|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8960) (tudalen 100)
|
IO Q
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
BUP-HORSE, BUPPO [buup-airs, buup-oa]. Said to infants. [Leok dhae-ur-z u puurdee buup-au's,~\ look
there is a pretty bup-horse. So the
old nursery rhyme is here varied to [Ruyd u
buup-au-s tu Baanrburee Krairs], &c., our commonest version
of “Ride a cock-horse," &c.
[Kau-m, Jiinree, dhur-z u geod bwuuy, un ee shl ruyd dhu biiup-oa,~\ come, Jimmy, there's a good
boy, and you shall ride the horse.
BUR [buur], sb. The little round seed-pod of the Galiwn Aparine. Also the seed of the Burdock
Artium Lappa, and of the Boar thistle
Carduus lanceolata.
Burre that cleveth to. Gloteron. Palsgrave.
But hateful docks, rough thistles, kecksies, burs, Losing both beauty and utility. Henry V. v.
2.
BUR [buur], sb. Hunting. The ball or knob of a stag's horn just at its juncture with the skull. The
horn is always shed immediately below
the bur.
BURD [buurd], sb. Bread (always by real peasants. In towns it is braid}.
[Aew-z buurd u-zuTeen?] how is bread selling? [U guurt pees u buurd-n chee-z,] a great piece of bread
and cheese.
BURGAGE [buurgeej], sb. A part of the old borough of Wellington still so called.
For toke Jjei on trewely ]>ei timbrede not so hye, Ne bou^te none Borgages ' beo }e certeyne.
Piers Plowman, P. III. 1. 77.
BURGE [buurj], sb. Bridge. (Always.)
Bridge and Bridges are very common surnames in this district always pronounced Buurj and Buurjez. Surge
is also a common name, so spelt;
evidently this was Bridge originally, but
the spelling has been amended to suit the sound.
BURIN [buureen], sb. The usual word for a funeral; a burying.
[Dhai bee gwain t-oa*l dhu buureen u Zad'urdee,] they are going to have (hold) the funeral on Saturday.
In J>e abbey of Cam iburred was J>is king; and Henry is 3onge sone ' was at is
buriing.
Robt. of Gloucester, Life of W. the Conqueror, 1. 521.
and him-zelf efter his beringe ine his spelle het hise healde and loke to ech man )>et wile by
y-borje.
Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 5.
Of Archinoris burynge, and the pleyes,
And how Amphiorax fil thorwgh the grounde.
Chaucer, Troy I us and Creseyde, V. 1. 1512.
that my wyfe and al my chyldren be atte my berynge, yn case they leue. Will of John Solas, 1418. Fifty Earliest
Wills ',p. 29, 1. 12. See also 1. 5.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8961) (tudalen 101)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. IOI
BURL [buurdl, buurdlee], v. t. and /. To pick out from a piece of woollen cloth all foreign substances
such as knots in weaving, or small
pieces of hay or thorns which have escaped the carding process. Always done by women, who draw the
cloth carefully. over a sloping bench
in a good light. This work is performed
between the washing and the milling process. See REAR UP.
"Well, Susan, where do you work now?" "Oh! I do burdly down to factory hon I be able vor to stan'
to it." to Burle clothe:
extubare. Cat. Aug. Byrling of clothe.
Pinsure. Palsgrave.
BURLER [buurdlur], sb. A person whose business it is to burl woollen cloth.
BURLING-IRON [buurdleen-uyur], sb. The instrument used in burling. It is a strong pair of
tweezers, having very strong and fine
points. It is grasped in the right hand with the thumb loose, which rests on the cloth and serves to
guide the tool.
BURN [buurn], sb. A burden /. e. a man's load; as much as a man can carry on his back. See CREEP.
[Aay waz* vur aaks oa ee, plai'z, wur yue keod spae'ur faa'dhur u buurn u stroa' J I was for (to) ask /. e.
I was sent to ask you, please, whether
you could spare father a burden of straw. This message was given by a boy in my hearing.
Was, when emphatic (and as here meaning “was instructed "), is very often waz' with the same sound as in
has. Heard again, July 13, 1886.
BURN-ROPE [buurn roap, or roo'up], sb. A small rope used for tying up a burden, or man's load, of
straw, furze, faggots, &c. At one
end is fastened a pointed piece of wood having a deep rounded notch by means of which the rope is
drawn tight and instantly made fast,
while it can with equal ease be let go when
required. These are much used in bringing faggots down from steep woods carrying straw for cattle,
&c.
BURRED [buurud], adj. The condition of a sow; boarward.
BURROW [buuru], sb. Barrow; mound of earth; any heap of soil; mole heaps are \ - waunt buur-uz}.
On our Hills are many ancient tumuli,
all of which are called buur-uz, as Elworthy
Burrow, Huish Champflower Burrow, Wiveliscombe Burrow, Symmons Burrow, and many more; ^some of
these are spelt Barrow and others
Borough, on the Ordnance maps, but they are
all pronounced the same. See BERRY, WANT.
Lay on at Dercombe Common: up over Fildon Bridge to Five Burrows.
Records, North Dev. Staghounds, p. 76.
on to the Poilock road to White Stones, and turned off to the left for
Black Burrow. Ib. p. 78.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8962) (tudalen 102)
|
102
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
BURSTLE [buursl], v. t. and /.; sb. Bristle (always).
Urchet, I wants a wax-endmind you puts a good burstle in un. - Didn th' old dog burstle up his busk
then, hon he zeed your “Watch "?
I thort there was gwain to be murder way em.
Our Jim's a quiet fuller let'n alone: but he'll zoon burstly up nif anybody d'affurnt'n.
Upon the cop right of his nose he hade
A werte, and thereon stode a tuft of heres, Reede as the berstles of a souwes eeres.
Chaucer, Prologue, 1. 555. (The Mellere.)
BURT [biirt, very short almost brf\, v. To dent, to bruise; as of a pewter-pot.
[Leok ee zee 1! neef dhee as-n u-droa'd daewn dhu taung-z un \3rburt ee-n dhu tarpaut,] look! if thou
hast not thrown down the tongs and
dinted in the teapot.
Compare gurt for great and grit; also crids for curds, and drit for dirt. Hal. has Brit.
and so J>ei sillen in man ere j>e spiritual lif of cristis apostilis
and disciplis for a litel dril and
wombe ioie.
Wydif (Works, E .E. T. S.), p. 166. See also Ib. p. 182.
BUSHEL [beo-shl], v. /. To measure grain with a bushel measure.
BUSHELY [beo-shlee], v. i. To yield so as to quickly fill the bushel measure. See PECK.
The wheat don't half bushely de year, same's I've a knowed it avore now.
BUSHMENT [beo'shmunt], sb. A thicket, a bushy place. [Twaud-n noa vuurdur oa'f-n dhik dhae'ur
beo'shmunt^\ it was no further off
than that thicket. (Very com.)
Biisshement, embuche. Palsgrave.
wan y ros of my bedde,
y leuede jou on a buchyment (wrongly glossed ambush}.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 797.
See BRUSHET.
BUSK [buusk], sb. i. The hair growing along dogs' backs, which when in a pugnacious mood they cause
to stand straight up. It is very
common to talk of a dog [wai uz buusk au'l un
ee-n,] with his busk all on end. From this arises the frequent description of a man being made angry [Puut
liz buusk airp,] put his busk up,
precisely equivalent to the American “his dander was riz." Hence to busk is to
irritate, to stroke the wrong way /.
e. to cause the busk to rise.
ripping-up, or round-shaving wone tether, stivering or grizzling, tucking
or busking. Ex. Scolding, 1. 312.
2. The front stiffener of a woman's stays.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8963) (tudalen 103)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 103
BUSKINS [buuz-geenz], sb. Leather gaiters covering the 'leg, but not reaching to the knee. I have never
heard this name applied to cloth
leggings. See OVERALLS, BUTTON-STOCKINGS.
BUSS [buus], sb. A young fatted bullock which has never been weaned.
BUSS-BEEF [buns- beef], sb. The flesh of an unweaned calf which has sucked the mother until full
grown.
[Tiid-n au-vees tarndur, aay-v u-noa'd zaum u dhiish yur buns' -beef maa'yn tuuf',] it is not always tender, I
have known some of this here buss-beef
very tough. July 31, 1879.
BUSSEL [buus-1], v. and sb. See TIMBER CARRIAGE. When timber is loaded on a * top carriage,' the
but end always rests on the *
pillar-piece ' or ' bolster ' of the ' fore carriage ' and inasmuch as the shafts of this kind of truck are hinged,
the framework of the carriage has to
be supported and kept rigid independently.
For this purpose there is a strong iron bar called the bussel, having a ring sliding loosely upon it, with
a short but strong chain attached to
this ring. When the tree is loaded, to bussel up is to make fast this short chain called the
bussel-chain to the tree with ' dogs,'
so that the front wheels may be able to ' lock,' while the '. carriage ' may at the same time be held
firmly in its place. No bussel is
required for an ' under-carriage.' Same as BOLSTER-CHAIN.
BUSY-GOOD [biiz-ee-geod]. A name for a meddling busybody.
Her's a riglar old busy-good.
BUT [bud], adv. Almost; all but.
[Uur kyaal*d-n ^^uvureedhing,] she called him almost everything /. e. by all
the abusive epithets she could lay her tongue to.
I thort a was a quiet sort of a man avore, but he cuss'd, he damn'd, he call'd me ^/everything. Jan. 16,
1887.
Very common as above, but not used otherwise in this sense.
BUT [buut], conj. Nothing save; nothing but.
I ant a-'ad but a bit o' bread since yes'day mornin'.
For my labour schall I not gett, But
yt be a melys mete.
Weber's Met. Roman. Sir Cltges, 1. 347.
BUTCHING [beoch-een], fart. sb. Butchering; practising the trade of butcher. The ordinary form, but
this is an exception to the usual rule
as to trades (comp. shoemakering, druggistering, farmering, gardenering,
keepering, &c.), which is that the frequentative flection ing is added not to the verb, but
to the verbal noun.
A man came with his cart to cut up a pig killed the day before,
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8964) (tudalen 104)
|
I0 4
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
and to carry away part; a by-stander said: [Wuul, Wiil'yum, zoa yue bee paurk-beoclfeen tu dai, bae'im ee?]
well, William, so you are
pork-butching to-day, are you not? Oct. i, 1886.
One of her boys is gwain taildering and tother butching.
See PARKING.
BUTT [buut], sb. A hedge. Often used also as an adj. A /^//-hedge. (Very com.) Not confined to a
boundary hedge, though doubtless that
is the true meaning.
A farmer rabbiting said: [Yuur! wee aa'n u-truyd dhee'uz yur buuf}. And later on same day: [Aa-1 waurn
dhur-z waun een dhik dhae-ur buuf\.
Here, we have not tried this here hedge. I
will warrant there is one in that there hedge. November 24th, 1885.
BUTT [buut], sb. A heavy cart on two broad wheels; made to tip (see SWORD); used chiefly for carrying
manure, and hence very commonly called
a duung-buut. In local advertisements of sales of farm implements, it is usually spelt by
auctioneers, putt. In leases also,
putt-load of good rotten dung is fast superseding the old seam (q. v.}. Another kind, called a druug-buut,
or drce'wil-buut, three-wheel-^//// is in shape like a very large deep
wheel-barrow, but with three low
wheels two of which take the places of the legs of a wheel-barrow. This is drawn by one
horse in chains, and the dritug is a
very simple, self-acting drag or break contrived with the chain to which the horse is attached. This
chain is fixed to each of the cheeks
which rest on the front wheel, and is made of such a length that it will only fall upon the
circumference of the wheel, and will
not pass over it. The horse is hooked on to a heavy swivel in the centre of this chain. When he
pulls, the chain rises and the wheel
is free; as soon as the strain ceases the chain falls on the wheel and instantly stops it.
T)i\\g-butts are very useful
implements in hilly land for taking out manure, &c. The
driver can cause the horse to upset
the butt and to right it again.
BUTT [buut], sb. A guard worn on the left hand at cudgel-playing or
single-stick. It is a small half-round basket, having a stick thrust through it which is grasped by
the hand. Sometimes the butt is merely
an improvised padding of cloth, or a garment
wrapped round the arm.
When about to play a bout, it is usual to say to the opponent: [Keep aup yur buut, un Gaud prai'zaa'rv yur
uysait,] keep up your butt, and God
preserve your eyesight. So “keep up your butt” is a very favourite figurative expression
for "be on your guard."
BUTT [buut], sb. i. Of bees. A hive or swarm of bees is always called [u buut u bee'z].
[Tairk! uur-d tauk u buut u bee-z tu datrr, uur wid,] talk!
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8965) (tudalen 105)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. IO5
she would talk a swarm of bees to death, she would. (Very common expression.)
2. The common straw hive is always a butt, or a bee-butt.
[Dhu bee'z bee zwaurmeen, un wee aa'n u beet uv u buut vur tu puut- um ee-n,] the bees are swarming,
and we have not any hive at all to put
them in.
BUTTER AND EGGS [buad'r-n ag-z], i. The garden Narcissus (always); by some the common
Daffodil also is so called.
2. A variety of the Primrose having a double calix, growing one out of the other. Not uncommon in the Hill
district.
3. The common yellow toad- flax Linaria Vulgaris.
BUTTER OVER [buad'r oa-vur], v. To flatter; to soft-soap. We never say "butter up" or lt
butter down." You knows the way
to butter over the paa'sn, don'ee now?
BUTTER-TEETH [buad'r tardh]. The upper front teeth.
[Droa'd-n rait aewt-n dhu roa'ud-n aa*t aewt tue'-v uz buad'r-tai'dh,]
pitched him right out into the road, and knocked out two of his butter-teeth.
BUTTON-STOCKINGS [buufn stairkeenz], sb. Gaiters-cither of cloth or leather;
leggings. (Very com.)
BUTTONS [buufnz], sb. i. The flowers of the Feather-few (g. #.). Pyrethrum Parthenium.
2. Senses; intellect. Very com. in the phr. He've a-got all his (her) buttons.
I never don't sim thick there boy 've a-got all his butto?is /. e. he is half-witted.
Sharp little maid her Ve a-got all her buttons, I'll warn her (warrant).
3. Sheep's droppings.
4. The burs of various plants; such as of Clivers, Burdock, Thistles, &c.
BUTTRACE, BUTTRESS [buufrees]. A farrier's tool for paring horses' hoofs. It cuts like a
chisel, but has a bent handle; it is
used by pushing the instrument away from the operator, while the parer is drawn towards the user. See
RACE-IRON.
Boutoir, m., a Farrier's buttress. Cotgravc.
Boutoir (far.) buttons, parer. Spiers.
A buttrice and pincers, a hammer and naile,
An aperne and siszers for head and for taile. Tnsstr, 17.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8966) (tudalen 106)
|
106
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
BUZZ [buuz], v. i. To fuss about; to run to and fro; to gossip; to be a busy-body.
[Uur-z au-vees u buuz'een ubuwt waun plae'us ur nuudh'ur,] she is always buzzing about one place or
another.
BUZZNACKING [buuz-naak-een], sb. Same as buzzing. Heard sometimes in this district; common in
South Devon.
BWT! [bwai'ee!]. Bye! good-bye; lit. [bee war ee], be with ye, spoken rapidly, but less corruptly than
in the received English good-bye!
BY [buy], prep. i. Against the character; prejudicial to the reputation, as in i Corinthians iv. 4. Used
in this sense very commonly.
[Wuul! yiie nur noa mae'un uul's kaa*n zai noa'urt buy ur,] well! you nor no man else can't say nothing
against her (character).
Al )>at he wiste by wylle * to watkyn he told hit, And J>at he wiste by watkyn tolde hit
wille after; And made foos of frendes
J)orw fals and fykel tonge.
Piers Plowman, vii. 70.
we willej) hym lede for> boldely: with ous wi>oute affray, and if J>ar is any >at spekej) o$t
by: say we it is our pray.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 1664.
2. [buy], prep. Upon; with.
There idn nort like good hard bread and cheese and cider to work by.
A man said to me, in reference to a particular sort of food for pigs: [Dhai du due' vuuree wuul buy ut,]
they thrive very well upon it. This
would be quite the common mode of expression.
3. [bi, bee]. During; in the space of.
[VVuy! wut-n due* ut bee dhee luyvtuym.] why! thou wouldst not do it in the space of thy lifetime.
" Ich by-hote >e," qua]) hunger “J>at hennes nel ich
wende Er ich haue y-dyned by J>ys
day ' and y-dronke bo]?e!”
Piers Plowman, IX. 302.
4. [bee, buy], prep. Often used in the place of several other words understood = judging from the
appearance of; according to the action
of.
Thick rabbit's a-passed on, by the dog /. e. judging from the dog's action. Dec. 30, 1885.
He 'ont never 'gree to it; can tell by un /. e. you can predict his action, judging from his present
conduct.
5. [bee, bi], prep. Of; concerning; about; relating to. (Very com.)
Jis the same 's the man zaid by 'is wive her's a rare forester vor butter-n cheese.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8967) (tudalen 107)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS.
You don't hear it by many yokes, eens they be so good to poor vokes as our maister is.
After the verb to know, by is constantly used in negative answers, “Not that I know of," is nearly always
[nauf-s aay noa buy~\, so with the
very common phrase [noa tuynoa buy,~\ no 't I know by.
See TINO.
It seme)) )>at god self? bi J:es newe singeris as he did in J>e gospel
to pharisees ")>is peple
honourej) me wij> lippis," &c.
Wyclif, Eng. Works, E. E. T. S. p. 169.
Ac it ys no$t by ]>Q bysshop ' j>at }>e boye preche]>, J>e parsheprest and }>e pardoner *
parten \>e seluer, j)at poore puple
in parshes * sholde haue, yf J>ei ne were.
Piers Plenum an, I. 78.
What sigge $e, lordes of renoun: By
]>e conseyl of Gweneloun?
\Vat rede }e for to do? Sir Ferumbras, 1. 4069.
BYAS [buy 'us], sb. Accustomed place or condition. A man speaking of pheasants said: “They'll
sure to come back to their by as?
But when the feare is over, then they return to their old byas againe.
Rogers, 1642. Hist, of Naaman, p. 33.
BYES [buyz]. A term in agriculture. The corners and ends of a field which cannot be reached by the
plough, and must be dug by hand;
called also bats (q. v.).
BY GOOD RIGHT [bee geo'd rai-t]. Properly; in justice. [Dhai ad-n u-gairt noa buVnees dhae'ur bee
geo'd raH, ~\ in justice they had no
business to be there. See RIGHT.
BY-NOW [beenaew], adv. Just now; not long since. [Wur-z mee nai'v? aay-d u-gau't-n beenaew
^\ where is my knife? I had it just
now. (Very com.)
BY-VORE [buy voa'ur], sb. By-furrow. In ploughing a field, inasmuch as the plough works backwards and
forwards, it must be that one half of
the furrows are turned in one direction, and the other in the opposite. A freshly-ploughed
field has the appearance of alternate
strips of furrows, thus lying in opposite directions. These strips meet alternately in a by-vore
and "a all-vore" the former
where the last furrow of one is turned towards the first of the next strip; and the latter, when these
two are turned away from each other,
leaving a trench between.
A farmer explaining the directions given in a recent ploughing-match said:
"In gatherin, you know, they've a-got vor to make a by-vorr, and in drowin abroad they makes a
all-vore." Nov. 23, 1883. See
GATHER.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8968) (tudalen 108)
|
IC8 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
CAB [kab], sb. i. A cake; a mass.
[U guurt kab u duung,] a great cake of dung.
2. v. t. To clog. No wonder the
machine 'ont work, he's all &-aVd up way graise.
CABBY [kab-ee], adj. Sticky, adhesive, viscid. This here bread 's propper cabby.
CACK [kaak], v. Cacare.
Welsh. Cachu, to go to stool. Richards.
Cakkyn, or fyystyn. Caco. Pro nip. Parv.
CACK [kaak], sb. Human excrement.
Welsh. Cac/i, dung, ordure.
CAD-BO1T [kad-bauyt]. Cad-bait. The caddis-worm; more commonly called [eo'd-kaaryur,]
wood-carrier (g. v.).
C ADDLE [kacM], v. and sb. To fuss or bustle about without really doing anything; a fuss or useless
bustle.
[Dhae'ur, dh-oa*l mae'un du kad'lee baewt, jis lig u ai'n wai wau'n chik,] there, the old man fusses about,
just like a hen with one chicken.
[Haut ai'ulth ee, MuVus? yue bee airl een u kad'l z-mau'rneen,] what's the matter, Mistress? you are all in
a bustle this morning.
Wul Grummleton zwar'd by the zun and the moon,
And by all the green leaves 'pon the tree,
If ez wife ed but take to her office agen,
Her should nivver be caddfd by he.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 31.
CADDLING [kad-leen], adj. and pres. part. i. Fussy; peddling: constantly applied to day labourers, who
manage to seem to be. working, but yet
who do next to nothing.
[U kad'leen oa'l fuul'ur ee doa'n saaT tuup-uns u-dar,] a peddling old fellow he doesn't earn two-pence a day.
2. Tricky, pettifogging, shuffling.
[Kaa-n niivur dae'ul wai ee-, u-z au'vees zu kad'leen^ (I) can't never deal with him, he is always so
shuffling.
CADGE [kaj], sb. Act of tramping, or leading a vagabond life. Purty old bun'le her is her bin 'pon the
cadge 'is ten year.
CADGER [kaj-ur], sb. K tramp; one who gets his living by simply wandering about begging or stealing,
but never by working. [Aay-v u-yuurd
urn zai- eens dhai'zh-yuur kaj'urz du due' vuuree
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8969) (tudalen 109)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 1 09
wuul buy ut,] I have heard them say that these cadgers do very well at it. They zes how 'tis a wo'th vive
sh liins to 'em vor to zingy drue the
town o' Welli'ton.
