A GLOSSARY
OF
PROVINCIAL WORDS
USED IN
HEREFORDSHIRE.
1839.
BERKELEY
LIBRARY
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CALIFORNIA J
PROVINCIAL WORDS
HEREFORDSHIRE.
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GLOSSARY
PROVINCIAL WORDS
HEREFORDSHIRE
AND SOME OF THE
ADJOINING COUNTIES.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET.
1839.
LONDON :
Printed by William Clowes and Sons,
Stamford Street.
LC7+
PREFACE.
The following Glossary is intended to exhibit a collec-
tion of the provincial words and expressions used in
Herefordshire and some of the contiguous counties.
The only collection of the provincialisms of Here-
fordshire which has been hitherto made is that in-
serted in Duncumb's topographical work on the
county. As this list is meager and imperfect, and as
it is contained in a scarce and expensive book, it
seemed worth while to form a new collection, and to
print it separately.
In order that the nature of the following Glossary
may be understood, it will be convenient first to define
the classes of words which are included in it ; and
secondly, to state the extent of country which it
comprehends.
A provincial word seems properly to mean a word
which is not actually used in the written or spoken
language of educated persons, but which is current
in the familiar language of the inhabitants of some
district.
597
A provincial word, as so defined, may belong to
any one of the four following classes : —
1. Words used by classical writers, but now obso-
lete. Examples of this class are furnished by the
words Cantle, Mirky, Pleach, in the following
Glossary.
2. Words not obsolete, but used only in poetry, or
as technical terms. See Craven, Dank, and To Oust,
in the following Glossary.
3. Words which are not known to have ever been
used in the language of educated persons. Such are,
for example, the words Dar, Gorm, Niscal, in the
following Glossary.
4. Words substantially the same as words current
in the language of educated persons, but modified in
form. In some cases, the provincial form is more
ancient than the literary form ; as the preterits col-
lected at the end of the following Glossary. In some
cases, there is a variety of forms without any indi-
cation by which the greater or less antiquity of either
can be determined : see the words Keech, Pank,
Queek, in the Glossary. In other cases, the provin-
cial form is a corruption of the literary form, arising
from ignorance : as Atomy, and Rusty, in the
Glossary.
The following Glossary is intended to comprise all
words, coming within any of the classes just described,
PREFACE. Vll
which are current in Herefordshire and parts of some
of the adjoining counties. Many, if not most, of the
provincial words current in Herefordshire are (as
will appear from the references in the Glossary) cur-
rent as provincialisms in other parts of England.
This is likewise true of many words included in other
provincial glossaries. Indeed, few provincial words
are confined to any one locality. " In collections of
this kind (Mr. Hunter remarks, in the preface to his
Hallamshire Glossary), it is not to be expected that
the words are all peculiar to the district in which they
are gathered ; or, indeed, that there will be many
which are found there and not in other parts of the
kingdom. A pastoral and agricultural region will
preserve more of the terms which belong to hus-
bandry : more of the ancient terms of art will be
found in a manufacturing district. Peculiarities in
local circumstances, in the structure of habitations, in
the nature of the food, in the amusements of the peo-
ple, may, in a few instances, have occasioned the pre-
servation of words in some narrow district, and in that
alone ; but the great mass of archaical words in any
particular district will, of course, be the same with
those of any other district, since they are relics of
a language once common to the whole of England,
superseded by that new language which custom has
gradually introduced,'' p. 26.
Vlll PREFACE.
Nevertheless, it appears that, from the accidents
of tradition, the use of some provincial words is con-
fined within very narrow limits, though they may
perhaps be known in other and distant parts of the
country. Hence it is difficult to make a complete
list of the provincial words current over an extensive
district; and although the following Glossary was
compiled with the assistance of gentlemen resident in
various parts of Herefordshire, it is not impossible
that some peculiar words may have escaped the notice
of all the contributors. The determination of the
meaning of provincial words is likewise, in many cases,
liable to doubt ; since it is difficult by conversation
alone, and that with illiterate persons, to obtain an
induction sufficiently wide for fixing the precise
import of a word.
The words included in the following Glossary are
generally current in Herefordshire, and in parts of
the contiguous counties of Brecknock, Radnor, Mon-
mouth, and Gloucester. The Gloucestershire words
entered in the following Glossary were collected by a
gentleman whose residence is not far from Gloucester ;
many of these words are marked in the Glossary as
being peculiar to the latter county, and as not being
current in Herefordshire. From an examination of
these words, as well as of the short list of agricultural
provincialisms used in the vale of Gloucester, which
PREFACE. IX
is given in Marshall's Rural Economy of Gloucester-
shire, vol. i. p. 323 — 32, it would seem that the
dialect of Gloucestershire approaches more to that
of Somersetshire than to that of Herefordshire. The
provincial words used in the Midland counties, which
are collected by the same writer in his Rural Economy
of the Midland Counties, vol. ii. p. 433 — 45, agree
more closely with the Herefordshire dialect ; but no
copious provincial Glossary, for any of the midland
counties (as Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire,
Worcestershire, Derbyshire, or Leicestershire) has
hitherto been published.
A writer in the Quarterly Review has divided the
provincial dialects of England in the following man-
ner : — "1. Southern or standard English, which in
the fourteenth century was perhaps best spoken in
Kent and Surrey by the body of the inhabitants. 2.
Western English, of which traces may be found from
Hampshire to Devonshire, and northward as far as
the Avon. 3. Mercian, vestiges of which appear in
Shropshire, Staffordshire, and South and West Derby-
shire, becoming distinctly marked in Cheshire, and
still more so in South Lancashire. 4. Anglian, of
which there are three subdivisions : the East Anglian
of Norfolk and Suffolk; the Middle Anglian of Lin-
colnshire, Nottinghamshire, and East Derbyshire ;
and the North Anglian of the West Riding of York-
X PREFACE.
shire , spoken most purely in the mountainous parts
of the district of Craven. 5. Northumbrian." —
(Vol. 55. p. 354.) It does not, however, appear from
this division, to which branch the writer would refer
the Herefordshire dialect : nor does this dialect bear a
striking affinity to any of the dialects exhibited in the
Glossaries, of which a list is subjoined to this preface.*
It may be observed that the Herefordshire dialect
is not so remote from the literary language, and does
not contain so many provincial expressions, as some
other local dialects ; for example, the Lancashire and
Exmoor dialects, as exemplified in Tim Bobbin and
the Exmoor Dialogues.
It may be, moreover, observed, that the Hereford-
shire dialect, although spoken on the borders of
Wales, and coming in contact with the Welsh lan-
guage, contains few words borrowed from the Welsh ;
though it contains more words of Welsh origin than
the dialects which are altogether removed from this
contact, as, for example, the dialect of Norfolk and
Suffolk. The words in the following Glossary, which
appear to be of Welsh origin, are to bag, Jlannen,
givethally kevin, mawn, moiled, pant, pill, prill, ross,
suck, tare, timsarah, and tump.
London, October, 1839.
* Herefordshire was a part of the kingdom of Mercia. See
Bosworth's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Preface, p. xvi.
List of Provincial Glossaries consulted in the com-
pilation of the subjoined Glossary.
Ray's Collection of English Words not generally used
(frequently reprinted).
Grose's Glossary of Provincial and Local Words used
in England. London, 1839 (with Pegge's Sup-
plement incorporated), 1 vol.
Dialogues, Poems, Songs, and Ballads, by various
Writers, in the Westmoreland and Cumberland
Dialects, now first collected, with a copious Glos-
sary of Words peculiar to those Counties. London,
1839. 1 vol.
Glossary of the Dialect of Craven. London, 1828.
2 vols.
The Hallamshire Glossary, by the Rev. Joseph Hunter,
F.S.A. London, 1829. 1 vol.
Ancient Words at present used in the Mountainous
District of the West Riding of Yorkshire. By Dr.
Willan. Archseologia, vol. 17. p. 138 — 67.
An Attempt at a Glossary of some Words used in
Cheshire. By Roger Wilbraham, Esq. London,
1826. 1 vol.
Observations on some of the Dialects in the West of
England, particularly Somersetshire. By James
Jennings. London, 1825. 1 vol.
xii List of Provincial Glossaries, fyc.
An Exmoor Scolding, also an Exmoor Courtship. A
new Edition, with Notes and a Glossary. London,
1839. 1 vol.
A Dialogue in the Devonshire Dialect, to which is
added a Glossary. By J. F. Palmer. London, 1837.
1 vol.
Suffolk Words and Phrases. By Edward Moor.
Woodbridge and London, 1823. 1 vol.
The Vocabulary of East Anglia (Norfolk and Suffolk).
By the Rev. Robert Forby. London, 1830. 2
vols.
Boucher's Glossary. London, 1833. 2 Parts (un-
finished).
GLOSSARY.
[Note. — The words marked (GL.) are used in Gloucestershire
and not in Herefordshire.]
A.
A. pron , he, she, or it. " In Gloucestershire,"
says Marshall, (Rural Economy of Gloucestershire,
vol. i. p. 324,) " an extra pronoun is in use, ou ; a
pronoun of the singular number, analogous with
the plural they ; being applied in a masculine, a fe-
minine, or a neuter sense. Thus, cou wulP expresses
either he will, she will, or it wull." In Here-
fordshire a similar pronoun is in use, but its sound
is that of the inarticulate a, and is nearly represented
by the sound of ir or ur in sir9 bird, absurd, &c.
A. In Gloucestershire, among the middling classes
only, a is changed into e, when the sound is as in
spade, gave, which are pronounced spede, geve.
Among the lower classes it has generally a broader
sound, as spaad, gaav.
To Abide, v. to bear, to endure. E. g. " the weather is
so hot, I can't abide it."
B
2 Provincial Words
Able, adj. wealthy. An "able man,'5 means a
wealthy man.
Aboove, prep, above.
Abundation, s. abundance, a large number Cor-
rupted into Bundation, in Gloucestershire.
Abuseful, adj. abusive.
Afeard, adj. or fart, afraid. An ancient classi-
cal word, still current as a provincialism in many
parts of England. See Nares in To AfTear, Moor
and Forby in Afeard, Jennings in AfFeard, Craven
Glossary in Afeard and Feard. Afeard occurs ten
times in Shakspeare, according to Ayscough's
Index. Aferedia used by Chaucer, C. T. 12218.
Troilus and Cressida, II. 606.
Again, or Agin, prep, over-against, next to, oppo-
site to. It sometimes means " before : " as " I will
do it agin next Sunday," i. e. u I will do it before
next Sunday/' Also used in Somersetshire ; Jen-
nings in v. Againis used for against in Skelton's
Elegy on Henry, fourth Earl of Northumberland.
(Percy, vol. i.)
r* Provydent, discrete, circumspect, and wyse,
Tyll the chaunce ran agyne him of fortunes duble dy se." st. 20.
See also Boucher's Dictionary in Again and Anent,
and Forby in Again.
Aiddled, part, addled. (GL.)
used in Herefordshire. 3
All as is. " All as is to me is this," i. e., all that I
have to say about it, or, all that I observe in it.
All about. " To get all about in his head," to become
light-headed.
All about it. " That's all about it :" that is the very
point in question.
All b'ease, adv. all by ease, i. e. quietly, gently,
gradually.
Also, prep, a corruption of all save. Thus, " six-
pence also twopence," meaning, " sixpence all save
(or all but) twopence," i. e. fourpence.
Anty tump, s. ant hill. See Tump.
Aneaoust, neaous, adv. almost, near to. (GL.)
Anevst means about the matter, nearly, in Berk-
shire, according to Grose.
Anunt, prep, against, over-against. This old word
exists in lowland Scotch, and is current in the
cognate dialects of Yorkshire and Cheshire. See
Jamieson in Anens, Craven Glossary in Anent,
Willan and Wilbraham in Anenst, Boucher in
Again and Anent. It is also used in Derbyshire,
according to Grose in Anent: over anunt occurs
in Gloucestershire ; Grose in v.
Apricock, s. apricot. Also used in Somersetshire ;
Jennings in v. Apricock is used by Shakspeare
in Midsummer Night's Dream, act 3, sc. 1, and
Richard II., act 3, sc. 4. It is the more genuine.
b 2
4 Provincial Words
form ; compare the Italian abricoccolo, and the
Portuguese albricoque^ from the Arabic word
albarquqe : Diez, Roman. Grammat. vol. ii,
p. 229. See Skinner and Junius in v. Apricock.
Arc, s. a mare's tail cloud, or cirrhus, in the form of
a streak crossing the sky. Probably the same word
as arch.
To Arg, v. to argue. " He would arg me that it was
so." Also used in Somersetshire : Jennings in v.
The latter dialect also has the compound verb, to
downarg: ibid.
To Argufy, v. a. to signify. Hence " of no argufi-
cation," of no importance. The verb to argufy
is used in the same sense in Yorkshire, Norfolk,
and Somersetshire : Craven Glossary, Forby, and
Jennings in v.
As. Used instead of the relative pronoun ; e, g.
"The man as I seed." " The child as- was there."
So is similarly used in German : —
" Von alien so da kamen."
Burger's Lenore.
See Grimm D. G. vol. iii. p. 197. Tooke, vol. i.
p. 257.
Aside n, adv. on one side.
Askel, s. a newt, from ask or esk. The origin of
the word is explained in the Quarterly Review,
vol. lv. p. 374.
used in Herefordshire. 5
Asp, s. the aspen tree. Asp is the proper form of the
substantive; aspen is an adjectival form. See
Bosworth in iEps, JEsp, and iEspen, and Johnson
in Aspen ; compare below in Elmen. The form
aspen appears to have been preferred to asp, in
order to avoid confusion with the species of serpent
called asp.
Atchorn, s. acorn. " To atchorn," to gather acorns.
Also used in Cheshire : Wilbraham in v.
Ater, prep, after. Also used in Somersetshire and
Norfolk : Jennings and Boucher in v.
Atomy, s. (also pronounced otomy), a skeleton. This
old corruption of anatomy is also used in other
parts of England : see Nares and Boucher in
Atomy, Moor and Jennings in Mottomy. The
corruption has arisen from a confusion of the
indefinite article with the first syllable of the
succeeding word. Instead of saying an anatomy,
illiterate persons said an atomy. Many similar
corruptions have taken place in our own and
other languages. Thus a nadder has become
an adder ; a nawl> an aivl ; a napron, an apron ;
a nide of pheasants, an eye of pheasants., So,
being an adept at anything has been corrupted
into being a dab at anything, and an abettor into
a butty. In like manner, number has in some
dialects been corrupted into umber \ (Grose in v.)
and nettle into ettle, (See Ettles.) See also
6 Provincial Words
Tyrwhitt's Glossary to Chaucer in Nale, and
Boucher's Dictionary in An. In Italian, una
apecchia has become una pecchia ; una aguglia,
una guglia ; V Alamagna, la Magna, and /' ana-
lomia, la notomia. On the other hand, /' onza,
I' or dura, have become la lonza, la lor dura. In
French, m'amie has become ma mie, and VApouille,
la Pouille ; whilst Voisir has become le loisir, and
Vendemain has become le lendemain, (like the
tother in English.)
Audacious, adj. not shy, insolent.
Aul, or orl, s. an alder. Alor, air, A.S. Pro-
nounced aller in Devonshire and Somersetshire :
Palmer and Jennings in v. The following are
proverbial lines : —
" When the bud of the aul is as big as the trout's eye,
Then that fish is in season in the river Wye."
In Yorkshire and Derbyshire, an alder is called an
owler : Grose and Hunter in v.
Aulen, adj. of alder, as " the aulen coppice," " an
aulen pole." Compare Elmen.
To Awhile, v. n. Used only in the expression, " I
can't awhile," I can't wait, I have no time, that is,
probably, " I can't have while."
To Ax, v. a. to ask. This old form of the word (see
Nares in v.) seems to be current as a provin-
cialism in most parts of England. It occurs in the
Craven Glossary, Hunter's Hallamshire Glossary,
used in Herefordshire. 1
Moor's Suffolk Words, Forby's East- Anglian Vo-
cabulary, Jennings's Somersetshire Glossary, and
Palmer's Devonshire Glossary. It is also Scotch :
see Jamieson in v. Compare Boucher in v.
B.
Backside, s. the back ; as, the backside of the wood,
the house, &c. E.g. "Did you see maister?"
" No : he went out at the backside now just."
Bad, adj. "Bad to do in the world," is opposed to
" well to do in the world." Poor, in straitened cir-
cumstances.
To Bag, v. a. to bag peas is to cut them with a hook,
resembling the common reaping-hook, but with a
handle long enough to admit of both hands being
applied to it. This expression is used in a nearly
similar sense in Gloucestershire, and also according
to Boucher, in Shropshire. Boucher says, " I
suspect the people of these counties borrowed this
term (bagging hook) from their neighbours the
Welsh ; adding to bach a hook, the English of it."
Bait, s, a meal taken by a labourer in the middle of
the day.
Bald-rib, s. spare-rib. Also used in Gloucester-
shire. It is spelt ballrib in Jennings's Somerset-
shire Glossary.
8 Provincial Words
Banky, adj. U a banky piece," a field with banks in it.
Bannut-tree, s. a walnut-tree bearing small fruit.
This word is stated by Jennings, p. 10, to be also
used in the northern parts of Somersetshire. In
Grose's Glossary, the expression " bannet-tree "
for walnut-tree is stated to be used in Gloucester-
shire.
Barm, s. yeast, from beorma, A.S. A word used in
other parts of the country. See Boucher in v. It is
pronounced burnt in Devonshire : Palmer in v.
Bash, s. 1. the mass of the roots of a tree before they
separate. In Grose's Glossary, tc bashy" is stated
to be a north-country word for " fat, swelled."
In Norfolk, according to Forby, "to cut a bosh, is
something stronger than the more usual expression
to ' cut a dash ;' something more showy and ex-
pensive." Forby states that bosen out is rendered
by tumidus in the Promtuarium Parvulorum ; and
he compares the French bosse. See also Grose in
Bosh. The word svjell is similarly used in modern
slang language : Compare the description of the
approach of Dalila, in Samson Agonistes, v. 710.
2. Bash is also used to signify the front of a bull's or
pig's head. Pash is a ludicrous term for the head
in Scotch : Jamieson in v. Bash in this sense
appears to be derived from to bash or pash, to
strike^ or push : see Todd's Johnson, Forby and
used in Herefordshire. 9
Crav. Glossary, in Pash, and Jamieson in Bash.
The word pash occurs in this sense in Winter's
Tale :—
Leontes. How now, you wanton calf?
Art thou my calf?
Mamillius. Yes, it' you will, my Lord.
Leont. Thou want'st a rough pash, and the shoots
that I have,
To be full like me, — Act I. sc. 2.
Which passage is correctly explained by M alone
thus : ct You tell me that you are like me ; that you
are my calf. I am the horned bull ; thou wantest
the rough head and the horns of that animal, com-
pletely to resemble your father." A mad-brained
boy is called a mad pash in Cheshire (see Grose
in Pash) ; which, as Henley remarks on the
passage in Winter's Tale, is designed to characterize
him from the wantonness of a calf that blunders
on, and runs his head against anything.
Bat, s. a wooden tool used for battering or beating
clods of earth.
To Bat, v. a. to strike with a bat.
Bath, s. a sow.
Beethy, adj. soft, sticky, contrary to crisp, overripe.
It is also said of a person in a slight perspiration.
Grose in v. states that underdone meat is so called
in Herefordshire; but this sense is not known
b3
]0 Provincial Words
at present. In Boucher's Glossary, to heath is
explained to mean k< to dry by exposure to the fire."
To bathe is used by Chaucer, C. T. 15273, as
equivalent to bask. From these uses it may be
inferred that beethy means such a degree of
moisture as is created in a porous substance by
imperfect exposure to heat, sufficient to cause the
steam to pervade it, but not to drive it off entirely.
To Bellrag, v. to scold in a clamorous manner.
" To ballerag " has the same meaning in the West
Riding of Yorkshire ; "to bullyrag" in Norfolk;
" to ballirag " in Devonshire and Somersetshire :
Willan, Forby, Palmer, and Jennings, invv. "To
rag " is used in the North in the same sense :
Grose in v. Comp. Crav. Gl. in Bullyrag.
To Bellock, v. to bawl, to bellow. A cow which has
lost her calf bellocks. Formed, as well as bellow,
from bellan, A. S. To bullock is used in Norfolk :
Forby in v.
Bent, s. the seed-stalk of grass. Hence the popu-
lar distich :
Pigeons never do know woe,
But when they do a benting go.
That is, pigeons are never in want of food except
at times when they are reduced to the necessity of
living on the seeds of the grass, which ripen before
the crops of grain. In Jennings's Somersetshire
used in Herefordshire. 1 1
Glossary, "bennet'; is "long coarse grass," and
"bennety, abounding in bennets." In the West-
moreland and Cumberland Glossary, bent grass is
explained to be long coarse grass, which chiefly
grows upon the moors. See also Crav, Gl. and
Forby in v. Bent is used in the old ballad of
Chevy Chace, —
el Bomen bickarte upon the bent,
With their broad aras cleare."
Stanza 5.
and in the ballad of Sir Cauline, Part 1, st. 20,
(Percy, vol. i.)
" Then a lightsome bugle heard he blow-
Over the bents so brown."
