Skip to main content

Full text of "A Glossary of North Country Words, with Their Etymology, and Affinity to Other Languages; and ..."

See other formats 


Google 



This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project 

to make the world's books discoverable online. 

It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject 

to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books 

are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that's often difficult to discover. 

Marks, notations and other maiginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book's long journey from the 

publisher to a library and finally to you. 

Usage guidelines 

Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the 
public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing tliis resource, we liave taken steps to 
prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying. 
We also ask that you: 

+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for 
personal, non-commercial purposes. 

+ Refrain fivm automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system: If you are conducting research on machine 
translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the 
use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help. 

+ Maintain attributionTht GoogXt "watermark" you see on each file is essential for in forming people about this project and helping them find 
additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it. 

+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just 
because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other 
countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of 
any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner 
anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liabili^ can be quite severe. 

About Google Book Search 

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers 
discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web 

at |http: //books .google .com/I 



f 



f 



} 



A 

GLOSSARY 

OF 

ilott]^ Country IfSHottifii. 

WITH 

THEIR ETYMOLOGY, 

AND 

AFFINITY TO OTHEE LANGUAGES; 

AND OCCASIONAL 

NOTICES OF LOCAL CUSTOMS 

AND 

POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 



BY 

JOHN TROHER BROCKEH, F. S. A., 

LONDON AND NEWCASTLE. 



THIRD EDITION, CORRECTED AND ENLARGED BY 

W. E. BROCKETT. 



IN TWO VOLUMES. 
VOL. XL 



NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE: 

EMERSON CHARNLEY, BIGG MARKET; AND 
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO., LONDON. 



MDCCCXLVL, ,,.. - ; — 



• 






M - ■• J ^ 

' .J * * •» 






J 



THE NEV/ YORK 

f;:blic library 

ASTOn. lENOX AND 

i{ r ij;o L 



Les mots sont le lien des soci^tes, le v^hicule des lumieres, la base des 
seienoes, les d6positaiies des decouvertes d'nne Nation, de son savoir, de 
8a politesse, de ses id6es : la connoisaance des mots est done nn moyen 
indispensable pour acqn6rir celle des choses ; de-l& ces Onviages appell^s 
Dictionnaires, Vocabolaires on Glossaires, qui ofirent I'^tendue des con- 
noisances de chaqne "PevL^lc—Cfebain. 



' * 



•. : NSTYcIsfLKr Pciwsa'Ep >iy t. and j. hodoson, union street. 



• . • 



■ • • • 



^ • • • 



* m 



« • 



<^lofii£(ar^ 



OF 

NORTH COUNTRY WORDS. 



L. 

Laao^ a word used only in driying geese. *^ Ijf-laaff.** 

Grose has Le-egging, waddling. 
Labberiko, flonndering, struggling, or labouring in water. 

'* Aw was tetUn the keel, wi' Dick Staven an' Mat, 

An' the Mandon-honae Stain we were just alangside. 
When we aw three see'd sumthing, but didnt ken what. 

That was splashing and laitlbering aboot 1' the tide. 
' It's a flncker !' ki Dick ; ' No,' ki Mat, ' its owre big,' 
It luick'd mair like a skyat when I first see'd it rise ;' 
• Kiv aw'— for aw'd getten a gUff o* the wig— 
' Odds mercy ! Wye, marrows, becrike it's Lord *8lte," 

Newcastte Song,— -My Lord 'Size, 

These lines allude to an accident that befel the late Mr. 
Baron Graham, who unfortunately slipped into the Tyne 
a few years ago, while walking on the river wall in front 
of the Mansion House. 

Labies, a store, plenty, abundance. From Ic^-hy. 

Laboubsome, made with much labour. ** Not now in use." 
Todd's John. It is still in use among the Northern pea- 
santry. 

Laced-tea, tea haying spirits in it. 

Lacing, a good beating. F. Todd's John, ktce, 5th sense. 

Lackits, small sums of money— odd things, generally. 

Lap, a boy ; originally a man ; from Sax. kode, the people. 

TOJ,. II. B 



.J 



2 LADD 

Langlandy the reputed author of the Visions of Piers 
Plowman, uses laddey in its primitiye sense ; from which, 
no doubt, proceeded kissey lass. In Scotland, the men are 
all lads, however old, so long as they remain in a state of 
** single blessedness." Sometimes applied to all manner of 
men. The grand&ther of a friend of mine, at the age of 
88, used to ask for his servant, aged about 55 or 60 — 
'' Where IB mj lad f' 

** Glaudite Jam ritOB, pneri."— FI/^ 

Laddie, a lover, a sweetheart — a diminutive, from lad, 

" May aw the press-gang perish, 
Each lass her laddie cherish, 
Lang may ihe coal trade flourish, 

Upon the dingy Tyne." 

NeweasOe Bong t— The Keel Row. 

Lade, a load, a back load, a cart loftd. An old mode of 

spelling the word. 
Lad's-love, southem-tvood. Artemesia Ahrotanimi, 
Lafter, Lawter, as many eggs as a hen will lay before she 

incubates. Tent, legh-tydy tempus quo gallinse ova pariunt. 
Laggik, the projecting part of the staves at the bottom part 

of a cask, or other hooped vessel* It also means the 

pendent part of the hay in a stack, corresponding with 

the eaves of a house. Probably from Su.-Got. Iciffff, the 

end. 
Laidlt, Laithlt, foul, loathsome, disgustingly ugly. Sax. 

laithUe. Ft. laid, 

'* Onr mesis and oure meit thay reft away ; 
And wilh tiiare laitfOU twich all things fyle thay." 

Doufflat* JBnied, 

LAtD^ATT, A fine imposed upon a coal hewer, if a corf is 
found to contain above a certain quantity of refhse coal, 
stone, or other extraneous substance. 

Laiiich, a long stride. ^ What a lamch he has got^-4iow he 
laineheB out his legs." G^rm. hmzen^ to reach. 

LAift) mire, dirt. Id. Mr. Su.-Grot. ler. To he laired, to 



LAKE Q 

•tick in the miie. Swed. ler, lera^ day^ seems oognate. — 
Lair-'holey a boggy spot. 

" They came to a place called Solway Mobs, where through nei- 
ther horee nor man might paas, and fheir lolred all their hone, 
and miMhieTed thein."— Pttfoottto. 

LiiBD, ^tbe lord of a manor in the Scottish dialect^^ says 
Dr. Johnson. This is its old meaning ; but it is now a 
common name in Northumberland and Cumberland for a 
proprietor of land, without any relation to manorial rights. 

" What's the Laird doing, Jock ?** 

*< Doing? What should he be doing f but eftting on his ane loop- 
ing-on-8tane, glowring tftm him." 

8tHft 8a&inifi afjook th4 Iaibrd^9 Man, 

"AknifhtofCalet, 
A squire of Wales, 

A UkWd of the Xorth Oonntiee ;— 
A yeoman of Kent 
With his yearly rent 

Would buy them out aU tiffea." 

Laith, loth, unwilling. 

Lakb-wakb, or Ltkb-wakb, the watching of a oofpce pre- 
vious to intennent ; one of the most ancient customs that 
has been preserved through ages of progressive oiviHiation 
in any country. Sax. Uc^ a body, and fomcoey a watehing, 
or wake. Swed. vaH-^wxhttuga. It originaUy p<milsted 
of a meeting of the friends and relations of the deceased, 
ibr the purpose of watching by the body from the moment 
it ceased to breathe, to its exportation to the grave ; but 
the ceremony was afterwards converted into a scene of 
feasting, dancing, and revelry, extremely indecent on such 
a melancholy occasion. Instances are related to have oc- 
ourred, where the corpse was forcibly kept unburied by the 
waMnff friends, until they had consumed, in this incongru- 
ous festivity, all that the deceased had left behind him. 
The Me^wake is not yet entirely laid aside in eoontry vil- 
lages, though somewhat fallen into disuse. The frmeral 
procession is opened by singers singing appropriate psalms, 



LAKE 

followed hj two young girls dressed in white, called ser- 
vers ; it being their business to attend to the wants and 
wishes of the mourners. It was a custom with the Anglo- 
Norman race to celebrate a solemn dirge during the cere- 
mony of sepulture. The Laplanders still utter a ferocious 
howl at their funerals. It is called joicka ; and is, accord- 
ing to Dr. Clarke, the only species of song known among 
them. 



— -" Now tlie Uehe-vjoke was yhold.** 

Chaucer,— The KnigfUe*8 Tale. 

Lake, v. to play. Sax. lacan, to play. 
Laker, a person engaged in sport. 
Lakino, Babt-Lakin, a child's toy, a plaything. 
Lam, Lamb, to beat soundly, to chastise severely. 

" ' Lamb them, lads ; lamb them !'— a cant phrase of the time, de- 
lived firom the fate of Dr. Lambe, an astrologer and quack, who 
was knocked on the head by the rabble in Charles the First's 
time."— Peoertf qf the Peak, Vol IF., p. 152. 

This is an error of our great Novelist. The word is used 
in two or three of the plays of Beaumont and Fletcher, 
written before the conjuring Doctor's catastrophe, which 
did not happen until the year 1628. He was hunted by 
the mob, coming from a play at the Fortune, June 13, 
1628 ; maltreated at Moorgate, and died of the same the 
next morning at the Poultry Compter. There is an exceed- 
ingly scarce tract, ^^ The Notorious Life of John Lambe, 
together with his ignominious Death," 4to., 1628. Be- 
sides, the derivation seems obviously from Isl. lem, ver- 
berare, or Tout, hmpeny infligere. 8ee Thomson, who gives 
a Gothic root. 
Lam, or Lamb, and its diminutive Lammie, favourite terms of 

endearment. ^^ Maw bonny lomC^^^^^ maw canny lammie ^^ 
Lameter, Lamiteb, a cripple. ^^ He'll be a lameter for life." 
Lam* FAT, to correct ; principally applied to children — ^to beat 
with a ferula. Fr. lame, a flat piece of wood or metal. 
See Fay* 



LAP-B 6 

Land-loupbb, a vagabond, a person who flees the country 
for Clime or debt. Teat, land-hopery erro vagosy molti- 
yagosy yagabnndos. Killian. See Loup. 

Lano, long. Common to the Saxon, Danish, and Dutch 
Languages. To think lano, to long, to weary. 

Lano-lbnoth, the whole length. ^^He fell aw his long 
length:* 

Lano-loanino-cake, a cake made for school-bojs on their re- 
turn home at the vacation. 

Lano-saddle, or Lano-settle, a long wooden seat, or bench, 
with a back and arms ; usually of oak, sometimes curi- 
ously carved. These settles, though still occasionally to 
be seen in the chimney-comer of country houses — and some 
there are that have descended through a number of gene- 
rations — are going fast out of use : — ^both the thing and 
the name. See Settle. 

Langsome, tedious, tiresome. Sax. Umgmm. Swed. Idng^ 

9cm^ slow, tardy, dilatory. — ^LangsomenbsSi tediousness, 

wearisomeness. 

** Bot to deplore I think gieit pane 
Of nobill men tbat thare was slane, 
And als la/ngwm, to be xeportit 
Of thame qnhilk to the court resortit." 

Jjyndta^s CkmiplaffrU. 

Lanostne, long since. Sax. longe siththan, Sw. ISng sedan. 

Lant, the old name for the game of loo at cards ; still re- 
tained among the vulgar. — Lantebed, looed, behind time, 
— Lantebs, the players. Probably from Fr. lantemer, on 
which Le Durchat says— ^^ On dit aussi kmtemer quelqu'- 
un, pour V amuser mal k propos." 

Lant, urine. F. Todd's John, land; 7th. sense. 

LjLPy preterite of leap. " The horse lap the wall." 

** The qaeyne and all hyr cumpany, 
Lap on thair horss, and forth thai far."— ITie Bruoe, 

Lap-bandeb, that which binds closely one thing to another — 
lapy wmp^-band, bind. A tremendous oath is frequently 
called a lap-bander. 



6 LAP-U 

Lap-up, to give up, to relinqnish, to discontinad— -to wrap up 
tools, &c, when the work is finished. 

Labdose, a cormption of the French term Farriere dos, em- 
ployed to designate the high altar-soreen of Durham Ca- 
thedral. — Anetem RUes and Monwnefits of Durham. 

Lake, learning, scholarship. Pore Saxon. — ^Labe-fathbb, 
instructor. Both Chancer and Spenser use lere. 

" O noble Ovide, so sayest thou, God wote, 
What sleighte it is if loTe be long and bote, 
That he n' ill find it out in aom maneve ? 
By PyramuB and Thiabe may men Ure." 

CMueer,—The Merehante*8 Tale. 

Lasche, cold and moist — ^not actuallj rain, Fs. Idche, Lat. 
laxtu, F. Moor, lash or lash^. 

Last, a measore of com — 80 bushels. Sax. hkest* Su.-Got. 
laest. V. Tomlins' Law Dictionary. 

Lastt, serviceable, durable, continuing — lasting. 

Lat, a lath. Sax. latta, Dnt. lai. Fr. laUe. — Lat-and- 
PLASTEB, an ironical phrase for a tall and slender person- 
one as thin as a lath. — ^Lat-biteb, a maker of laths. 

Latch, v. to catch, to lay hold o^ Sax. IcBccan^ prehendere. 
A very old word, still in use in the North. 

" When that he GMathe besought 
Of loTe, which he might not ktche.** 

Ootcer, Coi^IbsHo AmMtit. 

Latb, or Lbat, to seareh, to seek, to summon, to inyite. 
Goih. and IsL l^^^ quserere. Hence Court Leet, a court 
to which 1^ ficeeholders within the district are invited. 
F, Black Gonmi. Vol. IV., p. 273. — Latino, or Lbating, a 
summons or invitation. Dr. Willan mentions Leating, or 
Leating-rcWf a district fyom which matrons are invited by 
special sununons to be present at a child-birth, or at the 
death of any of the inhabitants. Should a matron within 
the limits have been, through inadvertence or mistake, 
omitted on such an occanon, it is an affront not to be for- 
given. 

Latheb, to beat or chastise. See Leather. 



LATT 7 

Lattsn^ Lattin, Latoh. The exact nature oi thii metal, 
frequently mentioned in old reeordsy is not aeoertained. 
By the ▼arioos notices it i^pean to ha^e been diffsxent 
from copper, iron, tin, steel, and some other metals. Pis- 
tol's sarcastic 

Has been ^ a stumbling block,'* not so modi ^ to the ge- 
nerality of readers,'' as Sir Thomas Hanmer would ex- 
press it, but to the commentators themselyes. See the 
leftfned remarks of the ** ooUectiye wisdom," in the last 
Yarior. Edit, of Shakespeare, Vol. VIII., p. 22-3 ; to 
which should be added. Sir Thomas's idea — ** a factitious 
metal." The meaning of the word latten has puzzled our 
best antiquaries. In Todd's Johnson it is defined to be, 
'* a mixed kind of metal, made of copper and calamine : 
said by some to be the old orichalc ;" in another word, 
brass ; though the authority quoted from Gower proves 
that ^^laton" and ^bras" are two distinct things. In 
the Dictionaries of Kersey, Bailey, Dyche, and Ash, latien 
is explained to be iron tinned every which is in fact what is 
called tin. Pegge, also, states latten to be tin. But on 
turning to Nares' Glossary, I find the worthy Archdeacon 
labouring hard at its transmutation into brass. The days 
of alchymy, however, are past. In addition, it may be 
observed, that Buddiman — the learned Glossarist to Dou- 
glas' Virgil — interprets kOed, iron covered with Hn, This 
was also the opinion of Ritson, a writer of elaborate re- 
seardi, and deep penetration — minutely accurate in his 
elucidations of our ancient dialect, with whi<^ he was well 
acquMnted. Pettus, too, in his Essays on Words Metallkiy 
says, thafc ** thin plates of iron tinned over are vulgarly 
called hUton." He, also, conceives that the white brass, 
mentioned by Pliny (I. 84, c. 11) was no other than bfnss 
tinned over, and c{Jled kaen, or tmricaloum. The late Mr. 
Docice, who is foUowed by Willow (in Pugin's Specimens 
of Q^yth. Ar4^), says, it was hnm ; whilst Dr> Meyrick 



8 LATT 

thinks it was copper gilt. In the Ancient Rites and 
Monuments of Durham, a large branching candlestick 
in the Cathedral is described as of ''most fine and curi- 
ous candlestick-metaly or kitten metal, glistening like gold 
itself." 

Latter, v, to run in a vagrant or hasty manner. Hence, 
Lattebin, or Lathebin, a drab, a trollop. ^* A lazy 
latherin" In Swed, l&tja, is idleness, laziness. 

Late, v, to empty, to draw or take out water or other liquid 
— ^to kide. Fr, lever, . An old word used by Chaucer. 

** Damming and laving is sure fishing."—^. C. Prov. 

Late, s, the residue ; after partition, the persons or things 

remaining. Sax. lafe. It also means a crowd. 

** And the lave sone nnarmyt wta 
And Bkaylt to laye thaim her and ttax"—Tke Bruce. 

** The Armstronges that aye hae been 
A hardie house, bnt not a hail. 
The Elliot s honnors to maintaine 
Brought down the lave of Liddesdale." 

Raid of the Beidsufire. 

** Of prelates proud, a populous lave, 
And abbots boldly there were known ; 
With bishop of St. Andrew's brave, 
Who was King James's bastard son." 

Battle qf Floddon. 

In ancient times the dignitaries of the church, holding the 
temporalities of their benefices of the King, as barons by 
the tenure of military service, were bound by the feudal 
law, to attend him in his wars with their dependents, and 
frequently distinguished themselves in a military capacity. 
At the battle of Neville's Cross, where the Scottish king 
became a captive, the English army was in part command- 
ed by two Archbishops and three sufiragans, to whom, in 
that age of chivalry, it was any thing but derogatory to 
put on unspiritual armour. 
Laveb, to wash. It was anciently the custom, as is well 
known for guests to wash before sitting down to meat. 



LAY-0 9 

Layrock, Latbrock, the sky-lark. Sax. laferty hwerc. Dr. 

Jamieson observes that '^ the name of this bird appears in 

its most simple form in Isl. lava, vnlgo loova, or hva ; ayisy 

alanda." Wachter derives the Sax. laftrCy from Celt. Utf^ 

vox, and whay valere, powerftd in voice. 

•* Holy hath byrdfl 
A fta fftyre flok 
The nyghtyngale, the poppyngay, 
The gayntyl lavyrok" 
The CotOett €f the Ivy and theHoUif, temp, Hm, VL 
RU, An, Bal. Vol I. p. 133. 

*' Here hear my Kenna sing a song, 
There see a blackbird feed her young. 
Or a leveroek bnild her nest. 
Here giye my weary spirits rest." 

Watton,—Anffhr^$ With, 

Law, 8, a hill or eminenoe, whether natural or artificial. 
Sax. hkew, hlaw, agger, acervns. Moe.-Got. hlaiw, monnmen- 
tum. The term is frequently applied to a high ground of 
some little extent, though flat and level at the top. It 
enters largely into the composition of the names of vills 
and hamlets in the North. 

Law, a, low. Dan. lau. — ^Lawly, lowly, humble. 

Lawbb, lower. 

'* Thai said, snceessionn of kyngrik 
Was nocht to lawer feys lik.**— 2<^ Bruee. 

Law me ! Lawpul me ! frequent colloquial exclamations, im- 
plying either wonder or fear — Lord bless me. 
Lays, Lagos, dregs, sediment — lee8. Span. Has, 
Lat-on, v. to fight. 

« Then laid thai on with all thair mycht."— 3^ Bntee. 

** He hente a stof with herte grete 
And al his goddis he gan to bete 

And drough hem al adonn ; 
And leyde on til that he con swete 
With Sterne strokes and with grete 
On Joryn and and Plotonn." 

Romanee cfthe Kyng qf Tartt 
Wa/rUmt VoL I., p. 197. 
VOL. n. c 



10 LEA 

Lba, a rich meadow or pasture — any kind of grass land. Sax. 
hag^ oampuB, pasouum. The word is used by Spenser, and 
seyeral times by Shakspeare. 

— " Her fallow Uat 

The darnel, hemlock, and rank fumitory, 

Doth root upon."— ITcn. F., Act F., -Sc 2. 

Lead, to carry. In the North they lead ooals and almost 
every thing, which, elsewhere, they carry, or cart. 

Lead-eater, elastic gum, or Indian rubber ; caoutchouc ; 
the gum oificus eUtstica. 

Leader, a small band of coal connecting the portions of a 
coal-seam detached by a dyke, and following which, leads 
the miner to the seam again. 

Leaf, the flap of a table, the two sides of a folding door. 
Although this word is common in the North, the only in- 
stance of its use by our old writers that I have met with 
it in Robinson's translation of More's Utopia. 

Leagh, or Leigh, a scythe. It may be from lea, meadow, 
and ag, to cut ; or Swed. Ue^ a scythe. 

Leam, a flame. Sax. leoma. Chaucer uses leme in a sense 
nearly similar. 

*' Which causeth folk to dreden in hir dremes 
Of arwes and of fire with red lemes.** 

The Nonne'a PreesU'a Tale. 

** All the feoldfl feor and neer 
Of helmes leomede lihte." 

Bomance of the Kyng of Tars, 
Warton, Vol. I.^p. 194. 

Leam, the appellation of leam was frequently applied by the 
Saxons to the remains of Roman roads; and wherever 
this word enters into the composition of a modem name, 
some vestiges of a Roman way may be expected in the 
neighbourhood. In particular, the great Watling Street 
is called Learning Lane for miles, from Catterick to York. 
Leamington^ in Warwickshire, is on the Fosse Road ; the 
Devil's Causeway touches Lemmington^ near Whittingham, 
Northumberiand ; Lemin on and Newbum, both on the 



LEAP 11 

Tyne, and two fanuB in the parish of Corsensidey in Redes- 
dale, called High and Low Leam^ adjoin a branch of the 
Watling Street. The Zeom, at FoUingrsbyy in the parish 
of Jarrow, in the county of Darham, is the genuine 
Wreckendike. V. Surtees' Durham. See also some curi- 
ous speculations as to the origin of the word, bj the late 
Rey. J. Hodgson, in Arch. iEliana, Vol. II., p. 23, et leq. 

Leak, a word used in speaking of a hazel nut, when it be* 
conies brown or ripe, and ready to foil out of its husk. 
" It learn* 8 well," See Bbown-lbamer. 

Lban, in the sense o^ to conoeaL V. Todd's Johnson. 

Leaf, to scald, to boil for a short time with a riew to pre- 
serve for ultimate cooking. Most commonly spoken of 
newly taken salmon, not intended for immediate use. 

" In Tyberiofl tyme, Um trew impenitoiur, 
Quhen Tynta hills £n skisping of touin-henlB was keipit 
Thair dwelt ane grit Oyre Carling in awld Betokis bour. 
That leyet upon christiane menes flesehe and rewheids «m- 
UipUr Bannatyne MJ3. (u qnated in Bordtr Mingtrdnf* 

Vol IL p. 109, 

Leaping-the-well, going through a deep and noisome pool on 
Alnwick Moor, called the Freemen's Well — a Hne qud nan 
to the freedom of the borough. On Saint Mark's day, the 
aq>irants proceed in great state, and in equal spirits, from 
the town to the moor, when they draw up in a body, at 
some distance from the water, and on a signal being given, 
they scramble through the mud with great labour and 
difficulty. They may be said to come out in a condition 
not much better than ** the heroes of the Dunciad after 
diving in Fleet Ditch." There is a current tradition, that 
this strange and ridiculous custom — rendered more ludi- 
crous by being performed in white clothing — ^was imposed 
by that capricious tyrant. King John, who, it is said, was 
bogged in this very po<^, on his dreadful journey to the 
North. I witnessed the ceremony several years ago, and 
I can certainly state that there is no foundation for the 
supposition of the late Mr. Surtees, that they contrive to 



12 LEAR 

keep the pond dry. They generally ride through it, when 

it is often indeed very filthy, and trayersed with straw ropes 

to make the horses stnmble, and thus give the riders a 

loathsome ducking. 
Learn, to teach— conformable to Sax. Iceran, This sense is 

not yet obsolete. 
Leash, to ply the whip. See Nares' Glossary. 
Leathe, a place for storing hay and com in winter — a bam. 

Lathe is used by Chaucer for a bam, or, perhaps, a stable. 

F. Skinner, kah, 

** Alas ! (quod John) Aldn, for Criates pein 
Lay doan thy 8werd» and I 8hal min alswa. 
I is ftil wi^t, Ood wate as is a n. 
Why ne had thou put the capel in the lathe f" 

The EMvea* Tale. 

Leather, v. to beat soundly. Perhaps from the instrument 
originally employed — a strap. Leathering is a very ancient 
vn^B[ar term for a beating. 

Leather, the vulgar pronunciation of ladder. 

" Charitie is the highest step in all the leather to heaven, and will 
reach nearest heayen."— YPMMn^Aam'« WiU, 1681. 

Leather-head, Leather-heed, a block-head, a thick-skull. 
Lanthom Leatherhead, one of the characters in Ben John- 
son's Bartholomew Fair, has been thought to have been 
meant for Inigo Jones ; but Mr. Gifford doubts it. 

Leathbr-hungrt, tough cheese. ISee old Tusser's Lesson for 
Dairy Maid Cisley. 

Leatherino-Chep, a big, stout fellow. 

Leave, Liete, Lief, willingly, rather, as soon. Sax. leof. 

Lief is common in Shakspeare, and his contemporaries.— 

Leaver, or Liefer, more willingly, sooner. Sax. Uofre. 

Both Gower and Chaucer often use the comparative lever, 

** Speak the speech, I pray yon, as I pronounced it to you, trip- 
pingly on the tongue ; but if you mouth it, as many of our play- 
ers do, I had as O^f the town-crier spoke my Maea,"—Hainlet. 
** Now, wif, quod he, here n* is but thou, and I, 
That art the creature that I best love : 
For by that lord that sit in heyen above, 



(C 



LEET 13 

I hadde lever dien on a knif , 

Than thee offenden, dere trewe wif." 

Chaueer,—Th§ UetehanVa TaU, 
Bnt not for ^Id nor glee will I abyde 
By yon when yon arrive in that same plaee, 
For lever had I die than see his deadly fMe." 

S(pen§er,— Fairy Queen. 

Leazes, a common pasture belonging to the freemen of New- 
castle. In many other parts of the kingdom it is spelt and 
pronounced leasaufs. Sax. kuwe, a pastore, a common. 
Norm. Fr. leswesy lesues, pasture-ground. 

Leck, to leak. Isl. lek, stillare. Swed. Uia^ to leak.*— 
Leck-on-and-opf, to pour on, and drain off, gradually. 

Led, a term in coal mining. Men in drawing timbers have 
generally an extra prop placed behind them for additional 
security against the &lling of the roo^ and this is called a 
led prop. Putters have led trams, and, in £Eust, any spare 
article or increased number of articles beyond the actual 
requirements of the work, are called led, 

LsDDER, 8, a ladder. 

*< Till he gert Syme off the Leidhons, 
A erafty man and a cnrionn, 
Of hempyn rapis leddit ma.**— 2^ Bruee, 

Lee, v. to lie, to tell a falsehood. Sax. leogan. ^* Thou 

lee8.^* — ^Lbe, s. a lie. This word, vulgar as it is, occurs in 

Chaucer. — Lee-with-a-ultchet, a monstrous falsehood. 

F. Nares. — ^Leeab, a liar. ** The king of leearsJ* 

— ^— " Therefore now I 

Of herte yerie yon here mercy 

That I haye bcm so rechiles 

To tamin him, withonten IdM/'— Jtom. cfBoee, 

Lee, a watery fluid discharged from badly healing wounds. 

To rvn lee, to discharge lee as aboye. 
Legoans, stockings with their feet cut off, and drawn oyer 

the shoes. /See Hoooebs. 
Leet, v. to meet with, to £eJ1 out, to alight. — ^Leet, s. light. 

— Leet, a, light. *^ When thou heart's sad, can mine be 

leetr' 



U LEET 

Leets, the longs or lights. Used, also, for windows — lights* 

Leetsome, light, comfortable, cheerfdl — lightsome 

Leil, true, honest, faithfol, constant. Old Fr. lealy leauL 

*' Bat if ye loven UOly 
And lene tbe povere 
Swioh good as God yow sent 
Goodliche parteth. "—Pter* Plowman, 

" I'm wearin awa, John, 
I'm wearin awa, man» 
I'm wearin awa, John* 

To the land of the Uai:'—(HdSfmg, 

Lbiss, LiSHy mmble, strong, active, stout, alert, lithe. 

** Whe's like my Johnny, 
Sae leish, sae blithe, sae bonny, 
He's formast mang the monny 
Keel lads o' ooaly Tyne." 

Tke New Ked Jkno, &y T. Thon^on, 

LsiSTSB, a prong or trident, used in spearing salmon by 
torch<-light. See Blaze. Su.-Got. Uustray percutere. 
Bums, humouroaslj enough, makes this instrument a part 
of the paraphernalia of Death, in his celebrated satire on 
Dr. Hombrook. 

** An awfa' scythe, ont owxe ae afaonther. 
Clear dangling hang ; 
A three-tae'd leiste/t on the ither 
Lay, large and lang." 

Len, V. to lend. Sax. Usnan, — ^Len, s. a loan. Sax. Uen* 

Lend, a substantive. ** Give us the lend of." 

Length, «. applied to stature, instead of height. — Lengthy, 

tall, as well as, long. 
Length, ^' the length of ;" i. e. as far as. 
Lennebt, our Northern w<urd for a linnet. 
Letch, a long narrow swamp in which water moves slowly 

among rushes and grass — a wet ditch. 
Let-leet, to inform, to disclose. To let in light. 
Let-on, to intimate, as, *' I never let-on I heard him." Isl. 

laet<iy ostendere. 
Let- WIT, to make known Dut. l€iaten weeten. Sw. I3t veta. 
Leuf, Luff, Luif, the palm of the hand. A verj ancient 



LICK 16 

word. F, Jamieson. Outside the leuf^ back of the liand — 
equivalent to rejection and repulse. 

" If ye'll scart maw leuf, I'll claw yur elbow,**— if. C Pro9., 

Meaning, If you will do me a fiayour, I will do you an- 
other. 

Leuk, v. to look. — Leuk, b. a look. — Leuks, the countenance 
— looks. ^^ His leuks wad spaen a calf." 

Lever, one of the chief supporters of the roof timber of a 
house, being itself not a prop, but a portion of the frame- 
work. Cottages of this primitive structure are still com- 
mon in old remote villages in the north of England. F*. 
Glossary to the Priory of Finchale. 

Lew, mild, calm. — Lew- warm, tepid — luke-arm. Tout. 
lauwen, tepefacere. 

Lewd, wild, ungovernable ; as a lewd pointer. 

LiARED, dappled as with red and white. See Ltert. Meat 
is said to be well liared when the f&i and lean are fieurly 
mixed and freckled together. A red liared horse, a black 
liared horse. King Edw. I., 12th March, 1300, paid 10/. 
for one black liared horse, &c. Wardrobe Acct. 78. The 
King also, at the same time, bought for ?/• 6s. 8d., unum 
equum griscum liardum. 

Lib, to emasculate. Dut. lubhen. Used by Bishop Hall, 
Massinger, and others. — Libber, qui castrat. Lib, appears 
the same as ffHb, in The Wintef's Taley Act 11.^ So. 1. 

LiBBARD, s. a leopard. 

" The Erie of Garrick, Schyr Edward, 

That stoutar wes than a libbord."—The Bruce, 

Lich-gate, a covered shed, or gateway, at the entrance to a 
church yard, intended to shelter the corpse and mourners 
from rain. Germ. Htchen-ffon^. A description of one at 
Birstal, in Yorkshire, with an engraving, may be seen in 
the History o/Morhy, by Morison, p. 289. 

LicKLT, likely, probable. — Licklibst, the superlative degree. 

Licks, a sound beating, a severe chastisement. The verb 
Hcky I believe, is a general provincialism. 



16 LIFT 

Lift, assistance. To give a 10, to lend a helping hand. 
Lift, the sky, firmament, air. The same idea as heaven — 
heaved or lifted np. 

" Half I nocht maid one honest shift 
That has betraistit Common Thrift— 
For thare is nocht nnder the Hft— 
Ane corster corse." 

Lyndsay** Three Ettattii. 
** The galey yede as swift 
As ony fowle by the lyfte.** 

Bomanee qfRhhard Coeur de Lyon. 

LiFTEBS, stealers of cattle, common thieves; snch as were 
formerly many of the people of Tynedale and Reedsdale, 
in Northomberlond. 

LiG, to lie down, to rest the limbs. Common to the Saxon and 
most of the Northern langoages. — ^Lio-ma-last, a loiterer, 
the last. — LiG-o-BED, one who lies long in bed — ^the '^ sing- 
a-bed" of Shakspeare. 

" What hankes sitten on the perche aboye 
What houndes Uffgen on the floor adonn." , 

Chaue«r,—The KnigfOe's Tale. 
** Methoncheth that deth has don as wronge. 
That he so sone shall Ugge stille." 

Elegy on the Death <\f Edw. I., 
Warton, VoL I., p. 103. 

LiGOEE, or LiONiE, a carved lignum vitce coit for playing at 

doddarty or the game of trippie and coit. 
Lightening, break of day. Sax. WUan, to illuminate. 
Like, to please, to be agreeable to. Dr. Johnson is mistaken 

in thinking it disused. 
Like, obliged, under a necessity. ^^ I'm like to go." ** She's 

like to do it." Q. from %o, to tie ? as our common people 

say, such a thing is ^^ tied to be so ;" i. e, it must be so. 
Liken'd. ^^ I had likened " — I was in danger. Pegge. 
Liking, delight, pleasure. Sax. licung. 

** A ! freedome is a noble thing ! 
Fredome mayss man to Imiff liking / 
Fredome all solace to man giffis ; 
He leyys at ess, that frely leTys."~2<^ Bruce, 



LIN 17 

LiLE, little. Cumb. Swed. Ulley adj. def. Uten, Widegren. 

LiLLy to assuage pain. Lat. laUare^ to Inll. 

Lilly- wuNS ! Lilly- wuntebs i exdamations of amaiement. 

lAfy woimdi — ^from the omoifixioii? 
Lilt, to sing witb a load voice. — Norih, Sa.-Got. Mloy 

" I've heard a umng, at the ewes' miUdng." 

Flovwt cf the ForeH, 

Lilt, 8. a song. 

Limbo, in gaol — the ablative of LimbuSy the place of the de- 
parted Saints and Holy men who died before the cmci- 
fixion. V. Du Cange. '* He's gotten into limbo^ vp the 
nineteen iteps'^r^he is under confinement in Newcastle (old) 
gaol. B^stwic^, the friend and associate of Prynne and 
Burton, designates his imprisonment in the Qatehouse (to 
which he was committed for writing Fhgellwn Pontificis et 
Episcoportm LatialitmJ in Limbo P<Urum. F. Letany of 
John Bastwick, Doctor of Phisicke, 4to. 1637, ptuHm. 

LiMMEB, a person of loose manners, a worthless idle person. 

— ^LiMMER-LooN, a miscluevous young man — a rogue, a 

scoundrel. 

** Tak ye the hade, and I the gown, 
This 2<tmner Inke's als lyke ane lown, 
As any that ever I saw." 

Lynd8ay*a Three Ettaitie. 

LiMMBBS, the shafts of a cart or carriage. lal. limar, rami ar- 

borum. 
Ltv, V* to cease, to stop, to yield. Isl. Hna, enervare, fran- 

gere. 

** Tet our northern prikkers, the borderers, notwithstanding, with 
great enormitie (ap thought me), and not nnlike (to be playn) 
unto a masterless honnde hougling in a hie wey, when he hath 
lost him he wayted npon, sum hoopyng, sum whistelyng, and 
most with Claying a Berwyke I a Benoyke i a Fentoyke l a Fenwyke l 
a BuHmer I a BuLmer I or so ootherwise as theyr capteins names 
wear, never Unnde those troublous and dangerons noyses all the 
night long:*— P<Uten*i ExpedicUm of the Duke ef Somertet 
** Set a beggar on horseback, he'll never lin till he be a-gallop." 

Ben Jontcnf— /Staple qf Newe 

VOL. II, D 



18 LIN 

Lin, 8» linen. Swed. liuy flaz^ linncy linen. 
L1N9 or Linden, s. the lime tree. Swed. lindy tlie lime tre^« 
L1N9 L1NN9 a cascade, a precipice. — Dur. and North, Sax. 
hylnna^ a torrent. Isl. lind^ a cascade. In Northumber- 
land the word is sometimes used to denote a pool formed 
below a waterfall ; agreeing in this sense with Welsh Uyriy 
a lake. 



-" The near'st to her of kin 



Is Toothy, tripping down from Verwin's rushy lin,** 

DrayUm'a Polp-oUHon. 

** Bat as I Inkit myne alane, 
I saw a river rin ; 
And owre a steipie rock of stane, 
Syne lichtit in a lin.'*—The Cherry and the Sloe, 

Ling, provincially, heath. JEfica mtlgaris, Isl. Ung, It is 
extensively used for thatching cottages and making be- 
soms. 

LiNGT, active, strong, able to bear fatigue — also in the sense 
of tall, athletic, vigorous. 

LiNiEL, shoe-maker's thread; Fr. ligneuL The same as 
Ugnely which is described in Nares' Glossary as '^ a sort of 
thong used by shoe-makers and cobblers ; from lingula^^ 

Links, sandy barren ground — sand-hills on the sea shore. F. 
Jamieson. 

Lin-pin, a linch-pin — ^the iron pin which goes through the 
axle-tree to keep on the wheels. Su.-Got. luntay paxillus 
axis. Jamieson. 

Lint- WHITE, or Lintt- white, the linnet. Sax. linctwige. 
Supposed to receive its name from its feeding on the lint- 
seed. 

Lippen, to expect, to depend upon. ** I Uppened on you to 

join me." Sax. Uafen^ credere. 

" Lippen to me, bnt look to yonrseL"— JiT. C. Prov, 

** The tothyr is, that thai cnmmyn ar. 
For lyppynnyng off thar gret powar, 
To sek OS in our awne land."— 77^ Bruce. 

** But his mi^estie must he plain with them, both what his mt^estie 



LITT 19 

would haye ihem do, and in like manner what they ahall 
Uppen to of hia nu^esty." 

Letter firom Bruneton to Sir E. Sadler, 1515. 

L1PFEB9 spray from small waves ; either at sea^ or in a river. 
ItiKK, V, to crease, to rmnple. Isl. lexka^ contrahere.— Libk, 

s, a crease, a wrinkle. 
LisH, nimble, active, lively. 
LisE, the groin, ^^a pain in the lisk,** Dan. and Swed. 

List, inclination, generallj used in a negative sense. '' I 

have no list to do it." 
Listen, the selvage of woollen cloth. Sax. list. Dan. lists. 
LiSTT, an ease, free from pain. Sax. Hsse, relief ease. 
Lite, to rely on, to tmst on, to depend upon. Swed. lita, 
Lite, little. An old word from Sax. fyt ; used by Chancer, 
both as a substantive and an adjective ; and still retained 
in the North. 
Lite, to alight ; to Ute down, as a bird ; also to £eJ1 upon ; 
meet with. ^^ He Ut on it," he met with, fell upon what 
he was in search of. 

" Oyer Ottercaps hyll they earn In 
And dowyn by Rodelyflb eragge ; 
Upon Qrene Leyton they lygM/ei dowyn, 
Styrande many a stagge.'* 

Lithe, to listen. ^^ IMhe ye" — ^hark you. Sa.-Got. l^day 

audire, lydKX, tUl, aures advertere. 

*' And under a lynde upon a launde 
Lened I a stounde, 
To lythe the layes 
The loyely foweles made."— Pier* Plowman. 

Lithe, Lithen, to mix, to thicken ; as to lithe the pot. — 
LiTHiNG, LiTHENiNG, a mixture, or thickening for the pot ; 
such as oatmeal, flour, &c. — Litht, thickened by admix- 
ture. F. Wilbraham, and Jamieson. 

Littlest, least, the regular Northern superlative of little. 

*' Where loye is great the littlest doubts are fear." 

8haIc.,^HanUet, 



i 



so LIZZ 



99 



Lizznt, an abbreviation of Elizabeth. ^' Lizzie MooclyJ 
Loach, a leech. — Lof-loach, the leech used by surgeons. In 

the first part of Henry IV., the carrier says, "Your 

chamberlie breeds fleas like a loach,** This passage has 

sorely puzzled the commentators, though it simply means 

that the fleas drew blood like leeches. 
LoAK ! LoAK-A-DAZiE ! LoAK-A-DAziE-ME ! exclamatioiis ot 

surprise or pleasure, modulated to suit the occasion. 
LoAL, or Loll, to make a strange noise, to mew like a cat* 

F. Jam. Supp. halting. 
Loaning, Lonnin, a lane or bye-road. Swed. ISnngSng. 
LoAiQNO, a place near country villages for milking cotfs. F. 

Jamieson, loan. 

** Bat now I hwt moaning on ilka green loaning.** 

Flower 8 t^the Forett, 

LoB-cocK, a contemptuous epithet for a sluggish person. 

'* I now nnut leave yon all alas. 
And lire with some old lobeoek ass ! 

Brdon, Works (if a Young WfL 

LoGH, a lake. See Lough. 

Lode-stab, the leading or guidii^ star, Hie North Star. 

LoE, Lowe, synottymous with Law ; which $ee. 

LoGWATEB, still water. 

LoKE, a small quantity ; as a loke hay, a loke meal, a loke 
sand. Fr. loque^ a piece, morceau. F. Jam. locts, loake, 

LoKE, the flood-gate, the sluice in a mill-dam. 

LoLLocK, or Lollop, a lump ; as, a loUocJc of fat. 

Lollop, to walk in an undulating manner — ^to move heavily. 

Lone, single. '* A lone woman"— ^a female unmarried, or a 

widow without children. This W(^d appi&ars in Todd'« 

Johnson as if it were obsolete, which is not the ease in the 

North. 

*' A hundred marks is a loan for a poor lone woman to bear." 
ShaJcr-^d, Pa/rtof King Hen, IF., Act IL, 8e. 1. 

LooF, rather, as soon. Sax. leof. See L]$ave. 

Look, to weed or thin ; generally applied to the weeding of 




LOPS 21 

# 

. corii. F. Ray. ^ Look the head/' to do what is oftea 
necessary with children. 

LooN> LouN, LowNE, an idle vagabond, a worthless fellow, a 
rascal. The word is old ; but etymologists are not agreed 
in the derivation. A learned friend of mine derives it 
from Germ, hsffen, to lie ; adding, that lu^en-mauly literaUy 
lying chops, is a huge liar. Shakspeare has evidently 
taken the stanzas in the drinking scene in Othello, from 
the ancient version of. Take thy old Cloak aboiA thee, reco- 
vered by Bishop Percy, and published by him in the lst» 
Vol. of his iReliqnes of Ancient English Poetry. 

** King Stephoi was a worthy peere, 
HIb breeches cost him bat a crowne, 
He held them sizpettce all too deere ; 
ThegreVore he call'd the taylor Lotone." 

LooB, LoTTBy to stoop in walking— to lower, 
LoosE-i'-THE-HEFT, a disorderly person, a vagabond — ^oncer- 
tain in his haunts. See Hbvt. 
Lop, Loppb, a flea. Pore Saxen. Swed. Icppa. In the 
Middle Ages, wfa«i this enemy to mankind infested a bed, 
it was attributed to the envy of the Devil. 
LoppBK, or LiTFPBN, jpre^. leaped. Shx.khop. Swed. kpm. 
It also means, burst ; as a hoop, from tlit sweUiiig of a 
vask ; or as potatos, from too ^ok boiling. 

** And a« ttHmsaades myd hym 
Than man koHthe noaibra 
Lopen out with Lucifer 
m lothliche fotme,"— iHef« Ptoumum. 

LoFFBB, or Lapfeb, to coagulate. Loppered mUh — ^milk that 

sours and curdles without the application of an acid. 

Swed. f^, to run together. Sclapper, to curdle. Isl. 

hkmpf coagulum. 

" And there will be lappet^d milk kebbncks. 
And Bowens and furdies and baps." 

BUson's 8e. Songs. 

LopsTROPOLOUs, misdiievous, clamorous— oftrtr^eroiw. 
•« £o&rtr©p'tow fellows, we kiek'd them O." 

Bongr-SMtU'weU Hopping. 



22 LOUG 

Lough, a lake. A pure Gaelic word. ^* Black Laugh,** F. 

Thomson. 

'' Thai abftid tiU that he was 
Entryt in ane narow plaee 
Betinx a UmehHd and a bia.**— 2^ Bnioe. 

how, Lown'd, calm, sheltered from the wind. Isl. Icffn, seris 

tranquillitas. Swed. luffn, calm, serene. 
LouNDEB, to beat with severe strokes. F. Jamieson. 
Lounge, a large lump ; as of bread or cheese. Span, lanehay 

a lunch. 
Loup, «. to leap. Su.-Got. loepuy currere. Sw. Idpa, to run. 

— ^Loup, s, a leap or spring. — ^Louping, the act of leaping. 

** Loupingcy or skyppinge, saltus." Prompt. Parv. 

" Loup now gif thou list, for thon hes lost the ledder.** 

Lvndtay'* Three EttaUU. 
" Thoa sal be fftine to fetch agane the ledder or I loup 
I sail sit heir into this cheir till I haye tumde the stonp.'* 

Loup, «. to coyer. Tent, locpen, catulire. 

Louping-on-Stane, Leaping-on-Stone, a stone block, placed 
in streets and highways, for travellers to mount and dis- 
mount from their horses. 

Loup-THE-LANG-LONKm, a name for the game of leap-frog. 

LouPY-DYKE, a term of contempt ; conjoining the ideas of 
imprudence and waywardness. Sometimes applied to one 
of those expeditions that maidens sigh for, but which pru- 
dent matrons deprecate as shameless and untoward. It 
has no doubt been adopted from its primary application to 
cattle leaping a dike. 

Louse, to unbind, to release, to leave off work — to loose. 

Lout, v, to bow in the rustic fashion. Sax. hliOdny to bend. 

Swed. Itfta, to stoop. 

** Knelynge Conscience 
To the kyng louted"— Piers Plowman. 
" This proude king let make a statue of gold 
Sixty cubites long, and seven in brede, 
To which image bothe yonge and old 
Commanded he to loute, and have in drede." 

Chattcer,—The Monke*s Tale, 



LUCK 23 

" He towtyt and his live has tayne 
And towart his country has he gayna**— 7A« Bruee. 

Lout, s, a stupid awkward person, a clown or rostic. Tent. 
loetCy homo insnlsus. Shakspeare writes it lawt. 

LouTEB, the opening at the top of a cottage, to let out the 
smoke ; an opening in a dove-cote. See Lum. 

LoYESoME, lovely. Sax. lasstuny delectabilis. In Piers Plow- 
man, Chaucer, &c., indeed, in old English, some and fy are 
used indifferently as terminations of adjectives. 

LowANCE, an allowance of drink to work-people ; especially 
that which is given in the harvest field. The largess of a 
stranger is received with a loud huzza, intermingled with 
the screams and shrieks of the women. F. Moor, lowana* 

Lowe, t, to make a bright flame. — Lowe, s, a flame, a blaze, 
a light. See Blaze. Su.-Got. loga» Isl. logiy flamma. — 
LiLLY-LowE, a comfortable blaze. LUfyj which is probably 
from Sax. %, flamma, seems redundant. Fibb-on-low. 
See Romance of Sir Degue. 

" The breath of his mantle, that did outblow 
As it had been a^re-on-2oio." 

" I would set that castell in a Unoe 
And sloken it wi' English blood 
There's noTer a man in Gamberland 
Should ken where Carlisle Castle stood.'* 

BaMdt—KinvMnt WUUe. 

Lowe (trying the), an operation by which gas is detected in 
a coal mine, and in the hands of an experienced pitman 
can be carried almost to the firing point without explosion. 
It is the effect of the gas to elongate the flame of a candle, 
and this, with the colour it assumes, indicates the danger. 
It is only the superior officers in a pit who have acquired 
this knowledge by long observation, who are permitted to 
** try the lowe" it being an exceedingly delicate test. 

Lowes, small hills or eminences on a flat. 

LowBY, LowERY, overcast, threatening to be wet, or stormy 
— lowering. Spoken only, I think, of the weather. 

LucK-PENNY, a small sum of money returned to the purcha- 



24 LUCK 

ser, on selling horses or cattle, by way of ensuring gw>d 
luck, 

LvcKYy large, wide, easy. Conntry tailors generally receive 
directions to make their castomerB* clothes ^ brave and 
luclfy.** 

Ln«, the ear. An old word, both in England and in Scot- 
land. Sn.-Got. Iftffffa. Sax. ge-luggicmy to pull — ^the ear 
being a part easily pulled or lugged. 

LuGOiE, a wooden dish. Bums, in the poem of HaUaweeny 
alludes to a singular species of divination with ^^ luggieg 
three," which is minutely described in a note. 

LxTGGiSH, a. dull, heavy, stupid. Probably Icggish. 

Lttooish, 8. an indolent, or idle fellow. ^^ Loup, ye luggishy 
ye ha* nae spunk in ye.** 

LxTM^ a deep pool of water, the still part of a river. — Lane, 

lam, the chimney of a cottage. Welsh, Ihtmon, Lever, in 
Lancashire, and also in some parts of Yorkshire, is a term 
for a chimney ; or rather for an aperture in the roof of old 
houses, where the fire was in the centre of the room, 
through which the smoke was emitted, there being nothing 
analogous to our chimney. In those days, halls smoky, 
but filled with good cheer, were thought no inconvenience. 
Indeed, the smoke was supposed to burden the timber, and 
to be good physic for the family. I find lover in Piers 
Plowman, and also in the Faerie Queene ; probably from 
Fr. Vowoerie, Sibbald conjectures that lum may be from 
Sax. leom, light — scarcely any other light being admitted, 
except through this hole. Brand, on the other hand, asks 
if it may not be derived from the loaun or clay wherewith 
the wattle work is daubed over inside and out ? Louver is 
used in Holland's Pliny for a cupola or dome, whence, 
probably, the Louvre at Paris, on which there are many 
domes. 

LuM-sooPBB, a chinmey-sweep, ov lum-^we^er, — North, and 
Newc, 

LuKT, a light. Tent, lonte, femes ignavus. Sw. hmta. 



MAB 25 

LuRDANE, a drone or sluggard. Tent, loerd, homo ignavus. 
Old Ital. lordone, a foul, filthy, sloven. Fr. l<mr<laudy a 
dunce, a blockhead. Some old writers, however, pretend 
to derive this word from Lord Dane — a name given (more 
from dread than dignity) to. those Danes, who, when they 
were masters of the island, were distributed in private 
houses ; where they are said to have conducted themselves, 
or, if the expression be permitted — lorded over the inha- 
bitants, with outrageous insolence and pride. 

" In every house Lord Dane did then rule all; 
Whence laysie lozels lurdanes now we calL" 

Mimnrfor MagUtnUet. 
" For thar with thaim wes a tratour, 
A £al8 lourdane a losyngeoar."— 27^ Bruce. 

** For youre champion chiyaler 
Chief kayght of yon alle» 
Yilt hym recreaunt renning 
Right at Jhesus wille. 
For be thia derkness ye do, 
His deeth worth avenged ; 
And ye lurdaynes han y-lost 
For lif shal have the mai9trye."->P(0r# PUnoman, 

LuBDY, lazy, sluggish. Fr. lourd, dull, stupid. Ital. lordoy 
foul, dirty, filthy. 

Lyery, the lean or muscular flesh of an animal ; especially 
that on the buttocks. Sax. lira, viscum. Neat-Cattle, 
remarkable for the rigid muscularity of their hinder parts, 
are said to be lyery ; bulls of this make are considered bad 
subjects, and such cows bring forth their young with ex- 
treme difficulty, and not unfrequently die in parturition. 

Lyka ! listen^ — an exclamation of astonishment. An abbre- 
viation to look ye ! *' In^ka man ! what do I hear you say V* 

M. 

Mas, •», to dress carelessly. Hence, Mab-cap, generally 
called mob-ca^f a cap which ties under the chin— worn by 
elderly women. Shakspeare's "mobl^d queen" signifies 
veiled. Sandys, speaking of the Turkish women, says, 

VOL. II, B 



29 MAB 

*^ their heads and faces are mailed in fine linen, that no 

more may he seen of them than their eyes." Warborton. 
Mab, 8, a slattern. It is, I am told, a diminntive of AbigaUy 

a cant name for a lady's waiting-maid — ^whence the verb. 
Mabblin, a kind of matt>n's tool, haying a pick at one end 

and a hammer at the other. 
Mack, v. to make. Preterite, m'yetf. Germ, machmy to 

make. 

Mack, s, kind, sort, fashion — ^a match or equal. Swed. make* 

" There is Sir Edward Stanley stoat, 

For martial deeds clear without a made:' 

Battle qf Floddon, 

Mack-bould, to yentnre, or take the liberty — ^to make bold. 

Macklbes, matchless, onequalled. Swed. maialSsy incom- 
parable. 

Macks, sorts, fashions — makes. ^* A little o' a' macks J' 

Mackshift, a substitute or expedient in a case of necessity 
or difficulty — a make-shift, 

Maddle, to wander, to talk inconsistently, to forget or con- 
found objects, as if in a state bordering on delirium. 

Mabpash, a person disordered in the mind — a madbrain. 
From mady and posh, a ludicrous term for the head. 

Maffle, to stammer, to be puzzled — ^to act by means inade- 
quate to the attainment of the object or end proposed — 
like one in dotage. Teut. maffelen^ balbutire. — Mafflxno, 
a state of perplexity. 

Maggoty, frisky, playful, whimsical. 

Maggy, a provincial name for a magpie. See Pianet. 

Maiden- WAY, the Roman highway, running from the station 
at Whitley Castle in Northumberland, into the county of 
Westmoreland. 

Mail, a travelling trunk. F. m^Ue^ a trunk, or box. 

** Bat, sires o word forgate I in my tale; 
I haye relikes and pardon in my male 
As faire as any man in Englelond, 
Which were me yeven by the Popes hand." 

Ch4nuGer,-'The Pardoner$*s Tale, 



MAIS 27 

MAltJiN, or Maetlin, a sort of mop made of old rags, with a 
long pole, for cleaning out an oven — metaphariealfy, a 
dirty, careless wench. F. Todd's Johnson, malkiny and 
mauiin, 

Matllek, Meallin, the quantity of milk which a cow gires 
at once ; as well as the appointed time of milking her. 
Sax. nuely portio, spatiom temporis — a metU, 

Main, 8, might, strength, exertion. Sax. moB;^ Isl. maffn% 



II 



-Na man thoncht on cowardyss ; 



Bat fkacht sa fut, with all thair mayn. 

That thai fele of thair foyis has slayn.*'— 7A« Bruce*, 

Main, nsed adverbiaUv for very ; as main dark. 

Mains, a farm, or fields, attached to a mansion house, in the 
occupation of the owner — Elands in domnicOy demesne, s. 
See Du Cange, t/Mnsus dominicatw; and Skene de Verh. 
Significat, vo. manerium. 

Mainswear, or Manswear, to take a false oath. Sax. man- 
sifferiany pejerare. Dan. meensvoreny perjured. — Main- 
swearing, or Manswearino ; perjury. 

Mairt, a cow or ox slaughtered at Martinmas, and salted 
for winter store. The custom of salting meat to last 
throughout the inclement months was universal among our 
ancestors. Though less frequent, since the extensive cul' 
tivation of turnips, it still partially prevails in Northum- 
berland, where it is not unusual for a few families to join 
in the purchase of a Mairt, and to divide it among them. 

Maist, most. Sax. maest, — Maistly, mostly. — MAisn.iNa8, 
for the most part. 

Maister, master, mister. Sax. maseter. Old Eng. ma^gter, 

" O mayster dere and fadir reverent, 
My mayster Chancer, flonre of eloquence.'* 

Oedeve de Beffimine Prinefpit. 

" Gower, that first garnished our English rude ; 
And maister Chancer, that nobly enterprised 
How that English myght freshely be ennewed.*' 

8keUon*8 Orovme ofLa/wrtXL 

Maisterman^ a common vulgar term for a husband. 



28 MAIS 

Maistry, skill, power, superiority — moMefy, Fr. maistre. 
Make, a companion or equal. An old word. Sax. m^icaf 

socius, consors, conjux. Swed. make, spouse, mate. 
Make-count, v. to calculate on, to mean or intend to do any 

thing. Fr. /aire compte, to be assured. 
Make- count, s, a makeweight — something oyer. Germ, ssth 

gewkht, 
Makeless, matchless, without an equal. Su.-Got. makaloes. 
Swed. makalSsy excellent, above compare. This latter 
word in the Grecian garb of MAKE A 12 X — adopted by the 
learned Queen Christina, on one of her numerous medals 
(Brenner Num. Sueo.-Goth. Chr. Tab. IV.)— sadly per- 
plexed the antiquaries at Rome. 
Mall, Mallt, a girl's name-^Mary, V, Thomson, Mclfy, 
Mallt, a name for the hare. — Dur, Sc. maukiny mawkin, 
Mammer, to be in doubt, to hesitate, to mutter, to murmur. 

** I wonder in my soul, 

What you could ask me, that I should deny, 
Or stand so mammering on."— Shak.y— Othello. 

Sir Thomas Hanmer most unfortunately refers to Fr. 
nC amour ^ which, he says, " men were apt often to repeat 
when they were not prepared to give a direct answer !'* 
This is Hanmering our illustrious bard, with a vengeance. 

Mammocks, scraps, fragments. This word, in a provincial 
sense, is in extensive use. 

Mammt, a childish name for a mother. Teut. mamme, mater. 

Man, must. 

" For then thae sleuthers man be treatit, 
Or els thair querrelis undebatit." 

Lpndsay's Three Estaites. 

Manadge, a box or club instituted by inferior shop-keepers 
— generally linen-drapers — ^for supplying goods to poor or 
improvident people, who agree to pay for them by instal- 
ments — a mode of dealing extremely lucrative to the one 
party, but sadly the contrary to the other. Of late, much 
of this deservedly disreputable trade has been in the hands 
of manadge-toomeny who become responsible to the drapers 



MARR 29 

for what they too often impose on their deluded cnstomers. 
The word is obviously derived from Fr. manage, way of 
saving, parsimony. 
Mang, 8. barley or oats ground with the husks ; given to 
dogs and swine. Perhaps from Sax. mengeany to mingle. 
Mttnffcom, mixed com, occurs in ancient records. Mong- 
cam is also an old English word. 
MANNBBy dung, or compost — manure, 
Manios, a diminutive of man. ** A tight little mannieJ* 
Mafpbn, perhaps — it ma^ happen. — €h*mb» and West, 
Mabch, a land-mark, a boundary-line or division. Sax. 
mearc, Fr. marche. Our modem word demareaHon is cog- 
nate. — Marches, the borders of a kingdom ; as the marchety 
or limits between England and Scotland, when these were 
considered as enemies' countries. There were march laws, 
and march courts of judicature, of which the Wardens 
were supreme judges. 

** They of those marches^ gracious soYcreign, 
Shall be a wall sufficient to defend 
Our inland from the pilfering borderers." 

Shak.t—Hen. V. 
" Schir Robert Neyile that tid 
Wonnyt at Berwik, ner besid 
The Tnarch quhar the Lord Douglas 
In the forest repayrand was."— 27ie Bruce. 

Mabchman, an inhabitant of the marches. 

" Sir Henry Perssy lay at the New-Castell 
I tell yon withowten drede ; 
He had byn a TMirch-man all his dayes, 
And kept Barwyke upon Twede." 

BaMe of Ott&rburMt RUsan, An. Bal.^ Vol L^p. 96. 

Mare, more. Pure Saxon. Germ. mehr. Sax. mair, 
; Mabgit, the usual pronunciation of Margaret, — ^the p being 

sounded hard. 

Marrow, or (as sometimes written) Marra, v. to match, to 
[ equal. 

" 'Boat Lunnun then divent ye myek sic a rout, 
There's nowse there maw winkers to dazzle ; 



so MARR 

For aw the fine things ye are gobbin about, 
We can marra iv Canny NewcasseL" 

Sonfft—Canr^f Newea$9tL 

Masbow, 8. a mess-mate, companion, or associate — an equal. 

See Rnddiman's Glossary to Douglas. 

" Amang the wyrea with winks and ?ryle8 
As all my mamnoUt men begyles, 

With our fair fills flatterie/* 

Lyndtay's Three EttaUAe, 

Marrows, fellows ; two alike, or corresponding to each 
other ; as a pair of gloves, a pair of stockings, a pair of 
shoes. 

Marrowless, without a match, incomparable. See Makeless. 

Marry ! Marry-on-us ! Marry-come-out ! Marry-come- 
up! conmion interjections — ^purposed disguises in favour 
of pious ears. Marry ^ according to Brand, was originallj, 
in Popish times, a mode of swearing by the Virgin Mary. 

Marry-and-shall, that I will. Often used by old people. 
It occurs in 3d. Part of Shak. King Henry VI. Proba- 
bly the remnant of a papistical invocation — ly the Virgin 
will /« 

Marry-on, to tie the conjugal knot. *'What d'ye think. 
Miss A is married on Mr. B ." A Northumbrian- 
ism, but still more common in Scotland. 

Mask, to infuse. ^' McLsk the tea." Identical with mash, as 
applied to brewing. Swed. mdska, to mash. The original 
idea is mia, 

Mason-due, the vulgar name for an ancient hospital, on the 
Sandhill, Newcastle, taken down some years ago. Evi- 
dently a corruption of F. Maison de JMeu, a house of God, or 
religious hospital. MecLSon-due occurs in the statutes of 89 
Elizabeth, c. 5. Chaucer writes it maisondewe, 

** Unto some maisondewe beside, 
He caste nought what shall him betide, 
He thinketh nought that ever he shall 
Into any sicknesse yfalL"— itom. of Rose. 

MASSELaEM, a mixture of wheat and rye for household bread 



MAUN 31 

— maslin, TevLt,masteli^yfam,go» Dut. nuuteleyn. Old 
Tusser, in homely phrase, describes the advantage of using 
a loaf of this kind ; and, with a true agricnltural appetite, 
talks of a round, a foot broad. In Shropshire it is called 
monk com, from its haying been thrashed out from the 
miscellaneous gathering of the tithes of the monasteries. 
In Staffordshire blencom, t. e. blendcorriy mixed com. 

Maud, Mawd, a plaid in common use in the North by shep- 
herds and others engaged in out-door employment. Su.- 
Got. muddy a garment made of rein-deer skins. V, Ihre. 
Good antiquaries are of opinion, that the Highland plaid 
is the actual successor and representative of the Roman 
toga. Its ancient uses are still preserved. The Romans, 
as well as the Scots, slept on it, and it was extended over 
the nuptial bed. 

Mauf, Maugh, Meaugh, a brother-in-law. F. Lye, mcBff ; 
Sibbald (Glossary of ancient Scottish Words), maigh; and 
Jam. maieh. 

Mauk, Mawk, a maggot, a gentle. Sn.-Got. matk, ant ; 
madky vermis. Swed. mask, a worm. Also,* a dirty wench, 
a malkin. 

Mauky, Mawkt, maggotty, whimsical, proud, capricious. 

Maum, Maumy, mellow, soft. Su.-Got. moffna, to become 
mellow. To maitm a crust of bread, is to soften it in 
water. 

Maunder, to wander about in a thoughtful manner ; to be 
tedious in talking ; to say a great deal, but irregularly 
and confusedly ; to lose the thread of a discourse. Sc. 
maunder, to talk nonsense. In Norfolk, and some of the 
South Eastern counties, it means to grumble, or murmur. 

