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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

EAROCK, n. Also eer(r)ock, erik and variants listed under sense 1. [′irɔk, ′irək ne., wm.Sc., but Knr., Arg. + ′e —, Per., Slg., Uls. + ′ɛ —; ′ærɪk Sh.]

1. A young hen, usually one in its first year, a pullet which is just beginning to lay (Sc. 1818 J. Sawers Dict. Sc. Lang., eerock; Ayr. 1923 Wilson Dial. of Burns 161; Abd.², Abd.⁹ 1942; wm.Sc.¹ 1949). The following variants are occasionally found: eirack (Sc. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XV. 8, Note); er(r)ack, erock (Sc. 1825 Jam.²); errock (Ags. 1822 Edb. Mag. (Aug.) 212; Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl. Ant. & Dwn.); errick (Uls. 1931 in North. Whig (5 Dec.) 13/2); eroc (Arg. 1936 L. McInnes Dial. S. Kintyre 11); also (from confusion with year), yearoc (Ayr. 1835 Galt Efforts by an Invalid 40) and yearock (Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xliii.; Slg. 1945 (per Abd.²⁷)). Dim. earikie (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 135). See also Arro, id.Rnf. 1791 A. Wilson Poems 234:
Three fat eerrocks, fassent by the legs.Ags. 1794 W. Anderson Piper of Peebles 18:
He has a clunker on his crown, Like half an errack's egg.Sc. 1825 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) I. 26:
Aye keep some three or four pullets for eerocks, or for devouring through the winter.Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 133:
Ye micht at least hae the gumption . . . to byde till the eggs were clockit, and the 'earocks of some sonsy and sappy size.Abd. 1920 C. Murray Country Places 21:
But the earock [a young crow] sailed awa', nae a feather touched ava', Left his twa mislippened neepers lyin' kickin' fu' o' leed.Lnk. 1928 W. C. Fraser Yelpin' Stane 176:
I wadna gie a guid fat earock for a' the grouse that ever was cleckit.

2. “A yearling; used in some places of a one-year-old horse, but mostly of a one-year-old goose” (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), erik; 1909 Scotsman (27 April)).

†3. A nickname for a second year pupil at Glasgow Grammar School.Gsw. 1782 Glasgow Past & Present (1884) III. 406:
William Bald taught the Earocks. Some of the forms, and phs. also the meanings, are due to conflation with 'Ear, Year.]