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Dialect Society.
Vol. XXX.
USED IN
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE,
BY JESSE SALISBURY;
AND
A WARWICKSHIRE WORD-BOOK,
WITH FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES,
Bv G. F. NORTHALL.
(Numbers 72, 70, 73.)
Xon&on :
PUBLISHED FOR THE ENGLISH DIALECT SOCIETY
BY HENRY FROWUE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE,
AMEN CORNER, B.C.
1894-6.
CONTENTS.
I. SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE WORDS AND PHRASES.
By JESSE SALISBURY.
Preface v
Conjugations of Verbs, &c ix
Glossary i
Examples of Local Pronunciation . . 50
Customs, Charms, Remedies, &c. . . 62
Names of Fields, Places, &c. . . . 8i
Shakespeare and our Dialect ... 83
Appendix 87
II. A WARWICKSHIRE WORD-BOOK. BY G. F. NORTHALL.
Preface v
Introduction xi
Word-book ....... i
Appendix 275
III. FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES (GLOUC., STAFF.,
WARW., WORC.). By G. F. NORTHALL.
Preface ....... 3
Folk-phrases ...... 5
Vocabulary 37
A GLOSSARY
OF
WORDS AND PHRASES
S.E. WORCESTERSHIRE
TOGETHER WITH SOME OF THE
Sayings, Customs, Superstitions, Charms, &c.
COMMON IN THAT DISTRICT.
BY JESSE SALISBURY.
J. SALISBURY, 48, FLEET LANE, E.G.
1893
^077
CONTENTS.
PAGE
PREFACE v.
CONJUGATIONS OP VERBS, &c. ix.
GLOSSARY ... 1
EXAMPLES OF LOCAL PRONUNCIATION 50
CUSTOMS, CHARMS, EEMEDIES, SAYINGS, SUPERSTITIONS,
&c., &c 62
NAMES OF FIELDS, PLACES, &c 81
SHAKESPEARE AND OUR DIALECT ... ... ... ... 83
APPENDIX 87
EEBATA.
Page 19, line 17 from top, read, « Wen 'er wuz a young un,' &c.
„ 31, „ 1 ,, „ ,, ' the ears, snout,' &c.
„ 35, „ 17 „ bottom ,, ' the final s in slawns,' &c.
„ 37, „ 13 ,, top, ,, ' the bar to which the shafts of a double
shafted waggon are attached.'
„ 37, ,, 2 ,, bottom „ 'I sh'll get in un' sit by the fire.'
,, 44, „ 14 ,, „ ,, ' when in company, and speaking of a person
who is present.'
PREFACE.
THIS attempt to compile a Glossary of Words and Phrases
used in South-East Worcestershire (the district around Evesham
and Pershore), owes its origin, principally, to a perusal of Mrs.
Chamberlain's interesting ' Glossary of West Worcestershire
Words,' published by the English Dialect Society in 1882.
Being a native of the district above indicated, and an enthu-
siastic lover of everything relating to the county of Worcester, I
had for some years previously, been collecting scraps and frag-
ments concerning the locality, but with no definite object in
view ; and I felt greatly delighted when I recognised in Mrs.
Chamberlain's work, many of the old home words, sayings, and
customs, which were so familiar to me in my younger days ; but
which had in many instances become almost forgotten.
Although in the same county, I found that there were many
words used in our locality which were not in use in West
Worcestershire, and so not included in Mrs. Chamberlain's book.
I therefore began systematically to note down all such words
that I could think of, or that I otherwise met with ; with the
result that I am now able to submit to all who are interested
in the subject of local dialects, and to the public generally, the
present collection of South-East Worcestershire Words and
Phrases.
In doing so, I trust that I am contributing a minute quota
of quaint (and possibly some few peculiar) words, towards the
formation of a work which would be of the greatest interest and
utility, viz., a complete Glossary of Local Words, Sayings, and
Phrases used in every district in England. The increased, and
still increasing facilities for intercommunication, together with
the advance of education, are, however, daily enhancing the
yi. PREFACE.
difficulty of accomplishing such a task; and should it be long
deferred, it will, it is to be feared, become a matter of absolute
impossibility.
Many words are included in the following pages, which are
neither peculiar to the district nor yet to the county, but which
are not exactly common. These I decided to retain, as being
useful for purposes of comparison ; also that students of dialect
might be assisted (however slightly), in ascertaining to what
extent, and in what localities, such words are current.
In instances in which Mrs. Chamberlain has, in her glossary,
employed illustrative phrases, I have generally adopted them ;
making such alterations only, as were necessary to adapt them to
this locality. The difference in the dialect of the two districts
(the W. and the S.E.) can thus be the more readily observed, for
which reason, I trust I may be pardoned for the liberty I have
taken.
It was originally intended that this fragment should have
been published by the English Dialect Society, by whom much
has already been done in the direction above indicated, and at
whose disposal I had placed my MS. ; but owing to various causes,
its publication was from time to time deferred, until I at length
decided to issue it myself, as it now appears.
Whilst in the hands of the above Society, my MS. was sub-
mitted by the Secretary to the inspection of Professor Skeat,
to whom I am indebted for some important suggestions.
To the Eev. Canon Lawson, author of ' Upton Words and
Phrases,' (E.D.S., 1884), I desire to express my sincere thanks
for the kindly interest he has taken in my work, and for a copy of
' Notes of Quaint Words and Sayings in the Dialect of South
Worcestershire,' by A. Porson, M.A., the perusal of which
brought to my mind some words and sayings that had escaped
my memory.
To Mr. George Davies, I am greatly indebted for various
suggestions, many of which I have been able to adopt, although
they did not reach me until the work was in the printer's hands ;
but more particularly for his great assistance in that portion
PEEFACE. VII.
which relates to Shakespeare (of whose writings he is an enthu-
siastic student). Indeed, it was at his suggestion only, that I
decided to include the Shakespeare list.
As it forms in my memory a kind of connecting link between
the old time and the present, I may mention, that I had the
pleasure (many years ago), of knowing Mr. Davies's grandfather
(Mr. John Davies, of Little Comberton), and I do not think I ever
met with another man who could relate so many local stories,
or who could sing so many traditional old songs.*
For the purpose of illustrating some of the peculiarities of our
dialect, I have (in addition to the phrases already referred to),
introduced a few local sayings and stories, and in these my dear
niece Agnes, has assisted me very materially ; giving me hints
as to some of the idiomatic phrases, in cases in which my long
absence from the district, had caused my memory to become
slightly defective. She has also contributed some of the
' Eemedies,' &c., which are here included; for all of which I
thank her most heartily.
To her father (my beloved brother), who still resides in our
village, I am indebted for several words and sayings ; and more
particularly for many of the Field Names, of which a list is in-
cluded in this work. I therefore tender him my warmest thanks,
and trust that he will discover in these pages, pleasant reminis-
cences, of the days ' when we were boys together.'
JESSE SALISBUEY.
(Of Little Comberton.)
London, 1893.
* Some were exceedingly quaint, and I venture to introduce here the
following verse of one which lingers in my memory, but which I have never
met with in print. It is probably familiar to students of Old Song literature.
Being a portion of what is supposed to be a ' Rag-man's ' song, the reader
will kindly excuse the indelicacy of its allusions.
' Old rags, old jags, old bodies of stays ;
Bring them to me ; I will them appraise ;
Nitty, or lousey, or buggy beside,
Up o' my back, and away they shall ride. '
CONJUGATIONS OF VEKBS, &c.
u (u as in cut), 66 (oo as in wool).
TO BE.
Present.
Singular. Plural.
I be. We be.
Thee bist. You be.
'E or 'er is. Thaay be.
Past.
I wuz. We wuz.
Thee wust. You wuz.
'E wuz. Thaay wuz.
Negative (present).
I byunt. We byunt. ,
Thee bissent. You byunt.
'E yunt. Thaay byunt.
Negative (past).
I wuzzent, or wornt. We wuzzent, or wornt.
Thee wussent. You wuzzent, or wornt.
'E wuzzent, or wornt. Thaay wuzzent, or wornt.
Interrog. (present).
Be I ? or Be e? Be we ? or Be us?
Bist t hee ? Be you ? or be yu ?
Is 'e ? or Is u ? * Be thaay ? or be 'um ?
Interrog. (past).
Wuz 11 Wuz we ? or wuz-ns ?
Wust thee ? Wuz you ? or wuz yu ?
Wuz 'e? Wuz thaay ? or wuz um?
* The words printed in italics are strongly accented.
X. SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Interrog. Neg. (present).
Byunt I ? Byunt us ?
Bissent thee ? Byunt you ? or byunt yu ?
Yunt 'e ? or yunt u ? Byunt thaay ? or fa/Mni 'um ?
Interrog. Neg. (past).
Wuzzent I ? Wuzzent we ? or wuzzent us ?
Wussent thee ? or wussent ? Wuzzent you ? or wuzzent yu ?
Wuzzent 'e ? or wuzzent u ? Wuzzent Z/MKM/ ? or wuzzent 'um?
TO HAVE.
I 'ave, or 'a. We 'ave or 'a.
Thee 'ast. You 'ave or 'a.
'E 'ave, or 'a. Thaay 'ave, or 'a.
Past.
I 'ad. We 'ad.
Thee 'adst. You 'ad.
'E 'ad. Thaay 'ad.
Negative (present).
I 'ant, or 'aint. We 'ant, or 'aint.
Thee 'assn't. You 'ant or 'aint.
'E 'ant or aint. Thaay 'ant or 'aint.
Negative (past).
1 >adn't- We 'adn't.
Thee 'adn'st. You 'adn't.
'E 'adn't. Thaay 'adn't.
Interrog. (present).
'Ave I ? or 'are e ? 'Ave we ? or 'ave us ?
'Ast *fo* f or 'a** ; >Ave you ? or 'ave yu ?
'Uv 'e ? or 'ave ft ? - or «av
Interrog. (past).
'MI? or 'ad e? »Ad we ? or 'ad us?
'Adst thee ? or 'adsi ? 'Ad yow ? or 'ad yu ?
*Ad 'e ? or Ma" u ? • Ad thaay ? or >a
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
XI.
Interrog. Neg. (present).
'An't J ? or 'an't e? 'An't we ? or 'an't us?
'Assn't thee ? or 'Assn't ? 'An't you ? or 'an't yu?
'An't 'e ? or 'an't u? 'An't £/iaa?/ ? or '<w'£ um ?
Interrog. Neg. (past).
'Adn't I ? or a'dn't e ? 'Adn't we ? or 'odw'tf us?
'Adn'st thee ? or 'adns't ? 'Adn't you ? or 'adn't yu ?
'Adn't 'e ? or 'adw'tf u? 'Adn't thaay ? or 'adn'£ um ?
I sholl.
Thee shot.
'E sholl.
I shud, or I shood.
Thee shudst, or thee shoodst.
'E shud, or 'E shood.
I shaunt.
Thee shotn't.
'E shaunt.
I shoodn't.
Thee shoodn'st.
'E shoodn't.
Sholl I, or sholl e ?
S/w>« ? or shot f&ee ?
Sholl 'e ? or s/ioZZ u ?
Shotn't ? or shotn't thee ?
Shaunt 'e ? or shaunt u ?
I '661.
Thee 66t.
'E '661.
SHALL.
We sholl.
You sholl.
Thaay sholl.
We shud, or we shood.
You shud, or you shood.
Thaay shud, or thaay shood.
Negative.
We shaunt.
You shaunt.
Thaay shaunt.
We shoodn't.
You shoodn't.
Thaay shoodn't.
Interrogative.
Sholl we ? or sholl us ?
Sholl you ? or s/wZZ yu ?
Sholl £/&aa?/ ? or sholl um ?
Interrog. Neg.
Shaunt I ? or shaunt e ? Shaunt we ? or shaunt us ?
Shaunt t/ow ? or shaunt yu ?
Shaunt thaay ? or shaunt um
WILL.
We '661.
You '661.
Thaay '66l.
Till.
SOUTH-BAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
I '66d.
Thee '66dst.
'E '66d.
I wunt.
Thee 66tn't.
'E wunt.
'061 / ? or 661 e ?
'06t thee ? or 66t ?
'061 'e ? or 661 u ?
Wunt 7 ? or wunt e ?
'Ootn't *%ee ? or <5<ttw'£ ?
Wunt 'e ? or witni yu ?
I con.
Thee const.
'E con.
I caunt.
Thee cosn't.
'E caunt.
Gun I ? or con e ?
Cun'st thee ? or const ?
Cun 'e ? or con u ?
Caunt I ? or caunt e ?
Cosn't thee ? or cosw'£ ?
•Caunt 'e ? or caunt u ?
We '66d.
You '66d.
Thaay '66d.
Negative.
We wunt.
You wunt.
Thay wunt.
Interrogative.
'061 we ? or 661 us ?
'6ol you ? or '<5dZ yu ?
'061 ZfawM/ ? or 661 um ?
Interrog. Neg.
Wunt we ? or wwn£ us ?
Wunt 7/dM ? or wunt yu ?
Wunt thaay ? or wnw£ um ?
CAN.
We con.
You con.
Thaay con.
Negative.
We caunt.
You caunt.
Thaay caunt.
Interrogative.
Cun we ? or con us ?
Cun 7/oM ? or cow yu ?
Cun iliaay ? or co?i um ?
Interrog. Neg.
Caunt we ? or caw7&£ us?
Caunt you ? or cawnf yu ?
Caunt £foia?/ ? or caunt um ?
OF
S.E. WORCESTERSHIRE WORDS.
A, v. to have, present and imperative moods. ' I a bin a
waterin' the flowers.' I have been watering the flowers.
' A done 66t ! ' Have done, will you !
A, pron. he ; she ; it. ' Where is a?' ' There a comes.' (The
pronunciation of the a in this instance is like u in but.)
A, prep, in ; on ; as abed for in bed, atop for on the top. ' 'Er's
a bed mighty bad, uv a bwile a top uv 'er yud.'
Abear, v. to endure. ' I caunt abear the sight on 'im.' ' 'E
caunt abear to be lofft (laughed) at.'
Above-a-bit, adverbial phrase, extremely. ' Thase 'ere bad times
werrits me above-a-bit, thay doos ; I don't knaow what to do
no more nur the dyud.'
Acaowd, adj. cold. ' Be yer 'onds acaowd ? come ether an'
warm urn.'
According (pronounced accardin') ao"y. in comparison with.
' It's as much bigger accardin' as my fut is nur that there
young un's.' It is as much larger comparatively, as my foot
is than that child's.
Ack, v. to hoe potatoes for the first time.
Afore, prep, before. ' Come un see us afore yu gwruz away.'
After-math or Arter-math, n. the second crop of hay from one
field in the same season.
Agate, v. going on. ' What's agate now? '
Ails, n. barley-beards.
Aim, v. to attempt ; to endeavour ; to intend. ' 'Er aimed to
pick it up, but it wus too 'eavy fur 'er to 'eft.'
Aizac, n. a small bird which builds its nest in the grass on the
banks of hedges. Perhaps a corruption of Hay suck. The
Haybird.
Akere, v. look here ; or, come here.
1
2 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
All-as-is. All that remains. 'The pot's pretty nigh empty,
but I'll gi' yu all-as-is.
All-as-one. All the same. ' Thee cunst g66 ar stop, Bill ; it's
all-as-one.''
Ally or White Al, n. a white marble (much prized by boys).
Anant, prep, opposite. ' Put them there faggits down anant the
door.'
Aowf (Oaf) n. a foolish or silly person.
Apern or Apun, n. an apron ; the diaphragm or midriff of a
Pig-
Arms, n. axles of a cart or waggon.
Arse of a waggon or cart, the hinder-part.
Askew, adv. out of shape ; twisted.
Aslat or Az-lit, n. the liver, lungs, heart, &c., of a pig. (Not
very common in this district.)
Assud or Arseud, adj. contrary. (Arseward.)
Assud-backuds, adj. bind-before.
Athattens, adv. in that way. 'Thee artst to be ashum'd o' thee-
self tu byut (beat) the bwoy athattens ; yu great lungeous
bagger.' '
Athissens, adv. in this way. ' That yunt the way to do it ; do
it athissens.'
Atternone-folks, n. people who are in the habit of beginning
work late in the day.
Awhile = spare time ; ' I cawnt awhile,' means ' I cannot spare
the time.'
Away-you-shuts — start off.
Aw-puck, n. the will-o'-the-wisp.
Axe-tree = axle-tree.
Backen, v. to keep back. ' This caowd weather 'ull bacJcen the
craps' (crops).
Back-side, n. the back of the house.
Back-sword, 71. the exercise of singlestick.
Badger, v. to torment ; to worry.
Bag, n. the udder of a cow. Three bushels of corn.
*, v. to cut wheat, &c., with a bagging -hook, instead of with
a sickle. The former instrument is larger and heavier than
the sickle, and is used with a chopping action, instead of
with a pull, as the sickle is used.
SOUTH-EAST WOKCESTBBSHIBE GLOSSARY. 3
Bagger- wench, «. a beggar-girl.
Bagginet, n. a bayonet.
Baker, n. a pebble fixed into the roof of an oven to indicate
when it is sufficiently heated. This is shown by the stone
then presenting a floury- white appearance.
Bandy, n. a game played with a stick bent at the lower end ;
the bent stick used in the game (also called hockey).
Bannits, n. walnuts. 'Why uf 'ere yunt aowd Stoodley; the
fust time as ever I knaowed 'im wus w'en 'e wus took up
fur stalin' bannits.'
Barking-iron, n. an iron tool used in peeling off bark from trees.
Barm, n. yeast.
Barm-spout, n. a tin or wooden tube used for the purpose of
conveying the yeast from the cask.
Baste, (1) n. a beast, (2) v. to beat. ' Uf I ketches thee a runnin*
over that gardin agyun, I'll gi' thu a good bastin'.' (3) v. To
pour gravy upon meat while roasting, to prevent its burning.
Bat, n. pace ; speed ; as in walking, &c. ' I've come along at a
smartish bat, an' it fetches the sweat out on mu, above a
bit.'
Bather, v. to trample or beat down standing corn or grass ; to
wallow in dust, as fowls do.
Batherer, n. a dealer, as &sh-batherer, a dealer in wood ashes
(used for making ley).
Batter, v. In building a tall chimney, to batter is to gradually
reduce the circumference. To build a wall out of the per-
pendicular.
Battle, n. a beetle ; a cock-roach.
Bawk, v. to hinder.
Be-call, v. to abuse.
Bed- wrist (bed- wrest), n. a wooden instrument used for tightening
the cords of the old-fashioned corded bedsteads.
Beetle, n. a large wooden hammer, or mallet.
Belluck, v. to roar.
Bell-wether, n. a crying child (primarily the wether-sheep which
carried the bell).
Bed of a cart or wagon, n. the body; the wheels, &c., upon
which it is borne being called the carriage.
4 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Belly-full, n. a sufficient quantity. ' Didn't T see you a comin'
out o' the Methodis' chapel o' Sundy, Mrs. Accon ? ' ' Oy
sure, so yu did : it yunt as I 'aowlds 66th the Methodisses,
they be su sly to my thinkin' ; but I likes to goo sometimes
'cos the sarmuns be sucuttin'. Many a time I a' sat in that
chapel an' cried my belly -full'
Belt, v. to shear off the soiled wool (' belt-locks ') from the-
buttocks of sheep.
Bent, n. slender stalk of grass.
Better, adv. more. ' How long have you lived in this house ? *
' 0, rather better nur a twelve-month.'
Bezzle, v. to drink immoderately, as a drunkard.
Bird-keeping, v. scaring birds from corn.
Bizzum (Besom), n. a broom composed of twigs of birch or of
ling.
Black-bat, n. a black beetle.
Black-stare, n. a starling.
Blaht, v. to cry or hallo out lustily.
Bledther, n. a bladder.
Bleeding-heart, n. a kind of garden flower.
Blood -stick, n. a stick with which farriers strike the fleam when
bleeding cattle.
Bloody-thumbs, n. quaker-grass.
Blow, 7i. blossom (pronounced blaow). < That 'awthun tree anant
the aowd barn is in blaow mwust beautiful.' ' Uv yu sin
the blaow uv this 'ere pink ? Its arnwust as big as a rose.'
Blubber, n. a bubble.
Boar-stag, n. an old boar which has been emasculated.
Boil-out, v. to waste in boiling.
Bolchin, n an unfledged bird.
B°lti.nog; "' (Pronoun,ced baowtin'), a bundle of straw of from
1 * r ;iTTghti T,he boltings of best and longesfc st^w
are tied with two bands, those containing the short and in-
ferior straw with only one. ' What a fright thu bist, wench ;
thee look st like a baowtin' tied o' one bond.'
Book-of-hard-names, n. an account book.
Boss, n. a tassel ; a rosette ; a small bunch of ribbons.
Bost, v. to explode with a report.
Bottom, , i. a ball or skein. < It's all of a robble, like a bottom o*
yarn.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. O
Bout, n. in ploughing, &c., once up and down the field. A 'bout '
at back-sword corresponds with a ' round ' at boxing.
Bowie, n. a bar or beam of a harrow. The boiules are connected
by the sloats.
Bowk, n. the ' box ' of a wheel. (The iron lining in which the
axle is inserted.)
Braishy, adj. having branches.
Bran-new, adj. quite new.
Breast-plough, n. a plough worked by a man. It has a flat
piece of wood at the upper end against which the plougher
pushes with his breast, hence its name.
Bree, n. a large fly resembling a bee.
Breeds, n. the brim of a hat.
Brem, n. bream (a kind of fish).
BreYit, v. to hunt about ; to pry inquisitively. ' Where 'a yu
put my prayer-book to, Mary ? I've brevitted thraow all
them drahrs an' I caunt find 'im.' ' 'E'l get nuthin' from
we, it's uvno use far 'im to come brevittin' about ower place.'
Briar-ball, n. a kind of spongy ball growing on the hip-briar or
wild rose bush.
Brim, n. a boar.
Brun, or hind-brun, n. a log of wood suitable for laying behind
or at the back of the grate.
Brow, n. the forehead.
Buckle, n. a tough slip of wood used for fastening the thatch upon
a roof ; v. to bend.
Builded, v. built.
Buff, v. to muffle the clapper of a bell.
Buff-peal, n. a muffled peal.
Bull-squitter, n. much fuss or talk about a very little matter.
Bum-ball, n. a ball with which boys play ' rounders ' or similar
games.
Bum, or Bum-bailey, n. a broker's man. ' I heerd uz how Jack
'ud got the bums in 'is 'ouse for rent.'
Bunch-o'-fiYes, n. the fist.
Bunt, v. to butt like a ram. To help another in climbing, &c., by
giving him a lift (or bunt) behind.
Bur-dock, n. a thick, hard-stemmed dock.
Burr, n. a piece of iron to screw on the end of a bolt (same as
nut.)
6 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSABY.
Burru, n. a sheltered place. Corruption of burrow. ' The wind
is pretty teart to-day, but if yu keeps in the burru it 11 do
yu moore good to goo out in the air a bit nur stivm by the
fire all the while.'
Burru-urdle, n. a hurdle covered or thatched with straw and
propped up in the field, on the burru or sheltered side of
which a tolerably good shelter from wind and rain may be
secured.
Bury, n. a heap, as of potatoes ('tater-bury '), or of dung ('muck-
bury.')
Bush-house, «. (at Pershore) a house opened at fair time only
(26th and 27th of June), for the sale of beer and cider
without licence, indicated by a bush fixed up at the door.
Suppressed 1863.
Bussen, Bussen-bellied, adj. ruptured.
Butty, n. a work -fellow or companion. ' Ave yu sin Mary Parker
lately, Mrs. Yapp? ' ' Oye, I sis 'er mwust wicks ; 'er's my
butty when I weshes at the pawson's.' ' 'Im an' 'is butties
wuz at ther tay, an' a mon cum to the door, an' 'e sez, sez
'e, " Wich o' your names is Eobison?"
Bwystings, n. the first milk drawn from the udder of a cow
after calving.
Byun-brish, n. bean stubble.
Cadger, n. a beggar.
Gag-mag, v. to grumble at, to quarrel. ' The missis sez to me,.
" What's that naise ? " 'er sez. " Oh," sez I " it's only them
two aowd craters upstairs a cagmaggin' like thay allays
be." '
Call, n. cause ; or, occasion.
Calls, to cattle, &c. To cows : ' Coop ! coop ! ' To dogs : ' Heah,
heah ' or ' Pishty ! Pishty ! ' To horses : ' Coop ! ' (start) ;
' Aw ! ' (turn towards driver) ; ' Cumma ! ' (to first horse to
turn towards driver) ; ' Cum-Tther ! ' (the same) ; ' Ett ! '
(turn from driver) ; ' Gee ! ' (to first horse to turn from
driver) ; ' Wult ! ' (go slowly) ; ' Wey ! ' (stop). To pigs :
1 Chuck ! chuck ! ' To poultry : ' Come Biddy ! come
Biddy ! '
Cank, v. to chatter ; to talk incessantly.
Caplin, n. the bow by which, by means of a thong (tJiunfy, the
nile is attached to the hand-stick of a flail, or tlireshel.
Cart-saddle, n. the saddle worn by a cart-horse, and which
carries the back-band.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTEESHIEE GLOSSARY. 7
Carrying-the-grind-stone, v. fetching the. doctor to one's wife
at her confinement.
Casselty, adj. uncertain. ' There's no tellin' what to be at in
sitch casselty weather.'
Casting-net, n. a kind of fishing-net.
Cast (1) n. a second swarm of bees from the same hive in one
season. (2) v. To give birth prematurely. (3) To yield.
'The whate casses (casts) well this year.' (4) A sheep
turned over on its back and unable to get up again is cast.
Cat, n. a small piece of wood used in the game of ' bandy.'
The cat is knocked with the bandy in opposite directions by
the opposing players. (Also called a ' nun.')
Chackle, v. to cackle as a hen.
Charky, adj. dry, sunbaked.
Chate or Chut, n. the Grasshopper Warbler.
Chats, n. chips of wood; short sticks, &c.
Chaun, n. a crack in the earth, or in a floor or wall. 'The
ground is so dry there be chauns in it big enough for rne to
put my fut in amwust ' (almost).
Chawl (1) v. to chew slowly. (2) To repeat words which have
given offence. (3) n. The lower jaw of a pig.
Cheese, n. the stack of apple-pulp arranged in the press ready
for pressing out the cider.
Cheese-cowl, n. a shallow tub, used in cheese making.
Cheeses, n. seeds of the Common Mallow.
Chime, n. a stave of a cask or tub.
Chine, n. a slice containing the spine cut out of the back of a
pig. It is usually cut up into four or five lengths, each of
which is called a chine.
Chits, n. the sprouts which shoot out from potatoes, wheat, &c.,
when germination has commenced. ' Them taters wans
(want) sartin', but you must be keerful 'ow yu 'ondles um,
else you'll knock the chits off.'
Chit, 11. a term of approbrium applied to a forward young girl.
Chittlins (chitterlings), n. the entrails ; most commonly applied
to those of a pig.
Chobble, v. to chew.
Chock, n. a block of wood with which the linch-pin hole in the
hub of a wheel is closed.
Chock-full, adj. completely full.
8 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Chop, v. to exchange.
Chops, n. the mouth. ' Shut yer chops an' keep yer belly warm.'
Chump, n. a block of wood. The head, ' He's off his chump ' =
1 He's out of his mind.'
Christian, n. a human being.
Clack, n. chatter ; incessant and idle talk.
Clanins (cleanings), n. the after-birth of a ewe, cow, mare, &c.
Clat-beetle, n. a light wooden mallet with a long handle used
for breaking hard clods of earth.
Clatter, n. a rattling noise.
Cleaches, n. clots of blood, &c.
Clet, n. a wedge.
Clock, n. the downy head of the dandelion, when gone to seed.
The children pluck these and blow off the down ; the number
of puffs required to blow off the whole of the down from one
stalk is supposed to indicate what o'clock it is.
Clip, v. to embrace. ' The child clipped mu round the neck.'
Clomber, v. to climb.
Clommed, adj. starved, famished.
Clout, n. a rag or cloth, as dish-clout. Clothing.
' Change not a clout 'till May be out.'
Clout, n. a plate of iron nailed upon a wooden axle, to prevent
its wearing away too rapidly with the friction of the wheel.
Clov-iron, n. the iron at the end of a plough beam to which the
traces of the horses are attached. ( ? Cloven-iron, the iron
being divided to embrace the end of the plough-beam.)
Coal-hod, n. a coal box.
Cob-waaf, n. a spider's web.
Cock-laft, n. (cock-loft), the upper part of the interior of the roof.
Cock-sure, adj. over certain or confident. ' When the Deuyll
had once broughte Christe to the crosse, he thought all
cocke sure.' Latimefs Sermon on The Ploughers, 1549.
Cod (of a net), n. the bag-like part of a net used in bird-catching.
Cokers, n. reapers. The term is generally applied to those who
come from a distance in search of harvest work.
Colley, n. soot ; coal-black; smuttiness; v. to blacken.
Colley-coal, n. a cinder or ember.
4 Come-back,' the cry of the guinea-fowl.
Come-ether, — come-hither.
SOUTH-EAST WOBCESTEBSHIBE GLOSSABY. 9
Come-'is-ways, or Come-'er-ways, a term of endearment, used
by parents when greeting their little children.
Gone-wheat, n. bearded wheat.
Conger, n. a cucumber.
Conk, n. the nose.
Conker, n. a snail shell, or snail-house.
Consaits, v. fancies or imagines. ' Two uv ower young uns a
got the 'oopin' cough.' 'Ave um? a yu gan 'um ennything
far it?' ' O oye, my ooman a bin a givin' 'um some buried
bread ever so many marnins.' ' Doos it do 'um any good?'
' Well 'er consaits 'erself uz it d66s.'
Cord-of-wood, a bundle or pile of wood 5 ft. high 8 ft. long and
4 ft. 1 in. wide. (Pronounced card (or kwerd) o' 66d.)
Cord- wood (Card-66d), n. the branches of trees or other kind
of timber, either cleft or round, used (as a rule) for fuel.
Sold by measurement as above. (Pronounced Card-odd or
kwerd-66d.)
Corner-frost, n. a frost so mild that it is only to be seen at
corners exposed to the wind.
Cos, conj. because.
Cotch, v. caught.
Cover, n. a covert.
Cow-cummer, n. a cucumber.
Cowl, n. a small tub.
Crab-shulls, n. shoes.
Craichy, adj. weak ; infirm ; shaky. ' This 'ere's a mighty
craichy aowd 'ouse.' ' I caunt get about much now, nat
tu do no good, yu knaow ; I be nothin' but a craichy aowd
piece.'
Cranky, adj. insane.
Cratch, n. a kind of rack at back of a waggon or cart.
Craow-inun (crow-onion), n. a wild onion which often infests
corn-crops, particularly in poor land.
Crass-eyed (cross-eyed), adj. squinting.
Craw, n. the bosom. ' I 'a ketched a bit a caowd through workin'
ooth me shirt craw unbuttoned.'
Crazies, n. buttercups.
Cress-tiles, n. the tiles which cover the angle or ridge of a roof
(crest-tiles.)
10 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Crib, n. (1) a child's cot or cradle slung on a stand so that it may
be swung or rocked. (2) A wooden enclosure or framework
to contain straw or hay for foddering cattle. (3) v. To pilfer.
Cricket, n. a little stool.
Croodle, v. to bend or stoop down ; to cower. ' Sit up, Lizzie,
caunt yu. What do yu croodle over yer work like that far ?
You'll grow quite 'ump-backed.'
Cross-and-hands, n. a finger-post.
Cub, n. a hutch for rabbits ; v. to confine in a small space. ' It's a
shame to cub them poor bastes up in that 'ole uv a place.'
Cuckoo's-maid or Cuckoo's-mate, n. the Wry-neck.
Cullin', n. refuse corn.
Culver, n. a culvert.
Cunny-thumbed, adj. applied to a boy who shoots his marbles
from the thumb-nail instead of from the knuckle of the
thumb.
Cups-and-saucers, n. acorn cups.
Cuther, v. to whisper confidentially.
Cutlins, n. barley slightly bruised and cleared of the husk, used
for stuffing pig's (or hog's) puddings.
Dabble, r. to paddle in water with the hands or feet.
Dabbly weather, adj. uncertain, showery.
Dabster, n. an expert.
Dadduck, n. dry rotten wood, &c.
Dag, v. to draggle, or trail in the mud.
Daow-bit (dew-bit), n. a morsel of food taken immediately after
rising early in the morning.
Daub, v. to soil. ' Yu shaunt goo, I tell yu, daubin' yer best
things all over.'
Dayus, n. a dairy.
Despert (desperate) adv. remarkably, as ' despert cold/ ' despert
good,' &c.
Didguck, n. a boy's game played with sharpened sticks.
Differ, v. to quarrel.
Dink, v. to toss, as a nurse tosses a baby.
Dither, v, to shake or tremble from cold or from fright. ' The
wind was that piercin' it seemed to goo thraough un; it
made me all uv a dither.'
Do-her-mouth, v. to kiss a girl.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 11
Dob, n. a lump, as ' a dob a fat ' ; 'a dob a shuet '.(suet).
Dock, v. to cut off the end of a horse's tail. To stop wages.
Dodment, n. grease from the axle of a wheel, &c. That from the
gudgeons or axle of a church bell is supposed to be a cure
for the shingles.
Dog, n. a piece of iron having its ends sharpened and bent at
right angles. Its use is to hold timber firmly in its place on
the saw pit while being sawn up.
Dog-daisy, n. a wild flower, the blossom of which resembles that
of a daisy.
Dog-hook, n. a hook used by sawyers or woodmen in rolling or
moving heavy trees or logs of wood.
Dollup, n. a quantity.
Dolly (1) n. the wooden instrument used by laundresses. (2) v.
To use the dolly.
.Dolly-doosey, n. a doll.
Domber, v. to smoulder. ' I 'anged my bwoy's wet things afore
the fire to dry, an' in the marnin' I fund 'em dombered an'
dombered all away.'
Donny, n. the hand (used in talking to children). ' Be 'is donnies
acaowd ? come 'is ways an' warm 'urn a bit.'
Double, n. a baby's napkin (? derived from ' doublet ').
Douk, v. to duck the head. ' You must douk yer yud to get
thraough that little doer.'
Dowdy, adj. of very quiet, homely habits. Old-fashioned.
Dowst, n. a blow.
Dowt, v. to extinguish (? 'do out'). 'Mind as you dowts the
candle safe, w'en yu be got into bed.'
Dozen-of-bread, n. two half-quartern loaves, probably so-called
because loaves used to be sold at sixpence each, or two for a
dozen pence, their size varying according to the price of corn.
Drag-harrow or Dray-harrow, n. a heavy, deep-furrowing
harrow.
Draft, n. a quarter of a ton.
Drapper-pin, n. the iron pin or swivel on which the front (or
fore) axle of a carriage turns.
Dribble, v. to run with a feeble slender stream.
Drift, n. an iron instrument used by coopers for driving hoops on
casks.
Drift-pin, n. a round iron instrument for driving pegs, &c., out of
holes.
12 SOUTH-EAST WOKCESTEKSHIBE GLOSSARY.
Dromedary, n. a dull, stupid person.
Dry, adj. thirsty. ' I be a very little yutter (eater) and am sildum
adry.'
Dry-skin, adj. droll. ' 'E's a dry-skin sart of a chap; 'e's sure
tu make yu loff w'en u (he) opens 'is mouth.'
Dubbid, adj. blunt.
Duck's-frost, n. a wet night.
Dummill, n. a useless article ; a stupid or mischievous child is
often called a ' young dummill.'
Dummuck, n. same as dummill.
Dumpty, adj. short and thick.
Dunch, v. to give a blow with the elbow.
Ban, v. to bring forth young (of sheep).
Edge-o'-night, n. at dusk of evening.
Eekle, n. the Wood-pecker. (Also called the Stock-eekle.)
Eekle-hole, n. a small hole in the trunk of a tree, usually
produced by a wood-pecker, and which indicates that the
tree is hollow.
Ell-rake, n. a large rake used in gathering up hay (? heel-rake).
Ellun, n. Elder.
Elven, n. Elm.
Empt, v. to empty.
Enow, adj. enough ; a sufficient number. ' You be enow on yu
to yut (eat) that pig, much moore to carry 'im.' (Plural
only, in the singular enough is used.)
Entany, n. a narrow passage, or bye-street. In Pershore there
is a narrow passage leading out of Bridge Street, called
' Bachelor's Entany.'
Ether, n. an adder.
Etherin (ethering), n. briars or slender branches used for binding
the upper part of a newly laid hedge.
Ettles, n. nettles.
Ever anons while, at frequent intervals. (Not often used now.)
EYer-so, if it was ever so — reduced to the last extremity. ' I
66dn't ex 'im fur bread, nat if it was ever so; I'd famish
fust.'
Fad, (1) n. a whim ; a fancy. (2) v. To be busy about trifles.
(1) ' What are those railings for, John ? ' ' Oh, it's just a
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 13
fad uv 'is lardship's, nothin' but a fad uv 'is'n, yu knaow ;
thay be o' no sart o' use.' (2) ' The gaffer's a gettin' very
wake an' childish, 'e caunt do much ; 'e just fads about uv
a marnin' like.'
Faddy, adj. fanciful ; whimsical.
Faggit, n. a term of reproach applied to females.
Faggits, n. minced liver seasoned with herbs.
Fainty-bag, n. a lady's fancy bag.
Fair-in (fairing), n. a present purchased at a fair.
Fall, v. to fell (as applied to trees), n. The timber periodically
cut down in a wood.
False, adj. deceitful, two-faced.
Famished (or famill'd), adj. starved; very hungry.
Feather-groom, n. a term facetiously applied to a man who has
charge of poultry.
Felt, n. the Eed-wing.
Fettle, t. to set to rights ; to prepare. ' This room's all uv a
mulluck, it wans (wants) fettlin up a bit.' In good fettle =
in good condition.
Fiddle-about, v. See Piddle about.
Filler, n. the shaft-horse. See Thiller.
Find-liss, n. any article found by accident ; treasure-trove.
Fine, adj. To talk fine is to speak genteelly.
Fire-new or Fire -bran-new, adj. quite new.
Fit, adj. ready ; prepared. ' Well, Jack uf thee bist fit, we'll
rowt out a faow moore o' thase ere taters.'
Fitcher, n. a pole-cat.
Fidther, v. to make a slight rustling sound, as a mouse or a rat
does amongst straw, &c.
Fits-and-girds, n. irregularly ; by fits and starts.
Flake-hurdles, n. hurdles made with closely intertwined brush-
wood or twigs.
Flem (fleam), n. a lance or lancet for bleeding cattle.
Flen, n. fleas.
Fleshy, adj. fledged (applied to young birds).
Fletcher or Flatcher, n. a dam over which water flows.
Flewed, adj. (of a hoop) to be made larger on one side than on
the other, so that it may fit the taper shape of a cask.
Flower-knot, n. a small flower-bed.
14 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Fore-ladder (pronounced Fore-ladther), n. a movable rack
attached to the front of a waggon.
Fore-top, n. a hackle of coloured horse-hair used as a head
ornament for a horse.
Forjitting, n. a mixture of cow-dung and mortar used for
plastering the inside of chimneys.
Forjit, n. a piece of leather forming part of the finger of a glove.
Forrad, v. to bring forward ; to promote. ' This ere drap o'
rain ull forrad the craps.'
Fossit, n. See Spiggit-and-Fossit.
Fot, v. fetched. ' I fot 'im a'paowt o' the yud 66th my stick.'
Frail, ». a basket made with plaited segs or rushes.
Franzy, adj. passionate.
Fresh, adj. intoxicated.
Fresh-liquor, n. hog's lard unsalted.
Fritch, adj. conceited; vain. 'You a no call to be so fritch, if
yu have got a new frock on ! '
Frog, n. the soft part of a horse's hoof.
Frog-stool, n. a kind of fungus ; a toadstool.
From-ard, or from-mud, n. a tool used for splitting poles, &c.
Frum, adj. fully ripe ; in good condition.
* Furder-a-fild ' = farther off.
Furnace, n. a large boiler fixed in brick-work. In London
called a copper.
Fulling, n. the groove in a horse shoe to receive the heads of
the nails.
Fuzzen, n. gorse ; furze.
Gaffer, n master. < Wer's the gaffer? I wants to ex 'im if 'e
caunt nnd a job fur ower Tom.'
Gain, adj. handy ; expert ; convenient. • Take the 'oss an' lave
i at the blacksmith's as thu gwust by ; that'll be the
gamest way.
Gallus .«# wicked; impudent. 'I be reg'lar ashum'd uv our
All ed e s sich a gallus little chap, there yunt nobody as
e wunt sauce. J
.W' ? uar of,wood by whi°h butchers hang up the
carcases of sheep, &c.
SOUTH-EAST WOKCESTEESHIRE GLOSSARY. 15
Gammits, n. jokes ; tricks. ' 'E's allus up to some gammit er
another, instid o' inindin' 'is work.'
Gan, v. a. gave.
Garden-gate, n. Heartsease or Pansy.
Gaum, v. to handle articles in a manner calculated to damage
or mar their appearance.
Gawn, n. a tub holding about a gallon, and usually having a
handle projecting upwards on one side (? corruption of
'gallon').
Gay, n. a swing, or see-saw.
Gets, v. gains. ' My watch (a pronounced as in catch) gets, I
must put "ini back a bit.'
Giggling, adj. light ; unsteady. ' Don't get into that there bwut
if there's nobuddy along 66th yu as con swim ; it's a gigglin'
thing, an' you'll sure to be drownded.'
Gin, v. p. gave (g hard).
Glany, n. a guinea fowl.
Gleed, n. the red embers of a fire.
Gob, n. a quantity of spittle or expectorated matter discharged
from the mouth, &c.
Go-back, 1>. to die. ' I'm afear'd my ooman '11 goo back ; 'er's
that wake (weak) 'er cun 'ardly stoud wen 'er gets up out uv
'er cheer ' (chair).
Golden-chain, n. Laburnum.
Gondud, n. a gander.
Gon-sarn-yu !^ Gon-sarn-it ! | Ex letiveg<
Gon-shume-yu ! Gon-shume-it ! J
Gooa, v. go. (As I have never heard any but old persons pronounce
the word ' go ' in this way, it is probable that it is not now to
be heard at all.)
Good-sarted, adj. of good kind. ' We've got some very good-
sarted fruit in our archud.'
Good-shut, adv. a good riddance.
Goo-off, n. beginning. ' The pawson gan mu this 'ere coout, an'
'e a lasted mu nve er six year. I didn't wear 'im every day
thaough, nat at the fust goo-off yu knaow.'
Gowt, n. a short drain.
Graft, or Grafting-tool, n. a narrow crescent- shaped spade used
by drainers.
Grainch, v. to grind the teeth ; to make a grinding sound.
16 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Grass-nail, n. the hook which supports the scythe in its attach-
ment to the ' sned.'
Great, adj. on very friendly terms.
Gret-work, n. piece work. Working by the gret = working by
the piece instead of by the day or hour.
Grist, n. corn to be ground (applied to small quantities).
Grist-mill, n. a mill for grinding small quantities.
Ground aish, n. an ash sapling.
Ground, n. a field.
Grout, n. coarse mortar used in an almost liquid state.
Grump, v. to crunch with the teeth any hard or dry substance,
such as grains of uncooked rice, &c.
Gubbon-hole, n. a sink for the reception of dirty water, &c.
Gull, n. a young goose.
Gullup, r. to swallow down. ' I sin (saw) one a them there
great cranes a gulluppin' down a frog.'
Gurgins, n. fine bran.
Gwain or Gwainin', r. going. ' I shaunt stop to work in this 'ere
rain no longer ; I be wet thraow now, an' I be a gwainln wum.'
Gyawky, n. a stupid, awkward person.
Gyaup, x. to stare. 'Get on o' thee work 66t, don't stond
gyaupin' there.'
Hack an' haow (hack-and-hew) v. to stumble or hesitate over
reading or speaking. ' Why doesn't spell the words, an' nat
stond 'ackin' ari haowin' athattens.'
Hacker, n. a chopper used by hedgers.
Hack-rake, v. to rake the hay together after it has been spread
out to dry.
Haggle, v. to dispute. Haggling, v. prolonged bargaining.
Half-soaked, adj. silly ; of weak intellect.
Hand, on the mending hand, recovering; convalescent 'The
faver a made 'im very wake, but 'e's on thernendiri 'ondnow.'
Hand-barrow, n. a barrow or carriage without a wheel, but with
a pair of handles at each end, by which to carry it.
Hanker, r. See Onker.
Happen = perhaps.
SOUTH-EAST WOECESTEESHIEE GLOSSAEY. 17
Hard-o'-hearing, adj. deaf.
Hardi-shraow, n. the shrew-mouse.
Hare- shore, n. a hare-lip.
Hay-ud (Hay ward), n. an officer whose duty it was (when the
fields were unenclosed) to impound stray cattle, tithe crops,
warn off trespassers, &c.
Hay-riff, n. a creeping plant, the seeds of which stick to the
clothing or to the coats of animals with great tenacity.
Heart-well or Heart-whole, adj. well ; in general health. ' How
are you now, Jacob ? ' ' Well, I be 'eart-well, thenk yu,
but I a got the rheumatics in me shoolder martle bad.'
Heaver, n. the same as ' lift.' (See Lift.)
Hedge-betty, n. a hedge-sparrow.
Hedger, n. a man who lays or mends hedges.
Heft, v. weight. ' Just heft this 'ere young un, yunt 'e a weight?'
Heggler (higgler), n. an itinerant dealer in eggs, poultry, &c.
Helve, n. the handle of an axe or hatchet. In the nursery
rhyme 'One two, buckle my shoe,' &c., we have 'Eleven
twelve a hatchet helve.'
Herds, n. tow or oakum.
Herden, adj. made of herds ; coarse canvas.
Hern = hers. ' Wat's 'era's 'is'n, an' w'at's 'isn's 'ern.'
Hips, n. dog-rose berries.
Hip-briar, n. the wild rose tree.
His'n his.
Hit, n. the quality of a crop, or result of an undertaking, as ' a
good hit of fruit.' ' He made a good hit when he took that
shap."
Hob, n. a third swarm of bees from the same hive in one season.
Hobbady-hoy = hobble-de-hoy.
Hobbady-lantern, n. the ignis fatuus, or Will-o'-th'-wisp.
Hob-ferrit, n. a male ferret.
Hobli-onkers, n. chestnuts.
Hockey, n. See Bandy.
Hockle, v. to shuffle along, or to walk with difficulty. ' We sh'll
a some wet I be afeard ; my earns plagues mu so as I caunt
'ardly 'ockle along.'
Hod-bow-lud, n. a large moth.
2
18 SOUTH-EAST WOBCESTEBSHIBE GLOSSABY.
Hog's-puddings, n. chitterlings stuffed with cutlins seasoned with
herbs, &c.
Hogshead, n. a cask capable of containing 100 gallons.
Homes, n. part of the harness of cart-horses, fitting upon the
collar, and to which the traces are fastened.
Hommock or hammock plough, n. a plough shorter than the
' long-plough,' but longer than the G. 0. plough.
Hommucks, n. feet. ' Keep thee great 'ommucks off my toes
66t, thy fit be like two great barges.'
Honesty, n. a creeping plant, common in old hedges.
Honey-dew, n. a kind of blight which covers the leaves of plants
with a viscous covering something like honey.
Hoot, v. to shout. The noise made by a wheel in motion when
the axle requires greasing, is also called hooting.
Hooter, n. a cone-shaped tin vessel for heating beer, &c.
HOOYO, n. a hoe ; v. to hoe.
Horry-long-legs (Harry-long-legs) n. the daddy-long-legs (insect).
Horse-stinger, n. the dragon-fly.
Hotchel, v. same as ' hockle.'
Housen, n. houses.
Houzin, n. a broad piece of leather resting on a horse's collar,
and standing erect behind the hames.
Hud, n. a husk or shell. ' I a bin a 'uddin' some bannits, an'
they makes my 'onds pretty nigh black.'
Huff (1) v. to offend ; (2) n. a fit of temper.
Hulking, adj. lazy, idling.
Hulls, n. husks or shells (same as ' huds ') .
Humbugs, n. sweetmeats ; sugar-plums.
Hum-buzz, 11. a cockchafer.
Hurter, n. a thick piece of iron fastened to a wooden axle,
against which the back of the wheel works.
Iffing-and-Offing, v. in a state of indecision.
Ill-con Yanient, adj. inconvenient.
lit or hilt, n. a young sow.
Inch-meal, adv. bit by bit, or little by little.
Innuds (innards), n. the bowels.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 19
Inuns, n. onions. ' What have you and your brother been
fighting about, James ? ' ' Why he said he'd trornple my
inun bed all to pieces, so I drapped it on 'im.'
In-winding, adj. uneven ; twisted.
Jack, n. a machine for lifting heavy weights.
Jack-a-makin'-pan-cakes, the reflected sunlight thrown upon
the ceiling from the surface of water, &c.
Jack-an'-'is-lantern (Jack-o-lantern), n. a Will-o'-th'-wisp.
Jack-hare, n. a male hare.
Jacky- stones, n. rather small and extremely hard fossilated
shells common in red gravel.
Jiffey, n. an instant. ' I'll be there in half a jiffey.' I'll be
there immediately.
Jill-ferret, n. a female ferret.
Jilly-flower, n. a wallflower.
Jobb, v. to stab with a sharp instrument. ' How did Sally lose
the sight of her eye ? ' ' Why, w'en 'er wuz a young 'er
jobbed the pwint o' the scissors in 'er eye.'
Joggle, v. to shake ; to totter.
Jommuck, v. to shake about roughly.
Jonnuck, n. one who always pays his full share in a reckoning
for beer, &c.
Josey, n. a toad.
Jumper, n. a blow-fly maggot.
Jumping- stock or Jump-jack, n. two upright sticks and a cross-
piece for children to jump over.
Junder (gender), n. frog-spawn, frequently called ' toads' junder.'
Jussly (justly), adv. exactly.
Keen, v. to sharpen.
Keep (1) v. to keep a market is to attend it, with something to
sell. (2) n. food. ' There's some good keep in the meadow
for the cows now.' ' What bist a gwain to 'ave at thee new
place ? ' ' Ten shillin' a wik an' me keep.'
Keffle, n. anything of bad or inferior quality.
Kernel, n. a hard swelling or indurated gland. '
Kernuck or Curnock, n. a measure of barley o"f four bushels.
20 SOUTH-EAST WOKCESTERSHIEE GLOSSARY.
Kicked-the -bucket, v. died.
Kid, n. a faggot of sticks.
Kindle, v. to bring forth young (rabbits).
Knerly (gnarly), adj. knotty (applied to timber).
Knitting- shear, n. a small sbeath into which knitters insert the
end of the knitting needle.
Know to, v. to know of. ' Plaze, miss, 66d you like a young
lennet? Cos I knaows to a nist.' Or 'I knaows to some
nisses.'
Kyind, adj. favourable ; in good condition. ' We shaunt 'ave
many curran's this year, but the plums seems very kyind.'
Kyipe, n. a basket.
'Kyonder or 'Kyander, v. look yonder.
Lade-gawn, n. a ladle or long-handled gawn, for serving out
pigs' wash from the cistern.
Ladies'-smock, n. a common wild flower.
Lady-cow, n. the lady-bird.
Lafe or lef, n. the fat lining taken from the inside of the carcase
of a pig.
Laggy, adj. (applied to timber), having a natural crack inside,
frequently with a portion of bark (then called ' bark-lag ').
Lands, n. the ridges into which cultivated fields are formed for
facilitating drainage.
Lap, v. to wrap up, to lop off branches of trees ; n. the lopped-off
branches of trees.
Lath-render, n. a maker of laths.
Lay (a hedge), v. to cut away all the over-growth of an old
hawthorn hedge, and to arrange or relay the young wood.
Lay-in, v. cost. ' My trip to Lunnun lay mu in a sovereign, one
way an' another.'
Laze, n. idleness ; v. to glean (often pronounced le-uz).
Lazing-bag, n. a packet in which lazers or gleaners collect the
' short ears ' (of corn.) See ' Poking.'
Lazy-back, n. an iron frame hung over the fire upon which to
rest a frying-pan, &c. ; a hard lump of unkneaded flour in a
loaf of bread.
Leaf, n. See Lafe.
Learn, v. to teach.
SOUTH-EAST WOECESTERSHIBE GLOSSARY. 21
Leather, v. to beat.
Leatherun, adj. made of leather.
Leatherun-bat, n. the common bat.
Lections, n. chances, probabilities. ' There's no lections of enny
rain just it.'
Lew-warm, adj. lukewarm.
Lezzow, n. a meadow.
Lick (1) n. a blow. ' 'E gin the dog a lick 66th 'is stick.' (2) v.
To wipe over lightly. ' The flur's shameful dirty, but we
mustn't wet 'im; jus' give 'im a lick over 66t Mary?' (3) To
beat, or- to conquer in a game or in fighting, &c.
Lift, n. a stile which can be lifted out of its place to permit the
passage of cattle or vehicles, &c. Also called a heaver.
Lights, n. the lungs.
Limmel, adv. torn in pieces. ' He tore him limmel.'
Lin-pin, n. a linch-pin.
Lissom, adj. active.
List, n. the selvedge edge of flannel or of woollen cloth.
Live, adv. willingly. ' I'd as live goo as stop.'
Locks-and-kays (keys), n. the leaves of the ash.
Logger, n. a thick lump of wood attached to a horse's leg to
prevent its straying.
Lollock, v. to lean about in an idle, listless manner.
Long-hundud (long-hundred), n. 1 cwt. ; 112 Ibs.
Long-plough, n. an old-fashioned wooden plough with long beam
and long tails or handles.
Loose, v. to go alone (said of young children), frequently pro-
nounced laowse.
Louse-kiver, n. a vulgar name for a hat or cap.
Louse-pasture, n. a vulgar expression, signifying the hair of the
head, or the scalp.
Lug, v. to pull.
Lumbersome, adj. cumbrous.
Lungeous, adj. rough at play; cruel; unnecessarily severe in
chastising children.
Luny, adj. imbecile ; lunatic.
Lush, v. to beat with green boughs. ' Got come along o' me to
take some waasps' nisses ? Thee cunst pull out the cake
wi'le I lushes.'
22 SOUTH-EAST WOBCESTEKSHIKE GLOSSABY.
Lush, n. a green bough for beating, as above.
Lye, n. water in which wood-ashes have been infused.
f, (1) n. a scold, (2) v. to scold.
Maggit, n. a magpie.
Maiden-swarm, n. a swarm of bees coming from a swarm of
the same year.
Market-peart, adj. half intoxicated.
Marl or Marvil, n. a marble.
Masonter, n. a mason.
Maul, v. to handle roughly or offensively.
Mawkin, n. a scarecrow ; also a bundle of rags tied to a stick
and used for cleansing the floor of an oven. (To prevent its
setting on fire, the mawkin is first dipped in water.)
Mawl-stick, n. a heavy piece of wood used for driving stakes,
&c., into the ground.
Mawsey, adj. over ripe ; soft ; dry rotten ; or like a turnip which
has lost all its moisture. ' As mawsey as a turmit,' is a
common expression of contempt for a foolish person. ' You
great mawsey ' = ' You great fool.'
May-sick (barley), adj. an unkind appearance often presented by
a crop of barley in May is called May-sickness.
Mesh-tub (mash-tub), n. a large tub in which the malt is steeped
in hot water for brewing.
Mend-your-draught, v. = ' drink again.'
Mess, n. term of contempt for anything small or weak. ' It's a
poor little mess uv a thing.'
Messengers, n. morsels of mould which come out with the beer
from a cask that is nearly empty.
Metheglin, n. liquor made from honey. (Also called ' mead ').
Middling, adj. unwell ; indifferent. Very middling, very ill ;
very bad. Pretty middling, fairly well.
Miff, n. a misunderstanding. 'Went off in a ' miff '' = went
away offended.
Millud, n. a miller. 'The millud, the mollud, the ten o'clock
scollud.' A derisive song in use amongst school boys.
Mimmucking, adj. affected in manner ; lacking heartiness ;
dainty in appetite.
Mishtiful, adj. mischievous.
SOUTH-EAST WOBCESTEESHIBE GLOSSAEY. 23
Miss, n. loss. ' Sally a bin that spwiled, 'er don't knaow w'en
'er's well off.' ' 'Er'll feel the miss on it w'en 'er mother's
dyud.'
Miskin, n. a dung-hill or refuse heap.
Mis word, n. angry word. ' 'E wuz a good mon to me ; we
wuz morried farty year, an' 'e never so much as gin mu
a misword.'
Mizzle, v. to rain slightly ; to depart abruptly.
Mock, v. to imitate ; to mimic.
Moggy, n. a calf.
Moil, v. to toij.
Moithered, v. to be dazed or delirious. ' 'Is yud a bin bad all
night ; 'e seems moithered like.'
Momble, v. to puzzle.
Mombled, adj. puzzled ; bewildered ; worried.
Mommit or Mommuck, n. an untidily or absurdly dressed person.
Mommy, n. a repulsive shapeless mass. ' That good-fur-nothin'
mon uv 'ern cum wum drunk an' knocked 'er about an'
kicked 'er 't'll 'er face wus all uv a mommy.'
Mon-ondle (man-handle), v. to use the hands instead of levers,
&c., in rolling trunks of trees or other heavy bodies.
Moon-daisy or Moons, n. the ox-eyed daisy.
Moorish (moreish), adj. of such good quality that more would
be desirable.
Mop, n. a hiring fair.
Morris, v. to go away ; to march off. ' Now you bwoys you'd
better morris.'
Morris-dance, n. a dance performed by six or eight men be-
decked with ribbons, to the music of the mouth-organ, or other
homely instrument. In the neighbourhood of Pershore the
morris-dancers go out for about ten days at Christmas-tide,
accompanied by their -musician and a ' torn-fool.' The
' torn-fool ' carries in one hand a bladder tied to a stick, and
in the other a kind of wooden spoon or bowl, in which he
collects the contributions of the spectators.* In addition to
this duty, he is supposed to amuse the bystanders with
* The writer well remembers the intense pleasure he used to experience
(some fifty years ago) at the sound of " Ben the Drummer's " mouth organ
and drum, and the "clack," " clack," of the Morris-dancers' sticks; taking
care however to keep at a respectful distance, being unable to shake off the
mysterious dread which he entertained of the "torn-fool" and his bladder.
24 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
funny sayings and antics. These, however, are often uncouth
and rather deficient in fun. A gentleman (now deceased),
who lived at Wick once remarked, 'I thought morris-dancers
always had an artificial fool, but I see you have a natural
one.' He also runs after the boys and (if he can catch
them) strikes them with his bladder. Besides being orna-
mented with ribbons rather more fantastically than the
dancers, the fool carries a small bell concealed somewhere
about his person, which keeps up a constant tinkling. Some-
times also his face is painted after the fashion of the ordinary
stage clown. The morris-dancers go through certain figures,
country dances, ' the figure of eight,' &c., and at certain
parts of the tune stand face to face and mark the time with
short sticks — one of which each man carries in his right
hand — striking them together with a pleasant and not un-
musical sound. In some of the dances each man carries,
instead of the stick, a large coloured handkerchief, which
at given parts of the tune he swings over his shoulder ; and
this action being performed simultaneously by all the dancers,
the effect is picturesque and pretty.
Morum, n. a mechanical invention; an ingenious idea; boyish
tricks, if somewhat clever or ingenious, are frequently called
' morums.'
Mother, n. a kind of jelly which forms in vinegar ; a large
stone used by boys in a rough game called ' quack.'
Motty, n. a mark to aim at with marbles, or to shoot at.
Mouch, v. to go prying about. 'That aowd black cat gwuz
mouchin' about, in an' out uv folkses 'ousen ; 'er '11 sure to
get shot one uv thase days.'
Mould, v. to hoe up the earth to the roots of potatoes.
Mow, n. the part of a barn which is filled with straw, &c.
Mudgin, n. the fat off a pig's chitterlings. (Also called the
' tippit.'}
Mullen, n. the bridle of a cart-horse.
Mullock (1) n. dirt ; litter. (2) v. To make a litter.
Mullin, n. the bridle of a cart-horse.
Mumruffin, n. the long-tailed-tit.
Murfeys, n. potatoes.
Mwile, v. to bedaub with mud, &c.
My Nabs, ' I had some suspicion as 'e took some a thu eggs, so
I took un 'id (hid) myself in the 'ens'-roost, an' I just
ketched " my nabs " in thu act.'
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 25
Nag, or Naggle, v. to scold incessantly and unnecessarily.
Naight, n. an ait or eyot ; an osier bed.
Nail-passer, n. a gimlet.
Naint, n. aunt.
Nale, v. to anneal ; to soften or toughen iron (a blacksmith's
term).
Nails, n, belongings. ' Pick up your nails and cut,' is a form of
ordering an objectionable person to leave.
Naowf (an oaf) n. See Aowf.
Nast, n. dirt ; filth.
Nay-word, n. a by-word.
Near, adj. mean ; stingy.
Nerrun, adv. (never-a-one), not one.
Nesh, adj. tender ; delicate ; susceptible of cold.
Nibbs, n. the pair of handles to a scythe ' sned.'
Nick, n. a notch in the edge of a knife.
Nicker, v. to laugh rudely. ' Nickerin' an' grinnin,' laughing
unseasonably and rudely.
Nine, v. to nifle about, is to go from one job to another and to
make little progress with either.
Nifle-pin, n. a pretended occupation, which is really an excuse
for being idle.
Nild, n. a needle.
Nile, n. the shorter portion of a flail (or threshel).
Nineted, adj. notorious. Of a person of bad character, ' 'E's a
nineted un, 'e is.' (Corruption of anointed.)
Ninety-bird, n. same as above.
Ninkumpoop, n. a silly, upstart fellow.
Nip, v. to go quickly ; to make a short cut ; n. same as nick.
Nipper, n. a youngster.
Nisgull, n. the smallest of a brood of poultry.
Night-cap, n. a pig's stomach (also called the ' tom-hodge ').
Nithering, v. same as ' nickering ; ' also, shivering with cold.
Nobby, prefixed as a pet name to colts — nobby-colt.
Noggen (pronounced nogg'n), adj. clumsy.
Nor, adv. than (pronounced nur).
Noration, n. an oration ; a speech.
Nubblings, n. small bits of coal.
26 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Nun, n. a small piece of wood used in the game of bandy or
hockey (also called a cat}. See Bandy.
Nunch or Nunchin, n. luncheon.
Nuncle, n. uncle.
Nut, n. a small piece of iron to screw on the end of a bolt ; a
burr.
Nut, n. the head. 'I'll warm yer nut ' = « I'll punch your head.'
'Od-bowlud, n. See Hod-bowl-ud.
Odd, adj. strange ; peculiar.
Odds, v. to alter. ' We none on us likes this place so well as
w'ere we be used to live, an' we be sorry as ever us shifted ;
but we caunt odds it now.' ' What odds is it ? ' = ' Of what
importance is it ? ' ' What odds is it to you ? ' = ' What
business is it of yours ? '
Offll (offal), n. waste of any kind; the liver, heart, lungs, &c.,
oi a pig.
Off-'is-yud, adj. mad ; out of his mind.
Old-maid, n. a kind of fly which bites and torments cattle.
Old-man, n. Southern wood (a shrub).
Old-woman picking her geese, v. snowing.
Old yaow (ewe) dressed lorn (lamb) fashion, n. an elderly
woman dressed in the style of a juvenile.
'Ond- stick (hand-stick), n. the longer portion of a flail ; the part
held in the hand.
Onker (hanker), v. to covet or long for a thing.
'Ontcher, n. a handkerchief.
'Ontle, n. a handful.
>j<j
Ood-pile, n. a wood stack.
Oonderment (wonderment), n. a strange or wonderful story ; or
a ' nine days' wonder.'
Oont, n. a mole. ' As slick as a 66nt,' a common expression
signifying very smooth.
Oos-bird, n. an illegitimate child.
Otheren, adj. alternate. ' Every otheren one ' = ' every alter-
nate one.'
Ourn, pron. ours.
Out-ride, n. a commercial traveller.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 27
Oven-stopliss, n. an oven lid.
Over-get, v. to recover from. ' It 'urt mu so w'en I buried my
little un, that I didn't overget it all the summer.'
Out, 'making a goodish out,' or a ' poorish out,' are terms applied
to any undertaking when successful or the reverse.
Owlud, n. an owl.
Owlud's-quid, n. the remains of a mouse, bird, or other animal
upon which an owl has made a meal, and having extracted
all the fleshy portion, disgorges in a compact mass somewhat
in the shape of the finger. (Labouring man disdainfully of a
person who 'had mentioned somewhat ostentatiously having
partaken of a finger-biscuit.) ' Finger biscuit ! Why I cun
remember the time w'en 'er 66dn't a knaow'd a finger biscuit
from a owlud's quid.'
Owner, n. the owner of a boat or barge, as Owner Low, Owner
Smith, Owner Eice, &c.
Own to, v. to admit or to confess to having committed a fault.
Paddle, n. a kind of diminutive spade with a long handle. It is
used by the farmer for the double purpose of a walking-staff,
and for cutting up thistles or other weeds with which he
may come in contact, as he goes about his fields.
Paout, n. a hard knock with a stick, or similar instrument, upon
a hard substance.
Pass (applied to a bell), v. to toll the bell at the death of a
person.
Peark, n. a lineal measurement of eight yards.
Peasy-pouse, n. peas and beans growing together.
Peart, adj. bright ; lively ; in good spirits.
Peckid, adj. peaked, pointed.
Pelt, v. to throw stones at a person ; n. the skin.
Pendle (of a clock), n. the pendulum.
Perished, adj. pinched with cold. ' Come 'is ways, poor little
saowl, he's amwust perished.'
Pick, n. a pick-axe.
Pick-up-his-crumbs = to regain health after sickness.
Pick-thank, n. a censorious person ; one fond of finding fault.
Piddle, v. to make water.
28 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIBE GLOSSARY.
Piddle-about, v. to do a little work in a leisurely manner and
according to one's own choice. (Not much used now; to
' fiddle ' about seems to have taken the place of this ex-
pression.)
Piece, n. (1) a field, as ' Bead's Piece,' ' Withey Piece,' ' Glide
Piece,' &c. (2) A slice of bread. ' I be famished, mother ;
gie mu a piece o' fittle.' (3) Contemptuous epithet. ' 'Er
caunt do much, 'er's a very poor piece.'
Piece-o'-work, n. a fuss.
Pie-finch, n. a chaffinch.
Pigs'-puddings, n. See Hogs' -puddings.
Pigs'-wesh, n. pigs'-wash; the waste milk, broth, &c., reserved
for the pigs.
Pikelet, n. a crumpet ; a sort of cake composed of flour and
water.
Piles, n. the beard of barley.
Piling-iron, n. an instrument used for detaching the piles from
the grains of barley.
Pill, n. a shallow well, fed with surface water.
Pin, n. an iron or wooden peg.
Pinkit, n. a Will-o'-th'-wisp.
Pinner, n. a pinafore.
Pinsens, n. pincers.
Piss-a-bed, n. the Dandelion.
Piss-aint, n. an ant. ' 'Er screws 'er waist up till 'er looks like
a, piss-aint.'
Pitch -paowl, v. to turn head over heels.
Pitcher, n. the man who hands up the hay or corn to the loader.
Plaichers, n. the thick stems in a hawthorn hedge, which, when
a hedge is ' laid,' are left at regular intervals as supports
to the smaller wood. They are cut nearly through with a
' hacker ' or ' bill-hook ' a few inches from the ground, and
fixed in an oblique position.
Plaichud, n. a plaicher.
Plim, adj. to swell in cooking. Bacon killed in the prime of the
moon plims ; that killed in the wane of the moon boils out.
Plim or Plim-bob, n. a plummet.
Plim, v. to fix upright by a plummet.
Plough-paddle, n. a paddle used for cleansing the plough.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 29
Plough-shoe, n. a piece of iron fastened to the side of the
' throck ' to prevent its wearing away with the friction with
the soil.
Poke, v. to glean a cornfield a second or third time ; n. the peak
of a cap.
Poking, v. gleaning or leazing in a field a second time. (Probably
so-called because most of the gleanings consist of ears of
corn only, which have to be put into a poke or pocket.)
Porker or Porket, n. a pig suitable for killing for pork.
Pot, n. a measure of fruit or potatoes of about five pecks; a
basket holding a pot.
Pot-fruit, n. such as will be sold by the pot ; eating fruit, as
distinguished from the rough sorts used for cider, &c. ; it is
usually 'hand-picked' (plucked from the tree by hand),
not shaken off.
Prache-ment (preachment), n. an oration.
Pretty-Betty, n. a flower, also called London Pride.
Prise, v. to burst open, or raise up, with a lever.
Promp, adj. a willing or spirited horse is said to be 'promp.'
Pry-omble, n. a rambling or obscure story, (? preamble).
Puck, n. a stye in the eye.
Puck-fyst, n. a dried up toadstool. ' I shud like a drap o' drink,
fur I feels as dry as a, ptick-fyst.'
Puffing-crumbs, n. soft pieces which often fall from loaves of
bread when being taken from the oven.
Pug, v. to pull.
Pull-back, n. a hindrance.
Punk, n. a hard fungus frequently to be found on the trunk of
a tree.
Purgatory, n. a pit underneath the fire-grate for the reception
of the ashes.
Purgy, adj. peevish ; short-tempered.
Put, n. a game played with three cards.
Put-about, v. to vex or worry. 'That upset along o' the naybers
put me about above a bit.'
Putchen. n. an eel-basket, or trap.
Puthery, adj. hot ; excited.
Pwuddlin'-about, v. doing a little work ; making a pretence at
work, &c. ' 'E don't do no good ; 'e oondly pwuddles about
in other folks's way."
30 SOUTH-EAST WOKCESTEKSHIBE GLOSSARY.
Pwud-luck, n. (port-lock?), a horizontal bar or beam of wood,
one end of which rests in the wall and the other is attached
to a scaffold pole, for the purpose of supporting the planks,
&c., composing the scaffold used in the construction of a
building.
Quack, n. a rough game played by boys. Each boy uses a large
pebble called a 'quack,' and one of them has to place his
quack upon a larger stone called the mother ; the others then
throw at it until they succeed in knocking it off.
Quakers, n. quaking grass.
Quarter-barrel, n. a cask to hold 25 gallons.
Queer, adj. strange in manner. ' 'E's a queer quist ; I caunt
make 'im out.'
Quice or Quist, n. a wood pigeon.
Quick, n. young hawthorn plants.
Quiddle, v. to suck or ' quid' food in the mouth.
Quilt, v. to beat.
Quilting, n. a beating.
Qwine, v. to line a well with stones or bricks.
Qwining, n. the stone or brick lining of a well.
Qwirk, n. a small piece of leather forming a portion of the finger
of a glove.
Qwop, v. to throb.
i
Rag-stone, n. a rough stone used for sharpening scythes, &c.
See Rubber.
Rain-bat, n. a beetle. (Among children there is a saying that
killing one brings rain.)
Raisty, adj. rancid.
Rait, n. rubbish.
Rally, v. to crack or ' smack ' a whip.
Ran-thread, n. pack-thread.
Random, ady. wild; prodigal. Applied to potatoes, &c., which
grow up where no seed has intentionally been sown.
Raowt, n. rubbish.
Raowy (rowy), adj. strqaky, as raowy bacon..
Ribbit, n. a rivet.
Rave, v. to bawl out passionately.
SOUTH-EAST WOECESTERSHIEE GLOSSARY. 31
Bear, v. to rebound as a ball.
Riddle, n. a sieve ; a sifter.
Biddliss, n. a conundrum or riddle.
Rider, n. a piece of wood with which a pair of harrows is con-
nected.
Ridgel, n. a half gelded animal.
Right, adv. downright. ' 'Er's a right good 'ooman; there's no
sart o' nonsense about 'er.'
Rime, n. hoar-frost.
Rip, v. to tear ; to rend.
Rise, v. food is said to rise when the taste is repeated in the
mouth after meals.
Rivle or Rivel, v. to shrivel or wrinkle, as ' he rivelled 'is brow.'
Road, n. fashion; manner. ' That yunt the right road to do it :
stop a bit, an' let me shaow yu.'
Robbie, n. a tangle ; v. to tangle.
Ropy, adj. stringy.
Round, n. a spar or step of a ladder.
Rousle, v. to rouse.
Rovings, n. threads drawn out of a piece of calico, &c.
Rowings, n. chaff or refuse from a threshing machine.
Rowt, v. to bore into the earth with the snout, as a pig.
Roxed, adj. (of a pear), fully ripe and soft ; (of a cough), loosened
after being very tight and dry.
Rubber, n. a rough stone used for sharpening scythes.
' Whit a whet, the scythe won't cut,
The mower is so lazy.'
Ruck (1) n. a fold, or crease ; (2) v. to crease.
Rucked-up, adj. caught up in folds ; creased.
Ruff or Rough, n. hilly ground having trees growing upon it, as
' Great Comberton Kuff.'
Ruination, n. ruin.
Runner, n. the stone roller of a cider mill.
Saded, adj. tired. ' I'm sick an' saded o' my job, I caunt do
'im to me mind.'
Sallies, n. willow-boughs ; willow trees.-
Sally, n. the soft tufted portion of a beJl-rope; the wood of tbe
willow.
32 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Sally-bed, n. a plantation of willows.
Sapy, adj. moist ; damp ; soft. ' We sh'll have a ^lot o' rain
afore long, this piece o' thunk is as saft and sapy.'
Saw-box, n. a block of wood having two handles, which is fixed
on to the lower end of a pit-saw, and by which the pit
sawyer holds and guides his end of the saw.
Scawt, v. to push or press on the ground with the feet when
lifting or forcing with the back or shoulder, or when coming
to a sudden stop, if running, v. To boast ; to give oneself
airs. To place a stone or block behind the wheel of a cart
or waggon when going up hill, to prevent its going back-
wards when the horses stop to rest.
Scog, v. to scold.
Scogging, n. a scolding.
Scootch, n. couch grass. (See Squitch.)
Score, n. the core of an apple or pear.
Score, n. twenty pounds. The weight of a pig is usually specified
in scores.
Scowl-o'-brow, n. judgment by the eye instead of by measure-
ment. ' I dun knaow what all them young chaps wants
alms a mizsherin' thur work far. You cun see that yat
there, caunt yu ? 'E 'angs well anough, don't u ? Well, I
put 'im up ondly by scowl-o'-brow.'
Scrat, v. to scratch ; to work hard ; to scrape together, n. One
who is industrious and frugal. ' Uf 'is wife 'adn't a bin
sich a scrat thay ud all a bin in the work-uss afore now.'
Scratchuns, n. the solid remains of a pig's leaf, &c., when the
fatty portion has all been melted into lard.
Scrawl, v. to crawl.
Screech-owl or Skreek-owl, n. the Swift.
Scrigglings, n. apples stunted in growth, which become ripe and
sweet before the general crop of the same tree.
Scrobble, v. to creep along on hands and knees. To crawl.
Scrogging, v. gathering stray apples left on the trees after the
main crop has been gathered.
Scroggings, n. the stray apples gathered as above.
Scruff or Scurf, n. the back of the neck.
Scud, n. a slight shower.
Scuffle, n. an agricultural implement employed in tearing up the
ground ; a skirmish.
SOUTH-EAST WOECESTEBSHIEE GLOSSAEY. 33
Sess-him! v. said to a dog when urging him on to attack.
(Probably from seize.} In sending a grey-hound after a hare,
the starter cries ' Stoo-loo !'
Set, v. to let (a house, field, farm, &c.). 'Them be nice little
'ousen o' Pig-driver Graves's at the top o' the lane ; I shud
like tu 'ave one on um, but I ricken thay be all set by now.'
Set, v. to plant, as trees, shrubs, &c. To plant beans, peas,
wheat, &c., by hand with a setting-pin.
' Set gilliflowers, all
That grows on the wall.'
— Tusser's Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry.
Shacklety, adj. shaky ; all uv a shackle=very much out of repair.
Shade, v. to comb the hair. ' It means the parting of the hair
on the head' (Halliwell). ' Akere look, Sally; thee just
shade thee 'air, and nat look sich a great mawkin.'
Shaowl or Shool, n. a shovel.
Shard, n. a gap or opening in a hedge.
Sheed, v. to shed. Peas, beans, &c., are said to sheed when
they are so dry and ripe that they fall out of the pods. pp.
Shud. ' That shud barley ud make a nation good crap, uf
thay'd let it stond.'
Sherrog (shear-hog), n. a two-year-old sheep.
Shil-bwurd (shield-board), n. a board on the right hand side of
a plough, which throws off the mould in even ridges.
Shindy, n. a scolding ; a quarrel ; a row.
Shirt-craw, n. the shirt front. ' As I wus a comin' to work this
marnin', I fund a young Black-stare as ud tumbled out uv
'is nist. He wus all wet un amwust star'd to dyuth ; but I
picked 'im up, un put 'im in me shirt-craw, und when 'e got
a bit warm, 'e come round agyun, so I took 'im back, un put
'im in 'is nist.'
Shog off, v. go away. ' Will you shog off now ? ' and ' shall we
shog? ' (Shaksp., Hen. V. II., 1 and 4.)
Shog-trot, n. a steady ambling trot.
Shookey, n. a tea-kettle.
Shrove-Tuesday is often called ' Saft-Choosdy,' and persons
who happen to have been born on that day are sometimes
twitted with the fact and called Soft or foolish in consequence.
' What's the use o' takin' eny notice o' what 'e sez ? 'E was
barn a Saft-Choosdy, un thay put batter in 'is yud instid o'
brains.'
Shuck, v. to shake. A local wit speaks of election-time as
' ond-shuckin' time-,'
3
34 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Shucked, v. shook.
Shucks, 11. husks. ' Don't thraow them warnut shucks away,
thay'll do to make some ketchup.'
Shull-out (shell-out), v. pay down your money.
Shut, v. to join. To shut a hoop, to join by welding ; to shut a
rope, to splice the broken ends.
Shut-his-knife, v. died. ' I ketched a young cuckoo last spring
an' I kep' 'im t'll about October, but 'e shut 'is knife then.'
Shut-off, v. to leave off working.
Shut on, v. rid of. ' It took sich a lot to keep that dog o' mine,
that I was glad to get shut on 'im.'
Shut-out, v . set out ; started.
Sich-as-it-is (such-as-it-is) implies, when placing anything at
the disposal of a neighbour, who might at the time be
requiring it, ' It is the best I have, if it were better you
would be equally welcome to it.' Sometimes however, the
recipient will make the same observation, humorously
implying that the proffered article is not of much value.
(Benjamin, the blacksmith.) ' Good marnin', Master Phillips,
J be agwain tu Elmley.' (Master Phillips, an Elmley man.)
'Bist? Then I'll 'ave thee company, sich- as -it -is.'
Sidda (sidder) adj. tender ; applied to peas that boil well ; ripe ;
unsafe, shaky; applied to scaffolding, &c., when in an unsafe
condition.
Side-strakes, n. the side beams of a saw-pit.
Sid-lup, or Sid-lop, n. a box in which seed is carried by the
sower in the field. (Seed-lepe, or seed-lip.)
Sight, n. a great quantity. ' We've 'ad a sight a rain this sason.'
Sill-green, n. the house-leek. (Sengreen in Nares.)
SilYer-pin, n. the dragon-fly ; also called the horse-stinger.
Silver-spoon-in-his-mouth. To be born with a silver spoon in
the mouth, signifies to be born an heir to an inheritance ;
to have expectations of a fortune.
Singles, n. the shingles.
Si the, v. to sigh.
Skeel, n. a tub or trough. Butter-skeel, a tub for washing
butter. Bread or dough skeel, a tub or trough in which
bread is made.
Skew-bald, adj. piebald.
' You shall find
Og, the great commissary, and which is worse
Th' apparatour upon his skew-bal'd horse.'
— Cleaveland, 1651.
SOUTH-EAST WOECESTEKSHIBE GLOSSABY. 35
Skim, n. an agricultural implement, the use of which is to cut
or skim off the surface of the ground when covered with
stubble, &c.
Skimmer-lad, n. a small pudding boiled on a skimmer.
Skimmington, n. a rough play got up for the annoyance of un-
popular individuals. It usually consists of a procession, in
which effigies of the objectionable persons are carried
through the village accompanied by beating of tin kettles
and other discordant noises. Under particular circum-
stances, certain articles of wearing apparel are carried on
sticks, after the manner of flags or banners. The perform-
ance concludes with the. burning of the effigies.* Samuel
Butler (a native of Strensham, four miles from Pershore)
gives a description of such a performance, in his ' Hudibras.'
Skip, n. a broad, shallow basket.
Skurruck, n. the smallest fraction. ' I say, Bill, 'ast got a mossil
o' bacca to give away?' 'No, lad, I ain't got a skurruck;
I'd a gan thu a bit in a minute else.'
Slaith, n. action ; form ; applied to manner of doing work. ' E
a got a good slaith at 'is work,' signifies 'He is a good work-
man, doing his work loell and quickly.'' (? Corruption of
'sleight.')
Slawns, n. sloes ; the fruit of the black-thorn. (S in slawns is
of course redundant, slawn being plural.)
Slender, adj. tall and thin. ' Two or three on 'em was a squob-
blin' anant the 'lotment gyardins ; when out jumps Slender-
man Collins from behind a kidney-byun stick, un soon put
'em to rights abit.' (Collins' s nickname makes the point of
the joke obvious.)
Slether, v. to slide.
Slice, n. a stirring stick.
Slinget, n. a narrow strip of ground. Sling, n. a narrow road.
Slipping, n. a slip or cutting off a plant.
Sliver, n. a slice of bread, cheese, or meat, &c.
Sloat, n. a thin bar of wood connecting two or more thicker bars,
as the sloats of a harrow, or of a cart or waggon bed.
Slobber, v. to slop water ; to drivel.
Slommuck, v. to shuffle along in an idle, ungainly manner.
Slop, n. a short linen jacket.
* A Skimmington performance took place at Little Comberton, as recently
as the beginning of the present year (1893).
36 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Slowness of Movement or of Locomotion, is sometimes referred
to in terms more pointed than elegant. ' Look at 'im, 'e
creeps along as ef dyud lice wus a drappin' off 'im.' ' I
oonder where Charley is ; 'ang'd ef 'e yunt all-us late ; uv
eny on yd sin im ? ' '0 oy, 'e wus a racin' the snails round
the gyardin when I come by this marnin'.'
Slow-swift, n. a dawdler ; one who is slow at work.
Sludge, n. liquid mud.
Small-clothes, n. a prudish name for breeches.
Smartish, adj. fairly well. A smartish bit — a good quantity.
Smock or Smock-frock, n. a garment of ' Bussia-duck,' which
used to be worn by farm labourers. It reached to the knees,
and, as a rule, was closed all round with only an opening
through which to pass the head. The ' slop,' has now
almost entirely taken its place in this district.
Smock-faced, adj. modest looking.
Smudge, v. to kiss.
Smuff, v. to steal away marbles with which boys are playing.
Smuffter, n. one who steals marbles as above.
Snag, n. a root or other projection under water.
Snaowp, n. a thump.
Snarl, all-uv-a-snarl, chilly ; uncomfortably cold.
Sned, 71. the bent stick to which a scythe is attached, or ' hung.'
Snoffle, v. to speak with a nasal tone, or through the nose.
Snoffle for a duck, n. an imaginary instrument which a mechanic
will say he is making when he does not wish to inform a too
inquisitive inquirer what he really is occupied at.
Snowier, n. a blow on the head with the fist.
Snuggle, v. to lie close, as a baby to its mother.
Soard, n. (sward) rind of bacon.
Sockage or Sock (soakage) n. liquid manure.
Sock-cart, n. a cart for carrying liquid manure.
Solid, adj. serious ; solemn. To ' look solid ' is to refrain from
smiling when telling or enacting a joke.
Soople-tree, n. a piece of wood by which the traces of a horse
are connected with a plough or other implement.
So- say, for the so-say = for the name or sound of a thing, or, as
a matter of form.
Sour ground, n. unfertile or ill-drained ground.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSABY. 37
Souse, n. the ears, snout, of a pig, pickled. ' Brawn, pudding
and souse ' (Tusser).
Sow-thistle, n. a broad-leaved thistle.
Spade-crutch, n. the small cross piece of wood to form the
handle at the top of the spade-tree.
Spade-tree, n. the wooden shaft of a spade.
Spaul, n. a splinter.
Spiggit-and-Fossit, n. a wooden tap. The fossit is the part
inserted into the cask ; the spiggit is the plug.
Spike-top, n. a peg-top.
Spirtle, v. to sprinkle or bespatter with mud, &c.
Spit, 71. the quantity dug up with one insertion of a spade.
Splinter-bar, n. the bar of a double-shafted waggon to which
the shafts are attached.
Splotched, adj. having pimples on the skin.
Splutter (1) n. a fuss. (2) v. To make a fuss about a trifle.
Spoon-fittle, n. food eaten with a spoon; as soup, bread and
milk, &c.
Spot, v. to drop ; to begin to rain. ' Mother, sh'll I get them
there things in off the line ? it spots o' rain.' n. A drop; ' a
spot o' drink.'
Spreader, n. the stick or bar used to separate or spread out the
traces worn by cart-horses.
Spud, 7i. a weeding hoe, or paddle.
Spuds, n. potatoes.
Squale (squeal), Squawk or Squawl, v. to scream.
Squib, n. a syringe, v. to syringe, or to squirt.
Squilt, n. a pimple or small eruption of the skin.
Squitch, n. (1) a twig. (2) Couch grass. (A squitch in salt = a
rod in pickle.)
Squob, n. an unfledged young bird.
Squob, v. to mash up. ' Instid o' sellin' my curran's I sguobs
um up un' makes mu a drap o' wind (wine) 66th um.'
Staddle, n. the stand or platform on which a rick is built.
Stale, n. the handle of a broom, pitch-fork, rake, hoe, &c.
Standy, adj. an obstinate or unruly child.
Stank, v. to dam up a stream.
Star'd (starved) adj . cold. ' Well, I thinks I sh'll get in un' si
by the fire ; I a' stood out 'ere t'll I be amwust star'd.'
38 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Starky, adj. dry and hard (the opposite of sapy). ' We shaunt
a no rain, this piece o' thunk oodn't be so starky un 'ard
else.'
Starven, adj. unable to bear cold. ' What a starven thing thu
bist; if I wuz a thee I'd sit a top o' the fire.'
Stick-and-a-rag, n. an umbrella.
Sticks-in-'is-gizzud = remains in his thoughts (said of some-
thing which has given offence).
Stive up, v. to confine closely.
Stock, v. to peck as a bird. ' That maggit cun stock oncommon
'ard.'
Stock-axe, n. a tool resembling a pick-axe, but having flat ends
for cutting, one end being in a line and the other at right
angles with the helve or handle.
Stock-eekle, n. the Wood-pecker.
Stodger, n. a thick one, or a fat one.
Stodgy, adj. thick, or fat.
Stomach-ful, adi. stubborn ; obstinate.
Stoop, n. a piece of wood fixed as a spur to a post for support.
v. To tilt a cask.
Store-pig, n. a young pig which is intended for pork or bacon.
Storm, n. a shower.
Strap-ail (strap-oil), n. a mythical commodity, supposed to be
retailed by a shoemaker, saddler, or leather dealer ; its
purchase being usually entrusted to some mischievous lad
(probably on the first of April), who (if caught), receives,
instead of oil, a few strokes from the tradesman's strap.
Stretcher, n. an assertion, or a story expanded beyond the limits
of actual veracity. The following little story will serve as
an example : — (Elderly individual, suspected somewhat of
1 drawing the long bow,' to youth with fishing tackle, on his
way to the Avon.) ' I waund thee bist agwain a fishin' ? '
(Youth.) ' Yus, Josey, I be agwain to pwint at 'em a bit ; you
be used to goo sometimes didn't yu ? ' (Josey.) ' Oy bwoy, I
a 'ad some very good sport too, at times. I cun remember
a gooin' down to Bricklund Bank once, un I thinks Tasker
Payne went along. (Boost remember oawd Tasker ? Thay
used tu call 'im Bo Naish [Beau Nash] 'cos 'a weared a white
'at.) Well we'd bin down afore, un baited a 'ole, un we
started in the marnin' in smartish time ('cos thu knaowst it
yunt a much use a gwainin uf yu don't get theare middlin'
yarley) ; un we rather expected we sh'd a 'ad goodish luck,
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 39
but daas it, beyand two ar three nibbles we done nothin' at
all for the fust hour. 'Owever, about five o'clock, summut
took my float under as ef a auf hundud 'ad bin on the ind o'
me line. So I picks up me rod un pulls, un the fish 'e pulls,
und be 'anged ef it wusn't lucky fur me as I 'ad a good long
line, 'relse, begad, e'd a pull'd mil into the river. Well, I let
'im 'ave a good run, so's to tire 'im a bit, thu knaowst ; then
I yuzzies 'im up like a bit ; but lars, bless thu, I could find
as 'ow I'd got summut on that there line bigger ner ever I'd
ketched afore. So I sez to Tasker, sez I, " We sh'll 'ave a
job to get this'n out look thu ; just lay aowt o' the line un
'elp us to stiddy 'im oot?" Well, doost think Tasker un me
cud get 'im out ? No, no moore ner as ef it 'ad bin Oawd
Ingleund 'ooked on to the line. A bit furder along the bank
thaough, was some Pawsha chaps, Mark Eussell, oawd Bed-
nob Chucketts, un one er two moore. Thee rememberst
Eed-nob, doosn't ? Ah ! thee shood'st a sin 'im, lad, when
Lard Coventry come uv age, when the Broad Street at
Pawsha wus all full o' tables, un folks a sittin down to
dinner at 'em. Plum puddin's brought up in waggin loads,
bless thu, as true as I stonds 'ere. Lars, what a day it was !
— Poor aowd Eed-nob ! I thinks I cun see 'im now, a walkin'
arm un arm along o' the young junneral, as ef 'a wus 'is
akles ever so (a good sart wus the young junneral) ; down
Pawsha Street in front o' Lard Coventry's carriage, un
keepin' the tune along o' the musicianers ooth a 'ond-bell.'
(Youth.) ' But what about the fish, Josey ? ' (Josey.) ' 0 ! we
all on us managed to get 'im out, un 'e wus a wopper, un no
mistake ! Well, there ; he wus a dyull too big to carry ; so
we cut a piece out o' the middle on 'im, enough fur a good
dinner apiece all round, un left the rest on 'im on the bank.
I never sin sich a fish afore nar sense : they called 'im a
" parpus,"er a " grumpus, " er summut o' that.' (Youth.) 'Aw!
Aw ! Aw ! Well done, Josey, that is a stretcher ! Perhaps
I sh'll find 'is bwuns down ut Bricklund Bank. Aw ! Aw !
Aw ! ' (Josey.) ' That thee ootn't, fur Master Bomfud 'ad
'im took away in a cyart, un burned among a lot o' rubbidge.
Thay sowed the aishes on a fild o' mangles, un Master
Bomfud said to me, " Joseph " 'e sez, " that wus the best
crap o' mangles that fild ever perduced (only they tasted
rather fishy) ; " them wus 'is very words. But it's a gettin'
late, lad ; hadn'st better be a gwainin ? Mind un nat tumble
into the water.'
Strickliss, n. a straight smooth stick with which surplus corn is
struck off from the top of the bushel.
Stuck, n. (I) the handle of a cup or mug ; (2) sheaves of wheat
propped against each other in the harvest field.
40 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTEESHIKE GLOSSARY.
Stuck-his-spoon-in-the-wall, v. died. Parallel to ' kicked-the-
bucket,' or ' shut-his-knife.'
Stunner, n. an extra good one.
Sucked-in, v. cheated.
Summer, n. a stout beam of timber on which brickwork rests.
Summut = something (somewhat). ' Summut in 'is yud besides
nits un lice,' said of a man who is ingenious, or more than
ordinarily clever.'
Sup (1) n. a drop. ' Ootn't 'ave a sup o' cider, Tom?' (2) v. To
sip. (3) To supply with supper. ' Jim went out last night
to sup the 'osses.'
Swag, v. (of a line, a beam, or a bar) to bend downwards with its
own weight ; to sway ; to swing.
Swale, v . to burn off the hair of a pig when killed for bacon.
Porkers are scalded.
Swanky, n. very poor beer or cider.
Swarm, v. to gather round in a cluster. ' The pawson send (sent)
me down to the school ooth a basket o' opples, an' w'en the
young uns sin as I'd got summut far um, thay come swarmiri
round mu like a passil (parcel) o' bees.'
Sweet- wort, n. the liquor in which malt has been infused,
previous to the addition of the hops.
Swelth, n. swelling.
Swig, n. a drink ; a draught. ' Ave a swig at my bwuttle uf thu
bist adry.'
Swill, v. to flood with water.
Swingle-tree, n. same as soople-tree.
Swipes, n. sour beer or cider.
Swite, n. a blow with a stick; also a clumsy slice of bread,
cheese, &c.
Swop, v. to exchange.
Sword, n. a bar of wood fixed to the shaft of a cart, and by
means of which the ' bed ' is prevented from tilting up too
far when a load is being shot out.
Swyme, v. to feel giddy. ' I shud be afeard to goo up to the top
o' that there ladther, my yud ud swyme.'
Tabber, v. to make a drumming noise; to tap with a stick or
with the fingers. ' Ef thee shuds't want me, come un tabber
my winder, look thu.'
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 41
Tabor-and-pipe, n. a rude musical instrument, or pair of instru-
ments, consisting of a tabor, or tambourine, and a small pipe.
The tabor was suspended from the left arm and beaten (tab-
bered) with a small stick held in the right hand ; the pipe
held to the mouth and fingered with the left hand.
Tack, n. (1) Anything of little or no value ; of inferior quality.
(2) A collection of tools ; a razor-grinder's machine is his
tack; a smith's box of tools for shoeing horses is his ' shoeing
tack, &c., &c. (3) Foolish talk. (4) Hired pasture for cattle.
Tad, n. a disease to which rabbits are liable, caused by eating
wet food. (The Tod.)
Tag, n. a game played by children ; v. to touch (in the game of
Tag), n. The metal end of a stay or boot lace.
Tail, n. inferior wheat.
Tail-board, n. the board with which the back of a cart or waggon
is closed.
Tail-ind, n. (tail-end) the residue, after all the best portion has
been taken away.
Talks, v. says. 'Is your ooman a gwain tu Asum to-day, Jums '
(James)? (James.) ' Well 'er talks a sholl, Betty; uf it keeps
dry over yud 'owever.'
Tallit, n. a hayloft.
Tan, v. to beat, to chastise. ' Now, Thomas, let them there
opples alone ; I sh'll tan your 'ide else.'
Tang, v. to call bees (when swarming) by making a noise, usually
with a fire shovel or warming pan and a door key. It is said
that if bees fly away, whoever follows and tangs them can
claim them wherever they may settle, n. The end of a
scythe by which it is fixed to the ' sned ' or handle.
