A glossary of words used in the dialect of Cheshire

o^v-

s^

COLONEL EGERTON LEIGH.

A

GLOSSARY OF WORDS

USED IN

THE DIALECT OF CHESHIRE

FOUNDED ON A SIMILAR ATTEMPT BY

ROGER WILBRAHAM, F.R.S. and F.S.A,

Contributed to the Society of Antiquaries in iSiy.

BY

LIEUT.-COL. EGERTON LEIGH, M.P.

II

LONDON :
HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND CO.

CHESTER :

MINSHULL AND HUGHES.

1877.

LONDON :
CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS,
» ,•*• EREA2) STH4iaT^JIIJ:-L,;
• 'r^UKEN, V?eTO«IVS«"gBI?t-

DEDICATION.

I DEDICATE this GLOSSARY OF Cheshijie Words to my
friends in Mid-Cheshire, and believe, with some pleasure,
that these Dialectical Fragments of our old County may
now have a chance of not vanishing entirely, amid
changes which are rapidly sweeping away the past, and
in many cases obliterating words for which there is no
substitute, or which are often, with us, better expressed
by a single word than elsewhere by a sentence.

EGERTON LEIGH.

M24873

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS

ATTACHED TO

WILBRAHAM'S "CHESHIRE GLOSSARY."

Although a Glossary of the Words peculiar to each County of
England seems as reasonable an object of curiosity as its
History, Antiquities, Climate, and various Productions, yet it
has been generally omitted by those persons who have un-
dertaken to write the Histories of our different Counties. Now
each of these counties has words, if not exclusively peculiar
to that county, yet certainly so to that part of the kingdom
where it is situated, and some of those words are highly
beautiful and expressive ; many of their phrases, adages, and
proverbs are well worth recording, and have occupied the
attention and engaged the pens of men distinguished for talents
and learning, among whom the name of Ray will naturally
occur to every Englishman at all conversant with his mother-
tongue, his work on Proverbs and on the different Dialects
of England being one of the most popular ones in our

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

language. But there is a still more important benefit to be
derived from this custom, were it practised to its full extent in
a publication comprising all the provincial Dialects of Eng-
land, as they would, when united all together, form the only
true and soUd foundation for a work much wanted, a General
Dictionary of the EngHsh Language.^

Far be it from me to attempt in the least to depreciate the
wonderful powers displayed by Dr. Johnson in his Dictionary,
although it is now pretty well ascertained that he was himself
much dissatisfied with it ; but as an Etymological Dictionary,
it certainly has no claim whatever to praise ; for the learning
of Dr. Johnson, extensive as it was, yet did not embrace a
knowledge of the Gothic, Teutonic, or Anglo-Saxon languages,
nor of the other various Northern sources of our language ;
and moreover, he seems to have had very little acquaintance
with the old French or Norman languages. By following the
traces of Junius and of Skinner, he has indeed, though not
very successfully, attempted to supply the former deficiency ;
but to remedy the latter, namely, his ignorance of the old
French language, was not so easy a task, his own labour and
industry in that branch of learning being absolutely necessary,
as there is scarcely a single Lexicographer of the English
tongue, who, though aiming at Etymology, seems to have
possessed a competent knowledge of the old French language.

* This deficiency no longer exists ; as the new edition of Dr. Johnson's
Dictionary, by the Rev, H. J. Todd, now forms a most comprehensive and
satisfactory vocabulary of the Enghsh language. So that the author of this
little provincial Glossary may truly say, in the words of the great poet of
Italy, " Poca fa villa gran fiamma seconda." — Wilbraham, Second Edition.

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

Had life, health, and the avocations of politics afforded
to another gentleman, one of the most acute grammarians,
and of the most profound etymologists that ever adorned this
or possibly any other country (I mean the late Mr. Home
Tooke), sufficient leisure to accomplish his great plan of a
general Etymological Dictionary of the English language, we
should certainly have at this time a clearer view into the
origin of our mother-tongue than we have at present.

Most of the leading terms in all our provincial Dialects,
omitting those which are maimed and distorted by a course of
vicious pronunciation, are not only ProvinciaHsms but Archa-
isms also, and are to be found in our old English authors
of various descriptions j but those terms are now no longer in
general use, and are only to be heard in some remote province,
where they have lingered, though actually dead to the language
in general.

** Ut silvse foliis pronos mutantur in annos
Prima cadunt, ita verborum vetus interit aetas. " — Hor.

The truth of this observation of the poet is fully illustrated
by an example taken from this very Cheshire Dialect, there
being several words recorded by Ray as belonging to it, which
are even now no longer in use, at least as far as it could be
ascertained by the investigations made by the writer of this ;
so that they have actually perished since the time of Ray.

Provincial words, accompanied by an explanation of the
sense in which each of them still continues to be used in the
districts to which they belong, would be of essential service in
explaining many obscure terms in our early poets, the true

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

meaning of which, although it may have puzzled and be-
wildered the most acute and learned of our commentators,
would perhaps be perfectly intelligible to a Devonshire, Norfolk,
or Cheshire clown.

Some of our provincial Dialects, as the North-Devon, Lan-
cashire, and a few others, are already in print, though in a very
imperfect state ; but by far the greatest number of them either
have not yet been collected, or, if they have, exist solely in MS.
To bring these all together, as well those which have already
been published, as what might be collected from different MS.
copies, as well as from individuals now living, is a most
desirable object, and would, when accomplished, form a work
eminently useful to any English philologist who might have the
courage to undertake and the perseverance to accomplish a
General Dictionary of the English language.

In a letter I formerly received from the late Jonathan
Boucher, Vicar of Epsom (a gentleman who, had he lived to
execute his plan of a General English Dictionary, would
probably have rendered the observations here made quite
superfluous), he mentions the great similarity in many instances
between the Dialects of Norfolk and of Cheshire, though the
same similarity does not subsist between either of them and
those of the interjacent counties, and expresses his wish to
have some reason given for this circumstance. His observation
I knew at that time to be well founded, but I professed myself
unable to explain it ; however, having since that time reflected
a good deal upon this singular circumstance, I will endeavour
at least in some measure to account for it.

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

The truth of the observation made by the same learned
gentleman, that all Provincialisms are also Archaisms, to those
who are well acquainted with our old English authors, is too
evident to stand in need of an illustration. Now the county
palatine of Chester, having been in great measure a separate
jurisdiction till the days of Queen Elizabeth, had very little
intercourse with the neighbouring counties ; the principal
families of the county, and much more those in a middle
station of life, for the most part intermarried among each
other, and rarely made connections out gf the county, — a
practice which is recommended in an old Cheshire adage : ^
so that the original customs and manners as well as the old
language of the county have received less changes and
innovations than those of most other parts of England.

The inhabitants of Norfolk too, living in an almost secluded
part of England, surrounded on three sides of it by the sea,
having little intercourse with the adjoining counties, have
consequently retained in great measure their ancient customs,
■manners, and language, unchanged by a mixture with those
of their neighbours. Even at this day in Norfolk a person
born out of the county is called a Shireman or rather Sheer-
man, i.e. one born in some of the shires or counties of Eng-
land ; not without some little expression of contempt on that
very account. So that the two languages of Cheshire and of
Norfolk, having suffered less innovation from a mixture with
others, have also retained more of their originality, and con-

' "It is better to marry over the mixen than over the moor : " t.e. your
neighbour's daughter rather than a stranger.

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

sequently must bear a closer resemblance to each other than
what is observable between most of the other Provincial
Dialects of England.

Dr. Ash in his English Dictionary has admitted many words
which belong to the Cheshire Dialect ; these he has evidently
taken from Ray's Proverbs : others he marks as obsolete, or
as local. With regard to those called by him obsolete, it is
apprehended that, if they are still in use in any part of
England, the term obsolete is improper. Of those which he
calls local he does not specify their precise locality, so that the
reader is left at liberty to assign them to whatever district of
England he pleases. He has some Cheshire words also to
which he has attributed a different meaning from what they
now bear in the county. These three last descriptions of
words, namely those Dr. Ash marks as local, those called by
him obsolete, and those to which he has given a different sense
from what they now convey, have all a place in this imperfect
Glossary.

A few words are likewise admitted on the sole authority of
Ray, though some of them never occurred to the compiler of
this catalogue, whose communications in different parts of the
county have since his early days been very slight, and merely
occasional.

The Reader will observe many words in the Cheshire
Glossary, which may be found in Mr. Todd's edition of
Dr. Johnson's Dictionary : these Mr. Todd speaks of as

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

northern words, and not in common use, except in the north-
ern counties ; but as they are so in Cheshire, I thought the
admission of them here perfectly justifiable. To words of
this description the name of Todd is occasionally subjoined.
This, however, was not so much the case in my first list of
words, which was sent to the Antiquarian Society before
Mr. Todd's Dictionary was completed.

The very great resemblance of the Dialects of Cheshire and
of Lancashire may be observed by the frequent repetition of
the abbreviation Lan. in this Glossary.

One peculiarity in the English language is to change, if I
am not permitted to say soften, the pronunciation of many
words in the middle of which is the letter L preceded by either
of the consonants A or O. Thus in common discourse we
pronounce Bawk for Balk, Caaf for Calf, Haaf for Half,
Wawk for Walk, Tawk for Talk, Foke for Folk, Stawk for
Stalk, and St. Awbans for St. Albans ; but in the Cheshire
Dialect, as in all the other Northern ones, this custom,
and the practice of substituting the o for the a and the
double ee for the igh, prevail in a still greater degree : thus
we call

All . . . ' aw

Always awways

Alsager . r Auger

Altrincham !- . . names of places . . •< Autrincham
Alvanley ^ v Awvanley

Bold bowd

Calf cauf

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

Call . caw

Can con

Cold .• cowd

Colt cowt

Fold fowd

Gold gowd

False fause

Foul, dirty, ugly fow

Fool foo

Full foo

Fine foin

Hold . howd

Holt howt

Half . hauf

Halfpenny hawpenny

Hall . haw

Long lung

Man mon

Many mony

Manner monner

Might meet

Mold mowd

Pull poo

Soft saft

Bright breet

Scald scawd

Stool stoo

Right reet

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

Twine twoin

Flight fleet

Lane loan or lone

Mol mal

Sight see

Sit seet

Such sich

The following abbreviations have been adopted :

Lancashire Lan.

Junius, Etymologicon Anglicanum .... Jun.

Skinner, Etymologicon Ling. Angl. . . . Skin.

Wachter, Glossarium Germanicum .... Wach.

Ihre, Glossarium Suio-Gothicum Ihre.

Kilian, Etymologicon Linguae Teotiscse . . Kil.

Somneri Dictionarium Saxo-Latino-Anglicum . Som.

Jamieson, Scotch Dictionary Jam.

Law Latin Dictionary . . L. L. D.

Nyerup, Glossarium Linguae Teotiscae . . . Nye.

Promptorium Parvulorum Clericorum . . . P. P. C.

Ortus Vocabulorum Ort. Voc.

Ray's Proverbs Ray.

Grose's Provincial Glossary G. P. Gl.

Ash's Dictionary Ash.

Palsgrave, L'Ecclaircissement de la Langue \

Fran^aise J

Hormanni Vulgaria , . H. V.

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

Littleton's Dictionary Litt. D.

Benson's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary .... Ben.

Shakespeare Shak.

Old Word . . . O. W.

Scherzius, Glossarium Germanicum Medii ^vi Scherz.

Haldersoni Lexicon Islandicum Hald.

Randle Holme's Academy of Armoury . . Acad, of Arm.

Wolf's Danish Dictionary Wolf.

LIST OF PLATES.

1. COLONEL EGERTON LEIGH. Frontispiece.

2. ROGER WILBRAHAM, ESQ To face page XV

3. ARK, OR CHURCH PRESS, AT LOWER PEOVER „ ^

4. THE CHESHIRE BEDGOWN „ 1 8

5. QUEEN ELIZABETH'S HORN - BOOK OR

READAMADAZY „ 56

6. PARISH PRESS, OR RECORD CHEST, IN MALPAS

CHURCH „ 160

7. INTERIOR OF WATERGATE ROW, CHESTER „ 1 73

8. A CHESHIRE COTTAGE INTERIOR ... „ 195

9. EMBROIDERED BACK OF QUEEN ELIZABETH'S

HORN-BOOK „ 237

5 '^-^"^J )

Roger WiLBB^JHiiiM Esuj,^'

REASONS FOR WRITING THIS BOOK.

Being aware that Roger Wilbraham's " Attempt at a Glossary
of Cheshire Words " did not comprehend many County Words
in common use ; I felt that now or never was the time to make
another "Attempt" at a Cheshire Glossary; before the
School Inspector, "Vastator," should succeed in expatriating,
or making penal, any words that might have no dictionary
nor polite parlance authority ; and before emigration, railways,
and the blending of shires, should destroy or expatriate
much that is curious and quaint in our Cheshirisms.

I believe that Ray was one of the first authors, if not the
first, who, more than two hundred years ago, in his works on
" Provincial Words and Proverbs," embalmed and potted for
posterity some interesting Cheshirisms.

Since the first edition of Roger Wilbraham's Glossary
nearly two generations have elapsed. It is sad to think (even
since that time) how many words that then existed, but are
not mentioned in his book, may have fallen out of our
vocabulary \ and I wish to catalogue as many words as I can
belonging to my county, so expressive, and in many cases so

xvi REASONS FOR WRITING THIS BOOK.

irreplaceable, before they disappear. I do not profess to say
that the words in my Glossary are Cheshire solely and purely ;
for, considering the propinquity of Shropshire, Staffordshire,
Derby, Wales, Yorkshire, and above all Lancashire, mentioned
by Drayton as —

" Our own twin scyre, and joined unto us so
That Lancashire with Cheshire still doth go,"

it is evident that our words and those of our border counties
should be mostly interchangeable.

My list comprises words used in Cheshire, yet not used in
the common parlance of society, and unregistered in modem
(and many in no) dictionaries.

The larger portion of our Cheshire words have (where
traceable) an Anglo-Saxon origin. I have been surprised (con-
sidering the propinquity of the Principality) at the compara-
tive absence of adopted Welsh words, and at the few that
have a Latin root, considering the long presence of the
2oth Legion at Chester, which itself derives its modern name
(if a name of some eighteen centuries can be so called) from
Castra. Mr. Dasent, I see, will not allow even ark (a chest)
to be derived from the Latin area. We use a great many
northern and Scotch words, a great many transpositions, like
neam, for name, and waj)s for wasp.

In some cases we follow the correct pronunciation, though it is
ignored by civilization. We pronounce wound with the proper ou
intonation like hound. In common, or as it is called correct (?)
parlance, the word is pronounced as if spelt with double oo.

REASONS FOR WRITING THIS BOOK, xvii

I began this Glossary long since, but have from time to
time delayed the publication from additional words dropping
in, and I wished to avoid Addenda, Omissions, &c. I now
publish, and hope any who may read the Glossary will forward
to me any omissions I have made. I leave Wilbraham's
Preliminary Observations to tell their own tale ; I do not
entirely agree with them, particularly in the similarity of
Cheshire and Norfolk dialects, and the reasons for such
alleged resemblance, and a Norfolk antiquary takes the same
view as myself

I have adopted Wilbraham's '^ Glossary " with certain
unimportant alterations. The appendix and omissions I
have woven into the body of the work ; as, in a book of
reference, there is nothing so puzzling as to have to search
in two or three places, instead of having everything so?fs main.
Some words I have omitted, like J^i'ck, Beesom, Tom Tit, &c.,
which, if they ever were provincialisms, are now so universally
used as to take them out of that category. I have also
omitted some part of the derivations of many of the words.
All the words in Wilbraham that remain as in his " Glossary "
I have marked with a w. Those I have added are marked
with an l. And words in Wilbraham to which I have added
any remarks, or altered in any way, have no letter to them.

I have to thank Mr. Wilbraham of Delamere for giving
me access to his ancestor's notes ; but whatever Roger
Wilbraham had written seems to have been published, and
after the second edition he seems to have made no

b

xviii REASONS FOR WRITING THIS BOOK.

more notes. 'I have put Roger Wilbraham in his proper
place. I acknowledge the kind assistance given me by the
Hon. J. Warren, who at one time I hoped would have
undertaken a task he would have carried out much better
than myself. Mr. Davies of Warrington, Mr. Vawdrey of
Tushingham Hall, Whitchurch, have been able and most
willing to help me.

I also here acknowledge with thanks the help I have
received from Mr. Thomas Hughes, F.S.A., Secretary of the
Chester Archaeological Society, Mrs. Yates, Mr. Holland, Mr.
Earwaker, of Oxford, Mr. Parrott, Mr. Tayjor, Mr. Booking,
Mr. Croston, and Mr. Dillon, Mr. Lowe, of Macclesfield,
Mr. Weston, of Northwych, Mr. Chadwick, Mr. Pendlebury,
Mr. Weatherhill and others, who either sent me words new
to me, or corroborated those I had by me. I wish further
to express my thanks to Miss Tippinge, the Hon. Mrs.
Mitford, Miss Browne, the Rector of Malpas, and others,
for their kind and ready assistance.

I have been disappointed, I am bound to confess,
in receiving very few answers, in reply to my applica-
tions for help, through the local papers, which I thought
would have opened out for me mines of antiquarian lore.
Through Notes and Queries^ I understand that another was
pursuing the same subject as myself, and I hope that what
I may have missed may have been rescued from obHvion
by other hands, and vice versa; so that our two Glossaries
may bring about a full and satisfactory result.

For the correctness of most of the words in my Glossary

REASONS FOR WRITING THIS BOOK, xix

I can vouch, from having heard or met with them myself,
or from having been corroborated or authenticated by those
on whom I rely. When I have not seen a word spelt in print,
I have adopted the phonetic spelling.

An " English Dialect Society " has lately been originated
under the auspices of the Rev. Walter Skeat, A.M., of
Cambridge. The annual subscription is only ten shillings,
and nineteen Glossaries of different counties and parts of
Great Britain (some by lady authoresses), are already in
progress ; and I hope the result will be the rescue of many
hundred old English Words from oblivion before it is too late.
The natural result will be that many dark passages in
Shakespeare and other old authors will be easily explained,
and many words might I think be readopted with advantage,
which in select society require two or three words to express
the same idea.

As for the few illustrations in the book, they may be un-
usual in a Glossary, even in this illustrating age, but I am
of the opinion of Horace —

** Segnius irritant animos demissa per aurem,
Quam, quae sunt oculis subjecta fidellibus."

EGERTON LEIGH.
The West Hall,
High Leigh.
June, 1876.

NOTICE

As these sheets were passing through the press,
we have received, with feelings of the deepest
regret, the intelligence of the AUTHOR'S death.

While engaged in the endeavour to rescue from
oblivion the record of decaying or obsolete
Cheshire Words, his own life has yielded to
the universal influence to which men, their words
and works are aHke subjected, and has, alas ! to
be added to the long catalogue of the Past.

This is no place for panegyric, but perhaps
it may not be presumptuous to express the hope
that his own memory may be handed down
in company with those WORDS of the "Old
County," to* whose prolonged existence he was
so diligent and affectionate a contributor.

D. W. R.

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.

A. '• ■■'••'■ ■■■• ■■

Abacko, prep. — Behind, l. " Abacko behind, Hke a
donkey's tail/' O.C.P.

Aboon, adj. — Above, i.

About, to get, v. — " To get about of a person," is to get
without him, to get rid of him. l.

Above a bit, (expression). — A good deal, much. l.

Abricock, s. — Apricot, mentioned by Gerard ; in fact it was
the only name formerly — perhaps from Apricus, Latin, sunny.
In an old " Reccit Booke 167I-" I find a Recipe ''to drye
Abricocks," and another for " Abricock Past," (paste). There
is an old word " Apricate," to bask in the sun. l.

AccLJSSiNG, adj, — Disputing, wrangling. '* Come, no acces-
sing." It may be a form of the modern "A cursing;" — " Here's
a fellow a cussing like any think." l.

AcHORN, or rather Atchorn, s, — An acorn — "To go
atchoming " is to go picking up acorns — '' The pigs are gone
o' atchorning." — " Agden" (near High Leigh) means the place
of oaks or valley of oaks — A.S. Aac, Oak; Den, a valley. — In
Greek livl^a^, a place abounding in trees, diySpoy a tree.
" Acton," the town of oaks. l.

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. aCK

Acker SPRIT, pari. — Said of potatoes when the roots have
germinated before the time of taking them up, by which the
old roots become less fit for food, and the young untimely
root is neither ripe nor developed. The term was used, or
revived, in the exceptionally dry summer of 1868, when there
was scarcely a drop of rain for three months, and when the
fields were the same colour as the roads ; the sheep (an un-
common thing for healthy sheep) drank regularly; the crops of
hay were s"o^ H^hl: ^nd short, that there was nothing for the
"pikel" to take hold of, turnips almost non-existent, ditto
maiigclds, and >' potatoes were very generally Ackersprit, a
second crop having formed on the new potatoes. Corn, and
particularly barley, which has germinated before malting is
said (by maltsters in the eastern counties of England) to be
acrespired, or eagerspired, i.e. early grown. Skinner derives
the word from A.S. ^^^cer, seges satum," and " nostro
spire spica." l.

AcKERSPYRE, 7>. — To sprout or germinate. Jam. w.

AcTiLLY, adv. — Actually, l.

Adam's flannel, s. — Vide Blanket Mullein

Adbut, s. — The same as Adland, q. v. l.

Adder's-grass, s. — Cynosorebis — Gerard's Herbal, l.

Addle, Yeddle, v. — To earn, to thrive, to merit by labour.
Adlings, wages — A.S. ^dlian, reward, w.

Addlings, s. — Wages, earnings from labour, w.

Adland, s. — A form of headland. The turning ground for
the plough. The butts in a ploughed field which lie at right
angles to the general direction of the others, the part close to
the hedge. "He's turned a narrow Adland" is an O.C.P.
meaning that he's had a narrow escape from death, l.

Adoe, s. — Much to do, hurry, bustle, difficulty, P.P.C,
"Much adoe about nothing." l.

AGO CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.

Afeard, sometimes Afeart, adj. — Afraid, l.

Affadil, s. — The daffodil — " Flower of Affadille " is, in
an old Lincoln cathedral manuscript, recommended as a cure
for madness, l.

Affrodile, s. — The daffodil, w.

Afore, adv, — Before — one of the many biblical words in
use in Cheshire, l.

After, adv. — About. '' He's after taking another farm." l.

Afterings, s. — The last milk (generally considered the
richest). So called because, in all well managed dairies, a
milker follows after the others to made sure of the afterings. l.

Agate, adv. — To be about a thing. What are you doing ?
"I'm agate ploughing." — It may be expressed by a person
" being occupied in doing," — it may also be called expletive.
— The sense seldom requires the word, but few words are so
generally used. "A man not only "falls" a tree but "he is
agate falling it." Sometimes when you ask after a sick person
you are answered, " He's agate again," i.e. about and able to
follow his work again. Here, the sense requires "agate." At
the time of the last comet's appearance, some one observed
" there's a comet agate." l.

Agen, prep. — Against. "Agen the gate," " Agen the
marriage." l.

Agg, or Egg, v. — To incite or provoke, from A.S. eggian, to
tgg on—" Oi've no peeas, oo's egging at me aw dee." w.

Agged,/^^/. — Tired. The common English word is haggard,
i.e., worn out, looks produced by fatigue and suffering, l.

Agoe, s. — The ague. One of those diseases which used to
be very common in Cheshire, but which is now almost un-
heard of. The number of old receipts and charms to cure it

B 2

4 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. AGR

prove its former prevalence. There is a story of a Judge of
former days having to try a very old woman for witchcraft, the
principal evidence against her being a charm against the ague.
It was handed up to the Judge, and he recognized it as one he
had written on the spur of the moment when, in his wild days,
he could not pay his bill at the public house, and, to clear the
account, had given it to the ale wife, then before him, to cure
her daughter, who was suffering from the ague ! The following
is a receipt in m}' possession for the cure of the ague in a
manuscript book of receipts more than two hundred years old:
" Take the eare of a mouse and bruise it, then take salte and
stamp them together, and make a pultas (poultice) with vinegar,
and so lay it to the wrist?." l.

Agreeable, a^/j. — Consenting. *' He is not agreeable," i.e.
he refuses his consent, and will not a^ree to some plan or re-
quest. In short, it is the root sense of agreeable when a
person does agree ; he is naturally considered agreeable or
pleasant, which is the common (though second) meaning, l.

Agrimony, s. — Penny grass., l.

Agues, s. — Haws, hawthorn berries, l.

Aimer gate. — A nearer way. *' Are you going to Knutsford
by the road ? " " No, au knows an aimer gate." l.

AiTCH, V. — To ache. l.

AiTCH, AiTCHES, s. — So pronounccd. Ache, pain. It is
also used to express a paroxysm of an intermitting disorder.
A.S. aa, ece, cece. " Hot aitches " are flushings of the
face. w.

Alecost, s. — Balsamita Vulgaris or FyTethrum lariacdum ,
also called '" Cost Mary," an herb that smells like the pea-
mint. L.

ANA CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 5

Ale Tasters, s. — Officers appointed in Chester, Congleton,
&c., to prevent the adulteration of ale. l.

Algerining. — Prowling about with intent to rob, robbery.
" He goes about algerining and begging," often said of a
tramp. A very curious word. Its derivation from the Algiers
pirates is self-evident, l.

Alkin. — All sorts, l.

Allheal, s. — Pi'unella Vulgaris. It has several provincial
names referring to its real or supposed healing quahties. l.

All ALONG, ^^z^. — When abbreviated, ''awlong"or "awlung."
In consequence of, or owing to. " Awlong o' ould ooman, we
couldna come." A.S. G clang, l.

Allegar, s. — Vinegar made of ale, usually mixed with
other vinegar, i.e. ale aigre. Vinegar has somewhat a similar
derivation, vm aigre. l.

Allegar Skrikers. — Thin gruel, with vinegar in it for
flavour. L.

Allis, adx'. — Always, l.

Allmacks. — All sorts, i^

All to nought, adv. — " He's all to nought the best man,"
i.e. He is doubtless, &c. l.

Amang, adv. — Between, among. ^' Beat her amang her
een " ; a suggestion from a drover to make a '* curst " cow go the
right way. l.

Ame, s. — Haft, handle ; " Th' axe ame's broke." l.

Anall, or Inall, exc. — Often used but never wanted. '' He
bought horse, and cart, anall" ; vide Inall. l.

Anan, an adverb used as a verb. — '' What's that ? " " What
do you say ? " Used to let the person with whom you are
talking know that you have not heard him, or not caught his

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. ANC

meaning. In common discourse the first letter is often clipped,
and '^ nan " used for " anan." w.

Ancliff, s. — Ankle. " Th' neatest anclifF as ever oi seed." l.

Aneend, adv. — Upright, not lying down on one end. When
applied to a four-footed animal it means "rearing," or in
heraldic language " rampant." It also means perpetually,
evermore. It is always pronounced aneend, and possibly
should be written oneend. " He's plaguing me aneend," i.e.
without intermission, l.

Anent. — About. " I know nought anent him." l.

Anenst, or Anainst, adv. — Opposite, over against, w.

Anguish, s. — Used in pain of ^(?dy. French, aiigoisse. l.

Antiprunty, adj. — Restive, as applied to a horse, t^

Antrims, s, — Whims, queer fancies, vagaries, like tantrums
and anticks. Tantrums generally imply some proceedings pro-
duced by temper ; in anticks, there is more fun than temper, l.

Apple-Pie, s. — The plant Artemisia Vulgaris^ Mugwort,
sometimes also Epilobium HirsiUum. The Great Hairy Willow
Herb is called Apple-Pie, the smell resembling that of the
apple. L.

Appo, s. — Apple. Some one praising apple dumplings as
savoury and economical, a bystander exclaimed : " I dunna
mak much count o' appos, sin' an" uncle o' mine died o' appo-
plexy." L.

*' Apse, or Arpse upon thee ! " excl. — Often used in scolding
a child for some peccadillo ; like ^' out upon thee." l.

Ar,* adj. — High or higher, possibly from Latin arduus, or
ardea; it reminds one of the motto of the Heron family,
" Ardua petit Ardea. " l.

* Arley, the high meadow, a variety of the name of High Leigh, which
it joins.

ASH CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 7

Ark, Arke, s. — A Chest, called Standard formerly. A corn
ark, a flour ark. An " Arkwright " was the maker of arks. In
the Foedera^ 45 Henry HI., there was a Royal warrant to hunt
all Jews' arks throughout the kingdom. These arks are often
elaborately carved, and sometimes contain secret drawers. In
Wales "arkh " is used in the sense of a coffin, l.

ANOINT ! excL — " Away with you ! " " Stand off; " vide Rynt.
One of the ideas is that this exclamation may be deri\'ed from
A Royji Tree, the Rowan —

*' The spells were vain, the hag returns
To the queen in sorrowful mood,
Crying that witches have no power
Where there is rown tree wood."

Brand's Popular Antiquities. l.

Arout, adv. — Out of doors, l.

Arrh, s. — A mark or scar. A.S. Scear, a division, or Ice-
landic, de?'. Adam Martindale {1623) in his Life says his face
was not " arred '' by the small-pox, l.

Arsemart, — s. Polygotiunty Knot Grass. — v. Lake Weed.

L.

Arsey Varsey, adv. — Topsaturvey. Head over heels, l.

Arto ? ?A— Art thou. " Arto theer, Jack ? " ''Yoi." l.

Ash Keys, s. — The seed of the ash. The failure of this
crop is supposed to predict the death of one of the royal
family. Amongst the Northern nations, cesk (A.S. ash) also
meant a man, the tradition being that the first man v/as made
out of an ash. It also meant a leader, and gave the name to
Hengist's son. It is supposed in Cheshire, — according to the
O.C.S. '* An ash for a squash, and an oak for a choke, — "
that if the ash leaves precede those of the oak the season
will be wet, — if vice versa, dry. The seeds of the sycamore
are also called keys, being shaped something like the old
clock-key. i,.

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. ASH

Ashlar, s. — Stone not left in the rough, but squared for
building, l.

Ashpit, s. — The general receptacle of the rubbish and dirt
of a house : vide Esse Hole, more commonly used. l.

Ask, Asker, s. — A newt, — land or water, w.

Askings, s. — The publication of the marriage-banns ; v/de

"AXINGS." l.

Asp, i". — The aspen-tree. "Shaking like an asp." O.C.P. l.

Aster, s.— Easter, w.

Astound, pari. — Astonished, w.

At, pr/>. for in. — " A pain at her stomach." l.

Atafter, adv. and /;r/. — After, afterwards. Chaucer has
" I hope to see you atafter estur." — Morte d' Arthur. — " I'll
be with ye at after," i.e. " when I have finished." l.

Athurtens, adv. — The other side of. There is a pro-
vincialism in Westmoreland and other counties, — " Athurt — "
which is identical with athwart or across. " He's gone athurt "
means, he has taken a short cut. l.

Attercob, s. — A spider. Strictly, — poisonhead. l.

Atter, s. — Poison. A.S. attor., ator, after, ater^ Poison.
Latin, ater. Black is a common epithet for poison, the result
of many poisons is either really or ideally to turn the body
black, l.

" Membris agit atra venena." — Georgic 2, 130. L.

AuDFARANT, adj. — Old fashioned. " And " is often used for

old. L.

Aujer, s. — The Cheshire way of pronouncing the name of
the village of Alsager. l.

Aunder, s. — Afternoon. Cheshire pronunciation ''oneder."
(Ray.) L.

B\C CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 9

Aw. — I, also All, I'll. "Aw munna," I must not. l.

Aw'd. — I had. l.

AVhoam. — At home. l.

AwMiNG, J. — Pantry, l.

AwMiNG, adj. — Standing, and staring, and gaping. '' What
aie ye awming at ? " l.

AwTER, v. — Another form of Alter.

Ax, V. — To ask. A.S. Acsiaii. l.

AxiNGS, s. — The axings mean the banns. " Oo had the
axings put up." l.

Axleworth, s. — A Grinder, l.

A is pronounced in " water " like ai in " wait," or a in " lay " ;
like the o in " lone," in the word *' lane," like au in " half," like
aw is in " scald," and like the French A^ or like the English
pronunciation of A in " harm," in the word "warm," (in which
the received pronunciation is like the ^ in *' or," or the a in
"war") and Hke the ou in "cough," pronounced long in the
word, " calf," like au in false.

B.

Babby-house, v. — The toy-house formed on the doorstep
by children, with broken crockery, sand, &c. See also Ba-mugs,
and Booty-house, l.

Babelavante, s. — A babbler, Chester Plays, l.

Bacco, s. — Tobacco. Cheshire people, like the Venetians,
cut off a syllable ; only the Venetians cut off the second and
we the first : gree for agree, bacco for tobacco, licksome for
frolicksome. l.

Bach, s. — A fall or a stream, as in "Sandbach." German
"Bach." l.

Backen, v. — To delay, to keep back. " This fou weather
backens ploughing." l.

lo CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. BAG

Backing, s. — Th6 backing of a hedge is the ground just
behind it. l.

Back-nor-edge. — "I can mak back-nor-edge of him," i.e.
"I can make nothing of him," O.C.S. l.

Back o' behint, a^iv. — Out of the way. A very secluded
house is said to. be " back o' behint," a sort of Grecian double
superlative, absolutely and entirely out of the way, behind
what is already most behind, l.

Backs, s. — The dry ridge thrown up originally out of the
ditch, upon which the hedge is planted. Sj'/i. " cops." '' They
grows on dry backs." l.

Backside, s. — The backside of a hedge or wall means the
opposite side from that on which you are standing, (like back-
ing). It is also used in other ways. " The backside or the
backend of the year " means about the end of the year. l.

Backwarding, s. — A change from excessive joy and feast-
ing, to mourning, like that for a child dying after the rejoicings
on its being christened. I told my old gardener, as I was
returning from a funeral, that the last time I had driven to the
same church was on the occasion of a gay wedding. " Ah,"
said he, ^' there is allis a bacarding." l.

Baddin' Badding.— Playing at hockey with sticks and a
wooden ball or piece of wood, a *'kiffey." ' l.

Badge, v. — To cut corn closer with a sickle (using it in a
particular way) than can be done with a scythe, l.

Badger, s. — A dealer in corn. A higgler who makes the
round of the country to collect butter, eggs, poultry, and fruit
There is an A.S. verb Byegar or Byegeear to buy ; but the
derivation is too far-fetched perhaps.

Badging Hook, s. — The sickle used for badging. l.

BAl CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.

Bad luck top end. — When this is said of a person, it means
that he is " not all there," a little crazed, l.

Baffler, s. — A top rail to a sunk fence, wall, or cop,
to l?qffle any attempt of cattle, but particularly sheep, to break
fence, l.

Bag, s. — The bag that holds the meal is put for the meal
itself. " Bag and pump don't pay like bag and milk." O.C.P.
i.e. meal and water have not the same fattening qualities as
meal and milk, — probably buttermilk, l.

Baggs, s. — The commercial traveller of former days who
travelled on horseback, with his samples, «S^c. in a pair of
saddle bags ; hence the origin of the sobriquet. They
went by the name of Leather a — d Bagmen. Another name
in later days was K.C.B., Knight of the Carpet Bag. Now
they of course all travel by rail. l.

Bagging, i-. — Bagging time, s. Bagging is a meal (a slight
one) eaten at Bagging time (about four o'clock) by labourers.

Bagging, /«r/. — Cutting with a Bill— called a Bagging Bill
or Bagging Hook — or Badging Hook. l.

Bag Mouth. — " The Bag Mouth was open " is a Cheshire
expression to show that everything that was unknown has
become public. '' Au nevei knew how things were with him,
till the Bailies were in the house, and then the Bag mouth
was open." l.

Bagskin, s. — What may be called the tripe of the calf,
which is cut up and sold for curdling the milk in making
cheese — Rennett. l.

Baily, s. — Bailiff — " They say Bailies are in the house." l.

Bain, a^J. — Near, convenient : the latter in the Irish sense,
like the man " who coorted the farmer's daughter who lived
convanient to the Isle of Man." l.

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. BAl

Baint, v. — I baint, or it baint, I am not, or it is not. l.

Baith. — Both. One of the not infrequent provinciaUsms

found in Cheshire and Scotland. In Hearne's Glossary to

Robert of Gloucester's Chronicle, we have bathe used for
both : beithe is the same thing.

Baker-kneed, adj. — Vide Knock-kneed, l.

Bald Coot, j.— The Ball-faced Coot. l.

Balk, s. — iV Beam. Balks, s. — The hayloft so called, by
being divided or arranged amongst the divisions caused by
the timber (in old houses most massive) of the roof. Balk in
the old northern languages is a separation or division, and
Balk is used for Chapters (which are identical with divisions),
in the old Swedish laws. w. Balk is also the unploughed
land between the furrows, l.

Ball Money, s. — Largesse demanded from a wedding party
to obtain which (particularly if the bridegroom is known as a
stingy man) a rope is sometimes drawn across the road. It
was so called because formerly the money .was supposed to go
towards the football fund of the parish. Now, like the gold of
Croesus, it goes down the^ throats of the receivers in a liquid
state. L.

Ballock Grass, j-.— The herb Dogstones. — Gerard, l.

Ballow, v. — To select or claim. It is used by boys at play
when they have the option of choosing their goal or selecting
another boy for their side. It may be derived from A.S.
belian, to bellow — in that high falsetto voice so well known by
those who have seen boys at play. " I ballow or bellow me
that situation or that person." -'Ihre has wdiga or valjan
eligere, and wal, electio." The w is often changed into the v,
and the v and b are also convertible letrers. " Wdlga mig^'
choose me that situation, w. See also Barley.

Bally, s. — i e. a bellyful, is a litter of pigs. w.

BAR CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 13

Bamboozled. — Bothered, adj. — Done. l.

Ba Mugs, or Bower Mugs, s, — Pieces of crockery used as
playthings* by children, perhaps to dress up a bower, vide
Booty House, l.

Bandy Hewitt, s. — A turnspit, a bandy-legged, ill-favoured
dog. The word Hewitt may refer to some bandy-legged man
of the period when the name may have been given, and crept
by degrees into general use, like Ludlum's dog, Moss' mare,
&c. Hewitt is an old and common Cheshire name. l.

Bang, v. — To excel, to beat, to surpass, *' That bangs
everything ! " " I'll warrant I'll bang thee." In Ireland they
have a saying, " That bangs Bannagher, and Bannagher bangs
the devil." l.

Bangbeggar, s.—h. beadle, one of whose duties it was to
take up and drive away any beggars in the district, and " pro-
secute them as the Law directs." l.

Bangle, v. — To waste, w.

Bannut Tree, s. — A growing walnut. When it is cut
up it is called walnut, like sheep and mutton, calf and
veal. L.

Bansel, v. — To beat. l.

Bant, s. — The bands with which corn is tied up when cut,
also string. Band and bant are evidently first cousins, l.

Barley Breake, x.— An old Cheshire game. Mentioned
amongst others in the Randal Holme MSS. l.

Barging. — Slanging, perhaps Bargeman's Billingsgate, l.

Bark Wain. — When the bark of a tree, as is the case with
a yew, grows into the timber and spoils it. Query, whether
it is not bark vein^ the vein of the bark growing about the
timber, l.

14 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.

Barley, v. — To claim. *' Barley me the first blow," called
out at rounders by the boy who first seizes the bat. Perhaps
from the French /^r/(?r, "bespeak me." Vide Ballow. l.

Barm Baw, s. — A Barm ball. Dough rolled up and boiled
like a dumpling, l.

Barmskin, s. — A leather apron. Barm^ O.W. the breast,
A.S. Barjfie, sinus, w.

Barn, v. — Barning, see Bawm. l.

Barn, s. — For bairn, a child. Chester Plays, i. 192. l.

Barrow, s. — Conical baskets, in which, in the Salt districts,
salt is put to drain. A barrow contained about six pecks. Used
also at the Worcester Wych, Droitwych. 200 years ago the
price of a barrow full was is. ^d. l.

Barrow Makers, s. — The makers of the preceding bar-
rows. L.

Barst, v. — and perfect of verb to barst, i.e. burst, part,
barsten. w. " He's welly fit to barst," " he's almost ready to
burst." L.

Bass, s. — A low stool. French Bas. l.

Basses, s. — Clinkers, vitrified part of coals that will not
burn . L.

Bassin, s. — A wooden bowl in which they make up butter :
evidently basin, l.

Bassock, s. — A form, perhaps the original form, of hassock :
we have the term of " bass matting," matting made of flags
and reeds. Hassock may refer to its hay stuffing, d.

Baste, v. — To beat, from the French. " Baste him well,"
i.e. " Gee him a good thrashing." l.

Bastil, s. — The Poor House or Work House. Not used
simply except as a synonym. Very common throughout

BAW CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 15

England ; of course the origin of the word would be the French
State prison, the Bastile, destroyed by the Paris mob in 1789. l.

Bate, or Bait, v. — A factory, or other hand, having part
of his wages deducted for negHgence or any other reason, is
said to be " bated." l.

Batch, s. — In addition to the common sense of a general
baking, this word implies the whole of the wheat flour which
is used for making common household bread, after the bran
has been separated from it. It also is used for the small bag
of corn taken by a cottager to be ground. Coarse flour is
called batch flour. *' He's the best of the batch " or of the
family, O.C.S. l.

Bath, v. — To bathe, to foment, l.

Batt, v. — To move the eyelids up and down, to wink ; to
bate is a term in falconry, when the falcon moves his wings up
and down. w.

Batten, s. — A truss of hay or straw, l.

Batter, v. — In building a wall, particularly against a bank,
the term batter is used, and means to make the wall incline
so as to withstand by its inclination the pressure of the
earth which, were the wall not battered, would bring it
down. L.

Battril, s. — A flat piece of wood used by wasl>erwomen to
beat their linen, l.

Batter Dock, s. — Petasites Vtdgaris. Butter Bur. l.

Baugh, s. — A pudding made of milk and flour only. l.

Bawk, v. — To balk. " Oi could a leapt the bruck, easy
enoo, if he hadna bawked me."

Bawm, v. — To dress up, to adorn. At Appleton, there was
an old custom on the day of the Wakes, to clip and adorn a

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. baw

thorn that stands not far from Appleton Thorn Public House.
Vide *' Cheshire Ballads and Legends y This custom was spoken
of at Daresbury Sessions, 1844. The landlord of the " Thorn,"
and other witnesses called it " barning the thorn." Bawm is
used in Nycodemus Gospel, 4to, 1532, *'And than this mayde
Syndonia washed arid bawmed her." Bawm is a good old
word. We have still the expression common in Cheshire
of ''vShe dressed her," "She washed her," using her for
herself, l.

Bawm, s. — Balm.

" As men a potful of bawme held
Emong a basketful of Roses."

Chauckr. l.

Bawson, or Bawsin, adj. — Great, large. In Andrew Bond's
Breviary of Healthy we meet with " a balson ele," for a very
large eel. Sir John Falstaff in Cheshire would have been, '"a
great Bawson," i.e. bursten thing.

Bawson, or Bawsin, s. — A badger (bawsand, bassand, or
bawsint. Jam.) is applied to a horse or cow having a white
spot on the forehead or face, which is the case with the badger.
Gavin Douglas in his T?'anslation of Virgil, translates frontem
album by " bawsand faced." Balzano in Italian, Balzan French,
both mean a horse with a white leg different from the colour of
the horse : this may be the origin of Douglas' " bawsand faced."
Bawsont in our northern dialect means an animal with a white
stripe down the face. Ball, or baw, is a very common name
for a cart horse, perhaps originally for a horse with a white
face or blaze. The dying out of the badger, for I do not
suppose that a wild one now (1874) exists in Cheshire,
will naturally, if it has not already done so, cause its old
nanle to drop out of the Glossary of Cheshire Words.

BEA CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.

Bawtert, adj, — " Bavvtert wi' slutch," clogged with slutch or
mud. The Lancashire word is " beshote." Bawtert is pro-
bably a variety of bedirt. ''Be^' is a very common adjunct
in English, and seems to have no effect on the sense of the
word to which it is joined, like bedevilled, bedabbled, &c. l.

Bay, s. — A division, like a barn, only open partially on two,
three, or all sides, with a slate roof, where hay is placed instead
of being stacked in a hay rick. It is something synonymous
with balks, except that in the latter case the hay is completely
under cover. The bay is a peculiarity of Cheshire, and may
have originated, either from the small quantity of wheat grown
in the county, and consequent scarcity of straw \ or from the
wet weather so general in July, when it is of the greatest im-
portance to save the hay, if only by driblets at a time ; or
perhaps the bay may owe its origin to these two causes com-
bined. Four poles with a moveable roof capable of being raised
or lowered at pleasure, have now come into very general use ;
and the hay in them is supposed to be of better quality than
in a bay, as there are no side walls to take off the pressure so
essential in the manufacture of hay, and the safety from rain
is more assured. Bay is spelt (in two consecutive sentences;
in an old Cheshire will (A.D. 1588) '' Bey " and '' Baie.^' l.

Bayes, or Baize, s. — To play or run at baize. A county
sport, — a laurel garland, the reward. Steel's collections (Bod-
leian), about 1750. Prisoners' base, locally "Prison bars." l.

Bearbine, s. — The Woodbine, l.

Bear, s. — A door mat. Perhaps formerly often made of a
bearskin. The rough rope-mat resembles one. l.

Beard, i\ — To trim a hedge, l.

Beardings, s. or A Beard Hedge. — Bushes stuck into
the bank of a newly planted hedge to protect the quicks, w.

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. BF.A

Bearward, s. — Bearleader or tender. In the old accounts
of Congleton between 1589 and 16 13, we find payments to
the Bearward for fetching the bear to the wakes, " for wine,
sack, spice, almonds, figs, and beere at the great bear bate."
The Bear's Head and the White Bear Inns still testify to the
former favourite sport of the town. Erasmus (who visited
England in the time of Henry VIII.) says there were many
herds of bears supported in this country for the purpose of
baiting. Vzde " Congleton Bear Town," — Cheshire Legends
aftd Ballads, l.

Beastings, s. Beast Milk. — The first milk after calving.
BiEST, the same thing, is Flemish, w.

Beawn, /d^r/. — Going to set off. " Awm beawn to Stop-
port, "I.e. " I'm bound to Stockport." l.

Bedeet, v. — To dirty or foul. To Deet means the same.
" It is an ill bird that bedeets its own nest," O.C.P., answer-
ing somewhat to the Scotch proverb, " That corbies maunna
pick out corbies' een."

Bedfast, a. — III in bed, confined to bed. l.

Bedg<)WN, s. — The old dress of Cheshire, most becoming to
the figure, worn within the memory of the present generation,
by farmers' wives, peasant women, and most women servants.
It is a short gown open in front, tied at the waist, in fact
an upper jacket to the striped linsey petticoat, generally
red and black, or blue-black, and worn everywhere except in
bed. L.

Bedding pewter brass. — A warming-pan, mentioned in
Margaret Holforde's will, i6th century, l.

Been, or bin, v. — Present tense of verb " to be " derived
from the old verb " ben " "to be." w.

Been, s. — Plural of bee, like oxen, housen, hosen, &c.

• . 1 • *

» '. » » » »

» t » i

THE CHESHIRE BEDGOWN.

IID CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 19

Bee-nettle, s. — The yellow archangel nettle, l.

Beer, s. — Force or power, l.

Beet the fire, v. — To light, or, as we say, to make the
fire. From the Teutonic Boeten het vier, — strtiere igiiem. w.

Beggars' Basket, s. — Lungwort, Pulmoiiaria officinalis, l.

Beggar's Velvet, s, — The fluff under the bedsteads in
untidy houses. L.

Beldering, part, — Bellowing, from belder, to hallo, l.

Bellart, or Bellot, s. — A bearleader. The name of an
old Cheshire family now extinct, w.

Bells, s, — The Fuchsia, l.

Bell-flower, s. — Cainpa7iula. l.

Bent, s. — Coarse rushy grass, l.

Berrin, s. — A funeral. Berry-Hole, s, — A grave, l.

Berry, s. — A gooseberry, w.

Best, v. — To get the better of another, in argument or
otherwise. " I bested him." l.

Better, adv. — More. " The child is better nor two months
old." L.

Better side, used adverbially. ^Nearly. " We haven't
seen him for the better side of a fortnight," i.e. more than a
fortnight, l.

Bezountee ! — By Dad ! An expletive of surprise, l.

Bidding, s. — An invitation to a funeral ; from the A.S.
hiddan^ to pray. It is also an invitation to a wedding feast.
Cowell in his Law Dictionary^ " in voce bid ale, or bid all,"
says, '* It is the invitation of friends to drink in some poor

c 2

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.

man's house, who thereby hopes to receive some assistant
benevolence from the guests for his rehef. Written by some
Bildale, and mentioned in Henry VIII. cap. 6. The same is
used also in the county palatine of Chester, by persons of
quahty, towards the relief of their own, or their neighbours',
poor tenants." w.

