The statesman rakes the town to find a plot.
Swift.
5. To scrape or scratch across; to pass over quickly and lightly, as a
rake does.
Like clouds that rake the mountain summits.
Wordsworth.
6. (Mil.) To enfilade; to fire in a direction with the length of; in
naval engagements, to cannonade, as a ship, on the stern or head so
that the balls range the whole length of the deck.
To rake up. (a) To collect together, as the fire (live coals), and
cover with ashes. (b) To bring up; to search out and bring to notice
again; as, to rake up old scandals.
Rake (rk), v. i. 1. To use a rake, as for searching or for collecting;
to scrape; to search minutely.
One is for raking in Chaucer for antiquated words.
Dryden.