Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1899-1948
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0]
REKSTER, n. Also rexter; rakster (Marw.).
1. A going or proceeding (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.); a pursuit (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1932)), progress.Sh. 1908 Jak. II. (1932) 689:
He made a puir rekster, he did not gain much.
2. A stretch or extent of land (Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.), esp. of poor land (Ork. 1929 Marw.).Sh. 1948 New Shetlander (Jan.-Feb.) 10:
Da hills ta da noard an' aest o' Weisdaal ir full o' ljoags an shüns an dir rexter is immense.
3. A long journey or drive, esp. when driving sheep (Sh. 1904 E.D.D.), sometimes implying fruitless effort (Sh. 1968).Sh. 1908 Jak. II. (1932) 689:
What a rekster I'm had me. . . . He's made him a rekster, he made a journey (without success).
4. An enclosure into which sheep are driven (Jak.), a walled track along which sheep are driven. Hence rekster-dyke, a wall which helps to control the driving of animals (Ib.); rekster-goe, a creek used for this (Sh. 1904 E.D.D.). See Geo.Sh. 1899 J. Spence Folk-Lore 175:
To facilitate the driving [of sheep] small branch dykes run out in two directions from the krö. These were termed soadin or rexter dykes.
5. Speed, pace.Sh. 1908 Jak. II. (1932) 689:
Der wer a guid rekster upon him.
6. A pulling of the ears as a punishment, a trouncing, a dressing-down. Also as vbl. deriv. rakstering.Sh. 1908 Jak. II. (1932) 689:
I'll giv dee a rekster.Ork. 1929 Marw.:
She gae him a proper raksterin.
7. A confusion, a mess.Ork. 1929 Marw.:
'A' in a rakster' — of anything gone to ruin or confusion.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Rekster n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Feb 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/rekster>
