roached, a. Chiefly U.S.
(rəʊtʃt)
[f. roach n.3 or v.]
1. Having an upward curve. Also Comb., as roached-backed adj.
| 1776 New England Chron. 25 Jan. 3/3 (Advt.), Strayed or stolen..a sorrel horse..roach'd back, 3 white feet, [etc.]. 1844 E. C. Watmough Scribblings & Sk. (ed. 2) 176, The two [horses] with roatched backs, and ears glued to their necks, were scrambling. a 1890 Dogs Gt. Brit. & Amer. 100 (Cent.), An arched loin is desirable, but not to the extent of being roached or ‘wheel-backed’, a defect which generally tends to slow up-and-down gallop. 1894 ‘Mark Twain’ in St. Nicholas Feb. 355/1 Roached-backed ones that he said was hyenas. 1945 C. L. B. Hubbard Observer's Bk. Dogs 56 Body [of Dandie Dinmont terrier] low-to-ground, roached-backed. 1955 W. W. Denlinger Compl. Boston i. 172 For a dog with a naturally roached spine, nothing can be done. 1979 T. Gray Chihuahua (ed. 5) vii. 98 Another fault, a slightly roached back, will often level out by the time the puppy is three-parts grown. |
2. Of hair (on a horse or person): brushed or cut in a roach. Hence, having hair dressed in this way. Also roached-up.
| 1790 Augusta (Georgia) Chron. 13 Mar. 3/1 A Bay Horse, roached mane and a small switched tail. 1836 Southern Lit. Messenger II. 303/1 The..fat, impudent pony, with roached main and bobtail. 1856 P. Cartwright Autobiogr. xii. 141 This young man had a mighty bushy roached head of hair. 1891 Appeal-Avalanche (Memphis) 26 Apr. 7/2 Strayed{ddd}one dark bay colt, roached mane and end of tail cut off. 1944 Duncan & Nickols M. Graham 91 There were twenty-seven big, little, and middlin'-sized boys and girls, giggling and whispering about the master's roached, curly red hair. 1949 ‘J. Nelson’ Backwoods Teacher 268 If she wants to go 'round lookin' like an old roached-up mule, we don't care. |