Tant, v. to tempt, or to instigate. ' Why did you run away from
school, Johnny ? ' (Johnny.) ' Cos Billy Taylor wanted to
run away, un tanted me to goo ooth 'im.'
Tantony's fire, n. St. Anthony's fire. Erysipelas.
Tantrums, n. passionate actions ; signs of rage and ill temper ;
frenzy.
Tap-wad, n. a kind of basket fixed inside the mash-tub to prevent
the escape of the ' grains ' when the wort is drawn off
through the ' fossit.'
Tar, v. to teaze.
Tasker, n. a man employed regularly in threshing corn with a
flail.
42 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Tater-ball, n. the fruit of the potato, which is round like a ball
and contains the seeds.
Tater-bury, n. a heap of potatoes partially buried and entirely
covered with earth, for protection from the frost.
Tater-pin, n. an instrument for making holes in the ground in
which to plant potatoes.
Taw, n. the marble which is used by a boy to ' shoot ' or ' bowl '
with.
Tea-kettle-broth, n. bread and hot water, to which is added a
little butter, herbs, and salt. (Pronounced ' Tae-kettle-broth.')
Tear along, v. to walk, or proceed at a rapid pace.
Teart, adj. sharp ; painful. ' That cider o' yourn's a bit teart,
master; it's nation good else.' 'The wind's teart this
marnin', an' no mistake.' I run a shuppick into my fut;
'twas mighty teart.'
Ted, v. to spread hay.
Teeny, or Tiny, adj. small. Employed to emphasise small or
little, as ' a little teeny apple,' ' a tiny little babby,' &c., &c.
Teg, n. a sheep of a year old.
Tempest, n. a thunderstorm. 'My! don't it look black? we
sh'll 'ave a tempest afore night snrelie ! '
Terrify, v. to torment. ' 'E caunt get a wink o' sleep uv a
night ; 'is cough terrifies 'im so.'
Thatten, adj. that one.
Thave (theaYe) n. a yearling ewe.
Thick-headed, adj. stupid. (Young fellow, fitting on himself a
neighbour's hat.} ' There yunt much odds in our two yuds,
is a Thomas? ' (Thomas.) ' No lad, only mine's a long un,
un thine's a thick un.'
Thick, adj. on very friendly terms. Plentiful. Thick on the
ground = crowded.
Thief in-the-candle, n. a part of the wick protruding from the
main portion, and causing the candle to burn unevenly.
Thissen, adj. this one.
Thrave, n. a quantity of straw, consisting of twenty-four ' boltings.'
Threshel, n. a flail.
Thribble, adj. three-fold ; treble.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 43
Thripples, n. movable wreathes, attached to a cart or waggon.
See Wrathes.
Throck, n. the lower part of a (wooden) plough. On the end of
the throck the ploughshare is fixed.
Throw-back, v. to give discount ; n. the discount given.
Thrum, adj. See Frum. /
Thumb-piece, n. a piece of bread with cheese or meat, held
between the thumb and finger.
Thunk, n. a thong; the leather of which whips are made.
Tice, v. to entice. ' I wish I 'ad never set eyes on that there
Preedy. 'E« a ticed ower Jim away from 'is place ooth 'is
tales about saowdierin ! ' (soldiering) !
' Tick-tack, never change back, touch cold iron,' is the binding
sentence upon the completion of an exchange or a swop by
boys ; at the same time touching a piece of cold iron with
the finger.
Tiddle, v.a. to tend carefully. ' The pawson gan mu a cuttin' o'
that geranum, un' I tiddled 'im all the winter; so I a got
mu a tidy tree now, look.' Proverb, ' You may tiddle a
monkey 'till 'e befouls your trenchud.'
Tiddling, n. a lamb or other animal brought up by hand.
Tiddy, adj. babyish.
Tiddy-pbbin's nist, n. ' What bist thee a loffin' at ? I sh'd
think thee 'adst fund a tiddy-obbiris nist un wus a loffin' at
the young uns.' Or, ' What bist a tiddy-obby-in' at, I sh'd
like to knaow ? ' (Tiddy -obbin is probably derived from
Little Robin in the language frequently used in talking to
babies.)
Tiddy-obby-in', v. laughing.
Tidy, adj. well in health ; of good quality ; a quantity, &c. ' E
a got a tidy way tu walk afore a gets wum.' ' 'Ow be you
to-day?' 'Pretty tidy.' 'The 'oss looks pretty tidy.1
Tidli-wink, n. a small public house, licensed only for the sale
of beer, cider and tobacco.
Tiller (of a pit saw), n. the handle by which the top sawyer
guides the saw.
Tilt, n. a canvas roof or cover to a cart or waggon.
Tind, v. to kindle. ' I tried to tind my pipe, but the wind
blaowed so I couldn't manage it.'
Tine, n. See Tyne.
44 SOUTH-EAST WOKCESTEKSHIBE GLOSSARY.
Tipty-toe, prep, on tip-toe.
Tissick, v. to cough. ' Grannie, 'er keeps tissickin' all the while.'
Tippit, n. the fat off a pig's chitterlings (also called the
' mudgiu ').
Titter, or Titter-a-totter, n. a see-saw ; v. to laugh slightly.
Tom-and-Jerry, n. a beer-house.
Tom-fool, n. the fool (artificial or otherwise) who accompanies
the morris-dancers.
Tom-hodge, n. a pig's stomach. (Also called the ' night-cap.')
Tom-tit, n. the blue-tit.
Tommy, n. food.
Tommy-bag, n. the bag in which labourers carry their food.
Also called a ' nttle-bag.'
Tong-pole, n. the beam by which the fore and hind wheels of a
waggon are connected.
Too-iron (tue-iron), n. the short iron tube at the back of a
blacksmith's forge, into which the nozzle of the bellows is
inserted.
Topping-and-Tailing, v. trimming turnips, gooseberries, &c.
Tosty-ball, n. a cowslip ball.
Tot, n. a small mug.
Tottery, adj. infirm. ' I've 'ad the rheumatic very bad this
three wiks, an' I be that tottery I caunt 'ardly scrawl.'
Touch. To have a touch at anything is to enter upon any
particular work or job, in such a way as to give it a short
trial.
' Touch him with a short stick.' A jocular expression used
when speaking in company of a person who is present, but
whose name it is not intended to mention ; thus, ' I heerd
uv a mon as went to bed one night, nat long agoo, un forgot
to take 'is shoes off ; I wunt say who it was, but I could
touch 'im ooth a shart stick.'
Tow-chain, v. a strong chain used for hoisting timber, &c.
Towsle, v. to shake or tumble anything about as haymakers do
the hay, or as children playing amongst hay or straw.
Trace-horse, n. a horse which draws in traces, as distinguished
from one in the shafts.
Traipse, v. to leave muddy or wet footprints on the floor. ' Now
you young uns, I wunt 'ave yii a traipsin' in an' out o' this
'ere kitchin look ; I may just as well a done nothin' as to a
claned the flur else.'
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 45
Tram, n. a strong square frame with four legs on which a wheel-
wright makes wheels ; also a stand for casks.
Trammel, n. a kind of fishing net.
Transum, n. a piece of timber placed across the end of a saw-pit
(resting on the ' side strakes ') to support the end of the log
to be sawn up.
Trenchud (trenchard), n. a trencher; a wooden platter.
Triggle, n. trigger (of a gun).
Trimmer, n. a kind of fishing line attached to a large float,
which turns over when a fish is hooked.
Tringle, v. to trundle (a mop, &c.).
Troves, n. plural of trough.
Trunkey, n. a small fat pig.
Trusten to, v. to trust to or in.
Tumbrel, n. a cart without springs, constructed so as to be easily
removed from its wheels. 'Tumbrell, cart, waggon and
wain ' (Tusser).
Tump, n. a mound or hillock ; a small hay-rick.
Tun-dish, n. a funnel for filling bottles.
Tun-pail, n. a large pail, with a tube at bottom by means of
which casks are filled.
Tup, n. a ram.
Turmits, n. turnips.
Tush, n. (1) the broad part of a plough-share, (2) a tusk ; v. to
draw a heavy weight, as of timber, &c.
Tushes, n. tusks.
Tushing- wheels, n. a pair of wheels between which heavy trunks
of trees, &c., are slung for removal.
Tussuck, n. a bunch or cluster of rank grass.
Tutty, adj. touchy, short-tempered.
Twang, n. accent ; manner of speaking ; dialect. ' Who be them
two chaps, John ? ' ' Oh, they be two young Jarmans (Ger-
mans) as be a stoppin' at ower vicar's : they be come over
'ere just to get aowt (hold) uv ower ttcang.'
Two-faced, adj. deceitful. ' Here's wishing the mon may never
get fat, as carries two faces under one hat.'
Two-folks, n. at variance. ' Now, Jack, yu lazy rascal, uf thee
doosn't get on o' thy work, thee un I sh'll be two-folks.'
46 SOUTH-BAST WOKCESTEESHIBB GLOSSAEY.
Two-shear-sheep, n. a sheep old enough to be shorn a second
time.
Tye, n. a chain with which horses are fastened by the fore-foot
to one spot to feed,
Tye-beetle, n. a large wooden mallet used to drive the ' tye-pin '
into the ground.
Tyne, n. the prong of a fork ; the spike or prong of a harrow.
Unbeknowns-to-him— without his knowledge ; surreptitiously.
Un-gain, adj. ungainly, clumsy, awkward, inconvenient. See Gain.
Unkid, adj. lonely. 'Thay lives right up at the top o' the
common, where there be no more housen enny wer' near.
It's a unhid sart of a place: but nat a bad 'ouse else.'
Unkyind, adj. unfavourable, unhealthy. ' The byuns don't graow
a bit, they seems so unkyind.'
Up-an-ind, p. in a sitting posture ; generally employed when
speaking of sitting up in bed. ' I heerd sumrnut a makin a
craking naise last night, atter we'd gwun to bed, and so I sat
up-an-ind and listened, fur I thought sumbwuddy 'ad got in,
but I fund as it wus only the cat a sharpin' 'er claes on the
flur.'
Up-set, v. to thicken a bar of iron by heating the centre and
beating up the ends (a blacksmith's term).
Urchin, n. a hedgehog.
Uvver, adj. upper.
UvYermust, adj. uppermost.
Yoid, adj. empty. An empty house is said to be void.
Wad, n. a small hay-cock.
Wake, n. an annual village festival, usually occurring on tbe
anniversary of the dedication of the parish church.
Walk-into, v. to attack pugnaciously and successfully. (This
simile is used only when the attack is made either in self-
defence, or after receiving provocation.)
Wallet, n. a bag in which migratory labourers carry their pro-
visions, &c.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSAEY. 47
Wally, or Wolly, n. rows into which hay is raked.
Wane, n. (adj. waney) the natural unevenness of the edges of
boards.
Warm, v. to beat. ' Let me ketch thu a doin' that agyun look,
an' I'll warm thu ! ' ' I'll warm thee yud,' or, ' I'll warm
thee nut,'—' I'll punch your head.'
Warmship, n. warmth. ' There's a dyul a warmship in my
aowd shawl.'
Warnuts, n. walnuts.
Warty-wells, n. the horny protuberances on the inner sides of
horses' legs.
Washer, n. thin round plate of iron placed on a bolt underneath
the nut, to prevent the latter from cutting against the sub-
stance through which the bolt is passed.
Washings, n. inferior cider, made by grinding up a second time
(mixed with water), the ' husk ' or ' cake ' of apples from
which the juice has already been extracted.
Watchered, adj. wet; having wet feet (? corruption of wetshod).
Wattle-and-dab, n. lath and plaster, or wicker-work and plaster.
Wattles, n. the strips of wood used to keep thatch in its place.
Watty, or Watty-'onded, adj. left-handed.
Wave-wind, n. the wild convolvulus.
Wax-ind (wax-end), n. the waxed thread used by shoemakers.
Way-broad-leaf, v. a broad-leaved wild plant, common on the
road sides.
Wazzun, or Wazzund n. the windpipe.
Well-ended, adj. said of crops safely carried and not injured by
the weather.
Well-pole, n. a pole having at the end a hook, with which the
bucket is lowered into the well for the purpose of bringing
up water.
Welly, adv. nearly.
Wench, n. a girl.
Wenching, v. courting.
Went, v. frequently used for 'gone.' ' I oodn't a went to Pawsha
fair, if I'd a thought a 'avin' my pocket picked.'
Werrit, or Worrit, v. to worry; n. one who worries; a person of
anxious temperament.
48 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Wesh-tub, or Wash-tub, v. a tub into which broth, vegetables,
sour milk, and all kinds of kitchen refuse are emptied ; and
so become pig's wesh (or wash), i.e., food for the pigs. ' I
byunt agwain to make a icesh-tub o' my belly, by drinkin'
sich stuff as that.'
What d'yu call mu that ? = What is it you have there ?
'What part o' the play be you agwain to act?' = 'What
portion of the business are you going to undertake ? '
Whiffle, v. (of the wind) to blow lightly through a crevice, or
among standing corn, &c.
Whimmy, adj. full of whims.
Whinnuck, v. to cry fretfully.
White-al, n. a white marble.
Whosen, pron. whose.
Wift, 11. a whiff (as of tobacco, &c.). ' I thinks I sh'll 'ave a
wift a bacca.'
Will-Jill, n. an hermaphrodite.
Will-o'-the-wisp, n. the ignis fatuus. Also known as Aw-puck
(Hob-puck), Hobbady -lantern (Hob-and-his-lantern), Jack-o-
lantern, Pinkit, &c.
Wimble-straw, n. a very slender straw.
Wimbling, adj. of slender growth, as applied to a plant or a stalk.
' Wer did I get thase ere big taters from? well, I'll tell yii.
Ower Tom un I wus at work in the brickyard look, un a
bwutman as 'ad come up the river from Gloucester, thraowed
two or three goodish taters out o' the bwut ; so we picks 'em
up un peels 'em fur dinner. Well, atter we'd peeled 'em we
thraows the peelin' on to a yup o' rubbidge, bricks' inds un
that, un thought no moore about it. Well, in a faow wicks'
time I siz a bit uv a wimbliu top a comin' up among the
bricks' inds, un I sez to Tom, sez I, "Now we wunt touch
that theare tater, but we'll wait un see what sart uv a one 'e
is, look thu." So when it wus time to dig um up (there
seemed to be a smartish faow at the root), we dug round
um keerful like so as nat to spwile eny on um, un uf you'll
believe me, thay wus the biggest taters as I ever sin. The
biggest on um wus so 'eavy that ower Tom un I 'ad to
carry 'im away between us on a 'ond-borrow [hand-barrow J.
Now, chaps, let's 'ave another 'arn o' cider un get on.'
SOUTH-EAST WOKCESTEBSHIEE GLOSSAEY. 49
Winding-sheet (in the candle), n. a small piece of tallow, which,
being slightly harder than the main portion of the candle,
does not melt as rapidly, but curls downwards on one side.
It is supposed to portend a death.
Winkers, n. blinkers ; the pieces or plates of leather, attached to
horses' head-gear, to prevent their seeing anything on either
side.
Withy, n. willow.
Wollop, v. to beat.
Wobbling, adj. an uneven, unsteady motion.
Wonderment, n. See oonderment.
Wrathes (wreathes), n. a kind of rack projecting horizontally
round the top of a waggon or cart; by means of which,
straw, hay, &c., can be carried in larger quantities and with
greater security.
Wretch, n. often used as an expression of endearment_ or sym-
pathy. (Old woman to young master.) 'An' 'ow is the missis
to-day, poor wretch ?' Of a boy going to school a consider-
able distance off : 'I met 'im 66th a bit o' bread in 'is bag,
poor wretch.'
Wrist (Wrest or Eest) (of a plough), n. a piece of wood below the
shield-board, which wrests the earth aside from the plough.
Yard-land, n. a system under which male paupers worked for a
given time alternately, on the several farms in the parish to
which they belonged.
Yat, n. a gate.
Yat-pwust, n. a gate post.
Yat-pwust-singing, v. each person in a company, singing a
different song at the same time.
Yaux, v. to cough, or expectorate. 'I don't want no bacca
smokers in my kitchen, yauxin' an' spettin' about.'
Yourn, pron. yours.
Yud, n. the head.
Yun, v. (of a ewe) to_ean.
50 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
EXAMPLES OF LOCAL PKONUNCIATION OF
OKDINAKY WOEDS.
A is prefixed to active verbs, as ' he's a-coming,' ' a-talking,' ' a-
ploughing,' ' a-shearing,' &c., &c. ; to some adjectives, as
'a-dry' (thirsty), 'a-cold,' 'a-ongry' (hungry), &c. It has
also sometimes to do duty for 'on,' as 'a-top,' 'a-fut' (afoot),
' The world runs a-wheels ' (Ben Jonsori) ; for ' in,' as ' a-
bed,' &c.
' That night he sat well sore akale,
And his wif lai warme a-bedde.'
The Sevyn Sages, 1513 (quoted by HalliwelT).
1 a-two,' for in two, ' cut it a-two ooth thee knife ; ' ' A short
saw, a long saw, to cut a-two logs ' (Tusser] ; and for
' he,' 'she,' 'it,' 'has,' &c., as 'E's a good sart of a chap,
yunt a ? ' ' 'Er caunt do sich a job as that, like a mon, con
a ?' (Answer.) 'That a con; ' comp. Shakesp. Hen. V. iii. 2,
also ii. 3. ' This tree a got a good crap o' opples on 'im,
aant a ? ' Some prepositions have a prefixed to them, as
a-near, a-nigh —
' All that come a-near him,
He thinks are come on purpose to betray him.'
(Beaumont & Fletcher.)
1 Don't you get anigh them osses, Johnny; they'll kick yu.'
Accud, adj. awkward. ' It's pocky accud,' is a common expres-
sion for ' it is very awkward.'
Accun, n. acorn.
Acrass, prep, across.
Adland, n. headland. The strip of land left at each end of a
field, at right angles with the ridges, or lands. See lands (p. 20).
A-dreamed, v. 'I was a-dreamed' for 'I dreamt.' 'I was
adreamed that I killed a buck ' (Lupton's Thousand Notable
Things).
Afeard, adv. afraid.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTEESHIEE GLOSSABY. 51
Afrawl, prep, for all ; iu spite of. ' Now, Billy, thee cossn't
come this a-road.' (Billy.) ' I sh'll come afrawl thee.'
Aften, adv. often.
Agoo, adv. ago.
' And yett not lowng agoo
Was prechares one or tooe.'
Vox Popiili, Vox Dei, 1547-8.
Agyun, prep, against ; adv. again.
Ail, n. oil.
Aish, n. ash.
Aishes, n. ashes.
Akles, n. equals.
All-us, adv. always.
Allyblaster, n. alabaster.
A-mwust, adv. almost.
Ankitcher, n. handkerchief.
Ankley, n. ankle.
Archud, n. orchard.
Arg, or Argal, v. to argue ; to dispute. ' Er argald me out, as
your new shawl was blue, un it's green now, yunt it ? ' ' He
arg, as I did now, for credance again ' (Heywood, 1556 ; see
Nares). Gaelic largall, a skirmish, a fight. (Mackay.)
Comp. Shakesp., Ham., v. 1.
Arn, n. horn.
Arnary, adj. ordinary ; usually signifying ' not handsome.'
Arrand, n. errand.
Art to, adv. ought to.
Arter, or Atter, prep, after.
Asp, n. The Aspen Tree.
Attackted, v. attacked.
Atternone, n. afternoon.
Aurrust, n. harvest.
Ayfer, n. heifer.
Bag, v. beg. (Boy, to facetious labourer.) ' Ave you got a wife,
Willum ? ' (F. L.) ' Oy bwoy, I a got two wives ; one gwuz
out a baggiri, un thu tuther stops at wum tu swurt the fittle.'
Bagger-mon, n. beggar-man.
Bagger-ooman, n. beggar-woman.
52 SOUTH-EAST WOECESTEESHIBE GLOSSARY.
Baily, n. bailiff.
Banes, or Byuns, n. beans.
Biff, n. beef.
Blaht, v. bleat.
Brenth, n. breadth. Brende, to make broad ; to spread about.
(HalliwelL)
Broccilo, n. broccoli.
Bruck, n. brook.
Bruddy, adj. broody.
Bust or Busted, v. burst. ' Tho bwiler o' the stem injin busted
this marnin', so we caunt goo on o' the threshin.'
Bwile, v. or n. boil.
Bwun, n. bone.
Bwurd, n. board.
Bwut, n. boat.
Bwuth, adj. both.
Bwuttle, n. bottle. A small wooden cask, holding from two to
four quarts (sometimes larger) in which a labourer carries
his day's supply of cider. It is usually painted blue or lead
colour.
Byum, n. beam.
Byun, n. bean.
Byut, v.a. to beat ; pp. beaten.
Gaowd, adj. cold.
Caowt, n. colt.
Card or Kwerd, n. cord.
' All up to the chimbly top,
Athout a ladther, kwerd or rop.'
Cam or Kwern, n. corn.
Carpse, n. corpse.
Cavaltry, n. cavalry.
Chaney, n. china. ' The cubbud (cupboard) fell down look, un
broke all Nell's chaney.'
Chape or Chup, adj. cheap.
Chate or Chut, v. cheat.
Chayce, adj. choice.
Cheer, n. chair.
Childun, n. children.
SOUTH-EAST WOECESTEKSHIRE GLOSSARY. 53
Choke, n. chalk.
Churm, n. or v. churn,
Claes, n. claws.
Clat, n. clod.
Clauss, prep, close; n. a field, as 'Broad-cfomss,' ' Shuppud's-
clauss.'
Goom, n. or v. comb.
Coo-wut, n. coat.
Cosses, v. costs.
Cowslups, n. cowslips. Going ' a Cowsluppin' and ' Fire -ligh tin','
is going gathering cowslips and violets.
Cracks or Crackery-ware, n. crocks, crockery. (Farmer, having
finished his tea.) ' Now, Mary, put thase 'ere cracks awoy.'
Craft, n. croft, a field ; as ' Pitch- craft ' (Pitch-croft), ' Mung-
craft ' (Mount-croft), &c.
Crap, n. crop. ' Ther's a good crap o' pears on Josey Pugh's
pear-tree, yunt a ? '
Crass, adj. cross.
' Grass-patch, draw the latch, sit at the fire and spin ;
Take a sup, and drink it up, and call your neighbours in.'
Crem, n. cream.
differ, n. coffer (a chest).
Cyart, n. cart.
Cyart-uss, n. cart-house.
Daow, n. dew.
Daunce, v. to dance.
Bern, v. to darn.
Disgest, v. digest.
Dizzen, adj. dozen. ' Do lave off chattering oot ? Thy tongue
runs nineteen tu the dizzen.'
Dowsty, adj. dusty.
Drap, n. or v. drop. 'A drap o' cider's the best thing tu squench
yer thust.' ' Stop that naise oot? I'll drap it on thu else.'
Drownd, v. to drown.*
* George Hawker was employed with other men in cleaning out the large
fish-pond at Elmley, and by some means or other, through stooping down to
do something to his feet, his hands as well as his feet got stuck in the mud,
54 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Dyudly, adv. deadly (i.e., very), as 'dyudly-good taters,' 'a
dyudly-clevex mon ' (man), &c.
Dyull, v. to deal ; n. a quantity.
Eckth, n. height.
Erriwig, n. earwig.
Errun, pron. ever a one.
Ex, v. ask. (The original Saxon form was Ax, so used by
' Chaucer, Bale, Hey wood, and others.— Nares.)
Exter, adj. extra.
Failles, n. felloes of a wheel.
Faow, adj. few.
Farry, v. to farrow, or n. a litter (of pigs only).
Patches, n. vetches.
Fater, n. or v. feature. ' That little un faters 'is father, don't
a now ? '
Fawt. n. fault.
' And of all this sequell
Thefawt I cane not tell.' — Vox Populi.
When the cider or ale cup is at a standstill at a festivity,
one of the party will say to the one whose turn it is to drink,
' Now then, it's your/aw^.'
Fearn, n. fern.
Fild, n. field.
Fill-beard, n. filbert.
Filler, n. thiller ; the shaft horse. ' Thou hast got more hair
on thy chin than Dobbin, my phill horse, has on his tail '
(Shakesp., Her. Ven., ii. 2).
Fire-lights, n. violets.
Fit, n. feet.
and he was quickly in a dangerous position ; for although the water had been
drawn off, there was still sufficient left to cover him in a very little time, he
being but a short man, in a stooping posture, and gradually sinking deeper
and deeper. Fortunately, one of his butties (I think it was George Taylor),
was a tall powerful man, and he, seeing George's awkward predicament,
stalked up to bun and seizing him by his waistband, lifted him bodily out of
the mud. His companions gathered round him, exclaiming, ' Why, Jarge,
you'd soon a bin drownded.' ' Drownded be d — d,' replied George, ' I'd a
drunk that drap fust.'
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 55
Fittle, n. victuals. (Vittle in Tusser.)
Flaes, n. fleas. ' Well, I thinks I sh'll take theflaes their fittle '
(a whimsical mode of expressing the intention to go to bed).
Flannin, n. flannel.
Fleshy, adj. fledged.
Flur, n. floor.
Fother, n. fodder.
Fowt, v. fought. ' Ower dog un Dame Wright's c&tfowt istady,
un didn't 'er scrat 'im ooth 'er claes ? '
Fund, v. found.
Furder, adj. further. Furder a-fild (a-field) = Farther off.
' This brethren wendeth afeld ' (MS. Bodl. 652, /. 2).
Furlun, n. furlong.
Fust, adj. first.
Fut, v. foot.
Gaish, n. a gash.
Gallund, n. gallon.
Goold, n. gold.
Grace, n. grease.
Grace-arn, n. grease-horn.
Gwun, v. gone.
Gyum, n. game.
Hawves, n. haws.
Him, or 'im is commonly used for ' it.'
His-self, pron. himself.
Hongry, adj. hungry. ' A 'ongry dog '11 yut dirty puddin'.'-
Proverb.
Ind, n. end.
Iss, adv. yes.
Istady, adv. yesterday.
It, conj. yet.
Jice, n. joist.
Jine, v. join.
56 SOUTH-EAST WOKCESTEBSHIBE GLOSSARY.
Kay, n. key. See also Kyoy.
Keard, n. card.
Kep, v. kept.
Ketch, v. catch.
KiYer, v. cover.
Kwert, n. court, or v. to court.
Kwertin', v. courting. ' Where's Samiwell, Thomas ? ' (Thomas.)
' O, 'e's gwun a-kwertin', I ricken, fur 'e put on 'is tuther
'at un coowut, un tiddivated his-self up a bit.'
Kyoy, n. key ; or (in music) tune. (Critic to amateur musicians.)
' Yu byunt in kyoy, be yu ? '
Ladge, v. lodge.
Ladther, n. ladder.
Laird, n. lard.
Laish, n. lash.
Laiter, v. loiter.
Lane, or Lee-yun, adj. lean, or v. to lean.*
Layer, n. lawyer.
Lazin, or Lee-uz-in, v. leasing (gleaning).
Lennet, n. linnet.
Lines, n. loins. ' I a got sich a pain acrass my lines I caunt
'ardly stond up.'
Loff, v. laugh. To ' Ion7 o' the tother side o' the mouth ' means
' to cry.'
Manin', or Myunin', n. meaning.
Marter-bwurd, n. mortar-board.
Mishtif, n. mischief.
Mizsher, v. or n. measure.
Mossy, n. mercy. ' Lars a' mossy ! who'd a thought o' seein
you 'ere.'
* Persons bearing the surname of ' Lane ' are not unfrequently nick-named
' Raowy ' as a prefix, thus becoming ' Baowy Lane,' which, in the local dialect,
signifies ' rowy lean,' referring to bacon so called when it has layers of lean
and fat alternating (the ' streaky' bacon of Londoners). In connection with
this subject, the writer is reminded of a villager who was sometimes twitted
with feeding and starving his pig on alternate days for the purpose of producing
bacon having this desirable quality.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 57
Mossil, n. morsel. A person chancing to make a call upon a
neighbour at meal-time, would probably be invited to par-
take of his hospitality thus : ' We be a gwain to 'ave a
mossil o' fittle look ; ool yu come in un jine us ? '
Mult, v. moult.
Mwire, n. mire, mud ; v. to bedaub with mud.
Naise, n. noise.
Nat, adv. not.*
Natch, n. notch.
Nist, n. nest.
Ontle, n. handful.
Ood, n. wood.
Ooden, adj. made of wood ; also, clumsy or ungainly.
Ool, v. will. ' I ool' = I will.
Ooth, prep. with.
Opiniated, adj. opinionated.
Opple, n. apple.
Oss, n. horse.
Paes, n. peas.
Pale, n. peel. A kind of wooden shovel with which loaves of
bread are placed in, or removed from, the oven.
Paowl, n. pole.
Peth, n. pith.
Pibble, n. pebble.
* The following little incident will serve to illustrate the use of the word
nat, and will also give a glimpse, as it were, of the relations existing between
pastor and people at the time of its occurrence. The late rector of Little
Comberton, the Rev. W. Parker — one of the kindest, gentlest, and most tender-
hearted of men, for whose memory I entertain the deepest feelings of gratitude
and reverence — was assisting in distributing the prizes at the Annual Flower
Show (on that occasion held at Bricklehampton Hall), at which John Taylor
had been one of the most successful of the exhibitors. Having to call up John
so frequently to receive a prize, the rector at length said to him in a jocular
manner, ' Which way are you going home, John ? ' (humorously implying by
his inquiry, that if he did but know, he would way -lay him). John's answer
was ready and pointed: 'Nat thraough Little Cummerton, sir.' — J. S.
58 SOUTH-EAST WOBCESTEBSHIEE GLO8SAKY.
Pwut, n. pot.
Power, v. pour. ' My word ! 'ow the rain did power down.'
Primmi-rose, n. primrose.
Pwint, n. point. (Fishing with a rod and line is often known as
'pwmting.')
Pwuddle, n. puddle, a small pool of water.
Pwust, n. post (plural, pwusses*).
Quate, adj. quiet. ' Be qwate oot ?' is equivalent to ' Be still,' or
' Be quiet, will you ? '
Qwine, n. coin.
Racket, n. rocket.
Rasen, n. reason.
Ricken, v. reckon. Frequently used in the same sense as
' suppose ' or ' think ; ' thus, ' It's time to be abed, I ricken.'
' We sh'll 'ave some rain, don't yu ricken ? '
Rop, n. rope.
Rot, n. rat.
Rowsty, adj. rusty.
Rubbidge, n. rubbish.
Ruff, n. roof.
Saft, adj. soft.
Saish, n. sash.
Sallit, n. salad.
Scollud, n. scholar.
Senners, n. sinews.
Shap, n. shop.
Shart, adj. short.
Shaves, n. shafts.
Shilf, n. shelf.
Ship, n. sheep.
Shoot, n. or v. suit ; as ' a shoot o' clothes ; ' ' ool that shoot
yu ? ' (will that suit you ?).
* A very short distance from this district, but on the south side of Bredon
Hill, and in Gloucestershire, the plural is pwustes.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 59
Shuf, n. sheaf (plural shuvs).
Shuit, n. suet.
Shull, n. shell.
Shum, n. shame.
Shuppick, n. sheaf-pike. ' Two paire of links, a forest bill,
and a sheppicke, with some odd tooles' (Inventory, 1627,
Stratford-on-Avon MSS.).
Shuppud, n. shepherd.
Shuth. n. sheath.
Sich, adj. such.
Sid, n. seed.
Sids, n. seeds ; growing clover.
Sildum, adv. seldom.
Sile, n. or v. soil.
Skir midge, n. skirmish.
Sky-racket, n. sky-rocket.
Slep, v. slept.
Slick, adj. sleek.
Slob, n. slab.
Snift, v. to sniff.
Sneedge, v. to sneeze.
Sollery, n. celery.
Sparra-grass, n. asparagus.
Spended. v. spent. ' The seke brother spendyd al that daye in
laudyng and presyng God.' (The Revelation to the Monk of
Evesham, first printed about 1482.)
Sperits, n. spirits.
Spet, v. to spit.
Spettle, n. spittle.
Squale, v. to squeal or cry out like a pig.
Squench, v. quench.
Stem, n. steam.
Stivicate, n. certificate.
Stom, n. a stem ; as a cabbage-stow.
Stond, v. stand.
' Yet wyll I never yelde me to the,
Whyll I may stonde and fyght.'
(The Battle of Otterbourne, in Percy's Reliques.)
60 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTEBSHIBE GLOSSAKY.
Strem, n. stream.
Strick, v. to strike.
Stroddle, v. to straddle.
Stun, n. stone.
Sut, n. soot.
Swinge, v. to singe.
Swart, sort ; (1) n. kind or breed. ' Them be good swurted
taters, byunt 'um, Willum ? ' (2) v. To separate one kind from
another ; or good from bad, &c.
Taffey, n. toffey.
Tae, n, tea.
Talents, n. talons.
Taters, n. potatoes.
The tother, pron. the other. ' The bred and a litil hony that
was lefte the tothir tyme ' (The Monk of Evesham).
They, for ' them,' &c. ' Them pigs don't get on much, doos um?'
' No ; 'e only giz um a drap o' sour wesh ; un that's a no
good tu thay, is it ? Nat uf a wans tu make fat uns on um
'owever.'
' But all they three .... could not be man to me.'
Shakesp., Hen. V., iii. 2.
Thrid, n. thread.
Throw (ow as in cow), prep, through.
Thurn, n. thorn.
Tith, n. teeth.
Tray-foil, n. tre-foil.
Trewel, n. trowel.
Unbeknowns, adj. unknown.
Understond, v. to understand. ' Sir, ye schal vnderstomle and
know,' &c. (The Monk of Evesham).
Us, pron. we (objective). ' We've 'ad a fine summer, aint us ?'
Yalley, n. value.
Yarges, n. verjuice. 'That cider's about the wust as ever I
tasted ; it's as sour as varges.'
Varment, n. vermin.
SOUTH-EAST WOBCESTEBSHIBE GLOSSABY. 61
Yilet or Yoilet, n. or adj. violet. See also 'Fire-light.'
Waund, v. warrant. 'That bwoy yunt strong anough tu carry
that there bag o' taters.' (Boy's father.) ' 0, I waund 'im.'
Wascut or Weskit, n. waistcoat.
Wesh, v. to wash. ' Thenne they weshid his heedde breste
handys and feete with colde watyr ' (The Monk of Eve-
sham).
Wheel-racket, n. wheel-rocket, or Catherine wheel.
Wick. n. week.
Winder, n. window.
Wum, n. home. 'I aften wishes as I wus at wum.'
Yander, prep, yonder (akyander = look yonder).
Yaow, n. ewe ; v. to hew.
Yar, n. hair.
Yarb, n. herb. ' Like yarbs to the pwut ' = in very small
particles, like herbs prepared for the pot.
Yarley, adj. early.
Yarn, v. to earn.
Yarnest, adj. earnest ; n. a portion of wages paid in advance, to
bind the bargain upon hiring a servant.
Yourn, pron. yours.
Yud, n. head.
Yunt, v. (aint), is he (she, or it) not ?
Yup, n. heap. (Man who has to cross Bredon Hill.) ' Well, I
must get o' the tother side o' that yup o' dirt, I spose.'
Yus, adv. yes.
Yut, v. eat. (Willum.) ' Good marnin', John, 'ow's the ooman ? '
(John.) ' Well 'er yunt just the thing, Willum ; 'er caunt yut
nuthin' ; un we knaows uf 'er caunt yut 'er fittle, there must
be summut wrong.'
Yuth, n. earth ; or a heath. ' Crapton Yuth ' is ' Cropthorne
Heath,' ' Bill Yuth ' is ' William ' or ' Bill Heath.'
Yuzzy, adj. easy. ' Ow be yu to-day, Thomas?' (Thomas.)
' Well, I feels a bit better, thenky. My yud ached tumble
istady, but 'e's yuzzier to-day, a goodish bit.' ' And sothely
the more nere they al came to the ende of the place the
more yesyor and softyr waxed their peynys' (The Monk of
Evesham).
62 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTEBSHIBE GLOSSARY.
CUSTOMS, CHAEMS, REMEDIES, SIGNS,
SUPERSTITIONS, &c.
CUSTOMS, PRACTICAL JOKES, &c.
NEW YEAR'S MORNING. — It is customary on New Year's
morning for boys to go from house to house, chanting,
' I wish you a merry Christinas,
A happy New Year,
A pocket full o' money,
A cellar full o' beer ;
A good fat pig to sarve yu all the year.
Bud well and bear well,
I hope you will fare well ;
Every sprig and every spray,
A bushel o' opples on New Year's day.
Up the ladther and down the wall,
Two or three opples '11 sarve us all ;
One for Peter, and one for Paul,
And one for God as made us all."
Sometimes the last line is changed to
' And one for you and I an all.'
[' An-all,' also.] (See Halliwell's Diet.)
CAROLS are sung at Christmas-tide ; the practice being for
boys and girls to go round nightly from St. Thomas's Day until
Christmas Day, and to sing one or more carols at the door of
each house.
NEIGHBOURLY GREETING. — Upon entering a neighbour's house
during the progress of a meal, it is (or was) customary for the
visitor to say, ' Much good may it do you.'
BOWING ON ENTERING CHURCH. — When the author was a boy,
it was the custom of many members of the congregation at Little
Comberton (particularly the elder people) to turn to the east and
bow, the men upon entering the church, the women upon arriving
at their seats ; the latter slightly bending the knee, or courtesy-
ing, before entering their pew. As there had not at that time
been any revival of High Church principles, in that or any of the
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 63
neighbouring parishes, the custom alluded to might have been
a lingering remanent of pre-Reformation times.
PIG'S FRY. — A very good custom is that of distributing
amongst neighbours a small quantity of pig's ' fry ' at pig-killing
time ; the compliment being of course returned when the re-
cipients kill their pigs. It may perhaps be considered somewhat
of a flaw in this otherwise excellent custom, when it is stated that
the donors of the ' fry' do not, as a rule, give any to those neigh-
bours who are not fortunate enough to possess a pig.* Such is
the custom, and it is hoped that the reader will not for one
moment infer that there exists amongst the villagers a want of
kindly feeling towards their poorer neighbours ; but decidedly the
reverse. They are always ready and willing to help a neighbour
(whether poor or well-to-do), in sickness or distress, to the best
of their ability ; the thought of payment for such service as they
are able to render, never entering their heads.
DANCING ON THE GREEN or on the margin of the village high-
way, was not at all uncommon when the author was a youth.
He has seen staid dames, as well as lads and lasses of the
village, taking their places in the sets and footing it right heartily
— and that, too, after having done a day's work on the farm,t or
in their own houses. The orchestra usually consisted of a fiddle,
with the addition, perhaps, of one or two flutes and occasionally
also of a bass viol.
Unfortunately, the green margins of our English highways
have in many districts been enclosed by the neighbouring land-
owners, and dances on the green are now, like the greens them-
selves (no pun is intended), no longer common.
An anonymous poet has said, or sung : —
1 Great is the fault in man or woman
That steals a goose from off a common,
But who can plead that man's excuse
Who steals the common from the goose ? '
* When I was quite a little boy, I received, in connection with the custom
here alluded to, probably my first practical lesson in the 'ways of the world.'
It happened one year, that for some reason or other my father did not have a
pig, and I noticed with surprise that a near neighbour, when her pig was
killed, did not (as was her usual custom) give us any 'fry.' Inquiring of my
good mother the cause of this omission, I was told it was because we had no
pig. Her answer puzzled me considerably, for I could not help thinking,
most conscientiously, that for that very reason our usually kind neighbour
ought not on this occasion to have overlooked us. — J. S.
t There is undoubtedly, to some constitutions, something highly exhilarat-
ing in out-door occupation. I have seen men working in the harvest field as
hard as it seemed possible for men to work, who, upon the conclusion of a
bout (see p. 5), would nevertheless indulge in a hornpipe, apparently from
sheer animal enjoyment of the pleasure of being alive. — J. S.
64 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIBE GLOSSARY.
In connection with this subject, and that of rural life generally,
it may here be remarked (if a slight digression be permitted),
that farmers and labourers had their grievances 350 years ago,
much as they have them now. In 'Now a dayes,' a poem
written about the year 1530, the author states, amongst other
grievances : —
' But now their ambicious suttlete
Maketh one fearme of two or thre ;
Ye, some tyme they bring VI. to one.'
Great complaint is also made against enclosures : —
' Commons to close and kepe
Poor for bred [to] cry and wepe.'
In ' Vox Populi Vox Dei,' 1547-8, the laying down of arable
land for grazing purposes is bitterly denounced.
' This is a mervellois mesire
For grasiares and regratres,
With soe many shepe-maistres
That of erabell ground make pasteres,
Are they that be these wasteres,
That will vndoe this lande ? ' &c. &c.
In another poem of about the same date (' The Ruin of a
Ream'), complaint is made of absenteeism on the part of the
nobility and gentry.
' Sometyme nobyll men levyd in ther contre,
And kepte grete howsoldis, pore men to socowur ;
But now in the Courts they desire for to be,
With ladys to daly, this is ther pleasure ;
So pore men dayley may famish for hunger,
Or they com home on monyth to remayne ;
Thys ys the trowthe, as I here certeyne.'
Ee turning to the subject in hand : —
MOPS, or hiring fairs, are held in various towns at Michael-
mas-tide. Those who attend them with the intention of being
hired, adopt certain badges which are well understood, and
therefore save time and trouble. A carter's boy wears a length
of whip-cord in his hat; a carter, some horse-hair; a groom, a
small piece of sponge, &c. Female servants also used to have
some plan of showing what positions they were looking for, by
the way in which they wrapped their shawls, and by other
devices, of which the author is compelled to plead ignorance.
STRIKING HANDS is the recognised act of binding a bargain in
fair or market. A dealer will say to a man having pigs to sell,
' What be yu a exin' fur thay, gaffer ? ' (Seller.) ' A guinea a piece.'
(Dealer walks off muttering ' I thought yu wanted to sell um
praps.') By and by he returns, evidently liking the looks of
SOUTH-EAST WOKCESTERSHIKE GLOSSARY.
65
the pigs. (Dealer.} 'Well, yu aant sell'd the pigs then.' (Setter.)
1 No, but I shawnt be long fust.' (Dealer.) ' Well, they be
smartish pigs, I oodn't a come back else ; but thay byunt wuth
nuthin' like what you be a exing far um. I'll tell yu what I'll
do thaough ; uf you'll thraow mu back ten shillin', look yu, I'll
gi' yu a pound a piece far um, un I wunt give a fardin moore.'
(Holds out his hand, and after a little consideration the seller
gives it a slap with his hand, and the bargain is settled.)
ON MAY-POLE DAY (May 29th, Eestoration Day), the children,
probably assisted by older persons, decorate a pole with may-
blossoms and with flowers, liberally contributed by all the neigh-
bours possessing flower gardens. The May-pole is carried from
house to house by two or three strong lads, and at intervals is
' set up,' being held in a perpendicular position by the lads, while
the children join hands and dance or run around it, singing : —
' All round the May-pole we will trot,
See what a May-pole we have got,
Garlands above and garlands below,
See what a pretty May-pole we can show.'
The tune is rather monotonous, and runs thus : —
^n 7 * ^E ^E if. iB — '
J i* r
f?T\ i / I | |
i ^— L — «-
All round the may - pole we
n i
will trot
•
f
XL i* H* i* i*
^J ^ tf
i* i* i* i* J
rrrv ^ J
d
See what a may- pole we have got,
— I*
Gar-lands a - bove and
gar - lands be- low — See ^hat a pret-ty may - pole we can show.
SELLING BY CANDLE END. — The following extract is from the
Evesham Standard of October 7, 1893, and although the sale
referred to did not take place in Worcestershire, but in a neigh-
bouring county, the custom is now so well-nigh obsolete, that the
author will be pardoned for overstepping the boundary upon this
one occasion : — ' The curious old Warwickshire custom of letting
roadside grazing rights by the auction of the burning candle was
observed in the parish of Warton, near Polesworth, on Monday
night.* The sale was conducted by the road surveyor, and the
bidding for each lot commenced with the lighting of a bit of
* Oct. 2, 1893.
66 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
candle about a quarter of an inch long. He who was last in
when the light went out became the purchaser. Five miles of
herbage were thus let for a sum of about eleven pounds, which
was only a quarter of what it made forty years ago.'
' HARVEST-HOME ' used to be celebrated right joyously at
almost every farm. At the carrying home of the last load the
men and boys shouted : —
' Up, up, up, up, harvest-home,
We have sowed and we have mowed,
And we have carried the last load home,
Up, up, up, up, harvest-home.'
Afterwards the farmer and his family, his friends and his
labourers, male and female, sat down to a substantial supper,
followed by singing, dancing (sometimes) and cider drinking
without stint. Much merriment prevailed, and (it must be
admitted) some drunkenness. The festival was frequently kept
up until daylight the next morning ; when the young men of the
party would perhaps be seen, gallantly and jocosely, escorting the
women to their respective homes, by the light (in addition to that
of broad day) of a lantern and candle. It can scarcely be denied
that the change which has taken place in the manner of celebrat-
ing harvest-home in most parishes is for the better.
LOWER COUNTRY. — In haymaking time, some of the most
adventurous of the young men, used to travel into a remote
region somewhere below Gloucester, called the ' Lower Country,'
in quest of work. They were usually successful, and not only
secured for themselves a liberal supply of money as wages, but
the reputation of being great travellers.
BON-FIRE NIGHT, or 'bwun-fire night' is loyally celebrated on
the fifth of November, when a bonfire is lighted, guns and the
blacksmith's anvil fired off, with the accompaniment of ' ser-
pents,' ' p&ck-rackets,' ' sky-rackets,' ' w heel-rackets,' &c. The
fuel for the fire is collected from the farmers and others, to
whose houses men and boys repair, each provided with a stout
stick ; the end of which he thumps upon the ground, first as a
kind of prelude, and then as an accompaniment to the well-
known ditty: —
' 0 don't you remember the fifth of November
Is gunpowder, ' trason ' and plot ?
I don't see the ' rason ' why gunpowder trason
Should ever be forgot.
A stick and a stake for Queen Victoria's sake,
I pray master give us a faggit ;
If you don't give us one we'll take two,
The better for we and the wuss for you."
Care is taken to bring down the sticks with a hearty thump,
all together, at the words ' plot,' ' forgot ' and ' faggit.'
SOUTH-EAST WOKCESTEKSHIBB GLOSSABY. 67
THE CUBFEW BELL is rung at Pershore at eight o'clock in
the evening from November 5th until Candlemas day. It was
formerly rung also at five o'clock in the morning, but owing to
the old sexton (named Blake) who, for many years performed
the duty of ringing the curfew bell, making a mistake as to the
time on one occasion, and ringing it five hours too early, the
practice was discontinued. The mistake arose in this way. The
sexton awoke in the night whilst the church clock was striking
twelve, and hearing the last five strokes only, he hastily slipped
into his clothes, hurried off to the belfry, and rang the bell in
the belief that it was five o'clock. At that time market gar-
deners carried their fruit (for which Pershore is so famous") to
Worcester, Birmingham, and other markets, in carts ; loading
them the day before, so that nothing remained to be done in the
morning but to ' shut in ' the horses and drive off. On the
occasion referred to, some of the gardeners (trusting implicitly to
the sound of the curfew bell) arose, harnessed their horses, and
drove off to market, not discovering the error they had been led
into, until they arrived at their destination.
CIDEB-DBINKING. — The law permits the sale of cider without
licence, if the quantity sold at one time be not less than four and
a-half gallons. This being the case, half a dozen or so of work-
men sometimes club together and purchase that quantity. They
also, as if in duty bound, drink it off forthwith ; the result being
that by the time the jars are empty, every man who has taken a
share in the affair is more or less intoxicated. f
The author remembers an absurd incident in connection with
one of these ' cider-drinkings.' Amongst others engaged in this
rustic devotion to Bacchus was a man named ' Tom,' a sawyer
(his surname is immaterial), and after the conclusion of the
orgies, the cider jars having been emptied, ' Tom ' was discovered
by his master, crawling along on his hands and knees, helplessly
drunk. Upon being asked what was the matter, he replied with
the greatest readiness, drunk as he was (although in doing so, it
is to be feared he told considerably less than half the truth) ' I 'a
got a bad cold, master.'
* It is a saying around Pershore, that when there is a good ' hit ' of fruit
(cherries and plums more particularly), the inhabitants speak of their town as
' Pershore, where d'you think ? ' but in a bad fruit season they have recourse
to their ancient motto (a good and pious one undoubtedly), Pershore, God
help us.'
t As the writer, to a very great extent, eschews politics, he does not venture
to say that the law as it stands, with regard to this matter, is a mistake ; but
he cannot help thinking that if the men could, in such cases, purchase a
smaller quantity than the 'faour un a 'awf,' they would willingly do so, and
less mischief might result as a consequence.
68 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Little excuse can, it is feared, be offered on behalf of men
who will sit and drink, sometimes for days together, merely for
the purpose of getting rid of the cider ; deeming it to be less
wasteful to spend two or three days of their time in emptying the
cask in this manner, than it would be to loosen the bung and
permit the liquor to flow away down the gutter.
A Netherton man (also named ' Tom ') had been absent from
his work for a day or two, and his master wondering what had
become of him, called on the third day at his house. There he
found Thomas, with three companions, most industriously
occupied in drinking cider drawn from a thirty gallon cask,
which they had set themselves the task of emptying. Tom's
explanation was, that ' having borrowed the borrel, and the
owner wanting it hisself, he 'ad invited his three friends to assist
him in emptying it, so that the owner shouldn't be disappwinted ;
and that they 'ad now amwust finished the job.'
' GIVE A DRAP TO THE OAWD MON.' — This signifies to pour a
horn of cider upon the ground instead of to drink it. It
has been thought by some, that this practice might be a relic, of
the ancient form of making a votive offering, to a heathen deity ;
possibly it might be ; but if so, our modern votaries seldom offer,
what they feel any inclination to drink themselves.
PRACTICAL JOKES are not uncommon ; such as tying the doors
of a cottage at which a wedding, a Christmas party, or other
merry-making is being held. The method usually adopted, is to
place a stout stick across the doorway, and to fasten the handle
of the door to the stick, with strong twine. As the chamber
windows are not usually very far from the ground, means of
egress are not difficult to find ; so that beyond the probable
loss of temper (and possibly a little profanity) on the part of the
occupiers of the cottage, no great harm is done. Sometimes, too,
the inmates will, on such occasions as those alluded to, find the
house suddenly filled with smoke; outside friends having taken
the trouble to prevent its escape at the ordinary outlet, by care-
fully stopping up the top of the chimney (or 'tun ') with a ' pitch-
ful ' of farm yard manure.
In a village in which were two public-houses, the proprietors
of these establishments (we will call them A and B, although as
a matter of fact the initial B served for both), have before now
been a little surprised to find their respective signs changed — A's
sign having been placed over B's door, and B's sign over A's.
Sometimes a man who forms one of a drinking party, will find
that his hat (if he has taken it from his head and deposited it out
of his sight), has also been indulging ; for upon attempting to put
SOUTH-EAST WOKCESTEKSHIKE GLOSSARY. 69
it on, a pint or so of liquor is discharged over his head and face.
Or perhaps, upon feeling for his knife or his handkerchief in his
coat pocket, he will find a small lake of ale or cider, which has
been kindly deposited there by an unknown friend.
' Catching an owl ' is a practical joke in which there are
usually three actors, two being confederates. The one upon
whom the joke is intended to be played carries a sieve, and one
of the confederates a lantern ; the third man, provided with a
bucket of water, keeps out of sight, and stations himself in a hay
loft, or similar situation overhead. The man with the lantern
then takes the one carrying the sieve, to a spot well over-looked
from the door of the hayloft ; telling him that there is an owl in
the loft, which will fly down at the light of the lantern, and
when it does so he is to catch it in the sieve. The victim is in-
structed to hold the sieve up over his head, and the man with
the lantern standing behind him throws the light into the centre
of the sieve. This is the signal for the man with the bucket,
who then pours its contents into the sieve and completely
drenches the poor victim.
EEMEDIES, CHARMS, &c. ; LUCKY AND UNLUCKY SIGNS AND
ACTS.
WHOOPING-COUGH is said to be cured, by giving to the patient,
on nine successive mornings, a slice of bread, which has previously
been buried in the earth for twenty-four hours.
2. Let the patient stand under the nostrils of a ' skew-bald '
(or pie-bald) horse, so that the horse can breathe upon him.
This is considered to be a certain cure.
3. If the patient will pass underneath a bramble branch
which is rooted at both ends, the cough will leave him.
BLEEDING AT THE NOSE, is cured by placing a cold stone or
a key down the patient's back, between the clothing and the skin.
2. The repetition of Ezek. xvi. 6, is a charm for bleeding at
the nose, considered by many to be infallible.
3. For bleeding at the nose, wear a skein of red silk round the
neck.
70 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
BURNS, AND ERYSIPELAS (St. Anthony's fire, or Tantony's fire),
are supposed to be cured by ' charming,' usually by a woman.
The charmer blows lightly on the affected part, and whispers very
softly some mystic words ; blowing and whispering alternately.
WARTS are cured by the application to them of a black snail,
which must afterwards be impaled upon a thorn. As the snail
wastes away, so also will the warts, until quite gone. The slimy
matter from the snail, must be permitted to dry upon the warts.
2. Warts are also cured, by rubbing them for nine consecutive
mornings, with the downy lining of the pod of the bean ; or by
applying to them for the same number of days, the juice of the
weed called 'cat's-milk.'
3. Some persons are supposed to have the power of charming
away warts ; the only thing necessary for the patient to do, is
to tell the charmer their number.
SORE EYES are cured by applying to them rain water, caught
on Ascension Day, and which is called ' holy water.' The rain
water, caught in the hollow formed by the leaves of a species of
dock growing by brook sides, is also a cure for sore eyes.
FOR DIARRHOZA a small portion of a Good Friday ' hot cross
bun ' is taken ; it is grated with a nutmeg grater, and taken as a
powder. A single bun is usually kept all the year round for such
purposes, and also because it is considered lucky.
SHINGLES is cured by the use of ointment, made of grease
(dodment) from the Church tenor bell.
TOOTHACHE. — Cure for tooth-ache. Take a gimlet and a piece
of cotton wool, and with the gimlet, bore a hole in the trunk of
a maiden ash ; thrust the cotton wool into the hole, and stop up
the hole with a peg, saying at the same time ' I do this, hoping
to cure the tooth- ache.'
2. A briar ball (a soft kind of ball which forms on the hip-
briar), is carried in the pocket as a remedy for tooth-ache.
HEAD-ACHE. — A snake-skin, worn inside the hat or bonnet,
keeps away head-ache.
STITCH IN THE SIDE is prevented by carrying in the pocket
a ' stitch-bone ; ' a small bone in the shape of a T found in the
cheek of a sheep.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSAKY. 71
QUINSEY. — A remedy for quinsey is a skein of crimson silk, or
a narrow piece of crimson ribbon, worn round the neck. If the
patient be a man, the ribbon or silk must be tied round the neck
by the hands of a maiden.
NETTLE-STING. — A remedy for the sting of a nettle, is to rub
the affected part with a dock-leaf, repeating whilst doing so this
charm : —
' Ettle, Ettle, 'ittle Dock
Dock sh'll 'ave a golden smock,
Ettle shaunt a' nerrun."
COKNS should be cut on the first Friday after full moon.
BABY'S NAILS. — It is unlucky to cut a-baby's nails before it is
a year old ; to do so would cause it to become a thief. Should
it become necessary to shorten them, they must be bitten off.
LEY. — It is unlucky to have ley in the house on Ash Wednes-
day ; housewives therefore take care to empty their ley-tubs on
Shrove Tuesday.
NEW MOON. — It is unlucky to see the new moon for the first
time through glass. Upon first seeing the new moon, the money
in the pockets should be turned over.
KNIVES. — It is unlucky for two knives to be crossed on the
table.
SALT. — It is unlucky to spill salt on the table ; but should
such an accident occur the ill effects of it are counteracted, by
throwing a small quantity of the salt over the left shoulder.
THE FIRST LAMB seen in the season should have its face to-
wards you ; otherwise you will be unlucky.
MAGPIES. — For a single magpie (or maggit) to fly near you, or
to settle in the road in front of you when you are starting on a
journey, is unlucky ; but should there be a pair of these birds, no
ill may be apprehended in consequence.
A HORSE-SHOE nailed to the door of a house, stable, barn, &c.,
prevents the entrance of witches.
EAVEN. — It is unlucky to kill a raven. The writer remembers
hearing an old game-keeper say that he never shot but one raven,
and shortly after doing so he fell down and broke his leg. That
this accident was attributable to his shooting the raven, he felt
so fully convinced, that he declared he never would under any
circumstances kill another.
72 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
WITCHCBAFT. — A small quantity of earth from a young man's
grave, worn on the head (in a small bag), is a safeguard against
witchcraft.
A HARE running through a village betokens a fire, and should
it take refuge in any house, that is the house at which the fire
will occur.
LEAVEN. — When a woman has laid her leaven, she sprinkles
a little flour over it, and then makes a cross upon it with her
finger; otherwise she would not expect the leaven to ' rise.'
BELL. — If the bell, when tolling, sounds heavily, it is the sign
of an approaching death.
VBEES. — When the owner of bees dies, it is supposed to be
necessary to ' tell ' the bees, or they will all die. ' Telling the
bees ' of a death is performed by a person rapping three times
on the hive with the front door key of the house in which the
deceased person died, and saying in a low voice, ' Bees, bees,
your master (or mistress) is dead; you be a gwain to have a new
master.'
EGG SHELLS should not be burnt, or the hens will cease laying.
FEIDAY. — It is unlucky to begin any new work, or to start on
a journey on a Friday.
WASHING. — If two persons wash their hands at the same time
in one bowl, they must spit in the water, otherwise they will
quarrel before the day is over.
NEW YEAB. — The first person to enter a dwelling on New
Year's morning should be a male ; for a female to do so would be
unlucky. The boys who go round ' wishing the villagers a merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year ' (page 62) are frequently
invited into the cottages, so that they may thus act as fenders
between the occupiers and ill-luck.
CRAMP. — Should you be troubled with cramp, lay your stock-
ings across each other at the foot of the bed, when you retire to
rest. Neglect of this precaution, might result in the continua-
tion, or a renewal of the malady.
FOLK-TALES.
Of folk-tales the author does not remember to have heard
much, excepting the usual stories to be found in all story books
relating to fairies, giants, witches, &c. The following" stories
were, however, told to him verbally when he was a boy, and
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 73
might be thought worth recording. The first was related by a
thresher man while at work in a barn, and the delight (slightly
spiced with awe) with which it was listened to by the present
narrator is not forgotten to this day : —
THE DEVIL AND THE FARMER. — The devil once called on a
farmer and exed 'im if he could give him a job. ' What con'st
do?' said the farmer. 'Oh! enything about a farm,' said the
devil. ' Well, I wans (want) a mon to 'elp mu to thresh a mow o'
whate,' sez the farmer. 'All right,' sez the devil, ' I'm yer mon.'
When they got to the barn, the farmer said to the devil, ' Which
oot thee do, thresh or thraow down?' ' Thresh,' said the devil.
So the farmer got o' top o' the mow and begun to thraow down
the shuvs of whate on to the barn flur, but as fast as 'e cud thraow
'em down the devil ooth one stroke uv 'is nile, knocked all the
earn out on um, un send the shuvs flying out o' the barn dooer.
The farmer thought he had got a queer sart uv a thresher mon ;
un as 'e couldn't thraow down fast enough far 'im, 'e sez
to 'im, ' Thee come un thraow down oot?' ' All right,' sez the
devil. So the farmer gets down off the mow by the ladther, but
the devil 'e just gives a lep up from the barn flur to the top o' the
mow, athout waiting to goo up the ladther. ' Be yu ready ? ' sez
the devil. 'Iss' (yes), sez the farmer. Ooth that the devil sticks
'is shuppick into as many shuvs as ood kiver the barn flur, an
thraows um down. ' That'll do fur a bit,' sez the farmer, so the
devil sat down un waited t'll the farmer 'ud threshed that lot, un
when a was ready agyun, 'e thraow'd down another flur full ; un
afore night they'd finished thresbin' the whole o' the mow o'
whate. The farmer couldn't 'elp thinkin' a good dyull about 'is
new mon, fur 'e'd never sin sich a one afore. ('E didn't knaow it
was the devil, thu knaowst, 'cos he took keer nat to let the farmer
see 'is cloven fut*). So in the marnin' 'e got up yarly un went
un spoke to a cunnin' mon about it. The cunnin' mon said it
must be the devil as 'ad come to 'im, un as 'e 'ad exed 'im in, 'e
couldn't get shut on 'im athout 'e could give 'im a job as 'a
couldn't do. Soon atter the farmer got wum agyun, 'is new mon
(the devil) wanted to knaow what he wus to do that day, and the
farmer thought 'e'd give 'im a 'tazer ; so he sez, ' Goo into the
barn look, un count the number o' earns there be in that yup o'
whate as we threshed out istaday.' ' All right,' sez Old Nick, un
off a went. In a faow minutes 'e comes back and sez, ' Master,
there be so many ' (namin' ever so many thousan' or millions un
odd, Id'na 'ow many). ' Bist sure thee'st counted um all?' sez
* It is said that when the devil appears personally to mankind, he is never
able to dispense with his cloven foot, but that he always does his best to hide
it, so as to prevent the discovery of his identity.
74 SOUTH-BAST WOBCESTEKSHIEE GLOSSAEY.
the farmer. ' Every earn,' sez Satan. Then the farmer ardered
'im to goo un fill a 'ogshead borrel full a water ooth a sieve. So
off 'e shuts agyun, but soon comes back un tells the farmer e'd
done it ; un sure anough 'a 'ad ; un every job the farmer set 'im
to do was the same. The poor farmer didn't know what to make
on it, fur thaough 'e wus a gettin' 'is work done up so quick,
'e didn't like 'is new mon's company. 'Owever, the farmer
thought he'd 'ave another try to trick 'im, un teld the devil
'e wanted 'im to goo ooth 'im a mowin' next Miarnin'. 'All
right,' sez the old un, ' I'll be there, master.' But as soon as
it was night the farmer went to the fild, un in the part the
devil was to mow, 'e druv a lot o' borrow tynes into the ground
amongst the grass. In the marnin' they got to the fild in
smartish time, un begun to mow ; the farmer 'e took 'is side, and
teld the devil to begin o' the tother, where 'e'd stuck in the
borrow tynes thu knaowst. Well, at it went the devil, who but
'e, un soon got in among the stuck up borrow tynes; but thay
made no odds, 'is scythe went thraough 'em all, un the only notice
on 'em 'e took wus to say to the farmer, every time 'e'd cut one
on um thraougb, ' A bur-dock, master;' un kep on just the same.
The poor farmer 'e got so frightened at last, 'e thraough'd down
'is scythe un left the devil to finish the fild. As luck ood 'ave it,
soon atter 'a got wum, a gipsy ooman called at the farm 'ouse,
and seein' the farmer was in trouble exed 'im what was the
matter ; so 'e up un tell'd 'er all about it. ' Ah, master,' 'er sez
to 'im, when 'e 'ad tell'd 'er all about it ; ' you 'a got the devil in
your 'ouse sure enough, un you can only get shut on 'im by givin'
'im summut to do as 'a caunb manage.' ' Well, ooman,' sez the
farmer, ' what's the use o' telling mu that ? la tried every
thing I con think on, but darned uf I cun find 'im eny job as 'a
caunt do.' ' I'll tell you what to do,' sez the gipsy ooman ;
1 when 'a comes wum, you get the missis to give 'im one uv 'er
curly 'airs; un then send 'im to the blacksmith's shap, to
straighten 'im on the blacksmith's anvil. 'E'll find 'a caunt do
that, un 'e'll get so wild over it as 'e'll never come back to yu
agyun.' The farmer was very thenkful to the gipsy ooman, and
said 'e'd try 'er plan. So bye 'n bye in comes the aowd fella, un
sez, 'I a finished the mowin', master; what else a you got far
mu to do?' ' Well, I caunt think uv another job just now,' sez
the farmer, ' but I thinks thee missis a got a little job for thu.'
So 'e called the missis, un 'er gan the devil a curly 'air lapped up
in a bit o' paper, un tell'd 'im to goo to the blacksmith's shap,
un 'ommer that there 'air straight; un when 'a was straight to
bring 'im back to 'er. ' All right, missis,' sez the devil, un off a
shut. ^When 'a got to the blacksmith's shap, 'e 'ommer'd un
'ommer'd at that there 'air on the anvil, but the moore 'e
'ommered, the cruckeder the 'air got; so at last 'e thraowed
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 75
down the 'ommer and the 'air un baowted, un never went back
to the farmer agyun.
THE FAIRY'S PEEL. — A ploughman working in a field one
day heard distinctly, what he supposed to be the sound of a
female voice, proceeding from beneath the ground. The lady
was lamenting that she had broken her peel, and the ploughman,
possessing the usual gallantry of a Worcestershire man, called
out, ' Bring 'im 'ere, missis, un I'll mend 'im.' Upon arriving
at the end of his furrow, the ploughman was not a little sur-
prised, to find a nicely made baking peel, with its handle broken
in two, lying on the adland. When he went home he took the
peel with him, and mended it as neatly as he could; and the
next morning brought it back, and laid it on the adland, in the
place where the fairy had left it the day before. When he had
finished his bout, and returned again to the adland, he found
that the fairy had taken away the peel, and had left in its place
the most delicious little cake he had ever eaten.
A WITCH once entered a stable and sat upon the manger, in
the shape of a large black cat. The carter seeing her, went and
called a dog to drive her away, but the witch changed herself
into a wheat straw, and laid herself across the horse's back.
Upon the carter's return to the stable he could not see the cat,
but seeing the wheat straw lying across the horse's back, he
cut it through with his knife, causing it to bleed human blood.
Alarmed at this he ran out of the stable and called his fellow
labourers, who on going into the stable, found the dead body of
an old woman shockingly mutilated.
SAYINGS, SUPERSTITIONS, &c.
APPLES ARE CHRISTENED on St. Swithin's Day (July 15), from
which date they are eatable.
THE CUCKOO buys a horse at Pershore fair (June 26), and rides
away. It is a fact that the cuckoo is seldom heard in this
locality after that date, but should it occasionally depart from
this rule it is said that ' he could not find a horse to suit him at
the fair.'
In April it is said that the cuckoo comes and picks up all the
dirt.
76 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTEBSHIBE GLOSSARY.
DON'T EAT DIET. — When a boy or girl is going to service
(particularly if it be a first situation), he or she will receive the
injunction, ' Be a good bwoy (or wench) and don't yut dirt.'
OF ELMLEY MEN the saying is (or was), ' You can always tell
(know) a Ernbley mon by 'is stick.' It is true that, as a rule,
every Elmley man carried (and probably does so now) a stick,
which, unlike an ordinary walking-stick, projected six or seven
inches upwards above the hand, and generally consisted of an ash
sapling. This was probably owing to the fact, that they nearly all,
were more or less connected with the woods, and had thus
opportunities of supplying themselves with such sticks, which
they found to be convenient and serviceable ; particularly when
climbing Bredon Hill. The author has spent many happy hours
in the company of Elmley men, whom he always found to be of
a most genial and jovial disposition, and there is lingering in his
recollection some faint trace, (so faint is it that he scarcely dares
to record it), of a tradition connected with Elmley men's sticks.
It is something to this effect — that on the day of the battle of
Evesham a body of Elmley men inarched to that town in support
of Prince Edward, and that they were all armed with sticks,
which they had cut for themselves in the woods ; and being on
the winning side, they naturally from that time, felt some pride
in (or as we should say locally, were fritch of) their long sticks.
However that may be, Leland, the historian, mentions (as quoted
by the late Eev. Hugh Bennett) that ' the old Lord Beauchamp,
of Helmeley, sent three or four of his sunnes to the battle of
Evesham, to help King Henry III. and Prince Edward, again
Simon Monteforte and the Barons ; and these brether, with their
band, did a great feate in vanquishing the host of Monteforte.'
BKEDON HILL. — A saying referring to Bredon Hill as a
weather foreteller, is —
' When Bredon Hill puts on his hat
Men of the vale beware of that. '
Meaning, that if a cloud descends upon the hill and remains there,
it is a sign of rain; when it ascends, it is going to be fine. When
the hill appears to be very near, showers of rain are probable ; if
apparently far off, fine weather may be expected.
THE BAMBUBY STONE, about which so much has been written,
and which stands at the border of Kemerton Camp, on the
summit of Bredon Hill, is said to go down to the Avon to drink,
every time it hears a church clock strike twelve.
WHISTLING FEMALES. —
' A whistling maid, a crowing hen,
Are neither good for God nor men.'
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 77
PIG-KILLING. — A pig must not be killed when the moon is
waning, or the bacon will 'boil out,' that is, it will shrink in
boiling instead of ' plimming up ' (or becoming plump), as good
bacon should do.
CARELESSNESS. — It is said of a careless person, ' It's all Come
day, go day, God send Sunday with him ' (or ' her ').
CAKE'S ALL DOUGH. — When work upon which a person is en-
gaged seems to be progressing somewhat slowly and awkwardly,
so as to cause vexation or irritation, he (or she) will exclaim, ' O
dear aow, my cake's all dough ' sometimes adding ' How shall I
bake it, I don't know.' Comp. Shakespeare, Tarn. Shr., i., 1 and
v., 1.
ECLIPSE. — It used to be thought that an eclipse of the sun,
was ocular evidence of a battle being then in progress between
the sun and the moon; and that the result of a lunar victory,
would be the immediate ending of the world.
POINTING AT THE STARS. — Children used to be told, that it
was wicked to point with the finger at the stars, or at the rain-
bow ; to attempt to count the stars, was also considered a very
wicked act.
HAT BRIM turned up behind. ' 'Is 'at's turned up behind
like a Pammington mon's.'
MONEY-TREE.— Children who are wanting a toy or something
of the kind, that their parents do not wish to buy for them, are
told they must wait until their money -tree bears. Equivalent to
waiting until their ship comes in.
MONEY SPIDER. — A small red spider, whose presence is sup-
posed to indicate the approach of good fortune.
PERSHORE BOYS could formerly be readily detected by their
peculiar ' ticang ' ; a sharp accent being given to the first
syllable, the pitch slightly dropping and rising again as they
proceeded with their sentence. Country lads (those from Per-
shore never forgetting to so designate the lads of the villages)
would call after them, ' Wher bist a gwainin ? ' ' Oy, lip in the
Newland.' ' What atter ? ' ' Oy, a aputh o' taters.' ' What
makes thu 'ave sich a faow at a time ? ' ' Oy, cos mother sez
thay bwiles like morra, un goos down yer neck like a wheelborra.'
EVESHAM BOYS. — The call after an Evesham lad is (or was)
' Who put the pig on the wall to 'ear the bond play ? Oy, Asum.
(How these absurdities originated the author is unable to say,
but they are included because with regard to sayings, &c., as
well as in numerous other matters, it is difficult to decide what is,
or what is not, a trifle.)
78 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
HORSE-HAIR IN WATER. — There is (or was), a belief amongst
boys (if not amongst elders also), that a horse-hair permitted to
remain in water, until the water became putrid, would change
into a living reptile.
' Much is breeding,
Which, like the courser's hair, hath yet but life,
And not a serpent's poison.'
(Shakespeare, Ant. and Cleop., i., 2).
HAUNTED HOUSES, roads, barns, &c., are not very uncommon.
The writer has heard from more than one authority of a funeral
procession, which is occasionally seen marching in all solemnity
along the highway on Cropthorne Heath, near the hour of mid-
night. At a certain gate it turns off the high road, enters the
field, and disappears. One eye-witness of this apparition, who
related the matter as above stated, to the author ; was a highly
respectable, and well-known professor of music. The apparition
is sometimes called ' Old Button's Funeral.'
Another road said to be haunted, is that leading from Little
Comberton, to Bricklehampton and Elmley Castle. It is related
that a man, who at the time lived at Bricklehampton, was pro-
ceeding homewards one evening along the road referred to, when
he overtook a young woman, and walked beside her until they
arrived opposite Coachman's barn, at which spot he ventured to
attempt to put his arm round her waist. His arm, however,
passed through her body, and she disappeared through the gate-
way which leads into the Coachman's barn ground.
Numerous stories are told of strange noises and appearances
at Nash's Farm, at the Manor House, and in the locality around
these old houses ; both of which are in Little Comberton. But
nearly all parishes seem to have their ghosts and haunted houses,
and to relate a quarter of the stories which crop up upon the
subject, would be a task that the author could not undertake.
' Such topics I must leave to other hands,
Shut out by envious straits of time and space."
(Virgil, Fremantle's Translation.)
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
79
NAMES OF FIELDS, &o.
Of the Names of Fields, &c., given here, some are probably
of no importance whatever; others are common-place, but a
fairly good number of them are suggestive of by-gone days, and
of old superstitions. [The spelling may not in all cases be
correct ; the names in many instances having been taken down
from hearing them only.]
ACRES.
ALLSBOROUGH HILL.
ASHAM MEADOW.
ASKEN CORNER.
ASMOOR PIECE.
BACK-ORCHARD.
BAKER'S ORCHARD.
BALLINS.
BALLINS-SLAD.
BARTLEY-ADLAND.
BATTINS WOOD.
BEARCROFT.
BEGGAR-BOYS.
BEN-HOLM.
BERRYER-PIECE.
BERRY (or BURY) WAY.
BESS-CAPS.
BIG MILLOW.
BIN-CROFT.
BLACK LENNARD.
BLOOD-WORT.
BOTTOMS.
BOUN-HAM.
BREACH.
BROAD-BUCKTIN.
BROADMERE-LAYS.
BROAD-WATERS.
BUCKETS-CORNER ( ? Puck-its
Corner.)
BURY-LENCHES.
CALMUS-HILL.
CAMES-COOMB.
CAN-LANE.
CATTI-CROFT.
CHAD-BURY.
CHARFORD-BANK.
CHICKEN-ORCHARD.
CHURCH-FURLONG.
CLATS-MOOR.
COACHMAN'S BARN.
COLD- WELL.
COLE'S-LAYS.
COLT-GROUND.
COLLEGE-ORCHARD.
COPPICE-FURLONG.
CRAY-COMB HILL.
DEAD-MAN'S AIT.
DEAR- SALE.
DENE-FURLONG.
DENE-MEADOW.
DEVIL'S SLEDTHER.
DlNGE.
DlPPERLINGS.
DOCTOR'S-CLOSE.
DOCTOR'S WOOD.
DODDEN-HILL.
DOWN-MILLOW.
DOWNS.
DRAGON'S-HOLE.
ELLACOMPANE.
FARTHER-HOBBS.
FLAX-GROUND.
FURZE-GROUND.
GIG-MWIRE
mire}.
(probably Quag-
80
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
GLYDE -PIECE.
GOODLEY-HILL.
GRAVEL-PIT-GROUND.
GREEN-FARN-HILL.
GREEN-GROUND.
GREEN-STREET.
GUINEA-FURLONG.
GUNNING' S-LANE.
HALES-WELL.
HASELOR.
HELL-HOLE.
HENDON-BANK.
HICKERAGE.
HOB-NAILS.
HOB'S-HOLE.
HOME-GROUND.
HONGER-FURLONG.
HORRELL-ORCHARD.
HORRELL-WOOD.
HORSE-CAMPS.
HOWBURN-HILL.
HUNGER-HILL.
HURRELLS-HILL.
Huss (or HURST) BARN.
ICKLEY.
ICKLEY-MEADOW.
ICKLEY-PIECE.
RENNET'S ORCHARD.
KENT'S ORCHARD.
KNAP.
LAMMAS-MEADOW.
LICH-LANE.
LlLWORTH.
LITTLE WORRALL.
LONG-DITCH.
LONG-DRAGON'S-PIECE.
LONG-LAND.
LOWER-FIELD BARN.
LOWER NORVILL.
MAGPIE-LANE.
MANOR-GROUND.
MARY-BROOK.
MELCHAM'S WAY.
MIDDLE-FURLONG.
MlDDLE-NoRVILL.
MILESTONE-PIECE.
MlLLOW-GROUND.
MOLL-HAYES.
MOUNT-CROFT.
NAFFORD.
NETHER-HOBBS.
NO-GAINS.
NORCHARD-FIELD.
NOSTERNS-WELL-PIECE.
NURDER.
OLD AIT.
OLD-FALLOW.
OLD-FIELD BARN.
OLD-FORD MEADOW.
OLD-SEEDS.
OXEN-DITCH.
PENNY-CLOSE.
PENS ORCHARD.
PERRY- ACRE.
PIDDLE CHURCH CLOSE.
PIDDLE MEADOW.
PlNKITS-CORNER.
PITCH-HILL.
PlTCHALL-HILL.
PORTER.
PORT WAY.
PORTWAY-FURLONG.
PRIEST-LANE.
PUCK-PIT-GROUND.
PUCK'S PIECE.
PUR-BROOK.
BAN'S ORCHARD.
EEAD'S PIECE.
EEDDEN-HILL.
RED-FORD.
RIDGE-GROUND.
RIDGE WAY FAR-CLOSE.
RlDGEWAY-FURLONG.
RlDGEWAY-GROUND.
RlDGEWAY-LITTLE-MEADOW.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
81
ElDGE WAY-MIDDLE-CLOSE .
ElNGE-MERE.
EOUND-HILL.
EUDGE-HILL.
EYE-FURLONG.
SALAM-COMMON MEADOW.
SALTER'S-GREEN MEADOW.
SALT WAY.
SALTWAY BARN.
SALT WAY-BARN-PIECE.
SALT WAY-COPPIC E .
SALT WAY-PIECE.
SHAWL.
SHEEP-HILL.
SHEPHERD'S-CLOSE.
SHUT-COOMB.
SHUTS.
SlTCHWAY-CLOSE.
SlTCH WAY-LANE.
SLING.
SMOCK- FURLONG.
STAFFORD'S MOOR.
STANNISH-LANE.
STARN-HILL.
STREET-FURLONG.
SWATMAN'S GROUND.
SYCAMORE-GROUND.
THICK-THORN.
THROUGHTERS.
TIBLEY.
TOLLEY'S CLOSE.
TOWN-FURLONG .
TWINTON.
TYDESLEY-WOOD.
TYTHE BARN.
UPPER-HOBBS.
UPPER NORVILL.
UPPER SALTWAY-PIECE.
UPPER SYTCH.
VALENTINES.
VINEYARD-HILL.
VINEYARD - ORCHARD .
VORTY-CLOSE.
WAD-CLOSE.
WAINHERD'S HILL.
WATER-MERE.
WELL-FURLONG.
WERGS.
WHITE-WAY QUOR-PIECE.
WHOYN-HILLS.
WIND'S-ARSE.
WIST AN' s BRIDGE.
WITLEY-PIECE.
WOLVERTON.
WOOLLAND.
YAK.
YEALD-WOOD.
YELL-WOOD.
NAMES OF SOME OF THE TOWNS,
VILLAGES, ETC., IN AND ABOUND THE DISTKICT,
WITH THEIK LOCAL APPELLATIONS.
ABBOT'S LENCH
ALCESTER ...
ALVE-CHURCH
ASHTON
BENGEWORTH
BIRMINGHAM
BISHAMPTON
. .. Known as HOB-LENCH.
,, AWSTER.
,, ALL-CHURCH.
,, AISHEN.
„ BENJUTH, or BEN-JUD.
,, BRUMMIJUM.
BISSAPP'N.
82
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSABY.
BRICKLEHAMPTON . . . Known as
BROADWAY... ... ,,
CAMPDEN „
CERNEY ... ... ,,
CHARLTON ,,
COMBERTON ... ,,
CROPTHORNE ... ,,
DORMSTONE ... ,,
EBRINGTON ... ,,
ELMLEY ... ... ,,
EVESHAM ... ... „
GOTHERINGTON ... , ,
GRAFTON ... ... ,,
HONEYBOURNE ... ,,
KERSOE ... ... ,,
KIDDERMINSTER ... ,,
KINGTON ,,
MADRESFIELD ... ,,
MALVERN ,,
MARSTON ,,
NAUNTON BEAUCHAMP ,,
OFFENHAM... ... ,,
PEBWORTH... ... ,,
PERSHORE ,,
POWICK ,,
SEVERN ... ... ,,
SMETHWICK ... ,,
STANWAY ... ... ,,
STOULTON ... ... ,,
SWINE SHERD ... ,,
THROCKMORTON ... , ,
UPTON SNODSBURY ,,
WEST BROMWICH... ,,
WHITTINGTON ... ,,
WICKHAM ... ... „
WORCESTER
BRICK-LUND, or BRICKLEDUN.
BROADY.
CAMDIN.
SAWNEY.
CHOL-TON.
CUMMERTON.
CRAPTON.
DARMS'N.
YUBBERT'N.
EMBLEY.
A-SUM.
GUTHERT'N.
GRAF'N (a as in father).
HONEY-BUN.
KESSA.
KIDDY-MISTER.
KYINE.
MATCH-FIELD.
MAWVUN.
MAAS'N (a as in father).
NAUN, also DEBTY NAUN.
UFFENUM.
PEBBUTH.
PERSHA, or PAWSHA.
PWOYK.
SIVVUN.
SMERRICK.
STANNY.
STOUT'N.
SWENSHUD.
FROGMORT'N.
UPTON SNADGBURY.
WEST BRUMMIDGE.
WITTENTON.
WEEKUN.
OOSTER.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
83
SHAKESPEAKE AND OUK LOCAL DIALECT.
There is abundant evidence throughout the writings of Shake-
speare, that he was well acquainted with this locality and its
dialect. Indeed, it would be strange if such were not the case ;
for, unless Shakespeare had been a man who, after having
acquired a certain amount of popularity, felt ashamed of his
antecedents, and of his earlier surroundings, and therefore took
great pains, not to introduce into his works, any of the provin-
cialisms with which he must have been so familiar, from his
earliest childhood ; the absence of such evidence would scarcely
be possible. Stratford is only twelve miles or so from Evesham
' as the crow flies,' and the difference in the dialects of the two
districts is slight.
The following is a list of some of the local words to be found
in Shakespeare's works, and in some instances, they are such as
scarcely could have been used by a stranger to the locality.
Moreover, what may perhaps be described as the ungrammatical
subtleties of our dialect, could with difficulty have been grasped
by any stranger, however learned (Bacon for instance), in the
manner in which Shakespeare has caught them : —
A for He (see p. 50)
A-hungry (see p. 50)
All-is-one
Argal
Atomy (see p. 87)
Barm
Basting
Beetle
Bemoil (see p. 87)
Blindworm (see p. 87) ...
Brize (comp. Bree)
Broken-mouthed (see
P- 88)
Buck (to wash, see p. 88)
Burn-daylight (see p. 88)
Cake's all dough (see p. 77)
Clipt
Clout (a cloth)
Hen. V., iii., 2 ; also ii., 3, for example.
Her. W., i., 1.
Her. W., ii., 2.
Ham., v., 1.
2 Hen. IV., v., 4 (comp. with noto-
mize, which is another instance of
n before a vowel).
Mids. N. Dr., ii., 1.
Com. Er., ii., 2.
2 Hen. IV., i., 2.
Tarn. Shr., iv., 1.
Mids. N. Dr., ii., 3 ; Macb., iv., 1.
Troil. & Cr., i., 3 ; Ant. & CL, iii., 8.
All's Well, ii., 3.
Her. W., iii., 3.
Her. W., ii., 1 ; Bom. & Jul., i., 4.
Tarn. Shr., i., 1 ; v., 1.
Win. Tale, v., 2; CorioL, i., 6; K.
John, v., 2.
K. John, iii., 4; Rich. III., i., 3;
Ham., ii., 2.
84
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTEKSHIRE GLOSSABY.
Clouted ...
Collied
Cock-sure
Come your ways
Courser's hair (see p. 78)
Cowl-stick (or staff)
Crow-keeper (see p. 89) . . .
Deck of cards (see p. 89)
Doubt (extinguish)
Dowle (see p. 90)
Else (at end of sentence)
Fettle
Fire-new...
Fitcher, or Fitchew
Flower-knot
Gallows, adj.
Inch-meal
Keech (comp. Cleaches)
Kindled
Loffe
Look you (see var. ex-
amples)
Malkin (see Mawkin)
Me, redundant in numerous instances.
example.
Morris-dance
Nay-word
Neeld (see Nild)
Gymb., iv., 2.
Mids. N. Dr., i., 1 ; OtheL, ii., 3.
Hen. IV., ii., 3.
Mea. for Mea., iii., 2.
Ant. & CL, i., 2.
Mer. W., iii., 3.
Bom. & Jul., i., 4; K. Lear, iv., 6.
3 Hen. VI., v., 1.
Hen. F., iv., 2 ; Ham., i., 4.
Temp., iii., 3.
OtheL, iv., 1 ; v., 1, for example.
Bom. & Jul., iii., 5.
Love's Lab. L., i., 1.
TroiZ. e£ O., v., 1; OtheL, iv., 1. ;
K. Lear, iv., 6.
.Rtc/i. II., iii., 4; Love's Lab. L., i., 1.
Love's Lab. L., v., 2.
Temp., ii., 2.
Hen. FIJI., i., 1.
As You Like It, iii., 2.
.MwZs. J^. Dr., ii., 1.
As You Like It, iii., 2.
CorioL, ii., 2; Per., iv., 4.
See Two Gent., iv., 4, for
Nine-men's-morris (see
P- 91)
Nowl (head) (comp.
Snowier)
Nuncle
Oman (woman) ...
Phill-horse (see Filler)
Pick-thank
Pleached (see Plaicher)
Puck
Pug(topuU)
Hen. V., ii., 4; All's Well, ii., 2.
Tw. N., ii., 3 ; Mer. W., ii., 2.
Mids. N. Dr., hi., 2; K. John, v., 2 ;
Per.,iv., v. (Gower); Lucrece, 46.
.Mids. N. Dr., ii., 2.
.IfwZs. N. Dr., iii., 2.
.ST. Lear, ii., 3.
Mer. TF., i., 1.
.Mer. Fen., ii., 2.
1 Hen. IF, iii., 2.
ifwc/i .4^0, iii., 1; Ant. & CL, iv., 12.
Mids. N. Dr. (comp. ' Puck ' in ' Field
Names ; ' also ' Aw-Puck,1 or ' Hob-
Puck.')
Win. Tale, iv., 2.
'Doth set my pugging tooth on edge.' Some commentators
consider that 'pugging ' here is a misprint for 'prigging ' ; but as
'pug' signifies to pull, and Autolycus refers to 'white sheets
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSAKY.
85
bleaching on the hedge,' and also declares ' My traffic is sheets/
which, if taken from the hedge, would require to be 'pugged' off;
is it not probable that the figure he uses, simply means, that the
sight of the sheets (his traffic), excites his 'pugging ' propensity ?
Pun (to pound) (see p. 91)
Eesolve (to dissolve) (see
P- 91) ' ...
Shog
Sliver
Trail & Cr., ii., 1.
Ham., i., 2.
Hen. V., ii., 3.
K. Lear, iv., 2; Ham., iv., 7; Macb.,
iv., 1.
Sneap 2 Hen. IF., ii., 1 (comp. Snaowp).
In concluding a bargain, men will sneap or snaowp upon a
table or board with their knuckles ; also in the game of ' Put,'
when one player has a ' strong ' hand, he will challenge his an-
tagonist by snaowping upon the table; should the challenge be
accepted (by a snaowp in reply), the game must be played through
or the defaulter loses it.
Sprag (comp. SpracJct)
(see p. 92) Her. W., iv., 2.
Sweet-wort ... ... Love's Lab. L., v., 2.
Talent (talon) ... ... Love's Lab. L., iv., 2.
Tarre K. John, iv., 1; Troild Cr., i., 3; Ham.,
ii., 2.
Tewkesbury Mustard ... 2 Hen. IV., ii., 2.
Trammel (to catch as
with a trammel, inter-
cepting all that comes
behind it) Macb.,i.,7.
Tundish Meas.for Meas., iii., 2.
Tup OtkeL, v., 2; iii., 3.
Tush Yen. & Adon., 104.
Urchin Tit. Andr., ii., 3.
Whiffler Hen. 7., v., Chorus.
(N.B. — Where no other reference is given, the word will be found in
the glossary.)
In corroboration of what has been said above, let the reader
refer to Hen. V., iii., 2, and compare the speech of the boy with
some of the examples given in the preceding pages of this work.
' All they three ; ' ' a faces it out ; ' ' a never broke any man's
head but his own,' &c., &c. Or note Mrs. Quickly's description
of the death of Falstaff (Act ii., sc. 3). In either instance the
language employed, might very well have been that of an in-
dividual of the working class, born and bred within sound of
Evesham or Pershore bells.
86 SOUTH-EAST WOKCESTEKSHIRE GLOSSABY.
Again, the word ' Argal' (the fourth in the list), which Shake-
speare puts into the mouth of the gravedigger (Ham., v., 1), is
used in this district for 'argue.' In most glossaries it is explained
as being a corruption of the word ' ergo,' and no doubt this is so ;
but in using the word, the gravedigger is only doing what is so
frequently done, by persons in his position of life at the present
day; viz., substituting a word with which he is quite familiar,
for one of which his knowledge is imperfect, because it resembles
it in sound. Such instances are not at all uncommon, and any
one taking an interest in the dialect of our district, would be well
repaid by a perusal of the writings of our great poet, with the
object of identifying the numerous instances of word and phrase,
to be found therein; and which go to prove, how intimately
acquainted their author must have been, with our locality and its
dialect.
It may be urged, that some of these words are mere survivals
of the speech of all England, in Shakespeare's day. In certain
cases this may be so; but it is scarcely credible that this can
apply to many; for it would be hard to supply a valid reason>
why a greater number of these (if once generally common) words,
should remain current in the neighbourhood of Shakespeare's
birth, rather than elsewhere.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 87
APPENDIX.
A-done, v. leave off; to finish.
A-late, adv. lately.
An-all, adv. also. ' Ower Tom a got a good place ; 'e gets five
shillin' a wick, un 'is fittle an all.'
A-pick-a-back, adv., carrying a child with its legs resting on the
shoulders, and astride the neck.
Argify, v. to signify, to apply an argument.
Athwart (pron. Athurt), prep, from corner to corner (of a field
or other superficial area).
Atomy or Atomize, n. See Notomize.
Ayed him on, v. incited, encouraged, urged.
Back-friend, n. a secret enemy.
Baggar-nation-saze-it, inter j. a mild expletive.
Banyan-days, n. days without food. (The Banians are a class
among the Hindoos, who believe in the doctrine of
metempsychosis, and therefore abstain from animal food. —
Worcester.}
' Monday, plenty.
Tuesday, some.
Wednesday, a little.
Thursday, none.
Friday, Banyan-day.
Saturday, go home.'
Beetle-yudded, adj. stupid.
Be-mwile, v. (bemoil), to bedaub with mud or other filth.
' How she was bemoiled.' (Shakesp., Tarn. Shr., iv., 1).
Biddy, n. a chicken or fowl (Gaelic, bid, to chirp).
Bin as fur narth as eny on yu. ' Been as far north as any
of you ' = ' I know as much as,' or, ' I am no more of a
simpleton than any of you.'
Bird-batting, v. catching birds at night from hedges, bushes,
and thatched roofs, &c., by means of a net and a lantern,
the birds being disturbed by sticks poked into their roosting
places, and allured into the net by the light of the lantern.
Blacksmith's-daughter,.w. the key of the street door.
Blind-worm, n. a species of snake.
88 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Blizzy, n. a blaze.
Boffle (baffle), v. to shake another's arm when writing; (a school
boy's term). t
Broken-mouthed, adj. having lost teeth.
Bucking, n. clothes being washed ; a wetting. ' I was out in all
that tempest last night, un it was lucky as I'd got this ere
oawd top coowut on; I sh'd a got a good buckin' else.' Old
lady used to call a child named Ann, ' Nance, Pance, the
buckin' wesher.'
Bully-rag, v. to abuse, to be-call ; n. a blackguard. (Is this
from Bully-rook ? See Shakesp., Her. W., i., 3, &c. Halli-
well has Bally-rag.)
Burning-daylight, v. burning a candle during daylight.
By-Gad, inter j. a softened form of a too common irreverent ex-
pression, but used more in the same sense as the word
'indeed'; thus ' Ower Jack fund a shillin' this inarnin'.'
' Did a, be-qad.' (Admiringly of a very large vegetable
marrow.} ' By-gad, that's a big un.'
By-gew, or By-gaow, same as By-gad.
Byunt afeard o' that. This expression is frequently used in the'
sense of there being no probability, or hope, of any particular
event occurring. (Old allotment tenant deputed to drink the
health of the landlord who is leaving the village.) ' 'Ere's to
your good 'ealth, sir, un I 'ope when you be gwun as we
sh'll 'ave a better come ; 'owever, I byunt afeard o' that, but
I 'ope us shaunt 'ave a wuss.' The old gentleman meant
nothing otherwise than complimentary; 'hoping a better one
might come,' meant ' a better one, if such a thing were
possible ; ' and to hope that the retiring landlord would not
be succeeded by one who would be worse than he was,
implied that the chances were that such would be the case.
Call together, v. See Prawl.
Cant-hook or Kent-hook, n. a strong, sharp hook, having a ring
or a chain at one end, through which a lever passes, and by
means of which heavy trees, &c., can be rolled over for
removal.
Cast not a Clout till May be out. (Another version of the
proverb, ' Change not a clout,' &c.)
Cat gallows, n. a horizontal stick or bar, lodged upon two
perpendicular ones, used by boys in practising jumping.
See Jumping -stock.
Chunk, 7i. a lump broken or cut off; a large slice.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY. 89
Chussha-Wagga, n. inferior or ' skim cheese,' thus described : —
' Two pints of milk and three of slobber.
Fire wunt fret it,
Water wunt wet it
Knife wunt cut it,
Dog barks behind the door,
Cos a cawnt yut it.'
Clane as a Whistle = completely. « That thing as thay uses in
France (the Gully-tine don't um call it?) to put folks to
dyuth ooth, insted a 'angin' um ; cuts ther yuds off " as
clane as a whistle." '
Clench, v. in drawing water from a well with a bucket, the act of
turning the bucket over, in such a manner as for the edge to
go under water, is called clenching the bucket.
Cob, n. a game, in which the players have to endeavour to bowl
a marble into a hole made in the ground.
Cotton, v. to be agreeable. ' Fur 'im to pay mu the same money
for doin' 'is work, when I 'ad to find myself, look ; as a did
when a gan mu my nttle oodn't cotton; un so I teld 'im.'
' Styles and I cannot cotton' (Hist, of Capt. Stukely, quoted
by Nares. )
Cowed, v. bent. ' I don't think my spade is o' much account,
fur 'e cowed as soon as ever a got into a bit o' gravel.'
Cocksey, adj. consequential.
Crack-up, v. to praise, or to speak highly of another.
Crow-keeper, n. a boy employed to frighten away crows in a
cornfield. ' That fellow handles his bow like a crow-keeper.'
(Shakesp., K. Lear, iv., 6).