CADGING [kaj'een], sb. The trade of a cadger or tramp. [Mutvee u wiis choa'r-n kaj-een^ many a
worse chore (q. v.) than
begging.
CADGY [kaj-ee], v. i. To wander about the country like a vagabond, begging or stealing, as
opportunity offers.
[Haut-s kau'm u dh-oa'l Ae'urun Joa'imz? Oa! ee doa*n due* noa'urt bud kaj'ee baewt,] what has become
of the old Aaron Jones? Oh! he does
nothing but beg or steal.
CAFENDER [kaa-fmdur], sb. Carpenter (always).
Two caffinders was fo'ced ta be zeynd vor, and they zaw'd, an' zaw'd, an
'zaw'd, till ta last they zaw'd en
out.
Pul man, Rustic Sketches, p. 67.
CAFENDERING [kaafmdureen], sb. Carpentry.
[Dhur-z u suyt u kaa'fmdureen uvoa'r dh-aewz ul bee u-due'd,] there is a great deal of carpentry (to be
done) before the house will be
finished.
CAFENDERY [kaa'fmduree], v. L To practise the trade or pursuit of a carpenter. In this and similar
cases, the verb thus formed is
frequentative, and implies continuance. See FARMERY.
CAG [kag 1 ], sb. Bad meat, carrion; sometimes called cag-mag.
CAG-BUTCHER [kag-beoch'ur], sb. One who buys diseased meat, or animals after they have died, and
who sells the meat for sausages or
dogs' meat; also a horse-slaughterer.
CAGE OF TEETH [kee'uj u tai'dh], sb. A set of teeth whether natural or artificial is always called a
cage.
[Wuul! dhee-s u-gauf u geod kee'uj u tai'dh, shoa'ur nuuf, flit tu mak lin-ee faa'rmurz aa*rt ae-uk,] well!
thou hast a good set of teeth, sure
enough fit to make any farmer's heart ache (q. v.}.
[Ez ut true 1 , zr, eens kn ae'u u niie* kee'uj u-puut een?], is it
true, sir, that (one) can have a new
cage put in?- /". e. set of teeth.
CAKE [kee-uk], sb. Bread made into a flat shape instead of like the ordinary loaves. This kind is
particularly suitable to bake upon the
embers or “coals." In the sense in which we now use the word in this district, as applied to
bread, it is used throughout the A. V.
of the Scriptures.
CALF [kyaa'v], sb. Hunting. A deer, male or female, under one year old.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8970) (tudalen 110)
|
I IO
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
My derlyng is lijk a capret, and a calfoi hertis.
IVyclif. vcrs. Song of Solomon, ii. 9.
The hounds took after a hind with a calf by her side, but they were soon whipped off. Records, North Devon
Staghounds.
CALF-BED [kaa'v, or kyaa'v-bai'd]. The womb of a cow; also the placenta of a cow.
CALF-LOVE [kaav-luuv], sb. The common falling in love of an overgrown boy with a woman much older than
himself.
CALL [kairl, kyaa'l], v. tr. i. To abuse, to call names.
[Uur kau'ld-n bud uVureedhing,] she abused him to the utmost; lit. called him (all) but everything.
I thort a was a quiet sort o' fuller avore; but tho he cuss'd, he damned, he call'dme but everything. Jan.
22, 1887.
[Uur kyaa'ld ur au'l uur kud luy ur tuung* tue,] she abused her to the utmost of her power.
2. v. i. To utter the call-note to its mate: said of a partridge. [Doa'n ee ynur um kau'leen?~\ don't you
hear them calling? Nif you do year the
birds cally^ mind, they baint gwain to lie
/. e. they will fly off before you get near them. See COCKING.
CALL [kau'l], v. t. To consider; to estimate.
[Dhai kau'lz ut dree muyuld yuur-vraum,] they consider it (to be) three miles from hence.
[Ee du kau-l ee'z dhu vuuree bas'tees soa-urt kn ae'u vur muun-ee,] he considers his the very bestest
sort (one) can have for money.
CALL [kau-1], sb. Occasion; business; necessity.
[Yue noa- kau'l tu zar wur yue bee gwarn tue,] you (have) no need to say where you are going.
[Kairm naew! dhur ed-n noa kau'l vur noa saa'rs,] come now! there is no occasion for any sauce.
CALL-HOME [kau'l, or kyaa'l oa'm], vb. See AX-OUT, i. To completely publish the banns /. e. for the
third time.
[Ded-n noa- dhai wuz gwaa'yn tu bee maa-reed! war, dhai wuz \\-kyaa-ld oa-m laas Ziin'dee,] didn't know
they were going to be married! why,
they were called home last Sunday.
2. phr. To remember a person's name.
I know your face very well, but I can't call 'ee homei. e. cannot recollect your name. Used twice by speaker
on same occasion (com.). Aug. 25,
1886.
.CALL OVER [kau-1, or kyaa'l oa'vur]. To publish banns in church.
[Dhai wuz u kyaa'ld oa'vur u Zun'dee tu chuurch.]
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8971) (tudalen 111)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. Ill
CALL WAN [kaa-leevair], sb. Caravan. The house on wheels used by Gypsy hawkers; or one of the
carriages of a wild-beast show. Any
very large carriage.
CALVATRY [kaal'vutree]. Cavalry; the name for any troop of cavalry, but generally applied to the
Yeomanry cavalry.
[Noa! Mae'ustur ed-n au*m ai-z u-goo" aup tu Taa'nun ecu dhu kaal'vutree,~\ no! Master is not at
home he is gone up to Taunton in the
yeomanry.
CAMBER [kaa'mbur]. The same as camel (q. v.), but not so commonly used. A sawyer would be ordered to
cut a piece ojf wood on the camber i.
e. with one edge curved convexly. This
term applies only to curves lengthwise, and could not be used to express simple convexity of area.
Welsh. Camm, adj., crooked, bended, bowed.
A camber-nose. Junius.
CAMEL [kaa-mee'ul]. A phrase used by carpenters to express a convex divergence from the straight line.
Of a beam or rafter, if bent, it would
be said, [puut-n ee*n pun dhu kaa'mcrul\ put it in upon the camel /. e. with the convex edge
upwards.
[Dhik raef'tur du kaa'mee'ul moo'ur-n tue' un-shez,] that rafter is more than two inches convex. Used as sb.,
adj.> and v. So camel-backed means anything longitudinally convex.
See HOLLOW, ROUNDING.
CAMLET [kaa'mlut], sb. A kind of close waterproof cloth; also a cloak made of this material. Before
mackintoshes were invented camlets
were as common as the former now are.
Welsh. Caw lad and Camlod, s. Camblet. Richards.
Chamlet, Camelot.
Watered Chainlet, Camelot a ondes.
Unwatered C hamlet, Camelot plenier. Cotgrave (Sherwood).
CAN [kair], sb. A metal milk-pail: generally of tin. [Kaar lau'ng dhu kan' lairng war ee,] carry
along the milk-pail along with you.
Often called [miilk'een kan,] milking-can.
CAN CANT \kn. cmph. kan' neg. kaa-n], v.
[Aay kn git airn miid'leen-luyk tu diin'ur, bud aay kaa-'n nuvur maek noa an- tu braek-sus,] I can get on
middling-like at dinner (/. <?.
have a good appetite), but I cannot ever make any hand of breakfast. See W. S. Gram. p. 63, et seq.
CANDLE-DOUTING [kairl-duwteen], sb. Morning; dawn. In some farm-houses it is still sometimes,
and formerly was most frequently, the
custom to "burn more car? I avore daylight than arter dark-night." Hence when the sun
is up sufficiently to see to work is
the time for carile doutin.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8972) (tudalen 112)
|
112
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
When this is not done so soon as might be, it is common to hear from the “Missus": "Come
soce! can't ee burn carilss enough, 'thout
burnin o' daylight too?”
CANDLE-TEENING [kan-l-tee*neen], sb. Candle-lighting. Evening, when it grows too dark to see
without a candle. Time to light up.
vrom candle-douting to candlc-tecning in the Yeavling i. e. “from dawn
to dewy eve." Ex. Scold. 1. 314.
CANDLE-WASTER [kairl wae'ustur], sb. One who sits up 4ate at night.
I have often heard a certain family spoken of thus: They be proper cattle-wasters no odds how late
anybody is a-gwain home, aa'll warnt
they baint a-bed.
Patch grief with proverbs; make misfortune drunk With candle^vasters; bring him yet to
me, And I of him will gather patience.
Much Ado About Nothing, v. I.
CANIFFLY [kaireeflee]. To dissemble; to flatter. (Nearly obsolete.) See Ex. Scolding, 1. 257.
CANKER-BALL [kang'kur baul, or baa'l], sb. The mossy or hairy excrescence, often of a bright
scarlet colour, found upon the wild
rose. See HUMACK.
The rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem
For that sweet odour which doth in it live. The cancer-blooms have full as deep a
dye As the perfumed tincture of the
roses.
Shakespeare, Sonnet LIV.
CAN'LEMAS [kairlmus], sb. Candlemas. Feast of the Purification, February 2nd.
All these seasons are remembered by the
country folk as Chillermas, Lammas, Martinmas, &c.; but are utterly unknown to the factory and town
people.
er he were ibore.
For >o he was in his moder wombe, a Canddmasse day, per folc was at churche ynouj.
Rob. of Gloucester, Life of St. Dunstan, 1. 2.
CANLE-TEEN [kanl-teen], sb. Evening, dusk.
I'll be 'long way-ee agin, vore cannle-teen.
CANT [kant], v. t. To turn over, or upset, as in rolling a log of timber, or a block of stone.
Here, Jim! lend a hand wi't, vor to cant this here piece we baint men enough by ourzels.
CANTING-DOG [kairteen-duug], sb. An iron having a hooked claw at one end, and a ring at the other,
used with a lever passed through the
ring, to turn over or roll heavy trunks of trees.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8973) (tudalen 113)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 1 1 3
CANTLE [karrtl], sb. A wedge-shaped slice. Always used for slices cut from a cheese.
[Plai-z, muum, tu spae'ur mairdhur u kan'tl u chee'z,] please, ma'am, to spare mother a cantle of cheese.
[Ez dhee'uz kan'tl bai'g unuuf-?] is this cantle big enough?
Cantel, of what euer hyt be. Quadra, U. G. Minutal.
Promp. Parv.
Quignon, m. A cantel, gobbet, lump.
Chanteau, m. . . . also a gobbet, lump, crust or cantel of bread.
Cot grave. A cantle or cantel:
canteau, quignon.
Cotgrave (Sherwood).
And Adam and cue: and ojjer bestes alle.
A cantel of kynde witt: here kynde to Saue.
Piers Plow. XV. 163.
For nature hath nat take his begynnyng
Of no partye ne cantel of a thing.
Chaucer, Knightes* Tale, 1. 2149.
And cuts me, from the best of all my land,
A huge half-moon, a monstrous cantle out.
I Hen. IV. Act III. Scene i.
CANTLEBONE [kantl boo-un], sb. The collar-bone. More properly it is the vertebra which projects
at the bass of the neck when the head
is bent forward. Sometimes called the “cantle-bone of the neck." I have heard it applied
to other parts of the body; especially
to the lowest of the vertebrae.
Darn'd if I didn think he'd a-brokt the cantelbone o' my ass.
Tha wut net break the cantlebone o' thy tether Eend wi* chuering, chell warncly. Exmoor Scolding, 1. 280.
CAP [kaa-p], v. To make a collection of money generally in the hunting-field, after a “run," for
the huntsman; but I have often heard
the expression used in respect of collections of the like kind for various purposes of course on
account of a cap being used to receive
the money in. Comp. u to send round the hat."
CAP [kaa-p], sb. A sum or purse of money collected. [Dhai gairt u kaa'p u zab'm shuTeenz-n
vufpuns vairr-n,] they got a sum
collected of seven shillings and five-pence for him.
CAP [kaa-p, kyaa-p], v. t. To excel; to surpass. [Dhik stoa'r du kaa'p au'l dhut uvur aay
yuurd oa,] that story beats all that I
ever heard. Comp. to “cap verses."
Orleans. Ill will never said well.
Constable. I will cap that proverb with There is flattery in friendship.
Henry V. III. 7.
CAPEL [kyup-1, <?rkee*upl], sb. The swivel cap on the handle of a flail. It is made of a piece of very
tough wood, and bent so
i
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8974) (tudalen 114)
|
114
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
as to form a loop, and so shaped as to turn loosely on the handle without coming off. To the capel is attached
the middle bind, which connects the
two parts of the implement. See DRASHLE.
Cappe of a fleyle. RLditentum. Promp. Paj~v.
CAPICAL [kaa-pikul], adj. Capital.
[Dhaat-s kaa'pikul /] that is capital! (always). I calls it a capical job, Maister!
The zecond kinsarn wis moast cabical vun,
An I understood iv'ry wan thing thit wis dun.
Nathan Hogg, Tha Gentlemen Akters.
Theck stream. . . Hurns 'pon the
gravel, zo ev coose, Ez cappical vor
breedin' trout.
Puhnan, Rustic Sketches, p. 5-
CAP MONEY [kaap mumree], sb. The money collected in the field after a “run” for the benefit of the
huntsman. The custom of making this
collection, is in daily observance in this district, and is not “nearly obsolete” as described by
Halliwell. “A hundred a year and
cap-money” is the commonest of phrases, for the salary of a huntsman.
CAPPING [kaap-een], sb. Coping (always).
[Kaap-een stoa-unz,] coping-stones.
The surveyor reported to the board that the capping of the bridge at Ash
Mill needs repair. Local Paper.
CAP-SHEAF [kaap-sheev], sb. The sheaf of corn with which a “stitch” is covered in a showery harvest.
Jim must g' up 'n the whait-field; the cap-s -heaves be all a-blowed off.
CAR [kaa'r], sb. A nearly obsolete, close-covered, two-wheeled vehicle. The seats are sideways, with a
door and steps at the back; the
driver's seat is in the centre of the front, and is somewhat protected by a
projection of the roof. It holds from four to
six persons inside. Car is never applied in this district to a
four-wheeled carriage of any kind.
CAR [kaa'r], v. t. i. To carry.
[Ez ur t-ae-vee tu kaa'r T\ is it too heavy to carry. The second syllable is always dropped.
The squier was in want o' vish, An'
zeynd ver I ta git'n a dish; Zed e'd
goo too, an' what 'e think? Agreed to
car zum meyte an' drink.
P id in an, Jtiistic Sketches, p. 17.
2. To lead, or cart spoken of hay or corn. [Dhik-ee mee-ud ul bee flit tu kaa'r urn
baa-y,] that field will be fit to lead
by-and-by.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8975) (tudalen 115)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 1 15
[Aay shl kaa'r airl mee wait tumaavru,] I shall cart all /. e. the last of my wheat to-morrow.
3. To lead; to conduct. Applied to roads or paths. You volly thick there drove, and he'll car
you so straight 's a line down to
Horner.
CAR AWAY [kaa - r, or kyaar uwar], v. t. A polite form of to steal. See AIM 2.
A! the thefe caryed away my bouget with hym. Palsgrave. Compare
Pistol. Convey, the wise it call: Steal! fob! a fico for the phrase.
Merry Wives of Windsor, I. 2.
CARDER [kaa'rdur], sb. A machine for carding wool.
CARDING [kaa-rdeen], sb. A roll of carded wool from the machine, to be spun into yarn.
CARKY [kaarkee], v. i. To fret, to complain, to grumble. (Com.)
Hot's the good to bide carkin and groanin over hot can't be a-mended? Tidn no good to cry over shod
milk. See QUERK.
\-carkt for our thryfte, and thou carest nat which ende go by-fore. I - carkeje chagi ine. Palsgrave.
Wail ye this woful waste of Nature's wark;
Wail we the wight, whose presence was our pride;
Wail we the wight, whose absence is our cm k;
Spencer. Shepherds Cal. November, 1. 14.
To carke and care, and euer bare, With
losse and paine, to little gaine.
Tusser, 113/15.
CARNATION GRASS [kurnae-urshun graas], sb. A common dwarf sedge found in undrained meadow land,
which is by some believed to be the
cause of the coe in sheep (carex hirtd).
See Britten, Old Farming Words, E. D. S.
CARRIAGE [kaareej, kyaar eej], sb. So much of the framework of any vehicle as
is directly connected with the wheels; the
carrying part as distinct from the body or the shafts. We speak of the “vQVQ-carrlage” and the
“hinder-carriage” of any vehicle. The
former includes everything except the shafts and body, attached to the fore-wheels; and the latter the same
as to the hind-wheels. Hence a
"timber carriage" [tunvur kaareej,] consists of a frame and wheels only.
[Mus ae'u nue* bairdee tu dhik wag'een, bud dhu kaar'eej oa un-z vuuree geo'd,] I must have a new body
to that wagon, but the carriage of it
is very good. See PILLAR-PIECE, PERCH, NIB.
CARRIAGE [kaavreej], sb. In draining land, it is usual to put
I 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8976) (tudalen 116)
|
Il6
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
in a “carriage" /. e. main drain or artery, into which the smaller ones empty themselves. Same as
CARRIAGE-GUTTER, KING-GUTTER.
CARRIAGE-GUTTER [kaareej guud-r], sb. The main drain into which the branches in draining a field
are made to run. See GUTTERING.
CARRIN [kaareen], sb. Carrion; carcase or flesh of an animal d^ad of disease; any flesh unfit for food;
a corpse.
W r e do'd the best we could, but twadn not a bit o' good; we could'n make nort but carrin o'ur. Of a cow
which was “killed to save its
life."
I tell ee hot 'tis, hon I can't ate my breakfast, I shall very zoon be a box o' carrin.
Thoh tha wormes thi caroin gnawe, Thi
pynes lastes bot a thrawe. Homilies in
Verse. Tale of a Usurer, 1. 197. (Morris and Skeat.)
He crouke3 for comfort when carayne he finde^; kat vp on a clyffe ]>er costese lay
drye, Early Allit. Poems (Morris, E.
E. T. S.), Cleanness, 1. 459.
3it feyned religious. . . . stire hem to be biried in here chirche, and
stryuen and flatten for Jpe dede
careyne for loue of offrynge.
Wydif, Eng. Works (E. E. T. S.), p. 212.
and nether wheche ne leede, to be leyde in bote a grete clothe to hely my foule Caryin. Will of Thomas Broke,
Devonshire, 1417.
Fifty Earliest Wills, E. E. T. S. p. 27.
Caranye or careyn. Cad.iver. Promp. Parv.
See also Langland, Kich. the Red. II. 171.
Hide carren in graue
lesse noiance to haue. Tusser, 18/36.
CARRITER [kaa-reetur], sb. Character; reputation.
[Aay-v au-vees u-keep- u geod kaa'reetur vur pargz,] I have always kept a good character for pigs (/.
e. for having a good breed).
^ CARRY-MERRY [kaa'ree muuree, or kuuree muuree], sb. A kind of small dray for carrying casks,
consisting of two poles mounted on
four very low wheels. Any sized barrel rides securely on this vehicle without any fastening.
CART [kaa-rt, or kyaa-rt]. When a cart is so adjusted on its wheels that when fairly charged it presses
the shafts upwards, it is said to
loa-ud baa-k. WOien on the other hand it presses too much on the horse's back, it is said to
loa-ud vuurwurdz. A cart made to
"tip” is said to be made to {shunt aup,~\ shut up (q. v.}.
CAR-TALE [kaar tae'-ul], sb. A tale-bearer; a mischief-maker. Dhl^ her's a proper old car-tale: nif her
knowth it all the 1 ansh 11 year o' ut
Vore rmrra night.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8977) (tudalen 117)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. Ii;
Some carry-tale, some please-man, some slight zany, Some mumble-news, some trencher-knight,
some dick That smiles his cheek in
years;
Love s Labour Lost, V. 2.
CART-SADDLE [kaa-rt-zad'l], sb. The only name for the kind of saddle, made with a stiong wooden
groove which carries the back-chain,
and worn only by the horse in the shafts.
See GIG-SADDLE, HACKNEY-SADDLE.
Carte sadel, fye comissarie, owre carte shal he leve.
Piers Plowman t B. n. 179. See also Ib. C. ill. 190.
and also a cart-sadel, bale bandes, and bely bandes.
Fitzherbert, Husbandry, 5, 37.
CARTY [kaartee], adj. A term applied to a horse when too clumsy to be fit for either riding or
carriage work, and yet not of the
regular cart-horse stamp.
CARVY-SEED [kaa-rvee-zee-ud]. Carraway-seed.
A cake made way car vy -seed.
Caraway- herbe. Carwy, sic scribitur in campo fiorum. Promp. Parv.
CAS, CANS, CAS'N [kas-, kans?, kas--n?]. Contractions of thou canst, thou canst?tot, canst tJwu? canst
thcu not?
And thee art a lams'd in wone o' thy Yearms, and cass'/it zee a Sheen in
thy Reart-Ee. Exmoor Scolding; 1. 127.
I vill'd my bastie brimmin' vool. Cas
g'out ta-marra, if ee ool!
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 17. See p.
63, verb can West Som. Gram.
CASION [kizlrun], sb. Occasion; need; necessity. [Noa kizh'un vur tu zai* noa'urt, dhaewt
yue bee aak'st oa,] (you have) no
necessity to say anything (about it) without (*'. e. unless) you are asked. Same as CALL, sb.
Let go his arm. Edg. Chill not let go,
zir, without vurther casion.
King Lear, IV. 6.
CASS! [k'ss!]. The sound for driving the cat.
CAST [kaa-s], sb. The little curled heap thrown up by a vorm. Sometimes called a worm-rtw/. In the West
cast is not applied to mole-hills.
