Leicestershire words, phrases, and proverbs. Edited, with additions and an introd.

LEICESTERSHIRE WORDS,

PHKASES, AND PKOVERBS.

LEICESTERSHffiE WORDS,

PHRASES, AND PEOVEEBS.

COLLECTED BY THE LATE

ARTHUR BENONI EVANS, D.D.,

HEAD MASTER OF MARKET BOSWORTH FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL;

EDITED,
WITH ADDITIONS AND AN INTRODUCTION, BY

SEBASTIAN EVANS, M.A., LL.D.,

BARRISTER-AT-LAW.

LONDON:

PUBLISHED FOE THE ENGLISH DIALECT SOCIETY
BY TRUBNER & CO., 57 & 59, LUDGATE HILL.

1881.

F£

BUNGAY :

PRINTED BY CLAY AND TAYLOR,
THE CHAUCER PRESS.

CONTENTS.

PAQB

LIST OF WORKS REFERRED TO ... ... ... ... vii

PREFACE ... ... ... ... ... ... xiii

INTRODUCTION ... ... ... ... ... ... xv

EXTRACTS FROM MACAULAY'S ' CLAYBROOK ' ... ... xxviii

ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA ... ... ... .. xxxi

PRONUNCIATION ... ... ... ... ... ... l

GRAMMAR ... ... ... ... ... ... 21

LITERATURE ... ... ... ... ... ... 33

LOCAL NOMENCLATURE ... ... ... ... ... 38

DOMESDAY MEASUREMENT ... ... ... ... 49

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES ... ... ... ... ... 53

GLOSSARY ... ... ... ... ... ... 87

LIST OF EUTLAND WORDS ... ... ... 296

PROVERBS AND RHYMES ... ... ... 299

WORKS REFERRED TO IN THIS VOLUME.

AINSWORTH. " Thesaurus linguae La-
tinae Compendiarius." Ed. Morell.
London, 1783. 4to.

BAKER. "Glossary of Northampton-
shire Words and Phrases, by Anne
Elizabeth Baker. London, J. Rus-
sell Smith. Abel and Sons and
Mark Dorman, Northampton.
1854." 2vols., 8vo.

I have made extensive use of this
excellent Glossary, which I have
cited throughout under the abbre-
viation Bk.

BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER. Dramatic
Works.

BLOUNT.. " Fragmenta Antiquitatis,
or Jocular Tenures." Republished
by W. Carew Hazlitt. Reeves and
Turner, 1874. Large 8vo.

Notices of Leicestershire tenures
and customs will be found in this
edition, which is alphabetically ar-
ranged, under the following titles :
Beaumanor, Brodgate (lege Brad-
gate) Park, Hallaton, Houghton,
Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicester,
Merdeselde (lege Merdefelde, now
Marefield), Ratby, Rothley, Sheeps-
head, Skeffington, and Thurcaston.
The first of these entries is one of
Mr. Hazlitt's additions to Blount's
work.

BRAND. "Popular Antiquities." Ed.
Ellis. 3 vols., 8vo. Bohn, 1853.

BURTON. "The Anatomy of Melan-
choly, &c., by Democritus Junior.
Oxford, printed for Henry Cripps,
1628." 3rd ed. Fo.

BURTON. " The description of Lei-
cestershire: containing, Matters of
Antiquity, History, Armoury, and
Genealogy. By the late William
Burton, Esq." 2nd ed. Lynn, 1777.

CAMDEN. " Britannia." Ed. Gough.
1806. 2 vols., fo.

CHAPMAN. Translations of Homer,
Hesiod, &c., by George Chapman.
Ed. R. Hooper. Smith's Library of
Old Authors. 5 vols., small 4to.
London, 1857-8.

CHAUCER. Canterbury Tales. The
edition I have used is that by
Wright, published in the Percy
Soc. Series. Vols. 24, 25, 26.

CLEASBY. " An Icelandic - English
Dictionary, based on the MS. col-
lections of the late Richard Cleasby,
enlarged and completed by Gud-
brand Vigfusson, M.A. Oxford,
1874." 4to.

CLEAVELAND. "Poems by John
Cleaveland, with Additions never
before printed. Printed for W.
Shears at the Bible in Covent-Gar-
den and in the New-Exchange at
the Black Beare, 1659." 12mo.

" J. Cleaveland Revived : Poems,
Orations, Epistles, and other of his

Vlll

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Genuine Incomparable Pieces, &c.
London, Printed for Nathaniel
Brook at the Angel in Cornhill.
1662." 3rd ed. 12mo.

Cleaveland, born 1613 at Lough-
borough, was educated at Hinckley.
Died 1659.

COLLYER. " The life that now is, by
R. Collyer. Boston, U.S., 1872."
8vo.

COTGRAVE. " A French and English
Dictionary, composed by Mr. Randle
Cotgrave, &c., [by James Howell,
Esq. 1673." Fo.

DEACON. " On the choice of a Wife,
illustrated by many curious exam-
ples in the history of the Frugals —
Henry, Stephen, Ralph, and John,
— history of Licentia— history of
Fidelio and Mary— and the wedding
hymn ; also, directions for the im-
provement of the mind and religion
—business and servants— company
— conversation — amusements, &c.,
calculated for the instruction and
improvement of young men and
young women in the most essential
.concerns of life. By the late Rev.
Samuel Deacon, author of the
Young Convert, Prudens and Evan-
gelicus, &c., &c. Third revised
edition. London and Leicester,
Printed and sold by J. F. Winks,
High St." 1841. 12mo. Vide
Introd. ' Literature.'

DIXIE. Sir Willoughby Dixie, Bart.,
of Bosworth Park, who died in
1827, left behind him a last will and
testament in rhyme, which has been
more than once printed in local
newspapers.

DOMESDAY BOOK. 4vols.,fo. 1783
—1816.

DRAYTON. "The works of Michael
Drayton, Esq.; a celebrated Poet
in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth,
King James I., and Charles I.

London, 1748." Large fo. Vide
Introd. ' Literature.'

EARLY ENGLISH TEXTS. Among the
publications of the Early English
Text Society, the following have
afforded illustrations. As almost
every work, however, has a glossary
of its own, I have not been solicit-
ous to increase the bulk of this
volume by a collation which stu-
dents can make for themselves.

" William of Palerne " and " Ali-
saunder," edited by the Rev. W. W.
Skeat. 1867.

" Partenay," edited by the same.
1866.

" Havelok the Dane," edited by
the same. 1868.

"Lancelot of the Laik," edited
by [the same. 1865.

"tChevelere Assigne," edited by
Henry H. Gibbs, Esq.
ELIOT. " Adam Bede, by George
Eliot." A great number of illustra-
tions have been given from " Adam
Bede," but it must not be inferred
that Mrs. Poyser and the rest of
the characters introduced speak
pure Leicestershire. They speak
pure Warwickshire, and although
the two dialects naturally approxi-
mate very closely, they are far from
being identical in pronunciation,
grammar, or vocabulary.

FIELD. "Poems and Essays on a
variety of interesting subjects which
impressed the Author's mind hi pass-
ing through life in reference to the
natural and scientifically cultivated
systems developed in the world. By
George Field, a self-taught man.
Published for the Author by E.
Adams, High St., Stratford-upon-
Avon ; Wm. Hodgetts, 22, Cannon
Street, Birmingham ; Houlston and
'Sons, London. 1870." 8vo.

Field, who prefaces his book with

WORKS REFERRED TO.

IX

an autobiography, was born at Strat-
ford and began life as a farmer's
boy. He afterwards became a
groom, and finally was for many
years a postman in Birmingham,
where I knew him well, a thoroughly
worthy, hardworking man, but a
somewhat formidable visitor during
the incubation of his principal
poem, the " Epoch's Echo."

FORBY. Dialect of East Anglia.

FREEMAN. "The History of the
Norman Conquest of England, its
causes and its results. By Edward
A. Freeman, M.A., Hon. D.C.L.,
and LL.D." 5 vols., 8vo. Oxford,
1867-76.

GARNETT. " Philological Essays."
GOLDSMITH. "The Vicar of Wake-
field, by Oliver Goldsmith."

HAKE. "Newes out of Powles
Churchyarde, now newly renued
and amplifyed according to the
accidents of the present time, 1579,
and otherwise entituled, sir Num-
mus. Written in English Satyrs.
Wherein is reprooued excessiue and
vnlawfull seeking after riches, and
the euill spending of the same.
Compyled by E. H., Gent." Re-
print by Charles Edmonds. Lon-
don: Henry Sotheran, Baer, and
Co., 1872.

Hake had no connection with
Leicestershire, but he occasionally
uses words and forms which now
only survive, if they survive at all,
in provincial dialects.

HALL. " Virgidemiarum Sixe Bookes.
First Three Bookes, Of Tooth-lesse
Satyrs. 1. Poeticall. 2. Academi-
call. 3. Morall. London Printed
by lohn Harison, for Robert Dex
ter. 1602."

"Virgidemiarum The three last
Bookes. Of byting Satyres. Cor-
rected and amended with some

Additions. By I. II. Imprinted
at London for Robert Dexter, at
the signe of the Brasen Serpent in
Paules Church yard. 1599."
These are bound up with
" Certaine Worthye Manuscript
Poems of great Antiquitie Reserued
long in the Studie of a Northfolke
Gentleman. And now first pub-
lished by J. S. The statly tragedy
of Guistard and Sismond. The
Northren Mothers Blessing. The
Way to Thrifte. Imprinted at
London for R. D. 1597."

HALLIWELL. " A dictionary of Archaic
and Provincial Words, by James
Orchard Halliwell, Esq., F.R.S.
London. Boone, 1855." 2 vols.
3rd ei.

HAMPSON. " Medii JEvi Kalendari-
um, or dates, charters, and customs
of the Middle Ages. By R. T.
Hampson." London, n. d. 2 vols.,
8vo.

HIGDEN. " Polychronicon Ranulphi
Higden." Master of the Rolls Pub-
lications. 8vo.

JOHNSON. " A Dictionary of the
English Language. By Samuel
Johnson, LL.D." I have generally
used Todd's large edition where I
have cited Johnson.

JONSON. Dramatic Works of Ben
Jonson.

JORDAN. William Jordan, of Ratby,
was a hewer of wood on Lord Stam-
ford's estates. He was an inmate of
Bosworth Workhouse in 1843, when
my brother George persuaded him
to write his autobiography, which,
written on a large sheet of letter-
paper, I still possess.

JUNITJS. "Francisci Junii Francisci
filii Etymologicum Anglicanum."
Ed. Lye. Oxford, 1743, fo.

KEMBLE. "The Saxons in England,
by John Mitchel Kemble, M.A.,

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

F.C.P.S.,&c." Ed. Walter De Gray
Birch, P.R.S.L. London, Quaritch.
1876. 2 vok, 8vo.

LATIMER. " Sermons by Hugh Lati-
mer, sometime bishop of Worcester,
Martyr, 1555. Edited for the Parker
Society, by the Rev. George Elwes
Corrie, B.D. Cambridge. 1844."
8vo.

The original spelling is modernized
in this Ed.

LILLET. " Village Musings, by Thomas
Lilley, Market Bosworth ; printed
and published by Thomas Elisha
Burton. 1837."

MAOAULAT. " The history and Anti-
quities of Claybrook in the County
of Leicester. By the Rev. A. Macau-
lay, M.A." London. Nicols. 1791,
8vo.

I have quoted largely from this
work, especially from the Terriers
of Claybrook Glebe printed in it at
length.

MANWOOD. " A treatise of the Lawes
of the Forest, &c., by John Man-
wood. London, 1615." 4to.

MARSH. Rural Economy. — English
Dial. Soc.

MILTON. " The works of John Milton
in verse and prose, printed from the
original Editions with a life of the
author, by the Rev. John Milford.
London, Wm. Pickering. 1857."
8 vols., 8vo.

" MoNUMENTAHlSTORICABRITANNICA,

or Materials for the History of Britain
from the earliest period." Edited
by Petrie and Sharpe. Published
by command, 1848. Large fo.

NICHOLS. " History of Leicestershire,
by John Nichols." 6 vols., fo.

A thorough examination of this
work, such as some fortunate pos-
sessor of a copy might undertake,
would no doubt supply a number of

words and phrases not to be found
in the present work. I have simply
used it as a work of reference on a
few special points.

OLIPHANT. "Standard English, by
Kington Oliphant."

PARKER. " A Glossary of terms used
in Grecian, Roman, Italian, and
Gothic Architecture." Oxford, J.
H. Parker, 4th Ed., 1845. 2 vols.,
8vo., with Companion.

PERCY SOCIETY. Publications of the
Percy Society, 30 vols., 1840-52, 8vo.

PHILLIPS. Pastorals, by Ambrose
Phillips.

POPE. Poems by Alexander Pope.

POTTER. "The History and Anti-
quities of Charnwood Forest, by T.
R. Potter, &c. London, Notting-
ham, and Leicester, 1842." 4to.

RAY. " A collection of English Pro-
verbs, &c., by J. Ray, M.A., and
Fellow of the Royal Society. 2nd
Ed. Cambridge, 1678."

ROUND PREACHER. "The Round
Preacher ; or reminiscences of Me-
thodist Circuit Life, by an ex-
Wesleyan. 2nd Ed. London and
Bradford, E. A. W. Taylor, 1846."
8vo. Vide l Introd. ' « Literature.'

SHAKSPERE. References to Shakspere
are given under the abbreviated
title of the particular play quoted.
The Shakspere Concordance of
Charles and Mary Cowden Clarke,
1864, has in a great measure render-
ed superfluous references to Shak-
spere in a work of this kind, the
primary aim of which is simply to
supply material to the lexicographer.

SPELMAN. " Glossarium Archaiolo-
gium, authore Henrico Spelmanno."
London, 1664, fo.

SPENSER. In the quotations from the
Shepherd's Kalendar, &c., I have

WORKS REFERRED TO.

XI

made use of Hughes's Ed. 6 vols.,
12mo. London, 1750.

STATUTES OP THE REALM. Ed. Pul-
ton. London, 1640.

STOOKHAM. William Stockham, a
gamekeeper, when I knew him, in
the employ of Sir W. Wolstan Dixie,
wrote sundry poems, of which ' The
Gamekeeper of Charnwood Forest'
was the most important. None of
them, however, passed beyond the
stage of MS. , and my transcript of
the ' Gamekeeper' is probably the
only work from his pen preserved in
any form. He was so seriously in-
jured in a poaching affray that he
never subsequently recovered the
use of all his faculties. He became
an itinerant preacher, and died, I
believe, about 1850.

TENNYSON. Poems by Alfred Tennyson.

WHAETON. " Wharton's Law- Lexicon,
5th Ed., revised and enlarged by J.
Shiress Will, Esq. Stevens, 1872."
I have generally referred to this as
' the Law-lexicons' or 'the Law-
dictionaries,' as it embodies all the
earlier works of the kind.

WHITE. "History, Gazetteer, and
Directory of Leicester, &c. By
William White, author of similar
works for Lincolnshire, Yorkshire,
Norfolk, Suffolk, and other counties.
Printed for the author by Robert
Lender, Independent Office, Shef-
field. 1846." 12mo.

WINSTANLEY. "The lives of the
most famous English Poets, or the
Honour of Parnassus in a Brief
Essay of the works and writings of
above Two Hundred of them, from
the time of K. William the Con-
queror to the Reign of His Present
Majesty, King James II. Written
by William Winstanley, Author of
the English Worthies. Licensed
June 16, 1686, Rob. Midgley.

London, Printed by H. Clark, for
Samuel Manship, at the sign of the
Black Bull in Cornhil, 1687." 8vo.

WOTY. " The Poetical Works of Mr.
William Woty, in two volumes.
Favete, London, printed by G. Scott,
for W. Flexney, opposite Grays Inn
Gate, 1770."

Woty was a Leicestershire author,
and I read his book for this reason.
His preface, which is in verse, com-
mences ' All hail, Subscription ! '
and the work appropriately opens
with ' A Mock invocation to Genius.'
The grounds on which he selected a
motto appealing for favour are ob-
scure,

WRIGHT. "Fifth work of original
poems, and the second designated
the Privilege of Man. Patronized
by Her Majesty Queen Victoria.
By John Wright, B. C., M. P.
Stokesley, printed by W. F. Pratt
for the Author. London : J. and
C. Mozley, price five shillings and
sixpence, 1857. 12mo>, pp. 240.

The letters at the end of the
Author's name stand for * Bard of
Cleveland, Moral Poet.' The dialect
of Cleveland differs widely from that
of Leicestershire, but "not so widely
as the dialect of the Bard from that
spoken by any of his countrymen.
He employs, however, one or two
curious grammatical forms as com-
mon within sight of Bardon Hill as
within sight of Roseberry Topping.

WRIGHT. " Essays on subjects con-
nected with the Literature, Popular
Superstitions, and History of Eng-
land in the Middle Ages by Thomas
Wright, M.A., F.S.A., &c." 2 vols.,
8vo. London : Smith, 1846.

"Essays on Archaeological Sub-
jects," &c. 2 vols., 8vo. London :
Smith, 1861.

WYCLIFFE. "The Holy Bible, con-
taining the Old and New Testa-

Xll

THE DIALECT OF. LEICESTERSHIRE.

ments, with the Apocryphal Books
in the earliest English versions made
from the Latin Vulgate by John
Wycliffe and his followers. Edited
by the Rev. Josiah Forshall, F.R.S.,
&c., late fellow of Exeter College,
and Sir Frederic Madden, K.H.,
F.R.S., &c., Keeper of the MSS.
in the British Museum." Oxford,
1850. 4 vols., large 4to.

The Glossary at the end of the
4th vol. is frequently referred to in
the following pages under the ab-
breviation ' Wye'

YATES. Jonathan Francis Yates was

a half -lunatic tramp much given to
the production of broadside ballads
which he used to hawk about the
country when not in the retirement
of the workhouse. He hailed from
Hartshill just within the Warwick-
shire border, but was often to be
seen in Bosworth in the summers of
the earlier ' forties,' an old man with
a pack, f hooting,' ' Ere you 'as 'em !
A new spoiretail song by Jonathan
Franncis Yeates, — that's may ! ' I
possess a number of his lucubrations,
but my collection is lamentably in-
complete. His ballads were mostly
autobiographical or religious, or both.

PREFACE.

IN the Leicestershire Glossary published by my father in 1848, the
entries are little more than twelve hundred, while in the present
edition they exceed three thousand. It must not however be sup-
posed that the additions are of the same average value as the original
collection. Many of the words now inserted were deliberately
rejected by my father as belonging to the English language rather
than to the Leicestershire dialect ; many of them are merely varieties
of pronunciation ; many are included only because some special sense
in which they are used in Leicestershire and elsewhere is not to be
found in any English dictionary.

It is impossible to define a scientific frontier between standard
and provincial English, and I have felt myself justified in annexing
as the rightful property of my native county every word and idiom
that came in my way to which a fair title could be made out, although
a number of other dialects might have an equal right to advance the
same claim. At the same time, it will be found that many hitherto
unrecorded words of great philological interest have been added ; a
number of mistakes inevitable in any first collection of local words
have been corrected ; and nearly all the words contained in the
former edition have received additional illustration.

In carrying out the work I have received large assistance from
several quarters. To Miss C. E. Ellis of Belgrave, near Leicester, I
am indebted for a list of more than 500 words in use in that neigh-
bourhood, nearly the whole of which have been incorporated in the
following pages. In many cases where the word itself had already
been inserted in my father's work, Miss Ellis has supplied me with
an apt illustration of its use, and often when I have been in doubt
as to the exclusion or inclusion of a word, I have been decided by
finding it entered in her list.

XIV THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

The Eector of Glaston, near Uppingham, the Eev. Christopher
"Wordsworth, has most kindly sent me a list of Eutland words which
I have appended to the Glossary. It is greatly to be wished that a
special Eutland Glossary should be compiled, the pronunciation more
particularly of that district, just on the border-land between East and
Mid-Anglia, being of remarkable interest.

Others of my helpers have long since passed away. Before his
death in 1854, my father had entered from time to time a quantity
of additions in an interleaved copy of his glossary, and my eldest
brother, the late Eev. Arthur Evans, had also noted in his own inter-
leaved copy a number of additions and corrections, among which
those relating to the Leicestershire names of birds are of especial
value, his knowledge both of ornithology and of the local dialect
being singularly extensive and accurate.

To another member of the old Leicestershire household I am
happily still able to appeal for help. My sister, Mrs. Hubbard, has
not only supplied me with large additions to the Glossary, but has
rendered invaluable assistance in correcting the proof-sheets through-
out, a task which in a work of this kind is as laborious as it is
indispensable. The number of omitted words suggested to both of
us by the process has, I fear, more than once proved an embarrass-
ment to the printers, whose share in the work has been executed
with exemplary care.

In its present form, the Glossary constitutes a perceptible, and I
believe, thoroughly trustworthy, addition to English lexicography,
but except in this respect, it has no pretension to be considered a
contribution to English philology. I have eschewed etymology with
a rigour almost superstitious, and the exceptional instances in which
a derivation is suggested in no case trench upon the special prerog-
atives of the philologist.

I hope that I shall not be considered as infringing the rule,
which at present seems to me unquestionably a judicious one, by
calling attention in the Introduction to the mechanical and topo-
graphical influences which seem to me to have conferred on the
Leicestershire dialect a marked predominance in determining the
literary language of the country.

Heathfield, Alleyn Park, West Dulwich, S.E.,
Nov. 25, 1880.

XV

INTRODUCTION.

IN speech, as in geographical position, Leicestershire is Midland of
the Midlands, and on the whole, the limits of the county and of the
dialect coincide with approximate accuracy. Out of the list of more
than 500 words collected by Miss Ellis at Belgrave, near Leicester,
there is but a single one absolutely unknown to me, while out of the
list of about 50 collected by Mr. Gresley at Over Seile on the very
edge of Derbyshire, there are at least seven or eight total strangers.
The list of Eutland words again, collected by the Rev. Chr. Words-
worth, and printed at the end of this volume, contains several forms
and one or two words which I do not recognize as Leicestershire.
Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, and
Northamptonshire, all speak dialects easily distinguishable, especially
by ear, both from each other and from Leicestershire. It must not,
however, be supposed that any very clearly defined line can be
traced between Leicestershire and the surrounding dialects. On the
Eastern and South-Eastern sides particularly, the language only
merges very gradually into that of South* Lincolnshire, Eutland, and
Northamptonshire. On the Warwickshire side the boundary is
more distinctly defined, but not nearly so sharply as on the Derby-
shire and Staffordshire border, the line of demarcation again becom-
ing gradually less clearly perceptible as the Nottinghamshire border
is reached. In fact, if the shire were shifted bodily some four or
five miles to the East, its area would correspond almost precisely, so
far as my observation enables me to judge, with that of the dialect.
When we are told by Dr. Guest1 that Leicestershire "has con-

1 « English Rythms,' ii. 198. See also Freeman's ' Norman Conquest,' v.
543 ; Kington Oliphant, ' Standard English/ 184; and Garnett, « Phil. Essays,'
153.

XVI THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

tributed more than any of our living dialects to the formation of our
present standard English," it is natural to infer that the two are in
the main identical. In one sense, indeed, they are so. However
broadly provincial, the dialect is singularly intelligible, at least in
its spoken form, and I apprehend that the average Leicestershire
labourer would as a rule be fairly and fully intelligible to uneducated
hearers throughout the Midlands, and throughout the whole country
to educated hearers. The present volume, however, consisting of
little else but instances of the difference between standard English
and the Leicestershire dialect, may be taken as tolerably substantial
'evidence that any similarity between them falls very far short of
identity. The 'Leicestershire dialect,' in fact, is a phrase with more
than one meaning. What Dr. Guest and other philologists mean
by it is the dialect employed by Leicestershire, or rather, East Mid-
land writers from about the middle of the twelfth to about the close
of the fifteenth century, and what is meant in ordinary parlance is
the dialect spoken by the Leicestershire peasant of to-day.

This distinction is not simply one of date, nor is it a difference
due to the fact that one is a written, and the other a spoken language.
The local speech no doubt has changed greatly in the course of
centuries, and the written book never reflects with absolute fidelity
the conversational vernacular. But these are not the main distinc-
tions between the East Midland dialect of philology and the Leicester-
shire dialect of this glossary. A deeper and subtler distinction lies
in the fact that the monuments of the East Midland dialect which
have come down to us, of necessity represent the language written
by the educated East Midlander ' of the period/ while the modern
Leicestershire dialect is the language spoken by the uneducated of
to-day.

It is necessary to insist on this distinction between educated and
uneducated speech, because it really supplies the key to the process
by which modern literary English has been gradually evolved out of
the dialect once current among the East Midland gentlefolk ; and it
will, I believe, be found that the direction in which the evolution
has taken place has been determined more by topographical and
mechanical, and less by historic and linguistic influences than is

INTRODUCTION. XV11

generally supposed. Before considering, however, the conditions
under which the process of evolution has been carried out, it may
not be superfluous to refer for a moment to one or two of the main
principles of Natural Selection which most closely affect all spoken
and written language.

Besides the constant necessity of being intelligible, and the
frequent necessity of being easily intelligible, which press upon
every member of every community, it is obvious that to be agreeably
intelligible — to awaken no suspicions or animosities in any hearer —
to arouse no prejudice or distaste, incur no contempt, and give no
offence by vulgarisms, barbarisms, or solecisms, is an advantage
sometimes of vital importance. The fate of the 42,000 Ephraimites
slain by the Gileadites at the passages of Jordan l on being convicted
of inability to pronounce the ' sh ' in ' Shibboleth ' is, perhaps, an
exceptional instance of the operation of the law, but the history
of every country records individual cases in which ' thy speech
bewrayeth thee' has been equivalent to a death-warrant. In the
Saga of Harald Hardrada,2 Styrkar, Harald's ' Staller,' just after the
battle of Stamford-bridge, falls in with a waggoner clad in a warm
leather jerkin. ' Wilt thou sell thy coat, friend 1 ' asks Styrkar, who
feels chilly, having little else on him but a shirt and a helmet. ' Not
to thee,' answers the peasant, ' thou art a Northman ! I can tell by
thy tongue.' 'Well,' asks Styrkar, 'and if I were a Northman,
what wouldst thou doT 'Kill thee, only, worse luck, I have no
weapon handy ! ' ' Then,' says Styrkar, ' as thou canst not kill me,
suppose I kill thee ! ' and thereupon with a dexterous sword-stroke
lops off his head, dons the jerkin, and rides off down to the sea.

But it is not merely in turbulent times and among half-civilized
peoples that the law asserts itself. More than one statesman of
eminence has asserted that the political doctrines of the late Mr.
Joseph Hume would have attracted earlier attention but for the
marked disrespect with which that eminent economist treated the
letter h ; and the disbelievers in the powers of the locomotive engine

1 Judges xii. 6.

2 * Snorri Sturluson,' ed. Peringskiold, ii. 173. Laing's ' Sea-kings of
Norway,' iii. 93.

I

XV111 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

would, there can be little doubt, have been converted some years
earlier had George Stephenson spoken the same dialect as the
Quarterly Ee viewers. I am not, however, attempting an enumer-
ation of the advantages of speaking acceptably : I merely refer to
the existence of such advantages in order to indicate the real basis
of the theorem generally accepted as an axiom, that the language
spoken by any individual has a tendency to assimilate to that of
those with whom he is most closely and continuously brought in
contact.

A brief review of some of the conditions under which this law
has operated in England will, I think, atford a sufficient explanation
of the phenomenon presented by the adoption of the Leicestershire
dialect as the national language.

In the first place, it is clear, in the words of Professor Stubbs,1
that, " although French is for a long period the language of the
palace, there is no break >in the continuity of English as a literary
language. It was the tongue, not only of the people in the towns
and villages, but of a large proportion of those who could read and
enjoy the pursuit of knowledge." Since England was England, in fact,
there not only never was a time when Englishmen did not speak
English, but there never was a time when the educated Englishman
of one part of the country could not speak English intelligibly to
the educated Englishmen of other parts. Accepting Mr. Freeman's
typical representation of the speakers of Northern, Middle, and
Southern English, it is safe to say that Siward, Leofric, and God-
wine, all spoke a language mutually intelligible. Even in the darkest
hours of the eclipse which overshadowed our language in the llth
and 13th centuries, it is obvious that the practical administration
of government, social, judicial, political, and ecclesiastical, from one
end of the kingdom to the other, demanded a knowledge of English
on the part of those charged with the conduct of affairs. Sometimes,
and indeed in the generation which saw the Norman Conquest,
frequently, the knowledge must have been vicarious, but this does
not affect the point on which I am now insisting any more than the
fact that the Court spoke French, and the Church spoke Latin.
1 'Constitutional Hist.,' i. 547-

INTRODUCTION. XIX

The Earl might speak French with the King, and the Abbot Latin
with the Archbishop, but King and Archbishop, Abbot and Earl, all
had to do with a people that spoke English, and sooner or later were
compelled themselves to become English-speaking Englishmen. The
Norman baron or bishop or judge might speak no English, but the
administration of his manors, his bishopric, or his court, necessarily
involved the interposition at some point of an English interpreter,
and in almost every instance, of an interpreter capable of making
himself understood in English to other officials in other parts of the
country. Even supposing that the English thus spoken is to be
regarded rather as an official Lingua Franca or business Pigeon
English than as literary English in the strict sense of the word, a
theory I am not disposed to admit, the fact would still remain that
there never was a time when easy communication in English was
impossible between certain classes of Englishmen in all parts of the
country. The existence of English charters, and deeds, and chronicles
in unbroken continuity from the days of the Confessor to the latter
half of the 12th century, and the appearance within the same half-
century of literary works written in English, is in itself conclusive
proof that some form or forms of English were generally intelligible
throughout the period among the educated classes.

But side by side, and inseparably connected with the general use of
English, stands the fact that from immemorial antiquity down to our
own day, the language has been broken up into local dialects, and
groups of dialects, merging into one another where they border, and
varying in such a manner that, roughly speaking, the language of the
several districts differs in proportion to their distance from the centre
of the English-speaking area, while the language of those equidistant
from the centre varies in proportion to their distance from each other.
Owing to the English-speaking area being considerably longer from
North to South than from East to West, the dialect of Hereford or
Shrewsbury thus differs less from that of Lincoln or Yarmouth than
the dialect of Durham or Carlisle from that of Somerset or Plymouth.
This fact, as Mr. Freeman observes,1 has been pointed out with
scientific accuracy by Higden, in the well-known passage so fortun-

1 'Norman Conquest,' v. 512. Higden, vol. ii. p. 160.

62

XX THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

ately amplified by his translator John of Trevisa, and has, I believe,
always been accepted by English philologists. A distribution of
this kind, indeed, necessarily resulted from the conditions under
which the language was introduced into the country. Whether we
regard the event known as the invasion of Hengist and Horsa as
heralding the first or the last great conquest-wave of the earliest
English folk, there is no question that their incursions began in the
South-East of the island, and that the * instinct of annexation/ aided
by the pressure of successive arrivals in the rear, and the increase of
the population already inhabiting the country, gradually pushed them
onwards to the West and North. There can be no doubt either,
that the peopling the country by the new-comers occupied a very
considerable time, and that while the language of the pioneers, who
came in contact with the former inhabitants of the country, would
be modified in certain directions, the language of those just landed
in the South-East would be modified by other influences in other
directions. It would necessarily result from these conditions, that
the language of those occupying the territories intermediate between
those of the pioneer populations along the Northern and Western
borders of Saxondom, and those of the latest invaders in the South
and East, would be most intelligible to the greatest number of the
general body of settlers. In the absence of any disturbing influence
sufficient to overthrow the supremacy of this intermediate dialect, it
is also clear that whenever intercommunication between the whole
Englishry of the island became a political necessity, and still more
when the national unity of England began to be developed, it would
offer the natural medium through which most of the necessary inter-
course would be conducted. The language, however, of such inter-
course, more or less intelligible throughout the country, would be of
necessity the language of the educated, while the dialects of the
uneducated throughout the country would remain mutually more or
less unintelligible. If the whole population were adscripti glebae,
the tendency of every dialect to perpetuate itself unchanged would
be modified almost exclusively by those internal causes, which by a
gradual exaggeration of differences would divide it more and more
widely from the rest, On the other hand, a close and constant

INTRODUCTION. XXI

intercourse and intercommunication maintained between each part
of the country, and every other part, would tend to bring about
absolute uniformity of speech in every district. The English dialects
accordingly differ in inverse proportion to the amount of intercourse
between the speakers of them, — but, besides this, the language of
those classes which may be regarded as practically adscripti glebae
always has tended, and to a less extent still tends, to differ, while
the language of those who for the sake of maintaining the metaphor
may be described as liberi homines, always has tended, and still
tends, to assimilate.

Now, owing to our parochial system, our so-called feudal system,
and the rest of our institutions, manners and customs, social, political,
and ecclesiastical, there has always been a tolerably numerous educated
class distributed over the whole country, not evenly, indeed, but in
such a manner, that although there might be many more in one place
than another, there was no large district without at least some few
representatives. Accordingly there never was a time in any part of
the country when Earl and churl, gentle and simple, ' cytezen ' and
' uplondyshman,' spoke a language identical in grammar, pronunci-
ation, and vocabulary. But it is also clear that the educated classes
themselves, although they spoke an English intelligible to all educated
Englishmen, still spoke a language which was in fact a modified form
of the dialect spoken by the uneducated in their own particular
neighbourhood. This, as anyone who has listened to a long debate
in Parliament can bear witness, is still the case to a perceptible
extent, and the further we go back from our own times, the more
distinctly provincial was the speech of even the best educated pro-
vincials. The English of the parish priest who happened, as was
and is often the case, to be born and bred among his people, spoke
the language of his flock modified by a knowledge of Latin, and by
the current English of the school, the university, and the gentlefolk
with whom he came in contact. The English of the knight or squire
who lived on his own acres was that of his ' men,' modified by the
English of those of his own class with whom he held intercourse, of
the clergy and the merchants, of the county or hundred gatherings,
or occasionally of the court, the camp, and the parliament. The

XX11 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

English of the lawyer was the English of his country clients, modified
by the English of the law-courts and judges, and counsel learned in
the law, whose Norman French "aftur the scole of Stratford atte
Bowe " was not after all the tongue in which most of his oral business
was transacted. The English of the cloister was the English of the
locality, modified by the English and the Latin of the schoolmaster,
the visitor, the bishop, the minstrel, the itinerant preacher, the
lawyer, and the steward. The English of the county families gener-
ally, as the Paston letters abundantly testify, was the English of the
county modified by the English of the kingdom. In fact, while the
speech of the adscriptus glebae is of necessity only modified by that
of his near neighbours, the speech of the liber homo is modified by
that of those who live within a considerably larger circle. The churl
perhaps seldom came into such close contact as to modify his speech
with anybody dwelling beyond a five-mile radius from his hearth-
stone, while the earl, even when he dined the year round in his own
castle-hall, frequently came in sufficiently close contact to modify his
speech with others dwelling within an area eight or ten times as
great.

Now, that standard English was evolved out of the English
spoken by educated persons is simply a truism. That it has been
evolved out of the speech of educated Leicestershire is an accident
in a great measure due to the fact that Leicestershire is pretty nearly
in the middle of the country ; in other words, that what may be
termed the linguistic centre of gravity falls within the district of
which Leicestershire forms a part.

I now turn back to the natural law which frequently inflicts
capital punishment on a speaker who fails to make himself under-
stood, sometimes on one who fails to make himself easily under-
stood, and which even in the higher stages of civilization still imposes
a heavy penalty on those unable to make themselves agreeably intel-
ligible, or, in ordinary phrase, to 'speak the language of polite
society.'

For the purposes of this argument, English-speaking England may
be considered as having been divided into three tolerably equal zones
of language, the language of the North and South zones differing far

INTRODUCTION, XX111

more widely than the language of the middle zone from either, im-
mediately before the emergence of what may be called literary English
proper. So far as the language spoken by the educated and official
classes is concerned, English by the middle of the twelfth century
had long passed the stage of being barely intelligible from one end of
the kingdom to the other, and was already passing from the easily
intelligible to the agreeably intelligible stage — was becoming the
language not merely of an official document here and there, a charter
or chronicle or proclamation, a devotional formulary or a code of
monastic rules, a popular sermon or song, but the accepted language
of gentlefolks, the language of literature written by gentlefolk for
gentlefolk. The language of the educated, however, being the
language of the uneducated of the same district modified by influences
wider than those affecting uneducated speech, but not yet so wide as
the whole country, a form of literary English naturally emerged in
each of the three great zones. Differences there are between the
earliest literary productions of different parts of the same zone, but
for the most part they go little deeper than the spelling, and are
unimportant when compared with the differences between the
language of one zone and another.

Together with the emergence of these various early forms of
literary English, those provisions of the natural law which require
the educated speaker or writer to speak or write the language of
educated society came into wider and more active play. And in the
struggle for supremacy it was in the nature of things inevitable
that the victory should rest with the educated Midlander. North and
South might do battle for a time for their own literary language, but
they were no match for the forces of topography and mechanics which
fought for the Midlands. The modified Mercian was more ' agreeably
intelligible ' to the modified Northumbrian than the modified West
Saxon could be. The modified Mercian was more ' agreeably intelli-
gible ' to the modified West Saxon than the modified Northumbrian
could be. And thus, by the action of a well-recognized law, it came
to pass that —

"even in the centre of this isle,
Near to the town of Leicester,"

XXIV THE DIALECT OF LEICESTEllSHIRE,

at the focus of tlie great cross roads of the country, where the inter-
section of the areas of the local dialects necessarily created the largest
province of approximately homogeneous as well as generally-intel-
ligible speech, was first evolved that special variety of the Low
German tongue which, after establishing its empire in the Midlands,
gradually pushed its conquests to North and South, until in the
fulness of time the dialect of the Leicestershire gentleman became
the English language. The dialect in truth, is ' the Boy born to be
King.' Every mishap that threatens disgrace and death in reality
but hoists him higher and higher up the steps that lead to the throne,
until almost before the shrewd and kindly peasant become* conscious
of his destiny, the old discomfited royalties are fain to kneel before
him where he sits palled in purple and crowned with gold, grasping
the inevitable sceptre in his great brown right-hand, and in his left
the girdled globe and cross, the chosen lord of realms which the * vast
of night ' is not broad enough to overshadow.

In this rough outline of the laws and conditions under which the
result was brought about, I have intentionally omitted all reference
to the influence of the great towns and cities, the universities and
monastic institutions, and have even left unnoticed the racial dis-
tinctions between the inhabitants of various districts. Whatever
may be the value to be attached' to these influences, it seems to me
that they cannot very materially have affected the general result. At
the time our literary English was being hammered into shape, the
great centres of population were far more evenly balanced and dis-
tributed than now. Both Parliament and the Court were still peripa-
tetic, and London had not acquired its present bloated disproportion.
Bristol cherished a tradition, and York a prophecy, of municipal
supremacy over their old rival on the Thames. Norwich and
Gloucester, Durham and Exeter, Lincoln and Winchester, if cities
exercise any large power over language, may be regarded as having
neutralized each other. But the power, it seems to me, has been
largely over-estimated. It is probable that a larger number of well-
educated people was always to be found in the 'Metropolitan area' than
in any other area of its size elsewhere. But it was not against the

INTRODUCTION. XXV

well-educated inhabitants of any equal or nearly equal area that they
were pitted. At the time the struggle was going on it was little
more than educated Middlesex against all the educated Midlands.
The result was in reality never for a moment doubtful even in the
crucial instance of London, though it is only when the mechanism
by which the process was effected is understood that it is seen to
have been so.

If the cities, however, exercised comparatively little^ influence in
moulding the precise form of standard English, they no doubt assisted
greatly in hastening and securing the triumph of the Mid-Midland
form of educated speech. The form was decided by the fact that it
was the form most ' agreeably intelligible ' to the greatest number,
but the moment the national unity by demanding a national standard
language had made this fact distinctly apparent, it was no longer
possible for the educated classes in any town or city to remain per-
manently on the side of the minority. They were compelled to
declare for the master of most legions, and to swell the number of
his fighting men.

The influence of the universities and monastic institutions would
also tend in the same direction. A modified form of Mercian must
at an early period have been the language prevalent among teachers
and students, scribes and readers, regulars and seculars, not merely
at Oxford and Cambridge, but at Malvern and St. Edmund's Bury,
at Peterborough and St. Albans ; and, as soon as this form of English
prevailed in these and other institutions, which brought together
speakers of all dialects for a time long enough to modify their lan-
guage, and then scattered them again over the country, every school
and college and convent and monastery became a powerful engine for
rendering the educated dialect homogeneous from one end of England
to the other.

The influence of different nationality in modifying the language
is a deeply interesting subject of enquiry, but it lies almost entirely
outside the question I have discussed. A racial difference may per-
haps underlie the distinction between the Northern, Southern, and
Midland dialects, and probably does underlie the peculiarities of

XXVI THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

certain local forms of uneducated English. But as a factor in the
problem presented by the conversion of a provincial into a national
language, the influence of any difference in speech between so-called
Jutes, Angles, and Saxons, or between all these and those they
dispossessed, may safely be left out of the account.

Another influence which I have passed by in silence, and the
importance of which appears to me to have been unwarrantably
exaggerated, is that exercised by books. Books do not make the
language, it is the language which makes the books. Every great
work in every dialect no doubt helped to freeze the fast-flowing
stream of the language in which it was written ; and the growth of
our national literature as a whole was equivalent to the setting in of
a linguistic ' glacial period.' But the current, though checked, was
not stopped. The mighty river of the national language might
become a glacier, but the glacier still flowed on, not so swiftly
indeed, but as surely, as the unfrozen stream. The slow, creeping,
irresistible thrust of the ice-river may have rasped the granite and
scooped the clay till it ploughed a channel for itself other than that
which the leaping waters might have found, but even if the line of
least resistance would not have been in each case identical, nothing
short of a miracle could prevent glacier or river from following the
line of least resistance.

No one writer, indeed, nor any number of writers can dictate the
direction which the standard language of the country shall take.
After the lapse of more than half a century Byron's phenomenal
' there let him lay ! " remains phenomenal. Even Childe Harold
could not stamp as classic the commonest of metropolitan idioms,
any more than the Times can pass current its ' chymist,' its ' holy
day,' and its ' diocess.'

It seems to me therefore a misleading figure of speech to say that
Kobert of Brunne or any other writer " gave currency to a dialect,"
or " foreshadowed the road that English literature was thenceforward
to tread." The significant fact is not that Kobert Manning wrote a
book, but that a well-educated person living at Bourne in the first
half of the 14th century wrote in a dialect out of which modern
literary English has been developed.

INTRODUCTION. XXV11

On the whole, therefore, I attach comparatively little importance
to any of these influences as affecting the evolution of standard
English out of the dialect of educated Leicestershire and the sur-

O

rounding districts. If I have dwelt at what may seem excessive
length on the laws and conditions under which that evolution has
been accomplished, I venture to hope that the exceptional interest
of the phenomenon will plead my justification.

EXTEACTS FEOM MACAULAY'S CLAYBEOOK.

THE following extracts afford a means of comparing the Leicester-
shire of the end of the last century with the Leicestershire of to-day.
So far as the dialect is concerned, the change would appear to be very
slight.

" With regard to manners and customs, and peculiarities of phrase-
ology, there are very few in this parish, excepting such as are applicable
to a considerable part of the country. There is one circumstance which
cannot escape the notice of the most casual observer ; and that is the
hospitality and urbanity which prevail among the yeomanry in this
neighbourhood. There is a great portion of good sense and public
spirit among them ; and we may add that they have all the substantial
comforts of life within themselves, and have no reason to envy

< The soil that lies
In ten degrees of more indulgent skies.'

" The people of this -neighbourhood are much attached to the cele-
bration of wakes ; and on the annual return of those festivals, the
cousins assemble from all quarters, fill the church on Sunday, and
celebrate Monday with feasting, with music, and with dancing. The
spirit of old English hospitality is conspicuous among the farmers on
these occasions ; but with the lower sort of people, especially in manu-
facturing villages, the return of the wake never fails to produce a week,
at least, of idleness, intoxication, and riot ; these and other abuses, by
which these festivals are so grossly perverted from the original end of
their institution, render it highly desirable to all the friends of order,
of decency, and of religion, that they were totally suppressed.

" On Plow Monday I have taken notice of an annual display of
Morris-dancers at Claybrook, who come from the neighbouring villages
of Sapcote and Sharnford. The custom of ringing curfew, which is
still kept up at Claybrook, has probably obtained without intermission
since the days of the Norman Conqueror. On Shrove Tuesday a bell

EXTRACTS FROM MACAULAY S CLAYBROOK. XXIX

rings at noon, wliich is meant as a signal for the people to begin frying
their pancakes ; nor must I omit to observe, that by many of the
parishioners due respect is paid to Mothering Sunday.

" The dialect of the common people, though broad, is sufficiently
plain and intelligible. They have a strong propensity to aspirate their
words ; the letter H comes in almost on every occasion where it ought
not, and is as frequently omitted where it ought to come in. The words
fine, mine, and such like, are pronounced as if they were spelt foine,
moine; place, face, &c., as if they were spelt pleace, feace; and in the
plural sometimes you hear pleacen ; closen for closes ; and many other
words in the same style of Saxon termination. The words there and
where are generally pronounced thus, theere, vjheere ; the words mercy,
deserve, &c., thus, marcy, desarve. The following peculiarities of pro-
nunciation are likewise observable : uz, strongly aspirated, for us, ivar
for was, meed for maid, farther for father, e'ery for every, brig for bridge,
thurrough for furrow, hawf for half, cart-n'£ for rut, malefactory for
manufactory, inactious for anxious. The words mysen and himsen are
sometimes used instead of myself and himself; the word Shack is used
to denote an idle, worthless vagabond ; and the word Rip one who is
very profane. The following are instances of provincialism where the
words are entirely different. Butty, a fellow servant or labourer ; thus
it is said, ' One btitty's wi' t'other.' To crack, to boast. Fog, dead grass.
Frem, plump or thriving ; thus they say ' a frem child,' l frem grass.'
Oorse or Goss, furze. Living, farm. Passer, gimlet. Peert, lively and
well. Buck, a confused heap. Sough, a covered drain. Spinney, a
small plantation. Strike, bushel. Whit- tawer, a collar-maker. Town,
a village. House for kitchen. Unked, lonely and uncomfortable. The
following phrases are common : ' a power of people ; ' 'a hantle of
money;' 'I don't know I'm sure;' 'I can't awhile as yet as.' The
words like and such frequently occur as expletives in conversation ; for
example, * If you don' t give me my price, like, I won't stay here hagling
all day and such.'' The monosyllable as is generally substituted for
that ; for instance, * the last time as I called ; ' 'I reckon as I an't one,'
I imagine that I am not singular. It is common to stigmatize public
characters, by saying that they ' set poor lights ; ' and to express sur-
prise by saying, ' Dear heart alive ! ' The substantive right generally
usurps the place of ought ; for instance, ' Farmer A. has a right to pay
his tax.' ' The assessor has a just right to give him a receipt.' ' Next
ways ' and ' clever through ' are in common use ; thus, ' I shall go
next ivays clever through Ullesthorpe.' Nigh-hand for probably, as,
' He'll nigh-hand call on us.' Duable, convenient or proper ; thus,
* The church is not served at duable hours.' It is not uncommon for
the wives of farmers to style their husbands Our Master, and for the
husbands to call their wives Mamy ; and a labourer will often distin-
guish his wife by calling her the 'Oman. There are many old people
now living who well remember the time when ' Goody ' and ' Dame,'

XXX THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

• Gaffer ' and ' Gammer/ were in vogue among the peasantry in Leices-
tershire ; but they are now almost universally discarded and supplanted
by Mr. and Mrs., which are indiscriminately applied to all ranks, from
the Squire and his Lady down to Mr. and Mrs. Pauper, who flaunt in
rags, and drink tea twice a day.

" A custom formerly prevailed in this parish and neighbourhood of
1 riding for the bride-cake,' which took place when the bride was
brought home to her new habitation : a pole was erected in the front of
the house, 3 or 4 yards high, with the cake stuck upon the top of it ; on
the instant that the bride set out from her old habitation, a company of
young men started off on horseback ; and he who was fortunate enough
to reach the pole first, and knock the cake down with his stick, had the
honour of receiving it from the hands of a damsel on the point of a
wooden sword ; and with this trophy he returned in triumph to meet
the bride and her attendants, who upon their arrival in the village
were met by a party, whose office it was to adorn their horses' heads
with garlands, and to present the bride with a posey. The last cere-
mony of .this sort that took place in the parish of Claybrook was
between 60 and 70 years ago, and was witnessed by a person now
living in the parish. Sometimes the bride-cake was tried for by persons
on foot, and then it was called * throwing the quintal,' which was per-
formed with heavy bars of iron ; thus affording a trial of muscular
strength as well as of gallantry.

" This custom has long been discontinued as well as the other. The
only custom now remaining at weddings that tends to call a classical
image to the mind is that of sending to a disappointed lover a garland
made of willow variously ornamented, accompanied sometimes with a
pair of gloves, a white handkerchief, and a smelling-bottle.

"At the funeral of a yeoman or farmer, the clergyman generally
leads the van in the procession, in his canonical habiliments ; and the
relations follow the corpse two and two of each sex, in the order of
proximity, linked in each other's arms. At the funeral of a young
man it is customary to have six young women clad in white as pall-
bearers ; and the same number of young men, with white gloves and
hatbands, at the funeral of a young woman. But these usages are not
so universally prevalent as they were in the days of our fathers ; and
in the days of our ' wiser sons ' they may become almost as obsolete as
4 throwing the quintal.'

" Old John Payne and his wife, natives of this parish, are well
known from having perambulated the hundred of Gruthlaxton many
years, during the season of Christmas, with a fine gew-gaw which they
call a wassail, and which they exhibit from house to house with the
accompaniment of a duet. I apprehend that the practice of wassailing
will die with this aged pair." — MACAULAY'S History and Antiquities of
Claylrook, pp. 127—131,

xxxi

ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA.

BESSPOOL, si. a kind of eating apple, large, bright-coloured, tapering to
a rather narrow, point, not bad in flavour, but somewhat woody in
texture. I never met with it out of Leicestershire.

BROST, v. a. and n. to burst. Vide Brossen.

CANNY, adj. slily sagacious ; ' knowing ; ' eulogistic epithet generally.
Probably the word is an intruder from the North country, but it is
not uncommon, and not of late importation.

CLARTY, adj. I have given this word and its meaning as I find them
in my father's glossary, but I believe the word should be ' clatty,'
and the meaning * dirty, as if covered with " clats." '

CROPPER,, sb., phr. ( To come a cropper' is to fall, to tumble ' neck and
crop.' The phrase is very common in metropolitan slang, but it is
not a late importation into Leicestershire.

DABSTER, sb. a ' dab ; ' a good hand at anything.

DEAD, v. a. to kill : often used to and by children. Vide duocken.

FUMMEL, or FITMMLE, sb. a hybrid between the horse and the ass, the
word ' mule ' being reserved for the offspring of the ass and the
mare. It is the hinnus, as distinguished from the mulus. Vide
Pliny, Hist. Nat., viii. 44.

GLEG, sb. a cast in the eye ; a squint. ' Yo' can tell as a wur born i'
the middle o' the wik by the gleg in his oy : a wur lookin' booth
ways for Soonday.'

HANTLE, sb. I have followed my father in giving "a tussle, a hand-
to-hand encounter," as one of the meanings of this word, but I do
not know it in this sense. It is generally equivalent to a ' hand-
full/ and the example given, from which my father probably
inferred his definition, is quite consistent with this meaning.

WEATHER, sb., pec. thunder; a thunderstorm. 'Ah thenk way shall
hev some weather.'

I find that my remarks on pp. 44 and 46 in relation to the Deanery of
Christianity are founded on a misconception of the origin of the
name. Vide Dansey's Horce Decanicce Rurales, ii. 45, 2nd ed., 1844.
Ecclesiastical, as distinguished from secular Courts, civil and
criminal, were generally known as 'Courts Christian;' and as
deans rural were entitled to hold, and very frequently did hold,
Courts Christian for the cognizance and punishment of minor

XXXll THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

ecclesiastical offences, subordinate to the greater Courts Christian
held by the bishops, they "were known as ' deans of Christianity,
and their office as a 'deanery of Christianity.' The appropriation
of the latter term as a topographical description of certain urban
or quasi-urban deaneries is not difficult to understand. A 'rural
deanery of Leicester ' would be a palpable misnomer, however fully
condoned by popular usage : while, so long as the town was a
bishop's see, the ' deanery of Leicester ' would be the designation
appropriated to the cathedral deanery. The term ' deanery of
Christianity ' would seem, therefore, to have been chosen in order
to avoid the difficulty and confusion consequent upon the use of
what at first sight would seem to be a more distinctive appellation.
In addition to the cities mentioned in the text, York, Dublin,
Warwick, Lanrick in the Archbishopric of Glasgow, and appa-
rently Thetford and Norwich, were ecclesiastically designated
' deaneries of Christianity,' and other urban deaneries may pro-
bably have been known by the same name. From the Valor
Eccltsiasticus of Henry VIII., referred to by Mr. Dansey (ii. 431),
it appears that all the Leicestershire deaneries were at that time in
the hands of a single person.

THE

DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

I. PRONUNCIATION.

IN Leicestershire, as in other districts, a number of varieties of pro-
nunciation intermediate between that of the normal local dialect and
that of standard English necessarily co-exist, and such intermediate
varieties are in fact commoner than pure Leicestershire throughout
the county. It is rare, indeed, to find a single family among the
less-educated classes all the members of which pronounce their words
alike. The experience of the " Round Preacher," who noted in the
family with whom he lodged that " Miss Esther spoke more incor-
rectly than her sister," is that of almost every observer of dialectic
peculiarities ; and the influence of surprise, excitement, or even of
illness, in superinducing a paroxysm of provincialism of speech in
partially-educated persons is a phenomenon almost equally common.
It would be profitless, even if it were possible, to place on record all
these varieties, but in describing the normal local pronunciation I have
endeavoured to indicate the lines through which it passes into the
ordinary English. I have also, as far as I am able, distinguished
those peculiarities of pronunciation which appear properly to belong
to other dialects, although now partially naturalized in Leicestershire.
The ' Carlton wharlers ' mentioned by Camden may perhaps have
been immigrants from Cumberland or some other northern county,

who found a settlement at Carlton Curlieu.

B

2 THE DIALECT OP LEICESTERSHIRE.

" ' Harborough, and not far from it Carleton, or the town of
husbandmen, of which I know not whether it be worth mentioning
that almost all the natives of it by a peculiarity of the soil or water
or some other natural cause, speak in a dissonant inarticulate manner,
drawing their words with great harshness out of their throat, and
labouring under a kind of wharling.' So Mr. Camden himself in
his marginal note ; so Burton, Holland, and Gibson translate Rhota-
c.ismus. See also Fuller's Worthies in the county. The present
inhabitants neither have this defect nor know anything of it." T

Burton's words are : "I cannot here omit one observation which
by some hath been made of the naturalists of this town (Carlton
Curley), that all those that are born here have a harsh and rattling
kind of speech, uttering their words with much difficulty and
wharling in the throat, and cannot well pronounce the letter r, which
whether it be from some peculiar property of the water, soil, or
air, or by some secret effect or operation of nature, I cannot well
discover." 2

If this peculiarity was anything more than a difference in dialect
and pronunciation on the part of some of the inhabitants of the
village, it was probably a hereditary inability to pronounce the letter
r, which is not uncommon in any part of the country, and perhaps
commoner in Leicestershire than elsewhere.

The following account, given as nearly as possible in the words
of the farmer who related it, points clearly to the immigration and
settlement of a family speaking a dialect which, whatever else it may
have been, was not Leicestershire.

* Oi'n offen heerd moy father say as theer wur a goodish few folks
down Coonjeson (Congerston) 'wee as 'ad use to talk very broad,
loike. Theer wur on'y won (o as in " on ") on 'em as Oi recollect,
an' that wur o'd Mrs. Otty's (Ottui's) moother (oo as in "foot").
Shay wur a very o'd woman when Oi remember her, an' shay'd bin
very badly of a loong whoile, an' shay doyed soon affter. It wur
won noight as Oi wur theer, an' it wur winter-toime an' all ; an' the
o'd woman sat in a arm-cheer cloos oop agin the foire, an' shay looked

1 Gough's Camden, ii. 297, ed. 18065.

2 Burton's Leicestershire, 64, ed. 1777.

PRONUNCIATION. 3

loike death, the o'd woman did; an' way wur a-talkin' about the
neebors, an' it saimed as theer wur won on 'em as the o'd woman
couldn't abeer. Theer wur a many neames neamed, an' the o'd
woman wur a leanin' back in her cheer, niver stirrin', wi' her oys
shoot (oo as in " foot "), joost for all the woold as if shay didn't 'ear
a wood on it all. But ivry toime as that woman's neame wur neamed,
shay joost leant forrad in her cheer, an' shay says, " Dom 'er ! " Yis !
that's what shay said — joost " Dom 'er ! " ivry toime as that woman's
neame wur neamed. Oi thought it did saim iver so — an' shay
lookin' loike death all the whoile, an' shay doyed soon affter.' (About
1860.)

'Dom' is not unfrequently heard in Leicestershire, as is 'mon'
for 'man,' 'hond' for 'hand,' 'bonk' for 'bank,' &c. ; but these
forms are not indigenous, and this one word thus pronounced was
sufficiently unfamiliar to attract the narrator's attention.

The ' old Mrs. Ottui ' referred to was still living at Congerston
about 1860, and retained in full vigour the system of pronunciation
she had inherited from her mother, in spite of having lived most of
her life among the speakers of another dialect. The singularity of
her pronunciation has, indeed, rescued one of her apophthegms from
oblivion — ' Ah'd niver go mod about a mon whoile ther's so mony
on 'em.'

It is with great reluctance that I have abandoned my intention of
adopting Mr. A. J. Ellis's system of Glossic to illustrate the Leicester-
shire pronunciation. I had written within brackets nearly the whole
of the words and examples in the glossary as far as the letter O
in what I conceived to be the glossic notation, and I was assisted
in the task by Miss Ellis's additions, in which a glossic version of
the words was carefully given. Gradually, however, but surely, the
conviction was borne in upon me that I could neither read nor write
Glossic with sufficient certainty to give any real value to my work.
I have consequently deleted all this part of my labour for fear of
proving simply a misleading guide. As to the desirability of record-
ing provincial pronunciation in a permanently intelligible form there
can be no question, and it would, perhaps, be impossible to devise a
system better adapted for the purpose than Mr. Ellis's. But after a

4 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

long and earnest wrestle with it, I find it more than I can master,
aud, in despair, I have fallen back on the old plan — cumbrous, con-
ventional, and incomplete as it is — of illustrating by means of typical
words, the pronunciation of which is well recognized in contemporary
English. I venture to hope that although the words contained in
the glossary are unaccompanied by their glossic equivalents, an expert
in Mr. Ellis's system will find no difficulty in rendering any of them
correctly for himself, while the conventional method I have adopted
will probably be more intelligible to the ordinary student.

CONSONANTS.

With regard to the consonants the Leicestershire pronunciation
oifers few peculiarities.

B under certain conditions has a tendency to slide into v. A
correspondent whose robust phonetics have happily escaped the
ravages of culture always writes 'provable' and 'provably' for
' probable' and 'probably.' The eggs of the yellow-hammer are also
generally asserted to be those of the ' scrivliii-lark,' the purplish
streaks being supposed to look as if ' scribbled ' upon them. Except
in connection with its eggs, however, the yellow-hammer is not
known as the ' scribbling-lark,' but as the 'goldfinch.'

The converse tendency to transmute v into b is more distinctly
marked. A ' weevil ' is always a ' wibble,' a ' rivet ' a ' ribbet,' and a
' trivet ' often a ' tribbet.' A ' swivel ' is sometimes a ' swibble,' but
more often a ' swipple.' To ' chivvle ' and to * dribble ' are both used
as frequentatives of to ' chip.'

In 'brief,' equivalent to 'rife,' a superfluous b is added.

G generally becomes ch in ' chanch ' for ' chance,' ' launch ' for
' lance,' ' rench ' for ' rinse,' ' minch ' and ' minch-poy ' for ' mince '
and ' mince-pie,' ' squinch ' for ' quince ; ' and ch is substituted for ts
1 curchey ' for ' curtsey.'

" She had often been tittering when she curcheyed to Mr. Irwine."
— Adam Bede.

D final sometimes becomes a t, as in ' holt,' ' helt,' for ' hold,'
' held,' ' adlant ' for ' head-land,' &c.

D has a tendency to become/ 'Idjot,' 'juke,' 'juty/ 'Jed,' 'jel,'

PRONUNCIATION. 5

are common forms of 'idiot,' 'duke/ 'duty/ 'dead/ 'deal.' 'Indi-
vijle ' and ' tremenjous ' are also common, but ' individdle ' and ' tre-
menduous' perhaps equally so. It is sometimes, but not often,
inserted in ' ahsomdever/ 'betweend/ for 'howsoever' and 'between.'

' Drown ' always takes the usual provincial d final.

The double d is often pronounced like the th in ' their.' Thus
' adder/ ' bladder/ ' ladder/ become ' ather/ ' blather/ ' lather.' The
a being sometimes narrowed, these words occasionally assume the
form, 'ether/ 'blether/ 'lether.' 'Fodder' becomes ' fother/ and
' puther ' (the u as in ' bull ') is the normal Leicestershire form of
'pudder' (Lear, III. ii.). On the other hand, 'furder' for 'further'
is universal.

Comparatives such as 'madder/ ' badder/ &c., are never thus
modified.

In nd final the d is often omitted, as in ' paoun ' for ' pound/
'raoun' for 'round/ 'grinston' for 'grindstone/ &c.

F is commuted for th in ' thurrow ' for ' furrow/ and sometimes
in ' thumety ' (u as in ' bull ') for ' furmety.'

The omission of./ in 'baily' or 'beely' for 'bailiff' is probably
not a peculiarity of pronunciation, nor, perhaps, is its addition in
'fluff' for 'flue' = light floating filament.

It becomes p in ' helper ' for ' pilfer.'

In ' flimp ' for ' limp ' = flabby, it is superfluous, and it is often
elided in ' a'ter ' for ' after/ but ' affter ' is the normal pronunciation.

G in 'gate/ 'gape/ 'gulp/ is almost always pronounced as y.
Thus 'gate' becomes 'yeat' or 'yet/ 'gape' 'yaup/ and 'gulp' 'yolp'
or ' yollop. ' The vowel-changes will be noticed presently.

The hardening of the soft g in certain cases is quite as marked a
peculiarity. ' Bridge ' is often ' brig/ and ' ridge ' almost invariably
' rig.' ' Fledged ' is ' flig/ which perhaps presents a peculiarity of
grammar as well as of pronunciation. ' Hinge ' is sometimes ' ing.'

A ' lie ' and to ' lie ' = speak falsely, are generally ' lig.' To
' clag ' = to stick like clay, is perhaps an analogous case, though it
may be only another pronunciation of ' clog.'

Except occasionally in the case of participles, the g in ng is
distinctly sounded. ' Ring/ ' sing/ are ' ring-g/ ' sing-g/ but the

6 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

participles may be either ' ring-ging-g,' ' sing-ging-g,' or 'ring-gin,'
' sing-gin.' In ' nothing ' the g becomes a k.

It is omitted in 'lenth,' 'strenth,' for 'length,' 'strength.'
Both ' dimble ' and ' dumble ' are occasionally heard for ' dingle,'
but both forms are, I think, intruders.

Gli is elided in ' eno,' ' enew,' or ' enow,' for ' enough,' and some-
times in ' tow ' (ow as in ' cow ') for ' tough.'

'Guard,' 'garden,' 'blackguard,' are often pronounced 'gyard,'
' gyardin,' and ' black-gyard,' the accent in the last word being quite
as strong on the last syllable as the first.

H is inserted or omitted in a highly miscellaneous manner, but
its insertion is far less common than its omission. The aspiration is
never strongly marked — perhaps more strongly in ' hour' than in any
other word. A strong emphasis often develops an aspirate where it
is latent in ordinary converse. ' It's a o'd un ' is an assertion which
if controverted would be repeated in the form ' Hit his a ho'd un.'
H becomes w in ' neburwood ' for ' neighbourhood.'
L is generally elided in ' o'd ' for ' old,' and sometimes in ' cold,'
' sold,' &c.

It is occasionally commuted for r, as in 'frail' for 'flail.'
M has a tendency to take a p after it, as in ' glumpy' or ' glompy '
for ' gloomy,' ' hump ' for ' home,' &c. ' Mr. Thompson of Hanip-
stead ' bears witness to the same tendency in other parts of the
country.

N is often exchanged for m in ' turnip,' which becomes ' turmit '
or ' tummit ' — the u as in ' bull.' ' Evening ' is sometimes ' evemin,'
' seven ' generally ' sevm ' or ' sebm,' and ' ninepence ' ' noimpns,' the
last occurring most frequently in the phrase ' as noist as noimpns.'
' Churm ' for ' churn ' is also common, and ' metheeglum ' for
' metheglin.'

P becomes b in 'helper' for 'pilfer,' while the / becomes p as
before noticed. ' Pumptial ' for ' punctual ' is very common, while
on the other hand, 'flack' generally supersedes 'flap.' I am not
sure, however, that this is a variety of pronunciation.

Qu becomes Jc in unfamiliar words such as 'aqueduct,' 'Tonquin,'
which become ' akedok,' ' Tunkey.'

PRONUNCIATION. 7

R for the most part follows the ordinary usage in being never
trilled before a consonant, and only slightly trilled before a vowel.
Its presence, however, is indicated by the modification of any pre-
ceding vowel. Thus — ' word ' becomes ' wood,' ' bird,' ' bood,'
'world' 'woold/ 'fourth' 'footh/ &c. It frequently shows a
tendency to become I, as in ' chelp ' for ' chirp,' ' lap ' for ' wrap,'
and those who find it difficult to pronounce the letter — a not
unfrequent family peculiarity — generally make this substitution
instead of adopting the usual Cockney w. ' Lobert ' and ' Lichard '
I remember pleading for a holiday to help their father ' cally ' his
hay. ' Hal ' and ' Hally ' are in common use for ' Harry.'

In ' Febiwerry ' or ' Febwerry ' for ' February ' the first r is always
elided. Amends, however, are made by the universal substitution of
' prooker ' for ' poker.' ' Morsel ' is generally ' niossle,' but sometimes
* mussel ' as it is spelt in the Wycliffite Versions. The r is clearly
sounded in ' pritty ' for ' pretty.' Is it the fault of my own Leicester-
shire education that I have never yet been able to ascertain exactly
what is the correct standard pronunciation of either 'pretty' or ' girl ' 1

S is frequently prefixed to an initial q, as in 'squench' for
' quench,' ' squinch ' for ' quince,' ' squash ' for ' quash.' In ' cater-
snozzled ' it is prefixed to n, but I do not remember ever hearing it
given to ' nozzle ' out of composition. St when not initial is always,
if possible, avoided or softened. 'Ancestor' becomes 'ahncetor,'
' ghastly ' ' gashly.' The treatment of plurals of nouns ending in st
will be noticed further on. S is almost always suffixed in ' some-
hows,' ' no hows,' ' any hows.'

T is always added to 'nice,' 'sermon,' and 'vermin,' which
become 'noist,' 'sarmunt,' and 'varmint.'

" Which was ye thinkin' on, Seth, the pretty parson's face or her
sarmunt ? " — Adam Bede.

It is omitted in preterites and participles ending in pt, as in
' slep,' ' kep,' * pep ' (p. of ' peep '), &c. As in almost every other
dialect, it is softened before a combination of vowels. * Covetous '
becomes 'covechus,' 'virtuous' 'virchus,' 'righteous' 'roightchus,' &c.
It is exchanged for ck in ' apricock,' which is Shakspere's form of
the word.

8 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Th loses the aspirate in ' fift,' ' sixt,' ' eight ' = eighth, and
, generally in 'twelvemont.'

" My wife's been a-plaguin' on me to build her a oven this twelve-
mont." — Adam Bede.

1 Thistle ' is often ' fistle,' and on the other hand ' frail ' = flail
is often 'thrail.' ' Further' becomes 'f order,1 'path' 'pad,' and
' rathes,' ' raves ' or ' reaves.'

V becomes u in ' Ravenstone,' 'ravenpicked,' which are sounded
'Raunson,' ' raunpick.' The same change of sound occurs in ' showel '
or ' showl ' for ' shovel,' and ' ower ' or ' o'er ' for over. ' Leave ' —
'permission' is always 'leaf.'

W is always omitted in ' always,' which becomes ' all'ays ' or
' all'us.'

"Judith and me allays hung together." — Adam Bede.
Sometimes, but rarely, it is omitted in ' woman ' and ' world,' which
then become "oman' and foold.' It is elided in words com-
pounded with '-ward' or '-wards,' as in 'awk'ard,' 'gattards,'
' hum muds,' ' affteruds,' ' backuds and forruds ' for ' awkward,'
' gate wards,' 'homewards,' 'afterwards,' 'backwards and forwards.'

There are several common transpositions of consonants which it
may be convenient to notice here. As in many other dialects, ' ax '
or ' ahx ' is the normal form of ' ask,' and ' waps ' of ' wasp.' ' Curd '
and ' curdle ' are ' crud ' and ' cruddle,' ' starling ' is ' starnil,' ' burst '
is sometimes ' brost,' and ' bursten ' ' brossen,' ' apern ' or ' appern ' is
a very usual form of ' apron,' ' channils ' of ' challenge,' and ' conolize '
of ' colonize.' The villages 'Thurcaston,' 'Thurlaston,' and 'Thurmas-
ton,' are 'Throoks'n,' 'Throols'n,' and 'Throoms'n' respectively.
' Thorp ' is sometimes ' Thrope ' and ' Thrupp,' and in composition
often loses the aspirate, as in ' Woolstrup' for 'Wollesthorpe.' The
metathesis 'furtuner' for 'furniture,' which occurs more than once
in the 'bills delivered,' quoted at the end of these remarks, was
probably peculiar to the carpenter using it, but it affords a good
type of a kind of transposition very usual in individual cases.

PRONUNCIATION. \)

VOWELS.

A in ' can/ * man/ ' land/ ' hand/ &c., is usually identical with the
German a in 'kann/ 'mann/ 'land/ 'hand/ &c. 'Dom/ 'mon/

* bond/ &c., as already noticed, are common enough, particularly on
the S.W. border, but are not properly indigenous. In many cases,
however, the substitution of o for a is universal and normal. Thus,
a 'rat' is always a 'rot/ 'chapped' and 'chap' as applied to hands
always ' chopped ' and ' chop/ — ' foller/ ' roddle/ ' stroddle/ ' homper/

* boffle/ * bloshy/ ' bosh/ * strop ' being the accepted forms of ' fallow/
'raddle/ 'straddle/ 'hamper/ 'baffle/ 'plashy/ 'bash' = abash and
' strap.' ' Cotch/ ' lomb/ ' ony/ and ' mony ' are perhaps as frequent
as 'catch/ 'lamb/ 'any/ and 'many.'

'All/ 'awl/ 'bawl/ 'call/ 'caul/ &c., are pronounced as in
standard English, but with a tendency, more or less developed,
to become 'ol/ 'bol/ 'col/ &c. 'Far/ 'farther/ &c., are always
'fur/ 'furder/ &c., but this is probably one of the many instances
in which an apparent peculiarity of pronunciation is due to the use
of a different form of the word.

A in 'haft/ 'graft/ 'cast/ 'fast/ 'last/ 'past/ 'castle/ 'fasten/
'pasture/ &c., is pronounced like the a in 'fat/ 'hat/ &c.

In ' farm/ ' harm/ ' calf/ ' half/ ' laugh/ ' palm/ ' cart/ ' part/ &c.,
the sound of the vowel is the same as in 'fat/ 'hat/'&c., but it is
dwelt on a little longer to make up for the I, r, or other letter not
sounded. 'Calf and 'half are also sometimes 'caif and 'half/
and occasionally 'cauf ' and 'hauf.' Both these forms, however, are
probably aliens. ' Bawm ' for ' balm ' is, I think, both universal and
legitimate.

The a in 'father' is generally the same as in 'fat/ slightly
lengthened, but sometimes it is pronounced like the ai in ' faith/ and
occasionally like, or nearly like, ee.

In ' master ' the a is generally like the a in ' fat/ but the word
is also pronounced 'maister/ 'mester/ and 'meester.' When used
with a Christian name, the second syllable is often elided altogether.

In ' grass/ ' wash/ ' gather/ ' catch/ the a is often heard as
an e. ' Gres ' is a common early form in HaveloTc and elsewhere.

10 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

"The sow pig'd and did well, and I got a little weshin."—
Round Preacher, 72.

'Earable' for 'arable' is very common.

' Heng ' and ' hing ' for ' hang J are rather different forms of the
verb than peculiarities of pronunciation.

' Alice ' is almost always transposed into ' Ailse,' and docked of a
syllable.

' Al ' final is pronounced like the ordinary * le ' final, as in
1 capitle,' * cornicle/ l ewzhle,' for ' capital,' * comical,' ' usual.'

The long a sound in 'day,' 'hay,' 'clay,' 'way,' 'face,' 'ache,'
'name,' 'bait,' ''wait,' 'neighbour,' 'chair,' 'there,' 'where,' 'tear' =
rend, is most usually rendered by pure ee as in 'meet.' In the
Wycliffite Versions we have ' freel ' and ' frele ' for ' frail,' and a
host of other instances of this change. Burton always writes ' drean '
for ' drain.'

"drean those mighty Maeotian fens." — Anat. Mel., 59.

'Nebors' is the spelling of 'neighbours' in the Wigston
Hospital Correspondence, printed in Mchol's. Leicestershire (I. ii.
340). In monosyllables, the sound has often a just perceptible
tendency to become dissyllabic, and sometimes does actually become
distinctly so. In this case, the former sound is that of ee, and the
latter an obscure vowel sound as like an a as an e, and as like an o
or a u as either. Thus, except metaphorically, a ' spade ' is never
called a ' spade,' but generally a ' speed,' and sometimes a ' spee-ed,'
' spee-ad,' ' spee-od,' or ' spee-ud,' according to the idiosyncracy of the
speaker.

' Great,' ' strait ' = narrow, or rather tight, are ' gret,' or some-
times ' greet,' and ' stret.'

'Break' is 'brak,' 'brek,' or sometimes 'breek.'

'Late' is often 'lat.'

' Cave,' in to ' cave in,' is ' cauve,' ' gape ' is sometimes ' gaup,'
but more frequently 'yaup,' and 'gaby,' 'gauby.' 'Gamesome' and
'barefoot' are 'gamsum' and 'barft.' In William of Palerne they
are spelt 'gamsum' and 'barfot.'

Between the long a of standard English and the long e, which is
its standard Leicestershire representative, there are a number of

PRONUNCIATION. 11

vowel sounds, any of which may at times be heard on the lips of
that large class which speaks neither standard English nor standard
Leicestershire. Among these sounds, perhaps the commonest is that
of the German a, which is apparently considered the correct rendering
of long a by those who would not willingly be thought provincial.

The au sound in ' paw,' ( bawl,' ' maul,' &c., is generally pro-
nounced as in standard English, with a tendency to become or,
especially before a vowel, but not so strongly marked as in the
Cockney dialect.

'Haunt' and 'gaunt' are generally pronounced 'ahnt,' 'gahnt.'
'Aunt' is pronounced 'ant' with a rather longer dwelling on the
vowel. ' Daughter ' is often ' dahter,' and more seldom ' dowter ' —
with the slightest possible suspicion of an a before the ow. A
' fawn ' is generally a ' fown,' ow as in ' cow.'

The short e sound in 'kept,' 'wed,' 'led,' 'lead' —plumbum,
' spread,' &c., retains its usual pronunciation, but with a tendency to
become a. To this rule, however, there are many exceptions.

' Yes,' ' get,' ' yet,' ' chest/ ' ever,' ' never,' and sometimes ' thread '
become 'yis,' 'git,' 'yit,' 'chist,' 'rv*er,' 'niver,' 'thrid.'

" When his fist
Gropes for his double Ducates in his chist."

Hall. Satires, IV. i.

' Pebble ' is always ' pibble.' ' Instead ' becomes ' steads,' ' i'stid/
or 'i'stids.'

"When y'are six-and-forty like me, istid o' six-and-twenty, ye
wonna be so flush o' workin' for nought." — Adam JBede.

' Yellow,' ' wrestle,' ' sweat,' become ' yollo ' (with an r before a
vowel), 'wrostle,' 'swot.' These words have also a very common
intermediate form, ' yalla,' ' wrastle ' and ' swat,' with the short
German a.

'Eennet' is 'runnet,' 'deaf is 'deef.' 'Serve,' 'deserve,' &c.,
' sermon,' ' vermin,' are ' sarve,' ' desarve/ &c., ' sarmunt ' and
' varmint.' In the Wigston Hospital Correspondence already referred
to we have ' sarve,' ' sarmon,' and ' harde ' for ' heard,' a form still
recognized in Leicestershire, but not so common as 'heerd' and
' heern.' ' Errand ' is always 'arrand ' or ' arrant.' ' Pert.' is ' peert.'

12 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

In 'head/ and particularly in its compounds, ' bif-yead/ 'bull-
yead/ &c., as well as in l Edward,' a distinct initial y is heard. It is
sometimes audible in ' earn/ ' earnings/ &c., when the word is used
also instead of the more familiar ' addle/ and now and then in
' yarth ' for ' earth.'

The long e sound in 'we/ 'me/ 'be/ 'tea/ 'speak/ 'breathe/
'decent/ 'conceit/ 'belief/ 'field/ 'people/ &c., is rendered by the
long a sound as in 'bait.' Whenever 'A' stands for 'he' in this
Glossary, it represents this sound. It is 'hay' without the li.

" Then there was Kester Bale for example — Beale, probably, if
the truth were known, but he was called Bale, and was not conscious
of any claim to a fifth letter." — Adam Bede.

In the Wigston Hospital Correspondence we have 'resayve/
'parsayve/ &c., for 'receive/ 'perceive/ &c.

'Ear/ 'year/ 'tear' = lacryma, are 'ee-a/ 'yee-a/ 'tee-a.'

'A-deal' = multum is generally ' a-dell/ sometimes 'a-jell.'

' Bleat' is commonly ' blaut/ but the more elegant make it ' blaht.'

' Either ' and ' neither ' are sometimes ' aythur ' and * nayther/ and
sometimes 'oyther' and 'noyther.'

' Deep/ ' peel/ ' sheep/ ' beef/ ' seeds/ ' cheese/ are ' dip/ ' pill/
'ship/ 'bif/ 'sids, 'chiz.' 'Cheese/ however, is sometimes 'chaze/
and in composition always ' chess/ as in ' chessford/ ' chessup/ &c.

' Cheap ' is generally ' chep/ but sometimes ' chip.' ' Leap ' is
generally ' lip/ but sometimes ' lep.'

Eau is generally ee as in 'Beemont' for 'Beaumont/ but
' Beaumont Leys ' is always locally known as ' Bewmont Lays.'

Eu or ew is almost always pronounced ee-u.

A ' ewe ' is a ' yo,' and to ' mew ' as a cat ' meaou.'

I short is pronounced as in standard English.

' Spit ' in all senses is often ' spet/ ' pith/ ' peth/ and ' sit ' ' set.'
In phrases such as ' Set ye down' for 'sit down/ &c., this probably
represents the reflective form of the verb rather than a peculiarity of
pronunciation.

' Mister ' is generally ' muster ' — u as in ' bull ' — but sometimes
' mester/ and there is often a difficulty in making out whether the
word used is meant for ' mister ' or ' master.'

PRONUNCIATION. 13

'Bug' (u as in 'bull') = conceited, seems to be a various pro-
nunciation of * big,' but, if so, it is the only sense in which the word
is so pronounced.

In ' convenient,' ' obedient,' &c., the i is omitted.

" When will it be conven'ent for me to see you]" — Adam Bede.

On the other hand, ' drovier ' for ' drover ' is very usual, and
persons of sufficiently advanced opinions to make use of the word
' mountainous,' generally pronounce it ' mountainious ' with the
accent on the second syllable. ' Tremendous ' also, when not ' tre-
menduous,' takes an i, and becomes ' tremendious ' or ' tremenjus.'

' Favourite ' is reduced to two syllables, and the accent equally
distributed between them, ' feev-roight ' being the usual form.

" I don' know what Parson Irwine 'ull say at his gran' favright
Adam Bede turning Methody." — Adam Bede.

The long i or y is a distinct oi, as in ' soil/ but among those who
affect a more cultured style of pronunciation, it is modified into an ai
like the sound in 'aye,' ' Caiaphas,' 'Isaiah.'

Even when there is no stress on the sound, the tendency to
make the i sound an oy is perceptible. An enterprizing blacksmith
at Bosworth set up what he described in large letters as a ' Nail Manu-
facturoy,' and whenever the y in words like ' misery,' ' economy/ is
sounded so as to give any distinct vowel sound, it is always oi rather
than any other.

' As-yet-wise ' is l as-yettus/ but I am not certain whether the last
syllable is meant to represent ' wise ' or ' ways/

* Surely/ as in many other dialects, always has the accent on the
last syllable when used as an exclamation, and becomes ' shoo-loy ! '

'Fight' sometimes adopts the alien form 'fait' for the more
usual 'foit/ and 'five-pence' is 'fippns/ A 'five-pound-note' is,
however, more often a ' foi-pn-ote ' than a ' fippn-ote.'

0 short as in ' hop/ ' mop/ &c., remains unchanged, but there
are many exceptions. * Hob/ ' hod/ ' knob,' ' Thomas/ ' sovereign/
' foreign/ ' foreigner/ are ' hub/ ' hud/ ' nub/ ' Tummus/ ' suvrin ' or
'soovrin' — oo as in 'foot' — 'furrin/ 'furriner.' 'Fork' is 'furk/
' short ' often ' shurt/ and * shortness/ ' shurtness/ This last is spelt
' schertnesse ' in the Wycliffite versions.

14 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

'Moth,' 'office,' ' coffee,' become 'mauth,' 'haufis,' 'caufy.'

* Crap ' for ' crop ' is not unfrequent, but is apparently an alien form.

In ' cross,' ' crossed,' ' loss,' ' lost,' < frost,' ' broth,' ' gone,' ' croft,'
1 loft,' ' soft,' ' off,' &c. , the o is pronounced as in ' hop.'

In ' brother,' ' mother,' ' other,' ' son,' ' done,' ' ton,' ' song,' ' long,'
' strong,' &c., it is pronounced like the oo in ' foot ' or the u in ' bull,'
thus following the ordinary Leicestershire pronunciation of the short
u sound.

The long o sound as in 'hope,' 'roll,' 'note,' 'soap,' 'groan,'
' goes,' &c., is pronounced like the oo in c fool.'

"They say folks allays groon when they're hearkenin' to the
Methodys, as if they war bad i' th' inside." — Adam Bede.

" What's thee got thy Sunday cloose on for ? " — Ib.

" Now is Pernassus turned to a stewes
And on Bay-stocke the Wanton Myrtle grewes."

Hall. Sat., I. 2.

The Wycliffite Versions give 'aroos,' 'boon,' 'coost,' 'coombys,'
'coote,' 'loon,' ' noose-thrillis,' 'cost,' 'roopis,' ' smook,' 'toos,' &c.,
for 'arose,' 'bone,' 'coast,' 'combs,' 'coat,' 'loan,' 'nostrils,' 'host,'
' ropes,' 'smoke/ 'toes,' &c., and a bookful of other instances might be
collected. ' Sloo ' for ' sloe ' is also a Wycliffite form common in Leices-
tershire, but the more ordinary pronunciation is ' slaun ' or ' slon.'

' Over ' is ' ovver ' or ' uvver.' ' Close ' = clausum, a field or
enclosure, is generally 'clus,' but in other senses more frequently
' cloos.'

' Oats ' are usually ' wuts,' and ' home ' ' hum ' or ' wum.'

'Pony' is sometimes 'powny' — ow as in 'cow.'

'Koad,' 'toad,' &c., are sometimes 'roo-ad,' 'too-ad,' or 'roo-ud,'

* too-ud,' but the tendency to resolve the long o into a dissyllable is
seldom strongly marked, though often perceptible.

In ' gallows/ &c., it becomes a short u, ' gallus,' &c.

' Chock,' ' chuck,' and { chook ' — oo as in ' foot ' — are all common
forms of ' choke ' in ' choke-full,' but to ' choke ' generally follows
the ordinary rule.

The short oo in ' foot,' &c., has a wider range of pronunciation
than any other sound. It extends all the way from the narrowest

PRONUNCIATION. 1 5

indefinable trace of a vowel, barely sufficient to hold two consonants
together, through the short u in * but ' and the open u in * bull ' to
the long u in ' mute ' and the open oo in ' boot.' Generally speaking,
the shorter forms are used by the less, and the longer by the more
educated; but many who use the shorter forms in some cases use
the longer in others in a manner apparently quite arbitrary. The
intermediate forms are naturally the most frequently employed.
'Book,' 'brook,' 'look,' 'rook,' 'shook,' &c., are thus most frequently
either correctly pronounced or else take the forms ' buke,' ' bruke,'
'luke,' 'ruke,' 'shuke.' Sometimes, however — for the most part
among better -to -do classes of the community — the words are pro-
nounced with the long oo as in ' boot,' and sometimes among those
with less pretension to culture, ' buk,' ' bruk,' ' luk,' ' ruk,' ' shuk.'
' Gude/ however, is seldom heard for ' good.'

'Soot' in Leicestershire rhymes to 'foot.' I do not know the
correct pronunciation of this word in standard English. I once
thought it was ' sut,' but my faith has been shaken. I have heard a
Bishop say ' sut,' but I have heard an Archbishop make the word
rhyme with ' boot.'

The long oo as in ' boot/ ' soon,' ' tool,' &c., is rendered by the
long u as in ' mute,' or its equivalent, the eu in ' feud.'

A ' coop ' and to ' coop up ' are generally a ' cub ' and to ' cub
up,' the u being pronounced either as in ' but ' or as in ' bull.'

Oi and oy as in 'join/ 'loin/ 'boy/ 'toy/ 'noise/ are rendered by
a long i as in ' line/ or an ay or ai in ' aye/ ' Caiaphas/ &c., in which
the a element of the diphthong is pronounced like the a in ' father.'

' Sir, I want a ty for a little by : ' said a good woman entering
a toyshop in Leicester.

Pope and a host of other writers have no qualms about making
'join' rhyme with 'line' and so forth, and it is hard to believe that
the pronunciation of the two sounds did not at one time approximate
much more closely than at present. In Leicestershire the sound of
ai in ' Caiaphas/ &c., is very generally substituted both for the long i
and the oi, and represents perhaps the general pronunciation of both
about the beginning of the eighteenth century.

On and ow as in 'house/ 'cow/ &c., are triphthongs, and take

16 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

an a, or at least a vowel sound, with a tendency to become an a,
before them, ' haouse,' ' caow,' &c.

' Mow ' = a ' sheaf ' or = ' to crowd/ and sometimes = ' to mow
with a scythe,' * bow ' = arcus, ' bowl ' in all senses, ' ought ' =
aliquid, and sometimes in other senses, * nought ' and frequently
' brought,' and other past tenses and participates in ' ought,' are all
pronounced with the aou.

1 Pound,' ' found,' are generally * pun,' * fun.' I remember a most
unfacetious agricultural labourer, in a village near Bosworth, who was
universally known by the name of ' Fun,' and who, indeed, had no
other name. On asking a farmer who occasionally employed him
how he came by this inappropriate appellation, the mystery was at
once revealed : — " ' Fun ? ' — (u as in ' bull ') — Whoy, a wur ca'd
' Fun,' coz a wur fun under a 'edge ! '

' Jowl ' appears as ' chawl ' in ' chawl o' beek'n.'

' Our ' is generally narrowed to * air ' or ' ar,' and ' howsoever ' is
indifferently 'ahsever' or ' ahsomdever.'

' Trough,' ' cough,' are * truf,' ( cuf,' the u either as in ' but ' or as
in 'bull.'

* Sough,' — if the word is properly so spelt when = ' an under-
ground drain,' — is 'suff' with the u as in 'bull.'

' House,' when a suffix in a compound becomes us. ' "Work-
house,' 'malt-house/ 'bake-house,' are 'wookus,' 'mautus,' 'beekus/
or 'backus.'

Whenever the sound of ou or ow is equivalent to a long o, as in
'soul,' 'crow,' &c., it follows the ordinary Leicestershire pronunci-
ation of long o in becoming oo as in ' fool.'

The sound of u short as in 'pup/ 'cub,' 'nut/ 'judge/
' come/ ' some/ &c., is pronounced like the u in ' bull ' or the oo in
'foot.'

' Soom ' and ' coom ' occur in the Wigston Hospital Correspond-
ence already quoted.

In ' put/ ' pudding/ ' sugar/ the u is sometimes, but by no
means universally, pronounced as in ' pup.'

'Cover' is often 'kivver' — 'kyuere' is a Wycliffite spelling of
the word.

PRONUNCIATION.

17

The open u sound in ' true/ ' fruit,' &c., follows the rule relating
to long oo, and becomes a long u, as in ' mute/ or eu as in ' feud.'

U before 'ous' or 'al/ is only heard in the softening of the
preceding consonant. * Virtuous/ ' spirituous/ ' spiritual/ thus
become 'virchus/ 'sperichus/ 'sperichal' — ch as in 'cheese.'
' Individual ' becomes ' indivijle.'

" And there's such a thing as being over-speritial." — Adam Bcde.

Except ia a very few instances the accent conforms to ordinary
custom.

Iii ' mischief/ the accent is equally divided between the two
syllables. In 'mischievous/ however, it is more distinct on the
second syllable. ' Contrary ' is accented on the second syllable.

* Favourite ' is reduced to two syllables, as already noticed, and
the accent equally divided between them.

' Surely ' is accented on the last syllable when used as an excla-
mation or quasi-exclamation.

Those who employ such words as ' despicable/ ' applicable/ &c.,
accent them on the second syllable.

1 Matrimony/ ' acrimony/ &c., have an accent on both the first
and third syllables.

' Aggravate ' has a supplementary accent on the last syllable.

The numerals are : —

1. Wan, i. e. on with a
w before it.

2. Tew.

3. Thray.

4. Foo-a, rarely ' fow-a ' (ow
as in * cow ').

5. Foive.

6. Six.

7. Sev'n, sev'm, seb'm.

8. Eet, heet.

9. Noin, noiin.

10. Ten.

11. 'Lev'n, lev'm, leb'm.

12. Twelve.

13. Thootain (oo as in 'foot').

14. Foo'tain (oo as in 'fool ').
20. Twenty.

30. Thooty (oo as in 'foot').

40. Foo'ty (oo as in 'fool').

100. Oonderd (oo as in 'foot').

' Once/ ' wanst ; ' ' twice/ ' twoice ; ' ( thrice/ ' throice ; ' ' four
times/ 'foo toimes/ &c. 'Twice' and 'thrice/ like 'once/ some,
times have a final t.

c

18

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

1st. Foost (oo as in * foot').

2nd. Sec'nd.

3rd. Thood (oo as in ' foot ').

4th. Foo'th (oo as in < fool').

5th. Fift.

6th. Sixt.

7th. Sev'nt, sebn't.

8th. Eet, heet.

9th. EToint.

10th. Tenth, tent.

llth. Lev'nt, lob'nt, lev'nth.

12th. Twelft.

13th. Thootainth (oo as in
'foot').

20th. Twentith.

30th. Thootith (oo as in
'foot').

40th. Footith (oo as in 'fool').
100th. Oonderd, oonderdth (oo
as in ' foot ').

The following items from 'bills delivered' between 1856 and
1861 by a workman, whose system of orthography was mainly
phonetic, illustrate several points in Leicestershire pronunciation.

Whork at loine-post ... ... ... ... 023

Pesin Door putin hup Shelf Glooin Char and litel

Jobes 029

Makin a touel hors ... ... ... 016

Makin a noife box ... ... ... 010

Makin close horse ... ... ... 046

Makin Noife box with Nales and webin ... ... 0 0 9

Makin a door 1 par inges a hasp 2 stapels and

pante ... ... ... ... ... 039

Mendin corne bing ... ... ... ... 010

takein doon bed furtuner and blindes putin doon

Carpet ... ... ... ... ... 0 1 0

putin hup bed furtuner and "Winder blindes ... 02 6

tackes and scrus ... ... .... 003

Shiftin Bed and Carpet ... ... 016

mendin Chimdey pese ... 026

fitin slates to Bed ... ... ... ... 004

puting 1 handle in Spade 6 pen. sharping Saw id.

hamer Steal 3d.

