Stickit minister

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A Stickit minister is a term of obloquy in Scotland, for a candidate for holy orders who has failed to pass the necessary examination, or to give satisfaction before whom he preached the probationary sermon. Scottish Gaelic has a direct equivalent in ministear-maide. There are two possible origins, firstly, as the Scottish Gaelic version maide implies, that the minister is "wooden" and stick like, or alternatively that it refers to hesitancy in speech, or "sticking" when giving the sermon itself. (stickit is the Lowland Scots for stuck). John Jamieson quotes an example: "Puir lad! The first time he tried to preach, he stickit his sermon." and further glosses "A speech is stickit when the speaker hesitates and is unable to proceed". The "stickit minister" is a staple of Scottish literature in the 18th and 19th Centuries, the most notable example being S.R. Crockett's novel, The Stickit Minister, published in 1893. It was followed by a rapidly produced series of popular novels frequently featuring the history of Scotland or with his native Galloway. It is still in minor use, but is becoming extinct.