Maundebeb, a tedious and weary speaker, a confused, or in- 
coherent talker. Gael, mandoffh, a stutterer, seems allied. 

Matjnt, Muncle, familiar and easy transmutations of, my 
aunt, my uncle. Borders of Northumberland. Nuncle 
and Naunt, for an uncle and an aunt, occur in Beaumont 
and Fletcher. 



32 ^AUP 

Maup, to wander about in a tbonghtful manner, to mope. 

Maut, malt. ** Willie brew'd a peck o' maut** Bums. 

Mauten-corn, com damped and beginning to germinate — 
malting-com. — North, V, Ibre, malt. 

Maw, v. to mow, or cut witb a scytbe. Preterite, mew. Sax. 
mawan. Germ, mahen, — Mawer, a mower. 

Maw, pronoun, my, mine, belonging to me. ** Maw binny." 

Mawkin, a dirty lazy woman ; also a buncb of rags to clean 
an oven witb, a malkin. 

Mawment, a puppet. Old Englisb, nUiumet, an idol ; cor- 
rupted from Mabomet, in derision. 

May, tbe sweet-scented flower of tbe wbite tbom. See May- 
Day Customs, Brand's Pop. Antiq. Vol. I., p. 179 & seq. 

** Rise up, maidens, fie for shame, 
For I've been four lang miles firom hame ; 
I'ye been gathering my garlands gay ; 
Rise up, fair maids, and take in your May." 

Old Newcastle Song. 

Major Moor gives an inaccurate version of tbis bomely 
canticle, in bis Suffolk Words, p. 225. Tbree centuries 
ago, tbe first day of May was a boliday for all ranks, 
classes, and ages, as one especially devoted to sport and 
merriment. Even tbe gorgeous pomp of tbe old courts did 
not disdain to borrow a fragrance and fresbness from tbe 
joys of tbe people. May games, as well as many otber 
barmless rural amusements, bave been too bastily extin- 
guisbed. Little now remains tbat poverty and innocence 
can partake of. Tbe buman mind — wbetber educated or 
not — requires employment ; and tbe interdiction of tbe 
recreations of tbe poor, under tbe pretence of tbe improve- 
ment of tbe people, will not eradicate licentiousness ; nor 
can tbe multitude be made good by compulsion alone. All 
sucb busy intermeddling witb tbe natural arrangement of 
society is miscbievous, and bas a tendency to drive tbe 
lower orders to tbe public-bouse, or into tbe private bannts 
of debaucb and sensuality. 
" We are not made of wood or stone, and the things which con- 



% 



MEET 33 

meet tbemselTes with our hearts and ^bits, eaimot, like bark 
or liGhoi, be sent away without our miseiiig them." 

Guy MaimeHng, new Ed., Vol. /., p. 6L 

MiuesDy astonislMcIf amazed. Also stupified — ^rendered in- 
sensible by a blow. *^ Aw stood quite maised** 

'* As nuusMi folk they stondea everieh tm 
For drade of wzeche, save Onstance alone. '* 

ChOMeeTi—Man of Lawt^ Tolt. 

Me, for I. A common gnunmatical error. Not, howeyer, 
without examples in onr old langoage. 

Mbap, tbe intoxicating liquor of our forefathers ; made from 
bonej and water boiled together and fermented. 

MsAL-KAiLy hasty-pudding for breakfast and supper, among 
the labouring people in the Northern parts of Northum- 
berland. 

MEALT-MOUTHxn^ ^^ usiug soft wordSy concealing the real in- 
tention; speaking hypocritically." Todd's Johnson. It 
also means, not telling a tale at full length from motives 
of delicacy. I should prefer Skinner's construction — milA- 
fnduthed or meUaw-mouthed — ^but derive the word from Fr. 
nUel^y honied ; as we say honied words 

'* Clayton was fftlse, medHe-mouth'dt and poore spirited.** 

Life cifAtU, d. Wood, p. 166. 

Mean, to complain, to lament — ^to bemoan. Sax. moefion, 
dolore. 

** And thus she means.**— 8hak.,—Mid8Wtn. Night's Dream, 

Mean, s, heavy complaint, lamentation — fnoan. 

Meaning, shrinking; as indicative of pain or lameness. 

Tent, minckeny mencken^ to go lame, to limp, 
Mebby, Maybees, Mavies, perhaps, probably^ — it mqy be* 
Meddle-nor-maks. ** He'll neither meddle nor mctke^* — ^he'U 

not interfere. Sc. meddle nor mak. 
Meeb, the vulgar word for a mare. Also an abusive term 

among the lower order of women in Newcastle. 
Meet, fit^ proper. Swed. mIMigy moderate, temperate. 

This is clasMcal, but in the North it is in common use* 

VOL. II. F 



^ 



34 MEGG 

Meqgt-monny-leos, a liyelj insect, something resemblinff an 
earvrig, bnt longer, often seen on garden waXksh—mil^pes. 

— Dur. It is also called Meo-monny-fbet. 

Meldeb, a making of meal — a parcel of com ground at one 
time. In some places the £Emners hire the miller, and in 
turns have a winter stock of meal made. The meldering 
day used to be a kind of feast among the yeomanry, Fr. 
moudre, to grind; or, according to Dr. Jamieson, Isl. 
malldTy molitura, from mala, to grind. 

Mell, V, to intermeddle, to engage in, to interfere with. Fr. 
meter, ^* I shall not meU with your a£Pair8." The com- 
mentators are not agreed on the expression. 

** Men are to meU with." 

8hdk.,—AWt weU VuU Ends Wett, 

It means men are to meddle with ; without the least allu- 
sion to the indecent idea surmised by Theobald. 

** Above all ytheris Dares in that stede 
Thame to behold abasit, wox gretnmly, 
Tharwith to mel refnsing alnterlie." 

Douglas* JBneid, 

Mell, v, to pound, to bruise— from the instrument used. 

Mell, s, a wooden mallet, or hammer ; generally with a long 
handle. Lat. malleuSy the ancient mallet, or maule. This 
weapon, under the name of miolner, was assigned by the 
Goths, to their God Thor. 

"I, John Bell, 

Leave this meUt 

For to fell 

Them that gie a' to their bairns. 

And leave nought to their sell.** 

. " Some made a meU of massy lead. 

Which iron all abont did bind.** 

BcOUe qfHoddon. 

Mell-doll, an image of com, dressed like a doll, carried in 
triumph — ^amidst the most frantic screaming of the women 
^-on the last day of reaping. In some places they call it 
a Kern (com) Baby. There is also, occasionally, a Har- 
YBST Queen— ^thought to be a repriesentation of the Roman 



MENS 35 

Ceres — apparelled in great finery, and crowned with 
flowers ; with a scythe in one hand, and a portion of com 
in the other. This old cnstom is noticed by Hentzner, in 
his Jonmey into England, daring the reign of Queen Eliza- 
beth. 

Mbll-door, the space between the heck and outward door, 
the entry or passage — middle [of] doors. Fr. milieu, 
MeU is an old word for hetweeny not yet altogether disused. 

MsLL-DROP, the secretion of clear liquid from the nose. 

Mbll-suppes, a supper and merry-making on the evening of 
the concluding reaping day — ^the feast of harvest home. 
Besides a grand display of excellent old English cheer, 
with a mixture of modem goiUy to enlarge the sphere of 
epicurean enjoyment, there is dancing, masking, and dis- 
guising, and every other sort of mirth to expand a rustio 
heart to gaiety. According to Hutchinson, the Historian 
of Northumberland, the name of this supper is derived 
frx>m the rites of CereSy when an offering of the first fruits 
was made ; the word melle being a provincial word, equi- 
valent to mingle : implying that the cakes used at this fes- 
tival are mingled or made of new com, and that it is the 
feast of the first mingling of flour of the new reaped wheat. 
I am, however, strongly inclined to think, that we may 
safely refer to Tout, mael, convivium refectio, pastus. Va- 
rious other etymologies have been conjectured, which are 
noticed in Brand's Pop. Ant., Vol. I., Harvest-Home; 
where the reader will find much interesting matter on this 
subject. 
Mends, recompense, atonement, satisfaction— amende. 

** If she be fair, 'tis the better for her ; an die be not, die has the 
mends in her own haiad"—8hak,,—TroUtu and Creaaida. 

Mennam, the minnow. Nearly resembling Gael, meancm. 
Mense, V, to grace, to ornament, to decorate. ** The pic- 
tures menae the room," a compliment paid by a Northern 

artist to my unpretending collection. 

** Tet I may as I myghte 
Jlf(Wi#*e thee with gifte»."—«er# Ptowman.. 



36 MENS 

** Gum heir Falset, and n%ente the gallows ; 
Te man hing up amang yonr fiJlowa." 

Lyndtay's Three EgtaUU. 

Mbnsb^ s. decency, propriety of conduct, good manners, kind- 
ness, hospitality. It also means an ornament, or credit ; 
as he is *^ a mense to his family." Sax. wennesc, hnmaniv. 
Sa.-Got. m^Mmklig. Swed. meMiUg* See Tailob's- 

MENSE. 

Menseful^ decent, graceful, manneriy, hospitable^ ereditable. 

** Blow northeme wynd, sent 
Thoa me my suetynge ; blow 
Northeme wynd, blou, blou, bloo. 
Ichot a borde is bonre bryht 
That folly semly is on syht 
MenkKful maiden of myht." 

J^om a love Song qu«ted by Wartm,from the 
Barlekm M88., (tnd which be pUiees about 
the year I2fi^ 

Menseless, indecorous, graceless, inhospitable, unmannerly. 
Mense, or Menseful-penny, liberality conducted by pru- 
dence. 

** Would have their mene^ful-penny spent 
With gossips at a merrimmt." 

l%e CoOieT'e Wedding. 

Mebcttby, or Gtood King Henbt, wild spinage. 

Mere, a lake, a marsh, a large pool. A pure Saxon word. 

The WTtite-merey on the turnpike road from Crateshead to 

Sunderland, has got the pleonastic adjunct of pool^, and is 

now called the WhUe-mare-pool. 
Mere-stone, a boundary stone or mark. Sax. maire* Isl. 

meiri. 
Merrt-begotten, illegitimate — in law, filius nullius — rather 

waggishly alluded to by old Brunne. 

** Knoute of his body gate sonnes thre, 
Tuo by tuo wifes, the third in Jomte.** 

Langtqft's Chrontde, 

The historical reader is aware that, in most countries of 
Europe, bastardim, especially if the father were royal or 



METE 87 

noble, was in the early ages no disgrace ; and that Tery 
latitudinarian principles were disseminated concerning a 
species of gallantry, which, as we leam firom Evelyn, an 
indulgent churdiman— the Cardinal de Richelieu — ^was in 
the habit of calling '^the honest man's recreation." Among 
the Oermans^ howeyer, bastards hare always been held 
odious ; and in many of the puUie instruments, about the 
time of Uie Reformation, they are classed with Papists, 
and placed under similar disabilities. 

Mebby-dancebs, the glancings of the Aurcra Borealis, when 
vividly depicted. The Northern lights, when first seen, 
were called burning spears, and which to persons of a vivid 
imagination still seem to represent the clashing of arms in 
a military engagement. The first instance of their appear- 
ance mentioned by Dr. Halley, is that which occurred in 
1560. In the high Northern latitudes, when the Northern 
Lights vary their position in the air, they make a rustling 
and cracking Jioise. See Heame's Journey from Hudson's 
Bay to the Northern Ocean. 

Mebby-neet, or Mekby-nioht, a rustic ball — a night (gener- 
ally about Christmas) appropriated to mirth and fostivity. 
These homely pastimes, besides the eating and drinking, 
consist of dancing, in all the lower modes of the art ; of 
masked interludes ; and occasionally of the ancient sword 
dance ; with an indispensable admizture of kissing and 
romping, and other ^* gallantry robust." V. WiUan. 

Messit, or Mbssan, a little dog, a sort of cur. F. JiuniesoD, 
messcm, 

MsTAL, broken stones^ rubbish* An old proviacial term^ still 
in use. 

Metal-bio, metal-rige, the curved ridge of thill stone occu- 
pying the face of a ^^ board" or excavation, in a coal 
pit, caused by the pressure of the superincumbent strata. 

Met, V, to measure. Tent, meten, metiri. Swed. mdia, — 
Met, 8. a measure, either of length or capacity. Sax. mi$6a. 

Meterlt, tolerably well — ^moderately— -within bounds ; «. e. 



» 



38 METT 

in meUy or measure. In the older Northern glossaries, as 
Mr. Todd remarks, the word is defined indifferent, 

Mbtter, a person legally authorised to measure. — Newc. 

Mbutht, a difficult respiration, occasioned by the lightness 
of the air." Hutchinson's Hist, of Cumberland. 

MiCKLE, much, great. — Ditr, and North, A word of remote 

antiquity. Gothic, michils. Sax. micely micle. Isl. mHUl. 

Teut. mikel. The word was in common use by our early 

writers, both English and Scotch. See Muckle. 

** Homely hearts do harbour quiet ; 
Little fear, and rnidde solace ; 
States suspect their bed and diet ; 
Fear and craft do haunt the palace." 

Drayton*s NympfMUa. 

Midden, Muck-midden, a dunghill. Sax. middinffy sterquili- 

nium. — Midden-stead, a place for laying dung. 
Midden, a contemptuous term for a female-— conjoining the 

ideas of insipidity, inactiyity, and dirt. 
MiDDEN-CBOW, the carrion crow. CorvfM corone, Linn. 
Middens, or Black-middens, dangerous rocks on the north 

side of the entrance into Shields harbour. 
Middling, in good health ; as well as out of order. See 

Glossary of Provincial Words used in Herefordshire. 
Midge, a small gnat. Sax. mu^e. It is also a contumelious 

term towards a mischievous boy, apparently expressive of 

smallness of size. — Midge's-ee, any thing diminutive ; a 

very common comparison. 
MiLKEB, a cow that gives milk ; not the person who milks 

the cow. " She's a top milker" 
MiLKUS, MiLKNEss, a dairy, or milh-Jumse, Sax. melce-hus. 
MiLL-REEK, a term for a disease to which lead miners and 

smelters are subject. 
MiM, prim, affected in manner ; generally applied to females. 
MiNCH, to mince. Isl. minka, diminuere. — Minch-pie, a 

mince pie. 
Mind, to remember, to be steady and attentive. Dan. minde^ 

to mind, to recollect. 



/ 



MISF 39 

MiNGE, to mention, to remind. Sax. myngian, 

** Could never man work thee & worser shame 
Than once to nUnge thy father's odions name." 

HaWs 8aUm. 

'NLnrsYy a fondling term for mother. Tent, mnne, natrix. 
Mnrr, to aim at, to show a mind to do something, to endea- 

Yonr, to make an attempt. Sax. ge-4i^ndian, intendere. 

Swed. menoy to mean. 

" A fal tei mynt to him he made. 
He began at the shnlder-blade. 
And with his pawm al rafe he downe.'* 

Tewaine and Qawtn. 

MiBE-DiinM, the Bittern or Bog-bnmper; firequent in onr 
alpine mosses. Ardea SteUaris. LinnsBOS. There is a 
beantifhl figure of this stately bird in Bewick. 

" It is called the Mire-Drwm, firom its singolar loud note, espe- 
dally in the spring, which is then its congratulatory ovation to 
its mate on the arrival of it, when there is a kind of resuscitation 
of beauty throughout all nature, and universal gladnesss.**— IFa^ 
W Hist, qf North,, VoL /., p. 324. 

MiBK, MiBKT, dark, obscure, gloomy. Sax. miree. Isl. 
m^rhTy tenebrosns. Swed. m^ky dark. Old Eng. mirke. 

** Gane is the day, and mirlc'a the night. 
But well ne'er stay for faute o' light."— Burnt. 

Mis-BODEN, injured. 

" Quod Theseus, have ye so grete envie 
Of min honour, that thus complaine and crie ? 
Or who hath you mia-hoden, or offended ? 
Do telle me, if that may be amended." 

Chaucer,— The Knighte's Tale, 

Miscall, to abuse, to call names to. Sc. misea*. 

MiscHANCT, mischievous, generally applied to a horse or other 
animal, that is constantly getting into scrapes. 

MiSFOBTUNE, a palliative term for an act of indiscretion ; 
especially when a country lass is so unfortimate as to lose 
all pretensions to the name of maiden, without acquiring ^ 
. legal right to that of matron. V, Jam. Supp. 



40 MISH 

MisHANTEBy disaster, misfortune, rmwhance—misftcheniure* 

Old Fr. mesetventttre, V. Roquefort. 
Mis-ken, to be ignorant, not to know, to misunderstand ; 

also, to disown. 

" Schyr Covetyce, will ye also mUken me ?" 

Lyndtay'i Three SttaUis. 

MiBLiPPEN, to suspect, to neglect, to disappoint. 

MisMARBow, to mismatch. 

MissENs, s, any thing missing — such as a Paul Pry would 

easily discover. ** Here's a mufsens here" — said of a room 

&om which furniture has been removed. 
MiSTETCH, an ill habit, property, or custom ; perhaps from 

misteach, Chaucer uses tetchy for a spot or blemish. Fr. 

tciche, 
MisTETCHED, spoilcd — Said of a horse that has learnt vicious 

tricks. 
MiTTAN, a glove without divisions for the fingers ; generally 

made of thick leather, or coarse yam. Fr. mit(Hne. V. 

Du Cange, mitena, 

" He that his hand wol put in this mitaiSM 
He shal have multiplying of his graine." 

Chaucer t—Pa/rdonere*8 Tale. 

** With dowbill schone, and mittanis on my handis." 

Lyndsay*8 Dreme,, 

Mitts, worsted gloves with a thumb and no fingers. F". 
Moor. 

MixTY-MAXTY, MixY-MAXY, any thing confusedly mixed, an 
irregular medley — a miah-nMshy or hotch-potch. Su.-Got. 
misk-mask. 

Mizzle, v, to rain in very small drops. Teut. miesden.-^ 
Mizzle, s, small rain. 

MoiDER, to puzzle, to perplex, to confuse. It is, I suppose, 
an old word ; but if one was to imitate some of our ety- 
mologists, it might be brought from the Spanish name of 
the seven-and-twenty shilling pieces, which would, I dare 
say, very much tnoider poor John Bull in his reckonings. 



MOOT 41 

MoiDERED^ puzzled, bewildered, confdsed, distracted, tired 

in an extreme degree. 
Moil, laborious industry. To mot7, to daub with dirt, to toil 

or labour, occurs in Johnson. 
MoLTEB, MooTEB, MouTEB, a portiou of meal abstracted by 

the miller as a compensation for grinding ; the toU^ as it 

were, of the mill. Law Lat. moUturay nwUura. Fr. moM- 

twre. It is also used as a verb. 
" It is good to be mexry and wise, 
Quoth the miller, when he movUr^d twice.**— )8^. Proverb. 

MoMEy soft, smooth, conjoining the idea of sweetness. Hence, 
the liquor mum — ale brewed with wheat. Mumme is a 
German name for beer. ^^ Brunswick rntMn." 

MoNNY, many. Sax. monig- Swed. mdnge. Sc. mony^ mon- 
nie, — MoNNT-A-TiMB-AND-oFT, a coUoquial expression for 
frequently. 

Moo, V, to low as a cow. — Moo, *. the act of lowing. Germ. 
mu, Yox yaccsB naturalis. Wachter. 

MooN-uGHT, MooN-sHiNE, MouNTAiN-DEw, Smuggled whis- 
ky. Thanks to the excise — a refinement unknown in the 
financial system of our ancient government — ^for the intro • 
duction of these neologisms. 

MooB, a heath — a common or waste land. Sax. moTy erice- 
turn. Isl. moTy terra arida, inculta, et inutilis. Sc. miire, 
muir. Dr. Jamieson erroneously supposes that our word 
always implies the idea of water or marshiness, as deno- 
ting a fen. V, Co. Litt. 5 a. 

Moorland, common or waste ground — a hilly, barren dis- 
trict. 

MooT-HALL, the ancient hall of the castle of Newcastle — ^the 
place of holding the assizes for the county of Northumber- 
land. Brand has a needless difi&culty about the etymo- 
logy, which is indubitably Sax. moth-healy conyentus aula, 
the hall of deliberation or judgment. F. Dugdale, Ori- 
gines Juridiciales, Edit. 1680, p. 212. The folk-mote was 
originally a convention of all the inhabitants ; which^ if 

YOL. II. Q 



42 MOP 

within a town, was called a Burgh-motey but if of all tlie 
free tenants within a county — ^the Shire-mote. In the lat- 
ter assembly the sheriff was annually chosen, until the 
election of that officer devolved to the king's nomination ; 
after which the town folk-mate was swallowed up in the 
common council, as that of the county was in the Sheriff's 
Turn and Assizes. 

" * And yet/ quod Reson, * by the Rode, 
I shal no rathe have 
While Mede hath the maistrie 
In this moot-haUe* "—Piers Plotoman. 

Mop, ** to make wry mouths or grin in contempt." Todd's 
Johnson. In the North it means to prim or look affected- 
ly. Hence, Moppet, a child so acting. The latter is also 
a term of endearment, from moppe, an old word in that 
sense. 

MoBAL, model. ^* The moral of a man." An archaism. 

More, a hill — a mountainous or waste country; whence, 
Westmoreland. Sax. mor^ mons. See Moor. 

MoRMAL, a bile or sore of a virulent nature. Fr. mort-mal. 

Morn, morrow. — The Morn, to-morrow. Sax. morgheny 
morgen. The original meaning of morrowy as stated in 
Todd's Johnson, seems to have been morningy which being 
often referred to on the preceding day, was understood in 
time to signify the whole day next following. 

Mortal, very, exceeding, excessive, abounding. Perhaps 
from Isl. morgty a great quantity ; a mort of people. Hal- 
lamshire. — Mortal- while, a long while. 

" So is all nature in love, mortal in folly." 

Shak., — As you Like it. 

Mortar, soil beaten up with water, used in building ordinary 
walls, in contra-distinction to the m>ortar mentioned in 
Todd's Johnson. 

Moss, a boggy place — a morass. Su.-Got. mossa. 

Moss, peat, in a soft state. 

Moss-TRooPERs, banditti, who inhabited the marshy borders 



MOTE 43 

of the northern provinces of England, and the southern 
counties of Scotland, and subsisted chiefly by theft and ra- 
pine. So called firom living in mosses, or morasses, and 
riding in troops together. The Merchant Adventurers of 
Newcastle, by an ancient order of their society, were pro- 
hibited from taking apprentices ^^ proceeding from such 
lewde and wicked progenitors." Indeed, the restriction 
oxtended to any person bom in ^* Tyndale, Liddesdale, or 
such like place ;" the parties there brought up, as the 
regulation expresses it, ^^ being known either by education 
or nature not to be of honest conversation." In a list of 
Border thieves in 1552, the priest and curate of Bewcastle 
are both included! Well might Bishop Fox, to whom 
was committed the whole management of the Scottish Bor- 
der, fulminate his resentment against those vagrant and 
dissolute churchmen, who wandered with these lawless 
hordes from place to place, amidst the wilds of Northum- 
berland — ^partaking in their plunder, and mingling reliques 
of barbarism with the rites and sacraments of the Christian 
Church. See the singularly characteristic portrait which 
the prelate has drawn of a border priest, in Surtees' His- 
tory of Durham, Vol. I., p. 166. 

" An aged knight, to danger steel'd. 
With many a mo88-tro(^[>er came on ; 
And azure in a golden field, 
The stars and crescent graced his shield 
Without the bend of Murdieston." 

Lay qf the Last MinHreU Canto IV. 

Most. It is not unusual to prefix this superlative degree to 
the regular superlative form of another word — as, most 
highesty most wickedest^ most wisest, most pleasantest, &c. 
There are examples for it in Shakspeare and his cotempo- 
raries. It was not then esteemed bad grammar. There 
is a higher example in the Scriptures ; particularly in the 
Psalms. 
Mote-hill, a curious embankment of earth, apparently form- 
ed by art^ lying at a short distance from Elsdon, in Nor- 



4A MOTH 

» 
thmnberland. At the top it is not unlike the shape of a 

hone shoe, and appears to have been sorroonded by a 
rampart of earth, the remains of which at present are 
most plainly to be distinguished on one side. See Hodg- 
son's History of Northumberland. 
MoTHEB-GATE, the principal road of a coal-pit, along which 
the daily supply of coal is sent to the shaft, and from 
which the various other roads diverge. 

MOUDY-RAT, MoUDT-WABP, MoULDI-WABP, MoULET»RjLT, pro- 
vincial names for a mole. Sax. moldy mould, and weorpan, 
to cast up. Dan. muharpy a mole. Spenser and other 
old writers use mould-warp, Shakspeare, in allunpn to 
the prophecy which is said to have induced Owen Glen- 
dower to rebel against King Henry, causes Hotspur, 
when taxed by Mortimer with crossing his father, thus to 
exclaim— 

" I cannot choose : sometimes he.an/{ers me 
With telling me of the mold-roarp and the ant," dec. 

First Part cf King Henry IV. 

MouDT-HiLL, MouLET-RAT-HiLL, the mould throwu up by the 
mole. The nest of this " little gentleman in velvet" is of 
a curious construction. And is fully and accurately de- 
scribed by Buffon. 

MouLEY-HEELs, hcels affoctod by chilblains. Mouldy-heels. 

" Here's a shoeing-hom chain gilt over, how it scentith ! 
Worse than the dirty mouldy-heels it served for." 

Beaumoiit and Fletcher,— Rule a Wife and have a Wife. 

MouNCH, to chew, or masticate food. 

MouNGE, to grumble lowly, to whine. " What are ye mounff- 
ing about ?" 

Mount, a large stone hewn into the shape of steps — ^placed at 
the door of a pubHc-house, to assist persons in mwmting 
their horses. Fr. montoir. In Scotland it is called a 
loupinff-on-stane. The Romans had stones for this purpose 
on the sides of their roads. 

MouT, to moult. Tout, muyten. Motcten is found in Prompt. 
Parv. with the definition of pltmeo. 



MUCK 46 

Mow, to converse anlawfdlly. I believe tatdd word. ^S^ 
the ancient ballad of ^* Bonny Dundee, or Jockey's Deli- 
verance." 

Mow, a distorted month. Fr. mouB, a month, a wry fiEuse. 

Mow, a stack. ** The barley maw,'* Sax. tnatoe, acenms. 

Mown, moon. There are many alternations of pronnnciatioii 
of this sort, in the neighbourhood of Newcastle ; as toon 
mowr, fbr town-moor ; shaui a fooly for shoot a fowl, &c. 

Mtjck, 17. to clear of dung. Swed. tnockay to dung — moeia 
HaU^y to throw the dung out of a stable. Widegren. — 
MucKiNO, 8, the clearing away of dung — ^the cleansing. 
Swed. mockninff, " The mucking of Geordie's byre," the 
name of a Jacobite song. 

MuoK, 8, dirt, dung for manure. Sax. meaXy fimus. — ^Muck- 
midden, a heap of manure, a dunghill. — Muckt, dirty, 
filthy. Muck, however offensive to those whose affected 
gentility recoils at every vulgar phrase, is supported by 
the authority of several of our best and most accomplished 
writers. 

MucK-FOBs:, a fork for manure, used in throwing it into a 
cart. 

MucK-HACK, a fork with crooked grains to pull manure from 
a cart and distribute it in small heaps upon the ground. 

Muck- WORM, " a miser, a curmudgeon." Todd's Johnson. 
In the North it also means, an upstart. 

MucKENDEB, MucKENGER, a pocket handkerchief; seemingly 
mentioned by Amobius, under the word mttccinium, Fr. 
mouchoir, Ben Jonson uses muckinder, 

MucKLE, MucKEL, much, large, great. Sc. mefyl, or meikle. 
Sax. mid, Moes.-Got. miJtils, 

<* He bad in amis abroad won mtidca fome." 

Stpensert—Fairy Queen. 

" As fer alle these precious presents 
Oure Lord Kyng Jhesus 
Was neither kyng ne conqueroor 
Til he gan to weze 
In the manere of a man 
And that by mucM sleighte."— P<«r« Plotoman. 



4G MUD 

Gower and Chaucer spell it mochel. 

** Wife-lesa he was, Florent he hight 
He was a man of mochel might."— Ootoer,— Florent. 

** And over all this, yet said he mochel more." 

Chaucer,— The Knighte*s Tale. 

Mud, a small spike or nail used by cobblers. 

Muddle, to mix confusedly. — Muddled, inebriated — ^not ab- 
solutely drunk, nor entirely sober. 

MuFFETTEE, a worstod covering, or small muff for the ivrist. 
The Scotch have a kind of glove worn by old men, called 
a muffUie, from which the term may have been borrowed. 

Mug, a pot, an earthen bowl. — Mug-wife, a female dealer in 
earthenware. ^^Mugs and doublers, wives !" — Netoc, Oty. 

Muogeb, a hawker of pots, an itinerant vender of earthen- 
ware. This trade is carried on to a great extent among 
the gipsy or Faa tribes in the Northern counties. 

Muggy, the white throat. MataciUa Stfha. Linnseos. 

MuGGT Weather, damp, foggy weather. 

Mull, dirt, rubbish, crumbs. Su.-Got. and Swed. mully 
mould, earth. Chaucer uses mullok. The fragments and 
dust of a stack of peats, are called ^eBX-nmll ; and oaten 
bread broken into crumbs, is called mulled bread. 

Mulligrubs, bad temper, ill humour, fancied ailment — any 
indescribable complaint. 

" Whither go all these men-menders, these physicians? 
Whose dog lies sick o' th* mulUgruba ?'* 

BeaumotU and Fletcher, — Monsieur Thomas. 

Mulls, the lips of a sheep ; or, in contempt, of a man. 
** AVll slap yor mullsP 

MuHMER, a person disguised under a mask, a sort of morris 
dancer ; so called from Dan. mumme, or Dut. momme, mum. 
The grand scene of the antic diversion of mumming was 
the Christmas holidays in olden times, when the masque- 
raders vied with each other in the magnificence, or rather 
the oddity of their dresses. See more on this subject in 
Brand's Pop. Antiq. Vol. I., p. 364. 

*< Who lists may in their mumming see 
Traces of ancient mystery ; 



MURT 47 

White shirts supplied the masquerade. 
And smutted cheeks the yisors made ; 
Bnt, O I what masquers, richly dight. 
Can boast of bosoms half so light," 

Swtt*8 MarmUm. 

MuMP^ to slap — ^to beat about the month. A very low word. 

The disease called the mumps, cognate. 
MuN, man — an expletive mnch used by the vulgar. 
MuN^ MuNs, the mouth. Swed. mtm. Germ. mund. 
MuN, must. ^^ I mun gan." Isl. mtm, Moun occurs in Wic- 

lif 's New Testament. 

** A fine jest, i' faith ! slid, a gentleman mvn show himself like a 
gentleman.'*— Ben Jon,, — Every Man in his Humour. 

MuNCH^ something to eat — a lunch. F. Todd's John, mouneh, 

MuNNOT, must not. " Thou mtmnoi come." 

MuRDERiNO-piE, the great ash-coloured shrike, or butcher- 
bird. Lanius excubUor, Linnaeus. This bird has a mur- 
dering propensity ; seizing upon other birds, as well as the 
smaller class of animals, and (as I am informed) strangling 
many of its little victims before it tastes one of them. We 
learn from Mr. Selby, an ornithologist of great experience, 
that after having killed its prey, it transfixes it upon a 
thorn, and then tears it in pieces with its bill. That atten- 
tive observer of the habits and economy of the feathered 
race, says he had the opportunity of witnessing this opera- 
tion of the shrike upon a hedge accentor, which it had just 
killed. See Illustrations of British Ornithology, p. 141. 
Another ornithological writer, in a very fascinating little 
work, states that all small birds have an antipathy to the 
shrike, betray anger, and utter the moan of danger, when 
it approaches their nests. Journal of a Naturalist. 
MuBL, to fall in pieces, to waste, to crumble. Welsh, mtorly 
crumbling. Dut. mullen, to crumble. — Murlings, crumbs. 
MuBTH, abundance ; as a murth of com ; a murth of cold. It 
fieems identical with mort, a great quantity; which Dr. 
Johnson derives from Isl. morgt. 



48 MUSH 

Mush, the dust, or dusty refuse of any dry substance, any 
tiling decayed or soft. Germ. mtM, a hashed mixture. 

Mutton, an old term for a courtezan ; still in use. In the 
Two Gentlemen of Verona (Act I., Sc. 1), there is some 
low quibbling between the meaning of Iticed muUon and Umt 
mutton. The expression ^^ eat mutton on Friday," in Mea- 
sure for Measure (Act III., Sc. 2), has obviously a double 
allusion — both to breaking the fast and to incontinence. 
F. Nares' Gloss. 

Muzzy, half stupified, bewildered by a fatal attachment to 
the bottle— /o^^we^f tcith liquor^ as a " wet friend*' once 
expressed it. 

My-eye, a vulgar interjectional expression of exultation or 
amazement ; commonly associated with Betty Martin — 
my eye and Betty Martin; which Bowles, in one of his 
pamphlets on the Pope controversy, says is from the begin- 
ning of an old popular hymn, " Mihi Beate Martinet 

Mysell, myself. An universal corruption among the vulgar. 

N. 

Na, no. — Nat, not. Both pure Saxon. Chaucer has given 
these and other words of the Saxon form in some of his tales 
where he appears to have had a wish to introduce rusti- 
city. In the Reeve's Tale he makes one of his scholars say, 

" This lange night ther tides me no rente, 
But yet na. force, all shal be for the beste." 

Mr. Tyrwhitt has some very just observations on this point 
in the note on verse 4021 of the Canterbury Tales. 

Nab, Nabb, a protuberance, an elevated point, the rocky 
summit and outermost verge of a hill. Identical with 
Knap ; which see. A steep and high precipice at the con- 
fluence of the Baulder and the Tees, in the county of Dur- 
ham, is called the NaJtib. There is also Nab-hill, in the 
same county. 

Nackey, active, clever, generally said of an old-fashioned 
child. 



NAPK 49 

Nap, the nave of a wheel. Swed. naf, Fr. nef. 

Nag, to gnaw at any thing hard. Dan. nage. 

Nag, applied to ale, or other liquor, when it has a sonr or 

other unpleasant flavour. '^ It hez a ito^." 

Naggy, irritable, contentious, disposed to quarrel. F. Todd's 

Johnson. 

Naig, a little hack-horse, not a mare — a nag, Dnt. negge* 

Naky-bed, Naked-bed, in pttris ncauralihus — stark-naked. 

Nares observes, that down to a certain period, those who 

were in bed were literally naked, no night linen being 

worn ; and the curious in old Fabliaux and Romances are 

aware that in the miniatures which adorn many of the MS. 

copies, the persons who are represented as in bed, are 

always naked. But at the present day, naked-bed, or, as 

it is commonly pronounced, it^ait-bed, means merely to 

go to bed undressed ; not to lie down with your clothes 
on. 

Nan, what ? what do you say ? — Dur. See Anan. 

Nanny, a designation commonly given to a female of free life 
and conversation. — Nanny-house, a house of ill-fame. 

Nantebscase, the same as Antebs ; which see. 

Napkin, a pocket handkerchief. Borders of North, This 
word is offcen used by Shakspeare, and by other old writers. 
Barret, in his Alvearie, has napkin, or handkerchief, where- 
with to wipe away the sweat, sudaritim ; distinguished 
from a table napkin, mantile. Dr. Johnson makes the 
derivation from nap ; oddly favoured, as he says, by Vir- 
gil, ^^ TonsisqiMfertmtmantilia villis;*' adding Ital. nape- 
ria ; but I have not met with such a word in any diction- 
ary. Nappe, in French, is a table cloth, and naiprie is, in 
Scotland, linen for the table. Napkin, therefore, is the 
same word, with the usual Northern diminutive kin ; ori- 
ginally, perhaps, from Germ, kind, a child. The transitions 
of meaning cannot be better shown than in this word 
pocket-handkerchief, originally cover chief, head cover, 
Chaucer uses it ctyoerchief. The same kind of napkin, being 

VOL. II. H 



60 NAPP 

borne in the hand, became handkerchief ; that applied to 
the neck, neck-handkerchief ; and when worn in the pocket, 
pocket-handkerchief — ^losing all reference to the head and 
to the act of coyering. 

Nappern, an apron. This pronunciation is conformable to 
the old orthography. Fr. naperoHy a large cloth, najspe^ a 
table cloth. 

Napst. Household linen, of any kind. 

"Here is to be conBidered to have provision made of sufficient 
plate, napry, and all other implements of Housholde." 

Note qf certain points to be resolved by Sir Ralph Sadler. 
See Sad. P., VoL II., p. 439. 

Narrate, to relate, to tell. Lat. narrare^ Not confined to 
Scotland, as stated by Dr. Johnson. 

Nash, or Naish, tender, weak, fragile, soft. Sax. nesc. 

Nasty, ill-natured, impatient, saucy ; as well as filthy. 

Nath, the nave of a wheel. 

Nation, very, exceedingly. Equivalent to the Scotch prodi- 
ffioitSy and to our own bon ton word monstrous. It is an 
abbreviation of nation. 

Natter, to scold, to speak in a querulous or peevish manner. 

Nattle, or Knattle, to hit one hard substance against an- 
other gently and quick, to make a noise like that of a 
mouse gnawing a board, to nibble. — Nattling-stones, po- 
lishing stones. 

Nattlet Ground, gravelly ground. 

Nattrish, Nattry, ill-natured, petulant. ** A notify face." 
Germ, natter, an adder ; as we say waspish. 

Natty, neat, tidy, particular, accurate. Gothic, ncitid. 

Naup, to beat, to strike. Isl. knefa. See Nevel. 

Nay-say, a refusal, a denial. Holinshed uses nay, v, to re- 
fuse. 

Nay-then ! an exclamation implying great doubt, or wonder. 

Ne, no, not. Goth and Sax. ne, — Nebody, nobody. 

Neaoer, Neaore, a term of reproach, equivalent to a base 
wretch ; though often confined to a mean, niggardly per- 
son. Probably from Fr. n^re, a negro. 



NEED 51 

NsAB-HAMD, near at hand, close to, nearly, almost. 

" Qnhen that the Douglas saw nerhand."—Th» Bruee. 
** Bm but fall fewe wyth hym ar gane ; 
He was nere hand IdTt hym alane."— fTyntoun. 

Neab-tee, near to. 

Neb, a point, a beak — ^also the nose, the month. Sax. nMe^ 
rostrum, nasns. Isl. nMi^ nef. Dan. noe^, 

" How she holds up the neb, the bill to him ! 

Shak.r-WinUr'9 ToU, 
** Give her a busa-HMe how she eocka her fu^.**~~Newe, 

Neck-about, a woman's neck-handkerchief-^a neckatee, 

Neck-yebse, a cant term formerly used by the marauders on 
the Borders — adopted from the verse beginning the 51 st 
Psalm ^^ Miserere mei," recited by a criminal about to be 
executed. 

Nej>-cake. See Knedde-cake. 

Neddeb, 8, an adder. So pronounced in Northumberland, 
and for which we have the authority of our elder writers. 
In Gothic it is nader. Sax. ncedre (which in English is 
nectth^ nether^ low)^ applied to the whole class of serpents. 



-'* Bate hyt tho more wonder be 



Selde we schal in the lond eny foule wormes se 
For ned/rea ny other wormes ne mow ther be nogt" 

R, Oloucetter, 

*' Ech a word that he warpe 

Was of a neddrea iongae.*'— Piers Plowman. 
" Like to the nedder in bosom slie untrue." 

Cha%tcer,—The Merchant's Tale, 

Need-fiee, an ignition produced by the violent friction of 
two pieces of dry wood. The vulgar opinion is that an 
Angel strikes a tree, and that the fire is thereby obtained. 
Need-fire, I am told, is still superstitiously used in avert- 
ing the disease from cattle infected with the murrain. 
They were formerly driven through the smoke made by 
straw, ignited by the " need-fire," It was then thought 
wicked to neglect smoking them. Sax. f^d^ force, and^r, 
fire ; that is, forced fire. 



62. NEED 

Needler, a keen, active, thrifty person — a niggard. 
Neer-dee-weel, Ne'er-do-weel, a graceless person— one 
who seems never to do well. 



" That poor silly Jeezabel, onr Queen Mary, married the lang- 
legged ne'er-do-ioeelf Damley, in the month of May, and ever sin 
syne the Scots folks have regarded it as no canny." 

RegincUd DcUtcn, 

The superstition against marrying in May is, however, of 
far greater antiquity than the time here assigned to it. F. 
Jam. Snpp. buckle, 

Neese, Neeze, to sneeze. Sax. neisan, Germ^ niesen, 

Neest, Niest, Nest, next. Sax. nehst* 

Neet, the Northern word for night. " Good nee6, hint^J' 

Neib, a kidney. See Ear, under which it is improperly 
placed. 

Nenst, Nents, towards, against. " The cash was paid nense 
his year's rent." 

Nerled, ill-treated, pinched : often applied to a person under 
unnatural conduct of a step-mother. Germ, kntirren, to 
snarl ; or knorren, a knot in wood — cross-drained. 

Nestling, the smallest bird in the nest, the weakest of the 
brood. Sax. nestling* In the southern counties, wreck- 
ling, or reckling. Something like the Dowpy. 

Nether, lower. Sax. neother, — Nether-lip, the under lip. 

*' That thou art my son, I have partly thy mother's word, partly 
my own opinion ; but chiefly a villainous trick of thine eye, and 
a foolish hanging of the nether-Up^ that doth warrant me," 

Shobk.— First Part cf Henry IV, 

Nether-stocks, stockings, or tmder stocks. 

" Ere I lead this life long, I'll sew nether-stacks, and mend them.'* 

8hak.—lst. Hen. IF., Act II., Se. 4. 
** When a man is over lusty at legs, then he wears wooden nether' 
stocks."— lb.— K. Lear, Act II., 8c. 4. 

Nettled, provoked, irritated — ^as if stung by a nettle. To 
water a nettle, in a peculiar way, has been said pro- 
verbially to cause peevish and fretful humour in the 



NICK 63 

party doing it. See the proverb in homely English^ in 

Howell. 
Neuck^ Nuik^ a comer, or nook, Gael, niuc. So. neuk. 
Neucle-oow, Neucled-cow, Newbleld-cow, a cow which has 

had a calf within the year. 

Netel, to beat violently with the fists, or newes. See Neif. 

" Shel nawpe and nevel them without a cause, 
She'l macke them late their teeth naunt in their hawse.*' 

Yorkshire DUUogtte, p. 68. 

New, nephew. 

Newcastle Cloak, a large barrel, formerly used in Newcas- 
tle as a punishment inflicted on drunkards and other dis- 
turbers of the public peace. One end of it was taken out, 
and a hole being made in the middle of the other, to admit 
of the head of the person appearing through it, by which 
contrivance the vessel was borne upon his shoulders. 

Newcastle Hospitality, roasting your friend to death. 

Newcastle Salmon, a name given in the London market to 
fish caught in the Tweed, and the rivers in the North of 
Scotland. 

Ni ! Ni ! a common exclamation in Newcastle. It seems to 
be a diminutive of nice, nice; as spoken by children. ** Nil 
Nil what bonny buttons !" 

Nice, good, pleasant, agreeable, handsome. ^^ A nice man" 
** a very nice woman. — Nicely, very well, in good health. 

Nick, v, to delude by stratagen, to deceive. — Nick, s, a wink. 
Germ, mcken^ to wink — ^to tip the wink. 

Nick, the perpendicular groove made in the sides of a " jud," 
which, with the " kerve," completes it ready for blasting. 
See Kebve. 

Nick-stick, a tally, or notched stick, by which accounts are 
kept after the ancient method. This simple mode of 
reckoning seem to have been the only one known to the 
Northern nations. Olaus Wormius gives us a representa- 
tion of the tallies used by the ancient Danes, of which each 
party kept one. School-boys keep a nick-sticky with notches 
correspondent to the number of days preceding the vaca- 




U NICK 

Hon, from which with delight they cut daily one nick, up 
to the " very nick of time" for dulce domum. When a 
married female, in a certain interesting situation, exceeds 
her calculation, she is said, among the vulgar, to have lost 
her niek-stick. 

Nicker, to neigh, to laugh in a loud ridiculous manner. 
Sax. gncBgom, Sc. nekher, " What are you nickering at 1" 

Nicker and Sneer, a loud vulgar laugh — apparently bor- 
rowed from the neighing and snorting of a horse. 

Niddered, starved with cold, hungered. F. Jamieson. 

NiDT-ooRN, weak, unproductive com. 

Nief, the fist. Isl. Jsne/l, Su.-Got. knasfve. Dan. nteve. 
Swed. nSfve. A good old Shaksperian word. Archdeacon 
Nares' display of authorities was unnecessary ; the word 
being still in general use in all the Northern counties.— 
DouBLE-NiEF, the clenched fist. 

" Give me yonr ni^^ Monsienr Mustard-seed.'* 

8^dk.—Mid. Sum. Nights Dream, Act IV., 8e. 1. 

NiEF-Fu', a handful. Swed. en nhfoefulh 

NiFF-NAFFS, trifles, things of little value. Germ. niehtSy no- 
thing, and nachsty next — ^next to nothing. Hence, nick- 
nackSy trifles. 

NiFFY-NAFFY, a term for an insignificant or conceited person 
»-one whose attention is chiefly devoted to trifles. 

NiFFLE, to steal, to plunder. Perhaps, by a metathesis from 
rifle. More probably, a late ingenious friend thought, 
from neif, to lay hands on. Shakspeare makes a verb of 
fisty to seize. 

NiFLE, a trifle, a thing of no value. Old French. 

NiOGLER, one who is clever and dexterous. 

Nigh, to approach, to touch. Sax. nehwan, appropinquare. 
— Nigh-hand, hard by. — Nighest- about, the nearest way. 

Night-courtship, a rustic mode of wooing ; fully described 
in Anderson's Remarks on the Manners and Customs of 
the Cumberland Peasantry. It is common, also, among 
the lower classes in Northumberland. 

Nim, to walk with short quick steps. Also to take up hastily, 



NOR 55 

to steal privately. In the latter sense the word may he 

derived from Sax. nitnan^ to take. Germ, nehmen. 
Nine-trades, nine trading companies in Newcastle— three of 

wood — ^three of thread — ^and three of leather. " The 

meeting of the nine trades,** V. Letters of Tim. Tunhelly, 

p. 77. 
Nip, a sudden denudation, or nipping out of a coal seam, 

caused by the roof and the thill coming together. 
NiF-CHEESE, a contemptuous designation for a parsimonious^ 

covetous person. — Nip-scbeed is identical. 
Nip-up, to wipe up, to move quickly, to pilfer. Swed. 

knipa, to pinch, to squeeze. 
Nipping, pinching ; such as is produced by frost or cold. 

*' It is a fUppinff and an eager MT.''—Shak.t—HcmUet, 
NiTHiNG, much valuing, sparing of ; as, nithing of his pains. 

Ray. Probably from Germ, neiden, to grudge. 
NiTLE, NiTTLE, handy, neat, handsome. Sax. nytliCy utilis. 
Nob, the head. Used ludicrously. It is the same word as 

knoby any round protuberance. An officer, whose duty it 

is to coerce unruly children in church during the time of 

divine service, is, in some places, called the hnocknobber; 

that is the man who strikes the head. 
NoBBUT, only — a compound of hut and the negation net* 

NobhiU let me go." See Tooke's definition of hiUy Vol. I., 

p. 202 & seq. 
NoDGE, or Nudge, to push, to jog. Teut. knttdsen, to knock. 
No-FAK, near — not far. A common North country phrase. 
Noodle, a fool. Sax. nih dol, nearly stupid. Germ, nudely 

a dumpling, as if his head were nothing better. We say, 

^* pudding headed." The term is often used in Newcastle 

— sometimes ungallantly. V, Mackenzie's Hist, of New., 

p. 84. 
NooLED, checked, curbed, broken spirited. Properly nulled^ 

for annulled or nullified. Lat. nullus. 
NoPER, a big one. A large hare is said to be a noper, — Dur. 
Nor, for than. Gael, na. This transposition — ^so common 



50 NORA 

among the ynlgar — ^is occasionally used by people in New- 
castle, in a sphere beyond the " mere ignoble/' and is au- 
thorised by ancient examples. 

** God wald steir up ma Bodwellis nor ane, that wes enimies to him 

nor BodwelV— Diary af Robert BirreL 
** Sparing the liyes of witches is no less a sin in the magistrate, nor 

it was in Saul sparing Ag8^"—Kinff Jamei' Jkemonology. 

NoRATioN, a narrative, a speech — ^a corruption of orati(m* 

" But aw whnpt maw foot on his noroaUm" 

Songt—Ccmny NeweatUL 

NoRRiD, northward. ^^ Several Greenlandmen passed noT" 
rid:' 

NoRWART, northward. 

NosE-oN-THE-GRiNDSTONE, a Simile for the fate of an improvi- 
dent person. See an illustration in Bewick's ^sop, p. 
128. Mr. Hunter informs me, that in Hallamshire nose to 
the grindstone is differently used ; being said of those who 
are deeply humbled by adversity. 

Nose- WISE, pryingly acute. Germ. nase-weiSy self-witted, 
presumptuous, inquisitive. Dan. ncesviiSy impertinent, inso- 
lent. Swed. ndsviSf saucy, pert. 

Note, to push or strike — to gore with the horns, as a bull or 
or ram. Isl. hniota^ ferire. Sax. hnitan. V, Somner. 

NoTTAMY, a meagre person — a skeleton. Shakspeare*s host- 
ess, among many other strange words, uses atom^^ in the 
former sense. 

NoucE, purport, intent, design, occasion. Erroneously stated 
in Todd's Johnson to be not now in use. 

NouT, or NoLT, neaty or homed cattle of the ox species. Isl. 
nauity bos. Dan. nod. Old Eng. noiot. The nolt market 
is the ancient name of a street in Newcastle — ^the cattle 
market. — Nout-feet, cow heel. — Noutherd, a neatherd. 

*' It is Weill kend I had baith noU and hors 
Now all my gier ye se upon my cors." 

Lyndsay'8 Three EstaitU. 

NouT-GELD, or Neat-geld, comage rent, originally paid in 



NUT-C 67 

cattle— -a horn tax. *^ Comage seems to have been pecu- 
liar to the Border service against the Scots. The tenants 
holding under it were bound to be ready to serve their 
prince and the lord of the manor, on horseback or on foot, 
at their own costs and charges ; and, being best acquainted 
with the passes and defiles of the country, had the honour 
of marching in the vanguard, when the king's army passed 
into Scotland." Nicolson and Bum's Hist, of West, and 
Cumb., Vol. I., p. IG. This species of comage is different 
from that mentioned in Littleton's Tenures, chap. Chrand 
SerjearUry. Sir Edward Coke, it would seem, too, misun- 
derstood its nature. In the Chancellor's Rolls of Sd John, 
payments occur by persons who held in comage, both in 
Cumberland and Westmorland. They did not pay by the 
knight's fees, but compounded for the quantity of land 
which they held. 

NouTH, the north. — Noutheklt, northerly. 

NouTHEB, NowTHER, neither. Sax. nouthery nowthery neque. 

" Ze, of this sang, sohir, we are fane 
We sail nother spair wind nor rain 
Till our dajis wark be done." 

Lyndsay'8 Three EgtaitU. 

NowsE, nothing. Sax. nakty nihil. Germ, nichts, 

" As to that pedant, Mr. Hall, 
By JoTe — I'll give him Tiowae at all." 

The Vicar's WUL 

Not, to vex, to trouble — ^to annoy. Not now in use. Dr. 
Johnson says. As a Northern word it is quite common. 

NuENTT, NuNTY, mean, shabby, scrimp, scanty. 

NuT-CRACK-NiGHT, All Hallows' Eve. This was formerly a 
night of much rejoicing, and of the most mysterious rites 
and ceremonies. It is still customary to crack nttts in large 
quantities. They are also thrown in pairs into the fire, as 
a love divination, by young people in Northumberland, 
anxious to obtain an insight into their future lot in the 
connubial state. If the nuts lie still and bum together, it 
VOL. n. I 



■-. ~-S'-<im ^.v. 




OLD-P M 

North. It may be remarked, u a trait of nuuiilWI, that 
ih« oommon people are much in the habit of nung tem- 
pered oftths or asseTorattons as Babstitates for othen of a 
more gnwa sort. 
Otfxns, Oftbns, the plural of often — a very common provin- 
cial pecoliaritf. There is, thrgnghont the North, a nmi- 
lar peonliarit; in the use of the word objection, which, for 
&I1 ordinary poipoBes, good nB^e confinea to the singnlar, 
while the common people on every occadon say, they have 
" HO o^jeetim^'. — Optish, Oftbnish, very often, 
Off-bandkd, all workmen about a coal-pit are uid to be o^- 
handed who are not engaged in the bosinesa of hewing and 
putting the coal. 
Ora-TABB, the deduction made firom the fortnight'a eaminga 

of a pitman, for fines, &o. 

Ou), great, pre-eminent — such as waa practised in the " oidm 

time." — Old-doinqs, great aport, extra fewting— an un- 

o display of hospitality, as in dayi of yore. 

OiJ)-BENiir, oiiu of the many ludicrous nnincs given to the 

Devil — possibly from his auppoBcil circuitous mode of pro- 

Anotber of his popalar names is Au'u-bookt— 

tion equally obvious, OLD-nARRY und Ou>- 

ktions appropriated to the arch- 

e North. But tbu moat common 



Northern mythology of elder 
1, a deity of the waters, 
and of dia<)olLoa] priuci- 
terui auld-Jiicl has been 

AiTLD-pio, an in- 
^d milk. It ii also 
Suffolk it ia^Bn^V 




60 OLD-H 

Old-hobse-shob. If found by one of the fiAmily, and nailed 
against the door, it is still believed to be a presenrative 
against witchcraft and bogles. 

Old-shoe. The ancient custom of throwing an old shoe after 
a person as an appearance of good luck ; it is not yet dis- 
used in the North. In the case of marriages, it is often 
practised ; even among some of the great* See on this sub- 
ject. Brand's Pop. Antiq., Vol. II., p. 490 ; and Nares* 
Gloss. 

Old-trot, an old woman, a gossip. Used by Shakspeare. 

Omy, mellow ; generally spoken of land. F. Jam. oam. 

On-oome, a fall of rain or snow. 

Ongoings, conduct, doings, merriment — goings on, 

Ont, any, the old form of the word. — Ony-bit-likb, toler- 
able, decent, likely. — Ony-way-for-a-little-apple, easily 
persuaded — ^probably from the credulity of mother Eve. 

Onset, a dwelling-house and out-buildings. Sax. on-sittung, 
habitatio : unde onset apud Northymbros, teste Nicholsono, 
mansum, toftum, tugurium, significans. Lye. 

Onsetten, dwarfish, curbed in growth — ^applied as a term of 
derision. Teut. ont-setten, male disponere. 

Onsetter, the person who attaches the corf to the pit-rope 
at the bottom of the shaft. 

Onstead, the buildings on a farm — a station or stay near the 
house for cattle or stacks. Sax. on, and sted, locus. 

Oo, often pronounced ui; as book — hmkj look — luik/ &c. 
Dur, and North. In York, it is made into a sort of dis- 
syllable by adding i; thus, fool, foo4l; school — school; 
&c. 

OoL, Owl, wool. Had the learned author of the Comjnenta- 
ries on the Laws of England been acquainted with this 
pronunciation, he need not have gone so far to seek the 
meaning of what he calls owling. V. Blackstone, Vol. 
lY., p. 154. This word is also pronounced oo^ rhyming 
with do. 

OoLEBs, runners and smugglers of wool. 



OUTI 01 

Ob, e*re, before, preceding tlus time. 

** Clere was the day, as I have told or this." 

Chaucer,— The KnighteTt Tale. 

Orndobns, ** afternoons drinkings, corrupted from anederintJ' 
Ray ; who gives it as a Oumb. word. Ownder is used in 
some parts of the North, for the affcemoon ; and may be 
the same word as Chaucer's undem. In a list of words com- 
municated to my friend, a native of Cumberland, I find 
omdinneTy for afternoon's luncheon. This seems allied to 
Down-dinner, which see, 

OsKEN, an oxgang of land — ^varying in quantity in different 
townships, according to the extent of ground, and the num- 
ber of oxgangs contained in the respective aggregates. In 
our old laws it meant as much as an ox-team could plough 
in a year. 

Othergaits, Othergates, otherwise, different. Goth, odru- 
goitas, 

** If Sir Toby had not been in drink, he would have tickled you 
othergates than he edd."—Shak.—Twe^ Night, 

Othir-suh, some others. 

" For sum wald haiff the Balleoll king 
For he wes cnmmyn off the offspryng 
Of hyr that eldyst syster was. 
And othir sum nyt all that cass." — The Bruce. 

Oumer, the shade. Fr. ombre. Lat. vrnihra. 

OusEN, or OwsEN, oxen. Mce.-Got. auhsne. Sc. owen. 

" He has gowd in his coffers, he has ousen and kine, 
And ae bonie lassie, his darling and mine."— jBum«. 

OuT-BT, a short way from home, not far distant. 

Outcry, a sale by public auction. The old Roman way of 
selling by auction, was by setting up a spear, from whence 
the phrase, sub hasta vendere. 

Out-fall, a quarrel, a misunderstanding — a falling-out. 
Swed. tOfall, a hostile excursion. 

Outing, an airing, going from home. Swed. vUaegy an expe- 
dition abroad. The word is also used for an entertainment 



62 OUTL 

or supper giyen by an apprentice to his shopmates, on ih» 
expiration of his servitude ; called likewise &/cy. 

Outlay, expenditure. Dr. Jamieson refers to Swed. vUlaggay 
to expend ; whence vilaga^ tax ; utloffOTy expenditure. 
This word surely ought to be in our National Dictionary. 

OuTLBB,an animal not housed — an outlier. As applied to 
persons, outlier is classical. 

OuTRAKE, a term used by shepherds to signify a firee passage 
for sheep firom inclosed pastures into open grounds or com- 
mon lands. Sax. ut-^cecany extendere. Dr. Willan thinks 
that, in writing the word ovt-traciy we should perhaps ex- 
hibit the right mode of spelling, as well as the deriration 
of it, but he is clearly wrong ; to rake or rake out is a verb 

in common use. 

" I have now in Longh-liren been 
The most part of these years three, 
Yett have I never had no out-TaJx, 
Ne no good games that I cold see." 

Ballad of N(yrOvwmberUmd betrayed by Douglat. 

OuTRAKE, the inclosure surrounding a piffaree, 

OuTSHOT, a projection of the upper stories of an old house. 
There used to be several of these outshots in Newcastle, 
though few now remain. Swed. utskiutande. — Outshot- 
WINDOW, a bow, or projecting window. See Shot- window. 

OuTWALE, refuse — ^that which is waled oist, or rejected. See 
Wale. Isl. tUvel, eligere, seems cognate. 

Owe, to belong to — ^to own. " Whose owe that ?" — ^to whom 
does it belong ? Who does own it ? 

*' Quanne that was sworn on this wise 
The king dede the mayden arise 
And the erl hire betauote 
And al the lond he ever av}ete.**—Havelok. 

" But I no longer can give way 
To hope which doth so little x>ay ; 
And yet I dare no freedom oioe. 
Whilst you are kind though but in shew." 

SidTicy Qodolphin. 

Ower, over. " Ower little.*' — Owbr, too. ** Ower large." — 

OwER-TANE, overtaken. Also, as applied to sHuation, 



OYST «3 

upper, higher. — Out-ower, across, beyond, or, on the other 
side of a hill. — Ower-bt, over the way, — Owerfornenst, 
opposite to. — OwER-GREET, too familiar; generally in a 
bad sense. — Dwr, and North, 

** And thai that folowit thaim has slane 
Sum of thaim that thai haf owrUMs,"—ThA Bruce. 

OwER-iT, Over-it, r, to recover from an illness. " Poor 

thing, Fm sadly afraid she'll never oioer it,'* 
OwER-MAN, an overseer. 

OwERMiCKLE, OvERMiCKLE, ovor much. Saz. ofer-miceL 
OwERWELT, applied to a sheep incapable of rising from its 

supine state. — York. It seems synonymous with Au- 

WARDs ; which see, 
OwERWORD, a word frequently repeated in discourse ; the 

burthen of a tale. 
OwsE, any thing ; the contrary to Nowse. ** Owse or 



nowse.'* 



OwT, Ought, any thing. Sax. owhit^ aliquid, quicquid. 

OwTHER, either. An old word. " Owther of us." 

Ox-eye, the greater titmouse. Partis major, — Linnaeus. 

OxLiP, the greater cowslip ; one of the earliest flowers of 
spring. Primula elcaior. Sax. oxanrslippa. In the Mid- 
summer's Night's Dream, the place of Titania's repose is 

<* A bank whereon the wild thyme blows. 
Where oaelipa and the nodding yiolet grows." 

OxTAR, Oxter, the arm-hole or pit. Sax. oxtan, PeggCj 
however, thinks it should perhaps be written Hockster, 
quasi the hack of the arm, or the lesser hock. 

Ote, a grandohild. V, Jamieson, oe; Gael. Diet, oige; and 
Brand's Pop. Ant., Vol. II., p. 230. 

Oysters. Ee-shee-ke-le-kaul-er-otsters, the famous cry 
of the elder oyster- wenches, in Newcastle ; but now rarely 
carried to this musical extent. Bewick has figured two of 
these dames in a tail-piece to his Land Birds, edit. 1821, 
p. 20. 



M MCE 

tion, from which with delight thej eat dulj one niok, np 
to the ** Tetx Dtck of time" for duke domiim. When a 
mainMl (etiutl«f, in m certBin iutereitiiig mtuation, eieeedB 
bvr eklralation, ahe ii nid, among the mlgar, to have liat 
krr nkt-flicl. 
>'ii'KEn. to ni-iirb. to laugh in a loud ridienloiu manner. 
Sax. ptirpau. Se. nridicr. '* What are joa tnciering at V 
NirEER ivn Skeer, a load mlgar laugh — apparently bo> 

rmred from the neighing and morting of a horse. 
NinDEREii. Ktured with cold, hungered. V. Jamieson. 
KiPT-roRN, weak, nnprodnctire com. 
XiEP, the fin. Id. httiL Sn.-Got. tmrftt. Dan. mne. 
Swed. ttifrt, A good old Shakqierian word. Archdeacon 
Narpf' di^Iar of authorities wac onoeceasaiy ; the word 
heinp rtill in p<ener»I nse in all the Northern eonnties.— 
Pin'BLE-MEP, the clenched fist. 

•- ein DP rmir nl(f. Uouinr Iliutard-Med" 

m-tk.—Mld. aiw- XigUiDnaai, Ait IV., 8c L 

XiFP-Pi', a haniJfnl. Swed. m nifre/iiU. 

NiTT-NAFFs, triflcR, thing! of little Talne. Germ. niditM, no* 

thing, and nwriiH, nest — next to nothing. Hence, ajat- 

mtift*. triflM. 
NiTTv-xitrFr. a tenn for an inrignifioMit or eonecatod panoB 

—ttav whoRp at tfintioD ■■ diiofl; devoted to trifles. 
Nim.K. to tbenX. to plnador. Jtebaps, bj a metBtbesisfrom 

fV>iin Brt'f; to In J- Ti«iiit» aif-^»tfc^«T» *| 
iNiiiv, atrij<^athi«yf— flBte. UM P 



NOR 



U 



to Bteal privatel;. In the Lttter miih the word maj ba 

derived from Sas. niman, to take. Germ. neAmen. 
IfiNB-iRADES, nine trading companies in Newcastle — three of 

wood — three of thread — and three of leather. " The 

meeting of the nine tradeg." V. Letters of Tim. Tnnbellj, 

p. 77. 
Nip, a sudden denudation, or nippii^ ont of a ooal seam, 

caused hj the roof and the thill coining together. 
Nir-CHEESB, a cantemptaons designation for a paraimonionB, 

coTetooB person. — Nif-scrbbd is identical. 
Nip-iTP, to wipe np, to move quickly, to pilfer. Swed, 

httipa, to pinch, to aqneeze. 
NiPFiKQ, pinching ; such as is produced \iy firost or cold. 