It is remarkable that the word bent, as used in the
old ballad of Chevy Chace, to signify grass or field
generally, was mistaken by the author of the
modern ballad to mean inclination of the mind.
See Percy's Introduction to the modern ballad,
vol. ii.
See further Boucher's Glossary in v. Bent is also
Scotch, and is used by W. Scott ; e. g. in Thomas
the Rhymer, Part 3.
•' But footsteps light across the bent
The warrior's ears assail."
Bent is so called, because the seed-stalk of grass bends
12 Provincial Words
with the wind. In Chancer, bent signifies the
bending or declivity of a hill, Tyrwhitt in v.
Bessy, s. " Don't be a bessy," said to a man who in-
terferes with a woman's affairs or business. (Forest
of Dean.)
Besom, s. a birch broom. (In common use.) It is
never applied to a bair broom. Used in other
parts of the country; Grose in Beesom and Besom.
To Bett, v. a. to pare the greensward with a breast-
plough, or betting-iron, usually with a view to its
being burnt, and the ashes spread for manure.
The sod when so pared is called " the betting :"
thus " setting up the betting," " putting fire to the
betting." The same process is known in Devon-
shire and other parts of England by the name of
• ' beat," or " burning-beat," or " beat-burning," ac-
cording to Boucher in Beate burning, and Palmer
in Beat.
To "bete fires" is used in Chaucer for to prepare
fires, C. T. 2255. 2294. In C. T. 3925, "to
bete ,? means to mend ; and in another place to
64 bete sorwe '' is to heal sorrow. The original sense
of the word seems to be that of mending or setting
to rights; connected with bet, bette, (Chaucer,
C. T. 7.r)33,) and better. It may tend to confirm
the notion that this is the original meaning of bete,
if we consider that "bette," adj., meant fertile
used in Herefordshire. 2 3
in old English. " Let the soil be as fertile and
bette as any would wish," quotation from Holin-
shed in note to Southey's Life of Wesley, ii.
p 594. Now on looking to u till " we find the
. general sense of preparing, setting in order,
narrowed to the agricultural meaning; and so it
may have been with bete, bette, and beti.
Better, adv. more numerous. As, Ci better nor ten."
See Craven Glossary, in v.
To Bewray, v. to defile with ordure. "gThe birds
bewray the church." It is used by old writers in
the sense of discover or betray : see Junius, Nares,
and Tyrwhitt in v.
Bilberry, s. a small black bogberry, the wortleberry.
Black Poles, poles in a copse which have stood
over one or two falls of underwood.
Blob, s. a blister. Bleb \ and blob occur in the
Craven Glossary, with the sense of a bubble or
blister. Blob is also Scotch; see Jamieson in
Bleib and Blob. In Suffolk, blob, according to
Moor, signifies "a blunt termination to a thing
that is usually more pointed. A parrot's tongue is
said to be blob-indid, or to have a blob end. A per-
son who, by biting his or her nails, has injured the
shape of the fingers, would be called blob-Jin-
gered* p. 35. See also Forby in v. The word
blob is etymologically connected with the Latin
14 Provincial Words
bulbus, and other numerous words belonging to
the same root, in which the idea of roundness pre-
dominates. See the Philological Museum, vol. i.
p. 405, sqq.
Body, s. Used as a term of commiseration, to de-
note deficiency. As " A poor simple body." " I
never seed such a poor helpless body in my life ;
she canna do nothing."
Body-horse, s. the second horse of a team of four.
e. g. " Smiler was in the body yesterday." (GL.)
Bogie, s. a ghost. Not peculiar to Herefordshire.
See Junius in Bogie and below in Bugabo.
Bolting, s. A " bolting of straw " is a quantity of
straw tied up into a bundle or small truss. When
straw is sold by the weight, each bolting ought to
weigh 14 lbs. ; but boltings of straw are often
bought and paid for according to their apparent
size. The word is also used in Gloucestershire.
It is probably derived from the peculiar -mode in
which the band of straw is fastened down, and, as
it were belted, for the purpose of holding the truss
together. See Thrave. Pease-bolt is used for
pease-straw in Essex : Grose in v.
To Boodge, v. a. to stuff bushes into a hedge. Pro-
bably a variety of to push.
Boosy, n. s. the manger of a cattle-stall. From
Bosig or bosg, A. S. Bosworth in v. Boose is ex-
used in Herefordshire.
it
plained by Johnson to mean " a stall for a cow or
an ox," but he gives no example of it in any
writer. It is used in Cheshire, according to Wil-
braham, and in Yorkshire, according to the Cra-
ven Glossary, and Hunter's Appendix, p. 119.
See Junius in Boose.
Bottle, n. s. Sometimes used in the same sense as
costrel, which see.
To be Bound, v. to be sure. " He is bound to be
there," he is sure to be there. Also used in
Gloucestershire.
To Box, v. n. to strike, as a gun which recoils. The
word box signifies a blow, in the expression, M Box
on the ear." It has the same sense in Chaucer :
Tyrwhitt in v.
Brad, n. s. a nail with a small head. This word
is used in Cheshire : see Wilbraham in v. Grose
says, " Brod, a kind of nail, called brads in the
south." This word, though it occurs in other
provincial glossaries, seems to be generally used,
and is inserted in Johnson's Dictionary.
Brags, s. u To make his brags" is to brag, to boast,
to threaten to do great things, in a presumptuous
and confident manner ; as, " He made his brags
as he would do for 'em all if he met them at the
fair."
Brass, s. copper coins. " I paid him eleven pence :
16 Provincial Words
sixpence silver, and five pennyworth of brass"
Also used in the northern counties : Grose,
Crav. Gl., and Westmoreland and Cumberland
Glossary in v.
To Brevet about, v. to beat about the fields in search
of something. (GL.)
Breveting, adj. gadding about. (Forest of Dean.)
Brouse, s. (pronounced like house), cut brushwood,
the smaller ends of bushes. As, " I did na take
the faggots ; it was only some bits of brouse anunt
the stack.'* Also used in Gloucestershire.
Bucking, n. s. the mode of washing so called. This
old word appears to be derived from buc, A. S., a
bowl or tub, from which bucket is formed : see
Bosworth's A. S. Dictionary in v. Bucato in
Italian, and bu'e in old French, signify washing.
Bud-bird, s. a bullfinch.
To Buff, v.n. to stammer: whence "a buffer," a
stammerer. This appears to be an imitative
word, like hiss, growl, murmur, buzz, &c.
To play the Bugan. To play the devil. Bug occurs
as well as bugbear in old writers : Johnson zn v.
It is said to be derived from the Welsh bwg, a
hobgoblin. See Jamieson in Boggarde and Bo-
gill.
Bugabo, s. a bugbear, a ghost. Also used in Glou-
cestershire.
used in Herefordshire.
17
To Bunt, v. a. (pronounced boont) to push with the
head. A sucking calf, lamb, or colt, which strikes
the udder with its nose, is said to hunt. The
word is also used in Gloucestershire in this sense.
Slightly modified from the word pun, which see.
In Somersetshire "to bunt" means to bolt, or
separate the flour from the bran : Jennings in v.
" To bult" is used for to bolt in Yorkshire : Cra-
ven Glossary in v.
Bur, s. 1. The sweetbread, or pancreas, of a calf.
This word is also used in this sense in Cheshire and
Derbyshire : Wilbraham and Grose in v. 2. A
tree cropped to produce poles. A "bur-oak" is a
pollard oak. The latter sense is probably derived
from a pollard tree having a round bristly look,
instead of having spreading branches. A " bur-
tree" means an elder tree in the north : Grose in v.
Burrough, or Burrow, s. the lee, the side shel-
tered from the wind. " Burrow hurdles " are
wattled hurdles which the wind cannot easily
blow through. (GL.) See Div. of Purley, vol. ii.
p. 186.
Bursted, or Busted, the preterit of to burst, e. g.
" It bursted open the door." Also used in Glou-
cestershire.
Burying, $. a funeral. ' To fetch a burying ' is to
accompany the corpse. Pronounced berring in
18 Provincial Words
Yorkshire : Mr. Hunter doubts whether the word
be not rather derived from bear than bury. The
conjecture seems probable : see Boucher in
Beoryng.
Bustle, s. a scolding bout. Thus, " to get into a
bustle about a thing" signifies to get into a scolding
about it.
Butt, s. the lower part of the stem of a timber-tree.
Also used in Somersetshire.
Butty, s. an assistant, comrade, helpmate, partner.
Also used in Gloucestershire. Corrupted from
abettor. See Atomy.
By your LEAve, or By'r leave. An expression of
civility used by an inferior to a superior, in the act
of causing him some slight inconvenience. It is
nearly equivalent to pardon and scusi, as used in
French and Italian.
Bytack, s. a farm taken by the bye, in addition to
another farm, and on which the tenant does not
reside ; e. g. " Them bytacks be the ruin of the
country.'' Compare Tack.
C.
Caddling, adj. false, insincere, cajoling with a view
of buying anything below its value. Very often
applied to butchers, but always in a bad sense :
used in Herefordshire, \ 9
thus, " a little caddling butcher." " Don't be cad-
dling so long about it." " I don't bid caddling, I
bid fair." (GL.) Scaddle means thievish, rapa-
cious, in Kent, according to Grose in v.
Cadger, s. an itinerant dealer whose wares are
carried in a small cart.
Cag, s. the stump of a branch protruding from the
tree, the stump of a broken tooth. Compare
Snag.
To Cant, v. to backbite, without reference to reli-
gious hypocrisy.
Cantle, s. a piece, a fragment (in common use) ;
e. g. u a cantle of bread" means a corner off a loaf;
*' a cantle of a field," a small piece of a field. The
word is used by Chaucer, C. T. 3010.
" Of no partie ne cantel of a thing."
And by Shakspeare, 1 Hen. IV. act 3, sc. 1.
" See how this river comes me cranking in,
And cuts me, from the best of all my land,
A huge half-moon, a monstrous cantle out."
Antony and Cleopatra, act 3, sc. 8.
si The greater cantle of the world is lost
With very ignorance."
See Nares in Cantle, Grose and Moor in Cant,
and the Craven Glossary in Cant and Canting.
The word kante or kant, for edge or corner, occurs
20 Provincial Words
in nearly all the Teutonic languages. See Meidin-
ger's Compar. Dictionary, p. 193.
Candle of the Eye, s. pupil of the eye. In Nor-
folk and Suffolk the pupil of the eye is called the
" bird of the eye ;" Grose and For by in v., in which
expression "bird" means damsel, or girl, (see
Jamieson in v.) and is equivalent to Kopiy in
Greek and pupil la in Latin. The name is derived
from the diminished image of himself which the
beholder sees iu the eye of the person whom he
addresses. See Boucher in " Bird of the eye."
Carlock, s. the weed charlock.
Cauve, s. calf.
Char, or Cher, s. a job. " To do a char (or chair)
for a friend," is to do a job for a friend. u That's
a good cher," that is a good job; expressive of
approbation. Also used in Gloucestershire. See
Nares in Chare. In Devonshire and Somerset-
shire this- word is pronounced choor. See Jennings
in Choor, Palmer in Chures. See Tooke's Div.
of Purley, vol. ii. p. 192.
Charks, s. charcoal.
To Chark, v. to make charcoal, to char.
A Charker, s. one who makes charcoal.
To Chastise, v. to question closely, particularly as
to some mischief done. A similar confusion of
examination and punishment occurs in the line of
used in Herefordshire.
21
Virgil, " Castigatque, auditque dolos, subigitque
fateri." Mn. vi.
Chats, s. dead sticks. According to Grose's Glos-
sary, " chat " means " a small twig " in Derbyshire ;
" chats" means " keys of .trees, as ash-chats, syca-
more-chats," in the northern counties ; and " chat-
tocks" means "refuse wood, left in making4 fag-
gots," in Gloucestershire. According to the
present usage in Gloucestershire, the chips which
fly from the axe when a tree is cut down are
called chats ; what the carpenter cuts off, chips,
" Chats " is explained to mean spray- wood in
the Westmoreland and Cumberland Glossary.
According to the Craven Glossary, "chatts-"
are " the capsules of the ash, sycamore, &c,
called also keys" According to Moor's Suf-
folk Words, " chates," or " chaits," are " broken
victuals; the remnants of turnips or other food
left by fatting sheep, &c, to which leaner or
more hungry stock is turned in, to pick up
the chaits, or orts." " Chats," or " chatter
bushes," are explained by Moor to be " pro-
truding bushes of blackthorn, &c, running into
a field from the fence; or the lower straggling
branches of a tree, which we otherwise call
sprawls" Forby, in v., says that chaits is the
22 Provincial Words
same word as chits, whence the diminutive chitter-
lings. In German, katze has the sense of a bundle
or bunch; and it also signifies the keys of a
tree. See Adelung in Katze, No. 5. The English
word catkins is a cognate form.
Chawm, s. a crack in the ground caused by dry
weather. Corrupted from chasm. (GL.)
Cheese, s. Cider hairs filled with must aud piled in
readiness to be pressed. A various form of case.
It may be observed that the Italian formaggio is
derived from forma, in the sense of a case, i. e. the
case in which the cheese is pressed.
Chilver, s. an ewe lamb. (GL.) Grose explains
it to mean " the mutton of a maiden sheep."
Chimbley, s. chimney. This pronunciation of the
wrord is mentioned in the Craven Glossary, in
Wilbraham's Cheshire Glossary, in Jennings's So-
mersetshire Glossary, in Palmer's Devonshire
Glossary, and in Forby's East Anglian Vocabulary.
It is also usual in Gloucestershire. The insertion
of b after m occurs likewise in homber and sumber
in this glossary : see further, Lewis's Essay on the
Romance Languages, p. 19, and Donaldson's New
Cratylus, p. 292. Sometimes the provincial dialect
omits the b after m : thus the Somersetshire dialect
has timmer for timber (Zimmer, German), and
used in Herefordshire.
23
the Somersetshire and Devonshire dialects have
emmers and yammers for embers : Jennings
and Palmer in v. Compare Boucher in Aymers.
Chump, s. a log of wood for burning. The thick end
of a sirloin of beef is called the ' chump end.'
This word is also used in Gloucestershire and in
Norfolk : Forby in v.
Churm, s. a churn.
To Clam, v. a. I. to clog up, 2. to starve. In Glouces-
tershire u to clam" means to stick or adhere, as clay
or the like, so as to hinder work. If clay or earth
sticks to the spade, so that a man cannot dig, he is
said to be 'c clammed up." This old word (Nares
in Clem) is still current in the north of England.
See Willan in Clam, Craven Glossary in Clam
and Clammed, and Wilbraham's Cheshire Glossary
in Clem. In Suffolk the word is stated to be
nearly obsolete ; see Moor in Clammd. But see
Forby in v. It does not occur in Jennings's So-
mersetshire Glossary ; and in Palmer's Devonshire
Glossary, " to clum" or " clam" is explained, "to
rumple or soil by handling, from clumian, Sax., to
daub, foul, or besmear." From " to clam," in the
sense of "to stick," is derived the adjective
clammy,
Clea, s. claw. Each division of the hoof of an ox
or other cloven-footed animal is called a clea. This
24 Provincial Words
form is used in Yorkshire, Cheshire, and Norfolk :
Craven Glossary, Wilbraham and Forby in v.
Cleaching Net, s. a bag-net, attached to a semi-
circular hoop having a transverse piece, to the
centre of which a pole is fixed. The net is put
gently into the stream, and drawn towards the
bank when the river is in flood, and the fish draw
to the sides. Called a clinching-net in Gloucester-
shire.
To Cleach, v. to use a cleaching net.
Cockshut, s. a contrivance for catching woodcocks
in an open glade or drive in a wood, by means of
a suspended net. In some places, cockshut, from
an appellative, has become a proper name, the
meaning being extinct.
To Collogue, v. n. to converse together (used in a
bad sense). See Nares, Hunter, Craven Glossary,
Forby, Moor, and Jennings, in v.
Colly, adj. dirty, smutty, from coal. See Nares in
Colly and To Colly, Wilbraham's Cheshire Gloss.
in Collow. Steevens on " Othello," act 2, sc. 3,
(" Passion having my best judgment collied,")
states that the word colly was used in the midland
counties in his time. In Gloucestershire, ac-
cording to Grose, colley means the black or soot
from a kettle. In Somersetshire, a colley, ac-
cording to Jennings, means a blackbird.
used in Herefordshire. 25
To Come, v. applied to the increase of a river in
flood, as " Wye's a coming."
Come by now, used as an exclamation for "get out
of the way."
To Come down upon, v. to reprove, to chide. The
same as to " get over."
Comical, adj. ill-tempered. See Stick.
Out of the common, out of the common way.
To Conceit, v. and Conceit, s. (sometimes pro-
nounced consate.) To suppose, a notion, as u I
conceited it was so ;" " I had no conceit of it."
To Concern with, v. n. to meddle with.
Cop, s. The " cop of a ridge" is the summit of a
ridge in a ploughed field ; compare re en. Cop sig-
nifies a top or summit in Welsh ; but the word
occurs in all the Teutonic languages, and it is
doubtful whether its use in Herefordshire was de-
rived from the Welsh. See Grose in Cop and
Cope.
Coppy, s. a coppice ; so called, according to Willan
in v., as being a round woody eminence, from
cop.
Cornel, .9. a corner.
Costrel, s. a small portable cask, used for carrying
beer or cider into the field. This word is in the
Craven Glossary, and Grose calls it a north coun-
try word. It may probably occur as a provin-
26 Provincial Words
cialism in other parts of the kingdom ; for its usage
is ancient. Costrellus occurs in Matthew Paris ;
see Ducange in v. Costeret or cousterei is used in
old French, in the sense of a measure for wine or
other liquors ; Roquefort in vv. This form of the
word occurs in the Romance of Richard Cceur de
Lion :
* Now, steward, I warne thee
Buy us vessel [i. e. vaisselle] great plente.
Dishes, cuppes, and saucers,
Bowls, trays, and platters,
Vats, tuns, and costret ;
Maketh our meat withouten let."
Ellis's Romances, vol. ii. p. 213.
Costrel is used by Chaucer, Legend of Goode
Women, 2655. A costrel is probably so called
from being made of costce, staves or ribs hooped
together.
To Couch, v. n. to squat, to sit as a rabbit or hare.
From the French coucher.
To Cowse, v. to chase animals, particularly sheep
and pigs. It may also be said of an idle person,
that he " goes tampering and cowsing about."
Probably a corruption of to course.
Cowt, s. a colt.
Cratch, s. a rack for hay in a stable. Cratch is
also used in other counties : Grose, Moor, and
Hunter in v. An old word : thus Spenser, Hymn
used in Herefordshire. 2?
of Heav. Love, st. 33.
" Begin from first, where he encradled was
In simple cratch, wrapped in a wad of hay."
See also Nares in Cratch. Cratch and rack are
probably different forms of the same word.
Craven, s. (pronounced cravven), a coward. In
common use.
Crink, s. a very ^small child. In Gloucestershire,
according to Grose, a crinch means a small bit.
To Crowdle, v. n. to crouch. " Crowdled up" is
bent or doubled up, like a sick animal : from to
crowd. This word has a nearly similar sense in
Yorkshire, Cheshire, Devonshire, Norfolk, and
Suffolk. See Craven Glossary in Cruddle, Wilbra-
ham and Moor in Crewdle, Forby, Grose, and
Hunter in Croodle, Palmer in Crudle.
Cue, s. a coop, hatch, kennel. A variety of coop
Cue (or Kew), s. an ox's shoe. Also used in Glou-
cestershire.
To Cue (or Kew), v. to fasten shoes on the feet of
oxen. An old man resided many years ago at
Michel Dean, in Gloucestershire, who was known
by the name of the Ox-cuer, from his dexterity in
this business, which requires skill and care, inas-
much as it is necessary that the animal should be
thrown. The word ox-kew appears to have been
originally ox-skew, and to have been derived from
c 2
28 Provincial Words
the oblique or crooked form of the iron plate which
was attached to each division of the ox's hoof. The
absorption of the initial 5 after a final x would,
upon this supposition, be analogous to the corrup-
tions explained under the word Atomy.
To Curf potatoes, is to earth them up. From to
cover.
Curious, adj. strange; as "a curious temper."
The adjectives, comical, curious, and ridiculous,
imply blame.
Curst, adj. ill-tempered, cross-grained ; applied
both to men and animals. An ancient usage ; see
Nares in v.
Cute, or Cude, adj. sharp, acrimonious, corrupted
from acute. Also used in Cheshire : Wilbraham
in v.
Cutwith, s. the bar of the plough to which the
traces are attached. Compare Lantree.
D.
Daddock, s. dead wood, touchwood ; in Gloucester-
shire, dead wood is said to be " daddocky," or " all
of a daddock." In Somersetshire, according to
Jennings, " daddick" is rotten wood, and " dad-
dicky" is rotten. According to Grose, dadacky
means tasteless in the western counties. Daddock
used in Herefordshire. 29
has been derived from dead-oak ; but the termina-
tion is probably similar to that in bullock, paddock,
mammocks, and other words. See Philol. Museum,
vol. i. p. 685.
Daffish, adj. shy, embarrassed, easily abashed.
Daftish has the same sense in the Craven Glos-
sary. Grose has to daffe, to daunt, as a north
country word. " To daff" is to confound, in the
West Riding, according to Willan in v. DafTe
signifies a fool in Chaucer, C. T. 4206.