Bide, or Abide, v. — To endure. Bide is used for to stay
or remain, w.

BiGGENiNG, s. — The recovery of a mother after child-
birth, w.

Bight, s. — A projection in a river, a jutting or receding
point. It is commonly used in sea voyages, as the Bight of
Benin on the Coast of Africa. A.S. byga, a corner, w.

Bight, or Bought — Is used for anything folded or doubled ;
a sheet of paper is by Hirman in his " Vulgaria " called a
bought of paper, w.

Bight of the Elbow. — The bend of the elbow. A.S.
Bygan, fledere. w.

Bilberry, s. — The Whortleberry. In the north, Blae-
berry. \v.

Bin, v. — "How bin thee to-dee?" ''How are you to-
day?" L.

Bin, Binne, Bing, s. — The place where the fodder is put
for the cattle. A,S. Bifine, prcesepe. w.

Bind, v. — To tend, " The road binds that way." l.

Binders, s. — The cloth put round cheeses after press-
ing, l.

Binding round. — A covey of birds, wheeling or inclining
in their flight, l.

BIS CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.

BiNG, V. — To begin to turn sour ; said of milk. w.
BiNGY, adj. — Sour. ** It will be a bad churn to-day, the
cream smells quite bingy." l.

Birr, Birre, Beer, Ber, Burre, v. — Impetus. To " take
birr " is to run with violence, as a person does before taking a
great leap. See the Glossary to Widiffe's New Testament by
Lewis, Matthew viii. " And lo ! in a great bire all the drove
(of swine) went heedjyng into the sea." See also Apoc. c. i8.
" Bir ventus secundus," Hicke's Island Dictionary. See also
Douglass's Glossary. From the same source is derived what
is called the Bore or Eager on a tidal river, the tide coming
up like a wall. In Ellis's Eai-ly English Poets, vol. i. p. 389,
we read, " And land first rumbland rudeley with sic bere."
Mr. Ellis explains bere by noise, but wrongly, as I apprehend,
as it means rather violence. The "bearing " in the following
quotation may have the same origin : —

** But Horsley with a bearing arrow
Stroke the Gordon through the brain."

Sir A. Barton.

Bird Briar, s. — Pronounced Brid breer, Dog Wild Rose
with black hips. The Hip Breer is the Wild Rose. l.

Birds' eggs. — The haw, the fruit of the hawthorn, l.

Birtle, s. — A summer apple. Hence perhaps is derived
the township of Birtles near Alderley. l.

Birthmark, s. — A stain on the face or body of a new-born
child, that is never eradicated, and about which marks there
are curious ideas, l.

Bishop, s. — Vide Brat.

BiSHOPPiNG. — Being confirmed. Confirmation. To be
bishopped is to be confirmed. The Bishop in the act of con
firmation puts his hands on two heads at once. It is con-
sidered a good omen in Cheshire if the Bishop puts his right

22 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.

hand on your head. It is very curious the idea of the dexter
and sinister of antiquity being lucky and unlucky still con-
tinuing. L.

BlT-BAT, s. — A bat. L.

Bitched, parf. — Spoilt. '* He was that stoopid he bitched
the whole thing," i.e. he spoilt everything, l.

Bite, v. — Applied to the edge of a blunt tool. " It wonna
bite," I.e. the cutting qualities are gone. l.

BiTTERBUMP, s.—A Bittern ; the bump evidently refers to
the " boom " of the bird. l.

BiTTOR, s. — A Bittern {Chester Flays). The Bittern having
disappeared from Cheshire, bittor and the preceding synonym
must naturally be obsolete, l.

BiiTLiN, s.—h. milk bowl, see Wheamow. l.

Blackberry Hatch, s. — Chickens hatched about the time
blackberries are ripe ; they are supposed never or seldom to
come to perfection, l.

Black Jack, s. — Black beetle, z'/V/^ Switch-clog and Twitch-
clog. " Mester, that back kitchen's welly snying wi' twitch-
clogs." " What do you mean by twitch-clogs, Mary?" "Whoi,
Black jacks ! " l.

Blade, j:. — Part of a plough, l.

Blake, adj. — Yellow. " As blake as a paigle," as yellow
as a cowslip, l.

Blanket Mullein, s. — Verbasciim Thapsus. Great mul-
lein. L.

Blart, v. — To low like a cow or calf, quasi bleat, l.

Bleach, v. — Synonym of Plash, q.v. l.

BleaR; or Blar, v. — To roar or scream like a child, l.

RLO CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 23

Bleck, s. — Spent grease upon wheels, probably from the
A.S. B/eCj black, or B/^ec, ink from the colour of the
grease, l.

Blench, v. — To glance. *'Blenk," its variation, has been used
by royalty. " James I. wrote a small collection of poetry, and
apologises for its imperfections as having been written in his
youth, and his maturer age being otherwise occupied, saying
that when his ingyne and age could, his affairs and fascherie
would not permit him to correct them, scarslie but at stolen
moments he having the leisure to blenk upon any paper." —
Catalogue of Noble Authors, l.

Blench, s. — A glance. " I got a blench at a wood-
cock." L. -

Blert, adj. — Bashful, l.

Blether, v. Bletherin ? — To blubber or cry. l.

Blissom, v. — To tup. L.

Block, v. — To pelt. A boy, caught rather suspiciously neai
a walnut tree, cried out " I didna block them," i.e. he was
picking up fallen ones, not pelting them down. l.

Blood Wall, s. — A Wallflower, l.

Bloody man's fingers, s. Orchis mascula. — See Spree-
sprinkle. L.

Bloody Rogers. — A name of a good, red-skinned, mealy
potato, which vanished the year of the potato Wight. In
May 1 81 7 potatoes sold in Cheshire ij". dd. for ninety
pounds, l.

Bloomy, adj. — A high colour. " A bloomy wench." l.

Bloaten, Bloten, or Bloatch, v. — Means to be very
fond of anyone, to have taken a fancy to another ; to doat
on another, perhaps derived from A.S. blotein, to sacrifice.

24 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. BLU

to worship. Grose and Ray menlion it as a Cheshire
word. w.

Blue back, s. — The Fieldfare. Also called the Pigeon
Felt. L.

Blue buttons, s. — The Devil's bit Scabious. Scabiosa
succisa. L.

Blufted, /rt!/-/.— A term at Blindman's-buff. "It is your
turn to be blufted or blinded." This may be a mistake for
buffeted (pulled and pushed about), the common fate of the
blinded centre in Blindman's-buff. w.

Blusterous, adj. — Boisterous, stormy, l.

BoAC or Boke, v. — To retch, keck, or kick at the
stomach, w.

Boke, v. — A variety of poke. " To boke " is " to point, to
poke at one." l.

Bobs' heads, s. — Used for the names of the Heads of
certain flowers, e.g. Thistle bobs, also of Clover, l.

Bobber, bobberous, adj. — Saucy, pert.

Bobbish. — Pretty well. l.

Bobby, s. — A policeman, — an adopted word ; the origin of
the name was Sir Robert (Bobby) Peel, who introduced the
Police Act. Hence also '' Peeler." l.

Bodkin, j-.— To "ride Bodkin'' is to be in a carriage
or on a seat between two others, when there is only room for
two, like the poet's description of a six inside coach : —
" Squeezed in 'twixt two bolsters of talkative fat." l.

Bog, s. — A tussock of coarse grass in a pasture. " He (a
partridge) leeted near yon bog." l.

Boggart. — To take boggart, is to take fright like a horse.
" What did the donkey take boggart at thee for ? " w.

BOO

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.

BoGGARTY, adj. — Liable to take fright like a horse, or
to shy. w.

BOGFOUNDERED, — Puzzled. L.

Boggy bo, or Boggart, s. — A bugbear or scarecrow, an un-
reaUty and thing powerless to do injury, which works in a
frightening way on the imagination. Baun^ Belgice. A
spectre. Bob, or dry bob, is an old word for a merry
joke or trick. Dobson's " Dry Bobs " is the title of a
merry story book. The word is sometimes rendered as
a bug-a-boo. I have heard the same thing called at schools
a bogy. L.

Bogy, s. — A small hand cart, flat and without sides, on two
small wheels, to enable workmen without the help of a horse
to move large stones, lead, and heavy materials from one
place to another, l.

BoKE, or BoAC, V. — To poke or thrust out. w.

Bonesore, adj. — Bone-wearied, tired. When a person has
a shooting pain in the arm or leg, it is common to say " I've a
bone i' th' arm or leg." l.

Bong, s, — A bank. Lymm Bongs, a woody cover near the
town of that name, sloping on both sides to the brook, l.

BooGH, s. — Bough. L.

Boon WORK, j-.— Work done by the tenant for his landlord
(the remains of Soc or Soccage, q.v)^ which now generally
consists in a day or two's work with a horse and cart, drawing
coals, materials, &c. In former times many other various things
were added. The tenant kept a cock for his landlord (this was
in cock-fighting days), and a dog. The landlord's geese and
pigs were turned into the tenant's fields after the crops were re-
moved. A tenant also brought his landlord every year a cheese
or a goose. In short, it was a sort of barter in times when the

26 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. BOO

exchangeable medium of goods (money) was not plentiful, in
fact very scarce, and the purchase of commodities had to be
subvented in other ways. l.

Boose, s. — A cow's stall. Cherry is a favourite name for a
red cow (as Blackbird is for a black cart horse), that colour
being most esteemed by the farmers for milking ; consequently
— Cherry having every chance of getting the best of everything
— anyone getting into a comfortable situation is said in the
O.C.P. " To have got into Cherry's Boose." w.

BoosY Cheese, s. — Cheese made before the cows are turned
out to grass, l.

BoosY Pasture, s. — The grass field lying nearest to " The
Boose." w.

Boots Yellow, s. — Also called Mayflower in Cheshire.
Caltha Falustris. The Marsh Mary gold. The yellow farina
coming off on the boots, probably suggested the name. l.

Booty House, s. — An expression used by children for any
old box, shelf or out of doors rockery or rather crockery, orna-
mented by them with bits of glass, china, coloured stones, &c.
Scarcely a provincialism, as it is probably only the result of
booty coming easier to a child than the compound sound of
beauty. " A thing of beauty," we are told, " is a joy for ever ; "
so it is with a child's Booty House, or Babby House, l.

Born Days. — " In all my born days (my life) I never seed
the loike." The addition of the " born days " has a superlative,
strengthening effect on the sentence, l.

Borsten, part, of the verb to burst. — A.S. Borsicn. — It is
used for ruptured, w.

BosKiN, or BosKiNG, s. — The partition between the Bosses.

L.

Bosky, adj. — Woody. Bosquet^ French, l.
BosSy s. — A kneeling hassock, l.

BRA CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 27

Bossing, /^r/. — Kissing. Vide Oss. l.

BoTHAM, s. — Bottom. A.S. J^o//n. Wooded sides and'
depths of a valley or dumble. " Mappin Woodcock oo'lbe
i' th' Bothams."

Bottle, s. — A bottle of straw or hay : supposed to be a variety
of pottle, a measure. It seems also to explain thus the O.C.P.,
betokening an almost impossibility, " It would be as easy to
find a needle in a bottle of hay." l.

Bottoming, /d;r/. — "Bottoming hay," getting it out of any
hollow wet place, where it will not " make." l.

Bottom, v. — To empty. '' To bottom a glass," to drink
every drop of it. l.

Boulder, j. — Pronounced Bouder. A very large water-
rolled pebble, found occasionally of some tons weight, l.

Bout, s. — A drunken spree of some hours, sometimes
some days' duration. Also, an attack of illness, " O'os had a
putty bout of it this turn," " She's had a serious illness this
time." L.

Bout, adv. ox prep. — ''Better bad than bout," O.C.P., as a
woman said when urged to quit a drunken brute of a husband.
If a mother refuses anything, or takes anything away from a
child, she says '' You mun be bout," i.e. without, w.

Bowk, s. — A bucket. A.S., Wceterbiic. l.

Boy's Love, s. — Southernwood. Perhaps because used as a
love offering. It is a staple in all village posies, l.

Bracco, adj. — Diligent. Not always, but generally, used
with work before it.

Bradow, v. — To spread or cover with manure, as applied to
afield. "The braddow" is one of our commonest names for
a field. A hen is said " To bradow her nestlings." " Dove-

28 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. BRA

like sat brooding." Bradow is either a kind of augmentative of
brood, or an abbreviation of brood over. Teutonic, Broeden^
incubare.

Brag, v. — *• He is nought to brag on," i.e. " He is a poor
creature." One of the round-about Cheshirisms. l.

Braggett, s. — Spiced Ale. Bragod (Welsh) means the
same thing, w. Potus Gallice braccatce. In Welsh, ^;'«^ means
Malt, and Gots^ a Honeycomb.

Brail, or Brailer, s. — A long briar or stick run along the
top of a new plashed fence, to keep the twigs in their places.
Also sometimes a dead hedge stuck on a cop top. l.

Brake, Braken, j. — Fern. l.

Bran, or Brant, v. and part. — To burn, or burnt, from tlie
thing which occasions the fire. A brand (an A.S. word)-
Brandy would be so called from burning the inside.

Brank, s. — A scold's bridle, vide Bridle, l.

Brash, s. — Loppings of a hedge. Refuse boughs, l.

Brashcourt, s. — A horse with his forelegs bent, having been
foaled so ; not become so, as is often the case through age and
work. Harrison's Description of England, l.

Brass, s. — Copper coins. Hence, any sort of money.

Brast, Brasten, v. —Burst, l.

Brathering, /d;/-/. — A hen " Brathering her brood," means
covering them with her body. l.

Brat, j-., or a Bishop, s. — A child's bib. There is an A.S.
word, Bratan, conterere ; the derivation not obvious. The
wearer of the bib is often called a Brat, but generally not till
he or she arrives at a mischievous age. Also a woman's rough
working apron.

Brattles, j.— Brick ends.

BRi CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 29

Brazil, s. — So pronounced. ''As hard as a Brazil." rhe
nut called a Brazil nut is excessively hard. l.

Bread, s. — Breadth, pronounced long like breed. " There
is a good bread ot corn sown this year," i.e. a greater extent of
corn than usual, &c. w.

Breaking Down the curd of a cheese, means dividing the
curd when thick and solid (so as to be cut with a knife), with
the Dairymaid, ^.v. l.

Breadings, s. — The swathes of corn or hay, as first left by
the scythe of the mower, l.

Bree, Bre, or Brae, s. — Brows. Eyebraes are Eyebrows.
The old word is Bre. w.

Breechy, or Britchy, adj. — Brittle, l.

Breet, adj. — Bright. '' That wench o' yares isna over breet,"
" Your servant girl is not as clever as she might be."

Breer, s. — For briar. Brueria^ as it was called in old Dog-
Law Latin, l.

Brewe, s. — A short, though often steep, declivity, a hill.
Near me is a place called '' Jodrell Brewe. " Going down the
brewe," is a Cheshire metaphorical way of expressing that a
man's health is giving way. Brow of a hill is a very common
expression, l.

Brewes, or Browes, 5.— Slices of bread with fat broth poured
over them. O.W., but at present, I believe, only used in
Lancashire and Cheshire. A.S. broth^ jus, or brew, A.S. J7is,
jiisadum. It is a better dish than what in Gloucestershire and
Devon is called " Tea-kettle broth," viz., hot water poured over
bread. " Athol brose " is, I think, honey and whiskey.

Bricko, Brichoe (Ray), «^'.— Brittle. K.'^.brica.ruptor. w.

Bricket, s. — A stool. L.

k

30 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. BRI

Bricknoggin, s. — Houses framed in oak timber, and filled
up with brickwork. Half-timbered houses are called '' Brick
pane buildings." l.

Erid, s. — A bird. A transposition of the letters of the
modern form bird, or rather a return to the old A.S. root, dnW,
or ^?rM, the young of any bird.

Bridlegged, adj. — The Cheshire farmer, who holds that the
perfect form of female beauty consists more in strength than in
elegance of limbs, often uses this contemptuous appellation to
any female whose limbs happen to be somewhat slenderer than
he has in his own mind fixed on as the criterion of symmetry
and taste, w.

Brid Rose, or Brid Breer, s, — The white Scotch wild rose
with black hips. l.

Bridbilled, or Build. — Said of accurately fitting work. l.

Bridle (Scold's), or Brank, s. — An iron frame with a gag
to it, used to fix on a scold's head and mouth, when she be-
came the pest of the neighbourhood. Not employed now, but,
to use the \vords of the Commination Service, " Until that said
discipline be restored again, which is much to be wished," they
are reposing in several parishes of Cheshire, and one specimen
is at the House of Correction in Knutsford. The woman on
whom it is placed cannot speak, roar, or bellow, or make her-
self generally obnoxious to her neighbours ; though at the same
time it does not hurt or injure her in the least, even temporarily.
In some of the foreign bridles, the gag had points upon it, when
of course it became an instrument of torture ; but the simple
gag enforces silence without pain, except to the feelings of the
scold, who finds at last that there is a way of taming, at any-rate
for a time, " what no man can tame." At the church of Walton-
on-Thames, Surrey, is a brank with this inscription,

** Chester presents Walton with a bridle,
To curb women's tongues that talk so idle."

BRO CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 31

The simple story would be that the county of Chester, whiqh
seems to have abounded in scold's bridles and ducking stools,
made the present to Walton. Another tradition is that it was
given by a gentlemen named Chester, who through the babbling
of a mischievous woman had lost an estate. I have seen the
bridle used with the best effect, a perfect devil being changed
by it into a very imperfect angel in a few minutes. Anyone
who wishes to see the subject treated in an exhaustive and most
interesting manner, should read the article by Dr. Brushfield on
" Obsolete Punishments," vol. 2, Chester Archceological Journal.

Bridneeze, s. — A bird's nest. l.

Brief, adj. — Rife, prevalent. Used chiefly of disorders.
"xAgoes been brief," agues have been common. " Small-pox is
very brief." Possibly a form of rife ; also a term for a swarm
of flies or bees. l.

Brim, z'.. Brimming, part. — Sils maris appete?is. w.

Brimble, s. — A bramble. A.S. b?'y7nel, a bramble, vide
Lawyers, l.

Britcher, and Britchey, adj. — Brittle, l.

Brizz, s. — The gadfly. A.S. briose or brimse. One of those
words where sound and sense harmonize. Like flies " buzzing."
It is the appearance of the gadfly that seems almost to drive a
herd of cows wild, as they gallop oft', with their tails in the
air, pursued by the brizz, a sort of bee, and not very unlike that
dreaded fly (the tsetse), whose bite is fatal to oxen and horses,
and which actually arrests all progress (northward from the Cape)
of enterprise or civilization, and will do so till the natural beast
of burden of Africa (the elephant) is employed. The common
dragonfly is generally, but erroneously, called the brizz.

Brock, s. — A badger. The crest of Sir P. Brooke, Bart., of
Norton, and of Brooke of Mere. Vide Bawson.

Brockle, v. — To break fence, as cattle do. Vide Unlucky.

32 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. BRO

Broke, a. — Ruined in trade or play. " I^m broke !" a lad's
exclamation when he has lost his last marble. See also Brosier.

Broken Haired, adj. — Underbred. A vulgax J>arve/iu. l.

Broken, adj. — When a horse's coat looks rough whilst he is
changing it (the new coat not having entirely supplanted the
old one), the term is broken, i..

Brords, or Bruarts, s. — The young shoots of corn are so
called. AS. brord, frumentt spiccBj corn new come up. w.

Brore, or Brord, v. — To spring up as com does. w.

Brosier, v. and s. — To become bankrupt. Bankrupt. A
term often used by boys at play, when they have nothing left
to stake. In the P.P.C. we have brosyn^ or quashing^ v. This
is the origin of the word to bruise. Brosier is or was an Eton
word, *' Brosiering my dame " was, for some crime real or imag-
inary, eating up everything provided for the meal, and asking
for more. l.

Broth, s. — Made of offal. Feet boiled down. Soft soap,
alum, &c., and other ingredients used to crystallize the salt
at the salt works ; as upon the use of such mixtures, and
the rapidity of the boiUng process, the perfection of salt
depends, l.

Brothering, adj. or part. — Useless, over-luxuriant. Use
less and spreading branches are so called,

" Which require
More hands than ours to check their rampant growth."

— Milton. L.

Browis, vide Brewes.

Bruart, s. — The narrow, thin edge or shavings of anything.
" Hat Bruarts " are the parings of the brim of a hat. l.

Bruart, v. — To shoot, as newly sown corn. Bishop Kennet,
in his MS. Vocabulary, in the British Museum, has " to brere,
to be brered," as corn just coming up. w.

BUS CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 33

Brun, v. — To burn, of which it is an anagram, like " brid "
for "bird," &c. l.

Brundrit, J-. — A trivet to hold the bakestone, l.

Buck, s. — Bread and butter, l.

BucKow, V, — To buckle, w.

Buckle, s. — Condition. " In good buckle," the same as " In
good fettle." l.

Buff, s. and adj. — Naked. " He fowt in his buffs," " He
fought half naked."

Bull Head, s. — A tadpole, w.

BuKE, V. — To litter. Speaking of some spoilt hay, a man
said, " It will only do for buking the yard." l.

Bum, s. — A bumbailiff. A sheriff's officer. " They'n got the
bums in," i.e., the bailiffs are in possession, l.

Bunny, s. — A swelling. Also a tame rabbit.

Bunching Carrots. — To tie them up in a bunch for sale. l.

Bur, or Bore Tree, s. — The "elder," probably being easily
bored (being full of pith), for pop-guns, &c. Bor is A.S., a
gimlet. Bor, to make a hole j common in Cheshire.

Burn, s. — A burden. A contracted form. l.

Burn, s. — A large quantity of paper, sticks, &c., is said to
be " a burn." l.

Burr, s. — The sweetbread, w.

BuRYHOLE. — The grave. A.S. biiryan, to bury.

Bushel, s. — When appHed to oats, in Cheshire, means five
ordinary bushels; a bushel of wheat is 70 or 75 lbs. ; beans,
60 lbs. ; barley, 60 lbs. ; oats, 45 or 50 lbs. l.

D

34 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. BUS

Busk, s. — A bush.

** Lads' love's a busk of broom,
Hot awhile and soon done."

O.C.P. L.

Busk, tj., Busking, parf. — Straightening up the fences,
cutting off thorns, &c., in winter. "I've been agait busking in
the coppy." l.

BusTiON, s. — A swelling or whitlow, generally on the finger
or thumb, which when neglected, sometimes necessitates the
removal of a joint. It often begins with a thorn or splinter,
acting on a bad habit of body. l.

But, at/v. — Unless. " I'll leather you, but you do this." l.

But, s. — A rein in ploughing, l.

Buttermilk Wedding, s. — A wedding at Knutsford is thus
sarcastically termed by the boys, when no largesse or "ball
money " is given away. l.

BuTLAND, s. — Waste land. The origin may be Buttal, a
bittern, that bird never being found on cultivated land. L.

Buttons, s. — Small unexpanded mushrooms, l.

Butty, s. — Vi'de Marrow, l.

Butty, s. — A slice of bread and butter. Possibly for butter.
" Mam, give us (me) a butty." l.

Butty, adv. — Conjointly. Fields belonging to two owners,
undivided (by any fence), are called " Butty pieces." l.

Byflete, s. — A piece of land cut off by the change of a
river's course, which used to belong to the other side. l.

Bybbye, s. — A kind of herb. Chester Plays, i, 119. L.
Written " Tibbie," in the BodL MSS.

By'r I^akin ! or By Laekin ! also By Leddy Me ! — An

CAN CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 35

exclamation, used as an oath, or to express surprise, and said
to be another form of "By our Lady ! "

By-spell, s. — A natural child; sometimes called a " By-blow."

C.

Caas, or Case, adv. — Because. Pronounced caze, an ab-
breviation of becaze (so pronounced), or percase, an obsolete
word found in Bacon.

Cacko, v. and s. — To cackle, cackling, idle, gossiping talk.
" Oo cackos like a nowd hen." l-

Cade Lamb.— «-A lamb brought up by hand. l.

Cadge, v. — To carry. Cadger, s. — A carrier, a loafer, w.

Cale or Kale, s. — A turn, chance. *' It's moi cale now,"
^uasiy " It is my turn, or call, now," as at a merry meeting, the
last singer has a right to call on anyone else for a song. In
Flemish, kaz'e/ is a lot, and kavelen, to draw lots. " Coal pit
cale," O.C.P., i.e. ''First come, first served."

Call, z^.— "To call some-one out of his name," is to abuse
and vilify him. " To call all to pieces," is to treat with the
most opprobrious and abusive language ; as I heard a witness
at a court martial say of the prisoner, " He called me all the
devils of the world, or words to that effect."

Calvary, and Cavaldry, s, — For cavalry. A transposition
of letters, l.

Camming, part. — Arguing for the sake of arguing, jawing, l.

Cammed, adj. — Crooked, l.

Cample, Campo, Camble, v. — To scold, to contend, to
argue.

Cane, s. — The warp. A term in general use amongst
Cheshire silk weavers, l.

d 2

36 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. CAN

Cankered, pai-t. — Ill-tempered —

* ' He hums and he hankers, he frets and he cankers,
I never can please him, do a' that I can."

Burns.

Cank, v. — To gossip. " She (the servant) never do goes
canking wi' neebours." l.

Cankum, s. — A prank. I remember hearing once, I cannot
tell where, " None of your kincum crancums," i.e. none of
your nonsense, adone with your jokes, l.

Cant, udj. — Strong, lusty. Ash calls it local. Bailey also
has the word. In the Glossary of Lajigtofte's Chronicle by
Hearne, kant, adjective, is explained as courageous, "Very
cant, God yield you," i.e. Very strong and hearty, God reward
you (Ray). " Canting " is also used to express a woman gain-
ing her strength after her confinement.

Caperlash, j-.— Abusive language. To cample, according
to Grove, is a northern word for to scold, w.

Capo, or Capel, s. — A working horse. Ceffyl^ Welsh. Cha>al^
French. Caballus, Latin. Capiil^ Irish. The Caple gate (for
horses) and the Ship or Shep gate (for sheep), were two portals
that anciently flanked the Bridge Gate at Chester, whence
a ford for man and beast once led across the Dee towards
Wales.

Car, v. — To sit down, or to bend the body in a sitting
posture. L.

Carlings, s. — Grey peas boiled, so-called from being served
at table on Care Sunday (which is Passion Sunday), and as
Care Friday and Care Week are Good Friday and Holy Week ;
supposed to be so styled from that being a particular season
of care and anxiety, or that at that period one has to take an
especial care of one's acts, thoughts, and words. The carlings

CAT CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 37

are steeped all night in water, and fried next day with butter.
In some villages they are eaten the Sunday previous to Palm
Sunday. See Brand's Popular Antiquities^ quarto, vol. i. p. 93 ;
also Ihre, Didionarium Suio-Gothicum^ ifi voce " Kcerusunna-
dag." L.

Carpet, v.^ Carpeting, s. — To scold a servant. When
bare boards were commoner than they are now, the servant
to be scolded was sent for to the carpeted room, the Drawing
Room. I have heard a servant boast that she had never been
carpeted. We can hardly fancy she would be beaten like a
carpet, l.

Carry on, v. — " She carried on shameful," i.e. she used
very unladylike language, or she shewed bad conduct, l.

Carpenter's Grass, s. — Frimella vulgaris. Common Self-
Heal. L.

Carry Water. — ^Water with iron chalybeate in it, which
widely pervades Cheshire, and sometimes to such a degree
as to make the water useless for even cleansing or swilling
purposes. In Northumberland it is called car\M2Xtx ; it is
sometimes of the thickness of the richest cream. Its
presence, I believe, is thought to betoken the presence of iron
or coal. L.

Carve, v. or Kerve (Ray). — To grow sour, spoken of cream.
Local, according to Ash. w.

Caselings, s. — The skins of beasts that die by acci-
dent. L.

Cassartly, or Cazzlety, adv. — Risky, uncertain, sometimes
pronounced cazzlety. "Young turkeys is cazzlety things."
Liable to casualty, l.

Catch Grass, s. — Goose grass or catch weed. l.

38 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. CAU

Cauf. — Calf. '* How is your cough and cold ? " " Butcher s
bin and fetched cauf, but I'm welly smothered with coud." l.

Cauf Kit, or Crib, s. — Where the sucking calves are kept.
A.S. Crybbe, prcBsepe, the same as " kidcrow." w.

Cauf-lick, vide Cowlick.

Caukum, s. — A practical joke, a foolish frolic.

Cawn, part. — For callen.

Cawper, v. — To answer saucily.

Chaffery, or Chaffering, adj. — Said of stuff like the seed
of the bulrush, the seed of the pampas grass, &c. ; as if from
chaff. L.

Cham, or Chom, v. — To chew. " I've gien that chap sum-
mut to chom, ennyhow." l.

Chance Child, s. — A child born out of wedlock.

Channel Hole, s. — Hole by which sewer water escapes.
In Chester usually pronounced " chennel." l.

Chastize, v. — Used for to scold. In its common sense it
often precedes or follows a- scolding.

Chatterbasket, s. — A Chatter-box. l.

Chats, s. — Small wind pruned branches and sticks under
trees, collected and used by poor people for lighting fires, l.

Chauve, v. — To chafe.

Cheadle Dock, or Kadle Dock, s. — Se7iecio Jacobea.

Cheese Guard, s. — Synonymous with Fillets, q,v. l.

Cheese Running, s. — Ladies' bed straw. " The people of
Cheshire, especially about Nantwych where the best cheese is
made," writes the herbalist Gerarde, himself a Nantwych man,

CHE CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 39

"do use it in their Reniiett, esteeming greatly of that cheese,
above others made without." l.

Cheeses, s. — The seeds of the Mallow are so-called : they
are round and flat at the top and bottom. Children make
necklaces of them. l.

Cheevings, s. — The dust, refuse seeds of weeds, rat
remnants, left behind in taking in a rick of corn or beans, l.

ChExM, or TcHEM, s. — A team of horses, a team of wild-
ducks. Somner talks of a ''team of young pigs." w.

Chern, s. — The long-tailed titmouse, l.
Chesfut, s. — A cheese vat. Cheese vessel, l.

Cheshire Acre. — A Cheshire acre is two statute acres
and one more in nine. Nine Cheshire acres would therefore
be nineteen statute acres or very nearly so. l.

Cheshire Bushel. — A Cheshire bushel of oats is fifty,
forty-five or forty pounds of wheat, seventy or seventy-five of

barley, rye, and beans sixty pounds.

«
Cheshire Cat, s. — " To grin like a Cheshire cat " is a very
old saying, and like many old sayings, the origin is doubtful.
Another version is '' to grin like a Cheshire cat chewing gravel :"
o^tfjiopojv ye\a<Ta<Ta, " Death grinned horribly a ghastly smile."
Still another amplified version is " to grin like a Cheshire cat
eating cheese." This may be supposed to produce a smile of
satisfaction rather than a grin of disgust. In the Dictionary of
Modern Slang is the following : " ' To grin like a Cheshire cat '
is to display the teeth and gums whilst laughing (i la Tim
Bobbin)." Another hardly satisfactory explanation has been
given of the saying, " that Cheshire is a county palatine, and
that when the cats think of this they are so tickled at the

40 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. CHE

notion, that they cannot help grinning. The force and point
of this are so well wrapped up that they are undiscoverable,

**Like a Dutch picture darkened to sublimity."
*' Some years since Cheshire cheeses were sold in Bath moulded
into the shape of a cat, bristles being inserted to represent
whiskers : this may possibly have given rise to the saying,"
Notes and Queries, vol. ii. p. 212. Another idea is that the
saying may be traced to the unhappy attempts of a country sign
painter to represent a lion, — the crest of many Cheshire
families (the Egertons of Tatton, the Leighs, Leghs, &c.)
on the signboards of the inns : the resemblance of these
lions to cats caused their being generally called by the latter
name. There is a " Cat and Lion '' public-house at Stretton,
the lines on the sign, rhythm and sense apparently both
absent, are,

* * The Lion is strong,
The Cat is vicious,
My Ale is good,

And so is my Liquors."

One need not go far to account for a Cheshire cat grinning.
A cat's paradise must naturally be placed in a county like
Cheshire, flowing with milk. l.

Chett, v. — To cheat. " Dunna chett, Tummas, but (unless)
ye be chetten, and dunna be chetten," was the advice of an
old man on his death-bed to his son. An old Scotch dealer
when exhorting his son to honesty in his dealings, on the
ground of its being the best policy, quietly added, " I hae
tried baith." l.

Childer, s. — Children, A.S. plural termination.

Chimbley, s. — The chimney.

Chimney Sweep, j.— The Field Wood Rush, Luzula
campestris. l.

CHU CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 41

Childermas Day, s. — Innocents' Day. l.

Chin Cough, s. — Hooping cough. In an old Black letter
surgical treatise it is called " chink." We have several curious
recipes for it in Cheshire — roast hedgehog, fried mice, &c.
Another is holding a toad to the mouth, which is supposed to ex-
tract the cough from the patient. This, however, does not seem
infallible, as an old woman complained that ** her boy could
not get shut of the Chincough, though he had sucked two t5ads
to death." Vide Ballads and Legends of Cheshire. It is also
called kingcough from kincken^ Teutonic,' to breathe with
difficulty.

Chockhole, s. — The deep rutty hole to be met with in
many of the bye-roads or occupation roads in the county where
either (as they would say in America) " the bottom has dropped
out or where bad or intermittent pavements have not mended
our ways." L.

Chock-full. — Brim-full.
Chom, vide Cham.

Chonner, v. — To champ, to chop up. l. There is an old
word " Chon " to break.

Chowbent Grub, s. — Old nails broken in old wood are so
called. " Confound these Chow-bent grubs," says a carpenter
whose axe, saw, or tool, has come across one of these unseen
dangers, l.

Chow and Chump. — Remains of wood, old stacks, and
roots, &c. only fit for burning, l.

Christmas, s. — Any evergreen decoration about Christmas
time. " I maun get some Christmas to bawm the quarls," i.e.
panes of glass.

Chumley. — The Cheshire pronunciation of the local name,
Cholmondeley.

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. CHU

Chump. — A term of reproach. Rascal, cheat, vagabond, l.

Chunner, v. — To grumble. " A chunnery, ill-conditioned
fellow." AS. Ceorian, to complain. "To chowre," is a good
old word for to complain, or scold. So in Turberville's Tra?is-
latioii of Ovid,

' ' But when the crabbed nurse
Begins to chide and chowre. "

A clergyman asking an infirm old woman how she was, re-
ceived as an answer, " I goes on chunner, chunner, chunner."
He told her how wrong it was to be discontented, &c., when he
was stopped by the old woman, " Bless you, Parson, it's not I
that chunners, it's my miiardsT

Chun, s. — A crack in the finger or hand, from frost, or from
dryness of the skin ; quasi chink. l.

Churles' Treacle, s. — Garlic. Allium, l.

Churn Staff, s. — The common spurge, which has a milky
juice of a very acrid nature, and which I have known in three
applications cure cancer in the eyelid, after three of our first
oculists had recommended an operation and excision as the
sole cure. l.

C I RAGE, or Serage-Money. — The Prestbury term for
church rates, doubtless in former times the candles used so pro-
fusely amongst the Roman Catholics, at the church service, were
paid for out of the cirage money. A.S. cerge, a wax candle.
Latin, cera, wax. l. " VV^ax shot," or " scot,'' O.W., a sum paid
thrice a year towards church candles. {Cole's Dictionary.) In
Warton, in the archdeaconry of Richmond, there was an Easter
due called a wax penny, and a tenure called lamp light, l.

Clack, s, — Talk without sense, l. " Oi never heard sich
a ooman to clack in aw my loife."

Clag, 7'. — To choke, to silt up. " The pipe is welly clagged
wi' soot."' l.

CLE CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 43

Clam-, or Clem, v. — To starve for want of food. " I'm welly
clemmed." A wood at Mere bears the curious title of Clem-
hunger wood. " Clem " is one of those Cheshire words which
in common parlance supersedes any synonym. There is an
O.C.P., " You are like Smithwick, clemmed, or brosten," i.e.
always in extremes. Clenunen, Teut. to shrink up, as the
bowels are said to do with hunger.

Clamme, or Clame, v. — To dirty, or plaster, or dirty over.
A.S. damtan^ to daub or smear.

Clap, v. — To squat. To lie down as a hare does to escape
the hounds, or a pheasant when he thinks to hide himself. From
the French se clapper, se cacher dans un trou. l.

Clap Post, s. — The post against which a gate claps or shuts
(in contradistinction to the hang post). They say of a girl who
from misconduct finds it convenient to leave the county, " She
has given Lawton gate a clap '' — Lawton being the boundary of
Cheshire towards Staffordshire, l.

Clargyman, s. — A black rabbit, w.

Clat, s. — To tell clats of a person, is to tell tales or spread
reports to his disadvantage. A.S. clatrimg, anything that makes
a chattering. Clattering means making a noise.

Clate, s. — A wedge to a plough, l.

Claver, s. — Idle talk. Claffer is German for garrulous.
Perhaps a variety of the slang word " to chaff." w.

Clawback, s. — A back-biter, l.

Clawped, part. — Daubed, l.

Clay, s. — Half a cow's foot. Evidently a claw. l.

Clea, s. — A claw. It was anciently written clea or clco,
AS. w.

44 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. CLE

Clem, vide Clam. — Nixon, the Cheshire Prophet, was
" clemmed to death " at Court.

Clever, adj. — Handsome, l.

Cleverly, adv. — Entirely, completely. A building so di-
lapidated " that it mun be pood down cleverly." A hedge
" mun be cleverly fawen." l.

Clewken, vide Clocken.

Clip, v. — To kiss, to embrace. A.S. cleopan cleasan, to cleave
or stick to. w.

Cliveley, adv. — Cleverly, l.

Clock, s. — A beetle. A bracken clock is the beetle which
frequents the fern or bracken, l.

Clocken, s. — Fine cord. Also Clewken. l.

Clocks, s. — Dandelion seed. So called from children
naming an hour, and then blowing at the seed. l.

Clogs, s. — Shoes with wooden soles, generally made of
ouler (alder). Our nearest approach to the sabot.

Cloggy, adj. — Compact. Said of a horse or cow that is
short legged, and body well filled out.

Clomb, part of the verb to climb.

Clots, or Clouts, s. — Burr or burdock. A.S. date, a burr.
The cloth burr. w. (From to cleave.)

Clough, s. — A.S. a wooded ravine. At Kermincham are two
ravines of this sort, called Pigeon House Clough, and Bowshot
Clough. l.

Clouts, s. — Axle-tree-clouts, plates of iron nailed at the end
of the axle-tree. " Clouted shoon " are shoes tipped with iron.

Clouter, v. — To make a clattering, clumping noise with

COG CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 45

wooden clogs. This noise is heard more in hard times than in
good times, clogs being cheaper than shoes, l.

Clussumed, adj. — Clumsy. According to Ray, it means
more, i.e. a hand so short and benumbed with the partial pa-
ralysis of cold, as to make the fingers clumsy and non-effective.
A corruption of closened or closed, w.

Clutter, v. — To put an opponent down after a fight. " He
cluttered me down." l.

Clyde, s. — A cloud, l.

Coarse, adj. — Applied to the weather — stormy, rough, l.

Cob, v. — To throw, to lead, to domineer, to surpass or excel
others in any art or skill, w.

Cob, s. — A blow, generally on the head. Cob is also a
leader. "This boy will be always cob." What is called at
school, " Cock of the school." Sometimes pronounced Cop ;
" I copped him," for '^ I beat him," or got ahead of him

Cob, v. — To cause to grow quickly, to throw up. " The land
has cobbed up a deal of grass." l.

Cobbles, s. — Round coals, lumps of coal. l.

Cobbst, adj. — Applied to children who are cross, contrary
and fractious beyond endurance ; and sometimes to people
called by some-one, *'God Almighty's unaccountables," who
behave in so perverse and cross-grained a way as to be beyond
all ordinary rule or calculation, l.

Cobnobble, v. — To chastise or correct. This seems to carry
out the idea that cob is a blow on the head, nob being one of
the slang terms for the head.

CocAM, s. — Sense, judgment, cunning, l.

Cocker, v, — To fondle or spoil a child.

46 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. COG

CocKET, also CoPPETT. — The former one is most common —
Saucy, pert. Also means well, in good health. *' Well, Molly,
how are you to-day?" " Pretty cocket, thank'ee. Parson."

Codding, part. — Humbugging, l.

Codlings and Cream, j-. — The great hairy willow, Epilobium
hirsutu7n ; vide Apple Pie. l.

Cogging, part. — Cheating or deceiving. Cogged dice are
those specially made for cheating, and are as old as the Roman
days. l.

Coggle, v. — To move with great ease, to be unsteady, to be
shaky, w.

Coggly, adv, Coggle, Ceggle, Kickle, Tickle, adj. —
Easily moved, shaky. Applied to a creaking post or wheel.

Coil, .f.— Row. "What's the coil now?" i.e. "What's the
matter ? " l.

Cold Burnt. — A punishment for any slight transgression of
the laws of decency. The offender's arm is held up above his
head, and cold water (the colder the better) is poured into the
cuff of his coat. The first feelings of intense cold and heat are
the same, and carried to extremes produce the same results.
In Virgil we have the expression, usta gelu, burnt with frost, or,
as we should say, blackened by frost, l.

CoLDiNG, adj. — Shivering. " To sit colding by the fire-side,"
is to sit idling by the fire : it may have something to do with
coddling, w.

Collar, v. — From collar, soot. To dirty or smut. " You've
collared your face."

CoLLOP, s. — A slice. A rasher of bacon, l.

CoLLow, or Colly, v. — To blacken ; to make black with coal.

COM CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 47

CoLOURY, adj. — Roan or spotted. Said of cows that are not
all white, all red, all brown, or all black, l.

CoLLYWEST, adv, — Just the contrary. "Is this my way to
Chester ? " " Nay, yon's the road ; you are going colly west." w.

Colly Weston is used when anything goes wrong.. " It's
aw along with Colly Weston." This, probably at the outset, was
an allusion to some particular person or circumstance, and the
saying remained after the origin was forgotten. Harrison, page
172, mentions ''the mandilion (a loose garment, without
sleeves), worne Collie Weston-ward," i.e. awry. Colly Weston
also means in the opposite direction. *' He went there, but I
went Colly Weston."

Colt, s. — The first time a grand juryman serves on the jury
he is called a colt, and has the advantage of paying double
fees. L.

Come, v. — To act the part Rennet does in cheese- making :
turning the milk to curds. " Thou looks so sour, thou'd come
a cheese." l.

Come Sunday, come Se'night. — The next Sunday but one.
This expression used to be very common. In Foxe's Book of
MartyrSy we have

** To-morrow come never
When two Sundays come together."

This expression was formerly very common, and is anything
but extinct now, and is often used as a quip to one more apt
to promise than to perform, when he engages to do any-
thing, w.

Come Out, or rather. Come Eyt. — An odd expression, used
to a dog, meaning " Be still, do not bark." In Irish, '' Come
out of that," means " Have done, don't go on with what you
are saying," &c.

48 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. COM

Come Nearer. — Used in cart stables instead of *' Come up."

Come, or Coom Agen. — In ploughing, the word to the horse
at the end of the furrow to turn to the left. Used also ad-
verbially ; a ploughman will speak of " turning cum'agen," i.e.
to the left.

CoMMiN, s. — Common, waste land.

Coney-gree, s. — Rabbit warren. Used by Sir W. Brereton.
Randal Holme also has " coney-greys," or " greeves " (graves ?)
Academy of Armoury^ book 2, ch. 9, p. 187, "Rabbit
burrows." l.

CoNNA, V. — I conna. I cannot, w.

CoNNY, or Canny, adj. — Brisk, lively. A.S. con, bold.

CooTH, Couth, s. — A cold. A.S. coth^ a malady. " Dick's
foin an' bad, he's got a cooth."

Cop, s. — Hedge bank. A.S. copp. l.
Cop, v. — Vide Cob.

Cope, v. — To cope, is to muzzle a ferret, l.

COPPETT, vide COCKET.

COPPY, s. — A coppice.

Coral Plant, s. — Ribes sangidnea. I heard a peasant girl
use this word. As ribes sanguinea has not been introduced
long (1826), the word must also be new as applied to it. l.

Corf, s. — Basket to bring coals up from a pit. l.

Corker, s. — A complete settler, a clincher to further argu-
ment ; words driven home, as a cork into a bottle. *' He'll find
that statement of mine a corker." A lie. "What a corker
he's just tould, to be sure." l.

Corks, s. — Cinders.

COT CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 49

Corn, v. — To granulate. The process of making salt, which
begins to corn after one hour's boiling, according to Ray. We
find the participle in corned beef. l.

CoRNALEE, s. — The dog wood. Spelt cornowlee, in " Brere-
ton's Travels," (1634). l.

CoRNOK, s — A corn measure containing four bushels, l.

Cosp, s. — The cross-bar at the top of the spade. It is fre-
quently used for the head ; a man with a broken head is said
" To have had his cosp broken." Randle Holme calls the
handle of a spade, *' Kaspe " ; we have cuspis, I^atin for the
helmet that covers the head, and is the summit of the body.
It can scarcely be a corruption of the German for head,
kopf. w.

Coss, V. — To curse. " He cosses and swears like anythink."

CossES, V. — Costs. " It cosses a deal o' brass." l.

Cot, s. — Probably only an abbreviation of " Cot quean," a
man who interferes with female arrangements ; often called a
"Molly cot." Such interference is punished by a dish clout
being pinned to his tail. w.

Cotter, v, — To mend or repair. To help with little effect.

CoiTER, s. — A blow. " Gee him a cotter." l.

Cotter, s. (or Cottrell).— A transverse piece of iron to
fasten the shutter pin. In Leicestershire, *' To cotter," is to

fasten.

•

Couch Grass, also called " skutch," and in Herefordshire,
hujff cap, s. A running weedy grass, difficult to eradicate, and a
sign of bad farming ; it is generally collected and burnt, but it is
better to wash it and give it to the cattle, which are very fond
of it and prefer it to the best hay, as the roots are full of sugar.
Also called dog-grass.

E

50 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. COT

CouD, s. — Cold. Also Couth.

Count, v. — To reckon. To have an opinion of. *' They
donna count him much of a man at delving." l.

Counterfeits and Trinjcets. — Term for porringers and
saucers, l. Ray.

Coverlid, s. — A bed cover. French, coiivre Hi.

CowE, V. — To depress or intimidate. This is one of the
many words in Wilbraham which cannot be called provincial-
isms, being in general use. w.

Cowlick, s. — The part of a cow's hide where the hairs,
having different directions, meet and form a projecting ridge of
hair ; this is said (falsely) to be produced by the cow licking
herself. This term — as also Cauf-lick — is used when the same
thing occurs in the human head. w.

Cow Lady, s. The lady bird. l.

CowsHAT, s. — Wood pigeon. A variety of the word cushat.

Cow-Shorn or Sharn, s. — As in Lan. The leavings of a
cow. In Teutonic, dung is shai-n^ in Smo-Goi., skarn, and a
shar-bud, an O.W. for beetle, is so called from continually living
under horse or cow dung. Randle Holme, in his *' Academy
of Armory," says shorn is the dung of a bull or cow. It is also
called cowshot or cow plague. In Philemon Holland's " Trans-
lation of the Natural History of Pliny," vol. 2, p. 327, we read,
" They say that bull's sherne is an excellent complexion, for-
sooth, to set a fresh rosat or vermilion colour on in the ball of
the cheeke." w.

Coy, s. — Used by Brereton in his ''Travels," for decoy (1635).
He speaks of coy ducks, coy man, &c. Formerly there were
many decoys in Cheshire : draining and increase of population
have been fatal to them. l.

CRE CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 51

Crab, s. — An iron trivet to put over the fire. l.

Crack, s. — A talk. *' Ause had a crack wi' him." l.

Crack, v. — '' He's nought to crack on." A depreciating
remark, l.

Cradant, and Cradantly, s. and adr.y Crassant and
Crassantly, which two last words are admitted on the sole
authority of Ray. — Coward, cowardly. " To set cradants,"
amongst boys, is to do something hazardous, to take any des-
perate leap which cradants dare not undertake after you. Like
setthig the field, out hunting, by jumping some fence where no
one dares follow, w.

Cramble, v. — To hobble. Perhaps a variety of scramble, l.

Crambly, adj. —Lame. l.

Crampled, /d!r/. — Stiff in the joints ; qu. cramped, l.

Crank, s. — A blow. l.

Cranny, adj. — Pleasant, agreeable. " A cranny lad." l.

