Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1898-1957
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HOCKEN, adj., n. Also hok(k)en, hacken(ed), †hockne, and deriv. †hokni.
I. adj. Ravenous, very eager for food, voracious (Sh. 1825 Jam., 1914 Angus Gl.; Ork. 1929 Marw., hacken(ed); Sh. 1957).Sh. 1898 Shetland News (20 Aug.):
Yon hokken lipper o' a dug o' Arty's is begun to sloom aboot da door agen.Sh. 1948 New Shetlander No. 8. 9:
Eppie stated that she regarded him as a “hocken bruit”.Sh.10 1957:
It's ill fur a hungry man to hae a hocken hund.
II. n., in deriv. form. A greedy, voracious person or animal (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), hokni).
[Norw. dial. hœken, greedy, voracious, O.N. hakka, to eat ravenously.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Hocken adj., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/hocken>
