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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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MASK, v.¹, n.¹

I. v. 1. tr. To make wort for ale by mixing malt with hot water, to brew (Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. Gl.; Ork. 1962); intr. to form wort. Vbl.n. maskin, a brewing, as much ale as is brewed at one time; ppl.adj. maskit, brewed.Sc. 1741 Caled. Mercury (9 Nov.):
All necessary Utensils for Brewing, viz. a Copper, Fat, Tun masking 4 Bolls, with Cooler, and a Malt-mill, all in good Repair.Lnk. c.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 14:
Five pecks o' maut masket in the meikle kirn.Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality x.:
“Have they plenty of ale?” “Sax gallons, as gude as e'er was masked”.Ayr. 1821 Galt Annals iii.:
There is no meeting now in the summer evenings, as I remember often happened in my younger days, with decent ladies coming home with red faces, tozy and cosh from a posset masking.Edb. 1821 W. Liddle Poems 174:
Let's laugh and sing while we are gleg But still detest the masked dreg.Abd. 1873 P. Buchan Inglismill 30:
But there's the kirn to ca', chessels to fill, An' steep a maskin' for the New Year's Yill.Ork. 1920 J. Firth Reminisc. 103:
After “masking” for two hours the wort was drawn off.

Combs.: (1) masking fat(t), a large tub for steeping malt. See Fat; (2) maskin kirn, a churn for this purpose (Ork.⁵1962); (3) masking loom, = (1). See Lume; (4) masking pot, -pat, a large pot used for brewing; (5) maskin rung, a stick used to break up the malt when steeping; (6) masken shield, a shovel for stirring and turning malt. See Shuil; (7) masking vat, = (1).(1) Ags. 1712 A. Jervise Land of Lindsays (1853) 342:
Two guill fatts, a masking fatt.Edb. 1726 Edb. Ev. Courant (18–25 Jan.):
A Brewary and Brewing Looms, consisting of . . . a big Masking Fat, Wort-stone, Cooler, little Tun and Pump.Sc. 1822 Scott Pirate xxiv.:
She found him drowned in his own masking-fat.Ayr. 1824 A. Crawford Tales Grandmother (1825) I. 218:
The very hour I saw Maggy Osburn an' her servant lass carrying the masking-fat frae the Friar's well.(3) Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.H.S.) I. 13:
Some said it was the Pith of Broom That she stow'd in her Masking-loom, Which in our Heads rais'd sic a Foom.(4) Dmf. 1817 W. Caesar Poems 50:
Wou'd he her maskin-pat make free Frae yon excise, That she might taste the barley brie.(5) Mry. 1810 J. Cock Simple Strains 136:
Aul' Kate brought ben the maskin rung.(6) Mry. 1708 E. D. Dunbar Social Life (1865) 212:
A lead and fatt and taptree and masken shield.(7) Rs. 1751 W. MacGill Old Ross-shire (1909) I. 139:
Aquavitae stell, 2 masking vats.

2. tr. To make or infuse (tea) (Sc. 1799 H. Mitchell Scotticisms 54; Uls. 1931 North. Whig (27 Nov.)); intr. of the tea: to brew. Gen.Sc. Vbl.n. maskin, an infusion of tea, a potful (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.; Sh., Cld. 1880 Jam.); the quantity of tea leaves required for this.Sc. 1800 A. Carlyle Autobiog. (1860) 151:
My mother's custom was to mask the tea before morning prayer.Sc. 1814 Scott Waverley xlii.:
But I hope your honours will tak tea before ye gang to the palace, and I maun gang and mask it for you.Ayr. 1822 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage 133:
As they had the bit blink on their han' a'tween the masking an' out-pouring.Edb. 1844 J. Ballantine Miller iv.:
Each carry off with pleasure her “weel masked cup o' tea”.Kcb. 1883 J. Morrison Miss McGraw 44:
Tak' a cup o' tea, Jessie . . . it's been maskin' this twenty minutes so it should be guid noo.Sh. 1906 T. P. Ollason Spindrift 127:
“Haest dee, lass”, he said, “an' mask me a air o' tae as whick as doo can”.Dmf. 1917 J. L. Waugh Cute McCheyne 92:
I'm positively dyin' for a cup o' manse-masket tea.Sc. 1927 Scots Mag. (July) 242:
Can ye gie me a maskin' o' tea, Mrs Paterson?Bnff. 1954 Banffshire Jnl. (29 June):
An' syne wid pit on the kettle an' mask a cuppie o' her speecial tay in a broon tracky o' a pot.

