rick1
/rɪk
/noun
1A stack of hay, corn, straw, or similar material, especially one formerly built into a regular shape and thatched.Our first night on the march, the General and his staff all climbed into a straw rick and passed a restful, if short, night....
- The thresher was due in one hour, and a base, known as a ‘butt’ had to be made for the rick of straw.
- A few hens, questing for food under a rick, stole away under a gate at her approach.
1.1North American A pile of firewood somewhat smaller than a cord.
1.2North American A set of shelving for storing barrels.Alison heard the sound of ricks shifting and the floor beneath them was beginning to shake.
verb [with object]
Form into a rick or ricks; stack: the nine cords of good spruce wood ricked up in the back yard
Origin
Old English hrēac, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch rook.
Rhymes
rick2
/rɪk/noun
A slight sprain or strain, especially in a person’s neck or back: the screen tilter lets you play the game flat without developing a permanent rick in your neck
verb [with object] British
Strain (one’s neck or back) slightly: I whirled so quickly that I nearly ricked my neck...
- They have met seven times in all and, so far, Federer has only managed to win once - and that was when Henman had ricked his neck and had to pull out after a set.
- This is a useful skill for rapidly reading rows upon rows of pay and display tickets in car parks without ricking my neck or having to do handstands.
- As for the rides, well… I got soaked on the thrilling log flumes, ricked my neck on the Gauntlet - a wild loop-the-loop rollercoaster - and felt nauseous on the Galleon.
Origin
Late 18th century (as a verb): of dialect origin.