Teuchter ( , )[Oxford English Dictionary, second edition, 1989][
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Derivation
The word also shows up as cheuchter, tschooktir, chuchter, teuchtar, chookter but has no universally accepted orthography. From relative obscurity, it gained currency around 1910.[
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There are three main theories on the etymology of the word:
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a purely Gaelic derivation from tuath "peasantry, tenantry" or deoch "drink" (borrowed into Scots as teuch) plus an Agentive ending suffix -air or -adair
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a derivation from the Scots adjective teuch "physically or mentally strong, tough" plus a suffix
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a derivation from the Scots noun teuchit/teuchat "northern lapwing"
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One folk etymology/urban myth is that during the First World War, many members of the Highland regiments were pipers. A book of sheet music for the pipes is called a "tutor", and when pronounced with the preaspiration of Scottish Gaelic accents when speaking English, this sounds like "teuchter".
Humour
Like other rural stereotypes, teuchters commonly feature in jokes (Billy Connolly has performed and recorded a sketch where a teuchter visiting the city marvels at a bus as "a hoose wi wheels") though such stories often end with the apparently naive teuchter triumphing through hidden wiliness.
The archetypal cartoon teuchter is the cartoon character Angus Og, created by Ewen Bain.
A teuchter is the hero of Scottish musician Bill Hill's The Portree Kid,
See also