1 slat for winder blind ... ... ... 003

holterin 2 harm chare ... ... .., 006

PRONUNCIATION. 19

Mendiii Corn bing and Nales ... ... ... 010

6 hookes and putin hup fencin in feld Gardin ... 010

Makin 2 corn trofs 1 hasp 2 stapels 2 oldfastes

andnales .... ... ... ... 008

Makin a petishen to hot Bed 1 ing and Skrwes ... 004

holterin Seler door board ... ... ... 026

Work at Gardin Boxes 1 day ... ... ... 039

putin canvis on frame ... ... ... ... 016

Mendin harm Chare mendin a tule putin webin to

close horse ... ... .... ... 16

makin a blind slat ... ... ... ... 03

fencin in Close ... ... ... ... 16

makin loine post ... ... ... ... 16

fencin hea Stack ... ... ... .... 10

putin hing on shuter ... ... ... ... 02

The following extracts from MSS. also in my possession are not
without a philological interest as illustrative of pronunciation : —

" My wife was gon out but shis com back gin."

"If you got no met pies to send 3 pound of Beken."

" Sir I shall be a blight to you if you will please to send a little
som think for my little gell."

" She was sitting on the bottomist stare, and in the act of rising
thair from her legs wos quite dead up to her hips, and through
weekness and Death upon her she fell forward."

" A change took place last night with my wife. She now lies and
takes no notice, and seems to feel no pain, and she can Ear aney
thing. And she did speak, and said she could not now talk she is
so weak, and we fear she is much worse. But if you think these
Symptoms are for the best, so it is."

" I keep my beed three wicks and I ham very wick and loo at
the preasent. I ham com to ask you if you pleas to let me have E
trifell to git me somthing to tak to git my streenth hup once moor.
I have had nothing only E villent cuff at the chest."

u Iharn agardner or jobean man and can make my self usfull as

arand man."

c 2

20 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

" Sir raight to infome you that i very hill."

"Three \veaks ago i summingd him before the Magstrets for
taking 2 days with out my Leef he got a reparmending and sent
away with the promised to be better boy he as been wors ever
since he is in the shop 12 hours and then he leevs work but he
dont du more than 4 hours work in 12 hours & destroys is tules
in a shameful! manner he as been with me 12 monts and as not
ernt is food ad I better refuse to take the Boy and a low the farther
to summing me or ad i better summoiid the boy and try to get is
indenters cancled what ad i better do with such a carracter."

" A middleaged Persn as a working housekiper wages required
twelve Pound if it is a lite piece I would take a littel les and
remain yours truley."

" i have been obliged to have some one to wait of her we have
given her some fisic and tried menes and she is geting beter."

" I whould be willing to do haney think you wood wish by me."

" I rived safe home and all is well I remain your true frende
Henery . . . ."

" I shall have no objection to taken the child."

" You may know all piticklors by riting or coming. Answer by
return will abledge."

" She was Stormed and Hooted at and told she was to idle to
work and never done a day's work in her life."

" Will you kindley tell me if Hebe was a virtious woman ? I
believe she was Cup bearer to Jove. An early reply will greatly
oblige."

" A young lady with dark brown curly hair, black eyes and tall,
age 23, with a small income, and wishes to meet with a pardoner
the same. Age his no object. To enclose 12 postage stamps."
(This was a postage-stamp swindle.)

21

II. GRAMMAR.

APART from the vocabulary and pronunciation, the Leicestershire
dialect presents at least one distinctive peculiarity of great interest.
This is the substitution of ' to have ' for ' to be,' both as a substantive
and auxiliary verb. A schoolboy quarrel almost invariably involves
the dialogue : —

A, 'Yo'vealoyar!'

B. ' Whoy, Oi hevn't ! '

A. ' Whoy, yo' hev ! So naow then ! '

B. * Whoy, Oi hevn't ! So naow then ! '

And so on, and so on, till the time arrives for terminating the
argument by fisticuffs. An old parish clerk and sexton, who found
me trespassing in his belfry, accosted me with :

' And Neethan said unto Deevid, thou hast the man ! '
The usage, however, is eminently capricious, and very frequently
is combined with the ordinary form in the same sentence.

* Oi mought ha' bin as big a fule as a 'ad his-sen to 'ear 'im talk.'
' If Oi 'adn't a bin quoiet-loike, a'd a 'ad on to me agen.'
Perhaps the commonest formulas in which the substitution
occurs are those in which enquiries about health are made or
answered.

'Well, an' ow hev yeT
' Well, Oi hevn't not quoite so well to-dee ! '
This singular usage I found last year still common in the neigh-
bourhood of Bosworth, though by no means so universal as I
remember it thirty years ago. I do not know whether it extends to

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

the whole of Leicestershire, but it is certainly almost unknown on
the Warwickshire side of the Watling Street, the old boundary-line
between Alfred's Englishmen and the Danes of Guthrum-Athelstan.
This marked limitation of the usage to Danish territory seems to
suggest the possibility of its having originated among the Scandw
navian settlers in Leicestershire. Many names, familiar in the
Icelandic Sagas, are still borne by those whom Burton would call
the ' naturalists ' of the county, and many more are incorporated in
the local nomenclature of the villages. Apart, therefore, from the
purely historic evidence, all of which, however, points in the same
direction, it is abundantly clear that the Leicestershire 'Danes'
were mainly of Norwegian origin, and it is interesting to find that a
precisely similar use of ' hafa ' to ' have,' instead of the equivalent of
'to be ' is still, and apparently always has been, common in Icelandic
conversation (Cleasby's Icelandic Diet., s. v. D. /3).

Another peculiarity, by no means so distinctive, is the use of the
uninflected genitive.

" Wanted, a strong midleage omen to atend a workin man wife.
Aploy to," &c. (1868).

" Then I did go with my father to labour in Lord Stamford
woods" (1845). (Both these are from MSS. penes me.)

1 The Queen cousin.'

'It' is never inflected. Shakspere gives a good example of the

usage : —

"Go to it grandam, child,
Give grandam kingdom, and it grandam will
Give it a plum, a cherry, and a fig." — K. John, II. i.

Several other instances of the absence of the inflexion will be
found in the glossary.

I am not quite sure whether phrases such as ' knife-edge,' * week-
end,' 'year-end,' and the like are to be considered examples of
uninflected genitives, or whether they are not rather compound
nouns like ' cow-hide,' or ' plough-tail.'

Nearly all of the following peculiarities of idiom are, I believe,
common to a large proportion of provincial dialects, but some of
them have apparently escaped the notice of glossarists.

GRAMMAR. 23

'A' is very generally substituted for 'an/ even when the following
vowel is not aspirated in pronunciation.
' Well, b'y, an' what's yer neam 1 '

* Please, sir, it's Adam, sir.'

'Well, an' a good neam an' all! A neam, yo' say (see) is a
article as ain't none the woos fur bein' a o'd un.'

"A 'few days after that I saw another light from Heaven brighter
than the sun, and a solemn Heavenly Voice saying the Holy Prophets
and the Eoyal Psalnist. The Prophets hedds and feet where bare :
they had mantles on and Leathern girdles Eound their Loins. I
saw King David : he had on A ash coulered Coat Waistcote Breeches
and stockings, Elack low Crowed hat and Black shoes." — MS.
'Autobiography of W. Jordan of Ratby, 1845. Penes me.

When ' such ' is followed by ' a ' or ' an,' it is almost always pre-
ceded by a redundant article.

' It is a such a handsome carcass.' (Said of a tabby aiuj
shell cat.)

' There's a such a tremenduous lot on 'em.'

' The ' is always used in speaking of trades or occupations :

"She's teaching me tent-stitch and the lace-mending." — Adam
Bede.

1 He put him to the boot-up pering/

'I never keered for the sojering; it were allays to lungeous
for may.'

* It's a very odd thing, sir, but I allays had what you may call a
passion for the haberdashery.'

'The' is omitted before a thing to which attention is called :
' Moy surs ! Look at fat ! '
' Look at neck ! Whoy, it's all beer (bare) ! '
It is also very generally omitted after ' at/ ' on/ or ' under ' :
"Well, hang up th' door at fur end o' the shop." — Adam Bede.
The plurals of nouns of reckoning or measurement are almost
always uninflected. 'Year/ 'winter/ 'pound/ 'shilling/ 'mile/
'yard/ 'foot/ 'inch/ 'acre/ 'hundred' = 'hundred-weight/ 'score,*
'stone/ &c., only take the plural form when not used as arithmetical
urits. Hardly any of these nouns, when employed as measures,

24 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

took an inflected plural in the days of Swift and Defoe, and two at
least of them, ' score ' and l stone/ still remain uninflected in ordinary
statistics. When used adjectively, the uninflected plural is also still
retained in every case, * a forty-shilling freeholder,' * a five-inch scale,'
*a thousand-acre farm,' 'a four-mile handicap,' &d., having no
recognized substitutes in standard English.

'Hoof,' 'roof,' 'proof,' sometimes make 'hooves,' 'rooves,'
' prooves,' in the plural.

' Beast ' = horned cattle or other animals, is generally uninflected,
but sometimes makes ' beas'es ' or ' beas'eses ' in the plural. Mono-
syllables ending in st have, indeed, for the most part this double
form of plural. Thus ' post ' makes ' poos'es ' or ' pooseses,' ' costs '
are 'cosses' or 'cosseses.' The most notable exception is 'nest,'
which occasionally, indeed, makes ' nestes ' or ' nesses ' in the plural,
but far more usually is one of the few Leicestershire nouns having a
plural in en. The verb, moreover, in this case, is formed from the
plural of the noun. A Leicestershire lad never goes ' nesting ; ' he
' goos a bood-neezening,' or ' nayzenin.' It is observable that the
vowel is here lengthened in the plural, a peculiarity which reappears
in 'cloozen,' the pi. of 'close,' a field, the singular of which is
generally pronounced 'clus.'

Other common plurals in en are 'housen' and 'plazen* (pi. of
' place '), but as a rule, the plurals end in «, as in standard English.
The pi. of ' child ' is ' children ' or ' childer ; ' of ' brother,' ' brethren,'
whenever ' brethren.' would be used in ordinary English. ' Chicken '
is also sometimes, though not commonly, used as a plural.

Nouns are not unfrequently used as adjectives or participles.
Thus a patient in a precarious condition is said to be ' in a cas'alty
wee,' and a good woman once told me she could get no work
because ' folks are so bigotry agen a streenger.' ' Gallows ' is a very
favourite substantive in this adjectival sense. This substitution of a
substantive for an adjective is, I believe, occasionally to be heard in
other than provincial society in phrases such as ' damnation nuisance '
and the like, which it would be difficult to justify from a grammarian's
point of view. Shakspere makes this a Welsh peculiarity in several
of Fluellen's speeches :

GRAMMAR. 25

" And she is painted also with a wheel, to signify to you, which
is the moral of it, that she is turning and inconstant and variations
and mutabilities." — Hen. V., III. 6.

The method of marking the degrees of comparison in adjectives
and participles offers a few noticeable peculiarities.

The comparative is always followed by 'nor,' or rather 'nur/
instead of * than.'

' More ' and ' most ' are very frequently used redundantly with
the comparative and superlative forms in er and est.

1 Better ' is frequently used for ' more,' and * best ' sometimes for
' most.'

* Better nur a moile.'

' Better nur a 'underd on 'em.'

' Better chep nur iwer.'

This last, however, is rather the comparative of 'good-cheap'
than of ' cheap,' so that it is hardly a case in point.

There is no adjective or participle to which er and est cannot be
added to mark the degree of comparison. 'Littler' is commoner
than ' less,' and ' baddest ' almost as common as ' worst.'

"Coventry's a much more beer-drinkiiier pleace nur what
Leicester is. It's moy belief as it's the most beer-drinkinest pleace
as is." (Imperfectly-informed elector, 1868.)

The use of adjectives as adverbs is common to Leicestershire
with most other provincial dialects.

The pronouns afford a fine variety of peculiar usages. ' Me ' is
used as a nominative in the same way as the French ' moi,' and ' I '
can no more stand alone than 'je.' To the question 'Who's there T
the answer would be either ' may ' or ' Whoy, it's may,' unless the
speaker wished to emphasize the fact of his presence, when the
answer would be with the verb : ' Whoy, Oi am ! ' I am not quite
persuaded in my own mind that this use of ' me ' is ungrammatical.
At all events it is common as an idiom throughout the country.

' Thee ' is also used as a nominative, but is not common except
in addressing children. Among the labouring classes, ' thee ' is, I
think, an intruder from the Warwickshire and Staffordshire side.
When used, as it sometimes is, by those of a higher grade, it seems

26 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

to mark a survival of Puritanical customs. Like the French ' tu,'
or the German ' du,' it is generally an address of endearment.

"Thee't like thy dog Gyp."— Adam Bede.
. 'Woo'te?'

* Dade wull I, surry ! ' u as in * bull.' Where the / is thus
placed after the verb, it is reduced to a mere vowel sound.

' Will thee 'av some, lov 1 '

1 Him ' is also used as a nominative under almost the same con-
ditions as ' me,' the usage in both cases being, I believe, everywhere
common. ' En ' or ' un ' is a very general substitute for ' him.'

' Wlioy doon't ye stick up ' — u as in ' bull ' — 'to un then ? '

' Them ' is another nominative, frequently used for ' those,' and
less frequently for ' they.' ' Them there,' and ' these here,' are forms
as common in Leicestershire as elsewhere. * Did 'em 1 ' ' Noo ! um
didn't.' * Them be dal'd ! '

' Us ' is also an occasional nominative, as ' we ' is an occasional
accusative. I ought, perhaps, to apologize for the use of a word so
obsolete as ' accusative,' but it will be, I hope, still intelligible.
' Way gen it em, didn't us 1 ' ' And way did, an' all ! '

The possessive pronouns 'hisn,' 'hern,' 'ourn,' 'yourn,' 'theirn,'
are universally in use, as also are both ' we ' and ' us ' for ' our,' and
'it' for 'its.' 'Whosen' is not uncommon for the interrogative
'whose?'

* We'll go wesh we, an' get we teas.'

' Its ' is perhaps still to be regarded as the genitive of the personal
pronoun ' it,' rather than as a possessive pronoun in its own right, so
that the use of ' it ' for ' its ' falls properly under the rule already
given with regard to the non-inflection of the genitive.

For the relatives, ' that,' ' who,' or ' which,' ' as ' is the universal
substitute.

' Them as worrits their woives to death goos off an' gits anoother
roight on end ! Teen't feer ! It's oon'y them as uses their woives
proper as had ought to 'ave moor nur Avan.'

' What ' is frequently redundant, especially after ' like.'

'Theer warn't a man in Bos'oth as could sweer loike what that
man could ! '

GRAMMAR. 27

1 Thisn/ ' a-thisn,' or ' a-thisns,' and ' a-thatn,' or ' a-thatns/ are
used for 'in this manner/ or 'in that manner.' The form is Shak-
sperian.

" Bottom. An I may hide my face, let me play Thisby too : I'll
speak in a monstrous little voice, thisne, thisne, ' Ah Pyramus, my
lover dear ! thy Thisby dear and lady dear ! ' " — M. N. D., I. ii.

In Adam JBede we read of (( Chad's Bess, who wondered why the
folks war a-makin faces a-thatns."

' This ' is occasionally inflected in the genitive. ' I loike this's
head best, but t'other un freams quoite as loikely a pup ' (u as in
' bull '). — Dog-fancier's opinion.

' That ' is often used in a circuitous affirmative. ' Do you like
apples r ' Oi dew that.' ' Can you eat one 1' ' Oi can that ! '

' Sen ' is substituted for ' self,' and ' sens ' for ' selves.' They are
generally compounded with the possessive instead of the personal
pronouns. ' His-sen ' is the usual form of ' himself,' and ' their-sens '
of 'themselves,' but 'him-sen' and 'them-sen' are also common.
' We-sen ' and ' us-sen,' or ' we-sens ' and ' us-sens,' are, I rather think,
to be regarded as formed from ' we ' and ' us ' when used as possessive
and not personal pronouns.

A number of monosyllabic verbs have an alternative form ending
in 'en' in the present and past tenses indicative, and sometimes in
the infinitive. 'Pushen,' 'pullen,' 'looken,' 'gotten,' 'putten,' for
' push,' ' pull,' ' look,' ' get/ ' put/ are of very common occurrence,
but most common on the Warwickshire borders.

"An' somehow ye looken sorry, too." — Adam Bede.

" I allays putten a sprig o' mint in mysen." — Ib.

' What d'ye goo fur to pushen a-thatns fur?'

' Known/ ' seen/ ' gi'n/ ' done/ ' ta'en/ are always used instead of
' knew/ 'saw,' 'gave/ 'did/ and 'took/ and sometimes even stand as
the presents of those verbs.

' Shotten ' and ' gotten ' are the usual past tenses of ' shoot ' and
' get.' ' I shotten em mysen.'

The following list shows the usually accepted perfects and past
participles of some of the commoner verbs : —

-28

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Pres.
Beat

Per/.
bet
beaten

P. Part.
bet
beaten

Bring

brought
broughten
brung (occasionally)

brought
broughten

Catch

catched

catched

Draw

drawed
drawn

drawed
drawn

Drive

druv

druv

Drownd

drownded

drownded

Fight

fit

fit
fowghten

Fly (a. and n.)

fled
flown
flew

fled
flown
flew

Freeze

friz
fruz

friz
fruz

Fright

frit

frit

Glean

glent

glent

Go

gone
went

gone
went

Hit

hot

hot

Hold
Holt

helt

helt
holten

Light

lit

lit

Make
Mek
Ma

med
meed

med
meed

Peep

pept
pep

Pick

puck
picken
picked

puck
picken
pucken

GRAMMAR.

Pres.
Shake

Per/.
shook
shooken

P. Part.
shook
shooken

Sheed
Shed

shed
sheeded

shed
sheeded

Show

shew (pr. like
showed
shown

'shoe') shewn
shown
showed

Snow

snew

Squeeze

squoze
squoze

squez
squoze
squozen

Steep

step

step
stept

Strike

strook
strooken

strook
strooken

Sweat

swat
swot

Thaw

thew

thew
thewn

Weed

wed

wed

Weet

Wet

wet

wet

Wheel

whelt

whelt

Besides the substitution of ' to have ' for ' to be ' in all tenses, the
auxiliary verb presents a number of various forms. The following
table shows the principal tenses of the indicative : —

30

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

o

PQ

fc

3 3

as

9

2 r

a

2 S

s o> .a ^ §

5 ^ rQ A A A

of p<

f«

r

c3 ^

l|

.ag,
«•§

cfct

r

I*

^ +ZMM a

B tSwww sS

O

CO
CO

fc

(^

PH

M
O

PH

CO CD O> O) <» ffl

a B B B B B

e«

rr

HHH

13 .1

^.

mi

H H Cj

-S

S CD CD
CD Ol

,d ^3 ^a

H H .H H H H

;

CD CD
CD CD

,ct ^i

s

•

•ISVd

GRAMMAR.

31

In the other moods ' can ' is sometimes ' con/ ' may ' is always
'mee,' 'might' is either 'moight' or 'mought,' 'must' is generally
* nmt,' but almost as commonly ' mun.'

' Can ' and ' could ' are very commonly used in the infinitive. ' A's
the man to can du it.' ' I'd use to could du it in hafe the toime.'

'Ought' is always used with a redundant 'had' or 'did.' 'Yo
hadn't ought.' ' Didn't I ought ? '

The conditional pluperfect always takes a redundant ' have.' ' If
I had ha seen 'im.'

Such forms as ' Where bin I ? ' ' How bin you 1 ' both of which
are found in the ' Round Preacher,' are by no means unknown, but
are, I think, trespassers over the borders, more often to be detected
on the lips of imitators of the rustic dialect than of the rustics
themselves.

As in other dialects, the combination of a negative materially
modifies the verb, and the multiplication of negatives intensifies the
negation. The following table shows the more ordinary combinations
of the negative with the verb : —

I'm not
I'n not
I've not
I han't
I aii't
I ain't
I ean't
I beant
I baint
I ben't
I haven't
I hevn't
I havena
I hanna

shonnot or shonna

= I am not

shannot „ shanna

shain't

shan't

= shall not

wasn't or wasna
worn't „
wurn't „
weern't „
hadn't ,,

worna
wurna
weerna
hadna

= was not

hedn't „ hedna J

woonot or woona ^

winnot „ winna

woon't

wun't J

have not or havena 1
hannot „ hanna
hain't
hean't

= will not

— have not

meedn't or meena

meen't

moun't ,, mowna

= may not

32 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

didn't or didna 1

j • 4. / Tir • j \ h

daint ( Want, side) j

cain't or conna

,,
can't „ canna

= did not

mutn't

munnot or munna

}=

must not

didn t ought ^

cannot , , , . f = ought not

hadn't ought J

The compound of verb and negative remains the same in all
persons, but ' inna ' is also a common form in the third person
singular of the present.

With regard to other parts of speech, the most noticeable pecu-
liarities are, perhaps, the position often assigned to the adverb in a
sentence, and the frequent omission of the prepositions ' on ' and ' to.'
Thus a Leicestershire correspondent writes (1879), 'I hope to soon
get church.' Other examples are — ' A were too bad hot (badly hit)
to quickly get ovver it.' ' He goes Bos'o'th Wednesdays.'

This omission of the preposition has travelled across the Atlantic :

" He " (George Stephenson) " never said he feared he had done
wrong in turning from that church to that coal-pit and trying to
mend the purnp Sunday." — K. Colly er's The Life That Now Is, p.
114 (Boston, U.S., 1872).

' Prom ' and ' of ' a person or thing are generally replaced by ' on,'
' off,' ' off of,' or ' off on.' ' Oi wrostled wi' 'im fur it, but a 'ad it on
me.1 ' Missus wants a jint off the butcher.' ' A goodish few on 'em.'
' I'm sick on ye ! ' ' Hay bought it off the pedlar chap, an' affter
'ay'd bought it 'ay said as 'ay'd bought it off of our Oiram' (Hiram).

A schismatic lady of the manor offered a tract to a farmer as he
was returning from church. The answer vindicated at once his
courtesy and his orthodoxy : ' Thank ye, my lady, not of a Sunday !'
(was in 'bull').

' At ' is not unf requently employed for ' to ' in such phrases as
' Whativver are ye a-doin at 'im ? ' ' Hark at rain ! ' ' Listen at
boods ! '

'To' is also frequently substituted for 'for.' 'Better have the
Quane to yer aunt nur the King to yer ooncle.'

One or two other grammatical peculiarities will be found in the
examples given in the Glossary, but none of them, I think, are in
any way specially remarkable.

33

III. LITERATURE.

BISHOP LATIMER'S sermons abound in Leicestershire phrases, and
the works of Bishop Hall, Herrick, Cleaveland, the Beanmonts, the
Burtons, and other Leicestershire authors, are none of them wanting
in words and idioms smacking of the soil. The author of the
Anatomy of Melancholy seerns, indeed, to have been rather proud of
what he calls his ' Dorick dialect,' and occasionally ventures on
phrases and spellings which even in his own day must have seemed
rather obtrusively provincial. None of the Leicestershire writers,
however, are so rich in illustrations of the Leicestershire dialect as
Shakspere and Dray ton, while in our own time by far its best literary
exponent is the "Warwickshire author of Adam Bede and Middle-
march. The Round Preacher makes frequent use of a dialect
which to some extent is identical with Leicestershire, but which, I
believe, really belongs to Southern Yorkshire. Leicestershire has
produced several ' uneducated poets,' among whom perhaps the most
respectable is Samuel Deacon of Barton-in-the-beans, a clock-maker
and Baptist minister, who published a little volume some sixty years
ago, entitled The Choice of a Wife, and other Poems, which reads
like the work of a lesser Crabbe. But though I have carefully read
all the works by this class of author that I have been able to collect,
I have seldom been rewarded by the discovery of any striking
example of the use of any specially Leicestershire word or phrase.
Several of the words used by Clare as genuine Northamptonshire are
dubious or wrongly applied, and I find that while most of these
provincial 'bards' attempt in some of their essays to adopt their

D

34 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

own local dialect, they almost always contrive to employ their pro-
vincial words in an unprovincial manner, and to import provincial-
isms from other dialects than their own.

With the exception of one or two communications to the local
papers, I have never met with any literary work of any kind really
written in the Leicestershire dialect. We have had 110 William
Barnes or even a 'Tim Bobbin/ The following poem, which I find
in the Leicester Journal of Aug. 1, 1856, is, I believe, the unique
example of a purely Leicestershire idyll, and as such is perhaps
worth preservation : —

AE OBADOYEK;

OR,

MUSTER COX'S COORTIN'.
A LE'STERSHOYRE PASTORAL.

Soo Oi says to ar o'd Obadoyer, says Oi —
Noigh-'and all the toime wi' vexetion to croy :

* Well/ Oi says, ' this Nance Drew as yo want me to wed,
Oi mek count as 'er 'airt's joost as roight as 'er 'ead ;

An' shay's woonderful tow'dly an' oyable loike,
Shay's as roight as moy leg an' as street as a poike.'

* Well,' a says, ' een't yo got nothink else for to sey 1
Fur Oi knood all that theer sin' a twe'mon' todee —
Shay een't jed, or strook oogly or nothink o' that1? '

' Noo,' says Oi, ' but, yo say, Oi cain't wed 'er, that's flat ! '

1 Whoy,' a says, ' yo gret gomeril, what do yer mane 7

Wull ye tek tew a doochess or marry the Quane 1 —

Whoy, shay's thray 'underd poun' ! Well, Oi'm gormed if Oi ivver !

Moy hoys an' o'd limbs ! an' yo says yo woon't hev 'er ! '

4 Whoy, it happens a-thisns,' says Oi, ' lookye 'ere !
Oi told Peggy Beck as Oi'd hev 'er last year;

LITERATURE. 35

An' wan man, as Oi tek't, whoy, a cain't marry tew,
Soo Oi've blest if Oi knoo what the O'd un to dew !
An', what's moor, this 'ere Peggy, shay knoos 'ow it stan's,
An' sweers as shay'll put it in s'licitor's 'an's. —
Soo now then,' Oi says.

' Whoy,' a says, < Yo've a fule !

Oi rued count as yo would, when they sent ye to skule !
An' yo hev ! '

* Well,' says Oi, * but what's best fur to dew,
Fur Oi mut marry Peggy, an' cain't marry tew ? ' s

' Well,' a says, ' done ye loov 'er 1 '

' Not Peggy,' says Oi,
' But the t'other, whoy, yis, that Oi dew if Oi doy ! '

* Whoy, then, yo gret fule,' a says, viciously loike,

* Yo cain't marry at all, an' may doy i' the doike !
Doon't coom gosterin' 'ere ! Oi cain't dew nothink forry ! '

4 Well,' says Oi, 'then good mornin' an' thanky ! Oi've sorry.'

Well, now then, these wenches — Moy surs, Ooncle Cox,'
Joost didn't a knoo 'em, the craffty o'd fox ! — •
A blacked up 'is butes, an' a sheaved an' a drest
Proper up to the noines in his new Soonday-best,
An' a goos to o'd Beck's, an' a sets his-sen down,
An' a laffs an' a ligs an' a chaffs 'em all roun
'Bout Aylse an' the paason an' Dick an' all that,
An' at lasst a says, solid, joost twizzlin' 'is 'at :

' Oi've a unkit o'd farmer,' a says, ' an' at toimes

Oi fale summot joost 'ere when Oi 'ear the o'd choimes.*

' Whoy,' says Beck, * do yo mane as yo've moinded to wed 1
Lokamussy, whativver's put that in yer 'ed 1 '

An' o'd woman Beck, shay did tek it up kane :

' Oi mane nothink,' a says, ' but Oi mane what Oi mane.'

D 2

36 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

An' Miss Peggy, shay up, an' says shay, ' Muster Cox,
Whoy, yo live loike a rabbit shut up in a box ! —
Whoy, if yo wuz to troy, ah be boun' yo could foin',
An' not very fur off, joost a lass to yer moin'.
Whoy, theer's many a gell 'ud joomp out o' her hoide
If yo'd ahx 'er in arnest to mek yo a broide.
Whoy, yo've money enew fur to boy up the town,
An' yo've yoong enew yit fur a woif ah be boun'.'

' Well,' a says, ' yis, Oi've 'arty enew, Oi suppoose,
An' Oi've not quoite a beggar joost yit, as toimes goos ;
But,' a says, lookin solid — moy hoide, what a muve ! —
A says, ' It een't money as doos it ! — Its loov ! '

Well, yo knoo, when the o'd uns they heern 'im talk soo,

They foun' very sune an ockesion to goo.

But Miss Peggy, shay stopt, an' shay toorned very red,

An' o'd Cox, a luked fulish, tew, scrattin' 'is 'ead :

An' a nudged 'is cheer noigher, and noigher agen,

An' Miss Peggy sot gaupin' an' mekkin preten',

Till at lasst, when 'is cheer wur joost set to his moin',

Ooncle Cox, a joost slipt 'is arm round 'er behoin',

An' a says, * Yo doon't mane as yo'd hev owght to sey

Tew a wizened o'd gree-headed beggar loike may 1 '

1 Hob,' says sliay, an' shay soiked loike a cow in a fit :
1 Coom,' a says, ' doon't ye goo fur to brossen ye yit 1
Whoy, they to'd me this mornin' as they'd heern yo said
As yo meant if yo lived to be married to Ned. —
Done ye mane it T a says, ' Fur, moy hoys, if yo dew,
Oi've gormed if Oi leave 'im the wuth of a screw !
Soo now then,' a says :

' 0, Lor bless yer,' says shay,

* It wur oon'y moy fun ! — Ned een't nothink to may !
Except he's yoor nevy,' shay says, lukin' sloy.

' Yo woon't hev 'im T a says.

< Noo,' says Peggy, ' not Oi ! '

LITERATURE. 37

1 Well,' a says, ' hev yo sure ? '

' Ah,' says shay, l an' Oi'll sweer
Oi wouldn't, not if it wur ivver so ! Theer ! '

* Well/ a says, ' dew ye loov ma 1 ' an' nudged a bit noigber ;

* Hob,' says sbay, loike a stuttrin, ' Hoh ! — Ob — Obadoyer ! '

' Whoy, tbat een't no annser ! ' a says wi' a kiss :

' Coom, dew ye, ma wencb 1 ' an' at lasst sbay says ' Yis.'

' Whoy, Oi've sixty,' says ooncle, ' an' bloind o' wan oy —
An' yo says as yo'll bev me ? Tek keer yo doon't loy 1 '

' Ah, Oi wull,' sbay says, scrowgin up, ' moy Obadoyer !
Yis, Oi wull, tbat Oi wull !— do yo think Oi've a loyar 1 '

' Well,' a says, ' That Oi doorit knoo, but wan thing Oi dew,

An' that there is this 'ere — as Oi woo'not hev yew !

An' Oi een't non o' yourn tbo' yo said it and swoor it,

An' soo if yo loov ma, yo'd better git o'er it ! —

Good mornin', a says, an' a oop an' a roon

Joost afore shay could ketch 'im, loike shot from a goon.

Moy hoide ! What a teerin' an' sweerin' shay med,
Till shay welly brought down the o'd 'ouse on 'er 'ead !
Such a janglin' an' branglin' an stompin' an' sooch,
Yo moight 'ear 'er for sure as fur off as the chooch.
Till the foolk all coom runnin', th'o'd woman an' all,
To ahx 'er whativver shay meant by 'er squall.

Moy surs, 'ow shay called 'em all down to the ground !

Their mate didn' dew 'em mooch good, ah be bound !

An' ooncle, a left 'em all moytherin' theer

An' shogs off to Kit's at the Stag for some beer :

An' nextus a coom to ar mill an' says a,

1 Yo coom 'ere, yo gret bif-yead, an' listen to may 1'

An' a to'd me this 'ere joost as Oi'n to'd it yew :

* An' now then,' a says, ' yo goo street to Nance Drew,
An' ahx if shay'll hev ye — Oi count as shay wull ! '

An' sbay did — its as trew as moy neam's Yedda'd Bull !

38

IV. LOCAL NOMENCLATURE.

THE local nomenclature of Leicestershire is an epitome of the historic
conquests of England. Possibly, indeed, the name of a brook or a
hill here and there may still bear uneffaced the mint-mark stamped
upon it by the once ubiquitous Gael before the pre-historic invasion
of the Cymro ousted him from the Midland fields and forests. At
all events, in some few instances, the waters and the waste hill-tops
bear names undoubtedly Celtic. They hardly formed part of the
property actually reduced into possession by after invaders, and there
was no practical need for their new lords to give them a new name.
The old generic local names conferred by the 'early Briton' thus
became specific, but remained in outward form the same, unchanged
by Roman or Englishman, Dane or Norman. The high ' Tors ' are
still the ' High Tors,' and the ' Ox ' is still the ' Ox-brook.' Bencliff,
Pelder Tor, High Cadman are forest heights ; Nanpantan a forest
valley ; the Tweed and Devon find their way by the Trent to the
eastern sea, and the Avon passes away from the borders of the county
at Dove-bridge to join the Severn on the West.

The words, however, thus left are few, and fewer still recall the
centuries of Roman occupation. The city or town which gives a
name to the county announces itself as a ' cester ; ' but whether
Leicester simply represents a form of Ratae-cester or Rhage-cester, or
whether it is rather to be regarded either as the 'cester ' of the Legions
or the ' cester ' on the Leire — the old name of the Soar, — is an open
question. The Fossway may have been named by an imperial
engineer, and the Stantons and Strettons bear witness that the roads

LOCAL NOMENCLATURE. 39

which passed through them were of Eoman construction, but the
Roman himself has been all but effaced.

If, however, the traces of earlier invaders are faint and few, those
of the Englishman are everywhere. Town and village and hamlet
and homestead, common-land and field and meadow, wold and wood,
hill and stream, road and lane and foot-path and boundary, tell how
firmly he rooted himself in the land, — how absolutely he extermin-
ated his predecessors. It is exceedingly difficult to reconcile this
absolute extermination with the usually-accepted hypothesis that this
part of Britain — to omit all reference to other portions — did not
become English until the latter half of the fifth century at the
earliest. The evidence adduced in favour of the surmise that South-
eastern and Midland Britain were already partially if not substantially
English before they were Roman, has certainly not hitherto been
conclusive ; but if such a theory should ever be brought well within
the limits of historic probability it would satisfactorily explain much
that is at present enigmatic in the local nomenclature not only of
Leicestershire, but of England generally. But however this may be,
the Englishman is everywhere in Leicestershire. The families who
claimed descent from the mythic and half-mythic chiefs of old-world
Saxondom have conferred their patronymics on the colonies they
planted in the midst of the common-land — king and alderman and
thane of later days, bishop and abbot and saint, the earl who owned
and the churl who tilled, have all left their stamp upon the soil. The
* ingtons,' the ' tons ' and the ' stons,' the ' worths ' and the ' hams/
are strewn thick and threefold over all the land except within the
forest boundaries. So many ' stones ' surround Bosworth Eield that
the traditional prophecy which told how the third Richard should die
between seven ' stones ' leaves it doubtful which seven out of the
multitude were those intended by the ex-post-facto punster prophet.

But if the Englishman has drawn the warp of the local nomen-
clature, it is the Dane whose busy shuttle has thrown the woof.
Everywhere are records of the time when the

Burga fife,
Ligora-cester
And Lindcylene

40 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

And Snotingaham

Swylce Stanford eac

And Deoraby

Denum waeran ser

Under Nordhmannuni [J..-& (?., s. a. 941],

Wherever the beaks of the Norseman could push across the shallows
or thread the narrow windings of the Soar, the Wreke, and the Eye,
and the other inlets from the eastern sea to the heart of the Midlands
— wherever a follower of the Viking chief could burn out the Eng-
lish yeoman and make himself lord of his outlying farmstead —
wherever the ' here ' lay quartered in town or village, or mustered in
the assarts of the forest for its summer raids — wherever, in short, the
Danish axe could win the land from the English sword, there the
local names bear abiding witness to the fact. Sometimes the Danish
or Norse names are descriptive of local conditions, but by far the
greater number perpetuate the name of individual adventurers.
Arnor and Aslakr, Barekr and Brandi, Eindridi and Garrodr and
Grimr, Halfdan and Hrothgeir and Ketell, JSTiall, Saxi and Skapti,
Sigvalldi, Th6rm6dr and Thdrsteinn, among a whole ' here ' of others,
have conferred their names on the dwellings or holdings they wrested
from their English lords. The last-named of these, Th6rsteinn, whose
name survives in Thrussington, supplies a caution, perhaps not even
yet superfluous, to over-zealous disciples of Mr. Kemble who may be
prepared to find a ' mark ' name in every ' ington ' they encounter.
Some of the names preserved are better known to history. Whether
Hubba had any connection with Humberstone is perhaps open to
question, but there can be no risk in assigning the Ingarsbys to an
Ingvar, whether the Viking who figures so bloodily in our chronicles
or another. Somerby, Sumerlidebie in Domesday Book, records the
name of another chief whom it is perhaps justifiable to identify with
the 'Micel Sumorlida' who came to Reading in 871 (A.-S. C., s. a.).
I am not sure, indeed, whether the identification may not be carried
one step further. Gaimar writes (M. H. B., 802, 1. 3015) :

Done vint un Daneis, un tyrant
Ki Sumerlede out nun le grant ;

LOCAL NOMENCLATURE. 41

A Readinges vint od son ost
Quank' il trova destruit mult tost.
Beis Edelret si volt combatre
Mes il transid ; si gest en lestre."

The last word is given ' latre ' in other versions, and may mean high-
way, but it is not impossible that the Chronicler intended the word
to stand for Leicester.

The Norman Conquest differed in kind from any of the previous
invasions of England, and affected the local nomenclature in a dif-
ferent way. The new lords of the soil planted no new towns or
villages, and though here and there they built a castle round which
the clustered cottages of their ' men ' grew in time to be a village or
town which has sometimes survived the castle itself, there was
nothing like an organized colonization of the country they conquered.
Their properties did not change their old names. Ashby was still
Ashby, and Melton still Melton, but they were held under a new
grant, which gave their holders a practically despotic power not only
over the soil, but over all who dwelt within their borders. Ashby
was the Ashby of the Zouch, and Melton the Melton of the Mow-
bray. Among the names thus conferred a few are somewhat difficult
to identify without the aid of local history. Goadby Marwood, for
instance, does not at first sight suggest the name of Maureward ; nor
Thorpe Bussard, the old name of Thorpe Satchville, that of Beaude-
sert. Burton Overy, again, is a somewhat misleading form of Burton
Noveray ; and no etymologist without assistance would evolve from
Isley Walton the name of Goisfrid Alselin as its godfather. Stofce
Golding is courageously claimed by Mr. Kemble as an early * mark ;'
but, in the absence of evidence either way, it would probably be
more prudent to regard the not uncommon name of Golding as that
of a former lord of the manor. Staunton Harold looks at first sight
as if it had belonged to an English king before the battle of Hastings,
but in reality the Harold who gave his name to the place was only
enfeoffed by Henry de Ferreires, who held it at the time of the
Domesday survey. In this case, the village which was surnamed by
Harold returned the compliment to his descendants, who took the

42 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

name of Staunton. Newton Burgoland was formerly Newton
Boteler, both names being those of former owners of the land.
Thorpe Arnold received its name from Arnold de Bosco. Basset
House preserves the memory of Ralph Basset, one of the " plures de
infimo genere " ennobled, as Ordericus Vitalis tells us (Ecc. Hist., xi.
2), by Henry I., not merely with empty titles, but " opibus aggre-
gatis et aedibus constructis super omnia quae patres habuerunt." In
1124 (A.-S. C., s. a.) this Ralph, then Justiciar, and the king's thanes
held a ' gewitenemot ' at 'Hundehoge,' i. e. Huncote, and "hanged
so many thieves as were never before," four-and-forty being hanged
out of hand, and six blinded and mutilated. The precise character
of this bloody assize seems to be nowhere indicated, but from its
being held at Huncote in Leicester Forest, I infer that the fifty
sufferers were offenders against the Forest Laws.

Great Glen was formerly Glen Martel, but the first record of the
family there dates only in 1271. Indeed, among the families which
have thus conferred a local surname on their properties, not a few
only became lords of the manor centuries after the Conquest.

The Norman, however, has left some few other traces on the local
nomenclature. Belgrave in our own time has furnished a collective
name for the most fashionable quarter of West-end London ; but the
village itself did not originally bear a name so redolent of the perfume
of aristocratic associations. In Domesday Book it appears as Merde-
grave, and the transformation which converted it into Belgrave was,
it is fair to infer, the work of a Norman owner. This change of
name subsequent to the Conquest unfortunately precludes us from
assigning any very high antiquity to the local legend with regard to
a certain giant Bel, whose name, as might have been expected, has
proved a snare to more than one topographical antiquary. Bel, we
learn, vowed that he would reach Leicester from Mountsorrel in three
leaps. He accordingly mounted his sorrel steed at Mountsorrel. One
leap carried him as far as Wanlip in safety, but on essaying a second
he burst all — his harness, his horse, and himself — at Burstall. In
spite of this misadventure, Bel drove his spurs into his dying charger,
and attempted the third leap. But the effort was too great. Steed
and rider dropped dead together a mile and a half short of Leicester,

LOCAL NOMENCLATURE. 43

and were buried together in one grave at Belgrave. This legend, the
historic accuracy of which is of course placed beyond doubt by the
still-existing names of the various stages in the giant's inauspicious
journey, is certainly more than two centuries old, and, whatever may
be its value in other respects, proves that during that period, at least,
the Leicestershire pronunciation of ' one ' and ' leap ' has remained
unchanged.

One name in Charnwood Forest has a special historic interest.
' Judy's Corner ' in all likelihood records the name of the * Comitissa
Judita,' niece of the Conqueror, wife and widow of "Waltheof — pace
Mr. Freeman, Waltheof the traitor.

Among those whose names are fossilized in the local nomencla-
ture, Sir John Talbot of Swannington may. also claim a place — the
gigantic knight who died in 1365, and lies under an equally gigantic
effigy in Whitwick Church. A local distich, hardly to be called a
rhyme, thus moralizes over his topographical celebrity :

' Talbot wood and Talbot lane,
Is all that's left of Talbot's name.'

Among the local conditions which have determined the topo-
graphical arrangement of the names, by far the most important is the
large proportion of forest-land in the county. As late as 1808, when
the Act was obtained for its enclosure, Charnwood Forest was esti-
mated to comprise 18,000 acres, and its former extent must have
been considerably larger. Its ancient boundaries, indeed, are not
difficult to trace. It lies in a clearly-defined ring-fence of ' tons ' and
' bys,' while within the ring not a single ' ton ' nor ' by ' is to be
found, except where it is intersected by an ancient highway. Almost
the same may be said of Leicester Forest, which appears in Domes-
day under the ominous name of Hereswode, and is registered as
being four leugas in length by one in breadth, the fleuga' being
equivalent to a mile and a half. Besides these again, Leighfield
Forest stretched far into the county from Rutland, and probably
included some of the long ranges of wolds in its treeless tracts. But
the days when the three forests were only members of a great Mid-
land Hercynia, embracing Arden on the South and Sherwood on

44 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE. ,

the North, are altogether pre-historic if not actually mythic. There
is no hint of any such continuity in the local nomenclature, and
the division even between Leicester and Charnwood Forests was
probahly broadly and clearly defined before Ratae was a Roman
station.

"Within the old forest boundaries several of the names bear the
impress of forest institutions. The Svvanimote of Groby was held
* at Copt Oak, and that of Sheepshed at Ives Head, but the WMtwick
Court is the only one of the three which has left any distinct record
in the nomenclature of the district. Swanimote Rock, near the
Sharpley Rocks, still marks the spot where it was held j and Swani-
mote Road, a forest-lane leading towards the rock, still bears its
ancient name. Mr. T. R. Potter (Charnwood Forest, p. 4) quotes
evidence which shows that these courts were occasionally held as late
at least as 1621, but it is clear that at this time the chartered free-
holders of the forest no longer attended thrice yearly the Yerderer's
assize, according to earlier wont, to enquire into and punish all
offences committed within the forest either in vert or venison.

Sheepshed itself probably marks the site of an. old ' bercarium '
for the little forest sheep, a breed once peculiar to Charnwood, but
now, I believe, wholly extinct. Toot Hill marks the spot where the
officers of the forest kept watch both on the game and on trespassers
and poachers. Several ' Gates ' were old entrances to the forest, and
the Brands and the Brands Barn tell where the cattle were brandedr
before being turned in for agistment.

The Penn at Earl Shilton is one of the few indications of the
former existence of Leicester Forest ; but Leicester Frith, Glenfield
Frith, and Kirby Frith, apparently tell of exemptions enjoyed by
the owners of land in parts of the old wood of the Viscounty, the
' Royal Forest or Chase of Leicester/ as it is termed in the order of
disafforestation in the early part of the reign of Charles I., when
Leighfield Forest was also disafforested.

The Wapentakes or Hundreds of Leicestershire are six : — Fram-
land, Gartree, East and West Goscote, Guthlaxton, and Sparkenhoe.
Four of these names only appear in Domesday, the new Hundred of
Sparkenhoe having been separated from Guthlaxton and East Goscote

LOCAL NOMENCLATURE. 45

from West in 1346. The Rural Deaneries are seven, each of them
being subdivided into several districts. The Deanery of Leicester,
like those of Exeter and Lincoln, is called the Deanery of Chris-
tianity, the rest having the same names and, in the main, the same
boundaries as the Wapentakes, except in the case of the Goscotes.
East Goscote coincides with the Deanery of Goscote, while West
Goscote, with a part of Sparkenhoe, forms the Deanery of Akeley.
It is a significant fact that not a single one of these is the name of
any town or village. Several Deaneries and Hundreds elsewhere bear
names which are otherwise unknown in the local nomenclature of the
district, but Leicestershire is the only county in which all the names
are of this character. The districts seem to have been originally
parcelled out by the Danes with an eye to military arrangements,
three out of the four earlier Wapentakes radiating from Leicester.
The fourth, Framland, divided from the rest of the county by a line
roughly following the course of the high-road from Oakham to Not-
tingham, guards the high-road from Leicester to Grantham, which
almost exactly bisects it. The Hundred Courts, or rather the Wapen-
take ' Things,' seem in every case to have been held, according to
Scandinavian wont, at a distance from any town or village, but at
some easily-accessible and well-known spot, where the only dwelling-
place was the wooden cote of the godard, and the only court-house
the oak-tree under whose shelter the arbitration was conducted, or the
hill where the speakers held their little parliament in the open air.

In the case of Gartree the Hundred Court was held at Gartree
Bush, a spot just off the Gartree Eoad, the old Via Devana, in the
centre of the Wapentake, as late as the beginning of the last century.
There is a Deanery of the same name in Lincolnshire, but the con-
nection between the two is only in the etymology. The court of
East Goscote was originally held at Mowde Bush Hill in Syston
parish. When the Hundred of Goscote was divided into East and
West, the court of East Goscote was transferred to Mountsorrel,
where what was still called the Mowde Bush Court was held within
the present century by Sir John Danvers. In order that the court
might be properly constituted, a turf was duly cut on Mowde Bush
Hill and carried to Mountsorrel whenever a sitting was held.

46 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

In the case of West Goscote it is not clear where the original
Hundred Court was held, but the fact that the Hundred corresponds
with the Deanery of Akeley seems to render it probable that it may
have been held in Ackley Wood in the parish of Sheepshed.

Of the original courts in Sparkenhoe and Guthlaxton etiam
periere ruinae. The latter is the only hundred-name which seems to
imply the former existence of a town or village of the same name,
but it is perhaps as probable that the Guthlac thus immortalized was
a local godard or laginan as that he was the well-known East Anglian
saint.

The ecclesiastical definition of Leicester as the 'Deanery of
Christianity ' dates back apparently to a time when the Danes of the
city had already accepted the creed of the conquered, while the
Danes of the country round, the pagani, still remained for the most
part heathen. The recurrence of the name at Lincoln is not so
remarkable as it is at Exeter, which could be regarded as an island of
Christendom surrounded by a deluge of Odinisni only for a compara-
tively brief period of its history.

Among the Leicestershire roads having distinctive names, besides
the well-known Watling-street and Foss-way, Eoss-road, or Eoss-dyke,
are the Salt-way, the Gartree Eoad, and the Sulington Koad. The Salt-
way enters the county from Grantham, cuts the Eoss-way near the spot
where Seg's Hill, or Six Hill, once stood, and passing on by Barrovr-
on-Soar to a point between Beacon Hill, Broom Briggs, and Alder-
man's Haw, is there lost, but probably went on by Tamworth to the
West. The Gartree Road, as already noticed, is part of the old Via
Devana. It enters the county across the Welland near Bringhurst,
and passes by Medbourne, Glooston, Staunton Wyville, Little Stret-
ton, and Great Stretton, to the south gate of Leicester, where it joins
the Eoss-way. On the other side of Leicester it loses its name and
is difficult to trace, but it passed either through or by Groby, Mark-
field, and Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Sulington Road is a lane near Sheep-
shed leading towards the Eorest, and is interesting as preserving a
name of which no other trace exists.

The names of the Leicestershire rivers and brooks in many cases
recall the names of rivers and brooks elsewhere. The following is, I

LOCAL NOMENCLATURE. 47

believe, a complete list of all the streams which bear names of their
own : —

ANKER falls into Tame, Tame into Trent, Trent into Humber.

AVON falls into Severn. The Watling Street crosses the Avon at
Dove-bridge, which seems to indicate that the Avon was once
known as the Dove in this part of its course.

BEACON BROOK falls into Soar.

BLACK BROOK. There are two brooks of this name, known as the
Upper and Lower Black Brook respectively. Both run
through part of Charnwood Forest, and both fall into Soar.

BLOWER'S BROOK falls into Sence, Sence into Anker.

CARR BROOK falls into Soar.

DEVEN, or DEVON, falls into Trent.

EYE. There are two brooks of this name. One falls into Wreke ;
the other, known as the Southern Eye, into Welland.

LOUGHBURN, anciently spelt LUCTEBURN, falls into Soar near Lough-
borough.

MEDBOURNE falls into Welland near Medbourne.

MEASE falls into Trent.

Ox BROOK falls into Wreke.

EAMBLE runs past Wymeswould into Soar.

SENCE. There are two brooks of this name. One, generally known
as the Shenton or Sibson Brook, falls into Anker ; the other,
generally known as the Billesdon or Burton Brook, into Soar.

SMITE falls into Deven.

SOAR, formerly called LEIRE, falls into Trent.

SWIFT falls into Avon near Rugby.

TRENT falls into Humber.

TWEED, a tiny brooklet running through Bosworth Field, falls into
Sence or Shenton Brook.

WELLAND falls into the Wash.

WILLOW BROOK falls into Soar.

WREKE falls into Soar.

Of these, Anker, Avon, Trent, and Welland are only to be
reckoned Leicestershire rivers by courtesy, as forming parts of the

48 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

boundaries of the county. Many of the others are better known by
the name of some village near which they" run, and some few brooks
have lost any name they may once have possessed unconnected with
a village. Thus there are two Dalby Brooks, one named from Dalby-
in-the-"Wolds and the other from Great Dalby. The former falls into
Smite, the latter into Wreke. Langton and Smeeton Brooks both
fall into Welland, Queniborough Brook into Wreke, Walton Brook
by Isley Walton into Trent, Whetstone Brook, which waters the leys
of Willoughby Waterless, into Soar.

49

V. DOMESDAY MEASUREMENT.

IT is perhaps worth while to note here that the system of measure-
ment pursued in the Domesday Survey of Leicestershire differs in
some respects from that pursued in any other county. In North-
amptonshire, Warwickshire, and Staffordshire, the usual measurement
is by hides, carucates, and virgates. In Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire,
Rutland, and Lincolnshire, it is by carucates and bovates exclusively.
In the latter four counties, moreover, the entries are universally of
land ' ad geldum/ a phrase never used in the Leicestershire survey,
though in the customs of the city of Leicester it is said of certain
houses that of all these the king has ' geldum suum.' In Leicester-
shire the measurement is by hides, carucates, virgates, and bovates ;
and the hide is evidently totally different from, and greatly larger
than the hide elsewhere. Indeed, if we may assume that the normal
hide which was rated at six shillings was thirty-six acres, the
Leicestershire hide is precisely twenty times the size. This determin-
ation is apparently so anomalous that I may perhaps be allowed to
indicate the evidence on which it rests, particularly as the Domesday
measurement seems to throw some light on a curious use of the
word ' acre ' in Leicestershire. The ' acra terrae,' or acre of arable
land, although the term itself does not occur in the Leicestershire
Domesday, is the fundamental unit of the bovate, virgate, carucate,
and hide. The ' acra prati/ however, which occurs in almost every
other entry, was a much more liberal measure, though its precise
extent — as is the case, indeed, with every single one of the Domes-
day measures of area — has never been satisfactorily ascertained. In

50 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Leicestershire and elsewhere, though I am unable to define the
limits of the usage, the word ' acre ' is in common use as a lineal
measure of thirty-two yards when applied to hedging, ditching,
draining, &c. The former existence of a system of areal measure-
ment in which thirty-two yards was one of the cardinal factors
appears to be clearly indicated by this use of the word ' acre ; ' and
the ' Cheshire rod, pole, or perch ' of eight yards, also still in use,
would seem to be another partial survival of the same system.
Adopting the Cheshire pole as the basis, we obtain an acre consist-
ing of 4 x 40 poles = 32 x 320 yards = 10,240 square yards, or
a fraction more than twice the size of a statute acre. That this acre
is the ' acra prati ' of Domesday is more than can with safety be
assumed, but the fact that the entries in Domesday, and one of the
provincial uses of the word ' acre ' both distinctly point to the preval-
ence of a former system of measurement in which the acre was about
double the size of the statute acre, may at least entitle the hypothesis
to provisional acceptance.

That the ' leuga ' of Domesday as a linear measure consisted of
twelve furlongs, seems to be now generally accepted. This is the
computed length of the * leuga Anglica,' according to the chronicle of
Battle Abbey, and other early authorities, and its general accuracy is
confirmed by modern measurements wherever the conditions allow of
comparison. The identification of the 'leuga' with the mile, an
error, if it be an error, which dates at least as far back as the
compilation of ^Elfric's Glossary, is, perhaps, to be explained by the
assumption that the mile itself was also calculated at twelve furlongs.
Pedestrians in Leicestershire are familiar with miles of a mile and a
half, and it is far from impossible that this almost universal method
of computation may be a survival of an earlier system.

The identity of the Domesday 'quarentena' with the statute
furlong appears to be unquestionable, and this circumstance strongly
confirms the probability of the ' acra terrae ' being equivalent to the
statute acre, the latter being one furlong in length by a tenth of a
furlong in breadth. Five such acres, or a furlong in length by half
a furlong in breadth, seem to have constituted a bovate. Half a
bovate, or two acres and a half, is the smallest areal measurement

DOMESDAY MEASUREMENT. 51

mentioned in the Leicestershire Domesday. The virgate seems to
have been equal to two bovates, or a square furlong, but the word
only occurs seven times, and one entry at least is not only obscure,
but self-contradictory. The carucate is capable of a more satisfactory
determination. As there were eight bullocks in a full plough of
oxen, eight bovates or ox-gangs were reckoned to the carucate or
plough-gang. One of the Derbyshire entries moreover expressly
makes a carucate equal to eight bovates, and the reckoning which
makes it also equal to forty acres or four square furlongs is con-
firmed in a remarkable way by a comparison of the various entries.
In the great majority of cases, the amounts of the holdings would be
given to the commissioners in round numbers of acres as being the
usual and familiar method of reckoning. If the carucate is assumed
to be forty acres, the proportion of cases in which the entry repre-
sents a round number of acres is considerably greater than on any
other assumption.

The relation of the carucate to the hide is even more clearly
defined. The hide is mentioned seventeen times, and in one case,
that of Burbece, in such a manner as to show beyond a doubt that
it contained eighteen carucates, a conclusion confirmed by several
other entries. In the case of Medeltone (Melton) we are expressly
told that the hide contained fourteen and a half carucates ; but the
reason why the extent of the hide in this case is expressly mentioned
is because the extent is exceptional. A careful examination of this
entry, so far from proving that the ordinary Leicestershire hide con-
tained fourteen and a half carucates, really establishes the fact dis-
tinctly implied in other cases, that it contained eighteen. As regards
the geld payable, if we assume it to have been twopence an acre, we
have lOd. as the ordinary rate of a bovate, 20d. as that of a virgate,
6s. Sd. of a carucate, and 120s. of a hide, a series of figures which
possesses a greater degree of intrinsic probability than any other
which can be suggested. The hide which in some parts of the
country we know to have paid 6s. is in Leicestershire represented by,
though not identical with, the carucate which paid 6s. Sd.

Why the hide should thus be twenty times larger in Leicester-
shire than in some of the other counties — why this exceptional hide

•E 2

mi: DUI&OT or i.KU'Ksn-:KsiiiKK.

sbonbl bo a not nnoommon moasnro in l.oioostorshiro. \vbilo it is
uovor montionoil in IVvbysbiro or Nottin^bamsbiiv, aro
iMnnot hoiv bo tlisoussod ; but the definition oi a

lii.lo \\\\\. 1 hojv. not Iv roiisiiloivil out of pluv in a

LHV quitting tlio subjoi't of Poinosilny. 1 may voinavk tb..
nppoars to bo always a bard soniul. iv]>ivsontiim- a moolorn /r. :/. or /.
TbusTboivbi is Kirby. 'l\vliobi is Tiujby. and luobosbio 1'ittosby. Tlio
normal form of tbo Panisb 'by' is ' bi ' or 'bio.' but it is fivqnontly
boned to 'berio,* Sometimes, as in tho case of Nailstone, a
modorn ' stono ' was a « by ' at the time of the Survey.

VI. LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

THE following list of local names is arranged according to the words
which enter into their composition, except where the names them-
selves are simple pr where the composition is not clear. I have
arranged thorn according to the Wapontakos for the sake of showing
the striking difference in the general aspect of the local nomenclature
in the different districts. Thus out of about four hundred and twenty
parishes and hamlets in the entire county, about seventy, or more
than sixteen per cunt., have names ending in ' by.' In the hundreds,
however, of West Goscote, Sparkenhoe, Guthlaxton, and Gartree,
they amount to barely ten per cent, of the whole number of parishes
and hamlets, while in the North-eastern hundreds of East Goscoto
and Framland they exceed thirty-one per cent. East Goscote, which
is specially the Wapentako of the basin of the Wroko, comprises the
largest number, and West Goscote, which is specially the Forest
hundred, the smallest. None, indeed, are to bo found in West
Goscoto, except towards the Derbyshire border, and these probably
looked to Derby rather than to Leicester as their military centre.
As the forests were not subject to the hundred-laws or by-laws, and
on ly the soil not occupied by them seems to have been included in
the Wapentakos, the relative size of the four original districts is by
no means so disproportionate as would at first sight appear. It was
probably the inclusion of the forest land in the hundreds which led
to the division of them in 1346. Charnwood seems to have been
disafforested and afforested again more than once before the seven-
teenth century, and the same may have been the case with Leicester

54

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

forest. In Sparkenhoe, exclusive of those on the Derbyshire border,
there are seven or eight ' bys,' all of them lying on the borders or in
old clearings of Leicester forest.

The distribution of the ' Fields ' is hardly less remarkable than
that of the * bys.' With, I believe, the single exception of Ashby-de-
la-Zouch, there is no ' by* with a 'Field,' and all the rest of the 'Fields'
lie outside the districts of specially Danish settlement. A feature in
the local nomenclature belonging to later history is the frequency
with which the name of ' Field ' or ' Fields ' has been transferred to a
house built on the common land after its enclosure.

Fr. = FRAMLAND WAPENTAKE.
E. O. = EAST GOSCOTE ,,
W. O. = WEST GOSCOTE ,,
Oart. = GARTREE ,,

Oath. = GUTHLAXTON ,,
Sp. = SPARKEN-HOE ,,

Names to which an asterisk is prefixed are those of places no longer in

existence, or which cannot be identified.
The names within parentheses are from ' Domesday Booh'

ABBEY.

Abbeys formerly existing in
Leicestershire were :
Fr. Belvoir, St. Alban's

Croxton Kyriel
W. O. Garendon

Leicester, St. Mary de
Pratis
Oart. Owston

Launde Abbey in E. O. is a
house built on the site of Launde
Priory. Vide PRIORY.

ACRE.
W. O. Acresford, on the Mease

Scalacre is the name of
some enclosures between
Breedon and Stanton, for-
merly lying in * Andreskirk.

Thorpe Acre, formerly
Thorpe Hanker or Thorpe
Serlons
ALL-HALLOWS.

Fr. A spot on the Nottingham
Eoad near Eedmile is thus
called. The foundations of
a building are still discover-
able.

ALSELHT.

W. O. Isley Walton, called also
Walton Aseley

AMBIEN-.

Sp. A wood between Market
Bosworth and Sutton Cheney,
variously spelt Ambion, Am-
yon, Anebein. It is gener-
ally called Sutton Ambion.

LIST OF LOCAL NAME'S.

55

ARDEN.
Gart. St. Mary in Arden in Great

Bowden

Sp. Orton - on - the Hill was
formerly * Overton under
Arden
ARLICK.

W. a. Arlick
ARNOLD.

Fr. Thorpe Arnold, i. e. Arnold

de Bosco
ASH.

Sp. Captain Ash
The Hoo Ash

ASTLEY.

Guth. Broughton Astley

AUSTREAN.

E. G. Austrean Meadow in Hoby

BACH.

Guth. Cottesbach (Cotesbece)

Hoebach Barn
Sp. Burbach or Burbage (Bur-

bece)
BANK.

Fr. Croxton Banks
Gart. Hare Pie Bank, Hallaton.
Two hare-pies, among other
eatables, were here scrambled
for on Easter Monday.
Guth. Shearsby Bank
BARN.

Fr. Barn Ground
E. G. The Brants Bam
W. G. Barn lane

Abbot's Barn, Quorn
Shortwood Barn
Gart. Bull-barn
Guth. Hoebach Barn

Morebarnes, Lutterworth
Sp. Barn's Heath, near Ap-
pleby

Bracknell's Barn
Burton's Barn
Gee's Barn
Goosle Barn
Hill Barn
* Lecheberne
The Lilies Barn
Mill-hill Barn
Moor Barn or Morebarn,
Merevale
Sharp's Barn
Start Barn
"Wood Barn
Yennaard' s Barn
Barns, in the plural, is the
name of a few cottages in differ-
ent parts of the county where a
barn has apparently been con-
verted into a cottage. There are
two, at least, in W. G.
BARRON.

Sp. Barron Park, hamlet of

Desford

BARROW. Vide BOROUGH.
BASE.

Fr. South-end Base, near Plun-

gar

BASSET.
Guth. Dunton Basset

Sp. Basset House
BATTLEFIELD.

Sp. Battlefield Lodge on Battle

Flat. Vide FLAT.
BEAUCHAMP.

Gart. Kibworth Beauchamp
BEAUMONT.
W. G. and Sp.

Beaumont Leys
BECK.

Sp. Kirby Becks
Upper Becks
both farmsteads.

5G

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE,

BELLAIRS.

Fr. KirbyBelers, Kirby-on-the-
Wreke, or Kirbyjuxta Melton
BELLE-ISLE.

E. G. Belle-isle
BELVOIR.

Fr. Belvoir Castle

Yale of Belvoir
BEN.
W. G. Benclif? or Bensclift3, a hill

BILLINGSGATE.
Sp. Billingsgate

BOG.

Sp. Pigsmutton Bog, a pool in

Newbold Walks
BOLD.

E. G. Newbold Folville in Ashby
Folville

Newbold, near Owston
W. G. Newbold in Worthington

Parish

Gart. Newbold Saucey
Sp. Newbold Yerdon (Niuue-
bold)

BOROUGH, including BARROW, BOR-
ROW, BURROW, BURGH and BURY.
Fr. Slyborough Hill
* Billingborough
E. G. Barrow Hill

Barrow on Soar, part of
Burrow Hill
Burrow on-the-Hill
Colborough Hill
Queniborough, (Cuiiiburg)
Whadborough or What-
borough (Wetberge)
Barrow Cloud Hill
Barrow on Soar
Bramborough Hill
Cadborough Hill
Inglebury Hill
Loughborough
Mountsorrel Burgh

One -barrow Hill
Spring Borrow

Gart. Burrough or Burrow- on-
the-Hill, formerly Erdburrow
Cross Barrow Hill
Market Harborough
Guth.JStQmboTOUgh Mill in Leire

Thornborough Spinney
Sp. Barrow Hill

Billa - barrow, or Billy-
borough Hill and Farm in
Stanton under Bardon

Bury Camp and Wood in
Katby

Narborough, formerly Nor-
burrough

Wellesborough, Hill and
Hamlet

In Domesday, Burc, Burg,
and Barhou, — which suggests a
different etymology,— are some-
what difficult to identify among
the number of places of nearly
the same name.
BORROW. Vide BOROUGH.
BOSTON.
Guth. Boston, a farmstead

BOTANY BAY.

E. G. and Gart. Botany Bay Cover

This name is often given to

allotments, foxcovers, &c., lying

at some distance away from a

town or village.

BOTELER.
W. G. Newton Boteler is now

Newton Burgoland
BOTTOM.

W. G. Dead-Dane Bottom, near
Cadborough Hill in Over
Seile

Gart. Hardwick Bottom (bis).
BOURNE.

It is doubtful whether there

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

57

is a single real ' bourne ' in the
county. The brooks which run
by Loughborough and Med-
bourne are sometimes called the
Loughbourne and Medbourne,
but in both cases the name is
of doubtful authority. Lough-
borough itself is Lucteburne in
Domesday, and Medbourne Med-
burne, but it is probable that
the * burne ' is simply a form of
' borough.' In the case of Lough-
borough this seems to be proved
by the modern form of the word,
and in the case of Medbourne by
the fact that the entrenchments
there are known by the tradi-
tional name of Medenborough,
which is clearly the same as
' Maiden Bower,' the name given
to several other early camps in
other parts of the country.
W. G. Loughborough (Lucte-
burne)
Gart. Medbourne (Medburne)

BOWEE.

W. G. * Black Agnes' Bower, ' a
cave,' says Burton, ' near
Leicester upon the west side
of the town.' s. v. Swithland.

BREAK.

8p. Old Brake or Break

BRAND.

W. G. Brand Gate
Brand Hill
Breedon Brand
The Brand, near Wood-
thorpe

Thorpe Brand

BRAY.

Guth. Boggy Brays in Ashby
Parva

BREACH.

Sp. The Breach

BRIDGE.

FT. Leicesterford Bridge, over
North Eye

Longore Bridge over Not-
tingham and Grantham Canal

Middlestile Bridge, over
the same
E. G. Car Bridge.

Einchley Bridge, over Eye

Lewin Bridge, over Wreak

Saltersford Bridge, over
Willow Brook at Humber-
stone

W. G. Cavendish Bridge, over
Trent

Harrington Bridge, over
the same

Zouch Bridge
Gart. Hardwick Bridge

Wide Bridge
Guth. Bensford Bridge

Church - brigg in Clay-
brook

Dove-bridge, Doverbridge
or Dowbridge, where Wat-
ling Street crosses Avon at
the ancient Tripontium. It
marks the junction of the
three counties of Leicester-
shire, Warwickshire, and
Northamptonshire, and is
repaired by the three
counties.

Guthlaxton Bridge on the
Eossway

Langhain Bridge, near
Narborough

Spittle Bridge, Lutter-
worth
Sp. Harris Bridge

Kelharn Bridge

58

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

BROOK.
Outh. Great and Little Olaybrook

(Claibroc)

For the names of brooks vide
Introduction.

BULWARK.

W. G. The Bulwarks, Breedon

BURDETT.
E. G. * Newton Burdett or *Mar-

mion is now Cold Newton.
BURGH. Vide BOROUGH.

BURGOLAND.

W. G. Newton Burgoland
BURROW. Vide BOROUGH.
BURY. Vide BOROUGH.

BUSH.

Fr. Three-shire Bush, at the
junction of Leicester, Not-
tingham, and Lincoln
E. O. Mowde Bush Hill

Tugby Bushes
Gart. Gartree Bush

Bushby

Guth. Cloudesley Bush, a barrow
near High Cross

BUSSARD.

E. G. * Thorpe Bussard, now
Thorpe Satchville

BUTTS.

W. G. Eobin or Eobin's Butts,
near Bardon Hill

BY.

Fr. Ab-Kettleby (Chetelbi)
Bescaby, formerly Berts-

anby and Bescoldby
Brentingby
Dalby, Little (Dalbi)
Eye-Kettleby, on the Eye
Freeby (Fredebi, Frethebi)
Goadby Marwood (Gun-

debi, Goutebi)

Harby (Herdebi, Werdebi,
Hertebi)

Kirby Belers (Chirchebi)

Saltby (Saltebi)

Saxby (Saxebi)

Somerby (Sumerlidebie,
Sumerdebi)

Stonesby (Stovenebi)

Sysonby (Sixtenebi, Siste-
nebi)

Welby (Alebie, Olebi)

Wyfordby (Wivordebie,
Offerdebie)
E.G. Asfordby

Ashby Folville (Ascebi,
Ascbi)

Barkby (Barcheberie)

Barkby Thorpe

Barsby (Barnesbi)

Beeby (Bebi)

Brookesby (Brochesbi)

Dalby on the Wolds, super
Maleas, or old Dalby (Dalbi)

Dalby Magna, formerly
Dalby Chalcombe, having be-
longed to Chalcombe Priory,
Northampton.

* Fraxby with Waltham

Frisby on theWreke (Frise-
bie)

Gaddesby (Gadesbie)

Hoby (Hobie), also known
formerly as Holbrook

Lowesby, or Loseby (Glow-
esbi)

Quenby (Queneberie)

Eearsby (Eedresbi)

Eotherby (Eedebi)

Saxelby (Saxelbie)

Shoby (Seoldesberie)

Sileby (Siglesbie Seglebi)

Tugby (Tochebi)

Wartnaby (Worcnodebie,
Warkenlebi)

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

59

Willoughby Gorse, near
Willoughby, Notts.
W. O. Ashby-de-la-Zouch

Blackfordby

Kilwardby

Limby Hall, near Swan-
nington
Gart. Bushby

Frisby, or Old Frisby
(Frisebie)

Galby (Galbi, Gerberie)

Goadby (Guthebi, Goltebi)

Ingarsby, Old and New
(Inuuaresbie)

Smeeton Westerby

Thurnby

Tugby, part of (Tochebi)
Guth. Arnesby (Erendesbi, Eren-
desberie)

Ashby Magna

Ashby Parva (ParvaEssebi)

Bittesby (Bichesbie)

Blaby (Bladi)

Cosby (Cosbi, Cossebi)

Kilby (Cilebi)

Oadby (Oldebi)

Shearsby(Suesbi, Suevesbi)

Willoughby Waterless or
Waterleys (Wilechebi)
Sp. Appleby Magna (Aplebi,
Apleberie)

Appleby Parva. Part of
both the Applebys lies in
Derbyshire.

Ashby Shrubs in Kirby
Muxloe

Cadeby (Catebi) "

Enderby (Andretesbie, En-
drebie)

Groby (Grobi)

Kirby Muxloe

Kirby Frith in Kirby
Muxloe

Kirby Mallory (Chirchebi)

Naneby

*Neulebi, now Nailstone
Eatby (Eotebie)
Sheepy Magna and Parva
(Scepehe, Scepa). One early
spelling gives Scepisbie, but
it is doubtful whether the
villages are real <bys.'
CAD.

W. G. High Cadman, a forest
hill

Cadborough Hill
CALAIS.
W. G. The Calais, a hamlet in

Ashby-de-la-Zouch
CALKE.

W. G. Calke Park
CAMP.

Sp. Bury Camp, near Eatby
CARE,.

E. G. Car Bridge
W. G. Alder or Aller Carr

The Hall Carr, Beaumanor
Hawk's Carr, near Lub
Cloud

CARTHAGEISTA.

E. G. Carthagena, a homestead
CASTLE.

Fr. Belvoir Castle

* Sanvey or Sanby Castle,
in Withcote

W. G. Bawdon Castle, a hill, as
is Bawdon Castle, Little,
which lies near it

Castle Hill, Mountsorrel
Gart. Castle Hill, Hallaton
8p. Castle Hill, Hinckley
Kirby Muxloe Castle
CAVENDISH.

W. G. Cavendish Bridge
CESTER.
W. G. Leicester (Ledecestre).

60

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Among the early forms of
the word are Legaceaster,
Legecestre, Legceaster, Lig-
ceaster, Legraceaster, Ligera-
ceaster, Ligoracester, Leoge-
ceastra, Leogeraceastra, Leo-
gera, Kaer-lion, Cairlegion
and Cair Lerion. Leicestre,
however, and Leicestreshire
seem to be as early as any.
CHENEY.

Sp. Cheney House
Sutton Cheney
CLIFF.
E. G. Ratcliffe Hills

Ratcliffe on the Wreke
W. G. Bencliff, Benscliff or Bents-
cliff

Cliff House
Cliff Lodge
Donnington Cliff
Hammercliff
Long Cliff
Newhurst Cliff
Roecliff or Rowcliff

* Sharpcliff Mill, an ancient
Watermill

Short Cliff

* Swartcliffe, hamlet in
Ashby de - la - Zouch. All
these are hills except where
otherwise indicated.

Sp. Cliff Hill in Markfield

Cliff House in Twycross
parish

Eatcliff Culey
Sketchley(P) formerly Soke-
cliffe and Soketesclive
CLOSE.

E. G. Debdale Close
Sp. The Sherry-close or Sher-
ricles in Desford parish.
There is hardly a township

in the county in which ' closes'
with distinctive names do not
abound.
CLOTT.

Sp. The Clotts

Cover Clotts enclosures
CLOUD.
W. G. Lub Cloud

Barrow Cloud Hill
Breedon Cloud
CLUMP.

W. G . Coleorton Fir-clumps
Gart, Carlton Clump
COLD-COMFORT.

Sp. Cold- comfort, a homestead
COMB.

E. G. Wycomb. This, however,
is only a * comb ' by mistake.
The old and correct spelling
is Wykeham.
COMMON.

Gart. Great Easton Common
Sp. Burbach Common

The Common, near Carltc
Peckleton Common
COPLOW.

Gart. Billesdon Coplow, a house,
a hill, and a celebrated fox-
cover. The word is simply
a various pronunciation of
Cupola.
COPPICE.
W. G. Quorndon Coppice

Smooth Coppice
These, I believe, are the only
two coppices in a land of spinneys.
CORNER.

W. G. Judy's Corner, in Charn-
wood

COTE.

FT. Withcote or Withcock
(Wicoc)

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

61

E. G. Cotes

W. G. Nethercote, or Nowtown
Nethercote or Netheret, in
Swepstone parish
Swadlingcote
West Cotes

Woodcote, near Ashby-de-
la-Zouch (Udecote)
The name of the two Wapen-
takes, Goscote, no longer repre-
sents any discoverable locality.
Guth. Cotes Deval, or Deville
Sp. Brascote (Brocardescote)
Coton, Far and Near
Hugglescote
Huncote (Hunecote)
Sapcote (Scepecote, Sape-
cote)

(*Toniscote) seems to have
been in Sp.
COTTAGE.
Gart. Stackley Cottage

All over the county 'The
Cottage ' is a favourite designa-
tion of what would be called in
Cockney jargon ' a bijou villa
residence.'
COURT.

FT. Cranwell Court Covert
COVER, or COVERT.

FT. Cranwell Court Cover
E. G. Botany Bay Cover

Cant's Cover
Gart. Botany Bay Cover.

Nearly all the coverts take
their names from villages, woods,
hills, &c.
CRABTREE.

Sp. Crabtree (Crebre ?)
CROFT.

Fr. Calcrofts, a homestead, pro-
bably a personal name
E. G. Fox-crofts

W. G. * Balcroft, formerly a ham-
let of Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Horsecroft Hill
Ulverscroft, formerly Osol-
vescroft
Sp. Croft (Crec?)

Croft Hill

* Crofts,' like 'closes,' are
everywhere to be found with
distinctive names.

CROSS.
E. G. Stump Cross at Frisby

W. G. * Conston Cross, or Holy
Cross

Mile Cross in Lough-
borough Lane
Gart. Cross-Barrow Hill
Guth. High Cross, at the junction
of the Fossway and Watling
Street. The ancient Yennones
or Bennonse.
Sp. Twycross

Twycross Parva

CULEY, or CTJYLLY.
Sp. Katcliff Culey

CULLODEN.

Sp. Culloden, a homestead

CURLIETJ.
Gart. Carlton Curlieu or Curley

DALE.

Fr. Chippingdale, a valley

Debdale, or Depdale
E. G. Debdale Close in Keyham
Deep Dales, near Burton-
on- the -wolds

Oxdale, in Thrussington,
formerly a manor and rectory
Eakedale, Eagdale, or
Wreakdale (Eagendele)
The Dale Plantation
W. G. Dimminsdale, between

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Calke Park and Staimton
Harold

Ling Dale, or Long Dale
The Dale
Gart. Winkerdale Hill

Debdale Wharf, on Union
Canal

Gufh. Cowdale Slade in Clay-
brook

DAM.

W. G. Griff y - Dam, hamlet in
Worthington

DANNETT.
W. G. Dannetts Hall

DEN.

W. G. Storden Grange and Lane
Gart. BowdenMagna(Bugedone)
Sp. Eowden in Higham

DE VAL, or DEVILLE.
Guth. Cotes Deval or Deville

DON.

Fr. The Wapentake of Fram-
land appears once in Domes-
day as Frandone, the common
form being Franelund or
Franlund
E. G. Hambledon, Hameldon, or

Hamilton
W. G. Bardon Hill, part of

Bawdon, or Baldwin Castle
Breedon Cloud
Breedon Hill
Breedon- on - the-Hill
Buddon Hill.
Buddon Wood
Garendon, anciently Ge-
roldon and Garewdon

Little Bawdon, or Baldwin,
Castle

Quorndon

Gart. Billesdon (Billesdone)
Billesdon Coplow

Bowden Magna (Buge-
done) is really a ' don,' not a
'den'

Guth. Dunton Basset
Sp. Bardon Hill

Sibson (Sibetesdone)
DUMPS.

W. G. The Dumps, a homestead
DUNKIRK.

E. G. Dunkirk, a homestead
DYKE.
W. G. Dyke Tree

Earl's Dyke, on Leicester
Plain

* Holywell Dyke, a con-
tinuation of Earl's Dyke

* Lawedyke Ford

* Old Dyke Ford

The Eaw Dykes, earth-
works near Leicester
Sp. * Strathoe Coppyedykes, in
Leicester Forest

EAVES.

W. G. Woodhouse Eaves, a ham-
let on the edge of the Forest
ELM.
W. G. The Elms

Sp. EatcliffElms
END.

Fr. South-end Base, near Plun-

gar
W. G. Heath End

Sp. Stockwell End, Hinckley

Bond End, Hinckley, as dis-
tinguished from the Borough
ERN.

Fr. Sewstern (Sewesten)

Stathern (Stachedirne)
W. G. Hathern

EVERARD.

Fr. * Thorpe Everard is now
Thorpe Arnold

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

63

EY.

Sp. The Brockey

FALLING-IN.

W.G. The c Fallhig-in' on Beacon
Hill is a spot where the earth
subsided in 1679.

FARM.

Fr. Glossani's Farm in Scalford
E. G. Chalkpit Farm
Homble Farm
Low Farm
Pease-hill Farm
Tithe Farm

W. G. Bishop's Meadow Farm
Farmlee
Gelscoe Farm
Hill Parks Farm
Holgate Farm
Kellam's Farm
Starkey Farm
Stocking Farm
Valley Farm
Sp. Hockley Farm
Hill Foot Farm
These are all the Farms I find
in the maps. Anything approach-
ing to an exhaustive list remains
a desideratum.

FEN.

Sp. Fenny Drayton
The Fen Lanes

FERNS.
Gart. Hallaton Ferns

FIELD.

Fr. Filling's Field in Waltham
E. Gr. Barrow Field, near Barrow-
on-Soar

Halstead Field
Oakfield
Pinfold Field

W. G. Ashby Field, i.e. Ashby-de-
la-Zouch

Common-field
Diseworth Field
Donington Field
Fair Fields, Loughborough
Kegworth Field
Loughborough Field, a
homestead

Oldfield House and Wood,
near Charley
Prior Fields
Eushyfield '
Sheepshed Fields
South Fields, Leicester
South Fields, Loughbo-
rough

Worthington Field
Gart. Glooston Field

Marefield or Mardefield,
North and South (Merdefelde)

Medbourne Field
Guth. Gilmorton Field, a home-
stead

Highfield

Holywell Field, in Shawell
Willey Field, in Claybrook
Winterfield Spinney
Sp. Barwell Fields (bis)

Battlefield Lodge, Stanton-
under-Bardon
Bosworth Field
Burbach Fields
Congerston Field
Glenfield (Clanefelde)
Higham Fields
Highfield
Highfields
Hinckley Field
Hoe Fields, in Thurlaston;
called also Haw or Hoi Fields
Markfield (Merchenefeld).
This lies on the direct line
between Derventio, Little
Chesters, and Eatae, Leices-

64

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

ter. At the junction of the
parishes of Markfield and
Newtown Linford as late as
1808 stood an inscribed stone
called the Altar-stone, which
has since disappeared unde-
scribed

Markfield Field
New Fields, Braunstone
Newton Fields
Northfield Gorse
Northfields
Shakerstone Fields
Sheepy Field
Stanton Fields
'Stoke Fields

Button Fields, a homestead
Wellsborough Fields
Westfield, a homestead
Several of these are home-
steads, which are not indicated
as such. Wherever the word is
preceded by the name of a parish
or township it marks the former
existence of common land appur-
tenant to the place. The names
of particular fields, as of ' crofts '
and ' closes,' are innumerable.
Fm.
W. Cr. Coleorton Fir-clumps

Sp. Aston Firs
FLAMVILLE.

Sp. Aston Flamville
FLAT.

Sp. Battle-Flat, or Flatts, in
Stanton-under-Bardon, marks
the spot of a Royalist and
Eoundhead skirmish. Battle-
field Lodge stands on the Flat
FLINDELLS.

E. 0. Flindells
FOLLY.

8p. The Folly

FOLVILLE.

E. G. Ashby Folville
Newbold Folville

FORD.

Fr* Bottesford (Botesford)

Leicesterford Bridge, over
the North Eye into Eutland
Scalford (Scaldeford)
Stapleford (Stapeford)
E. G. Oster Ford, near Gaddesby
Potter's Ford
Saltersford Bridge
Twyford (Tuiuorde)
W. G. Acresford, on the Mease

* Lawedyke Ford
Newtown Linford (Lin-

deneford)

* Old Dyke Ford

Park Ford, corner of Bud-
don Wood

Eeedy-syke Ford
Gart. Pear-tree Ford
GutTi. Bensford Bridge, over Swift
Stanford Hall
Swinford (Suineford)
Sp. Desford (Deresford, Dires-
ford)

Miles Ford

Sharnford (Scerneforde)

FOREST.

Fr. and E. G. Leighfield Forest
W. G. Charnwood or Charley

Forest
Sp. Leicester Forest

FRITH.
W. G. Leicester Frith

Frith House, or Sherman's
Lodge

Sp. Braunston Frith
Frith Hall, Glenfield
Glenfield Frith
Kirby Frith

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

G5

FURLONG.

Vide ' FURLONG ' in Glossary.
There are ' furlongs ' everywhere
with distinctive names, of which
the following, mentioned in
Macaulay's Claybrook, may serve
as examples : —
Guth. Barearss Furlong
Basil Furlong
Chidmore Furlong
Pits Furlong
Radmore Furlong
Hedge Furlong Spinney,
in the same wapentake, is
the longest and perhaps best
known Spinney in the county.

FYNES.
W. G. * Fynes Place in Belton

GAP.

Fr. Thistleton Gap, at the
junction of Leicestershire,
Rutland, and Lincolnshire
GARTH.

Fr. Plungar, formerly Plun-
garth

GATE.
E. G. Holly Gate

Wold- gate Lane
W. G. Belton Low-wood Gate

Bradgate Park

Brand Gate

Forest Gate, near Lough-
borough

Forest Gate, near Wood-
house Brand

Holgate, formerly the Old
Gate

Holgate Farm and Hill

Horsepool Lane Gate

Meadow Lane Gate

Pocket Gate

Sheepshed Forest Gate

Snell's Lane Gate
The Hall Gates
Gart. Three Gates
Outh. Ely Gate, in Lutterworth
Stoneygate, in Knighton
Sp. * Queen Gate, Leicester
Forest

The Eed Gate

GLEN.
W. G. * Glen, formerly a hamlet

of Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Gart. Glen Magna, formerly Glen

Martel
Guth. Glen Parva

GOLDING.

Sp. Stoke Golding

GORE.

Guth. Swallow Gore, in Clay-
brook

There are many angular-
shaped bits of land known as
' gores' in various parts of the
county.

GORSE.

Fr. Herring Gorse

Humberston Gorse, on
edge of Lincolnshire
E. G. Hink's Gorse
Mundy's Gorse
Willoughby Gorse (Wil-
loughby in Notts.)
W. G. Tong Gorse
Gart. Gorse, a homestead
Guth. John Ball Gorse
Sp. Normanton Gorse
Northfield Gorse
Orton Gorse
Eowden Gorse
Stoke Gorse

GRACEDIEU.

W. G. Gracedieu Nunnery and
Manor-house

F

66

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

GRANGE.

Fr. Cumberland Grange

Goldsmith's Grange, both
in Scalford
W. G. Alton Grange

Merril Grange, Belton
Oxley Grange
Storden Grange
Sp. Higham Grange
Horsepool Grange
Lea Grange, in Merivale
Newhouse Grange, in Meri-
vale

Pickering Grange, in Ib-
stock parish
Stoke Grange
Whittington Grange
There are many houses either
called simply * The Grange,' or
with the name of an adjoining
town or village for distinction.

GRAVE.

E. G. Segrave (Satgrave, Set
grave)

Belgrave (Merdegrave)
partly in W. G.
W. G. Belgrave Meer

Giant's Graves in Charley

Seven Graves, near Hem

ington

Gart. Baggrave (Badegrave)

* Prestgrave (Abegrave)
hamlet of Bringhurst
GREEN.

W. G. Cook's Green
Pegg's Green
Guth. Baldwin's Green, in Clay

brook
GROUND.

Fr. Barn Ground
W. G. Lockington Grounds
Sp. Sherman's Grounds, in Le
cester Frith

ROVE.

W. G. The Grove, near The Oaks

UADALOTJPE.

Fr. Guadaloupe

New Guadaloupo

HALIFAX.

Sp. Halifax, a -homestead

HALL.

E. G. Packe Hall
Podge Hall
W. G. Cork Hall

Dannett's Hall
* Erleshall, in Charley
Gelder's Hall
Nether Hall, Quorn
Over Hall, Quorn
Eushall, in the liberty of
Woodhouse

The Hall Carr
Gart. Nether Hall, Scraptoft
Old Hall, Lubbenham
Papillon Hall
Upper Hall, Scraptoft
Guth. Blackenhall, in Bitteswell

Bumblebee Hall
Sp. Alder Hall
Barren Hall
Brickman's Hall
Frith Hall, Glenfield
Frog Hall

Gopsall Hall (Gopeshille)
Hangman's Hall
Ivy Hall
Lindley HaU
Old Hall, Glenfield
Eed Hall
Straw Hall
Temple Hall
Tooley Hall

There are also a number of
« halls' named from the towns
and villages in which they stand.

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

67

HAM.

Fr. Waltliam on the Wolds

Wymondhain (Wimundes-
ham)
E. G. Biilhain

Keyham (Caiham)
Wikehain in Rothley,
Wykeliam or Wyconib
Gart. Welham (Waleham, Wal-
endeham)

Lubbeiihain (Lubanham)
Guth. Langham Bridge, over Soar
Sp. G-otham

Higham-on-the-Hill
Kelham Bridge
Langhani Bridge
* (Legham) seems to have
been in Sp.
HARCOURT.

Gart. Kibworth Harcourt, a
township of Kibworth Beau-
champ

Newton Harcourt
HAROLD.
W. G. Staunton Harold

HARRINGTON.
W. G. Harrington Bridge

HARRIS.

Sp. Harris Bridge
HAT.

Sp. The Hat is a small estate
in Leicester Forest, said to
have been given by a Henry
or an Edward as a reward to
a yeoman for picking up the
royal hat, lost while hunting.
It is also called the Huit.
HAVEN.

Sp. New Haven, in Leicester

Forest

HAG, HAW, and HAY.
E. G. Frisby Hags

W. G. Alderman's Haw, at foot of
Beacon Hill

Benscliff Hay *

Blakehay Wood

* Derinton Haw

* Haldeineshay
Holly Hays
Hollywell Haw
Lady Hay Wood
Little Haw (Beaumanor)
Little Hays, or Hills
Packman Hays

Sheet Hedges Wood
Steward's Hay
Sp. Bondman Hays

Haw, or Hoi Fields, Thur-
laston

Old Hays, in Eatby, an
early intrenchment
HEAD.

Fr. Woodwell Head
W. G. Ive's Head

Sheepshead, generally and
correctly spelt Sheepshed
Gart. Barn-head Hill

Sp. Stockwell Head, Hinckley
HEATH.

Fr. Saltby Heath

Sproxton Heath
W. G. Charnwood Heath

Heath End
Sp. Bagworth Heath

Barns Heath, near Appleby
Newbold Heath
Noman's Heath, on the
Derbyshire border
Normanton Heath
Osbaston Heath
Shilton Heath
The Heath, a homestead
HEATHER.

Sp. Heather (Hadre). The ea
is pronounced ee.

F2

68

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

IlEllMITAGE.

W. G. The Hermitage

HILL.

Fr. Bunker's Hill

Cedar Hill

Huntershorn Hill

Old Hills, near Hoi well

Potter's Hill

Slyborough Hill

Toston Hill

Wold Hills, bounding Vale
of Belvoir
E. G. Barrow Hill

Blackmoor Hill

Broughton Hill

Burrow Hill

Colborough Hill

Furze Hill

Garrety Hill

Green Hill

Hoot Hill

Hoton Hills

Howbank Hill, early re-
mains

Meer HiU

Moat Hill

Mowde Bush HiU

Pease Hill

Port Hill

Priesthood Hill

Ratcliffe Hills

Robin-a-tiptoes Hill

Bound Hill, tumulus near
Fossway

„ Seg's Hill, or Six HiUs,
tumulus near Old Dalby,
on the Fossway, now de-
stroyed

Shipley HiU

Street HiU

Tilton HiU

Whadborough Hill

Woods Hill

W. G. and Forest district.
Bann Hill
Bardon Hill
Barrow Hill
Barrow Cloud HiU
Beacon Hill
Beechwood HiU
BiUa-barrow Hill
Birch wood HiU
Bird Hill
Bishop's Hill
Black Hill
Black-cliff Hill
Blore's HiU
Bramborough Hill
Brand Hill
Break-back Hill
Breech Hill
Breedon Hill
Broad Hill

Broad Hill, Mountsorrol
Buck Hills
Buddon Hill
Cadman, High
Cat Hill

Castle Hill, Mountsorrel
Chamber Hill
Charnock Hill
Chitterman Hill
Cliff Hill, Markfiold
Cloud Hill, Breedon
Crophurst HiU
Crow Hill
Cuckoo Hill
Dane Hills, Leicester
* Dunthorne- hull
Finny Hill
Five-tree Hill
Goathouse, or Gatehouse,
Hill

Gorse Hill
Great Buck Hill
Great Green Hill

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

09

Great Gun Hill

Green Hill

Hanging Hill

Holgate Hill

Horsecrof t Hill

Inglebury Hill

Kinchley Hill

Kirk Hill, near Ackley
Wood

Kite Hill

Ling Hill

Little Buck Hill

Little Hills, Hays, or Haw

Long Hill

Moorloy, or Morley, Hill

Mountsorrel Hill

Mowmaker's Hill

Nan Hill

Nettle, or Nettlebush, Hill

Norris Hill

Old John Hill, so called
from an old man accidentally
burnt at a bonfire lighted on
the hill, which is in Bradgate
Park, to celebrate the coming
of age of a Marquis of Has-
tings in the last century

One-barrow Hill

Paradise Hill

Hatchet Hill

Eed Hill

Eingan Hill

Bound Hill, a barrow near
Barrow, now destroyed

Sand Hills

Scouthouse Hill

Strawberry Hill

Sty Hill

Swain's Hill, at the foot of
Ives Head, where the Sheep-
shed Swanimote was held

Sweet Hills

Timberwood Hill

Toot Hill, Charley

Toot Hill, Groby

Walton Hill, Isley Walton

Warren Hill

White Hill

Whittle Hill
Gart. Burrough, or Burrow, Hill

Castle Hill, Hallaton

Cross Barrow Hill

Garrow Hill

Houghton Hill

Ilston Hill

Life Hill

Moor Hill

Palace Hill, near Hough -
ton-on-the-hill

Port Hill, near Mcdbourne

Earn Head Hill

Winkerdale Hill
Guth. Blaby Hill

Cosby Hill

John Ball Hill

Murnhill Well

Primrose Hill

Eye Hill, Lutterworth

Stony Hill, Claybrook

Westrill in Swinford
8p. Ambion, Ambien, or Am-
yon Hill

Anker Hill

Bardon Hill

Barrow Hill (bis)

Bean, or Ben, Hills, in
Orton-on-the-Hill

Berry Hill

Brickman Hill, Kirby Mux-
loe

Broom Hill

Castle Hill, Hinckley

Cliff Hill, Markfield

Cockspur Hill, a clump of
trees on a barrow in Bosworth
Park

70

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Copt Hill, in Markfield

Croft Hill

Crown Hill, Stoke Golding,
where, according to tradition,
the crown was found and
Henry VII. crowned after
the battle of Bosworth

Desford Hill

Garratt's Hill, Braunstone

Gopsall (Gopeshille)

Hog Hill

Hoo Hills

Kingshill

Mickle Hill, in Aston
Flamville

Orton Hill

Priest Hill, Hinckley

St. Anne Hill, Market Bos-
worth

Shorn Hill, in Norton-
juxta-Twy cross

Sibson Hill

Sketchley Hill

Stubble Hill

Temple Hill

Twycross Hill

Wellesborough Hill

Western Hills

Wolvershill, in Stoke Gold-
ing

Wykin Hills

HOBBSHEIRS. •

Sp. Hobbsheirs

HOE, or How.

