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: 1843-1906, 1965
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TUCK, int., n.1, v. Also teuck, tewk, and dim. forms tuckie, -y, teuckie, tewkie, tukey. [t(j)ʌk, tjuk]
I. int. A call to hens to come for food (Per. 1905 E.D.D.; Ork. 1929 Marw.; n.Sc., Per., Ayr. 1973), freq. in reduplic. form tuck(ie)-tuck(ie).Gsw. 1844 Songs for Nursery 53:
Heard ye weans cry "teuckie, teuckie!" Here's some moolins, bonnie chuckie?Cai. 1869 M. Maclennan Peasant Life 305:
At the dairy-woman's feeblest "Teuckie!" not a wing was left aside.Lnk. 1884 T. McLachlan Thoughts 87:
"Tuck, tuck, tuck" tae a' the hens.Abd. 1965 H. Diack Village on Don 116:
I tried to bring my mind to concentrate on the hens . . . to say "Tucky-tucky! Here, tucky-tucky!"
II. n. In dim. tuckie: a child's name for a hen or chicken (Uls. 1924 Northern Whig (3 Jan.), tukey; ne.Sc., Ags., m.Lth. 1973), freq. in comb. tuckie-hen (Ags., Per. 1973).Ags. 1843 Whistle Binkie V. 85:
There's the hen wi' her teuckies thrang scraping their meat.Gsw. 1902 J. J. Bell Wee Macgreegor 139:
Hoo lang dae wee tewkies tak' to come oot their eggs?
III. v. To cluck, as a hen."em.Sc.(a)"" 1906 J. A. Harvie-Brown Fauna of Tay Basin 290:
Poor "Tucky" was as dead as potato peelings could make her, never again would she "tuck".
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"Tuck interj., n.1, v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 7 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tuck_interj_n1_v>
