Literary notes about scotch (AI summary)
The word "scotch" appears in literature with a diverse range of meanings that reflect both cultural identity and functional usage. In many works it functions adjectivally to denote Scottish origin or character, whether referring to people, accents, or even landscapes—such as the depiction of a shrewd, canny Scotch highlander [1] or the characteristic firs of a Scottish landscape [2]. At times it is used as a modifier to indicate national or regional peculiarities, as seen in references to Scotch constituencies [3] and Scotch traditions [4]. In other instances, "scotch" acts as a verb meaning to thwart or put an end to something, exemplified by the phrase “scotch the snake” [5]. Its application even extends to playful coinages and colloquial expressions, where it infuses dialogue with local color and attitude [6, 7]. This rich array of uses underscores the word’s multifaceted role in literary texts, from historical allusions [8] to vivid characterizations [9, 10].
- The Spartans, in their character, anticipated the shrewd, canny, uncouth Scotch highlander of modern times.
— from Lysistrata by Aristophanes - They stopped to part among the Scotch firs.
— from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot - He was known to have refused office in the interests of his profession, preferring to remain a simple Member for a Scotch constituency.
— from The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie - Birth's gude, but breedin's better.—SCOTCH PROVERB.
— from Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden - do insufficiently &c. adv.; scotch the snake.
— from Roget's Thesaurus by Peter Mark Roget - While the storm was still raging, I made up a Scotch couplet, and then spoke up and said: “Very well, don’t say any more.
— from Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World by Mark Twain - "Capital Scotch broth, my dear," said Sir Pitt, "though they call it by a French name.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray - " Arbuthnot was of Swift's age, born in 1667, son of a Scotch Episcopal clergyman, who lost his living at the Revolution.
— from The History of John Bull by John Arbuthnot - The Scotch half-breed called a halt and took him out of the team, making the next dog, Sol-leks, fast to the sled.
— from The call of the wild by Jack London - Rummy how you don't suspect a man of being Scotch unless he's Mac-something and says 'Och, aye' and things like that.
— from Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
