walk in a hurried, clumsy manner.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 54:
The wife cam freiskin' up the road.
II. n. A hasty rub; any piece of work done smartly and quickly (Ags. 1808 Jam.).
[A Sc. form of Eng. frisk, to move briskly or sportively, tr. and intr., ad. O.Fr. frisque, lively, frisky.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Freesk v.1, n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/freesk_v1_n1>
