A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1990 (DOST Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1507-1508, 1614
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Rat, v. [Of obscure origin. Cf. later and mod. Sc. dial. rat to scratch, make a rut or groove in. Cf. Rat n.] To score, cut. — a1508 Kennedy Pass. Christ 451.
Thai … Pullit his berd, his tender heid thai rat 1614 Fraserburgh Kirk S. 13 Feb. (also J. Cranna Fraserburgh (1914) 189).
[He] haid in his peit spaid ane mid irne tapein quilk sa rattit the mid peit that [etc.]
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"Rat v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/rat_v>