" I shall be holden a daffe or a cokeney."
The Scotch daft is evidently the passive participle
of to daff.
Dar, s. a mark, as a mark set up in a field to mea-
sure by. " How did you measure it ?" — " I did
stick up my stick as a dar." In Chaucer, to dare,
is to stare :
" That lie and dare
As in a form sitteth a wery hare." — C. T. 13,033.
Thus dar may mean a thing stared at ; as we call
a colour a " staring colour," which attracts notice.
Dandering, part, twaddling. See Wilbraham in
Dander.
Dank, adj. damp ; also used in Gloucestershire. It
is pronounced donk in the north. Crav. Gloss.
30 Provincial Words
and Grose, in v.9 and see Hunter in v. The word
occurs in Shakspeare, (M. N. D. act ii. sc. 3. —
Julius Caesar, act ii. sc. 2,) in Milton (Translation
of Horace's Ode, Quis multa gracilis), and other
old writers ; and it may still be used in poetry.
Dark, adj. blind. Also used in Devonshire : Palmer
in v.
Dashed, part, abashed. Numerous examples of
this sense of to dash are given by Johnson. It
occurs in other provincial dialects : see Crav. Gl.
and Forby in v.
Dawny, adj. damp, as " dawny wheat." Dawny,
near Windsor, appears to be named from this word.
Thony is damp in the Craven Glossary, and " thone,
thony," for " thawn, damp, moist," is a north
country word in Grose. Dawny is a derivative of
the root thaw or dew.
Day-house, s. a dairy ; the room so called. But
the word dairy would be used in such expressions
as "a dairy-farmer," "a dairy-woman." (GL.)
Lye in Junius, v. dairie, derives it from deyy
" quod majoribus nostris lactariam denotabat."
Todd, in Johnson, misquotes Lye, by making him
say that dey formerly signified milk. Comp
Richardson in dairy.
Dead Alive, adj. very stupid. (GL.)
Deadly, adv. very, exceedingly, like "mortal. " (GL.)
used in Herefordshire. 31
Dead Man, s. a scarecrow.
Dergy, adj. (g hard), short and thick-set. From
dweorg or diver g, A. S. Compare the German
zwerg. The word stuggy appears to be used with a
similar meaning in Devonshire : Palmer in v.
Devil-screecher, s. the bird called a swift. (GL.)
Diern, adj. severe, hard, stern, as applied to men.
It is also used metaphorically, as " a diern frost."
In A. S. dyrnan means to hide ; whence dernunga
or dearnunga, secretly, and dern-geligr, a secret-
lier, an adulterer (Bosworth in vv.) Hence too
the adj. demy which in Chaucer means secret : as
C. T. 3200.
" Of derne love he cowde, and of solas."
And again, v. 3297.
" Ye mosten be full derne as in this cas."
See also Junius in v. In Scotch, to darn or dern
is to conceal, and darn is secret : (Jam. in v. See
also the ballad of Robyn andMakyne in Percy.) In
modern English, " to darn" is to mend, so as to
conceal the hole by imitating the texture of the
stuff : see Todd's Johnson in v. From the notion
of concealment is derived the sense of lonely,
melancholy, which dearn generally bears in the
writers of the age of Elizabeth : see Nares in
Dearn and Derne, and Pericles, act iii. sc. 1. Grose
32 Provincial Words
likewise says, that decern means lonely, solitary, in
the northern counties. From the same notion of
concealment is also derived the sense of severe or
stern ; the ideas of close and uncommunicative, and
severe or stern, being nearly allied. Dearnly has
the sense of severely in a passage of the " Faery
Queen," iiL 1. 14, cited by Nares.
<• Long they thus travelled in friendly wise,
Through countreyes waste, and eke well edifyde,
Seeking adventures hard, to exercise
Their puissaunce, whylome full dernly tryde."
F. Q. b. 3. cant. 1. st. 14.
In b. 2. cant. 1. st. 35, and in b. 3. cant. 12. st. 34,
dernly appears to mean earnestly. See Todd's
Notes on the Passages.
The insertion of i before e (as in diem for dern)
occurs in fiern, piert, and tiert, in this glossary.
Compare Jiele, lieve, brieve, &c, Italian. Other
examples from the Romance languages are given
in Diez, Rom. Gram. vol. i. p. 129.
To Disburst, v. to disburse. Common among farm-
ers ; as, " I have disbursted all the money as was
gathered into (within) sixpence." Also used in
Norfolk : Forby in v.
To Disgest, v. to digest. This is universal, and
many of the country people appear to think that
to disgest or dischest is to pass the food out of the
used in Herefordshire. 33
chest into the alimentary canal. Also used in
Yorkshire : Craven Glossary in v., and it occurs in
old writers.
Dither, s. a confused noise, a bother.
To Dither, v. n. to tremble, to shake, to confuse.
" A dithering noise" means a confused noise.
This word is also used in the Forest of Dean ; and
it is current in Yorkshire and Cheshire : see Craven
Glossary, Hunter's Hallamshire Glossary, and
Wilbraham in Dither, and Marshall's Rural Econ.
of Yorkshire, vol. ii. p. 316. " To didder" is to
have a quivering of the chin through cold, in
Norfolk : Forby in v. " To dudder " also sig-
nifies " to deafen with noise, to render the head
confused," in Somersetshire, according to Jennings.
It corresponds to the German zittern.
Divvy Duck, s. a dabchick; i. e. a diving duck.
Doited, adj. doting.
Done, part, used for the preterit, as " I done it" for
" 1 did it." See Known and Taken.
Dormedory, corruptly Dromedory, adj. a sleepy
stupid person who does not get on with work.
From dormir. Dormitoire was an adjective in
old French, and is explained by Roquefort " qui
fait dormir."
Dormit, s. an attic window projecting from the
roof. Probably a corruption of dormitory. Dormer
c 3
34 Provincial fiords
means a large beam in Norfolk : Forby in v. The
latter word may perhaps be compared with sleeper,
which Grose explains to be a " baulk or summer
supporting a floor." The use of the latter word
has lately become familiar from its being applied
to the supports of the rails on railways.
Doust, s. dust. Dousty, adj. dusty. Dousting, s.
dusting. (GL.)
To Dout, v. a. to put out, as a candle. " He is
just douted," — he is just dead. Also used in
Gloucestershire.
Drag, s. a fence placed across running water, con-
sisting of a kind of hurdle which swings on hinges,
fastened to a horizontal pole.
To Dreaten, v. to threaten.
To Dresh, v. to thrash. Also used in Gloucester-
shire. Pronounced drash in Devonshire and
Somersetshire : Palmer and Jennings in v.
To Drive a Boat, to propel a boat with a pole or
paddle.
To Drop out, v. to fall out, to quarrel. (GL.)
Droughty, adj. (pronounced drufty), thirsty ; from
drought.
To Drow, v. to throw.
Droxy, adj. the same as daddocky, which see. (GL.)
Duberous, adj. doubtful. Also used in Devonshire,
Palmer in v.
used in Herefordshire. 35
Duff, adv. to fall duff, to fall heavily. Dufian, A. S.
is to sink (Bosworth in v.) Perhaps that which
falls as if it would sink to the bottom falls duff.
See H. Tooke, i. 419.
Dunny, adj. hard of hearing. See Jamieson in
Donnar and Donnard. Dunch is deaf in the
Gloucestershire and also the Somersetshire dialect ;
whence (and not from Duns Scotus), as Jennings
observes, is derived the word dunce. Compare
Adelung in Donner. Dull means hard of hearing
in Somersetshire and Yorkshire, according to Grose
and Crav. Gl.
To Dup, v. to do up, to fasten. (GL.) In Hamlet,
act 4. sc. 5. it means to open, probably from
raising the latch.
" Then up he rose and donned his clothes.
And dupp'd the chamber door."'
Dyche, 5. a mound, a dyke, the bank of a hedge.
Dyson, *. the flax, &c., on a distaff. This word
appears to be connected with the first syllable of
distaff.
E.
Elder, s. udder. The use of this word extends to
Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, and it also oc-
curs in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. See
Craven Glossary, Hunter, and Wilbraham in v.
36 Provincial Words
Ellern Tree, or Ellern Aul, s. an elder tree.
The elder is called eller in Yorkshire and Cheshire :
Craven Glossary, and Wilbraham in v. The older
adjectival form of el lam or ellern (used in Piers
Ploughman's Vision) is preserved in Hereford-
shire, as it also is in Norfolk : Forby in Eldern.
Elmen, adj. from elm. " Elmen tree," is elm tree.
Used also in Somersetshire : Jennings in v. Com-
pare Aulen, Ellern-tree, Poplern, and Tin-
nen, in this Glossary, which adjectives are formed
like oaken, ashen, treen, golden, &c. Dirten and
hornen are used in Somersetshire : Jennings in v.
To Empt, v. a. to empty. This verb is also in Jen-
nings's Somersetshire Glossary.
Etherings, s. long rods twisted at the top of a
hedge. Edderings and eder are used in Cheshire,
Wilbraham in v.; and ether in Yorkshire,
Essex, and Norfolk : Craven Glossary in v. and
in Yether, Forby in Ether, Grose in Edder. Eder,
edor, or efSor is a hedge in A. S. (Bosworth in v.),
and consequently etherings is a word regularly
formed, and means hedgings, or materials for
hedging.
Ettles, or Ettle^s, s. nettles. Also used in
Gloucestershire. The common form is the correct
one : netele A. S. (see Bosworth in v.), nessel H.
German.
used in Herefordshire. 37
F.
Fagget, s. an " old fagget " is a term of reproach
to emaciated old people, equivalent to the familiar
expressions, u a bundle, or bag, of bones." In
Gloucestershire, to call a woman an old faggot is
almost the greatest insult that can be offered to
her. Also used in Norfolk : Forby in v.
Fainty, adj. faint.
To Fall, v. a. to throw down. As, " she fell the
child." Also 4t to fall a tree." Compare to*Rise.
Also used in Norfolk : Forby in v.
Fancical, adj. fanciful.
Fatch, v. and s. thatch.
Fatches, s. vetches.
Fat-hen, s. a weed so called.
To Fault, v. a. to find fault with. " I don't fault
him for that."
Featherfold, s. the herb feverfew.
To Fear, v. a. to frighten. See Nares in v., and
compare afeard.
Feast, s. a day of merry-making for the country-
people. Each village has its feast, which occurs
on a fixed day in every year. The use of this
word in Herefordshire exactly resembles that
described by Mr. Hunter in his Hallamshire
Glossary.
3S Provincial Words
To Feed, v. n. to grow fat. Also used in the
northern counties, Grose in v.
Feg, s. grass which has withered upon the ground,
without being severed from its root. Fog is used
in a similar sense in Cheshire, Yorkshire, and
other northern counties ; and also in Norfolk and
Suffolk. See Grose, Willan, Craven Glossary,
Moor, and Forby in v. Feg is used in Worces-
tershire. According to Thoresby and Watson in
Hunter's Appendix, p. Ill, 146, fog in York-
shire means aftergrass.
Fellom, s. a whitlow. The word "fellon" is cited in
Nares's Glossary, with the sense of " a boil or
whitlow," from writers of the sixteenth and seven-
teenth centuries. Fellom, however, is probably
the more correct form of the word, having arisen,
by mispronunciation, from film. Film signifies a
tiiin skin, and is sometimes applied to the morbid
skin which covers an ulcer ; thus in Hamlet : —
"It will but skin andjilm the ulcerous place,
While rank corruption, mining all within.
Infects unseen." — Act 3, sc. 4.
The letter m does not combine easily with another
consonant at the end of a syllable ; and in several
words where this combination occurs, a vowel has
been interpolated before m, in order to assist
the pronunciation. Thus the A. S. besm and bosm
used in Herefordshire. 39
have, in modern English, become besom and bosom >
and the A. S. word hearmsceare (Grimm, Deutsche
Rechtsalterthumer, p. 681) has been corrupted
into harumscarum. So chrism (from chrisma) was
corrupted into chrisom and kirsom (Nares, in vv.),
and alarm into alarum. The Cornish and Devon-
shire word pilm, which signifies dust, is pronounced
pi/am or pillum (Grose and Palmer in v.). The
Cheshire word rism is also pronounced risom
( Wilbr. in v.); and the word baron (in the ex-
pression " baron of beef") is derived from an older
form, birn (Crav. Gloss, in v.). In like manner,
in Italian, chrisma, baptisma, and spasma, became
cresima, battesimo, and spasimo. If the words
sarcasm, schism, and chasm had become popular in
English, their pronunciation would probably have
been changed. (See above in Chawm.) Where
/ or r follows a and precedes m, the vowel is
lengthened, and the following consonant is sup-
pressed in pronunciation : thus psalm, balm,
calm, farm, harm, are pronounced sdm, bam,
cam, fdm9 ham. The word film is probably
connected with the English and German fell.
In Yorkshire, the word fellon signifies a disease
in cows : see Craven Glossary in v.
Fellow, s. a young unmarried man.
To Fettle, v. a. to settle, arrange, put in order. This
40 Provincial Words
word is also used in Cumberland, Westmoreland,
Yorkshire, and Cheshire : Cumberland and West-
moreland Glossary, Grose, Willan, Craven Glos-
sary, and Wilbraham in v. ; and compare Nares
in v. The word fettle occurs three times in the
ballad of Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, in
Percy, vol. i.
Field, s. a ploughed field as distinguished from
grass ground. (GL.)
Fiern, s. fern. Compare Diern.
Fiern-owl, s. a goat-sucker.
Fildefare, s. a fieldfare. This word is similarly
pronounced in Somersetshire : Jennings in v. In
Gloucestershire it is sometimes pronounced vil-
dever.
Filler, or Viller, s. the shaft horse of a cart or
wagon. (GL.) Also used in Norfolk : Forby
in v.
Filthy, adj. In Gloucestershire this word is used in
only two senses, viz., for a field full of weeds,
especially couch grass, and for a person who has
lice on his body.
Filtry, or Viltry, s. trumpery, filth. Particularly
applied to weeds in a field or garden. (GL.)
Also used in Somersetshire : Jennings in v.
Another form of Jilt h.
Fimble, s. a wattled chimney.
used in Herefordshire. 41
To Find, v. to stand sponsor to a child.
To Finegue, v. to avoid or evade a thing.
To Firm, v. to affirm. So in Somersetshire, to frunt
is used for to affront : Jennings in v. Compare
Abundation.
Fitchuck, s. a pole-cat. Called Jitcher or fitchet in
Gloucestershire. See Grose in Fitchet and Fitchole,
and Nares in Fytehock.
Flannen, Si flannel. Pronounced vlannin in Somer-
setshire, and Jtannin in Devonshire : Jennings and
Palmer in v.
Flat, s. a hollow in a field. (GL.)
Flath, s. dirt, filth, ordure.
Fleak, or Flake, s. a hurdle. This word is also
used in Yorkshire : Hunter in Flake, Crav. Gloss,
in Fleeok, Grose in Fleake. So called from being
interwoven : compare the German Jlechten, Adelung
in v.
To Flee, v. to fly ; as " the rooks fled away," for
flew away.
Flitchen, s. a flitcher of bacon.
Flummock, s. a slovenly person. Also used in Glou-
cestershire. 4C Flammakin " is a blowsy slatternly
wench, in Devonshire, according to Palmer in v.
To Flummocks, v. a. to maul, to mangle.
Fought, part, of to fetch, . Also used in Gloucester-
shire and other counties.
42 Provincial Words
Frany, adj. violent tempered. From phrenzied.
Fresh liquor, hog's lard without salt in it. (GL.)
To Fret, v. n. Cider, when fermenting, is said to
fret.
Fretchet, adj. fretful, peevish ; or hot, fidgety (of
a horse) : from fret.
Fritful, or Frightful, adj. fearful, timorous.
Frum, adj. 1. early. From the A. S. frum, which
means original, primitive. Frum-bearn is first
born. In Cheshire and Lancashire, frim signifies
" tender or brittle" (Wilbr. in v.), which is pro-
bably the same word. 2. Numerous, thick. In
Gloucestershire, frum means thick and strong, as
mowing grass. In Oxfordshire, its meaning is
rank, overgrown. Frim, in the north, means
handsome, rank, well-living, in good case, according
to Grose. From the A. S. from, which means
stout, strong, bold. Fromm, in high German, had
originally the same meaning ; " ein frumer schlach,"
was equivalent to "ein heftiger schlag;" "ein
frommer Ritter:" Adelung in v. The two dis-
tinct words frum and from are now confounded
together, as the English word light corresponds to
the German licht and leicht. The name of the
Fromey, a stream in Herefordshire, appears to be
connected with the latter sense of the word in
question. It is thus described in Leland's Itinerary,
used in Herefordshire. 43
vol. v. p. 12. " Fromey, a big broke, sumtyme
raging, cummetli by Bromyard, as I remembre,
and so into Lug ; and about it be very good pas-
tures"
Fuel, s. garden stuff.
Fund, Funded, part, found.
G.
Gadaman, adj. roguish.
To Gale, v. In the Forest of Dean, to gale (i. e. to
gavel) a mine is to acquire the right to work a
mine from the officer called a gaveller, and to pay
the share of the crown.
Gall, or Gaul, s. a place where water breaks out on
the land. Compare Soak.
Gally, adj. wet, as applied to land. In Yorkshire,
a gall means a spring or wet place in a field, and
gaily means spungy, wet ; Crav. Gloss, in v. In
Norfolk, a gall is a vein of sand in a stiff soil,
through which water is drained off, and oozes at
soft places on the surface ; otherwise sandgalls :
Forby in v. See also Grose in galls, gally-lands,
and sandgalls. Galle has the very same meaning
in German : " Nasse stellen auf den ackern,
besonders wenn sie von kleinen quellen herkom-
men," says Adelung in v.
44 Provincial Words
Gally-team, s. a team kept for hire.
Gallier (or Hallier), s. one who keeps teams for
hire. From to haul.
Gambrel, s. a cart with rails or thripples. In Suf-
folk, according to Moor, a " gambrel " is " the
crooked piece of wood on which the carcases of
slaughtered beasts, hogs, and sheep are expanded
and suspended. " The word is similarly explained
by Jennings in v. In Devonshire, " gammerells,"
or " gambrils " means not only a butcher's stretcher,
but also the hocks or lower hams of an animal :
Palmer in v. Gambrel probably meant originally
a piece of crooked wood ; and was derived from
the word which appears in different languages under
the form hamme, ham, gamba, emdjambe. Thus
shipwrights speak of knees in ship-building. In
like manner, the handle of a scythe is called
hamme and hammen in Switzerland; Stalder,
Schweiz. Idiot, in v. Hames (see below) has pro-
bably the same origin. Cammed is explained
crooked, in the Westmoreland and Cumberland
Glossary. In Welsh, too, camm or gam is crooked ;
it also means one-eyed, whence the name of Sir
David Gam. This use of the word is analogous
to the Spanish tuerto from tortus ; " mas vale tuerto
que ciego." See likewise Crav. Gl. in Cammerels.
Gamut, s. mischievous sport ; from game. In De-
used in Herefordshire. 45
vonshire, gammet means fun, merriment : Palmer
in v.
Gapesing, " To go a gapesing," is to go sight-seeing.
ct We had a famous gapesing." Probably from to
gape, in the sense of to open ; viz., to open the
eyes. See Bosworth in Geapan. Compare to
trapes ("to go trapesing about"), from trape.
Gaun, s. a measure or tub (z. e. a gallon). In
Cheshire, according to Wilbraham, a gaun is a
gallon,
Gears and Gearing, s. horse-harness. In Gloucester-
shire, only used for filler's or viller's gears ; the
harness of the shaft horse of a cart or wagon.
Compare Forby in v.
To Geld, v. " to geld anty tumps,'' is to cut off the
tops of ant-hills, and to throw the inside over the
land.
Giglet, s. a giddy girl. In Devonshire, according to
Palmer, a gigglet is a laughing romp, a tom-boy ;
for which reason wakes and fairs are sometimes
called gigglet fairs. In Somersetshire, according to
Jennings, gigleting means wanton, trifling, and is
applied to the female sex. Grose states that giglet
is a north country word for a laughing girl. In
Norfolk, according to Forby, a gig means a trifling,
silly, flighty fellow. From the A. S. goegl, or
gagol, wanton : Bosworth in v.
46 Provincial Words
Gigleting, adj. giggling. From giglet.
Girl, s. an unmarried woman of any age.
Glat, s. a gap in a hedge. Perhaps this word is the
past participle of to glide, and meant originally a
part of a bank between two enclosures which had
slipped down, and consequently left a gap. At
present, glat signifies a gap in a dead or quick
fence.
To Gorm, v. a. to smear, to dirty ; also used in the
West Riding of Yorkshire : Willan in v. From
gor, A. S., whence comes the word gore. Gor, A. S.,
signifies mire, which sense it still retains in
Norfolk ; For by in Gore.
Gorsty, adj. abounding in gorse or furze.
Gout, s.*a drain from a house. (GL.) Derived from
the French egout, and allied to the German guss, the
Flemish goot, and the English gutter.
Gownd, s, gown. Compare swound for swoon, and
swounded for swooned in the Craven Glossary.
Grab, s. the crab-apple. (GL.)