In house well deckt, what good doth gnawing rats? Or casting mowles, among the meadowes
greene?
Tnsser, 45/7.
CAST [kaa's], v. i. i. To warp or twist: applied to wood.
2. sb. In hunting, when the hounds are at fault, the huntsman "makes a cast" i.e. tries around
so as to cross the track of the fox or
deer, and if possible to regain the scent.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8978) (tudalen 118)
|
Il3
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
3. v. t. To throw down on its side a colt or bull for the purpose of castration. Used commonly in this sense,
and to throw an opponent in wrestling
(seldom).
and, I think being too strong for him, though he took up my legs
sometime, yet I made shift to cast
him. Macbeth, II. 3.
CAST OVER [kaa-s oa'vur], v. t. To consider; to reflect; to ponder.
[Aay-v \\-%aa's oa'intr au - l yue-v u-toa'l mee,] I have carefully considered all you have told me.
[Haim aay kaa's utoa'vur, aay zee'd twud-n due',] when I thought it over, 1 saw it would not do.
Alle man's lyfe casten may be,
Principal}', in J)is partes thre,
]>at er Jrir to our vnderstandyng;
Bygynnyng, midward, and endyng.
Hampole (1310) Prick of Conscience, 1. 432.
CASUALTY MEAT [kaz-ltee mart], sb. The meat of animals which have died or have been slaughtered
while diseased. This is one of the
butcher's terms for this quality of meat.
See MISFORTUNE MEAT.
CATCH HEAT [kaech yut], v. To get warm with exercise. (Always.) The phrase would not be applied
to getting heat from a fire, or from
hot drink.
[Spae'ur wuurk kaa'n kaech yiit' tue ut,] slow work (I) cannot get warm at it.
CATCH HOLD OF [kaech oa'ld oa], v. t. i. To'seize; to light upon; to take.
[Dhu poa-lees kaech oa'ld oa un jis eens ee km aewt,] the police lighted on him just as he came out.
2. To understand.
[Aay ded-n kaech oa'ld oa ut nuzaa'kleo,] I did not understand it exactly.
CATCHING [kaeclreen], adj. i. Applied to weather; rainy or showery.
[KaecJreen tuym vur dh-aa'rus,] catching time for the harvest.
[Dhu moo'ees kaecJi'inees haa-ymaek'een uvur aay nau'd,] the most catchingest /. e. showery haymaking I
ever knew.
2. Infectious.
[Dhur ud-n noa moo'ur kaech'inur dhing'-n dhaat dhae'ur veot raat,] there is no more infectious thing
than that foot-rot.
CATCHING [kaech-een], adv. Slightly lame.
[Haut ae-ulth dh-oal au's? Aay zum u goa'uth kaech'een luyk; leok ee zee', wuul ur, wur ee'v u-pikt aup
u stoa'im ur noa,] what ails the old
horse? I fancy he goes catching like; look, will you, whether he has picked up a stone or no.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8979) (tudalen 119)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 1 19
CATCH-WORK [kaeclr-wuurk], sb. A job here and there. Working for no particular employer, but
getting employment from any one
needing assistance. See STRAPPER, JOBBING-ABOUT.
Well, I 'ant a-had nort but catch-work since I corned away vrom Mr. Bond.
CAT-GALLOWS [kat-gaal-ees], sb. (Always.) A jumping rack, or bar to leap over.
CAT-HANDED [kyat-arrdud], adj. Clumsy, awkward. (Very com.)
Let-n alone, vore thee's a-spoild-n, you cat-anded son of a bitch!
CAT-HOCKED [kat-uuk'ud], adj. Denoting an ugly kind of hind leg in horses. The upper part is very
hollow, so as to make the hocks very
prominent.
CAT'S HEAD [kats, or kyats ard], sb. A very large kind of apple, sweet and juicy, excellent for
cider.
CAT'S ICE [katsuys], sb. Ice, which appears to have a quantity of air-bubbles in it, usually very thin,
and only strong enough to bear a cat.
CAT'S TAILS [kats taa-yulz], sb. Catkins, of the hazel or willow; also frequently called kat'skeenz
(catskins), which I take to be merely
a corruption of the lit. English catkin, and not a true dialectal word.
CAUCH [kairuch], sb. A poultice or plaister; a fomentation.
Well, mum, he's ter'ble bad, I 'sure you an' he's that rampin ii his inside he don't know hot ever to do.
The doctor's stuff don't do un no good
't all. I've a bath'n way bwoil-'ot water, and now I've a made a cauch way some seal' bran an'
turpentime in a flannen, and a-put
roun' the body oa un.
See Ex. Scold, p. 123.-
CAUL [kau'l], sb. The fat covering the intestines of the edible animals. See KIRCHER, BRACK.
The Caul, or kell wherein the bowels are wrapped. Girbe.
Cotgrave (Sherwood).
CAUSE [kairz], sb. Pavement; footpath. At Taunton Assizes, Jan. 2ist, 1886, a servant-girl giving
evidence as to a stabbing case said:
“I saw blood on the cause." The Judge (Grove) inquired what that was, and was immediately told,
the pavement or footway.
O.F. caucie; modern chaussee. Our Western dialect often drops the final y from words which have it in
other parts, while adding it in others
by way of inflection. Cf. car, slipper, for carry, slippery.
Causey in a hye way chavsee. Palsgrave.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8980) (tudalen 120)
|
120
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Cause is used also in Devonshire. See Trans. Devon Association^ p. 89.
In an Itinerary dated London 1719, called A Pocket Guide to the English Traveller, p. 61, is a map on
which is marked, "To Lutterworth
a causey on a Com."
Item to Kingston brigge vj d; Item to the cansy atte Wyke iiij d;
Item to the Chirche of Herdyngton, ij Buschett
barly: Will of Alys Chirche (1430).
Fifty Earliest Wills, p. 85.
The way . . . was causid with stone more than half a mile.
Lelantfs Itinerary, vol. ii. p. 66.
CAUSE WHY [kau'z wuy kae'uz wuy vurkairz wuy vur-kae'uz wuy kuz wuy]. The
first form is a \\\.\\zfine talk, though
very common; the second, fourth, and fifth, more usual, and used indifferently among the less sophisticated.
The third is the form of the sedate
village politician. Because; for the reason that.
See p. 95, IV. Som. Grammar.
[Aaybee saa'f t-ez noa* jis dhing kau'zwuy muy miis'us meet-n aup-m taewn uun'ee beenaew,] I am certain
it is no such thing, for the reason
that my wife met him up in town only just now.
An' dash my wig, zo 'tis! Cause ivhy?
By gar, da sar me right, ta last,
Theck whis'lin wind, an' dretning sky
Speyk'd raayn, ver now da wetty vast.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 14.
CAVE [kae'uv, or kee'uv], sb. and v. Roots, such as potatoes, turnips, mangold, are often stored out of
doors in a large heap, banked over
with earth and thatched with straw. To store in this manner is "to cave" them, and the
store so made is called "the
cave."
[Zoa, dhai-v u-ruub 4 Faa'rmur Vruyz tae'udee kee'uv, aa*n um?] so they have robbed Farmer Fry's
potatoe-heap, have they not?
CAVE [kee'uv], sb. A vault; a grave. See Gram, of W. S. p. 99.
CENSURE [sai'nshur], sb. Judicial sentence.
All the time the judge was gee-in the censure, you could a-yeard a pin drap.
To you, lord governor, Remains the
censure of this hellish villain; The
time, the place, the torture; O enforce it!
Myself will straight aboard. Othello, V. 2 (end).
CESS! [saes!]. Said to a dog, or to hounds, when giving food to induce them to eat.
CESS [saes], sb. v. and adj. A rate; a local tax. [Aay ziim wee bee u-saes' wuY-n uvur,] I
consider we are taxed worse than ever.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8981) (tudalen 121)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 121
[Dhur-z dhu poo'ur saes, un dhu kaewrrtee saes, un dhu saes taak'suz,] there is the poor-rate, and the
county rate, and the assessed taxes.
To Cessc; Tauxer. Cased: Tauxe.
Cotgrave (Sherwood).
CESS [zas-], sb. The pile of unthrashed corn heaped up in the pool (q. v.) of the barn.
[Bae'ud oal jaub*! dhur-z vaawur ae'ukurz u wait een dhik beet uv u zas't] bad old job! there is four
acres of wheat in that bit of a cess.
How dedst Thee stertlee upon tha eess last Rarest wey the young Dick Vrogwill. Ex. Scold. \. 32. See also 11.
70, 87, 240, 284.
CESS-COLLECTOR [saes- kulak -tur], sb. Tax-gatherer; rate-collector.
CESTERN [saes 'turn], sb. A cistern (always).
Ccsterne or cysterne. Cisterna. Pronip. Pai~v.
A Ct'sterne, Cisterne.
A little Cesterne. Cisternon. Cotgrave (Sherwood).
CRACKLE [chaak-1], v. To cackle; to chatter.
[Haut-s aup- wi dhu vaewulz dhai bee u chaak'leen zoa?] what's up with the fowls they are cackling
so?
Why 's-n hold thy bawl, neet bide there chacklin, same's an old hen avore day!
Chackle, to chatter loudly. “Do ee hold yer chackle"
Pul man, Rustic Sketches, p. 83.
CHACKLY [chaak-lee] adj. Chattering, talkative.
I niver didn zee no jis chackly maaid's you be, niver in all my born days. You do keep on chackle, chackle,
chackle, from day's-light to dark night.
Ce, mine leoue sustren, uoleweS ure lefdi
^t nout ]>e chakele Eue
)>e hen hwon heo haueiS ileid, ne con buten kakelen.
Ancren fiiivle, p. 66.
CHAIN [chai'n, rarely chaa'yn], sb. A weaver's warp. In this semi-manufacturing district many of the
technical terms are quite peculiar,
and quite different from those used to express the same process or thing in the Northern Counties.
The warp, of whatever material,
whether woollen, cotton, silk, hemp, or flax (all of which are woven in the district), is always the
chai'n. Chaa'yn is the form used by
the agricultural class for the ordinary chain; they know nothing of the weaver's
technicalities. See ABB, BEER.
CHAIN-BEAM [charn-bee-m], sb. One of the long rollers, extending the full width of a loom, on
which is carefully wound the series of
threads composing the warp or chain, which is to
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8982) (tudalen 122)
|
122
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
form the ground-work of the cloth. As the weaving progresses, the chain is unwound from its beam and
re-wound at precisely the same rate
upon the cloth-beam (q. v.). See BEAM.
CHAIR [chee'ur, chae'ur]. The invariable fracture in this word, making it a distinct dissyllable is no
modern corruption.
and preise thei him in the chaier of eldre-men. Wyclif. Psalm cvi. 32. See also
"Chayer," Wyclif. Works, p. 437.
Chayere (chayer, H.). Cathedra. Fromp. Parv.
A cheyer by-fore J>e chemne, Jjer charcole brenned, Watz grayj>ed for Syr Gawan,
grayj>ely with clojje}.
Sir Gawayne, 1. 875.
Ry^t byfore gode$ chayere. E. Allit. Poems, The Pearl, 1. 885. Nabigo-de-no3ar noble in his chayer. Ib.
Cleanness, 1. 1218.
CHATTY [chartee], adj. Neat, trim, nice; tidy in appearance, as well as attractive in manner.
[Uur-z u chal'tee lee'dl uunrun,] she is a neat little woman.
CHALK [chairk]. Publicans are accustomed to keep the score by chalk marks behind the door, hence to be
[chau'kd aup] is to be entered as a
debtor; and so the Cockney slang, "walk yoar chalks" is to abscond without paying your debts.
See HANG-UP.
CHALK-LINE [chau'k luyn]. The string used by carpenters to strike a line; also the line struck by
the chalked string. “To walk a
chdlk-\\&? is to be very circumspect in conduct, not to deviate from the straight path of duty;
very far removed from “walking
chalks."
I chalke, as a carpenter dotli his tymber with his lyne to square it.
Palsgrave.
CHAM [chaa-m], v. To chew; to masticate.
[Aay bee dhaat wai'k, neef aay-d u-guut u beet u mart, aay keod-n chaa'm ut,] I am so weak, if I had a
bit of meat, I could not masticate it.
[Dhu bas dhing tu bring aup yuung laa'rks wai, ez chaa-m buurd-n buad'ur,] the best thing to bring
up young larks with, is chewed bread
and butter. Often said to me, as a boy, by an old weaver bird-fancier.
Champ is literary, unknown to dialect speakers.
I chamme a thyng small bytwene my tethe or champe. le masche. Chamme the breed in your mouthe or ever you feed
your byrde. Palsgrave, p. 480.
CHANCE [chaa-ns], v. t. To risk; to speculate on. [Aa-1 chaa'ns ut, lin'ee-aew!] I'll run the
risk of it, anyhow! You 'ont take no
less? No, nat a varden. Well then, I tell ee
hot 'tis I'll hab'm an' chance it.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8983) (tudalen 123)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 123
CHANDLER'S CUT [chaarrlurz ktmt], sb. A joint of beef, cut from the flank.
CHANGE [chan-j], sb. A shift.
An old woman who had got ' leave out ' from the Union, came to ask in all seriousness if “you wid be so
kind, mum, as to give me a
c/iattgeeens I can put-n away in there 'cause I zim I should like to be a-buried 'spectable like. I know
they'd let me keep-m, vor they be very
well to we old women like, and they wid-n take-n away vrom me, you know, mum."
Chell g'in to Moulton Tomarra pretty taply, to buy some Canve^t vor a
new change. Ex. Scolding, 1. 630.
CHANNEL [chan-til], sb. and v. Kennel; gutter. Money was borrowed at Wellington for
“paving and channelling” ths streets.
Chamlle (or canell, P.) of a strete. Canilis aqnagium. Promp. Parv. CHANNEL-BONE [chairl boa'un]. The
collar-bone (com.).
The fell dart fell through his channel -bone,
Pierc'd through his shoulder's upper part, and set his spirit gone.
Chapman, Homer's Iliad, B. XVII. 1. 266.
CHANY [charnee], sb. China, or earthenware of the finer sort as distinguished from doam (q. v.).
[Twaud-n noa'tm u yur tloa'm, tvvuz rae'ul charnee, aay tuul ee,] it was none of your crockery, it was real
china, I tell you.
CHAPE [chee'up], sb. The loop on harness, on a sword-scabbard, or on any
leather strap, close to the buckle, through
which the end of the strap is passed.
Here knyfes were \-chaped nat with bras,
But al with silver wrought ful clene and \vel.
Chaucer, Prologue, 1. 365.
Chape of a schethe (sheecle, K. schede, u). Spinila. Promp. Parv.
A chape. Chappe defonrreau d'espee. Cotgrave (Sherwood).
Chappe. Locket of a scabbard. Cotgrave.
Chape of a shethe booterolle de gayne.
What shall I give the to chape my dagger? Palsgrave, p. 480.
y pouthered with chapes and scochons.
Will of Lady A. West, 1395. Fifty Earliest Wills, p. 4, 1. 13.
the whole theorie of war in the knot of his scarf, and the practice in the
chape of his dagger. All's well that
ends well, IV. 3.
CHARLOCK [chaarlik, chaarlauk], sb. Wild mustard sinapis arvensis (always). One of the commonest and
most troublesome of weeds.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8984) (tudalen 124)
|
124
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
CHARM [chaa'rm], v. t. To cure some disease by means su})posed to be supernatural: as [tu
chaa'rm zuunvur-vauyz] (freckles) [tu.
chaa-rm wairurts] warts; (the w is always sounded in this word). If the cure be perfected, they are
said to be {chaa'rmd uwai'], charmed
away.
CHARMIN [chaa-rmeen], adj. Well in health.
[Wuul, Saa'lee, un ae\v bee yue'? Oa chaa-rmeen, Jan, dhang kee, aewz yurzuul'?] well, Sally, and how are
you? Oh very well, John, thank you,
how is yourself?
CHATTER-BAG [chaafur bai'g], sb. Chatter-box; a silly chatterer.
He's a chaffer-bag sort of a fuller never can't get much sense out o' un. Oct. 9, 1885.
CHATTERY [chaat'uree]. When a package of glass or crockery has any of its contents broken, the pieces
rattle together when the case is
moved, and are said to [chaat'uree].
I count there idn none o'm a-brokt, I don't year none o'm chaffery.
CHAUNGY [chairnjee], adv. Changeable: applied to the weather; unsettled.
We baint gwain vor t' ave much rain I zim, but 'tis chaungy sort o' weather like;
Th'art zo deeve as a Haddick in chongy weather. Ex moor Scolding, 1. 122.
CHEAP [cheep], adj. The superlative absolutes of cheap are “so cheap's a dog in a halfpenny” /. e. at
the cost of a halfpenny; “so cheap's
bull-beef," and "cheap's dirt." See W. S. Gram. p. 22.
CHEAT [chart], sb. A loose shirt front. The name of course implies that the article is worn as a
counterfeit for clean linen; sometimes
called a dicky.
CHEATERY [chai'turee], sb. Swindling, cheating. [Dhur waud-n noa fae'ur plaay tau'l, twuz
chai'turee, aui oa ut,] there was no
fair play at all it was cheating, all of it.
CHEESE [chee-z], sb. i. The quantity or charge of ground apples in cider making, which is put into the
press at one time. The grinding of the
apples and piling the pummy (q. v.) upcn the press with layers of straw is called puffing up a
cheese. The pile of apples and straw,
after being pressed down very tightly for about twenty-four hours, is then
sliced down on all sides, and the cuttings are piled on the top of the central mass, which
is again pressed down, and the process
is repeated till the pile, originally five feet square, becomes a solid cake of one-fourth the
size. This operation is called
“workin' the cheese. 1 ' See DISH.
A farmer told me he had drawn out a “cider-c/ieese” for the pheasants. That is, he had taken the spent
apples after pressing,
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8985) (tudalen 125)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 125
and placed them near a covert. The birds are fond of scratching and picking up the pips.
2. The round flat seeds of the Marsh Mallow. Children are fond of eating them when green and soft.
3. In dancing, a lady makes a cheese when she twists round and suddenly stoops down so as to cause her
skirt to be inflated and distended.
Nathan Hogg (Letters, p. 25) says: “Having once been asked to define the term ' making a cheese? a
country friend present favoured the
company with the following explanation: * Way yu mist turn round tu ur dree times, and go quat.'“
CHEESE-RACK [chee'z raak], sb. A tier of shelves found in every cheese-room on which the newly-made
cheeses are placed to dry, and to
harden by exposure to the air.
CHEESE-WRING [chee'z-ring], sb. (Always.) A cheese-press, found in every dairy. A rock at Lynton is
called “The Devil's Cheese-wring"
See CIDER-PRESS.
CHEMY [shiinvee]. See SHIMMY.
CHERRYBUMZ [chuureebumz], sb. Cherubim. The fat-faced, winged baby heads so
often seen painted and carved in
country churches.
[Anjee'ulz-n chuurctbuumz}, angels and cherubim.
CHERRY ODDS [chuuree aud'z, chuuree aud'zez], sb. i. Cherry-stones. (Always.)
Don't you zwaller the cherry odds, Billy.
2. A game of pitch, played with cherry-stones. Jim, wi't thee play to cherry odds? 'As
a-got any?
CHERRY PIE [chuuree puy;]. The heliotrope so called from its scent.
CHEST [chiis-(t], sb. The rows of corn in the ear. Capical sort o' wheat, 'tis most always zix
and zeb'm chested /. e. there are
usually six or seven rows of grain in a single ear.
CHEST FOUNDERED [chus-vuuwirdurd]. Said of a horse, having a certain affection of the chest and
shoulders.
CHIBBOLE [chib'oal], sb. A young onion with the green stalk attached (always). A favourite addition to
salad. The pronunciation of this word is identical with the Florentine market
patois for cipblla. This should throw
some light upon whence we received the
onion. Our West Country pronunciation of chibbole is altogether different from the French riboule, or the
soft Spanish cebblla
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8986) (tudalen 126)
|
126
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
[thiwoal'yu], and would seem to point to Italy rather than to Spain or France.
Ac ich haue porett-plantes ' perselye and scalones, Chibolcs and chiruylles ' and chines
sam-rede. Piers Plow. p. ix. 1.
310. See also Ib. (B.) P. vi. 1. 296,
and (A.) p. vii. 1. 281.
Chybolle, herbe. Cinollus.Promp, Parv.
O.F. Scipoulle: The sea onion. Cotgrave. Chebolc, a yong onion. Ciuol. Palsgrave.
As St. James's, Greenwich, Tibals,
Where the acorns, plump as chibals,
Soon shall change both kind and name,
And proclaim them the king's game.
Ben Jonson, Masque, Gipsies Metamorphosed, p. I.
CHICKABIDDIES [chhVubid'eez]. Child's name for fowls or poultry in general.
Go and see the purty chickabiddies.
CHICKEN [chik-een]. The plural of chick. Chickens is unknown. See Note, W. S. Gram. p. 7.
CHIEL [chee'ul]. i. Child: the only form in the singular. [U chee'ul wuz-u-buurn tu datlr aup-m taewn
laas nait,] a child was burnt to death
up in (the) town last night.
Also commonly used in addressing or speaking of adults, even older than the speaker. A person might say
to his or her mother or grandfather,
or to any one with whom he was familiar, [Doa*n ee blee-v ut, chee'ul^ don't you believe
it, child. See W. S. Gram. p. 7.
For i not in Jns world ' hou ]>at worj>i child (i. e. man), Schal eucr vvite of my wo wipoute me selue.
William of Paler me, Werwolf, 1. 541.
2. A female infant.
Well, Missus, zo you be about agee-an! Well, what is it thee-as time, a chiel or a bwoy?
Shepherd (taking up the child). Mercy on's! a barne, A very pretty barne! A boy or a child, I
wonder?
