A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1990 (DOST Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1683
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0]
Ritting iron. [Ritt v. Cf. later Sc. dial. ritting knife an instrument for slitting the turf before peat-cutting, also ritting-spade.] The metal head of a tool used for cutting through turf before digging out a piece. — 1683 Reid Sc. Gard'ner (1683) 28.
Lay a foot thick sand immediatly under the truff: then by the squair streatch lines, ritt with the ritting iron (which is an half round put into the end of a crooked stick) & raise the turff with the turff-spade
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Ritting Iron n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/ritting_iron>
