† rack-staffn.
Obsolete. rare.
Any of several pieces of wood forming part of the mechanism of a flour mill (see quots.).
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation of grain > milling or grinding > [noun] > corn-mill > other parts of mills
stooling1558
mill-eye1611
mill-hoop1611
rack-staff1611
breasting1767
hopper-boy1787
paddle1795
cockhead1805
silk1879
looder1881
tollera1884
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Frayoire, the racke-staffe, or nog of a mill; the little peece of wood which rubbing against the hopper makes the corne fall from it.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 340/2 The parts of a Wind-Mill... The Rack-staff, that shakes the Shough.
1706 E. Ward Hudibras Redivivus I. xii. 6 If he eat Nothing but Wrack-staves for his Meat.
1847 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words II Rack-staff, a kind of pole or staff used for adjusting the mill-stones.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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