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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

RAKE, v., n.¹ Also Sc. forms: raik (s.Sc. 1847 H. S. Riddell Poems 193; Mry. 1873 J. Brown Round Table Club 152); reck; rekk (Sh. 1958 New Shetlander No. 48. 26); ryaak (Abd. 1867 A. Allardyce Goodwife 11).

I. v. 1. Specif. in harvesting: to rake together the stalks of corn that have been left behind when the sheaves were bound. Gen.Sc. Hence vbl.n. ra(i)king, in pl. gleanings; derivs. ra(i)ker, one who follows the reapers with a rake to glean (Abd.⁷ 1925); rakery, the job of gleaning behind a reaper.Abd. 1826 in A. F. Murison Memoirs (1935) 212:
I was able to take a Harvest and earned a rakery to a Scythe, I got 10/-.Sc. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm III. 1064:
The raker clears the ground . . . of all loose straws, and brings them to a bandster, who binds them together by themselves and sets them in bundles beside the stooks. This is better than putting the rakings into the heart of a sheaf, where they will not thrash clean with the rest of the corn . . . it is better to thrash bundles of rakings by themselves.Rxb. 1919 Kelso Chron. (22 Aug.) 2:
The band-one stretching from side to side of a capacious field; the bansters and raikers behind.

2. To turn over and smooth out seaweed in the last stages of kelp burning (Uls. 1953 Taynor; I.Sc. 1967).n.Sc. 1895 Longman's Mag. 37:
When at last it [burning sea-ware] smoulders low it is “raked” before being left to cool. One man takes a spade with a very small blade and a handle fully seven feet long, the lowcr half being of iron. Two other workers . . . have rakes. With these “rakes” the kelp is mixed and smoothed while the spadesman turns it up from the bottom of the pit.

4. intr. To drag, to trail (Sh. 1967).Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.:
Lass, di kot is ower lang, he's rakin ower da grund.

5. To bank up a fire, to cover it with small coal and cinders so that it will burn quietly all night (Sc. 1887 Jam.; Dmf. 1925 Trans. Dmf. & Gall. Antiq. Soc. XIII. 35; Ayr.⁴ 1928; Uls. 1953 Traynor; Ork. m.Sc. 1967). Ppl.adj. ra(i)kin, in combs.: (1) raikin-coal, a large lump of coal put on the fire at night to keep it burning till morning (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; w., sm. and s.Sc. 1967); (2) -peat, a peat similarly used (Watson); (3) -piece, = (1) (Sc. 1887 Jam.). Deriv. raiker, = (1) (Fif., Lnk., Arg., Ayr. 1967).Lnk. a.1832 W. Watt Poems (1860) 233:
Syne rumbled up the rakin' coal That shaw'd his shin a' bluid.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 114:
He gae the rakid fire a ruse.Lnk. 1902 A. Wardrop Hamely Sk. 84:
I pokered up the “raker” an' slippit back aside wee Patie in the closet bed.wm.Sc. 1935 D. Kirkwood Life of Revolt 55:
The “rakin' coal” was the equivalent in the home of damping down the fire in the works or smooring the fire in the Highlands.Uls. 1939 P. Gallagher My Story 98:
It's easy to kindle a turf fire when raked properly and Sally could rake a fire.

6. To search a person (Bnff., m.Sc., Slk. 1967).Edb. 1956:
Ye'll get raked at the polis office.

‡7. To strike as with a rake or with a raking motion, to drive (a rake-hook or snn. instrument) into a fish, etc. Poss. orig. a substitution for Rikk, q.v.Sc. 1859 Acts Parl. 22 & 23 Vict. c. lxx. § xiv. 946:
Every person who at any time takes or kills or attempts to take or kill Salmon . . . by means of any Pout Net, Rake Hook, or similar Engine.Ork. 1904 Dennison Orcadian Sk. 3:
Mans rakid a rostin' speet in the whall's back.Sh. 1915 Old-Lore Misc. VIII. i. 61:
He rakid his bridder, Sjhorn, wi' a nudge a side.Ork. 1929 Marw.:
Rake, in fishing — to hook a fish by jerking the line up suddenly: the fish is then usually hooked by the back or tail or some place other than the mouth as it would be if it had swallowed a bait.

8. To rub or scratch; specif. to rub the eyes to clear them of rheum or dispel the sensation of sleepiness (Sh., Abd. 1967).Sc. 1708 M. Bruce Lectures 26:
Love . . . will put you in pursuit after Christ, or ever other Folk rake their Eyes.Edb. 1773 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 109:
Rakin their Ein, the Servant Lasses Early begin their Lies and Clashes.Ags. 1790 D. Morison Poems 18:
His pow then wi his nails he rakes.Dmf. 1805 Scots Mag. (Sept.) 701:
I'll aff to W—b—h i' the dawin', Whan fowk begin to rake their een.Mry. 1865 W. Tester Poems 146:
Rob in his chair sat rowin', winkin', Rakin', rubbin' at his wyme.Abd. 1873 P. Buchan Inglismill 29:
Inglis, raxin', rakit up his een.

¶9. To hurt, upset, cause discomfort to.Ags. 1790 D. Morison Poems 191:
A kebbuck maun be got, and butter'd cakes, She [howdie]'ll bauldly tell, hame scones her stomach rakes.

10. Bowling: to play a bowl with sufficient impetus to move the jack forward or to displace a well-placed bowl (Sc. 1897 Encycl. Sport III. 119). Cf. Eng. rake, to enfilade with shot.

II. n. 1. Comb. rake-net, a net attached to a long pole which is dragged along the river bottom to ensnare fish.Dmf. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XIV. 411:
They are catched by the long net, the rake net, the rod, and sometimes killed, or rather murdered, by an instrument called a Lister.Dmf. 1862 Justiciary Reports (1865) 231:
Fishing from a boat with a “rake-net”, consisting of a pole with an iron hook at the end, to which a net was attached.

2. A tool used in handling smouldering seaweed in the making of kelp.m.Sc. 1895 Longman's Mag. (Nov.) 37:
Two other workers, as often women as men, have “rakes”, implements not unlike a rough caricature of a golfer's “iron”, but with handles as long as that of the spade. With these “rakes” the kelp is mixed and smoothed.

3. In pl.: the rakings, sweepings.Edb. 1774 J. Schaw Jnl. Lady of Quality (Andrews 1923) 127:
They use manure in great abundance, and would be as glad of the rakes of Edinburgh streets as the Lothian farmers.

4. An accumulation, what has been gathered together, a hoard (Abd., em.Sc.(a) 1967).Abd. 1851 W. Anderson Rhymes 196:
He married for siller, expectin' a rake o't, But Aunty took care he ne'er fingered a maick o't.Abd. 1875 W. Alexander My Ain Folk 121:
Mony a gweed raik o' siller has he paid for beasts.Bnff. 1924 Swatches o' Hamespun 83:
A raik sae hefty, sae easy to snare, Wid scunner a poacher, fa caresna te spare.Highl. 1984:
Is there a pen in that drawer? Aye, there's a rake o them in here. Arg. 1993:
Even in Oban there, A'd a reck o books up wi me [in hospital] an didna read wan.

5. In pl.: a duty exacted at a mill equal to three Gowpens (Sc. 1825 Jam.). Cf. Eng. slang “rake-off.”

6. A grasping person who is always trying to accumulate money (Cai.⁴ c.1920). Gen.Sc.

7. A very thin person. Gen.Sc. Obs. in Eng.Sc. 1825 Jam.:
He is a mere rake.