Now Sc. and dial. Forms: 5–7 yarke, 5–9 yerk, 6–7 yerke, yeark(e, 6–9 yark, yirk, 9 (U.S.) yawk. [ME. yerk (15th cent.), appearing first as a technical term of bootmaking. Of obscure origin, but prob. in part phonetically symbolic; cf. the largely synonymous jerk, firk.]
1. To draw stitches tight, to twitch, as a shoemaker in sewing (trans. with the leather, etc. as obj., or intr.); also, to bind tightly with cords.
c. 1430. York Mem. Bk. (Surtees), I. 194. Pro sutura xij parium sotularium yerkyd ad manum, iiij d.
1600. Dekker, Shoomakers Hol. (1610), D 3. Eyre. Yarke and seame, yark and seame. Firke. For yarking & seaming let me alone & I come toot.
1630. Tincker of Turvey, 27. His Wife sitting by him when hee was yerking of his shooes.
1805. Scott, Last Minstr. (1894), Note xlviii. ‘Sutor Watt, ye cannot sew your boots; the heels risp, and the seams rive.’—‘If I cannot sew,’ retorted Tinlinn, discharging a shaft, which nailed the captain’s thigh to his saddle,—‘If I cannot sew, I can yerk.’
1813. Hogg, Queen’s Wake, I. III. lxiv. And they yerkit his limbis with twine.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., lii. His hands and feet are yerked as tight as cords can be drawn.
1822. Hogg, Perils of Man, II. vii. 269. Eight horses,… every one with its head yerked to the tail of the one before him.
1825. [see yerking below].
2. trans. To strike smartly, esp. with a rod or whip; to beat, flog, lash; to drive with a whip.
c. 1520. Skelton, Magnyf., 484. A carter … That with his whyp his mares was wonte to yarke.
1550. Coverdale, Spir. Perle, vi. 54. Like as the carter or foore man yerketh his horsse with the whyp.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., VI. vii. 44. That same foole … Was Scorne, who hauing in his hand a whip, Her therewith yirks.
1604. Shaks., Oth., I. ii. 5. Nine, or ten times I had thought t’haue yerk’d him here vnder the Ribbes.
1631. J. Done, Polydoron (1650), 211. When I observe a cruell Carter yerke and slash but a poore over-toyld Iade.
1703. Mrs. Centlivre, Love’s Contriv., IV. i. 45. I’ll yerk the sullen Devil out of you.
a. 1774. Fergusson, Leith Races, Poems (1845), 34. Their skins are gaily yarkit And peel’d thir days.
1825. Brockett, N. C. Gloss., s.v. Aw’l yark yah, yah dirty bastard yah.
1833. Blackw. Mag., XXXIV. 550. We should yerk the yokel of a Yankee with the knout.
b. To smack or crack (a whip); also intr. of the whip, to crack.
a. 1566. R. Edwards, Damon & Pithias (1571), F ij b. When ich was a lusty fellow, and could yarke a whip trimly.
1603. Florio, Montaigne, I. xxii. (1632), 48. He would … make a whip to yarke and lash, as cunningly as any Carter in France.
1606. G. W[oodcocke], Hist. Iustine, II. 9. Euery man drew forth his whip, and began to yerke the same.
c. intr. To strike, deal blows.
1815. G. Beattie, John O’Arnha (1826), 30. He swat and yarkit wi’ his hammer.
3. fig. To beat, lash, flagellate (as with sharp words or treatment); hence, to stir up, excite.
1593. G. Harvey, Pierce’s Super., 10. Arrius will shake the Church: Macchiauell will yerke the Commonwealth.
1607. Middleton, Fam. Love, III. (1608), E 2. If it hit, and that I yearke my familist out of the Spirit.
1639. J. Taylor (Water P.), Part Summers Trav., C 5. I with my Pen doe meane to yerke and ferke ye.
1786. Burns, To J. S——, iv. My fancy yerket up sublime Wi’ hasty summon.
1797. T. Poole, in Mrs. H. Sandford, T. P. & Friends (1888), I. 221. The weight of government, which our ministry has cause[d] to touch and yark every individual where he never felt it before.
1819. Keats, Otho, III. ii. Aye, Satan! does that yerk ye?
1825. Jamieson, To Yerk, Yark, figuratively applied to the rays of the sun, when they beat powerfully on any object.
1874. Outram, Annuity, vi. In vain he yerked his souple head, To find an ambiguity.
b. intr. To gird or carp at.
1621. Bp. Mountagu, Diatribæ, 392. Almost in euery Paragraph, either he yerketh at his neighbours credit, or commendeth his owne chickens.
1826. J. Wilson, Noctes Ambr., Wks. 1855, I. 114. Onything’s mair preferable than yerk yerkin at every thing said by a wiser man than yoursel.
4. trans. To pull, push, or throw with a sudden movement; to jerk.
1568. J. Fen, trans. Osorius’ Confut. Haddon, I. 7 b. When you are pricked and yearked foorth with the goades of your owne madnes.
1575. Gascoigne, Flowers, Wks. 1907, I. 65. He that yerks old angells out apace.
1604. T. M., Black Bk., D 3 b. But when I yerkt them [sc. dice] forth, away they ranne like Irish Lackeys.
1644. Manwayring, Sea-mans Dict., 83. When a great sea comes to yerk up the ship.
1780. Hutton, Tour to Caves (ed. 2), Gloss., Yark, to push or strike.
1825. J. Neal, Bro. Jonathan, III. 236. A gray beaver … yerked a little on one side.
1836. [Hooton], Bilberry Thurland, I. xiv. 258. He … seized the parson by the chin and ears and yerked him upwards several times.
1840. Haliburton, Clockm., Ser. III. xii. I’d larn him how … to yawk the reins with both hands.
1861. Stamford Merc., 27 Sept. He saw him knocking and yarking the horse about and swearing at it.
1882. Jamieson’s Sc. Dict., s.v., He yerkit to the yett wi’ a bang.
1904. Dundee Adv., 2 Dec., 7. If any person went and asked a civil question he might get a besom ‘yarked’ at his head.
b. To utter spasmodically, ‘jerk out’ (words); to start, strike up (a song, etc.).
1604. Middleton, Fr. Hubburd’s’ T., C 3. He began to speake to the richest of our number, euer and anon, yerking out the word Fines.
1719. Ramsay, To Arbuckle, 14. Yerking those words out which lye nearest.
1815. G. Beattie, John O’Arnha (1826), 57. A’ the devils in a ring Yarkit up the Highland fling.
1892. Lumsden, Sheep-head & Trotters, 287. Yerk us aff a sang belyve.
† c. To ‘get up’ or compose rapidly or hastily, to ‘dash off.’ Obs.
1592. Nashe, Strange Newes, E 4 b. In a night & a day would he haue yarkt vp a Pamphlet as well as in seauen yeare.
1621. Bp. Mountagu, Diatribæ, 88. You are able to shape your aduersary an answere, and yerke vp a booke in a night.
5. To move (some part of the body) with a jerk or twitch; esp. to lash out with the legs), as a horse.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., IV. vii. 83. [Wounded steeds] with wilde rage Yerke out their armed heeles at their dead masters.
1607. Markham, Cavel., II. (1617), 171. You shall obserue that when he yarketh, he yark out his hinder feete euen and close together. Ibid. (1623), Cheap Husb. (ed. 3), I. ii. 17. When a horse yerketh out his nose.
1651. Loves of Hero & Leander (1653), 16. Leander now turns on his back, He yerks out legs and lets arme slack.
1726. Dict. Rusticum (ed. 3), s.v. Capriole, The Goat-leap, when a horse at the full height of his Leap, yerks or strikes out his hind legs.
1825. Scott, Betrothed, xiii. Mahound yerked out his hoofs.
1828. Craven Gloss., s.v., T’horse yarkd out baath his hinder fit.
b. intr. To lash or strike out with the heels, to kick.
1565. [see yerking below].
1573–80. Tusser, Husb. (1878), 150. The sooner that poore beast is strucke the sooner doth he yerke.
1579–80. North, Plutarch (1595), 719. The horse … would let no man get vp on his backe,… but would yerke out at them.
1581. J. Bell, Haddon’s Answ. Osor., 158 b. He [sc. the horse] … chaufeth & champeth vpon the bridle, commeth a loft, yorketh out with his heeles behinde.
1611. Cotgr., s.v. s’Agrouper, He would yearke out behind.
1694. Motteux, Rabelais, V. viii. 36. He fell a Trotting, and Winsing, and Yerking.
transf. 1622. Fletcher, Sea-Voy., I. i. How she [sc. a ship] kicks and yerks.
6. intr. To spring or rise suddenly: esp. of animals.
1612. Drayton, Poly-olb., vi. 54. So doth the Salmon vaut; And if at first he faile, his second summersaut Hee instantlie assaies, and from his nimble ring Still yarking [etc.].
1828. Craven Gloss., Yark, to rise hastily. ‘He yarks up i’ th’ snert of a cat [= instantly].
1892. Mem. Dean Hole, xvi. (1893), 193. It [sc. a snipe] yarked up, and screeted, and I nipped round, and blazed.
1893. Stevenson, Catriona, xv. We saw the wee flag yirk up to the maist-heid.
b. fig. To engage eagerly in some proceeding, to ‘pitch into.’
1737. Ramsay, Sc. Prov. (1750), 103. Thoughts are free, tho’ I mayna sae mickle I can yerk at the thinking.
1807. J. Stagg, Poems, 52. Some teymes i’th winter neeghts, when dark We’d into th’ Ladies Di’rys yark.
1892. Lumsden, Sheep-head & Trotters, 181. We hae a lang tramp to yerk till in the morning. Ibid., 257. Now Dominie, yerk in.
Hence Yerking, yarking vbl. sb. and ppl. a. (in various senses: see above and quots.).
1565. Cooper, Thesaurus, Excussores equi, flingyng and yerkyng horses.
1587. Fleming, in Holinshed, Chron., III. 819. The fox … not able to beare the yerking of his [sc. the lion’s] taile, or a pelt of his paw. Ibid. (1589), Virg. Georg., III. 348. Seest thou not that neither bit and bridle … Nor cruell yerkings,… do stop or stay Horsses from mares.
1593. G. Harvey, Pierce’s Super., 11. And what comparable to this spowte of yarking eloquence?
1598. Marston, Sco. Villanie, Proem. Quake guzzell dogs,… Skud from the lashes of my yerking rime.
1605. Play Stucley, in Simpson, Sch. Shaks. (1878), I. 254. We’ll spur your Iennet … Until with yarking she do break her girths.
1624. Gee, Foot out of Snare, App. 114. A song of the same smart-yerking tune.
1639. T. de Grey, Compl. Horsem., 2. The horse … never gave over flinging, yarking, plunging, and bownding.
1689. T. Plunket, Char. Gd. Comm., 47. Are all the yerking Muses fallen asleep?
1787. W. Taylor, Sc. Poems, 177. Mornin clocks an’ yarkin hammers Reviv’d us by their tunefu’ yammers.
1825. Jamieson, Yerkin, the seam by which the hinder part of the upper leather of a shoe is joined to the forepart, Berwicks., Duinfr.
1892. Lumsden, Sheep-head & Trotters, 286. Hootsman … proposed that Rob Clarty … should … give us some of his reels … for the yerking off of which Rob … is … a famous hand.