Fr. Hose, or Howes (Hoches)
Gart. Cranoe (Craueho). An early

spelling is Cragenhowgh
Guth. Hoebach Barn
Hoo Lane

Hoe, Haw, or Hoi, Fields,
near Thurlaston
Hoo Hills

Sparkenhoe, the name of
the Wapentake

* Strathoe Coppyedyke,
Leicester Forest
HOLD.
Gart. Horninghold, or Horning

Wold (Horniwale)
Guth. Stony-holds
HOLE.

Fr. Swallow-hole
W. G. Hobs Hole
Sp. Sandholes

Sibson Holes
HOLLOW.

W. G. Stubbrook Hollow
Gart. Ingarsby Hollow
Guth. Smockington Hollow
Sp. The Hollow, Leicester

Forest
HOLM.

Sp. Brackenholme, in Thurlas-
ton

Lea Holms, the southern
slopes of Norton Heath
HOLT.

Fr. Holt, in Ab Kettleby
E. G. Lodington Holt

Barkby Holt
Gart. Holt, Neville Holt, or Holt

with Bradley
Guth. Walton Holt, the name of

four farms in Walton
Sp. Sapcote Free-holt

Tucker's Holt
HOPE.

Sp. Hope-edge Spinney

Hopewell
HOUSE.
W. G. Cliff House

Oldfield House
Piper's House
Slade House

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

71

Spring House
Woodhouse
Woodhouso Eaves
Guth. Flat House

Ireland House

Sp. Bassett House, near Hinck-
ley

Cart's House
Charley House
Charter House
Cheney's House
Cliff House, near Twy cross
Hissar House
Knoll House, Hinckley
Lockey House, Peckleton
Newhouse (bis)
Park House, Hinckley
Pegg's House
Roe House
Stock's House
The Hunter's House
The Shepherd's House
White House

Woodhouse, near Nailstone
HUIT.

8p. The Huit. Vide HAT.
HURST.

W. G. Crophurst Hill
Hurst Lodge
Newhurst Cliff
Gart. Bringhurst, formerly Bren-

singhurst

Sp. Sandyhurst, in Leicester
Forest

HYDE.

Sp. The Hyde, in Hinckley

INDUSTRY.

This is not anywhere an un-
common synonym for workhouse,
but the only two workhouses not
generally known by any other
name are, or were :

Gart. Glen Industry

Newton Industry

ING.

E. G. High Tnurning Lodge
Guth. Peatling Magna (Potlinge)
Peatling Parva
Watling Street
* (Lilinge)

INGS.

Gart. Stoppings, a hill
Sp. Deepings Lane

INGTON.

E. G. Cossington (Cosintone)
Lodington (Ludintone)
Skeffington (Sciftitoiie)
Thrussington (Turstanes-
tone)

W. G. Donnington Castle (Duni-
tone)

Hemington
Lockington
Packington
Sulington Road, near

Swannington, formerly
Swavington

Worthington (Werditone)
Gart. Evington (Avintone)

Knossington (Nossitone)
Saddington (Sadintone)
Guth. Smockington Hollow, in

Wigston parish
Sp. Dadlington

Donnington, or Dunning-
ton-on-the-Heath
Smockington

Whittington Grange and
Eough ,

JERICHO.

Fr. Jericho (ter.)
New Jericho

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

KIRK.

Fr. Kirby Belcrs, or Kirby-on-

the-Wreke

W. G. * Andreskirk, or Andres -
kirklin

Kirk Hill, near Ackley
Wood

8p. Kirby Frith
Kirby Muxloe
Kirkby Mallory

KNOLL.

L W. G. Charley Knoll
Sp. Markfield Knoll
The Knoll

LAND.

Fr. Framland, the name of the
Wapentake (Franlund,Frane-
lund, Franedone)
E. G. Freezeland

Lagland Wood
Sandlands
W. G. Holy Eood Land

Swithland

Gart. Stonyland Spinney
Banyland Spinney
Sp. Friezland, near Market Bos-
worth

The Woodlands
Flitland

The Freezelands seem to be-
long to the same family of names
as the Cold Harbours, Cold-com-
forts, &c.

LANE.

E. G. Blackberry Lane
Great Lane
Humble Lane
Narrow Lane
Pawdy Lane, near Barrow-
on-Soar

Woldgate Lane, near
Thrussington

W. G. Barn Lane

Battleflat Lane
Beggary Lane
Judy's Lane
Long Lane
Loughborotigh Lane
Park Lane, Loughborough
Pasture Lane
Shaw Lane
Snell's Lane
Storden Lane
Talbot Lane
Thacker's Lane
Woodcock Lane
Sp. Deepings Lane
Fen Lanes
Forest Lane
Garland Lane
Hunt's Lane
Lount Lane
LAUND.
E. G. Laund Abbey, Lodge, Park,

and Wood
Sp. The Lawnde, in Leicester

Forest
LEAKE.

W. G. East Leake, in Loughbo-
rough

Great Leake, Loughbo-
rough
LEIRE.

Guth. Loire (Legre). A branch
of the Soar runs through the
parish.
LEY.

E. G. Finchley Bridge, in E.
Norton

Rothley, part of
Shipley Hill, a tumulus in
KatclinVon-the-Wreke
W. G. Ackley Wood, in Sheepshed
Akeley, the name of the
rural deanery, probably from

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

73

Ackloy in Sheepshed
Beaumont Leys
Birchwood Ley

* Brackley
Burleigh Manor
Charley (Cernelega), also

formerly Charleystone
Dishley (Dixlei, Dislea)
Farmlee
Gosty Leys, in Netherseal

* Henley, now The Inleys
High Lees

High Sharpley, a hill
Kinchley Hill
Langley Priory
Lee Wood
Moorley Hill
Oxley Grange
Eothloy (Eodolei)
Eothley Temple
White Leas

Willesley, near Ashby-de-
la-Zouch
Gart. Bradley and Bradley Priory

* Fleckley, in Wistow Park
Gumley (Godmundlai)
Hare-crop Leys, in Halla-

ton

Leosthorpe
Mowsley (Muselai)
Noseley (Noveslei)
Stackley Cottage
Guth. Cloudesley Bush, a barrow

near High Cross

Leaslands, near Countes-

thorpe

Eaven Willow Leys, in

Claybrook

Street Leys, in Claybrook
ThornleyHall, in Catthorpe
Willoughby Waterless, or

Waterleys
8p. * (Elvelege)

Hinckley (Hincholie

Hinckley Astwood, or
Hinckley Park

Hockley Farm, in Braun-
•ston

John's Lee

Lea Grange

Lea Holms, near Norton
Heath

Lindley (bis)

Merry Lees

* (Plotelea)

Shorn Lees, Leicester
Forest

Sketchley, formerly Soke-
cliffe, Soketesclive, and
Skeilesclieve

Tooloy Park

Witherley, formerly With-
eredley

LING.

E. G. The Lings

LIP.
W. G. Wanlip (Anelepe)

LODGE.

Fr. Eaton Lodge

Pitfield Lodge
E. G. Angrave's Lodge
Austin's Lodge
Broom's Lodge
Chandler's Lodge
Cream Lodge
Hanmer's Lodge
High Thurning Lodge
Stimson's Lodge
The Port-hills Lodge
Underwood's Lodge
Wildbore's Lodge
W. G. Cliff Lodge

Freemen's Lodge, near
Leicester
Hurst Lodge

74

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Nanpantan Lodge

Redway Lodge

Sandhills Lodge

Wartop Lodge
Gart. Bates' Lodge

Issett's Lodge

Moorhill Lodge

Rhodes Lodge

Scots Lodge
Guth. Flude Lodge, in Willough-

by Waterless

Sp. Battlefield Lodge, in Stan-
ton-under-Bardon

Cook's Lodge

Green's Lodge

Eed Lodge

This is a favourite name for a
small detached house in Leices-
tershire, either absolutely, or
with the name of an adjoining
town or village.

LONDON.

Fr. Little London, near Melton
Mowbray

LOUNT.
W. G. The Lount, and the Lount

Colliery and Wood
Sp. The Lount, and Lount
Lane, near Barlestone

LYDGATE.
W. G. * Thorpe Lydgate

LYNCES.
W. G. The Lynces

MALLORY.

Sp. Kirkby Mallory

MANOR.
W. G. Beaumanor

Burleigh Manor

Gart. Bardolf's Manor

Engaines Manor

Hakluyt's Manor, all in
Hallaton

Norwich Manor, in Market
Harborough
MANSE.

Qutli. Mansemore, in Claybrook
MARKET.

Gart. Market Harborough
Sp. Market Bosworth

MARMION.

E. G. * Newton Marmion, or
* Newton Burdett, is now
Cold Newton
MARTEL.

Guth. * Glen Martel is now Great
Glen

MAUREWARD.

Fr. Goadby Marwood

MEADOW.

E. G. Austrean Meadow, in Hoby
W. G. Tin Meadow

Individual meadows have in-
numerable names. Sometimes,
as in the case of Loughborough
Meadow and Hathern Meadows,
the word indicates common land.

MEER.

W. G. Widmeerpool. Vide POOL.
Guth. Stony Meer, in Claybrook

MEERSTONE.

Sp. The Meer-stone, a large
stone at Osbaston, marking
the division between Bos-
worth and Cadeby parishes.

MILE.

Fr. Eedmile (Eedmelde)

MILL.
W. G. Clock Mill •

Zouch Mill
Guth. Soar Mill

Soke Mills, Lutterworth

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

Sp. Alder Mill
HelpoutMill
Mary's Mill
Mill-hill Barn
Temple Mill

Nearly all the mills are simply
named from the nearest town or
village.

MINSTER.

Fr. Buckminster (Buchemin-

stre)
Outh. Misterton (Menistretone)

MIRE.

Outh. Chitman's Mires, in Clay-
brook

Sp. The Foomeers, or Foul-
mires
MOAT.
W. O. * Le Mote, in Belton

The Moats
Sp. Kirkby Moats
Bagworth Moats

MOIRA.

W. 0. Moira, Moira Baths, Pits,
&c., are named from the
second title of the Marquis
of Hastings, that of Earl of
Moira in Ireland. The first
use of the name in Leicester-
shire dates, I believe, between
fifty and sixty years ago.

MOOR.

E. O. Blackmoor Hill and Spin-
ney
W. O. Goleorton Moors

Loughborough Moors
Quorndon Moors
Gart. Moor-hill
Outh. Chidmore Furlong
Mansemore

Eadmore Furlong, all in
Claybrook

Starmore, in Swinford
Sp. Moorbarn, in Merevale

Redmoor, or Radmoor
Plain, near Market Bosworth

The White Moors

Wildemore Plain, Leicester
Forest

MOUNT.

Fr. Mount Pleasant
W. O. Mountsorrel
Oart. The Mount
Sp. The Mount

MOUTH.

Fr. Holwell Mouth, near Hol-
well

MOWBRAY.

Fr. Melton Mowbray

MUXLOE.

Sp, Kirby Muxloo

MYTHE.

Sp. The Mythe

NAN.
W. O. Nan Hill

Nanpantan, near Long
Cliff. A wake is held here
which was formerly held on
Beacon Hill.

NEST.
W. O. Bird's Nest

Blackbird's Nest

NEVILLE.

Fr. Brentingby was formerly

Brentingby Neville
Oart. Neville Holt is now gener-
ally called Holt

NEWARK.
Outh. The Newark, in Leicester

NEW YORK.
E. O. New York

76

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

NEY.
Gart. Flcckney(Flochenie, Flech-

enio) '

Quili. Poultenoy (Pontenei)
NOOK.
W. a. AgarNook

Beggary Nook
Broad Nook
Coppin Nook'
Falconer's Nook
Wicket Nook

Sp. Dickon's Nook, Sutton
Cheney, on Bosworth Field;
said to be the spot where
Eichard III. was slain
NOVERAY.

Gart. Burton Noveray is now
Burton Overy

Fr. Bescaby Oaks
W. a. Copt Oak
The Oaks
Sweet-hill Oaks
Gart. Glen Oaks

Holyoaks (Haliach)
Holyoaks Wood
Sp. Copt Oak, near Narborough
The Bull -in -the -Oak, a
farmstead, formerly an inn
The Oaks, Kirby Muxloe

ORCHARD.
W. G. Cherry Orchard

PALACE.

Gart. Palace Hill, near Houghton
PAPILLON.

W. G. Papillon Hall
PARK.

W. G. Ashby Old Parks
Hill Parks Farm
Loughborough Parks

Old Park, Long Whatton
Prestop Park, Ashby-do-la-
Zouch
Gart. Park Hill

Park Wood

Sp. Bagworth Old Park
Bardon Old Park
Barren's Park, in Desford
Bosworth Old Park
Braunston Parks
Hinckley Park, or Astwood
. New Hall Park, Thurlaston
New Parks
Tooley Park

Parks still existing as such are
entered under their names.

PASTURE.

Fr. Eastwell Pasture
E. G. Ashby Pastures, Ashby
Folville

Burton Pasture
W. G. Ansty Pastures
Pasture Lane
Seal, or Seile, Pasture
Gart. Medbourne Upper Pasture

Blaston Pastures
Sp. Hyde Pastures, in Hinckloy
parish, but in Warwickshire

Cow Pasture, in Bosworth
parish

All of these seem to have been
common pastures.

PEAR-TREE.

Gart. Pear-tree and Pear-tree
Ford, near Theddingworth

PEN.

Sp. The Penn, Leicester Forest,
near Shilton

PHILADELPHIA.

Sp. Philadelphia, a homestead

PIGS.
W. G. Pretty Pigs, a homestead

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

77

PlLLINGPAW.

Sp. * Pillingpaw, of _tho manor
of Heather

PINNALS.

Sp. Pinnals, or Pinwell, in
Mere vale

PIT.

Most of the Leicestershire coal-
pits are named from the places
in which they lie ; but some are
named after their proprietors.
Among them are :
W. G. Delacar Pit
Lount Pits
Moira Pits
Rawdon Pit

' Pit ' is constantly used for
' pool,' but I do not recollect an
instance of a ' pit ' in this sense
with any more distinctive name
than 'Lower Furlong Pit,'
'Bound Pit,' ' Sheepcote Pit,'
&c.

PLACE.
W. O. * Fynes Place, in Belton

PLAIN.

W. G. Leicester Plain
Eothley Plain

Sp. Rcdmoor Plain, near Mar-
ket Bosworth

Wildemoor Plain, Leicester
Forest

POINT.

Fr. Crown Point, in Sewstern

POOL.
W. G. Barrat Pool

Dog-kennel Pool

Groby Pool

Lady Aslin's Pool

Warren Pool

* Widmeer Pool, where

Markfield, Sheepshod, and
Whitwick meet
Gutli. Reed-pool
Sp. Barnscroft Pool

Bow Pool, both in Bos-
worth Park
Gabriel Pool

Looking-glass Pool, Bos-
worth

Sheepy Pool

Almost every pool bigger than
a puddle has a name, but few of
the names are of any special
significance.

POET.

E. G. The Port-hills Lodge
Gart. Port Hill, a spot on the
Gartree Road where the town-
ships of Medbourne and Slaw-
ston meet

PRIORY.

Priories formerly existed at :
Fr. Belvoir

Kirby Belers
Melton Mowbray
E. G. Laund
W. G. Breedon
Charley
Gracedieu
Langley

Leicester, St. Catherine
Ulverscroft
Gart. Bradley

Houghton - on - the - Hill,
Wolfrischeston Priory
Sp. Hinckley

Merevale. The abbey stands
in Warwickshire, but the
parish extends across the
Anker into Leicestershire

QUATREMARS.

W. G. Overton Quatrernarsh, the

78

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

name of the * Nether-town '
in Coleorton
QUEBEC.
E. G. Quebec, a homestead

BEST.

Eoe's Eest, in Leicester
Forest

ElDGE.

Lindridge, in Desford
parish
KIGS.
W. (/. Broornbriggs, uplands in

Charnwood
RISE.

W. G. The Eise Eocks
Whatton Eises

ElVER.

Sp. The Big Eiver, a large pool

and duckery near Bosworth
EOAD. Vide Introductory Eemarks.
ROCK.

W. G. Abbot's Oak Eock
* Charley Eock
Eise Eocks
Swanimote Eock
Taylor's Eock
EOE.
W. G. Gilroe, in Leicester Frith

Eow.
W. G. Eotten Eow, a hamlet of

Thringston
EOUGH.

W. G. Craven's Eough
Eough Heath
Worthingtoii Eough
Sp. Carter's Eough
Higham Eough
Whittington Eough

ST. GEORGE.

W. G. St. George's, near Coleor-
ton, a name given about thirty

years ago when the church
was built
SANVEY.

Fr. * Sanvey Castle, in With-
cote

Sanvey, or Sanby, Gate, in
Leicester, named from the
castle

SATCHVILLE.

E. G. Thorpe Satchville. Sack-
ville is a better known form
of the family name
SAUCEY.

W. G. Orton Saucey, in Coleorton
Gart. Newbold Saucey

SCHOLES.

E. G. Shoby Scholes, a marsh,

source of a brook
SEARLE, or SERLONS.
W. G. Searlesthorpe

Thorpe Searle, or Serlons,
is now Thorpe Acre
SEILE, or SEAL.
W. G. Nether Seile (Scela)

Over Seile, Little or Spittle
Seile (Altera Scela)
SHADE.

Gutli. The Shade, a homestead
SHED.

W. G. Sheepshed (Scepeshefde)
SHEEPY.

Sp. Sheepy Magna and Parva
(Scepa, Scepehe)

SHRUBS.

Sp. Ashby Shrubs, a farm in
Kirby Muxloe

SIDE.
W. G. Woodside, a homestead

SIKE.

W. G. * Le Sike usque Halywell,
mentioned in a perambulation
of Sheepshed

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

79

* Le Sikes, a watercourse
between Birchwood and Tim-
berwood

Eeedy-syke Ford, or Reed-
sike

SlNNELS.

Sp. The Sinnels, a homestead

SLADE.

W. G. Slade House
Outh. Oopwell Slade

Cowdale Slade, both in
Claybrook
Sp. Hareslade, Leicester Forest

SNAPE.

W. G. * Snape in Belton Park
SOKE.

Guth. Soke Mills in Lutterworth
Sp. Sketchely was anciently
Soke-cliff. Vide LEY.

SPA.

Fr. Belvoir Spa
Oart. Holt Spa

SPINNEY.

E. G-. Blackmoor Spinney
Moat-hill Spinney
Oakfield Spinney
Riggets Spinney
The Squire's Spinney

W. G. Broad Nook Spinney
Bogs Spinney

Oart. Banyland Spinney
Bull Spinney
Conduit Spinney
Ratley's Spinney
Ringer's Spinney
Sheepthorn Spinney
Stonyband Spinney

Guth. Bosworth Spinney, not near
Bosworth

Fourteen-acre Spinney
Hedge-furlong Spinney
Ramsclose Spinney

Reed-pool Spinney
Thornborough Spinney
Winterfield Spinney
Sp. Bull-acre Spinney
Dog-kennel Spinney
Hopedge Spinney
Kingshill Spinney
Old Break, or Brake, Spin-
ney

The Lount Spinney
A great number of other
spinneys also have distinctive
names.

SPITTLE

W. G. Spittle, or Over Seile
Guth. Spittle Bridge, Lutter-
worth

STALL.
W. G. Burstall, or Birstall (Burs-

telle)
Sp. Dimstalls in Barwell

STAND.

Sp. King's Stand, in Leicester
Forest

STAPLE.

Sp. Stapleton
START.

Sp. Start Barn

STEAD.
E. G. Halstead, in Tilton (Els-

tede)
STEY.
W. G. Anstey (Hanstigie, An-

stigie)
STOKE.

Sp. Ibstock (Ibestoche)

Stoke Golding, formerly,
according to Burton, Stoke
Manfield

STON and STONE.

Fr. Barkestone (Barchestone)

80

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Branston (Brantistan)
Claxton, or Long Clawson
(Clachcstone)
Costoii

Croxton Kerrial, or Kyriel
(Crochostone)
Harston
Muston

Sproxton (Sprotone)
Toston Hill

E. G. Allexton (Adelachestone)
Croxton, South
Grimstone (Grimestone)
Huniberstone (Humer-

Syston (Sitestone)

Thurmaston, North and
South (Turmodestone)
W. G. Cropston (Croptone)

Eavenstone (Eavenestorp)

Snibston

Swepstone (Scopestone)

Thringstone

Thurcaston (Turchitele-
stone)

Wilson, formerly Wivele-
ston, in Breedon parish
Gart. Blaston St. Giles (Blaue-
stone, Bladestone)

Blaston St. Michael

Eastern Magna

Foxton (Foxestone)

Glooston (Glorstone)

listen on the Hill (Elve-
stone)

(* Lestone)

Owston (Osulvestone)

Eolleston (Eovestone)

Slawston (Slagestone, Sla-
chestone)

Stockerstone, formerly

Stockfastone
Guth. Ayleston (Ailestone)

Foston

Whetstone

Wigston Magna, or Two-
steeples

Wigston Parva (Wichingo-
stone, Wicestan)
/S>p. Aston Flamville

Ayleston, part of

Barleston (Beruluestone)

Bilston (Bildestone)

Bocheston, formerly Bo-
chardeston

Braunston (Brantestone)

Braunston Frith

Congerstone (Cuningo-
stone)

Nailstone (Nelvestono,
Neulebi)

Odstone on the Hill (Ode-
stone)

Osbastone (Osbreston, Os-
bernestun)

Potter's Marston (Mer si-
tone), so called from an
ancient pottery.

Shakerstone (Sacrcstone)

Sibson (Sibetesdono)

Snareston

Thurlaston

STONE.

W. G. Altar-stone. Vide MARK-
FIELD, s. v. Field

Hanging-stone, near Oaks
Chapel

Hanging - stones, near
Beaumanor

Hanging-stone, near Wood-
house Eaves

Hangman's stone, between
Lub Cloud and Ives' Head

* Maplestone, ' Acernus
Lapis, ubi quaedam crux
stare solebat,' according to
perambulation of Challenge

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

81

Wood, 1240. [Potter's Charn-
wood Forest, 18, ntte.]
Sp. Soar Stone, near the source

of Soar.
STOW.

Gart. Wistow(Wistanestou). The
church is dedicated to St.
Winstan.
STREET.

KG. Street Hill
W. G. Stanton Street, i.e. Stanton
under Bardon

Whitwick Street
Gart. Stretton, Great and Little,

on the Gartree Eoad
Guth. Street Leys in Claybrook

Street Way, or Watling
Street
STUMPS.
W. G. Stony Stumps

SWANIMOTE.

W. G. Swanimote Eoad
Swanimote Eock

TALBOT.

W. G. Talbot Lane
Talbot Wood
TEMPE.

Sp. Tempe, a homestead
TEMPLE.

E. G. Eothley Temple. This was
one of the three preceptories
belonging to the Knights
Templars in Leicestershire,
the other two being Dalby
in-the-Wolds and Heather.
They held property also in
more than twenty other
towns and villages.
Sp. Temple Hall, Welles-
borough, with Temple Hill
and Mill, are named from
the family of Temple.

THORN.

Fr. Normanton Thorns

Sproxton Thorns
E. G. Clawson Thorns
Walton Thorns
Gart. Hallaton Thorns
Guth. Thornborough Spinney

THORP.

Fr. Easthorpe

Edmondthorpe (Edmeres-
torp)

Garthorpe

* Einglethorp, Eicoltorp,
now Goldsmith's Grange

Thorpe Arnold, i. e. Arnold
de Bosco
E. G. Barkby Thorpe

Thorpe Satchville, or Bus-
sard

Thorpe Trussell, a fox-
cover in Thorpe Satchville
W. G. Boothorpe in Seile parish

Bromkinsthorpe (Brune-
chinestorp, Brunestinestorp)
Donisthorpe (Durandes-
torp)

Knightthorpe, also known
formerly as Boothorpe, hav-
ing belonged to the Booth,
family, a township in Lough-
borough

Osgathorpe (Osgodtorp)
(* Eavenestorp), now Ea-
venstone

Searlsthorpe, between
Woodthorpe and the Soar
* Thorpe Lydgate
Thorpe Acre, formerly
Thorpe Hanker, Searle, or
Serlons

Woodthorpe

Gart. Keythorpe, in Tugby (Cai-
torp)

82

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Leesthorpe

O thorp, in Slawston (Ac-
torp)

Thorpe Langton
Thorp Lubbenham, partly
in Lubbenham, partly in
Northamptonshire
Outh. Bruntingthorpe (Brandes-
torp)

Catthorpe, formerly Torp
Ket, Thorpe St. Thomas, or
Thorpe next Lilbourn

Countesthorpe, a dowry of
the Countesses of Leicester

Littlethorp, in Cosby (Torp)
Thorpe Parva, or Thorpe
juxta Narborough

Primethorp in Broughton
Astley

Ullesthorpe (Ulestorp)
Sp. Elmsthorpe, formerly Ayl-
mersthorpe

Lubbesthorpe (Lupestorp)
THWAYT.

W. G. *TheThwayt
TOFT.
W. G. Wartoft, formerly Waver-

toft in Castle Donnington
Gart. Scraptoft (Scrapentot)
Guth. Knaptoft (Cnapetot)

Wibtoft, part of, the rest
in Warwickshire

TON. Vide also STON and ING-
TON.

Fr. Burton Lazars
Cold Overton
Eaton, or Etton
Knipton (Cnipetone)
Melton Mowbray (Medel-
tone)

Nether Broughton (Broc-
tone)
Norrnanton

(Stachetone ?) Stathern ?

Thistleton Gap, at the
junction of Leicester, Eut-
land, and Lincoln
E. G. Burton Bandals, a home-
stead.

Burton on the Wolds

Cold Newton, formerly
Newton Burdett, or Marmion

Cossington (Cosintone)

East Norton

Hamilton, or Hambledon

Hoton

Hungerton, part of (Hun-
gretone)

Lodington, or Loddington

Skeffington (Sciftitone)

Thrussington (Thorstan-
ton, Turstanestone)

Tilton on the Hill (Tile-
tone, Tillintone)

Walton on the Wolds
(Worton ?)
W. G. Alton Grange

Belton

Coleorton (Ovretone)

Donnington, Castle

Hemington

Isley Walton, or Walton
Aseley

Lockington

Long Whatton

Newton Burgoland, or
Boteler

Newton Netheret, or Ne-
thercote

Newtown Linford

Orton Saucey, in Coleorton

Overton Quatremarsh, in
Coleorton

Packington

Staunton Harold

Sulington Eoad

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

83

Swannington, formerly
Swavington

The Altons

Worthington
Oart. Burton Overy, formerly

Noveray (Burtone)

Carlton Curlieu (Oarletone,
Carlintone)

Church Langton (Lagin-
tone ?)

Drayton

East Langton

Evington (Aventone)

Hallaton (Heletone)

Houghton - on - the - Hill
(Hohtone)

King's Norton, or Norton
juxta Galby

Shankton, or Shangton
(Santone, Sanctone)

Smeeton Westerby (Smi-
tone)

Stretton Magna, or Bishop
Stretton

Stretton Parva

Thorpe Langton

Tur-Langton (Terlintone?)

West Langton
Gart. Laughton (Letitone)

Newton Harcourt (Niuue-
tone)

Shankton Hardwick, part
Cf Shankton

Staunton Wyville

Stoughton (Stoctone)
Outh. Broughton Astley (Bro-
tone)

Dunton Basset

Gilmorton (Mortone), for-
merly Gilden Morton

Knighton (Cnihtetone)

Misterton (Ministone,

Ministretone)

Sutton in the Elms

Walton
Sp. Atterton

Barton-in-the-Beans

Bufton, near Barton

Carlton

Coton, Far and Near

Dadlington

Donnington on the Heath

Earl Shilton (Sceltone)

Fenny Drayton (Draitone)

Newtown Unthank

Normanton, near Nor-

manton Turville

Normanton le Heath, or

on the Heath

Normanton Turville
Norton juxta Twy cross, or

Hog's Norton

Orton on the Hill, Little

Orton, or Orton under Arden
Peckleton r
Shenton (Scentone)
Smockington (Snochan-

tone)

Stanton under Bardon
Stapleton (Stapletone)
Stony Stanton (Stantone)
Sutton Cheney (Sutone)
Thornton
Whittington Grange

TONG.

W. G. Tong (Tunge)

Tong Gorse
TOP.
W. G. Hill Top

Prestop'Park, Ashby-de-la-
Zouch

Wartop Lodge
TOR.
W. a. High Tors, or High Towers

Pelder Tor, or Pedlar Tar
TREE.

W. G. Birch-tree, near Charley
G 2

84

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Dyke Tree

Oart. Gartree, the name of the
"Wapentake

Gartree Bush and Eoad
Sp. Narborough Short-trees in

Leicester Forest
TRTJSSELL.

E. G. Thorpe Trussell, a fox-
cover in Thorpe Satchville
TURVEY.

W. G. Turvey or Turfy, a settle-
ment consisting of a few
cottages built by a Building
Society some forty years ago
on a spot near Long Whatton
where a turf cottage formerly
stood.

TURVILLE.

Sp. Nonnanton Turville

UNTHANK.

Sp. Newtown Unthank

VALE.

Fr. Vale of Belvoir
Sp. Merevale, part of, belonging
to the old Abbey de Mira
Valle in Warwickshire
VERDON.

Sp. Newbold Verdon.

VlLLE.

W. G. Coalville, a name given to
a large colliery village near
Coleorton about thirty years
ago

Woodville, formerly Wood-
en Box. The name was
changed about forty years
ago.

WALK.

W. Cr. Staunton Walks, avenue at
Staunton Harold

Temple Walk in Beaumont
Leys
Sp. The Walks, avenue at

Newbold Verdon
WALL.

Fr. * Cadwall
W. G. Walton-on-the Wolds
Guth. Walcote
Walton
WARREN.

W. Cr. Lockington Warren
WASTE.

W. a. Whitwick Waste
Water.

E. G. Turnwater
WAY.

E. G. The Foss-way, Foss-dyke,
or Foss-road

The Eidge-way, running
parallel with the Queni-
borough Brook.

The Ways, land in Grimsby
W. G. Eedway

Eedway Lodge

Guth. Port- way, a close of 18 acres
in Claybrook

Street-way, or Watling
Street

Wood- way in Claybrook
WELL.

Fr. Cranwell Court Covert
Eastwell

Holwell (Holewelle)
Holwell Mouth
Woodwell-Head
E. G. Chadwell or Cawdwell
W. G. Dunjack Well, or Eohay
Well, source of Blackbrook

Holy-Well, Ashby-de-la-
Zouch

Holywell Haw
Lyon's Well, Ashby-de-
la-Zouch
Mapplewell, or Maplewell

LIST OF LOCAL NAMES.

85

Perring's Well, Ashby-de-
la-Zouch

Stony Well
Gart. Holywell

Pickwell (Picheuuelle)
Guth. Bitteswell (Betmeswel)

Cauldwell (Caldeuuelle), in
Bitteswell

Cop well Meadow and Slade,
in Claybrook

Holywell Field in Shawell
Murnhill Well in Blacken-
hall

Shawell
I Sp. Barwell (Barewelle)

Cogg's Well, Hinckley
Golden Well, Sapcote
Holywell, Hinckley
HolyweU, Eatby
Hopewell

King Dick's Well, or
Bichard's Well, on Bos-
worth Field

Pinwell, or Pinnals in
Merevale

Stockwell End and Head,
Hinckley
WICK.

E. G. Wykeham, or Wycomb
W. G. Whitwick (Witewic)
Gart. Hardwick Bottom and
Bridge

Shankton Hardwick
Guth. (* Wiche), in Pickwell
Sp. Hardwick, near Enderby

Wyken, or Wykin
WIGS.

Sp. Nailstone Wigs, or Wigg's

Wood
WILLOWS.

E. G. Willoughes (Wilges), in

Bakedale
WINDESERS.

WOLD.

Fr. Waltham on-the-Wolds

Wold Hills, bounding Vale
of Belvoir

E. G. Burton Wolds
Dalby Wolds
Prestwold (Prestewolde)
Segrave Wolds
Shoby Wolds
Thrussington Wolds
Walton Wolds
Wyrneswould (Wimundes-
wald, Wimundewalle)
W. G. Ashby Wolds

WONG.
W. G. Long-wong in Charley

Sp. Flitwong
WOOD.

Fr. Conygear Wood

Hallam Wood
E. G. Brome's Wood

Hoot-hill Wood

Lady Wood

Lagland Wood

Laund Wood

Overton Wood

Eedish Wood

Tampion's Wood

Tillow Wood

W. G. Ackley Wood, or Oakley
Wood

Asplin Wood

Barnby Wood

Basil Wood

Beechwood Hill

Birchwood Hill

Blake-hay Wood

Breedon Cloud Wood

Buddon Wood

Calban Wood

Challenge Wood

Charnwood Forest

Crow Wood

Grange Wood

86

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Lady Hay Wood

Lawn Wood

Lee Wood

Lount Wood

Mucklin Wood

Oldfield Wood

Pasture Wood

Piper's Wood

Potter's Wood

Poultney Wood

Sheet Hedges Wood

Short Wood

Smoile Wood

South Wood

Talbot Wood

The Outwoods

Timberwood HOI

White-horse Wood

Woodside
Gart. Bolt Wood

Holyoaks Wood

Mirabel Wood

Park Wood
Gutli. Shawell Wood
Sp. Ambion, Amyon, or Ane-
bein Wood

Bury Wood, Eatby

Change Wood

(* Hereswode), name of
Leicester Forest

Hinckley Astwood, or Park

Lindley Wood

Martinshaw Wood

Normanton Wood

* Priorwood in Leicester
Forest

* Sheldonwood in Leicester
Forest

Sutton Wood, near Bag-
worth
WORTII.

W . a. Diseworth (Diworth)
Kegworth (Cogeworde)
Littleworth

Gart. Husband's Bosworth (Bar-
rehorde, Baresworde)
Kibworth Beauchamp
Kibworth Harcourt (Chi-
borne, Cleveliorde)

Theddingworth (Tediwerde,
Tedingesworde)

Guth. Frowlesworth (Frelles-
worde)

Kilworth, North and South
(Chivelesworde)
Lutterworth (Lutresurde)

* Stormesworth

Sp. Bagworth (Bageworde)

Market Bosworth (Bose-
worde)
WYYILLE.

Gart. Staunton Wyville

ZOTJCH.

W. G. Ashby de-la-Zouch
Zouch Bridge

87

VII. GLOSSARY.

THE following abbreviations are used : —

adj. = adjective

p.p.

•=. past participle

adv. = adverb

ppr. n.

— proper name

art. n= article

pr.

=: pronoun

cf. ==. compare
conj. = conjunction

prep,
pron.

=i preposition
=: pronounced, or pronunci-

dial. =: dialect

prov.

= provincial [ation

excl. == exclamation

p.t.

= past tense

id. =. the same

q. v.

— which see

indef. =. indefinite

rel.

= relative

interj. =. interjection

sb.

— substantive

i. q. = the same as

s. v.

= under the word

part. r= participle

syl.

r= syllable

part. adj. =. participial adjective
pec. — peculiar idiom or usage

v. a.
var. pron.

=: verb active
= various pronunciation

phr. =. phrase

v. n.

= verb neuter

A (pron. long, like the ' ai ' in ' bait '), pr. he. When Shakspere
and his contemporaries write a dialectal 'a* for 'he,' as in Hen. F.,
II. iii., they perhaps intended it to be thus pronounced. At all
events, to Midland ears, the dialogue between Dame Quickly and
the Boy seems to demand this pronunciation.

excl. the same as * eh ! ' *A, moy surs ! '

A (pron. short, like the article 'a'), v. a. have. 1A doon, will
ye!' ('oo' as in 'foot').

prep. on. 'A the t'oother soide ' (' oo ' as in « foot ').
_ As a_ prefix, signifying * in the act of,' this form of the preposi-
tion is in continual request, as in 'a-doinV 'a-gooin',' 'a-seyin',' &c.

Aaron's-beard, sb. Spircea salicifolia.

Abear, v. a. endure ; tolerate. * Oi cain't dbear *er.'

88 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Abide, v. a. endure ; tolerate.

" A could never abide carnation." — Hen. V., II. iii.

Ablish, adj. tolerably strong. One of the many instances in which
' ish ' is added to dilute the sense of a word not subject to this par-
ticular form of modification in standard English.

About, adv. on hand ; near at hand. ' An' a shillinswuth o' arringes,
if yo've got any abaout."1

Ackern, sb., var. pron. of 'acorn.'
Ackern-tree, sb. an oak-tree.
Ackren, sb., var. pron. of ' acorn.'
Ackren-tree, sb. an oak-tree.
Acoz, conj. because.

Acre (pron. eeker), sb. In addition to its ordinary meaning, this
word is used as a measure of length in two distinct senses. In one
it is equal to 220 yards ; in the other it is equal to four rods of
8 yards, or 32 yards. In measurements of hedging, ditching, and
draining it is, I believe, always used in the latter sense.

Acrimony (accented on the third syllable), sb., pec. the deliquescence
of putrefying animal matter. ' Oi wur the froont beerer o' the lift
'and soide at the foot, an' the acrimony run out o' the jintes o' the
coffin all down me, as it med me quoite bad, an' spilte my new coot
an' all.'

Adam and Eve, sb. l Lords and ladies/ the flower of the Arum
maculatum.

Adam's ale, ab. cold water ; the aqua pumpaginis of early medical
practitioners.

Addice, sb. adze ; a hatchet with the edge at right angles to the
helve.

" Adese." — WYC. " An addice or addis, doloire" &c. — COTG.

Addle, v. a. earn. ' Oi ha' addled my weej ' = ' I have earned my
wages.' It is also used in a reflective sense : ' A doon't addle his
maister his weej ' = ' he is not worth his salt.'

Addlins, sb. earnings ; wages.

Adeal, adv. and sb. a-deal ; much ; greatly.

Adell, i. q. Adeal, q. v.

Adland, sb. head-land, i. e. the strip of land at the side of a field
where the plough turns, which, when the rest of the field has been
ploughed, is itself ploughed parallel to the side and at right angles
to the other ' lands. ' Vide Land.

Adlant, i. q. Adland, q. v.

GLOSSARY. 89

Admire, v. n.. pec. be pleased or gratified. ' Ah should admoire to
see 'er well took- to' = 'I should be delighted to see her well
scolded.'

Afeard, part, afraid. " Afeerd."—W?c.

" Will not the ladies be a/card of the lion ? "-M. N. D.t III. i.
Shakspere affords a host of other instances.

Afore, prep, before. The Athanasian Creed preserves this form of
the preposition, but it is almost obsolete.

Afore-long, adv. before long.

After-clap, sb. The meaning is given in the quotation :

"He," the Devil, " can give us an after-dap when we least ween;
that is, suddenly return unawares to us, and then he giveth us an
after-clap that overthrows us." — LAT. Serm., III. p. 29.

' Way'n got a affter-clap o' winter this turn ; ' said in reference
to a frosty week in April.

Aftermath, sb. after-mo wth ; a second crop of grass.

" What pleasures hath •
Thy spring in such an aftermath £ "

Cleaveland, p. 164.

Again, prep, against • near ; next to ; by the time that. < A stood
it agen the door.' ' Oi doon't knoo nothink agen 'im.' « It's close
again Bos worth.' ' Agen Oi coom hum.'

It _is also used by way of an intensitive : * A let 'im 'ave it loike
nothink agen,' i. e. he gave him a sound thrashing. Of. a number
of instances in Havelok.

Age, pec. The age of a person is reckoned with the cardinal num-
ber. 'Shay's in 'er ten ' = * she is in her tenth year.' A commoner
formula, however, is : ' A's gooin' thootain' = ' he is going thirteen.'
This again is often varied by the addition of ' of ' or ' for.' ' Gooin'
o' twelve.' ' Gooin' fur eeghty.'

v. a. or n. to make one seem older, or to show signs of growing
old. ' It's eeged 'im very sadly, his loosin' on 'er.'

Aggravate (accent on the last syllable), v. a. to vex ; irritate ; exas-
perate. ' It's enew to aggravate a grooin' tray ' = ' enough to vex
a growing tree.'

Agnail, sb. a point of detached skin on the back of the fingers and
thumbs near the nail, the peeling off of which is often very painful,
and sometimes sets up troublesome inflammation.

A-great, adv. by the great, q. v. s. v. Great.

Agreeable, adj. ready and willing. ' Soo Oi says, If yo want me to-
mosh yer feece forry, Oi'm quoite agreeable, Oi'm sure ' = ' if you
wish me to smash your face for you, I shall be delighted to oblige
.you.'

" To be agreeable, or to agree and suit with, agreer" — CoTG.

90 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Ah, interj. ave ; yea ; yes ! Sometimes, apparently, it is considered
to convey a stronger affirmative than ' yes.'

' Soo this 'ere bum-beely, a coom an' a says as him an' his bntty
„ ar agooin' to tek the cheers, a says, an' the teeble, a says, an'
that. Soo Oi says, "The things hevn't moine," Oi says, "an' yo
can tek 'em if yo'n a moind," Oi says, "but the masster's a-comin'

says. " It's the foost money as Oi'n set oys on to-dee," a says. Soo
Oi says, " Yo'll lave 'em?" an' a says, "Yis," a says, " Yis, Oi'll
lave 'em." " Yis be blamed," Oi says ; " wully or woon'ty ? Yo
say 'Ah, for sure/ an' Oi'll gin ye toopence moor to wet it.'"
Intelligent witness in a County Court case, 1876.

Ahent, prep, behind.

Ahind (pron. a-hoind), prep, behind.

Ahsomdivver, cow/., var. pron. of ' howsoever.'

Ahsomivver, id.

Aigle, sb. icicle. Iggle, q. v., is a commoner form of the word.

Ailse, ppr. n. Alice,

Air, pr.t var. pron. of Our, q. v.

Aitch-bone, sb. of beef; the extreme end of the rump, cut obliquely.

Akedok, sb., var. pron. of 'aqueduct.'

Alablaster, sb., var. pron. of ' alabaster.'

Alegar (the first l a ' generally pron. short, but sometimes long), sb.
Alegar is to ale what vinegar is to wine. The old home-made article
is now seldom procurable, but an enterprising London firm adver-
tises a ' malt vinegar/ which I presume is its modern equivalent.
Fi. exp. in c. v.

All, adj., pec. ' And all,' or, more emphatically, ' And all and all,' is
a phrase implying that the speaker leaves it to his hearer's imagin-
ation to supply the details of the event narrated. ' Hey, moy hoide
an' limbs ! Way'd a such a coomin' o' ege an1 all an' all,"1 i. e. such
rejoicings at the coming of age of the young squire. * Theer wur
o'd Bet Hall, an' all an' alV

I am informed on high authority that ' all one ' = ' all the same/
' all to bits ' = ' entirely into fragments ' — with the allied phrases,
' all to rags/ ' all to shivers/ &c., as well as ' all the while ' = 'the
whole time/ and several other idioms familiar in classic English
literature — are distinctly provincial. I mention them to show that
their omission is not the result of inadvertence.

Ail-along, adv. throughout ; during the whole time.

" On thee, sweet wife, was all my song,
Morn, evening, and all along." — An. Mel., 3, 2, 4, 1.

GLOSSARY. 91

' A war a-callin' of 'im all along ' = ' he was insulting him with
abusive language the whole time.'

All-along-of, prep, in consequence of; through.

" You, mistress, all this coil is 'long o/you."

M. N. D., III. ii.

All-as-is, sb. the sum total ; the whole of the matter. ' Oi'll tell
yer missus on yer, an' that's all as is.'

All of, pec. with a substantive, is frequently used in a quasi-adjectival
sense. * All of & heap ' = ' all amort,' ' stupid with amazement or
terror ; ' ' all of a dither,' ' all of a mess,' ' all of a sweat/ ' all of a
puther,' ' all of a tremble,' &c., are exceedingly common.

"One of them, I thought, expressed her sentiments upon this
occasion in a very coarse manner, when she observed that * by the
living jingo, she was all of a muck of sweat.'" — Vicar of Wake-
field, c. 9.

' Oi wur struck all of a heap, loike, when Oi heerd yo neeam moy
neeam. Oi thout for sure as moy hour wur coom/

All-out, adv. altogether; quite.

"A kingis word, among our faderis old
Al-out more precious and more sur was hold
Than was the oth or seel of any wight."

Lancelot, 1675.

" Now haue thai failled of ther art att-oute."

Partenay, 2320.

"All out as good a discovery as that hungry Spaniard's of terra
australis incognita." — An. Mel., p. 17.

Alley, (1) sb. a marble for playing at marbles, made either of white
marble or alabaster. If streaked with red veins it is called a ' blood
alley,' if not so marked, a ' white alley.' When used by a player
for shooting it is called an * alley-taw.'

(2) sb. a gangway in a church. The various alleys are distin-
guished as ' side-alley,' 'middle-alley,' ' cross-alley,' &c. The word
is sometimes confounded with ' aisle.'

Alls, sb. a workman's tools and appliances : often used for personal
luggage generally.

Allus, adv., var. pron. of ' always.'

Ampus-and, sb. l and-per-se-and ; ' the abbreviation ' &.'

"He thought it" — the letter z — "had only been put there to
finish off th' alphabet like, though ampus-and would ha' done as
well."— Adam Bede, c. 21.

An, indef. art. is almost unused. ' A eagle,' ' a elephant,' ' a o'd
fule,' &G. are universal. The Leicestershire dialect knows no
abhorrence of the open vowel, or, if it does, manifests it only by
bridging the hiatus with the faintest possible aspirate.

Ancetor, sb., var. pron. of ' ancestor.'

92 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Anchor, sb. the tongue and swivel of a buckle, the piece of metal
being shaped something like an anchor. The hole in a buckle
through which the strap is passed being called the ' mouth,' the
' tong ' and ' chape ' represent respectively the * tongue ' and ' chap,'
or ' cheek/ of the buckle.

Anchor-frost, sb. a frost which causes ice to form along the bed of a
running stream, and the ice so formed. An anchor-frost can only
occur when the temperature of the running water and the bed over
which it flows is below freezing point. When this is the case, the
rapidity of the stream is sometimes sufficient to prevent the swifter
upper current congealing, while the lower current, which moves
more slowly on account of the greater friction, becomes frozen to
the bed.

Anchor-ice, sb., i. g. the second meaning of Anchor-frost, q. v.
Anchor-piece, sb., i. q. Anchor, q. v.

And, excl. This word is frequently used as an emphatic affirmation
at the beginning of a sentence. At public meetings, particularly,
it is a favourite form of expressing assent. -* And way wull.' * And
it is.'

And-all, conj. also ; as well as ; in addition. ' Let the b'y coom an'
all'

Anear, adv. and prep, near ; close to. Not as common as Anigh,

q. v.
Anew, adv. enough.

" Thus acting, he had quickly girls anew,
Who all believ'd his high professions true."

Choice of a Wife, p. 51.

Angry, adj., pec. as applied to a wound or sore; inflamed; threat-
ening to become worse. If I had not found the word in this sense
in several provincial glossaries, I might have gone to my grave
believing it to be standard English.

Anigh, adv. and prep, near ; close to. ' Oi'll gie ye a clout if yo
coom anoigh.'

Another-guess, adj. another; of another kind. This word has
entered on the stage of rarity which precedes extinction.

Anyhow, and^ Anyhows, adv. ' All anylww ' and ' all nohow,' either
with or without the final s in both cases, are common phrases = in
confusion; upset; disordered.

Apern, and Appern, sb., var. pron. of ' apron.'

Apple-turnover, sb. a large puff, made with a circular or oval piece of
paste doubled over, and containing apples.

Apricock, sb. apricot. M. N. D., III. i. ; Rich. II., III. iv.

April-fool, sb. A person may be made an April-fool of at any time
of the year. It was in summer that I was told this anecdote :

GLOSSARY. 93

' The paason, all suppoose a wanted to mek a Epril fule on me; a
says, "John," a says, "ha' ye heerd what's 'appened Hinckley
wee?" Soo ah says, " Noo, ah een't heerd nothink," ah says.
"Whoy," a says, "they wur a-diggin' a well o'er by theer," a
says, " an' the bottom fell out ! " " Hoo," ah says, " did it ? An'
wheer did it goo tew?" Soo a says, "Ah dunna knoo, John," a
says. Soo ah says, "Well," ah says, " if yo dunna knoo, yo may
goo luke." '

Argufy, v. n. to argue or wrangle ; also, to signify ; be of importance.
* That doon't argifoy nothink.'

Arm-hole, sb. arm-pit.

" Many gentlemen in like sort with us will wade up to the arm-
holes upon such occasions." — An. Mel., 2, 2, 4.

" The arm-pit or arm-hole, aisselle, aisle." — CoTG.

Arn, v. a., var. pron. of ' earn.'

Arnins, sb., var. pron. of ' earnings.' These words sometimes take
an initial y in pronunciation.

Arrand, sb., var. pron. of ' errand.'

" Soone is his arrand red in his pale face."

HALL, Sat. IV. 5.

Arrawig, and Arrawiggle, sb. earwig, Forficula auricularia.
Arringe, sb., var. pron. of ' orange.'

Arsy-versy, adv. upside down ; topsy-turvy ; backside forward.

"And arsiversie turne each thing."

Newes out of P. C., Sat. II.

Arter, adv. and prep., var. pron. of 'after.'

Article, sb., pec. an expression of contempt for man or beast. ' A's
a noist airticle, a is ! ' The metaphor is borrowed from the lan-
guage of commerce.

Artificial, adj., pec. artistic; having the appearance of being pro-
duced by art. The word is always rather eulogistic than dyslo-
gistic.

As, conj., adv., and reL pr. "With reference to time, 'as' is often
substituted for ' on.' ' A coom as Wensd'y.'

It is also frequently employed to indicate a correlation between
certain things, persons, or events mentioned. ' Oi come hum o'
Munday ('u' as in 'bull'), as a doyed o' Thusday,' implying that
the Monday and Thursday were in the same week.

It is almost a universal substitute for * that.' ' Oi dunnoo as a
wull.' ' It's wan as Oi meed' = ' it is one that I made/ i. e. decoyed
away: said of a pigeon. A kind of comparison between the
abstract and concrete meanings of an epithet affords one of the
commonest descriptive formulas. Thus, ' as hot as hot,' * as cold as
cold,' ' as yoller as yoller,' 'as dead as dead,' mean that the objects

94 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

to which they are applied are as hot, cold, yellow, and dead
respectively as it is possible to conceive.

More poetical are : ' As good a 'usband as ivver broke bread in a
morninV ' As good land as ivver lay out o' doors.' ' As bug as a
pump wi' tew spouts/

As-how, adv. that.

As-yet-ways, or As-yet-wise (pron. asyettuz), adv. as yet.

Ash-kays, sb. the ' keys ' or catkins of the ash-tree.

Ashlar, sb. hewn stone for building, as distinguished from ' rubble,'
or unhewn stone. The term is technical rather than provincial,
but appears to be sometimes used elsewhere in other senses. I
have often heard it in Leicestershire in such phrases as 'rubble
wall with ashlar quoins,' but never in any other sense than that
here given. Vide PARKER'S Gloss, of Arch., s. v.

Ask, v. a., pec. to publish, as applied to the banns of marriage.

" "Who askt the Banns twixt these discolor'd mates ? "

Cleaveland, p. 42.

Asking, sb. the publication of the banns of marriage. After the
three ' asldn's,' the parties are said to be ' out-asked,' q. v.

Aslosh, adv. aside-; out of the way; also, in carpentering, &c.,
diagonally. ' Stan' aslosh, wool ye ! '

Asprous, adj. raw; inclement. 'It's a very asprous dee.'
Astraddle, adv. astride.

" How mem'ry sits a straddle on the brain."

WOTY'S Poems, p. 26.

Astroddle, and Astroddlin', id.

At, prep. to. ' Whativver are ye a-doin' at him ? '

A-that'n, and A-that'ns, adv. in that manner.

" What dost mean by turning worki'day into Sunday a-thafn ?"
— Adam Bede, c. 20.

A-this'n, and A-this'ns, adv. in this manner. ' Yo' mutn't dew it
a-that'ns, yo' mut dew it a-tliis'nsj said one who was teaching me
how to use a scythe.

A-this-side, adv. and prep, on this side.

' ' Alas, he was man in tyme full worthy !
Hys pere noght founde athissid Eome truly."

Partenay, 3472.

'Theer wean't a sooch anoother agen, not a-this-side Lunnon.'

At-least-ways, adv. at least.

"At least way it is not for me to plough." — LAT. Serm. YI.
p. 65.

Atween, prep, between.

GLOSSARY. 95

Atwixt, prep, betwixt. Vide Betwixt.

A-two, adv. in two. ' Please, 'm, it come a-tico in my 'and/ is the
universal formula employed by ' the gel ' in answer to the enquiry,
' How came you to break it ? '

All, au ! excl. an exclamation to horses to bid them turn to the left
or near side.

" Aw makes Dun draw," is a punning proverb quoted by Eay,
Eng. Prov., p. 95, 2nd ed.
Vide Horse-language.

Aum, sb., i. q. Haulm, q. v.

Aunty, adj. fresh ; frisky ; frolicsome : said of man and beast.

Aust, v. n. dare. ' Yo' doon't aust to dew noo such a thing.'

A- while, v. n. to ' have while,' i. e. have time. ' Ah cain't awoil
asyettus.'

Awkward, adj. ill-tempered. 'Ah doon't say but what a's a bit
awkward at toimes,' said a woman of a half-mad husband with
homicidal tendencies.

Awn, sb. the * beard ' of barley or other grain. I insert this because
I find it in other provincial glossaries, but probably every farmer
in the kingdom knows the word.

Ax, v. a. ask ; also, to publish the banns of marriage. There is, I
believe, no English county in which this form of the word is
unknown. In Leicestershire it is universal among the working
classes, and common among most of the middle class.

Aye and like ! interj. yes ; certainly. Exactly equivalent to the
Cockney 4 1 believe you, i
' Hoy an1 loike, Oi did, an'

Cockney 4 1 believe you, my boy.' ' Did you dine there to-day ? '
" all ! " '

Azzled, part. adj. rough and chapped, like the skin of the hands in
frosty weather ; crabbed ; sour ; churlish.

Bachelors' button, sb. the double variety of Ranunculus bulbosa.
The word, however, like some other flower-names, is employed
somewhat miscellaneously.

Back-and-edge, or Back-and-egg, or Back-and-head,^r. = ( with

edge,' and 'head' in the third probably c

tion of ' egg. ' The third, however, is the most, and the second the
least, common form. ' A went intew 'im back-art -edge.1 ' A swoor
tew him back-and- 'ead : ' said of a keeper identifying a poacher.

Baek'ard, Back'arder, and Back'ardest, adv. and adj. late ; behind ;
behindhand ; hinder, and hindermost. I once heard a farmer use
all three words in a breath. ' Lasst year wur a backward year, but
this is a backyarder. It's the back'ardest ever I see.'

96 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Back' ards wee, ado., var. pron. of ' backwards-way ' = = backward.

Back-band, si), the chain supporting the shafts of a cart, &c., which
passes over the back of the thiller or shaft-horse in a groove made
in the cart-saddle to receive it.

Backen, v. a. to hinder ; retard ; repress. ' The frosst has backened
everythink soo.5 ' Put a bit o' sleek o' the foire to backen it a bit.'

Back-end, sb. autumn and early winter.
Back-friend, sb.t i. q. Agnail, q. v.

Back-hander, sb. used to describe two very different kinds of blow :
one a blow with the back of the open hand, the other a blow with
a stick or other weapon when the hand is raised over the shoulder
to deliver it with greater force. It is often metaphorically used to
signify a sarcastic retort or snub.

Backing, sb. ' slack ; ' small coal. Both ' slack ' and ' backing ' are
named from ' slacking ' or ' backing ' the more rapid burning of the
larger coal.

Back-lane, sb. any street or lane leading from the highway.

Back-side, sb. the back of a house, including yard and garden, if
there be any. ' . . . homestead, orchard, garden, yard, and backside
thereto adjoining and belonging,' is the ordinary legal common
form.

Backstone, sb. a stand — sometimes a stone, but generally of iron —
on which cakes, &c., are baked.

Back up, plir. To set or get the back up is to provoke or be pro-
voked. The metaphor is from an angry cat. ' Yo' git 'is back oop,
an' a'll let yor knoo ! '

Bacon-bee, sb. Dermestes lardarius, a small beetle, black, with a
band of brown, which infests bacon, &c. * What is a bacon-bee,

Mrs. D ? ' ' Oh, it's loike a paason,' — parson, i. e. common

black beetle, — * but not so big.'

Bacon soord, or Bacon-sward, sb. the 'rind' of bacon.

' ' Fine folks they are to tell you wha t's right, as look as if they'd
never tasted nothing better than bacon-sivord and sour- cake i' their
lives." — Adam JBede.

Vide Sward.

Bad, adj., pec. difficult ; hard ; also, behindhand with. ' A's a bad
un to beat,' is a common eulogy of a horse, dog, prize-fighter,
game-cock, &c. ' Pn got a quarter bad in my rent.' * His illness
threw us bad with the clothing-club.'

Badder, and Baddest, adj. are the usual comparative and superlative
of ' bad.' ' Oi nivver knood a ladder man nur what that man
weer.'

" The baddest man among the cardinals is chosen to be pope." —
An. Mel, 3, 4, 1, 2.

GLOSSARY. 97

Baddish, adj. rather bad. As a general rule the termination * ish '
does not really modify the meaning of the word to which it is
suffixed. It only indicates the abhorrence of a direct statement
rooted in the Midland mind. ' How are the potatoes, John ? '
' Well, sir, they're pretty baddish this turn.'

Badge, v. a. to cut and tie up beans in shocks or sheaves. ' They
haven't begun badging the beans yit.'

Badger, sb. a corn-dealer.

"Any such badger, lader, kidder, or carter." — 5 and 6 Ed. VI.,
cap. 14.

v. a. and v. n. to tease importunately ; harass ; worry ; also, to
chaffer, higgle over a bargain. In the former case the metaphor
is from worrying the four-footed badger ; in the latter from the
method in which the two-footed badger conducts his business.

Badly, adj. sickly ; in bad health. ' I'n shot it ' — a rabbit — ' for a
badly woman.' ' The babby's that badly, ah wish the Lord 'ud tek
it.' A favourite answer of an invalid to the enquiry, ' How are
you ? ' is, * Sadly badly, sore and sickly.'

Baffle, v. a., i. q. Boffle, q. v.

Bag, sb. As a measure of potatoes, &c., a ' bag ' is three bushels,
while a ' sack ' is four.

phr. ' To send back the bags with the strings ' = ' to send
back the sacks with the money.' A servant was asked, upon the
delivery of some wheat to a friend, ' Well, what did your master
say about the wheat ? ' ' Oh, only that I was to bring back the
bags with the strings,' — implying that ready-money payment was
expected.

Bailey (pron. beely), sb. a bailiff.

Bake, v. n. to dry ; harden ; become encrusted. ' Let it bake before
you brush it,' is a well-known rule with regard to mud- splashes
on broadcloth.

Baked, p. p. hardened ; encrusted.

Baker's dozen, sb. thirteen. ' Yours is a small curacy, Mr. L.,' said
the late Queen Dowager to a Leicestershire clergyman ; ' have you
any family ?' * Only a baker's dozen at present, your Majesty.'

Bak-hus, sb., var. pron. of 'bake-house.'

Balchin (generally pron. bolshin), sb. a callow, unfledged bird.
'As bare as a balchin.' 'All oys an' goots, loike a bolshin black-
bud,' is a common simile for a sickly but abdominous infant.

Bald-rib, sb. the ribs of pork taken out and broiled with most of the
meat cut away.

Balk, sb. All the senses of this word given in Johnson are still
recognized in Leicestershire, though some of them appear to be
obsolete elsewhere. Vide JOHNSON'S Diet., s. v.

H

98 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

A ridge of land left unploughed between the furrows or at the
end oi! a field.

' ' They walk not directly and plainly, but delight in balks and
stubble way." — LAT. Serm. VII. p. 90.

The same sermon also illustrates another sense of the word :

"He would not walk in by -walks, whe»e are many balks.
Amongst many balkings is much stumbling." — Id. p. 96.

Ball, v. n. to ' cake/ or gather in hard lumps : generally applied to
snow sticking to the feet of man or beast.

Band, sb. bond. * My word's my band.' ( Let's ha' black an' whoite,
hand an' band,'' i. e. a written agreement, properly signed and
delivered.

Also, part of a hinge, consisting of a broad ring to fit on to the
' hook,' together with the spike by which it is fixed into a gate or
door. Vide Thimble.

Bang, sb. disturbance ; a ' go,' as in the slang phrase, ' Here's a go ! '

" Old Jonathan's made another bang,
And if we can, we will him hang."

Broadside Ballad, by JONATHAN FRANCIS YATES,
about 1844.

Yates was a Hartshill man, like Drayton, but his peregrinations
lay mostly in Leicestershire, and his dialect was identical with
Leicestershire.

v. a. and v. n. to slam or shut a door, &c. with a noise. This,
which is perhaps the commonest sense in which the word is used
throughout the country, is omitted in Johnson.

Also, to knock ; strike ; beat ; cudgel. To move or go with violent
rapidity. ' A banged along a good un ' = ' he ran with considerable
speed.'

Banger, sb. anything huge or extraordinary of its kind : applied
especially to a colossal fib, one which ' bangs ' or beats any ordinary
fiction.

Banging, sb. a thumping or cudgelling.

part. adj. huge; extraordinary; excelling.

Bang-up, adv. and adj. quite up ; quite full ; entirely ; also, smart ;
fashionable ; well got-up ; ' swell ' in the slang sense.

Bank-jugg, sb. the willow-wren, PJiyllopneuste trochilus. ' Jugg ' or
' juggy,' applied to small birds, is simply another form of * Jenny,'
both being variations of endearment of the name ' Jane ' or
' Joan.'

Bargain-work, sb. work by the piece, and not by the day.

Bark, sb.} pec. the rind or 'sward' of meat; the tough outer
integument.

Barley-mow ('ow' as in 'cow'), sb. a stack or rick of barley; a
favourite sign for a village inn.

GLOSSARY. 99

"Benignant Goddess of the Barley-mow"

WOTY'S Poems, p. 42.

Barm, sb. yeast.

Barn, sb. a child. The word is more common in the plural than the
singular, but not uncommon in either. * Who's barn's yon ? '

" Many fair lovely bernes to you betide."

An. Mel, 3, 2, 6, 5.

Barnacles, sb. spectacles.

Barness, and Barnish, v. n. to fill out ; grow fat and well-liking.
'Why, you're grown tall, and barnished too.' "To shoot and
spread and burnish into man " is one of Dryden's lines, but I have
sought it in vain.

Bash, v. n. to fall off in flesh ; dwindle ; become feeble or sickly ;
droop. ' Take care your pig don't bash.' ' He begins to bash in his
victuals.' 'It '—the baby— 'warn' t a bit bashed by it teethinV
Vide Bosh.

Basing, and Basings (s pron. like z), sb. the rind, and the hard part
near the rind of cheese or bacon.

Bask, v. n., pec. to nestle and rub the breast in the dust, fluttering
the wings, as birds do.

Bass, sb. a hassock for kneeling, covered with plaited bast ; bast-
matting.

Bastard-fallow (pron. bahst'd-f oiler), sb., i. q. Pin-fallow, q. v.

Bat, sb. a club ; a blow or stroke ; a rapid pace or rate ; a bundle of
straw or hay tied up with a band of the same. ' Doon't ye goo a
sooch a bat ; yeen't walkin' for a weeger.' Vide Batten.

Bat, and Bat down, v. a. to cover with ' bats/ i. e. bundles of straw,
as a rough roofing for ricks before being properly thatched, or for
covering potato - heaps, bricks drying before being baked, &c.
Vide Batten. To ' 'bat the eyes ' is to blink, to wink involuntarily.

Batch-cake, sb. a small dough-cake baked with a batch of bread.

Bather, v. n., i. q. Bask, q. v.; also i. q. Puther, q. v. 'The smook
coom batherin? daoun the chimly.'

Bats, sb. shales of marl, &c. : particularly applied to slaty pieces
among coal.

Batten, sb. a bundle of hay or straw tied up with a band of the
same ; also, a lath or ' slat ' of wood of any size less than a plank.
Technically, among builders, as Bk. notes in Northamptonshire, a
* batten ' is a deal board 7 in. wide by 2| in. thick ; but a batten of
this kind would cut into a score of pieces, each of which would be
called a ' batten ' in ordinary parlance.

v. a., i. q. Bat, q. v. The usual meaning, however, is that given
by Bk., "to nail battens or laths to upright studs previous to

H 2

100 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

papering or plastering a damp room, to prevent the paper or plaster
coming in contact with the wall."

Batten, or Batten out, v . n. to grow fatter ; to ' barnish,' q. v.
' Miss begins to batten out.'

" Some wallowing in the grass there lie awhile to batten."

DRAYTON, Pol. XVIII.

Batter, v. n. " A term applied to walls built out of the upright, or
gently sloping inwards." — Crloss. of Arch., s. v.

The word is also used in an active, or rather factive, sense — to
make to slope. ' Yo' mut batter the top o' the wall in a bit.'

Battle-twig, sb. earwig, Forficula auricularia.

Battlins, sb. battlements. ' Bateling ' is a form given in the Gloss,
of Arch. 'The dark battlins' at Bosworth were the leads of the
nave of the church, so called on account of their being surrounded
by battlements, and the darkness of the spiral staircase which led
to them.

Batty, adj. full of ' bats/ q. v. ' The coal wur that batty, 'tworn't
good enew to bun brieks wiV

Batwell, sb. a wicker strainer placed over the end of the spigot
inside the mash- vat, to prevent the grains passing through.

Bavin, sb. JBJc. rightly defines a bavin as ' a faggot of brushwood
with three bands used for the draining of land,' but it is quite as
commonly used for a faggot for burning.

Bavin-wood, sb. wood for bavins, or made up in bavins (1 Hen. IV.,
III. ii.).

"Where crackles bavin-wood or kindly beech."

WOTY'S Poems, p. 116.

Bawbee, sb. a half-penny. Rarely used, but by no means a modern
intruder. The farmer on whose lips I have heard it most frequently
was proud to show the brick floor on which one of his forefathers,
and all who gathered round his table, knelt bare-kneed to drink
long life to James III., many of whose followers were at different
times entertained in the house. Some of these gentlemen may
possibly have imported the word into the Midland vocabulary.

Bawm, sb. balm, Melissa officinalis.

"Fennel, aniseed, bawm .... borage, hops, baivme." — An. Mel.,
2, 2, 1, 2.

v. a. to daub ; besmear ; make dirty. * He bawmed and slawmed
it all over mortar and wash,' 'You can't use that leather, it's
bawmed all over with oil.'

' Baumede,' ' bawmede,' and ' bawmed,' are WYC. forms.

Bay, sb. the space between the main beams of a building. Vide
Bk. and Gloss, of Arch., s. v.

" Of one bayes breadth, God wot, a silly cote."

HALL, Sat. VI. 1.

GLOSSARY. 101

" The vicarage house consisting of five bayes, and a barn of five
bayes, a stable, and two other little bayes of building/' — Terrier of
Claybrook Glebe, 1638.

Beam-knife, sb. the knife used at the ' fleshing-beam ; ' called also
1 flesh-knife,' q. v.

Bean-belly, ppr. n. an epithet of Leicestershire not yet forgotten,
though beans are by no means so common an article of food as
formerly.

" Bean-belly Lestershire her attribute doth wear."

DEAYTON, Pol. XXIII.
Vide KAY'S Prov.

Bear, To play the, phr. to inflict heavy damage. ' To play Old
Harry,' 'Old Gooseberry,' or ' Old Boots' are equivalent expres-
sions. ' The hail has played the bear with the apple-blossom.'

Bear the bell, phr. to be first in any competition or comparison ; to
carry off the prize.

Bearer, sb. a girder ; a beam which carries any main weight in a
bridge or other building.

Beast, sb. pi. beasts, especially horned cattle.

" Calves, lambs, with plenty of good beast,
Worth full five hundred pound at least."

Will of Sir Willoughby Dixie, Bart.

' Did* you go to see the wild beast ? ' i. e. the animals in Womb-
well's menagerie.

Beastings, and Beastlings, sb. The pronunciation of this word
varies greatly. It is almost indifferently 'bastins,' 'baistins,'
* beestins,' ' baizins,' ' beezins,' * baislins,' ' beeslins,' ' baizlins,' or
'beezlins.' The 'first' and 'second' beastings are the first and
second milk from a cow after calving.

" Beest or beestings, the first milk a female gives after the birth
of her young one, beton, le laid nouveau" — COTG.

Beat, v. a. To < beat ' the fire is to stir it. Vide Chev. Ass. Gl.,
8.V-. ( bete.'

Beauty, sb. A very common proverb on the lips of the Midland
pessimist is :

' Beauty 's only skin-deep, but ugly goes to the bone.'

Bed (of beef), sb. l the round and white of beef when cut together.'
— Bk. The method of cutting up the carcass which gives the ' bed '
is, I am told, peculiar to the Midland and Northern counties. Sed
de hoc quaere.

Bed-fast, adj. bed-ridden.

Bed-hillings, sb. bed-clothes, more particularly the counterpane.

Beef-heart, or Beefs-heart, sb. the heart of ox or cow ; when judi-
ciously stuffed and cooked, a deservedly popular delicacy.

102 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Bees. Custom. A death in the family should always be officially
notified to the bees, who will resent the slight cast upon them as
members of the household by the non-performance of the ceremony
by forsaking the hive or dying. I have endeavoured in vain to
ascertain the formula, if any, appropriate to the occasion. The
melancholy intelligence, however, is certainly sometimes, and I
bolieve always, conveyed in a whisper.

Beetle, plir. ' As blind as a beetle ' is a very common simile, the
cockchafer being the ' beetle ' referred to, and its blindness being
inferred from its objectionable habit of flying against one's face of
an evening.

" In this wisdom he is as blind as a beetle" — LAT. Ser. IX. p. 141.

sb. a heavy mallet for driving in stakes, &c.

" The crab-tree Porter of the Guild-Hall gates,
When he his frightfull Beetle elevates."

HALL, Sat. VI. 1.

Behave, v. n. to behave properly. * I believe I am the rector of this
parish,' said a clergyman whose dignity had been somewhat ruffled
at a stormy meeting. ' * Well, then,' retorted the squire, ' why don't
ye be'ave ? '

Beholden, or Beholding, p. p. obliged.

" I'd rather be beholding to him nor to any man i* the world." —
Adam Bede, c. xx.

Being, adv. seeing that ; since.

" Why didna ye come to live i' this country, bein' as Mrs. Peyser's
your aunt too ? " — Adam Bede.
' Bein' as I couldn' goo my sen.'

Bellock, v. n. to bellow ; roar out ; shout.

Belly-band, sb. " a cart-saddle girth ; also the chain or strap which
connects the shafts of a cart." — Bk.

Belly-brossen, part. adj. ruptured.
Belly-timber, sb. victuals ; ' prog.'
Belly-vengeance, 6-5. ' rot-gut ; ' sour ale, cider, wine, &c.

Belong, v. n., pec. This word is generally used in the precise con-
verse of its ordinary sense, and the preposition is almost invariably
omitted after it. ' Hi, mister ! D'yo belong this 'ere ombreller ? '

Belper, v. a. and n., var. pron. of ( pilfer/ but generally meaning to
cheat or over-reach. * To belper at marls,' i. e. to cheat at marbles.

Belt, v. a. to thrash ; administer personal chastisement.

Belter, sb. a ' whopper ; ' something which ' belts ' or beats others of
the same sort. Vide Banger.

Belting, sb. a thrashing, beating, ' strapping,' ' hiding,' or ' leather-
ing,' the belt or strap being, metaphorically, at least, the instrument
of punishment, the hide or leather the material of which it is made.

GLOSSARY. 103

Bend, sb. a piece of bent plate-iron which went over the back of the
last horse at plough. Now (1848) disused.

Bend-traces, sb. part of the harness of a plough-horse.

Bent, sb. a kind of grass, but generally used in a collective sense in
the plural, for the dry steins of any grasses.

" His speare a bent both stiff e and strong,
And wel-neare of two inches long."

DEAYTON, Nimphidia.

Beout, prep, and adv. without. This older form of 'but' is very
common.

Besogne, sb. business. One old lady only, who followed the profes-
sion of char- woman, have I ever heard use this word, but with her
it was habitual. ' Mind your own besogne.'

Besom, sb. a birch-broom, a most useful implement, the name and
existence of which I was surprised to find comparatively unknown
in Cockneydom. Vide Wye. Gloss., s. v. 'besme.'

Bessen, v. n. to stoop ; bend down ; weigh down. A form of the
word ' abase,' but only, I think, used in the neuter sense. ' All them
sad-irons round my waist made me bessen down,' said a maid-
servant, who had challenged another to a trial of weight, and
adopted effectual means of securing a victory.

Best, adj. better ; greater. * Yo'd best not.' ' Best part of a
moile.'

v. a. to out- wit ; have the better of ; cheat. This is a common
word enough, but is, I rather think, a late intruder from Cockney-
dom.

Bet, p. p. beaten.

" A meagre, low, degraded set

Of mortals born to die,
For ever and for ever bet,
To rise need never try."
Immeability, a Dissertation, WRIGHT' S Poems, p. 23.

Better, adj. and adv. more. ' Better nur a moile. '

Bettermost, adj. superior. ' Bettermost sort o' folk,' i. e. superior to
the average of their class, whatever the class may be. ' A bit o'
bettermost yaller dale's a'most as good as ook,' i. e. a piece of really
good yellow deal is almost as good as oak.

Betweend, prep, between,

Betwixt and between, phr. intermediate in age, quality, colour, &c. ;
indifferent. ' How are the oats this year ? ' ' Well, they've oonly
betwixt and between, loike, this turn.' ' How old is your eldest, Mrs.
H. ? ' ' Why, a's just betwixt and between, like, — hobbadehoy, nay-
thur man nur boy.'

Bibblin, sb. a nearly fledged chick of any bird. The word is some-

104 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

times used in conjunction with ' balchin,' as in * a neest-full o'
bibblin-balchins.' In this case the word seems to be a part, of a v,
to ' bibble,' a frequentative of to ' pipe ' or ' peep.'

Biff-head, or Bif-yead, sb. ' beef-head,' i. e. blockhead. Cf. Buffle-
headed.

Bile, v. n. and sb., var. pron. of ' boil.'

Bilk, v. a. (the p. and pp. the same as the pres.) to cheat. 'He
bilk me.'

Billy-biter, sb. the torn-tit, Parus major.

Bilper, v. a., var. pron. of 'pilfer,' but generally used for to cheat
generally. ' A bilperin' sort o' fellow.' Vide Belper.

Binge, v. a. to tighten up ; to make water-tight : applied more par-
ticularly to wooden vessels, barrels, tubs, churns, &c. ' Oi wur
bingein' a churm,' i. e. putting hot water into a churn to make the
wood swell before putting in the milk. ' A doyed a-bingein' ' is a
not uncommon comment on the death of a drunkard, implying that
his constitution was not strong enough to stand the process of
making himself drink-proof.

Binger, sb. (g soft) a tightener ; nipper : often applied to a keen
wind or frost. ' Surs ! It's a binger this mornin' ! ' ' Tek a drop
o' brandy — just a binger agen the reen,' i. e. rain.

Birds-neesen, sb. and v. n. birds'-nests, and to go birds'-nesting.
'Ah'm a-gooin' &-boods-neezenin\' 'Way dussn't boods-nayzen
theer.'

Bird-tenting, sb. frightening birds from newly-sown corn, &c. Bird-
tenting is usually one of the first jobs given to lads on a farm. ' Yo
plaough ! Whoy, it's as mooch as ivver yo can carry a clack &-bood-
tentin\y

Bishop, v. a. to perform the rite of confirmation.

' ' Many a good couple would consider themselves unworthy of the
Christian privileges they enjoy if the husband were not bribed at
every election and the wife bishopped at every confirmation. "-
Cynical Correspondent, 1868.

Bit, sb. a small quantity; a little; also, adverbially, somewhat;
rather.

"We can do a deal tow'rt the bit o' furniture you'll want." —
Adam Bede, c. 34.

' A's a lit awk'ard by times.' ' Oi'd a good bit rayther not.' ' A
did sweer above a bit,' i. e. like our army in Flanders.

Bit and sup, phr. meat and drink.

" I'd ne'er open my lips to find faut, for when folks is old an' o'
no use, they may think theirsens well off to get the bit ari the sup,
though they'n to swallow ill words wi't." — Adam Bede.

Blaat, v. a. and n. to bleat as a lamb ; also, to blab ; tell tales ;
carry scandal ; also, to scold, rate, or ' kick up a row.' ' Ah thowt
shay wur coom out to blaut.'

GLOSSARY. 10.3

Black-cap, sb. the reed-sparrow, Emberiza sckoeniclus, not the bird
usually known as the black-cap, Motacilla atricapilla.

Black-frost, sb. a frost unaccompanied by rime, a hoar-frost being
generally known as a ' white-frost.'

Black-guard, sb. (both words are distinctly pronounced, the second
having a y after the </). Besides its ordinary meaning, the word is
often used for a scold or termagant, in which sense it is usually of
the feminine gender. * Ah couldn' stey, the missus wur a sooch a
black-gyard.'

v. a. to scold ; rate ; vituperate ; malign. ' Mrs. P. has bin so
black-gyardin' ma.'

Black-headed Peggy, sb. the black-cap, Motacilla atricapilla. Vide
Black- cap.

Black man, sb. an apparition ; spectre ; bogey.

" They see, talk with black men, dead men, spirits and goblins

frequently see and talk'd with black men and converse

familiarly with devils a friend that had a black man in the

likeness of a souldier." — An. Mel., 1, 3, 1, 3.

Blame, v. a., excl. a Bowdlerized ' damn.' ' Blame it ! ' is one of the
commonest forms of imprecation.

Blart, v. n., i. q. Blaat, q. v.

Blashy, adj. ' plashy ; ' sloppy ; wet. ' Bloshy ' is the commoner

form of the word.
Blasted, p.p. blighted. When the quarter of a cow's udder is dried

by inflammatory action it is technically said to be blasted.

Blather, sb., var. pron. of ' bladder.'
Blaut, v. n., i. q. Blaat, q. v.

Bleak, adj. pallid ; white-faced • wan.

" Bleake of colour, blesme, pasle," &c. — CoTG.

* A's a good bit better, but a looks very bleak yet.'

Bleb, sb.t i. q. Blob, q. v.

Blether, v. n. and a. to cry or blubber ; also, to be out of breath ;
also, to put out of breath ; also, to blow up tight ; fill with wind.
' Theer yo air, blether in1 agen.' * Haven't ye blethered, Miss ? ' i. e.
are you not 'blown,' enquired a farmer of a lady who had just
favoured the company with a song. c The fut-ball wur quoite
blethered, loike.' ' Yew'n blethered them osses, Jarge.' ' Ah've
blethered as toight as a droom.'

sb., var. pron. of ' bladder/

Blether-head, or Blether-yead, sb. a ' bladder-head/ i. e. an empty-
headed noodle.

Bletherum-skoite, sb. a loud, empty-headed swaggerer; a cowardly
braggart.

106 THE DIALEOT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Blind, adj. " unproductive ; abortive : applied chiefly to vegetation,
to blossoms that fail to produce fruit." — Bk.

A nut, &c. , in which the kernel has not been developed or has
been destroyed by a maggot is said to be ' blind.' The word is used
in a closely-related sense in the term ' a blind alley ' for a cul-de-sac,
and the common slang phrase ' a blind sell ' for a baffling disap-
pointment, both common in Leicestershire as elsewhere.

Blind-man-bluft, sb. blind-man's-buff. Vide Blnft.

Blind-man-holiday, sb. When it is too dark to see to work ' blind-
man-holiday ' begins.

Blizzy, sb. a blaze. * When the squoire, a coom anoigh, they joomped
o' the blizzy an' douted it.'

Blob, sb. a bubble, or any other small partially or approximately
spherical object, such as a bud, a globular button, or a blister.
Elder-berries are * elder-blobs ; ' the marsh marigold, Caltha palus-
tris, the ' Mee-&Zo&,' i. e. May-blob ; the globe ranunculus, Ranun-
culus sceleratus, also the ' Mee-&/o& ' or ' Water- blob.} It is also used
for the drupel of the blackberry, raspberry, &c.

Bloody-bat, sb. the ' hat-bat,' Vespertilio nodula.

Blosh, sb., var. pron. of ' plash.' A splash or dash of rain, water, &c.

v. n. and a. to splash, dash, or plash. ' The reen bloshed agen the
winder ivver so.' ' Yo nivver heerd a sooch a blosh.'

Bloshy, adj. plashy ; sloppy. ' Bloshy weather, mester.' Vide
Blashy.

Blether, sb. nonsense ; fuss ; much ado about nothing.

v. n. to talk nonsense ; to bluster ; to make a fuss or commotion.
Blow. Vide Oaths.

sb. a collective blooming. ' Yo nivver see a sooch a bloo o' rooses.'
Blow-fly (pron. bloofloi), sb. a blue-bottle, Musca vomitorius.
Blow-up, v. a. to scold ; rate ; rebuke.

sb. a quarrel, altercation, scolding, or other explosion.
Blowze, sb. a coarse, untidy woman ; a trollop.

" To paint some Blowesse with a borrowed grace."

HALL, Sat. I. 1.
Blowzy, adj. untidy ; dishevelled.

Blue-rock, sb. the wild pigeon, Columba cenas. Called also the
' rock,' ' rock-pigeon,' or 'rock-dove.'

Bluff, sb. and v. a., i. q. Bluft, q. v.

Bluft, sb. anything used to cover the eyes, such as a blinker for a
horse, a board fastened in front of the eyes of a bull or cow to pre-
vent its running, the handkerchief used to bandage the eyes in
blind-man's-buff, &c. ' The blooft o' the broidle,' *'. e. the blinker.

GLOSSARY. 107

v. a. to bandage or cover the eyes, as in blind-man's-buff, a game
which is itself called indifferently ' blind-man- bluft,' *Uuft,' or
< blufty.' ' Ah'm glad yew'n got that theer bull o' yourn blufted.'

Blufter, sb., i. q. Bluft, q. v.
Blufty, sb. blind-man's-buff. Vide Bluft.
Bluther, sb. and v. n., i. q. Blother, q. v.
Bobbish, adj. well in health ; in good spirits.
Bodily, adv. in a lump ; all at once ; entirely.

Body-horse, sb. In a team of three horses the first is the ' fore-
horse' or 'leader,' the second the 'body-horse,' and the third the
'shaft-horse' or ' thiller.' In a team of four the second is called
the ' lash,' and the third the ' body-horse.'

Boffle, v. a., var. pron. of * baffle/ to confound ; perplex ; embarrass ;
deceive ; also, to insult, abash, bully, or tease ; also, to strike with
anything soft ; to flap. ' Ah'm sure ah did'n mane to boffle ye.'

" He must, as Ulysses was- by Melanthius in Homer, be reviled,
baffled, insulted over." — An. Mel., 1, 2, 4, 6.

' Oi boffled un o'er the yead wi' the mop.'

The word is also used for to beat down, ' lay,' as the wind does
corn.

Bogey, sb. an apparition ; ghost ; diabolic spectre ; ' Old Bogey '
being the King of Darkness himself. A dark, unused coal-cellar
under the school-room at Bosworth was always known as the ' bogey-
hole.' :

Boiling, sb. the whole of a family, class, or kind.
Bole (pron. bool), sb. the trunk of a tree.

Boiled, part. adj. fully expanded ; ripe.

" The barley was in the ear and the flax boiled." — Exod. ix. 31.
f The grains (of wheat) are so boiled they are ready to jump out of
the ear.'

Bolsh, sb. and v. n. another form of Blosh, q. v. 'A went bolsh
i' the cut,' i. e. he went splash into the canal.

Bolshin, sb., i. q. Balchin, q. v.

Bolt, v. a. To bolt straw is to tie it up in ' battens,' q. v.; to bolt
food is to swallow it without chewing.

Bolter, v. n. to chip or splinter. ' The fire-bricks always bolter in a
frost.'

Bones, phr. 'to make old bones,' i. e. to live to old age. 'Ah nivver
med count as a'd mek o'd boons.'

Bonny, adj. good, jolly, pretty, &c. ; an almost universally applicable
epithet of eulogy, but especially applicable to a healthy plumpness.
" And Mr. Faux among the rest, he made a bonny fire."

WM. SMITH, on ' The Prince his Wedding-Day,' printed
in the Leicester Journal.

108 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Here, however, it is doubtful whether ' bonny fire ' is not merely
another form of * bonfire.'

" I had jacket, trowsers, and a stand-up cap,
I looked like a bonny old chap."

Broadside Ballad, by J. F. YATES, penes Ed.

The word is very common, but I am not sure whether it is native
or denizen.

Booby-hutch, sb. a hand-barrow ; a small deep cart ; a sentry-box ;
any movable ' coop ' or ' hutch ' of any kind intended for the use of
a single human occupant. The carts drawn by dogs before the
passing of Martin's Act were often so called.

Boose, and Boosing, sb. an ox or cow-stall. The word is sometimes
used for the rack for fodder either in the stall or in the farm-yard.

Booze, sb., id.

Bosh, v. a. to abash ; confound ; ' sell/ in the slang sense.

sb. nonsense; spoken or written rubbish or garbage. It is, I
believe, the substantive form of the preceding verb, and originally
meant the language made use of in * boshing ' a person.

Boss, v. a. to take a person by his legs and arms and swing his
posteriors against a wall, post, or tree. This method of punish-
ment, which requires two or more executioners, was greatly in
vogue for culprits who told tales or otherwise outraged the school-
boy code of honour. It was also called to ' ding ' or ' ding-fart.'

Bossing, sb. the punishment described under the last word.

Bosworth man (pron. Bozth-man), sb., phr. The knave or ' Jack '
at cards is by a very popular fiction supposed to represent an
inhabitant of the next town or village. Thus, when a player at
Congerston or Carlton lays down a knave, he generally observes,
'Theer's a Bos'th man!' At Bosworth it would generally be
' Theer's a Hinckley man ! ' and so on, the implication, of course,
being that there are no knaves to be found where the game is being
played.

Bottle, sb. a small bundle of hay, straw, beans, sticks, &c.

Bottle-jugg, sb. the bottle-tit, Par us caudatus. Called also the
'hedge-jugg.' Vide Jugg.

Bouge, v. n., var. pron. of ' bulge/ to project ; belly out ; be out of
the perpendicular.

sb. an insect which sometimes infests sheep, but which I have
been unable to identify.

Boulder, sb. a rounded or water-worn stone. The abundant New
Red Sandstone pebbles used for paving the causeways or side-walks
of village streets, or, when broken up, for mending roads, are
'boulders' (the 'ou' generally pron. like *ow' in 'cow'), no less
than the larger stones usually known to geologists by that name.

Bouncer, sb. a fine, robust falsehood, girl, apple, or other entity,

GLOSSARY. 109

meritorious for size, vigour, and rotundity. ' Whopper ' and
' strapper ' are very nearly synonymous, although the latter is
somewhat more exclusively applied to young men and maidens of
tall and stalwart frame.

Bouncing", part. adj. large and fine of its kind : frequently associated
with ' big,' as ' a bouncing big bill.' Vide Bouncer.

Bout, sb. a journey ; a day's work ; anything done or suffered after
which the doer or sufferer may be supposed to return to the same
state, condition, or place as before, such as a sickness, a term of
imprisonment, a mowing, reaping, &c. In ploughing the term is
technical, and means once down the field and back again. ' Not
this bout,' i. e. not on this occasion. ' A's 'ad a baddish bout on it,
this turn,' i. e. he has had a very severe attack of illness this time.

Bowl (' ow ' pron. as in ' cow '), sb. a hoop for trundling in boys'
play.

Box, phr. to be ' in the wrong box ' is, in newspaper English, to ' mis-
apprehend the situation.'

" Another, not behinde them with his mocks,
Cries out, Sir, faith you were in the wrong 600;."

CLEAVELAND, Revived, p. 74.

The phrase is commonly said to have been first used by an innocent
prisoner to a corrupt judge.

Brack, sb. and v. a. and n., var. pron. of ' break.' ' Theer weean't
naither brack nor crack i' the wull set ' — of dinner-china to wit.

Bracket-rules, sb. a ' cat ' or trivet to place before the fire for keeping
toast, &c., hot.

Brad, sb. a small nail without a head, or with only a very rudi-
mentary one.
Brad-awl, sb. the awl used for making holes to receive ' brads.'

Braddle, v. a. to make holes with an awl or like a book-worm, &c.
' It,' an old Bible in a church, ' were braddled, loike, all threw, an'
as rotten as tinder.'

Braddled, p. p. warmed through. * Ah, my dear, you're nicely
braddled : ' said to a child whose feet had been held near the fire to
warm them.

Brag, sb. both a boast and a boaster. In the latter sense, at least,
the word may be considered dialectal.

Bran-new, adj., var. pron. of ' brand-new,' perfectly new.

Brandy-snap, sb. thin, crisp gingerbread, of an oval shape, about 5in.
by 3|in.

Brangle, v. n. and a. to wrangle or quarrel; also, to involve,
entangle, confuse. ' They wur 3,-brangUn' an' a-janglin' yo moight
ha heerd em a moile off.' ' A,' a preacher, * brangles every think up
so, yo cain't mek top nor teel on it.'

110 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Branglement, sb. confusion ; perplexity.
Brass, sb., pec. money.

" Shame that the Muses should be bought and sold
For euerie peasants brasse on each scaffold."

HALL, Sat.

Brawn, sb. a boar pig.

Brazen-madam, sb. an impudent, shameless wench. I once heard,
' Jup, yo breezen-madam ! ' said savagely by a little girl to a crying
baby she was carrying.

Brazzle, sb. a large lump of coal such as is used in furnaces for the
manufacture of crown-glass, &c.

Bref, adj., i. q. Brief, q. v.

Brent, sb. the brow of a hill— A. B. E.

Brevet, v. a. and n. to rummage ; ransack ; search. ' A wur &-bre-
vetiri* ivvry drawer i' the 'ouse.' Cats are said to brevet after mice,
dogs after rats or rabbits, &c.

Brevidge, *'. q- Brevet, q. v.

Bridle-road, or Bridle-way, sb. a horse-road along which carts,
carriages, &c., cannot or may not pass. ' Bridle-road only' is a
notice commonly posted up at the end of such a road to indicate
that it is impassable for wheeled traffic.

Brief, adj., var. pron. of ' rife/ prevalent, abundant. ' Colds are very
brief this east wind.'

Brig, sb. bridge. One form of the word is as common as the fcther.
" Three little leyes lyeing hard by the church brigg, butting
north and south."— Terror of Claybrook Glebe, 1638.

The word is also technically used, as Bk. notes, for " a wooden
frame placed over a tub to support a sieve for straining beer or
making cheese, called a brewing-&ni# or cheese- brig according to

any brig of the kind may be termed a ' pair of brigs.

Brig-hole, sb., i. e. « bridge-hole,' the archway of a bridge. ' Doon't
pull so 'ard theer, under the brig-ools,' to a barge-horse driver by a
canal bridge.

Brim, v. n. "to brim as a sow, subo" — AINSWORTH.
adj. brim-full.

Brink, sb. the brim. ' The brink of a hat.'

" Brink, comme brimme." — COTG. Vide Wye. Gloss., s. v. ' Brenk.'

Brock, sb. a badger. Vide Wye. Gloss., s. v. ' Broc-skynnes.'

Broken-grass, sb. grass left and mown after a field has been grazed
by cattle.

GLOSSARY. Ill

Broody, adj. wanting to sit as a hen. ' Shay wur that breivdy shay'd
'a sot up of a 'edge-ug.J

' ' Dig'd out of that broody hill belike this goodly golden stone is
ubi nasceretur ridiculus mus" — An. Mel., 2, 4, 1, 4.

Broom-dasher, sb. a maker or seller of brooms. Cf. * haberdasher.'
Broom-stall, sb. a broomstick. Vide Stall.

Brossen, p. p. burst ; ruptured. This is the p. p. of ' brast ' or
' brost.' ' Burst ' gives * bursted,' which is perhaps the commoner
form.

