Scotch

Contraction of Scottish.

The chess opening is supposedly after its having been played in a correspondence game between Edinburgh, Scotland, and London, England.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /skɒtʃ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /skɑtʃ/
• Rhymes: -ɒtʃ

Scotch (countable and uncountable, plural Scotches)

1. (as a plural noun, the Scotch) The people of Scotland.

   The Scotch are a hardy bunch.

2. (uncountable) Whisky distilled in Scotland, especially from malted barley.

   Paul has drunk a lot of Scotch.

3. (countable) Any variety of Scotch.

   My favorite Scotches are Glenlivet and Laphroaig.

4. (countable) A glass of Scotch.

   Gimme a Scotch.

• Use of Scotch to refer to the people of Scotland is currently deprecated by the Scottish.

• (people of Scotland): Scots, Scottish
• (whisky): malt, malt whiskey, malt whisky, Scotch whiskey, Scotch whisky

Scotch

1. The Scottish dialect of English, or the Scots language.
   • 1932, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Sunset Song, Polygon 2006 (A Scots Quair), p. 156:

     But Rob was just saying what a shame it was that folk should be shamed nowadays to speak Scotch – or they called it Scots if they did, the split-tongued sourocks!

2. (chess, informal, the Scotch) The opening 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4.

   Karpov played the Scotch against Anand.

• (dialect): Scots, Scots English, Scottish
• (chess opening): the Scotch Game (not informal)

Scotch (not comparable)

1. (dated) Of or from Scotland; Scottish.
   • 1801, William Hanna, Memoirs of the life and writings of Thomas Chalmers (page 422)

     Behind all his assumed unsocialism there lay a true warm heart; nor could anything be kindlier than the welcome which, whenever they did come to him, any of his Scotch relatives received.

   • 1817, Walter Scott, Rob Roy:

     our landlord informed us, with a sort of apologetic tone, that there was a Scotch gentleman to dine with us.

• The Scottish dislike the term Scotch and consider it offensive. The more preferred adjectives are Scottish or Scots.

• Scottish
• Scots