" It is * ntfplng and on eager tii.''—SuA.,—Hainaet. 

NrraiNG, mnch valuing, sparing of; as, nithing of his pains. 

Bay. Probably from Germ, neiden, to gmdge. 
NiTLB, NiTTLB, haudf, neat, handsome. Sai. nytlie, ntilis. 
Nob, the head. Used Indicronsly, It is the same word as 
inoi, any round protuberance. An ofBcer, whose duty it 
is to ooeroe unruly children in church during the time of 
dmne Berrice, is, in some places, called the tnoeinoiber; 
a who strikes the head. 
loBBrr, only — a compound of but and the negation not. 
See Tooko'fl definition of but, Vol. I., 



c Jf DseB, to push, 




Teut. tnudetn, to knock. 

North country phrase. 

nth dol, nearly stnpid. Germ, nudel, 

head were nothing better. We Bay, 

The term is often used in Newcastle 

V. Uaekeniie'a Hist, of New., 



broken ipirited. Properly nulled, 
Lat. muBuM. 

hare ii taid to be a noper. — Dwr. 
tnuuposition — ao common 



5a NORA 

among the vnlgar — ^is occasionally used by people in New- 
castle, in a sphere beyond the ^^ mere ignoble," and is au- 
thorised by ancient examples. 

" God wald steir up ma Bodwellis nor ane, that wes enimies to him 

nor Bodwell." — Diary cif Robert BirreL 
** Sparing the liyes of witches is no less a sin in the magistrate, nor 

it was in Saul sparing Ai^."—King James' Jkemonology. 

NoRATiON, a narrative, a speech — ^a corruption of oration* 

** But aw whnpt maw foot on his noration." 

8ong,—Ccmny NetoeoiteL 

NoRRiD, northward. ^^ Several Greenlandmen passed noT' 
ridr 

NoRWART, northward. 

NosE-oN-THE-GRiNDSTONE, a HmUe for the fate of an improvi- 
dent person. See an illustration in Bewick's ^sop, p. 
128. Mr. Hunter informs me, that in Hallamshire nose to 
the grindstone is differently used ; being said of those who 
are deeply humbled by adversity. 

Nose- WISE, pryingly acute. Germ. nase-weiSy self-witted, 
presumptuous, inquisitive. Dan. ncBSviis, impertinent, inso- 
lent. Swed. ndsviSf saucy, pert. 

Note, to push or strike — to gore with the horns, as a bull or 
or ram. Isl. hniota, ferire. Sax. hnitan, V. Somner. 

NoTTAMY, a meagre person — a skeleton. Shakspeare's host- 
ess, among many other strange words, uses atoma/y in the 
former sense. 

NoucE, purport, intent, design, occasion. Erroneously stated 
in Todd's Johnson to be not now in use. 

NouT, or NoLT, neaty or homed cattle of the ox species. Isl. 
naviy bos. Dan. n6d. Old Eng. n<ywt. The nolt market 
is the ancient name of a street in Newcastle — ^the cattle 
market. — Nout-feet, cow heel. — Noutherd, a neatherd. 

*' It is Weill kend I had haith noU and hors 
Now all my gier ye se upon my cors." 

Lyndsay'a Three EstaUU. 

NouT-GELD, or Neat-geld, comage rent, originally paid in 



NUT-C 67 

cattle— -a horn tax. ** Comage seems to have been pecu- 
liar to the Border service against the Scots. The tenants 
holding under it were bound to be ready to serve their 
prince and the lord of the manor, on horseback or on foot, 
at their own costs and charges ; and, being best acquainted 
with the passes and defiles of the country, had the honour 
of marching in the vanguard, when the king's army passed 
into Scotland." Nicolson and Bum's Hist, of West, and 
Cumb., Vol. I., p. IG. This species of comage is different 
from that mentioned in Littleton's Tenures, chap. Chrand 
Serjecmify. Sir Edward Coke, it would seem, too, misun- 
derstood its nature. In the Chancellor's Rolls of Sd John, 
payments occur by persons who held in comage, both in 

, Cumberland and Westmorland. They did not pay by the 
knight's fees, but compounded for the quantity of land 
which they held. 

NouTH, the north. — Noutherlt, northerly. 

NouTHEB, NowTHER, neither. Sax. noutheVy noiothery neque. 

" Ze, of this sang, sohir, we are fane 
We Ball neither spair wind nor rain 
Till our dajifl wark be done." 

Lyndaay'a Three EttaitU. 

NowsE, nothing. Sax. nakt^ nihil. Germ, nichts, 

" As to that pedant, Mr. Hall, 
By Jove — I'll give him nowse at all." 

The Vicar'i WUL 

Not, to vex, to trouble — ^to annoy. Not now in use. Dr. 
Johnson says. As a Northern word it is quite common. 

NuENTT, NuNTY, mean, shabby, scrimp, scanty. 

NuT-CRACK-NiGHT, All Hallows' Evc. This was formerly a 
night of much rejoicing, and of the most mysterious rites 
and ceremonies. It is still customary to crack ntUs in large 
quantities. They are also thrown in pairs into the fire, as 
a love divination, by young people in Northumberland, 
anxious to obtain an insight into their future lot in the 
connubial state. K the nuts lie still and bum together, it 

VOL. II. I 



68 NUTM 

is said to prognosticate a happy marriage, or at least a 
hopefal loye; if, on the contrary, they bounce and fly 
asunder, the sign is considered unpropitious to matrimony. 
Burning the nuts is also a famous charm in Scotland. See 
Bums' inimitable poem of Halloween^ and the curious notes 
explanatory of the charms and spells of this eyening, which 
were in a great degree common to both countries, and still 
form a portion of the popular creed in the North of Eng- 
land. 
NuTMUG, a nutmeg. Our old word was notemuge. 
Nuts, coals that have passed through a half or three-quarter 

inch screen. 
N'tbm, name. " Aw diwent ken his rCyem!* — Brood Newc. 

O. 

O. This letter is often used for a, in our Northern pronun- 
ciation, particularly in the neighbourhood of Hexham ; as 
mon^ for man ; hond, for hand ; low^ for law, &c. 

Oaf, a fool, a blockhead, an idiot. F. Todd's John, and 
WUb. 

Oast, curd for cheese. 

Oast, v, n. used with at, to frequent an inn ; as, ^^he oasts at 
the Half-moon." 

Oasthouse, or Hosthouse, a public house or place to which 
farmers or strangers resort on a market day. Sax. gest" 
hus. V. Somner. 

Obstropolous, vociferous, turbulent obstreperous. This 

word occurs in Benwell Village, a local burlesque poem, of 
some rarity. 

" Cease such obstropolous roar." 

Oddments, scraps, things of little yalue, odd trifles. 
Odds-bobs, a vulgar exclamation of surprise, originating in 

the avoiding of an oath, or the softening down of a solemn 

asseveration. 
Odds-heft, a common palliative adjuration. 
Odd-white-te, an equivocal malediction very frequent in the 



OLD-P 60 

North. It may be remarked, as a trait of maimers^ that 
the common people are much in the habit of using tem- 
pered oaths or asseyerations as substitutes for others of a 
more gross sort. 

Ofvens, Oftens, the plural of often — a very common provin- 
eial peculiarity. There is, throughout the North, a simi- 
lar peculiarity in the use of the word objection, which, for 
all ordinary purposes, good usage confines to the singular, 
while the common people on every occasion say, they haye 
** no ohjecHon^\ — Optish, Oftenish, yery often. 

Off-handed, all workmen about a coal-pit are said to be ^- 
Jianded who are not engaged in the business of hewing and 
putting the coal. 

Off-take, the deduction made from the fortnight's earnings 
of a pitman, for fines, &c. 

Ou), great, pre-eminent — such as was practised in the ^^ olden 
time,'* — Old-doings, great sport, extra feasting — an un- 
common display of hospitality, as in days of yore. 

Old-bendy, one of the many ludicrous names given to the 
Devil — ^possibly from his supposed circuitous mode of pro- 
ceeding. Another of his popular names is Au'd-hooky— 
of application equally obvious. Old-harry and Old- 
scratch, are also designations appropriated to the arch- 
fiend by the vulgar in the North. But the most common 
of all the synonymes that have been coined for this great 
adversary of mankind is Auld-nick. The Danes and 
Germans, according to the Northern mythology of elder 
times, worshipped Noeha or Nicken, a deity of the waters, 
represented as of a hideous shape, and of diabolical princi- 
ples ; from which, no doubt, the term mfld-nick has bedn 
derived. 

Old-peg, or more frequently, Au'd-peg, or Auld-peg, an in- 
ferior sort of cheese, made of skimmed milk. It is also 
called, not inaptly, leather hungry. In Suflfblk it is bang; 
which poor Bloomfield described as 

** Too large to swallow and too hard to bite."— ^arm«r'« Boy, 



) 



60 NAPP 

borne in the hand, became handkerchief ; that applied to 
the neck, neck-handkerchief ; and when worn in the pocket, 
pocket-handkerchief— losing all reference to the head and 
to the act of coyering. 

Nappsrn, an apron. This pronunciation is conformable to 
the old orthography. Fr. naperan, a large cloth, nappe, a 
table cloth. 

Napby. Household linen, of any kind. 

"Here is to be considered to have proyision ma4e of sufficient 
plate, napry^ and all other implements of Housholde." 

Note of certain points to he resolved by Sir Ralph Sadler. 
See Sad. P., VoL II., p. 439. 

Narrate, to relate, to tell. Lat. narrare^ Not confined to 
Scotland, as stated by Dr. Johnson. 

Nash, or Naish, tender, weak, fragile, soft. Sax. nesc. 

Nasty, ill-natured, impatient, saucy ; as well as filthy. 

Nath, the nave of a wheel. 

Nation, very, exceedingly. Equivalent to the Scotch /;ro<:7t- 
giouSy and to our own hon ton word monstrom. It is an 
abbreviation of — »a^«o». 

Natter, to scold, to speak in a querulous or peevish manner. 

Nattle, or Knattle, to hit one hard substance against an- 
other gently and quick, to make a noise like that of a 
mouse gnawing a board, to nibble. — Nattling-stones, po- 
lishing stones. 

Nattlby Ground, gravelly ground. 

Nattrish, Nattry, ill-natured, petulant. " A notify face." 
Germ. ncOtery an adder ; as we say waspish. 

Natty, neat, tidy, particular, accurate. Gothic, n(xtid, 

Naup, to beat, to strike. Isl. knefa. See Nevel. 

Nay-say, a refusal, a denial. Holinshed uses nay, v. to re- 
fuse. 

Nay-then ! an exclamation implying great doubt, or wonder. 

Ne, no, not. Goth and Sax. ne. — Nebody, nobody. 

Neager, Neagre, a term of reproach, equivalent to a base 
wretch ; though often confined to a mean, niggardly per- 
son. Probably from Fr. negre, a negro. 



NEED 61 

Nbab-hamd, near at hand, close to, nearly, almost. 

" Quhen that the Douglas saw ner?Mnd:'—The Bruee. 
" Swa but full fewe wyth hym ar gane ; 
He was nere ha/nd left hym alane."— fTirntoun. 

Neab-tee, near to. 

Neb, a point, a beak — ^also the nose, the month. Sax. ndbe^ 
rostrom, nasus. Isl. nebbi, nef. Dan. noeh, 

" How she holds up the neb, the bill to him ! 

8hak.,—Winter*i TaU. 
** Gi?e her a buss-HMe how she eoeka her neb"~-Neioe, 

Neck-about, a woman's neck-handkerchief— a neckatee. 

Neck-yebse, a cant term formerly used by the marauders on 
the Borders — adopted from the verse beginning the 51st 
Psalm ^^ Miserere mei," recited by a criminal about to be 
executed. 

Ned-cake. See Kkbdde-cake. 

Neddeb, 8, an adder. So pronounced in Northumberland, 
and for which we have the authority of our elder writers. 
In Gothic it is nader. Sax. ncedre (which in English is 
ne€Uh^ nether, low), applied to the whole class of serpents. 



-" Bute hyt tho more wonder be 



Selde we schal in the lond eny foule wormes se 
For nedflrea ny other wormes ne mow ther be nogt." 

R. Gloucester, 

** Ech a word that he warpe 

Was of a Tteddres iongae."— Piers PUncman. 
** Like to the nedder in bosom slie untrue." 

Chaucer,— The MerefMnt's Tale. 

Need-fibe, an ignition produced by the violent friction of 
two pieces of dry wood. The vulgar opinion is that an 
Angel strikes a tree, and that the fire is thereby obtained. 
Need-fire, I am told, is still superstitiously used in avert- 
ing the disease from cattle infected with the murrain. 
They were formerly driven through the smoke made by 
straw, ignited by the " need-fire." It was then thought 
wicked to neglect smoking them. Sax. nyd, force, and^r, 
fire ; that is, forced fire. 



62. NEED 

Needler, a keen, active, thrifty person — a niggard. 
Neer-dee-weel, Ne'er-do-weel, a graceless person — one 
who seems never to do weU, 

" That poor silly Jeezabel, our Queen Mary, married the lang- 
legged ne*er-do-v>eelt Damley, in the month of May, and ever dn 
■yne the Scots folks have regarded it as no canny." 

lUgincMDaUon, 

The superstition against marrying in May is, however, of 
far greater antiquity than the time here assigned to it. V, 
Jam. Supp. buckle, 

Neese, Neeze, to sneeze. Sax. neisan. Germ, nieaen, 

Neest, Niest, Nest, next. Sax. nehst. 

Neet, the Northern word for night. ^^ Good neet, himyJ* 

Nsnt, a kidney. See Ear, under which it is improperly 
placed. 

Nenst, Nents, towards, against. ^^ The cash was paid nenst 
his year's rent." 

Nerled, ill-treated, pinched : often applied to a person under 
unnatural conduct of a step-mother. Germ, knurren, to 
snarl ; or knorren, a knot in wood — cross-drained. 

Nestling, the smallest bird in the nest, the weakest of the 
brood. Sax. nestling* In the southern counties, wreck- 
ling, or reckling. Something like the Dowpy. 

Nether, lower. Sax. neother, — Nether-lip, the under lip. 

*' That thou art my son, I have partly thy mother's word, partly 
my own opinion ; but chiefly a villainous trick of thine eye, and 
a foolish hanging of the nether-lip, that doth warrant me," 

ShaJc.— First Part qf Henry IV. 

Nbther-stoces, stockings, or tmder stocks. 

" Ere I lead this life long, I'll sew nether-gtocks, and mend them." 

SfMk,—l8t. Hen. IV., Act II., 8e. 4. 
" When a man is over lusty at legs, then he wears wooden nether- 
gtocks."—Ib.—K. Lear, Act II., Sc. 4. 

Nettled, provoked, irritated — ^as if stung by a nettle. To 
water a nettle, in a peculiar way, has been said pro- 
verbially to cause peevish and fretful humour in the 



NICK 63 

party doing it. See the proverb in homely English, in 

Howell. 
Neuck, Nuik, a comer, or nook, Gael, niue, Sc. neuk, 
Neucle-cow, Neuclbd-cow, Newkeld-cow, a cow which has 

had a calf within the year. 

Netel, to beat violently with the fists, or neives. See Neif. 

" Shel nawpe and nevel them without a cause* 
She'l macke them late their teeth naunt in their hawse.*' 

Yorkshire DUUoguet p. 68. 

Nevt, nephew. 

Newcastle Cloak, a large barrel, formerly used in Newcas- 
tle as a punishment inflicted on drunkards and other dis- 
turbers of the public peace. One end of it was taken out, 
and a hole being made in the middle of the other, to admit 
of the head of the person appearing through it, by which 
contrivance the vessel was borne upon his shoulders. 

Newcastle Hospitality, roasting your friend to death. 

Newcastle Salmon, a name given in the London market to 
fish caught in the Tweed, and the rivers in the North of 
Scotland. 

Ni ! Ni ! a common exclamation in Newcastle. It seems to 
be a diminutive of nicCy nice; as spoken by children. ** Nil 
Ni! what bonny buttons !" 

Nice, good, pleasant, agreeable, handsome. ^^ A nice man" 
** a very nice woman. — Nicely, very well, in good health. 

Nick, «?. to delude by stratagen, to deceive. — Nick, s. a wink. 
Germ, nickeny to wink — ^to tip the wink. 

Nick, the perpendicular groove made in the sides of a ** jud," 
which, with the " kerve," completes it ready for blasting. 
See Kerve. 

Nick-stick, a tally, or notched stick, by which accounts are 
kept after the ancient method. This simple mode of 
reckoning seem to have been the only one known to the 
Northern nations. Olaus Wormius gives us a representa- 
tion of the tallies used by the ancient Danes, of which each 
party kept one. School-boys keep a nick^sticky with notches 
correspondent to the number of days preceding the vaca- 



64 NICK 

tion, from wluch with delight they cut daily one nick, up 
to the " very nick of time" for dulce domam. When a 
married female, in a certain interesting situation, exceeds 
her calculation, she is said, among the vulgar, to have lost 
her niek'Stick, 

Nicker, to neigh, to laugh in a loud ridiculous manner. 
Sax. gtuBgan, Sc. nekher, " What are you nickering at V* 

Nicker and Sneer, a loud vulgar laugh — apparently bor- 
rowed from the neighing and snorting of a horse. 

NiDDERED, starved with cold, hungered. F. Jamieson. 

NiDT-GORN, weak, unproductive com. 

NiEF, the fist. Isl. knefi. Su.-Got. knarfve. Dan. mbw. 
Swed. n^foe. A good old Shaksperian word. Archdeacon 
Nares' display of authorities was unnecessary ; the word 
being still in general use in all the Northern counties.— 
DouBLE-NiEF, the cleuchcd fist. 

" Give me yonr nUf, Monsieur Mustard-seed." 

8hiak,—Mid, Sum. Night'8 Dream, Act IV., So. 1. 

NiEP-pu', a handful. Swed. en nhfoefalL 

NiFF-NAFFS, trifles, things of little value. Germ, nichts, no- 
thing, and nachsty next — ^next to nothing. Hence, nick- 
naeksy trifles. 

NiFFT-NAFFY, a term for an insignificant or conceited person 
—one whose attention is chiefly devoted to trifles. 

NiFFLE, to steal, to plunder. Perhaps, by a metathesis from 
rifle. More probably, a late ingenious friend thought, 
from neify to lay hands on. Shakspeare makes a verb of 
flgt, to seize. 

NiFLE, a trifle, a thing of no value. Old French. 

NiooLER, one who is clever and dexterous. 

Nigh, to approach, to touch. Sax. nehtcan, appropinquare. 
— Nigh-hand, hard by. — Nighest-about, the nearest way. 

Night-courtship, a rustic mode of wooing ; fully described 
in Anderson's Remarks on the Manners and Customs of 
the Cumberland Peasantry. It is common, also, among 
the lower classes in Northumberland. 

NiM , to walk with short quick steps. Also to take up hastily. 



NOR 65 

to steal privately. In the latter sense the word may be 

deriyed from Sax. nman, to take. Germ, nehmen. 
NiKB-TRADEs, nine trading companies in Newcastle— three of 

wood — ^three of thread — and three of leather. " The 

meeting of the nine trades.** V, Letters of Tim. Tunbelly^ 

p. 77. 
N1P9 a sudden denudation, or nipping out of a coal seam, 

caused by the roof and the thill coming together. 
NiF-CHEESE, a contemptuous designation for a parsimonious, 

coyetous person. — Nip-screed is identical. 
Nip-up, to wipe up, to move quickly, to pilfer. Swed. 

knijMy to pinch, to squeeze. 
Nipping, pinching ; such as is produced by frost or cold. 

*' It is a rUpping and an eag;er air."— Shak.,—HanUet 
NiTHiNG, much valuing, sparing of ; as, nithing of his pains. 

Bay. Probably from Germ, neiden, to grudge. 
Nitle, Nittle, handy, neat, handsome. Sax. nytlicy utilis. 
Nob, the head. Used ludicrously. It is the same word as 

Jknoby any round protuberance. An officer, whose duty it 

is to coerce unruly children in church during the time of 

divine service, is, in some places, called the knocknchber; 

that is the man who strikes the head. 
NoBBUT, only — a compound of hU and the negation not, 

Notimt let me go." See Tooke's definition of huty Vol. I., 

p. 202 & seq. 
NoDGB, or Nudge, to push, to jog. Teut. knudseny to knock. 
No-FAB, near — not far, A common North country phrase. 
Noodle, a fool. Sax. nth dol^ nearly stupid. Germ, nudel, 

a dumpling, as if his head were nothing better. We say, 

'^ pudding headed." The term is often used in Newcastle 

— sometimes ungallantly. V, Mackenzie's Hist, of New., 

p. 84. 
NooLED, checked, curbed, broken spirited. Properly nulled, 

for annulled or nullified. Lat. nullus. 
NoPER, a big one. A large hare is said to be a noper, — Dur. 
Nor, for than. Gael, na. This transposition — ^so common 



56 NORA 

among the vnlgar — ^is occasionally used by people in New- 
castle, in a sphere beyond the ^^ mere ignoble," and is au- 
thorised by ancient examples. 

" God wald steir up ma Bodwellis nor ane, that wes enimies to him 

nor Bodwell."— Diary of Robert Birr el, 
** Sparing the lives of witches is no less a sin in the magistrate, nor 

it was in Saul sparing Agakg."—King James' Doemonology. 

NoRATioNy a narratiye, a speech — ^a corruption of oration. 

** But aw whupt maw foot on his noration" 

Song, — Canny NewcatteL 

NoRRiD, northward. ^^ Several Greenlandmen passed nor- 
rid:' 

NoRWART, northward. 

NosE-ON-THE-ORiNDSTONE, a simile for the fate of an improvi- 
dent person. See an illustration in Bewick's ^sop, p. 
128. Mr. Hunter informs me, that in Hallamshire nose to 
the grindstone is differently used ; being said of those who 
are deeply humbled by adversity. 

Nose- WISE, pryingly acute. Germ, nase-weis, self-witted, 
presumptuous, inquisitive. Dan. n^ssviis, impertinent, inso- 
lent. Swed. ndsvis, saucy, pert. 

Note, to push or strike — to gore with the horns, as a bull or 
or ram. Isl. hniota^ ferire. Sax. hnitan, V, Somner. 

NoTTAMY, a meagre person — a skeleton. Shakspeare*s host- 
ess, among many other strange words, uses cutomy^ in the 
former sense. 

NoucE, purport, intent, design, occasion. Erroneously stated 
in Todd's Johnson to be not now in use. 

NouT, or NoLT, neat^ or homed cattle of the ox species. Isl. 
navity bos. Dan. n6d. Old Eng. novst. The nolt market 
is the ancient name of a street in Newcastle — ^the cattle 
market. — Nout-feet, cow heel. — Noutherd, a neatherd. 

*' It is Weill kend I had baith nolt and hors 
Now all my gier ye se upon my cors." 

Lyndsay's Three EstaiUs. 

NouT-OELD, or Neat-geld, comage rent, originally paid in 



I 



NUT-C 67 

cattle — a horn tax. ^^ Comage seems to haye been pecu- 
liar to the Border service against the Scots. The tenants 
holding nnder it were bound to be ready to serve their 
prince and the lord of the manor, on horseback or on foot, 
at their own costs and charges ; and, being best acquainted 
with the passes and defiles of the country, had the honour 
of marching in the vanguard, when the king's army passed 
into Scotland." Nicolson and Bum's Hist, of West, and 
Cumb., Vol. I., p. IG. This species of comage is different 
from that mentioned in Littleton's Tenures, chap. Grand 
SerjeatUry. Sir Edward Coke, it would seem, too, misun- 
derstood its nature. In the Chancellor's Rolls of Sd John, 
payments occur by persons who held in comage, both in 

. Cumberland and Westmorland. They did not pay by the 
knight's fees, but compounded for the quantity of land 
which they held. 

NouTH, the north. — Nouthebly, northerly. 

NouTHEB, NowTHER, neither. Sax. notUher, nowtJiery neque. 

" Ze, of this sang, sohir, we are fane 
We sail nother spair wind nor rain 
Till our dayis wark be done." 

Lyndsay's Three EstaitU. 

NowsEy nothing. Sax. nakty nihil. Germ, nichts, 

" As to that pedant, Mr. Hall, 
By Jove— I'll give him now8e at all." 

The Vicar's WiU. 

Not, to vex, to trouble — ^to annoy. Not now in use, Dr. 
Johnson says. As a Northern word it is quite common. 

NuENTY, NuNTY, mean, shabby, scrimp, scanty. 

NuT-CRACK-NiGHT, All Hallows' Evc. This was formerly a 
night of much rejoicing, and of the most mysterious rites 
and ceremonies. It is still customary to crack niUs in large 
quantities. They are also thrown in pairs into the fire, as 
a love divination, by young people in Northumberland, 
anxious to obtain an insight into their future lot in the 
connubial state. If the nuts lie still and bum together, it 
VOL. n. I 



68 NUTM 

is said to prognosticate a happy marriage, or at least a 
hopefal love; if, on tlie contrary, they bounce and fly 
asunder, the sign is considered unpropitious to matrimony. 
Burning the nuts is also a famous charm in Scotland. See 
Bums' inimitable poem of HaHoweeriy and the curious notes 
explanatory of the charms and spells of this eyening, which 
were in a great degree common to both countries, and still 
form a portion of the popular creed in the North of Eng- 
land. 

NuTMUG, a nutmeg. Our old word was notemuge. 

Nuts, coals that have passed through a half or three-quarter 
inch screen. 

N'tem, name. " Aw diwent ken his w'yewi." — Broad Newc, 

O. 

O. This letter is often used for a, in our Northern pronun- 
ciation, particularly in the neighbourhood of Hexham ; as 
mon^ for man ; hond, for hand ; law^ for law, &c. 

Oaf, a fool, a blockhead, an idiot. F. Todd's John, and 
WUb. 

Oast, curd for cheese. 

Oast, v. n, used with aty to frequent an inn ; as, ^'he oasts at 
the Half-moon." 

Oasthouse, or Hosthouse, a public house or place to which 
farmers or strangers resort on a market day. Sax. gest" 
hus. V, Somner. 

Obstropolous, vociferous, turbulent obstreperous. This 

word occurs in Benwell Village, a local burlesque poem, of 
some rarity. 

" Cease such obstrop^loits roar.** 

Oddments, scraps, things of little value, odd trifles. 
Odds-bobs, a vulgar exclamation of surprise, originating in 

the avoiding of an oath, or the softening down of a solemn 

asseveration. 
Odds-heft, a common palliative adjuration. 
Odd-white-te, an equivocal malediction very frequent in the 



\ 



OLD-P 60 

North. It may be remarked, as a trait of maimers^ that 
the common people are much in the habit of using tem- 
pered oaths or asseyerations as substitutes for others of a 
more gross sort. 

Offbns, Oftbns, the plural of often — a veiy common provin- 
cial peculiarity. There is, throughout the North, a simi- 
lar peculiarity in the use of the word objection, which, for 
all ordinary purposes, good usage confines to the singular, 
while the common people on every occasion say, they have 
** no obi}ectioni^\ — Optish, Oftbnish, very often. 

Off-handed, all workmen about a coal-pit are said to be off- 
Jianded who are not engaged in the business of hewing and 
putting the coal. 

Off-takb, the deduction made from the fortnight's earnings 
of a pitman, for fines, &c. 

Ou), great, pre-eminent — such as was practised in the ^^ olden 
time.^* — Old-doings, great sport, extra feasting — an nn- 
conmion display of hospitality, as in days of yore. 

Old-bendy, one of the many ludicrous names given to the 
Devil — ^possibly &om his supposed circuitous mode of pro- 
ceeding. Another of his popular names is Au'd-hooky— 
of application equally obvious. Old-harry and Old- 
scratch, are also designations appropriated to the arch- 
fiend by the vulgar in the North. But the most common 
of all the synonymes that have been coined for this great 
adversary of mankind is Auld-nick. The Danes and 
Germans, according to the Northern mythology of elder 
times, worshipped Noeka or Nicken, a deity of the waters, 
represented as of a hideous shape, and of diabolical princi- 
ples ; from which, no doubt, the term ^mid-nick has been 
derived. 

Old-peg, or more frequently, Au'd-peg, or Auld-peg, an in- 
ferior sort of cheese, made of skimmed milk. It is also 
caUed, not inaptly, leather hungry. In Suffolk it is hang ; 
which poor Bloomfield described as 

" Too large to swallow and too hard to bite."— ^rwwr** Boy. 



60 OLD-H 

Old-hobse-shoe. If found by one of the fsmily^ and nailed 
against the door, it is still belieyed to be a preservative 
against witchcraft and bogles. 

Old-shoe. The ancient custom of throwing an old shoe after 
a person as an appearance of good luck ; it is not yet dis- 
used in the North. In the case of marriages, it is offcen 
practised ; even among some of the greait. See on this sub- 
ject, Brand's Pop. Antiq., Vol. II., p. 490 ; and Nares* 
Gloss. 

Old-trot, an old woman, a gossip. Used by Shakspeare. 

Omy, mellow ; generally spoken of land. V, Jam. oam. 

On-come, a fall of rain or snow. 

Ongoings, conduct, doings, merriment — -goings on. 

Ony, any, the old form of the word. — Ony-bit-likb, toler- 
able, decent, likely. — Ony-way-for-a-ltttle-apple, easily 
persuaded — ^probably from the credulity of mother Eve. 

Onset, a dwelling-house and out-buUdings. Sax. on-sittung, 
habitatio : undo onset apud Northymbros, teste Nicholsono, 
mansum, toftum, tugurium, significans. Lye. 

Onsetten, dwarfish, curbed in growth — applied as a term of 
derision. Tout, ont-setten^ male disponere. 

Onsetter, the person who attaches the corf to the pit-rope 
at the bottom of the shaft. 

Onstead, the buildings on a farm — ^a station or stay near the 
house for cattle or stacks. Sax. on, and sted, locus. 

Oo, often pronounced ui ; as book — Imk ; look — Imk ; &c. 
Dur. and North, In York, it is made into a sort of dis- 
syllable by adding i; thus, fool, foo-il; school — schoo-U; 
&c. 

OoL, Owl, wool. Had the learned author of the Commenta- 
ries on the Laws of England been acquainted with this 
pronunciation, he need not have gone so far to seek the 
meaning of what he calls owling, V, Blackstone, Vol. 
IV., p. 154. This word is also pronounced oo, rhyming 
with do, 

OoLSBs, rmmers and smugglers of wool. 



i 



OUTI 01 

Ob, e're, before, preceding this time. 

" Clere was the day, as I have told w this." 

Cha'VMeTt—Tht Knight^t TaU. 

OBiax)RNS, ^^ afternoons drinkings, corrupted from onederins" 
Ray ; who gives it as a Cumb, word. Owndeb is used in 
some parts of the North, for the afternoon ; and may be 
the same word as Chaucer's undem. In a list of words com- 
municated to my friend, a native of Cumberland, I find 
omdinnery for afternoon's luncheon. This seems allied to 
Down-dinner, which see, 

OsKEN, an ozgang of land — ^varying in quantity in different 
townships, according to the extent of ground, and the num- 
ber of ozgangs contained in the respective aggregates. In 
our old laws it meant as much as an ox-team could plough 
in a year. 

Othergaits, Othebgates, otherwise, different. Goth, odru- 
gatas. 

" If Shr Toby had not been in drink, he wonid have tickled you 
othergaUa than he 6x6.:'—Shak.y—Tu)elfth Night, 

Othib-suh, some others. 

" For sum wald haiff the Balleoll king 
For he wes cummyn off the ofEspryng 
Of hyr that eldyst syster was. 
And otMr sum, nyt all that cass." — Th€ Bntee. 

OuMER, the shade. Fr. omhre, Lat. umhra* 

OusEN, or OwsEN, oxen. Mce.-Got. auJisne, Sc. cusen. 

** He has gowd in his cofi<9rs, he has ousen and kine, 
And ae bonie lassie, his darling and mine."— Bums. 

OuT-BY, a short way from home, not far distant. 

OuTCBY, a sale by public auction. The old Roman way of 
selling by auction, was by setting up a spear, from whence 
the phrase, sub h<ista vendere. 

Out-fall, a quarrel, a misunderstanding — ^a falHnff-atst. 
Swed. tafally a hostile excursion. 

Outing, an airing, going from home. Swed. uttaegy an expe- 
dition abroad. The word is also used for an entertainment 



I 



62 OUTL 

or supper given by an apprentice to his shopmateSy on th« 
expiration of his servitude ; called likewise a/<>^. 

Outlay, expenditure. Dr. Jamieson refers to Swed. utlagguy 
to expend ; whence utlaga^ tax ; utlagoTy expenditure. 
This word surely ought to be in our National Dictionary. 

OuTLEB,an animal not housed — an metUer, As applied to 
persons, outlier is classical. 

OuTRAKE, a term used by shepherds to signify a firee passage 
for sheep from inclosed pastures into open grounds or com- 
mon lands. Sax. ut-raBctm^ extendere. Dr. Willan thinks 
that, in writing the word out-track^ we should perhaps ex- 
hibit the right mode of spelling, as well as the derivation 
of it, but he is clearly wrong ; to rake or rake out is a verb 

in common use. 

" I have now In Lough-liTon been 
The most part of these years three, 
Tett haye I never had no out-rake^ 
Ne no good games that I cold see." 

BaMad qf Northwm^>erland betrayed by Doufflat. 

OuTRAKE, the inclosure surrounding a pigaree. 

OuTSHOT, a projection of the upper stories of an old house. 
There used to be several of these outahots in Newcastle, 
though few now remain. Swed. utskiutande. — Outshot- 
wiNDOw, a bow, or projecting window. See Shot- window. 

OuTWALE, refuse— that which is waled out^ or rejected. See 
Wale. Isl. utvely eligere, seems cognate. 

Owe, to belong to — ^to own. " Whose owe that ?" — ^to whom 
does it belong ? Who does own it ? 

'* Qnanne that was sworn on this wise 
The king dede the mayden arise 
And the erl hire betaucte 
And al the lond he ever awete/'—Havelok. 

** But I no longer can giro way 
To hope which doth so little pay ; 
And yet I dare no freedom ovoej 
Whilst you are kind though but in shew." 

Sidiiey Oodolphin, 

OwBR, over. ** Ower little.** — Owbb, too. ** Otffer large." — 

Owbr-taite, overtaken. Also, as applied to sitaation, 



OYST 63 

npper, higher. — Out-ower, across, beyond, or, on the other 
side of a hill. — Ower-bt, over the way. — Owerfornbnst, 
opposite to. — OwEB-GBSET, too familiar; generally in a 
bad sense. — Dur. and North. 

** And thai that folowit thftim has slane 
Sam of tbaim that thai haf ourtoti^."— 2%« Bruce, 

OwBR-iT, Oter-it, v. to recover from an illness. ** Poor 
thing, Fm sadly afraid she'll never oiver it.** 

OwEB-MAN, an overseer. 

OwEBMiCKLE, OvEBMicKLE, over much. Sax. ofer-m/Uel. 

OwEBWELT, applied to a sheep incapable of rising from its 
supine state. — York. It seems synonymous with Au- 
WABDS ; which see. 

OwEBWoBD, a word frequently repeated in discourse; the 
burthen of a tale. 

OwsE, any thing ; the contrary to Nowse. ^^ (hose or 
nowse.'* 

OwT, Ought, any thing. Sax. (mhU^ aliquid, quicquid. 

OwTHER, either. An old word. ** Owther of us.'* 

Ox-ETE, the greater titmouse. Parus major. — Linnaeus. 

OxLiF, the greater cowslip ; one of the earliest flowers of 
spring. Primula elatior. Sax. oxan-slippa. In the Mid- 
summer's Night's Dream, the place of Titania's repose is 

" A bank whereon the wild thyme blows. 
Where ooBlipa and the nodding yiolet grows." 

OxTAB, OxTEB, the arm-holo or pit. Sax. oxtan. Pegge, 
however, thinks it should perhaps be written Hocksteb, 
quasi the hock of the arm, or the lesser hock. 

Oye, a grandchild. V. Jamieson, oe; Gael. Diet, oige; and 
Brand's Pop. Ant., Vol. II., p. 230. 

Otstebs. Ee-shee-ke-le-kaul-eb-oystbbs, the famous cry 
of the elder oyster-wenches, in Newcastle ; but now rarely 
carried to this musical extent. Bewick has figured two of 
these dames in a tail-piece to his Land Birds, edit. 1821, 
p. 20. 



04 PAAP 

P. 

Paap, a pap, a teat ; also a projection from the roof of a 

house. 
Pack, s. the portable warehouse of a pedlar. *' Perish the 

Pack/' was a well-known character in Newcastle, a few 

years ago. 
Pack, v, to go in company with, to congregate for an eyil 

purpose. Both Pope and Stevens have mistaken the 

meaning of the word. 
Pack, tame, docile. " That colt is Yery pack.*' — Dttrh, 
Packing-pennt-day, the last of the £Eur ; when all the cheap 

bargains are to be had. — Newc. 
Packman, a pedlar — a man who carries a pa^ik on his back. 

Many persons in Newcastle, now enjoying otitrni cum digni- 

tote, are lineally descended from packmen — of whose coun- 
try we know nothing — ^through no very remote genealogy.. 

Many of the Scots pedlars, too, have arrived at the highest 

civic honours. 
Paddick, or Paddock, a frog. Never applied to a toad; 

though the etymology favours that meaning. Sax. pad. 

Swed. pada. Dut. padde, a toad. 

" Paddoclxa, todes, and water-snakes." 

Chapman — Ccesar and Pompey. 

** As ask, or eddyre, tade, or pade." 

WyntownU CronykU, 

Paddock, a small field or park adjoining to, or surrounding a 
house. Sax. pearroCy pearruc. In Westmorland, parrucky 
evidently the proper word, is a common name for an inclo- 
sure near a farm house. So in Northumberland, parrick 
is still used for a place made with rails and straw, to shel- 
ter lambs in bad weather. 

Paddock-stool, or Paddock-stuil, a fungus often mistaken 
for a mushroom. Teut. padden-stoely boletus. It is also 
frequently called a toad-stool. 

Pad-the-hoof, to walk — to pad, or travel on foot. 



pAFi^uNOy sill^y trifling, loitering. ^' A paffiing fellow.'* 
Pair, to beat, to chastise. Germ, pauien. — Paiks, a beat- 
ing, a drubbing, a cbastisement. V, Jam. and Pbo infra. 

" He tomit and gaif them bayth their paikis.'* 

Chritt Kirk (m the Chreen. 

Painchks, the common name for tripe. From paunch,^- 
PAiNCH-wms, a tripe woman. — Newc. 

Paitrich, a partridge. Welsh, pertris. There is an act of 
Qneen Mary in Skene's Collection, ^'anentis stealing 
halkes, howndes, pertriches, dukes," &c. 

Palms, the flowers or buds of the sallow, one of the willow 
tribe. See Safgh. 

Pammbr, the same as Poombb ; which see. 

Paltebley, a common vulgar pronunciation of paltry. 

Pan, to match, to agree, to assimilate. Dr. Willan seems to 
think that this word must be borrowed from cookery : — ^the 
author of the Cray. Gloss, from Sax. pan, a piece of cloth 
inserted or agreeing with another. But see Todd's John. 
pan^ and Kennett's Gloss, impanalere. In HaUamshire, 
to p<m to, is to apply closely. 

Pancake-Tuesday ; Shrove Tuesday ; on which day it is a 

general custom in the North to have pancakes served up. 

The turning of them in the pan is observed as a feat of 

dexterity and skill. Formerly, in Newcastle, the great 

bell of St. Nicholas' church was tolled at twelve o'clock at 

noon ; when the shops and offices were immediately closed, 

and a little carnival ensued for the remainder of the day, 

which is still a sort of holiday for children, apprentices, 

and servants. Taylor, the Water Poet, who wrote in the 

beginning of the I7th century, gives us a singular account 

of the pancake-hell : — 

" Shrove Tuesday, at whose entrance in the morning all the whole 
kingdom is unquiet, but by that time the clocke strikes eleven, 
which (by the help of a knavish sexton) is commonly before nine, 
then there is a bell rung, called pancaJte-fteU, the sound whereof 
makes thousands of people distracted and forgetful either of 
manners or humanity,"— TTorJto, p. 115. 

VOL. II. K 



66 PANG 

Pang, ta fill, to stuff. Tuet. banghen, premere. — Pano-fuli, 
or Banchfull (p and b being often interchanged), crammed 
witli food. 

Pant, a public fountain. In Newcastle there are several. 
The water issues from a spout into a basin, in the same 
manner as in the more elegant fountains in continental 
towns. According to Skinner, p(md was anciently pro- 
nounced pand, which may with great probability be derived 
from Sax. pyndcmy %o inclose or shut up, and which noight 
easily get changed to pant. See a representation of a 
North country pant, in Bewick's ^sop, p. 984. 8ee also 
Penny Magazine for 1836, p. 404. In the market place at 
Durham is a pant built of stone, on an octangular plan, 
surmounted by a statue of Neptune. It is said that the 
water was first conveyed to this place in 1451. 

Pap of the Hass, the uvula. See Hause. 

Pannage, the feeding of swine upon acorns and mast in a 
wood, or money paid to the owner of the wood for permis- 
sion so to do# 

Pabage, kindred rank, high Hneage. Old Fr. 

Parct-and, or And-pabct, the sign or contraction S^, It is 
and per se; that is, expressed by itself in one character. 
In the old dames' schools the children used to make it a 
twenty-seventh letter — ** Xy y, ^, andpwtcy^^ 

Parfit, perfect, entire. Fr. par/ait 

** He neyer yet no vilanie ne sayde 
In all his lif, unto no manere wight. 
He was a "^er^j parfit gentil knight." 

Chaucer, -^The Prologue. 

Parfitlt, perfectlyr 

" He spoke to hem that wold live pavfiffjf.'^ 

Chaucer, — The Wife qf Bathe's Prologue. 

Parget, to plaster chimnies whh « mixture of cow-dung, 
&c. ; formerly the common term for plastering the roofis of 
rooms. F. Nares. Pargiter still remains a surname in 
the midland counties. 



I 



PAUL e7 

Pabxjsh^ perilom, dangerouB, wonderful — algo aeate, oleyer, 

shrewd. Parhua is an old word ; still in use. 

" A parUnu boy .'--go to, you are too shrewd." 

8hak.—King Riehard III. 

Fart, some. ^' He has part money." 

PAWMSiyKD, peritbed, stanred, mnch affected by oold. — ^Par- 

RisHMENTy a state of starvation. ^^ A pcmrUhment o* caud.** 
Pase, or Pazb, •• to raise, to lift up, to break or open with 

violence. Fr. peter, to weigh. — ^Pass, or Pazb, «. a lever. 

— SeeFBJXE. 
Pash, v. to braise, to crush, to dash in pieces. Su.-Got. 

basa. This old word oeciixs in a sublime passage in the 

first €i our English satirists— 

'* Peetli earn dreTynge after, 
And al to dustepoished 
Kynges and knyghtei, 
Kayaen and popes : 
Leied annd lewede. 
He leeto no man stonde 
That he hitte evene 
That eyere stired after."— iiMr« Plowman, 

Pash, 8. any thing decayed. Properly, rotten straw. ^* As 
rotten asptuh." 

Pash, a heavy fall of rain or snow. Dut. ptae, puddle ! 

Pa8TB-bgK}s, eggs boiled hard, and dyed or stained various 
colours^— given to children about the time of Easter ; an- 
ciently called paeehy from Sax. pasche. The custom of pre- 
senting eggs at this season of the year is of great antiquity, 
and pervaded various nations. Su.-Got. pheh-egg. V. 
Ihre, TO. egg. Dmi. pmshe-csgy coloured eggs. Much cu- 
rious matter relative to this subject is collected in Brand's 
Pop. Antiq., Vol. I., Eaeter-eggs, 

PASTE-Eoe-DAT, the common appellation of Easter Sunday. 

Patb, a Northern name for a bro<& or badger. F. Ray. 

Paukt, saucy, iiqueamish, sempulously nice— also proiid| in- 
solent, cunning, artful. Q. Sax. pasean, mentiri. 

Paul, of Pai/I, to pu2de, to put to a stMid. Perhaps from 
€ipp<tL 



«8 PAUT 

Paut, V, to walk heavily, or in an awkward clumsy manner, 
to paw, to kick. — Paut, s, a stroke on the ground with the 
foot. Tout, pady planta pedis. 

Paut, 8. the foot — ^particularly a large, clumsy one. 

Pat, to beat, to drub. ^' The rascal pa^s his wife." Welsh, 
pwyawy to beat, to batter. Pats, a beating, a drubbing. 

** And he tauld how a carle him maid 
With a dab sie felloun pay.**— The Bruee* 

** Two, I am enre, I have pai<2." 

Bhak.,—Ffr8t Part of King Hewry IV. 

Pba-jacket, a loose rough jacket, or short coyering, with 
conical buttons of a small size, termed peoAmttona ; much 
used in severe weather by mariners, and by watermen on 
the Tyne. It was formerly the holiday outer-dress of the 
keelmen. 

Peas-straw, a rustic love charm. A Cumbrian girl, when 
her lover proves unfaithful to her, is, by way of consola- 
tion, rubbed with peorstraw by the neighbouring lads ; and 
when a Cumbrian youth loses his sweetheart, by her mar- 
riage with a rival, the same sort of comfort is administered 
to him by the lasses of the village. — Ncte^ in Anderson*s 
Ballads, 

Peas-straw, the final dance at a rustic party; somethii^ 
similar to the ancient cushion dance at weddings. 

Pba-swad, a peascod. Sc. peasu>aby or swattp. iSke Swad. 
Gay describes a rustic method of love divinatioos^^lith 
peascods. 

Pedder, Pether, Pethur, a pedlar — (by the courtesy of 
Scotland) a travelling merchant on foot — ^he th&t paddeth. 
See Tooke on peUh, Fr. pied aller^ to go on foot. 

Pee, to squint, to spy with one eye. There is a ludicrous 
anecdote of ^^ Peed Dalton of Shap," in Nicolson and 
Bum's Hist, of West, and Cumb. Vol. I., p. 5S7» 

Pee-dee, a young lad in a Jbeel^ who has the charge of the 
rudder. In other respects, something similar to the cabin- 
boy of a ship. Gr. irettht, has been communicated to the 



^ 



PEEL 69 

author as the deriyation ; and Fr. petit, has been suggested 
as allied. But there is an old French word pedissequey 
defined by Roquefort, ** valet, laquais qui ya 2i pied," 
which seems to be the most probable etymon. Cole has 
pedee, a (commander's) foot boy. The boys who walk by 
the side of the High SherifPs carriage, during the assizes, 
are properly pee-dees, 
FeeIi, or Peel-house, a fortalice, almost peculiar to the Bor- 
ders. Sax. pit, moles. Lat. pela, pelum, a pile or fortress. 
The incessant war&re, which prevailed till a recent period, 
rendered it necessary for persons in every rank of life to take 
measures, by means of these Peel-houses, for their security. 
These x>etty fortresses usually consisted of a square tower, 
of two or three stories, with walls of great thickness ; the 
chamber on the ground floor vaulted with stone, and the 
entrance thoroughly barricaded with an iron grated door, 
was used to secure the cattle at night, while the family oc- 
cupied the ill-lighted apartments above, the ascent to which 
was by an exterior stone stair, where they were often obli- 
ged to shut themselves up for days together. The late pe- 
riod at which some of these Peel-houses were built, indicates 
the slow progress of civilization and refinement among 
the Border clans, with which the country was infested. 
— These marauders, composed principally of the outlaws 
of both nations ; and inhabiting the fastnesses of bogs and 
mountains, they sallied out and plundered in all directions. 
These strongholds, of various sizes, from the single room 
below and one above, to the square and massy tower 
possessing aU the character of a castle, except its inner 
court, were not confined to mere lay proprietors. In a 
list of Northumberland fortresses, taken during the minority 
of King Henry YI., several fortified parsonages are enu- 
merated among the fortaliciay or lowest order of castalets. 
Indeed, it was not uncommon in the North to use the 
church towers for defensive purposes, and relics of old ar- 
mour are yet preserved in some of them. After the 



70 PEEL 

nnion of the Crowns, many of these Peels had modem 
mansions added to them, and the old towers were gradu- 
allj suffered to fall into decay. 

" Inyidious mat corrodes the bloody steel ; 
Dark and dismantled lies eaeh ancient jpeel/ 
Afar, at twilight gray, ti&e peasants shun. 
The dome accurst, where deeds of blood were done." 

Leyden. 

Peels, properly, signify Gothic strong-holds, the defences of 
which are of earth mixed with timber, strengthened with 
piles or palisadesy such as were common on the Continent 
at a very early period. They are described by Caesar as 
the fortresses of the Britons. Robert de Brunne tells us 
that Richard constracted one in his wars against the 
Saladin — 

** The romance it sais Richarde did make a peU 
On kastelle-wise allwais wrought of tre fol wele." 

OironUiU, p. 157. 

" And at Lythkow wes then a jpefo 
Mekill and stark, and stuffyt wele 
With Inglis men."— TAe Bruce. 

Chaucer uses the word to describe the Palace or ^ House 
of Fame." 

** But Lord I so faire it was to shewe. 
For it was all with golde bedewe ; 
But in I went, and that anone 
There met I crying many one 
* A larges, larges, hold up well, 
God save the Lady of OhiBpeU, 
Our owne gentill Ladle Fame."'~ao«ftiii., 1 290. 

Peelbbs, two or more proposals for a farm, contract, &c., 
being alike, are peelers. 

PBELiNe, a paring. ^* An apple peelin^'^^^^ A potato peel- 
ing:* 

PsENeiNG> uttering feeble, frequent, and somewhat peefish 
complaints. ^ A peenging hamC* — a whining, fretfal €^d. 
Teut. pynighen, afiUgere. 

Peb-wit, Pbsz-w££p, the lapwing, or bastard plorer ; so 



PENN 71 

called from the well-known unremitting qnemlooB cry of 
the bird. Trinffa vanellus. Lin. Teut. piewit. The 
common people in the North Riding of Yorkshire belieye 
that at one period the cwhaty or ringdove, laid its eggs 
upon the groond, and that the peewit ^ contra made its 
nest on high. They farther belieye that an amicable ex- 
change took place between the two birds, and that at the 
present day they respectively sing oat their feelings upon 
the sabject. A local rhyme will have it that the pee-wit 
sings, 

" Peo-wit, pee-wit, 
1 eoup'd my nest and I me it." 

The cashat's note implies, 

'* Coo, coo, come now, 
Little lad with thy gad, 
Come not thou." 

Pee- WIT-LAND, cold, wet, bad land, which the pee-wit gener- 
ally haonts. 

Peff, to cough short and faintly; as sheep. Grose. See 
Peigh. 

Peg, v. to beat with sharp knuckles. Isl. piaka, tundere.—- 
Peg, 8, a blow or thump. Peg is also used for a tooth ; 
particularly applied to little children. There is a peg-top 
(a toy used by boys) that spins on a foot resembling a 
tooth. 

Peg, to work. ^^ He pegged hard at it," is a common say- 
ing. 

Peg, a diminutive of Margaret : properly a little girl. Sax. 
piga. Dan. pige. Swed. piga, 

Peigh, to pant, to draw the breath short as in an asthma. 
Isl. puGy aspirare. Swed. picka, to pant. 

Felch, weak, faint, indisposed, exhausted. 

Fen, the old, though now vulgar, name for a feather. Old 
Fr. penne. 

Penning, putting down stones in order. An old word still 
in use. 



72 PENN 

Pennt-stane, a stone quoit with which children play. 

Pebith, the ancient, and still the vulgar, name of Penrith. 

Perrt, a heavy shower of rain — 9k pour or stream. 

Pet, a domesticated lamb— a spoiled, pampered child — a 
fondling designation for a female favourite. Several of our 
old play writers use peaty in the latter sense. 

Peter- WAGOT, the Northern name for a Harlequin toy. 

Peth, a road up a steep hill. Sax. pceth^ semita, callis. Se- 
veral places in Northumberland and Durham have this 
appellation. 

" Bot betnixt thaim and it thar wan 
A craggy bra, strekyt weill lang 
And a gtetpeth up for to gang."— 3%« Bruce. 

Peust, snug, comfortable, in easy circumstances. Sc. puist. 

Phrase, wonder. ^^ What need ye make sic a phrase about 
it?" 

Pianet, Pyanot, Py'net, a magpie, Welsh, pioden. In the 

rustic creed the magpie is considered a bird of bad or good 

omen ; and various events are predicted from the numbers 

seen together. Two, say the common people in Durham, 

foretell good luck ; three marriage ; and four death ! In 

Northumberland the following popular rhyme is repeated 

concerning the character of the omen : 

'* One is sorrow, two mirth, 
Three a wedding, four a birth." 

Pick, v, to pitch, to throw. Su.-Got. ptcka, minutis ictibus 
tundere. 



it 



I'd make a quarry 



With thousands of these quarter'd slaves, as high 
As I Gould pick my lance.'*— Shak.t—Coriolanus. 



)» 



Pick, s, pitch. Sax. pic, Dut. pik. " PyJbke, pix. 
Prompt. Parv. From an old entry in Darlington parish 
books, it appears that ^' Bess Johnson used a pound oipiek 
in efiPecting a cure of Ann Spence's scald head." 

* * And pyk and ter als haiff thai tane , 
And lynt, and herdis, and brynstane."— 2<^0 Brnee, 



PIGE 73 

P1CK9 tlie best, the choice. Belg. puj^ky choice. 

PicKATREE, the woodpecker. This sprightly bird is remark- 
able for its curious dwelling, picked in the solid tree, with 
the most consummate art. 

" Their bard tongue, armed with solid, corneous papillae, is a very 
proper weapon for seizing the insects, and more especially the 
soft larysB which these birds seek under the bark. . . . The 
woodpeckers are continually occupied in hollowing trees ; into 
the holes of these they retire during the night, and also when 
they lay their eggs, which the female deposits there without any 
neat.**— <hivier. 

Pick-fork, a hay-fork with two prongs — a pitch-fork. 
Pickle, a small quantity, a little. Ital. piccolo. 

« O gin my love were tkpUskU of wheat, 
And growing upon yon lily lee." 

Border Minrtrelsy. 

PiCK-NiGEHP, dismal — ^as dark ' or pitch. 

" Then aw met yor Ben, an' wc like to fight ; 

An* when we cam to Sandgate it ,. piek-nigM,'* 

Sonfft — Maw Canny Hinny. 

Shakspeare and later writers use pitchy y in the same sense. 

Picks, an ancient term, still in use among the vulgar, for the 
suit of diamonds at cards. Grose erroneously says spades ; 
which, I believe, is the case in Scotland. Brand pretends 
to seek a derivation in the resemblance which the diamond 
bears to a mill-pick^ h& fusils are sometimes called in He- 
raldry. But it is nothing more than the adoption of the 
French pique, V. Minsheu^s Guide into Tongues, Art. 
DianKmd or Picke at Cards, Mr. Taylor is of opinion that 
it is firom being of the form of the pyxy or pix^ — the box in 
which the sacred wafer was kept. Mr. Hunter informs 
me, that when the people have burnt their shins by sitting 
before a hot fire, they will say " my legs are all oYet picks 
and hearts y" that is red blotches. 

Piece, a little while. " Stay a piece J* Ital. pezzo. 

PiFLE, to filch, to steal — ^to pilfer; from which it is derived. 

Pigeon's-feathers. It is a matter of very general belief, 

VOL. II. L 



74 PIGG 

that if there be pigeon's feathers in a bed on which a dying 
person lies, the straggle of the departing spirit in liberating 
itself from its tenement of clay, is painftdly protracted ; 
and that such a person cannot die in snch a bed, bat mast 
be lifted oat before the troubled spirit can obtain its re- 
lease. 

PiGOERT, a pig-sty. See Outrake ; 2d sense. 

PiGGiN, a small wooden cylindrical vessel, made with staves 
and bound with hoops like a pail. In common use on the 
borders of Northumberland. 

Pike, v, to select, to chuse, to pick. From Dut. picken* 

Pike, s. the top or apex of a conical hill or eminence ; such 
as Pontop-pike, in the county of Durham ; Glanton-pike 
Northumberland. SsLT.peac. Fr, pic, S]^,pico, 

Pike, «. a large cock or pile of hay. See Hay-making. 

Pikelet, a small round light cake— a sort of muffin. 

Pilch, a piece of flannel fastened to an infant's under-clothes, 
for the purpose of keeping the wet off the nurse. It was 
anciently a dress or mantle made of skins. Sax. p^lche. 

Pilgrimage of Grace, the great northern Insurrection or 
Rebellion, which resulted from discontent at the suppres- 
sion of the monasteries, and which became so formidable in 
England. 

Pillars, the rectangular masses of coal between the ^^ boards.'' 
When the whole extent of the mine has been regularly 
excavated by "boards" and "walls," the pillars are also re- 
moved, beginning at the extremity of the mine. 

Pillow-bbrb, 3. a pillow case. 

" But of his craft, from Berwicke unto Ware 
Ne was there swiche an other pardonere 
For in his male he hadde a pihoebere. 
Which, as he saide, was oure ladies yeil." 

Chaucer,—Pard<mere'8 Prdogue, 

PiN-coDD, or Prin-codd, a pin-cushion. Sc. preen-cod. 
Pinch-gut, a penurious person — a covetous, miserable wretch, 
quasi pinched. 



PITM 75 

PufD^ to impoimd, or put into the pinfold. 

PiNotNOy complaining, whining, as from cold or hanger. 

PiKOLBy to work assidnoosly but inefficiently — ^to labour anti^ 
yoa are almost blind. Germ, peinigen^ to pain, to harass. 
** Pingle in yur awn poke neuk." That is, help yourself 
sparingly out of your own means. 

Pink, v» to look sly at — to look with the eye half open. 

Pink, a. small.-^PiNKT, very small. Dut. pinije, — Pinky- 
wiNKT, the smallest imaginable. ^^ You're all pinfy-winky, 
and ready for neNty*' — said to children who sit up until 
they are half asleep. Neb is a pure word for bill, and the 
figure is a bird putting its head under its wing. 

Pm-PANNiEKLT-FKLLOW, a miserable, covetous, suspicious 
fellow, one who pins up or fastens his panniers and baskets. 
Grose. 

Piper, a minstrel. North. Sax. pipere. The noble house 
of Percy still retains pipers in its service. They wear, 
on the right arm, a silver crescent, granted as a badge of 
cognizance to the family, for having taken the Turkish 
standard, in a warlike expedition against the Saracens, in 
the H(dy Land. The pipers attend the court leet and fairs 
held for the Lord : — and pay suit and service at Alnwick 
Castle. Their instrument is the ancient Northumbrian 
bag-pipe, different in form and execution from the Scotch ; 
it being much smaller, and blown, not with the breath, 
but by a pair of bellows fixed under the left arm. The 
music possesses all the wild and spirited characteristics of 
the Highland pibroch, without its heavy drone. 

FiPBSTOPPBL, a fragment of the shank of a tobacco-pipe. 
€brm. tUtpsdy a bung or stopper. Sc. pipe-itappU, 

Pirn, a quill or reed on which yarn is wound. 

PxtHAN, a collier — ^a man who works in a coal pU, The pit- 
men are a distinct class in society, almost entirely sepa- 
rated from the agricultural part of the community. They 
principally reside within a few miles of the rivers Tyne 
and Wear, chiefly in long rows of one-storied houses, 



76 PITM 

called pit-rows, in the vicinity of the mines. They com- 
mence their lahoiioos calling at a very early period of 
life, and have been accustomed for generations to marry 
with their own race ; the sons regularly following the oc- 
cupations of their sires. 

Pitman's-pink, a name given to the single pink, which is 
a great favourite among the pitmen, who, in general, pay 
much attention to the cultivation of flowers. 

Pitter-patter, to beat incessantly, like a heavy &11 of rain. 

PiTTY-PATTY, palpitation, a quick movement of the heart. 

Planet, pro climate— also, in the sense of partially ; as ^^the 
rain falls in pUmeU?^ 

Plash, v. to splash. Su.-Got. phsJba. — Plash, s, a heavy 
£Edl or severe shower of rain. Germ. pUOxregen. Dut. 
plctsregen. 

Plat, clear, plain. 

'* My will is this iotpUU conclusion 
Withouten any replication. 
That everich of you shal gon wher him leste !** 

Chaucer t— The Knighte*8 Tale. 

Play, is used in the North as a reflective verb. — " He has 
been playing hissel." 

Pleach, to bind a hedge, to interweave branches of trees to- 
gether. Fr. plesser, V. Cotgrave. 

Plean, to complain. An old word ; from Fr. plaigner, 

Plean, or Pleany-pye, a tell-tale, or prating gossip. Pleig- 
nen occurs in Gower. 

Plenish, to furnish a house, to stock a farm. Old Ft, plenir, 
to replenish. — Plenishing, household furniture. — Plenish- 
ing- wain, the wain or waggon laden with furniture belong- 
ing to a bride. 

Plett, to fold, to twist or plait. Su.-Got. plAta^ nectere^ oon- 
nectere. 

Pletts, folds, plaits. " I must put my mouth into small 
pletts when I go there ;" meaning, I must be circumspect 
in my behaviour. 



PLUF 77 

Plie, a fold, or wrapping. " Twee plie, three plie.*' Two 
fold, or doable ; three fold, &c. 

" Thorowe ryche male and myne-ye-ple 
Many steme the stroke done streight 
Many a freyke, that was ful fre 
Thar ondar fool dyd lyght" 

Old BaUad of Cheoy Chace, 

Plodge, to wade through water, to plunge. Dut. phegm, 
PiiOOKY, Plooky-faced, pimpled. Gael, pluca/n^ a pimple. 

" Plooky, plooky, are your cheeks, 
Andplooky is your chin.'* 

BaUad,—Sir Hugh le Blond. 

Plote, to pluck feathers ; metaphoricalfy to chide vehemently. 
" How she plotes him." Teut. ploten, 

Plote, to scald. To plate a pig, is to pour scalding water 
upon it, which causes the hair to come off, and makes it 
easier to scrape. — Ploting-hot, scalding hot. 

Plough-shoe, the iron work upon which the sock is fixed ; 
the casing of iron at the nose, or fore part of that part of 
the plough which enters the ground. 

Ploute, a long walking stick, generally used (with the thick 
end downward) by foot-hunters. — Dur, and North, 

Plouteb, to wade through water or mire— to be engaged in 
any dirty work. Teut. plotsen. Germ, pladem, — Plowd- 
ING, is also used in the same sense ; though probably only 
a variation oiphdging. 

Floy, a harmless frolic in which a party is engaged; a 
merry meeting. Dr. Jamieson is inclined to view the 
word as formed from Sax. plegctUy to play. 

Pluef, to blow in the face, to explode gunpowder — ^to puff. 

Plupf, Pleugh, a plough. Su.-Got. plog. Germ. pjUig. Sc. 
pkuch. This gives me an opportunity of presenting to the 
reader a genuine Northumbrian specimen of an agricul- 
tural reproof ; communicated to me by a friend, who heard 
it. 

" Ye ill far'd body ye ! ye pretend to guide the plvffi to leeve a 
saet a baaks in aa the faugh quarter. I'll ha ne mair o' thee ! 