" To brast, an old word, Voyez to burst." — COTG. Vide Wye.
Gloss.

Broth, sb., pec. Broth, soup, &c., are always spoken of as if they
were plural nouns. ' These broth are very good.' ' A few broth.1
' When the broth are ready, crumb the basins,' i. e. put the broken
bread in the basins. ' Polly, my dear,' an eminent medical prac-
titioner was accustomed to exclaim, ' your thoup are thuper-
ecthellent ! ;

Bruddled, p. p. warmed through : i. q. Braddled, q. v.

Brummagem, sb. and adj. counterfeit; sham. It is worth noting
that Brummagem is not the equivalent of ' Bromwicham.' It is
simply Birmingham with the r transposed and the g pronounced
soft. Cf. Bagehot, Altrincham, &c. The old spelling of the name
always introduces an e after the g to indicate the soft g, but there
exists no tittle of evidence to connect the ' wiches ' of the neigh-
bourhood with the ' ham ' of the Beormingas.

Bubble-and-squeak, sb. slices of underdone beef fried and seasoned,
laid on cabbage, boiled, strained, chopped, and fried in dripping.
Elsewhere the name seems to be given to a very different dish.

Bubby-hutch, sb., i. q. Booby-hutch, q. v.

Buck, sb. the front part of the body of a cart or waggon, generally
constructed with a ledge at the top called the ' fore-buck.'

sb. the collective name for the whole quantity of clothes in a
wash. For a full account of ' &wc&-washing ' vide Bk., s. v. ' Bouk.'

Buck-basket, sb. a large clothes-basket used principally by laun-
dresses in washing.

Buck-bearing, p. teasing; finding fault. 'The moment any one
speaks she begins buck-beerin' .'

Bucking-tub, sb. a washing-tub.

Buck-sheet, sb. a large sheet used in washing to lay the wet clothes on.

Buck-tub, sb., i. q. ' bucking-tub,' a washing-tub.

Buck-wash, or Buck-washing, sb. a general wash of clothes. Cotg.
gives " to wash a buck," " a buck of clothes, buee," " a buck- washer,"
" a place to wash bucks in," " buck-lie," and " bucking-tub. "

112 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Buff, v. n. and a. When an axe or hatchet strikes without cutting,
which is sometimes the case with very tough wood, but much more
frequently with unsound wood, it is said to ' buff,' and such a piece
of wood is said to ' buff' the axe. The ' buffer ' of a railway-car-
riage, 'bluft,' 'blufter,' 'blind-man's buff,' &c., are all cognate
words.

Buff nor baff, plir. ' muff nor mum,' not a word, good nor bad. Still
in use.

" Not once luff nor baff to him— not a word." — LAT. Serm. XIII.
p. 227.

Buffer, sb. a dolt ; blockhead.
Buffer-headed, adj. doltish ; stupid ; loutish.

Buffle-headed, adj. thick-skulled ; i. q. l buffer-headed.' Cotg. has
" Bujfle, the buff, buffle, bugle, or wild ox."

Buft, v. n. and a., i. q. Buff and Bluft, q. v.

Bufty, sb., i. q. 'blufty,' the game of blind-man's buff or the person
blind-folded.

Bug ('u' pron. as in 'bull'), adj., var. pron. of 'big,' proud; con-
ceited ; fine ; magnificent. ' How bug y'are o' yer new cloo'es ! *
'It's to bug for may,' i. e. too gorgeous for me; 'too/ it may be
noted, being almost always shortened to ' to.'

sb. fright or alarm ; also, offence. ' I don't know whether your
horse turned round of his own accord, or whether he took bug.1 Of.
' bug-bear.' ' A wur as nassty as nassty, but ah did'n mek caount
as a wur woo'th tekkin bug ovver.'

v. a. and n. to offend or be offended. 'A wur quoite bugged
ovver it.'

Buge, sb. I find a ' huge and sniter ' entered in an agricultural
catalogue about 1850. I do not know the word, but it is probably
a measure, perhaps a bushel.

Bugger, sb. a man ; fellow ; ' chap ' of any age or quality : used
colloquially as a term of endearment or reprobation, eulogy or dis-
paragement, without any sinister meaning in the word itself.
' Mister, can ye fit this canny little bugger wi' a cap ? ' said a mother
to a shopkeeper of her little boy.

Build, sb. frame and make, faitue, as applied to the body of man or
beast. ' Ah dunna loike the build on him (a bull) behoind.' ' A
wur as broad across the showlders as the lenth o' my arm. Ah
niwer see a sooch a build.'

Built, p. p. made, as applied to the body. ' Surs ! Shay weer a
brood-built un, an' all ! ' said of a portly lady.

Bule, sb. semi-circular handle of a bucket, pot-lid, &c. — A. B. E.

Bull-beef, sb., phr. 'As big as butt-beef is a phrase equivalent to
' as proud as a pump wi5 two spouts.'

GLOSSARY. 113

Bull-finch, sb., var. pron. of 'bull-fence?' A blackthorn hedge
allowed to grow thick and high without laying.

Bull-head, sb. the miller's thumb, a small fish, cottos gcibio ; also a
tadpole.

" Tadpoles, alias bull-heads"— Adam Bede, c. 18.

Bully-rag, v. a. to vituperate ; use angry and opprobrious language.

Bully-ragging, sb. vituperation ; abuse. ' Coom, ah shan't stan' non
o' yewer bulfy-raggin1.'

Bult, sb. a violent push or thump.

v. a. and n. to push violently ; bump ; jolt. Of. pultcre, a butter
with horns ; pultiden, pushed ; pultyinge, pushing. — WYC. Vide
Bunt.

Bum, or Bum-bailey, sb. a bum-bailiff, i. e. a bound or duly sworn
bailiff.

" From learn'd bum-bailiffs learn'd his briefs to draw."

WOTY'S Poems, p. 69.

Bumble-bee, sb. the humble-bee, apis terrestris, &c.
Bummel, or Bummle, sb. the ball of the hand or foot.
Bumptious, adj. conceited ; arrogant ; also, touchy or testy.
Bunch, v. a. to offend ; make angry. ' A welly bandied me/

Bunch o' fives, sb. the fist. ' Ah'll gie ye a bunch o1 foives i' yer
feace.'

Bundle, v. n. to move off ; pack off ; make one's self scarce. Often
used in the imperative. ' Coom, yo bundle ! '

Bunk, v. n. (almost always used in the imperative) budge ! be off !
apage !

Bunny, sb. a child's name for a rabbit.

Bunt, v. a. to push ;*bump ; thump. ' The poony had use to bunt
at the door wi' it nose.'

sb. a violent push, bump, or thump. The word is also used in a
quasi- adverbial sense. ' A coora bunt right up agen me.' ' A wur
gooin' full-bunt agen the poost.'

Bury, sb. a heap of potatoes, carrots, &c.? heaped over to preserve
them.

Bush, sb. The * bush1 of an axle is now generally called the 'box,'
which is precii
times called a '

Buss, v. a. to kiss.

sb. a kiss.
obsolete.

Bussock, sb. a young ass.

which is precisely synonymous. A metal ' washer ' is also some-
times called a ' bush.'

sb. a kiss. Both as sb. and v. the word is rapidly becoming
obsolete.

114 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

But, v. n. M abut.

Butcher's Cleaver, si. the constellation Ursa Major.

Butt, si. a narrow ' Land,' q. v.

Butter-fingers, si. one who lets a thing drop when it ought to be
held, a well-known variety of the ancilla domestica. _ A fielder
missing a catch at cricket is generally greeted with the title.

Butty, si. a fellow workman, mate, or comrade; also, a workman
generally. * Theer's a loose lutty from Shilton.' In the colliery
districts the word has its usual technical signification.
v. n. to work in company. ' Oi buttied wi' 'im all lasst summer.'

By, si. in composition, a homestead, hamlet, village, or town. Vide
' Local Nomenclature.'

By far, or By fur, adv. much. ' Oi'd rather, ly fur.'

Byleddy, and Bymass, or Bymess, and Byrleddy, exd. I remember
both these venerable oaths by no means uncommon. Both now
(1875) are, I am told, entirely obsolete.

By now, adv. by this time.

Byre, si. a yard and stalling for cattle.

By rights (often expanded to By good rights), adv. properly ; of
right ; according to custom, prescription, promise, &c. ' A should
'a bin 'ere afore naow ly good roights.'

By then, adv. by the time that. ' By then I come back.'

By times, adv. occasionally ; sometimes. ' Noo, a worn't not to sey
droonk, loike, a'd oon'y 'ad a drop or tew moor nur a knood aow to
carry awee loike, as a man mut do ly toimes."1

Cad, si. a blinker ; the part of the harness covering the horse's eye.

Caddie, si., var. of 'coddle,' one superfluously careful about him-
self; effeminately self-indulgent.

adj. dainty ; fastidious in appetite ; as if accustomed to be
' caddled.' ' He is quite a caddie man.'

v. a. and n., var. of ' coddle' and ' cuddle,' axi&freq. of to ' cade,'
to caress; fondle; coax. 'Pointers are very coddlin' things,' was
an apology for the familiarities of a dog of that breed.

Caddling, p. dainty ; fastidious ; i. q. ' caddie.'
Cade, si. a pet. A cade-lamb is a pet lamb, &c.

" To Dorothy the dairy-maid,
Who rear'd of lambs full many a cade."

WiU of Willoughly Dixie, Bart,
v. a. to make a pet of.

Cadely, adj. tame ; accustomed to be petted. ' It's a cadely little
thing/ said of a tame bantam.

GLOSSARY. 115

Cadge, si. a small pedlar ; hawker ; beggar ; tramp ; Shack, q. r.
v. n. to beg ; to hawk small goods ; chatter importunately.

Cadger, si., var. of ' codger/ i. q. Cadge, q. v. In a secondary sense
it means simply a person ; fellow ; a ' codger.'

Cadlock, si. charlock, Sinapis arvensis.

Cag, v. n. to crawl about ; a var. of ' cank ' (?). ' Ah cain't 'ardly
cag about.'

Cag-mag, si. loathsome meat. I am not quite sure whether this
word really belongs to Leicestershire, though I have heard it used
more than once or twice.

Cake, si. a noodle. A Johnny Cake is also used. ' Duffer ' is
apparently the most popular Cockney synonym, and perhaps
owes its origin to the same metaphor, ' dough-pate,' apparently,
furnishing a connection between the two and an explanation of
both.

Calf- lick, si. a lock of hair on the forehead which will not lie flat.
Calf's view, si. calf's ' race ' or pluck.
Call, si. occasion ; necessity.

" For there's nobody no call to break anything if they'll only go
the right way to work." — Adam Bede, c. 20.

v. a., pec. to miscall; call names; vituperate; abuse. * A regular
called me down to the ground : a couldn; hit o' my roight neame
no-how.' l Shay left her pleace 'cause the missus called 'er soo.'

Call of, v. a. to call upon. ' Ah called of 'im, but a worn't at hum.'

Cambrel, si. a stick with notches on it upon which the carcase is
hung when the butcher cuts it up. The notches receive the sinews
of the legs by which the carcase is suspended, and keep the legs
apart.

Camp, sb., i. q. ' bury/ a pit lined with straw in which potatoes, &c.,
are placed, and then earthed over so as to form a mound.
v. a. to lay up potatoes, &c., in a camp.

Cample, v. n. to wrangle ; quarrel ; worry ; be sulky or cross.

" If they be incensed, angry, chide a little, their wives must not
cample again, but take it in good part." — An. Mel., 4, 2, 3, 3.
' Shay wur a very camplirf woman. '

Can, v. a., pec. to be able. 'Nobody seems to can understand it.'

Vide Could.

Cank, or Cank about, v. n. to idle about gossiping ; to dawdle or
saunter about ; be ' on the tramp.' ' A's ollus at a lewse end
a-cankin' about.'

Canker, v. n.. pec. to corrode, as copper or brass.
si. verdigris.

i 2

116 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Cant, v. a. to wheedle ; coax ; humour. ' The pony '11 be quiet
enough when he' s been canted a bit.'

Cant-window, slj. a projecting window with angles, as distinguished
from a ' bow- window,' which projects in a curve. So called from
the sides being * canted.' Vide Gloss. Arch.

Cap, v. a. to beat or excel ; also, to take the cap off to. * Well, if
that doon't cap all ! '

" 'Twas for the Goddess sake we capp'd the beast."

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 154.

Car, sb. a carboy ; a large bottle with a very short neck, containing
one or two gallons or more.

Careen, v. a. to ' preen ' or prune the feathers.

Carpet, v. a. to ' bring to book ; ' to summon for the purpose of
enquiry or reprimand. To be ' called on the carpet ' is equivalent
to receiving a scolding, the metaphor being taken from a servant
called into the presence of the master or mistress from an un carpeted
into a carpeted room. ' On the carpet ' is also generally used for
the usual newspaper ' on the tapis,' which last phrase, 1 suppose,
dates from the time when Dryden's patrons tasted the fraicheur of
the evening air.

" Now that we have got the eld Justice once more on the carpet."
— MACATJLAY'S Claybrook, p. 118.

Carpeting, sb. a scolding ; a reprimand. Vide Carpet.

Carry, v. a. or n.1 almost always used absolutely when applied to
carrying hay, corn, &c. from the field.

" They'll carry the sheaves of corn to-day —

They carried to-day so early ;
Along the lanes with a rustling sound
The loads of bearded barley." — MAEY Ho WITT.

' Please, sir, may I 'ave a 'oliday ? ' ' What for ? * ' Please, sir,
father's a-carryin' .'

Cast, sb. a second swarm of bees.

v. n. to swarm as bees. Rarely used, but recognized when used.
" To seek another soil as bees do when they cast."

DRAYTON, Pol. I.

p. p. warped ; twisted, as applied to wood, &c. As applied tc
sheep or other animals, flung on the back and unable to rise.

Castings, sb. the pellets ' cast ' by owls, &c. ; vomit. Casting in
the sense of a vomiting is used in Wye.

Cast-up (the a in all of these pron. as in 'hat'), v. a. to vomit; also
to accuse; lay the blame of a thing on, generally followed by
1 agen ' = against. ' A cast up agen 'im as he didn' gie 'im the
roight peepers an' wills,' i. e. the right legal documents connected
with an estate.

GLOSSARY.

117

Casualty, adj. infirm ; in a precarious state. Many nouns are thus
adjectively used. Vide ' Introd. Grammar.'

"There's Mrs. Bede getting as old and ca-a'alty as can be, and
she won't let anybody but you go anigh her hardly." — Adam Bede,
c. 49.

Cat, sb. a metal stand to keep a plate hot before a fire, generally con-
structed of three equal rods of metal passing through a knob of the
same, which unites them in the middle, so that the top and bottom
of the cat are exactly similar, and the three ends which at one time
serve as feet, at another are reversed, and form the stand on which
the plate is set.

Catch it (pron. ketch), v. p. to be scolded, beaten, or otherwise
punished.

Catched, p. and p. p. of ' catch.'

" My good old lady catch' 'd a cold and died."

POPE, Moral Essays, Ep. 3.

Catchy, adj. t catching/ as applied to weather, uncertain, unsettled.

Cater, and Cater-cornered, adj. and adv. diagonal ; diagonally. To
' cut cater ' in the case of velvet, cloth, &c., is what drapers know
as to * cut on the cross.'

Catersnozzle, v. a. to make an angle ; to ' mitre.' ' Yo' mut keeter-
snozzle it to match,' said an upholsterer of a border for a carpet,
meaning, ' You must cut it so as to make the pattern at the angles
or "mitres" symmetrical.' 'Ah wur obliged to cut 'em' — some
drains through a wood — ' keeter-snozzled on account o' the trees,'
i.e. zig-zag. 'Snozzle' in this word is simply another form of
' nozzle ' or end.

Cat-gallows, sb. two sticks stuck vertically in the ground, and a
third placed horizontally upon them to leap over. A more civilized
form of the apparatus consists of two uprights on stands, with pegs
at different heights on which to rest the horizontal bar. On one of
the stalls in Worcester Cathedral, figured in Wright's Archceol.
Essays, 1861, vol. ii. p. 117, is a carving which represents three rats
busily engaged in hanging grimalkin on a gallows of the former
kind. The word is by no means peculiar to Leicestershire, but I
am not aware that it has found its way out of the books of games
into any dictionary.

Cat-ice, sb. ice from under which the water has receded. Such ice
probably receives its name from being able to bear a cat, though
not a Christian. It is fabled, however, that cats, who as a rule
object to ice even more strongly than to water uncongealed, will
readily venture on ice of this particular description.

Causey, sb., var. pron. of ' causeway,' of which it seems to be the
corrector form.

Cauve in, v. n., var. pron. of ' cave in ; ' to ' crown in ;' to make a cave
or hollow : said of ground which falls in over old coal-pit workings,

118 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

&c. ' If the wull sog had cauved in upon 'im 'a'd nivver 'a got aout
aloive : ' said a well-sinker of a ' butty ' who was digging in a well
when the earth gave way.

Chaff, v. a., var. pron. of 'chafe,' to banter; rally.

sb. banter; raillery; nonsense.
Chaltered, p. p., var. of ' sweltered ' (?), overcome with heat.

Champion, sb. and adj. champain ; open country.

" Sometimes fair, sometimes foul, here champion, there enclosed."
— An. Mel, p. 13.

Champion turnips, pease, &c., are such as are grown in, or
suitable for open country. Since the establishment of Agricultural
Shows the word has become rather ambiguous.

Chanceable, adj. precarious ; liable to sudden vicissitudes. A word
still common.

" So we may this day be rich and to-morrow we may be beggars,
for the riches be chanceable unto us, but not unto God."— LAT.
Serm., XXVI. p. 478.

Chanch, sb., var. of ' chance.'

" That evel chaunche hire tide."

Wm. o/Palerne, 137.

"But Hetty's got as good a chanche o' getting a solid, sober
husband as any gell i' this country." — Adam Bede, c. 31.

Channils, sb., var. pron. of 'challenge.' 'It wur the Button men as
gen the channils.'

Chap, sb. familiar term for man or boy, — a person, a ' fellow.'

Chapelling, sb. business connected with, or services conducted in, a
Nonconformist chapel.

"Where's Seth? gone arter some o' 's chapellin' I reckon. "-
Adam Bede.

Chapman, sb. a customer.

" Beside, long credit is a loss to you,
And peradventure to your chapman too."

Choice of a Wife, p. 94.

The bard is here apostrophizing the shop-keeper, and the con-
text makes it plain that the chapman referred to is the general
customer, and not the commercial traveller. ' Plenty o' chaps an'
niwer a chapman,' is a sort of standard formula to describe the
state of the market when there are many enquiries but few
purchases.

Chap-money, sb. a small sum of money returned by the vendor to
the vendee on receiving payment. The ancient form of allowing
discount on the settlement of an account.

Chary, adj. economical ; parsimonious ; also, careful ; solicitous.

GLOSSARY. 119

" Is God so chary with a king to have him well brought up and
instructed."— LAT., Serm. VIII., p. 120.

Chatting, p. picking sticks or bits of wood. ' A gin us all leaf to
goo a-cAofttV i5 this spinney.'

Chatwood, sb. small sticks or pieces of wood for fuel.

Chawl, or sometimes Chawn, sb., var. pron. of ' jowl,' the side of the
face ; the cheek, particularly pig's cheek. ' Chaul ' and ' chaule '
are Wye. forms.

"Bothe his cliaul and his chynne." — Alex. 1119.
Cheek, sb. assurance; impudence ; insolence. 'Non o' your cheek.'

v. n. and a. to have assurance or impudence ; also, to behave
insolently, to insult. ' A couldn' cheek to goo in.' 'A couldn' cheek
it to ax me.' ' If yo' cheek me a-thatn agen, yo'll ha' shew-leather
about ye above yer butes,' i. e. you will get a kicking.

Cheese -boards (often pron. chess-boo'ds), sb. shelves or boards
fastened in the wall, on which cheeses are laid to dry.

Cheese-breaker, sb. an instrument, generally made of tinned iron,
used to break the curd in the cheese-pan.

Cheese-brigs, sb. Vide Brig.

Cheese-cover (generally pron. chess-kivver), sb. a wooden lid fitting
into the top of the cheese-pan.

Cheese-crusher, sb. a machine for crushing cheese. There are several
kinds of cheese-crusher, the lever-crusher, screw-crusher, &c.

Cheese-drainer, sb. a large vat or vessel full of holes, used to drain
the whey from the curd. The 'bowl' is used to take the whey
from the curd whilst in the cheese-pan.

Cheese-hoops (generally pron. chessups), sb. hoops or bands of tinned
iron used to place round the cheese inside the * chesford.'

Cheese-pan, sb. a large vessel, generally of brass, into which the
milk from the cow is poured.

Cheeses, sb., pec. the seeds of the common mallow, Mdlva sylvestris.
1 Making cheeses ' is an amusement for children practised by girls.
The process consists in spinning rpund rapidly, and then crouching
down so as to distend the petticoats somewhat in the shape of a
cheese. The performers occasionally sing a song, of which the
refrain is, ' Turn, cheeses, turn ! ' but I do not remember to have
heard the example cited by Mr. Halliwell-Phillips. — Percy Soc.,
vol. iv. p. 122.

Cheese-stand, sb. a hoop, wrapped round with hay, for the cheese to
stand on.

Cheese-standard, sb. an appliance belonging to the cheese-dairy.
There are two kinds of cheese-standards, one, a long board on

1*20 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

trestles ; the other, in 1848, a comparatively late invention. It
consists of a strong post or upright, revolving on pivots let into
one of the main beams above and below, through which bars are
passed at right angles at various heights, supporting shelves on
which the cheeses are placed.

Chelp, v. n. to chirp ; chatter. « When yo' come anigh the magpie,
he chelps at ye.' ' The yoong boods are chelpiri as feece as can be.'
' What are yo' a-chelpin' about ? '

Chep, adj., var. pron. of ' cheap.'

Cherry-clack, sb. a clack or rattle worked by a small wind-mill with
wooden wings, set in a fruit-tree to frighten birds. Hence, figur-
atively, clack, chatter. 'Hold your cherry-clack.''

Chesford, sb., var. pron. of ' cheese-vat,' the tub or wooden vessel
with two hoops in which the curd is crushed. Ootg. has — ' A chees-
ford, comme cheese-press.'

Chessups, sb., var. pron. of ' cheese-hoops,' q. v.

Chibble, v. n. to chip, of which the word is a frequentative form, to
crumble off. 'The putty chibbles off so.' Vide Chivel and
Chimble.

Chiff-chaff, phr.

" Chiff-chaff, never change agen
As long as the world stands, Amen ! "

is a school-boy formula solemnly ratifying an exchange of property.
This rhyme is common in Shropshire, and very probably elsewhere.

Childer, or CMldern, sb., var. of 'children.'

Chill, v. a., pec. to take the chill off. ' Did you chill the water for
the'osses?'

Chimble, v. a. to nibble, bite, crush, or grate into small pieces.
Vide Chibble. ' Woon't 'e chimble a wa'nut ? ' ' The rots 'a bin
chimbliri1 the hee.'

Chimbly, sb., var. of ' chimney. '

Chime (pron. choime), sb. a stave of a cask, barrel, &c.

Chin-cough, sb. whooping-cough.

" Your name can scare an Atheist to his prayers,
And cure the Ohincough better than the Bears."

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 62.

Chink, sb. money, an old cant term.

" For marck how they do still bestowe
This beastly gotten chinck."

NewesoutofP. C., Sat. V.

Chip out, v. n. to 'fall out;' quarrel. 'They chipped out while
they were drinkinV

GLOSSARY. 121

Chisel, v. a. to cheat.
Chisels, sb. fine bran.
Chisket, sb. cheese-cake, or rather ' cheese-cate.'

Chit, v. n. and sb. to bud ; begin to sprout : said of potatoes,
barley, &c.

Chitterlmg pasties, sb. mince pies, plus chopped pigs' chitterlings.
' Some folks,' said a farmer's wife to me, ' call 'em chitterliri pasties,
I allays call 'em lights pies.'

Chitterlings, sb. the small guts.

Chitty-face, sb. and Chitty-faced, adj. with white, pinched features.
"A thin, lean chitty-face." — An. Mel, 3, 2, 4, 1.

Cotg. has "A chittie-face, or chiche-face, chiche-face, visage de
rebec." How about ' Bicorne ' in this connection ?

Chivel, v. n. and a., var. of Chibble, q. v., to chip; crumble to
pieces ; also, to slit ; tear ; grate, or nibble. ' The bricks wur all
chivelled wi' the frosst.' c Yo'll chivel the net all to pieces agen
them thorns.'

sb. a small slit or tear ; a hollow where a piece has chipped or
crumbled away ; also, the piece itself ; any small fragment. * This
'ere gownd's all full o' chivels an' 'ools.'

Chivellings, sb., i. q. Chovellings, q. v.

Chivy, v. a. to chase ; to drive as if chasing. l They chivied the
wull lot o' beast ovver.'

Chock, and Chock-full, adj., var. of ' choke-full,' full to suffocation.
' The reum wur that chock, ah couldn' git anoigh anew to 'ear 'im.'

Chop, v. n., var. of ' chap,' to crack, like clay-land in July, or the
hands in January.

v. a. to ' hack ' in haymaking. Vide Hack and Hay.

v. a., var. pron. of * chap,' to exchange ; barter ; swop. In the
phrase 'to chop logic,' the word is still generally used if not
understood.

Chops, sb., var. pron. of 'chaps,' a disparaging synonym for cheeks.

" And down he dips his chops deepe in the myre."

HALL, Sat. III. 6.

Frequently used in composition, as in 'fat-chops,' ' bacon-cAops, '
'slobber-c^ops,' &c.

Chorton, sb. calves' tripe, an esteemed delicacy.

Chovelings, sb. husks and refuse left by rats or mice in a rick or
elsewhere; any small fragments chipped, crumbled, or nibbled.
' Ah knood they wur in the rick by their chovelins.' ' The chovelins
o' the mortar wur a-lyin' agen the bottom o' the wall all along.'
Vide Chibble and Chivel.

Christ (pron. kroist), ppr. n. familiar abbreviation for 'Christopher.'

122 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

The nunie is also shortened into ' Topher,' pron. ' Toofer,' both
forms being commoner than either ' Chris' or ' Kit.'

Christian, sb. a human being as distinguished from a beast. The
implied generalization is perhaps too extensive. ' As cunning as a
Christian ' is a favourite form of eulogy for a dog or other animal
remarkable for intelligence.

Christmas, sb. the evergreens, particularly holly, used in Christmas
decorations.

Chrucher, sb. I find this word as descriptive of live stock of some
kind in a sale catalogue of 184—. Will any benevolent reader
enlighten me as to its meaning ?

Chuck, and Chuck-full, adj., i. q. Chock, and Chock-full, q. v.

Chuck, v. a. to toss or throw, often used figuratively. * Chuck us
a 'a-pny.'

" 'Alf-a-crown a day, an' walkin' up an' down all night in the
rain like this ere ! I tell ye what it is, it's too good for me ! I
chucks it up ! That's what I does, I chucks it up ! " — Discontented
policeman to Inspector, 1874.

Chuck-a-biddy, sb., var. of ' chick-a-biddy,' a child's name for a
chicken. One may often hear chickens called to their food with :
'Chuck, chuck, chuck-a-biddy ; chuck, chuck, chuck-a-biddy , see!'

Chuckle-headed, adj. thick-headed ; doltish.

Chuff, adj. pleased ; delighted ; proud ; conceited. l The children's
quite chuff to come.' ' A's quoite chuff o' his new cloo'es.'

Chuff, sb. a niggardly churl.

" Or crouch to a rich chuffe for a meal's meat." — An. Mel., 1, 2,
3, 15.

Chump, sb. a thick lump or log of wood, &c. The thick end of the
loin in veal, mutton, &c., is called the ' chump end.'

Chunk, sb. the stump of a tree ; a lump ; large shapeless piece of
anything: often applied to bread, meat, &c. — The 'chunk of Old
Bed Sandstone ' which Bret Harte tells us took an unhappy American
professor 'in the abdomen/ was probably an 'erratic' from the
mother-country.

Chunkings, sb. the stump of a tree, with the roots, &c., when the
' stick ' has been felled.

Church-wardener, sb. a churchwarden ; also, the long clay pipe
called a churchwarden.

Churly, adj. stiff ; stubborn : as applied to soil.
Churm, sb. and v. a. or n.y var. pron. of * churn.'

Clack, sb. a clapper to scare birds ; but generally used in a figurative
sense for a gossip, tale-bearer, scandal-monger, scold.

GLOSSARY. 123

v. n. to clap or rattle ; also generally used figuratively for to
gossip, chatter, or scold.

Clag, v. n. to ' clay ; ' to stick as clay does ; to bemire ; bedraggle.
* The sile (soil) dags so to the wool.' * All 'er petticoats wur dagged
a inch thick.'

Claggy, adj. clayey ; miry ; sticky as well as dirty to walk through.
" Jotteux, daggy, clammy, cleaving." — COTG.

Clam, v. a. and n. to starve ; famish. ' Starve ' in Leicestershire is
only used in connection with cold. * A's welly dammed.'

Clamp, sb. a cramp or cramp-iron ; a piece of iron used in strength-
ening or repairing stone-work, &c. , generally let into the stone on
each side of the joint or crack which it cramps or holds together,
and made fast with lead. Also any kind of mechanical cramp.

v. a. and n. to hold together by a damp or cramp of any kind.

Clank, sb. a set or series. ' I bought a clank o' feet,' i. e. a set of
cow's or calf s feet.

Clans, sb. the afterbirth or secundines.

Clarty, adj. the state of the ground at the commencement of a thaw
after a hard frost, when the surface is ' greasy,' and all below still
ice-bound and hard.

Clat, sb., var. pron. of ' clot' and ' clod,' a spot or lump of dirt, soil,
&c. Applied specially to the droppings of cattle.

Claw, v. a. to natter ; cringe to ; ' toady.' Sometimes the word is
used absolutely in this sense, but to ' daw the back ' is the com-
moner form.

" To daw the back of him that beastly lives."

HALL, Sat., Prol.

Claw-back, sb. a flatterer ; parasite ; ' toad-eater. '

" These nattering claw-backs are original roots of all mischief." —
LAT. Serm. VIII. p. 120.

" These daw-backs, these venomous people that will come to you,
that will follow you like Gnathos and parasites." — Ib., p. 124.

Clay, sb., var. pron. of ' claw.' Each division of the hoof in cloven-
footed animals is so called.

" The deyes of crabs or scorpions, les bras des escrevisses" &c. —
COTG.

" . . . That's the cause
She cleft her hoof into so many claws."

CLEAVELAND, p. 40.

' Ever sin the murrain her days have been so tender.'

Clean, adv. ' right/ in such phrases as ' right through,' ' right over,'
&c.

" That dean throughout his soil proud Cotswold cannot show."

DRAYTON, Pol. XIV.

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

' Clean into tlie dyke, and dirty out on it.'

adj., phr. To 'lick clean' is sometimes used in the sense of vin-
dicating a person's character, and is thus precisely equivalent to tlie
useful metaphorical slang verb to ' white-wash.'

' ' Old Dick, he strove to lick him clean :
One was fat and the other was lean ;
And if he had lick'd from morning until night,
He never would have lick'd him right."

Broadside Ballad, by J. F. YATES, 18-14.

Clee, sb., var. pron. of ' claw.' Vide Clay. ' C7e,' ' cleej ' cles,"1 and
' cleas ' occur in Wye.

Cleg, sb. a horse-fly, Ostrus equi.

Clem, v. a. and n., var. pron. of Clam, q. v.

"Ye mun ayther be clemmed or full, I should think." — Adam
Bede, c. 30.

Clever, adj. nimble ; agile ; deft : an epithet more commonly applied
to horses than men.

Clever-shanks, sb. a wise-acre ; one whose head will never save his
heels : generally applied to a woman.

Clever through, phr. right through ; straight through. Macaulay,
Antiq. of Claybrook, 1791, quotes, " I shall go next ways clever
through Ullesthorpe," and speaks of the phrase as being in common
use. I never heard it myself, and never heard of anybody who
had. If the theory of a printer's blunder were admissible in the
case of so carefully edited a work, I should have concluded that the
author wrote ' clean through.'

Clicker, sb. one employed to cut out and prepare shoe-leathers for the
shoe-makers. The word is technical, not dialectal.

Clinch, v. a.} var. pron. of ' clench.'
Cling, v. a., var. pron. of ' clench.'

" To needlework she was a stranger quite,
But she could cling her double fist and fight."

Choice of a Wife, p. 40.

Clinkers, sb. pieces of hard refuse or slag from the foundries ; brick-
bats partially vitrified by over-burning, &c. The name is given
from the ' clink ' or peculiar ring of such substances when struck.

Clip (of wool), sb. the quantity shorn in one season on one farm or
from one flock.

Clock, sb. the head of the dandelion, Leontodon Taraxacum, covered
with seed. The time of day is supposed to be ascertainable by
gathering one of these and blowing at it, the number of puffs
required to clear off all the seeds corresponding with the hour.

" I'm like a clock myself, which if fair weather
Should separate, no art can put together."

CLEAVELAND, Revived, p. 54.

GLOSSARY. 125

Clog", sb., var. pron. of 'log ' (1), a log of any kind, but particularly
a log attached by a chain to an animal's leg to prevent it straying,
&c.

Clommer, v. n. frequentative form of ' clomp,' to clump ; make a
noise with the boots. * A wur a-clommerin' an' a-stommerin' wi'
his feet.'

Clomp, v. n. and a. to clump ; make a heavy stumping noise with
the boots in walking ; also, technically, to fasten on to the sole an
extra piece of thick leather at the * tread ' of the boot.

Close, adj., pec. oppressive ; sultry ; also, reserved ; uncommunicative;
also, as applied to animals, not noisy nor restless; quiet. ' Shay's
a very doos caow ; shay doon't rake or blaut.'

Close, sb., pi. Closen (pron. cloozen), clausum, " a field or piece of
land parted off from other fields or common lands by banks, hedges,
&c." — Law Lex., s. v.

' Ah took an' too'd 'im as they'd hulled his doose i' the lane to be
run ovver. It's a sooch a little un as yo' durs'n't goo in it, not
affter the reen, for fear as the wull doose 'ud clag to yer butes.'

Clot, v. a. to scatter manure left by animals on grazing land. The
operation is generally performed with a fork with the tines so bent
as not to tear up the ground. Also, to break up the clods in a field
after harrowing with a beetle or large mallet.

" . . . as in my country in Leicestershire . . . the ploughman
first setteth forth his plough, and then tflleth his land and breaketh
it in furrows and sometime ridgeth it up again ; and at another
time harroweth it and dotteth it . . .so the prelate . . . hath a
busy work to bring his flock to a right faith . . . now clotting them
by breaking their stony hearts and making them supple-hearted."
— LAT. Serm. VI. p. 61.

sb. a clod ; sod ; lump of soil, &c. Vide Clat.
" A clod or dot, glazon, bloutre, motte." — GOTO.

Clotting-beetle, sb. a beetle or mallet with a long stail for breaking
up clods after harrowing.

Clotting-fork, sb. a fork for scattering manure left on grazing land.
Clout, sb. a blow ; stroke ; cuff.

" Then Nancy turn'd her round about,

Saying, did Sandy hear you,

You would not miss to get a clout,

I know he doth not fear you."

Ranty Tanty.
Clump, v. n. and a., i. q. Clomp, q. v.

sb. " a cluster of trees," says Johnson, who quotes Shenstone. In
Leicestershire the word is not restricted to trees. A dump of reeds,
nettles, &c., is the usual term for a patch or small bed.

Clutter, sb. disorder ; confusion ; uproar.

" This clutter ore, Clarinda lay
Half-bedded, like the peeping day."

CLEAVELAND, p. 159.

126 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

v. a. to huddle together ; mix confusedly ; heap up in a disorderly
manner.

" A silly company of poor souls, that follow all, and are cluttered
together like so many pibbles in a tide." — An. Mel., 3, 4, 1, 2.

"... Out of their scuppers pour'd
Their traitrous chit f red gore upon his wrinkled face."

DRAYTON, Pol. XVIII.

Coal-haggler, or Coal-higgler, si. one who fetches coal from the
wharf or pit in his own vehicle, either for dealers in coal ov to
retail on his own account.

Coal-hod (pron. cool-ud), sb. a coal-scuttle. The ordinary old-
fashioned form of scuttle, shaped something like a scoop, is almost
always called a ' coal-scoop,' but a scuttle of any other form is a
'hod.' The small accessory of the scuttle, known in sea-coal dis-
tricts as the ' coal-scoop,' is unknown in Leicestershire, where the
coal ' runs large.' Vide Coal-scuttle.

Coal-scoop, sb. coal-scuttle. Vide Coal-hod.

Coal-scuttle, sb. a shallow, shield-shaped basket or pan made of thin
' slats ' of wood interlaced, with a wickerwork edge, for carrying
coal. Sometimes it is of more substantial manufacture, but it is
always a large wooden, not metal, tray, either with or without a
handle.

Cob, v. a. to strike : generally to strike on the head. ' Ah thowt a
wur a-gooin' to cob me:*

sb. a blow or knock. ' Ah'll gie yo a cob o' the yead, ah mill/

Cob-nut, sb. a large nut or filbert used in a boys' game of the same
name. Strings are passed through the nuts by which to use them
in playing. Each player in turn holds his cob-nut up by the string
to be ' cobbed ' at by the other, and the player who first breaks his
adversary's nut is the winner of the game.

" Gathering the large unripe nuts to play at ' cob-nut1 with." —
Adam Bede, c. 30.

Cobbles, sb. pieces of coal, smaller than { lumps ' and larger than
' slack,' about the size of the two fists. The largest pieces of coal
are called ' brazzles ' or 'brazils,' which are used, though not to the
same extent as formerly, in the manufacture of glass, &c. The
next in size are called ' lumps,' the next ' cobbles,'1 and the smallest
' slack/ A Leicestershire servant going into a sea-coal district is
certain to complain of the coal as being ' nothink better nur sleek. '

Cock, sb. a snail-shell when used in the game of fighting cocks,
which is played by pressing the points or noses of two snail-shells
together till one of them breaks.

Cockadore, v. n. to play the master, or lord it over another in a
hectoring, bullying way.

Cock-a-hoop, adj. exultant ; demonstratively triumphant.

" They quaffe and make good cheere,
Set Cock on hoope with hoape that once
A daye shall paye for all."

Newes out of P. C., Sat. 6.

GLOSSARY. 127

Cockney, and Cockney-like, adj. dainty; delicate.

" Being over precise, Cockney -like, and curious in their observa-
tion of meats, times, &c." — An. Mel., 1, 2, 2, 2.

' Shay's a cockney little thing, shay woon't atejno fat. '

Cock-sure, adj. confidently certain.

" Whom He judges to be good, he is sure ; he is safe ; he is cock-
sure.'11— LAT. Serm. X. p. 160.

Cocky, adj. conceited ; self-important ; ' bumptious.'

" Acer 'ester, to wax cockit, grow proud, become saucy, lively,
stately, to stout it, or stand upon high tearmes." — COTG.

Cod, sb. pod.

Coddle, v. «., var. pron. of Caddie, q. v.

Codge, v. a. or n. to cobble ; botch ; do a thing clumsily ; get any-
thing into a tangle or confused heap. ' Some coarse cotton for my
gel to codge wi'.'

sb. a botch ; bungle ; clumsily- wrought job ; also, a tangle ; con-
fused heap. ' Your cloo'es are all of a codge.'

Codger, sb., var. pron. of Cadger, q. v. a fellow; 'chap;' ' promis-
cuous person.'

Collogue, v. n. to league together for mischief; confederate; plot;
be on intimate terms with.

" They all collogue together, them tramps." — Adam Bede, c. 22.

' A's a such a colloguin' chap. '

" As parasites to natter and collogue with some great men." — An.
Mel., p. 7.

Colly, sb. a term of endearment for a cow.

v. «. to blacken ; dirty.

" To collow, charbonner, poisler." — CoTGK

adj. coally ; dirty ; black. ' My hands are all colly}

Colly-stick, sb. a stick used for lighting a pipe, &c., one end being
thrust into the fire. ' Fetch us a colly-stick to light the rocket.'

Come, prep. (1) at, on, or by, in relation to time.

" It's five and thirty year, come next harvest, sin I fun pardon to
my soul, and I'n hed a deal to pass through sin then. My husband
very much parsecuted me, but it pleased the Lord to convart his
soul about twenty year ago, come Martlemas." — Round Preacher,
p. 71.

" She's been here but a year come Michaelmas." — Adam Bede,
c. 31.

Come-again, v. n. to walk as a ghost.

' Maaster ! maaster ! Theer's Mister Thorold i' the church-yaad ! r
' Why, my boy, Mr. Thorold's been dead and buried this fortnight
or more.' * Ah knoo a 'as, but a cooms agen very bad ! An' a's
theer naow ! '— At Scalford, 1853.

1.28 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Corned, p. p. become.

Come-other ! excl. Vide Horse Language.

Complementary, adj. having the full complement of wits. A woman
said of her husband, ' Ah woon't sey as a's quoite complementary,
loike, but a knoos better nur to act as a doos.'

Conceit, sb. opinion ; fancy ; liking ; prejudice,

" Departing in conceit much wiser than they came."

WOTY'S Poems, p. 35.

' Ah'n but a poor consate on 'im.' 'If a wanst teks a console,
loike, yo mee as good talk to a win'mill.'

v. n. to think; believe; consider. 'Ah consate it waw,' i. e. I
think it was.

Condocity, sb. docility. Vide Docity.

Conolize, v. a., var. pron. of ' colonize.'

"I often think as if Conference had fair play, it would soon con-
nelize the world." — Bound Preacher, p. 23.

Consarn, excl. substitute for a more explicit imprecation.

Constant, adv. constantly.

" They want somebody's eye on 'em constant if they're to be kept
to their work." — Adam Bede, c. 49.

' With a constant ' is frequently used in the sense of continuously.
' It loightened wC a constant best paart o' a hour.'

Contemptible, adj. and adv. contemptuous ; contemptuously. ' A
looked at me as contemptible as contemptible.' ' A spook on 'im ivver
so contemptible.'

Contemptibly, adv. contemptuously. Saint Guthlac.

" The mad tumultuous world contemptibly forsook."

DRAYTON, Pol. XXIV.

Contemptious, adj. and adv. contemptible ; contemptibly ; some-
times, but rarely, contemptuous ; contemptuously.

Contrive, v. n. to comprehend ; imagine. * Ah cain't contrive what-
ivver a wur a-thinkin' on.'

excl. a variety of ' dodge-devil ' imprecation, like ' consarn.1 I
suppose in both cases the word so delicately avoided is simply the
' confound ' of our National Anthem, which, after all, is not so
shockingly profane as to require a periphrasis. ' Con-troive the
pig!'

Coot, sb., plir. ' As bald as a coot ' is a common simile for baldness.
" I have an old grim sire to my husband, as bald as a coot." — An.
Mel., 3, 3, 1, 2.

Cop, sb. top.

" So going up hy till to coppe came he."

Partenay, 5911.

GLOSSARY. 129

The word is also used more than once in Wye. To ' set the cops '
in ploughing is to mark out the first furrows on each side of the
spaces or ' lands ' into which the field is divided ; the cops serving as
a guide for the ploughman in ploughing the remainder of the land.
The cops of a field in mediaeval Latin are capita, which the Law
dictionaries translate " abuttals or boundaries." Vide Feer and
Stetch.

v. a. to strike on the head ; to decapitate ; to pollard. Two ' Copt
Oaks ' figure in the local nomenclature.

Cope, v. n. to bid money for ; bargain for. A technical term in
horse-dealing, but often used in other transactions. * Are you
going to cope for that horse ? '

Cope-horse-dealer, sb. a petty horse-dealer ; one who buys horses at
an auction to sell again at once ; a horse-broker.

Corby-crow, sb. the common crow, Corviis corone.

Cord, sb. In the Law lexicons a cord of wood is defined as " a quan-
tity of wood 8ft. long, 4ft. broad, and 4ft. high." The word, how-
ever, is also often used in a non- technical sense for any large
bundle of wood.

Corn-crake, or Corn-drake, sb. the landrail, Rallus crex. Both
names, apparently, are given from the note of the bird, which
can be exactly imitated by drawing a stick along the teeth of a
comb, ;a method of attracting the bird common among rustic sports-
men.

Cornish, sb., var. of * cornice.'

"The cornish, or brow of a piller or wall, cornice, corniche." —
COTG.

Cot, sb. " a fleece of wool, matted together in its growth." — Bit.

Also, any confused heap, tangle, or matting of hair, string,
cotton, &c. * Your hair's all of a cot.'

v. a. and n. to knot ; tangle ; mat together. ' This silk cots so.'

Cotch, v. a. a common var. of ' catch,' though not so general as
' ketch.' The p. and p. p. * cotched ' are more frequently heard
than * cotch.' This form is employed by the metropolitan moralist :
" Him as prigs vot isn't hisn,
Yen Vs cotched 'ull go to prison."

Cotter, sb. the iron pin with a slot near the end for fastening a
shutter. When pas?ed through the shutter and window-frame
from the outside, a piece of iron called the ' key ' is dropped into
the slot, and prevents the pin being withdrawn. A somewhat
similar arrangement for fastening wheels, &c., is also called a
cotter. The word is also used for plague, trouble, worry. ' Mekkin'
this 'ere little frock is a gret cotter tew me.'

v. a. and n. to fasten with a cotter ( Vide last word) ; also, to
plague; worry; vex; annoy. * It cotters him iyver so.' Also, to
potter about, in which sense it seems to be a variation of ' potter ; '

K

130 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

also, to knot or entangle ( Vide Cot) ; also, to grapple with ; en-
counter ; ' tackle.' ' My dog will cotter with anything but a hether,'
i.e. ' adder.'

Could, v. n. to be able. ' I'd use to could.'' It is also used with
the negative suffixed. ' Shay'd use to couldn't sit nur staii'.' Vide
Can.

Count, v. n. to believe ; expect : exactly equivalent to the Yankee
' guess ' or ' reckon.'

sb. expectation; opinion; account. 'To mek count' is a very
common phrase for to expect, calculate, reckon, suppose. ' To
mek much count,' ' great count,' 'little count,' 'no count,' &c. are =
to have a great opinion of, little opinion of, no opinion of. &c.
'Ah dunna mek so mooch mount o' them theer Chaney pigs.'
' Upon count' = on account of, because.

"I've been forced t' have Nancy in upo' count as Hetty must
gether the red currants." — Adam Bede, c. 20.

Country -lawyers, sb. brambles. * The squoire had ought to get
shut o' these 'ere coontry lawyers,' innocently observed Dick the
keeper, pretending not to know that the sportsman he had beguiled
into a dripping tangle of blackberry-bushes was a provincial
attorney.

Cover-slut, sb. a large apron covering the chest as well as the fore-
part of the skirt, tied round the neck and waist, and often round
the petticoats as well, about the height of the knees. The word is
rather technical than dyslogistic.

Cow-boose, sb. a cattle-stall. Vide Boosing.
Cow-clat, or Cows-clat, sb. cow-dung. Vide Clat.
Cow-crib, a crib for cattle.

Cow-gate, sb. the right of depasturing cows. In "Wymeswould and
several other villages, the inhabitants have the privilege of depastur-
ing their cows in the lanes, and each person so privileged is said to
have a cow-gate.

Cow-pock, sb. cow-pox. Vide Cut.

Cow's-clans, sb. the afterbirth or secundines of the cow.

Cow-shern, sb. cow-dung. In the South-east side of the shire, says
Burton (Hist, of Leic., p. 2), the only disadvantage is, "the want
of wood and fuel for fire, for which the inhabitants are constrained
either to travel far to fetch it, or else to make use of those small
helps which they have, as straw, coiv-shern, and such like."

Cow-trodden, adj. cross-grained, awkward to manage. A carpenter
will complain of 'a nassty cow-trodden piece o' wood.'

Coxy, adj. conceited; touchy; 'uppish'; supercilious.

"When he comes to church, he sits an' shakes his head, an'
looks as sour an' as coxy when we're a-singin', as I should like to
fetch him a rap across the jowl." — Adam Bede.

GLOSSARY. 131

Crabby, adj. crabbed ; sour ; ill-tempered.

Crack, v. n. to boast ; brag.

"Your very tradesmen, if they be excellent, will crak and brag,
and show their folly in excess." — An. Mel., 1, 2, 3, 14.

To the query, ' How are you to-day 1J ' a very common answer is,
' Nothing to crack of/ or, ' Not to be cracked of.'

sb. a boast.

" Some men make their cracks that they, maugre all men's heads,
have found purgatory." — LAT. Serin. V. p. 51.

"Great cracks hath been made that all should be well." — Ib.
•Serm. VII. p. 91.

"Out of this fountain proceed all those crack-8 and brags." —
An. Mel., 1, 2, 3, 14.

' Ah heerd 'im a-mekkin' his cracks ovver it.'

sb. a twinkling; a 'jiffy.' ' In a crack,' instantaneously.
Cracker, sb. a loud lie.

Cradelings, sb. ' pencilled ' fowls, with plumage speckled upon
white.

Cradle-scale, sb. a pair of scales for weighing sacks of corn in a mill.
Cram, or Cram up, v. a. to make a person believe a lie ; to * humbug.'

Cram, v. n. to intrude. 'My Papa doesn't like me to cram in that
way.'

Crammer, sb. a lie.

Crane, sb. the heron, ardea cinerea. ' Wan o' them theer long-legged
create.1

Crank, adj. sick ; ailing.

Crankling, p. sinuous ; twisting in and out.

' ' Meander, who is said so intricate to be,
Hath not so many turns nor crankling nooks as she."

DRAYTON, Pol. VII.

' Cranking' is the Shaksperian form : I Hen. IV., III. i.

Cranky, adj. sick ; ailing ; also, fanciful ; crotchety ; uncertain-
tempered.

Crap, sb., var. pron. of ' crop.'

Cratch, sb. a rack for hay, &c. A butcher's cratch is the frame or
cradle on which he lays out or dresses a carcass.

Cratchelty, adj. decrepit ; tottering. I rather think that both this
word and ' crickelty ' are in reality variations of Casualty, g. v.

Crawk, v. n. to caw ; make a hoarse noise ; call out loudly.

"Not many hours 'ud pass afore they'd crawk out for the loaves
and fishes, I know."— Round Preacher, p, 94.

K 2

132 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Creachy, adj. sickly ; weakly ; ailing. ' A wur olleys a poor creacJiy
thing.'

Creature, sb. a disparaging terra for a person. 'A creetur loike
that,' &c. Very generally used with a contemptuous epithet to
express a person deficient in intellect.

' ' What cannot such scoffers do, especially if they finde a soft
creature,, on whom they may work?" — An. Mel., 1, 2, 4, 4.

' Quoite a poo' creetur, ,' may signify either one quite helpless from
ill-health, or one mentally imbecile.

Crep, p. and p. p. crept.

" Ther crep oute an addre."— Alex., 1009.
Crest, v. a. to crease. 'Doon't ye tumble an' crest the 'ankercher.'

Cribble, v. n. frequentative form of ' crib,' to dodge ; shuffle ;
extricate oneself by shifts. ' Shay cribbled through the coort an'
got off.'

Crickelty, adj. unsteady ; liable to tilt up or upset.
Cricket, sb. a small stool ; footstool.
Crimple, v. a. and n. to crumple ; wrinkle.
Crinkle, v. a. and n. to crumple; wrinkle; 'kink.'

sb. a wrinkle ; twist ; < kink.'

' ' ' Ilion ' the third, which consists of many crinckles, which
serves with the rest to receive, keep, and distribute the * Chylus.' "
—An. Mel, 1, 1, 2, 4.

Crinkle-crankle, adj. and adv. zig-zag ; sinuous ; in and out.

Crmkum-crankum, sb. and adj. any engineering or mechanical
device or toy; a whim; crotchet; 'whimsy' in all senses; fantastic.

Crizzle, v. n. to crisp ; to grow hard and rough with heat or cold.
' The peent's all crizzled wi' the sun.'

Croffle, v. n. to hobble ; shuffle about with difficulty ; crawl about
like one sick or decrepit.

Crofflmg, part. adj. infirm ; ailing ; scarcely able to move about.

Croft, sb. "A little close adjoining to a dwelling-house or home-
stead."— Law Lex.

Crookled, part. adj. crooked. 'Oh, if I haven't been an' done it
all crackled ! '

Crop, sb. the craw of a bird.

Cropper, v. &., var. pr. of ' crupper/ to cramp. ' My legs ha' got
croppered so wi' sitting a-thisns.'

Cross-patch, sb. an irritable, ill-tempered person. To conciliate a

GLOSSARY. 133

sulky child, the following lines are frequently repeated to a
monotonous but derisive chant : —
" Cross-patch,

Draw the latch,
Sit by the fire and spin !
Take a cup
And drink it up,
And call the neighbours in ! "

Crow, sb. the rook, corvus predatorius, or frugilegus. The true
crow, corvus corone, is a ' corby-crow.'
Also, pig's fat fried with the liver.

Growl ('ow' as in 'cow'), v. n., var. pron. of 'crawl,' not often
heard.

Cruddle, v. n. and a., var. pron. of 'curdle.'

" Which cruddles the blood and pricks the heart."

SPENSER, Sh. Kal. ^Eg., 2.

" See how thy blood cruddles at this."

BEATJMONT and FLETCHER, K. and no K., I. i.

Crudle, v. n. to shrink or cower with cold, fear, or pain; also, to
coax, fawn, or cringe. ' Thay sot a-crewdlin' ovver the foire.'
4 Doon't coom crewdliri1 up to me.'

Cruds, sb., var. pron. of ' curds.'

Cruet, sb. a small bottle, used in the plural as in Wye,, Mark vii.
4, 8. 'The cruets' generally means small spirit-decanters on a
stand.

Crumb, v. a. to break bread into. ' Croomb the basins.'

Crunch, v. a. and n. to crush with a noise, as a dog does a bone ; to
break with a wrench ; to splinter.

sb. a wrench ; a fibrous fracture ; a splinter. ' Tek keer how yo'
ben' that theer ewp (hoop), or it'll go in croonches.'

Crupper, v. a. to cramp ; also, to master ; subdue. Vide Cropper.
"A grandmother, speaking to me (A. B. E.) of the ill-conduct of a
grandson, a boy of wilful and unruly temper, told me that his
father had been" obliged to give him a severe flogging. * Yes,' said
I, 'he seems to me rather ungovernable.' 'Well,' she replied, ' I
think he's crooppered him now.' "

Crush out, v. a. to crowd out. 'Ah couldn' git anoigh the foire,
for they crooshed me aout.'

Cub, v. a., var. pr. of ' coop,' to confine.

"If it be so great a delight to live at liberty .... what misery
and discontent must it needs bring ... to be cubbed up on a
sudden."— An. Mel, 1, 2, 4, 5.

Cubby-house and Cubby-hutch, sb. a hutch or coop for rabbits or
other small animals.

THE DIALECT OF LKK'KSTERSIIIKE.

Click, r. /•., var. i>r<»t. of 'chuck,' to throw; also, to jerk; lurch;
move irregularly. ' Cuck us the ball.' ' The carriage cucks ahout so.3

Cuckoo-flower, sb. properly the eardamine pfateneis, but the red-
flowered campion, lychnis dioica, is also sometimes so called.

Cuckoo-pint and Cuckoo-pintle, si), are names often wrongly given
co the cuckoo-flower, but also often rightly to the flower of the
arum maculatum, ' lords and ladies.'

Cuckoo's bread and cheese, sb. the young shoots of the blackthorn
in spring.

Cuckoo-spit, sb. the white froth of the larvae of cicada spumaria, or
telliconn spumaria,

Cuif, v. a. to strike ; hit ; knock roughly.

sb., var. pron. of * cough.'
Cull, v. a. to select, applied almost exclusively to sheep.

sb. after sheep have been 'culled,' those rejected for sale, &c.,
are called culls. The word is sometimes metaphorically applied to
inferior specimens of the human race.

Cunning, adj. intelligent; clever. 'That theer dog's as cutuiittf/ as
a Christian.'

C'up, excl. abbreviation of 'come up.' A call for catching horses in
the open, or for encouragement or objurgation in driving or riding.
It is also the usual call to cows at milking time. ' C'oop, wench !
Soo-oo, wench ! C'oop, wench ! '

Current, adv. freely ; readily ; ' kindly/ ' A doon't tek 'is fewd
current,' i. e. take his food with an appetite.

Cushion-dance, sb. Brand (Pop. Ant., II. 162) quotes an account
of this dance from Playford's Dancing Master, which correctly
describes it, the only exception being that real names are used
instead of ' John' and ' Joan Sanderson.'

" A friend of his reprehended him for dancing beside his dignity,
belike at some cushen dance." — An. Mel., 2, 2, 2, 4.

Cut, sb. canal. Hartshorne's remark holds true in Leicestershire, as
well as Salop, " Three different grades of society designate it by the
several titles of ' the canal,' ' the navigation,' and ' the cut.'' " The
word is now frequently applied to a railroad, especially one in
course of construction.

v. a. to make an incision with a lancet, &c. ' To cut for the cow-
pock,' is to vaccinate.

Cut the comb, plir. to humiliate ; abase.

"He cutteth off our combs, he plucketh down our stomach." —
LAT., Serm. XVII., p. 337.
The metaphor, of course, is from the game-cock.

Cut the throat, phr. often used to describe the effect on the throat
of any acid or effervescing drink.

GLOSSARY. 135

" Some sowrish Kochell cuts thy thirsting tJiroate."

HALL, Sat. V. 2.

Cutchel, v. a. to mend ; cobble ; ' make a job ' of a thing. ' I think
I have cutchelled him up nicely,' said a man of a pig in a sty just
made.

Cuts, sb. lots. To ' draw cuts ' is to draw lots by pieces of paper cut
into strips.

Dab, sb. a small quantity of anything. ' Shay'd a little dab o'
money from th' o'd man.'

Dabby, adj. moist ; limp ; flabby ; flaccid.

Bade, v. n. and a. to help to walk ; also, the converse, to walk with
help; also, to go slowly; to 'toddle,' which is apparently the
frequentative form of the word.

" No sooner taught to dade, but from their mother trip."

DKAYTON, Pol. I.

" But eas'ly from her source as Isis gently dades."

lb.t XIV.

' I shouldn' ha' got home, if they hadn' daded me along.'

adv., var. of 'indeed.' ' Dade wully, surry,' i.e. 'indeed will I,
sirrah ! '

Dading-strings, sb. leading-strings for children, puppies, &c.
Daffadowndilly, sb. the daffodil, narcissus pseudo-narcissus.

" Strow me the ground with daffadowndillies."

SPENSEB, Sh. K. ^Eg., 4.

Dame, sb. the mop used for cleansing the oven before baking.

v. a. to make use of the daffle ; also, to do any light work ; busy
one's self with trifling jobs. ' I stood an' daffled the oven.' ' I'n
bin just dajfflin' about all morninV

Darning-iron, sb. a scraper used in the oven for getting out the
wood-ashes.

Baffling-pail, sb. the pail in which the ' daffle ' is kept.

Daft, adj. silly • stupid ; half-witted ; out of one's wits with surprise
or terror.

Dag, v. a. and n. to trail in the dirt ; to bemire.

Daggle, v. a. and n., i. q. Dag, of which it is the frequentative form.

Baggie-tail, sb. a slut. The ' Dorothy Draggle-tail ' of Dame Durden
is here ' Doll Daggle-teel."1

Bag-locks, sb. The long locks of wool about a sheep which dag in
the dirt when the animal lies down, &c. These are always clipped
off first when it is shorn, in order to keep the fleece clean.

136 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Dal ! exd. an evasive * damn ! ' very much in request as a milder
substitute.

Damp, v. n. to drizzle ; rain very slightly. ' It joost damps a bit,
but it een't not to sey reen.'

Dangle-jack, sb. the primitive roasting-jack, generally a stout bit of
worsted with a hook at the end, turned by giving it a twist from
time to time with the fingers.

Dapstuck, adj. prim ; dapper ; ' proper.' ' I don't think she's a
very dapstuck young lady.'

Dark, adj. secret. 'To keep dark' = to keep concealed, either of
persons or things. A very common word among tramps, not
specially Leicestershire.

adj. blind. ' A's gon quoite daak o' th' oft7 oy.'

Dark-hour, sb. the last evening twilight, a little later than Dusk-
hour, q. v.

Dash, exd. a modified imprecation. It is generally assumed that
the word is derived from an oath being often represented in writing
or printing by a dash; but vide l Gloss, to Havelok,' s. v. * Dat licit.'

Dash-board, sb. the splash-board of a carriage.

Daubing, p. wet and dirty. ' Rather daubin' to-dee, sir ! '

Day, phr. ' To pass the time of day ' = to speak a few words of
ordinary salutation. Witness. * Ah met Jim i' the cloos, agen the
stoile.' Counsel. * Did he speak to you ? ' Witness. ' Noo ! A
joost passt the toime o1 dee, but a didn' sey nothink.' Counsel. * What
do you mean ? ' 'A joost said, " Good-mornin' " or the loike o' that.7
[1878.] ' One day ' = olim, both prospectively and retrospectively.
* Ah'll gie't yo' wan dee ! ' A very common means of getting rid of
importunity is to inform the applicant that the person applied to
does not attend to such and such matters on such and such days of
the week. Thus, an old- clothes dealer, ' cadging ' on a Monday,
will be told at many doors, ' Way doon't sell o'd cloo's not of a
Monday.'

Daze, v. a. to confuse ; bewilder ; make stupid with amazement or
terror.

Dead-horse, phr. a piece of work for which payment has already
been forestalled is called a dead-horse.

Dead-lift and Dead-weight, sbs. A dead-lift is a lift or effort that
will raise a weight by sheer strength without the intervention of
any artificial means, and a dead-weight is a weight so lifted.
Hence, to ' be at a dead-lift,'1 is to be in a position where one has
to trust to one's own unassisted efforts, and to ' carry a dead-
weight,' to carry a burden without any assistance. A widow, whom
I was congratulating on the thriving appearance of her garden,
accounted for it by observing that ' th' o'd man wur a dead-weight
upof me as loong as a wur aloive. '

GLOSSARY. 137

Deaf (pron. deef), adj. abortive; unkernelled or diskernelled, as
applied to shell-fruit. ' Blind ' is used in a closely analogous
sense as applied to blossoms, &c.

Dee, sb., var. pron. of ' day.'

Deep, adj. sly; cunning; deceptive.

Del, sb. deal. ' A del ' is 'a deal/ mucb ; common in Havelok and

elsewhere.

Delft, sb. a ' spit ' or ' spit-deep,' a spade's depth. ' I mean to dig a
delft lower.'

Demeanour, sb. eccentricity.

" At the inquest it was notified that there had been some demean-
our in his ways. This to some extent may have had some effect,
as some said he was troubled in his mind because he had been
dismissed from his work." — Leicester Advertiser, April 18, 1874
(HincUey}.

Denial, sb. privation ; hindrance ; trial. ' My lame hand is a sore
denial to me.'

Dent, sb. a groove or rebate in carpentering.

Wye. has " dentyngis, rabbitings, mortisings." — Ex. xxvi. 17;
xxxvi. 24.

Develin, sb. the swift, cypselus murarius, or hirundo apus, L.

Devil' s-eoach-horse, sb. zoerius olens, or ocypus olens, L. This
unprepossessing insect is considered a harbinger of ill-luck.

Dib, Dibber, or Dibble, sb. a pointed instrument often made of a
broken spade-handle, for making holes for seeds.

Dib, and Dibble, v. a. to use a ' dibble.' ' Dibble ' is the commonest
form, both of the sb. and v.

Differ, v. n. to disagree ; wrangle ; quarrel. * Don't differ so, you
childer.'

Dike, sb., var. of 'ditch.' Vide Dyke.

Dill, sb. tare ; vetch ; vicia sativa. ' Tillis ' = lentiles. Ezek. iv. 9.
— Wye.

" Crato speaks against all herbs and worts, except Borrage,
Bugloss, Fennel, Parsley, Dill, Bawm, Succory." — An. Mel.,
1, 2, 2, 1.

" The wonder-working dill he gets not far from these,
Which curious women use in many a nice disease."

DBAYTON, Pol. XIII.

" Therewith her vervayne and her dill
That hind'reth witches of their will."

Idt) Nimph.

Dilling, sb. darling ; pet ; the least of a litter j brood or family.

138 THK DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

" The youngest and the last and lesser than the other,
Saiiit Helen's name doth, bear, the dilling of her mother."

DRAYTOX, Pol. II.

"Vespasian, the dilling of his time." — An. Mel., 3, 1, 2, 3.
" Totty be a good dilling, and go to sleep now." — Adam Bede.

Dilly-dally, adv. and v. n. ' shilly-shally ; ' hesitate ; linger.

Dimble, sb. a dingle ; dell.

"And in a dimble near."-— DRAYTON, Pol. XXVI.

On the N.W. side of the county, the general pron. is ' dumble '
as in Derbyshire.

Ding, and Ding-fart, v. a. to Boss, q. v.
Dip, sb. sauce for pudding, fish, &c.

Disannul, v. a. to destroy ; do away with ; abolish.

"If any one word be misplaced, any little error, all is dis-
annulled."— An. Mel., p. 51.

"Mr. B. disannulled the pigsty."

Discharge, v. a. to forbid ; prohibit. ' A discharged 'im of ivver
comin' agen o' the graound.'

Disgest, v. a.} var. of 'digest.'

" Disgest, disgestion, disgested, &c., comme, digest, digestion,
digested." — COTG.

Ditch, sb. dirt grained into the hands or in cracks, crevices, &c.
' I want to get off the ditch.'

v. n. to get dirty ; filled with dirt. ' My hands never ditch,' i. e.
the dirt does not get grained into them so that it will not wash off.
' The touch-'ole were reg'lar ditched up.'

Dither, v. n., var. pron. of 'didder,' to shiver with cold; quake;
quiver; shudder.

' Didder' is in Johnson, and Cotg. has "to didder with cold,
fritter, frisonner, grelotter"

Dithering, sb. a shivering ; thrilling ; shuddering. ' When I touched
it' — a boa- constrictor, publicly exhibited — 'I felt such a dithering
all over me.'

Dithers, sb. l the shivers ; ' a shudder ; ' the horrors,' as applied to
incipient delirium tremens. * It's enough to give ye the dithers.'

Do at, v. a. to do to. ' What's a bin &-doin' at ye 1 '

Do for, v. a. to clean ; cook and wash for ; to take general charge
of; also, to make an end of; abolish. 'A respectable single man
taken in and done for.'

" Since I so soon was to be done for,
I wonders what I was begun for."

Traditional Epitaph on a newly -born infant.

GLOSSARY. 139

Do out, v. a. to clean out. ' Ye're ollus a-doui out the house of a
Saturday I '

Do up, v. a. to repair ; put in order ; arrange. ' Theer weean't a
roof o' the faa'm as did'n want dohi* oop.'

Do with, v. a. put up with ; consent to purchase or receive.

"Well, I could do w'it, if so be ye want to get rid on't." — Adam
Bede, c. 25.

Docible, adj. docile ; teachable.

Solomon ' ' asked a docible heart, a wise heart, and wisdom to go
in and to go out."— LAT., tierm. VIII., p. 125.

' A's docible enew, but a doon't seem to have noo ploock in 'im.'

Docity, sb. senses ; wits ; * gumption.' ' The choild wook up, an' had
losst all its docityS

Dock, sb.y custom. When a lad is stung by a nettle, he generally
searches for a dock, rumex obtusifolius, with the leaves of which he
whips the part affected, repeating the words — * In, dock ! out,
nettle ! ' a word with every blow.

v. a. to lower the price ; make an abatement, particularly of
wages. ' I expect the socks will be docked again.'

Dodderil, sb. a pollard tree.

Wye. has « dodde1 = cut off. Lev. xix. 27; and 'dodded,'
2 Kings xiv. 26.

Doddipole, sb. a simpleton ; noodle.

"What, ye brainsick fools, ye hoddy-picks, ye doddy-pouls, ye
huddes, do ye believe him ? " — LAT. Serm. IX. p. 136.

Dog (pron. doog, *oo' as in 'foot'), sb., proverb. 'It's a surry doog
as een't woo'th a whistle/ used by an old man, who, though infirm,
would have helped a neighbour in getting in his corn if he had
been applied to. The saying is very common.

Dole, sb. bread distributed at the death of a person by the near
relatives, either at home or at some neighbours. When my father
published this definition in 1848, the practice was still usual. It
is now, 1880, almost unknown.

Dollop, sb. a lump or large piece. A popular Leicestershire story
represents a hopeful youth addressing his father with: * Oi sa',
fayther, gie us a dollop o' flip-flop,' i. e. bacon. The paternal reply
conveys a reflection on his son's want of manners which need not
be recorded.

Dolly, or Washing-dolly, sb. a heavy piece of turned wood with a
cross-handle, used for stirring and pounding clothes at wash in the
' dolly-iub? My father, in 1848, noted that the term was never
used for the washing-machine. This contrivance, however, after
being usually known for some years as ' Wan o' them theer paytent
dollies,' has now very generally assumed the name of the ruder
implement it has to a great extent supplanted.

140 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Dolly-tub, 3b. the strong washing-tub for holding clothes when
washed with a dolly.

Domp, v. 7i., var. pron. of Damp, q. v. The adj. and sb. are also
sometimes thus pronounced.

Done, v. a. did ; also, put or placed. ' It wur 'im as doon it.' 'I
wonder where he has done your pencils.'

Done for, p. p. worn-out ; exhausted ; finished.
Done over, p. p. fatigued ; exhausted ; faint.

Done to, p. p. put or placed. 'Wheer ivver ha* yo' doon the
butes tew ? '

Dooish, adj. active ; handy ; executive. ' My new gal seems very
doois h."1

Door, sb. the pron. of this word is well shown in the following
rhyme : —

" But when the carriage reached her father's door,
And John related all which happened to her."

Choice of a Wife, p. 43.

Doove, sb., var. pron. of ' dove.' ' As happy as a doove ' is a
favourite simile.

Dossity, adj. ailing; infirm. 'He's so very dossity.' (A. B. E.)

Dote, v. n. to be over-sanguine. * Shay to'd me the petition wur
sent up, an' shay 'oped my 'usband 'ud succeed, but as I mutii't
dote upof it.'

Dottrels, sb. young trees that branch out and form a head before the
stem has attained any considerable height. Vide Spires.

Double-ugly, adj. hideously ugly, an epithet generally used as a
dog's name, and appropriated more particularly to the brindled
bull-dog breed. Hence, figuratively, any specially ugly person of
either sex. ' A's wan o' Dooble-oogly's poops, a is, thorough-bred.'
Vide Ugly.

Douse (pron. dowce, *ow' as in 'cow'), v. a. to plunge anything
into a liquid ; or to dash a liquid against anything.

Dout, v. a. to ' do out,' i. e. extinguish.

Douters, sb. a small pair of metal tongs with flat ends for extinguish-
ing candles by pinching the wick.

Down, adj. dejected.

" Is she much down about the old man ? He's been but a poor
bargain to her this five year." — Adam Bede.

Down to the ground, phr. l up to the skies ; ' entirely to one's com-
plete satisfaction ; from head to foot.

" Suited him down to the ground." ' One and three.1 — Punch, May
23, 1874.

GLOSSARY. 141

* He praised him down to the ground.1 ' Shay called me down to
the ground.'

Down-fall, sb. a fall of rain, snow, &c. ' Theer'll be a downfall o'
sooin sort to-noight.'

Drape, sb. a fat or dry cow. Vide Horned cattle.

Dratchell, sb. diminutive of ' drudge ' (?), a slut ; helplessly untidy
woman.

" She'll be a poor dratchell by then she's thirty." — Adam Bedc,
c. 20.

Draw cuts, v. a. to draw lots.

" Then I'll draw cuts and take my fate."

Bessy Bell and Mary Gray.
Vide Cut.

Dree, adj. wearisome ; tedious ; monotonous (Belgrave).

Dredgery, adv. ' gingerly ; ' carefully ; cautiously ; gently. ' If you
move her aarm ivver so dredgery, it gies her pain.*

Drop, sb. a considerable quantity of rain or drink ; a Sup, g. v. 'A
noistish drop o' reen lasst noight.' ' A'd 'ad a drop, but a weean't
droonk.'

v. a. to leave off. * Drop it now, cain't ye ? '

Drop of, Drop upof. Drop on, or Drop upon, v. a. to find ; think
of ; also, to surprise ; take aback ; also, to thrash or punish. * Ah
cain't justly drop of his neame.' ' Oi wur iiivver so dropt upon i'
my loife.' ' Moy surs ! A did drop upof 'im 'eavy I '

Drove, p. p. driven. ' It's her as has druv 'im tew it.'

Drovier, sb., var. of ' drover.'

"A second-cousin of mine, a drovier" — Adam Bede, c. 22.

Drownd, v. a. and n., var. of ' drown.'
Drownded, p. and^>. p., var. of * drowned.'

' ' Two brothers lies here by misfortune serounded,
One died of his wownds and the t'other was drown ded."

Well-known Epitaph.

Dry light, phr. This Baconian phrase is rather oddly applied,
* Ah'll let the droy loight in on 'im soom o' these days,' i. e. Ill
astonish him unpleasantly.

Duable, adj. Macaulay (Hist, of Claybrook) quotes this as a
Leicestershire word = convenient or proper, and gives us an
illustration, ' The church is not served at duable hours.' I have
never heard the word used.

Dubous, Duberous, and Dubersome, adj., vars. of ' dubious.'
Duck. sb. a boy's game played with rounded stones or boulders.

142 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

The account given by Bk. of this capital game is incorrect as
regards Leicestershire, and I can find no description of it in tho
ordinary books relating to boys' sports. As the game, moreover,
though not confined to Leicestershire, is necessarily restricted by.
geological conditions within certain limits, it seems worth while to
describe it in detail.- A large stone, called the ' duck- stone,' is
placed on the ground, and a straight line, the 'taw' or ' scratch,'
marked at a distance of some twelve or fifteen yards away from it,
more or less, according to the strength of the players and the
weight of the stones used. The players stand with the toe on this
line when they pitch their stones, and anywhere on the side of the
line away from the ' duck- stone ' is called ' home.' Each player is
provided with a large pebble or rounded boulder called for the
purposes of the game a ' duck,' generally weighing from two to
five pounds, such as are to be found in plenty over the New Bed
Sandstone district. The game may be played by any number of
players from two upwards ; the interest and liveliness of the game
being greatest with a party of from six to ten. Supposing the
party to consist of four, the game is thus conducted. The due

on the * duck-stone ' for A to pitch
stone off the ' tfwcfe-stoUe,' he leaves his own stone on the ground
wherever it may happen to lie, and D replaces his stone for B to
throw at. If B strikes off D's stone in like manner, he also leaves
his own stone on the ground, and D replaces his stone for C to
throw at. If C also strikes it off, he leaves his stone in the same
way, and A returns ' home ' for a second shot at D's * duck? It
very seldom happens, however, that all the players hit the ' duck '
off the ' duck-stone,' and a miss of any of the players is D's
opportunity. Thus, if at the first shot A fails to strike it off, I)
snatches his ' duck' from the ' duck-stone ' and runs 'home.' A,
meanwhile, after placing his own stone as quickly as possible on
the ' duck-stone,' runs after D. If he ' ticks ' or touches D before
D reaches ' home,' D has to return and become ' duck ' again, but
if not, A becomes ' duck ' in his place. Again, if A and B strike
off the ' duck ' and C misses, A, B, and D all snatch up their
stones and run 'home,' C, after placing his own stone on the
' duck-stone,' running after them. If he succeeds in ' ticking ' any
of them, the party 'ticked' has to become ' duck;' if not, he him-
self has to become ' duck ' in place of D.

There is another game also played with boulders, which is also
generally called ' duck,' but more correctly, 'single-duck,' or ' folio w-
duck.' It is played by two players, and mutatis mutandis is similar
to the game of ' follow- taw ' at marbles. There are also several
variations of the original game, the most noteworthy of which is
one where a ring marked on the ground and called the ' duck-ring, '
is substituted for the ' duck-stone. ' In this game, the ' duck ' must
be struck out of the ring by the player, or else his shot is counted
a miss. If, as is often the case, the ' duck ' is struck on to the ring,
at least half its bulk must be outside to enable the shot to reckon
as a hit. The discussion of this knotty point sometimes adds to
the amusement of the game, but is more frequently the cause of
open hostilities.

GLOSSARY. 143

Duck-clump, sb. a place where wild duck breed in the reedy
margins of a pool or river.

Dull, adj. deaf. ' Eayther dooll,' generally means as deaf as a post.
Dumble, sb. a dingle ; dell ; Dimble, q. v.
Dummel, sb. a dolt ; a blockhead.

Dummy, adj. wanting a hand ; often used as a nickname for a
person with only one hand. Is dummy whist so-called from a
' hand ' being wanting, or is dummy applied to persons wanting a
hand by a whist-player's metaphor ?

Dumpy, adj. stumpy; short; squat.

Dunch, sb. a suet-dumpling. Qy. Is a l dunch-pnddwg' = Danish
pudding ? ' Danshe ' and ' Denshe ' occur in Havelok.

Durst, v. n. dare. ' I don't believe she durst go.7 * Yo' doon't doost
to dew it.'

Dusk-hour, sb. late evening twilight. 'Ah shouldn' like to mate
his oogly mug upo' dusk-hour in a daa'k leane.'

Dwinge, v. n. to shrivel up. ' A feace loike a Bess-Pule apple, all
dwinged o' wan soide.'

Dwingeling, adj. shrivelled ; dwindling ; dwindled.
Dyke, sb., var. of ' ditch.'

" Through dikes and rivers make in their robustious play."

DRAYTON, Pol. I.

" The watery dyke
And flow'ry bank have charms alike."

WOTY'S Poems, p. 48.

Earable, adj., var. of 'arable.'

Ears, sb.9 phr. ' To set by the ears ' = to set at enmity.

Easings, sb. eaves, more particularly the eaves of a stack or rick.

" The longe yse sycles at the hewsys honge."

Cyt and Upl, Percy Boo., XXII. 3.

may perhaps be a version of this form of the word.

Eddish, sb. the ' aftermath ' or ' lattermath ; ' the second crop of
grass. Very seldom used except in the composite ' Eddish cheese '
= cheese made from the milk of cows turned to pasture in a field
which has been mown.

Edge, v. n. and a. to advance or encroach by degrees beyond a
certain point ; also, to incite ; instigate ; egg on, var. pron. of ' egg/
' Don't you edge ' — by sliding — ' into the middle of the pond.' ' They
was edgin' of 'em on to foight best paart o' a quarV hour.'

144 TPIE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Edgy, adj. eager; keen; forward. 'He's very edgy to go there.'
Vide Hedgy.

Een't, v. aux. with neg. am not; is not; are not, or have not.
Owing to the frequent use of ' have ' for ' am,' it is generally
impossible to say whether ' Oi een't ' stands for ' I have not ' or ' I
am not.'

Elder, sb., var. of ' udder.'

Eldern, adj. of or belonging to the elder, sambucus ntgra. 'Ah'n
picked a few

Else, adv. otherwise, often placed at the end of a sentence. 'A's
leame o' thray legs, an' bloind o' wan oy, an' a bit tooched i' the
wind; a's a foine 'os else.' 'Howd yer nize ! ah'll gie ye some-'at
to blaut abaout, else I '

Elsehow, or Elsehows, adv. anyhow else. ' Ah cain't dew it noo-
how elsehow.'

Elseways, adv. otherwise.

Embranglement, sb. embroilment and confusion. Vide Brangle.

End, sb.t phr. ' On end,1 or ' Eight on end ' is straightway ; immedi-
ately ; without intermission. ' A golloped down a score o' eggs
roight on end.'

Endlong, adv. endways. Vide CHAUCER, C. T., 1993.

Ends, sb., phr. Fred Corbould, formerly steward to the late Sir R.
Sutton, in giving evidence on a trial at Leicester, said with regard
to a mare, ' She was a blundering goer altogether ; I couldn't make
ends nor sides of her.'

Enew, adv., var. of ' enough.' Vide Anew.

Enjoy, v. n., phr. ' To enj'y bad 'elth ' is a very common synonym
for to be an invalid.

Enow, adv., var. of ' enough.'

Erriff, sb. common goose-grass ; catch-weed ; cleavers or clivers,
galium aparine. Marsh, Rur. Econ. spells the word hairough. Bk.
heiriffe, deriving it from a French word heri.ffe, for which Cotg.
is quoted as authority. Cotg., however, only gives 'herisse,' the
long ' ss ' evidently having given rise to the mistake. Hay-rough
is another, and possibly the correct form. Hariff, q. v. is the
ordinary pronunciation.

Ester, sb. the inside of the chimney. 'My hay was over-heated,
and is as black as the ester.'

Ever so, adv. very much ; also used elliptically in a quasi-superlative
sense. ' A mauled 'irn ivver soo. ' ' Ah couldn' dew it, not if it wur
ivver so,1 i. e. whatever pressure might be brought to bear on me.
' If shay could oonly ha' got toopence a dozen fur 'em, shay'd a
thought as it wur ivver so,' i. e. altogether astonishing.

GLOSSARY. 145

Every man Jack, phr. every individual one. * Iv'ry Jack wan on
'em ' is another form of the phrase.

Exactually, adv. exactly.

"It is not exactually his own fault." — Hound Preacher, p. 85.

Exclamations. Vide Oaths.

Expect, v. a. to infer ; suppose, or conclude. ' Oi doon't expect a
did,' generally means, ' I am perfectly certain he did not.'

Eyable, adj. pleasing to the eye ; sightly ; symmetrical. ' Ah want
some'at a bit moor oyable loike.'

Fad, sb. whim; fancy; caprice; 'hobby.' 'It's all a/a<i.'

Faddle, sb. a fanciful person ; either fastidious in trifles or devoted
to some particular hobby.

v. a. to indulge ; humour ; pet. ' His mother had use to f addle
him a deal.'

Faddy, adj. fanciful ; fastidious ; dainty ; ' crotchety.' ' A's a very
faddy man.'

Fadge, v. a. to ' toady ; ' to play the parasite ; also, to make a person
believe a He ; to ' cram.' Vide Fodge. Fage and faage are used in
Wye. for to flatter, speak smoothly, or coaxingly. Judges xiv. 15.
' Fudge ' is also a common form of the word.

Faggot, sb. a slut ; a loose, ill-dressed woman.

Fain, adj. eagerly desirous; wanton. 'Anybody 'ud suppose yo'
was feen o' a black oy to hear yo' talk a-that'n.'

Fairish, adj. considerable in amount, size, number. ' Theer's pritty
feerish on 'em this turn.' * A feerish lot.' The word is also used
as an adverb. ' Surs ! it1 's feerish waarm.'

Fal-lal, sb. any piece of finery ; a bow ; bunch of ribbons ; flowers,
&c. ' Ya luke loike a pig wi' wan ear, wi' that theer fal-lal stoock
upo' the soide o' yer 'ed.'

Fall, v. a. and sb. to fell, and a felling.

" Tylle }>ou haste hym fallethe."— Chev. Ass., 310.
In the Grl. s. v. Mr. G-ibbs remarks, " We say, sometimes, to fall
timber."

Fallantly, adj., i. q. Farrantly, q. v.
Fall-table, sb. a table with a falling leaf or flap.

False-swear, v. n. ; p. p. False-sworn, forswear and forsworn.

* The Saint False sworn ' is the title of a broadside ballad by J. F.
Yates, 1844, in which these lines occur : —

" ' Now the truth you must declare,'
But instead of that he did false swear."

146 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Fanteague, sb. a fit of passion; a pet; a 'tantrum.'

Fantodds, sb. ' megrims ; ' ' mulligrubs ; ' a stomach-ache ; a fit of
the sulks or other slight indisposition, mental or bodily.

Fantom, adj., i. q. Flantom, q. v.

Far, adj. 'Far1 and 'near' are very commonly used to denote
the relative position of two objects or places from head- quarters.
Thus, Far and Near Coton are hamlets named from their relation
to Market Bosworth, and many, perhaps most, farms have their
'far1 and 'near' furlongs, meadows, closes, pits, &c.

"Crying fit to break her heart by the far horse-pit." — Adam.
Bede, c. 15.

Farm-place, sb. a farm-stead.

"When He was come into this field or grange, this village or
farm-place, which was called Oethsemane, there was a garden,
saith Luke, into which He goeth." — LAT. Serm. XIII. p. 217.

Farrantly, adj. neat; tight; trim; cleanly; lively: a generally
eulogistic epithet for a girl. ' Shay's a noist/orraw% wench.'

Fast, adj. heavy ; solid ; Sad, q. v. ' This 'ere bread cuts so fasst.1
The word, however, is by no means restricted to this sense. * Is a
fasst 'os cross-coontry ? ' ' Ah ! a'd be fasst enew in a plaoughed
field, ah doon't daoubt.'

Fast-sure, adj. perfectly sure ; certain.

" I conld be fast-sure that pictur was drawed for her i' thy new
Bible."— Adam Bede.

Fat-hen, sb. wild orache ; white goosefoot, chenopodium album.

Faucet, sb. together with the 'spigot' = a wooden tap. The
faucet is the part which is driven into the barrel, and is bored so
that the hole increases in size towards the front part, which is
supplied with a female screw. The spigot is a peg with a male
screw towards the handle, and the water, &c., is obtained by un-
screwing it in the faucet. This contrivance, once in universal use,
is now rapidly becoming obsolete. The word is, I believe, every-
where employed to designate it.

Fause, adj., var. of 'false,' but often used without any sinister
meaning for clever ; intelligent ; perceptive. When used as an
epithet of disparagement it seldom means anything worse than
crafty or cunning. ' As fause as a Christian ' is equally common
with 'As cunning as a Christian,' in laudation of an intelligent
animal.

Favour, v. n. to resemble. ' Shay fevours 'er moother.'
Fay, and Fay out, v. a. Vide Fey, and Fey out.
Fazzle, sb.; v. Fezzle.

Feast, sb. a 'wake;' an annual gathering, or small fair held in
villages, hamlets, &c. It is generally supposed that the feast

GLOSSARY. 147

commemorates the day of the Saint to whom tho parish church is
dedicated, and this is sometimes the case, though not in the
majority of instances. Nearly all the feasts take place in the
summer and autumn, and are generally so arranged that the
feast of one village does not clash with the feast of any other in the
neighbourhood.

" For him our yearly wakes and. feasts we hold."

PHILLIPS, Past. 2.

Feature, v. n. to resemble in feature.

" Ye feature him, on'y ye're darker." — Adam Bede, c. 38.
' I've had my picture took ; do you think it features me ? '

Febiwerry, Febuary, or Febwerry, sb., vars. of ' February.'

' Febiwerry fill doike
Wi' aither black or whoite.'

i. e. either with rain or snow.
Feece, adj., var. pron. of Fierce, q. v.

Feed, sb. 'keep;' grass-food for cattle; also, as a measure, a
quartern of oats, beans, &c.

Feelth, sb. feeling ; sensation. ' His feet is mortified, an' hasn't got
nofeelth in 'em.'

Feer, v. a. To feer land, is to set it out as it is intended to be
ploughed. Vide Cop and Stetch.

Feldifare, or Feldifere, sb. the field-fare, turdus pilaris, L.

"A field-fare orfeldifare, grive, trasle, &c." — COTG. Vide Felt.

Fell, sb. and v. a. a kind of hem, and to make use of this kind of
hem in sewing. 'It should be run and felled.' The word is
technical, not dialectal.

Fellow, sb. a person ; personage ; ' individual.'

" The Devil is an old enemy, a fellow of great antiquity." —
LAT. 8erm. XXIII. p. 429.

Felt, sb. the fieldfare, turdus pilaris, L. The cock and hen being
somewhat dissimilar, are sometimes distinguished as 'cock-felts'
and ' hen-felts ,' but a ' hen-felt ' usually means a red-wing, turdus
iliacus, L.

Fend, v. n. and a. to provide for ; work for ; ' do ' for.

"I'd make a shift, and fend indoor and out to give you more
liberty." — Adam Bede.

' A mut learn to fend for his-sen.'

Fetchel, v. a. to plague ; tease ; provoke. ' I oon'y did it to
fetchel 'im.'

Fettle, v. n. and a. to fit or make fit for any purpose ; to make
ready ; prepare ; arrange ; put in proper order or repair.

" But sels his Teeine and. fetleth to the warre."

HALL, Sat. IV. 6.
L 2

148 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

" From Omega's nose when he fettles to sputter."

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 93.

' ' Tethys in a gown

Of sea-green watchet fettled to embrace
Her great Apollo."— II., p. 161.

'Will you please to fettle my work for me:' said a girl to her
governess. ' Ah mut fettle me,' i. e. wash and change my dress.
* None o' your parvissing, or Tie fettle your nether end,' is a not
unusual maternal admonition to wrangling children.

sb. fitness for a purpose ; condition ; repair ; plight ; trim. ' Yo
niwer sey a sooch a faarm, the fences out o' fettle, the yates out o'
fettle, the baarns out o' fettle, the faarm-pleace out o' fettle, the
stock out o' fettle, and the land out o' fettle. Theer worn't a thing
not in doors nur ou' doors but wur in a surry fettle altogether. An'
oi'n fettled it all ! ' [1873.] 'A wur splashed frum 'ed to fut ! A
weer in a streenge/eWZe.'

Few, adj., pec. 'A good few,1 or 'A goodish few I means some;
several; an average quantity; a good many, minus one or two.
' Ah'n a good few apples this year.' Few is always used instead of
'little ' in connection with broth, soup, &c., which are always con-
sidered plural nouns. * Av' a few moor broth, lov, thee're very
good to-dee ! '

Fey, and Fey out, v. a. to clear or cleanse out a ditch, pond, cess-
pool, &c.

"To fay channels, carry out dirt and dunghils, sweep chimnies,
&c."— An. Mel., 1, 2, 4, 6.

Fezzle, sb. a litter of pigs.
v. n. to litter as a sow.

Field, sb. a parish ; township, or lordship ; also, common-land
belonging to a parish. Vide ' Local Nomenclature.'

" The last man as he killed
Keeps pigs in Hinckley field,"

is a local saying quoted by Eay, as is also, ' I'll throw you into
Harborough field,"1 to which he appends the explanation, ' A threat
for children, Harborough having no field.' ' Harborough,' in fact,
was until lately a topographical expression for a part of the parish
of Great Bowden.

Fierce (pron. feece), adj. well in health ; strong ; robust ; vigorous.
' Ah'm glad to see ye luke so feece to-dee. '

Filbeard, or Filberd, sb., var. pron. of 'filbert.'

Fin, sb. often used for ' fish,' the part being put for the whole.

"Peter said, 'Sir, we have laboured all night and have not
caught one ./m.'"— LAT. Serm. XII. p. 213.
' Theer 'asn't a, fin i' the stank.'

Finances, sb. The following couplet seems to show that this word
was accented on the first syllable. I do not remember to have
heard it used by any speaker of the dialect.

GLOSSARY. 149

" They must be a-la-mode from top to toe,
Though both their friends and finances are low."

Choice of a Wife, p. 15.

Find, v. n. provide for. ' A foinds his-sen.' ' A cain't foind stick-
ins o' bif out on't for Soondays.' ' Ah'd r&yihQT foind fur 'im a wik
nur a fortnoight.' ' His masster foinds 'im in butes an' all.'

Finger, sb., phr. When a big lad begins to blubber over a trine, he
generally finds a comforter to cheer him with the distich: —

• " Croy, beeby, croy !

Put it finger in it oy ! " (da capo, ad lib).

' To see the ends of the fingers ' = to get drunk. ' A wur all' ays
to' fond o' seein' the ends o' his fingers.' c A wants to knoo which
soide o' 'is fingers the neels groo.' 'A's unaccountable fond o'
lookin' at his little finger, an' it een't non so oyable, naythur.' All
these and fifty more phrases simply mean that the person spoken
of loves drinking.

Finger-pillory, sb. Under the west gallery in the parish church,
St. Helen's, at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, was in 1846, and may be still,
a finger-pillory, which was said to have been used for the punish-
ment of disorderly children or other persons. It is a wooden
arrangement, with grooves for the fingers, on which a lid closes
down, while they are bent in such a position that they cannot be
removed while the lid remains shut. Its action causes no pain, and
is highly effective.

Fir-apple, sb. a fir-cone.

Fire-tail, sb. the redstart, motaeilla pJioenicurus, L.

Firk, v. a., var. pron. of 'fork,' to stir up; hook up as with a fork;
irritate ; fret ; itch. A patient said of some medicine : ' It firks my
stomach, an' meks me sick.' Sir Epicure Mammon says : —

" That is his fire-drake,

His lungs, his Zephyrus ; he that puffs his coals
Till hefirk nature up in his own centre."

B. JONSON, Alchemist.

Firking, sb., var. pron. of 'forking/ a turning over; an itching;, a
thrashing. ' Ah'n got a koind o' firkin all ovver me.' ' A did gie
. 'im a firkin an' all ! '

Firmy-tempered, adj., var. pron. of 'infirm y-tempered ' 1 discon-
tented; covetous. 'Well,' said one woman of another at Market
Bosworth, ' I wonder that Betty B. was satisfied with the money
she got from the clothing-fund, for she's so firmy -tempered.' (A.
B. E.)

