Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
PROKE, v.
1. intr. To poke about, make a poking movement (Kcb. 1966). Now only dial. in Eng.Sc. 1843 N. MacLeod Crack aboot Kirk 2:
If a man has a sair leg or a sick body ye needna keep prokin' and roarin' in his lug a' day that he's no weel.Uls. 1914 P. MacGill Children of Dead End xxi.:
I'm sick of prokin' in the gutters here.
2. tr. Only in (1) deriv. proker, n., a poker (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 387; Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl., Uls. 1966). Also in Eng. dial.; (2) freq. form prokel, to keep on prodding or stirring.(1) Rnf. 1835 D. Webster Rhymes 87:
Her lips grew as blue as my grandmother's proker.(2) Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.:
She's prokelin' the bars.