78 PLUM 

Se ye may gaof at the Fair, honest man ! Thou mun de*t better 
nor that, else thou may gang heam.*' 

Plump, a clump of trees. Plumbe, is an old word for a 

woody place. 
PocK-ARRED, pitted with the small pox. See Arb. 
PocK-FRETTEN, marked with the small pox. See Fretten. 
PoE, a turkey. Fr. pcKm. Lat. pom. Sax. pawa, — Pes ! 

PoE ! a call to turkies. 
Poke, to thorst. " To poke the head." " Poking his nose 

into every thing." Germ, pochen, to knock, as if the head 

were projected for the purpose. 
Poke, a bag, a sack. The parent of pocket. Sax. poceo, a 

pouch. Isl.|90i^, saccus. Tent poke, ^^ A pigin a/MM^." 

is an old, well-known. Northern proverb. 

" Gerreis answered : ' Gerties were it gold. 
Or in a poks nobles all untold.'* 

ChOfuc^t—'lfie MUkr^i Tale, 

** And on the nose he smote him with his fist ; 
Down ran the blody streme upon his brest : 
And in the flore with nose and mouth to-broke 
They walwe, as don two pigges in ajpoife^." 

Ckauearr-Ths ifeffe*s Tale. 

Poked, offended, piqued. ** He was sore poked*'* 
PoKSMANTLE, a name for a portmanteau. See PoRTKANtLE* 
PoKSB AND ToNos, whou a horse strikes the hind AgtAxuSt the 
fore shoe. Also called Hammer and Pincers, and FoRatNo. 
PooDLERs, a name given to the fry of the eoal^fish or oole-say 

when about a foot in length. 
PooMER, any thing very large. *^ Be! wha$ a poomer U is,'* 
Poorly, indifferent in health.-^ Vert poorly, very unwell. 
Pott, Pore, an iron bar, or poker, fcx sturring the fii«. Teut. 

porrmy urgere, oompellere. 
Porky, plump in the person. " What ? the porXy gentle- 
man." 
Porragb, hMty-'pndding, ot potrtdge-oatmeiA mixed in boil- 
ing water, and stirred on the fire till it be considerably 
ihidcened. In Durham it is Poddish. ^^ Put on the pod- 
dish-poV* 




POT-L 79 

PoRTMANTLSy & TtdgaT, though old, name for a portmanteau ; 
which was originallj a ba^ for a cloak or mantle. 

Pose, a rheum from the nose, a oohl in the head. Sax. 
ffipose, 

PosiE, a nosegay. See Brand's Pop. Antiq. Vol. II., p. 48. 

PosiE-JACKBTS, the holiday waisteoats of the pitmen, fre- 
quently of very curious patterns, and displaying flowers of 
yarious dyes. 

Possy to dash violently in the water, to heat ; as to ^^ posa 
clothes" in what is called a Poss-tub. 

" For a cat of a contree 
Cam whan hym liked 
And oyerleep bem Uohtliclie 
And langhte hem at his wille 
And pldde with hem perillonsli 
And posfd aboute."— iHtfw PlotBtnan. 

PossET-CTJp, a cup of silver or pewter, in which warm drinks 
were served. 

" Before the introduction of tea, it was customary to giye strangers 
at festival times, ale-possets ; they were served up in bowls 
called doublera into which the company dipped their spoons pro- 
miscuously, for the simplicity of the times had not then seen 
the necessity of accommodating each guest with a basin or soup- 
plate. The posset cup shone as an article of finery in the better 
sort of houses ; it was made of pewter, and was furnished with 
two, three, or more, lateral pipes, through which the liquid part 
of the compound might be sucked by those who did not choose 
the bread."— 6toM. to Westm. and CuvnJb. JHcUects, 

PossT, short and fat, thick-set, protuberant ; applied to the 
person. Apparently the same as Powset. 

Post, sandstone. 

PoTATO-BOGLE, a scarccrow. 

PoT-CLEPs, pot-hooks. Ray says, from clip or clap, because 
they clip or catch hold of the pot. 

PoT-LucK, an invitation to a family dinner, or friendly re- 
past, excluding the idea of any previous or ceremonious 
preparation — ^the chance of the table. The Roman condi- 
eere ad comam. Fr. la fortune du pat. A Northern squire 



80 POTS 

inyited his late Majesty King George IV., when Prince 
Regent, to take pot-luck with him. 

PoTSHARD, a piece of broken tile or pot. See Shard. 

Potter, to stir, to poke ; as to potter the fire. Dnt. peuteren, 

PoTTiCAR, an apothecary. Potycary is the genuine old word, 
derived from Span, boticario (which signifies the shop of a 
vendor of medicines, as distinguished from a travelling em- 
piric), and is not a contraction of apothecary, as Dr. John- 
son and others have pretended. Mr. Taylor judiciously 
observes on this word, that &om its Greek origin, it must 
necessarily have brought the A with it at first, and, there- 
fore, however ancient paticary may be, it is only an ancient 
corruption, and probably proceeded from the unlearned 
considering apothecary as a pothecary. 

PoTTiNGER, a coarse earthen- ware pot, with a handle. Germ. 
pott enge^ a narrow pot. Porringer, therefore, would seem 
to be a corruption. 

Pou, Poo, or PooGH, to pull. ** Poo away my lads,** 

PoucE, nastiness.— PoucY, untidy, all in a Utter. 

PouK, to strike ; or rather to push or poke. In Scotland, it 
means to pull with nimbleness or force, like English 
plfick, 

PouLTER, a poulterer. This is the ancient and correct way 
of spelling the word. 

PouNCET-BOX, a small box, with open work on the lid, in 
which to keep perfume. 

Pout, to kick or strike with the feet. V, Ray, pote. 

Pout, a chicken. Fr. poulet. Poult is classical. 

Pow, a term for the head ; obviously from poll, 

** Albeit my pow was bald and bare."— /towway. 

Pow, a large open drain. 

Pow-HEAD, a tad-pole before it has legs. 

PowsET. fat, decent-looking, respectable in appearance. 

See PossY. 
PowsoDDY, or Pansoddy, a pudding placed under the roast. 

Also called Yorkshire-pudding, Aud-wife's-sod, and Cin- 



PRIZ 81 

Dfi&-OATCHEB. In Scotland there is a dish — sheep^s head 

hrothy pouhsodden. 
Freeze, to strain, or make inefiPectual attempts to evacuate 

the bladder, or bowels — ^firom press. But see Jamieson on 

prize-^p. 
pREUYE, prove. Genuine French. 
Pkicking, a thin layer of bad soft coal or metal^ generally 

found at the bottom of a seam of coal. 
pEiCKLEy a basket or measure of wicker work among firuiter- 

ers. Formerly made of briers ; hence, perhaps, the name» 
Pbig, to plead hard in a bargain, to higgle in price. Dut> 

pracheny to beg. 
Pbigged^ entreated earnestly and perseveringly. 
Priggish, vain, conceited, affected, cozcomical. From pHff* 
Primp, to behave in a ridiculously formal or affected manner. 
Pbin, a pin. Isl. prioriy acus capitata. Dan. preeriy a bod- 
kin, or punch. Dr. Jamieson has satisfactorily proved 

that this is no corruption of the word. 

** To mix set ye nocht by twvkprinnia 
Fyne ducat gold with hard gadMngis 
Lyke as I leimit yow last" 

Lynd8ay*9 Three JBttaUit. 

pRiN-coD, a pincushion. In the reign of Henry VIII., the 
men stuck pins in a disgusting part of their dress ; before 
alluded to under the article Cod, Codd. Strutt^s idea that 
this fashion of wearing a cod'^piece came from the French 
ffuadipise^ seems without foundation. That word, so far as 
the researches of the present writer extend, is used only 
by the satirical Rabelais, and in all probability proceeded 
from the mint of his own fertile imagination, in the triumph 
of his wit and drollery. 
pRiNCox, a pert, forward fellow. V, Todd's John. princoeh% 
Prize, to lift with a lever. See Jamieson on pruie-up; but it 
is probably from press, as the lever acts at one end^ by 
pressure at the other. So paze is used in the same sense^ 
from peser^ to weigh^ because acting by a weightt 

VOL. n. M 



I 



82 PROD 

Prod, Proddt, a prick, a skewer. Sa.-Got. brodd, acnleus. 
Dan. brody a stmg, a prick. B and p are often used indis- 
criminately in the Gothic languages. 

Pboo, Pboggle, V, to prick, to pierce. Isl. hvydday pungere. 

Prog, *. a prick. — Proglt, a. prickly. See Prod. 

Proper, very, complete. ** It is Bk proper wet day." 

pROss, V. to chat, to talk familiarly. Fr. promer, or pronery 
to gossip. 

pRoss, 8, talk, conversation — ^rather of the gossiping kind. 
*< Let us have a Int oiprosa*^ The prose of modem times, 
as Mr. Todd justly remarks, is akin to this Northern word. 

Proud, luxuriant ; as proud com. Sax, proi* Ital. prode. 

Proud, a seam of coal is said to be proud when its section is 
higher than ordinary. 

P's AND Q's, a nicety of behaviour ; the observance of all due 
formalities. Perhaps from the French injunction to make 
proper obeisances, ^^ Soyez attentife 2t vos pies et d vos 
queues;" in other words, " mind your P*s and ^sP 

PuBBLE, full, plump ; usually spoken of com or fruit ; in op- 
position X^fanJtome — any thing fat, or distended. 

Pucker, flutter, agitation, confusion. ^^ What & pucker he's 
in !" A figurative application of the word. 

PuGGT, damp, most ; arising from gentle perspiration. ** A 
puggy hand." ** A puggy face." 

Pule, or Puel, a hole of standing water — 9k pooh Sax./w/. 
Welsh. pwL Eay and Grose have pulk. 

Pule, to eat without appetite. — Puling, sick, without appe- 
tite. 

PuLLEN, poultry. An old word. V, Todd's Johnson. The 
Pttllen market in Newcastle. Pullen is also a term for the 
small crab used for baiting sea-fishing-hooks. The cor- 
rect name is pHIan, from peel, to skin ; because if you crack 
the shell of the pillan, you may strip it off, leaving the 
substance of the claw entire. That is pillan^ f . e,, peeled, 
because the fishermen peel off the shell before they bait the 
hooks with them. 



PURL 83 

Pummel, to beat severely, to chastise with the fitt. Lat. 
puffno* 

** For yonr pate I would pufwrneL** 

Beaum. and FUt.,—F6ur Plays in One. 

Punch, to strike with the feet — ^to thrust as with a point. 
Germ, puncty a point. 

PuND, a pound. Sax. pund. The Gothic, Islandic, and Swe- 
dish are the same. Welsh, punt, 

PuND, to impound, to put into the pin-fold. 

PuN-FAUD, or PiN-FAUD, a piu-fold. Sax. pyndan^ to inclose. 
— ^PuNDBB, the pindar or pounder, who has the charge of 
the pinfold — a pound keeper. 

PuoT, Put, or Pouie, a long pole, with an iron spike or 
spikes, at the end; used in propelling keels in shallow 
water, or when it is inconvenient to use sails or oars. 
Span. apcyOf a prop, stay, or support. Fr. appui; and so 
a pouky by erroneously supposing a to be an article, in- 
stead of a part of the word. Poles, for pushing on boats, 
occur in all ages. 

PuRDT, a little thick-set fellow. I owe this word to the com- 
munication of a clerical friend in the County of Durham, 
who first heard it at Barnard Castle. On ascertaining the 
meaning, the following dialogue took place. 

" Q. Wliat does purdy mean ? 
A. A little throOan up thing like a Jack at Warts, 
Q. What's that 

A. Something like a lifiM burner, 
Q. What is a lime burner? 
A, Oh nobbit a Kendal stockener. 
Q. What is that? 
A. A little tfdck-setfeaow,** 

Moor h&Bpurcfyy in the sense of proud, ostentatious. 
Purely, quite well in health— ^re well. 
PuBLicuK, or Curlicue, a flourish in writing — a dash at the 

end of a word. F. p(mr la qtteite. V, Jamieson. 
PuRLicuE, the space inclosed by the extended fore finger and 

thumb. A ^^ spang and a purlictie^^ is a measure allowed 

in a certain game at marbles. 



84 PURN 

PuRNy #. the same as Twitch ; which see, 

PuBPOSE-LiKBy a person or thing well suited to the purpose 

intended. 
PuBST, fiat, bloated, swoln out ; implying also the difficulty 

of breathing arising from such a state. F. Jam. and Jam. 

Supp* 
PuTy to push, to propel ; as, putting a keel. Welsh. pwHaw. 
PuT-ABOUT, perplexed, at a dfficultj. Shakspeare repeatedly 

uses jn<; ^0 U^ in the same sense. 
PuTTEBy a person who conveys coals from the hewers. Put- 
ters are commonly young men from sixteen to twenty 

years old. 
PuzziN, #. poison. This is the pronunciation at this day in 

Northumberland. 

*' For in till his neyst potion 

He suld giff him dedly j?u8(mn,**—Th6 Brvae, 
** Bat syne allaee ! pxuaynt was he.'*— IMd. 

Ptbbht-dancebs, a name given to the glancings of the Au^ 
rora BoreaUs, The same as Merry-dancebs ; which see. 
This term may have been adopted from the Pyrrhica sal- 
taHOy or military dance of the ancients ; from which, no 
doubt, the sword-^nce of the Northern youths, at Christ- 
mas, has had its origin. But Mr. Forby says, an allusion 
to the revels of the fairies is more likely among our ances- 
tors, than to the Pyrrhic-dance of the ancients. F. Yoc. 
East Anglia, perry-dancers. 

Quail, to fail, to fall sick, to faint. V. Todd's Johnson. 

QuANDABY, a dilemma, an unpleasant predicament, a state 
of perplexity. Skinner's derivation from Fr. qtien dirai 
je ? what shall I say about it ? is adopted in Todd's John- 
son. But the pronoun (nominative) was often leffc out by 
old French writers, which would here jnake the derivation 
more accurate — qu'en dirai ? 

Quean, a term of abuse to a female-^ometimes im{4ying the 



QUIC 85 

most diflgracefhl name that ean be applied to the sex. 
MoB.-Got. gtieifUy quens. Sax. cweny a wench — ^though pri- 
marily not always used in a reproachfdl sense ; nor always 
so now, for we say, " a sturdy quean,*' — " a good-like 
^ueon,"— without affixing any bad meaning to it. 

** Or ProTOBt fall of trechirie. 
Or Prelate 11^ ing Jolilie, 
Or Prieet that bait hii quHn him by." 

Chaueer,—Ilom, qfRo§$. 

" A wttflht a gueofiy an old eoaening qusan." 

8hak,^Merry Wives qf Windsor, 

QuEEB, the choir, or quire of a church. Old Eng. quier. 

Queer, a quire ; as of paper. Old Eng. quaire. Old Fr. 
quaver, 

QuBBN, a hand mill for grinding com, made of two corres- 
ponding stones. It exhibits the most ancient methods of 
grinding com ever known in the world, and is the same to 
which allusion is made in the New Testament. Matthew 
xxiy., 41. Travellers tell us that this kind of hand mill is 
used in the East Indies. Dr. Clarke saw it in use among 
the native Laplanders. Quern may be considered as 
one of our oldest words ; and, with slight variations, is 
found in all the Northern languages. — MoB.-Got. quaim, 
mola manualis. Su.-Got. quern. Sax. cufeom. Dan. 
quern* Swed. quam. Tout, queme, 

** But or hla here was clipped or yahaTe, 
Ther was no bond, with which men might him bind, 
But now ia he in prison, in a oaye, 
Whereas they made him at the qtieme grind.** 

C^umeer,—The Monke't Tale. 

QuET, generally pronounced Whte, a heifer, or young cow, 
until it has had a calf. Dan. quie. Swed. qui^a. 

** 1538, paid for four cows, called whyes, dSe," 

Finehale Glo88(Ury, 

Q,UEY-CALr, a female calf. Dan. quieialv, Swed. qwgkalf, 
Quick, alive. Sax. ctvic. This word is classical ; but in the 



86 Q.UIC 

South is not in the general sense in which we hear it in 
the North. 

** Not tally quik, ne folly ded they were." 

Ch€mcer,—The Knight'a Tale. 

** The quick and the dead."— 27m Lord's Praffer, 

Q,uioKEN-TREE, the mountain ash. See Boun-tbee. 
Q,uicK-wooD, thorns. 

** The first hedgei were made of dead wood, but quick wood was 
soon found to be more durable, and when the thorn came into 
general use for the purpose, on aceount of its valuable proper- 
ties, the term quick vood was appropriated to it exdusiyely." 

JPfnchdU CHotsarjf, 

QuisEY, confounded^ dejected. F. Todd's John., quea^. 
Quite, got quit of. — Quite-better, (not certainly, or un- 
doubtedly better, but) quite well, completely recovered. 
It is the comparative joined with the superlative— An in- 
veterate Northumbrianism. 
QuoBN, or QuoABN, a Northern pronunciation of com. 

R. 

R. The very broad or gutteral pronunciation of this letter in 
the dialect of the people of Newcastle and of Northumber- 
land generally, is one of its most striking characteristics. 
The broad dialect of the English, north of the Humber, is 
not unfrequently alluded to by old authors. Chaucer, in 
particular, gives specimens of dialect, in which it is not diffi- 
cult to discover many peculiarities of phrase and pronun- 
ciation which are quite common in Northumberland at the 
present day. 

Rabble, to speak in a confused manner. Tent, rabelen, blate- 
rare. Apparently identical with Ravel ; which see, 

Rabblement, a tumultuous crowd, a mob. A very old word, 
still in use, though Dr. Johnson has stated it to be obso- 
lete. 

Rack, #. a narrow path, a track, a trace. Dut. r<icke. This 
is the meaning of the word used by our great dramatic 



*% 



RAID 87 

poet, in the following exquisite and well-known passage 
in the Tempest, whatever the conunentators may be pleased 
to say to the contrary. 

« The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, 
The solemn temples, the great globe itself, 
Tea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve ; 
And, like this insubstantial pageant foded, 
Leave not a rack behind."— /STkiing'eare. 

Rack, s, the clouds ; or rather the trcick in which they move 
by the action of the wind. Sax. rec, yapour. Swed. reia. 
Archdeacon Nares is mistaken in thinking that the word 
is not now in use. 

" But, as ws often see, against some storm, 
A silence in the heavens, the rack stand still, 
The bold winds speechless, and the orb below 
As hush as dea,iih,—Shak.,—HanUeL 

Rack, s. wreck. Sw. rak^ bona naufragorum in littus ejecta. 

Rack, v, to care, to heed. Sax. recan, to reck. F. Ray. 

Rack, a name given to the Brandling trout in some parts of 
Northumberland. 

Rackless, sometimes Rackle, thoughtless, careless, heed- 
less, improvident. Old Eng. retchlessy reckeleu; from Sax. 
reccelects. 

Rack-rideb, a small trout, 6 or 8 inches long, caught in the 
alpine rivulets of Northumberland. 

Raff, a raft. Hence, Raff-meechant, for a timber-mer- 
chant ; and Raff- yard, for a timber-yard. 

Raff, abundance, a great quantity, a great number. ^* A 
ro^ of fellows," a great many men. 

RAFFLmo, idle, worthless, dissolute. ^^ A raffling chap." 

Rao, to rate or reproach, to scold. Isl. raega, to accuse. 

Raoabash, Raoabrash, low, idle people— such as are gene- 
rally in rags. — Rubbish is used in the same sense. Both 
terms may be said to be synonymous with ragamitffin. 

Rageous, in a rage, in excessive pain, violent — ragefui. 

Raid, an incursion, or plundering inroad of the Borderers 



88 RAIN 

into the territory of their neighbours Sax. rod, radr^ 
invasioy incursos, irmptio. F. Somner. 

" And by my faith, the gate-ward said, 
I think 'twill prove a warden raid^** 

Scott,— Lay qfthe Last MimttrO, 

Rain. '^ Happy is the corpse that the rain rains on," a po- 
pular saying in Northumberland ; meaning, that rain at a 
ftmeral is a sign of fntore happiness to the person whose 
remains are about to be interred. 

Raik-birds, Rain-fowl, popular names for woodpeckers. 
These birds are well known by their loud and peculiar 
cries, which, frequently repeated, are thought to prognos- 
ticate rmn. The Romans called them pluvias iweSy for the 
same reason. 

Raise, a cairn, tumulus, or heap of stones. In the parishes 
of Edenhall and Lazonby, in Cumberland, there are yet 
some considerable remains of stones, which still go by the 
name of raises, though many of them have been carried 
away and all of them are thrown out of their ancient form 
and order. Hutchinson's Hist, of Cumb., Vol. I., p. 252. 
There is also Wotmdale Raise, in the parish of Winder- 
mere, in Westmorland. V. Nicolson and Bum, Vol. I., 
p. 188. 

Rake, v, to walk, to range or rove about. Su.-Got. reka, to 
roam. — Rake, f . the extent of a walk or course. Hence, 
a sheqhrake, 

*' Robene answerit, Be the rude 

Na thing of Infe I knaw, 
Bot keipifl my scheip nndir yone wnd, 

Lo quhair thay raik on raw." 

Henrjfsone's Robene and Makyne. 

Raks, to cover, to gather together. To rake the fire, is to 
supply it with coals, or to put it in such a condition that 
it may continue burning all night, so as to be ready in the 
morning — ^a common practice in many kitchens in the 
North, where coals are plentiftil. Shakspeare uses the 



RAND 80 

word in tliig sense^ when, in King Lear, he makes Edgar 
Bay, 

" Here In the sands 

Thee 101 rake vp.**^Aet /F., iSt. 6. 

Kam, Rammish, foetid, rank, like a ram. Isl. rcmmry ama- 

ms. Dan. ram, rank, rancid. ^^ A ram smell" — ^^ a ram 

taste." 

" For all the World they stinken as a gote, 
Hir sayonr is so rammiOi and so hote." 

ChtMo&r,—The Chan<me*a Teman'i Tale* 

Rame, Ream, to cry aloud, to ask over and oyer again in a 
teasing manner. Sax. hreamauy clamare. Sn.-Got. ra€ma. 
— Ramino, Reaming, crying ; especially as denoting re- 
iteration of the same sound. 

'* Sohe fall m happy in the hatell stode— 
Her mynd troublit, gan to rame and cry." 

Douglae* JBneid, 

Rame, Raim, Rawm, to reach anything awkwardly or greed- 
ily, to stretch after. Tent, raemen, extendere, distendere. 

Ramell-wood, natural copse-wood. In the ** Complaynt of 
Scotland," mention is made of a '^ a banc fol of rammel 
grene treis." 

Ramlin-lad, a tall, fast growing, rambling youth — a sort of 
hobblett/'koif, 

Rammelt, tall, and rank. V. Jam. rammely 2d. sense. 

Ramp, a lowering in the top of a wall. 

Rampadge, to prance about furiously, to make a great noise 
or disturbance. Sax. rempend^ rampant. 

Rampageous, furious, uncontrollable. 

Ramps, ramson, allittm urHnum^ a pernicious herb in grass 
fields, as it imparts a flavour like that of garlic to the milk 
of cows that eat of it. 

Ramshacexe, or Ramsheckle, to search narrowly, to ran- 
sack. BanshacJtley for plunder, is old in our language. 

Randy, s, a vulgar, brawling woman — a coarse, fiery virago. 
Band (German) is the strand or margin of the river. Has 

VOL. II. N 



90 RAND 

the wolrd referenee to the vulgar character of the lower 

orders of women usuallj inhabiting such localities ? 
Randy, a. boisterous, obstreperous, disorderly in. behaviour. 
Range, to cleanse bj washing, to rinse. See Rench. 
Rannel-bauk, Rannel-tbes, a beam or bar across a chimney 

on which boilers and other culinary vessels are hung, F. 

Jam. rarUle-tree, 
Rantt, riotous, in high spirits, disorderly. — North, Wild, 

mad. — Oumb, — ^Ranty-tanty, in great wrath, in a violent 

passion. There is a troublesome weed in com fields of 

this name. 
Raps, a rope. Mce.-Got. raip. Sax. rape, iimis. 
Rapieb-bancs, nearly the same as the sword-dance of the 

ancient Scandinavians, or as that described by Tacitus 

among the Germans. See a full account of in the ArchsBO- 

logia. Vol. XVII., p. 165. 
Rapscallion, a low, worthless fellow ; apparently the same 

with rctacallion used in Hudibras. 
Rash, dry ; as rash-conv—Qom so dry in the straw that it 

falls out with handling. 
Rash, brisk, hearty. " She was vary rash when I left her, 

but she's sair fail'd now." 
Rasher, a rush. Easher-^ap, rasher^tickety rasher-whip, 

articles made of rushes by children. See Resh, Resher. 
Rasp, raspberry — ^both the bush and its fruit. Ital. raspo. 
Rat, a wart. See Wrat. 
Ratch, v. to stretch, to pull asunder. See Rax. 
Ratch, V, to mark with lines. — Ratch, *. a strait line, a 

stripe. Germ, recht, straight. 
Ratch^ *. the straight course of a navigable river. The 

word is used on the Tyne, in the same sense as Bec^h on 

the Thames. The Newcastle keelmen generally call it 

EacJt. It is a strait line of any kind, as a white rateh 

down a horse's face. Germ, recht, straight. 
I^ATE, V. a, and n, to loosen any fibrous texture so as to 

make it approach to decomposition ; or to be in a state 



RAW 91 

efttiiied by sUch aeUon. ** Quioklime rates the sods in a 
compost heap^-Myr, ^ Sods rate fiist in that heap/' Sax. 
ratiany to iTOt. 
Ratheb. To haw rather is a oommon North country ezpres* 
sion, when a preference is desired. JSee Dr. Johnson's 0th 
sense of rather. The corruption may be thus traced. It 
is customary to contract both Ivxmidy and I had, into Pd. 
I had rather was probably first used as a false translation 
for Pd rather, written for laxmld rather ; and when I had 
roither was once received, to have rather followed of course. 
Rathebukos, for the most part. Dur, and North, 
Ratten, our Northern provincial name for the mtu rattus, the 
well-known and plundering animal, which, as Gesner ob- 
serves, is called rat, not only in Germany, but in Spain, 
France, Italy, and England. 

'* With that ran ther a route, 

Of roton* at ones, 

And small mees myd hem 

Mo than a thousand."— Pi0r« Plowman, 
" Al this route of ratons 

To this reson the! assented.— /M(2. 
" And forth he goth, no lon^^r wold he tary 

Into the town nnto a Foteeary 

And praied him that he to him wolde sell 

Some poison, that he might his ratormt qnell.** 

Chaucer, ^The Pa^donere'e Tale. 

Ratten-crook, a long crook, reaching from the rannel-baul 
to the fire. See Rannel-bauk. 

Rattlepate, a giddy, thoughtless, volatile person. 

KAtTK, to mark with lines, to scratch. See Ratch. 

Ravel, to speak in an unconnected manner, to wander. Dut. 
revelen, to rave, to talk idly. 

Raw, a row of buildings, the side of a street. Sax. rcewa, 
*' llow and jftatp," Mr. Hodgson observes, ** are akin to the 
French rt*e ; but in the upland part of the Northern coun- 
ties were formerly chiefly confined to those lines of dwell- 
ing-houses whidi lay along the fell sides, and had between 
them and the beck, or river of the dale, the inclosed 



92 RAX 

ground, of which the houses were the several messoages. 
In later times, coal and mana^EU^tnring districts abound in 
Rows of vast variety of description and designation/' F. 
Hist, of North. Part II., Vol. I., p. 134, n. 
Rax, to stretch, to enlarge, to reach. Sax. ragcetm^ ponigere. 
To rax oneself y is to extend the limbs, after sleep or long 
sitting. As applied to the weather, to rax outy means to 
clear up, when the clouds begin to open, and expand them- 
selves, so that the sky is seen. 

" He nise and raa^d him where he stood. 

And bade them match him with hii marrows ; 
Then Tindaill heard them reasun rade, 
And they loot off a flight of arrows."— ito<({ efthe Redetwtn. 

Re. See Heck. 

Read, Rede, v. to counsel, to advise. Sax. rasdan, Teut. 
raeden, 

" And askyt his consaile tharto, 
What he wold rede him for to do/'— 2%e Bnuse. 

Read, Rede, s, counsel, advice. Sax. reed. Tent. r<ied. 
There has been handed down to us the barbarous ciy of 
** Good redey short rede^ slea ye the Bishop ;'' raised during 
a general council or assembly at Gateshead, by the mur- 
derers of Bishop Walcher, the first Norman prelate who 
filled the see of Durham. F. Surtees' Hist, of Dur., Vol. 

I., p. 17. 

Reade, a calf's stomach, used for rennet. Teut. roode, 

Reano, a furrow, in old husbandry generally twisted. Beang 
therefore, like wrong and wring, is from the Saxon toringan^ 
to distort ; so wrong and tort^ in law, mean the same thing, 
something twisted out of its right course. 

Reap, a bundle of com, parcels of which are laid by the 
reapers to be gathered into sheaves by the binders in har- 
vest time. Sax. ripa^ ripe. Sc. rip. 

Rear, raw, unripe ; as rear com. 

Reast, restiveness. — Reasty, restive, stubborn. Ital. reatio 
Old Eng. restie. *^ A realty horse." Sometimes applied 



^ 



RED 93 

to a man. ** He's reoify now." JSee Glossary of Proyincial 
Words used in Herefordshire, v, Rustt. 

Reastt, rancid ; particularly applied to bacon spoilt by long 
keeping. Skelton uses the word. In the Prompt- Panr. 
it is regty. See Reest. 

Rbatb, to take away violently, to bereave, to rob or plun- 
der. Sax. reafian. Sw. rbfva. See Reaver. 

Reavel, or Raffle, to entangle, to knot confusedly together 
— ^to r<voel. But. rcwelen. ^^ A reaveUed hank" — a twisted 
skein. 

Reaver, a plunderer, or freebooter — ^who bereaves others, by 
violence, of their property ; a person who, in the days of 
good Queen Bess — ^when, in the Border districts, every 
man's hand seems to have been set against his neighbours- 
was alternately the robber and the defender of his country 
-—who alike pillaged friend and foe. Sax. reafere. Not 
far from Bebdon, in the parish of Rothbury, is the famous 
Reaver^s Welly where the noted thieves of old refreshed 
themselves, when ^* labouring in the vocation of their fii- 
thers." These lUugtrious Personages^ besides their own 
names, generally assumed a sort of nom de guerre^ from 
their residence, or their exploits ; or had a sauMquet, to 
distinguish them from others of the same clan. See Thief* 

AND-REAVER-BELL. 

Reckon, to suppose, to conjecture. Local in this sense. 

Red, to put in order, to clear, to disentangle. ^^ To red up 
the house." Su.-Got. reda. Ban. rydde. Pronounced in 
Durham, reetj i, e. right. To part, to separate. 

*' Pallet, Alace for ever my eye is out 
Walloway, well na man red the men."— XyndSfOir. 

< ** And qnhen the man 
Saw his mantill ly brinnand than 
To red it ran he hastily.*'— 27to Bruee, 

** She's aye sae clean, red up, and braw, 
She kills whene'er she dances." 

Beay BeU md Mary Gray. 



94 REDD 

Rbdding-k'tamb^ a comb for the hair. 

Ree, to cleanse com by whirling it about in a we^ht, 80 as to 
collect the lighter substances at the top. Grerm. reiny 
pure, dean, unmixed. 

Reed, red. Sax. read. Old English, rede, RsEDSity red- 
der. 

** Why shnlde I not as wel eke tell yon all 
The portr^tnre, that was vpon the wall 
Within the temple of mighty Man the rede." 

Cfiaueer,—The Knighte'e Tale. 

Reef, a cutaneous eruption. Sax. hreof, scabies. — ^Rbbft, 
scabby. 

Reek, v, to smoke. Sax. recan. Swed. r8ka. — ^Reek, s, 
smoke. Sax. ree, Swed. r^i^.-^REBK-psNirr, money paid 
to be permitted to have fire, hearth-money — a modus paid 
to the clergy in many parts of Northumberland and Dur- 
ham. See Tomlins' Law Diet., smoie-sUtfer, 

** Tet in onr aahen eold is fire ifreker^** 

Chaueer,^J%e Sei9e*8 Talis. 

Reek, a term for money — ^that which makes the pot to boil 
and the chimney to smoke j but probably that which is the 
principal subject of reckoning, 

Reekin, or REEKiirch-GBooE, a horizontal bar of wood or iron, 
placed at a suitable height in the reek or smoke of a chim- 
ney, from which vessels are suspended oyer the fire. 

Rebst, rust. Teut. roetn, — Reestt, rusty. Teut^ roetfH^, 

Reet, 9. to make right, to do justice to.'^RsET is also used, 
both as a substantive and an adjective, for rigM, 

Reet, rigJa^ sane in mind. — Not-beet, not righty not in the 
exercise of sound reason. Germ, niehi reeh$4 

Reet, a wright, or carpenter. Sax. wyhta, opifex. 

Reins, Reinds, balks or portions of grass land in arable 
fields — ^the farrows of a field. Germ, reihen, rows. In 
the northern counties, in sloping situations, we still occa- 
sionally meet with regular flights of terraces, called reins; 
a method of cultivation probably introduced by the 



RICE 96 

Romans. It has prevailed much about Haltwhistle, in 

Northumberland, and near the Roman Wall in that parish. 
Rench, to rinse. Isl. hreinsa, to make clean. Dan. rense, 

to clean. Swed. refua, to cleanse. 
Rendeb, to separate, to melt down, to dissolye any thing fat 

by the heat of the fire. F. Wilbraham. 
Reneoatb, a reprobate. Span, rmegadoy an apostate, qui 

fidem renegat. It is a genuine old word. 

" How may this weke woman have the strength 
Hire to defend again this rMegaU.** 

OMueer,—Man ofLawes* Tale. 

** A fUae kaighty and a rmegate," 

Qawert—ConfetHiO Amantis, 

Rbnk, the distance of the face of the workings in a coal pit 
from the efxme, determining the wages paid to the putters. 
The places are balloted for by the putters each day. 

Rentt, well shapen ; spoken of horses or homed cattle. 

Rbsh, Rbsheb, a rush. Sax. resce, 

RESPBcnYELT, for respecffiilly. I had a correspondent — ^by 
no means deficient in learning — ^who inyaziably subscribed 
himself — ^ yonr's respeetivefy" He, perhaps, relied on the 
authority of Shakispeare, and Beaumont and Fletcher. 

Rheumatiz, the Yulgar word for the rheumatism. 

Rice, small twigs of trees or bushes, brushwood for the pur- 
pose of hedging. Used by our early writers in a more ex- 
tended sense. Isl. krys. Su.-Got. and Swed. m. Dan. 
m9, Grerm. rei», 

" What ia there in Paradis, 
But grass and flare, and green ris" 

** Cokaj/ffne," a Poem of the 13£A Centwry, in 
Hicks* Thetaurw, 
** And thereupon he had a gay sorplise 
As white as is the bloom upon the rise." 

€haucer,—Th6 MiUer'a Tale. 

** She was brighter of her blee than was the bright sonn : 
Her reed redder than the rose that on the rite hangeth." 
From " Death and H/fe,** a Poem, qf which specimens are given in 
Dr. Perey*« JBssaif on the Metre a/ Piers PUmmcM. 



96 KIDD 

" Heich Hnehan with ane hlaaill rjftt 
To red gan throw thame rommill.*') 

Christ Kirk on the Qreeti. 

RiDDiNOy a piece of land converted from wood-land into ara- 
ble— an assart. 

Riddle, a coarse sieve with large insterstices ; mach used 
about farm-houses. Sax. hriddeL Welsh, rhujfyU. The 
vulgar, in many parts, have an absurd practice of 
using a riddle €tnd a pair of shears in divination. If they 
have had any thing stolen from them, the riddle and shears 
are sure to be resorted to. A similar mode of discovering 
thieves, or others suspected of any crime, prevailed among 
the Greeks. F. Potter's Gr. Antiq., Vol. I., p. 362. In 
Northumberland young people turn the riddle for the pms 
pose of amusing themselves with the foolish idea of raising 
their lovers. It is done between two open doors at mid- 
night and in the dark. 

Ride, to rob ; or rather to go out on horseback for such a 
purpose. A Border word. ** A saying is recorded of a 
mother to her son (which is become proverbial) Eide, Row- 
Hey hough's r the pat,' that is, the last piece of beef was in 
the pot, and therefore it was high time for him to go and 
fetch more." Nicolson and Bum's Hist, of West, and 
Cumb., Vol. II., p. 466. 

Rider, a moss-trooper, or robber on the Borders. 

Riding, a term among the Borderers for making incursions 
on the opposite country. See Introduction to the Border 
Antiquities of England and Scotland, p. czxi. 

" Then Johnnie Armstrong to Willie gan say 
Billie a riding then will we, 
England and us have been lang at fend- 
Perhaps we may hit on some bootie."— Bor(2er BaUacL 

Riding, a division or third part of a county ; now peculiar to 
Yorkshire ; though formerly common to many other coun- 
ties. Sax. thrihingey tertia pars provincisB alicujus. Ex- 
press mention is made of this ancient partition in the laws 



k 



RIG 9T 

of Edvaid the ConfeBsor, cap. 34. In those eariy days, 
appeals were made to the Riding in such causes as could 
not be determined in the Wapentake court. 

RiDiNG-FOR-THE-KAiLy a marriage ceremony. See Bride- als. 

RiDiNG-THE^FAiRy proclaiming a fair. See an interesting ac- 
count of the North country mode of performing this cere* 
mony at Ovingham (erroneously printed Avingham) in 
Hone's Every Day Book, 1663. 

RiDiNO-THE-STANG^ a burlcsque punishment. See Stako. 

Rife, abounding, common, prevalent. Sax. ryf. Tout. riif. 

Swed. rif. Dr. Johnson is mistaken in confining the use of 

this word to epidemical distempers ; and Archdeacon Nares 

(who points out Mr. Dibdin*s very erroneous explanation) 

18 equally in error in thinking it obsolete. 

" There is & brief, how many sports are rife" 

Shak.,—Midtum, Nights Drewn, 

This reading occurs in most of the old editions — I believe 
in all but one. The modem editors, however, without any 
sufficient reason, read ripe. Rife, also means apt, ready, 
quick to learn. 

RiFF-BAFF, a common alliterative term of reproach — ^the rab- 
ble, or mere canaille, Dan. ripsrapsy the dregs of the 
people. 

Rift, a chasm, a chink, a crevice. 

" Than shalt thou go the dore before, 
If thou maiste finden any shore, 
Or hole, or refte what ere it were ; 
Than shalt thou stonpe, and lay to ere. 
If thei within a slepe be." 

C^ueer,— /torn. qfJUoie, 

Rift, v. to belch. From Dan. rasbe; and not raever, as given 
by Dr. Jamieson, who appears to have been misled by 
Skinner. — Rift, s. an eructation. Dan. raeben, belching. 

Rift, v. to plough out grass lands. Su.-Got. rifwa, Sw. 

Rig, a female light in her carriage, a wanton, an imprudent 
woman. 

VOL, II, o 



i 



98 RIG 

Ria, a ridge^ an eminence. Sax. hrieg, Isl. hriggr, Sn.- 

Got. rygg^ dorsum. ** Rigge of land, agger," occurs in 

Prompt. Parv. 

'* As thai war on this wiss spekand 
Our ane hey rig thai saw ridand 
Towart thaim ewyn, a battaill braid."— 2%« Bruce. 

Ria, among quadrupeds, to perform the act of supersaliency 
only^ to back. Sax. hricg^ dorsum. Hence, Rigoot, or 
RiOGELT, a male animal imperfectly emasculated — very 
troublesome to the female. 

RiG-AND-FUR, RiQ-AND-REiN, ridge and furrow. Also ribbed ; 
as a pair of rig-and-fur stockings. 

RioGE, the bark. Sax. hrigg, 

RiGGiN, the ridge or roof of a building. Sax. hricg^ fasti- 
gium. To ride the riggin is a Northern phrase denoting 
excessive intimacy. The Scotch have a saying that "a 
man may be very fond of the kirk without aye riding on its 
riggin,^' 

RiGGiN-TREE, the beam along the roof of a building. 

Right, v, a. To stretch and fold, in right order, clothes to 
be mangled or ironed before they are quite dry. 

Rile, to render turbid, to vex, to disturb. V, Moor. 

Rim, Belly-rim, the peritoneum, or membrane inclosing the 
intestines. " Mind dinna hrust yor helly-rim^^ — a caution 
among the vulgar in Northumberland. Sax. ream, 

** For I will fetch thy rim out at thy throat, 
In drops of crimson blood." — Shak., — Een. V. 

The original reading, says Nares, is rymmey which Capell, 
judging from the main object of the speaker, boldly pro- 
nounced to signify money ; others have wished to read 
rynOy but that term is probably not of such antiquity : and 
the conjecture supposes the original word to be printed 
rym, which it is not. Pistol, with a very vague notion of 
the anatomical meaning of rymme, seems to use it in a ge- 
neral way for any part of the intestines ; his object being 
to terrify his prisoner. It may be further stated, that 



RIVE 99 

rimbursin is a common term on the Borders of Northum- 
berland for a rupture of the abdominal muscles, to which 
horses and cows are subject. 

RiNDy to melt or dissolve tallow or fat. F. Jamieson. 

Bine, Rind, frozen dew, hoar frost. A corruption of rime ; 
from Sax. and Isl. hrim. 

Ring, a circular spout in the shaffc of a coal pit for collecting 
the side feeders of water into a box. 

Rip, a profligate. Half of Germ, ripps-rapps. In fashion- 
able cant — ^for all ranks have their cant — demirep is one of 
dubious, or half reputation. 

Ripe, to search, to steal priyatelj, to plunder. Sax. hyrpan^ 

dissuere. ** To ripe for stones in the foundation of an 

old wall." — " She riped my pockets." — " He riped the 

nest." 

" Gif I half mair, schir, cum and rype my coat." 

Lpndsay*8 Three Egtaitis. 

Ripple, to clean ; applied to flax. Su.-Got. repa lin, linum 
vellere. Tent, repen, stringere semen lini. 

Rise, the angle of the coal stratification with the horizon. 
** She's a heavy rise.'* 

Riser, a trouble or dislocation ; the coal being so affected as 
to be izbope the level at which the seam is working : in 
opposition to a ** dipper." 

RiTLiNG, the smallest and last hatched youngling. — I/anc, 
See DowPT, Wreckling. In Norfolk, rickling. 

Rive, v, to tear membrane from membrane, to eat voraciously 
without knife or fork. ** Aw hae been rimn at the leg iv 
this arid guse for half an hour, and am ne farther end- 
ways." 

Rive, to separate into parts by applying force to each side. 
Dan. rivey to tear or rend in pieces. Swed. rifoa. There 
is a difference between riving and splitting — ^the hands rive, 
a wedge splits. 

'* Paid for fellying of -wood and ryving of spilys." 

Biihop cfjyurham's Accountt, drc 1515. 







100 RIVE 

RiTB, s. a rraty or tear. The yerj t^rm occurs in hsl, fff, 

" Him had levir & sondre shake, 
And let al his limmes a sondre rive.'* 

Chaueer,Som. qfRow. 

RoAN-TRBEy RoTNE-TREE, the mountain ash. JSee Rouk- 

TREE. 

R0BIN9 the popular name of the ruddock or red-breast. The 
innocence, tameness, and its approach in a season when its 
sustenance is precarious, may be the reason that this bird 
is usually so much pitied and respected. The author of 
the old ballad of The Children in the Wood — ^a story with 
which our earliest literary recollections are associated — 
selected the red-breast as an object of sympathy, no doubt 
for the causes here cited ; but I am informed that about 
Heworth, near Newcastle, it is looked upon as a bird of 
bad omen. I am also told that among the lower classes in 
Northumberland and Scotland, it is considered as the har- 
binger of death. This is the more remarkable, because its 
general familiarity and confiding manners, as observed by 
Mr. Selby, have procured for it an appellation of endear- 
ment in most of the countries that it inhabits. 

Rock, a distafiP; not only from which thread was spun by 
twirling a ball below ; but that attached to the spinning 
wheel upon which the yam or lint was wound. 

RoGGLE, to shake, to jumble. A variation of wriggle. 

Rode, the complexion of the face. 

'* His rode was red, his eyen ^frey as goes.*' 

Chaucer,— The MiUer*a TaU, 

Roile, to ramble or gad about. 

RoiNT, be gone, stand off. Aroint. 

Roister, to behave turbulently, to make a great noise, to in- 
dulge in rough mirth and jollity. 

Roisterer, a turbulent, swaggering, and uncontroulable 
person. Junius refers to Isl. hrister, a violent man ; but 
I am inclined, with Dr. Jamieson, to look to Barb. Lat. 
BiMtarii, the same with BuMrii (old Fr. i^^tVr^)— free- 



ROU 101 

booters who eommitted great deyasiation in France, in the 
eleventh century. Ruptarii and Rutarii were names given 
to the stipendiary troops (perhaps some of the same sort 
of brigands) employed by King John in his exterminating 
expedition into the Northern parts of the kingdom — ^where 
the castles, towns, and villages were given to the flames 
by that wicked and pusillanimous monarch, and the miser- 
able inhabitants abandoned to the murderous cruelty of 
his rapacious followers, without respect of age or sex, rank 
or profession. The epithet Bqyterer^ or Roisterer, was be- 
Btowed on the cavaliers by the puritanical party, in the 
accounts of the civil wars of a subsequent period. 
RoLLET, similar in construction to a tram (which see), but 
larger ; a long carriage for conveying the corfs or tubs of 
coals firom the crane or flat, to the bottom of the shaffc, 
drawn by horses. 
BoLLET-wAY, Hie under-grouud waggon-way along which 

the rollers travel. 
Rone, properly a thick plantation of bushes; but in the 
North usually applied to a thick cover of whins, which is 
called *' a rone of whins." The origin seems to be Isl. and 
Goth, runn, a bush or shrub. 
RooF-TREE, the beam which forms the angle of the roof, to 

which the couples are jointed. 
Rook, Rouk, a mist, or fog. Teut. roock, vapor. — Rooky, 

RouKY, misty, damp, foggy. Old Eng. rofy, 
Roop, or Roup, a hoarseness. Isl. hroop^ vociferatio.-— 

RooPY, or RouPY, hoarse ; as with cold. 
Rooty, coarse, or over rank ; said of grass or com when in 
that state. Old Eng. ro^ishy wild irregular. See Routh. 
RossEL, to heat, to roast, to bask over a fire until what is 
below the skin is ready to exude — ^the same idea as rosin* 
— RossELLED, decayed ; as a rosselled apple. 
RosssL, roein. " Rossel and pick** — ^rosin and pitch. 
Rou, cold, bleak, and damp ; especially as applied to a place, 
or to the we9Xktt^H^<m, Sax. hreaw. Germ, roh, r<mh* 



I 



102 ROUN 

RouN, to whisper or speak in secrecy. Sax. runian. Germ. 
runen. 

RouN-TREE, or Rowan-tree, the quicken tree, mountain ash, 
or wUch-wood — a tree of high consideration in the North, 
and considered by the superstitious peasantry of wonder- 
ful efiacacy in depriving witches of their infernal power. 
This notion has been handed down to us from early anti- 
quity — ^perhaps from the Druids. Skinner is uncertain 
whether the tree may not have received its name from the 
colour called roan; but, as observed by Dr. Jamieson, the 
term is Gothic — Su.-Got. ronn, runn, sorbus acuparia. 
Dan. ronne, Ihre conjectures, with great probability, that 
the etymon may be from runa, incantation ; because of the 
use made of it in magical arts. Mr. Thomson adds Welsh, 
rhin^ mystery, sorcery, religion, and apparently used in 
the Runic ceremonies. In Wales these trees are reputed 
so sacred, that, according to Evelyn, there is not a church- 
yard without one of them planted in it. 

** In my plnme is seen the holly green/ 
With the leaves of rowan tree. 
And my casque of sand, by a mennaid's hand, 
Was formed beneath the sea." 

The Cout 4f Keeldar. 
" They built a ship without delay, 
With masts of the rowan tree t 
With flutt'ring sails of silk so fine. 
And set her on the sea."— 27^ LaidUy Worm. 

Roup, sale by auction. 

Rout, Rouoht, or Rowt, to make a bellowing noise, to roar, 

as the sea. 

'* And what sowne is it like (quod he) ? 
Peter, lyke the beting of the se 
(Quod I) against the rochis halo we 
When tempestes done ther shippes swalow. 
And that a man staxide out of doubte 
A myle ofif thus, and here it route" 

Chaucer,— Home qfFame. 
It also means to grunt, to snore. Sax. hnOan, 
** And eft he r<nUeth, for his hed mislay." 

Chaucer,— The Miller's Tale, 



RUCK 103 

R0UTH9 plenty, abundance ; especiallj applied to rank grass 
or com. V. Jamieson. 

Routing, or Roughtino, the lowing or bellowing of an ox. 
In Ingram parish, a wild part of Northumberland, there is 
a place called the Roughting Linn — deriving its name, no 
doubt, from the great noise made by the fall of water after 
heavy rains. Also snoring. 

" His wif bare him a burdon a ftil strong, 
Men might his routinff heren a furlong." 

Chaucer, — The Reeve's Tale. 

RowLET-POWLET, a sort of childish game at fairs and races. 

RoTAL-OAK-DAT (the 29th of May), the restoration of King 

Charles II. ; in commemoration of which it is customary 

for the common people, in many parts of the North, to 

wear oak leaves in their hats, and also to place them on 

their horses' heads. Formerly, in Newcastle, 

" When ciril dudgeon first grew high. 
And men fell out they knew not vihy"—Hudibra8. 

the boys had a taunting rhyme, with which they used to 
insult such persons as were not decorated with this re- 
membrance of the facetious monarch ; 

" Royal oak 
The Whigs provoke." 

It was not, however, to be expected that this sarcastic 
ebullition of party-spirit should escape the retort cour- 
teous. The contemptuous reply was, 

'* Plane-tree leaves; 
The church-folk are thieves." 

RoTNE, to grumble or growl ; and not, as Dr. Johnson has 
defined it, to gnaw, to bite. Fr. rogner, 

RozzLE, to beat. *' I'll rozzle your hide for you." Rossery 
French — " battre quelque violement." Diet. Acad. Also, 
to redden by drink. ** He rozzUd his nose." 

Ruck, a rick of com or hay. — North, A heap, or large quan- 
tity. — York, and Lane, Su.-Got. rbk, V, Ihre. 

Ruckle, to rumple, to crease. Germ, riich. 



104 RUD 

RuD, ruddle for marking sh«ep. Sax. rudu, rabor. JSee 
Keel. 

Rue-Bargain^ something given to be off an agreement — a 
bargain repented of. 

RuG^ to pull hastily or roughly. Tent, rttcken, detrahere.-— 
Rugging- AND-MViNG, pulling and tearing with force. 

Ruinated, reduced to ruin, ruinous. Pegge erroneously con- 
sidered this word, which is in common use in the North, as 
peculiar to Londoners. 

RuLE-o' -thumb, guess work. Primarily the measuring of 
inches by the thumb ; but as this is at best an inaccurate 
mode, it comes to mean — no rule at all. 

Rum, a very common North country word for any thing odd 
or queer — a comical person, for instance, being called a 
rum stick. May not Dr. Johnson's rum parson be what is 
called a hackney parson, and come from Germ, rtnu, which 
is from herum, about, as herum laufer is a vagabond ? He- 
rum parson, or rttm parson, may, therefore, be a vagabond 
parson. 

RuMBUSTiCAL, rudc, noisy, overbearing, turbulent. 

RuM-GUMPTious, pompous, forward, violent, bold, rash. 

RuMMEL-GuMSHioN, the same as Gumshon. Sc. rumgump- 
Hon. 

Rumpus, a great noise, a disturbance, an uproar. F. Jen- 
nings. 

Run or Rund, the selvage of woollen cloth, list. Sax. rand, 
a border, an edge. 

Run away Dr. Bocanki, a proverbial expression, familiar in 
the county of Durham, near the river Tees — said to have 
originated in the trepidation and sudden flight of Dr. Bal- 
canquall. Dean of Durham, a Scotchman, who was pecu- 
liarly obnoxious to his countrymen, on account of having 
penned the King's declaration against the Covenanters* 
V. Surtees' Hist, of Dur., Vol. I., p. xcvi. 

RuNCH, wild mustard, charlock. Sinapis arvensis. 

Rung, a spoke, the step or round of a ladder. Moe.-Got. 



RUZE 105 

hrunffy Yiiga. It is also a name for a cudgel, or walking 
staff. 

" Be sare ye dixma quit the grip 
O* ilka Joy while ye are yoang, 
Before anld age yoar vitals nip, 
And lay ye twafald owre a rung." 

Old Scott Song. 

RuNKLE. to crease, to crample, to wrinkle. Sax. wrinclian, 

** At har'Bt at the shearing nae younkers are jearing, 
The banstert are runkled lyart and grey." 

The Flotoers qfthe Forett. 

RuNNBLL, pollard wood. Perhaps from running up apace. 

Runt, the hardened stalk or stem of a plant. '' A kail-runt" 

Runt, a Scotch ox — also a jocular designation for a person 
of a strong though low stature. ^^A runt of a fellow." 
Germ, rindj an ox or cow; hvi% figuratively j a dull-pated, 
stupid fellow. Tout, rund. Also, an opprobrious desig- 
nation for an old woman. Isl. hrtmd, mulier. F, Jam. 
Supp. 

RusH-BEABiNa, Collecting rushes to strew in the parish church 
— ^a rural feast or wake, now become nearly obsolete. See 
Cray. Gloss, and Brand's Pop. Antiq., Vol. I., p. 436. — 
Rushes were formerly used on the floors of private rooms 
for carpets. Our ancestors had a great predilection for 
them, and they seem to have constituted an essential arti- 
cle, not only of comfort, but of luxury. 

Rut, for root. So pronounced in the North. 

RuTTLiNG, a noise occasioned by difficulty of breathing. Teut. 
roteleny murmurare. The dead ruttle, a particular kind of 
noise made in respiring by a person in the extremity of 
sickness, is still considered in the North as an omen of 
death. Levinus Lemnius (Occult Miracles of Nature, Lib. 
II,, ch. 16,) is very learned on this subject. 

RuzE, to extol, to boast, to magnify in narration — to rausey 
or raise, Isl. rausay multa effutire. Dan. rosey to praise. 
Cornish, roSy bragging. Hence, perhaps, roozer, or rauser, 
a great untruth. It is commonly used negatively, as, 

VOL. II. p 



IOC SACK 

** Y'll not ruze yersel o' that." Yon will have no reason 
to congratulate yourself on that. 

S. 

Sack-and-seam-road, a horse road — ^properly a pack-horse 
road over moors. V. Lye, vo. seam, 

Sacklbss, simple, weak, helpless, innocent. Dr. Willan 
considers that this epithet must have originated after the 
introduction of the favourite heverage, sack and sugar ; 
but the word (which is old in our language, and often oc- 
curs in the Border Laws) may evidently be traced to Sax. 
sacleaSy quietus. Isl. saJtlaus, innocens. Swed. saklSs, 
exempt from punishment. 

** For throwch me and my werraying 
Off bind has bene rycht gret spilling 
Qahar mony sctkUs men wer slayn." — ITie Bruce. 
** He knew the gentlemen of the country were altogether MteldeMt 
and to make open roade upon the Marsh would but shew his 
malice, and lay him open to the punishment due to such of- 
fences." — Carey's Memoirs. 

Sad, heavy, as contrary to light — stiff; applied to a pudding, 
or to bread when the yeast has had no effect. 

Sae, See, See a, so. — Saebetide, Seeabetide, if so be. 

Safe, a, sure, certain. " He's safe to be hanged." 

Sao. See Seo. 

Saim, hog's-fat, goose-grease. Welsh, saim. Sax. s me. 
Shakspeare, and writers of his day, use seam, which is still 
the Scottish word. 

Saint Cuthbert's Duck, the eider duck, or great black and 
white duck ; being considerably larger than the domestic 
species : Anas mollissima. — ^Linnaeus. These interesting 
sea-birds are found on the Fam and Coquet Islands, situ- 
ated on the coast of Northumberland, the only places in 
England where they are known to incubate. They are 
now, however, almost extinct, in consequence of the wan- 
ton cruelty of those who visit the islands during the breed- 
ing season. Their feathers are remarkably soft, and of 



SAIN 107 

great valae. The popular name b obviouly connected 
with the celebrated Saint and Patron of Durham ; who, 
regardleflfi of the pomp and glories, and yanities of the 
world, resigned the splendour and magnificence of an epis- 
copal station, for the parity of an hermitical life. Retir- 
ing to a humble cell in one of these desolate spots — as yet 
unmarked by the habitation of man— or, as a well-known 
legend expresses it, ^ as yoide of men, as full of devills" — 
he commenced a mode of Hying extremely austere, forcing 
the barren soil to yield him sustenance by the labour of his 
own hands. Bonum est laborare manibus. 
Saint Cuthbebt's Bsads, a name giyen to the EncrinUes 
which are found in great abundance among the rocks at 
Holy Island, and sold to strangers as the attributed work- 
manship of the Saint. According to the popular tradition, 
this holy man often yisits the shore of Lindisfame in the 
night ; and sitting on one rock, uses another as his anyil, 
on which he forges and fashions these beads. 

'* Saint Cuthbert sits, and toils to frame, 
The sea-bom beads that bear his name." 

ScoWaMarmUm, 

** The ErUroehi are frequently called Saint Cuthbert's Beads ^ fh>m a 
▼nigar opinion that they were made by that holy man ; or be- 
cause they were used in the rosaries worn by the devotees of that 
Saint On the Continent they have been known by the name of 
Mammnli Sancti BonafaciL"— 27re'« Hist. Rvtfierglen, p. 319. 

They are about tilie size of the seeds of the mallow, of a 
dark leaden colour, with a brownish speck in the cen- 
tre. 
Saint Cuthbebt's Patbimont, an appellation for all the land 
between the waters of Tyne and Tees, which it is recorded 
was conferred upon the church, for the sake of her tutelary 
Saint — eminently distinguished certainly for his exalted 
piety ; but aboye all for the miraculous powers with which 
he was belieyed to be inyested, and of which the wily 
monks neyer failed to ayail themselyes as the best means 
of enriching their coflfers. 



108 SAIN 

Saint John's Nut, a donble nut. — Saint Mart's Nut, m 
triple nnt. I know not why so called. 

Saint Swithin's Dat, the 15th of July. I introduoe this 
term for the purpose of remarking, that almost all the vul- 
gar, bnt more especially elderly females, place great con- 
fidence in the prediction that if it rain oh this critical day, 
not one of the next forty will be wholly free from the 
Saint's inflaence ever the humid department of the firma- 
ment. The origin of this particular prognostication is 
variously deduced. See Brand's Pop. Antiq., Vol. I., p. 
271 ; and Nares' Glossary. 

Saib. See Sare. See, also, the example under Ken. 

Saibt, poor, pitiable, helpless. Sax. tceri, sarig^ sony, sad. 

Sall, very commonly used for shall. Chaucer, «a^. V. Crav. 
Gloss, sal, 

Sallt, to move or run from side to side ; as is customary 
with the persons on board of a ship after she is launched. 
I am unable to offer any etymology, unless it be Fr. saUHr, 
to leap. 

Salt, for saltcellar. Our old word was saler. Fr. sali^re. 

Salter's Track, an old road near the coast, which may be 
traced all along the county of Durham, and perhaps all 
round the island. 

Samcast, same cast, two ridges ploughed together. Refezrible 
to Germ, sammeln, to gather ; ztisammen, together. 

Sampleth, a sampler, a piece of needle work. That which 
gives a sample—sampleth. V. Suffolk Words. The inge- 
nious author is mistaken in thinking that samplers are not 
still worked. 

Sanded, short-sighted — as if the eyes were full of sand. Sand- 
blind is an old term for imperfect sight. 

SANDGATE-aTT, a burlosquo name for Sandgate, Newcastle ; 
a place of great antiquity, but described by a local poet 
as 



." The devil's besom sure. 



With which oft times he sweeps the floor.' 



\ 



SARR 109 

Si.ND^i.TE-RATTLB, a pecoUar step in vulgar dancing, consist- 
ing of a quick and violent beating of the toes on the floor. 

Sandscrawleb, the hirundo njparta or sand-martin. 

Sang, a song. Pure Saxon. It is the same in Tout, and 
Germ. Sano-book, a song book. Sax. san^ hoe. 

Sang ! Mt Sangs ! Bt mt Sang ! frequent exclamations, ge- 
nerally implying a threat— equivalent to *thloody or, by my 
blood. Fr. sang, 

Sanging-eather, the large dragon fly. See Fleeing-eathbb. 

Safe, soap. Sax. sape, Swed. sapa, Isl. sapa, 

Sapscull, a simple, foolish fellow — ^a blockhead. 

Sake, sore, painful. Sax. sctr, Su.-Got. sactr, Sc. sair. — 
Sare-heed, sore head, the head ache. 

Sake, very much, greatly, intensely. Teut. seer. Germ. 
sehr, ^^ Sare hadden" — (sore holden) — ^very much dis- 
tressed by pain or sickness. 

" A dynte he gaff with mekill majaa 
Syr Ewajrne was unhorsid thare 
That al men went he had ben slayne 
So was he woundyd wondyr aare:* 

La Morte Arthure. 

Sark, a shirt— sometimes a shift. Sax. t^yre, Su.-Got. sceri. 
See a curious quotation from Scotch Presbyterian Elo- 
quence Displayed, in Boucher, vo. a^ee; and Kelly's Scot- 
tish Proverbs, p. 139, 140. 

" Ane euppill of sarks, with all my hart 
The best claith in the land." 

Lynd8ay*t Three EttaUU. 

** They leif not spindell, spoone, nor speit, 
Bed, bolster, blanket, Bcvrkt nor scheit." 

MaW4ind*8 Complaynt. 

" Near is my sarJe, but nearer is my skin."— if. C. Prov, 

Sarra, to serve with meat. 

" Aelsie Marley 's grown se fine, 
She wmma get np to sarra the swine." 

Song on Alice Marley ^ an ale toife at Pietree. 

Is it from serian (Sax.), to set in order ? as we use serve in 



110 SART 

the double sense of, to supply with meat, and to arrange 
the table. 

Sabties, certainly, in good truth. Spenser and other early 
poets use certee. 

Sabtin, sure, positive, certain. — Sartinlt, certainly. 

Sattle, to settle. This pronunciation is conformable to the 
Saxon origin of the word. 

Sattle-bobds (from Settle), the boards orframe-workatthe 
top of a coal-pit upon which the tram or sledge stands, to 
receive the corf. 

Sauce, insolence of speech, impertinence — sauciness. Sauce 
ptqtiante no doubt faire la sattce d quelqv^ un — ^to repri- 
mand him — originally salsusy attic salt, somewhat altered 
in its quality after being landed at the Quayside — ^not quite 
^^ neat as imported." 

Sauce, vegetables. An ancient use of the word. 

Saufey Money, protection money formerly paid by many of 
the inhabitants of Northumberland and Durham to marau- 
ders in consideration of their not stealing their cattle. 
Safety money. 

Sauoh, the great round-leaved sallow. SaUx caprea. Sax. 
salh. Ir. saleog. Many of the common people imagine 
this to be the real Palm-treey branches of which were 
strewed by the multitude in commemoration of our Savi- 
our's triumphal entry into Jerusalem ; and seldom omit to 
gather its flowers or buds, early in the morning of Palm- 
Sunday. With these flowers they decorate small pieces of 
wood formed into crosses, called Palm-crosses, which are 
stuck up or suspended in their houses. 

Saul, the soul. Pure Saxon ; and the ancient mode of writ- 
ing the word. 

" Thou, John, thou swineshed awake, 

For Christes satUe."— Chaucer,— Ihe Beve*s TaU. 

Saul, the solid substance in the inside of a covered button. 

