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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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

SLORACH, v., n. Also slorrach, -ich, slurich; schlorach, -ich; sklorrach. [′slorəx]

I. v. 1. tr. and intr. To eat or drink messily and noisily, to gurgle, slobber, splutter, slaver (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 168; Bnff., Abd., Ags., Per. 1970).Mry. 1865 W. H. Tester Poems 80:
We'll lounge nae mair at gable en', Nor slorach in yer deevil's den.Abd. 1941 C. Gavin Black Milestone vi.:
It'll get into a gey soss wi' a curn sodgers slorrachin' roond aboot it.Abd. 1943 W. S. Forsyth Guff o' Waur 45:
Syne Kirsty laid her teethless geems against the cuppie's rim And slorached in a moo'fu' o' the bree.

2. To beslobber, stain with drippings.Abd. 1923 Swatches o' Hamespun 63:
His dandy weskit sklorrached ower wi' seety draps o' sweat.

3. Fig., to behave in an oversentimental way, to act demonstratively, “slobber” over someone (Abd. 1930).Abd. 1940 C. Gavin Hostile Shore vi.:
Dinna begin wi' ‘dear' and ‘darling' and that slorrachin' kin' o' wye o' speakin'.

4. To clear the throat or hawk loudly and inelegantly, to breathe or speak through catarrh (Gregor; Bnff., Abd., Per. 1970). Ppl.adj. slorrachin, wheezing or spluttering with catarrh (Ib.).

5. To work untidily in a wet substance, to walk or wade messily through mud or mire.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 168:
She wiz slorachin at the guttan o' cod.

II. n. 1. A gulping down of food with a slobbering, gurgling sound, “the act of swallowing food, particularly liquid food, in a disgusting manner” (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 168); soft sloppy food which produces this noise in being swallowed (Kcd. 1825 Jam., slurich).Kcd. 1933 L. G. Gibbon Cloud Howe 62:
In winter she made the school broth, as nasty a schlorach as ever you'd taste.

2. A wet and disgusting mess of anything (Gregor; ne.Sc. 1970).Kcd. 1933 Scots Mag. (Feb.) 336:
So she closed the door and went up by the track through the schlorich of the wet November moor.

3. Wet, messy, dirty work (Gregor).

4. A dirty, slobbering person (Gall. 1917 Thistle (May) 95).

5. A large quantity of anything, a great heap, a mass.Kcd. 1934 L. G. Gibbon Grey Granite 104:
Heired a fine sawmill and a schlorich of silver.