A Rake (Old English raca, cognate with Dutch raak, German Rechen, from a root meaning "to scrape together," "heap up") is an agricultural and horticultural implement consisting of a toothed bar fixed transversely to a handle, and used for the collection of leaves, cut hay and grass, etc., and, in gardening, for loosening the soil, light weeding and levelling, and generally for purposes performed in agriculture by the harrow.
Modern hand-rakes usually have steel, plastic, or bamboo teeth, though historically they have been made with wood or iron. The handle is often made of wood or metal. When rakes have longer teeth, they may be arranged in the shape of an old-style folding fan. Large versions mounted on wheels with a bar connecting long curved steel teeth can be used with tractors, descended from a horse-drawn type used prior to the growth of mechanical farming.
Due to the shape of the rake, they have a tendancy to lie flat on the ground until the head is stood upon, causing the rake to swing rapidly upwards, colliding with the victims face. This is used often in slapstick comedy and cartoons, such as Tom and Jerry and The Simpsons Cape Feare.
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