Combs.: (1) maskin joug, a tea-pot (Bnff. 1962); (2) maskin pat, -pot, ¶mashkin-, id. (Sc. 1818 Sawers; Ayr. 1962).(1) Abd. 1930 Tinker's Rhyme:
Will ye no buy a brander, a strander, a nine-pint pail or a maskin joug or a horn spin for the wean today, guidwife?(2) Ayr. 1786 Burns When Guildford good i.:
Then up they gat the maskin-pat.Ags. 1880 J. E. Watt Poet. Sk. 23:
An' ae big gawkit gammereerie The stroup dang frae the maskin'-pat.Lnk. 1920 G. A. H. Douglas Further Adventures Rab Hewison 74:
Put on the masking-pat and gi'e us a cup o' guid tea.Ags. 1956 Forfar Dispatch (15 Nov.):
Her grannie and mither wiz wint tae hod their mashkin-pats fin onybody cam tee door, so naebody wud see hoo extravagant they wir.

3. To prepare a drink other than ale or tea; intr. of the drink: to mature, come to full strength.Sc. 1840 G. Webster Ingliston xxviii.:
The mistress maskit a penny-worth o' Epsom sauts.Ags.¹⁹ 1962:
Fin that brandy's maskit in my wime, I'll shune lat her see fa's day ee washin-hoose it is.

4. Fig. in regard to a storm, disease etc.: to threaten, to brew up, to sicken for.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 112:
It's maskin', or maskin' up for anither shoor.Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr. Duguid 116:
I could see that he was maskin' for the pocks.Abd. 1900 J. Milne Poems 43:
The whislin' key hole o the door Fou plainly tells a storm is maskin'.

II. n. †1. Mash, the mixture of malt and water in the process of brewing. Now only in combs.: mask-fatt, mask pot, the tub or vessel containing the mash; mask rudder, the stick for stirring and breaking up the steeping malt.Sc. 1702 Foulis Acct. Bk. (S.H.S.) 305:
To Jamie Gray for to buy a mask rudder 16sh. a tap tree 6sh., a wort dish 7sh.Ayr. 1706 Arch. & Hist. Coll. Ayr. & Wgt. IV. 214:
For delyvering to him ane Mask Fatt.Dmb. 1708 Session Papers, Petition J. Buchanan (19 Feb. 1765) 22:
Three masks of malt in the Defunct's kiln.Gsw. 1713 Records Trades Ho. (Lumsden 1934) 2:
Received for ane old mask pott that was for the use of the privat brewers of the Corner house and sold by the Compter. . £3.

†2. A mash of this or other ingredients for a horse's feed.Sc. 1703 Foulis Acct. Bk. (S.H.S.) 319:
March 27: for 2 peck of malt to be a mask to the 2 ryding horses . . . £0. 4. 0.

3. An infusion of tea, a potful (Sh., Ags. 1962).m.Sc. 1926 O. Douglas Proper Place xvi.:
Naebody ever brocht me things afore, no' as muckle as a mask o' tea.

4. A quantity, an amount, a lot (Abd.⁴ 1931).Ags. 1889 Barrie Tillyloss Scandal 76:
A mask of folk came round me to hear how ye had broke out.Ags. 1889 Barrie W. in Thrums xiv.:
I wouldna say 'at it was partikler grand, but there was a great mask o' things in't.