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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Rug, v. Also: rugg(e, ruge; ruig; rowg; (ruk). [North. ME and late north. ME rug (Cursor M.), rogg (c1340), ? of Scand. origin. Cf. Icel., Faer., and Norw. rugga, obs. Dan. rugge, to rock, to sway; ‘the original sense was prob. "to pull"’ (OED). Cf. Rag.]In senses 1 and 2, with and without locative complement.Freq. coupled with Rif(e v. 16, also with Ref(e v.¹ 1 (2).

I. tr. 1. To pull or drag (a person) forcibly (from a place or person, also, fig., from a state of mind, etc.).(1) a1400 Leg. S. xxvi 689.
He hynt the prioure be the hare, & rukyt hyme of his bed in hy 1582 Row 97.
Mr. John Howison … rugged out of the judgment-seat and place of moderation in the presbyterie of Glasgow 1590-1 R. Bruce Serm. 121.
Except that we be drawne, except we be compelled, except we be rugged [etc.] a1599 Rollock Wks. I 334.
Thou mon be ruggit be the hair fordward 1619 Sel. Biog. I 101.
We have a vigilant enemy who would draw and rugg us backward 1640 Aberd. B. Rec. III 213.
Helen Mearnes … convict … for injuring of Janet Walker in rugging her be the hair 1655 Dunferm. Kirk S. 45.
[She] deponit that John Kellek ruggit and puggit hir beneath the spittell-brig … that she was forced to quyte hir plaid and run away(2) 1605-6 Welsh Forty-eight Serm. 477.
Ye would think it hard to be rugged and separate from a friend 1638 Cant Serm. (1741) 31.
Many of them [are] rugged from their flocks 1664 W. Guthrey Serm. 42.
That ungodly party hath violently rugged them from … stewards of thine(b) 1600 Crim. Trials II 181.
The Erle of Gowreis men ruiggit the said Schir Thomas Erskyne and James Erskeyne fra the Erle of Gowriefig. a1568 Bann. MS 217a/13.
Suppois I wer in point till de Thair is nocht wrey in wardlie wrege To rug me than out of that rege 1590-1 R. Bruce Serm. 167.
It is so hard a thing to get the hearts of kings rugged from their wealth and from their glorie 1629 Boyd Last B. 197.
A heart fixed to the earth … with pleasure … cannot bee rugged from thence without renting of its filme

b. To tug or pull at. a1500 Colk. Sow i 140.
All the remanent him ruggis Sum be leggis, sum [MS sun] be luggis c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 10/105.
Than rudlie come Remembrance Ay rugging me withouttin rest 1540 Lynd. Sat. 1938.
Fals hursone raggit carle, quhat is it that thow ruggis?

c. To rug and rife (rife and rug), to tug or pull at (a person); to handle violently. See Rif(e v. 16.

2. To break off (of) or tear away (a part of a body) from its normal position; to pull away (a garment or appurtenance).Freq., to rug (the) hare (of the head).(1) 1513 Doug. x vi 120.
Numytor furth of hys brotheris corps Ruggis the trunschon 1591-2 Rob Stene 14.
Sum ruggit a geigget from a spald 1596 Misc. Spald. C. I 94.
As gef doiggis hed bein ruggand the flesche from hir beanes(2) a1400 Leg. S. xxvii 247.
Scho rugyt of hyre hed the hare c1420 Wynt. v 2751 (W) (see Rif(e v. 2 (1) p.t.). c1450-2 Howlat 822 (A).
The tuchet and the gukkit golk … Ruschit baith to the bard, and ruggit his haire a1500 Rois Garlandis 253.
And blist be his haly hair that wes cruellie ruggit with the Jowis 15.. Christis Kirk 62 (B). 1696 Peebles B. Rec. II 154.
He saw James Sheill … fall upon the baillie and rug his hair(3) ?1438 Alex. ii 10315.
Scheildis rugand fra shulders raith 1569 St. A. Kirk S. 329.
[He] ruggit the curche of hir head 1641 E. Loth. Antiq. Soc. II 144.
He … saw Thomas Sandersone rugging ane bonat from the said James

b. fig. To root out or extirpate (a non-material thing). 1638 Henderson Serm. 470.
Cast aff us all things that are old, and rug every lust, whereby we have been fighting against God

3. To rend; to tear apart or into pieces. Also fig. a1500 Henr. Fab. 933.
I rug, I reif all beistys that makis debait Aganis … my magnyficence 1513 Doug. xii x 132.
Than all the laif … that about the ded corps stud Rentis and ruggis thame self as thai war wod 1525 St. A. Formulare I 271 (see Rif(e v. 16 c). 1554 Duncan Laideus Test. 170.
Fair weill Stratherne, … I ruggit thy ribbis quhill oft I gart them rair 1570 Sat. P. xxii 51.
Or rauinnis thé rug with bludie beik in bittis 1590 Burel Pilgr. i 263.
The gorgoull and the graip … Thame druging and ruging With thair maist cruell clukis a1700 Mare of Colinton 175 (see Rif(e v. 16 c).fig. 1685-8 Renwick Serm. 480.
The gnawing worm of an ill conscience will then rug your soul and tear it in pieces

4. To take (something) away without the consent of its owner; to remove forcibly or violently. 1577 Crail B. Ct. MS 17 Oct.
Gyff ony persoun in ony tyme heirefter be fowndin rugging or rubbyng ony stowkis … [the council] ordanis thame to be skowrgit 1578 Glasgow B. Rec. (MC) 97.
Ruggand 1587 Bk. Univ. Kirk II 723.
So long as the patrimony of the Kirk is so rugged from it and disponed to profane persons a1599 Rollock Wks. I 319.
Thou is ane fuile quha thinkis that thou hes ane inheritance in eirth. For either sall thou be ruggit fra it, or it sall be ruggit fra thee 1628 Dunferm. B. Rec. II 158.
For putting violent hands on his son … and ruging fra him his cloak 1665 S. Leith Rec. 121/1.
If he knew quhare Mr. James Sharp's corps were laid he should rug his dead bones out of the grave 1671 Sutherland Bk. II 188.
The people … did rugge and stealle away greate burdines of our peas

b. To rug (and) refe (or rife), to rob (a person); to plunder (a place). Cf. 8 b below.1571 Bann. Memor. 130 (see Ref(e v.¹ 2 c (1) pres.). 1572 Sat. P. xxxii 67 (see Rif(e v. 16 d).

