Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1786-1826, 1891-1942
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CURCHIE, CURTCHY, -IE, n., v. Also curch (Per. 1915 Wilson L. Strathearn 241). Also in Eng. dial. (E.D.D.). [′kʌrtʃɪ̢]
1. n. A curtsy (Sc. 1818 Sawers Dict. Sc. Lang.; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Ayr.4 1928; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 154; Uls. 1880 W. H. Patterson Gl. Ant. and Dwn.). Also kurchie (Abd. 1868 W. Shelley Wayside Flowers 56).Abd.2 1942:
Min' yer mainners noo, lassie! Aifter sayin' “Thank you” for yer prize, mak' yer curtchie an' come awa'.Ayr. 1786 Burns Holy Fair iii.:
An' wi' a curchie low did stoop, As soon as e'er she saw me.Dmf. [1826] R. Chambers Pop. Rhymes (1870) 73:
She rase and made a curchie.
2. v. To curtsy (Sc. 1818 Sawers Dict. Sc. Lang.).Sc. 1897 R. L. Stevenson Weir of Hermiston v.:
But for curtchying and complimenting and colloguing, thank ye kindly!Knr. 1891 “H. Haliburton” Ochil Idylls 58:
But noo they were sae saucy They would curchie but, an' flee.
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"Curchie n., v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 7 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/curchie>