Fr. saculy 8<mly a filling. 
Saul, a part of the viscera of the goose, when cooked. Q, the 



SCAL 111 

plenra ? for it seems to line or fill the inside of the npper 
cavity. Fr. joou/', or souler, to fill, to glut. 

Saut^ Sotb, salt. Sax. seah. Teat, sauty saut. In the pro- 
nonciation of many of the provincial dialects of the North, 
the sound of the I is omitted. — Saut-kit, a salt-hox of a 
peculiar form ; often found in old farm-houses. 

Savelicks, an excrescence from the hrier, placed hy hoys in 
their coat cuffs, <u a charmy to prevent a flogging. In 
Durham it is called Tommt-savelicks. 

Saw, to sow. Moe.-Got. saian. Sax. satoan, Su.-Got. sd. 
Germ, sden, 

Sawnet, a silly, stupid fellow — a sarcastic designation for a 
native of Scotland. Satcney is the Scotch abridgment of 
their common name of Alexander ; but in the sense of 
foolish, it is, perhaps, as many Scotch phrases are, derived 
from the French, who use n€z for sagacity — sans nee may 
be foolish, as ** on dit on homme d bon nez pour dire, 11 a 
de la sagacity." See Diet, de I'Academie sub voce nez. 

Sat, authority, influence, sway. ** She has all the «a^." 

Scabt, Scabib, mean, paltry, shabby. Lat. scabies. 

Scad, to scald. — Scadding of Pbas, a custom in the north of 
boiling the common grey peas in the pods, in a green 
state, and eating them with butter and salt. The com- 
pany afterwards pelt each other with the stoadsy or husks ; 
and the entertainment is sometimes in consequence called 
peas and sport. It is generally a scene of uproarious mirth, 
but frequently a filthy affair. Grose mentions that a 
bean, shell and all, is put into one of the pea-pods ; and 
that whoever gets this bean is to be first married. Dr. 
Jamieson views this custom as having the same origin as 
the King of Bane, in Scotland. 

ScADDLB, wild, skittish. York. Craven Glossary. 

Scale, to spread abroad, to separate, to divide, to shed, to 
scatter. Sax. seylan, 

** I shaU tell you 
A pretty tale ; it may be, yon have heard it ; 



112 SCAL 

Bat since it serves my purpose, I will Tentore 
To scale 't a little more."— 'Shak.—Coriolanua. 

Nearly all the commentators have mistaken the meaning 
of to sealant. I am qaite satisfied that it was the anther's 
intention to have the tale spread a little more minntely ; 
or, as Home Tooke better expresses it, to have it divided into 
more particulars and degress ; told more circamstantiallj 
and at length. In some parts of the North, thej say, 
** The church is scaling^** " The school is scaling ;" and 
every agreement between landlord and tenant in Northum- 
berland contains a stipulation that the tenant shall scale 
the mole-hills. 

** SeaZing and dressing the ground." 

House EacpenceSt Sherbum Hospitalt 1^86. 
** An and poke is Aye 8cdlinff.*'—N,C. Prov. 
** Fie, fie; he's no Frenchman to fret at the loss of a little ecal'd 
hair."— i>efcfcar** Honest Whore. 

ScALK-AWAT, a disorder — a whitlow, a rush in children. 

Scale-dish, a thin dish used in the dairy for skimming milk. 

ScALLiONS, a punishment among boys — a good drubbing. 

Scallop, to work coal in a mine entirely by the hand, with- 
out the use of gunpowder. 

Scam, Scauh, to bespatter, to stain, to discolour. Lat. 
squama. 

Scamp, a mean rascal, a fellow devoid of honour and princi- 
ple. Properly, a runaway ; from Ital. scampare, 

ScANTisH, scarce— ScANTLY, scarcely. 

Scar, Skab, a bare and broken rock on the side of a moun- 
tain, or in the high bank of a river. Su.-Got. skcBVy rupes. 
Sax. carr, ** Hence," says Bosworth, " Scarborough de- 
rives its name." — Scars, cinders burnt to a very hard 
substance, often used to mend the roads. 

Scare, to fasten two broken or sliced pieces of wood. Isl. 
skara, asseres reciproce adaptare. 

ScARET, streaky, smeared, as walls badly coloured. 

ScARN, Sharn, dung of cattle. Su.-Got. ^i&arn, stercus. Sax. 
sceam, Dan. sham. See Cow- shaken. 



SCOT 113 

ScARK-BEBy ft beetle. 

ScART, V, to scratch. — Scabt^ s, a scratch. See Scrat. 
ScATHBy Skaith, Scath, loss, spoil, damage, harm, defltmc- 
tion. Pore Saxon. Dan. eittde, 

** Without gilt, CK>d it woot, 
Gat I thia eoaUft9."—Pier9 Ptowmtm. 

** All theie could not procure me any eoather—ahakip. 
** And all my hoped gala is tamed to noot^" 

** And thai couth nocht peraawe the tieaith 
That towartthaim waa appearand."— T^Atum. 

ScATTKB-BRAiN KDy Weak, giddj, thoQghtleasSy light-headed. 

ScHAw, a wood or thicket of treef. See Shaw. 

ScLAFBy shallowy aa a eelafe dish. 

ScLooT, to sqniiit. 

ScoBBs, Scx)PB8, or ScouBBS, hazel sticks sharpened at eaeh 
end, and used in a bow shape to fasten down thatch. 

Scon, to strike, to inflict punishment; a common word 
amongst the coal miners. 

ScoNCB, a fixed seat at one side of the fire-place in the old 
large open chimney — a short partition near the fire upon 
which all the bright utensils in a cottage are suspended. 
An amateur of the Italian language derives the word from 
sconneesa [seggia], an insulated or separate seat. I should 
prefer Grerm. schamfe, a defence, a screen, a shelter. 

SooNCB, the head. 

SoooTBR, a syringe. Skoetety perhaps, would be more cor- 
rect. Sc. efyter, from dytey to eject forcibly. 

ScoRB, a notch. Sax. ecor. The old custom of numbering 
and keeping accounts by notches on a tally is not yet 
wholly disused in the North. 

Scotch ani> English, an amusement similar to Stbalt* 
CLOTHBS ; which see. The game seems evidently to have 
had its origin and name from the rotefo, or inroads, of the 
Scotch and English '^ in times of old" — ^the language used 
on the occasion, consisting, in a great measure, of the terms 

VOL. II. Q 



I 



114 SCOT 

of reproach common among the Borderers daring their pil- 
fering warfare. 

SooTCH-FiDDLE^ a mustcal instrument of a peculiar nature ; for 
an amusing description of which I refer the reader to the 
' new edit, of the Cray. Gloss, vo. Fiddle. 

SooTCH-MisTy a small soaking rain — such as will wet an Eng- 
lishman to the skin. Scotch mistSy like Scotchmen^ are 
proverbial for their penetration. 

ScouTy a high rock or large projecting ridge. Sax. sceotan^ 
to shoot out. 

SoowDEB, to mismanage any thing in cooking, to scorch it. 
Grose has scaurdet^dy overheated with working; perhaps 
only a figurative sense of the word. F. Jamieson* 

ScRAB, a wild apple — ^the crab. — ScRAB-TRSEy a crab-tree. 

ScBAFFLB, 8, to Scramble, to climb up by the help of the 
hands. 

" Wey hinny, says aw, we've a Shot-Tower see hee, 
That biy it ye might tcraffle to Heaven ; 
And if on Saint Nicholas' ye ance cos an ee, 
Te'd crack on't as lang as ye're liyin." 

Song, Canny NeweasHl. 

ScBAFFLE, 8. B, Scramble, or eager contest for any thing. 
ScBAFFLE, to be assiduously industrious, to struggle. — 

ScRAFFLiNG, Working hard to obtain a livelihood. 
ScRANCH, to grind any hard or crackling substance between 

the teeth. Dut. schrantsen. Dr. Johnson says, the Scots 

retain it. So do the people in the North of England. 
ScRANCHUM, thin wafery gingerbread; so called from the 

sound when eaten — scranched, 
ScRANNT, thin, meagre. Su.-Got. skrinUy macer, gracilis. 

Dan. skranteny weak, sickly, infirm. 
ScRAT, ScRAUT, V, to scratch. Anglo-Norman, escrat Swed. 

kratsa, — Scrat, s, a scratch — ^the itch. Welsh, erocA, 

scabies ; and Ir. scraWy scurf, seem allied. 
Scrat, an hermaphrodite. Sax. scritta, V. Todd's John. 
Screed, a rent or tear — a shred or fragment. Sax. sereade. 



SEA-F 115 

Tent. Bchroode. — Screed, is also used for a border ; as, a 

eap-sereed. 
ScBiBB, to write. Lat. seribere, — Scribe-of-a-pen, a letter. 
Scrimmage, a battle, an argument, an overthrow — a sHr- 

mish. The word was formerly written skaramauehe. 
Scrimp, «. to spare, to scant. Tent. Mmpeny contrahere. — 

ScuiMP, a. short, scanty, little. 
ScROG, a stunted bush, or shrub. Sax. scroby fimtex. — Scroo- 

OT, full of old stunted trees or bushes. 
Scrounge, or Scrunge, to crowd, to squeeze. See Skrebkge. 
ScRows, the small shrimp-like insect found in fresh-water 

pools. 
ScRUDGE, V, to crowd thickly together, to squeeze. — Scrudge, 

8, a crowd, a squeeze. 
ScRUPF, scurf. A transposition of letters very common. 
ScRUNTT, short, meagre, stunted. See Scrannt. 
ScuDDiCK, the lowest measure of yalne, Perhape fix>m seeai* 

tcecOay a small coin among the Saxons ; or from some other 

denomination of money. 

ScTJFF^ the hinder part of the neck. V. Wilb. shuff. 

ScuG, to hide, to shade, to lurk. • See Skug. 

ScuiLL, the ordinary and ancient pronunciation of school. 

" I send my sones to Pareis to the tGuiOJU 
I trust in God that thay sail be ne fnillis." 

Lyndtay't Three E9ta4H§, 

Scum, to strike a person on the mouth. A low word. 

ScuMFisH, to smother, to suffocate with smoke. Wood em- 
bers, the snuffing of a candle, sulphur, &c., have scumfish- 
ing effluvia in close rooms. Ital. sconflggerey to discomfit. 

Scunner, to nauseate, to feel disgust, to loathe — ^to shy, as a 
horse in harness. It is also applied, figuratively, to a man 
whose courage is not at " the sticking place" — ^who shrinks 
through fear. Sax. scuniany to fear, to abhor, to shun. 

Scurf, or Salmon-scurf, salmon trout. Tees, Wear, &c. 

ScuRRT, unthriving ; applied to trees. 

Sea-fret, a wet mist, or haze proceeding from the sea inland. 



I 



116 SEAM 

Seam. The seams, or strata, of coal, are not perfectly hori- 
zontal, but have a considerable inclination, genttrallj rising 
firom the north-east to the south-west. From the pieces 
of eoal and cinders which have been discorered in <iiggit^ 
up the ruins of several Roman stations in the counties of 
Northumberland and Durham, it is almost certain that tiie 
Romans were acquainted with the article of coiJ, though 
scholars may dispute about the name by which it was 
known to them. 

SsAR, #. autumn — the time oi the drying and withering of 
leaves. Sax. seeuHcmy to nip, or dry. — Ssab, a. dry^ of a 
yellow hue ; opposed to green. 

" I have liT'd long enovgh ; my noap nfUfii 
Is fiUl*!! into the tear, the yeUow leal**— iroe^oM; 

Dr. Johnson and some other of the commentators object 
to foay of life, and wish to substitute ilfap/ but I must 
confess that I am not convinced by their argoments^— 
The May of life cannot && into ^^e sear. Dr. Johnson 
and others were far too fond of altering Shakq»eai«> just 
because they thought what #A<jf did not understand most be 
wrong. 

Seave, a msh.'^-SBAVT, oTergrown with rashes. ^^Sta/t^ 
ground." Hexhamshire. 

Sbck, the Northern word for a sack. ^* A seek of flour." 

Seck^ Seek, provincial pronunciations of such. See Sick. 

Secket, a term of contempt to a child. See Segkits, or 
Saokite. 

Seed, saw. Universal among the vulgar. ^ Aw seed it.** 

Seedt, poor, distressed, without money. 

Seeino-glass, a mirror, or ^oHf^-glass. Isl. Honar^kr, 
speculum. The term often occurs in old inventories of 
household furniture. 

Seek, sick. Sax. seoc. Old Eng. seke, as used by Chaucer. 

" The holy bliaflfiil martyr for to seke. 
That him hath holpen when that they were seke.*' 

Cha%teer,''PrQU>g%ie to CoBiU, ToXet. 



SEMP 117 

SsBKBiOKa, Mteninfff the period of confinineiit at child-birth. 
Sbbb, several^ direni. Sn.-GUyt. 9aer, an adverb denoting 

separation. Ihre. ** They are gone seer ways." 
SsKBy snre, certain. 
Seb-saw, a sort of swing — ^from its reciprocating motion. 

Fr. ci-f€h V, Brand's Pop Antiq., Vol. 11., p. 904. 
SsBsTAH, SsBsioWy seest then. Alfio so pronounced in Aber- 

deendiire. 

** Seetiow fhlB peple. 
How Mate timi hNL'^-^Fien Piaumwn. 

Sm^y a sedge ; aeecnrding to the Saxon form — secff. *^ Segge^ 
or star. Carix." Prompt. Parr. 

Seg, Sego, a bull castrated when fall grown. V, Jamieson. 

Seg, V, to hang heavily down ; as^ the sacking of a bedstead 
when it becomes fSMky is said to teg, 

Segoeb's-clat, a name given by miners in the county of 
Dnriiam, to a kind of clay lying inmiediately over a seam 
of eoal. It hXiA into powder when exposed to the air, and 
is used to make fii^-brieks. Can it also be employed for 
filtering, as by isagBEt boilers, Wlio force their liquor through 
a itaitnm of ^y to neparate impnritiest If so, it is pro- 
bably from aeiger^ Germ, a strainer or filterer. 

SsoGim, the heavy laborions walking of a person of unwieldy 
corpulettce. ^' What a segghig gait he has.'* 

SBGKitE, or S1.GKITX, a term applied to a jowxg person who 
is oveigrown and not easily satisfied with food, f^m 8eg 
9SBAhUe. 

Sbiteb, thin. When a piece of cloth is worn so thhoi as to be 
neady is iioles^ it \& «atd to be a<7 i» « wUev. 

SbsuE, a manhy waiter omtm, a frtxiMin ere^^ifig though 
reeds and rushes. 

ScLx., jpnMMm, setf>— used ia ooni^tnids ef niftel^ Msti^f ^- 
mUy ymtrmik Plural aeHlSy to s^es. 

Semmant, soft, slender, weak, thin, supple, pliant, aelm. 

Sniit.B» ^idinsry) vulgar « s im p l e ; applied to a perBon of 
^goMit birth. ^ €hm^ and mmpk!*^'^^ und low. 



118 SEN 

SsN, Sin, Stne, since. V, Jam. sen. — Sen-stne, Sin-stne, 
since then. ^' It's lang syne sen he left ns. 

*' Bot ladie Sensaalitie 
8«ntyn6 has gydit this countrie." 

Lyndtay*8 Thru Estaitig. 

Seng, shelter ; as the senff of a hedge. Dan. senff, a bed. 

Sess-pool, an excavation in the ground for receiving fool 
water. I do not find the word in any Dictionary, though 
it is in use by architects. V, Laing*s Custom House Plans. 
Stu-pool occurs in Forster on Atmospheric Phoenomena. — 
Perhaps it is sous-pool — ^pool below the surface ; or it may 
hays been adopted from Lat. cedoy cessi, &c., to settle 
down. See Soss. 

Set, disposal. '* She has made a pretty set of hersell." 

Set, a permanent deflection, or settling of a railway or ma- 
chinery. 

Set, to propel, to push forward ; as setting a keel. Also, to 
accompany ; as in a common expression—'^ Set mib Sk hit on 
the road." BUy however, is not more misapplied in the 
North than it is in some parts of the South. 

Set-down, a powerful rebuke, or reprehension. F. Todd's 
Johnson. 

Set-out, a term applied to a corf of coals deficient in the 
quantity stipulated to be sent to bank. When a corf is 
set outy it is forfeited as a penalty for negligence or attempt 
to defraud. 

Sets-te-wesl. It becomes yon well; said tauntingly or 
ironically. 

jSetten, the old participle of set, is still used colloquially by 
the common people ; and so are hitten^ letten^ ptttten, and 
many others. 

Setten-on, short in growth, ill thriven ; said of feeble, dimi- 
nutive children. The term is also applied to what is 
slightly burnt in a pan. 

Settle, a seat, or bench stool ; but more generally a long 
wooden bench with a high back, part of the furniture of 



I 



SHAF 119 

ancient halls^ and still frequently to be found in old houses 
in the country. Sax. setely setl, sedes, sella. Our Saxon 
ancestors had their hi^h aettley or king's settle ; the bishop^s 
settle^ or see; the eeap aettley or tradesman's bench or 
booth ; and the dam settle^ or court of justice. In their 
Psalter, published by Spelman, in 1640, thrymsetU is used 
for our ** sea^^ of the scomfid. 

Set-to, an argument, a strong contest, a warm debate. 

Set-up, a verb expressive of contempt for a person, assuming 
a rank, or receiving a distinction, which is viewed as un- 
suitable to his or her station or merit. ^^ She rides in a 
coach — set her up^ indeed !" F. Jam. Supp. 

Seugh, a wet ditch ; such as that out of which the contents 
of a sod dike have been cut — ^any watery or boggy place— 
a sough, V, Jamieson, seuch. 

Shab-off, Shab-awat, to sneak away. Germ, schdbeny to 
scrape off ; and by some gradations of meaning used with 
the preposition and in the imperative mood, sehab ab, sneak 
away. 

Shab-bag, a mean person. — Shag-bag, is identical. 

Shack, Shak, to shed, or shake ; as com in harvest time. 

Shack-fobk, Shak-fobk, a pitch-fork — a shake-fork, 

SHACKI.E, a moveable iron hoop, fixed to the extremity of 
the plough beam by a loose bo|t and screw. The team of 
oxen or horses to draw the plough is yoked to the shackle. 
Tent, schaeckel. 

Shackle, the wrist. Sc. shacklorbonsy the wrist bone. 

Shaffle, to move with an awkward or irregular gait ; to 
hobble. A corruption of sht^. To ** mack a bad shajle 
ont," is to do a thing clumsily. 

Shag-hat, a hat made very long in the down ; much worn 
by pitmen and keelmen in the environs of Newcastle. 

Shaft, the pit, or perpendicular entrance to a coal mine* 
There are commonly two shafts to every large colliery, the 
second being required for the purpose of ventilation* The 
shaft by which the air enters the mine, called the downcast 



I 



120 SHAK 

ahafty is that by which the men descend to their work, and 
by wbioh the coals are drawn up. At the bottom of the 
other> called the upcast shaft, a large fire is somestimes 
kept boniing, though more frequently there is a ftimace 
at its month, with a high chimney, to promote a current 
of air. 

Shakes, not much worth. ^^ They are no great AaJM* — 
little can be said in commendati<»i of them, 

Shalb, «. to peel, to shell. Sax. at ceaU tm , €U€iUa». Sm 
ShiiJi. 

Shals, #• alum ore, — any other loose substance from a mine 
or quarry. The characteristic is the slaty, or laminated 
f^pearance. V. Toeke, Vol. II., p. 233. 

ShaliiT-wallt, a sign of contempt^— jAo/^oiff brained. 

Sham, shame. Sax. sceam. — Sbamvaced, bashful— «Aam(^i00«7. 

Sax. 9oamfagit, 

** Of bunting and of tham^lBUt ghmtitte'" 

Chaueer,-^The Knights Tale. 

** But rather would I wish the ground to gape for me below» 
Or God himself with thunder dint to hell my soul to throw, 
O Virtue ! ere I thee reftise, or shamefiutmsa forsake.** 

Phear. an^ 2Vyn«, Viirgdf B, iVk 

Sham-a-stbrne, a vulgar phrase, equivalent ttynot&ne. This 
may possibly senre to explain an obscure and diffieuH pass- 
age in the fine old heroic ballad of Chevy Chase, fit. 2. 
" Thorowe ryehe male and m7ne-je-p!e 
Many steme the stroke downe streght.'* 

Which may be read,»Mr. Lambe say»— " they struck 
down straight nun^ a one, through rich coat of mail and 
many folds." Sterne, here, se^us to be in the sense of 
stour — store, collective numbers. tS^e Tooke's curious dis- 
quisition on these words. Vol. II., p. 73 and 185. Or 
stefTM may be parenthetical. " Many (steme) they," &c. 

Shandt, wild, frolieksome. Hence Tristram Shandy. F. 
Suffolk Words, ahanfi^, 

Shangt, Coally-shanky, CnLi4EY-sHAM0Y, a row, a tumult, a 
riot. F. Jam. Supp. ahangie. 



SHAR 121 

Shank, the projecting point of a hill— joining it with the 

plain. 
Shanks, the legs. — Shank's-naot, or Shankt's-nagt, the 

feet — '^ Adam's ten-toed machine" — ^if I may quote the 

term. 

** And ay until the day he died, 
He rade on good atianka nagy:*—BU8(m*9 Scotch Bongt, 

Shantt, gay, showy, flaunting. Perhaps, as suggested hy 
Mr. Todd, a corruption otjmmty. 

Shap, Shapb, to begin, to set about any thing, to have a pro- 
mising appearance. Teut. schaffen^ agere, negotiari. F. 
Wilb. shape. 

Shapings, shreds, cuttings of cloth. " Tailors' shapings:* 

Shard, a broken piece of any brittle or fragile substance. 
The past participle of the Sax. scyran^ to divide ; whence 
shear, shire, shore, &c., see Tooke, — that which is shared, 
separated, or divided. Within my recollection, many of 
the conunon people, in the lower parts of Newcastle, used 
to resort to the Quayside and other places, where they 
gathered up coals with the half of a wooden dish, called a 
sh€ird, I have been told that it was not unusual for two 
of them to purchase a new dish, and split it for the purpose 
of making these shards. 
" And he took a pot-slierd and scraped himself withal."— /o6 ii. 8. 

Shard is also a North country word for the shell, or hard 
outward covering of the tribe of insects denominated Cole- 
cptera. The derivation of shell itself, indeed, is analagous. 
V. Tooke. 



** Often, to onr comfort, shall we find 



The sJtarded beetle in a safer hold 

Than is the ftill- winged e&gle.'"—Shafc.—Cipnbeline. 

" Ere, to black Hecate's summons. 

The sJiard-bome beetle, with his drowsy hum. 
Hath rung night's yawning peal, there shall be done^ 
A deed of dreadful note,"— Sh4ik.— Macbeth. 

These expressions of our dramatist — sharded beetle, and 
shard-borne beetle — are as correct as they are poetical. Dr. 

VOL, n. B 



► 



122 SHAR 

Johnson's ignorance of the latter meaning of the word com- 
pletely misled him in his interpretation. His error^ how- 
ever, is not overlooked by the learned and inde&tigable 
Mr. Todd. 

SHARENy dung of cattle. See Scabn ; and Cow-shaben. 

Sharps, coarse ground flour with a portion of bran. 

Shaw, a small shady wood, a wooded bank. Sax. wua. 

Tent, schawey umbra. The word was used by Gower and 

Chancer ; and is still current in many parts of England. 

" Oaillard he was as goldfinch in the •hawe," 

Chaucer,— The CcMt Tale. 

** In somer when the shatoea be ahejn. 
And leves be large and lang." 

Ancient BaUad,— Robin Hood, 

Shaw, the stalk or haulm of the potato. 
Shat, or Po Chat, a chaise. Shat-dritebs, the post boys. 
Shear, to reap, or cut com with the sickle. Su.-Grot. sktiera. 
Shear is not, provincially, applied to sheep. A sheep- 
shearing is a clipping. — Shearer, a harvest reaper. 
Shed, to put aside, to disperse, to separate, to divide. 
'^ Shedding the hair on the forehead." ^^ Shedding sheep." 
Sax. gceadany dividere. Teut. scheeden, separare. Germ. 
9cheideny to part. In tarring sheep, the wool is shedy or 
parted by the operator for the purpose of introducing the 
layer of salve. 

— . '* Till the last day of paiment, when the goats 

and lambs shall be 8?ied or separated by the good sheepheard a 
sunder." 

J. Racfford,—A DirectoHe touching the Way 
to the Truth, 1605. 

A learned and distinguished historian, Dr. Lingard, informs 
me, that in Lancashire the word shed is used for, to sur- 
pass ; ^' that sheds all," being a common expression of sur- 
prise, equivalent to '^ that surpasses all that I ever heard 
of." He further states, that he discovered, in the church- 
yard at Cockerham the following inscription : 

*' Here lies John Richmond, honest man, 
Shed that who can !" 



SHIF 123 

Sheelt^ or Sheelbt^ Shbbl-afple, tbe chaffinch. FringiUa 
ecelebs. Linnsens. Also called the Spink. 

Shsetino, applied to a slope or waterfall of a mill-dam. 
Sheet, Tooke says, is the participle scetU of ecytan, to cast 
forth, to throw out. 

Sheld, party-coloured, flecked, or speckled. Shelled, or 
scaled, divided. F. Tooke. 

Sheltt, a small, sprightly pony, from Shetland. Sc. sheUie, 

Shem, shame. Netoc. It nearly resembles Sax. sceam, 
** It's a shem, and a holy hizon.'* See Bizon. 

Shent, reproved, blamed, disgraced. Sax. sceadan, 

Sheth, a portion of a field, which is divided so as to drain off 
the water by the direction of the ploughings, called sheths; 
f . e, a separated part. Sax. sceadan, to divide. 

Shiel, Shield, Shieling, originally a temporary hut or 
cabin for those who had the care of sheep on the moors, in 
which they resided whilst tending their flocks during the 
summer months ; but afterwards applied to fixed habita- 
tions. Su.-Got. skaU, tuguriolum, domus. Isl. skaU. 
Hence, North and South Shields. In the Endowment of 
the Cathedral Church of Durham by Henry VIII., 1641, 
we find << Ecolesia Sanctss Hildae juxta SheHes." The 
word exactly expresses the sennhOMen of the Swiss pea- 
santry. 

•^— — — " If he cannot apprehend them (Border thieves) he shall 
declare them to be fngitiyes thronghont his marche, and cause 
them to be declared thranghont the other marches of the realm ; 
and after the said proclamation, shall cause their houses and 
OiMda to be destroyed."— £or(2er LatoSt p. 162. 

Shift, to remove from one dwelling-house to another. 

Shift, the time which one set of men work in a coal pit. 

Shifter, a coal-miner who works by the shift or day ; gene- 
rally old men. 

Shifting, the removal of the furniture, on changing an habi- 
tation. 

Shifty, changeable, deceitfiil, not to be depended on ^^ A 
shiffy fellow" — a person of dubitable character. 



124 SHIL 

Shill, to separate, to shell. Sax. ctscUitmy enucleare. 
" Shilling o<xts or ha/rle^^ — taking off the hulls. " Shilling 
/>ea«**~H3leaning them of their swads^ or hnsks. 

Shilly-shally, hesitating, irresolute. Generally thought to 
be a corrupt reduplication of Bhall I? But see Thomson, 
who assigns a Gothic origin — skialg, «it<p^, corresponding 
with c-K6?<tos* 

Shin, to trump at cards. — Dur, In North, ruff, an old word, 
is more generally used. 

Shine, a row, disturbance, mischief. ^' To kick up a shine," 

Shinney, a stick crooked or round at the end, with which to 
strike a small wooden ball or coit, in the game called 
Shinney, or Shinney-haw, and sometimes Shinham — 
played in the Northern counties. The same as Doddart ; 
which see. 

Shin-splints, pieces of wood placed on the legs of persons 
who break stones for Mac<idamis}<aion, 

SmppEK, a cow-house. Sax. s(^pene. Germ, schoppen, a 

shed. 

" The ahepen brenning with the blake smoke." 

Chaueer^—The Knight's TaU. 

Shibe, to separate or divide ; as cleansing liquor from the 
residuum ; or parting the thick from the thin. A good 
old word of pure Saxon origin. 

Shirl, Shurl, to slide ; as on the ice. Fr. secouler^ to slide. 

Shirry-moor, a ^^row" — ^a tumult, such as was usual on 
Gateshead Fell when the judges were met by the Sheriff 
at what is still called Sheriff HiU. 

Shittletide, a vulgar expression of disbelief or disapproba- 
tion. V, Crav. Gloss, shittle-cum-shaw, 

Shive, a slice; as of bread or cheese. Sax. scectwm, to 

shave. Dut. schyf. It occurs in Titus Andronicus. — 

Chaucer and other early writers call it shiver. 

" Now dame, quod he, jeo vons die sang donte. 
Have I nat of a capon but the liver. 
And of your white bred nat but a shiver" 

Chaucer, ^The Sompnoure'e Tale. 



S 



SHOT 125 

** Might get a ghiver out of thair shelde." 

Yewaine and Oawin. 

Shoe-the-cobbler, a quick and peculiar moyement with the 
fore foot, when sliding on the ice. The " cobbler^s Jtnock^'* 
in the South, is given with the hind foot. 

Shoo-bog, Shake-bog, a quaking hog. 

Shoogle, to shake, to joggle. Germ, shaukdn. Corporal 
Nym says, "will you shog off." Shak. Hen. V. 

Shoo, Shue, to scare hirds. Germ, scheuclieny to frighten. 

Shoon, Shun, the plural of shoe. Sax. sce<m. Tout, schoen, 

" Spare none bnt such as go in donted shoon. 

For they are thrifty honest men.'*— Shak.,— Hen. VI. 
** His 8ehon war with gold ydyght" 

Tetoaine cmd Gknoin, 

• ** Na sehoyne thai had, 

Bot as thai thaim of hydys made."— 2^ Bruee. 

Shore, to threaten. ** It shores rain." To frighten, — ^* He 

shored them away." F. Jam. schor. 
Short-bread, rich cake. 
Shot, shifting colour. A shot silk, a colour appearing to 

shoot in different directions. 
Shot, each man's share or just proportion of the score or 

reckoning at a puhlic-house. Sax. scot, tributum exactio. 

Swed. sktfttaf to join, to join together; past participle, 

sk8te. But see Tooke, Vol. II., p. 130. 
Shot-of. To get shoe of^ to get rid of. 
Shot-window, a projecting window, conmion in old houses. 

Tooke derives it from the Saxon jtiton, to project to throw 

out. In this sense the Northumbrians apply it to a pig 

taken forth, or fviA forth^ out of the litter, it being then 

called a shoe pig. 

" And forth he goth, jolif and amorons, 
Til he came to the carpenter's hous, 
A litel after the cocke had yerow, 
And dressed him up by a sh^ window." 

Chaueef,—Th6 MUler's Tale. 

" Ane tchot wyndo unsohet ane litel on ehar." 

Gawin JDouglae, 




126 SHOU 

Shouther, the shoulder. Dut. schouder. — Shouther-fellow, 
a partner or marrow in any work that requires the joint 
exertions of more than one man. 

Shrew, a field mouse. Sax. screetva, A supersition once 
prevailed that this poor creature^ which is perfectly harm- 
less, was of so baneful and venomous a nature that when- 
ever it crept over a horse, cow, or sheep, the animal so 
touched became afflicted with cruel anguish, and threaten- 
ed with the loss of the use of its limbs ; many extraordinary 
remedies for this imaginary evil have been mentioned ; 
among others, to close up the shrew alive in a hole bored 
in an ash, elm, or willow-tree ; and afterwards to whip 
the cattle, thus tormented, with one of <the boughs, which 
was considered an efficacious cure. An intelligent friend 
has reminded me of an old notion, that the supposed ma- 
lignity of this mouse is the origin of shrew, a vixen ; in re- 
gard to which much difference of opinion exists among 
etymologists. But Tooke (Vol. II., p. 207,) seems to de- 
cide it to come from Sax. syrwan, to vex, to molest, to 
cause mischief to. See also Todd's Johnson. The mat- 
ter, however, is daily becoming less important ; as, to the 
honour of the females of the present age, we seldom en- 
counter ^^ a peevish, malignant, clamorous, spiteful, vexa- 
tious, turbulent woman," the dictionary characteristics of 
a shrew. 

Shuffle-and-cut, a superior step in vulgar dancing. 

Shuogy-shew, a swing — ^a long rope fsustened at each end, 
and thrown over a beam ; on which young persons seat 
themselves, and are swung backwards and forwards in the 
manner of a pendulum. See Bewick's ^sop, p. 4, where 
his Satanic Majesty is amusing himself in this manner. — 
The origin is probably Germ. schauMy a swing-rope, and 
acheUy starting. 

Shtjll, or Shuil, a spade or shovel. Dut. school. Sc. shooly 
or shule. V. Moor's Suffolk Words, shawl. 

Shull-bane, the shoulder bone. Germ. schuUerbem, Q. 
tSjpule, or SpuMume ? 



SICK 127 

Shut, to slide or shoot, as shut ap or shut down the window, 
if it be a sash, or shut back if be a horizontal slide. In a 
trial at Durham in 1827, for a burglary, where the house 
was entered by a slide casement, the late Justice Baylej 
was sadly puzzled by a principal witness against the offen- 
ders, who stated that they must have got in by shttUing the 
window shutter. 

Sic, Sik, Sike, such. Spenser uses siie. Wiclif, swike, 

" To haven with tike lazars acquaintence 
It is not honest, it may not advance." 

CfMUcer,—The Frere'g PrologtM, 

" Thai eit and drank tie as thai had."— 77^ Bruee, 
'* And there shall come tik sleet and rain 
That unese shall yon stand again." 

Yewain and Ckiwin, 

SiCKEB, sure. Dan. sikker, Swed. s&ker. Germ. Hcher, 

" When he is Hker of his goode name." 

ChoMceTy—The Knighte't TtOe. 
" For to live ehaist they vow solemnitly 
But fra that, they be sikker of thair bowis 
Thay live in huredome and in harlotry 
Ezamiae thame, schir, how thay observe thair vowis." 

Lynd8ay*8 Three EttaUit. 

** The king said ' Certes I can nocht se 
How that then yeit may aekyr be 
Into that conntre fer to far, 
Qohar Inglissmen sa mychly ar.' "—The Bruee. 

It occurs in the following beautiful passage in the Ro- 
maunt of the Rose. Chaucer is describing Cresseide's 
modesty in disclosing her love. 

" And as the newe abashed nightingale 
That stinteth first when she beginneth sing, 
What that she hereth any herdis tale 
Or in the hedges any wight stirring 
And after 8ikir doth her voice outring : 
Right so Creseide when her drede stent 
Opened her herte, and told him her intent." 

.SicKERLT, surely. Dan. sikkert. Sw. sdkerligen. Germ. 
sicherlich. 



128 SICK 

Sick-like, Sik-like, Sike-like, sach like. Goth, stoaleik. 
Sax. stoUc, In Chaucer, alike, 

** Sidyke are ye se in the burrows toon." 

Lynd8ay*8 Three Egtattls, 

Side, to decide, to settle ; as well as to coincide, to agree. 
In Lancashire, to set things aside, or out of the way ; i, e. 
aside. — To Side. Shakespeare writes 'cide, ^^To cide 
this title is impannelled — a quest of thoughts." — Sann. 46. 

Side, a. long, wide, large ; particularly as applied to articles 

of dress. The word occurs hoth in the Saxon and Danish 

languages. Shakespeare and Ben Jonson use side sleevesy 

for long loose hanging sleeves. 

** I biheld that litel man 

By the stretes als we gon yae 
His herd was sj/de ay large span 
And gilded als the father of pae." 

BaOad on the Scottish War8,—Rit8on*8 A. B., i. 40. 

" And thaune cam Coveitise 
Kan I hym noght discry ve 
So hungrily and holme 
Sire Horry hym loked 
He was betel-browed 
And baber-lipped also, 
With two blered eighen 
As a blynd hogge ; 
And as a letheren purs 
Lolled hise chekes 
Well Bidder than his chyn.**— Piers Plowman, 

Sidesman, an umpire, or referee. 

SiDE-up, to put things in order ; as to side up the house. — 

To Side-up, is to set things away. 
Sidle, to saunter, to take an oblique direction. To side 

long. 
Sigh, to become larger. ^' The shoon are ower little, but 

they'll sigh out." 

Sight, a large number. Used also in some of the Southern 
counties. 

Sike, Stke, V, to ooze or run slowly ; as water in a ditch- 
er through a dam. 



SIME 129 

SiKB, Stkb, f. a Btreamlet of water, the smallest kind of na- 
tural runner. Sax. sic, Hch, lacuna. Isl. sijie. In title 
deeds relating to property in the North, the word often 
occurs, in the dog-latin of our old records — so archseolo- 
gically musical to an antiquary. It is used especially as 
descriptive of a boundary on something less than a beck or 

stream. 
SiLE, V, to percolate, to flow. — North. 

'* When he read the three first lines. 
He then began to smile ; 
And when he read the three next lines, 
The tears began to HU," 

Lord DenoenUo(U«r*8 Goodnight, 

SiLB, 9, to strain, to purify milk through a straining dish, to 
cleanse it from impurities. Su.-Got. sila, colare. — Sile, or 
SiLE-DisH. 8. a fine sieve or milk strainer. Su.-Got. HI, 
colum. Swed. m7, a strainer. See Ray and Grose. 

Sill, stratum of minerals. Sax. syUa, the sell or seat. 

SiLLEB, for silver. Still current in our Northern dialect. F. 
Wachter, sillier, 

SiLLEBLBss, poor, needy. 

<* A HOerUti man ganns Cut through the market.'*— 2f. C. Prov, 

Sills, the shafts of a waggon. A corruption of thills. 

SiLLT, disordered, wretched — ^used to express bodily weak- 
ness. A person not in health is said to be silly. Su.-Got. 
sal^f poor, miserable. 

SiLLT-HUE, or SiLLT-How, the name of the caul, or membrane, 
in which the heads of some children are invested at their 
birth. It is vulgarly supposed that one person in a thou- 
sand comes into the world thus enveloped ; and these cauls 
are careftdly preserved by mothers to sympathise with the 
fortunes of the children they belonged to in whatever part 
of the world they may be — ^to be dry when he is happy 
and well, and moist when he is afiUcted or ill. — Hodgson's 
North., Part II., Vol. III., p. 373. 

SiMEY, a foolish, silly fellow, " Thou's a simple wmiy.'* 

VOL. II. s 



■i- 



130 SIMP 

Simple^ feeble, helpless, sickly. 

Sin, since. — Sinsine, since that time. 

SiND, to wash out, to rinse — also to dilate ; to sind it dot 

being to take a drink after meat. Sc. synde, 

SiNDRT, sundry. 

" The riche riveres, plesand and proffitabill, 
The lusty lochia with flsche of Hndry kyndia." 

Lyndsay'9 Dreme, 

Sine, to percolate. — Dttr. Fr. saiffner^ to bleed, to drain 
let out water. To sine a cow is to let her go dry ; to d 
perse her milk. 

Sine, afterwards. ^^ As tite sune as me." F. Jam. syne 

** And how sum men doith spend thair youtheid haill 
In eoorts, syvie endis in the hospitailL" 

Complaynt of the Papingo, 

SiNoiN-HiNNiE, or SiNOiNG-HiNNT, a Hch kneaded cake ; i 
dispensable in a pitman's fiEunily. So called from t 
singing noise emitted while baking it on the girdle. 

SiNOUN, a handfid of gleaned com — a single gleaning. Tl 
word is doubtless the same as the Cheshire songoWy song 
so ably illustrated by Mr. Wilbraham in his Glossary, 
a MS. addition to a copy of that interesting and private 
printed work, presented to me by the author, reference 
made to Hyde, de BeUgione Persarumy for the ancient t 
of songalL 

Sink, a frequent asseveration among the pitmen. / 
Smash. 

SiNNON, for sinew, Sc. senon» Dr. Jamieson, among oti 
etymons, refers to Old Fris. sijnnen, 

" His houch eenona thai cuthyt in that press.'* 

WcOlaoe, B. U l* 322. 

SiPE, to leak, to ooze or drain out slowly through a sm 
crevice. Sax. sipan, macerare. Teut. sijpen, stilla 
fluere. — Sipinos, the oozings or drainings of a vessel afl 
any fluid has been poured out of it. 

SiRFLE, to sip often ; nearly allied to tippling. Swed. sdrp 




SKEG 131 

to drink by little at a time. A horse is said to sifple, when 
he drinks fAstidioosly and sparingly. 
Sit, to become. 

*' I am a king. It Ht me not to lie." 

Chaucer,— The Merehante's Tale. 

In the North, it is most frequently used ironically, as *^ It 
sits him weel, indeed," is said of a person who arrogates to 
himself more than is thought proper. 

Sits, or Sight, yolgarly pronounced sdet^ a great number. 

SiTH, since. Sax. sUhe. — Sithin, since then. 

Skadelt, having a propensity to steal slyly ; especially any- 
thing eatable. It is also said of a person whose habits are 
not strictly yirtuous. 

Skabe, or Skaibe, wild, timid, shy. Grose. V, Jam. Supp. 
skar, 

Skeel, a cylindrical wooden tub or vessel for carrying milk 
or water, with an upright handle made of one of the staves 
in place of a bow. Isl. skiola, a milk-pail. Sw. skdl, a 
bowl. — Hodgson's North., Part II., Vol. II., p. 64. — We 
have the diminutive skillet as a classical word. 

Skeel, or Skill, to know, to understand — ^to have a good 
opinion or foreboding of a person or thing. It is most 
commonly used negatively, as — ^^Aw had ne skeeU of 
him." Isl. skilia^ intelligere. Sc. skeel; which is also the 
vulgar pronunciation in North, The word is not obsolete, 
as stated by Dr. Johnson. 

Skeelt, Skillt, knowing, intelligent, skilful. Often used 
to denote real or supposed skill in the cure of diseases. 
The simple doctress of a country village has often been 
skeefy in effecting a cure, when mortality was not more ex- 
tensive than in this age of greater pretension and display. 

" But out and spak Lord Jolm, his mother. 
And a tkeely woman was she ; 
Where met ye, my son, wi' that bonny boy, 
That looks sae sad on thee V*—BaUad qfBurd Helen, 

SKEa, the stump of a branch. 




132 SKEL 

Sksllt, v. to squint. Isl. siaela, Grerm. mskielen, — Skblly^ 

f . a squinting look. Sax. seeoleage. 
Skellt, the dace and the roach. Cyprenns lincescuB, and 

C. Rutilns. — Durham. The Chub. — Oumb. 
Skslp, v. to slap or strike with the open hand ; particularly 
on the breech or the cheek. Isl. sielfuy to strike. — Skblp, 
also means to move rapidly — the effect for the cause. 
Skelp, Skelper, s, a smart blow, or stroke. — Skelpino, a 

hearty beating, a sound drubbing. 
Skelper, a vulgar term for any thing very large. 
Skep, a basket made of rushes, or wicker work. It is an 
ancient name, not yet obsolete, for a measure of un- 
certain quantity. Sax. seep. A bee-hive of straw is 
called a beesJkep, Gael, sffeip. In old times bees were 
an object of much importance in domestic economy. It 
was then common for every rural incumbent, and every 
yeomanly gentleman who made a will, to mention his 
skips of bees. V, Surtees' Durham, Vol. III., p. 289. In 
the Pipe Rolls of Hen. II., it is called eskeppa. In York- 
shire a coal-scuttle is called a coal-skep, 
Sker, to slide swiftly, to skate. Su.-Got. skiutay trudere, 

impellere. Swed. skdra, to cut. 
Skew, to go aside, to walk obliquely. Germ, scheuen^ to go 
aside, to avoid, to shun, to eschew. Yet Johnson says 
there is no satisfactory derivation of skew. The word is 
also used for the slanting wall of the gable, on which the 
roof rests. 
Skew, to look obliquely, to squint. Used in Cheshire. F. 

Wilb. 
Skew, to throw violently — ^properly in an oblique direction. 
Skew-the-dew, a term for a splay-footed person. 
Sket, to start, to fiy off; as a horse that takes &ight — ^to shy. 
Skime, to look asquint. — Sken has the same meaning in the 

Westmorland and Craven Dialects. See Skellt. 
Skimmer, to glitter, to gleam. Sax. scimauy scimian, splen- 
dere, fiilgere. Germ, schimmern, to shine. 



k 



SLAB 133 

Skip-jack, the meny-thooght bone of a goose. See Moor's 
Suff. Words. See^ also, Jam. Supp. jwnpin-joch. 

Skip-jack, *^ an npstart." Todd's Johnson. In the North 
it means an antic fellow. 

Skippxb, the captain of a keel, or coal barge. Sax. aciper, 
nanta. Dut. aehippery a shipmaster. Old Swed. sHpare. 

Skirl, v. to cry excessively, to pierce the air with a shrill 

voice. 
Skirl, 8, a loud and incessant scream or shriek — a continua- 
tion of childish rage and grief. Dan. skrctaly an outcry. 
Swed. thr&Uy sound, noise. Isl. skrall. 
Skit, to threw reflections on. Sax. scitauy to cast forth. 
Skitter, liquidum excrementum jaculare. Hence this vul- 
gar, name for a diarrhoea. It is a hard pronunciation of 
Sax. sciUMtf to cast forth ; for which we have another word 
used with the sofk pronunciation. Isl. skvetta, and Swed. 
skijta^ exonerare ventrem, are cognate. 

Skoooer, the leg of an old stocking ; used by countrymen to 
keep the snow out of their shoes. See Hogobrs. 

Skreenge, or Skrinoe, to squeeze violently. The etymo- 
logy is probably to be found in Gr. avpty^f a syringe. Fr. 
serinfffte, 

Skrike, to shriek. Dan. sirige. Su.-Got. shriia, vociferari. 

Skrive, to mark or scratch wood or metal. Sw. skrifvay to 
write. 

Skug, v. to hide, to screen. Su.-Got. shyggay obumbrare. — 
Sktto, s, a sheltered place. Isl. akuggiy umbra. Sw. 
ahugga, 

Skurrt, haste, impetuosity. " What a hurfy-skurfy,** Fr. 
escureTy to scour. Ital. acorrere, 

Sktat, a paper kite. 

Sla, Slee, a sloe. Sax. ala, Dut. alee, Dan. alacten. 

Slab-dash, or Slap-dash, a cheap mode of colouring rooms, 
by daahing them with a brush in imitation of stained paper. 

Slabbt, dirty and damp— sloppy. Tout, aktbberen, to slab- 
ber. Hence, Slab-basin, for slop-basin. 



134 SLAC 

Slack, an opening between two hills, a valley or small shal- 
low dell. Su.-Got. slai, Isl. slakur. 

Slack, a long pool in a streamy river. Germ. schHcht, 
smooth. 

Sladb, a breadth or slip of green sward in ploughed land, or 
in plantations. 

Sladde&y, wet and dirty. ^^ Sladdery walking." Isl. tladday 
squalide grassari. See Slatteb. 

Slag, refiise of metals. We, probably, adopted the term 
from Sax. slagauy percutere, as what was struck off from 
the metal. Ihre derives Sa.-Got. slagg^ scoria, from sidy 
. the chips of iron that fly from the anvil ; and Wachter 
deduces Germ. scMcushy scoria, foex metalli, from schlageny 
ejicere, excemere. 

Slain, a, blighted ; as slain com, when the grain is reduced 
to a dry sooty powder. Swed. slageny stnjck ; e. g, struck 
with blindness — slagen med bUndhet, — Slain, s. the smut. 

Slaisteb, to beat, to thrash, to drub, to thump. 

Slaistering, doing any thing in an awkward, untidy man- 
ner. F. Ihre, slask. 

Slake, v, to smear, to wet, to bedaub. Isl. slok, delutare. 

Slake, s, an accumulation of mud or slime, especially in a 
river. Su.-Got. slak, laxus ; as being soft and flaccid ; or 
Teut. slijck, coenum, lutum. There is Jarraw Slakey on 
the river Tyne, wherein, according to Hoveden, the royal 
navy of the Northumbrian sovereign Ecgfrid rode, at 
anchor. 

Slam, to beat, to cuff — ^also to push or shut violently — ^to 
bang. ^^ She slammed the door to." 

Slant, v, to utter sly jokes, or petty lies. ^^ He slants a 
good deal" — ^he is given to lying. — Slant, s, a joke, a 
sneer. Fuller uses sleniv 

Slap-bang, violently, head-long — slap-dash, 

Slape, slippery, smooth. F. Skinner, Ray, and Grose. 

Slapping, tall, strong, strapping. — Slapfeb any large ob- 
ject. 




SLEU 136 

Slasht, wet and dirty. Sw. slask, wet. ^^ A shsky day.'' 

Slate, to set a dog loose at any thing ; as sheep, swine, &c. 
F. Todd's Johnson. 

Slatteb, to ponr awkwardly, to slop, to spill. Hence slat- 
tern. — Slattery, wet and dirty. 

Slayeb, to talk fast, or nnintelligibly. Swed. slarfm^ to 
blander in speaking. See Hash. 

Slaw, the Northern word for slow. Pure Saxon. 

Slb, Slee, to slay. Past participle, Slawte, slaughtered. 

" The leon sit in his awaite alway 
To ile the ixmooent if that he may." 

ChaueeTt—The Frere*8 TaU, 

Slba, a sloe ; the fruit of the black thorn. 

Slbek-stone, the glass used for rubbing the floors. A polish- 
ing stone. 

Sleck, v. to cool in water. Hence, Sleck-tbough, the 
trough containing the water in which smith's cool their 
iron and temper steel. Identical with Slake, v, which see. 

Sleck, to quench ; as to sleck your thirst. Isl. slaecka. 

Sled, a sledge. 

Slee, cunning, prudent, wise. Hence the modem sly. 
Chaucer uses slie^ sUgh. In Sir Walter Scott's edition of 
Sir Tristram, the word is written sleighe^ sleige, 

** A thefe he was forsooth of come and mele, 
And that a slie and nsant for to stele." 

Chatu!er,—The Beeve's Tale. 

Sleeveless, unsuccessful, unprofitable, pretended, causeless, 
feigned. ^^ A sleeveless errand," a useless or unprofitable 
errand. V. Tooke. It is often pronounced in Northum- 
berland Thbeeyeless, probably from thrieveless, or thrift- 
less. 

Sleuth, the slot or tract of man or beast as known by the 
scent. The word is evidently allied to Isl. slod, semita, 
vestigia ; and originally the same with Ir. sliocht, a track, 
trace, or impression. See Sleuth-hound. According to 
Cunningham's New South Wales, the aboriginal natives 



136 SLEU 

posBess amazmg quickness of eye and ear, and can trace a 
man's footsteps with perfect ease through every descrip- 
tion of country, provided it is sufficiently recent, and that 
no rain has fsJlen in the interim ; and the same authority 
states, that they can guess very correctly how long it is 
since the individual has passed, and even ascertain whether 
it is the bare footsteps of a white, or a black man, by the 
character of the impression ! 
Sleuth-hound, the Northern name for the blood-hound ; so 
called firom its quality of tracing the sleuth^ a word which 
signifies the scent left by an animal of chace. These dogs 
were held in great estimation by our ancestors ; particu- 
larly on the Borders, where a tax was levied for maintain- 
ing them. Their scent was so remarkably quick, that they 
could follow, with great certainty, the human footsteps to 
a considerable distance, as fox-hounds chase a fox, or as 
beagles and harriers chase a hare. Many of them were, in 
consequence, kept in certain districts for the purpose of 
tracing thieves and marauders through their secret re- 
cesses. 

" Thai maid a prive assemble 
Off well twa hundir men and mea, 
And sUwth hundU with thaim gan ta."— 2%e Bruee, 

Somervile's description of this lawless race is full of poetic 
beauty. 



" TTpon the hanks 



Of Tweed, slow winding through the vale, the seat 
Of war and rapine once, ere Britons knew 
The sweets of peace -^— — — — — 

if. If. If. if. if it' 

There dwelt a pilfering race ; well train'd and skill'd 

In all the mysteries of theft, the spoil 

Their only substance, feuds and war their sport.'* 

ChOMt Book I. 

The poet afterwards beautifully describes the mode of pur- 
suing these arch felons by this sagacious animal ; but the 
passage is too long for quotation here. Those, who would 



SLIT 137 

wish to have further information relative to the blood- 
hound, may consult Scott's Lay of the Last Minstrel, Note 
16, Canto I. ; and Dr. Jamieson's Edition of Wallace, 
Notes on Book V., p. 370. 

Sliddebt, slippery. Sax. sliddor, lubricitas. See Slithbr. 

Slim, wicked, mischievous, perverse. F. Jam., 2d sense. 

Slingb, to go creepingly away as if ashamed, to sneak. 
Sax. sUncaUy to creep. Swed. slinha^ to dangle, to hang 
upon any one. Hence, Sunk, a sneaking fellow. Swed. 
sUnkeTy a dangler, a timeserver. 

Slinky, Slonkt, lank, lean. Sax. slincan, to slink. See 
Slunken. 

Sup, a child's pinafore — from the rapidity with which it is 
slipped on or off. In the Acta Sanctorum, mention is 
made of a linen cloth drawn from the ear to the chin, to 
receive the bava of infants, and to cover the bosoms of 
young girls. V, Du Cange, bavara. 

Slif-dyke, a slip or depression in the seam of a coal mine ; 
the fissure in such cases being mostly filled with fragments 
of the adjacent strata. 

Slipe-off, to strip off the skin or bark of any thing. Grose. 
F. Jam. Supp. slype. 

Slippy, slippery. Not an abbreviation, as Mr. Wilbraham 
supposes, but a pure Saxon word ; and, as shown by Mr. 
Todd, of old English usage ; notwithstanding which the 
great lexicographer characterized it as a barbarous provin- 
eial term, from slip ! 

Slib, to slip, to slide. See Slither. 

Slithbb, to slide, to slip. Sax. sliderian. Tout, slidderen, 
— Slitheby, slippery. Chaucer uses slider^ which I am 
informed is still in vulgar use in Gloucestershire and So- 
mersetshire. 

" A dronken man wot wel he hath an hous, 
But he ne wot which is the right way thider, 
And to a dronken man the way is slider." 

Chaucer.— The KnigM's Tale. 

VOL. II. T 



I 



138 SLIV 

Sliysb, v. to cut off a slice, to tear away a part. Sax. sli/an. 

** She that herself will sliver and disbranch." 

I^ak., — Kinff Lear. 

Pope altered this to shvoery for wliich the Monthly Re- 
viewers wished to substitute s&oer. Oh ! these commen- 
tators ! 
Sliveb, b. a slice. The word, in the sense of a branch torn 
off, occurs in Hamlet. Chaucer writes it slivere, 

** There on the pendant boughs her coronet weeds 
Clambering to hang, an enyious sliver htoke." 

8h(ik.,—Ba7nlet, Act IV., 8e. 7. 



Slocken, to slake, to quench. Su.-Got. slockna, extinguere. 
Isl. sldka. Old Eng. slokkyn. " To shcken your thirst." 
See quotation to Lowe, 

Slogan, or Slughobn, the war-cry or gathering word of a 
Border clan — ^the watch- word by which individuals of the 
same party recognized each other, either amidst the dark- 
ness of night, or in the confusion of battle. Gael, slttagh- 
ghairm^ the signal for battle among the Highland clans. 
Sax. sla^ sloffy bellicum, an alarum to war, a warning or sig- 
nal to battle. 

" Our slogan is their lyke-wake dirge 

Our moat, the grave where they shall lie." 

Lay af thA Last MinstreL 

The ancient Britons had their war-song, intituled 
Arymes Prydain, or the armed confederacy of Britain, 
which may be seen in the Cambrian Register. Taci- 
tus mentions the chaunters in the army who excited the 
soldiers to exert themselves, setting forth as examples 
the glorious deeds of renowned heroes. The Uboobao Cean- 
mm, or yell of the Irish, became proverbial. Mottoes are 
supposed to have been originally the war cries or slogan of 
the family or faction ; but this opinion is not confirmed by 
the earliest known instances of their employment, and 
among the Scotch clans, so far back as we can trace their 



SMAC 139 

history, the slogan seems to have heen quite distinct from 
the motto of the chief — being generally either a shont of 
his name, or of the usual place of rendezvous. Certain it 
is, however, that after the change of manners, several fami- 
lies in Northumberland converted their slogans into mot- 
toes to their arms. 

Sloogering, loose, untidy, slovenly ; especially in the under 
garments. Swed. sluskigy slovenly. 

Slooh, Slouh, a gentle sleep, or slumber. Tout, slujftnen, 
leviter dormire. Sax. slttmerian^ to slumber. 

Sloppy, loose, wide. Sax. slcpeuy laxus ; from to-slttpan. 

Slore, dirt, sump. Sax. sloff, a slough. Tout, slorigy 
nasty. 

Slorp, to make a noise when supping with a spoon, to swal- 
low ungracefully. Teut. slorpen, sorbere. Isl. slurkay 
deglutire. Dan. slurkery to swallow. 

Slot, v, to fasten by a bolt. " Slot the door." Teut. sluy- 
ten. Swed. sluta, to shut, to close. Dan. sluUe, Germ. 
schliessen. 

Slot, s, a small bolt or sliding bar. Teut. slot, sera. Germ. 
schlosSy a bolt. 

Sludder, Slitther, to eat in a slovenly or sluttish manner. 

Sludderment, Sluthermekt, dirt, filth, nastiness. 

Slump, to slip or fall into a wet or miry place. V, Jam. 
Supp. 

Slunken, having a lank and scraggy appearance. This is 
the Danish word retained — slunken^ thin, lean, slender. 

Slush, any thing plashy, wet, or muddy; but most com- 
monly applied to snow in a state of liquefaction. Su.- 
Got. slasky humor quincimque sordidus, seems the root. 
Dan. slttdy sleet, is allied. 

Slush, a reproachfiil term for a dirty person — a greedy eater. 
In the latter sense it seems allied to Dan. slughals, a glut^ 
ton. 

Slushy, muddy, wet, or plashy. 

Shack, v* to kiss with a noise. — Shack, s, a loud kiss ; such 



140 SMA'-C 

as was given at the ludicrous wedding of Catherine and 

Petmchio. 

" H« took the bride about the neek ; 

And kifls'd her lips with such a clamorons tmadt 
That, at the parting, all the chnrch did echo." 

Shdk.i—Tcminff of the Shrew. 

The ceremony of saluting a bride at the altar, imme- 
diately after the performance of the marriage service — a 
very ancient custom — ^has not yet fallen into disuse. 
There are two sources whence to derive the word smack. 
Dr. Johnson says. Sax. smceccan ; which no doubt is the 
origin of Germ, schmeichelriy to coax ; but this seems too 
gentle a procedure. It is rather, a friend remarks, the 
German mode of doing the thing with a schmwih — gottt, 
relish, gusto ; and hence their schmaUeny which is to make 
a noise with the mouth in eating or kissing, when doing 
either with a relish. 

Sma'-co'-fizzer, 2k fizzing singing-hinny full of currants — ^figu- 
ratively, small coals. See Singin-hinnie. 

Small, not grown up. In our Northern phraseology, a 
small family means a family of young children, however 
numerous. 

Shally, little, puny. ** A smally bairn." Isl. smalig, 

Smabtle, to waste, or melt away. Su.-Got. snMeUa, to melt. 

Smash, v. to crush, to break in pieces, to shiver. — Smash, s, a 
crush, the state of being shivered, atoms. Gael, smuais^ 
broken in shivers. 

Smash, a kind of oath among the pitmen. Nothing ener- 
getic can be said without it. Indeed, it is the most strik- 
ing characteristic of their imcouth phraseology — and natu- 
ral enough considering their liableness to be smashed. 

Smash, to pass bad money. 

Smashes, a paper of counterfeit coin. 

Smasher, a small standing pie, or raised tartlet ; generally 
made of gooseberries. — Newcastle. This word almost means 
any thing larger than another of the same sort. It is like- 
wise a cant name for a pitman ; in which I am told by an 



I 



SMOC 141 

ingenioas friend, we are to seek for the etymology of the 
word ; a smasher being originally such a tart as a pitman 
oonld snutsh or eat np at a mouthfiil ! But it is, I think, more 
likely from Germ, schmauseny to feast — schmausery a feaster. 
As great quantity and feasting are ya a pitman's glossary 
of taste quite synonymous, a smasher signifies necessarily 
something big, just as in the English idea of prettiness 
always including plumpness, the French joU becomes in 
English jolfy, 

Smatch. a slightly-unpleasant savour, " a twang." 

" I had only sweetened their lips, and left them a ematch of some 
honey in their moviih,"*—€hi8man, Part ii.t p. 157. 

Smeeth, to smooth. It is the ancient Saxon form of the 
word. 

Smelt, the fry of the salmon ; usually pronounced smoui. 
Sax. smelt, a smelt. Sardina piscis. Lye. See Sparling. 

Smiddy, a blacksmith's shop— a smithy. Sax. smiththa, fabri 
officina. Sw. smedia. Germ, schimdte, 

Smiddy-gum, the refuse of the smith's shop, the fragments 
struck off from the hot iron by the hammer. 

Smibk, Smirkle, to smile pleasantly, to laugh in the sleeve 
or secretly, but not satirically. Sax. smercian, subridere. 

Smit, Smittle, V, to infect. Sax. smittcm, Dan. smitte, — 
Shit, Smittle, s. infection. — Smittle, Smittlish, a, infec- 
tious, contagious. Dan. smitsam. Tout, smettelick. 

Smock, the under linen of a female. Sax. smoc. A good old 
word, though in the index expurgatorius of fashionable 
delicacy. In former days, gifts of land for the singular 
purpose of purchasing smocks for Nuns were not uncom- 
mon. The Nims of the Priory of Saint Bartholomew in 
Newcastle, about the time of Eang John, obtained a grant 
of this sort from Marmaduke de Tweng and Margaret his 
wife. Among the presents to Queen Elizabeth, we find 
^^a smock of fine Holland, and the bodies and sleeves 
wrought all over with black silk." As remarked by Fos- 
broke, this may appear to modem ideas an odd kind of 



> 



142 SMOC 

present ; bat a shirt, partly gilt, is mentioned by Bede as 
a present sent by the Pope to Edwin, an Anglo-Saxon 
king ; and Joinville observes, that shirts were presented to 
kings, as the first token of affection, because worn nearest 
to the body. 

Smock-race, a race run by females for a smock. These races 
were frequent in my recollection among the young coimtry 
wenches in the North. The prize, a fine Holland chemise, 
was usually decorated with ribbons. The sport is still 
continued at Newbum, a village near Newcastle, on As- 
cension-day. 

Smoor, to smother, to suffocate. Sax. smoran* Teut. smoo- 

ren. Common in Lancashire and Westmorland Mr. Todd 

says. It may be added, in Northumberland and Durham 

also. 

" Als I pray to the rude 

That Martin Luther, that fals lonn 
Black Bollinger, and Melancthoun, 

Had bene tmordU in their cnde." 

Lyndsay'a Three EstaitU. 

SouTHERLiCK, of a dusky complexion. A word used by 
Chaucer. 

Smoitch, to salute. An old word. V, Todd's Johnson. 

Smudge, v, to laugh in a clandestine or concealed manner. 
Ger. schmunzeln, to laugh in one's sleeve. 

Smudge, v, to bum without a flame, or any appearance of 
fire, except smoke. — Smudge or Smush, s, a sulphureous 
smell occasioned by smoke and dust — close suffocating air. 
Germ, schmutz, smut, dirt. 

Snaffle, to pilfer. " Ye snaffled that fra Meg." 

Snag, v, to hew or cut roughly with an axe. For etymology, 
see Todd's Johnson. I am informed that the trees drifted 
down by the Mississippi are classified as snaffSy mags, plan- 
ters, and sawyers. 

