▪ I. ratch, n.1 Mech.
(rætʃ)
Also 7 Sc. ratsche, 8 roch, 8–9 rash.
[Var. of ratchet; the precise history of the form is not clear. Cf. G. ratsche, rätsche; also ratschborer ratchet-drill, ratschscheibe ratchet-wheel.]
† 1. Sc. = firelock 1. Obs. rare.
| 1620 D. Wedderburn Compl. Buik (S.H.S.) 73, I have directit James to bring me hame a ratsche of a gun of fyve quarter lenth. 1657 S. Colvil Whigs Supplic. (1751) 18 Some had guns with rusty ratches. |
2. A ratchet.
| 1721 Bailey, Ratch [in a Watch] are the small Teeth at the Bottom of the Barrel, which stop it in winding up. 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 502 The spring..must not be altered by the ratches' click. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 1881/2 Ratch, a rack-bar with inclined angular teeth between which a pawl drops. |
3. A ratchet-wheel; spec. in clock-work.
| 1721 Bailey, Ratch, [in Clock-Work] a Sort of Wheel, which serves to lift up the Detents every Hour, and to make the Clock strike. 1741 Ettrick in Phil. Trans. XLI. 563 The Roch, or snagged Wheel, being..accounted as Part of the great Wheel. 1780 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 2) IX. 6635/2 Ratch, or rash, in clock-work, a sort of wheel having twelve fangs [etc., as in Bailey]. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 1881/2 A circular ratch is a ratchet-wheel. |
b. So ratch-wheel.
| 1741 Ettrick in Phil. Trans. XLI. 567 The Roch-wheel to be cut with 48 Teeth. 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 314 The other end..by the motion of the arm G, is made to move the ratch-wheel. |
▪ II. † ratch, n.2 Obs. rare—1.
? = rack n.1 3.
| 1562 T. Phaer æneid v. O iv, Down sinck the surging waues..; from al the heauen the ratches flies. |
▪ III. ratch, n.3 Naut.
[f. ratch v.1]
A reach.
| 1885 Daily Tel. 19 Aug. (quoted in Cassell's Encycl. Dict.). |
▪ IV. ratch
hunting-dog: see rache1.
▪ V. ratch
white mark: see rache2.
▪ VI. ratch
erron. form of rotch.
▪ VII. ratch, v.1 Obs. exc. dial.
(rætʃ)
Also 4–6 rachche, 5 ratche.
[Back-form. from raught, pa. tense of reach v.1, on anal. of caught, catch.]
1. intr. † a. To proceed, go. Obs. rare—1.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 619 Resttez here on þis rote & I schal rachche after. |
b. Naut. To sail on a tack, to ‘reach‘.
| 1881 Clark Russell Sailor's Sweeth. I. ii. 34 They ratched from shore to shore, slueing on their heels to run athwart the wind on another tack. 1897 Outing (U.S.) XXIX. 467/2 Getting our anchor we ratched around under mainsail and jib. |
† 2. trans. To reach, get hold of. Obs. rare—0.
| 1530 Palsgr. 679/2, I ratche, I catche, I have raught. Je attayns. And I ratche the thou shalt bere me a blowe. |
3. trans. To draw out, to stretch (hence dial. to exaggerate, to lie); to pull or tear asunder.
| a 1529 Skelton Agst. Garnesche iii. 180 Thou xuldyst be rachchyd, If thow war metely machchyd. 1530 Palsgr. 679/2, I ratche, I stretche out a length. Je estends. If it be to shorte ratche it out. 1781 Hutton Tour to Caves (ed. 2) Gloss., Ratch, to tear in pieces. 1829 in Brockett. 1847 in Halliwell. 1869– in dial. glosses (Lancs., Yks., Linc., Hants, Dorset). 1904 Hardy Dynasts I. i. iii. 31 The thousands called..will ratch the lines Of English regiments..To glorious length. |
Hence ratched ppl. a., stretched.
| 1835 Ure Philos. Manuf. 179 He must take care not to stretch the cardings... If any fault is committed in this respect,..they are said to be ‘ratched cardings’. |
▪ VIII. ratch, v.2 Mech.
[f. ratch n.1]
trans. To cut into teeth like those of a ratch; to turn round in the process of doing this.
| 1777 Ramsden Descr. Engine (i.) 1 The Circumference of the Wheel is ratched or cut..into 2160 Teeth. Ibid. 10, I then ratched the wheel round continually in the same direction..and, in ratching the wheel about 300 times round, the teeth were finished. Ibid., The screw in ratching had continually hold of several teeth at the same time. [1846 Holtzapffel Turning II. 639 note, In ratching or cutting the wheel..the circle was divided with the greatest exactness.] |
▪ IX. ratch, v.3 north. dial. and Sc.
(rætʃ)
[f. rache, ratch n.1]
a. intr. To forage for food, to ferret around; to ramble or wander about. b. trans. To search thoroughly, ransack. Hence ˈratching vbl. n.
| 1801 ‘Berwickshire Sandie’ Poems 73 Hens ratch'd through the house wi' greed. 1859 W. Dickinson Gloss. Words & Phrases Cumberland (foreword), Yan wad ratch ivry neukk ov oald Cummerlan. Ibid. 91 Ratch, to ramble, to search vigorously. ‘Ratchan about like a hungry hound.’ 1869 A. C. Gibson Folk-Speech Cumberland 96 Cook's house was ratch't through an' through. 1971 Country Life 9 Sept. 630/1 There's oalas an odd yan or two that'll leave their lambs an' ratch aboot. Ibid. 7 Oct. 900/1 Hill sheep can be very active, and when they feel like ratching it takes a very formidable fence to prevent them. 1973 Guardian 26 Feb. 10/2 The grass is poor, as yet, so some of the fell-sheep go foraging in and out of the woods..and into any fell-side garden with an open gate... ‘Ratching’ is part of their nature. 1976 Jrnl. Lakeland Dial. Soc. 21 Yan day t' auld Friesian bull gat oot, a' caved an' ratched aroond, Neabody durst gan near him as he rwoared an' scratted t' groond. |