Winter's Tale, III. 3.
CHILL [chtil-], sb. i. A very bad kind of cold: such as produces secondary
symptoms; also a common cold.
[Kaecht u chul' airl oa-vur, zab'm wiks ugau'n kaum Vruydee, un aa-n u-dued u stroa-k stinz,] (I) caught
a cold all over, seven weeks ago next
Friday, and (I) have not done a stroke (of work) since.
Rith as }?e hous-hennes: vppon londe hacchen,
And cherichen her chekonys: ffro chele of ]^e wynter, Ryth so J>e hende Egle: >e heyere of
hem all.
Lan gland, Rich, the Rede, p. u. 1. 143.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8987) (tudalen 127)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. I2/
Mai no peny-Ale hem paye: ne no pece of Bacun, Bote hit weore F resell Flesch: or elles
Fisch I-Frijet, BoJ>e chaud and
pluschaud: for chele of heore Mawe.
Piers Plow. (A) P. vn. 1. 297, See also Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 75.
Bote if 3e me helpe vp to drawe: J?e rajjere out of Jns fenne, WiJ? colde chile ich worj) a-slawe: ne go y
neuere henne.
Sir Ferwnbras, 1. 2331. 2. v. To make
slightly warm.
[Sh'l ur chul dhu suydur?] shall I warm the cider? [Draap u flta/wairdr vur dh-airs,] drop of
slightly warmed water for the horse.
CHILL-BLADDER [chul'-bhd'ur], sb. A chilblain. (Very com.)
CHILLER [chiil-ur]. Children. See W. S. Gram. p. 7.
CHILLER-MAS [chuTur mus]. Innocents day.
Friday, quoth-a, a dismal day!
CkildtrmaS'd&y this year was Friday.
Sir John Oldcaslle, quoted by Nares.
CHIM-CHAM, CHIM TO CHAM [cheem-chaam, cheem tu chaam], sb. Undecided talk; beating about
the bush; hindering a tradesman with
inquiries, without at last giving him an order. See CLICK TO CLACK.
You niver can't get no sense like out o' un, 'cause he's always so vull o' chim chain. July 1886: said of a
certain candidate for Parliament in
this division.
An' zo while Dan did light' his pipe
An' chim-ckam all the while,
Off went the charge, and back went Dan, An' the stump went half-a-mile.
Pulinan, Rustic Sketches, p. 29.
CHIM-CHAMMING [cheem-chaanreen].
[Wee'sh Mus'tur Uurchuts wiid-n km een yuur chlem-chaam'een, ee doa-n wairn noa'urt,] (I) wish Mr.
Richards would not come in here
hindering with his inquiries he does not want (to buy) anything.
CHIMLEY BACK [chum-lee baak]. i, A large iron plate which stands at the back of the hearth, where
wood fires are used. Its use is to
protect the wall, which would be liable to be much battered by heavy logs being thrown against
it, and also to be burnt out by
constant fire against it. See IRON-BACK.
2. The back of a hearth fire-place where there is no iron plate. This is generally built specially to bear
fire and blows. It is very common to
see a space some three feet or more square, built up with rows of small slates placed on edge,
each row sloping differently to that
next to it.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8988) (tudalen 128)
|
128
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
CHIMLEY-BAR [chiinrlee-baar]. A bar generally of iron, though sometimes of wood, placed across the
large chimneys where wood fuel is
burnt; upon this bar are hung the [chiim-lee-kreoks,~\ chimley-crooks (?.*.) by which the kettles
and crocks (q. v.) are suspended over
the fire. This bar is usually from seven to eight feet from the hearth.
CHIMLEY-BREAST [chum'lee briis]. The projection of masonry into a room, which contains the
fire-place and the chimney above it.
It is common to find a chimley-breast in the
bedrooms of old houses with no fireplace in them, and containing only the great chimney of the room below.
CHIMLEY-CROOK [chiinvlee-kreok]. A peculiar kind of pot-hook, having a contrivance of notches
by which it can be lengthened or
shortened at pleasure, so as to raise or lower the pots suspended over the fire.
CHIMMER [chiinrur, chuunrur], sb. Chamber (always so pronounced). A bedroom; upstairs generally;
any room above the ground-floor, but
never upon it.
[Wuur bee dhu wauyts? Aup-m dh-eol* chum'ur^ where are the scales? Up in the wool-chamber.
[Wuur-z mau'dhur? Aup-m chum'iir,~\ where's mother? Up-stairs.
[Kaar dhu bai'gz aup-m dhu kau'rn chum'ur^\ carry the sacks up in the corn-chamber /. e. the granary. See
HOUSE.
CHINE [chuyn], sb. i. The backbone; the line of the spinal marrow in any animal.
A butcher would direct his apprentice thus: [Muyn un kuut-n fae'iir daewn driie dhu chuyn,'] be sure to
cut it (the carcase) fairly down
through the line of the spine.
Chyne of bestys bakke. Spina. Promp. Parv.
Chyme of a beest. Eschine. Palsgrave.
2. The joint with the ribs in it, except in a sheep, is called the chine.
[U pees u chuyn u be2-f,] a piece of chine of beef. [U chuyn u paurkj a chine of pork.
3. The projecting rim formed by the ends of the staves, beyond the head of a cask, never called chime now.
It is very common to hear: He 'ont
hold, the chine o' un's a-brokt /. e. the cask will not hold liquid.
And now so longe hath the tnppe i-ronne,
Til that almost al empty is the tonne,
'1 he stream of lyf now droppith on the chymle.
Chaucer, Reruns Prologue, 39.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8989) (tudalen 129)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 129
CHINE-HOOPS [chuyn-eops]. The two end hoops on a cask, which cover the chine or projection of the
staves beyond the heads, usually much
stouter than the others.
CHIN-STAY, CHIN-STRAP [cheen'-stai, cheen'-straap], sb. The strap passing round the jaws of a
horse, by which the bridle is
fastened.
1885 j. d.
Nov. 1 2th. New Chinstay and rep rs Head collar . . I 6
From a Saddlers Bill, Xmas, 1885.
CHIPPINGS [chiip-eenz], sb. pi. Stones or road-metal broken very small so as to be used instead of
gravel. In these days of
"asphalt" pavements chippings are made and sold in
large quantities.
To 4 loads Westleigh chippings delivered . . l 4 s - ^
From a Bill, 1885.
CHITLINGS [chiif leenz], sb. Chitterlings. The small intestines of the pig
usually fried as a great delicacy amongst the poor. See KNOTLINGS.
CHITTERY [chiifuree], v. /. To twitter; to chirp; to chatter; to whisper.
[Aew dhu spaa'ruz due chut'uree f] how the sparrows do twitter!
They maaidens '11 bide there chitterin vore darknight, let em alone /. c. until dark.
in menye ]>e contray longage ys apeyred, and som vse]> strange
wlaffing, chytervng, harryng and
garryng, grisbittyng.
Trevisa, Descr. of Brit. 1. 162.
Chyteryn as byrdys. supra in chaterynge. Promp. Parv.
Byrdis chytter faster in Marche than in any other season.
Palsgrave, p. 484.
that tha wart a chittering, raving, racing, bozzum-chuck'd, rigging,
haggaging Moil. Ex. Scolding, 1. 63.
See also Ib. p. 124.
CHIZZLY [chuz'lee], adj. Gritty, sharp: said of earth or sand. Ter'ble grawl (gravel) this yer, 'bout
wearin out anybody's boots like, tis
so chizzly.
CHOICE [chauys], adj. Setting great store by; particular in keeping select; careful of.
[Tuurubl chauys mae'un baewt-s dhingz,] very particular man as to his live stock.
[Au'n-kauavun chauys oa'vur ur daa'rturz,] extremely careful of her daughters.
CHOLLER[chaul-ur],^. (Very com.) i. The jaw; the cheek; the covering of the lower jaw of man or
beast; the hanging lip of a hound or
pointer dog. The er termination in this word is
K
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8990) (tudalen 130)
|
130
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
analogous to that in legger, toe-er, and is of course redundant. A.-Sax. ocole, the jaw.
[Huug'lee leok'een uunrun dhu chaul'urz oa ur du ang daewn sae-umz u beol duug,] ugly-looking woman
her cheeks hang down like a
bull-dog's.
[Plai-z-r, dh-oa-1 Bau'b-v u-gauf u guurt uump- rait een dhu chaul-ur oa un,] please, sir, the old Bob
(a horse) has a great hump (swelling)
right on his cheek.
Hee was byglich ybounde on bothe twoo halues,
Bothe his chaul and his chynne ' wyth chaynes of yren:
William of Paler me, Gestes of Alisander, 1. 1118.
2. The gills of a fish.
The way to {groa'pee~\, gropy (q. v.) is to tickle'n, gin you can slip your vingers into the chollers o' un.
CHOLLYWABBLES [chaul -iwaub'lz], sb. Looseness; diarrhoea.
CHOOGEY, CHOOGEY-PIG [cheog'ee]. The child's name for a pig.
[Yuur, BuTee! kau'm un zee dhu cheog'eez,~\ here, Billy! come and see the piggies.
A common play with very little children is to take the toes between the finger and thumb, beginning
with the great toe and changing with
each line.
This choogcy-pig went to market,
This choogcy-pig stayed at home,
This choogcy-pig had some meat,
This choogey-pig had got none,
This choogcy-pig said squeak! squeak! squeak!
Give me some too, then, Joan!
CHOOK! [cheog! or cheok!]. The call to a pig. Farm maid-servants when shouting to the pigs,
cry out in a very shrill tone
\ckko'eek! cheo'eek /], and the pigs come running and scampering from all directions. See TURR.
CHOP [chaup], sb. i. An exchange; a barter.
[Wur-s buy dhik au-s? Aay ded-n buy- un aay ad-n een u chaup^ where didst buy that horse? I did
not buy him, I had him in an exchange.
2. v. To exchange. See RAP. Alsoyf^, to be undecided. You never can't depend 'pon he, a's always
choppin and changin
about one day one thing, another day another.
I choppe or chaunge. I love well to choppe and chaunge every day.
Palsgrave, p. 484.
3. v. t, and sb. Hunting. It sometimes happens that a fox or hare is so surrounded by the hounds that
he has no chance of running away and
of thus showing sport, but is caught and
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8991) (tudalen 131)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 131
killed when first found, before he can get off. This is called a chop:
Bad luck, the hounds chopped a fox in Tripp brake, and after that 'twas a blank.
CHOP [chaup], sb. The cheek, or half of the under jaw of a pig when cured (always). We know nothing of
"Bath chaps" and
“mutton-c/wps” have to be so distinguished.
CHOPS [chaups], sb. The cheeks or jaws of a person; the lips of a dog.
[Lik'een uz chaups,~\ licking his chops.
CHORE [choa-r], sb. A job; a piece of business, or work.
Always so pronounced in daily use. I much doubt Nares' remark (p. 156), "I have little doubt
it was pronounced cheer."
[U choa'r u wuurk,] a job of work. [U puurdee choa'r!~\ a pretty job! [Aay-d u-guuf u mud'leen choa'r
vur tu puut een dhik lunturn,] I had a
difficult piece of work to put in that lintel.
[Dhaat wuz jus choa'r-z aay aa'n u-ae'ud-z-aeb'm yuur,] that was such a job as I have not had these seven
years.
U maa'yn choa'r = a difficulty.
Going over a bill for labour, with a Culmstock man, the payee said, “There's a good many chores I 'ant a
put down at all, sir." Sept. 2,
1886.
Wule a weob beon, et one cherre, mid one watere, wel ibleched?
Ancren Rhvle, p. 324. See also Ib. p. 36.
By such poor passion as the maid that milks,
And does the meanest chares.
Ant. and Cleopatra, Act IV. sc. 13. See also Ib. Act V. sc. 2.
Vor when tha shudst be about tha Yeavling's chuers tha wut spudlee out
the Yemors, and screedle over mun. Ex.
Scold. 1. 223.
CHORE-WOMAN [choa-r uunvun]. Char-woman (always).
CHORE-WORK [choa-r wnurkj. Job work/, e. piece-work, by either sex not paid for by daily wages.
[Aay gut lab'm shul'eenz rig-lur, un aay gits u geod beet u choa'r wuurk^ I have eleven shillings (per
week) regular (wages), and I get a
good deal of piece-work.
CHOKER [choa'rur]. A char-woman; also any person, male or female, working at odd work and not regular
employment.
CHORING [choa'reen], sb. Charing; house-work by the day.
[Uur kaa'n saaT vuuree mutich tu choa'reen.~\ she cannot earn very much at charing. I have never heard
this word pronounced in any of its
forms except with long o; char = chaar is never heard.
Tha wut net break the cantlebone o' thy tether Eend wi chuerinq chell warmly
.
Ex. &*& I. 280. K 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8992) (tudalen 132)
|
132
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
CHORY [choa-ree], v. f. To char. To go out to work by the day, as an indoor servant: spoken only of
women.
Is your wife at home? [Noa, mum! uurz u-goo* tu choa'ree vur miis-us Joa'unz tu shau-p,] no, ma'am!
she is gone to char for Mrs. Jones at
the shop.
[Uur du choaree, haun uurkngit- ut,] she chars, when she can get it (to do).
Yeet avore oil, avore Voak, tha wut lustree, and towzee, and chewree,
and bucklee, and tear, make wise, as
anybody passeth. Ex. Scold, 1. 290.
CHOW [chuw], v. and sb. To chew, feed.
[Aay kaa'n chuw mee mai't,] I cannot chew my food.
[Neef uun-ee uu'r kud chuwee, uur-d git au*n,] if only she could masticate, she would get on.
[Ee-z prau-pur oa'f uz chuw^\ he is quite off his feed /. e. has no appetite.
Chmuen, supra in chewen.
Chowynge (or chewynge, P.). masticacio. Promp. Parv.
CHOWDER. See JOWDER.
CHOWER [chuwur], v. i. To grumble. See JOWER.
CHOWRE. See JOWER.
CHOW THE QTJEED [chuw dhu kwee'd]. To chew the cud.
Well, John, how is the cow? [Air! uur-z bad'r zr, uur-z ae'ubl vur tu chuw ur kwee'd^ oh! she is better,
sir, she is able to chew her cud.
Compare a sailor's "quid."
The pankin' bullicks now Lies under
shady heydges cool, Er else knee-deep
Stan's in the pool, At eyze
th'er" quid ta chow;
Pulmariy Rustic Sketches, p. 20.
CHRISTENING-VAULT [kurs-neen vault]. Font in a church.
April 23, 1882. Minehead. [Bae'un ee gwa'in tu leok tu dlroal kurs'men vau'lt? ] are you not going to
look at the old font? said twice by
middle-aged woman, sexton's wife.
CHRISTIAN [kiirsteen]. -A human being. A horse or dog is very often described as [su sarnsubl-z u
kiir'steen,] as sensible as a human
being.
The usual response of Neapolitans when remonstrated wtth for cruelty to animals is “non sono
Cristiani."
CHRISTMAS [kuurs'mus], sb. Any evergreen used for Christmas or other
decoration, whether holly, mistletoe, or other; called also \kuurs*museeiQ christmasing.
Miss Warren Ve a-zen' me up arter some Christmas, vor to put up in the school, 'cause th' Inspector's
comin. May 1886.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8993) (tudalen 133)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 133
CHRISTMASING[kuurs-museen], verbal^. Keeping Christmas convivially.
We ant a-had no \kmirs' museen\ de year tidn not a bit same's use' to.
CHUCK [chunk], v. To choke.
[Aay bee dhaat druy aay bee fdt tu chuuk','} I am so thirsty, I am ready to choke. [Smee'ch unuuf- tu
chuuk dhu daevl,] dust enough to choke
the devil.
Zo vishin' we mus' stap
Till Autumn's vloods da cleynze the stream,
O' weeds that chucks en, ronk and green."
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 20.
I'm dry, just chuctfd a drap a ale,
I'll then purseed to tul me tale.
Nathan Hogg, Letters, p. 53.
CHUCKE-HEAD [chuuk -1-aid], sb. A gawky; a stupid person; a fool. Hence chuckle-headed, daft,
idiotic, thick-headed. (Both very
com.) See Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 84.
CHUCKS [chuuks]. The cheeks; of a dog the lips. [Dhu chuuks oa ur-z zu huurd-z u chuu^ee,]
the cheeks of her is so red as a
cherry.
Thy buzzom chucks were pretty vittee avore tha macl'st thyzel therle.
Ex. Scold. 1. 73. See also 2b. 11. 63, 502, 607.
As vor the Prencesses, sweet souls,
With rose chucks, and flaxen polls.
Peter Pindar. Royal Visit to Exeter, P, in.
CHUFF [chuuf], adj. Surly in manner, boorish, brusque, stiff and unbending. (Obs. as a sb.)
[Dhai doa'n luyk aawur nue skwuyur vuuree wuul, ee-z zu tuurubl chuuf,'] they don't like our new
squire very well, he is so very stiff
and surly in manner.
Choffe, or chuffe, charle, or chutt (chuffe, cherl, or chatte, H. chel, or
chaffe, supra in carle, p.).
Ricsticus. Promp. Parv.
Franctopin: A clown, carl, churl, chuff, clustei fist, hind, boor. Marrouffle, tin gros: A big lowt: also, a
rich churle, or fat chuffe.
Cotgrave.
A chuffe: Franctopin, masche fouyn. A
rich chuffe: Franc-goutier. A fat
chuffe: Un gros marrouffle. Sherwood.
CIDER-MUCK [suydur muuk], sb. Refuse apples from the press, after the cider has been extracted.
See PUMMY.
CIVIL [stivl], adj. Respectable; well conducted. Applied usually to a servant or small
tradesman. Quiet, civil sort of a
young woman.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8994) (tudalen 134)
|
134
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
CIVIL [siivee'ul], adj. Polite, mealy-mouthed, obsequious: insincerity implied.
[Ee-z tu suveeul bee aaf,] he is too civil by half: /. e. he is falsely obsequious.
CLACK [tlaa-k], sb. i. The valve of a pump.
[Dhu tlaa'k oa-un-z u-wae'urd ae.U, zoa yue kaa'n spak dhu pluump tu geo vufee,] the valve of it is
worn out, so you cannot expect the
pump to go properly.
2. sb. A small toothed wheel attached to the upper mill-stone, by which a shaking of the supply trough is
kept up, and so a constant stream of
corn is made to flow into the mill. This is
often called the “mill clapper" (q. v.) from the noise it makes.
Clappe or clakke of a mylle (clat, H. clatte, P.). Taratantara.Promp. Paw.
3. sb. Chatter.
[Oa-1 dhee tlaa'k, wiit!] stop thy chatter, wilt!
CLAMMER [tlaanrur], sb. A pole or plank across a stream, for a rough footbridge always so called in
Hill district.
If you keep straight down you'll come to a dammer, and tother zide o' the river, the path's plain enough.
Direction received at Cloutsham, Sept.
1883.
dostnt remember whan tha comst over tha Clam wi tlia Old Hugh Hosegood.
Ex. Scold. 1. 133.
CLAMMY [tlaanvee], adj. Damp, moist; but not necessarily viscous. Imperfectly dried linen or a moist
hand are said to be clammy.
This here hay 'ont do not eet, 'tis ter'ble clammy vor all the drowin day we've a-had.
CLAMS [tlaamz], sb. Clamps, i. An implement used for holding blocks of stone,
or heavy pieces of timber, while being lifted by a crane. In shape it is like a gigantic
pair of hooked scissors suspended by a
chain passing through two eyes corresponding to the finger bows. These are drawn widely
asunder to enable the other ends to
grasp their object. The lifting chain then tightens them so that the greater the weight the
tighter the grasp. This instrument is
also called a pair of clams.
2. The wooden spring holders used by shoemakers and saddlers.
CLAP-GATE [tlaap--gee-ut]. A kind of wicket, called in many parts a kissing-gate. Also a small hunting
gate just wide enough for a horse to
pass.
CLAPPATY [klaap-utee], adv. In a lame or limping manner. But a auvis used to go dappaty like 'pon
thick voot.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8995) (tudalen 135)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 135
CLAPPER [tlaap-ur], sb. i. The tongue of a bell (always); sometimes called \)Q\\-clapper.
A muffled peal is when the clappers be a-tied up wi' cloth or baggin.
Clapyr of a bell. Batillus.Promp. Parv.
He hath a heart as sound as a bell, and his tongue is the clapper; for
what his heart thinks his tongue
speaks. Aluch Ado About Nothing, III. 2.
2. Part of a corn-mill. See MILL-CLAPPER.
CLAPPERS [tlaap*urz]. A rough contrivance made of three small pieces of board, loosely tied
together with a thong, used by boys to
frighten birds from corn. See the words they use, W. S. Gram. p. 101.
CLAPS [tlaaps], v. and sb. Clasp.
Plaise, sir, mus 'ave a new tad-lock, the claps o' the-as is a brokt.
A marchaunt was ther with a forked berd,
In motteleye, and high on horse he sat, Uppon his heed a Flaundrisch bever
hat; His botus clapsud faire and
fetously.
Chaucer, Prologue, 1. 270.
CLAPS KNIVE [tlaaps narv], sb. Clasp-knife.
CLAP EYES ON [tlaap uyz paun]. To see; to look at. [Aay noa'd-n zu zeo'n-z aay klaap mee uyz
paun #,] I recognized him as soon as I
saw him.
CLAP THE EYE OVER [tlaa-p dhu uy oa-vur]. To examine; to look at carefully.
[Ee leok'ud vuuree wuul tti fuus*, bud haun aay-d \\-klaap mee uy oa'vur-v. aay zee'd ee wiid-n due',] he
appeared all right at first (sight),
but as soon as I had examined him carefully I saw he would not do. (Opinion on a horse. January
1877.)
