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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

HALLOCKIT, adj., n. Also halu(c)ket; -it; haili(c)kit (Cld.); -ykit; halicat; -cut; -ket; -kit; hallacat: -aket; -icat(e); -i(c)ket (Gall.); -ickit; -ocket (Ayr.); -okit; halycut; hellicat(e) (Ayr., s.Sc.); hellocat (Dmf.); hillocat; -ocket; hullicate; -ockit (Ayr.); hallegirt, halliget, halligit (Sh.); haligot, hallagad (Ork.); haalliget, halligate (Cai.); hilligo (Ork. 1929 Marw.); harrokit, harrikit (w.Sc. 1887 Jam.).

I. adj. Wild, romping, giddy, gen. applied to a flighty girl or young woman; hence irresponsible, violent. crazy, half-witted. Gen.(exc.ne.)Sc.Sc. 1724 Ramsay T.T.Misc. (1876) I. 86:
And shangy mou'd halucket Meg.Lnk. c.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 35:
The merry begotten weans . . . is red wood, half wittet hillocket sort o' creatures. [p. 154, hillocat.]Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality xiv.:
But I think my heart was e'en sairer when I saw that hellicat trooper, Tam Halliday, kissing Jenny Dennison afore my face.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xxvii.:
John M'Briar's auldest dochter — a daft, ram-stam, hallokit quean.Bnff. 1869 W. Knight Auld Yule 74:
The halycut deevils o' loons, Wi' pistols o' iron and lead.Sh. 1877 G. Stewart Fireside Tales 52:
Ance upon a day I wis light-hearted an' hallegirt enouch.Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond My Man Sandy (1899) iv.:
He's a queer cratur that wey, for as halikit a character as he is.Dmf. 1917 J. L. Waugh Cute McCheyne 132:
A young hallockit lass, wi' a' the world in front o' her, is unco apt to be thochtless and heidstrong at times.Lth. 1928 S. A. Robertson With Double Tongue 46:
Wha'd hae thocht to see an elder oot a' hallicat Geordie Tosh?Gsw. 1931 H. S. Roberton Curdies 62:
Maries are saft, Betties are guid managers, Bellas are hailykit, Jessies are sapsies.Dundee 1991 Ellie McDonald The Gangan Fuit 18:
Back an forrit atween the turrets o the Central Library
a wheen o halliket herring gulls gae soopan and skreichan Sh. 1994 Laureen Johnson in James Robertson A Tongue in Yer Heid 167:
An I did tink at for wance, Annie wis gotten in tow wi a kinda sensible fellow instead o da halliget kind shö wis wint ta go for.

Hence hailickitness, hullicateness, thoughtlessness, frivolity (Cld. 1880 Jam.; Ayr.⁴ 1928, hullicateness).

II. n. A noisy, restless person, a hoyden, a fool, a good-for-nothing, a worthless creature (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 251, hallicket; Ork. 1825 Jam., hallagad; Cai.⁴ c.1920, halligate; ‡Rxb. 1956, hellicat).Slk. 1822 Hogg Perils of Man I. 107:
Ding the brains out o' the gutters, clear for the camp, ye hellicat of an English hound.Ags. 1891 Barrie Little Minister xxxviii.:
The hellicat says the rain's a dispensation to drown him in for neglect o' duty.Sc. 1931 J. Lorimer Red Sergeant xviii.:
Ye're thinkin' o' that prood hellicat that ye thocht was tae be yer mistress.