Snag, s, the part left on the tree affcer a branch is cut off. 

Snake-stones, petrified shell fish or ammonUes, resembling 
snakes coiled up, without heads, for which Whitby has long 



SNED 143 

been celebrated. They were supposed to have been real* 
snakes ; and the want of heads was no valid objection to 
the hypothesis, since monkish tradition alleged, that the 
whole race of serpents, by which the territory of Lady 
Hilda had been infested, were at once decapitated and pe- 
trified, through that good saint's prayers. V, Young's 
Geology of the Yorkshire Coast, p. 245 & seq. and the 
plates there referred to. 

'* They told how, in their convent cell, 
A Saxon princess once did dwell, 

The lovely Edelfled ; 
And how, of thousand snakes, each one 
Was changed into a coil cf stone, 

When holy Hilda prayed."— /Scott'tf Marmion. 

Snap, a small round cake of brittle gingerbread — Pliable to be 

snapped. 
Snap-apple, or Snack- apple, a kind of play. See Halle- e'en. 
Snape, to chide, to reprimand. Isl. sneipa, contumeM affi- 

cere. V. Todd's John, sneap, 
Snabl, V, to ensnare ; as to snarl hares. — Snarl, s, the snare 

itself, made of wire. " Snaryn or snarfyn, illaqueo." 

Prompt. Parv. 
Snarle, s. a hard knot. 
Snathe, to prune, to lop. Sax. snithcmy to cut. Swed. snida, 

to cut or carve in wood. See Sned. 
Snaw, snow. Pure Saxon. — Snaw-broth, melted snow. 
Snece, s, the latch or fastening of a door or gate. It is also 

used as a verb— ^o sneck the door, being to fasten it by a latch. 

Teut. snacken, captare. V. Ray. See 9th acceptation of 

Catch, in Todd's Johnson. 
Sneck-drawn, narrow-minded, covetous. V. Jam. sneck- 

drawer. 
Sned, v, to lop, to cut. " To sned sticks." Apparently the 

same as Snathe. Dut. sneeden, Teut, sniiden, and Germ. 

schneiden, cognate. 
Sned, s. the long shank or handle of a scythe. Sax. sntsd,—^ 

To Sned is a Hartlepool word for to catch. A boy fishing 



I 



144 SNEL 

at the Pier-end, exclaimed " Eh ! aw've snedded twee at a 
hand :" i, e, I have caught two fish on one line. 
Snell, sharp, keen, piercing ; as a sndl air. Teut. mely acer. 
Ital. snelloy brisk. " December fell, baith sharp and 
snelir 

** Sa hard anoy thaim then assayit, 
Off hungir, oai^ld, with schowris eneU 
That nane that lerys can weill it tell."— 2^ Brtue, 

SmsuL, a pitiful, sneaking, crow-trodden fellow. 

Sneulls, the internal lining of a sheep's nostrils. 

Snkw, snowed. " It snew all day." It is the old preterite, as 

used by Chaucer and other ancient writers. 

** It sjieued in his house of mete and drinke 
Of all deintees that men cond of thinke." 

Chaucer,— Fra7Meln*8 Prologue. 

Sneeze-horn, or Sneesh-horn, a conmion sort of snuff-box, 

made of the tip of a cow's horn. 
Snipter, to snuff up the nose, to sniff. Su.-Got. snyfsta, 
Snig, an eel. Hence, to sniggle^ to fish for eels. 
Sniffy, parsimonious, niggardly. Teut. snippen, resecare. 
Snirle, an iron instrument for holding a bull by the gristle of 

the nose. 
Snirt, v. to laugh suddenly and involuntarily. — Snirt, s, a 

suppressed laugh. V, Jam. Supp. 
Snithe, sharp, piercing, cutting ; applied to the wind. Sax. 

smthan^ secare. See Snell. 
Snivt, Sneavel, to speak through the nose, to sniff— to 

snuffle, Su.-Grot. vnyfsta, V, Ihre. 
Snivy, mean, covetous. Identical with Snippy. 
Snock-snarled, entangled, much twisted, curled up like hard 

twined worsted. Germ. knUpfmy a fastening^, and knorr, a 

knot — ^the fastening knotted. 
Snod, smooth, neat, even, trimmed. Sax. snidarty to cut. 

Applied to persons, it means sly, cunning, demure. ^* The 

snod fellow would kiss the lass if he could." 
Snoke, to smell, to pry about curiously, to look closely at 

anything, to ferret. Swed. moka^ insidiosd scrutari. Se- 



SODD 146 

renins. — Snoka % hvar wd, to thrust one's nose into eyerj 
comer. Widegren. 

Snood, or Sntjdoe, a fillet, a ribbon. Sax. SHod, vitta. Welsh^ 
ysnoden* Cornish, 9nod. 

Snobt, to laugh outright. — Snorting, laughing out. 

Snot, Snottt, a contemptuous epithet for an insignificant fel- 
low — a anoty mucus nasi. *^ What rich folks put in their 
pocket, and poor folks throw to the door.*' — ^North. 
riddle. 

Snot, used by the common people to designate the burnt 
wick of a candle — ^the snuff. 

Snotteb, «• to snivel, to sob or cry. Sax. Mj^n, — Snottbb, 
8* mucus nasi. Sax. anoU, Tuet. inot. 

SNunaB, a mean, sordid, and avaricious fellow. 

Soak, or Soke, the same privilege as Sucken, which see. Sax. 
900. V, Grose, soke. 

Soak, a small spot of marshy ground in which a spring rises, 
or which is kept moist during the winter by the action of 
water. Also used in Herefordshire. 

SoAM, a trace used in ploughing, generally of iron. It oc- 
curs in the inscription at Houghhead, in Roxburghshire, 
recording Habbie Hall's defence of his land against the 
Kerrs, quoted by Sir Walter Scott in his introduction to 
the Minstrelsy. Soam is also the name of a short rope by 
which the tnwi in a colliery is drawn. 

SoBBLE, to thrash, to beat. Probably a contraction of disable* 
It is a very common word among the pitmen. ^^ Aw'll sobbU 
thy body.'* 
Sock, a plough-share. Fr. soc. In Palsgrave, '^ soche of a 
plough" is defined ^^ sac de la cherue." See^ also, Cotgrave, 
soc d^une eharruS. See a good article upon the word in 
Jamieson. 
SoDDT, Soddent, heavy, sad. Perhaps from soddeuy the part* 
of seethcy boiled down, all the goodness taken out. — Sod- 
DBN-WHBAT, funuety, or, as it ought to be fp^%\\,yfrumerty ; 
a preparation of newly reaped com, which, reboiled with 

VOL. II. u 



14« SODS 

milk^ and a little sweetened, makes a pleasant and natri- 

tiye meal. 
SoDSy a primitiye saddle, used among comitrymen — made of 

coarse cloth, or skin, stuffed with straw. Saz. seod (pi. 

seodas) sacculos. Sc. soddis, sodds. 
Soft, moist, mild, open ; as applied to the weather. ^^ A 

soft day" — a mild damp day, threatening rain. ^^ A softly 

day." — ^Westmoreland. 
Soft, weak, foolish, innocent. 
Soil, the fry of the coal-fish, or colesay ; appearing in the 

riyer Tyne, at North Shields, about June. ^^ In a short 

time they increase to about fiye inches in length, when 

they are called hallan, and are caught near the shore in 

considerable numbers, with a smaU hook baited with a 

muscle. By September they increase to about a foot in 

length, and are then called poodlers,-— Rambles in North.^ 

p. 23. 
Solar, Soller, an upper room. An old word. See Glossary 

of proyincial words used in Herefordshire. 
Sole, the bottom of a waggon. 
Sole, the sur&ce of meadow ground ; if it be smooth and 

leyel it is said to haye a good sole. 
Solid, steady and serious. Used also in Gloucestershire and 

Herefordshire. 
Some, a coUectiye termination. *^The twee«(M»6"— *Hhe 

threesome." 
SoNCT, or Sonsy, pleasant, agreeable, engaging ; as applied 

to a person's looks. It may, as a literary friend supposes, 

be referred to Ital. concio ; though it is, perhaps, merely a 

corruption of Fr. sans soud. 
SoNCY, SoNSY, plump, fat, thriying — ^also lucky. ** A sonsy 

lass." Probably from Tuet. sanse, increase, prosperity. 



Todd. 



" But I've twa tonejf lasses, young and fair.'* 

Ramtaf. 
** Better be tonsy than soon np."— JV. C. Prov. 



I 



SOTT 147 

S00M9 the Northombrian pronunciation of swim. — Sooinuty a 

swimmer. ^* A top soomer.'* 
Soop, our Northern word for sweep. Su.-Got. sopa. 
SooPLE, s. the heayy end of a flail, the part which strikes the 

com. 
S00TH-FA8T9 true. 

" Myght he not make hia gnyne to growe and sede 
Within her brest, that was both mayd and wyfa 
Wherof is made the tooth fatt bread of lyfe." 

** Tharfor I wald fkyne set my will 
QifTmy wyt mycht suffice thartill 
To put in wryt a tuthfcut story"— The Bmee. 

S0BT9 a lot, a parcel, a number. ^* A sort of old wiyes." F. 
Jam. Supp. Archdeacon Nares is mistaken in thinking 
that the word is out of use. 

" Now Tengeanee light on all the tort, that better shold hare 
kept it,**— Gammtr Gurton't Needle, Act I., 8e. 3. 

" But like a tort of sheep dispersed farre." 

e^»enter,—Fairie Qutene, 

** They can see a tort of traitors here." 

Shak.,—King Richard III, 

" Gif that be trewe, the feind resave the tort." 

Lyndtay't Three Ettaitit, 

Soss, «. to lap like a dog. — Soss, 8, a call of dogs to their 
meat. ^^ Soss, houndis mete." Prompt. Parv. 

Soss, 8. a heayy, clumsy &11 ; the sound caused by the act of 
felling. See Souse. Dr. Jamieson refers to Ir. and Gael. 
aiaSy down, downwards. V, Supp. Ital. scossa, seems al- 
lied. 

" Cham fidne abrode to dyg and delve in water, myre and olaye 
Sotting and possing in the dorte styll from daye to daye." 

Cfammer Ourton*t Needle, Act I., 8e, 4. 

Soss, 8. puddle, any thing foul or muddy. *^ The beer's as 

thick as mm." F. Gael. Diet, sas; and Jam. mm. 
SoTTBBy to boil slowly, to simmer. Sax. seofhan. 



148 SOUG 

SouaRy V. to sigh, as the wind. 

** No preis of Grekis routis maid agast 
Ilka twoch of wynd, and every quhisper now." 

Dim(fi(Mi* JBni$id. 

Souk, the Northern form of suck. — Souking, sucking. V, 
Cray. Gloss. 

SouPLE, elastic — supple. Fr. simple, ^^ He's as soupU as an 
eel.'* — SoxTPLEJACK, a cane. 

SonB*DOGKEN, commou sorrel. Rumex (icetosa. Welsh, stiran, 

SouB-MiLK, butter milk. Swed. nur miolk, Widegren. 

Souse, v. to fall upon, to fall with violence. This common 
North country word is in Todd's Johnson, derived from 
Fr. sauSy or dessouSy down. With deference, I submit that 
it comes from nus^ the old French word for above or upon, 
for which they now use sitr, though still retained in some 
phrases ; as eaimr sas d quel qu^why to &11 upon one. The 
modem proposition dessm, upon or above, is only a com- 
pound of de and the old sus. Mr. Todd, I observe, in his 
2d. edition, prefers this etymology. See Diet, de I'Acad. 
sub voce mu ; and that is derived, perhaps, from Greek 
r^i , contracted from a-ltiy impetus ; at least this seems as 
likely as Murray's ^^ sursum, susum, «tM." 

Souse, s. a great thump, a severe fidl, a blow. 

Souse, «. the ear ; properly that of a pig. Hence, Souse, a 
dish composed of pig*s ears, &c. fried. 

Sow, by metonymy, an inelegant female, a dirty wench. 
The word in this reproachful and detestable sense, is much 
too common. The Danes have a corresponding term — en 
skiden soe, a nasty, greasy, stinking jade. Wollf. 

Sowings, a dish made by pouring boiling water upon oat- 
meal seeds, by which a fine meal is extracted, and then 
boiled. Perhaps, from sodden, the participle of seethe, to 
boil down. Sodden wheat is frumerty. 

Sow-kill, a kiln for burning lime, made by heaping up the 
limestones and coals, and covering them with sods, in dis- 
tinction from a regular built kiln. 



I 



SPAN 140 

SowTHEB, V, to solder. Fr. iouder, — Sowthbb, #. lolder, 
used by plmnben, braxien, &c. 

Sfaxsk, or Spak, the ancient preterite of speaks still in com- 
mon use in the North. 

Spait, Spats, Spbat, or Sptet, a great (aXL of rain, a torrent, 
a spent. Saz. sp^e, sipho, siphon. Teat, tpuyte. Gael. 
speidy a great flood, seems allied. 

Spals, Spail, Sptel, Spell, a chipping of wood, or splinter. 
Sn.-€rot. spictelly segmentum. Swed. spjMe^ a pale, a splint. 
Old £i^. tpaUy a chip. 

Spancel, a fetter, especially a rope to tie a cow's hinder 
legs. 

Spang, a measure by the hand expanded — manus expansa. 

Spang, v, to leap with elastic force, to spring. Grerm. spcM" 
nen, to extend. — Spang, s, a leap, a bound, a jmnp. 

Spang- AND-PUBLBY-Q9 a mode resorted to by boys, of mea- 
suring distances ; particularly at the game of marbles. — 
It means a space and something more pour le queue — ^the 
flourish a Frenchman makes with his pen at the end of a 
paragraph. 

Spanghbw, to throw with violence. The word is sometimes 
used to express a barbarous operation on the toad, a reptile 
to which rustics have a great antipathy. In performing it 
they rest one-half of a long wooden bar on a large step- 
ping stone, or over a cart, placing the toad at its extre- 
mity. A person, with a club, then strikes the unsupported 
end with all his force. The poor animal, in consequence, 
is driven into the air to an immense height ; and, falling to 
the ground, is bruised to a jelly. Toads, as observed by 
Dr. Willan, may perhaps do some slight injury in fields or 
gardens, but the above cruel practice is directed not so 
much against the animal as against its supposed inmate ; 
for the clowns imagine, that by the process they shall give 
a eaup de grace to a witch. A similar diversion, called 
fiUpping the toad, appears to be common with boys in War* 
wickshire and the adjoining counties. F. Boswell's Shak. 



160 SPAN 

Vol. XVII., p. 38. The same cruel sport prevails in 

Scotland. See Jam. Sapp. tpang-tctde, 
Spankeb, a taU active young person, one who walks with 

quickness and elasticity. Dan. gpankey a dignified gait ; 

or, as it is defined in Bay's Lexicon, ^^ to walk an Aid er- 

man's pace." 
Spankeb-eel, the lamprey. 

Spab, to dispute angrily. Germ, sperren, to resist, to op- 
pose. 
Spar, Spare, to shut, to close. A very common word in the 

North. Sax. sparrany to bar. Dan. sperre. Grerm. sperren. 

When the stede is stolen, sparre the stable dor. —SkeUon. 
" Orgayn unto the yatis he yade, 
But they war tperred ferly fiist 
With lokkes."— FeiMtin and Oatoin, 
** Lyke as the byrde within the cage inclosed 
The dore unspa/rredt his foe» the hawke, without, 
Twixt death and prison pitiously oppressed.*'— ITyot. 

Spar, A-spar, in a state of opposition. To set the legs a-spoTy 
to place them like the spars in a roof A. '^ I thought you 
were going to America, Thomas ?" " Aye, Sir, but our 
wife set her legs a-spary and nebody could mack her budge." 

Spark, to splash, to make foul with mud. '^ I've spdri^dmj 
boots." Elsewhere to sparkle. 

Sparliko, the smelt of the Thames, but not so of the Tyne ; 
occasionally caught in the latter river. Salmo eperUmus, 
Pennant derives it from French iperlan; but which is not 
satisfactory to Dr. Jamieson. Its Southern name is said 
to have been adopted from the peculiar scent of the fish, 
not unlike ciicwoaber--'Smell it. Its Grerman name is stinck^ 
fisch. See Smelt. 

Spart, a dwarf rush ; common on the Northern moors and 
wastes. Stipa tenacissima. LinnsBus. The Spaniards, 
who make it into ropes, call it esparto. Perhaps it is de. 
rived from Gr. o^u^r^i. Eurip. Phoen., or Lat. spartum. 

Sfartt-ground, ground wet, and with rushes here and there 
— such as are seen in sour pastures. 



I 



SPER 151 

Spate, Spbayb, to castrate, to spay; properly confined to 
the taking out of the ovaria from female animals. Lat. 
spadare. Germ, spadden. Welsh, dispaddu, V. Gael. 
Diet, spoth, 

Spean, Spaen, or Sfane, to wean a child, to deprive a crea- 
ture of its mother's milk. Germ, spenen. Young com is 
said to be speanedy when the saccharine, milky juice of its 
grain is exhausted, and it is obliged to depend on the nu- 
triment collected by its own roots. 

Speat-op-wet, a very heavy rain. See Spait. 

Speel, Speil, to climb, to clamber. Sc. speUy speil. 

** This bird I set upon ane branche me by 
Bot scho began to speiU richt spedilye." 

Lyndtay't Complaynt of the Papkigo. 

Spelder, to spell. Very common in Yorkshire. 

Spelk, a small splinter, a thatching stick. Sax. spelc, Teut. 
spalcke, Swed. spjMha, 

Spelk, a little, slender creature ; used as a term of reproach. 
The word is often applied contemptuously to a puny, ac- 
tive child — a mere splinter, 

Sfell-and-obe, a game. — Durham, In Yorkshire it is 
Spell- AND-NURB, or kntjb ; the ore^ or wooden ball, hav- 
ing been, perhaps, originally the knttrl, or knot of a tree. 
The spell is the instrument in which the ore is placed. 
See Trippit-and-coit. 

Spence, an inner apartment, a country parlour. Meaning a 

lardery or store-room, — ^this is a very old word ; from Fr. 

despence. V, Todd's Johnson. 

" Me thinketh they ben like Jo vinian. 
Fat as a whale, and walken as a swan ; 
Al yinolent as hotel in the spence.'* 

Chaucer t— The Sompnoure'e ToUe, 

Spebe, V. to ask, to enquire, to search. Sax. spyriariy investi- 
gare. Swed. spdrja, to ask, to question. Isl. spyria, in- 
vestigare, quserere. ^^ This terme [spere^ is far Northeme, 
and nat usyd in commyn speche." Palsgrave. See Spub, 
in Hunter's Glossary. 



152 SPER 

Sperb, 8, a screen across the lower end of a hall ; any parti- 
tion within the entrance of a room. 

Spetchel, a stone or spetchel dike is one made of stones laid 
in horizontal rows with a hed of thin turf between each of 
them. This fence will stand many years if well bnilt 
at first. In bnilding it, care should be taken to let each 
row of stones rest upon the joints of the row below. 

Spice, gingerbread. Grerm. speise, a mixture of different in- 
gredients. Fide Glossary to the Priory of Finchale vo. 
species. 

Spice, dried fruit. Hence, Spice-cake, a cake Ml of cur- 
rants ; and Spice-puddino, a plum-pudding. 

Spiddick-and-fawcett, a wooden instrument used as a sub- 
stitute for a cock to let out liquors. Spigot-and-faucet, 

Spile, a peg in a cask of liquor. Germ, speilery a skewer. — 
Spile-Hole, the receptacle for the same. 

Spile, to make a foundation in soft; or boggy ground ; as, for 
instance, for a bridge, by driving in spiles ; t. e. piles, or 
large pieces of timber ; probably from Su.-Got. spidle, 
lamina lignea. 

Spilling-the-salt, an ominous accident ; said to presage 
some future calamity ; particularly, I believe, a domestic 
feud — if it fall towards a person — ^bnt which may be 
averted by throwing a little of the Mien article over the 
left shoulder, into the fire. Major Moor asks, if the Latin 
or Greek classical authors make any mention of it ? Un- 
questionably. From Festus, we learn that to spill the salt 
at table was esteemed ominous ; and for the great care 
with which, on that accoimt, a family salt-cellar was 
always kept, we have the authority of Horace. Accord- 
ing to the well-known custom of our ancestors, they for- 
merly dined at long tables ; in the centre of which was 
placed a large, and often very magnificent, salt-cellar. It 
being a mark of distinction, whether persons sate above or 
below the salt, particular care was taken to place the 
guests in a situation suitable to their rank. It would seem 



SPUN 163 

that persons of superior station were sometimes placed 
below the barrier, in order to mortify them. 



" My proud lady 



Admits him to her table, marry, ever 

Beneath the ealt, and there he sits the subject 

Of her contempt and BeoTn."—Maaeingery — CHty Madam. 

Spink, a spark of fire or light. Identical with Spunk, which 

see. 
Spinny-wye, or Spinnywhy, a game among young persons in 

Newcastle. V. Brand's Pop. Antiq., Vol. II., p. 306. 
Sfital, Spittle, a corruption of the word hospital, and hay- 
ing the same signification. Su.-Got. spetal, Sc. spittle. 

The late Mr. Gifford endeavoured to distinguish between 

SpUcU and Spittle. V. Todd's John. Spittle. 
Spirt, Spurt, Splurt, to spit out, to eject from the mouth. 
Splay, to fasten down the edges of a seam — ^from display^ to 

spread out. 
Splint or Splent, an inferior coal ; a highly bituminous shale. 
Sponsible, worthy of credit in the world — responsible. 
Spbackle, to climb, to clamber. Isl. spriJbla, membra con- 

cntere. 
Sprao, lively, active, ingenious. Grose. V, Jam. Supp. 

sprack. 
Spreckled, streaked, speckled. Su.-Got. spreklot. 
Spree, sport, merriment, a frolic. Fr. esprit, spirit, vivacity. 
Spbbnt, bespattered, splashed with dirt. Sax. sprengan, 

spargere. Chaucer uses sprevnt. 

" O soden wo, that ever art successour 
To worldly blis, ^preint is with bittemesse, 
Th* ende of the joye of our worldly labour." 

The Mem ofLawe'e Tale, 

Spring, a growth of natural wood. 

Spunk, a spark, a small fire. Also a piece of wood dipped 
in brimstone — used as a match. 

Spunk, mettle, spirit, vivacity ; xi&Qdi figuratively for life. In 
the North, this is considered a good and very expressive 
word, though stated in Todd's Johnson to be a low and 

vol. II. X 



) 



156 STAN 

who has been thus treated, seldom recoyers his character 
in the opinion of his neighbours. When they cannot lay 
hold of the culprit himself, a boy mounts the stang ; but 
he is unmolested, though attended with the same tumul- 
tuous cries, if not with increased shouts of acclamation. 
The proxy yociferously proclaims, that it is not on his own 
account that he is thus treated, but on that of another per- 
son whose crime he names. I have been witness to pro- 
cessions of this kind myself. School boys are stctnged by 
the other scholars, for breaking, what they call, the rules 
or orders of the school. The ceremony is also resorted to, 
when a woman has gained an improper ascendancy over 
her husband, so as to make him bear every species of in- 
dignity. In this case, it is called '^ Riding the stang for a 
neighbour's wife ;" and a man is placed in the same un- 
easy situation as before described, so that he may be sup- 
posed to represent, or to sympathize with his henpecked 
friend, whose misery he sometimes laments in doggrel 
rhyme, applicable to the occasion. He is carried through 
the whole hamlet, with a view of exposing or shaming the 
yiraginous lady, and of thus preyenting further outrages 
on the person of her pitiable partner. This mark of dis- 
grace may be traced to very remote times. The Goths 
were wont to erect, what they called NidstOfeng^ or the 
pole of infamy, with the most dire imprecations against 
the person who was thought to deserve the punishment. 
He, who was subjected to this dishonour, was called Niding^ 
or the infamous ; being disqualified from ever giving evi- 
dence in any judicial matter. Eric, King of Norway, was 
compelled to fly from his dominions, so great was the ha- 
tred against him, for having been the means of inflicting 
this tremendous stigma on Egill Skallagrim, a celebrated 
Islandic bard. In Cumberland, it was a constant holiday 
custom, on Old Christmas Bay, to carry every man they 
could catch, on a stang^ and every woman, in a swiUy to a 
public-house, and fine them a pint of beer. 



STAY 167 

Stanget, a common North country name for a tailor. Obyi- 

oosly from the power of the needle. 
Stank, to sigh, to moan, to gasp for breath. Isl. and Su.- 

Got. stankay to pant for breath. Swed. stdnha. 
Stank, a wet ditch or boggy piece of ground. It is an old 

English word, in the sense of a pond, or dam of water. 
Stap, the stave of a tub. " To take a stap out of your bicker," 

implies, to humble you. Su.-Got. staafy a stave. 
Staple, a small shaft of a coal pit, generally connecting two 

seams. 
Sta&kino, quick ; as, ** he's going at a starking pace." 
Starn, a star in the heavens. MoD.-Got. staimo. Su.-Got. 

stiema. Sax., Teut., and Germ, st^gm, 
Stasne, a portion, used negatively, as, "De'il a stamcy* 

Devil a one, Devil a bit. 
Stabbish, powerful ; as medicine that is too much for the 

strength of the patient. Germ. Storrischy rough. 
Start, the tail, or handle of any thing. Sax. sieorty cauda. 
Stabtinos, in coal mining are openings between the winning 

headways (which see) cut through the intervening wall of 

coal. 
Statesman, a person possessing a landed estate — ^whether 

versed in the arts of government or not. Chmb, and West. 

See Laibd ; with which it is synonymous. 
Staud, cloyed, saturated, overloaded, fatigued. Properly 

staUedy surfeited. Some think it is the past participle of 

8t(n0f to cram— ^^otc^. 
Staul, Stall, to fill to a loathing, to surfeit. V. Jam. staw. 
Staup^ to lift the feet high, and tread heavily in walking. 

Grose. V, Jam. Snpp. 
Stavelling, or Stavebing, wandering about in an unsteady 

or uncertain manner ; as in the dark — stumbling. Swed. 

stapplttyy to stumble, to trip, to falter. 
Stay-leave, according to the custom and understanding of 

miners, and other persons conversant in coal mines, means 

a right in the coal owner of having a station, where he 



158 STEA 

may deposit his coals for the purpose of disposing of them to 
the purchaser. This place of deposit and yend is either 
at the pit mouth, or, when detached, it is, in the case of 
land-sale collieries, at some station by a highway ; and in 
the case of sea-sale collieries, at a staith, trunk, or spout, 
on some navigable river. 

Stead, Sted, Stid, a place, a farm house and offices. Sax. 
stedy stede, Su.-Got. stctd, locus, situs. Swed. stdlle. It 
is a common affix to names of places in the North. 

Stealt-clothes, an ancient game, still played at by boys. 
The little party divide themselves into two bands, drawing 
a line as the boundary of their respective territories ; and 
at equal distances from this line, deposit the hats, coats, 
or handkerchiefs of each in a heap. The game commences 
with a defiance, and then they make mutual incursions, 
each trying to seize and carry away some article from the 
other's store ; but if they are unfortunately caught in the 
attempt, they must not only restore the plunder, but re- 
main prisoners until one of their own party can make his 
way to them, and touch them. When all the things of 
the one party are transferred to the other's head-quarters 
the game is won. It is an active and even violent re- 
creation. See SCOTCH-AND-ENGLISH. 

Steck, a stop, a sticking place. ** To take the steck** — ^to be- 
come restive. 

Stee, or Stey, s. a ladder. Sax. stceger, gradus. Su.-Got. 
s^ey scalae. Dan. sti^e^ a ladder. The word is also used 
•adjectively for, very steep. Chaucer has ste^e^ to ascend, 

and sfye, with the same meaning, occurs in Palsgrave. 
" For a schor crag* hey and hidwouss 
Ranght to the se, doun fira the pass 
On athyr halff the montane was 
Swa combrowBS, hey, and gtay 
That it was hard to pass that way."— T^ Bruce, 
'* Somethnes we clamb o'er craggy mountains high, 
And sometimes stay'd on uglie braes of sand ; 
They were so stay that wonder was to see.*' 

Lady Culrods'i Brewm in PMterton's CoUectUm. 



STID 160 

Steek, to fasten, to close. Teut. stecjben, cl&ndeTe. Sax. j^i- 
ffean, to inclose. " Steek the heck" — fasten the door. 

" steek the stable door, when the steed's stowen." —N. C. Prov. 

** Kittle t'coal, and mak t'ingle shine ; 
Steek t'dere, and keep out t'swine."— Ct<m6. 

Steel or Stele, the wooden handle of a rake or pitch-fork. 

An old word. 
Steeping, very wet ; applied to a rain which steeps every 

thing. 
Steer, a three years old ox. Sax. styre^ siear. Germ, stier. 
Steg, a gander. Isl. steffffTy the male of birds, as well as of 

most quadmpeds. The word is applied ironically to a 

clownish fellow. " A stupid steg" 
Stell, Stelle, a large open drain in a marsh, a wide gat- 

ter of water. Dan. stetl^ steep ? 
Stell, a fold, or small inclosore for cattle. V, Jam. Supp. 
Stend, v. to strike, to walk with long strides. 

** Stawin came steppand in with stendis." 

Christ Kirk on the Oreen, 

Steno, a bar, a pole, a post. The pole of the old Northum- 
brian '^ drees" was called a sten^. The post on which the 
notorious William Winter (convicted at Newcastle in 1792) 
was gibbeted, on Whiskershields common, obtained the 
name of Winter's steng. Before his execution the place 
was called Steng Cross, from a cross with a tall shaft. 
Sten^ is a pure Saxon word. See Stang. 

Stent, grass for a season, a right of pasturage — a stint. 

Stew, a confusion. V. Grose ; and Todd's Johnson. 

Stick, a stand or combination among workmen ; generally in 
regard to wages — ^what is elsewhere called a strike ; cor- 
responding, with Sax. gestriCy strife, mutiny. 

Sticky-stack, a game among young people in running up the 
face or cut part of a hay stack, to try who can put in a 
stick the highest. 

Stiddy, Stithy, an anvil — used sometimes, but I think im- 



160 STIF 

properly, for the smith's shop. Isl. stedi, incus. Stithe, is 

old English. Shakspeare employs the word stithg^, in both 

senses ; and he also uses the verb to stithy, to employ an 

anyil. Ray has, among his Northern words, stith, strong, 

hard, which is pore Saxon ; but it is not now in use, that 

I am aware of, except in Scotland. 

" There was also Marti's de vision 
Th' armorer, and the bowyer, and the smith 
That forgeth sharpe swerdes on his stUh. 

Chaucer t— The KnighU's Tale. 

Stiff, wealthy. " He's a rare stijff' one" — ^he is immensely 

rich. 
Stilt, the handle of a plough. Sax. stele. V, Somner. 
Stime, Styme, the most indistinct, or the faintest form of any 

object — a glimpse, a whit. ** I cannot see a stime,*^ Sax. 

acimay fulgor. Welsh, ystumy figure, shape. 
Sting, to thatch ; as to sting a stack, to coyer or thatch a 

stack with straw or rushes ; — to repair thatch by thrusting 

portions of straw into the decayed parts, with a sting, or 

forked instrument for the purpose. 
Stint, h, to stop, to cease, to desist. Sax. stintan. 

* * Axe him thyself if thou not trowest me, 
Or else Hint a while and thou shall see.*' 

Chaiteer, —I7te Frier's Tale. 

" And pretty fool, it stinted and said— Aye." 

Shak.,— Romeo and JuUet. 

Stint, s, a limit, a quantity or allowance of anything. 

Stirk, Sturk, a yearling ox, or heifer. Sax. styrc, juyencus. 
See Stot. 

Stirrup-glass, parting drink taken with a friend ; literally, 
at the door on horseback — similar to the Irish duc-an-dur- 
ras. The expression may be referred to an old Northern 
custom of the landlord presenting a stirrup-cup to his 
guests for which no charge was made. 

Stitches, narrow ridges of land. 

Stive, strong, muscular. Sax. stife, durus. 



I 



STOO 161 

Stob, a stamp, a stake, a post. Teat. itMe^ truncos. 
Swed. stutbe^ the stomp of a tree. 

" Upon ane Hcb aeho lichtit on hir breUt ; 
The blade msehit out and echo cryit for ane preiBt" 

Lymbay, — Contplayntqfthe Papintfo. 

The gibbet near FerryhiU, a portion of which was stand- 
ing within my recollection, was constantly called Andrew 
MUUf Stcb, Mr. Sortees, who gives a detailed account of 
the prevailing traditions respecting the tragical catas- 
trophe which led to the execution of Mills, remarks, that 
the £^ was in a £Eur way of being pulled down piecemeal, 
under the efiPects of a belief in its efficacy as a charm against 
ague or tooth-ache. The value attached to any portion of 
a murderer's gibbet, in incantations, is well known. V, 
Surtees' Hist, of Durham, Vol. III., p. 281. 

Stob, metapJunicalfy^ an ignorant, stupid fellow. 

Stob-fbathebs, the short unfledged feathers that remain on a 
fowl alter it has been plucked. The synonymous terms in 
Tent, are stcppel-veder^ and stock-veder. V, Jamieson 
Supp. 

Stodge, to satiate. — Dur, 

Stomachy, easily o£Pended, reaentfal-^stamaehful, 

Stone-spitchil-dike, a raised earthen dike, £&ced with 
stones. 

Stock, twelve sheaves of com, ten of them being set up- 
right, and two, called hoodsy or hood-sheaves, placed on the 
top, to protect them from the wet. Tent, stook, meta, a 
heap. V. Jam. and Todd's John. 

Stoop, a post fisustened in the earth. Su.-Got. etolpe, fhl- 
erom. Lot, stupa. So. itai^. " A gate-«to<?p,"— a guide 
stoop. 

Stoob, dust in motion. — Stooey, dusty. Sax. sljyran, tur- 
bare, movere. Dut. stooren, to disturb. — Stooe also means 
a bustle ; as, aU in a stoor, all in a hurry. 



** Tet np he raise, the treuth to tell ye. 
And laid about him dints fUll door 



VOL. II. 



162 STOO 

His horsemen they rode stnrdilie 
And stade about him in that ttoure" 

Raid qf Vie Redenoirg. 

Stoorey, a mixture of warm beer and oatmeal with sugar — 
that which is stirred up. F*. Jam. Supp. st<mrum. 

Stop, to thrust ; e. g. to stop the poker into the fire ; to stop 
out your een — ^to put out your eyes. 

Stoppings, a barrier of plank, brick, or stone, filling up an 
excayation to give direction to a current of air in a coal 
mine. 

Store, estimation, regard, esteem. Dan. stoTy great. 

Storken, to strengthen, to stifPen. Germ, starlen, to 
strengthen. 

Storm, a &11 of snow — a long continuance of frost and snow. 
— Feeding-storm, such a fall of snow as indicates an ap- 
proaching storm of long continuance. The Lambing- 
STORM, and the Pee-wit, or Tuipfit-storm, are also spoken 
of; a coyer of snow frequently falling at the time. 

Storm-staid, delayed on a journey by reason of a storm, 

Stot, to rebound from the ground, to strike any elastic body 
so as to cause it to rebound. Dut. stttUen, to bounce, to 
rebound. — Stotting-ball, a rebounding ball. 

Stot, a young ox from one to four years old. Su.-Got. stutf 
juvencus. Dan. stud, an ox. " A Coldingham Roll (1360) 
proves that the stotters and its female juvenca were animals 
of three years old ; and that the sterctts and ferrdla 
were applied to those males and females which had only 
reached two years." — Bain^s North Ihtrhamypoffe 111, 
note Y. 

Stound, a small portion of time, a moment. Sax. stund* 
There are many cognates in the Northern languages. 

Stound, ». to ache, to smart, to be in pain. Isl, styn^ inge- 
mescere. — Stound, s, the sensation or first impression of 
sudden pain, arising from a knock or blow. 

Stow, to crop, to lop, to cut off. Su.-Got, styfuoa^ amputare. 

Stowbn, the participle passive of steal — stolen. Sc. stoton. 



STRE 103 

Stower, a hedge or other stake ; also an upright bar in the 
body of an open cart. Su.-Got- stoeTy pains. In old Latin 
charters estttariumy esiouarittm, / 

Strain, to link together ; expressive of the union of the sexes 
in the canine race. Sax. strynan, gignere, generare, pro- 
creare. F. Tooke, Vol. II., p. 289. 

Stramash, V, to beat, to bang, to break irreparably, to de- 
stroy. Ital. strammazaaref to fling down with force. 

Stramash, 8. a complete overthrow, with great breakage and 
confusion. '^ He made a sad stramctsh amang the pots and 
pans." Applied, metaphorically^ to a violent party contest, 
or to the disorder arising in a popular tumult or conmio- 
tion. Dr. Jamieson refers to Fr. estrama^ony a blow. 
There is a Latin word strummwnhy which Du Gauge explains 
to mean a skirmish. 

Stramf, to tread upon, to trample. Germ, strampfen. Sn.- 
Got. trampa. V. Wachter ; and Ihre. 

Strandt, restive, passionate, and contradictious. Germ. 
strandeny to run aground — ^to set the legs a-spar y if I may 
so translate it. See Spar. 

Strang, strong. Pure Saxon. Isl. strangr. Sw. streng. 

Strap, a cluster, a bunch ; as of onions or currants. 

Strapping, tall. — Strapper, a large man or woman. 

Stravaiging, Strayaging, strolling about ; generally in a 
bad sense. Isl. stravagarey to wander abroad. 

Streamers, the Northern lights. See Merry-dancers. 

Streb, Strea, Strew, provincial pronunciations of straw. 
Sax. slreay strey streow, Sc. strae, Chaucer writes it stre, 

** Of stre first there was laied many a lode." 

The Knighte*» Tale. 
** Ne how the fire was couched first with itre. 
And then with drie stickes-cloven a-thre."— i&. 

Streek, to stretch or expand, to lay out a corpse. Sax. 
Sax. gtreccany extendere. Swed. strdckay to stretch, to 
extend.— >Streeking-board, a board on which the limbs of 
a deceased person are stretched out and composed. 



I 



164 STRE 

Streek^ to measure com exactly, by passing a very straight 
piece of wood, called a ttreek or strHey oyer the top of the 
measure. Su,-Got, stiyka, S&T.ttraean, Germ, strekhen. 

Streeked-measube, exact measure — ^in opposition to heaped 
measure. 

Stretcher, an untruth ; a softer term for a falsehood. 

Strickle, an instrument used in whetting a scythe — that 
with which it is streeJted, or stroked, and usually attached 
to the end of its handle or pole. Sax. gtraeany straciany 
to stroke. This word differs yery little, either in name 
or use, from its etymon strigily a rubber or scraper. 
The use of the strigil has been frequently mistaken ; 
and in dictionaries the strigil equisonum is stated to be 
a currycomb, though, in fact, it is nothing more than a 
scraper, and used to remove profuse sweat and moisture. 
At the present day, in common stables, a piece of an old 
iron hoop is generally the substitute for the ancient 
strigil ; though blood horses, after running, are most 
frequently scraped with a piece of smooth flat wood, in 
shape not unlike a cooper's draw-knife. An excellent 
account of the form and use of the strigil is to be found in 
Battley's Antiquitates Ruterpinse, pag. 7G to 83. An en- 
graving of one is given in La Cabinet de la Bibliot. de 
Genevieve, Plate 2d., fig. 7 ; and in Jabes Hughes' transla- 
tion of Suetonius, page 127, London edit., 1717. 

Striddle, to straddle. — Striddle-legs, astride, cross-legged^ 

Strikkle, to spread by scattering, to besprinkle. 

Strip, to draw the after milking of a cow. — Strippings, the 
last part of the milking ; said to be richer than the rest — 
the strokings or afterings. 

Stroke, quantity ; as a great stroke of business. Meaning 
sway or influence, it is an old word. 

Strons, tenants who are bound to assist the lord in hunting, 
and turning the red deer on the tops of the mountains to 
the forest. NicoUon and Bum^ West* and Oumb, 

Strounoe, harsh, surly, morose. V, Jamieson. 



STY 165 

Stkunt, a sullen fit. To take the strunts, to be under the in- 
fluence of a pettish humour. — Struntt, petted^ out of 
humour. V, Jamieson. 

Stbunt, the tail or rump. — Struntt, any thing short or con- 
• tracted. Fr. estreinty shrunk up. V, Skinner, and Ray. 

Stubbed, grubbed up; metaphorically, ruined. Swed. stttb- 
big, cut off, curtailed. 

Studdt, a smith's anvil. See Stiddt, Stithy. 

*' Fling off their black daddies, 
Leftye hammers and «^tM2(2iM."— Song, Bonny OeatHders. 

Study, to astonish, to amaze. — Study, astonishment, amaze- 
ment. V. Cray. Gloss., 2d. edit. 

Stummeb, to stumble, to stagger. Isl. gtumra, coUabi. 

Stump, a heavy, thick-headed fellow. Germ, stvmpf. 

Stump, to put down, to pay ready money ; gtumpyour eashy 
being synonymous with down tnth your dust. It has ob- 
viously the same origin as on the nail — solvere super un- 
gnem. 

Stumps, a term for the legs. ^* Stir your gtumpa" V, Jam. 
Supp. 

Stupid, obstinate ; though possessing good talents. A per- 
son really stupid, is generally called soft. 

Sturdy, a disease in the head of cattle, especially sheep, by 
which the animal becomes stupified — ^a vertigo. Old Fr. 
estourdi, dizzy-headed. Teut. stooren, vertere. Gael. 
stuirdf a vertigo. 

Sturt, disturbance, vexation, complaint. Dan. ttyrte. 

'* And cast asyde all iturt and stryfe.'*— XyncZ^ay. 

Stut, to stammer, to stutter. An old word, still in general 
use. Stoty to rebound or reduplicate sounds, seems cog- 
nate. 

'* She spake somewhat thicke, 
Her fellowe did stummer and Hut, 
But she was a foule slut l"—8keU<m. 

Sty, a troublesome and painful swelling on the eye- lid. Sax. 
stipend. Great relief, if not a perfect cure, is supposed to 



1C6 STYT 

be efiFected by the application of a wedding ring nine times 
repeated. The use of talismanic rings, as a charm against 
diseases, appears to have been general, and in great esti- 
mation, in remote ages, and among many different nations. 
These rings were considered to be equally potent against 
the influence of demons ; and indeed against danger of 
every sort, but more especially the plagne. 
Sttth, foul air ; ft black suffocating damp in a colliery. 

" And oft a chilling damp or unctuoos mist, 
Loos'd from the crumbling cayems, issaes forth ; 
Stopping the springs of life."— Ja^o'« EdgehUL 

Subterraneous-passages. Near every ancient castle, cathe- 
dral, abbey, or hall, the common people have traditionary 
tales of underground (vaulted) roads, sometimes to great 
distances ; such as — ^from Newcastle to Tynemouth — ^from 
Tynemouth to Carlisle — ^from Hexham to Alnwick Castle 
— ^from Durham to Findchale Abbey, and other places. 
The interminable cavern, ending in hidden treasure, 
guarded by spell or wakeful demon, is another common 
topic of popular superstition, concerning which a variety 
of incredible stories have been fabricated. 

SucKEN, an exclusive privilege of grinding, or other jurisdic- 
tion attached to a mill ; the dues paid to the miller as a 
remuneration for grinding. Sax. socne, a liberty, privi- 
vilege, or franchise. Su.-Got. sokn, exactio rei judicatSB 
vel mulctSB. Dan. sogn, a parish or district ; and Swed. 
sockeny a parish, are allied. In England, in early times, 
all mills belonged to the lords of manors, by whom they 
were for the most part originally founded ; nor were the 
tenants, who owed service, permitted to grind except at 
such mills. In after ages, especially in districts where the 
population had increased, the obligation to grind at a par- 
ticular mill was felt to be a vexatious exaction. Hence 
the miller, who had so much in his power, was usually an 
obnoxious character. Mills also seem to form one of the 
principal heads of the law of Scotland ; where that extent 



i 



SWAI 167 

of ground, tbe tenants of whicli are bound to bring their 
grain to a particular mill, is called the sucken. The word 
is still retained in leases from the Bishop of Durham. See 
more on this subject in Tomlins' Law Diet. yo. thirktge, 

SuDDLE, or SuTTLE, to soil, to tamish — ^to stdly. Germ, sudeln. 
Swed. sudda, 

SuMF, a term of reproach — ^a fool. V, Jamieson, sumph. 

Summer-goose, the vulgar name for Gossamer ; which see. 

SuifP, SuMPH, a bog, a swamp, a miry pool. Su.-Got. and 
Dan. sump. — Sumpy, miry, dirty. Dan. sumpig. — Sumph, 
an epithet for a dirty person. It also means a secondary 
shaft in a mine. 

Sun. ^' Happy is the bride that the sun shines on," a popu- 
lar saying well known in Northumberland, meaning that 
sun-shine at a wedding is a sign of happiness in the mar- 
riage state to the bride. 

Sun-dance. It was formerly a custom, scrupulously ob- 
served, to rise early on Easter Sunday, and to go into the 
fields to see the sun dance, which, according to ancient 
tradition, it always does on this day. The practice, I have 
some reason to believe, is not yet entirely laid aside among 
those that have eyes for such things. Our ancestors deco- 
rated the churches with flowers, as emblems of resuscitation. 

Sunderland-fitter, a jocular term at cards for the knave of 
clubs. 

SuNKs, a rustic substitute for a saddle ; not unlike Sods ; 
which see. Dan. sengy a pad. 

SwAD, the pod or shell of peas, the husk of any kind of pulse. 
Skinner deduces the word from Sax. sweChan, fasciare ; 

hence to swaddle. 
SwAiR, or Swire, the descent of a hill. In the boundary be- 
tween England and Scotland, near the head of Reedsdale, 
there is a place called the Reedswire, which was the scene 
of a contest, in 1676, between the English and Scotch bor- 
derers, arising out of a quarrel between the wardens. Sir 
John Forster and Sir John Carmichael. 



168 SWAM 

SwAMiSH, SwEAMisu, shj^ awkwardlj bashful. Perhaps from 
tqueamishy to which it certainly bears an affinity 

Swanky, a strapping young country-man — an athletic, efficient 
labourer. Sax. gwaitf swangy a country swain ; from swin- 
ecm, to work, to labour. 

Swap, to exchange, to barter. Isl. skipta, mutare. V, Jam. 

SwAPE, V, to sweep. Sax. stDapan, yerrere. Isl. stoe^^ per- 
cutere. 

SwAPE, s, a long oar or stoeepy used in working a keel on the 
Tyne ; that at the stem acting as a rudder. Swappe^ to 
strike or throw down with yiolence, similar to the action of 
using the swape^ occurs in Chaucer. See the verb. 

SwAPE, an instrument used in spreading, or, as is commonly 
called, scalingy manure. 

SwARBLE, to climb up the bole of a tree by the muscular ac- 
tion of the arms, thighs, and legs — ^to suxtrm. 

SwAREY, useless, worthless. ^^ A sufarey Jack/* a useless fel- 
low. From y^tfcty idle, heavy, burdensome. 

SwARFE, to faint, to swoon. 

SwABTH, Swath, the apparition of a person, about to die. 

Ray says from Sax. swearty black, dark, pale, wan. See 

Waft. 

Swatch, v. to swathe, to swaddle. Sax. awedany to bind. 

Swatch, «. a pattern, a sample, a tally. V, H&jy swache, 

SwATTLE, to consume, to waste ; generally applied to fluids. 

SwEAL, V, to melt, to waste or blaze, to bum Away rapidly ; 
as a candle when exposed to the wind. Sax. nDdan, to 
bum. An old English word. — Swbal, s. a blaze, an en- 
larged flame. 

SwEABLE, or SwEEYEL-EYE, an eye with a particular cast. 

Sweat-cloth, a y&ry vulgar (though the classical Roman) 
name for a handkerchief; obviously the swat-clathy or su- 
dary of the Saxons. 

SwEDDLE, to swell. — SwEDDLED, swellcd or pufiFed out. 

Swede, or Swathe, a row of mown grass. See Hay-making. 

SwBEL, a sadden burst or stoell of laughter. 



I 



SWIL 1.69 

SwBEB, nnwillmg, backward, burdensome. Sax. 9wasr, V, 

Somner. 

" 0am heir, gossop, cum heir, cum heir, 
Your raikles lyfe ye sail repent 
Qnhen was ye w<mt to be sa weeitrf 
Stand still, and be obedient " 

Lyndtay*» Three Ettaitii. 

SWBETHBABT, V, tO COUrt, tO WOO. — SWEETHBARTINO, 8, COOTt- 

ship. 

Sweeties, confections, or sweetmeats, for children. 

SwEiGH, or SwEY, to poisc, to swing, to lean or incline to one 
side. Isl. sioeiffiay inclinare. Germ, schiffd^en, to moye. 
It appears to be the origin of the legitimate sway. 

SwELT, to broU, to swoon, to faint — sometimes to expire. — 
S WELTED, oyercome with heat and perspiration. Sax. 
swelttm, to die, seems the probable origin. Kilian gives a 
correspondent term in yet. Fland. — swelten, deficere, 
langnescere. I may add Swed. wdlta^ to starve with hun- 
ger, as allied. 

SwEBLB, to roll from side to side in walking. Tent, stneren, 
circomTolvere. It is also applied to express the meander- 
ing of a stream of water. A small nmner in Sandgate, 
Newcastle, was anciently called the Stoerle. 

SwEBLE, or SwiBLE, a twist in the hair; same as Calf- 

UCK. 

SwTDDEN, to scorch, to singe, to bum off the wool or nap. 

Ray writes it stoizzen, 
SwiDDEB, to doubt, to hesitate. Su.-Got. swaefwa^ fluctuare. 

Teut. stneren, yagari. — Swiddebs, doubt, hesitation. 
SWiG, a hearty draught. Stoi^, to drink heartily. 
Swill, a round basket of unpeeled willows ; generally car. 

ried on the head. Hence its Newcastle name, Kejfside um^ 

hrellay when reversed in wet weather. Probably from Sax. 

ceatoelly basket. 
Swill, to rinse, or wash out. Sax. stoUian, to wash. 
SwiLLiNOS, the washings of vessels given to swine — smlL Sax. 

smlgany to drink largely — ^to smll. 

VOL. II. z 



170 SWIN 

SwiNOEy to chastise^ to beat soundly. Sax. smngany flagel- 

lare^ castigare. It occurs in Two Gentlemen of Verona, 
Swingle or Swinoel^ that part of the flail which comes in 

contact with the com. 
SwiNOLE-TREE, a moveable piece of wood to which the traces 

of husbandry horses are fastened — ^the splinter bar. Tout. 

awingheleny vibrare. 
SwiNKED, oppressed, vexed, fatigued — ^literally worked. Sax. 

sunncany laborare, fatigari. Used in Peirs Ploughman; 

and several times by Chaucer. 

'* The ihridde he kepte clene for his drinke 
For all the night he shope him for to awinie 
In carying of the gold ont of that place. 

C7uitieer,—The Pardanere's Tale 

Swipe, to drink oflF to the very bottom. — Swipes, dregs. 
SwiPPER, nimble, quick. Sax. stoipany cito agere. V, Lye. 
Swire, Swyre, the hollow or defile near the summit of a hill. 

— North, V, Jam. swarcy stoire, stcyre; 2d sense. 
.Swirl, v, to whirl round, as a gust of wind sometimes does 

the dust, straws, and other light bodies. 
SwiRT, a syringe, a squirt. Su.-Got. squattay liquida effundere. 
SwiRTLE, to proceed with a moving motion like an eel. Su.- 

Got. swwrfwQy circumagere. 
Switch, to walk with a light quick step, to go with a sort of 

jerk. Su.-Got. swiga^ loco cedere. ** He switched by." 
Switched, to be hard pressed ; to be in difficulty. 
SwiTHER, to fear, to tremble. Apparently identical with 

SWIDDER. 

SwiTTERED, flooded. 

Sword-dance, a curious and ancient Christmas game or cus- 
tom ; still continued in many parts of the North, especially 
in the counties of Northumberland and Durham. It is 
fully described in Brand's Pop. Antiq., Vol. I., p. 400, & 
seq. There is also an interesting dissertation on the an- 
>cient English Morris Dance, introduced into these regions 
many centuries since by natives of Morocco, in the 2d vol. 
of Mr. Deuce's Illustrations of Shakspeare. 



TAIL 171 

SwupPLB, or SouPLE, the upper joint of a flail. Fr. soupU. 

supple ; or Isl. stoeipay to strike. In Cheshire, swippo. 
SrLESy the principal rafters of a house, or building. Isl. 

gillury tigni proceres latus jugentes. 

T. 

Tab, a strap. Sax. tasppe, tape, taenia lintia. 

Table, to board. To table with a person is to board with 

him, and is a common expression. 
Tack, v, to take. — Tack, s. a lease or farm — a taking* V, 

Co. Litt. 5 a. 
Tacke, endurance, lasting. 

" None of their lean carrion commodities, bnt one that may have 
some tacke and snbstance in it." — Qusman, 

Tacket, a small nail. " Used in Scotland." Todd's John- 
son. It is also in common use in the North of England. 

Tae, the toe ; according to the Scottish form. Sax. ta, 
Dan. tcM. 

Taed, T'yed, a toad. Sax. tade. Sc. taid, — Taed-red, 
T'ted-bed, the seed, or spawn of toads ; generally seen in 
a mass like a bunch of grapes. V, Bewick's iEsop, p. 
290. 

*' Hunger and thirst, insteid of meit and drink. 
And for thair cleithing taidU and scorpions." 

Lyndeay's Drefme. 

Tafft, a sort of candy made of boiled treacle thickened with 
flour. A company of young people often make it in a winter 
evening by way of amusement — called joining for tafy. 
Mr. Wilbraham derives the word from Fr. tafia^ or taffioity 
sugar and brandy made into cakes. Others think the pro- 
per spelling and pronunciation is toughy^ which explains 
itself. See Claoham. 

Tailor's-mense, a small portion left by way of good manners. 
In some parts of the North it is the custom for the village 
tailor to work at his customer's house, and to partake of 
the hospitality of the family board. On these occasions the 



172 TAIS 

best fare is inyariablj provided ; and the tailor, to show 
that he has had enough, generally leaves a little on his 
plate ; which is called tailor's mense ; perhaps pro mensd 
This term is also given to the cuttings sent home by such 
of the fraternity as do not labour under the old imputation 
of loving too much cabbage. 

TAiSTBBLy Tbstbil, a mischievous, ill-behaved boy. When 
applied to an adult, it is an expression of great contempt, 
equivalent to scoundrel. Perhaps only a variety of ktUs- 
trely or kestrel^ a bastard kind of hawk. 

Takk-off, to ridicule, to jeer — ^by means of mimicking. 
Dan. tage-een-afy a twin expression, to take one off. 

Taking, distress of mind ; as ^^ to be in a taJoing about some- 
thing." Also used in Herefordshire. 

Tale-pie, Tell-piet, a malicious informer — ^a tell-tale. 

Tano. To tang bees is to make a clatter in order to draw a 
swarm into the hive. An old word. 

Tano, Teno, v. to sting. — Tano, Teng, s, a sting, an acute 
pain. 

Tang, the pointed part of an instrument that is inserted in 
the haft, the tongue. Sax. tang, Swed. tSng. 

Tang, sea-weed. Su.-Got. and Swed. tang, alga marina. 

Tangino-naddeb, the large dragon-fly. See Fleeing-eather. 

Tang-o'-the-trump, identically, tongue of the gewgaw, or 
Scotch trump ; but, figwraiivelyj the active partner in a 
commercial firm — ^the principal person, or chief spokes- 
man, in any outbreaking of popular violence. Borders of 

Tank, a piece of deep water, natural or artificial. Willan. 
Tanteb, to quarrel, and Tantrums, fits of violent passion, 

may be both from tintimar, for which see Todd's John. 
Taplash, bad small beer, dregs. An old word, still in use. 
Tappt-lappt, as hard as you can ; applied to running. 
Tarn, a large pool, or small lake ; a very old Northern word. 

Isl. tiom, stagnum. Swed. tidm, a pool, standing water. 
Tat, to mat, to entangle. Su.-Got. tudda, intricare. 



TAWS 173 

Tate, or Ta'bt, a lock, or small quantity ; as of hair, wool, 
&c. V. Jamieson. 

<* At ilka tett of her horse's mane 
Hang fifty siller bells and nine." 

Ballad qf Thonuu the Bhymer, 

Tatbe, a potato. — Tatee-boole, a scarecrow in a potato 
field. 

Tateb-and-point, a repast consisting of a plentiftd enough 
dish of potatos, but where the meat is merely pointed alt — 
bj way of indulging the &ncy. They seem to improve 
upon this in the romantic regions of the Emerald Isle, vul- 
garly called the land of potatos. V, Memoirs of Captain 
Bock, p. 243. 

Tath, Tath-obass, profuse coarse grass that grows about the 
dung of animals ; on which a correspondent remarks, ^^ it 
is singular that every animal is fond of such grass, but the 
kind of animals by which the dung was dropped — a beauti- 
ful provision of Providence." An examination of the works 
of infinite power always reminds us of the benevolence 
with which it is combined. For etymology %ee Jamieson. 

Tathy-grass, short grass without seed, refuse grass. 8e9 
Tath. 

Tatteb-wallops, ragged clothes fiuttering in the wind. See 
y^hJOJOi^, The term is also applied to a female whoso 
dress and manners are indecorous. 

Tatty, matted. " A t<at^ pow." See Tat, and, I suspect, 
more immediately derived from Fr. iaUy fingered. 

Taving, «. irregular motion ; picking the bed clothes in 
febrile delirium. WiUan. V, Jamieson, taiver ; and 
Ray, tcme, 

Tawm, Tome, Tam, a fishing line. '^ A long twine tom^^ 
Apparently corrupted from team. But see Jam. Supp^ 
tome. 

Tawm, to £eJ1 gently asleep. ^^ He'll soon tawm over." Gael. 
tamh^ rest, edeep. V, Gael. Diet. 

Taws, a fair of taws, a leather strap used by schoolmasters 
for chastising children. Isl. ^ati^, lorum. F. Jam, tawia. 



174 TAYL 

Tatliob, or Teaylear, a tailor. Old "Eng.tafyotDre, '^ What 
mon aw flee te next, as the teaylear's lad said, when he had 
heen all day stitching a button hole." North. Prov, 

Tea, the one ; as ^^ tea hand" — ^the one hand. Sc. toe. 

Tea, toe. Germ, zehe, pronounced tsche, and that cormpted 
from Sax. ta ; so we have mixed the Saxon and German. 

Tbady, Teedy, weary, peevish, fretfiil. See Teethy, 

Teagle, an apparatus for raising weights ; a tackle, de- 
scribed in Yitruyius 10, 2, 1. 

Teangs, T'yengs, a pair of tongs. Sax. tan^an, forcipes. 
Tangs is an ancient form of spelling the word. 

Tearan, tearing. A tearan fellow is a rough, hot-headed 
person, who drives every thing before him, regardless of 
danger or of consequences. Teut. tieren, tumultuari. 

Teaye, to paw and sprawl about with the arms and legs. 
Grose. 

Ted, to dress hair and flax, as well as to spread abroad new- 
mown hay. V, Todd's John, and Jam. Supp. 

Tee, adv, too. A general Northern pronunciation. 

Tee, or Tie, a hair- rope with which to shackle cows in 
milking. 

Tee-draw, a place of resort, a house ; a place resorted to by 
idlers ; applied as well to a person as a place. 

Tee-fall, a mode of building in the penthouse form, to which 
the Northumbrians are wonderfully attached. For the 
benefit of the South-country reader, as well as to improve 
orthography, I shall adopt my late friend Mr. Cotes' sug- 
gestion, that this provincial word should be written rT-faU 
or T-fall, with the cross bar of the letter T reclining to de- 
note the peculiar form of the building. 

Teem, to pour out of one vessel into another. Isl. taemaf to 
empty. Swed. tdma, " Teem out the tea, hinnyJ* 

Teem, a brood of young ducks. Sax. team, offspring. 

Teeming-woman, a dame who is more prolific than every 
loving husband considers indispensably necessary to his 
happiness. Sax. team-full^ prole plenus, fcecundos. 



THAC 176 

Tben, v. to kindle, to light. " Teen the candle." West. V. 

Jamieson, teind ; and Wilb., tin. 
Teen, *. sorrow, injury. An old word ; used by many of 

our early writers. — Teen, a. angry. F". Lye, teon, 

** And Emelie him loveth so tendrely, 
And he hire serveth al so gentilly 
That never was ther no word hem betvene 
Of jalousie ne af non other tene" 

Chaucer,— The KnighU*8 Tale. 

Teedt, Teetht, cross, fretful, peevish ; generally spoken of 
children. The term has been viewed as having some con- 
nection with the teeth. V, Grose. See also Todd's John. 
techtf ; and Jam. teth. 

Tell, a tale. To hear telly to learn by report. 

Tell'd, for told. A corruption authorized by Spenser. 

Temse, t?. to sift. — Temse, s, a sieve of hair cloth, used in se- 
parating flour from bran, or fine flour from that of a coarser 
nature. See Timse. 

Tennel, to die away ; applied to trees. 

Tent, to observe — ^to tend or look to, to watch over. V, Ray. 

Tekr, v. to uncover ; as, ^^ to terr the thatch off a roof." See 

TiRL. 

Teugh, Tough, tedious, difficult. "A teugh journey." — 
^^ Teugh wark." Apparently, the original sense of the 
word. 

'* AI be ye mate it never sa twoeh»t 
To me your labour is in vain." 

3fr«. MaWjomd. The mourrUnff Maiden / 
quoted ly Tyrwhttt, 

Th, frequently changed into D ; as father, io fader; mother, 
to moder; Rothbury, to Rodburyy &c. Although the 
powers of th are generally given to the Saxon D and t5, 
yet there is little doubt that these letters were often used 
indiscriminately for D only. In German the cognate t 
in 'dixter and mutter is without the aspirate. 

Thack, thatch ; both as verb and substantive. Sax. thaccany 
to cover ; thacy a roof or covering for a house. The original 



1 



176 THAC 

meaning is straw or rashes; onr Saxon ancestors using 
no other covering for the roofis of their houses. The word 
is still retained in Yorkshire for a roof, of whatever kind. 
— Thackeb, a thatcher. 

'* Wi ae lock o' his govdenhair 
We'll theek our nest when it grows bare." 

BaUad qftht tuw Corbies. 

** Then said the lords of the host 
And so condnde least and most. 
That they would ever in honaea of thaeke 
Their lives lead and weare but black." 

Chaueer'8 Dreme, 

Thack-nail, a wooden pin or stob used in fiastening thatch 
to the roof of a building. 

Thaft, or Thoft, a-thwart ; the cross bench in a boat. 

Thabm, or THATRMy the small guts of an animal made into 
. cords, and used in spinning wheels. 

That, as an adverb of comparison. ^^ He's not that old." 

Thatadonnet, a good for nought, the devil. Is it, that 

^^adond** (Ft,) abandoned one? Mr. Ward says, it is 

^^ that that dows not." To dow, is to avail, to be useful. 

^^ Better be in with that adonnet than out." — Yorkshire 

paying. 

Thaut-Cake, or Thabf-cake, a cake made of unfermented 
dough— chiefly of rye and barley — trolled very thin, and 
baked hard. In some country kitchens these cakes are 
hung up in large quantities, with a pole run through the 
centre, similar to the manner of preserving bread in Swe- 
dish families, where they bake only once or twice in the 
whole year. An ingenious friend conjectures that we have 
the term from Sax. thearfar^y opus habere, necesse habere 
-^necessity cake, or cake made in urgent haste, as what 
used to be calied soldier's bread at the time when soldiers 
were quartered, during marches, on private families. But, 
according to Lye, derf-hrode^ is an old North of England 
expression, for unleavened bread. Sax. thcerfy vel thewrf 
panis azymus. Wiclif uses therf-lowm* 



THIE 177 

TflABFy cold, forbidding, shy. — Tharflt, denoting a cold re- 
ception—unfriendly. V, Somner, thraficm. 