Cunning Man or Woman, n. a person having the reputation of
being a wizard, or a witch. It is not an uncommon thing to
say of such persons, that they have sold themselves to the devil.
Cutting for the Simples ; an expression used, when speaking of
a person who has done some foolish action. 'He wants
cutting for the simples, I should think.'
Deck, n. a pack of cards.
' But whiles he thought to steal the single ten,
The King was slily finger'd from the deck t '
Shakesp., 3 Hen. VI., v., 1.
Devil's Coach-horse, n. the ' rove-beetle,' or ' black cock-tail '
(Ocypus olens}.
Dick's hat-band. As cross (or as queer) as Dick's hat-band =
ill-tempered, cross, obstinate.
Don't spare; a common form of expression of welcome, to a friend
who may have been invited to partake of a meal. ' Come,
'ave a bit moore ; don't spare.'
1
90 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Dowle, 71. down, soft feathers.
' One dowle that's in my plume.'
SJiakesp., Temp., iii., 3.
Drink -bus (drink-house), n. a building, or apartment, in which
beer or cider are stored.
Eek, Eek, Eek, n, the call to ducks.
Eek- it-oat, v. to use sparingly; to make the best use of a scanty
supply.
Felth, n. feeling.
Fiz-gig, n. a kind of squib, made of damped gunpowder, and often
used for the purpose of suffocating wasps when an attempt is
made to destroy their nests.
Fizzle, v. to burn out like damp gunpowder ; exhausting itself in
emitting sparks and smoke, without producing either a blaze
or an explosion.
Forry yu. This is an old form of saying 'for you,' not now very
common.
Groaning, n. a lying-in (Halliwell).
Gulch, v. the act of swallowing.
Haulier, or Hallyer, n. a person whose business is to do ' hauling '
with horse and cart for hire.
Hide-and-wink, n. hide-and-seek.
Hiding, n. a beating.
Jack-and-his-waggon, n. the constellation of ' The Great Bear.'
Jime-stone; an upright stone in the fireplace of old-fashioned
houses. ' Thee say that agyun, look; un I'll knock thee yud
agyunst thejimestone.' (Probably a corruption of jamb-stone.)
Jingling-match, n. a kind of dance.
Jobber, n. a dealer, as pig-jobber.
Kearf, n. a small bundle of hay.
Kidney-byun-sticks, n. the upright sticks by which kidney-beans
(or scarlet-runners) are supported.
Mat, v. to fit, to correspond.
Mawnt, adv. must not.
Middlings, n. same as gurgins or gurgeons.
Mighty, adv. very, as ' a mighty good un ; ' 'a mighty little un,' &c.
Molly-coddle, n. a man who does work appertaining to a woman.
Most-in-general, generally.
Mwust-an-ind, adv. generally ; almost always.
SOUTH-EAST WORCESTEESHIBE GLOSSARY. 91
N is frequently placed before a vowel, as ' nawls ' for ' awls,'
'naint' for 'aunt,' 'nuncle' for 'uncle,' ' nopple' for 'an
apple,' ' nunchin' for 'luncheon' (in this case, however, the
' 1 ' is dropped and ' n ' substituted) .
Nation, adj. very ; as ' nation good,' ' nation bad,' &c.
Neddy-grinnel, n. a dog-rose briar.
Nine-men's-morris, n. a game in which each competitor has nine
'men,' which may consist of stones, pegs, blocks of wood, &c.,
A board called a morris board is generally used for the game,
in which holes are bored (to a geometrical pattern) in which
to place the ' men.' (Probably a modification of that referred
to by Shakespeare, Mids. N. Dr., ii., 2.)
Notomize, also atomy or atomize, n. a skeleton; also a very thin
person.
0 braYe ! int. an exclamation of commendation. (Boy.} ' Look
father, I a lazed thase 'ere six ontle's o' whate.' (Father.)
' 0 brave ! '
Outlandish, an out of the way place.
Pack Racket, n. a species of firework constructed so as to
explode with a succession of loud reports (known in London
as a cracker).
Pecked forrud, v. fell forward.
Pharisees, n. fairies. (The author has only heard old people use
this term.)
Pitchful, n. the quantity of hay, straw, manure, &c., which can
be taken up at one time with a fork, or sheaf-pike.
Plaguey, adv. used to emphasize any derogatory term or expres-
sion; as 'a plaguey nuisance;' 'he drinks too much, a
plaguey sight.'
Playing at riband = playing truant.
Prawl, v. to sew roughly, carelessly, or in a make-shift manner ;
also called 'calling together.'
Puggy, adj. said of a fowl, having short stumpy feathers remain-
ing in the skin, after all the principal feathers have been
plucked out.
Pun, v. to thump or pound.
Punk, n. trash ; applied to articles of inferior quality ; a hard
species of fungus is also called punk.
Pure, adj. in good health.
Resolve, v. to dissolve.
' Thaw, and resolve itself into dew.'
Siiakesp., Ham., i., 2.
92 SOUTH-EAST WORCESTERSHIRE GLOSSARY.
Saft as my Pocket, an expression signifying that the person of
whom it is spoken is as soft as an empty pocket ; soft (or
saft) being synonymous with silly or foolish.
Sags, n. rushes ; used for the seats of chairs, such chairs being
called ' sogr-bottomed chairs.'
Sappy, adj. timber having much of the outer or softer portion
compared with the inner, or more solid part, called the
'heart.' A simple or foolish person is also called 'sappy.'
Sprackt, -adj. smart, active, ready-witted. (Comp. Sprag,
Shakesp., Mer. W., iv., 2.)
Thiller, n., the horse between the shafts of a cart or waggon ;
also called the filler.
Wicked-mon, n. the devil. 'Little childun mustn't tell lies,
the wicked-mon '11 'ave um else.'
FINIS.
WARWICKSHIRE WORD-BOOK
HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY
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WORD-BOOK
COMPRISING >
OBSOLESCENT AND DIALECT WORDS, COLLOQUIALISMS, ETC.
GATHERED FROM ORAL RELATION, AND COLLATED
WITH ACCORDANT WORKS
G. F. NORTHALL
AUTHOR OF ' ENGLISH FOLK-RHYMES ' AND ' FOLK-PHRASES
OF FOUR COUNTIES '
Xon&on
PUBLISHED FOR THE ENGLISH DIALECT SOCIETY
BY HENRY FROWDE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE
AMEN CORNER, B.C.
1896
rights reserved}
PREFACE
WHILST collecting matter for my Folk-phrases of
Four Counties (E. D. S. No. 73), I projected a Mid-
land Counties Glossary, and noted thousands of
words to that end. But the English Dialect Society's
recent publications, and kindred books, render much
of my work superfluous, save for purposes of com-
parison. Little having been done, in the past, for
Warwickshire, however — as we shall shortly see —
I beg to submit this Word-book to interested persons.
In 1865 Mr. Halliwell published a small duo.
(5! by 4/| inches), the full title of which is A Selection
from an unpublished Glossary of Provincial Words
in use in Warwickshire in the early part of the
present century ; and added this note :
' The notices of provincial words which are here printed
are, I believe, to be implicitly relied upon for accuracy.
They are selected from a manuscript glossary of Warwickshire
provincialisms, by the late Thomas Sharp, the author of the
Dissertation on the Coventry Pageants, 4to, 1825, collected by
him during a residence of many years in that county, and
completed early in the year 1839. Some of the illustrations
curiously illustrate the phraseology of Shakespeare.'
vi PREFACE
This little work was printed for the editor by
Whittingham & Wilkins, at the Chiswick Press,
Took's Court, Chancery Lane, and the impression
was limited to twenty-jive copies. On Nov. 18, 1865,
Mr. Halliwell purposely destroyed fifteen copies,
and preserved ten selected copies only. But he
included the words, and others afterwards communi-
cated to him, in the various editions of his Dictionary
of Archaic and Provincial Words.
It is to be regretted that Sharp's Glossary was
not published entire, for the manuscript, together
with the unique collection of Warwickshire docu-
ments known as the Staunton Collection, perished in
the calamitous fire which destroyed the Birmingham
Free Library, Jan. n, 1879.
Mr. Halliwell's selection has been reprinted twice,
in measure. Mr. Sam. Timmins, F.S.A., a Midland
antiquary, contributed the words — with definitions
en precis — to the ' Notes and Queries ' column of
the Birmingham Weekly Post of June 10 and 17,
1893 ; and adopted the same course in his History
of Warwickshire (Stock's 'Popular County Histories'),
wherein, too (pp. 221-30), he discourses briefly on
Midland dialects and dialect works. I have given
all Mr. Halliwell's words, many of his definitions,
and most of his remarks in full ; and within quota-
tion marks wherever necessary. As not more than
three of the examples are unknown to me, I have
added any needful annotations to the remaining
expressions.
PREFACE vii
In 1 86 1 Mr. John R. Wise published a work
entitled Shakspere, his Birthplace and its Neighbour-
hood, in which a short glossary (pp. 150-58) and
a collection of 'provincialisms' (pp. 103-15) are
given. Mr. Wise does not attach peculiar local
importance to many of his words and phrases ; but
I have quoted him in one or two instances where
my own knowledge was deficient.
In 1 879 Mr. Wise presented a copy of Miss Jackson's
Shropshire Word-book to the Public Free Libraries
of the city of Manchester — having written the
following remarks on the title-page : ' N. B. — Words
to which the letter W. is affixed show that the
words have been used in Warwickshire. John R.
Wise.' Some of these words are common 'dictionary-
words,' others I had obtained from oral relation ;
but many of them have never been uttered in my
hearing, so I recommend the particular volume to
compilers and students, for these last examples are
not included in my vocabulary.
In 1876 the English Dialect Society published
(No. 12) a valuable list of words, entitled South
Warwickshire Provincialisms, collected and defined
by Mrs. Frances. I have inserted within quotation
marks anything appropriated therefrom.
In 1877 'George Eliot' communicated certain
observations on the Warwickshire dialect to William
Allingham — of which more hereafter. Vide Intro-
duction.
Halliwell's Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial
Vlll PREFACE
Words (which has a paragraph or two on the Warw.
dialect that I have abridged for my Introduction),
and Holloway's Dictionary of Provincialisms, con-
tain a few words — with which I am not acquainted,
and therefore reject — assigned to Warwickshire.
It is possible that such words are obsolete, for
I cannot verify them at present.
I did not find the following work of use : perhaps
another may be more fortunate. It is recommended
by the E. D. S., and entitled A Letter: whearin part
of the Entertainment vntoo the Queens Maiesty at
Killingworth Castl, in Warwick Sheer, in this
Sommers Progress 1575, is signified. By Robert
Laneham, 1575 (later editions 1784, 1821).
In the reissue of Historic Warwickshire (1893),
its editor, Mr. Joseph Hill, states that the author
of the original edition, the late Mr. J. Tom Burgess,
left a Warwickshire Glossary unfinished. The loca-
tion of this MS. should concern the editors of the
Dialect Dictionary, I think.
This is all I know of works dealing with the folk-
speech of Warwickshire. Journals and magazines
occasionally record remarkable words ; and a few
such words, brought to light again by research, are
included in the present volume — the record being
in every case duly acknowledged.
Of my Vocabulary I may say that I have heard
the words — some twelve excepted — spoken ; con-
sequently I can fix the pronunciation of my day ;
and this is done with simple symbols, wherever
PREFACE
IX
a reader of a distant shire might be in doubt.
Etymology is little touched upon ; this branch of
the subject will be in the best of hands when appro-
priate words are extracted for the forthcoming.
Dialect Dictionary. Where an etymon is suggested,
it is identical, or nearly so, with the list-word, and
serves to show that this was formerly no mere
idiom. Many of the readings — mentioned as quoted
in modern glossaries from Chaucer and other early
writers — I had observed in the originals ; but it
seemed unjust to ignore entirely the worthy labours
of previous workers. Moreover, I was spared the
handling of bulky volumes, time after time, whilst
copying, for which I am grateful. Here and there,
I have doubtless included terms and expressions
which are neither dialectical nor obsolescent. My
excuse is that I found such words and phrases in
other glossaries, too ; and feared that a reader might
conclude that the forms are unknown or obsolete
in Warwickshire. On the other hand, hundreds of
words have been deliberately rejected — after mature
consideration — as entirely unsuitable for a work
dealing with folk-speech.
G. F. NORTHALL.
INTRODUCTION
PRONUNCIATION IN WARWICKSHIRE.
' The diphthong ea is usually pronounced like ai or ay,
as mait, ait, plaise, paise, waik, say, for meat, eat, please,
pease, weak, sea.
' The vowel o gives place to u, in song, long, among ;
once is pronounced wunst ; and grun, fun, and pun, take
the place of ground, found, and pound. Shownd is also
frequent for the imperative of show.
'The letters a and o are often interchanged, as drap,
shap. yander, for drop, shop, yonder ; and, per contra,
hommer, rot, gonder, for hammer, rat, and gander.
' The letter j is substituted for d in the words duke, deed,
death, and dead; whilst juice is often pronounced duce.
'The letter d is added to words ending in own, as
drownded and gownd, for drowned and gown.
' The letter e is sometimes converted into a, as bally
[often bolly], laft, fatch, for belly, left, and fetch.
' The nominative case and the accusative are perpetually
confounded in such phrases as "They ought to have^spoken
to we ; her told him so ; he told she so ; us won't be hurt,
will us ?'"— Hal. Gloss.
[These remarks might be applied, with equal propriety,
to the folk-speech of Glouc., Leic., Wore., and other Midland
shires.]
xii INTRODUCTION
'The modern dialect of Warwickshire contains a very
large proportion of North- country words, more than might
have been expected from its locality. They say yat for
gate, feul/ooZ, sheeam shame, weeat ivheat, Yethard Edward,
Jeeams James, leean lane, rooad road, wool will, pyaper
paper, feeace face, cooat coat, &c.' — Hal. Diet. ii. 1 887, p. xxx.
[Cf. also such words as aince (aince = awhile) : anent :
bittock : fash : faut : fissle : gid, gi'e, gin : jonnock : leem :
like : while : whingel, &c.]
From Letter to William Allingham, March 8, 1877.
' . . . I was born and bred in Warwickshire, and heard the
Leicestershire, North Staffordshire, and Derbyshire dialects
during visits made in my childhood and youth. These
last are represented (mildly) in Adam Bede. The War-
wickshire talk is broader, and has characteristics which
it shares with other Mercian districts.' — p. 303.
' I have made a few notes which may perhaps be not
unacceptable in the absence of more accomplished aid :
' (i) The vowel always a double sound [this is rather too
liberal a view], the y sometimes present, sometimes not ;
either aal or yaal. Hither not heard except in c'moother,
addressed to horses.
'(2) Thou never heard. In general the second person
singular not used in Warwickshire, except occasionally
to young members of a family, and then always in the
form of thee, i. e. 'ee.
'For the emphatic nominative yo, like the Lancashire.
' For the accusative yer, without any sound of the r.
' The demonstrative those never heard among the common
people (unless when caught by infection from the parson,
&c.).
' Self pronounced sen. The / never heard in of, nor the
7i in in.
INTRODUCTION
Xlll
' (3) Not year but 'ear. On the other hand, with the
usual " compensation," head is pronounced yed.
' (4) A gallows little chap as e'er ye see.
'(5) Here's to you, maaster. Saam to you.' iii. pp. 304-5.
— George Eliot's life as related in her letters and journals,
arranged and edited by her husband, J. W. Cross. 3 vols.
duo. 1885.
In North-west Warwickshire the sound of er, ir, or, ur,
in such words as her, fern, clerk, stern ; shirt, skirt, dirt,
flirt; work, word; turn, burn, church, &c., is replaced by
that of are in share, or ere in there, and may be represented
thus : her, fern, clerk, stSrn ; short, skSrt, dert, flert ;
werk, werd; tern, bern, cherch. Heard is pronounced
h6rd ; learn as lern ; and earth as firth.
So popular is this sound that it replaces that of 'a' in such
words as lane, bacon, baker, which become lern, bercon,
berker. In one instance it supersedes the long sound of
the middle or Italian ' a ' : father being spoken ferther.
As compensation, fair, tear, &c., are pronounced fur, tur ;
e. g. ' It isn't fur (fair) of you to tur (tear) my fgr (fur).'
The pronunciation of such words as hour, /lower, tower,
town, in the same district, can be represented only in
glossic, thus — a' (the rare sound between a in fat, and
aa in baa-l&mb) — ha', fla'. ta', ta'n.
Tabulated below are the parts of speech which differ
from academic standards of to-day. There is no word
which is peculiar to Warw. in the list, however.
The Vocabulary contains further particulars in most
cases.
NOUNS.
Crusses [crus-iz]. Crusts.
Pisses [fis-iz]. Fists.
Poses [po-siz]. Posts.
xiv INTRODUCTION
ADJECTIVES.
A. An (but often ignored).
The. Sometimes redundant: sometimes omitted (see Gloss.).
COMPARISON.
Badder. Worse.
Baddest. Worst.
Littler. Less.
Littlest. Least.
Worser. Worse (a double comparison^.
Worsest, Worstest. Worst (a double comparison^.
NOTE. — More is redundant before the comparative degree,
and most before the superlative — a style approved by old
authors.
' His more braver daughter.' — Temp', i. 2. 436.
'Nor that I am more better
Than Prospero.' — Ibid. 19.
'Your wisdom should show itself more richer to signify this to
his doctor.' — Hamlet, iii. 2. 321.
'This was the most unkindest cut of all.' — Jvl. Caesar, iii. 2. 188.
'That after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a
Pharisee.' — Acts xxvi. 5.
PRONOUNS.
As. Who, which, that.
E'er-a, Ever-a. Some, any. e. g. ' Shall you call e'er-a day
thiswik?'(cf. Gloss.).
E'er-un, E'er-a-one, Ever-a-one. Either.
Em. Them (see Gloss.).
He. It.
Her. She.
Hern. Hers.
Him. He ; it.
Hisn [hizn]. His.
Me. Myself; I.
Ne'er-a, Never-a. Not any.
Ne'er-un, Ne'er-a-one, Never-a-one. Neither.
INTRODUCTION XV
On it. Its; as 'I don't like the colour on it.' But perhaps
this may be as well regarded as a mere change of preposi-
tion. Vide On.
Ourn. Ours.
Shisn [shizn]. Hers.
Thar. Var. pron. of 'their.'
Tharn vel Theirn. Theirs.
Thars. Var. pron. of 'theirs.'
That. Who.
That there. That.
Them. Those, they.
Them here, Them there. Those.
These here. These. ' These 'ere boots are a misfit.'
They. These, those, e.g. 'Call they dogs in.' Recognized
as an old plural of ' the.'
This. Inflected in the genitive, e. g. 'I like this's book best.'
Or, is it an abbreviation of ' this one's ' ?
This here. This.
Us. Our, me, we.
We. Our, us, we have. ' We got no money among we.'
Ween. Our, ours (?), we have. ' Ween bin to market, to-day.'
What. Redundant after like. e. g. ' She's like what he is.'
Woom. Var. pron. of ' whom ' (in reading only : not heard
in folk-speech).
Yer [yaj. You, your.
Yd. You.
Yor. Your (? A. -Sax. edwer).
Yourn, Yors, Yorn. Yours. ' This knife's yors ' or 'yorn.'
VERBS.
A-comin'. Coming, e. g. ' Are you a-comin ' ? '
A-dooin'. Doing, e. g. ' What are you a-dooin' ? '
A-gooin', A-goin'. Going, e. g. ' I'm agooin' wum ' (home).
Ain't. Is not, am not, are not, have not.
Am, 'm. Are. e. g. ' You'm a bad lad. '
xvi INTRODUCTION
'An. Han, q. v.
'n. Have. e. g. ' You'n done it, now ! '
Arn't. Am not, are not, have not.
Baant, Baint, Beant, Bisn't. Am not, are not.
Bin. Are, been, is.
Bist. Art, are.
Blow'd, p. and pp. of 'blow.'
Bost, Bosted, pret. of ' burst' (bosted, pp. }. 'I bost (or 'bosted')
a button off my jacket, to-day.'
Bote. Bought.
Catch'd, p. and pp. of ' catch.'
Cop. Catch.
Copp'd. Caught.
Daint. Did not.
Dare-no' [dare-na]. Dare not.
Didn't ought. Ought not.
Done,pret. of 'do.'
Draw'd, p. and pp. of ' draw/
Drownded. Drowned.
Druv, p. and pp. of ' drive. '
Dussnt. Dare not.
Et, p. and pp. of 'eat.'
Fote. Fought.
Frit. Frightened.
Gen, Gid, Gived. Gave.
Gi'e. Give.
Gie's [giz]. Gives.
Gin. Gave, 'given,' or 'have given.'
Goo. Var. pron. of 'go.'
Grow'd,p. and^p. of 'grow.'
Grun, p. and pp. of ' grind. '
Hadn't ought. Ought not.
Hannot. Have not.
Heerd. Var. pron. of 'heard.'
Helt,^. and pp. of 'hold.'
INTRODUCTION xvii
Hot, p. and pp. of 'hit.'
Kep, p. and pp. of 'keep.'
Know'd. Knew, known.
Lep, pret. of ' leap ' (and sb. i a leap ').
Maunt. May not, must not.
Med, p. and pp. of 'make.'
Mont. Must not.
Pept. Peeped.
Pun. Pound.
See, Seed, Sid. Saw.
Sin, p. and pp. of 'see.'
Shewn vel Shown. Show.
Shewnd vel Shownd, p. and pp. of ' shew * or ' show. '
Shuld. Var. pron. of 'should.'
Slep, p. and pp. of 'sleep.'
Sot, p. and pp. of ' sit.'
Struv, p. and pp. of ' strive.'
Swep, p. and pp. of 'sweep.'
Throw'd, p. and pp. of 'throw.'
Thruv, p. and pp. of ' thrive.'
Took. Taken.
tftl. Will. Cf. Wull (or 'wool' in Hal. Gloss.— Preface).
Wa. Was (vide Gloss, under Were).
Wep, pret. of 'weep.'
Were. (Seldom heard.)
Wornt. Was not, were not.
Wrote, p. and pp. of ' write.'
Willd. Var. pron. of 'would.'
Wunt. Will not.
ADVEBBS.
PLACE.
A-one-side, Aside, Asiden. Awry. ' You've put your bonnet
on a-one-side.'
The'. There.
There. Var. pron. of ' there.'
b
XVlii INTRODUCTION
TIME.
By now. By this time.
By then. By the time that.
Just now. A short time since ; just at present ; shortly,
presently.
Now just. A moment ago.
To-morrow-day, To-morrow.
MANNER OR QUALITY.
Above-a-bit. Extremely.
A-that'n, A-that'ns, That'n, That'ns. In that manner.
A-this'n, A-this'ns, This'n, This'ns. In this manner.
Atwo. In two.
Most in general (generally). Generally.
Most like. Very likely. ' I shall come to-morrow, most like.'
That. So.
PREPOSITIONS.
Afore. Before.
Again [a-gen, a-gin]. Against, beside, &c.
All-along-on (of), Along-on (of). In consequence of.
Aside. Beside.
At. To.
Atween. Between.
In. Of ; to. ' This basket belongs in [i. e. ' pertains to '] the
back- kitchen.'
Off, Off of, Off on. From.
On. Of.
To. Of. ' I know to a nest.'
CONJUNCTIONS.
Again [a-gen, a-gin]. When.
As. That.
Athout. Unless.
Nor. Than.
INTERJECTIONS.
(See Oaths, Expletives, &c. in Gloss.)
ACCORDANT WORKS.
BAKER (A. E.) Glossary of Northamptonshire Words and Phrases.
II. 1854.
CHAMBERLAIN (Mrs.) West Worcestershire Words. 1882.
(E. D. S. 36.)
EVANS (A. B. & S. ) The Dialect of Leicestershire. 1 88 1. (E. D. S. 3 1 . )
FRANCES (Mrs.) South Warwickshire Provincialisms. 1876.
(E. D. S. 12.)
HALLIWELL (J. 0.) Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words.
II. 1887.
HALLIWELL (J. O.) Warwickshire Glossary. 1865.
JACKSON (G. F.) Shropshire Word-Book. 1879.
LAWSON (Rev. Canon) Upton-on-Severn Words. 1884. (E. D. S.
42.)
PARKER (Mrs.) Glossary of Words used in Oxfordshire. 1876.
(E. D. S. 12.)
PARKER (Mrs.) Supplement. 1881. (E. P. S. 32.)
POOLE (C. H.) Glossary of Archaic and Provincial Words of
Staffordshire. 1880.
ROBERTSON (J. D.) and MORTON (Lord/ Glossary of the Dialect and
Archaic Words of the County of Gloucester. 1 890. ^E. D. S. 6 1 . )
SALISBURY ( J. ) Glossary of Words and Phrases used in SE. Wor-
cestershire. 1893. (E. D. S. 72. 1894.)
WISE (J. R.) Shdkspere, his Birthplace and its Neighbourhood.
1861.
SCHEME OF PRONUNCIATION.
Fate, far, fault, fat, china.
Me, met.
Pine, pin.
No, moove, nor, not.
Tube, tub, bull.
Oil. Pound. Thin.
N. B. — No mark of accent is used where the stress falls on
a first syllable.
WAEWICKSHIEE WOKD-BOOK
A. The ' indefinite article ' takes the place of an, or is
omitted. ' Have opple ! ' or ' Have a opple ! '
A, pron. He, she, it, they. 'He (she, they) broke the
winder.' Answer. ' Did 3, ? ' ' The cat's stole y5'r mate
(meat).' A ns. ' 'As £ ? ' Common, and noted by most
glossarists.
' Quickly. Nay, that a' did not.
Boy. Yes, that a' did.' — Hen. V, ii. 3. 32 (and elsewhere in the same scene) .
' Nurse. And then my husband — God be with his soul !
A' was a merry man.' — Eom. and Jul. i. 3. 39.
'A', v. aux. (i) Have. Vide Adone, Awhile. (2) A common
contraction of ' have.' Vide Ha'.
A, (i) prefix. At, in, on. Awum (at home). Abed. Atwo
(in two). Afoot. Apast (' He's just gone apast '). Atop.
(2) It is also a prepositional prefix to nouns, adjectives,
participles,and verbal nouns m-ing, as a-coming, a-dooing,
a-gooing, a-ploughing, a-saying, a-shearing, a-talking, &c.
Miss Jackson, Shrop. Word-book, remarks that it repre-
sents the A.-Sax. cet, at, or on, used in composition for
'in,' 'on,' 'upon.' See Morris's Hist. Outlines of Eng.
Accidence, p. 178.
B
2 Abear — Acky
(3) It is occasionally redundant, as ' He went on
a-riding, although I shouted to him to stop.'
Abear [5-ber7], v. a. Endure, tolerate. Glouc., N'hamp.,
Shrop., W. and SE. Wore. A.-Sax. abceran, tolerare.
Abed'. In bed. Common.
' logo. You have not been abed, then ? ' — Othello, iii. i. 33.
Abide', v. a. To like, endure, tolerate. N'hamp., Shrop.,
W. Wore.
' Falst. Never, never ; she would always say she could not abide Master
Shallow.' — 2 Hen. IV, iii. 2. 217.
' Host. I cannot abide swaggerers.' — Ib. ii. 4. 1 16.
About', prep, and adv. Engaged upon ; doing ; in hand.
' We're about the fruit-picking this week.' ' We've got
the hay-making about.' N'hamp.
Above-a-bit, adv. Extremely, to an excessive degree. ' He
raved and stormed, above-a-bit ! ' Glouc., Oxf., Shrop.,
Staff., W. and SE. Wore.
Abroad [Srbraud7], adv. Away, farther off. ' Drive them
chickens abroad.' Shrop. ? common.
Accor'ding, part. In proportion. 'Jack's the biggest,
according,' i.e. in proportion to his age. Glouc., SE.
Wore.
Ackern [ak-un], sb. Var. pron. of ' acorn.' Accharne,
acharne, and accorne, are early dictionary forms.
Glouc., Leic. ( + ackren), Staff, (atchorn), Wore., Shrop.
( + ach-ur'n).
1 Hakerns and ]>e hasel-notes
& oj?er frut to J>e fulle ; )>at in forest growen.'
William of Paleme, 1. 1811 (circa 1350), ed. Skeat
(in Shrop. Word-bk.).
Ackerning, part. Gathering acorns. Is in common use.
Acky [ak-e], sb. The game of Ecky, q. v.
A-cock — Adone 3
A-cock', adv. To 'knock a man a-cock' is (i) to disable
him, (a) to take him aback.
Acoz', cony. Because. Leic.
Acquaintance, sb. A lover, sweetheart. Glouc., Shrop.,
Wore.
Action, sb. The game of Baccare, q. v.
Adam's-ale, sb. Water. England.
•To slake his thirst he took a drink
Of Adam's ale from river's brink.'
Reynard the Fox, Bartlett's Diet. Americanisms
(quoted by Miss Baker, N'hamp. Gloss.*).
Adam's-apple, sb. The protuberance in the anterior part
of the neck, formed by the fore-part of the thyroid
cartilage. It was an ancient superstitious or whimsical
notion that a portion of the apple eaten by Adam in the
Garden of Eden stuck in his throat and caused the lump,
and that he transmitted this to his descendants. In
surgery pomum, adami. England.
Adeal [a-del', a-jel'], adv. or sb. A deal ; much, greatly.
Midlands, and elsewhere.
' These wormis, ne these moughtis, these mites
Upon my parril fret them nevre adell.'
Chaucer, Wife of Bath's Prol. (quoted in FThamp. Gloss.).
'Be it ryght or wrong, these men among
On women do complayne ;
Affyrmynge this, how that it is
A labour spent in vayne,
To love them wele ; for never a dele
They love a man agayne.'
The Not-Browne Mayd, st. i. (Percy's Reliques).
Adlan, Adland [ad-Ian], sb. The 'headland' or the border
of land left at the ends of the furrows for turning the
plough on. England, slightly varied.
Adone [a'-dun'], v. a. and n. Have done, leave off. ' Why
B 2
4 A-doors — Afore
can't you adone shoutin' when I tell you ? ' The prefix
is sometimes redundant, as ' When you've adone, p'r'aps
I shall get a word in edgeways.' Midlands, and else-
where.
A-doors'. Of doors, indoors, as ' Come out a-doors.' ' Run
in a-doors ' (redundant). Common.
' But what, Sir, I beseech ye, was that paper Your Lordship was so
studiously employed in when ye came out a-doors?' — Beaum. and
Fletch. Woman Pleased, iv. i (quoted in N'hamp. Qloss.}.
Afeard', part. Afraid, frightened, troubled. Chaucer, Cant.
Tales, distinguishes afeard from afraid thus :
'This wif was not aferde ne affraide.'
or
His wife was neither afeard nor afraid.
And in Way's Promptorium Parvulorum, 'aferde or
trobelid' is rendered turbatus perturbatus. 'Abaschyd
or aferde. Territus, perterritus,' Id. ' Will not the ladies
be afeard of the lion 1 ' asks Snout the tinker, M id. Nt's.
Dr. iii. 1.28. See also Merch. Ven. ii. 7. 29. A.-Sax. afcered.
It is in Wycl. Bible as afeerd. See the Glossary at the
end of vol. iv. (reprint, 4-vol. ed. 1850). Midlands, and
elsewhere.
Affront [5,-frunt'], v. a. To offend. ' Don't mention money
matters to the old man, or you'll affront him.' Oxf.
Afield', adv. In the field ; in the open. ' He's gone afield,'
i. e. on the farmlands. Midlands, and elsewhere.
Afore', prep, and adv. Before ; ahead ; previously, hitherto.
Midlands, and elsewhere,
(i) prep.
'They him saluted, standing far afore.'
Faery Queen, I. x. 49 (quoted in Shrop. Word-Vk.}.
Evans, Leic. Dial., remarks that ' the Athanasian Creed
preserves this form of the preposition, but it is almost
Aforelong — Agate 5
obsolete.' Compare adv., Romans ix. 23, ' which he had
afore prepared unto glory.'
(2) adv. ' Jack's gone on afore ' (ahead).
' Steph. He shall taste of my bottle : if he have never drunk wine
afore it will go near to remove his fit.' — Temp, ii. 2. 79.
Aforelong', adv. Erelong, before long. 'I shall be 'urn
(home) aforelong.' Midlands, and elsewhere.
Afterclap, sb. An unexpected subsequent event, con-
sequence, or result ; usually of an unpleasant kind.
Midlands.
'For he [the devil] can give us an afterclap when we least weene,
that is, suddenly returne unawares to us, and then he giveth us an
afterclap that overthroweth us.' — Latimer's Sermons.
'So that hit was a sory happe,
And he was agast of afterclappe.'
MS. Douce, 236, f. 14 (quoted in Glouc. Gloss.).
Aftermath [sometimes Artermath], sb. The second crop of
grass ; the after pasturage or herbage after once mowing.
Very common, and almost out of place in a dialect work.
A.-Sax. cefter-mceth. Vide Latter-math.
Again [£gen', &gin'], (i) prep. Against; near or next to,
opposite to, averse to, towards. ' I don't know anything
agen 'im.' ' Stand the broom agin the door.' ' Leave
the bucket agen the pool.' ' That chap yonder, agin Jim
Noakes.' ' Hold the book agen the light.' ' I was agen
the journey altogether.' ' I shall get there agin night.'
(2) adv., conj. By the time that ; when, ' Have my
supper ready agen I get home ! ' ' It'll be dark agen
I see Tom/
(3) adv. At a future time. ' I ain't got it now, but
I'll gi'e it yer agen.' England.
Agate', adv. Going, fairly at work, astir, agog. 'Jack's
a-loitering, set him agate.' ' The men are all agate this
6 Age — Aince-a while
morning.' ' What's agate down yonder 1 ' Halliwell,
Diet. Archaic and Prov. Words, states that 'to set the
bells agate' and 'to set a wheelbarrow agate' occur in
Cotgrave, Dictionarie Fr. and Eng. Tong. in v. Brimbaler,
Broueter. England.
Age, v. a. or n. To make one appear old, to make old ; to
grow old. ' His beard ages him.' ' That fall he had
ages him.' ' I age now.' Palsgrave has ' I age or waxe
olde.' 'Thought maketh men age apace.' — N'hamp.
Gloss. England.
Agg, Egg, v. a. and n. To incite, to provoke ; to scold.
' Don't egg the lad on, he wants to be quiet.' ' 'Er aggs
that poor mon till I wonder 'e don't do for 'er.' ' Agg !
agg ! agg ! I don't get any peace o' my life for yer clack.'
Shrop.
Agoo', adv. Var. pron. of ' ago.' Bk., N'hamp. Gloss., quotes
the Bible of 1539 thus :
' Hast thou not heard I have ordeyned such a thynge a great while
agoo, and have prepared it from the begynynge ? ' — 2 Kings xix.
'And yet not lowng agoo,
Was prechares one or tooe.'
Vox pop. Vox Dei, 1547-48 (in SE. Wore. Gloss.}.
Ah ! interj. Of affirmation with the force of aye, yea, yes.
' Is that you, Jack ? ' ' Ah ! ' Leic. Cf. Aw.
Aim, (i) v. n. To throw. ' Don't you aim at me.'
(2) v. n. To intend, attempt, endeavour, purpose.
' I aim to go.' ' I aim to do my best for him.' ' I aim
and scheme, but nothing goes well.' Glouc., Wore.
Aince-awhile', adv. Now and then, at intervals. Frances,
S. Warw. Provincialisms. I am not familiar with this
form or pronunciation ; but once in a while is common
enough.
Ain't — All along 7
Ain't. Is not, am not, are not, have not. ' Jack ain't
coming to-day.' 'I ain't gooing to-day.' CY6' ain't a
good lad.' ' I ain't got a knife.' Common.
Aisins [a-zinz], sb. pi. (i) The eaves of a house ; hence
(2) the drops of water which fall therefrom. Shrop.
Aither, pron. Either. A.-Sax. ai&er. Midlands.
' Chese on aither hand,
Whether the lever ware
Sink or stille stande.'
Sir Tristrem, p. 154 (in Hal. Diet.).
Aitredans [a-tre-danz], sb. Vide Hatredans.
Akere [a1 -key], phr. Look here ! Common. Vide Kere.
AH, (i) adv. Tasting or smelling of. ' This pan is all
onions.' ' What is this bottle all 1 ' Glouc.
(2) Wholly, completely, as ' All to bits, rags, or shivers.'
' All of a heap, dither, puther, tremble,' &c. Common.
(3) prep. In spite of, despite. ' I shall do it for all
you.' N'hamp., and elsewhere.
(4) intensive. ' He's gone for good and all.' N'hamp.,
and elsewhere.
(5) adj. ' All the while '= the whole time. Common.
All about, phr. In a state of confusion. ' We're all about,
we've got the painters in the house.' Glouc., W. Wore.
All about it, phr. The whole matter. ' Yo'r Joe hot our
Lizzie, an' 'er tank'd 'im agen wi' th' broom, an' that's
all about it.' Up.-on-Sev., W. Wore.
All along [Slung7], (i) adv. Always, throughout.
'On thee, sweet wife, was all my song,
Morn, evening, and all along.'
Anat. Mdanch. 3, 2, 4, i (quoted by Evans, Leic. Dial.\
(2) phr.*=from the first. e'E's bin comin' all along."
Shrop.
8 All along of —Along
All along of, on ; Along of, on [Slung'], prep. In con-
. sequence of, on account of, through. Leic., N'hamp.,
Shrop., Staff.
' Herm. You, mistress, all this coil is 'longof you.' — Mid. Nt's.I>r. iii. 2.339.,
'That I have no child hidur till
Hit is al alonge on Goddes wille.'
Cursor Mundi, MS. Trin. Coll. Cantab, (in Hal. Diet.}.
All as is ; All as is, is this, phr. The sum total, the whole
of the matter. e If y5' don't like it, yo' can lump it, and
that's all as is.' 'All as is, is this, I sid 'im tek th'
opple myself.' Leic., N'hamp., Glouc., Shrop., Wore., and
elsewhere.
All one, All as one, phr. All the same, or quite the same.
' It's all as one (or all one) to me, if you go or no.'
'Quick. I warrant you all is one with her.' — Mer. Wiv. ii. 2. 81.
The phrase in its earliest form, al 'me, is an, occurs in the
Legend of St. Marg. (circa 1200), p. 5, Early Eng. Text
Soc. Pubs. Midlands, and elsewhere.
All on end, phr. In confusion, disorder. ' Don't call to-
day, we're all on end.' Shrop.
Alley [al-e], sb. A marble of alabaster, or white marble,
sometimes called an 'alleytaw' when used for shooting.
If streaked with red veins1 it is called a 'blood-alley.'
The imitations, made of painted clay in the potteries, are
called ' pot-alleys.' England.
Alls [aulz], sb.pl. Goods and chattels. ' " Come, pack up
your alls and be off, " is a common form of dismissal to
a labourer or workman.' — N'hamp. Gloss. Common.
Along [Slung'], adv. To send anything ' along ' is to send
it home, or to some place named. ' Shall I send the
mutton alung now, ma'am ? ' Shrop. Word-bk. Common.
Al'ys — Anent 9
Al'ys [aul-us], adv. Var. pron. of ' always.' Midlands, and
elsewhere.
Am. Are. ' Yd' am a poor soul.'
Aminded [a-mmd'-id], part. Disposed, inclined. ' Do as
you're aminded.' Glouc.
A'most', adv. Almost. ( I'm a'most tired to death.' Salop.
Antiq. (amaist), Oxf. (amust), SE. Wore, (amivust). Hal.
Diet, says, 'Ariwost. West.'
Anclee, Ancler [ank-le, ank-ler], kb. Var. pron. of ' ankle.'
' Talus ancleow.'— Abp.1 ^Ifric's Vocab. loth cent. 'The
word ancleow continued in use in the English language
till the 1 5th cent.' — Wright, Early Vocals, i. 44. Glouc.
(anJdey), N'hamp. (anclee), Oxf. and Wore, (ankley),
Shrop. (ancler).
And, excl. or intensive. ' And I will ; ' ' And it is.' Leic.
And all, adv. Also, in addition. ' Bring your sister and
all.' ' I'll give you five shillings a week, and your food
and all.' Leic., S. Wore.
Anear', adv. and prep. Near, close to. ' Yo' ain't anear
when yer wanted.' ' He never came anear all day.'
* Don't go anear him.' Leic., N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Anend', adv. On end, upright. ' There is also a very
common expression of "most anend," meaning "generally,"
^ usually " ; Wilbraham, in his Glossary of Cheshire
Words, explains " anend," perpetually, evermore ; but
this is a more intense signification than is attached to
the word in Warwickshire.' — Hal. Gloss. Midlands, and
elsewhere.
Anent', prep. Opposite. Frances, S. Warw. Provin. I have
1 According to Richard Paul Wiilcker, annotator of the latest edition
of Wright's Vocabs., ' Archbishop ' is an error : it should be ' Abbot."
10 Anew— Any
not heard the word in this sense : but anenst is in W. Wore.
Wds., anant in SE. Wore. Wds., and anant, anenst,
anunst, in Up.-on-Sev. Wds. It is often used for ' beside '
or ' by,' e. g. ' He lives anent the church.' The Shrop.
Word-bk. has anunst, anungst = opposite to, against.
Anew', adj. Enough. Common.
' On kneis he faucht, felle Inglishmen he slew ;
Till hym thar socht may fechtaris than anew.'
Henry the Minstrel (circa 1461), Wallace, bk. i..
Skeat, Spec. ofEng. Lit. vi. L 324 (quoted
in Shrop. Word-bk.).
'Thus acting, he had quickly girls anew,
Who all believ'd his high professions true.'
Deacon, On the Choice of a Wife, 1841, p. 51
(quoted in Leic. Dial.}.
Angry [ang-re], adj. Inflamed, threatening to become
worse, as a wound. ' Rub a little ointment on that sore,
it has an angry look.' Forby, Vocab. East AngL, re-
marks that ' in the Prompt. Parv. " anger " is given as
a synonym of "anguish," and rendered into Latin by
angor.' Common.
Anigh", adv. &ndprep. Near, close to, Cf. Anear. Midlands,
and elsewhere. Hal. Diet, says, ' Near Salop. Sometimes
in the W. counties, we have anigJist, near to.'
A-nyj, adv. Nigh. Jer. xxiii. 23 (in Wycl.).
Ankitcher [ank-it-cher], sb. Var. pron. of 'handkerchief.'
S. Wore, (ankitcher), Oxf.(hongkitcher [pron. ang'ichur]),
S.War. (ankercher), Shrop. (handkercher [pron. ang-cur'-
chur]).
' Oliver. If you will know of me
What man I am, and how, and why, and where
This handkercher was stain'd.' — As Ton Like It, iv. 3. 97.
Anty-tump, sb. An anthill. Glouc., Shrop., W. Wore.
Any [rhymes ' Fanny ']. indef. pron. Any. Cf. Many.
Anyhow — Arkst
11
Anyhow, Anyhows, adv. In confusion ; disordered, upset.
Sometimes ' All anyhow.' ' Nohow ' is used in the same
sense. ' You should have seen the room ; it was anyhow.'
Leic., N'hamp.
Any more than, phr. = if it was not that. ' I wouldn't
'a' gone (to the fair), any more than I promised to buy
Dick a trumpet.' Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere ir the
midlands.
Apern [a-pun], sb. Var. pron. of ' apron.' Glouc., N'hamp.,
Oxf., Shrop. (appurn), W. Wore, (appern), SE. Wore.
' Chil in, Diccon, a cleene aperne to take and set before me.'
Gammer Gurton's Needle (quoted in Salop. Antiq.~).
Apple-pie order, phr. Perfect order. England.
'I am just in the order which some folks — though why
I am sure I can't tell you — would call apple-pie.'
Ingddsby Legends, iii. 65 (in Cent. Diet.).
April-Fool Day, April-Fools' Day = The ist of April.
N'hamp.
Are. Am. ' I are hungry.' Shrop. (colliery district).
Arg, Argify, Argy [arg, argefl, a'rge], v. n. To argue, to
discuss persistently. 'You'd arg anybody out o' their
wits.' ' What argufies pride and ambition ? ' (Song by
Dibdin). ' Don't argy so.' Glouc., SE. Wore, (arg,
argufy), Shrop. (argufy, argy), Oxf. (arg out).
1 He arg, as I did now, for credance again.'
Heywood (1556) in Nares.
Arging, part. adj. Arguing.
Arks, v. a. Ask. ' Arks 'im wot the time is.' Vide Ax.
Arkst, p. and pp. Asked. ' I arkst the way, but nobody
could tell me.' ' They was arkst in church ' = the banns
of marriage were published. Vide Askings and Ast.
12 Arn— Article
Arn, v. a. Var. pron. of ' earn.' Leic., Shrop., Staff.
' Fore he wyll drynke more on a dey
Than thou cane lyghtly arne in twey.'
MS. AshmoJe, 61, f. 236 (in Hal. Diet.').
Arnins, sb. pi. Earnings. This, and the preceding word,
occasionally take an initial y in pronunciation. Midlands.
Arn't, (i) 'An abbreviated corruption of the signs of the
present and perfect tenses, with a negative both singular
and plural. " I ar'n't going to the fair, if you ar'n't." '
— N'hamp. Gloss.
(2) Have not. 'I ar'n't got a penny in the world.'
Hal. Diet, says, ' West Country.'
Arrand [a-r&nd], sb. Var. pron. of ' errand.' Midlands.
' One of the four and twenty qualities of a knave is to stay long at
his arrand.' — Howell's Eng. Proverbs, p. 2, ed. 1660 (in Hal. Diet.).
Arrant [a-r&nt], sb. Var. pron. of * errand.' Shrop., Wore.
' Goe soule, the bodies guest,
Upon a thankelesse arrant.' — Sir W. Kaleigh, The Lye.
Arsy-versy, adv. Topsy-turvy, upside down. Hal. Warw.
Gloss, says : ' Ben Jonson uses this queer term, possibly
obtained in one of his visits to Warwickshire.' But this
is stretching a point ; the word is, and has been common
enough in the midlands, and elsewhere. Evans, Leic.
Dial., quotes Hake, Newes out of Powles Churchyarde,
'And arsiversi turne each thing,' Sat. ii. 'Down came
Tit, and away tumbled she arsy-versy' is in Hazlitt's
Eng. Proverbs. See also Rabelais (transl.), cap. xi.
Arter, adv. and prep. After. ' Arternoon ' = afternoon.
In nursery rhyme Jack and Jill ; Ratcatcher's Daughter,
song, &c. England.
Article, sb. An expression of contempt for man, beast, or
thing. Common.
As — Assud-backuds 13
As, (T) rel. pron. Who, which, that. ' A lad as could kill
a robin 'd do anythink.'
(2) prep. ' I'm gooin' to my uncle's as next Sunday,
if all's well.'
(3) conj. ' I hear as James is dead.' As how is used
in the same sense. Throughout the midlands as usually
replaces that. Most glossarists, too, remark its occurrence
in such phrases as ' As hot as hot,' ' As yellow as yellow,'
&c., but this form of correlation points to the substan-
tives as intensives rather than to a peculiar use of as.
Common.
Ashen-plant, sb. An ash sapling cut to serve as a light
walking-stick or cane. Shrop.
Ashentree, sb. The ash. Glouc., Leic., and elsewhere.
' Ashentree, Ashentree,
Pray buy these warts of me.'
A Leic. wart-charm. A pin is stuck into the tree, and
afterwards into a wart, and then into the tree again,
where it remains a monument of the wart, which is sure
to perish. See Folklore Record, i. 224.
Aside', adv. and prep. Beside. Common.
Asiden [a"-s!'-dn], adv. Awry, askew, on one side. ' That
post's set asiden.' Sometimes used without the prefix,
says N'hamp. Gloss., as ' How siden your bonnet is.'
Midlands.
Askings, 8&. pi. Publication of the banns of marriage.
Shrop. (axins), Staff, (axings or askings). Common.
Assud-backuds, adv. and adj. Hindbefore. Lit. ' arseward-
backwards.' ' He went out assudbackuds,' i. e. hind-
before in position to the speaker. ' That's an assud-
backuds form o' diggin' taters.' SE. Wore., Glouc.
14 Ast— Away with
Ast, p. and pp. Asked. ' He sent for me and ast me how
I fared ... a toke me to him and ast how my suster
dede, and I answeryd wyll, never better.' — Paston Letters
(1454), i. 302 : Arber's reprints, in Shrop. Word-bk.
At, prep. To. ' What are yd' a-dooin' at the lad ? ' A.-Sax.
cut, at, to. Leic., Shrop. Hal. Diet. Staff. Gloss (= of,
to, with).
A-that''n, A-that''ns, adv. In that manner. Leic., Shrop.,
Staff, (athatens), SE. Wore, (athattens).
A-this''n, A-this''ns, adv. In this way. 'Don't mow a-
that'n, do it a-this'n.' Leic., N'hamp., Shrop., SE. Wore.
(atkissens).
Athout [5,-thout'], conj. Without, unless. 'I shan't go,
athout y5' do.' Glouc., Shrop.
Attwood, sb. A silly fellow, a simpleton, blockhead.
Chaucer uses ' wood ' for mad (Prol. 1 84), ' woodness '
for madness, and 'woodman' for a madman. Vide
Gloss, to Urry's Chaucer.
Atween', prep. Between. Common.
'Attween two theevys nayled to a tre.'
Lydgate's Minor Poems, p. 263, in Hal. Diet.
A-two', adv. In two. Leic., N'hamp., Shrop.
' And eke an axe to smyte the cord atwo.' — Chaucer, Miller's Tale.
Aunty [aunt-e], adj. Frisky, mettlesome. Vide Haunty.
Aw, adv. Yes. Hal. Warw. Gloss. Cf. Ah !
A way, phr. A state of agitation or irritation. ' She's in
such a way about it.' N'hamp.
Away-to-go, phr. Away with you, be off. 'Now, then,
away to go.' Shrop.
Away with, v. a. To suffer, endure, put up with — generally
used with a negative. Common.
Awhile — Baccare 1 5
'The new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot
away with.' — Isaiah i. 13.
In the ' Breeches ' Bible, says N'hanip. Gloss., this is ren-
dered ' I cannot suffer.'
' Shallow. She never could away with me.
Falst. Never, never ; she would always say she could not abide
Master Shallow.' — 2 Hen. IV, Hi. 2. 216,
Awhile', ( i ) v. n. To ' have while/ i. e. have or spare time.
' I'll attend to you when I can awhile.' Midlands.
(2) conj. Whilst. ' Lay the cloth awhile I make the
tea.' Shrop.
(3) intensive. ( Not yet awhile,' or 'just yet awhile.'
Awkward [sometimes Okurd], adj. Obstinate, pigheaded ;
dangerous. 'He's an awkward man to reason with.'
'A bull's a okurd brute to meddle with.' Shrop. and
elsewhere.
Ax, v. a. To ask. A.-Sax. axian. Common. Vide Arks.
Ayzam-jayzam, adj. Equitable, fair-and-square. ' Upright
and down straight ' is a phrase of like meaning. Glouc.,
Shrop. (hasam-jasam = equal, as in weight, size, or
value).
Baalamb [ba-lam], sb. 'A juvenile epithet for a young
lamb, so long as it is nourished by the mother: com-
pounded of the cry of the sheep, and the appellative.'—
N'hamp. Gloss. Common.
Baant [ba-Snt]. Am not; are not. 'I baant agooinY
' Y6' baant right in yer yed (head).' N'hamp. Hal. Diet.
says, ' Various dialects.'
Bacca, Backy [bak-&, bak-e], sb. Tobacco. Common.
Baccare [bak-S], sb. A boys' game. The players, at the
call 'Baccare ' of their leader, leave sanctuary, and attempt
to cross a certain space to another sanctuary. The space
1 6 Bachelor's-button — Back'ard
is guarded by a boy who may make as many prisoners
as he can, and these must mount guard with him. The
guard has various tricks to induce the leader, or one
of the party, to give the starting word : e. g. ' What does
your father smoke ? ' An unwary boy would instantly
reply ' Bacca,' and so get one of his party caught,
perhaps.
Wright, Diet. Obsol. and Prov. Eng., has the word
' baccare,' and his definition may throw some light on
the origin of the term. He says, ' Supposed to be a cor-
ruption of back there, and found not unfrequently in
our early dramatists.' Hal. Diet, quotes from the Golden
Aphroditis, 1577, thus: 'Both trumpe and drumme
sounded nothing for their larum but "Baccare, Baccare " : '
and says ' it would seem to have been taken from some
old tune.'
Bachelor's-button, sb. ' The Lychnis sylvestris, a well-known
flower, so called from its resemblance to a worked button,
and supposed to possess a magical effect on the fortunes
of lovers.' — Hal. Gloss. N'hamp. Gloss, says, ' Applied
indifferently to the double varieties of the Lychnis
dioica, Achillea Ptarmica, and Ranunculus bulbosa, all
aptly so called from the resemblance which the numerous
and closely set petals, whether of the pink Lychnis, the
white Achillea, or the yellow or white Ranunculus, bear
to a neatly-worked button.' The Glouc. Gloss., quoting
Britten and Holland's Plant Names (E. D. Soc.), says,
' Scabiosa arvensis, L., Sea. sucusa, L., Centaurea Sea., L.'
According to the Shrop. Word-bk. the flower is Bellis
perennis, the ' double-daisy' of the garden.
Back'ard, Back'arder, Back'ardest [bakud-er-ist], adv.
and adj. Backward, &c. ' Shift the chair backud,' or
'backuder.' 'It's a backud season,' or ca backuder
Backen — Backstone 17
season than last,' or ' the backudest season ever I know'd.'
Hal. Diet, (backert), Leic., N'hamp., Shrop. (backeter and
backerts).
Backen, v. a. To hinder, retard. ' Backen the meat, it'll
be done too soon.' 'This frost'll backen the spring.'
Midlands.
' 1649, BLITH, Eng. Improv. Impr. (1653) 160 Yet will it so backen them
that thou mayst lose a full half years growth in them.' — New Eng.
Diet. (Murray).
Backfriend, sb. A piece of loose, irritating skin at the base
of a finger-nail. Midlands. Hal. Diet, says, 'North
Country.'
Backing, sb. Small coal, ' sleek ' or 'slack.' 'Slack' and
' backing,' says Leic. Dial., are ' named from " slacking "
or "backing" the more rapid burning of the larger coal/
N'hamp.
Backrapper, sb. A firework so folded that the charges
in the folds detonate in succession. Glouc. Gloss, has
backrackets.
Backsetter, sb. ' A stick or piece of wood placed outside
the back of a slaughtered animal ; each end of the stick
being inserted into a slit, for the purpose of keeping
the body open and extended.' — N'hamp. Gloss.
Backstitch, sb. and v. a. 'A method of ornamenting wrist-
bands, collars of shirts, &c., by a particular mode of
sewing in which the needle is always returned to the
last stitch ; hence the name.' — N'hamp. Gloss. ' She's
going to do me a collar in backstitch.' * I'll backstitch
that rizbun for you, if you like.'
Backstone, quasi Bakestone, sb. 'An iron for baking
cakes, generally hung over the fire. It would seem from
the latter part of the compound that a stone was formerly
c
18 Back up — Badger
used for the purpose, though the practice has given way
to the more convenient material, iron. A person is said
to go " like a cat upon a hot backstone " [" like a cat on
a hot bake-stone " — Hazlitt, Eng. Proverbs], when tread-
ing cautiously, and with apparent fear and uneasiness.'
—Hal. Gloss. England.
Back up, phr. To set, put, or get the back up, is to
provoke, or be provoked. Doubtless derived from the
habit of the cat when angry. N'hamp. Gloss, quotes
from St. Ronan's Well : ' Weel, Nelly, since my back is
up, ye sail tak down the picture.' Common.
Bad, (i) adj. Difficult, hard. Common.
' "She's a good sort," said the soldier, patting her reeking neck, as
he slid to the ground ; "but she's uncommon bad to steer when her
monkey's up ! Sound, you say, and rising four year old. I wonder
how she's bred." ' — Whyte-Melville, Satanella, chap. L
If I remember aright, ' A good one to follow, a bad one to beat,' is the
refrain of one of this writer's hunting-songs.
(2) adv. Behindhand, in arrears. ' I'm a quarter bad
in my rent.' Leic.
(3) phT. ' Not half bad,' or ' not so bad ' = very good.
' This pie's not half bad,' or ' not so bad.' Shrop.
Bad, Badly, adj. and adv. Sick, ill in health. Leic., Shrop.,
Staff.
Badder. Comp. of ' bad.'
'But as it is, it may be better, and were it badder, it is not the
worst.' — Euphues, B. i. b.
'Mr. Todd found baddest in Sir E. Sandys.'— Nares.
'The baddest amongst the cardinals is chosen pope.' — Sir E. Sandys,
State of Religion.
Badger [baj-ur], (i) sb. A jobbing dealer in farm pro-
duce, small stock, &c.; as a ' butter-badger,' or ' fowl-
badger' (even 'coal-badger,' according to X'hamp. Gloss.).
Bag— Baigle 19
Formerly the term was restricted to a dealer in corn.
Leic., Staff., Wore., and elsewhere.
' Bagers, such as bryngeth whete to towne, as well in trowys as
otherwyse, by lande and by watir, in kepyng down of the market.' —
Ordinance of the Office of Mayor of Bristol, temp. Ed. IV, A. D. 1479, English
Gilds (Early Eng. Text. Soc.), (quoted in Shrop. Word-Ik.}.
(2) v. a. To tease, banter, harass, annoy, worry. A
term suggested, possibly, by the ancient sport of baiting
the badger.
(3) v. a. or n. To chaffer, as the human badger does.
Common.
Bag, v. a. To beg. In use in Glouc. and Wore., but in
.Warw. this pronunciation seems to be confined to the
phrase ' bags me ' = ' I beg,' used by boys when claiming
the use of a superior plaything, or a favourable position.
' Bags me that bat.' € Bags me the top corner.'
Bag, sb. An animal's udder. SE. Wore.
Bag and baggage, phr. ' He went away bag and baggage '
- he went away, taking all his movable possessions.
Possibly a military phrase. Common.
' Touch. Come, shepherd, let us make an honourable retreat ; though
not with bag and baggage, yet witli scrip and scrippage.' — As You Like
It, iii. a. 170.
Bag of moonshine, phr. Illusion ; nonsense. ' It's all
a bag of moonshine.' N'hamp. ? Midlands, and else-
where.
Baigle [ba-gl], sb. An opprobrious epithet applied to a
depraved woman. Did Sir Toby Belch use this word
as a euphemism for 'bitch,' and attempt a pun, when
he said :
' She's a beagle, true-bred, and one that adores me.' — Tw. Nt. ii. 3. 198.
In Warw., Wore., and Glouc., beagle is usually pronounced
c 2
20 Baint — Baiter
baigle. The Shrop. Word-bk. noted the word and quo-
tation.
Baint [bant]. Am not, are not. Of. Baant, Beant, Bisn't.
Bait, sb. Workmen's luncheon. ' Ain't it time we 'ad our
bit o' bait?' Glouc., Shrop., Up-on-Sev.
Baker's-Dozen, sb. Thirteen. Common.
' Serqua, a dozen namely of egges, or, as we say, a baker's dozen, that
is, thirteene to the dozen.' — Florio, World of Wordes, 1598.
Balks [bauks], sb. pi. ' The grass strips of ridges dividing
ploughed lands in open common fields.' — Hal. Gloss.
The Leic. Dial, says, ' A ridge of land left unploughed
between the furrows, or at the end of a field.' Shrop.
Word-bk. adds, ' the result of bad ploughing,' and quotes
Prompt. Parv. ' Balkyn or ouerskyppyn, omitto.' Ray,
who gives the proverb ' Make not balks of good ground,'
has both these meanings. Latimer, Serm. vii, has ' balks
and stubble- way ' ; and again uses the word, but in the
general sense of any ridge or uneven surface. ' He would
not walk in bywalks, where are many balks. Amongst
many balkings is much stumbling.' — Id. The preacher
was here alluding to the old proverb 'Many bywalks,
many balks : many balks, much stumbling.' Vide Arber's
reprint, p. 56.
Ealter [ball-ter, b5l-ter], v. n. ' To cohere, or gather together ;
e. g. when new-fallen snow collects on a horse's hoofs, so
as to render it difficult for him to proceed safely, it is
said to baiter. In like manner, if, in mixing flour with
milk or other liquids, it forms into lumps, the same
expression is used.' — Hal. Gloss. The N'hamp. Gloss, has
' ball ' and ' bolter.' Holland (who lived at Coventry), in
his translation of Pliny, has, when speaking of a goat's
Bamboozle — Bark 21
beard, ' Now by reason of dust getting among, it baltereth
and cluttereth into knobs and bals' (xii. 17).
' . . . blood-bolter'd Banquo.' — Macb. iv. i. 123.
Bamboo'zle, v. a. and n. To deceive, confound ; to bilk.
Common.
'1703, CIBBEE, She wou'd, dec. n. i. (1736) 34 Sham Proofs, that she pro-
pos'd to bamboozle me with.' — New Eng. Did. (Murray).
' Id. iv. i. The old Kogue . . . knows how to bamboozle.' — Ibid.
Bandy, sb. A knobbed or hooked stick used to strike the
ball in the game of hockey or bandy. Midlands, and
elsewhere.
Bang, v. a. or n. To move or go with violent rapidity.
'I banged along a good un.' Leic., N'hamp., and else-
where.
Bangles, sb. pi. ' The larger pieces of wood in faggots.
" Bangle, a large rough stick." — Ash's Eng. Diet., ed.
1775.' — Frances, S. Warw. Provin. Not known to me.
Bansel [ban-si], v.a. To beat; drive. 'I'll bansel your
hide.' ' Bansel the dogs out.' Glouc., Staff, (bancd or
barnsel).
Banter, v. a. To beat down, as in price. Glouc., Shrop.
Bar, (i) v. a. 'To lay claim to, or make choice of. Used
by boys at play, when they select a particular situation
or place.' — Hal. Gloss., Shrop. Word-bk. I have not heard
the word in this sense. ' I bar that bank,' would mean,
' I forbid the use of that bank in the game,' not, ' I claim
that bank for myself.'
(2) v. a. To ignore, as of a bad hit or faulty start,
as ' We'll bar that.' Shrop.
Bark, (i) sb. The rind of meat. It is used for the outside
skin of an onion in Burrough's Method of Physick, 1624.
Leic., N'hamp.
22 Barley — Baste
(2) v. a. To bark the shins = to knock the skin off.
Shrop. Common.
'And peel'd all the bark off his shins.'
Anderson's Cumberland Ballads, p. 6a.
Barley, phr. A grace-word used in play. Should a child
cry ' Barley/ he or she is allowed a rest. See my Eng.
Folk-rhymes, p. 338, footnote. Shrop. Hal. Diet.
Barm, sb. Yeast. Midlands. A.-Sax. beo-rni.
' The foame, spume, or flower of beer in fermentation.' — Walker, Diet.
'And sometime make the drink to bear no barm.'
Mid. Nt's. Dr. ii. i. 38.
Barmy, adj. Half-witted. Staff.
Barnacles, sb. pi. Spectacles. ' A metaphorical application
of the instrument applied by farriers to the nose of
a restive horse whilst being shod.' — N'hamp. Gloss. The
Shrop. Word-bk. describes an instrument, like the figure
of 8 in form, which is applied to the nose of a savage
bull to subdue his violence. Common. 'Barniques,
spectacles.' — Vocab. de Berri in Wedg.
Basing [ba-zing], sb. The rind of cheese. Leic., N'hamp.
(bazvng), Staff., and elsewhere, as Hallamshire.
Bass, sb. A hassock for kneeling on, covered with plaited
bast ; bast- matting. ' Having woollen yarn, bass mat, or
such like to bind them withal.' — Mortimer, Husbandry.
'Bass, incorrect form of bast,' says Latham's Johnson,
1876, 'is the inner bark of the lime, Tilia europaea.'
Common.
Baste [bast], v. a. To flog, thrash, beat. Common.
' Drom. of Syr. I think the meat wants that I have.
Ant. of Syr. In good time, sir ; what's that ?
Drom. of Syr. Basting.' — Comedy of Errors, ii. 2. 57.
(2) v. a. To tack ' work ' together slightly, with long
Bat — Baulch 23
stitches, so that the 'basting-thread' may be easily
withdrawn when the finer sewing is finished. Common.
' Bened. The body of your discourse is sometime guarded with frag-
ments, and the guards are but slightly basted on neither.' — Much Ado
about Nothing, i. i . 295.
'With a thred basting my slevis.' — Romaunt of the Rose, 104.
'Bastyn clothys, subsuo ('Sutulo.' Cath.).' — Prompt. Pan.
Bat, (i) sb. A heavy blow. Shrop., Staff., and elsewhere.
(2) v. a. To beat with force, as to bat down uneven
turf, soil, &c. Shrop., Staff., and elsewhere.
(3) To blink. ' What makes the child bat his eyes
so?' Shrop., Staff., W. Wore., Up.-on-Sev.
Batch-cake, sb. A small cake made of the surplus dough
after the batch of bread is moulded. Leic., Oxf, N'hamp.
Frances, 8. Warw. Provin., has ' batchloaf.' Shrop. Word-
bk. says, ' A small " ovenbottom " loaf made for immediate
use.'
Batching, sb. An unfledged bird. Frances, 8. Warw.
Provin.
Bather [rhymes 'gather'], (i) v. a. To buffet with the
wings, as a fowl. 'That new hen does bather the pullets.'
(2) v. n. To rustle and flutter in the dust, whilst
pruning the feathers, as birds do. Leic., Glouc., Wore.
Bats, sb. pi. Lumps of slaty deposit found amongst coal.
N'hamp., Shrop. (bass), Staff., and elsewhere.
Batter, v. n. 'A term applied to walls built out of the
upright, or gently sloping inwards.' — Parker, Gloss, of
Archit. 1845 (quoted in Leic. Dial.). N'hamp., SE. Wore.,
and elsewhere. Cf. Batters.
Batters, sb.pl. Railway or canal banks. Tamworth.
Baulch, adv. To fall ' baulch ' is to come fairly down on
to the buttocks or stomach. ' The pony shied, an' I come
24 Bauson — Bed of Beef
down baulch.' Leic. (bolsh, sb. and v. n.), N'hamp. (balch,
bolch = to fall suddenly and heavily).
Bauson [bau-snj, sb. An overcorpulent person. Shrop.,
Staff, (bawsen, gorged). In Glouc. pronounced [bosun].
Beant [be-&nt]. Am not, are not. Glouc., N'hamp. Of.
Baant, Baint, Bisn't.
Bear, To play the, phr. To inflict heavy damage. ' The
frost has played the bear with the tater tops.' Leic.,
N'hamp. ' To play Old Harry,' ' Old Gooseberry,' or
' Old Boots,' are equivalent expressions noted in Leic.
Dial. Common in Warw., and elsewhere.
Boastings, Boistings [best-ings, boistings], sb. The first
milk given by the cow after calving. ' Beasting-custard,'
and ' beasting-pudding,' are delicacies made from it.
A.-Sax. beost, byst, bysting. The Anglo-Latin Lexicon,
Harl. MS. 221, has 'Beestynge.' Pynson, Diet. (1499),
and Wynkyn de Worde, Diet. (1518), have 'Bestnynge
milke, colustrum.' The Shrop. Word-bk. says, 'It is of
a peculiar richness and has the property of thickening
when cooked, as ordinary milk does with the addition
of eggs.' N'hamp. (beastings, bisnings, bicenings), Glouc.
(boistins), Oxf. (boystins), Shrop. (beestings, bwoistin,
bystins), Staff, (beestlings, beestings, bystins), Up.-on-Sev.
(beastings or boistings), SE. Wore, (bwystings). Common
throughout England, slightly varied. Boistings is most
common in Warw.
BecalT, v. a. To speak against a person, to abuse, to mis-
call. ' She becalled me all she could lay her tongue to.'
Midlands.
Bed of Beef, sb. 'The flank; in the living animal the
intestines lie on it as on a bed — hence its name.' — Shrop.
Word-bk. Common. But cf. N'hamp. Gloss., where it
Bedlam — Beetle 25
is said to be a butcher's term for the round and white of
beef when cut together (sic).
Bedlam, sb. A boys' game. One party have a start, and,
when the leader cries ' Bedlam,' the other party follow,
and attempt to make prisoners. Any prisoner is con-
ducted to a ' den,' on the outer line of which his captor
must stand. Should one of the captive's friends dash
through the den unchecked, crying, ' Kelease Bedlam,' the
captive may make off again. Should the would-be releaser
be caught in the attempt, he and his comrade must
remain in the den. The game goes on until all are
caught, and then the other party take their 'outing.'
One player may guard any number of captives. Common,
but not in the glossaries.
Bedwind [bed- wind], sb. Small bindweed, Convolvulus
arvensis. Glouc. Gloss., quoting Eng. Plant Names,
says, ' C. sepium.'
Bee-skep, sb. A beehive. N'hamp. (bee-skip). In some
parts of Wore., I think, the term is applied to a mov-
able thatch for a beehive.
Bees ! bees ! bring your honey. A boys' game. A green-
horn is elected ' queen bee,' and is told to cry the title
of the game as a formula, when the other players have
gathered honey. Each player usually fills his mouth
with water, which he discharges on the unfortunate
' queen bee,' when the formula is spoken.
Beetle, sb. A heavy, iron-bound mallet, used for driving iron
wedges into wood, for the purpose of splitting it. ' Be-
tylle, malleus.' — Prompt. Parv. A.-Sax. bytl, a mallet.
Glouc. (pron. bitl), Oxf., Shrop., Wore., and elsewhere.
' There goes the wedge where the beetle drives it.'— Ray, Proverbs.
' Falst. If I do, fillip me with a three-man beetle.'— 2 Hen. IV, i. 2. 259.
26 Beetle-headed — Belting
Beetle-headed [be-tl-yed-id], adj. Wooden-headed, stupid.
SE. Wore.
Being as, conj. Seeing that ; since. W. Wore.
' Why didna ye come to live i' this country, bein' as Mrs. Poyser's
your aunt too?' — Adam Bede (quoted in Leic. Dial.).
Belike', adv. Perhaps, most likely.
' Thys sediciouse man [Isaiah] goeth also forthe, sayinge . . . Thy
wyne is myngeled wyth water. Here he medeleth with vinteners,
be like ther were bruers in those dayes, as ther be nowe.' — Latimer,
Sermon in, p. 36 (quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.').
Bellock, v. n. To bellow, roar, shout. Midlands.
Belly-band [belle-bun], sb. (i ) A cart-saddle girth. Common.
(2) The long loop on a kite face to which the flying-string
is attached. (3) An infant's ' binder.'
Bellyful, sb. More than enough W. Wore., and common.
'Lear. Rumble thy bellyful ! Spit, fire ! spout, rain! ' — K.Lear, iii. 2. 14.
Bellys, Bellus [bel-iss, bel-us], sb. Var. pron. of ' bellows.'
Shrop. (beliss). Sometimes bellisses in Warw. Also blow-
bellus and blow-belliss, as in Shrop. Word-bk.
Bellytimber, sb. Victuals. Leic.
Bellyvengeance, sb. Sour ' drink,' as cider, beer, &e. Leic.,
Shrop. (weak beer).
Belong', v. n. Belong ; used conversely. ' Do you belong
this horse?' Leic., N'hamp.
Belt, v. a. To thrash, chastise. Leic., Shrop., and else-
where.
' Hell spark, scabbed dark ! an thou bark, I sail belt thee.'
Montgomery, The Flyting (in N'hamp. Gloss.').
Belt, Pelt, v. n. To hurry, to rush. N'hamp. (pelting,
bustling, hurrying).
Belting, sb. A thrashing, beating. ' Strapping,' ' hiding,'
' leathering,' are synonymous terms : ' the belt or strap,'
Bennet — Best-bib-and-tucker 27
says Lew. Dial., ' being, metaphorically at least, the
instrument of punishment, the hide or leather the
material of which it is made.'
Bennet [ben-ut], sb. The peewit, or bastard plover. Sutton
Coldfield.
Berrin, sb. A funeral, lit. ' burying.' Early authorities
occur in Carr's Craven Dial., Hartshorne's Salop. Antiq.,
and Hunter's Hallamshire Gloss. Oxf., N'hamp., Shrop.
' A berrin, a berrin,
A good fat herrin.'
Children's game-rhyme at a mock funeral, Wane.
So universal is this form that it was introduced into
Rice's nigger song, Jim Crow :
' Jim Crow's sister
Went to a berrin,
Popt round the corner
An' stole a penny herrin'.'
' Beryng ' is in King Alysaunder, 4624.
Besom [be-zum], sb. An opprobrious epithet applied to
a female. Glouc. Used in the children's game ' Please,
old woman, will you come out 1 ' Warw.
' Please, old woman, will you come out,
And help us out with our dancing?
(She keeps silence, or says 'No.')
If you won't come out, you shan't come out,
You nasty, dirty besom : ' &c.
Bessy, sb. A man who meddles in woman's affairs. Glouc.
Vide MoUycoddle and Pollydoddle.
Best, (i) phr. ' I'll give you best at running ' = I'll allow
your superiority. Glouc., and elsewhere.
(2) v. a. To get the better of a person, to cheat. Glouc.,
Oxf., Staff, Up.-on-Sev.
Best-bib-and-tucker, phr. Metaphorical for holiday clothes.
N'hamp., and common.
28 Bested — Billery-ducks
Bested, part. adj. Cheated, overreached ; beaten at any
game. Shrop.
Better, adv. More. ' Better nur a mile.' ' Better than
ten minutes to twelve ' = between ten and fifteen minutes
to the hour. Common.
Bettermost, adj. Superior, the best. Common. ? if dial.
Betty, sb. The hedge-sparrow. Frances, S. Warw. Provin.
Betweenwhiles, adv. At odd times, whenever convenient.
'I shall have to finish knitting this stocking between-
whiles.' Oxf.
Bibleback, sb. A person with broad, rounded shoulders.
' Here comes old bibleback ! ' The metaphor is from the
appearance of the ponderous family Bible.
Biddle, sb. Var. pron. of ' beadle.' O. E. bydel.
Bide, v. ii. To remain. ' Bide where you be a bit.' — Frances,
S. Warw. Provin. A.-Sax. bidan, to dwell. Common.
? if dial.
' Pisanio. Then not in Britain must you bide.' — Cymb. iii. 4. 138.
Bif, sb. Var. pron. of ' beef.' Shrop., SE. Wore.
Big, adj. ' Almost universally used by the lower orders in
Warwickshire for great.' — Hal. Gloss. Common. Cf.
Glouc. Gloss. ' big,' as a vb.
Bilk, v. a. To cheat. Common. Also a sb. in Glouc. Gloss.
' 1692 LTJTTKELL, Brief. Eel. (1857) iL 412, Beleiving the persons therein
would bilk the coachman.' — New Eng. Diet. (Murray).
Bills, sb.pl. Bank-notes: all kinds of paper money. N'hamp.
'Fed. For I have bills for money by exchange.'
Taming of the Shrew, iv. 2. 89.
Billery-ducks, sb. pi. Bilious or melancholic attacks ; pos-
sibly corrupted from ' biliary ducts.' Vide Boozles and
S ere wton-Ne wtons.
Billy Button — Bits-and-bobs 29
Billy Button, sb. Ragged Robin, Lychnis flos-cuculi. Some-
times called the 'cuckoo-flower.' The white variety is
called ' cheese-cup ' at Erdington. In other villages the
red specimens are called ' red riding-hoods,' and the white
'white riding-hoods'; but the common term is Billy
Button.
Bin. Are, been, is. ' Bin you agooin' "? ' ' No, I 'a' bin I '
Common.
' And winking Marybuds begin
To ope their golden eyes :
With everything that pretty bin,
My lady sweet, arise.' — Song in Cymb. ii. 3.
Hal. Diet, says, ' been, are, were, is. Var. dial.'
Birds in the Bush. A game at marbles, in which one
player holds any number of marbles in his clasped hands,
saying, ' Birds in the bush, how many?' The other player
guesses, and wins the lot, if he guess aright. If not, he
must pay the number of marbles he is out in the reckon-
ing. The guesser then becomes crier.
Bisnings, sb. ( The first milk drawn from a cow who has
just calved.' Also called ' cherry-curds.' Frances, S. Warw.
Provin. Vide Beastings.
Bisn't. Am not, art not (not common), are not. ' Y5' bisn't
gooin' up the road, bist?' 'No, I bisn't' (or'bainf).
N'hamp. (besn't = art not). Hal. Diet, (bisson = art not.
West Country). Cf. Baant, Baint, Beant
Bist. Art (beest), are. ' How bist thee ? ' Not so common
as 'How bin yer1?' Glouc., N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Hal. Diet, says, ' West Country.' A.-Sax. beo, byst.
Bisus [bi-sus], adj. Boisterous ; as ' A bisus wind.' Near
Warwick.
Bits-and-bobs, sb.pl. Odds-and-ends. 'Gather up your
bits-and-bobs, and let me lay the tea.'
30 Bittock — Blind-man's-holiday
Bittock, sb. A bit. Frances, S. Wanu. Provin.
Black-a-top, sb. The blackcap, Curruca atricapUla.
Blackbat, sb. The blackbeetle, or cockroach. W. Wore.,
and elsewhere.
Blackie, sb. A blackbird. Frances, S. Warw. Provin.
Blackstare, Blacksteer, sb. The starling. Glouc., Wore.,
and elsewhere. Sometimes used without the prefix
' black,' as in Shrop.
Blame it ! A mild imprecation. N'hamp., Staff., and else-
where.
Blaring [rhymes ' staring '], (i) sb. Loud talking ; violent
crying. N'hamp., and elsewhere.
(2) part. adj. Roving, wandering. ' Blaring and star-
ing ' = aimlessly or wildly wandering and gazing. As
an adj. it is used for 'glaring,' e.g. 'Come in out of the
blaring hot sun.'
Blart, v. a. and n. To cry or holloa vociferously ; to blab,
or tell tales. Leic. (bloat and blart), N'hamp., Staff.,
Wore.
Blather [rhymes 'gather'], sb. (i) A bladder. Midlands, and
elsewhere. (2) Idle talk.
' There 's nothing gain'd by being witty ; fame
Gathers but wind to blather up a name.'
Beaum. and Fletch. i. z (in Hal. Diet.').
Brockett, N. Count. Gloss., says that ' a person who says
much to little purpose is called a blathering-hash.'
Blench, sb. A glimpse. Hal. Gloss.
Blether [rhymes 'tether'], v. n. To cry, blubber. Leic.,
N'hamp. (blother), Shrop. (blather), and elsewhere.
Blind-man's-holiday, phr. Closing twilight. When it is
too dark to see to work. Common.
'Feridto, vacancy from labour ; rest from worke ; blindman's holyday.'
— Florio (in Hal. Diet.').
Blizzy — Blush 31
Blizzy, sb. A blaze, a blast, a flare of fire. A.-Sax. blysa,
a blaze. Common.
Blobchops, (i) sb. A newsmonger, tattler. In Hacket's
Life of Abp. Williams, ' blobtales,' a plural form, is used
in the same sense : ' These blobtales could find no other
news to keep their tongues in motion' (ii. 67).
(2) v. a. and n. To divulge a secret. Common.
' Blabbe, wreyare of cownselle.' — Prompt. Pare.
'Never can blab.' — Ven. and Adon. at. ai. 1. 126.
Blobmouthed, adj. Talkative. Glouc., Wore.
Block-ornaments, sb. pi. Butcher's scraps.
Blow [rhymes 'how'], sb. The blossom of fruit trees.
A.-Sax. blowan, to bloom. England.
Blow it ! A common exclamation of vexation.
Blow up, v. a. To scold. Sometimes used substantively,
as in * blowing-up.' ' I gave him a good blowing-up.'
Common.
Blowsy [blou-ze], adj. Disordered, untidy ; usually said
of a woman. Leic., N'hamp. North Country, and East
Anglia, too.
Blue, adj. Disconcerted ; discontented ; downcast. ' You're
looking very blue ; what's the matter ? ' England.
Blufiy, adj. Puffed, swelled. ' My hands are as bluffy as
bluffy.' — Frances. S. Warw. Provin.
Blunder, v. n. To make a noise. Frances, S.Wai^w. Provin.
Blunt, sb. Money. Common.
' 1812, J. H. VAUX, Flash Diet., Blunt, money. 1823, Scott, in Lockhart
(1839), vii. 99, I will remit the blunt immediately.' — New Eng. Diet.
(Murray).
Blush, (i) sb. Resemblance, appearance. Hal. Gloss.
(2) phr. At the first blush = at first sight; without
32 Bob-a-lantern — Boiling
consideration, e. g. * At the first blush I thought the
fellow was sane enough.' N'hamp.
Bob-a-lantern [Bob-ii-lan'-tun], sb. A turnip lantern.
Bobby, sb. A robin. Frances, S. Warw. Provin.
Bob'owler or Bob Bowler [boulder]. The tigermoth.
' Hod-bow-lud' in SE. Wore. ; ' Bob-owlet' at Up.-on-Sev.
Bodge, v. a. (i) To prod, or pierce with a pointed
instrument.
(2) To repair or mend clumsily, to botch. Shakespeare
uses bodged for bungled. Common.
' York. With this, we charg'd again ; but, out, alas !
We bodg'd again.' — 3 Hen. VI, i. 4. 18.
'Because it followeth in the same place, nor will it be a bodge in
this, I cannot omit the consequence of this disheartening leveller.' —
Whitlock, Manners of the English, p. 437.
Bodger, sb. A mender of old clothes ; an indifferent tailor.
•The warmest burgess wears a bodger's coat,
And fashion gains less interest than a vote.'
Crabbe, The Borough.
Boffle, v. a. To thwart, counteract, impede ; lit. ' baffle.'
' This long grass boffles my feet.' c When I start to jump,
keep still, or else you'll boffle me.' Leic., N'hamp., Oxf.,
Glouc. (to worry, perplex, annoy), Shrop., Wore.
Bogie [bo-ge], sb. A spectre, bugbear ; when preceded by
'old' the devil is intended. Welsh bwgan, hobgoblin,
bugbear. Shrop. (boogie), Glouc. (bugaboo [and buggan
too, I think, as in Shrop. and Herefords.]), and elsewhere.
Vide Bug.
'King Ed. For Warwick was a bug that fear'd us all.'
3 Hen. VI, v. 2. 2.
Boiling, sb. (i) The whole of a family, class, or kind.
' I don't much care about the Taylors, Frank's the best
of the boiling.' England.
Boistings — Bought 33
(2) A quantity sufficient for boiling at one time, as
' a boiling of cabbage, clothes,' &c.
Boistings, sb. i. q. Beastings, q. v.
Boltin [boltn], sb. A bundle of straw tied -with a wisp of
the same. Oxf. (bolton), Glouc., Shrop. (battin, boutin,
boltin, bautiri), Wore, (baowtin), and elsewhere.
Book of hard names, sb. An account book. SE. Wore.
Booze, v. a., v. n., and sb. To drink, to tipple ; the liquor
drunk.
' Hail 36 holi monkes wiss jur corrin
late & rape ifilled of ale & wine
depe cun 30 bouse y' is al sure care.'
Harl. MSS. (before Chaucer), 913, f. sb
(quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.}.
Boozed, p. and pp. Fuddled, intoxicated. Boozing,
part. adj. Tippling. England.
Born days, sb. Life. ' I never heard such a tale in all my
born days.' Common.
Boss, sb. A hassock. Shrop. Hal. Diet.
Boss-eyed, adj. Having an eye which protrudes slightly,
and is defective in sight and of control. The term is also
loosely applied to any squinting eye. W. Wore.
Bossock, sb. i. q. Boss, q. v. W. Wore.
Bost, (i) v. a. and n. Var. pron. of 'burst.'
' Better a belly bost
Than a good thing lost.' — Provin. Saw.
(2) excl. ' Bost it ! ' Common.
Bote. Bought. ' I bote a couple o' ducks isterd'y (yester-
day).'
Bought [baut], adj. pec. ' I can't eat bought bread, gi'e me
home-made.'
D
34 Bout — Breezer
Bout, sb. In ploughing or sowing, one furrow up and one
down ; hence a thorough turn at anything. England.
In the Midlands it also signifies an attack of illness.
Bowl [boul], sb. A child's hoop. Leic., Shrop.
Bozom [b5-zum], sb. Var. pron. of ( bosom.' Shrop.
Brandy-snap, sb. A thin, crisp gingerbread of oval form.
England.
Bran-faced, adj. Freckle-faced. ' Be off, yo' bran-faced
madam.' Near Warwick.
Brass, sb. (i) 'A common appellation for copper money,'
says Hal. Gloss. ; but now the term is broadly used for
money of any kind.
' Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses.' —
Matt. x. 9.
' Pistol. Brass, cur !
Thou damned and luxurious mountain goat,
Offer'st me brass?' — Hen. V, iv. 4. 19.
(2) Effrontery. A common saying is, * There's enough
brass in her face to make a skimmer,' or ' She's had the
brassen [sic] skimmer rubbed over her face.'
' Ber. Can any face of brass hold longer out ? '
Love's Lab. Lost, v. 2. 396.
Brassy, adj. Bold, impudent. 'A brassy madam.'
Common.
Bravely, adv. Vastly well, in good health. 'How's the
missis1?' 'O, she's [doom'] bravely.' Sometimes the adj.
Brave is used, ' O, she is brave.'
Bread-and- cheese, sb. The young leaves and shoots of
hawthorn, eaten by children and so termed. Shrop.
Breed-and-seed, phr. ' Birth and parentage and relation-
ship. " I know the breed and seed of him." ' —Hal. Gloss.
Breezer, sb. The fundament. Cant.
Brevit — Brummagem
35
Brevit, (i) v. n. To pry, to search, to 'nose' about as
a dog does.
(2) To rummage. ' I shall have to brevit all thro' my
things for that mitten.'
(3) sb. ' That dog (wench) is a brevit.'
(4) part. adj. Rummaging, sniffing, prying. Midlands,
and elsewhere.
Brief, adj. Prevalent, rife. Generally applied to disorders
of an epidemic description. ' The fever's brief just now.'
Midlands, and elsewhere.
1 Bast. Follow me with speed : I'll to the king :
A thousand businesses are brief in hand.' — K. John, iv. 3. 157.
Brocilo, sb. Var. pron. of ' brocoli.' SE. Wore.
Brown- shelters, sb. pi. Hazel nuts, fully ripe, and ready to
drop out of the husks. Shrop. (brown-sheelers).
Browsy [brou-ze], adj. Ruddy faced. Glouc.
Bruck, sb. A brook. SE. Wore., Shrop. A.-Sax. broc.
Brummagem [brum-ij-um], sb. and adj. Counterfeit, sham,
paltry, worthless. From the place -pronunciation of
' Birmingham,' where sham groats were made in the
1 7th cent. ; and, later, imitations of valuable articles
in plated ware, &c.
' 1691, G. MIEGE, New State Eng. 235 Bromicham, particularly noted
a few years ago, for the counterfeit groats made here, and from hence
dispersed all over the Kingdom.' — New Eng. Did. (Murray).
An earlier reference from the same dictionary supplies
a usage, which may or may not be regarded as con-
temptuous.
' 1637, Cal. Dom. St. Papers 105 Those swords which he .... pre-
tends to be blades of his owne makeing are all bromedgham blades
& forraine blades.'
Hutton, the early historian of Birmingham, thought
T) 2
36 Brushing-hook — Buffer
Bromwicham was the ancient name, and that ' Brum-
magem' was an easy transition. He had found that
spelling in old documents (in point of fact there are
more than 150 spellings recorded) ; and, as West Brom-
wich, Castle Bromwich, and Little Bromwich are in the
neighbourhood, he derived the form from broom, wick,
and ham. But the Dom. Bk. form is Bermingehti ; and
it is now generally allowed to mean the home of the
Beormingas, a tribe, the chief of which was named Beorm.
Kemble, Saxons in England, 1876, i. 457, mentions this
tribe, and gives its ' Marks ' as Barming in Kent, and
Birmingham in Warwickshire.
Leic. Dial, says of Brummagem : 'It is simply
Birmingham with the r transposed, and the g pro-
nounced soft. Cf. Bagehot, Altrincham, &c. The old
spelling of the name always introduces an e after the g
to indicate the soft g.'
' Full twenty years and more have passed
Since I left Brummagem :
But I set out for home at last
To good old Brummagem. _
But ev'ry place is altered so,
There 's hardly a single place I know ;
And it fills my heart with grief and woe,
For I can't find Brummagem.'
First verse of an old song (circa 1828 .
Brushing-hook, sb. A sickle-shaped hook on a long
handle, for cutting tall hedges. Cf. Slashing-hook.
Shrop., Up -on-Sev. (brush hook).
Buckle to, v. n. To set to work in downright earnest.
England.
Budge, r. a. and n. To move off. 'Come now, you
budge ! ' — Frances, S. Warv Provin. ? if dial, or obsoles.
Buffer, fib. A dolt, blockhead ; or a man past his prime ;
Bug — Bullyrag
37
in this last sense usually preceded by ' old,' as an in-
tensive. 'The old buffer.' Leic., N'hamp., Shrop. (=the
master of a household), and elsewhere.
Bug, sb. (i) Fright, alarm (Welsh bug, a bugbear). 'To
take bug ' = to take fright,- ' very generally applied to
a startlish horse.' — Hal. Gloss. Leic. Vide Bogie.
' Her. The bug which you would fright me with I seek.'
Winter's Tale, iii. 2. 93.
' So yl thou shalt not nede to be afrayed for any bugges by night, nor
for arrowe that flyeth by daye.' — Ps. xc. (Coverdale's Trans.), now
numbered xci. 5.
The N'hamp. Gloss, says 'to take offence'; but, in
Warw., this last defines the phrase 'to take pug,' q. v.
Cf. Bogie.
(2) A clot of discoloured mucus from the nose. Some
call this a ' crow.'
Bullace [bill-as], sb. ' A wild plum. Halliwell says, " Not
the sloe." ' — Glouc. Gloss. It is not necessarily a wild
plum : ' bullaces,' i. e. plums about the size of a pigeon's
egg, and of a mingled yellow and red hue, are cultivated
for market. Ainsworth, Thesaurus (176 1), has 'A bullace,
Prunum sylvestre.' It is probable, therefore, that the
fruit had not been introduced into orchards and gardens
then.
Bull-head, Bullyhead, sb. A tadpole. Leic., N'hamp.,
Shrop.
'A frog (is) first a Bullhead, then a Frogtail, then a Frog.'
Holme, Acad. Arm. bk. ii. ch. xiv. p. 325.
Hal. Diet, marks it Chesh. The last form is not in the
glossaries, but it is the most common in Warw.
Bullyrag, v. a. To banter, to tease, to exasperate ; to scold
abusively. England. The Supplement to the Oxf. Gloss.
has ' bullrag.'
Bum - Bunk
Bum, sb. Contraction of ' bum-bailiff,' a sheriff's officer.
'Bum-bayley' is also used: the old form 'bayley' for
bailiff being retained in Warw. as elsewhere. Shrop.
The plural in Warw. is ' baylisses.'
Bumble-bee, sb. ' The apis-terrestris or any other large,
thick-bodied bee.' — N'hamp. Gloss. Possibly derived
from Bombus, the generic name of the humble-bees.
England.
Bumble-footed, adj. Having a bumble-foot, i. e. a thick,
clumsy foot that moves without pliability. Leic.,
N'hamp., Shrop., Wore. Hal. Diet, says, ' E. Country.'
The Glouc. Gloss, says, 'Club-footed.'
Bumble-puppy [b-pupe]. A game at ninepins — not nine-
holes, as Halliwell and Wright have it in their dictionaries.
The missile used is a two-pound weight of metal, or
a similar disk ; and this must be pitched, not bowled at
the pins.
Bumptious [bum-shus], adj. Arrogant, conceited. Midlands,
and elsewhere.
Bundle, sb. A large, fat woman.
Bunfire, sb. Var. pron. of ' bonfire.'
Bunk, Bunk-eyed, (i) adj. Squinting and half closed
of eye.
'Bunk -eye, Squint-eye, went to the fair,
Bought two horses, and one was a mare,
One was blind, and the other couldn't see,
Bunk-eye, Squint-eye, one, two, three ! '
Warw. Street-rhyme.
(2) v. n. and sb. To make off, to bolt ; a retreat, de-
parture, as ' I'll bunk,' or ' I'll do a bunk.' The Leic.
Gloss, has the word as a v. n., and says, ' almost always
used in the imperative, " budge ! be off! apage ! "
Bunny — Butterfly-shooter 3 9
Bunny, ab. Child's name for a rabbit. ' Bun ! Bun ! ' calls
the animal to its food, or for a caress. Common.
Bur [rhymes 'fur'], sb. The sweetbread of a calf. Glouc.,
Shrop., Staff.
Burial, sb. A burial, funeral. ' The parson read the burial-
service grand.'
Burn daylight, phr. To light candles, &c., before there is
a need : a figure for waste of time. Common.
' Mer. Come, we burn daylight, ho. ' — Rom. and Jul. i. 4. 43.
' Mrs. Ford. We burn daylight : — here, read, read.' — Meiry Wives, ii. i. 54.
Burn-mark, (i) sb. Iron letters, fitted to a wooden handle,
which when made hot are used for marking stock of all
kinds ; the mark so made. Common.
(2) v. a. ' Burnmark that spade handle.' Shrop.
Burnt his fingers, phr. Equivalent to saying that a person
has been unsuccessful in a speculation. N'hamp., and
elsewhere.
Burrow [buro and bur&], (i) sb. A sheltered place.
(2) adj. Sheltered. ' It is very burrow here in the
winter.' Midlands.
Bury [ber-e], sb. A heap of roots or potatoes covered up,
for later use, with straw-lined earth. Glouc., SE. Wore.,
Up.-on-Sev.
Bussock, sb. A gross, fat, vulgar female. In Holloway's
Diet. Provincialisms, the word is inserted as peculiar to
Warw. ; but the N'hamp. Gloss, notes it, and it is in
W. Wore. Words. Vide ' Bossuer ' in Cotgrave.
But just, phr. Only just. ' He's but just gone.' * We're
but just in time.' Cf. Just now.
Butterfly-shooter, sb. A volunteer, a member of a rifle-
corps.
40 Buttermilk-can — Cade
Buttermilk-can, sb. The long-tailed tit. If ham. and
Midland Inst. Archae. Trans., Nov. 24, 1875.
Butter-my-eye, sb. A butterfly.
Butty, (i) s6. A fellow-workman, mate or comrade.
(2) v. n. To work in company. ' I butty with Jackson.'
In & Warw. Provin. it is said to mean an assistant, too.
A ' butty-gang ' is a fellowship of workmen. Midlands,
and elsewhere.
Buzzack, sb. A donkey. Glouc., Shrop. (bussock), and
elsewhere.
By-by, sb. (i) A nurse's song, lullaby.
(2) Sleep ; in baby-talk, e. g. * Go to by-by.'
By gum ! A mild oath.
By now, adv. By this time. Common.
By rights, adv. Properly, justly. ' You ought by rights
to put them seeds in now.' ' 'E belongs the very cottage
'e pays rent for, by rights.' Leic.