Fist, sb., phr. 'to grease the fist' = to bribe.

" That some fat bribe might greaze him in the fist.'

HALL, Sat. IV. 5.

Fistle, sb., var. pron. of ' thistle.' Vide ' Introd.'

150 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Fit, adj. icady; on the point of doing something. f Fit to cry.'
' Fit to burst/ &c.

v. a., pec. to supply ; furnish. ' We allays fitted 'em with butter.'
p. p. and p. of to ' fight/ ' They fit best paart o' a hour.7
Fitch, sb., var. of ' vetch,' ' dill,' vicia sativa.

" The coarse and browner rye, no more than fitcli and tare."

DKAYTON-, Pol.

" All pulse are nought, beans, pease, fitclies" &c. — An. Md.y
1, 2, 2, 1.

Fitchet, sb. a polecat ; sometimes incorrectly applied to a weasel.
Flabbergast, v. a. to surprise ; astonish ; strike ' all of a heap.'
Flack, sb., v. n. and a., var. pron. of 'flap.' Vide 'Introd.'
Flake, sb. (pron. fleek), a wattled hurdle of hazel or osier.
Flaimen, sb., var. of ' flannel.'
Flantum, adj. flabby ; flaccid. ' The choild's flesh is very flantum.'

Flasket, sb. a large basket ; clothes-basket.

Cotg. has " Banne, a maund, hamper, flasket, or great basket."

Flaxen, v. a. to beat ; thrash. ' Ah followed 'im up, an' flaxened
him well.'

Flaze, v. n. to burst into flame; blaze up, 'This floor can't flaze,
for it's made o' poplar.'

Fleak, sb., i. q. Flake, q. v.

Fleam, sb. a ' mill-tail ' ; the stream that flows from a watermill after
having turned the wheel. ' Shay fell i' the mill flem.'

Flecked, part. adj. spotted ; mottled ; speckled.

" They are as red and fleet, and sweat as if they had been at a
maior's feast."— An. Mel., 2, 5, 1, 6.

Fleckened, part, adj., i. q. Flecked. ' You nivver see a prittier-
fleckened bit o' mapple-wood. '

Fleer, v. n. to gibe ; jest or sneer at ; to play the buffoon ; to jeer.

; A.-fleerin' an' a-sneerin' ' is a common collocation of words.
Fleet-milk, sb. skim-milk.
Flegged, part, adj., var. of 'fledged.'
Flemm, sb., i. q. Fleam, q. v.

Flesh-beam, or Fleshing-beam, sb. a wooden instrument used by
tanners and whittawers, on which is suspended the hide to be
dressed, for the purpose of scraping off any remains of the flesh, &c.

GLOSSARY. 151

Flesh-hook, sb. an iron hook with a long wooden ' stail,' used to
pull hides out of the tan-pits.

Flesh-knife, or Fleshing-knife, sb. the knife used by tanners to
scrape or pare the flesh from, the hide on the * fleshing-beam.'

Flew, adj. open; wide; expanded. 'Your bonnet is too flew.1 'A
fleiu dish,' i. e. one with wide, spreading sides. I do not know the
word as a verb, but Shakspere uses the p. p., M. N. D., IV. i., and
Drayton the p. : —

" Upon the surging main his well- stretched t&cklmgs flew'd."

Pol Sony XIX.
sb., i. q. Flue, q.v.

Flick, sb., var. pron. of 'flitch.'

" Thee lookst as white as a flick o' new bacon." — Adam Be.de.

sb. a man; person; var. of 'freke' (?). 'Well, o'd flick, an' how
hev ye ? ' The word is commoner on the Warwickshire side than
elsewhere.

Flig, or Fligged, part, adj., var. of ' fledged.' ' The yoong uns are

Flimp, adj., var. of 'limp.' 'It feels a little flimp :' said of linen.
Fling, v. a. to throw out in one's calculations or arrangements.

Flirt, sb. a fit of passion ; a pet. ' I didn' call her a beast as I
know to ; but I might ha' called her a old beast in a flirt.'

Flit, v. a. and n. to tether an animal so that it may eat all the
grass within its reach before being moved on or 'flitted ' to another
station ; also, to remove from one house to another ; also, to run
away from the country, * bolt.' ' The goot (goat) were flitted to the
middle cloo'es-poost.'

" Sets forth and meets a friend who hails him, 'What,
You're flitting f ' ' Yes, we're flitting, ,' says the ghost,
For they had packed the thing among the beds."

TENNYSON, Walking to the Mail

Flock, sb., var. of 'fluff' and 'flue,' feathery dust.
v. n., var. of 'flack' and 'flap.'

Flocking, sb., var. of ' flacking ' and ' flapping,' palpitation.

Floor, sb., pec. the ground.

Witness. 'A got 'im daown o' iheflure.' Counsel. 'I thought
you said it was in the street ? ' Witness. ' Well, an' soo it weer i'
the strait ! A got 'im daown o' the flure i' the 'os-rood.' — Hinddey
Petty Sessions, 1872.

Flop, v. a. and n., var. pron. of ' flap,' to fall suddenly or heavily ;
to fling down or let fall suddenly ; to palpitate ; throb. ' A flopped
roight daown o' the causey, an' nivver spook anoother woo'd.'
'Shay flops the babby o' the cheer loike a bag o' male.' 'How's
your leg to-day, John ? ' ' It's a mort better, but it flops as mooch
as ivver.'

152 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

adv. ' To go flop,' ( to fall flop? ' to drop flop,' &c. = to fall plump
down.

Flopper, v. n. to flutter ; quake inwardly ; palpitate. ' I flopper all
as if I'd no insoide, loike/

sb. a nutter; internal ferment, either physical or mental. 'A
wur all of a flopper, loike.'

Flopperment, sb. palpitation; throbbing. 'Ah fale a sooch a
flopperment i' my insoide.'

Flother, sb. nonsense ; braggadocio ; brag ; also, tawdry finery.

Flothery, adj. showy ; ' dressy ; ' tawdry. ' Shay wur that flothery
shay wur foo'ced to flit.'

Flue, sb. soft feathery dust or down.

Fluff, sb. down; gossamer, feathery particles ; light fur; soft 'waste/
&c., var. of ' flock ' and ' flue.'

Fluke, sb. an entozoon frequently found in the livers of sheep, &c.
' Ah niwer see so many fleivks in a ship's liver afoor.'

Flummox, v. a. to pufi to a non-plus ; puzzle ; confound.
Flump, v. a., &c., var. of Flop, q. v.

Flung, p. p. thrown out in one's calculations or arrangements — ' so
floong with the weshinV

Flush, adj. fledged. 'Whoy, them 'avn't bolchins, they' ve floosh.'

sb. a superabundance ; a surfeit. A common Leicestershire
proverb is, ' A plenty's better nur a floosli. '

Foal-foot, or Foals-foot, sb. colts-foot, Tussilago farfara.

"That such and such plants should have a peculiar virtue to
such particular parts as, to the head, anniseeds, foal- foot, betony,
&c."— An. Mel., 2, 4, 1, 3.

" Fole-foot, pied de poulain." — COTG.

Home-made foal-foot wine used to be common in Leicestershire.

Foddering-time, sb. time for foddering horses or cattle.

" How is it we've got sight of you so long before foddering -
time ? " — Adam Bede, c. 49.

Fodge, v. a. to 'stuff' or 'cram' in the sense of making a person
believe a lie, var. of 'fadge' and 'fudge.' It is almost always fol-
lowed by * up.' * They fodged him up as his missus wur a coominV

Fog, sb. grass not fed down in autumn; also, coarse, rank grass.
In the former sense it is synonymous with Stirk-kay, q. v.

" One with another they would ly and play
And in the deepe/o<7 batten all the day."

DRAYTON, Moone-calfe.

" The thick and well-grown fog doth matt my smoother slades."

Id., Pol Song XIII.
si. a rank smell ; an overpowering stench.

GLOSSARY. 153

Foil, sb. care; anxiety. 'She has no foil.1 (A. B. E.)'

Folks, sb., pec. friends. 'They'd use to be such/oZAs, I don't know
whativver's made 'em two.'

Foot-ale, sb. Vide Footing.

Foot-brig, sb. a bridge for foot-passengers only.

Foot-horse, sb. in ploughing, the horse nearest the plough.

Footing, sb. a fine levied on a new-comer. A stranger looking on at
workmen engaged in their work will generally be asked to ' pay
his footing,' or 'stand his foot-ale.' A workman is also often
expected to pay his footing on joining a gang.

Foot-ley, sb. the lowest ' land ' in a grass field. Vide Hadley.

Footling, adj., i. q. Footy, q.v. 'I remember you a little footlin'
thing.' The * oo ' is pron. as in ' boot.'

Foot-pad, sb., var. pron. of •' foot-path.'

Foot-up, v. a. to add up an account or other reckoning.

Footy, adj. diminutive ; undersized ; helpless ; insignificant. ' How
footy you are ! '

Fooz-ball, sb., i. q. Fuz-ball, q. v.

For all, adv. notwithstanding ; maugre ; in spite of. ' Fur all a's a
paa'son, a doon't justly knoo 'aow to tackle a o'd wench loike may/
'She would for all anything go for a little walk.' — Letter penes Ed.
1879.

Force, v. a. to compel; oblige. 'Ah sul ba fodced to goo my-sel.'

Fore-buck, sb. the top rail or ledge at the front of a cart or waggon.
A frame is sometimes fixed upon it so as to allow of a larger load
being carried. This is called a 'false fore- buck.'

Fore-milk, sb. the milk first given before the Strappings, q. v.
Forgive, v. n. to thaw.

For good, adv. finally ; entirely. ' A's gon for good this toime.'
4 For good and all ' is a frequent amplification of the phrase.

Form, sb. the 'tone', breeding, manners or fashion which obtain
general acceptance in good society. The common modern phrases,
'good/orm,' 'bad/orra,' &c., smack apparently of the slang of the
turf; but although they may have travelled via Newmarket and
Epsom, I believe that they are genuine idiomatic English. I have
heard a shabby action condemned by an old farmer in the words,
4 Ah doon't call that proper furm,"1 and perhaps 'general accept-
ance' is the nearest synonym for the word in the following
quotation.

" That he may bring out of form and out of estimation and room
the institution of the Lord's supper and Christ's cross." — LAT.
Serm. VI. p. 72.

154 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Forshame, v. n. (?) to have the face. ' Ar gel up an' shay says,
"Masster," shay says, "Ah'n biled that theer lobster-thing as
yew'n brought, an' it's gon as red as housen," shay says, "an' ah
couldn'/ors/iram to dish it oop."'

For why, conj. why, and sometimes also, because.

"For quhy he wold nocht schew me quhat he hicht."

Launcelot, 2290.

' Fur-whoy did Oi hit 'im ? Whoy, fur-wlioy a 'ot may foost.'

Foil' ('ou' pron. like 'ow' in 'cow'), adj., var. pron. of 'foul;'
dirty ; ugly. ' The roods are fou\' i. e. the roads are muddy.
'Surs, shay's a/ow' wench.'

Foul, adv. To fall foul of a thing is to fall against or stumble on it
accidentally ; to fall foul of a person is to vituperate or assault
him purposely.

Frail, sb., var. pron. of ' flail.'

Frame, v. n. to promise ill or well, used especially of young animals,
calves, colts, puppies, children, &c. ; also, to set to work ; contrive ;
manage to do a thing. ' A cain't freem to dew noothink as a'd
ought.'

Franze, v. n. to fly in a passion.
Franzical, adj., i. q. Franzy, q. v.

Franzy, adj. passionate ; irritable ; hasty.

"But I dare say ye warna franzy, for ye look as if ye'd ne'er
been angered i' your life."— Adam Bede.

' A's very franzy,' said a woman of her husband, 'but not a bad
temper.'

Freasty, adj. unclean ; unwashen ; frowzy. ' Ah'm so freasty ah'll
go wesh me.'

Free-board, si. a strip of land surrounding the fence of an estate,
belonging to the estate, but which the owner has no right to
enclose, and over which the holder of the adjacent land possesses
certain rights. In a case mentioned in Dugdale's Monasticon, the
free-board was two and a-half feet wide, while round a large estate
at Glenfield it is about twenty feet. The term free-board, 'fritli-
bordm,' or 'fribordus,' is one recognized in the law-dictionaries,
and is synonymous with one meaning of * buck-leap/ * deer-leap,'
or 'hart-leap.'

Frem, adj. lusty ; vigorous ; lush ; succulent ; abundant. Drayton
makes the Yale of the Eed Horse brag how —

"My /Km and lusty flank
Her bravery then displays." — Pol. XIII.

' As frem as a radish.' ' The rooks are very frem this year.'
'The water is quite frem : ' said of a brook flooded after rain.

French magpie, sb. the greater spotted woodpecker, picus topia.

GLOSSARY. 155

Fresh, adj. rather drunk. The word represents the first stage
beyond ' merry ' in the direction of dead-drunk.

Fridge, v. a. and n., var. of 'fray/ to rub ; chafe. * The velvet got
a little f ridged by travelling.' ' They put linen on the horse after
clipping to prevent the flannel f ridging his coat.' ' Them stock-
ings won't fridge you so much as coarser ones.'

Fridgel, v. a. and n., i. q. Fridge and Friggle, q. v.

Frigabob, sb. anything dancing up and down ; jerking from side to
side; moving about rapidly, &c. A maid-servant watching the
interior mechanism of a piano while it was being played on,
exclaimed, ' Lor, look at frigabobs I '

v. n. to dance or jerk up and down, &c. A Nailstone farmer
speaking of stocking-machines, expressed a sentiment which will
appeal to all political economists. * Ah 'eet to 'ear them damned
crinkurn-crankums a-frigabobbin\'

Friggle, v. n. to be tediously or minutely particular about any-
thing ; trifle with ; ' potter ' over. * The cheese wouldn' ha' bin so
good if the missus 'ad bin at hum. Shay friggles so loong at it.'

Friggling, part. adj. frivolous ; trifling ; insignificant.

" Those little friggling things take a deal o' time." — Adam Bede,
c. 21.

4 Whoy, his cuff lassts a loong toime ? ' ' Yis, it een't no frigglirf
cold.'

Frim, 'adj., i. q. Frem, q. v.

Frit, p. and p. p. of ( fright ; ' frighted ; frightened. ' 'Ow ye frit
me!'

Friz, p. and p.p. of 'freeze;' froze; frozen. 'It friz toight lasst
noight.'

Frizzle, v. a. to fry. Johnson only gives the word in the sense of
'to curl,' &c.

Frog-stool, sb. toad-stool.

Frowsty, adj., var. of ' f reasty ; ' frowzy ; fusty ; foul.

Frumety, sb. baked wheat, or sometimes pearl-barley, boiled in
milk thickened with flour, with sugar and dried currants. Eggs
are sometimes added, and a proportion of small raisins.

Fruz, p. and p. p. of ' freeze ; ' froze ; and frozen.

Fub, or Fudge, v. n. In playing at marbles, to thrust the hand
forward in shooting the taw. Generally speaking, in the ' knuckle-
up ' game, fobbing is permissible, but not in the ' knuckle-down '
game. The word is merely a var. pron. of 'fob,' and probably
meant simply to cheat before it was restricted to this particular
kind of cheating. Vide Forby, s. v. and Halliwell.

Fudge, sb. lying nonsense ; poetic or other fiction.

156 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

v. a.} i. q. Fub, q. v.; also to 'cram,' in the sense of making a
person believe a lie. Vide Fadge and Fodge.

Full, adv. in '/wZZ-bang,1 </w«-bunt,' '/ttH-drive,' '/wZZ-tilt,' &c.,
with the utmost speed and violence.

adj.. a frisky horse, over-fed and under- worked, is said to be 'full
of itself.'

Fullock, v. a.t i. q. Fub, q. v. also, to kick ; rush ; knock. ' Ah'll
fullock ye ovver ! '

sb. a violent rush ; fall ; blow, &c, ' A coom daown wi' such a
fullock.' ' The water coom out wi' a fullock.'

Fulth, si. fulness ; full growth ; perfection, as applied to flowers, &c.
Fun', p. and p. p. of ' find ; ' found. Vide ' Introd.'
Fur, adv., var. of ' far/

Fur-about, adv. greatly ; by far. ' That's the noighest wee, fur-
abaout,' i. e. much the nearest way.

Furder, adv., var. of 'further.'

Furlong, sb. Spelman's definition s. v. is in most instances precisely
applicable to this indefinite superficial measure : —

"Campi seu prati area spatiosa, plurimas continens acras
(i. jugera) quae seriatim adjacentes, pariter incipiunt et pariter
desinunt, sulcique longitudine concluduntur."

' ' On the furlong next Hinckley Balke six lands .... On
Nether Brere furlong four lands ... On Stoney Meere furlong
three leyes and hades . . . On the same furlong five lands and
hades ... On Stonney Hill furlong six lands and hades," &c., &c.
— Terrier of Claybrook Glebe, 1638.

Furmety, sb., i. q. Frumety, q. v.

Furridge, v. n., var. pron. of 'forage,' to hunt about; search
eagerly; ransack.

Furrin, and Furriner, adj. and si., var. pron. of ' foreign ' and
' foreigner.'

Fussy, adj. busy ; thronged. < The shops '11 be quite full and fussy.'
Fut, sb., var. pron. of ' foot.'

" With that thing in thy fut
Thou hast pricked my gut."

Dragon of Wantley.
Futtings, sb. footmarks or tracks.

Fuz, v. a., var. pron. of ' friz,' to curl the hair loosely, in a rough,
untidy manner.

Fuz-ball, sb. puff-ball, lycoperdon.

Fuzzy, adj. rough ; shaggy ; unkempt ; curled loosely.

GLOSSARY. 157

Gab, sb. mouth j fluency ; garrulity ; flux of words.

Gad, v. n. to run madly about : said of cattle stung by the gad-fly.

Gaffer, sb. the master of the house ; farm, &c. In this sense, the
word is much more common on the Warwickshire border than
elsewhere. Also, the foreman of a gang of workmen or labourers ;
the head, master, or principal in any business, equivalent to the
Yankee ' boss.' A turnpike man said he was going to see his gaffer,
meaning the man who farmed the toll, and put him in the post of
gate-keeper.

Gain, adj. handy ; near ; convenient ; also, good-tempered ; willing ;
obliging.

" Ever the geynest gatis to goo to the sothe."

Wm. ofPalerne, 4189.

" They told me it was a gainer way." — LAT. Serm. IX. p. 149.
Gainly, adv. handily ; readily • quickly ; soon.

" Whan he geinUche was greithed."

Wm. ofPalerne, 744.

Galled, part, having the hair rubbed off, like a dog with the mange,
&c.; also, applied to land having patches on which the crop has
not grown or has been withered.

" With some gaVd Truncke ballac'd with straw and stone."

HALL, Sat. IV. 5.

Gallivanting, part. ' flirting;' 'philandering;' love-making.

Gallow-balk, or Gallows-balk, sb. the iron contrivance shaped
something like a gallows on which pots, &c., are hung with pot-
hooks over a fire. The top and bottom of the upright bar fit into
sockets so as to form a hinge, thus allowing the pot to be brought
forward off the fire without taking it from the hook.

Gallows, adj. and adv. mischievous ; roguish ; wanton ; wicked, as
if the person to whom it is applied were qualifying for the gallows.
As an adv. it is often used as a superfluous intensitive. ' A's a
gallus o'd snek-i'-the-gress.' ' A wur to' gallus quick for 'im.'

Gaily (pron. gauly), adj., i. q. Galled, q. v.

Gambole, v. n. and sb., var. pron. of ' gambol,' to turn a somersault ;
a somersault.

Gambrel, sb., i. q. Cambrel, q. v. " Soon crooks the tree that good
gambrd would be." — RAY, PBOV.

Gangling, adj. awkwardly long in stature ; ill-made and uncouth.

Ootg. gives c ' A tall ill-favoured gangrel, longue-esch ine, trente-costes."

Gashly, adj. and adv., var. of ' ghastly,' pale ; wan. ' The choild
dunna same ill, loike, oon'y a lukes so gashly.'

Gather, v. a. and n. a term of art in the cheese-dairy. ' Gather the
curd in the pan ' means, sink the curd under a bowl in the pan,
and ladle off the whey from it ; also, to collect money. ' They've
agooin' raound to gether for 'im.'

158 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Gathering-tub, sb. a tub used in brewing, into which the whole
brewing of beer is poured.

Gattards, adv., var. pron. of ' gatewards,' towards the gate. ' Will
ye goo a-gattards wi' me ? ' i. e. ' will you accompany me as far as
the gate on my way home ? ' ' Ah mut ba a-gooin' gattards.'

Gauby, sb., var. pron. of 'gaby,' simpleton; a gaping noodle.
Gauly, or Gawley, sb. a blockhead.

Gaum, v. a., var. pron. of ' gum ' (?), to make sticky ; daub ; slobber.
*' And when he had squeezed her and gaum'd her untill
The fat of her face ran down like a mill."

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 159.

Frequently used with * bawm ' and ' slawm.'
Gaumy, adj. gummy ; sticky.

Gaunt, adj. emaciated ; cadaverous j reduced in strength as well as
flesh; thin.

" He looks as gaunt and nin'd as he that spent
A tedious twelve years in an eager Lent."

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 100.

' A's becoom so gaunt an' feent,' or 'So gaunt an' loo,' is a very
common report of a patient's condition.

" She had no woman at her travail, and was delivered of three
children at a birth. She wrung their necks and cast them into a
water, and so killed her children. Suddenly she was gaunt again,
and her neighbours suspecting the matter caused her to be examined,
and she granted all." — LAT. Serm. XL p. 190..

Gawky, adj. awkward; ungainly.

sb. an awkward, ungainly person.
Gawm, v. a., i. q. Gaum, q. v.
Gawming, adj., i. q. Gawky, q. v.

Gawn, sb., var. of l gallon' (?), a milking lade; any vessel for lading
out a liquid.

Gawney, sb. a simpleton. ' Saivney-gawney' is another more emphatic
form.

Gawp, v. n.t var. pron. of ' gape,' to open eyes and mouth in stupid
wonder. ' What's the fule gawpirf at ? '

Gear, sb. matter ; stuff.

4 ' This is a right pilgrimage, but there is strange gear in it ; yea,
such gear, that if I should say it of my own head, you would not
believe me, you would say I lie ; for it agreeth not with our
mother wit; we cannot compass this gear with our natural wit." —
LAT. Serm. XXYI. p. 471.

Geek, sb. a noodle. " A bubble easily imposed upon," says Johnson,
referring to Twelfth Night, V. i.

GLOSSARY. 159

" Where's the use of a woman having brains of her own if she's
tackled to a geek as everybody's a-laughing at ? " — Adam Bede.

Gedd, sb. a disease in sheep of which giddiness is the most marked
symptom.

Gee, v. n. to agree ; suit ; co-operate ; tally.
excl. Vide Horse -language.

Gee-gee, sb. a child's name for a horse.

Gee-ho, adj.ty gee-ho, or, as it is sometimes written, G. 0., ploughing
is ploughing with a pair of horses abreast. The term is technical,
not dialectal.

>

Gen, p. and p. p. of ' give/ gave or given. * A gen me tuppence.'
* Oi gen it 'im.'

Gentle, sb. a grub or maggot.

Cotg. gives "A gentil or magot, tarmee."

It has been suggested that Izaac Walton intentionally committed
a pun when he termed angling the ' gentle craft.'

Ger, v. n. and a., var. of 'get.' 'Moy oy, surry lad, yo'll hae't when
yo' ger 'um ! ' This, said in an authoritative tone to a guileless
youth, naturally elicits the question, ' Wot fur ? ' when the correct
retort is : ' For breekin' the bottle an' spillin' the rum ! ' ' Crerraout I '
i. e. ' get out ! ' means, ' don't do that ! ' ' leave off ! '

Giddy, adj. Lambs and sheep are said to be giddy when they take
to turning round in an aimless sort of way, sometimes dropping
down after one or two turns. This is a symptom of what is called
' water on the brain,' or ' the gedd,' really indicating, I am told,
the presence of entozoa in the brain. When the animal is killed,
as it generally is on manifesting this gyratory tendency, the meat
is known as 'giddy lamb,' or 'giddy mutton,' and is considered
rather a delicacy.

Gie, v. a., var. of 'give.'

Giff-gaff, phr. bribery and corruption, frequently personified as in
the passage from Latimer.

" They follow bribes. Somewhat was given to them before, and
they must needs give somewhat again, for Giffe-gaffe was a good
fellow. This Oiffe- gaffe led them clean from justice. They follow
gifts." — LAT. Serm. IX. p. 140.

A farmer said to me in reference to a douceur which his land-
lord's agent appeared to expect, ' Chiff-chaff, feer an' squeer, that's
roight enew, but this 'ere. giff-gaff grease i' fist sort o' woo'k doon't
dew for may.'

Gifts, sb. white specks on the finger-rails. Vide Bk. s". v:
Gilliver, sb., var. of ' gilliflower,' wall-flower, cheiranthus.
Gilt, sb. a spayed sow, or a young one which has not yet farrowed.
Gimmer (y hard), sb. a female sheep of a year old.

160 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Gin, p. and ??. p. of ' give.'

Ging, sb., var. of ' gang,' a company ; troop.

' ' Bock and E-ollo every way

Who still led the rusticke ging,
And could troule a roundelay

That would make the fields to ring."

DKAYTON, Shepherd's Sirena.
- The wull ging on 'em.'

Give, v. n. to yield ; become damp ; to thaw. ' This wall gives.
' The cloth gives.3 'It gives a bit this morninV

Give over, v. n. to desist ; stop.

" She blush'd, she frown'd, and cry'd, ' Give o'er ! ' ''

WOTY'S Poems, p. 146.
Cotg. has "to give over, desister."

Gizzle, v. a., var. of 'giggle.' 'Shay's a silly, gizzlin' thing.'

Glaver, v. n., and a., var. of ' glower,' to frown; scowl; look with
angry disfavour on.

"When grand Maecenas casts a glauering eye
On the cold present of a Poesie." — HALL, Sat. VI. 1.

Also, to flatter, generally used in connection with ' slaver,' and
pron. ' glav'rin' an' slav'rin',' ' glauv'rin' an' slauv'rin,' or ' glob'rin'
an' slob'rin.'

Glavering, sb. flattery ; ' blarney ; ' palaver.

Glede, sb. a hot glowing coal or ember ; a clear fire without flame.

Gleg, sb. a cast or squint. ' A's got a gleg in 'is oy.'

Glent, p. and p. p. of ' glean,' seldom used except in the term ' glent
corn,' which is universal. ' It' s oon'y glent-corn bread as yo'll get.'

Glide, v. n. to slide on the ice.

sb. a slide on the ice.
Gloo, sb., var. of 'glow,' white heat. 'The gledes are all of a gloo.'

Glooming, part. adj. glowing ; burning hot. An invalid describing
her symptoms, said she felt a ' glooming coldness,' i. e. a feverish
sensation of heat and chill.

Gloomy, adj. glowing ; burning hot. ' Gloomy ' in its ordinary
sense is sometimes ' gleumy,' but more often 'glompy,' or
'gloompy.'

Glopping, sb. a palpitation. 'When ah heerd 'im a-coomin', it
brought a sooch a gloppiri ower me ah couldn' 'airdly spake.'

Glum, adj. sullen ; morosely silent ; gloomy. Possibly an adjectival
use of the sb. ' gloom.'

Glumpy, adj., var. of ' gloomy,' i. q. Glum.

Gnag, v. a. and n., var. of ' gnaw,' in which sense it is frequently
used. It is still more commonly used, however, in its metaphorical

GLOSSARY. 161

sense, to fret or worry pertinaciously as a dog gnaws at a big bone.
Thanks to Punch, the word in the latter sense, and spelt ' nag,' has
been re-adopted into familiar literary English during the last few
years. * The Naggletons,' immortalized by Mr. Punch, incidentally
afford a good example of the method of nomenclature which has
enriched the language with the words ' simpleton,' * sneaksby/
'lushington,' &c.

Gnaggle, v. a. and n. frequentative form of ' gnag,' or f gnaw.' Vide
Gnag.

Go, v. n., pec. to go to ; the prep, being almost invariably omitted
before the name of a place. ' Are yew a-gooin' Le'ster ? ' 'A goos
Hinckley Tuesdays.' Also, to strike the hour, &c. 'It' — the
clock — ' ineks a sooch a huzzin' an' a buzzin' when it's a-gooin'
to goo.'

" Don't you know church begins at two, and its gone half after
one a'ready." — Adam Bede, c. 18.

' Theer's ten on 'ein,' ' It's joost gon seven on 'em,' &c., are very
common in connection with the striking of the hours.

' To go like a thacker ' is a very common simile for setting to work
in earnest, and the movements of a thatcher at work, now, un-
fortunately, a rare sight, certainly do convey a vivid notion of
activity.

'Go-look!' (pron. ga-leuk) 'is a phrase of supreme contempt,
ordinary decency declining to supply the ellipsis. I remember
reading of a parliamentary orator of, I think, the seventeenth
century, who actually ' told Mr. Speaker he might go look,' but I
have lost the reference.

' Go to pot,' is a phr. common in all parts of the country, and of
considerable antiquity.

" They that pertain to God, that shall inherit everlasting life,
they must go to the pot, they must suffer here."- — LAT. Serm. XXV.
p. 466.

Gob, sb. spittle ; expectoration.

v. a. to spit out ; expectorate.

Gobling. I find this word in a list of words collected by the late
Eev. J. M. Gresley at Over Seile, but it is one with which I am
unacquainted.

Goldfinch," sb. the yellow-hammer, Emberiza citrinella, JL, the true
goldfinch being called a ' proud tailor.'

Gollop, v. a., var. of 'gulp.'

Gomeril, sb. a fool ; generally, but by no means exclusively, a she-
fool.

Good, adj. and adv. much. 'As good as a couple o' moile furder
abaout.' ' A didn't foire at me/ said a poacher on trial with regard
to a keeper who had taken him into custody, ' but ah reckon as a
did as good.'

Good-cheap, adj. cheap, bon marche.

162 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

"To provide for the poor, to see victuals good-ekea/p" — LAT.
Serm. XII. p. 215.
Good-dear-a-me ! inter j. dear me ! oh dear !

Gooding, p. going 0,-cjooding is going round from house to house
collecting money, fruit, victuals, &c., as on St. Clement's day. At
Market Bosworth the song sung on St. Clement's day by the boys
who go gooding runs thus : —

" St. Clement's, St. Clement's, St. Clement's is here :

Apples and pears are very good cheer ;

One for St. Peter and one for St. Paul,

And three for Him who made us all.

Up with the kettle and down with the pan !

Give us some apples and we will be gone ! '

Goodish, adv. and adj. good with a qualification more apparent than
real. ' A goodish few,' ' a goodish many,' ' a goodish lot,' &c., are
formulas in universal use

Goose-gog, si. a gooseberry, Riles grossularia.

Gore, sb. a piece of land forming an acute-angled triangle. When a
field, the sides of which are straight but not parallel, is divided
into ' lands ' or * leys,' the angular piece at the side is called a gore
or pike. Gore is a familiar word among dressmakers for a piece of
stuff of the same shape.

"A piece of meadow lyeing in High Cross Close called Bull

Gore." "On Swallow Gore Balk furlong, seventeen

lands butting East and West." — Terrier of Claybrook Glebe.

Gorse, si. furze.

Gorse-hatch, si. the wheat-ear, Motacilla cenanthe, L.

Gorse-hook (pron. gossuk), si. a bill-hook, primarily one for cutting
gorse.

Gorse-linnet, sb. the common linnet, Linaria Unota.

Gosh, exd. ' Gosh dock it ! ' 'By Gosh I ' &c., are among the
commonest substitutes for more out- spoken profanity.

Goss, sb., var. pron. of 'gorse.'

"The goss was all sold some years ago." — WHITE'S Gazetteer of
Leicestershire, s. v. Birstall.

This spelling is also authorized in sundry old Acts of Parliament.

Goss-hatch, Goss-hook, Goss-linnet. Vide Gorse-hatch, &c.

Gossip, sb. a godfather or godmother. I remember this primary
meaning of the word in common use, but it is rapidly becoming
obsolete. ' Who were the gossips ? '

Goster, v. n. to brag; swagger; bluster. ' Shay's a sooch a yosterin
wumman.'

Gosterer, sb. a braggart ; swaggerer ; blusterer.

GLOSSARY. 1G3

Gostering, sb. swagger; braggadocio.

Gotten, p. p. of * get.' Vide ' Introd.'

" Church ? nay, I'n gotten summat else to think on." — Adum
Bede, c. 18.

Gouge (pron. gowge), v. a. to scratch pieces out with the nail or
talon. ' Shay lugged 'im, an' shay goivged 'im.'

Grab, v. a. to seize ; catch firm hold of. ' My dog grabbed it in a
minute.'

Graff, sb. the depth of earth dug at one stroke of a grafting-tool ;
also, the earth thrown out at one stroke. A graff is to a graffing-
tool precisely what a ' spit ' is to a spade.

Graffing-tool, sb. a spade with a narrow tapering blade shaped some-
what like a gouge, used in draining, digging graves, &c.

Graft, and Grafting-tool, i. q. Graff and Graffing-tool, q. v.
Grass-cock, sb. a small cock of hay. Vide Hay.

Grattle, v. n. frequentative of 'grate/ to click, or strike together.
' The horse's heels grattle.'

Graunch, v. n. and a., var. of 'crunch' and 'scrunch/ to crush or
grind with a noise ; crash. ' I'm sure it freezes, for I heard the ice
graunching under the wheels of the carriage.'

sb. a 'crunch 'or crash, often used to describe the sensation of
having a tooth extracted.

Graves, sb. "the sediment of tallow melted for the making of
candles" (JOHNSON"). This is correct, but the word is inseparably
connected in the average mind with the maggots which thrive so
fatly and multitudinously in refuse tallow, and form such excellent
bait for nearly all kinds of white fish.

Graze, v. n. to keep cattle at grass.

' ' The friends of a young gentleman are desirous of placing him.
with an agriculturist of eminence, who also grazes considerably, is
married and a member of the Church of England." — Adv. in the
'Midland Counties Herald,' Nov. 30, 1861.

Greasy (pron'. greezy or graizy), adj. slippery, like wet clay land or
a muddy pavement.

Great, adj., plir. ' by the great/ applied to work of any kind means
' by the piece.'

" And what wages every workman or Labourer shall take by the
great, for the mowing, reaping, or threshing," &c. — Stat. 5 Eliz. c. 4.

adj., pec. intimately allied by friendship; possessing influence
with.

"He is great with Sir Thomas Parry."— Letter of Eo. Heyricke,
1613, quoted in Nic. Leic. 1, II. 340.

Great guns, plir. magnates; great folks.

V. 2

164 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

"He, ' the Devil, "hath great ordnance and artillery; he hath
great pieces of ordnance, as mighty kings and emperors, to shoot
against God's people to persecute or k5l them: Nero, the" great
tyrant who slew Paul, and other. Yea, what great pieces hath he
had of bishops ot Rome, which have destroyed whole cities and
countries, and have slain and burnt many ! What great guns were
those ! "— LAT. Serm. ILL p. 27.

Greaves, sb., i. q. Graves, q. v.

Greedy, adj. covetous ; niggardly. ' Shay's that greedy, shay's welly
clammed her-sen.'

Green linnet, sb. the green-finch, Fringilla diloris.

Grin, v. n., phr. ' Grin and abide,' and 'grin o' the wrong side,'
are phrases known, I believe, over the whole country in some form
or other. A dentist's victim gave me the following instance of the
use of both : — ' Soo the doctor, a lukes at my tooth a bit, an' begins
a-brevetin' abaout among his bench o' tules, an' a says, ' ' tell ye
what, Joo," a says, " yo' mut grin an' aboide this turn." Soo ah
says, "Ah cain't grin if ye doon't lave me noo tooshes," ah says,
Soo a says, "Ah, but yo' can, Joo," a says, "yo' can grin o' the
wroong soide ! " ' ' oo ' in ' soo,' and ' Joo ' pron. as in ' fool ; ' in
* tooth,' ' tooshes,' and * wroong' as in ' foot.'

Grindlestone ('i* pron. as in 'bit'), sb., var. of ' grindstone.'
Grinstone, sb., id.

Grip, sb. a trench or furrow ; a surface drain. ' The made-ground
had sagged where they had laid down the gas-piping, and left a
grip more than half across the road.'

" Or in a grip, or in the fon."—Havelok, 2102.

Groudly, adj. grumbling; discontented. 'Shay were a groudly
wumman.'

Ground, sb., plir. l to go to ground ' = alvum dejicere.

Ground-sill, sb. threshold.

Grouse, sb. gravel.

Grousy, adj. gravelly ; sandy.

Grudgeons, or Grudgings, sb. a sort of bran. Vide Meal. It is a
little doubtful whether ' grudging ' in the following quotation is a
part, or a sb. , but the metaphor is clearly borrowed from the mill.

The Diurnal-maker "hath the grudging of History, and some
yawnings accordingly."— CLEAVELAND, Chars., p. 216.

Grumpy, adj. hard ; stiff. * It fruz hard at ten, an' the graound wur
quoite groompy.1

Guides, sb. tendons ; sinews.

Gumption, sb. intelligence; perception; tact; common sense. A
word universally recognized.

GLOSSARY.

165

Gumptious, adj. possessing ' gumption.'

Gurgle, sb. gullet. "He had hardly said the words, 'may God
strike ine dumb/ when his tongue slipped down his gurgle." —
Eeport of an event said to have happened at Hinckley in 1847. In
the seventeenth century the story belonged, I think, to Braintree
in Essex.

Gurry, sb. an inward rumbling of the bowels from flatulence. ' I
had a such a gurry come on me as if I hadn't eaten nothink of a
fortnit.'

Haap, excl. a call for cows. ' When I wus a b'y they'd use to call
the cows with a " haap,'" now they call 'em wi' a "hoop." ;

Hack, v. a. to use the rake in haymaking with a peculiar sharp
action ; also, called to ' chop.' Vide Hay.

Cotg. gives a variation of the word: "to hatch or hatchel flax,
serancer du lin."

Hackney, v. a. as applied to horses ; to « hack '; to ride quietly.
' A'll dew very well to droive, but a een't seafe to 'ackney no
loonger.'

Hade, sb., var. pron. of ' head.' Vide Haid.

Hadley, sb., var. pron. of 'head-ley,' the upper 'land' in a grass
field, the lower one being called the ' foot-ley.' Both as a rule run
at right angles to the rest of the c lands ' in a field.

"In the New Close a Jiadley and footeleay butting North and
South, the Town Hill furlong West, the Constable's piece East." —
Terrier of Claybrook Glebe, 1638.

Had ought, v. n. ought.

Hag, v. a., var. of ' hack.' Vide Hack and Hay.

Hagg, v. a., var. of 'egg,' to incite; urge; instigate; provoke.
' Doon't ye Jiagg him on.'

Hagging, part. adj. fatiguing ; trying ; fagging ; also, aggravating,
or what the Londoner calls * urging.' ' I've walked all the way,
and don't want to come again, it's so hagging.' ' It's very haggin*
when you'n no servants.'

Haid, sb., var. pron. of ' head ' = headland. Vide Adland.
' Haids ' and ' adlands ' are both, I believe, common throughout
Leicestershire, but the former belongs more particularly to the
S.E., and the latter to the N.W.

" On Stonny Meere furlong three leyes and hades butting North
and South, the Meere West, William Wright's land East."— Terrier
of Claybrook Glebe, 1638.

Hail-fellow, excl. used adjectively ; on intimate terms of familiarity.

" Now man, that earst Haile-fellow was with beast."

HALL, Sat. III. 1.

166 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Hairough, si. goose-grass ; catchweed ; clivers ; Galium aparine.
Vide Erriff.

Halt ! exd. a cry of command to horses. Vide Horse-language.

Hally,^1. M., var. of ' Harry.' 'Hal' is generally the abbreviation
of < Alfred.'

Hames, sb. the pieces of bent wood let into the collar of a draught-
horse, to which the traces are fastened.

" The haumes of a draught-horse's collar, les attelles." — GOTO,

Ham-gams, sb. antics; tricks. 'A's bin at some o' his hamgams
agen.'

Hammer, v. «., pec. to beat severely ; murder. ' Did you hear me
talk about hammering anyone ? ' This was a question asked in
cross-examination of a witness by a prisoner on trial for shooting a
toll-keeper in 1847.

Han, v. a. and aux., var. of 'have.' Vide 'Introd.'

Hance, v. a. to give ' hansel' or earnest-money. 'I hope, ma'am,
you'll hance me,' said a new-come servant to her mistress, who
immediately gave her the usual compliment of half-a-crown.

Hand-hook, sb. a hook used by butchers with which the breast of
an ox, sheep, calf, &c., is broken back into form for cooking.

Hand-over-head, phr. .inconsiderately ; indiscriminately ; without
calculating consequences.

" I would not have men to be sworn to them, and so addict as to
take hand-over-head whatever they say." — LAT. Serm. XIII. p. 218.

"And again sent other servants to bid guests to his bridal, hand-
over-head, come who would." — Ib., Serm. XV. p. 284.

" They rusht into the fight and fought hand-over-head." — Quoted
from ' Havillan ' in Weever's Fun. Mon., St. Aldermanbury , and in
Winstanley, who makes ' Hamillan ' an early poet, Lives of the Poets,
p. 17.

Hand-running, adv. ' running ; ' in succession ; uninterruptedly ;
without intermission.

Hands-chare, or Hand's-chair, sb. an 'odd job;' a bit of work.
'I have no one to do a hand's-chare for me,' i. e. no one to assist in
doing the necessary work of the house.

Handsome, adj. honourable ; noble — as in the phr. l handsome is as
handsome does.'

" Where are th' improvements ? What our progresse ? Where
Those handsome acts that say that some men were ? "

CLEAVELAKD'S Poems, p. 140.

Handy, adj. near ; contiguous ; conveniently close to. ' Weer's
Higgam ? ' — i. e. Higham — ' Whoy, joost 'andy to Stooke,' i. e. Stoke
Golding.

Hang-nail, sb., i. q. Agnail, q. v.

GLOSS All i. 1(37

"An aynailv or sore between the finger and nail, Qnglfa*'—
COTG.

Hanse, v. a. , L q. Hance, q. v.

Hansel, v. a. to pay earnest money on a bargain ; also, to use any-
thing lately acquired for the first time. Vide Hance.
sb. earnest-money; earnest.

"... which as a liandsell seas'd."

DRAYTOW, Pol. Song, XVIII.

Hantle, *b. a quantity of anything collected together, gold, sticks,
potatoes,' coal, &c. Also, a tussle, hand-to-hand encounter. ' Ah
cain't tell ye what a hantle ah hed wi' him : ' said a woman of a
violent old man, disordered in mind.

Happen, v. n., pec. to be by chance. ' A's 'appened very lucky to
get independent.'

adv. mayhap; perhaps; haply; very likely. 'Do you think
she's gone home ? ' ' 'appen. ' A medical man had ordered a little
gruel to be given to a poor woman, a patient, and calling next day
he asked the husband if he had given his wife the gruel : ' Yis,'
said he, ' ah gen 'er the grewel.' ' And how much did she drink ? '
' 'Appen three quart ! ' Vide Mappen.

Happen on, v. a. to find by chance ; light upon.

"Who one day happened on some Jews." — The Life that now is,
p. 137.

Happy-go-lucky, adj. and sb. careless ; easy-going ; a good fellow of
a reckless random disposition.

Hard cake, sb., phr. hard measure ; hard ' lines.'
Hard cheese, sb., phr., id.

Hard:iron, sb. the spreading halbert-leaved orache, Atriplex liadata ;
also, the corn-ranunculus, Ranunculus arvensis.

Hard-of-hearing, adj. deaf. 'A bit 'aard o' 'earin',' often means
stone-deaf.

Hard on, prep, and adv. hard at work ; in full swing ; also, nearly ;
almost ; used sometimes with a superfluous ' for.' ' Ah'n bin aard
on all dee.' * Shay's aard on at th' o'd man from mornin' to noight
an' noight till mornin'.' Three formulas are about equally common
for expressing the time when near the hour. 'It's hard on six
o'clock.' 'It's six o'clock, hard on,J and 'It's hard on for six
o'clock.'

Hard-set, part. adj. in difficulties ; in a strait. ' A'll be aard-set to
git it doon to-naorra/

Hare-shorn, part. adj. having a hare-lip. ' A hare-shorn lip * = a

hare-lip, i. e. one shorn or slit like a hare's.
Hark-back, v. ri. to retrace one's steps. A sporting phrase, very

often metaphorically used.

168 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Harp, /;. n. to brood over; dwell upon (Hand. II. ii. ; Ant. and Clco.
111. ii. ; Meets, 'for Meas. V, i. ; Coriol. II. iii.). ' Shay aarped o' seein
'irn. again so mooch.'

Harry-long-legs, sb. daddy-long-legs, Tipula oleracea, L.

Hasky, adj. harsh ; rough. « The skin is dry and hanky* Vide
Azzle.

Hassock, s~b. a tuftof coarse rank grass ; an ant-hill ; a Tussock, q. v.
Hassocky, adj. abounding in ' hassocks.'

Hastener, sb. a contrivance of tin or wood lined with tin, placed
before the fire to hasten the roasting of meat by reflecting the heat.
A Dutch-oven is sometimes called a Dutch hastener.

Hat-bat, sb. the bloody bat, Vespertilio noctula, the largest English
species.

Haulm (pron. aum), sb. the stem and leaves of cereals, beans,
potatoes, turnips, &c.

Have, v. aux. to be. Vide ' Introd.'

Haw, sb. the termination of the names of several places in the
county. Vide ' Local Nom.'

Kemble, Cod. Dip., vol. vi. preface, gives: "Hawe (m) in all
probability, a look-out or prospect."

In Leicestershire, however, the names point rather to haga,
(m) — an enclosure made by a hedge.

Haw, Haw ! excl., var. of Au, An, q. v. Vide also Horse-language.

Haw-buck, sb. a young or middle-aged man generally of robust con-
stitution, and not below the rank of a yeoman, whose dress,
appearance, and manners are palpably provincial. Bk. says,
"I never met with this word out of the county" — Northampton-
shire— " though it is common in it." I have heard it often enough
in Leicestershire, but always regarded it as an importation from
Cockney dom.

Hay (pron. hee), sb. The process of haymaking may be thus
described : — The mower, after arranging his scythe and snead by
means of the neb in such a manner as to bring the blade to the
proper angle, slicks his scythe with a slickstone, which he generally
carries behind him in a holster attached to a leather girdle round
his waist, and mows the grass. The grass falls under the scythe
in swaths, which are then tedded out by the hay-makers. It is
next hacked or chopped with a quick action of the rake into
ivindrows, which are then made up into grass-cocks, and sub-
sequently into larger cocks. It is then thrown into staddle and
turned, and when it is sufficiently swaled, is put together and
pitched with pikles into the waggon in which it is carried, the hell-
rake gathering up what is left by the pitchers in the first instance.
It is then unloaded and ricked. The sides of the rick are pulled,
and the rick is finally topped up and thacked.

GLOSSARY. 169

Hayt ! and Haytuh ! excl. used to horses ; go over ; turn to the
right, or ' oft' ' side. Vide Horse-language.

Hazzle, v. ?^., i. q. Azzle, q. v. Also, to dry slightly. 'If the
clothes don't dry much, they'll frazzle.' C. E. (Belgrave.)

Head, phr. 'Off his head' = deranged ; out of his wits. 'If he
didn't look after the pigs and cows he'd go off his head.1

Head-ache, sb. the common poppy, Papaver Rhoeas.

Headlongs, adv. headlong.

" That's the road you'd all like to go, headlonys to ruin." — Adam
Bede.

Heap, si., pec. a large quantity. 'A heap of folks.' In the plural
• it is very commonly used for plenty, abundance, more than enough.
" If we would credit his words, it should be given us abundantly
upon heaps. "— LAT. Serm. XYI. p. 302.

Heart-alive ! excl. an exclamation of surprise.

Hear-tell, v. n. to hear spoken of ; hear said. ' Mvver 'eerd tell o'
noo sooch a thing.' ' Ah'n 'eern tell on it afoor.'

Heart-whole (pron. aart-ull), adj. sound in health and constitution.
A son speaking of his aged mother, then 99, said to me (A. B. E.),
' She's quite well in health, she's heart-whole, but then she's stone-
deaf; she answers so contrairy.'

Heatful, adj. hot ; scorching. .'How heat/id the fire is ! '

Hedge-jugg, sb. the long-tailed tit, Parus caudatus ; called also
' bottle-jugg.' Vide Jugg.

Hedgy, adj. eager ; Edgy, q. v. 'A wur a very subtle-minded 'os,
an' oncommon edgy. A'd goo at anythink ! '

Hee, var. pron. of ' hay.' A common Leice>tershire saying is :

" If the wind's i' the East of Easter-dee,
Yo'll ha' plenty o' grass, but little good hee."

Heel rake, i. q. Hell-rake, q. v.

Heel-tap, sb. the heel-piece of a shoe or boot. Heel-tap, in the sense
of wine left in the glass undrunk, is so called from the resemblance
in shape of the liquor to a heel- piece.

Hell-rake, sb. a large rake with long curved tines, which are now
generally made of iron. Vide Hay.

Helt, p. and p. p. of ' hold.'

Hen-flesh, sb. 'goose-skin,' the skin when rough with cold, or the
peculiar shuddering sensation which is popularly supposed to
supervene when a goose walks over one's future grave.

Here nor there, phr. ' That's nayther 'eer nur theerj nothing to
the present purpose ; irrelevant ; superfluous.

170 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Hern (pron. hers), p. Vide ' Introd.'

'Hern' ^r hers, of her, occurs in Wye., 4 Kings viii. 6; Dan.
xiii. 33.

Hether, sb., var. pron. of 'adder.' Vide ' Introd.'
Hide, sb., pec. the human skin. Cuddy sings :

"The keen cold blows through my beaten hide"

SPENSER, Sh. K. ^E<j. 2.

' Moy hoide I ' and ' Moy hoide an' linibs ! ' are very common as
exclamations.

v. a. to beat ; thrash. Vide Belt.
Hide-and-wink, sb. the game hide-and-seek.

"For he play'd with them at hide-and-ivink,
And where he was they could not think."

Broadside Ballad by J. F. YATES, 1844.

Hide-hook, si., i. q. Flesh-hook, q. v.

Hidgel, v. n., var. pron. of ' higgle/ to deal in a small retail way,
hence, to defraud on a petty scale. 'Ah 'eet sooch hidgelitt'
pidgelin' tricks.'

Hidgeler, si., var. pron. of 'higgler,' a petty dealer. 'Theer warn'fc
noo boyerstheer,' i. e. at a horse-fair, ' oon'y pidgelers an' hidgelers,'
i. e. pedlars and higglers.

Hiding, sb. a beating; flogging. 'Ah gen 'im a good hoidin'.'

High-fainting, sb. and part. adj. bombast ; rhodomontade ; also,
bombastic; turgid, i. q. High.-tolth.erum. The author of St. Abe
and his Seven Wives makes mention of a gentleman who ' ' used to
faloot upon emancipation."

Highth, sb., var. of 'height.'

" For gladnes a foote in hithe gan purchace."

Partenay, 5045.
" Hey the.'1'1 — Prompt. Parv.

" A tower of great heighth, strength, and excellent workmanship.''
— BUETON, Hist, of Leicestershire, p. 15.

High-toltherum, adj. and sb. rubbishy ; bombastic ; ' run to seed,
whether applied to nonsensical magniloquence, blatant folly, or a
crop of grass. ' This hay is very high-toltherum.1 ' Yo' nivver heerd
a sooch a lot o' high-toltherum stuff.' My father happened to have
a sermon by the late Rev. F. Merewether in his pocket at the time
he first heard this word. The sermon had been sent by the author
for the benefit of my father's criticism, and comments, and it so
happened, was the only piece of paper at hand when the word was
used. Down it went accordingly in the margin of the sermon, and
was still uneffaced when the sermon was returned. A few days
afterwards Mr. Merewether saw my father, who enquired of him
as an authority in such matters : ' Did you ever hear such an
epithet as high-toltherum used? It seems to me a very odd word.'

GLOSSARY. 171

'Yes,' said Mr. Merewether, producing the sermon with the
unlucky marginal comment, ' a very odd word, and sometimes
very oddly applied. I don't quite understand it 7iere.'

Highty-tighty, excl. and adj. Hillo ! what next ? also, flighty ;
haughty. ' A hoity-toity sort of a body.'

Hike, and Hike at, v. a. to butt with the horns ; to gore. * Was
he hoiked by a cow or kicked by a horse ? ' ' The cow hiked at my
dog.'

Hill, or Hill up, v. a. to cover, or cover up. 'Hill,' 'Mile,' and
' liele,' are all in Wye. ' Will you be hilled up ? ' i. e. covered with
the bed-clothes.

Hilling, sb. bed-clothes ; sheets ; blankets ; coverlid ; any loose
covering such as a horse-cloth. ' She hasn't got no hilling at all.
1 HilingS ( hylingis,' &c., in Wye., are used for a tent as well as a
covering. In Warwickshire, and on the Warwickshire border, the
word is used for the covers of a book. ' Perhaps it is the hilling
that makes it so expensive,' i. e. the binding. In Leicestershire
generally, however, the covers of a_book are the c lids. '

Hing, v. a. and n.t var. of 'hang.'

Hing-post, si. the post on which a gate or door hangs.

Hingy (g pron. soft), adj. applied to beer ' on the work,' ' on the
ferment.' * Bless ye, m'm,' said a drayman of a beer-barrel show-
ing symptoms of internal disturbance, * it's on'y a bit hingy.'

Hip, v. a., pec. to vex; annoy. ' I were quite hipped about it.'

Hircle, v. n. to crouch ; contract the body ; nestle up close. ' Doon't
sit theer, hirdin' ovver the foire.' ' Ah doon't loike the lukes o'
that theer beast, it hircles up soo.' * It is pritty to see the little uns
run an' shove their 'eads in when they want to hircle in under the
o'd hen.'

Hisn, pr. his. Vide ' Introd.'

His-sen, and His-sens, pr. himself. Vide ' Introd.' .

Hit it, or Hit it off, v. n. to agree ; suit. ' They nivver could hit it
off, them tew.'

Hitter, adj., i. q. Itter, q. v.

Hoast (pron. hoast, hoost (' oo ' either as in ' fool ' or as in ' foot '), and
hust), sb. a cough, generally used in relation to cattle, but not
unfrequently in relation to ' Christians.' ' The mill-meado' allays
gen the caows a hust.'

adj. hoarse; 'husky.'

v. n. to cough. •

Hoasting, sb. a cough. ' Ah'd use to physic 'em for the hustin'.'
Hob (pron. hub), si. the flat ledge on each side of a grate within

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

the fireplace for placing kettles, &c., on. This sense of the word
is, I believe, universal, but is not in Johnson. Also, the nave of a
wheel, the ' box ' of an axle.

Hock, si), a shock; bush or mop of hair. 'They're lafnn' at the
man wi' the heery hock.'' Also, a ' knuckle ' of pork or bacon.

"A sav'ry hock,
Eemnant of a flitch well dry'd."

WOTY'S Poems, p. 124.

Hod (generally pron. hud), sb. a box for coals set in a room ; a coal-
scuttle. Vide Coal-scuttle.

Hodgelling, part, hobbling.

Hodgells. This is another word in Mr. Gresley's list with which I
am unacquainted, unless it be the equivalent of ' hobbles.' Vide
last word.

Hog, sb. a yearling sheep. Vide Sheep.

Hoggerel. or Hoggeril, sb., id. ' ffoggerel street' is one of the
main streets in Market Bosworth.

Hoik, and Hoik at, v. a., i. q. Hike, q. v.

Hold, v. a., pec. to continue. ' Way shall git the corn if it lioolds
foine a few dees.' ' A'll git to wook agin, if a 'oo'd's better.' ' To
hold one's own' is to maintain unimpaired one's usual state of
health, dignity, independence, ' position,' in argument or fighting,
&c.

Hollo, or Hollo out, v. n., pec. to cry out vociferously ; caw ; bark ;
bellow, &c. 'Ah picked him oop,' a jackdaw, ' an' a 'ottered an' a
'ottered — be 'anged if a didn' 'otter till a frit me.' ' The doogs begoon
a-ollerin',' i. e. the hounds began to give tongue. ' Oiler' is fre-
quently intensified by the addition of ' boiler,1 a word which only
enjoys this parasitic sort of existence. ' They was a-olltrirf an'
a-bollerin\ yo' moight 'a 'eern 'em a moile off.'

Holt, sb., var. of ' hold.' ' Ketch 'olt ! ' ' They sey as it's a koind
o' rheumatics, as yo' cain't git shut on when they'n wanst took
holt.'1 Also, a holding of a discussion, a debate, dispute. ' I had
several arguments and holts with him.' Also, an osier-bed, plan-
tation, shrubbery, or small wood.

Homper, v. a., var. pron. of ' hamper,' to hinder; to 'bore.' 'Mr.—
is a streenge person, a doos 'omper one soo.'
sb., var. pron. of ' hamper.'

Hoof it, v. imp. to trudge ; go on foot. ' Way nmt hoof it ' (' oo ' as
in 'foot'). 'Hoof it!' is often used for 'begone!' 'be off!'
' trudge ! '

Hoot, v. n. to cry out ; bawl ; call ; bark ; bellow ; caw, &c. ; even
to sing as birds.

' ' And Satyrs that in shades and gloomy dimbles dwell
Bun whooting to the hills to clap their ruder hands."

DKAYTOX, Pol. XI.

GLOSSARY.

173

' A 'ewted 'em to coom in an' hev a glass.' c Shay's ollus a-ewtin*
aff ter me : ' said a mother of a child. ' Ah 'eerd ' em a-ewtin' in the
spinney,' i. e. the hounds after a fox. * The boo'ds are a-ewtirf
beautiful this mornin'.'

Hooting-bottle, sb., i. q. Shouting-bottle, q. v.

Hopper, sb. a seed-basket ; the basket in which seed-corn is carried
by the sower.

Hoppet, or Hoppit, sb. a small basket, generally oval, with a lid, .in
which labourers carry out their victuals for the day.

Hopple, v. a. to put ' hopples ' on an animal.

Hopples, sb. straps or cords for fastening the fore-legs of animals
together to prevent their straying. ' Blame the gel ! shay's ollus
slippin' her hopples an' fallin' to pieces.'

Horned cattle. The names of horned cattle at various ages are as
follows: — Male: first year, bull-calf; second year, yearling bull ;
third and subsequent years, butt. When castrated, second and
third year, steer; fourth and subsequent years, bullock, or ox.
When castrated after the second year, segg. Female : first year,
heifer -calf ; second year, yearling ; third year, stirk or twinter ;
fourth year, heifer; fifth and subsequent years, cow. Neuter,
the undeveloped male often dropped as twin with a bull-calf,
martin.

Horse, sb., plir. l To ride the high horse ' is to give one's-self airs,
to assume a haughty manner. ' A rood the 'oigh }os all the toime as
if a'd run ovver ye, as praoud as praoud.'

Horse- language. In speaking to horses, the waggoner or plough-
man uses : —

HaY t uh ! ^ to thiller or foot-torse ]

to fore-horse

Gee!

Gee 'gen !

Jig-gin !

Come other !

Come ovver ! }> to fore-horse

Come ether !

Au-au !

Haw-haw !

Gee!

Gome up !

G'up!

Get up !

Wee!

Way!

Wo'!

Woo!

Back!

go over ! to the off side !

J

come over ! to the near side !

to the rest of the team

to start the team, or encourage them.

halt!
Gefback! j go backwards !

174 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

' Soo, so-oo ! ' is the general greeting on going into the stable.
* Soo, so-oo ! ' ' gently ! ' ' stan I ' ' stan' still I ' * wo-hey ! ' ' woo-ho !
are the general interruptions of the continuous hiss maintained
while grooming. The names of horses are for the most part
traditional. I suppose there is hardly a farm which does not
number a ' Captain,' a ' Gilbert,5 a * Dobbin,' or a ' Duke' among
its horses, or a ' Daisy,' a ' Betty,' or a ' Duchess ' among its mares.
' Gilbert ' is almost always a chestnut, ' Strawberry ' a roan, and
' Dumpling ' a dappled grey.

Horse-road, sb. the road-way for wheeled traffic, as distinguished
from the pavement or side-walk.

Horse-sting, sb. the dragon-fly.
Hossacking, sb. hoarseness ; huskiness.

Hot, v. a. to heat. 'There's no hot water, but I'll hot some.'
p. and p. p. of ' hit.' * A 'ot may foost.'

Hot-ache, sb. the pain in the fingers and toes when suddenly warmed
after being intensely cold.

Hotch, v. a. to hitch; to lift up. ' Hotch it ovver your shoulder.'

sb. a lift up ; a shove ; push. ' Gie us a hotch up ! '
Hotchel, v. n. to hobble. ' Ah cain't but joost kotchel.'

Hottle, sb., dimin. of 'hood,' a fingerstall; a covering for the finger
when hurt or sore.

Hot- water, phr. ' To be in hot-water ' is to be at variance or on ill-
terms with. ' A carries 'ot water wi' 'im wherivver a goos.'

House, sb., pet. the common sitting-room in a farm-house or cottage,
the * best kitchen.'

House-end, sb. a favourite simile for anything large. ' Beard ? Ah,
as big as a 'aouse-end ! A een't a man wi' a beard, a een't ! A's a
beard wi' a man anoint it.'

Housen, sb. plural of 'house.' Vide ' Tntrod.'

Housens, sb., i. q. Housings, q. v.

House-place, sb. the common sitting-room in a farm-house or cottage.

Housings, sb. high leather flaps on horse-collars. They were origin-
all y intended to turn back over the shoulders in rain, probably
rather to protect the cart-saddle than the horse, but were sub-
sequently made rigid, and having thus become useless are now fast
becoming obsolete.

Hovel-frame, sb. a ' stack-frame,' the wooden frame or platform on
which stacks or ricks are built up.

Hoy, excl. aye ! yes ! Vide Aye.

Hub, sb., i. q. Hob, q. v.

Huckle, ?;. n., vnr. pron. of Hircle, 7. r.

GLOSSARY. 175

Hud, sb., i. q. Hod, q. v.

v. a., var. pron. of ' hood.' To ' hud ' corn is to put it up in shocks,
the lower sheaves being hooded by the upper ones, which are placed
with the ears downwards.

Hudson's pig, plir. Vide Lig.

Huff, v. a. and n. to puff up; to swell.

" The lower part of the periphery, which is overshot, lies rolled
in, huft or blown, darting from its swollen or enlarged pores,
stones of considerable weight .... the figure is circular, diversely
fractured, blown or huft up and writhed, which are the symptoms
of an earthquake." — A brief relation of a wonderful accident, a
dissolution of the earth, in the Forest of Charmvood, &c., 1679.

Huggle, v. a. to hug ; embrace.
Hulking, adj. clumsy ; unwieldy.

Hull, v. a., var. pron. of 'hurl,' to throw. 'Hull the ball up!'
' A 'ooled him daown off of his hos.J A woman said of a child :
' It 'ooled itsen into fits streeght-awee.'

Hull-up, v. a.t var. pron. of ' hurl up,' to cast up ; vomit. ' Shay
'ooled oop blood woonderful.'

Hully, adv., var. pron. of ' wholly.' The more usual form, however,
is 'woly,' or 'wooly.'

Hum, or Hump, v. n., var. pron. of 'home/ to 'home' with; be
domesticated with. ' She hums to us now her mother's dead.'
' My own mother died soon affter I came, an' my father soon affter
her, so I allays humped to these.'

Humble-come-buzz, sb. a humble-bee. A popular tale relates how a
small boy eating plum-cake held converse with his mother. ' Oi
sa, moother, ha' plooms got legs ? ' ' Nooa, ma lad ! ' ' Then,
moother, ah'n swallered a 'oomble-coom-booz ! '

Humour (pron. yummer), v. a., pec. to ease ; accommodate a thing
to its position. ' You can bring in that side of the seam if you
humour it a bit,'

Hunch, sb. a lump, especially of victuals.

Hundred, sb., pec. a hundred of land is ten yards square, or a
hundred square yards. The measure is possibly an inheritance
from the Eoman occupation of the country.

Hunk, sb., var. of 'hunch,' a lump.

Hunkity, adj., var. of Unkid, q. v.

Hur-burr, sb. burdock, Arctium lappa.

Hurden, sb. coarse Holland cloth made of ' hurds.'

Hurds, sb. tow.

Hurkle, v. ??., i. q. Hircle, q. v.

176 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Hurls, sb. ' White hurls ' is a name given to a peculiar kind of
limestone at Barrow and elsewhere.

Hurple, v. n., var. of Hircle, q. v. to crouch ; cower.

" The feathered songsters, pensive and frigid, liurple from branch
to branch." — Village Musings by Thomas Lilley.

Hurry, v. n. to flurry ; vex ; trouble ; ' put about/ ' I've been very
much hurried this morning, for I've just heard of the death of my
old friend T. .'

Hust, and Husting, i. q. Hoast, and Hoasting, q. v.

Hustle, v. a. to vex ; annoy. ' Shay wur ivver so hustled ovver it.'
Hyke, v. a., i. q. Hike, q. v.

Iggle, sb. an icicle.

Ill-convenient, adj., i. q. inconvenient.
Ill-digestion, sb., i. q. indigestion.
Ill-willy, adj. malevolent ; malicious.
In course, adv. of course.

Indifferent, adj. middling ; mediocre ; neither good nor bad. ' It's
an indifferent crop.'

adv. fairly; tolerably. 'How are you to-day?' 'Well, Ah've
indifferent well.' ' There seems to be a great number of them ? '
' Ah, indifferent I }

Indoolge, v. a., var. pron. of 'indulge.' ' Tom,' driving an Alderney
cow out of the shed rather wrathfully, explained : ' Shay's allays
indoolgirf hersen i' that hovel, i'steads o' eatin' the gress as shay'd
ought.'

Inion, sb., var. pron. of ' onion.'

" Diff 'rent people have diffrent 'pinions,
Some like apples an' some likes inions"

Ink-horn, sb. an inkstand.

" As they who from an ink-horn write for hire."

WOTY'S Poems, p. 15.

Insense, v. a. to apprise ; inform. * I've insensed the master.' ' I've
insensed Mr. A. that his flour is unsound.'

Inward, adj. interior of, or belonging to the interior. 'Will you
take a kidney ? ' ' No, thank you, I don't like any inward meat.'

Inwards, sb. entrails; bowels. 'A's so bad of his innards.'
Irker, sb., i. q. Nirker, q. v.
I'steads, adv., var. of 'instead.'

GLOSSARY. 177

It, propose, its. ' It little face is ever so bad: it discharges from
it eyes, it ears, an' it mouth.' Vide ' Introd.'

Itter, adj. cross ; ill-natured ; crabbed ; hostile. ( I asked the
overseers for a bit o' money, an' they were ever so 'hitter at me.'
4 A wur very itter agen 'er.'

Ivvel, adj., var. pron. of 'evil/ 'When we got there, she looked
at us as ivvel as ivvel.'

Jack, sb. the knave at cards ; also, a young pike.

"The jack may come to swallow the pike." — CLEAVELAND,
Chars., p. 195.
Also, a roller for a kitchen-towel.

Jack-in-the-hedge, or Jack-i'-th'-'edge, sb. hedge-mustard, or hedge-
garlic, Sisymbrium officinale, or S. alliaria.

Jack -o'- both -sides, sb. the corn-ranunculus or Hardiron, q. v.,

Ranunculus arvensis. So called from having a few bristles on each
side of its flattened carpels.

Jack-squealer, sb. the swift, Hirundo apus.

Jack-towel, sb. a kitchen-towel ; an endless towel hung on a roller.
' Sarmunt ? ah, it wur a sarmunt an' all ! All the same o'er agen,
an' nivver an end, loike a jack-towel.'

Jack-up, v. a. and n. to throw up ; repudiate ; also, to become bank-
rupt or insolvent. In the former sense, it may be a var. of ' chuck
up.' In the latter, a passive form is as common as the neuter.
'A wurjacked-up a month agoo.'

Jacob's ladder, sb. The appearance presented by the rays of the
sun falling through an opening in the clouds in hazy weather, the
pathway of the rays, generally lighter than the surrounding atmo-
sphere, but more opaque, often haying a fanciful resemblance to a
ladder. This phenomenon is sometimes called also ' the sun draw-
ing water,' and is considered a sure sign of rain.
Also, Solomon's- seal, Polygonatum multiflorum.
" I think she had no feeling at all towards the old house, and did
not like the Jacob* s ladder and the long row of hollyhocks in the
garden better than other flowers." — Adam JSede, c. 15.

Jagg, sb. a large bundle of briars used for breaking the clods in
ploughed fields ; called also, a ' clotting-harrow.' ' Tek the caart,
an' fetch &jagg o' thorns.'

Jaunders, sb., var. of 'jaundice/ almost always qualified as the
' yaller janders.' The ' black janders ' designates its more malig-
nant form.

Jaw, v. a. to scold, and speak angrily; also, sb. vituperation; scold-
ing; abuse; noise.

Jay -bird (pron. jee-bood), sb. the jay, Corvus glandarius.

Jed, p. p., var. pron. of ' dead.' Vide ' Introd.' ' Ah'm welly jed.'

y

178 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Jemmy, adj. spruce ; dandified ; coxcombical.

Jenny, and Jenny- wren, sb. the wren, Motacilla troglodytes. It is
thought sacrilegious to kill a robin or a wren, and even to take
their eggs is a profanity certain to bring ill-luck, because :

" The Eobin and the Jenny-wren
Are God Almighty's cock and hen."

Jerk, v. n. a sporting term used with reference to a covey of par-
tridges ; to settle for the night on the ground. ' They're just a
gooin' to Jerk.'

$1. a coat.
Jewsle, v. a. to cheat. (Leic. C. E.)

Jib, v. n. to refuse to move forwards, principally used with reference
to horses, but often figuratively employed.

Jibble, v. n. to jingle, rattle, as e. g. jugs and glasses on a rickety
table.

Jibbling, sb. a jingling.

Jiffy, sb. a * twinkling ; ' a moment ; the briefest possible time in
which anything can be done.

Jiggin ! excJ., var. pron. of ' gee again ! ' an exclamation to horses
to bid them turn to the off-side. Vide Horse-language.

Jiggot, sb. a leg of mutton, generally a leg minus the knuckle-end.
' Luckily we had a good large jig got o' mutton for dinner.'

Jim-crack, sb. a trumpery mechanical contrivance; any useless
'knick-knack.' Also, adj. trumpery; got up for sale and not
for use.

Jingle, sb., pec. a merry noisy party.

Jingling, adj. careless ; slip-shod. ' A goos abaout it in a jinglin'
sort o' wee ! '

Jink, v. n. and a. to chink or jingle. ' It jinks like glass,' i. e. rings
like glass when struck.

Jitty, sb. a party passage or alley ; a passage common to two houses.

Job, v. a. to stab ; pierce with a blow.

" TO/O&, hocher, becqueter." "Jobbed at with the bill, becquete."-
COTG.

Also, sb. a stab ; thrust ; perforation
"Ajob with a bill or beake, becquade." — CpTG.
A very common saying on finishing a piece of work is : ' I've
jobbed that/o&, as the woman said when she jobbed her eye out.'

Jobbet, ,<?&. a small load or cart-load, i. q. Jobble.

Jobble, sb., dimin. of 'job,' a small cart-load, not up to the top of
the boards.

GLOSSARY. 179

Joggle, v. a. to fit stones together with a zig-zag joint, so as to hold
them securely in their places. Vide Grloss. of Arch.; also, freq. of
'jog,' to shake.

Johnny-cake, sb. a noodle ; simpleton.

Joist, v. n.t var. of ' agist,' to take in other men's cattle into pasture-
land at a certain rate ; also, to send one's cattle into another man's
pasture at a certain rate ; to take or send in to ' ley ' or ' tack.'

Joist er, sb. an animal taken or sent in to 'joist.'

Jolly, adj. pleasant ; pleasantly appropriate ; agreeable. This, the
ordinary vernacular use of the word in such phrases as ' a jolly
house,' ''garden,' 'day,' &c., is of considerable antiquity, though
ignored by Johnson.

"Oh, there is a writer hath a jolly text here!" — LAT. Serm.
XII. p. 209.

Also, "plump, like one in high health." — JOHNSON.

' Shay's & jolly wench,' i. e. she probably does not weigh less than
twelve stone. Phr. ' a jolly fellow7 = ' a fine fellow,' in the sense
of one who prides himself on something he has no occasion to be
proud of.

" The other fellow, which sold the cow, thinketh himself a jolly
fellow."— LAT. Serm. XXI. p. 401.

" The man thought himself a jolly fellow because all things went
with him."— Ib. Serm. XXIII. p. 436.

Jolter-headed, adj. stupid ; foolish. ' A's a sooch a joolter-eaded
chap ! '

Joram, or Jorum, sb. a brimming dose of liquor, generally applied
to strong drink or medicine. ; Ah'n seen 'er gollop daown a rig'lar
joorum o' that theer cod-ile, an' lick out the spune, as it 'ud ha'
med anybody keck to gin it 'er.5

Jovvel, *&., i. q. Jobble and Jobbet, q. v.

Jowl, v. a. to strike ; knock. ' A joicled 'er 'ead agen the wall as
shay couldn' bloo 'er nooze,' *'. e. flattened her nose so that she
could not take hold of it to blow.

Juck, sb., var. pron. of 'jerk,' a coat.

Jugg, and Juggy, ppr. n. a diminutive of Joan or Jane.
" Jugge, Janette (au lieu de Joane)." — GOTO.
It is now, I believe, exclusively applied to sundry small birds,
such as the ' bank-jpt^gr,' and the ' hedge-' or ' bottle-/^*/.' The
wren is also sometimes called a 'j'uggy-wren.' instead of a 'jenny-
wren,' and I remember a lad being laughed at for calling a white-
throat a ' Juggy white-throat ' instead of a ' Peggy white-throat.'
Our ordinary 'jug' for holding liquids is, perhaps, indebted to the
same source for its name, and is merely the female of the ' black
Jack.'

Jumbal, sb. a thin crisp little cake interspersed with carraways,
S-shaped, about three inches long, and from, a quarter to half-an-
inch thick, sweet, and of a pale yellowish brown colour. This
delicacy was a specialty of Market Bosworth, and the receipt for

N 2

180 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

making it was supposed to be a secret in the exclusive possession
of the Shenstone family, now long extinct in the male line.

" Striblita, se, a tart, or kind of cake twisted about like a rope,
Jumbols." — LITTLETON'S Lat. Diet., 1703, s. v. striUita.

The word also occurs in the old translation of Scarron's novels.

Jumpers, sb. maggots bred in cheese, ham, bacon, &c.

Jup! interj., var. pron. of ' gee-up,' as applied to horses, but it has,
I believe, no precise equivalent as applied to women or other
inferiors whom the speaker desires to insult or vilipend.

" Gup, Cristian Clowte, your breth is stale !
Go, Manerly Margery, Milk and Ale !
Gup, Cristian Clowte, gup, Jak of the vale !
With Manerly Margery Mylk and Ale."

SKELTOIST, vol. i. p. 29.

Justly, adv. exactly. * Ah doon't joostly knoo/ and ' Ah doon't
knoo, not joostly,1 are formulas about equally common.

Just now, adv. not immediately ; presently ; by and. by.
Just-now-since, adv. a very short time ago.

Kag, v. n., i. q. Cag, or Cank, to idle or 'potter' about.
Kasing, sb. 'As dry as a Teasing.1 (A. B. E.)

Keach, sb. the ' choice ' or ' pick ' of anything. ' I picked the Jceach
for her.'

Keck, v. n. to feel sick or squeamish ; to ' reach.' ' It ineks me
Jceck to think on't.'

Keck, or Kecks, sb. cow-parsley ; wild angelica ; ^Ethusoe ; some-
times used for the dry stalks of this or any other umbelliferous
plant.

Kedlock, sb., var. of ' cadlock ' and ' charlock/ wild mustard, Sinapis
arvensis.

Keel, and Keeling, sb. raddle mixed with grease for marking
sheep, &c.

Keep, sb. provender for cattle, grass, roots, &c. ; pasturage. ' We're
so short o' keep this year.'

" She may well be allowed to have her opinion on stock and their
< keep.1 "—Adam Bede, c. 18.

Kell, sb., var. pron. of 'caul,' a membrane ; a covering.

"With caterpillars' Jcetts and dusky cobwebs hung."

DRAYTON, Pol. III.

"An inflamation of the brain, or the membranes or Jcels of it,
with an acute feaver." — An. Mel., 1, 1, 1, 4.

"This stomach is sustained by a large kell or kaull, called
'omentum.'" — Ib., 1, 1, 2, 4.

The surgeon ' cuts the kell ' in an operation for cataract.

GLOSSARY. 181

Kellow, sb., i. q. Kell, q. v.

Kench, and Kench up, v. a. to bank ; bank up ; cover with earth,
&c. ' I've benched it up.' To kench potatoes, is to * camp ' them,
place in a heap and cover up with straw, earth, &c.

Kerk, sb., var. pron. of Keck, q. v.
Kex, sb. for < kecks/ pi. of Keck, q. v.
Keys, sb. the fruit of the ashtree or sycamore.
Kibble, v. a. to ' bruise ' or crush oats or other corn.

Kick, v. a. to sting. * What have you done to your finger T * A
wops kicked it yesterdee.'

Also, sb. a sting. ' Th' 'os went as if a'd got a kick from a cleg.3

Kid, sb. a small faggot ; a bundle of thorns or brushwood.

Also, v. a. to tie up in small faggots. ' They must get that wood
all kidded up to-dee' (after a fall of timber).

Kimnel, sb. a large vessel or tub used for whey.

Kindly, adv. sincerely ; heartily ; gratefully ; also, favourably ;
thrivingly. Everywhere common, formerly, at least, in the phr.
f Thank you kindly.'

"When father Adam married mother Eve,
She'd not a perch of jointure I believe :
He took her kindly from the gracious Donor,
But did not settle Paradise upon her."

Choice of a Wife, p. 63.

' Noothink doon't same to groo, not koindly'

Kink, v. n. to twist awry : said of a chain, rope, &c.

Also, sb. a twist or curl in the strands of a rope ; a displacement
of the links in a chain, &c.

Kissing-crust, sb. the crust between the upper and lower divisions
of a * cottage ' loaf, i. e. where the two parts of the loaf ' kiss.'

Kit, sb. a rabble ; crew ; company. ' Bleam the wull kit on 'em, I
says.' Also, a wooden vessel, hooped, rather larger in diameter
than an ordinary stable-bucket, with one stave longer than the
rest to form a handle. Formerly often used in milking. Also,
abbreviation for * Christopher,' very rarely used, ' Christ ' or
'Topher' being the usual form. 'Kester' belongs to the War-
wickshire side.

Kitling, sb. a kitten.

Kiver, sb., var. pron. of ' cover,' a shallow tub with a cover, mostly
used in composition as ' whey-A;wer,' ' dough-kiver,' ' butter-foVer,;&c.

Knibs, sb. the two projections on the ' snead ' by which the mower
handles the scytne.

Knock-along, v. n. to get on quickly.

182 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Knoll, v. a. to toll a bell.

Know, v. a., plir. ' to let Imow ' frequently means to administer a
thrashing. ' Oi'll let yor knoo ' in this sense is elliptical for ' I'll
let you know your master,' or, ' I'll let you know who is your
master,' both of which are common threats, though not so common
as the briefer formula.

Knowed, or Known, p. and p. p. of ' know.' ' A Jmood as his hour
were coom.' ' Ah known 'im ivver so loong agoo.'

Knowledge, sb., phr. ' To get beyond one's knowledge,9 or ' out of
one's knowledge,"1 is to get into a locality where one does not know
the way. ' Poo' little thing ! ' — a stray lamb — ' Ah suppoose it's got
beyond it knowledge ! ' ' Ah should ba quoite out o' my knowledge
i' Lon'on.'

Know to, v. a. to know of. ' Ah knoo to foor boods' nayzeii.' ' Ah
didn' knoo tew it.'

Lack, sb. loss; harm; damage. 'He won't take lack.1

Lade-gawn, sb., var. pron. of 'lade-gallon,' any vessel for lading out
liquid.

Lad's-love, sb. ' old man,' southernwood, Artemisia.
Lady-cow, sb. lady-bird, Coccinella. Vide JOHNSON, s. v.

Lag, v: n. to crack or split from the centre like wood from heat or
hasty drying, ' This wood's sadly lagged.'

Laid, p. p. as applied to grass, corn, &c., beaten down by the wind,
rain, &c.

Laid for, p. p. as applied to land — prepared for ; in course of pre-
paration for. ' We can't go by the field, the grass is laid for mowing.'
' The uvver clus were leedfur tummuts.'

Lai out, v. n. to cry out ; sing out.

Lam, v. a. to beat ; thrash ; cudgel.

Lamb-hog, sb. a * hoggrel ; ' a yearling sheep. Vide Sheep.

Lamb-toe, sb. bird's foot trefoil, Lotus corniculatus.

Lamming, sb. a beating ; thrashing.

' ' One whose dull body will require a lamming,
.As surfeits do the diet, spring and fall."

BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, A King and no King, V. 3.

Land, sb. one of the main divisions in a ploughed field. Sometimes
the lands are divided by a narrow strip of grass-land called a
' balk,' sometimes only by a furrow. The top of the land is called
the ' rig ' or ridge. At the top and bottom of the ordinary lands,
where the plough turns, another land is ploughed subsequently at
right angles. This is called the ' adland ' or head-land.

GLOSSARY.

183

i

land

*&

1

land

land

land

Section of ' rig-and-balk.'

Section of ' rig-and-furrow.'

Lane, sb., pec. a passage through, a crowd.

" The people made a lane and gave them way."

DRAYTON, Moone-calfe.

" A lane, a lane, she comes ! "

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 135.

Lap, and Lap up, v. a., var. of ' wrap/ ' wrap up.' " Wlap" — WYO.
"This 'us' lappeth in all other men with my prayer." — LAT.
Serm. XXI. p. 398.

"Did lap up figs and raisins in the Strand."

BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, Kt. of the B. P., V. 2.

" Being in the country in the vacation time not many years
since at Lindly, in Leicestershire, in my father's house, I first
observed this amulet of a spider in a nutshell lapped up in silk, &c.,
so applied for an ague by my mother." — An. Mel., 2, 5, 1, 6.

Burton annotates this passage: "Mistress Dorothy Burton, she
died 1629."

The word is frequently used in a metaphorical sense. ' A een't
noo friend to the poor : ah bean't no-ways lapped up in 'im.' The
exceptional ' bean't ' was habitual with the speaker.

Lap, sb. a wrap or wrapper. 'Yo'll want all your laps to-noight.'
Also, a 'leaf or 'fold' of a table, clothes'-horse, screen, &c. 'A
three-lapped clothes'-horse ' often occurs in an auctioneer's catalogue.

Larrup, v. a. to thrash ; castigate ; ' wallop.'

Lash, or Lash-horse, sb. the second horse in a team. Vide Body-
horse.

Lash out, v. n. to kick out as a horse ; kick over the traces physically
or metaphorically ; launch out into extravagance or folly.

"Neither his treasure can be spent, how much so ever he lash
<w£."— LAT. Serm. IV. p. 35.

" That live and lustily lashe out
In purchase or in pride."

News out of P. a, Sat. 2.

Lat, adj., var. pron. of 'late/ hindering,^ or hindered; backward.
'A very lat job.'

Lather, sb., var. pron. of 'ladder.'

Latin', part., var. of ' letting ' or < lating/ hindering ; preventing.
The flatterers.

184 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

" latitli kingis oft til wnderstonde
Thar vicis."— Launcelot, 1927.

'It's very laMiri1 weather,' i.e. weather which 'lets' or hinders
agricultural operations.

Lattermath, sb., i. q. Aftermath, the second ' mowth ' of grass.
Launch, v.a.to lance ; cut with a lancet.

" The turtle on the bared branch
Laments the wound that death did launch."

SPENSER, Sh. K. ^Eg. 11.

Lay, v. a. to beat down flat, as the wind and rain beat down ripe
crops.

Lay for, v. a. set apart for ; prepare for : said of land. ' Yo' may
lee it for wheat a 'underd year together : J said of some land near
Penzance in Cornwall.

Lay into, v. a. to beat ; thrash ; also, to work with diligence.

Lazy -back, sb. an iron implement to support a frying-pan or
'pikelet-iron' over the fire. The name is given from its partly
fulfilling the functions of a cook whose lazy back revolts against
being made the fulcrum of a frying-pan.

'Leaf, sb. the great membrane covering the intestines, the omentum.

Learn, v. n. to drop from the hull like a ripe filbert or nut.
Also, adj. perfectly ripe, dropping from the hull.

Learn, v. a. to teach. * Oi'll larn ye ! '

Leastways, or Leastwise, adv. at least, Saltern.

" 1 come now to take my leave .... at leastwise in this place."
— LAT. Serm. XIV. p. 243.

Leather, v. a. to beat as a punishment ; thrash severely. Vide Belt.

Leather-stave, sb. a joint of beef at the flank near the ribs. Vide
Lether-stave.

Leave go, and Leave hold, v. n. to let go ; loose hold : often used
absolutely. ' Yo' lave goo, or ah'll mak ye ! ' 'A wouldn' lave holt
till ah welly bit his teel off: ' said of a bull-terrier worrying
another dog.

Lea-water, sb. clear water.

Leaze, v. a. to glean. Not uncommon in the S.W., though 'poik'
is the usual term. " lesid" Lev. xix. 10. — Wye.
"leasing, voyez gleaning." — GOTG.

Lend, v. a. to deal ; deliver : as applied to a blow or stroke.

' ' Upon the head he lent so violent a stroke
That the poor empty skull like some thin potsherd broke."

DRAYTON, Pol. II.
' Ah'll lend yo' a claout o' the maouth.'

GLOSSARY. 185

Lep, v. n, or a., var. pron. of 'leap' and 'leapt.'

" How few there be that tread the pathes,

Or trace Dame vertues steps.
How many rather be there now
That quite from Yertue leps."

Neives out of P. C.

Let-a be ! pJir. ' let be ! ' make no more stir !

"How canst talk o' ma'in' things comfortable? Let-a-be, let-
a-be ! " — Adam Bede.

Lether, sb.t var. pron. of ' ladder.'

Lether-stave, sb., var. pron. of ' ladder-stave/ the round or rung of
a ladder. I do not know the joint of beef called the ' leather -stave,1
but I infer that it has its name from being shaped something like
the round of a ladder.

Letten, v. a., var. of ' let.' Vide ' Introd.' * Doon't ye letten goo ! '
Lew, and Lew-warm, adj. luke-warm.
Ley, v. n. and sb., i. q. Joist, q. v.

sb. the division of grass-land. A ley is to pasture what a ' land '
is to arable. Vide Land.

" On the Nether furlong two leyes butting East and West." —
Terrier of Glaybrook Glebe.

Lick, sb., pec. a slight wash or rub down ; a slut's pretence of clean-
ing. ' " A lick an' a promise" is all you'n ivver gi'n them grates
sin' 'ere you'n bin.'

Lid, sb., pec. the cover of a book. Vide Hilling.

Lief, adj. and adv. willing ; ready ; willingly • readily. { Ah'd
laifer kip him a wik nur a fortnit.'

Lig, v. 11., var. of to ' lie ' in all senses, but more frequently used for
to lie = speak falsely. When used for to lie, jacere, it is almost
always employed jocularly, or in supposed imitation of provincial
speech.

' ' And leave to live hard and learn to lig soft."

SPENSER, 8h. K. Mg. 5.

Also, sb. a lie. A common Leicestershire saying is —

" You thought a lig,
Loike Hudson's pig."

If it is asked, ' And what did Hudson's pig thought ? ' the correct
answer is, ' Whoy, a thowt as they was a-gooin' to kill 'im, an' they
oon'y run a ring threw it nooze.'

Light, sb. a number or quantity ; a Mort or Sight, q. v. 'A loight
o' tups.'

Light-headed, adj. delirious.

Light of, v. a. to meet with. ' Ah lit of her at the door.'

186 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Lights, sb. lungs. ' The roisin' o' the loights,' heart-burn. ' Ah'ii
got the roisin' o' the loights ivver so bad, for all ah'n ta'en mappen
a quar've paoun' o' shot-kerns to kip 'em daown.' Swallowing shot
is a recognized remedy for the complaint.

Lights-pie, sb. a mince-pie, plus chopped pig's lights, &c., identical
with Clutterling- pasty, q. v. Lights-pies are generally about
twice the size of the ordinary mince-pie of civilization, but I have
seen them large enough to afford a satisfying slice to a whole family
of eight or ten.

Like, adj. The Midlander for the most part carefully eschews any
direct form of speech, and prefers intimating his meaning by a
conventional circumbendibus. His anxiety to express himself
clearly, and at the same time to avoid either compromising him-
self or in any way offending his hearer, generally induces him to
throw his remarks into a quasi-hypothetical form, and the word
like affords him a convenient instrument for so doing. At the end
of almost every sentence, therefore, which contains a statement, the
word finds a place, as if to take off any harshness or aggressive
angularity which might attach to the statement in an unqualified
shape. A number of instances will be found in the examples given
of the use of other words.

A few of the similes in ordinary use are : ' Like wink ' = as easy
as winking. ' Like one o'clock ' = with freshness and vigour, like
a man returning to work at one, after his twelve-o'clock dinner
and beer. ' Like anything,' or 'anything again.' ' Like nothing,'
or ' nothing again.' < Like Old Boots ' = like the Devil.

The phr. ' to have like,"1 is to be very near doing a thing. ' Ah'd
loike to ha' hot him o' the maouth.'

v. n. to take a liking to a place or situation. * Mr. S. was very
kind, and said he hoped I should like and get on well.' ' 0, ah, oi
shall loike well enew.'

Likely, adj. promising. 'A loikely lad.'

adv., pec. probably.

" If once in the gaole, every creditor will bring his action against
him, and. there likely hold him."— An. Mel., 1, 1, 1, 5.

"St. Elme's fires they commonly call them, and they do likely
appear after a sea-storme."— 76., 1, 2, 1, 2.

Limb, v. a. to tear limb from limb (JOHNSON). < A good cat 'ud limb
it at once.'

sb. metonymy for a ' limb of the devil/ a wicked rascal. ' A's a
noist limb, a is ! '

Lines, or Marriage-lines, sb. certificate of marriage.

Linge, v. n., var. of Lunge, q. v., and 'lounge/ to lean. ' Lingeiu'
agen the mantel-piece.'

Liquor, sb., pec. often employed in an unusual sense. E. g. 'Have

drain.

GLOSSARY. 187

Liquor-struck, adj. rather drunk.

Littler, and Littlest, adj. comp. and superl. of little. Vide ' Introd.'

Liver-pin, sb. a somewhat obscure anatomical term, used only, so far
as I am aware, in the common threat : ' Ah'll coot your liver-pin
out o' your ear-'ole,' implying that the speaker intends cutting his
victim to pieces in a manner perhaps artistic, but elaborately dis-
agreeable.

Loath (pron. lawth), adj. unwilling.

Loblolly, sb. 'Thick spoon-meat of any kind/ says Halliwell,
quoting from Markham a most appetizing receipt. With us it
means the gruel given to prisoners or paupers.

' ' There is a difference, he grumbles, between laplolly and phea-
sants."— An. Mel, 2, 3, 3, p. 326.

" A's wan o' them theer loblolly b'ys,' i. e. a gaol-bird or tramp.

Locking-bone, sb. the hip-bone.

Locust, sb. a cock-chafer, a large grass-hopper, or sometimes, a large
caterpillar.

Lodlum, sb., var. of ' laudanum.'

Log, or Logger, sb. a piece of wood chained round the fetlock of an
animal to keep it from straying.

Lollop, v. n. to lounge ; sprawl.

Also, sb. one who ' lollops; ' also, a lump of victuals, a Dollop, q. v.

Long hundred, sb. six score by tale ; one hundred and twenty-eight
pounds by weight. I have often heard quoted the old rule : —

"Five score the hundred, men, money, and pins*
Six score the hundred all other things."

But the long hundred is now seldom heard of except in piece-
work in some few trades.

Long-settle, sb. a long high-backed wooden seat, common in the
' house-place ' of village inns.

Look, v. n. expect.

"As for these folk that speak against me, I never look to have
their good word as long as I live." — LAT. Serm. X. p. 155.

Looked on, part, respected.

' ' He'd be a fine husband for anybody, be they who they will, so
looked-on an' so cliver as he is." — Adam Bede, c. 51.

Look out, v. n., pec. to lengthen. 'The days are beginnin' to
look out.'

sb. prospect for the future. ' It's a poor look-out for her.'

Look up, v. a. to look sharply after ; to take to task or rebuke. ' A
ollus wants lookin1 oopS

Loose, v. a., var. pron. of 'lose.' Another common pron. is 'loaze.'

