A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1513, 1570-1605
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Holkis, Hoikis, n. pl. [? ME. holke, OE. holc-, a hollow part (of the body), LG. holke, a small hole.] An ailment of the face or eyes. 1513 Doug. iii. Prol. 27.
Suppos the holkis be all ourgrowyn thi face 1570 Satirical Poems xvi. 86.
I thinke the holkis ouergangis ȝour ene a1605 Montg. Flyt. 323 (T).
The hoikis in thi choikis
b. Also applied (? to a pitting of the skin) appar. elsewhere on the body. a1605 Montg. Flyt. 339 (T).
Hoikis hoillis in thy heillis
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"Holkis n. pl.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/holkis>