5. Also, with adv. complement, in various quasi-compounds, in various of the above senses.To rug up, to pull up (as by the roots); to extirpate; to get rid of (a person). lit. and fig.To rug and rife up, = 4 b above.(1) ?1438 Alex. ii 7523.
He sall … rug his heid of 1562-3 Winȝet II 81/24.
And imagin thame to rug of his clathis as thai war playng with him pluk at the craw 1626 Garden Worthies 130.
That boar's head, bloodie, rugged of & rent 1638 Henderson Serm. 234.
When thou art applying plasters to our souls we rug them aff again 1666-7 Blakhall Narr. 154.
That the skipper thought that a planck had bein rugged of of her side(2) 1456 Hay I 162.
Sum othir of the gude herbis … mon be ruggit up with thame 1533 Boece 266.
Thai … ruggit vp grete quantite of haddir 1580 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I 135.
And quhair ony frute treis ar cuttit and ruggit vp be thame that thai plant vtheris 1596 Dalr. I 234/28.
Al the monumentis of idolatrie be the rutes he rugit vpe 1666-7 Blakhall Narr. 124.
This nobleman … was the roote of bitternes, and of necessity behouved to be rugged up —a1568 Scott i 125 (see Rif(e v. 16 d).(3) a1500 Henr. Orph. 299.
Hert, lywir and trype He ruggit out a1500 K. Hart 916.
This rottin stomak that I beir aboute Ȝe rug it out and reik it to him syne ?a1500 Remembr. Passion 545.
The hair of his heid and berd wes rugit out c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 423 (M).
Quhen that the rawinis sall rug out bayth thy ene 1596 Dalr. II 46/21.
His hart [was] rugit out of his bouk a1599 Rollock Wks. I 430.
Wald thou have it [sc. thy soul] rugged out perforce? 1600-1610 Melvill 248.
Out of the quhilk [sc. steeple] … being halff against his will ruggit out, and halff borne and careit away 1627 Glasgow Weavers 69.
And the divill rug out the leyeris saull 1692 Presb. Eloq. (1693) 26.
The Devil rugg their hearts out of their sides(b) 1592 St. A. Baxter Bks. 48.
For rowging owt the said Archbaldis heare owt of his beard(4) c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 163/71.
The hudit crawis his hair furth ruggit Ib. 163/83.
The pyot furth his pennis did rug 1611 Reg. Privy C. IX 214.
[He] tuke him be the beard and ruggit furth a grite pairt thairof(5) 1533 Boece 86.
Gillus … with his power … ruggand doun the cornys of the feildis ȝit growand 1590-1 R. Bruce Serm. 80.
That this power … is able to rugg and pull down … the flesh and blood of Christ Jesus 1591–2 St. A. B. Ct. 10 March.
Be thame selffis thair servandis [etc.] … hes ruggit doun the … cheikis and lintill of trie of his said dur a1603 Anc. Prophecies 13.
Then shal he … goe to Rome and rug downe the walles(6) 1584 Melvill 176.
Wha hathe ruggit away … the administration … of the Lord's tempell from his lawfullie called ministers 1603 Misc. Maitl. C. I 402.
The said persones … hes ruggit avay the cleyth fixt to the pulpet … and irne that held the besein for the water to baptisme

II. intr. 6. To pull, tug. Also to rug at.(1) ?1438 Alex. ii 8533.
Marciane … To him hint and ruggit raith Ib. 8929.
[He] by the mailȝeis him hint in hy, And ruggit to him sa fellonly That [etc.] Ib. 9015.
Thay worslit sua, Rushand and rugand to and fra 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Arripio, to plucke, or rug to me(2) c1420 Wynt. iii 472.
About twa pyllarys … He kest hys armys hastyly, And ruggyt at thame dogytly 1629 Dundonald Par. Rec. 290.
John Mure … rugged at a karre to haue gotten a rung out of it 1644 Justiciary Cases III 642.
Yow the said Agnes Fynnie with yor dochter … bothe sitting one his bedsyde fearcelie ruging at his breist 1692 Presb. Eloq. (1692) 99 (see Rif(e v. 16 b). c1705 Nimmo Narr. 68.
Is not the divel & his instruments rugging at his soul to gett it destroyed in sinfull courses

7. To tear or rend, as with a beak, claw or the like. Also to rug at.1513 Doug. vi ix 140 (see Rif(e v. 16 c). 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 1148.
The rauin began rudely to ruge and ryue Full gormondlyke a1605 Montg. Flyt. 288 (H).
The weird sisters … Saw reavenes rugand at that ratton

8. To take things without leave or by force; to appropriate something for one's own use. 1562-3 Winȝet I 9/19.
Ȝow … quha rugis, as ȝe may, fra God and al godly vse, to ȝour awin kechingis

b. To rug (and) (to) refe (refe … rug), to practise robbery or rapine. See Ref(e v.¹ 1 (2). Cf. 4 b above.