deech

English

Alternative forms

• ditch (dialectal)
• deche (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English dechen, from Old English dēċan (“to smear, plaster, daub”), from Proto-West Germanic *dōkijan (“to apply with a rag or cloth, smear”), from *dōk (“cloth, rag”), from Proto-Germanic *dōkaz (“rag”); see duck (“canvas, cloth”). Cognate with Dutch doeken, German tuchen.

Verb

deech (third-person singular simple present deeches, present participle deeching, simple past and past participle deeched)

1. (transitive) To smear, daub, plaster, or impregnate, especially with dirt which becomes hard and ingrained.
   • 1917, Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham, Brought Forward, page 60:

     The mud of Flanders clung to his boots and clothes. It was "deeched" into his skin, and round his eyes had left a stain so dark, it looked as if he had been painted for a theatrical make-up.

Noun

deech (usually uncountable, plural deeches)

1. (UK dialectal, Northern England) Dirt (or grime) ingrained on the hands, or in cracks, crevices, etc.