CLASH [klaa'rsh, or tlaa'rsh], sb. i. The grain or lines of growth to be seen in all kinds of wood,
marking the direction in which it will
.split.
Hot's bring jis piece as that vor? why he 'ont never stan/ he's a cut right athurt the clarsh.
2. The distinctive appearance of different woods. A grainer in imitating any kind of wood, when putting
the curls and markings . upon his
grounding, is said to put the \klaa'rsh\ upon it.
CLAT [tlaat], sb. Coarse, obscene talk; swearing and general bad language.
[Niivur ded-n yuur jis tlaat' een au*l mee bau'rn dai'z,] I never heard such foul language in all my life.
CLAT [tlaat] sb. i. A clod; a sod.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8996) (tudalen 136)
|
136
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
[Dhik'ee roa'lur ul skwaut dhu tlaats ubroa'ud,] that roller will squeeze the clods abroad.
[Aay wuz u-foo'us tu kuut tiie ur dree tlaats^\ I was obliged to cut two or three sods. [Kaew-//^/,] cow-clat /.
e. a dried cow-dung.
2. v. and sb. To clout, to slap, to cuff.
[Zee-! neef aay doa'n tlaat dhu ard u dhee!] see if I don't slap your head!
[Aa'l gi dhee u tlaat uun'dur dhu yuur,] I'll give thee a clout under the ear.
3. sb. A bunch of worms, having worsted drawn through them for datting (catching eels).
4. A clot as a clat o' blid. So also clatted clotted.
CLATHERS [tlaa'dhurz], sb. Clothes.
Nif I goes there, I must put on my Zindee dathers.
Jis eens I was a puttin on my dathers. W. H. G. Dec. 6, 1883.
Old Hugh drade thee out by tha vorked eend, wi thy dugged Clathers up zo vur as thy Na'el. Exmoor Scolding, \. 135.
CLATTING [tlaafeen]. Catching eels, with a clot or cluster of worms, each of which has had a strong
worsted drawn through the length of
its body. This being soft and tough cannot be bitten through, while the eel bites so greedily
that it can be drawn to land before it
will relax its hold. For full description see Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 85.
CLAVEL [tlaa-vl, tlaa'vl-pees, tlaa'ul-beem]. The beam of wood, the mantel, which is always found in old
wide-chimney'd houses, serving for a
lintel over the fire-place opening. In \tlaa'vl-pees\ the piece means piece of timber ^ like the
\zul-pees, ai'd-pees, zuyd-pees~],
&c.; but according to context it may also mean the
/*><:<? or shdf fixed to the
clavel, or the mantel-piece.
[Doa'n ee punt dhu guun aup pun dhu tlaa'ul-pees^ do not put the gun up upon the mantel-piece. A well-known
hostelry on the Blackdown Hills is
called the Holmen Clave! Inn i.e. the "Holly chimney-beam” Inn. Doubtless the phenomenon
of a piece of holly large enough for
such a purpose gave rise to the name in times
long past.
A local builder discussing details as to rebuilding a farm-house, said to me respecting the kitchen
fire-place: "Would you like to
have a arch a-turned, or a clavel?" Observing that I took notice
of the word, he continued, “You know,
sir, we always calls 'em claals
[thaa'ulz], or claal beams." March 5, 1881.
CLAVEL-TACK [tlaa-vl, or tlaa'ul-taak]. The clavel or mantel-shelf. In some
old farm-houses this is still the common name. I have very often heard it, though not so
often as [klaa'ul-pees].
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8997) (tudalen 137)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 137
CLAVY-TACK [tlaavee-taak]. This is only a variety of the above. Halliwell is wrong in giving this
word as a key. It is very common to
see keys hung upon nails driven into the clave!; but the word has no connection except in the minds
of fancy etymologists.
CLEAN [tlai-n], adj. i. Said of land when free from weeds. See DIRTY. Of timber, when free from knots,
shakes, or other defects.
2. Undiluted.
I didn't know but what 'twas a drap o' wine, and so I drinkt it down, but Lor! twas clain brandy, and I
thort twid a burn'd my guts out.
CLEAN [tlai-n], v. Maid-servants use this word to express the daily making neat.
Law! if there id-n the bell, and I ant \u-tlarn] myself. Men also dean themselves by getting ready for church
on Sundays. Washing is by no means a
necessary part of the process.
CLEANING [tlai-neen], sb. The placenta of cows, sheep, &c. never called cleansing in this district.
Corner's Pine's Devonshire oils cannot be surpassed for galls, broken
knees sprains, swellings,
inflammations (external or internal); cows after calving to bring off the cleaning, swollen udders, and
for sheep in lambing, &c.
Advert, in Wellington Weekly News, Dec. 2, 1886.
CLEAN-TIMBERED [tlain-tiinvurd], adj. Usually of a horse clean-limbed, well-shapen, light-limbed the
opposite of heavy-timbered.
I calls 'n a breedy looking, dean-timbered sort of a horse.
Boyet. But is this Hector?
Dntnain. I think Hector was not so clean-timbered.
Longaville. His leg is too big for Hector's.
Love's Labour Lost, V. ii.
CLEANY [tlai-nee], v. i. To bring forth the after-birth. [Uur aa'n u tlai'nud naut eet,] she has not
cleaned, not yet: spoken of a cow or
sheep.
CLEAR [tlee'ur], sb. Liquid. Applied to food of various kinds. Broth would be spoken of as composed
of *' the clear," /. e. the
liquor, and “the bread," or other ingredients not liquid. So \tlee' urmai't^\ dear-meat, is liquid
wash given to pigs.
I remarked to a servant that I thought a chained dog wanted to drink. He replied, [Noa*, zur, dhu mait
aay gid-n z-mau'rneen wuz airl tlee m
ur,~\ no, sir, the food I gave him this morning was all liquid.
CLEEVE [tlee'v], sb. A steep field; any steep, sloping ground; the side of a hill; a cliff. Thus we have
Old Cleeve, a parish adjoining the
sea, the chief feature of which is some high cliffs of
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8998) (tudalen 138)
|
138
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
gypsum mixed with the clay-slate. So Huish Cleeve and Bitter Cleei'e are names of parts of my own
property.
If a person were told to ' keep along in the cleeve" he would clearly understand that he was to keep
along the side of the hill; neither
going up nor down.
Clyffe, or an hylle (defe of an hyll, P.). Ueclivum. Promp. Parv.
CLEEVE-PINK [tlee'v pingk], sb. The cheddar-pink: generally so called. Dianthus casius.
CLEEVY [tlee-vee], adj. Steep. (Not so com. as CLEFTY.) [Du yue beelairng tu dhik dhae'ur tlee'vee
vee'ul beo dhu roa'ud?]
do you belong to that steep field above the road? See W. S.
Gram. p. 81.
CLEFT [tlaef], v. To cleave, to split [pret. tlaef; p. part, u-tlaef-tud\.
This here elm's so tough's a rope; I shan't never be able to cleft it.
CLEFT [tlaef], sb. A blacksmith's tool for cutting iron, often called a [koa'l tlaef ^ (cold); com p. cold
chisel It is a short cutting chisel,
having a stout wire or a hazel stick twisted round it for a handle; it is struck with a sledge.
CLEFTY [tlaef 'tee], v. /". To be capable of being cloven or split.
[Kaa'n due noa'urt wai dhai poa'lz, dhai oa'n tlac'ftee waun bee't,] (I) cannot do anything with those
poles, they will not split at all
(evenly, understood).
CLEFTY [tlaef-tee], adj. Steep. Same as CLEEVY.
[Kaa'n due noa'urt wai jiish tlaeftee graewn-z dhaat dhae'ur,] (one) can't do nothing with such steep land
as that.
[Tuurubl paa'ynfeol faa-rm, ee-z zu tlaeftee^] terrible painful farm, he is so clefty. October 1875.
CLEVER [tliivur], adj. Applied to a horse which is a good fencer, i. e. who does not stumble or
hesitate in making leaps. A clever
hunter constantly appears in advertisements.
[Dhoa'l mae'ur-z-u tluvur-z u kyat*,] the old mare is as clever as a cat, may be heard any day from the
young farmers in the hunting-field.
CLEVIS [claevis], sb. (rare). The U-shaped iron with pin through the ends, which attaches the drail
or foot-chain of a sull to the bodkin
or draught-bar. Called more usually a cops, or D cops. Clevvy in Halliwell. See COPSE,
NECK-HAPSES.
CLICK-TO-CLACK [tlik-tu-tlaak-]. The noise of pattens, or of a horse with a loose shoe.
[Uur au'vees geoth u'baewt tlik-tu-tlaak- een dhai oa'l paafnz,
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B8999) (tudalen 139)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 139
wee'ntur-n zuunrur,] she always goes about click-to-clack in those old pattens, winter and summer.
Most of these alliterative expressions have to inserted e.g. ditter-to-clatter, slip-to-slop,
chim-to-cham, lip-to-lop, &c.
CLIM [tliim], v. To climb: applied to such work as climbing a tree or pole.
[Kaa-n tlum dhik'ee tree kaa'n tliip'-m,'] (I) can't climb that tree can't clip it (q. v.).
I clamer up, I clym up agaynst a straight wall . I clamer or clymme up
upon a tree or clymme as a man clothe upon a stepe hyll.
Palsgrave, p. 485. See also p. 487.
GLIMMER [tliinrur]. To clamber.
\ - Tlum'bur\ also heard occasionally, but is a little "fine
talk." From a quarry or deep pit
we should \tlum'ur\ out never {tlum~\.
CLIM-TREE [tlutn-tree], sb. The creeper Certhia familiaris. This little bird is not known by any other
name than the above.
CLING [tling], v. t. To stick together as with gum; to cause to adhere.
Now, Jim, you must make a good job o' this here box; he must ba a put together vitty like, not ^.-dinged
up way a passel o' glue and bomantag.
CLINK [tlingk], v. t. i. To chink. To sound money to see if it has the true ring.
[Aay noa-ud twuz u bae'ud shuTeen uvoa'ur aay tlingk-n.,~] I knew it was a bad shilling before I sounded
it.
2. sb. A smack or blow.
[Aa'l gi dhee u tlingk uun'dur dhu yuur, shuur mee!] I'll give thee a rap under the ear, dost hear me!
CLINKER-VELLS [tling-kur-vuul'z], sb. Icicles. See ROBERT.
In East Somerset these are called Clinker-bells, but in West Somerset and North Devon it is veils, not
bells. We are peculiarly fond of the
interchange of p into f, b into v or w, and vice versa.
Ter'ble sharp vrost day-mornin, I zeed clinker-veils hangin to the shut, up a voot long.
Ver Jack Vrost an' the clinker-bells all be a-past, An' the zunsheene ev spring es a-com'd back
ta last.
Piilman, Rustic Sketches, p. 9.
CLINK-TO-CLANK, or CRINK-TO -CRANK [klingk-tu-klang'k, or kringk-tu-krang'k].
A common description of a rattling
sound in which a metallic ringing predominates, as a wagon loaded with bars of iron. Ses CLICK-TO-CLACK.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9000) (tudalen 140)
|
140
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Could'n think whatever 'twas, comin clink-to-clank along the road an' tho, Mr. Kidner's wagin come on way a
load o' ire 'urdles, an' they wad-n
a-boun,' an' they did rattle mind, 'nough to frighten a zebm slaper. January 1887.
CLINKUM-CLANKUM [tling-kum-tlang-kuro], phr. Same as "clink-to-clank." A slower and
more ringing sound is implied than in
dick-to-clack.
CLINT [tlunt], v. To clinch \fig. to confirm.
[Zee dhu naa'yulz bee wuul u tlun'tud^\ see the nails are well clinched.
[Dhai dhae-ur pae'utunt naa'yuls bee dhu bas- tu tluntee,~\ those patent nails are the best to clinch.
[Km au*n! lat-s g-een un ae'-u kwairrt vur tit tlunt' dhu dae'ul,] come on! let us go in and have a quart to
clinch the deal (bargain).
CLINT [tlunt], sb. The clinch or point of the nail which is turned down. Very commonly used in speaking
of horse-shoeing.
[Zau'm wai dhu Hunts doa'n oa'l een dhu uuf' oa un,] some way the clinches don't hold in his hoof. This
was a blacksmith's excuse when I
complained of a certain horse's shoes coming off.
CLIP [tliip], v. To clasp; to embrace. (Very com.) [Keod-n tliim dhik'ee, keod-n tlup-m^} (I)
could not climb that (tree, I) could
not clasp it. The common word clasp in this sense would be unintelligible to a native. I zeed
'n clip her round the middle. A.-S.
Clyppan.
and Jjeonne mid ispredde evmes leape<S lauhwinde uor$, and chippe\
and cusseS, and wipeS his eien. Ancren
Riivle, p. 230.
' Telle me, feir' woman, whi J)ou clippest me, and kyssist me so?
Gesta Romanoi-um, p. 91.
His lefthond vnder myn heed, and his rijthond schal biclippe me.
Wyclif version, Song of Solomon, viii. 3.
.... tok in his armes, and kest hit
and clipped ': and oft crist J>onkes. Will, of Palerme, 1. 63.
I clyppe, I take in myne armes, I embrasse. He clypped me fast in his. armes.
Palsgrave.
CLIP [tlup], sb. The wool shorn by a farmer off his flock in any one season. Amongst farmers shear (q.
v.) is the word used; at markets and
by dealers .clip is the term.
I call yours the best clip in the county.
The markets all round are very firm, and prices hardening. 'Clips of
good quality were again disposed of
to-day at io^/., and others of secondary quality at from t)\d. to lod. per Ib. Wellington
Weekly News, Aug. 19, 1886.
CLIT [tliit], adj. Applied to bread or pudding when it is doughy and heavy; also to soil when it has
become caked and adhesive through
rain.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9001) (tudalen 141)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 141
[lie* kn art jish brai'd-z ee'z tez airvees /////,] who can eat such bread as his? it is always clit.
GLITCH [tliich], v. t. To clutch; to grasp tightly.
CLITTER-TO-CLATTER[tlufur-tu-tlaafur]. i. Chatter; idle talk.
[Kaa-n dhingk haut uvur dhai kn ae'u vur tu tuul- oa dhae-ur dhai bee, thit'ur-tu-tlaat'urvrum Muun'dee
mau-rneen gin Zad'urdee nai%] (I)
can't conceive whatever they can have to talk about there they are, clitter-clatter from Monday
morning to Saturday night.
2. A rattle as of loose machinery: or a noisy cart. See CLICK-TO-CLACK.
I clytter, I make noise, as harnesse or peuter dysshes. . . . These
peuter pottes clytter as moche as if
they were syluer. Palsgrave.
CLITTY [tlut'ee], v. i. i. To become adhesive or caked: applied to soil.
[Tuurubl graewn vur tu tlut'ee,'] terrible ground for to clitty /". e. this ground is very apt to
become adhesive.
2. adj. Inclined to be doughy or adhesive.
This yur pudden's proper ditty, sure 'nough I zim tis 'most like putty.
CLOAM [tloa'm], sb. Crockery, earthenware.
[Tue* vau*n u armteen u tloa'm,~\ too fond of emptying o' cloam /". e. the cup; a mild though very
frequent mode of describing a
drunkard.
[Ez mau-dhur yiiez tu keep u tloa'm shaup,] his mother used to keep a crockery shop.
Slat the crock, slat tha Keeve and tha Jibb, bost tha cloam.
Ex. Scold. 1. 249. Now, Zester Nan, by
this yow see, What sort of vokes gert
People be. What's cheny thoft, is
dome;
Peter Pindar, Royal Visit to Exeter, Postscript.
DROWIN o' CLOAM [droa'een-u-tloa*m]. A very curious old custom, of the nature of a practical joke,
is observed in the Hill district. On
the night before Shrove Tuesday (last night but one of the Carnival), if the backdoor or
any outer door of the Parsonage or a
farm-house be left unfastened, it is quietly opened, and before any one can stir to prevent it,
a whole sack-full of broken bits of
crockery is suddenly shot out in the middle of the kitchen, or wherever the bearer can
penetrate before he is observed. He
then decamps and disappears in the darkness,
generally unrecognized. People are of course apt to forget the custom at the right moment, and so have
their houses half filled
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9002) (tudalen 142)
|
142
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
with rubbish which it must have taken much pains to collect, and prepare secretly, beforehand. I have failed
to discover either the origin or
meaning of this custom, called drourin o' cloam; but it is evidently allied to one practised in this
neighbourhood on the same night that of
throwing a handful of stones at the door.
I am indebted to my friend the Rev. Rowland Newman, Rector of Hawkridge, for the following:
" The custom of throwing old dome on the Monday night before Shrove Tuesday is still continued in our
village. Why it is done I cannot find
out. The words they say when it is thrown at the door or inside the house are
Tipety, Tipety Tin, give me a pancake,
And I will come in; Tipety, Tipety
Toe, give me a pancake,
And I will go.
" The young men that are in the house (if there are any) rush out and try to collar the invaders, and if they
are successful in their catch, they
bring the prey inside and black his face with soot. After that they give him a pancake."
CLOAM EN [tloa'meen], adj. Made of earthenware. See GLASSEN. A cloamen pan would be understood
to be a deep pan or bowl of coarse
brown ware. Though most commonly applied
to the common brown, the word is used for all kinds of crockery.
[Dhu yaeth wuz au'l u-luyn wai lee'dl tloa'meen skwae'urz luyk, wai u glae-ur paun um,] the hearth was all
lined with little earthenware squares like, with a glare upon them. (Verbatim
description of a tile hearth.)
CLOAMEN OVEN [tloa'meen oa'vm]. An oven made of earthenware. Also called “Barnstaple
oven." (Very com.)
CLOCKS [tlauks, tloa-ks]. i. The light seed-stalks of the dandelion, which children blow upon, to
tell the hour by the number of puffs
required to blow off all the seeds.
2. The embroidery which is often put upon stockings just at the part which covers the ankles.
3. Cockchafers. A very favourite pastime of cruel boys is to put a pin through the body, which causes
the insect to spin round as they say
[lig u klauk].
CLOG [tlaug], sb. A short block of wood fastened to a donkey's fore-foot, to prevent his straying too far.
(Very com.)
The prince himself is about a piece of iniquity: stealing away from his
father, with his clog at his heels.
Winter's Tale, IV. 3.
CLOGGED UP [tlaug'd aup]. Choked, or stopped up; as of a machine [klaug-d aup wai grai's].
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9003) (tudalen 143)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 143
[Dhu nai'vz oa un wuz prairpur u-klaug'd aup wai duust-n fill-tree,] the knives of it (a mowing-machine) were
properly clogged-up with dirt and
filth. The word implies the presence of some adhesive substance.
CLOGGY [tlaug-ee], adj. Sticky, adhesive.
CLOMED [tloa'md], pret. and/, part, of to climb; less common than [tliim'd,~\ but another example of the
weak inflexion added to a strong verb.
Arter I'd z-domed up, aa'll be darned if I wadn afeard to come down agin.
and forfci )>et Dauid hefde J>eos two stalen of ]>isse leddre,
)>auh he king were, he clotnb upward,
& seide baldeliche to ure Louerd Ancren Riivle, p. 354-
And shortly up they clomben alle three
They sitten stille, wel a furlong way.
Chaucer, Millers Tale, 1. 3636.
CLOSE [tloaz]. An enclosure; a pasture field usually, as [Baa'rnz tloaz, Ee'ulee tloaz,~\ Barn's close, Hilly
close. In this sense the word is
pronounced short; while close, v. is drawn out to [tloa'uz].
CLOSE [tloa'us], adj. i. Applied to a saw, when its alternate teeth are not bent sufficiently to make it
cut a curf (q. v.) large enough for
the saw to pass readily. See ABROAD.
2. Applied to the wood being sawn when it binds upon the saw. This here poplar stuff's that close, med so
well cut a 'ool pack.
See OPE.
3. Potatoes are said to be dose when they are not mealy.
CLOTH-BEAM [tlau'th-bee'm], sb. A roller corresponding in width with the loom of which it forms part.
Its use is to receive the cloth wound
upon it as fast as it is woven.
It will be noticed that the pronunciation of all these technical manufacturing terms is far less broad than
the same words would be in the mouth
of the out-door labourer. See CHAIN, RACE, LAY.
CLOTHEN [tlairthn, tlaa'theen]. (The first is the compromise of those who have had a “little schooling”
the second is the speech of the old.)
Adj. Made of cloth, as \tlaa m theen lag'eenz^} to distinguish them from
leathern leggings.
I must bespake a pair o' dot/ten boots, my veet be that tender, I can't wear no leather.
CLOTHES FLASK [tloa-uz flaa's]. The name of the large open oval basket used by laundresses. See
FLASK.
CLOUT [tluwt], v. and sb. i. To cuff; to strike about the head with the hand; to box the ears; a box
on the ears. This word is less common
than clat (q. v.).
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9004) (tudalen 144)
|
144
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2. sb. A small nail of a particular shape, having a round flat head.
CLOVE-GIL AWFUR [tloa'v-julau'fur], sb. Clove-pink. Dianthus Caryophyllus
(Prior). (Very com.)
ne makeden heo neuer strenc<5e of gingiuere, ne of gedevva!, ne of clou
de gilofre. Ancren Riwle, p. 370.
and in other contrees there abouten, growen many trees that beren
clowc-gylofres. Sir J-. Mandeville, Contrees beyonde Cathay, 1. 26.
Also see Gerard, pp. 588, 589.
A dove-gilli-flower, Giroffle, Betoine, Coronaire. Sherwood.
CLOVER-LAY [tloa-vur lai], sb. A field in which there has been a crop of clover, but which is now
ready to be ploughed for some other
crop. See LAY.
CLOW [tluw]. i. A kind of hooked or bent fork a claw for dragging the dung out of cow-stalls; a
well-known implement for which I know
of no other name than clow.
