Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To block (a wheel, for example) with a prop to prevent rolling or slipping.
  • noun A block or wedge used as a prop behind or under an object likely to roll.
  • transitive verb To put an abrupt end to.
  • transitive verb To injure so as to render harmless.
  • transitive verb To cut or score.
  • noun A surface cut or abrasion.
  • noun A line drawn on the ground, as one used in playing hopscotch.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A slight cut or shallow incision; a scratch; a notch.
  • noun A line drawn on the ground, as in hop-scotch.
  • To prop or block, as the wheel of a coach or wagon, with a stone or other obstacle; hence, to put on the brake or drag to.
  • To hold back.
  • noun A prop or strut placed behind or before a wheel, to prevent its moving, or placed under a log to prevent it from rolling.
  • noun In well-boring, a slotted bar used to hold up the rod and tools while a section is being attached or detached from above.
  • To scratch; score or mark with slight incisions; notch; hack. See scotching.
  • To wound slightly.
  • To dock; fine; amerce.
  • Same as Scottish.
  • noun Collectively, the people of Scotland. Also Scots, as plural of Scot.
  • noun The dialect or dialects of English spoken by the people of Scotland. Also Scots.
  • noun Scotch whisky.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To shoulder up; to prop or block with a wedge, chock, etc., as a wheel, to prevent its rolling or slipping.
  • transitive verb To cut superficially; to wound; to score.
  • transitive verb (Cookery) a dish made of pieces of beef or veal cut thin, or minced, beaten flat, and stewed with onion and other condiments; -- called also Scotch collops.
  • adjective Of or pertaining to Scotland, its language, or its inhabitants; Scottish.
  • adjective (Bot.) the Cytisus scoparius. See Broom.
  • adjective (Zoöl.) the bufflehead; -- called also Scotch teal, and Scotchman.
  • adjective [Low] the itch.
  • adjective a coarse, dense mist, like fine rain.
  • adjective (Zoöl.), [Prov. Eng.] the sedge warbler.
  • adjective See under pebble.
  • adjective (Bot.) See Riga fir.
  • adjective (Bot.) a species of thistle (Onopordon acanthium); -- so called from its being the national emblem of the Scotch.
  • noun A slight cut or incision; a score.
  • noun The dialect or dialects of English spoken by the people of Scotland.
  • noun Collectively, the people of Scotland.
  • noun A chock, wedge, prop, or other support, to prevent slipping.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of Scottish origin.
  • noun A surface cut or abrasion.
  • noun A line drawn on the ground, as one used in playing hopscotch.
  • noun A block for a wheel or other round object.
  • noun Whisky of Scottish origin.
  • verb transitive To cut or score.
  • verb transitive To prevent (something) from being successful.
  • verb transitive To debunk or discredit an idea or rumor.
  • verb transitive To block a wheel or other round object.
  • verb transitive, textile manufacturing To beat yarn in order to break up slugs and align the threads.
  • verb transitive, Australian rhyming slang to rape
  • verb transitive To dress (stone) with a pick or pointed instrument.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Origin unknown.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English scocchen, to cut, perhaps from Anglo-Norman escocher, to notch : es-, intensive pref. (from Latin ex-; see ex–) + Old French coche, notch (probably from Latin coccum, scarlet oak berry, from Greek kokkos).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English scocchen ("to cut"), perhaps from Anglo-Norman escocher ("to notch") , from es- ("intensive prefix"), from Latin ex- + Old French coche ("notch")

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Examples

  • This … along with a half dozen oysters and 1-3 glasses of scotch is a recurring comfort dinner for me.

    Prime Rib Hash!?! | Midtown Lunch - Finding Lunch in the Food Wasteland of NYC's Midtown Manhattan 2010

  • Hell, one can always argue that the smokey flavor of scotch is due to polycyclic aromatics that can be “associated” with some desease or another.

    Coyote Blog » Blog Archive » The Oft-Missed Component When Evaluating European Socialized Health Care 2010

  • As long as gamers try to claim some great societal import for their gaming prowess, they are going to be seen and little kids who are just to dumb and lost in their own world to realize that playing hop scotch is not as vital as it seems in their limited little worlds.

    EXTRALIFE – By Scott Johnson - Diary #111: “Gamers” 2008

  • Until the fact that I hadn't eaten anything the whole day and my stomach was pickling in scotch started catching up with me.

    Archive 2005-03-01 2005

  • JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The expression scotch tape and bailing wire do anything for you?

    CNN Transcript Jun 15, 2007 2007

  • I remember that there were several bottles of Johnnie Walker Red Label scotch down the center of the long table, largely consumed during the numerous toasts offered on every conceivable subject, and later we drank the thick black coffee typical of the region.

    Palestine Peace Not Apartheid Jimmy Carter 2006

  • I remember that there were several bottles of Johnnie Walker Red Label scotch down the center of the long table, largely consumed during the numerous toasts offered on every conceivable subject, and later we drank the thick black coffee typical of the region.

    Palestine Peace Not Apartheid Jimmy Carter 2006

  • I remember that there were several bottles of Johnnie Walker Red Label scotch down the center of the long table, largely consumed during the numerous toasts offered on every conceivable subject, and later we drank the thick black coffee typical of the region.

    Palestine Peace Not Apartheid Jimmy Carter 2006

  • I remember that there were several bottles of Johnnie Walker Red Label scotch down the center of the long table, largely consumed during the numerous toasts offered on every conceivable subject, and later we drank the thick black coffee typical of the region.

    Palestine Peace Not Apartheid Jimmy Carter 2006

  • I remember that there were several bottles of Johnnie Walker Red Label scotch down the center of the long table, largely consumed during the numerous toasts offered on every conceivable subject, and later we drank the thick black coffee typical of the region.

    Palestine Peace Not Apartheid Jimmy Carter 2006

Comments

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  • Distinct from Scots, this 15th century word means to scratch, cut or score on the ground which is how hopscotch was played before kids got their hands on chalk. Butterscotch is similarly named for its scoring or cutting into squares. See scot-free and to scotch a rumor. --from the OED

    May 1, 2007

  • "But with conservative Republicans denouncing the plan as an affront to free market capitalism and some liberal Democrats criticizing it as a giveaway to Wall Street, both parties were anxiously starting to court votes, particularly in the House, where angry Republicans nearly scotched a deal that had been in the works for days."

    The New York Times, Consensus on Rescue Plan Is Said to Be Near, by David M. Herszenhorn and Carl Hulse, September 27, 2008

    September 28, 2008

  • As a half-Scot: Wow.

    September 28, 2008

  • Most Scottish people would object to

    of or relating to or characteristic of Scotland or its people or culture or its English dialect or Gaelic language

    we're Scottish or Scots. Scotch nowadays would only really be used to refer to the drink, or eggs, or mist...well certainly not the people.

    January 18, 2009

  • Scotch was used as a Verb by Gore Vidal in his novel, Duluth, as, "...scotch the rumor." If memory serves, the author used the word to mean a quashing of the rumor; using the word to mean not a tallying of, but a scratching away at, for purposes of elimination or removal. See: to scotch a rumor.

    October 21, 2009