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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

‡DRAMMOCK, n. Also drummock, -ack, drammach, dramock, †-ac(h), -ck, †dromock, †drimuck.

1. A mixture of raw oatmeal and cold water (Abd.², Slg.³, Arg.¹, Kcb.¹ 1940; Fif., Lth. 1926 Wilson Cent. Scot. 239; Rnf. 1949 (per Abd.²⁷); Uls.² 1929); also a mixture with hot water used as a poultice (wm.Sc. 1949 (per H. Reid)). Also found in n.Eng. dial. Used fig. for anything savourless or insipid.Sc. 1746 Lyon in Mourning (S.H.S.) I. 173:
Having some meal on board and the men turning very hungry and thirsty, they began to make Dramach . . . with salt water, and to lick it up.Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality xvi.:
Cramming their throats with the lifeless, saltless, foisenless, lukewarm drammock of the fourteen false prelates.Sc. 1821 Scott Pirate (1822) v.:
But to tell you the truth, I could never away with raw oatmeal, slockened with water, in all my life. Call it drammock, or crowdie, or just what ye list.Sc. 1928 T. S. Cairncross in Scots Mag. (July) 274:
I dirl my fork and hum a note or twa And douce as ony drammach we're awa'.Per. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ IV. 150:
The mode of fishing is curious. They make what they call a Drimuck, resembling thin wrought mortar, which they throw into the pool, to disturb the clearness of the water.Fif. 1827 W. Tennant Papistry Storm'd 154:
Ae wee short canon, fat and fodgel, Gat on his bare pow wi' a cudgel, It garr'd him yesk his drammach.em.Sc. 1706 Mare of Collingtoun in J. Watson Choice Coll. (1869) i. 62:
I was receiv'd and fed with Dramock.Gsw. 1877 A. G. Murdoch Laird's Lykewake 53:
The pair micht squeeze bye wi' a chirt o' the stomack, But no withoot jum'lin' their wame-hauden drummack.Gsw. 1994 Alasdair Gray A History Maker 126:
"Lassies," he said plaintively, "I'm hungry. My wame thinks my throat's cut."
They brought him powsoudie, drummock, kebbuck and farle. He ate it and dressed.Ayr. 1786 Burns Scotch Bard vii.:
To tremble under Fortune's cummock, On scarce a bellyfu' o' drummock.Kcb. 1815 J. Gerrond Works 79:
Although your meat should be a maggot, Or some sour dromock.Dmf. 1915 J. M. Corrie Droving Days S. W. Scot. 114:
When on the march, the men, who were expert walkers, subsisted to a large extent on a mixture of meal and water, known to them as “Dramock” (sometimes spelt “Drammach” or “Drummock”).

†2. A pulpy mass (Ags. 1808 Jam.).Sc. 1825 Jam.²:
As applied to any thing too much boiled, it is said, that it is “boiled to dramock.”

3. A slurry or puddle of soil and water to keep plant roots moist. Peb. 1734 Saltoun Papers MSS. (20 March):
As for the tris that cam from holand. They were all carfolye showch and befor showcht they wer all dipt in dramock as your Lord Ship ordered.