Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1867-1886
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HECKUM-PECKUM, n. Also heckam-peckam and now reg. in anglers' catalogues heckham-peckham (Sc. 1951 M. D. Turing Fly-Fishing 126). An artificial fly with dark wings, white tipped, used by anglers for trout fishing in the south of Scotland. Also attrib.Sc. 1867 F. Francis Angling (1880) 251:
I have forgotten, I find, the great trout fly for the lakes, known through all the South of Scotland as the Heckum Peckum.Gsw. 1878 W. Penman Echoes 53:
Adoon the bonnie banks o' Clyde A fishin' I will go . . . And here's a heckam-peckam lass, The best flee o' them a'.Sc. 1886 World (25 Aug.) 9:
The “Zulu” and the “heckum-peckum” are the only two flies for the loch.
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"Heckum-peckum n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/heckumpeckum>
