v. Now Sc. and dial. Pa. t. and pa. pple. streeked. Forms: 3–6 streke, 4 streck, 4–5 strek, 5 striek, streyk(e, 5–9 streik, 6–9 streek; 4–5, 9 strike, 5–7, 9 stryke; 6–7 streake, 7, 9 streak, 9 straik. Pa. t. and pa. pple. 4 streked, strekyd, 4–6 strekit, -yt, etc. [Northern ME. strēk-, corresp. to southern ME. strēch- (mod. dial. streach), a present-stem generalized from the non-geminate forms in the conjugation of OE. stręccan STRETCH v. (imper. stręce, 3 sing. stręceð). The northern form of this present-stem early gave rise to a pa. t. and pa. pple. strēked, but down to the 16th c. the forms descending from OE. streaht, streahte (and their variants) also continued in use in dialects which in the present tense used strēke (either exclusively or beside stretch); in this Dict. the forms straucht, streght, etc., are treated only under STRETCH v.
Although the word is in early and in present use almost exclusively northern, it is used in the 16–17th c. by several writers—Gascoigne, Chapman, Marston, Bp. Hall—whose language is in general free from northern characteristics.]
1. trans. To stretch (oneself), thrust out or extend (one’s limbs), in a recumbent posture. Also in pass., to lie thus stretched. Also with adv., as down, out. Cf. STRETCH v. 1.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 12703. Gapyng he lay at erþe al streked.
1414. Brampton, Penit. Ps. (Percy Soc.), 30. For stark, my lemys I may not streke.
c. 1480. Henryson, Fox, Wolf & Cadger, 185. Baith heid, and feit, and taill ȝe man streik out.
1576. Gascoigne, Steele Gl., Ep. Ded. I have lien streaking me (like a lubber) when the sunne did shine.
1598. Marston, Sco. Villanie, I. iii. C 8 b. Shall Curio streake his lims on his dayes couch, In Sommer bower?
1615. Chapman, Odyss., IX. 416. Along his den, amongst his cattell downe He rusht, and streakt him.
a. 1774. Fergusson, Farmer’s Ingle, Poems (1845), 38. Where the guidman aft streeks him at his ease.
1815. Scott, Antiq., xxi. I wad e’en streek mysell out here.
b. intr. To fall prostrate; to lie down at full length. Cf. STRETCH v. 1 e.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 481. Caim … Grusnede, and strekede, and starf wið-ðan.
1598. Bp. Hall, Sat., VI. i. 206. When Lucan streaked on his Marble-bed To thinke of Cæsar, and great Pompeys deed.
1728. Ramsay, Monk & Miller’s Wife, 71. There’s braw ait strae; Streek down upon ’t, my lad.
1814. Scott, Wav., xxx. Many an honester woman’s been set upon it than streeks doon beside ony whig in the country.
1820. Clare, Rural Life (ed. 3), 60. I’d just streak’d down.
c. Of the limbs: To be stretched (out); to be extended or expanded. Of a person: To stretch oneself, stretch one’s limbs. Cf. STRETCH v. 3 b.
a. 1400. Signs of Death, 13, in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1903), 253. His feet shullen streken.
1586, 1608. [see STREEKING vbl. sb. 1].
1648. J. Beaumont, Psyche, VI. ccv. He began to streak, and nod, and yawn.
1728. Ramsay, Monk & Miller’s Wife, 140. Mill-knaves … Whase kytes can streek out like raw plaiding.
2. trans. To lay prostrate; to lay out (a corpse). Also with out. Cf. STRETCH v. 1 b.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 944. Furþ, for ded, men gan hym streke.
c. 1585. Montgomerie, Misc. Poems, xxxvi. 4. Suppl. Vol. 247. So daithe at last sell straik þe stark.
1787. Burns, To W. Creech, xi. May I be … streekit out to bleach In winter snaw.
1815. Scott, Guy M., liii. I may be streekit here or night. There will be few, few at Meg’s lykewake.
1858. R. Craig, in J. Brown, Horæ Subs., Locke & Sydenham, etc. 426. A female relative … saying that she would come and streek him after he died.
1859. H. Kingsley, Geoffrey Hamlyn, xliv. Mrs. Buckley and the women were down at Mrs. Mayford’s, streaking the bodies out.