To Graff, v. a. to dig with a spade. Ground can be
grafFed, when it is soft enough not to require a
pickaxe. " In Yorkshire (says Grose in Dig) they
distinguish between digging and graving ; to dig
is with a mattock, to grave with a spade." In
Gloucestershire, a "grafting tool15 is the strong
spade in the shape of a segment of a circle, used
used in Herefordshire. 47
in digging canals, and other very heavy work.
From grafan, A. S., to dig.
Greenstone, s. The soft slaty rocks in Radnorshire
and the borders of Herefordshire are provincially
called greenstone, as distinguished from free
sandstone, or limestone. Greenstone is not so
called from its colour, but probably from its being
often moist, when used in buildings ; in which
respect it resembles green wood. It is difficult to
determine the sense of green stone, in the following
stanza of Chaucer : —
" And by a river forth I gan cost ay [coast]
Of water clear as beryll or crystall ;
Till, at the last, I found a little way
Toward a park, enclosed with a wall
In compass round, and by a gate small.
Whoso that woulde, freely mighte gone
Into this park walled with grene sto?ie."
Complaint of the Black Knight, Ellis's Poets.
vol. i. p. 218.
Perhaps its meaning in this passage may be newly
hewn stone. Compare the use of the word green
in the ballad of " Gentle Herdsman," in Percy,
vol. ii.,
" Thy years are young, thy face is fair,
Thy wits are weak, thy thoughts are green :
Time hath not given thee leave as yet
For to commit so great a sin." — Stanza 4.
48 Provincial Words
Grip, s. a narrow trench or gutter. Also used in
Gloucestershire and in Yorkshire : Grose and
Crav. Gloss, in v. Pronounced gripe in Somerset-
shire : Jennings in v. See Todd's Johnson in v.
From groep, A. S., a furrow or ditch, connected
with grafan, to dig.
To Grip, v. to make grips. (GL.) In Devonshire,
" SripPm§ " is tne operation of water-furrowing a
field : Palmer in v.
Grist, s. This word has the common meaning, but
the i is pronounced as in grind.
Gryze, s. a squeeze or abrasion. As, " see what a
gryze this horse has had on his knee."
To Gryze, v. to squeeze or abrade. As, " to gryze
a wheel against a post." Also, to wear or annoy,
as a " gryzing pain" for a constant pain. To gryze
appears to be the same word as to graze used in a
similar sense ; and is probably the more genuine
form, connected with grit, A. S., and grist.
To Gule, v. to laugh ; to glory or boast. As, <c he
comes guling like a lion." Also used in the
Forest of Dean.
Gull, s. a gosling. The word has a more general
signification in Cheshire. Wilbr. in v.
Gurgeons, s. pollard (between fine flour and bran).
Also used in Gloucestershire.
Guss, s. girth. (GL.) Also used in Somersetshire :
used in Herefordshire. 49
Jennings in v. Pronounced geese in Devonshire :
Palmer in v.
Gwethall, s. household stuff. The word is used to
denote an entire collection, like " bag and baggage."
From the Welsh gweddill, remnants, orts.
Gweddilio, Welsh, is to leave a remnant; and
gweddw, is a widow or person left. Gweddill is
therefore connected with the root of widow, which
seems to exist in most European languages : see
Adelung in Wittwe.
H.
Hackle, s. the top covering of a small stack of corn,
or of a bee-hive, made of straw.
Haine, s. an enclosure. (GL.) See Adelung in Hain,
which word had originally the same meaning.
Half- named, adj. a child privately baptized, but not
christened in church.
Half-saved, adj. half-witted. Also used in the
Forest of Dean.
Hames, H ameses, s. pieces of wood on the collar
of the horse to which the traces are fixed. Also
used in Gloucestershire, as well as in Somerset-
shire and Yorkshire : Jennings and Crav. Gl. in v.
See above in Gambrel.
Han. Have.
Handler, s. the second to a pugilist.
d
50 Provincial Words
Handy, adv. nearly; as, " handy a mile." (GL.)
Hatch, s. a half-door. Not peculiar.
To Haul, v. a. to carry in a wagon or cart, or simply
to draw. Compare the German holen. To hale is
used in the authorized version of Luke xii. 58,
" Lest he hale thee to the judge :" ji^ttote Karaavpn
at 7rpog top Kpirrjv.
Haulm, or H&lm, s. used of potatoes, vetches, peas,
and beans. That part of the plant which is above
ground. In Suffolk, this word signifies wheat
stubble : Moor in Hahm. According to Grose it
is a south country word, In Gloucestershire,
when the ears of wheat are cut off, and the best of
the straw is picked out unbroken, and bound up for
the best thatching, it is called halm.
Hauve, s. the handle of an axe ; i. e. the helve.
" Helve" is still used in this sense in Derbyshire,
Norfolk, and Suffolk : Grose, Forby, and Moor, in
v. It occurs in Deuter. xix. 5, and see Johnson,
in v.
Hay-Making, Gloucestershire. When first cut, it is
in swath ; it is next tedded or shaken about ; it is
then hatched in or raked into small rows to be put
into foot-cocks, the smallest of all cocks. The next
day, perhaps, it is again shaken about and double
hatched, or raked by two persons into larger rows,
and put into larger cocks ; it is then spread again
used in Herefordshire. 51
and wallied in, or put into still larger rows, called
wind-rows, in order to be put into hay-cocks.
These are carried together on poles, called spicks,
and put into wind-cocks.
Head. See to Turn the head.
Heartful, adj. in good spirits.
Heart-whole, or Heart-well, adj. sound as to
the vital powers, as well as to the appetite.
Heavle, *. a dung-heavle is a dung-fork. From
to heave " Yeevil" is e< a dungfork" in the Ex-
moor dialect (Grose).
Heft, s. weight ; also used in Somersetshire: Jen-
nings in v. Formed from heave, like weft from
weave.
Heft, the preterit of " heave." " He heft it," he
lifted it.
Herence, Therence, hence, thence (Forest of
Dean). Herence is also used in Somersetshire :
Jennings in v.
Hern, pron. hers.
To Hespall, v. a. to harass. This verb appears to
be derived from spillan or gespillan, A. S.
Hickol, or Yackle, s. a woodpecker. Pronounced
heccle in Gloucestershire.
Hidlock, s. a state of concealment ; as, " he was
in hidlock." Also used in Gloucestershire. Hid-
lock appears to be formed from hide by a mistaken
d2
52 Provincial Words
analogy to wedlock. The latter word is com-
pounded of median, and lac, a gift; and there-
fore the last syllable is not a suffix.
To Hile, v. a. to strike with the horns, as cattle or
deer. E.g. ll You had best take Fillpail out of
the leasows ; she do hile them young haifers un-
merciful."
Hilt, s. a young sow kept for breeding, which has
not had any young. (GL.)
Hindersome, adj. retarding, hindering ; as, " the
weather is hindersome." Also used in the Forest
of Dean.
Hinge, s. the pluck. (GL.) Pronounced hange
in Devonshire : Palmer in v.
Hisn, pron. his, as " It's one of his'n"
Hit, s. a plentiful crop ; as, " a hit of apples." The
metaphor is borrowed from striking a mark.
To Hocks, v. a. to cut in an unworkmanlike
manner. Used principally in reference to cutting
underwood ; the stubs are hocksed, i. e. split and
cut unevenly and irregularly by a person not used
to cutting them. From to hack.
Holt, s. hold, dependence on a person or thing ;
also a place of safety. " To have holt :" to take
hold. When two men are grappling with one
another, they are said to be in holt. Likewise
used in Gloucestershire,
used in Herefordshire. 53
Holtless, or Holdless, adj. careless, heedless.
Homber, s. a hammer. See Chimbley.
Hongered, adj. hungry. (GL.)
Hoolet, s. an owl. In Yorkshire the owl is called
"hullet:" Craven Glossary, and Hunter's Hal-
lamshire Glossary, in v. See Grose in Howlet.
The word is old : Nares in Howlet.
Hoop, s. a bullfinch. (GL.)
To Hootch, v. n. to crouch.
Hop-abouts, s. apple dumplings. (GL.)
To Hope, v. to help, i. e. to holp. (GL.)
To Hopple, v. a. to hopple an animal, is to con-
fine its legs, so as to prevent it from wandering.
Also used in Yorkshire and Norfolk : Crav. Gloss.
and Forby in v.
Housen, pi. of house. (GL.)
Howgy, adj. huge, large. An old word : see Nares
in Hugy. It occurs in the ballad of Sir Cauline,
Part II. st. 18.
« A hugy giant stiff and stark,
All foul of limb and lere."
Also used in the Forest of Dean.
Huck, s. a hook.
Hull, s. the husk of a nut or of grain. This
word is also used in Yorkshire and in Suffolk :
Craven Glossary and Moor in v. and in Glouces-
tershire.
54 Provincial Words
Hunch,,?, alump; as, " a hunch of bread or cheese. "
Hurry, s. " We shanna finish it this hurry," i. e.
this time, this bout.
Hurtle, s. a spot. It is to be observed that heurte
or hurt means a round blue spot in heraldry.
li The field or; three heurtes in bende. These
appear light blewe, and come by some violent
stroke : on men they are called hurtes ; but on
women they are commonly called tunge moles.' '
Gerard Leigh, Accidens of Armory, fol. 150.
" Heurtes, sorte de torteaux en termes d'armoirie."
Borel Diet, du vieux francais, at the end of
Menage. Perhaps hurtleberry, the bilberry, is
connected with this word.
Hummock, s. a mound of earth. From the same root
as hum-p.
Hutch, s. a coop; as a rabbit-hutch. In Suffolk, a
hutch means a chest : Moor in v. Huche, in old
French, signified a chest or closet ; and also a veil
for the head: Roquefort in v. In the will of
Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, who died
in 1361, it means a pall over a coffin : Royal Wills
(1780), p. 45.
I.
To be III in Oneself is a very common expression
for derangement of stomach or bowels, or slight
used in Herefordshire. 55
fever. If a woman is asked how her husband's
arm is, she may reply, " O his arm be better, but
he's ill in hisself, and canna eat his victuals."
The expression is used when a person is affected
by an internal disease, of which the speaker does
not know the name.
Ill-relished, adj. disagreeable, as, " an ill-relished
person."
Imp, s. a bud, or a young shoot of a coppice which
has been felled.
To Imp, v. a. to bud. See Nares in v. Comp. Ade-
lung in Impfen. Imp is likewise a shoot in Welsh.
Innocent, s. a half-witted person.
To Insense, v. a. to explain to, to make to understand.
This word is known in other parts of England :
Grose in v. According to Ray, it is used about
Sheffield in Yorkshire. See also Hunter in v., and
Preface, p. xxv. and see Crav. Gl. in v. It is also
used in Gloucestershire. To " make a person sen-
sible^of anything," is used in a similar manner.
Into, prep, within, short of. " It is not far into a
mile."
Inwards, s. the entrails of an animal. (GL.) Also
used in Norfolk : Forby in v. From the A.S. inne-
ivarde, Bosworth in v. It occurs in Shakspeare.
56 Provincial Words
J.
Jag, s. a small quantity drawn as a load. The word
is similarly used in Cheshire and in Norfolk :
Wilbr. Grose, and Forby, in v. It appears to be
derived from jog; a small load jogged along. In
Yorkshire, however, it means a large cart-load of
hay : Crav. Gl. in v.
Jet, s. a descent, a declivity ; as, " a bit of a jet to
go down." From the French jef, and therefore
analogous to pitch, which see.
Jolly, adj. fat.
K.
To Keech, v. n. to cake, as wax or tallow. Keech
and cake appear to be different forms of the same
word.
Keech of Fat, s. the internal fat of an animal, as
made up to be sold to a tallow-chandler. Also
used in Gloucestershire. In the first part of Henry
IV., Prince Henry calls Falstaff " a greasy tallow
keech," act ii. sc. 4., where the commentators as-
sign to it the meaning first stated. Kichel, in
Chaucer, means a little cake; "a goddes kichel,"
C. T. 7329, where see Tyrwhitt's note.
To Keek, v. to be sick, or nearly so. (GL.) Pro-
bably connected with the German keichen, to
pant.
used in Herefordshire. 5*7
Kevin, Cavend, or Caving of Beef, s. a part of the
round of beef. The same joint as the lift, which
see. From the Welsh cefn, back or ridge.
Kew, s. See Cue.
Kibble, s. a piece of wood 22 inches long, and split
to a fit size for burning. (GL.)
To Kick, v. a. to sting, as a wasp.
Kind, adj. in good health, thriving, prosperous, pro-
mising; applied to animals, vegetables, &c, but
not to men. As, " the horse's coat do stare ; he
hanna been kind all the sumber.5' " The weather
do look very kind" is also said.
Kindly, adj. prosperous, doing well.
To Knobble, v. to hammer feebly. As, " he canna
do much; he do just sit knobbling over a few
stones."
Known, for knew. " I known it very well."
Kyment, adj. stupid.
Kype, s. a coarse wicker basket.
L.
Lagger, s. a broad green lane, little or not at all used
as a road. (GL.)
Lammockin, adj. (pronounced lommockin), slouch-
ing. Formed from lame : see Forby in Lammock
and Lummox. " Lummakin" is clumsy, heavy,
in the Crav. Gloss.
d3
58 Provincial Words
Land, s. the portion of land ploughed between the
two water-furrows. (GL.)
Landshut, s. a land-flood. From the water being
shot, or projected, over the land.
Langet, s. a strip of* ground. The same as slang,
which see.
Lantree, s. the bar hooked to a plough or harrow,
to which the traces are affixed. Compare Cutwith.
Lawt, s. When a hare or other animal which is pursued
is suffered to have a fair chance of escape, it is said
to have law given it. This use of the word is so
general, and so well established, that it ought not
to be confined to provincial glossaries. See Hunter
in v.
Leaping-block, s. a horse-block. Called a leaping
stock in Devonshire : Palmer in v.
A Good Leapt Horse or A Bad Leapt Horse is a
good or bad leaper. This use of the past participle
for the present is familiar in German in an ad-
jectival (as in verdienter, deserving, bedienter, a
servant) and in a participial sense (as in Schiller's
Graf von Hapsburg),
u Auf eine Au kommt geritten.^
Grimm D. Gram. vol. iv. p. 129, says : " Zwischen
ham geriten und kam ritende ist der unterschied
fast unfuhlbar." Heyse D. Gr. p. 347, says,
" Ebenso spricht man zwar richtig von berittenen
used in Herefordshire. 59
pferden, aber sehr unrichti und lacherlich von
berittenen reitern und unberittenen cavalier ist en."
In Milton, P. L. b. 1. v. 501,
"The sons
Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine."
Newton says, " Flown, I conceive, is a participle
from the verb to fly," and so Johnson's Dictionary
in v. understands it. The analogy of high flown
renders this explanation probable. In Virgil we
have
" Vestigia presso
Haud tenuit titubata solo." — Mn. v. 332.
for titubantia.
Lear, adj. Horses harnessed, but drawing nothing,
are called lear horses. Used in the same sense in
Gloucestershire. In Dorsetshire, leary means
empty, according to Grose. In Somersetshire and
Wiltshire, leer has the same meaning : Grose and
Jennings in v. In Devonshire, leery or lary means
hungry, empty, unladen : Grose and Palmer in v.
Compare the German leer.
To Lease, v. a. to glean; whence Less, s. gleaned
corn. See Adelung in Lesen.
To Leather; or Lather, v. a. to beat. Not pecu-
liar to Herefordshire. * To strap" is similarly
used in other parts of the country. The German
word strafe probably corresponds to the English
60 Provincial Words
strap; and, having originally meant corporal pu-
nishment with a whip, came to mean punishment
generally. See Grimm's D. R., p. 680.
To Learn, v. a. to teach. Also used in Yorkshire
and Norfolk 5 Crav. GL, Hunter and Forby in v.
Let it be, leave it alone.
Lift, s. a joint of beef; the same as kevin, which
see.
Lighted, part. " To be lighted" is to be delivered of a
child. Also a north country expression, according
to Grose. Compare the Italian sgravarsi.
Like, adv. used with a diminutive force ; as, 6i her
goes about and eats her victuals like" i. e. M Though
she is not well, she moves about after a fashion."
Also used in Yorkshire : Crav. Gl. and Hunter in
v., and in Norfolk : Forby in v.
Lissen, or Lizzen, adj. a cleft in a rock. (GL.)
Lissom, adj. i. e. lithesome, active and pliant. From
lithe. In like manner blissom9 which is used in
Somersetshire, is contracted from blithesome :
Jennings in v.
Lixom, adj. amiable ; formed from to like, as
buxom is formed from bugan, A. S. to bow. The
two latter words are also used in Cheshire : they
are confounded by Wilbraham in v. Lissom is
likewise used in Gloucestershire, as well as in
Yorkshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Devonshire, and
used in Herefordshire. 61
Somersetshire : see Craven Glossary, Forby, Moor,
Palmer, and Jennings, in v.
Lock, s. a puddle of water. Lake has the same
sense in the midland counties, according to Mar-
shall. Compare the Scotch loch.
Lock, s. a "lock of wool," and a "lock of hay," are
used in the same manner as a lock of hair. The
same usage exists in Somersetshire : Jennings in v.,
and in Cumberland and Westmoreland : Gl. in v.
It also occurs in Drayton's ballad of Dowsabel, in
Percy, vol. ii. —
"The shepheard ware a sheepe-gray cloke,
Which was of the finest loke,
That could be cut with sheere." — Stanza 10.
Loggy, adj. thickset, chiefly applied to cattle. From
log.
Lommaking, love-making.
Lompering, adj. idling. In Yorkshire, to lomper is to
walk heavily : Crav. Gl. A various form of lumber.
Long harness, or Trave harness, cart harness,
not gears. (GL.)
Lonk, s. the hip-joint. From link. See Adelung in
Gelenk and Lenken. Lanky is a word of similar
origin.
Lonk, s. a dingle which is not very steep, a hollow.
To Look, v. " To look a thing " is to look for a thing.
Looth, s. warmth. Perhaps connected with the
German gluth.
62 Provincial Words
Lost, s. loss.
Lost, part, famished. As, " to be lost for want," " my
inside is lost."
To Lot, v. ■' I lotted to do it." I settled to do it.
(Forest of Dean.)
Lug, s. a pole.
To Lug, v. a. The same as to haul, which see.
Lunch, s. a lump.
Lunch y, adj. lumpy. Hard ground, which turns up
in large clods, is said cf to plough up lunchy."
In Suffolk, Essex, and Devonshire, lunch or
luncheon means a lump of bread, cheese, or other
food ; and hence it came to signify an extra meal
formed of such a lump. See Moor in Lunch and
Nunch, and Palmer in Luncheon. A lunchin has
the same sense in Yorkshire : Thoresby in Hunter's
Appendix, p. 116.
Lungeous, adj. quarrelsome. Also used in Derby-
shire and Leicestershire, for spiteful, mischievous :
Grose in v. From to lunge.
Lurcher, s. a potato left in the ground; i. e. a
lurker, from to lurk. See Moocher.
M.
Madam is used instead of Mrs. as a mark of superior
respect to ladies. The title would not be given to
used in Herefordshire. 63
any but a person of some power or consideration.
A farmers wife would be called Missus; the
Missus, if the name were not added, and her
servant or labourer spoke. An unmarried young
lady, if spoken of by a cottager, would often be
called young madam. For the use of this word in
Norfolk and Somersetshire, see Forby and Jennings
in v.
Maggoty, adj. frisky, playful. (GL.) Forby explains
this word to mean whimsical, freakish, monkey-
like, in Norfolk.
Maggoty pie, s. a magpie. (GL.) A corruption.
To Make the Door, v. a. to shut or fasten the door.
Mammocks, s. (pronounced mommocks), scraps,
fragments. This word is also used in Yorkshire,
Suffolk, and Norfolk, and Somersetshire : Hunter
and Forby in Mammocks, Moor in Mammuck, and
Jennings in Mommacks. See further Skinner and
Richardson in Mammocks. Mammocks seems to
be connected with the same root as the German
zermalmen ; concerning which see Adelung, in v.
To Mammocks, v. a. (pronounced mommocks), to
maul, or mangle. The verb to mammock is used
by Shakspeare.
Mather, s. (the first syllable pronounced like scathe)
plur. matheren. The great ox-eyed daisy, a common
weed in tillage-land.
64 Provincial Words
To Maunder, v. n. to talk in an incoherent manner,
like a person in a state of half-consciousness from
disease, sleep, or drunkenness. This word is used
in a similar sense in Yorkshire : Craven Glossary,
in v. It also occurs in Scott's novels, and maun-
drels is explained by Jamieson to mean " idle stuff,
silly tales." Its etymology is obscure. From the old
word maund, signifying basket, was derived to
maundy or to maunder, in the sense of to beg.
Hence, perhaps, to maunder came to signify to
mutter indistinctly, as discontented beggars do ;
and then to talk in a confused, incoherent manner :
see Nares in Maund and Maunder, Moor's Suffolk
Words in Maandren, Palmer's Devonshire Glossary
in Maunder. Or it might signify to wander about
like a beggar, and then to wander in conversation :
see Willan in Maunder, Westmoreland and Cum-
berland Glossary in Maander and Maunder, and t
Wilbraham in Dander.
Mauple, s. the maple. Also used in Gloucestershire.
Mawkin, s. a scarecrow. Not peculiar to Hereford-
shire. See Forby in v.
