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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SHEEMACH, n. Also sheim-, shemach, -ich, sheemich. Dim. sheemachan. [′ʃiməx]

1. A piece of thick matted cloth or dress of any kind (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 154), a tangled or matted mass of hair or any hairy or fibrous substance (Id.; Mry., Bnff. 1930), a tangled mass of weeds. Also attrib. = shaggy, tousled.Gregor:
His hair's jist a sheemach; for it hizna seen a reddin-kaim for a month.Bnff. 1916 Banffshire Jnl. (28 March) 2:
Dysie's sheemach head.Abd.¹ 1929:
Her heidie wis jist a sheemach o' curls.Abd. 1952 Huntly Express (27 June):
A shemach o' weeds or ither growth.

2. A pad or woven covering placed on a horse's back and used instead of a saddle, a kind of pack-saddle (Sc. 1802 J. Sibbald Chron Sc. Poetry Gl.), “a kind of bass made of straw or sprot-ropes plaited, on which the panniers are hung which are fastened to a pack-saddle” (Kcd. 1808 Jam.).Abd. c.1890 Gregor MSS.:
On the animal's back was first laid the “brottie”, i.e. a piece made up of pieces of old cloth. Over that was placed the “sheemach”, i.e. a piece made of plaited straw. Over these two was placed the “crook-saidle”.Abd. 1954 Huntly Express (16 July):
A young couple got married and the bridegroom bought a leather saddle to take home to his bride. When a near relation heard of this purchase which he regarded as an extravagance he remarked, “D — stick pride, he micht hae been dein' wi' a sheemach as his forebears took their wives hame on.”

3. As a term of contempt: a thing of no value, anything that is worn out (n.Sc. 1808 Jam., sheimach), anything of poor quality; a puny, under-developed person or animal (Rs. 1911; ‡Abd. 1970).Abd. 1872 W. Alexander in Heirskip (1987) 24:
A middlin gleg little sheemich o' a mannie.Abd. 1898 J. R. Imray Sandy Todd x.:
I hinna haed it in my pooer tae say an ull-natur't word tae the bit shemich o' a cratur.Abd.⁷ 1925:
Of corn that turns out to be poor stuff, the farmer will tell you it was a “rale sheemich”.Abd. 1955 W. P. Milne Eppie Elrick iii.:
It wudna be wise tae tak the wee bit sheemachan wumma.Sc. 2004 Press and Journal (28 Jun) 12:
A sheemich is a craitur that cwid be describ't as the runt o the litter an it can mean a toozl't soss, as in "his hair's jist a sheemich for it hisna seen a reddin-kaim for a month".