1896. Crockett, Grey Man, v. 35. The maid washed and streeked him.
3. To stretch (one’s limbs) in order to exercise the muscles. To streek one’s shanks, wame, to take a walk, step out. Cf. STRETCH v. 3 c.
1456. Sir G. Haye, Gov. Princis, Wks. (S.T.S.), II. 120. Quhen thou rysis in the mornyng, thou suld … strek and rak thy membris suetely and softly and evinly.
1788. Picken, Poems, 65. Sae, now, I e’en maun streek my wame, An’ see gin things be right at hame. Ibid., 111. I never whisky us’t, nor snuff, To streek the legs o’ fancy.
a. 1810. Tannahill, Poems (1846), 60. Wha mony a mile wud streek his shanks, To ha’e a crack wi’ Josie Banks.
1827. J. Wilson, Noct. Ambr., Wks. 1855, I. 327. Sair gien to gauntin, and the streekin out o’ ane’s airms.
4. To extend from the body, hold out or up, stretch forth (one’s arm, hand, etc.) in order to touch, grasp, etc. Cf. STRETCH v. 4.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 5817. I bidd þe strek þi hand þe fra.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xi. (Simon & Judas), 258. We sal gyf þam leyf to speke, bot nane a fowt furth to streke [sed anbulare non posse].
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 69. I schal streke out my hand on him.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., I. 717. Þan þat fute vp þai streik, Þat it fra þaim þe weddyr brek.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 479/1. Streykyn owte, protendo, extendo.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XIII. Prol. 150. Be my richt hand strekit vp in hy.
a. 1578. Lindesay (Pitscottie), Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 60. He fell doune wpoun his knies and streikit forth his craig to the sword.
1615. Chapman, Odyss., XII. 148. She lurkes in midst of all her denne: and streakes From out a ghastly whirle-poole, all her necks.
1901. G. Douglas, House w. Green Shutters, 311. Think of your mother … streeking out her auld hand for charity.
transf. a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter lxxix. 12. Extendit palmites suos vsque ad mare.… Sho strekis hir brawnchis til the see.
† b. To put forth, hold out, launch (a weapon, etc.). Also fig. Obs.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, II. ix. 41. With grundin lance at hand so neir furth strykit [rhyme-word arrekit].
c. 1585. Montgomerie, Misc. P., xlix. 29. Go to than, shirs, and let vs streik a sting.
† c. Of a heavenly body: To emit, project (beams of light). Obs. Cf. STRETCH v. 7.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, IV. 704. Sum ar less, sum othir mair, Eftir as thair bemys strekit air, Owthir all evin, or on wry.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xviii. (Egipciane), 1319. Þe sone cane fare bemys strek.
5. intr. To go or advance quickly; to go at full speed; to decamp. Also with away, off, etc. Now dial. and U.S. colloq. (usually spelt streak). Cf. STRETCH v. 10.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 1265. Doun in the pyt sche strekes.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 2085. Thane strekez the steryne, and streynys his brydylle.
c. 1510. Douglas, K. Hart, II. 335. Than Jelosie come strekand vp the stair.
c. 1730. Ramsay, Horace to Virgil, 39. Dedalus must … upward streek.
1834. New Monthly Mag., XLI. 465. Away we ‘streaked’ at the rate of twelve miles an hour against the current.
1844. ‘J. Slick,’ High Life N. York, I. 159. The door-bell rung, and in streaked five or six fellers.
1897. A. Wilkinson, in Outing XXIX. 439/1. A strong, young, spiked buck came streaking through the Chêniere with the howling pack close at his heels.
1893. Field, 22 April, 581/3. A flock of teal come ‘streaking’ down towards me.
1914. Times, 26 Nov., 6/3. Discretion seems the better part of valour when one streaks through in one’s car!
b. with it.
1833. [Seba Smith], Lett. J. Downing, ii. (1835), 32. I streaked it round the corner of the stone-fence to head him off.
1844. ‘J. Slick,’ High Life N. York, I. 132. I put on my hat, and streaked it down tu Peck slip.
1894. Crockett, Raiders (ed. 3), 156. Streekin’ it for the Ferrytoon o’ Cree as fast as the horses can birl.
c. transf., e.g., of the sun in its course. Of a river: To flow, stream.
1598. Florio, Irrigare … to streame or streake along.
1622. Drayton, Poly-olb., xxii. 27. Ouze … varying her cleere forme a thousand sundry wayes, Streakes through the verdant Meads.