By then, adv. By the time that. ' Have my supper ready
by then I get home.' Leic.
Caddie [cadi], v. a. or n. To trifle ; to pet, to fondle.
' Don't caddie with that sewing any longer.' ' You
caddie that child too much.' In Glouc. Gloss, 'caddie,'
sb. = a mess, a muddle.
Cuddling, part. Midlands.
Cade, (i) sb. or adj. A pet, a fondling ; tame, &c. ' Hie
ricus, a Kod-lomb' is in a Pict. Voc. (circa 1475) in
Wright's Vocabs.
' He brought his cade lamb with him to mass.'
Sheldon, Miracles of Antichrist, p. 224.
(2) v. a. To pet, bring up tenderly. England.
Caded — Cakey 41
Caded, part. adj. Petted, as ' a caded child.' ' She always
caded her children up so.' England.
Cadge, v. a. or n. To beg. Midlands.
Cadger [caj-ur], sb. A beggar. Midlands. (Not so else-
where : in Scotland, a packman or huckster ; in Chesh.
a carrier ; in Heref. an itinerant dealer whose wares are
carried in a cart, &c.)
Cadlock, sb. Charlock, Sinapis arvensis. Midlands.
Cag, v. n. To cank, chatter, gossip. Leic. In W. Wore.
(cagmag).
Caggy, Ceggy, adj. Left-handed. 'The caghand' = the
left hand.
Cag-mag, sb. Tough, worthless, or unwholesome meat ; the
flesh of an animal that has died a natural death. . A ' cag-
butcher ' is a tradesman that deals in such meat. In the
North Country, a tough, old goose is called a ' cagmag.'
Midlands, and elsewhere.
Cake's all dough, phr. Expressive of mischance or dis-
appointment. Midlands.
' O, dear, 0 !
My cake 's all dough [i. e. sad, heavy]
And how to make it better
I do not know.'
Warw. Folk-rhyme (a variant is in the SE. Wore. Gloss., p. 77).
' Qremio. My cake is dough : but I'll in among the rest ;
Out of hope of all but my share of the feast.'
Taming of the Shrew, v. i. 146.
Cakey, adj. Weak of intellect ; silly. Shrop. Cf. Half-
baked. ' Put in with the bread, and pull'd out with the
cakes,' is a folk-phrase, spoken of a half-witted or simple
person.
42 Calflick — Cant
Calflick, Cowlick, Cow's-lick, sb. A lock of hair on the
forehead, which will not lie flat. Common.
Call [rhymes 'fall'], (i) sb. Need, reason, occasion, neces-
sity, compulsion. ' You've no call to buy the stuff" unless
you like.' England.
' For there's nobody no call to break anything, if they'll only go the
right way to work.' — Adam Bede, ch. xx (quoted in Leic. Dial."}.
(2) v. a. To miscall, call names ; vituperate, abuse.
' He began to call me all he could lay his tongue to ; ' or
' I 'eerd 'er call the mon shameful.' Leic., Glouc., Staff.,
Shrop. To ' call one out of name,' a phrase meaning to
call one by an incorrect name, is given in S. Warw.
Provin., and is in use in other parts.
Call together, phr. To mend slightly. ' Just call the holes
together.' — N'hamp. Gloss.
Call words. To calves, ' Mog, mog, mog ! '
To chickens, ' Chick, chick, chick ! ' Common.
To cows, ' Coop, coop, coop ! ' S. Wore., and elsewhere.
To ducks, ' Dill, dill, dill ! ' Shrop., and elsewhere.
To geese, * Gag, gag, gag ! ' Glouc.
In Shrop. ' hoo-lag ; ' in Glouc. * hi-lag,' means ' go away.'
Vide "Wagoners' Words.
Cambrel, i. q. Gambrel, q. v. Leic.
Cank, Cenk, (i) v. n. To prate, to gossip. Geese say ' kenk !
kenk! kenk!'
(2) sb. A gossip, a tell-tale. Midlands.
Canker, sb. A toadstool. Glouc. Hal. Diet, says, ' West
of England.'
Cant, v. n. To gossip, carry tales, slander.
sb. (i) A tattler, talebearer. (2) Gossip, tattle. Glouc.,
Shrop., Wore.
Canting — Catching 43
Canting, adj. Saucy, pert (Rugby). S. Warw. Provin.
Cap, v. a. To excel, surpass. England.
' Constab. I will cap that proverb with " There is flattery in friend-
ship."— Hen. V, iii. 7. 129.
Cap-it. A game at pitchback. One player makes a back :
the other players pitch over twice backwards and for-
wards. Then the first leaper places a cap on the back
of the player ' down,' whilst going over (should he fail,
he himself is forced to be ' down '), and the last leaper
takes it from the back (or failing to do so, is 'down').
The first leaper now puts the cap lightly on the front
of his own head, so that it may fall in so favourable
a position — when he pitches — that he may take it in his
teeth, and cast it over his head, across the back of the
one down, to taw. Should it fall between the leaper
and the one down, the former must make the back.
If not, another player leaps, &c.
Carney, v. a. To wheedle. ' I got no money to buy sucks :
carney yer dad.' Glouc. Gloss. (Carneying, part.
wheedling.)
Carpet, phr. To ' have one on the carpet ' is to reprove or
reprimand. Common.
Carry on, phr. To behave improperly. ' Carryings-on ' =
improper conduct. Common.
Case-hardened, part. adj. Incorrigible. Bailey's Diet., 1727,
defines it ' obdurate ; hardened in impiety.' Common.
Casualty [kaz-l-ty], adj. (i) Feeble, shaky, infirm. 'He's
getting very old and casualty now.' Midlands.
(2) Uncertain, doubtful, as 'casualty weather." Mid-
lands.
Catching, adj. Uncertain ; said of the weather. Up.-on-Sev.
Wds. says, ' Showery.' Shrop. Gloss, says, ' It is called
44 Cat's-cradle — Chancet
catchiu' time when, in a wet season, they catch every
minute of favourable weather for field work.' Midlands.
Cat's-cradle. ' A childish amusement, played by two
persons with a piece of string joined at the ends, and
variously disposed on the fingers and thumbs of both
hands of one of the players ; then taken off in a different
form with both hands by the other ; and so transferred
alternately from one player to the other.' — N'hamp. Gloss.
Common.
Catch it, phr. To receive a scolding, thrashing, or other
punishment. Midlands.
'A. You'll catch it when you get 'um.
B. What for?
A. Breaking the bottle and spilling the rum, and kissing your
sweetheart all the way 'um (home).' — Folk-rhyme.
Collar is used in the same sense. ' You'll collar.'
Caterpuller [cat-ur-pul-ur], sb. Var. pron. of ' catapult.'
Cats'-tails, sb. The catkins of the hazel tree. N'hamp.
Causey [cau-ze], sb. pi. A raised footpath ; a causeway.
England.
Certain-sure, adj. Perfectly confident ; sure. Oxf. (sartin-
sure), and elsewhere.
Cess! excl. Addressed to a dog to direct or incite it to
the scent. The Olouc. Gloss, says, to call dogs ' to their
food ' : and Hal. Diet, agrees ; applying the term to the
South of England.
Chabble vel Chobble, v. a. and sb. To chew ; a chew.
' 'Ow yo' do chobble at them nuts.' ' Wot a opple, gi'e us
a chobble.'
Chackle, v. n. To cackle, as a hen. SE. Wore.
Chance-child, sb. An illegitimate child. Shrop.
Chancet [chanst], sb. A chance. ' Gi'e us a chancet.'
Chaney — Cheer 45
Chaney, sb. and adj. China. Oxf., Shrop., SE. Wore., and
elsewhere. Of. Chiney.
Chapelmaster, sb. The chief ruler of the meeting-house.
Frances, S. Warw. Provin.
Charks, sb.pl. Charcoal. Glouc.
Charky, adj. Dry, sunbaked. SE. Wore.
Charm, sb. (i) The intermingled and confused song of all
the morning birds.
' I cherme as brydes do whan they make a noyse a great nomber
togyther.' — Palsgrave.
' Charm of earliest birds.' — Parad. Lost, bk. iv, 1. 641
(quoted in Shrop. Gloss.).
(2) A murmuring noise ; a hum as of many voices.
' What a charm them childern mek in school.' Midlands.
Charwick, sb. Charlock, Sinapis arvensis.
Chats, sb.pl. Bits of dead wood; small sticks used for fuel.
Kay gives ' Love of lads and fire of chats is soon in and
soon out,' as a Derbyshire proverb. Midlands. In Staff.
Gloss. = ' small coal, twig.'
Chatting, part. Gathering chats.
Chatterpie, sb. A chatterbox. Glouc. Common.
Chaun, sb, A crack ia the earth, floor, or wall. Glouc.,
SE. Wore.
Cheapen [che-pn], v. a. To ask the price of anything :
properly, to bargain. A.-Sax. ceapian, negotiari, Prompt.
Parv.
'To bargen, chepe, bye and sell, marchander.' — Palsgrave (in Shrop.
Gloss.).
Ched, adj. 'Full to the brim with eating' (Rugby).
Frances, S. Warw. Provin.
Cheer, sb. Var. pron. of 'chair.' Oxf., Shrop., SE.
Wore.
46 Cheeses — Chin-cough
Cheeses [che-ziz], sb. pi. The ' fruit ' of the common mallow.
Common.
' Children often amuse themselves with gathering and eating the
unripe seed-vessels [of the mallow] which they call cheeses ; they are
insipid but not unwholesome.' — Flowers of the Field, by C. A. Johns,
4th ed., p. 114. French children say Les petiis fromageons.
Chelp, Chilp, v. n. To chirp ; to chatter. ' Chilp, chilp,
chilp, like a cock-sparrer up i' th' air.' Leic., N'hamp.
Chep, adj. Var. pron. of ' cheap,' Leic., N'hamp., SE. Wore.
(chape and chup).
Cherry-curds, sb. i. q. Bisnings, q. v. Glouc., N'hamp.,
Oxf. (churry-curds).
Chewer, sb. A narrow passage or road between two houses.
Hal. Gloss. Glouc. (chur and chure). HaL Diet, has 'chore.'
Chibbals, sb. pi. Onions grown from bulbs ; scallions. Oxf.,
Glouc., Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere.
Chibble, v. n. To chip, crumble. ' This putty's beginning
to chibble.' Leic.
Childern, sb. pi. Children. Common.
' And play as chylderne done in strete.' — Early Eng. Miscel. iii. p. 10 ;
Warton Club Pubs., 1855 (quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.~).
Chill, v. a. To take the chill off; to warm slightly. ' Chill
that milk.' Midlands.
Chimbly, sb. Var. pron. of ' chimney.' Common. ' Chim-
berley,' ' chimdy,' and ' chimley,' are other forms.
Chin-cough [c-cuff],s&. Whooping-cough. N'hamp., Shrop.,
and elsewhere.
'Find a briar growing in the ground at both ends, pass the child
under and over it nine times, for three mornings, before sunrise,
repeating :
" Under the briar, and over the briar,
I wish to leave the chincough here."
The briar must be cut, and made into the form of a cross, and worn
on the breast." — Poole, Customs, Legends, and Superstitions of Staff., p. 37.
Chiney — Christmas 47
Chiney [chi-ne], sb. Var. pron. of ' china.' Vide Chaney.
Chip, v. n. To bud. ' The hedges are beginning to chip.'
Chip-in-porridge, phr. N'hamp.
' Like a chip in porridge, neither good nor harm.' — Hazlitt, Eng.
Proverbs, 1882.
Chip out, v. n. and sb. To ' fall out,' quarrel. ' Jack and
me 'ad a bit of a chip out last night.' ' What did you
chip out about1?' Leic., N'hamp.
Chisel [chizl], v. a. To cheat. Leic.
Chits, sb. pi. l The sprouts which shoot from potatoes,
wheat, &c., when germination has commenced.' — SE.Worc.
Gloss.
Chive, sb. The stave of a barrel.
Chock, v. a. To chuck, cast : hence the game of ' chock '
or ' chockhole,' in which the players attempt to pitch the
marbles into a hole. Any ' remainders ' — that is, marbles
undeposited by one player at a cast — become the pro-
perty of the other player. Midlands.
Chock-full, adj. As full as possible ; completely full.
N'hamp., SE. Wore., Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere.
Choice, adj. (i) Dainty, fastidious. 'The cat won't eat
this meat, she's a choice madam,' or ' choice-mouthed.'
N'hamp.
(2) Fond and careful. ' Be careful with that ornament,
the master's very choice on it.' Shrop.
Chop-gos, sb. A boor, a man rough and uncouth of
manner. From 'chop' and egos' = gorse. 'As rough as
gos chopped off the common ' is a Warw. folk-phrase.
Christmas, sb. The evergreens used in Christmas decora-
tions. England.
48 Chuck — Clappers
Chuck, sb. ' A cut of beef extending from the horns (sic)
to the ribs, including the shoulder piece.' — Skrop. Gloss.
Chucky-pig, sb. A young pig.
Chuff, (i) sb. Bread; sometimes, but not often, used
broadly for food.
(2) v. n. To eat. ' Jist yd' wait afore yo' begin to
chuff.'
Chunder, Chunter, v. n. To mutter, grumble. Shrop.
(chunder}, Staff, (chunter, to scold, &c.). .
Clack, sb. (i) Iteration, idle talk. (2) A contemptuous
epithet for a woman's tongue. Common. Glouc. Gloss,
(clack, noise).
Clam, Clem, v. a. and n. To starve, famish.
' My intrails
Were clamm'd with keeping a perpetual fast.'
Massinger, Roman Actor, ii. 2 (ist half i7th cent.),
in Nares" Gloss. •
Bailey, Diet. 1782, has 'clammed, starved with hunger.'
' What, will he clem me and my followers ? '
Ben Jonson, Poetaster, i. a.
' You been like Smithwick either clem'd or bossten ' is
a Chesh. proverb. See Ray, Hazlitt, and Wilbraham's
Chesh. Gloss. 1820, pp. 21-26. Common. The SE.Worc.
Gloss, has ' clommed.'
Clap-gate, sb. ' A gate which shuts on either of two posts
joined with bars to a third post, so that only one person
can pass through at a time.' — Frances, S. Warw. Provin.
Clappers, sb. pi. Two, and sometimes three tongues of
wood fitted on to a handle, used to scare birds from
crops. The outer tongues work <m a hinge, and the bird
boy, striking them against the fixed tongue, makes a
clapping sound to discomfit the birds, and utters his
Clat — Clemancing
49
monotonous verse. See my Eng. Folk-rhymes, pp. 3 1 9-2 1 .
Glouc., N'hamp. (crackers and dockers], Staff., Shrop.
(clackers).
Clat, v. n. To tattle, tell tales (Rugby). Frances, 8. Warw.
Provin. N'hamp., Shrop., and elsewhere.
sb. (i) Clatter. ' Stop your clat.' (2) Applied specially
to the droppings of cattle, e. g. ' Mind ! or you'll tread
i' that cow-clat.' Midlands.
Claws, Glees, Cleys [clauz, clez, claz], sb. pi. The respec-
tive parts of a cloven foot. ' Claw or cle of a beste,
Ungula' — Prompt. Parv. Minsheu (ed. 1617, p. 97)
refers to the ' cleyes of Crabbes, Scorpions/ &c. Shrop.,
Up.-on-Sev. (clay).
Clay-dabber, sb. A brickmaker's lad.
' Clay-dabber Dick,
Three fardens a-wik (week),
Three little devils
To carry one brick.' — Warw. Folk-rhyme.
Clean [clen], adv. Wholly, entirely, quite. Common.
'For al his fyve wittes had clene hym forsake.'
Chaucer, Hist. Beryn (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.).
'logo. It is clean out of the way.' — Othello, i. 3. 366.
'That clean throughout his soil proud Cotswold cannot show.'
Dray ton, Poly, xiv (in Leic. Dial.}.
'Clean gone like the boy's eye, and that went into his head'
(i. e. he squinted). — Mid. Folk-phrase.
Cleft, sb. A portion of a log cleft for burning. N'hamp.
Frances, S. Warw. Provin., simply says, ' A log of wood.'
Clemancing, part. adj. Soliciting goodies and pence on
the night of St. Clement's Day, Nov. 23rd.
'Clemancing, clemancing, year by year,
Apples and pears are very good cheer ;
One for Peter, two for Paul,
And three for the man that ,made us all.
E
50 Clem-gutted — Clouter-headed
Up with your stocking, and down with your shoe ;
, If you've got no apples, money '11 do.
Clement was a good old man,
For his sake pray give us some ;
None of the worst, but some of the best.
I pray God send your soul to rest.'
Folk-rhyme, near Tamworth.
At Aston-juxta-Birmingham, and in the neighbourhood,
the first line runs : ' Come Clement's, come Clement's,
come once a year.' For variants of the rhyme in
other counties, see my Eng. Folk-rhymes, pp. 222-26.
Clem-gutted, adj. Thin, miserable-looking, pinched in
appearance. Shrop. (clemgut, sb. and adj.).
Clicketing, part. adj. Making that sort of noise which
a clicket or hasp does when the door or gate is shaken
by the wind.
Clinking, adj. Admirable, splendid, worthy. ' Ain't these
a clinkin' pair o' trousers ? ' Vulg.
Clock, sb. The ball of seeds of the dandelion. Children
disperse the ball by blowing off the downy seeds, and
pretend to determine the time of day, each puff answering
to one hour ; hence the name. England.
Clommer, v. n. To clamp, or tread heavily. Leic., Shrop.
(clontering, part. adj.).
Close, sb. A field. Frances, S. Warw. Provin. The
N'hamp. Gloss, preserves the plural ' closen ' = small
inclosures or fields. Shrop. Gloss, says, ' A small field
near the house.' Staff. ? if dial.
Clothing-boots, sb. pi. Cloth or button boots that reach to
the calf of the leg. Sutton Coldfield.
Clouter-headed [c-yedid], adj. 'Thick-headed,' stupid,
deficient in understanding. N'hamp.
Clozam — Codger 5 1
Clozam, v. a. To grab, to clutch, to appropriate. ' Let's
clozam them opples.' The Shrop. Gloss, has 'closem'
[pron. kluzum], v. a., to grasp in a close embrace.
Coal-hod [col-od], sb. Any utensil that differs in shape
from the ' scoop ' or ' scuttle,' for holding coal. Midlands,
and elsewhere.
Cob, (i) sb. A blow. Staff, (a heap, a blow ; to throw).
(2) v. a. To beat, actually or figuratively ; to surpass.
Shrop. Common.
' That cobs Dolly, and Dolly cobb'd the devil.' — Mid. Folk-phrase.
Cobbler, sb. The fruit of the horse-chestnut tree.
Cobblers, sb. The well-known game of striking one dried
' cobbler,' threaded on a string, against that of an
opponent, to try their respective strength. Vide Eng.
Folk-rhymes, pp. 354~55-
Cock-sure, adj. Overcertain, overconfident.
'When the Deuyll had once broughte Christe to the crosse, he
thought all cocke sure.' — Latimer, Sermon on the Ploughers, 1549 (quoted
in SE. Wore. Gloss.).
' Gads. We steal as in a castle, cock-sure.' — i Hen. IV, ii. i. 95.
Cod, Coddy, sb. Friend, companion. It is always prefixed
to a surname, as Cod Bennett, Cod Jackson, &c. ; and
possibly may be a diminutive of codlin, an old term of
endearment.
Codge, v. a. or n. To cobble, mend clumsily. Leic.,
N'hamp., Staff. In Warw. it is often used in conjunction
with ' modge,' as ' Don't codge and modge at that coat
any longer.'
Codger, sb. A miser. Frances, S. Warw. Provin. In
other parts of the county, preceded by ' old ' as an
intensive, it signifies an eccentric.
E 2
52 Cold-crowdings — Come your ways
Cold-crowdings, 86. pi. Bad times. More common in
Glouc. 'Ther'll be cold-crowdings, if bread gets much
dearer.'
Collar, phr. i. q. Catch it, q. v.
Colly, (i) sb. The soot which gathers outside pots, pans, &c.
(2) v. a. To blacken. Midlands. Hartshorne, Salop.
Antiq., gives early references from the Geste of King
Horn, v. 1071-72, and 1097-8. Shakespeare uses ' collied '
as an adj. and part. :
' Lys. Brief as the lightning in the collied night.' — Mid. Nfs. Dr. i. 1. 145.
' Oth. And passion having my best judgment collied.' — Othello, ii. 3. 208.
Come, (i) Iprep. At, on, or by.
' She's been here but a year come Michaelmas.' — Adam Bede, ch. xxxi.
(quoted in Leic. Dial.}.
(2) present tense for the past. ' I come yesterday.'
Common.
' Th\irsday that was the ix Day of Aprill, I com to Agnebelleto . . .
the same nyght I com to Cambery.' — Torkington's Pilgrimage, 1517.
(3) excl. ' Come ! come ! ' = ' Haste ! ' or ' Mend your
manners ! ' Common.
Come-back', sb. The guinea-fowl, in allusion to its cry.
Midlands, and elsewhere.
Come on', v. n. To grow, to improve. ' The plants come
on nicely.' Shrop. It is frequently used of women
enceinte.
Come to see, phr. Expressing courtship, as 'Your Jim
comes to see our Polly.' N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Come your ways, phr. Come here : usually addressed to
children, in an encouraging tone. Sometimes ' Come his
ways.'
'Pol. Look to't, I charge you ; come your ways.' — Hamlet, i. 3. 135.
Comical — Courted-cards 53
' Ways ' is probably a relic of the old genitive. See
Troil. & Cress, iii. a. 44, ' Come your ways, come your
ways;' and As You Like It, iv. i. 192, 'Ay, go your
ways, go your ways.' Shrop., Wore., and elsewhere.
Comical, adj. Queer tempered. 'He's in a comical
humour.' N'hamp., Up.-on-Sev. ( = unwell).
Conk, sb. The nose. Vulg. SE. Wore, and elsewhere.
Conquers [conk-urz], sb. pi. Feats of daring. ' Let's go
and play at conkers : ' i. e. deeds which conquer some of
the players.
Contrairy [cun-trer'-e], adj. Obstinate, cross-tempered : lit.
contrary.
Cop, v. a. To catch. ' Cop that frog.' Staff.
Corkle, sb. The core of an apple. Hal. Diet, has ' corke.'
Vide Scork.
Corning, part. adj. Begging corn for Prummety (q. v.) on
St. Thomas' Day, Dec. 21.
Cornish, sb. A cornice.
' Cornice or Cornish is the top and overseeling moulding on the top
of a piece of Wainscot.' — Acad. Armory, bk. iii. ch. iii. p 100 (quoted in
Shrop. Gloss.}.
Cotch, v. a. To catch.
Cotched, p. and pp. Caught. Oxf.
Couch, Couch-grass [kuch], sb. Triticum repens, L., or any
grass of similar habit. Glouc. Vide Squitch.
Could [cud], v. n. and a. To be able. ' I used to could.'
Also used with the negative. 'He used to couldn't.'
Leic.
Courted-cards [cort'ed-cards], sb. pi. The 'court' or
'picture' cards of a pack, taken collectively. Shrop.
Vide Faced-cards.
54 Coventry-blue — Coverslut
Coventry-blue. 'Thread principally used for purposes of
embroidery, of a vivid blue, very popular in the time
of Elizabeth. It was produced from a kind of indigo.'
— Beck, Draper 8 Diet.
1 1 have heard say that the chiefe trade of Coventry
was heretofore in making blue threde, and then the town
was riche, even upon that trade, in manner only ; and
now our threde comes all from beyonde sea; therefore
that trade is now decaied, and thereby the town like-
wise.'— A Compendious an^, brief Examination of
certayne ordinary complaynts of divers of our Country-
men in these our days: a blackletter tract, published
in 1581 by W[illiam] S[tafford] — long attributed to
Shakespeare.
' Jenkin. She gave me a shirt collar wrought over with no counterfeit
stuff.
George. What, was it gold ?
Jenkin. Nay, 'twas better than gold.
George. What was it ?
Jenkin. Right Coventry-blue.' — The Pinner o/WakeJield, 1599.
' He is true
Coventry-blue.'
' Coventry was formerly famous for dyeing a blue that
would neither change its colour, nor could it be dis-
charged by washing. Therefore, the epithets of Coventry-
blue and true blue were figuratively used to signify
persons who would not change their party or principles
on any consideration.' — Grose, Provin. Gloss. Fuller
mentions the distich in his Worthies.
Coverlid [cuv-ur-lid], sb. A coverlet, or bedquilt. N'hamp.,
and elsewhere. '4 coverlids' for the servants' rooms
appears in the Inventory of Skipton Castle, Yorks., 1572.
Coverslut [cuv-ur-slut], sb. A long apron used to hide an
untidy dress. N'hamp., Shrop.
Co wcumber — Coxy 5 5
Cowcumber, sb. A cucumber. This was the form of the
word dear to Betsy Prig. Halliwell says this form
occurs in Holly band's Dictionarie, 1593. N'hamp.,
Shrop., SE. Wore. Often pronounced ' cowcummer.'
Cowge [couj], v. a. To pilfer, or rather to appropriate
forcibly. ' Let's go and cowge their marleys.'
Cowlady [cou-la-de], sb. The ladybird, or Ladycow, q. v.
Hal. Gloss. Common.
Cow-leech [cou-lech], sb. A. cow-doctor, a hedge-farrier.
Glouc., N'hamp., Shrop., Up.-on-Sev.
' Though there are many pretenders to the art of farriering and cow-
leeching, yet many of them are very ignorant, especially in the
country.' — Mortimer's Husbandry (tit. Latham \
Cow-leg, v. n. To pitch a back with one leg only, the
other remaining on the ground.
Cows and Calves, sb. pi. (i) 'The flower of the Arum
maculatum. They are also called in Warw., but less
properly, bulls and cows, and lords and ladies.' — Hal.
Gloss. N'hamp. The Gloss, says, ' The dark-coloured
ones are called bulls, the light cows.' Shrop.
(2) Children sometimes rub their moist hands after
play, and work up little rolls of dirt- charged moisture.
These they term ' cows and calves.' Glouc.
Cow-sharn, sb. The dung of a cow. Holland, in his
translation of Pliny, uses the term bulls'-sherne (ii. 327).
Hal. Gloss. Leic.
' Shorn is the Dung of Oxen and Cows.' — Acad. Armory, bk. ii. ch. ix.
P- *73 (quoted in Shrop. Gloss.}.
Cowslups, sb. pi. Var. pron. of ' cowslips.' SE. Wore.
Coxy, adj. Conceited, arrogant, supercilious. Leic. (coxy
and cocky), N'hamp. ( = touchy), SE. Wore, (cocksey).
' When he comes to church, he sits an' shakes his head, an' looks as
56 Coz — Cranch
sour an' as coxy when we're a-singin', as I should like to fetch him
a rap across the jowl.' — Adam Bede (quoted in Leic. Dial.').
Coz, conj. Var. pron. of ' because.' SE. Wore. ' Coz for
why,' meaning 'why so/ is a common phrase in the
Midlands.
Crab, Crabstick, sb. A morose, disagreeable person.
N'hamp.
Crab-varjis, sb. The juice (lit. verjuice) of crab apples,
said to be good for sprains. Shrop., and elsewhere.
Vide Vaijis.
Crack, In a, phr. Quickly, instantly; in a jiffy, trice,
twink, flash. England.
Crack, v. n. To boast, brag. The Prompt. Parv. gives
'crakyng or boste, jactancia.' N'hamp., SE. Wore.
(crack-up, v. a. : and in Warw.), and elsewhere.
Crackling, sb. The rind of pork when roasted. Midlands,
and elsewhere.
Craitchety, adj. i.q. Creachy, q. v. Leic. (cratchelty),
N'hamp. (cratchalty), Shrop. (craitchy).
Crake, (i) sb. A grumbling state. ' AMs on the crake.'
(2) v. n. and a. To murmur, to grumble.
'And Craken ajeyn J>e clergie — Crabbede wordes.'
Piers the Plowman, Text A, pass. xi. 1. 65, ed. Skeat
(quoted in Shrop. Gloss.}.
Crame, sb. Var. pron. of ' cream.' England.
'And a fewe Cruddes and Craym.'
Piers the Ploicman, Text A, pass. viL 1. 269
(quoted in Shrop. Gloss.").
Cranch, v. a. or n. To crunch : ' to make that sort of noise
which is occasioned by eating a hard apple, or crushing
any hard substance with the teeth; or breaking under
the feet pieces of sand or any similar matter thrown
Crane — Criss-cross-cushion 5 7
upon the floor.' — Hal. Gloss. Staff, (to eat apples). Vide
Graunch.
Crane, sb. A sway-bar, hanging-bar; on which the pot-
hooks hang.
Crap, (i) sb. Var. pron. of ' crop.' England.
(2) v. n. To discharge excrement.
Cratch, sb. (i) A hayrack. In all the early dictionaries.
(2) The rack-like tailboard of a cart or wagon. Glouc.,
SE. Wore. Staff, (a pannier).
(3) A rack suspended from the kitchen ceiling, where
the ' flitches ' are kept, or firearms placed, &c. Shrop.
Crater, sb. Var. pron. of ' creature.' Shrop., and elsewhere.
Creachy vel Craichy [cre-che, cra-che], adj. Creaky, infirm,
unsteady. ' A craichy o'd mon.' ' That cheer is a
creachy article.' Glouc. (craiky), Leic. (creachy), Staff.
(creachy), SE. Wore, (craichy), W. Wore, (craikey). Vide
Craitchety.
Creepers, sb. pi. Head-lice. Oxf. Vide Dicks.
Creep up one's sleeve, phr. Signifying to attempt to
obtain a favour by coaxing or wheedling. N'hamp., and
elsewhere.
Cricks, sb. pi. (i) Winding paths through or beside allot-
ments and grazing grounds.
(2) The grounds so traversed. Elsewhere, as Staff.
Crink, Crinklin', sb. A very small sweet summer apple.
Oxf. (crinklin'), Wore, (crinks), Shrop.
Criss-cross-cushion, sb. 'A sort of seat made by two
persons taking hold of their own and each other's wrists,
thus forming a square with their hands, so as to enable
them to carry a child thereon.' — N'hamp. Gloss.
58 Croak — Cubbed
Croak, v. n. To die.
Croffling, part. adj. Infirm, decrepit, as 'A croffling old
man,' or ' He just goes croffling about.' Leic.
Croodle, v. n. (i) To crouch for warmth. England.
(2) To bend or stoop down, to cower.
Crostering, adj. Boasting. 'He's a crostering fellow'
(Rugby). — Frances, S. Warw. Provin. Cf. Goster.
Crow [croj, sb. A sway-bar, pot-hanger. The term is more
properly applied to a perforated plate of metal, the stave
of which works within a socket beside the hob of a grate ;
and is used for supporting pots and the like over the fire,
or sufficiently near to it to keep the contents hot.
Crows, sb. pi. A common term for rooks in the midlands.
Cruddle, v. a. or n. To curdle.
' Comes the breme winter
Drerily shooting his stormy dart,
Which cruddles the blood, and pricks the harte.'
Spenser, Shep. Col. Feb. 1. 43 (quoted in W. Wore. Gloss.}.
Cruddled, part. adj. Curdled.
Crudded, Cruddid, pp. Curded. Job x. 10; Ps.
Ixvii. 1 6 ; cxviii. 70 ; Wisd. vii. 2 (in Wycl.).
Cruds, sb. pi. Curds. These words were ever interchange-
able. ' Cruds of mylke, mattes.' — Palsgrave : and other
early dictionaries. ' Crudde, coagulum.' — Prompt. Parv.
Crumbs, To pick up one's, phr. To thrive. N'hamp., and
elsewhere.
Crusher, sb. A glass or metal rod with a button-like end
for crushing the sugar in toddy.
Crusses [crus-iz], sb. pi. Crusts. Midlands.
Cubbed, Cubbed up, p. and pp. From v. a. Cub, to confine
Cuburt — Cut up
59
as in a cub (penthouse, hutch, &c.), cramped, confined.
Common.
• Cubbed in a cabin, on a mattress laid.'
Dryden (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.}.
Cuburt, sb. Var. pron. of ' cupboard.' Shrop.
Cuck [cook], sb. A well-known game in which one child
hides, and then cries ' Cuck ' or ' Cuckoo,' when the
other players attempt to discover the hiding-place.
Cuckoo-flower, sb. Lychnis floscuculi. N'hamp. Gloss.
says, ' Redflowered campion, Lychnis dioica.' Glouc.
Gloss., l Cardamine pratensis?
Cuckoo-malt, sb. Malt made in the summer, that is,
after the arrival of the cuckoo. ' Cuckoo-lamb, a late
yeaned lamb.' — Hal. Gloss. This last is in N'hamp.
Gloss.
Cuff, sb. Var. pron. of ' cough.'
Cullings [culins], sb. pi. Refuse, residue after selection, as
of corn or farm-stock.
' Cullynge or owte schesynge, Seperacio, Segregacio.' — Prompt. Pan.
'Those that are big'st of bone I still reserve for breed.
My cullings I put off, or for the chapman feed.'
Drayton, Nymph, vi. p. 1496.
Cum, sb. and v. a. Var. pron. of ' comb.' SE. Wore. (coom).
Cunger [cung-ur], sb. A cucumber. N'hamp. (conger and
congoes). Hal. Diet.
Cunny-thumb, phr. To shoot with a * cunny-thumb ' is to
discharge a marble with the thumb released from far
beneath the forefinger (Lat. cuneus, a wedge). SE.
Wore.
Curchey [cur-chej, sb. A curtsy. Leic., Shrop.
Cut up, phr. Depressed by trouble ; grieved ; spirit-broken.
N'hamp., Shrop. Hartshorne, Salop. Antiq.
60 Cut-and-come-again — Daggle
Cut-and-come-again, phr. Expressing 'take a share and
come again freely for more.' England.
C'up ! [cup and coop], excl. Lit. ' come up ! ' a call to cows
at milking time. ' Come up ' is used to horses to en-
courage their speed. England.
Dabbly [dab-le], adj. Showery, damp, dirty, as 'dabbly
weather.' Up.-on-Sev. Cf. Daggly.
Dab, sb. A small quantity, as ' a dab of money.' Leic.,
Shrop., Glouc. (dabbit). 'Dibs and dabs ' = paltry
portions of anything. Cf. Dibs.
Dabhand, sb. A dabster, a skilled hand, one adept at
anything. Common.
Dabs, sb. pi. Bits. ' My hands is just like dabs of ice.' —
N'hamp. Gloss.
Dabwash, sb. A small, intermediate washing of clothes
between the large periodical washings. Oxf., N'hamp.,
Shrop.
Daddy-rough, sb. (i) The stickleback. (2) Hayriff, q. v.
Dadacky [dad-S-ke], adj. Natureless, sapless, decayed, as
'A dadacky log of wood.' More common in Glouc.
Glouc. (daddocky), W. Wore, (daddaky — inferior, mid-
dling), Shrop. (dadduck, sb. = dry, rotten wood, &c.), Up.-
on-Sev. (dadock, sb., dadocky}. Hal. Diet, (dadacky).
Dag, sb. Dew. ' There's been a nice flop of dag.' — Frances,
S. Warw. Provin.
Dag, Daggle, v. a. and n. To trail in the dirt ; to bemire,
to draggle. Common.
' I daggle or I dagge a thing with myer, le crotte.' — Palsgrave.
Daggle, v. a. To cut off the wool round a sheep's tail.
Daggly — Denial 61
Oxf. (dag). ' Daglocks ' are the bits of wool cut off.
Leie., N'hamp., Shrop. (dagglelocks).
Daggly, adj. Wet, showery, as 'a daggly day.' Shrop.
Cf. Dabbly.
Dain't. Did not, as CI or You dain't black the boots.'
Dale, sb. Var. pron. of 'deal' (pine), as 'This is a nice
piece o' dale.'
Damas [dam-aY], sb. The damson, or damask plum.
Damp, v. n. To drizzle. Leic., Glouc.
Damping [damp-in'], adj. Showery, drizzling, as ' It's
dampin' weather to-day.'
Danger, No, phr. = Not at all likely, nothing of the kind.
Shrop. ' No fear ' is used in the same sense.
Dareno' [dare-nS,]. Dare not. CI dareno' do it.' Cf.
Dussn't.
Deadly, adj. and adv. Exceeding, exceedingly, as ' deadly
clever.' ' Black snails be out deadly ' (in a bad sense). —
N'hamp. Gloss. W. Wore, (clever, active, excellent),
Up.-on-Sev. (accomplished, having great power). Frances,
8. Warw. Provin., gives 'He's a deadly man for going
to church ' = He is a thorough churchgoer.
Deaf-ears, sb. pi. The valves of an animal's heart. Shrop.
Deafnut, sb. A nut without a kernel. Common.
Deck, sb. A pack of cards. England.
' CRo. The king was slily finger' d from the deck.'— 3 Hen. VI, v. i. 44.
Deef [def], adj. Deaf. Palsgrave spells the word ' deefe.'
Midlands.
Denial [de-m'-Sl], sb. Detriment, hindrance, drawback,
disadvantage, trial, injury. ' It's a great denial to him
to be shut up in the house so long.' Midlands.
62 Dern — Ding-dong
Bern, v. a. To darn, as a stocking. SE. Wore.
' Rentraire ... to draw, dearne, or sow vp a rent in a garment.' — Cotgr.
Desperate, i. q. Deadly, q. v. Up.-on-Sev.
Devil's Nightcap, sb. Hedge-parsley. Erdington.
Devil's Oatmeal, sb. Cow-parsnip. Near Tamworth.
Dew-spreader [sometimes ju-spred-nr], sb. A spiay-footed
person. Of. Splawger, Splodger.
Dibs, sb. pi. Little lots : particularly of money. ' He
pays me in such dibs, I don't care for his custom/
' Dibs ' was once a slang term for money generally. Cf.
Dab.
'For that one of their drummers, and one Sergeant Matcham,
Had "brush'd with the dibs," and they never could catch 'em.'
1 The Dead Drummer ' : Ingoldsby Legends.
Dicks, i. q. Creepers, q. v.
Dicky, adj. Doubtful, as 'a dicky chance.' Up.-on-Sev.
(middling in health) ; and in Warw. too.
Didn't ought. Ought not. ' You didn't ought to throw
stones.' Oxf. Common.
Digester [de-jes'-tur1?, di-jes'-tur], sb. Digestion. Frances,
S. Warw. Provin.
Dilling, sb. The last and weakest of a brood or litter ; and,
sometimes of a family, in which sense it has almost the
power of ' darling ' or ' fondling.' England.
'The youngest and the last, and lesser than the other,
Saint Helen's name doth beare, the dilling of her mother.'
Drayton, Poly.
Ding-dong, adv. Hard and fast, in right earnest, as bells
go ; commonly spoken of a hand-to-hand fight. Common.
'And thus they went to it, ding-dong.' — Robin Hood and the Ranger.
It sometimes signifies ' slap- dash,' ' slap-bang,' ' neck or
nothing.' 'Here goes ding-dong for a dumpling,' is
a Warw. phrase, probably derived from the old sport of
Dinge — Dither 63
bobbing with the mouth for balm dumplings immersed
in hot water.
Dinge [diiij], (i) sb. A dent. Shrop.
(2) v. a. To dint. Shrop.
Dingfart, v. a. To swing a person's buttocks against an
obstacle, or jolt him astride the knee, &c. Vide Leic.
Gloss, under ' Boss.'
'Tommy, Tommy Dingfart,
Born in a muck-cart,
Christen'd in a wheelbarrow,
Gee ! Wo ! Wup !' — Warw. Folk-rhyme.
Dink, Dinks, v, a. To dance a baby in one's arms. Oxf.,
SE. Wore., Up.-on-Sev.
' Dinks-a, dinks-a-dolly,
What shall mammy do fo' 'e ? (' for thee ' : sound of
' o ' in not)
But sit in a lap,
And give un a pap,
And dinks-a, dinks-a-dolly.' — Glouc. Folk-rhyme.
Dirty Dan'l, sb. Treacle : lit. ' Daniel.' Vulg.
Ditched, part, (i) Begrimed or deeply insinuated with
dirt. Leic., N'hamp.
(2) Ingrained. Thus a fabric the prevailing colour of
which is, say, blue, but proves on close examination to
contain an occasional thread of, say, dark grey, is said
to be ' ditched with grey.' Hence the verb dich (which is
rarely heard) may be made to mean to dye, imbue, ingrain.
' Much good dich thy good heart, Apemantis ! ' — Timon of Athens, i. 2. 74.
Dither [dith-ur], v. n. To shake or tremble with cold.
' Dyderying for cold ' occurs in Prompt. Parv. ; and Cot-
grave has ' to didder with cold, friller, frisonner, gre-
lotter.' The word is sometimes substantively used, as
' all of a dither.'
64 Ditless — Do up
The Dithers. The shivers.
Dithering, sb. A shivering, trembling ; and is used
adjectively, as ' a dithering fit.' Common.
Ditless, sb. ' A portable wooden stopper for the mouth of
an oven.' — Hal. Gloss. Wise, Shakspere, his Birthplace,
<&c., mentions this word, and 'stopless,' as still in use
near Stratford-on-Avon ; and quotes the poet thus :
'Sorrow concealed, like an oven stopp'd,
Doth burn the heart to cinders where it is.'
Tit. Andron. ii. 4. 36.
N'hamp. (dittle and ditless).
Do, or To-do, sb. (i) Bustle, confusion, bother, trouble.
'There was a fine to-do at Dick Field's last night, his
little Joe had set Langley's rick afire : my ! it was a do.'
N'liamp. 'How-d'ye-do?' is a common equivalent.
(2) Entertainment, festivity. ' They had a fine " do "
or "to-do" when young Hartop came of age.' Wore.,
Shrop., and elsewhere
Do for, v. a. (i) To wait upon, and provide for. 'I can
let three nice rooms, and do for you as well.'
(2) To make an end of, actually or figuratively, as
' Don't yo' goo a-soldiering, the blacks '11 soon do for you.'
'You talk mighty big, but the schoolmaster's the man
to do for you.' N'hamp. The Leic. Dial, quotes the
traditional epitaph on a short-lived infant :
'Since I so soon was to be done for
I wonder what I was begun for.'
Do out, v. a. To clean out, as ' Do out the pigsty, Matthew ! '
Leic., N'hamp.
Do up, v. a. To repair, trim, arrange, as 'I must do up
these tenements ; ' or, ' Why don't she do up her bonnet ? '
Leic.
Do with — Dolledger 65
Do with, v. a. To put up with ; consent to purchase or
receive.
' Well, I could do wi' it, if so be ye want to get rid on't.'— Adam Bede,
ch. xxv (quoted in Leic. Gloss.}.
[In] Dock, out nettle, phr. 'A saying or charm. It is
believed that a person severely stung with a nettle will
obtain relief from rubbing the part with dock-leaves,
repeating the above words three times.' — Hal. Gloss.
Common throughout England. For metrical charms,
see my Eng. Folk-rhymes, pp. 131-32.
'Nettle in docke out, now this, now that, Pandare,
Now foule fall her for thy wo' that care.'
Troilus and Cresseide, lib. iv, line 461 (in Urry's Chaucer, 1721).
The Gloss, says, ' Or, as we say now, (i In Dock out Nettle,"
spoken of inconstant and fickle persons, chiefly in love/
There is a similar use of the phrase, quoted in Hal. Diet. :
1 Uncertaine certaine, never loves to settle.
But heere, there, everywhere ; in dock out nettle.'
Taylor, Motto, 1622.
Docker me ! excl. As, ' Docker me if I do ! ' Vulg.
Dodderel, sb. A pollard tree. Hal. Diet. Leic (dodderil),
N'hamp. ' Doddyd, as trees. Decomatus, miculus (muti-
lus. P.),' in Way's Promj}t. Parv.
Doddering, adj. Tottering, pottering ; as ' A doddering old
man.' N'hamp., Shrop.
Dogger, sb. A mallet or bat, comprising a flexible handle
fitted to a heavy cylindrical end, used in a game differing
from knur and spell, in that a one-nosed tipcat is used
instead of a ball.
Dolledge [dol-ij], v. a. To beat, to buffet.
Dolledger, sb. A large heavy marble or alley used to drive
an opponent's marble to a considerable distance.
F
66 Dollop — Douse
Dollop [dol-up], sb. A lump or large piece of anything,
as ' A dollop of dumpling.' Midlands, and elsewhere. The
Shrop. Gloss, spells the word dullop, but pronounces
it [dolup], and allies it to the Welsh ' talp,' a mass, a lump.
Dolly-doucey, sb. A doll. Wore.
Dolly-peg, sb. A ' maid ' or washing implement which
has pegs or lengthy projections at its base, instead of
the common clublike end. It is used with a twisting
motion, in order to cleanse the clothes effectually. Vide
Maid and Peggy. SE. Wore, (dolly, sb. and vb.), Shrop.
Done, pret. of ' do.' ' I done my washin' at th' beginnin' o'
th' wik.'
Donkey, sb. A foursquare block on which marbles are
placed to be shot at. The term is also applied to a board
pierced at intervals — each hole having a number above
it — at which marbles are discharged, in the hope of their
passing through some hole of high value. The numbers
represent the marbles that the holder of the donkey must
pay if the shooter be successful. The shooter loses his
marbles that strike the donkey without passing through
a hole.
Donkey-bite, sb. A small tract of rough grazing-ground.
Donny, sb. The hand. A word used only to children.
Staff., Wore.
Don't spare, phr. ' Come, 'ave a bit moore ; don't spare.'
SE. Wore., and elsewhere.
Door [rhymes ' poor '], sb. A door.
Double, sb. A body-napkin. SE. Wore.
Douse [douce], v. a. To plunge anything into a liquid, to
souse ; or to dash liquid over or against anything. Leic.,
N'hamp.
Dout — Dribblings 67
Dout, v. a. To ' do out,' or extinguish. England.
' First in the intellect it douts the light,
Darkens the house, dims th' understanding's sight.'
Sylvest. Tobacco batter'd, p. 106 (in Nares' Gloss.).
Cf. Shakespeare's Hen. V, iv. z. u, and Hamlet, iv. 7.
190, for a better example:
' Laer. Adieu, my lord !
I have a speech of fire, that fain would blaze,
But that this folly douts it.'
Dowk [douk], v. n. and a. To ' duck ' or bow the head, with
or without moving the body. ' I douke under the water.'
' This hound can douke under water lyke a ducke.'
' I dowke, I stowpe lowe as a frere doth.'— Palsgr. ' Dowk
your head, or else the branches will catch you.' England.
' M. Mery. Curtsie . . . douke you and crouche at euery worde.'
Roister Doister, act j. sc. iiij. p. 26 (quoted in Shrop. Gloss.).
Dowl [doul], sb. The downy particles of feathers ; the
plumage of goslings before the feathers ; the fluff that
wears off fabrics ; any fluff-like substance.
1 Ariel. One dowle that 's in my plume.' — Temp. iii. 3. 65.
'The woolbearing trees in ^Ethiopia, which Virgil speaks of, and the
Eriophori Arbores in Theophrastus, are not such trees as have wool or
dowl upon the outside of them . . .' — Humane Industry : or a Hist, of most
Manual Arts, 1661, p. 93.
Cole, Led. Diet., interprets ' young dowl ' by ' lanugo.'
Midlands.
Downy [doun-e], adj. Crafty. Vulg. Shrop.
Dratchell [dratch-1], sb. A slattern. Cf. Drotchell.
'She'll be a poor dratchell by then she's thirty.' — Adam Bede, ch. xx
(quoted in Leic. Dial.).
Drawed [draud], p. and pp. of ' draw.' Midlands.
Drench. Vide Drink.
Dribblings, sb.pl. The residue, or droppings of any liquid.
Shrop.
F i
68 Drink — Dub
Drink vel Drench, 86. (i) A draught administered tc
a beast through a medium called a ' drenching-horn.'
' Drenches : Drinkes or Mashes given to Horses to cleanse them.'
Acad. Armory, bk. iii. ch. iii. p. 89 (quoted in Shrop. Gloss.').
(2) Fermented liquor.
' Fairy. And sometime made the drink to bear no barm.'
Mid. Nt's. Dr. ii. i. 38.
(3) v. a. ' Drench,' to administer the draught. N'hamp.,
Shrop.
Drop out, v. n. To fall out, to quarrel. Midlands.
Dropped off, phr. Gone to sleep. 'Little Polly's had
a bad night, but she's just dropped off.' N'hamp.
Common.
Drotchecks [drotch-x], sb. A slattern, a Drotchell, q. v.
Drotchell [drotch-1], sb. A slattern, sloven.
Drotchelling, part. 'I sid 'er go drotchelling past.'
N'hamp.
Drovier [dr5-ve-ur], sb. A drover. Shrop.
Drownded, part. adj. Drowned. This is not a modern
vulgarism.
'O'er head and ears he plunged in,
The bottom faire he sounded ;
Then rising up, he cried amain,
Help, helpe, or else I'm drownded.'
The Baffled Knight (Percy, Ediques).
Drummil [druml], sb. (i) A worn-out horse.
(2) A dullard, or sluggard. Shrop. Cf. Shakespeare's
' drumble,' Merry Wives, iii. 3. 157. Vide Dummil.
Druv, p. and pp. of drive. 'I druv 'im theer myself.'
'They've jest druv over from the farm.' N'hamp.,
Shrop.
Dub, v. a. To blunt. You'll dub the point o' that knife
against the bricks.' Oxf., Glouc. (dubbed, blunted).
Dubersome — Durable 69
N'hamp. (dubbed and dubby, blunted, obtusely pointed),
Shrop. (dubbit, blunt), SE. Wore, (dubbid, blunt).
Dubersome, adj. Dubitable, doubtful. Glouc., N'hamp.
Hal. Diet.
Duck, Duckstone, sb. A stone used in a game played thus.
One boy places his duck on a brick, or larger stone, or
in a hole, and the other players endeavour to knock it
off or out with their ducks. Should either miss, he must
be careful in picking up his stone again, lest the
guardian of the stationary stone tick (touch) him before
he can return to the mark from which the stones are
thrown. Should he be touched, he must replace the
other guardian, and place his own duck to be thrown
at. If the duck be misplaced, the players may, with
impunity, pick up their stones ; for no one may be
ticked until the stone is restored by its owner to the
proper position. Cf. Leic. Dial., N'hamp. Gloss., Hart-
shorne's Salop. Antiq., and S. E. Wore. Gloss, (quack).
Another game is played by two companions when on
a walk. Each one chooses a stone, and A casts his
ahead. B throws at it, endeavouring to split it. If he
be not successful, A then picks up his own duck, and
casts it at that of B : and so on, ad lib.
For the use of the word ' duck ' in the game of ' water-
skimming,' consult my Eng. Folk-rhymes, pp. 355-56.
Duckfoot, v. n. or a. To measure a distance by placing
the feet side by side, one after the other.
Duckfrost, sb. A slight frost. N'hamp., Shrop. But often
jocularly used for a wet night. Wore.
Duff, sb. Var. pron. of ' dough.' Shrop.
Dumble, sb. ' A small wood in a valley or hollow.' — Hal.
Gloss. In Leic. Dial. = ' a dingle, dell.' Cf. ' dimbles,'
70 Dummil — Dusn't
Dryden's Poly. ii. 190; and 'dimble,' B. Jonson's Sad
Shepherd, ii. 2.
Dummil [duml], sb. A dullard or sluggard. Glouc.
(dummle, adj. dull, stupid, heavy : ' as dummle as a
donkey'), SE. Wore. (sb. a useless article, 'a stupid
child '). Vide Drummil.
Dummocks, sb. pi. (i) Legitimate blows given in certain
games. Hal. Diet, (dummock, a blow or stroke. East).
(2) Inferior marbles, 'pots.'
Dummy, sb. A candle. Vulg.
Dunch, sb. A blow, usually 'in*the ribs,' from another's
elbow. SE. Wore.
Dunch-dumpling, sb. A dumpling of plain flour and
water, usually eaten with salt. Glouc. Hal. Diet.
Sometimes called a ' dunny-dumpling.'
Bunched, p. and pp. Knocked, thrashed. ' I, or I have,
dunched him well.' Shrop. (as a part. adj.).
Bunching, sb. A beating, thrashing.
'Dunchyn or bunchyn, Tundo.' — Prompt. Pan.
Dungil [dun-jil], sb. A dungeon.
' Down Peck Lane I walked alone,
To find out Brummagem ;
There was the dungil down and gone —
What, no rogues in Brummagem?' — Old Song.
Bimnekin [dun-e-kin], sb. A privy, Jakes.
Durgey [durg-e], (i) sb. A dwarf. (A.-Sax. dweorg.) Hal.
Diet, has durgan. The Glouc. Gloss, applies this last
term to an undersized horse in a large team.
(2) adj. Dwarfish, as ' A durgey little man.' Shrop.
Dusn't. Dare not. ' I or You dusn't do it.' Of. Dareno'.
Ee — Egg 71
Ee. Becomes short i in beef, deep, peel, sheep, seeds, &c.,
which are pronounced bif, dip, pil, ship, sids.
Eames [ernz], sb. pi. Hames, i. e. the supports of iron or
wood which hold the traces to the collar of a draught-
horse. S. Warw. Provin. Glouc., Shrop., Leic. (hames).
Vide ' Homes ' in Hal. Diet.
' The haumes of a draught horse's collar, Us attelles.' — Cotgrave.
Earth, v. a. To turn up the ground. S. Warw. Provin.
Earwag, sb. The earwig. Vide Erriwig.
Easens [e-zinz], sb. pi. The eaves of a house. Hal. Gloss.
Leic. (casings), Shrop. (easings).
Eaten. Ate, or have eaten. ' I eaten th' opple.'
Ecky. A game. A flat, smooth stone, called the ' ecky-
stone,' or ' duck,' is placed on the foot of a player, and he
kicks it as far as he can. He and his companions run
and hide, whilst the guardian of the stone goes — without
looking behind him — to fetch it and place it in a small
shallow hole made for the purpose. He then seeks the
hidden players. Should he see one, he calls ' I ecky '
mentioning the boy's name — and rushes to place his foot
on the stone : for, should the one discovered reach the
place before him, and kick away the stone, he must
begin over again. Any player may steal to the stone,
and kick it away during the absence of the guardian,
and so release any players previously taken. Should
the guardian succeed in finding and outrunning all the
other players, a new game is started, the first lad taken
becoming guardian. The guardian must not carry his
stone with him when searching. I am informed that
this game is not of twenty years' standing in Warw.
Egg, v. a,. To instigate, to incite. 'Ill egging makes ill
72 Egg-hot — Etherins
begging,' is in Ray's Proverbs ; and Florio has ' Aizzare,
to eg on, to set on.' England.
'He shall have friends and felowes at hande,
To egge him forward unto unhappiness.'
The Ship of Fooles, p. 123 b (1508)
(quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.).
Egg-hot, sb. Egg-flip. Glouc., Oxf., W. Wore.
Elbow-grease, sb. Persevering labour of the arms ; long-
continued hard rubbing. ' That table wants something
more than furniture polish — elbow-grease.' Common.
Eleben [e-leb'n], adj. Eleven. N'hamp.
'Em, per. pron. Them. Survival of an ancient form.
Common.
' A man hadde twey sones, and the yonger of hem seide to the fadir,
"Fadir, geve me the porcioun of catel that falleth to me."' — Wycliffe.
' Pros. New created
The creatures that were mine, I say, or changed 'em,
Or else new form'd 'em.' — Temp. i. 2. 81.
Empt, v. a. To empty. Glouc., N'hamp., W. Wore, (emp),
Up.-on-Sev. (emp), SE. Wore, (empty.
Enew [e-nu'j, adv. or adj. Enough. Staff, (enow), SE. Wore.
(enow), W. Wore, (enew and enow). Vide Anew.
Erriwig [er-e-wig], sb. The earwig. Oxf., Wore., Shrop.
Ess, sb. pi. Ashes. Staff, (esses = the ashes of turf),
W. Wore., Shrop., and elsewhere. A.-Sax. cesce, ashes.
Esshole, sb. The ashpit in front of a kitchen grate.
Shrop., W. Wore.
Et, p. and pp. of ' eat.' ' I et, or I've et, th' cake.'
Etherins [eth-er-inz], sb. pi. ' Rods (or pliant boughs)
twisted on the top of a newly cut hedge, to keep the
stakes firm.' — Hal. Gloss. The N'hamp. Gloss, says,
' A.-Sax. ether or edor, sepes; under " etherings." ' Shrop.
Ettles — Eyes 73
Gloss, has ' etherings,' too, remarking ' A.-Sax. edor, what
bounds, or defends ; e&er, a hedge.' England.
Ettles, sb. pi. Nettles. Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere.
Eve, adj. Even.
Even with, phr. Used in unfriendly spirit, and equivalent
to ' requite.' N'hamp., and elsewhere.
' Cleop. I will be even with thee, doubt it not.' — Ant. and Cleop. iii. 7. i.
' Upsides with ' and ' level with ' are like phrases. Vide
Level with.
Ever, intens. ' Will you have ever a piece of bread-and-
butter 1 ' ' E'er a ' [pron. er-S] is the corrupt form : and
' e'er un '=' ever a one,' i. e. either one. Common. Vide
Never.
Ever so, phr. On any account ; on any consideration.
' I wouldn't go down that lane at night, was it ever so.'
Midlands.
Every-hands-while, phr. Whenever necessary, possible,
or convenient ; every now and then. ' Mind and see to
the chickens every -hands-while ! ' — N'hamp. Gloss, (often).
Expect', v. To infer, suppose, conclude. ' I expect you're
pretty tired.' Leic., Shrop.
Exta, adj. and sb. Var. pron. of ' extra.' SE. Wore., and
elsewhere.
Eyeable, adj. Pleasing to the eye ; sightly. Staff., W. Wore.,
Shrop.
Eyepiece, (i) v. a. To scrutinize. 'Just eyepiece this sewing
over, and see if the stitching's done well.'
(a) sb. That portion of a slaughtered pig's head which
contains the orbit.
Eyes, sb. pi. ' Holes in bread and in cheese, caused, in the
former case, by the fermentation set up by the yeast;
74, Paced-cards — Faggot
and in the latter, by defective management in the process
of cheese-making.'
' Bad cheese, That is .... White and dry, the Butter of it being in
the Market when it is making ; (i.e. the skim-milk only left for cheese)
too Salt, full of Eyes, not well prest, but hoven and swelling.' — Acad.
Armory, bk. iii. ch. v. p. 244 (in Shrop. Gloss.^).
'Bread with eyes,
Cheese without eyes,
And wine that leap up to the eyes' (are good things).
Hazlitt, Eng. Proverbs, 1882.
Faced-cards, sb. pi. The ' court ' or ' picture-cards ' of a
pack. Shrop. Vide Courted-cards.
Fad, (i) sb. A fastidious person. A freak, caprice, whim ;
as, ' He is such a fad,' or ' It was a mere fad.' Sometimes
' fid-fad.'
(2) v. n. To trifle. Common.
Faddy, adj. Particular ; fanciful ; fussy. Common.
Faddle, (i) sb. A person who is overcareful about trifles.
' What a faddle you are ! '
(2) v. a. or n. To indulge, humour, pet ; to trifle.
' Don't faddle the child so.' ' You do faddle with that
work.' Midlands.
Faddle after, v. a. To pay particular attention to a person
or thing ; to be concerned about. ' It's a pity yo' ain't
got sumat better to do than faddle after them pigeons.'
Midlands.
Faddling, part. adj. Trifling. Midlands.
Faggot [fagit], sb. (i) A degrading and contemptuous epi-
thet applied to a female. Midlands, and elsewhere.
(2) A small, highly seasoned baked cake of liver, lights,
&c., from a pig, covered with portions of the 'kell' of
the animal. Midlands. Sometimes called 'a savoury-
duck' in NW. Warw.
Pall — Patch 75
Fall, sb. A woman's short veil. Glouc. When this word
occurs in old works, it usually means a kind of ruff, or
band for the neck — sometimes called a ' falling-band.'
Fall, (i) sb. Autumn. 'Fall o' the leaf is a common
phrase of like meaning.
(2) v. a. To fell. ' We must fall that tree.' Midlands.
Falling-weather, phr. Showery weather. Common.
Famelled [famld], part. adj. Famished, starving. Frances,
8. Warw. Provin. Oxf., Glouc., and Up.-on-Sev. (famimel,
v. n. to famish).
Fanteague [fan-teg'], sb. A fit of passion; a pet; a 'tan-
trum.' Glouc., Leic., N'hamp. (fantigue), Shrop. (fanteag),
W. Wore, (fanteagues).
Farden, sb. Var. pron. of ' farthing.'
'A bow behind, and a bow before,
And a beau be [? booby] in the garden,
I wouldn't part
With my sweetheart
For twopence ha'p'ny farden.' — Warw. Folk-rhyme.
Farry [rhymes ' marry'], v. n. or a. and sb. Var. pron. of
' farrow.' To bring forth pigs ; a litter of pigs. SE. Wore.
Fash, v. a. To trouble.
'He do fash himself so.' — Frances, S. Warw. Provin.
Fast, adj. Rude, forward. 'She's a fast young wench.'
Up.-on-Sev.
Fast- sure, adj. Perfectly sure ; certain. ' Certain-sure ' is
used in the same sense.
'I could be fast sure that pictur was drawed for her i' thy new
Bible.' — Adam Bede (quoted in Leic. Dial.}.
Fatch, v. a. To fetch.
4 Many wedous with wepyng tears
Cam to fach ther makys away.'— Chevy Chase, 1. 134-
76 Pat-head— Fend
Pat-head, sb. A dullard, dolt. W. Wore., and elsewhere.
The adj. is ' fat-headed.'
Father-in-Church. The ' best man ' ; he that gives away
the bride. Oxf., and elsewhere.
Father-law. A father-in-law. Shrop., and elsewhere.
Fatting, part. Fattening, feeding. ' We're fatting a goose
agin Christmas.'
Fault, v. a. To find a flaw or fault in any work. N'hamp.,
and elsewhere.
' Can ye fault it ? ' — S. Warw. Provin.
Faut, sb. Fault, error, defect. Common.
' Fawte or defawte, Defectus.' — Prompt. Pan.
Fauty, adj. Defective. Common.
' And if they (the byshoppes) be found necligente or fauty in theyr
duties, oute with them.' — Latimer, Serm. ii. p. 66 (quoted in Shrop. Gloss.}.
' Fawty or defawty, Defecti-eus.' — Prompt. Pan.
Faver, sb. Var. pron. of ' fever.'
Favour, v. a. To resemble in feature. England.
' Methinks that this young Lord Chamont
Favours my mother.' — Ben Jonson, Case is Alter'd, iii. i
(quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.}.
• Shakespeare used the word substantively :
'Oliv. The boy is fair,
Of female favour.' — As You Like It, iv. 3. 87.
Feature [fe-chur], v. a. To resemble in feature ; to favour.
Glouc., N'hamp., Shrop., W. Wore.
'Ye feature him, on'y ye're darker.' — Adam Bede, ch. xxxviii (quoted
in Leic. Dial.}.
Feed, v. n. To grow fat or corpulent. Hal. Gloss.
Feelth [felth], sb. Feeling, sensation. ' I ain't got no feelth
in my 'ands, they'm frozen.' Leic., N'hamp., Wore, (felth).
Fend, v. n. and a. To provide for ; work for ; make shift.
England.
Ferret — Fettle 77
< I'd make a shift, and fend indoor and out to give you more liberty.'
— Adam Bede (quoted in Leic. Gloss.}.
Ferret [ferit], v. n. To pry closely, to search out narrowly.
(From ' ferret,' the animal.) Common.
Pet, v. a. To fetch. Hal. Gloss. Used for ' fetched ' in old
editions of the Bible, 2 Sam. ix. 5; Acts xxviii. 13, &c. :
but Butter worth, Concord., says it appears after 1769
only by misprint.
' Then fayntinge in a deadlye swoune,
And with a deepe-fette sigh
That burst her gentle hearte in twayne,
Fayre Christabelle did dye.'
Sir Cauline, 11. 200-4 (Percy, .Re?.).
Shakespeare uses it for ' fetched,' derived :
' K. Hen. On, on, you noblest English !
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof.' — Hen. V, iii. i. 17.
(Some editions read ' set.') N'hamp., Shrop. Hal. Diet.
Fetch, v. a. To give, to deliver. ' Fetch him a whack
across the back.' Glouc., N'hamp., W. Wore.
Fettle, (i) v. a. To put in order or condition, set to rights ;
to prepare, arrange. Til go and fettle the horses ' = feed,
bed down, &c.
' Cap. Fettle your fine joints 'gainst Thursday next,
To go with Paris to Saint Peter's Church,
Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither.'
Rom. and Jvl. iii. 5. 154.
(Some editions read ' settle.')
'Then John bent up his long bende-bow,
And fettled him to shoot.' — Rob. Hood and Guyo/GHs. 1. 66.
And, again :
'To see how these yeomen together they fought
Two howres of a summers day :
Yett neither Robin Hood nor Sir Guy
Them fettled to flye away.' — Id. 1. 152.
(a) sb. Condition, order, repair, state.. ' These houses
are in good fettle.' ' In fine fettle ' = in good health. Eng.
78 Piddle — Filbeard
Fiddle, Fiddle-de-dee, Fiddlestick, O fiddle ! Expressions
of contempt or scorn, more or less ; levity, &c. Common.
Fiddle-faddle, (i) sb.
(2) v. n. To trifle, to dawdle. Shrop.
Fiddling, adj. Trifling ; idling, dawdling. ' A fiddling
thing.' ' Yo've got sich a fiddlin' way o' workinV
Common.
' I fydell, I trifle with my handes.' — Palsgrave.
Fidgle [fijl], v. n. i. q. Fissle, q. v.
Field, sb. Parish. Leic. N'hamp. Glossarist states she
was informed that this sense of the word prevails in
Norway.
'That bit lies in Alkerton field.'— Frances, S. Warw. Provin.
Fierce, adj. Bright, sharp ; applied to babies. (Also heard
in Cambs.) Frances, 8. Warw. Provin. Leic.
Fift, adj. Fifth.
' King Henry the Fift, too famous to Hue long.'
i Hen. VI, i. i. 6 (ed. 1633).
' Adnepos, fifte sune ; Adneptis, fifte dohter.'
Suppl. Ab. JElfric's Vocal). loth or nth cent,
(in Wright's Vocabs. i. 51).
Figaries [fig-er'-iz], sb.pl. Showy or fantastic adornments.
'A bow under 'er chin, another atop uv 'er bonit, an'
a 'ankicher all th' colours o' the rainbow, with a big
'air broach stuck in it — she was in fine figaries, I can
tell yer.' Shrop.
Filbeard, sb. Var. pron. of ' filbert.' (So in Eng. Dial. Soc.,
Tusser, p. 75.) ' Hie fullus, a fylberd-tree,' occurs in
a Nominate, I4th cent., in Wright's Vocabs. i. 229, with
the following note : — ' The Latin should be fillis. Fil-
berde-tree, phillls. — Prompt. Parv.' Glouc., Wore.,
Shrop.
Pild— First-beginning 79
Fild, ab. Var. pron. of ' field.'
' I haue walked thys Lente in the brode filde of scripture and vsed
my libertie.' — Latimer, Sermon vii. p. 182 (Arber's reprints).
' I will never se my captayne fyht on a fylde,
And stande my-selffe, and looke on.'
Ancient Ballad of Chevy Chase, 1. 95.
A.-Sax. feld,fild, a field, pasture, plain. Midlands, and
elsewhere.
Pile, sb. A cheat, deceiver. Common.
'Sorful becom that fals file.' — Cursor Mundi MS.
Oliphant, The Old and Middle English, 1878, p. 366,
says : ' File, akin to the Dutch vuil, means a worthless
person ; we may still often hear a man called " a cunning
old file." In 1. 2499 of the Havelok we read, " Here him
rore J>at fule (foul) file." '
Filets [f T-lets], sb. pi. Var. pron. of ' violets ' Wore, (fire-
lights).
Fill-horse, sb. Vide Tiller.
Findless, Fundless [find-less, fund-less], sb. Anything
found by accident ; treasure-trove. SE. Wore, (findless),
and elsewhere.
Find of, phr. To feel, ' I find of this weak ankle in frosty
weather.' Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere.
Finger-stall, sb. A covering — usually a finger cut from
a glove — for a sore finger or thumb. Ainsworth, Thesau-
rus, has, ' The finger of a glove or finger-stall, digitate.'
The word is much older, doubtless.
Fippence. Five pence.
'That can set his three along in a row,
And that is fipenny morrell I trow.'
Apollo Shroving, 1627, p. 49 (quoted in N'hamp. Gfoss.).
First-beginning, pleon. ' I was a poor hand with the scythe
80 Pish — Flannel
at the first-beginning, but I'd mow an acre agen any-
body now/ Shrop., and elsewhere.
Fish ! (i) excl. Expressive of contempt, disparagement.
Not used as the old oath ' 'Od's fish.' It is a euphemism,
I believe, for a slang term for pudenda. ' Fish ! to it.'
(2) phr. ' I won't make fish of one and fowl of
another' = I will make no favourite. N'hamp.
Pisses [fis-iz], sb.pl. Var. pron. of 'fists.' N'hamp., Shrop.
Hal. Diet, says, ' Various dialects.'
Pissle [fisl], v. n. To fidget. To ' fissle and scawt ' = to
fidget and kick, as a restless bedfellow (near Warwick).
Hal. Diet., which assigns the word to the North Country.
Glouc. (fistle). Vide Scawt.
Pitches [fich-iz], sb.pl. Vetches. In all the glossaries; but
scarcely dial, or obsoles. It is in the Bible, A. V. : Isa.
xxviii. 25, 27 ; and again in Ezek. iv. 9.
Fither [rhymes ' hither '], v. n. To scratch or fidget with
the fingers. Up.-on-Sev. (' feet ' or ' fingers ').
Pithers [fith-Sz], sb. pi. Var. pron. of ' feathers.' Shrop.
Pits and Girds, phr. Fits and starts. Shrop., SE. Wore.
' By fits and girds, as an ague takes a goose.' — Ray's Proverbs.
Pittle [fitl], sb. Victuals. Shrop., Wore. Not so common
in Warw. as Vittle, q. v.
Fizgig, sb. A wild, flirting girl (actually a wanton). N'hamp.,
and elsewhere. Hence, any toy for an hour — temporary
plaything. Bailey, Diet., says, ' A gadding, idle Gossip.'
Flabbergast [flab-S,-gast], v. a. To astonish, bewilder, amaze.
N'hamp. (flabbergasted), and common.
Flacky, adj. Sloppy. Frances, 8. Warw. Provin.
Flannel, sb. ( i ) A flannel undervest.
(2) A pikelet (cake). Slang.
Plannen — Plothery 81
Flannen [flan-in], sb. Var. pron. of 'flannel.' England.
Said to be from the Welsh gwlanen, of gwlan, wool.
Plash, (i) adj. Proud. Staff.
(2) v. a. To pride or plume one's self. 'Don't yo1
flash yerself so with yer noo boots.'
Maze [flaz], v. n. To blaze ; to flare, as straw or shavings
do when ignited. Leic., N'hamp. Hal. Diet.
Flem, sb. A fleam or lancet for bleeding beasts. SE. Wore.
Flew, adj. Shallow. Hal. Gloss. Leic., N'hamp. ( = shallow;
expansive).
Flicket [flick-it], (i) v. n. To flutter, flicker, waver, as a
ribbon or streamer does.
(2) sb. A fluctuation. 'Her dress was a flicket of
rags.' The Glouc. Gloss, has ' flickets, or flickuts, sb. pl.y
little pieces.'
Fligged [fligd], adj. Fledged. Leic., N'hamp., Shrop., and
elsewhere.
' Flygge as bryddis, maturus volatilis' — Prompt. Pare.
'Flyggenesse of byrdes, plumevste.' — Palsgrave.
Flimp, adj. "? var. pron. of ' limp.' ' A flimp collar.'
Glouc. (v. n. to limp), Leic.
Flommacky, adj. Slatternly. Shrop.
Flommaking [flom-S-kin], part. adj. Untidy, slatternly.
' A flommaking hussy.' ' She goes flommaking about.'
N'hamp.
Flommax, sb. A slattern; an ill-dressed, untidy female.
N'hamp.
Floor (rhymes 'poor'), sb. Var. pron. of 'floor.' Shrop.
(and flur), SE. Wore. (flwr).
Flothery, adj. and sb. Idle ; nonsense, as ( flothery talk/
or ' a lot of flothery.'
a
82 Plummack — Forecast
Flummack, 86. i. q. Flommax, q. v. N'hamp.
Flummux, v. a. To perplex, bewilder. Hal. Diet.
Flump, (i) sb. A heavy, lumpy fall. ' He Went down such
a flump.' Midlands, and elsewhere.
(2) adv. ' He fell down flump.'
Flur, sb. Var. pron. of ' flower.' Frances, S. Warw. Provin.
Flush, adj. Full-feathered, fledged. ' Young birds are said
to be flush when they are able to leave the nest.' — Hal.
Gloss. Midlands.
Fog, sb. Rough grass. Leic., N'hamp., Glouc. (a kind of
grass which grows in boggy ground).
Folks, sb. pi. Friends. ' They're very great folks.' Mid-
lands.
Fooley-addlum, sb. A fool (fool and addle). ' That Will
Hodge is a regular fooley-addlum.' A stupid person is
said to be ' a fool above the shoulders,' in folk-phrase.
Foot, sb. An ale- warmer ; sometimes called a ' slipper.'
Vide Hooter.
Footing, sb. '"To pay footing" is to pay a fine or forfeit
on first doing anything, and foot-ale is the fine spent
in beer on a workman's first entering a new place of
employment.' — Hal. Gloss.
Footstitch, sb. A footstep. 'I wun't walk another foot-
stich.'
For [sound of or in 'horrid'], prep. Var. pron. of 'for.'
(Occasional.)
For all, prep, or conj. Despite, in spite of; notwithstanding.
' I shall go across the field if I like, for all you.'
Forecast, (i) sb. Forethought. Common.
' Forecast is better than workhard.' — Ray's Proverbs.
Foredraft — Pother 83
(2) v. a, or n. To plan beforehand ; • to contrive.
' To forecast, prospicere, prouidere, praecognoscere.'
Baret, Alvearie (quoted in Bible Word-bk*).
' He shall forecast his devices against the strongholds.' — Daniel x. 24.
? if dial, or obsoles.
Foredraft, Fordrough [for-druf], sb. A private way through
the homelands of a dwelling-house ; but which, by open-
ing broadly on to a public road, has the appearance of
a lane or by-way. The last form of the word is probably
the better ; ' drough,' through.
For good, For good and all, phr. Finally, entirely.
' He's gone for good and all ' = gone, bag and baggage.
Leic.
' Unless she resolved to keep me for good and all, she would do the
little gentleman more harm than good.' — Fortunes of Moll Flanders, 1722
(in Nares).
Fornicating, adj. False, treacherous, deceitful. 'Don't
yd' 'a' nuthin' to do wi' Charley Styles, Vs a fornicatin'
'ound (hound).' Shrop (fornicate = t>o tell lies ; to invent
falsehoods).
Forrad [for-Hd], adj. Var. pron. of 'forward.' N'hamp.,
and elsewhere, Shrop. (forrat), SE. Wore. (v. a. to forward,
advance).
Forradish, ' rather advanced,' is common, too.
Forty-legs, sb. The common millepede, Julus terrestris.
Shrop. More often ' Hundred-legs.'
For why, phr. For what reason. ' I don't see for why he
should do it.' Glouc., Staff., and elsewhere. Vide Coz.
Fote, p. and pp. of ' fight.' ' They fote 'isterday ' (yester-
day). SE. Wore, (foivt).
Fother [foth-ur], (i) v. a. To feed cattle. Common.
(2) «6. Fodder ; usually dry food, such as hay, chaff,
G 2
84 Four-o'-clock — Fridge out
&c. 'Alitudo, fothur.'— A.-Sax. Vocab. 8th cent, (in
Wright's Vocals, ii. 100).
Four-o'-clock, sb. The afternoon meal of working-men.
N'hamp., Shrop., Up.-on-Sev. Hal. Diet.
Fousty, adj. Var. pron. of ' fusty ; ' ill-smelling, unclean.
Glouc., Shrop. Cf. Prousty.
Frail [fral], sb. A workman's satchel made of 'rush,' or
some similar material. Formerly a receptacle for figs,
raisins, &c.
' Frayle of frute, palata, carica.' — Prompt. Parv.
' Frayle for fygges, cabas, cabache.' — Palsgrave.
Sometimes called ' Frailbasket,' or ' Flagbasket.' Glouc.,
Shrop., SE. Wore.
Franzy, (i) sb. A passion, state of anger. 'In a fine
franzy.'
(2) adj. Passionate, irritable, hasty. N'hamp., Staff.,
W. Wore., Shrop., and Up.-on-Sev. (f rangy, restive, as
a horse). Hal. Diet.
'But I dare say ye warna franzy, for ye look as if ye'd ne'er been
angered i' your life.'— Adam Bede (quoted in Leic. Dial.).
Fresh, adj. Drunk, but not incapable. Midlands. Vide
Market-fresh.
Fresh-liquor, sb. Unsalted pig's-lard. Glouc., Wore.
Fretchet [frech-it], adj. Peevish, irritable, fretful. Shrop.,
and elsewhere.
Fretting-frock, sb. A figurative garment which is supposed
to clothe a troubled female. ' She's got her fretting-
frock on.'
Fridge out, v. n. or a. To fray, as cloth does ; to fray any
fabric. ' This braid is beginning to fridge out.' Leic.
Priggling — Frousty 85
Friggling, part. adj. Trifling, insignificant. ' Don't waste
any more time friggling at that knot.' Lew. Dial, quotes
Adam Bede thus : ' Those little friggling things take
a deal of time.' Glouc., N'hamp. (friggle=to be tediously
nice over trifles).
Frigmajig [frig-mS-jig], sb. A working ' thing/ trifle, toy.
(Actually membrum virile ; see note on the word estree,
Rabelais, bk. iii, ch. xxvii.)
Frigumbob, sb. ( Anything dancing up and down ; jerking
from side to side ; moving about rapidly.' — Leic. Dial.
s. v. ' Frigabob.' Vide Frigmajig.
Frill, sb. A piece of fat attached to the entrails of a pig.
It is puckered like a frill ; hence the name. Shrop., and
elsewhere. Vide Mudgin.
Frit, p. and^p. of ' fright.' Frighted, frightened. Midlands,
and elsewhere. Shrop. (fritten, v. a. to frighten).
Friz, p. and pp. of ' freeze.' Froze, frozen. Leic.
Frizzle, ( i ) sb. A dish of anything fried ; a fry. * Let's
have a frizzle for dinner.' N'hamp.
(2) v. a. To fry ; to scorch ; to dry hard. ' Don't
frizzle that chop up to nothing.' Leic., N'hamp.
Froggin, part. Faring, doing. 'How are you froggin?'
is the usual form of greeting at Button Coldfield, and in
the neighbourhood. 'How are you coming up?' is used
in other parts of the county.
Frogstool, sb. A toadstool, fungus. N'hamp., SE. Wore.,
Shrop.
Frousty, adj. Frouzy, fusty, foul. Glouc., Leic., N'hamp.,
Shrop. Hal. Diet, has 'froust' = a musty smell. Var.
dials.
86 Frum — Pullocker
Frum, adj. Concupiscent. This is the exact Warw. meaning,
and the Glouc. Gloss, preserves a somewhat similar one
' of pigs and mares, maris appetens.' ' Frum,' ' frem,' ' Mm,'
meaning lusty, vigorous, flourishing ; early, forward, fresh
and firm, abundant, &c., usually applied to plant-life, are
interchangeable terms in various dialects. Glouc. (frum,
frem), Shrop. (frum, frum-ripe), Wore., Leic. (frem),
N'hamp. (frem). Hal. Diet, (frum, West ; frim, North ;
frem).
Frummety [frurn-a'-te], sb. Variants of this, as ' frumenty '
(Lat. frumentum, corn), ' furmety,' ' thrummety,' &c., are
in use all over England. It is a delicacy composed of
baked creed wheat, sugar, dried currants, &c., boiled in
milk, and sometimes thickened with flour and eggs. It
used to be customary in Warw. on St. Thomas' Day,
Dec. 2ist, for the poor people to go a-corning, i. e. to visit
the farmhouses, to beg corn to make this compound,
frummety being a traditional delicacy for that day.
Frumpled, adj. Wrinkled, crumpled, as 'a frumpled
pinafore.'
Fry, v. a. To freeze, to harden. ' The cold'll stin (soon)
fry the roads up.'
Fudge, v. n. To advance the hand unfairly, whilst dis-
charging a marble. Leic. (fob or fudge), N'hamp. (fob).
Hal. Diet. (fob). Vide Hodge.
Full, adv. Quite, fully. Common.
' Beat. The first suit is hot and hasty, like a Scotch jig, and full as
fantastical.' — Much Ado About Nothing, ii. i. 79.
Fullock, v. a. To buffet. ' Fullock 'im i' th' jaw.'
Fullocker, sb. A blow, a buffet. Hal. Diet, says, ' A sudden
heavy fall in Derbysh.'
Fummy — Fussock 87
Fummy, sb. A person whose deformed hand is imdigitated,
save at the thumb.
Fun, p. and pp. of ' find/ Found. ' I fun your thimble in the
gutter, ma'am.' Leic., SE. Wore. (fund). The word is in
Minot, p. 38.
Fundless, sb. i. q. Findless, q. v.
Funny, adj. This singularly elastic word does duty for
strange, queer, mysterious, bad, capricious (of the temper),
remarkable, &c. Midlands.
Fur [u as in ' cur '], adv. Var. pron. of ' far.' Common.
'For thei may not flee fur.' — Piers Plow, (quoted in IThamp. Gloss.}.
Furder, var. pron. of ' further,' is current in Leic.,
Shrop., and other districts.
Furbidge [u as in 'cur'], v. a. Var. pron. of 'furbish.'
N'hamp.
Furdest [u as in 'cur'], adv. and adj. Var. pron. of
' furthest.' Shrop., Leic., and elsewhere.
Furred [u as in ' cur '], adj. Internally incrusted with
' fur,' as a tea-kettle, or boiler, after long usage. N'hamp.,
Shrop. (fur, sb.).
Furridge [u as in 'tub'], (i) v. n. Var. pron. of 'forage' ;
to hunt about, search eagerly. Leic., N'hamp.
(2) sb. Rummage. ' I'll have a furridge for that old
brooch.'
Fuss, sb. Hurry, bustle, disturbance. These are common
applications of the word, but the N'kamp. Gloss, notices
another aspect : e. g. ' They made a great fuss of me,
when I went to see them,' a usage common in Warw.
and other midland shires.
Fussock, sb. A large, gross woman. Glouc. (vussock),
N'hamp., Shrop., W. Wore., and elsewhere. Cf. Bussock.
88 Fust — Gab
Fust, adj. and adv. First.
'Billy, Billy Bust,
Who speaks fust (for a gift) ? '— Mid. Folk-rhyme.
Put [rhymes ' but '], sb. Var. pron. of ' foot.' Staff., SE.
Wore., and elsewhere.
Puz, v. a. To friz or curl the hair in a rough, untidy
manner. Leic. In Warw. often fruz.
Fuzz-ball, sb. 'A well-known fungus (Lycoperdon Bovista),
which, when ripe and dry, emits a light powder or dust
on being pressed.' — Hal. Diet. According to Gerarde,
Herball, bk. iii. p. 1584, 'the dust or powder hereof is
very dangerous for the eyes.' He remarks, too, that
' The country people do vse to kill or smother Bees with
these Fusseballs, being set on fire, for the which purpose
it fitly serueth.'
The present L. Bovista is the common or Wolf Puff-
ball. The genus Bovista was at one time included under
Lycoperdon, and the type of the genus, B. gigantea, was
called by Linnaeus Lycoperdon Bovista. The difference
between the genera is, that Lycoperdon has a single
peridium, while Bovista has a double one. — Eng. Cyclop.
1854.
Fuzzy, adj. Rough, shaggy, unkempt, frizzy. Leic., N'hamp.,
and elsewhere. In Warw. often fruzzy, as ' A fruzzy
head of hair.' 'This is fruzzy cloth.'
G-. Omitted in length, strength, &c. Becomes ck' in
nothing, something, evei^ything.
Gab, (i) sb. Loquacity; idle talk. 'The gift of the gab'
= fluency of speech.
Gaffer — Gallows 89
(2) v. n. To prate.
'Or of Chesshyre, or elles nygh Cornewall,
Or where they lyst, for to gabbe and rayle.'
Hye way to the Spyttett Hous, v. 254 (in Salop. Antiq.).
Gaffer, sb. The overlooker or foreman of a gang of
labourers. N'hamp., Leic., Wore., Shrop. Now more
commonly used of any master. Midlands.
Gain, adj. (Regularly compared, ' gainer,' ' gainest.')
(i) Convenient, near. 'This well is very gain for our
house.'
(a) Handy ; ready, expert. ' A gain tool.' ' He's
a gain workman.'
'To the south gate the gainest way he drew,
Where that he found of armed men enew.'
Blind Harry's Wallace, i$th cent, (quoted in N'hamp.
Gloss.}. See also Morte d' Arthur, bk. vii. ch. xx.
' Geyne, redy or rythge forth, directus. In the Eastern counties gain
signifies handy, convenient, or desirable ; and in the North, near,
as "the gainest road," which seems most nearly to resemble the sense
here given to the word.' — Way, Prompt. Pare, and Notes.
All the definitions of the word apply to Warw. usage.
Gainly, adv. 'You did that job gain enough — or gainly '
= readily, expertly. Midlands.
Gallit [gal-it], sb. and adj. A left-handed person; left-
handed. Allied to 'gallock-hand' = the left hand. Yorks.
Vide Hal. Diet.
Galloway, sb. A hardy horse, but of small size, originally
bred in Galloway, in Scotland. Common.
' Pist. Know we not Galloway nags?' — 2 Hen. IV, ii. 4. 203.
Gallows [gal-us], (i) adj. Mischievous, roguish, impudent,
wicked, wanton. ' As if the person to whom it is applied
were qualifying for the gallows.' — Leic. Dial. * A gallus
young rascal.' Midlands, and elsewhere.
90 Gambole — Gaumed
(2) sb. ' He's a regular young gallus.'
' Rosal. For he hath been five thousand years a boy.
Kath. Ay, and a shrewd unhappy gallows too.'
Lore's Lab. Lost, v. 2. 1 1.
Gambole, v, n. and sb. Var. pron. of ' gambol.' Leic., and
elbe where.
Gambrel, tb. 'A crooked piece of wood used by butchers
for hanging up and expanding a slaughtered animal.' —
Hal. Diet.
'Soon crooks the tree that good gambrel would be.' — Ray, Proverbs.
Heywood, Proverbs, <&c., 1562, has :
'Timely crooketh the tree that will good cammock be.'
And Drayton, Eclogues, 1593, has :
'Bitter the blossom when the fruit is sour,
And early crook'd that will a camock be.'
' As crooked as a gaumeril ' is the Yorks. variant : but
Gambrel or Gambril or Cambrel appears to be the better
form. See Atkinson's Cleveland Gloss., 1 868, p. 85 ; Moor's
Suffolk Words, 1823, p. 48; Sir G. C. Lewis's Herefords.
Gloss., 1839, sub voce; N ares' -Gloss., &c.
Game, adj. Crooked, wavering, uncertain, as ' a game
eye — or leg.' England. Cf. Gammy.
Gammy, adj. Deformed, mutilated, infirm : always said of
a member, never of the whole body. N'hamp., Shrop.
(lame).
Gaubshite, sb. A filthy boor ; a clumsy, ill-kept, ill-shaped,
unclean person. 'A jolter-yeded (headed) gaubshite' is
an insulting phrase in Warw. Cf . Darlington's Folk-speech
of South Cheshire, art. ' Gobbinshire.'
Gaumed [gaumd], part. adj. Soiled, grimed, made filthy. —
Hal. Gloss. Leic. (gaum, to daub, &c.), Glouc. (gorm, to
mess, dirty), SE. Wore, (gaum, v. a.), Up.-on-Sev. (to paw),
Gawby— Gi'e 91
N'hamp. (gaumy. adj. sticky, as with smeared sugar or
treacle).
Gawby [gau-be], sb. Var. pron. of 'gaby.' A simpleton,
a gaping noodle. Glouc., Leic., Shrop.
Gawk [gauk] , v. n. To gape to loiter and gaze about
boorishly.
Gawky, adj.
Gawky and Gawks, sb. A gaping clown. England.
Goky, sb. Occurs in Piers Plow., Text B, pass. xi.
11. 299, 300. In W. Wore, the sb. is pron. ' gouk.'
Gawp [gaup], v. n. To open the mouth and eyes in a won-
dering or idle stare. Shrop., SE. Wore, (gyaup), and
elsewhere.
[My] Gay! eoccl.
Gear [ger], (i) v. a. To harness. Frances, 8. Warw. Provin.
(2) sb. Harness, apparel. Glouc., and elsewhere.
Geg, Gaig [ge-g], v. n. To swing. Frances, S. Warw. Provin.
Gen. Gave. ' I gen tuppence for it.' N'hamp. Not so
common in Warw. as Gin, q. v.
Get, v.n. To gain — said of a clock or watch. ' This watch
begins to get.' Glouc., and elsewhere.
Gethers, sb.pl. Var. pron. of 'gathers.' The 'fulling' or
puckers made in a garment with a drawing-- thread.
Gibber [jib'ur], v. n. To sweat. Frances, 8. Warw. Provin.
Gid. Gave. ' Gi's opple.' ' I gid yer one.' Glouc. Hal.
Diet, says, ' Somersets.'
Giddling, adj. Giddy, thoughtless : unsteady. ' A giddling
girl.' 'A giddling table.' N'hamp., Wore., and else-
where.
Gi'e [ge]. Give. Common.
92 Gi'e over! — Given
Gi'e over ! phr. Leave off. Frances, S. Warw. Provin.
Gi'es [giz]. Gives. ' This sore finger gi'es me a del o' pain.'
Common.
Gifts, sb. pi. White specks on the finger-nails. In Warw.
interpreted thu \ :
'Gift on your finger— sure to linger,
Gift on your thumb — sure to come."
For variants of this rhyme see my Eng. Folk-rhymes,
p. 171. See also Brand's Pop. Antiqs. for articles on
' Onychomancy, or divination by the finger-nails.'
Gin. Gave, given, or 'have given,' as 'I 'ad this knife
gin me to-day.' ' A. Gi'e us a nut. B. I gin (gave or have
given) yer one. A. No! yo' gid it 'im.' Common.
Gingerly [jin-jur-le], adv. Carefully, quietly, with caution,
adroitly. Hal. Gloss. Midlands, and elsewhere.
' Julia. What is 't that you took up so gingerly?' — Two Gent. ofVer. i. 2. 68.
Gird, v. a. To strike or push. Hal. Gloss.
'And to thise cherles two he gan to preye
To sleu him, and to girden of his hed.'
Chaucer, Cant. Tales, 11. 14, 464
(quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.).
Shakespeare uses the word in its later, figurative sense,
'to gibe,' Coriol. i. i. 262 ; and again, as a sb., 'a gibe,'
Taming of the Shrew, v. 2. 58.
Girds, sb. pi. Starts, as in the phrase ' By fits and girds.'
Glouc. Vide Fits and Girds.
Girt, Gurt, adj. Great. Frances, S. Warw. Provin.
Gived [givd], p. and pp. of ' give.' Shrop., and elsewhere.
Given, part. Disposed, devoted, inclined. ' Given to drink.'
Common.
' Voyde of reason ; gyven to wilfulness ;
Frowarde to venture ; of Christ gave letell hede.'
Lydgate, Picture of Himself.
Gleed — Gob S3
Gleed, sb. A glowing ember, red-hot cinder. England.
' Loke how that fire of small gledes, that hath ben almost ded under
ashen, wol quicken ayen.' — Chaucer, The Persones Tale vDe Ira) (quoted
in Shrop. Word-bk.).
' His armor glytteryde as dyd a glede.' — Chevy Chase, 1. 57.
Glench, sb. A glimpse. Hal. Gloss.
Glir, v. n. To slide on the ice. Hal. Gloss. Glouc. (gleer).
Glorry, adj. Fat, greasy, corpulent. Hal. Gloss. Shrop.
(glor, sb. fat ; glorfat, adj. exceedingly fat). Glor, or
a slightly variated form of it = fat, sb., is in use through-
out England. In Warw., nowadays, glairy is more
common than glorry.
Glout, v. n. To pout, sulk, look sullen.
4 He gan to moorne, and held hym stylle ;
He glouted, and gan to syke.'
Rom. of Rich. Cceur de Lion
(quoted in N'hamp. Gloss., which has glouting = pouting,
looking sullen). Glouc. (glout, v. n., and glouty, adj. sulky).
Glozzer, sb. A perfect cast of a spinning-top. ' Gloz ! ' is
an exclamation used at the moment of the cast.
Glump, (i) v. n. To sulk, look sullen. Midlands.
(2) sb. A sulky, morose person.
Glumps, sb. pi. Sullenness, sulkiness, ill-humour, as
' a fit of the glumps.'
Glumping, part. adj. Surly, sulky.
Glumpy, adj. Sullen.
Go after, v. a. To court, to go sweethearting. ' Does John
Jones go after Mary Smith?' Midlands. Cf. Come to see.
Goal [gol], sb. Lit. ' gaol,' jail. Midlands.
Gob, (i) sb. Spittle containing mucus. Common. Also
a lump of anything, as ' Gi'e us a gob o' rock (sweetstuff).'
(2) v. a. To spit out ; expectorate. Common.
94 Gobby — Golden - Chain
Gobby, adj. Rough, lumpy, uneven, as 'A gobby road to
travel,' or ' A gobby skein of worsted.' Common.
Go-by-the-ground, sh. A dwarf. Hal. Diet. (East). Another
Mid. term for a dwarf is ' John-above-ground.'
Godcake, sb. 'A particular description of cake which it
is customary on New Year's Day for sponsors to send to
their godchildren, at Coventry ; a practice which appears
to be peculiar to that city.' — Hal. Gloss.
'They are used by all classes, and vary in price from a halfpenny to
one pound. They are invariably made in a triangular shape, an inch
thick, and filled with a kind of mincemeat. So general is the use
of them on the first day of the New Year, that the cheaper sorts
are hawked about the streets as hot cross buns are on Good Friday
in London.' — N. & Q. Ser. ii. vol. ii. p. 229.
Godforsaken, adj. Neglected in appearance ; remote in
situation, &c. ; as ' A godforsaken- looking place.'
Gogging, Goggiting, part. adj. Idling and gossiping, as
' a goggling woman ' — ' goggiting about.'
Going in, Going for, phr. Nearing, entering upon. ' Going
in (for) twelve ' = approaching twelve ; in the twelfth
year of one's age. Leic., and elsewhere.
Gold-digger, sb. An emptier of compost holes : a Jakes-
man. Hal. Diet, (yoldfinder). Vide Gold-dust.
