Dam

DAM, sb.1 Sc. Yks. Der. e.An. Aus. [dam.] 1. The body of water confined by a dam or barrier; a pond, pool of water. Sc. Many farms have ‘dams’ or ‘mill-dams,’ for storing water to drive the threshing mill (A.W.). Elg. The children... building little dams, and mills, and seats, Couper Tourifications (1803) I. 121. Abd. Willie drowned his servant lass in the mill-dam, Ruddiman Sc. Parish (1828) 34, ed. 1889. Frf. I'll droon mysel in the dam, Barrie Minister (1891) iv. Fif. A man, up at the Milton-dam, Swaif't, Tennant Papistry (1827) 157. Ayr. If they didna get rain, the dam would be clean dry in less than a week's time, Johnston Kilmallie (1891) I. 50; You ought to be flung into a mill-dam, Galt Sir A. Wylie (1822) l. Rnf. Nearin' noo Balcurrach dam, Neilson Poems (1877) 39. Lnk. Big hooses, kep dams, or fyle peenies, Nicholson Idylls (1870) 79. Lth. Backfa' dam Whaur mickle troots and salmon cam', Lumsden Sheep-head (1892) 105. Edb. First to the mill-dam ford, Crawford Poems (1798) 98. Dmf. An' three gude dams ran down the trows Before was grun' the meller, Cromek Remains (1810) 68. w.Yks. Sheffield Indep. (1874); w.Yks.2, Der.1 [Aus. Morris (1898); Dams, as he calls his reservoirs, scooped out in the hard soil, Scribner's Mag. (Feb. 1892) 141.] 2. Comp. (1) Dam-head, (2) Dam-stakes, the embankment or barrier of a mill-pond, &c.; the sloping dam over which the excess water flows from a mill-pond. (1) Lnk. Thrifty wee Luggie... Was croonin' awa o'er its ilka dam-head, Watson Poems (1853) 35. Edb. O'er dam-heads ye aften tummel Wi' dinsome rattle, Forbes Poems (1821) 104. (2) w.Yks. Banks Wkfld. Wds. (1865) 5; w.Yks.1 w.Yks.3 3. Fig. The quantity of urine discharged at once. Sc. Applied to children (JAM.). Ayr. Till whare ye sit, on craps o' heather, Ye tine your dam, Burns Author's Cry (1786) st. 31. 4. The canal or trench used to convey the water from a river, &c., to a mill-pond. Knr. Improperly used to denote what is otherwise called a ‘mill-lade’ (JAM.). 5. A drained marsh. e.An.1 Nrf. Cozens-Hardy Broad Nrf. (1893) 77; Nrf.1 Suf. (Hall.)

DAM, sb.2 Sc. [dam.] 1. A mother, woman. See Dame, sb. 3, 4. Edb. Our dams wad clank us wi' the kail-stick, Learmont Poems (1791) 58. 2. A piece or ‘man’ in the game of draughts; pl. the game of draughts. Sc. Dams were the pieces with which the game of draughts were played, Ramsay Remin. (1867) 246; After playing twa or three games at the dams, Saxon and Gael (1814) I. 94 (JAM.). ne.Sc. Children had their games of chance as their seniors had their cardplaying and their ‘dambrod’ or ‘dams,’ Gregor Flk-Lore (1881) 163. 3. Comp. Dam-brod, the board used in the game of draughts; draughts. Also used attrib. n.Sc. The draught board (Scottice, dam-brod) is produced as a means of enlivenment, Gordon Carglen (1891) 79. e.Sc. We can while awa' the time at the dam-brod, Setoun Sunshine (1895) iv. Frf. To challenge my right hand again to a game at the ‘dambrod’ against my left, Barrie Licht (1888) I. Per. Glowerin' wi' hawks' e'en on a damberd, Haliburton Horace (1886) 78. Ayr. I'm tired of the ggem at the dambrods with Willie, Service Dr. Duguid (ed. 1887) 189. Lnk. Wha wi' him wad dambrod play? Murdoch Doric Lyre (1873) 13. Lth. Gin it could only be petrified into wud, an' syne sawn up into thin dails, ye micht mak' a quaigh o' Athol brose aff't for dambrods, Lumsden Sheep-head (1892) 171. Slk. They fasten their een on it, as dourly as on a dambrodd, Chr. North Noctes (ed. 1856) IV. 286. Gall. In a dambrod pattern, Crockett Sunbonnet (1895) ix. Hence Damborded, adj. checked, crossed as the pattern of a ‘dam-brod.’ Sc. That upland loon wi' the damborded back, Blackw. Mag. (Nov. 1820) 154 (JAM.). [Fr. dame, a dame, a lady; a man at tables or draughts; ... dames, the play on the outside of a pair of tables, called draughts (COTGR.); cp. G. dame, damenspiel, draughts.]

DAM, sb.3 Sc. The damson plum, Prunus domestica or Prunus damascena. Also called Damsel (q.v.). Sc. Prunes and preserved plums were also called plum-dams (JAM. Suppl.).

DAM, sb.1 Sc. Cum. 1. The body of water confined by a dam. Cum.4 2. Comp. Dam-ee, the outlet of a mill-dam. Cai.1