188 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

" What time they must in preparation lose !
What cost to furnish them with proper clothes."

Choice of a Wife, p. 15.

This example, however, leaves it doubtful whether the author
may not have pronounced ' clothes ' so as to rhyme to the ordinary
pron. of ' lose.'

Lop and top, sb. when a tree is felled, the ' lop ' is the smaller
branches, generally made up into faggots ; the ' top ' is the larger
branches not measured for timber.

"Now thyself hast lost both lop and top,
Als my budding branch thou wouldest crop."

SPENSER, Sh. K. ^Jg. 2.

Lords and ladies, sb. the flowers of the Arum maculatum,

Lot, sb. the whole of several. ' Is that the lot ? ' ' Ah, all as is ! '
Lots, in the pi. is abundance ; plenty.

Lout, sb., pec. In schools where a division into * upper ' and ' lower '
schools exists, a lout is a lad belonging to the lower school as dis-
tinguished from a ' boarder ' (day-boarder or otherwise) belonging
to the upper school. The word has, or perhaps more correctly had,
no disparaging significance.

Loving, part. adj. difficult to separate ; cleaving closely ; adhesive :
applied by a humourous employment of the ' pathetic fallacy ' to
stones, soil, '&c. ' These 'ere stoons ha* soo loovin', ah cain't 'aardly
mosh 'em.' ' The sile's that looviri* it'll stick to yer 'eels clooser
nur a doog.'

Lowk, v. a. to beat or thrash. ' A lowked 'im well.'
Low-lived, adj. vulgar; unrefined.

Luke, adj. lukewarm. 'Lew,' 'lewk,' Apoc. iii. 16. — Wye.
Lummock, sb. a lump of victuals ; a ' lollop.'

Lunge, v. n., var. of ' linge ' and ' lounge/ to lean. ' You see she
lunges in the pictur.'

Lungeous, adj. violent ; ' rumbustical ; ' quarrelsome ; restive.
'Please, sir, Ward's so lungeous.' 'Ah nivver loiked the sojerin';
it wur allays to lungeous for may.' 'Ah nivver sey the meer so
lungeous afoor.'

Lurry, sb. hurry ; bustle ; excitement.

Luscious, adj. rank ; stinking. ' It's woonderf ul looscious : ' said of
a drain, the stench of which was intolerable.

Lush, sb. strong drink.

Lushy, adj. full of ' lush ' ; rather drunk.

Ma', v. a., var. pron. of ' make.' This pron. is, I believe, common
throughout the county, but ' mek ' is the normal form.

GLOSSARY. 189

" I'n set my heart on't as thee shall ma1 thy feyther's coffin."-
Adam Bede.

Mackle, v. a.,freq. of 'make'(?), to mend up. *I macTded his old
coat up for him.' (Belgrave, C. E.)

Mad, adj. angry ; greatly vexed. Vide Wild.

Made-earth, and Made- ground, sb. soil that has been disturbed by
digging, &c., as distinguished from virgin or undisturbed soil.
When a pit is filled up with earth, or a bank or mound artificially
raised, the earth used for the purpose is so called. The term is not
peculiar to Leicestershire, but I do not find it anywhere recorded.

Maggot, sb. a whim ; fancy ; caprice.

" When there's a bigger maggot than usial in your head, you call
it ' direction'; and then nothing can stir you." — Adam Bede.

Maiden name, pec. It is by no means uncommon for an offended
wife to resume her maiden name for a time by way of asserting
her independence.

Maintain causes, plir. to pay one's way. 'Ah cain't menteen^causes
an' pey a doctor's bill an' all.'

Make, v. a. to fasten ; bolt ; lock. ' A med the shutters an' nivver
keyed the cotter.' Also, to acquire by artifice or fraud. ' Why,
Bill, where did you get that pigeon ? It's mine ! ' ' Oo, noo, sir, it
een't non o' yourn : it's oon'y wan as Oi meed,' i. e. decoyed.

Make count, v. n. to reckon; calculate; expect. 'Ah nivver med
no caount o' his 'app'nin' upon us i' the gyaardin.' Vide Count.

Malkin, sb. a scare-crow ; anything placed to frighten birds ; hence,
a slattern; trollop.

" A crooked carkass, a maukin, a witch, a rotten post, a hedge-
stake may be so set up and tricked up." — An. Mel., 3, 2, 3, 3.

" As I often ask her if she wouldn't like to be the mawkin i' the
field."— Adam Bede, c. 31.

' Shay dew mek 'er-sen a sooch a mawkin ! '

Cotg. gives "A.maulking (to make clean an oven), patrouille,
fourbalet, escouillon." Also, "to make clean with" — "swept " —
and "a sweeping with a maulkin," Under escouillon he has "a
wisp or dish- clout, a maukin or drag to cleanse or sweep an oven."

Malt-coom, sb. the little germinated sprouts (spumula) of malt,
brushed off by rubbing on a grating and sold for sheep- food.

Mammock, v. a. to mangle into pieces ; break into pieces. " Doon't
ye mammock your bread a that'n.' Also, i. q. Maul, q. v.

Man, sb., phr. 'his own man,' is 'himself,' in his sober wits, in his
usual health.

"The reporter of the news was so affrighted for his part, that
though it were two months after, he was scarce his own man." —
An. Mel, 1, 2, 4, 4.

Mang, sb. a jumble ; mixture ; confused mass ; ' all of a mang, loike.'

190 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Manking, part. adj. carrying tales; gossiping. (C. E.)

Manner, sb. , phr. 'in a manner o' speaking' is a kind of formula of
apology for enunciating any direct statement. Generally speaking
it is simply expletive and superfluous, but it is occasionally
employed as a delicate means of hinting a doubt. ' I believe he
wur quite respectable, like, in a manner o' speakin' ; ' leastways,
they say, ' Speak o' a man as you find him,' and I nivver had no
dealin's wi' him good nor bad, so you see, sir, I couldn't say no
other on him in a -manner o' speakin'.'

Manperamble, sb., var. pron. of ' nonpareil/ a kind of apple.

Many, sb. a great number. Vide Few. A common nursery-rhyme,
used in relation to the distribution of fruit or ' goodies,' runs
thus : —

" One's none,
Two's some,
Three's a many,
Four's a plenty,
Five's a little hundred."

""There are several varieties of the fourth line current : sometimes
four is ' a penny,' sometimes ' a flush' or ' a mort.' Vide Nursery
Bhymes, Percy Soc., vol. iv. no. 239.

' Too many ' = too much. ' This here weather's too many for
him.' ' His cuff' — cough — ' is too many for him.'

M'appen, adv., var. pron. of ' may-happen/ perhaps ; possibly ;
probably.

"Else I should m'appen lose my place." — Round Preacher, p. 92.

Market-fresh, or Market-merry, adj. about as drunk as the average
farmer of the old school by the time he returned from market.
' O no ! A weean't droonk ! A wer oon'y maarket-merry, loike.'

Marls, sb. marbles for boys' play. Perhaps, if the words are not
etymologically distinct, it is more probable that ' marble ' is a * cor-
ruption ' of ' marl,' than that ' marl' is a ' corruption ' of ' marble.'
The ordinary marbles of my school-days were made of a tough
fine-grained indurated marl, generally grey, but sometimes of a
dusky yellow. The latter were rather harder than the grey, and
were accordingly preferred as ' taws,' a fine ' yaller-taw ' being
considered worth six or eight ' commoneys. ' Marbles of the same
material, but larger, from one to two inches in diameter, were called
'bosses.' These ' stone-marZs,' as they were often called to dis-
tinguish them from 'pots,' were sometimes stained or dyed of
various colours, and were then known as 'painted marls.' 'Pots'
or ' pot-marls ' were made of buff-coloured baked clay, sometimes
variegated with red streaks, in rude imitation of ' blood-alleys.'
They were manufactured by simply rolling bits of clay in the
hand, and were for the most part grossly unspherical. A superior
kind of ' pot ' was the ' Dutch-pot.' These were shaped in a mould,
and were painted, generally with a check pattern. Vide Alley.

Marriage-lines, sb. a marriage certificate.

GLOSSARY. 191

Martin, sb. A martin, there can be little doubt, originally meant a
beast intended for slaughter at Martinmas, but the term has now
become restricted in a remarkable manner. When a cow drops
twins, of which only one is a bull-calf, the other, in the majority
of cases, is not a true heifer, but an undeveloped male with many
of the characteristics of the ox. As this neuter animal is useless
for breeding or milking, it was generally fattened for killing at
Martinmas, and has almost monopolized the name of 'Martin'
though the word is still sometimes so far extended as to include a
spayed or barren heifer. In Scotland and the North of England
the martin is called a ' free-martin,' probably from its freeing the
claims of St. Martin to the slaughter of horned cattle. John
Hunter was, I believe, the first to call scientific attention to the
phenomena of ' free-martinism ' which have lately (1875) received
additional illustration at the hands of Mr. Francis Galton.

Martlemas, sb., var. of 'Martinmas,' Nov. 11. A common weather-
proverb is : —

" When the ice before Martlemas bears a duck,
Then look for a winter o' mire and muck."

Mash, v. n., pec. to put tea in a tea-pot with enough boiling -water
to cover it, allowing it to stand before the fire or in the oven for
some time before filling up the pot.

" 'I hope your tea is as you like it, brethren,' said Mrs. Sleek-
fare. ' Mine is very niste,' said sister Meek, ' I suppose as you did
as you mostly do, put the tea in the oven to mash before you went
to chapel. It's a good plan, as it gets all the goodness out.'" —
Bound Preacher, p. 83.

Mash-rule, sb. an instrument for stirring up the malt in the ' mash-
vat,' or ' mash-tub.'

Mash-tub, or Mash- vat, sb. a large tub or vat used in brewing.

Maslin-kettle, sb. a large brass kettle, either shallow or deep, for
boiling milk in.

Masoner, sb. a mason or bricklayer.

Massacree, v. a., var. pron. of ' massacre.' The word is supposed
to have an especially terrifying influence over the childish intellect,
as being the one generally employed in connection with the
innocents slaughtered by Herod. It is, in fact, far more common
as a vague threat for naughty children than in its ordinary sense.
* Ah'll massacree ye, my lady, next toiine as ah ketch a holt on ye.'
It is also used in precisely the same sense and manner as Maul, q. v.

Master, sb. the head of the house. A wife speaks of her husband
as ' the Master,' and a husband of his wife as ' the Mis'ess.'

Masterful, adj. overbearing ; imperious ; domineering.
"Maitfar/ul" Luke xii. 58. — WYC.
"A maisterful dame, femme testue." — CoTG.
' She's a most master/idlest temper.'

Matter, phr. ( A matter of ,' is equivalent to 'about.' 'Oi dimna

192 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

knoo 'aow o'd a is, not joostly, but Oi reck'n a'd ba a matter o' a
underd.' 'You say he was not drunk; how much had he had to
drink ? ' ' A matter o' thray af-points o' gin, m'appen.' ' As near '
or ' as nigh as no matters,' is so near that the difference is wholly
unimportant. ' No great matters,' nothing to boast of, nothing
particular.

Maul, v. a. to harass ; fatigue ; vex ; ' put about.'

*' We do .... maul and vex one another." — An. Mel., 1, 2, 3, 8.

' ' We maul, persecute, and study how to sting, gaul, and vex
one another with mutual hatred." — Ib., 1, 2, 3, 10.

' It's a maulin' job, them big washes.'

Also, sb. a harassing ; infliction ; vexation.

" ' "Pis a common maul unto them all'" is Burton's translation of
'plerunque solent infestari,' i.e. melancholia. — An. Mel., 1, 2,

3, 15.

Maunder, v. n. to talk, move, or act in an absent, helpless, imbecile
manner.

" Still enquiring, mandring, gazing, listning, affrighted with
every small object." — An. Mel., 3, 3, 2, 1.

' They've a maunderin' couple.'

Maw-bound, part. adj. overgorged ; swollen with indigested food :
applied to animals.

Mawkin, sb., i. q. Malkin, q. v.

Mawms, sb. l to make mawms ' = to ' make faces ' in derision. ' I
can't go out o' my door wi'out his mekkin' mawms at me.'

Mawmsey, sb. a noodle ; an awkward gaby. ' A's a poor mawmsey.'
Maw-skin, sb. the maw of a calf dried, from which rennet is made.
May -blob, sb. the marsh-marigold, Caltha palustris. Vide Blob.

May-happen, adv. mayhap ; perhaps ; probably.

"It's all very fine having a ready-made rich man, but may-
happen he'll be a ready-made fool." — Adam JBede.
Vide Happen and Mappen.

Me, pr. myself. 'Ah mut go wesh me.' Also, sometimes used as a
nominative. Vide ' Introd.'

Meal, sb. The various qualities of meal are distinguished into —
1. Bran. 2. Shorts. 3. Scuftings, pollards, or shorts-and-sharps.

4. Sharps or grudgeons. o. Thirds or middlings. 6. Seconds.
7. Flour. Scuftings or pollards are often sub-divided into ' fine '
and ' coarse,' the ' fine ' being almost identical with ' sharps,' and
the coarse with ' shorts/

Meal's meat, sb. food enough for a meal.

" Selling a laughter for a cold meale's meat."

HALL, Sat. IV. i.

Mean, v. n. to signify ; matter ; Argufy, q. v. ' That doon't mane,'
i e. that's nothing to the purpose.

GLOSSARY. 193

Meat, sb., plir. l His meat don't do him 110 good,' i. e. lie is a dis-
contented, ill-conditioned curmudgeon; or else, when predicating
a merely temporary frame of mind, he is vexed, disappointed,
humiliated.

"Meat and drink can do such men no good." — An. Mel., 1, 2, 3, 8.
This is intended for a translation of Cyprian's " non cibus talibus
Isetus, non potus potest esse jucundus."

Megrim, si), an absurd notion or fancy; whim; caprice; also, a
disease to which horses are subject.

"Ah, it was a pity she should take such megrims into her head."
— Adam Bede, c. 18.

Mell, v. n. meddle.

" Hence, ye prophane : mell not with holy things."

HALL, Sat. I. 8.
'Dunna yo' mell.'

Mere, sb. a boundary.

" Appleby Magna, in the hundred of West Goscote, lying upon the
very edge of the county of Derby, with which it is so intermingled
that the houses to an ordinary passenger cannot be distinguished
which be of either shire, there being no direct meer between them."
—BURTON, Hist. ofLeic., p. 11.

Mere-balk, sb. a balk marking a boundary.

Mere-stone, sb. a landmark or boundary stone.

" Or rol'd some marked Meare-stone in the way."

HALL, Sat. V. 3.

' Hit's the mere-stone, sir, as marks the mere between Cadeby an'
Osbas'on.'

Mere-thurrow, sb. a furrow marking a boundary.

Metheglin (pron. metheeglum), sb. " Honey-beer, made, after the
pure honey is extracted, of the last crushing of the comb, boiled
with water and fermented." — Bk.

Midgerum-fat, sb. the fat of the intestines. 'Yo' mut tek the
midgerum-fat,' is a common butcher's stipulation with a customer
anxious to purchase only prime joints.

Miff, sb. a 'tiff;' 'huff; ' slight fit of peevishness or ill-humour.

Mingle-mangle, sb. a medley ; hotch-potch.

The Germans " made a mingle-mangle and a hotch-potch of it — I
cannot tell what, partly Popery, partly true religion mingled
together. — They say in my country when they call their hogs to
the swine-trough, ' Come to thy mingle-mangle, come pur, come
pur; ' even so they made a mingle-mangle of it." — LAT. Serm. IX.
- p. 147.

Minikin, adj. tiny ; delicate.

Also, sb. the smallest kind of pin.

194 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Minute, sb., phr. 'as big as a minute1 = very small. I believe the
simile is taken from a church clock, but ' minutis,' * mynutes,' are
used in Wy cliff e for * mites/ small pieces of money. ' Theer's a
man at Coonje'son (i. e. Congerstone) as 'as got ivver sooch a teeny-
toiny little bit o' a beuk, as een't not so big as a minute.^ Said
book, now penes Ed. is a copy of Thomas a Kempis, 3£ in. high, 1£
wide, and 1 thick. Antv. 16 ...

Mire, sb., phr. 'Theer 'evn't a pin to chewse atwixt 'era : wan's
as bad as t'oother ; wan's as dip i' the mood as t'oother i' the moire.'

Mis-call, v. a. to vituperate ; Call, q. v.

" They threaten, mis-call, scoff at us."— An. Mel, 2, 3, 3, p. 331.

Misdeem, v. a. to suspect. ' MysdemeJ ' messedeme,' to judge amiss.
—WTO.

Misdeeming, part, suspicious. ' She's sadly misdeeming.'*

Misdoubt, v. a. to doubt; disbelieve. 'If yo' misdoubts me, yo'
can send an' ahx.'

Misfortune, sb., pec. an illegitimate child. * Well, but why do you
ask wages so much higher than your sister ? ' ' Please, sir, I never
has a misfortune. ' (Wymeswould, 1849. ) ' To light of a misfortune '
is the ordinary euphemism.

Mislest, or Mislist, v. a., var. of 'molest,' to annoy ; assault. 'This
is the stick you was a-goin' to mislist me with.'

Miss, sb. the eldest daughter. ' If miss woon't, non o' the yoong
uns will.'

Mither (pron. moither), v. a. to puzzle ; perplex ; ' bother ; ' confuse ;
daze ; render stupid. • ' A wur that moithered, a didn' knoo wheer
a was to a wik.' ' Moithered wi' hate,' i. e. heat. ' Doon't ye coom
anoigh, moitherin ! '

Mits, or Mittens, sb. fmgerless gloves of all sorts, including those for
hedgers. These last are generally of whit-leather, some having a
covering for the thumb and hand without the fingers, others having
a pouch for the four fingers as well.

Mizzle, v. n. to drizzle ; rain slightly ; ' damp.'

"Now gins to mizzle, hie we homeward fast."

SPENSER, Sh. K. JEg. 11.

Moffle, v. n., var. pron. of 'muffle,' to mumble one's words. 'A
moffles soo, yo' cain't mek aout a wood as a says, not joostly.'

Moffling, adj. shuffling; shifty; also, infirm; tottering; decrepit.
' A's a shooflin' mofflin' sort o' feller.' ' Ah'm sa very mofflin.''

Moither, v. a., i. q. Mither, q. v.

Mollicrush, v. a. to do something dreadful to : generally used, like
'massacree,' by way of a threat to children. ''A doon wi' that
nize, or ah'll mollicrush ye.' 'Ah could mollicrush ye, ah could,'

GLOSSARY. 195

said a comely mother to a chubby lad crowing in her arms — mean-
ing, ' I could hug you to death for very love.'

Mong-corn, sb. oatmeal bran.

" A iolly rounding of a whole foote broad
From off the Mong-corne heape shall Trebius load."

HALL, Sat. V. 2.

' Mung and horse-corn sold here' (sign-board at Loughborough).
Month's mind, sb., phr. a strong inclination.

" He thaw's like Chaucer's frostie lanivere
And sets a month's minde upon smiling May."

HALL, Sat. IV. 4.

' A'd a moontli's moind to the meer, but a didn' loike paartin,' *. e.
parting with enough money to purchase her.

Moonshine, v. n. and a. to ' shoot the moon ; ' run away by night to
escape from one's creditors.

Moople, sb. an imbecile ; a simpleton. I heard it said of a village
Bourbon, 'Shay's a gret mewple ; shay knoos noothink, an' shay
woon't larn noothink, but shay nivver forgot the supper-beer yit.'

Moorish, adj., var. pron. of ' more-ish,' i. e. ready for more. ' A's
ollus a moorish un, aour Edwin is, an' ah tell 'is faither a's a roights
to ba, sa loong as a groos sa fasst.'

Moozling, part. adj. poking or ' puddling ' about ; doing things
helplessly, confusedly, or inefficiently. ' Foozlin' and moozlin' ' are
words often placed in collocation.

Mop, sb., i. q. Runaway Statutes, which is the more usual term.
A yearly assemblage held a month after the ordinary Statutes, in
order to give a second chance to masters and servants, who after a
month's trial put an end to their contract. Vide Statutes.

Mop-stail, sb. mop-stick ; mop-handle. Vide Stail.

Moral, sb., var. pron. of 'model,' image; likeness. * Loike 'is
faither ? Whoy, a's the very moral on 'im.'

Morris-dance, sb. Vide Plough-bullockers.

Mort, sb. a quantity ; number ; heap ; ' sight.' An old woman told
a gentleman she had a ' mort o' chickens,' and upon his asking
how many a mort might be, made answer, ' Wan or tew's a few ;
three's a mainy ; foor's a mort.' Vide Many.

Mosh, v. a., var. pron. of ' mash,' to smash ; crush ; shatter ; beat
to pieces. ' Ah thowt shaj^d 'a moshed her children then an' theer ;
an' shay would, if ah 'adn' a bin theer an' put 'em out o' her wee.'

Most, adv. almost always redundantly used with the superlative form
in ' est.'

Most-in-general, adv. generally ; almost always.

o 2

19G THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Mostly, adv. generally. 'A's wan o' his own to christen wanst a
year moodily'

Most part, adv. generally.

"Differing only in this from Phrensie, that it is without a fever,
. and their memory is most part better." — An. Mel., 1, 1, 1, 4.

" To some it is most pleasant, as to such as laugh most part." —
11., 1, 1, 3, 1.

' A moost paart goos abaout ha'f affter twelve.'

Mother, sb. mould ; penicillium.

" Mouldy mother."— DBYDEN.

sb., phr. l A fit o' the mother.'

"Hysterical passion," says Johnson, quoting Burton. I have
only heard the phrase used jocularly, and do not know its precise
meaning.

"From damnable members and fits of the mother. "

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 92.

" How many such fits of the mother have troubled the kingdoms."
— Id., Char, of a DiurnaU, p. 182.

Tide Lear, II. 1, and Percy's quotation on the passage. The
phrase occurs in Drayton, Song VII. : —

' ' As when we haply see a sickly woman fall
Into a fit of that which we the mother call,
When from the grieved womb she feels the pain arise
Breaks into grievous sighs with intermixed cries."

Mothering -Sunday, sb. Midlent, or Lcetare Jerusalem Sunday,
when all parishioners were formerly expected to make their Lenten
offerings at their Mother-church. It is now "a family festival, when
the scattered members of the village household expect leave to go
home for the day to eat veal and furmety with their mothers in the
flesh. Vide HAMPSON, Kal. Med. ^E., vol. ii. s. v.

Mother-stone, or Mothering-stone, sb. conglomerate ; * pudding-
stone; ' ( breeding- stone ' (Herts.). The belief that stones grow in
size by degrees is almost universal, and the small pebbles found in
conglomerates are generally regarded as ova, which under favour-
able auspices will ultimately be developed into boulders.

Mothery, adj. mouldy : generally applied to fluids thick and ropy

with the ' yeast-plant.'

Mought, v., aux., var. or, perhaps, p. of ' might/ still common,
though not so common as * moight.'

' ' and with you bring
" The willing Faunes that mought your musick guide."

HALL. Sat., Defiance to Envy.

" There moughtest thou but for a slender price
Advowson thee with a fat benefice." — Ib., II. 5.

Mouldiwarf, Mouldiwarp, or Mouldwarp, sb. a mole,
* ' Maldewerp," ' ' molde-warpis. " — WYC.

"In gold-mines, tin-mines, lead-mines, stone-quarries, cole-pits
like so many mould warps underground."— A n. Mel., 1, 2, 4, 5.

GLOSSARY. 197

Moult, sb. a moth.

Moulter, v. n. to moult as birds; also, to moulder: applied par-
ticularly to fallow soil.

Mowed out, part, heaped so full as to leave no room for more ;
crowded. ' Thee' re so rich thee're daown-roight maowd-aout wi'
money.' ' Ye're reg'lar maowed-aout ! '

Mozy, adj. ' muggy,' as applied to weather, warm and damp ; also,
as applied to meat, fruit, &c. , tainted, musty, beginning to decay.

Much (u pron. as in bull in this and the following words), adv., plir.
' Much of a muchness ' = very much the same.

Muck, sb. dirt; dung; manure. " MuJc." — WYC.

v. a. to dirty or defile ; also, to manure.
Muck-cart, sb. dung-cart.
Muck-fork, sb. dung-fork.
Muck-heap, sb. a dung-hill ; a mixen.
Muck-hook, sb. a fork to pull up dung when hard or trampled on.

Mucky, adj. dirty ; filthy. A village shoe-maker indited a lampoon,
now penes Ed., entitled the ' Mucky Tinker,' ' hoping,' as he observes
in his introduction, ' to keep our mucky tinker from rooting into
other people's business.'

Mudge, sb., var. of 'mud.' * Sludge' is the word more generally
used.

Mudgings, sb. fat about the ' raps,' or small intestines of a pig.
Muff, adj. dumb ; silent ; dull ; stupid.

Muff nor mum, pJir. ' neither good nor bad ; ' nothing at all. ' A
didn' sey no moor, nayther moof nur moom.'

Muffatee, sb. a small woollen or worsted cuff worn over the wrist.
Muffling, adj., var. of Moffling, q. v. Also, dull ; heavy ; stupid.
Mug, sb. the face. ' Ugly-m-w^ ' is a very common nick-name-.

Mull, v. a. to rub ; grind as paint ; rub round and round. ' Mulling
his knee.' 'That child mulls his tongue,' i. e. sucks it. * Ah've a
sooch a mullin? peen i' my 'ead.' 'What kind of pain, acute?'
' Noo, not a throbbin' peen, but a mullin' peen, loike,' i. e. a dull,
wearily grinding pain.

Mull, Mull-cow, or Mully-cow, sb. a child's name for a cow.

" And turnst thy lo to a lovely Mull."

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 30.

Mun, v. n. must. Common, but not so common as « mut.'
" If I mun sit down, I mun." — Round Preacher, p. 72.

198 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Mundle, sb. a wooden instrument like a rammer, used in washing
potatoes or other roots.

Mung, sb., i. q. Mong, q. v.

Mungeling, adj. murmuring. ' A's ollus munyelin* an' groombliu'.'

Muntin, sb. the mullion of a window.

•''A mountain, or upright beam in a building, montant." — COTG.

Muss, sb. a scramble ; disturbance ; uproar.

"A musse, the boyish scrambling for nuts, &c., a la grace,
mousche." — COTG.

Mut, v. n. must. ' Mot,1 f moot,' and ' mut ' are Wye. forms.

Nab, v. a. to catch ; capture ; seize.

Nag, v. a., var. of 'gnag' and 'gnaw.' Vide Gnag.

Naggle, v. a., var. of Gnaggle, q. v.

Naiboring, part, adj., var. pron. of Neighbouring, q. v.

Nail-passer, sb. a gimlet.

Naish, adj., var. pron. of Nesh, q. v.

Namby-pamby, adj. "Having little affected prettinesses," says
Johnson, quoting Ash for an example. The only claim the word
possesses to a place in a Leicestershire glossary rests on the fact
that poor Ambrose Phillips, whose Christian name was'thus distorted
in such an unchristian manner by Pope, happened to be a Leicester-
shire man.

Name, sb., plir. ' Oi'll mek ye as ye wunna knoo yer oon neeam,'
i. e. ' I'll knock the senses out of you.'

Nash, adj., var. pron. of Nesh, q. v.

Nasty, adj. ill-tempered ; ill-conditioned ; cross. ' Shay got quoite
ovver it.'

Nation, adj. and adv. ' damnation,' used adjectively or adverbially,
and decapitated for decency.

Nattering, part. adj. scolding ; fault-finding in a small vexatious
manner. ' Shay's ollus a-yamberin' an' a-natterin? at 'er all dee
loong.'

Natty, adj. neat ; trim ; tasteful.

Nature, sb. nourishment ; ' goodness ; ' ' virtue,' in the old sense as
applied to plants, drugs, &c. ' All the neetur's gone out o' the
peent. '

Naunt, v. n. to ' bridle up,' said of a woman. ' She naunted so at
me.' (A. B. E.)

GLOSSARY. 199

Navigation, si. a canal. Vide Cut. ' " Run, John," she says, " the
masster's hulled his-sen i' the navigeetion," she says. Soo ah runs
up the bank by th' akedok, an' muster Coaley, a wur a-runnin'
alung the too -path, an' a says, " Theer's a man i' the canell," a says,
" an' ah thenk it's muster Godfrey." Soo way coom an' got 'im out
o' the cut affter a bit, but a wur quoite dead by then.'

Nayzen, sb. nests, pi. of ' nest.'

Near-hand, adv. almost ; nearly ; probably ; also, hard-by. Vide
Nigh-hand.

Neat, sb. neat cattle.

" There feed the herds of neat."

DRAYTON, Pol. XIV.

Neb, sb. the l tang ' or shaft at the butt-end of a scythe-blade, by
which it is affixed to the ' snead ' or wooden shank. It is a con-
tinuation of the rib which runs along the back of the upper side of
the blade, and is about five inches long. About half its length is
bent at right angles to the blade, so as to lie along the ' snead ' to
which it is made fast by a ring, which clips both the neb and the
' snead. ' By pegging the neb, tne angle of the blade in relation to
• the ' snead can be slightly altered so as to suit the mower,
mowers of different height, length of arm, &c., requiring the blade
to be at different angles to the ' snead.'

Neck and crop, phr. somewhat analogous to ' hip and thigh ; ' in a
manner likely to produce a state of personal collapse, such as
results from being thrown downstairs, pitched out of window, &c.

Neck-hole, sb. the cavity between the skin and clothes at the neck ;
the point at which snow-balls are especially aimed.

Neeld, sb. a needle.

" Neeldes," " nedde-werk," " neeld-work. " — WYC.

M. N. D., III. 2. K. John, V. 2. Per. IV. and V. (Gower.)

Neest, sb., var. pron. of ' nest.'

" The brand upon the buttock of the Beast,
The Dragons tail ti'd in a knot, a neast
Of young Apocryphas." — CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 37.

Neezen, sb. plural of 'neast' or 'nest.'
Neezening, part., var. of ' nesting,' bird's-nesting.

Neighbouring (pron. naiborin (' ai ' as in ' Caiaphas ') or sometimes
neebrin), part. adj. gossiping ; tattling among the neighbours.
' Ah nivver wur gi'n to naiboriri1.'

Nesh, adj. delicate ; susceptible ; dainty ; tender : often applied to
the constitution of man and beast.

tf Newhe," " neshe," " nesshe." — WYC.

* The meer's a naish feeder. ' The word is also sometimes used as
a verb impersonal. ' Shay's a gooin' to be married, an' it een't o'
noo use 'er neshiri it,' i. e, being coy or reluctant.

200 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Netting, sb. urine.

Never-a-deal, adv. riot much. ' Ah doon't keer nivver-a-dale abaout
hevvin yew i' the aouse,' i. e. I wish you would turn out.

Never- the-near, or Never-the-nigh, ado. none the nearer; no for-
warder.

"Poor men put up bills every day, and never the near" — LAT.
Serm. XIV. p. 275.

Next-ways, or Next-wise, adv. directly ; immediately ; next. ' Ah
shall goo Nels'n nexttis,' i. e. to Nailstone.

Nib, sb., i. q. Knib, q. v.

Nigh-again, adv. most likely ; probably. ' It's the wet weather,
noigh-agen,' was the cause alleged for a cow's ailment. 'Ah shall
goo Shapy noigh-gen,' i. e. probably go to Sheepy.

Nigh-hand, adv. most likely ; probably. * Are you going to reap
to-day ? ' ' Ah, noigh-'and* ' Yo'll noigh-'and goo by treen ? ' i. e.
by train. ' Ah noigh-'and shall.'

Nighest-about, adv. nearest; the nearest way. 'It's a del the
noighest-abaout.1

Nim, v. a. and n. to take away ; take : not necessarily to steal and
carry away, which seems to be the usual meaning in Elizabethan
English. 'Ah nimmed it off on 'im,' would be as applicable to an
open as to a surreptitious taking away. Also, to go quickly, move
nimbly. ' Nim to the corner, an' see if a's a-comin.' * Shay
nimmed off loike a shot, soon as ivver shay set oys of 'irn.' • ' Coom,
yo' nim ! Skip it ! ' Also, to fidget. ' Doon't ye nim soo ! ' used
to a person ' playing the Devil's tattoo,' tapping his foot, or swing-
ing one leg over the other.

Nip, v. a. and n. to move quickly; slip away; make off; also, to
catch up hastily; also, to pinch, on any scale, and with any
instrument. ' Yew nip off ! ' ' Shay nipped oop 'er bassket, an' off
shay roon.' ' Ah should ha' ketched holt on 'im, beout a'd nipped
threw the 'edge.' ' The whale nipped booth 'is fate roight off,' i. e.
the wheel of a railway truck crushed both his feet off.

sb. a small portion of anything ; a mouthful ; a dram ; also, a
' pet ; ' fit of passion or ill-temper. ' Way'll joost hev a nip o'
bread- an'-chaze.' ' Shay goos into sooch nips.' ' The masster weer
in a nip, an' all ! '

Nipper, sb. anything excellent of its kind ; a ' stunner.'

Nipping, part, stingy ; miserly ; pinching. ' Shay's the moost
nippingest wumman iwer oi knoo.' Also, super-excellent, first-
rate ; ' stunning ' in the slang sense.

Nirker, sb. a ' clencher ; ' a finishing stroke ; a crowning effort.
The word, I imagine, should be written, not ' a writer, but ' an
irker,' i. e. something that will ' irk ' or trouble any opponent to

GLOSSARY. 201

beat, a ' botlierer.' * That's a nirker / ' is a phrase equally applic-
able when the ace of trumps is laid down at whist, when a hunter
clears a ' rattling bull-finch,' when a prize-fighter plants a straight
blow between the eyes, or when Major Longbow relates his Eastern
experiences.

Niste, adj., var. pron. of ' nice.' ' As noist as nip,' and * As noist as
poy,' are the usual similes for 'niceness.'

Nitle, adj. neat ; clever ; handsome : eulogistic epithet generally.
' A's a noitle chap.' ' A noist, noitle body.'

Nittering, part. adj. captious ; fault-finding ; querulous. ' The
missus '11 bay ivver so nitterin' ovver it.'

Noan, v. n. to toll ; * knoll.' ' The bell noans, the've doon choiinmV

No-but, adv. unless ; except. Ecclus. xxxiv. 6 ; Mat. v. 20. — WYC.
' Theer weean't a sool i' th' aouse, nobbut the doog.'

Noddle, sb. the part of the head covered by the hair.

Cotg. ha? " occipital, belonging to the noddle or hinder part of the
head."

Noddy, adj . sleepy. ' You're gittin' quoite noddy, my dear ! '

sb. a noodle ; simpleton.

" Soft fellows, stark noddies."— An. Mel., 1, 2, 4, 4.

No end of, phr. a great number or quantity ; in a very high degree.
' No end o' wannuts this yeea'.' ' Noo end o1 wook to dew.'

Noggin, sb. "A small mug," says Johnson. In Leicestershire,
however, the word means any small drinking-vessel, except perhaps
a wine-glass. I have heard, however, a request for ' a noggin o'
gin in a woin-glass,' and from the general use of the word it is
difficult to say whether it means an indefinitely small quantity of
liquor or the vessel which holds it.

No-how, and No-hows, adv. and adj. in no manner ; by no means ;
also, adjectively, without order or arrangement; unsettled; dis-
composed.

Noils, sb. coarse locks of wool ; ' dag-locks.'

". . . . put flockes and thrummes, and also noyles and haires,
and other deceivable things into .... the broad woollen clothes."
—21 Jac. I. c. 18.

'Nointed, p. p., var. of ' anointed,' i. e. by the Devil. Very nearly
equivalent to ' gallows' adjectively used. ' A's a 'nineted 'un, a is.'

Noist, and Noistish, adj., var. pron. of 'nice' and 'nicish.'

" Sich a niste man," and "the gals is noicetish lasses." — Hound
Preacher, pp. 89, 90.

None, adv. not ; not at all. ' 'Teen't non so nassty.' The pron. of
this word is well-shown in the following stanza from ' The single
eye, highly beneficial : '

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

' ' In poverty and great distress

A firm reliance on

God's goodness makes our troubles less
Likewise the many none"

WRIGHT'S Poems, p. 32.

Nor, adv. than. I once quoted the proverb : ' A plenty's better nur
a flush,' to a farm-labourer, who answered me with : ' Ah, sure !
that's what o'd Bendigo Bilson said when the yoong masster gen
'im a chaarge o' rabbit-shot i' the leg.'

Nor-word, sb. by-word or nick-name.

Nother, or Nouther, conj. neither.

"Nother," " nothir," "nouther."— WYC.

These forms are not uncommon, but the normal pron. is ' nayther '
or ' noyther.'

Not-no-more, adv. no more.

"Yet now nearehand cannot resist no more."

HALL, Sat. IV. 5.

Not-well, adv. and adj. unwell ; ill. ' How are you to-day 1 ' ' Well,
ah've very not-well^

Notch, sb. a ' run ' at cricket. It is still not unusual for the scorer
to keep account by cutting a notch on a stick, — hazel-stick for
choice — for every run made.

Nout, or Nowght, sb. nought; nothing. The word is sometimes
pron. 'note.'

No-ways, or No- wise, adv. not at all ; in no manner.

Nub, sb., var. pron. of ' knob,' a lump : often applied to coal.

Nubbin, sb. the stump or stock of a tree left after it has been cut
down : applied also to the wood or piece when used for fire- wood.

Nubbly, adj. knobby ; lumpy ; full of lumps.

Nudgeling, part. adj. hearty; robust; tough in constitution.
' Shay's a moor noojlirf caow nur to'other.' ' What do you mean
by nudgeling ? ' ' Moor 'aardy, loike, ' ull ate anythink, an' too'n
the weather,' *'. e. turn the weather, stand the rain.

Nudging, part., var. of 'nesting,' birds'-nesting. 'Ah'ni gooiii'
a-noodgin.}

Nuncheon, sb. luncheon.

Nunkle, v. a. to cheat ; impose on. ' Yo' shain't noonlde may. ' It
seems doubtful whether this use of the word is referable to the
' Nunkle pays for I' story of Foote and the highwayman (Joe
Miller, p. 45), or to the character of the dealings of mine uncle at
the sign of 'the three gilt pills of the Medici.'

Nunty, adj. trim; dapper; 'perky.' 'A nunty little man.' 'A
nunty cap.'

GLOSSARY.

203

Oaf, sb. a fool ; blockhead.

"Though he be an aufe, a ninny, a monster, a goos-cap." — An.
Mel, 1,2,4, 6.

Oast, v. n. to incline ; lean ; tend ; push or thrust in any direction.
' A oos'ses to this soide,' said of a horse : also, of the same, * A oosts
so loongeous,' when violently tugging. ' Let it ost this wee,' giving
directions to a carpenter carrying a large packing-case. * The top
o' the wall osts ovver welly a foot.'

Oat-brush, sb. oat-stubble.

Oaths and Exclamations. The following list includes most of those
in common use, but is necessarily incomplete : —

'Aunt !

Blame

Blow

Consarn

Consound

Contrive

Dal

Dang

Dash

Drobbit

Drot

Gosh dock

Jigger

Babbit

Eot

Sink

him !
her!
Kit!
ye!
them !
the thing !

My

Eyes!

Eyes and limbs !

Gad!

Gock!

Golly!

Gom!

Gorry !

Gosh!

Goy!

Gum!

Heart !

Hide!

Hide and limbs !

Sirs!

Stars !

Word!

' My eyes and limbs ' is often accompanied by ' Says Mrs. Timms,'
by way of avoiding any responsibility incurred by the ejaculation.
' Gad,' &c., are also used in adjuration, * By Gad,' &c. ' By George,'
' By Jiggers,' and ' By Jingo ' are also very common. ' By Leddy ! '
and * By mess ! ' I remember at least as late as 1845.

Among simple exclamations, the commonest are : —

Bless my (his, her, or its) heart ! Dash (dal, &c.) my wig, or my
hide ! Gorramussy ! Hoity toity, Gorramoity ! Heart-alive !
Lokamussy ! Mussy 'pon us ! O Oroips ! O, good night ! Sirs !
or Sirs alive ! Strike me ugly !

Among interrogative exclamations, are : —

What the name in patience . . . . ? What the name o' God . . . ?
What the O'd un . . . . ? What the hell . . . . ?

The usual localities to which obnoxious persons are bidden to
resort, are here, as elsewhere, generally, 'Bath,' 'Blazes,' 'Hell/
or ' Jericho.' The ordinary epithets in the rare cases in which
'bloody' is not used, are 'blamed' or 'nation.' 'Wowndy' is
sometimes, but seldom heard.

Obligate, v. a. and n. to oblige; also, to place one's self under an
. obligation.

' ' Fulfil your present obligations, then
Think wisely ere you obligate again."

Choice of a Wife, p. 23.

204 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Occasionally, adv. upon occasion arising ; if necessary. ' There,
now ! It's packed as it'll goo Coventry, or Birnigam, or Liverpule,
ocJcesionally.' The master of a large school made this announce-
ment at harvest-time : — ' I shall not permit any boys to go harvest-
ing this year without a note from their parents to say that it is
occasionally.''

Odd, adj. and cdv. different; differently.

" How earnest bent are men as now

to heare the worde of God ?

I meane professors of the trueth,

How far yet live they od ! "

News out of P. C., Sat. 6.

" On Monday next after St. Peter's day, the owner ought to lay
his fleeces ready wound by tens, and then first to choose one fleece
out of every such ten, and then the Vicar is to choose one fleece out
of the residue of eveiy such ten for his tythe. Item, at the same
time and in the same manner, lambs are tytheable ; and if the odd
fleeces and the odd lambs together amount together to the number
of seven or more, the Yicar is to have one out of the major odds,
allowing so many half-pence as those odds together do want of the
number of ten ; and if the odd fleeces and the odd lambs amount
not together to the niimber of seven, the owner is to pay an half-
penny for every such odd fleece and odd lamb in lieu of the tythe
thereof." — Remembrance of the customs and manners of tything in the
Parish of Claybrook, 1623. MACATJLAY'S Hist, of Claybrook, p. 91.

Odd-house, sb. a house standing alone, at some distance from any
town or village. It is also applied to a detached residence as dis-
tinguished from one in a row.

Oddling, or Oddlings, sb. one alone ; a separate piece ; an odd bit
or lot. It is often said with reference to the propensity of parents
to spoil an only child, — ' the oddlin' '& allays the dillinV Both
forms are often used to denote an ' odd-house.' 'They live at an
oddlins.' 'Stuck about wi' oddlins' was the description of a cap
decorated with odd scraps of ribbon.

Oddments, sb. scraps ; odds and ends.

Odds, sb. difference ; the reverse ; the opposite.

"There is no great odds or difference, at the least- wise in the
number of the words." — LAT. Serm. XIV. p. 238.

* Are ye stiff an' toired ? ' ' Noo ! ' * Then ye're the odds
o' may.'

O'er-by-yon, adv. yonder. 'Ah'n lived o'er-by-yon foor an' forty
year come Michaelmas.'

O'er-wart, adv., var. pron. of 'over-thwart;' opposite; on the other
side. ' A. lives joost o'er-ivart the wee.'

Of, prep, and adv. on ; for : often superfluous after ' off.'

" Barton waited of Farmer Elborough."— M.S. penes Ed.
< Ah shain't be theer of a dee or tew.'

GLOSSARY. 205

Off, prep, of : generally followed by a superfluous ' of or ' on.' ' Ah
bought it off 'im.' ' Off of 'im ' and ' off on 'im ' are forms equally
common.

Off-the-hooks, or Off-of-the-hooks, phr. shabby ; ' seedy ; ' worn out ;
ailing.

"My waste-band's wasted, and my doublet looks
Like him that wears it, quite off o' th' hooks."

CLEAVELAND, Revived, p. 52.

Offal-work, sb. dirty menial work ; coarse drudgery.

" I'll ne'er want to do aught but th' offal luork as she wonna like
t' do." — Adam Bede, c. 35.

Old, adj., pec. an intensitive used with other adjectives. 'Theer
wur a noist o'd nize when shay 'eerd on it.' ' Foin o'd dewins.'

Old-ancient, adj. old; antiquated.

" My house it is built in a rock,

It is built in an old ancient style ;
And a view I've got from the top
Of a wilderness barren and wild."

The Gamekeeper of Oharnwood Forest, by
W. STOCKHAM, M. S. penes Ed.

Old stick, phr. as usual. 'How's your wife, Martin?' 'Whoy,
shay's much abaout the o'd stick, ther een't much odds in Jer/

* Why, how's that ? I thought she had the fever very badly ? '

* Faiver ? Shay een't got no faiver ! It's oon'y her darned
temper ! ' At any rate, she died within a few days, and a few
days later still, Mr. Martin consoled himself with a fourth wife.

On, prep, and adv. at work ; in operation. Everywhere, I believe,
applied to steam or water-power, &c., but only proyincially to
human beings in such phrases as ' shay's on ! ' implying that the
person referred to is energizing in her normal manner, ferreting
about, bargaining, scolding, or the like. This general formula is
changed into a particular one by the addition of ' to ' with the
object. 'Shay's on to the gel,' implies that 'she' is scolding, or
possibly beating the maid-servant. ' With ' is frequently used in
the same way. ' Shay's ollus on wi' may ! ' Of. Hard on.

One -how, or One-hows, adv. somehow. ' Wan-aow, or oother/
' Wan-aows, or anoother/ are both very common.

One o' clock, p7ir. ' To go at a thing like one o' clock,' is to set to
work with renewed earnestness and vigour: like labourers after
their twelve o'clock repast and rest.

Opiniated, adj., var. of ' opinionated,' obstinate.

Organs, sb. an organ. Vide Pair of organs. ' Theer wur o'd John
Goadby, him as had use rto plee o' the horgins, as the Doctor had
use to sey : " John," a says, " gie us noomber noine, an' tek keer
o' the toime, John, this turn. When yo' coom to a bit as yo' loike,
John, ".a says, "yo' goo raoun' an' raoun' as sloo as if yo' wur

206 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

a-poompin' a cool-pit," a says, " an' as sune as iyver yo' coom to a
bit as yo' dunna keer fur, yo' sets to wook an twizzle the 'andle as
if yo' couldn' churm it aout fasst enew." '

Orts, sb. scraps ; fragments. ' Shay'd use to gi' me 'er orts and
sups.'

Ost, v. n., i. q. Aust, q. v., and Oast, q. v.

Ought, v. n., pec. Ought always takes a superfluous ' had ' or ' did '
before it. 'I'd ought,' ' he'd ought,' &c. The }d in phrases of this
kind may represent either 'did' or 'had,' as is shown when the
word becomes emphatic, or when a negative intervenes. 'Well,
now, I did ought to ha' thought o' that ! ' ' Yo' hadn't ought to talk
a-that'n.' Vide ' Introd.'

Oudacious, adj. and adv., var. pron. of 'audacious,' frequently
employed as an intensitive by those who have not yet learnt the
modern use of the words ' awful ' and ' awfully.' ' Oudacious coold
it is, sure-loy ! '

Our, pr.t pec. always used by members of the same household in
speaking of one another. ' Our missus,' ' Our Joo,' &c. And of a
servant, ' Our chap,' or ' Our wench,' ' Ar gel.' This use of the
word is, I believe, universally recognized in commercial English.
' Our Mr. Smith will have the honor of waiting upon you with
samples,' is a common prelude to a request for a continuance of
' esteemed favors.'

Ourn, and sometimes Ourns, pr. ours. Vide ' Introd.'

" Ourn," " ourun," "ourens," and " ourns," are all Wye. forms.
* 'Teen't non o' aourns.'

Ousen, si., var. pron. of ' housen/ pi. of ' house.'

Out, adj. mistaken ; deceived.

"And yet all miserably out, perplexed, doting, and besides
themselves for religions sake." — An. Mel., 3, 4, 1, 1.

Out-and-out, adv.,phr. entirely; far away.
Also, adj. excellent ; first-rate.

Out-and-outer, sb. one that surpasses all* others of the same kind,
' out and out?

Out-asked, or Out-axed, p. p. a betrothed couple are said to be out-
axed when their banns of marriage have been three times published.

Out of sorts, adv. indisposed ; out of health or temper.

Outside, adj. extreme; excessive. 'He gave an outside price for
the horse.'

Over, adj. upper. * A's oop i' the uvver furlong.' Sometimes used
as a term of distinction between adjacent villages of the same name,
in which case the lower-lying one is called ' Nether,' as in Oversea!
and Netherseal, now generally written Over Seile and Nether Seile.

adv. very much ; particularly. ' They weren't ovver pleased wi'
it.' ' Ah doon't loike it ovver an' aboov.'

GLOSSARY. 207

Over-catch, v. a. overtake. ' Ah couldn' o'erketch 'im.'

Over -frost, sb. a hoar-frost, or rather a surface frost which does not
penetrate far into the soil.

Over-get, v. a. to get over. ' A's allus thinkin' o' his woife's death.
A cain't ovver-get it.'

Over-go, v. a. run away from ; desert. ' A's ovver-gon his childern
an' woife.'

Over-hand, sb. the upper hand ; mastery.

' ' We in our foolishness and mother- wits esteem them hlessed
that can use the matter so that the law may go with them that
they may have the over-hand.'" — LAT. Serm. XXVI. p. 483.

4 Kings iii. 26. — WYC.

Over-live, v. n. to out-live ; survive.

Over-maul, v. a. to over-fatigue ; over-strain. ' Th' o'd 'os got casst
i' the steeble, an' a ovver-mauled his-sen agen the wall as way wur
ohloiged to kill him.'

Over-rated, p. p. a place where the assessment of rates is exception-
ally heavy is said to be ' over-rated.'1

Cotg. gives ' surtaxe ' as the meaning of the word.

'It's a terrible ovver^reeted pleece is Earl-Shilton ' (about 1850).

Over-run, v. a. run away from.

" I shall over-run these doings before long, I've stood enough of
them." — Adam Bede.

Over-thwart, or Over-thwarts, adv. across ; opposite ; over the way.

" Ovyrtwart and endelang
With strenges of wyr the stones hang."

R. Cceur De Lion, 2649.

Vide a number of references in Gl. to Havelok.
Own to, v. a. own; confess. 'A nivver would own tew it.'

Pack, sb. the whole number of persons in any category.

"We may all say, yea, all the pack of us, 'peccavimus cum
patribm nostris'" — LAT. Serm. XIII. p. 216.

Pack-man, sb. a pedlar ; hawker.

Pack-staff, sb. the stick used by the 'packman' for carrying his
pack over his shoulder. The common proverbial simile, ' as plain
as a pike-staff,' is here generally, ' as plain as a pack-staff.'

" But packe-staffe plaine, uttring what thing they ment."

HALL, Sat. Prol. to B. III.

Pad, sb., var. of 'path.'

v. a. and n. to tread down into a path. ' The snow is well
padded'

208 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Pad it, v. imp. to travel on foot : precisely equivalent to ' hoof it.'

Padge, sb. the common barn-owl, Strix flammea ; also, any large
moth or butterfly, the colours of which are variegated with white
without being brilliant. ' Padge ' and ' Peggy,' both of them forms
of endearment or familiarity for ' Margaret,' seem to have acquired
their provincial significance from the embroidered garments of the
popular saint of pearls and daisies, and to belong to the same
category of words as ' tawdry,' ' tantony,' &c.

Padgel, v. a. to patch, of which it is the frequentative form.
Padge-moth, and Padge-owl, sb., i. q. Padge, q. v.

Pair-of-organs, sb. an organ. I take it that the phr. originated
in the undisguised two-handed bellows which supplied the wind to
the instrument in its earlier form. I have heard it applied to a
barrel-organ in a church, and a hurdy-gurdy in the street.

Palm, and Palm-willow, sb. the sallow, Salix caprea.

Pamper, v. a. to indulge. 'The've nivver bin pampered,' said a
farmer selling some exceptionally lean kine.

Pancheon, sb. a large circular pan, sometimes made of tin, brass, or
copper, but generally of coarse red or brown earthenware, glazed
black or rusty yellow in the inside. The bottom is about six inches,
the top from fifteen inches to two feet or more in diameter, and the
height from about six inches to a foot. The pancheon is in use for
every purpose to which such a vessel can be applied.

' ' Bowls, buckets, pancheons, bread and all
That to the lot of dairies fall."

Will of Sir W. Dixie, Bart.

Pancheon-rack, sb. a rack on which pancheons are set to drain after
being washed.

Pane, v. a. to panel. Half-timbered houses are said to be paned
with brick, plaster, &c.

" The house is timber building, one half is rough-cast, the other
pained with brick." — Terrier of Claybrook Glebe, 1708.

Parget, v. a. to white-wash. I am told that the word is also used
for to plaster or rough-cast, in which sense it is employed by Wye.
and other writers old and new, but I do not remember ever hearing
it in this sense.

Pargeting (pron. *g' soft, and accent on first syl.), sb. whitewash.

Parson (pron. paason), sb. a large black beetle of any kind • a cock-
roach.

Partly, adv., pec. an expletive used much in the same way as 'like,'
though not so commonly. Both are nearly equivalent to 'in a
manner o' speakin',' and other phrases intended to round the angles
of a too explicit statement. ' Well, ah thenk a'd a coom if his
woife 'ud a let him, paartlyS

Passer (a, pron. as in 'hat'), sb.} i. q. Nail-passer, a gimlet.

GLOSSARY. 209

Pass the time of day, phr. to exchange a few words of greeting ;
to be ou speaking terms with. ' Did you know him ? ' ' Well,
oon'y joost to pass the toime d1 dee, or the loike o' that.'

Paste-pin,, sb. a rolling-pin for pastry.

Pax- wax, sb. parts of the ligammtum nuchae, left in joints of beef,
&c., when the carcass is cut up by the butcher.

Peak, v. n. to waste and dwindle in flesh (Mac., I. iii. ; Ham., II. ii.);
also, to cry like a young bird ; squeak like a mouse, &c. ; also, to
peep or pry.

Peaked, part. adj. wasted ; emaciated by disease, -or pinched by cold.

Peaking, part. adj. pining ; wasting ; also, sneaking ; pitiful. In
the last sense it is used in Merry Wives of Windsor, III. v.

Peark (pron. peerk), adj., var. of Peart, q. v.

"Peark as a peacock." — SPENSER, Sh. K. jEg. 2.

Peart (pron. peert), adj. lively; vigorous ; brisk ; ' perky'; impudent.

Cotg. has "Peart, godinet, mignard, mignardeht." "A. pretty
peart lass, godinette." " To make peart, accointer."

* How are you ? ' ' Much as usual, thank ye, poor an' peart.'
The word is often applied to vegetation. 'Them onions look
peart. '

Peck-o'-dirt, prov. here, as elsewhere, 'way mut all ate a peck-o'-
dut afore way doy,' is very commonly current, and almost equally
common is the rider, ' but nori on us wants it all at woonst.'

Peckish, adj. hungry ; having a good appetite.

Peckled, part, adj., var. of ' speckled,' mottled; spotted; parti-
coloured.

"Jacob the Patriark, by force of imagination, made peckled
lambs, laying pee Wed rods before his sheep." — An. Mel., 1, 2, 3, 2.
"Peckled, grivole"—CoTG.

Pedgel, v. n. and a. to pick over and examine. 'Shay wur
a-pedgellin i' the doost-'ool all mornin' far it.' ' The corn is so
pedgeiled by the birds.' Also, to chaffer; higgle; peddle.

Pedgeler, or Pedgeley, sb., var. of 'pedlar,' a hucksterer; higgler;
petty dealer.

Peek, v. n. to peep ; pry ; peer about.

" In euery corner he wyll peke."

SKELTON, Magnyficence, 667.

On which passage Dyce notes: "I peke or prie." — PALSG., fo.
cccxvii. (Table of verbs.)

Peeping and toating, phr. prying and spying. Vide Toot.

Pee-wit, sb. the lapwing or plover, Tringa vanellus, L.

Peg, custom. The custom of 'pegging' calves or yearlings ' for the

210 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

black leg,' which in my remembrance was so common as to be
nlmost universal, is now rapidly dying out. It was performed
either in the ear or the dewlap. In the former case a hole was
either punched or burnt with a hot iron through the ear, generally
on the first Friday after the birth of the calf. In the latter, a
hole was burnt through both skins of the dewlap when the animal
was a year, or sometimes two years old. In both cases, a twist of
horsehair about five inches long was inserted through the hole and
secured with a wooden peg at each end. This twist was moved
backwards and forwards once a week like a seton, and occasional
dressings were applied. The disease itself, called in Sussex a
' pook,' is a congestion of the blood-vessels of the leg, which entirely
discolours the flesh and is incurable. An animal attacked by it is
called ' a black-leg,' a term often metaphorically applied to the
victim of moral disease.

Peggy, sb. a name given to the garden warbler, the black-cap, both
the whitethroats, the sedge -warbler, and probably others of the
family. In Warwickshire the same birds are called 'mollies.'
The greater whitethroat is sometimes distinguished as ' great peggi/,'
and the lesser whitethroat, or nettle-creeper, as ' little peggy? Vide
Padge.

Pelf, sb. refuse ; rubbish.
Pelver, v. «., var. of 'pilfer.'

Penance, custom. I well remember one of the last instances in.
which public penance was performed at the church-door. St.
Margaret's Stoke Golding was repaired in 181—, and free seats
were substituted for the former high pews. The landlady of the
principal inn, a Mrs. Frith, had been the owner of a pew, and
coming to the church after the restoration found a man sitting in
what she still considered her own peculiar seat. She thereupon
attacked the intruder — ' lugged him and gowged him,' as one of the
witnesses expressed it at the trial, which took place at Leicester —
in such style that she was summoned before the ecclesiastical court
for brawling in church, and sentenced to stand wrapped in a sheet
and holding a candle for three successive Sundays at the church-
door while the congregation were coming to church, a sentence
duty carried out to the edification of the multitudes assembled to
witness its execution.

Penbook, Penbouk, or Penbuck, sb. a small wooden pail with a lid.

Pennyworth, sb. a bargain, good or bad.

" To get hard peny-iuortlis with so bootlesse paine."

HALL, Sat. II. 2.

Pent-house (pron. pentus), sb. any shed with a lean-to roof, but
more particularly the shed adjoining a blacksmith's shop where
horses are shod.

Pep, ami Pept, p. and p. p. of * peep.'

Perish, v. a. and n., pzc. to chill through ; to frost-bite ; ' give one

GLOSSARY. 211

one's death of cold ; ' to sliiver with cold. ' Coom in, an' doon't
stan' perishm' theer ! ' ' It's anew to perish ye to death.' ' It's
fraizin' fit to perish the nooze off o' yer feace.'

Perished, part. adj. chilled through ; frost-bitten.

Perk, v. n. to bridle up ; give one's self airs ; to make brisk or
lively ; to prune the feathers as a bird.

' ' There be amongst us a great number of these proud Pharisees
. . . which will perk and presume to sit by Christ in the church."
— LAT. Serm. I. p. 16.

Perky, adj. l peart ; ' brisk ; animated ; having an air of lively self-
assertion. * How is Dolly this morning ? ' ' Go, shay's as perky as
a poll-parrot.'

Pervet, v. n., var. of l brevet,' to rummage; ransack. *I didn't
wish her to think as I'd been pervetting about in the pantry.'

Pescod, sb. a pease-cod or pea-shell.

Pester, v. a., pec. to crowd upon ; inconvenience by crowding and
squeezing.

* ' That on the stationer's stall who passing lookes
To see the multiplicity of bookes
That pester it." — DRAYTON, Moone-calfe.

* Doon't ye pester soo ' is a common exclamation in a crush.

Peter-stone, sb. a fragment of fossil encrinite, Pentacrinus Briareus.
' ' Some of the fossils called astroites, or vulgarly, Peter-stones, are
found in the parish." — WHITE'S Gaz. of Leic., s. v. Lubbenham.

Peth, sb.) var. pron. of ' pith.'

Phrenzy, adj. hasty ; passionate. ' A's so phrenzy* An instance of
a sb. used adjectively. Vide Franzy.

Pibble, sb., var. pron. of 'pebble.'

" Thy face washed as clean as the smooth white pibble." — Adam
Bede, c. 20.

Pick, v. a. and ?^., var. of 'pitch.'

" I'll pick you o'er the pales else."— Hen. VIIT., V. iii.
" As high as I could pick my lance." — Coriol., I. i.

* Ah wur sa feared a'd pick in.'

Picker, sb. a pitcher in the sense of one who pitches ; a pitcher of
hay on to a waggon, &c.

Pick out, v. a. or n. find out ; make out. ' Ah couldn' joostly pick
aout wheer a coom frum.'

Pick up, v. n. to mend in health. * Shay's a pickin' oop noistly.'

Piddle, v. n. to trifle with one's food ; eat daintily without appetite.
' Thank you, I'll just piddle with a biscuit.'

Pidgeler, sb., var. pron. of Peigeler, q. v.

P 2

212 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Pie, sb., plir. 'As noist as poy' is a favourite simile for anything
toothsome, convenient, couifortahle, or appropriate. ' It fits 'im as
noist aspo?/,' I heard said of a coat.

Piece, plir. ' to fall to pieces ' = to give birth to a child. ' Anybody
can say what's the matter wi' yew wi' 'af a oy. Ye'r a-gooin' to
fall to paces' A 'piece' of turnips, potatoes, &c., is the parcel of
ground on which they are growing. ' A noist pace o' 'tatus next
the lean.'

Pie-finch, sb. the chaffinch, Frtnyilla coelebs, L. ' Spink ' is a com-
moner synonym.

Piercer, sb. a gimlet.

Cotg. has " Vrille, a gimblett or piercer."

Piffling, part. adj. employed in little trifling occupations. Synony-
mous with ' tiffling,' with which it is often used in conjunction.
' He'd use to be piffling about the farm-yard.'

Pig together, v. n., plir. to lie or sleep together. 'Teddy can come
to dadda's bed, an' you. an' Sam can pig together.'

Piggle, v. a. frequentative of ' pick/ to pull off by degrees ; touch
from time to time. ' Piggliny off a corn ' is a well-known surgical
operation.

Pig-pudding, or Pig's-pudding, sb. a black-pudding ; hog's pudding.

Pike (generally pron. poike), v. a., var. of 'pick,' to glean after
harvest.

sb. a ' land' or * ley ' running to a point ; also, called a * gore.'
" Three lands and & pike ley on Basil furlong." — Terrier of Clay-
brook Glebe, 1638.
Also, a turnpike gate.

Pikelet, sb. a common tea-table delicacy occupying a position
almost exactly intermediate between the popular pan-cake and
the ordinary crumpet of commerce. On the Warwickshire side the
word is sometimes written and pronounced ' pyflet.'

Pikelet-stone, sb. a flat piece of iron on which to bake pikelets. It
is placed on the ' lazy-back ' when in use.

Pikle, sb. a pitch-fork or hay- fork. Common on the Warwickshire
and Staffordshire border, but not, I believe, in other parts of the
county.

Pill, v. a., var. of 'peel' (Gen. xxx. 37, 38).

" More than a, pilled stick can stand in stead."

HALL, Sat. V. 3.
Also, sb. peel ; bark ; rind.

"I have now ript the matter to the pill." — LAT. Serm. VIII.
p. 117.

Pillings, sb., var. of ' peelings,' parings. ' Bresns 1 A een't got no
breens ! oon'y a 'at-full o' t&to-pi/lins.'

GLOSSARY. ' 213

Pinch, v. a., pec. to pilfer; steal. * Shay oon'y joost pinched a bit
o' cool from, tlie bank.'

Pinchers, sb., var. of ' pincers.'

Pin-cloth, or Pin-clout, sb. a pinafore.

Pine, v. a. and n. to starve ; kill by starvation.

" When shivering cold and sickness pines the clirne."

Rich. II. , V. i.
* They besieged the town in hope to pine 'em.'

Pined, part, starved ; famishing.

Pin-fallow, sb. and v. a., i. q. ' bastard-fallow.' When lea-land is
fallowed about July or August, ready to be ploughed again for the
crop, it is said to be pin-fallowed.

Pin-feathered, part. adj. half-fledged.

"A Diurnall is a punie Chronicle, scarce pin- feather' 'd with the
wings of time." — CLEAVELAND, Char, of a Diurnall,-^. 181.

Pinfold, sb. an enclosure for sheep ; also, a pound for stray cattle.

" You mistake, I mean the pound,— a pinfold"

Two Gent, of Verona, I. i.

Pingle, sb. a small enclosure of land.

Pink, sb., var. of 'spink,' the chaffinch; also, the minnow: so called
from the colour of the belly during the breeding-season.

Pink o' my John, sb. the pansy, Viola tricolor.

Planer, and Pinny, sb. a pinafore. Pinbefore is another var.

" Now then, Totty, hold out your pinny."— -Adam Bede, c. 20.

Pin-rowed, adj. having streaks formed by a quantity of small holes :
applied to badly-made butter.

Pinshot, sb. the line payable for redeeming an animal from the pin-
fold or pound.

Pip, sb. The detached blossoms of the cowslip used for making
wine are called 'pips,' as are also the spots on playing cards. I
once heard a patient describe to a doctor what are called in medical
language ' muscce volitantes,' as ' a koind o' pips, loike.'

Pipes, sb. blood-vessels ; veins ; arteries.

Pipkin, sb. a glazed earthenware saucepan.

" The pure extract of sanctified Emmanuel parboyl'd there in a
pipkin of predestination." — CLEAVELAND, Letters, p. 211.

Pit, sb. a pond.

" Any ponds, pooles, motes, stagnes, stews, or seuerall pita
wherein fish are." — 5 Eliz. cap. 21.

" And in odd scatter'd pits the flags and reeds beneath."

DBAYTON, Pol. XXV.

214 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

" There's nothing seems to give her a turn i' th' inside, not even
when we thought Totty had tumbled into the pit" — Adam Bede+
c. 15.

Pitch, v. a. " to load hay or corn on a waggon with a fork." — Bk.

"With a face a shade redder than usual from the exertion of
'pitching.1 " — Adam Bede, c. 32.

Pitcher, sb. one who pitches hay, &c. Vide Hay.
Pitch-fork, sb. the fork used in ' pitching.'
Pit-hole, sb. a pit ; a grave.

Plack, sb., var. of 'pleck,' a plot of ground of uncertain size, seldom
less than about five yards square, and seldom more than half an
acre. * A plack 11 be enough for you to grow Brussels sprouts for
the winter.'

adv. slap, with a smack.

Placket-hole, sb. the slit in a gown or petticoat, before or behind,
which enables the wearer to put it on.

Plan, sb., and Planned, p. p. Tn the Methodist connexion the
annual arrangements for providing preachers on the several circuits
are called the plan, and to be planned is to be appointed to preach.

" Mr. Sleekface gave me a plan of the circuit. I conned it over,
and found that I was planned in the circuit- town once in three
weeks." — Hound Preacher, p. 29.

Planets, J9/1?*. 'To rain by planets,' said of rain that comes down
partially, wetting one field and leaving another close adjoining
quite dry. ' But why by planets, my friend?' asked I (A. B. E. ).
' Why, don't you know,' said my informant, ' it's all along o' the
planets I ' Ftde.RAY, Prov. p. 51.

Plant, v. a. to beat with a stick. The ash- plant in general use for
corrective purposes no doubt supplied the term.

Planting, sb. a beating with a stick.

Plash, v. a. to trim a hedge, lopping off the shoots and interweaving
the branches ; also, to lop or trim trees generally. Synonymous
with ' splash' and ' trash.'

" For neither, as Chrysostorn well adds, those boughs and leaves
of trees which are plashed for cattle to stand under in the heat of
the day," &c.—An. Mel., 2, 2, 4, p. 282.

sb. a small pool or pond. A ' plash ' is often made for washing
, sheep or horses by placing two fences across a brook, between which
the animals are driven from one side to the other.

"Which in fat Holland lurk among the queachy plashes."

DKAYTON, Pol. XX.

Plashy, adj. splashy ; watery.

Play, sb. The following lines illustrate a very common use of this
word, as well as the pronunciation : —

GLOSSARY. 215

" Such a treat in Twycross before I never see,
There was dancing and horse-racing, besides a foot-ball play"
WM. SMITH, on ' The Prince his Wedding Day,'
Leicester Journal.

Plazen, sb.jpl. of 'place.'

Pleach, ?;. «., to 'plash' or 'lay' a hedge without plaiting the
branches in.

Pleck, sb., i. q. Plack, q. v.

Plim, v. n., var. of to 'plump/ fill out.

" I remember being asked by one Mrs. Butwell, who gave me a
basin of milk, ' if our bread plimmed (soaked) in the milk-porridge '
(made of milk, water, and an onion). I said, ' No, Mrs. ; it was
tough.' We had but little bread that would steep in milk in thoso
days." — Autobiography of George Field, p. 12.

''For a minute or two" the full-nedged butterfly "stands and
waits till the air it breathes has filled out its wings, for the wings
are by origin a part of the breathing apparatus, and they require
to be plimmed by the air before the insect can take to flight." —
Butterfly Psychology, St. James s Gazette, Aug. 11, 1880.

Plough-bullocks, or Plougli-bullockers, sb. On Plough-Monday it
was the custom for some of the villagers to dress in grotesque
masquerade and perform morris-dances before all the houses where
they were likely to get money or drink. Sometimes they were
accompanied by a gang of lads with raddled faces, half-hidden
under paper masks, who dragged a plough, but this was unusual.
Some of the performers, generally four, had on white women's
dresses and tall hats. One of these was called Maid Marian. Of
the other performers, one was the Fool, who always carried the
money-box, and generally a bladder with peas in it on a string at
the end of a stick, with which he laid lustily about him. Another
was Beelzebub, in a dress made up of narrow strips of flannel,
cloth, &c., with the ends hanging loose, yellow, red, black, and
white being the predominant colours. The rest were simply
grotesques. The dance they performed was merely a travesty of a
quadrille, with ad lib. stamping and shuffling of feet. On one
occasion, when I was very little, the Fool came up and asked me
to ' remember the Fool ; ' adding, in case I might not have recog-
nised him through his disguise, 'I'm Curly.' 'Yes,' I said, 'I see
you are ; and I shall remember you, Curly, as long as I live.'
'Tell'im the bullocks is thusty an' wants some beer,' said one of
the performers; 'a doon't knoo what yo mane.' From that
Plough-Monday I date my knowledge of what ' remembrance '
means in the mouth of a son, of the soil.

Plough-Monday, sb. the first Monday after Twelfth-day.
Plough-money, sb. the money given to the Plough-bullocks, q. v.
Pluck-pasty, sb. nearly identical with Lights-pie, q. v.
Pluff, v. n. to swell; puff up, as from a sting, &c.
sb. flue ; ' fluff ; ' soft fur or down.

216 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Pluffy, adj. puffy; swollen; fat. 'The monks at the Tin-meadows
say they live on nothing but vegetables ; how come they to be so
fluffy, then ? '

Pocky, sb. a name given to a particular kind of granular limestone
occurring at Hoton and elsewhere in the county ; so called from its
blotchy appearance.

Pod, v. n., var. pron. of 'pad,' to go; to go softly. 'Ah podilc.d
oop-steers wi' rny shews off.' ' Cooin, do you pod into the parlour.'

sb. a 'pod' is when the pool at cards is empty, and each player
has to pay something towards filling it again. Vide Pod-up.

Podder, sb. the holder of the pool at cards. 'You. don't play fair ;
I'll be podder myself,' explained by the speaker as ' pod-gatherer.'

Poddywig, sb. a tadpole.

Podge, sb. the 'tot,' a disease in rabbits from constipation.

Pod-up, v. n. to pay up at cards into the pool, kidney-beans having
formerly been in common use for counters. Also, to pay up gener-
ally. ' Ah'll Caounty Coort ye, an' mak ye pod up.' The metaphor
is identical with the one conveyed in the slang phrase ' shell out. '

Poike, v. a., var. of 'pike' and 'pick,' to glean.
Poiking, v. sb. a gleaning.

Poke, v. n. to hang the head forward in. walking or standing : said
of man or beast. ' A. pooks sadly.'

sb., phr. * A poke in the eye wi' a boont stick,' is a phrase used
in precisely the same sense as ' a thump in the back with a stone.'
Vide Thump.

Poking, part. adj. petty ; paltry ; insignificant. ' There was only a
poking little inn there.'

Pokit, v. a. and sb., var. pron. of ' porket.' To l poldt ' a pig is to
make a porket of it, to fatten it for pork, which is always pro-
nounced 'poke.3

Poky, adj., i. q. Poking, q. v.
Pollards, sb. Vide Meal.

Polly wig, or Polly wiggle, sb. a tadpole. ' Poddywig ' is, I think,
the commoner form.

Pomfer, v. a., var. of 'pilfer.'

Pomper, v. a., var. pron. of ' pamper.' ' The beast look rayther
poor, Mister.' ' An' the' dew ! The'll dew well wi' yew ; the' een't
bin pompered.'

Poor, adj. There are a number of proverbs and proverbial phrases
in which this word occurs in a sense implying more or less moral
disparagement.

GLOSSARY. 217

" It would be a poor look-out if folks didn't remember what they
did and said when they were lads." — Adam Bede, c. 16.

" It's a poor tale you couldn't come to see the pudding when it
was whole." — Ib., c. 53.

they set to the parish,' i. e. a bad example.

Pop, sb. a non-alcoholic, effervescent beverage, closely related to
ginger- beer. There are, nominally at least, three varieties — 'pop'
' imperial pop,' and ' ginger pop ; ' but I believe the two former are
only ' ginger pop ' without the ginger.

" Just step in and take a chair,
You'll find imperial pop sold here."

Board outside a Belgrave Cottage (C. E.).

Poppet, sb. a term of endearment for a child. 'Come, my little
poppet.'

Porket, sb. a young pig fattened for eating fresh or ' green,' not for
curing as bacon.

Porwiggle, sb., var. of ' poddiwig,' &c., a tadpole.

Posh, v. a. and n., var. of 'pash,' to smash to pieces ; also, to vomit
with violence.

adv. with a splash, pop, slap. ' A went posh into the water. '
Possibility, sb. the extent of one's means. The citizen . . .

" Doth closely search the yong mans state,

And learnes the whole extent

Of all his possibilities'— Newes out of P. C., Sat. 5.
' It een't in our possibility to dew no more.'

Pot, sb. earthenware ; pottery ; terra-cotta. Vide Marls.
"Pott" (Dan. ii. 35).— WYO.

' Yo'll say a pot man i' the windo',' i. e. you will see a plaster
bust of Hahnemann in a homoeopathic chemist's window.
Also, a disease in rabbits, *. q. Podge, q. v.

Pot-set, part. When in heating anything over a fire in a saucepan,
&c., a portion sticks to the sides or bottom and gets burnt, it is said
to be pot-set. When milk is pot-set it is usual to say that ' the
bishop has had his paw ' (or ' set his foot ') ' in it,' for an explana-
tion of which vide Brand, Pop. Ant., ' Bishop in the Pan.'

Pottered, part. adj. disturbed ; perplexed.
Pot-valiant, adj. made bold by drink.
Poult, v. a. and sb. to thump, and a thump.
Power, sb. a number ; a quantity. ' A power o' folk.'
Prig, sb. a conceited person ; also, a thief.
v. a. to steal.

218 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Print, si., plir. 'As neat &s print' is a phrase often applied to an}^-
thing set in proper order or tidily arranged. ' The house is as neat
as print.' ' In print ' is used almost in the same way. ' Shay kips
all 'er plazes in print,' is high praise for a servant who keeps her
own part of the house neat and clean.

Prizeable, adj. valuable ; precious.
Prod. v. a. to poke ; poke about ; stir up with a stick, &c.

" How prodde our Papists privily ! "

Newes out of P. C., Sat. 6.

Prockle, v. a. and n., i. q. Proggle, q. v. ' To procl'le a pin in a
wart ' is an approved method of removing it.

Prog, v. a. and ??. to poke ; poke after or about for.

" I heare so much deceat
Of theirs in progging after gaine
A tongue can not repeat."

Newes out of P. C., Sat. 3.

Proggle, v. a. and n., frequentative of ' prog ' or ' proke,' to poke,
goad, or grope with a stick or other instrument ; to stick anything
in and turn it about. ' The1 was progytiti' about i' the mud fur't (an
eel) best pa art o' haf a hour.'

sb. a drover's goad; anything used to poke or 'proggle' with.

Proke, v. a. to poke or stir the fire ; also, to poke generally. ' A
prooked it daown my throot.'

Proker, sb. a poker ; generally a poker for the fire, ' Tek the
proolter tew 'im, wumman ! ' was the advice tendered by a neigh-
bour to a woman whose husband attacked her with the shovel.

Proking-iron, sb. a poker for the fire. Hall uses " proking-spit " for
a Bilboa or Toledo blade.

"With a broad Scot or proTcing spit of Spain."

Sat. IV. 4.

Prokle (the 'o' pron. long), v. a. and ??., i. q. Prockle and Proggle,
q. v.

Proper, adj. and adv. ' regular,' in the slang sense. ' A proper bad
un.' Also, thoroughly ; soundly. ' A did let ' iin 'ave it proper. '

Proud, adj. projecting ; strutting out ; swollen ; puffed up. ' That
lock's a del prouder o' wan soide nur t'oother,' i. e. a lock of hair.
' Yo dew leuk praoud,'1 said to a person with a swelled face.

Proud flesh, sb. unhealthy flesh round a wound or sore.

Proud tailor (pron. praoud-teeler), sb. the goldfinch, Fringilla
carduelis.

Proxy, adj. frolicsome; skittish : almost always applied to a horse.
Puck, p. and p. p. of 'pick.' This form, I believe, belongs almost

GLOSSARY. 219

exclusively to the Warwickshire border. ' Has onybody pook oop
a poomp ? ' was an enquiry addressed to the company by the father
of a damsel who had lost one of her dancing-shoes at a ball.

" The little doog there, as I puck up on the road a fortnit agoo."
— Adam Beds, c. 36.

Pudding-pie, *&., i. q. ' toad-in-a-hole,' a bit of meat baked in batter.

" Did ever John of Leyden prophecy
Of such an Antichrist as pudding -pye ? "

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 105.

Puddle, sb. puddle-water. « As thick as puddle' Also, a muddler ;
a bungler ; one who dawdles about, making believe to be at work.

v. n. to dawdle ; work helplessly ; bungle over anything.
Puddler, sb. a bungler ; muddler.
Pudgy, adj., var. of ' podgy,' short and fat ; thick-set.

Puff, sb. breath ; wind. * Ah'm all out o' puf.' ' A's a good puffed
un,' was an encomium I heard passed on Captain Webb.

Also, a small pasty made by laying preserve on one half of an
oblong piece of paste, and folding the other half over till the edges
meet.

Also, v. a. to put out of breath.

Pug, v. a. and sb. to offend, and offence. Vide Bug. 'Yew'n
poogged 'im.' ' Shay iookpcog, ah suppoose.'
Also, a dirty person, male or female.

^uggy, adj. dirty ; grimy ; sweaty ; also, touchy ; apt to take
offence.

Pull, v. «., phr. 'To putt faces' is 'to make faces;' grimace.
' Ah1 11 mek ye putt afeace sure's ivver ye cooin anoigh.'

Pull-back, sb. draw-back ; disadvantage. ' It's a gret putt-back tew
'er, 'er bein' as shay doon't have no fingers o' the roight 'and, loike,
oon'y 'er thoomb ; as shay got 'em into the rools, loike, or some'at
o' that, an' nipped 'em off/

Pullen, sb. poultry.

" His swine beneath, his pullen ore the beame."

HALL, Sat. VI. 1.
Very rarely used, but not quite extinct.

Pumptial, adj., var. of 'punctual.'

Pun, v. a.} var. pron. of 'pound.' Troilus and Cressida, II. i.

Also, sb,, var. of ' pound/ The plural is the same as the singular.

Punish, v. n. and a. to pain ; to hurt. ' A said as 'is ankles
poonished 'im a good del/

Push, sb. **a pimple ; boil ; pustule. The commoner synonym is
' quat/ COTG. renders the word by " empoute, saluhire."

220 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Put, v. a. to apprentice ; to engage or bind any one as servant to
another. ' She was put to the dress-making.'

" You have got a letter
To put you to me, that has power enough
To place mine enemy here.'

BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER, A K. and no K. , II. i.

Put about, v. a. to vex; harass; annoy. *I dou't know when I've
been so put about.'

Puther, si. steam ; smoke ; dust ; a cloud of smoke, &c.

' ' And suddainly untyes the poke,
Which out of it sent such a smoke
As ready was them all to choke,
So greevous was the pother."

DRAYTON, Nimpliidia.

Also, v. n. to smoke ; reek ; roll in volumes like smoke or dust.

Put to, v. a. to close ; also, to harness horses to a waggon, carriage,
&c. ' Put the door to.' ' Let's put to, an' be off.'

Put-up, v. n. to bait ; seek refreshment and entertainment at an inn.

Put upon, v. a. to treat unfairly ; impose upon ; oppress. ' Ah've
noo roights to be put upon a-this'ns.'

Pyflet, sb., i. q. Pikelet, q. v.

Quail, v. n. to ' turn ' or curdle ; go flat or sour : applied to milk,
beer, &c.

si), the land-rail or corn-crake, Rallus crex, L.

duality, sb. gentry; great people; 'company.' "Ats off! 'ere's
quality coornmin', as Ned Gheckley said to the gyardians when a
soold his penny whistle for a farden, an' went to the wook'us.'
' Wheer's your quality manners ? '

Quarr, sb. a quarry ; stone-pit.

" Behold our diamonds here, as in the quarrs they stand."

DRAYTON, Pol. I.

" The millstones from the quarrs with sharpened picks could get."

J6.,XXYL

Q,uat, sb., i. q. Quot, q. v. Also, v. n., var. of to ' squat.'

Quawk, v. n. to caw ; cry out loudly but inarticulately ; to rumble
internal^ with flatulence. ' It (a parrot) kept on quawkiri after
I'd got it in my pocket.'

Q,u aw king1, sb. a cawing; loud noise; internal rumbling. 'Ah've
got a sooch a quaivkiri i' my insoide.'

Queechy, adj. ailing ; sickly ; feeble. Also, i. q. Quoggy, q- v.

"They're poor queechy things, gells is; I allays wanted to ha'
lads as could fend for their-sens." — Adam Bede.

GLOSSARY. 221

Queegle, v. n. to swing backwards, crouching down on the heels in a
sitting posture.

Queel, v. a., var. of 'quell,' to quench; extinguish. 'A couldn'
qtieel the foire. ' Also, i. q. Quail, q. v.

Queen-cake, sb. a small heart-shaped sweet cake.

Queer, adj. This word, so common in such phrases as ' a queer
stick,' 'a queer customer,' &c., is more nearly equivalent to ' ques-
tionable,' * equivocal,' or 'inscrutable,' than to ' odd.'

" How many $weer-religions ? "

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 143.

Queeverly, adj. fawning ; hypocritical.

Quick-sticks, ado. quickly ; at once. ' Yo be off quick-sticks, or
ah'll gie ye some' at for your-sen.'

Quiddle, v. a. to suck, as a child does its thumbs.

Quigger, sb. next to nothing. ' How fur is't to Peckleton ? ' ' It's
foive moile, as near as a quigger.'

Quilt, v. a. to beat or thrash. ' Ah mane to quilt 'im.'

Quilting, sb. a beating ; a 'hiding.' The metaphor, I imagine, is from
the many colours of a patch-work quilt.

Quitch, and Quitch-grass, sb. couch-grass, Triticum repens. Vide
Squitch and Twitch.

Quob, v. n. to throb; palpitate.

" How quops the spirit ? "

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 144.

Also, sb. a throb ; palpitation. ' My tooth gave such a qnob."1

Quocken, v. a. and n. to suffocate ; choke. Cotg. gives " to whirken,
noyer, suffoquer" as well as " whirkened" and " ivhirkemnq."

' My cuff (cough) is so bad it welly quockens me ; it moithers me
to death.' ' The wind wur so hoigh as ah coom aloong ah wur
welly quockened.' Two girls struggling for the possession of an
infant, one said, ' Yo'll quocken the babby,' to which the other
retorted, ' Yo'll dead it.;

Quoggy, adj., var. pron. of ' quaggy,' boggy or soft ; of the nature
of a quagmire.

Quoil, 6>7>., var. pron. of 'coil,' a haycock. ' Have you put the hee in
quails ? }

Quop, sb. and v. n., var. of Quob, q. v.

Quot, sb. an inflammatory pustule or suppurating pimple. 'My
arm's covered wi' quote.' ' He was rubbing his throat, and broke
the head of his quot.}

Quot-a-bobbinTf, af1j. I n?ver heard more than one person use this

THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

•word, and she, though she frequently employs it, never does so in
any definable sense. ' I like the looks o' that cap ; it looks so quot-
a-bobbing.' ' Quot-a-bobbing ! what's that ? ' ' Oh, stack about wi'
oddlin's, like.' 'Quatting and bobbing,' however, is a phrase I
have heard, and also find inserted by my father in his interleaved
copy of the Glossary. It means squatting down one minute and
bobbing up again the next, too restless to sit quiet.

Race, sb. ' Calf's race ' is the same as ' calf's view,' the heart, liver,
and lights.

Rack, and Rack up, v. a. to break up. ' Whoy didu' ye get at it
an' rack it oop ? '

Racketty, and Rackettying1, adj. noisy ; pleasure-seeking ; royster-
ing.

Raddle, si. red ochre or oxide of iron.
Raddleman, si. a digger of ' raddle,' or dealer in it.

" And little Eutlandshire is termed Raddleman."

DBAYTOX, Pol. XXIII.

Raff, si. a dissolute vagabond.
Raffish, adj. low ; blackguardly.

Raffle, si. refuse ; rubbish ; trash. ' I ha' cut the hedge ; what
shall I do wi' the raffle ? '

v. a. to push or stir about ; to disturb. ' If you raffle her (a
heifer) in her place, she don't seem to inind it.'

Raffling, adj. loose and worthless ; dissolute. * He's a rafflirf bad
fellow.'' ' Rafflin' company.'

Rain-bird, si. the green woodpecker, Plcus viridis, L.

Raisty, adj., var. pron. of 'reasty,' which is the form of the word in
Johnson, rancid. ' That 'ere ile's as raisty as raisty'

Rake, v. n. to move about restlessly ; to rove. i The cow didn't eat
much, for she was raking about all day.'

Also, v. a. to cover up a fire with cinders, &c., to keep it from
burning quickly.

Raker, or Raking-coal, si. a large lump of coal left on the fire at
night to be broken up in the morning, so as to save the trouble of
lighting the fire.

Ramp, v. a. and n. and si. a technical term used to describe the
slanting or curved shoulder between the higher and lower parts of
a wall when the top is not continued at the same level. On slopes,
the wall is generally ramped or ramped off at intervals.

Rampage, v. n. to run riot ; to royster ; to rage.

Also, sb. ' On the rampage ' is equivalent to the slang ' on the
spree.' The accent is evenly divided between the two syllables.

GLOSSARY. 223

Rampagsous, adj. riotous ; boisterous ; ' lungeous.'

Ramper, sb. the high road ; a turnpike road. ' I saw him o' the
ramper.'

Ramshackle, adj. loose ; out of repair ; shabby-looking ; ricketty.
Randy, adj. wanton ; lecherous.
Ranter, v. a. to darn. Of. Fr. rentrer.
Rapps, sb. the small intestines of a pig.

Rap-stick, sb. a strop, sometimes of wood only, sometimes covered
with leather, occasionally used after the ' slick- stone ' in whetting a
scythe.

Rash out, v. n. to break out in a sweat : generally applied to horses.

Rasp, sb. a raspberry — both the fruit and the tree. l They dug the
land as had bin down in gress ivver sin' anybody knoo' d it, an' it
cooin oop all ovver woild rasps' (somewhere near Kirkby Becks).

Ratchet, sb. a rat-hole. ' I stopped all the ratchets into the barn.'
(A. B. E.)

Ratchetty. This is a word in Mr. Gresley's list. I do not know
it any more than the last word, with which it may be connected.
It is possibly, however, merely a var. pron. of ' racketty.'

Rathes, and Rathing ('a* pron. as in ' bathe '),«&. the. movable side-
spars or ladders attached to a cart or waggon for the purpose of
increasing the width. The whole complement of such appurten-
ances is called the rathiny or ' gearing.'

Rattle-traps, sb. small chattels ; movables.

Raum, v. n. to reach with an effort after a thing ; to sketch after.

" for neuer mycht be sen
His suerd to rest, that in the gret rout
He row myth all the cornpas hyme about."

Launcelot, 3388.

' What a raw min' gel that is,' said of a maid-servant who
stretched her arms over the table for something. * What are ye
a-raumin* affter ? ' said to a child stretching out its hands.

Raunpick, part. adj. bare of bark or flesh, looking as if pecked by
ravens.

" Only the night-crow sometimes you might see
Croking to sit upon some ranpick tree."

DRAYTON, Moone-calf.

Rave, v. n. to scream or cry out ; make a noise. ' That sow's always
raving and revelling so.'

Raves, and Raving, sb., i. q. Rathes and Rathing, q. v.

224 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Ready, v. a. to make ready. " Mediede" — made ready. Apoc.
xvi. 12.— WYC.

* Way '11 get we weshed an' ready we -sens.'

Rear, v. n. to vomit or expectorate. * The' s^y a's a-gooin', poo'
thing ! A cain't rear nothink at all, an' it all settles of 'is loights.'

Reasy, adj., i. q. Raisty, q. v.

Reaves, and Reaving, sb., i. q. Rathes and Rathing, q. v.
Reckling, sb. the youngest or least in a litter or brood.
Red, adj. neat ; trim.

" And Mary's locks are like a craw,
Her eyes like diamonds glances,
She's ay sae clean redd up and braw,
She kills whene'er she dances."

Bessy Bell and Mary Gray.

Also, v. a. to comb ; arrange the hair. ' As I was reddin' out
my hair.'

Redder, sb. one who separates contending parties ; one who parts
combatants ; an umpire ; finisher of debate ; a ' settler.'

Red out, v. a. Vide Red.

Ree, v. a. " to cleanse corn which has been winnowed, by working it
round into an eddy in a sieve, thereby bringing the chaff and ' sids '
(seeds) into the centre of the sieve, so that they may be readily
gathered together and removed by the hand." — Bk.

Reed, sb. the stomach of a calf, eaten as a delicate variety of tripe,
or salted and dried for rennet ; also, the rectum. ' A's shot his
reed,' i. e. he is suffering from prolapsus recti.

Reed-shotten, part. Vide Reed.

Heen-sieve, sb., var. of ' reeing-sieve.' Vide Ree. A fine sieve for
'reeing' corn.

Reeve, sb. of onions = a rope.

Reezed, and Reezy, adj., vars. of Raisty, q. v.

" Reez'd Bacon soords shall feast his familie."

HALL, Sat. IV. 2.

Refusal, sb. option of refusal or acceptance. * I have the refusal of
that house till to-morrow.'

Rench, v. a., var. pron. of 'rinse.' Vide 'Introd.'

Render-down, v. a. to melt 'After you have rendzrel-doioii the
leaf (the Omentum majus) of a pig, then what remains is the
scratchings.'

Ret, sb. the growth of weeds in a pan 1 or river. ' Yo' mut moo the
ret, ' i. e. mow the weeds.

GLOSSARY. 225

Revel, v. n. to ramble; roam; stray. 'To revel about the fields.'
' The pigs will revel now finely. '

Riddle, sb. a coarse wire sieve.

Also, v. a. to sift through a riddle, often figuratively used.
'When I've paid my rent and my frame and my carriage, I'm
welly riddled? i. e. when I have paid my rent, the rent of my
stocking frame, and the carriage of the worsted from Hinckley to
Bosworth and the stockings from Bosworth to Hinckley, I have
hardly a farthing left.

Ride and tie, phr. When two travellers have only one horse
between them and agree to ride and tie, A. rides the horse part of
the distance, leaves him tied up, and walks on. B walks till he
comes to the horse, mounts and rides on past A, leaving the horse
tied up for A in turn, so that by the end of the journey, each has
ridden half, and each walked half.

Riders, sb. the performers at a circus ; a circus ; an ' equestrian
company.' ' 'Ere's the roiders ! '

Riding, sb. a green road through a wood.

Riff-raff, sb. low, rascally blackguards; the residuum. I do not
know in what sense the word is used in K. Stanyhurst's version
of Virgil which Hall satirizes : —

" If love speake English in a thundering cloud,
Th wick- thwack and Riffe raffe rores he out aloud."

HALL, Sat. I. 6.

Rift, and Rift wind, v. n to belch ; to cause eructation. ' The wind
meets the cough, and I'm in great pain till I can rift it.' * You should
ollus tek a nip o' some' at short affter eysters, joost to kip 'em from
riftin', loike.'

Rig, sb. a trick. * Some o' his rigs an' schames.' Also, var. pron.
of ' ridge.'

Rig, Rig-balk, Rig-piece, or Rig-tree, sb. the ridge-beam of a roof.
Rig-and-balk, sb. Vide Land.