2. v. t. To claw, to drag.
Take-n clow out the dung, nif tis to wet vor thee to do ort else.
Ou}>er be )>e de)> J)at y schel deye: y 3eue )>e such a stroke,
J>at JK>U him neuere schalt cloivc a-sveye: wile ]>ou }>y lyf
mizt broke.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 462.
CLUBBY [tluutree], adj. i. Sticky, adhesive.
[Zu tluub'ee-z buurd-luym,] as sticky as bird-lime.
2. adj. Plump, fleshy, thick-set.
A nice clubby sort of a bird. Clubby little chap, always in birches and leggins. Clubby little 'oss.
CLUMPER [tluunvpur], sb. The sound of heavy tramping. What a dumper you was makin up in chimmer.
CLUMPERING [tluunrpureen], part. adj. Noisy; likely to make a dumper: applied either to a clumsy
pair of boots or to a heavy walker.
Girt clumperin pair o' half-boots, I should think was two or dree poun' o' ire pon em.
CLUMPERY [tluum -puree], v. /". To make a noise in walking, as with very heavy shoes.
[Uur du tluunrpuree sae'um-z un'ee guurt mae'un,] she tramps with a noise like any great man.
CLUTCH [tluuch], sb. A species of weed of the couch kind; called also tacker grass. Polygonum
aviculare.
CLY [tluy], sb. A common weed that holds or sticks on to anything. Galium aparine.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9005) (tudalen 145)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 145
CLY-BURS [tluybuuz]. The little round seed-pods of the Galium aparine.
COACH-HORSES [koa-uch au ssz,] sb. The common pansy or heartsease.
COANDER [katrndur], sb. Corner. (Nearly always.)
[Dim kau'ndur u dh-aewz,] the corner of the house.
See p. 19, W. S. Grammar com p. taayuldur, tailor; zeo'ndur, sooner.
Corner is rather a common surname, generally pronounced {kau'ndur}.
But thee, thee wut ruckee, and squattee, and doattee in the Chimley
Coander lick a Axwaddle. Ex. Scold. \.
143.
COANDER-PIN [kairndur-pee-n]. One of the four skittles at the angles of the “pack” (q. v.).
In the market-train I heard a man call out to another sitting next the window "Here, Mr. Coanderpin
/ [kau'ndur-pee'n] do ee le'ts ae some
air, else us shall all be a-steefl'd."
COARSE [kue's, keo's], adj. and adv. Rough, boisterous, stormy: applied to the weather.
Meeting a peasant on a wet, rough day, he will touch his hat and say, \kiie's wadrrur zr,] coarse weather,
sir.
Applied to treatment it means brutal; rough in the extreme. A man told me of another, [Ee du saar ur
mairrtul ktie's,'} he serves her (his
wife) mortal coarse /. e. he beats her shamefully.
Applied to work of any kind coarse means simply bad.
Th' old Jim Ve a made a coosish job like o' thick there wall, I count he'll vail down vore he bin up a
tvvel'month.
My rod is but a hazel-stick,
I got a coosish line
My hooks be small, but temper'd wul,
My gut ez roun' an' fine.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 9.
COATS [koa-uts]. Petticoats.
[Neef ee waud-n u-dras 1 aup-m koa'uts lig u uunvun,] if he was not dressed up in petticoats like a woman.
COB, COB-HOUSES, COB-WALLS [kaub]. Clay and gravel mixed with straw. The walls (called
cob-walls) of a great number of old
barns and cottages in this district and throughout Devonshire are of this material. If only preserved
from wet, they are very enduring; but
they quickly dissolve if the roof is bad. Most probably our Saxon ancestors built their
houses of this material.
COBBLE [kaub-1], v. To beat; to thrash.
[Zee-f aay doa'ii kaub'l dhee! shuur?] see if I do not whack thee! dost hear?
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9006) (tudalen 146)
|
146
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
COBBY [kautree], adj. Applied to a particular stamp of horse = cob-like.
COBLER'S CURSE [kaub'lurz kuus-]. The extreme of valuelessness.
What's keep jis tool's that vor? Why! he idn a-wo'th a cobbler's cuss. This is sometimes varied by "idn
a wo'th," or, "I widn gee a
cotter's cuss> or a tinkers gee" (gift).
COBLER'S KNOCK [kaub-lurz nauk], sb. Given in sliding on the ice, by quickly lifting and striking
with the heel while gliding swiftly
along. Used by boys.
COCK [kauk], v. t. Applied to hay. To put it up into cocks same as topook.
This yer hay 'ont do to-night, d 'an'l dead like; an' I be afeard t '11 rain vore mornin. Come on soce! let's
cock it up, t 'out take very long.
And somme he lerede to laboure: a londe and a watere, And lyve by }>at labour: a leel lyf and
a trewe. And somme he tauhte to tulye:
to theche and to cokf, As here wit
wold: when the tyme come.
Piers Plowman, xxn. 236.
COCK-ANTERBURY SEED [kauk-arrturbuuree zee'ud], Cocculus anamirta, or cocculus indicus. A
well known fish-poaching drug. It is
made into pellets of paste, and if thrown into a pond or canal the fish which swallow it come to
the top of the water intoxicated, and
can ba drawn out with a rake. It is no use in
running water.
COCK-CHICK [kauk chik-], sb. Boy's name for a kind of minnow, of which there are a great many
specimens amongst the shoals of common
minnows frequenting our streams in the spring. The cock-chick is marked with gold on the
belly, and bright red under the fins.
It is the same in size as an ordinary minnow.
COCK EYE [kauk uy]. A squint.
COCK-EYED [kauk-uyd]. Squinting.
[Uur-z u beo'tee shoa'urluy! neef uur id-n dhu kauk-uyds biich yiie shl vuyn een u dai'z maarch,] she's a
beauty surely! if she is not the
cock-eyedest bitch you shall find in a day's inarch. September 1874. See NORTH EYE.
COCK GRASS [kauk- graas]. Plantago lanceolata. The only name used by farmers for this the commonest
variety of the plantains. See
SOLDIERS.
COCKING [kauk-een]. The call of a cock-pheasant, which says kauk! kauk! kauk!
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9007) (tudalen 147)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. I/j/
[Diid-n ee yuurn kauk'een T\ did you not hear him cocking? You'll vind one in thick there little
copse, I year'd 'n cockin s'mornin.
COCK-LAFF [kauk-laa-f], sb. Cock-loft. The space between the uppermost ceiling a.nd the roof. Only
when this space is large and is
floored is it called a garret. There is generally a kauk-laa'f above the attics or garret.
COCKLE [kauk'l], sb. A ripple on water caused by the wind, dearly loved by fly-fishers.
Vish the ranges well, for there's a fine cockle on s'mornin.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 86.
COCKLE UP [kauk'l aup], v. i. Certain mixed fabrics when wetted are apt to shrink unevenly into
wrinkles, so that the threads of one
material seem to ruffle or stand out from the
others. Cloth or flannel which does this is said to cockle up.
"Where be my burches, Ratchell?" "Well, bless my soul, zes
she, if I han't a-left 'em in th' open!
“Away goes Job aader 'em, but in a minnit zings out "Massy wull, what in the wordle
hev ee done, Ratchell? They be all
cockled itp lik a skin o' parchment." Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p.
70.
COCK-LIGHT [kauk-lai-t, or luyf], sb. Evening twilight; same as Dumps (very common).
The best time to meet way they wild-ducks is jist in the cock-light, hon they be flying in.
Nares (p. 176) says this is the same as cockshut-light, but we know nothing of cock-shut, or cock-shoot.
and meet Neckle Halse by tha Wey. He'll meet tha in tha Vuzzy-park Coander by Cockltcrt, or avore, chell
warndy. Ex. Scolding, 1. 113.
COCKLING [kau-kleen], adj. Shaky, tottering, loose-jointed: applied to constructions, not to persons.
[U brae'uv kau'kleen oa'l kunsaa'rn shoa'r nuuf,] a fine tottering old concern, sure enough! said by a mason
of a scaffold made with some old
barrels.
COCK-STRIDE [kauk-struyd]. Lord Popham (see W. S. Grammar, p. 96) is said to be very
"troublesome" at a certain
spot in the parish of Wellington, on land which formerly belonged to him, but now forming part of the estate
from which the Duke of Wellington
takes his title. Lord Popham is said to be coming “handier” to the town by a cockstride every
year.
COD [kaud], sb. i. Pod, as [parz-&z<f,] pease-cod. See KID.
Codde of a beane or pese 'cscosse. Palsgrave.
Al >e pore peple pese-cWi/w fetten. Purs Plow. vii. 279. 2. Testiculus, not applied to scrotum.
I- 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9008) (tudalen 148)
|
I 4
8 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
COE [koa-], v. and s. Spelt coathe in some glossaries. Wet pastures are said to coe the sheep; /'. e.
to cause a disease called the coe. It
consists of the destruction of the substance of the liver by a living organism called a fluke (q. v.).
There are certain pastures which
always produce this in the winter months, and so cannot be stocked with sheep. Of such land it is
usual to say that it is not “sound”
(q. v.). I never heard of coe in horses or bullocks until 1884, when many bullocks were said to be
coed by the unusually wet season.
A.-S. C&&.
You can't never keep no sheep 'pon thick farm, 'thout you be a mind to coe every one o' m.
COED, or CO AD [koa'd],^'. Affected with the disease called coe.
[Aay aa-n u koa'd sheep tu mee nae'um. Dhai mee-uds bee tuurubl koa'een graewn,] I have not a coed
sheep to my name. Those meadows are
terrible coe-ing ground i.e. wet, and likely to produce the disease.
A wud ha' had a coad, riggelting, parbreaking, piping body in tha! olwey -wone glam or nether. Ex. Scolding, 1. 147.
COE-GRASS [koa- graa's], n. The grass which is said to be the cause of the coe in sheep and
c&\ti&Juncus bufonius. By some
this disease is said to come from the goose grass carex hirta; but both are generally found growing either
together or in similar wet land.
COFFER [kau'fur]. In nearly every old-fashioned house used to be found a large oak chest, always
called the \kau'fur^\ in which the
valuables were kept, and whose place was at the foot of the bed. At the first sound of any alarm, it was
always the wife's duty instantly [tu
tuurn dhu kau'fui^ i. e. to turn it round so that the lock side should be towards the bed, and
therefore more difficult to get at.
CpFFIN-HANDLE [kairfeen airl], sb. When the tallow or stearine of a candle runs down on one side
it often projects and then reunites to
the candle, forming a sort of loop. This is a coffin-handle, and is a “sure
sign of death” to the person in whose
direction it forms itself. The same superstition holds when the grease merely forms a considerable
projection; it is then a “winding-sheet," and being commoner is not so
much dreaded as a coffin-handle. I have seen people turn a candle when it
seemed inclined to form a
winding-sheet in their direction.
COGS [kaugz], sb. Short pieces of hoop-iron bent at right angles; used by weavers to form a kind of
flange or support to the chain (q. v.}
when wound upon the beam. They are still used by weavers of woollen soft yarn warps, as they
are less rigid than the
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9009) (tudalen 149)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 149
cast-iron flange used in some looms. See NOGS, Almondbury Gloss. 1883, E. D. S.
COLD [koa-l(d, koa-lee], v. t. and /'. To cool.
Why do I always put the tongs in the water? Why, to koa'ld urn to be sure.
The wheel was s'ot, we was a fo'ce to drow some water 'pon un vor to cold'n.
Better neet put the hailer 'pon the 'oss, gin he've a {koa'lud} a bit. -Oct. 9, 1883.
COLDER [koa'ldur], sb. A blacksmith's cooler, or water-trough, into which he plunges his tongs or hot
iron. (Always so.)
Ees, 'tis a good shop enough, an' they've a do'd up the yeth (hearth) an' put a new stonen colder; but
Lor! 'tis trade anybody do want,
more'n a fine shop.
COLLAR [kaul'ur], v. t. i. To seize; to grasp tightly. [Zeon-z ee zeed'-n, neef ee ded-n kaul'ur
dhu poa'kur,] (as) soon as he saw him,
if he did not seize the poker i. e. he did seize.
2. v. /. To steal.
[Saunvbaud'ee-v u-kaul-urd muy gunvlut,] some one has stolen my gimlet.
[Dhik duug waint ee*n tu beocrrur Eo'dz-n kaul'urd\\. shoa'ldur u muufn,] that dog went into Butcher Wood's
and stole a shoulder of mutton.
COLLY [kaul-ee], sb. The blackbird. (Always.) See WATER-COLLY.
Neef we wadn to put nets 'pon the [stroa'buureez,] strawberries, the Collies-in. Drishes ud ate every one o'
em.
COLT [koa-lt], sb. A young horse.
Applied indifferently to both male and female. If it is desired to note the sex, we say [au~s koa'lf], or
\inae'ur koa'lf}. Filly is unknown.
COLT [koa'lt], sb. A novice; a learner; a beginner.
COLT-ALE, or COLTING [koa-ltae-ul, koa-lteen]. i. Footing; a payment exacted from new-comers into any
employment.
2. A walloping; as [ded-n ee gee un u koa'lteenf] did not he
give him a thrashing!
COLTING, ot COLTISH [koa-lteen, koa'lteesh], adj. Romping, boisterous, frolicsome. Of women, implies
romping with men. Her's a rough gurt
coltish piece, way a Hy! vor everybody.
Net zo chockling, ner it zo crewnting as thee art, a colting hobby-horse.
Exmoor Scolding, 1. 45.
Compare colted. Cymbtline t II. 4.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9010) (tudalen 150)
|
150
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
COLTY [koal'tee],^. /'. To frisk, or frolic about. If applied to females, implies lewdness.
Maister do colty about same's off a was a bwoy.
And more and zo, wut coltee and rigee wi' enny Troluber that cometh
athert tha. Exmoor Scolding, 1. 264.
COMB [koa'm], v. Instead of "combing the hair," in this district they always comb the head.
[Tak-n koa'm aewt dhee ai'd,] take and comb out thy head, an' warsh thy face, an clain thy zul.
and he cam into the Cave; and wente so longe, till that he fond a chambre,
and there he saughe a Damysele that
kenibed hire Hede, and lokede in a Myrour.
1366. Sir John Maundauille, Voiage and Travaile. Reprint 1839, p. 24.
I combe ones heed, Je piegne. Combe thy heed for shame. I combe with a combe ones head. Je piegne la leste.
Palsgrave.
It is very usual now, as it was doubtless in Shakespeare's time, to say of a termagant wife who beats her
husband:
[Uur-ul koa'm aewt uz ai'd wai u dree-lag-ud steo'ul,] she will comb out his head with a three-legged stool.
But, if it were, doubt not her care should lie To comb your noddle with a three-legged
stool, And paint your face, and use
you like a fool.
Taming the Shreiv y I. i.
COMB [koa-m], sb. In trenching or digging soil before winter, or in ploughing land for a fallow, a good
workman tries to leave the sods as
rough and uneven as possible, so as to allow the frost the better to penetrate and pulverize the
surface. This is called leaving “a
good comb upon it."
So also in plastering a ceiling, it is desirable that the mortar should penetrate well between the laths, so
as to leave as rough a surface as
possible above them. This is called making a good comb.
The tiles be right down 'pon the laffs, an' there idn no chance vor to make no comb. I don't never b'leive
I shall be able vor to make it bide /.
e. some ceiling. March, i, 1887.
COMB [koa'm], sb.; in Devonshire [keo'm]. i. In this district, where the fences mostly consist of high
banks with bushes and brambles growing
on them, the line or edge where the upright
bank ends and the top begins is called the [koa-m u dhu aj,] comb of the hedge. A great deal of the hedger's
art consists in setting up the bank so
as to keep this line well denned to make a [geod koa'm tiie un,] good comb to it. In all
boundary hedges, the owner's exact
bounds extend by custom to [dree veo't oa*f dhu koa'm u dhu aj,] three feet off the comb of the hedge;
that is, to a line plumbed down from
three feet off the top outer edge of the bank.
2. The ridge of a roof; called also the \koa-m u dh-aewz,] comb of the house. (Very com.)
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9011) (tudalen 151)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 151
lie (the Jay) just had strength enough to crawl up on to the comb, and lean
his backagen the chimbley, and then he
collected his impressions, and begun to free
his mind. I see in a second that what I had mistook for profanity in
the mines was only just the rudiments,
as you may say.
Mark Tivain on Swearing, quoted in Athcnceum, Ap. 24, 1880.
COMB-BROACH [koa-m broa'uch], sb. A long, sharp tooth of a comb used for combing wool. Until
about twenty years ago this branch of
manufacture was performed by hand, each comber using a pair of combs, made of three or
four rows of long, sharp-pointed steel broaches. Only the long stapled or
combing fibres are treated thus; the
short wools are carded. See PAD, Diz.
COMBE [keo'm], sb. The abrupt rounded ending, or head of a valley is the real combe the cwm of the
Welsh. Also a hollow or cross valley
in a hill-side. All the places in the district, such as Wiveliscombe, Nettlecombe, Combe Sydenham,
Highercombe, Wrangcombe, Pincombe,
&c., are not only in valleys, but they
partake of the features described above.
COMBINGS [koa-meenz], sb. In the process of malting, each corn of barley grows a very distinct root,
which is broken off, and screened or
sifted from the malt as the last process. These roots are called combings, or combs. See
MALT-COMB.
COMBING-STRAW [koa'meen stroa], sb. The waste and broken straw which is combed out in the
process of making reed for thatching.
COMBING-SULL [koa'meen, zoo'iil], sb. A kind of plough having two “broadsides” instead of one, so
arranged as to throw up a comb or
ridge on each side; called also a. “Taty-zull," and in some districts a ridging-plough. Much used for
earthing up potatoes.
COMB-POT [koa-m-paut], sb. A kind of clay stove for burning charcoal, used by wool-combers for heating
their combs, which are always used as
hot as they can be without singeing the wool.
The process of combing wool by hand is now nearly, if not quite, obsolete. See SLIVER, TOP.
COMB, TO CUT THE [kuut dhu koa-m], phr. To humiliate; to take down a peg. (Very com.)
He's to big vor his clothes, by half; he wants vor to have his comb a-cut vor'n.
Probably a reminiscence of cock-fighting days, when the comb of the beaten cock usually presented a sorry
spectacle.
COME (past tense of come), \ - pres. t. kau'm; pret. t. kau'm, kau-md; past part, u-kau'm, u-kau'md]. Came
is unknown.
So J)at bi-side Hastinge ' to Engelond hii come; Horn jjo^te ]>o hii come alond }>at
al was in hor hond.
Rob. of Gloucester, Will, the Conq. 1. 62.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9012) (tudalen 152)
|
152
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
J)is ilk stern >am come to warn,
Apon J>at mont in forme o barn.
Cursor Mundi Visit of the Magi, 1. 45.
and whan ]>e kouherd com Jndere ' he koured low to be-hold in at )>e hole.
Will of Paler me, Werwolf, 1. 47. See also > 11. 39, 61.
vor by )>e enuie of ]>e dyeule com dyaj> to J>e wordle.
Ayenbite of Imuyt, p. 26.
One row with an asse charged with brede.
Rob. of Brunne (1303). Handlyng Synne, 1. 5606.
And when he come in to ]>t forestes syde,
A gret lust he had to slepe. Chron. Vilod. st. 221.
To Wylton anon ]>o come he y wys. Ib. st. 351.
COME [kau'm, u-kairm,], adj. and part. Fit, ready.
[Dhai pai-z bee u kau'm,'] those pease are fit to gather.
[Dhai chick-een bee kau'm tu kil-een,] those chickens are fit to kill.
This word does not mean ripe, as it is said to do in some glossaries. The pease and chickens in the
above examples are anything but ripe.
Among the educated it would not sound strange
to hear: Are your cucumbers come? Our cauliflowers are come meaning not ripe, but^/ for use.
COME [kau-m], v. i. Used in the infinitive mood only, in the sense of to do, or accomplish; to succeed
in accomplishing.
[Yiie kaa'n kau'm ut, naew,] you cannot do it, now.
[Dhai due'd aui dhai noa'ud, bud dhai keod-n kau'm ut,] they did all they knew (how), but they could not
succeed in accomplishing it. (Very com.)
2. When, or by the time that the day or time comes, as: [Aa'l bee rad'ee kaum Zurrdee,] I'll be
ready by Sunday. [T-l bee dree* yuur,
kaum dhu tuym,] it will be three years, when
the time comes, /. e. the anniversary.
and Jjer-of he schele Haue, as I sayde )>er-a-fore xv. ii. at Esteren
next, and x. ii, at Esteren come
twelmonthe, and J>an es he att paid.
Will of Stephen Thomas > 1417. Fifty Earliest Wills, p. 39.
COME AGAIN [kau-m ugee'un], v. t. Of the dead, to appear after death. (Very com. phr.)
There, I knowed very well he'd sure to come again, he died so hard, and you knows so well's me, what sort
of a feller he've a bin by 'is time.
See TROUBLESOME.
Rumours spread abroad that it was the re-appearance of Palmer, who had come again, because he was buried without a
coffin.
Thiselton Dyer, Eng. Folk Lore, p. 30.
COME ALONG [kaum ulairng], sb. An excuse; an action or statement disapproved of; a likely story!
Oh aye, that's a fine come along! I baint gwain t'ave that, s'now!
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9013) (tudalen 153)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 153
COME AROUND [km raewn, kaum uraewn], >. /. i. To cajole; to overcome by flattery or by
toadying.
[Zoa yue-v u-mae'ud shuuf' vur tu km raewn dhu Skwuyur, aa'n ee?] so you have made shift, /. e. managed
to come around and persuade the
Squire, have you not?
2. v. i. To become reconciled. To get over a fit of anger. They be &-come aroun all right now I
zeed em a Zadurday
s'inter-mate's ever.