Gold-dust, sb. Ordure. Wright, Uriconium, 1872, footnote,
p. 146, remarks that the Anglo-Saxon Vocabularies have
preserved the name gold-hord-hus, a gold treasure-house
or gold treasury, for a Jakes ; and remarks on its con-
nexion with the name gold-finder or gold-farmer, given
as late as the seventeenth century to the cleaners of
privies, and which still lingers in Shrewsbury.
Golden-Chain, sb. The flowers of the laburnum, Cytisus
lab. Midlands.
Gomeril — Gooseflesh 95
Gomeril, sb. A fool — usually a female fool.
Gonder, sb. Var. pron. of ' gander.' Common.
' Goosey, Goosey Gonder,
Where shall I wander ?
Up stairs, down stairs,
And in my lady's chamber.' — Nursery rhyme.
Gone of [gon-uv], phr. Become of. ' What's gone of my
coat ? ' Glouc.
Gone-ofT, sb. A fool, simpleton. Neither allied to ' gonoph,'
Yiddish, a thief ; nor to ' gnoff/ a boor, I think ; but
simply corrupted from ' (one) gone off his chump ' (head),
a common phrase applied to a noodle in Warw.
Good. Much. A. 'Look what a lot o' rock they gin me
at that shop, for a penny.' B. ' Will they gi'e me as good,
if I goo ? ' Leic., and elsewhere.
Goodish, adj. and adv. Fairly or tolerably good, or well ;
as ' It's a goodish distance.' ' This cow milks goodish.'
Leicv N'hamp.
Good old has-been, phr. Said of a person or thing past its
prime. Sometimes ' One of the has-beens.'
Good shut, phr. Good riddance. SE. Wore., and else-
where. ' Good shut o' bad rubbidge ' is frequently said
of a person or thing discarded.
Good-sorted, adj. Of good sort. ' A good-sorted fellow,
apple,' &c. Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere.
Gooin'. Var. pron. of 'going.' 'I'm agooin' wum.' Oxf.
Go on at, v. a. To rate. ' Don't go on at the chap so.'
Midlands.
Goose-flesh, sb. The peculiar rough appearance of the skin
which supervenes when cold, fright, or any unpleasant
emotion affects one. Sometimes called ' Goose-skin.' Cf.
Hen-flesh. Common.
96 Goose-gog— Gossip
Goose-gog [gtiz-gog], sb. A gooseberry. Midlands, and
elsewhere, as East Anglia. See Forby's Vocab. East
Anglia, wherein a derivation is suggested.
Gore-thrusher, sb. The missel-thrush. Frances, S. Warw.
Provin.
Goring-crow [gb'r-in'-cr5], sb. The carrion-crow. Frances,
S. Warw. Provin. N'hamp. (gor-crow), Oxf. (gore-croiv).
Gorse-linnet, sb. The whinchat, Fringilla linota, L., so
called from its habit of building in a gorse or furze bush.
Leic., N'hamp., Shrop. (gorsebird, gorsehatcher, gorse-
thatcher, Fringilla cannabina). It is now generally
allowed that F. linota and F. cannabina are one and
the same species.
Goslings [goz-lings], sb. pi. ' The blossom of the willow,
which, being in colour much like the young brood
of the goose, and appearing about the same time,
probably gave rise to the term.' — Hal. Gloss. N'hamp.
(goslings, and geese and goslings), Shrop. (goose an'
goslings, goose an' gullies). Hal. Diet, and var. dials.
The staminiferous flowers of Salix capi^ea are called ' Cats
and Kittens ' also in Warw., and ' Cats and Kitlings '
in N'hamp. Vide Pussy-cats.
Gossip, sb. A godfather or godmother. ' I remember this
primary meaning of the word in common use, but it is
rapidly becoming obsolete. " Who were the gossips ? " ' —
Leic. Dial.
Verstegan, Rest. Decayed Intell., notes this word as
meaning ' God-sib,' or ' akin in God ' ; and Abp. Trench,
Select Gloss., says, ' Gossip is still used by our peasantry
in its first and etymological sense, namely, as a sponsor
in baptism — one sib or akin in God, according to the
doctrine of the mediaeval Church, that sponsors con-
Goster — Gravelled 97
tracted a spiritual affinity with one another, with the
parents, and with the child itself (pp. 95, 96). A.-Sax.
god-sibb, a gossip ; sponsor. N'harap., Shrop.
Goster, v. n. To brag, boast, swagger. Midlands, and
elsewhere ; Staff, (to bray). It is also used substan-
tively ; and the adj. is Gostering.
Goul, sb. ' The gum of the eye.' — Hal. Gloss.
Gouty, adj. Knobby, knotty: usually applied to rough
thread, worsted, silk, &c. N'hamp.
Grace, sb. Var. pron. of ' grease.' Shrop., SE. Wore.
Graff, sb. ' A spade-graff is the quantity of earth or clay
turned up by the spade at once. A spade-graff deep is
the extent to which the implement can be in digging
thrust into the ground.' — Hal. Gloss. Leic., N'hamp.,
Shrop;, Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere. A.-Sax. grafan,
to dig.
Graft, sb. Work of any description. Glouc. Common.
Granny-reared, part. adj. Coddled, pampered, as if brought
up by a more fond than wise grandmother. Shrop., and
common.
Granpap, sb. A grandfather. N'hamp.
Graunch, v. n. and a. To grind, crunch, as 'to graunch
the teeth,' or 'gravel' (with the feet). Leic., Glouc.
(granch), Shrop. (granch), SE. Wore, (grainch), W. Wore.
(granch). The sb. Graunch, or Granch, a crush, ' scrunch,'
or crash, is common.
Grauncher, sb. A huge, heavy person.
Gravelled [gravid], part. adj. Vexed, mortified, perplexed.
Hal. Gloss.
' Rosal. Nay, you were better speak first, and when you were
gravelled for lack of matter, you might take occasion to kiss.' —
As You Like It, iv. i. 75.
H
98 Great — Grime
Great [grat], adj. Intimate, familiar. Glouc., Wore., and
elsewhere.
' Tho' he was great with the king, he always doubted the king's
uncles.' — Froyssart's Cronydes (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.).
Greats, Groats [grets, grata, grots, grauts], sb. Shelled oats.
' Greaty pudding is a very common article of sale at
Birmingham.' — Hal. Gloss.
' Greaty or rather groaty pudding (for I know not its orthography") is
made of shins of beef, and groats (that is, dried oats, stripped of their
husks), and, after being well seasoned with salt and pepper, is baked in
ovens. Not many years ago it had the honour, like tripe, of being
publicly proclaimed, and is still in high estimation as a winter dish'
(at Birmingham). — Mr. Pratt, Harvest Home, 1805 (Warw. section), vol. i.
p. 276.
Grecian, sb. The yellow-hammer.
'The last name owes its origin to Greek characters, which, it is said,
are to be found in the marks on its eggs.' — Ifham and Mid. Instit.
Archaeolog. Trans. Nov. 24, 1875.
Green-sauce, sb. Sorrel, Rumex acetosa. N'hamp. Hal.
Diet, says, ' Sour dock or sorrel mixed with vinegar and
sugar.' North Country.
Grey-russet, sb. ' A coarse kind of grey, woollen cloth, to
which the epithet dandy was often prefixed, as " Dandy-
Grey-Kusset." The name and the material have both
fallen into disuse.' — N'hamp. Gloss. Midlands, and else-
where. Beck, Drapers Diet., states that an inventory of
1571 mentions ' gray russett ' ; and quotes Delany thus :
' We are country folks, and must keep ourselves in good compasse ;
gray russet and good hemp-spun cloth doth best become us.' — Pleasant
Historic of Thomas of Reading.
Grim, adj. Grimy, dark, dirty : applied to the person and
apparel. N'hamp. (? Dan. grim, soot).
Grime, v. a. To daub with soot or dirt. Hal. Gloss.
England.
'Edg. My face I'll grime with filth.' — King Lear, ii. 3.9.
Grinsard — Groaning-cheese 99
It is used substantively to mean smut or dirt grained in :
4 Dro. of Syr. Her face nothing like so clean kept : for why she sweats ;
a man may go over shoes in the grime of it.' — Com. of Err. iii. 2. 105.
Grinsard [grin-sS,d], sb. Var. pron. of 'greensward.'
N'hamp.
Grip, sb. A small ditch, or drain. Glouc., Leic., N'hamp.,
and elsewhere. See Way's Prompt. Parv., and Forby's
Vocab. East Anglia.
'Or in a grip, or in the fen.'
ffavelok the Dane (Early Eng. Text. Soc.), 2102
(quoted in Shrop. Wordbk.).
Griskin, sb. ' A lean piece out of the loin of a bacon pig,
lying between the ham and the flitch.' — Shrop. Word-bk.
N'hanq). Gloss, says, 'The short bones (sic) which are
taken out of the flitch of a bacon pig,' &c. ; but the
former definition seems to me to be the most accurate.
' From Gryce, swyne or pygge, porcellus, nefrendis.' — Prompt. Parv.
'Whether ham, bacon, sausage, souse, or brawn,
Leg, bladebone, baldrib, griskin, chine, or chop.'
Sou they (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.~).
Grit, «6. ' Piece work.' ' Cf. the phrase to work by the
great, i. e. to undertake work in the gross, Webster's
Diet.' — Frances, S. Wariv. Provin. Leic. (great).
Groaning-cheese, sb. 'A cheese provided on the occasion
of an accouchement. A sage cheese is generally had for
the purpose, which is frequently a present.' — Hal. Gloss.
In Oxf., according to Dyer, Eng. Folk-lore, 1884, it was
the practice to cut the groaning-cheese in the middle,
and by degrees to form it into a large kind of ring,
through which the child was passed on the day of its
christening (p. 177).
Groaning = parturition, is a common term, and 'groan-
ing-cheese,' or ' cake ' (this last presented to be cut at the
christening), is a word not restricted to the Midlands.
H 2
100 Grounds — Gurgeons
Grounds, sb. pi. (i) Enclosed fields. Glouc., SE. Wore.
(2) An outlying farm. N'hamp., Shrop.
(3) The sediment of any liquid ; the 'settlings, dregs.'
Common.
' Grounds, the lyse of anything.' — Palsgrave.
Grounds = foundation, as of an argument, &c., is also
common.
Grouse [rhymes 'house'], v. n. or a. To pry, to seek to
know, to grope ; hence v. a. to copulate.
Growed [gr5d], p. and pp. of ' grow.' Common.
Grubby, adj. Dirty.
Grubbed, Grubbed-up, or Grubbing, part. As ' Your
hands are grubbed-up with dirt.' ' Look at that child
grubbing in the dirt.' Common.
Guggle [gugl], sb. The windpipe, trachea.
Gull, sb. An unfledged gosling. Midlands.
'Sen. Lord Timon will be left a naked gull.' — Tim. Ath. ii. i. 31.
Gullup, v. a. To gulp, swallow greedily or hastily. ' Gullup
it down.' Leic. (gollop), N'hamp. (gollop), SE. Wore.,
Up.-on-Sev. (gullock).
Gully, sb. A game in which the players endeavour to
knock an inner from an outer ring of marbles.
Gunner, sb. A one-eyed person. The allusion is to the
closing of one eye when taking aim with a firearm.
Midlands.
Gurgeons [gur-jinz], sb. pi. ' Coarse refuse from flour,
produced from the inner skin of the grain. They are
lighter in substance than " sharps," with which they are
often confounded.' — Shrop. Word-bk. Glouc. (pollards),
Guss — Hacker 101
Leic. Dial, (grudgeons), SE. Wore, (fine bran), Up.-on-Sev.
Cf. Fr. escourgeon, Howell's Diet. 1 673.
Guss, v. a. To girth, to bind tightly. ' Don't guss the
child's things round him like that.' Glouc. Hal. Diet.
Guts, sb. A glutton. ' Forty-guts '=a tub-bellied person.
Gutter, v. n. To run down, as a candle does, when the
tallow overflows. Midlands. But I have heard 'lave'
used as & v. n., in the same sense, in Glouc.
'Gowtyn as candell, gutte.' — Pynson, 1499 (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.).
Guv, pret. of ' give ' (rare). ' I guv 'im sixpence.' Shrop.,
and elsewhere.
Guy Fox Day. The first of November. ' Fox ' is the
common pronunciation of the surname Fawkes, in Warw.
H. Ignored as an initial aspirate, and in such words as
shriek, shrill, shrimp, shrink, shroud, shrug ; which be-
come sriek, srill, srimp, srink, sroud, srug. Again, fifth,
sixth, twelfth are pronounced fift, sixt, twelft. In heigth,
height, it is redundant, but it is rarely added to vowels
as a false aspirate.
Ha*. A common contraction of ' have.'
' And I may have my will ile neither ha' poore scholler nor souldier
about the court.' — Day, He of Gutts, 1633 (in Nares).
It is sometimes redundant, as ' If I'd ha' sin (seen) him,
I'd ha' gin him a piece o' my mind.'
Hack-and-hew, v. n. To stumble or hesitate in reading or
speaking. SE. Wore, (hack an haoiv), and elsewhere.
Hacker, sb. A short, strong implement, slightly curved of
blade, used for trimming trees, chopping firewood, &c.
N'hamp., SE. Wore., Shrop.
102 Hackle — Han
Hackle, (i) sb. A straw cover, or movable thatch, for bee-
hives. Glouc., Up.-on-Sev., Shrop. Cf. Bee-skep.
(2) v. a. To get the hay into rows. Frances, S. Warw.
Provin. N'hamp. Hal. Diet.
Had, v. a. Took. 'He had his belongings away this
morning.' N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Hag, (i) v. a. To cut ; a woodman's term. Hal. Gloss. The
N'hamp. Gloss, under ' Agg ' says, ' In Warwickshire the
rods which mark the boundary of a fall of timber are
called haggstaffs ; and the separate parts so divided are
called each man's hagg.' Leic. (to hack).
(2) v. n. To haggle, to dispute.
(3) sb. A scold.
Haggis [hag-iss], sb. The entrails, or 'chitterlings,' of a
calf. Glouc., Shrop.
Half-a-two, phr. Almost in two pieces. Oxf., and else-
where.
Half-baked, adj. Weak of intellect ; silly. Cf. Cakey.
Half-saved, adj. Demented, silly. Glouc., W. Wore. ' Half-
soaked ' is a term of like meaning, common in Warw.,
Shrop., SE. Wore., and elsewhere.
Hamper-logged, part. adj. ' A witness at a late assize at
Warwick used this word in the sense of being overborne
or persuaded by his wife, saying that he was " quite
hamperlogged by her." ' Shakespeare uses the word
hamper in a somewhat similar sense. Hal. Gloss.
'She'll hamper thee and dandle thee like a haby.' — 2 Hen. VI, 1.3. 148.
Han, pi. of ' have,' contraction of A.-Sax. habban, to have.
Used by Chaucer, Wycliffe, Robert of Gloucester, and
other early writers.
'Ye han ete on the erthe, and in youre lecheries ye han norisched
your hertis.'— Wycliffe, New Test. James v. 5.
Hand-of-pork — Harry 103
Hand-of-pork, sb. The shoulder- joint of a scalded pig
('cut without the blade-bone.' — N'hamp. Gloss.}. Hal.
Diet.
Handful, sb. A person difficult to manage. ' You'll find
that lad a rare handful.' Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere.
Hand's-turn, sb. Slight help, light assistance. 'Not a
hand's-turn would be put for'ad to help anybody.'
N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Handy, adv. and adj. (i) Near, convenient, as 'The farm
lies very handy.' ' A handy path.'
(2) Nearly, as ' That bit o' garden-ground is handy to
twenty pole.' Glouc., N'hamp., Oxf.
Han not, pi. of ' have not.' Hal. Gloss. This usage is now
confined to remote hamlets. It has been replaced by
Ain't and Arn't (q. v.), which are employed with a
singular or plural pronoun. Shrop. (hanna), and else-
where.
Happen, adv. Perhaps, probably. England. ' Shall you
go to the fair o' Saturday 1 ' ' Happen I might, and happen
I mightn't.'
Hard on, Hard upon, phr. Nearly. 'Hard upon three
months ' = nearly three months. N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Hare-shorn, adj. Having a cleft lip, i. e. a lip shorn or slit
as a hare's is. Leic., Shrop. (arshorn). Common.
Harry, v. a. ' To overdo, or press upon ; probably formed
from harass, and differing from the old English word
hari'y. When a number of workmen are employed
together, and one supplies another with such a load as
he is unable to convey in time to the next, he is said to
harry the man, and the person thus harried or overladen
is turned out of the party.' — Hal. Gloss. N'hamp.
104 Harry-long-legs — Haulm
Harry-long-legs [arry-lung-legs], sb. The daddy-long-legs,
or crane-fly. Leic., N'hamp., SE. Wore, (horry-long-legs),
Shrop., and elsewhere.
''Any, 'Arry-lung-legs,
Couldn't say 'is pray'rs,
Ketch 'im by the left leg,
An' throw 'im down stairs.' — Mid. Folk-rhyme.
Haslet vel Harslet [as-lit, ars-lit], sb. Liver, lights, &c., of
a pig. N'hamp. (haslet), Glouc. (harslet, hasslet=th&
pig's pluck), SE. Wore, (aslat or adit), W. Wore, (aslat),
Shrop. (haslet and harslet), and elsewhere.
' Haslet of a hogge.' — Palsgrave.
'A hog's harslet.' — Nomendator, p. 87 (in Hal. Diet.').
Hastener [as-nur], sb. (i) A contrivance of metal, or of
wood lined with metal, placed before the fire to hasten the
roasting of the meat by reflecting the heat. Leic., Shrop.,
and elsewhere. Cf.
'Haste, a spit or broach.' — Cotgrave.
' Roostare or Hastelere. assator.' — Prompt. Pan.
(2) A long, funnel-shaped tin vessel which, owing to its
shape, may be thrust deeply into the fire, for warming
ale, &c. Shrop. Cf. Foot, Hooter.
Hatredans [a-tre-danz], sb. pi. Ill-temper, ' tantrums.'
'Don't let me have any of your atredanz.' More
common in Glouc. Shrop. (aitredan, a frolic, foolish
prank).
Haulm, Ham [aum, am], sb. Pease-straw ; wheat-stubble ;
bean-stalks. The first is in 8. Wane. Provin. : but the
latter form of the word is most common in other parts of
Warw. N'hamp. (haulm), Glouc. (hams and haulm),
Shrop. (haulm). Wright, Early Eng. Vocabs., noticing
' Culmus, healm,' in Ab. ^Elfric's Vocab., icth cent.,
remarks that ' haulm ' is applied to the straw of corn and
Haunty — Head-Sir-Rag 105
the stalks of many other plants in many provincial
dialects.
Haunty [aunt-e], adj. ' Full of spirit and playful mischief.
As applied to a horse it conveys the idea of his being so
from overfeeding and too much rest. Not synonymous
with restive.' — Hal. Gloss. As applied to man or beast,
and meaning frisky, frolicsome, it prevails in many
dialects. The N'hainp. Gloss, thinks it traceable to the
Welsh hawntiawg, full of alacrity, brisk (Owen Pugh).
It is, however, more commonly used in Warw. for
libidinous.
Haygob, sb. ' A. name given to the climbing buckwheat or
black bindweed, Polygonum convolvulus, because it mats
other herbs together by twisting round them.' — Hal. Gloss.
Hayriflf, sb. Galium aparine, goosegrass, catchweed,
cleavers ; sometimes written hariff, hairough, or heiriffe.
' Hec uticeUa, haryffe.' — Nominate, isth cent., in Wright's Vocabs. i. 266.
'Hayryf.' — Prompt. Pan.
N'hamp. Gloss, says, ' No doubt derived from the Fr.
heriffe, set, staring, or standing up like bristles, or the
hair of an affrighted creature ; horride, rough, rugged.—
Cotgr.' I venture to derive it from haya, a hedge, and
riff, rough. Glouc. (hairiff, harif, hariffe, hair-eve),
Staff, (eriff, heriff), Shrop. (hariffe [pron. ae'r'if]), and
common.
He. It. Common.
'The philosophises stoon
He wol nat come vs to.
He hath ymaad vs spenden mochel good.'
Chaucer, G. 867-68 (six-text ed.), Skeat
(quoted in Shrop. Word-Ik.}.
Head-Sir-Bag, sb. An ironical term for a petty leader,
chief, principal. ' Bob Walker's taken up wi' th' ranters,
an' Vs 'ead-sir-rag, I can tell yer.' N'harnp.
106 Heady- whap — Heaving-days
Heady- whap [ed-e-wop'], sb. A. person with a preter-
naturally large head.
Healing [e-ling], sb. The binding of a book. Vide Hill.
Shrop. (hilling), Staff, (hilling).
Hearken out, v. n. To listen for. ' I expect the carrier's
cart'll call ; you hearken out.' Shrop. (to be on the
watch for information), Staff, (hark, to look out, make
inquiries).
Heart, sb. Nature, condition, virtue. 'There ain't no
heart in this land.' Midlands, and elsewhere.
Hearten, v. a. To cheer, encourage, inspire, invigorate.
Common.
'Prince. My royal father, cheer these noble lords,
And hearten those that fight in your defence.'
3 Hen. VI, ii. 2. 78.
Heartless, adj. Disheartening. ' It's heartless work,
trying to get this ground clear o' stones.' W. Wore.,
and elsewhere.
Heartwell, adj. In good general health. Wore, Shrop.,
N'hamp. (heartwhole).
Heavens-hard, adv. Heavily; said of the rain. 'It's
raining heavens-hard.'
Heaving-days, sb. pi. Easter Monday and Tuesday. On
the former day it was customary for the men to heave
and kiss the women, and on the latter for the women to
lift and kiss the men. A fine is usually paid by the
person lifted, and the money so obtained is spent in
drink. The idea of ' lifting ' seems to have been designed
to represent our Saviour's Resurrection (see Gent's Mag.
1784, vol. xcvi. p. 96), and was a national custom.
'On the Easter Monday of 1290, seven of Queen Eleanor's ladies
invaded the chamber of Ed. I, and proceeded to "heave him" in his
Hecth — Hewsick 107
chair. The monarch paid a fine of fourteen pounds.' — Strickland, Lives
of the Queens of Eng., 1864, i. 303.
Hecth [ecktf/i], sb. Height, as 'Poplars grow to a great
hecth.' Glouc. (Hal. Diet, says 'the highest'), N'hamp.,
Oxf. (heldh), Wore, (eckth).
Heft, v. a. To lift. Wore., Oxf., and elsewhere. Shakespeare
uses hefts as a sb., heavings.
'Leon. He cracks his gorge, his sides,
With violent hefts.' — Winter's Tale, ii. i. 43.
Help, v. a. To bring, to send. ' Thankee, sir, I'll be sure
and help the book back to you.' N'hamp.
Hel-rake, sb. A large rake, drawn or hauled over a field
to pick up all stray fragments of hay. Leic., Glouc.
(hellrake, hullrafce, haulrake) , Shrop. , Wore. Miss Frances,
S. Warw. Provin., seems to think it a corruption of
; heel-rake.'
Helt. Held. 'He helt up the flag.' N'hamp., Leic., and
elsewhere.
Hen-and- chickens, sb. pi. The large double-daisy, with
smaller ones growing round the footstalk. N'hamp.,
Shrop.
Hen-flesh, sb. i. q. Goose-flesh, q. v. Leic., N'hamp.
Her. She, as ' Her's a-comin' up the lane.' Midlands, and
elsewhere.
Hern, £>oss. pro. Hers. Common. Leic. Dial, says, ' Hern,
hers, of her, occurs in Wycl. 4 Kings viii. 6 ; Dan. xiii.
33 ; ' and Hal. Diet, remarks that Chapman wrote hern,
her own, in 1599.
Hewsick, sb. The fly-catcher (? Muscicapa grisola). Trans.
B'ham and Mid. Instit. Archaeoloy. 8oc. Nov. 24,
l«75-
108 Hickle — Hike
Hickle, sb. The woodpecker. Frances, S. Wanu. Provin.,
Shrop. Word-bk., and Glouc. Gloss, say, ' the green wood-
pecker,' Picus viridis. N'hamp., SE. Wore, (eekle),
Up.-on-Sev. (stock-eekle), Glouc. (huckwaU, hakel, eckle),
Shrop. (ecall, yockel, laughing-bird : the laughing hecco,
Drayton, Poly, xiii.), W. Wore, (eacle), Hal. Diet, (hickol,
West). Ray called Picus varius major, or greater spotted
woodpecker, the ' hickwall,' whilst modern ornithologists
apply this term to Picus minor.
Hiding [hi-ding], sb. A beating, flogging, thrashing. Leic.,
SE. Wore., Staff.
Higgler, sb. A badger, or travelling dealer in farm pro-
duce ; one who ' chaffers ' or ' higgles.' Shrop., SE. Wore.
(heggler), and elsewhere.
Higher, v. a. pec. To raise. ' That clothes-line's too low :
go and higher it.' The participle is Highering.
Hike, v. a. (i) To beckon.
(2) To haul.
(3) To raise, or lift, or toss. Hal. Diet, says, ' To swing ;
put in motion ; to toss ; to throw ; to strike ; to hoist ; to
go away ; to hurry ; var. dials.' In the Midlands the
sense seems to be allied to that of hook. ' Hike him in '
may mean ' beckon him in ' (with a hooked finger), or
' haul (as with a hook) him in ' ; whilst to ' hike a thing
up' means to raise anything, as a cow does with its
horns. In Staff, and Shrop. the word is definitely
applied to the tossing action of a horned beast.
(4) ' Brockett (Gloss. North Country Wds.) explains
this word " to swing, to put in motion." It is used in
a much stronger sense in Warwickshire, as applied to
the practice of hikeing a toad, which is done thus :
a narrow board, about a foot long, is balanced upon
Hill — Hind-post 109
a convenient substance, with the toad laid upon one end
of it. The opposite end is then smartly struck with
a heavy stick, the effect of which is to hike or raise the
toad with considerable velocity into the air, whence it
uniformly descends quite dead. This barbarous practice
is described by Brockett under the word spanghew. [It
is painful to add that this does not fully describe the
detestable act. It was customary to inflate the wretched
creature at the vent, through a hollow stalk, so that it
should ' bost ' on falling.] About Stratford-on-Avon this
is called " Filliping the toad," which naturally brings to
mind the Shakespearian phrase, " Fillip me with a three-
man beetle." To hike, to toss as a beast does with his
horns, is a familiar expression.' — Hal. Gloss.
Hill vel Hill up, v. a. To cover, cover up. A.-Sax. helan,
celare. ' Hill,' ' hille,' and ' hele ' are all in Wycl. Vide
Hal. Diet. 'Hile.' Leic., Shrop., N'hamp., Staff., Up.-on-
Sev. (hele), and elsewhere. Dying out in Warw.
'Pah'er, to hill ouer.' — Cotgrave.
' I hyll, I wrappe or lappe, i. e. couvre : you must hyll you wel nowe
a nyghtes, the wether is colde.' — Palsgrave.
Hillings, sb. pi. The upper bedclothes.
'Hyllyng, a coveryng, couverture.' — Palsgrave.
Evans, Leic. Dial, remarks that in Wycl. Bible, ' hiling,'
' hylings,' &c., are used for a tent as well as a covering.
Staff., Leic., Shrop. Dying out in Warw. Vide Healing.
Him. It. Midlands.
' The philosophres stoon,
Elixir clept, we sechen faste echoon ;
For, hadde we him, than were we siker ynow.'
Chaucer, G. 864 (six-text ed.), Skeat
^quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.').
Hind-post, sb. The post on which a gate hangs. Leic.
(hing^ost), N'hamp. (king, to hang).
110 His'n — Hodge
His'n. His. Common.
' Him wot steals wot isn't his'n,
When 'e's cotch'd must go to prison.' — Old Rhyme.
His-self. Himself. ' He went by his-self.'
Hit, sb. An abundant crop. ' There's a good hit o' taters
this turn.' Glouc., Shrop., Up.-on-Sev.
Hit it vel Hit it off, phr. Agree. ' My stepfather and me
never could hit it off.' Leic. , Oxf .
Hiver-hover, v. n. To waver. W. Wore., Glouc., Shrop.
(adj. wavering, undecided).
Hob vel Hub, sb. The ledge on either- side of the firegrate.
Leic. (hob), N'hamp. (hob and hub).
Hob- gob, sb. An awkward, uncouth person.
Hob-gobs, sb. pi. Small tumps or hillocks of dirt, refuse,
&c., from the gutters, scraped together by roadmen, at
regular intervals. Shrop. (inequalities of surface).
Hocketimow, sb. ( An instrument to cut the sides of a
rick with, generally formed of a scythe-blade fixed to
a pole or staff. Hoggerdemow is a term used about
Stratford-on-Avon for a similar instrument with which
hedges are roughly cut.'— Hal. Gloss. At Bourton, Glouc.,
the former is called a ' hoggery-maw.' Robertson, Gloss.
Vide Brushing-hook, and Slashing-hook.
Hockle, v. n. To hobble along. Glouc. (to hobble along
quickly), SE. Wore.
Hockling [ok-lin], part. adj. Awkward, shambling, as
' A oklin sort o' walker.' N'hamp. (walking as if ham-
strung : from hockle, to hamstring).
Hodge, (i) sb. The stomach. 'Don't stodge (stuff) yer
'odge so.'
(2) The large paunch in a pig. Shrop.
Hogsyed — Hond 111
(3) v. n. To advance the hand unfairly, when dis-
charging a marble. (Near Tamworth.) Vide Fudge.
Hogsyed [ogs-yed], sb. Var. pron. of 'hogshead.' Glouc.
(hockshet), Shrop. ('ogshit).
Holt, sb. (i) Var. pron. of 'hold.' ''Ere collar 'olt' =
Here ! catch hold. Glouc., Leic., N'hamp.
(2) ' Quasi hold, a deep hole in a river where there
is a protection for fish. Osier-hold signifies a place
in a brook or river set with osiers, and thus affording
a cover or security.' — Hal. Gloss. Leic., N'hamp., Shrop.
[ou-t].
Holy-falls, sb. pi. Trousers buttoned breeches-fashion ;
that is to say, with ' flap ' instead of ' fly '-fronts. Vide
Pigsty-doors.
Hommacking [om-a-kin], part. adj. Awkward, clumsy, as
' A great hommacking thing.' N'hamp., Shrop. Vide
Hommocks.
Hommock [om-uck], sb. 'All of a hommock,' uneven,
lumpy : metaph. from ' hommock ' or ' hummock,' a little
hill. • Glouc., N'hamp.
Hommocks [om-uks], sb. (i) An overgrown, slatternly
girl. N'hamp.
(2) The feet. SE. Wore. Cf. Shommooks.
Hompered [omp-a'd], part. adj. Var. pron. of 'hampered';
but meaning harassed, worried, troubled. Shrop.
Hond, 86. Var. pron. of ' hand.' This sound of the letter
' a ' is an ancient one, not a modern vulgarism.
' He bad him al his lond bisen (rule)
And under him hegest for to ben ;
And bad him welden in his hond
His folc.' — Gen. and Exod. (Morris).
1 1 2 Honeysuckle — Hoppety-kick
Again :
' In Humber Grim began to tende
In Lendeseye, rith at the north ende,
Ther sat is ship up on the sond
But guin it don up to the lond.' — Havelok tlte Dane.
Honeysuckle, sb. Common red clover, Trifolium pratense.
N'hamp., Shrop. This is probably the ' honey-stalks ' of
Shakespeare.
' Tarn. I will enchant the old Andronicus
With words more sweet, and yet more dangerous,
Than baits to fish, or honey-stalks to sheep,
Whenas the one is wounded with the bait,
The other rotted with delicious feed.' — Tit. And. iv. 4. 88.
ILoogyvel Howgy [oo-je, ou-je], adj. (i) Bulky, ill-fitting,
huge. ' These are 'ougy boots.'
' Huge, hougy.' — Stratman's Old Eng. Diet.
Hal. Diet, assigns it to the West Country, and refers to
Skelton, ii. 24. Glouc., Shrop., and elsewhere.
'A hugye giaunt stiffe and starke,
All foule of limbe and lere,'
occurs in Sir Cauline, pt. ii. stanza 1 8 : Percy, Reliques.
(2) Intimate, as ' howgy folks.' Shrop.
Hook-bill, sb. A hatchet. Frances, S. Warw. Provin. In
other parts of Warw. bill-hook.
Hooter, &6. An ale-warmer. An extinguisher-shaped utensil
of metal for thrusting deep into the fire. Oxf., SE. Wore.,
Shrop. (ooter, i. e. hotter, heater). Cf. Foot, Hastener.
Hope, sb. The bullfinch. Glouc. (hoop). Cf. Nope.
Hop-o'-my-thumb, sb. A dwarf. The title of a well-known
nursery tale. N'hamp.
' Fretillon, a little nimble dwarf, or hop-on- my- thombe.' — Cotgrave.
Hoppety-kick, phr. Spoken of a person whose gait exhibits
a sort of hopping movement, followed by a kicking or
Hot — Housen 113
swinging motion of the rear leg. ' Dot-and-go-one ' or
* Dot-and-carry-one ' is a similar term. ' Step-and-fetch-
it ' is a nickname used of one with a like peculiarity.
Hot, v. a. (i) To heat ; warm up. 'Hot some water.' 'Hot
that pie.' Leic., Glouc., N'hamp., Shrop., and elsewhere.
(2) p. and pp. of 'hit.' Glouc., N'hamp., Leic., and
elsewhere.
' As I sat up in the pear-tree,
With all the pears around me,
There came a man from Tamworth town
And swore by Jube ! (Jove) he'd knock me down.
I up with a pear
And hot him there,
I up with another,
And hot his brother :
O. U. T.
Spells out goes he.' — Warw. counting-out~rhyme.
The Leic. Dial, gives the following version of an old
proverbial distich :
' A blot 's no blot
Till it's hot ' (i. e. pointed out, designated).
Hot-cross-bun-day. Good Friday. Buns made to be eaten
on that day are marked with a cross. N'hamp.
' One a penny, poker,
Two a penny, tongs,
Three a penny, fire irons,
Hot cross buns.' — Warw. Folk-rhyme.
House, s/>. Any ground-floor room as opposed to the
kitchen. Leic., Oxf., N'hamp., and elsewhere. In Shrop.
the large kitchen or general living-room is called the
' house-place.'
Housen [ou-zn], (j) v.a. To muffle, to encumber.
' Don't ouzen yer neck wi' that great comforter.' Near
Warwick.
(2) »6. pi. of 'house.' Midlands. This plural, though
1 1 4 Hove — Hullock
doubtless old, is probably purely dialectical. I cannot
find that it has ever been recognized as a regular form.
' Cow-housen ' = cow-houses, is common in Glouc.
Hove, v. a. ' To hoe.' — Frances, S. Warw. Protiin.
Howsumdever [ou-suin-dev'ur], sb. Disorder. Frances,
S. Wamv. Provin. Unknown to me in this sense. It is
a common pron. of ' howsoever ' in Warw. Glouc. (how-
somever), N'hamp. (howsomever, howsomdiver). Common.
Hub, sb. i. q. Hob, q. v.
Hudge, sb. 'All of a hudge '= all of a heap, mass. Usually
applied to the clothing of a child or woman, if greatly
rucked. N'hamp. (hodge).
Huds, sb. pi. Husks, as of walnuts. W. Wore., Glouc.
Hulking, adj. Clumsy, unwieldy, with a sense of 'lazy';
as ' A great hulking fellow.' Common.
Hulks, sb. A ' hulking ' fellow. ' Keep off me, you great
hulks.'
Hulky, adj. Lazy, idle ; clumsy ; with a sense of ' bulky.'
Common.
' Imagin bow the hulky divell slyded
Along the seas smooth breast, parting the wave.'
Hey wood, Troia Britanica, 1609.
Hull, ( i ) v. a. and n. To hurl, to throw. Leic., N'hamp. (holl,
hull). Hal. Diet, says, ' West Country.' Up.-on-Sev.
(2) v. a. To remove the husks or shells from nuts, &c.
' " Hull the walnuts," a phrase used at Stratford-on-Avon
for removing the husks.' — Hal. Gloss. Common.
Hullock, sb. A lazy, worthless fellow. Shrop.
Hullocking or Hulking, part. adj. As ' He goes hullock-
ing about.' Glouc. (and hulk, to skulk about), W. Wore.
(hulking, overbearing).
Hulls - Harden 115
Hulls, sb.pl. Husks, huds, bads, shells.
' Hull of beane or pese.' — Palsgrave.
' Gousse, the huske, swad, cod, hull of beanes, pease, &c.' — Cotgrave.
' Utricidus, the huske or hull of all seedes.' — Elyot, 1559 (in Hal. Diet.}.
Humble-bee, sb. ' The general term by which the large
wild bee, Apis lepidaria, is known ; though occasionally
we meet with bumble-bee in use, as in the North.' — Hal.
Gloss. Common. Vide Bumble-bee.
Humbug, sb. A small sweetmeat, black or dark brown of
hue, striped with white, and usually flavoured with
peppermint. Glouc., SE. Wore., Up.-on-Sev., and else-
where.
Humpy-grumpy, adj. Grumbling ; complaining, owing to
indisposition. N'hamp., Up.-on-Sev. (hump, to grumble).
To have 'the hump' is a common vulgar phrase nowadays,
signifying to take offence, show trouble, &c., and is
doubtless derived from the habit of certain animals
which erect the back when angered or depressed.
Humstrumming, part. adj. Lounging about in enforced
idleness.
Humstrum, as an adj. means dull, dreary, dragging;
as ' a humstrum job.'
Hurden, (i) sb. Coarse cloth made of hurds or herds.
Common.
' Flower (flour) of England, fruit of Spain,
Met together in a storm of rain,
A hempen shirt, and a burden cravat,
If you're a wise man, tell me that.' — Old Riddle.
Ans. 'A plum-pudding.'
' Harden was also an ancient form of the word. In the will of
Johan Wiclif, 1562, we have "hand towelles of harden," x pare of
harden sheets valued at 205., and " ix table cloths of harden," valued
at IDS. A table cloth of "lynne" was priced xxd. in the will of Roger
Peles, Parson of Dalton-in-Furness (1541), and one of " harden " iiijd.,
which gives us some idea of its comparative value.' — Beck, Draper's
Diet., sub voce.
1 2
116 Hurds — Inchy-pinchy
(2) adj. Diying, as 'It's burden weather now,' i.e.
weather calculated to dry hurden.
Hurds, Herds, sb. Coarse or refuse flax or hemp. A.-Sax.
heordas. Common.
' Heerdes of hemp.' — Palsgrave.
' Hurdes or towe, of flaxe or hempe, stupa.'— Baret (in Prompt. Par?.).
'Now that part (of the flax) which is utmost, and next to the pill
or rind, is called tow or hurds.' — Holland's Pliny, ii. p. 4 'in Nare.s'
Gloss.).
Hussy, Hussif, Huswife [uze, uzif, us wife], sb. A case for
holding sewing materials, such as thread, needles, and
buttons. ' It is made of a strip of some suitable material,
and is fitted up with longitudinal " casings " for the
thread, and with pockets for the buttons, &c. It rolls
up when not in use, and fastens with a loop and button.'
— Shrop. Word-bk. Common.
If so be as how, phr. ' If so be as how I've done my work
in time, I'll come across ' (to your house). N'hamp.
Iffing-and- Offing, *b. Indecision. ' Make up your mind,
don't let's have any iffing-and-offing.' It is also used
participially. Glouc., Wore., Shrop. (iftin'-ari-and,iri =
hesitation). Cf. Hiver-hover.
Ill-contrived, adj. Bad-tempered ; cross-grained. Shrop.
Ill-convenient, adj. Inconvenient. Midlands.
Imbers, sb.pl. Var. pron. of ' embers.' Shrop.
In. Of. 'They be just come out in school.' 'In course
I shall do it.' N'hamp. Shakespeare uses 'of ' for 'in.'
'And not be seen to wink of all the day.' — Lore's Labour's Lout, \. i. 43.
Inchy-pinchy, sb. Progressive leap-frog. A makes a back :
B pitches and makes a back : C pitches over A and B
and makes a back. A then rises and pitches over B
Ind-Iss 117
and 0, &c. The formula is ' Inchy-pinchy, last lie down.'
The player who first cries this is entitled to wait until
all the players are ' down ' before he leaps.
Ind, «6. Var. pron. of ' end.' SE. Wore.
Inkle, sb. Coarse tape.
' Serv. He hath ribbons of all the colours i' the rainbow . . . inkles,
caddisses, cambrics, lawns.' — Wint. Tale, iv. 3. 205.
According to the Fabric Rolls of York Minster (Surtees
Soc.), sixpence was paid in the year 1583 for ' ynkle
strynges to the Bible and Communyon boke.' ' As thick
as inkleweavers ' was formerly a common proverb.
Swift has a version of it :
' Lord ! why she and you were as great as two inkle-weavers. I am
sure I have seen her hug you as the devil hugg'd the witch.' — Polite
Conversations.
The word is rarely used now.
Inon [I-nun], sb. An onion. Up.-on-Sev., SE.Worc.,Glouc.,
N'hamp. (inion or Inon), Shrop. (ei-ni'un), S. Warw.
(ein'yuri). See Forby, Vocab. East Anglia.
Insense [in-sens'], v. a. To inform, apprise, instruct, ex-
plain. Midlands, and elsewhere.
' Gardiner. I think I have
Incens'd the lords o' the council that he is
A most arch heretic.' — Hen. VIII, v. i. 42.
'The olde bokes of Glastenbury shall you ensence
More plainly to vnderstande this forsayd matere.'
The Lyfe of loseph of Armathia, 1. 363 (quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.}.
Inwards [in-uds], sb. Entrails, bowels ; of man or beast.
Glouc., Leic., Oxf., Wore., Shrop., N'hamp.
1 Intestina ., . inneweard.' — Ab. ^Elfric's Vocab. (in Wright, Early
Eng. Vocals, i. 44\
1 Falst. But the slierris warms it and makes it course from the
inwards to the parts extreme.'— 2 Hen. IV, iv. 3. 114.
Iss. Yes. Shrop. Cf. Yis.
118 I'stead — Jack-squealer
I'stead, adv. Var. pron. of 'instead.' Leic. (i'stid and
i' stead), and elsewhere.
Isterd'y, adv. Yesterday. Shrop.
Itching-berries, sb. pi. The seeds in the dog-rose berries ;
so called because children put them down their play-
mates' backs, to induce irritation.
I veil [ivl], v. a. To pilfer.
Ivvy, sb. Var. pron. of ' ivy.' Shrop.
Jack, sb. A roller for a towel, called a 'jack-towel'; this
last, usually a long narrow cloth with the ends joined
together, which works round the roller or jack, which is
generally fixed at the back of a kitchen door. Leic.,
N'harnp.
Jack-at-a-pinch, sb. ' One who is ready in case of emer-
gency or necessity.' — N'hamp. Gloss. It is often used,
too, to indicate a person who is ignored at ordinary
times, but made to serve a purpose on occasion.
Jack-bannel [j-banil], sb. The minnow. Hal. Diet, has
'Jack-barrel,' possibly a misprint; for in the Wanv.
Gloss, it is correctly given. ' Jack-bannock,' in folk-
speech, is the accepted form. Frances, S. Wanv. Provin.,
has ' Jack-bannial,' a tadpole.
'For they've filled up poor old Pudding Brook
Where in the mud I've often stuck,
Catching Jack-banils near Brummagem.'
Old Song, ' I can't find Brummagem.'
Jack-sharpling, sb. The stickleback, Gat,terosteus aculeatus,
L. N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Jack-squealer [j-squaler], sb. The swift, Hirundo apus.
Leic., Shrop., W. Wore.
Jack-up — Jibber-and-jumbles 119
Jack-up, v. a. and n. To throw up, relinquish. 'Let's
jack-up this game.' ' I'm tired, an' gooin' to jack-up.'
Leic., W. Wore.
Jangling, part. c(dj. Disputing, quarrelling, arguing.
* Wrangling and jangling ' is a common phrase. Shrop. .
' Jangler, to jangle, prattle, tattle saucily or scurvily.' — Cotgrave.
Jank, sb. Merda, excrement. ' Jankhole,' fot^ica, jakes.
Jaunders [jan-durz], sb. Var. pron. of 'jaundice' : as the
Leic. Dial, remarks, * almost always qualified, as the
" yaller janders." ' Shrop., and elsewhere.
Jaw, v. a. and n. To scold, to prate. Also used substan-
tively, as ' Let's have none of your jaw.' Common.
Jed. Var. pron. of ' dead.' Leic., Shrop.
Jee, adv. and adj. ' Crooked, awry, not straight.' — Hal.
Gloss.
Jel, 6-6. Var. pron. of 'deal.' ' This coal ain't a jel o' good.'
Staff.
Jerry-house, sb. A beer-house of the lower class. W. Wore.,
and elsewhere. In some districts ' Torn-and-Jerry -house '
is common.
Jerusalem-pony, sb. A donkey or ass. 'Evidently allusive
to our Saviour's entrance into Jerusalem on an ass.' —
N'hamp. Gloss. In Warw. ' Jerusalem-cuckoo/ too.
Jessup [jez-up], sb. Juice, syrup ; as of fruit pies, puddings,
&c. Shrop., Up.-on-Sev.
Jest vel Jist, adv. Var. pron. of 'just,' as 'jist now.'
Jeth, sb. Var. pron. of ' death.' Shrop.
Jibber-and-jumbles, sb. pi. Sweetmeats, lollipops. Near
Stratford-on-Avon.
120 Jif— Job
Jif vel Jiflfy, sb. A twinkling, trice, instant, crack, &c., as
'I'll do the job in a jiffy.' Common. It may be made
to convey a sense of ' immediately ' or ' shortly.' Cf.
Just now.
Jigging vel Jiggeting, part. adj. Gossiping about. ' A
jiggeting young hussy.' ' She's never right on'y when
she's jigging about.' N'hamp. (jigging).
Jiggling vel Joggling [jig-lin5, jog'lin'], adj. Unsteady, as
applied to inanimate objects. ' A jiglin' table.' ' That's
a joglin' lather (ladder), yo' be careful on it.' N'hamp.,
Shrop. (jigling), SE. Wore, (giggling).
Jilt, s&. (i) Tatter ; state of rags and jags, as ' Her shawl
was all of a jilt.'
(2) A slattern. ' Her is a dirty jilt, if yer like.'
Jimrags, sb. pi. Shreds, tatters. ' My ankecher's all to
jimrags;
Job, (i) sb. Stercus. It is used also as a v. n. Hal. Diet.
Var. dials.
(2) v. a. To prod, poke, stab, pierce with a pointed
instrument.
'To job, hocher, becqueter.' — Cotgrave.
' That job's jobbed, as the woman said when she jobbed
her eye out.' — Warw. version of a common Midland
folk-phrase. In the North Midlands, when a boy wishes
to assure a companion of the truth of a statement, or the
due performance of some act or promise, he utters the
following rhythm :
' Handy-bandy, sugar-candy,
Cut my throat, and double liaug me,
Job! Job! Job!
At ten o'clock at night ; '
Jobber — Joisting 121
intimating that he would be prepared for, or deserving
of these terrible punishments, should he prove false. He
prods his throat with his forefinger at each mention of
the word 'job.' For variants of this custom, see my
English Folk-rhymes, p. 336.
(3) sb. A stab, thrust, poke, perforation. Midlands.
'A job with a bill or beake, becquade.' — Cotgrave.
Jobber, sb. A dealer in live-stock, as a pig-jobber, &c.
Common.
Joey, sb. (i) The green linnet.
(2) A small glass for containing a victualler's three-
pennyworth of brandy.
Johnny-raw', sb. A countryman, rustic. N'hamp., and
elsewhere. In Shrop. Gloss. ' Johnny Wopstraw,' a farm
labourer. ' Johnny Whipstraw,' a variant, is common
in the Midlands.
Joist, v. a. Var. pron. of ' agist.' ' To take in other men's
cattle into pasture-land at a certain rate : also, to send
one's cattle into another man's pasture at a certain rate ; to
take or send into " ley" or " lack." ' — Leic. Dial. N'hamp.,
and elsewhere. The N'hamp. Gloss, says, ' Joist is
evidently a corruption of Agist — from Fr. Giate, a bed
or resting-place — and signifies to take in and feed the
cattle of strangers in the King's Forest, and to gather up
the money due for the same.' — Charta de Foresta, 9 Hen.
Ill, c. 9. See Jacob's Laiv Diet.
Joister, sb. An animal taken or sent in to 'joist.' Leic.,
N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Joisting, sb. ' The keep of an animal which is put out to
grass in another person's field. " What must I pay for
his Joisting ? " ' — Frances, S. Waru\ Provin. Hal. Diet.,
122 Jolter-headed — Jumpers
under ' Agistment,' says, ' The feeding of cattle in a
common pasture for a stipulated price. The agistment
of a horse for the summer cost 3/4, in 1531. See the
Finchale Charters, p 417.' Blackstone, Comment, bk. ii,
mentions the law of Agiatment, briefly.
Jolter-headed [jolter-yedid], adj. Stupid, foolish. Leic.
Jonnock, adj. Thorough in good fellowship. Staff, (jan-
nock, genuine), N'hamp. and SE. Wore, (jonnick), Glouc.
(to be jonnock = work together smoothly), Shrop. (true-
hearted ; fair dealing ; honourable). Hal. Diet, (fair and
honourable. North Country).
Josey, sb. Diinin. of ' Joseph.' Shrop., and elsewhere.
Jowl [jol], (i) v. a. To knock the head, or that of another,
against an obstacle. 'I'll jowl your head against the
wall ' is a stock Warw. threat.
'I jolle one aboute the eares.' — Palsgrave.
' Clown. They may joul horns together like any deer i' the herd.'
All's Well that Ends Well, i. 3. 59.
See also Hamlet, v. i. 82. England. Leic. (to strike, to
knock).
(2) sb. A deep earthenware pan with a rim. Staff.,
Shrop. (a washing mug). Hal. Diet., ' A large, thick dish.'
Devons.
Jutous [jubus], adj. Var. pron. of 'dubious,' but with
a sense of ' suspicious.' Shrop. Hal. Diet.
Judge, v. a. To suspect. 'I judge that beggar o' stealin'
our fowl.'
Junipers, sb. pi. Cheese-maggots, or mites. N'hamp.
Gloss, says, 'Maggots that feed upon ham and bacon.
The larvae of Musca putris.' Common.
Justly — Keech 123
Justly, adv. Exactly. 'I don't justly know.' Leic.,
Staff., Up.-on-Sev.
Just now, adv. Used in a past, present, and future sense.
'Jack was here just now,' or 'just now since,' i.e. a
short time since. 'I can't awhile just now,' i.e. just at
present. 'I'll attend to you just now,' i.e. shortly,
presently. England. Hal. Gloss, remarks, 'The phrase
is not unfrequently rendered more barbarous by adding
an s to the last word, making it j'U&t nowts.'
Kank, v. n. i. q. Cank, q. v.
Kay, sb. Var. pron. of ' key.' Midlands.
' Either through gifts, or guile, or such like waies,
Crept in by stouping low, or stealing of the kaies.'
Spenser, Faery Queene, bk. iv, c. x, st. xviii.
(quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.^.
Keck vel Kex, pi. Kexes, sb. The hemlock ; but liberally
used for other umbelliferous plants of similar appear-
ance, such as cow-parsnip, wild-carrot, hedge-parsley, &c.
England.
Sj the drie stalkes of humlockes, or burres, tuyan.' — Palsgrave.
'Burg. And nothing teems
But hateful docks, rough thistles, kecksies, burs.' — Hen. F, v. 2. 51.
' As dry as a kex ' is an old proverb : and, owing to this
quality, it was anciently used as a torch.
'All the wyves of Tottenham came to se that syjt
Wyth wyspes, and kexis, and ryschys there lyjt.'
The Turnament of Tottenham (Percy, Reliyues],
Keech, sb. A. cake of consolidated fat from the slaughter-
house, rolled up to go to the chandler's for tallow.
Shakespeare makes an appropriate surname of the word :
' Host. Did not goodwifc Keech, the butcher's wife, come in then
" and call me gossip Quickly?' — 2 Hen. IV, ii. i. 104.
1 24 Keen — Kemps
and applies it figuratively to Wolsey, ' the butcher's son,'
in Hen. VIII, i. i . 54 :
'Buck. I wonder
That such a keech can with this (?his) very bulk
Take up the rays o' the beneficial sun,
And keep it from the earth.'
Prince Henry calls Falstaff 'greasy tallow-keech,' in
i Hen. IV, ii. 4. 256. Glouc., Shrop., SE. Wore.
Keen, v. a. To sharpen, make keen. ' I'll keen this knife.'
SE. Wore., Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere.
Keep, sb. More often applied to grass than provender in
Warw. Midlands, and elsewhere.
Keep in with, pfir. To continue on good terms, or agree
with a person. ' It's best to keep in with the steward.'
N'hainp., and elsewhere.
Keffil [kefl], sb. A clumsy person ; an ' animal.' ' Mind
where yer treadin' yer great kefl.' Also anything of
inferior quality, as 'This is poor kefl.' It is a figure
borrowed from ' keffil,' a small, inferior horse. Shrop.
and Up.-on-Sev. (keffel), SE. Wore, (anything inferior).
'So Richard, having no more to say,
Mounted his keffle and rode away.'
Richard of Dalton Dale, MS.
Quoted in Hal. Diet., which says, ' Var. dials.'
Kell, sb. (i) The omentum, or caul, of a slaughtered pig.
Shrop., W. Wore., and elsewhere.
'Rim or kell wherein the bowels are lapt.'
Florio (quoted in Hal. Did.).
(2) A film, or scale, on the eyeball. Shrop., and else-
where.
Kemps, sb. pi. 'Coarse hairs amongst wool or fur.'— Hal.
Did. N'hamp.
Kench — Kindle 125
Kench, v. a. To twist, wrench. Used substantively also,
as ' I turn'd sharp, and got a nasty kench in my back.'
Staff., Shrop. Hal. Diet., ' North Country.'
Keout [one syllable, rhymes ' out '], sb. A little mongrel, or
cur. ' Also the short, snarling yelp of a little dog.'—
Hal. Diet. Shrop. (a little, sharp, vigilant, barking dog).
Kep', p. and pp. of ' kept.' ' I kep' 'im for a twelvemonth.'
Glouc., SE. Wore., and elsewhere.
Kere [ker]. Abbreviated form of ' look here ! ' Vide
Akere.
Kernel, sh. A hard concretion in the flesh. Common.
' Kyrnel or knobbe yn a beeste or mannys flesche.' — Prompt Parv.
Ketched, part. adj. ' Slightly burnt and stuck to the pan,
in boiling; said of milk, &c.' — Shrop. Word-bk. Lit.
' catched,' caught, the frequent form of the perfect of
' catch ' in the Midlands.
Keys [kays, keys], sb. pi. The fruit of the sycamore.
Shrop. Sometimes called ' Locks and keys.'
Kibble, v. a. To crush or mash oats or other corn.
' Kibbled-oats ' are known to all corn-chandlers. Leic.,
Shrop., Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere.
Kind, adj. Thriving, healthy ; applied to beasts and
plants. ' These'm nice, kind pigs.' ' Your beans are
kind.' Midlands.
Kindle, v. n. To bring forth young, as hares, rabbits, cats.
Midlands, and elsewhere.
' Kyndyll as a she hare or cony dothe, whan they bring forthe
yonge.' — Palsgrave .
' Orl. Are you native of this place ?
Ros. As the coney, that you see dwell where she is kindled.'
As You Like It, Hi. 2. 360.
126 Kipe — Knack-and-span
Klpe, sb. A coarse kind of osier basket, wider at top than
bottom, with a short handle on each side. Glouc.,
Shrop., Wore. Not very common in Warw.
Kissing-bush, sb. A mistletoe bush, under which a kiss
may be lawfully taken at Christmas-tide. A berry
should be plucked from it every time a kiss is taken.
Common.
Kit, sb. A flock of pigeons. As applied to a brood, family,
or number of persons or things taken collectively, it is
a common word.
Kiver [kivur] , sb. ' The tub that the butter is made up in.'
— Frances, S. Wanv. Provin. ' A shallow tub, with a
cover, mostly used in composition ; as ivhey-kiver, dough-
kiver, butter-kiver, &c.' — Leic. Dial. Glouc., N'hamp.,
SE. Wore., Shrop. The word is not common to all parts
of Warw. It is a corruption of ' cover,' which as a vb.
is familiar throughout the Midlands : ' Kiver up yer
neck.'
Knab, v. a. ' To bite gently and playfully. Horses knab
each other when in good temper.' — Shrop. Wd.-bk.
Midlands.
Knabs, sb. A youth, young man ; possibly from Ger.
Knabe, boy, knave ; used in this last sense, but with the
corrupt meaning, i. e. a false, deceitful, dishonest, or
waggish fellow. It is always preceded, too, by a pos-
sessive pronoun ; and spoken of one guilty of some
offence. 'I saw his (my) knabs this morning, but he
kept his distance : he knows I'm aware of his tricks.'
Knack-and-span. A game at marbles. One player casts
a marble ahead. His fellow casts another marble after
it. Should he knack (knock) it, or bring his own within
Knackers — Know 127
a hand's- span, he is lawfully entitled to that of his
opponent. The second player then casts his own marble
ahead, &c.
Knackers, sb.pl. Testes. Glouc.
Kneading-trough [k-tr5], sb. 'A rude piece of furniture
standing on four legs, having a (detached) flat lid which
fits closely on to it, so that when covered it serves as
a table, and is about the height of one.' — Shrop. Word-bk.
Also called a ' dough-trough ' [d5-tro] in Warw.
Knock along, v. n. To work briskly. N'hamp.
Knock off, (i) v. a. To dispose, or perform quickly; as
' He can knock off work better than any man I know.'
N'hamp.
(2) v. n. To cease from work. ' The bell's gone six :
it's time to knock off.'
Knock-down-brick-and-carry-one. A boys' game. One
brick is placed upon another thus T, and guarded by
a band of players. Another band stand at taw, and
throw duckstones at it ; and, should it be knocked from
its position, they run backwards as far as possible, fol-
lowed by the guardians of the brick. Each guardian, on
catching a runner, must carry him on his back till the
brick be reached. The order of the game is then reversed.
Knoll [nol], v. a. To toll, as 'a bell.' Common.
' I knolle a belle.' — Palsgrave.
' North. Sounds ever after as a sullen bell,
Remember'd knolling a departing friend.' — 2 Hen. IV, i. i. 102.
Know, v. n. ( I'll let you know ' = I'll give you a thrashing.
As the Leic. Dial, points out, it is more common than
(v.a.) Til let you know your master,' of which it is
probably a corruption.
Knowed — Knuckle-down
Knowed, p. and pp. of ' know.' ' Knowede ' = knew, 4 Kings
ii. 3 (in Wycl.).
Knowledge, pec. use. Range, remembrance, view. ' Look
at this poor dog, he's got out of his knowledge,' i. e. has
lost his way. ' Gardener's gel's wum agen ; her's quite
growed out o' my knowledge.' ' I ain't seen Joe for many
a day ; he's gone right out o' my knowledge.' Leic.
Know-nothing, sb. and adj. An ignoramus ; ignorant :
as ' He's a know-nothing ' or ' a know-nothing chap.'
Midlands, and elsewhere.
Know to. Know of; as 'I know to a nest.' Wore., and
elsewhere.
Knubblings [knub'lins], sb.pl. Small cobbles of coal.
N'hamp., Up.-on-Sev. Hal. Diet.
Knuckle-down, phr. Indicating that a marble should be
shot from the hand with the knuckle resting on the
ground — not advanced. N'hamp. Hal. Diet. A print
with this title was a favourite picture years ago.
A contrary phrase is ' knuckle-up.' This means that
the player may raise his knuckles from the ground to
any suitable height ; nevertheless he must not advance
his hand. Vide Fudge.
Another usage of ' knuckle-down ' is found in the
game of Three-Holes, or any like play in which the
players, in turn, endeavour to roll their marbles into
holes, in sequence, and to Dolledge (q. v.) the marbles of
their opponents to as great a distance as possible from
the holes. Let us say that all the players, save one,
are ' up,' i. e. come to an upshot, or satisfactory con-
clusion. The unsuccessful one then endeavours to roll
his marble into the hole. Should he fail, any one of
the successful players may dolledge ' him ' (his marble)
Knurled — Ladies'-Needlework 129
to a distance. But, as this might go on indefinitely, he
is entitled to ' knuckle-down,' when he pleases. That is,
he may place his shut fist over the hole, knuckles up-
ward, and the other players may shoot at his hand,
three times each, from taw: after which he is at liberty
to join in the next game as an equal.
Knurled [nurld], adj. Stunted, dwarfed. Shrop., and
elsewhere.
Knurly, sb. A small wooden ball used in the game of
bandy.
'A bounche or knur in a tree.' — Elyot (in v. 'Bruscum/ ed. 1559).
' Nodus, a knot, a knurl.' — Diet. Etym. Lat. 1648.
adj. (i) Short, thick, sturdy of make, as 'A knurly
little man.' Shrop., and elsewhere.
(2) Hard, as ' A knurly piece of wood.'
(3) Knotty, as ' A knurly board.' SE. Wore, (knerly),
Midlands.
Kuuz, sb. A Knurly, q. v.
L. Omitted in bold, cold, fold, &c.
Lace, v. a. To beat, thrash, castigate. Common.
'I do not love to be laced in, when I go to lace a rascal.'
Two Angry Women of Abingdon, 1599.
' " Lace one's jacket " is another form : e.g. "Go you and find me out
a man that has no curiosity at all, or I'll lace your jacket for ye." '
Sir R. L'Estrange (cit. Latham).
Lade-gaun, sb. A pail with a vertical stave or handle ;
used for lading liquids from vats, large tubs, or other
receptacles. Midlands. Not very common in Warw.
Most likely an imported word.
Ladies'-Needlework, sb. London Pride, Saxifraga um-
brosa. Called in Glouc. ' A-kiss-at-the-garden-gate.'
K
1 30 Lady-cow — Land
Lady-cow, sb. The ' lady-bird,' a name applied to all the
coccinella, as the N'hamp. Gloss, says.
Lady-smocks, sb. pi. Cardamine pratensis.
1 This plant is called in English, Cuckowe-flower [see Moore's Suffolk
Words] at the Namptwich in Cheshire, where I had my beginning,
Ladie Smocks, which hath giuen me cause to Christen it after my
Countrey fashion.' — Gerarde, Herbatt, bk. ii, p. 261 (quoted in Shrop.
Word-bk.).
N'hamp. Gloss, quotes Drayton, Poly. :
' Of lady smockes most white doe rob each neighbouring mede.'
And Shakespeare writes :
'Lady-smocks all silver white,'
in the Spring Song in Love's Labour's Lost. It is evident,
therefore, that the ' lady-smocks ' of that time were not
the same as the ' lady-smocks ' of this ; for the flowers to
which the term is applied nowadays are pale lilac of hue.
The N'hamp. Gloss, gives the great bindweed for definition.
Lagger, sb. 'A litter, a mess.' — S. Warw. Provin. The
Shrop. Word-bk. has laggens (of wood) and laggerments,
fragments, odds and ends.
Lam, v.a. To beat, thrash, castigate. Leic., Shrop. (lammel).
The word is common in America.
Lambs'-tails, sb. pi. The male catkins of hazel and filbert
trees. Shrop. (lamb-tails).
Lamming, sb. A beating, castigation.
'One whose dull body will require a lamming,
As surfeits do the diet, spring and fall.'
Beaum. and Fletcher, A King and No King, v. 3
(quoted in Leic. Dial.).
Lamp, v. a. To castigate. Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere.
Lamping, sb. A thrashing. Staff., and elsewhere.
Land, sb. ' One ridge and furrow ' — Frances, S. Warw.
Lane — Lawter 131
Provin. The Glouc. Gloss, says, 'A ridge or "rudge"
between two water-furrows.' SE. Wore.
Lane, adj. Var. pron. of ' lean ' ; as ' A bit o' lane mate
(meat).' See Introd.
Lankity [lank-e-te], adj. Lank, lanky, long and slender.
' A lankity chap.'
Lantun, sb. Var. pron. of ' lantern.' Common.
Lap, v. a. To fold, wrap, envelop. All the early dictionaries
have the word. Common.
'And whanne the bodi was takun, Joseph lappide it in a clene
sendel.' — Wycliffe, Matt, xxvii. 29.
'K. Edw. How did he lap me
Even in his garments.' — Richard III, ii. r. 116.
Larrup, v. a. To castigate. Midlands, and elsewhere.
Larruping. A beating. Common.
Laskit, sb. Var. pron. of ' elastic.'
Lather [rhymes 'gather'], sb. Var. pron. of 'ladder.'
Midlands, and elsewhere. Hal. Diet, says that this form
occurs in Palsgrave, fol. 360, and in Collier's Old Ballads,
pp. 33, 105. I do not know which collection of ballads
he refers to. I have examined the ' Roxburghe,' ' Black
Letter,' and ' Red Series,' but cannot find the example
for quotation. The Shrop. Wd.-bk. gives ' fowre lathers,'
in an Inventory dated 1625.
Lattermath [lat'ur-math]. i. q. Aftermath, q. v. Midlands,
and elsewhere.
' Lateward hay, latermath.' — Hollyband's Didionarie, 1593 (quoted in
Hal. Diet.}.
Lawter [lau-tur], sb. The number of eggs laid by a fowl
before incubation. Grose, Prov. Diet., gives 'Laster or
Lawter, thirteen eggs to set a hen.' North Country.
K 2
132 Lay— Lease
Glouc. (layter and lawter), N'hamp. Known, in slightly
varied forms, throughout England and Scotland.
Lay, Ley [la and le], sb. Land laid down for pasture.
Common.
Lay, v. a. ' This term, when applied to a thorn hedge,
means to renew it by cutting it down on both sides,
hewing out the old wood and stumps, leaving or placing
standards at a given distance ; and then — having first
carefully split them lengthwise — laying down the young
shoots, intertwining them basket-fashion between the
uprights.' — Shrop. Word-bk.
Lay me in, phr. Cost me. ' This horse will lay me in
twenty pounds.' Common.
Laylock, sb. Var. pron. of ' lilac.'
' There still exist among us a few personages who culminated under
George IV, and who . . . maintain certain traditional pronunciations,
gold, as gould or gu-uld ; yellow, as yattow ; lilac, as leyloc ; china, as
cheyney ; oblige, as obleege, after the Fr. obliger.' — Earle, Philology of the
Eng. Tongue, 3rd ed. 1880, p. 166 (paragraph 173).
Lean-to [len-too], sb. A shed leaning against another
building. Midlands, and elsewhere.
Learn, v. a. To teach. England.
'Them shall he learn his way.' — Ps. xxv. 8 (Prayer Book Version).
'I lerne one a lesson or thynge that he knoweth nat.' — Palsgrave.
'Calib. The red plague rid you,
For learning me your language.' — Temp. i. 2. 364.
Oliphant, The Old and Middle English, 1878, p. 79, says :
'We sometimes hear " I'll learn (docebo) you this " : the
verb represents the old Iceran, which has got confounded
with leornian.'
Lease [leze], v. a. and n. To glean corn.
Leasing [le-zing], sb. Gleaning. Leic., N'hamp., Glouc.,
Staff, (leaze), Oxf. (lease, lezzin, lyezzin), SE. Wore, (laze,
Leastways — Lep 133
• le-uz), W. Wore, (leeze), Shrop. (lease, leasing [pron. laze,
lazin or lezin]), Up.-on-Sev. (leeze). A.-Sax. lesan.
'Leasing, voyez gleaning.' — Cotgrave.
Leze and Laze are interchangeable throughout the
Midlands.
Leastways, adv. Leastwise, anyhow, at least, at all events.
' You'll pay me in a day or two, I hope ; leastways by
next week.' Sometimes ' at leastways.' Midlands.
Leather, v. a. To castigate. Leic., Glouc., SE. Wore.
Leathering, sb. A beating. N'hamp., Shrop., Staff.
Leatherhead [1-yed], sb. A numskull, dolt. England.
Leatheren-bat vel Leathering-bat. The common bat. Up.-
on-Sev., Glouc., SE. and W. Wore, (leatherin-bat), Shrop.
(leathering-bat).
Leem [lem], v. a. ' To separate nuts and walnuts from
. the husk or covering. Learners, nuts sufficiently ripe
to fall out of the husk.' — Hal. Gloss. Leic. (learn). Cf.
N'hamp. Gloss, under ' Limb.' The word is in use in
Scotland.
Leifer (sic), comp. adv. 'More willingly, sooner.' — Hal.
Gloss. But more commonly ' liver.' N'hamp. and Shrop.
(liever), and elsewhere. Vide Lif.
'Faire Christabelle, from thee to parte,
Farre lever had I dye.'
Sir Cauline, pt. ii, 11. 34-5 (Percy, Reliques).
Lenth, sb. Length.
'Item j. pece of fyne lynen clothe, yerd brode, of Ivj yerdys of
lenthe.' — Inventory, 1459, Paston Letters, i. 480 (Arber's reprints), (quoted
in Shrop. Word-Ik.).
Lep, v. a. and n. To leap. Also used substantively, and
as a preterit.
' J>anne lep he vp lijteli . & lokod al a-boute.'
William of Palerne (Early Eng. Text. Soc.), 1. 702
(quoted in Shrop. Word-Ik.).
134 Let on — Lig
Let on, v. n. To divulge. ' If I tell you, you mus'n't let on.'
Letter, sb. A spark on the wick of a burning candle,
supposed to foretell the coming of a missive. Common.
Level with, phr. Used in an unfriendly spirit, and equi-
valent to ' requite.' ' Jack's done me many a bad turn
as I've passed over, but I'll be level with him, this time.'
Staff. Vide Even with.
Lew- warm [lu-wb'rm], adj. Lukewarm.
c Y wolde that thou were could, ethir hoot : but for thou art lew, and
nether cold, nether hoot.' — Apocalypse iii. 16 (Wycl.).
Lick, (i) sb. A slight wash. N'hamp., W. Wore, (lick,
v. a.).
'A. lick and a promise, and better next time.' — Mid. Folk-phrase.
(2) v. a. To castigate. Used colloquially for ' puzzle ' ;
as ' It licks (' beats,' in a figurative sense) me 'ow Jim
Thorp meks 'is money by them pigs uv 'isn (of his).'
(3) sb. A blow. Common.
Lif, Liv, adv. Var. pron. of ' lief,' ' lieve.' Willingly,
gladly, readily, soon ; well.
'Ham. I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines.' — Ham. iii. 2. 4.
The word is spelt ' live ' or ' lieve,' in the quartos and
folios. ' I might as liv (well) whistle the wind as call
you.' Glouc. and SE. Wore, (live), Shrop. (lief, lieve,
[pron. lif, leev]), Leic. (lief), N'hamp., Up.-on-Sev. (lif,
lief), England. A. -Sax. leaf.
Lift, v. a. ' To aid, to assist.' — Hal. Gloss. As a substan-
tive, e.g. 'To give one a lift,' i.e. a helping hand, or
succour under any circumstances, it is common through-
out England.
Lig, (i) v. n. To lie ; tell a falsehood. A.-Sax. leogan.
(2) sb. A lie.
Ligger, sb. A liar.
Like — Lisom 135
Ligging, part. This form was anciently used as
a participle of lie, to rest in a reclining position: to
abide, &c. Chaucer writes :
' Ligging in host, as I have said ere this,
The Greekes strong about Troy toun,
Befell, that whan that Phoebus shining is.'
Troil. & Cress, iv. r.
' Lyynge, or lygynge, jacencia.' — Prompt. Pan.
Like [Hk], explet. ' It's very comfortable, like, in the
firelight.' Common.
' I am nae poet, in a sense,
But just a rhymer, like, by chance.'
Burns, Epistle to J. Lapraik, April i, 1785.
Examples of its earlier use occur in Carr's Dialect
of Craven, and Hunter's Hallamshire Glossary.
Liking [lik-in], sb. Approval, trial. ' My gel's gone to the
parson's, on liking.' N'hamp.
Limb, sb. An unruly, troublesome person. A ' limb of the
devil ' is actually meant, I believe. The term is applied
to a termagant also. N'hamp., Glouc., Up.-on-Sev., and
elsewhere.
' You limb of a spider, you leg of a toad,
You little black devil, get out of my road.'
Mid. Folk-rhyme.
Limber, adj. Pliant, supple, nimble, flexible. Common.
' Mol, soft, supple, tender, lithe, limber.' — Cotgrave.
' Her. You put me off with limber vows.' — Wint. Tale, i. z. 47.
[On a] Line, phr. Ill-tempered. ' Your dad is on a line
because you stopped out so late.'
Lines, sb. pi. Var. pron. of 'loins ;' as 'A cold in the lines.'
SE. Wore., and elsewhere.
Liquor, sb. Gravy, the grease of fried bacon, &c. Leic.,
N'hamp. (vb. to oil). Cf. Fresh-liquor.
Lisom [lis-um], #$. Lithesome, agile, supple. England.
136 Litterment — Lodge
Litterment, sb. Litter, confusion of scattered articles or
fragments. 'What a litterment this kitchen's in.'
N'hamp.
Littler, Littlest, comp. and super, of * little,' adj. Smaller,
smallest. Common.
' Player Queen. Where love is great, the littlest doubts are fear.'
Ham. iii. 2. 183.
'To hold
The poorest, littlest page in reverence.'
Beaum. and Fletch., Queen of Corinth, IV. i.
Liver-pin, sb. The instrument which, by way of jocular
- hypothesis, is said to support, sustain, fasten, or secure
the human liver. ' 'Ave a drop more soup ; it'll oil
your liver-pin.' NW. Warw.
Liver-wing, sb. The wing through which the liver is
inserted on a dressed fowl. The ' gizzard- wing ' is that
through which the gizzard is passed.
Live under, phr. To rent or hold a tenancy from ; as
' We live under the squire.' Midlands, and elsewhere.
Lo and behold ! ' A frequent exclamation in colloquial
narratives, expressive of a certain degree of wonder.' —
Hal. Gloss. 'Lo and behold! as I was gooin' down the
street, who should I see but old Wilkins.' N'hamp.
Lobbating [lob-a'-tin], part. adj. Loitering, idling, leaning,
lolling. Glouc., Oxf. Cf. ' Loppity,' Glouc. Gloss.
Lodge, v. a. To lay, beat down.
Lodged, part. adj. Laid, beaten down (as by rain or
wind). Said of grain or grass.
' K. Rich. We'll make foul weather with despised tears ;
Our sighs, and they, shall lodge the summer corn.'
K. Rich. II, iii. 3. 161.
' Warw. Like to the summer's corn by tempest lodg'd.'
2 Hen. VI, iii. 2. 176.
See also Macb. iv. i. .55. Glouc., Wore, Shrop.
Logger — Look out 137
Logger, (i) sb. A log or block of wood chained or bound
about the fetlock of a horse to prevent the animal from
straying. Leic., Glouc., N'hamp., SE. Wore.
(2) Meat which is sinewy, skinny, lumpy, ' chunky,' or
not worth cooking, from any cause, is called ' logger ' in
the neighbourhood of Warwick.
(3) v. a. To secure a horse with a logger. Hal. Diet.
Lollop [lol'up], v. n. To lounge, lean, loll. Leic., N'hamp.,
Shrop. (lollup, lollock), SE. Wore, (lollock). The word is
used substantively, too ; as ' You are sich a lollop.' Leic.
Lolloping, part. adj.
Lone woman, sb. A widow. Shrop.
' Host. A hundred mark is a long one for a poor lone woman to bear.' —
2 Hen. IV, ii. i. 36.
Longful, adj. Anxious, desirous, longing. ' I was longful
to see the lad again.'
Long hundred, sb. Six score.
' Five score to the hundred of men, money, and pins ;
Six score to the hundred of all other things.'
Old assonance [common] given in Dialect of Cumberland,
by Dickinso'n, 1878, p. 55. i
' Nails, quills, and eggs are still sold at six score to the hundred.
The statute Hen. Ill, De Mensuris, and the statute 31 Edw. Ill, st. ii,
A.D. 1357, de alece Vendendo, ordained that a hundred of herrings
should be accounted by six score.' — Stat. of the Realm (quoted in Teesdale
Gloss. 1849, iii.).
Oranges are sold by the long hundred at most markets.
In SE. Wore., long hundred=ua Ibs.
Looad, sb. Var. pron. of ' load.'
Looked on, phr. Respected. ' He's a man very much
looked on.' Leic. Dial, quotes Adam Bcde, ch. Ii, for an
example of the phrase.
Look out', sb. Future prospect. * It's a poor look out for
farmers, this turn.' Leic., N'hamp., and elsewhere.
138 Loose — Luny
Loose, v. a. To discharge firearms, &c. Doubtless adopted
from an old archery term. Midlands.
' Titus. You are a good archer, Marcus [gives the arrows']. . . .
To it, boy. Marcus, loose when I bid.' — Tit. And. iv. 3. 52, 58.
' I spyed hym behynde a tree redy to lowse at me with a crosbowe.' —
Palsgr. (quoted in Hal. Diet.').
Lousy, adj. Sparkling ; as applied to beer. Glouc. Vide
Nitty.
Levering [luv-ur-in], sb. Courting, wooing, sweethearting.
Up.-on-Sev.
Lowk [louk], (i) sb. A blow. Common.
(2) v. a. To strike with the hand.
Lugs, sb. pi. ( Slender rods placed outside of thatch, to
fasten it down. Perhaps from the verb to lug ; these rods
drawing, pulling or holding down the thatch.' — Hal.
Gloss. Shrop.
Lunge, v. n. To lounge, to lean forward on the elbows.
Leic., N'hamp., and elsewhere.
' What's the odds whether I lunge or kneel ? ' — Frances, S. Warw.
Lungeous [lunj-us], adj. Violent, rough, malicious, spite-
ful, cruel. 'I don't play with Dick Carter; he's such
a lungeous beggar.'
'But somewhere I have had a lungeous faw,
I'm sure o' that, and, master, that's neet aw.'
Cotton's Works, 1737, p. 339.
Hal. Diet, remarks, ' No doubt connected with the older
term lungis, a heavy, awkward, rough, cruel fellow. See
Cotgr. Longis.' Midlands, and elsewhere.
Luny, (i) 8-6. A lunatic, an imbecile. Common.
(a) adj. Demented. ' Tek no notice uv 'im, he's
a luny,' or ' he's luny.'
Mad — Mammock 139
Mad, adj. Enraged, inflamed with anger. ' I was that
mad I didn't know how to contain myself.' Common.
'They that are mad against me are sworn against me.' — Ps. cii. 8.
Made. Vide Make.
Mag, Meg, (i) sb. A half-penny. England and Scotland.
Vide Meg.
(2) v. n. To prate, chatter, gossip. Used substantively
also. Midlands, and elsewhere.
Maid, sb. A dolly : a washing implement with a cross-
handle for pounding dirty clothes. It is worked with an
up-and-down motion. It differs from the Dolly-peg, q.v.,
in that its base is circular and solid, save for two deep
intersecting fissures from the opposite diameters: thus
exhibiting four massive staves, instead of slender pegs.
Shrop., and elsewhere.
Maiding- tub, sb. The large, deep tub into which -dirty
clothes are placed to be ' maided.'
Make, v. a. To fasten, bolt, lock, make fast. England.
' Rosal. Make the doors upon a woman's wit, and it will out at the
casement.' — As Yw< Like It, iv. i. 168.
' Balthaz. . . . The doors are made against you.' — Comedy of Errors, iii.
i- 93-
Make a noise, phr. To scold, to be angry. ' If you don't
get the windows clean'd, missis will make a noise.'
Midlands, and elsewhere.
Make-weight, sb. That which is thrown upon the scale to
make up the due weight of bread, meat, &c. Common.
Malkin. Vide Mawkin.
Mammock, v. a. To mangle or break into pieces.
' Vol. He did so set his teeth and tear it; 0, I warrant, how he
mammocked it.' — Coriol. i. 3. 70.
' Lastly he (the executioner) smote his neck, and missing, burst his
chin and jaws to mammocks.' — Taylor, Journey to Hamburgh (1617),
(quoted in Gluuc. Gloss.}.
140 Mandrake — Mares' tails
Minsheu (ed. 1617) has ' Mammockes, peeces.' Midlands,
and elsewhere. Cf. Mimmock and Mommock.
Mandrake, sb. Bryony, Bryonia dioica.
' Witches take likewise the roots of mandrake, according to some, or,
as I rather suppose, the roots of briony, which simple folk take for
the true mandrake, and make thereof an ugly image, by which they
represent the person on whom they intend to exercise their witchcraft.'
— Cole, Art ofSimpling.
It is perhaps necessary to say that the true mandrake,
the ' mandragora ' of the ancients, does not grow in
England, but belongs to southern Europe and the
East.
Many [rhymes ' Fanny '], indef. pron. Var. pron. of
'many.' Cf. Any.
Many a time and oft, phr. Frequently. ' This colloquial
expression is in common use in the country, but Kean,
the actor, either from ignorance of its meaning, or from
a desire to use a novel reading, instead of delivering
Shylock's speech in the Merchant of Venice, as correctly
printed in all the editions of Shakespeare, chose to speak
it thus : " Many a time — and oft on the Rial to," making
one of his favourite pauses in the middle of the passage,
and pointing to the scene which presented a view of the
Rialto bridge.' — Hal. Gloss. The phrase is well known
in the Midlands, East Anglia, and elsewhere.
Mares' tails, sb. pi. White, streaky clouds believed to
portend high wind.
'A mackerel sky, and mares' tails,
Make lofty ships cany low sails.'
In Berks, they say :
'Maayres taaits an' mackerel sky,
Not long wet, nor not long dry.'
Lowsley, Berks. Words and Phr. (Eng. Dial. Soc.).
England, slightly varied : e. g. ' horse-tails,' in Devons.
Market-fresh — Maslin-kettle 141
Market-fresh, Market-merry, adj. 'About as drunk as
the average farmer of the old school, by the time he
returned from market.' — Leic. Dial. Midlands.
Market-peart [m-pe-St]. i. q. Market-merry, q. v. Vide
Peart. Midlands.
Marley [mar-le], sb. A marble for boys' play. Leic.
and SE. Wore, (marls), W. Wore, (marl and marvel),
Shrop. (marvels).
Marley-stopper, sb. A splay-footed person ; a term sug-
gested by the habit of turning out the toes in order to
check the career of a ' marley.' Vide Splawger.
Marriage-lines. A common term for the marriage certi-
ficate. Common.
'And I took out of my bosom, where they lie ever, our marriage-lines,
and kissed them again and again.' — Reade, Cloister and Hearth, ch. Iv
(quoted in Davis's Supp. Eng. Gloss.}.
Married-all-over, phr. Said of a woman, who, after
marriage, becomes changed for the worse in appearance.
' I see young Mrs. Waters to-day.' ' Ah, how was 'er
lookin' ? ' ' Married-all-over a'ready (already).' Shrop.
(married-all-o'er), and elsewhere.
Masenter [ma-sn-tur]. A mason. S. Warw. Provin.
' Masoner ' is more common in other parts of the shire,
and prevails in Leic. Glouc. and Wore, (masonter), Oxf.
(maisenter). Old Ger. meizan, to hew.
Mash, (i) v. a. and n. To draw, to infuse; said of tea.
' I'll mash the tea.' ' Put the tea to mash, while I cut
the bread and butter.' Leic., Shrop., and elsewhere.
(2) sb. A marsh. Oxf. Hal. Diet, says, ' Var. dials.'
Maslin-kettle [maz-lin-ketl], sb. A brass preserving-kettle.
Leic. Dial, says, 'A large brass kettle, either shallow
or deep, for boiling milk in.' Shrop. Word-bk. says,
142 Massacree — Mawkin
' A brass or a tinned-copper preserving pan.' The word
is common. A.-Sax. mcestUng, mcestline, mcesling,
mceslen, a kind of brass, or mixed metal.
' Take a quarte of good wyne, and do it in a dene mastelyn-panne,
and do therto an ounce of salgemme.' — MS. Med. Rec. isth cent, (in
Hal. Diet.}.
Massacree [mas-S-cre], v. a. Var. pron. of ' massacre.'
' I'll massacree them cats.' Leic.
Master, sb. (i) A title given to a husband, by his wife.
' My master isn't home yet.' The wife is usually styled
' missis.' ' I'll ask my missis, when her comes in.' Mids.
(2) A prefix to a name ; as in Shakespeare's time, e. g.
'Master Shallow.' This still prevails in the shire, the
north-west side excepted.
Maul, v. a. To handle roughly ; to drag or pull about
rudely. ' Don't maul the girl so.' Midlands.
Maulers, sb. pi. The hands. Staff., Up.-on-Sev., and else-
where.
Maunt. May not. S. Warw. Provin. N'harnp. (must not),
SE. Wore, (mawnt). Cf. Mont.
Mawkin [mau-kin], sb. (i) A scarecrow: hence a 'slattern.'
(2) A coarse female ; a trull, a worthless woman.
' Bru. The kitchen malkin pins
Her richest lockram 'bout her reechy neck,
Clambering the walls to eye him.' — Coriol. ii. i. 227.
' Dion. None would look on her,
But cast their gazes on Marina's face ;
Whilst ours was blurted at, and held a malkin,
Not worth the time of day.' — Pericles, iv. 3. 32.
Hal. Diet, remarks that it was formerly a diminutive of
* Mary,' and that Maid Marian was called * Maid Malkin.'
(3) A baker's mop, used to clean out the oven.
Common.
' Malkyn for an oven, frovgon.' — Palsgrave.
Ma wks — Meddle and make 143
Mawks [mauks], sb. A. dirty, slatternly woman. 'Molly-
mawks ' is a frequent variant. Hal. Gloss. Common.
May of the meadow, sb. "? Meadow-sweet, Spiraea ulmaria.
Near Sutton Coldfield, on the Staffordshire side.
Me. Myself. Til go an' wash me.' Leic., N'hamp., Shrop.,
and elsewhere.
Meal [mel], sb. ' The quantity of milk produced by a cow
at one time. Thus, the evening or morning meal signifies
the milk obtained at those periods of the day.' — Hal.
Gloss.
1 Madge (or Margaret) Goodcow gave a good meal ;
But then she cast it down again with her heel.'
Heywood, Proverbs, 1562.
Hazlitt, Eng. Proverbs, says, ' The idea is copied in the
title of a very severe tract against Cromwell, 4to, 1659.'
England.
Means [mens], sb. Private income, moneys ; as ' He lives
on his means.' ' I haven't the means to buy a horse at
present.' Common.
Measle-faced [mezl-facd], adj. Mottled, or inflamed of
complexion, but not from disease.
Measly [mez-le], adj. Mean, miserly, contemptible.
Med, p. and pp. Var. pron. of ' made.' ' I med this box
myself.'
Meddle and make, v. n. To interfere and become a partisan.
'Pan. For my part. I'll not meddle nor make no further.' — Trail. &
Cress, i. i. 14.
' Quoth the young cock, I'll neither meddle nor make.' — Old Proverb.
Ray adds, ' when he saw the old cock's neck wrung off
for taking part with the master, and the old hen's for
taking part with the dame.'
144 Meg — Mimmock
Meg, sb. (i) A half-penny. Vide Mag.
(2) The peg or mark at which quoit-players aim.
N'hamp., Shrop., and elsewhere. Cf. Toosey-megs, Toosey-
pegs.
Meg-flying, sb. The game of pitch-and-toss.
Mek, v. a. Make. ' Don't mek a row.' Shrop.
Mess, (i) sb. A small, mean, paltry object; as 'This
basket is a mess of a thing ; it won't hold a handful.'
Wore., and elsewhere.
(2) v. n. To waste time. ( Don't mess there all
morning, trying to get that clock to go.' Glouc.,
N'hamp., Shrop. 'To mess and tinker,' to waste time
and bungle ; as ' Don't mess and tinker at that lock.'
Middling, (i) adj. Poorly, indisposed. In the Midlands,
' pretty ' and ' very ' give opposite meanings to the word.
' I'm pretty middling ' = I am fairly well. ' I'm very
middling ' = I am ill.
(2) adv. Indifferently, as ' We get on middling at
the farm.' 'Very' and 'pretty' have the same power
as before.
Mighty [mi-te], adv. or adj. Very, exceeding, vast ; as
'mighty cold/ or 'There's a mighty lot o' cherries on
that tree.' England.
Miller's-eye, sb. A small kernel in bread, where the water
has not mixed with the flour, when the dough was
making. ' Don't drown (or put out) the miller's eye '
is an old folk-phrase, meaning, Do not add too much
water to flour (when making bread or paste). England.
Cf. N'hamp. Gloss, and Jamieson, Etym. Diet. Scot.
Mimmock, (i) v. n. To toy with food.
(2) sb. A person with a dainty and fastidious appetite.
SE. Wore. (mimwiMcking, adj.). Cf. Mommock.
Mimping — Mizzle 145
Mimping, adj. Dainty. W. Wore.
Mind, v. a. To remember. ' Mind the butter for to-morrow,
when you're at the farm.' Glouc. Used imperatively, it
means ' get out of the way.'
Minty, adj. Mitey; said of cheese, &c. Glouc., Wore.,
Shrop. Mint for mite is still in use in the West of
England.
' Femes, Anglice myntys.' — Metric. Vocab. in Wright's Vocabs. i. 176.
Minute [min-it], sb. A very small child. ' Mrs. Webb's
baby is a little minute (mite); I shouldn't think it'll
live.'
Mirky [murk-e], adj. Dark, gloomy. Hal. Gloss. ?if dial,
or obsoles.
Mischiefful [mis-chur-ful], adj. Mischievous. Glouc. (mis-
chiefful and mishterful), Oxf., SE. Wore, (mishtiful),
Up.-on-Sev. (miskterful).
Miskin, sb. A compost pit, mixen. Glouc., Wore.
'And would you mellow my pretty young mistress
In such a miskin?' — Beaum. and Fletch. Night Walker, iii. i.
'Erroneously printed 'mis-ken, from not being under-
stood.'— Nares.
Mississing, part. adj. Assuming the authority, without
having the claims, of a mistress. ' The mississing hussy,
I won't have her mississing over me.' N'hamp.
Misword', «?>. A word of censure or blame. 'He never
gave me a misword all his life.' Midlands.
Mizh-ur, v. a. and sb. Var. pron. of ' measure.' SE. Wore.
Mizzle, v. n. To sneak away. Used imperatively, it means
' Be off/ depart. Common.
L
UG Modge — Molly-cot
Modge, v. a To muddle, disorder, confuse ; said of inani-
mate objects. ' To codge and modge ' = to muddle and
cobble. ' You've codged and modged this sewing pretty
well ' (i. e. to a considerable degree).
Moggy, .si. A sucking calf. A diminutive of ' Margaret.'
Glouc., Shrop., Wore.
Moikin, sb. A scarecrow. S. Warw. Provin. Vide Mawkin.
Moil, v. n. To labour, drudge; with a sense of 'to soil.'
' Affaticare, to labour, to toil, to moil.' — Florio.
Often used in combination with 'toil'; as 'I had to toil
and moil for two hours.' Common. W, Wore, (to toil,
soil), Up.-on-Sev. (mile, moil, to make dirty), Shrop. (to
drudge in dirty work).
Moiled, part. Soiled, dirtied, made foul. Wore.
M6-ist, adv. and adj. Var. pron. of ' most.'
Moither vel Mither, v. a. and v. n. To puzzle, perplex,
bother, confuse, daze; worry; to be delirious.
Moithered and Moithering, part. Confused, troubled ;
delirious. Common, slightly varied, throughout England.
Charles Lamb, in a letter (dated Oct. 17,1 796) to Coleridge,
writes ' moythered brains.'
Mollicrush [mol-le-crush], v. a. To beat, bruise, pound,
mangle. Til mollicrush him.' Leic., Glouc., Shrop.,
N'hamp. (mullycrush, to domineer). Hal. Diet. In
Warw. it is frequently pronounced ' mol-e-crosh.'
Mollycoddle, sb. A man who does a woman's work.
SE. Wore., and elsewhere. In Glouc. ' Bessy coddle.'
Cf Pollydoddle.
Molly -cot, sb. A Mollycoddle, q. v. N'hamp., Glouc.
(molly], Shrop Cf. Rom. and JuL iv. 4. 6, where the
nurse calls Capulet a ' cot-quean.'
Molly-ragging — Moocher 147
Molly-ragging, sb. A coarse, abusive scolding. Used parti-
cipially also. N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Momble, v. a. and n. To bungle ; ravel, tangle. . Glouc.,
Shrop., SE. Wore, (to puzzle). Used substantively, also ;
as 'I know'd 'e'd mek a momble on it' (i.e. a bungling
job of it).
Mommock, sb. and v. a. i. q. Mammock, q. v. W. Wore,
(confusion), N'hamp. (a dirty mixture, a mess), Shrop.
(a litter: and v. a. to tumble, disarrange, throw into
confusion).
Mon, sb. A man. A.-Sax. N'hamp., Shrop.. and common.
'Byfore that oure kyng was ded,
He spek ase mon that wes in care.'
On the Death of King Edward the First, 11. 16, 17
(^ Percy, Eeliq.~).
Mont. Must not. ' Y5' mont open that gate.' Cf. Maunt.
Mooche, Moche, Mouche, v. T? . To loiter or skulk about ;
usually for pilfering purposes. Allied to the old forms
' miche,' ' meeche.' Glouc. (miche or mooche, to play
truant), SE. and W. Wore, (mouch, to go prying about),
Shrop. (moach, to lounge or ' hang about ' idly), Up.-on-
Sev. (mouch, to pilfer eatables, to prowl in search of
sport). It has another meaning in Warw., i. e. to rum-
mage. Cf. Moocher.
'To Miche, or secretly to hide himself out of the way, as truants doe
from schoole.' — Florio.
' Sure she has
Some meeching rascal in her house.'
Beaum. and Fletch. Scornful Lady.
Moocher, Mocher, Moucher, sb. A skulker ; a hedge robber.
' Mecher, a lytell thefe, laronceau.' — Palsgrave.
' Thefes and mychers keyn.' — Towneley Myst p. 216 (quoted in Hal. Diet.).
'Micher' occurs in Chaucer's Rom. Rose, 6541 (Urry's) ;
and is glossed, 'a lazy, loytering vagabond, a truant.' Is
L 2
148 Mooching — Moreish
it a mere coincidence, or did Shakespeare intend a play oil
words when he makes Falstaff say :
'Shall the blessed sun of heaven prove a micher, and eat black-
berries?'— i Hen. IV, ii. 4. 454.
For mooches or moockers = blackberries in Glouc., Here-
fords., and the West, and the Glouc. Gloss, preserves
the following rude distich :
'Moocher, moocher, blackberry hunter,
Tied by the rope and swim by the water.'
Moochering. Blackberrying, in Glouc.
Mooching, Moching, Mouching, part. adj. Loitering, lurk-
ing ; usually with felonious intent. Cf. ' Miching mallecho '
= sneaking or skulking mischief, in Ham. iii. 2. 148.
' Mychyn or pryvately stelyn smale thynges, surripio.' — Prompt. Parv.
