A Doric A-Z: D revisited

An occasional A-Z of the Doric, the dialect spoken in the North-East of Scotland which is rich in words and phrases associated with the land and the sea.

DEUK: duck

"Close cuisin o the skunk, the strippit brock pads plat-fuitit, deuck-ersed, near the grund." (Close cousin to the skunk, the striped badger walks flat footed, duck-arsed, near the ground.)

I'm sorry, but I can't resist what comes next: -

The Grand old Deuk of Forvie he had ten thousand drakes
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again.
When they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only halfway up
They were neither up nor down.

'The Grand Old Duke of York' is a British nursery rhyme,

At this time of the year the female eider ducks are starving, sitting on their eggs while the males enjoy themselves marching up and down the great sand dune at the mouth of the River Ythan. Who knows why? Mysterious business, Nature. The marchers are best viewed through the telescope.