Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1813-1895
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POCK, n.1 Also poke. Sc. usages:
1. As in Eng., an eruption or pustule on the skin caused by a disease such as chicken-pox, or small-pox (Sc. 1825 Jam.); the disease itself (I.Sc., Ags., Ayr., Kcb. 1966), in sing. now only dial. in Eng. Adj. pockie, -y, characterised or caused by pock; ppl.adj. pocked, marked with small-pox.Rnf. 1813 E. Picken Poems II. 113:
Hive, pock, an' measles a' at ance.Abd. 1865 G. MacDonald Alec Forbes xliv.:
I had the pock dreidfu', ye ken . . . Nae doot, that's blaudit mony a face.Sc. 1880 Jam.:
“Has he got the pock yet?” i.e., has he been inoculated.Edb. 1895 J. Tweeddale Moff ii.:
I've had the poke five times, nae less.
Combs.: (1) pock-arr, n., the pit or scar left on the skin when the scab caused by the eruption has fallen off (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.). Hence pock-arred, pocky-, -awred, pockard, -ort, -arrie, adj., marked by small-pox or chicken-pox, having a scarred or pitted skin (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 384, pockiawrd; Clc. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Uls. 1924 W. Lutton Montiaghisms; Ayr. 1966, pockarrt). See Arr; (2) pock-broken, id.(1) Ayr. 1826 Galt Last of Lairds xix.:
A blackavised, pockyawr'd, knock-kneed, potatoe-bogle o' a dominie.Abd. 1868 W. Shelley Wayside Flowers 57:
Her pockard face was groff as sin.(2) Rxb. 1825 Jam.:
He's sair pock-broken in the face.
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"Pock n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/pock_n1>