Mooning, jmrt. adj. Musing, contemplating, staring, dream-
ing, gazing idly about. N'harnp., and common.
Mopuses [mo-puss-iz], sb. pi. Moneys ; coins. N'hamp.,
and elsewhere. Latham says, 'Bad pieces of money,' and
suggests that the word comes from the name of Sir Giles
Mompesson, the notorious monopolist in James the First's
time.
Moral, sb. Image, likeness, model, as ' The very moral of
his father.'
' Fools be they that inveigh 'gainst Mahomet,
Who *s but a morral of Love's monarchic.'
H. Const. Decad., iv. Sonn. 4 (in Nares).
This glossarist says, 'Moral was sometimes confounded
with model, and is used for it ; and, I believe, still is by
the ignorant.' England.
Moreish, adj. ' There's a moreish smack about this,' i. e.
it tastes so well that one would like more of it. Hal.
Diet, spells it moorish, and so do some Midland and
North Country glossarists.
Morris - Mothering- Sunday 149
Morris [mor-iss], wiper. Be off! depart. SE. Wore.
Mort, sb. A quantity ; a great number. Leic., N'hamp.,
Shrop. (a great deal, an abundance : and in Warw., too),
Glouc. (a large amount).
' Then they had a mort of prisoners, with boys and girls, some two,
some three, and others five a piece.' — Plautus made English, 1694 (in
Nares).
Mortal, adv. or adj. Very ; exceeding. ' This is mortal
poor beer.'
' Touch. We that are true lovers run into strange capers ; but as all
is mortal in nature, so is all nature in love mortal in folly.' — As You
Like It, ii. 4. 53.
In the neighbourhood of Warwick the word is bar-
barously pronounced ' mor-shl,' or ' mor-she-1.'
Mossel [mos-il], sb. Var. pron. of ' morsel.' Glouc. (mossel),
SE. Wore, (mossil).
'And after the mossel, thanne Satanas entride into him.' — Wycl. New
Test., John xiii.
Most in general, adv. Generally. ' I go on Monday, most
in general.' Leic., Glouc. (most in generally), SE. Wore.
Mot, sb. A moat.
' But 'mongst the changes we have got
In good old Brummagem,
They've made a market of the Mott,
To sell the pigs in Brummagem.'
Old Sotig, 'I can't find Brummagem.'
Mote, sb. The clothes moth, Tinea tapetzella.
'And make to sou sachels that wexen not oolde, tresoure that failith
not iu heuenes, whidir a theef neijith not, neither moujt destruyeth.' —
Wycl. 1388, Luke xii. 33 (quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.~).
The Prompt. Parv. has Mou^te, and Palsgrave mouyht.
In Glouc. sometimes 'mot.
Mothering-Sunday. ' Mid-Lent Sunday, on which day it
was usual, before the Reformation, to make offerings
at the high altar in the mother church. Afterwards it
changed into a custom of visiting the natural parent on
150
Motty — Mought
that day, carrying frumenty, and other rural delicacies.
In Warwickshire the practice is very general ; and in
several towns a great quantity of prepared wheat is
brought to market, and provided at cooks' shops against
the day, furmety or frumenty being always a part of
the fare upon the occasion ; and the custom of children
assembling at the houses of their parents is much in
use.' — Hal. Gloss.
1 On Mothering-Sunday, above all other,
Every child should dine with its mother.'
N'hamp. Folk-rhyme, Baker, Gloss.
' In many parts of England,' says Dyer, Pop. Cust. p. 1 1 6,
' it was formerly customary for servants, apprentices, and
others, to carry presents to their parents on this day.
This practice was called Going-a-Mothering.'
Motty, sb. (i) A mark to pitch at. Hal. Gloss, says, ' When
boys play at pitch and hustle, usually a small white
stone or fragment of white earthenware.' Anciently the
peg at which quoits were thrown. Midlands, and else-
where. Sometimes Mot.
(2) A token, of metal or other suitable material. In
Lane, when a coal-heaver has filled a corve, he places his
motty on the load, and the truck having reached the pit
bottom, the number of the motty is taken, and the coal
with which the corve is loaded is placed to the miner's
credit.
Mought vel Mote. Might : ancient form used by Chaucer,
Gower, and others.
'And ever my flock was my chiefe care,
Winter or sommer they mought well fare.'
Spenser, Shep. Cal. Febtj. (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.").
'A shepherd's brat even as I was,
You mote have let me be.'
The Kitiyht and the Shcph<,rcfs Daughkr. 11. 81, 82
(Percy. Reliq.\
Moulding-plough— Muckbird 151
Moulding plough [mdld-ing-plou], tsb. A modern agricul-
tural hand-implement. It has a small circular plough of
steel at the end of a long handle, and is used to throw up
earth around potatoes, &c.
Mould, v. a, and n. To hoe up the earth to the roots
of potatoes, &c. Midlands.
Mouter, sb. A kiss on the mouth. ' Come his little ways,
and give papa a mouter.'
Moze, v. n. To burn slowly and dull, without any flame.
N'hamp. (and mazing, burning dull), Glouc. (nwae or
mooze, to smoulder). Hal. Diet.
Mozey, adj. Natureless, sapless, woolly ; the state before
withering. Glouc. (mosey), Shrop., W. Wore. (771066, to
rot, and mosey), Oxf. (mawksy), SE. Wore, (maivsey).
Leic. Dial, says, ' Muggy, as applied to weather, warm and
damp ; also, as applied to meat, fruit, &c., tainted, musty,
beginning to decay.' (Of tainted meat, Sapy, q. v., is said
in Warw.) Of. Shakespeare, where Biondello says of
Petruchio's horse :
' Possessed with the glanders, and like to niose in the chine.' — Taming
of the Shrew, iii. 2. 52.
Much of a muchness, phr. Very much the same. ' These
two lots of plums are much of a muchness.' Midlands,
and elsewhere.
Muck [miik], sb. Perspiration. ' All of a muck.'
Muckbird. ' To sing like a muckbird ' is to emit a con-
tinuous mournful sound in a minor key. I do not know
what the muckbird really is, unless it be the cuckoo,
which is said to ' pick up the dirt ' in the old proverb, and
whose monotonous call has usually a fall of a minor third.
But ' muckbird,' I am led to understand, is a name for
a jakesman, a man whose profession is not calculated
152 Mucker — Mull
to inspire lively melody. Perhaps he is the 'fowl' in
question.
Mucker, sb. A failure, muddle, ' mess.' ' I know'd I should
mek a mucker o' this job.' It is used in the literal sense
in Shrop. = a state of dirt and confusion.
Muckeren, adj. Miserly, covetous ; scraping. N'hamp.,
and elsewhere.
Chaucer has ' muckre,' vb. to scrape together.
1 Pense that he can muckre and ketche.'
Troil. & Ores. iii. 1381.
Cf. also:
'That gold, and that money, shineth and yeveth better renowne to
them that dispenden it, than to thilke folke that muckeren it.'—
Boethius, ii. par. 5.
' Avarice maketh muckerers to ben hated.' — Ibid.
Muckinder, sb. ' A handkerchief. In the present sense of
the word it implies a dirty one.' — Hal. Gloss. Glouc.
(muckinger).
' Be of good comfort ; take my muckinder, and dry thy eyes.'
Ben Jonson, Tale of a Tub.
Mudgin [muj-in], sb. The fat on a pig's chitterlings.
Glouc., Wore. Vide Prill.
Muffling [muf-lin], adj. Useless, unable to work. ' I get
as muffling as a child.' — S. Warw. Provin. Leic.
(rnoffling and muffling).
Mug, sb. (i) A fool, simpleton. Common. Hal. Diet, has
' mug,' a face, a pot (of earthenware or metal from which
to drink), both of which are common.
(2) A fog. or slight rain. Hal. Gloss. Shrop. (a mist,
a fog).
Mull, sb. A failure, a blunder, a muddle. ' I've ined
a nice mull o' this job.' N'hamp. Hal. Diet.
Mullen — Mumps 153
Mullen [mul-in], sb. ' The headgear of a horse/ — S. Warw.
Provin. Glouc. and Wore, (the bridle of a cart-horse),
Oxf. (mullin), N'hamp. (mollin or mullin, a bridle for
husbandry-horses). Nearly obsolete.
Mullock, (i) v. a. To cast things into disorder ; or, to dirty
things.
(2) sb. Dirt, refuse, rubbish, filth ; dirty disorder, as
' All of a mullock.' England.
' The mullocke on an hepe yswepid was,
And on the flore yeast was a canvas.'
Chaucer, Chanon's Yeman's Tale (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.).
Mullocking, part. ' How the things lie mullocking about.'
Mullocky, adj. Dirty, filthy ; as ' What a mullocky state
the place is in.'
Mumchance, phr. The silence of a whole company : but
sometimes applied to that of an individual.
'Why stand ye like a mumchance? What, are ye tongue- ty'd?' —
Plauius made English, 1694, in Nares (Halliwell and Wright, 1872).
' You sit like Mumchancer, who was hanged for saying
nothing,' is a Warw. folk-phrase ; in Chesh. ' He stands
like Mumphazard,' &c. According to Nares, mumchance
was a sort of game played with cards or dice. ' Silence
seems to have been essential to it ; whence its name.'
'And for mumchance, howe'er the chance do fall,
You must be mum, for fear of marring all.'
Machiavell's Dogg. 1617, sign. B (cited in Old Plays, xii. 423).
. Mumchancing, part. adj. Moping in silence. ' Don't sit
mumchancing there by yourself.'
Mummock, v. a. To pull about, to worry. ' The child do
mummock me about so.' — S. Warw. Provin.
Mumps, sb. The sulks; a sulky mood. N'hamp. Hal.
Diet.
154 Mun — Muzzy
Mun, (i) s/>. The mouth. Hal. Glovs. N'hamp. More
commonly ' muns/ Midlands, and elsewhere.
' One a penny, two a penny, hot-cross-buns :
Sugar *em, and butter 'em, and stick 'em in your muns.'
N'hamp. Folk-rhyme for Good Friday ^in N'hamp. Gloss.}.
(2) Must. 'I mun be married a Sunday' is the fourth
song in Roister Doiater.
' And aye ! but I whine that ladyes love,
For dole now I mun dye.'
Sir Cauline, 11. 19, 20 (Percy, ReHq.~).
See Oliphant, Sources of Stand. Engl. p. 104, for its use
in the Ormulum (circa 1 200).
Munch, v. a. To maltreat. Used substantively also ; as,
' She's a cruel munch to her children.' SE. Wore., and
elsewhere. Cf. Mush.
Munge, v. n. To eat greedily and by stealth. ' I monche,
I eate meate gredyly in a corner, i. e. loppine.' — Palsgr.
Shrop., Glouc. (to munch).
Mungelling [mun-jel-in], (i) adj. Dark, obscure, tortuous ;
as ' A mungelling cellar wheer yo' can't feel and can't
find.' Near Middleton.
(2) part. adj. Murmuring. Shrop. and Up.-on-Sev.
(munger, v. n. to mutter, to grumble in an undertone).
(3) part. adj. Bungling. In this sense it is pronounced
' mung-lin.' Near Warwick.
Murfeys, sb. pi. Potatoes. SE. Wore, and elsewhere.
Mush, v. a. ' To break the spirit by harsh treatment :
usually applied to children.' — Hal. Gloss. N'hamp.
Music, sb. Any musical instrument. Glouc., N'hamp.
Must, sb. The dregs, or dry refuse of apples, after cider-
making. Glouc., Shrop., Up.-on-Sev. (must or mast).
Muzzy, adj. Stupefied with liquor. Common.
Nab — Naughty-man's-plaything 155
Nab, v. a. To catch suddenly, or by surprise. Common,
if abs, sb. Vide Knabs.
Nack vel Knack, v. a. To strike with a missile. Cf.
Knack-and-span.
Nag, sb. A riding-horse, as distinguished from a cart-
horse. Common.
Nail-passer, sb. A gimlet. Leic., Glouc., Shrop , SE. Wore.,
Oxf. (nail-paster). Holme, Acad. Arm., calls the instru-
ment a ' nail-piercer.'
Naither [na-thur] , ind ef. pron. Neither. A.-Sax. nafer.
Naked as a robin, phr. Quite naked : usually said of an
undressed child. Shrop., and elsewhere.
Nails [naulz], sb. pi. i. q. Alls, q. v. SE. Wore., Oxf.
Name, phr. ' You'd try to mek any one believe they didn't
know their own name ' = You attempt to perplex or
confound me. Leic. Dial, has, ' Oi'll mek ye as ye
wunna know yer oon neeam,' i. e. I'll knock the senses
out of you.
Nammus, imper. Be off, begone, depart.
Napper, sb. The head. ' Nap ' or ' napp ' is an ancient
form. A ' head ' on beer is called a nap in many
counties.
Nast, sb. Dirt, filth. Wore., and elsewhere.
Nasty, adj. Ill-tempered, cross-grained. Common.
Nattering, part. adj. Scolding ; continual fault-finding.
Leic., Shrop. (knatter, v. n. to find fault incessantly).
Naughty-man's-plaything, sb. Cow-parsnip, hedge-parsley,
gout-weed, or other similar umbelliferous plants. A
country boy told me that these plants are so called ' if
156 Nayword — Nesh
you pick 'em an' throws 'em away again,' which at once
suggested the old rhyme : +
'Give a thing and take a thing,
The naughty-man's-plaything.'
But I believe the name is given really to indicate the
noxious qualities of these plants.
Nayword, sb. A byword. Common.
' Maria. If I do not gull him into a nayword, and make him a
common recreation, do not think I have wit enough to lie straight in
my bed.' — Ticelfth Night, ii. 3. 146.
Near, adj. Mean, stingy. Common. Sometimes ' near-
fisted.'
Neckhole, sb. The nape of the neck. Leic., Shrop., and
elsewhere. ' To get round a man's neckhole ' is a Warw.
folk-phrase meaning to wheedle or coax one for a favour.
Neddy, sb. A simpleton, in figurative language. The
term actually means ' donkey ' ; Ned or Neddy being the
vocative and common name for the ass. Common.
Ne'er-un or Ne'ern [ner-un and nern]. Not one, neither,
Never-a-one, q. v. N'hamp. (narn or narun [pron. nern,
nerun]), SE. Wore, (nerrun), Glouc. (narn, nern, neern),
W. Wore, (nurra one). In Glouc., a lad suffering from
the sting of a nettle rubs the place with a dock-leaf,
and utters the following charm :
* Dock, Dock, shall have a good smock,
Nettle shan't ha' ne'er-un.'
Neighbour, v. n. To visit neighbours for purposes of
gossip. ' I don't care to neighbour : your own house is
never free if you do.'
Neighbouring, part. adj. Gossiping, amongst neigh-
bours. Midlands.
Nesh, adj. Tender, delicate, susceptible to cold or rough
usage.
'Wummon is of nesche flesche.'
Owl and Nightingale, 1. 1387 (quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.\
Nesses — Nicklas 157
* " Neschyn, or make nesch, mollifico," occurs in Eng.
and Lat. Lexic. (1440), Harl. MS. 2,2,1,' says N'hamp.
Gloss.
Neische, Neshe, Nesshe. Soft, delicate. Pref. Ep. ch. iii,
p. 63 ; Job xxiii. 16 ; Jer. li. 46 ; I Cor. vi. 10 (in Wycl.).
Nesses [nes-iz], sb. pi. Nests. Midlands.
Never-a, Ne'er-a. Not a, or one. ' Never a word.' — Matt,
xxvii. 14. 'Never a woman.' — Judges xiv. 3. 'Never
a son.' — 2 Chron. xxi. 17. See Bible Word-bk. for these,
and a quotation from North's Plutarch.
' Never a word spake the heire of Linne,
Never a word he spake but three.'
The Heir of Linne, pt. ii, 11. 29, 30 (Percy, Reliques).
See also pt. i, 11. 62, 63. England. Cf. Ever.
Never-a-one. None, neither.
Nevy, sb. A nephew. ' " Neve " is in the Ang.-Lat. Lexic.
of 1440 (Harl. MS. 221),' says N'hamp. Gloss. Common.
New-nothing, phr. ' A silver new-nothing to hang on your
arm ' is the reply to a child that asks some such question
as, ' What shall you bring me from the fair 1 ' N'hamp.
Nextway, adv. ' Directly. Shakespeare uses this expression
in a cognate, but different sense.' — Hal. Gloss. N'hamp.,
Leic. (nextways).
Nick-at-need, phr. At a pinch. 'I'm nothing to him at
ordinary times, but he's glad enough of me nick-at-need.'
Nicker, v. n. To laugh rudely; to jeer, snigger. Wore.
Nicklas, excl. 'This very common exclamation in this
county amongst boys at play is evidently of great
antiquity, and had its origin in times before the Re-
formation, when St. Nicholas was considered the tutelar
saint or patron of children, and is now used without the
remote idea of its primitive meaning. When a boy. is
158 Niddle — Nineted
hard pressed in any game depending on activity, and
perceives his antagonist gaining ground upon him, he
cries out " Nicklas," upon which he is entitled to a sus-
pension of the play for the moment ; and on any occasion
of not being ready, wanting, for instance, to fasten his
shoe, or remedy any accidental inconvenience, the cry of
" Nicklas " entitles him to protection or safeguard. This
was often expressed in the words " I cry Nicklas." ' —
Hal. Gloss. Cf. Barley.
Niddle, sb. Var. pron. of ' needle.' Up.-on-Sev., and else-
where.
Niggling, (i) adj. Small, trifling, paltry, contemptible; as
' A niggling laugh,' or ' pen, handwriting,' &c. Glouc.,
N'hamp. Hal. Diet.
(2) pavi. adj. Whining, fretting, grumbling. ' Them
children's al'ys nigglin' and cryin'."
Nighty-nighty vel Night-night, phr. Good-night : spoken
to children. Oxf.
' Nighty-nighty,
God Almighty.' — Warw. Folk-rhyme,
meaning ' Good-night, I commend you to God.'
Nine-Men's-Morris. This game (for the original play, see
N ares' Gloss.} is now played on a board instead of the
turf. Mr. Wise says :
' Ploughmen use white and black beans to distinguish their men ;
the great object being to get three of them in a row. or, as it is called,
to have a "clickclack and an open row." In order to do this you are
allowed to take up your adversary's pieces as at draughts, or else to
hem them up until they cannot move. There is also a game called
" three-men's-morris " which is much simpler.' — Shakspere, His Birth-
place and its Neighbourhood, 1861.
Nineted, adj. Loose, mischievous, wicked : thought, by
some glossarists, to be a corruption of ' anointed by the
Nineter — No go 159
devil.' Midlands. & Warw. Provin. has 'anointed,'
wicked, mischievous : and Leic. Dial. ' nointed.'
Nineter, sb. A precocious, artful youngster. Glouc.
Nip, v. n. and a. To move quickly, go hurriedly ; also to
catch up hastily, as ' Nip up your playthings, and come
indoors.' Midlands. Shrop. (nippit, v. n. to go quickly,
to hurry).
Nipper, sb. A youngster : often said of a precocious one.
Common.
Nirker, sb. Any one or anything difficult to master, over-
come, or outmatch. Leic. Dial, says, 'The word, I
imagine, should be written, not a nirker, but " an irker,"
i. e. something that will irk or trouble any opponent to
beat.' N'hamp.. Shrop. (nurker — something of superla-
tive worth or excellence).
Niste [nlst], adj. Var. pron. of ' nice.' Leic.
Nither [rhymes 'wither'], v. n. To grimace. Glouc. and
Up.-on-Sev. (to grimace ; to shiver. In Warw. dither
for the last sense).
Nitty, adj. Bright, sparkling (said of ale). Shrop. Word-
bk. gives this derivation: 'Nitid (nitidus), clean, . . . fair,
bright. — Blount's Glossographia, p. 435.' If we accept
this etym. (?), the term Lousy, q. v., is explicable ; for
a nit is a young louse, and a mere play upon words is
intended.
Nobby, sb. Vocative and pet name for a colt. Up.-on-Sev.
Nogman, sb. A numskull, dolt. Glouc.
No go', phr. Impracticable ; unserviceable, of no avail.
' I went thinking to borrow the horse, but it was no go.'
N'hamp. Hal. Diet.
160 No great shakes — Nose-holes
No great shakes, phr. Not good for much ; out of condition.
' This beer's no great shakes.' ' I'm no great shakes this
morning.' N'hamp., Shrop.
Nohow, No-hows, adv., adj. In no manner ; by no means ;
unsettled, discomposed. ' How did you do at market wi'
th' pigs?' ' Oh, nohow.' ' I couldn't get theer in an hour
nohows.' ' I wunt ask yo' in now, Tom ; the place is
nohow.'
No-ways, adv. Nowise. Midlands.
Non-plush, sb. Var. pron. of ' non-plus.' ' He told me sich
a tale, I was at a non-plush.'
Nope, sb. The bullfinch. Shrop. Word-bk. says, ' Nope
=ope = aupe, and avpe = alpe,' the word used for bull-
finch in the following :
' . . . nightingales,
And alpes, and finches, and wode-wales.'
Rom. of the Rose, 1. 658.
'To philomell the next the linet we prefer;
.. And by that warbling bird the woodlarke place we then,
The red-sparrow [sic ? reed-sparrow], the nope, the redbreast and
the wren.' — Drayton, Poly. Song xiii.
' Nope, Rubicilla.'' — Ainsworth, Thesaurus.
Cf. Hope : and vide ' Alpe ' in Hal. Diet.
Nor [nur], conj. Than. England.
' It appears that there are more sorts nor one.' — King James I,
Demonologie.
Norating [nd-ra'-tin], part. adj. Chattering, narrating
gossip in a verbose fashion. Common.
Noration [no-ra'-shun], sb. A prolix narrative; a long
or discursive tale. Possibly a ' narration ' is meant ; or
even ' an oration.' Common.
Nose holes, sb. pi. The nostrils. Midlands.
Nothing's^nest — Obedience 161
Nothing's-nest, sb. A nonentity. ' He's found a nothing's
nest.'
Nout, sb. Nought, nothing. Common.
' That feith without fet ys febelere than nouht,
And ded as a dore nayle.' — Piers Plou. (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.}.
Now and again, phr. Now and then ; occasionally. Oxf.
Now just, adv. A moment ago. ' Wheer's Jack ? ' ' He
can't be fur off; he was here now just.' Shrop. Cf.
Just now.
Now ! Now ! ecrxl. Be silent ; restrain yourself. N'hamp.
Now then ! An exclamation of admonition, reproof, &c.
Nowt [nout], sb. Var. pron. of ' newt,' Triton crietatus.
Nubblings [nub-lins], sb. pi. Small coals. Midlands.
Another Warw. form is nubbles.
Nuz. i. q. Knuz, q. v.
Oak-ball-day. May 29. Shrop., N'hamp. (Oak-apple-day).
May 29 was the birthday of Charles II, and also the day
of his public entry into London, 1660, after his arrival at
Dover on the 25th from Holland. It was in the Septem-
ber of 1 651 , after the battle of Worcester, that he concealed
himself in the oak at Boscobel, Shropshire. In Warw.
it is the custom to wear an oak- ball in the hat or button-
hole on May 29, and to decorate horses with the same,
as an emblem of the Restoration.
Oaths, Expletives, &c. Blow my buttons! Damn my
sinks [? senses] ! Docker me ! Dog bite me ! Fish !
Hang my carcase ! I'll be soysed ! My Ga ! O, fiddle !
Obedience, sb. Obeisance, bow, curtsy. ' Make your
obedience to the lady.' Glouc.
M
1 62 O-bra ves — Offal- work
O-braves [5-bravz], sb. pi. Acts of impudence or effrontery.
' Don't let's 'ave any o' yer obraves, my lad, or you'll get
a tannin' when yer father comes.' Glouc.
Oceans, sb. pi. An abundance, a multitude ; as ' Oceans of
sugar,' ' Oceans of folks.' N'hamp., and common.
Ockey-indey-berries [ok'-e - in'-de - ber'-iz]. A corruption
of Cocculus Indicus, or grains of paradise ; used to adul-
terate beer, or to stupefy or destroy pigeons, &c.
O'd [6d], adj. Old. Staff, (oud).
Oddling, part. adj. Trifling ; acting in a paltry, uncertain,
dallying, useless or ' tinkering ' way. ' I don't like his
oddling way of doing business.' ' The gaffer wunt 'ave
a chap oddling about the place.'
Oddments, sb.pl. Sundries, odds and ends. Staff., Shrop.,
Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere.
Odds, (i) v. a. To alter, to make different. ' Her's master
an' missis as well, just now ; but I'll odds it after a bit.'
(2) sb. Difference, importance. ' There's odds in
children.' ' It's no odds to me what you do.'
(3) sb. or adj. ' You're the odds o' me ; I like to get
my work done in good time.' Midlands.
Of [uv], prep. Off; as ' I sid 'irn jist uv 'ere' = I saw him
just (off or about) here, or at this place.
Off [orf], prep. From. ' I bought these fowl off a badger.'
In the Midlands, it is frequently followed by a super-
fluous 'of or * on ' ; as 'I took it orf uv 'im ' or ' orf
on 'im.'
Offal-work [ofl-wurk], sb. Dirty, menial work ; coarse
drudgery.
' I'll ne'er want to do aught but th' offal-work as she wonna like
t' do.' — Adam Bede, ch. xxxv (quoted in Leic. Dial).
Okurd — On and In 163
Okurd, adj. Var. pron. of awkward.' Oxf., Glouc.,Worc.,
Shrop. (au'ki't, auk-wi't, ou-ki't). 'Awkward,' in the
Midlands, does not always mean ' inelegant,' &c. It may
mean ' uncertain,' ' unfavourable,' as applied to crops,
e. g. ' Taters have been rather okurd this turn ; ' or be
applied to persons ' not easily managed or pleased,' e. g.
' Them Snells be okurd folks to deal with.' See Awkward.
Old, (i) adj. ' Famous, great, abundant.' — Hal. Gloss. Mid-
lands. This colloquial intensive was much used by
Shakespeare and other writers.
' Porter. If a man were porter of hell-gate he should have old turning
the key.' — Macbeth, ii. 3. i.
' Portia. . . . We shall have old swearing.' — Merch. Yen. iv. 2. 15.
' Ursula. Tender's old coil at home.' — Much Ado, v. 2. 102.
' Sunday at masse there was old ringing of bells.' — Tarlton's Neivs out
of Purgatory (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.).
(2) adv. Craftily, distrustfully ; as ' He looked very
old at me.'
Old-foot-one. A game at pitchback : the term being cor-
rupted, I think, from Whole-foot-one, q. v.
Old woman's poke, phr. After cards are shuffled, it is not
unusual for the shuffler to push the central cards length-
wise out of the even pack, and place them at the top.
Sometimes called ' The lucky poke.'
'Oman [ftm-an], sb. Var. pron. of ' woman.' Midlands.
' Evans. But can you affection the 'oman?' — Merry Wives, i. i. 234.
' My old 'oman' = my wife : ' My old man' = my husband,
amongst homely folk.
On and In, (i) preps. ' Used in the sense of ' of " ; as, " He
cut a bit out on it," or " out in it." At a churching of
two women at Stratford-on-Avon, the clergyman read,
" O Lord, save this woman, thy servant," when the clerk
M 2
1 64 One — Other gaits
turned round, and said, " There be two on 'em." — From
a person present.' Hal. Gloss. Midlands.
' Banquo. Or have we eaten on the insane root?' — Macb. i. 3. 84.
See also v. i . 69 : ' He cannot come out on 's grave.'
Comp. Julius Caesar, i. 2. 71, and Mid. Nt's. Dr. ii. i. 266.
Vide In.
(2) phr. 'To go on'= to scold. 'To take on'=to
grieve, lament. ' To get' on ' = to aet on ; as ' If he wants
a fight he can get' on.'
One [rhymes 'gone'], adj. and sb. Var. pron. of 'one.'
Common.
Ood [ud], sb. Var. pron. of ' wood.' Glouc., Wore., and
elsewhere.
Ood [ud], v. aux. Var. pron. of ' would.' Vide Wuld.
Open-arse [6-pn-ars], sb. The fruit of the medlar, Mespilus
Germanica. Glouc.
' Openhers, medler.' — MS. Sloane, 5, f. 6.
Palsgrave has ' opynars.' Vide Hal. Diet.
Opple, sb. Var. pron. of 'apple.' SE. Wore., Shrop., and
elsewhere.
Oss, sb. Var. pron. of ' horse.' England.
'Otmillo [ot-mil-5], sb. A boys' game. A kneels with his
face in B 's lap, the other players standing in the back-
ground. They step forward one by one, at a signal from
7?, who says of each in turn, ' 'Otmillo, 'Otmillo, where
is this poor man to go 1 ' A then assigns each one to
a place. When all are dispatched, A removes his face
from B's lap, and, standing up, exclaims, 'Hot! Hot!
Hot ! ' The others then rush to him, and the laggard is
blindfolded instead of A.
Othergaits. 'Otherwise, different.' — Hal. Gloss.
Oudacious — Over-get 165
Oudacious [ou-da'-shus], adj. and ado. Var. pron. of
' audacious ' ; as ' Don't tell sich oudacious lies,' or ' He
carried on oudacious.' It is used, too, as an intensive,
e. g. ' I'm oudacious tired to-day.' Common.
Our, Your, poss. pron. Prefixed to the Christian name of
a person to denote his or her connexion with a family ;
as ' Our Jack,' ' Your Mary.' ' Now then, our Jack,
leave me alone.' As the Leic. Dial, points out, this style
— followed by the surname, instead of the Christian
name — has been adopted in commerce, e. g. ' Our Mr. So-
and-So will call on you in a few days.'
Ourn, poss. pron. Ours. Ourn, ourun, ourens, ourns are
all Wycl. forms. Leic., N'hamp., Glouc., SE. Wore.
Out-asked, Asked-out', vel Out-ast, part. Having had the
banns of marriage published for the third time. Up.-on-
Sev., Leic., Glouc., N'hamp. (and out-axt), Oxf. (out-ast
and out-exed).
Outcome [out-cum], sb. A coming-of-age ; the entertain-
ment on such an occasion ; as ' I've bin to Joe's outcome
to-day.' When an apprentice attains his majority he is
said to be ' out of his time,'
Out of the cold, phr. Moderately warm. ' Don't make
that milk very hot : I only want it just out of the cold.'
Glouc.
Outride, sb. The district of a commercial traveller — himself
called an ' outride ' or ' outrider,' in old times. The terms
are almost forgotten.
Outs, sb. pi. Leavings, ' orts.' ' I have my meals when
they do, I don't have to eat their outs.' — S. Warw. Provin.
Over-get', v. a. To get over ; recover from. ' Joe's 'avin'
166 Owner — Paddle
a bad turn 'uth (with) 'is lungs ; I don't think 'e'll overget
it.' Midlands.
'Old Watling in his way, the flood doth ouerget.'
Dray ton, Poly. 245 (quoted in Stctff. 6/oss.X
Owner [6-nur], ah. A proprietor of barges. Glouc., Shrop.,
Wore.
' Ow(n)ere of a schyp, or schyplord, namrchiis.'
Prompt. Pare, (quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.).
'Owsomdever, 'Owsomever [ou-sum-dev'ur or evur], adv.
and conj. Var. pron. of ' howsoever.' Leic. (at&onidivver).
Pac-wax, Pax-wax, sb. The tendon of the neck of beasts,
iigamentum nuchae. Leic., N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Sometimes called ' Paxie-waxie ' in Warw. Vide Taxy-
waxy.
' Paxwax, synace.' — Way, Prompt. Pan. ^Paxwex, P.).
In the curious treatise on vegetable remedies, Arund.
MS. 42, f. 44, v°, it is said of ' Sdellius, Delle — it resol-
uyth blod j?at is congeyld, i. cold slawyn, and cloddyd,
and clumperyd, and helpeb for brussures of J?e paxwax
and of )?e brawn, and for congelacyon of be senewys.' —
Way. For many variants, see Wheatley's Diet. Redu-
plicated Words (Phil. Soc. Trans.).
Padded, part. adj. 'Dried at the top.' 'The ground is
getting padded now.'— S. Warw. Provin. Cf. Leic. Dial.
'Pad.'
Paddle, (i) sb. A small spade ; a spud. Oxf., Glouc. (used
to clean the plough), Shrop.
' The Plow Staff and Paddle by which the man cleaneth the Plow
from clogged earth or Mould.'— Acad. Armory, bk. iii, ch. viii, p. 333
(quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.~).
The Shrop. glossarist states that the term is used at
Padgel — Parsley-bed 167
Wellington for a small crescent-shaped spade used by
mole-catchers.
(2) v, a. To cut off with a spud ; as 'to paddle
thistles.'
Fadgel [paj-il], v. n. To trifle, dally.
Padgelling, adj. Trifling, petty ; as 'A padgelling
way of paying a debt.' Leic. Dial, says, ' Padgel, v. a. to
patch, of which it is the frequentative form.' In Warw.
a somewhat cognate sense of the word (but in this case
pronounced ' paggle ') is in use, as ' To paggle a hole in
a stocking,' i.e. to cobble it.
Pale, v. a. To pummel, to 'pitch into.' It is usually
followed by 'into' or 'on to,' as Til pale into him.'
Sometimes ' it ' is inserted, as ' Go and pale it on to him.'
Glouc. Hal. Diet, has ' Pale, to beat barley.' Chesh.
Panakin, sb. A very small pan, commonly used to warm
babies' food in. Shrop.
Pancake-bell, sb. The church bell which is rung about
noon on Shrove Tuesday, as the signal for preparing
pancakes. The bell is supposed to say ' The pan's
a-burning, the pan's a-burning.' The custom of ringing
this bell is falling into disuse in Warw.
Pancake-day. Shrove Tuesday. Common. In Warw.,
school-children, demanding a holiday, say:
' Pancake-day, Pancake-day,
If you don't give us a holiday, we'll all run away.'
Pantle, v. n. To pant. Glouc.
Parish-lantern, sb. The moon. N'hamp., Wore. Hal.
Diet.
Parsley-bed, sb. Baby-land ; the place where children are
created. A euphemism for the uterus. ' Where do babies
come from, mamma 1 ' ' Out of the parsley-bed, my dear.'
168 Partial — Pearl^rot
Partial [paj>shl], adj. pec. ' I'm very partial to mutton.'
Pash, (i)s&. A sudden flow or gush. Near Warwick. Shrop.
(posh). Hal. Diet. ' pash ' = a heavy fall of rain or snow,
and Shrop. Word-bk. ' posh ' = a heavy fall of rain, as a
thunderstorm. In some parts of Warw. * posh ' is used
as an adverb, as ' The water came out, or down, posh.'
Fashing, part. adj. Gushing, as ' The water was
pashing out of the broken spout.'
(2) v. a. To strike. Common. Vide Potch,
' Ajax. If I go to him, with my armed fist
I'll pash him o'er the face.' — TroU. and Cress, ii. 3. 216.
Palsgr. uses the word to mean to bruise, to beat into
small pieces : a usage found in Piers Plowman's Vision
(Toone), too :
'Death came dryving after, and all to dust pashed
Kings and Kaysers, knightes, and popes.'
(Quoted in N'hamp. Gloss,)
Pass the time of day, phr. To exchange a few words of
greeting, to be on speaking terms with ; as ' I pass'd the
time of day with her, and went on.' 'I don't know
much of him, we just pass the time of day.' Common.
Passel, sb. Var. pron. of 'parcel.' Parcel, collection, lot,
number. ' A passel o' rubbish ' (material or abstract).
' A passel o' folks.'
Paste [past] , v. a.. To strike another on the face. Cf. Baste.
Paze, sb. pi. Var. prpn. of 'peas.' Wore., Shrop., and
elsewhere.
Pea-risers [pa-rlzurs, pe-rlzurs], sb.pl. Pea-rods, or sticks.
&hrop. Word-bk. says, ' A pese rys occurs in the Treatise
of Walter de Biblesworth, i3th cent, in Wright's Vocabs. i.
p. 154.' In Warw. 'pea-rizles' is sometimes heard.
Pearl-rot [purl-rot], sb. A pearl-worker. Pearl-dust has
a deleterious effect on workers amongst it.
Peart — Peek 169
Peart [p§-£t], adj. (i) Lively, nimble, brisk. Common.
' There was a tricksie girle, I wot, albeit clad in grey,
As peart as bird, as straite as boult, as freshe as flowers in May.'
Warner, Albion's England, 1592.
' Peart, godinet, mignard, mignardilet.' ' A pretty peart lass, godinette,'
' To make peart, accointer.' — Cotgrave.
(2) 'Perky,' impudent. 'Don't you be so peart, my
lad.'
Pearten, v. a. and 11. To revive, enliven, cheer, ' Pearten
up, old chap.'
Peartish, adj. Somewhat brisk, or well. ' I'm peartish
now.'
Peartly, adv. Lightly, brightly, briskly.
'Then, as a nimble squirrill from the wood,
Ranging the hedges for his filberd food,
Sits peartly on a bough his browne nuts cracking.'
Browne, Britannia's Pastorals, p. 135,
Peck, (i) sb. A pick. A pointed hammer for breaking
coals. Midlands, and elsewhere (as West of England).
(2) v. n. To fall headfirst, forward. ' I saw him peck
on to his nose, "off" the curbstone.' Midlands.
Peckled, adj. Speckled ; as ' A peckled toad.'
'Jacob the patriarke, by the force of imagination made peckled
lambs, laying peckled roddes before his sheep." — Burton, Anat. Mel, 94
(in Nares).
Pedigree, sb. pec. A long story, history. ' I heerd the wul
(whole) pedigree o' that affair at Webster's, to-day.'
Oxf., and elsewhere.
Peek, v. vi. To peep, to pry.
' In euery corner he wyll peke.' — Skolton, Magnificence, 667.
Dyce, noting this passage, writes — ( I peke or prie : '
Palsgr. fol. cccxvii. (Table of Verbs).
' That one eye winks, as though it were but blynd,
That other pries and peeks in every place.'
Gascoigne, The Steclc Glass (Richardson),
(quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.}.
170 Peel — Peggy
Peel, sb. The long-handled flat shovel with which bread,
&c., is thrust into a hot oven, or taken out. Glouc. (pale
and peel). Common. Florio, Palsgr., and other early
glossarists have the word.
' Also put into an oven with a peele.' — Florio, p. 237.
'Pele for an ovyn, pelle a four.' — Palsgr. (in Hal. Did.}.
'A notable hot baker 'twas, when he plyed the peele.'
Ben Jonson, Earth. Fair.
' He beareth Sable, a Baker, with a Peel in his both hands Bendways,
with a Loaf of Bread upon it, Or . . .' — Holme, Acad. Arm. bk. iii,
ch. iii, p. 85.
Peelings, sb. pi. Parings ; as of potatoes, apples, &c.
Midlands, and elsewhere. Cf. Pilling. Used in the
singular form, too.
Peff, sb. Punishment. ' I'll gie yd' peff.'
Peffled, part. adj. Begrimed. Near Warwick.
Peffling, (i) part. adj. Pouring. Near Warwick. 'Peffling
rain.' ' The rain came peffling down.'
(2) adj. Overpowering. 'This is peffling weather,'
i. e. oppressively hot. Glouc. Gloss, has ' peffle,' to fall
(as snow). Cf. Shrop. Word-bk. ' peffel,' to beat, &c. The
sense of ' overbearing ' is somewhat associated with the
word throughout.
Peggens [peg-ins], sb. pi. Children's teeth. N'hamp.
Vide Toosey-megs, Toosey-pegs. Cf. Meg. Sometimes
'peggies' in Warw.
Peggy, Peggy Whitethroat, sb. The stone-chat (Rugby).
S. Warw. Provin. As the Leic. Dial, points out, ' Peggy '
is applied indiscriminately to the garden-warbler, black-
cap, both the white-throats, the sedge- warbler, and others
of the same family. The Shrop. Word-bk. applies the
name to the willow- warbler, chiff-chaff, wood-warbler.
Peggy — Pen-feathers 171
'Pretty Peggy White-throat,
Come, stop, and give us a note,'
is an invocation frequently addressed to some bird of
this family by country children.
Peggy. A Dolly-peg, q.v. Not very common in Warw.
Pelf, sb. Rubbish, refuse; particularly applied to vegetable
rubbish. Hal. Gloss. Leic., Glouc. (weeds).
Pell, v. a. To strip ; usually spoken of the hair. ' Don't
pell your hair back, like that.'
; Pylled as one that wanteth heare, peUu.' — Palsgr. (in Hal. Did.).
In Shrop. Word-bk. it is stated to mean 'to make bare,
as of sheep or cattle eating down a pasture.' The
original meaning, however, is shown by another word
in the same work, i. e. ' pell-necked,' adj. having the
neck bare of wool : said of sheep. Cf. Pill.
Pelting, part. adj. Bustling, hurrying. ' I saw him go
pelting along.' ' Peltering ' is another form. N'hamp.
Gloss, says, ' The " pelting, petty officer," in Meas. for
Meas. (ii. 2), and "pelting wars" in Troll, ami Cress.
(iv. 5) express the bustling, self-importance of the one,
and the heat and hurry of the other.' But I do not
think the context agrees with this. The word is usually
glossed 'paltry,' and the same sense seems to be meant
in Mid. Nt's. Dream, ii. i. 91, ' Have every pelting river
made so proud.' Glouc. (pelt, a fuss). Cf. Belt.
Pen-feathers, sb. pi. Pin-feathers ; the young, newly de-
veloped quill feathers, as they appear at moulting time.
' Pennes, quills.' — Maundeville, p. 269 (in Hal. Did.).
' Hec pluma, a fedyre ; Hec penna, a penne ; Hoc Hum,
the pyf of the penne,' occur seriatim under the head of
Partes Animalium in a Nominale, i5th cent., in Wright's
Penny — Pewit
Early Eng. Vocabs. i. 22,1 (quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.).
Sometimes ' penny-' or * pinny-feathers ' in Warw.
Penny, adj. Abounding in rudimentary quills : said of
fowls, ducks, &c. Shrop., W. Wore., and elsewhere.
Pep, Pept, p. and pp. of ' peep.' Leic.
' Round the house and round the house,
I pept thro' the winder,
And saw four and twenty little devils
Dancing round a cinder.' — Folk-riddle. Answer: 'Sparka.'
Perial [pe-re-5,1], adj. pec. Splendid, magnificent, superior
in style, quality, &c. : a corruption of ' imperial.' ' That
'ere picture be perial, to be sure.' — S. Warw. Provin.
Perished, part. adj. Pinched with cold. Wore., Staff.,
and elsewhere. Cf. Starve.
Persecute, v. a. To prosecute. S. Warw. Provin.
Peter Grievous, sb. A grumbler: a grievance-monger.
Oxf. (Peter Grievance, a cross, fretful child). The word
is used as an adjective also, as 'He's a regular peter-
grievous fellow.' Glouc., Wore.
Peth vel Pith, v. a. To insert a cane or other slender rod
into the hole made by the poleaxe in the skull of a
slaughtered beast; the object of this fearful operation
being to destroy the vital force in the brain.
Peth, sb. Var. pron. of ' pith.' Leic., SE. Wore. In Glouc,
the soft of bread is called ' peth.' In Warw. ' crumb.'
Petrified kidneys, sb. pi. Kidney-shaped stones formerly
used to pave the footpaths, and even now to be met with
in remote villages and small towns.
Pewey [pu-e], sb. The pea-linnet.
Pewit, Peewit, sb. The lapwing, or bastard plover,
Vanellus cristatus ; Trinya Vandlus, Linn. : so called
from its cry. Common.
Pibble - Piece of work 173
Pibble, si. Var. pron. of ' pebble.' Glouc., SE. Wore.
'Thy face washed as clean as the smooth white pibble.' — Adam
Bede, ch. xx (quoted in Leic. Dial.}.
Picked [pik-id], adj. (i) Peaked, pointed, sharpened; as
' This pencil's got a picked point.' ' Mind 1 or else you'll
get the picked end of that stick in your eye.' Glouc.,
Wore.
(2) Pinched, sickly looking. c What a picked face
that child's got.' Glouc. (pecked or picked)t SE. Wore.
(peekid), Up.-on-Sev. (pecked).
Picksniff, (i) sb. An insignificant, paltry, contemptible
person.
(2) adj. Paltry, despicable.
Pick up', v. n. To mend in health. Leic., N'hamp. Hal.
Diet.
Picod [pik-od], sb. A pea-finch. 8. Warw. Provin.
Piddle, v. n. To micturate, to stale. Used substantively,
too. SE. Wore. Hal. Diet, says, ' Var. dials.'
Piece, sb. (i) A field, enclosure, or parcel of ground.
Glouc., Leic., Wore., Shrop.
(2) A somewhat contemptuous word for a woman.
Sometimes ' piece of goods,' or ' piece of flesh.' ' 'Er's
a nice piece ' (ironical). Midlands.
' Saturninus. Go, give that changing piece
To him that flourished for her with his sword.'
Tit. Andron. i. i. 309.
(3) A child's snack, or light repast between meals :
literally ' a piece of bread-and-butter,' or the like.
' Mamma, give me a piece.' Midlands.
Piece of work, phr. A fuss, disturbance. ' Ther'll be
a nice (ironical) piece of work about this broken window.'
Midlands.
174 Pie-finch — Pigs'-pud dings
Pie-finch, «/>. The chaffinch. Common.
Piffling, part, adj. Trifling ; as ' A piffling fellow,' or ' He's
only piffling about.' N'hamp., Leic.
Pig-meat, sb. Meat, which is not bacon, from a bacon-pig.
Glouc., Wore.
Pigeon-breasted, adj. Having a prominent and ill-de-
veloped chest : the breast-bone forming a sudden arch.
Common.
Pigeon's milk, sb. A nonentity. Greenhorns are often sent
to a shop for a ' pennyworth of pigeon's milk.' Common.
In workshops, the green-hand is sent to some one in
authority for the ' following-up tool,' I am told. Vide
Strap-oil.
Pigeon-pair, sb. pi. Offspring consisting of a son and
daughter only. Common. Compare Hamlet, v. i. 308 :
' Queen. As patient as the female dove,
When that her golden couplets are disclosed.'
' The pigeon lays only two eggs at a time, and the newly-
hatched birds are covered with yellow down.' — Clark and
Wright (Clarendon Press Series).
Piggin, sb. ' A small pail-like vessel of wood with an erect
handle.' — Hal. Gloss. Ray gives this as a North Country
word ; and it is common elsewhere. Shrop. Word-bk.
gives another meaning, i. e. 'a wooden bowl, formerly
used for eating porridge or other " supping " out of.' The
term seems to have been applied to a drinking vessel
of bowl-like form.
' Of drinking cups, divers sorts we have : some of elm . . . broad-
mouthed dishes, noggins, whiskins, piggins.' — Haywood, Drunkard
Opened, &c. (1635), P-45 (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.}.
Pigs'- puddings, sb. pi. Blood, groats, and fat, highly
spiced, boiled, and put into skins ; black-puddings. The
Pig-ste - Pill 175
white-puddings are made with milk. ' Pig-pudding ' is
another Midland form.
Pig-ste, s6. Var. pron. of ' pig-sty.'
Pigsty-doors, sb. pi. Trousers buttoned breeches- fashion ;
having the flap instead of fly-fronts. Near Warwick.
Vide Holy-falls.
Pike, sb. A toll-bar, turnpike gate. Common. The last
is just abolished as I write (i 895).
'The turnpike gates, which will enjoy the honour of thus being last
in the field, belong to that portion of the Shrewsbury and Holyhead
road which traverses the island of Anglesea, the trust for which was
continued by a special Act of Parliament until Nov. i, 1895.' — Daily
Paper.
Pikel [pT-kl], sb. A pitchfork. Leic. (piJde), N'hamp.,
SE. Wore., and elsewhere.
' For the Pitchfork (or Pikel, which we vulgarly call it) it is an
Instrument much used in Husbandry for their Loading and Stacking
of Hay and Corn.' — Acad. Armory, bk. iii, ch. viii, p. 331 (quoted in
Shrop*. Word-bk.~).
Pill, (i) sb. Peel, skin, bark ; as ' Orange-pill,' ' Tater-pill.'
' Add in the decoction the pill of a sweet lemon.' — Bacon, Cent. i. 46
(quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.}.
(2) v. a. To peel ; to deprive of the outer skin, rind,
or bark.
' Pyllyn, or pylle bark, or other lyke, decortico.' — Prompt. Pare.
' Mandare, to pare, to pill, to shell, &c.' — Florio.
' Peler, to bauld or pull the haire off; also to pill, pare, barke, unrinde,
unskin.' — Cotgrave.
Vide Pell : and the phrase ' Pil-garlic ' in Brewer's
Diet. Phrase and Fable.
' Pylled as one that wanteth heare, pellu. Pylled as one's heed is,
pelle. ' — Palsgrave.
Gloster (i Hen. VI, i. 3. 30) calls the Bishop of Winchester
' Peel'd ' or ' Pilled priest,' in allusion to his shaven crown.
Midlands, and elsewhere.
176 Pilling — Pinner
Pilling, sb. Var. pron. of 'Peelings/ q. V. Parings* 'Go
and give the tater-pilling to the pigs.' Leic*, and else-
where. Sometimes ' tater-pillings.'
Pimping, adj. Little, petty. Often redundant, as ' What
a pimping little basket this is.' N'hamp., Glouc., Shrop.
(sb. a small delicate creature).
Pinch, v. a. To pilfer, steal. Leic., Glouc., and common.
Pinchers, sb. pi. Pincers. N'hamp., and common. Vide
Pinsons.
Piney [pT-ne], sb. The peony. Glouc., Oxf., and elsewhere.
'Using such cunning as they did dispose
The ruddy piny with the lighter rose.'
Browne, Britannia's Pastorals, ii. 82
(quoted in Hal. Diet.}.
Pingle, v. n. ' To eat with very little appetite.' — Hal. Gloss.
Midlands, and elsewhere.
1 He filleth his mouth well, and is no pingler at his meate.' — Topsell,
Beasts, 1607, p. 530.
Pink, (i) sb. The chaffinch. Midlands, and elsewhere.
Vide Spink.
(2) v. n. To pitch at a mark, for precedence in any game :
the player whose missile falls nearest is allowed first or
best place in the ensuing sport : hence, in slang, the word
means ' to put upon,' or make one a mark for sport or
abuse; e.g. 'Don't pink on to me, I won't stand it.'
N'hamp. Gloss, has ' Pinking, a boys' mode of deciding
who is to commence a game.'
Pinner, Pinny, sb. A pinafore. Oxf. (pinner), N'hamp.
(both), Shrop. and SE. Wore, (pinner).
' Now then, Totty, hold out your pinny.' — Adam Bede, ch. xx (quoted
in Leic. Dial.}.
' Instead of homespun coifs were seen
Good pinners edged with colberteen.'
Swift, Baucis and Philemon, 1708.
Pinsons — Pither 177
' Colberteen,' according to the Ladles' Dictionary of 1694,.
was a lace resembling network, being of the manufacture
of Mons. Colbert, a French statesman : consequently
Beck, Drapers Diet., thinks that Swift here intended
a sort of head-dress, as Randle Holme describes the
garment as ' a lady's head-dress, with long flaps hanging
down the sides of the cheek.' Ains worth, Thesaurus, has
' A pinner (headcloth for women), capital muliebre.'
Pinsons, sb. pi. Pincers. Shrop., Wore, (jnnsens).
1 Pynsone, teneUa.' — Prompt. Parv.
Pip or Peep, sb. ( One of a number of blossoms whose
flowers grow in clusters upon a stem. Hence, cowslip-
peeps.' — Hal. Diet. Common.
Pip, v. n. To crack, as eggshells do in hatching, before the
advent of the chick. Glouc., Oxf. ( pipped = shell cracked
by chick).
Pitchback, sb. A boys' game. Vide Cap-it ; Inchy-pinchy ;
Prentice-my-son-John ; Three-straws ; Whole-foot-one.
Pitching, sb. The pavement. Hal. Gloss. Glouc. Ains-
worth, Thesaurus, has ' To pitch or pave, pavio [pavire].'
' In July and August was the highway from near the end of St. Cle-
ment's Church to the way leading to Marston, pitched with pebbles.' —
Life of A. Wood, July 10, 1682 (quoted in Davies' Suppl. Eng. Gloss.).
Pitchpoll [pitch-pol], v. n. To turn head over heels : hence
' to turn money over,' i. e. to make a profit, generally
cent, per cent. Glouc., Wore.
Pit grate, sb. A grating over the ashpit in the kitchen
hearth. Shrop.
Pither [pith-ur], v.a. 'To scratch, pat, fondle.' — S. Warw.
Prov. Hal. Diet, has ' Pither, to dig lightly, to throw up
earth very gently.' Kent.
N
178 Pither ing — Plash
Pithering, part, adj. Trifling, dawdling. Shrop., Glouc.
Pit-hole, sb. The grave. Midlands, and elsewhere. It is
a word much used to and by children ; e. g. ' Baby's
dead, and gone in the pithole.'
Fizzle, sb. The * yard ' of a bull. Once a common ex-
pression. Falstaff calls Prince Henry ' bull's pizzle ' in
i Hen. IV, ii. 4. 275. Ainsworth, Thesaurus, has ' A
bull's pizzle, nervus taurinus.'
Placket, Placket-hole, sb. The slit in a gown or petticoat
which enables the wearer to put the garment on over her
head. Midlands, and elsewhere. Common.
Nares states that the word once meant the garment
itself, and gives quotations in support of his statement ;
e.g.
' If the maides a spinning goe,
Burn the flax, and fire the tow,
Scorch their plackets.' — Herrick.
But the following readings show that the word in early
times properly signified a slit :
' Edgar. Let not the creaking of shoes nor the rustling of silks betray
thy poor heart to woman : keep thy foot out of brothels, thy hand out
of plackets.' — King Lear, iii. 4. 95.
' That a codpiece were far fitter here than a pinn'd placket.'
Beaum. and Fletcher, .Lore's Cure.
Plash, (i) sb. 'A rod cut half through and bent down.
Whence, to plash a hedge, to cut and lay it.' — Hal. Gloss.
~Leic.,G\one.(pleachers), SE.Worc. (^Za^eAers),Up.-on-Sev.
(playsher, pleacher, plasher, stem in a hedge), Shrop.
(pleachers [pron. plachers]), Staff, (plaichud^ plaicher).
(2) v. a. To lay or remake a hedge by splitting the
strong stems and bending and intertwining them with
the other growth, &c. Vide Lay.
' Pleyser, to plash, to bow, fold, or plait young branches one with
another.' — Cotgrave.
Play— Poke 179
Bur. . . . ' Her hedges even-pleach'd,
Like prisoners wildly overgrown with hair,
Put forth disorder'd twigs.' — Hen. F, v. 2. 42.
See also Much Ado, iii. i. 7. Staff, (planch br plaeik),
(pleach [pron. plach]), Glouc. (pleach).
Play, v. n. To refrain from work unwillingly. Glouc.,
Shrop. Used substantively, as ' I've had three wiks' play,'
i. e. enforced idleness. Staff.
Pleck, sb. A small enclosure of grazing ground ; but some-
times used for any plot of ground. Shrop. (plack, a plot
of ground), Glouc. and Wore, (plack or pleck, a plot of
ground). Leic. Dial, says, ' Plack, pleck, seldom less than
about five yards square, and seldom more than half an
acre.'
Plim, (i) adj. Plumb, perpendicular. Shrop.
(2) v. n. To swell, to plump. ' The bacon plims well
in the boiling.' Glouc., SE. Wore., N'hamp., Up.-on-
Sev., W. Wore, (plump], and elsewhere, as Wilts., Sorners.,
Heref., Devons.
Pluck, sb. The liver, lights, and heart of a sheep. Shrop.,
Leic. (pluck-pasty and lights-pie — a pasty containing
the pluck), N'hamp., and elsewhere. Common.
Podge, v. a. To punch ; to give a blow with the fist.
' Come down the railway
And see a jolly fight,
Two dead men
Podging left and right :
Two blind men
To see fair play ;
Two deaf and dumb men
To shout hooray!' — Warw. Folk-rhyme.
Poke, Pouk, sb. A sty on the eyelid.
1 Hecporigo, a poke.' — Nomincde, isth cent., Wright's Vocals, i. 244.
W. Wore, (pouk), Up.-on-Sev. (poJce and pouk), Shrop.
N 2
180 Poke — Poss
(pouk), and elsewhere. It seems to have been used in
the past for a small pustule of any kind, e. g.
' Scab is a dry sore, proceeding from a Pouk or waterish blister.'
Acad. Armory, bk. ii, ch. xvii, p. 428 (in Shrop. Word-Ik.).
' Powk, pustula, papula.' — Ainsworth, Thesaurus.
Poke, sb. A peak ; as ' The poke of a cap.' SE. Wore.
Pokehole, adj. Mean, wretched, limited in size ; as ' A
pokehole sort of place.' Glouc. Cf. Pokey.
Pokey, adj. Miserably small ; as ' A pokey kitchen.'
N'hamp. Hal. Diet. Common.
Pole, sb. A pool. A.-Sax. pol.
Pollydoddle, sb. A Mollycoddle, q. v.
Polt, (i) sb. A blow. Glouc., N'hamp., Wore., and else-
where.
(2) v. a. To beat. Midlands, and elsewhere. In
Glouc. and Wore, it is more commonly used to mean
' to beat down,' as fruit from trees.
Pooch [pilch], v. a. To thrust out the lips in a sulky
fashion, to pout (pouch). Glouc., Shrop. ' Don't pooch
your mouth at me like that.'
Poor, adj. Thin, without body ; usually spoken of malt
liquors. Common.
Poor-man's-goose, sb. A cow's ' melt ' (? lung), stuffed and
roasted.
Porket, 6-6. A young pig fed up for killing. Glouc., Staff.,
Shrop., Up.-on-Sev., SE. Wore. Sometimes ' porker.'
' A porket, porcettus, nefrendis.' — Ainsworth, Thesaurus.
Poses [po-siz], sb. pi. Posts. N'hamp., Shrop., SE. Wore.
(puiust, pi. pwusses).
Poss, v. a. To drive clothes up and down in the water, in
the act of washing. England.
Potato-bodger — Prentice-my-son- John 181
'And therein thay keste hir, and possede hir up and downe, and
sayd, take the this bathe for thi slewthe and thi glotonye.'
MS. Lincoln A, i. 17, f. 253 (in Hal. Diet.}.
Potato-bodger, sb. A cross-handled implement of wood,
pointed and shod with iron, for making holes in the
earth into which the seed potatoes are set; a dibber,
or dibble. Cf. Bodge.
Potato-sets, sb. pi. Vide Sets.
Pot-ball, sb. A small dough-dumpling, usually eaten with
treacle. Midlands.
' Pot-ball or Dumpling.' — Acad. Armory, bk. iii, chap, iii, p. 79.
Potch, (i) v. a. and n. To push, poke, thrust.
lAuf. True sword to sword — I'll potch at him some way.'
Coriol. i. 10. 15.
'And with their fingers poched out mine eyes.' — Silvester, Du Bartas,
p. 236 (in Whamp. Gloss.}. Vide Poulch, ib.
(2) To heap ; as ' Potch these oddments in the corner.'
Potched, part. Heaped, confused, muddled. ' These things
are all potched together.'
Pour [pou-ur], v. a. To pour. Common.
Power, sb. A great deal, a great quantity, a great number.
* He's got a power o' money.' * There was a power
o' folks there.' Midlands. Cf. Sight.
' M. Gotes, mayir. Then came into Inglond kynge Jamys of Skotland,
with a pouar of men.' — MS. Cotton, Vespas A, xxv (in Hal. Diet.).
Prate-apace [prat-S-pas], sb. A chatterbox. ' What a
prate-apace that wench is, to be sure.'
Prentice-my-son- John. A game at pitchback. The players
fix on a trade, — say that of a butcher. Each player has
a chosen joint or portion of a beast for formula, which he
utters as he pitches the back. But before one player
makes the back, he arranges in secret with the leader
that to name a certain joint or portion shall put the
182 Print — Puddling
speaker in his place, i. e. ' down.' e. g. one player pitches,
crying ' steak ' perhaps ; another says ' kidney,' and so on,
until one unfortunate, who has chosen ' liver,' say, for his
formula, finds himself forced to make the back, ' liver '
having been the portion prohibited.
Print, phr. ' In print ' = in clean, neat, and exact order.
Common. ' As clean as print ' (fabric) is a Midland
folk-phrase.
ProudfLesh, sb. A fleshy growth out of wounds and
ulcerated surfaces. Common.
'Proud flesh, caro putris vel emortua.' — Ainsworth, Thesaurus.
Proud Tailor, sb. The goldfinch. 'Dames Barrington,
Archaeologia, iii. 33, observes that this odd name is
given in Warw. to the bird usually called a goldfinch ;
and Archdeacon Nares likewise mentions the fact as
derived from local testimony, suggesting a new reading
in a passage of Shakespeare.' — Hal. Gloss. Midlands.
' "Lady Percy. I will not sing.
Hotspur. 'Tis the next way to turn tailor, or (be) redbreast teacher." '
i Hen. IF, iii. i. 261.
'That is, — To turn teacher of goldfinches or redbreasts. The editions
have " or be redbreast teacher," which leaves it difficult to extract any
sense from the passage.' — Nares.
Pucker, sb. Bustle, perplexity, confusion ; as, ' I'm in
such a pucker.'
Puckered, part. Perplexed, confused, flustered.
Common.
Pudding-bag [pud-n-bag], sb. A blind alley ; cul-de-sac.
Puddling, part. adj. ' A person who lives in a house below
his means is said to live in " a poor puddling place." One
who does more business than he has accommodation for,
" does business in a puddling way." A person who does
not pay attention to external comfort or appearance at
table "lives in a puddling way" ; and any one who is
Pudgy- Pun 183
slow in action "goes puddling about.'" — N'hamp. Gloss.
Glouc. (puddle=to work leisurely or slowly), SE. Wore.
(pwuddlin about).
Pudgy [puj-e and puj-e], adj. Var. pron. of 'podgy.'
Short and stout; as 'A pudgy fellow.' Leic., N'hamp.
Puff, sb. Life (synecdoche) ; as ' I never seed sich a thing
in all my puff.'
Puff-crumb, sb. A small portion of protruding bread picked
from a newly-baked loaf. SE. Wore, (puffing-crumb), and
elsewhere.
Pug, (T) v. a. To pluck (as of a fowl) ; to drag, pull (as of
rough hair). Glouc. (=to pull, drag down: to pick out
the quills of fowls after plucking : to pull out the loose
ends of a rick to make it even), Shrop. (to pull, as of
entangled hair), SE. Wore., Up.-on-Sev., W. Wore, (to
pull, to pluck fowls). The Up.-on-Sev. glossarist has
'pug' = a quill left in a plucked fowl; SE. Wore. Gloss.
gives ' puggy ' = a fowl having short stumpy feathers
remaining, after all the principal feathers have been
plucked out ; and the Glouc. Gloss, notes ' puggy ' as an
adj., said of a goose whose feathers are imperfectly
developed. ' Pug-feathers,' in Warw. = Pen-feathers/ q. v.
(a) v. a. To offend. Leic. ' To take pug ' = to take
offence, in Warw. Cf. Bug.
Pullback, sb. A hindrance, disadvantage, drawback. ' It
was a great pullback to us, the master being laid up all
last winter.' Midlands.
Pully-hauly, adj. Romping, tearing. ' None o' yer pully-
hauly sport for me.' N'hamp. Hal. Diet.
Pun, (T) v. a. Var. pron. of ' pound.' Common.
1 Thersites. He would pun thce into shivers with his fist, as a sailor
breaks a biscuit.' — Trail. & Cress, ii. i. 42.
'To stampe or punne in a morter.' — Florio (in Hal. Did.}.
1 84 Punch — P uther
(2) sb. A pound [or pounds] sterling: singular and
plural alike. Common. Shrop. Word-bk. has ' pund '
(A.-Sax. pund) ; and gives a quotation from Havelok the
Dane, 1. 1633 :
'A gold ring drow he forth anon,
An hundred pund was worth the ston.'
' I gin five-pun-ten for that pony.'
Punch, v. a. and sb. To give a blow with the fist. The
blow so given. ' He gin me a punch in the eye.'
Common.
* I punche. . . . Why puiichest thou me with thy fyste in this facyon ? '
— Palsgrave.
Punish, v. a. To hurt, to pain. ' These new boots do
punish my feet.' Glouc. and Shrop. (' punishment ' = pain).
Pup [pup], v. n. Pedere.
Purgy [pur-ge], adj. Surly, cross-grained. ' He's a purgy
old chap.' Glouc., Wore. In Shrop. Word-bk. ' purgy ' =
conceited ; consequential.
Purgy-hole, sb. The grated ash-pit in front of a kitchen
fireplace. Shrop., SE. Wore, and Up.-on-Sev. (purgatory),
W. Wore, (pur gate).
Pussy-cats (pus-e-catz), sb.pl. The starainiferous flowers
of the willow. Glouc. and Up.-on-Sev. (catkins), and
elsewhere.
Put about, (i) v. a. To vex; harass; annoy. 'The way
you carry on does put your father about.'
(2) part. adj. Distressed, worried, annoyed. 'I've
bin very put about this arternoou.' England.
Puther [puth-ur], (i) sb. A volume of smoke, or of dust
in motion ; a state of bodily heat ; perspiration. ' He'd
bin walkin' fast an' far, an' come in all of a puther.'
Puthering - - Quick-sticks 1 85
'And suddainly untyes the poke,
Which out of it sent such a smoko
As ready was them all to choke
So greevous was the pother.'
Drayton, Nymphidia (in Leic. Dial.}.
(2) v. n. To fume, reek ; as ' The wind made the dust
puther along the lane.' Midlands.
Puthering, part. adj. Reeking, fuming; as 'The smoke
came puthering down,' or ' out.' Midlands.
Puthery, adj. Very warm, close ; as ' A puthery day.'
Midlands.
Quakers, sb.pl. The quaking grasses, Briza media et minor.
These are the ' Quakers and Shakers ' of Gerarde. See
his Herball, bk. i, p. 87. Midlands.
Quat [quot], sb. A Sty or Poke, q. v. Glouc., Leic., N'hamp.
'The leaves [of coleworts] laid to by themselves, or bruised with
barley meale, are good for the inflammations and soft swellings, burn-
ings, impostumes, and choleric sores or quats, like wheales and
leaprys, and other griefes of the skin.' — Langham, Gard. of Health, p. 153
(in Nares).
Used figuratively by Shakespeare :
'logo. I have rubbed this young quat almost to the sense (quick),
And he grows angry.' — Othdio, v. i. u.
Vide Nares, sub voce, for quotations from The Gull's
Horn-book and Devil's Law-case.
Queeser [ques-ur], sb. The wood-pigeon. Shrop. (queece),
Staff, (luood-que^t), Up.-on-Sev. (quice), Glouc. (quice,
quist, queist), SE. Wore, (quice or quid).
Quick, sb. Young hawthorn for planting hedges ; but
broadly used also for the young shoots under any condi-
tion. Shrop., Wore., Glouc.
Quick-sticks', phr. ' In quick-sticks,' in a trice, at once.
' You'd better get that job done in quick-sticks, or else
you'll hear something.' Staff., and elsewhere.
186 Quilt — Raffle
Quilt, (i) v. a. To thrash, castigate. Midlands, and else-
where, as West of England.
Quilting, sb. A thrashing. ' The metaphor, I imagine,
is from the many colours of a patchwork quilt.' — Leic.
Dial.
(2) v. a. To swallow. Glouc.
Quitch vel Quitch-grass, sb. Couch-grass, Triticwni repens,
&c. Vide Couch, Scutch, and Squitch. Glouc., Leic., and
elsewhere.
Babbit it, cocci. A sort of demi-oath. Common. 'Od
rabbit it ' and ' Od drabbit it ' are other forms.
Race, sb. The heart, liver, and lights of the pig, lamb,
sheep, or calf. Common.
Racketing, part. adj. pec. Idling about from place to place
in search of pleasure. N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Raddle, sb. Var. pron. of ' reddle,' red ochre, or oxide of
iron, much used to mark sheep. It was formerly
a custom in Warw. to 'raddle' the kitchen-floors and
the flower-pots on the window-sills. Leic., N'hamp.,
Staff, and Oxf. (ruddle), and elsewhere.
'And little Rutlandshire is termed Raddleman.'
Drayton, Poly, xxiii (quoted in Leic. Dial.},
which gives ' Eaddleman,' a digger of ' raddle,' or a dealer
in it. Kay says, of the proverb ' Rutland Raddleman ' :
'That is, perchance, Reddleman, a trade, and that a poor one only,
in this county, whence men bring on their backs a pack of red stones
or ochre, which they sell to the neighbouring counties for the marking
of sheep.'
Raff, sb. A low fellow, a rough ; hence ' riff-raff,' the dregs
of the populace. Common. Cf. Riff.
Raffle, &6. Refuse, rubbish, trash, odds and ends. Leic.,
Rag — Rake 187
N'hamp., Up.-on-Sev. (raffage), and elsewhere, as East
Anglia.
Rag, sb. A hard kind of rock. Hal. Gloss. N'hamp.,
Staff. Rowley-rag is a well-known example.
Raggle, v. n. To manage to get on. ' With a bit of coal
and a loaf of bread, I can raggle along.' — 8. Warw.
Provin. Vide Ruggle.
Raise the place, phr. To make a disturbance. Common.
Cf. Shakespeare:
' Kent. He raised the house with loud and coward cries.'
King Lear, ii. 4. 43.
Rake, (i) v. a. To cover. ' To rake up the fire is to preserve
it for keeping alight all night, which is usually done by
laying on a large piece, called the Taking-coal [or raker],
and covering it over with cinders or coal slack. The
term "rake" is also used to express the act of clearing out
the ashes from the bars of the grate. [Cf. :
'Pistol. Where fires thou find'st unraked and hearths unswept.'
Merry Wives, v. 4. 50.]
When fires were generally made on the floor of the
chimney or hearth, to rake would mean to bring together
by raking, with the fire shovel, the ashes over the coals
or wood, so as to prevent their burning out during the
night. Dr. Johnson explains a passage in King Lear :
['Edgar. Here, in the sands,
Thee I'll rake up.' — iv. 6. 281.]
by referring to the Staffordshire practice of raking, i. e.
covering the fire.' — Hal. Gloss. Palsgr. (153°) explains
rake thus : ' to cover up anything in the tire with ashes.'
Hal. Diet. Leic., Staff., Shrop.
(2) v. n. To move about restlessly, to rove. Leic., Staff.
' Now pass me to the bold beggar
That raked o'er the hill.'
Robin Hood, i. 105 (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.).
188 Ramel — Rant
Ramol, sb. ' Kubbish, more especially that which is occa-
sioned by the employment of bricklayers.' — Hal. Gloss.
Under ' Rammell or Rommell ' the N'hamp. Gloss, says :
'My late friend Mr. Sharp, of Coventry, informed me
that it occurs in the municipal muniments of that city
as early as 1448.' Common. Cf. 'Rammel,' reddish
earth, neither clay nor sand — not fertile, a foe to vegeta-
tion ; and ' Rammel] y,' adj. of the nature of ' rammel ' ;
in Shrop. Word-bk.
Hamshackle, (i) adj. Loose, tottering, unsteady.
(2) v. n. To progress with a loose, shuffling motion.
Midlands, and elsewhere.
Random-shot, sb. A wild young fellow. Shrop., and else-
where.
Randy, adj. Wanton, lecherous. Hal. Diet, says, 'Bois-
terous : maris appetens,' North. In N'hamp. it means
unruly and restive, as applied to a horse. In Oxf.
a ' randy ' = a jovial feast.
Ranpike or Raunpike, adj. ' A tree beginning to decay at
the top from age, and having bare dead branches in
consequence ; said to be so called in consequence of
ravens being fond of sitting thereon. Such trees are
also called stag-headed. Nares mentions the use of the
former term by a Warw. poet.' — Hal. Gloss.
'Only the night crow sometimes you might see
Croking to sit upon some ranpick tree.'
Dray ton, Moone-calf
(quoted in Lew. Dial., which says: 'Ranpick, part. adj.
Bare of bark or flesh, looking as if picked by ravens ').
But there is a quotation in Hal. Diet, under ' Rampick.'
Rant, v. a. (i) To steal by force, as marbles. ' Let's go
and rant their marleys.'
(2) To forcibly and unduly handle a female.
Rap — Reasty 189
Rap, v. a. To exchange, to swap. * I'll rap my knife with
(for) ydrn.' Glouc., Shrop.
Raps, sb. pi. (i) Sports and games, merrymakings. 'We
bin to the gipsy-party, an' 'ad sich raps.' Shrop., and
elsewhere.
(2) News. * Tell us the raps o' the fair.' Shrop., and
elsewhere.
Rapscallion, sb. A vagabond, a worthless fellow. Common.
' Well, rapscallions ! and what now ! '
Ingddsby Legends, i. 87 vin Cent. Did.).
Butler uses rascallion in the same sense :
'That proud dame
Used him so like a base rascallion.' — Hudib. i. 3. 327.
Rattletraps, sb. A common term for small movable
articles. ' Shift your rattletraps.' Sometimes spoken of
worthless articles.
Haum, v. n. To reach awkwardly, to strain. ' Don't yo'
raum over the table like that : ask for what yer want.'
Hal. Diet, has ' raum, to sprawl.' Suffolk.
Ravelment, sb. Entanglement. Glouc.
Ravlings vel Rovings, sb. pi. Raw, untwisted threads,
drawn, fingered, or worn out of silk or cloth. Common.
K. Rich. 'And must I ravel out
My weaved-up follies?' — K. Rich. II, iv. i. 228.
Reap up, v. a. To recall or revive painful bygones. ' Don't
reap up old grievances.' Shrop., and elsewhere.
Rear, v. a. To raise, on moulds, the paste for meat-pies.
If the paste be badly made, it gives way and loses its
shape. Midlands.
Reasty [res-te and ras-te], adj. 'Rancid or rusty, as
applied to bacon. See Coles in v. " Reasy." ' —Hal.
Gloss.
190 Reckling — Reeming
' Areste or resty,' and ' Recsty as fleshe, Rancidus.'
Angl.-Lat. Lex, 1440, Harl. MS. 221
(quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.).
'Restie or rustle bacon.'— Nomenclator, 1585, p. 86 (in Hal. Diet.).
' Lay flitches a salting.
Through folly too beastly
Much bacon is reasty.'
Tusser, Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandrie, November's Abstract
(quoted in Shrop. Word-Ik.).
Glouc. (raisty and reasty), N'hamp., SE. Wore, (raisty),
Up.-on-Sev. (rasty and raisty), Staff, (reasty and reisty),
Leic., Shrop. (raisty and reasty), and elsewhere.
Reckling or Wreckling, sb. 'The least as well as the
youngest of the breed amongst animals, with which is
generally combined the idea of weakness ; but the last
born child in a family is usually called a reckling or
wreckling, whether small and weakly or not.' — Hal.
Gloss. Leic., Shrop.
Beckon, (i) v. n. or a. To suppose, account, estimate.
Common.
lCymb. Which to shake off
Becomes a warlike people, whom we reckon
Ourselves to be.' — Cymbeline, iii. i. 52.
(2) v. n. To draw wages. 'I'll pay you when I
reckon.'
Redish, sb. Var. pron. of ' radish.'
Reechy, adj. Smoky, black with smoke. Common.
' You'll mek them clothes reechy, if you hang 'em in the
kitchen.' Cf. ' Reechy-neck,' quoted under Mawkin.
Reed, sb. ' The stomach of a calf, eaten as a delicate
variety of tripe, or salted and dried for rennet.' — Leic.
Dial. Glouc., and elsewhere.
Reeming, adj. Excellent, first-rate. Glouc., W. Wore.
Reeve — Rick-staddle 191
Eeeve, ( i ) v. a. To pucker, wrinkle, as * Don't reeve your
forehead so.' Midlands, and elsewhere (as West of
England).
(2) sb. ' Reeve of onions,' a rope or string of onions.
Leic.
Reeving-string, sb. A string inserted in a hem to draw
the material tighter, or into gathers, which, in the Mid-
lands, are sometimes called 'reevings.'
Refuge, sb. Refuse, worthless things. S. Warw. Provin.
Glouc.
Refu'sal, sb. Option of refusal or acceptance. c If I part
with the horse you shall have the first refusal.' Leic.,
N'hamp., Glouc. (refu'se).
Remem'ber, v. a. To remind. ' Remember me to buy the
lamp-wick.' Common.
'Paulina. I'll not remember you of my own lord,
Who is lost too.' — Winter's Tale, iii. 2. 231.
Render, Render-down, v. a. To melt down any fat sub-
stance. ' Render that leaf for the lard : and old Betty
can have the Scratohings (q. v.).'
Repeat [re-pet'], v. n. pec. To rise on the stomach, as rich
or unwholesome food does. CI don't much care for veal:
I find it repeat so.' Midlands, Shrop. (and rehearse).
Retch, v. a. or n. To stretch, or make larger. Hal.
Gloss.
Rheuma'tics, sb. Rheumatism. This is distinct from
' rheumatiz.' The latter lies in a particular limb, while-
' the rheumatics ' is a general complaint. S. Warw.
Provin. Common.
Rick-staddle, sb. The foundation of a rick. Hal. Gloss.
Vide Staddle.
192 Ride — Riz
Ride, sb. A green road through a wood. S. Warw. Provin*
Oxf., Leic. (riding, sb.), N'hamp. (riding). Hal. Diet.
Riff, sb. A disease of dogs, in which the hair falls off,
leaving the skin scaly and rough. Shrop. Word-bk.
(the itch, the mange), Glouc. Gloss., and Up.-on-Sev.
Wds. (the itch).
Rifle [rifl], v. a. To ruffle. Said of the temper. c You'll
rifle my temper, if you don't give over calling names.'
Midlands.
Rights, sb. Right. ' That butter ought to be eighteenpence
a pound, by rights.' Common.
Rile, v. n. To fidget on another's lap, or climb up and
down a seat or fixture of any kind. Shrop., Oxf.
Vide Roiling. It is used substantively in Warw., as
' What a young rile you are.'
Rimming, part. adj. Moving furniture to a fresh house.
'We be a-rimming on Monday.' — S. Warw. Provin.
Glouc. Gloss, (rim, to remove).
Ringy [ring-e], sb. A game at marbles. More commonly
called ' Ring-taw ' elsewhere.
Rip, (i) sb. A rascal (' or as applied to a horse, a worthless
" screw." ' — Leic. Dial.). Eng.
(2) v. n. To rush, run violently. Leic. In Warw.
used commonly with 'tear,' as 'Don't rip and tear
about so.'
Ripping, adj. Sharp, cutting, as applied to cold weather ;
e. g. ' a ripping frost.' Midlands.
Riz, pp. of ' rise ' (which is used for ' raise '). ' Butter's
riz.' Leic., N'hamp., and elsewhere. In Warw. folks
would say, 'They "rose" (= raised the price of) the
butter yesterday.' Cf. the old preterite —
Road — Rommelly 193
' With that word they rysen sodeynly.'
Chaucer, Men-chant's Tale, 1. 330.
'Risse not the consular men, and left their places,
So soon as thou sat'st down ? ' — B. Jonson, Catiline, iv. 2.
Road, [rd-£d], (i) sb. Var. pron. of 'road.' 'The cart's
jisfc gone down the ro-ad.' More often ' roo-a"d.'
(2) Fashion, manner, method (a play on the word
'way'). 'I'll shown'd yer th' road to plant taters.'
Midlands.
Robbie, (i)sb. A tangle. ' This cotton's got all of a robble.'
(2) v. a. To tangle, ravel. Midlands.
Rock, sb. Sweetstuff generally ; lollipops. The place
where such ware is sold is called a ' Rock-shop'; and an
itinerant vendor of lollipops, a ' Rockman.' Vide Suck.
Roded vel Roey [ro-did, ro-e], adj. Streaky ; having alter-
nate layers of fat and lean— usually applied to bacon.
Leic. (roaded), N hamp. (roaded or rody), Shrop. (roded,
rody), SE. Wore, (racnvy). Hal. Diet, says, ' West of
England.'
Rodney, sb. (i) A helper on canal-banks, the one that
opens the locks.
(2) A rake, a roamer ; a loafer. Staff.. Glouc. (and
adj., roaming), W. Wore., Up.-on-Sev. (adj. rough and
idle).
Roiling, part. adj. Fidgeting, climbing about. Shrop.
Hal. Diet, (rile and roil). Vide Rile.
' A man shall not suffer his wife to roile ' about.'
Chaucer, Rom. Rose (quoted in N'hamp. G/oss.\
Rommelly, adj. (i) Coarse, wild, as 'a rommelly cabbage.'
(2) Fat, greasy (as of bacon). Shrop., Wore. Glouc.
Gloss, (rancid).
1 ? 'romp' or 'rove.' Hal. DM. has 'roil, to romp. North Country.'
O
194 Ronk — Roughed
Ronk, adj. Var. pron. of ' rank.' ( i ) Strong, high-tasted,
as 'ronk meat' : vigorous or gross in growth. 'Dig up
them ronk, rubbishing docks.' Glouc., Wore., Shrop.
' Seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.' —
Genesis xli. 5.
(2) Bad, corrupt, depraved. ' He's a ronk old rascal.'
Glouc., N'hamp., Shrop., and elsewhere.
Roobub, sb. Var. pron. of ' rhubarb.' Glouc. (roo-burb).
Rood, sb. Eight yards lineal measure, in draining, hedging,
and ditching, &c. The digging-rood, or allotment-rood,
in Warw., Shrop., and some other shires, contains 64
sq. yds. See Notes and Queries, 5th ser., x. 284.
Roomthy [room-fAe], adj. Roomy.
Room. Leic., N'hamp., Oxf.
' Not finding fitter roomth upon the rising side.' — Drayton, Poly. vi.
'In Tamer's roomthier banks their rest they scarcely take.' — Id. i.
Roozles, sb. Wretchedness of mind and body, ' the miser -
ables.' A person in this state is said to be troubled with
' the billery-ducks [? from biliary ducts] and roozles.'
Vide Screwton-Newtons.
Ropes, sb. pi. The entrails of a sheep. A.-Sax. roppas,
bowels, entrails. Common.
Rot, sb. Var. pron. of ' rat.' Midlands.
Rother, sb. pi. Horned cattle. Hal. Gloss.
Rother [roth-ur], adv. Var. pron. of ' rather.'
Roughed [ruft], part. Made rough. Said of horses' shoes,
which, in frosty weather, are spiked or otherwise treated,
to prevent slipping. Midlands and elsewhere. In Warw.,
' Turn'd-up ' is used in the same sense. ' The gaffer says
you must tek th' 'osses to be turn'd-up, afore they'm put
in th' wagin.'
Rounce — Roxy 195
Bounce, v. n. To flounce, to move uneasily or angrily.
Leic. Cf. Shrop. Word-bk. (rounciny, roaring, boiste-
rous, said of fire or wind).
Round vel Round on, v. n. (i) To blab, tell tales.
(2) To scold. Glouc.
Rounders, sb. A game at bat-and-ball. Certain ' rounders '
(sanctuaries) are marked out on the playground — say,
north, south, east, west, of a large circle— and the players
of one side stand at the north, the leader holding the
bat. The leader of the other side places his ( scouts ' at
points where the ball is likely to fall when struck, and
pitches it to the batsman. The latter knocks it as far
as possible, and ' runs the rounders,' i. e. from point to
point by way of the west, to the starting-place, if possible.
But if he find himself in any strait, he may tarry at either
sanctuary. Any player of the other side may secure the
ball, and throw it at him whilst he is running. Should
it strike him, he is ' out.' If he tarry at a sanctuary,
a second batsman strikes the ball and runs, the first now
advancing a point, or any number of points, at the same
time. If two players tarry at one sanctuary, the one
most in fault may be struck with the ball. The object
of the batting side is to get to the north, one after the
other, by way of the rounders, as soon as possible, so
that the innings may be continued as long as possible.
Should the ball be caught in the air, the striker (some-
times his party) is ' out.' The players of the other side
become batsmen, when all their opponents have been
struck with the ball, which is of some soft material.
Rovings, sb. pi. i. q. Ravlings, q. v.
Roxy, adj. Over-ripe, very soft, almost rotten. Commonly
said of a perishing pear. Leic., N'hamp., Glouc. Gloss.
o 2
196 Rubbidge — Rumbustical
(roxed), Up.-on-Sev. (roxed and rox, to soften), SE. Wore.
(roxed). Hal. Diet, has ' roxt. West.'
Rubbidge, sb. Var. pron. of 'rubbish' (written 'rubbage'
by some glossarists).
' Buried in rubbidge and dust.'
Bp. Hall, Bern. p. 56 (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.).
Rubble, ( i) sb. Detached fragments of stone, &c. Common.
(2) v. n. To crawl or wriggle amongst dirt and
refuse. ' Don't let the child rubble among them 'ere
dusty things.'
Ruck, (i) 6&. A heap or quantity. Common.
' Against the end of Harborne church [Staff.] is a mural monument
to the memory of Beata, third daughter of William Hunt, of the Ruck
of Stones, in Smethwick.' — Shaw, Hist, Staff, ii. 125 (quoted in Poole,
Arch, and- Prov. Words of Staff.").
A correspondent informs me that there used to be a
public-house called ' The Ruck of Bricks ' in Birmingham.
The W. Wore, glossarist says ' the ruck o' bricks = the
gaol.'
(2) v. a. To gather or cast things into a heap. ' Ruck
yer playthings together, an' put 'em away.' Midlands.
Ruf [rttf], sb. A roof. Shrop. (ruff).
' Ruffe of an hows.' — Prompt. Parv.
Ruggle, v. n. To struggle, to wriggle : but in a figurative
sense, as 'Hang the bad luck! we shall ruggle along
somehow or another.' Glouc., Wore.
Ruin, sb. ' A woodman's term, signifying a pole of four
falls standing. At the first fall, it is a plant or wicket ;
at the second, a white pole ; at the third, a black pole ;
and at the fourth, a ruin.' — Hal. Gloss.
Rumbus'tical, adj. Boisterous, obstreperous, unruly.
Common.
Sad —Sag 197
Sad, adj. ' Heavy, as applied to bread, when the yeast has
not produced the proper effect. "Sad-iron" is used in
the sense of heavy or solid, to distinguish that descrip-
tion of clothes-iron from box-irons.' — Hal. Gloss. The
Shrop. Word-bk. gives a quotation from Alexander and
Dindimus to show that 'sad' is sometimes applied to
firm, heavy, clayey earth. ' Sad or hard, solidus,' occurs
in the Ang.-Lat. Lexic. of 1440, and in the Prompt.
Parv. Holme, Acad. Armory, bk. iii, ch. vii, p. 317, has
the word as applied to bread. So also Coles, ' Sad bread,
panis gravis.'
Saded [sa-did], part. adj. Sated, satiated, cloyed.
'To sade, to cloy, satio.' — Coles, Lat. Did. (in Hal. Diet.").
' Sick and saded ' is a common expression : e. g. ' I'm sick
an' saded o' bread-and-drippin' all the wik.' Oxf. (sick
and sated), S. Warw. Provin. (sated), SE. Wore., Shrop.
(sade, v., and sading, part, adj.), Up.-on-Sev. (sade, saded,
sading), and elsewhere.
Safe, adj. Sure, certain. 'I'm safe to be back to-night.'
Oxf., N'hamp., Staff., Leic., and elsewhere.
Saffern, sb. Var. pron. of < saffron.' Oxf.
Sag, v. n. or a. ' To hang heavy, to sink down by its own
weight ; but the term is generally pronounced " swag." '
Hal. Gloss. Shakespeare uses it figuratively :
'Macb. The mind I sway by and the heart I bear
Shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear.'
Macbeth, v. 3. 9.
Anything that gives way from weakness in itself, or from
overloading, is said to 'sag.' See Forby, Vocab. East
Anglia; Atkinson, Cleveland Gloss., &c. Hal. Diet. Has
a quotation from Pierce Pennilesse, 1592. Leic. (sagg),
N'hamp. (sag or sivag), Shrop. (swag), and elsewhere.
198 Said — Sammy
Said [sed], pec. use. ' Will you be said V is a common
reproof to an unruly child. Glouc., N'hamp., and else-
where.
Saim [sam], sb. Vide Seam. ' Tak the rute of horslue, and
stamp it, and fry it in a panne with swyne sayme, and
wryng it owte, and do it in boistes.' — MS. Line. Med.
f. 295 (quoted in Hal. Diet.).
Saint Monday. The second day of the week received this
name because idle workmen, anxious to find an excuse
for a holiday, added Saint Monday to the calendar in
a jocular spirit. Common. N'hamp. Gloss, quotes
Crabbe thus :
'And here Saint Monday's worthy votaries live
In all the joys that ale and skittles give.'
Sallet [sal-St, sal-it], sb. A salad. Shrop., SE. Wore.
(sallit), Glouc. (sallet and salletin), and elsewhere.
' Cade. I climbed into this garden, to see if I can eat grass, or pick
a sallet another while.' — 2 Hen. VI, iv. 10. 8.
' Salata, sallets.' — Did. Etym. Lat. 1648.
' Sallet, acetaria.' — Ainsworth, Thesaurus.
' Acetarium, -rii, n. ge. a salette of herbes. It is also a gardeine,
where salet herbs do growe.' — Eliote, Dictionarie, 1559 (in Nares).
Salt [sault], adj. Salacious.
'Pomp. But all the charms of love,
Salt Cleopatra, soften thy waned lip.' — Ant. and Cleop. ii. i. ao.
Hal. Diet, says, * Mans appetens (of the female of any
animal). Also of a leap in a similar sense/ North.
'Then they grow salt, and begin to be proud.' — Topsell, Beasts, 1607,
p. 139-
Hr. Wise remarks that the term is used of a common
woman, but it is more frequently applied to the bitch.
Sammy vel Soft Sammy, sb. A fool, simpleton. Hal. Diet.
' Sammy-suck-egg ' is another term.
Sam well — Scallion 199
Sam well, sb. Var. prdn. of ' Samuel.' Glouc.
Sappy, adj. Silly, stupid, demented. SE. Wore., N'hamp.
(sb. a silly fellow : it is so used in Warw. too), and else-
where, as Suffolk.
Sapy [sa-pe], adj. Moist, slimy, nearly tainted: said of
meat. Glouc., SE. & W. Wore., N'hamp., Shrop. Leic.
Dial, (and sapid). Hal. Diet. ' moist, sodden. West.'
Sarment, sb. Var. pron. of ' sermon.'
' Which was ye thinkin' on, Seth ; the pretty parson's face or her
sarmunt ?' — Adam Bede (quoted in Leic. Dial.}.
Sarpent [sar-pint], sb. Var. pron. of ' serpent.' The firework
called a ' squib.' Leic.
Sarve, v. a. Vide Serve.
Saturday-night, sb. Wage, wages. ' If I have a good
Saturday-night, I'll buy the nipper a pair o' boots.'
' Have you drawed your Saturday -night ? '
Savation [sa- va'-shun] , sb. Saving. 'There's no savation
in buying cheap meat.' N'hamp., W. Wore., Shrop., and
elsewhere.
' And for the savacion of my maisters horse, I made my fellowe to
ryde a wey with the ij horses.' — Paston Letters, i. 132 (Arber's reprints).
Say, v. n. To micturate. Wright, Dial. Obsol. andProvin.
Eng. has ' Say, to strain thro' a sieve.' Leic.
Say-so, (i) phr. ' I agreed with him, just for the say-so of
the thing.' Wore, (so-say).
(2) A mere assertion. ' It was only a say-so.' N'hamp.
and elsewhere.
Scallion, sb. ' Alliuin ascalonicum, a kind of small onion,
the Ascalonian garlic.' — Khrop. Word-bk.
' Hec hinnula, a scalyone.' — Xominalc of isth cent, (in Wright, Vombs.
i. 225).
200 Scamble — Scour
But the term is, and has been, applied to Chibbals, q. v.
' Scallion, Ascalonia, cepula.' — Ainsworth, Thesaurus.
Scamble, v. n. To shuffle the feet in walking : to move
awkwardly. 'A scainbling job'=a work shuffled over
in ill haste. Common.
Scawt [scaut], v. a. or n. To kick, to scratch with the
toe-nails, or scrape with the feet. In S. Warw. to
scratch, e. g.
' There were marks where the boy had scauted it.' — S. Warw. Provin.
Hal. Diet, has ' scort about, to disturb, to injure, Warw.,'
and 'scaut, to push violently, West.' Glouc. (scort = the
footmarks of horses, cattle, &c.; to plough up the ground ;
of the hoofs of horses or cattle), Up.-on-Sev. (scawt and
scote, to scramble, slip about, scrape the ground with the
feet), SE. Wore. ( = to push or press on the ground with
the feet when lifting, or forcing with the back or shoulder,
or when coming to a sudden stop if running). Vide
Fissle.
Scheme [skem], v. a. To plan, to arrange. 'I must try
and scheme it some way.' — S. Warw. Provin. Common.
N'hamp. Gloss, has ' schame,' a pronunciation often heard
in Warw.
Scholard [skol-ud], sb. Var. pron. of ' scholar.' Common.
1 The admiring patient shall certainly cry you up for a great schollard,
provided always your nonsense be fluent.' — The Quack's Academy, 1678,
Harl. Misc. ii. 33 (in Da vies' Suppl. Eng. Gloss.'] .
' 'Tis a fine thing to be a scollard.'
Farquhar, Recruiting Officer, Act ii, scene — The Street
(Shrewsbury) (quoted in Shrop. Word-Ik. ).
Scork, Scorkle, sb. The core of an apple, called ' score ' in
Glouc. Shrop., and elsewhere. Vide Corkle.
Scour, sb. ' The shallow part of a river, or brook.' — Hal.
Gloss.
Scouse — Scrattle 201
Scouse [rhymes ' house '], v. a. To harry, to drive. ' Scouse
them dogs out.' Up.-on-Sev. (scout , to drive away).
Scrabble, v. n. To scramble, in a figurative sense. ' We've
had a lot o' bad luck, but we shall scrabble on, I expect.'
Cf. Leic. Dial, sub voce. Oxf. (scrabble along), Up.-on-Sev.
Vide Haggle, Ruggle, and Scrobble.
Scraily [skra-le], adj. Thin, attenuated. N'hamp. Gloss.
has 'scrail, a meagre, lean, thin animal.' 'A higler's
horse is a poor scrail.'
Scram, v. a. To stuff, to cram. ' Don't scram them apples
clown like that.'
Scrat, (i) v. a. To scratch. Common.
'And ylkane skratte othyr in the face.'
Hampole MS. Bowes, p. 215 (quoted in Hal. Diet.}.
'To scrat where it itches
Is better than fine cloas or riches.' — Lincolns. Proverb.
(2) To scratch off a person's name. ' I hope you won't
scrat me.' — S. Warw. Provin.
(3) v. n. To work hard for a poor living. 'Me an'
my ol' mon 'a' got to scrat an' scrape very hard to kip
a 'ouse over our 'eads.' Midlands.
