Page:Shetland Folk-Lore - Spence - 1899.pdf/214

 to penury, which necessitated the practice of the strictest economy:

That is, it's late time to practice economy when the meal barrel is empty, or in the words of another proverb:

Skeek signifies to use sparingly, and is similar in meaning to the words hain and haag.

There were no doubt seasons of prolonged scarcity, and when supplies came at last, the appetite sharpened by hunger made greater demands. Hence the proverb:

A labourer will work as he's fed. Fach is applied to the cultivation of land that had been cropped with potatoes the