The fat was all in the vire, sure 'nough; but hon th' old man yeard how Jim Snow'd a-got twenty poun' in
the bank, he zoon corned aroun, and
zaid he didn care how quick they was a-married.
3. To recover from illness.
The doctor 've a-do'd hot a can; but I don't never b'leive her'll never come aroun no more in this wordle.
COME-BACK [km-baa-k], sb. The guinea-fowl. From its peculiar call, which is said to be, “Come
back, come back /"
COME-BY-CHANCE [kaum-bee-chaa-ns], sb. A bastard. A stray pigeon who has taken up his abode
with your flock is a come-by-chance. Any article found and appropriated is so
called.
COME-GOERS [kau'm goa'urz], sb. pi. Callers; casual visitors. [Nuvur zeed noa jish plae'us vur
kau'm-goa'urz uvoa'r,] (I) never saw
such a place for callers before.
COME IN [km ee'n]. To calve or to farrow: said of a cow or sow. (Very com.)
[Uur ul km ee'n jist uvoa'r kurs-mus,] she will calve just before Christmas.
COME IN [km ee'n]. To be available; to be useful.
[Dhai augz-1 km ee'n tu ai't dhu swee'dz,] those hogs (yearling sheep) will be useful to eat the swedes
(turnips).
[Ee ul km ee'n tu tak-s faa'dhurz plae'us,] he will be available to take his father's place.
Note pronun. of ' take his ' in this com. phr. The two words become a distinct monosyllable, and the z
of his becomes s after k or /. He will
make himself ill would be [ee'ul mak-s-suul bae'iid,] he has hit his hand, [ee'-v u-aa't-s an*].
COME O' [kau'm oa, kau'm u], v. i. To get over; to recover.
[Ee-v u-ae'ud u shaa'rp tich, bud ee ul kau'm oa ut naew,] he has had a sharp touch, but he will get over
it now.
If a person had been very angry, and another said, Oh! he'll come o 1 that, it would be quite understood
that the person would get the better
of, or get over, his anger.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9014) (tudalen 154)
|
154
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
COME ON [km aim]. To get on; to manage; to contrive.
[Aevv d-ee km au~n wai yur nue aewz?] how are you getting on with your new house?
[Wee km au'n kaa'pikul wuul', baewt dhai proa'ucheen fuul'urz,] we managed capitally about those poaching
fellows. Wiveliscombe, November 1877.
COME OVER [km oa'vur, km au'vur]. To prevail over; to outwit; to dupe; to persuade.
[Ted-n noa geo'd,yue kaa-n km au'vur mee',] it is no use trying, you cannot persuade me.
[Dhai kaa'rd tu miin'ee guunz vau'r-n, dhai kmd au'vur-i\ een u kwik- stik]. They carried too many guns
(/'. e. were too clever) for him, they
outwitted him in a quick stick (q. v.).
COME TO [kau-m tue]. Cost.
When the Church Institute was a-started, Mr. gid us all a
book. He come to zixpence, and in un was a-put down all about the church, &c. Under-gardener, Nov.
17, 1885.
This use gives rise to the rustic riddle: If a herrin' and a half come to dree 'aa-pence, what will a hunded
o' coal come to? Answer Ashes.
COME TO [kau-m tue]. To become.
[Jan Stoo'un-z u-kau'm tue u rig'lur oal mae'un, ed-n ur?] John Stone is become a regular old man, is he
not?
[Uur-z \\-kau'm tu leok maa-yn wee'sb, poo'ur oa'l blid!] she has got to look very miserable, poor old soul!
COME TO LAST [kaum tu laa-s], adv. phr. In the end; at last.
Yokes do think they be cheap, but tidn no jis thing, come to last, they be dear 'nough.
They down arg me, gin come to last, I was fo'ced to let out a bit, and then I gid em ther dressins.
COMFABLE [kaunrfubl], sb. i. Comforter; a knitted woollen wrap for the throat. This name is the
common one.
2. adj. Comfortable. I calls it a very comfable little 'ouse.
But fust, ta mek us caumfer'ble, We
bote a lot o' stuff Ta haa a pick-nit
under heyde, When we'd got vish
enough:
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 28.
COMFORT [kaum-furt]. A peculiar kind of sweet sold at fairs. It is made of small pieces of cinnamon
covered with sugar. See FAIRING.
COMICAL [kaunrikul], adj. r. Odd in appearance; having some peculiarity, as a drawn face, a
drooping eyelid, a rickety gait, or an
idiotic expression.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9015) (tudalen 155)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 155
It is very common to say You should not make fun of the foolish [yiie mud bee u-teokt kaum'ikul yur-zuul',]
you may be taken comical yourself.
2. Bad-tempered.
[U kaum'ikul soa'urt uv u mae'un] means a bad-tempered man.
Maister's ter'ble comical z-mornin, got out wrong zide o' the bed, I s'pose.
COMING IN [kaunreen ee'n], sb. i. Income derived from a fixed source.
He's very well off; why, he've a-got up zeb'm and zixpence a week comi?i in, bezides his pinsheen (pension).
2. The amount payable for valuation or otherwise upon entering on a farm or business.
He can't never take it; why, 'tis up dree hunded pound comin in, and where's er gwain to vind money vor
to stock it arter that?
3. Terms or conditions upon which a farm or business is entered. Why, he 'ant a-got no rent to pay vor up
'most two year; nif that
idn a good comin in, I never zeed 'nother one.
COMING TO [kaunreen tue*], sb. Approach, access, entrance.
'Tis u middlin sort of a place like, hon you be there, on'y 'tis sich a mortal bad comin to.
In advertisements of sales of growing timber it is common to see it described as "capital coming
to” i. e. ready of access.
COMMANYMENT[kumaa-neemunt],^. Commandment. This form only exhibits the fondness the people
have for inserting a short ee
syllable. A farm called Broad park is always [Broa*-deepaark]; Foxdown is
always [Fauk'seeduwn], and is even sometimes written [Foxeydown].
COMPANY [kau-mp-mee]. Those who are assembled in a public-house.
A man pleaded his temperance to me. [Aay aa'n u-zau'daewn een noa kau'mp-mec uz twuul'muunt-n moo'ur,]
I have not sat down in any ale-house
assembly for a year and more.
" To keep company with” does not necessarily imply an engagement, though
it is usually so understood. Young men and women constantly walk together and meet each
other, who have no thoughts of
matrimony; they are only "keeping company." There is a sort of reproach at not having a companion of
the other sex on Sundays and holidays.
COMPARATIVE, DOUBLE. See MORE.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9016) (tudalen 156)
|
156
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
COMPARE [kumpae-ur], sb. Comparison.
There idn no compare twixt her and he; her's worth a hunded
o' un.
Poo! es a sootery Vella to Andra; there's no compare.
Exmoor Scolding, 1. 465.
COMPOSTURE [kmpaus-chur], sb. Composition.
A clerk gave out, in a church I know well, “Let us sing to the praise and glory of God, a hymn of my
own composture" c.
COMTH [kau-mth]. Cometh.
The /// inflection is much more commonly heard in the Hill than in the Vale district. Although it is
used throughout West Somerset,
especially by old people, yet it is not the most usual form, as it is in North Devon. Here the
periphrastic construction with the
infinitive is that most employed. Generally it would be said, “He do come of a good family," but “a
comth of a good family” would be quite
common. The eth is contracted to th nearly always as in looKth, tak'th, tear'th hafth (hits),
sna/th, &c.
Wery and wete, as bestys in the reyn,
Comth sely lohan, and with him comth Aleyn.
Chaucer, Reeves Tale, 1. 187.
CONCERN [kunsaa-rn], sb. Row, quarrel, disturbance.
There was a pretty concarn sure 'nongh, last night; th' old Bone Jan's wive corned home drunk, and nif he
did-n take and emp the p pot all over
her.
CONDIDDLED [kundiid'ld], v. t. Used only in the past part. Spent, wasted, done or made away with,
lost. (Com.)
I'd a got, wan time, a lot o' old spade guineas, but they be all a condiddl'd.^N. L. C.
Nif tha young George Hosegood had a had tha, he murt a hozed in a little time. Ha \vud zoon ha' be' condiddled.
Exmoor Scolding, 1. 289.
CONFOUND [kunfaewnd], v. t. To spoil, to wear out, to make shabby. (Very com.)
Ter'ble maaid 'bout confoundin her clothes; her zister don't cost 'boo half so much, an' eet her always
look'th better.
CONIGAR [kuun-igur]. A small hill at Dunster in W. Somerset, adjoining the ancient Priory = coney-garth.
Connyngere, or connynge erthe. Cuniculariitm.
Promp. Parv. See Way's Notes, Ib. p. 90.
CONKERS [kaung-kurz]. Horse-chestnuts. I saw two boys in my grounds throwing stones at a
horse-chestnut tree. As soon as they
saw me, before I had spoken, both said at once, [Plai'z-r, aa-y aan u-biin aafeen daewn dhu
kaung-kurz^ please, sir, I have not
been hitting down the chestnuts.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9017) (tudalen 157)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 157
So called from the game conkers (conquerors), which boys play, by stringing the chestnuts on cords, and
then striking two of these strings of
chestnuts together, until all on one string are knocked off; those left on the other are the
conkers. From this the name is given
to the nuts, and to the tree conker-\xo.z.
CONTANKEROUS [kairntang-kurus], adj. Disagreeable, obstructive, quarrelsome,
cantankerous.
Her's a cantankerous old lade, her is, you never can't plaise her, do hot ee wul.
CONTRAPTION [kuntraa-pshun], sb. A contrivance, makeshift.
[Lat-s zee u geod jaub u-mae'ud oa ut noa'un u yur kuntraa'p-shunz^\ let us
see a good job made of it none of your make-shift contrivances.
CONTRINESS [kairntreenees], sb. Contrariness. Same as American “cussedness."
He mid jist so well a-let ee 'ad-n; he don't want-n one bit his zul, 'tis nort but contriness. But there, you
can't 'spek no otherways, they be all
o'm jis the same. S'ignorant's a hound; an 'is father avore-n.
CONTRY [kau*ntree], adj. Obstinate, contrary, perverse. (Very com.)
[Zu kau-ntree-z dhu daevl,] as obstinate as the devil, is the usual simile. With us the accent is all on the
first syllable, and the second or
penultimate, emphasized elsewhere, is quite dropped.
CONVENIENCY [kunvarniunsee], sb. i. Accommodation, convenience. (Always.)
[Seot yur oa*n kunvai'niunsee,~\ suit your own convenience.
[Dhur lid-n noa kunvai'niunsee baewt gwai'n,] there is no convenience about
going /. e. it is inconvenient to get there.
2. sb. A privy, or W. C.
CONVOY [kunvairy], v. t. To convey (always).
We 've a-got now vor to put all our arshes and rummage and that, out in the strait, and 'tis all
&-convoyd away every mornin.
COOK [keok], v. t. Cant word for to kill.
I can't abear they cats; I've a cooked a purty many o'm by my time.
COOS [keo-s], sb. i. Course.
[Kaa'pikul keo's, shoa'ur nuuf! ] capital course, sure enough!
[Een keo's aay oa*nt,] of course I will not.
See extract from P. Pindar, under CRUMB.
2. adj. Coarse.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9018) (tudalen 158)
|
158
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
COOSISH [keo-seesh], adj. Inclined to be coarse; inferior. [Uur-z u keo-seesh soa'urt uv u buul'eek,]
she is a coarsish sort of a bullock
(q. v.\ See COARSE.
COPER [koa'pur], sb. A dealer in horses of the low Gypsy type, called also a [airs koa'pur}, but the word
is very commonly used alone, as an
epithet for a low frequenter of fairs or markets, ready to deal in anything, but particularly in
knackers, which he tries to furbish up
and sell again as useful animals.
COP-BONE [kaup-boa-un]. The knee-cap; the patella (always).
Hon I vall'd, I pitch 'pon a stone rait 'pon the cop-bone o' me knee; and I thort he was a split in two
pieces; but hon the doctor zeed-n, he
zaid how he wadn a-brokt, but I should'n be able vor to ben' un vor a good bit.
COPSE [kairps], sb. In harness or plough-tackle, a U-shaped iron, having a pin through its ends, by
which the foot-chain of a sull is
attached to the bodkin. See CLEVIS.
In breeching harness a copse on either side connects the breech-strap with
the short breeching-chains. A copse complete with its pin is in shape like [) an ^ is often
called a Dee-copse. The bow of a watch
is called a copse.
COPSE [kairps], sb. and v. In this district applied to any description of wood-land, even to a fir
plantation. At the same time it is
well understood that to copse is to cut down all the underwood in an oak coppice when it has
arrived at a certain growth, so as to
make the bark valuable. See RIPPING.
Two larch plantations at Huish Champflower are always called Gurt Copse and Higher Copse. These never
were anything but plantations, for I
well remember them as open common before
enclosure.
CORD [koo'urd]. Always so pronounced.
He vnbindeth the girdel of kyngis, and girdith her reynes with a coorde.
Wyclif, Job xii. 18.
sb. and v. A measure by which hard firewood is sold. The logs ought to be cut into three-feet
lengths, and being piled up crosswise
should form a stack ten feet long, four feet high, and three feet wide. Compare Surrey, C 4, Eitg.
Dial. Society.
Firewood is often called cord wood, {koo'urd eo'd]. A pile of the above size is called [u koo'urd u branz,] a
cord of brands.
To cord wood is to stack it up as above for measurement. [Neef yue ziinr yue aa'n u-guuf yur
mizrrur, aai koo'urd tit aup-,] if you
think you have not your measure, I'll cord it up.
CORDING. See ACCORDING.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9019) (tudalen 159)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS, 159
CORK [kairurk], v. and sb. i. To turn down the ends and the toe of horse -shoes to prevent their
slipping. The corks are the points so
turned down.
[Dhu kau'urks wuz u-wae'urd daewn keod-n aa'rlee km au'n,] the roughing was worn down could hardly
come on.
2. To caulk.
Ter'ble slipper z'mornin, I zim; anybody do want to be 3,-corked, vor to keep ther stannins.
CORK [kairurk], v. and sb. Used by boys in playing at rounders. To cork is to throw the ball at the boy who
is running; a good cork is when the
boy stoops down to avoid it, and the ball is
thrown so as to hit on the “tight."
CORK ABOUT [kairurk ubaewt], sb. A game, consisting of throwing a ball so as to hit one or other
of the players. The fun being to dodge
the ball.
CORKER [kau'rkur], sb. When a boy stoops to avoid a feint, and then gets a full blow on the posterior,
he is said to get a corker.
CORN [kau'urn], sb. i. A particle of anything of about the size of a grain of corn.
As [U kau'urn u shuug-uree kan'dee,] a corn of sugar-candy. [U kau'urn u baa'kee, u kau'urn u blaa'k
puop'ur,] black pepper. [U kau'urn u
bninrsto'aun,] brimstone.
2. sb. Wheat.
[Geod kau'urn graewn,] good wheat land.
CORNORAL OATH [kau-rnurul oa-uth], sb.
“I'll take my cornoral oath o' it," is an asseveration,
meaning as solemn an oath as if swo;n
before the coroner.
Vor there's Tom Vuzz can take his cornoral oath that he begun vurst.
Exmoor Courtship, 1. 365.
COT [kaut], sb. A matted or felted fleece; in this district also commonly called a tied fleece (q. v.).
Farmer 's 'ool idn so good's mine by odds he 's is 'most
all cots.
COT-HOUSE [kaut-aewz], sb. The most usual name for a cottage; the latter is hardly ever heard
among those who live in one.
The term applies to the entire building, if speaking of a cottage, and not to a room only. See HOUSE,
GREAT-HOUSE.
[Haun yue du kau*m tu zm kaut-aewzez, keep raewn pun yur rai't an-,] when you get to some cottages,
keep round upon your right hand.
And me ne mei nout, wifcouten swink a lutel kot areren, ne nout two
>ongede scheon habben, witSuten
buggunge. Ancrcn Rhvlc, p. 362.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9020) (tudalen 160)
|
l6o
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
COTTON [kaufn], v. t. To flog; to thrash.
[Ee kaech Miil'tnz bwuuy un Tau'dlz bwuuy stae'uleen aa-plz un ded-n ur kaut'n urn f] he caught Milton's
boy and Tottle's boy stealing apples,
and didn't he cotton them!
COTTONY [kaufnee], v. i. To be in harmony; to agree. (Com.)
Well, I never didn hear no harm by her like, but tis a poor job way em they don't cottony together vitty;
and I be afeard he do drow up his 'an'
a little bit too much /. e. drinks too much.
COTTY [kaufee], adj. Matted: said of wool. See COT. [Faa'rm Kwiks ez u ruuf laut, tez zu
mairrtui kaut'ee,~\ Farmer Quick's is
a rough lot (of wool), it is so very much matted.
COUCH [keo-ch], sb. Never called couch-grass. A very troublesome weed
triticum repens. See STROYL.
Thick there field's in a purty mess sure 'nough; he's so vull o' couch as ever he'll hold.
COULTER [koa'ltur, kuuHur], sb. Part of a sull, by no means a “ploughshare," as defined by Prof.
Skeat the share is quite a different
part. A strong knife-like iron fixed nearly vertically to the beam of a sull immediately in front of
the breast. The use is to divide the
turf or soil by a clean cut, so that the parts which immediately follow in the track of the
coulter may turn over an even roll of
earth, or furrow. Called also sword [zocrurd]. See VORE.
Culler for a plowe. Cultrwn. Promp. Parv.
COULTER-BOX [koa'ltur bauks], sb. Of a sull. The iron clip and screw by which the coulter is
fixed in its place on the beam; by
slackening the screw the coulter can be adjusted to any required depth of cut.
COUNT [kaewnt], v. To think; to consider; to estimate.
[Bee yue gwai'n oa*m? Ee'S aay kaewnt,] are you going home? Yes! I think.
[Aay kaewnt dhai oa'n git vuuree faat tu dhik'ee jaub,] I consider they will not get very fat at that
work (/. e. not get much profit).
I count there's up dree or vower hunded a left.
Now don't git zayin coosn goo, 'Cause
'ast had zummat else to do! I count
thee's mine but vurry liddle, 'Sips
nuss the cheel an' play the fiddle.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 1 6.
COUNT, sb. See ACCOUNT.
COUPLE [kuup'l], sb. A principal timber of a roof called elsewhere a "principal" never
applied to a rafter. A "pair of
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9021) (tudalen 161)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. l6l
couples" is the entire framework bearing on opposite walls, consisting
of the two couples meeting at the apex, together with the "tie" or "foot" beam;
to these essentials are added in some
cases a ''king post," or a "queen post," together with
"span-pieces" and "struts"; but all are included in the
[pae'ur u kuup'lz]. A “half couple” is
a single main timber, such as would be
used in a "lean-to" roof. See SIDE TIMBER.
The trees of oure houses ben of cedre, our couples ben of cipresse.
Wyclif, Song of Solomon, i. 16.
Al J>e couples cipres were: and J>e rafters wer al-so, And ]>e bases J>at hem bere: wij?
golde were bi-go.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 1328.
COUPLE [kuup-1], sb. An ewe and her lamb. A double couple is an ewe with two lambs. We constantly see
advertisements of prime couples for
sale.
[Aay mus sae'uv dhik mee'ud vur dhu kuup'lz,'] I must save that meadow for the ewes and lambs.
25 cross-bred couples and hogs. 16
Devon and cross-bred beast.
Advert, in Som. Co. Gazette, Ap. I, 1882.
COUPLE-KEEP [kuup-1 keep] is often to be found in advertisements. It means a good crop of
early grass fit for ewes and lambs,
which must be well fed.
COURT [kyue-urt, Hill district; koo'urt, Vale district}, sb. A farmyard; an enclosed yard for cattle, but
not for stacks (see BARTON); sometimes
called a bullock-court [buul'eek kyue'urf], and also occasionally a straw barton [stroa'
baarteen] /'. e. a yard where straw is
to be trodden into manure.
COURTLEDGE [kyue-urtleej, Hill; koo'urtleej, Vale], sb. The yards and outbuildings appertaining to
a homestead; in local advertisements
the word is spelt as above, and also curtilage the latter form is used in legal documents.
Curtlage, or gardeyn, Olerariuin, curtilagium. Promp. Parv.
duryng her lyf all my message, with the curtylage and all the
appurtenance. Will of Rauf Heth, 1434.
Fifty Earliest Wills, p. 99, 1. 19. See also 11. 11, 23.
COUSINS [kuuz-nz], sb. Friends, allies. Of two people who are not friendly, it is often said [dhai bae'un
vuuree geod kuuz'nz^ they are not very
good cousins.
COUSINSHIP [kuuz-nshiip], sb. Friendship, alliance, good feeling.
[Dhur ud-n noa kuuz'nshup tweks dhai'] would be precisely the equivalent of, “There is no love lost
between them."
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9022) (tudalen 162)
|
1 62
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
COVERED GUTTER [kuuvurd guad'r], sb. A drain made with square sides and flat top and bottom.
S$ CULBIT.
COW-BABY [kaew bae'ubee], sb. Applied to a boy: one who is babyish for his age; who howls for a
slight hurt, or disappointment.
COW-CLAT [kaew klaat], sb. Cow-dropping.
[Dh-oa'l Kauk'ee Pee'us wuz dh-aun'lees oal fuul'ur uvur yue zeed. Waay! ee-d pluwu kaew-klaat wai uz
noa'uz vur ae'upmee: ee*s 1 un
dhuurt-n baak* vur u pan'ee,] the old Cocky Pearse was the onliest (q. v.) old fellow you ever
saw. Why! he would plow a cow-dung
with his nose for a halfpenny yes! and plow it back crosswise for a penny. Quite true.