Scratch, sb. A common name for the devil — ' Old Scratch.'
Scratchings [skratch-ins], sb. pi. The crimp, refuse bits
left when a pig's-leaf is rendered or boiled down for lard.
Midlands.
• She'd take a big cullender to strain her lard wi', and then wonder
as the scratchin's run through.' — Adam Bede, ch. xviii (in Leic. Dial.).
' Done to a scratchin' ' is a common phrase spoken of meat
over-roasted.
Scrattle, v. n. To scratch, as domestic fowls do. Hal.
Gloss. Leic.
202 Scraunch — Scrimp
Scraunch, v. a. To crunch, Qraunch, q.v. W. Wore., and
elsewhere.
Scrawl [scraul], (j) v. n. To crawl; to creep about the
floor as a child does. Midlands.
(2) To move slowly and feebly. 'I was that bad,
I could hardly scrawl.' Common.
' To scrall, stir, motito.' — Coles, Lat. Diet.
.
(3) sb. A tangle. ' This thread's all of a scrawl.'
Shrop.
Scraze, v. a. To graze, raze ; to ' bark ' slightly by rubbing
against any one or anything in passing. ' How did that
child scraze the skin off his forehead 1 ' ' Did the wheel
scraze your elbow as the cart went apast ? ' Leic. Some-
times spoken 'scrage' by the more illiterate. Used
substantively, too, as ' A scraze on the knee.'
Screwton-Newtons, sb. pi. ' The miserables.' Vide Roozles.
Scribe, sb. A poor, shabby, or oddly-dressed person ; a
' fright.' ' I should look a scribe in these clothes.'
N'hamp., S. Warw. Provin. (a poor, puling thing).
Scriggles vel Scrigglings [skrig-ls, skrig-lins], sb. pi. Un-
dersized apples left on the tree as worthless. These
little apples are often very sweet and palatable, however.
Glouc. (scrigglings, scrogglings, and scriggles), Up.-on-Sev.
(scriggling), W. Wore, (scrigglings and scrogglings).
From this term comes the adj. Scriggly, small and
shrivelled, as ' a scriggly bit o' meat,' i. e. that small
portion of a joint where it is dried up or over-roasted.
It is likely that the word is connected with ' shrivel.'
Scrimp, (i) sb. A very small piece. 'Gi'e me a scrimp o'
butter.' N'hamp.
(2) v. a, To scant, to spare, to curtail. N'hamp.
Scrimpy — Scutch 203
Scrimpy, adj. Scanty. N'hamp., Glouc. (poor, wretched,
puny).
Scrinch [rhymes 'pinch'], «6. A little bit, a morsel, the
smallest portion of anything. 'Mother, our Jack's 'ad
some rock gin 'im, an' 'e wunt gi'e me the least scrinch.'
Leic., N'hamp., Oxf., Shrop.
Scrobble, v. n. To scramble ; to wriggle about on the
floor. Sometimes used substantively, as ' Let's have
a scrobble for these opples (apples).' Midlands. Hal.
Diet. ' West.' Vide Scrabble.
Scrouge [scrouj], v. n. or a. To crowd, squeeze, crush,
compress. Shrop. (scroodge, scrudge), W. Wore., Glouc.
(and scrunge), Up.-on-Sev. (scroodge). Cf. Spenser
(quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.) :
' He caught him twixt his puissant hands,
And having scruzd out of his carrion corse
The lothfull life.' — Faery Queene, bk. ii, c. xi, st. xlvi.
Scruff, sb. (i) A wastrel, raffish rogue. Sometimes pro-
nounced ' scroff.'
(2) The nape of the neck. Shrop. (scuff and scuft),
W. Wore. Vide Scuff.
Scrumps, sb. pi. Apples.
Scrunch, v. a. To bite up greedily and noisily ; to crunch.
Oxf.
Scuff, v. n. or a. To scrape with the feet in walking.
Glouc. Gloss, (to shuffle with the feet).
Scuff vel Scruff, sb. The back or nape of the neck.
N'hamp., Shrop. Word-bk. (scruff, scuff, scuft), SE. Wore.
(scruff), and elsewhere.
Scutch [scutch], sb. Couch-grass, &c. Wore., Shrop.
(and tkuch). Vide Couch, Quitch, and Squitch.
204 Scuttle — Seg-bottomed
Scuttle, sb. (i) A basket that holds a bushel. S. Warw.
Provin. In other parts of Warw. the term is applied to
a broad, shallow basket ; but I do not think it would
hold half a bushel.
(2) A receptacle for coal, scoop -shaped. Cf. Leic. Dial,
sub voce. Sometimes called a ' coal- scoop.' Cf. Coal-hod.
Seam, sb. Fat, or lard. Hal. Gloss., Leic. Dial. In some
counties this is pronounced ' same,' e. g. Yorks. In Notes
& Queries, 3rd ser., ii. 277, there is a variant of a well-
known folk-rhyme, which begins :
'A. What's your name?'
' B. Butter and saim
If you ask me again,' &e.
A note states that 'saim,' in Welsh, = grease. It is only
just to add that, as the concluding line is 'I'll tell you
the same,' there is no true rhyme. In other versions of
the rhyme ' Butter and tame ' (Eton) or ' Pudding of
Tame ' is the second line. A writer to N. & Q., 3rd ser.,
xi. 306, points out, as a coincidence, that ' Pudding of
Tame' is the name of a devil mentioned in Harsnet's
Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures, 1603.
Ainsworth, Thesaurus, has 'Hog's seam (lard), Adeps
porcina vel suilla, puri/icata.'
1 Cold meat fryed with hogs seame.' — Cotgr. (in voc. Gramouse).
' Seme for to frye with, seyn depourreau.' — Palsgr. (in Hal. Did.).
Seben, adj. and sb. Var. pron. of ' seven.' Common.
See, Seed vel Sid. Saw. ' I seed 'im a day or two agoo.'
' 1 sid him isterday (yesterday).' Vide Sin. Leic. (see,
seed), N'hamp., Glouc. (seed or zid). Hal. Diet. ' Var.
dials.'
'The nativity according to our modern authors, is one of the best
that ever I see.' — Bishop, Marrow of Astrology, p. 64 (in Hal. Diet.).
Seg-bottomed, adj. ' Rush '-bottomed, as ' A seg-bottomed
Sen — Serve out 205
cheer (chair).' Shrop., Up.-on-Sev. (sag-seated], Glouc.
Gloss. (' segs or zegs, sedges. " A place where segges
do grow." — Barret, Alvearie, 1580 '), SE. Wore, (sags,
rushes).
Knight's Cyclopaedia, 1854, under ' Cyperaceae, sedges,'
says, ' Their most common application is to the manu-
facture of what are called erroneously rush-mats and
rush-bottoms for chairs. The plant used in this country
for such purposes is not any kind of rush, but the
cyperaceous species Scirpus lacustris' Cf. Shrop. Word-
bk., where quotations from Wright's Vocabs. and Prompt.
Parv. support the glossarist's contention that ' segs ' is
applied to the Iridaceae, too.
Sen, adv. Since. S. Warw. Provin.
Sence, adv. &c. Since.
' I hearde once a tale of a thinge yat was done at Oxforde xx yeres
a go, and the lyke hatli bene sence in this realme as I was enfonned
• of credible persons.' — Latimer, Sermon, iv. p. 119 (Arber's reprints),
(quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.").
Senners, sb. pi. Var. pron. of ' sinews.' SE. Wore., Shrop.
(sennow), W. Wore. Gloss, (sennos), Up.-on-Sev. (senna).
Serve, v. a. ' To feed, to supply. The pigs and chickens
are served. The boy who hands up the stubble serves
the thrasher.' — S. Warw. Provin. Sometimes pronounced
' sarve.' Shrop., Leic., and elsewhere. ' While the
wisdome of one is that a white cote is best to sarve
God in' occurs in Tyndale, Obedience of a Christian
Man, &c. (1528), Morris and Skeat, Spec. Eng. Lit.
(1298-1393).
Serve out vel Sarve out, v. a. To retaliate, punish. Leic..
Dial, says, ' Like Punish (q. v.) it is also used in the
sense of giving pain without connecting it with any idea
of retribution.' N'hamp.
206 Server — Settle
Server, Sarver, sb. A round, shallow basket, to hold a
' feed ' of corn for a horse. Common.
Serving, sb. A meal for pigs, poultry, and the like: a
share, portion, or 'helping' of the joint or pudding, for
persons. Common.
Set, ( i) v. a. To let, said of a house or land. Oxf., Wore.,
Staff., Shrop., and elsewhere.
' They care not how high they sell any of their commodities, at how
unreasonable rates they set their grounds.' — Bp. Hall, Cases of Conscience
(cit. Latham).
(2) v. a. or n. Sit. ' Set yourself down.'
' I sett at home, I have no thrifty cloth.' — Urry's Chaucer, Wife of
Bath's Prol. 1. 238.
It is used for ' sat,' too, as ' I set on this 'ere cheer (chair)
a full hour yesterday arternoon, waiting for you.'
Sets, sb. pi. ' Small potatoes, or such large ones as contain
what is termed an eye, and which are set in the ground.'
— N' hamp. Gloss. More commonly styled in full, ' potato-
sets,' in Warw.
Settm'-pin, sb. A dibber. 8. Warw. Provin.
Setting-stick, sb. A dibber or dibble. Glouc., SE. Wore.,
N'hamp., and elsewhere.
' Debbyll or settyng-stycke.' — Huloet, 1552 (in Hal. Diet.).
Settlas [set-l&s], sb. A platform, or ledge of bricks or
tiles, around a cellar, on which to place barrels. Shrop.
Word-bk., ' Setless = platform, shelf, of bricks or tiles,
round a dairy for the milk-pans to stand on.' Cf. Nares'
Gloss, under ' Settle,' where the glossarist refers to the
settle of the altar, Ezekiel xliii. 14, 17.
Settle [setl] sb. A long wooden seat with arms and a high
flat, solid back. A.-Sax. setl. Common.
' A common settle drew for either guest.'
Dryden, Baucis and Philemon, 1. 44.
Seven-coloured linnet — Shelf 207
Cf. Shrop. Word-Ik., ' Setless ' and ' Screen ' ; Leic. Dial. ;
Wilbraham's Cheshire Gloss., ' Skreen.'
Seven-coloured linnet, 66. The goldfinch.
Shackler, sb. An idle, neglectful, or careless workman.
Staff.
Shacklety [shak-1-te], adj. Shaky, rickety. Glouc. Gloss.
1 shackety.'
Shackling, adj. Idle, loitering ; unstable, unreliable, shaky.
' A shackling fellow.' ' A shackling old table.' Midlands,
and elsewhere.
Share [sher], sb. 'A short wooden sheath stuck in the
waistband, to rest one of the needles in whilst knitting.'—
S. Warw. Provin.
Sharps, sb. pi. A refuse kind of wheaten flour, ground
coarsely, with a portion of bran in it. Leic., N'hamp.,
Shrop., and elsewhere. Cf. Qurgeons : and see Leic. Dial.
for an article on the various kinds of meal.
Shaver, sb. A sharp, quick-witted lad. c A young shaver.'
Common. N'hamp. Gloss., ' A keen tradesman ; one who
takes selfish advantage in a bargain.'
Sheed, v. a. or n. To shed.
'The litle boy had a home,
Of red gold that ronge ;
He said, there was noe cuckolde
Shall drinke of my home ;
But he shold it sheede
Either behind or beforne.'
The Boy and the Mantle, 11. 179-184 (Percy, Pel.}.
'The corn is beginning to sheed,' i.e. to fall, over-ripe,
from the husks. Wore., Shrop., and elsewhere.
Shelf, sb. The chimney-piece : sometimes pronounced ' shilf,'
as in SE. Wore., and elsewhere, for any shelf.
208 Shet — Shirty
Shot, v. a. To shut. Wore., and elsewhere. Cf. Shit, Shut.
' He knokked faste, and ay, the more he cryed,
The faster shette they the dores all.'
Chaucer, B. 3722 (Six-text ed. Skeat)
(quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.).
Shewn [shon], v. a. To show. Shrop. Cf. Shewnd.
Shewnd [sh5nd], v. a. To show. ' I'll shond yer the way.'
Shift, (i) v. a. To change, as of underclothing. Common.
' ist Lord. Sir, I would advise you to shift a shirt ; the violence of
action hath made you reek as a sacrifice.' — Cymbelme, i. 2. i.
(2) To remove ; move. ' Shift them tea-things.' ' Shift
yourself a bit quicker.' Common.
' isf. Sen. Where's Potpan, that he helps not to take away? he
shift a trencher ! he scrape a trencher !' — Rom. & Jul. i. 5. i.
(3) v. n. To move from one house to another. Midlands.
'Schyftynge or removynge, amoeio.' — Prompt. Parv.
(4) To manage, contrive. Common.
' Steph. Every man shift for all the rest, and let no man take care for
himself, for all is but fortune.' — Tempest, v. i. 256.
Shimmy, sb. A corruption of chemise = a smock, shift.
Midlands.
Shindy, sb. A row, disturbance : quarrel. Common.
Shining [shl-ning], part. Apple-stealing.
Shiny-back vel Shiny-bat, sb. A common garden-beetle, the
appearance of which is supposed to indicate wet weather.
' Here's a shiny-bat ; we shall have rain soon.' Lawson,
Up.-on-Sev. Wds., has ' rain- bat.' So has SE. Wore. Gloss.
Ship, sb. A sheep ; sheep. Common. We find ' ships ' as
an occasional plural.
' Poor grass when ships cannot graze.'
Lusus Literarum, p. 68 (in Salopia Antigua").
Shirty, adj. Enraged. ' To get a man's shirt out' = to try
him past endurance. Up.-on-Sev. (shurty).
Shisn — Shortening 209
Shisn [shizn], poss. pron. ' hers.' S. Warw. Provin.
Shit, v. a. or n. To shut. Oxf.
' And all the richesse of spiritualle science
In hire were schit and closid eke also.'
Lydgate, MS. Soc. Antiq. 134, f. 3 (in Hal. Diet.').
' Shit ' and ' shut ' are used indiscriminately in Warw. for
' shoot ' = to discharge anything from a receptacle, e. g.
'Shit them taters out o' the sack.' Shrop. (shaet and
shut).
Shive, sb. A slice. Common.
'Demetrius. And easy it is
Of a cut loaf to steal a shive.' — Tit. Andron. ii. i. 86.
Shog, v. n. ' To shake, to make off." — Hal. Gloss. Leic.,
Glouc., N'hamp., Wore.
' Laughter pucker our cheeks, make shoulders shog
With chuckling lightness.'
Marston, WJiat you will, v. i (in Nares).
lNym. Will you shog off? I would have you solus.' — lien. V. ii. i. 47.
' Nym. Shall we shog ? the king will be gone from Southampton.'
Ibid. ii. 3. 48.
Shommock, v. n. To walk ungainly. Staff. Glouc. Gloss.
(= jog-trot).
Shommocking, part. adj. Slovenly, slouching. ' She's
a slommocking piece.' ' Don't go slommocking along like
that.' N'hamp. Of. Slommocking and Strommocking.
Shommocks, sb. (i) The feet. ' Shift your shominocks.'
Hal. Diet, says ' shoes.'
(a) A slipshod, untidy woman ; a slattern. N'hamp.
(shommacks), and elsewhere, as Craven.
Shommocky, adj. Slovenly. Hal. Diet.
Shortening, sb. The dripping, lard, or butter which is put
into pastry to make it light. Leic., N'hamp., and else-
where, as East Anglia.
p
210 Shoul — Shy
Shoul, 6-6. A shovel. Leic. (slunvl), Glouc. (shool or shoui),
SE. Wore, (shaowl or shool), N'hamp. and Up.-on-Sev.
(shoui), and elsewhere. Common.
' I, said the owl,
With my spade and shoul,
I'll dig his grave.' — Nursery Ballad of Cock Robin.
Shdwnd, v. a. Vide Shewnd.
Shram, v. n. To shrink with cold. Glouc. (shrim or grim).
Hal. Diet. (shrammed= benumbed with cold. West).
Shiik, Shuky, Suk, sb. A tea-kettle; sometimes called
' Black Susan,' — the two first forms being diminutives of
the name ' Susan.' SE. Wore, (shookey), and common.
Vide Sukey.
Shold, pi*et. of ' shall/ This is an ancient pronunciation.
Cf. Wuld.
'And bycause the Comunes desiren that al that longed unto the
Coroune the fourty yere of Kyng Edward and sithe hath be departed
shulde be resumed, to that extent that the Kyng myght better leve
of his owne.' — Answer of King Henry IV to Petition of Parliament.
Shut, (i) part. adj. Rid, clear, quit.
'We must not pray in one breath to find a thief, and in the next to
get shut of him.' — Sir E. L'Estrange (cit. Latham).
In Midland folk-speech, ' shut on ' is most common. Leic.,
N'hamp., Shrop., Glouc. and SE. Wore, (and shet), W. Wore.
(shut on).
(2) sb. Deliverance, riddance. Midlands. ' Good-night
and good-shut:' jocular phrase of parting friends in
Warw. Cf. Shet and Shit.
Shuts, sb. pi. Stout rods. Hall. Gloss.
Shy, (i) v. a. To throw, fling, hurl.
(2) sb. A throw. Midlands, and elsewhere. ' A cock-
shy ' is a throw with careful aim : an expression derived
from the old, barbarous sport of throwing at a live cock.
Sich — Simples 211
' This was as if the great geologists . . . had invited two rival theorists
to settle the question of geological formation by picking up the stones
and appealing to the test of a cockshy.'— Lord Strangford, Letters and
Papers, p. 215 (in Davies' Suppl. Eng. Gloss.).
Sich, indef. pron. Such. Midlands. Once commonly used
by Spenser and other authors.
' Whoever resseyveth oon of siche children in my name resseyveth
me.' — Wycl., Mark ix.
Sick, sb. Surfeit. ' I've 'ad my sick o' plums, this turn.'
Used figuratively, too, as 'Jim's 'ad 'is sick o' sqjerin'
(soldiering).
Sids, sb. Var. pron. of ' seeds.' Midlands. In Glouc. and
Wore, the term ' sids ' is applied to growing clover.
Sigh [si], v. n. To fade, decrease. ' This pimple's begin-
ning to sigh.'
Sight, sb. (usually followed by 'of'). A great number,
a great quantity. Midlands.
' . . . The greate manne broughte on hys syde a great syghte of Lawyers
for hys counsayle.' — Latimer, Sermon, ii. p. 73 (Arber's reprints).
' Where is so great a strength of money, i, where is so huge a syght
of mony.'— Palsgrave, Acolastus, 1540 (in Hal. Diet.).
Sildum, adv. Var. pron. of ' seldom.' SE. Wore. Gloss.
Sile, sb. Var. pron. of ' soil.' SE. Wore. Gloss.
Sill-green, sb. Sengreen, the houseleek, Sempervivum
tectorum. Glouc., Wore., Shrop. (sinna-greeri). Wright,
Diet. Obsol. and Prov. Engl., has ' Silgreen. West.'
[The] Simples [sim-plz], sb. Foolishness, folly. ' I'll have
you cut for the simples,' is a common Midland folk-phrase.
Remarking on this, the Leic. Dial, says, ' The metaphor,
probably incorrectly, regards folly as a curable disease,
and suggests that the patient should be " cut," i. e. lanced,
so as to allow the "perilous stuff" to escape.' Ray has
the proverb ' Go to Battersea to be cut for the simples,'
p 2
212 Sin — Skag
and remarks — 'The origin of this proverb being for-
gotten, people not over-burthened with wit are recom-
mended to go to Battersea to be cut for the simples.
In former times the London apothecaries used to make
a summer excursion to Battersea, to see the medicinal
herbs, called simples, cut at the proper season, which
the market-gardeners in the neighbourhood were dis-
tinguished for cultivating.'
Sin, p. and pp. of ' see.' Saw, seen. Glouc., Leic. Vide
See.
Sinks, sb. 1 senses. Used only in the phrase ' damn my
sinks.' It is worth noting that ' sinking ' occurs in the
Rakes of Mallow : —
' Beauing, belling, dancing, drinking,
Breaking windows, cursing, sinking,
Ever raking, never thinking,
Live the rakes of Mallow.'
1 have seen * sinking ' explained — where, I cannot for
the moment think — as ' Damning your soul to Hell, and
sinking it lower.'
Sixt. Sixth. Common.
' Trinepos, sixte sune. Trineptis, sixte dohter.'
Supp. to Ab. jElfric's Vocab. loth or nth cent,
(in Wright, Vocdbs. i. 51).
Sizes [si-ziz], sb. pi. The assizes. Common.
'Thei follow Sises and Sessions, Letes, Lawdays, and Hundredes,
they shold serue the kyng, but thei serue them selues.' — Latimer's
Sermons (To the Reader), p. 53, Arbor's reprints (quoted in Shrop.
Word-bk.}.
Skag, v. a. To tear, to split. Glouc. (skag or skey}. Used
substantively also, as ' What a skag (rent) you've got in
your shirt.' Hal. Diet, has ' Skag, any slight wound or
rent.' Somerset.
Skater — Skimping 213
Skater, sb. A fly which moves rapidly, in zigzag style,
on the surface of still water: its tarsi and motions
suggesting the skate-fitted extremities and movements
of a skater on ice.
Skelinton vel Skelington, sb. Var. pron. of 'skeleton.'
Glouc., Shrop., and elsewhere.
Skep, sb. A strong, coarse basket. A.- Sax. Of. Kipe and
Skip.
' Skeppe, Sporta, corbes.' — Prompt. Pan.
Skew-whiff, Skew-whift, Skew-whiffced [sku-wif, &c.], adv.
and adj. Awry, askew, aslant ; slanting. ' The wind
blowed the flagstaff skew- whiff.' ' This is a skew-whifted
load o' hay.' Common. Sometimes 'on the skew,' askew,
is used ; as ' You've got your bonnet on on the skew.'
The first form is often used substantively; as ' This thing
is all on the skew- whiff.'
Skillet [skil-it], sb. A metal pan with a long handle, for
heating liquids. Glouc.
' Othello. Let housewives make a skillet of my helm.' — Othello, i. 3. 274.
This quotation seems to bear out the definition in Shrop.
Word-bk., 'a pan similar to a preserving kettle, with
a swivel-handle.'
' Break all the wax, and in a kettle or skillet set it over a soft fire.'
— Mortimer, Husbandry.
Skim-Dick, sb. A cheese made of skim-milk. Glouc.,
Wore., Shrop.
' Maily bread an' maily pies,
Skim-Dick full o' eyes,
Buttermilk astid o' beer,
I'm sartin I shanna stop here.'
An ill-fed servant's plaint, South Cheshire,
Darlington, Folk-Speech of South Cheshire.
Skimping vel Skimpy, adj. Small, scanty, narrow, spare,
214 Skinny — Slade
as {A skimpy gown.' Shrop. (skimping and skimmety),
Leic., N'hamp., Staff, (scrimpy).
Skinny, adj. Mean, miserly, stingy. Shrop , and elsewhere.
Skip, sb. i.q. Skep, q.v. Glouc. (skip, skippet], SE. Wore.
Up.-on-Sev. Words, 'A shallow basket made of oak -laths,
with rounded bottoms and ends, and an opening at
either end, by way of handles.' Sometimes called a
' scuttle ' in Warw. In other counties, a leather-lined
basket, used in spinning -mills, is called a 'skip,' I
believe.
Skirmidge, sb. Var. pron. of ' skirmish.' SE. Wore., and
elsewhere.
Slack, sb. (i) Small, refuse coal. Midlands, and elsewhere.
(2) Saucy talk. ' Give me none of your slack.' N'hamp.
(' slackjaw,' coarse language ; and in Warw., and else-
where). Common.
Slacken-twist, sb. A dawdler, slow-goer.
Slade, sb. A tract of land which bears evidence of an
ancient landslip (slide). " Hence, the vale at its base ;
and in this sense it is used by Gower, Drayton, and
others. The Leic. Dial, says, 'A green road through
a wood ; a riding ' ; and the N'hamp. Gloss, agrees. This
definition is borne out, I find, by two references in Robin
Hood and Guy of Gisborne :
'It had been better of William a Trent
To have been abed with sorrowe,
Tli an to be that day in the green wood slade
To meet with little John's arrowe.' — 11. 77-80.
See also L 56. Shrop. Word-bk. says, ' A patch of ground
in a ploughed field too wet for grain, and therefore left
as greensward. Cf. Slad, ante.' The Glouc. Gloss, says,
' A sloping place or valley,' under Slad, Slade.
Slan — Slep 215
Slan, sb. The sloe, Prunus spinosa. Shrop. (don and
slaun), Oxf.j Leic. (slaun), Glouc., N'hamp. (slon), Wore.
(dawn), Leic. (slaun and slon), and elsewhere. Slans,
slons, slauns, are double plurals, says Shrop. Word-bk.,
giving the A.-Sax. sld, a sloe ; slan, sloes.
Slang, adj. Long and narrow, as 'A slang kitchen,'
' A slang field/ &c. Leic. (slang, sb. any long slip of
ground), Shrop. (slang and sling, sb.), W. Wore, (sling or
slinget, sb.), Hal. Diet, (slang or slanJcet, sb. West).
Slanged [slangd], part. Slung, loosely and carelessly cast
about. ' Don't wear your muffler slanged round your
neck like that.' 'Her was wearin' a loose grey jacket,
slanged on anyhow.'
Slashing-hook, sb. A sharp, hook-like blade, on a long
handle, for cutting tall hedges. Leic. (slasher). Cf.
Brushing-hook.
Slat, sb. (i) A slate.
'Sklat or slat stone.' — Prompt. Parv., MS. Harl. 221.
'And thei wentin on the roof, and bi the sclattis (ether tyles, K marg.)
thei lee ten hym down with the bed, in to the myddil, bifor Jhesus.'
— Luke v. 19 (Wycl.).
(2) A thin lath-like strip of wood. A good example is
the slat of the Venetian blind. Shrop., Leic., and else-
where. Glouc. Gloss, has ' Slat, to slit, split.'
Sleepers, sb. pi. Fine, small rings of gold, first put into
the ears after boring, and afterwards worn whenever
the larger ear-rings, or 'droppers,' are inconvenient.
Their use is to prevent the closing of the perforations
in the lobes.
Slep. Slept. Common.
' Makyng her wymmen ek to taken kep,
And wayt on hym anyghtes whan he slep.'
Lydgate (circa 1420), The Storie of Thebes
(Skeat, Spec. Eng. Lit. 1871).
216 Slether — Slom
Slether [sleth-ur], v. n. and sb. To slide on the ice, to slip ;
a slide. SE. Wore.
Slidder, v. n. To slide on the ice. N'hamp., Staff., Leic.
Not very common in Warw.
Slinge [? sling], v. n. To go about idly. Hal. Gloss.
I have heard ' slang about ' in this sense.
Slippy, adj. Slippery. Leic., and common. 'Be slippy,'
phr., hasten, look sharp.
Slip-string, adj. Careless ; as { Slip-string ways.' N'hamp.
Slither [slith-ur], v. n. and sb. To slide on the ice, to slip ;
a slide. Leic., Wore., Glouc., N'hamp.
Slive, Sliver, (i) v. a. To slice. Common.
'I slyve a gylowfloure or any other floure from his branche or
stalke.' — Palsgrave.
'Albany. She that herself will sliver and disbranch
From her material sap, perforce must wither.'
King Lear, iv. 2. 34.
' Third Witch. Slips of yew
Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse.' — Macbeth, iv. i. 27.
' Sliving, cutting away, avulsio.'
Ang.-Lat. Lexic., 1440 (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.).
(2) sb. A large slice ; anything sliced or stripped off.
Common.
'Queen. There, on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds
Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke,
When down her weedy trophies and herself
Fell in the weeping brook.' — Hamlet, iv. 7. 173.
Cf. Chaucer's Troil. & Ores. iii. 1015 :
' Alas ! that he all whole or of him slivere
Should have his refute in so digne a place.'
Sliving, adj. 'Lazy, lubberly.' — Hal. Gloss. Leic., Glouc.
(sliver = to half-do work).
Slom, adv. (lit. slam). Right, altogether.
' He turned it slom over the road.' — S. Wano. Pruiin.
Slommock — Slug 217
Slommock, v. n. To walk in a slipshod fashion. Common.
Slommocking [slom-o-kin], part. adj. Slovenly and
clumsy ; slouching, trolloping. ' What a slommocking
wench that is ; she goes slommocking about, worse than
any beggar on the road.' Common. Wore, (slummaldng).
Cf. Shommocking and Strommocking.
Slommocks, sb. A slattern. Common.
Sloop, v. a. and sb. To slope ; a slope.
Slop vel Slop-jacket, sb. A. short smock-frock ; or loose, open
jacket. S. Warw. Provin. says, ' gathered into a band at
the waist.' A.-Sax. Midlands, and elsewhere, as East
Anglia. In Warw. the term is applied, also, to a painter's
or mechanic's overalls. Ainsworth, Thesaurus, has 'A slop
or trowser, subligar (short drawers for men and women),
subligaculum (a man's breeches or trowsers).'
' His oversloppe nis nat worth a myte.'
Chaucer, G. 633 (Six-text ed. Skeat)
(quoted in Shrop. Word-Ik.").
lFalst. What said Master Dombledon about the satin for my short
cloak and my slops?' — 2 Hen. IV, i. 2. 32.
'Don Pedro. As a German from the waist downward, all slops.' —
Much Ado, iii. 2. 35.
Planche says the word has ' at various times been applied
to three distinct articles of apparel — a jacket or cassock
[A.-Sax. slop, stola], a shoe, and a pair of breeches.'
' It has also indicated a night-gown ; and in Lane.
a pocket.' — Draper's Diet.
Sloven. Divided. Hal. Gloss. Not known to me.
Sludge-guts, sb. Var. pron. of ' slouch-guts.' A person
distinguished by a pendulous abdomen. Leic. Dial.
Slug, (i) sb. A free fight in which missiles are used.
(2) v. a. To throw stones or other missiles.
2 1 8 Small-beer — Snape
Small-beer, phr. ' He does not think small-beer of him-
self '=he thinks himself of great importance. N'hamp.,
and elsewhere. Cf. Shakespeare :
1 lago. To suckle fools and chronicle small-beer.' — Othello, ii. i. 160.
Smart, adj. Considerable, in number or size. ' There was
a smart lot o' folks at the cattle show.' ' This is a smart
load to carry.' Glouc., Leic., N'hamp., Oxf., Wore.
Smartish, adj. and adv. Fairly well. ' How are you ? '
' Smartish, thank you.' ' I'm getting on smartish now.'
Smatch, sb. A smack, taste, taint. Leic., Oxf., Hal. Diet.
(taste, twang, flavour), W. Wore. (tack).
Smellers, sb. A cat's whiskers. Common.
Smoke-shop, sb. A public-house, tavern. Birmingham.
Harvest Home, by Mr. Pratt, 1805, i. 272 (Warw. section).
It is almost unnecessary to say that the ' smoke-room '
now forms but one ' department ' of the modern tavern
or hotel.
Snag, vb. ' To trim twigs by cutting off the small shoots
or branches. The woodmen talk of snagging-out, i. e.
trimming the rods for making hurdles.' — Hal. Gloss.
Snags, sb. Snacks = ' shares.' ' Half ' is the usual prefix,
e. g. ' Half-snags for me.' It is usual amongst boys to
cry ' Half-snags, quarter bits, or some for your neighbours,'
when one of the party lights <m treasure-trove, lest the
finder appropriate the whole. Leic. N'hamp. Gloss.,
Hal. Diet., and other works, have ' snacks.'
Snape, (i) v. a. To snub, rebuke.
(2) sb. A snub, rebuke.
'•Falst. My lord, I will not undergo this sneap without reply.' —
2 Hen. IV, ii. i. 137.
Staff, (and sneap), Shrop., SE. Wore, (snaowp), Hal. Diet.
(' snepe, sneap, to snub '), Line.
Snead — Sobbing- wet 219
Snead [sned], sb. The handle of a scythe. Hal. Gloss, has
' sneid.' A.- Sax. snced. Shrop. [pron. sned], Glouc.
(snead or sned), Leic., SE. Wore, (sned), Up.-on-Sev.
Common throughout England, with the variants snathe,
sned, snithe. It forms a portion of the charge on the
shield of the Sneyd family, co. Staff. Evelyn applied
the word to the straight handle of a Slashing-hook, q. v.
' These hedges are tonsile, — they are to be cut and kept in order with
a sythe of four foot long, and very little falcated ; this is fixed on a long
sneed, or streight handle, and does wonderfully expedite the trimming
of these and the like hedges.' — Sylva, xiii, § 2 (in Nares).
Sneak [snek], sb. A ball bowled along the ground the full
length of the 'pitch,' in the game of cricket.
Sneaky-day, sb. A day of treacherous, variable weather.
Cf. ' Sneke, a cold in the head.' ' Sneke, pose, rime.' —
Hal. Diet. The last reference is from Palsgrave (1530).
Snift, v. n. or a. To sniff. Leic., N'hamp., Wore.
Snipe, sb. A mean, contemptible person.
Snirp [snurp], sb. A small, insignificant person.
Snoffle [snofl], v. n. To snuffle, snort. SE. Wore. (=to
speak with a nasal tone, or through the nose), Shrop. (=to
speak through the nose), Leic. and N'hamp. (enajfte and
snoffle = to snivel, snuffle, speak through the nose ; to
sniff), Glouc. (suoffely — snuffling, from a cold in the
head). Hal. Diet.
Snug, sb. A pig.
So, adv. Nearly, thereabouts. ' It cost seven shillings or
so.' Common.
So vel So-and-so, adj. Enceinte. Glouc., and elsewhere.
Sobbing- wet [sob-in], adj. Soaking- wet. Shrop., Staff.,
W. Wore, (sopping-wet).
220 Sock — Sough
Sock, sb. Mire, filth, liquid manure. Shrop., SE. Wore.,
Up.-on-Sev. (sock and sockage). Hal. Diet.
Sock-hole, sb. A pit for sock to drain into ; a cesspool.
Shrop., Hal. Diet, and common.
Sog, adv. An object that strikes another with sufficient
force to impress itself is said to ' hit sog.' Staff, (sogging,
heavy, sounding), Shrop. (sog, sogger, a blow, a heavy
blow), Staff, (a blow). Hal. Diet. 'A blow. West.'
Sogs, sb. pi. Gooseberries.
Soldier, sb. A minnow, in the breeding season, when the
belly is red. The common English term is ' pink ' : see
Compleat Angler, ch. iv, p. 96, ed. 1653.
Solid, adj. Grave, serious, sedate, steady, solemn. Common.
' As solid as old times ' is a Midland folk-phrase.
So long', excl. A parting phrase, which is not of long
standing in Warw. I took it for an Americanism ; but
I find it in Glouc. Gloss. ' equivalent to au revoir.' It is
not thought lucky to say 'good-bye,' which points to
a long parting.
Soople [soopi], v. a. To make supple. As an adj. the
word is almost unknown in Warw.
' To make a thing which is hard and rough, soft ; to soften, to supple.'
— Hollyband's Dictionarie, 1593.
Shrop., Leic. (v. a. and adj.), N'hamp. (souple). Hai. Diet.
Sorry, adj. Thin-witted, not up to much. ' He's a sorry
fellow.' — S. Wamu. Provin.
Sough vel Suff [suf], sb. The mouth of a drain, guarded by
a barred or pierced cover called a suff-grate. Common.
The term is applied in some counties to a covered drain
of any kind. Dryden, Poly, iv, used ' saugh ' for ' a kind
of trench.'
Souring — Spill 221
Souring [sour-in], sb. An apple for winter use. It is some-
what cone-shaped, of a yellowish-brown on one side, and
streaked with red on the other. The fruit is grown in
Glouc. and Wore., but well known in Warw. markets.
[I'll be] Soysed ! excl.
Spadger [spaj-ur], sb. The sparrow. W. Wore. Wds.t
' spadguck, Bewdley.' Oxf. (spadgick).
Spalt [spault], v. n. or a. To split off. Hal. Gloss. (Spall,
spaul, or spawl, to splinter, is common in Warw. and
Glouc.) N'hamp. (spalt, to chip, to split), Glouc. (spault,
pp. split, and spaul, to splinter), W. Wore, (spaul, to
splinter), SE. Wore, (spaul, sb. a splinter), Up.-on Sev.
(vb. and sb.), Shrop. (spawl, to slice off; said of wood,
a carpenter's term). Hal. Diet. 'Spawl, a splinter. South.'
Cf. Nares, s. v.
' Spalls . . . drippings of stones, assulae . . . Retailles, rognures. Spalls
or broken pieces of stones that come off in hewing and graving.' —
Nomenclator.
Spanish Ash, sb. The lilac. Glouc.
Sparrow-grass, sb. Var. pron. of ' asparagus.' Usually
called ' grass/ without qualification, by dealers. Common.
Spawl, v. n. or a. To splinter. Vide Spalt.
Spelsh, v. n. i. q. Spawl, q.v. Cf. ' Spel, a small chip, or
splinter, schidium.' — Coles.
Spiff, Spiffing, Spiffy, adj. Fine, gay, firstrrate, dapper.
' Ain't this a spiffin' coat 1 ' Leic., N'hamp. (spiff).
Spill, sb. A long, thin slip of wood ; or portion of paper
twisted in spiral form, used to light a candle, or the like.
Common.
'What to reserve their relicks many yeares,
Their silver spurs, or spils of broken speares.'
Hall, Sat. iv. iii. 15.
222 Spink — Split-in-the-ring
Nares says, ' The word has lately been revived, to express
small slips of paper.'
Spink, sb. The chaffinch. 'Probably called Spink from
its alarm note.' — Shrop. Word-bk. England. Vide Pink.
Spinney, sb. A small plantation of trees, a coppice, or
small wood. As Leic. Dial, points out, probably the
equivalent of the Domesday ' spinetum.' Common. Cf.
O. Fr. espinnye, ' a thorny plot, place full of briers.' —
Cotgr.
Spirt [spurt], (i) v. in. To sprout abnormally (said of
grain). Shrop., W. Wore. (sb. a sprout, or shoot).
(2) v. a. To break off the shoots from potatoes when
these are not required for planting.
Spiry [splr-e], adj. and adv. pec. use. Tall and weak.
' Them's poor spiry things, them cabbages, they'll never
heart.' ' Your geraniums are growing spiry, they'll never
make good plants.' Midlands.
Spit, v. n. (i) To rain slightly. Common.
(2) To burst slightly (said of roasting apples).
(3) s&. Likeness, image. ' The very spit of his father.'
Glouc. (spawn).
Splatter-dash, v. a. To scatter liquids or semi-liquids far
and wide. ' Don't splatter-dash the whitewash all over
everythinV N'hamp. Gloss, (splatter-dashing, large, and
wide spreading ; anything so full and large as to have an
awkward appearance).
Splawger [splau-jur], sb. A splay-footed person. Pro-
nounced sploj-ur, near Warwick.
Split-in-the-ring. A boys' game. A mark is made within
a ring. Each player casts his spinning-top at this mark,
attempting to manage the cast so that the top may strike
Splits — Spotted Dick 223
fairly, and then spin without the ring; for, should the
top remain within, it becomes the mark for the other
players, and they attempt to split it with their own
tops.
Splits. A game at marbles. One player holds one of his
own marbles, plus a marble of his opponent, over the
back of his own head, and then drops both — his object
being to separate the marbles as far as possible ; for the
opponent then shoots with his own marble at that of the
first player, and wins it, if it be struck.
Splodger [sploj-ur], sb. i. q. Splawger, q.v.
Splother [sploth-ur], v. n. or a. To scatter saliva, or food
from the mouth. W. Wore, (to splash ; sb. a splashing
noise). Cf. Spluther.
Splother-footed, adj. Spla)7-footed. Common.
Spluther [spluth-ur], (i) sb. Uproar, confusion, fuss;
nonsense, idle talk. Leic., SE. Wore, (splutter}.
(2) v. n. To talk inarticulately, from drink, fury, or
having the mouth full ; also to make a fuss or uproar —
much ado about nothing. Leic., Shrop. (splother), SE.
Wore, (splutter).
Spluthery, adj. Nonsensical ; blustering, as ' spluthery
talk.' Leic.
Spoon, Spoony, sb. A simpleton, noodle. Leic., N'hamp.
(spoony). Common. The adj. in Warw. is Spoony-
moony.
Spot, Spottle, v. a. and n. To bespatter, splash : to rain
slightly in large drops or 'spots/ which are frequently
termed 'summer-spots.' Common. Shrop. Word-bk.
(spattle-spottle).
Spotted Dick, sb. Currant cake. NW. Warw.
224 Sprack — Squilt
Sprack, adj. Vigorous, lively, alert, spry; shrewd, in-
telligent. Common. Nares' Gloss, says, ' Quick, alert ;
pronounced " sprag " by Sir Hugh Evans, in the Merry
Wives of Witidsor, in conformity with the dialect
attributed to him.'
' Evans. He is a good sprag memory.' — Merry Wives, iv. i. 85.
Sprightle up ! excl. Be lively, alert (sprightly).
Spring o' the year, phr. The season of spring. Common.
Sprunt, v. 7i. To struggle. Hal. Gloss. It seems to mean
to start, or spring suddenly without leaving the ground,
&c., entirely. N'hamp. (sprunt, si), a sudden spring after
leaping, when the forefeet reach the ground. ' The horse
gave such a sprunt '), Shrop. (sprent, sprunt, sb. a sudden
start or spring).
'See this sweet simpering babe,
Sweet image of thyself; see, how it sprunts
With joy at thy approach.' — Ben Jonson, The Devil is an Ass.
Spud, v. 7i. To speed. ' He did spud along.'
Spuddle, v. 7i. To dig lightly. Glouc.
Spuds, sb.pl. Potatoes. Glouc., Wore., Shrop. (potato-sets).
Spug, sb. The sparrow.
Squale, v. n. Var. pron. of ' squeal.' SE. Wore., and else-
where.
Squawk, v. n. To screech, clamour, squeal, squall, cry out :
caw. Midlands.
Squench, v. a. Var. pron. of ' quench.' Midlands.
* Fetche pitch and flaxe, and squench it.'
First Part of the Contention, p. 59 (in Hal. Diet.}.
Squilt, sb. A speck, sore, or blemish on the skin. W. Wore,
(a sore place), Up.-on-Sev. (a pimple), Glouc. (squilts,
spots), SE. Wore, (pimple, or small eruption), Shrop.
Squit — Stag-alone-y 225
(a speck, a blemish : used with a negative form, e. g. ( The
child's never 'ad a squilt on her ').
Squit, sb. Nonsense. ' Your talk's all squit.'
Squitch, Squitch- grass, sb. (i) Couch-grass, and other
grasses of similar habit. W. Wore., Shrop., Glouc., Leic.,
SE. Wore. Vide Couch, Quitch, and Scutch. The term
is loosely applied to garden-refuse in Warw. ' They're
burnin' squitch.'
(2) A light, flexible stick, or rod. Common.
Squob, v. a. To burst, to squash. ' What did you squob
that plum for "? '
Squ6ze, p. and pp. of ' squeeze.' Shrop. Common.
Staddle [stadl], sb. A. wooden frame raised on low, broad-
based stones — called ' staddle-stones ' — to support a rick.
N'hamp., Oxf., Wore., Glouc. ? common. Cf. Bick-staddle.
Cf. A.-Sax. staftol, sta&il, stadel.
Stag-alone-y [stag-S-ldn'-e]. A boys' game. One boy is
chosen stag, and runs after the other players, holding
his clasped hands, palms together, in front of him,
trying to tick any one he can. The first boy he touches
joins hands with him, and they run together, and try
to tick other players, and so form an ever-lengthening
chain, the boys at each end of the chain ticking others
with their disengaged hands, till all are caught — the
one first caught becoming 'stag.' The other players
may break the chain if they can, and ride the disengaged
members back to den. The stag's rhyme of warning,
when starting from den, is
'Stag alone-y,
My long pony,
Kick the bucket over.'
Cf. Burne and Jackson, Shrop. Folk-lore, 'Stag warning, '
Q
226 Stagger-bob — Stare
p. 523, and my English Folk-rhymes, pp. 391-2, for
variants.
Stagger-bob, sb. A very young calf. Glouc., Wore, and
Shrop. (staggering -bob, a very young calf, slaughtered).
Stall [stal], sb. A long, slender handle to a mop, broom,
hayfork, and the like. Glouc. (stale and steel), N'hamp.
(steal), Shrop. (and stele), Staff, (steall), Leic., SE. Wore.
(stale), Oxf. Common throughout England, slightly
varied. A. -Sax. steel, a stalk, &c.
'It hath a long stale or handle.' — Mortimer, Husbandry (quoted in
Glouc. Gloss.}.
'A. speare staff, or the shaft and stale of a javeline.' — Nomendator
(in Nares).
' Like a broad shak-fork with a slender steale.' — Bp. Hall's Satires,
P- 77-
'Steale or handell of a staffe, manche, hantel.' — Palsgrave.
' Stele ' is used in the Prompt. Parv. for the handle of
a drinking or other vessel :
'Stele, or stert of a vesselle, ansa.'
Stale, (i) sb. Urine.
(2) v. n. To micturate. Leic., Wore. ? common.
Ainsworth, Thesaurus, has ' Stale, urina. To stale,
urinam reddere?
Stand, v. a. To put, place. e Stand this glass on the
window-ledge.' 1 common.
Stare, sb. The starling.
' Slurnus, a stare.' — MS. Antnd. 249, f. 90.
' Staare, a byrde, estournecvux.' — Palsg. (in Hal. Diet.}.
Wilbraham, Gloss. Chesh., 1826, says, ' In ^Elfric's
Glossary we have Beacita vel Sturnus, Stearn. He has
also Turdus, Staer.' Vide Blackstare.
Starred — Stirrup-oil 227
Starred, pp. Starved with cold. S. Warw. Provin.
SE. Wore. Gloss, (stard).
Start-naked [start-na'kid], adj. Wholly naked, stark-
naked. ' Stript start-naked' is often used as a compound
adjective. ' A thin cotton bed-gown ain't much good to
a child in the winter : it might almost as well be stript
start-naked.'
Start-up, sb. The crocus.
Starve, v. a. To chill through. ' Don't go out in this cold
wind, you'll starve yourself,' or ' be starved to death.'
In the Midlands, this word never means to perish of
hunger.
Stelch [stel-ch], sb. A layer, a row, a section of anything
above the other parts. N'hamp. Gloss, (as much as
a man can thatch without moving his ladder. The
first stelch in a roof is called a gahle-stelch). Glouc.
Gloss, (stulch, sb. a series of helms or haulms for
thatching, Cotswold). Up.-on-Sev. Wds. (stelch or stilch,
a reaper's breadth).
Step-and-fetch-it, sb. A person that drags one leg in
walking. Leic. Dial, says, ' A favourite nickname for
a tall girl, quick and decisive in her movements.'
Stick-and-a-rag, sb. An umbrella. Midlands.
Sticking, sb. The neck or throat of beef. Leic. (stickings).
Stiddy, adj. Var. pron. of ' steady.'
Still, adj. Respectable, inoffensive. ' He's a still, quiet
man. There's never nothing the matter with him.' —
S. WCLIVJO. Provin.
Stirrup-oil [stir-up-ile], sb. i. q. Strap-oil, q. v. Leic.,
N'hamp., and common.
Q 2
Stitchwhile — Stomach
Stitchwhile, sb. A moment of time. ' It teks me every
stitchwhile to keep them children's clothes tidy.'
Stock, (i) v. a. To grub up; to dig up with a pointed
implement. Shrop., Glouc., N'hamp.
'Thy groves and pleasant springs
The painful labourer's hand shall stock, the roots to burn.'
Drayton, Poly., Song xiv (quoted in Glouc. Gloss.}.
(2) To peck. Glouc. (of a bird pulling up seed corn),
Wore., Shrop. Up.-on-Sev. Wds. ( = to strike with
a point).
Stocky, adj. (i) Sturdy, short and thick-set. Oxf. Hal.
Diet, says, ' West.'
' They had no titles of honour amongst them, but such as denoted
some bodily strength or perfection ; as, such an one the tall, such an
one the stocky.' — Addison, Spectator, No. 433 (quoted in Glouc. Gloss.).
(2) Impudent, saucy; restive. N'hamp., Leic. Hal.
Diet.
Stodge, v. a. or n. To stuff, cram, fill to repletion ; as, ' To
stodge the hodge (belly) ' : or, ' To squeeze close together.'
— Hal. Gloss. Midlands. ? common.
Stodgeful', adj. Quite full, full to repletion. Part. adj.
Stodged. Midlands. ? common.
Stodger, sb. A fat, ' pot-bellied ' person. SE. Wore.
Stodgy, adj. Thick, clogging, as applied to foods : stout,
' podgy,' ' fed-up,' as applied to persons. Midlands.
? common.
Stomach, (i) v. a. To fancy, tolerate. ' I can't stomach
the master's ways.' Common.
(2) sb. Courage, pride. Common.
' K. Hen. That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart.' — Hen. V, iv. 3. 35.
' Whoso hath also a proud look and high stomach : I will not suffer
him.' — Ps. ci. 7 (Prayer Book Version).
Stomachful — Strap-oil 229
' An undergoing stomach ' = enduring courage, occurs in
the Temp. i. 2. 157. See also Hen. VIII, iv. 2. 34, where
Wolsey is called ' a man of an unbounded stomach.'
Stomachful, (i) adj. High-spirited, proud ; stubborn,
obstinate. Common.
' A stomachful boy, put to school, the whole world could not bring
to pronounce the first letter.' — Sir R. L'Estrange (cit. Latham).
(2) Prone to take offence, resentful. 'Don't you get
out o' th' gaffer's good books; he's very stomachful.'
Common.
Stoney, sb. A boy's marble of stone; so called to distin-
guish it from the ' pot ' or clay marble, and the ' alley ' of
alabaster, &c.
Stoo-an, sb. Var. pron. of ' stone.'
Stoop, v. a. To tilt or incline a barrel so that the contents
may flow more readily. ' This barrel's gettin' low ; you'd
better stoop it.' ' The barrel wants stooping.' Common.
Stopless, sb. i. q. Ditless, q. v. Up.-on-Sev.
Stop-shawd, sb. A stopgap, actually and figuratively. ' It's
no use comin' to me to be your stop-shawd.' Glouc.
(shard, a gap, and stop-shard), Up.-on-Sev. (shard, shord,
a gap), Hal. Diet, (stopshord), Somerset., and elsewhere.
Stoul, sb. A low stump of a tree, which sometimes springs
forth anew ; or is occasionally hollowed out, and filled
with soil, in which flowers, &c., are planted. Shrop.
(and stub), Glouc. (stowl or stool), Up.-on-Sev. (and stub),
W. Wore. (stub).
Strap-oil, sb. A greenhorn is sent to a shop for a penny-
worth of strap-oil or Stirrup-oil, q. v., and sometimes
gets a taste of a strap for his pains : hence strap-oil may
signify a beating. Common. Vide Pigeon's Milk. In
230 Strapper — Stuff
country places the new hand on the farm is sent with
a bag to fetch 'the rick-mould,' and is generally sent
back with a heavy load of stones.
Strapper, sb. A tall, strongly-built person. Common.
Strapping, adj. Great, tall, bulky. Common.
Strides, sb. (i) Trousers. (2) A cooking utensil, somewhat
horse-shoe shaped, hooked at the ends to clip the bars of
the grate : the use of which is to support a dish, Dutch
oven, or the like, containing food to be cooked.
Strike, (i) v. a. or n. To plant a young shoot : to take
root from a shoot.
(2) sb. A bushel measure [there is also a ' strike-basket,'
which contains a bushel] : a bushel.
' Some men and women, rich and nobly borne,
Gave all they had for one poore strike of corne.'
Taylor, Workes, 1630, i. 15 (quoted in Hal. Diet.}.
It is supposed that ' strike,' a bushel, is so called from
the custom of ' striking ' off the measure of corn evenly
with the ' strickle,' a wooden implement for that purpose.
Handle Holme calls this a ' strickless,' and describes it as
' a straight board, with a staff fixed in the side ' (Acad.
Armory).
Strip-Jack-naked. A game at cards. ' Beggar-my-neigh-
bour.' Midlands.
Stroddle, v. n. Var. pron. of ' straddle.'
Strommock, v. n. To walk in a striding, ungraceful fashion.
Strommocking, part. adj. Applied to slatternly females
walking with long strides. N'hamp.
Strommocks, sb. A great, mannish woman.
Struv, p. and pp. of ' strive.' Leic., N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Stuff, Stuff up, v. a. To make a person believe a lie.
Common.
Stunkey— Sup 231
Stunkey or Thunkey [£Aunk-e], adj. ' A. term applied to
arable land which is so saturated with wet as to be unfit
for ploughing or sowing.' — Hal. Gloss.
Stupid, sb. Bacon.
Sty, sb. * A painful and troublesome pimple or tumour on
the eyelid, the charm for relieving which is rubbing the
part nine times with a wedding-ring, or other piece of
gold.' — Hal. Gloss. Common.
' " I have a sty here, Chilax."
" I have no gold to cure it, not a penny,
Not one cross, cavalier." ' — Beaum. & Fletch., Mad Lover.
N'hamp. Gloss, says, ' It seems to be a corruption.' Ang.-
Lat. Lexic., 1440, has ' Styanye yn the eye.'
Substance, sb. A tumour. Midlands.
Suck, pi. Sucks. Lollipop, lollipops. ' Suck-shop ' = a place
where lollipops are sold.
Suck in, v. a. To cheat, chouse, trick. Leic., N'hamp.,
SE. Wore, (sucked in— cheated : which, too, is in common
use in the Midlands).
Suddent, adv. Suddenly. S. Warw. Provin. I have
heard it only as a var. pron. of 'sudden,' e.g. 'All of
a suddent': ' A suddent shock.'
Sukey [suk-e], sb. A tea-kettle. N'hamp. Vide Shiik.
Summat, sb. Var. pron. of ' somewhat.' Something. ' I've
got summat for you to do.' Common.
Summery vel Summered, part. adj. Tart (not sour) ; spoken
of beer slightly ' turned ' owing to hot weather. Glouc.
Cf. Shrop. Word-bk. sub voce.
Sun, adv. Var. pron. of ' soon.'
Sup, sb. A small quantity of drink. ' Gi'e us a sup o' tay
(tea).' Wore., Shrop., and elsewhere.
232 Sup up — Sweet-tooth
Sup up, v. a. To feed and ( bed down ' animals for the night.
Midlands.
Surely', adv. Var. pron. of ' surely.' ' Surely7 yo' ain't
gooin' out in all this rain.' Leic., and elsewhere.
Surop, sb. Var. pron. of ' syrup.' Shrop. (serop).
Sut, sb. Var. pron. of ' soot.' Common.
Swagger, v. a. ' To satisfy. "You was wantin' to see
some big dahlias; now, if you'll come into my garden,
I'll swagger ye." ' — S. Warw. Provin.
Swapson [swop-sn], sb. A great, coarse woman. Shrop.
Swapsy [swop-se], adj. Bulky, huge.
Swarm [swb'rm], v. a. 'To climb the trunk or stem of
a tree below the branches, by the muscular action of the
arms, legs, and thighs.' — Hal. Gloss. Common.
'He swarmed up into a tree,
Whyle eyther of them might other see.'
Syr Isenbras, 351 (in Hal. Diet.).
Swatchel [swotch-1], sb. A coarse, fat, or loosely-dressed
female.
Swatchelled [swotch-ld], part. adj. { Daggled; also op-
pressed from walking or over-exertion. "I was welly
swatchelled to death," said a Stratford girl after a dirty
walk.' — Hal. Gloss. Oxf. Gloss, (supplement), (swotchul
along and sivotchultin).
Sweetener [swet-nr], sb. 'A. person engaged on behalf of
the seller to bid at a public sale or auction, without
intending to purchase, for the purpose of clandestinely
or surreptitiously running up the price of the articles.' —
N'hamp. Gloss. Common.
Sweet-tooth, sb. and phr. A person who is fond of sweet
things is said to be a sweet-tooth, or to have a sweet
tooth. Common.
Swep — Tabber 233
Swep, p. and pp. of ' sweep.' ' I swep the kitchen about
ten minutes agoo, an' now it's as bad as ever, along
o' you not wiping your boots.' Common.
Swinge [swinj], v. a. To singe. Glouc., Wore.
'The scorching flame sore swinged all his face.'
Spenser, Faery Queene, bk. i, c. xi, st. xxvi.
(quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.}.
Sword, sb. The outside, or skin of bacon ; the rind, or
'crackling' of pork. Common. Leic. (soord), Shrop.
(swurd and so-urd), W. Wore, (sord), SE. Wore, (soard),
Up.-on-Sev. (sward).
' Sward or sworde of flesche, coriana.' — Prompt. Pan.
' The sward of bacon, la peau de lard.' — Cotgrave.
Syke [sik], sb. Bacon. Stratford-on-Avon.
T. (i) Added to once, nice, sermon, vermin ; which become
wunst, nicet, sarmunt, varmint.
(2) Omitted in preterites and participles ending in
'pt,' as crep', kep', step', swep' = crept, kept, slept,
swept.
(3) 'T' or 'double t' changes to 'r' before some
vowels, or ' h ' mute. Ger out, gerrin on, ler on, gor at
replace get on, getting on, let on (to divulge), got
at, &c.
Ta, sb. Var. pron. of 'tea.' Oxf., SE. Wore., N'harnp., and
elsewhere.
Tabber [tab-ur], v. n. To tap repeatedly, as with the
fingers, on a door or window ; to drum.
'Her maids shall lead her . . ., tabering upon their breasts.'—
Nahum ii. 7.
'As hard as a taber (tabour)' is a Glouc. folk-phrase.
Pynson and Prompt. Parv. have ' tabouryn, timpaniso.'
N'hamp., Glouc., Wore., Shrop., Leic.
234 Tachin-end — Take away
Tachin-end, sb. Var. pron. of ' attaching-end.' The waxed,
hempen thread used by cobblers for joining or attaching
leather. Common.
Tack, (i) sb. Pasturage hired for temporary use. Common.
(2) v. a. To take animals for pasturage, for hire ; to
hire pasturage. Common.
(3) sb. Poor malt liquor, food, &c. Common.
Taffy, sb. Var. pron. of ' toffy.' SE. Wore.
Tag, (i) v. a. To touch, as in the game of Tick, q. v.
(2) sb. The game of ' tick.' A touch in the game.
SE. Wore.
Tageous [taj-us], adj. ' Tedious, troublesome. " The boy's
not well, he's so tageous" (this points to the old pro-
nunciation of tedious [taid'ius], Skeat).' — 8. Warw.
Provin.
Tail-board, sb. The back end of a cart or wagon. It may
be extended with chains so as to allow of extra freight,
or allowed to fall below the body of the vehicle, for
purposes of loading ; and, in some instances, it may be
removed entirely. Midlands.
Tail-wheat, sb. Inferior wheat left after winnowing. Shrop.
Word-bk. says, ' The light lean grains which fall out of
the tail-end of the winnowing machine.' Cf. Leic. Dial.
for a careful paragraph. SE. Wore, (tail), Up.-on-Sev.
N'hamp., Oxf. (tailin-whate), Shrop. (tail-ends and
tailings). Hal. Diet. Common.
'Taint [tant]. 'Tis not. N'hamp. ' 'Taint rainin', now.'
Take after, phr. To resemble a parent or relative in
feature or disposition. Common.
Take away, sb. Appetite, eating-capacity. ' That lad's
got a pretty good take away.' Common.
Take off— Tang 235
Take off, phr. (i) To leap from a mark, as ' Take off, taw.'
(2) To mimic. Common.
Take on', phr. To grieve, lament. ' Don't take on so.'
Common.
Take to, phr. (i) To enter on ; take possession of, as * We
shall take to the other house next week.'
(2) To adopt. ' I'm gooin' to tek to Sarah's little boy,
now the father's dead.'
(3) To show a liking for, as ' Did the baby take to the
new nurse1?' 'To be taken to' or 'took to'=to be
taken aback, surprised, astonished. Common.
Take up, phr. (i) To answer shortly and hastily.
(2) To correct.
(3) To improve (said of the weather). ' It looks stormy,
but I think it'll take up later on.'
(4) To take into legal custody. Common.
Taken. Took. ' I taken the horse to be shod, isterday
(yesterday).' Midlands, and elsewhere.
Ta-kettle-broth, sb. ' Broth made of bread, hot water, and
an onion or two.' — S. Warw. Provin. SE. Wore., N'hamp.
(bread, butter, pepper, and salt, with boiling water).
Tan, v. a. To thrash, castigate, e. g. ' I'll tan your hide.'
But N'hamp. Gloss, calls attention to A.-Sax. tan, a
switch, or twig. Common.
Tancel [tan-si], v. a. To beat, thrash, castigate. Shrop.,
Up.-on-Sev., Glouc.
Tang, v. a. ( i ) To sound loudly, or sharply and repeatedly,
as a harsh bell does. Midlands.
'Malvol. Be opposite with a kinsman, surly with servants; let thy
tongue tang arguments of state.' — Twelfth Night, ii. 5. 64.
'Tang' is used as a sb. in the Tempest, and means a
236 Tank — Tater-trap
twang or unpleasant iteration similar to that made by
the clapper on inferior bell-metal. Midlands.
' Steph. For she had a tongue with a tang.' — Tempest, ii. 2. 53.
(2) To make a ringing noise with a key, or some
piece of metal, on a shovel, warming-pan, or the like,
when bees are swarming. The sound is said to attract
the insects to the hive. Midlands, and elsewhere.
Tank, (i) v. a. To strike, knock.
(2) sb. A blow, or knock. N'hamp., Leic., Staff.
(3) v. 7i. To chatter, cank, gossip.
Tantadlin-tart, s6. (i) A nonentity. Children are some-
times promised a tantadlin-tart, when there is no inten-
tion to provide a delicacy of any kind.
(2) A cow-clat ; merda. Hal. Diet, agrees, and assigns
the term to Herefords.
(3) A pasty, the true contents of which have been
abstracted and replaced by some nasty compound.
Glouc. Gloss, (tantadlin, apple-dumpling). Leic. Dial.
says, ' The composition of this delicacy varies considera-
bly, but apples, onions, and fat bacon are amongst the
most constant of its elements. Unwary inquirers into
its constituents are apt to find themselves the victims of
a curiously unsavoury joke.'
Tap, v. a. To resole or heel boots and shoes. Shrop., Glouc.
Ta-ta, sb. A walk, or ramble, in baby-talk. When used
as a parting phrase, it is accented on the second syllable.
Tater-trap, sb. The mouth. Common.
'Vlee away, blackie cap,
Don't ye hurt measter's crap,
While I vill my tatie-trap,
And lie down and teak a nap.'
Bird-scarer's rhyme, Southern Counties
(Notes & Queries, and ser. vii. 313).
Tater-ball — Teeny 237
Tater-ball vel Tater-apple, sb. The ' fruit ' of the potato,
which is round like a ball, and contains the seeds.
SE. Wore, (tater-ball).
Taw [tau], sb. (i) The mark from which runners, leapers,
or players in any game, start. Lew, Dial, says that
' taw = toe.' N'hamp.
(2) A large, choice marble which is used by boys for
shooting at other marbles. Common.
Taxy-waxy, sb. i. q. Fac-wax, q.v. Shrop.
Tear [ter], v. n. To rush, hurry, or run about violently,
as 'Don't tear along so.' Leic., SE. Wore., N'hamp.
(tare). Common. Vide Hip.
Teart [te-St], adj. (i) Sharp, painful, smarting, as ' a teart
wound.' A.-Sax.
(2) Sharp, biting (said of cold weather). Midlands.
Sour beer and cider are said to be ' teart ' in Glouc.
Teel [tel], v. a. To ' upend'; to place an object or objects
in a vertical or slanting position. ' Teel this dish agen
the sink, to drain.' Glouc. Gloss. ' to pile up.' Hal. Diet.
' To place anything in a leaning position against a wall.
Wilts.'
Teem [tern], v. n. or a. To pour: to pour out, empty.
' Hark at the rain ; it does teem.' ' This teapot don't
teem well.'
'Teem out the remainder of the ale into the tankard, and fill the
glasses with small beer.' — Swift, Advice to Servants (in Glouc. Gloss.}.
Cf. ' Temyn, or maken empty, vacuo, evacuo.' — Prompt. Paro.
Teeming, part. adj. ( The teeming rain,' or ' Is it
raining ? ' ' Fairly teeming.' Midlands.
Teeny, adj. Very small. Common intensives are ' teeny-
tiny ' and ' teeny-weeny.'
238 Teg — That
Teg, sb. A year-old sheep. Common.
Tempest, si. pec. A rain-storm, or thunderstorm, ivithout
wind. Midlands.
Terrible, adv. ' Excessively. " He's terrible fond of the
little un." ' — S. Warw. Provin. Glouc. Gloss, (a strong
superlative).
Terrify, v. a. To destroy, injure. 'They've been terrifying
my cabbages.' — S. Wamv. Provin. Glouc. Gloss. ' To annoy,
tease, vex, torment. Common. To damage, Selsley, NE.
To break up the land fine, Icomb.' W. Wore, (to torment,
puzzle), Up.-on-Sev. (to astonish, annoy, trouble), SE.
Wore, (to torment), Shrop. (to pain, to irritate).
Terry, adj. Sticky, smeary. Hal. Gloss.
Tether, v. a. or n. To marry. Hal. Gloss.
Tewer [tu-ur], sb. A narrow passage. ' Which Mrs. Hancox
do you want: her as lives up the tewer "?' — S. Warw.
Provin. Cf. Chewer.
Tewing, part. adj. Toiling, labouring. N'hamp. Gloss.
says, ' The Wiclif MS., Luke xii. has, " Biholde je lilyes of
ye feeld, how yei waxen, yei tueilyn not neij» spynnen." '
Thack [<Aak], v. a. or n. and sb. To thatch ; a thatch.
Leic., Wore., and elsewhere.
' The houses of these two tounnes be partly slatid, partly thakkid.' —
Leland, Itin. ii. 39.
' That they would ever in houses of thack
Their lives lead.' — Chaucer's Dream (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.}.
'Thack and dyke
Northamptonshire-like.'
Sternberg, Dial. & Folklore of N'hamp., 1851, p. 113.
That, (i) adv. So. It is followed by ' as,' where ' so ' would
be followed by 'that,' e.g. 'This lad's that idle as I can
do nothing with him.' Midlands.
That-away — This 239
(2) intensive. ' I've been gardening and that.'
(3) ' Do yo' like opples V ' I do that.'
That-away, adv. In that direction; in that fashion or
manner. Leic., and elsewhere. Cf. This-a way.
That'n vel That'ns, adv. That way, as of the manner of
doing a thing. England. Cf. A-that'n. ' That'n ' is used
as an abbreviation of ' That one ' in most dialects, too.
That there, pr. That (pleonasm). 'That there whip's
mine.' Midlands, and elsewhere. Cf. This here.
The, Th', def. art. or distin. adj. Is sometimes redundant,
as Til buy th1 both:' 'I prefer th' tother:' 'He died a'
th' Christmas:' Tm teaching him th' paper-hanging.'
It is sometimes omitted, for emphasis, as ' Look at crows,'
i. e. the vast number of rooks. Midlands.
The, adv. There. * Ain't the a ruck o' trees in this park.'
Hal. Diet. ' = there, though. A.-Sax.'
Theirn [tharn], poss. pron. Theirs. ' Whose cat's this "? '
' Theirn next door.'
Them, Them there, pron. Those. ' Gi'e me them there
nails.' Midlands, and elsewhere.
There, adv. Var. pron. of ' there.' Leic.
There-and-then, phr. At once, immediately. ' He set to
work there-and-then.' Common.
Thick [iAik], adj. Intimate. ' As thick as thieves ' is
a common phrase.
Thief [thef ], sb. An imperfection in the wick which causes
a candle to 'gutter' and waste. See Holme, Acad.
Armory, bk. iii, ch. iii, p. 102:
' Thief is when anything is in the burning part of the candle which
makes it waste more than it would do.'
This, adv. So. ' About this high.' Cf. That.
240 This-away — Three-straws
This-away, adv. In this direction ; in this fashion. Leic.
Cf. That-away.
This here, pron. This (pleon.). Cf. That there.
This'n, This'ns, adv. This way, as of the manner of doing
a thing. Cf. That'n. ' This'n ' = this one in most dialects,
too.
Thomasing [tom-S-sing], part. adj. Collecting alms and
provisions on St. Thomas' Day, Dec. 21. Usually called
' Gooin' a-thomasin',' or sometimes ' Gooin' a-goodin'.'
Midlands, and elsewhere. See Dyer, British Popular
Customs, pp. 43 8-4 1 . For verses see my Eng. Folk-rhymes,
pp. 228-9. Cf. Corning.
Thrall [^A,raul], sb. A stand for barrels. Glouc., N'hamp.,
Leic. Hal. Diet.
Thrape vd Threap [£Arap], v. a. To thrash, castigate. Hal.
Diet. ' North.' This may be a modern application of the
ancient word :
' I threpe a mater upon one, I beare one in hande that he hath doone
or said a thing amysse.' — Palsg. f. 389 (in Hal. Diet.).
It is still used in Shrop. in this last sense, and the Shrop.
Word-bk. gives early examples.
Three-straws [£Are-strauz]. A game at pitchback. Three
rows of earth, sand, &c., are placed in parallel lines about
a foot and a half apart. Each player is careful not to step
or descend upon these 'straws' when pitching over the
boy who makes the back, lest he himself should be forced
to take the other's place. The one that makes the back
has several positions, which he takes up by turn, when
the last player pitches and cries ' Foot it': (i) Both feet
outside the first straw; (2) A foot on each side of the
first straw ; (3) Both feet inside ; (4) Both feet between
the first two parallel lines ; (5) Both feet before the
Three-straws 241
second straw, &c. When the three straws are passed,
and the one ' down ' is told to ' foot it,' he does so by
placing one foot lengthwise against the other resting
sideways, and then bringing the side-long foot, still
sideways, in advance, and, lastly, setting the now rear
foot beside, but in front of its fellow ; and again makes
the back. This goes on until the distance is so great that
one leaper, less agile than his fellows, fails to reach the
' back,' or steps over or on the last straw to do so, when
he is ' down.' If the last player forget to cry ' Foot it ' at
any time in the play, he himself goes ' down.' I. imagine
that the rows are called ' straws ' because they are strewn
or strawn.
When the one 'down' has a foot on each side of the
middle straw — a position which is called ' the fly ' — each
leaper must clear his back and the three straws. Should
one tread on the first or last straw, or start from the space
between straws one and two, or alight between straws two
and three (this not always), he is ' down.' But, when the
one that makes the back has advanced his position, each
leaper is allowed to start from the space between the first
and second straws. When the maker of the back has both
feet over the third straw, it is allowable to leap from
the space between straws one and two, or tivo and three.
Sometimes the one ' down ' does not continue to foot it
further, but returns, step by step, to his original position
before the first straw, should no leaper blunder mean-
while, when a new game is begun.
The method adopted to determine which player shall
make the back is to procure the same number of various
lengths of straw, or blades of grass, as there are players.
These are held by one player, usualty with the visible
ends even, and each player, in turn, selects any length he
R
242 Thrice-cock — Tid
may fancy. The one that has the shortest length must
make the back. If a previous game has been played,
and one player has made the back throughout, he is
exempt from the drawing.
Thrice-cock [£/ms-cok], sb. The missel-thrush. Shrop.
Thunder-ball [Mundur-baul], sb. The common red poppy.
Shrop. Word-bk. ' thunder-bowt.' Hal. Diet. '=the corn-
poppy. West.' This term doubtless embodies some myth.
Children believe that to pluck the flower will draw down
the ' bolts of heaven' on them. Venus and Jove — or possi-
bly Venus and Vulcan — seem to be in conjunction here.
Tice, sb. Advantage, grace given in any game.
Tick and Tag, sb. ' A slight touch. These terms are
somewhat indifferently used by children in a play
wherein the boy touched by one who is in the first
instance fixed upon to commence the game is, in his
turn, obliged to overtake and touch [' tick ' or ' tag,' v. a.]
another of the party, when it is usual to cry " tick " or
"tag," and thus the play proceeds. Drayton mentions
a rural sport called " tick." ' — Hal. Gloss.
[The mountain nymphs] ' do give each other chase
At hoodwink barley-break, at tick, or prison-base.' — Poly. xxx.
Leic. Dial, (tick and ticky-ticky-touchivood), N'hamp.
(tieky-ticky-touchivood).
' Tick-and-touchwood ' and ' Tick-and-tumbledown' are
Warw. variants. To touch wood (which must not, of
course, be carried on the person) affords sanctuary : and
to tumble down affords exemption for a time. 'Tick-
and-no-den' compels the players to keep on dodging or
running, so as to avoid the stroke.
Tid, adj. Lively, pert. Glouc. Gloss. = playful, frolicsome.
W.Worc (tender,nice, fanciful), Shrop. (tenderly careful of).
Tiddle — Tiller 243
Tiddle, (i)v. a. To tend carefully ; to nurture tenderly. Oxf.,
SE. Wore., Up.-on-Sev., Shrop., W. Wore, (to fuss, fidget ;
v. n. [sic] to be carefully tended). Bailey, Diet., 1727,
has ' Tiddle, to indulge or fondle, to make much of.'
Ainsworth, Thesaurus, has ' To tiddle, or tidder, one,
alicui nimis indulgere? &c.
(2) v. n. To micturate, used principally amongst
children.
Tiddling [tid-lin], sb. A delicate child that needs and
receives tender care ; a young lamb brought up by hand.
Oxf. (tiddler, a lamb fed with the bottle), Glouc.,
Wore.
Tiddlywink [tid-le-wink7] , sb. A small public-house licensed
for the sale of beer, cider, and tobacco. Glouc., Wore.
' Tiddly ' or ' tiddley,' meaning ' a drink,' has passed into
modern slang : witness the London street-song, ' Come
and have a tiddley round the corner.' Cf. Tiddle, v. n.
Tiddy, adj. Tiny, babyish. SE. Wore., W. Wore, (small,
tiny), Oxf. (tiddley, very small). ' Tiddy-iddy ' is another
WTarw. form.
Tidy, adj. Well, tolerable: good, in all its idiomatic senses.
Midlands. Shrop. Word-bk. gives suitable quotations
from early authors.
' Tydy, probus.' — Prompt. Pare.
Tift, sb. A slight quarrel (tiff). Shrop.
Tight, adj. Neat, well-made. Hal. Gloss., and common.
Tiller, sb. ' The horse in the shafts, the wheeler.' — 8. Warw.
Provin. A corruption of ' thiller.' Glouc. (thiller and
tiller, also filler and thill-horse), W. Wore, (thill-horse
and thiller, also filler), Up.-on-Sev. and Shrop. (thiller),
SE. Wore. (thiller an& filler).
H 2
244 Tip-cat
* Gob. Thou hast got more hair on thy chin, than Dobbin my thill-
horse has on his tail.' — Merck, of Ven. ii. a. 102.
' Pand. Come your ways, come your ways ; an you draw backward,
we'll put you i' the fills.' — Troil. & Ores. iii. 2. 44.
'Thylle horse, wedus.' — Prompt. Parv.
4 Thiller, or Thil-horse, is the horse which is put under the Thills of
the Cart to bear them up.' — Blount, Glossographia, 1674, p. 646 (in Shrop.
Word-bk.}.
Tip-cat, sb. ' A play amongst boys, less used now than
formerly. The cat, which is made of some very firm
wood, pointed at both ends, resembles a small shuttle,
but having the angles from the centre more acute, so
that a smart and well-directed blow with a bat-formed
stick shall cause it to rise from the ground, when the
player endeavours by a second stroke to drive it as far
as possible. This diversion has a considerable resem-
blance to trap-ball, save that the cat in this game
answers the double purpose of trap and ball.' — Hal.
Gloss.
I may add to this, that when the striker has driven
the cat to a distance, he gives the other player a chance
to become batsman by allowing him a certain number
of leaps from the cat towards the ring. Should the
leaper succeed in reaching the ring by these leaps, he
becomes batsman and the former holder must cast the
cat. This reminds me that the game is not fully de-
scribed above. A ring is scored in the ground, and one
player casts the cat towards it from a certain mark.
Should the cat fall in the ring, and remain there, the
batsman is ' out,' i. e. must resign the bat. If the cat
fall on the line of the ring, one tip and drive (called
' one pen'uth,' pennyworth) only are allowed : if it fall
entirely without the circumference ' three pen'uth ' —
three tips and three drives — are regular. The u&ual
Tisiky — Toad-in-a-[the-]hole 245
formula of the batsman — after the cat is cast — is ' Rise
cat, turn cat, all the way along, and all outs wherever
it goes,' which allows of his placing the cat in any
favourable position for the tip, or taking it from any
hollow or inconvenient place into which it may fall.
Should the one who casts the cat cry ' No rise cat,' &c.,
this advantage is forbidden. The game, in some form,
is of wo rid- wide fame, I believe : and is said to be
pictured amongst the mural decorations of the ancient
Egyptians.
Tisiky [tiz-e-ke], adj. Phthisical ; affected with a hacking
cough.
Tisik, (i) v. n. To cough.
(2) sb. A hacking cough.
Tisicking, part. adj. Midlands, and elsewhere.
Titivate [tit-e-vat], v. a. To make smart, or spruce ; to
renovate (as of attire). Common.
Titty, sb. A mother's breast or milk. Common.
' Mammille, tittas.' — Ang. Sax. Vocab. loth or nth cent, (in Wright's
Vocabs. i. 283).
'Creepy mouse, creepy mouse
All the way to titty-house.'
Rhyme addressed to very young children, whilst inserting
one finger beneath the neck-clothing.
Titty-bottle, sb. An infant's feeding-bottle. Common.
Titty-mog, sb. A child or other youngling frequently at
the teat. ' Lug-tit ? is another term. ' Mog ' or ' Moggy '
is a pet name for a sucking calf.
Tizzy, sb. A sixpence. N'hamp. Hal. Diet. Wright,
Diet. Obsol. and Prov. Engl., gives this as a cant term.
Toad-in-a-[the-]hole, sb. A piece of meat baked in a
batter pudding. Midlands, and elsewhere.
246 Toadstool — Tommy
Toad-stool, sb. ' A fungus resembling and sometimes mis-
taken for a mushroom. Shakespeare uses the term in
a figurative sense.' — Hal. Gloss. N'hamp., and elsewhere.
'Ajax [to Thersites, a deformed Grecian]. Toadstool, learn me the
proclamation.' — Trail. & Cress, ii. i. 22.
Tod, sb. A stomach disease of the rabbit, causing swelling.
Leic. Dial, says, ' constipation,' and calls it ' tott.' Glouc.,
SE. Wore. (tad). Hal. Diet, says, 'West.' Superabun-
dance of vegetable food is said to cause it.
Toe-bite, sb. A leech which inhabits stagnant ponds.
Token, sb. 'A death-sign. "I am certain summut has
come to my son, for I saw his token last night ; it was
a white dove flew out of the bed-curtains, and was gone
in a minute." ' — S. Warw. Provin. It is almost un-
necessary to say that 'the white dove,' a spectral har-
binger of death, is believed in throughout England.
Readers of Westward Ho! will remember how Mr.
Oxenham saw ' the white bird,' before embarking on his
last and fateful voyage. Instances of this credulity
might be multiplied.
Toldrum, sb. Paltry finery. Leie., and elsewhere.
Tom, sb. Anycockbird. S. Wanv. Provin., SE. Wore. Gloss.
Tom-and- Jerry, sb. A beerhouse. Glouc., SE. Wore., and
elsewhere. Sometimes called ' A Tom-and-Jerry house.'
Tommy, sb. 'Provisions given to workmen in manufac-
turing districts, instead of money. The shops where the
truck system is carried on are called tommy-shops.' —
N'hamp. Gloss. Nowadays, 'tommy' is used broadly
for food of any description. SE. Wore., Glouc. Glots.
(bread), Shrop. (and tummy, bread and cheese).
To-morrow-day — Top-and-tail 247
To-morrow-day, sb. To-morrow ; the morrow. Now used
to children only, as 'You shall go a ta-ta with aunty
to-morrow-day.' The Shrop. Word-bk. gives an example
of its common use in old times, from Bp. Percy's Folio
MS. (ed. Hales and Furnivall) :
'& when it was on the Morrow day
Trianiore was in good array
armed & well dight.' — Sir Triamore, 1. 738.
Took, (i) pp. of ' take.' Common. Of. Taken.
'An I shall be took bad an' die.'
Adam Bede, c. 1 (quoted in Leic. Dial.}.
(2) p. and pp. pec. of ' take.' Blighted, infected. ' The
frost took the blossoms last night.' ' The blight has took
the fruit trees.' N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Took to, phr. Taken aback. Glouc., Leic. Dial, (called
to account, reprimanded, punished), and elsewhere. Cf.
Taken to.
Toosey-megs vel Toosey-pegs [tu-se], sb. pi. A child's
teeth. Cf. Meg.
Toot, v. n. ( To pry or search curiously and impertinently
into another person's concerns.' — Hal. Gloss. Leic.
N'hamp. Gloss, remarks that ' Florio renders both
Guatuera and Osolonento, " a spying, prying, tooting." '
' Marking, spying, looking, tooting, watching, like subtile, crafty, and
sleight fellowes.' — Latimer, Sermon, fol. 38 (in Nares).
The glossarist remarks that ' tout ' became the more
common form. It maintains to this day in Glouc. and
Warw., ' toot ' being seldom heard.
Top-and-tail, v. a. To chop off the roots and green tops of
turnips, &c. Shrop. Word-bk. (and top-and-but). Wore.,
Glouc. The term is used, too, to express the action of
nipping or cutting off the stalks and 'eyes' of goose-
berries.
248 Torril — Train
Torril [tor-il], sb. A weak, worn-out, or dilapidated,
sorry-looking man, beast, or thing. Staff., Wore., Shrop.
Hal. Diet. ' a worthless woman or horse.'
Tot, (i) sb. A small drinking-cup of earthenware, holding
from about a quarter to half a pint. Leic. (tott), Glouc.,
SE. and W. Wore., Shrop., Staff, (a small quantity),
N'hamp. Hal. Diet, assigns the word to Warw.
(2) v. a. To pour, as ' Tot out the beer.'
Tote, sb. The whole. Hal. Gloss. Common. N'hamp.
Gloss, points out that it is often used pleonastically, as
' The whole tote of 'em.'
Tother [tuth-ur], adj. Other, the other.
' No man may serue tweyn lordis, for eithir he schal hate the toon,
and loue the tother ; ethir he shal susteyne the toon, and dispise the
tothir.'— Matt. v. 24, Wycl. Version, 1388 (quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.~).
'The tone of them was Adler younge,
The tother was Kyng Estmere ;
The were as bolde men in their deeds,
As any were farr and neare.'
King Estmere, v. 2 (Percy, Reliques}.
' I saw the old squire tother day, he bears his age
well.' Chaucer frequently writes ' the tothir,' and ' that
tothir.'
Totterdy, adj. Tottering, unsteady, infirm. Glouc., Wore.
Touched [tuchd], part. adj. Slightly disordered in in-
tellect ; in a state between eccentricity and lunacy.
' He's a bit touched.' N'hamp., Leic., and elsewhere.
Toucher [tuch-ur], sb. 'As near as a toucher = as near as
possible. Common. Leic. Dial, says, 'The metaphor
probably being from the game of bowls.'
Towel [tou-il], v. a. To beat, castigate. Midlands.
Tram, sb. A wooden stand for casks. Glouc., Wore.
Transmogrify — Trinamanoose 249
Transmog'rify, v. a. To transform, metamorphose. Common.
Transmogrified, part. adj.
Trap, sb. A two-wheeled, one-horse vehicle on springs.
Common.
Trapes [traps], (i) v. n. To trail or trudge about through
mire, or even dust : to leave muddy or wet footprints on
the floor (and in SE. Wore.) : to trudge aimlessly.
(2) sb. A slattern.
A dirty walk : a useless, heavy journey.
Trapesing, part. Rambling about through the dirt. Glouc.
(v. n.), Shrop. (v. n.), N'hamp. (part.), W. Wore. (v. n. to
tread in, to tramp), Oxf. (v. n.), Staff, (v. n.), Leic. (sb. and
v. n.), Hal. Diet. (l sb. a slattern; v. n. to wander; part.
slow, listless. North '), and elsewhere.
Traps, sb. pi. Effects — household furniture, working tools,
or small articles. Midlands, and elsewhere.
Tree-pot, sb. A flower-pot. 'Trees,' shrubs, flowers for
pots. ' Tree ' is sometimes pronounced ' tra.' Midlands.
Chaucer writes ' treys.'
'First on the wall was painted a forrest
Wyth knotty-knarry-barrein treys old.'
The Knight's Tale.
Trig, sb. 'A narrow path.'— Hal. Gloss. Shrop. Word-bk.
has ' Trig, a small gutter.'
Trim, v. a. To chastise, as 'I'll trim your jacket.' In
Shrop. ' trim,' to chide ; chastise.
Trimming. A castigation. Common.
Trinamanoose [trin-3,-man-oos], sb. A nonentity : a thing
forbidden. Also a delusive phrase used as an answer to
a child that asks a question relating to some object, the
nature or true name of which is unfit for him to learn.
' Layos (? lay holds) for meddlers ' is another like phrase :
250 Tringle — Turf
so is 'A whim-wham [pron. wim-wom] for a mustard-
mill.' Cf. Tantadlin-tart.
Tringle [tringl], v. a. To trundle (as a mop). SE. Wore.,
Shrop. (trindle).
Trinklements [trink-le-ments], sb. Odds and ends ; mis-
cellaneous small belongings. Shrop. (tranklements).
Trollop, Trollops, sb. A slattern. Staff., Shrop., Leic.,
and elsewhere.
Trolloping, part. adj. Walking through dirt and mire, as
a slattern does ; trudging. Sometimes ' Trollopsing.'
Trollymog, v. n. To walk about heavily and aimlessly.
Staff, near Lichfield.
Trollymogging, part. adj. ; as ' Don't let's go trolly -
mogging about any longer.'
Truck, sb. Intercourse, dealing. ' Yo' 'ave no truck wi'
Jack ; he's no good to anybody.' Shrop., and elsewhere.
Truff, sb. Var. pron. of ' trough.' Leic., Shrop., N'hamp.
Tug-mutton, sb. A youngster. Hal. Diet. * a great glutton.'
Tump, sb. pec. use. A small, irritating, but non-pustular
excrescence on the skin, caused by over-heated blood.
Usually called a ' heat-tump.' Variants are ' heat-bump/
'heat-hump,' and 'heat-lump.' In the plural usually
spoken of as ' summer-spots.'
Tunkey [tunk-e], adj. Short and thick of build. Cf.
Tunkey-pig.
Tunkey-pig, sb. ' A short, thick, small pig of the Chinese
breed ; probably a corruption of Tonquin pig.' — N'hamp.
Gloss. Leic., Glouc., SE. Wore, (ti^unkey).
Turf, sb. A green sod or piece of turf cut from a common
or wayside to put into a lark's cage, or for insertion into
Turk — Tweedletoe 25 1
a garden bank or lawn. Glossed ' cespes ' in most early
dictionaries. The plural is ' turfs.' In some counties
' turfs ' or ' turves ' are pieces of peat for fuel. Vide
Shrop. Word-bk. for a careful article.
Turk, phr. ' To work like a Turk'= to labour diligently,
to toil. Common. A hard taskmaster is called a ' Turk ' ;
so is an unruly, troublesome, or exacting child.
Turmit, sb. Var. ' pron. of ' turnip.' Oxf. (turmut),
Shrop., W. Wore., Glouc. (turmit and turmut), and
elsewhere.
Turn, sb. Season. ' There won't be many damsons this
turn.' Glouc., Hal. Diet, (year or time), Leic., N'hamp.
Turn-again-gentleman, sb. The tiger-lily, Lilium martagon ,
or Turk's-cap lily. Glouc., Wore., Shrop. Sometimes
called ' Turn-cap lily.'
Turnover, sb. Apple-puff; ' a piece of paste rolled out, and
turned over to the opposite edge, with apple between.'—
N'hamp. Gloss. Common.
Tussock, sb. A tuft of coarse grass. Common.
' ' There shuld not any suche tussockes nor tufts be sene, as there be ;
nor suche laying out of the heere.' — A Moste Faithfutt Sermon preached
before the Kyng, etc., by Master Hugh Latimer, sign. C. v., 1550 (cit. Latham).
Tussocky, adj. Overgrown with ' tussocks.' Common.
Tuth, sb. Var. pron. of ' tooth.' Common.
Tuthre [tuth-re or tuth-re]. Two or three. 'Gi'e us
a tuthree nuts.' Shrop., Staff., and elsewhere.
Tutty, adj. Short tempered, touchy, apt to take offence.
N'hamp., Leic. Hal. Diet.
Tweedletoe [twe-dl-to], sb. A person that places one foot
over the other in walking. One that goes ' five over
five,' as the folks say. Cf. Hal. Diet. ' tweedle, to twist.
Devon.'
252 Twelft — Two-double
Twelft. Twelfth. 'The tuelft day, sal sternes falle.'—
Homilies in Verse (circa 1330), Spec. Early Eng. viii. A,
1. 137 (Morris) (quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.).
Twet, v. n. To sweat. ' I'm. like Tommy Daddle-'em,
I twet.' — Wamv. folk-phrase.
Twit, v. n. To tell tales, blab. Glouc. The word
is used substantively, too ; as ' You are a twit.'
? common.
Twitch vel Twitchel, sb. and v. a. ' A term used to describe
the confinement of an unruly horse by means of a thin
cord put over the upper lip, and twisted powerfully, so as
to hold the head tight whilst any operation is performed
upon the animal. The same word serves also to explain
a certain mode of punishing dogs who intrude upon
a person's premises, which is effected by tying an old tin
kettle, or any similar metallic substance, to the dog's tail,
and turning him loose. This fails not, by its annoyance,
as the animal runs away, to make him cry out, and so
bring a troop of hostile curs upon him.' — Hal. Gloss.
N'hamp. Gloss, says, ' A stout stick with a strong loop of
string or leather at the end ' ; and Leic. Dial, adds, ' The
loop ... is twisted tight, after which the stick is secured.
The twitch is sometimes used when driving a kicking
horse, the stick being made fast to the headstall.' Mid-
lands, and elsewhere, as West of England.
Twizzle [twizl], v. a. To intertwine or interweave; as
'Twisted and twizzled.' Leic. and N'hamp. (to twist or
turn rapidly ; and sb. a twist, turn), Hal. Diet . (' to roll and
twist. Suffolk '), and elsewhere.
Two-double, adj. (i) Twofold, double.
(2) Bowed in figure ; as ' Two-double with the
rheumatics.' Midlands.
Two-folks — Unaccountable 253
Two-folks, pliv. At variance. ' We shall be two-folks if
you are rude.' SE. Wore., and elsewhere.
Two-meal-cheese, sb. Cheese with two ' meals ' [vide Meal]
of milk in it, the night's skimmed milk plus the morning's
new milk. Glouc., N'hamp. Hal. Diet.
U. The sound of u in ' bull ' replaces that of u in ' tub,' in
such words as much, crutch, hutch, which become much,
crotch, hUtch. Cf. Wunderful.
The sound of u in ' tube ' sometimes replaces that of
oo in ' fool.' Coot (water-fowl), fool, moon, school, spoon,
become cut, ful, mun, skul, spun. But goose becomes
gooz in ' goose-oil.'
Udder-mucking, adj. Untidy, slovenly, dirty, muddling ;
as ' An udder-mucking job.'
Ull [til]. Will.
' Here lies John Bull.
If you don't hit him hard, I ull.' — Warw. game-rhyme.
A boy, laden with the clothes of his companions, crouches
down, and is buffeted by the other players, until he names
one who strikes him, when this one goes down in turn.
It is called ' Baiting the bull,' and resembles a sport called
' Baste the bear,' mentioned by Strutt, Sports and Pas-
times, 1833, p. 387. Shrop. (wull), N'hamp., SE. Wore.
(ool), and elsewhere.
Wull for ' will ' is an ancient form, e. g.
' Pour out the Wine without Restraint or Stay ;
Pour not by Cups, but by the Belly-full,
Pour out to all that wull.' — Spenser, Epithcdamion.
Urn, sb. Var. pron. of ' home.' Cf. Wum.
Unaccount'able, adj. and adv. Unusual ; uncommonly,
surprisingly. ' Unaccountable weather.' ' He did that
job unaccountable well.' Leic., N'hamp., Staff., Up.-on-
Sev. (and on accountable).
254 Unbeknownt — Unked
Unbeknownt, Unbeknownsd [un-be-no'nt, un-be-n5'nzd],
adj. and adv. Unknown ; without any one's knowledge.
1 He is quite unbeknownt to me.' ' I slipp'd out of the
house unbeknownsd.' Leic., Shrop. (unbeknownst and
unkncnunst), N'hamp. and Hal. Diet, (unbeknown), SE.
Wore, (unbeknowns).
'Especially if God did stir up the same secret instinct in thee to
sympathize with another in praying for such thing unbeknown one
to another.' — T. Goodwin, Works, iii. 372.
TJncom'mon, adv. Extremely, very ; as ' He rides uncom-
mon well.' Glouc., Shrop. (oncommon).
Undeni'able, adj. Excellent, good ; as ' Undeniable butter.'
W. Wore., Shrop. (ondeniable, adv. very, extremely ; and
in Warw., too).
Undercunstum'ble, v. a. or n. To understand, comprehend :
used facetiously. Leic., N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Underminded [un-der-mmd'-id], adj. Underhand, mean,
treacherous ; as ' An underminded trick.' Leic., Glouc.,
and elsewhere.
Ungain', adj. Awkward, inconvenient ; intractable.
W. Wore., Shrop. (and ongairi).
Unked [unk-id. Ungk'ed. — S. Warw. Proving, adj. (i)
Uncouth ; as ' He's an unked fellow.'
(2) Lonely, forlorn, dull, dreary, melancholy, solitary ;
as ' It's [I'm] very unked here, with no company.'
(3) Weird, uncanny. ' I don't like crossin' th' heath
late at night ; it's a very unked place.'
(4) Strange ; as ' Kip away from the dog ; he knows
you're unked.'
(5) Ghastly, terrible ; as ' The chaff-machine laid hold
on his ringers, an' his hand's an unked sight.'
Hal. Gloss, (unked, mdancholy), Shrop. (unked and
Unkind — Urchin 255
unket, dreary, lonely ; awkward, uncouth), N'hamp.
(unhid, dreary, lonely), Glouc. (unkard, unket, and unker,
uncouth ; lonely ; unhappy ; uncanny), SE. Wore, (unkid,
lonely), Leic. (unked, unkid, unkit, forlorn, dreary),
W. Wore, and Up.-on-Sev. (unked, awkward, lonely,
miserable), and common, slightly varied.
Unkind', adj. Ungenial, unthriving, said of land, plants,
and beasts. W. Wore. Cf. Kind.
Unluck'y, adj. 'Always in trouble and mischief.' — $. Warw.
