Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1905-1963
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TUSK, v.2, n.3 [tʌsk]
I. v. To empty out, to empty the contents of a sack, etc. (Lth. 1958), freq. to empty out of one container into another (em. and wm. Sc., Wgt., Rxb. 1973). Vbl.n. tuskin.Per. 1905 E.D.D.:
Ye'll need to tusk the bags at the Railway Station. Gie him a tuskin', i.e. coup him up so that his money drops from his pockets.Arg.1 1935:
Tak' an empty bag an' tusk a new lot intae it.Edb. 1956 Edb. Ev. News (29 Aug.) 3:
Extra bales were required, into which the collector transfers the contents of the customers' sacks. (The collector's word for this process, incidentally, is "tusking.")m.Sc. 1963 Abd. Press & Jnl. (19 Sept.):
There's trailers get shunted an' wagons get tusket.
II. n. An emptying out.Dmb. 1940:
Two men would hold open a sack while another would empty a basket [of potatoes] into it. If there were lots of toom in the sack the holders would say, "Give us a tusk", meaning "pour in all you have."
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"Tusk v.2, n.3". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tusk_v2_n3>
