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.
RUCK, n., v. Also †rowke; rook. Dims. ruckie, rookie, rukey. [rʌk; Rs. ruk]
I. n. 1. A stack of hay or corn of a standard shape (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.; ne., m. and s.Sc. 1968). Also in n.Eng. dial.Ayr. 1700 Arch. and Hist. Coll. Ayr & Wgt. IV. 197:
Three rowkes of hay taken out of his yeard.Sc. 1728 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) II. 3:
Behind a Ruck Met honest Toop and snaking Buck.Edb. 1773 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 83:
Our rucks fu' thick are stackit i' the yard.Dmf. 1817 W. Caesar Poems 75:
Some night, when the moon's clear shining, He will gar them lead a ruck.Slk. 1899 C. M. Thomson Drummeldale 96:
Twae rucks to pit up i' the meeda.Rxb. 1917 Kelso Chronicle (9 March) 4:
Even when the ruck is thatched afresh every autumn.Abd. 1965 Press and Jnl. (30 Dec.):
So and so's rucks maun be afa blaadit.
Combs.: (1) ruck foun, -foon, a circular foundation of stones or the like on which a stack is built (ne.Sc., em.Sc.(a), sm.Sc. 1968); (2) ruck heid, the tapering top of a stack (Id.); (3) ruck stale, the wooden platform on which a stack is built (Kcb. 1950). See Stale, n.1; (4) ruck tow, the rope used to bind the thatch on a stack (ne.Sc., Per. 1968).(1) Abd. 1920 C. Murray Country Places 1:
An' roon the ruck foun's wi' the lave o' the loons Played “Takie” by licht o' the meen.Abd. 1963 J. C. Milne Poems 18:
Nae rottan in yer ruck-foun!(2) Wgt. 1804 R. Couper Poetry I. 188:
The carle sees the last ruck-head hapt in baith safe and braw.Uls. 1901 S. F. Bullock Ir. Pastorals 121:
Shouted I from the ruck-head.(4) Bnff. 1931 Banffshire Jnl. (21 April) 5:
The ruck-tow huds it sauf an' soon!
2. A small temporary stack of hay erected in the field to allow the hay to dry before being built into a more permanent stack (Uls. 1929; e.Rs.1 1929, rookie; Cai., Per., w.Lth., wm., sm. and s.Sc. 1968).s.Sc. 1847 H. S. Riddell Poems 27:
The froth shone white in ilka syke, Rowed roun' like little ruckies.
3. A heap or pile of any material (Bnff., Abd. 1968). Also in Eng. dial.; specif. a small heap of peats set up to dry; transf. in phr. the haill ruck, the whole lot, a person's all (Rxb. 1825 Jam.).Abd. 1898 J. M. Cobban Angel of Covenant xxxii.:
Out of all this worthless ruck of chaff.Bnff. 1918 M. Symon Wir Roup 1:
An Wasties steed on gaird aside A ruck o' aul' lum hats.Bnff. 1957 Banffshire Jnl. (23 July):
The peats hed tae be set on their eyns, wi' three tae form a sma' hooycan or ‘ruckie' wi' een pitten on the tap tae haud them thegither.
II. v. 1. To pile up, stack up, to build hay, corn, etc. into a stack (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 230; Ork., ne.Sc., Per., wm., sm. and s.Sc. 1968). Also in Eng. dial. Hence rucker, a stack-builder.Sc. 1703 Foulis Acct. Bk. (S.H.S.) 329:
The ruckers of the hay.Sc. 1720 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 156:
When Autumn's Stores are ruck'd up in the Yard.Abd. 1729 Third S.C. Misc. II. 136:
The fairest grain is . . . mow'd, cut, win cok'd and ruck'd the same way as hay.Slk. 1744 Session Papers, Emmond v. Magistrates Selkirk (19 June) 2:
[He] past by the Deponent and a Neighbour Servant, as they were rucking Pease.Slk. 1899 C. M. Thomson Drummeldale 95:
They hev a lot o' hey lyin', and Ise warran' they'll be keen to get it ruckit afore the rain comes on.
2. Of hay, etc.: to bulk or swell in the stack (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 230; Kcb. 1968).
[Norw. ruka, a heap, a stack, a fem. ablaut variant of O.N. hraukr, a heap, cogn. with O.E. hrēac, a rick. The word is also found in Mid.Eng. and mod. Eng. dial. and the form rook [ruk] and poss. rowk could derive directly from O.N. hraukr in certain dialects.]