Provin. Shrop. (and onlucky).
Up and told, phr. ' Perhaps " upped," i. e. got up and told.
This singular phrase, simply meaning to relate, is, by the
formation of " up " into a verb, equally used in the first
and third person.' — Hal. Gloss. 'He up and told the
truth.' N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Upsedown [up-se-doun'J, adv. Upside down. Midlands,
and elsewhere.
' Vpsedowne, eversus, subversus, transversus.' — Prompt. Parv.
Upset, sb. A quarrel ; disturbance. Midlands.
Upsides [up-si'dz], adj. Even, quits. 'I'll be upsides with
you yet, for all your cleverness.5 Common.
Urchin, sb. The hedgehog. In all the early dictionaries.
Shakespeare uses ' urchins 'for 'hobgoblins' in MerryWives,
iv. 4. 51, and other places. So does Harsnet, Declara-
tion of Popish Impostures, 1603, p. 14. But in Tit.
Andron. ' urchins ' means ' hedgehogs ' most likely :
' Tamora. Ten thousand swelling toads, as many urchins,
Would make such fearful and confused cries.' — ii. 3. 100.
'Like sharpe urchins his here was growe.'
Chaucer, Bom. of Rose.
'Some like snailes, some did like spyders shew,
And some like ugly urchins, thick and short.'
Faery Queene, II. xi. 13.
256 Urge— Ventursome
Urge, v. a. ' To provoke. ;< That 'ooman do urge me so." ' —
S. Warw. Provin.
Us. (i) Our. 'Give us us dinners.' Leic. (uz), N'hamp.,
and elsewhere.
(2) Me. ' Give us that hornmer (hammer).' Common.
(3) We. ' We're 'avin' some fine weather, ain't us ? '
SE. Wore.
Use to could, phr. Used to be able. ' I can't run as I use
to could.' Leic., and elsewhere. Vide Could.
Vally, sb. Var. pron. of ' value.' Common. Cf. Value.
Value, sb. pec. ' Amount both in measure and quantity.
Thus we say The value of five load, or The value of
three feet deep.' — Hal. Gloss.
Vargis [var-jis and var-jiz], sb. Var. pron. of 'verjuice.'
The juice of crab-apples. N'hamp. (vargis), Shrop., Glouc.
(vargez), SE. Wore, (varges), Oxf. (vargiz).
Varment, sb. Var. pron. of 'vermin.' Often applied to
a mischievous or obnoxious lad, as ' Be off, you young
varment.' Common.
Varsal, adj. 'Universal. So corrupted yet it is used by
our great poet, and the most frequent application of the
word as a provincialism is precisely with the same
adjunct — the varsal world.' — Hal. Gloss. Common.
1 Kurse. She looks as pale as any clout in the versal world.'
Rom. & Jul. ii. 4. 220.
Vast, sb. A great number : a great quantity ; as ' A vast of
people.' ' A vast of timber.' Leic., Shrop.
Vaz out, v. 7i. To fray, as ' This cloth is beginning to vaz
out/ Glouc.
Ventursome [ven-tur-sum], adj. Var. pron. of ' venture-
some.' Adventurous, daring, intrepid : as ' He's sich a
Vilet —Wall-eyed 257
ventursome lad, al'ys roamin', or climbin', or somethink.'
Midlands.
Vilet vel Voilet [vl-lit, voil-et], sb. Var. pron. of c violet.'
Glouc., Wore. Of. Filets.
Vittle [vitl], sb. Provisions, victuals. Common.
'And soth to sayn, vitaille gret plentee
They han hir yeuen.'
Chaucer, B. 443 (Six-text ed. Skeat)
(quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.).
W. Added to home and oats, which become wmii and
wuts.
Omitted in always, woman, wood, wool, won't, would
[when not pronounced wtild], wouldn't, which become
al'ys or cd'us [auliz, aulus], 'oman [uman], 'ood [ud],
'ool [til], 'ont [tint, when not pronounced wunt], 'ood
[fid], 'oodrit [udn't].
Omitted, also, in words compounded with ' ward,' as
back'ards, for'ad, ok'ard, um'ads = backwards, forward,
awkward, homewards.
Wagoner's Words. ' Gee-wup, war-wup,' Go on, but in-
cline towards me. ' Come-e-ba-yah,' Come back here.
Walk-the-moon. A boys' game. One player is blindfolded,
and stands astride. The other players cast their caps
between his legs, from the front, and one cries ' Walk
the moon ! ' He walks at pleasure, until he treads on
a cap, when the others buffet its owner, who afterwards
becomes ' Walker.'
Wall-eyed [waul-id', waul'-id], adj. Having an eye, the
iris of which is streaked, parti-coloured, or lighter in hue
than the other. Although the eye is somewhat stony in
appearance, vision is not affected, it is said ; but animals
S
258 Wallop
exhibiting this peculiarity are believed to be treacherous
and unreliable. In persons, ' wall-eyed ' is more parti-
cularly applied to those who show an undue proportion
of the white of the eye, the iris being much turned
towards the outer corner of the socket.
Shakespeare's use of the word is somewhat ambiguous ;
but I am of opinion that he meant to convey a sense of
' treacherous ' or ' evil,' in addition to that of remarkable
expression or aspect.
' Salisbury. This is the bloodiest shame [murder of Arthur],
The wildest savagery, the vilest stroke,
That ever wall-eyed wrath or staring rage
Presented to the tears of soft remorse.'
King John, iv. 3. 47.
'Lucius [speaking to Aaron, a Moor]. Say, wall-eyed slave,
whither wouldst thou convey
This growing image of thy fiend-like face.'
Tit. Andron. v. i. 44.
Ainsworth, Thesaurus, glosses the term ' glaucomate
lalorans'; and there can be no doubt that the word has
been used of an eye afflicted with glaucoma, which is an
opacity of the vitreous humour — the eye becoming of
a blue or sea-green colour. Spenser uses vvhally for
' green ' :
'And next to him rode lustful Lechery
Upon a bearded Goat, whose rugged hair
And whally Eyes (the sign of Jealousy)
Was like the Person self, whom he did bear.'
Faery Queene, bk. i, c. iv, st. xxiv.
' Whaule-eyed, glauciolus.' — Huloet.
( Glaucoma, a disease in the eye, &c. Some thinke it to be a whal eie.'
—A. Fleming, Nomencl. p. 428.
'Baret, Alv. (1580) renders "a horse with a wall eye" by glauciolus.' —
Nares.
Wallop [wol-up], v. a. To beat, thrash, castigate : to boil
violently with a bubbling sound.
Walloper — Wantey 259
' Bouitter une onde, to boyle a while or bxit for one bubble, or a wallop
or two.' — Cotgrave.
From this last sense comes the sb. Pot-walloper, a plain
dumpling. Common. In Leic. Dial. ' to gallop ' ; and
sb. ' any rapid pace or movement.' These agree in
measure with Jamieson's definitions. ' He went wallop '
= he fell down all of a heap, in Warw.
Walloper [wol-up-ur], sb. Anything huge of its kind.
Common.
Walloping, ( i ) part. adj. Huge, bulky, powerful : boiling
violently.
(2) sb. A flogging. Common.
Wallow [wol-6], adj. Tasteless, insipid. W. Wore, (ival-
lowish, nauseous), Up.-on-Sev. (ivallush, wallow). Hal.
Diet, says, ' Flat, insipid, North ; and nauseous, Herefords.'
' "Wallowish, a. Insipid." — Coles' Did. " Sapor crudus, fastidious." —
Skinner. "As unwelcome to any true conceit as sluttish morsels, or
wallowish [nauseous is here meant, I think] to a nice stomack."—
Overbury's Character 22, of a Dunce ' (in Nares).
Wangle, v. n. 'To totter or go unsteady.' — Hal. Diet.
Leic. (wangling}, Shrop. (wankle, adj. feeble, tottering,
unsteady. This last appears to be the better form).
Wanny, adj. ' 111 and pale.' — S. Warw. Provin.
Wantey, sb. ' The bellyband of a cart ' (sic). — Hal. Gloss.
' The primitive meaning of this word was, a surcingle,
for securing a wallet or other burden on a packhorse.
Tusser, in enumerating husbandry-furniture, gives " A
panel and wanty, a packsaddle and pad " ; the name is
still preserved in the hempen cord or leather strap which
passes under the horse, and is secured to both shafts,
to prevent the cart rising up, when heavily laden.5 —
N'fiamp. Gloss. Shrop. (wanty), and elsewhere. I have
not heard the word in folk-speech.
S 2
260 Waps — Weeny
Waps [wops]. The wasp. A.-Sax. weeps. Common.
Warm [worm], v. a. To flog. Common. 'I'll warm yer '
or ' ye.'
Wa'nuts [wor-nuts], sb. Var. pron. of 'walnuts.' Mid-
lands.
Warwickshire-weed, sb. The elm.
Was, pec. use. Lit. ' was away,' as ' I never was from home
afore.' Leic.
Water-cresses [cre-siz], sb. pi. Var. pron. of ' water-cresses.'
Leic. Common.
Wattle-and-dab [wotl]. ' A mode of building with a
closely- wrought hurdle smeared (or ' dabbed ') over with
clay and chopped straw.' — Hal. Gloss. A.-Sax. luatel,
a hurdle. N'hamp., Glouc., Shrop., SE. Wore.
Way, phr. ' To be in a way '=to be grieved, disappointed,
vexed, or angry. Midlands, and elsewhere.
Waywind [wa-wmd]. ' The bindweed, or minor convol-
vulus.'— S. Warw. Provin. N'hamp., Glouc. and Up.-on-
Sev. faavewind). Cf. Bedwind.
We. Our. ' Let's 'ave we teas.' Leic., N'hamp. Some-
times ' we'n.' Leic.
Weds-and-forfeits. ' This designation of a youthful amuse-
ment, better known under the name of forfeits only, is
still in use, although the principal word is fast giving
way.' — Hal. Diet.
' Wedde, or thynge leyyd yn plegge, vadium, pignus.' — Prompt. Parv.
Shrop. Word-bk., in which quotations are given to show
its earlier use in the nobler sense of ' gage.'
Weeny, adj. Very small. Sometimes compounded with
' teeny,' as ' a teeny-weeny little thing.' Leic., Oxf., and
elsewhere. Cf. Teeny.
Weep —Wench 2G1
Weep, v. n. To exude (as a sore). Wore., and elsewhere.
Cf. Shrop. Word-bk. ' Weeping-through.'
Wee- wo [we-wo], adj. Ill- balanced, shaky, swaying, un-
steady ; more on one side than the other. ' This is
a wee-wo cart.' Shrop.
Weigh-jolt [wa-jolt], sb. A seesaw. Glouc. Hal. Diet.
says, ' Wilts.'
Weight [wat], v. a. pec. use. To weigh. ' Just weight this
basket in your hand, and see how heavy you think
it is.'
Well! intevj. A common initial expletive. In Warw.
when a person says * well ' in a surprised, questioning,
or dubious manner, it is customary to reply, ' That's
what David said to Nell : ' or ' What's the good of a
well without a bucket1?'
Welly, adv. (i) Var. pron. of ' well-nigh.' Common.
(2) Very. Hal. Diet, says, ' North.'
Welt, v. a. To flog. ' Welting,' a flogging. Common.
Wench, sb. A girl ; a female servant. It has never borne,
in country places at least, a reproachful sense.
'And he holdings the hond of the wenche, seith to hir, "Tabita
cumy," that is inteipretid or expownid "Wenche, to thee I seie, rise
thou." ' — Wycl. Mark v. (quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.}.
Prospero says, ' Well demanded, wench,' to Miranda,
Tempest) i. 2. 139, and uses the same word to her 1. 409,
and again 1. 476. Queen Katharine says to one of her
women :
' Take thy lute, wench : my soul grows sad with troubles.'
K. Hen. VIII, iii. i. r.
Other instances might be noted in Shakespeare.
' The farmer's wench (female servant) has bin here, an'
brought the eggs.' ' Wenche, asseda [it was originally
262 Wep— Wetchered
a word of common gender, says Dr. Morris] abra,
ancilla.' — Prompt. Parv. Midlands, and elsewhere.
Wep, pret. of weep.
'But oonly for the feere thus sche cryede,
And wep that it was pite" for to heere.'
Chaucer, The Knighte's Tale, 1. 1487, ed. Morris.
' Dr. Morris notes wep as an obsolete strong form, Hist.
Eng. Accidence, p. 157.' — Shrop. Word-bk.
Were [wS,]. Was. 'I were gooin' to fatch th' cows up.'
* He were a quick runner.' Is this the plural for the
singular, or an abbreviated form of ' was ' "? Leic. Dial.
and N'hamp. Gloss, have ' war.' Of. Worn't.
Were, adv. Var. pron. of ' where,' as ' Were are yer gooin"?'
Werrit [rhymes ' merit '], v. a. and n. Var. pron. of ' worry.'
To tease, vex, trouble. Glouc., Shrop., Wore., Leic. The
word is used substantively, too, as ' What a werrit you
are.' Cf. Worrit.
Werry [rhymes ' merry '], v. a. and n. Var. pron. of ' worry.'
To tear, to mangle : and, to harass, tease, trouble. This
is an old form, not a modern corruption. Cf. Werrit.
' He was ware of a wyld bore,
Wold have werryed a man.'
The Boy and the Mantle, 1. 156 (Percy, Reliques).
Wetchered [wech-ud and woch-ud], part. adj. Wet
through ; e. g. ' Don't stand out in the rain without
a coat, you'll be wetchered in five minutes.' In North
Warw. it is pronounced ' wech-urd ' ; south in the shire,
' woch-urd.' Most of the glossarists regard the word as
a corruption of ' wetshod,' but I have never heard it used
in this sense. Mrs. Frances, S. Warw. Provin., gives
'icetshod, wet through' as its meanings, however. In
Sharp's Dissertation on the Pageants at Coventry,
' wachid ' is glossed ' weary,' merely. But Professor
We ver— What's what 263
Skeat authorizes the gloss 'wetshod.' See his remarks
on ' wete-shodde,' Langland's Piers the Plcnwnian, Text B
(Early Eng. Text. Soc. pp. 328, 395). SE. Wore, (wat-
chered, having wet feet), Leic. (watchet, var. pron. of
' wetshod '), Oxf. (watcherd, wet in the feet), S. Warw.
Provin. (watchered, wetshod, wet through), N'hamp.
(watchered or watchet, wetshod), Glouc. (watcherd, wat-
chet, witshet, wetshod), Staff, (wetched, we6-footed : possibly
a misprint), Shrop. (wetchet, wet in the feet, wetshod).
Hal. Diet, (watched, var. dials.).
Wever [wev-ur], adv. Abbrev. of ' however.' •
Whack [wak], v. a. (i) To divide, share. ' Whak this
opple among yer.'
(2) To thrash, castigate. Common.
(3) s6. (i) A blow.
(4) A sufficiency, fair share, bellyful. Common.
Whacker [wak-ur], sb. Anything large of its kind.
Common.
Whacking [wak-in], (i) adj. Huge.
(2) sb. A thrashing, flogging. Common.
Whamp, sb. A young child. Hal. Gloss. Not known to me.
Whap, v. a. Vide Wop.
What for, phr. A punishment, correction, chastisement.
' Wait till I get anigh yer, I'll give yer what for.'
Midlands.
What's what, phr. That which is right and proper : it is
usually enforced with a beating. 'I'll let you know
what's what. Common.
'I know what's what, I know on which side
My bread 's buttered.'
Ford, The Lady's Trial, ii. i (quoted in N'hamp. Gloss.}.
264 Wherewithal — Whim-wham
Wherewithal, sb. Money, Means (q. v.). ' Fd begin cattle-
dealing, if I'd got the wherewithal.' Hal. Diet, has
' wherewith.'
Whififeting [wif-e-tin], part. adj. Veering, wavering, fluc-
tuating (of visible exhalations) ; causing smoke or the
like to wave or fluctuate, as ' Don't go whiffeting the
smoke about like that.' Of. Whiffle.
Whiffle [wifl], v. n. (i) To veer, to shift ; to blow in-
constantly (said of the wind).
(2) To move about, as if stirred by a light wind
(spoken of a curtain, or the like): to drive or whirl
before the wind (as snow).
Whiffling, part. adj. i. q. Whiffeting, q. v.
While [wil], prep, and conj. Until.
' Macbeth. We will keep ourself
Till supper time alone : while then, God be with you ! '
Macbeth, iii. i. 43.
' Northumb. Bead o'er this paper while the glass doth come.'
K. Richard II, iv. i. 269.
The word is not common in Warw. folk-speech. Further
north it is frequently used : e. g.
'Sip, sap, say; sip, sap, say,
Lig in a nettle-bed,
While May-day.'
Whistle-maker's nominy (West Riding).
Said during the beating of the wetted bark of the moun-
tain-ash, with a clasp-knife handle. The wetting is to
make the bark slip off easily, to form the case of the
whistle. Easther and Lees, Dial. Almondbuivy and
Huddersfidd (Eng. Dial. Soc.).
Whim-wham rel Wim-wam [wim-wom], sb. Any queer
contrivance or odd device : anything the real name or
nature of which should be withheld from a child. ' What's
Whingel —Whip-stitch 265
that, dad? A wirn- worn for a mustard mill, lad.' N'hamp.
(a bird-boy's crackers for frightening birds from fruit or
corn), Leic., Shrop. (a turnstile), W. Wore, (a new-fangled
thing).
' They'll pull ye all to pieces for your whim-whams,
Your garters and your gloves.'
Beaum. and Fletch., Little Thief (quoted in Glouc. Gloss.).
Whingel [win-jl], v. n. To whimper, murmur, whine. Leic.,
Glouc. (whinnd). Hal. Diet. ' whinge, whine, sob. North.'
Whingelling, part. adj. Whimpering, whining.
Whinnock [win-uk], v. n. To whimper, to cry fretfully or
querulously, as a young child does, to whine. Leic.
(winnick, applied to the squeaking of mice and bats),
Shrop., N'hamp., Wore., Glouc., and elsewhere.
Whinnocking, part. adj. Whimpering, &c.
Whiny-piny [wi-ne-pi-ne], adj. Fretful, peevish, querulous.
' Don't go on in that whiny-piny way, child.' N'hamp.
Hal. Diet.
Whippet [wip-it], sb. A small, swift dog of a cross breed
(? greyhound and terrier). Shrop., Glouc. Gloss, (of the
lurcher kind), W. Wore., Hal. Diet, (of a greyhound
and spaniel). Taylor, Workes, 1630, has 'ivhippet, house
dogge.' See Nares ' Whappet ' and ' Whippet.'
Whip-stitch, phr. 'Every whip-stitch ' = every now-and-
then. Doubtless from 'whip-stitch,' v. n. (i) to sew
carelessly, with long stitches : (2) to half plough, or
rafter land. Glouc.
' In making of velvet breeches . . there is required silke lace, cloth of
golde, of silver, and such costly stuffe, to welt, guard, whip-stitch, edge,
face, and draw out.' — Greene, Quip for Upstart Courtier: Harl. Misc. v. 404
(in Davies' Suppl. Engl. Gloss.).
Wright, Diet. Obsol. and Prov. Engl., has ' Whipswhile,
a short period of time. Somerset.'
266 Whi'sun — Why !
Whi'sun, adj. Whitsun : a common abbreviation. Whi'sun-
Monday, -Tuesday, -Sunday, -tide, -week.
'Byfore, after, and whyssone tyde,
Eighte dayes they schullen abyde.'
MS. Cott. Claud. A. ii, f. 128 (in Hal. Did.\
Whistling -thrusher, sb. The song- thrush. S. Warw.
Provin.
Whitey-brown, adj. The peculiar hue which unbleached
calico or thread exhibits. Common.
Whittle [witl], v. a. To reduce by cutting. Hal. Gloss.
Common. A.-Sax. hwytd, cultellus.
Whole-foot-one. A game at pitchback. One player makes
a back. The other players pitch over, the last crying
' Foot it.' The one ' down ' then places his right foot
at right angles to his left, and brings the left in
advance of the right, sideways, and, lastly, the right
close and parallel to the left. So the game goes on
until one player cannot leap the distance, when he is
forced to make the back. But he does not commence
at the first place again, but takes the last position of the
one ' down ' before him ; and now the players may hop
to reach the back. When another player fails, he goes
' down/ and a stride is added to the hop, and, finally,
a hop, stride, and jump are allowed. The player that
fails now begins at taw again, and the game goes on
ad lib.
Whome, sb. Var. pron. of ' home.' Vide Wum.
Whopstraw [wop-strau], sb. A country clown. Often
compounded with ' Johnny,' as ' Johnny Whopstraw.'
' Whipstraw ' is another form. ' Johnny Raw ' is common,
too.
Why! excl. Shakespeare frequently uses this expletive.
Midlands.
Widow's-lock —Winder 267
llago. You have not been abed, then?
Gas. Why, no ; the day had broke
Before we parted.' — Othello, iii. i. 33.
' Quince. Ninus' tomb, man. Why, you must not speak that yet.' — Mid.
Nt's. Dr. iii. i. 103.
Widow's-lock, s6. A small lock or fringe growing apart
from the hair above the forehead. Credulous persons
believe that a girl so distinguished will become a widow
soon after marriage.
Wift, sb. Var. pron. of ' whiff.' « I'll jist 'ave a wift o'
bacca.' Midlands.
Wig, sb. A cake, or bun. Hal. Gloss.
1 Wygge, eschaude [echaude].' — Palsgrave.
It is of oblong form, and should contain carraways.
Shrop., Up.-on-Sev., and elsewhere. Ainsworth, The-
saurus, glosses ' wig ' thus : ' libum, collyra.' We should
now say 'cake-bread,' where t Prompt. Parv. says
' bunne brede.' Dyer, Brit. Pop. Customs, p. 426, states
that ' wigs ' are mentioned as allowable at the collation
in Lent, by a Catholic writer nearly two centuries ago.
' They were light and spongy, and something like very light ginger-
bread.'— Ibid.
Wik, sb. Var. pron. of ' week.' Common. ' Wike,' ' wyke '
= week, are used by Wycliffe in Gen. xxiv. 28 and Mark
xvi. 2.
Wilful, adj. pec. Willing, hardworking. S. Warw. Provin.
Will-gill [wil-jil], sb. A person with rudimentary male
sexual organs, and of effeminate appearance (dimin. of
William and Gillian). Glouc., Wore., Shrop. Common.
(It is in Ains worth's Thesaurus.)
Winder, sb. Var. pron. of ' window.' Common.
'Knowing they were of doubtful gender,
And that they came in at a windore.' — Hudib. i. n. 213.
268 Winder-rags— Wizen-faced
' "Ex wind ventus, et dore ostium." — Minsheu. From the supposed
origin of the word, wind, and door.' — Nares.
It is almost unnecessary to say that 'ow' becomes 'er'
in many cases, e.g. metier, feller, meader, for mellow,
fellow, meadow.
Winder-rags, sb. pi. Fragments, shreds. ' The puppy's
ripped the tablecloth all to winder-rags.' 'Jim-rags'
and ' Doll-rags ' are synonymous terms. Common.
Winding-sheet, «6. An imperfection in a burning candle
caused by some small obstacle, such as a hair, in the
tallow, which causes this to curl or wind into a rough
resemblance to drapery. It is supposed to foretoken
a death in the family. Common.
Wires, tb. pi. The runners of strawberry-plants. Common.
Withy, sb. A willow, osier, or other growth of the genus
Salix.
'The Willow-tree is called ... in English, Sallow, Withie, and
Willow.' — Gerarde, Herbatt.
A ' withy-bed,' a willow plantation ; osier-holt. Common.
A.-Sax. unthig, uitkthe. ' Withies,' ' withthis ' = willows,
willow-bands, are used by Wycliffe in Lev. xxiii. 40 ;
Ps. cxxxvi. 2 ; Isaiah xv. 7 ; Judith vi. 9.
Wizen-faced, adj. Pale and pinched of countenance :
withered. ' These are wizened apples.' Common. Hal.
Gloss, k&s'wizzened, shrivelled.' Leic. (wizened), N'hamp ,
S. Warw. Provin. (dried up, withered), Glouc. (wizen,
v. n. to grow wizened). Common. A,-Sax. wisnian
(arescere), Stratmann, Diet.
'The story is connected with a dingy wizen-faced portrait in an oval
frame.' — Ingoldsby Legends, i. 50 (in Cent. Diet.".
* There entered an old man, venerable at first sight, but, on nearer
view, keen and wizened.' — Reade, Cloister and Hearth, ch. liii. ;in Davies'
Sitfpl. EngJ. Gloss.}.
Wole— Worrit 269
Wole, adj. Var. pron. of ' whole.' Cf. Wull.
Woolly- bear, sb. The caterpillar of the Tiger-moth.
Shrop.
Woom, pron. Var. pron. of ' whom ' (in reading : never
heard in speech).
Wop, (i) v. a. To strike, beat, thrash. Common.
'To my rig-ti-rag, I tell you true.
She wops me till I'm black and blue,
And if I say I'm a ruin'd man,
She wops me o'er the head with the frying-pan." — Old Song.
(2) sb. A blow, a heavy stroke: also a heavy fall.
Common.
Wopper, sb. Anything huge of its kind.
Wopping, part. adj. Huge, bulky, ' strapping,' ' thump-
ing.' Common.
Word of a sort, phr. A reproof, a rebuke, a scolding.
' Wait till I see my Knabs (q. v.), I'll give him a word of
a sort.' Shrop., and elsewhere.
Work, sb. A fuss, disturbance. ' There'll be nice work
over this broken window.' Sometimes ' A nice piece of
work.'
Work-brittle, adj. Industrious ; earnest or intent on work ;
inclined to work. ' I hope you feel work-brittle ; there's
plenty to do to-day.' N'hamp., Oxf., Shrop. (work-brattle),
and elsewhere.
Worn't [sound of 'or']. Was not, were not. 'I worn't
theere above an hour.' ' You worn't at church to-day.'
Leic. Hal. Diet. ' Var. dials.' C'f. Were.
Worrit [same sound as in 'worry'], v. a. or n. i. q.
Werrit, q. v. Leic., N'hamp., and elsewhere. But this
form of the word would not be used for ' to mangle,
tear.'
270 Worser — Wull
Worser [wur-sur], adj. Worse. Common.
' Pucdle. Changed to a worser shape thou canst not be.'
i Hen. VI, v. 3. 36.
Of.
' O ! throw away the worser half of it.' — Hamlet, iii. 4. 157.
' Let not my worser spirit tempt me again.'
King Lear, iv. 6. 223.
'Our worser genius.' — Tempest, iv. i. 27.
Wotchered [woch-urd]. i. q. Wetchered, q. v.
Wouking, part. adj. Yelping ; as ' A wouking little cur.'
N'hamp.
Wracket [rack-it], sb. Consequence, result: usually of an
unpleasant nature. ' If you will go to the wake after what
your father said, you must stand the wracket.' Common.
Wratch, sb. Var. pron. of ' wretch.' Applied, in the old
sense, to one in need, or worthy of pity and affection.
' I set a deal o' store by Lucy, poor wratch.' This is the
S. Warw., Shrop., and Up.-on-Sev. pronunciation. It is
not common in other parts of Warw., but ' wretch ' is used
as defined above. W. Wore., Glouc.
1 Othello [speaking of Desd.]. Excellent wretch ! Perdition catch my
soul
But I do love thee !' Othello, iii. 3. 90.
Wrizbuns, sb. pi. Var. pron. of ' wristbands ' (of a shirt).
Wrostle [rosl], v. n. Var. pron. of ' wrestle.' Common.
Wrote, pret. for past part, written. Common.
' Lucius. Thanks, royal sir.
My emperor hath wrote ; I must from hence.' — Cymb. iii. 5. i.
Wuld, pret. of 'will,' &c. Var. pron. of 'would.' Cf.
Ehuld.
' A knyte }>er was in Englond ; by nor)>e her biside
A rung child he hadde bi his wyf : as God wolde it sholde bitide.'
An Oxford Student 'Phildog. Soc. Trans. 1858).
Wull, ficlj. Var. pron. of 'whole.' ' Wiilly ' = wholly.
Leic., N'hamp., and elsewhere.
Wum — Yale 271
Wum, sb. Var. pron. of ' home.' W. Wore., Glouc., Shrop.
' Whome ' in S. Warw. Provin. This is an old form.
Shrop. (wham, whome}. Cf. Um.
'And yf thou wylt not so do,
Whome with the then wyll y goo.'
MS. Cantab. Ff. ii. 38, f. 210 (quoted in Hal. Did.'].
Wiinderful, adj. Var. pron. of ' wonderful/
Wus, Wusser, adj. of adv. Var. pron. of ' worse, worser.'
Leic., N'hamp., and common. A boaster is called a
' wonderful wusser ' in Warw.
Wunt. Var. pron. of ' won't.' Will not. ' I wtint tek less
than three shilling for this fowl.'
Wuts [rhymes 'cuts '], sb. pi. Var. pron. of ' oats.' Glouc.,
Shrop.
Y. Added to ale, ears, earn, 'ead (head), 'erbs (herbs), which
become yale, years, yarn, yed, yarbs.
'E before a vowel at the beginning of words, as
Eadweard, Eoforwic, was clearly sounded like y, or the
High-Dutch .;'. Thus we still write York ; and Yedward
is found in Shakespeare :
[lFalst. Hear ye, Yedward ; if I tarry at home and go not, I'll hang
you for going.' — i Hen. IV, i. 2. 148.]
and earl is in Scotland sounded yerl, like the Danish
jarl' — Shrop. Word-bk. (quoting Freeman's Old English
History, p. xviii.).
Erdington, in Warw., is still called Yenton or Yerton
by the old inhabitants ; and Miss Jackson gives Yerton
as the place -pronunciation of Eardington in Shrop.
Yale. sb. Var. pron. of 'ale.' Shrop. (yaa'l, yeal'), Staff.
(yell). ' Ale ' is not often heard in Glouc. ; the folks say
' best beer.'
Yaller — Yent
Yaller [yal-&], adj. Var. pron. of ' yellow.' Oxf., Leic.
(yaller) Shrop. (y allow [pron. yalS,]), and elsewhere.
'Theise cocodrilles ben serpentes, salowe and rayed aboven, and ban
four feet, and schorte thyes and grete nayles, as clees or talouns.' —
Mandeville, Travels, 1356, p. 198 (in Hal. Diet.).
Yammer, v. n. To whine or whimper, as a child does.
Staff. (= to complain). Hal. Lift, says, 'To grumble,
fret. North. Also to make a loud, disagreeable noise.'
Yap [rhymes ' cap '], v. n. To yelp snappishly, as a cur
does. Leic., N'hamp. (yapping, yelping). Hal. Diet.
says, ' To bark, yell ; yappee, yelp. Devons.'
Yappering, part. adj. Chattering, answering elders in
a saucy way. Glouc. (yapper, yopper, to talk, mouth).
Yarbs, sb. pi. Var. pron. of ' herbs.' Leic., Glouc., SE.
Wore., Shrop.
'Some skill in yarbs, as she called ber simples.' — Kingsley, Westward
Ho! ch. v (in Davies' Suppl. Engl. Gloss.}.
Yarn, v. a. To earn.
'When rain is a let to thy doings abrode,
set threshers a threshing to laie on good lode ;
Thresh cleane ye must bid them, though lesser they yarn,
and looking to thriue haue an eie to thy barne.'
Tusser, Husbandrie.
Yaup, v. n. [? var. pron. of ' gape.'] To yawn audibly ; to
talk noisily, to bawl. Leic. (yorp, yawp), Staff., N'hamp.
(yanking or yauping).
Yawnups [yau-nups], sb. A stupid, ignorant, uncouth
person. Oxf., Glouc., and elsewhere.
Yed, sb. Var. pron. of 'head.' Leic., Shrop. (and
Yedart, Edward), . Glouc. (or yud), Staff. ( = the head ;
Yethard = Edward).
Yent. Am not, is not. ' I yent ready.' ' He yent willin' to
work.' More common in S. Warw. Glouc. (or yunt).
Cf. Ain't.
Yer — Yowk 273
Yer [rhymes fher']. You, your, you are. Leic., and else-
where. In NW. Warw. it is very vulgarly sounded in
certain combinations ; e. g. 'I ain't gooin' to school this
morninV ' Yes, yer are.'
Yis, adv. Var. pron. of 'yes.' Walker, Diet., gives this
pronunciation as the accepted one of his time.
Yit, adv. Var. pron. of ' yet.'
' He nevere yit no vileinye ne sayde
In al his lyf, unto no maner wight.'
Chaucer, The Prologue, i. 70, ed. Morris
(quoted in Shrop. Word-bk.}.
Yd, pron. Var. pron. of ' you.' Common.
Yon, adv. and adj. Yonder. S. Warw. Provin., and
common.
You'm. You am [for 'are']. 'You'm a bad lad.'
Glouc.
Yourn, pron. Yours. Common. ' Yor'n ' is another Warw.
form. So is ' Yors.'
Yowe [yo], sb. Var. pron. of ' ewe.' A.-Sax. eowu.
Yowk [youk], v. n. To yelp, as a dog does. Leic. (and
yowt), N'hamp. (yowkin, yelping), Hal. Diet. ('West'),
and Shrop. (yowp, to yelp).
Yowking, pavi. adj. Yelping.
APPENDIX
THE following sayings were gathered after my Folk-
phrases of Four Counties (Eng. Dial Soc. No. 73) was
printed.
A fool above the shoulders, e. g. ' If you expect me to do
a day's work for a shilling, you must think I'm a fool
above the shoulders.'
A fool's a monkey's master. Said to one who calls
another ' a fool.'
A nice name to go to bed with (ironical), e. g. ' Just
fancy, to christen the poor child Pharaoh : that's a nice
name to go to bed with.'
As deep as Garry. Glouc. Hazlitt, English Proverbs, 1882,
has 'As deep as Garrick,' and remarks, 'I found this
current in Cornwall, where Garrick's name can scarcely
have been very familiar : Mr. Pavin Phillips (Notes and
Queries, 2nd ser., ii. 307) states that it is well known at
Haverfordwest, where, however, they make Garratt out
of Garrick.'
As false as God's true.
As fierce (mettlesome) as a four-year-old (horse).
As fit as a fiddle.
T 2
276 APPENDIX
As full as a blow'd mouse.
As much sense as a sucking duck.
As right as a ribbon.
Come to my arms, My bundle of charms. Said, jocularly,
to a woman.
Dress'd up like an old yowe (ewe) lamb fashion. Spoken
of an elderly woman dressed in girlish attire.
Fire and water ; good servants, but bad masters.
He's such an old thief, he'd rob Jesus Christ of his
shoe-strings.
Jimmy Johnson squeeze me. This saying, which was
common between fifty and sixty years ago, occurs in an
old song called (?) ' The Brummagem Lad.' Was the song
founded on the phrase, or was the phrase borrowed from
the song ?
'I came up to London to see the Queen,
And all the grand sights I was willin',
But, when I came to look over my cash,
I found I'd took two bad shillin'.
But a Brummagem Lad
Is not to be had ;
If he is, Jimmy Johnson squeeze me.' — (desunt ccetera.}
Like a toad out of a tree — thump !
Live and learn, and die and forget it all.
Long-look'd-for, come at last.
March, the month to open the windows and let the fleas
fly out. Glouc.
APPENDIX 277
Off, like a jug handle.
Sold again, and got the money. A dealer's phrase, when
a bargain is closed, and the money is paid. It is used
figuratively, too, when a person is 'sold' or choused.
' To sell one a pen'orth ' is to tell a fanciful tale, with
intent to deceive.
That cobs (caps) Dolly, and Dolly cobb'd the devil.
Vide Cob in Glossary.
That's kilFd my pig. i. e. I am dealt the finishing stroke.
Some say, ' That's settled my hash.'
To blow one's bags out. To eat a hearty meal.
To keep one to his cake and milk. i. e. To keep the ' one '
in question within bounds, or to any firm rule.
To look like Death on a mopstick.
To put the cat amongst the pigeons, i. e. To cause discord.
To sup sorrow by spoonfuls. Heard in such phrases as
relate to matrimonial intentions, e. g. ' Ah ! if she
marries that fellow, she'll sup sorrow by spoonfuls.'
To win the whistle, i. e. Nothing at all.
Too fat to turn or spin.
When apples grow on orange trees. A variant of this
common phrase concludes an old song which I do not
remember to have seen in any printed collection. Here
and there it is not unlike — though elsewhere manifestly
inferior to — ' Waly, Waly, love be bonny,' in Percy's
Jteliques, and the Orpheus Caledonius.
i.
'There is a house in yonder town,
Where my love goes and sits him down ;
He takes a strange girl on his knee,
O don't you think that's grief to me?
278 APPENDIX
ir.
0 grief, 0 grief, I'll tell you why,
Because she's got more gold than I.
But her gold will waste, and her beauty blast ;
Poor girl, she'll come like me at last.
m.
For when my apron-strings were low,
He follow'd me thro' frost and snow ;
But now they are up to my chin,
He passes by and says nothing (sic).
IV.
1 wish, I wish, but 'tis all in vain,
I wish I was a maid again ;
A maid again I ne'er shall be,
Till an apple grows on an orange tree.'
A modern version of this song, set to a sprightly air, and
entitled 'The best of friends must part,' or 'There is
a tavern in the town,' was popular in England and
America a year or so ago.
When fools are born, they must be reared.
Years and years, and donkeys' years (? ears). This is
a figurative expression for 'a very long time.' As the
death of a donkey is supposed to be a most rare event,
its 'years' may serve as an illustration of duration.
But ' ears ' (and the ears of a donkey are long) is often
pronounced years, whilst ' years ' is as often pronounced
ears. Such is human perversity. The reader must
kindly take his own view of the equivoque.
You'd make a parson swear. There are other variants of
this phrase. ' He'd make a parson swear,' ' It's enough
to make a parson swear,' &c. : said to, or of, any irritating
person or circumstance.
You're dreaming: put your hand out, and feel if you're
in bed. Said to one who expresses a mistaken im-
pression.
APPENDIX 279
You're Irish, and the top of your head's poison.
You've been in the knife-box, i. e. Your wit is sharper.
Some say ' You've been down the pig-market ' : meaning
that the person to whom the phrase is addressed might
well have spent his time, recently, amongst the dealers,
who are generally shrewd of wit, &c.
You've got a soft place in your head. Said to a noodle.
'He's got a soft place in his head' was the burden of
a comic song, forty or fifty years ago.
You would try to make me believe that black's white,
and white's no colour at all.
FINIS.
OXFORD: HORACE HART
PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY
OF
FOUR COUNTIES
(GLOUC., STAFF., WARW., WORC.).
GATHERED FROM UNPUBLISHED MSS. AND
ORAL TRADITION
BY
G. F. NORTH ALL,
AUTHOR OF ' ENGLISH FOLK-RHYMES.'
Xon&on :
PUBLISHED FOR THE ENGLISH DIALECT SOCIETY
BY HENRY FROWDE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE,
AMEN CORNER, E.G.
•
1894.
\_All rights reserved.]
Ojforb
HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY
PREFACE
MANY of the phrases herein are purely local, some of the
proverbs and similes are, doubtless, to be met with in other
counties, but these, with very few exceptions, are not included
in Kay, Bohn, Brewer, Hazlitt, &c. Such exceptions are given
when some new or fuller form is displayed, or annotation was
thought necessary.
I hope to see some day a bulky volume of Folk-phrases
proper — I mean sentences exhibiting pithy, traditional matter,
but with nothing of the precept or adage in their composition.
Various examples are gathered together here, e.g. Sneeze-a-
bob, blow the chair bottom out — That's the last the
cobbler threw at his wife, &c. &c., and there must be a rich
harvest awaiting the industrious gleaner, north, south, east,
and west of the counties which yielded this sheaf.
A 2
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES
A Bewdley salute. To tap on the ground with a walking-stick
when passing an acquaintance.
A blind man on a galloping horse would be glad to see it.
Said to one who cavils at the smallness of a thing, or makes
a fuss over some trifling defect.
A Bobby Dazzler. A resplendent fop. Warw.
A brownpaper clerk. A petty warehouseman.
A Brummagem button. A young man of Birmingham. The
name of this town is usually corrupted into Brummagem,
and button-making was the staple trade.
A face like a wet Saturday night.
A face like the corner of a street, i. e. angular.
A face that would stop a clock, i. e. repellent.
A gardener has a big thumb nail. Manages to carry off a
great deal of his master's property.
A good deal to chew but little to swallow. This was once
said of shop-bread by old country people : it is now used
indiscriminately.
A good man round a barrel but no cooper. Said of a noted
drinker. This phrase is included in Lawson's Upton-on-
Severn Words and Phrases, 1884. Dial. Soc. Pulls. It is
common in Worcestershire. Another and more usual phrase
is, 'A public-house would want but two customers, him, and
a man to fetch away the grains.'
A good old farmer's clock = a correct timepiece.
6 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
A good one to send for sorrow. Spoken of an idler.
A good wife and a good cat are best at home.
A head like a bladder of lard, i. e. bald and shiny.
A horse with its head where its tail ought to be. Tail
towards the manger. Wore.
A Johnny Raw. A bumpkin, rustic. ' Johnny Whipstraw '
is another term.
A juniper lecture = a reprimand.
A lick and a promise and better next time. Alluding to a
hasty wash given to a child, dish, &c.
A long thing and a thank you. Said of anything lengthy
not having particular value.
A lowing cow soon forgets her calf. West Wore. Words, by
Mrs. Chamberlain, 1882. Dial. Soc. PuUs. Compare —
' Hit nis noht al for the calf that cow louweth, Ac hit is for the
grene gras that in the medewe grouweth.' — Wright's Political Songs,
'839, P- 332.
A mere dog in a doublet = A mean pitiful creature.
A mess for a mad dog. Said of a meal or course compounded
of various ingredients.
A miller is never dry. Never waits to be thirsty before
drinking.
A month of Sundays. A figure for a very long time, or even
eternity.
A mouth like a parish oven.
A nod 's as good as a wink to a blind horse.
A poor hap'orth of cheese. Wore. Said of a sickly child.
A roadman's sweat is good for sore eyes.
( fll OAT7O ^
A silver new nothing to hang on your { }. Youngsters
i cii m i
sometimes worry their elders with the question — 'What
shall you bring me from the fair, market, or town ? ' This
phrase is the stock answer. A tantadlin-tart was once a
common reply.
FOLK.PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 7
A slice from a cut cake is never missed. This is usually said
to gloss over a breach of some moral law — particularly the
seventh commandment.
A still bee gathers no honey. Glow.
A tongue banging = A scolding : some say 'tongue- walking,'
others 'skull-dragging/
A tongue like a whip-saw.
A tongue that goes nineteen to the dozen.
A wheels tring sort of job, i. e. endless. Wore.
A word and a blow and the blow first. Hasty temper.
A young shaver = A sharp youth. Common.
About a tie. Wane. Said of two people whose qualities,
actions, &c. are similar, or of one value.
All one can reap and run for. Glouc. In Warw. they say
'rap and ring for.' It is a phrase much used to express
the total sum of money that can be accumulated in an
emergency.
All on one side like a bird with one wing.
All over aches and pains like Trotting Bessie. Harborne, Staff.
All tittery to tottery = From laughing to staggering.
All together like Brown's cows. G-louc.
All together like the men of Maisemore, and they went one
at a time. M. is about 2 miles W. of Gloucester.
An afternoon farmer = A dawdling husbandman. Lawson,
Upton-on-Severn Words, &c., 1884, p. 34.
As big as a bee's knee.
As black as a sloe— or a sweep, or my hat.
As black as thunder.
As bright as a new penny. Mr. Hazlitt, Proverbs, 1882, has
'As clean as a new penny.' In Warwickshire they say
' As clean as a new pin.'
As busy as a cat in a tripe shop. Common.
As clean as a pink.
As clear as mud. Ironical.
8 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
As clever as mad.
As cold as a frog.
As crooked as a dog's hind leg.
AsicunSng|asafox-
As dead as a nit. Warw. A nit is a young louse.
As deaf as a post.
As deep as a draw-well. Glouc.
As drunk as a fly.
As drunk as a fiddler's bitch. Glouc. Forby, Vocab. East
Anglia, 1830, pp. 26, 27, has 'tinker's bitch.'
As drunk as a fool.
As drunk as a mop. Said of a sot that cannot stand without
support.
As drunk as a parson. Warw.
As drunk as a pig.
As easy as an old shoe. Spoken of the fit of anything.
As fat as a match with the brimstone off.
As fond of a raw place as a bluebottle. Said of one always
ready for a quarrel, or anxious to touch on grievances.
As full as a tick, i. e. a bed tick.
As full of megrims as a dancing bear.
As good as a puppet show. Said of anything amusing.
As good as gold. Said of one's moral worth, or a child's
behaviour, &c. ; never of intrinsic value.
As grey as a badger. This refers to colour, and truly : but
some people say of one in the dumps that he or she is ' As
blue as a badger.'
As handy [with some article] as a pig with a musket.
' Dost look as handy wi' that as a pig do wi' a musket.' — Robertson,
Gloss, co. Glouc., 1890. Dial. Soc. Publs. p. 186.
As hard as a bullet.
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 9
As hard as a flint. Said of a close-fisted or hard-hearted
person.
As hard as a tabber (? tabour). Glow.
As hard as iron.
As hard as old nails.
As hard as the devil's nagnails.
As hardy as a forest pig. Glouc.
As heavy as lead.
As hungry as a hunter.
As ill-conditioned as old Nick.
As jolly as a sandboy.
As joyful as the back of a gravestone.
As large as life and quite as natural.
As lazy as [one] can hang together. Wore.
As lean as a lath.
As light as a feather.
As lousy as a coot.
As lousy as a pig.
As merry as a two year old.
As merry as Momus.
As merry as Pope Joan.
As < rus;^ t Isic] as an old horseshoe. Glouc.
I mouldy J L J
As much use of it as a toad has of a side pocket. It may
mean anything unnecessary.
As mute as a mouse.
As natural as hooping to owls.
• It do come as nat'ral as hooping do to owls.' — Robertson, Gloss,
co. Glouc.
As near as damn it.
As near as fourpence to a groat.
As near as two ha'pennies for a penny.
As neat as ninepence.
io FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
As old as Adam or Methuselah. The former refers to time
or period : the latter to longevity.
As old as the hills.
' The everlasting hills.' — Genesis xlix. 26.
As pale as a parson.
As playful as a kitten.
As pleased as a jay with a bean. Glouc. In the vernacular,
'As plazed as a joy with a beun.' Joy or joyple — jay. —
Eobertson, Gloss, co. Glouc., 1890.
As pretty as paint. Some say 'As fresh as paint.'
As proud as a dog with two tails.
As proud as a horse with bells. Glouc.
As quick as thought.
As ragged as a colt.
As red as a turkeycock's jowls [wattles]. Some say a ...
As red as Roger's nose who was christened in pump water.
As red as the rising sun at Bromford. As this phrase is well
known in Wane., I judge that it alludes to Bromford,
i mile S. E. from Erdington, par. Aston juxta-Birmingham,
where there was a mill on the Tame prior to the Conquest.
A forge mill still exists on the old site. It might be
thought to refer to some old public-house sign, but of this
there is no present proof, I am informed.
As right as ninepence. Some think this should read ' nine-
pins ; ' but ninepence is a sum frequently mentioned in
proverbs.
As right as pie.
As right as the mail [train], Le. as true to time.
As rough as a bear's backside.
As round shoulder'd as a grindstone.
As safe as houses. Usually spoken of an investment.
As sandy as a Tamworth pig. Spoken of a red-haired
woman ; and hinting that she was likely to prove con-
cupiscent and prolific.
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. n
As savage as a tup.
As short as a Marchington wake-cake. Staff. Said of a
woman's temper. Poole, Gloss. Archaic and Provincial Words
of Staff., 1880, p. 25.
As silly as a j J^e j . A gull is a young goose.
As smart as a carrot. Said of one gaily dressed.
As smart as a master sweep.
As solid as old times.
As sound as an acorn.
As sure as fate, or death. Some say ' As sure as I'm alive ; '
or ' As sure as you 're born ; ' or ' As sure as you 're there.'
As sure as God made little apples.
As thick as gutter mud.
As thin as a farthing rushlight.
As thin as ha'penny ale, i. e. small beer at 2d. per quart.
As tight as a drum.
As ugly as sin. Said of an ill-favoured individual.
Be as quick as you can, and, if you fall down, don't stop
to get up. Sometimes, ' Make haste,' &c. A jocular incen-
tive to one going an errand, &c.
Better a quick penny than a dallying shilling.
Better long little than soon nothing.
Black your behind and go naked. This is the advice given
to one who complains of no change of clothing.
Bread and pull it (pullet}. Sometimes, when a man is
asked what he had for dinner — when he has fasted — he
replies 'Gravel Hash,' which really means a walk on the
roads. Another reply is 'Chums and chair knobs.' See
' To box Harry'
By degrees, as lawyers go to Heaven.
12 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
Cat, you bitch, your tail 's afire. The idea of a cat bearing
fire in its tail is found in many folk -tales and verses. See
English Folk Rhymes, pp. 290-291. I can find no satisfactory
explanation.
Catchings, havings ; slips go again. A street phrase spoken
by one threatened with capture.
Chance the Ducks. Warw. To do a thing and ' chance the
ducks ' is to do it, come what may.
Choke up, chicken, more a-hatching. Glouc, Mr. Hazlitt,
Proverbs, 1882, has —
' Choke up, child, the churchyard's nigh.'
Clean gone like the boy's eye, i. e. into his ' head : ' he
squinted.
Come, love ! or Husband's Tea. It is a standard joke that
women drink the first brew, and then fill the teapot with
water — adding no fresh leaves. Weak tea has received
the above names, therefore.
Compliments pass when beggars meet. Ironical.
Cry ! you '11 p ... the less. Addressed usually to children
that cry unreasonably.
Curses, like chickens, come home to roost.
Cut off his head but mind you don't kill him. A mock
injunction to one about to beat a youngster.
Dab, says Dan'l, as he sh . . in the well.
Deeds are Johns, and words Nans. Ware. A local version
of the proverb — 'Deeds are males, but words females.'
Deritend Wake Sunday, the first day of Winter. Deritend,
in the parish of Aston juxta-Birmingharn, is divided from
the south-east side of the town by the river Kea. The
chapel is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the calendared
date of whose beheading is Aug. 29.
Dillydally brings night as soon as hurryskurry. Mrs.
Chamberlain, West Wore. Words, 1882, p. 39.
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 13
Don't be always don'ting.
Don't Care was hanged. Said to be a reckless person who
exclaims, ' I don't care ! ' Some say, ' Don't care came to
a bad end.'
Don't drown the miller's eye, i. e. don't put too much
water to flour when mixing the dough. ' Millers' eyes '
are, in Glouc., the little kernels often met with in
indifferent bread. Miss Baker, Northamps. Gloss., 1854, ii. 21,
thinks that ' miller's eye ' refers ' probably to that part of
the machinery which is the aperture in the upper revolving
stone, beneath the hopper, through which the corn passes
to be ground.' But Kay bears out the former meaning,
giving, To put out the miller's eye, adding, ' spoken by good
housewives when they have wet their meal for paste or
bread too much.'
Don't sigh, but send, I'd run a mile for a penny. Said
to one that sighs without apparent cause.
Doomsday in the afternoon. A phrase similar in meaning
to ' At Latter Lammas ' or ' Nevermass ; ' ' Tib's Eve ; '
' Ad Graecas Kalendas ; ' ' A le venue des coquecigrues,' &c. ;
i. e. Never. See When the sun shines, fyc.
Drunk as a boiled owl.
Dudley moonrakers. Wore. It is almost unnecessary to
state that the term 'moonrakers' is applied to many
districts whose inhabitants are considered illiterate : e. g.
Wiltshire.
Enough to sicken a snipe. Glouc.
Every dog has his day, and a cat has two afternoons. Wane.
Every little helps, as the old woman said when she made
water in the sea.
Execution Day = Washing day.
Forehanded pay is the worst pay as is.
Pun and fancy ; gee up, Nancy. A phrase intimating that a
thing is said or done in jest. Some say 'John kiss'd Nancy.'
14 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
Gently, John, my daughter 's young.
Gloucestershire kindness, giving away what you don't
want yourself.
Go to Smerrick. Staff. Local version of ' Go to Jericho ! '
Smethwick between Birmingham and Dudley is the place
meant.
Gold makes a woman penny white.
Gornal. Staff. A place renowned for the rudeness and
oddness of its inhabitants. ' He comes from Gornal, ' i. e.
is a boor, or strange-looking man.
Half-past kissing time, time to kiss again. A jocular reply
to one who asks the time.
Happy as pigs in muck.
He always had a crooked elbow. Glouc. 'Said of a man
who has been a drunkard from his youth.' — Robertson,
Gloss, co. Glouc., 1890. It is often used in Warwickshire,
too. 'Crooked elbow' refers to the bent position of the
arm in lifting a mug or glass to the mouth. Sometimes
the folks say, ' He holds his head back too much.'
He doesn't know where his behind hangs. Said of an
insufferably proud man.
He is fit for nothing but to pick up straws, i. e. is a natural,
a simpleton.
He lies on his face too much. Said of a man who looks used
up owing to frequent observances of Paphian rites.
He makes the bullets and leaves we to shoot them. Glouc.
Robertson, Gloss. Glouc. — ' Said of a person who leaves dirty
work to others.' I have never heard it quite in that sense.
' He makes the bullets and you shoot them ' is usually
spoken of persons acting in concert.
He must have been fed with a shovel. Alluding to one with
a wide mouth.
He was born tired = He is thoroughly lazy.
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 15
He was born under a threepenny planet, i. e. is avaricious,
a curmudgeon. Mrs. Chamberlain, West Wore. Words, 1882,
p. 39, quotes Swift's Polite Convers. for a different sense,
'If you are born under a threepenny planet you'll never
be worth fourpence.'
He would give him the top brick of the chimney. Said
of a fond father and spoiled child.
He would not give any one the parings of his nails.
He wouldn't give away the droppings of his nose on
a frosty morning.
He would skin a flint for a ha'penny, and spoil a sixpenny
knife doing it.
These three phrases refer to stingy folk. ' He would flay a
flint ' is a proverb of remote times. Abdalmalek, one of the
Khalifs of the race of Ommiades, was surnamed, by way
of sarcasm, Kaschal Hegiarah, that is ' the skinner of a flint '
. . . . — Universal Magazine, 1796. He'd take snuff through
a rag is said of a mean, miserly fellow in Worcestershire
and the adjoining counties.
He '11 never make old bones. Spoken of a sickly child,
youth, or young man.
He 's a builder's clerk, and carries the books up the ladder,
i. e. is a hodman.
He 's very clever but he can't pay. Wore.
Heads a penny! Said to a child that bumps its head. It
is probably an abbreviated form ; but the origin is doubtful.
Here goes ding-dong for a dumpling, i. e. neck or nothing.
Possibly derived from the old sport of bobbing with the
mouth for balm dumplings immersed in hot water.
Her 's the cat's mother. Warw. Said to one who uses the
possessive her of the third person instead of the nominative she.
His dirt will not stick, i. e. his abuse will harm no one.
His father will never be dead as long as he is alive. Said of
a son who closely resembles his father in appearance or ways.
His hair is as straight as a pound of candles.
16 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
How are you froggin' ? How are you in health ? Common
in the neighbourhood of Sutton Coldfield, but not unfamiliar
in other parts of Warw.
How many beans make five? Warw.; Wore. (?) Said to test
one's sharpness. The ' retort courteous ' is not always given.
The ' quip modest 'is, 'A bean and a half, a bean and a half,
half a bean, and a bean and a half.' To say of a man that
' He knows how many beans make five ' is to speak highly of
his shrewdness.
How you like, and the rest in ha'pence. An answer to
some such question as, l How will you have it ? ' it answer-
ing for anything from an unpaid account to a glass of
grog.
Hungry Harborne, poor and proud. Staff. A suburb of
Birmingham. Ancient documents preserve several parish
place-names which suggest poverty. Kenward, Harborne
and its Surroundings, 1885, pp. 44-45, mentions Wilderness
Farm, Bareland's Coppice, Mock Beggar Farm, &c. He
quotes Leland — whose authority was Warkworth —
' The water of Hungrevale is 7 miles on this side of Dudeley Castle,"
and says, ' Is Stonehouse Brook the water ? is Hungrevale the valley it
flows through ? ' On another portion of the page he remarks, ' I presume
that it refers not to the poverty which cannot satisfy hunger but to the
bracing winds from the S.W. which provoke it.' — p. 46.
I am eating my white bread now instead of at the end of
my days. Wore. SeeLawson's Upton-on-Severn Words, &c.,
1884.
I could tell by the whites of his eyes and the bends of his
elbows.
I'd as soon hear a rake and basket. Said of discordant
singing.
' I 'd as zoon 'ear a rack and basket.' — Robertson, Gloss, co. Glouc., 1890,
p. 186.
I shan't undress myself before I go to bed, i. e. shall not
give all my property away whilst alive.
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 17
Idle as [H] Ines that was too lazy to get his wagon and
horses out of the ditch. Glouc. This has, perhaps, some
local tale to back it ; but no one seems to know the telling.
At first sight it strikes one as an idea borrowed from the
fable of Hercules and the Wagoner, which should run, ' As
idle as the hind, &c.' But this is a chance resemblance,
maybe ; as hind, in country places at least, is still restricted
in meaning.
I '11 see your nose above your chin. A mock threat addressed
to very young children.
I 'm like Tommy Daddle 'em I twet (sweat). Warw.
In a jilt of rags. Spoken of a tatterdemalion.
In quick sticks = rapidly.
In the fashion = Enceinte. See ' She is so.'
It cost a mint of money. This is the common superlative
phrase expressive of the value of a thing. ' He ' or ' she is
worth a mint of money ' is another form.
It shines like Worcester against Gloucester. Common in the
former county. See Mrs. Chamberlain, West Wore. Words,
1882, p. 39.
It tastes of what never was in it. Spoken of a service of
food that has a burnt or smoky flavour.
It 's a poor hen that can't scrat for one chick. Mrs. Cham-
berlain, West Wore. Words, 1882.
It 's all about. Said by one youngster to frighten another, the
speaker thereby pretending that some secret or reprehensible
act of his fellow is commonly talked of. Should B be green
enough to ask, ' What 's all about ? ' A replies — ' Horse
dung ! '
It 's all for the back and belly, i e. food and clothing are the
main objects of all endeavour.
It 's all moonshine. Said of shallow talk, or an argument not
sound, &c.
It 's blowing great guns.
B
i8 FOLK -PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
It 's cold enough to frizzle a yan [hern, heron,] which will
stand still in a pond in the coldest weather.
It 's fun alive.
It 's hats that go to jail, not caps. Glouc. Husbands are im-
prisoned for debt, not wives.
It 's like giving a donkey strawberries. To give one some-
thing too fine or particularly unfit for his condition.
It 's neither here nor there. Spoken of an argument unstable
and worthless.
I 've got a head and so has a pin, i. e. a knob, nothing more.
Spoken by one whose wits are cloudy from sleep, &c., when
occasion demands a clear brain.
Jack 's alive at our house. Said on an occasion of noisy
merriment. There is a well-known game at forfeits, in
which a lighted spill is passed from hand to hand, the
players saying meanwhile —
' Jack 's alive, and likely to live,
If he dies in your hand you've a forfeit to give,'
— that may have originated this phrase : for, as the spill
burns lower and lower, there is much haste to place it in
the hands of the next player, and this is carried on amidst
much cheering and laughter.
Josts )
Jokes I s° free tiU Christmas, and then they begin again.
Johnnies and Mollies. Wore. Country lads and lasses. In
Glouc. applied to place-hunters at the hiring-fair or mops.
Kiss'd, cursed, vexed, or shake hands with a fool. Said by
one whose nose itches — hoping for the first lot, but prepared
for either.
Lay o's for meddlers. Things that children are forbidden
to touch. Possibly corrupted from layholds. Another
name for a thing forbidden is Trinamanoose.
Like a bag of muck tied up ugly. Said of anybody or any-
thing shapeless in form.
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 19
Like a chick in wool, i. e. comfortable.
Like a cow's tail [he or she] grows down hill.
Like a duck in a stocking, happy anywhere.
Like a frog in a fit. Said of one tipsy.
Like a humble bee in a churn. Spoken of one whose voice
is indistinct. Wore. ' Like a dumble-dore in a pitcher ' is
the Grlnuc. version. Lawson, Upton-on-Severn Words and
Phrases, 1884; Eobertson, Gloss, co. Glouc., 1890.
Like a tomtit on a round of beef. A little person is said to
look so when situated on some coign of vantage.
Like an Irishman's obligation, all on one side.
Like an old hen scratchin' afore day. Glouc. i. e. working
at useless tune.
Like dogs in dough, i. e. unable to make headway.
Like the old woman's pig, if he 's little he 's old, i. e. crafty.
Like the old woman's tripe, always ready. Warw. In Wore.
they say, ' Like Dudley tripe,' &c.
Like the tailor, done over. There is an old song entitled
' The tailor done over. '
Long and narrow, like the boy's granny.
Lucky, John Hodges. Spoken to one who has a find, or
experiences a stroke of good fortune.
Making feet for baby's stockings. Spoken of a childing
woman.
Malvern measure, full and running over.
Several } men, many minds.
Matrimony. Cake and bread and butter eaten together.
Michaelmas chickens and parsons' daughters never come
to good.
More fools in Henley. This ambiguous phrase is used by
natives of Henley-in-Arden, co. Warw., when strangers of
remarkable appearance tarry in the main street. It might
be made to cut both ways certainly.
B 2
20 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
More than ever the parson preached about.
My fingers are all thumbs, i. e. have lost their dexterity for
a time.
My granny »s come back=Catawema.
Neither my eye nor my elbow, i. e. neither one thing nor the
other.
Neither sick nor sorry. Said of one who has caused annoyance
or trouble and takes the matter lightly. Some understand
' sorry ' in the old sense of sore.
No carrion will kill a crow. Glouc. Robertson, Gloss., 1890,
p. 1 86.
> tricks upon travellers.
None of your )
Not worth a tinker's curse*
Old Sarbut told me so. Warw. A local version of ' A little
bird told me so.' The mythical Sarbut is another Brookes of
Sheffield, who is credited with the revealing of secrets, and as
the originator of malicious statements.
Once bitten, twice shy.
Open your shoulders and let it go down. This is a jesting
speech to one about to drink : a jest because to do both is
impossible. The antithesis is — ' Drink as if you meant it.'
Out of all ho, i. e. immoderately. This ho is an ancient phrase-
word. In John Smyth's remarks on ' Proverbs and
Phrases of Speach' contained in his last volume of the
Berkeley MS., entitled, A description of the hundred of
Berkeley, and of the Inhabitants thereof in tJie County of Glouc
(completed in 1639), we get — 'He makes noe hoe of it, i. e.
hee cares not for it.' A portion of the above interesting MS.,
says Mr. Kobertson, Gloss., 1890, p. 200, was published by
the Bristol and Gloucester Archaeological Society, in three
large quarto vols., in 1883-5. Mr. Robertson gives some
interesting phrases from the work, in local vernacular.
Out of one's five wits and seven senses.
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 21
Out of the road of the coaches, i. a safe, secure. A housewife
might use this phrase when placing a glass in a cupboard,
or shutting a child in a room, &c. Another form of the
phrase seems to have a more definite meaning. Eay has,
' The coaches won't run over him,' stating that it means
'he is in jail.'
Over the left shoulder, i. e. adverse, contrary to custom.
The French seem to claim this phrase, explaining it du cote
ques les Suisses portent la halkbarde — du cote gauche. It has
a figurative position in English : e. g. to do a man a kind-
ness over the left shoulder is to do him an injury.
Paws off, Pompey= Touch me not.
Perhaps it will be like the old woman's dishcloth, look
better when it's dry.
Pershore { ^^ J^f* ? } Pershore, Wore., isnotedfor
its fruit. When there is a particularly fine crop, any
native vendor, if asked where his fruit was grown, says
boastingly, 'Parshur, where do you think but Parshur?'
If asked the same question in a bad season, he replies,
' Parshur, God help us ! '
Pride must be pinched. A reproof to one who complains of
tight boots, garments, &c.
Put a pitch plaster on your mouth = Be silent.
Put in with the bread and puU'd out with the cakes.
Spoken of a stupid person : one ' half-baked,' as folk some-
times say.
Bub your sore eye with your elbow, i. e. not at all.
Sam who ? Warw. A street phrase : a sort of contemptuous
'put off.' Exs. 'I'll punch your head;' 'I'll tell your
gaffer ! ' Ans. ' Sam who ? '
Shake your j sjj^ I and give the crows a feed. Said by
way of insult. It implies lousiness.
22 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
Shameful leaving is worse than shameful eating.
Sharp work for the eyes, as the boy said when the wheel
went over his nose.
She is so.
' Means a female expects to become a mother ; probably this delicate
phrase was originally accompanied with a position of the hands and
arms in front of the person speaking, indicative of a promising am-
plitude.'— Huntley, Gloss, of the Cotswold, 1868, p. 19.
The phrase is, however, common in the Midlands, as is
'She is like that,' to which the above remarks may again
apply.
She '11 make the lads sigh at their suppers. Said of a pretty
or attractive girl.
Sh . . . . n luck is good luck. Said by one who treads
accidentally into excrement, or is befouled by mischance.
This superstition, if superstition it be, probably owes its
existence to an ancient term for ordure — gold or gold dust :
and these in turn probably originated from the agricultural
value of dung, or perhaps from its natural colour.
Mr. Thomas Wright, F.S.A., says —
' The Anglo-Saxon vocabularies have preserved another name gold
hordhus, a gold treasure house, or gold treasury, which is still more
curious from its connexion with the name gold finder or gold farmer,
given as late as the seventeenth century to the cleaners of privies.
It is at this time still in use in Shrewsbury to designate such men.' —
Uricornium (Wroxeter), 1872, footnote, p. 146.
Short and sweet, like a donkey's gallop. Some say, 'like
a roast maggot.'
Silence in the pigmarket, and let the old sow have a grunt.
Sit on your thumb till more room do come. A reply to
a child that continually says, ' Where shall I sit ? '
Six of one, and half a dozen of the other. Said of opposite
parties in a quarrel, misdemeanour, scheme, &c., when the
right or wrong of the matter in question cannot be fixed on
either side with certainty.
Slow and steady wins the race.
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 23
Sneeze-a-bob, blow the chair bottom out! Warw. Said
when a person sneezes.
Some day, or never at the farthest. An answer to some such
question as, 'When will you bring me a present?'
Sound love is not soon forgotten.
Spare 'em. The limbo of queer or uncouth folk : e. g. ' He
comes from Spare 'em.'
Spotted and spangled like Joe Danks's Devil. Warw. Ac-
cording to report this Joe Banks was an itinerant showman,
who exhibited a wretched creature whose attractions com-
prised a skin eruption and a spangled suit.
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will
never hurt me ! Said by one youngster to another calling
names.
Straight off the reel = Without hindrance.
That cock won't fight. Said of an unsatisfactory plan,
argument, &c.
That won't hold water. A phrase of similar meaning.
That won't pay the old woman her ninepence. Said of
aught not equivalent to given value, in money or kind.
That '11 tickle your gig. Warw. There seems to be some play
on gig, a wanton, and gig, slang = pudendum. The phrase
is now used of anything likely to cause mirth, or even brisk
movement of body.
That 's a cock. Said after spitting, should the spittle contain
a clot of mucus.
That 's a rhyme if you '11 take it in time. Said by one who
1 drops into poetry ' by accident.
That's about my barror. This, in the North Midlands,
signifies that some job, action, or feat is within the speaker's
capacity. By ' barror ' is intended, possibly, barrow-load.
That 'B it if you can dance it. Glouc. Equivalent to ' If the
cap fits, wear it.'
24 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
That's the chap that gnaw'd the - Points out
a person guilty of some offence.
That 's the last the cobbler threw at his wife. Said to end
an argument. The play is on 'last.' Actually, the last
word is meant.
That 's the stuff for trousers. This phrase, which once had
a definite meaning, no doubt, is now freely used of any
good thing.
That 's what you are ! i. e. a snot. A street phrase, and
deadly insult. The insulter blows his nose, and then says
the say. The insulted one sometimes says 'There's two
friends parted. '
The best of the j ^nclf !* sPoken of the worthy member of
some family or company.
The bigger the man, the better the mark, i. e. to aim, or
strike at in combat.
The colour of the devil's nutting bag. Said of anything
dingy or bad-coloured.
The devil hung in chains. Warw. A cooking turkey dressed
with sausages.
The devil knows many things because he is old.
_,, \ dustman ) •,
T e { sandman's) come mto your eyes' Jt e§ you are sleePv »
usually addressed to children.
The ghost of Old Flam. Warw. Any mysterious noise is
said to be caused by this spectre.
The more hazelnuts the more bastard children. Glouc.
The people of Clent are all Hills, Waldrons, or devils.
Wore. Some of the old people remember this proverb.
Amphlett, Short Hist. Clent, 1890, states that before 1600,
30 entries of Hill, 18 of Waldron, 67 of Sparrey, 37 of Coxe
are registered in the parish books. Afterwards the Hills
and Waldrons multiplied exceedingly.
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 25
The smock is nearer than the petticoat.
The tops of the potatoes [&c.] have the soot bag over them,
i. e. have been blackened by the frost.
The very devil chock ! i. e. chokefull of the devil.
The way Gandy hops. Expressive of the tendency of one's
wishes or deeds.
The Welsh ambassador = The cuckoo.
The Wooden Hill. The stair. ' To go up the wooden hill ' =
to go to bed.
( houses / ,,
There are more •< > than parish churches,
(parsons )
There were only two that came over in the same boat with
him, and one is dead.
There's more old [ale] in you than fourpenny. Said to
a sharp-witted person. Fourpenny is beer at 4& per quart.
There's no cock's eyes out. Black Coiwtry. Said when
a matter goes off tamely, or if expectations are not realized.
It recalls the days of cockfighting.
There 's no profit got from feeding pigs but their muck
and their company.
There 's nothing done without trouble, except letting the
fire out.
Thirteen pence out of a shilling.
Through the wood, and through the wood, and pick up
a crooked stick at last.
Throw your { ?rJ^ , > where you throw your love. This
(rubbisn)
is admonitory, not a piece of advice: some add 'and in
bigger pieces ! '
'Tis a blessed heat, tho', as the old woman said when her
house was on fire.
To be a cup too low.
To be born with no gizzard, i. e. with a poor digestion.
To be brother and Bob, i. e. hand and glove.
26 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
To be down in the mouth.
To be down on one's duff. Warw. i. e. down on one's luck ;
or in the dumps.
To be full of good keep.
To be measured for a new suit of clothes = To have a
thrashing.
To be off the hinges = To be out of temper, or in bad spirits.
To be on the wrong side of the hedge = To be badly situated
in any circumstance.
To be put to one's trumps = To be embarrassed.
To be sick of the simples, i. e. silly. In Warw. they say to
the performer of a foolish action, ' I '11 have you cut for the
simples. '
To be struck all of a heap = To be surprised.
To be the very spawn of a person. Ware. ; Glow. i. e. exactly
like. Some say ' the very spit : ' e. g. ' He looks as like his
father as if he was spit out of his mouth.'
To be up in the boughs = To be out of temper. Wore. ; Glow.
Lawson, UptovHWrSevern Words, &c., 1884.
To be whitewashed = To pass through the bankruptcy court.
To blow one up skyhigh = To rate soundly.
To box Harry and chew rag, i. e. to go on short commons.
In North Britain should one say, 'What's for dinner ?'-
when there is some uncertainty from want or other cause —
the answer would be Cat's teeth and clirikins. In Glouc. the
reply is, 'Barley-chaff dumplings sugared with wool.'
To break a man's back = To ruin him.
To catch the chat = To receive a reprimand.
To clear one's feathers = To get out of debt, rub off old
scores, &c.
_ (come back) ...
To I turn up J Uke a bad half-Penny-
To come off with a whole skin.
To come off with flying colours.
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 27
To crock up = To store.
To cry roast meat. ( i ) to make known one's good luck. (2) to
boast of women's favours.
To dispute with Bellarmin = To quarrel with the bottle. The
Bellarmin — a dutch mug or jug — is a varied form of our
Toby Tosspot, Greybeard, &c. : but the face upon it was
popularly likened to the visage of Cardinal Bellarmin, the
bitter opponent of the reform party in the Netherlands, in
the latter part of the sixteenth and early part of the
seventeenth centuries.
To draw in one's horns = To lose ground in argument.
To draw the long bow = To exaggerate, to lie.
To draw the yoke together = To work in concert.
To drink like a fish.
To drink like an ass, i. e. when thirsty only.
To eat enough for three bears.
To fall into the huckster's hands = To be cheated, duped.
To feel all overish.
To fetch copper = To strike fire from stone with iron.
Youngsters of Warw. and Staff, run swiftly along the paved
side-walks striking sparks therefrom with their nailed shoes,
and use the phrase.
To fix the bottom on one = To become a parasite.
To fly one's kite. Brewer, Diet. Phrase and Fable, says, To fly
the kite is 'to raise the wind, or obtain money on bills,
whether good or bad. It is a Stock Exchange phrase, &c.'
In Warw. a very different meaning is understood, i. e. ' to
shake a loose leg,' or enjoy one's-self.
To follow one's ear = To go out of one's way to discover the
source of a distant noise.
To fret the guts to fiddle-strings.
To get behind the wicket.
To get more kicks than ha'pence.
28 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
To get on the blind side of any one.
To get the forehorse by the head = To get out of debt :
to see one's way clear, &c.
To get used to a thing like an eel to skinning.
To give one Bell Tinker ! = To beat, as tinkers clout a pot.
To give one the bag to hold = To cozen, cheat, &c.
To go away with the breech in the hand = To retire chap-
fallen. 'Breech' is substitued for the more vulgar word.
Sometimes it is said of a man who 'gets the wrong end
of the stick ' in a matter that ' He goes off hopper-a . . . d.'
To go home with the parish lantern. Wore. i. e. the moon.
To go off like one o'clock, i. e. ' with as little delay as
a workman gets off to dinner when the clock strikes one.'
— Lectures on the Science of Language, by Prof. Max Miiller,
M.A., 1885, i. 69.
To go out of one's own country and all others, into Walsall.
Staff. Walsall was formerly regarded as a rough, ' ill-con-
ditioned' place, inhabited by boors. There is a tale that
a pedestrian had need to ask passers-by the way to this
place. He said to the first man he met, ' Is this the way
to Walsall ? ' The reply was ' Ah ! ' The second man
he questioned replied 'I suppose so.' The third answered
'Go to H — !' 'Thank you,' said the pedestrian, 'I am
evidently nearing your town.'
To go scratching on.
To have a dog in one's belly = To be ill-tempered.
To have a fling at a man = To make him a mark for abuse.
The phrase 'To have one's fling,' i. e. to indulge in one's
liberty, has no bearing on it.
To have a grumbling in the gizzard = To be ill-content.
To have a screw loose = To be out of sorts, &c. It is also
used of a demented person.
To have been priming up, i. e. drinking.
To have but one eye, and squint of that.
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 29
To have dropped a watch in the bottom of a rick. Wore.
'A jocular hypothesis,' says Lawton, Upton-on-Severn Words,
&c., 'to account for the cutting or turning of a rick which
has become overheated.'
To kick up Bob's a-dying = To make noisy merriment.
To leather one's pig = To drub, actually, or in argument.
To look as if one had been drawn through a hedge back-
wards.
To look like a boil'd turnip, i. e. sickly. In Wore, one may
hear, ' He looks as if he'd been eaten and spew'd up again.'
In Warw. they say, 'You look as if you had murdered
a turnip and washed your face in its blood.'
To look like a dog that has burn'd his tail, i. e. ashamed,
discomposed. Kay has, ' lost his tail.'
To look two ways for Sunday. Said of the improvident.
To make a maygame of one = To mock, rail, &c.
To make brick walls = To swallow without chewing : to eat
greedily.
To make one dance without a fiddle = To give a drubbing.
To make the neddy, i. e. a fortune, or large profit.
To-morrow goes by of itself.
To part with dry lips, i. e. without drinking.
To pick up a knife = To have a bad fall in riding.
To play Hell and Tommy with one. Midlands.
To play sure play, i. e. with all the points in one's keeping;
To play the bear with one = To harass, to vex. In Glouc.
'To play the very Buggan with one.' Huntley, Gloss, of
the Cotswold, 1868, p. 19, has the latter phrase. Buggan
= Old Bogey, Satan, or any evil spirit.
To pop about like a parched pea on a shovel. ' Like a pea
on a drumhead ' is another version.
To pour water on a drowned mouse = To cast out spite
on one past vengeance.
30 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
To preach over one's liquor = To crack up its excellence
as an excuse for drinking.
To put down one's dripping pan = To pout the under lip.
To put one's spoon into the wall = To die. Wore. 4' Glow,.
To put two and two together = To establish truth by
reasoning.
To quarrel like fighting cocks.
To ride a free horse to death = To abuse one's patience or
kindness.
To ride rusty.
To set the dice upon one = To cheat, to gull. Vulg.
To sing like a Bromwich throstle. Staff. A 'Bromwich
throstle * is a donkey. West Bromwich is the place meant.
To sleep like a pig.
To spite one's belly for the sake of one's back, i. e. to
stint one's self of food to provide fine clothes.
To spite one's nose for the sake of one's face, i. e. for the
offence of one's face. Another form is ' Don't cut off your
nose to spite your face.'
To stand to one's pan-pudding = To be firm : to hold to
a position.
To stare like a throttled Isaac.
To stick up one's stick = To die. Wore.
To stink like a herring.
To swear like a trooper.
To take tea in the kitchen = To pour tea from the cup into
the saucer, and drink it from this.
To take to one's heels = To retreat.
To take up the cudgels for any one = To fight another's battles.
To talk the leg off an iron pot = To chatter incessantly. It
is sometimes said of a talkative person that he or she
'would talk a horse's [or donkey's] hind leg off.'
To tan the hide = To chastise.
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 31
To throw a thing in one's j *^h 1 = To reproach.
To throw cold water on a thing = To decry.
To trim one's jacket = To thrash.
To tumble to pieces = To give birth to a child. This re-
pulsive, and, one might add, irrelevant phrase is common.
To turn up the eyes like a duck at thunder. An inferior,
or corrupted version is, ' like a dying duck in a thunder-
storm.'
To walk an Alderman's pace, i. e. sedately, with gravity.
To walk like a cat in pattens, i. e. in a pottering way.
To walk like a cat on hot bricks, i. e. in a jerky fashion.
To warm the cockles of one's heart = To enjoy to the very
core.
To watch one's waters = To keep an eye on a person ; to
follow his movements.
To wear the yellow = To be jealous. ' To wear the yellow '
meant, among old authors, to be free, one's own master, or
a bachelor, e. g. ' Give me my yellow hose again.' — Old song.
To wipe a person's eye, i. e. see what he does not see.
To work like a thresher.
To work upon the raw.
To-morrow's the day that never came yet, but the name
of the day comes every week.
Too big for his boots. Said of one overbearing or supercilious
in manner.
Too much for one, and not enough for two, like the Walsall
man's goose. 'The hungry man from Walsall' is the
title of a comic song. Poole, Archaic and Provincial Words
of Staff., 1880, p. 25, says—
' The presumed foundation for this proverb is, that a Walsall man,
when asked if he and his wife were going to have a goose for their
Christmas dinner, replied "No;" for said he, "the goose was a silly
bird — too much for one to eat, and not enough for two." *
32 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
Too thick to thrive. Said of live stock too abundant in a
place.
Top bird of the basket.
Touch and go.
Trying to look as modest as an old w ... e at a christening.
Glouc. Said of a woman who affects a chaste manner on
occasion.
Two heads are better than one, even if the one 's a sheep's.
An extended version of the well-known and ancient proverb.
' A sheep's ' head, in folk figure, means a daft or un-
reasoning head. There seems to be a country joke on
two heads, which has several forms. Mr. Hazlitt, Proverbs,
1882, has, 'Two heads are better than one, quoth the
woman, when she took her dog with her to the market.'
Two swedes to a ton of mutton. Warw. A formula used by
one who does not wish to gamble for high stakes. ' I '11 bet
you a button ' belongs to the same class of saying.
Two-year breeders never ha* done. Warw. Said of married
people whose first children are born one child two years
after the other.
Up a daisy! Addressed to a child when taking it up into
the arms ; or in lifting it from the ground after a fall.
Walsall Whofflers, i e. bandy legs. Possibly from whiffle
whoffle, to shake. The inhabitants jocularly assert that
their shaky knees are caused by ascending so many steps
to church. Standing and working at the bench, with bent
legs, for ease, is the true cause of the peculiarity others
say.
Wash together, wipe together, fall out and fight together.
We shall live till we die, like Tantarabobas.
Weeds don't spoil.
What 's a cat but its skin P
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 33
What.'s a penny made of? This is a street jibe uttered
in the hearing of a policeman. The answer is ' Copper ! '
Copper, from the slang verb to cop, i. e. catch, signifies
constable.
What 's the good of a well without a bucket P ' Well ' is
an exclamation of surprise, greeting, inquiry, &c. It is
often, too, a palliative, or the introduction to an excuse,
or poor argument. The phrase given is said in reply to
these last usages. To the former, the jesting answer
is, 'That's what David said to Nell.'
When the monkey jumps = When inclination prompts.
When the sun shines on both sides of the hedge, i. e.
never. Frequently said to children that inquire when
their parents will take them for an outing, or bring presents.
Mr. Denham has, 'The sun shines on both sides of the
hedge, ' and states that it signifies the position of that body
at meridian. I venture to assert, however, that the former
is the better reading.
Who stole the donkey ? Shouted after the wearer of a white
felt hat. The idea seems to be that the hide of the animal
was used to make the hat.
Who stole the donkey's dinner? Answer. 'Him with the
straw brimmer.' Even in Canada a straw hat is called
'the donkey's breakfast.'
Winking and blinking like a rat in a sinkhole.
With a whiz, i. e. Giddily.
With half an eye. Usually spoken of ' the mind's eye : ' as,
'A man may see it [the point of the matter in question]
with half an eye.'
Worcester, poor, proud, and pretty. Mrs. Chamberlain, West
Wore. Words, 1882, p. 39, says of this well-known phrase,
' It is proverbial that the Worcester ladies are poor,
proud, and pretty. That the accusation of pride may be
brought against the Worcester people generally is proved
by their saying that 'Ours is the only county that can
produce everything necessary for its own consumption.'
c
34 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
Worse and worse, like Povey's foot. Kobertson, Gloss. Glouc.,
1890. Povey=anowl. The phrase is used in other counties.
Hartshorne, Salopia Antigua, 1841, thought that some man
named Povey had a swollen foot which became proverbial.
He preserves the Shropshire variant, ' as large as Povey's
foot.'
You are come like snow in harvest, i. e. unexpectedly.
A person wearing a sour expression is said to look 'as
pleasant as snow in harvest.' Kay includes a version
amongst ' Scotch proverbs.' It is, however, common in the
Midlands.
You be like Jimmy Broadstock's turkeycock, stand and
sit. ' Sit 'e down, Gearge ! ' ' No, I be a gwain while I be
a standin' ! ' ' 0 you be like,' &c. This Broadstock, folks say,
• was a farmer near Cheltenham, and he owned a ridiculous
he-bird that used to stand astride over the eggs — thinking,
no doubt, to help to hatch— when the hen left her nest for
food.
You have done it in a dish, i. e. cleverly.
You mean pudding and I mean pork, i. e. we talk of different
matters. It seems to be a form of the old proverb —
'I talk of chalk and you of cheese.' — Dyke's English Proverbs, 1709,
P-54-
Kay gives an Italian phrase of the same kind, 'Io ti
domando danari e tu mi rispondi coppe.' In the Midlands,
when one wanders in argument, another replies, ' What 's
that to do with pork ? '
You might as well rub your backside with a brickbat.
Said of an action that would cause unnecessary hardship or
infliction.
You might < jj? u i it in your eye and see none the worse.
Spoken of a small portion of anything.
You must not expect perfumes in a pigsty. In Herbert's
Outlandish Proverbs, 1640, we get, 'Look not for musk in
a clog's kennel.'
FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES. 35
You should not think till the crows build in your bum and
then you should wonder how they got the sticks there.
Said to one who apologises for an error by the remark,
'I thought " so and so."'
You sit like Mumchaucer who was hanged for saying
nothing. Midlands. In Cheshire ' like Mumphazard,' &c.
You were not behind the door when the !••''> were
I noses )
given out. Said to one specially favoured in some feature.
You '11 be well before you 're twice married. Said to one who
complains of a trifling ailment. ' You '11 be worse before
you 're any better ' is said by one woman to another in labour
pains.
You '11 pass in a crowd with a good push. An answer to
one who says, ' How do I look ? ' — in the way of dress, &c.
You 're a nice young man for a small tea party. Ironical.
c 2
VOCABULARY.
These words are not in the printed glossaries of the four counties, nor in
Halliwell's Did. Archaic and Provincial Words, 2, 8vo. 1878 ; Wright's
Diet. Obsolete and Provincial English, &c.
Applefoot= Apple turnover. Glouc.
Attwood=A silly fellow. Warw.
Ayzam-jayzam = Equitable ; fair and square. ' Upright and
down straight ' is an old term of the same meaning.
Backfriend = A small piece of loose skin near the base of
a finger nail. Wane.
Bancel, v. a. =To beat out, to drive. Glouc.
Batters = Railway or canal banks. Tamwortli.
Bob-a-lantern=A turnip lantern. Wane.
Bob 'owler |
or >= The tiger moth. Wane.
Bob bowler )
Bodge, v. «. = To prod or pierce with an instrument. Near
Tarn worth, Bodger = tailor.
Bread and cheese = The leaves and young shoots of hawthorn
hedges. Wane.
Bug= A clot of mucus from the nose. Wane.
Bully head = A tadpole. Warw.
Butter-my-eye = A butterfly. Warw.
Caggy or Keggy=Lefthanded.
Chabble or Chobble, v. a. =To chew. Glouc.
c 3
38 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
Chatterwater=Tea. Modern.
Chelp, v. a. =To talk overmuch. Chelping is replying or
chattering to one's elders, without respect.
Chucky pig=A young pig.
Chuff = Bread ; sometimes, but not often, used broadly for food.
Warw*
Clozam, v. a. = To appropriate. Warw.
Codge, v. a. =To cobble, or mend clumsily. Warw. See ' Modge. '
Corkle = The core of fruit.
Cowge, v. a. =To pilfer, to steal forcibly. Warw. See ' Eant.'
Cows and calves. Children sometimes rub their moist hands,
after play, and work up little rolls of dirt-charged moisture.
These they term 'cows and calves.' Glouc.
Crap, v. n. =To discharge excrement.
Cunnythumb. To shoot with a cunnythunib is to discharge
a marble with the thumb released from far beneath the fore-
finger. Warw. ; Wore.
Daddies and Mammies = The dust-charged collections of
moisture that gather between the toes after a walk, &c. Glouc.
Devil's oatmeal = Cowparsnip (?). Warw.
Dirty Dan'l [Daniel] = Treacle.
Docker me ! excl, e. g. ' Docker me if I do ! '
Dogger = A mallet or bat, comprising a handle fitted to a heavy
cylindrical end, used in a game differing from knur and spell
in that a one-nosed tipcat is used instead of a ball. Warw.
Donkey = A four square block on which marbles are placed to
be shot at. The term is also applied to a board pierced at
intervals, each hole having a number above it, at which
marbles are discharged in the hope of their passing through
some hole of high value. The numbers represent the
marbles that the holder of the donkey must pay if the
shooter be successful. The shooter loses his marbles that
strike the donkey without passing through a hole. Warw.
Dummox= Clay marbles of inferior quality, 'pots.' Warw.
VOCABULARY. 39
Dummy = A candle. Warw.
Dunnekin ]
or V =A privy, jakes. Warw.
Donnykin j
Durgey=A dwarf. Also an adjective, e.g. 'A durgey little
man. In other counties, according to Halliwell, durgan.
(Ang. Sax. Dveorg, a dwarf: Goth. Duergar, dwarfs.)
'E-stich-'em-stich= Hasty pudding. Glouc.
Faggot = A small savoury pudding of liver, lights, &c., chopped
small. Warw.
Pootstich=A footstep.
Frum= Concupiscent, big with desire. This is the exact Warw.
meaning. It has other meanings in other counties.
Fudge, v. n.=To advance the hand unfairly when discharging
a marble. Hodge is the word near Tamworth.
Gaubshite = A filthy boor. ' A jolter-yeded (headed) gaubshite '
is an insulting phrase in Warw. But see Northall's English
Folk-Rhymes, p. 304 'Gobbinshire, Gobbinshire,' &c.
Glozzer= A perfect cast or throw of a spinning top.
Hatredans = 111 tempers, ' tantrums. ' Glouc.
Haunty= Uneasy with desire. It is equal to the Scotch
'fidgin-fain.'
Hill, v. a. — To tuck or round a child up in bed. (Hill, v. a. to
cover, is a good old English word. Mr. Halliwell quotes
MS. Lincoln. A. i. 17 f. 134 as an example.) But a child
may be covered and yet not hilled up. It is generally the
last thing a woman does before she leaves the bedroom of
a child. Hilling or heeling, the round back of a book, seems
to be formed from this verb. Warw.
Hodge = The belly, e. g. 'To stuff one's hodge.' Wanr.
Holy-falls = Trousers buttoned breeches fashion, having the
flap, not the fly front.
Howk or yowk, v. n.—To howl.
40 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
Inchy-pinchy= Progressive leap-frog. Wane.
Itching-berries = The berries of the dogrose. They contain
woolly, prickly seeds, and these, the children put down
their playmates' backs.
Jackbannel or Bannock = The minnow. Warw. Halliwell
has ' Jack Barrel, ' but this is never heard. In his edition of
Sharp's Warw. Gloss, he has 'Jackbannel,' however. But
bannock is more usual.
Jank= Excrement. Jarikliolc— privy, jakes, midden, miskin.
Warw.
Jibber and jumbles = Sweetmeats. Stratford-on-Avon.
Joey = The green linnet. Warw.
Jole, v.a. =To knock or bump another's head against an obstacle.
= A flock of pigeons. Warw.
Knur ley or knuz = (i) The ball of hard wood used in the game
of shindy or bandy. (2) adj. e. g. 'A knurley little man '
= one hard, compact, sturdy of make.
Maid = A wooden beetle used to pound clothes in the washing,
or maiding-tub, a dolly. Warw.
Mecklekeckle=Poor in quality, or fibre: e.g. 'A nieckle-
keckle sort of fellow.' Mr. Halliwell states that keckle-
meckle, sub. is the Derbyshire miner's term for poor ore.
G-louc.
Miller's dogs = Caterpillars. Glouc. See 'Woolly-bear.'
Modge, v. a. = To work badly. Frequently used with codge, e. g.
' Don't codge and modge at that patch any longer.' Warw.
Morris ! imper. = Be off. Warw. ; Wore.
Munch, v. a. = To maltreat. The substantive is the same,
e. g. ' She is a cruel munch to her children.' Warw.
Nammus ! imper. = Be off. Warw., &c.
Nick-and-brick = A variation of chuck-farthing, the dividing
line between two bricks in a pavement affording the mark.
VOCABULARY. 41
Nineter = An artful youngster. Warw. Halliwell has nincted,
wicked, perverse, South.
Nogman = A numskull. Glouc.
Ockerdocker = A greasy-looking black pebble, striped with
some other colour, regarded as a lucky stone. I do not
think the word is of old standing in Warw. It probably
belongs much further north.
Padgell, v. n. To trifle ; adj. padgelling, e. g. 'a padgelling way
of paying a debt ; ' i. e. little by little. Warw.
Peff = Punishment. ' To give a man peff ' is to thrash him.
Warw.
Pell, v. a. = To bare, e. g. ' Don't pell your hair back so.'
Glouc.
Pewey = The pea-linnet. Warw.
Pithering, a. = Trifling. Warw. Halliwell has pither, to dig
lightly, to throw up earth very gently. Kent.
Podge, v. a. = To give a blow with the fist, to punch.
Warw.
Poke or powk = A stye. Warw. This is the Shropshire mean-
ing, too. according to Hartshorne. In other counties it
seems to be used for any pimple.
Pollydoddle = A man who potters about at woman's work ;
a mollycoddle.
Polt, v. a. = To beat or knock. Glouc.
Pup, v. a. = To crepitate from the anus. Wane.
Kant, v. a. = To steal by force. Boys use this term to signify
forcible appropriation of marbles or other toys. It is also
used of forcible and undue familiarities with females. Wane.
Rodney = A helper on canal paths ; the one that opens the
locks.
Roozles = Wretchedness of mind ; the miserables.
42 FOLK-PHRASES OF FOUR COUNTIES.
Say, v. n. = To micturite. Wright, Diet. Obsolete and Provincial
English, has 'say,' to strain thro' a sieve. Leic.
Scouse, v. a. — harry, to drive. Glouc.
Scruff = A worthless fellow, a wastrel. Wane.
Scrumps = Apples. Warw.
Seven-coloured linnet = Goldfinch.
Shining = Stealing — particularly apple stealing. Warw.
Sigh, v. n. To waste, to fade, as ' the sighing away of a boil,' &c.
Skrinsh = The smallest possible portion of anything.
Sogs = Gooseberries. ' Goozgogs ' is another common term.
Warw.
Soysed, I '11 be. Ex-clam.
Sprightle up, imper. = Be brisk, lively (sprightly). Wane.
Squilch = A ' blind ' boil. Glouc.
Squit = Nonsense. Warw.
Stitchwhile = A moment. Generally used in conjunction
with every, as, 'every stitch while.' Glouc.
Strommock, v. n. = To walk ungainly.
Syke = Bacon. Strat ford-on- Avon.
Taw = The mark from which players start for a race, jump,
cast stones, &c. 'Take off taw,' i.e. leap or start from
the line.
Thunderball = The poppy. Warw. Many glossaries have
'thunderbolt.' It is believed by children that to pluck
it will draw down the ' bolts of heaven ' on them. Venus
and Jove — or possibly Venus and Vulcan — seem to be in
conjunction here.
Tittymog = A child frequently at the breast. 'Mog,' or
'Moggy,' is, in several counties, a term applied to a calf.
Another term for a suckling is 'lugtit.'
Trollymog, v. n. = To walk about heavily and aimlessly.
' Don't let 's go trolly mogging about any more. ' Lichfidd.
In Worcestershire they say ' loblolling. '
VOCABULARY. 43
Wingell, v. n. = To murmur or whimper incessantly. Hart-
shorne has it in his Scdopia.
Woolly-bear = A caterpillar. Warw. In other parts of the
country, caterpillars are called 'Cats and kittens.'
Wrile or rile, v. n. = To fidget on another's lap, or to get up
and down on another's knees. It may be a corruption
of wriggle.
Ojcforft
HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY.
i '
jijflj
PE Salisbury, Jesse
2077 A glossary of words and
phrases used in S.E,*
Worcestershire
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