Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1880-1930
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RUITHE, n., v. Also reuth and in reduced form rue (Ork. 1929 Marw.). [røð; Cai. rʌθ]
I. n. 1. The small seeds of weeds common to grain crops, esp. wild mustard or corn spurrey (Ork. 1914 M. Spence Flora Orcad. 103, 1929 Marw.; Cai. 1968). Adj. ruithy, reuthy, in combs. reuthy-breid, bread made of wild mustard seed, Brassica arvensis; ruithy-girs, corn-spurrey, Spergula arvensis (Ork. 1929 Marw.); rue-klino, bread or oatcake mixed with ruithe meal and spread with butter "given in old days to a servant after he had taken a cow to the bull" (Ork. 1929 Marw.). See Cline, v.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 129:
A aire o'lempit breu — For kitchen wi' reuthy breid tae deu.Ork. 1884 Crofters' Comm. Report, App. A. LIX. 276:
If during this time the peasantry ate bread at all, it was what they called 'reuthie breed' — that is, bread made from the seed of wild mustard, reuth being the name of that seed in Orkney.Ork. 1930:
Hid juist rins oot o him like ruith out o a poke — of someone who cannot keep a secret.
2. A mass of small or insignificant objects, e.g. small potatoes (Ork. 1929 Marw.).
II. v. To pour out, to gush profusely; fig. of a speaker or his words.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 23:
I kinno' hoo lang sheu wad hae reuthed oot o' her.Ork. 1920:
The oaths juist reuthed oot o'm.
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"Ruithe n., v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 7 Feb 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/ruithe>