Theak, Theek, thatch ; both as «. and s. Sax. theean, tegere 

•^hac, tectum. See Thack. 

" Wi ae lock o' his gowden hair. 
Well theek our nest when it grows bwe." 

BaOad (^the '< Twa CortHet.** 

** Then said the lordis of the host 
And so coneladid lest and most, 
That they would in housis of thaeke 
Ther lives lede and were but blacke." 

Chaueer't Dreme, 

Theakeb, Theeker, a thatcher. So the Latin theca, a 
sheath^ or covering ; and that, of course, from tfii»i}> which 
Varro derives from Tt6nph but is, much more probably, from 
the Saxon ; for thatching would be one of the earliest arts 
taught by those who taught both the Greeks and Romans. 
Hence, too, ** a theaMng anow^^* quietly but continuously 
Mling, BO as to cover thickly, as thatch does, a house. 

Theam, anciently the privilege of repossessing yourself of 
your native^ or bondmen, and their families and goods, 
wherever you might find them ; saving only, that if any 
one of your bondmen had lived for a year and a day in any 
privileged town, and had been received into its guild as a 
citizen, he was freed from villainage. See Glossary to 
Priory of Finchale, v. Theam ; and History of North 
Durham, Appendix, p. 106. 

The-day, for to-day. A Scotticism. V. Jam. Supp. tJ^e. 

Thee, the thigh. Sax. theoh. Old writers use thie, 

TheVd, towardly. Grose. V, Lye, theaw ; and Jam. thev)* 

Thick, intimate, familiar, on friendly terms. ^^ As timk as 
inkle weavers," said of great intimates — ^from the narrow- 
ness of the woof the weavers must sit close — close inti- 
mates. 

Thief-and-beaver-bell, the name given to the tolling of the 
great bell of St. Nicholas', Newcastle, which is rung at 8 
o'clock of the evening preceding every fair— as a sort of 

VOL. II. A a 



178 THIL 

ifwitixtian to all thieves <md rogues to enter that good town. 
See Reaver. 

Thill, the bottom stone of a coal seam. 

TniNK-ONy is either v, n, to remember ; or v. a, to remind ; to 
think sham, to be ashamed. 

Thihl, to pierce or stab, to perforate, to bore. Sax. thirUan. 
Thirl, in the old Northumberland dialect, means to bind 
or enthral. The word, as applied to places, occurs fre- 
quently in the North ; as Thirlwall Castle, Thirlstane, &c« 

" Whoso vol fleshye Inst forgon and hevene-blisse abyde. 
On Jhesu be his thoht anon, that tharled was ys side." 

Fr(ym, a Norman-Saxon Poem quoted in 
Warton, Vol L,p, 30. 
** AI were they sore yhurt, and namely one 
That with a spere was thirled his brest bone.*' 

Chaucer,— T7ie Knighte's Tale. 
Thirlaoe, the service of certain lands, the tenants of which 

are bound to take their com to grind at the lord's mill. 
Thivel, a smooth stick, used for various purposes of domes- 
tic economy ; especially for stirring hasty pudding. Sai. 
thyfely a stem or stalk. ^^ He's a queer stick to make a 
thivel of" — said of an awkward or wayward person. 
Thom, the thumb ; the true ancient orthography of that 

member of the hand, still retained in our ond language. 
Thole, to wait awhile. Su.-Got. tola, expectare. Also, to 
bear, to endure ; in which sense it may be derived from 
Swed. tSla, to su£Per. 

*' And if the kyng of that kyngdom 
Come in that tyme 
There f eloun tlwle sholde 
Deeth or oother jnwise."— Pier* Plowman, 
" So mochel wo as I have with yon thoUd.** 

Chaucer,— The Frere*8 Tale. 

** Quaharefore my freind thou mon retome agane 
And for thy sinnis be penence suffer pane 
And thole the deith with cruell panis sore. 
Or thow be dlgne to dwell into this glore." 

Lyndsap's Dreme, 

** He that has a good crop may thole some thistle9.~if. C. Prov, 



THRE 179 

Thonder, there, yonder. Sax. geondy geonda, 

Thout, Thought, a small portion, a little more or less. 

Thbalage, a state of pecuniary difficulty. 

Thrano, V, to press, to thrust, to squeeze. See Thrino. 

Thrano, «• a crowd, a throng — ^pressure of business. Pure 
Saxon. 

Thrano, a, crowded, much engaged, busily employed. 

Thrate, a certain number of sheaves of com, or bundles of 
straw; generally, I belieye, twenty-four — ^a quantity of 
straw, consisting of twelve fads^ or fauds. Sax. threaf. 
This word, as remarked by Mr. Singer in one of his notes 
to Hall's Satires, was often used metaphorically for a great 
number or huge collection of other objects. In this sense 
we may safely refer to Su.-Got. trafwe^ a heap of any kind. 
V. Ihre. 

Thraw, a pang, an agony. In the Deed Thraw, in articnlo 
mortis. Sax. ihrea^ afflictio, inflictio. 

Thraw, t?. to writhe, to twist — ^to turn. Sax. thrawan, tor- 
quere. — Thraw, s, a turner's lathe. 

Thrawcrooe, an instrument acting on a swivel, fastened to 
the waist by a strap for twisting ropes. 

Threap, v, to persist vehemently in assertion or argument, be 
it Wright or wrong — to aver pertinaciously in reply to de- 
nial. ^' 7%reap him down." Sax. threapiaUy redarguere. 

" Sol gold is, and Lnna silver ve threpe." 

ChaueeTf—The Chanane's Temanes'a Tale. 

** Itt's not for a man with a woman to threape^ 
Unless he first give o'er the plea.*' 

Ancient version of " Take thy old Cloak abotU thee.** 

Threap, a. disputed. — Threap-ground, property that is, or 
has been, in dispute — conterUionis terra. In 1774, an agree- 
ment was entered into for dividing land of this kind near 
Bamborough, in Northumberland, between Sir Henry Grey 
and the Trustees of Lord Crewe and others ; which was 
confirmed by an Act of Parliament passed in 1774. Pen- 
nant, in his Tours in Wales, gives a curious picture of a 



180 THRE 

noted common, called Threap-woody from time immemorial 
a place of refhge for the frail foir, who make it a tran- 
sient abode, clandestinely to be freed from the consequences 
of illicit love. V. Vol. I., p. 289. 
Thbeesum, consisting of three persons ; as ^^the threetum** 

« Bot it sa UtUe wes, that it 
Mycht our the watten bot thaeesum flyt.'* 

The Bruce. 

Thrimo, to thmsty to press, to squeeze. Sax. tknnffcm. 
Thrxst, thnist. 

** The fiend a fiister I micht gang, 
I micht not thritt oat throw the thrang." 

Lyndeay'e Three EetalHa. 

Thbodden, v» to make grow, to thrive. Hence, Thboddbn, 
and Thboddt, plump, fSat, well thriven. 

Thbome, or Thrum, any collection of short threads ; geno" 
rally the end of the warp in weaving. Norm. Fr. 
thrommes. The reader needs hardly be reminded of Bot- 
tom's passionate exclamation^- 

** O &tes, come, eome. 
Cat thread and thrum*" 

Throng, a press of business. It is the polite jMronnnciation 
of Thrang; which «€e. 

Thropple, the windpipe, the throat. Sc. thrapple, V. Jam* 

Throstle-cock, the song-thrush. Tardus mitsicus, Linn. 

Throw. To throw on thefire^ to make, or heap it up. 

Throwing-the-stocking, an odd sort of love divination, on 
the first evening of a wedding. After the bride has retired, 
and while she is undressing, she delivers one of her stock- 
ings to a female attendant, who throws it at random 
among the company assembled on this occasion. The per- 
son, on whom it happens to alight, will, it is supposed, be 
the next to enter into the blessed state of matrimony. 
Another, and more curious, though perhaps obsolete mode, 
was for the guests invited to repair to the bridal cham- 
ber, where it was customary for the happy pair to sit up 




THRU 181 

in bed, in fhll dress, ezclusiye of their shoes and stockings. 
One of the bride's maids then took the brid^room's stock- 
ing ; and, standing at the bottom of the bed with her back 
towards it, threw the stocking with the left hand over the 
right shoulder, aiming ai the face of the bridegroom. This 
was done by all the females in rotation. When any of 
ihem were so fortunate as to hit the object, it was a sign 
that they were soon to be married. The bride's stocking 
was thrown by young men at the bride in like manner ; 
from which a similar prognostic was taken. 
Thruff, Thrupf-stone (properly Thorough-stone), a large 
stone pat through the entire thickness of a peculiar species 
of dry stone wall, serving as a fence, with which the reader, 
if at aU acquainted with the north of England, is sure to 
be familiar. These walls being composed of fragments of 
all shapes and sizes laid together without mortar, the 
ihruffB are used as bond stones, and give them great sta- 
bility and firmness. Considering the nature and intract- 
ability of the material, the skill of the workman is often 
wonderfiil. These fences may be compared to Cyclopean 
walls in miniature. A much regretted gentleman of New- 
castle was accustomed, when claret and port wine were in 
dreulation together, to take every third glass of port 
which he fSncetiously called a thruff. 
Thkuffhstonb, a flat tomb stone. Sax. thruh^ locnlus, sar- 
cophagus. Lye. Sc. thruch-stcme, 
Thrtthble, or Thumble, to handle awkardly— to thumb. 
Thrummy Cap, the name of a sprite who occasionally figures 
in the fairy tales of Northumberland. He is mostly de- 
scribed as ^^ a queer-looking, little, auld man ;" and the 
scene of his exploits frequently is in the vaults and cel- 
lars of old castles. 
Thruntt, stout, robust, strong-built. ^^ A thrwnty fellow." 
Thrust, the crushing or grinding the sides of the coal pillars 
by the cover, when the pillars are insufficient ion its sup- 
port. 



182 THRU 

Thbusty^ thirsty. Sax. thurstig, 

** My soale for an/ii^ciishe is now fal thrusty 
I foint, I fftint right sore for hevines." 

Chaucer t— Lam, of Mary Mag. 

Thud, the noise of a fall, a heavy stroke— causing a dull 
and hollow sound. Sax. thoden^ turbo, noise, din. Somner. 

Thumpino, great, huge, large,; as a thumping bmm — ^also 
obvious, notorious ; as a thumping lie. 

Thunderbolt, a name given to the Belenmite. So called 
from its shape— resembling a dart. This singular fossil 
shell is very common in the rocks about Whitby ; but is 
rarely found entire. See Young's Hist, of Whitby, Vol. 
II., p. 782 ; and Geology of the Yorkshire Coast, by the 
same author, p. 256 & seq. 

Thunner, thunder. Sax. thuner, Dan. thorden, as Mr. 
Thomson remarks, signified the voice or din of Thor, and 
Goth, thardunur was Jupiter Tonans. Mr. Wilbraham 
has thunna^ 8. and v, 

Thur, Thor, these, those. Isl. theyr^ illi ; thcter^ illsB. Sc. 
thir, 

** Whae drives thir kyeJ gan Willie say.-— Janiie Teller. 

Thwaite, land grubbed up and cleared of wood for cultiva- 
tion — ^an assart. Norm. Fr. tvmte. The word, in the 
composition of local names, is very frequent in Cum- 
berland and Westmorland, and also in some parts of Lan- 
cashire. 

Thwart-saw, a cross-cut saw, used in sawing trees into 
lengths. 

Thwite, to cut, chip, or hack with a knife. See Whet. 

Thwittle, a kind of knife. Sax. hmtel. Our venerable 
poet, Chaucer, writes it thvjytel. See Whittle. 

Tibet, Isabella. We have all read of " Tibbie Fowler o' the 
glen," who had so many followers, that ^^ a' the lads were 
wooing at her.*' 

TiCE, to entice. Old English, tyce, in the same sense. 



TILL 183 

TiDy Mid, Misbrat, Carling, Palm, and PASTB-EochDAT, popu- 
lar names for Sundays in Lent. Three of them are obviously 
from the old Latin service, Te Deum, JUi Deus, Miserere^ 
mei. The rest elucidate themselves. 

TiDT, honest, well-disposed. A ^' tidy man/' a good sort of 
man. V, Jamieson, T^dy. 

Tied, obliged, compelled, sure, certain. ^'It's tied to be so'* 
— " I'm tied to go"—** He's tied to make money"—" He's 
tied to lose his way." 

Tie-pot, or Tte-top, a garland. 

TivFT-TAFFT, a difficult piece of work. In CraTen, an insig- 
nificant trifler. V, Crav. Gloss. 2d. edit. 

TiFLE, Tyfell, to entangle, to mix and knot threads toge- 
ther, to ruffle. Sax. twy-fyldauy duplicare. V, Jam. Supp. 
tvffle, 

Tift, a fit of anger, or rather the act of quarrelling, ill hu- 
mour. — TiFTY, ill-natured, petulant, quarrelsome. 

Tio, a slight touch ; as a mode of salutation— a play among 
children, on separating for the night, in which every one 
endeavours to get the last touch ; also called Last Bat. 

TiGOT-TOUCH-wooD, a play where children pursue each other, 
but are exempt (by the law of the game) from capture 
while touching wood. Like Tig, it probably means a slight 
connection, from Sax. tian^ ligare. 

Tike, or Tyke, a blunt or vulgar fellow — affording grounds 
of an unfavourable impression. Also a name for a dog. 
Tijky according to Mr. Steevens, is the Runick word for a 
little or worthless dog. 

"If yon can like, 
A Yorkshire tike." 
Carey t— The W<mder, an Honest Torkahireman. 

Till, to or unto. It is still quite common in many parts of 

Northumberland. Dan. Sw. and Isl. til, — Till and frae, 

to and fro. 

** Ther saw I Dane ytnmed tu a tree." 

Chatteert—The Knighte't Tale. 



184 TILL 

*' Hethene honnde he doth the ealle ; 
And or his dogter he give the tiUe 
Thyn herte blode he wolle spille 
And thi barrons alle." 

Eomanee of the Kyng qf Tart, quoted in 
Warton, Vol L» p, 192. 

Tiller, to send out shoots ; as wheat, Dur, Germ, theilen, 
to separate into parts. F. Jam. Snpp. 

TiMERsoME, TiMMEBsoME, fearM — timorous, Sc. timersome, 

TiMMEs, timber. So spelled in Skene's Lawes and Actes of 
Parliament. Swed. timmer, 

TiMSE, V. to sift. — TiMSE, 8. a sieve. Dnt. teems. Fr. ttnnis. 
Ital. tamiso. All, perhaps, from Lat. tympanum, stretched 
like a dmm, and that from Gr. rv9rr«r, to beat. 

Tine, to shut, to inclose. Sax. tyrum, claudere. — Tine, to 
lose. V, Jam. tiney tyne ; and Supp. tine, 

TiNO-TONO, the little bell of a church. Fr. tintouiny a ting- 
ling ; or Teut. tinghe-tangheny tintinare. ^^ The primary 
signification of ting-tongy^ an ingenious literary corres- 
pondent remarks, ^^ was only ezpressiye of the sound of a 
little bell — ^the sound of a large one being termed cUng^ 
dongy from its being more hollow. Ting-tong has, there- 
fore, by transference, come to signify the bell itself." 

*' The tingle tangle of the convent bells made fine mnsic." 

Aubreif, 

Tinkler, a tinker. Various extraordinary feats have been 

ascribed to our ancient tinkers. The noted Widl Allan 

was for many years king of this honourable profession in 

the North. He had a son, Jamie Allany the celebrated 

Northumberland piper, a still more enterprising yaga- 

bond, who, on the 13th November, 1810,under sentence of 

death, died in Durham Gaol, and whose relict, Ttbby Allany 

lived to the advanced age of 109, and died at Rothbury, 

on the 27th March, 1830. 

*' Nae mair hell scan wi* anxions eye, 
The sandy shores of winding Reed, 



TOAD 185 

Nae mair he'll tempt the flnny fry. 
The King o' Tinklers, Allan's dead !" 

Roxbyt—RtedvxUer Mirutrel. 

*' A boy of the Tiftklerg, of Byers Green, bur. 16th Oct., 1609." 

Regiater qfSt. Andrew's Auckland, 

TiNNELy to die away ; applied to trees. 

Tint, lost. JSee Tine. 

Tint-tiny, the proclamation when anything is found ; and 

the claimant answers— fi»fi»«^-i»t;»€^. Tine, to lose. See 

Tine. 
Tipple, to touch lightly. The game of trippit and coU is 

played either as " farrest batter," or " tippler saves," 
Tippy, smart, fine, modish — ^tip top. " Tippy Bob.** 
Tire, s, the iron hoop which surrounds a cart wheel. 
TiBL, to make a slight scratching noise — ^to turn oyer the 

leaves of a book quickly — ^to strip off a roof. Tirling, the 

unroofing of a house. 

" Whyles ranisin' like a roarin' lion. 
For prey a' holes and comers tryin', 
Whyles on the strong-wing'd tempest flyin', 
Tirling the kirks." 

Btmut— Address to the De*U. 

TiTE, soon, easily, well. — Tittek, sooner, rather, earlier. 
See AsTiTE, Asty ; and Jam. tyte. 

Titivate, to restore, to renovate— to make ^^ old things look 
as good as new," like '^ the renovators of old clothes," as they 
now style themselves. 

Titling, a small bird attendant on the cuckoo. Also, one 
who obsequiously follows another. Hence, the gowk and 
the tUling^ a ludicrous designation given to such duumviri. 

Titty, a diminutive of sister. " Black Titty Bet." 

Tiv, to. — Tiv-a-tee, just the thing, exactly — ^to a T. 

Toad-bit, a disease among cattle, absurdly imputed to the 
poison of toads ; and against which lustration by need-fire 
is employed. Dr. Willan mentions a recent instance of 
the practice, as occurring near Sedbergh, in Yorkshire. 

ToAB-UNDER-A-HARBow, a provcrbial saying of considerable 

VOL. II, B b 



186 TOCH 

antiquity ; meant to express the comparative situation of 
a poor fellow, whose wife, not satisfied with the mere hen- 
pecking of her helpmate, takes care that all the world shall 
witness the indignities she puts upon him ; or any other 
similar state of misery. ^^Ower mony maisters, ower 
mony maisters ! as the toad said when under the harrow, 
when every tooth gave him a tig." 

Tocher, dowry. See Tougher. 

Tod, a name for the fox. In consequence of what is said 
in Dr. Jamieson's Supplement, it is proper to mention 
that this word is in common use in Northumberland ; and 
that it was inadvertently omitted in transcribing the first 
edition of this Glossary for the press. 

" Birdifl hes thair nestis, and todU hes their den." 

LyTidsay'a Three Eetaitis. 
" He maun be seun up that cheats the todS—N. C. Prov. 

ToDDY, a mixture of whisky and warm water. — North, There 
is a tree in the East Indies from which a liquor called toddy 
is extracted. F. Herbert's Travel, p. 29. 

ToDLE, or Toddle, to totter, to walk unsteadily like a child. 

Germ, trotteln^ to totter. Swed. tuUa, to waddle. 

** TocUen hame, todlen hame, 
Couldna my loye come todlen hame V'—(M Scottish Song. 

ToD-LowREY, an expression used to frighten children. " My 
word, here's Tod-lowre^ coming.'* Sibbald, I observe, views 
it as the dreary or doleful fox, as he is still commonly call- 
ed, from Teut. treurighy masstus, dolens, dolendus. 

To-FALL, TwoFALL, or Teefall, a small building adjoining 
tOy and with the roof resting on, the wall of a larger one — 
a shed at the end of a farm house, in which are usually 
placed implements of agriculture. In the latter sense, 
however, it is often pronounced Touffa, Teut. toe-vallen^ 
adjungere se. See Tee-fall. 

Tommy, a little loaf. " A soldier^s tommy" 

Tommy-loach, a name given to the loach by boys. 

Tommy-noddy, the coulter-neb, or puffin. Alca arctica. This 



TOSS 187 

very singular bird breeds in yarious parts of our coasts, 

and in yarious situations. A few of them are yisitants of 

the Fame Islands, on the Northumberland coast, where 

they lay their eggs in old rabbit burrows. 
ToM-TEOT, candy made of treacle. Same as Taffy. 
Too, tOy shut, close. " Put the door too ?" — " It is too," Dut. 

toe. Is de dew toe ? V. Tooke on preposition To, Vol. I., 

p. 350. 
TooM, or Tbum, the participle of Teem, empty. Dan. tomme^ 

to empty. " A toom purse/' — " A teum cart." An old 

word, still in general use. 

" A town parse makes a blate merchant."— 2\r. C. Pr<nt. 

" Set on them lads 'quo Willie than, 
Fye lads set on them cmellie 
For ere they win the Retter ford 
Mony a toom saddle there sail be." 

Ballad of Jamie Te^er. 

TooBCAN, to wonder, or muse on what one means to do, 

Grose, from Ray. Dr. Jamieson refers to Isl. torkendr, 

notu difficilis item deformatus. Haldorson. 
ToozLE, or TouzLE, to pull about ; especially applied to any 

rough dalliance with a female. Totise is an old word for, 

to tear, to drag, to haul. 
Top, good, excellent. — Topper, any thing superior — a cle- 

yer, or extraordinary person ; but generally in an ironical 

sense. 
Top, the portion of a coal seam after the nicking and kirying 

processes are performed, left to be detached by the " shot." 
ToppENLY, in good health. " He's toppenly to-day." 
Topping, a tuft on the top of the head. 
TopsMAN, the head man or manager, the chief hind or bailiff. 
ToBFEL, or ToRFLE, to fouudor, to fall, to die. F. Jam. 
ToBMiT, or TuBMiT, a common pronunciation of turnip. 
Tosh, a projecting or unseemly tooth — a tusk. 
TossiCATED, TosTiCATBD, perplexed ; puzzled ; as if intoxi- 
cated. 



\ 



188 TOTE 

Tote, the whole. The whole totCy a common pleonasm. Lat. 

totus. Sc. tot, V, Jam. Supp. 
ToTEY, irritable, bad-tempered, ^c. toutie, " A totie bocfy,^' 
To-THB-FORE, alive, in being, forthcoming, in store. 
Touch, a feat or trick. '^ That's a clever tottch,'* 
Tout, the romp, the posterior. 

*' Off goth the skinne an hondbrede al abonte, 
The hote culter brenned so his toute." 

Chaucer,— The MiUere^e TaU. 

Touted, to be followed or pursued. 

TowoHER, a portion or dowry, dower. — Oumb, — Toker, in 
other places, means the same. F. Jam. tocher, 

TowLiNG, a mischievous amusement among the boys in New- 
castle, during the evenings of the horse-fairs. It consists 
of whipping up and down the different ^^ choice tit bits ** 
shown on those occasions, and, therefore, probably from 
tolleuy German, to be mad — ^maddening them — '^ setting 
them mad." It has been practised from time immemorial, 
and is, no doubt, the remains of some ancient custom 
connected with a toll exacted on horses so kept in the 
&ir. 

To-TEAB, a provincialism for this year ; as we say to-dc^^ to- 
night* 

Tbaike, 9. to drop the wings as do poultiy out of health. 

Traike, s, a sheep found dead, and salted for food. Germ. 
trcig^ slack — ^applied to the flabby flesh of '^ a sheep of Grod's 
killing." 

Traikt, Traikino, in a declining state of health. ** He's 
been traiking lang, poor man." F. Jam. traik. 

Tram, a small carriage onfoitr wheels — so distinguished from 
a sledge. It is used in coal mines to bring the coals from 
the hewers to the crane. The word is Gothic, and is ftilly 
explained in Callander's notes on the old poem of Christ's 
Kirk on the Green, p. 174. 

Tramp, a mechanic travelling in search of employment. 

Trampers, mendicants who traverse extensive tracts of coun- 



r 



J'RIF 189 

try — soliciting from door to door, and finding subsistence 
as they can, and lodgings where they may. 

Translators, cobblers who buy. o/e? boots and shoes and make 
them up anew for sale. The Castle Garth, in Newcastle, 
is the grand emporium of this learned and gentle craft, 

Transmogrift, to transform, to metamorphose. 

Trap, a door in the works of a coal pit to preserve the ven- 
tilation. 

Trapper, a boy whose business it is to attend to the trap- 
doors in a coal-mine. 

Trash, to tramp about with £fttigue. Swed. trasJta, to jog, 
to trudge. Sometimes, as a verb active, to harass. — 
Trashed, adjectively, is almost daily applied to a man, or 
beast, weary with travelling, or ill used by severe work — 
worn out. 

Treeksik, or Trewksin, three weeks since. — Lane. Lord 
Brougham, who communicated this word to me, says, it is 
not used in West, or Oumb. In the Cheshire dialect, they 
have threeweek for three weeks, making a singular substan- 
tive of it, as is customary in the vrordi fortnight. V. Wil- 
braham. 

Treet, a species of bran. See BYE-BooTiNas. 

Treenail^ a wood bolt or peg used in ship-building. The 
trenails of carts are the wooden pins round its sides. The 
Danes call a fence of pallisades a tre-mur, «. e. a wood 
wall. 

Tress, the frame of a table on which the moveable board, or 
leaf rests. 

Trew, a truce. Sax. treoway treowe. Hence, Trews, Trewes, 
the justiciary meetings before the Wardens of the Northern 
marches, to hear complaints and administer justice ; during 
which time there was a truce, or cessation of hostilities. 
V. Nicolson's Leges Marchiarum, passim. 

Tricky, artful, cunning. Full of trick^^^trickish. 

Trivlbd-corn, com that has fallen down, in single ears, 
mixed with standing com. 



190 TRIG 

Trio, true, faithful. 

** Fop Oeordy aw'd dee— for my loyalty's trig. 
And AW own he's a good leaken mannie ; 
Bat if wor Sir Matthew ye buss iy his wig, 
By gocks ! he wad leuk just as canny." 

Song, — Canny Newetuael. 

Trig, t?, to fill, to stuff.— Trig, a. full. F. Todd's John. 

Trig, neat, trim ; or rather tricked out, or what is called 
Jine» 

Trim, to chastise, to beat soundly. ** 1*11 trim your jacket." 

Trip, a small flock ; as of sheep. F. Jamieson. 

Trippit-and-coit, a game formerly known under the appel- 
lation of trippets. Newc, It is the same as tripcat in some 
of the southern counties. The trippit is a small piece of 
wood obtusely pointed — something like a shoe — hollow at 
one end, and having a tail a little elevated at the other, 
which is struck with the huckstich. The recreation is also 
called BucKSTicK-sPELL-AND-oRE. I was once inclined to 
think that the buckstick, being broad at one end like the 
hut of a guuy might be derived from Germ, huchse^ a fire- 
lock ; but the name is probably antecedent to firelocks ; 
and may, perhaps, be considered as the hough stick; i, e., 
flexible stick. F. Tooke, ad v. huxom, 

Trippit-and-rack. The same as Trippit-and-coit. 

Trist, Tryst, a fair or market for black cattle, horses, sheep, 
&c. — ^the appointed place of meeting for those who design 
to sell or buy. We have Long Framlington Tristy and 
Felton Trysty in Northumberland. Sc. tryst^ an appointed 
meeting. F. Jam. Supp. 

Trod, a beaten foot path through a field, a road. Sax. trody 
a path. Teut. trede^ vestigium. Isl. trod. When a thief 
escaped from Yorkshire, going northwards, it used to be 
said he had gone the Damton (Darlington) trod. 

Trod, a step in a stair-case. 

Troke, to barter — ^to truck. Fr. troquer^ to exchange. 

Trollibags, a vulgar term for tripe. The roll or complica- 
tion of the intestines. Germ. troUen, to roll. 



TUE 191 

TaoNiSy a steel-yard. Isl. trana^ gnis. Lat. trona. V, 
Fleta, Lib. 11., c. 12. Since the publication of the first 
edition of this work, it has been remarked to me, 
that trones is properly an instmment for weighing 
goods, usually applied, in contradistinction to steel-yard, 
to a little cylindrical machine, in which the compression 
of a spiral machine indicates the quantum of appended 
weight. Another correspondent says, " Tron is a very old 
word : the public Tron in the Grass Market in Edinburgh 
has been there for centuries ; but the spiral spring trones 
are a late invention." 

Trouble, a dislocation of the strata in a coal-mine. See 
Dike. 

Trows, a curious sort of double boat, which is used in spear- 
ing salmon in parts of a river where they cannot be taken 
with a net. See Rambles in North., p. 154. 

Truhph, a trump at cards. Swed. trumfy the winning card. 
Trump is but a corruption of triumph. 

Trunk, a small hoop-net, used by the fishermen of Holy 
Island for catching lobsters. 

Truthfu', truthfid, an excellent adjective, more expressive 
than any other cognate word ; yet quite local. 

TuBBER, a cant term for a cooper. A maker of tubs, 

TuE, to labour long, to work hard, to be fatigued by repeated 
or continued exertion. Fr. tuer^ se tuer, originally to kill ; 
but used also for, to fatigue or weary. J7 se ttte, he wearies 
himself ; or, in North country language, he tues himself. 
" Tuinff on"— toiling on, "-4 tuin^ life*' — a laborious 
life. "-4 tuing souV* — a hard working person. *^Sare 
tuei* — ^great difficulty in accomplishing any thing. " We 
have got here at last ; but we had a great tueJ* A London 
lady, once so addressed by a female from the county of 
Durham, mistook the great tue for some carriage peculiar 
to the North of England. 

Tub, to tumble about, to ruffle, to rumple. Sax. teogan, to 
tug. " Ye'll tue all my cap." 



192 TUEL 

TuELy a species of bantering ; or rather a tendency to 
squabble accompanied with it — any tronblesome inter- 
meddling. ^* Dirma haud me sic a tueP* — don't trouble 
me so. 

Tug, to rob, to destroy. Sax. tecffon. *^ To tug a nestJ* 

TuiFFiT, the lapwing, or plover. See Pbb-wit, Peez-wsep. 

TuiFFiT-LAND, cold, wet, bad land, only fit for the^tuiffit. 

TuM, to separate or card wool for the first time. Grose, 
firom Bay, says, to mix wool of different colours. 

TuMBLE-CABR, a cart drawn by a single horse ; probably so 
named from the axle being made fast in the wheels, and 
turning round with them. 

TuNDEB, tinder. Su.-Got. tundery fomes. F. Ihre. 

Tup, 8. a ram. Swed. tupp, a male, a cock. — Tup, v. to give 
the ram. Our great dramatic poet, who sometimes rather 
chose to be exact than delicate in his allusions, uses the 
verb, in a more extended sense, in the play of Othello, 
when the infernal lago announces to the old senator, Bra- 
bantio, the elopement of Desdemona; but the passage, 
though it is said by a French critic that it did not make 
Queen Elizabeth blush, is certainly too strongly marked 
with the taste of the time when Shakespeare wrote to 
warrant quotation here. 

TuRBOT, a common, though improper, name for the halibut. 

Tubmit, a turnip. Also used in Herefordshire, Gloucester- 
shire, and other counties. 

Tussle, or Tustle, a confused struggle. JSee Toozle. 

TwA, the vulgar pronunciation, in some places, of two ; ac- 
cording to the ancient Saxon form. 

Twang, a quick pull, a sudden seizure — ^a tweak, or twitch. 

Twang, a sudden paroxysm of pain — a pang. 

Twang, a slightly unpleasant taste. Spoken of anything 
which has an adventitious flavour. 

TwATTLE, 8, idle prate or chatter. Teut. 8chivatzen, 

TwATTLE, V, to pat, to make much of, to fondle. F. Grose. 

TwEA, two. Sax, tipa, — Twbasome, two in company. 




T'YAK 103 

Twee-faced, tuxhfaeedy deceitful. Sax. twea-feald, duplex. 
" A twee-faced chap." '• 

TwEB-FAUD, two-fold. In Northumberland, twee-£ftud, three- 
faud, four-£ftud, and fiye-faud, constantly occur, and I am 
not aware of any other number so expressed. Mr. Bou- 
cher gives instances of an-fcdd being used, but I never 
heard it in the North. 

" A male tweifold on his croper lay." 

Chaucer, — T%e Ouinone*8 Temanne's Prologu4, 

" He has broken three ribs in that ane's side 
But and his collar bane ; 
He '8 laid him ttoa-fald ower his steed ; 
Bade him carry the tidings hame." 

Border MinstrtUy, VoL I., p. 79. 

Twill, a quill — also a spool to wind yam upon. F. Ray. 
TwiLT, a quilt, or bed cover. F. Todd's Johnson, to twilL 
Twine, to cry. Probably a variation of whine ; which may 

be traced to Su.-Got. hmna, to mourn. — Twint, fretfiil, 

uneasy. 
TwiNTEB, a female sheep of ttoo winters old. Sax. twy-winter^ 

duos annos natus. The ancient Norwegians computed by 

winters ; and so did the Scotch in former times. 

" Fyne twinterU brinyt he, as was the gyis 
And als mony swine, and tydy gwyis." 

IkmgUu* Virgil, 

Twitch, to tie closely, to fasten so as to cause pain. Sax. 

twicdan. Twitch, s. an instrument applied to the nose of a 

vicious horse, to make it stand still during the process of 

shoeing. 
Twitch-bell, the ear-wig. From the forceps with which it 

is famished. 
TwiTTBB, to tremble, to be in a state of uneasiness. F. Ray. 

Germ, zittem, to shiver or quake. 
T'tak, to take. — T'yak-eftee, to imitate or resemble. " The 

bairns fyaJk efter their dad." — T' yak-up, to reform. " He'll 

fyak up^* — said of an extravagant, thoughtless person, likely 

to reform. 

VOL. II. c 



194 TWYS 

TwTsiLL, or TwizLE, l?wis*hilly a contraction for the ^^ Wise 
Hill. Hata-wyse-hilL" It was the moat hiU of South 
Xyndall. 

U. 

V^9 to feel abhorrence at, to create disgust. 
UosoME, disgusting, exciting abhorrence. The w(Mrd is derived 
from Sax. offa, fright ; whence tsfffy; i, e. vglike^ or fright^ 

like< 

** Ugtum to h6i*e was hir wyld eirische sloeik.'' 

tJ*H, H'm, or Umhih, an indifferent, careless manner of as- 
senting to what is said ; pronounced with the mouth shut, 
the last syllable short : very common in Newcastle. A 
literary friend suggests a deriyation from umphy asmbed 
satirically to the respectable Society of Friends. 

ITn, one— i^erring to an individual. *^ He's a real Ixtd un** 

Unbethink, to reflect ; often implying a change of opinion. 
F. WHbraham. 

Unbiddablb, unadvisable, uncounselable. A Scottish term. 

Unbgun, tp undress. 

Uncanny, giddy, careless, imprudent. It s also applied by 
the superstitious to one supposed to possess supernatural 
influence. Sc. ** no cann^.^* — Uncannily, awkwardly, un- 
thinkingly, thoughtlessly. 

Unchancy, unfortunate, also mischievous. 

Unoo, Unkbt, strange, unusual. Sax. wnewihy incognitus, 
alienus. Swed. oh&nd, 

" Daniel selde, Sire Vyng, 
This dremels bitokneth 
That unikoiMie knyghtes shul com0 
Thi kyngdom to cleyme."— Pier« PUneman, 

Unco, very, ** unco glad," very glad. 

Uncos, Unkits, Unkids, news, strange things. 

** I hear down at the Brough this day ye've been, 
Sae tell'B the unicoa that ye've heard or seen." 

Mi>ri8(m*8 Poemt* 



UNSP 196 

UNDBRCUMSTANDy to Understand. A mere yulgar change. 

Undight, nndressedy undecked. V, Todd's Johnson. 

Unforbidden, disobedient ; said of a child who is so. 

Unfbem'd, unkind. See Frbm, Frem'd. 

Ungeab, to unharness. *^ Ungear the yohe'^* — ^loose the horses. 

Unhonsst, dishonourable, dishonest, Fr. inhtmegie. Lat. 
kihcneitua. This is an old word, still in use in the North. 

Unletbs, diq>laoers or destroyers of the &rmer*s produce. 
V, Grose, unleed, or unlead, 

Unucked-cub, an ignorant, unpolished jouth. From the old 
stoiy of the bear's cub being bom a shapeless mass, which 
is licked into form b j the dam, according to those, who Sir 
Thomas Brownie says, give more credit unto Aristotle and 
Pliny than experience and their proper senses. F. Vulgar 
Errors, fol. 1650, p. 95. 

Unmacklt, ill-shapen, clumsy in appearance— ^mmo^eAl^tf. 

Unpossible, for impossible. In frequent use among the vul- 
gar in the North. Not in Johnson ; but Mr. Todd has 
given it a place in his valuable insertions* It is the genu- 
ine word, and well Mithorised. 

Uhrid, to rid. Here the particle is of no force.— Unrip, a 
common word in the North — authorised by some of our 
best writers — ^is similarly circumstanced* See the very 
amusing discourse on the difference between rip and unrip 
in that most delightful book— Walton's Angler. 

Unsnbcs, to open a dk>or by lifting up the mechy or latch* 

'* Tip-toe shetript it o*er ttie floof ; 
She drew the bar, wntnetH^d the door." 

JoMieaon's Pop. Bal. 

Unsonct, Unsonst, careless, luckless, unpleasant, disagree^ 

able. Sc. msonsie. See Sonct, or Sonst. 

Unspab, to open, to unclose. 

" * Saffire we,* seide Truthe : 
^ I here and see bothe 
How a spirit speketh to heHe 
And biddeth untpere the yates.' " 

Piers Plowman, 



196 UNTI 

** Lyke tm the byrde within the cage eneloaed, 
The door untpiurred, his foe the hawke without) 
Twixt death and priaon plteously oppressed."— TTyo^. 

Untidt, ill-disposed^ dishonest. See Tidt. 

Upbraid, to rise on the stomach, as well as to reproach. A 
gentleman has reminded me that repmm is the genteel 
word, if genteel can be about such a matter. 

Upcast, v. to upbraid. — Upcast, b, a taunt, reproach. An 
'^ upcast (pronounced upkestj shaft*' in a coal-mine, is one 
used to promote a circulation, or upward draft of air, 
by having a fire at the bottom, which produces a current 
of air by rare£Etction. 

Upcasting, a rising of the clouds above the horizon ; espe- 
cially as threatening rain. 

Uphad, Uphaud, Uphowd, to warrant, to engage to defend 
an opinion or assertion ; also to uphold against defects. 
Su. Got. vppehaeUe^ alimonia ; Isl. uphelke, sustentatio, 
sustentaculum, victualia. 

Uppish, lofty, aspiring, consequential, jealously proud, cap- 
tious. S\i,''Got. yppiff, superbu8,*vanus. Ihre. 

Upsides, even with, quits. To be upndes toUh any one, is to 

threaten vengeance for a real or supposed injury or affront. 

** I'll gee fyfteen shilling to thee cruickit carl. 
For a friend to him ye kythe to me ; 
Gin ye'll take me to the wicht Wallace, 
For uptidea wi 'm I mean to be." 

JamUMwCa Pop, Bal. 

Uftack, V, to comprehend, to understand. Swed. uptagaj to 
take up, to adopt. — Uptack, a, comprehension, under- 
standing. 

Ufwith, on an equal or superior footing — quit with. 

Urchin, a hedge-hog. Chaucer uses urchon, V. Nares. 
Jgnorant persons who attend to the keeping of cattle still 
believe in that very ancient prejudice of the hedge-hog's 
drawing milk from the udders of resting cows during the 
night, thus disappointing the milkmaid of the expected 
repletion of her morning pail. The smallness of its mouth 



VARD 197 

renders such an accusation utterly absurd ; but to reason 
with such people is like talking of the blessing of light 
to those who have the misfortune to be bom blind. 
It however is very fond of eggs, and does considerable 
mischief by destroying game during the breeding season. 
The hedge-hogy it is weU known, is a nocturnal animal, 
seeking food and society in the night ; but Shakspeare is 
probably the first writer who afifirms that it utters its pe- 
culiar cry at that time. See Titus Andronicus, Act II., 
Sc. 3. One of the witches in Macbeth also notices that 
** the hedge-pig whines*' at midnight. 

" Fnll grete he was, and blacke of hewe, 
Stozdie and hideona whoso him knewe ; 
Like sharp vrchont his heere was grow, 
His eyes red sparcling as fire glow." 

Cha\»eer-^RiyfnMMfU <:^ttu Bote. 

** I saw the v/rciheon and the hare 
In hidlings hirpling here and thair." 

Th€ Cherry o/ndthiSlaA, 

UiUB, the udder of a cow or sheep. See Yube. 

Ubled, stinted in growth. — Urlino, a dwarf. V, Ray. Sc. 

urhKh^ having a feeble and emaciated appearance, seems 

allied. But eee Jam. Supp. worUn. 
UssD, situated at a short or convenient distance for canying 

or leading. 

V. 

Vaoe, a journey, a voyage, Sc. tage, viage, w^age, Fr. 
voyagey denotes either a voyage or a journey. 

Vaig, to wander, to roam. Old Fr. vaguer, — ^Veiger, a wan- 
derer, a vagrant, a stroller. See Stbavagino. 

Vamp, to pawn any thing. 

VAMPEBy to vapour or swagger, to make an ostentatious ap- 
pearance. The nearest affinity I can trace is Welsh 
gtoempy splendid. But a friend prefers Ital. ovoompare, to 
blaze, to bum. 

Yardib, opinion, judgment. A corruption of verdid. 



198 VARM 

YABMEsrtf yennin — a term of reproach, particularly to a 
child. It is also a sort of cant word for knowiag ; as a 
varment chap, a knowing one. 

^▲SRA, Vaeby, Vubet, provincial pronunciations of very. 

Vast, eUiptically for vast deal — ^a great quantity or num- 
ber. ** A wut of news." " A wi$t of money." " A vcui of 
sheep.'' 

Vbitnel, a sewer, sink, or drain. Probably from kennel^ an 
open water course. The word is also commonly used for 
a narrow lane or passage from one plaee to uiother. Fr. 
vendle, petit rue. 

ViBWLY, sightly, good-looking, striking to view. 

ViEwsoME, striking, pleasant to the sight, handsome to be- 
hold. 

Vine-pencil, a black lead pencil. Perhaps from the ore 
being first embedded in viney as it is now in cedar-wood. 

Vibgin's-gabland. Many country churches in the North of 
England were adorned with these garlands ; in token, says 
Bourne, of esteem and love, Bind as an emblem of reward 
in the he&venly Church. They were made of vajriegated 
coloured paper, representing flowers, fastened to small 
sticks crossing each other at the top, and fix^d at the bot- 
tom by a circular hoop. From the centre was suspended 
the form of a woman's glove cut in white paper> on which 
the name and age of the party commemorated by these 
frail memorials were sometimes written. The custom, once 
probably very geueral, of placing flowers in the coffin with 
the deceased, is stUl preserved among our villagers. Gay, 
whose Pastorals represent the real rustic manners of his 
time, describes most exactly both the virgin's garland and 
the flower-strewing." There is, as remarked by Dr. Drake, 
something so strikiugly emblematic, so delightfully sooth- 
ing in these old rites, that though the prototype be proba- 
bly heathen, their disuse is to be regretted. The Bomans 
loved to keep alive the memory of their dead, showing 
therein a constancy of affection which does them honour ; 



WAD 199 

and not only immediately after the funeral, but at stated 
periods from time to time, they celebrated feasts, and of- 
fered sacrifices and libations to them.'* ^' Perfdmes and 
flowers were also thrown upon the tomb ; and the inex-^ 
pediency of wasting rich wines and precious oils on a cold 
stone and dead body, when they might be employed in 
comforting the living, was a favourite subject with the 
bons vivans of the age. It was with the same design to 
crown it with garlands, and honour it with libations, that 
Electra and Orestes met and recognized each other at their 
father's tomb. Roses were in especial request for this ser- 
vice, and lilies also." — Pompeiiy Vol, II, Indeed, all nations 
at different periods, seem to have delighted to deck the 
graves of their departed relatives with garlands of flowers- 
emblems at once of beauty and quick fading into death. 
The Greeks crowned the dead with flowers, and the mourn- 
ers wore them at the funeral ceremonies. 

VoiDEB, 8, a butler's tray. Fr. vuideTy to empty. 

VoKY, damp, moist, juicy. Wokie occurs in Peirs Plow- 
man. — ^VoKT, is also used in the sense of gay, cheerful. 

W. 

Wabble, v. to vacillate, to reel, to waver. Teut. taabelen, A 
large unwieldly fish is said to wabble in the water ; and 
growing com on a windy day likewise toMles,'^WABBLB, s, 
an unsteady rotatory motion. 

Wabster, a Northern term for a weaver. See Webster. 

Wad, black lead. — Ckmib, Nigricafahrilis, Pure Saxon. This 
ore has been erroneously supposed to be the pnigUu or 
melanteria of Dioscorides. 

Wad, woad used by dyers. Isatis tinctaria. Sax. to(zd. The 
ancient Britons were in the habit of staining their bodies 
with the juice of this plant, from a desire, by thus dis- 
tinguishing themselves in the field of battle, of inspiring 
confidence among their followers, and terror in the enemy. 



200 WAD 

Bat toad and wood, I am informed, are in Yorkshire differ- 
ent things ; tooad being the bine substitute for indigo ; and 
wad, the genista tinetoriay a yellow die. 
Wad, a pledge ; our early writers, both English and Scotch, 
spell it toed or wedde, which is the pore Saxon. 

" Thou Bhalt me leave snch a wtdde^ 
That I will have thy trouth on hand."— ^Totoer. 

" Let him beware, hia nekke beth to toedde,'* 

C7Mueer,—The Knighte*a TaU, 

Wad, the ynlgar word for would. " He wad come.'* 

Wadd, a forfeit ; especially in the game called wadds, or for- 
feits. Sax. wadf pignus. 

Wadb. The moon is said to wade when she seems as if toil- 
folly making her way through a succession of clouds, which 
flit rapidly past her. 

Wadkn, Waudbn, young and active — rigorous in limb. "A 
wauden lad** ^^ Wauden of her age.'* Isl. vaUdr, validus, 
potens. Wauden is more properly supple than vigorous ; 
though vigour be often the concomitant of suppleness. 

Waddleb-wife, the keeper of a register office for servants — 
a term, I believe, peculiar in Newautle* See Weddler- 

WOMAN. 

Wae-me! orWAE's-MEl an exclamation of sorrow frequently 
used by the vulgar, equivalent to tpoe is me — a pure Saxon 
expression — wa is me. In Scotland they have dawie an* 
wacy solitary and melancholy. 

Waff, an apparition in the exact resemblance of a person, 
supposed to be seen just before or soon after death. It is 
said to be commonly seen by a near relation or friend of 
the party, whose death it portends ; and it is stated to be 
sometimes seen, though the person whose death is thus 
announced be in a distant country. It may be from the 
airy form of the object ; a waft or transient view being 
called a waff; but see Jamieson, wraiih, I have conversed 
with well-educated people, who have gravely and unequi- 



WAIR 201 

vocally asserted that they have seen these spectral appear- 
ances of their deceased friends and relations. 

'* Thiddir went this wrayth or schado of Enee." 

Dougku' VirgU, 

WjiFVy 8. a slight motion of the hand ; a slight pnff of wind. 

Wapfle, to wave, to fluctaate. Identical with Wabblb. 
Sax. wqfiany yacillare. Tent, we^elen^ flactuare. Swed. 
wefUiy yibrare. 

Wapfler, the green sand-piper ; so called from its undulat- 
ing odd flight. 

Wag, to vibrate as the pendulum of a clock, to beckon with 
the hand — ^to shake. Sax. wagwn. — Wag-hands, to shake 
hands among Southrons, 

Wag-at-the-waw, Waggeb, a cheap wooden clock of Ger- 
man manufacture. Perhaps from the pendulum being seen 
wagging against the wall. 

Wage, pay for service. Literally gage^ bargain, engagement. 
Both Johnson and Nares say, that it is used only in the 
plural. In many parts of the North, however, the singular 
is in common use. 

" Paid to Tho. Jenkinson, clerk to the Churchwardens for thii 
yere'i ffee or roaigt^ 26«. %d.:*~BenerUy Pariah Accounts, 1603. 

Waipinger, an estray, a waif. Law Lat. wainum, 

** Somme serren the kyng 
And his silver tellen 
In cheker and in chauncelrie 
Ghalangen hise dettes 
Of Wardes and of Wardemotes, 
Wej/ves and streyves.^-^Piera Plotoman. 

Waiggle, «. to waddle, as a goose does in^^walkuig. Moes.- 

Got. wagicmy agitare. 
Wain, a cart or waggon drawn by oxen yoked by means of 

bows over their necks. 
Wairsh, Wearch, Werch, thin, watery, weak, insipid. It 

is also used to express a griping in the bowels. — Wairsh- 

BREAD, bread not sufficiently salted. Weerish is old in 

our language. V, Todd's Johnson. 

VOL. II. D d 



202 WAIT 

Wait, wot. Sax. wot ; from vjUan^ to know. 
Wait, to know, to be aware. Sax. wiUm. 

*' Thoeht fer ane qnhyll I man from you depart 
I vaaiJt my spreit sail remain in yonr hart" 

Lynd8ay'8 Three EstatUt. 

Waiter, or Waeteb, the Newcastle pronunciation of water. 
Sax. wester. The a and as were interchangeably used. V, 
Bosworth's Saxon Grammar, p. 51. The Borderers use 
the word in a peculiar sense to express a district, as 
^^ Coquet Water," meaning the country immediately ad- 
joining the Coquet. In the admirable ballad of ** Jamie 
Telfer," old Buccleugh says, 

'* Gar warn the water braid and wide ; 
Warn Wat o' Warden and his sons, 
Wi' them will Borthwick water ride." 

Wait te weel, know ye, be assured. 

" Bot wit ye toeU my hart was wounder sarye.** 

Lyndsay't Dreme, 

Waith, or Wraith, the spectral appearance of a person 
about to die, or recently dead. See Waff. V, Minstrelsy 
of Scottish Border, p. cxxxvi. 

Waits, musicians who parade and play by night in the 
streets about the time of Christmas and the new year ; 
originally watchmen or sentinels. One of the old towers, 
in Newcastle, was formerly called the Waits' Tower, and 
was the place of meeting of these itinerant musicians. 
They used to be the privileged minstrels at weddings and 
feasts. Their playing to Oliver Cromwell, while that ex- 
traordinary character was entertained at dinner, on his 
route to or from Scotland, is stUl traditionally remembered. 
The term would seem to be derived from Moe.-Got. waAts, 
vigilia, excubisB ; these waits being anciently viewed as a 
sort of watchmen. Wait is explained in Prompt. Parv., 
speculator, vigil. So, in old French, timte is garde, sen- 
tinelle. See etymology and explanation in Todd's John- 
son, Waits. 



WALL 203 

Wake, «. to watch by a corpse, to sit up with a person all 

night. See Lake-wake, or Lyke-wake. 
Wake, s. a country feast, a rural fair. See Hutchinson's 

History of North., Vol. II., p. 26 ; Brand's Pop. Antiq., 

Vol. I., p. 422 ; and Herrick's Hesperides, p. 300, 801. 
Wake, a. weak. Sax, wcec, " As wake as water." 
Wala-wa, interj. alas. Sax. wekt-was. Su.-Got. proh- 

dolor. 

** Deves (deaf) godes ant dombe, he serrid nit and day, 
So deden mony othere that singeth toelaway." 

From a Saxon Poem qf the Life qf St, Margartt, 
printed in Hicks, 

** Alas, Cnstance, thou hast no champion, 
Ne fighten canst thou not, so toala toa." 

Chaucer,— The Man qfLawe'a Tale. 

" Now nowther gretest Juno, toaU away I 
Nor Satumns son hie Jupiter with just ene 
Has our quarell considerit, na ouer sene." 

DougUu' Virgil, 

Wale, Wail, Weal, v, to select, to choose, to sort. Su.- 
Got. wdljay eligere. Swed. vdlja, to choose. Germ. 
wahleHy to pick out. 

" With similitudes semelie he dois declair 
With weille toaiUii wordis, wyse and familiar." 

Charteria' Character qf Lyndaay. 

Wale, s. choice, hest part. Su.-Got. wal^ electio. Dan. 
valg. choice. 

" Anld Bob Morris that wins in yon glen, 
He's the king of good fellows, and waU of auld men." 

Riteon'a Scots Songs, Vol I., p, 176. 

Walk-mill, a fulling-mill. Germ, walhnuhle. Before the 
introduction of machinery it was customary to use the feet 
in fulling cloth. The Fidlers and Dyers of Newcastle were 
anciently called Walkers. " Wend to the walk mylne 
Ordinary, 1477. 

Wall, Walle, Wallup, to hoil. Teut. wallen, Su.-Got. 
UKtella. 

Wall-eted. In those parts of the North, with which I am 



99 



204 WALL 

best acqaaintedy persons are said to be toaU-eped^ wben tbcf 
wbite of the eye is very large, and to one side. On the 
Borders, ^^sicfolks^* are considered unlucky. The term is 
also occasionally applied to horses with similar eyes, though 
its more general acceptation seems to be when the iris of 
the eye is white, or of a very pale colour. A wall-^ed 
horse sees perfectly well. The author of the Cray. Gloss, 
explains watt-een^ to mean white or green eyes ; and does 
not consider the etymology very satisfactory, either in 
Nares or Todd. Their ideas certainly are at variance with 
the Northern signification of the word. Grose defines it, 
^^ an eye with little or no sight, all white like a plaistered 

waU.'* 

" The beast was sturdy, large and tall, 
With mouth of meal and eyes of toaXW—Evd^Xynu. 

V^jlLlov, to move quickly and with much agitation of the 
body or clothes. Teut. wal-oppe, cursus gradarius. The 
word is also applied to any thing moving quickly in boiling 
water — ^to bubble up ; in which sense it may be referred 
to Sax. weaUan, to boil. Germ, wallen, to move up and 
down as in ebullition. Isl. wella, to bubble up. Whence 
the potwallopers of the Cornish boroughs — ^those seductions 
of power too tempting for patriotism to resist — ^take their 
title. 

Walloping, doing a thing in a slatternly, slovenly manner. 

Wallow, insipid, nauseous. See Welsh. Also Waibsh. 

Walls, excavations in a colliery six feet wide, which run 
parallel to the winning headways, and intersect the boards 
at the interval of about twenty yards. 

Walls-end, a name extensively used for Newcastle coals. 
Walls-end, in Northumberland (deriving its name from 
being at the end of the Roman Wall), is a village about 
three miles east of Newcastle upon Tyne. The coals ob- 
tained from this place being at one time of the most valu- 
able description, and meeting with a ready sale at enor- 
mous prices, other coalowners began to append to the 



WANG 205 

names of their coals the favourite term of Walls-end, no 
matter from whence they came, and the fact is, that, at 
the present time, coals of every quality, shipped in the 
Tyne, Wear, and Tees, hear that name, without the least 
connection with Walls-end colliery, whose coals alone are 
properly entitled to he called Walls-end. 

Wallup, ». to beat. — ^Wallup, s, a blow. Rather, perhaps, 
Whallup ; from whealy the mark of a blow. 

Walluping, strong, athletic. " A great walluping chap." 

Walm, V, to seethe or boil. F. Wilbraham. — Walm, s, a 
slight boiling. Willan. 

Walt, to totter, to lean one way, to overthrow. V, Jam. 
welt. 

Wame, the stomach, the belly. Moe.-Got. wamibay uterus. 
Sax. wamby venter ; whence womb. — Wame-ill, an ache or 
pain in the intestines. Sax. wamb-adly dolor ventris. 

Wame-ftj', a bellyfull. 

" Than the fowll monster Gluttony 
Of vHvme insasiable and greedy 

To daunce syn did him dress."-— Dun&ar'^ Dawnoe, 



" Gif ye wald travail fra toun to tonn 
'* I think this hude and he vie goun 



*' Will hold yonr toamJbe over warme." 

Lyndsay'B Three EHaitU, 

Wame-towe, a belly-band or girth, going from shaft; to shaft 

beneath the belly of the animal. 
Wan, a corruption of wand. " A yard-wan.** — " A mill' 

wcm.** 
Wanchanct, unlucky — applied in Northumberland to a mis- 
chievous boy or girl. In a somewhat different sense Bums 
has 

" Wae worth the man wha first did shape 
That vile vxmchancie thing— a rape ! 

Wandle, Wannel, supple, pliant — ^when spoken of a per- 
son, agile, nimble. — ^Wandy, long and flexible ; like a 
wcmd. 

Wang-tooth, dens molaris. Pure Saxon. It is the catch, or 



206 WANI 

ybfi^-tooth ; vxmgy or wung^ being to catch, or fcmg. In- 
fangthefy and OM^/^tn^A^/^^ancient privileges of trying 
thieves, canght in or out of the jurisdiction — may be re- 
ferred to the same source. So, perhaps, may the name of 
Mrs. Quickly's bailiff. ^^Good Master Fang^ hold him 
sure.** 2d. Part King Henry IV. — Before the use of seals, 
according to Verstegan, persons passing deeds bit the wax 
with the wcmg-toath. He quotes part of a supposed grant, 
in verse, from William I., the whole of which is given by 
Lewis, in his Dissertation on the Antiquity and Use of 
Seals in England, p. 19. 

" In witnes of the sothe, 
Ich han biten this wax with my wang-tothe" 

But there can be no doubt that this pretended metrical 
character is a gross and impudent forgery, since it repre- 
sents the Norman Conqueror as making a grant in English 
before the language existed. In Chaucer we find the word 
in the plural, 

*' Onr manciple I hope he wol be ded, 
Swa werkes ay the wanges in his hed." 

The Iteeve*8 Tale. 

Wanion, vengeance. Not noticed by Todd or Jamieson. 
It seems tantamount to " with a vengeance," and is 
used in Durham. Is it from Germ, wohnen, to insult ? 
which is the origin of ffoniy in the motto on the Gar- 
ter — and of the modem French hontey and not the nonsense 
of Menage. Wanton may be only a corruption of ven- 
geance in the Townley Mysteries, p. 29 (published by the 
Surtees Society, 1836). 

** He would have battered the Presbyterian spirit out of him with 
a w<mi<m"—8cott't Woodstock, Vol IV., p. 122. 

Wanklb, Wankklly, uncertain, variable. In our northern 
climate, so remarkable for not knowing its own mind, the 
weather, when unfixed *^ in its resolve," is said to be wan- 
kUy or tponkelfy. Sax. wancoly instabilis, vacillans. Germ 



WAR-D 207 

wankeriy to change. The word also means weak, looee, 

unsteady. 

'* But, Thomas, truly I thee say, 
This world is wondir tDankel."—B€Ul<id qf True Thomat. 

Want, v, to do without, to spare. " Lend me your specta- 
cles ?" ^^ I cannot want them." Sometimes, not to have 
had; as a mother will say, her ''child wants the small 
pox. 

Want, s. Therms a want ; implying a mental imbecility. 

Want, the mole. 

*' Lord Redesdale, however, thinks that the three moles in the 
Mitford arms were probably taken from the river on which Mit- 
ford stands— the WamhMk^ or MoU*» river ; for the low grounds 
on the banks of the river are to this day remarkably full of 
moles, and the voavO. is a common name for the mole in many 
parts of the North." 

Hodg8<m*8 Northumberland ^ Pt. II., Vol. II. p. 86. 

Wanwbard, a profligate — a graceless, or tmworthy person. 

Wanworth, a thing of little value, a worthless person. Su.- 

Got. Wanwoerda, dehonestare. V. Ihre vo. worda. 

*• Worlin wanworth, I warn thee it is written." 

Dunbar's Evergreen. 

Wapper, or Whappkr, any thing large ; both in a literal 
and metaphorical sense. See Whacking ; and Whacker. 

War, worse. Su.-Got. warre, Dan. vasrre. Sax. woerre, 
Sc. waur, " War and war** — worse and worse. 

War, take care, beware. " War below,** Sax. toariany 
cayere. 

Warble, a sort of worm that breeds in cattle — a swelling 
on the back of an animal. Insects are in the habit of 
depositing their eggs upon cattle. Wherever they punc- 
ture the skin for this purpose, a small knot or warble arises, 
which serves for the nidus of the young insect so long as 
it continues in its worm state, and gives great pain to the 
animal. Dr. Jamieson derives the term from Sax. wear, 
weer, a knot or bunch. 

War-day, every day in the week except Sunday — working- 
day. 



208 WARD 

Warden (Lord), an officer of high rank on the Borders, 
whose authority was partly military and partly civil. 

Waeb, Wear, v, to lay out or expend money. F. Jam. 
Supp. war, 

** An old castel and not repaired 
With was walles and wowes wide 
The mgw heeai ftil yrel wared 
With sniche a capitayn to abide. 

SaHre ogaituttheLoUardt, elrea 1413, RU, A.B. 

** A shilling aw thouj^t at the play-house aw'd voare.** 

Sonff, — Canny NeweaueL 

Ware, s. sea-weed. Sax. w<iry alga marina. F. Grose, 
weir, 

" As ane rich of the se 

Skellyis and fomey craggis they assay 
Rowtand and ranand, and may nocht empere, 
Bot gyf thay sched fra his sydis the toore." 

DouglOi* Virgil 

Ware, s, delf ; or, rather, delft. " JVhUe ware J* — " Brown 

toare.** Sax. toare, ware, merchandise. 
Wark, V, to ache. — Wark, s. a pain or ache. Sax. wasrcy 

Swed. wdrky pain, smart. 

Wark, v, to work, " He can neither wark nor want." 

Wark, s. work, employment.^ 

*' Wail ye this woeful waste of Nature's tocbrk." 

Spenser t—8hep. Col. 

Wark-folks, labourers, work-people. 

Warld, the world, — Warldly worldly — ^like other people. 

Warm-store, any thing carefully laid up, or stored away, in 
a secure place, till it be wanted. 

Warn, Warnd, Warnp, to warrant. " Av^s warn him," 

Warn, to give notice. This word has a peculiar local ap- 
plication in the lower vales of the Tees, a riyer, which, 
from the rapidity of its upper course, and from the nu- 
merous streams it receives from hill and moorland, often 
rises suddenly. In that district to ufctm the watery is to 
give the inhabitants timely notice of a flood. 




WAT 209 

Wabp, to open. Sax. awafpan, to cast out. A hen is said 
to warp when she lays. In Lincolnshire the act of casting 
up the alluyeal soil npon the land to fertilize it, is called 
f0€Hrpinff. 

Wabbish. The withers of a horse, from the French garratSy 
the withers — ^we generally changing their incipient g into 
Wy as warrior for guerrier, &c., &c. Le Drachnt shewi 
it was, in old French, written garetz (which is somewhat 
nearer onr word) and derives it from arcm — ^because ^^ ar- 
rondi comme un arc*' — and he might have added, in con- 
firmation, that Pardon de la selle is the saddle-bow. Me- 
nage, however, despairs of an etymon. 

Wabse, worse. " Warse and toarse,** Moe.-Got. toairs. 
Chaucer uses werse, — Warst, the worst. 

" Now is my prison werae than beforne."— 27i« KnighU*8 Tale. 

Warsen, to grow worse. ** He's warsen'd sadly,*' See 

WOBSBN. 

Wabsle, to strive, to wrestle. Teut. toerselen. F. Kilian. 

Wassail-bowl, a drinking cnp. In former times, at the 
Christmas season, parties used to proceed from door to 
door, singing certain verses, and bearing a wassail-bowl, 
containing ale, nutmeg, sugar, toast, and roasted apples* 
This custom, however, is now very much on the wane* 
The ancient bowl was usually of silver, oak, or maple, but 
in after days a more humble material was substituted.-— 
Brand derives Wassail from Anglo-Saxon waes-haely be in 
health. Was-haile and Drinc-heil were ancient phrases 
among the English, equivalent to " Here's to you," and 
** rU pledge you." 

Waste, in a coal mine, is all that portion left behind when 
working out the pillars. 

Wastemen, men whose duty it is to attend to the ventilation 
of the wastes, and generally of the pit. 

Wasting, or Waisting, a consumption, a decline. 

Wa't, indeed, certainly. " Wa't w'^,"— indeed it is. It is 

VOL. II, E e 



\ 



210 WATC 

the Saxon w<a, from wUan ; whence our old verb trof, to 
know. 

Watching on St. Mark's Eve. Young rustics will some- 
times watch, or at least pretend to watch, through the 
night in the church porch, with a yiew of seeing the ghosts 
of those who are to die in the parish during the next year 
pass by them, which they are said to do in their usual 
dress, and precisely in the order of time in which they are 
doomed to depart. A person, supposed to have made this 
yigil, is. Dr. Willan states, a terror to his neighbours ; for, 
on the least offence received, he is apt, by significant hints 
and grimaces, to insinuate the speedy death of some che- 
rished friend or relative. Persons are said to have actually 
died from their imaginary fears on the occasion. Some of 
the young girls, too, follow the ancient method of smoing 
hemp-seed; whilst others prepare the dumb cake, or dream- 
ing bread. 

Watch-webs, or Weds, identical with Stealy-clothbs^ and 
Scotch-and-English. The web, or wed, is the heap of 
clothes deposited by each party in the game. 

Water-brash, a disease in the stomach. Perhaps from the 
bursting or discharge of aqtteous humour. 

Water-jags, a cutaneous disease among children. 

Water-kaill, 3, broth made without meat. 

*' For sum or hichtit sa into thair xnaill 
Thair winning will nocht find thaim water-kaiU.'* 

Lynd8ay*8 Three EstaUU. 
'* Bot commonn taking of blak mail 
Thay that had fleshe, and breid and aill 
Now ar sa wrakit 
Made bare and nakit 
Fain to be slakit 

With v)atteT-kaiU:'—MaUland*8 Complaynt. 
Water-side, a common term in the North for the whole vale 
through which a river runs. 

** From Bolland bill-men bold came on, 
With such as Botton Banks did hide ; 
From Wharmore up to Whittington, 
And all to Wenning Water-tide. 

Battle qf Floddon, 



WE AD 211 

Wath, Warth, a ford over a river. Sax, wad; from toadany 
to wade or pass throagh water. 

Wattles, teat-like excrescences that hang from the cheeks 
of swine; as well as the meanings assigned in Todd's 
Johnson. 

Waw, to caterwaul, to cry as a cat. V, Jamieson. 

Waw, Wo, a wall. — North, Sax. toah. In Lancashire and 
Yorkshire it is tooffh, 

Waxen-chubnel, or Waxino-kernel, a swelling in the gland's 
of the neck in yonng growing persons. WaXy to grow — 
from Sax. weaxan, Swed. vdxa — ^is in general use. 

Wax-end, a term for the waxed thread of the cordwainers. 

Way-ganging, away-going. 

Wat-leave, the privilege of crossing land for the supply of 
coals to the purchaser. This privilege is generally the sub- 
ject of detailed contracts, specifying the particular direc- 
tions and extent; of the way-leave, and there is no usage 
oif understanding amongst persons conversant with coal 
mines, by which to interpret the extent of the privilege 
when conferred in general terms. The narrowest enjoy^ 
ment of a way-leave is where the sale is at the pit's mouth, 
and the purchasers cross to the pit with their carts from 
the highway. Where the sale is at a detached station, the 
grantee of a way leave generally sends eoals to the station 
by means of a railway ; in the case of sea-sale collieries 
this is universally the mode of transit, and the railway is 
laid down in the most direct and commodious course from 
the pit to the place of shipment, for which the coalowners 
can obtain leave from the landowners without regard to the 
intervention of highways. 

Wea, Weha, sad, oppressed with woe, sorrowful. Sax. wa, 
afflictus. Sc. wae. "I am wea for you" — I pity you. 
** She's weha for him poor man" — she is very sorry for him. 

Wbad, very angry — ^mad, in a figurative sense. Grose de- 
rives it from fffode ; but Dr. Jamieson, with greater proba- 
bility, from the old t?. weid, to become furious. 



A 



212 WEAK 

Weakt, juicy, moist, watery. — Dwr, F. Jamieson, wak^ 

Wealthy, well-fed ; spoken of cattle in that state. 

Weam, Wexxe, dialectical variations of Wame ; wliicli see, 

** Paide to a poore woman the 19th of Angast, who havinge her 
husband murtheard in his bed and hayinge certifycaite from 
Scotland, and a pass to travel to London, havinge a woolve in 
her toeame feedinge, l2d"—Che8ter-le-8treet Parish Register, 1630. 

Weabt, vexations, tronblesome. So used in Hamlet's well- 

. known soliloquy. Sax. weerigy malignus, infestos. 

" How vaea/ryt stale, flat and unprofitable 
Seem to me all the uses of this world !" 

Wearying, a slow consumption, or long decline. 
Weasan, Weazen, the wind-pipe, the larynx. Sax. toaaen, 
Spenser writes it toeasand, 

" Without rhyme or reasen, 
With an auld saw he wuddled his weasan." 

Old Song on a Fdo-de-se, 

Weather-oa% a phenomenon something like a second rain- 
bow — said to indicate bad weather. Grerm. ttxuaergalle. 
V, Nares' Gloss. vxUer-gaU; and Jam. toeddir-gaw, 

WEATHEB-aLEAM, dear sky near the horizon — spoken of ob- 
jects seen on the ridge of a lofty hill, so as to appear as if 
in the sky. In this situation, as Dr. Willan observes, a 
man looks gigantic ; he seems to tread on air, and to be 
clad with radiance, like one of Ossian*s departed heroes. 
The term seems derived from Sax. wceder^ eoBlnm, and 
gleam, splendor. 

Webster, a weaver. Sax. toMestre, textrix, a female wea- 
ver. The use of this term, as remarked by Dr. Jamieson, 
indicates that, among our forefathers, the work of weaving 
was appropriated to women. This, it is well known, was 
the case among the Greeks and other ancient nations, who 
considered it an employment unworthy of the dignity of 
man. My learned correspondent, Mr. Hunter, however, 
does not assent to Dr. Jamieson's inference. The word, 
he says, classes with back-ster, malt-ster, huck-ster, all of 
which can hardly be considered as feminine occupations. 



WEEL 213 

Wbd, for weeded ; a common abbreviation.-»i>fir. Also for 
married. 

Wed, a heap of clothes, which each party of boys pats down 
in a game called " Scotch and English." 

Weddeb, or Wether, which is the pmre Saxon word, a cas- 
trated male sheep after the second shearing. See Dinman 

or DiNMONT. 

Weddeb-woman, one who keeps a register office for female 
servants. JSee Waddler-wife. 

Wee, little, small. *^Aweel4e" — ^* A wee thinff.*' F. Jam. 
" Thy vfee bit hoosie too in rain !"— Bumx. 

Wee, a short while. " Wait a wee " — ^hare patience. 

Weeans, Weeanes, children — wee-ones, little ones, small 
ones. Sc. weans, 

Weel, well.— Weel-to-dee, weel-Uhdo, living comfortably, in 
good circumstances — doinff well. Our early writers, whose 
orthography is at all times capricious, offcen spell the word 
tDele, bat I have given the present spelling becanse it is in 
oiNiiformity with the Saxon original. 

*' Be it ryg^t, or wrong, these men among 
On women do complayne ; 
Affyrmynge this, how that is 

A labour spent in vayne. 
To love them toeU; for never a dele 
They love a man agayne." 

The Not Brotme Mayde. 

Weel-paurd, weU-favonred. 

** 0nde-day, gnde-day, greit 0od saif baith yonr Qraces ! 
Wallie, Wallie, fall thae twa toeO-JMrde faces." 

Lyndsay'8 Three EstaUia. 

There is a satire upon the Monastic profession printed in 

Hicks, believed to be written soon after the Conquest, in 

which the expression occurs thus : — 

'* Ther is a welfnir abbei 
Of white monks and of grei." 

Webl-smon-thee ! well come on thee. A pure Saxon inter- 
jection— «^^ mothe; literally ^^well is me of thee 



»$ 




214 WEEN 

This benediction^ fervently pronounced by an affectionate 
mother when caressing a favourite child, has an endearing 
and famiUar sweetness, inexpressibly gratifying. It is the 
voice of Nature herself, speaking her own language. 

Wbeny, very little. Germ, toeniff. 

Weee, or Wear, to stop or oppose, to keep off, to guard. 
Sax. trerion, prohibere, defendere. Dut. weeren, 

Wbbt, V, to rain, to wet. — Weet, s. slight rain, wet weather. 
Sax. fC€Bta, humiditas. 

" The winter is gone, with all hia nines wete." 

Chaucer t— Merchant's Tctle. 

Yet take good hede ; for e?er I drede 

That ye conde nat sustayne 
The thomie wayes, the depe valeies, 

The snowe, the frost, the rayne, 
The colde, the hete : for dry, or wete, 

We must lodge on the playne." 

The Not Browne Mayde. 

Weeze, a circular roll of straw, wool, or other soft substance, 
for protecting the head under the pressure of a load or 
burthen. Probably from Teut. vHisey csespes ; or it may 
be from ease. Brand thinks it a corruption of toisp, Sc. 
toaese. 

Weight, an implement used in winnowing com, for lifting 
grain — ^in form like a sieve, but not pervious. It consists 
of a wooden rim, with a sheep's pelt stretched over it. 
Teut. wecht, a sieve. Sc. wecht, weicht, WehU is a term 
which occurs in the Boldon Book of the county of Durham, 
and is still understood by the country people to signify a 
measure of com. It seems from this ancient record, that 
the bishop, amongst other branches of the regalia, had his 
own standard measure, which it was in his power to increase 
or diminish. V, Surtees' History of Durham, Vol. I., p, 27. 

Weil, or Wheal, a still deep part of a river, where there is 
mostly an eddy. 

Wblk, «>. to dry, to wither. An old word. F". Todd's John. 

Welk, 8, a voluted shell — ^a wilk. Sax. wealc^ a periwinkle. 



WENT 216 

Well, to weld. Swed. wella» Sax. wellen^ to be very hot. 

Well, is used in some of the Northern comities as a kind of 
expletiye, introductory to any sort of observation, con- 
nected or unconnected, or eyen contrary to being toeU, 
Thus a person will ask after a sick friend : ^' Well^ how's 
John to-day?*' and will be answered, **well, he's far 
worse !" So a late worthy Baronet, when passing sen- 
tence, as chairman of the Durham Quarter Sessions, used 
to begin, ** well^ my honest friend, youVe been convicted 
of felony," &c. 

Welly, very near, well nigh. Sax. wel neah, Somner. 

Welsh, or Wersh, insipid, almost tasteless. Teut. gaelsch, 
Welsh and wallow are synonyma. Broth and water, and 
pottage without salt, are wallow or welsh, A person whose 
face has a raw, pale, and unhealthy look — ^whom a keen 
frosty morning pinches, and to whom it gives an appear- 
ance of misery and poverty — ^has a welsh and wallow face. 
A welsh day, is the same as a sleety day, when it is neither 
thaw nor frost : but a wallow day is when a cold, strong, 
and hollow wind prevails. Wallow, applied to the state 
of the weather, is perhaps only applicable in a rugged 
and mountainous country. 

Weltek, to reel or stagger. Teut. welteren, volutare. 

Wend, to go. The old present tense of went. Sax. wendwn. 
Not obsolete, as stated by Dr. Johnson. 

Wend, or Wiend, a narrow street, or small court. Sc. wynd, 
an alley, a lane. Obviously from Sax. vnndan, to turn. 
The word is still in use at Darlington and Stockton upon 
Tees. 

Wensdat, the present vulgar word for Wednesday. Wens- 
da^e is found in our old lexicographer, Huloet. The term 
is derived from Woden, the great deity of the Northern 
nations. 

Went, for gone. Frequent in the North, as well as among 
the Cockneys. V, Fegge's Anecd. Eng. Lang. p. 233. 

Went, Wented, applied to milk when it has been kept till 



216 WERE 

it be approaching to soumeBs. Perhaps an enphonism for 
spoiled ; as we say of spoiled meat — it is gone. But see 
Tooke's curious article onvifmyy decayed, Diyer, of Pnrley 
Vol. II., p. 61. 
Wbre, to ward off, to defend. 

** Thou most take the shelde and sper 

Ogayne them the forts loere."— F^toain and Oatoain. 

" Ilie Sonldan neigh he hadde islawe 

Bat tiiritti thouaant of hethen lawe 

Cominen him for to toere," 

Romemee ofihe King of TarSt—WarUm F«2. /., p. 194. 

" Ne no man shal unto his felaw ride 

But o conn, with a sharpe ygrounden spere : 

Foin if him list on foot, himself to were" 

C?Mueer,—The KnHghU*8 Tale. 

** Ten sergeaunts of the best his targe gan him here 

That egre were and prest to coyere hym and to tMre,** 

Robert de Brunne, 

" I set him to toear the fore-door wi' the spier 
While I kept the back door wi' a \an.ce"^Fraif <if Support. 

Were, «. a defence, an embankment to prevent the encroach- 
ment, or turn the course of a stream. 

Webrit, to tease. Not so violent a metaphor as Tue. If a 
person, extremely ill, were importuned to any measure to 
which he felt reluctant, or which was contrary to his in- 
clination, he would request not to be werrited so much 
about it. It has been suggested to me, that the word is 
used rather more generally for any thing which gives that 
kind of pain which an animal, beset at once by a pack of 
dogs, may be supposed to feel. Whence, perhaps, it is 
toorty, I may add that worry, in our old language, was 
written werre» Perhaps a rapid pronunciation of wear- 
out. See Johnson 7th sense of wear. 

" To toerre each other and to slay."— C?ower, ConA Amant. 

Wersh, see Welsh. 
Wese, we will, or shall. 

** Wese have our neele els dame Ghat comes nere within heaven's 
gate." — Gammar Qurton'a Needle. 
" The sooner Doctor Rat be here, the sooner wese ha an ende." 

Ibid, 



WHAP 217 

Wesh, v» to wash. — Wbsh, s, stale urine, sometimes used in 
washing. Tent, wcuchy lotnra. V, Jamieson, tooth. 

Wet-hanb, a drunken person ; termed hj Bewick (Fables of 
^sop, p. 138), ^^ an old filtering stone." Seneca humour- 
ously said of Tiberius — that he was never drunk but once ; 
and that once was all his life. In Kelly's Reminiscences^ 
the eccentric author gives us ah epitaph, extracted from a 
tomb in the Cathedral at Sienna, characteristic enough of 
the present subject : ** Wine gives life ! it was death to 
me. I never beheld the morning sun with sober eyes ; 
even my bones are thirsty. — Stranger ! sprinkle my grave 
with wine ; empty the cup and depart." 

Wevil, an insect infesting granaries. 

Wbzzle, a weasle. Sax. wezd, 

"WuA, the vulgar pronunciation of who. 

Whack, v, to strike or beat with violence. A variation of 
thtoack, — Whack, s. a loud blow. Not confined to the 
North. 

Whacker, v, to tremble, to quake. — Whackbrino, trembling. 

Whackeb, 8, a great lie. In a metaphorical sense. 

Whacking, large, strong, bouncing. " A whacking fellow." 

Whang, v, to flog — ^properly, to chastise with a thong. — 

Whang, 8, a small leather-thong, such as is used for tying 

shoes. Sax. ihtoang. 

*' But they hae run him thro' the thick o' the thie, 
And broke his knee pan, 
And the mergh o' his shin bane has run 
Down on his spnr-leather loAan^."— Pray qf^pport. 

Whang, a thick or large piece of any thing eatable— espe- 
cially of bread or cheese. — ^Whanging, large, great. 

Whap, v. to beat soundly.— Whap, 8. a knock-down blow. 

Whapper, or Wappeb, any thing uncommonly large. In 
many instances, as remarked by Dr. Willan, our fore- 
fathers seem to have estimated weights and magnitudes by 
the force of their blows. Thus, they employed in grada- 
tion the terms slapper^ smacker, banker, thumper , thuHicker, 

VOL. II. p f 



218 WEAR 

Btoinger^ and rattler. The word bumper^ concerning which 

80 much has been said and snnnised, the Doctor thinks^ is 

not of a more exalted origin than what is here stated. 

Whabt, or Whbart^ a Northumberland pronnnciation of 

quart. 

*' Each pay-day fidrly. 
He takes his wheaH right dearly, 
'Boat Latin, Greek— o rarely— 
Maybee he'll Jaw away.— feel Bow, T. T. 

Whatsometeb, or WHATSoMDETERy whatever. A vulgarism, 

but very common. 
Whatten, what kind of, what. " WhaUm o^clock is it V* 
Wbjlw^ the larger curlew. Scolopax (trqitaia, Linnaeus. 
In the Satistical Account of Scotland, an amusing trait 
of nationality is recorded, where the Scotsman*s taste 
led him to prefer ^^the wheeple (whistle) of a wha^ip** 
to ** a' the nightingales that ever sang." V, Vol. VII., p. 
600. 

Whaup-i'-thb-rape, knot or twist in the rope — any thing 
going wrong. 

Whazle, or Wheezle, v. to draw the breath with difficulty. 
Su.-Got. htoaesa, — ^Whazle, or Wheezle, s, an indication 
of asthma. Applied also to the throat. 

Whe, Whee, who. Sc. Wha. " WTie's there ?" " Wheels 
wi'yeT 

Wheal, «. to gather, to suppurate. Sax. ht^lca, a pustule. 
This verb is not in Todd's Johnson. 

Wheam, snug, sheltered, impervious to the wind. Perhaps, 
as suggested to me by a skilfiil etymologist, a corruption of 
Holm. In Knaresdale, my correspondent remarks, there 
is a place called JVhit- Wham^ which he always believed 
to be White-Holm; and in West Allen, there is another 
place called Wham-Lands^ evidently from the situation, 
the Holm-Lands, But see Kennett. 

Whean, to coax, to flatter. " What a wheaning way she 
has." 




WHIG 219 

Whean^ a few, a small quantity. ^^ A whean noHt," said of 
cattle. ^^A lohean bairns." Sax. hvksne, a little. Mr. 
Lamb writes it toheen. V, Notes on the Battle of Flod- 
don, p. 72. 
Wheel, a deep pool immediately above Brinkbnm, in North- 
umberland, affording an excellent shelter for trout. 
Whelk, a thump or blow, the noise made by the falling of 

any thing heavy. 
Whxmmbl, Whommel, or Whummel, v, to turn upside down, 
to tumble over. Teut. wemelen^ frequenter et leviter mo- 
▼ere. 
Whehmel, 8, an overthrow; figuratively, a daum-paur^ or 

continuous &11 of rain. 
Wherewith, used stibstcmtively for money, or property. 
Whetstone. To give the whetstone as a prize for lying, was 
a standing jest among our ancestors, as a satirical premium 
to him who had the most creative imagination, and is not 
yet out of use in the North. Perhaps this proverb might 
be derived from the 62d Psalm, v. 3d, " With lies thou 
cuttest like a sharp razor," of which a whetstone would 
increase the power ; and so we have ^^ rasurs of slan- 
dorynges" in Townley Mysteries, p. 204 (published by 
Surtees Society). Brand, on the authority of the late 
Mr. Punshon (Pop. Ant., Vol. I., p. 481), mentions a 
custom, among the colliers at Newcastle, of giving a pin 
to a person in company by way of hinting to him that 
he iBjUfbing,' but which, I think, is now obsolete. It is, 
however, still usual in Northumberland to give a person a 
cork when he is thought to exaggerate in his narration. 
Whetstone. To look as blue as a whelstone^ to look blue with 

cold. 
Whew, or Whub, ». to whistle. — Whew, or Whue, s, a 

whistle. 
Whick, quick, alive. ^^ Which and alive^*^ a common lauda- 
tory expression in Newcastle, among certain ladies, who 



220 WHIG 

neither sell the best fish, nor speak the phunest English. 
Whf and quhy seem convertible modes of spelling, especi- 
ally among the old Scots. It seems merely omitting the 
first part (the k) of the compound sound q — Whence, as in 
the next word, whick for quick — whyat for jtiie^— «Am» for 
quean^ &c. 

Whicksns, a general name for all creeping or stoloniferous 
grasses or plants, which give the fiurmer so much trouble 
to eradicate from his fields. Qti»c^-o»e9 — for there is no 
killing them. 

Whickbn-tbbe, the mountain ash. See Rouk-tree. 

Whicks, plants or slips of the white thorn. ^^A whid- 
hedge." 

Whiddeb, or Whitheb, to shake, to quake, to shiyer ; hence 
a whither of cdd^ a shivering cold. ** All in a whither** — 
all in a tremble. Probably frx>m quiver, 

Whiew, to fiy hastily, to mi^e great speed. 

Whief, a transient view, a glance. In a whiffy in a short 
time. 

Whig, sour whey. Sax. hwoBgy cerum. — WniGaENN'D-wHET, 
a pleasant liquor made by infusing various aromatic herbs 
in whey, and suffering it to undergo a fermentation— used 
by the labouring people as a cooling beverage. 

While, until. ^^ Stay while I come back." While is here 
for till, and till for ^* to the time" — for while is time, and 
tUl is to while. V. Tooke, Vol. I„ p. 868. 

Whiles, sometimes. ^^ It rains whiles** — ^Whilom s, is also 
in use in the same sense. 

While, Whulk, which. Sax.At(7»^. jy^soL^hoHike. Chaucer 
uses whiUbe ; and the same form of the word occurs in a 
very curious old English instrument (temp. Henry Y.) in 
the possession of Sir Henry Lawson, Bart. 

Whilt, a term for an indolent person. ** An idle whUt** 

Whingb, to whine, to sob or cry peevishly. Su.-(jot. wenga^ 
plorare. V. Jamieson, quhynge. 



\ 



WHIS 221 

Whinnernbr, a meagre, thin-fiiced person, with a sharp 
nose. Grose, following Ray, says, perhaps from some bird 
that feeds, or is bred, among whins; but I think is is more 
likely from Welsh, toyneby a face, a visage. 

Whins, gorse or fdrze. Ulex Europ<BU8, Welsh, ehujyn, 
" Whinnt, for baking."— JSToum Eagaences Shertmm HotpUal, 1686. 

WHiPPEB-AND-HouaHER, an officor of the Corporation, New- 
castle. See HouoHER. 

Whippeb-snafpeb, a diminative, insignificant person. Mr. 
Todd says, it is a common expression, usually in ridicule 
or contempt. 

Whipping-the-cat, the custom of itinerant tailors, carpenters, 
&c., going from house to house to work. 

Whib, V, to fly off with a noise like game when sprung. Su.- 
Got. hurra, cum impetu circumagi. — ^Whir, s. the sound 
made by the wings of game— often startling the nerves of 
a young sportsman. 

" Full ninety winters hae I seen 
And piped where gorcocks whirring flew." 

Pickering,— DonoiM Btad. 

Whisht! be silent, hush ! hist! ^^ Whishi, womasi, whisht !** 
This vulgarism, if such it be, is not without ancient author- 
ity, being used by honest old Latimer. 

Whisk, v. to go out, or to pull any thing out, hastily. 

Whisk, s, a vulgar pronunciation of whist. This game is 
more ancient than is supposed. Strutt is mistaken in 
saying, that it first occurs in the Beaux Stratagem ; for it 
is mentioned, under the old name of whish, in the works of 
Taylor, the Water Poet, a noted character in the reign of 
Charles I. 

Whisket, or WiSKiT, a sort of basket. V, Nares's Glossary. 

WmsKT, the modem and well-known term for usquebofugh, a 
Gaelic word signifying the water of life. 

Whibsontide, Whitsuntide. — Whisson-sunday, Whitsunday. 
Whitstm-sundajf is also used : and if whitsun-tide be cor- 
rect, this will be so too. 



222 WHIS 

Whistle, ^^ the month ; the organ of whistling," says Dr. 
Johnson ; quoting Walton's Angler. 

" Let's drink the other cap to toet our whistles, and so sing away 
all sad thoughts." 

Here whistle surely means the throat. In the North, to 
wet one^s whistle is a common phrase for, to take a good 
drink ; and — ^without charging the amiable old Izaac with 
tippling — that, in all probability, was his meaning. In- 
deed, the use of the expression in this sense is very ancient. 



<( 



I wete my whysteU as good drinkers do."— -Pal«^ave. 



Whitk, to requite. " God whUe you !" V, Ray. 

Whiteheft, flattery, cunning. " Whiteheft o' Lwmun** 

WniTE-PLOuaH, another name for Fool-plough ; so denomi- 
nated from the young men composing the pageant being 
dressed in white. See FooL-PLouaH. 

WmTE-HEBRiNO, a pickled, and not a fresh herring — ^with 
all due deference to Mr. Archdeacon Nares. See his 
Glossary, where it is stated, in regard to Steeyens's ex- 
planation (similar to my own) and his reference to the 
Northumberland Household Book, that ^^ there three are or- 
dered for a young lord or lady's breakfast, and /omt for my 
lord's, which no lord or lady could possibly eat." This 
may be quite true ; but what does it prove ? From Bi- 
shop Percy's preface to the book, it appears that the Earl 
was a nobleman of great magnificence and taste ; and 
considering the splendid establishment detailed in that 
curious memorial of the olden time, more white herrings 
might be provided "for a young lord or lady's breakfast," 
as well as "for my lord's," than they actually did, or 
" could possibfy eat** 

White-neb'i>-cri.w, a provincial designation for the rook. 

Whitung, a much-admired species of trout, the history of 
which is but imperfectly known. It is sometimes tskk&a 
in the river Tyne ; but more frequently in the Tweed and 
its tributaries. In some parts it is called whiting, or whU- 



WHO 223 

ten, Sw. hwitUngy a whiting. Many persons have suppos- 
ed this fish to be a young salmon ; but the better opinion 
seems to be that it is a distinct species. It has probably 
obtained the name from its light silvery appearance, being 
free from any red or dark spots on its sides, as other trouts 
have. The flesh is of a reddish colour, like that of salmon. 

Whitsteb, a bleacher of linen. 

Whittbb-whatteeino, speaking low and privately — whisper- 
ing between two persons, to the exclusion of a third — also 
indecision, or procrastination, on frivolous pretences. The 
etymology of words of this peculiar form is extremely un- 
certain. 

Whittle, v, to haggle in cutting. Oumh, and West, 

Whittle, s, a knife ; generally a clasp-knife. Sax. whytel; 
and that, probably, from Goth, huet tol^ a sharp instru- 
ment. A whittle was a knife, such as was formerly carried 
about the person by those whose quality did not entitle 
them to the distinction of a sword. Long knives were for- 
bidden to be worn in the City of London or Westminster 
in 1351, during the sitting of Parliament. '^An harden 
sarky &gusegrassingy and a whittle gaity* were all the salary 
of a clergy- man, not many years ago, in Cumberland ; in 
other words, his entire stipend consisted of a shirt of coarse 
linen, the right of commoning geese, and the more valua- 
ble privilege of using a knife and fork at the table of his 
parishioners. 

" There are schools in this parish (Bewcastle), supported by pub- 
lic subscription ; the masters are hired for about 102. a year, and 
they go about with the scholars in rotation for victuals, a priyi- 
lege called, in many places, ** a whittle g(Ue."—HutcMn8(m*s CfumA. 

Whizzes, a falsehood. More wind than truth. See Fizzle. 

Who, Sho, Shoe, for she. I am indebted to Mr. Justice Bay- 
ley for reminding me of this strange mutation in our Nor- 
thern usage — occasionally to be met with. Heo is the 
ancient Saxon form, still retained in some places. V, 
Verstegan. 



224 WHOP 



Whopt, Whupt, put, placed— embracing the idea of whipped. 
** He wJujpi his foot o'nt." 

Whbipe, to complain peevishlj, to whimper, to whine. 

Whummsl, «• a. to invert, as to whnmmel a dish oyer any- 
thing, is to cover it by turning the dish upon it. 

Whubby, wAeny, a large boat — a sort of a barge or lighter. 
Newe, Bryant says, the name of wherry is very ancient, 
and, by the Romans, was expressed Aor»a. Thomson de- 
rives it from Goth, veerje^ a ferry-boat. 

" Aw thowt aw'd myek a Toyage to Shields 
It Jemmy Joneson's tohiurry.**— Local Song, 

Whussel, a corruption of whistle. — ^Whussel-wood, the alder 
and plane-tree ; used by boys in making whistles. 

Whutheb, to beat, to flutter. Cognate to Whidder, or 
Whither. — Whuthebino, a throbbing or palpitation at 
the heart. 

Wht, or Whte, a young cow. 8ee Quey. 

Whyllymer, a species of cheese remarkable for its poverty ; 
which it might be safely asked (saving both meat and 
mense) ^^ wMll ha? nMre ?" In a note to Anderson's Bal- 
lads, its surface is said to be so hard, that it frequently 
bids defiance to the keenest edge of a Cumhrian guilty and 
its interior substance so very tough, that it aflPords rather 
occupation to the teeth of a rustic than nourishment to 
his body, making his hour of repast the severest part of 
his day's labour. 

WiDDERSFUL, laboriously endeavouring, actively striving. 

Widdey, a tough band made of oziers, partially dried in the 
fire ; used for many agricultural purposes. The iron ring, 
uniting the band of a cow and the post to which she is 
tied, is, in some places, still called a toiddeyy from its hav- 
ing been made of oziers before the common use of iron. 
^^ As tough as a toidd^,** Old £ng. wythe; from Sax. 
withig; and that from toUhany to join; whence, says 
Tooke, the preposition wUh, 



WILE 225 

WiDDLB, to fr«t. Germ, wedduy to wag, to move. V. Jam, 
vriddiB. 

WiDB-ooAT, an upper or great coat. Perhaps not peculiar. 

WiFB, any woman, whether married or not, in fact, the fe- 
male sex generally.—" An t^k wifeP^^^A fish mfe:^-^ 
*^A tr^ wife.** Sax. i9|^, mulier, foemina. Bede uses 
wif-cGd for a female infant. 

" Makbeth tamed hym agsyne. 
And nyd * Lordane, thow prykys in wayne, 
For thow may noncht be he, I trowe. 
That to dede sail sla me nowe. 
That man it nowcht borne of u>j(f 
Of powere to rewe me my lyfe.' **—WvrUowti. 

Wio, a kind of small cake, or hun, much used in the North 
as a tea cake. " A plain wg^* — " A spice wig ;" that is 
one baked without, and one with, currants. Teut. wegghe^ 
panis triticeus. KiUan. 

Wiggle- WAGGLE, tremulous undulating motion, a wriggle. 

Wight, a hoop with a skin stretched oyer it for lifting grain, 
differing firom a riddle or coarse boulter for sifting the 
grain by being unperforated, called wighte. (See Raine's 
North Durham, p. 92), from Germ, weighteny to rematfe. 

WiGHTT, strong and active. F, Todd's Johnson, wight. Sax. 
wig-Ue^ bellioosus. 

WiK, Wtck, or Wykb, a crook or corner^ as in a river or 
the sea shore. Hence the names of numerous places in 
such situations. The comers of the mouth are called the 
Wicks of the mouth. Su.-Got., wiky angulus. Sc, weit, 
week. 

WiKE, Wick, Wickeb, a mark used in setting out tithes ; 
generally a small branch of a tree. 

Wile, to entice, to accomplish by coaxing, or cunning ; as, 
^' I'll wile it out of him." I'll get his secret from him. 
Su.-Got. toeUiy to deceive ; to use art or stratagem in a 
good as well as a bad sense. 

" Beleif ye that we will begyle yow. 
Or firom your yertew for till wyU yon 7—I^fndtay, 

VOL. II. o g 




226 WILL 

WiLii^ for shall; and Would,^ for should; are misapplied pas- 
sim in ^* The North Countreyb." The Northumbrian gren- 
try^ though much addicted to the use of this peculiar 
idiom^ disrelish any admonition of their mistakes. Such 
errors, however, are incorrigible, both in them and in their 
neighbours, the Scots* Even such writers as Blair and 
Robertson are not always exempt from this iuTeterate cUs- 
figurement. 

WiLLET-wAND, a willow rod. Sax. weUg^ and wand* *^ A 
mere foiHey-wamP* — applied to a tall, thin person. 

Win, to dry hay by exposing it to the air, to get in harvest 

generally. Sax. windwainy ventilare. Taut, toinnen^ colli- 

gere frnctus terrse. Our fiumers speak of ^^ Well toon ha^P 

" Tt fell abowght the Lammas tyde. 
Whan husbondes vrynn ther haye. 
The dowghtye Dowglasse bowynd him to ryde> 
In Tnglond to take a praye.'*- BaiOJU of Otterbcume. 

Barbour uses the word in a more general sense, applying 

it to the harvesting of com. 

<« This was intill the harvest tyd, 
Qnhen feldis, that ar fayr and wid, 
Chaigyt with come all fnVLj war, 
for syndry connys that thai bar 
Wax ryp to wyn, ti mannys fed."— 2%« Bruce, 

Win, to get up, to attain to. 

Win, to gain, to raise, to get ; as coals from a pit, or stones 
in a quarry. Su.-Got. winna^ laborare, labore acquirere. 
Sax. winnan, ^'Reserved all manner of mines and mi- 
nerals full liberty to work, tvin and carry away the same," 
is a usual covenant in North country leases. 

Win, to dwell. See Won. 

Winder, v. to separate grain from the chaff — ^to winnow. 

Winder, a window ; originally a wind-door^ or aperture for 
air. V, Craven Glossary, winder; and Nares, windore. 

"Windle-strea, or Winnel-stree, crested dog's-tail grass ; 
Cynosurus cristattts, Lin. Sax. windel-streowe. 

" Branchis brattlyng and blaiknyt schew the brayis, 
With hirstis harsh of waggand wyndil-gtrar/U.—Douglat. 



WISE 227 

WiKDTy noisy, loquacious, marvellons in narration. 

** ThoQgii he is a toifuiy body, when he gets in his auld warld 
stories, he has mair gumption in him than most people.'* 

Bedgauntlet. 

Windy-wallets, a noisy, gasconading fellow — one who is ac- 
customed to magnify in conyersation. 

WiNHA, WiNNOT, provincialisms for will not. 

Winning HEAD- WATS, two parallel excavations in the work- 
ings flf a colliery, aboat six feet wide, and twenty feet 
«.part, extending in a direction &om north to south. — The 
principal exploring drifts of a colliery, for opening out the 
seams for the daily supply. 

Wjnbaw, hay, when raked up in long rows for the purpose 
of being more easily dried, is said to be in the winrato. 

Winsome, engaging, lively, cheerful, gay. Sax. mnsum, 

** Busk ye, busk ye, my bonnie bride. 
Bosk ye, busk ye, my toinaome marrow. 
Busk ye, busk ye, my bonny bride. 
Busk ye, and go to the braes of Yarrow." 

SeoUiah Song. 
WiNTEB, an instrument of iron hung against the bars of a 
fire-place, used to heat smoothing irons upon. F, Jam.. 
Supp. 
WiBDLE, to perform anything laboriously and slowly. A re- 
spected friend, now no more, suggested work and dele^-^to 
work gradually. 
Wise, to let in or out. Sax. louiaUy mssicnty menstrare, 
monere, docere. Swed. visa, to show, to exhibit. ** Wise 
him in." — ^' Wise out the horse." — ^^ Wise the door open." 
It also means, to insinuate, to work into ; as to wise into 
company or into favour ; that is, to do it cunningly* 
Wise, to let go. " Wise off -that rope." — " Wise off your 

gun.'* 
Wise-like, possessing the appearance of wisdom or pro- 
priety. Sax. toiS'liCy sapiens, prudens. 
Wise-man, a periphrasis for a conjuror, or wizard. In the 
dark ages, when astrology was in vogue, thieves were kept 



228 WISH 

in surprising awe by the cunning men with long beards and 
white wands. If the same effect could now be produced^ 
it might do well to reyive the Black Art, Certain it is, 
that wretches, pretenders to occult science, are still occa- 
BLonally consulted by the lower and more ignorant classes, 
ever the dupes of empiricism and knavery. 

Wish to, to help to. Can you wish me to a customer. 

WisKET, a onall dothes-basket.— Yorkshire. 

Wist, Wistb, the pret. of wissen, to know. 

Witch- WOOD the mountain ash. A piece of this tree, worn 
about some part of the dress, is still believed to be a pre- 
servative against the charms of withcraft. See Roun-tbbb. 

Wit, V, to know. Moe.-Got. and Sax. wittm, Su.-Grot. 
weta, scire. 

"Lat not tbi left half 
Late ne rathe 
WUe what thou werohest 
With thy right ajde.'*— Piers Phteman. 

** Bat the lord Douglas, that ay was war 
And set owt wachis her and thar, 
Qtkt wvt of their enbnschement.**. 

TheBruce, 

WiTE, V. to blame, to reproach. Sax. toUcm^ imputare. — 

WiTE, 8. blame, imputation. A Chaucerian word, retained 

by Spencer. Su.-Got. toUe^ poena. Swed. wte^ pecuniary 

punishment. Sc. wyte. 

" As helpe me God I shaU thee neyer smite, 
That I have done it is thyself to toiur 

Chaueer—Wife qf Bath's Prologue, 

** That I am dronke, I know it by my sonne. 
And therefor if that I misspoke or say, « 

WUe it the ale of Sonthwerk, I yon pray." 

Chaucer— The MlUere's Prologue. 

'< So as their begging now them foiled quite. 
For none would give, but all men would them wUe.** 

Spenser. 

** I toi/te the Emperour Constantino 
That I am put to sio mine."— £yn<2M»y'« Three EstaUU. 

WiTiNO, WiTTiNo, knowledge, judgment, wit. See Wit. 



WORM 229 

Wittering, a hint. Sc. wiUryng^ infonnatioii, knowledge. 

WiTBK-wiTTE-wAY, a game among boys — ^wbich I do not re- 
member in the South of England. 

Wiv, with.— iVbftA. and2>wr.— -Wi'.— FoTit. 

WizBNED, WizzENED, WizzsNT, dried, paTched, withered, 

wrinkled, shriyelled. Sax. trimian^ arescere. Sw. vistna, 

** Fast by my ohalmer on bie vHsntt treis 
The sary gled quhiBsilllB with money ane pew." 

WoAD, WuD, WuDE, mad, frantic, fdrioos. Sax. wod, insa- 

nos, fiiriosns. Sc. toad, foud. 

— ** On Monday next, at quarter night, 
Shal fall a rain, and that so wild and tooodt 
That half so great was never Noes flood." 

Chauoer,—The MUleifa Tale, 

Wo-LB-TOT, an execration. " Woe Ught on^U** 

WoiofEL, or WuMBLE, an anger. From Wimble. 

Won, Wun, to dwell, to hannt or frequent. A yery old word 

but not obsolete, as stated by Ash ; being qnite common in 

Cumb. and Lame., as well as in Northumberland, Sax. 

ttwtfon, wunia/n. Tent, tooonen, habitation, freqnentare. 

Cornish, wonnen, to stay, to tarry. 

** Schir Robert Nevill that tid 
Wowiyt at Berwek, ner besid"— 27ie Brau, 

'* Thou lonrede leohes 

And lettres thei sente 

That he sholde wonye with hem."— P<er« PUnman. 
** A sturdy pass doun to the court he gothe, 

Wher as ther woned, a man of gret honour. 

To whom that he was always confessour." 

C^uoer—Tlie Sompnowe'e Tale. 

Woo, wool. A common pronnnciation in many places. 

Won, onr.— -WoBSSLLs, oorselves. 

WoRSBLL, V. to wrestle, to strive. Dut. «w«fe^.— Wor- 
SBLL, WoBSTLE, 8. a stmggle. 

Worm, a serpent of great magnitude, and of terrific descrip- 
tion — a hideous monster in the shape of a worm or dragon. 
The application of this title to the serpent tribe is yery 



230 WORM 

general, and has been used with great latitude. Indeed, 
the similarity of form naturally led to it. The Italian 
poets call the infernal serpent of old, '^ n gran Vermo /" 
and Milton's Adam is made to reproach Eve with having 
lent an ear '^ to that fedse ivorm** Shakspeare, too, speaks 
of slander's tongue as outvenoming '^ all the worms of Nile." 
JFarm is a Teutonic word for serpent ; and Germ. foUrm, 
is used for a dragon, as well as a worm. Moe.-Oot. toaurmj 
signifies a serpent ; and orm has the same meaning in the 
Su.-Got. and Dan. languages. Sax. ttmrmy abo, sometimes 
occurs in this sense. In Northumberland and Cumbeiv 
land, the viper, coluber vents, is called the hagworm ; and 
the unguis fragiUsy the blind or slow- worm. Popular tra- 
dition has handed down to us, through successive genera- 
tions, with veiy little variation, the most romantic details 
of the rav4iges committed by these all-devouring worms, 
and of the valour and chivalry displayed by their de- 
stroyers. Without attempting to account for the origin 
of such tales, or pretending in any manner to vouch for 
the matters of &ct contained in them, it cannot be dis- 
guised, that many of the inhabitants of the county of Dur- 
ham in particular, still implicitly believe in these ancient 
«uperstitions. The Worm of Lambton is a fiEunily legend, 
the authenticity of which no true bom native will suffer 
to be impugned or challenged. Various adventures and 
supernatural incidents have been transmitted from father 
to son, illustrating the devastation occasioned, and the 
miseries inflicted by the monster — and marking the self- 
devotion of the Knight of the Lambton family, through 
whose intrepidity the worm was eventually destroyed. 
But the lapse of centuries has so completely enveloped m 
obscurity the particular details, that it is impossible to 
give a narration which could in any degree be considered 
as complete. The story related in my late friend Mr. 
Surtees' splencUd and elaborate Histoiy of Durham is in- 
<;orrect in many particulars. Those purts, which allude 



WORM 231 

to the profane fishing on a Sunday, and the consequences 
resulting from it, are mere modem disfigurements of the 
original tradition, utterly at variance with the state of 
the times — amusements on the Sabbath, in those days, 
when Catholicism prevailed, not being regarded as an act 
of profaneness. A history of the worm, ^^ gleaned with 
much patient and laborious investigation, from the vivd 
voce narrations of sundry of the elders of both sexes'' in 
the immediate neighbourhood of the scene of action, by 
another literary friend, has recently been privately printed 
under the title of The Worm of Lambton, 4to., 1830. There 
is a conical hill of considerable size, on the banks of the Wear, 
near Fatfield, about two miles from Lambton Castle, which 
from time immemorial has been called the Worm Hill, and 
round which this great serpent is said to have coiled it- 
self. — Another old, and well-authenticated Durham legend, 
is the Dragon, Wormy or Flying Serpent of JSockbttm ; de- 
scribed as a monster that devoured men, women, and 
children, and which was vanquished and slain by Sir John 
Conyers in the year 1060 ; in memory whereof, and as a 
reward for his bravery, his sovereign gave him the manor 
of Sockbum, to hold to him and his heirs for ever, by the 
tenure of presenting to every Bishop, on his first entrance 
into the county after his election to the see, the folchion 
with which this gallant and successM adventure was 
achieved — a ceremony still continued, honoris causa. In 
the neighbourhood of Bamburgh the stoiy of the Laidley 
Worm of Spindleston Heughsis an ancient tradition, which 
supplied Mr. Lamb with the materials for his veiy clever 
ballad. 

*' I seigh the sonne and the se. 

And the sond aftar ; 

And where the briddes and beestes 

By hir makes yeden ; 

Wild wormea in wodes. 

And wonderful foweles 

With fleckede fetheres 

And of fell colours.— Pier« Plovmian. 



232 WORM 

WoRMiTy worm-wood. The common people consider this 
herb as prophylactic against fleas, and accordingly place 
it about their beds. 

WoRRTy to eat Yoracionsly, to choak, to suffocate. F. Ray. 

WoBSBNy «. n. to become worse. Used as v, a. by Milton. 

WoTy to know. Cumb. 

*' If Skiddaw hath a cap, 
Criffel vwts full well of that"— Proverb. 

Wou, the worst kind of swipes. •* Farthing toau.*' The word 

is also applied to weak tea, or any other worthless liquor. 

WowL, to cry, to howl. Shakspeare uses tcawL 

Wraith, or Wauf. See Waff. 

Wramp, a sprain. 

Wrano, wrong. Pure Saxon. — Wrangsly, falsely. 

" What ifl right, and what is vfrang, by the law, by the law t 
What is right, and what is wrang, by the law ? 
What is right, and what is wrang ? 
A short sword and a lang, 
A weak arm and a Strang 

For to dmw.—JaeobUe Song. 

Wrangous, wrongful, false. 

** Cum follow me, all curst unhappie wyfis. 
That with yonr gudeman dayly flytis and stryfis. 
And qnycklie with rybaldis makis repair. 
And takis na care to mak ane wranffoue air." 

Lyndsay,— Three EgtattU. 

Wrat, or Rat, a wart on the finger or face. Dut. and Sc. 

v>r<xt. 
Wreck, sea-weed ; much used for manuring land. 
Wreck, a great quantity — ^from wreck — as a confused heap. 

This is the sense of the word in Norfolk, given in sixth 

acceptation by Todd. 
Wreckbn-dikb, a Roman military way crossing the county 

of Durham, from the station at Lanchester, to the sestuary 

of the Tyne. See Arch, -^liana, Vol. I. 
Wreckling, an unhealthy feeble child — ^the youngest or 

weakest of the breed among animals — ^the smallest bird in 

the nest — any ill-grown creature. See Dowpy. Ritlino. 



WYE 233 

Gifford has used '^ wretchcock" in this sense in the noto 

on 1. 55 of his 2d Satire of Persius. I have not met with 

toretchcock in any other author. Little toretch is obyioosly 

the meaning. 
Wkidden, or Wreeden, cross, ill-natured, perverse — wri- 

then; applied in particular to children. I have heard 

weirdy used in the same sense. 
Wrout, to bore, to dig up like a hog, to root. Sax. torcUMy 

sublgere. Chaucer has v>rote. 

** O good G^od ! ye women that ben of gret beauteS, remembreth 
yon on the proverbe of Salomon, that likeneth a faire woman, 
that is a fool of hire body, to a ring of gold that is wome in the 
groine of a sowe : for right as a sowe tmroMh in every ordure, so 
toroteth she hire beantee in stinking ordure of sinne." 

Hie Peraone's Tale. 

** Or like a worm, that vnroteth in a ttee."—Lydgate, 

WuD, with. — Oumb. " God be vmd her** God rest her soul. 
WuBBLE, to sever by short and frequently-renewed efforts. 

For authority see Weasan. 
WuLL, for will, very common in the country dialect. Chau- 
cer uses tool. 

'< And eke in what araie that they were inn ; 
And at a knight than tool I flrste beginne."— 2%« Prologw. 

WUNNEL-STREE. See WiNDLE-STREA. 

WuNSOME, engaging, giving joy. Same as Winsome. 

WuRSUM, *. Pus ; particularly when foul. 

WuRT-sPRiNOS, *. The cracking of the skin at the roots of 

the nails, called also Agg or Hagg-nails. 
Wus, to wish. " I wus ye well." 

'* His bushopricke he tougt wel, and eke his priorie. 
And forced hiin to serve wel God and Seinte Marie.** 

From the Lives af t^ Saints, printed in Hiekt, from 
a MS. in Trin. Col, Comb. Warton aayt itiseer- 
tainly prior to 1200. 

Wye, Wya, well, yes.— Wye— Wye, very well ; yes, yes. 
A common expresssion of assent. Fr. otsi. 

VOL. II. H h 



234 WYLE 

Wylet, Wtlbcoat, a night gown, vest for a child ; generally 
of flannel. 

" In this congelit sesoun scharp and chill. 
The callour are penetrative and pnre — 
Made seik warme stouis and bene fyris hote. 
In doubill garment cled and wylecote."— Douglas. 

Wyllement, or Wullement, a pale, sickly looking person. 

Y. 

Y. The use of this letter, as a vowel, is very frequent in the 
diphthongal language of the North ; as^aits, oats ; yak^ 
oak ; yearthy earth, &c., &c. In the country dialect the 
Saxon ea is almost uniformly pronounced ya. In a glos- 
sary of this kind, where words are recorded which are sel- 
dom elsewhere written, and threfore spelt merely for con- 
veying the sound, there ought to be a distinct character for 
y^ the vowel employed to express i long, and for^ the con- 
sonant. Thus, at page 72, Vol. II., a mag-pie is said to be 
called a pyanot ; and at page 26, Vol. II., the preterite 
of mack is said to be nCyed, Now a southern would not 
hence learn that y in the first instance is a long a, and in 
the second a consonant, though he might be puzzled with 
the ' between the m and y^ with which the difference is 
there designated. \iy consonant were accented, it might 
serve as some guide, though not a perfect one. 

Yables, Yeblins, Yeablesae, Yebblesee, perhaps. /S^ Ablins. 

Yaddle, drainings from a dunghill. — Cufnh» 

Yaiting, or Yeating, a single sheaf of com. Identical with 
Gating, or Gaiting. 8ee Gate, or Gait. 

Yal, Yall, ale. -4, in this, and many other provincial words, 
is sounded like yaw. 

Yammer, to fret, to whine, to complain— or rather to repeat 
the same complaint. Also to cry like a dog in pain, or 
when it is wanting to follow its master if shut up from 
him. Germ, jammerriy to complain. Swed. ^'4mra ^^, to 
lament — j^mmery lamentation. 



YARE 236 

Yammebino, making a loud and continual noise ; such as pro- 
ceeds from contentious women, or from fretful and peevish 
children. The word, indeed, stands for a very complex 
idea, into which enters a combination of habitual fretful- 
ness, discontent, brawling, and anger. 

** The birsit baria and beris in thar styis 
Raring all wod furth quhrynis and wyld cryis. 
And fprete figuris of wolfes eik in fere, 
Touland and panvmerand griilie for to here." 

DouffUu' /Eneid. 

** Gome, dinna, dinna whinge an' whine. 
Like ya/mmering label Macky." 

SonQt — Bob Cranky'8 Adieu. 

Yan, Yen, one. — Yance, Ybnce, one. — Yansell, Yensel, 
one's self. 

Yap, apt, quick. Sax. gep, astutus. In Peirs Plowman we 

Gndyeepy which Dr. AVliitaker considers of the same origin, 

and explains in the sense of alert and vigorous. 

*' Goncnpiscentia-camis 
Colled me abontethe nekke. 
And seide, * Thow art yong and yeepe. 

For to lyye longe 

And ladies to love."— 27^ Vision. 

Yap, Yep, an opprobrious epithet to a youngster — an ape. 
Yabe, alert, nimble, fit, ticklish. The word occurs in The 

Mad Lover of Beaumont and Fletcher, in a sense not very 

delicate to modem ears. 

'* Good: speak to the mariners : fall to it yarely, or we run our- 
selves fkgtoTmd."—8hak.,— Tempest. 

Yabe, a kind of hedge formed of stakes and wicker work 
extending from the bank towards the middle of a river for 
the purpose of catching fish. An extract from an original 
writ issued by Neville, Bishop of Durham, in 1440, com- 
manding certain yarea in the river Wear to be removed, 
because they interrupted the navigation and prevented 
salmon and trout from ascending, is given in Spearman's 
Enquiry, p. 36. 



236 YARK 

Yark, or Yerk, to wrench or twist forcibly—to jerk. 

YxRKy to beat soundly^ to correct severely. Isl. hreekia, 
pnlsare. A favoarite word among the vulgar. 

Yarnut, an earth-nut. See Arnut, Awnut. 

Yatb, Yat^ Yet, a gate. Sax. zcat. Both Chaucer and 
Spenser use yctCe. *^ As old as Pandon^eOe,'* is a local 
proverb of great antiquity ; but Pandon Gate — ^the oldest 
of all the fine antique towers that once adorned the ve- 
nerable walls of Newcastle, which, in the days of Leland, 
who visited them three hundred years ago, for ^^ strength 
and magnificens far passeth al the cities of England, and 
most of the townes of Europe" — to the regret of every 
man of taste, was totally demolished in 17^5 ; since which, 
a spirit of innovation, has attacked with unrelenting gripe, 
many other interesting memorials of our former state. 
The antiquary, who remembers, with kindred emotion, 
those ages .that are gone by, has the yearly mortification 
of seeing one vestige aftier another give way to substitutes 
less picturesque, yet it must be confessed better adapted 
to our present wants. Diversi tempi, diversi costumi. 

** * Soffte me/ seide Trnthe : 
I here and see bothe 
How a spirit speketh to helle 
And biddeth unspere the yates"— Fieri Plowman. 

" Ful besy was Grisilde in every thing 
That to the feste was appertinent 
Right naught was she atttist of hire clothing. 
Though it were rude and somdel eke to-rent. 
But with glad chore to the y<Ue is went 
With other folk, to grete the markisesse." 

ChauceTt—The Clerke't TaU. 

** Thai fled for owtyne mar debate, 
And thai thaim f olowit to the y(Ue i 
And slew of thaim as thai in past, 
Bot thai thair yate barrit fast."— 7Ae Bruc: 

** Quhair they onsett 
Ay in thair gaitt 
Thair is na yet 
Nor der them hjdiB."—Maitland*s Complaynt. 



i 



YEAR 237 

Yate-stoop, Yat-stoop, Yet-stoop, gate post. 

Yaud, or Yawd, a common name among country people for 
a horse — &jade, A droidical temple, in Cumberland, goes 
by the name of the "Grey Yauds," probably from the 
colour of the stones. 

" On his grey yaud as he did ride,**— RUeon't 8e, Songt. * 

Yaud, " Fieyatid" or "far yaud/* is the cry of the shep- 
herds on the borders when they wish the dogs to drive the 
sheep at a distance. Sax. yoden, to go. 

** Hey! Bally lad! fax yaud/ fsayaudi 

These were the morning sounds heard he, 
And ' ever alack !' old Dnrie cried, 
* The deil is hounding his tykes on me.' " 

Border Minttrelty* 

Yaup, to cry loudly and incessantly, to lament ; to yelp as a 
dog. Teut. galpen, gannire instar yulpis. Kilian. — Yauf- 
iNO, crying, shouting. Sax. Vjope^ open — ^with open mouth, 
as in hunger or wonder. 

Yaup, v. to be hungry. — Yaup, a. having a keen appetites- 
hungry. 

Yeab, used for the plural, as well as the singular ; as " I 
henna seen him this twenty ^eor.'' 

Yearn, v. to long for, to desire. 

** The golden sun his glistring head gan shew 
And sad remembrance now the prince amoTes 
With fresh desire his voyage to persew 
As Una earned her trayeill to renew."— i8!peN«0r'« F. Q. 

** Quhen kirkmen yaimia na dignitie 
Nor wyffis na soyerainitie."— lymZfat^'f Ccmplayivt, 

Ybabn, to coagulate milk. Germ, gerinnen^ to coagulate ; 

or probably Sax. yemauy to run ; for it is commonly said 

when milk coagulates, that it rina or rtms. 
Yearning, cheese rennet, or that which curdles milk. Sax. 

ge-rtmnen, V. Lye. A plant used in North Tindale, for 

the purpose of curdling milk for cheese, is called yeming 

grass. See Kbslip. 



238 YEAT 

Yeather, v. a. To yeather is to twist in the rise, or flexible 
twigs among the stakes in making a hedge. ^^ Canst steak 
and yeather, lad?" was formerly the first question put to a 
fiumer's servant offering himself for a place. 

Yeats^ oats. 

" The oats which they call u^ats, are conunonly first coTered with 
saoyir," —North's Jjfje qfLord Keeper GuOdfiyrd. 

Yebbls, the common Northern pronunciation of able. 
Yeis, you shall. 

" I gang this gait with richt gade will 
Schir Wantonnes, tarie ye stil 
And Hamelenes the cup yeie fill 
And beir him cumpanie." 

Lyndeay*s Three EetaUie, 

Yek^ the oak. See Aac. ^^ He's as hard as^e^ and iron" — 

a common Northumbrianism. 
YsLDy barren, unprofitable; as a cow that does not give 

milky or from its age is too young to bear ; or, as applied 

to males, not ready for profit. See Geld. 
Yell, ale. Sax. eale. — Yell-house, an ale-house. — Yell- 
wife, the lady of ^^ mine host,** — ^also a hostess in her own 

right. See Yal, Yall. 
Yellow- YOWLEY, a Northern name for the yellow bunting, 

or yellow hammer. Bmberiza citrinella. IdnnsBUS. A 

vulgar prejudice exists in Scotland against this bird. V. 

Jam. yeldring. 
Yelp, to shout, to cry out ; as it were like a dog. See Yaup. 
Yelpeb, a popular name for the avoset, which frequents the 

sea shores of this kingdom in winter, and makes a shrill 

noise. 
Yebbs, Yarbs, the Northern pronunciation of herbs. 
Yerth, earth ; both vowels being pronounced. 
Yetlino, a small metal pan or boiler, with a bow handle. 

V. Jam, yetland. 
Yeuk, Yuck, V, to itch. Tewi, jeuchen, prurire. Dut.^'^fi^^n. 

— Yeuk, Yeck, 8. a cutaneous disease — jocosely denomi- 



YULE 239 

nated the plague of Scotland ; from an idea of its being so 
prevalent in that country. See Scotch-Fiddle. 

Yeukt, Yuckt, prurient ; especiallj in a sense inadmissible 
here. Yekin^ pruritus, occurs in Prompt. Parv. 

Yevering Bell, a curious hill near Wooler, in Northumber- 
land, where very ancient remains still exist on its 
summit. 

Yiffer, a long fir pole, used in scaffolding. 

YissERDAY, yesterday. — Yisserneet, yesternight. 

YoR, your. — Yor-sell, yourself. 

Yore, the ore of metal. 

York has the higher rocky hut Durham the deeper manger^ 
was the reply of a Bishop of Durham who declined an ele- 
vation in the Church. It has now passed into a pro- 
verb in the North. 

YouL, Yowl, to cry, to howl. Isl. golay ululare. The super- 
stitious are much afraid when they hear a dog yotf^ near 
their dwelling, and consider it a prediction of an early 
death in some of the family. This is a very old article of 
popular belief. 

YouT, to cry, to roar. Tent. it*yten, vociferari. 

Youth, is often used in the sense of vigorous age ; as, ^'he is 
a fine oldyotUh,** 

Yow, YowE, a ewe. Sax. eaivay ovis foemina. 

Yule, the time of Christmas — a festival observed among the 
northern nations long before the introduction of Christi- 
anity. The feast was evidently, in its origin, in honour of 
the Sun's passing the winter solstice. The Romans at 
this period of the year also celebrated the Saturnalia. The 
Greenlanders still keep a feast to testify their joy at the 
return of the sun to the Northern hemisphere. F. Crantz, 
Vol. I., p. 176. Various conjectures have been formed as 
to the origin of the name, but it is difficult to determine 
which etymon ought to be preferred. The chief cognate 
terms are Su.-Got. and Swed. jul, Dan. jtml, Isl. joL 
Sax. geola. Tent. joeL 



240 YULE 

** Welcome yol, thoa mery man, 
In werchepe of this holy day." 

From a Christmas Carols etUUd " Welcome ToW 
in RU. A. B. 

* * She might have been ane menstral againis yule." 

Complaynt of the Papingo, 

In the good old days of English plenty and hospitality, 
the festiyities at Christmas were oniversally felt and en- 
joyed by all ranks of society, from the humblest of the poor 
to the mightiest of the rich ; and this, otherwise gloomy 
and desolate, was the season of social indulgence ; or, as 
the poet has more aptly termed it, 

" The long night of reyelry and ease.'* 

This cheerful conviviality and friendly intercourse, it is 
pleasing to remark, are not altogether driven from your 
yule fire-sides in the North ; though the superstitious 
observances, which used to be celebrated, are now grown 
rare, if not entirely discontinued. A writer in the Quar- 
terly Review (Sept. 1835, p. 307,) says, " Much has 
been written, to little purpose, respecting the origin of 
yule** Dr. Jamieson, however, has amassed a fund of 
curious information respecting it. And, amongst' other 
things, says, ^^ it is believed by some that, if one were to 
go into the cow-house at twelve o'clock at night (on yule 
e'en), all the cattle would be seen to kneel. This wild idea 
seems to refer to our Lord's being bom in a stable." This 
belief is not confined to Scotland ; on the English Border 
it is still by many an article of faith. 

Yule-candle, a large mould-candle, lighted and set on the 
supper-table on Christmas eve. It is considered unlucky 
to snuff it until the conclusion of the repast. This custom, 
no doubt, originated in times of heathenism. It bears 
great resemblance to the Roman Saturnalia, in the celebra- 
tion of which lights were used. 

Yule-clog, a large block or log of wood, sometimes the root 
of a tree, laid on the fire on Christmas Eve, and kept 



YULE 241 

burning all the following day, or longer, if possible. The 
S/ule clog is still burnt in many farm-houses and kitchens 
in the North of England ; and there are several supersti- 
tions connected with it among the peasantry. A portion 
of the old clog of the preceding year is sometimes saved to 
light up the new block at the next Christmas, and to pre- 
serve the family from harm in the mean time. Herriok, a 
minute describer of the superstitions of his times, in allu- 
sion to this custom, says, 

" Come hting with a noise. 
My merrie, merrie boys. 

The ChrUtmm log to the firing: 
While my good dame she 
Bids ye all be free. 

And drink to your heart's desiring." 

Cerenumies for Chriitmoite. 

" Part must be kept wherewith to teend, 
The Chriatmaa Log next yeare ; 
And where 'tis safely kept, the Fiend 
Can do no mischief e (there)." 

Ceremonies for Candlemasse Day. 

" Yule sits upon Tide-dog 
With a white feather in his eap 

Red Rose, when wilt thou spring?" 

Ancient Ballad. 

As knowledge advances, superstition almost necessarily 
recedes. Yet even now— extensively as rational education 
and intelligence are diffusing among every rank of society, 
and rapid as has been ^^the march of intellect" — ^many 
grave and sensible persons, though ashamed to own a belief 
in supernatural agency of any sort, are still so far in- 
fluenced in their manner of thinking, as to be uncomfort- 
able in the idea of entirely neglecting the superstitious 
notions imbibed in early life. They affect to doubt what, 
in their hearts, they believe and are afraid of. Such is 
ever the despotism of the imagination over minds imper- 
fectly cultivated. No extent to which national education 

VOL. II. I i 



242 YULE 

can be carried can extirpate superstitions, so long as ore- 
dolity is one of the^ characteristics of the human mind. 

YuLB-DOVOHy a Christmas cake, or rather a little image of 
paste studded with currants, and baked for children at 
this season of the year ; intended, originally, perhaps, for 
a figure of the child Jesus, with the Virgin Mary. F. 
Ihre, julbrod — and Brand's Pop. Antiq., Vol. I., p. 410. 

Yule-games, gam^ls customary during the hilarity of Christ- 
mas. 

YuLE-PLouan, a name for the Christmas Pageant described 
under Fool-plough. 

YuRE, the udder of an animal. Dan. yver, a dug. Dut. ujer. 



THE END. 



NEWCASTLE: 
riUKTED BY T. .VND J. HODGSON, U:<10>* STREET. 






\f-_ 



\ 



^ 



PHH 


THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY ^H 

BEPERENCB DEPARTMENT ^^H 


Thii book Ii uailer ao oircumstancei to b« ^^H 
taken Irani tha Building ^^H 


































































































^^■rttf 




H^^B 





^^^^^1 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 1 

^^^^^^H DEPARTMENT H 


^^^^^^H token from the H 




















































































J 






1 


^^^H '"■°'>- 




1