Mawn, s. peat. Mawn-pit, s. a peat-pit. Mawn,
in the plur. Welsh, means " turf" or "peat," in a
collective sense. The singular " a turf or peat " is
" mawnen." It belongs to a curious class of
Welsh nouns, in which the plural is the primary,
used in Herefordshire. 65
(because the usual), and the singular, the secondary
form made by the addition of the same syllable as
is employed in the formation of diminutives, that
is "yn" in masculines, and " en " in feminines.
Thus "plant" is children, "plentyn," a child;
"had," seed, "hedyn," a grain of seed; " haidd,"
barley; "heidden,'' a grain of barley. Mawnen
seems somewhat irregular in not making the accus-
tomed change of the diphthong into o, or ow. See
Davies, Ant. Ling. Brit. Elementa. Oxonii. 1809.
p. 61.
Mazzard, s. the head or face. (GL.) An old word.
Meat, s. provender for horses and cattle.
To Meat, v. to feed. " To meat the things," to feed
the animals.
Meaty, adj. fleshy, but not yet fat; as "Meaty
things," fleshy cattle.
Ment, part, mended.
Middling, adj. in good health.* "But middling,"
* Diminutives are at all times used by the poor ;
but in a greater degree when they are conversing with
superiors. The habit appears to have arisen from a desire
to excite compassion, by making themselves appear ill off.
They talk in the following way. If you ask, ei What sort of
crop of potatoes have you ?" i! I think I shall have a few
taters." They would say no more if they expected the best
possible crop. "How are you?" "Middling, or indifferent,
well," would be the answer ; though the person was not ill,
and had not had an ailing for years. Though a man said
66 Provincial Words
however, means that a person is not in good health.
These expressions are also used in Gloucestershire.
"We do rent a little house and bit of garden of Mr. Jones ;"
his cottage and garden might be the largest in the district.
<c I did take the man his bit o' victuals " would mean his ordi-
nary dinner, and perhaps a large one too. So, 'He do get a
drop of drink *' might mean six quarts of cider a-day. Ask a
woman staggering under a load of wood what she has got on
her head, she will answer, "I ha just been picking a few
chats." (Chats is a diminutive, meaning small sticks.) On
the same principle the cottagers amplify, when talking of
those objects which are expensive to them. " How many
children have you ?"' Woman. " A large family ; I ha had
ten." You do not discover, until you ask a second question,
" but I ha buried six when they were babbies."
The habit of farmers and gardeners, in speaking of their
respective productions, is likewise precisely analogous to that
which has been just mentioned of cottagers. No farmer or
gardener will admit times to be good, or weather to be alto-
gether favourable. If you say to a farmer, u Wheat is as high
now as any farmer can wish it," he will answer, u Aye, but
look at barley, and we ha had no fruit this year." So if a gar-
dener is told that " these are fine warm days now for bringing
things forward," he is sure to find out that there is too much or
too little sun, or that the nights are too cold or too damp.
The reason of this, of course, is lest much should be ex-
pected of them. Walter Scott uses these words in a con-
versation between Frank Osbaldestone and Andrew Fairservice :
" Gude een, gude een t'ye. Fine weather for your work, my
friend." iS It's no that muckle to be complained of," answered
the man, with that limited degree of praise which farmers and
gardeners usually bestow on the very best weather. In like
manner, if it were the best year of pheasants ever known, a
Herefordshire keeper would admit no more than that he had
a " smart few." (See below in Smart.)
used in Herefordshire. 67
Millet, s. a miller, probably softened from mil-
iar d,
Mimmockin, adj. an epithet applied to a puny weakly
child; as " a little mimmockin thing." Probably
altered from minnock or minikin. See Forby in
Minnock, and Philolog. Museum, vol. i. p. 680.
To Mind, v. to watch, to look after. As " I ha left
Bill at home to mind the children."
Mint, s. a mite. Minty, adj. full of mites.
To a Minute. Accurately, not only as to time, but
also as to knowledge.
Mirkshut, s. the end of the evening, the twilight.
(GL.) From mirk ands/mtf; the time when the
evening closes in.
Mirky, adj. gloomy, (in common use.) As, "A
mirky day," " Mirky weather." Concerning this
word, see Nares and Jamieson in Mirk. It is used
in Yorkshire : Will an in v.
Mishroom, s. mushroom. (GL.)
Miskin, s. a mixen. An ancient corruption: see
There is another expression usual among the country
people, which is characteristic of their caution. "I suppose,"
does not mean anything doubtful or hypothetical, but is used
as a sort of veil, when the speaker after all is describing what
he himself knows for certain. As, " There was a pretty
noise and bustle there last "night, I suppose." (i Where and
who made it ?" " Oh, I saw them all fighting together at the
public for half an hour." This prevails among farmers as
well as labourers. (See Crav. Gl. in Indifferent.)
68 Provincial Words
Nares in v. It is also used in Kent, according to
Grose in v.
Moggy, s. a name used in fondling a calf. From
Margaret.
Moil, s. sticky, wet dirt. The same as mullock.
Also used in Gloucestershire. To moil occurs in
Johnson's Dictionary, where it is explained to mean,
1. to daub with dirt; 2. to toil or labour.
Moiled, adj. dirty with wet mud; stuck in the mud.
Also used in Gloucestershire.
Moiled, adj. hornless. " A moiled sheep " is a sheep
without horns. From Moel, Welsh, bare, bald.
To Moither, v. a. and n. to confuse, to perplex; to
be weak in mind. Moithering, or Moithered,
confused, silly ; also lightheaded or delirious. This
word, under the form moider, is also used in York-
shire : Willan, Craven Glossary, and Hunter, in v.
Moithered means " confounded, tired out," in Glou-
cestershire, according to Grose ; but it appears not
to be known there at the present time.
Momblement, s. confusion, disorder.
To Mooch, v. to play truant. To mouch means to
pilfer in Berkshire, and micher means a thief, a pil-
ferer, in Norfolk according to Grose in vv. It is
corrupted from u to mich," to conceal, an old word,
which occurs in the expression " miching mallecho,"
secret malice, in Hamlet, act iii. sc. 2. See also
used in Herefordshire. 69
Nares in v. Micher is used by Chaucer for a
thief; Tyrwhitt in v, and by other old writers for a
truant; Nares in v. In Devonshire, to miche
means to scnlk or absent oneself from school without
leave, and " michard" is a truant schoolboy :
Palmer in vv. (who states that to miche is derived
from the old French, but no such word as micher
occurs in Roquefort). " To meech" and
" meecher" have similar meanings in Somerset-
shire : Jennings in vv. In the Forest of Dean " to
mooche blackberries," or simply " to mooch,3'
means to pick blackberries ; and blackberries have
thus obtained there the name of " mooches." The
original meaning doubtless was, (as is stated by
Grose in v.) to play the truant in order to gather
blackberries. Compare 1 Hen. IV. act ii. sc. 4.
" Shall the blessed sun of heaven prove a micher,
and eat blackberries V* where see the notes of the
commentators. See also Crav. Gloss, in Michin.
Moocher, 5. a potato left in the ground which
sprouts again. So called from its lurking in the
ground. Compare Lurcher and to Mooch.
Mop, s. a fair at which female farm servants are
hired. As, " I hired Mary last Lemster mop, and
she staid with me two year."
To Mortify, v. a. to tease or annoy.
Most, adj. mouldy, soft, tasteless by keeping. Said
70 Provincial Words
of a rotten vegetable. This word was also used
in Gloucestershire, according to Grose in v., but is
not known there at present. Moskered means
rotten in Yorkshire : Hunter in v.
Mosing, adj. burning without a flame.
To Mouster, v. n. to moulder for compost.
Concerning the root of the three last words (which
is the same as that of moss, moist, and musty),
see Adelung in Moos and Most.
Mostly, adv. usually, generally a word used by
Bacon.
To Much, v. to fondle, to make much of.
Muck, s. manure. In Lincolnshire, the word muck
means moist, according to Grose in v. Muck
means wet dirt in Yorkshire : Hunter in v. See
further Forby and Crav. Gl. in v.
Mullock, s. and Mullocky, adj. the same as moil
and moiled, which see. Mullock is used by
Chaucer, and is derived from mull, dust, rubbish :
see Todd's Johnson in v.
Muncorn Crop, s. a mixture of different seeds sown
to come up as one crop. It is commonly applied
to a mixture of wheat and rye, which makes bread
of an excellent quality. The same word is used in
Cheshire : Wilbraham in v. It is probably formed
of the old word meng, or ming (whence mingle),
and corn. So in Essex and Norfolk, "bullimong"
used in Herefordshire. 71
means oats, peas, and vetches mixed ; Grose and
Forby in v. ; and in Norfolk " barley-mung" means
barley meal mixed with water and milk : Forby
in v. See also Forby in Mung. The vowel in
meng or ming is similarly changed in the preposi-
tion among. See Tooke, vol. i. p. 391.
To Munjer, v. n. to mutter, to speak inarticulately.
Compare to Maunder. To munjer is to speak
obscurely from indistinctness of utterance; to
maunder is to speak obscurely from confusion of
ideas. Also used in Shropshire, according to Grose
in Munger. The word is perhaps derived from the
French manger.
Must,.?, ground apples, either pressed or not pressed.
Also used in Gloucestershire.
N.
Na, not.
Nailpiercer, or Nailpercer, and corruptly, Nail-
passer, s. a gimlet.
Nan, an interjection, signifying that the speaker does
not hear or understand what has been said to him.
This word is also used in Gloucestershire and other
parts of England : Craven Glossary, Jennings, and
Palmer in v. Forby in Anan.
Nast, s* dirt, nastiness. (GL.) Probably connected
with nass, H. German.
72 Provincial Words
Near, adj. niggardly, stingy. Also used in the
northern counties, and in Norfolk : Grose and
Forby in v.
Nesh, adj. dainty, delicate, tender. Nash andnesA
are used in the same sense in Yorkshire : Craven
Glossary and Hunter, in v. Skinner, in v., says
that nesh was, in his time, a common word in
Worcestershire. From nesh, (nesc, A. S.), and
not from the French niais, is derived nice, which
properly means dainty or delicate. (See Nares in
Nice.) Neshe is used by Chaucer, Court of Love,
1092. See Tyrwhitt in v.
Nichil, s. A person who pays nothing is sometimes
called a nichil. Compare the Italian annichilare.
The forms nisgil and nisgul are likewise used, both
in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. In Lan-
cashire, " cry'd no child" means a woman cried
down by her husband ; in which expression no-
child, according to Grose, is a corruption of nichil
or nihil.
Niscal, s. the smallest of a brood. Formed like the
old word nescook, from the A. S. nesc or hnesc, ten-
der, delicate : see Lye in v. Other derivatives of
this word have a similar sense in other provincial
dialects. Grose has " Nestling, the smallest bird of
the nest or clutch ; called also the nestlecock, and
nestlebub. North country word." (The word nest-
ling does not occur either in the Craven Glossary or
used in Herefordshire. 13
in Hunter's Hallamshire Glossary.) In Suffolk,
according to Moor, the weakest bird of a brood is
called neest gulp ; the youngest or weakest pig of a
litter is called the barra-pig ; the youngest of other
animals, pitman, or pinbasket. See also Forby
in barrow pig, nest gulp, pinbasket, and pitman.
In Somersetshire, according to Jennings, nestle
tripe is " the weakest and poorest bird in the nest ;
applied, also, to the last born, and usually the
weakest child of a family ; any young, weak, and
puny child, or bird." In Devonshire, according
to Palmer, nestledraft is " the last and weakest
child of a family." Other dialects possess dif-
ferent words to express this idea. The least pig
of the litter is called a cadma or a whinnock in the
southern counties, and an anthony pig in Kent,
according to Grose.
Nob, s. a common name for a young colt.
Noise, s. a quarrel, a scolding. As, " there was a
great noise, in the house;" " I shall get a noise for
this." This was its genuine sense in old French;
see Borel and Roquefort in v. " Chercher noise"
is still equivalent to " chercher querelle." Noxa
is read by some for rixa in Petron. Satyr, c. 96,
and noise is probably derived from this word.
Nonstcal, adj. corrupted from nonsensical.
74 Provincial Words
Nor, adv. than. As, " about the turkeys did you
say ? I dinna count 'em ; but I'll be bold to say
there were better nor 50."
Nub, s. a small lump of anything, a small swelling,
the head. (GL.) " A nub of coal;" " a great nub
of a boy," a great stout boy (Forest of Dean). The
same as nob.
To Nudge, v. to give a slight knock or touch to a
person. Not peculiar: see Crav. Gl. in v. and
Hunter in Knudge.
Nurpin, s. a little person.
0.
To Obligate, v. a. to oblige.
Oddmark, s. The portion of the arable land of a farm
which, in the customary cultivation of the farm, is
applied to a particular crop, is called the oddmark :
e. g. a farmer might say, " I have sown rather more
than my oddmark of wheat, or barley, this year.''
The explanation of this word, given in Duncumb's
Herefordshire, vol. i. p. 214, is not correct.
Odds, s. " of no odds," of no importance.
To Odds, v. a. to alter.
Oont, s. See Wont.
On, prep, for of, seems to be used only before pro-
used in Herefordshire. 75
nouns. As, " He ha got the start on him." " He
ha seen the last on her." " He ha drank the
bottle clean ; he hanna left us a drop on it."
On the Street, in the street. " I met him on the
street."
Ornary, adj. for ordinary. Shabby, mean-look-
ing, bad. This word is also used in Yorkshire :
Craven Glossary in v..
Orts, s. bits, fragments, odds and ends. " Come,
pick up your orts and away with you," might be
said to a servant who misbehaved and was turned
out of doors. Hay left in the cratch, and remnants
and refuse of other things, are called orts. An old
word, still used provincially in most parts of
England.
To Oss at, v. n. to set about doing, to begin to do,
to show a sign of doing. Applied to inanimate as
well as animate objects. This verb is used in the
same sense in Westmorland, Yorkshire, Cheshire,
and Lancashire; Westm. and Cumb. Gloss, and
Hunter in v. Wilbraham in Oss, Craven Glossary
in Osse. It is a north country word, according to
Grose in v. It is said to be used in Shropshire
with the sense of to dare ; as " he does not oss to
do it." Perhaps from the French oser.
Otomy, s. for anatomy, a skeleton. See Atomy.
Ourn, pron. ours.
e 2
76 Provincial Words
To Oust, v. a. to turn out.
Out, adv. fully. As, " not out ten years old," not
having completely reached that age.
Over the Door. Out of doors. " To put a man
over the door " is to turn him out of doors.
To Overlight, v. n. to alight from a horse.
To Overlook, v. to bewitch. The expression occurs
in other counties (see e. g. Palmer and Jennings
in v.) and has apparently given rise to the proverb,
" The devil looks over Lincoln." It is derived
from the general superstition of the evil eye. See
Grimm's D. Mythol. p. 623, and Crav. Gloss, in
Evil Eye.
Overseen, part, mistaken. As, " I was much
overseen in that business." The same sense is
preserved in the conjugate noun oversight.
P.
Pane, s. a bed of vegetables, or compartment in a
garden. This word (which is commonly limited to
compartments of glass in a window) is similarly
used in Norfolk : Forby in v. In the will of the
Lady Clare, foundress of Clare Hall, who died in
1313, " paane" is used for a skirt (Royal Will?,
p. 35) In the will of Henry VI. it seems merely
to mean " side," for speaking of Eton, he says,
used in Herefordshire. 71
" The north pane of the college shall conteyn 155
feet within the walls" (lb. p. 300). The old sense
of compartments remains in the word " counter-
pane," a coverlet of chequered panes. Panel, in
the sense of a compartment of woodwork, or the
square bit of parchment on which the jurors' names
are written, is a diminutive of pane.
To Pank, v. a. the same as to poll, which see.
A panking pole is a long pole for beating apple
trees. Bang, bank, and pank are different forms
of the same word : see Palmer in Bang.
Pant, s. a hollow declivity on the side of a hill, gene-
rally without water. From the Welsh. Pant in
Welsh means a depression, a hollow, a low place ;
pannu is to hem in, to make a depression ; and
pannwl is a dimple. The idea, therefore, seems
to be, something enclosed by a raised edge. Per-
haps this root is connected with pane. In North-
umberland, according to Grose, a pant is a
cistern to receive falling water.
Parjeting, s. the plastering in the inside of a chim-
ney-flue, See Nares in v. The plaster is made
of mortar mixed with cowdung, and is used only
where it is likely to be made hot; being more
tenacious when so mixed than ordinary mortar.
Comp. Jennings and Crav. Gl. in v. Probably from
the French parjeter.
18 Provincial Words
Parjeter, s. a tiler and plasterer. (GL.)
Patienate, adj. patient. Sometimes pronounced
almost like passionate.
Pea-esh, s. pease-stubble. The words edish, etch,
arrish, or ersh are used, in different parts of Eng-
land, in the sense of aftermath or stubble. The
root of all is the A.S. prefix -ed> which means
" again."
Pease-brush, s. pease-stubble, when harrowed or
brushed, preparatory to sowing wheat.
Peazen, or Pazen, s. pease. (GL.)
Peg, s. pig. (GL.)
Pelt, s. the skin of a sheep, after the wool has been
taken off. Not peculiar to Herefordshire : see
Grose and Forby in v. Compare peltry in the
fur trade, and pelz German.
Peramble, s. a long tedious discourse. Corrupted
from preamble.
Perky, or Pergy (the g hard), adj. saucy, uncivil,
impudent, obstinate. Also in a good sense: in
spirits, as applied to a person recovering from sick-
ness. In Norfolk, perk means brisk : Forby in v.
" To spurk up," is to spring, shoot, or rise up
briskly, in the south, according to Grose. Connected
with the words to peer and to perk up.
Pert, or Piert, adj. brisk, in good health.
Peth, s. crumb of bread. The same word as pith.
used in Herefordshire. 79
To Pick, v. a. to glean. To pike has the same sense
in the midland counties, according to Marshall.
Piece, s. a field. Sometimes applied to animals and
men, as, " a sickly piece," a sickly child.
Pikle, s. a hayfork. Also used in Cheshire : Wilbra-
ham in Pikehill. In Gloucestershire, a hay fork
is called pike or pick. Pike and pich, or pitch, are
different forms of the same word ; and from pike
comes pikle.
Pill, s. a small creek, capable of holding small barges
for loading and unloading. From the Welsh pil,
a creek. This word is used on the Severn, and is
probably peculiar to that river, as an appellative ;
but it occurs elsewhere in Celtic districts as a proper
name. Thus a village on the Falmouth river is
named Pill; Pill town, in the county of Kilkenny,
is situated on a creek called the Pill near the Suir ;
and Pilltown, in the county of Waterford,is on the
Blackwater.
Pitch, s. a steep hill, generally on a road. See Jet.
Pitchats, s. broken glass, china, &c. Perhaps a
corruption of potsherds.
Pishty, s. used in calling to a puppy, as puss is used
in calling to a cat. Also used in the Forest of Dean,
Pitous, adj. piteous, pronounced pitis in Somerset-
shire ; Jennings in v. Pitous is the form used by
Chaucer, C. T. 8962, from the French piteux.
80 Provincial Words
Place, s. a house with a small quantity of land at-
tached to it. As, " What place have you got ?"
" I do live in a nice little place under the hill."
To Pleach, v. a. to make a hedge by partially cutting
the upright shoots near the ground, and then bend-
ing them down and intertwining them between
upright stakes. An old word (Nares in v.), still
used as a provincialism in many parts of England :
Grose and Moor in t\ Pleisseicum is domus subur-
bana, Ducange in v. Hence Plessis les Tours and
other places in France (Manage in v.) Pleissiare is
pleclere, and the name is derived from the pleached
hedges round country houses of this kind.
Plim and Plimmer, s. a plummet.
To Plim, v. a. to let down a plumb line.
Plim, adj. upright, perpendicular. " A horse goes
plim;" j. e. he is upright, well-balanced. The
word plum is similarly used in Yorkshire and in
Suffolk : Craven Glossary and Moor in v. ; and
the word plim in Cheshire : Wilbraham in v.
To Plim, v. to swell. (GL.) Also used in Somer-
setshire : Jennings in v., and see Grose in v.
Probably connected with plump,
Plock, s. a small field. Equivalent to croft, as used
in other parts of the country.
To Poche, v. " To poche ground" is to tread it
when wet. A gateway about which cattle and
used in Herefordshire. 81
horses stand in winter, is pocked. Fields are
pocked in like manner. See Grose in Pochy.
Poplern, or Poplen, adj. made of poplar. See
Elmen.
Poppet, s. a term of endearment, used to an infant.
" Pretty poppet." The word is similarly used in
Yorkshire, according to the Crav. Gloss, in v. In
Suffolk, poppet is a term of endearment to a young
girl : Moor in v. In Norfolk, poppet is equivalent
to puppet : Forby in u. The word occurs in
Chaucer's Sir Thopas, v. 13631.
u This were a popet in an arm to embrace,
For any woman, smal and faire of face."
Compare Adelung in Puppe.
To Pother, v. a. to shake, to poke.
To Poult, v. a. to strike the branches of a tree with
a pole, in order to get the fruit. From pole.
Pound, s. a pond, particularly a mill pond. (GL.)
Pound-stakle, s. the floodgates of a pond and the
posts and frame which support them. (GL.)
