ONlwSG

riofag f. [ˈɍifaɡ̊], gen. riofaig -[æɡ̊ʲ], -[ɛɡ̊ʲ], ‘the barb of a hook’ 

Also ‘cuticle tag; anchor fluke; crochet needle hook’ (cf. Armstrong 1825, s.v. frith-bhac; AFB^˄, s.v. ribheag).

is compared by MacLennan (1925) with ON rifa f. ‘rift’ (so also Stewart 2004, 412).

For ON rifa, s.v. riobh.

Because of the semantic mismatch and the absence of riofag from ‘the range of standard lexical works’, McDonald (2009, 395) considers the loan unlikely, although he proposes, supposing that riofag really is an Old Norse loan-word, finding a better connection in ON rífa ‘to rend, tear’, for which he gives the senses ‘to pick, scratch’ (after Cleasby 1874). In fact, riofag is a dialectal form of SG frithbhac, for which MacLennan gives ‘the barb of a hook; also riobhag’, although riobhag itself is not listed separately.

EG *frithḃacc, 

Cf. EG *frithḃaccán ‘a hook used as brake to secure a chariot when not in use’ (eDIL^˄, s.v. frithḃacán).

literally ‘inverse-hook’, with the composition form of the preposition fri (SG ri) 

HSS (1828) describes frith as an adjective.

+ the substantive bacc (s.v. bac), yields a number of written forms in Scottish Gaelic, distinguished initially by fr- (A) on the one hand and r- (B) on the other.

A 1. SG frithbhac
(i) frithbhac (MacLennan 1925; Dieckhoff 1932: [friwɐKg], Glengarry; Watson 2022, 208: /frɤvɑɡ/, Easter Ross);
(ii) frith-bhac (Mac Farlan 1795; MacFarlane 1815; Armstrong 1825; HSS 1828; MacEachen 1842);
(iii) frithbhachd (Shaw 1780).

First-syllable stress in this word is better indicated by spelling forms without a hyphen. Final -achd, as opposed to -ac, may indicate a greater degree of preaspiration, cf. slochd for sloc, q.v. The original cluster thbh ([θ] + [ꞵ] > [ɸ]) is voiced to [ꞵ] in Glengarry ([w]) and Easter Ross ([v]). In Irish, cf. frithbhac (O’Reilly 1817), frioth-bhac and friothbhac (Dinneen 1904 and 1927, respectively).

Dinneen (1904, but apparently not 1927) also lists Ir. frithbheach, with an alternative suffix (cf. under Derivatives, below).

A 2. SG friofag
In Wentworth 2003: [fr’ifɑk], Gairloch.

The original cluster thbh ([θ] + [ꞵ] > [ɸ]) yields [f]. Cf. Ir. friofac (Ó Dónaill 1977). While preaspiration of the final consonant has already been weakened in some cases under (A), e.g. in Easter Ross, the final syllable is now associated in writing with the diminutive suffix -ag, i.e. with no preaspiration.

B 1. SG riobhag, ribheag
(i) riobhag (Armstrong 1825; Dwelly 1911; MacLennan 1925, s.v. frithbhac; Faclan bhon t-Sluagh^˄: Lewis);
(ii) ribheag (Armstrong 1825; Dwelly 1911: see riobhag; AFB^˄: /Rifag/).

Medial bh notionally represents either [v] or [f]. Any distinction indicated by obha ~ ibhe is now purely orthographic, as velarised and palatalised f have generally fallen together as neutral /f/. For initial r-, cf. SG reumhach ‘root’ for freumhach (Oftedal 1956, 127: Lewis); also Ir. riothadh, riothag ‘barb’ (Dinneen 1927).

B 2. SG riofag, rifeag
(i) riofag (MacLennan 1925; Faclan bhon t-Sluagh^˄: Lewis);
(ii) rifeag (Faclan bhon t-Sluagh^˄, s.v. An rifeag: Lewis).

Medial [f] is now represented by f.

Derivatives: SG riobhan in the sense ‘barb’ (AFB^˄: /Rifan/) seems to contain the nominally diminutive suffix -an as an alternative suffix; cf. ribheineach (or riofanach) ‘cuticle tag’ (McDonald 1972, South Uist), with the suffixes -ein (dialectal for -an 

For the development of the Scottish Gaelic suffix -an/-ein, see Ó Maolalaigh 2001.

) + -ach. Although SG ribheid in the sense ‘(musical) reed’ is derived from MEng. rēod ‘reed’ by MacBain (1911) 

MacBain cites Ir. ribheid, but this is probably from O’Reilly’s (1817) Irish dictionary, which may have adopted it from Shaw’s (1780) Scottish Gaelic dictionary’s ribheid. Dinneen (≈1927) lists ‘ríbheid “musical reed; a pipe” (O’Reilly), also riobhaid.’

and Watson (1929, 285), it may also belong here, with its ending perhaps arising on the analogy of SG ionnsramaid (< Eng. instrument). While SG ribheid (also rifeid 

Cf. rìfeid [sic] (Armstrong 1825: written also ribheid); rifeid (HSS 1828: see ribheid; Dwelly 1911: see ribheid; MacLennan 1925).

) primarily has the sense ‘(musical) reed’, it is also found in the sense ‘barb’ (e.g. M^cAlpine 1832; Dwelly 1911; MacLennan), the former sense perhaps an extension of the latter.

The sense ‘(musical) reed’ may be being extended to ‘tune’ (cf. Dwelly’s senses ‘music; musical note or voice’) in the Antigonish usage bha ribheid na dhà aige ‘he had a drink or two in him’ (Faclan bhon t-Sluagh^˄, s.v.).