Rig-and-furrow, or Rig-and-thurrow, sb. and adj. Vide Land for
the distinction between ' rig-and-balk ' and ' rig-and-thurrow.' As
applied to woven fabrics, ' rig - and - thurrow ' means 'ribbed.'
Bibbed stockings are ' rig -an' -thurrow stockings.' Corduroy
trousers ' rig-arf -fhurroiv slops,' &c.

' ' The ridge and furrow shows that once the crooked plough
Turned up the grassy turf where oaks are rooted now."

DKAYTON, Pol. XIX.

Rigget, sb. a small water- furrow or surface drain.

Right, sb., pec. In asserting a right, or complaining of its violation,
the proposition stated is generally the precise converse of the one
intended. Thus, ' you have a right to pay me that debt ' means,

Q

226 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

' you have no right to with-hold payment.' ' The man at the bar
(toll-bar) has a rig Jit to give him a ticket ' means, ' he has no right
to refuse one.' * Oi een't noo roighta to be sarved soo' means, 'I
have a right not to be subjected to such treatment.'

"And you've a right to feel that, and not to go about as gaping
and thoughtless as if you were beholding to nobody." — Adam Bede.

Right-down, adv. downright. ' A roight daown bad un.'
Right on, adv. straightway ; immediately ; positively.
Right-on-end, adv. upright ; also, immediately.

Right-out, adv. outright ; completely. ' A broke his thoomb roight
out:

Rights, sb. right. <Yo' een't noo roights to ba 'ere.' 'To rights'
generally means soundly, thoroughly. ' Did the missus blow you
up, John ? ' ' And shay did ! To roights an' all ! '

Rile, v. a. to irritate ; vex ; make angry. This is not an imported
Yankeeism. I remember it habitual in the mouths of men who
were old before American slang became current in England.

Rindles, sb. rennet. ' The chaze tas'es o' the rindles?

Rine, sb., var. of ' rind.'

Rine tabberer, sb. the wood-pecker, Picus.

Ring, and Ring-o'-bells, sb. a peal of bells.

"And having in his ears the deep and solemn rings
Which sound him all the way unto the learned springs."

DEAYTON, Pol. XV.

On which Drayton notes : " famous rings of bells in Oxfordshire,
called the Cross-ring."

"Whilst some the rings of bells and some the bagpipes ply."

2b., XXV.
' The ring of bells ' is a not uncommon sign for an inn.

Rip, sb. a profligate rascal ; or, as applied to a horse, a worthless
1 screw.' Also, a bundle of corn, as much corn as is reaped at one
stroke of the sickle.

Also, v. a., var. of ' reap.'

' ' Way've plaoughed, way've soo'n,
Way've ripped, way've moo'n,''

is part of an old harvest-song. Also, to rush, run violently. ' A
ripped aout o' th' aouse loike smook.'

Riz, p. and p. p., var. of * raised ' and ' risen.' 4 The bread's riz agen.'

Road, sb., pec. way. Of setting a dislocated wrist, said the patient,
' The doctor, a set it the wroong rood daown.' And a child remarked
of a book which a servant was pretending to read : ' Whoy, you'n
got it the wroong rood oop.' ' Out o' my road ! ' * Leuk this rood.'

GLOSSARY. 227

'Ye're stannin' joost o' my rood' 'Is this the right road to
Leicester?' 'Aah, it's the roight rood, sure enoof, oon'y yo've
a-gooin' the wroong rood on it ! '

Roaded, part. adj. rowed ; streaky : almost exclusively applied to
bacon.

Robbie, sb. frivolous nonsense ; indecent levity. ' She was full of
robble and vain talk.'

Robin, sb., phr. ' As wet as a robin ' is a common synonym for wet
through. ' It reened all the wee, an' ah'm as wet's a Robin?

Robin's Pincushion, or Pincush, sb. the bedeguar, a reddish fibrous
excrescence on the branches of the dog-rose. It is a morbid growth
resulting from the puncture of the plant by certain insects, notably,
Cynips Rosas and 0. Brandtii.

Rocksy, adj., i. q. Roxy, q. v.

Rod, sb. as a measure of length for hedging, ditching, and draining
a rod is eight yards, and four rods make an ' acre ' of thirty-two
yards in length.

Roddle, sb., var. of ' raddle ' and ' ruddle.'
Roffling, adj., var. pron. of Raffling, q. v.
Roil, v. a., var. pron. of Rile, q. v.
Roin-tabberer, sb., var. pron. of Rine-tabberer, q. v.

Hollo eking, part. adj. and sb., var. pron. of 'rollicking,' jovial,
' devil-may-care ; ' also, merrymaking, ' larking.'

Roomth, sb., var. of 'room.'

"Not finding fitter roomth upon the rising side."

DRAYTON, Pol. VI.

Roomthy, adj.^ var. of ' roomy.'

"In Tamer's roomthier banks their rest that scarcely take."

DRAYTON, Pol. I.

Root, v. n., i. q. Rootle, q. v.

Rootle, v. n. to tear and turn up the ground like a pig.

Roozle, v. a., freq. of 'rouse,' to rouse violently. 'He roozled him
out of his sleep.'

Rost, sb. hurry ; bustle. ' Doon't ye ba in sooch a rost.'

Rost, or Rosty, adj. impatient; hasty; restive, of which last it is
apparently a variation.

Rough music, sb. When a well-known scold had been exercising
her vocation too aggressively for toleration, or when any scandal,
particularly a matrimonial scandal, had been bruited abroad in
such a manner as to call for an expression of popular indignation,

Q 2

228 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

the delinquents were frequently visited with punishment in the
shape of rough music. Pokers and tongs, marrow-bones and
cleavers, warming-pans and tin kettles, cherry-clacks and whistles,
constable's rattles, and bladders with peas in them, cow's-horns
and tea-trays were all pressed into the service, and the programme
generally included a choice selection of recitative with choruses of
yells and hisses. The treatment was frequently successful in driving
che offender from the neighbourhood, but it is now seldom resorted
to in Leicestershire. During this year, however (1878), I have
found that the practice is still in full force within half-a-dozen
miles of Charing Cross.

Bounce, v. n. to bounce ; move uneasily or angrily. ' He rounced
in his chair.' ' He sat rouncing about.'

Roundly, adv. soundly ; thoroughly. * I gen it him raoundly.'
Rout, v. n. to snore ; grunt ; moo or bellow.

Rove, v. n. and a. Any knitted or woven fabric is said to rove
when it becomes partially unknitted or unwoven, to unravel. ' If
you breek a thread, it all roves out.' ' She roved it all out, because
she'd forgotten to pearl a row.'

Rovings, sb. ravellings, in the sense of threads coming loose from a
knitted or woven fabric.

Rox, v.n. to decay ; to become spongy or soft. * It roxes at the end,
loike : ' said of a gate-post.

Roxy, adj. rotten; soft. 'As roxy as a pear.'

Rubbage, sb., var. of 'rubbish.'

Rubber, sb. " A coarse sandstone whet-stone for a scythe." — Bk.

Rubble, sb. rough stones ; small lumps of building stone unhewn.

Ruck, sb. a crease or fold ; also, a crowd ; throng ; congregation of
men or things ; a covey of partridges. * To run in the ruck ' is to go
undistinguished amongst a number of others of the same kind.
1 Ah wouldn' for sheame to shute at the ruck.' ' All of a ruck.''

' Rucks ' in the pi. is synonymous with ' heaps ' in such phrases
as 'rucks o' money,' 'rucks o' pears,' &c.

v. n. to run into ' rucks ' or creases.
Ruck together, v. n. to gather together in a ' ruck'
Ruddle, sb., var. of Raddle, q. v. and Roddle.

Ruddleman, sb., var. of Raddleman, q. v.

"Besmeared like a ruddleman." — An. Mel., 3, 2, 2, 2.

Ruff, sb., var. pron. of ' roof.'

Rum, adj. strange ; eccentric ; unaccountable. ' A rum start, '
' a rum un,' ' a rum stick.'

Rumbustical, adj. boisterous ; obstreperous.

GLOSSARY. 229

Rummle, sb., var.pron. of Bubble, q. v.

Run, v. a. and n., pec. to make run by running after. * A (a ram)
roon me roight across the clus.' Also, to melt ; to cast in a mould.

Runaway Statutes, sb., L q. Mop, q. v.

Run down, v. a. to disparage.

Rungel (gpron. soft), sb. a lout; rough, stupid boy.

Rungeling, adj. random • restive : generally applied to a horse.

Runnet, sb., var. pron. of ' rennet.'

Running1, adv. consecutively; continuously. 'A wur gon thray
dees roonin'.'
sb. rennet.

Running-hook, sb. an appliance used by butchers. It is a hook
suspended from the centre of the lower spar of a square iron frame
formed to slide with a roller for its top along the upper surface and
two sides of a beam. It is fixed in any particular position by two
pins inserted into the beam itself through the iron framework. It
is used to bear a side of beef or other large piece of meat, suspended
out of the way for convenience.

Runt, sb. a breed of short-legged oxen, Scotch and Welsh, hence, a
short, stout, or stunted person. '

"Keforining Tweed
Hath sent us Hunts even of her Churches breed."

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 74.

Runtling, and Rutling, sb., i. q. Reckling, q. v.

Sack, sb. and v. a., phr. to ' sack,1 or ' give the sack,1 is to discharge,
and to ' get the sack ' to be discharged from any function, office,
or situation. As stonemasons, bricklayers, and workmen in many
other trades generally carried their own tools and appliances in a
bag or sack, either to their employer's yard or to the place where
the work was being carried on, whenever the employer gave a
workman his sack, it was an obvious hint to him to pack up his
'alls' and be off. An old Birmingham artizan told me that in
one factory in which he had worked, the bag of each workman
employed was hung up in the time-keeper's lodge, and the only
notice ever given to a workman that his services were no longer
required was conveyed by the time-keeper giving him his bag on
a Saturday morning before the wages were paid.

" But death will soon give him the sack."

Broadside Ballad by J. F. YATES.

As a measure of potatoes, &c., a sack is four bushels, a 'bag'
being only equal to three.

Sad, adj. heavy ; close ; solid : applied to bread not properly

230 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

leavened, stiff, heavy soil, &c. l As sad as liver ' is the usual
simile for anything to which the word is applied. Wycliffe affords
a number of instances of this sense of the word.

Sadden, v. a. to make heavy or close. ' You should put some clee
(clay) round them roses, to sadden the sile a bit.'

Sad-iron, sb. the common flat iron for ironing clothes, &c.

Sadly -badly, and Sadly -surrily, adj. very ill. The former is
generally used partly in jest, the latter in earnest.

Sadness, sb. heaviness ; solidity.

Safe, adj. certain. ' A's seaf to coom agen.' 'Seaf? ah, as seaf as
a chooch toid to a 'edge,' is a phr. implying that superfluous pre-
caution has been used, as if one should secure a church-tower from
being blown away by fastening it to a hedge with a rope.

Sagg, v. n. to hang over in any direction ; sway or incline on one
side ; bend with weight. ' Coom, yo' get off that theer yeat, or
yo'll mek it sagg woose.' ' Yo'll hev the hee all ovver ! Cain't ye
say aow it saggs ? '

" This said, the aged street sagged sadly on alone."

DBAYTON, Pol. XYI.

Saggs, sb., var. pron. of * seggs ' and * sedges,' reeds ; rank grass, &c.,
by the water side.

Saggy, adj. said of anything drawn or bent down by weight. ' That
gate wants knocking up at the thimbles, it hangs so saggy.' Also,
var. of ' sedgy,' reedy, &c.

Salve, v. a. to flatter. ' A keam saa'vin* oop to me.'

Sam, sb., phr. ' to stand Sam ' is to treat ; pay expenses. ' Well,
sir, ther een't no chaarge, but a real gen'leman ollus stan's Sam all
raound, at least'us moostly.'

Sam-cast, adj. or sb. " two ridges of land ploughed together."—^.

Sap, sb. the soft part of timber.

" Sap, or softest part of wood, oubier." — COTG.

Sapid (' a ' pron. as in ' hate,' or as ' ea ' in ' heat '), adj. high, as
applied to meat ; tainted. ' It smells woose nur any seapid mate.'

Sappy, adj. as applied to meat, tainted. Also, soft, apt to rot like
the ' sap ' of timber, hence, inferior in quality generally.

Sapy, adj., i. q. Sapid, q. v.

Sarch, v. a., var. pron. of ' search.'

' ' March will sarch
An' Epril troy,
But Mee will see
If ye live or doy."

Sarpent, sb., var. pron. of 'serpent,' the firework called a ' squib.'

GLOSSARY. 231

Sarve, v. a., var. pron. of 'serve.' * A sarved me a nassty trick.'

Sarve out, v. a., var. pron. of 'serve out/ to retaliate; punish.
Like 'punish,' it is also used in the sense of hurting or giving
pain "without connecting with it any idea of retribution. ' Ah'll
sarve him aout.' * Theer een't noothink sarves ye aout so bad as a
peen i' yer ear-'ool.'

Sarver, si., i. q. Server, q. v.

Sauce, v. a. to answer impertinently , abuse. ' I didn' sauce her —
I on'y called her a old beast, an' you know she's that.'
Also, sb. impertinence ; abuse.

Saucy, adj. 'It's saucy walking to-day, miss.' (A. B. E.)
Savation, sb. saving ; economy.

Sawney, or Sawney-gawney, sb. a simpleton ; nincompoop.
Say, v. a. and sb., i. q. y, q. v.

v. n., phr. ' Who says ? ' almost always takes the place of ' Who
says so ? ' ' But ye mut ! ' < Mut oi ? Ew says .«/ ' Whoy, hoy
dew ! ' ' An' ew's " hoy ? " dal your hoys ! '

Scabble. v. a. to rough-dress stone with an axe for the purpose,
called a ' scabbling-axe.'

Scabbling-axe, sb. Vide Scabble.

Scabblings, sb. the chips or refuse of stone made in ' scabbling ' it.
'That een't proper slavyin, that een't! It een't no better than
scabUins,' i. e. it is the chippings of soft stone instead of hard, and
unfit for making garden-walks.

Scabby, adj. shabby ; mean ; dirty.

Scaggle, v. a. to choke ; strangle ; suffocate.

Scaly, adj. stingy ; shabby , dirty.

Scant, adv. scarcely. ' Ah cain't git noo slape (sleep) scant.'

Scantish, adj. scanty.

Scantling, sb. light wood ; quarterings ; thin joists. ' Much of a
scantling ' is equivalent to ' much of a muchness/ little to choose.

;'His face of arms is like his coat, partie per pale, souldier and
gentleman, much of a scantling." — CLEAYELAND, Char, of a Com-
mittee-man, p. 193.

Scarce, adj. difficult to obtain a sight of. ' Shay meks her-sen very
scaace.' ( Mek your- sen scaace.'

Scarifier, sb. an implement for scarifying the soil.

Scarify, v. a. to ' scuffle ' the soil superficially.

Schollard, sb., var. pron. of ' scholar,' one who can read and write.

232 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

School ('oo' jH-074. either as in 'foot' or as in ( fool'), sb. a shoal of
fish ; hence, a troop of lads ; an assemblage of any kind.

" The comorant then conies ; . . . when from his wings at full
As though he shot himself into the thickened skull,
He under water goes and so the shoal pursues."

DRAYTON, Pol. XXV.

" My silver-scaled sculls."— Ib., XXVI.

Schooling, sb. education at school. 'Ah nivver hod mooch skewlin.'
Scithers, sb., var. of ' scissors.'

Scotch, v. a. to stop ; stay ; hinder ; also, to dock or curtail. ' Doon't
scotch me naow ! ' ' Shay scotched me o' my dinner-beer.'

Scouch (' OU'JWYW. as in 'loud'), v. a. to stoop. 'I fear I shall hit
my head against the roof.' ' Whoy dunna ye scouch then ? '

Scrabble, v. n. to scribble (1 Ham. xxi. 13); also, to scratch like a
dog at a rabbit or rat-hole ; to scramble.

sb. a scribbling ; also, a scratching ; a scrambling.

Scrace, v. a., var. of 'graze,' to scratch slightly by rubbing against.
' Ah worn't mooch hoort, but ah screezed my 'ands.'

Scranny, adj. lanky ; lean ; gaunt ; also, crazy ; distracted. ' It's
enew to droive wan scranny."1 ( If shay knood tew it, it 'ud mek
'er scranny*

Scrat, v. a. and n. to scratch ; make a shift ; struggle or scramble on.

"And bite my nails and scrat my dullard head."

HALL, Sat. VI. 1.

" Seeing a crow scrat upon the muck-hill." — An. MfL, 1, 2, 3, 12.

" Scrats at his bit o' garden, and makes two potatoes grow i' stead
o' one." — Adam Bede.

'A wur a o'd scrattin' fella, as had got a good bit o' money
togither.' ' How do you ever hope to get to Heaven ? ' asked the
curate. ' Oo, ah'll get theer by scrattin', nivver yo' fear ! ' answered
the bad old woman.

Scratching^, sb. the residue of cellular substance left after rendering
the 'leaf' of a pig for lard. The poor eat them with vegetables
when taken from the pan in which the lard is melted.

' ' She'd take a big cullender to strain her lard wi', and then
wonder as the scratching run through." — Adam Bede, c. 18.

Scrattle, v. a. and n., freq. of 'scratch' or 'scrat,' and used in the
same senses. ' Theer's that doog a scrattlin' at the door.' ' The'
manage to scrattle on.'

Scraunch, v. a., var. of ' crunch,' crush up with a grinding noise.

sb. the noise produced by ' scraunchiiig ' anything. ' It (a tooth)
coom aout wi' a sooch a scraunch ! '

Scrawk, v. n. to scream ; make a loud noise. ' Ye little scrawkin*
thing ! wha'dgee scrawk fur ? '

GLOSSARY.

233

Scrawl, sb. a brawl. ' It win- doon in a droonken scrawl, ah reckon.'

Scrawm, v. a. and n. to sprawl ; stretch ; straggle \ scramble ; also,
to throw to be scrambled for. l What are ye a-scraiumiri affter ? '
' Scrawm us a few marls,' i. e. marbles.

sb. a scramble ; fracas ; ( shindy.'
Scraze, v. a., i. q. Scrace, q. v.

Screwdle, v. a., freq. of ' screw,' to insinuate into a narrow aperture.
* A (a sweep) screwdled his-sen oop the chimly.' A corpulent lady
' couldn' 'aardly screwdle her-sen into the booz,' i. e. omnibus.

Scribbling-lark, sb. the yellow-hammer, Emberiza citrinella, L.,
only used when the bird is spoken of in connection with its eggs,
which are covered with marks something like rude scribbling. Out
of the breeding-season, the bird is always the Goldfinch, q. v.

Scrike, sb., v. n., var. pron. of ' shriek.' * A heerd a sooch a scroike.'
Scrinch, sb. a little bit ; a morsel. 'Gie's a scrinch.1

Scrinching, adj. little ; puny ; insignificant. ' A scrinchin' little
thing.'

Scringe, v. n., var. of ' scringe,' shrink with pain or cold ; flinch.
Scrobble, v. n. and sb., var. pron. of Scrabble, q. v.

Scrouge ('ou' pron. either 'oo' or 'ow/ as in 'cow'), v. n. and a.
to crowd ; squeeze ; crush.
sb. a crush ; dense crowd ; a squeeze.

Scrow, v. n., var. of ' scroll ' and ' scrawl,' to mark ; scribble ;
scratch ; ' score ' as pork, &c. To scrow a cheese, tree, &c. , is to
mark it with a scribing-iron or other instrument for the purpose.

sb. a mark or scratch placed on cheeses, chests, &c. ; or on trees
to mark which are to be sold or felled ; a scratch or mark of any
kind.

Scruff, or Scruft (' u ' pron. as in ' bull '), sb. the nape of the neck ;
the collar of a coat, &c., at the nape.

Scrunge, v. n., var. of Scringe, q. v. and ' cringe.' ' When I touched
the place, he scrunged.'

Scuff, v. a., var. of to ' cuff,' to strike.

" The gentleman, astead o' bein' thankful to him for his kindness,
scuffed and kicked him." — Bound Preacher, p. 40.

sb. the nape of the neck ; also, a cuff or blow ; also, the cuff of a
coat, &c.

Scuffle, sb. hurry; bustle. 'Ah wur in a scooffle.' Also, a kind of
heavy harrow with curved prongs.

v. a. and n. to grub the soil deeply with a ' scuffle ; ' also, to
shuffle the feet in walking ; also, to hurry along at a great pace ;
also, to fight one's way.

236 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

known me all my life, and they call me " Old Shack." Well, you
know, they couldn't say more in two words, could they ? '

Shackling, part. ' shacking ; ' shirking work ; idling. ' A shacklin*
good-for-nothing fellow.'

Snaffling, part. adj. awkward in movement ; shuffling ; hobbling.
Shain't, v. aux. shall not.
Shalves, sb., var. of ' shafts.'

Shamble, v. n. to shuffle ; walk awkwardly and helplessly.
Sham-thack, sb. a temporary thatching of a rick, &c., in case of rain.
v. a. to thatch temporarily.

Shanks's-mare, Shanks' s-nag, Shanks's-pony, phr., to 'ride' any of
these fabulous creatures is to trudge on foot.

Sharp (pron. shaap), adj. having one's wits about one. It is
generally used with a negative in such phrases as, ' not haaf shaap,'
'not so shaap as a should ba,' &c., which mean that the person
spoken of is deficient in intellect, partly or wholly idiotic. A
mother who had an idiot son always spoke of him as ' the wan as
een't quoite so shaap as the rest.'

v. a. to sharpen, or make sharp. " Sharped — WYC.
1 Sharping saw, 4d.} Vide ' Sills delivered,' Introd.

Sharps, sb. a kind of meal. Vide Meal.
Sharrog, sb., var. pron. of Shear-hog, q. v.

Shaver, sb. a keen bargainer ; a huckster : when used with * young,'
&c., a stripling generally.

" A shaving fellow or shaver, frerot." — OOTG.
'A good-lookin' yoong sheaver.'

Shear-grass, sb. long, coarse grass ; twitch or couch-grass.
Shear-hog, sb. a ' teg ' after its first shearing. Vide Sheep.
Shearling, sb., id.

Sheary, adj. full of twitch or couch-grass. ' That theer land's very
sheary."1

Sheed, v. n., var. pron. of ' shed,' to shed the leaves or seed. Corn
is said to ' sheed ' when it ripens so as to shed the grain before being
cut.

" To shed, or sheed, espandre, repandre." — COTG.

' The prettiest flowers always sheed the first/ ' These self-sown
oats have sheeded.'

Sheedings, sb. shed corn ; the grain which drops from the over-ripe
ears.

Sheep. The names given to sheep at various ages in Leicestershire
are as follows : — Lambs retain that name until the time of ' going

GLOSSARY. 237

to turnips' in the autumn, about Michaelmas. From this time
until their first shearing in the following spring they are called tegs.
After their first shearing they still retain the name of tegs, but are
also called hogs, hoggets, hoggrels, shear-hogs, or shearlings, the
females having in addition the distinctive name of theaves. After
the second shearing they lose the name of teg and acquire that of
two-shears. The other names are retained, except that the females
are sometimes distinguished as double-theaves. After the third
shearing the males are called wethers and the females ewes. When
the sex is not indicated by the name itself, it is distinguished by
prefixing tup, wether, or ewe, as the case may be, e. g. a wether lamb,
a ewe teg, &c.

Sherrog, sb., var. pron. of ' shear-hog.' Vide Sheep.

Shift, v. n. to provide for one's self. Often used absolutely. ' Well,
they mut shift.' Also, to move from one house to another.

sb. a day's work : particularly applied to colliery work. Also,
removal from one house to another. ' Thray shifts are as bad as a
foire,7 is the Leicestershire form of the common proverb.

Shiftiness, sb. restlessness.

Shifty, adj. restless : often applied to a sick person. ' A wur very
shifty all night.'

Shig-shog, sb. a ' shog-trot.' Vide Shog. The word is often used
adverbially: ' To go shig-shog, like.'

Ship, sb., var. pron. of ' sheep.' In universal use.

Ship-tick, sb., var. pron. of ' sheep-tick.'

" Mrs. B. will thank Mr. Hubbard to call at the Hill this morn-
ing. I want to see you very perticuler. I beleive I have swallowed
a ship tick, and it is working all over me ; it is now got to my head
and neck. I was very ill last night, I quite thought I should lose
my sences. I thought if I sent you word you praps could bring
some thing with you. I got very little rest in the night. It was
put in the glass, a very silley trick, and forgot ; and I apened to
take the glass and draw a little bear in it. I knew as soon as I had
done it. I recalected it, Mr. B put it there. I am very much
affraid it will be of serious consequence. It has been to both ears
and made them very painfull. I hope you will come as soon as you
can. It is against the left ear now. I remain, yours respectfully. "
—MS. penes Ed.

Shirk, v. a., var. pron. of 'shrug.' ' A shirked his showlders.'

Shither, v. n., var. pron. of 'shiver.' ' Shitherin' and ditherin' ' is a
very frequent collocation of words.

Shive, sb. a slice.

" He would have allowed four shives of bread at a meal to his
meat, every shive containing eight bits or morsels"; not that the
whole four shives should contain but eight morsels, as the critics
expound it ; for how absurd is it to imagine a shive of bread but
two bits ? and how pinching a diet it were for an able ploughman."
— GEORGE CHAPMAN, Note on :

236 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

known me all my life, and they call me " Old Shack." Well, you
know, they couldn't say more in two words, could they ? '

Shackling, part. ' shacking ; ' shirking work ; idling. ' A shacJclin1
good-for-nothing fellow.'

Snaffling, part. adj. awkward in movement ; shuffling ; hobbling.
Shain't, v. aux. shall not.
Shalves, sl.t var. of < shafts.'

Shamble, v. n. to shuffle ; walk awkwardly and helplessly.
Sham-thack, sb. a temporary thatching of a rick, &c., in case of rain.
v. a. to thatch temporarily.

Shanks's-mare, Shanks's-nag, Shanks's-pony, phr., to 'ride' any of
these fabulous creatures is to trudge on foot.

Sharp (pron. shaap), adj. having one's wits about one. It is
generally used with a negative in such phrases as, ' not haaf shaap,''
'not so shaap as a should ba,' &c., which mean that the person
spoken of is deficient in intellect, partly or wholly idiotic. A
mother who had an idiot son always spoke of him as ' the wan as
een't quoite so shaap as the rest.'

v. a. to sharpen, or make sharp. " Sharped — WYC.
* Sharping saw, 4d.J Vide ' Sills delivered,' Introd.

Sharps, si. a kind of meal. Vide Meal.
Sharrog, si., var. pron. of Shear-hog, q. v.

Shaver, si. a keen bargainer ; a huckster : when used with ' young,'
&c., a stripling generally.

"A shaving fellow or shaver, frerot." — OOTG.
' A good-lookin' yoong sheaver.'

Shear-grass, si. long, coarse grass ; twitch or couch-grass.
Shear-hog, si. a ' teg ' after its first shearing. Vide Sheep,
Shearling, si., id.

Sheary, adj. full of twitch or couch-grass. ' That theer land's very
sheary.'

Sheed, v. n., var. pron. of ' shed,' to shed the leaves or seed. Corn
is said to ' sheed ' when it ripens so as to shed the grain before being
cut.

" To shed, or sheed, espandre, repandre." — COTG-.
' The prettiest flowers always sheed the first/ ' These self-sown
oats have sJu

Sheedings, si. shed corn ; the grain which drops from the over-ripe

ears.

Sheep. The names given to sheep at various ages in Leicestershire
are as follows : — Lambs retain that name until the time of ' going

GLOSSARY. 237

to turnips' in the autumn, about Michaelmas. From this time
until their first shearing in the following spring they are called tegs.
After their first shearing they still retain the name of tegs, but are
also called hogs, hoggets, hoggrels, shear-hogs, or shearlings, the
females having in addition the distinctive name of theaves. After
the second shearing they lose the name of teg and acquire that of
two-shears. The other names are retained, except that the females
are sometimes distinguished as doulle-theaves. After the third
shearing the males are called wethers and the females ewes. When
the sex is not indicated by the name itself, it is distinguished by
prefixing tup, wether, or ewe, as the case may be, e. g. a wether lamb,
a ewe teg, &c.

Sherrog, sb., var. pron. of l shear-hog.' Vide Sheep.

Shift, v. n. to provide for one's self. Often used absolutely. ' Well,
they mut shift.' Also, to move from one house to another.

sb. a day's work : particularly applied to colliery work. Also,
removal from one house to another. ' Thray shifts are as bad as a
foire,' is the Leicestershire form of the common proverb.

Shiftiness, sb. restlessness.

Shifty, adj. restless : often applied to a sick person. ' A wur very
shifty all night.'

Shig-shog, sb. a ' shog-trot.' Vide Shog. The word is often used
adverbially : ' To go shig-shog, like. '

Ship, sb., var. pron. of ' sheep.' In universal use.

Ship-tick, sb., var. pron. of ' sheep-tick.'

" Mrs. B. will thank Mr. Hubbard to call at the Hill this morn-
ing. I want to see you very perticuler. I beleive I have swallowed
a ship tick, and it is working all over me ; it is now got to my head
and neck. I was very ill last night, I quite thought I should lose
my sences. I thought if I sent you word you praps could bring
some thing with you. I got very little rest in the night. It was
put in the glass, a very silley trick, and forgot ; and I apened to
take the glass and draw a little bear in it. I knew as soon as I had
done it. I recalected it, Mr. B put it there. I am very much
affraid it will be of serious consequence. It has been to both ears
and made them very painfull. I hope you will come as soon as you
can. It is against the left ear now. I remain, yours respectfully."
— MS. penes Ed.

Shirk, v. a., var. pron. of ' shrug.' ' A shirked his showlders.'

Shither, v. n., var. pron. of ' shiver.' ' Shitherin1 and ditherin' ' is a
very frequent collocation of words.

Shive, sb. a slice.

" He would have allowed four shives of bread at a meal to his
meat, every shive containing eight bits or morsels"; not that the
whole four shives should contain but eight morsels, as the critics
expound it ; for how absurd is it to imagine a shive of bread but
two bits ? and how pinching a diet it were for an able ploughman."
— GEORGE CHAPMAN, Note on :

238 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

" Whose bread at meals in four good shivers cut,
Eight bits in every shive. "

Hesiod. Oeorg. II. 98.

Shockle, v. a. and n., var. pron. of ' shoggle,' to shake out of its
place ; to be loose in a handle, &c.

Shoddy, sb. waste from worsted spinning mills.

Shog, v. n. and a., var. pron. of 'jog,' to shake slightly; to rock;
also, to trot slowly; go a jog-trot; also, to ride at a trot without
rising in the stirrups. ' A can goo a shaap trot wi' out shooin'
learn, but a limps when ye coom to shog 'im.J ' Shog the meer
aloong, man ! ' ' You shog off ! '

sb., var. pron. of 'jog,' a jog-trot; a slight shake.

Shoggle, v. a. and n.,freq. of 'shog,' to shake out of its place ; also
used by masons as a var. pron. of 'joggle,' to fit one stone to
another by a zig-zag joint.

si., var. pron. of 'joggle.'

Shook, p. p. of ' shake,' very frequently applied to persons after an
illness, &c. As applied to timber, cracked ; split ; full of cracks
and ' shakes.' ' A wur very much shook by bein' so loong abed.'

Shoot, sb. a shot with a gun, &c.

" One underneath his horse to get a shoot doth stalk."

DRAYTON-, Pol. XXV.
GOTO, gives "a shoot, traict."

Shooters, sb. round pieces of wood made to fit the ' chesforcl ' or
cheese-vat, and inserted between the cheese itself and the vat.

Short, adj., pec. hasty. ' Shay's very s/wrf-tempered.' ' Shay were
that short wi' me, ah wished her good shut an' cooni back.'

Shortening, sb. anything put into pie-crust to make it light.
Short of, adj. deficient in. ' Way've so sliort rf water.'

Shot-free, adj., var. of 'scot-free,' free from payment; not called on
to pay f shot.'

" Chooses much rather be his shot-free guest."

HALL, Sat. III. 7.

Shouting -bottle, sb. the reapers' or haymakers' beer-keg. When
emptied by the last drinker, he is expected to shout for more to be
fetched.

Showelling, part, adj., var. pron. of 'shovelling,' shuffling; slip-
shod ; slovenly : said more especially of farm-servants moving
about with their boots unlaced.

"Without any shovelling of feet, or walking up and down." —
LAT. Serm. XII. p. 204. '

Showl, sb., var. pron. of ' shovel.'

GLOSSARY. 239

"I, says the Owl,
With my spade and showl."

Ballad of Cock Robin.

Shug, v. a. and n. and sb., var. pron. of Shog, q. v.

Shut, part. adj. rid ; clear. ' Ah cain't get slwot o' my cuff.'

sb. a riddance. A. 'Well, good affternune.' B. 'Good affter-

nune. (Exit A.) An' good shut ! A good shut o' bad rubbidge,
bleam 'er ! '

Also, a shutter. ' Ah seen the shuts up as ah coom boy.'

Shuther, v. n., var. pron. of 'shudder;' also, to slip or slide. 'A
shoothered daown looer an' looer.'

Shy, v. a. to throw ; fling ; hurl.

si. a throw. ' Hev a shoy, if you loase yer stick ! '
Siblet, sb. the sower's basket from which he flings the corn.
Sich, adj., var, pron. of 'such.' Not so common as 'sooch.'

Sidder, adj. light ; loose ; friable ; mealy : applied to soil that breaks
up readily, peas that boil to a flour, yeast dumplings that are pro-
perly swelled, &c.

' ' Long ago it (Lindley) has had the praise for good sydowe pease,
as they term them." — BURTON, Hist, of Leic., p. 158.

' A little rain on the barley after it is cut does it good and makes
it sidder.'

Side, sb. In conjunction with the name of a place, or with an
adjective of locality, l side' means neighbourhood or district.
' Hinckley-stnWe,' ' Leicester-m'de,' ' t'oother soide,' i. e. the other
side of the county.

Side-hook, sb. a hook used by the butcher in ' dressing,' or setting
his meat in the form, required.

Sidened, adj. on one side ; crooked. ' I've dressed you all sidened.'
Sids, sb., var. pron. of Seeds, q. v.

Sight, sb. a great number or quantity.

" There is in this realm, thanks be to God, a great sight of lay-
men well-learned in the Scriptures, and of virtuous and godly con-
versation, better learned than a great sight of us of the clergy." —
LAT. Serm. VIII. p. 122.

Sike, v. n., var. of ' sigh,' to sigh ; to gasp. ' Sikin' an' sobbinV

si. a sigh or gasp; also, a gutter or small watercourse. Vide
' Local Nomenclature.' Tho DoT-sike is the name of a small water-
course, or rather of a hill approaching it, at Glenfield.

Sile, v. a. and sb., var. pron. of Sey, q. v. Also, to faint away.

Silly, adv. foolishly. ' How can you talk so silly ? '

Simples, phr. ' A'd ought to be coot for the simples ' is a phrase

240 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

implying that the person spoken of is a fool. The metaphor, prob-
ably incorrectly, regards folly as a curable disease, and suggests
that the patient should be 'cut,' i.e. lanced, so as to allow the
' perilous stuff ' to escape. Vide Cut.

Sin, adv. andj?rep., var. of 'since.'

Sing rovings, v. n. to purr as a cat. ' Rovings ' are ravelling? or
loose ends, and I suspect that the metaphor relates to the music of
the stocking-frame. ' Aark at the kitlin ; shay's a-singginy roovin's.'

Sirs ! excl. ' Sirs ! ' ' Moy Sirs ! ' and ' Sirs aloive ! ' are among the
commonest exclamations of surprise.

Sit, v. n. said of the moon during the interlunium, when she is
invisible. * The moon sits ; it will be dark to-night.'

Sithe, v. a. and sb., var. of Sey, q. v. Also, var. of ' sigh.'
Size, and Sizes, sb. assize and assizes.

" Each honest calling towardes Lawe,

So pressed is from Size,
That hardly can an honest man
With honesty aryse."

Newes out of P. C., Sat. 2.

" If brabling Make-fray at each Fayre and Sise
Picks quarrels for to show his valiantise."

HALL, Sat. IV. 4.

Skeen, v. n. to squint.

Skelp, v. n. to skip along ; hurry ; go nimbly. ' The mear doon't
go near the ground now ; she skelped along uncommon.' ' Naow
then, yew theer, skelp I yew ! '

Skelper, sb. a tall, lanky youth. ' Oh my ! what a skelper you are ! '

Skep, sb. a wicker basket, wider at the top than the bottom, and
holding about a bushel ; also, the cage in which colliers ascend and
descend the pit.

Skerrid, Skerrig, Skerrig-stone, or Skerry, sb. the thin, grey, par-
tially laminated bands occurring in the red brick earth near Bos-
worth are called by these names. The marly clay of which they
are composed bakes into bricks of peculiar hardness.

Skew-bald, adj. piebald. When a circus visited Eosworth I was
told by a lad that ' the roiders ' had a lot of piebalds and skew-balds.
When I asked the difference, I was told that the piebalds were bay
and white, and the skew-balds black and white and mottled. I sup-
pose the word is really ' sky-balled,' i. e. clouded, and is equally
applicable to either.

" Th' Apparitour upon his shew -bard horse."

CLEAVELAND, Poems, p. 38.

Skew-whiff, Skew-whift, or Skew-whifted, adj. and adv. askew ;
aslant.

GLOSSARY. 241

Skid, or Skid-pan, sb. a drag ; an iron slide attached to a vehicle by
a chain to put under the wheels when going down hill.
v. a. to put the ' skid ' on.

Skillet, sb. a small metal pot or saucepan with a long handle and no
lid.

Skilly, sb. a drink made of oatmeal and water with a little salt. The
oatmeal is first ' mashed ' with a little cold water, and boiling water
is then added.

Skimping, or Skimpy, adj. small ; scanty ; insufficient ; mean ;

stingy. ' What skimpy sleeves ! '

Skip, sb., var. pron. of Skep, q. v.

Skitty witting. This is another word in Mr. Gresley's list unknown
to me. It is probably a near relation of the Cheshire ' skitter- wit,'
a harum-scarum ne'er-do-weel.

Skrike, v. n. and sb., i. q. Scrike, q. v.

"Many skreeks and fearful cries are continually heard there-
abouts."— An. Mel, 1, 2, 1, 2.

Skulk, sb. one who shirks work.

" My employer, after he had discharged me, met me in public
company, and called me a lazy, idle sculk. I, in return, called him
a scamp, on which he wrung my nose." — MS. Letter, penes Ed.

v. a. to shirk work.
Skull, sb., i. q. Scull, q. v.

" Worse than a skull of Halberds in the night."

CLEAVELAND, Poems, p. 134.

Sky, v. a., var. pron. of Shy, q. v. ' Skoy 'er oop ! '

Slab, sb. " the piece that is sawn from a tree in squaring it." — Bk.
In Leicestershire any large flat piece of timber is a slab.

Slack, sb. small coal ; small refuse coal used for ' backening ' the fire.
A Leicestershire servant coming to London was told to ' put some
coal on.' After a long and fruitless search for any large lumps
among the best Wallsend, she returned with ' Pleas'm, theer een't
non : it's all sleek I '

v. a., var. pron. of ' slake,' to quench the thirst; also, to cool, as
hot iron in water ; to ' backen ' a fire by putting * slack ' or cinders
on it. ' Ah gin 'im a sup o' brandy-an'-wa'r to slack 'im.'

" And rocks by instinct so resent this Fact,
They 'Id into Springs of easie teares be slack 'd."

OLEAVELAND, Poems, p. 86.

Slack-jaw, sb. vulgar abuse.

Slack-trough, or Slacking-trough, sb. the water-trough in a black-
smith's shop in which the hot iron is cooled.

Slade, sb. a green road through a wood ; a ' riding.'

242 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Slam, v. a. and sb., pec. to ring all the bells in a peal at one moment
so as to produce a general crash, the number of times the slamming
is repeated depending on the importance of the occasion, twenty-
one being a favourite number. This method of ringing is also
called ' firing ' or ' shooting ' the bells, and each crash is called a
slam or ' volley,' the bells on the occasion being considered equiva-
lent to artillery firing a salute.

Slang, sb. a slip or narrow length of land running up between other
and larger divisions of ground ; any long strip of land.

Slap, adv. at once ; straightway. ' Yo tell 'im as a mutn't, an' all
goo dew it slap.1

Slasher, sb. a hook on a long handle for trimming hedges, &c.

Slat, sb., var. pron. of ' slate/ a thin, narrow strip of wood; a slate ;
anything thin, flat, and rigid, about the size of an ordinary slate.
The thin pieces of wood between the rafters of a roof to support
the slates are as much slats as the slates themselves.

" As slatters do their slatts, do they degrees and families." — An.
Mel., 3, 2, 6, 5.

' I slat for winder blind.' Vide ' Bills delivered,' ' In trod.'

v. a. and n. to slate ; to nail or fasten ' slats ' of any kind ; also,
to drip or run down, as off the roof of a house. * Whoy, the
water's slattin' off o' your head on to your collar.'

Slate, v. n. to ' fur ' ; become encrusted, as a boiler.

Slate-ribs, sb. the short-ribs of beef, between the ' top-ribs ' and the
brisket.

Slatter, sb. one who ' slats ' generally, but more particularly a slater.
Vide Slat.

Slaty, adj. incrusted inside, like a kettle after long using. The cook
at Leicester Infirmary told me (A. B. E. ) she used the soft water
because the hard made the copper so slaty.

Slaum, v. a., var. of ' slime,' to make dirty ; daub. Vide Bawm.
Slaun, sb. a sloe.

Slaun-bush, or Slaun -tree, sb. a sloe-bush, white-thorn, Prunus
spinosa, L.

Sleek, sb. and v. a., var. pron. of Slack, q. v.

" And Froom for her disgrace
Since scarcely ever washed the coal-sleek from her face."

DRAYTON, Pol. III.

Sleer, v. a. to swill or sluice out carelessly or skittishly.

Slender, adj., phr. 'as slender in the middle as a cow in the waste.'
This periphrasis to describe obesity, quoted in An. Mel., 3, 2, 4, 1,
is still in use.

Slick, v. a. to sharpen a scythe or other large edge-tool with a ' slick-
stone.' Vide Hay. Also, to run away.

GLOSSARY.

243

Slick-stone, $b. a stone for sharpening scythes, &c. Instead of a
stone, a flat piece of wood with sand or emery glued on both sides
is sometimes used, and is known by the same name.

Slidder, v. n. to slide. ' Slither ' is the more usual form.

Sliddery, adj. slippery.

"Slideri," " slider y," " slydery," " sledery" ' < slidir."— WYC.

Slim, v. n. to slink. ' I just slimmed by the window this morning.'

Slipper, sb. a drag ; a Skid, q. v.

Slippy, adj. slippery • quick. ' Be slippy,' i, e. look sharp.

Slip-side, adv. the near side. ' A's gone to live o' the slip-soide
Leicester,' i. e. from Bos worth, on the Bosworth side.

Slither, v. n. to slide on ice ; to slip.

Slithering, part. adj. indolent; uncertain; untrustworthy. 'He's
always been an idle, loitering man, and slithering, like.'

Slithery, adj. slippery ; unstable ; unsteady.
Slive, sb. a slice.

v. a. to slice ; cut a slice.

Sliver (pron. either slivver or sloiver), sb. a slice ; generally a large
slice.

' ' And instant cuts
A sliver longitudinal, enough
To startle invalid."

WOTY'S Poems, p. 125.
v. a. to slice ; cut a slice.

Sliving, adj. sneaking ; skulking ; mean.

Slobber, v. a. and sb., var. pron. of ' slubber' and * slaver.'

Slobbery, adj., pec. sloppy ; muddy ; also, carelessly done ; unwork-
manlike. ' The streets are so slobbery.' ' A very slobbery job, John
— a bit o' real best Bos'orth bodgin'.'

Slommaking, adj. slatternly ; trolloping.

Slon, Slon-bush, and Slon-tree, sb., var. pron. of Slaun, &c., q. v.
' Slon-root ' is used as a drug in cases of diarrhoea, &c.

Slop, or Slop-jacket, sb. a short smock-frock, or loose open jacket.

Slop-frock, sb. a smock-frock.

Slop-house (pron. sloppus), sb. a scullery.

Slops, sb. trousers.

Slorp, v. n. to make a noise in eating with a spoon.

244 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Slosh, adv. ' Keep slosh ' or ' stand slosh ' are equivalent to ' stand
clear,' ' out of the way.' Often used by boys sliding.
sb. plashy mire ; snow half thawed ; ' snow-broth.'
Sloshy, adj. plashy ; muddy.

Slotch, v. n., var. pron. of ' slouch/ to carry one's self in a slovenly,
idle, lumpish manner. ' Ah 'eet sooch slotchin* wees.'

Slubber, v. a., var. pron. of * slobber' and 'slaver/ to daub ; to kiss
coarsely ; flatter basely ; also, to do work in an unworkmanlike
way ; to ' scamp ' it.

sb. slaver ; slobber ; mud.
Slubbery, adj., var. pron. of Slobbery, q. v.
Sludge, sb. mud ; plashy mire.

Sludge-guts, sb.j var. pron. of ' slouch-guts/ a person distinguished
by a pendulous abdomen.

Slun, sb., var. pron. of Slaun, q. v.

Slur, v. n. to slide on ice ; to slip.
sb. a slide on the ice ; a slip.
Slurrer, sb. a slider on the ice.

Slush, sb., var. pron. of Slosh, q. v. l Sludge ' is slush of a rather
thicker consistency.

Slut-grate, sb. a grating in the hearth through which the ashes fall,
leaving the cinders for use. It has the name from saving Cinder-
ella the trouble of sifting the cinders.

Slynes, sb. the faces of the peculiar 'jointing' found in the coal-beds
are known as slynes among the colliery population.

Smack, adv. completely ; ' slap/ in such phrases as ' slap through,'
&c.

Smack-smooth, adj. completely smooth.
Smart, adj. considerable in number or size.

Smartish, adj., i. q. Smart, q. v. ' Yew'n a smart tish lot o' reuts
this year, Mister.'

Smatch, sb., var. pron. of ' smack/ a taste ; flavour ; relish ; ( tang '
or ' twang.'

Smithers, or Smithereens, sb. fragments ; splinters ; atoms.
' Knocked all to smithers.'

Smithy, sb. a smith's shop : often used as a familiar word for
dwelling-house or home. ' Ah'm still at th' o'd smithy.'

Smoor, v. a. and sb., var. pron. of Smother, q. v.

GLOSSARY. 245

Smother, v. n. and a. to smut ; spot ; splash with mud, snow, soot,
&c. ; also, to smoulder.

" And can deepe skill lie smothering within
Whiles neither smoke nor flame discerned bin ? "

HALL, Sat. VI. 1.
' Smoother ed wi' sludge.' Of. CHAUCER:

" Al to be smottred was his habergeon."

Cant. Tales, Prol.

When a room is said to be ' smothered wi' smook,' it means that
everything in it is covered with smuts, though the idea is also asso-
ciated with choking.

sb. smut, including the flakes of soot known in London as
1 blacks,' ' smut ' in wheat, blight on roses, &c.

Smother-fly, sb. Aphis vastator. Vide last word.

Smouch, v. a. to kiss grossly.

" I'll smouch thee every morn."

DRAYTON, Pol. XXI.

Smudge, sb., var. of 'mud/ * sludge.'

v. a. to coyer with dirt or mud ; to daub or smear. ' He has had
a fall from his horse, and is all smudged,'' i. e. muddied.

Smutch, sb. and v. a., var. pron. of Smudge, q. v.

Snaffing and gurniug, part, These words I find together in Mr.
Gresley's list. I infer that they are equivalent to ' snaffling arid
girning,' *'. e. sniffing and grinning in derision.

Snaffle, v. n. to snivel ; snuffle ; speak through the nose ; to sniff.

Snag, sb. any sharp excrescence ; a jag ; any angular tear or rent ;
also, a snail.

v. a. and n. to tear an angular rent ; to ' nag ' ; to chide pettishly.
' Jane snarls an' snags at Lizzy.'

Snaggy, adj. having jags or sharp protuberances ; full of angular
rents ; also, abounding in snails.

Snags, sb., var. pron. of ' snacks.' To ' go snags ' is to go shares.
When any one desires to claim his share in anything found by one
of the party, or to be divided among them, he cries ' Snags ! '
which is supposed to convey a kind of primd facie right to partici-
pate. ' Wha'd yew want ? Yew nivver croyed " Snags ! " :

Snaid, sb., var. pron. of Snead, q. v.

Snail-horn (pron. sneel-orn or urn), sb. a snail-shell. •

Snaith, sb., var. pron. of Snead, q. v.

Snake-stone, sb. an ammonite.

Snap, sb. a ' snack ' or snatch ; a light, hasty repast.

246 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

v. a. to speak sharply ; rebuke ; ' sneap ' ; ' snub ' ; interrupt
with scolding.

Snap up, v. a., i. q. Snap, q. v.

Snap-dog, sb. a dog employed by poachers in driving game.

" They perceived some nets by the side of the plantation ; three
men were near them, and two others with a snap dog in the field,
driving the game" (near Walton). — Leicester Advertiser, April 18,
1874.

Snarl, sb. a knot ; a tangle ; a gnarl or knot in wood.

" The snarles of overtwisted thread, grippets." — GOTO.

v. a. and n. to .knot or tangle ; become knotted or entangled ; to
kink ; also, to catch in a knot ; to snare.

" To snarl or trap him in his words .... to snarl or tangle him
in his words — ut illaquearent eum in sermone." — LAT. Serm. XV.
p. 288.

Snarled, part. adj. gnarled ; knotted, as applied to timber, &c.

Snasling, part. adj. snarling ; snapping.

Snatch, sb., var. pron. of Snack, q. v.

Snatchy, adj. touchy ; irritable ; snappish.

Snead, sb. the long crooked handle or shank of a scythe.

Sneath, sb., id.

Sneck, v. n. and a., var. pron. of ' sneak,' to sneak ; also, to pilfer.

Sneck-i'-the-gress, sb. a sneak ; a traitor ; treacherous deceiver.

Sneck-up, v. a. to speak sharply to ; ' sneap,' ' snap,' or ' snub.' ' A
snecked me oop ivver soo shaa'p, an' says what had Oi to dew wi't ? '

Sned, sb., var. pron. of Snead, q. v.
Sneel-orn, sb., var. pron. of Snail-horn, q. v.
Sneer, sb. contumely expressed or implied.

" John felt indignant, for he could not bear
To see her treated with such scorn and sneer.'"

Choice of a Wife, p. 45.
Snep, v. a., var. pron. of Snap, q. v.

" That on a time he cast him to scold,
And sneb the good oak for he was old."

SPENSER, Sh. K. ^Eg. 2.
Snew,j9. of 'to snow.'

Snib, v. a., var. pron. of snub,' to rebuke ; scold; reprimand.

" As at the stok the bere
Snybbith the hardy houndis that ar ken."

Launcelot, 3387.
' ' Snybbe ' ' and < ' mylUng? '— WYC. Vide Snap.

GLOSSARY. 247

Snick, sb., var. pron. of Sneck, q. v., and of 'nick.' 'Ah joost
snicked it roight,' i. e. I was just in the nick of time.
v. a., id.

Snickle, sb. and v. a., var. pron. of Sniggle, q. v,
Snift, v. n. to sniff; scent as a hound.

Snifter, v. n. to sniff; snivel ; to snuff up as a dog on the scent.

" To snifter or snuff up, snivel, nifler, renifler" — GOTO.
Snig, sb. a little eel.

v. n. to wriggle through or away.

Sniggle, sb. a noose ; a snare ; also, a snail or snail-shell.

v. a. and n. to snare : applied more particularly to snaring eels.
Often used figuratively. Also, to wriggle away.

Snipes, sb. icicles. A metaphor from the appearance of snipes hung
up by the legs with the long bills hanging down.

Snipper-snapper, sb., var. of ' whipper-snapper/ an impertinent
youth. The suggestion that the person to whom the word is
applied follows the profession of a tailor is lost in the common form.

Sniter, sb. Vide Buge. I do not know the word, but have no
doubt that it is equivalent to Strickle, q. v.

Sniters, sb. a pair of snuffers.
Snithe, sb.} var. pron. of Snead, q. v.

Snithing, adj. nipping ; cutting : as applied to weather. ' A blosh-
ing and snithing day.'

Snivel, v. n., var. pron. of 'shrivel.'

Sniving, and Snivy, adj., var. pron. of Snithing, q. v., rimy; raw

and foggy with rime ; sleety. ' It' s very raw and snivy."1

Snoffle, v. n., var. pron. of Snaffle, q. v., and ' snuffle.'

Snooze, sb. ' forty winks ; ' a nap ; doze.

v. n. to doze ; slumber.
Snoozy, adj. sleepy ; inclined to doze.

Snorter, sb. a pig.

"And that no varlet may repine,
To labourer Tom I give the swine :
Snorters collected with great pains,
And all the store of swill and grains."

Witt of Sir W. Dixie, Bart.

Snow-in-harvest, phr. a simile for any person or thing especially
unwelcome. ' Ah woonder aow ivver a could for sheame to coom
anoigh ; a knoos well enew a's as welcome as snoo-in- aarvest i' this
aouse.'

Also, sb. a flower, Cerastium tomentosum.

248 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Snozy, adj. comfortable. * How's your husband to-day 1 ' ' Well,
now, thankye, ma'am, he's very snozy to-day ' (A. B. E.).

Snuffling, part. adj. shuffling ; underhand ; sneaking.

Snuft, sb., var. pron. of ' snout,' applied to the snuff of a candle, the
tuft on apples, pears, gooseberries, and other fruit, formed from the
remains of the calyx of the flower, &c.

v. a. and n. When gooseberries set and begin to swell, and the
calyx begins to wither, they are said to snuft or be snufted, one
term being as common as the other ; also, to remove the ' snuft ' of
fruit for cooking, preserving, &c. ; also, to snuff a candle ; also, to
sniff or scent as a hound. ' The gooseberries wur snoofted a wik
agoo.'

Snufty, adj. touchy ; apt to take offence ; also, contentious ; angry.

* We got to very high snufty words.'

Snurl, v. n. and a. and sb., var. pron. of Snarl, q. v.
Snurled, part, adj., var. pron. of Snarled, q. v.

So, adv. something like ; somewhere about ; more or less. ' 'Appen
a moile or soo,' is an expression implying a distance of not less than
two, and seldom more than three miles. ' Sure, Ah tho't it had bin
wan o' the lads or so, ' was a farmer's wife's apology for not opening
the door when I knocked.

Sob, v. n., var. of ' sup ' and ' sop,' to soak up.

" Yet still they and the flood do brimmers vye,
At last it sobs, and thus they drink him dry."

CLEAVELAND, Revived, p. 9.

Sobby, adj., var. pron. of ' soppy,' soaked : applied more particularly
to wet land.

Society, sb., phr. In the Methodist Connexion ' to be in society ' is
equivalent to being a Wesleyan. The ' phrase is not dialectal, but
it is one which often puzzles the unconverted wayfarer.

" Mrs. Stroker is a member of society, but her husband is a
worldly-minded man." " We have been in society five years."-
Bound Preacher, pp. 52, 53.

Sock, phr. To 'gi'e sock' is to beat, thrash, punish. The metaphor
is ironical, to ' gi' e sock ' being merely a var. pron. of to ' give suck.'
' Ah'll gin yo sock.'

" Sok." Is. xi. 8.— WYC.

v. a. to beat ; thrash ; punish ; also, to throw. ' Theer a goos !
Whoy doon't 'e sock at un ? ' **. e. a water-rat.

Sod, sb. a clod : not necessarily turf.

Sodden, part. adj. saturated ; made thick or heavy with moisture.

* My butes are all sodden.''

Soddened, part, adj., id. I take this to be a var. pron. of ' saddened,'
p. p. of Sadden, q. v., and ' sodden' to be an incorrect form of the

GLOSSARY. 249

same word. ' Sodden,' for * boiled,' the p. p. of ' seethe,' is in occa-
sional use, but is not nearly so common. ' Yo cain't git on to the
land whoile it's soo saddened.'

Soft, adj. as applied to the human subject, silly ; foolish • as applied
to weather, moist and mild ; * muggy ; ' as applied to walking,
muddy ; ' sloshy ; ' slippery.

" Your greatest students are commonly no better, silly, soft
fellows in their outward behaviour." — An. Mel., 1, 2, 3, 16.
* It's sofft walkin' i' the Mill-meadow.'

Softy, sb. a ninny ; a fool.

Sog, sb. a mass of earth ; any solid bulk. Vide Cauve.

v. n., var. pron. of ' soak.' ' The summer wet doon't sog in deep.'
Soggy, adj., var. pron. of ' soaky,' wet ; boggy ; swampy.

Soil, v. a. To soil a horse is to give him green meat in the stable.
Also, var. pron. of Sey, q. v. (?).

Solid, adj. grave ; earnest. ' A wur as solid as solid ovver it.'

adv. in earnest ; really ; actually. ' Ah'm a gooin' oop to your
faather's, Ah am, solid.'

Solidly, adv., id.

Somehow-nohow, adv. To feel ' somehow-nohow ' is to be in a state
of ' all-overishness,' which both patient and glossarist find it diffi-
cult to define.

Sooner, adv. rather. ' Shay's sooner better nur woose.'

Soop ('oo' as in 'foot'), sb. and v. a., var. pron. of Sup, q. v.
' Way've had a good soop o' reen to-noight.'

Soople, v. a., var. pron. of ' supple,' to make supple or pliant. ' Ah'll
soople ye, ye little stiff-necked baggar. '
adj., var. pron. of ' supple.'

Soord, sb. the rind of bacon, &c.

" The sward of bacon, la peau de lard." — CoTG.

Soorey ('oo' as in 'foot'), sb., var. pron. of 'sirrah.' , In universal
use among boys addressing one another. Said one, kicking about a
hedge-hog in the street, ' Shuddee loike to hae this 'ere, soorey ? '
' Dade shuddy, soorey,1 was the answer, i. e. ' Indeed I should/

Sorrily (pron. surrily or soorily, ' oo ' as in ' foot '), adj. and adv.
poorly; out of health; ill. * Ah've very surrily to-dee.'

Sosh, v. a. and n., var. pron. of Soss, q. v., to toss a liquid ; to dash
or plunge anything into water ; to douse.

Soss, v. a. and n., id. ' A cain't swim : soss 'im in ! '
Sot, p. and p. p. of ' sit.' ' The eggs was all sot on/

250 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Sough (pron. suf or soof ), sb. a covered drain.

" Then Dulas and Cledaugh
By Morgany do drive her through his watry saugh."

DRAYTON, Pol IV.

Drayton has a note on the word " saugh" in this passage, and
defines it " a kind of trench."

v. a. to drain by ' soughs.'
Soughing-tiles, or Sough-tiles, sb. tiles used for making ' soughs.'

Sound, sb. a swoon ; fainting-fit.

v. n. to swoon; faint. ' Shay saounded roight awee.'

Sound as a roach, phr. a common simile, but it is by no means
obvious why fish in general, and the roach in particular, should be
considered typical of soundness.

"Straight way Fish-whole shall thy sicke liver be."

HALL, Sat. II. 6.

Sour, adj. as applied to animals, coarse and gross ; as applied to
herbage, rank and bitter ; as applied to land, cold and thankless.
' Shay's dip (deep) i' the brisket, but too saour i' the neck.'

Souse, sb. a slap ; a blow ; a dab. ' Ah'll ketch ye a saouse oonder
yer ear-'ooU

v. a. to slap, dab, or dash. Also, var. pron. of Soss, q. v.
Sow, sb. a wood-louse ; millipede : generally qualified as an ' old sow.'

Sowter, sb. a wooden lid, fitting inside the cheese-pan, large enough
for two persons to kneel on, and used for crushing the whey out of
the curds.

Spacked, or Spact, adj. ' Not spact ' is not quite in his right wits.

Spade-bone, sb. the blade-bone.

" The shoulder of a ram from off the right-side pared,
Which usually they boil, the spade-lone being bared."

DRAYTON, Pol. V.

Spangs, sb. spurs or out-growing root-fibres ; the fangs of a tooth, &c.
1 The spanas of a carrot. '

Spank, v. a. and n. to slap or strike with the open hand ; to smack ;
also, to go freely and rapidly. ' Shay wur a spankirf mear, an'
shay spanked aloong at a spankirf bat an' all.'

Spanker, sb. a 'strapper,' male or female; a ' whopper.'

Spanking, part. adj. going freely and rapidly ; also, large and fine of

its kind.
Span-new, adj. quite new ; ' brand-new ; ' unused.

Spar, v. n. and sb. to box, with or without gloves. Very frequently
used in a figurative sense for fighting with the tongue instead of
the fists. A boxing-match.

GLOSSARY.

Sparrables, sb., var. pron. of ' sparrow-bills,' short nails without
heads used by shoemakers. Technical rather than dialectal.

Spell, sb., var. pron. of 'spill,' a thin splinter of soft wood or a piece
of paper rolled up for lighting candles, &c. ' ' Sped " is used for
splinter. 4 Kings xxviii. 21.— WYC.

Sperity, adj., var. pron. of ' spirity,' spirited ; animated ; courageous.

Spet, v. n., var. pron. of ' spit.' " Spete." — WYC. Milton seems to
have preferred this form.

Spick-and-span, phr. often used without 'new,' and applied especially
to a well-dressed person.

Spiff, Spiffing, or Spiffy, adj. fine; gay; first-rate; dapper; dandified.
Spill, sb., var. pron. of Spell, q. v.

1 ' Their siluer spurs or spils of booken speares.' '

HALL, Sat. IV. 3.

Spink, sb. the ' pink,' ' pye-fihch,' or chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs, L.

Spinney, sb. a small plantation of trees ; grove or coppice. Probably
the equivalent of the Domesday " spinetum"

Spires, sb. " young trees that shoot up a considerable height before
they branch out and form a head." — Bk.

Spirity, adj., i. q. Sperity, q. v.

Spirtle, v. a. to sprinkle ; splash.

" The brains and mingled blood were spirtled on the wall."

DBAYTON, Pol.
sb. a splash; a sprinkling; a jet or spray.

Spit, sb. the depth of a spade ; a spade-full.

Spitter, sb. a scud; passing shower; also, a 'pea-shooter' or 'pea-
spit ; ' a tin tube for blowing peas through ; a schoolboy weapon of
offence; now generally superseded by the equally obnoxious
' catapult.3

Splash, v. a. To 'splash' a hedge, in the neighbourhood of Bos-
worth, is to cut off the top straight about three feet from the
ground without ' plashing ' or 'laying 'it. On the Northampton-
shire border, and perhaps in other parts of the county, it is " to cut
away the rough wood by the side of the ditch and lay in the
smooth, trimming it on the ditch side." — Bk.

Splasher, sb. the hook with a long handle used for 'splashing'
hedges.

Splat, sb., var. of 'slat' (?), any thinnish, flat piece of wood a foot
or two long and six inches or a foot wide.

Splatheradab, sb. a chatterer ; gossip ; scandal-monger.
Splatter-dashes, sb. galligaskins ; leggings ; ' antigropeloes ' — if this

252 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

be the correct spelling of tlie last word. Its inventor, it is to be
feared, regarded it as a Greek compound, signifying a defence
' against wet mud,' just as the other gentlemen who have gone
beyond their last to evolve ' panims-corium ' and ' mollis-coriuin '
evidently labour under the hallucination that the words are Latin
for ' cloth-leather ' and ' soft-leather ' respectively.

Splea-footed, adj., var. pron. of 'splay-footed.'

" She stoops, is lame, splea-footed" &c. — An. Mel., 3, 2, 4, 1.
Splirt, v. a. to spirt or squirt.

Splish-splosh, si. the noise made by the feet in walking through wet ;
a splash generally. A common rhyme, usually considered an
effective rebuke to dealers in fanciful hypotheses, runs thus :

" If all the waters was wan sea,
And all the trees was wan tree,
And this here tree was to fall into that there sea,
Moy surs ! What a splisJi- splosh there'd be ! "

Spluther, sb. uproar; confusion; fuss; 'sputter;' nonsense. 'Wull
columns o' sploother,1 i. e. newspaper reports of the Tichborne case.

v. n. to sputter ; talk inarticulately from drink, fury, or having
the mouth full ; also, to make a fuss or uproar.

Spluthery, adj. nonsensical ; making much ado about nothing.
Spole, sb. a reel for cotton, &c.

Spong, sb. a narrow strip of land.

" One cottage and spong of ground in Desford aforesaid." — Deed,
penes Ed.

Spool, sb., var. pron. of Spole, q. v.
Spoon, or Spooney, sb. a simpleton ; noodle.

Spottle, v. a. and n., freq. of to ' spot,' to mark with spots ; to rain
slightly in large drops.

Spottled, part, spotted.

Spreckled, part, adj., var. of 'speckled,' not so common as ' peckled.'

Sprig, sb. the 'rose' of a watering-can, &c. ; also, a small nail with
a narrow flange projecting at one side to form the head; also, a
youth.

Spring, adj. springy ; supple.

"The lissom'st, springest fellow i' the country."— Adam Bede,
c. 25.

sb. "the first and second years' growth of underwood in a
coppice after it has been cut." — Bk. Also, a snare ; springe.

v. n. to warp as wood : to ' cast ' is the more usual term.
Springe, sb., var. pron. of ' spring,' a snare.
Spring-wood, sb. a wood of young trees. Vide Spring.

GLOSSARY. 253

Sprittle, v. a. and n., var. pron. of Spirtle, q. v., to sprinkle ; also,
to tingle. ' The sore frets and sprittles.'

Spud, sb. a very small spade three or four inches wide, with a ' stail '
four or five feet long, for digging up weeds, &c.

Squab, v. n. to slop ; splash the liquid in a vessel over the sides ;
also, to squat. ' A squalled his-sen oop i' the corner.'

Squalch, v. a., sb., and adv., var. pron. of Squelch, q. v.

Squandering, part, adj., var. pron. of ' wandering,' straggling :
especially applied to plants, trees, &c.

Square, v. n. to put one's self into an attitude for boxing. To
' square up ' to a person is to approach him. in a fighting attitude.
As applied to the fist, it means to clench. Like ' spar,' it is often
used metaphorically, as in M. N. D. , II. i. ' If yo nootice, a wench
doon't squeer'eT fisses as shay'd ought. Shay ollus laves 'er thoombs
street aout, loike.' This remark was made to me in the presence of
two female combatants, who both illustrated its accuracy.

Squash, sb. anything ' squashed ; ' a crush or crowd.

v. a., var. pron. of ' quash,' " to crush to a pulp" (JOHNSON) ; to
squeeze ; burst by pressure ; also, to ' quash ' in its legal sense.

Squawk, v. n.,var. pron. of Quawk, q. v., to clamour; cry out; caw.

Squelch, v. n. to squash ; smash anything soft. ' Ee-ee-ee ! Dunna
ye set theer ! Yo'll squelch the babby ! '

si. and adv. To f go squelch 'or ' go a squelch ' is used to express
the usual result to a soft body when coming into violent collision
with a hard one. ' A coom squelch o' the belfry flure, an' onybody' d
'a tho't as a'd 'a bin 'urt bad ; but a joost shaks his-sen togither a
bit, an' a says, " Gorin the flure," a says, " it's a good un ! "

Squelt, v. a., var. pron. of Quilt, q. v., to beat or thrash.

S quench, v. a., var. pron. of 'quench.' When a person is stung by
a nettle, the approved remedy is to beat the part affected with a
dock-leaf. One formula to be used is given under Dock, q. v.
Another is : ' Dock, dock, squench nettle,' ad lil.

Squib, sb. a squirt ; syringe ; a small jet of water. The common
firework generally called a ' squib ' is almost always a ' sarpent.'
v. a. and n. to squirt ; sprinkle ; splash.

Squilker, v. n. to make a noise indicative of having liquid inside :
applied to wet boots, barrels of beer, persons afflicted with dropsy,
&c. ' Empty ! Not it ! Whoy yo can 'ear it squilker ! '

Squilkering", sb. the noise made by anything that ' squilkers.' ' Ah've
got a sooch a squilkerin' insoide.'

Squine, v. n. to squint ; look askance ; peer ; pry.
si. a squint ; glance ; sly look.

254 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Squinny, or Squiny, sb. a squint ; a sly glance ; a look. * What 'a
ye got theer ? Let's 'ave a squinny.'

v. n. to squint ; look askance ; peer and pry.

adj. weakly ; undersized ; ' dwinged ; ' shrivelled.
Squinnying, or Squinying, part, adj., i. q. ' squinny.'

adj. ( squinnying eyes/ narrow, contracted, like those of a very
short-sighted person trying to make out something at a distance.

Squish-squash, sb. and adv., i. q. Splish-splosh, q. v.

Squitch, v. a. and sb., var. pron. of ' switch.'

Squitch, or Squitch -grass, sb. one of the many var. prons. of
' quitch ' or ' couch-grass, ' Triticum repens.

Squoine, and Squoiny, sb. and v. n., var. prons. of Squine and
Squinny, q. v.

Squosh, v. a. and sb., i. q. Squash, q. v.
Squoze, and Squozen, p. and^>. p. of 'squeeze/

Stabber, sb. a stitcher of the upper-leathers of boots and shoes, so
called from the holes for the stitches being stabbed by an awl. The
work was formerly done mostly by boys ; it is now done wholesale
by the sewing-machine, but the name survives.

Stabbing, sb. the process carried on by the Stabber, q. v. ' Stabbing
hands wanted' is a notice which may frequently be seen in a
factory window.

Stack-frame, sb., i. q. ' hovel-frame,' the wooden frame or platform
on which stacks or ricks are built up.

Staddle, sb. When hay-cocks are spread out and turned, the hay is
said to be thrown into staddle. Vide Hay.
Also, a Stack-frame or Hovel-frame, q. v.

Staddle-stones, sb. stones to support the Stack-frame, q. v., of corn-
ricks. The stones are generally cylindrical, tapering towards the
top, with a cap of considerably larger diameter, the height to the
top of the cap being generally between two and three feet from the
ground. The use of the stones is to raise the rick above the wet
soil, and the use of the projecting caps to keep out rats and other
vermin.

Stafe,. sb., var. pron. of ' staff,' a spar ; step ; rung or round of a
ladder. The stafe of a chair is the front spar which joins the legs.

Stag, sb., var. pron. of ' stake.' This variety of the word, by no
means obsolete in ordinary parlance, is preserved in the couplet
and refrain :

" A stig and a stag,
And a very fine flag,
And a Mee-pole ! "

which is sung, or rather recited, by children on May 29, which

GLOSSARY. 255

does duty for May-day, when they go about from house to house
with sticks stuck about with flowers and streamers among any
available greenery of the season. When they come round begging
for a bonfire on the 5th of November, the formula restores the word
to its more usually accepted pronunciation :

" A stick and a stake,
For King James's sake,
And a bonfire, O ! "

A ' stag ' is also one set to watch while his fellows are engaged in
anything in which they wish not to be caught.

v. n. to keep watch as a ' stag.' * Yo stag, an' way'll goo daown
the bruke whoilst ! '

v. a. to ' splash ' a hedge, in the sense of cutting it off level at
the top, leaving the stems or stags upright.

Stag-headed, adj. said of a tree the upper branches of which are
decayed, the bare boughs having a fanciful resemblance to antlers.

Stall, sb., var. pron. of 'tail,' a handle; stalk of fruit, &c. : often
used in composition, l mop-stail,' ' broom-sfat'Z,' &c. 'Handle' is
confined to such handles as have holes in them for the hand. A
spade or shovel has a handle, a knife has a haft, and a hatchet a
helve, a scythe has a snead and a plough stilts, but a hammer, a
besom, and a cherry have stalls.

" Like a broad shak-fork with a slender steale."

HALL, Sat. III. 7.

Stainchion, sb., var. pron. of 'stanchion,' an iron upright for
securing leaded windows.

Stair-hole, sb. a recess for a workman to receive material from work-
men below to pass on to workmen above, or vice versa. In setting
up a high rick or digging a deep trench, it is necessary to leave or
construct a stair-hole.

Stale, sb. urine.

v. n. to make water.

"The Diurnall casts the water of the State ever since it staled
blood." — CLEAVELAND, Char, of a Diurnall, p. 182.

Stall, v. n. to founder or come to a stand ; to bring to a stand ; also,
to clog ; satiate ; pall.

Stallded, p. and p. p. of Stall, q. v. ' The roods wur so bad i' the
paak, that the waggon wur welly stallded.' 'No moor, Ah've
stallded a'ready.'

Stammer, v. n., freq. of Stamp. Vide Clommer and Stommer.

Stand, sb. a small table.

v. a. to set; put; place. ' Stari* it agen the door/
Stand in, v. imp to cost. ' It'll start 'im in a del o' money.'
Stand Sam, phr. Vide Sam.

256 THE DIALECT OP LEICESTERSHIRE.

Stank, si), a dam across a stream ; also, the pool formed by placing a
dam across a stream ; also, a flood-gate, and any small pool with a
sluice or flood-gate.

' ' If some stancks
Show their emergent heads."

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 108.

v. a., var. pron. of 'staunch,' to dam; to put up flood-gates or
sluices.

Stanking, sb. a damming up ; also, materials for damming. ' You've
got plenty of stanking there.'

Stannel, sb. the kestrel, Falco tinnunculus, L. (Twelfth. Night, II. v.)
Stare, sb. the starling, Sturnus vulgaris, L.

Stark, adv. and adj. entirely; altogether. ' StaaJc daak' is stone-
blind. { 8taak oogly,' irredeemably hideous, &c. It is not unfre-
quently used absolutely for ' naked.' ' As staak as ivver a wur
born.'

Starkaragious, adj., var. pron. of 'stark outrageous.' 'If that
cloover's oonly fenced off wi' poss'es an' reels, the caows '11 ba stark-
aregious to git at it.'

Starm, sb., var. pron. of ' storm,' sometimes applied to a fall of snow
lying on the ground. ' The starm wur on the graound a mainy
wiks.'

Starnel, sb., var. pron. of ' starling,' Sturnus vulgaris, L.

Stars, phr. A saying is current for the disparagement of ambition :
' Him as looked at the staas fell i' the doyke, but him as looked at
the graound foon' a poose.'

Start, sb. exactly equivalent to the slang ' go,' in such phrases as
'a rum start,' 'ah nivver see a sooch a staa't,1 &c. To 'take a
start ' out of anyone is to startle him.

Start-ups, sb. gaiters. 'A peer o' startups.'

Starve, v. n. to be chilled through ; perished with cold : never used
for perishing of hunger. Vide Pine.

"The splendid lot of deer in the park are starving, or rather
pined, and several have died during this severe frost." — Extract
from Letter, 1879.

Statties, or Statutes, sb. a statute fair. The full account given of
statute-fairs in Bk. is in all respects applicable to Leicestershire.
I will only add that 5. Eliz . c. 4, a master-piece of legislation which
codified all the numerous statutes then in force with regard to the
employment of labourers and artizans, and introduced a number of
new provisions, invested these institutions with increased import-
ance as indispensable parts of the machinery for the social govern-
ment of the country.

Stave, sb., var. pron. of Stafe, q. v. a step, round or rung of a ladder.

GLOSSARY. 257

Stead, v. a. to supply. ' Way can stead ye wi' a bit o' poke-poy.'
' Ah'm steaded a' ready ' is a stock answer to servants applying for
a situation already filled.

Steads, adv. instead. * Yo' goo steads o' may.'
Steady, sb., var. pron. of ( stiddy,' aii anvil.
Steal, sb., var. pron. of Stall, q. v. in general use.

" And festinit in the stell
The sperithis poynt, that bitith scharp and well."

Launcelot, 809.

' Hamer steal 3d.' Vide ' Bills delivered,'' ' Introd.'

Sted-stafe, sb. the piece of wood which keeps open the chain-traces
which attach a draught-horse in a team to the one behind.

Steer, sb. Vide Horned cattle.

" Or spotted kid, or some more forward Steere."

HALL, Defiance to Envy.

v. a., var. pron. of 'stare;' also, to bewilder; confuse; make
dizzy. 'Don't yorp so, or you'll steer us all.' 'You talk so quick
you quite steer me.'

adj. steep ; high-pitched, as applied to a roof.
Stell, sb. a stand or frame to support barrels.

* ' Like swelling Buts of lively Wine
Upon their ivory stells did shine."

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 157.

Stem, v. a., pec. often used in a sense slightly different from the
ordinary one. 'Can you stem the cut nigh the brig?' i. e. can
you wade across the canal near the bridge without getting out of
your depth ?

Stent, v. a., var. pron. of 'stint,' to leave off; stop; curtail. ' Yo'
slant yer nize ! '

sb. a day's work, or other term of continuous work ; a Bout, q. v.

Step-and-fetch-it, plir. a favourite nick-name for a tall girl, quick
and decisive in her movements.

Stetch, sb.t var. pron. of 'stitch,' that which is done at a single
application of an instrument or implement. Thus, the stetch of a
plough is the single furrow and the soil turned up in making it.
In a ploughed field, therefore, the spaces between each line drawn
by the plough are called stetches. In thatching, sewing, and,
indeed, in every kind of work which is done bit by bit with each
bit similar, the bit is called a stetch. The most frequent use of the
word, however, is in connection with ploughed land.

' ' Selio, a ridge of ploughed land, or as much as lies between two
furrows. In O.E. a selion of land and a stitch of land." — KENNET.

" Nor will these contend
With skittish tricks when they the stitch should end."

CHAPMAN, Hes. Georg., II. 94.
s

258 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE

''That man, put

To his fit task will see it done past talk
With any fellow, nor will ever balk
In any stitch he makes, but give his mind
With care f his labour. "-/&., 99.

Stick, sb. a disparaging term for a person. 'A poor stick,' ' a queer
old stick,' &c. ' The old stick is as usual.' 'How are you to-day,
Jonathan ? ' ' Abaout th' o'd stick, mester ! ' Also, the stem or
trunk of a tree of any size.

v. a. to decorate with evergreens, &c., as a church at Christmas.
Sticking, sb. the evergreens, sprigs, &c., used in decorating.

Stickings, sb. the neck or throat of beef. < May 1 nobbudy keered
for may ! Oi niwer got no skulin', oi didn' ! Nobbudy nivver
gen may noothink but ash-plant an' stickins o' bif for moy hedi-
keetion, as ye call it ! An' naow yo' want to mek may pee to larn
iv'ry lop-lolly little gallus-bood i' the caounty to wroite upon
iv'ry bit o' paa'getin' as a cooms anoigh.' — Reflections on the
modern System of Education, by a Carcass-butcher, 1878.

I met the orator the other day in London, and congratulated him
on his healthy appearance. ' Yoi, lad ! ' he said, * that theer ash-
plant an' stickins o' bif for a yoong un, theer' s nowt loike it, — nowt
loike it ! '

Stiddy, sb. an anvil; also, sometimes used for a smith's shop or
* smithy.'

Stig, sb., var. pron. of 'stick.' Vide Stag.
Stilts, sb. the handles of a plough.

Stinge, v. a. to mend a thatched roof by pushing in new straw or
haulm under the old.

Stinger (g pron. soft), sb. an instrument used in ''stingeing' a
thatched roof.

Stint, v. a. and n. to leave off ; desist ; stop. ' Coom, yo' stint, or
oi'll meek ye ! ' Vide Borneo and Juliet, I. iii.

sb. a term of continuous work ; ' a foor-hour stint ; ' 'a ten-hour
stint,'' &c., a day's work generally, a term within which a thing
must be done. Vide Stent.

Stirk, sb. The cow-calf becomes a stirlt at the age of two years, and
retains the name for a year, when it becomes a heifer. Vide
Horned cattle. The word is synonymous with ' twinter,' but
more commonly used.

Stirk-hay, sb. grass not fed down in autumn ; Fog, q. v.

Stirrup-ile, sb., var. pron. of 'stirrup-oil,' used metaphorically to
express a ' leathering ' or thrashing. ' Yo' goo to the saddler's, an'
ax him. to let yo' hev a pennuth o' stirrup-ile,' is one of the com-
monest orders issued to a raw lad on the first of April.

GLOSSARY. 259

Stithy, sb., var. pron. of Stiddy, q. v.

" Stithie," Job xli. 15; Ecclus. xxxviii. 29.— WYC.

Stive, v. a. and n. to stifle or be stifled with heat, dust, smoke, &c.

Stived up, part. adj. penned up in a stifling atmosphere ; crowded
to choking.

Stob, sb., var. pron. of * stab ' and of ' stub,' a stump or stake.

v. a., var. pron. of ' stab ' and of ' stub,' to grub up.
Stobber, sb., var. pron. of Stabber, q. v.

Stock, v. a. to cut off the branches from the trunk, or the long roots
from the stump of a tree.

" The painful labourer's hand shall stock the roots to burn."

DRAYTON, Pol. XIV.

sb. the trunk or stump of a tree after being ' stocked ; ' also, soup
in its unmanufactured state, without vegetables, flavouring, &c.
I find 'live stock,' 'dead stock,' to ' stock a farm,' &c., are occasion-
ally considered provincialisms, but I know no part of the country
where the terms are unused, and ' to stock a pond,' i. e. with fish,
and ' stock ' = young fish for the purpose, are, I believe, equally
universal, though not quite so common.

Stock-axe, sb. the axe used in stocking trees.

Stocked, part. adj. stunted; stopped in growth. 'The lambs are
a'most stocked by the cold weather.'

Stocking-axe, sb., i. q. Stock-axe, q. v.

Stock-up, v. a. to stub up ; grub up. ' The've stocked-oop iv'ry stick
i' the o'd wood as were woo'th stockin'.'

Stocky, adj. impudent; saucy; restive; 'rampageous.' ' Ye stocky
little dog ! ' ' The hoss is fed loike a 'unter ; no woonder a's so
stocky.'

Stodge, v. a. and n. to cram ; fill to repletion.

sb. any kind of food that 'stodges,' particularly pudding of a
' filling ' kind.

adj. crammed; stuffed; full to repletion. 'Ah nivver see the
choo'ch so stodge.' ' Ah'm quoite stodge. Ah cain't ate namoor —
onless ah moight ston' oop tew it.'

Stodge-full, adj., i. q. Stodge, adj.

Stodgy, adj. ' filling,' as applied to victuals, thick and clogging ;
also, as applied to persons, fat, stout, ' podgy.'

Stomachful, adj. proud ; haughty ; imperious ; resentful.

Stommer, v. a. and n , var. pron. of ' stammer,' to hesitate ; falter.
' Wha'dgee stan' stommerin' theer fur ? A' 11 non 'urt ye ! ' said to
a lad afraid to pass by a dog. Also, freq. of ' stomp ' = ' stamp,
to make a noise with the feet.' Vide Clommer.

s 2

260 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Ston, sb., var. pron. of ' stone.'

Stone-chat, sb. the wheat-ear, Motacilla oenanthe, L., and the chick-
stone, Motacilla rubicola, L.

Stock, sb. a shock of corn, twelve sheaves.
Stool, sb. a cluster of stems arising from one root.

v. n. a tree or plant is said to ' stool ' when two or more stems
rise from the same root.

Store, sb. and v. a. to store a pond and store fish are the same as to
Stock, q. v. ' To set store by ' is to prize, value highly.

" Dost think I don't set store by Dinah ? " — Adam Bede, c. 51.

p. and p. p. of ' stare.' ' A stoor loike a stook pig.'

Stover, sb. hay made from the second mowing of clover ; haulm ;
stubble.

"To draw out sedge and reed, for match and stover fit."

DRAYTON, Pol XXV.

" Anglis, stover) pabulum." — Du Cange, s. v. * stoc.'

Stovin, sb. a stump or stake ; the part of a hawthorn left in a hedge
after * splashing' or ' laying it.' * He hurt his back, fallin' upon a
stovin.'

Straddle, v. n. to stride ; swagger.

" To proud Sartorio that goes stradling by."

HALL, Sat. IV. 2.

Straightaway (pron. streetawee), adv., var. of ( straightway,'
immediately.

Strap, v. a. to drain the last milk from the udder by a peculiar
motion of the thumb and finger. Often metaphorically used for
draining anything dry.

' ' A sublimated style bereft of sense
Is like a ~bra,in-strapt Justice on a bench."

Verses on OLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 178.

Also, to beat with a strap.

sb. credit; * tick.' ' Wan as oi got on strap.'

Strap-oil, sb., i. q. Stirrup-oil, q. v.

Strapper, sb. a ( spanker;' a * bouncer:' particularly a tall stalwart
girl. Also, a cow nearly dry.

Strapping, part. adj. stout ; large and lusty.

"And ye've got two o' the strappingst sons in the country. "-
Adam Bede, c. 18.

Strappings, sb. the last milk forced from the udder, particularly rich

jyY Qliall'f'.TT nri"4£» YVll 1 IT" VkO'fV^T'O "fVl O * A'£'9*/Yvy)*V44UYfl * 1C* rfcQll^ril 'f-Tirk < 4V\-r»rt _

mill

in quality. The milk before the ' strappings ' is called the ' fore-
ilk.'

Straum, v. n. to stride ; stretch out ; swagger.

GLOSSARY. 261

Streetawee, adv., var. pron. of 'straightway/

Stret, adj., var. pron. of ' strait/ narrow ; tight ; close ; ' hard up ; '
short of. ' As we're so stret for speakers to-dee/ was the commence-
ment of an oration at an agricultural dinner. * Ah stooffed 'im (a
bull-finch) so stret as it med all 'is feathers stan' oop.'

Strickle, and Strickless, sb. Vide Strike.

"A strickle used in measuring corn, loyaute." — COTG.
"A stritchel, comme a strickle" — Ib.

Strike, sb. The bushel was the old English standard measure,
which by an Ordinance, 31 Ed. I. was thenceforward to consist of
eight gallons 'of wine,' eight bushels making a 'quarter.' In
measuring grain, &c., so as to make the bushel equal to eight
gallons 'of wine,' i.e. of liquid, — 'wine' standing as the type of
commercial liquid, — it was necessary to level the topr and this was
effected by heaping the measure more than full, and then passing
a piece of wood with a straight edge over the top to remove the
surplus. This was called striking ; the measure so striked — not

* struck ' — was called a strike, and the piece of wood used for
levelling, a strickle. A strike, therefore = a strict bushel, i. e. a
bushel minus the usual surplus of ' heaped ' or ordinary measure.
By 25 Ed. III. c, 10, all corn for sale was thenceforward to be
striked, but other commodities might still be sold by the ordinary

* heaped' bushel, and after an infinity of legislation on the subject,
this still remains the usual practice.

" And foist in false strikes to the measuring."

HALL, Sat. IV. 6.

Strit, v. n., var. pron. of ' strut.'

" Yet for all that how stifly strits he by."

HALL, Sat. III. 7.

Strite, sb. the part of a field where the plough turns ; generally
ploughed the contrary way afterwards. ' The crop here is not so
good, it's the strife.' (A. B. E.)

Stroke, sb. power ; influence ; quantity.

' ' Imagination, because it hath so great a stroke in producing this
malady."— An. Mel., 1, 2, 3, 1.

Strokings, sb., i. q. Strappings, q. v.
Strook, p. and p. p. of 'strike.'

"A man well strook in years." — DRAYTOX, Pol. XII.

Strut, v. a. to bulge or project; swell; distend; puff up. 'All of a
strut ' is used as a sort of quasi p. p. for swollen, &c.

" And makes each udder strut abundantly with milk."

DRAYTON, Pol. XIII.

' Using turpentine makes my hands all of a strut.'
sb. a prop ; support ; ' spur.'
Struv, p. and p. p. of ' strive/ * Ah'n struv an' struv to brek 'im on

262 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

it,' i. e. ' I have striven and striven to break him of his drinking
habits.'

Stub, si}, the stump of a tree, &c.
v. a. to ' stock up ; ' grub up.

Stubby, adj. blunt in the point ; short ; thickset ; stunted in
growth.

Stud-and-mud, sb. earth of any kind that will ' set ' tolerably hard,
plastered on wattles or battens attached to a wooden framework for
walls, &c. Formerly sometimes used instead of stone or brick for
houses, and especially cottages, but now almost entirely discarded.
The term is technical rather than dialectal.

"The hospital is an old thatched building of stud-and-mud."-
WHITE'S Gaz. of Leic.

Studstafe, sb., var. pron. of Steadstafe, q. v.

Stuff, and Stuff up, v. a. to make a person believe a lie.

Stultititious, adj. sulky ; ill-tempered. (A. B. E.) One person only
have I ever heard use this word, and I think he meant ' absurdly
suspicious,' as he applied it to his wife, who had complained of his
'goings on.'

Stunt, sb., var. pron. of 'stump : ' applied not only to the stump of
anything cut off, but to the part cut off. A boy coming in with
the tail of a cow. just slaughtered said, ' Well, missus, ah'n bro't ye
the stoont.'

Sty-on-eye, sb. a sty in the eye.

Subtle-minded, adj. clever, as applied to horses, men, or dogs.
Vide Hedgy for illustration.

Such, adj. and adv. sometimes simply an expletive, as in the instance
quoted in Macaulay's Claybrook. ' If you won't give me my price,
loike, I won't stay here haggling all day and such.' When an article
follows, the word almost invariably takes an article preceding.
Vide ' Introd.' ' A wur a sooch a wan to sweer.'

Suck, and Sucket, sb. a sweetmeat ; ' goody.'

"And in some sixe dayes journey doth consume
Ten pounds in auckets and the Indian fume."

DBAYTON, Moone-calf.

Suck in, v. a. to cheat ; bamboozle.

Suit, v. n. to adjoin ; abut ; fit on to.

" On Stonny Hill six lands and hades suting into Oowdale Slade
. . . seven lands and hades suting into Cop well meadow." — Terrier
of Claylroolc Glebe, 1638.

Suity, adj. suitable ; likely to suit. ' She's very suity for a nursery.'
' I think she's suity.'

Summat, sb., var. pron. of * somewhat.' ' Summat o' that ' is equiva-
lent to ' something of the sort.' ' A wur a measoner or summat o'
that, i. e. a bricklayer or something of the kind.

GLOSSARY. 263

Summers, sb., i. g. Rathes, q. v. This word is, I believe, univers-
ally used in the compound ' bressumer/ or ' 'breast- summer,' the
beam or girder over a shop-front, &c., bearing the masonry above.

Summing, sb. generally used with the article, ' the summing,1
arithmetic.

Sup, sb. an indefinite quantity of liquid.

"The defendant who had had a ' good sup' of beer, struck her
several times without the slightest provocation, and she, after a
scuffle, pushed him onto the settle."— Leic. Adv., April 18, 1874.

' ' My doggie and my little kit
That held my wee soup whey."

The Broom o' CowdenJmows.

1 A noist soop o' reen/

Suppose, v. a. 'I suppose,' ' I do suppose,' ' So I suppose,' are
common formulas of affirmation, equivalent to ' certainly,' ' exactly
so/ &c. Sometimes they mean, ' very possibly,' * most likely,' and
occasionally they imply a doubt, ' that may be so.' They are also
synonymous with ' I understand/ ' I have heard.'

" This thefe was crafty poore people to begyle,
None lyke, I suppose, within a dosen mile."

Cyt. and Upl., Percy Soc. XXII. 26.

Sup up, v. n. to soak up ; swallow up.

" That strange lake in Carniola whose waters gush so fast out of
the ground that they will overtake a swift horsman, and by and by
with as incredible celerity are supped up." — An. Mel., 2, 2, 3,
p. 243.

" Soupen," "soupe" — WYC.

Also, to give supper to. ' Ha' you slipped up the osses ? '

Sure, adj. ' I'm sure ' is a universal expletive. * Ah duimoo, ah'm
sheu-a.' It is also used as a kind of ironical negative. ' Won't
this grow here?' 'Ah'm sheu-a' (pron. with the accent strongly
marked on ' Ah'm'), i. e. quite certain, it will not. 'For sure,'' and
* you're sure,' or ' yo'v sure,' are equivalents of * you may be certain/
Learned counsel in cross-examination : ' You say he fell from the
top of the stairs to the bottom ? Why, where were his legs ? '
Witness : ' Well, the' wasn't not fur off on 'im, for sure.'

Surrily, adj. and adv., var. pron. of Sorrily, q. v.
Surry, sb., var. pron. of ' Sirrah/ Vide Soorey.

adj., var. pron. of ' sorry/ paltry, worthless, &c.

Suther, sb., var. of the North Country ' sough/ the sighing of the
wind.

v. n. to sigh or ' sough/ as the wind through trees, &c. ' A's
ollus SL-soothrin1 o' the horgins/ i. e. working the bellows and
making a blowing noise when the organist is not playing.

Suthering ('u' in all these pron. as in 'bull'), sb., i. q. Suther.
Swab, v. n. to sway, like boughs in the wind.

264 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

S wabble, o. n., freq. of ' swab ' (?), or var. of ' wabble ' (?), to make a
noise like a liquid when shaken. ( Ah heerd the water swablle in
her chest.'

Swad, sb. a pod.

Swag, v. n., var. of ' sag ' and * swag,' to hang down or sway to one
side.

Swag-belly, sb., i. q. Sludge-guts, q. v.

Swage, v. a. to cool, as hot iron in water.

"That was swaged and cooled with a Franciscan's cowl." — LAT.
Serm. V. p. 50.