Crap, v. — A particular way of mending a clog. l.

Crapussing, adv. — A horse that goes lame or tender, is said
to be " Crapussing." l.

Crash, s. — Unripe fruit. " Dunnot ate that crash." l.

Crassantly, adj. — Cowardly. " A crassantly chap." Ray.

Cratch, s. — A rack or manger. La sainte Creche, the
manger in which our Lord was laid. l.

Cratchings, s. — Graves, from a chandler's refuse fat. l.

Creachy, adj. — Craggy, out of order, in bad repair, sick.
Auctioneer speaks, " Our next lot is a really good sofa by Gillow.
This is not a creachy, scamped article of green wood, on which,
when it has just been brought home, your husband throws him-

e 2

52 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. CRE

self when he comes in tired, gives one sneeze, and the whole
thing falls to pieces."

Credussing, adj. — Humbly mean. To use Shakespeare's
words, ''With bated breath and whispering humbleness."

Creem, v. — " Creem it into my hand," Le.^ slip it into my
hand slily, without any one seeing you. It also means the same
as Teem, to pour. Ash calls it local, w. Ray.

A Creep, or Creep Edge, s. — A creeping fellow. An area
sneak would be called a " Creep Edge." l.

Creeping Jack, s. — Sedum acre, biting stone crop. l.

Creepit, Creepiting, Crope, Croppen, part. — For crept
and creeping ; perfect tense and participle of the verb to creep.

Crewdle, V, — ''They war all (talking of some poachers)
crewdled up amongst the grig," i.e.^ cowering, crouching, hiding
together. It is applied to the way chickens crouch at the sight
of a bird of prey. l.

Crewdling, s. — A dull stupid person ; a slow mover, w.

Crewe, s. — A coop for fowls, l.

Crewe, v. — To pert up fowls, l.

Crinkle, also Crimble, v, — To sneak out of an engagement.
There is an A.S. word, crincaii, to cringe, but though another
form of meanness, it may be straining a point to suggest it as
the root. It is a metaphor for leather crinkling or wrinkling
or rolling back when exposed to the fire.

"When shrivelling like a parchment scroll
The flaming heavens together roll."

Crisp, v. — The first process of freezing. " The water's
crisping." l.

Crits, s. — Small potatoes, l.

CRO CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 53

Croddy, s. — A trick, a manoeuvre. "That's a fine crod-
dy." L.

Croft, s. — A small field.

Cromfull, atfv. — Cram-full, quite full. A boy once defined
z. forest as " A plek (place) cromfull o' askers (newts)." l.

Crom, V, — To cram. " His yed's crom'd wi larning." l.

Crop, s. — The head and branches of a felled tree. l.
Crossil, s. — Ashes, cinders. " Burnt to a crossil." l.

Crow Net. — At the Kinderton Church Leet, 39 Elizabeth,
Villa de Hunsterton was presented and fined loi*. 9^. in rate,
because the crow net " non posita et usitata fuit, in Villa."
There is a similar presentment of Newbold Astbury at a court
40 Elizabeth. The following is "the act (10 Henry VIII.)
made to destroy choughs, crowes, and rookes, that do daily breed
and increase throughout this realme ; which rookes, crowes, and
choughs doo yearlie destroy, devoure and consume a wonder-
full and marvellous great quantity of come and grain, as also
at the ripening and kernelling of the same, and over that a
marvellous destruction and decaie of the covertures of thatched
houses, barns, ricks, stacks, &c. Enacted, That in every
parish, township, hamlet, borough, or village, wherever is at
least ten households inhabited, the tenants and inhabitants
thereof shall before the Feast of St. Michael, at their own
proper costs provide, make, or cause to be made 07ie net, com-
monly called a net to take choughs, crowes, and rookes, with
all things requisite as belonging to the same, and the said
net so made, shall keepe, preserve, and renewe, as often as
shall neede ; and with and after a sharpe made with chaffe or
anything meete for the purpose shall laie or cause to be laid,
at such time or times in the yeare as is convenient for the
destruction of such choughs, &c., upon paine to forfeite Xj".
to be levied of the inhabitants of the parish, &c. The net to

54 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. CRO

be produced once a yeare before the Steward of the Court
Baron. Any farmer or owner occupying any manors, lands, &c.,
is to pay for everie six old crowes, rookes, or choughs a penie,
for everie three old a halfpenny." How crows were to be
caught with nets is not explained l.

Crow Orchard, s. — A Rookery. The nests of course re-
presenting the fruit, l.

Crowner, or Crunner, s. — Cheshire way of pronouncing
coroner, w.

Cruddle, v. — To curdle like milk. l.

Cruds, s. — Curds. A simple transposition of letters, w.

Cruel, or Crewell, s. and adj. — Is still in use for worsted.
" To work in crewels," is to work in worsted, w.

Cruel, adv. — Very. " It's cruel cold," it's bitterly cold. l.

Crum, or Crume, s. — The refuse of charred wood which was
cast out of the old salt houses. It is referred to in the burgess
laws of Northwych (where we find it gives the name to " Crum
hill,") as " The crume, or Wych house muck." l.

Crummy, adj. — Fat, well filled out. l.

Crutch, s. — A leg. The origin of the stick or support used
instead of a leg. Latin, crus, a leg. l.

Cry Notchil, v. — " To cry notchil," is for a man to advertize
that he will not be answerable for debts incurred by his wife.
What the origin of this is I know not. There is an old game
where boys push one of their number into a circle they have
made, and as he tries to escape, push him back, crying " No
child of mine." This may be the origin of the husband's dis-
claimer of his wife, when he '* Notchils " her. l.

CucKE Stools, s. — Belongs to old Cheshire of the past.
Formerly every parish had its " Ducking Stool " or " Cuckie

CUT CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 55

Stool," — a chair placed on a lever, on which a scold was fastened
and ducked over and over again, till she was quiet. Most
parishes had a stool of this sort, a scold's bridle, and stocks.
There are pits in Cheshire to this day called "Cuck stoo
pits." L.

CucKLE, V. — Noise made by a hen when she has laid. A
variety of cackle.

Cuckoo's Bread and Cheese, s. — ^The wood sorrel. The
plant which is supposed to be the real shamrock. The leaf is a
beautiful green, and is one of the first that appears. It is used
as one of the ingredients of salts of lemon, l.

Cuckoo Lambs, s. — Late-born lambs, not supposed to
thrive, l.

Cuckoo Meat, s. — Synonym of the wood sorrel, l.

Cuckoo Oats, s. — Late, too late, sown oats. l.

CuMBERLiN, s. — A troublesomc fellow, one that cumbers the
earth, and does no good. l.

CuTLiNS, s. — Oatmeal. L.

Cur, s. — "A good cur," means a sharp watch dog, and does
not refer to the dog being underbred, l.

Currake, s. — A cow rake, used to cleanse the shippins. In
P.P.C. it is written '' Colrake." w.

Curst, adj. — Bad tempered. "Curst cows have short
horns." O.C.P.

" Dat deus immiti coraua curta bovi." L.

Cut, s. — A canal. The origin obvious, l.

Cute, adj. — Short for acute : sharp, intelligent w.

Cutts, s. — "To draw cutts." A way to settle an ownership, or
a raffle, by paper cut into slips and divided amongst the rafflers.

S6 . CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. CUY

The longest slip generally entitles the drawer to the prize.
"The cutte fyl to the knight," the chance fell to the knight, l.

CuYP, V. — (Pronounced in a peculiar way, something like
" ceighp," the " eigh " being quickly given, as in weight.) — To
sulk, and show you are sulking ; to cry obstinately and cause-
lessly, but in a subdued way, like bleeding inwardly, l.

D.

Dab, s. — A blow. " A dab i'th eye." w.

Dab, v. — To give a blow. w.

Dab Chick, s. — A water hen. In Cheshire, waiter hen. l.

Dacity, s. — Intelligence, quickness, sharpness ; short for
audacity, w.

Daddle, v. — To walk with short steps. To dawdle, a
diminutive of dade.

Dade, v. — To lead children beginning to walk. Not com-
mon, w.

Dading Strings, s. — Leading strings, w.

Daffadowndilly, s. — The daffodil.

"Thus having said, the redoubted Achilles
Stalked over whole meadows of Daffadowndillies."

This may not be a correct translation of

KOT a(T(pode\ov Xf.ijKjJva.
The asphodel is a different flower from the daffodil, but does
not clothe nor carpet the ground like the daffodil, l.

Daffock, s. — A woman's dress that is too short, l.

Dagg, v. — To wet the feet or lower garments, generally used
to females who wear petticoats. Dagg is an old word for dew.
In Norfolk, a shower of rain is " A dagg for the turnips." This
is a common word in Cheshire. Johnson calls it a low word.

mr^

'*A^'J^

>i* A a {) c J 6 fg-lt IT kl m ii o p q^
rf 1 11 vwxY2 2>ra <^ t o a V
ABC DEFGHIJKLM^ t;

RSTUVWXYZ.^,

OPQ

I ad ecL ul odua\ "^'^ '^ — — '•,:^ >

^oAi , ^: of tkt Holy GkoSt.Ame?,^

®UR Fatkev«t/^/:Aar2^i"w
Ile^ ye i^ ,7ia Uoiveil le thy
j^ci Mie ■ thy K^inaaoiix come thy
WlH he: dona i^t Earth ^as it ^-^ 0
i>t }[ea.yen , Give us tin's JjaLyouj^
d&ily Br-end a.nd torjive xispuy

thi

Tr^f partes, as ^e /.^ryyv^
tJc^i Trefjbafs /i([^i^tirTis:And^^
lea-d lis TLijt znto'Teiri-pta.tiojttnity
deliver^ us fro^1^. Evil , A^ne n . \^

QUEEN ELIZABETH'S HORN-BOOK OR READAMADAZY,
in possession of Lord Egerton of Tatton.

(See also p. lyj.

*/ •

•• • • , •

DAN CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 57

Daggle, or Draggle-Tail is also common in the county.
A.S. deagan ti?igere. " The fox was foinly daggled, an the tits
aw out o' breath." — Warburton's "Hunting Songs."

Dairymaid, s. — A wire sieve fixed in a handle, with which
the curd is broken in the cheese tub. l.

Daker Hen, s. — The corn crake ; like the cuckoo, peewit,
or bell bird, named from the note. l.

Dalling, adj. — '* Dalling weather," in harvest, means a per-
petual change from wet to dry, and vice versa, which prevents
progress, and perhaps comes from delaying, l.

Dally, s. — Delay. Dally, v. — To delay, l.

Damsels, 5". — Damsons. ** The Jacobs and damsels are all
killed by the early frost." " Jacob " is a very early plum. l.

Dander, s. — Spirit, mettle. " He's got his dander up at
last."

Dander, Donder, v. — To wander about. To ramble or
wander in conversation. " Poor oud mon, he's dreadful don-
dering," or rambling in his talk.

Dandering, part. l.

Dandy Cock and Hen. — Bantam fowls, l.

Dang, v. — To throw things about carelessly and violently.
Hence the term of

Dangwallet — For a spendthrift, w.

Dangerley, adv. — Possibly, by chance, mayhap, w.

** Dang It," exp. — The same as "Hang it." Used when any-
thing has gone wrong, or that displeases the speaker, l.

Danter, s. — A term used in Macclesfield and Congleton, for
the manager of the silk winding department in a silk mill. Its
origin may be dander {d and / being cognate letters), to wander

58 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. DAR

about as a manager should or does do, to see that everything
goes on right, l.

Dark, adj. — Doubtful, unknown. '' Have you got such a
farm ? " " No, it is dark at present." L.

Dark, adj. — Bhnd. l.

Darnak, s. — A hedger's glove, l.

Darter, s. — Daughter, l.

Dateless, adj. — A curious word, meaning insensible, from a
blow generally. Evidence before the grand jury of Chester,
*' Father knocked mother down dateless." l.

Dauber, or Douber, s. — A plaisterer. In a couplet, or old
Cheshire saying, we have an allusion to the word in the spelling
of the time,

** The Mayor of Altrincham and the Mayor of Over
The one is a thatcher, the other a dauber."

Two important workmen in the dwellings of our ancestors, when
blue slates, tiles, and bricks, were unknown or unused.

Dawb, or Daub, v. — To plaister with clay. ** Wattle and
doub," or *1 Raddle and doub," a house or building made with
oziers or hazels interwoven, the interstices filled up with clay ;
not an uncomfortable house, being warm in winter, and cool in
summer, like a thrush or blackbird's nest, both of which birds
build in winter. Clay is a non-conductor of heat.

Daze, v. — To dazzle, or to stun with a blow. Dazed,
vertigifiosus, P.P.C. Sir Thomas More, in his "Apologye,"
talks of making men's eyes " adased." w.

Dead Horse Work, s. — Said when a man, deeply in debt,
has to pay away, at once, any money he makes by his work ; it
being all forestalled. Ray (1670) has the proverb, "To work
for a dead horse," i.e., to work out an old debt, without hope
of a future reward, l.

DEB CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 59

Deadly, adv. — Very. l.

Deaf, adj. — A nut without a kernel is said to be deaf. " He
cracks no deaf nuts," O.C.S., said of one who always has some-
thing to show for his work.

Deafly, or Deaveley, «^'.— Lonely, retired. "A deaveley
place," a place where nothing is heard. A woman told me
she *' had left her house, it was so deadly deaveley." l.

Deave, v. — To deafen or stun by noise. Doof or doove,
Flemish, deaf. It also means the bother occasioned by the
constant dunning the same thing into one's ear. The same as
the Scotch word, " deave,"

"And sair wi' his love did he deave me." — Burns.

Decayed, pat-t. — One reduced by poverty. ^' Given a de-
cayed minister (one of the ejected in Cromwell's time), 6d."
165 1, A.D. Middlewych Church Book. l.

Decent, adj. — ^* He's the decentest man i'th county," i.e.^ he
is the pleasantest man, there's less to say against him, more to
be said in his favour ; used in describing a good, kind neigh-
bour. It is also a Scotch term. l.

Deck, v. — " I'll deck it," />., I'll knock off work, I'll give up
what I am doing, l.

Deck, s, — A pack of cards. A term found in Shake-
speare, w. ** Let's have a deck," — let us play a game.

Dee, s. — Day. " Her tung rattles so, oive no peeas dee or
noight."

Dee, v. — To die. " I'll either do, or dee," />., I'll succeed,
or perish in the attempt.

Deet, v. — " To deet," is to dirty ; perhaps a corrupt pro-
nunciation of DiGHT. w.

Much Good Deet You. — Much good do it (/.^., may it do)
you : an exact translation of the Italian, Btion pro vifaccia. w.

6o CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. DEL

Deg, v. — To sprinkle. To deg clothes is to sprinkle them
with water before ironing. A.^. JDeigan. l.

Degging Can, s. — Watering can or pot. l.

Delf, s. — A stone quarry. The words " mines, delfs and
quarries " often occur in old deeds, w. The common stone-
ware, or delf, is said to take its name from Delft.

Delve, v. — To dig.

' ' When Adam delved and Eve span,
Who was then the gentleman ?
Upstart a churl and gathered good,
And thence did spiing our gentle blood." L.

Demath, s. — A day math, or a day's mowing for one man,
generally used for a statute acre, but erroneously so, for it is
properly one half of a Cheshire acre which is to the statute
acre in proportion of sixty-four to thirty and a quarter ; con-
sequently the demath bears that of thirty-two to thirty and a
quarter to the statute acre. Diemath, deymath, daymath, is
common, I am told, in East Friseland. Wiarda explains it as
a piece of land containing 400 square yards. Tagmat, as
much as a labourer can mow in one day. Demat, diemat,
demt, diemt, all mean the same thing. A.S. Doegweore^ a day's
work. w. R. Marbury, of Appleton, in his will (A.D. 1559,)
leaves his sister " one demath of hey."

Demented, part, — Crazed, correctly, out of one's mind.

"Ah Corydon ! Corydon ! quae te dementia coepit !"

Depe, Depyer, adj, — Deep, deeper, merely another
form. L.

Desperate. — (Pronounced as a dissyllable). "Very
desp'rate cruel." So used also in Devonshire. " He's des-
perate good fellow. L.

DIG CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 6i

Develey, adj, — Lonely. " Au couldna a-bide place, it was
so develey au was afeert," vide Deafly.

Devil's Parsley, s. — Anthrisais sylvesiris. Wild beaked
parsley, or wild chervil. The foliage is wholesome for man,
the roots poisonous. It only grows in good ground, l.

Devil's Snuff-box, s. — The common puff ball, Lycoper-

d07l. L.

Dew, s, — Used for rain. l.

Dew-blown, adj. see Hoven. Also Risenon. l.

Dew Mug, s. — A large black earthenware pan-mug. l.

Dicky. — "All dicky with him," i.e. it's all up with him. l.

Dick's Hat-band, s. — " As fine as Dick's hat-band," another
version is " As queer as Dick's hat-band, as wexit nine times
reaund, and wouldna tee {i.e. tie) at last." l.

DiDDY, s. — The female breast of milk, also used for the
milk itself, " To give the child some diddy," is to give it milk.
A poor woman was expostulated with for nursing her child too
long, (in Cheshire this is often continued after a cliild can
run about and talk,) "Ah missis," answered the mother, "oo
says its loif itself."

DiDDS, s. — A cow's teats, l.

Didn't ought to, i.e. ought not to. l.

Dig, or Digg, s. — A duck. A gentleman introduced a man
to an old lady in America as an inhabitant of Cheshire, her
old county. " I'll soon see," said she, " if he is reet Cheshire
born. Tell me," said she to the man, " what a dig, a snig,
a grig, a peckled poot, and a peannot are?" B. Kennett
in his Glossary of the British Museum^ has the word " dig."
" As fierce as a dig," is a Lancashire and probably a Cheshire

62 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. DIG

proverb, and reminds one of the Gloucestershire name for a
sheep, viz. : "A Cotswold lion." l.

Dig-meat, s. — A water flower. Duckmeat. Lemna. l.

DiGHT, V, — To dress, w.

DiGHT, V. — A form probably of to dirt. l.

Dills, s. — Vetches. " Dills and wuts " are often sown to
be cut as green meat for horses, l.

Ding, v. — To surpass or get the better of a person, Teutonic,
JDinghe?i, cojitejidere. The usual sense of to ding, is to give a
great blow. w.

DiNGE, s. — An indentation, from detis, a tooth, l.

Dirty Dick, s. — The wild flower, Goosefoot, {^nde Fat
Hen), often found growing on a dunghill, l. Also —

Dirty John, s. — Chejiopodhmt olidimi^ Stinking Goosefoot. l.

Diseased, part. — Very commonly used for deceased. No
Assize passes without some witness talking of " the diseased." l.

Dish, s. — A dish of butter means twenty-four ounces, l.

Dish Dain, or Dash Doon, s. — A sudden reverse of fortune,
a dash down, an unexpected fall. l.

Dished down. — Crestfallen, l.

Dismay, v. — is to go wrong. " It's never dismayed," " He
did, and ne'er dismayed," i.e. never hesitated, l.

Dither, or Didder, v. — To tremble or shake, w.

Dither, s. — *' Aum all of a dither," i.e. all of a tremble, l.

Dithing, s. — A trembling or vibrating motion of the eye,
from Dither, or Didder, w.

Come — Do.— A man asks another to drink uses the term
" Come," the other one accepts by saying " Do." l.

DOE CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 63

Dobbin, s. — A timber cart. Dobbin wheels, the very high
wheels of the same. l.

*' In dock, out nettle." — A proverbial saying expressive of
inconstancy. It is supposed that upon a person being stung
by a nettle, the immediate application of the Dock leaf to the
sting, repeating the precise words " In Dock, out Nettle," or
as another version hath it '' Dock come in, Nettle go out "
three times (which constitutes the charm) will cause the pain to
cease. These words are said to have a similar effect to those
expressed in that old unscannable Monkish hexameter,

" Exeat urtica, tibi sit periscelis arnica,"
or perhaps mnicce^ the female garter, bound round the suffering
part, being considered a sovereign remedy, w.

Dodder, or Dother, s. — Polygonum Convolvulus^ and any
straggling plant. L.

Doe, v. — (Pronounced like the female Deer). To fatten
easily, to thrive. It is generally used in speaking of cattle.
A Cheshire adage says ''Hanged hay never does cattle."
Bought hay which has been weighed (or hung) on the scales
(or rather steelyard) does not pay. A woman being asked
how her sick husband was replied in an aggrieved tone, " That
he would neither doe nor dee," i.e. get well nor die. Another
O.C.P. is '' Roast meat does cattle," which means that in dry
seasons cattle, if they can only get at plenty of water, often
milk better than in cold wet seasons, when there is more grass.
The grass in very dry seasons may be short and sparse, but
it is multuni in parvo. It may be an extended sense of the
verb " to do," i.e. " To do well."

DoESOME, or DosEM, adj. — From the preceding verb, applied
to cattle when they thrive well and quickly on httle ; derived
by B. Kennet from the A.S. Dugan valere^ a questionable
derivation, w.

64 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. DOF

Doff, v. — To pull off one's clothes, or any part of them.

Dog Daisy, s. — Ox-eye Daisy, or Poverty Weed. l.

Dog Eller, $•. — Viburnum opulus. Dwarf Elder, or Dane-
wort. L.

DoGEOUS, adj. — ^Wringing wet. l.

DoGHY, adj. — Dark, cloudy, reserved. Bread half-baked is
called " doghy," from dough, l.

DoGTAiL, s. — The long-tailed Titmouse, l.

Dole, or Doale, s. — A distribution of alms on the death of
some considerable person, from A.S. Dcelan^ distribuere, or
perhaps from Latin doleo., I grieve. The distribution taking
place in consequence of a sad event at a sorrowing period.

Dollop, s. — A lump, a large amount. Said of an heiress,
" An she got any brass ? " " Ay, dollops."

**A dollop of bones lay mouldering there."

The Workhouse Boy. l.

Don, v. — The contrary of Doff. w.

Dooment, s. — A stir, q.v. " Mee-leddy, a pratty dooment
there was when Lord Grosvenor cum of age ! "

Double Brother, s. — Double sister. Twin brother or
sister, l.

Douker, s. — The lesser Grebe, Podiceps^ninor. The name
taken from its peculiarity of constantly diving and ducking,
from DowK.

DouT, V. — To put out, to extinguish. '' Dowse the glim,"
is a cant term for putting out a candle — qu. " Do out." l.

DowK, or DouK, v. — To duck or bow the head. From "duck."
As an officer was bowing in answer to a salute, a ball that
would have taken off his head, passed over him from the
enemy's battery. " No one ever loses by civility," said he.

DRU CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 65

Downfall, s. — A fall of rain, snow, or hail. l.
Drabbly, atij. — Wet soaking. " Drabbly weather," perhaps
a variety of dabble, l.

Drat it ! — An angry exclamation. Hang it ! " Drat the
boy ! " '* Drat her, she's more plague than profit." l.

Dree, adj, — Disagreeable, tedious, unseasonable. " A dree
rain," a very common expression, seems a misnomer, as dry
has the same pronunciation with us, but it means a thick, small,
continued rain, more like a Scotch mist. I have heard of its
being " a dree time " for any crop that is likely to suffer from
wet or dry weather, or from other causes. Ihre has Draella
stillare wide aliquid crebro decidit.

Dree, v. — To continue, or hold out. w.

Dreven, s. — A draggletail. " What a dreven thou art ! " l.

Had Drink. " He had had some drink," one of our com-
monest expressions, and means that a man was the worse for
drink, but not very drunk, l.

Drip, v, — To drip a cow. To try the cow again after she
has been milked, that no milk may be left behind. See After-
INGS. l.

Drippings, s. — The last milk drawn from the cow, which is
the very richest, l.

Drones, s. — A §teelyard. l.

Drooping Tulip, s. — Fritillaria Meleagn's. Snake's head. l.

Drooty, adj. — Dry. Drooty weather, from drought, l.

Drop, v. — To reduce wages. " He's after dropping us a
shilling." " Drop it ! " Cease worrying me. l.

Drudge box, s. — Flour box. Dredge is the old word for
oats and barley mixed ] perhaps it may originally have been
" dredge box." w.

66 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. DRU

- Drumbow, Drumber, Drimble, or Drumble, s. — A dingle ;
in Nottinghamshire called a " dumble." A ravine.

Partly Drunk, adj. — Was he drunk ? *' He were partly
drunk," i.e. half drunk, l.

Dub, v. — To clip a hedge, l.

Dubbed, /^r/. — Adorned, ornamented, old word.

*' His dyademe was droppede down
Dubbyde with stones,"

MoRTE Arthure, Man*. Lincoln. No. 88.

Dug, s. — A dog. w.

** The dugs a bayin roind him."

Warburton's Hunting Songs.

Dumberdash, s. — A violent pouring shower, or fall of rain.
Also Dunderdash, perhaps thunder pour. l.

DuNCH, adj. — Deaf w.

Dungow-dash, or Drumbow-dash, s. — Dung, filth. When
the clouds threaten hail and rain, they say " There's a deal of
pouse or dungo-dash to come down." w.

Dunna. v. — " Do not," sometimes Dunnot. l.

DuNNOCK, s. — The hedge sparrow, from its dark and dusky
appearance. Dun was anciently a dark colour, the root in
Irish and Scotch is black. Qiiere^ is it not Dunneck ? Bailey
in his Dictionary mentions Dunneck as a bird. Dunbird is
mentioned in Harrison's Description of England^ p. 122.

Dunnot know, v. — A frequent commencement of an answer
to a question, " How many children have you ? " " Dunnot know,
but I believe I have six." l.

DuR, J-. — A door. w. " Shut the dur to," — Close the door.

Durcratch, s. — The side of a cart. l.

EAT CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 67

Dusty Husband, s. — Rock cress, Arabis Montatta. l.

DuzzY, also DouzzY, adj. — Slow, heavy, perhaps from
drowsy, w.

Dym Sassnach. — Welsh for " I don't understand." Cheshire
men often use the expression when they do not understand
something ; they say " It's dym sassenach." l.

Dytche, s. — A ditch, l. Also called a Sytche.

E.

Eale, s. — Ale. Pronounced as in the A.S. Bale. Vide
Cheshire Wish. w. See also Yell.

Eam, or Eem, v. — To spare time, to have leisure. *' I canna
eam now." A.S. Eamtan, leisure. Baily has " to eein," to be
at leisure, but I never heard the word so pronounced, w.

Eamby, adv. — Close by, handy, w.

Early Note, s. — Expression used when speaking of a cow
expected to calve soon. Not impossible that this may be de-
rived from nota, mark, — the time of the expected calving of
each cow being chalked up in her boose, l.

Earthnut, s. — Bnniuni flexuosum. The pig nut. l.

Ease Pole, s. — Eaves pole. A triangular rail laid along the
lower end of the roofing spars, to raise up the first course of
slates. L.

Easings of a house, s. — The eaves, w.

Easing Sheaf, s. — The easing sheaf is the beginning of the
roof of a rick, where the sheaf is made to project beyond the
wall of the rick, so as to throw the rain off, instead of its trick-
ling down the sides of the rick. l.

Eating Water, part. i.e. drinking water, in contradistinc
tion to Carry Water, q.v. some of which is only fit for
swilling purposes, l.

F 2

68 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. EAV

Eaver, or Eever, s. — A quarter of the heavens. " The wind
is in a rainy eaver." Bailey admits eever as a Cheshire word.
For the etymology of this word I look to the A.S. adv. weard?
versus, in the direction of, as exemplified in its derivatives
toward, froward, forward, backward. The sense corresponds
perfectly, and the V and W may be regarded as the same letters ;
the whole difficulty consists in the first short syllable of the
word. This etymology is suggested with considerable diffi-
dence, w.

An Eddy, or a Neddy, s. — An idiot, of which word it may be
a diminutive or corruption. More likely " a neddy," often used
as an a/ias for a donkey.

Edder Feeder, s. — Adder feeder, a common name for the
gadfly. L.

Edderings, s. — Cuttings or loppings of a hedge are so called.
A.S. edor or edar, septum. Bailey has " Eder breche," the tres-
pass of hedge-breaking. Tusser has

' ' Save edder and stake

Strong hedge to make." w.

Eddish, or Edditch, s. — The grass that follows the hay crop.
The same as Aftermath and Aftergrass, l.

Eddish Cheese, s. — Cheese made of the milk of cows that
eat the eddish, l.

Eder, s. — A hedge. A good old English word : see Cowell's
Law Dicit'onary, folio edition. Probably the root of hedge.

Edge, s. — An abrupt hill. " Alderley Edge." l.

Edge, v. — To make room ; to go aside, w. Possibly a cor-
ruption from " hedge," and hence the racing term " To hedge,"
is common.

Edgegren, s. — Eddish. Used in an old account book,
dated 1656. l.

Edther Bowt, s. — The dragonfly, l.

ELB CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 69

Eek, z'. — To itch. Yeuk or yoke, is the itch. l.

Eel, v. — To cover in ; to season an oven when first made. l.

Eem, adv. — Near. l. 6"^^ also Eamby.

Een, s. — The plural of eye ; like " oxen," " hosen," " housen,"
" been." Also Eyne, and Even. *' Bang her amang her een,"
cried one drover, to another driving a refractory or terrified
cow. L.

Eend, s. — End. " No eend o' drink ! " Plenty of drink.

Effigies, s. — A hatchment (which comes from "atchieve-
ment.") In a bill of church accounts, in the Middle wych
church book, in 1701, is a charge : "To removing the effigies
of the old Lady Buckley. " l.

Egg, v. — "To egg on," is .to urge on, to excite, to blow a
quarrel into a flame, l.

Eggs and Butter. — A plant. Rajiimculus acris. Butter-
cup. L.

Egg Plant, s. — The snowberry bush. Sympherocarpus. l.

Win Egg, s. — A " win egg " is a soft egg without a shell,
which generally arises from the hen's not being suppHed, in a
country destitute of lime, with that most necessary ingredient
for an egg-shell, l.

Elbow Grease, s. — Hard work. AS. elboga, an elbow,
There is a Cheshire proverb, which was a proverb in 1670, and
may consequently be three or four hundred years old : " She has
broken her elbow at the church door," said of a woman who
as a daughter was a hard worker and did not spare the " elbow
grease," who, however, after marriage became lazy and in-
dolent. L.

** These were the manners, these the ways,
In good Queen Bess's golden days ,
Each damsel owed her bloom and glee
To wholesome elbo-grease and me."

Smart, Fable 5.

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. ELD

Elder, s. — The udder of a cow. Belgice, elder, w.

Eller, s. — The elder-tree. It is supposed to be unlucky to
use the elder for kindling or lighting a fire. This may arise
from the tradition that Judas hung himself on an elder-tree.
At Prague, in the Jewish burial-ground — perhaps one of the
oldest in Europe — the only bush is the elder.

Enjoy, v. — Sometimes used in a queer way. "How are
you ? " said I to an old woman. " Thank you," replied she,
"I enjoy very bad health." This is rather different to
Zacchary's answer to the question, " Do you enjoy good
health ? " " Of course I do ; who doesn't ? " l.

Enoo, adv. — Enough. " Enoo's a feeast." l.

Er, or Ee,P'o. — Wilt'er? or Wilt'ee? Wilt thou? l.

Erdnow, v. — "I don't know." F. L. Olmstead, in his
" Walks and Talks of an American Farmer in England," was
more than once dumfoundered by this Cheshire reply to his
queries addressed to a stupid farm lad, sitting astride a gate not
far from Chester : " Who owns this land, my boy ? " " Erdnow."
*'What grain is that field sown with?" ''Erdnow." The
American gave up in despair, and passed on. — The Cheshire
version of the '' Monsieur, je iHentejid pas" story, l.

Errick, or Eddick, s. — The bur or burdock. Arctium
lappa. L.

Errif, s. — Galium asserine. Goose grass, l.

EsHiN, or AsHiN, s. — A pail. These pails, I believe, are
always made of ash wood ? w.

EsHiNTLE, s. — An eshin, or pail-full. w.

Ess, or Esse, s. — Ashes, or a place under the grate to receive
them. Bailey calls it a Cheshire word, the plural of Ash. w.

FM CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 71

Esse Hole, s. — Ash pit, the receptacle beneath the kitchen
grate, l. " Oo's rootin in the esse hole, aw dee."

Etwall, s. — Picus virides. Leycester. l.

Every While Stitch, advei'bial expression. — At times ; every
now and then. w.

Expect, v. — To suppose, believe, or prognosticate. Rather
an extended sense of the word, — a sort of a cross between
expecting and hoping, with a dash of imagining and believing.

An Eye, s. — A nest of pheasants ; or, as it is called in real
sportsman's terms, "A nide of pheasants." From nidiiSy a
nest. L.

Eye, or Ee, s. — A meadow or piece of ground near a river,
partly surrounded by water. At Chester, we find the " Roodee"
and the " Earl's Eye." We have a brook called the " Peover
Eye," which seems to suggest that Eye is a synonym of a
brook. In Somersetshire, Eye means water, l. " Eoight,"
pronounced '* ate," is an island in the Thames.

Eyable, adj. — Pleasing to the eye. " Th' garden is more
eyable than it were." l.

Eyes, s. — The holes left in an ill-made cheese which has
been under, and sometimes over, pressed. This, though con-
sidered a merit in Gruyard, &c., is a demerit in Cheshire cheese.
The saying in Cheshiie is, that " The whey should be 'ticed, not
forced, out." l.

F.

Fac, s. — A name for soil.

Fade, s. — The mouldy part of a cheese. Perhaps from
French, fade. l.

Faigh, s, — Refuse soil, stones, &c. l.

72 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. FAI

Fain, adj. — Glad. " Breet a — d rain makes foos fain," />.,
when a gleam of sunshine succeeds rain, fools think it is going
to be fine altogether, but another cloud follows, which brings
back bad weather, w. " Fair words make foos fain." Ray.

Fairies' Petticoats, s. — Digitalis purpurea. Foxglove.
Called in Scotland, " Dead man's fingers." l.

Fairies' Tables, s. — Hydrocotyle vulgare. White rot.

Fairly, adv. — Proper, right, l.

Fall, v. — To fell. '* The men are falling trees." l.

Fall, v. — The term given when, by frost or exposure to the
air, or wet, slaty marl, "Fox bench," or lime, becomes dis-
integrated. L.

Fallatic, also Palattic, adj. — For paralytic. (Cheshire
assizes), l.

Fall-Gate, s. — A gate across the high road. In Germany
the toll-gates are a bar of wood lowered and raised by a pulley
this may have been formerly the case in this country, l.

Falling Out, part. — Quarrelling, l.

Fantome Corn, s. — Light corn. Fantome Hay. — Hay that
has been well got. w.

Farand, or Farrand, s. — Manner, custom, appearance.
O.W. We have " old farrand." Farantly. — To do things in
the right or wrong "farrand." w.

Farantly, adj. — Or, as it is often pronounced, " farancly,"
or " farincly," is supposed to be a compound of the two words,
fair and clean ; but it is simply the adjective of "farrand," and
means clean, decent, orderly, and also good-looking.

** I seed a soight worth aw the rest, his farantly young broid."

Warburton's Hunting Songs.

In Scotland, well or ill "farrand,"are used for well and ill-looking.

FAS CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 73

In P.P.C., we read "Comly or well-farying in shape, elegans^^
In Hormanni Vulgaria^ we have, " He looked unfaringly."
Aspectu fuit incomposito. A.S., far an, to go ; fare, a journey.
Som. A Cheshire shoemaker said to a gentleman who was
ordering shoes, " I know what you would wish, Sir, you would
have a pair of shoes with a farantly toe and a mannerly heel."
"Farantly"and ''mannerly" have much the same meaning, ex-
cept that to the latter is attached rather more elegance than to
the former, — in short, being in fashion.

Fare, v. — To begin. " She fares o' calving," said of a cow,
" It fares o' raining," it begins to rain. l.

Fare, v. — To go. " To fare road," is to track the " fare," or
trace of a hare along the road. w.

Faroe, v. and s. — To gossip. A gossip. Can it, or may it
be derived from the Latin, for. inf. fari, to talk or speak ? l.

Farther, adv. — Expressive of repugnance. " I will be
farther, if I do that," means I will never do it. A slang term
" I'll see you farther, before I do it," expresses the same thing.

Fash, v. — To trouble, tease, shame, cast down, or spoil.
To " fash turnips," is to beat down their leaves. " The rain
has fashed the flowers." Used synonymously with "dash."

Fash, v. — To cut off the tops of turnips or mangold for the
cattle ; this is the modern Cheshire meaning of "To fash." l.

Fash, s. — The tops of turnips or mangold that have been
fashed. " I'm agait kearting the fash to the beasts." l.

Better Fashion, s. — When a person is said to be " in better
fashion," it means that his health or circumstances, previously
bad, are improving, l.

Fashous, adj. — Unfortunate, shameful. Either from the verb
to fash, or facheux, French, w.

74 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. FAS

Fast, v. — "To get fast," is to be so embarrassed as not to.
see one's way out of a scrape. " I've getten fast amang it, some
road." L.

Fast By One End. — A good example of a Cheshire answer
which is seldom yea or nay, simply. " Have you cut your
hay ? " *' It is fast by one end." Which proves that the hay is
not cut, nor at present liable to injury from the wet, as the hay
is that is mown. l.

Fasten, v. — " I'll fasten thee," i.e.^ I'll take the law of you
for something you have done, are doing, or threaten to do. l.

Fasten, v. — Prevented ; otherwise occupied, " I shall be
fastened to-morrow, and canna come." l.

Fastened Up, part. — The term for making the windows
and doors safe for the night, l.

Fastens, s, — Shrove Tuesday, also called ''Fastens Tues-
day." A seed cake used to be the feast on this day {vide
Whiskin), instead of pancakes as at present. Langley mentions
" Fastingham Tuesday." l.

Fat Hen, s. — Bonus Henricus. Generally found growing in
rich land and on dung-hills, hence another of its Cheshire
names, — Dirty Dick ; called also Good King Henry (hence
perhaps, it may be named after Henry VIII. — "Fat Hen.")
The weed is also called Goosefoot, and Lambs' Tongues, from
the shape of its two sorts of leaves, l.

Faugh, s, — Fallow. Abbreviated Hke many of the Venetian
demiwords, like ca for casa^ &c. L.

Favour, v. — To resemble, as one person does another.
"The child favours his father." Pronounced "favvor."
"Sic canibus catulos similes sic matribus heedos
Noram."

"What are those birds in the middle of the field?" "They
favours partridges," />., they resemble partridges, instead of " I
think they are partridges." " Thee favvers thoi dad, surely ! "

FEC • CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 75

Faw, s. — A fall. w. " Oo's ha a nockart faw."

Fawn, adj. — Fawn coloured, brown. Vide Fou. l.

Fawse, adj. — False, cunning, intelligent. Faws is one of the
names for a fox ; it is used to express vice in a horse.

Fay, v., or Fey, s. — To remove the soil before digging out
marl, gravel, clay, &c., underneath. Fey is the soil so removed.
A marling term, but also used for any removing of the top soil,
before reaching stone, gravel, clay, earth, &c.

Feaberry, s. — The gooseberry. It is difficult to name the
root of this word. It is also called the " Fayberry," " Faberry,"
" Fee Berry," " Fabes," Feabes," '' Feapes," " Fhapes," " Dea-
berry." It may come from fal^a, a bean ; the wild black goose-
berry being something like beans ; or the dewberry, hence
^' Deaberry," the fruit hanging on every^ bough like dew ; or
from *' Fay," the fairy berry. Supposed to have been one of
our indigenous fruits. Gerard says of feaberry, *' The name is
used in Cheshire, my native county."

Feal, v. — To hide slily. " He that feals can find." l.

Fear, v. — "To fear crows," to frighten crows. Used
transitively, l.

Feart, adj. — Afraid, w. " Oim feart on him.",

Fearcrow, s. — A scarecrow. Hence any unsightly object, l.

February Fill Dyke. —

*' February fill dyke,
Whether black or white.

i.e. rain or snow, alluding to the wet nature of the month ; as
we talk of " March winds," " April showers," " Dripping June,"
" November fogs," &c. l.

Feck !, or Fecks ! — An exclamation ; possibly " Faith ! '' or
" Tphegs ! " w. The Irishman's " Faix ! "

76 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. FEN

Fend, v. — To work hard ; to struggle with difficulties. " In
hard times 'we must fend, to live." When a person is difficult
to convince, they say ''You must fend, and prove with him."
In this latter sense it may be an abbreviation of " defend."
Halliwell says that "Fend and prove," means throwing the
blame on other people's shoulders.

Ferrups! exclamation, — "What the ferrups are you doing?"
like " What the devil are you about ? " l.

Festerment, s. — Annoyance, vexation. An old hole, like
that made by wet or age in timber. Sometimes, confusion.
" A festerment of weeds." l.

Fetch, v. — Means to take away, as well as the common
meaning of bringing to one. v. Cawf. l.

Fettle, s. — Order \ good repair, w.

Fettle, v. — To repair ; to put in order. Whether it is a
broken gate, a tumble-down barn, an unweeded garden, an un-
washed child, broken harness, a plat fallen in, &c., &c., they
must all be " fettled," i.e. righted and straightened. Dr. Johnson
explains this word, " To do trifling business, to ply the hands
without labour;" and calls it a cant word from "Fed." I
should think it not unlikely our Cheshire Fettle, is a variety of
"To settle," i.e. to arrange, and put in order, l.

Few, v. — Flew ; perfect of verb to fly. w.

Few, adj. — Is not only a small number, but a small quantity.
"A few broth." A.S./m, pauci, Som. "A good few, more
than a Uttle," means a good portion, and is one more of the
many examples in Cheshire, of the simplest way being rejected
for a more compound way of expressing a sentiment. "A
few of broth " is a Scotticism.

Fewmot, Foomot, or Foumart, s. — A polecat. The first
syllable is derived from/^//, stinking ; the second is from Marten.

FLE CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 77

Fey, v. vide Fay.

Fighting Cocks, s. — Heads of the platitago lanceolata^ the
common plantain. The name originates from a child's game :
each child has a certain number of plantains, and they by turns
offer a plantain to be struck, or strike their adversary's j who-
ever can strike off the most of his opponent's heads, and lose
least himself, wins the game. l.

Fillets, s. — Tin fillets, supports to prevent the cheese
falling. L.

FiLMART, or Foumart, s. — Polecat ; vide Fewmot. l.

Fine, adj. (pronounced *'foine.") — Smartly dressed. "As
foine as Phillyloo." O.C.S. l.

Fine John, s, — Agrostis vulgaris.

Fins, s, — ^All the bones of a fish are so called in Maccles-
field. L.

Fir-Bob, s. — A fir cone. l.

First End, s, — The beginning. Sometimes First Along, l.

" Firing a chimney." — Setting it on fire, to get rid of the
soot, and save a chimney-sweep, l.

First of May, s. — Saxifraga granulata, white meadow saxi-
frage. L.

Fitches, s. — Vetches, l.

FiTCHET Pie, s. — A pie composed of apples, onions, and
bacon ; served to labourers as a harvest-home feast, w.

Fitter, v. — To move the feet quickly ; to stamp with rage,
like children in a passion, w.

Flacket, s, — Small board behind a cart. l.

Fleak, s. — A bundle of hay \ not a truss, l.

78 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. FLA

Flake, or Fleak, s. — A hurdle, w.

Flam, v. — To humbug, to deceive. " He's ony flammin."

Flam, j-.— Humbug. " It's all flam, I tell you."

Flange, or Flange Out. —To spread, diverge, or increase
in width and breadth, like the mouth of a trumpet or a French
horn. w.

Flaps, s. — Large flat mushrooms, l.

Flash, or Plash, also Pash, s. — A shallow piece of water,
like that left in a field after a thunderstorm. Probably a variety
of splash.

Flasker, v. — To choke or stifle. A person lying in the mud,
and unable to extricate himself, is said to be ^' Flaskered."
" Flaskerry work,''' means hard, trying work. It is used to ex-
press a stranded fish flopping midst mud and weeds.

Flat Finch, s, — The brambling. l.

Flatter Dock, s., vide Platter Dock, the commoner word,

TroTafXoyrjTOP. W.

Flay, or Flea, v. — ^'- Fleaing clods," is taking up the grass
turf from a field or the side of a road. l.

Flea, or Fly Dod, s. — Ragwort, senecio jacobea. It is com-
monly covered with a dusky fly, which accounts for the first part
of the name. Perhaps its termination was originally *' dock,"
not " dod." Gerarde, in his " Herbal," gives the name of ''Flea
Docke," to a plant. (I cannot find this in my edition.) The
name '' Flea," or " Fly," has been probably given it, for it
is supposed by its rank smell to drive away fleas, flies, and
midges. It is, in Scotland, called ** Stinking Billy," in contra-
distinction to " Sweet William," and is often used, either as a
flower or as an infusion, sponged on the legs— if you wear the

FLI CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 79

kilt — to keep off midges. In Cheshire it has another unsavoury
name, from its disagreeable smell. In Ireland it is called the
" Yellows," and is used for brooms. K.^.fleatvyrt.

Fleck, Flick, Fley, Flegge, Flig, v. — To fly as a bird.

Fleck, s. — The fur of a hare or rabbit, l.

Fleck, s, — A flea. l. *

Fleck, v. — To catch fleas. A witness at the Assizes, who
came to prove an alibi, said she knew some circumstance had
happened at the particular time, ** because her father had got up
to fleck the bed." l.

Flee, s. — A fly. w.

Fleeces, s, — Layers of hay in a stack. " Yo mun cut some
fleeces i'th bay." l.

Fleetings, or Flittings, or Fleetmilk, s. — Part of the
refuse milk in the process of cheese making. Belg. vlotemdck.
In P.P.C. *'Flet of mylk, or other like despumatus." w.
Fleetings are rather a curdy cream which rises on boiling whey.
K.^.flede^ a stream.

Flef, s. — A Flea. Also Flee, and Fleck, l.

Flet Milk. — Skim milk. K.S. flefe, cremor lactts. w.

Flig, or Fligge, adj. — Spoken of young full-fledged nest-
lings ready to fly. A.^.fltgg. A flying.

Fliggers, s. — Young birds beginning to fly. From the A.S.
Fliccerian, Motare alas. w. From this word comes —

Flicker. — To flutter. " The candle's flickering," just going
out. l.

Flit, v. — To remove from one habitation to another; to
leave one's house, w.

80 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. FLl

Flit, or Flyte, v. — To scold. A.S. Jlytan, to reprove, w.

Flitting, s. — Change of residence. " Moonlighty?////;?^," is
when a tenant bolts by night, without paying his rent, and
hopes to hide from his landlord his new whereabouts, l.

Flizze, s. — The skin which chips at the insertion of the nail.
Also called " Step-mother's blessing."

Flock, v. — To mow in steps or ridges like a bad mower, l.
Flough, s. (pronounced gutturally.) — A flea. w.

Fluke, s. — A fish, the flounder. A.S. Jloc^ a plaicer or
sole. w.

Flummery, s. — Oatmeal boiled in water till it becomes a
thick glutinous substance. Tod admits the word, but I believe
it is in common use in this sense only in Cheshire, and some of
the northern counties, w.

Flurch, s. — A great many; a quantity. "A flurch o' straw-
berries." L.

Flush, v. — To put up winged game. l.

Flush, adv. — Even with. " The brick coping is flush with
the wall," does not project, l.

Flusker, v. — To be confused ; to fly irregularly, as nestlings
taking their first purposeless flight. Also Fluster, l.

Fodder Cheese, s. vide Boosy Cheese.

Fogg, s. — The uneaten sour grass of a pasture field avoided
by cattle ; after frost (which is said to sweeten it,) they eat it.
A sort of soft grass, which, made into hay, horses waste and
cows eat; is also called "Foggy grass."

Fogh, s. — Fallow ground, vide Faugh.

Foine, adj. — Cheshire pronunciation of fine. l.

FOR CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 8i

Folks, s. — For people. " Folks say." " Folks dimna loike
him." It is used in the singular or the plural ; the plural form
of a word already plural, like people, is peculiar, but' lately we
have an s put to people, l.

Foo, s. — A fool. *' He's a born foo, and that's th' wurst foo
of au." L.

Foo-GAWD, s. — A fool's gawd or bauble. A foolish plaything.
" Lave that foo-gawd alone, an' get to thoy work." l.

FooTCOCKS, s. — Small haycocks, made by the haymaker
drawing the hay towards him with the rake, and turning it over
in a coil with the foot and rake. l.

Footing, s. — Drink money, generally given by any one en-
tering on a new office, trade, or pursuit, to those of his future
fellows already engaged in it. Money paid to gain a " footing,"
or a right to associate with othtrs,— passim, l.

Foremilk, v. — To milk the first half of the quantity a cow
gives, and to put it by itself for the market, retaining the second
half of the meal for butter-making, l.

Foremilk, s. — The first portion of the milk given by a cow
at a meal, less rich than the after portion, and very much poorer
than the " drippings." l.

FoRENENST, adv. — Opposite ; over against, l.

FoRKiN Robin, s. — ^An earwig. (Should it ever get into the
ear, a drop of oil kills it.) l.

Form, s. — State, condition. " Good or bad form." l.

FoRTHiNK, V. — To repent. Chaucer, w.

FoRTHouGHT, s. — Repentance. J^orethought is forecast, or
prospective wisdom, but our word has quite a different mean-
ing, the word for signifying privation, as for in ** forget," and

G

82 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. FOT

"forgo" (j-^ it ought to be written, and not '^forego"). The
pronunciation of " forthought," and " forethought," are quite
different, w.

FoT, z^. — To fetch; fetched, l.
Fou, adj, — Ugly, foul. Also Fow.

'* Fawn peckles once made a vow
They ne'er would come on face that was fou." — O.C.S.

Fou DRUNK. — Very drunk, mad drunk, w.

FouGHTEN, /<^j/ /rt;r. of to fight. — ist. Rustic, in town at fair
time: — "Bill, hast foughten?'' 2nd. Rustic. — ^'None." ist
R. — " Well, ge foughten, and come whoam.'' l.

Foul, adj. — Abusive. " She used foul or fow names." Also
dirt. Lord Chancellor Egerton's favourite proverb was —
*' Frost and fraud both end in foul."

Few, J. — A fowl. (Bailey.) l.

Fow Life. — Very difficult. " I've a fow life to walk at all,"
said a rheumatic man. l.

FowLK, or FoKE s. — Folk or persons. " You hinder folk "
is often used for "you hinder me in my business," a similar
use ioone — "You bother one," i.e., me.

Fowls, or Fouls, s. — A disease in the feet of cattle, for
which the following receipt is given as effective : " Cut a sod
on which the diseased foot has stood, the shape of the foot,
and stick it on a bush." l.

Fox, V. — To pretend to be asleep. *' He's none asleep, not
he, he's ony foxin." Probably it means this where it is used
in "King Lear." l.

Fox Bench, s. — A certain hard red and almost metallic
earth, impervious to moisture, which sublies the ground at

FRE CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 83

different depths in many parts of Cheshire — a sham shallow
rock-sand hardened, and when exposed to the air it soon falls
to pieces. The name is probably taken from its tawny red
colour, resembling that of a fox. It is also called Fox Bent.
The term Bench, floor, is used in Staffordshire to name the
sixth parting in the body of the coal 2 feet thick. In York-
shire Fox Bench is called Pee at Pan, from holding the water
like a pan. l.

Foxy, adj. — Wet, marshy. A common case with land that
has unbroken or unpierced Fox Bench sublying it ; as the wet
cannot escape, l.

Frab, V, — To worry. *' Growlin and frabbin from mornin
to neet." l.

Frabbly, adj. — A worrying, ill-tempered person, l.

Frame, v. — To shape or promise well. As an example, I give
a bit of Cheshire irony. " Thee frames loike my aunt Peg, and
she framed loike a foo." A Biblical word — Judges xii. 6, " For
he could not frame to pronounce it right. " l.

Frampath, s. — The ring which slides on the ring stake to
which the cows are fastened, l.

Frampot, s. — The iron ring which fastens the Sowl or cow
,yoke to the iron range, w.

Frasling, 5. — The perch, (fish), l,

Fray, s. — To store a pit with fry. l.

Free Martin, vide Martin.

Frem, or Frim, adj. — Brittle, tender, applied to the young
spring grass, l.

Fremd, adj. — Strange, hostile ; GQrm2in, fremden, foreigners.
" Frem folk," Strangers. In former days there was a natural
connection between strangers and enemies. Hence the same

G 2

84 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. FRE

word was used for both, as in this case. Strangers were con-
sidered as spies, the avajit-coiirlers of war. The Roman word
for strangers was barbaric barbarians, or foreigners.

Fretten, part. — Rubbed, marked. " Pock Fretten,"
marked with the small-pox, (A.S. Poc). French, /roUer; A.S.,
frothian, fricare. w.

Fridge, v, — To rub to pieces. To fret, to make sore with
rubbing, Hke a badly fitting collar, or saddle galling a horse.
It also means to fray at the edge. l.

Front, v. — To swell. " Pig should be killed the full of the
moon, or the bacon winna front when boiled." l.

Frort, Frowart, Frowarts, dr^z^. — Forward, w. "Ther's
ne'er a frowarter wench in aw the parish ner yare Bet ! "

Frousty, adj. — The same as frouzy ; close, unpleasant
smelling, not fresh. Like a bedroom that never has the win-
dows opened, clothes that have been worn and not washed,
&c. L.

Fudging, part. — Talking nonsense, l.

Fugle, v. — To whistle. " Go long wi' ye, thou idle chap,
allis fugling and runting." l.

Fukes, j.— The hair. Bailey has "fax," for the hair, and
derives from it, " Fairfax," " Halifax," &c. A.S., feiix, the
hair. w.

Full Bat — used adverbially for best pace, very quickly.
" He ran agen him full bat." l.

FuMMUZ, V. — To meddle in anything fussily and clumsily.
What the late Lord Derby called "MeddUng and mud-
dling." L.

GAL CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 85

Fun, v. — To do, to liumbug, to make a laughing-stock of. L.

'* Then kissing his daughter, he said to his son,
Saying, 'John you have funned me as sure as a gun.' "
The Old Man Outwitted,
Cheshire Ballads and Legends, p. 73.

FuRBLES, s. — Fibres, hairy roots, l.

FuRMETTY, s. — New wheat boiled to a pulp and sweetened
with sugar. The reason given by the churchwarden of
Middlewych for not letting the school children come to church
on the Wakes Sunday was, " That their little bellies will be so
full of furmetty, that they will only be going in and out all
church time.^' It is a synonym of " frumenty," which comes
from the l^dXin frumentum^ wheat, l.

FussocK, s. — A potato pudding, l.

FusTiANY, adj. — Applied to sand with a good deal of earth
(of the colour of fustian) in it, that prevents its being used for
mortar, l.

FuzziKY, adj, — Spongy. Like a soft, spongy turnip, before
actual decay, l.

G.

Gad, v. — To go. To be *' on the gad," is to be on the point
of setting out. " Our Moll's a regular gad-about." l.

Gad, j-.-^-The fact of starting, w.

Gaffer, s. — The master or overseer of workmen, l.

Gafty, adj. — Doubtful, suspected. "A gafty person" is
one suspected, w.

Gain, adj. — Handy, near. ^' Dunna go that gate, t'other's
gainer." " Go's a gain little tit." L.

Gallows, s. — Braces, l.

Gallows Tang, s. — A jail-bird ; also a clumsy fellow, l.

86 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. gm

Gallas, adj. — "■ A gallas young fellow," means one always
in scrapes, or up to a lark ; either from the word " gay," or that
mad pranks may lead to his being hanged. When we say, " Such
a one never will be drowned," we imply he will be hanged. It
required less interest to be hanged formerly than at present, l.

Gambrel Legged, adj. — Cow legged. Said of a horse, l.
Gamble, s. — The hough of a horse, l.

Gammel, or Gannel, s. — A slut; also a narrow entry or
passage, quasi a channel. Vide Gennell. l.

Gammock, v. — To banter, jest, or lark. " Oi shan't stand
any o' yoer gammucks. Jack." l.

Gander Month. — The month during which a man's wife is
confined, w. Also called Steg Month — Isl. stegge, a gander.

Gang, s. — The party of labourers who undertake to open a
pit and dig out the marl. l.

Ganger, s. — The head of a gang of workmen (not marlers).
Vide Lord of the Pit. l.

Garelocks, or Garelicks, s. — A fighting cock's gaffles, or
artificial spurs, l.

Gargles, s. — A disease of the udder of a cow, when the milk
curdles and will not flow. To " rub the udder with a maid's
shift " is said to be a certain cure for the disease. I cannot add,
Probatum est. l.

Gate, s. — A road. ** Gate heo goes," is the usual cry of the
huntsman when he pricks (/>., traces) the hunted hare along the
high road : **gate" is not only porta^ but porius — " Sandgate,"
" Margate," &c. In Scotland they say of a wilful man, *' He
maun take his ain gate."

Gate, v.y Gating, pari. — Silkweaving terms — To start,
starting, /.<?., beginning ; in very common use, and refers to the

GAW CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 87

special preparations made by a workman about to weave a new
fabric. " Gating " sometimes takes several days — '* I'm gating
to goo." L.

Gather, v. — A term for picking up game. " Have you
gathered the partridge ? " It is a peculiar use of the word, and
reminds one of the " gather up " of the Scriptures. In a general
way, gather would imply a dissevering; when we hear
that Proserpine, " The fairest flower by gloomy Dis was
gathered," it is a metaphor taken from her employment when
seized, l.

Gathering, s. — Collection in a church, or from house to
house ; a term as far back as 1560. l.

Gatherers, s. — The collectors of the subscription after a
charity sermon. L.

Gather Waste. — A factory term. — To wind up, to draw to
a conclusion. Before ceasing work at a factory for the day,
they " gather the waste " silk caused by the breakages of the
day. Thus it is a common saying when an orator or clergyman
enters on the peroration, or the " in conclusion," of his sermon
that he begins to "gather waste," or " t'gather waste." l.

Gaut Pig, s. — A sow. l.

Gaw, s. — Waste land ; a strip by the side of the road.
*'Gaw or waste land," appears in an old deed relating to land
at Allostock. A.'^.jgorst, gorse. A cover near Arley is called
" The Gore." l.

Gawfin, s.—K clown, l.

Gawin, v. — To comprehend. Kil., gaw, intelligent. Pals-
grave has " to awme," " to guess," which I suppose is nothing
but to aim. w.

Gawm, s. — " A gawm of a fellow," a lout. l.

88 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. GAW

Gawn, J. — A gallon; also spelt Goan. " Missus, oi*m dry;
bring us another gawn o' yell."

Gawp, v. — To gape, or stare with open mouth. Wachter
says — " // qtn rem aut exituni rei avide prcEstolantur plenunqiie
hiscentes id facmnt" A stupid person is supposed to make at
least as much use of his open mouth as his open ears, in
taking in news. "With open mouth swallowing a tailor's news."
^ itnch, gobbemottche ; Anglice, fly-catcher.

Gee ! — Said to a horse when he is to turn to the right, " Gee
back 1 " right about face ! Pronounced Jee.

Gee, 7>. — To fit, suit, or agree together, from the O.W. " to
gee,'* or " to gie," to go ; as it is said of horses that go well in
harness together. The G is pronounced hard.

Gee, v. — To give. " Oo geed me nought."
Geen, participle of the preceding, l.
Geen, adj. — Active, clever. " A reet geen litde tit," />., A
really clever little horse, l. Gai7i.
Geet, v. — For got, and get. l.

Geff, or Jeff, adj, — Deaf (or as we pronounce deaf, like
leaf.)

Gell, or Jell. — A great deal. w.

Geneva Plant, s. — The juniper, the berries of which are
used not only to flavour Westphalia hams, but gin also ; which
is often called " Geneva."

" Oh, Geneva, Geneva, Geneva's the thing —

For sixpence a man. may get drunk as a king. " L.

Gennell, s. — Macclesfield term for a long, narrow passage
between houses, perhaps from "channel," or " kennel,'' which
most likely also occupies the " gennell." l.

Brown George. — The common sort of brown bread, w.

Gesling, j.— Gosling, w.

GLE CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 89

Get, v. — " Getting potatoes," digging them up. l.

Gheeten, part. — Gotten, w.

Gib and Gill, s. — Male and female ferret, l.

To GO Giddy. — To go into a passion ; A.S. Gidig, stultus
veriiginosiis — Som. A very trifling deflection from the common
meaning of Giddy, w.

Gillhooter, s. — An owl. w.

Giller, or Guiller, s. — Several horsehairs twisted together
to form a fishing line. w.

Gilt, s. — A young sow that has never had a litter, l.

GiMBO, s. — The natural child of a natural child, l.

' Gingerly, adv. — Gently, cautiously. In Cheshire, "Gin-
gerly," and not " delicately,'^ would have been applied to the
approach of King Agag. l.

Gird, v. and s. — A push. To push as a bull doth. In
Shakespeare's " Henry IV.," Part II. Act i. Scene 2, Falstaff
says, "Men of all sorts take a pride to gird at me." A.S.
gyrd^ a stick ; gyrd wife, is painbringing rod. A horse apt to
bolt and take fright is said, " To have the girds."

Getty (pronounced Jetty), v. — To agree, to suit. " They
dunna getty," /.<?., They do not get on well together, l.

GizzERN, s. — A gizzard, w.

Glaffer, or Glaver, v.— To flatter, coax or fondle, A.S.
gleafan^ to flatter, l.

Glass, v. — Glassing the windows is to put the panes into
their frame. It appears in Middlewych church book, a.d.
1655. L.

Glead, or Gled, s. — A kite. A.S. gledd. l.

90 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. glk

Glede, Gleeds, s. — Bits of wood and sparks left at the
bottom of a brick oven, and generally wiped out with a
maukin. l.

Glent, or Glint, v. and s. — A glimpse, a glance, a squint, l.
" Go glints wi' one oie."

Gliff, s. — A glimpse. Flemish, glimp, appearance, w.

Globed to, part. — Wedded to ; foolishly fond of, infatuated.
In Ray alone. From glop fatuus. w.

Gloppen, v. — To astonish or stupify. From glop nedi.
The Mayor of Chester's speech to James I., vide " Cheshire
Ballads and Legends."

Glottened, adj, — The same as the preceding word — so
spelt by Ray.

Glour, or Glower, v. — To have a cross look. To frown
upon one. When the clouds threaten rain, and look dark and
heavy, we call them '' glow'ring," w.

Gnatter, or Natter, v. — To gnaw to pieces. A.S. gncegan^
to gnaw. Som. w.

GoAN, s. — A gallon, vide Gawn.

Gob, s. — A foolish person, a silly, a gawk — answering to the
French gobbemouche. l.

God give you God den, />., day. — A greeting often used in
Lancashire and Cheshire to passers-by, of " Goody, good een,"
or, *' Goody, good eel," or words that sound thus. The meaning
of this may be " God give you good den, or good day," or other-
wise it may be, '' May God good yld, or yield, to you ;" but from
the sound, I rather incUne to the first explanation. In " Romeo
and Juliet," Mercutio says to the nurse, " God ye good den, fair
gentlewoman," to which salutation the nurse replies, " Is it good
den ? " Mercutio rejoins, " 'Tis no less, I tell you," &c. w.

Coin in, part. — " Going in, or of, ten years," said of a child
rising ten. In alluding to one of the family having manied, you
are often told that so and so "has gone and got married.'
" He's bin an gon and did it ! " i.e., made a mess of it. l.

GOR CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 91

Goiter Throat. — The remedy for this in our Cheshire folk-
lore, is to draw the hand of a man, killed by accident, across the
affected part, in the dark, and no one present, l.

GoLDiNG, s.—A marygold. w.

Goldfinch, s. — The yellowhammer l.

GoLLOP, V. — To swallow greedily, to gobble. There is a
Somersetshire word, " goUop," which means a large mouthful!.
" He golluped up the meeat loike a dog." l.

GoNDER, s. — A gooseberry, l.

GoNDER. s. — A gander. Also a fool, '* What a gonder thee
art, Raphe ! " l.

Good, s. — Property of any kind. We find the same in
French and Latin, dona. Mens.

Gooding, /«r/. — Collecting money for the poor at Christmas
for a feast. Doing good. l.

Good Lad ! , ex. — Well done !

Good Luck. — " To play the good luck," i.e., bad luck, is to
do mischief; synonymous with "playing old gooseberry," or
"playing old Harry." It reminds me of what I once heard at
an Irish fair, where two Irishmen met — " Bad luck to you ! Pat,"
says one, " How are you ? " " Good luck to you ! Mick," an-
swered the other, without the least hesitation, " and may neither
of them come true." l.

Goody, s. — A sort of familiar greeting (formerly much used,
now very seldom heard) to an old woman, w. We may call
it extinct now, 1875.

GoosEFOOT, s. — Another name for " fat hen," ^. v, l.

GoRBY, a^/j. — Soft, silly, l.

GoRSE Hopper, j.— The bird called a whinchat. w.

93 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. GOS

Goslings, s. — The yellow flower of the willow, resembling
in colour newly-fledged goslings, l.

GosTER, V. — To boast. " He's a gosterin' foo ! " l.

QxOT, part. — Applied to hay, "well got," or "badly got," />.,
well or badly saved, l.

Got the Rats. — Said of a man who has the bailifls in his
house. L.

GouFE, or Gaufe, s. — A simpleton. " Thou great goufe ! " l.

Gouty, adj. — " What is a gouty place?" "A wobby place."
** What's a wobby place ? " "A mizzick." " What's a mizzick ? "
"Amurgin." "What is a murgin ? " "A wet, boggy place."
Gouty may be derived from the French goiitte. l.

GowD Feps, s. — A kind of small red and yellow early pear ;
th^ petit muscat, or sept en gueule of Duhamel. w.

GowLE, GouL, s. — A running of the eyes j the gum of the
eyes. l.

Gradely, Greadly, or Graidly, adv. — Decently, orderly;
a good sort of man, thriving honestly in the world. Perhaps
from O.W. to gree, for to agree; A.S. grith, peace; used by
Chaucer, w. " She's a gradely lass," a right proper girl.

Gradely, adv. — Near. l.

Graft, s. — The depth of a spade. " Digging ground two
grafts deep/' means two spades deep. l.
Grains, s. — The prongs of a fork. l.

Graith, s. — Riches, w. "If you've graith and grout,
you'll be never without." O.C.P.

Crash, s. — Fruit. . l.

Grawed, adj. ox part. — Begrimed, bedaubed with dirt. l.

Grazier, s. — A young rabbit beginning to eat grass, w.

GRO CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 93

Great. — '^ To work by the great,''' is task work in contra-
distinction to day work. w.

Great, adj. — Friendly, on good terms. *' I'm not great with
him, now ; " " I don't recognise him now, if I meet him." L.

Green Linnet, s, — Greenfinch, l.

Greet, s. — Silver sand. l.

Greybob, s. — The lesser redpole. l.

Grig, s. — Heather, l.

Grin, s. — A snare to catch a hare or a rabbit.

Grindle stone, s. — A grinding stone. AS. grindan, to
grind. " * Naught's impossible,' as t'auld woman said when
they told her, caulf had swallowed grindlestone." O.C.P. l.

Gripyarding, or Yeording, part. — Piling and wattling, to
support banks, (as is sometimes done with graves,) to prevent
the scour of rivers on the banks, l.

Gripyard, s. — A seat of green turf, supported by twisted
boughs. L.

Groop, s. — The channel in a shippin to carry off the water,
&c. L.

Grosier, s. — Gooseberry. An adaptation of the French
groseille.

Ground Elder, s. — Angelica sylvestris. Few plants have
more provincial names than this. l.

Ground Ivvens, s. — Nepeta glechoma, catsmint. Ground
Ivy. L.

Ground Honeysuckle, s. — The common birdsfoot — Orni-
thopus perptisillus. L.

Grout, s. — Good breed. " Grout afore brass, for me ! " l.

94 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY GRO

Grout, or Growt, s. — Poor small beer. w.

Grub, 7a — To make envious. " He's grubbed at Tom cut-
ting him out." L.

Grummel,j-. — Dust and rubbish. More anciently Romell. l.

Grumbledirt, s. — A man who is always grumbling, l.

GuELVE, s. — A three-tined fork. l.

Guest, s. — Instead of guise. " Another guest person " is a
different sort of person, w.

GuiLL, V. — To dazzle, chiefly by a blow. w.

GuiNiAD, i". — A fish only caught in the Dee, at Pimble
Meer. Pimblemere is the old name of Bala Lake, through
which the Dee flows. The guiniad resembles the salmon in
shape, and tastes like a trout. Ray, 1674, says, "The guiniad
is found in the Lake of Bala in Wales (whence flows the Dee).
This is the same with the jarra of Lake Geneva, described
in Aldrovandus, and the alberlin of the Lake of Zurich. It
is also found in a lake of Cumberland called Huls water
(Ulswater) where they call it a schelly." Steele's " Collection
of Cheshire words," (Bodleian) circa 1750. Mentioned by
Skinner, l.

Gull, s. — A naked gull is any unfledged nestling. They have
always a yellowish cast. The word is, I believe, derived from
AS. geo/e; or Suio-Goth, gul — both meaning yellow. Com-
mentators, unaware of the real meaning of " naked gull,"
blunder in their attempt to explain those lines in Shakespeare's
" Timon of Athens "—

" Lord Timon will be left a naked gull,
Which flashes now a Phoenix." w.

Gurr, s. — A sort of looseness to which calves are subject.
" Cawf 's got th' gurr." l.

HAF CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 95

GuTOUT, s. — The gout. It also means a soft spongy part of
a field full of springs. A defective place — perhaps used in a
figurative sense, w.

Gutter Viewers, s. — Officers in the Salt Towns who'inspect-
ed the troughs or channels, which conducted the brine from
the sheath to the wych house. L.

GuTTiT, s. — I am credibly informed this is almost the only
name by which Shrovetide is known to the lower orders in
Cheshire. The word seems a corruption of "Goodtide."
" Shrovetide was formerly," says Mr. Warton, " not only a
season of extraordinary sport and feasting, but it was also the
stated time for repentance, confession, and absolution." For
either of the above reasons, it may fairly have obtained the
name of Goodtide, as the day of Crucifixion has that of Good
Friday. At Mobberly I hear of a curious custom (which may
be general). If any one of the farm servants cannot finish his
pancakes by a certain time, he is put, willy nilly, into a wheel-
barrow, taken off and shot out on the midden, l.

H.

Hack, J. — A mattock. *' A gorse hack." l.
Pig's Hack, s. — A pig's pluck, l.

Hackling, fl!^'. — Hacking; said of a troublesome cough, l.
HcEGS, s. — Pronounced hagues. — Haws, the berries of the
hawthorn. " Hedge " is derived from this. l.

Haffle, v. — To hesitate. " Haffle, and yore dun for," — t.e.,
He who hesitates is lost. l.

Haft, s. — A man not to be depended upon is called " loose
in the haft ;" not to be trusted further than you could "throw a
pig by the soaped tail." Haft is properly a handle, and if an
axe, for instance, is set in a loose haft, the weapon not only
cannot be trusted, but maybe dangerous. A.S. /ice/tf a handle.

96 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. HAG

We have two O.C.P.s. *' Every knife of his'n has a golden
haft," />., everything he undertakes turns out well. " Dunna
waste a fresh haft on an oud blade ;" Don't throw good money
after bad. l.

Hagg, s. — To work by the " hagg" is to work by the job, in
contradistinction to day work. The price of day labour is
simple ; but to work by the " great," or by the job, is a fruitful
source of dispute between employers and employed, particularly
as the contract is never written down. Hence to " hagge," or
*' haggle," is the general result of the half-digested bargain. In
the Isle of Wight, *' haggler " is the upper servant on a farm,
upon whom falls the bargaining, and subsequent quarrelling,
with the labourers.

Hagg Master, s. — One who hires labourers and undertakes
" hagg work." l.

Haigh, or Hay, v, — To heave, w. ^' Hay it up," lift it.
Hain, s. — Hatred, malice ; from French /laiu. l.
Halo, or Hailow, adj. — Awkwardly shy and bashful ; from
A.S. /iwy/, bashful, w.

Half- Wit, v. — An idiot. "Our Raphe's a pratty toidy
scoUard ; but as for Dick, poor chap ! he's a hafe-wit." l.

Halsh, v. and s. — To twist. A twist or turn. " Halsh the
rope." " Give it another halsh." l.

Hames, also Hemes, s. — Horse collars, so called (according
to Phillips, in his New World of Words j) from their likeness in
shape to the hams of a man, w. Perhaps from Latin hamus.

Hamil Sconce, s. — The light of the village or hamlet, the
Solomon of the place. *' Sconce " is either light or head. l.

Hammer and Pincers, or Hammer and Tongs. — Also
called Forging. — The noise made by a horse on the trot by
striking the hind shoe against the fore one. A fault of many

HAP CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 97

horses, particularly when tired. " They're falling out, hammer
and tongs," i.e. they are having high words, l.

Han, v. — The plural of the present tense of the verb "to
have " ; it is an old word used by Widiffe, and seems to be a
contraction of " haven." l.

Hanged Hay, s. — Hay hung on the steel-yard to be weighed,
previous to selling. There is an O.C.P. " Hanged hay never
does cattle," i.e. bought hay does not pay, " Slung hay " is
another version, and like *' hanged hay," refers to the mode
of weighing, l.

Hang Post, s. — The post on which a gate hangs^ in contra-
distinction to the " clap post," against which the gate shuts, l.

Hangs, s. — Wires to catch hares and rabbits, l.

Hank, Hanker, v. — To desire ; to look after, l.

Hanna, v. — Have not. w.

Hansell, s. — " Gee me a hansell," i.e. be the first to buy
something of me. A French shop woman . told me it was un-
lucky to refuse the first offer made by the first customer in the
morning. The first purchaser in a shop newly opened, '* han-
sells it, " as the first purchaser of the day does a market.
"Hansel Monday" is the first Monday in the year. "To
hansel our sharp blades," is to use them for the first time. Sir
yoh7i Oldcastle^ page 29. l.

Hantle, or Handtle, s. — A handful ; a great quantity.
" A hantle o' siller," in Scotland means a great lot. The doubt
expressed by Jamieson of the root of the word being " handful,"
is wholly done away with, when we state that the two similar
words, Piggintle and Noggintle, are in constant use in the
county, w.

Hap, v. — To pat ; said of patting soil with the back of a
spade to smoothe it. l.

98 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. HAP

Happens, adv. — Perhaps, possibly. A Scotch word. A
story is told of a Scotch minister preaching upon Jonah, and
suggesting different fish as the swallowers of Jonah and then
denying it, till an old woman, one of the congregation, well
versed in Scripture, tired of the minister beating about the
bush or raking the sea, cried out " Happens it was a whale ! "
" Happens," retorted the angry minister, " you are an auld fule
for taking the word of God out of the minister's mouth."
Happeley (haply) is a synonym of Happens.

The Happy family, s. — Name for a flower, a Sedum, the
buds and flowers of which, though on diff'erent stalks, all nestle
together, l.

Harbour, v. — To haunt. '' They harbour there con-
tinually," i.e. they are constantly there. "The man at th'
pubHc allis harbours pouchers." Harbour is a term in Venerie
for the lodgment of the hart or deer. The man whose duty it
was to discover where the deer " harboured," was called the
" harbourer." l.

Harbouration, s. — A collection, a lodgment. *' Oi ne'er
seed sich a harbouration o' durt as that is." l.

Hard, adv.—M\ich. " Go fretted very hard." l.

Hard-faced, adj. — Impudent, obstinate. I have heard a
bold horse called " a regular hard-faced one." l.

Hard Iron, or Hard Yed, Centaureum 7iigruni. — Knap-
weed. The man who gave me the second name said " Moind
it is yed., not Head." l.

Hask, ^^*.— Rough, cold, piercing. The bitter March winds
we call " Hask." L.

Hassocks, s. — A coarse grass growing in tufted cushions in
wet places ; Aira ccespitosa, also called tussock grass, l.

HA^ CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 99

Hattle, a^j'.— Wild, skittish. " Tye the hattle kye by the
horn," I.e. the skittish cow. Ray.

Hattock, s. — A hole in the roof where owls harbour, l.

Hattocks, s. — A shock of corn. l.

Having, 'part. — Cleaning corn by throwing it against the
wind. Perhaps a corruption of heaving, l.

Haviours, or Havers, s. — " To be on one's haviours," is to
be on one's good behaviour. " To mind one's P's and Q's.'*
This latter expression is said to have originated from the
publican keeping the score against his customers chalked up
on the door, under the heads of P for pints and Q for quarts ;
when this score began, according to the publican's notions, to
exceed the paying powers of his customer, he would point to
the door and tell him to mind his P's and Q's. Some however
say that it has a French origin. " Soyez attentifs a vos pies et
vos cues."

Haw, s. — Hall. w.

Hawberry, s. — The fruit of the thorn. There is a legend
that for several days before the Battle of Blore Heath, there
arose each morning out of the foss, three mermaids, who
announced in the following lines as they combed their hair,
the coming battle.

"Ere yet the Hawberry assumes its deep red,
Embued shall this heath be with blood nobly shed." L.

Ha^\f, adv. — Half. w.

Hawpenny, Hawporth. — Halfpenny. Halfpennyworth, w.

Hay, or Haigh, v. — To have. w.

Hayshakers, s. — Quaking grass, briza media, l.

Haytenters, s — Haymakers, l.

H 2

100 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. HEA

Headaches, s. — The common poppy, l.

Head o' Pit, s. — The deepest part of the marl pit, the furthest
from the space end. It is also called " Marl Head." l.

Heart-rooted, adj. — Said of a tree that is self-sown. l.

Hearty, adv. — Very ; " Oos hearty fou," — she is very
ugly. L.

Heave, v. — The general meaning of " heave " is to lift up
some great weight ; but we use " heave " merely as a synonym
of " to lift." " I seed him heave the gun up." l.

Heave, v. — To throw. '* O'il heave this stone at yer head,
if yo dunna shut up." " Heave it here," — throw it to me. l.

Heaze, v. — To cough or hawk. w.

Heazy, adj. — Hoarse, w.

Hebbon, part — Worth having. " He's not much worth
hebbon, and desp'rate shommakin in his legs," i.e. awkward in
his gait, was an observation made, by a bystander, on a
young man who came to offer himself as groom, l.

Heckle-tempered, adj. — Short-tempered, hasty, touchy.
It was said of a man of this sort, " He flies au to pieces like a
pan moog." *' Hackle " being used for tow, may refer to the
way it flares up, like a person in a passion. L.

Hedgehogs, s. — Small stunted trees in hedgerows, useless
for timber, but (if oak) useful for a gate stump. Oaks are our
general hedgerow timber ; elms, which are the natural tree of
the county in Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and the midland
counties, soon succumbing if of any size in Cheshire to the
violent westerly gales, l.

HES CHESHIRE GLOSSAl^lr.

ioi

Heir, v. — To be the heir. Used in a distich attributed to
the Regicide Bradshaw : —

** My brother Henry must heir the land,
My brother Frank must be at his command,
Whilst I poor Jack will yet do that
That all the world shall wonder at." L.

Heirable, adj. — Entailed. " That farm canna be sold, it's
heirable." l.

Helve, s — A haft or handle. There is an O.C.P. signify-
ing despair.

' ' To throw the helve after the hatchet. " L.

Hen, adj. — Old. Moreton-in-marsh, a town in Gloucester-
shire, the late Lord Redesdale used to say, was a corruption of
" Moreton Hen Marsh " ; i.e. formerly a marsh. — Steel collec-
tions, Bodleian, l.

Henbury, s. — A parish near Birtles ; may be derived from
being an old burial place, or an ancient settlement.

Hengorse, s. — Ononis arvejisis. The Rest Harrow, also
called " Ground Furze " and *' Pette Whinne." L.

Her, and Him, /r^;^. — Generally used for "herself" and
"himself," as " She got her ready " for she got herself ready, l.

Herbive, s. — The Forget-me-not. l.

Herb Peter, s. — The Cowslip, l.

Herring bone road, s. — A few of these remnants of the
Pack Horse period, though rapidly disappearing, may still be
seen. Stones placed like those coming from the back bone of
a fish, and which support the narrow paved causeway ; the first
attempt at an improvement on a mere track since the time of
those great road-makers, the Romans, l.

Hesitation, s. — A half-promise. " There was a hesitation
about a calf cote." l.

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. HID

Hide, v. — To beat. w. The same origin as Leather, v.
Strap Oil, s. Welt, v., <Jvrc.

Hide bound, adj. — Is when the skin of cattle and horses
is not loose to the touch but clings to the body, generally con-
sidered a sign of illness. The same term is applied to a tree
of which the bark, owing to accident or the grease of cattle
or sheep that have been rubbing against it, cannot open
with the expansion of the tree ; and the tree becomes dwarfed
and unhealthy. Cutting longitudinal seams through the bark
is the only cure. " Hide bound " is also applied to old pasture
fields that require breaking up. l.

Hiding, s. — A beating, w.

Hidlands, s. — When a man gets out of the way to avoid
being arrested, or because he has got into some scrape, he is
said to be " in hidlands." w.

Hidnes, s. — Is used in the same sense as Hidlands in the

Glossary to La?tgtoffs Chronicle, by Hearne. w.

Hie, or Hye, v. — To hasten. Todd. w.

Hie, or Hye, s — Haste. Todd. A.S. liiga?i, festi?iare. w.

Hie! expletive. — Used to stop a person or call him to
you. l.

HiGHT, part. — Called, A.S. Named, l.

Hillier, s. — A slater, vide infra, l.

Hilet, or Hylet, s. — A place of shade or shelter, l.

Hill, v. — To cover. Instead of saying " Cover it up," we
say " Hill it over." A sick person in bed says ** Hill me up,"
t.e. draw the clothes up close round me. A.S., helaUj to hide,
cover, or heal. " To hill a grave," is an old term used by
Cheshire sextons, meaning to raise a mound over a grave, l.

HOB CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 103

HiLLHOOTER, s. — An owl. It is unlucky to look into an
owl's nest, *' one who did so became melancholy and destroyed
hissell." — Cheshire Folk Lo7'e. l.

Hilling, or Heeling, s. — The covering of a book. A quilt
or blanket. It is an O.W. used by VVicliffe in his translation
of the JVtw Testainejit. But I never heard it used in common
conversation except in Cheshire and Lancashire. A.S. helan,
tegere. w.

HiMSELL, or Hissell, pro?i. — Is used in the following
sense : " He is not hissell," i.e. " He is out of his mind." w.

Hinder, v. — Generally used instead of prevent, l.

Hinge, v. — To depend on. " What you say, hinges upon
what he did." l.

Hinge, adj. — Active, pliant, supple, w.

'H1PIN.CH, s. — A cloth or clout to wrap round a baby. l.

HiRPLE, V. — To limp. Used by Burns; one of the many
words we use in common with the Scotch, l.

Hitch, s. — To have a " hitch " in his gait, is to have a limp,
what the Irish would call " a loose leg," like a half paralyzed
person, l.

"Hobbety Hoy, neither man nor boy," s. — An awkward
stripling. Tusser calls it " Hobart de Hoigh " or " Hoyh." I
believe it to be simply " Hobby the Hoyden " or " Robert the
Hoyden " or " Hoyt." The word " Hoyden " is (or rather was)
not confined to the female sex ; indeed, it is believed to have
anciently belonged to the male sex, and to mean a rude ill-
behaved person. " Hoyt " in the North is an awkward boy, or
a simpleton. Grose, w.

Hobby, s. — An overlooker or bailiff. Mortiing Chronicle.^
Sept. 5, 1840, p. 4, col. 2. l.

I04 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. HOG

Hog, s. — A sheep a year old. l.

Hog, or Hogg, s. — A heap of potatoes, in form either conical
or roof shaped ; named after its resemblance to a hog's back.
It is covered with earth and either straw fern or the wizells of
the potatoes, to keep the root from frost; such is the usual
mode in Cheshire for storing potatoes, mangolds, and turnips
in winter, w.

Hogg, z>. — Of the preceding, w.

Hogging, s. — "A hogging" is a synonym of "hog." l.

Hoisting, to Hoist, v. — Raising up a person sitting on a
chair decorated with ribbons and flowers, as high as the arms
can reach, at Easter. This is done by the women of a house-
hold on Easter (also called lifting) Monday, and by the men to
the women on Easter (lifting) Tuesday. A slight fee is paid by
the lifted to the lifters, afterwards spent in a feast. I'Jie origin
of the word is probably from the Saxon verb osfer, to rise,
whence Easter, German, ostern. In Ripon, Yorkshire, formerly
(1790 A.D.) on Easter Sunday, after church, the boys ran
about and stopped and took off the shoes of any woman who
would not " pay for her shoes ;" if this was not done,, they carried
off the shoes. On Easter Monday the girls did the same with
the men's shoes, or if they wore boots, with their hats. l.

" I'll Hold thee sixpence," or any other sum, — means " I
bet you sixpence." l.

Holding, s. — A farm or any land held by a proprietor, but
oftener by a tenant, l.

Hollin, or HoLLEYN, s. — The holly tree, almost the A.S.
word Holayn. Hollin Hall, Hollingworth Hall, are both
derived from this tree, as also the extinct family of the De
Hollyngworthes.

HOV CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 105

H)LT, or rather Hoult, s. — A holing, going into a hole, or
putting a ball into a hole, which is required in several games.
" I gained three points at one hoult," i.e. at one holing, w.

Holt, or Hoult, s. — Hold. " Take hoult o' pikel." l.

Hog, or rather Oo, J>ron. — She. This word, most common
in Lancashire and Cheshire, is merely the A.S. keo. Verstegan,
in his Glossary of the Afitieni English Toftgue, at the end of his
Restitution of Decayed Intelligence, has heo, for she. w.

HooDERS, s. — The two sheaves at the top of the shock (also
called Riders,) to throw off the rain, and protect the corn
whilst in the field, as with a hood. l.

HooNSTONE, s. — Corruption of the " ovenstone," that shuts
the oven's mouth, l.

Hooter, s, — An owl. Vide Hillhooter. l.

Hopper, or Hoppit, s. — A little basket tied round the body,
that contains the seed when sown by hand. l.

Horse and Jockey, s. — The old name for the George 111.
sovereign with St. George and the Dragon on the reverse side,
and which has been revived (187 1, with a worse die), in the
Victoria sovereigns, l.

Hot, act. v. — To make hot. " Han you hotted t' water ? " L.

House, v. — The act of a cow when turned out of the
" shipp>en," throwing herself on a hedge or hedge-bank to have
a satisfactory scratch, working away violently with her horns,
and often kneeling down to the work. A bull often goes
through this process from mere mischief and temper, l.

House Place, s. — The parlour of a farm-house, containing
the best furniture, &c., and seldom used. l.

Hout, s. — Hold. " If oi get hout on him, I'll mar him." l.

Hove, v. — To take shelter ; hence hoz^el, a sheltering place.
w.

io6 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. BOV

HovEN, RisENON, Dew Blown, adj. — Different iames for a
disease which makes cows swell and frequently die, from getting^
into a clover field before the dew is off, and gorging them-
selves. L.

" How Done You ? "—For " How do you do ? '' " How do
you ? " " Done " is used as plural for do, " Cows a done

well" w.

HowD.— Hold. " Howd off," keep off. " Howd yer hush,"
keep quiet. Vide Holt, and Hout. l.

HowLE, adj. — Hollow, l.

HoYK, V. — To lift up or toss as a bull does with his horns, w.

HoYND, or HoiND, V. — To make a hard bargain ; to screw
up. A landlord who behaves thus to his tenants, is said to
"hoynd them." A.S. hiened., subdued; or perhaps from his
treating them as hinds or slaves ; or worrying them as hounds
do their prey. There is a curious prayer in Edward VI. 's Lit-
urgies, headed,

FOR LANDLORDS.

The earth is Thine, oh Lord, and all that is contained therein, notwith-
standing Thou hast given possession of it to the child) en of men, to pass
over the time of their short pilgrimage in this vale of misery. We heartily
pray Thee to send Thy Holy Spirit into the hearts of those that possess the
grounds, pastures, and dwelling-places of the earth, that they, remembering
themselves to be Thy tenants, may not rack nor stretch out the rents of
their houses and lands, nor yet take unreasonable fines and incomes after
the manner of covetous worldlings, but so let them out to others, that the
inhabitants thereof may both be able to pay the rents, and also honestly to
live and nourish their families and relieve the poor. Give them grace also
to consider that they are but strangers and pilgrims in this world, having
here no dwelling-place, but seeking one to come ; that they, remembering
the short continuance of their life, may be contented with that which is
sufficient, and not join house to house and land to land, to the impoverish-
ment of others, but so behave themselves in letting out their lands,
tenements, and pastures, that after this life they may be received into
everlasting dwelling-places,- through Jesus Christ our Lord. L.

HUT CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 107

Huddle, 7.'.—** To huddle up corn," is to make it up into
sheaves, l.

By rtuLCH AND Stulch. — By hook and by crook. A sen-
tence by which the speaker expresses his determination to get
what he covets anyhow, l.

Hull, v. — To throw, l.

Hull, j.— The pod of a pea. "There's nowt in him, he's
aw hull." L.

Hull, v. — To shell beans, peas, &c. w.
HuLLOT, or HuLLART, s. — An owl. '* He swapped his hen
for a hullert," O.C.P., i.e. he made a bad exchange, l.

Humorous, adj. — Capricious, l.

HuMPERiNG, adj. — Walking lamely. " Jim came bumpering
along." Limping, l.

HuRCH, adj. — Tender, touchy, l.

HuRE, s. — The hair. l.

HuRE Sore. — When the skin of the head is sore from a
cold. w.

Hurling, part. — Harrowing a field after a second ploughing.
l.

Hurn, s. — Horn. w.

Hurry, J. — A set to, a bout, a quarrel, w. Perhaps from
the old word, "to harry," or "harass."

Hush Shop, s. — An unlicensed house, where those who can
be trusted can get ale or spirits, l.

HusTED, part. — Said of the seed or seeding of the penny
grass. Perhaps a form of husk. l.

HuTCHiN, s. — A large slice of bread, or lump of meat. A
hunch, l.

io8 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. HUZ

Huzz, or Huzz Buzz. — A buzz, a row. "There were a
pretty huzz i'th house." l.

I.

Ill Tied, pa7't. — Engaged. " I'm ill tied at home," I'm fast,
so as not to be able to get away. l.

" I'll Trim thee jacket," i.e. I'll thrash you, I'll dust your
jacket. L.

Ill Weed, s. — Any rank growth of vegetation. "Ill weed
and breears." l.

Imbrangled, pai't. — Entangled. "An imbrangled affair."
Imbroglio, L.

Imperance, s. — Impertinence. " Loike thy imperance ! " l.

Imperious, adj. — Often used for impetuous. " An im-
perious horse." l.

In All, expletive. — Sometimes, but not so generally, An All.
— It is inexplicable, for it does not assist the sense of a sentence
more than " Selah" does where it occurs in the Psalms. " H'es
coming in all," " he's gathered the rabbidge in all." Halliwell
says " an all," means also, and quotes the following stanza from
Hunter's Hallamshire Glossary : —

*' Paul fell down astounded and only not dead,
For Death was not quite within call ;
Recovering he found himself in a warm bed,
And in a warm fever, an all."

The omission or presence of "in all," makes no difference in a
phrase. It seems sometimes used for etccetera; often following
the recapitulation of different things, " he sould his cows, his
horses, his pigs, in all." l.

Inbark, v. and s. — It is used to express the way in which the
bark of some trees (yews, &c.) not only grows on the outside,
as bark commonly does, but also fills up interstices, l.

Inkle, or Incle, s. — Tape. In the Congleton accounts,
Dec. 1 8, 1 64 1. The infection {i.e. plague,) first appeared in

JAC CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 109

one Laplove's house, which was warded day and night at one
shilling each. His corpse, covered with a cover, and tied with
incle, was carried on a ladder to be buried. L.

Tnsense, v. — To instruct; to explain a thing thoroughly.
The French words assagir, rendre sage, are formed in a some-
what similar way. w. Used thus in Shakespear, " Richard
III.," "I have insensed the Lords of the Council that he is a
most harsh heretick."

Insett, adj. — Household. " Insett stuff." — Cheshire Will.

In Tack, s. — An inclosure from a waste. A taking in of a
strip by the side of the road. Long ago Mr. Coke of Norfolk
said, " that the only agricultural improvement he could see in
Cheshire was, that everyone was stealing land from the sides
of the road.''

Ireland, s. — A very old labourer of mine never spoke of
an island by any other name. L.

Iron Knobs, or Hard Iron, s. — A flower.

I'th,— In the. Often used. " I'th field."

It's, v. — It is ; — never in Cheshire "'tis,"

Ivy, or Ivvens, s. — Ivy, pronounced with the penultimate
short.

I is often pronounced oi in the middle of a word, as " stoile,"
" moile," " roid," "soid," " foine," instead of "stile," "mile,"
" ride," " side," " fine." / is also pronounced like the French
/, or the English double E in the middle of a word, as
"neet," for "night," " deet," for "dirt."

J.

Jabber, v. s. — To chatter. A chattering, l.

Jack Nicker, s. — A goldfinch ; why called so I cannot
imagine. Many kinds of birds appropriate particular Christian
names. All little birds are called by children " dicky birds."

CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. JAC

AVe have ''jack snipe," "jack daw," "torn tit," "robin red
breast," " poll parrot," " a gillhooter." A magpie is also
" madge ; " a starling, " Jacob ; " a sparrow, " philip ; " a raven,
"ralph;" and the name of the black and white water wag tail,
in the north of England, is a " billy biter." w. Also " jerny
wren," or " kitty wren ; " the long tailed tit, " billy feather
poke," alluding to the quantity of feathers it pokes into a hole
for its nest.

Jacket o' Muck, s. — A good covering of manure on a field.

L.

Jack Sharp, or Sharpling, s. — The small fish, called the
stickleback, w.

Jag, or Jagg, s, — A small parcel, a small load ; in Norfolk
it is a bargain, w.
Jagger, s. — One who sells coals in small cart-loads, l.

Jag, or Jagg, v. — To trim up the small branches of a tree,
w.

Jannock, or Jannack, adj. — Upright, " not jannock," one
who is not straightforward. Of Lancashire origin, l.

Jannock, s. — Oaten bread made up into loaves, l.

Jawm, or Jaum, s. — A jamb, a projection, especially applied
to an old fashioned fire-place, i..

Jee, or A-Jee, adv. — Awry. w.

Jed, or rather Djeb, par f. — Dead. " Jed as a dur nail." l.

Jeft, adj. — Syn. of Deaf.

Jell, s. — A quantity. " We've had a jell of damsels (dam-
sons) this year." l.

Jersey, or Jaysey, s. — A ludicrous and contemptuous term
for a lank head of hair, as resembling combed wool or flax,
which is called "jersey." " Jaysey " is also a wig, " He has got
a fine jaysey." "Jersey," the finest wool separated from the
rest by combing, w.

JUS CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.

Jetty, v. — To suit, to agree. " They don't seem to jetty." l.

Jiggle Jaggle, also Jig Jag, adj. — Irregular, not straight.
" The brook runs all jiggle jaggle." l.

Jobber, .9. — A cattle dealer, generally added to the name in
speaking of him, " Jobber Newton," &c. l.

JoELLis, s. — Jewels, in a Cheshire will (Margaret Holforde's)
of the 1 6th century : it marks the gradual transition from
French joaillerte to jewels, l.

Joint Evil, s. — A disease of the joints, affecting calves,
causing swelling and oily matter, l.

Jolly, adj. — Mari^appete?is. l.

Joss, s. — A foreman. Used in Macclesfield, l.

Jew, V. — To bang, to bring into violent contact. A man
accused of a violent assault on a woman, said, " I only jowed
her head and the flags together, I did not strike her." l.

Jew, s. — Dew. "The jow faws thick." l.

Jumper, s. — A man's over flannel jacket, like that worn by
navvies, l.

Jumps, s. — Stays worn by wet-nurses; easily loosened, to
facilitate nursing the child, w.

Junketing, s. — A pleasure outing. A Devonshire word. l.

JURNUT, or Yernut, s. — Pig nut, bunitim biilbo castaiwm. w.

JuRR, s. — A sudden blow or punch ; probably another way
of pronouncing Jarr. One of those words in which the pro-
nunciation and meaning sympathize.

"Just Meet Now." — At once. "I canna come just meet
now," i.e.. immediately. "Just meet same," exactly the same.

112 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. JUS

Justly, tz^/z/.— Exactly, quite, l.

Just Now, adv, — Soon. " Au said, aud come just now." l.

K.

Kailyards, or Kelyards, s. — The name of the orchards out-
side the walls of Chester. " Kailyard," in Scotch, is a cabbage
— or, what we call a kitchen — garden. " Yard," and " garden,"
both mean the same thing, and have the same AS. root, geard.
See "Diversions of Purley," vol ii. p. 275. w.

Kale, s. — Vide Cale.

Kandle Gostes, s. — Goose grass (Gerard's Herbal). Vide
Catch Grass, galium aperme. l.

Kazardly, adj. — Unlucky, liable to accident. Perhaps a
variety of Hazardly. w.

Keck, v. — To put anything under a vessel, which lifts it up
and makes it stand uneven. In Lancashire, " to keyke, or kyke,"
is to stand crooked. Kick, v.^ is usually to heave at the
stomach ; Keck is the same word differently applied, and
means to lift up, or to heave, w.

Keckopeg, s. — The peg placed in the rack in front of the
cart called a " tumbril," to keep the cart chest down. You
^* keek," or tip the cart by withdrawing the peg. l.

Kecks Y, adj. — Hollow, like the keck {herackuni). Celery
that has run up with hollow leaves and stalks, is called
^' kecksy." l.

Kedlock, s. — The charlock ; a yellow flowering weed that
grows amongst turnips, which lambs like, but which sheep
refuse. It is one of those plants which seem to have a power
of lying dormant for ages, but appear in quantities as soon as
a pasture field is ploughed, l.

Keen, v. — To cauterize, l.

KEO CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 113

Keenbitten, adj. — Frost-bitten. " Keen " is not a pro-
vincialism, as it is a word in general use. l.

Keep, s. — Pasture. " No keep this year." " Oo won't
stand keep," (O.C.S.) said of a person spoilt by prosperity,
whose head is turned by good fortune, l.

Keeping Company. — The Cheshire term for courting, l.

Keeve, V, — To overturn or lift up a cart, so as to unload it at
once. Ash calls it local, w.

Keggly, adj. — A form of Coggly, q. v. *' A keggly stool," is
one easily moved, l.

Kelf, s. — A curious term with tree-fellers ; it means a
narrow bit left (as a temporary support,) uncut, whilst they are
cutting round the tree on the opposite side. " I mun leave a
kelf." L.

Kench, s — A twist, or wrench ; a strain, or sprain, w.

Kench, v. — To bend down. l.

Kenks, s. (a sea term.) — The doublings in a cable, or rope,
when it does not run smooth, w.

Keout, s. — A little barking cur. Randle Holme, in his
Academy of Armoury^ uses " skaut," or *' kaut," for the
same; which seems to designate "scout "for its etymology,
and this is partly confirmed by that line of Tusser, " Make
bandog thy scout watch, to bark at a thief" w.

Keow, or sometimes Ku, s. sounding the u like ou. — Is used
for cow. Ky, or Key, or Kye, the plural, cows. Knutsford is
said to owe its name to the fact of Canute having passed over
the ford of what was probably in those days a swamp made by
the brooklet Lily ; but it seems more Hkely that Cunetisford,
the old name of Knutsford, may have the same simple origin

I

114 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. KEO

as Oxford, the ford of the cow, or kine, another form of the
same word. A.S. cim.

Keower, v. — To cower down. w.

Kerve, v. — To turn sour. w. Vide Carve.

Kex, Kecksees, s. — Applied to all hollow umbelliferous
plants ; in Shakespeare spelt kecksies. The heraclmm gtga?i-
teum is called the Giant Keck. " It's as hollow as a keck."
O.C.P. L.

Keype, v. — To make a wry face. To make faces. "Go
keyped at him." l.

Keys, s. — The seed of the ash and sycamore, something of
the shape of the old clock key, — vide, Ash Keys.

KiBBO Kift, s. — This, in Cheshire, is called a proof of great
strength, namely, for a man to stand in a half-bushel, and lift
from the ground, and place on his shoulders a load of wheat,
that is, 14 score weight. This is known by the name of kibho
kift, why I do not know ; but I have some idea of having seen
somewhere the word " kibbo," or " kibbow," used in the sense
of strong. Should it not rather be " kibbo gift," and in that
case the feat above mentioned will be a "gift of strength."
Talking of feats of strength, there is an oak chest of great
antiquity in the wooden church of Peover ; any woman who
can raise the heavy lid with her left arm is said to be a fit
wife for a Cheshire yeoman, l.

Kick, v. — The same as to " tip " a cart. l.
Kickle, adj. — Uncertain, the same as Tickle, w.

Kid, s. — A faggot. " Nought is counted six score to the
hundred, but old women and gorse kids." G.C.S. L.

Kid, v. — To kid wood, is to make wood into faggots, l.

KIT CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 115

Kid crow, or Kid crew, s.—A place to put a sucking calf
in. Bailey has the word, but he writes it " Kibgrow," Crybbe
being the A.S. word for stall or stable (also a Biblical word),
Crebbe being the same in Teutonic. Bailey's mode of writing
the word, though differing from the ordinary pronunciation of
it, is probably right, w.

KiFFEY, s. — The small wooden ball or block, used in the
game of Hockey, or Shinney, called in Cheshire Baddin,
q.v. L.

Killers of Salt, — were, in old days, the arbitrators
between buyers and sellers, and were charged with looking
sharply after those who undersold the town's regular price, l.

Kilt, adj, — Killed. In Ireland kilt means rather being beaten
than killed. Many hundreds survive who have cried out,
" I'm kilt entirely."

Kin, v. — " To kin a candle " is to light a candle, l.

Kind, v. — Kindle. To light a fire. w.

Kindle, v. — To bring forth. Applied to cats, hares,
rabbits. I remember an old woman at Eton, who sold
squirrels and dormice on the wall, applying it to them. A^.
cemian^ parire. In the old times, enumerated by Lady Juliana
Barnes and others, a litter of kittens is called a kendel of cats.
Has Kennel some such origin ? l.

Kindling Stuff, s. — Wood, shavings, &c., used to light a
fire. L.

King Cough, s, — Another form of Chin Cough, q.v. Teu-
tonic kincken, to breathe with difficulty, l.

Kink, s. — A sprain. *' He's gotten a kink i' the back, l."

Kit, s. — A set or company. Often used in a contemptuous
sense, w. " I could lick the whole kit of ye."

1 2

i6 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. KIT

KiTLiNG, s. — The word which in Cheshire is universally
used for kitten, w. I told a farmer who was complaining
of his large family, that some day they would take care of
him. " Major," he rejoined, " did you ever know the kitling
bring a mouse to t' ould cat ? " There is another similar
proverb, *' Do chickens ever bring out to t' ould hen ? " The
Spanish proverb is — " One father can support ten children, ten
children cannot support one father." l.

KiVER, s. — A shock of corn, probably used as a Hooder
(^.v) or a coverer to the others, l.

KiVER, ^'. — To cover ; used by Wycliffe in his manuscript
translation of the Psalms, w.

Knackety, adj. — " A knackety fellow," is a man who can
turn his hand to anything, and by a sort of intuition succeeds
in anything he undertakes, l. Also Knatty, or Natty.

Knagg, 7>. — To be perpetually scolding and finding fault.
I heard of some step-daughters of a step-mother (who though a
notable woman, and a capital hard-working woman, had this
peculiarity,) who at last, losing all patience, seized the little
woman with a " knagging " tongue, and soused her in a large
swill tub ; a punishment for a scold like the *' ducking stool," of
our ancestors. In Knutsford there is a tradition that there were
two ponds there, used for this purpose, l.

Knatter, v., Knattering. — Synonyms of Knagg, ^.7'. l.

Knatty, or Natty, adj. — Vide Knackety. l.

Knickyknacky, adj. — Handy, adroit, w.

Knobs, s. — Lavender. There is an old word, ^'knoppe,"
which means the buds of a plant, from which it is probably
taken ; lavender being a series, or stalk of buds. " What
have you been doing ? " " Auve been a cutting knobs." l.

KYP CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 117

Knockerknee'd, adj. — Knock-knee'd, also called Baker-
kneed; delicate men of that trade, owing to their habit of
carrying sacks of flour and other heavy weights on their
shoulders, generally acquiring that deformity.

Knocking off, part. — " To knock off," is a term used by
labourers when the day's work is over \ one of the symptoms of
which is knocking and scraping off with the spade the clay and
dirt off the shoes. This may or may not be the meaning of
the term. Another term for the same thing is Loosing, l.

Knocking up, part. — One of the curious ways of earning a
livelihood in the manufacturing towns. The " knocker up "
wakes the different hands of a mill who cannot wake them-
selves, so that they can get to their work in time, and not be
fined for being too late. The general pay of a " knocker up " is
twopence a head, per week. I remember once a witness being
asked what he was, answering, '' A knocker up," deeming it,
evidently, as much a trade as a tailor or a baker, l.

Knotchelled, or Notchelled, adj., or part. — When a man
publicly declares he will not pay any of his wife's debts con-
tracted since a certain date, she is said to be " knotchelled ; " a
certain disgraceful imaginary mark : in short, she is a marked
woman. " Crying his wife a notchell."

Knottings, s. — Thin corn, not well grown. j\\

Know, v. — ** I know nothing by myself," />., from my own
personal knowledge, I can say nothing against so and so. l

Knowing, or Knowledgeable, adj. — Clever, well informed.
" He's a knovvin' little chap, he's bin o'thearth afore ! " l.

Kye, or Kv, s. — A cow. l.
Kype, v. — Vide Keype.

ii8 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. LAD

Ladies' Cushions, s. — The Sea Pink, or Thrift, armeria.
Grows in profusion at Hilbree Island, at the entrance of the
Dee. L.

Ladies' Milk Sile, s. — Pulmonaria officinalis. From some
legend of the Virgin's milk having soiled (Cheshire, siled,) or
stained the plant, l.

Ladies' Smock, s. — Cardami?iepratensis, the Cuckoo Flower.
Called " ladies' smock," in Shakespeare ; probably from
whitening the meadows with their numbers, so as to look like
smocks or shifts spread out to dry. l.

Lad's Love, s. — The herb Southernwood j also called Old
Man. w.

"Lad's love is lasses' delight,
And if lads don't love, lasses will flite." O.C.S.

Lady Cow, s. — The lady bird. l.

The Lady Poplar, s. — Populus alba^ the great white poplar.

L.

Lag, j. — A stave. " Lag of the barrel." l.

Laggen, or Ladgen, v. — Is to close the seams'of any wooden
vessels which have opened from drought, so as to make them
hold water ; this is done by throwing the vessels into water,
the wood swells and the seams close. P.P.C. has "to laggen,
or drabelen," palustro. N.B. — " To drabble,"^/.^., to wet or
dirty, is a word of frequent colloquial occurrence, though omit-
ted by our best lexicographers, l.

Laith, adj. — Loth, unwilling, w.

Lake, v. — A good old word. — ^To play. "Laykin," in a
MS. copy of the P.P.C, in the British Museum, is used for a
child's plaything, w.

LAN CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 119

Lake Weed, s. — Knot Grass, a Polygonum. It has another
name in Cheshire, not to be named to ears polite, l.

Lam, Lamme, Leather, Lick, v. — Are all cant words for
" to beat." To these may be added " hide," " strap," three
of these taken from the material which inflicts the punishment.
Sending a green younker to a cobbler for " strap oil," which
the cobbler at once applies to the boy's back, is an old joke,
and reminds one of the recipe to cure laziness, unguejitum
baculinum, to be applied twice a day to the sluggard's back.

Lambs' Ears, s. — The Rose Campion, l.

Lancashire Gloves, s. — Hands without gloves, l.

Land Stones, s. — The name given in Cheshire to the pebbles
and boulders turned up in digging and draining ; probably so
called in contradistinction to those found in brooks. These
pebbles are found from a half ounce to some tons in weight ;
and used in former days to be used as the sole material for
paving and making roads. They are sometimes found in a
great heap together; where the iceberg (to which they were
attached,) has stranded, and melted away ; for the presence of
these stones, and the cracks or scratches on the boulders, are
generally considered to be owing to the agency of ice. Granite,
generally more or less decomposed, grit marble, stones appa-
rently of volcanic origin, are those generally found. They are
mostly shaken, and I have found one of these igneous stones
with small garnets imbedded in it. It is a common idea with
the peasantry that " stones grow." On all the turnpike roads in
Cheshire (1872), the stone from Penmaenmaur is used, and in
spite of its expense, the article is so good, that the Welsh stone
seems in the end to be considered as more economical than
using the " land stone " of the county. L,

I20 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. LO

Langote, s. — Waste threads, l.

Laoze. — A retort for inquisitiveness. A child will say
" Mother, what's that ? " the answer is " Laoze for meddlers."
A correspondent tells me, " I have never been able to find a
clue to the origin of this word ; I spell it as it is pronounced.
It has been made use of to me a hundred times, in my child-
hood, and never without causing great irritation ; it is especially
annoying when used to a child by a brother or sister slightly
older." L.

Lap, v. — To fold anything up in paper or otherwise. *' Auve
lapped up the boots." Also to finish, after a long day's shooting.
" It's welly toime to lap up." l.

Lapweed, s. — The Wild Hop. l.

I>ARGE Dicky Daisy, j. — The Moon Daisy, Chrysanthemum.

Larn, v. — Vide Learn.

Lat, s.—A lath. " That lad's as thin as a lat ! "

Lat, adj. — Slow, hindering. " The rain makes lat work with
hay." " A lat time," is when the results do not pay for trouble
taken, l.

Lat, s. — Hindrance ; ** lattance." w.

Lat, v. — To hinder. Jamieson has " lattance," as well as " to
lat." A.S. /af/an, to delay. An old sense of the verb " to let,"
was to defer, or put off. In Herman's Vu/gan'a, we read, " I
let my journey for the lowringe wether." Propter nubilum
dishdi profedionem. It is curious that the verbs " to let," and
" to prevent," are synonyms, and in a peculiar way, for they
both are employed to express exact contraries. " To let," and
" to prevent," both mean to allow, to permit, to assist, and to
oppose, and disallow. We talk of being " sore let and hindered

LEA CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. I2i

in running the race," «Sz:c. ; and "Prevent us^ O Lord," &c., is
used in prayer to persuade the Almighty to go before us, and
clear obstacles out of our way.

Latafoot, adj. — Slow of foot, or in moving. Letten verletten,
Dutch j latjan^ Goth, tar dare, w.

Lathe, v. — To ask. To invite, O.W., Lane. w.

Lawkin ! Ladykin ! Lakin ! exd ! — By our Blessed Lady ! w.

Laws you now ! exd. — See now ! or Lo. The A.S. for Lo 1
is La ! w.

Lawshus ! exd. — Similar in meaning to last named. Vide
also LoRjus !

Lawyers, s. — Long brambles in covers, from which you
can hardly escape being caught and surrounded by them, as
lawyers twine round their cHents the meshes of the law. l.

Lazy Beds, ^. ^Potatoes planted on the surface of the
ground, and banked up some feet wide, from a trench cut
on both sides, l.

Lead, s. — A salt pan. A Roman lead salt pan is preserved
in the Warrington Museum. The '' Water Leaders" of Chester
were formerly an incorporated company, now extinct. L.

Lead, v, — To carry coals, corn, hay, or any other load in a
cart or waggon. Pronounced like speed, l.

Leadlookers, s. — The same as Lead Viewers, l.

Lead Viewers, s. — Officers appointed formerly in the salt
towns, to see that the salt pans (made of lead) were in
proper order, l.

Leaf, Leaver, adv. — Rather. *' Aud as leaf not do it,"
"I'd as leaf as a suvvereign they'd cummed to my house,'^ — said
by an old woman, on a swarm of bees (been) settling on some
chimneys near. l.

22 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. LEA

Learn, v. — Pronounced " larn," one of those words which
means the contraries, viz. : to teach, to learn in the common
acceptation of the word, " I'll larn thee better manners."
Shakespeare uses it in both senses, l.

Leastways, adv. — Anyhow. " Au dunna if au can cum,
leastways au'll try." l.

Leath, s. — Leisure, cessation of labour, remission of
pain. w.

Leather, v. — Vide Lam. l.

Leazeceaster, s. — The old name for Chester, l.

Leddie, By Leddie ! By Leddie Me ! exd. — By our Ladie !
V. Lawkin. l.

Leech, s. — A spring in a field forming a swamp, l.

Leech Brine, s. — The draining of the salt barrows, the
strongest brine, considered the best thing for sprains (leech
here is used in its old sense of doctor) ; brine used by
doctors. L.

Leeched, v. — Used with how, before it, "How is it?" "How
happens it ? " " How leeched you are not gone to school } "
" How leeched thou dost not go to thy work ? " l.

Leet, s. — A light. "Stroike a leet for us, loike a gude
lad!" L.

Leet, v. — To let, also to find. "I connat leet on him,"
i.e. I cannot find him. It also means to alight. " Au leeted
on my legs, loike a cat."

Leet, Leeten, v. — To pretend or feign, " You are not so
ill as you leeten yourself," />., as you would have it appear.
In Jamieson's Scotch Dictionary we read to leit, leet, let, to

LEY CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 123

pretend to give, to make a show of. Junius assigns iaeten, Belg.
for its origin, Lcecta Icelandic, simulare segerere. Late^ gestus.
Belg. Iceten^ videre simulare. " You are not so mad as you
leeten you," i.e. there is a method in your madness.

Leeten, v. — To lighten. "Leeten th' load a bit up th' hill."

Leet Bolt, s. — Thunderbolt, l.

Lemme, v. — Let me. "Oh, woife !" quo' he, "if thou'll lemme
but rise." Ballad^ about 1548. l.

Lent Lily, s. — The Daffodil, flowering about Lent. l.

Less, — is pronounced as if written lass.

Let, v. — To prevent ; vide Lat.

Let on, v. — To tell, or to let another person know you
know something. " Dunna yo let on as oim here." l.

Let out a leg. — An expression for kicking.

Leur, also Leun, s. — Tax or rate. l.

Level, adj. — A man of level mind is one not likely to go to
extremes ; not hasty, l.

"yEquam memento rebus in arduis
Servare mentem."

Lewnes, or Lunes, s. — Taxes, rates, leys. l.

Ley, s. — The law, " Oil ha' the ley on him yet." w.

Ley, s. — A ley for cattle. A park or large pasture where
cattle and horses are taken in for a certain sum annually from
the 1 2 th of May to the 12 th of October, l.

Leys and Taxes, s. — Leys are generally parochial or county
payments in court, in contra-distinction to taxes which go to
government. Church leys, poor leys, highway leys &c., spelt,
in some old accounts " laies." l.

124 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. LIB

LiBBARD, adj. — Applied to cold, stiff, clay land. l.

Lichgate, s. — The gates of a churchyard, through which
the corpse at a funeral is brought in. Wilbraham says this
gate is never opened except for a funeral ; this is a mistake,
Rostherne and others to wit. In many cases there is only one
entrance to a churchyard. A.S. lice^ corpus, l.

LiCH ROAD, s. — The road by which a corpse passes for inter-
ment, w. It is supposed that a right of road is obtained by the
passage of a funeral.

LicKSOME, or Lissome, adj. — Pleasant, agreeable ; chiefly
applied to places or situations. Lissome often means active,
springy. A licksome girl means a pretty one. w.

'* Charly loves a licksome girl,
As sweet as sugar candy."

Lifting Monday and Tuesday, — Easter custom, vide
Hoisting, l.

LiG, V. — To alight. " Brid hath ligged in turmits." l.

LiG, V. — To lie ; in both its senses, i.e.^ to tell lies, and to
repose.

Light, v. — Confined, brought to bed. *' Is your wife
lighted ? " L.

LiG?iT, adj. — Used to hay-grass, means that it is dry, and
fit to carry, l.

Light Bolt, s. — Thunder-bolt. l. Also Leet Bolt.

Like (pronounced loike), expletive. — " He's a clever like
man" means just the same as if the expletive were omitted.
It is also used adverbially. '' I am Uke to do it," i.e. I must,
under a sort of compulsion, do it. "I am like to tell," i.e. I
will, or must, inform against you — also, probably. "The

LOA CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 125

maister may like come after baggin ; " also it means " nearly,
all but," " I'd like to have killed him," i.e. I might have killed
him, I had an escape from killing him.

LiLE, adj, — Little, l.

Lines, s. — Marriage lines mean the marriage certificate, l.

Lipp'n, to LiPPEN, V. — To expect, look for. A.S. leaf en,
credere, " I lippen on him coming any minute."

Lite. — A small quantity, a little. A farmer, after enumerating
the acres he has in wheat and barley, will add " and a lite
wuts," I.e. a few oats. It is an O.W. used by Chaucer. Danish
/I'dt, 3L little. Wolf's Danish Dictionary, w.

Lithe, v. — To lithe the pot, is to put thickenings into it.
A.S. lithan, to lay one thing close to another ; to alyth is a
G.O.W., and used in this sense in the form of curry, w.

Lither, adj. — Lazy : " long and lither " is said of a tall lazy
man. AS. lith, mollis. Chaucer uses it as wicked, w.

LiTHiNG, V. or s. — Thickening either flour or oatmeal for the
pot. To alye is an O.W. for to mix. w.

Litigious, adj. — Bad weather, that stops harvest work, is so
called. I have heard it, and I think it has the true smack
of a Cheshire provincialism, l.

Livery, ^^*.— Applied to a furrow which turns up wet and
sodden ; perhaps from its colour resembUng that of liver, l.

Living Tally. — i.e. in a state of concubinage, l.

Loach, v. — To ache. *' My yed loaches." l.

Load, or Lowe, s. — Souters' Load, a steep lane at Chester.
King's Vale Royal, Part II. p. 23.

Load, s. — Three bushels, or a measure of fifteen score, l.

126 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. LOA

Loan, or Lone, s. — A lane, " Through Weaver Hall shall
be a loan," — Nixon's Prophecies, l.

Lobscouse, s. — Potato hash, mentioned in " Peregrine
Pickle ; " a sort of Irish stew. l.

Locked, /^r/. — A faced card in a pack is said to be locked,
quasi looked at.

Lodged, part. — Said of corn when beaten down by the
storm. L.

Loffeling, part. — A form of lolling, idling. " Loffeling on
the squab." l.

Lommer, v. — To climb, or scramble clumsily, l.

LoMPOND, s. — The pond in a farm yard into which all
refuse runs. l.

LoNGART, s. — The tail or end board of a cart or waggon, l.

LoNGNix, s. — A heron, perhaps derived from long neck. l.

Loom, s. — A utensil. A tool, a piece of furniture. Som.
says Geioma, supellex, household stuff Belgis eodem sensu Alaem
Alem, Hinc jurisperitoriim nostrorum Heirlome pro supellectili
ha^reditarid, w.

Loose, v. — Used by labourers to express the work of the
day being over. " We loose at six." l.

Lop, Loup, Loppen, v. — Perfect tense and part of the verb to
leap.

Lord of the Pit, s. — The head man of a gang of marlers,
who undertakes opening a pit ; under whom the others work,
and who receives and disburses all money given to the
gang. L.

LUG CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 127

Lord Ralph, s. — A currant-cake. When the husband goes
from home, the wife makes a " Lord Ralph " and invites her
friends, just as the husband, under similar circumstances, hoists
the besom and invites his cronies, l.

LoRGESSE, s. — The present given by any one to a gang
of marlers : if it is sixpence, it is formally announced by the
lord " as sixpence, part of ;£^5oo," — if half-a-crown, as part of
;^i,ooo ; evidently largesse, l.

LoRjus ! exc/. — Lord Jesus ! w.

LossELL, s. — A lazy fellow, a ne'er do weel. l.

LoTHEE ! exd. — Look thee ! Behold ! l.

LouME, adj. — Soft, gentle, l.

LouNT, s. — A piece of land in a common field ; perhaps a
corruption of lond, ie. land. w.

Lowe, otherwise Load, s. — It often means a bank or hill
in early English, as in Chester Plays^ i. 120. We have Oulton
Lowe, and Shutland Low (formerly Shutlingslaw), a high hill in
the wildest part of Cheshire. It is more than likely that the
name may often be found in hills, the summits of which were
used for bonfires or signal fires, " lowe " meaning a flame, " All
in a lowe," all in flames, l.

LowKiNG, s. 2M^ part. — Weeds. Weeding, l.

Lucky, adj. — I have heard the expression of a lucky tenant,
not as bringing luck on the tenant, but from his improving
qualities, he being lucky for the landlord, l.

Luck, v. — To happen by good fortune. " If I had lucked,"
i.e. if I had had the luck, or good fortune, w.

Lug, v. — To pull the hair or ear. " Lug his ear for him." l.

128 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. LUL

I.ULLIES, s. — The kidneys, l.

Lumber, s. — Mischief. " I'm after no lumber." l.

LuNGEOUS, adj. — Ill-tempered, vicious, brutish. A lunge is
a common word for the kick of a horse. " Beware on him,
he's a very lungeous fellow."

Lurching, part — Sneaking about, being after no good ;
answering to the American loafing. A lurcher is a dog that
does not run his game fairly, l.

LuRKEY Dish, s. — The herb Pennyroyal, w.

Lythe, adj. — Supple, pliant, all joints active. A.S. /yt/i.

M.

Macken (Imp. of make), v. — " Macken um doot," Le. make
them do it. w.

Madpash, s. — A madbrain. " Pash " is the head. w.

Mafflement, s. — Concealment, under-hand work, ^imsi
mtijff?ement. l.

Magging, parf. — Prating, — from to mag, to chatter or scold.
Magpie, the chattering pie. l.

Maigh, or May, v. — A form of to make, " Maigh th' door
or th' yate," i.e. shut or fasten the door or gate. In Italy we
have '^/ar la portaj' shut the door. *.' Make," for shut, the
door, is Shakesperian. To make up the fire, is to add fuel
to the fire. " To make the house " is to make it safe at night
by locks and bars..

Mail, or Meal, v. — To milk a cow once, instead of twice
a day, when near calving. '' You mun mail Cherry." l.

MAR CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 129

Make, v. — In addition to the previous meanings, to
"make" in Cheshire means to go. " Oo were making for
Knutsford." l.

Make Short Up. — To run a course quickly, to draw to a
hasty conclusion — generally applied to fast life. A young man
dying of dissipation is said " To have made short up." l.

Mal, or Mally, s. — For Moll or Molly, w.

Mannerly, adj. — Vide Farantly.

Many a Time and Oft. — A common expression, mean-
ing frequently. " Many," in the singular, is common in written
and colloquial language. '' Many a man," " Many a day."
So, in the Merchant of Venice, Shylock says, " Many a time and
oft, on the Rialto, you have rated me." Mr. Kean, when acting
the part, ignorant of the common expression, always spoke the
passage making a pause in the middle of it thus, ** Many a
time — and oft on the Rialto," «Sz:c., without having any authority
from the text of Shakespeare, w.

Mappen, adv. — Perchance ; from '* May happen." l.

Mar, v. — To spoil or injure. A Scriptural word, or a word
in common use at the time of the translation of the Scriptures
into English. " Au was welly marred." l.

Mara, s, — The Forest of Mara. The old name for the
Forest of Delamere, possibly so-called from the Meres {mare^
Latin for sea) in it. l.

Mare, n. — Vide Fleadod. w.

Mares' Tails, s. — Clouds supposed to resemble horses'
tails. A sign of bad weather, l.

Marget, s. — For Margaret, l.

[30 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. MAR

Market Peart, adj. — Being in extra good spirits. Drunk,
or something like it, from imbibing too much at market, l.

Marl, v. — " To marl a man " is to follow the drinking of
his health by cheering him. Taken from the old marling
customs of the county, when the gang, after receiving any
small sum as a present from a chance visitor, stand in a ring ;
the fact of the donation and the amount is announced by the
" Lord of the pit." Vide " Cheshire Ballads and Legends,"
p. 219. L.

Marlaking, adj. — Frolicksome. Vide Marlock, l.

Marl Head, s. — The deepest part of a marlpit, where the
ground occasionally falls in on the marlers. l.

Marlock, s. — One of those practical jokes in which both
sides do not participate, like an " apple-pie bed," a " booby
trap," et hoc genus ofnne. It might almost seem that the
derivation might be " Mar lark," a destroyer of real fun. l.

Marred, adj. — Babyish. Said of a spoilt child, "That
marred young cauf's allis cryin after his mam." l.

Marriage Lines, s. — Vide Lines, l.

Marrow, s. — The same as *' Butty." A fellow workman or
comrade. Hence comes marriage. The following adage is
common with us, —

' * The robin and the wren,
Are God's cock and hen ;
The martin and the swallow,
Are God's mate and marrow."

A match, an equal.

'♦ Yo wudna foind, an measure him, his marrow in the shoir."

Warburton's Hunting Songs.

** Marry Come up, My Dirty Cousin," — is an expression
used to those who affect any extreme nicety or delicacy, which
does not belong to them, or who assume a distinction to which

MAW CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 131

they have no claim. The saying has probably some local
origin which has faded away. w.

Martin, s.—A heifer that has never had a calf, only fit for
the butcher. It is a received idea (and many of these ideas
have a general foundation in fact), that if a cow has twin
calves of opposite sexes, the cow calf never breeds. A
constitutionally barren cow is also called a " Free Martin." l.

Maske, s. — A mesh of a net. w.

Masker, v. — The same as Flasker, ^. v. Jamieson has to
mask, to catch in a net ; it also means to suffocate, w. " He
were welly maskered," — also, bothered, confused.

Masterful, adj. — Headstrong, overbearing. " Thon lad's
too masterful by hafe, oi mun take im down a peg." l.

Maul, z;.— To handle untidily, to treat roughly. " If I
get hout on him, I'll maul him." l.

Maw, s. — The stomach. A.S. maga, the stomach, Som. w.
" Aw's fish as cums to his maw."

Mawbound, s. — Applied to a cow in a state of costiveness. w.

Mawkin, s. — Old clouts, wet sloppy cloth, used to wipe out
an oven or any dirty place. Also a term of reproach to a slut.
In an old dictionary (Cole's) it is explained in the following
rather inexplicable way. ** Malkin, maukin, a scovel of old
clouts to cleanse the oven." — Scovel is a synonym, l.

Mawkin, s. — A scarecrow. L.

Mawkish, adj. — Sick, faint : derived from the preced-
ing word Maw. l.

Mawks, s. — A dirty figure or mixture. Ash calls it
colloquial, w.

Mawpus, s. — Malpas. " Higgledy, piggledy, Mawpus shot."
— O.C.P

K 2

132 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. MAX

Maxfield, s. — The old name for Macclesfield, l.

" Maxfield Measure, Heap and Thrutch." — O.C. S. t.e.^
Very good measure, heaped up and squeezed together, l.

Mayflower, s. — Caltha palustris. The Marsh Marigold or
Yellow Boots, l.

Me, pro7u — For myself. " I fomented me." *' I burnt me." l.

Meal, s. — Milking time. A cow gives so much at a meal.
A.S. mcel, portio aid spatium temporis. — Somner's Dictionary,
Rather, I should say, a milking, w.

Measter, or Meester, s. — Master, w.

Measure, s. — A bushel (Winchester) of com. w. Generally
pronounced inizzure.

Meazy, adj. — Mazy, giddy. An old woman who drank
about three gallons of gin a fortnight made no complaint,
except of " being so oft meazy.*' l.

Meet, v. — Might, w. ** Gooin thander to-neet^ Jeff? " " Oi
meet," /.<?., " Are you going yonder to-night, Geoffery? " " Per-
haps I may." l.

Meet. — A sort of expletive, used when something has
recently happened. " Just meet now," even, just now. w.

Meety, adj. — Mighty, w.

Meg Harry, s. — A tomboy. A young girl with masculine
manners ; fast, loud. w.

Melch, or Melsh, adj. — Mild, soft. AS. 7neoIc, or Belg.
melk. We have two small townships in the Wirral, Great and
Little Meolse, having soft, sandy soil. l.

Melder, 5. — A kiln of oats. l.

Melt, s. — The milt, or spleen of animals, &c. l.

Mere. — There was an old family in Cheshire, the Meares
of Meare, wuose coat of arms was a ship in full sail. We
have also two Lord Delameres, — one of Vale Royal, the

MID CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 133

other, one of the titles (Lord Delamer) of the Earl of Stamford
and Warrington, l.

Mere, s. — ^A small lake, French mer, sometimes called a
pool. There are a great many meres in Cheshire, the largest
that at Combermere, more than a mile long. Some have been
drained. Nixon's prophecy, " Ridley pool shall be sown and
mown," has come to pass. Reeds Mere used to have a
floating island, now anchored. Many of the Meres have tra-
ditions attached to them. Vide " Ballads and Legends of
Cheshire." l.

Merricking, ad/. — Rollicking. Up to a lark. l.

Merry Meal, s. — ^The refreshment taken by the principal
persons (except the mother) directly after a child has been
bom. L.

Merry Tree, s. — The Wild Cherry-tree. l.

Mess, s. — The mass. w.

Meter, Meterly, adj. and adv. — Moderate, l.

Meth, s. — Mead, short for Metheglin.

Mich, adj. Michness, s. — " Mich of a michness " much the
same, like half-a-crown and two and sixpence.

** Strange that such difference should be
'Twixt Tweedledum and Tweedledee," L.

MiCHAELRiGGS, s. — The autumnal equinoctial gales, happen-
ing about Michaelmas. "Rigg"meansastrongblast of wind. l.

MiCKLES, s. — Size. " He is of no mickles," he is no size.
Mickle, as s. and adj. is common in the north, but the word
" mickles " is, I believe, peculiar to Lancashire and Cheshire, w.

Midden, s. — A dung-heap. A.S. Midding. l.
MiDDLiN, adj. — Neither well nor ill. "How is Jack?"
" Middlin." l.

134 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. MID

MiDFEATHER, s. — A naiTow ridge of land, or bank left
between two pits, usually between an old and a new one
contiguous to each other, w.

Midge, s. — A gnat. Hence used as a term of contempt for
any small and contemptible object, l.

Mile, s. — Used with us as singular and plural. We never
say five miles, but five mile, or, as we pronounce it, moile. l.

Milk-Pans, s. — Stellar ia holostea. Greater Stitch wort, Satin
Flower, or Adders' Meat. l.

MiMiCK, V. — " Mimicking work," is work made to look well
for a time, but not to last, like bad contract work. Soft or
lime bricks, unseasoned or unlasting timber, inferior slates,
&c. &c. L.

MiSE, s. — A tribute or fine of 3,000 marks which the
inhabitants of the county Palatine of Chester paid at the
change of every owner of the said earldom. Kersey's
Efiglish Dictionary, l.

Misfortune, s. — A natural child is spoken of as ''the
girl's misfortin." l.

MiSLEST, V. — To interfere, to meddle ; probably a form of
molest. L.

Mittens, s. — Strong hedging gloves, containing the whole
hand without separation for the fingers. " Lancashire gloves "
are hands without gloves, l.

MixiN, or MixoN, s. — A manure heap. O. C. S. *' Better
marry over the mixon than over the moor," which, according
to Ray (1610 A.D.), means "that the gentry of Cheshire find it
more profitable to match within their own county, than to
bring a bride out of other shires. First, because better
acquainted with her birth and breeding -, second, though her

MOH CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 135

portion may chance to be less, the expense will be less to
maintain her. Such intermarriages in this county have been
observed to be both a prolonger of ancient families and the
preserver of amity between them." L.

MixiN, or MiXEN, V. — " I'm agai't mixening up the pigs,"
/>., " I am cleaning the pigstye." l.

MiZE Book, s. Mize, v. — F/^^Mise. — Apparently the name
of the book in which the valuation of a parish was kept. Sir
P. Leycester, in his Bucklow Hundred^ speaking of Lymm
says, "It is, in our common Mize Book, mized at 01/. 16^".
00^." L.

MizziCK, s. MizziCKY, adj. — A bog ; boggy. Johnson has
mizzy : mizmaze is an old word for a labyrinth, a place which
it is easier to get into than out of. w.

Mizzle, s. — Small rain, quasi mist. Dr. Ash admits the
verb, but rejects the substantive, w.

Mizzle, v. — To run away. " Mizzle, Dick." Make your-
self scarce, l.

MoGGiNS, s, — Shoes with wooden soles, commonly clogs, l.

MoiDERED, or MoiTHERED, part, — Bothered. " Welly
moidered," i.e., almost crazed, l.

MoiLY, Moiling, adj. and part. — Dirty, sticky. Moiling
and toiling are often used together, the first increasing the
second, l.

Moi SAKE ! expl.-^'^ Moi sake alive ! I'll trim thy jacket
for thee." l.

Molly-coddle, or Molly-cot, s. — Vide Cox.

MoN, s. — Man. w. "Gaffer's a mon of his moind." Master
thinks and acts for himself.

Monday.

" Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace."— O.C.S. L.

136 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. MOH

MoNNY. — Many. w.

Month, or Moneth, s. — " To have a month's mind " is to
have a strong indination to do something. I cannot run this
to ground. There is one pecuHarity about the word month,
that it is almost the only English word to which there is no
rhyme. L.

MooG, s. — A mug. Some maraschino was handed round
at a banquet in small glasses. One of the guests drank off his
glass, and thinking it very good but the quantity absurdly
small, exclaimed to the footman, " Oi say, young mon, gee me
sum o' that in a moog." l.

Moon Daisy, s. — Chrysajithejnum leucanthemum. Another
Cheshire name for the flower is Poverty Weed, as it generally
flourishes in exhausted soil. L.

Moondark. — Money saved by a wife, as her own particular
nest egg, " unbeknown " to her husband, l.

Moonpenny, s, — Synonym of Moon Daisy, q. v.

More Cost nor Worship, — O.C.S., not worth the cost
Lejeu 7ie vaut pas la chandelle. Le plaisir iie vaui pas la peine.
The saying dates its origin probably to an ironical observation
on the Roman Catholic processions, masses for the dead,
dressing up saints, &c. &c. which all cost so much, but which
have nothing to do with the real service of God. l.

Mort, s. — A great deal, a great number, a quantity ; another
similar word is a " vast : " "a mort of folk." L.

Mortal, adj, — Very. ** Aum mortal glad thou'rt come." l.

MoRTACious, flr^".— Synonym of mortal : " mortacious bad,"
very bad. w.

"To CATCH A person SLEEPING, AS MoSS CAUGHT HIS

MARE," — is a Cheshire adage. There is a county song in
Devonshire, the refrain of which is

"As Moise (Moss?) caught the mare."

MOT CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 137

Ray makes the following observation on this saying : — " Who
this Moss was is not very material. I suppose some such man
might find his mare dead, and taking her to be only asleep
might say, ' Have I taken you napping ? ' " I do not consider
Ray, though a valuable collector of proverbs, a shrewd
expounder. Wilbraham says we have one authority for this
mare being gray —

" Till daye come catch him, as Mosse his grey mare."

Christmas Prince, p. 40.

This may throw some light on the adage, though not enough
for its perfect elucidation. By his grey mare is meant his
wife.

'* The grey mare is the better horse,"
implies that the mistress rules, and in the low colloquial style
of the French " la jti^nent grise" means the wife. Taylor, the
water poet, in the title-page of his book {Swarme of Sec-
tan'eSj 1641) has an allusion to Moss —

** The cobbler preaches, and his audience are
As wise as Moss was when he caught his mare."
I suspect the original Moss took advantage of his commanding
officer (his wife) being asleep to do something he would not
have thought of had she been awake. L.

Mosey, adj. — Overripe, as applied to fruit, "A mosey
pear." l.

Moss, s. — A bog. We never use the word bog for a moss.
Carrington moss. Sink moss, &c. l.

MoT,i'. — A moat, a wide ditch surroundingancient castles and
houses. Several of these remain in their entirety, or only partly
filled up ; — Old Moreton Hall, a very good specimen, Lymm
Hall, Holford Hall, &c. In a field in High Leigh, that goes by
the curious name of " The Giant's Hold," I found a filled-up
moat inclosing a small piece of ground about sufficient for a
small house or burial-place, but no remains of any sort, and

138 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. MOT

there is no tradition to explain the curious name of the
field. L.

Mot, s. — The mark on which a taw is placed to be shot at
in the game of marbles, l.

Mother of Thousands, s. — Linaria. The ivy-leaved
Toad Flax, known for its profusion of lilac flowers ; there is
also a white variety, l.

MoTTY, s. — Talk. " None of thy motty," />., none of your
jaw. ** Mot " is used commonly in this sense from the French
mot, a word. w.

Mouldy, adj. — For moldy, w.

Mouldy Warp, s. — The mole, from A.S. molde, the earth,
and weorpafi, to cast. Molworp or mulworp. Teutonic, talpa.
w. The word mole comes from the Latin moles, a heap. We
pronounce " Mouldy warp " as if the 1 was omitted.

MouzLE, V. — To mess, or make untidy, like its rhyme
"Touzle." L.

MowBURNT, adj. — Hay that has been carried too soon, and
consequently is overheated in the stack, in short, burnt without
actually taking fire. The smell of this sort of hay is most
fragrant, but the quality is supposed to be injurious to its
consumers, l.

Much, adj. — ** It is much if such a thing were to happen,"
/>., it is unlikely, it would be extraordinary if it did happen, l.

Muck, s. — Manure, l.

MucKiNDER, s. — A dirty napkin, duster, or pocket-handker-
chief. Littleton and Bailey have " Muckinger. w.

MuDGE Hole, s. — A dirt hole, a soft boggy place, liable to
give way under the weight of a cow. '* Oo were welly marred
in a mudge hole." l.

MUR CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 139

Muffler, s. — A thick neckerchief, l.

MuGGiN, s. — " To receive a muggin " is to be beaten, l.

Mulligrubs, s. — Stomach-ache. " To have the mulligrubs,"
is to be in a pet, to be out of temper, w.

Mullock, s. — Turf dust. Rubbish, l.

Mulsh, adj. — Soft, damp, drizzling weather, l.

Mulsh, s. — Long litter, put round plants and delicate trees
and shrubs, to keep the frost out. l.

MuN, s. — The mouth. Sued. mzm. w.

Mun, v. — Must, " I mun go." Moune is used by Wycliffe
for must, not moun. Feques Oct. Vocab. mowe, for may, is
common in Spenser, w.

MuNCORN, s. — Blencorn, mengecorn, and blendecorn
maslin. Wheat and rye mixed together as they grow. Mungril
is mixed, w. Hence mongrel, a cur of mixed breed.

MuNG, s. — A crowd, a rabble, l.

MuNGER, V. — To work awkwardly, without aim, and without
results. L.

MuNNAH, V. — Must not. *' Yo munnah." w.

MuRENGER, s. — The officer who looked after the walls of
Chester ; from mums, a wall. One of the few Cheshire words
that have a Latin origin. The word is in Ainsworth and Todd;
but I never heard it used except in the city of Chester, where
two officers were annually chosen from the Aldermen and
called " Murengers," to whom the repair and care of the Walls
are entnisted. w. Chester being the only city or town in Eng-
land surrounded by a wall, may account for the absence of the
word except in Chester. The impost collected in former days
towards the repair and building of walls and fortifications used

I40 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. MUR

to be called " Murage." ** Murorutn operatio " was the term
when labour instead of murage was given. Some towns were
exempted from this service by special privilege and favour.
Henry II., granted to the tenants within the Honor of
Wallingford, " Ut quieti sint de operationibus castellorum et
miiroi'icmy l.

MuRGiN, s. — A bog, from which there is no emerging, l.

Muse, s. — A hole in a hedge, made by its being the regular
run of a rabbit or hare, a favourite place for poachers to
arrange their " hangs." l.

Mysell, /r<?;/. — So pronounced. Myself, " 1 sez to mysell,
sez I." w.

N.

Nacky, Nackety, Natty, adj. — Handy, applied to a man
who can turn his hand to anything. " Thee'st got a natty fist,
young mon." l.

Nag, v. — To be perpetually finding fault, scolding, and
reproaching. " His ould ooman is a deadly one to nag." l.

Naggy, adj. — Snappish. L.
Naked Gull, s. — Any unfledged bird. l.
Naked Virgins, s. — Colchicum autmnnale — the Autumn
Crocus, or Saffron, l.

Nancy Wild, s. — Wild Nancy. Narcissus, l.

Nar, or Naar, adv. — Near, or nearer. Littleton has narr
for nearer : — Danish iicehr^ nigh, w.

Nation, or Nashun, adj. — Diminution of tarnation. " Dim
nashun fond o' thee, owd wench." l.

Natter, v. — To gnaw into small pieces. "Poop hath
nattered sponge," — the pup has torn the sponge to bits. l.

NES CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 141

Nattered, adj, — Ill-natured, " very nattered," exceedingly
ill-tempered. Knattle, in Lancashire, is cross, w.

Natty, also Nacky, q. v. — " Rafe's a very natty lad." l.

Nature, pronounced Nattur, s. — " The nature is worn out,
of a thing," or " there's no nattur in a thing," means that it
is spoilt, or, if applied to land, that it is worn out. l.

Neam, s. — Name. One of the many instances of the
transposition of letters, and also dissyllabizing a monosyllable.
A bagman was driving towards Nantwych, when railways
were not, and seeing a poor man, he cried out to him roughly,
" Jack, which is my way to Nantwych ? " — " Whau tould you
my neam were Jack ? " — " I guessed it, Jack, I guessed it." — ■
" Then," rejoined the other sturdily, " thou mayst guess thy
way to Nantwych." l.

Near, v. — To come near, to approach. " He were nearing
fence when I seed him." l.

Neeld, s. — A needle. Used in Shakespeare, w.

Neest, s. Neeses, pi. — Nest. To "go bird-neezing," is
bird-nesting, w.

Neet, s. — Night. One of the many instances in which
we follow the French pronunciation of the /. l.

Neeze, v. — To sneeze, w.

Neezle, v. — To nestle, to settle in some snug situation, w.

Nere, J.— The kidney. O.W. P.P.C. Lady Juliana Barnes
uses it. w.

Nesh, adj. — Tender, delicate, effeminate. Applied to man,
woman, child, or beast. Used by Chaucer, l.

Neshin, v. — To make tender, to coddle. P.P.C. w.

142 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. NET

Nether, s. — An adder. A nether and an adder have much
the same pronunciation, w.

Never no more. — A common expression to denote that
the speaker will have nothing more to do with the person he
speaks to. l.

Next, adj. — Nearest. "The m/auf terrible'' asked his
mother's guest, "Who was his nearest neighbour?" a question
put (as it turned out by a simple cross-questioning) from
having heard his mother say "he was next door to a fool." l.

Night Jackets, i*.— Night shifts, l.

Nip, s. — A small glass of raw spirits, l.

Nip, v. — To nip off. To leave suddenly and unexpectedly.
Said of a young street Arab, who accidentally broke a window,
" He nipped off like lightnin." l.

Nips, Nippernails, s. — Hips of the Wild Rose. l.

Nix ! exc. — A Macclesfield term used as a warning when
boys are in mischief, and either a policeman or farmer sud-
denly appears. The word is a signal for Sauve qui pent. L.

NizzLY, adj. — Applied to weather, inclined to rain, foggy,
drizzly, l.

NoBBUT—Nothing but. " Who's there ? " " Nobbut John."
" What have you got there ? " " Nobbut a whisket o' wick
snigs," i.e., Nothing but a basket of live eels.

Noddy, s, — Tom Noddy. A silly fellow, l.
Noggin, s, — A wooden kit or piggin. l.

NoGGiNG, s. — The filling up of the interstices between the
timber work in a wooden building with sticks and clay, is called
"the nogging." w.

Noggintle, s. — A nogginfuU. w.

NOT CHESHIRE GLOSSARY, 143

Nogs, Noggs, s. — The handle of a scythe, l.

NoiNT, V. — To anoint ; figuratively to beat severely. Like the
recipe for the lazy fever, — *' Anoint the patient with wigue?itn7?i
baculinum, and rub him down frequently with an oaken
cudgel." L.

Anointed One, adj. or part. — An unlucky boy, who may
be supposed to have been severely corrected, is so-called, a
term corresponding with the French " Uji reprouve." I think
it was Dr. Johnson's advice, " Always lick a boy — he either
has done, is doing, or is going to do, some mischief."

Nominee, s. — A marling term. The giver of a present to
the lord of the pit (marl) for himself and his men, is called
the " nominee," and when the money is spent in drink after-
wards at the public house, the lord and his men " shout " the
name of the nominee. Lat. nomen. l.

NoMONY, s. — A yarn, or tale. l.

NooKSHOTTEN, adj. — Disappointed, mistaken, crooked, hav-
ing overshotten the mark. Shakespeare in Hen. 5. has " That
nookshotten isle of Albion." Commentators say this refers to
the jagged nature of the coast. Pegge explains the word by
"not at light angles." Randal Holme in his Academy of
Armoury, amongst " glazier's terms " hath, " A querke is a nook-
shotten pane, whose sides and top run out of a square form," so
that we may conceive what the artist meant to be a quarry or
right angled pane had, through his want of skill, turned out
uneven and not exact, 'w

NooPE, s, — The run of a hare or rabbit, l.

Nor; adv. — Than. " I'm a better mon nor you." l,

NosROU, s. — A Shrew Mouse, l.

Note, s. — A dairy of cows is said to be in " good note '*
when they all come into milking at the best time for cheese

144 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. NOT

making. In bills of sale a cow is often mentioned as of
" early note " viz., one that will calve soon. Probably from
the Latin nota^ a mark, the period of each cow's calving being
generally chalked or marked up in her *' boose." l.

To Nothing. — A curious phrase, meaning exactly, tho-
roughly. If a person wants to express *' Very well," he will

use " to nothing." " So and so's clothes will fit D to

nothing." One easily overcoming another in a competition
will say, " Why, I beat him all * to nothing.' " l.

Nought, Nowt, or Naught, adj. — Bad, worthless, wicked ;
** stark nought," good for nothing ; also unchaste, as explained
by Bailey, w.

Nought, Naught, s. — To call to naught, to abuse violently.
To call to naught is in Hor. Vul. p. 134, />/ tergo. w.

Noup, V. — To hit on the head, from " nob " the head. *' If
they dunna be quiet, yer mun noup'm." " I canna, sir, they
douken," i.e., duck, and slip away. l.

• NuD, s. — A violent shock or impetus, — " Oo come wi' such
a nud roight o' the top o' my yed." l.

Nudge, s. — A jog, or push. w.

Nudge, v. — To shove or push. w.

NuRRiNG, adj. — Active, clever, striving, painstaking. There
is a word in Warwickshire for the head, ** nur," and ** nurring,"
may imply that a man *' has a head upon his shoulders." l.

Nut Rags, s. — The expressive term for the male catkins of
the nut. Hanging like rags on the bush. l.

O.

O is sometimes changed into A, as " Mall " and ** Mally," for
"Moll" and "Molly." l.

OLD CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 145^

Oaf, s. — A fool ; not peculiar to Cheshire, but it is introduced
on account of the singular way of spelling it by Cockeran, in
his Dictionary. It is there written Gnoffe (an old word for
miser), and presents a different etymology of the word from
ouph^ which is usually assigned to it. w.

Oak-atcherns, s. — Acorns, l.

Obshackled, adj. — Lame, limping. Here "ob" in compo-
sition has a preventive meaning, as it has in " obstruct." l.

OccAGiON, for Occasion, s. — *' I was the occagion (or cagion)
of his doing so." w.

** An, missis, that's the cagion o' the blood upo' my chin,"
says Farmer Dobbin, in Warburton's Hunting Songs.

OccARD, adj. — Awkward. '^He's the occardest fellow
alive." Unfortunate. " That's occard ! as th' mon sed when
he swoller'd his fawse teeth." l.

Occasionally, adv. — As a makeshift for want of a better —
"Yea, t'will do occasionally." l.

Odd Rabbit it ! — An angry exclamation. Confound it ! l.

Oeranent. adv. — Overagainst, opposite. Athurtens. l.

Of course. — This expression is used expletively and very
commonly. " He asked me for some money, and of course I
gave him some." This does not necessarily intimate that there
was any cogent reason for giving the money, l.

Old, adj. — Used for great, famous, such as was practised in
the old times. Old doings signify great sport, feasting, uncom-
mon display of hospitality, w.

Old Hob, s. — An old Cheshire custom, carrying about a
horse's head covered with a sheet to frighten people. L.

Old Man, s. — Asthma, l.

L

146 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. OLD

Old Man, s. — The herb Southernwood, or Lad's Love, a
favourite ingredient in the cottage posy. Some one in their
description of a village congregation on Sunday said that " all
the old women smelt of old man." " Old Man tea " is a
favourite cure-all in the Chtshire J>Aarmacop£sm.

An Old Thing and a Young Thing, both of an Age,
O.C.P. — Like the young girl of eighteen, who sold a very old
gander to a purchaser. He reproached her with having told
him a lie in saying the bird was young. " Why, you don't
call me ould ? " said the girl ; " and mother allis said gander
was hatched the same day I was born." l.

Ommost, adv. — Almost. " Oim ommost clemd," i.e., ** I'm
ravenously hungry." l.

On, adv. — A female of any kind, man's appetens, is said to
be " on." w.

Oneder, s. — The afternoon. — Vide Ownder.

Onion, s. — The melt or wart inside a horse's legs. It has
a very strong smell, and dogs are particularly fond of it. l.

Onliest, adj. sup. — Pronounced " ounliest," the superlative
of only : the best and most approved way of doing a thing is
said to be the " onliest " way, as if there could be but that one
way. w.

Onny, adj. — Any. " Oi dunna loike that, onny road ; " i.e..,
** It won't do for me at all." l.

Onnythin, j".— Anything. "Seed onnythin o' Jack, Bill?"
" Nowt."

Onst, adv. — Once. " At onst ; " i.e., at once.

Oo, /;w/.— Used for thou, as " Artoo ? " *' art thou ? " l.

OUD CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 147

Oo^ prom — She. Often used as a synonym for wife. There is
an O.C.P., " Oo's far fetched, and dearly bought," — in contra-
distinction to, or rather as a corroboration of, another O.C.P.,
" Better marry over the mixon than over the moor." l.

OoN, J., Oven. — '' Tak that tatty cake out o'th'oon."
"Take that potato cake out of the oven." w.

Orts, s. — The refuse sweeping of the mangers. The
" leavings " of the dinner table. " Now, childer, oil ha' no orts
left, by leddy ! "

Oss, V. — To offer, to begin, to attempt, to set about a thing.
" It osses to rain." *' A covey ossing for the turmits," means a
covey making for the turnips. — " He osses well," said of a new
servant who promises fairly. " Ossing comes to bossing," an
O.C.S., means courting is soon followed by kissing. Holland, in
his Tra7islaiio7i of Fliny^ talks of " osses and presages." To
" osse," is also to recommend a person to assist you. Edgworth,
in his Sermofis^ in the time of Henry the Eighth, uses to " osse "
for to prophesy, as Holland uses it. Sometimes the verb
is used almost expletively, " ossing to dig," about to dig,
digging. Ray thinks its derivation may be from the Latin audeOy
I dare, atisus, part.

Ott, s. — An ott is a glove finger cut off and worn on the
finger in case of a sore ; perhaps from the French word oter^ to
take off. L.

Ou, in the word wound, is not pronounced by us as it is in
common parlance (like double o), but according to the rule
which would make it rhyme to sound, l.

Oud-Fashioned, or Owd-Fashioned. — Quaint, old fashioned,
belonging to other days ; a very steady child is said to be
"that oudfashioned, he moight a bin o' the earth afore,"
O.C.S. ; or, according to another, " As oud as th' hills ! " l.

L 2

148 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. OUR

OuRN, profi. for ours. w. " Whooa's is that pikel ? " " Ourn,
not yoarn."

Outing, j. — Going from home on a parly of pleasure,
oftener called an Out. " Chester is a nice place for an
out, that's for sure ! " l.

Outlet, s. — Is the field reserved by the tenant for watering
purposes and turning out his cattle, (when he gives up the
land on leaving the farm on the 2nd of February) ; and he has
the use of this field until he leaves the farm house and build-
ing altogether in May. "The outlet" is one of the most
certain names for one or other field on almost every farm in
Cheshire, l.

OvERANENST, «^'. —Opposite. — F/-j/^ Oeranent. l.

Overblow, v. — To blow hard. l.

OvERGET, V. — To overtake, w. " How came you to be so
drunk last night, John ? " " Oi wur overgot sumhow, measter,
— oi conna tell how, oim sure."

Overrun, v. — A farmer says of a servant who has taken
French leave, "He has overrun him." *' A wife complaining
of her husband, said, * If he dunna tak care, au'll o'erun
him.'" L.

Overwelt, part. — A sheep lying on its back (or cast) and
not able to recover itself, is said to be overwelt, i.e., over
vaulted, l.

OvERWAiST, adj. — Covered with water, like a ham boiling in
a pot. L.

OwD, aaj.—0\A. L.

" Owd mon, its welly milkin toime."

Warburton's Hunting Songs.

PAD CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 149

OwDMON, s. — Old Man, the spotted Fly Catcher. Mus
Grisola.

OwLER, or OuLER, s. — The Alder-tree. Ollerton, a town-
ship in the county, formerly Owlarton, was the alder town. In
former times, (mentioned in Magna Britannia) young men
used to hang up boughs at the doors of their sweethearts and
female acquaintance in May. If a damsel found an '* owler "
branch, she might at once know some one considered her a
scold ; if a branch of a nut-tree, that she was considered a
slut. Aller and EUer are Scotch. Jamieson.

OwLERT, s. — An owl. L.

OwNDER, or AuNDER, s. — The afternoon. Undern is used
by Chaucer, and yestronde is an O.W. for yesterday. See
Ellis's Ancient Poetry. Undermele we have in P.P.C., a,sJ>ost
meridianiim. w.

OwT, s. — Anything. Nowt, nothing. " Oi hanna seed owt
on 'im this three wick or moore." l.

P.

Pace Eggs, s. — Pasch, for Easter, eggs. l.

Pack, v. imp. — " Pack off ! " an order to begone. A word
originating from householders being bothered by pack-men,
/>., pedlars bearing a pack. l.

Packet, s. — A horse panel, for carrying bundles, &c. l.

Pad, s. — A path ; used also in Northamptonshire and other
counties. A pad road anciently ran along every field that
skirted a highroad, just within the hedge, and parallel to the
road itself, l.

Padding. To Pad, v. — The term used by a workman
when he takes back to his employer work he has done at

ISO CHESHIRE GLOSSARY PAl

home. " Padding his work " is walking back to his employer
with finished work. l.

Paigle, s. — The primrose or cowslip, l.

Painful, adj. — Used to express active, respectable, pains-
taking people. ** Honest and painful parents," l.

Pale, v. — To beat barley, l.

Pall, for Molly or Moll, ^. 7). l.

Palms, s. — Willow branches in flower, so called because they
were formerly used (in the absence of real palms) to decorate
churches on Palm Sunday. These branches are also called
Goslings.

Pancutters, s. — Officers appointed in the salt towns to
measure the pans or pan, to see that they were of the standard
dimensions appointed by the town. l.

Panmug, s. — (pronounced paanmoog) from A.S. panne, a pan.
The coarse red crockery used in family operations for cheese
milk, butter, &c., and any rough use. A girl who was taken
to see Capesthorne Hall, which contains (or contained before
the fire), amongst many curiosities, a valuable collection of
Etruscan vases, described to her mother on her return how
beautiful everything was, but that she had been surprised to
see "the paanmoogs kept in the house place" (^>., the best
sitting room), l. Our Cheshire panmugs are manufactured
mostly at Buckley, in the neighbouring county of Flint. A
man with a red, coarse, blotchy countenance (not unfrequently
the result of hard drinking) is said to have " a feace like a
Buckley paanmug." O.C.S. l.

Papes, .$•. — Bread and milk. This perhaps may be the real

PAR CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 151

origin of the following word *^ papa's " milk. Brereton mentions
his using ** new milk " as a remedy in his illness. Hence " pap."

Hi baby diddy, how is widd'e,

Sit on my lap and swallow thy pap ;

And there's a baby diddy.

Pape's Milk, s. — Juice of poppies. Mentioned by Sir W.
Brereton in his Travels (a.d. 1634) as one of the ingredients
of a drink he took for curing the flux (diarrhoea), p. 130. The
juice of the seed of the poppy, when it first exudes, is, like the
juice of the Indian-rubber plant, white as milk, and blackens
afterwards, as it becomes solid. *'Pape" evidently comes
from the Latin of poppy, papaver, l.

Papper, s. — (So pronounced) Paper. Also the common
word for a notice to quit. " My landlord swears he will send
me a papper." Yxonv papyrus, an Egyptian reed, first used for
records when paper was not, and which, it is said, has been
again adopted (1873) as a material for paper-making in this
paper-consuming age.

Parle, or Parley, s. — A talk. A long conversation.
French, parler, to talk. l.

Parlous, adj, — Perilous, l. ^

Parliamenting,/^!/'/. — Talking for the sake of talking ; from
the same root as the preceding word. No great compliment
to the speeches in parliament. " He was parliamenting a good
bit ; " i.e., making a long speech with nothing in it. l.

Parti cularest, adj. superl. of particular. — A Cheshire militia
sergeant, who was for many years drill instructor of a corps of
volunteers in this county, whenever describing an intricate
movement to the squad under instruction, invariably prefaced
his remarks with, "Now, gentlemen, be careful — this is the
most particularcst motion as is." l.

152 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. PAR

Partlets, s. — " Ruffes " or bands for women, l.

Partly, adj. — If you make inquiries after a sick person the
answer will probably be "partly the same," i.e., no better.
L. Ray.

Pash, s. — A flash or puddle. " That meadow's nowt but a
great pash o' wet." l.

Pash, s. — Brains. " He's moore brass till pash," i.e., more
money than brain, l.

Peach, s. — A perch, l.

PeArt, ad/. — Brisk, sharp, well. We say of an invalid, who
has been ill, but is recovering, " He is quite peart again."
The comparative or a double comparative is often used, ** Oos
pearter " or " more pearter." Vide Market Peart, l.

Peckle, s. — To spot, or speckle, chiefly used in the participle
*' peckled." ** A peckled poot," a speckled chicken. In former
(cock-fighting) days different townships were called after the
peculiar breed of their fighting cocks ; by which afterwards,
and to this day, the inhabitants are designated, although the
origin of the name is forgotten by, or unknown to, nine hundred
and ninety-nine out of a thousand inhabitants. Thus we have
" Lymm Greys," " Peover Pecks." l.

Peckle, s. — A freckle. We have the following O.C.S.—

" Fawn peckles once made a vow
They never would come on a face that was fou."

Freckles only attacking pretty people is a curious fancy sanc-
tioned by antiquity. In Germany, a receipt to remove freckles
are " grape tears," the morning dew collected from the vines.

Pedlar's Basket, s. — The Zman'a, or Toad Flax, or
Thousand Flower. — Vide Mother of Thousands, l.

PHA CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 153

Pee, V, — To look with one eye. To peep. w.

Pee, Peed, v, 2x1^ part. — To pay. Paid. l.

Peecing, s. — A boiling of salt for the poor. l.

Peed, part and adj, — Having only one eye. l.

Peerk, or Perk, adj. — Perky, adj. — Synonym of Peart.
q. V. u

Peesnips, s. — Corruption for peewits, l.

Peewit Land, s. — Moist, spongy land such as is frequented
by pee^vits. The following is an O.C.S., said of poor wretched
wet land, '* T'would take an acre to keep a peewit." Wilbra-
ham in his collection has peewit ; but it can no more be called
a provincialism than lapwing, and I omit it. Pewit and pewit
land in Cheshire are pronounced Hke th^peiv of a church, the
7v going with the first syllable, not the second as in common
parlance, l.

Peggy Whitethroat, s. — The White Throat. Sylvia
cenerea. L.

Penny Grass, s. —Rhinanthus. The yellow rattle, supposed
to be injurious to grass, by growing on the roots. When the
seeds rattle, some people cut their hay. l.

Penny Whip, s. — Very small beer, swipes watered, l.

Pentice, s. — A penthouse. Hence the pentice, and Pentice
Court at Chester.

Peover Pecks. — F/^^Peckle.

Perished, part. — Starved with the cold. *'I'm welly
perished."

Petty, s. — Little house, privy, from the French/*?///, little.

Phantom, adj. — Weak. " Horses are very phantomy at
this time of year " (Autumn), l.

[54 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. PIA

PiANNOT, s. — A flower. The peony. I cannot give the
root of this. l.

Pick, s. — A basket used for drawing coals out of a pit. l.

Pick, v. — A cow is said to ^' pick " her calf, when it is born
prematurely. In some places they nail the first " picked " calf
up to the wall ; as it is supposed the sight of it prevents other
cows from picking their calves. In Suffolk and other counties,
they bury a "slunk," or an abortive calf. l.

Picking up. A term for picking a pocket, l.

Picture. — " Just the very picture of so and so " is
another way of saying very like. At the time of the cattle
plague, a woman, speaking to me of a cow that she had lost,
said, ** she could not have been more beautifuller, if she had
been a picture." l.

PiEANNOT, s. — A magpie, in Scotch pigeot or pyeat, French,
piean7iet. w.

Pied Finch, s. — A chaffinch, w.

PiGCOTE, s. — A pigstye, quasi a cot for a pig. l.

PiGGiN, ^.— A wooden vessel with one stave longer than
the rest, as a handle, l.

PiGGiN Stake, s. — An arrangement something like a hat
stand upon which piggins, buckets, &c., are placed, when not
wanted, bottom upwards, l.

PiGGiNTLE, s. — A piggin full. w. " Oi could lay in a
piggintle o' buttermilk, roight off, oim that dry."

Pike, s. — An iron instrument, sharp on one side and like a
hammer on the other, used for splitting and breaking coals.
(Cheshire Asizes.) l.

PIN CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 155

PiKEHiLL, or PiKEL, s. — A pitchfork. Probably it should be
written " pickel " from the French J>i^ue/ef, a little pike. Randle
Holme writes it " pikel."

Pikelet, s. — A light cake, a tea cake. l.

Piking, J^ar/. — Joking. There is a common English saying,
" Poking fun at such a one," which may be the origin of the
word. L.

PiLLGARLic, s. — A thing of no value, l.

Pill, v. — To peel. " Pilling (oak) bark," a biblical word.
*' And Jacob took him white rods of green poplar and pilled
white strakes in them." l.

PiLPiT, s. — Pulpit. A Cheshire farmer being asked how he
liked the new clergyman replied, " He is a pretty rough mon
in the reading desk, but when he gets into the pilpit, he goes
off like the smoke of a ladle." w.

PiNDER, s. — The parish officer whose duty it is to impound
stray cattle. — Vide Pinned.

'* In Wakefield there lives a jolly pinder,
In Wakefield all on the green. "

PiNFOULD, s. — The pound. " Clap'd in the pinfould ; " i.e.,
imprisoned in the pound, l.

Pingle, s. — A small croft or field, w.

Pink, or Penk, s. — A minnOw. A small fish, Littleton
has **penk." w

Pink Grass, s.—A sort of grass that resembles the grass of
a pink, when it first appears. There is an old saying that, " A
cow will not clem, if there are three blades of pink grass in
the field." The flower is something like a diminutive rush. l.

156 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. pin

Pinned, adj. — Impounded. Bradshaw, in his Life of S.
IVerbtirgh, relates how the saint commanded her servant

** To dryve those gees and brynge home to her place.
There to be pynned and punnyshed for theyr trespace."- L.

Pip, or Peep, s. — A single blossom where flowers grow in a
bunch or whorl, like the cowslip or auricula ; hence a spot on
playing cards is called a pip, fori in Italian, flowers in English,
being the names of one of the suits of card. w.

Pipe, s. — A small dingle breaking out from or leading into
a larger one. w.

Pit, s. — Generally a marl pit, hence any pond. The word
pond I never heard used in Cheshire, l.

Pitch, v. — To pave. l.

Pitch Hole, s. — The hole left to fill the bawks above with
hay or straw. The pitch hole door when wanted closes such
hole, and ought always to shut inwards instead of outwards, l.

Pitstead, s. — A place where there has been a pit ; but
oftener used for the pit itself.

Plain, adj. — Open, exposed. "This road is plain to the
wind." L.

Plash, v. — To cut a hedge, l.

Platt, or Plat, s. — A small bridge or passage made over a
ditch or gutter as an approach to a gate. w.

Plat, s. — Used for plot. A plat of vegetables, in a field or
garden, is a bed of them. w.

Plat, v. — To cross. Upon inquiry about the antecedents
of a man and his wife who had died very suddenly of cholera,
my informant told me they were very respectable people, but

POA CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 157

both loved a soop of drink ; and that he had often seen them
platting their legs as they were returning home market peart —
a curious, but very true, definition of drunkenness, l.

Platter, v. — *' To platter along " is to walk in an awkward
and scrambling way, like a man with bad corns, l.

Platterdock, s. — Flatter or batter dock ; so-called from
lying flat (French plat), or like a platter on the water. A
pond weed. Potamogemi. l.

Playing, /dJr/. — Not working. When the hands of a mill
have struck or the mill is closed the hands are said to be
playing ; also said of them when they have no work. l.

Plecks, s. — A haymaking term, applied to the square opened
out beds of dried grass, l.

Pleck, or Plek, s, — A place. A Lancashire word. l.

Plim, v. — To plumb, or fathom with a plummet, w. .

Plim, adv. and adj. — Perpendicular, straight. To plymme
down, is used by Lady Juliana Baines for to pounce as a
falcon does on his prey. w.

Plough with Dogs. — " You might as well plough with
dogs ; " i.e., the slowest possible way of doing a thing. " My
knife is so blunt I might as well plough with dogs." l.

Pluck, s. — The heart, liver, and lights of an animal. Vide
Hack. l.

Poach, v. — Land is said to be poached when, whilst it is in
an undrained, swampy, or wet state, it is trampled by heavy
cattle. At this time a cow is said to have five mouths (i.e.,
four legs and a mouth), instead of merely the mouth in a dry
time. l.

158 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. POB

PoBS, s. — Bread broken in boiling milk is called pobs. l.

Pock Fretten, /«;/-/. — F/^<? Fretten. l.

PoKEL, or PoKLE, I.e., a pokeful or a bagful, w.

PoLER, s. — A barber. From the sign of a barber's shop,
a long painted pole, which was supposed to represent an arm
bandaged after bleeding ; the barber of olden time being a
bleeder and tooth drawer as well as following what is con-
sidered his legitimate line. Others derive it from " pole," the
head. l.

PoLER, V. — To toddle about doing little things. A poor
man said " he could poler about a bit — not do a day's work,
but just poler." l.

PoLiTiTiONER, s. — A politician, l.

Poller, or Powler, v. — Properly, to beat the water with a
pole ; figuratively, to labour without effect, w.

PoLSY, adj. — Bad, spoilt. " Polsy hay," badly got hay. l.

Poo, ^.— To pull. " Oil poo his locks for 'un ;" i.e., '' I'll
pull him by the hair of his head." w.

Pool, s. — Fide Mere.

Poor Man's, or Churl's, Treacle. — Garlick. Allium, l.

Poop, s. — A peep, Vide Natter, l.

PooT, s. — A pullet, l.

PoPiLARY, or Peppilary, s. — The poplar tree, from Latin
populus. A man once told me "■ The poplar likes to sip, and
not to drink." The following inscription, or one like it, is said
to have been found on one of the inside timbers (poplar) of
an old timber house in Cheshire.

Cover me up and keep me dry,
With heart of oak to y\<t I'll try. L.

POW CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 159

Poss, or Boss, v. — To poss is a marler's punishment. When
one of the "gang" comes late or strikes his work, he is held
like a spread eagle across a horse's back with his posteriors
exposed, and is beaten on them with the flat of the spade by
" the lord of the pit." Possed, pushed, tossed, Bailey. The
simpler derivation would be from the part struck, l.

PoTE, or Pawt, v. — To kick with one foot. Belg. poteren. w.
Potter, %\ — To disturb, confuse, confound, w.

Pottering, /<3rr/. — Working without result. Asa French-
man would say, " // s'occupe a fair e des riensP l.

Pottle, s. — A measure of two quarts. O.C.S., "Who
would keep a cow when he can have a pottle of milk for a
penny?" Pottle is also a dry measure; in the O.C.P., "You
might as well look for a needle in a bottle of hay," bottle is
used for pottle. The general name for small fruit baskets in
London and elsewhere is pottle. " A pottle of strawberries,"

&C. L.

PouK, i". — A pustule or pimple. Possibly another form of
pock : also, a stye in the eye. w.

Poverty Weed, s. — The ox eye, or day daisy, where
abundant. It tells a tale of overworked or neglected land. l.

Pow, V. — To cut the hair. " You mun pow me." l.

Pow, s. — /.<?., Poll. The head. w.

Pow, s. — A very long pole. l.

Power, s, — A great quantity ; always followed by the genitive
case. "A power of money." In old French, /7;r^y in Latin,
vis. " Est Hederx vis^^ Horace. As we should say a power of
" ivvy." Power is very much used in Ireland.

PowFAGGED, adj, — Tired, exhausted, l.

i6o ^ CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. pow

PowLER, V. — To thieve in a petty way like an ''area
sneak." " He's allis powling about," perhaps a variety of
" prowling." " He died worth a power o' brass, but he'd been
scratting and powlering for it aw his loife." l.

PowsE, Pous, PousT, s. — Docks. Weeds of all sorts, also
dust, dirt. French^ _poussure. w.

PowsELS and Thrums. — Dirty scraps and rags. Powsels
comes from powse. Thrums is a G.O.W., signifying tags or
ends of coarse cloths, w.

PowsY, adv. — Dusty, dirty, l.

Preparing their Bobs. — Said of fir-trees enlarging their
cones, which swell as spring advances. A curious ex-
pression. L.

Presbyterian Road. — Passing the bottle the wrong way. l.

Presently, adv. — Immediately, at once, at the present
time. L.

Prespiration, s. — Bodily heat. *' All of a prespiration." l.

Presse, Press, s. — A coffin or chest, w.

Prickers, s. — Thorns. '* The prickers on a brimble." l.

Pride, s. — To have a pride in his pace, or way of going, is
a quaint ironical way of saying a man is lame. w.

Prodigal, ^^*.— Violent, Impetuous, l.

Prosperation, s. — Prosperity, l.

Proud, adj. — Pleased. '*I were proud to convarse him;"
z'.e.y *' 1 was pleased to have a talk with him."

Proud Carpenter, s. — Pru7iella. Self Heal. A curious
name for this plant, which also bears the name of Carpenter's
Herb, from its reported healing effects when applied to
cuts. L.

c e(iC

1

«**»

rrn

""*

%tt

* « c «

.3C'C.

PYN CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 161

PuFFLE, z/.— To swell, to puff up. " Thine andiff is all
puffled up." L.

Pu GoRFFiN, V. — To make faces : literally to pull faces, l.

PuLLEN, s. — An O.W. used by Gerard for poultry. French
poulet, L.

PuMMER, adj. — Big, plump, l.

Pun, v. — To pound, to beat down, to ram hard. " Pun it
well." K.S. pwn'atiy to pound.

PuNCE, V. — From punch. Punching in other places means
to beat with the fist, but punce with us is kicking, a much more
serious thing, and is more synonymous with Purr, q.v. l.

PuNGER, V. — To bother or puzzle. A man in distress said,
" I'm so pungered, au dunna know which eaver to turn to."
To punge, in Scotch means to prick or sting like a man or
beast worried by a cloud of musquitoes. w.

PuNGOw, v., PuNGOWiNG, part — Very much the same as
PuNGER. To bother. Bothering, wearing, A. S.//^;//<a!;/, r^;//^r^r^.
" To lead a threppoing, pungowing Hfe," means the sort of life
where it is hard to make both ends meet, when one is puzzled
how to get on ; a hand-to-mouth sort of existence, l.

Pur, or Purr, v. — To kick with thick boots or clogs.
" Let's purr him," often proves synonymous with " Let's kick
him to death." l.

Putter, v., Puttering, part. — An unhealthy state of the
body of cattle, when the skin feels as if it had paper under it ;
perhaps from/?/i-, matter, l.

Puve, v. — To prove, or turn out, pregnant, applied to
cattle, w.

Pynck, s. — A pinch. " Aye pynckes is your paye," Chester
PlaySy i. p. 126. L.

M

i62 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. QliU

Q

Quakers, s— Quaking grass. Bri'za media, l.

Qualified, adj. — Able. An old labourer in Cheshire used
the word thus. " I'm as qualified as he be ; and qualifider
too." L.

QuANK, adj. — Quiet, l.

Quarrel, s. — A small square of glass, set in lead, diamond
fashion, l.

Quarrel Picker, s. — A sobriquet for a glazier, l.

Quarry, s. — The same as quarrel, a square pane of glass,
set with the point upright, w.

Quebec Cover. — I mention this to show how a new word
is formed. A round clump of fir trees grows between High
Leigh and Belmont, supposed to have been planted soon after
the taking of Quebec and thence named. Mr. Warburton
was planting .on part of his estate what Byron calls "a diadem
of trees." A man who saw him superintending the planting
said, " Esquire, I sees you be planting a Quebec." l.

Queen's Feather, s. — The London Pride. Saxifraga
umbrosa. l.

Queere, s. — A curious spelling of choir. Prestbury accounts
(church) 1572. Also frequently so called in the chapter
accounts of Chester Cathedral, l.

Queeze, s. — A quest, a wood pigeon, from the note, Latin
queror^ I complain, part, questus. Virgil alludes to this com-
plaining note — '''Nee gemere aeria eessabit ttirtur ab idmo.''
There is an O.C.P. " Like the quest, always saying 'do do,'
but everybody knows it makes the worst nest i' th' wood,"
referring to those, whose theory is better than their practice.
Aqueeze's nest is so slightly put together, that the eggs it con-
tains are generally visible through the sticks. There is another

RAG CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 163

peculiarity about the bird; the complaining note is never
finished, but the bird always breaks off in the middle. There
is a farm in Cheshire called " Queesty Birch." l.

QuEiNT, adj. — Quaint. A " queint lad," a fine lad, used
ironically. L.

QuERKE, s. — A nookshotten pane of glass, or any pane
whose sides and top run out of a square form. A querke is
a rhomb, in which shape, that is with the points uppermost, all
panes of glass were anciently cut and placed. Holme's
Academy of Armoury, w.

Quicks, s. — Thorns planted for hedges ; also called wicks.
It is curious that ** wick'^ is Cheshire for alive, and "quick" is
the biblical word for the same thing.

QuiFTiNG Pots, s, — Half gills, a measure for drink, l.

Quillet, s. — Small plots of land, surrounded, but without
a fence, by those of other proprietors ; a term commonly used
on the banks of the Dee. l.

Quillet Stones, s. — Boundary stones to mark where one
man's quillet ends and another's begins, l.

Quilt, z'.— To beat. *' I'll quilt his hide, if I catch him." w.

QuiRKEN, V. — To choke, l.

R

Rabbidge, i". — A rabbit. "There's lots of rabbidges in
that field." l.

Rabbled, /^r/. — Ravelled, entangled, l.

Rabblement, s. — A noisy crowd. It was said of a recent
election in the County Palatine, "The rads got all the
rabblement, but our side got the voots." l.

Racconals, s. — Oxslips. l.

M 2

i64 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. RAG

Race, s. — Race of onions ; a string or wreath of onions tied
up for sale. l.

Rache, v. — To smoke. *'- Chimley raches." l.

Rack, v. — Cheshire for rick or stack. A sort of combina-
tion of both. L.

Racked up. — Choked. " The pipe (or the suff) is racked
up." L.

Raddle, v. — To beat. " I'll raddle thy bones for thee," />.,
** 111 thrash you." l.

Raddle and Daub. — In some counties, where a young
couple married with an entire carelessness for the future, and
absolute want of preparation, the neighbours met and built a
house for them with raddle and daub, a sort of rough basket
or frame work of long sticks and mud. In Cumberland, this
is called a " clay daub en." It is often found filHng up the
interstices of the old timber houses. The daub seems to have
given a name to a trade. There is an old Cheshire saying
relating to the mayors of Altrincham and Over —

** The mayor of Altrincham and the mayor of Over,
The one is a thatcher, the other a dauber."

It is sometimes called " wattle and dab." Clay being a non-
conductor makes a warm house in winter, and a cool one in
summer. Instinct teaches the blackbird and thrush to use
clay for their nest, as they always nest in cold weather, l.

Radling, s. — A long stick or rod, taken either from a
staked hedge, or from a bam wall, made with long sticks twisted
together and plastered with clay. " Radyll of a carte cosfee."
Pal. QucEre if not a raddling. Raddles are hurdles. In
Fleming's Dictionartey we read, *• A hartheled wall, or ratheled
with hasell roddes, wandes, or such other." Paries crati-
cilus, w.

RAM CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 165

Rain, pronounced Reen, s. — We have a curious saying about
rain. " Rain has such narrow shoulders, it will get in any-
where." An Irishman was paying a priest, by instalments, for
getting his father out of purgatory. " How is he going on ? "
asked the son on paying one of his visits to the priest. *' Oh,
we've got his head and a shoulder out." The son immediately
returned the money he was going to give to the priest to his
pocket. " You mane Omedawn ! why don't you give me the
money to get ye father quite out ? " " Oh," says he, " I won't
trouble you any more, me father allis said that if he could get
his head and one arm out of jail, he could free himself." l.

"To Raise one downstairs." — A Cheshire saying which
means getting a disadvantage instead of an advantage, like
being made one of the hands of a mill, after having been an
overlooker. This is sometimes described as a '* back-handed
lift." L.

Rake up the fire, — is not only to rake out the bottom of
the grate, but also to supply it well with coals, to keep up the
fire during the night ; a custom followed by kitchenmaids
where coal is plentiful, w. It probably traces its origin to the
time when turf was the fuel of Cheshire, and when the right of
turbary was an important article in any lease or agreement. In
Ireland now-a-days, the whole of the ashes of the turf of the
day are heaped up at night, and in the morning the fire has
only to be uncovered and a fresh piece of turf to be put on to
make an immediate and bright fire. l.

Rakussing, atij. — Boisterous, noisy, obstreperous, like
racketing and racket, l.

Rame, Ream, or Rawm, v. — To stretch out the arm, as if to
reach anything; from the Teutonic raemen^ extendere. KiL
w. Also a synonym for to roam. Perhaps from (Latin)
ramus y a branch, a thing that stretches out or extends.

i66 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. RAM

Rammel, s. — Cold, unfruitful ground, l.

A Rampicked Tree, — is a stag-headed tree, one that is be-
ginning to die at the top and at the ends. w. Swift was found
once contemplating a tree of this sort, and expressed a hope
(that was not realized) that he should not die first at the top.
One of the meanings of a pike is a spike, so rampicked means
with a head like a ram's horn, a similar derivative to stag-
headed.

Rank, Ronk, adj. — In a passion. jRauc^ A.S., superbus^
acediosus. w. Rank and ronk have also a superlative meaning.
" He's a ronk bad 'un," i.e.^ " He's a thorough scamp."

Rank ripe, or Ronk ripe, adj. — Full ripe, over ripe. l.

Ranstiest, plural adj. — Difficult, hard. " It's the ranstiest
job that au eever heard on," '' It's the toughest job," &c. l.

Ranting Widow, s. — The Willow Herb. The French Rose,
Bay Willow Herb. Gerarde introduced it to Cheshire, from
Hooke, in Yorkshire, l.

" Rap and Ring." — Scrape together, l.

Rap-a-tag, s. — A name for a ne'er-do-well, a scamp, l.

Rappit it ! or Rot it ! — Exclamation of anger, w. Like
" Confound it ! "

Rare, 7;., for Rear. — To stand up. " She was rared agin
the table," />., She stood up against the table, l.

Rase-brained, adj. — Violent, impetuous, mad — perhaps
rash-brained — though rase/id in German is mad. w. It may be
what we call in Cheshire "having a slate off"; in France
they have lele mojitce.

R ASS ART, adj. — Vexed, ill-tempered, l.

Ratstail grass, also called Oatstail, s. — Phleum p7'ate7ise.

L.

REE CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 167

Raught, v. — Perfect of to reach. Shakespearian, w.

Raw, v. — To pull excessively. " Rawing hissel to death,"
" Pulling and rawing." l.

Rawmy, adj. — Applied to a crop of corn smothered with
weeds, laid, or otherwise spoilt, l.

Rawny, s. — A dead bough on a growing tree. " Chips and
rawnies belong to the fallen'* O.C.S. l.

Razzer, j-.— The razor, l.

Razzor, s. — A small cop or hedge narrow at the top. Some-
times an adjective, l.

** They didna stop for razzur cop."

Warburton's Hunting Songs.

Razzored, part. — Enraged, l.

Reawk, — V. Reawkin, s. — To meet for a gossip. A gossip-
ing meeting, l.

Reckon, v. — To imagine, to think, "Au reckon he'll
come." w.

Red Butcher, also Red Jack, s. — Lychnis diurna — Red
Campion. L.

Red Legs, s. — Polygonum persicarium. Knot Grass, l.

Red Linnet, j.— The Goldfinch, l.

Red Rag, s. — The Poplar, so called from its red catkins, l.

Ready, v. — To comb the hair. Jamieson has " to red the head
or the hair, to loosen or disentangle it." w. Also to correct,
to set a person right who is wrong.

Reean, s. — A small gutter. A.S. Rin, a stream. Greek
p'€(i), fluo. Randle Holme calls a reean the distance between
two buts. w. Also pronounced rein : in fact, the gutter, or
lowest part between two buts, which carries off the water.

[68 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. REE

Reef, s. — A rash on the skin, the itch, or any eruptive
disorder ; from its being rife or reef, />., frequent, and thick
on the skin. w.

Reek, v. and s. — The noise made by pheasants as they go
up to roost. L.

" Reen meks 'em peck 'em, " — />., " The rains makes them
peck themselves," said of ducks, l.

Reer, v. — To raise up, to set on end. l.
Reerin, 5.— The supper given to workmen when a new
house is roofed in. l.

Reesty, adv. — Rusty. " A bit o' reesty bacon." l.

Reet, adj. Right. — Used, Hke right, superlatively. "I'm
reet glad to see you, that I am," " Reet nought," good for
nothing, w.

Reeve, v. — To separate winnowed corn from the small
seeds ; this is done by what is called a ^' reeving " sieve, w.

Render, v. — To separate or disperse ; ^uasi, rend (a
bibHcal word). " To render suet," means to break it to pieces,
cleanse, and melt it down. w.

Resolve, v. — To explain. " Au canna mak it out, yoe mun
resolve it." l.

Resorter, s. — Frequenter, an uncommon word found in
" Newes out of Cheshire of the neiv found wellj^ a.d. t6oo. l.

Rheumatiz, s. — Rheumatism. *' Rheumatiz," in the opinion
of some, is shifting : it is rheumatism when it takes possession
of a limb. A sacramental sixpence, constantly worn, is supposed
to be a charm against rheumatism in all its branches. A story
is told of an old woman who wanted to be confirmed, though
it was known she had already been confirmed at least twice.
She was taxed with this ; " Au knows au has," said she, " but
au finds it good for the rheumatics." l.

RIN CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 169

Rick, v. and s. — The noise made by a polecat or ferret, l.

Rid, v. — In the sense of to get rid of. Used with us to
express clearing ground of trees or bushes for cultivation.
"To rid gorse," "To rid up roots." A.S. aredde7i, to rid
away. w.

Riders, s. — The sheaves put over the others (Hke a person
riding) to keep off the wet; also called "hooders," a word
conveying the same idea of covering, l.

RiDGWiTH, s. — The back band in cart harness; in other
places called the ridge band, ridger, ridge stay, ridge rope,
from " rig," the back. l.

Riding the Stand. — Stang means a pole. A sort of rough
Lynch justice, or injustice, as the case may be. If a man
was found untrue to his wife, or who has beaten her savagely ;
or if a wife misbehaved to her husband, the offender used to
be carried on a pole through the parish : now, it has changed
more into a great row of a mob at the offender's door. l.

Riff-raff, s. — The mob, the lowest orders of the lower
orders. Vide Rabblement. l.

Rig, v. and sub, — To quiz. A quiz. " Oi thought he meant
it, but he wur ony riggin, after aw." l.

Rigatt, or Rigott, s. — A small channel made by the rain
out of the common course of the water, w. Also a spout under
the eaves of a house.

RiGG, s. — A gale. The Equinoctial gales are called
Michaelmas riggs. w. Riggs also mean rough horse-play,
practical jokes. "None o' thy riggs."

Rind, or Roind, adj, — Mispronunciation of Round. L.

"As roind an' plump as turmits be."

Warburton's Hunting Songs.

70 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. rin

RiNER, s. — A toucher. A term at quoits, used when the
quoit touches the peg or mark. A whaver is when it rests on
the peg, and hangs over and wins the cast. " To sked riners
with a whaver," an O.C.P. for ray, means to surpass some-
thing clever or skilful, by something still better ; in fact, it is
the JVe plus extra razor, improved. Rinda, Ost Got, Ihre.
Rennett, tangere (Wach). w.

Ring stake, s. — The stake to which the cows in a shippin
are tied. When men or women marry for fortune they are
said, according to the O.C.P., "To like the boose but not the
ring-stake," i.e. they like the plenty round, but fret at the
confinement and chains with which plenty has been pur-
chased. L.

Rinks, s. — Circle, quasi ring. Part of Tabley Park is so
called. A.S. ring, or hring. l.

Rip, v. — To speak violently. "Moi word aloive, how he
did rip and swear." l.

Rise, or Rice, s. — A twig or branch. O.W. Chaucer. In
Cheshire its compound, Pea Rise, is still used for pea-sticks.
Danis Ricsz, virga. AS. Hris ; long and small boughs to
make hedges, risewood. w.

Risenon, par. — See Hoven. l.

RiSH, s. — A rush. It was anciently written rysch or rysshe.
P.P.C. Sir Thomas More in his Apologie writes it ryssche. w.

RisoME, or RiSM, s. — The head of the oat. '' Well risomed "
is well headed ; some think it comes from the Latin racemus,
but probably it has the same origin as Rise. Randal Holme,
in his Academy of Armoury, hsiS "rizomes," the sparsed ears
of the oat in the straw. A rizome head, a chaffy sparsed head ;
the corn in the oats are not called oats but *^ rizomes." w.

ROO CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 171

RiTTLiNG, s. — The weak one of a litter of pigs. Hence
any animal or creature that does not thrive ; often applied to
a small dwarfed child, that seems to make no progress, l.

Roast meat. — There is an O.C.S. *' Roast meat does
cattle," which means that in the driest season cattle (provided
they are plentifully supplied with water) thrive well, as the
grass though short is much more nutritious, and the cattle
are not starved with cold and wet, as they are in rainy
seasons, l.

Robinhood's wind. — A soft wind that brings on a thaw
pleasanter to freebooters than a biting east wind. l.

RoBiNRUNiTH HEDGE, s, — The Bind-wccd. L.

Roche, or Roach, s. — Refuse stone. French, rocher. w.

RoG, RoGGiNG, V. part. — Shake, shaking. " A window or
door rogs with the wind," quasi rock. l.

Roger Gary's dinner. — A saying when the dinner is scanty,
or *• just enoo' and nought to spare." It has been said that
there is only one case when it is unlucky to have thirteen
at dinner; namely, when there is only dinner provided for
twelve. L.

Rogue, z;. — To cheat. "They rogued me out of land." l.

RoMPETY, adj. — Violent, restive ; said of a horse, l.

RoNDLE, V. — To lug by the hair. " Au'll rondle thee." l.

Rongin, adj. — Rough, unruly, l.

RONK, adj. — Vide Rank.

RONK, adj. — RoNK FULL, full to overflowing. A very
large wasps' nest is "a ronk neest." Also cunning, l.

Roods, s. — Used as a measure in length. *' I have not many
roods {^.e. yards) to go." l.

172 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. ROO

Rook, s. — A heap. Another form of Ruck, 9 v. l.

RooKiN,/^^/. — Collecting together. Perhaps from congre-
gating like rooks, l.

Room, s. — A quantity. " A room of water ; " t'.e. a flood, l.

RoosLE, 7J., RoosELiNG, J>art — To dust their feathers as
birds and poultry do, in sand, dust, or ashes ; perhaps from
rustling, the noise made during the operation, l.

Root, v. — To meddle, to enquire into. " Whatever are you
rooting at now ? " " I'm not satisfied, I tell you ; I mun root
into it a bit more." " Moind thy own bizzence, moi lad, an
dunna root into moine." l.

RooT-WARTED, part — A tree pulled up by the roots is
called root-warted, in contradistinction to one that is cut
or sawn down. Wart is a Cheshire word for to overturn,
^.v. L.

Rosamond, s. — The Wild Garlic. It is not the only case
of this female name being associated with an evil odour. The
following is said to be *' Fair Rosamond's " epitaph : —

•' Hie jacet in tumba Rosa mundi non Rosamunda,
Non redolet sed olet quae redolere solet."

RosYDENDRUM, s. — The Rhododendron. One of the new
patois words of Cheshire; the plant being one of compara-
tively recent introduction, l.

Rotten, s. — Plural of rot, rats. Rotta is Swedish for a
rat. w. " Snye wi' rotten " (i.e. overrun) with rats.

"Thanne ran ther a route of ratones." — Piers Plough, pass. i.
Rough nut, s. — The sweet or Spanish Chestnut, l.

^

• y ■% t

1 •

RUN CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 173

RouGH-NUTTiNG,/^r/. — Going out to gather or pick up rough
nuts. L.

RouK, adj. — Rich, fertile. Very rich. "As rouk as th'
Roodee."— O.C.P. The Roodee, the Champ de Mars of
Chester, naturally and artificially most fertile, l.

Round, «^'.— Coarse. " Round meal ;" i.e. coarse meal.

Roving, /^r/.—'^ It lies roving many a rood;" said of a
wounded or shot bird's plumage scattered over the turnip
tops. L.

The Rows, s. — A covered footway, below the third story and
above the ground story, existing in Chester and nowhere else.
The Rows at Nottingham, Denbigh, and many other towns,
are on the ground floor, on a level with the street. There are
many guesses, generally eminently unsatisfactory, for this
unique peculiarity in Chester. It has been suggested that
Chester should assume the motto of " Sub Rosa." l.

Ruck, v. — To huddle together like fowls, w.

Ruck, s. — Heap. " All of a ruck " implies untidiness or
entanglement, like uncombed hair. " Oi wur struck all of a
ruck, loike, for I thout oid seed a ghost ! " l.

Coal Ruck, s. — The place where the coal is kept. l.
Ruckling, j.— The least of the brood or ruck; vide

RiTLING. w.

RuD, adj. — Red. Rudheath. l.

Runagate, s. — An idle person, who is fonder of odd jobs
than regular work. A Biblical word. l.

RuNDLE, s. — A small brook, a runlet, l.

Rungs, s. — The staves of a ladder, l.

174 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. RUN

Runner, s. — Policeman. " The runners want him." l.
Runt, v. — To hum, to whistle, l.

RusHBEARiNG. — A custom scarcely defunct in Lymm, which
used to be common in other churches, and originated with the
time when the churches were strewed with rushes. The rushes
used to be cut in a field at Lymm, called the rushfield ; but,
a former Rector having drained the field, they had latterly
to go further for them. T/ie rush cart, most artistically and
curiously filled and ornamented with rushes, and drawn by
four grey horses, went the rounds of the parish, with a noisy
attendance, like morris dancers ; one man, dressed up like a
woman, bearing an immense wooden spoon. Like many other
English merrymakings, it unfortunately degenerated into a noisy
drinking-bout. l.

RuTE, V. — To cry and roar like a spoilt child. Ash calls it
obsolete. It is admitted here on Ray's authority. The rut of
the sea is the noise it makes dashing against any obstacle, w.
" The sea and the waves roaring." Stags when rutting (which
may mean the bellowing time) roar like wild beasts, though
the term is called *' belling," which may be a form of bel-
lowing.

Ryfe, Rife, adj, — Commonly known and reported. " The
news of his death is ryfe."

Rynt, Roynt, Runt, v. — Also an imperative exclamation.
To get out of the way. " Rynt thee," is an expression used
by dairymaids to a cow, when she will not make way for the
milker and her stool. Ash calls it local. Shakespeare uses it,
and it puzzles the commentators, w. There is an O.C.S.,
" Roynt thee witch, said Bessy Locket to her mother." " Aroint
thee ! " is used as a solemn adjuration to a witch, devil, or
spirit, to make themselves scarce and disappear.- The three
readings above, I should say, were derivatives from this word.

SAN CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 175

Others say, " Aroynt thee " is but another reading for a rooyn
tree, also called the wycken and mountain ash ; and in Scotland
rowan tree, the wood, fruit and leaves of which are supposed
to be witch and devil proof, and to preserve the wearer from
all the machinations of evil spirits. A Scotch mother would
not do her duty if her son left home without having a bit of
rowan inserted in some part of his . clothes. We hear of a
Cheshire carter who could not make an obstinate horse move
till he broke a wand off a wychen tree, when the possessed
animal at once moved on.

S.

Safe, adj. — Sure, certain. " He's safe to be hung." w.

Sahl, Sohl, Sole, Sow, s. — An ox yoke, A.S. sol^ orbita.
A sowle, to tye an ox in the stall, Som. A.S. sahle^ jiistis sudes.
w.

Sain, Sayn, or rather Sen, s. — The plural of the present of
the verb to say, as " They sen so," " Folk does sen so." To
add a final ?i or the syllable €?i to many words when used in
the plural number, as helpen for help, fighten for fight, driven
for drive, is a common usage, w.

Sain Ye ! — A term of reprobation, an oath. l.

Saladine, s. — The flower Celadine, Chelidonium majus. l.

Sanctuary, s. — The herb Centaury, l.

Sand Pot, s. — A quicksand. Often met with in draining,
sinking wells, and a great hindrance to small and great
works.

San Jam Pear, s. — The Green Chiswell Pear, usually ripe
about the 25th July (St. James's day), is so-called. At
Altrincham they have a fair called "San jam Fair" on July 25.
That day is almost proverbially wet.

176 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. SAP

Sapy, adj. — Foolish : perhaps only sappy mispronounced ;
certainly not derived from sapientia except on the principle
of lucus a non lucendo. Sapscull is common. More probably
from " sap," soft, like the pith of the withen, Sapskull mean-
ing *' soft i' th' yed." L.

Sarmont, s. — A sermon. The Irish pronunciation in the
song commencing with —

St. Patrick was a gentleman, and born of dacent people."

They make him preach a ** sarmont " which bothered all the
*' varmont," and he expelled snakes, &c., from Ireland for
ever. l.

Sartin, adj. — Certain. " Oim sartin sure oim reet." l.

Sauce Alone, s. — Also called " Jack by the hedge," and
Garlic Treacle Mustard. Alliaria officinalis, l.

Saugh, s. — The Sallow tree, as faugh is an abbreviation of
fallow, w.

Saver, s. — The sides of a cart, removable at pleasure, l.

Saw FircH, or Finch, s. — The larger Tom-tit. l.

Saw Gate, s. — The cut of a saw. The line made by a saw
in passing through wood. l.

Sblid ! excl. — An oath. " By his blood ! " w.

ScABRiL, s. — Knautia Arvensis. A sort of Scabious, l.

ScAFFLiNG, s. — An eel. There is a verb scafe (Lincoln) to
wander, from which it may be derived, l.

Scamp, v. — Means to do work badly. Contract work is
often scamped, soft bricks, incohesive mortar, green timber,
bad foundations, &c., &c. l.

Scar, s. — A rock. Often one overhanging a river. We have
in Yorkshire, Scarborough, the town of the rock. Overton
Scar. L.

SCR CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 177

ScAUM, ScAWM, s. — Litter, dust, disturbance. In the ex-
pression of *' kicking up a dust " we have the connection of
dust and disturbance, l.

ScHARN, s. — Cow dung. A.S. Scearn^ sterciis. Holland,
in his. translation of Pliny's Natural History^ uses '* bulls
sherne." w.

ScHEDE, V. — To depart, to divide, to separate. To pour
out or spill, w.

ScHOO', s. — Short for school. " Art off to schoo' ? " l.

ScouvER, s. — Scurry, confusion.

** Eh moy ! a pratty skouver then was kick'd up in the vale."

Warburton's Hunting Songs, l.
ScRAG-PiECE, s. — A carpenter's term for a useless bit of
wood that cannot be employed, l.

ScRANNY, adj, — Thin, scraggy. In Lancashire Scra?inel
is used for a miserable, emaciated person. Milton uses the
word scranel. In Speghel's Stdo-Gothic Dictionary we find
Skrimiy adj. Macer^ gracilis, w.

Scrape, s. — Seeds or corn laid on the snow, in order to get
a raking shot at birds. Perhaps originally scraps. We hear
often of a person " getting into a scrape.'' L.

ScRAPEDAYSTiONS, ScRAPE DiSH, s. — A carcful, miserly
person, l.

ScRAT, Scratch, s. — The itch. Those not satisfied with
the natural derivation of the word from the natural measures
taken for its alleviation, may like to know that the word
" Escrache," in Roquefort's Glossaire de la Langne Romaine,
means gale, rogue, w. The late Lord Derby asked a gentle-
man why he had not come forward for a certain town ? ** My
lord, there was an itch." *'The greater reason," rephed Lord
Derby, " for coming to the scratch."

Scrat, 5. — An hermaphrodite, is in Huloch. Littleton and
Todd have the word. A.S. Scritta, Som. w.

178 CHESHIRE G uOSSARY. sCR

ScRAT DOWN, part — " The bongs being all scrat down wi'
brids," augurs a good breeding season, l.

Scratch, s. — A hanging frame for bacon, l.

ScRATTLE, V. — To scratch as fowls do. w.

ScRAUM, v., ScRAUMiNG, Z^;-/. — To Scramble. Scrambling, l.

Scrawl, v. — Synonym for to crawl, l.

ScREEVE, V. — To ooze out, like water out of a swampy
place. L.

ScROWE, s. — A row. L.

Scruff, or Scuff, s. — The back of the neck. "He got
hoult of him by the scruff." Also Scuft. l.

ScuFT, V. — *^ Scuft him ! " Seize him by the neck. l.

Scufflin, adj. — Dirty, dusty, l.

ScuRRiCK, s. — Particle, scrap. " Not a scurrick shalt thou
have." L.

Scutch, v. — To whip. A London boy shouts " Whip ! " a
Macclesfield boy " Scutch behind ! " l.

Scutch, s. — A rod or whip; perhaps a variety of switch.
Ash admits the substantive, but rejects the verb. w.

Scutch, s. — Vide Couch-grass, l.

ScuTTER, V. — To scramble away in a hurry. We have a
synonymous word, to scuttle. Also to scatter. "Look out,
lads ! I'm gooin' to s cutter some marbles." l.

Scuttle, s. — A small piece of wood pointed at both ends,
used at a game somewhat resembling trap ball. Perhaps from
Scute, O.W. for boat, which it resembles in shape, with a
prow at both sides, w. Another name for the piece of wood
and for the game is Cat, which has something of scute in it.

"Take them who dares, at Nineholes, Cards, or Cat."— Peacham's
Thalia's Banauet, A.D. 1620.

SEL CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 179

Seal, s. — A wart on a horse, l.

Seath, or Seeth, s. — An old word, found in some legal
documents, for a brine- pit. It may come from the A.S. word
seethe, to boil. l.

Seave, s. — A rush. Generally used for a rush drawn through
grease, which in the northern counties, particularly in former
times, served for a candle, w.

Sedcock, Shellcock, Shercock, s. — The Missel Thrush.
Turdus viscivorus. l.

Seech, v., Seeched, part. — To seek, sought. To seech is
derived from the Teutonic suchen, queer er e ; as to seek is from
the A.S. seccan, qucerere. "w. " Give seech'd on th' settle, an'
up an' down, and conna foind it j " quasi search.

Seech, Seek, Sike, or Syke, s, — A spring in a field, which
having no outlet, forms a bogg)^ place. A.S. sich, a gutter,
w. Or it may come from soak. In Westmoreland soggy means
swampy. In Devonshire sog and bog are synonymous. A
land saturated with water is said to be sogged. l.

Seechy, adj. — Boggy, w.

Seet, s. — A sight, a number. " What a sect o' brids i'th'
air ! " "A seet o' damsels," i.e. damsons ; " A seet o' cater-
pillars." L.

Seetly, adv. — Sightly, good-looking. ** Ah ! oo's a seetly
wench." w.

Segg, s. — A bull castrated when full grown, w.

Segged, part. — Said of the inside of the hand, hardened by
labour, handling bricks, &c. " My seggs '11 show as oim not
afeart o' wurk." l.

SELLy pro. — Self. Mysell, yoursell, hissell. w.

N 2

i8o CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. SEL

Selt, s. — A thing of rare occurrence, a chance thing ; hence
seldom and selcouth (a northern term). AS. Se/d, rarely, w.

Sen, z/.— Say. "They sen he clipped her." *'Senyo'?"
Say you ? l.

Seneve, v. — A corpse which begins to change is said to
seneve ; so is joiner's work which begins to warp. Senade is
A.S. for signed, marked, noted, but I dare not assign it as
the origin of "seneve." w.

Serge, j. — The sedge, or water rush. Car ex. l.

Serve, v. — To serve or sarve up is to litter and fodder
horses and cattle, before leaving them for the night, l.

Set, v.—^o plant potatoes. " Them hands o' yourn's black
enoo to set taties in ! " l.

Set, s. — The cutting of the potato that is set. l.

Set, v. — To lease or let a house or farm to a tenant, the
same as let. In Cornwall the set of a mine is a lease of it,
or grant for a certain number of years, w.

Set, v. — Is to unload a marl cart. l.

Setten, adj. — Said of a tree or bush that will not thrive,
of no size, though old, — dwarfed and stunted by being barked
by cattle rubbing against it; overshadowed, or by being on
ground that does not suit it. " It's an ould setten thing." l.

Settle, s. — A long seat, made of wood. Vide Squab, l.

Settlestone, SiNKSTONE, Slopstone, s. — A hollow stone
for washing on, &c. l

Settlings, s. — Sediment. " Moi caufee's aw settlins ! " l.

Shackussing, adj, — Shambling, loose-jointed, l.

SHA CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. i8i

Shakassing, adj. — An idle ne'er-do-well is called "A
shakassing chap." l.

Shade, v. — To shelter, l.

Shake, s. — A raffle. " My mon won the picture in a
shake," from the shaking of the dice in the box, by which
the ownership of the thing raffled for is settled, l.

Shared, /diA-/. — Half-shaked means half-witted, l.
Shakes, s. — Value or importance. ** He's no great shakes."
Shakers, s. — Quaking grass. Briza media, l.
Shale, or Shull, v. — To shell beans or peas. l.
Sham, v. — To tread out a shoe on one side. l.
Shandry, s. — A farmer's gig. l.

Shank's Pony. — Another reading of the " nag of ten toes."
'' How did you come?" — "On Shank's pony," i.e. "on my
feet." L.

Shape, v, — To begin ; to set about a thing. " To be
shaping," is to be going away. Shape me, prepare me, make
me ready. M^appreter^ Pal. " To shape one's course " is a
common expression either in nautical or familiar discourse.
To shape is an O.W. used precisely in this sense by Lydgate
in his History of Thebes :

** And shape him forth upon his journie."

Shop is used in Piers Ploughman for went. w.

Shape, v. — is also used with an adverb \ thus, " That horse
shapes well," looks as if he would turn out well. " The boy
shapes ill," i.e. is not promising, his present does not argue a
good future, l.

Shape, J. — Vacca pudejidum. l. j

i82 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. SHA

Sharps, s. — The second quality of flour, sometimes called
" seconds." l.

Shattery, adj. — Harebrained, giddy, w. What would be
called scatterbrained. Shatter and scatter are parallel
forms.

Shaw, s. — A wood. Dan. Skov., a thicket, l.

** * Welcome,* quoth he, * and every good felaw ;
Whider ridest thou under this grene shaw.' "

Frere's Tale.

Shead, V. — To slope regularly ; pronounced skeed. w.

Shear, or Sheer, v. — To reap; also a Scotch word. I
remember a print of Her Majesty attending a shearing feast
in the Highlands, with collies, sheep, &c., all round ; whereas,
from the time of year, it was evidently a harvest home after
the corn had been sheared, l.

Sheath, \f. — The old name of the brine-pit at Northwych
(called at Nantwych "the Biot "). Hence "Sheath Street"
in the town to this day. Noted in Wright's Provincial
Dictionary as a salt-water fountain. L.

Shed, or Sheed, v. — To spill or scatter. Used for liquid
or dry substances. " The whin sheds its seed," " The lass
has shed the milk." In Bavaria, Schiitteji is to spill, or pour.
" Look at that yokel, how he's sheedin th' seed ! "

Shed, s. — Difference. " There is no shed between them."
It is also applied to the division of the hair on the head. w.

Shed, or Sched, v. — To surpass or divide. Scotch (Jamieson),
to shed hair, to separate it, in order that it may fall on each
side. "As heaven's water sheds and deals" (i.e. separates)
is a northern expression for the boundary of different districts,
generally the summits of a ridge of hills ; from the Teutonic

SHI CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 183

Scheeden^ separare^ or A.S. Sceadan^ dividere, w. We have heard
a great deal lately of water-shed, used as a geographical term.
There is, or used to be, a house on Broadway Hill ; the water
from one side of the roof sought the German Ocean, and the
other side sent its rain to St. George's Channel.

Shedom, Schedom, adj. — Surprising, strange. " It's shedom,
however," i.e. " It is so surprising as to be past belief." In
Yorkshire we have shed, surprised. " I wor fair shed to hear
it." — Craven Glossary, l.

Shelly, adj. — Applied to cattle when they are not thriv-
ing, or when the skin is not loose, and the hair stares, l.

Shepstir, or Shipstir, s, — A Starling, w. This bird hunts
amongst the sheep's wool for the insects that live in it ; and
is therefore called by its Cheshire name, because he stirs up
the sheep with his bill.

Shewds, s. — Quasi sheds. The husks of oats when separ-
ated from the corn. w.

Shides, s. — Billets of wood. l.

Shim, adj. — A clear bright light. A.S. Scima^ splendor ;
sciman, splendere. w. This word is perhaps the root or another
form of sheen. "And the sheen of their spears," &c. —
Bp. Heber,

Ship, s. — "At Nantwych, Droitwych, &c., the vessel is
called a ship whereunto the brine is conveyed from the brine-
pit." — Kennett MS.y Lansd. 1033, p. 363. l.

Ship, ^.— For sheep. In Chester one of the gates is called
the ship-gate. A farmer gave me a characteristic answer, for
one of a cheese county, when, after the cattle plague, I asked
him why he did not try sheep : " Au dunna like them ship,
au knows nought about 'em." l.

[84 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. SHI

Shippin, Shippen, or Shipn, s. — The cow-house, originally.
w. Most likely sheep-pen. It is curious that in Gloucester-
shire, a sheep county (where a sheep is called a Cotswold
Lion), the word for shippin is doosmg, from dos; in Scotland,
sheeling; in Switzerland, chalet. A.S. Scipene^ bovile.

Shive, or Shiver, s, — A slice, scrap. Dutch, Schyf; Dan.
Skifa. w. *' Cut us a shive o' that bacon, oud wench." We

have an O.C.S. —

"Go fiddle for shives
Amongst old wives."

Shoaf, or Shofe, s. — Another form of a sheaf of corn. w.

Shoat, in some places Shot, s. — A young pig, between a
sucker and a porker ; it is also a term of contempt, when
applied to a young person, w.

Shoe, v. — To shoe a ditch or drain is the last smoothing
and narrowing the bottom of the ditch, or gutter (with a spade
or *' shoo " with a round back, specially used for this pur-
pose), before the water is let in, or the draining pipes laid. l.

Shoeings, s. — The refuse out of ditches and drains, used
to fill up holes ; substantive of the preceding word. l.

Shommakin, adv. — Shaky. " I guess tit be shommakin." l.

Shonnah, or Shonna, v. — **I shonna." "I will not do so
and so." Some one has said firmness is " I will," and
obstinacy " I won't." l.

Shoo, Shool, s, — A shovel. Tusser uses shovel as a mono-
syllable, w. " Enny bom foo can handle a shoo."

Shool, Shoo, Shee, v. — To shoo, or drive away, anything,
particularly birds, from the corn and garden. Scheuchen^ Ger.,
to drive away, chasser. w.

Shoon, s. — Plural of shoe. w.

SIB ; CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 185

Shoot, s. —The weft, or woof, i.e. that which is shot
across; hence the projecting "shoot" or spout of a house, l.

Shoring, s. — A lean-to, or shed, built agahist another
building. A variety of the common word " shore." l.

Short-waisted, adj. — Short-tempered, l.

Shot, s. — Vide Shoat.

Shoulder-work, s. — Good, hard, navvy work. l.

Shouting deaf, adj. — A person is called so who is so deaf
that you must shout to him. l.

Shred, v. — To shred suet is to break it into small pieces.
In southern counties it is used for spreading manure. A.S.
Screadan, resecare. w.

Shut, v. — To get shut of a person is to rid yourself of him.
Dutch, Schutten, to ward off. w. ** Shut up ! " i.e. we want
no more of your talk.

Shuttance, s. — Riddance from a troublesome thing or per-
son. "A good shuttance" may be from shutting the door
upon an objectionable creature, w.

Shutting, s. — The harvest home. l.

Shutting a pit, — is a marling term, and implies that the
marlers have ceased to " yoe " marl out of that pit. l.

SiBBED, adj. — Related, of kin. To sib, or sibbe, is an O.W.
for relationship, still retained in Gossip; i.e. God's sib, re--
lated to God by the ordinance of baptism. Sibbe^ affinity,
Teut. Kilian. Sibberets, or Sibberidge^ banns of marriage, w.
Gothic, Sibja. There is an O.C.P., — '*No more sibbed than
seive and riddle, that grew both in a wood together."

ibo CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. . SIC

SicUjpron. — Such. Sichin. — Such a one. l.

Side, adj. — Long, traihng. Used as in Skinner's time ; e.g.
'^ I do not like side frocks for little girls." l.

** His berde was side with mych hare,
On his heede his hatt he bare."

Cursor Mundi, Man. Col. Trin. Cam.^ p. 33.

To SIDE UP, v.— To set straight, to ''fettle." -'To side up
the kitchen," i.e. to arrange it. *' Oos alius sidin things away,
but so sure as oi want 'em, theym never to be found ! " l.

SiDLANDS, s. — Sloping ground is said "to be on the sid-
lands." Perhaps originally slide lands, l.

Sin, adv. — Since, w. Two Cheshire rhymesters thus dis-
coursed to each other, —

"Ever sin the world begun,

Th' rainbow set afore the sun."
"That's a loy ; oi houd it good,

It's ony bin sin Noah's flood."

Sink, s. — The sewer of the house, w. Perhaps the name
takes one back to the old times, when drains did not exist,
or were made imperfectly, and the refuse sank into the
ground, instead of being carried away. The root G. Sanken,
or Swedish Sanka, to cause to sink, rather carries out this
idea. To sink was used to express the pouring away of

liquids.

" In the lordys cup that levys undrynken,
Into the almes dische hit schall be sonken. "

Book of Curtasy, Percy Soc.

SiNKSTONE, s. — Vide Settlestone.

SiPPERiNG,/^r/. — When ducks filter liquids through their bills
(as is their habit when feeding), they are said to be *' sipper-
ing." To sipe, in Lincoln, is to drain, l.

SiRRY ! excl. — For sirrah. A contemptuous term, used to
dogs. w.

SKI CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 187

SiTTEN, /dJ/-/. — Burnt. "Sitten porridge." l.

Six o'clock. — "It's welly six o'clock with him;" said of
one evidently failing, or, to use another Cheshirism, "going
down the brewe." Six o'clock is the hour at which labourers,
when it is light, knock off work, l.

Skavengers, s. — Officers appointed in the 17th century by
the lord's court of burgesses of North wych, as well as lead-
lookers, killers-of-salt, ale-tasters, pan-cutters, gutter-viewers,
and wood-tenders, l.

Skeer, v. — "To skeer the esse," is to clear the grate;
separating the ashes from the live coals. Perhaps a form of
scour, w.

Skeer, v. — To frighten, to scare. " Lawks, missus, how yo
skeered me ! "

Skellerd, aiij. — Crooked ; out of the perpendicular. From
Scheel, Teut., obliquus^ transversus, Kil. w.

Skelp, v. — To leap awkwardly, like a cow. Skelp, Scotch,
Jamieson's Dictionary, w.

Skelp, v. — To smooth the walls or sides of a hay-rick,
or hay-cart, by raking off and pulling out the loose hay. l.

Sken, V, — To squint. "He skens ill enough to crack a
looking-glass welly."-

Skew, v. — To squint. Tod uses this word only in the sense
of to walk obliquely, w.

Skewbald, adj, — Piebald, w.

Skew-wifter, s. — Anything out of shape is a skew-wifter.
" That hat o' yourn's a regular skew-wifter."

Skit, s. — A jest, a lampoon, l.

Skitter, v. — To scatter, w. Vide Scutter.

i88 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. SKI

Skittering, s.~A scattering. " A skittering of snow/' "a
skittering of leaves," said of a small quantity sprinkled or
scattered about, l.

Skitterwit, s. — A foolish fellow, a scatterbrain. l.

Skreen, s. — A wooden settee, or settle, with a high back
sufficient to screen the sitters from the outward air, was in the
time of our ancestors an invariable article of furniture, near
all kitchen fires, and is still seen in the kitchens of many of
our old farmhouses in Cheshire. So in Tusser's jFi've Hundred
Points of Good Husbandry we read,

** If ploughman get hatchet or whip to the skreene,
Maids loseth their cocke if no water be seen,"

i.e. if the ploughman can get his whip, his ploughstaff, hatchet,
or anything he wants in the field to the fireside (screen and
fireside being one and the same thing) before the maid hath
got her kettle on, then the maid loseth her Shrovetide cock,
and it belongs wholly to the men. w.

Skrike of Day. — Sunrise, or cock crow, which perhaps
accounts for the Skrike, q.v. l.

Skrike, Skroik, v. — To cry out, a form of shriek. Swe.,
Skrika. One of our commonest Cheshire words. " I gee a
wench a penny to noss th' choilt, and hoo skriked and skriked
welly the whole time." l.

Skuds, s. — Owls' skuds. The undigested pellets of hair,
bones, &c., thrown up by owls, and found in quantities in
places they frequent, l.

Skutch, or Scutch, s. — See Couch-grass.

Slab, s. — The outside board sawn off the sides of a tree to
square it. w.

SU CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 189

Slack, s. — Small coal ; also a low moist place between two
hills. Sometimes a hollow left in a border or field, that requires
filling up. w.

Slackwater, is when there is not enough water to work a
mill. L.

Sladdering Dray, s. — A small sledge, drawn by one
horse, l.

Slain, /«r/. — Describes the state of thistles cut down, and
before they are thoroughly dry, during which period the
points are innocuous, and the sheep and cattle devour them
greedily, as they are sweet and sugary, l.

Slanging, or Slanching, par^. — Prying. AppHed to a
cat. " Th' cat is slanching into everything." l.

Slanching Hook, s. — A sharp hook for cutting hedges, l.

Slancings, s. — The cuttings of a hedge, l.

Slare, s. — A slide. " I say, lads, the pit's froze ; let's have
a slare." l.

Slash, v. — Pruning a hedge, that is trimmed and not laid,
is called slashing, l.

Slat, v, — To put out the tongue derisively. *' Don't slat
your tung at me, hussey ! " l.

Slat, v. — To throw, or spill, w. More generally slatter.
Hence probably slattern.

Slaterhouse, s. — The slate roof of a house. " See ! ther's
a cat on th' slaterhouse ; chuck a stone at him ! " l.

Slather, v. — To slip or slide ; ** slither " is generally used. w.

Slattery, ai^j. — Applied to weather ; wet, sloppy, l.

I90 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. SLE

Slea, v. — To dry or wither, like corn or cut hay ; probably
for to slay. l.

Sleak, v. — To protrude the tongue. To sleak out the
tongue is to loll it out, only that to /^// might be weakness, to
sleak is an act of volition, w.

Sleck, v. — To extinguish, to slake. From Icel. Slagi\
humiditas. w. "Sleck th' fire ; " throw water on to extinguish it.

Sleead, s. — A sledge, l.

Slench, v. — A syn. of Slash, q,v.

Slickened, fart. — (Qy. sleekened), made smooth, l.

Slink, s. — The untimely foetus of a cow which is in calf;
when killed, the veal is called " slink veal." w.

Slink Butcher, s. — The lowest style of butcher, who deals
in old or diseased cows, or cows that have been killed when
in extremis, to prevent them dying naturally, and cows that
have died in calving, &c. l.

Slip, v. — " Cherry has slipped her calf," vide Pick. Cow-
slip may be so-called from its possibly having had the credit
of producing such a catastrophe. Another version is merely
cow's lip. L.

Slither, v. — Vide Slather.

Slive, V, — To cut off. Perhaps like slice, l.

Sliver, s. — A slice, w. " A sliver o' bacon's the thing to
stick to thy ribs, lad ! "

Sloamy, adj. — Applied to laid corn. l.

Slob, s. — Sea mud. l.

Slobber, s. — Wet rain. " Cowd slobber," cold rain. l.

Slood, s. — Cart sloods, are cart ruts. AS. Slus, slush,
slutch, mire. L.

Slog, s. — A slough j more generally sloos. l.

SMA CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 191

Slope, v. — To slope away, is to sneak away, and get quietly
out of a row. l.

Slotten, /«r/. — Divided. Slot and slotten are participles
of the A.S. verb Slitan, to slit. When at whist, the honours
are held equally, they are said to be sliven or slotten. w.
More commonly now expressed by " honours easy."

Slouch, v, — A boy, who saw a woman digging up on the
sly some stolen money, said, " I seed her slouching up th'
brass." l.

Sloven. — (Part of the verb to slive), divided, w.

Slubber, s, — Frog's spawn, l.

Slurr, V, — To slide. There is a Cheshire proverb, " To
as much purpose as geese slur on the ice." l.

Slutch, Sludge, s. — Mud. *' There's slutch upo' thoi coat,
mon." — ^Warburton's Hunting Sojtgs,

Slutch, v. — " To slutch a pit," is to clean out the mud.

Slutchy, adj. — Boggy. " That 'meadow's a slutchy, miz-
zicky hole ! " L.

Sluther, s. — Muck, dung. l.

Small Gang, v. — A term at a mill. When any man, or
big bully, has made himself intolerable to the boys amongst
the hands, they take measures to smallgang him. Upon the
principle that union is strength, they watch or make their
opportunity, and all at once, or by relays, fall upon their
oppressor, till as a matter of course they get him down, and
give him a most severe beating ; thus revenging the past, and
securing a future of peace, l.

192 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. SMA

Small Pox. — Cheshire cure for. Take a bun from the
shop of a person (whose wife when she married did not change
her name) without paying for it, or saying thank you ! and give
it to the patient, l.

Smarten, v. — For smart. **My feet smarten with the
cold." L.

Smastray, x.^-The Garden Warbler, l.

Smeeth, v. — To iron linen. A form of smooth, the effect
following the use of the iron. A.S. Smcethe, smooth, w. We
have the term smoothing iron.

Smelting, /«r/. — Or running lime. Preparing lime by mixing
it with water, and pouring it through a sieve, to remove impuri-
ties and any unbumt or unburnable substance that may interfere
with mortar, l.

Smitter, v. — A woman, whose husband (one of the beaters
at a shooting party) had been severely peppered by one of the
guns, told me his coat and face were '^ smittered o'er " with
shot. l.

Smock, s. — Shift. A common prize at former merry-makings
in Cheshire, fpr the best woman runner. In a notice of
Bowdon Wakes, 21st, 22nd, 23rd September, 1812, is the
following : —

'' Same day a race for a good Holland smock by ladies of
all ages, the second best to have a handsome sattin ribbon.
No lady will be allowed to strip any further than the smock
before starting." The same word is used in Heligoland for a
shift, l.

Smoothing Iron, s. — Vide Smeeth.

Snagg, or Snig, v. — To draw away by the hand branches of
trees, to cut off lateral branches. A.S. Snidan, secare. w.

Snake Weed, s. — Polygonum historta. The Bistort Stitch-
wort. — Gerarde (Cheshire herbalist), l.

SOC CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 193

Snapstalks, s. — Stellaria Holostea^ so called from its exceed-
ing brittleness. l.

Sneck, v. — " Sneck the door." " Shut the door." l.
Sneck, s. — Latch of the door. l.

Snicket, s. — A naughty female child ; a term of reproach
for a little girl. L.

Sniddle, s, — Long coarse grass that grows in wet places ;
also rushes, sedge, and flags fringing water or marlpits. l.

Sniddlebog, s. — The sort of marshy place where sniddle
grows. L.

Snig, s. — An eel. " What have you got there ? *' " Nobbut
awhiskettle o' wick snigs." A restless child is said to *' wriggle
about like a snig in a bottle." O.C.P. l.

Snig, v. — Bringing anything out of the water by throwing a
stick attached to a string beyond it. " I snigged it to land."
Also to drag a tree along a road without loading it on a timber
carriage. L.

Snite, s. — Mucus fiasi. w.

Snitter, v. — To creep or walk slowly, l.

Snooked, par. — Overreached. *' I'm snooked," t'.e.^ I am
taken in, I am sold. l.

Snop, v. — To bite the young shoots of a hedge, as lambs
do ; a sort of a cross between crop and snap. l.

Snotch, s. — A knot or notch. Gen. Mag.y Pt. i, pp. 126, 167.
Snudge, s. — An intrusive, spongin;^ fellow, l.

Snye, rt^^*.— Overrun. ''The house is welly snye wi'
rotten," — The house is swarming with rats. l.

Soc, s. — The dividing part of the plough as opposed to the
coulter. The ploughshare. The plough, from the Gaelic soc, a
snout, beak, ploughshare, l.

o

194 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. SOG

Soc, SoccAGE, s. — A tenure of lands by rent being paid
partly in labour and partly in services to be rendered to the
lord of the fee ; the modern Boon work, g.v., is a remnant of
this. L.

' ' By waif, soc, and theam.
You may know Cheshire men," — Old Cheshire Manuscript.

Legends and Ballads of Cheshire,

Sod Sludge, s. — Sea mud, used as a manure ; also called
Slob, and Green Sod Sludge, from the verdure that rapidly
accumulates on its surface, l.

Soldiers, s. — Lychnis diurna. Red Campion, l.

Solemn, adj. — Mournful. " It's a very solemn winter." l.

Solid, adj. — Used for solemn, and has the usual meaning of
that word. I have often heard a witness say, '^ I'll take my
solid oath." l.

SoNGOW, SoNGAL, s. — Gleaned corn. Songoe, sangow, to
go sangoing, is to glean. Generally supposed to be so named
from picking up the single straws as in gleaning. The ex-
planation given by Kilian, Etym. Tent. , is preferable : he says,
Sang, sanghe, fasciculus spicarum, Germ. Sax., Secamb sang
gsang. Anglice, songe. The same word sanghe, a handful of
ears, is found in Scherzur's German Die. In Bailey's Dictio?iary,
i735> we find "songal, songle, a handful of gleaned corn,
Herefordshire." In Hyde (a Cheshire man, of the family of
the Hydes of Norbury) we read, page 398, " De religione
Persarum, pauperiores puella^ virgines tempore messis triticeae,
spicas legunt easque in parvum fasciculum seu manipulum
(Anglice a Songall) colligatas domum reportant." One other
derivation may be that gleaners leave their village all together
for the purpose of gleaning, in a sort of merry procession,
during which they sing as they go a Sangoing —

■»♦-»»

SOO CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 195

' Cantantes licet usque minus via toed et eamus."

I have never seen a party of gleaners in Cheshire, and it is very
rare ever to see a Cheshire woman working in the fields except
in the hay time, and even then it is rather the exception than
the rule. This is owing both to men's labour being better
paid tha'n in the south, and to the almost entire absence of
villages. So that women in detached and solitary cottages
cannot as in the villages leave their younger children who are
not at school, or under the care of some old woman, whilst they
are absent themselves. In Gloucestershire gleaning is con-
sidered a right ; and the inhabitants of Stow-on- the-Wold
having no land attached to their parish, by prescriptive right
glean within a circuit of five miles. Mowing machines, badg-
ing, and rakes, will soon make gleaning everywhere a thing
of the past. Sang in Devonshire means a handful of corn.
Sange, in Swabian, means a bundle of hemp. l.

Soop, SoPE, s. — " A good soop of rain," is a great deal of
rain ; " a soop of drink," means a quantity — probably a form
of sup. L.

Sore, adverb. — Very much. Answers to the Scotch sair.
Richard Brereton, Esq., 1557, of Lea near Middlewych, left
** two pair of sore worn velvet breeches." l.

Sorry, adj. — Worthless, like tristis in Latin, which not only
means sorrowful, sad, but also vile, of no estimation. " Te
triste ligjitwt ;" *' It's a sorry mess'! " l.

Soss, s. — A heavy fall. w. One of the many words like
s/a/>, cras/i, shatter., rattle^ where the sound carries out the
meaning. " He went soss on the floor." So in Latin, Pro-
aimbet humi Bos. l

Sough, s. — The blade of a plough, l.

Sough, or Suff, s. — A drain, l.

o 2

196 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. SOU

SouLiNG, part. — Pronounced sauling. To go *' a-sauling " is
to go about, as boys do, repeating certain rigmarole verses, and
begging for cakes or money, on the eve of All Souls' Day.
These cakes are called " soul cakes," In Letters frojn Spain^
by L. Doblado, p. 70, is the following : — " We heard the church
bell toll what in Spain is called ^ Las A?imias,' the souls.
A man bearing a large lantern, with painted glass, representing
two naked persons enveloped in flames, entered the court,
addressing every one of the company in these words : ' The
holy souls, brother ! remember the holy souls ! ' Few refused
the petitioner a copper coin, worth the eighth of a penny.
This custom is universal in Spain." Our Cheshire custom of
*' going a-souling " is the relic of the Roman Catholic cus-
tom. L.

SowGER, s. — Mispronunciation of soldier, w. "Wheer's
yare Moll ? " " Out alung wi' one of them sowgering chaps."

SowL, s. — A plough. A cow yoke. l.
SowRiNG, s, — ^Vinegar, or verjuice, w.

Spact, adj. — Quick, comprehensive, with one's senses about
one. "He is not quite spact," means "he is under some
alienation of mind," or, as we should say, "not .all there."
Spaca^ Icelandic, sapiens, w.

Spank flue. — Called by Halliwell spajik whew^ and which
I have heard simply as spang. A thoughtless bit of boy's
cruelty; placing a toad or frog on one end of a nicely-
balanced piece of wood and throwing it in the air, and jar
ring it to death by a violent blow on the opposite side of the
wood. Spank means a violent blow ; flew may be a corrup-
tion of fly, a violent blow that makes the toad as it were
fly off his perch. Spank whew^ would be a blow bringing
about a sudden vanishing away, wheWy or disappearance of
the frog. L.

SPR CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 197

Span, v. — To understand, to make out. " Au canna justly
span what he means." l.

Sparkle, v. — To disperse. Disperkleth is used in this sense
in the English translation of Bartholomoeus — De Proprietatibiis
Rerutn. w.

Sparling, s. — A fish \ from the French eperlan^ the smelt.
This is one of several words in Wilbraham's Glossary (many
of which, like rick, skewbald, peewit, slippy, titmouse, &c.,
I have omitted as not being Cheshirisms, nor even provincial-
isms), which in his time may not have been in common use, but
since his date have ceased to be, if they ever were, provincial-
isms. I have heard of sparlings in Rostherne mere, when
the tide backed up the river so as to cause it to fall into,
instead of running from, the mere. L.

Speer, s. — The chimney-posts on each side of the fire. w.

Sper, or Speer, v. — To inquire ; from A.-S. spizrian. Like
many of our Cheshirisms, we find it used in Scotland, l.

Spinny, s. — A small wood, a copse ; perhaps from spina, a
thorn. L.

Spit, s. — The depth of a spade in digging; i.e., about a
foot. *^ You mun delve two spit deep." Vide Graft.

Splashed, adj. — Drunk. Like **a wet time j" "wetting his
whistle," &c. L.

Spocken, part, of the verb to speak, w.
Sprag, or Sprig, v. — To nail rails together, l.

Spreesprinkle, s. — The Common Orchis — Orchis maculata.

Sprig, s. — A nail (metal), l.

Springow, adj. — Nimble, active. Littleton has spri?igal. w.

Sprinker, or Springer, s. — A thatching peg, made of
hazel, or other pliable wood. l.

198 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY.

SPR

Sprit, part. — A form of sprout; said of potatoes, or
corn, which germinate from being exposed to the heat or
wet. Vide Ackersprit. l.

Sprize, v. — To prize, or force open, a lock, drawer, or
box. L.

Sproze, v. — To boast. " What a sprozing chap you be ! " l.

Spur, v. — Spurring the banks of a river, is supporting them
from falling in, or being carried away by floods, by driving in
piles, commonly made of alder, l.

Sput. — Participle of the verb to spit. ''She sput in my
face." L.

Squab, s. — A sofa, generally made of oak ; and the old
ones are usually carved, l.

Squander, v. — To separate, or disperse, like a covey of
partridges, w. In answer to a question put by me to a
tenant relative to the whereabouts of his brothers, he said :
" They are squandered up and down ; " /.<?., all living at dif-
ferent places. L.

Squat, v. — To sit. " Squat thee down." l.

Squoze, part, of the verb to squeeze. I heard an old
woman say, *'She had squoze the leech well;" i.e.^ passed
it through her lingers, to drain the blood it had been suck-
ing. Sometimes pronounced " squozz." l.

Staggering Bob, s. — Name given to very young calves. In
Devonshire they call a calf a heathen, because he is killed so
young that he cannot have seen a Sunday, l.

Stail, s. — The handle of a broom, pikel, or rake. l.

Stake, v. — A cow is said "to be staked," when she has
some obstruction of the bowels, l.

STA CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 199

Stall, v. — To gib. Used when the horse refuses the collar,
or is too weak to spring to it. L.

To STAND A PERSON ON. — A curious expression. " It stands
every one on to take care of hissell;" i.e., it is incumbent on
every one, it is every one's duty, &c. w.

Stang, s. — A pole of wood. Old German, stanza, a bar.
Vide " Riding the Stang." l.

Stank, v. — " Stanking a drain," is when drainers dam up
the water ^bove them, that they may proceed with cutting
their drain without obstacle from the water, l.

Stare, s, — A starling. V. Shipster.

Stark, fl;^*. — An augmentative, quite. A.-^. stare, f orf is. It
is generally used in a bad sense : " stark bad." We hear some-
times, " stark staring mad," " stark naked," quite naked.

Starslutch, s. — A genus of the fungi Tremella (from the
Latin tremo, to tremble), a gelatinous substance found on
decayed timber and gravel walks. It is elsewhere called star-
shoot, star-jelly, star-shot, star-falHng, fallen stars, shot-star,
shot-Sterne, fairy butter, &c. From its sudden appearance,
it was formerly generally supposed to be the deposit of falling
stars, l.

Start, v, — To begin. "He started a running;" i.e., he
began to run. l.

Starved, adj. — Used as a synonym for cold. l.

Statitute, s. — Corruption of statute, l.

Staves, s. — The rungs or cross bars of a stile, l.

Staw, v. — A cart stopt in a slough, and unable to proceed,
is said to be stawed ; quasi, stayed, impeded. " Oi conna
eat no moore, oim stawed." l.

200 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY STE

Steady, s. — An anvil, l.

Stean, i-.--Is a jug of stone, earthenware. Stone is often
pronounced as a dissyllable, stooen, stean. w.

Steep, s. — Eennet. l.

Stele, or Steal, s. — The stalk of a flower, or the handle
of a rake or broom. A.-S. sfe/e. Ash calls it local, w.

Stepmother's blessing, s. — A little reverted skin about the
nail, often called a ^' back friend." w. Fide Flizzle.

Stig month, s. — Vide Gander month.

Stinking Nancy, s. — Scabiosa siiccisa. Devil's Bit, Scabious^
called by the French Fleur des Veuves. It is curious that the
Duke of Orleans (Louis Philippe's eldest son), when he left
his wife for Paris (where he was killed next day by jumping
out of a carriage when the horses were running away), presented
her as his last offering with this flower, gathered during the last
walk he took with her. l.

Stinking Roger, s, — Scrophularia Aquatica. Water
Figwort. L.

Stir-up Sunday — The collect in Trinity beginning with the
first two words, which is supposed to be a warning to house-
wives to prepare and mix and stir up the ingredients for mince-
meat for Christmas. L.

Stir, s, — A stir is any "doing" or " dooment," like a
wedding, christening, review, races, tenants' ball. I have heard
the last called a " comfortable Stir." l.

Stirk, s. — A heifer that has not had a calf. l.

Stirrow, or Stir About, s. — A hasty pudding. '^ As thick
as stirrow " is an O.C.P.

Stithe, s. — Anvil : used by Whitney. " For there with
strength he strikes upon the stithe." A.-S. stith, rigid, l.

STO CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 201

Stock, Lock, and Barrel. — An expression meaning " the
whole." " They'n soud him up, stock, lock, and barrel." L.

Stockport Coach or Chaise. — A horse with two women
riding sideways on it is so-called : a mode of traveUing more
common formerly than at present, w. Now absolutely
defunct, 1875.

Stockport Horse, s. — A pillion. When roads were bad and
impassable for wheels, a pillion was almost the only way in
which a woman could get to market. L.

Stodge, v. — To cram with food ; the result of which was
expressed by the American lady as feeling " crowded." L.

Stomach, v.—^l stomached (/>., I thought or guessed) as
much. Also to believe. " Oi can't stummoc that, no how." l.

Stomacher Piece, s. — An irregular awkward-shaped piece
of land. L.

Stone, v. — To stone a road, is to put large stones or boulders
on the road, to force carriages, carts and horses to go over the
fresh laid metal, instead of the beaten part of the road. A
dangerous but general custom in Cheshire, the breach of which
would be more valued than the observance, l.

Stcol, s. — A number of wheat stalks springing from the
same root. l.

Stopport. — Stockport, from the Latin Stopporta, L.

Stor, or Storr, v. — ^When a horse from bad roads, deep
snow, too great a load, or vice, stops in harness, he is said to
be starred, I cannot trace the root, but it is curiously the
opposite to stir. Stowre, according to Hallwell, means stiff or
inflexible. Vide Staw. l.

Stormcock, or Shellcock, s. — The missel, or mistletoe
thrush. L.

202 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. STO

Stou, s. — A stool, where a tree or shrub has been cut
down, and from which suckers have sprung. " It isna wortli
ridding up — it's an ould stou/' l.

Stowr, s. — Dust. A sheaf.

Slowk, or Stouk, v. — To put ears or handles to such vessels
as require them. w.

Stowk, s. — A stalk or handle to a pail ; it is also a drinking
cup with a handle. A sfowk of sde, from the/<^r/. of the A.-S.
siica7i, figere ; also a sheaf, perhaps from sto^ to stand up.

Strack, part — Abbreviation for " distracted." w. " Lave
the poor wench alone — oo's strack, oi tell ye."

Streea, s. — A straw. One, who having travelled, and
returned home with certain affectations and but little profit,
comes under the O.C.S. — "She hath been at London to call a
streea a straw, and a wau a wall." A curious proof of how these
two words were pronounced about the fourteenth or fifteenth
centuries.

Street, s . — When joined to a name of a place, it generally
shows the existence of an old Roman road. Holford Street,
instead of Holford Road, like WatHng Street, Chapel in the
Street, &c., Stretford, &c. l.

Stret, adj. — Narrow, confined, strait. "Stick a stret
jacket on him — he's crack'd." l.

Strickles, s. — The hone generally fastened to the scythe
for sharpening purposes ; also the stick used as mentioned in
the next word. l.

Strike, s. — A bushel. The word is supposed to originate
from the measure when full having a stick passed across it to
level it, and prevent more than the fair measure being given.
In contradistinction to this, we have the O.C.P., " Maxfield
measure — heap and thrutch." l.

SUM CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 203

Strike, v. — To reach an even or the desired heat. " When
the oven strikes.'' l.

Strimes, s. — The handles of a wheelbarrow, l.
Strippings, v. — " Strokings" and *' afterings."

Strokings, s. — The last milk of the cow, supposed to be
the richest drop : called also afterings and strippings. Vide
Afterings. l.

Strout, v. — To swell out. "The pasture maketh the
kines' udders to strout to the paile." " Ancient Account of
Cheshire. The Generall of Great BritdijieT Time of
James I. L.

Struck with Iron. — An apoplectic seizure to which sheep
and cows (generally previously to their calving) are liable.
They turn black, l.

Strushion, «$•.— Destruction, w.

Stubbo, or Stubbow, s. — Stubble, w.

Stubbo, or Stubbed, adj. — Thick, short. A rough head
of hair, unkempt and bristly, is called a " stubbory pou.'^ w.

Stuff, 5. — A keeper's term for game. "We mun have
more stuff in yon coppy." l.

Stupid, adj. — Pronounced stoopid, obstinate. " He was
that stoopid, he bit his nose to spite his face." l.

Stut, v. — Short for to stutter, w. " He's a stuttin foo ! "

Suck, s. — A ploughshare, l.

SucKiE ! — A general name for a calf, as you would say
" Puss ! " in talking to a cat. l.

SuMMAT, adv. — Somewhat, w. " Landlord, gie us a drop
o' summat short."

204 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. SUP

SuppiNGS, s. — The refuse milk after the cheese is made,
which supplies the pigs with their supper, l.

Surcease, v. — To cease.

** All civil mutinies shall then surcease."

Chester's Triumph, i6io. l.

Swab, s. — One of the many names for an oak " settle," or
sofa. L.

SwADDLEDiDAFF, s. — A term of endearment, — sweetheart, l.

Swag, v. — To warp, as timber does.

Swage, v. — To swage away is to reduce a swelling by
fomentation, or other outward application. Probably short
for assuage, the pain being assuaged by the fomentation, l.

Swale, Sweale, v. — To burn, to waste, to gutter, like a
candle with a thief in it. A.-S. swoelan. w.

SwALER, s. — A dealer in corn, or rather one who buys corn
and sells it as meal. w.

SWALLOWMASS, S. A glutton. L.

SwARY, s. — A swary of fields, fields lying together, l.

SwARTH, s. — Hay grass when cut down. Sometimes used
in speaking of grass before it is cut. l.

Swat, s. — Perspiration, sweat ; also the perfect of the verb
to sweat, w. " Lorz, ou oi doo swat ! "

Swearing Tremendous. — O.C.S., *' Oo'd swear the cross off
a jackass's back." l.

SwEE, V. — A swing. *^ Cum, Ted, an gie us a good swee on
yander swing." L.

Sweet Nancy, s. — The Narcissus poeticus, l.

Sweeten, v. — To bid at an auction, not to secure the lot
yourself, but to make others pay more. l.

TAF CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 205

SwELTED, part. — Overheated, " Sweltering day," a very hot
day. L.

SwENGLE, V. — To separate flax after it has been beat. l.

Swill Tub, s. — The receptacle for the pig meat, &c., from
the house, l.

Swippo, adj. — Nimble, w.

Swippo, s. — The thick part of a flail is so called. In
Norfolk the same thing is swifigel ; in Scotland swap is a sharp
stroke, l.

Switch clog, j.— The black beetle is so called, an omnivo-
rous insect, that will drink ink and eat leather, l.

Tatchin end, s. — Attaching end. A shoemaker's waxed
string, w.

Tack, s. — A lease or a part of a lease for a certain time is
called a tack, ?>., simply a take. A tack is a term of Scotch
law, and a farmer is a tacksman, w. An intack is a piece of
common land taken in to the farm.

Tack, s. — A taste in drink or beer contrary to its natural
flavour. L.

Tack, s. — Bold confidence, reliance. " There is no tack in
such a one," he is not to be trusted, w.

Tack, v. — A tailoring term. " Dunna stich thoi seeam afore
thou's tack'd it," O.C.P. for " Look before you leap."L.

To Tack one'.s teeth to a thing. — Is to set about it
heartily. " To tack a stick to one " is to beat him. In this
latter instance tack is simply a variety of take.

Taffy, or Toffy, s. — What is called " coverlid," or " cuv~
lit." Treacle thickened by boiling and made into hard cakes.

2o6 . CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. TAF

Tafia, or Taffiat, s. — Sugar and brandy made into cakes.
French, w.

Taigh, or Tay, v. — To take. Synonyms of tack. " Tay
him whoam — he's bad," take him home — he's ill. l.

Tail-shoten soker ; also called Tailsoke, s. — A disease
of a cow's tail. l.

Take all one's time. — An expression for, " It is all I can
do." A baby was ordered not to be fed for a quarter of an
hour. The nurse said, '^ It will take me all my time to keep
the child a quarter of an hour without food." l.

Taking up. — Getting finer, applied to the weather. " I hope
it will take up." " It has took up at last." Said also of a
drunkard who has *' taken the pledge." l.

Taking. — "The ice is taking" means it is beginning to
freeze. PYde Crisping, l.

Tank, s. — A blow. " Gee him a tank o'er the ear," i.e.
" Give him a box on the ear." l.

T' Antony's Pig. — " To follow one like T' Antony's pig,"
O.C.P. The pig is supposed to be sacred to St. Antony.
Upon some death resulting to a great man in the streets of
Paris, from his horse falling over a stray pig, all the pigs
except those belonging to a monastery dedicated to St. Antony
(which were exempted on condition of their wearing a bell)
were banished the streets. From other accounts, it appears
that in consequence of the gratitude of pig proprietors to St.
Antony for miraculously exterminating all pig ailments, a pig
with a bell round his neck was kept at the expense of the
parish. The seal of St. Antony's College in London was
about the size of a crown, and represented the saint preaching
with his pig at his feet. All the stray pigs in London, not

TAT CHESHIRE GLOSSARY? 207

owned, were granted to the hospital. A belled pig is carved
outside Winwick church, near Warrington. There is a French
proverb, QiiHl va de porte en porte^ comme les cochons de St.
Antoine.

Tantrels, or Tantrums, s. — Freaks, whims. It is often
said of a child when peevish or spoilt, that he is in his
tantrums, w.

Tardy, s. — A fine for being late. The accounts of the
company of smiths, cutlers, pewterers and cardmakers at
Chester contain many similar entries to the following — " Nov.
II, 1679, received from Reignold Woods for a tardy, 3^'."
From tardus Latin, l.

Tarnation, adj. — A word that has a superlative effect on its
adjunct. " Tarnation shame " is what boys at school would
call an awful, horrid or infernal shame, l.

Tarporley Peach, j-.— The Aston town pear is so called,
as it is generally ripe about the time of the Tarporley races
and the meeting of the club, which takes place in the first week
in November, l.

To Tarr on, v. — To excite to anger and violence, still
used in Cheshire. It is a good O.W. used by Wicliffe in his
PatJnvaye to Perfect Knowledge and also in a MS. translation of
the Psalms, penes me (Wilbraham.) "They have terrid thee
to ire." w^

Ta thy Harry. — An expression for wait, and seems a
lengthening out of the word tarry. There is an old German
word harren. L.

Taty, Tatty, Tatur, or Tato, s. — Abbreviations for potato.
A clergyman in discussing some theological point in his
sermon in a country parish, said that " commentators did not
agree with him." He had a visit next day from one of his
parishioners, who, displaying the treasures of her basket, said

2o8 Cheshire glossary. tec

that as he had preached the day before that cojnmon taturs
did not agree with him, she had brought him some nice " pink
eyes." In Punch, they make a labourer remove his son from
a school because "the master was that ignorant he spelt
tatur with a P."

TcHEM. — Vide Chem.

Te, adv. — Than. "Greater te that ; " very common, l.

Team, Theam, Tem, or Theme, s. — A royalty — granted in
old times to the lord of the manor, for the restraining and
judging of bondmen and villains in his court.

** Aye hy waif, soc, and theam,
You may know Cheshire men."

Old Manuscript

Ted, v. — To open out the hay, the first haymaking process
after mowing. Some derive it from the Bav. zetten, to strew. I
cannot see it. i..

Teem, v. — To pour out either liquids or other things. You
may teem milk or teem eggs, or corn ; generally used in
Cheshire for to pour. " Cum, missis, teem us a sup of tay."
It is found in an old poem (one of the Roxburgh Club reprints),
Liforniation for Pylgryines to the Holy Land. Swift uses it.

Teen, for tens. — Teens of pounds, a sort of plural plu-
ralized. l.

Teen. — When any one has come to grief he is said to be
" in fouteen," quasi in or //;2fortunate. L.

Teen, s. — Anger. A.-S. iyjian, incitare. w.

Tent, v. — To look after with a view to hindering, to prevent.

" * I'll tent thee,' quoth Wood ;

* If I can't rule my daughter I'll rule my good.' " — O.C.P.

THE CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 209

Tent, v. — Tenter, s. — To tent cattle is to watch cattle in
the lanes, that they may neither stray, trespass, nor break fences.
Tenter is he or she who tents. Also to watch. '* The cat
were tenting the rabbit." l.

Terrible.— Used adverbially as a superlative. '* He's
terrible strong," &c. l.

Terry-diddle, Terry-divil, Tether-devil, s. — The
Bitter Sweet, Solamun dulcamara — so called from the inter-
twining and complicated growth of the tough twigs, w. The
devil himself could not force his way through them. A York-
shire name for it is " felon wood."

Tetotally, ad%K — A superlative of totally (itself a superla-
tive). " He's tetotally ruined," /.<f., ruined absolutely, beyond
redemption, l.

Thack, and Thacker, s. — Thatch, and thatcher. Thekia^
Iceland., thatch; A.S. thecan, tegere. w. "As wet as thatch."
— O.C.P. Straw being always prepared for thatching by being
put into water.

Thander, adj. — Yonder. "Wheere's our Dick?" "Crewd-
ling in thander corner \ " hiding away in yon corner, l.

That, adv.—^o^ or very. "He is that stoopid;" "She
is that foolish." l.

Thatch pricks (or simply the latter word), s. — Sticks used
in thatching, w.

That'n, Athatons, adv. — In that manner, w. "Don't
gawp at me, I tell 'ee, athatons ! "

Thave, or Theave, s. — Ewes of the first year, that have
never had a lamb. l.

Thee Noan, v. — You know.

Not all there. — Used of a person who is supposed to be
touched in the head, or not as sharp as he should be. l.

p

210 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. THI

A THICK YED. — A stupid fellovv. l.

Thick, adj.— Iniimsite. O.P. *• As thick as inkle weavers ; "
i.e., tape-makers. '*Oim afeert yare Dick and our Moll's too
thick." L.

Think on, z;.— To remind, or remember, l.

Thisn, s. — In Hearne's Glossary to Robert of Gloucester's
Chronicle, we have this'ne for this ; thisne being the ace. case
of the AS- pronoun this. We do not use the word adjectively.
Thisn man, or thisn horse, would be wrong; but we use it
substantively. A that'n, or a this'n (manner is understood),
is in common use. In Norfolk, a-this-ne, a-that-ne, are com-
monly used for " in this manner," " in that manner." w.

Thistletake, s. — A duty of a halfpenny, anciently paid to
the lord of the manor of Halton, in the county of Chester,
for every beast driven over the common which was suffered
to eat or take even a thistle, w.

Thrasket, s. — A flail, or thresket. l.

Thrave, s. ■— Generally twelve, sometimes twenty-four,
sheaves of corn. w.

Threap, v. — To maintain with violence ; to insist, to con-
tradict; J>art., Thrept — sometimes Thrope. '' He thraped me
down it were noine, but I knowed it were a dozen." To
''thrape out" is perhaps more common, l.

A Threeweek, s. — Three weeks in Cheshire is generally
thus designated, as a substantive, in the same way as we speak
of a fortnight or a month, w.

Thousand Flower, s. — One of the many names of the
Toad Flax- l.

Thousand leaf, s. — Achillea ptarmica. Sneezewort Yar-
row ; used sometimes as a substitute for snufif. l.

THR CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 211

Thrippa, orTHRiPPOW, v. — To beat ; which may mean either
to beat with geers or with thrippows ; in the same way as
to strap or to leather means beating with a strap or leather
thong ; or it may derive its origin (as well as the verb to drab)
from drapa^ to strike or beat severely. Ihre has drapa^ per-
cutere; also to labour hard. Stubbes, in his Anatomie of
Abuses^ P- 97> has, " This makes many a one to thrypple and
pynch." w.

Thripple, ^. — The beating part of the flail, l.

Thrippow, or Thrippows, s. — The removable framework
on the front and back of a cart and waggon, put on when
hay or corn is to be carried, w. The Savers, q.v.^ are the
sides used for the same purpose.

A Thrippowing Pungoing life. — A hard life ; one of
sorrow, toil, and anxiety. Pungow may be derived from the
A.S. punian, confer ere. w.

Thrope, Throppen, —/<?;/ and part, of the verb to
threap, w.

Thruff and Thruff. — Through and through, using the
common pronunciation of enough, />., enufif, but in Cheshire
enough is pronounced as it is spelt — " enow." l.

Thrummell, s. — A large clumsy lump of a fellow, l.

Thrum, s. — Vide Powsells.

Thrunk, adj. — Crowded, thronged. " As thrunk as three
in a bed."— O.C.P. w.

Thrut,— /^;/ and part, of the verb to throw. " He thrut
it down." L.

Thrutch, z/.— To thrust or squeeze. " Maxfield {i.e., Mac-
clesfield) measure, heap and thrutch." — O.C.P. In contradis-
tinction to strike, where a stick is used to level what may rise

p 2

212 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. THR

above the level. Squeezing or pressing the cheese is called
**thrutching it." Palsgrave says, "Threche, pynche, pincer;
this is a farre northern term." w.

Thrutchins, s. — Curds, after the whey has been "thrut-
ched," thrust, or squeezed out of them. l.

Thunder-bolts, s. — The Corn Poppy, Papaver Rhoeas. l.

Thunna, s. — Thunder, w.

Tic, s. — The Cheshire word for the foot and mouth disease
in cattle, from which this county, as well as others, has suf-
fered so grievously since the introduction of foreign cattle ;
from the wilful carelessness of the men then in power, in not
enforcing proper preventive measures, l.

TiCE, V. — Per Aphoeresin^ for entice, w. " Dunna tice him
to drink, he's had enow — tak him whoam."

I'lE, V. — To marr)^ ; not used transitively. " He's not paid
for a quart of ale since I was tied to him." l.

Tickle, adj. — Uncertain, tickUsh. If in harvest time bad
weather interferes, it is called "Tickle weather." Tickle
is also applied to game, particularly hares, when wild and
ready to move. " The snow or frost makes the hares very
tickle." L.

"Tied by the Tooth." — A curious expression, explaining
why sheep and cattle do not break through fences, though
they are bad, because the pasture is good, which prevents
rambling, l.

Tike, or Tyke, s. — A little dog. Sue. Got. tik^ canicula.
A peevish child is often called ''a cross tyke." w.

Tin, s. — The till. w. Also the money it contains.

Tin, or Tyne, 7'.— To shut. "Tinn the dur;" shut the
door. \v.

TIP CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 213

To Tin, Tine, Tend, Tind the fire, z'.— is to light the fire.
The word tinder has the same etymology, to^nder^ to light
or kindle; Dan. Wolff"., or from Icelandic te?tdra, accendere.
Some derive tinder fi'om the Dutch tiiitelen, to tinkle, from
the noise made by the old way of dropping sparks from the
flint and steel struck together on the tinder, or from the
Swedish tyndra, to sparkle. Horman translates *' About candle
tending," hy primis tenebris. w.

Tine, v. — To lose one's temper.

**And he was an angry man, and soon would be tined." — Ballad,
Tyrannical Husband^ written in the reign ot Edward IV. L.

To Tine a hedge, 7\— is to repair it with dead wood. w.

TiNiNG, s. — The dead wood used for filling up a gap in
the hedge, w.

Tinsel, Tynsel, s. — In a deed of mortgage, 1637, the
mortgager gives the mortgagee leave " to take sufficient trouse
and tynsel, growing, or to grow, on the premises, for the fenc-
ing in and repairing of the hedges and heyment in and about
the demised close." Tynsell is evidently a synonym for brush-
wood. Tinetum is an old law term for brushwood for fencing
and hedging. Tinema?i was an old forest term for night-
watcher, or keeper, who looked after vert and venison, l.

Tip, v. — To discharge the contents of a loaded cart by
throwing it back. l.

TiPE, V. — To tipe over. To fall over in a fainting con-
dition. L.

Tipping, s. — A new Cheshire word ; meaning a railway em-
bankment formed by tipping waggons full of soil or stone.
A man told me one day that " the Tipping " near me was on
fire, the dry grass having been fired by a passing engine, l.

214 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. TIT

Tit, s. — A common name for a horse. A Cheshire carter,
seeing one of the horses he was driving in danger of faUing,
cried out to the boy, " Tit'l faw." "Wliat tit'l faw?"
answered the boy. "Baw. "—/>., "The tit will fall." "What
tit will fall?'^ "Ball.'' w.

TiTBACK, s. — On horseback, l.

TiTMAUPS, s. — A Titmouse.

To. — The sign of the infinitive, generally understood, — in
Cheshire expressed. Where in common parlance we should say,
" I saw him do it," in Cheshire they say, " I saw him to do
it." L.

ToART, To WART, adv. — Towards. This way. w.

ToATLY, or ToADLY, a^j. — Quiet, easily managed, perhaps
a variety of towardly. w. Well conducted. " A toatly young
chap."

Tom and Jerry, s. — A beer house, l.

Ton, s. — The one*: ton and tother, the one and the other ;
so in Hearne's Glossary to the Chrotiicle of Robert of Glouces-
ter ^ " ton " is used for the one, and in Sir T. More's Apology^
edition 1553, we find " Of the t'one, or of the t'other." w.

Toot, v. — To pry curiously, or impertinently, into our own or
other's domestic affairs. Toteji, O.W. for to look out. Totehill
is an eminence from which one can have a good look out. w.

TooTY POT, s. — A hole in a road or , pavement, full of
water, l.

Tops and Bottims. — An expression relative to the cultivation
of cottage gardens. Tops are fruit trees, bottims are vegeta-
bles. " Why do you not grow potatoes ? " " Au canna have
tops and bottims as well, and tops pee (pay) best." l.

TUM CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 215

Tow DISH, s. — Toll dish. A miller's toll measure, l.

TowLER, s. — An instrument for breaking flax. l.

ToYPED OFF. — Damped off, like an overwatered flower, l.

Tractable, adj. — Teachable, l.

Trammeled, Jfarf. — Trampled. * 'The cows has bin unlucky,
and broke fence, and trammeled th' beans all to nothing." l.

Trapessing, ^arf. — ^Walking carelessly through the mud,
like a beggar or child ; from the verb fra/ass, to ramble about, l.

Trashers, or Trashes, s. — Old worn out worthless shoes, i .

Trashert. — Poorly shod. l.

Trentall, s. — Lawrence Main waring in his will (1533 a.d.)
leaves money to pay "for a trentall of masses," />., thirty
masses, l.

Trickling, parf. — Applied to the uncertain scramble of a
wounded hare. " I seed the hare a trickling along the deitch,
through the brimbles under the boo of yon wicken." l.

Tron, v. — To contrive something in joiner's work or the
like ; perhaps to " try on." l.

Tron, or Trow, s. — A small cart. l.

Trossle, s. — Making a trossle of oneself — being slatternly
or turning out disreputably, l.

Trouse, s. — A thorn or bough, used to stop a gap in a
hedge, probably from the French frou, a hole. l.

Tumbril, s. — A dung cart. l.

TuMMUz, s.—A toad. l.

TuMMUz, s. — Thomas, w.

Tungled, J^arf. — Plagued, l.

2i6 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY TUP

Tupp, s. — A ram. l.

Tupp Cat, s. — A torn cat. l.

Turbary, s. — The right of digging turves in a particular bog.
A permission mentioned in many old Cheshire leases, when
coal was scarce, or, from bad roads, unapproachable. In many
parishes the bog has been drained and reclaimed, where rights
of turbary were exercised ; which accounts for many tenants
occupying small fields at a distance from their holdings, where
formerly turf was cut. This is the case, amongst other places,
at Sink Moss., in the township of High Leigh, l.

TuRMiT, J-. — A turnip, w. " As roind an' plump as turmits
be." — Warburton's Hunting So?igs.

Turn ELL, s. — The large tub used for scalding a pig. l.

Turn over, v. — To repeat. " Au hear's so many tales that
are na wirth turning o'er again." l.

Turn over, s. — An apprentice transferred to a new master, l.

Turn up, v. — " It wunna bear turning up," like a smart
gown over a draggle-tail petticoat ; said of a person who really
is not what he seems to be, or what he would wish people
to imagine he was. l.

TwARLY, adj. — Peevish, cross, w.

TwiGGERY, s. — An osier or willow bed. l.

Twigs, s. — Osiers, l.

Twin, zk — To twin a field, / <? , to divide it in two parts, w.

TwiNK, s. — A chaffinch, l.

Twist, s. — Appetite. " That lad's got a rare twist of his
own ! " L.

Twitch Clog, s. — Black beetle, so called from its omnivor-
ous appetite not sparing leather. Vide Switch clog. l.

UNB CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 217

TwiTCHEL, s. — I.e., Tway child, twice a child. A person
of weakened intellect in his second childhood is so called,
w. Twitchel also means a noose of cord at the end of a stick
put round a horse's nose, when he is obstreperous ; also called
a twitch.

Twitchel, v. — To tie up a horse or dog with a cord, to cut
a bull or a ram. From A.S. twiccan, vellicare.

Twitch, or Twytch grass, s. — Triticum repens, also called
Scutch, and Couch Grass, q.v. l.

Twite, v. — To cut j to whittle, to use an American expres-
sion, which is no doubt derived from twite, l.

TwizLE, V. — To twirl. Sometimes Twiddle. "There 00
sat, twiddlin her thumbs, like a great oaf ! " L.

Twothry. — A few. An abbreviation of two or three. " Give
us a twothry nuts." L.

Tynan, v. — To enrage or provoke, the same root probably
as tin, tine, q.v. L.

U.

l^LLET, s. — An owl ; also Ullert. l.

Ullert Hole, s. — A hole often left in the gable of a barn
to admit owls to catch the mice. l.

Umber, Cumber, Cumer, s. — The shade; Latin, //;;/^r^y
French, ombre. " Corn doesna ripen well 'ith umber." w.

Un, adj. — Gne. " Gee usun," />., '' Give us one." " He's
a big un." l.

Unbeknown, adj. — Unknown. " If he drinks, its unbe-
known to me," i.e., It " be unknown," or without my know-
ledge. L.

2i8 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. UKB

Unbethink, v. — To recollect, often implying a change of
opinion. Ash calls it local. To remember what was forgot-
ten ; often used when a man has asserted a fact, and on
second thoughts finds he is wrong. It is used as a reflective
verb. "To unbethink oneself;" it is an O.W. used in Sir
Robert of Knar esbo rough, one of the Roxburgh Club re-
prints, w.

Unco, Uncow, or Unkert, adj. — Awkward, strange, un-
common. Cockeram, in his Dictionaij, has " Uncoe, unknown,
strange," merely uncouth, w. In Scotland it is simply a
superlative. " Unco glad," very glad.

Undeniable, adj. — Good, or rather excessively good ; the
un implies the absence of fault. An undeniable road means a
capital road, in perfect repair, w.

Underling, s. — A cow, pig, or other animal bullied by the
others. " That is a little underling," said a farming man
pointing to a cow in a straw yard, " and the others run it." l.

Unkind, adj.—\x\ the sense of unripe, unready, " unkind
corn," i.e.^ not ready to get in. l.

Unlucky, adj. — Applied to cattle — it means they are always
" brockling," or breaking fence, and getting into mischief. I
have often also heard it applied to a child that is always in
mischief and getting into scrapes, l.

Up, adv. — For knocked up or tired. " I seed the run hare,
and she was welly up." l.

Up and Told, — or rather upped and told, making a verb of
up. To tell with energy and animation ; perhaps simply rose
up and told. w.

Upend, v, — To turn anything on end bottom upwards, l.

Uphold, v. — Pronounced uphoud. To warrant, to assert,
to maintain, w. " Give sed it, an oill uphoud it."

YAS CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 219

Upkeck, v. — To upset. Vide Keck. To upkeck a cart is to
tip a cart. l.

Upsides, adv. — To declare " you will be upsides " with
anyone, is to threaten vengeance for some real or supposed
injury or affront, w.

Urchant, s. — A variety of urchin. A hedgehog, l.

Urr, v. — To growl or snarl ; one of those words where the
sound suggests the meaning, l.

\Js,pron. — Me. *' Nan, gie us a kiss, that's a good wench.
" Oi shanna ; tak it thoisel if tha wants it." l.

Vz^pron. — Very generally used instead of us, and often
instead of "me." "Aw dunna want any moore leez, tell
uz th' truth." L.

V.

Value, s. — Amount, as well in measure as quantity — cirdter,
" When you come to the value of five feet deep." w.

Varging, or Barging. — Quarrelling. To varry means to
be at " variance." Barging may be derived from the Billings-
gate, in which a bargeman is supposed to excel. L.

Variety, s. — A rarity, w.

Varment, s, — Vermin, w.

Varment-looking. — Sporting looking.

'♦Ararment looking gemman on a woiry tit I seed." — Warburton's
Hunting Songs.

Vast, s. — of the adjective used in common parlance. — A
great quantity. " There's a vast of corn this year ; " " There
was a vast of wet last week." w.

220 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. YER

Very moonlight. — A very bright night ; curious from the
very being placed before a substantive instead of an adjective
or adverb. I heard it at the Chester assizes, l.

Vew, or View, s. — A yew-tree. A.S. I'w. w.

ViCARANT-suRGEON, s. — A veterinary surgeon, a farrier. L.

Virgin Mary's Thistle, s. — Ca7'duus Mariaiius. l.

ViVERS, s. — Small roots, fibres : perhaps a corruption of
that word, or from Lat. vivo^ as the principle of the life of
most plants is in their roots, l.

W.

Wage, s. — In general use instead of the plural wages. It
is thus used in The New Notbt'owne Mayd, by John Scott,
n.d. w.-

Waif, s. — Goods dropped by a thief; also goods and
chattels lost, and not claimed after a year and a day, when,
after certain forms, they belong to the lord of the manor.
— Vide Soc and Theam. l.

Waiter, s. — Water. The a and ae were interchangeably
used in the AS. language; hence the Cheshire pronunciation
of water as if it were written waeter or waiter, w. " Theere's
no waiter i' th' cut ; " no water in the canal. — Vide Cut.

Waiter hen, s. — Water hen. — Vide Dab-chick, l.

Wakes, s. — Generally used in the plural The feast-day
of a township or hamlet is often held on the day of the saint
to whom the church is dedicated. The word is never used
in the Irish sense, viz., a funeral, though the Irish wake is
more of a time for feasting, drinking and joy than sorrow.
In Cheshire the wakes are a great epoch from which to date,

WAP CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 221

and an opportunity absentees avail themselves of to pay an
annual visit to the old home. In the Golden Mirror^ sixteenth
century, is the following allusion to wakes : —

** No wand'ring unto waks those days did women use,
Nor gadding unto greens their life for to abuse." L.

Wake-robin, s. — The Orchis mascula. l.

Walk, v. — " To walk " a stone or other heavy substance
is not to carry it, but to move one end first (whilst the other
end acts as a sort of pivot), with a wriggling movement. One
man can thus " walk " a flag-stone to the place where it is
to be deposited, which two or three could not lift. l.

Wall, s. — A spring of water. O.W. walk; A.S. weallan^
to boil : hence well. w.

Waller, s. — A boiler. " Wych waller " is a brine boiler.
There is an O.C.P., " To scold like a Wych waller." l.

Walm, v. — To seeth or boil. The word is used by Randal
Holme and Gervase Markham. Same derivation as Wall. w.
Walmer, one of the Cinque ports, may owe its origin to the
same thing.

Walm, s. — A bubbling or boiling. Also a certain measure
of salt after boiling, l.

Wall-up, v. — To spring up as water does. A common
English term is " To well up."

Wammocky, adj. — Weak, feeble, l.

Wangle, v. — To totter or vibrate, w.

Wappow, or Weppow, s. — Railings placed across a brook
to prevent cattle encroaching or entering the neighbouring
fields. It is suggested by my informant, a lady near Stockport,
that the word may come from wapen and aue water, a defence
against crossing water, l.

222 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. WAP

Waps, s. — A wasp. l.

*' Eh ! oi say, lads, cum alung wi me,
There's a wapsis neest in thander tree."

Warch, s. — Pain. A.S. ware. w. Wherk is to breathe
with difficulty.

Ward, or Warld, s. — The world, w.

Ward, v. — To take care of ; to watch. — Vide Incle. l.

Warrabee, s. — Wart. The sort of warts often found upon
horses and cows, which require to be cut off or burnt, l.

Warre, or WoRRE, adj. — Worse. A.S. 7i'0j bad, woer ; 'Svarre
and warre" — worse and worse. Vcerre., Dan., worse. The
Danish v is pronounced Hke the English 7u. A.S. wirse. w.

Wart, or Walt, v. — To wawt, is to overturn ; chiefly used
of carriages. To waiter, in Scotch, is to overturn ; and a
sheep await is a cast sheep, w.

Wart-wort, s. —Cudweed. G?iap]ialium uliginosuni. l.

Wart. — Receipt to cure one. *' Scratch the wart with a
pin crossways, throw the pin over your left shoulder and do
not look behind you." l.

Waste, v.n. — To diminish, instead of the usual active
meaning, l.

Wastrel, s. — A rogue, a vagabond, l.

Wattle and Dab. — Vide Raddle and Dab.

Waunt, s. — A synonym for a mole, mentioned in the
Prestbury Church accounts a.d. 1720. In that year 11/. %s.
was paid for killing 1.320 moles or waunts. Vide Wooan. l.

Waur Day, s. —Week day as opposed to Sunday. " Nobbut
one suit of clothes, Sunday and waur day." l.

WEL CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 223

Waut, z^. — F/V/(f Wart.

Wayberry, s. — The Plantain — Plaritago major, l.

Waybred, J.— Synonym of Wayberry. F/'//<f Wybrow. l.

" Weal and Worship." — The closing toast at any Congleton
festivities, intimating, it may be concluded, that welfare and
religion should go hand in hand. l.

Wear, v. — To spend. " I do wear, or I have weared, a deal
of money on that farm." l.

Weathered, adj. — Applied to hay or crops that have been
too much exposed to the weather, l.

A Week and a Piece. — A week and a few days. l.

Weel, or Wheel, s. — A whirlpool, from going round and
round, like a wheel, l.

Weet, s. — Wet weather, w.

Weet, v. — To rain ; Wilbraham says, ** rather slightly."

Weighs, s. — Scales for weighing. We find it used as far back
as Laurence Main waring's Will Invetitory^ i557- l.

Weighdy, or Wady, adj. — Expresses good weight, or that
a stack of hay, a fat ox or sheep, &c , turn out more weighty
and consequently valuable than was expected, l.

Weisty, adj. — Large and empty, e.g. an unfurnished room ;
perhaps from a waste, l.

Weller, adj. — The comparative of well. "He is weller to
day," />., better, l.

Welly. — Expletive adverb. Well nigh, nearly, almost. A
very common but often merely a superfluous word, without
effect on the sense of a sentence. " We must welly think

224 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. WEN

about it." " Welly clemmed," almost starved to death. Some-
times it is used as the last word of a sentence. A.S. 7ife/
neah.

Wench, s. — A girl. A clergyman had been talking to his
school on the subject of regeneration. " Would not you like to
be born again?" said he to one of the boys. "Au shudna."
"I am sure you would," rejoined the clergyman. " Au
wouldna," sturdily exclaimed the boy ; " aude be afeert au might
be born a wench ! " l.

Wern, v. — Abbreviation of weren, the plural of iht pe?-/,
of the verb to be ; used only when a vowel begins the word
following, w.

Wetched, or Wetchet, adj. — Wetshod, wet in the feet;
whetshod is used in Piers Ploughman, w.

Wever, Weever, or Weaver River, s. — From the Welsh Wy
or Wye^ a river, and fawi- great. The navigation of the river
Weaver is a great source of profit to Cheshire. The river was
made navigable by the county. Her health is drunk as " Miss
Weaver." Drayton mentions her thus : —

*' But back a while my muse, to Weever let us go,

Which (with himself compared) each British flood doth scorn ;
His fountain and his fall both Chester's rightly born,
The country in his course that he doth clean divide
Cut in two equal shares upon his either side.
And what that famous flood far more than all enriches,
The bracky fountains, are those two renowned Wyches !
The Nant-Wych and the North, whose either briny well
For store and sorts of salts make Weever to excell," &c. L.

Whabble, or Whabbock, s. — Puddle. " The fields are au of
a whabbock," i.e.^ all of a swim. l.

Whacker, s. — A shake. " All ot a whacker," all of a shake,
like a person frightened or cold. To " whake " is to shake, l.

WHE CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 225

Wham, Wheam, prep. — Near. l.

" The cuvvur laid so wheam loik."

Warburton's Huntmg Songs.

Whany, V. — To throw, l.

Whany, i-.— a blow. " I'll fetch thee a whany." I'll hit
you. L.

Whap, s. and v. — A blow. In colloquial language a whapper
is anything very large, or a tremendous lie. " Oh, what a
whapper ! " l.

Whapped, part, or v. — When any one goes away suddenly
he is said to have whapped away, />., bolted, w.

Wharre, s. — Crabs, or the crab tree. *' Sour as wharre "
O.C.P. Verjuice, extract of crabs, we pronounce "Warjuice."

Whave, v. — To hang over, Hvoelve, Dan. To arch, to
hang over, to overwhelm : hv. in those northern languages are
equivalent to our wh, Hvid in Danish being "whete" in
England, w.

Whaver, s. — Vide Riner.

Whaver, v. — To drive away. l.

Wheady, adj. — That measures more than it appears to do.
Used, amongst other places, in the Prestbury neighbourhood.
Dr. Ash calls it local. Vide Weighdy. l.

Wheam, adj. — Convenient, near. Perhaps from home, pro-
nounced with us *' whome." Vide Wham. w.

Wheamow, adj. — Active, nimble. " I'm very wheamow, as
t' ould woman said when she stept into the bittlen," i.e.^ the
milk bowl. O.C.P. l.

Wheeltened, v. — Perfect of to wheel. *' I wheeltened the
snow away." l.

226 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. WHE

Wheint, «^'. — Strange, curious. F/^^Queint.

Whelps, s. — Puppies, l.

Whick, ad/. — Alive. Quick, w.

Whicks, s. — Quicks. Thorn plants for hedges, w.

Whig, s. — Whey, A.S. Hevoey, The origin of Whig as the
name of a party was from this word, which means *' sour
milk."

Whig, s. — Any obstruction to a drain, like roots, &c. " The
stuff is welly racked up wi' whigs." The derivation obvious,
roots filling up a drain like compressed hair. l.

Whinstone, 5, — A coarse grained stone. Toadstone, Rag-
stone, w.

Whisket, or Whiskettle, s, — A basket, l.

Whiskin, s. — A black pot, a shallow brown drinking-bowl,
Ray says it is Cheshire. " And wee will han a whiskin at
every rushbearing. A wassel cup at Yule, a seedcake at
Fastens." La?tcas hire Levers, 16^0. l.

Whistle Bally Vengeance, s. — Bad, unwholesome beer,
swipes. L.

White, v, — To requite. Citea by Bailey as Cheshire. " God
white you." w.

White Horse, s. — A comparatively new Cheshire word.
It is a triangle painted white, formed of three rails (two of
which are on the ground), connected by iron bands ; used to
turn carts, horses and carriages from the smooth part of a
highway on to that which has been newly broken up, or
stoned, l.

White LivERED, adj. — Ill-conditioned, deceitful, cur-like.
^' You white-livered hound, I wouldn't believe you on your
Bible oath ! " l.

WIG CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 227

White Nancy, s. — The Narcissus. Narcissus Poeticus. l.
Whitester, s. — A bleacher of Hnen. w.

WHO,/r. — Pronounced Hke " wo " (to make a horse stop) or
" woe," sorrow. Also Wom, for " whom." l.
Who.— The whole, l.

Whoam, or Whome, s. — Home, pronounced more like
" whum." We do not say " we are going home," but " going
to whum." L. - - -'

Whoave, v. — To cover, to overwhelm, vtde^HAyE. O.C.P.
" We wanna kill but whoave." Possibly derived from wave. l.

Whooked, adj. — Broken in health, shaken in every joint.
Ash calls it local — another form of shock, l.

Whot, adj. — *' Hot " was formerly written '* whot." In
" The Christen State of Matrimony e^* page 8, we read, " Then
shall the indignacyon of the Lord wax whot over you." It
is used by Whitney.

'* Being likewise asked why, quoth he, * Because it is to whotte,*
To which the Satyr made reply, * And blowest thou whotte and coulde ?' "

Whowhiskin, s. — A drinking black pot. Vide Whiskin. l.

WiBROW WoRROW, s. — The herb plantain. The old English
name is " Waybrede," of which word Wybrow may be a different
form. Waybred is also Cheshire ; also Wybrae, bred by the
side of the road, Juncta vice, a real " roadumsidus." L.

Wich, or rather Wych, s. — Several places in Cheshire and
elsewhere end in "wych" and "wich" ; the former finial betokens
salt, the other a town, from the Latin vicus. Thus in Norfolk
we have Norwich the north town, Northwych in Cheshire the
north salt work ; and we have Middlewych, Nantwych, and in
Worcestershire Droit wych, all towns where salt is or has been
worked. Wych is not pronounced short as " witch," but long.
Towns with the finial "wich" like Norwich, Ipswich, &c., derived
from vicus are short. " Wych " means salt. l.

Q 2

228 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. WIL

Wildfire, s. — The erysipelas, mentioned as one of the
diseases cured by the new found well in Cheshire, A.D. t6oo. l.

Wild Hop, s. — The name for the Polygonum Convolvulus^
or Climbing Buckwheat, l.

Wild Vine, s. — The common Briony. Tamus Communis. L.

Will Jill, or Will Gill, s. — An hermaphrodite, w.

WiLLMARANCHE, s. — The String halt in horses, l.

WiMBERRY, s. — The Bilberry. Brereton in his Travels
(1635 A.D.) " They are churlish things for the stomach." l.

Wimble, s. — A gimlet, l.

Win ?, z'.— Will ?— " Win thee do it ? " l.

WiNDERiNG, adj. — Diminishing, lessening, l.

WiNDLE, s. — The long stalk of grass, l.

Windrow, s. — The long loose arrangement of the cocks of
hay when they are all thrown down and opened to the sun
and wind^ whilst the carrying is going on. l.

Win Egg, s. — An ^gg without a shell. A soft egg. Very
often occasioned by the impossibility of the hens getting at
lime, which should be always given them in the shape of
lime-water, old mortar, oyster shells, &c. l.

WiNNA, or WoNNA, V. — Will not. " Thou winna do it." l.

Winter Gilliflowers, s. — Wallflowers, " so-called because
they flower in the winter," says Gerarde, our old county
herbalist, l.

Wirken, v. — A term used in feeding infants, when food is
given them too fast, so as to make them cough, l.

Wish. — (A curious Cheshire). " I wish my throat were a
yard long and I could taste th' ale all along it ! " l.

WOR CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 229

Wishful, adj. — Desirous. " Tummas is wishful to go for a
soldier.'* l.

Withering, adj. — Strong, lusty. " A great withering
fellow." To wither in the north of England is used for to
throw anything down violently. It is also used substantively
" to throw down with a wither," perhaps for the AS. Witherian^
certare, resistere. w.

Witty, adj, — Knowing, clever. " He is a witty man about
cattle." L.

To WizzEN or WissEN Away. — To fade or wither away.
"A poor sickly wizzened thing." A.S. Weornian, decrescere,
tabescere; hence also comes the common word to wither, w.

Women, s. — " The women want the best fust, and the best
always." O.C.S. l.

WooAN, or Wone, v. — To dwell. Wooant, did dwell.
Ash calls it obsolete. Kil, woonan, habitare. A.S. Wwtian,
the same. Chaucer uses woan. Woant and want are old
words for the mole. In Gloucestershire a wantitump is a
mole hill. In MS. Sloane 2,584 is a recipe "for to take
wontis." w.

WooDE, Wood, or Wode, adj. — Mad.

** Hoo stamped and hoo stared as if hoo'd ben woode."

Warrikin (Warrington) Fair a.d. 1548. l.

Wood Tenders, s. — Officers employed in the salt towns who
were answerable for the fuel being properly stacked, and that
there was no risk of fire. l.

Wording Hook, s. — Dungfork. l.

Work Bracco, or Braccon, adj. — Diligent, laborious.
Ray. L.

Work Brattle, s. — The power and will to work. *' He
has plenty of work brattle in him," " He has no work brattle
in him ; " we often say of a hardworking man, ** He has not a
lazy bone in his body." l.

230 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. WOR

Worm, s. — A gimlet, l.

Worrit, v. and s. — To worry, to annoy. Worry, annoyance.
" Dunna worrit thoi feyther athatuns, our Jack." l.

WoTTLE, s. — Iron skewes, heated to enlarge holes in
wood. L.

Wound, s. — With us is always pronounced as it is spelt.
The ou has perhaps as many pronunciations as any diphthong.
In the word " wrought '' it has the sound of or ; in four the u is
extinguished ; then we have cough, chough, plough, lough. L.

Wranglesome, adj. — Quarrelsome, l.

Wreck, s. — Dead roots, leaves, rubbish, l.

Writins, s. — Writings. The term used for deeds. ''I've
gotten the writins of my house or farm," i.e., the deeds that
prove my ownership. L.

Wrought, v. — ^^Perfect of to reach, l.

Wrostle, v., Wrostling, /d!r/. — Fighting, struggHng, wrest-
ling. " I seed the Tit and Bull wrostling." Wrostle also
means to meet, and overcome, a difficulty. At some large
dinner the cheese cut in pieces was handed round ; one of the
first of the guests to whom it was taken said to the waiter.
" Young man, thou hast rather oe'rdone me, but au'll try to
wrostle with it," upon which he took the whole plateful ! l.

WuR, V. — Was. " It wur lonely loike." l.

Wut Thou?— Is "wilt thou?" " Thou wud, wutthou?
Then, thou shanna." l.

WutSj.Whoats. — Oats. w.

Wutcake, or WuDCAKE, s. — Oatcake. L.

Wychen, Wickey, or Wicken, s. — The mountain ash, sup-
posed to be a specific against witches and sorcery. A teamster

YAF CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 231

with the handle of his whip made of wychen is supposed to
be witch proof. A man told me once that " his horse stopt and
refused to proceed, in spite of every attempt ; when he suddenly
" unbethought him," cut a twig out of a mountain-ash near,
and applied it to the tit, which then "moved on at onste."

Vide Rynt. l.

•

Wyche House, s. — A place where salt is made. R. Marbury
of Appleton, in his will dated 1559, gives "to his daughter
half a wyche house in the northewyche." l.

Wychwaller, s. — A salt boiler at one of the wyches of
Cheshire. Women formerly exclusively were the wych-
wallers. l.

Wyndy, adj. — Wild, rackety, uncertain. "He's a wyndy
chap." Here, there, and everywhere, — or, '*As wyndy as a
March hare." — Cheshire Proverb, l.

WysomeS; s. — Vide Wyzels.

Wyzels, s. — ^The stalk of the potato. Randle Holme, in
his Academy of Armoury, calls them " wysomes," and uses the
term to turnips and carrots (which in the case of these vege-
tables and the mangold is now called Fash q.v.). Weize is
German for com, as Holm is for straw. Peasholm is still in
use. Strawberry wises are Strawberry runners. In ^Ifi.
Gloss, we have Niamen, Streaberie-wisan. w.

Y

Yaff, v. — To bark. " A little fow yaffling cur " is a little
ugly barking cur. A.S. Gaff, a rabbi er. To yaff would im-
properly be applied to the bark of a big dog. From the
French y^//<?r. They long and the ^ are convertible letters.
w.

232 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. YAM

Yammer, v. — To long after. "What's up wi Mary?"
"Whoi o'os yammerin after Dick, him as listed t'other dee,
loike a foo." l.

Yard, s. — Synonymous with a garden, like the Kailyards, the
gardens outside the walls of Chester, l.

Yarbs, s. — Herbs, l.

Yarly, adv. — Early. " Its th' yarly bird as goUaps th'
wurm." — Cheshire Proverb, l.

Yarth, s. — The earth. Such is the pronunciation of the
word through all the northern counties of England. It
seems to be derived from the Danish Jord^ Isle. Jorth^ the
earth, w.

Yate, s, — Gate. w.

Yawing, part. — Talking in a disagreeable, offensive way,
quasi jawing, l.

Yawp, v. — To bellow. " Dunna stand yawpin there ! " l.

Yed, or Yead, s. — The head. w.

" Yore a red-yedded lout,
And a gud for nowt.'*

Yeddle, V. — To earn, or to addle, l.

Yed ward, Yethart, s. — Edward. A.S. Eadvard. In
Icelandic, Jatvarder is Edward, w.

Yell, s. — Ale. " Did dearly loike a sup o yell." l.

Yellow Marsh Saxifrage, s. — Saxifraga Hir cuius. A plant
mentioned here, as its almost only known /^^/^Z/^;/ was Knutsford
Moor, whence the greed of botanists has banished it. Count
Artois, afterwards Charles X., got bogged when attempting to
find the plant on Knutsford Moor. l.

YEW CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. 233

Yellow Slippers, s. — A calf, so called from its feet being
yellow when young, l.

Yelve, or Yelf, s. — A dung-fork, a prong, l.

Yelve, v. — To dig, with a yelve. w.

Yep, s. — Heap. " Th'oud ummen's doid wurth yeps o'
brass." l.

Yerds, s. — Tow. w.

Yerke, s. — Jerk. Used by Whitney in his Choice of Emblems.
" They praunce and yerke, and out of order flinge." Used
also by Spenser, l.

Yern, or Yarn, s, — A hern, or heron, w.

Yernuts, s. — See Jurnuts. w.

Yewking, Yewkingly, adj. and adv. — Having a sickly
appearance, l.

Yewk, or Yoke, s. — The itch. Amongst the Suffolk Letters
in two volumes is one dated May 28th, 1722, written by a
lively correspondent, Mrs. Bradshaw, from Gosworth Hall,
Cheshire ; in which she says : — " All the best families in the
parish are laid up with what they call yoke, which in England
is the itch." Of this word, however, in Cheshire, I could find
no trace, and therefore it may appear strange to admit it into
this Glossary, on the authority of a court lady. But when I
find in Mr. Trotter Brockett's Glossary of North Cotmtry
Words, published 1825, '' Yeuk, v., to itch,'' and in the
Glossary annexed to the Praise of Yorkshire Ale, " To yeauke,
is to itch," I have no doubt but that the word was in
common use in Cheshire about a century since. On reference
also to the Y.'?.Z.,yekin, s., pruritus, it turns out to be an old
English word, of which the etymology is doubtless from the
Teutonic joockeuy jeucken, prurire. w.

234 CHESHIRE GLOSSARY. YIE— ZAR

Yield, v. — To reward. " God yield you ; " or rather as it is
pronounced God eeld you ! God reward you ! Gialld, money
reward, Icelandic. Gicellder, to be of value. Dan. Wolff, w.

Yield, v. — The wheat or oats, " yield well," />., " turn out
plenty of grain, are not blind." l.

Yip Yap, s. — An upstart, l.

YoBBiNS, s, — Rows, uproars, yells; always used in the
plural. L.

YoE, V. — To hew, or dig marl. A marling term, spelt as
pronounced, l.

Yoking, s. — When they say a thing *' is to be done in one
yoking," it means without interruption ; of course a metaphor
.for yoking oxen. Doing the whole of a job without unyoking
them ; or in one yoking, l.

Yon, adj. — Generally used for yonder, as that *' yon man is
market peart," />., " that man there is drunk." Anything at a
distance, but visible, — yon tit, yon asp, &c. l.

YoY. — Yes. " Ja " pronounced " yau " or rather " yaa,"
German, l.

YuRE, s, — The hair. l.

Zarten, adj, — Certain. *' Oim zarten zhure o' one thing, —
thee'rt a foo ! " l.

ADDITIONS.

A-THIS-UNS, A-THAT-ANS, A-THAT-ROAD, exp. — In this

manner. " Oi wunna have yo a stayin out a-this-uns, Molly,
— yoal cum to no gud, if yo dun, moi wench/' "What's th'
use o' tawkin a-that-road ? it's aw rubbish ! " L.

Back-friend, s. — The skin of the finger or thumb, pro-
tecting the root of the nail. *' Yo can see by his back-friends
what a naggety, cross-grained chap he is ! — why look yo, too,
his nails is aw bit off reet down to th' quick.'' l.

Block, v. — " To block a hat," is to knock a hat over the
eyes. This is one of the many instances in which a pro-
vincialism expresses in a single word what in common parlance
requires a sentence, l.

Crumpsy, a. — Short-tempered. " Crumpsy as ever oi
see, Bet, — fawing out wi' thoi finger ends ! " l.

Davely, a. — Lonely. " A very davely road, as ever was,
sure-ly." l.

Entry, s. — An open passage or court, common to a lot of
cottages, sometimes called a yard or alley, l.

Fetch, sometimes Fatch, v. — To give. *' Fetch 'im a
woipe oi th' yed ! " Give him a blow on the head ! l.

236 ADDITIONS. HEN

Hen-hurdle, s. — A hen-roost, a hen-house, l.

Herring-gutted, a. — Unusually thin. Lanky, ^.v. "He's
a herrin-gutted wastrel, th' same soize all th' way up ! " equiva-
lent to the expression " As thin as a lat ! " l.

HUMMUCK, V. — To earth up, like trees or plants too much
out of the ground, l.

Humour, v., Humoured, par^. — Made much of, Hke a
baby. l.

Kegging, a. — Being a forced teetotaller for a month, to gain
some temporary end. '' Yo're ony just keggin a bit. Bob ! —
oim afeart yole soon be at it agen as hard as ever.'' l.

Lanky, a. — Thin, lank. " Lanky-loo ! '* a term of derision
for a thin, shapeless, overgrown boy. l.

Larn, v. — To learn, used in the sense of to teach. " Oi
never usen't to drink, nor smoke nayther, afore he larnt me."
Fide Learn, l.

LiGGERTY Lag ! exd. — Used by the leader of a herd of
rough boys on running away from some trouble, — meaning
simply, " Who'll stay long enough here to be caught ? " l.

Look To, v. — To rely on. " Au dunna look much to him,"
/>., " Oi makes no keount of him," " I think little of him." l.

Marcus, s. — A marquis. " Oim aw reet, oi wudna change
pleaces wi t' Marcus o Wesminister, this minnit ! " l.

Naggety, a. — Another form of Naggy, ^.v.

Narrow, v. — " He's bin narrowed lately," i.e., he has fallen
in the world, he is not so well off as he was. l.

Palatic, ^.—Paralysed with drink. A witness at the Chester
police-court said of one charged with being drunk and
incapable, "He wasna riotous, your wusships, he wur past
that, he was palatic ! " l.

• • ••

cert

(fee
« e e<?

-OrQi/ ^JrJ-lril^

EMBROIDERED BACK OF QUEEN ELIZABETH'S
HORN-BOOK.

{See also p. 56).

STU ADDITIONS. 237

Pennies Apiece, exp. — One penny each. " How's eggs
goin to-day, missis? " *' Pennies apiece, sir." Chester market, l.

Pea-rise, s. — A twig or stick used to train peas. Vide
Rise. l.

Piece, s, — A person, used slightingly of an untidy woman.
" Oo's a slatternly piece, anyhow." l.

Readamadazy, s. — The common name of the first spelling-
book or Reading made Easy. This companion of our youth
superseded the Horn-book or Battledore of old ; an illustration
of a good specimen of which, in the possession of Lord
Egerton of Tatton, accompanies this volume. It was Queen
Elizabeth's own Horn-book^ and was given by her to Lord
Chancellor Egerton, enclosed in an exquisitely-worked silver
filagree frame, l.

Redden up, v. — " The hens begin to redden up." It is a sign
they are going to lay, when the combs get a bright colour, l.

Roots, s. — The counterfoils of bank and other cheques. A
Chester Alderman lately, at an audit, refused to pass some
check-receipts, unless, as he said, the officers produced the
** roots." L.

Shortwaisted, a. — Short-tempered. Naggy, Crumpsey,
q.v. *'Yo darna open yer mouth, hardly, he's sitch a short-
waisted chap — whoy, his monkey's up afore you can say Jack
Robbison ! " l.

Stail, s. — A besom-handle, a rougher sort of mop- stick.
" Oi leathered th' hussy with a besom's stail, an never ossed to
stop, nayther, than 00 wus whelly black an blue." l.

Stump, s. — The leg, used figuratively, from the stump of a
wooden leg. " Cum, stir thoi stumps. Miss Lazybones, thee'rt
as mortal feart o' elbow grease as enny wench oi ever happened
on ! " L.

238 ADDITIONS. THI— WOM

Thick, a. — Friendly, intimate. " Yare Jack and our Tom's
uncommon thick, gaffer ! " " Ay, by leddy, a djell too thick to
last, to moi thinkin." l.

This Uns, ^jc/. — This way. A-this uns, ^.7/. l.

Than, adv. — Until. " Stop than oi get hout on thee, an
oi'll tan thoi hoide for thee ! " l.

Till, adv. — Than. "Oive moore brass till thee, mester,
for zartin zure, wi aw thoi uppishness." "Till" and "than" are
conversely used in Cheshire, l.

Trammeled, a. — Trampled, beaten down. " Th' cows has
bin unlucky, and broke fence, and trammeled the beeans all
to nothin." l.

Twist, s. — Appetite. *' Oid rayther keep him a week till a
year, — he's got sich a twist, oi tell tha, he'd eeat a horse ! " l.

Whatever, adv. — However, at all events. " You're not a
dacent woman, Mrs. Jones, and everybody in the entry knows
it." "Do they? Well, I'm just as good as you, whatever,
Mrs. Smith ! " l.

WoM, pron. — Whom. A late Reverend Precentor of
Chester Cathedral, a Cheshire-man born, always so empha-
sised this word in the closing sentence of the General Thanks-
giving,— " To wom wi Thee," &c. l.

the end.

LONDON :
R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS,
BREAD STREET HILL,
QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.

/

0

■-^^^^If^^

14 DAY USE

RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED

LOAN DEPT.

This book is due on the last date stamped below, or

on the date to which renewed.

Renewed books are subject to immediate recall.

qO.^'^^

^^

;-*'.//->

;-"./

. M^

SEP 1 1 1961

'^gOD

tu

^£^

FBST

NOV 2 3 2006

LD 21A-50m-12,'60
(B6221sl0)476B

^

General Library

University of California

Berkeley

^^^" '"" ^r»

N!24873

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY