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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.

ROCK, n.¹ Also roke (Sc. 1819 J. Rennie St. Patrick I. xi.). Sc. usages:

1. Combs. and Phrs.: (1) rock blackbird, the ring-ouzel, Turdus torquatus (Slg. 1885 C. Swainson Brit. Birds 8); (2) rock bool, a round hard sweet of candied sugar (m.Lth., Bwk., Lnk., Rxb. 1968); (3) rock cadie, the cod, Gadus callarias (e.Sc. 1887 Sc. Naturalist 9), prob. erron. for codie, see (5); (4) rock cock, applied to the wrasse in the varieties Ctenolabrus rupestris or Centrolabrus exoletus (Sc. 1905 A. Forbes Gaelic Names 393, 1930 Fishery Board Gl.), phs. a variant of Eng. rock cook by assimilation to first element; (5) rock cod(-fish), -codling, a cod, Gadus callarias, which has its habitat among rocks (n. and m.Sc. 1968, in coastal areas); (6) rock-halibut, the coal-fish, Gadus virens (Abd. 1930 Fishery Board Gl.; ne.Sc., Ags. 1968); (7) rock hawk, the merlin, Falco columbarius (Bwk. 1902 A. Thomson Lauder 276); (8) rock-herring, the allis shad, Alosa alosa (Bwk. 1838 Proc. Bwk. Nat. Club (1885) 173; Mry. 1852 Zoologist X. 3482; Bnff. 1876 S. Smiles Sc. Naturalist 422, Bnff. 1968); the twaite shad, Alosa finta (Mry. 1852 Zoologist X. 3482; Abd. 1878 Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Abd. 90); (9) rock lintie, the twite, Acanthis flavirostris (Cai. 1968); the rock pipit, Anthus spinoletta petrosus (Abd. 1885 C. Swainson Brit. Birds 46); (10) rockman, a cragsman, specif. a fowler who catches young birds on rock faces (Ork. 1825 Jam., 1866 Edm. Gl.); (11) rock owl, the white-breasted barn-owl, Tyto alba; (12) rock partan, the common edible crab, Cancer pagurus (ne. and wm.Sc. 1968). Also in reduced form roke. See Partan; (13) rock sole, the Dover sole, Solea solea (Cai. 1887 Harvie-Brown & Buckley Fauna Cai. 280; ne.Sc. 1903 G. Sim Fauna of “Dee” 248, ne.Sc. 1968); (14) rock starling, the ring ouzel, Turdus torquatus (Rxb. 1885 C. Swainson Brit. Birds 8; Bwk. 1889 G. Muirhead Birds Bwk. I. 32); (15) rock-teetlan, -teetlag, the rock pipit, Anthus spinoletta (Cai. 1968); (16) rock turbot, a name given to the flesh of the cat-fish or wolf-fish, Anarrhichus lupus, when offered for sale (Abd., Ags. 1930 Fishery Board Gl.; ne.Sc., Ags., Bwk. 1968); (17) Son of the Rock, a native of Dumbarton or of Stirling, a prominent feature of both towns being a rock surmounted by a castle (Per., Slg., w.Lth., Dmb. 1968); (18) the Old Rock, da Aald —, an affectionate name given to the Shetland Islands by Shetlanders (Sh. 1968).(2) Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 13:
Ee'd better heide thae rock-bools, or the bairns 'll kinsh thum.(5) Sc. 1821 Scott Pirate ii.:
Charging the rock codfish at a penny instead of a halfpenny a-pound. . . . In an overcharge of about one hundred per cent. on a bargain of rock-cod.Bwk. 1838 Hist. Bwk. Nat. Club 173:
When the fish is of a red colour, which it assumes after lying some time among weedy rocks, it is then called Rock Cod or Codling.Sc. 1854 H. Miller Schools 509:
A basket of rock-cod.Bnff. 1876 S. Smiles Sc. Naturalist 423:
A cod of a red colour, in all save the fins, which are generally of a yellowish tinge, and never larger than a common sized haddock. They are known here by the name of “rock codlings”.(7) e.Lth. 1840 W. MacGillivray Brit. Birds III. 322:
It is named the Rock Hawk, from the circumstance of its nest being placed on the ground amongst rocks.(9) Ags. 1888 Sc. Naturalist (Oct.) 347:
Under the name of the “Rock Lintie” it breeds regularly about Arbroath, nesting under tufts on the cliffs.(10) Ork. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ XX. 264:
The rockmen, as they are properly and significantly called, walk on the very edges of the shelves, in the very face of the rock.Ork. 1806 P. Neill Tour 48:
The most active rockman or bird-hunter.(11) Bwk. 1930 W. McConachie Glamour of the Glen 231:
It nested . . . in the rocks along some of our rivers. This last resort gave the bird in some parts the name of the rock-owl.(12) Wgt. 1877 “Saxon” Gall. Gossip 15:
A big roke catch't him by the muckle-tae.Kcb. 1901 R. Trotter Gall. Gossip 319:
[She] grippit rokes . . . an sell't the big yins an ett the wee yins.Sc. 1933 E. S. Haldane The Scotland of Our Fathers 281:
Various street cries early in the century, such as “pease and beans” and “rock partans”.(16) Sc. 1931 J. R. Norman History of Fishes 385:
The Cat-fish or Wolf-fish (Anarrhichas) deprived of its head and skin, is sold as “Rock Salmon”, or, in Scotland, “Rock Turbot”.(17) Slg. 1844 J. G. Kohl Travels Scot. 222:
The people of Stirling . . . call themselves “Sons of the Rock”.Lnk. 1893 T. Stewart Among the Miners 206:
The “sons o' the rock” set their foemen aghast.Sc. 1952 Sunday Post (28 Sept.) 9, 13:
Natives of two Scots towns are called Sons of the Rock . . . Stirling and Dumbarton.Slg. 1967 Stirling Jnl. (5 Jan.) 1:
The Incorporated Glasgow Stirlingshire and Sons of the Rock Society, which was founded on Auld Hansel Monday, 1803.(18) Sh. 1869 J. T. Reid Art Rambles 55:
Shetland girls who emigrate are soon married; and their husbands join them in assisting their relatives on the “Old Rock”.Sh. 1965 New Shetlander No. 72. 5:
No Place like the Old Rock.

2. Derivs.: (1) rocker, one who climbs rock-faces to catch birds, a rock-fowler. Cf. 1. (10); (2) rockie, -y, (i) the twite, Acanthis flavirostris (Ags. 1855 C. Swainson Brit. Birds 66). Cf. 1. (9); †(ii) a wild sheep; (iii) the haddock, Gadus aeglifinus (e.Sc. 1887 Sc. Naturalist 9); (iv) in comb. rocky-on, a pile of stones built by boys as a temporary fortress against the incoming tide (Abd., Kcd. 1968); (3) rockle, dim., a small rock, a pebble (Ayr. 1825 Jam.). Hence rocklie, abounding with pebbles (Ib.; Slg., Fif., Dmf. 1968).(1) w.Sc. 1929 A. MacGregor Summer Days 228:
The natives [of Mingulay and Berneray] were as skilled “rockers” as are the St. Kildans.(2) (ii) Cai. 1909 D. Houston 'E Silkie Man 5:
Mebbe she'd geen t'ca' 'e rockies aff 'e growan breether.(iv) Abd. 1961 P. Buchan Mount Pleasant 22:
The loons that made a rocky-on to try an' beat the tide.

3. A curlers' name for a curling stone (Sc. 1968).