Swaging-trough, sb. the trough in which a smith cools his iron.

Swale, v. a. and n. to melt ; run down j ' gutter/ as a candle, &c. ;
also, to dry, as hay, corn, &c., in the sun; to droop, as leaves dried
by heat. The word always involves the idea of some effect pro-
duced by heat. 'There was plenty o' matches i' the house, an'
shay knowed it, which shay bleamed the b'y for swealin1 the can'le,'
i. e. lighting the candle at the fire and making the tallow run down.
' It ' — the hay — ' is swaled enow, an' way'll hack it in.' Vide Hay.
" Swalide" dried up, withered. Jonah iv. 8. ** 8wdUdenn and
" swalynye." — WYC.

Swaler, sb. one who prepares oats, barley, &c., into grits, meal, &c.,
by * swaling,' i. e. drying them by heat.

Swank, v. n. to swagger. 'Ah met ?im swanking along the road
iwer so ginteel.'

Swap, v. a. to exchange ; barter ; truck.

" Or swop her to the paper-mill."

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 165.

Sward, sb., var. pron. of Soord, q. v. In his latest work Mr.
Browning uses the word for the rough hide of the god Pan.

Swarm, v. n. to climb a tree, &c., by clipping it with the arms and
lifting one's self up. Also applied to the motion of a horse, &c.,
going up hill.

"To swarm up the huge body of any of the oaks would have
been impossible." — Bubbles from the Brunnens, p. 263.

' You may swarm it up to the stool, and then clamber on,' i. e.
up to the part where the branches fork out. ' A hoss cain't swarm
the hills so well wi' a beerin;-reen.;

Swart, or Swarth, sb. the black incrustation on a kettle or pot, or
black grease for cart-wheels, &c.

Swat, v. n., var. pron. of ' sweat.'

Swath, sb. the grass cut by the scythe at a blow ; also, the row of
cut grass or corn as it falls from the scythe. When two or more
mowers are employed, each cuts his own swath from side to side in
the field or furlong, so that one is always working a little behind,
and to one side of the other. Hence, ' A's ollus i' the looest swarth '

GLOSSARY. 265

means, 'he is always behind the rest,' a common metaphorical
expression. Vide Hay.

" Whose burdened pasture bears
The most abundant swathe." — DRAYTON, Pol. XIV.

Sway, v. n.,pec. to feel giddy. ' His head sways so.'

Swaying1, sb. giddiness ; vertigo. ' Ah've got a sooch a sweein' i'
my yead as meks me fale soidlin' daown loike.'

Sweak, sb. a crane over a fire.

Sweeting, sb. a kind of early apple.

Swelker, sb. and v. n., var. pron. of Squilker, q. v.

Swelking, part. adj. sultry; hot.

Swelted, part. adj. heated ; sweltered. ' It's so warm, and Maria's
very swelled'

Swelter, v. n. to make one's self over-poweringly hot ; to sweat pro-
fusely ; be overcome by heat ; have a sun- stroke or fit from heat.

" Ye'n sweltered yoursen, I reckon, running that fool's race." —
Adam Bede, c. 25.

" Had not Michael Holdsworth had a pair of oxen sweltered when
he was ploughing on Good Friday ?" — /&., c. 18.

Sweltery, adj., var. pron. of ' sultry.'

Swift, adj.} pec. a rapidly consuming coal is always called a ' sivift
coal.' ' The Snibston cool's very swift'

Swiggle, v. a., freq. of * swig,' to drink freely.
Swilker, sb. and v. n., var. pron. of Squilker, q. v.
Swill, sb. hog-wash ; hence, metaphorically, beer or other drink.
v. a. to drink hugely ; also, to wash with abundance of water.
Swill-tub, sb. a tub for ' swill ' or hog- wash.

Swimmer, sb. a piece of wood put in a bucket to prevent the liquid
splashing over when carried.

Swinge, v. a. to swing ; also, to beat ; punish.

Swinger (g pron. either hard or soft), sb. a huge one of its kind,
especially of the fib kind.

Swingle, sb., i. q. Swipple, the stick of the flail which is swung
round to beat out the corn.

Swingle-tree, sb. the splinter-bar of a plough.
Swipe, sb. a heavy stroke or blow.

v. a. to hit anything a heavy blow, as a cricket-ball, &c.
Swipes, sb. very poor beverage ; small beer, &c.

266 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Swipple, sb., var. pron. of 'swivel/ the stick of the flail which
beats out the corn ; also, a swivel generally.

Swish, sb. and v. a., var. pron. of ' switch.'

Swithen, v. n., var. pron. of ' wizen ' (Vide Swizzen), to shrivel. ' If
yo' gather them cat's-head apples to sune, the'll goo all switliened ;
hut yo' let 'em git full roipe an' the'll kip till apples cooms agin.'

Swivel, v. n. to go off askew. ' The 'oss swivelled off o' the rood.'

Swizzen, v. n., var. pron. of ' wizen/ to wither ; shrivel up. ' The
pears had better goo i' the cellar or the'll get all swizzened else.'
' They swizzen oop to noothink a'most ! '

Swizzle, sb. drink of any kind.
v. a. to drink freely.

Swoipe, and Swoipes, sb. and v. a., var. pron. of 'swipe/ and
' swipes.' The words are also vars. of ' wipe,' a ' swipe ' being a
heavy ' wipe ' with a bat, &c., and ' swipes,' I imagine, originally
the ' wipes ' or wipings of spilt liquor.

Swop, v. a. and n., var. pron. of Swap, q. v. and also of ' swoop/ to
pounce down on.

Swound (' ou ' pron. like ' ow ' in ' cow '), sb., var. pron. of ' swoon/
a fainting fi't ; a trance.

' ' Whom they supposed fallen in some enchanted s wound
Of beaten tinkling brass still ply'd her with the sound."

DKAYTON, Pol. VI.

v. n. to swoon ; faint away.
Sye, v. a.} var. pron. of ' sey/ to strain through a sieve.

Tab, sb. any * tag ' or small flap ; the * tag ' of a boot ; the tongue of
a shoe, &o. The word is in common use in the fashion-books for a
small ornamental flap on ladies' dresses.

Tabber, v. n., var. pron. of 'tabor' or 'tabour/ to tap; pat; patter;
rap. ' Theer's rabbits i' this 'ool : doon't ye 'ear 'em a-tabberin ? '
' Whoy dunna ye tabber at the door ? '

Tabberer, sb. one who 'tabbers' or taps. The wood-pecker is
generally known as the ' Yoin-tabberer.'

Tachin-end, sb., var. pron. of 'attach ing-end/ 'cobbler's end,' the
waxed hempen thread used for joining or attaching leather. As
the sewing-machine is rapidly superseding the hand process, it may
be worth while to note the old modus operandi. Every piece of
' tachm-end ' used in joining has a hog's bristle fixed at each end
so as to act like a kind of flexible needle. A series of holes is
* stabbed ' with the awl through both the leathers to be joined.
The workman draws his ' end ' halfway through the first hole ; he
then passes one end of it one way through the next hole, and the

GLOSSARY. 267

other end the reverse way through the same hole, and so on, draw-
ing the work tight at each stitch.

Tail-board (pron. teel-boo'd), sb. the board at the back of a cart or
waggon. Vide Teel-boo'd.

Tail-corn, Tail-ends, Tailings, Tails, or Tail-wheat, sb. inferior,
ill-dressed grain.

" The word originally came from the use of the old ' winnowing-
fan' or 'bag-fan,' so called hereof old. The lighter and worse
corn was blown farthest, and reserved by the farmer himself as
likely to spoil the sample." (A. B. E.)

I once watched a woman preparing some * glent-corn ' for grind-
ing. She first laid a sheet on the ground at the door, and placed
some stones along the edges to prevent its blowing away. She
then went into the house and laid the ears of corn, which had
already been cut from the straw, on the deal table, and rubbed and
beat them about with a bit of flat wood, often taking up a ear in
her hand and crumbling it with her fingers. She then swept all
together into a pancheon, and took her stand on the windward side
of the sheet, gradually shaking out the contents of the pancheon.
The chaff and dust were scattered by the wind, and the grain was
left in a gradually tapering * tail ' the whole length of the sheet.
In the part which fell nearest to her feet were a number of cores
of ears and grains not freed from the husks. The cores she threw
aside, and the grain she again rubbed in her hands into the
pancheon and again shook out to the wind. * Theer een't scaace
wind enough to teel it roight,' she said, ' but it doon't matter for
huz. We an't so naish about a bit o' teelins? She then went into
the house to rub another pancheon-full. It was the thrashing,
winnowing, and ' reeing ' of pre-historic antiquity.

" Everybody'd be wanting bread made o' tail-ends." — Adam Bede.

Take, v. n.t pec. to take a sketch or portrait. ' A's a telchin' the
choo'ch.'

sb. a renting or holding; a lease; called a 'Lady-Day take,' or a
* Michaelmas take,' according to the time of its commencement. In
the agricultural districts, Midsummer and Christmas ' takes ' are
unknown. The word ia often used figuratively.

"The woman as marries him 'ull have a good take, be't Lady-
Day or Michaelmas." — Adam Bede.

Take-on, v. n. to grieve ; fret ; lament.

' ' As a cow lowes after her calf, or a child takes on that goes to
school after holi-days." — An. Mel., 1, 2, 4, 7.

' ' They take on presently with sighs and tears." — Ib.

Take-to, v. a. to become attached to ; adapt one's self to ; to like.
' O ah ! Shay's a heenjel, shay is, but ah dunna tek tew 'er, fur all ! '
Also, to scold ; punish. Vide Admire for illustration.

Take-up, v. n. and a. applied to the weather, to clear up ; to com-
mence a change. * If it doon't tek oop pritty sune, ther'll be noo
gittin on to the land.' 'It lukes loike tekkin oop fur a frosst.'
Also, to take into legal custody. ' Ah'll hev yew took oop if yew
coom a-trespassin o' moy land.'

268 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Take-tlp-with, v. a. to associate with. ' Ah woonder as ivver yo'
can tek up wi? sooch a bletherum-skoite.' In the passive, to be
inordinately occupied with, fond of, or prejudiced in favour of.
' A's that took up wi1 them crowlin' things,' — hares in this in-
stance,— ' as a woon't hev non on 'em shot, not if it was ivver soo.'

Taking, sb. a fit of mental perturbation, whether from amazement,
terror, or anger.

' ' Zounds, cries Will in a taking,
Who wouldn't be crusty with half a year's baking."

G. COLMAN, Broad Grins.

part, adj. attractive ; interesting ; ' fetching.'
Tan, v. a. to thrash ; to leather. ' Oi'll tan yer hoide forry.'
Tane, p. and p. p. of ' take,' var. pron. of < taken.' « Ah fane 'im.'

Tang1, v. a. to sound a large bell or other no^e-producer. To tang
bees, is to make ' rough music ' with a bell, warming-pan, shovel,
or some such instrument when a hive of bees is swarming, for the
double purpose, it is said, of asserting a claim to the ownership of
the swarm. and of collecting the bees together.

Tank, v. a. to knock ; strike. ' Tank at the door.'

sb. a blow or knock. ' Shay gen 'er yead a tank agen the lather.'

Tantadlin-tart, sb. The composition of this delicacy varies con-
siderably, but apples, onions, and fat bacon are among the most
constant of its elements. Unwary enquirers into its constituents
are apt to find themselves the victims of a curiously unsavoury joke.

Tantle, v. a. to pet ; make a pet of ; fondle.

Tantrum, sb. a freak of temper ; a violent passion. In the pi. it is
equivalent to ' airs ' in the phrase, ' to give one's self airs.'

Tap-whisk, sb., i. q. Batwell, q. v. the wicker strainer placed at the
back of the tap inside a mash- vat, &c., to prevent grains or other
solid substance getting into the tap or through it.

Tarpawling, sh I insert this well-known word rather for the sake
of the illustration than for any dialectal significance.

" For the rest of his habit, he is perfect Seaman, a kind of inter-
pawlin, he being hanged about with his coarse composition, these
Poledavies papers." — CLEAVELANP, Char, of a Diurnal-maker,
p. 218.

Clarendon says of Lawson that he was a " perfect tarpawling,"
meaning a complete sailor, and Dryden in his An. Mir. mentions
the "strong tarpawling coats" of the sailors. This word may
therefore fairly claim to be considered the godfather of the British
' tar.5 The quotation from Cleaveland, however, seems to suggest
that after all ' tar ' may not be one of the original elements of the
word. ' Pawlins,' 'pawlings,' or 'purlins,' are "the horizontal
pieces of timber which rest on the principals, or main rafters, of a
roof, and support the common rafters" (Gloss. Arch. s. v. ' purlins ')

GLOSSARY. 269

and the common custom of covering a roof-frame with a temporary
roof of oiled or tarred canvas or sail-cloth to keep out the wet,
might not unnaturally result in the name of inter-pawlings being
transferred from the spaces between the pawlings to the material
with which they were covered. On the other hand, 'pauling'
seems to be used in Lincolnshire for the covering of a cart or
waggon, and Halliwell gives "palliones, tents, Northumb.," so that
tar -pawling perhaps may be only a var. of 'tarred pavilioning,' or
tent-cloth.

Tartar, sb. a passionate, overbearing woman ; an anomalous feminine
form of .' a Turk.' The word is derived from the Tartar caught by
the soldier, as described in Joe Miller, p. 45.

Tasty, adj., savoury ; relishing.

Taw, v. n. to twist ; get crooked : applied more especially to woven
fabrics when the threads do not lie straight. ' This collar taivs so,
I can't hardly cutjt straight.'

sb., var. pron. of 'toe.' In ' ring-taw,' or, as it is sometimes
called, ' ring-and-£aw,' one of the commonest games at marbles, a
ring is scratched on the ground, and at some distance from it a
straight line called taw, ' in taw ' being anywhere on the side of the
line away from the ring. Each player places his quota of marbles
in the ring, and proceeds in due rotation to shoot the marble with
which he plays, also called a taw, at the ring. If the game be
' knuckle-up,' the player stands and shoots in that position. If the
game be ' knuckle-down,' he must stoop and shoot with the knuckle
of the first finger touching the ground at taw. In both cases, how-
ever, the player's toe must be on taw. The line was thus called
taw, as marking the place for the toe of the player, and the marble
a taw as being the one shot from the taw line, in contra-distinction
to those placed passively in the ring, ' line/ in the one case, and
' marble,' in the other, being dropped as superfluous. In boxing
and in wrestling, it is not unusual to scratch a line on the ground,
which is also sometimes called a taw. Both combatants have to
place the toe of the left foot on this line at the commencement of
each round. We thus get the phrases ' toe the scratch,' ' come up
to scratch,' and ' come up to taw,' all of which are common in
Leicestershire and, I believe, elsewhere.

Tawer, or Tawyer, sb. one who ' taws ' or dresses leather ; also, " a
maker of husbandry harness." — JBk.

" Tawier" " tawer" Deeds ix. 43.— WYC.

Tawzy, adj., var. pron. of 'tazzy,' fuzzy; tangled; knotted: fre-
quently applied to hair, and to hay, clover, &c., when it hangs in
tangled masses on the fork. ' How tawzy 'tis ! '

Tazz, sb. (the word of which 'tassel' is the diminutive), a tangle; a
heap of knots and loose ends. Often applied to a rough head of
hair. ' What a tazz you have ! Do put it tidy ! ' ' All of a tazz.'

Tazzled, and Tazzy, adj., i. q. Tawzy, q. v.

Tear, v. n. 'To tear along ' and * go tearing along,' &c., for ' to rush

270 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

violently,' are, I believe, in common use throughout the country,
but this sense of the word tear is unnoticed in the dictionaries, and
Bk. in inserting it observes that it is only found in the Devon
Glossary.

Ted, v. a. the first operation in haymaking after mowing is tedding,
and consists in spreading out the grass which has fallen in swaths
from the scythe. Vide Hay.

" When tedding of the hay,
Bareheaded on the green."

Lass o' Peatie's Mill.
Milton uses the word more than once.

Tedder, sb. one who 'teds' hay; also, var. pron. of ' tether.'

" They fedde within their Tedure still."

News out of P. (7., Sat. 6.

Teel, sb. and v. a., var. pron. of ' tail.' Vide Tail-corn.

Teel-boo'd, sb., var. pron. of ' tail-board,' the board at the back of a
waggon or cart. ' An' Ah' 11 telly how a'd use to dew. A'd use to
'ev the teel-boo'd o' his caa't welly kivered wi' bits o' bars o' wro't
oirn, 'af inch thick or moor, an' thray to foor inch woide. Well,
ye knoo, when a drawed 'is caa't upof the machine to be weeghed,
a'd use to slip this 'ere teel-boo'd on, an' affter the weeght wur took
a'd use to goo an' fill 'is caa't wi' cool, and fetch it back to the
machine to be weeghed agin. But the caa't hadn' got this 'ere teel-
boo'd on this turn, you're sure, for a'd use to stan' it joost raound
the corner o' the machine-'us soon as ivver 'is caa't wur weeghed
empty ; soo as a snicked 'em out o' the weeght o' the teel-bvo'd in
cool at iv'ry caa't-lood as a fetched, an' it weean't not less nur a
matter o' thray-quar's o' a 'underd at iv'ry turn.'

Teeny, and Teeny-toiny, adj. vars. of ' tiny/ very small.

Teer, v. a. to smear ; daub ; spread.

" Teerid " = ' plastered.' Amps vii. 7. — WYC.
* Teer the treacle,' i. e. spread it on bread.

Teery, adj. sticky ; smeary. ' Handling the sugar will make your
hands teery.'

Teg, sb. a lamb becomes a 'teg' about the first Michaelmas after its
birth, and remains so till after the second shearing. Vide Sheep.

Teld, p. and p. p. of < tell.' " Telde " and " teld."—W?c.

Tell, v. a. 'I hear tell,' ' I do hear tell,' or < I did hear tell,' are
phrases employed in saying anything for which the speaker wishes
to be held not responsible. ' Nivver 'eerd tell o' noo sooch a thing,'
means ' I never heard anything of the kind,' and generally implies
further, ' and I don't believe it.'

Tell to, v. n. to tell about ; also, to speak to a thing from personal
knowledge. ' Will you tell the master to this threepence ? ' ' Had
you ever seen defendant before ? ' * Not as Ah could tell tew.'

GLOSSARY. 271

Tent, v. a. and n., var. pron. both of ' tend ' and ' attend,' to watch ;
give attention to : specially applied to watching for the purpose of
frightening away birds. ' Ha yo tented the 'osses ? ' ' Ah cain't
tent to stop now, loike.'

Tenting, sb. tending ; watching. ' The b'y can addle a bit now croo-
tentin',' i. e. going about the fields with a clapper or other imple-
ment, sometimes an old gun, to frighten away the rooks.

Ten-toes, sb., plir. To ' go o' ten-toes ' is to trudge afoot.

" Genus and Species long since barefoote went
Upon their ten-toes in wilde wonderment."

HALL, Sat. XI. 3.

Terrify, v. a., pec. to tease ; torment ; annoy, as flies do cattle.
Tetchy, adj., var. pron. of ' touchy,' fretful ; irritable.

Thack, sb., var. pron. of * thatch.' ' This 'ere thack's a very bad un,
it lets the reen in.'
v. a. to thatch.

Thack-and-mortar, phr. with all one's might. 'Ah een't doon
mooch woo'k to-dee, nur ah shain't dew non to-morra ; but ah
shall set tew next dee thack-an' -mortar.'

Thacker, sb., var. pron of 'thatcher.' ' As 'oongry as a thacJcer,' ' A
goos loike a thacJcer,' are among the commonest similes.

Thack-sparrow, sb. the house-sparrow, Fringilla domestica, L.

That, adv. so. In phrases where ' so ' has a corresponding ' that,1
the Leicestershire ' that' takes a corresponding ' as.' ' Ah wur that
mad, ah wur fit to boost.' ' His butes was that mauled as his toos
coom out atwixt the leathers.'

Thataway, adv. in that direction.

That'n, and That'ns, pr. that way; that fashion. 'A-that'n,'
' i' that'n,' and ' o' that'n,' are all common. Vide A that 'n.

That there, pr. that. The universal correlative and antithesis of
1 this here.'

Thave, sb., var. pron. of ' theave.' Vide Sheep.

Thead, 5?;. a ' tap-whisk ' or Batwell, q. v.

" Spiggot and thead." — Agric. Catalogue, about 1850.

Theave, sb. a female yearling sheep. Vide Sheep.
Theer, a lv., var. pron. of ' there.'

" Nor was this all — she brought her kindred there,
Who came in tribes and frequently to see her."

Choice of a Wife, p. 40.

Their-sels, Their-sens, or Their-sen, pr. themselves.
Them there, pr. those.

272 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Then, adv. the time when. ' Ah shall ba ready by then a cooms
back.'

There-away, adv. in that direction.

Thick, adj. intimate. ' As thick as thieves.' Sometimes, like ' dull,'
thick is used absolutely for ' deaf/ but the commoner phrase is
' thick o' 'earinV

" I pray you, Master Latimer, speak out, I am very thick of
hearing."— LAT. Serm. XV. p. 294.

Thief, sb. a bramble. ' Country lawyer ' is another synonym, both
apparently from the fleecing propensities of the genus Rubus.
" Theue-thorn." Judg. ix. 14; Ps. Ivii. 10.— WYC.

Thillanks, sb., var. pron. of c thill-thongs,' " the leather thongs fast-
ened into the hames of the thiller." — Bk., s. v. ' filanks.'

Thiller, or Thill-horse, sb. the shaft-horse in a team.
Thills, sb. shafts.

Thimble, sb. the ring which receives the hook in the hinge of a gate,
haying two clamps or wings which clip or go round the wood.
Without these last, and when the ring is only at the end of a spike
which runs into the wood of the gate, it is called a ' band,' ' hooks '
and c bands,' but ( gate-hooks ' and ' thimbles.'

Think to, v. n. to think of. ' What do you think, to it.'

Think well, v. a. to approve ; agree. ' A's sent wan, an' if you
think ivell a'll send another.'

Third, sb., var. pron. of ' thread.'

Thirds, sb. ' seconds ' with a somewhat larger proportion of bran.
Vide Meal.

This-away, adv. this way ; in this direction. * Sane ivver a little
doog this-awee ? '

This here, pr. this. The universal correlative and antithesis of
' that there.' For a good example, vide Splish- splosh.

Thisis, pr. genitive of ' this.' Tobit vii. 5. — WYC. ' Henry's cat
roon off wi' her an' took to her, but shay's thisis kitlin.'

This'n, and This'ns, pr. this way; this fashion. < A-this'n,' 'i'
this'n,' and ' o' this'n,' are all common. Vide A-this'n.

Thomasing, phr. ' Gooin' a,-Tummasm' ' is going round begging on
St. Thomas's Day, December 21, when the gifts of good cheer for
Christmas were generally distributed. The ' function ' is also called
' going a-gooding.' Old women are the usual performers.

Thone, and Thony, adj. damp ; moist ; soft, from not being
thoroughly dry : applied to corn, soil, &c. ' Some on it's a good
bit thone.' ' It's a'most to' thone to groind.' ' It's but a tlumy haa'-
vest, ah fear.'

GLOSSARY. 273

Thrail, sb., var. pron. of ' flail.'

Thrall, sb. a frame or stand for barrels, milk-pans, &c. ; i. q. ' stell,'
but a commoner word.

" She'd ha left the cheeses without turning from week's end to
week's end, and the dairy thralls, I might ha' wrote my name on
'em." — Adam Bede.

Thrave, sb. two ' stooks,' or twenty-four sheaves, of corn.

" He sends forth thraves of Ballads to the sale."

HALL, Sat. IV. 6.

Three-square, adj. and adv. triangular ; triangularly.

Thribble, adj., var. pron. of * treble,' three times as many or much.
' Yo'll pee dooble or thribble, an' not so good nayther.'

Thrice-cock, sb. the missel-thrush, Turdus viscivorus, L.

Thrive, v. n.t pec. to swell ; grow larger. ' How's your leg, John 1 '
' Whoy, Ah verily think to throives.' This I take to be a participial
form; at any rate, in this case it meant * -swollen.'

Throff, sb., var. pron. of ' froth.' * Shay av'n't so much throff o' her
maouth this morninV

Throice-cuk, sb. , var. pron. of Thrice-cock, q. v.
Throm, prep., var. pron. of ' from.'

Throng, adj. crowded ; full of people ; also, crowded with work ;
busily occupied. ' Nivver see the choo'ch so throong i' my loife
afoor.'

Throstle, sb. the thrusb, Turdus musicus, L.

Tnroughs (pron. thrufs), sb. stones or bricks set in a wall at right-
angles to its direction, so that if one were removed it would leave a
hole through the wall from side to side.

Throw, v. a. to hinder ; disarrange ; i. q. Fling, q. v. ' The weshin'
throos ye soo.'

Thruffs, sb., i. q. Throughs, q. v.
Thrum, prep., var. pron. of 'from.'
Thrummety, sb., var. pron. of Furmety, q. v.
Thrung, adj., var. pron. of Throng, q. v.
Thruv, p. and p. p. of ' thrive.'

Thump, sb., plir. ' A thump on the back wi' a stone,' or ' A poke i'
the eye wi' a burnt stick,' is a phrase setting up a sort of standard
by which to estimate the desirability of any existing or hypothet-
ical contingency. ' Poo' curate ? ' ' Poo' curate, be bleamed ! Sixty
paoun' a yeea' 's a del better nur a tlioomp i' the back wf a stooan any
dee o' the wik.'

T

274 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Thunderbolt, sb. a belemnite ; also, a lump of iron pyrites.
Thunk, sb., var. pron. of 'thong.' ' A whit-leather thunk.'
Thurrock, sb. a heap : chiefly applied to dirt or 'mack.'
Thurrow, sb., var. pron. of ' furrow/ Vide Land.

Tice, v. a. to entice ; allure ; inveigle.

" Tisiden," "Using? " ty si-den " (p. pi.).— WYC.
' Oi knood what shay wanted well enew — shay wanted to toice me
into matrimoony.'

Tick, sb. a parasitic insect infecting sheep, dogs, &c. * As full as a
tick ' is a common simile for repletion. Vide Ship -tick.

Also, a well-known game, called also ' Ticky, ticky, touchwood.'
The mountain nymphs

" do give each other chase
At hood-wink, barley-break, at tick, or prison-base."

DRAYTON, Pol. XXX.

Tidd, adj. fond. ' The child's so tidd of her little brother.'
Tiddy-doll, sb. a silent, insipid, babyish young woman.

Tidy, adj. considerable in size or number.

u And trized him to a tidi ost of the tidezist burnes."

William of Palerne, 3556.
' A pritty toidy lot on 'em.'

Tiffle, v. n. to wrangle ; dispute ; ' tussle ' ; also, to do any small
ndgetty job ; also, to trifle ; idle ; ' potter ' over a thing.

Tiffler, sb. one who does little odd jobs cleverly. ' Tiffler Jack ' was
the nickname of a locksmith at Congerstone noted for his ingenuity
in contriving and skill in constructing a number of small appli-
ances. Also, an idler ; trifler ; ' potterer.'

Tiffling1, part. adj. slightly engaged in light work ; doing trifling
' odd jobs ; ' ' fiddle-faddling.' ' Ah'n bin a tifflin* about the
gyaa'din a bit.' ' I wonder you didn't hit that hare while she was
tiffling along,' i. e. trotting off unconcernedly among the turnips.
< A little tifflivl job.'

" Tifle" "tiflyng." Ecclus. xxxii. 149, 15.— WYC.

Tike, sb. a dog — hence a mischievous whelp of human parentage.

Till, v. a. entice ; tempt ; beguile. ' Ah dunna loike so much coold
wotter,' said a patient who had been persuaded to try the hydro-
pathic treatment at Buxton ; ' Ah want a drop o' sorne'at shurt to
till it down, loike.'

Till-down, sb. a zest or relish. ' 'Teen't these 'ere pay tent feoods an'
" mysteries " an' sooch as fattens the beast : the're oon'y a koind o'
till-daown loike, as rneks 'em ate moor vittle.5

Tine, sb. a prong or tooth of any implement.

Tin-gawn, sb. a tin vessel for lading out with. Vide Gawn.

GLOSSARY. 275

Tip, sb. the head. ' Heels over tip ' and another less mannerly idiom
are used to express ' head over heels.'

Tistle, sb., var. pron. of 'thistle.' Common on the Rutland side.
Tit, sb. a small horse ; a nag.

Tittle, v. a . var. pron. of ' tickle.'

" Whom still the trots doe tittle so."

Neives out of P. C.

Tittlish, adj. ticklish.

Tittup, sb. a canter ; a hand-gallop.

v. n. to canter ; also, to shake or be unsteady ; to upset.
Tittupy, adj. unsteady ; shaky ; ricketty : often applied to furniture.
To, prep. for. ' Oi'd tummuts to my dinner.'

Toad-in-a-hole, sb. a savoury dish consisting of meat of any kind
fried in batter.

Todder, sb., var. pron. of Tother, q. v., but not so commonly used,

Toddle, sb. a child who can just toddle. ' G' long, ye little talkin*
toddle ! '

To-do, sb. ado; fuse; disturbance. The passive as well as the active
verb is used as a quasi-substantive. ' Theer wur ivver so mooch
to-be-done ower it.'

To-gea, prep, and adv. against ; near to ; close to.
" To-ynr Luke, Prol. i. p. 141.— WYC.
' If yo goo to-gen 'im, all boite.'

Toggery, sb. clothes generally ; sometimes finery ; sometimes mum-
ming, masquerading, or theatrical costume,

Togs, sb. clothes.

Token-for, v. n. to indicate ; betoken. ' It tookens-for reen.'

Toldrum, sb. finery; also, bombastic talk. Vide High-toltherum.
' Come, put your toldrum by,' said, a mother to a daughter, whose
work, part of a dress, was lying in a chair near her ; ' they think
o' nothing but toldrum now-a-days.'

Toll, and Toll on, >;. a. to attract; entice ; allure.

;' They lay such snares by broking meanes
That thus they Numnius toivle."

Newes out of P. C., Sat. 4.
" To toll on, attirer, mener." — COTG.

Toltherum, sb., var. pron. of Toldrum, q. v.

Tommy, sb. Wherever the truck system is in force, the shop where
the workmen deal is called the Tommy shop. Hence Tommy in
many districts means provisions generally.

T 2

276 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE. •

Tommy-loach, sb. the stone loach, a small fish.

To-morrow, phr. ' To-morrow come never, when theer's tew Soon-
days in a wik,' i. e. ' at Latter Lammas,' ' ad Grcecas Kalendas.'

Ton, v. a. to drink by wholesale.

"And the swolne Bezell at an Alehouse fire,
That tonnes in gallons to his bursten paunch."

HALL, Sat. V. 2.

Tong, v. a. and sb., var. pron. of Tang, q. v. Also, var. pron. of
' tongue,' power of talking; command of abusive language.
' Shay's got a sich a tong ! '

Tongues, sb., var. pron. of ' tongs/ fire-irons.

Tonguey, adj. full of ' tongue ; ' talkative ; garrulous.
" Tangy." Ecclus. viii. 4 ; xxv. 27.— WYC.

Tonky-pig, sb., var. pron. of ' Tonquin pig.'
Tood's-tother, sb. toad-spawn; frog-spawn.

Took, p. p. of ' take.'

" An' I shall be took bad an' die." — Adam Bede, c. 50.

Took-to, p. p. of Take-to, q. v., 'brought to book;' called to account ;
reprimanded ; punished. c Nivver wur so took-to in all my loife.'

Toot, v. n., var. pron. of 'tout,' to pry curiously; to spy; keep a
look out ; also, to make a noise on a horn, &c.

' ' Tootere,' ' a watcher ; * ' toot-hil," citadel ; ' ' toting -place," watch-
tower. — WYC.

" Nor toot in Cheap side baskets earne and late."

HALL, Sat. IV. 2.

"Luke hath ' observantes,' marking, spying, tooting, watching
like subtle, crafty, and sleighty fellows." — LAT. Serm. XV. p. 283.

" With bow and bolts in either hand
For birds in bushes tooting."

SPENSER, Sh. K. ^Eg. 3.

* D'yo 'ear yan caow-'orn &-teutin' ? '

Tootle, v. n. to play more or less skilfully on the flute or other wind
instrument. It is applied also to the chirping and sometimes to the
song of birds.

Tootling, sb. a playing on a wind instrument : a chirping or singing
of birds.

Top -full, adj. brim-full.

Topping, part. adj. superior ; first-rate.

Tot, and Tot up, v. a. to add up ; cast up accounts.

" A man shall see the same estreats sealed, and that the same
which is paid be totted"— 42 Ed. 1IT. cap. 9.

GLOSSARY. 277

Tother ('o' pron. as in 'totter'), sb., var. pron. of ' todder,' slime;
spawn ; toad-spawn or frog-spawn.

Tothery, adj. slimy ; gelatinous ; viscous.

Tott, sb. a small drinking- vessel ; also, a disease in rabbits, the
Podge, q. v.

v. a. to pour out drink.
Totter-grass, sb. quaker-grass, Briza media.
Totty, adj. shaky; dizzy.

" Or sicker thy head very totty is."

SPENSER, Sh. K. ^Eg. 2.

Touch, sb. an attempt ; a trial. ' Have a touch at it.'

Touched, part. adj. crazy ; ' cracky ; ' in a state of mind between
eccentricity and lunacy.

Toucher, sb., phr. 'As nigh as a toucher' = as near as possible,
the metaphor, probably, being from the game of bowls.

Touzle (generally pron. taowzle), v. a. to tangle ; make in a Tazz,
q. v. ; to pull about ; to worry as a dog.

Touzled, part. adj.} var. pron. of Tazzled, q. v.

Towardly, or Tow'dly, adj. and adv. promising ; quiet ; gentle ;
amenable ; with their advs.

" Whereas I should have strokt her towardly head."

HALL, Sat. VI. 1.

" From his first youth how tow'rdly he begins."

DRAYTON, Moone-calfe.
' A noist to'a'dly creatur,' said of a cow.

Town, sb., pec. a village. The inhabitants of the smallest hamlet
will speak of ' the taoivn' or * ar taown,' ' up taovm,' ' daown taown,'
&c.

Town-routing, part. adj. going gossiping about from house to house.

Town-slating, or Town-slatering, part. adj. traducing amongst the
neighbours ; back-biting.

Tow-row, v. a. to rout out ; clear out ; clean out.

Trace, v. n. to go one by one ; march in Indian file. « I've noticed
the sheep always tracing across the field before a storm.'

Trangle, sb. luck ; chance ; way. ' Turn the pigs out, an' let 'em
tek ther own tr angle,' i. e. let them go their own gait and eat what
they can get.

Transmogrify, v. a. to transform ; metamorphose.
Trap, sb. a two-wheeled, one-horse vehicle on springs.

278 TI1E DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Trapes (pron. treeps), sb. a trollop ; a slattern on the march.

v. 11. to go 'trolloping' about in a slip-shod, slatternly fashion;
sometimes simply to trndge ; go on foot.

Traps, sb. effects ; chattels ; small goods.

Travant, sb., var. pron. of 'truant.' 'Trivant' is the commoner
form. ' A's pleein' travant.'1

Tray, or Tray-hurdle, si. a large, closely-wattled hurdle or ' neak.'

Tree, si. a wooden handle or stall. The ' trees' of a pump are the
main pipe through which the water is drawn from the well. The
word is often literally accurate, as the pipe is generally constructed
of the whole trunks of young trees bored through lengthwise, each
one above the lowest being levelled off at the end to fit into the one
below. It is sometimes, however, applied when the pipe is not
made of wood. Tree is sometimes used as an adjective. Thus, a
' tree leg ' is a wooden leg, &c.

Tricksical, adj. full of tricks ; mischievous.

Trim, v. a. to whip or beat as a punishment ; to scold.

Trimming1, sb. a whipping or thrashing ; a scolding ; reprimand.

Trivant, sb., var. pron. of ' truant.'

" Thou art ... an idiot, an ass, ... a trifler, a trivant." — An.
Mel.} p. 10.

Trivantly, adj. like a truant.

" Some trivantly Polyanthean helps." — An. Mel., 1, 2, 3, 15.
Burton is here speaking of those scholars who had learnt

" How index-learning turns no student pale,
Yet holds the eel of science by the tail,"

and were fain to crib quotations from the Polyantliea Langii.

Trivet, sb., var. pron. of l tripod/ a metal stand, generally about a
foot high, and with three legs, on which to place a dish or plate
before the fire to keep hot. Cotgrave gives accodepot as one of its
French equivalents, an obsolete word meaning a ' stand for a
seething pot.' ' As roight as a trivet.'

Trolly, sb. a hand-barrow, with two small wheels and no sides, for
wheeling sacks and other goods. The universal use of trollies at
railway stations has made the thing and the word familiar, but both
are older than railways.

Trones, sb. a steel-yard.

Trook, v. n., var. pron. of 'truck,' to give in; give way; 'knuckle
under/ ' A's bin ill of a good bit, but a nivver trooked till Thoos-
day.'

Trounce, v. a., i. q. ' trim,' to beat or scold.
Trouncing, sb. a beating ; a scolding.

GLOSSARY. 279

Truck, v. n., i. q. Trook, q. v. It is the word of which * truckle' is
the frequentative, at least in form.

Truff, sb., var. pron. of 'trough.'

Trumple, v. a., var. pron. of l trample.' 'How did you lose your
arm, Dick ?' ' Toom'led daown an' troompled on it.'

Trussel, or Trustle, sb., var. pron. of * tressel' or ' trestle.'
Tummit, sb., var. pron. of ' turnip.'

Tun, sb. an enclosure. ' Ah've finished the toon raound the hovel
for the ship,' i. e. sheep.

Tune, v. n. to hum or sing a tune. ' My childem could all of 'em
tune afore they could speak.'

Tunk, sb. a blow ; knock.

v. a. to strike ; knock ; rap.

Tunky, sb., var. pron. of * Tonquin,' a China pig.
Tunnel, sb., i. q. ' funnel.'
Tunny-back, sb. the ' thorn-back ' or stickleback, a small fish.

Turk's head, sb. a large, round-headed brush or broom, with a very
long stail, for sweeping high walls and ceilings.

Turmoithering, part, adj., i. q. ' moithering.' Used, so far as I
know, by one individual only.

Turn, v. a. to keep out ; resist : applied to anything for keeping out
wet. When applied to living things, cattle, &c., it means that they
are too hardy to be hurt by wet.

" We, whose unliquor'd hides will turn no wet."

CLEAVELAND, Revived, p. 8.
Vide Nudgeling.

sb. season ; time ; bout. ' Any arringes to-dee ? ' ' Noo ; not
this turn , thanky ! '

Turn-over, sb. a large crescent-shaped puff", generally containing
apple. ' Apple-turnover ' is the commoner form.

Turn Turk, phr. To turn Turk is to play a treacherous trick.

" He will betray his father, prince and country, turn Turk, for-
sake religion, abjure God and all." — An. Mel., 1, 2, 4, 6.

Tush (commonly used in the pi. Tushes), sb., var. pron. of * tusk,'
applied to any long teeth, particularly the canines.

Tussle, sb. a struggle ; encounter ; ' scrimmage.'
v. n. to encounter ; struggle ; wrestle with.

Tussock, sb. a tuft or lump of coarse grass.

" There should not any such tussocks nor tufts be seen as there

280 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

be, nor such laying out of the hair, nor braiding to have it open."
LAT. Serm. XIV. p. 254.

Tussocky, adj. full of 'tussocks.'

Tutt, sb. offence. To ' take tutt ' is to ' take huff' or umbrage.

Tutty, adj. touchy ; apt to < take Tutt.'

Twang, sb., var. pron. of Tang, q. v., a flavour ; a taste ; a taint.

Twank, v. a., var. pron. of ' twang/ to play on the Jew's harp or
other instrument twanged by the fingers.

Twankle, v. a., ib. Thackeray has : " TwanTde the light guitar."

Tweak, v. a. or n., var. pron. of 'twitch,' to pull with a jerk; to
pinch ; to wring.

sb. a pinch; a pull with a jerk; also, a 'tantrum;' a fit of
peevishness or anger.

Twelve-o'clock, sb. a name given to the mid-day meal.

' ' I thinke she might be inoffensiuely serued with the broken
Messes of our twelue-a-clocke hours." — HALL, Sat. Postscript.

Twiddle, v. a. or n. to twist ; twirl ; employ the fingers idly ; turn
about with the tongue. ' Hang 'em (fieldfares) afoor the foire wi'
a bit o' wo'sted, an' joost gin it a bit o' a twiddle to begin wi', an'
it'll kip on twiddliri till they're roosted foine.'

sb. a slight twisting or twirling ; also, anything to ' twiddle '
with, a toothpick, pen-knife, &c.

Twig, v. a. to understand; notice; observe. The word is perhaps
an alien, but has long since been naturalized.

Twink, sb. a twinkle ; a wink.

Twinter, sb. (i. e. ' two-winter '). A cow-calf is called a twinter or
stirk during its third year. Vide Horned cattle.

Twist, sb. appetite ; capacity for gormandizing.

Twitch, and Twitch-grass, sb., var. pron. of 'couch-grass,' spear-
grass, Triticum repens. Vide Quitch and Squitch.

Twitch, or Twitchel, sb. " a stout stick with a strong loop of string
or leather at the end, used by farriers for keeping a horse in a
steady position preparatory to bleeding or any other operation. "-
Sk. The loop is placed over the upper Tip of the animal, just below
the nostrils, and twisted tight, after which the stick is secured. The
twitch is sometimes used when driving a kicking horse, the stick
being made fast to the head- stall.
v. a. to make use of the ' twitch.1

Twitchell, sb. a narrow passage or alley between houses.
Twitchy, adj. full of Twitch, q. v.

GLOSSARY. 281

Twitter, si. to be ' all of a twitter,' is to be in a state of great
nervous excitement.

v. n. when any muscle twitches with rapid repetition, the part
affected is said to tivitter ; e. g. the neck or flank of a horse twitters
when the animal endeavours to get rid of a fly by a peculiar
tremulous motion of the platisma myoides.

Twixt- whiles, adv. from time to time ; in the meanwhile.

"And I
Twixt-whiles across the plain will glance my eye."

PHILLIPS Past. II.

Twizzle, v. a. to twist or turn rapidly.

sb. a twist; turn; roundabout; 'circumbendibus.' 'There be
so many turns and twizzles I '

Two, plir. ' They're lew ' means * they are not at one/ ' they are
enemies/ or at least, that former friendship has been interrupted.

Two-fisted, adj. a distinctive epithet of the genus homo.

"As poor a two-fisted thing as ever I saw, you know you was."
— Adam Bede.

Two-three, phr. a few. 'Ah hed oon'y a sooch a tew-thray on 'em,
ah kep 'em all mysen.'

Tyburn tippet, sb. a hangman's halter.

' ' The Bishop of Rome sent him a Cardinal's hat. He should
have had a Tyburn tippet, a half-penny halter, and all such proud
prelates."— LAT. Serm. VIII. p. 119.

Ugly, sb. ugliness. Vide Beauty. ' Ugly' used to be a common name
for a dog, especially of the brindled bull-dog breed, and this circum-
stance has given rise to a very common bit of advice. ' Yo' goo
wum an' toy oop Oogly ! ' i. e. go home and tie up Ugly, — keep your
own ugly face or temper out of other folk's way.

adj. ill-tempered ; angry ; revengeful. ' Stroike ma oogly !J is a
very common though frequently superfluous imprecation.

Unaccountable, adv., pec. very; remarkably; particularly. 'Itwur
oonaccaountable coold lasst noight ! '
As an adj. it is the equivalent of the ' awful ' of polite society.

Unbeknown, or Unbeknownst, part. adj. and adv. unknown ; v\ ith-
out anyone's knowledge ; secretly.

Unbinge, v. a. to loosen anything which is Binged, q. v. tubs ;
barrels, &c. ' The toob leaks, bein' in the hot reum oonbinyes it
soo.' 'It ollus ineks ye fale onbinged, loike, when it gives affter
frosst.'

Uncle, phr. l Ah wouldn' call the king my ooncle ' is used to express
the intense satisfaction which might be felt under certain improb-
able contingencies. ' Better have the Quane to yer aant nur the

282 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

King to yer ooncle,' already quoted in the ' Introduction,' expresses
the relative value of male and female influence in Leicestershire,
and possibly elsewhere.

Under cumstumble, v. a. to understand ; comprehend. ' Ah med as
if ah couldn' oonderconstoomble.' The word is used as a facetious
synonym.

Underminded, adj. underhand ; mean ; treacherous. * A oonder-
moinded nassty trick.'

Undermined, v. a., var. pron. of ' undermine.'

Unfettle, v. a. to disarrange anything previously in ' fettle,' to
disorder ; disturb ; unsettle ; put out of gear. ' Shay wur very
restless an' unfettled all noight.' 'Ah wur in a frightful unfettled
wob when ah wur gooin' t' America.'

Ungain, adj. roundabout ; inconvenient ; also, i. q. Ungainly ;
awkward ; unwieldy ; ill-shapen, applied to persons, potatoes, &c.

Ungive, v. n., i. q. Give, q. v. to thaw ; soften ; relax.

Unked, Unkid, or Unkit, adj. forlorn ; solitary ; desolate ; dreary.

Unknobbed, part, adj., phr. ' Shay's as nassty as a devil unltnobbedj
i. e. she is as dangerously spiteful as a devil who has either never
had any knobs fastened on his horns, or else has succeeded in
getting rid of them. The phrase well illustrates the bovine char-
acter of the popular ' devil.'

Unmerciful, adj. and adv. excessive and excessively. ' Onmussifle
'ot it is shoo-loy.1

Unpossible, adj. impossible.

Up, v. n. ' Up,' I take it, is an elliptical form of any verb with
which ' up ' is commonly used, to come up, stand up, lift up, speak
up, &c. The ballad formula : 'then up and spake,' &c., in ordinary
English, I suppose, would run, ' Mr. Eobert Hood then got up and
said,' &c. 'Ar gel up,' would be 'our girl came up from the
kitchen.'

" If we up with our cudgels and felled 'em,
We'd teach 'em good manners at once."

W. M. THACKERAY, King Fritz, Corn. Mag., June 1874.

Up-a-daisy ! interj. used to children when they tumble down.

Uphold, v. n. to affirm; warrant. 'Ah'll upho'd,' is precisely
equivalent to ' I'll be bound.'

U. P. spells goslins, phr. Bk. gives this as "a not uncommon
exclamation when anyone has completed or attained his object."
I have heard
' How's Ted
goslins wi'
with him, and the goslings will soon feed on his grave.' Cf. —

GLOSSARY. 283

" And fat be the gander that feeds on thy grave ! "

New Bath Guide.

Upof (the accent is sometimes on the first, sometimes on the second
syllable), phr. upon.

TIpstir, sb. uproar ; disturbance ; commotion.

Up to the knocker, and Up to the nines, plirs. To be dressed
either ' up to the knocker ' or ' nines ' is to be dressed in the height
of fashion. It is also frequently said of festivities of any kind, at
weddings, funerals, comings of age, &c., that everything was done
' up to the knocker ' or the * nines,' but the metaphor in both cases
puzzles me. Both phrases, I think, are importations from the
Metropolitan District.

Us, pr., poss. our. Vide ' Introd./ ' Grammar.'

Use, sb. to * have use ' is the universal form of ' use ' in the sense of
'to be accustomed.' 'Ah'd use to could,' i.e. I used to be able.
1 You hadn't use to put 'em a-thatns, you'd allus use to put 'em
a-thisn's.'

Us-sen, pr. ourselves.

" Us-silf " is repeatedly used in Wycliffe.

Utic, sb. the whinchat, Motacilla rubetra, L.

Uvver, adj., adv. and prep., var. pron. of Over, q. v.

Uz, pr., var. pron. of ' us/ us or our. ' Way had uz dinners early.'

Vail, or Vale, sb. " Money given to servants. It is generally used
in the plural." — JOHNSON.

Inserted here because the old word is now in Leicestershire, as
elsewhere, almost superseded by the slang 'tip.'

Vally, sb., var. pron. of ' value/ applied to measure or quantity of
any kind, as well as to money. A farmer describing a steam
draining-machine he had seen, told me ' it 'ud roon threw stiff
clee-sile a vally o' noine or ten inch dip loike noothink,'

Varge, sb., var. pron. of 'verge/ the projecting ends of a roof
overhanging a gable.

Varge-board, sb. the board or timber in front of the side of a gable,
at right angles to the roof, to which it forms a kind of fringe. Vide
Grloss of Arch., s. v. 'barge-board.'

Varment, sb., var. pron. of 'vermin.'

Varnish, v. n., var. pron. of Barnish, q. v. A farmer's wife said
that a 'gel' she had taken in quite thin was become 'fat anT
varnished.' ' That oss'll vacCnish i' the spring.'

Varsal, adj., var. pron. of 'universal.'

284 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Vast, sb. a great quantity ; heap or number. ' A vasst o' people/
' a vasst o' corn,' ' a vasst o' moock.'

Venom, adj. dry; hard and hot. 'Ah wur quoite mauled wi'
walkin', the graound wur that venom.' I rather think this is
another instance of a substantive used adjectively.

Viper, sb., var. pron. of ' fibre/ in universal use.

Wab (pron. wob), sb., var. pron. of ' web/ a tangle ; state of mental
confusion. Vide Unfettled.

Wab-footed ('a' pron. either as in 'hat' or as in 'what'), adj.,
var. pron. of 'web-footed.'

Wabble, v. n. and a. to move unsteadily; oscillate; shake loosely;
also, to boil.

sb. a loose shaking, as of ricketty furniture, &c. ; also, a boiling.
' Why, missus, that egg has been boiling this five minutes ! ' ' Ne'er
yo' moind ! It'll beer anoother wabble.'

Wade, v. n. to bathe. ' A 'edn't got no cloo'es on, so ah mek caount
as a wur a-iveedin' when a got draounded.'

Wadge, sb. a lump; bundle; load; quantity; also, a 'wad' or
' pledget ; ' anything stuffed into crevice, &c. , to hold things tight.
v. a. to stuff; to load; to 'wad.'

Wadgeock (pron. woj-uk, accent on first syllable), dimin. of ' wadge/
sb. a small quantity ; bundle, &c. ' You've got a good lot of coals
there ! ' ' Yes, Ah'n gotten a little wojuk.1

Wadget, sb., dimin. of ' wadge,' a wad ; ' pledget ' ; 'pad.'

Waffle, v. n. to ' yap ' or bark as a small dog. ' You should git a
little wafflin' doog.'

Waft, sb. a whiff; flavour; 'twang/ applied to things tasted as
well as smelt.

Wage, sb. wages : whenever the word is used it is in this form.

" Whyle some contendeth and fyghteth for his wage."

Cyt. and UpL, Percy Soc. XXII. 28.

"He offered me the wage, but J refused to take it." — Round
Preacher, p. 73.

"And as for spinning, why, you've wasted as much as your
wage i' the flax you've spoiled learning to spin." — Adam Bede.

Waik, adj., var. pron. of ' weak/ not so common, however, as ' wik.'

Wake, sb. an annual village ' feast/ at which a small fair is generally
held. Vide Feast.

Wallop, v. n. to beat or thrash ; to boil ; to gallop.

sb. a gallop ; any rapid pace or movement ; a boiling, *. q.
Wabble, q. v.

GLOSSARY. 285

Walloper, sb. a 'bouncer/ anything big of its kind. The term
' pot-walloper ' = householder, one who boils his own pot, is now
unknown in Leicestershire, and when used, is certain to be
misunderstood. c Pot-gollopers ? ' I heard a Leicester politician
exclaim at a public meeting in 1868, 'Way doon't want no moor
pot-gallopers ! Way'n got to' many a' ready ! ' But he was never-
theless, if he had but known it, a staunch advocate of the pot-
walloper franchise our boroughs now enjoy.

Walloping, part. adj. huge ; powerful ; * whopping.'

Wangling, part, adj., var. pron. of 'wankling,' weak; loosely
built ; lumbering, often applied to a ' weedy ' horse. ' It's a poor
wangling thing ! '

Wank, sb. a violent knock or blow. ' Shay'd use to goo a sooch a
ivank at the door,' i. e. knock so hard to get in.

Wankle, and Wankling, adj. and part, adj., i. q. Wangling, weak ;
feeble ; ' weedy.' ' The choild lukes so pale an' wankleS

Wany, adj. Anything which tapers or narrows in the direction of
any dimension may be called wany, from a ' gore ' of calico to a
church steeple. The word, however, is most commonly applied to
planks, which when sawn out of the sides of a bole, are narrower
on one face than on the other.

Wap, sb. and v. a., i. q. Whop, q. v.
Wapper, sb., i. q. Whopper, q. v.
Waps, sb.} var. pron. of ' wasp.'

War, v., aux., var. pron. of ' was.'

excl., var. pron. of * ware ! ' beware ! cave !

" War, war, guare, guare." — COTG. ' War keepers ! '

Warn, and Warn off, v. a. to bid an intruder or trespasser be off;
to forbid.

" Wern" = forbid. Gen. xxiii. 6.— WYC.

"Whiles thou discommonest thy neighbours keyne
And warns' t that none feed on thy field saue thine."

HALL, Sat. V. 3.

"I warn thee out of my sight."— LAT. Serm. II. p. 19.

' A ivarncd 'im the 'aouse,' i. e. forbad his coming to the house.
' Will they 'urt uz if way goo in them failds ? ' ' No, my boy ; who
do you think will hurt you ? ' ' Moother said as if way went off o'
the leane, a man 'ud warn uz wi' a big stick.'

Warnt, v. a., var. pron. of ' warrant ' and of c were not.'

Warrand, sb. and v. a., var. pron. of 'warrant.'

"He'd be glad t'ha ye to supper wi'm, I'll be's warrand." —
Adam Bede.

Was, v. n. often used for ' went.' ' Ah nivver was from Peckleton
to Leicester afoor.'

286 THE DIALECT OP LEICESTERSHIRE.

Washing-pegs, sb., i. q. Clothes-pegs, cleffc pegs to hold clothes on
the line to dry.

Washing-tray, sb. "a rectangular wooden tub, broader at top than
bottom, used for the washing of linen." — Bit.

Waste, sb. consumption ; phthisis

Waster, and Wastrel, sb. In many manufactures an article spoilt
in the making is called a waster or ivastrel, and the word is often
metaphorically applied to any ' good-f or-nowt ' human failure.

Wasty, adj. affected with phthisis. ' A wasty family,' i. e. a con-
sumptive family.

Also, var. pron. of Westy, q. v. giddy ; confused. ' Ah'm pritty
well except my head, an' that's soo wasty. ,'

Watchet, part, adj., var. pron. of ' wet-shod.'
Water-creases, sb., var. pron. of ' water-cresses.'
Water-croft, sb. a water-caraffe, or decanter.

Waver, v. a. to waive ; postpone. ' Yo'd best weever it till
middle dee.'

Way, sb., phr. ' To be in a way ' is to be grieved, disappointed,
vexed, or angry.

We, pr., poss. our. 'Way 'evn't 'ed we teas.' Vide 'Introd.
Grammar.'

Weakling, sb. a sickly feeble child ; puppy, &e.

"Their children are weaklings, many times ideots and fools. "--
An. Mel., 1, 2, 1, 6.

Weariful, adj. wearisome; tedious.

Wearish, adj., var. pron. of Werrish, q. v.

" Let ivearish wimpled age growe on."

Newes out of P. C., Sat. 5

"He is of a wearish, dry, pale constitution, and cannot sleep for
cares and worldy business." — An. Mel., I, 2, 3, 12.

Immediately after this passage, Burton quotes Cyprian, Ep. II. 2,
and translates Cyprian's ' marcidum corpus ' by ' his ivearish body.'

Weazified, part. adj. This is another word in the Rev. J. M.

Gresley's list, with which I am unacquainted.

Wed, p. and p. p. of to ' weed.' ' The gyaardin were all hand-wed'

Wede, v. n., var. pron. of Wade, q. v. to bathe. ' Ah've a-gooin' to
wede i' the pit.'

Ween, pr., poss. our. ' I took one o' ween cups.'

Weeny, adj., var. pron. of Wany, q. v. ; also, a sort of substitute for
tiny or ^ teeny,' with which it is often used in conjunction. 'A
weeny little thing,' ' a teeny- weeny little thing.'

GLOSSARY. 287

Weet, v. a. or n. and adj., var. pron. of * wet.' ' Yo'll wed ye
threugh,' said to one going out in the rain.
" Weet." Jer. xxiii. 9.— WYC.

"And lueats his forced cheeks."

HALL, Sat. vi. 1.

Weeze, v. n. and sb., var. pron. of * ooze.'

Weezling, sb. giddiness ; swimming. ' That theer rum has gi'n me
sooch a weaUin* in my yead.'
Also, adj. giddy ; careless.

Weft, sb., var. pron. of Waft, q. v.

Weight, v. a. to depress ; dispirit. ' It weighted me so I couldn't do
no work. '

Well ! interf. a universal initial expletive. ' How are you to-day 1 '
' Well, ah'm still crofflin'.' ' Well, ah doon't joostly knoo.'

Well-drag, sb. a three-pronged drag to fetch up anything fallen into
a well.

Well-near, adv. an occasional var. of Welly, q. v. but not nearly so
common.

" When well-near in her pride proud Troynovant she spurned."

DRAYTON, Pol. XVI.

Well-to-do, adj. flourishing ; prosperous ; thriving, applied to trees,
cattle, &c., as well as men.

Well-willing, and Well-willy, part. adj. and adj. favourable to;
having a kindly feeling towards ; bearing good will towards.
'.' Wel-willingnesse " is a Wycliffite form. — Ecclus., prol. p. 123.

Welly, adv., var. pron. of 'well-nigh,' almost.

" She's preached on the Green last night; an' she's laid hold o'
Chad's Bess as the girl's been i' fits welly iver sin'." — Adam Bede.

Welt, v. n. to wither ; dry up, as applied to hay, i. q. Swale, q. v.

v. a. to beat ; fustigate ; chastise.

sb. a seam.

Welting, sb. a beating ; also, a seam ; a seaming.
Wer, pr. poss., var. pron. of * our.'

Werrish, adj. feeble ; deficient in stamina ; of a delicate constitution,
as applied to drinks, « small/ weak, sickly, insipid.

Werrit, v. n. and a., var. pron. of 'worry,' to vex ; harass ; tease.

Westy, adj., var. pron. of ' wasty,' giddy ; confused. ' My head's
very westy and bad.'

Wettle, and Wettling, v. a. and sbs., var. pron. of 'wattle' and

* wattling.'

288 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Whack, sb. a heavy blow ; also, a belly-full, particularly applied to
drink, but not exclusively. ' Ah'n had moy whack o' liquor.'
v. a. to hit or strike heavily; to thrash.

Whacker, sb. a huge one of its kind ; as usual, particularly of the fib
kind.

Whacking, part. adj. remarkably large of its kind.
3!). a beating ; thrashing.

Whang, v. a. to push ; pull or throw vigorously. ' Shay'll whang it
along,' said of a mare about to be tried in a 'four-wheeler.'

si. a blow or bang; also, a large thick slice; also, a thong of
leather.

Wharler, and Wharling, sbs. for the so-called ' Carlton wharlers.'
F^e'Introd., Pronunciation.'

What the name in patience, excl. for this and other exclamations
commencing with 'what,' Vide Oaths.

What's what, phr. to let a person ' know what's what ' is to teach
him manners, the lesson being generally enforced by an argument
applied to his person.

Whee, Whee-kiver, &c., sbs., var. prons. of ' whey,' ' whey-cover/ &c.
Whelt, p. and p. p. of to ' wheel.' ' Een't ye whelt that moock yit 1 '

Whetstone, sb., phr. A whetstone is generally allowed to be the
most appropriate prize that can be given to the inventor of any
considerable lie. It is assumed that he has blunted his wits in
producing it, and that they require sharpening before he under-
takes another enterprize of the same kind.

" Or whetstone leasings of old Maundevile."

HALL, Sat. IV. 6.

' Grin him the whetstun ! If a doon't shaa'p his- sen a bit, a
woona git out a sooch anoother afoor Tewsd'y wik ! '

Whiffle, v. a. and n. to whisk ; also, to veer ; to back ; to shift. In
both senses generally applied to the wind. ' The wind'll whiffle
the snoo togither.'

Whiffling, part. adj. shifty ; inconstant ; shuffling ; untrustworthy.
Whift, sb. and v. a., var. of Whiff and Waft, q. v.

While, and, Whiles, adv. until ; in the meanwhile. ' A woon't be
'ere whoile Tuesday.' ' Yo' goo fetch 'im an' oi'll hot it fur 'ini
whoile.' ' Ah'll 'oold 'er 'ead whoiles.'

Whilst, adv., i. q. While and Whiles, q. v.

"I will wink, and whilst you shall do what you will." — BEAUMONT
and FLETCHER, Kt. of the B. P., V. 2.

Whimsey, sb. an odd fancy ; a whim ; a ' fad ' ; also, the frame and
pulley over a coal-mine, &c.

GLOSSARY. 289

" Begon fantastick ivhimsey, hence begon ! '

CLEAVELAND'S Poems, p. 102.

Whim- wham, sb. a cherry-clack ; clackers used in bird-tenting ; an
ingenious trifle ; a fancy ; a ' fad.'
" Whim-ivham, babiole." — Coxa.

adj. round-about ; intricate ; labyrinthine. ' It's a sooch a ivliim-
wham rooad.'

Whingel (g pron. soft), v. n. to whine. ' The choild did noothink
but hewt an* whingel after me.' ' A whingeled ivver soo abaout
that e'pn'y — a wur whingelirf ower it all evenin'. '

Whingeling1, part. adj. whining and pining ; peevish ; fretful ; also,
puny ; sickly. ' The choild's very whingelin.' ' A's but a ivhingelin'
lad.'

Whipper-snapper, sb., i. q. Snipper-snapper, g. v.

Whipperty, adj. slight in figure ; smart ; brisk ; bustling. ' A
whipperty sort o' a wumman.'

Whisket, sb. a small, flat basket, as well as the one defined by Bk.
under the word: "A large round basket with handles, made of
unpeeled osiers, used in barns for chaff, and holding more than a
bushel : if containing a bushel or less it is called a ' chaff- skip ' or
' scuttle.' "

Whissuntide, sb., var. pron. of Whitsuntide. ' Whissun-Sunday,'
' Whissun-Monday,' and ' Whissun Tuesday,' are the usual names
of the days.

Whit-leather, sb. Horse-skin cured white, not tanned, used to
make whip-thongs, hedge-mittens, &c. ; and for mending cart-
harness, &c. ' As tou' as whit-leather ' is a very common simile,
especially for meat.

Whittawer, sb. one who Haws' whit-leather; also, a husbandry
harness-maker or mender. Speaking generally, a whittawer is to a
saddler what a cobbler is to a shoemaker.

Whittle, sb. a clasp-knife ; also, a thick warm shawl ; also, a whet-
stone or hone. ' Whittle hills' in Charnwood Forest have their
name from being the source of the supply of Charnwood Forest
whetstones.

v. a. to sharpen a knife or other cutting instrument ; also, to cut
with a knife.

WMzzling, part, adj., var. pron. of Weezling, q. v. 'A whizzlin'
wench. '

Whop, v. a. and sb., i. q. Wap, to strike ; beat ; thrash ; also, a blow ;
heavy stroke.

Whopper, sb., i. q. Wapper, a huge one of its kind; a bouncer;
strapper ; thumper, &c.

Who's your master, phr. A very common threat is, ' Oi'll let ye

u

290 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

knoo ew's yer masster ! ' I have often seen a lad after knocking
another down, go on pummelling him, continually repeating,
' Who's your master ? Who's your master ? ' until the vanquished
was content to reply, c Yo' hev ! '

Whull, adj., var. pron. of ' whole.'
Whully, adv., var. pron. of ' wholly.'

Whup ! excl. a call to horses.

" The horses were being led out to watering amidst much barking
of all the three dogs, and many ' ivliups ' from Tim the ploughman."
— Adam Bede, c. 20.

Wibble, sb., var. pron. of 'weevil/ Gurculio granarius, L., &e.

Widdle, v. n. to move loosely about ; oscillate. ' The rope ividdles
about so.'

Wiff, sb.., var. pron. of ' withe/

Wigginear, sb., var. of ' earwig/ Forficula auricularia.

Wiggle-waggle, v. a. to wag ; vibrate ; move to and fro.
Also, adj. and adv. zigzag ; wavy ; sinuous.

sb. a game thus played. A party sit round a table under the
presidency of a ' Buck.' Each person has his fingers clenched, and
the thumb extended. ' Buck ' from time to time calls out as suits
his fancy. ' Buck says, thumbs up ! ' or ' Buck says, thumbs
down ! ' or * Wiggle-waggle I ' If he says, ' thumbs up ! ' he places
both hands on the table with the thumbs sticking straight up. If
' thumbs down ! ' he rests his thumbs on the table with his hands
up. If ' wiggle-waggle I '' he places his hands as in 'thumbs up/
but wags his thumbs nimbly. Everybody at the table has to follow
the word of command on the instant, and any who fail to do so are
liable to a forfeit. There is a fine dash of lunacy in the game,
which favourably distinguishes it from those which are simply
idiotic.

Wignear, i. q. Wigginear, q. v.

Wik, sb. and adj., var. pron. of 'week' and 'weak.'

Wild, adj. ' mad/ in such phrases as, ' It does make me so mad/ &c.

"And she was ever suckling or with child,
Which made th' old gentleman go almost wild."

Choice of a Wife, p. 46.

Wildings, sb. red crabs, not quite so sour as other wild apples.

* ' How would I wander ev'ry day to find
The ruddy wildings." — PHILLIPS, Past. I.

Wilt, v. n., var. pron. of 'welt/ to dry or wither in the sun, &c. As
applied to hay, i. q. Swale, q. v.

Wim-wom, sb. and adj., i. q. Whim- wham, q. v.

GLOSSARY. 291

Windflower, sb. the wood-anemone, Anemone nemorosa.

Windrow, sb. After hay has been tedded, it is ' hacked ' by a sharp
action of the rake into windrows. Vide Hay.

Wing, sb. the wing of a goose, formerly in very common use as a
whisk for dusting.

' ' Brushes, brooms, dusters, wings,
And sundry other useful things."

Will of Sir W. Dixie, Bart.

Wink, sb., phr. 'As quick as wink1 and 'As ready as wink1 are
usual similes for rapidity.

Winnick, v. n. apparently a diminutive of ' whine.' I never heard
it except as applied to the squeaking of mice and bats.

Winter-proud, adj. Crops are said to be winter-proud when they
begin to sprout too early, and are liable to be nipped by the spring
frosts.

Wire in, v. a. to scold ; vituperate ; speak angrily to. ' Shay did
woire into the b'y.' * Wire in I ' is a common exclamation at public
meetings, as an incentive to the orator to ' pitch it strong.' The
word is, I think, a late importation.

Wishing-bone, sb. the * merry-thought ' of a fowl.

Wishy-washy, adj. insipid; futile.

" Lulled by the lapse of wishy-washy streams."

WOTY'S Poems, p. 18.

Wis-sells, pr. ourselves.

Wit's end, sb., phr. to ' be at one's wit's end ' is to be in a quandary ;
to come to the end of one's mental resources.

Wittering, part. adj. fretting ; crying peevishly ; also, wearisome ;
tedious. ' He's so wittering.1

Wittor, sb.t var. pron. of Whit-tawer, q. v.

Wizened, part. adj. shrivelled ; D winged, q. v. ' Here's a few
wizened apples. '

Wizzle, sb., var. pron. of ' weasel.'
Wizzle-pated, adj. giddy ; hare-brained.

Wizzling, part, adj., var. pron. of Weezling, q. v., careless ; thought-
less; giddy.

Woa, and Woa-wee ! excl. a call to a horse to stop. Vide Horse
Language.

Wob, sb., i. q. l wab,' var. pron. -of ' web.'

Wobble, sb. and v. a. and n., i. q. Wabble, q. v.

u 2

292 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Wold, sb. a tract of high and treeless open country.

" The beauty of the large and goodly full-flocked Quids."

DRAYTOX, Pol. XXYI.
" The sheep our wold doth feed."— II. XIV.
Vide * Local Nomenclature.'

Wonderful, adv. very ; remarkably ; superlatively ; transcendently.

" They have a wonderful pretty example to persuade this thing."
LAT. Serm. IV. p. 36.

" Which thing they might learn wonderful well of their parents."
Id., Serm. V. p. 44.

' O'd Dan'l had use to sweer woonderful /'

Wong, sb. a common termination of names of fields. ' Flit-t0on$r/
' Long-furlong- wong,' ' Hard- acre- wong,' are all names of fields
near Bosworth. The word, I believe, is i. q. Whang, q. v. Vide
' Local Nomenclature.'

Wont, v. a. to accustom ; domesticate ; familiarize. ' If you tek the
cat, you'll hev to butter her feet to wont her, an' then it' s chanch if
shay doon't coom back 'ere agen.' ' I think she (a new servant)
will soon get wonted, like.'

Wooden, adj. stupid ; without more genius than a gate-post. < A's a
sooch a wooden creatur, a'll ne'er dew for the pleace.'

Woodspite, sb. the woodpecker, picus.
Wool, v. aux.y var. pron. of ' will.'

Wool-gathering, part. adj. figurative expression for wandering in
thought ; absent. * His wits are wool-gathering.'

Woolt, v. aux., var. pron. of ' wilt thou 1 ' often used at the end of a
sentence. Hamlet, V. i. , where the word is repeated five times.

" W<?t thou bear with me ? "
BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, A K. and no K., IV. ii.

' Coom in an' hev a drop o' beer, woolt .* '

Woo' not, v. aux.y var. pron. of ' will not ' or * won't.1

" Yes, and I know you wo1 not."
BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, A K. and no K., IV. ii.

Words, sb., phr. ' To have words' is to quarrel. ' A hot 'im o' the
soide o' the yead.' ' But hadn't they been quarrelling before that ? '
' Nooa. The' didn' hev noo ivoo'ds till affter a'd hot 'im, an' then
the' did 'a woo'ds till a hot 'im agen.'

World, sb., pec. a huge amount ; a vast quantity ; an astonishing
sight. ' A'd a woo' Id o' trooble wi' his sons.' ' It's a woo' Id to see
that theer little un order the big uns to the roight abaout ! A's as
massterful as massterful ! '

Worm-stall, sb. a worm-cast ; the little heap of soil cast up by a
worm.

GLOSSARY. 293

Worrin, v. a. and n., var. of ' worry.' ' The ship worrin theirsens to
death wi' varment, an' ah'n 'bacca'd 'em, but it een't no use at all.'

Worrit, sb. and v. a. and n., var. of ' worry.' A large manufacturer,
abnormally wise, placed over the fire-place in his counting-house,
framed and glazed and in conspicuous type, his golden rule in busi-
ness : ' Don' t worrit I '

Worship, sb. honour. I think the word in this sense is obsolete
except in the one phrase, ' Moor trooble nur woo' ship.'

Worthy, adj., plir. ' If I'd ha' bin worthy to ' do such and such a
thing, generally implies a respectful protest against Providence for
not having considered the speaker worthy to do it.

" If I were worthy to be of counsel, or if 1 were asked mine
advice."— LAT. Serm. XI. p. 190.

" If oi'd 'a bin wocftJiy to a knood as a war a coomin', oi'd 'a
blacked ;is bloody oys afoor iver a coom anoigh.'

' His own worthy ' is equivalent to convalescent. ' How's your
husband this morning ? ' ' Thenky, sir, a een't his oon worthy,
not yit.'

Wort- sieve, sb. a sieve used to strain wort through.
Wrig1, v. n. and a. to wriggle j writhe.
Writing-lark, sb., i. q. Sribbling-lark, q. v.

Writings, sb. legal documents. ' Gran-father Grew's wroitin's and
wills.'

Wuld, sb., var. pron. of World, q. v.

Wull (' u ' pron. either as in l but ' or as in ' bull '), v. aux., var. pron.
of ' wilt' A proverb relating to the influence of the moon on the
weather runs —

" Saturday change and Sunday full
Niver did good nor niver wull"

Wus, Wusser, adj. and adv., var. prons. of 'worse,' 'worser.'

Wutna, v. aux., var. of 'wilt not.'

" Thee wutna mind." — Adam Bede, c. 20»

Yaffle, v. n. to yelp, yap, or bark like a little dog. ' A yafflin* little
moongril ! '
sb. the woodpecker, picus.

Yah, pr., var. pron. of 'you.'

excl. an exclamation of contempt or derision.
Yaller, adj., var. pron. of ' yellow.'

Yamber, v. n. to scold ; objurgate ; vituperate at large. ' Yambering '
is often used with Nattering, q. v.

294 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

Yank, /;. n. to squeal out ; cry out. ' The babby niver yanked nor
croyed when ah weshed it.'

Yap, v. n. to yelp snappishly.

Yarbs, sb., var. pron. of ' herbs.'

Yard-band, sb. a tape or silk for measuring.

Yard-wand, sb. a yard-rod for measuring.

Yarn, and Yarnins, v. a. and sb., var. prons. of ' earn ' and ' earnings.'

Yarth, sb., var. pron. of * earth.'

Yat, and Yate, sb., var. pron. of l gate.'

Yank, or Yawk, v. n., var. pron. of Yanp, q. v., to gape ; also, to
retch or reach in vomiting.

Yanp, v. n., i. q. Yawp, q. v.

Yawl, v. n. to bawl ; vociferate. ' A.-yawlin' an' a-bawlin' an' a-bel-
lerin', yo niwer yeard the loike.'

Yawmagorp, sb. a nickname for a yawning, gaping, stretching
lounger.

Yawp, v. n., var. pron. of 'gape,' to yawn audibly; also, to talk
boisterously. A farmer's daughter was talking largely and loudly
to a friend, when her mother reproved her with : ' Molly, my dear,
don't yawp so.' * A couldn' 'ear his-sen spake, the' kep' on yawpirf
soo.'

Yea-nay, adj. wavering ; undecided ; feeble in character. ( A yee-nee
sort of a creetur.'

Yeaow, v. a., var. pron. of ' you,' used verbally. A farmer told a
friend of mine (A. B. E.) that a gentleman well-known in the
annals of fox-hunting attempted to bully him by riding over his
land against his expressed desire. ' And so,' said he, ' I up to him
next wiz, and says I, "Do yeaow mane to bully me? • Yeaow as
an't got a acre o' land i' the county ? Yeaow come here to bully
me ? " So I yeaowed him out o' the field.'

Yed, sb., var. pron. of ' head.'

Yed'ad, ppr. n., var. pron. of ' Ed ward.'

Yellow -janndice (pron. yalla-jaunders or yollo-jahnders), sb. the
jaundice.

" The yellow-jaundise, jaulnisse, ictere." — CoTG.

Yelm, sb. as much corn in the straw as can be embraced in both arms.

Yer, pr.y var. pron. of ' you,' also of ' you are.' ' Yer a bigger fule
nur Oi thowt yer.}

Yetters, adv., var. pron. of ' yet-wise,' yet ; as yet. 'Not yetters,
m'm ; Ah've not bin yetters, but ah'll goo nextus.'

GLOSSARY. 295

Yettus, adv., id.
Yewtick, 8b., i. q. Utjc, q. v.
Yo, pr.9 var. pron. of ' you.'

Yoik, v. a. to force or prize open. ' Mvver wur good at yoikin'
eysters.'

Yoke, sb. a triangular wooden frame, sometimes placed on the neck
of a too-enterprizing cow to prevent her straying.

Yoller, adj., var. pron. of ' yellow.'

Yollop, or Yolp, v. a., var. pron. of 'gulp ' and 'gulf.'

" No sure, the pitchie burning pit

And Limboes flaming Lake,
Shall yolpe them up except they yeelde
The goodes which they did take."

Newes out of P. C.

Yonaway, adv. yonder ; in that direction.
Yonders, adv., var. of ' yonder/
Yorp, v. n., i. q. Yawp, q. v.
Yourn, pr.} var. of ' yours.'
Yowe, sb., var. pron. of ' ewe.'
Yowk, v. n., var. pron. of Yowt, q. v.

Yowl, o. n., var. pron. of /howl/ to yell; shout. "joule" and a
number of allied forms occur in Wye.

Yowley, sb. the yellow-hammer, Emberiza citrinella, L.

Yowt, v. n., var. pron. of ' hoot,' to yelp or bark. ' Ah 'eerd the
doogs yowtin'.'

Yoy, interj., var. of ' yea.'

RUTLAND.

FOE the following list of Eutland words and phrases I am indebted
to the Eev. Ohr. Wordsworth, Glaston Eectory, near Uppingham. In
Domesday the whole of the western part of the county, under the name
of Eoteland, appears as an appendage for fiscal purposes to the county
of Nottingham, from which it is topographically separated by the
Leicestershire wapentake of Framland. The entries and measure-
ments, moreover, follow the Nottinghamshire and not the Leicester-
shire system. A trace of this connection with Nottingham is perhaps
to be found in the local jingle :

" Nottingham where they knock 'em down :
Oakham where they catch 'em (al. cook 'em) :
Bringhurst where they bury 'em,
And Cottesmore where they cry."

The eastern parts of the county are in Domesday included partly in
Lincolnshire and partly in Northamptonshire, but the boundary line
between Leicestershire and Eutland is clearly marked, and is the same
as at present. Drayton, in his Battle of Agincourt (p. 15, or fo. ed. p. 7),
after describing the Northamptonshire men marching under a banner
with a castle supported by two lions, adds :

" The men of Eutland to them marching nie

In their rich ensigne beare an ermine ram,

And Leicestershire, that on their strength rely,

A bull and mastive fighting for the game."

On the last line he notes, "A sport more used in that shiere from
ancient time then in any other," but he gives no interpretation of the
'ermine ram,' by which heraldic solecism he probably intended to
typify the sheep-producing, and possibly also the earl-producing,
qualities of the county. Dialectally, the county is most closely related
to Leicestershire, and a large proportion of the words forwarded by
Mr. Wordsworth having been already included in the Leicestershire
vocabulary are here omitted. The dialect of the two counties seems,

RUTLAND. — GLOSSARY .

297

indeed, to be substantially identical, though Eutland naturally shows a
more distinct approximation to the East Anglian both in pronunciation
and vocabulary.

Oarlock, sb., car. of ' charlock ' and ' cadlock,' Sinapis arvensis.

Cliff-men, sb. stakes to support a stack. The local etymology, prob-
ably in this case correct, derives this name from the fact that these
props are * mostly cut in Cliff e (*'. e. King's Cliff e) woods.'

Cockles, sb. white campion.

Creed, v. a. to boil ; e. g. rice for making ' plum boil rice. ' Halliwell
gives ' cree.'

Draw, sb. a drive. ' It's a long draw'

Gain, adj. This has been included in the Glossary, but Mr. Words-
worth gives a good instance of its use, 'not very gain stuff,' as
applied to unsuitable building materials.

Hassock-hoeing, sb. taking off the tops of ' hassocks ' (ant-hills, not
mole-hills) with a hoe.

Head, phr. 'The head way ' is equivalent to 'the best method.'

Hilter-wilter (pron. hiltha-wiltha), adv. come what may; at all
hazards.

Hoase, sb., var. pron. of ' hoast ' or ' hust,' a cough.

Hoasty, adj. hoarse; husky. 'Hoast' is the usual Leicestershire
form.

Ivory, sb., var. of ' ivy.'
Kindling, sb. small fire-wood.

Pig, sb., i. q. ' sow,' a woodlouse.'

Piggle, v. a. I have given this word in one sense, but find I have
omitted to give its most ordinary one, to root up potatoes by the
hand.

Pindsr, sb. a parish officer appointed in vestry to take charge of the
pinfold.

Poor mess, plir. To be ' in a poor mess ' is to be in wretched health.
Prince-feathers, sb. the lilac-bloom.

Eamper-way, sb., i. q. ' rarnper,' the high-road.

298 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE. — RUTLAND.

Shittles, sb., var. jwon. of ' shuttles,' lozenge-shaped buns with
currants and carraways, given to children and old people on
Valentine's Day. I (C. W.) saw one last year (1879), but they
were said to have become uncommon as a gift, though still com-
monly sold.

Sleery, adj., var. of l slithery,' slippery; muddy.
Slip-coat cheese, sb. a cream-cheese like a thin Cottenham.

Sprag, v. a. to stop a waggon with a spar of wood. This may have
been imported by the navvies, but was used by a labourer con-
cerning a farm waggon.

Stint, sb. a written agreement made from time to time among those
who have common-rights, defining the number of beasts, &c. , that
each is entitled to turn in.

Till, adv. while.

Valentine-buns, sb. the bakers' name for Shittles, q. v. They are
still carried round for sale, as hot-cross buna are on Good Friday
elsewhere.

Viper's dance, sb. St. Vitus's dance is always known as 'the
viper's dance?

While, adv. until.

Win'-shake, sb. a wind-fall ; the bough of a tree blown down.

299

VIII. PROVERBS, PROVERBIAL SAYINGS, AND

RHYMES.

LEICESTERSHIRE is rather exceptionally rich in local proverbs and
sayings, many of which have been incorporated in the Glossary. The
following list includes, I believe, all the topographical proverbs,
together with some of those in general use which present any varia-
tion from the accepted form. One or two have been inserted simply
for the sake of explanation or illustration.

" GOOD ALE IS MEAT, DRINK, AND LODGING."—^?/, p. 1, gives this

with the substitution of ' cloth ' for ' lodging.'

"HE HAS GONE OVER ASFORDBY BRIDGE BACKWARDS. Spoken of OH6

that is past learning." — Ray, p. 317. In modern usage it is applied
to one who ' sets the cart before the horse ' in word or deed.

" Aw MAKES DUN DRAW." — Ray, p. 95. Vide Au, au.

" BEAN-BELLY LEICESTERSHIRE. So called from the great plenty of
that grain growing therein. Yea those of the neighbouring coun-
treys use to say merrily, ' Shake a Leicestershire man by the collar
and you. shall hear the beans rattle in his belly.' But those yeomen
smile at what is said to rattle in their bellies, whilst they know
good silver ringeth in their pockets." — Ray, pp. 316, 317.

The saying quoted is still current, as is also the answer which I
have heard attributed to at least half a dozen yeomen of the last
generation: 'Yoi, lad, but 'ew doo'st?' The ordinary modern
version is ' Shake a Leicestershire man by the shoulders,' &c. Vide
Bean-belly.

BEES. " A swarm of bees in May

Is worth a load of hay :
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spoon :
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly."

Ray, p. 45, omits the third and fourth lines.

" THE SAME AGAIN, QUOTH MARK OF BELGRAVE."— Ray, p. 317. This

300 THE DIALECT OF LEICESTERSHIRE.

is said to allude to an Elizabethan militia-officer, who, exercising
his company before the Lord Lieutenant, was so abashed that after
giving the first word of command he could recollect no more. I
heard it once with a slight var. : " ' The same again,' says Mark o'
Markfield."

"!F BEVER HATH A CAP,
YOU CHURLS OF THE VALE LOOK TO THAT."

"That is, when the clouds hang over the towers of Bever-castle, it is
a prognostick of much rain and moisture, to the much endamaging
that fruitful vale, lying in the three Counties of Leicester, Lincoln,
and Nottingham." — Bay, p. 317.

Bay's version misses half the point. I have heard the proverb
repeatedly, but always in the form :

' When Belvoir wears his cap,
You churls of the Yale look to that ; '

and I have little doubt that when an Albini or a Bos ' wore his cap '
in the Manor Court, or rode out from his castle-gates either to the
chase, the council, or the battle, there was good cause for the
1 churls of the Yale ' to ' look to it.'

" IN AND OUT, LIKE BiLLESDON I WOTE." — Ray, p. 317. Billesdon
being, or having been, noted for the crookedness of its main
thoroughfare.

* BLIND i' TH' EYE

EATS MANY A FLY.'

Bay has : " The blind eat many a fly."— p. 103.

* A BLOT'S NO BLOT TILL IT'S HOT,' i. e. hit. Bay has a var. of this
(p. 103).

' HE BLUSHES LIKE A RED BULL-CALF/ Bay has " to blush like a black
dog," with the same significance. The phrase was once casually
used in my hearing, and I was moved to ask when it was that the
red bull-calf had blushed ? ' A niwer blooshed but wanst,' said
Sam, ' an' that wur lasst Moonday wur a wik, when Kimberlin's
mule called 'im "bahsta'd."'

"WHAT HAVE I TO DOE WITH BRADSHAW'S WINDMILL? Leicester.

What have I to do with other men' s matters ? " — Ray, pp. 86 and
317.

'BREAD FOR BURROUGH-MEN."— Ray, p. 317. I do not know this
saying, and only conjecture that it may have had reference to some
special privileges enjoyed by ' borough-men ' in towns such as
Hinckley, divided into ' borough' and ' bond.'

'A MAN MUT HOLD A CANDLE TO THE DEVIL BY TIMES.' Bay has a

var. of this (p. 70) ; so has Shakspere's Apothecary in Romeo and
Juliet.

' " DO AS I SAY AN' NOT AS I DO," SAYS THE PAA'SON.' A var. of

this which I have heard more than once runs : ' As the paa'son said
when they whelt 'im hum in a wheel-barra.'

PROVERBS, RHYMES, ETC. 301

FISH. " When the wind's in the East

The fishes bite least :
When the wind's in the West
The fishes bite best :
When the wind's in the North
The fishes won't come forth :
When the wind's in the South
It blows the bait into the fish's mouth."
The last couplet is in Ray, p. 46.

" THEN I'LL THATCH G-ROBY POOL WITH PANCAKES." — Ray, p. 317.
This is what A. announces he will do in case B. succeeds in doing
what A.'s superior judgment considers impossible. Groby Pool is
considerably the largest sheet of water in the county.

" FOR HIS DEATH THERE IS MANY A WET EYE IN GROBY POOL." —

Ray, p. 317. This is generally used in the form of a prophecy :
4 When a doys, thee'll ba wet oys i' Grewby Pule.' I have heard it
applied to a noble family owning large estates in the neighbourhood
of the pool : ' When e'er a wan on 'em doys, theer's baound to be
wet oys i' Grewby Pule.'

"AT GREAT GLEN THERE ARE MORE GREAT DOGS THAN HONEST MEN."
— Ray, p. 317. The reference, I believe, is to the number of
inmates in Glen ' Industry.'

"I'LL THROW YOU INTO HARBOROUGH FIELD. A threat for children,
Harborough having no field." — Ray, p. 317.

"HE is NONE OF THE HASTINGS. Spoken of a slow person. There is
an sequivoque in the word Hastings, which is the name of a great
family in Leicestershire, which were Earls of Huntingdon. They
had a fair house at Ashby de la Zouch, now much ruined." — Ray,
p. 251.

"THE LAST MAN THAT HE KILL'D KEEPS HOGS IN HlNCKLEY FIELD.

Spoken of a coward that never durst fight." — Ray, p. 317. It is
now, and I imagine always was, applied rather to a boaster of the
' Ancient Pistol ' type.

'HoBBADEHOY, NEITHER MAN NOR BOY.' Kay has : "A holer de hoy,
half a man and half a boy." — p. 73.

" PIGS PLAY ON THE ORGANS. A man so called at Hogs Norton in
Leicestershire, or Hocks Norton." — Ray, p. 264.

' HOG'S NORTON, WHERE PIGS PLAY ON THE ORGAN.' The true name
of the town, according to Peck, is Hock's Norton, and one Piggs,
Ray's ' man so called,' was the organist of the parish church. Pos-
sibly, but the name has a mythic air, and to say that a man comes
from Hog's Norton is simply equivalent to saying that he snores.
The distinctive name of the village was probably derived from a
Danish ancestor of the good Leicestershire stock of ' Hooke.'

* THERE ARE MORE WHORES IN HOSE THAN HONEST WOMEN IN LONG
CLAWSON.' This piece of topographical information figures in most

302 THE DIALECT OP LEICESTERSHIRE.

of the early collections of local proverbs, with a partial explana-
tion. Hose, or Howes, is a small hamlet near Long Claxton or
Clawson, which is a village about a mile long, and the wayfarer,
unsuspicious of the pun, is naturally apt to be startled by the
paradox. None of the commentators, however, who have explained
the paronomasia of * Howes 'with 'hose,' have observed that the
pun is intended to be double-barrelled, the ' honest women in Long
Clawson ' being a sufficiently near approximation to ' honest women
in long clothes ' to satisfy the requirements of a local joke. The
excellent clergyman and antiquary who accompanied me on my
first visit to this part of the county was of opinion that the ' hose '
referred to were in reality not stockings but drawers, which are
sometimes still known by the name.

' KAW ME AND I'LL KAW THEE.' Ray (p. 163) gives " Ka me," &c.
It is simply a var. pron.

" KISSING GOES BY FAVOUR." — Ray, p. 163. Hay's version misses the
pun. When a ' good thing ' is obtained not by merit but by favour,
the Midland comment is : ' It's wan o' them things as goos by
feavour, loike kissin',' i. e. the candidate won the prize through
being well-favoured by his friends, as a girl well-favoured by
nature never need want for kisses.

' LAST MAKE FAST.' Bay gives a var. of this (p. 165). It is a recog-
nized rule in passing through a gate that has been opened.

' LET THEM LAF AS LEWSES, FOR THEM AS WINS WULL LAF.' This is

a very common anti-apophthegm to ' let them laugh that win.'

"A LEICESTERSHIRE PLOVER, i. e. a Sag-pudding.'" — Ray, p. 317. In
this phrase, as in ' Welsh rabbit ' and a number of others, a totally
distinct substitute for a dish is treated as if it were a topographical
variety of it. I observe that a celebrated firm of eating-house
keepers advertize in their bills of fare 'Welsh rare-bits,' with a
devotion to etymological accuracy worthy of better success.

' HE WAS HANGED AS SPILT GOOD LIQUOR.' Ray has : " He was hang'd
that left his drink behind him." — p. 71.

" PUT UP YOUR PIPES AND GO TO LOCKINGTON WAKE."— Ray, p. 317.

This I never heard, but I suppose it is equivalent to the ' Go to
Bath ! ' of other localities.

" HE LEAPS LIKE THE BELL-GIANT, OR DEVIL OF MOUNTSORREL."—

Peck. An account of the feats of this saltatory hero is given in the
' Introd.,' * Local Nomenclature.'

' ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER.' This axiom is apparently
considered as applicable to an ill turn as a good one.

" ONE YATE FOR ANOTHER, GOOD FELLOW. They father the original of
this upon a passage between one of the Earls of Rutland and a
Countrey-fellow. The Earl riding by himself one day overtook a
Countrey-man who very civily open'd him the first gate they came
to, not knowing who the Earl was. When they came to the next
gate, the Earl expecting he should have done the same again, Nay

PROVERBS, RHYMES, ETC. 303

soft, saith the Countrey-man, One yate for another, Good fellow." —
Ray, p. 243.

" IT RAINS BY PLANETS. This the Countrey people use when it rains
in one place and not in another: meaning that the showres are
governed by the Planets, which being erratick in their own motions,
cause such uncertain wandring of clouds and falls of rain. Or it
rains by Planets, that is, the falls of showers are as uncertain as
the motions of the Planets are imagined to be." — Hay, p. 51. Vide
Planets.

'WE MUT DEW AS THE' DEW AT QUORN,
WHAT WE DON'T DEW TO-DEE, WE MUT DEW i' TH' MORN.'

Eay gives this (p. 80), with the reading :

" We'll do as they do at Quern."

'AN EMPTY SACK WON'T STAND UPRIGHT,' i. e. it is ill trusting to the
integrity either of an insolvent or a born simpleton.

" SERVICE is NO INHERITANCE."— .Say, p. 200. Swift, in his Instruc-
tions to Servants, recommends the employment of this proverb
under certain contingencies. A waggoner quoting it to the farmer
who employed him was met with, ' Whoy, who ivver to'd ye that,
now ? Yo mut ha' bin at the lasst Eoonawee Statties.' Vide Run-
away Statutes.

' NEVER SPEAK ILL OF THE BRIDGE THAT CARRIES YOU.' Eay gives
a var. of this (p. 106).

' SPEAK OF A MAN AS YOU FIND HIM.' ' Well,' said a prisoner acquitted
of robbery at Quarter Sessions, ' they spake agin the lawyers, but
oi doon't ho'd wi' 'em. That theer caounseller, a knoo'd as oi doon
it, leastways a couldn't be off o' knooin' it, but oi gen 'im a guinea,
an' a spook o' ma as a foon' me.'

" STRETTON i' TH' STREET WHERE SHREWS MEET." — Ray, p. 333.
Rutlandshire.

1 TELL-TALE-TIT ! YOUR TONGUE SHALL BE SLIT,

AND EVERY DOG IN ALL THE TOWN SHALL HAVE A BIT.'

This is rather a school- children's commination service over a tell-
tale than a proverb.

" A THUMP ON THE BACK WITH A STONE." — Ray, p. 33. Vide Thump.
" AN UPPINGHAM TRENCHER." — Ray, p. 333. Rutlandshire.

BUNGAY :

POINTED BY CLAY AND TAYLOR,
THE CHAUCER PRESS.

Evans, Arthur Benoni
1951 Leicestershire words

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