Pout-ledden, adj. spirit-led, as by will of the wisp.
From the Welsh pwca, a fiend or hobgoblin, whence
the Puck of Midsummer's Night's Dream.
" Pouke" is quoted as a spirit from the romance
of Richard Cceur de Lion in Toome's Glossary.
To Poutch, v. n. to pout.
E 3
82 Provincial Words
Povey, s. an owl. (GL.)
Power, s. a quantity. Similarly used in Yorkshire ;
Crav. Gl. and Hunter in v., and in Norfolk :
Forby in v. Compare the use of vis in Latin :
" Est hederse vis
Multa qua crines religata fudges." — Hor. O.
Pretty well, adv. expressive. As " He did pretty
well tell him out," i. e. roundly or fully. It is
applicable to actions as well as words.
Pricked, adj. sour, as " pricked cider."
Prill, s. a small stream of running water. From
the Welsh prill, a rill.
Promiscuously, adv. accidentally, by chance. A
similar use of this word prevails in Suffolk : Moor
in Pramiscas.
Pue, s. the udder. (GL.)
The Public, s. the public house. The same abridg-
ment is used in Norfolk : Forby in v.
To Pug, v. a. to pluck out; as, " to pug a rick," to
tug out the projecting hay from a rick, in order to
put it in shape; " to pug a horse's mane or tail,"
" to pug feathers from poultry," &c. " To pug" also
signifies " to pull " in Perthshire, according to
Jamieson in v. To pug meant to steal in old Eng-
lish : Nares in Pugging.
Pulfin, s. "A great pulfin of a boy," a large fat
used in Herefordshire. 83
child. In the Norfolk dialect, "pulky" means
" thick, fat, chubby, and short :" Forby in v. {i.e.
bulky).
To Pun (pronounced poon), v. a. to beat. This old
word (Nares in v.) is also used in Cheshire : Wilbr.
in v. In Yorkshire it is pronounced pund : Crav.
Gloss, in v. According to Grose, " to poon " or
" pun" is a north country word for " to kick." The
ordinary sense of punning is (as Nares observes)
derived from repeatedly striking upon the same
word.
Punishment, s. pain, in a general sense. As, " I
was in great punishment with the tooth-ache."
There is a similar use of the word in the slang lan-
guage of the prize-ring.
Pure, adj. free from disease. An answer delivered
by a servant to an inquiry after a lady's health :
" My mistress gives her service to you, and she is
pure." Purely has the same meaning in Norfolk :
Forby in v.
To Put about, v. to teaze, or worry. As, " Now
don't go to put me about" (Forest of Dean.)
Q.
To Quank, v. to subdue. Probably the same as to
quench.
Quar, s. quarry. (Forest of Dean.)
84 Provincial Words
To Quat, v. to squat. (GL.) Quat, as an adjective,
for squat, occurs in Devonshire : Palmer in v.
To Queek, v. a. to press or squeeze down, to pinch.
Probably queek, queech, squeech, and squeeze, are
different forms of the same word.
Queest, s. a wood pigeon. This old word (Nares, in
v.) is probably contracted, as well as the Scotch
cushat, and the north country cowshut, from the
Anglo-Saxon cusceote.
To Quilt, v. to swallow. (GL.)
To Quire, v. to inquire. (GL.) To " lay quirance,"
means to inquire, in Herefordshire.
Quob, s. a quicksand, a shaking bog. Quabbe
is the Mecklenburg word for a marshy place. See
Adelung in Quabbeln, and Schlegel, as below.
To Quop, v. to throb, as a gathering. Also used in
Gloucestershire, according to Grose. See Adelung
in Quabbeln, which is used of the palpitation or
quivering of fat or soft flesh. Quabbeln is the
same word as wabble, which is applied to the
irregular motion of an arrow through the air ; see
A. W. SchlegePs remarks on a translation of a
passage in Romeo and Juliet, Krit. Schriften, vol.
ii. p. 120.
R.
Rack, s. a rude road, a narrow path, a track.
used in Herefordshire. 85
To Rail, v. to reel.
Raisty, adj. rancid. Applied to bacon spoilt by long
keeping. Used in other parts of England; see
Crav. Gl. and Forby in Reasty, and Jennings in
rasty.
Raith, or Rait, s. weeds, sticks, straw, and other
rubbish in a pool or in running water. According
to Grose, "to rait timber, hemp, or flax," means, in
the northern counties, to put it into a pond or
ditch, in order to water or season it. Compare
Crav. Gl. in Rate.
Rammily, or Rommily, adj. tall and rank, as grass.
Also applied to animals ; as " a long, rammily colt,"
means one leggy, loose, ill put together. This
word is also used in Gloucestershire : Marshall's
Rural Econ. of Glost. vol. ii. p. 331. Its root is
the same as that of the verb to ramble (rammeln,
German). Ramile, which means " underwood,
twigs," in the Craven dialect, is derived by the
author of the Craven Glossary from the Latin ra-
mulus ; rammed which means "branchy" in
Scotch, is derived by Jamieson from the French
ramille. It seems more probable that they are
connected with the root of ramble.
Rampaging, Rampagious, adj. riotous, ill-disposed.
" To rampadge," in Devonshire, means, according
to Palmer, " to prance about, to scour up and down
86 Provincial Words
stairs." From to romp or ramp : see Jamieson in
Ramp and Jennings in Ramping.
Randy row, s. a disturbance. Corrupted from ren-
dezvous.
Ratch, s. a subsoil of stone and gravel, mixed with
clay. According to Grose, " ratchel " means
" broken stones found under mould," in Derby-
shire; and " ratcher" means "rock" in Lanca-
shire.
Rathe, adj. early ; e.g. a " rathe hatch of birds,"
meaning an early hatch. Used in other counties :
Grose in v. An old word : Nares in v. It occurs
in Chaucer, as well as its comparative and super-
lative, rather and rathest. The former likewise
occurs in Spenser :
u The rather lambs been starved with cold."
Shepherd's Calendar, February.
The comparative form has remained in common use
as an adverb. " I would rather do so," is pre-
cisely equivalent to " I would sooner do so," and
corresponds to the German use of eher ; "das
h'atte ich eher gethan." The root of rathe and
ready is the same : see Bos worth in hraed and
raft. Home Tooke, vol. i. p. 4*73.
To Rebel, v. to revel.
Reen, s. the interval between the ridges of ploughed
ground. Compare Wilbraham in Reean. Hunter
used in Herefordshire. 87
states that in Yorkshire, " a line across meadows
which has formerly been a hedge or a road is called
the rain?'
Rem e tic, s. emetic. Some use the expression a
" remetical man," for " a medical man." Remetic
is coined out of emetic and remedy.
Reprobate, s. applied only to a common swearer.
Rheumatiz, or Rheumatics, s. rheumatism.
Rid, s. earth removed from the top of a quarry.
To Rid, v. to empty, as, " To rid the stomach," for
to vomit. Also to clear ground ; whence " the
riddings," as the name of a field ; ground which
has been ridded of trees and bushes.
Ridiculous, adj. scandalous, morally wrong. Com-
pare Comical and Curious, which convey a similar
meaning.
Right, s. duty ; as, " I have no right to pay," mean-
ing, I am not bound to pay, I ought not to pay.
This use of the word also prevails in other parts of
England; see e.g. Moor, Forby, and Hunter in v.
Ripple, s. a small coppice, or thicket of underwood.
Perhaps the parish of Ripple, between Upton and
Tewkesbury, in Worcestershire, derives its name
from this word. There is still a quantity of waste
ground overgrown with bushes and timber, forming
" Ripple Common."
To Rise, v. to raise. Compare to fall for to fell.
88- Provincial Words
Rochlis, s. rattle. cc The rochlis in the throat,"
i. e. before death. Compare the German rocheln.
" Wer scheidet dort rochelnd vom Sonnenlicht,"
Korner, Lutzow's Wilde jag d.
See Adelung in v.
To Rollick, or Rollock, v.n. to romp or ramble in an
irregular wayward manner, like a child or a puppy.
Connected with roll. See Crav. Gl. in Rallakin.
Root, s. a rut. (GL.)
To Rouse, v. a. to stir up, to turn out ; as, " the
chickens were in the barn ; I did rouse them
out."
Ross, s. a morass. From the Welsh rhos.
To Row for, v. to look for. (GL.)
Rowcast, adj. rough-cast. (GL.)
To Rowstle, v. n. to stir oneself up. Used of birds
when dusting themselves in the sun. The same
as to rustle, from to rouse.
Rubble, s. a mixture of stones and earth in a quarry.
" Rubble" is explained in Palmer's Devonshire
Glossary to mean loose gravelly rubbish.
Ruck, s. 1. a heap; as " rucks of mawn," heaps of
peat. Chickens are " all of a ruck" when crowded
under the hen. 2. A rut of a road. 3. A crease.
Smooth linen, when tumbled, is " all of a ruck :"
hence —
To Ruckle, v. a. to rumple, to crease. In the York-
used in Herefordshire. 89
shire dialect, ruck and ruckle signify " a great
quantity, a heap of stones :" Crav. Gloss, in v.;
and see Hunter in v. In Cheshire and Lancashire
ruck is used, as a substantive and verb, in the
same senses as in Herefordshire : Wilb. in v. The
meanings of ruck in Suffolk are nearly similar :
Moor in v. The form reck occurs in old English :
Skinner in v. Ruck is also Scotch : Jam. in v.
The German ruck, the Scotch rig, and the Eng-
lish ridge, and rick, are other forms of the same
word.
Rudge, s. a ridge in a field. See Ruck.
Rumpled skein, anything that is in great confusion,
as an account badly kept. (GL.)
Rundle, s. a hollow pollard tree. Probably a roundle,
from round.
R o st y, adj. intractable; corrupted from restive. The
word used in Yorkshire and Norfolk is reasty :
Craven Gloss. andForbymv. — See above in Reasty .
The desire of converting a strange into a familiar
sound is a frequent cause of corruption in all lan-
guages. Changes of this sort are usually made
without any reference to the meaning of the word.
Thus the French rondeau became round 0, and
bourdon became burden (of a song) ; so bumble
bee became humble bee, kink-cough became chin-
cough, and gorstberries, gooseberries. The craig
90 Provincial Words
(i. e. throat) end of a neck of mutton became the
scrag end ; and lustring, a shining silk, so called
from its lustre, was commonly written lutestring.
Livorno was changed into Leghorn, Coruna into
the Groin, and a Prussian fir into a spruce fir
(Nares in v.) Compare Disgest, Randyrow,
and Remetic.
S. The 's of the possessive case is used in Hereford-
shire where educated persons would use the par-
ticle of. Thus " Monnington's parish" would,
in the mouth of a countryman, mean the parish of
Monnington ; in that of an educated person, it
would mean the parish belonging to Mr. Mon-
nington, or the parish in which he lived.
Safe to have, sure to have.
Sally, s. a willow. Also used in Gloucestershire ;
called sallow in Suffolk : Moor in v. See Adelung
in Sahlweide, Stalder in Sale. Compare the Latin
salix.
Salty, adj. rather salt.
To Sauce, v. to abuse. As, " He sauced me shock-
ing." Also used in Norfolk : Forby in v.
A Say so, s. a merely nominal advantage.
Scallage, or Scallenge, s. a detached covered porch
used in Herefordshire. 91
at the entrance of a churchyard : Ducange in v.
shows that scalus was sometimes used for stallus,
in the sense of a seat. Hence perhaps may have
been derived scalagium. Concerning the termina-
tion agium, see Diez, Rom. Gramm.vol. ii. p. 252.
Scambling, adj. sprawling. " Shambling" means
awkward in the gait in Derbyshire, according to
Grose.
Scar, s. a precipice, a steep bare bank. This word
is also Scotch : Jam. in v. It is likewise used in
Westmorland and Cumberland : Gloss, in v. and
in Yorkshire : Ray, Willan, and Craven Gloss, in ?;.
See Tooke's Div. of Purley, vol. ii. p. 113.
To be Scarified, v. to be frightened out of one's
wits.
To Scog, v.n. to boast.
A Scogger, s. a boaster.
Scote, s. a dragstafT. (GL.)
To Scote, v. to plough up the ground by slipping in
attempting to stop. (GL.)
To Scrat, v. to scratch. Also used in Gloucester-
shire.
To Scrawl, v. to crawl. The s prefixed, as in
slanget ; while in quat and queech it is omitted.
Compare cag and skag.
Scrawling, adj. slight. " A scrawling frost" is a
slight frost. (GL.)
92 Provincial Words
Screech, s. the missel thrush. (GL.)
Screeches, s. swifts. (GL.)
To Scrouch, or Scrowge, v. a. to crush, to press to-
gether, to make untidy; foimed from to crouch.
This word, according to Grose, is also used in Mid-
dlesex. A scrudge is a squeeze in Westmorland
and Cumberland : Gloss, in v.
Scutch Grass, s. couch grass. In Gloucestershire,
according to Grose, couch (vulgarly pronounced
squitch) means the roots of grass collected by the
harrow in pasture lands, when first ploughed up.
Seedny, s. time of sowing the land.
Seg, s. sedge. This mode of pronouncing the word
also obtains in Yorkshire and Suffolk : Craven
Gloss, and Moor, in v. Nares, in v., gives instances
of it from old writers.
Selfish, adj. self-conceited.
To Send, v. to " go to send" is to accompany on the
road ; as " he is gone to send his sister to Here-
ford." In like manner to " come send," is to go
to meet. Compare the Greek 7rpo7ri/ji7r£iy.
To Shift, v. a. to move, to remove. A man who
changes his clothes is said " to shift himself."
Also used in Gloucestershire : see likewise Hunter
in v.
Shimmy, s. shift; now used by cottagers. From
chemise.
used in Herefordshire. 93
Shoul, s. shovel. (GL.) Also used in Somerset-
shire : Jennings in v. Grose in Shool ; in West-
morland and Cumberland: Westm. and Cumb.
Gloss, in v., and in Yorkshire, Hunter aud Crav. GL
in v Compare the Scotch deil from devil.
Shuppick, s. a hay fork. Probably from shove-pike.
Shut, a. a shoot or spout of water. See Landshut.
To Get Shut of, to get rid of. This word is also
used in Gloucestershire, as well as in Yorkshire
and Cheshire : Craven Gloss., Hunter, and "Wilbr.
in v. See Tooke, Div. of Purl., vol. ii. p. 130.
Sich, or Sish, such. Also used in Gloucestershire.
Sight, s. a large number. C| A sight of sheep, birds,
&c." Also used in Gloucestershire, and in Suffolk
and Norfolk : Moor and Forby in v.
Of no Signification; of no importance. Also used
in Gloucestershire.
Simple, adj. sickly, feeble, helpless.
Skeg, s. the stump of a branch ; also a rent in a piece
of cloth such as would be made by a stump of a
branch. (GL.) It is used in the latter sense in
Somersetshire : Jennings in v. See Cag.
To Sklem, v. to steal slyly. It seems to be applied
exclusively to animals, especially cats and dogs.
Thus, " Lor, missus, if our cat hanna gone and
sklemmed all our cream." " Come out, dog, get
bye, dog. If I hanna minded him, he'd ha
sklemmed aw our victuals." If this word originally
94 Provincial Words
meant to steal for purposes of gluttony, as a cat or
dog does, it may be connected with the German
schldmmen ; see Adelung in v.
Slab, s. the piece which is sawn from a tree in squar-
ing it. Also used in Gloucestershire and other
counties : see Grose, Crav. GL, Wilbraham, Forby,
and Moor in v.
Slade, s. a valley.
Slammockin, s. a slattern. This word is also used
in Gloucestershire and in other parts of England :
Crav. Gloss, in Slammocking, Moor in Slammaken,
Jennings in Slomaking, Palmer in Slummaking.
Formed from lammockin (which see), by prefix-
ing s.
Slang, or Slinget, s. along, narrow piece of ground.
Compare Langet.
To Slart, v. a. to stain. " To slart" is explained to
plash with dirt, in Thoresby's Yorkshire words, in
Hunter's Appendix, p. 122 and see Craven Glos-
sary in v.
To Slat, v. to slit. Slat is evidently the past par-
ticiple of slit (like slate), made into a new verb,
like hoist, throng, sloken in Scotch, and many others.
Compare to Hope, in this Glossary.
To Sleave, v. a. to tear down, as a branch of a tree
or a cutting of a plant.
S leaving, s. a twig s leaved off. " To slive" means
to split or to slice in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and
used in Herefordshire. 95
Cheshire : Crav. Gloss, and Wilbr. in v. In Suf-
folk, a sliver is a splinter or a slice : Moor in v.
The word is common in old writers : see Nares
in v. Thus, in " King Lear," act iv. sc. 2 : —
'* She that herself will sliver and disbranch
From her material sap, perforce must wither."
And " Macbeth," act iv. sc. 1 : —
*' Slips of yew
Slivered in the moon's eclipse."
Sled, s. a sledge.
Slike, adj. slippery. Pronounced sleek, or slick, in
Gloucestershire. Slick has become an Americanism.
S linger, s. one who steals cloth yarn or the like from
clothiers, with a view to its being worked up or
finished. (GL.)
To Slither, v. n. to slide. Also used in Yorkshire.
Crav. Gl. in v. In Somersetshire, " to slitter" is
to slide, according to Jennings. " To slather" is
used in Cheshire : AVilbr. in v.
Sludge, or Slush, s. a wet or muddy place. As,
"The field is all in a slush:' " The road be a
complete sludge." Hence Slushy, muddy.
Smart, adj. in good health. " A smart few" means
a considerable number. The latter expression is
also used in Gloucestershire.
To Smirch, or Smouch, v. a. to daub, dirty, stain.
An old word : See Johnson in Smirch and Besmirch.
96 Provincial Words
It is formed from mirk. Compare Scrawl and
Queek.
Snag, $ a rough projecting stump of a tree. Also
used in Norfolk: Forby in v. In Somersetshire,
snag means a tooth : Jennings in v. Snag is used
in the United States for a tree lodged in a river,
and projecting from the bottom so as to be dan-
gerous to vessels. It is apparently the same word
as nug> used in Devonshire for a knot or protuber-
ance : Palmer in v. Compare Cag and Skeg.
" To snag," in Cheshire, means to cut off the
lateral branches of trees : Wilbr. in v. The verb
has the same sense in the Westmorland and Cum-
berland dialect : Gloss, in v.
To Snag, v. to teaze, to repeat the same thing several
times. (Forest of Dean.) See Crav. Gl. in knag
and snag.
To Snite, v. to blow the nose. (GL.) Also used in
Yorkshire : Thoresby, and Watson in Hunter's
App. p. 123. 160.
So, " She is so," she is pregnant. An euphemismus.
(GL.)
Soak, s. A " green soak," or " a warm soak," is a
small spot of marshy ground, in which a spring
rises, or which is kept moist during the winter by
the action of water. It differs from a gall (which
see), as being generally a low hollow place, whereas
a gall may be on a sloping bank.
used in Herefordshire. 97
Soft, adj. foolish. Thus we say " a hard-headed
person," meaning a shrewd or sagacious person.
Used also in Yorkshire : Hunter in v.
Sole, s. a collar of wood, put round the neck of
cattle to confine them to the stelch. (See Stelch )
This old word is also used in Cheshire : Wilbr. in
Sahl. From the A.S. sal or seel, a bond or rope
(whence seal). Compare the High German seil,
and in a narrower sense sahlband (Adelung in v.)
The relation of this word to sale and sally (which
see) makes it analogous to iMac 7rap' 'Iioviv 6 curb
\vyov fcfffiog, Eustath. p. 834. 39. See Phil. Mus.
vol. i. p. 413.
Solid, adj. steady and serious. As " a solid child."
Used in the same sense in Gloucestershire. In
Monmouthshire it is sometimes used with reference
to the intellect, as " He is not quite solid in his
mind."
Soller, s. an upper floor. Also used in Norfolk :
Forby in v. The loft on which the ringers stand
is called a bell-soller in this county : Forby in v.
It is a south country word, according to Grose in v.
Anything placed in an upper room is said to be
laid "on the soller." The usage is old:
" On a so leer, as Be vis looke out
At a window all about,
Helms he saw and brynnys bright.*'
Sir Bevis of Hamptoun, in Ellis's Romances, vol. ii. v. 160.
F
98 Provincial Words
" Some skilfully drieth their hops on a kell,
And some on a softer, oft turning them well.37
Tusser, c. 47. s. 53.
The word solarium belongs to the Latinity of the
middle ages, and is probably derived from solum,
(like " floor," applied to the successive stories of
a house.) Ducange explains it to be " domus
contignatio vel cubiculum majus ac superius," and
he cites, " Chronica Australis anno 869. — Ludo-
vicus Imperator de solaria cecidit." There was a
hall at Cambridge, which
a Man clepe the soler hall at Cantabrege."
Chaucer, C. T. 3988.
See Tyrwhitt's note to this passage, who says that it
seems to have meant an open gallery or balcony,
which is doubtful. Adelung in Soller discusses at
length the meaning and etymology of this word,
which he appears to consider of purely German
origin, and connected with sahl. It seems, how-
ever, more probable that (like many other German
words belonging to architecture, as pforte, thurm,
&c.) it was borrowed from the Latin. Adelung
himself states that Soller in Low German is equi-
valent to boden in High German. Solar in Spanish
is the mansion house of a family. " Hidalgo de
solar conocido" is, a gentleman of good family.
Compare Tallet.
used in Herefordshire. 99
Sore, adj. " A sore fellow" means a rogue, a rascal.
" A sore time" means a sad time. It is a term
of strong disapprobation : see Forby in Sore, and
Wilbr. in Sorry.
Sort, s. " A thing of a sort" means a correspond-
ing thing : " Words of a sort" means a quarrel.
Sould, s. soul. Compare Gownd and Lost.
Spede, s. spade. (GL.)
Spill, s. a splinter. Long thin splinters of wood
used in farm houses for lighting caudles are called
spills. Concerning the ancient use of this word
see Bosworth A.S. Diet, in Spild, and Nares in
Spel and Spil. The word now used in Yorkshire
is spelk : Crav. Gloss, in v. from the A.S. spelc.
Compare the German spille, and the Italian spillo.
The game of spillikins is a diminutive from this
word; see Phil. Mus. vol. i. p. 681.
To Spill, or Spall, v. a. to splinter. It is used not
only by carpenters to express the splitting of wood
from surfaces, but also by masons to describe the
breaking of the edges of worked stone. This word
also occurs in Gloucestershire, and other counties.
See Grose and Palmer in Spalls.
Spittle, s. a spade. Comp. Crav. Gl. in v.
Splavin, ir. a great blotch of eruption.
To Spottle, v. a. to splash. From spot.
Sprack, adj. lively, active. Also used in Glou-
f2
100 Provincial Words
cestershire, and see Grose in v. Shakspeare has
the word : Merry Wives of Windsor, act iv. sc. 1.
" He is a good sprag memory."
Spreader, s. (pronounced spreeder), a cross-piece of
wood, which prevents the traces of the fore-horses
of a team from collapsing. Also used in Glou-
cestershire.
Squilt, or Squelt, s. an eruption or spot on the
skin.
Stack, s. a flight of stone steps up to a hay-loft, or
the like, on the outside of a building. (GL.)
Stam, or Stom, s. stem. (GL.)
Stank, s. a dam which keeps back water ; e. g. in a
water-meadow turfs would be put in a shallow
ditch used for irrigation, as a stank to turn or raise
the water. A stank is sometimes made acci-
dentally; stones, bushes, &c, accumulate in the
bed of a brook, and stank back the water. This
frequently happens where a fence of any kind
crosses running water. A man shutting down a
floodgate would stank back the water. Also used
in Norfolk : Forby in v.
To Stank, v. The verb is most commonly used with
the addition of the word back.
Stean, s. an earthen vessel with straight sides. The
word is also used in Devonshire : Palmer in v ,
and in Cheshire .: Wilbraham in v.
used in Herefordshire. 101
Steecker, or Sticker, s. a stick to stop a wagon
ascending a hill.
To Steen a Well, v. a. to line a well. Steening of
a Well, lining of a well. Also used in Gloucester-
shire, and sometimes applied to stoning a road.
Stelch, s. the upright post to which the sole (see the
word) is attached by means of a with. Formed
from stele.
Stele, s. the wooden handle of a rake or pitchfork.
This old word (Lye and Nares in v.) is also used
in Yorkshire, Cheshire, and Suffolk : Crav. Gloss. ,
Hunter, and Wilbraham in Stele, Moor in Stale,
Grose in Stale and Steal. The expression " rake-
stele " occurs in Chaucer : Tyrwhitt in v. The A. S.
stel or stele means a column (compare 0-7-77X77 and
(ttvXoq) ; whence the origin of stelch is obvious.
Stick, s. a timber tree. A riding stick is commonly
called a rod or wand. Stick, in the sense of a
timber tree, is not peculiar to Herefordshire, but
occurs in Gloucestershire and other counties. It
is likewise used as a vituperative term ; as " a
comical stick" an ill-tempered person.
Stipe, s. a steep ascent on a road. As " when you
come to the stipe." (GL.)
To Stock, v. a. to peck, as a bird. To strike and
wrench with an axe having a flat end. Hence a
stocking axe. Also used in Gloucestershire.
102 Provincial Words
Stockel, Stoggerel, or Stockeld, Si an old pol-
lard tree. From stock.
To Strip the Cows is to take the last milk from
them. After calves have sucked all they can get,
the cows stand a few minutes, and are then
stripped.
Stub. A bull stub is a bull that has been cut.
Stuck, s. a shock of wheat.
Stupit, adj. obstinate. Corrupted from stupid.
Suck, s. a ploughshare, from swch, Welsh ; whence
soc de charrue in French.
Suity, adj. (pronounced shuty), -uniform. From suit.
Likewise used in Gloucestershire. Also Unsuity,
irregular. As " this barley is so unsuity, that it
will not do for malting."
Sumber, s. summer. Compare Homber.
7b Swale, v. a. to split down or off. In sawing the
bough of a tree, you must take care lest the weight
should make it swale down the tree. Grose says,
" swale or sweal, to singe or burn ; as, to sweal a
hog ; a swealed cat, a cat whose hair or fur is
singed off by sleeping in the ashes. Sweal is also
sometimes applied to a candle that drozes and
melts, called in Middlesex flaring. A north and
south country word." To sweal, or swale, in the
sense of melting, like a candle in the wind, occurs
in the Craven Glossary, in the Appendix to
used in Herefordshire. 103
Hunter's Glossary, in Wilbraham, and in Forby.
Swelan, A. S. means to burn, see Bosworth in v.
In high German, schwelen means to burn slowly ;
Adelung in v. How to swale obtained in
Herefordshire the sense of splitting, does not
appear.
Sweltered, adj. very hot. Also used in Gloucester-
shire. In Devonshire, " to swelter "is to perspire,
to be overcome with heat : Palmer in v. In York-
shire, " to swelt " is to overpower with heat, so as
to be ready to faint away : Crav. Gl. in v. " Swelted "
and " sweltered" mean overpowered with heat, in
Derbyshire, according to Grose. " Sweldersome "
or " sweltersome " is overpoweringly hot, in Norfolk
and Suffolk : Forby in v. In the Westmorland
and Cumberland Glossary, to sivelt is explained to
overcome with heat and exercise, to faint, to swoon,
to die. See also Johnson in Swelt and Swelter.
From sweltan, A. S., to die : Bosworth in v.
Swelten in old low German meant deficere, lan-
guescere, ibid. The word sweltered is used in a
well known passage of Macbeth :
"Toad, that under coldest stone
Days and nights hast thirty-one
Sweltered venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot."
Act 4, sc. 1.
The meaning of sweltered in this passage is
correctly explained by Steevens. "The word (he
104 Provincial Words
says) seems to be employed by Shakspeare to
signify that the animal was moistened with its
cold exsudations"
To Swill, v. a. to rinse, to wash out. Swilian is to
wash in Anglo-Saxon : Bosworth in v., and to
swill has this meaning in Shakspeare :
•' Let the brow o'erhang it,
As fearfully, as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jetty his confounded base,
SwiWd with the wild and wasteful ocean."
Henry V.> act 3, sc. 1.
From washing or drenching, the transition was easy
to drinking inordinately, which is the common
meaning of swill. See Johnson, Grose, Moor, and
Crav. Gl. in v.
To Swinge, v. to singe. (GL.) Also used in York-
shire : Grose and Crav. Gl. in v.
T.
Tack, s. hired pasturage for cattle, sheep, or horses.
Used in such expressions as " taking cattle into
tack," " he has found tack for his cattle."
To Tack, v a to hire pasturage for cattle, sheep, or
horses. " He has tacked out his cattle." This
and the preceding word are similarly used in
Gloucestershire. The use of tack, in the general
sense of a lease, is well known : see Wilbraham
and Jamieson in v. Compare by-tack.
Tack, s. timber at the bottom of a river. Hence,
used in Herefordshire. 105
when a net catches in timber at the bottom of a
river, it is said to be tC tacked."
Tail, s. Tail wheat or barley is refuse small grain,
usually given to the farmers' wives for their poultry.
Taken, part, used for " took ;" as " I taken it away."
This use of the participle (see Done and Known)
is exactly like the elliptical form in German where
the auxiliary verb is omitted :
(e Hier, wo mir nichts als du geblieben,
Hier ist mein Vaterland."
Heyse, D. Gramm. p. 477.
The origin of the Herefordshire idiom however is
probably quite independent, and is to be attributed
to mere rustic carelessness ; for in High German it
is a modern practice only, chiefly allowed in poetry,
and in relative and dependent sentences. It only
occurs when the auxiliary verb follows the par-
ticiple. In Swedish, the omission occurs frequently
in relative and conjunctive sentences, but not in
Danish; which, as Grimm remarks (D. G. vol. iv.
p. 173), is a curious discrepancy in two closely
allied languages.
Taking, s. a gathering, an ulcer, an attack of sickness.
It is also used metaphorically for distress of mind ;
as, " to be in a taking about something."
Tallet, Tallard, Tollet, Tollard, s. a space over
a stable or cowhouse, from which it is usually di-
f3
106 Provincial Words
vided by a rough flooring made of branches. It
bears the same relation to a stable or cow-house
which a soller bears to a house. The word is also
used in Somersetshire and Devonshire : Grose,
Palmer, and Jennings in Tallet. This word is
probably contracted from tabulata : " ^Edicula
tabulis compacta, vel in qua plures sunt tabulae
usibus rusticse domus destinatae (seu potius sta-
bulum.") Ducange in v. Compare Soller. Or
it may be derived from the Welsh tavlawd, which
signifies a loft, or the space next to the roof in a
building; Owen's Diet, in v. Tavlawd is itself
formed from tavlu, to throw or cast.
To Tang, v. a. To tang bees is to make a clatter in
order to draw a swarm of bees into a hive. An
old word : Nares in v. The word used with the
same sense in Norfolk is to ting : Forby in v.
To Tansel, v. a, to punish. From tancer or tencer,
French, which meant to dispute, to reprimand, to
scold, or to correct : Roquefort in Tencer,
Tantadlins, s. apple-dumplings. (GL.)
To Tap shoes, v. to new sole, or mend shoes.
Taplash, s. bad small beer. Also used in Glou-
cestershire. It is likewise known in Yorkshire :
Grose and Crav. Gl. in v.
Tare, adj. eager. "How tare the flies be!" From
the Welsh taer, eager, ardent, urgent.
used in Herefordshire. 107
Tater, s. potato.
To Tater, v. to dig or raise potatoes.
To Ted, v. a. To ted hay is to scatter hay. The
word is inserted in Johnson's Dictionary; and it
is used provincially in other parts of England :
Ray, Willan, and Craven Glossary in v. See
Haymaking.
To Terrify, v. a. to torment. For example, flies
terrify a horse that has a sore back ; stones in the
ground terrify a man digging it. This word is
similarly used in Gloucestershire, and also in
Norfolk : Forby in v.
Thave, s. a female sheep, in the second year, which
has ceased to be a lamb, and is not yet an ewe. It
corresponds to heifer among cattle ; a heifer being
a female of the ox-kind, which has ceased to be a
calf, and is not yet a cow. Theave does not ap-
pear to be used in the northern counties ; it occurs
in Moor's Suffolk Words, and Ray attributes it to
Essex. It is also used in Gloucestershire : see,
however, Grose in v.
The, used as for the demonstrative pronoun this.
"The day," for " this day." This usage is also
Scotch :
" What would' st thou do, ray squire so gay,
That rid'st beside my rein,
Wert thou Glenallan's earl the day,
And I were Roland Cheyne ? "
Elspeth's Ballad, in W. Scoffs Antiquary.
108 Provincial Words
These, for this. Thesun, these.
Thick, (th hard), pron. this. (GL.)
Thickun, pron. this one.
This'n, this.
Thrave, s. (drove, GL.) A " thrave of boltings " is
24 boltings or bundles of straw. See Bolting. In
Lancashire and Cheshire, a " thrave " is generally
12, but sometimes 24 sheaves of corn : Wilbraham
in v. Grose likewise explains a thrave to be a
shock of corn, containing 24 sheaves. The word
threave is also used in Yorkshire : Hunter's App.,
p. 126. From )>reaf, A. S., a handful.
Threshal, s. a flail. From Thresh.
Tid, adj. playful, skittish. (GL.) It is applied to a
spoilt child, in the Forest of Dean. It denotes the
possession of the qualities which naturally belong
to an animal or child which is tiddled, or petted.
To Tiddle, v. a. to nurse a young animal by the
hand, to pet. Also to entice, as " to tiddle him
on."
Tiddling, s. a young animal nursed by the hand, a pet.
Tid, adj. and to tiddle, are derived from tydr, A. S.,
tender, weak ; and tydrian, to nourish or feed :
Bosworth in vv.
Tidy, adj. honest, well-disposed. A " tidy man" is a
good kind of man. It also signifies a person who
is " well to do in the world." Tidy meant originally
"punctual," " attending to tide," or time. See Bos-
used in Herefordshire. 109
worth, A, S. Diet, in Tid (corresponding to high
German Zeit) and Tidlic, and Jamieson in Tydy.
From tide in this sense is derived titter, more
timely, sooner, earlier, used in the northern coun-
ties : see Westmorland and Cumberland Glossary,
Crav. Gl., and Watson in Hunter's App., p. 162, in v.
Tiert, adj. tart. A " tiert blow " is a sharp
blow. Compare Diern.
Tilled up, part, propped up, set up. As, " the pole
was tilled up against the house ;" " that horse is
tilled up too high on his legs," meaning that his
legs are too long. (GL.) Tilian, A. S., is to prepare
in a general sense, as well as to till or prepare
ground. "Teeled" is used in Cornwall for " ready."
<c Are you teeled ?" means, are you prepared. 4t To
teel wires " is to set wires ; " to teel a gun," to
cock it. It has accordingly, in the Gloucestershire
usage, a general meaning of to put or set. " On
tille," in A. S. is, " in a fixed station : " Bosworth
in v. Compare Bosworth in Tealtian, and For by
in Tild.
Timbersome, adj. timorous. Timersom is used
in Yorkshire, Devonshire, and Somersetshire, and
timbersome in Suffolk : Craven Glossary, Hunter,
Jennings, Palmer, and Moor, in v.
Timmy, adj. timid, irritable.
Tim Sarah, s. A sledge touching the ground in
front, and having wheels behind, is called a Tim
110 Provincial Words
Sarah. This singular word appears to be derived
from the Welsh tim, a little, and saerni, Wright's
work (from saer, a wright), Owen's Welsh Diet.
in v. The composition is regular, according to the
Welsh practice, which resembles that used in the
Romance languages, as hotel-dieu, fete-dieu, &c.
See Diez, Rom. Gram., vol. ii. p. 338.
Tine, s. prong. The " tine of a pikle " is the
prong of a hayfork. " Harrow tines " are the
teeth of a harrow. The word had the latter sense
in old English, Junius in v., and the branches
of horns were called the " tines of horns : " " pro-
tuberantiae cornuum obliquae," according to Skinner
n v. This word is still used in the latter sense in
Yorkshire: Hunter in v. From tynan, A. S., to
separate.
To Tine, v. a. To " tine a glat " is to mend a gap
in a hedge with dead wood.
Tinth, or Tinnet, s. wood for tining. The verb
tine and substantive tining are used in the same
sense in Cheshire : Wilbraham in v. "To tyne
adhuc pro sepire in quibusdam Anglise partibus
usurpatur, si Verstegano fides sit;" Skinner, cited
by Home Tooke, vol. ii. p. 205, who also quotes a
letter from Dr. Beddoes, in which it is said, *• to
tyne a gap in a hedge," means at present " to fill it
up,"' referring to Cornwall. From tynan, A. S., to
separate, to hedge in.
used in Herefordshire. Ill
Tinnen, adj. made of tin. Compare Aulen and
Elmen.
Titter-wren, s. a wren. (GL.)
To, adj. almost. As" she is eighty to," i. e., almost
eighty.
Toady, adj. hateful. From toad.
Tops, s. a term of endearment applied to children,
" Little tops."
Tosticated, fart, intoxicated; also puzzled or con-
fused.
To- year, adv. in this year. Used like the expres-
sions, " To-day,'' " To-night," •' To-morrow." The
same idiom occurs in Norfolk and Suffolk : Forby
and Moor in Ta. It is also used in Gloucestershire.
Towardly, adj. prosperous, doing well. Same as
kindly. In Gloucestershire, it means tractable, as
applied to a colt being broken ; in which sense it
is used by Bacon : Johnson in v. It is the reverse
of frowardly.
Tree, s. The " tree of a spittle " is the handle of
a spade. Tree, in old English, was commonly used
for wood, and treen for wooden.
To Trim, v. a. to scold.
Trin, s. a flat tub, used to receive the cider from the
press.
Trolly, s. a sledge used in husbandry. In Glou-
cestershire, a trolly is a sort of dray, with two
112 Provincial Words
wheels, used only in a town. From to troll or
trawl, to drag or roll : and see Adelung in
Trollen.
Trouse, s. the cuttings or trimmings of a hedge.
Nearly the same as tinth, which see. According
to Grose, " trousing a hedge or faggot" means
" trimming off the superfluous branches," in War-
wickshire. Perhaps this word is connected with
to trounce ; compare the two senses of to trim.
Tump, s. a mound, a hillock. From the Welsh
twmp. See Anty-tump.
To Tump, v. to put into small heaps ; as, " to tump
scrapings on the side of the road." Johnson has
"to tump," and explains it to be an expression
used among gardeners, in the sense of fencing trees
about with earth ; but he cites no instance of it
from a writer.
Tun-dish, s. a wooden funnel, through which liquor
is passed into casks. From tun. Tunnel is used
for funnel by Bacon, cited in Johnson in v. See
also Palmer in v.
Tunning-dish, s. a wooden dish used in dairies.
Tup, s. a ram. This old word is also used in Glou-
cestershire. Johnson in v. states that it was
likewise used in Staffordshire and other counties in
his time. See also Hunter and Forby in v.
Turmit, s. a turnip. Sometimes abbreviated into
used in Herefordshire. 113
mit, tnip, and nip. Also used in Gloucestershire
and other counties : Grose and Palmer in v.
To Turn the Head, to tend in sickness ; as, " my
woman's bad a-bed, and there's nobody to turn the
head of her." Hence, to attend to, to direct; to
take care of, to educate. As, "no wonder the
boy dunna do well, poor thing; it ha neither father
nor mother, nor any one to turn the head of it"
Turnpike, or Turn pick, s. the turnpike road.
To Tush, v. a. to move a heavy body along the
ground without mechanical power.
To be Tussicated, v. to be driven about, to be tor-
mented.
Tussock, s. a tuft of grass or weeds. An old word :
see Nares in Thussock, and Todd's Johnson in
Tussock. It is also used in Norfolk and Suffolk :
Forby and Moor in v., and in Gloucestershire.
Tusw is a wisp or bunch in Welsh.
Twichild, adj. doting, in second childhood. This
word is pronounced twitchel in Cheshire, where it
has a similar meaning. It is supposed by Wilbra-
ham to be an abbreviation of tway-child ; but
this etymology seems to be doubtful. Twitchil, in
Yorkshire, means a narrow passage in a town :
Hunter in v.
To Twitch, v. to touch. (GL.)
114 Provincial Words
U.
Un, pron. him.
Un, used for in, in composition, as improper, un-
decent, unlegal.
Under one. When one thing is done on the same
occasion as another, the two are said to be done
"under one."
Unkind, adj. the reverse of kind, which see.
Unkit, or Unkert, adj. 1. awkward, inconvenient,
froward. " Uncard," awkward, occurs in Grose's
Glossary. See also Westm. and Cumb. Gl. in v.
From Uncutf, A. S., uncouth, strange. 2. Used
in Gloucestershire with the sense of lonely, soli-
tary, dull, which it also has in Somersetshire:
Jennings in v. Unkit, in the latter sense, is the
modern form of uncwyd, A. S., quiet, or solitary,
from cwyde, speech. See Bosworth in v., who says
of the last, " hence the provincial word unhid"
Skinner has " awkward ; solitarius."
Unsuity, adj. See Suity.
Untidy, adj. dishonest. See Tidy.
Up in one's sitting, sitting up in one's bed.
Uproar, s. confusion, disorder, without as well as
with noise, as, " the garden is all in an uproar with
weeds."
Urchin, s. a hedgehog. Also applied as a term of
used in Herefordshire. 115
reproach to a little dirty child. It is a north
country word, according to Grose ; and see the
Craven Glossary in v., and Hunter's App., p. 126.
It is likewise used in Gloucestershire. It is an old
word, and occurs in Chaucer (See Tyrwhittm u.J,
and in Shakspeare, Johnson in v. It may be
derived from the French our sin.
Veering, s. Ploughed land is said to be laid out into
broad veerings, when many furrows are turned up
on each side against the same ridge. From the
veering or turning of the plough.
Vern, s. a partner in a mine, in the Forest of Dean.
See the Fourth Report of the Forest of Dean
Commission, p. 8. Probably from fera, gefera,
A. S., a partner. Hence Fere in old English ;
and " in fere," in company. Chaucer, C. T. 4748.
" And when assembled was this folk in fere"
Fere or feer is a Yorkshire word for wife :
Thoresby, in Hunter's Appendix, p. 110. Fere is
used for wife, and also for husband or lover, several
times in the ballad of Sir Cauline, in Percy, vol. i.
It also occurs in the ballad of Adam Bell, Clym
of the C lough, and William of Cloudesly, (Percy,
vol. i.)
116 Provincial Words
" Two of them were single men,
The third had a wedded fere.
Part },st.b.
and in the ballad of the Tournament of Totten-
ham, (Percy, vol. ii.)
"Therfor faine wyt wold I,
Whych of all thys bachelery
Were best worthye
To wed her to hys/ere.'' — St. 3.
w.
Wad, s. a burden, a thick piece or mass confusedly
pressed together. As, " He ha got a wad o' hay
upon his shoulder." " He be rubbing the table
with a wad of cloth."
Waiter, s. water. Similarly pronounced in Cheshire:
Wilbraham in v.
Walker's Earth, or Soap, s. fuller's earth. See
Murchison's Silurian System, p. 204. Compare
Grose in v. From ivealcere, A. S., BosworthzVi v.
See also Adelung in Walker.
Wallow y, Wallowish, adj. nauseous, faint or
sickly tasted. Compare Crav. Gl. in v. From to
wall, that which makes the stomach or gorge rise.
Wankling, adj. weakly ; as, " a little wankling
child." W ankle, according to Grose, is a north
country word for weak, limber, flaccid, ticklish,
used in Herefordshire. 117
fickle, wavering. See also Crav. Gl. and Westm.
and Cumb. Gl. in v. In Scotch, wankill means
unstable : Jamieson in v. Wankle or Wanky is
weak, pliant, in Norfolk: Forby in v. Wankel is
old high German for tottering, unsteady : Adelung
in v.
Warm, adj. having a higher degree of heat than hot.
(GL.) '
Warmship, s. warmth.
Warth, s. On the banks of the Severn, a flat meadow
close to the stream is so called; e. g., the Warth
opposite Blakeney. Warod, warad, werod, or
weard in A. S. is shore or coast: Bos worth in v.
Werder, Werd, Waerder, or Worth, in German, is
explained in the Conversations Lexicon to be
" properly an island in a river ; and secondarily,
a cultivated and inhabited marsh district. In the
latter sense, the large werders situated in western
Prussia, viz., those of Danzig, Marienburg, and
Elbing, are well known. They are strips of land
between rivers and standing waters, without hills,
and very fertile in corn and grass." See also
Adelung in Werder, and Grimm D. R. A., p. 184.
Many names of places near rivers in England, as
well as in Germany, end in worthy as Warkworth,
Chatsworth, Tamworth, Isleworth, Wandsworth:
See Crav. Gl., and Grose in Warth, where it is
118 Provincial Words
explained to mean a ford in Yorkshire, but is in-
correctly derived from to wade. The Scotch
haugk seems to be nearly synonymous with warth
or worth.
To Wastle, v. n. to wander.
Watchard, adj. wet shod. (GL.)
To Wauve over, v. to cover over, as dishes are
covered at table.
Wenchen, s. pi. wenches. (GL.)
Whatsomever, or Whatsomdever, whatever. Also
used in Yorkshire : Hunter in v.
Which is used in Gloucestershire with a sense
between a conjunction and a relative. Thus, " He
told the landlord to bring him some beer; which
he drawed it and brought it to him." " He said,
I went to Gloucester yesterday, which I did no such
thing." "I gave him two shillings yesterday;
which I have given him five shillings a-week ever
since our last vestry meeting."
Whinders, s. Only used in the expression "to
break to whinders," to break to pieces. Flinders
has the same meaning in Scotch and in the West
Riding dialect: Jamieson and Willan, in v.
Whitty-tree, s. the mountain ash. Called wiggen
in Yorkshire: Hunter in v.
Wisket, s. a round open basket, made of flat bands
of wood. This word appears to be also used in
used in Herefordshire. 119
Suffolk : Moor in v. In Yorkshire it signifies a
small clothes-basket : Craven Glossary, vol. ii.
p. 256. Grose calls it " a basket, skuttle, or shallow
pan."
Wicked, adj. fierce, savage. As, " a wicked bull
or dog." Wicked is used in the same manner in
Norfolk, and probably other parts of England.
The usage is analogous to that of vicious, as
applied to a horse.
Wig, s. a small cake. Jamieson explains wyg, weig,
or whig, to be a small oblong roll, baked with butter
and currants. This word appears to be different
from the Scotch and north country word whig,
meaning whey.
With, s. (pronounced weeth) a twisted band of wood.
Also used in Suffolk : Moor in v. Called widdy
in Yorkshire : Craven Glossary in v. The word
with is used in this sense by Lord Bacon in his
Essay on Custom and Education. It also occurs
in the authorized version of Judges xvi. 7, 8, 9.
See Johnson in Withe. Mr. Frere has recently
introduced the word into poetry, in his translation
of the Birds of Aristophanes :
" But the strangest sight to see
Was a huge exotic tree
Growing, without heart or pith,
Weak and sappy, like a with." — p. 84.
Compare Sole.
120 Provincial Words
Withy-tree, s. a sort of osier. Also used in Glou-
cestershire, according to Grose, and in Devonshire,
according to Palmer. The word occurs in Johnson.
From wifrig, A. S.
Wizzened, 'part, withered, shrivelled. A word used
in other parts of England : Grose, Hunter, and
Forby in v.
Wont, s. (pronounced oont) a mole. This old
word (Bosworth in Wand, Nares in Want) is also
used in Suffolk, Somersetshire, and Devonshire :
Moor and Palmer in Want, Jennings in Wont.
It is likewise used in Gloucestershire.
Wonty-tump, s. (pronounced oonty tump) a mole-
hill. Called a wont-heave in Somersetshire : Jen-
nings in v. Compare Anty-tump.
World. " If the world was on it," means utter im-
possibility .
To Worsen, v. to grow worse.
Woundy, adj. very, exceedingly. Also used in the
southern counties : Grose in v.
To Wrobble, v. a. to wrap up. A frequentative,
from to wrap.
Yaffil, s. the same as hickoL
Yarbs, s. herbs.
used in Herefordshire. 121
Yat, s. a gate. Also used in the north : Westm.
and Cumb. Gloss. Will an and Craven Glossary,
in v. Compare Nares in Yate.
Yead, s. head.
Yellot, s. the jaundice.
Yourn, pron. yours.
To Yowp, or Yap, v. to yelp, as a dog. In the Ex-
moor dialect, uto yeppy" is to make a chirping
noise, like chickens or birds; Exm. Gl. in v.
Several ancient preterits (of the form called by
Grimm strong) are still current in Herefordshire.
The following are the most common : —
Climb
clomb.
Heave .
hove.
Pick
puck.
Shake
shuck.
Squeeze
squoze
Many similar forms occur in other provincial dia-
lects ; see, for example, Moor's Suffolk Words, p. 59.
All the words contained in the foregoing Glossary
have been collected from actual usage. A few words
inserted in the list in Duncumb's Topography of
122 Provincial Words.
Herefordshire have been omitted, as not being known
to be now current. For the same reason, the word
" Shackle," which is said by Grose to mean stubble in
Herefordshire, and the word Songal,or Songle, which
is explained in Bailey's Dictionary (1735) to mean a
handful of gleaned corn in Herefordshire (see Wil-
braham in Songow), have been omitted. Boucher
in v. states that the word ammat is used in Hereford-
shire, where it denotes a sort of pancake, and that it
is there pronounced oamat or auma. This word ap-
pears also to be no longer known.
The following are old sayings current in Hereford-
shire : —
" If the sun shines on Christmas-day, there will be
accidents by fire all the year after/'
" If the fire blows (i. e. makes a flaring noise from
the escape of gas), wind will soon follow."
" When the wind blows on Candlemas-eve, it will
continue till May-eve."
The superstition respecting the cure of rupture,
referred to by Grimm, D. Mythol., p. 676, and sup-
ported by a quotation from White's Selborne, exists in
Herefordshire.
ADDEND A.
[Note. — The articles to which an obelus is prefixed contain
additional illustrations of words explained in the Glossary.]
Babby, s. baby. Also used in Yorkshire : Crav. Gl.
and Hunter in v.
Backer and Backy, s. tobacco.
Bay, s. a division or compartment of a barn or loft.
Used in a nearly similar sense in Norfolk: Forby
in v.
I-Bash, s. The Crav. Gl. explains a mad-pash to be a
deranged person, stalking or pashing idly about the
country.
t To Bett, v. Two distinct words appear to be con-
founded in the explanation given in the text. To
bett, in the sense of paring turf, appears to be
derived from peat. In the Exmoor Glossary, beat
or peat is explained to be turf burnt for the im-
provement of cold land, commonly called burn-
beating. The paring of the turf was called peating
or beating; the operation of burning the turf so
pared was called beat-burning; the heaps of turf
were called beatings or beat-barrows, and the instru-
g2
124 Provincial Words
ment used in paring the turf was called a beating-
axe or iron. See the copious explanation and
illustrations in Boucher in Beate- burning, and Pal-
mer in Beat. Mr. Stevenson, in Boucher, seems to
think that the expression was derived from the
custom of burning the heath and then beating the
ashes into the ground; but the word beating or
betting is applied to the operation previous to the
burning; nor does this derivation explain the
expressions beat-burning and beat-barrows.
The Anglo-Saxon verb betan, and the modern verb
bete, means to make better, to mend, to repair ; and
it was frequently used with fyr or fire, in the sense
of mending or making a fire. See Bosworth in
betan, and Chaucer as quoted in the Glossary. To
" beet the fire " is still used for to mend the fire in
Yorkshire : Crav. Gl. in v. The expression is also
Scotch : see Jamieson in beit ; it is used by Burns —
" 'Tis plenty beets the lover's fire."
(Cited in the Crav. Gl.)
The term bote in our law appears to be derived from
To Bete in the sense of improving or repairing gene-
rally, and especially of kindling a fire. " Common
of estovers or estouviers, that is, necessaries, (from
estoffer, to furnish,) is a liberty of taking necessary
wood for the use or furniture of a house or farm,
from off another's estate. The Saxon word bote is
used as synonymous to the French estovers; and
therefore house-bote is a sufficient allowance of
used in Herefordshire. 125
wood to repair, or to burn in, the house, which
latter is sometimes called fire-bote : plough-bote and
cart-bote are wood to be employed in making and
repairing all instruments of husbandry; and hay-
bote, or hedge-bote, is wood for repairing of hays,
hedges, or fences." — Blackstone's Commentaries,
vol. ii. p. 35. Compare Spelman's Glossary in Bota,
p. 86.
t To Bewray. " Beray, conforire. Berayed with
blood, dirt, fyc. Pollutus sanguine, luto, &c."? Junius
in v. The word is used by Pope in the sense of
defiling with ordure : —
" Full in the middle way there stood a lake,
Which CurlFs Corinna chanced that morn to make . . .
Here fortuned Curll to slide ; loud shout the band,
And Bernard ! Bernard ! rings through all the Strand.
Obscene with filth the miscreant lies bewrayed,
Fall'n in the plash his wickedness has laid."
Dunciad, book 2.
In Cotgrave's French Dictionary, to beray is ex-
plained salir, souiller; beray edy sali, souille, mer-
deux ; and a beraying, souillure, salissure. To
bewray, or beray, in the sense of " to defile,'' appears
to be derived from the French rater, or rayer
(from rigor e), which Roquefort explains to mean
" couler," " fluer." Compare Cotgrave in rayer.
Blow, s. blossom. As, " the trees are in blow." Com-
pare Forby in v.
t Bolting. Pease-bolt, as used in Essex, is derived
from to bolt, to separate (the word employed by
g3
126 Provincial Words
millers) ; i. e. straw which has been separated from
the peas.
*** Brouse. Compare the French bourrte, brushwood.
Btjmble, s. a large waterworn stone, found among
gravel. As, " Have you got enough stone to finish
that wall ? " " No, but I can make him out with a
few of these bumbles."
t Bur. Ray has " bore tree," an elder tree, from the
great pith in the younger branches, which children
commonly bore out to make pop-guns of them.
t Caddling is probably corrupted from cajoling, and
has no connexion with the word scaddle, which, as
Ray in v. remarks, is derived from scade, or scathe,
mischief. In Yorkshire, scaddle means wiLd, skit-
tish ; Crav. Gl. in v.
f Candle of the Eye. Compare the French prunelle
from pruna, a burning coal.
t Chats. "Love of lads and fire of chats is soon in
and soon out." — Derbyshire proverb in Ray.
To Chevy, v. a. to chase ; as " to chevy sheep/' Com-
pare Forby in v.
f To Clam. A Herefordshire version of " care killed
the cat," is, " care clammed the cat."
Clinker, s. a hard burnt brick. Compare Forby in v.
Clip, s. A " clip of wool " is the produce of the year's
shearing.
To Clip, v. to shear wool. Compare Forby and Crav.
Gl. in v.
Desperate, adv. very. As, " the smoke do come
down the chimbley desperate bad."
used in Herefordshire. 127
Eye.
tl Blessed is the eye,
That's between Severn and Wye."
" Not only (says Ray) because of the pleasant pro-
spect ; but it seems this is a prophetical promise of
safety to such as live secured within those great
rivers, as if privileged from martial impressions." —
Ray's Proverbs. The word eye in this proverbial
distich appears to have no connexion with a pro-
spect, but to be the same as the first syllable of Hand
{eiland, German), whence is derived eyot, an islet.
t Fitchuck. Fiskatte is the name given by the Swedes
to the American skunk : Penny Mag. lxvi. p. 358.
tFlannen. This form betrays its origin from the
Welsh gwlanen, derived from gwlan, wool. Gwla-
nen signifies flannel in Welsh.
Fresh. 1. Beginning to show the effects of better
keep. Applied to cattle improving in condition.
It denotes a less advanced stage of fattening than
meaty (which see). An ox may be fresh which is
not yet meaty. 2. Excited by drinking, but not
intoxicated.
Frosted, adj. frozen. As, "the turnips be all frosted''
Fruit, s. apples.
f Frum. Fram or frim likewise means tender or
brittle in Yorkshire : Crav. Gl. in v.
t To Graff. In Yorkshire, a graft is the depth of
earth pierced by one insertion of the spade, called a
spade-graft : Crav. Gl. in v.
Graves, s. The refuse which remains at the bottom of
the melting pot used in making tallow candles, is
128 Provincial Words
collected and pressed into oblong cakes. This
refuse is called graves. It is generally boiled with
water as food for dogs.
Ham, s. a flat meadow by the side of a river, as
"Tewkesbury Ham." (GL.) Ham in this sense
appears to have no connexion with ham for hamlet
(the German heim\ but to be a corrupt form of
holm, A.S., which means a great plot of ground
environed by water, and just rising above it: Bos-
worth in v. Holm, horn, &c, are common in names
of places in Herefordshire. The word is nearly
equivalent to warth (which see), and the Scotch
haugh.
To Hog, v. To " hog a hedge " is to trim it up closely,
so as to make it narrow at the top ; like hogging a
horse's mane.
Lattage, s. "To have lattage in his speech" means
to have an impediment in his speech. From to let,
in the old sense of to hinder.
tLEAR. In the Exmoor dialect, the "leer," or " the
leer-ribs," means the hollow under the ribs : Exm.
Gl. in v
Lea sow, s. a pasture-ground, generallv containing
trees or bushes. In many places it has become a
proper name. From laes or laesuw, A. S.
Maister, s. master. The same pronunciation prevails
in Yorkshire : Crav. Gl. in v.
t Muncorn. A " muncorn team " means a team of
horses and oxen mixed. Mengkorn in High Ger-
man, mankkorn in Dutch, and mischkorn in Swabian,
likewise mean mixed corn : Adelung in Mengen.
used in Herefordshire. 1^9
f Nor seems to be stronger than "than." The latter
is merely " then," and thus asserts that the quality
predicated by the adjective exists in a weaker
degree in the one object than in the other ; while
"nor" denies its presence altogether in the second
of the two. The use of ^Sxxov j> oh, where one would
expect pZxkov %, is probably to be explained in
the same way. The former would be " rather nor?
the latter " rather than." See Thucyd. ii. 62., iii. 36,
and Arnold's note to the first passage ; also Herod,
vii. 16. v. 94. The French use of " ne " after com-
paratives is based on the same principle. " Vous
ecrivez mieux que vous ne parlez." It is quite
consistent with this view that when " que " follows
" tant," " autant," or " aussi," the negative must
not be added. The same idiom exists in Italian
(see Lewis on the Romance Languages, p. 267), and
in Spanish ; as
"Blanca sois Senora mia mas que no el rayo del sol."
Romancero Duran. 1.13.
Out of Hand. Immediately, off-hand. Like the
German aus der hand.
t Pane, in the sense of a skirt, may be derived from
pannus.
To Pitch, v. to raise hay or corn with a fork. Hence
a pitcher, for the labourer who pitches. Likewise
used in Norfolk : Forby in v.
Plant, s. a cabbage. Plant leaves, cabbage leaves.
Compare Fruit.
t Ridiculous. See the letter cited (p. 132) in Which.
To Sag, v. to hang down, as a beam. The word is old,
130 Provincial Words
and is also used in Yorkshire and Norfolk : Crav.
Gl. and Forby in v. Johnson inserts the word, and
explains it, 1. To load, to burthen. 2. To hang heavy,
referring for the latter sense to Macbeth.
" The mind I sway by, and the heart I bear,
Shall never sag with doubt, nor shake with fear."
Act v. sc. 3.
Where Mr. Toilet remarks that it was common in
Staffordshire to say, " a beam in a building sags, or
has sagged" In the Promtuarium Parvulorum
"saggynge, or satlynge," is explained bassatura,
bassatio. Junius has " sagge : gravitare, oneribus
deprimere." See also Nares in Sagg. The Scotch
dialect likewise has this verb both in an active and
a neuter sense : Jamieson explains " to sag " by to
press down, and " to seg * by to fall down. The
Low Latin assagium (see Ducange in v.), and its
Romance derivatives saggio, assaggiare, essai,
essayer, are doubtless derived from to sag in the
sense of weighing. " Saggio dicesi anclie a quelle
bilancette con cui si pesano le monete." Dizion. di
Lingua Ital. (Bologna, 1824) in v.
Scowles, s. excavations caused by the workings of old
mines, now generally overgrown with wood. (Forest
of Dean.) In the Fourth Report of Dean Forest
Commissioners, p. 3, this word is said to be de-
rived from the British ceawll, caves.
Sideland, adj. A farm on the slope of a hill is called
a sideland farm. E. g. " A troublesome sideland
place."
used in Herefordshire. 131
f Sludge, or Slush. In Norfolk, slush means loose
mud, and figuratively loose talk; slushy means
miry, and also foul-mouthed : Forby in v. In York-
shire slosh means snow in a melting state, like pulp,
and sloshy, in a state of slosh: Crav. Gl. in v.
Slush, or slosh, appears to be formed from lush, or
losh; from which (in the sense of clammy and
cloying) is probably derived the adjective luscious.
(Compare Scrawl.)
f Sole. In Yorkshire, to seal, or sele, is to bind or
fasten cattle in their stalls : Crav. Gl. in v.
Spit, s. the depth of a spade in digging ; thus, fresh
garden ground may be dug "two spit deep."
t Stank. " Stanca : agger aquis oppositus, vel id quo
aqua continetur." Ducangemi?.; and stancare is to
staunch, which is the same word as to stank. The
Spanish estanco means a dam, and also (most appro-
priately) the shop where tobacco, salt, and other
commodities monopolized by government are sold.
Stancare is probably altered from stagnare, and
stanca has been formed from the altered verb.
"Stank" in Yorkshire means a boggy piece of
ground : Crav. Gl. in v.
t Stick, hi Yorkshire, a "comical stick" means a
queer, sly, sarcastic fellow : Crav. G. in v.
Swag-bellied, adj. having a loose prominent belly.
See Johnson in swag.
tTAiL. " Tail end" corn was so called from its being
the lightest part of the corn, which was driven
furthest from the fan.
t To Tap Shoes. A heel-tap was a small piece of
132 Provincial Words.
leather fixed by pegs to the end of a high heeled
shoe. Hence the figurative expression " to clear
away heel-taps,'' applied to drinking the wine
remaining in a glass, as being the small layer at
the bottom,
t Tilled up. The sense of raising or setting up is
seen in tilt, the covering of a wagon. See Home
Tooke, vol. ii. p. 73.
Year, s. Used for the plural as well as the singular ;
as, " I hanna seen him this twenty year." This old
usage also exists in Yorkshire : Crav. Gl. in v.
t Which. The use of which, explained in the Glossary,
is further illustrated by the following authentic
letter, lately written in Gloucestershire : —
rt Mr. and Gentlemen Present.
ft I have Taken the Oppertunity of writeing Those few
Lines to your worships to inform you that I have been served
most Rediculous By the Managers of the Parish of North
Nibley. The Occurrence is this : that I Rents a house at Three
Pounds Per year, and they Charges 2 Shillings per Rate ;
which at the same time my Neighbours that Rents Six or 7
Pounds Per year is only 18 Pence per rate. This, gentle-
men, is my Refuse for not Paying the Poor Rates, because i
think it is very unlawful, as i have been informed by other
Magistrates that is very impropper and Impossible for me to
Do it, and Because i was Persuaded not Do it ; & they Said
that i must & Should Support my Father and have Done it for
a month ; which i am Sure i cannot Do it, and that people
knows very well."
London: Printed by W. Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street.