1642. H. More, Song of Soul, II. I. ii. 30. So doth the gentle warmth of solar heat Eas’ly awake the centre seminall, That makes it softly streak on its own sent, And fairly forward force its life internall.
1821. Clare, Vill. Minstr., I. 175. How swift the sun streaks down the western sky.
d. To walk along, stroll, saunter (E.D.D.).
1819. W. Tennant, Papistry Storm’d (1827), 10. While younksters, by the sea-side streikin’, Gaed paidlin’ in without a breik on.
† e. trans. ? To urge on (an animal), cause to go quickly. Obs. rare.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 3082. His hors he strekith our the larg gren.
† 6. intr. To extend or reach (in a specified direction or for a specified distance). Obs. Cf. STRETCH v. 13.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XVIII. 130. Apon the cawse That wes betuix thame and the toune, That strekit lang in a randoune.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, ix. (Berthol.), 220. & of his hewyd þe lochtris of hare til his fete strekand ware.
1388. in Sir J. H. Ramsay, Bamff Charters (1915), 22. Begynand on the west part of the Lowssy law, strekand west by the land of Tyny.
a. 1400–50. Wars Alex., 5063. Betwene þa styes … þat strekis þurȝe þe mountis.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., I. 553. Fra north on south þe streme it strekis In till þe Red Seye quhill it reikis.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VI. v. 1. Fra thine strekis the way profound anon Deip onto hellis flude of Acheron.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 74. All the landis that la in the south Fra Forth streikand recht on to Eskis mouth.
1594. Blundevil, Exerc., Cosmogr., II. xix. (1597), 199. A perpendicular shadow, which streeketh right downe from head to foote.
1602. Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot., 476/1. Begynnand at the Hammer-pule-fute, and strykand langis the watersyde of Air to [etc.].
c. 1680. J. Morisone, in W. Macfarlane, Geogr. Collect. (S.H.S.), II. 211. Upon the west syde of the Countrie there are no harbouring for shipps except the Loch of Carluvay, streeking in almost in the middest of the countrie.
† b. fig. Obs.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XVII. 929. Micht he haf lifit quhill he had beyne Of perfit elde, withouten weyne, His renoune suld haf strekit fer.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xxvii. (Machor), 1120. Ne manis wit ma strek þartill, to consawe it thru kindly skill.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 61. Boþ of lawe of kind, and of law writun, and law of grace, he is þe first begining … and to wam al laws strekyn.
7. trans. To stretch out, extend (a rope, etc.); † to pitch (a tent). Cf. STRETCH v. 12 b, c.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter ciii. 3. Extendens celum sicut pellem.… Strekand heuen as a skyn. Ibid., cxxxix. 6. Funes extenderunt in laqueum, strengis þai strekid in snare.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1229. Furthe stepes that steryne, and strekez his tentis One a strenghe by a streme.
† b. To stretch on a rack or on a cross. Obs. Cf. STRETCH v. 17.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, iii. (Andrew), 688. Þane one þe croice but howne þai strekyt and band hym sone with cordis. Ibid., xlii. (Agatha), 168. He gert strek hire in a frame, & torment hir in syndry vyse.
c. To pull (a boot) on one’s leg.
1815. Scott, Guy M., xi. He had as gude a pair o’ boots as a man need streik on his legs.
d. To streek a tow, also intr. To streek in a halter: to be hanged, ‘swing.’ Cf. STRETCH v. 18 a, c.
1796. J. Lauderdale, Poems, 80 (E. D. D.). May I in a halter streek If I hae Latin, French, or Greek.
1895. Crockett, Men of Moss-Hags, ii. 22. But ye shall all streek a tow for this.
8. To cause to reach across a space. In quot. with over. Cf. STRETCH v. 12 a.
1787. Burns, Brigs of Ayr, 92. Ance ye were streekit owre frae bank to bank!
9. To put (an implement) in action. To streek the plew: to draw the first furrow after harvest.
c. 1480, 1555. [see STREEKING vbl. sb. 2].
1577. Grange, Golden Aphrod., I iij b. I … thinke dame Pallas streaked mine oare as well in this cace, as did Vlisses preuaile thorow hyr counsell against the Syrenes.
1790. D. Morison, Poems, 109 (Jam.). Ae day last week … She happ’d by chance to streek the wheel. Ibid., 131. Gae streek the rake.
