Scotch

views updated May 17 2018

Scotch / skäch/ • adj. old-fashioned term for Scottish.• n. 1. short for Scotch whisky.2. [as pl. n.] (the Scotch) dated the people of Scotland.3. dated the form of English spoken in Scotland.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

scotch

views updated May 29 2018

scotch / skäch/ • v. [tr.] decisively put an end to: a spokesman has scotched the rumors.scotch² • v. [tr.] archaic cut or score the skin or surface of.• n. archaic a cut or score in skin or another surface.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

scotch

views updated Jun 11 2018

scotch decisively put an end to; render (something regarded as dangerous) temporarily harmless. The sense ‘render temporarily harmless’ is based on an emendation of Shakespeare's Macbeth as ‘We have scotch'd the snake, not kill'd it’, originally understood as a use of the homonym scotch with the meaning ‘cut or score the skin of’.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

scotch

views updated May 23 2018

scotch1 make an incision in XV; (from Theobald's emendation of scorch in Sh. ‘Macbeth’ III iv 13) injure or obstruct so as to render harmless for a time XVIII. of unkn. orig.
Hence sb. incision XV; so in HOPSCOTCH.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

scotch

views updated May 14 2018

scotch2 block, etc. placed under a circular object to prevent slipping. XVII. occas. skatch, which may indicate identity with scatch (XVI) stilt — OF. escache.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD