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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

YOKIN, vbl.n. Also †yokeing, yoken (Sc. 1862 A. Hislop Proverbs 332), yokeen (s.Sc.); yoak-, yock-. Sc. usages. [′jokɪn]

1. The act of yoking horses for work; hence more gen. the commencement of a spell of work of any kind, e.g. in a mine (Lth. 1974). Hence yokin time, time to start work at ploughing, carting, or in gen. Gen.Sc.Lnk. 1885 F. Gordon Pyotshaw xxxvi.:
You'll have it all done before yoking time yet.Bnff. 1930:
Breek noo; it's yokin' time.Abd. 1972 D. Toulmin Hard Shining Corn 22:
It was too near yokin' time at the farm.

2. (1) The period during which a horse is in harness at one stretch, gen. representing half a day's work (Sc. 1782 J. Sinclair Ob. Sc. Dial. 189, 1825 Jam.; Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1923–6 Wilson). Gen.Sc., obsol. A large or lang yokin was freq. substituted for two ordinary daily yokins in winter extending throughout the hours of daylight. For mornin yokin see 1858 quot. Mid yokin, a break in the middle of a yokin.Slk. 1724 Session Papers, Rutherford v. Rutherford (1 June) 6:
The said Oxen were used by fotching, changing four Oxen after each Yoaking.Abd. 1744 Monymusk Papers (S.H.S.) 134:
2 yoakings in long days and large ones in short.Sc. 1755 Caled. Mercury (22 May):
The new invented two Wheeled Ploughs . . . its ordinary Work in the Spring being an Acre at a Yoking, or two Acres a-day.m.Lth. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XIX. 584:
The hire of a plough, with a man and two horses during winter, for what is called a long yoking, is 4s. In spring, when there are two yokings, the price is 3s. each yoking, or 6s. a day.Slg. 1835 Trans. Highl. Soc. 23:
They [horses] have two yokings a-day, summer and winter.Ags. 1858 People's Journal (16 Oct.):
We rise at five o'clock. We then go to what is called “a mornin' yokin!”, that is, spreading dung, or turning it. We go at these “mornin' yokins” until half-past six, then come in, swallow our brose, and out again at seven to the yoke.Per. 1902 D. J. T. Gray Wild Nature 167:
The evolutions of the young, as they chased each other during resting-time, at mid-yokin.Sc. 1905 E.D.D.:
There are two yokins: from 7 a.m. to noon; and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. or thereby, in summer: in winter the yokins begin with daylight, and end with it.Abd. 1960 Huntly Express (27 May):
Those who went there went with the very definite object of giving the farmer “a yokin'.”Ags. 1971 Dundee Courier (6 Jan.):
The feeds we yist tae hae efter a hard yokin'.

(2) A spell of any kind of work, a stint, shift (Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1923–6 Wilson; Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 25; n.Sc., Fif., Ayr., Wgt., Rxb. 1974). Also fig. Phr. to gae throu the yokin, to do a piece of work in a perfunctory fashion (Fif. 1954).Ags. 1832 Whistle-Binkie 60:
His yokin dune, cheerie kyth't the body.Lth. 1892 J. Lumsden Sheep Head 97:
Auld Charlie's deid, his yokin's out.Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 24:
The mill-yins war toavin hyimm efter ther simmer-efternuin's yokeen.

(3) The beginning, commencement, entry upon.Knr. 1895 H. Haliburton Dunbar 108:
The yokin o' anither year.

3. Harness. Cf. Yoke, v., 1.Arg. 1902 N. Munro Shoes of Fortune xix.:
The yokings of the cattle, the boynes, stoups, carts and ploughs about the places altogether different from our own.

4. A bout or spell at some leisure-time activity, a stretch (Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1923–6 Wilson; n.Sc., Fif., Ayr., Wgt., Rxb. 1974).Gall. 1704 Session Bk. Penninghame (1933) I. 144:
Janet M'Gioch said to her, What a yocking it was that ye and Alexander Wither wrought that night quherin William Thomson was married.Ayr. 1785 Burns To J. Lapraik vii.:
At length we had a hearty yokin At sang about.Sc. 1916 Scott O. Mortality viii.:
Sitting amang the wat moss-hags for four hours at a yoking.m.Sc. 1827 A. Rodger P. Cornclips 111:
It's something like a boyish yoking, At battledore and shuttle cocking.Sc. 1882 G. Cupples Mem. Mrs. Valentine 88:
“A double yoking”, as was the phrase for a service when two successive sermons were preached without any mid-day interval.Rxb. 1897 E. Hamilton Outlaws iii.:
Stretching their limbs with the keen zest of those who for three hours at a yoking have sat their saddles.Abd. 1925 A. Murison Rosehearty Rhymes 27:
Could heaven hae ta'en sae mony in At ae short yokin'?

5. A contest, scuffle, set-to (Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1923–5 Wilson; ne.Sc. 1974); a rough handling, a severe dressing-down (ne.Sc. 1974).Wgt. 1804 R. Couper Poetry II. 229:
A bonny yokin we'se hae o't, Atween us twa.Fif. 1827 W. Tennant Papistry 8:
In Anster kirk, he'd gat a yokin' . . . that wou'd hae cow'd his croakin'.s.Sc. 1836 Wilson's Tales of the Borders III. 277:
They had a tremendous yokin — a' aboot the rebels.Sc. 1837 Tait's Mag. (Sept.) 573:
Ye ne'er wi' messin pups could 'gree, And, when their yokins thou could see, Thou skailt the byke.wm.Sc. 1888 Anon. Archie MacNab 88:
I sat doon by his snug fire, ill prepared for the yoken I then got.Sc. 1843 Whistle-Binkie (1890) II. 238:
In my life I ne'er gat sic a yokin'.

6. A measure of land, prob. orig. the amount ploughed in one yoking.Ayr. 1709 Arch. and Hist. Coll. Ayr. & Wgt. IV. 240:
The persewer to prove that ilk yokeing of land gave 7 merk, cropt 708.