COW-FLOP [kaew-flaup], sb. Foxglove (com.). Digitalis purpurea.
COW-HEART [kaew-aart], sb. Coward; a timorous person is said to be [u kaew-aart, or kaew-aa'rtud].
Diis-n dhee bee jish kaew-aart-^ vur bee'iit u lee'dl maayd,] do not thee be such a coward as to beat a
little girl.
]>ou ne schalt me fynde no cowart: a liggeng man to saille.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 593-
COW-HEARTED [kaew-aartud], adj. Tender, wanting in vitality. Applied to plants.
An old gardener forking up the roots of the troublesome withy-wind
(Convolvulus arvensis) remarked, “Tis cow-hearted stuff" and a little later said:
[Tiiz dhu moo'ees kaew-aartuds stuuf, liz 1 , neef dhu zun* ur u beet u vrau-s ur oa'urt du kaeclv ut aewt u
graewn, t-1 kee'ul-t tu-raak'lee,] it is the most coiv-heartedest stuff
(there) is; if the sun or a bit of
frost or aught do catch it out of (the) ground, it will kill it directly. January 21, 1887.
COW-HOCKED [kaew-uuk-ud], adj. Applied to horses, when the hind legs bend towards each other like
a cow's in running, while the feet
seem to diverge. A very common but ugly feature in Exmoor ponies.
[Dhai bee au'vees strairng, haun dhai bee kaew-uuk'ud^ they be always strong when they be cow-hucked,
is a piece of bucolic wisdom I have
often heard.
COWL [kaewul], sb. A tub or barrel swung on a pole, or r more commonly mounted as a wheel-barrow,
used for carrying pigs'-wash or liquid
manure.
Mrs. Ford. . . . Go take up these clothes here, quickly; Where's the rtw/-staff?
Merry Wives of Windsor; III. iii.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9023) (tudalen 163)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 163
COWLEY [kaewlee]. A common field name i.e. cow-pasture, cow's lea. See LEY.
COW OUT [kaew aewt], v. f. To subdue; to tire out. [Oa deew! aay bee rig'lur u-kaewd aewt,~]
oh dear! I am quite tired out.
COW-PINE [kaew-puyn], sb. Cow-pen or stall (always). The cow-pines be come to repairin sure
'nough, they be all to pieces.
COY [kauy], v. and sb. To entice; an allurement.
[Tuudh'ur bwuuyz kauyd-n een tu dh-au'rchut, un dhae'uree wuz u-kaeclv,] the other boys enticed him into
the orchard, and there he was caught.
Hee raught forthe his right hand: and his rigge frotus, And coies hym as he kan, with his clene
handes.
William of Patenne. Alisander of Macedoine, 1. 1175.
For he hym maketh, with moche pride, A
nyse coye.
The coye ys with hys handys two,
Clappynde togedere to and fro.
Weber. Met. Roman. Octoulan Imperator, 1. 1343.
COY-DUCK [kauy-duuk], sb. i. An allurement; an enticer; a snare. A very common name for pretty
barmaids.
2. v. f. To decoy; to entice. (Very com.)
They be the [kuuveechusee's] covetousest vokes ever I com'd across. Nif anybody 've a-got a good maaid
to work, or a lusty chap or ort, aa'll
warnt, tidn very long vore they'll coy-duck 'em away.
COY-POOL [kauy-peol], sb. A decoy \ a pond arranged with appliances for catching wild-fowl.
CRAB [krab], sb. A portable winch or windlass never used for a crane.
CRABBED [krab-ud], adj. Surly, ill-mannered.
A maain crabbed old fellow, I zim.
" So crabbed's a bear wi a zore head," is the usual
superlative absolute.
Crtibbyd, awke, or wrawe (wraywarde, W.). Ceronictts, bilosus, cancerinits.
Pronip. Parv.
CRACK [kraa-k], v. t. To break.
Applied to breaking stones for the roads. A stone-cracker is either a man or a machine whose business it
is to break stones into small pieces
for macadamising.
Quikliche cam a cacchepol and craktd a-two here legges, And here armes after of euerich of J>o
J?eoues.
Piers Plowman > XXI. 76. Rl 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9024) (tudalen 164)
|
1 64
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
CRACK-UP [kraak-aup-], v. To praise unduly; to extol; to cry up.
[Ee kraakt-aup' dhik chis'nut maa*yn luyk,] he cried up that chestnut mainly.
C.RAKER [krae-ukur], sb. A croaker; one who is always complaining of ill-health.
He's a proper old craker, but I never cant zee why he shoud'n work, same's I be a fo'ced to.
CRAKY [krae'ukee], v. i. To complain; to croak of bodily ailments.
[Uur du krae'ukee au'l dhu dai lairng, bud kaa n zee munch dhu maad'r wai ur: uur-z ae'ubl vur art, wauns!
] she croaks of her ailments all the
diy long, but (one) cannot see much the matter with her: she is able to eat once! /. e. at
all events.
See p. 95, W. S. Gram. See Piers How. A text xi. 65.
CRAM [kraa'm], v. T. To force food down the throat. Turkeys are very often crammed to fatten
them quickly.
I cramme meate in to my mouth, as one dothe gredyly. Ic riffle. Se howe he crammeth in his meate lyke a
lurcher.
Palsgrave, p. 500.
2. sb. A lie.
CRAMP BONE [kraa'in boa'un]. The knuckle-bone (patella) of the sheep. Still worn frequently (to my
knowledge) in a little bag tied round
the neck, as a sure preventative of cramp. It loses its virtue, however, if by any chance it
touches the ground. (!)
CRAMP [kraa-mp], adj. Confined; difficult of access.
[Dhairrt aay mivur sheod-n u-due'd-n; twuz jiish kraa'mp plae'us tu kau'm tue un,] (I) thought I
never should have done (repaired) it;
it was such a confined and difficult place to get at it.
CRANE [krae'un], i. A beam projecting from any building for the purpose of attaching hoisting tackle
thereto. The word implies no
machinery, windlass, or swinging part, but the beam only which bears the weight.
Of course we use the word, in the ordinary sense of machinery for lifting heavy weights, as well.
2. A heron. At Dulverton is a heronry in Lord Carnarvon's park, always called a [krae'unuree,~\
cranery.
CRANKETY [krang-kutee], adj. i. Cross-grained; ill-tempered; also complaining in health.
Her-s a krang-kutee old thing, means that being in bad health her temper is affected.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9025) (tudalen 165)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 165
2. sb. A name for any noisy, rattling machine or engine; one for instance in which the joints and pins
are loose and therefore noisy.
I wid'n 'ave thick ingin, he's a-weared out, and he 'ont a quarter drave. A nasty old crankety, you can yur-n
a mild away.
CRANY [krae'imee], adj. Stingy, grasping, miserly.
[U maa'yn krae'unee oai dhing, uur ai*z tez u waeth aa'ytn-parrs vur tu git u
shuTeen aewt oa uur,] a main stingy old thing, she is it is worth eighteen pence to get a
shilling out of her.
CRAP [kraap'], v. i. To break shortly; to snap applied to anything brittle.
[Dh-an'l u dhu pik kraap' rai't-n tue' een mee an', su shau'rt-s-u kaarut,] the handle of the pick snapped
right in two in my hand, as short as a
carrot.
2. sb. A crack that can be heard, distinct from a crack that can be seen. See CRAZE, RANE.
Could yur the crappin o' the trees way the heft o' the snow, all about. I never didn yur no jis thing avore.
Jan. 3, 1887.
3. A crop.
[U twj'T\kraap' u tae'udees,] a fine crop of potatoes.
4. The best.
[Dhu kraap' u dhu laut',] the best of the lot. [Jaa'k-s dhu kraap' u dhu woa'l faanrlee,]
Jack is the best of the whole family.
5. The back of the neck; same as the scntff. Also in the phr. Bundled 'em out neck-and-mz/.
He catch-n by the crap, an' sling un to doors.
6. The crop of a bird. The crap o' un's fit to bust.
CRAPPY [kraap *ee], v. i. To crack with a noise.
[Auy noa'ud dhu tree wuz jis pun vairleen, vur aay yuurd-n kraap' ee^ I knew the tree was just upon
(/. e. on the point of) falling, for I
heard it crack. See CRAZE.
CRAVE [krae'uv], v. i. To claim. This word is always used in speaking of rights or boundaries.
[Faa'rm Clay au'vees krae'uvth dhik aj',] Farmer Clay always claims that hedge.
[Skwuyur Woob'ur du krae'uv dhu riivur aup su vuur-z dhu buurj,] Squire Webber claims (the right of
fishing in) the river, up so far as
the bridge.
2. To hunger for food.
[Uur-z au'vees krat'uv-svb^ she is always hungry said of a horse.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9026) (tudalen 166)
|
1 66
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
CRAZE [krae-uz; /. t. krae-uz; //. u-krae'uz],
v. To crack: as applied to glass,
china, bells, or any brittle material. Not used to express complete destruction.
[Aew kaunv dhu ween'dur \\-kraeuz 7\ how came the window cracked?
[Dhee-s u-toa'urd dhu piicrrnr, as-n? Noa', aay aa'nt! ee-z uurree \i-krae- uz,~] thou hast broken the
pitcher, hast not? No, I have not! he
is only cracked.
[Dhai krae'uz dhu guurt buul, ring'een vur dhu yuung Skwuyur,] they cracked the great bell, ringing for
the young Squire.
I erase, as a thynge dothe that is made of brittell stuffe. Je casse. Deale softely withall, a lytell thynge wyll
erase it. Palsgrave.
And couetise hath erased: 3oure croune ffor
euere.
Lan gland ^ Rich, the Red. P.
8.
Thus was ^oure croune crasid: til he was cast
newe. Ib. 1. 70.
CRAZE [krae'uz], sb. A crack in a brittle material, whether visible or not, if sufficient to injure the
"ring" of the vessel to the
ear.
[Plai'z, minim, dhurz u krae'uz een dhu tar kid'l,] please, ma'am, there is a crack in the tea-kettle. See
CRAP, RANE, VLARE.
CREAM [krai-m], sb. A shiver, a shudder, a shivering state. [Aay wuz aul tue u krai'm,] I was quite in
a shiver (of fear, not of cold).
CREAMY [krai-mee], v.i. i. To turn pale.
[Uur krai'mud lig u goa'us, haun uur zeed-nj she turned pale like a ghost, when she saw him.
2. v. t. To shiver, to shudder.
Lor! how I did craimy, I thort I should a drapt hon I zeed the blid.
3. To froth like stout or champagne.
1 calls this yur rare trade how [bue'tipeol] beautiful do craimy.
4. To froth with sweat. Horses frequently become partly covered with foam, and are then said to
"creamy all over."
CREAMY [krai'mee], adj. Shivering; shuddering; causing to shudder.
This word may be applied to either cause or effect. [U kraimee soa'urt uv u stoa'r,] a sort of story to
make one shudder; or [Ut mae'ud mee
vee'ul dhaat dhae'ur krai'mee^ aay dhairrt aay sheod u draap-t,] it made me feel so shuddering,
I thought I should have dropped.
CREASE [krai-s], sb. no plur. (Always.)
i The withers of a horse.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9027) (tudalen 167)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. l6/
[Muyn im zee dhu kaul'ur doa'n gaui dhu krai's oa un,] mind and see that the collar does not gall his
withers.
Thick 'os$ do measure well to crease /. e. at the measuring-place.
2. sb. no change \\\ plur. A ridge-tile of a roof. [Dhu wee'n-v u-bloa'd oa'f dree or vaawur u
dhu krai's,~\ the wind has blown off
three or four of the ridge-tiles.
CREATURE [krai'tur], sb. Woman or girl: never applied to a boy or man.
[U puurdee oa*l krai'tur, uur!] a pretty old creature, she!
[Uur wauz' u puurdee krai'tur een uur tuym,] she was a pretty woman in her day.
We do not use the word like the American critter, but it is sometimes applied admiringly to animals.
CREEPER [kree-pur], sb. A louse. This is the apologetic word which would be used by women in speaking to
\ - jin'lvoaks~\.
CREEPINGS [krai-peenz], sb. The sensations of creeping, produced by dread;
also the shiver attending a fresh-caught cold.
CREEPY [krai-pee], r. i. To have the shuddering sensation of fear, as at hearing a horrible tale, or a
ghost story.
[Mae'ud mee krai-pee au*l oa'vur,] made me creepy all 'over. See CROPED.
CRICK [krik], sb. and v. t. A wrench, or to wrench some part of the body so as to cause a painful
strain.
[Aay-v \\-krik mee baak' eens aay aa'n u-due'd noa'urt uz vau'rt-nait,] I
have wrenched my back, so that I have done no work for a fortnight.
Crykke, sekenesse. Spasmus, secundutn medicos, tetanus. Proinp. Parv. CRICKET [krik-ut], sb. A low stool,
generally with three legs.
CRICKET [krik-ut], sb. The superlative absolute of merry. So merry's a cricket. See GRIG.
P. Henry. Sirrah, Falstaff and the rest of the thieves are at the door;
shall we be merry?
Poins. As merry as crickets, my lad. But hark ye.
I Henry IV. II. iv. * GRIDS [kriidz],
sb. Curds (always).
\ - Krudz-i\ waree,] curds and whey; also to curdle is always to criddle, or crid \krud /, or krud\.
This yur thunder weather's shocking bad vor keepin o' milk. I've a-knowed the aivnin's milk all
^.-criddled next morning. Any bad
smell or ort '11 crU the milk toreckly.
Whether thou hast not mylkid me as mylk, and hast cruddidmt togidere as cheese? Wydif, Job x. 10.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9028) (tudalen 168)
|
1 68
WEST SOMERSET WORDS,
CURDE (cittitdt, K. H. P.). Coagulum.
CRUDDYD. Coagulatus. CRUDDYN. coagulo. Promp. Paw.
With creym and with croddes. Piers Plow. IX. 322. CRUDDES of my Ike mattes. Palsgrave.
CRIME [kruym], sb. Report, tale, scandal.
There's all the crime o' the country 'bout her.
Why, es dont zey twos Jo Hosegood zes zo, but only zo tha crime of tha country goth. Ex. Scold. 1. 522.
CRINKLE [kring'kl], v. t. To rumple up; to make creases; to crumple up, as paper or other smooth stiff
substance.
CRIP [knip], v. t. To cut off from the fleece, the pitch adhering to the end of the wool, with which the
sheep was lettered after shearing.
GRIPPING [knip-een], sb. i. The harness worn by a leader, or as we call him a fore-horse (q. v.} [u
voa'r au's]. See PLOUGH.
For sale Two sets of cart-harness and two sets of crlpping. Apply, &c.
A dvertisement.
2. The act or occupation of clipping off the pitch from wool. Also any quantity of wool sorted out for
the purpose of having the pitch cut
off; or a similar lot already operated on.
I do work to crippin most times, but I do's chores in and out.
Come, Bill! wut'n do thick lot o' crippin in a month o' Zundays, let thee alone!
CRIPPLESHIP [krup-1-shiip], sb. Lameness; state of being crippled.
I could do middlin like, nif twadn vor my crippleship. I can't get about.
CRIPPY [krup-ee], v. i. To follow the employment of shearing off the dung or the pitch marks which
adhere to a fleece.
A boy, asked what he worked at, answered, [Aay du krup'ee\.
CRIPS [kriips], sb. The clippings of the dung or pitch, with small portions of wool adhering; called
also crippings, pitch marks, &c.
CRIPS [kriip-s; sometimes kuurps], adj. Brittle, crisp.
\Krup-s uz glaa-s,] brittle as glass, is the common superlative absolute of brittle.
[Uul-um Uim-ur ed-n fut', tez tu krup's^ elm wood is not suitable, it is too brittle.
CRISLING [krus-leen, kiirs'leen], sb. i. A small, black, very sour wild plum; same as bullace.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9029) (tudalen 169)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 169
2. Small, shrivelled, immature apples.
[Dhu tree wuz veol' u blairsum, bud ded-n kau'm tu noa'urt bud krus-leenz,~\ the tree was full of blossom,
but it came to nothing but crislings.
3. The crisp skin on roast pork; the crackling.
CRISS-CROSS [krus-krau-s, or kuurs-krau-s], sb. The mark made in lieu of signature by those unable
to write.
[Aaybae'un noa skaul'urd, bud aay kn puut mee kuurs krau's,~\ I am no scholar, but 1 can put my
Christ-cross, is a very usual statement when a petty tradesman is asked to
receipt the bill, which a neighbour has
made out for him.
[Tue aa'rts un u kuurs-krau'sJ\ two hearts and a Christ-cross are drawn with the forefinger on the mash in
brewing, or the sponge in baking, and
are supposed to be quite effectual in keeping off the mischievous sprites or witches.
I have often seen this done. An old brewer whom I used to watch as a boy, used to tell me, “The drink
wid'n never work vitty, nif wadn to
put two hearts and a Christ-cross 'pon the mash.
CRISSLE [kriis-1], sb. The end of the shoulder-blade of a bullock, where it ceases to be bone and
becomes cartilage or gristle.
Butcher of Wellington always says “I'll take out the ensile,
or, I'll take out the cristle-bone." Heard hundreds of times.
Cruschylbone, or grystylbone (crusskell, P.). Cartilago. Promp. Paw.
CROACH, CROACHING [kroa-uch, kroa'cheen], v. i. To encroach; to keep on taking little by
little.
The river 've ^.-croached ter'ble this last flood; he'll keep on croachin, gin he've a-tookt in all thick
there rap o' the common.
[Dhai bee dhu kroa'cheeens laut uvur yue kmd ukrau's,] they are the croachingest lot ever you corned
across.
CROACHMENT [kroa-uchmunt], sb. Encroachment.
Thick there wall dejects zix inches to var out, 'tis a proper croachment.
CROAK [kroa'k], v. and sb. To die or a die. (Very com.) [Muy blee'f uur-z gwaa*yn tu kroa'k,'] (It
is) my belief she is
going to die. Said of a sick cow.
[Zoa dh-oal mae*ur-v u mae'ud u kroa'k oa ut, tu laa-s!] so the
old mare has made a die of it, at last!
CROCK [krauk]. In this district the word has a very definite meaning. It is a cast-iron cooking-pot
only, nearly globular in shape, with
three little rings on its greatest circumference: it is always of the same pattern though of different sizes. It
has a loose bow-handle
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9030) (tudalen 170)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS.
like a common pot, and three little legs about two inches long, to keep it from rolling over when placed on
the ground. Word crock never used for
pitcher.
CROCK [krauk], si. Hidden money; a find; cache.
In digging about old premises, or in pulling down old houses, it is very common to inquire if the workman have
found a crock, i. e. any hidden money.
A man told me how he once found a crock
under the floor of an old house. “There was eight-and-twenty
vive-shilling-pieces, zome o'm hundeds o' years old, wropped up in an old piece o' clath."
CROCKET [krauk Tit], si. Hunting. One of the small points growing on the top of a stag's horn. In a
young deer (see Bow) the horn ends in
one point called an upright. After five years old the horn bifurcates at the top, and each
point is a crock:t.
CROCKS [krauks],//. si. Broken pieces of pot which gardeners use for drainage at the bottom of
flower-pots.
CRONY [kroa'nee], v. i. To gossip applied only to the old. Two old women sitting over the fire, even
if quarrelling, would be said to \kroa
m nee\ together. See NEIGHBOUR.
CROOK [kreok], si. A pa: r of crooks is part of the gear of a pack-horse. There are two kinds, long
crooks and short crooks. The former
consist of two long poles bent in a half circle of about eighteen inches in diameter, but with one
end much longer than the other. A pair
of these bent poles are kept about two f jet apart and parallel to each other by five or more
rungs. A frame so constructed forms
one crook, and a pair of these pairs are slung on the pack-saddle pannier-wise. When in position
the long ends of the crooks are
upright, and are at least three feet above the horse's back. Being over five feet asunder, a very large
quantity of hay, straw, or corn can be
loaded on a pack-horse. It is trodden down firrrly, (I have often trodden such a load,) and is
then bound with a rope. Faggot wood is
also carried on horseback in long crooks.
Short crooks are of the same description, but smaller in capacity and with rungs closer together. They are
for heavier materials, such as hard
firewood, building stones, &c. It used to be as common to say “I'll send a horse and crooks"
as it now is to say "horse and
cart." Both kinds are now very rarely seen.
CROOK-DOWN [kreok duwn], v. To fasten to the ground by means of a crook.
[Tae'uk-n. kreok duwn zm dhuurnz een dhik'ee gyap,] take and fasten down some thorns in that gap. See
CHIMLEY CROOK.
CROOKED [kreok-ud]. So crooked'* a dog's hind-leg, or so crooked'* a horn, are the superlative
absolutes in constant use.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9031) (tudalen 171)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. I/ 1
GROOM [kreo-m], sb. Crumb. See BIT AND CRUMB.
GROPED [kroa-pt, kroa-pud], pret. of to creep, i. This is another of those verbs in which we superadd
the weak inflexion to the strong form,
as [kree'p, or krai'p, kroa'pt, or kroa'pud, u-kroa'pt, or u-kroapud\.
Sire, I relesse the thy thousond pound,
As thou right now were crope out of the ground,
Ne never er nou ne haddest knowen me.
Chaucer, Frankeleynes Tale, 1. 869.
See p. 48, W. S. Gram. See Piers Plow. B. Pr. 1. 186.
2. part. adj. Stooping or bending down to avoid observation, as \u-kroa'pt beeyuyn dhu aay-rik,]
stooping behind the hay-rick.
CROSS. See CRISS-CROSS.
CROSSING [krairseen, kraa'seen], adj. Untoward, vexatious, grievous.
[Tuurubl kraa'seen, aa'dr uVeebau'dee-d u-teok't jis truub'l wai un,] very grievous, after one had taken
such trouble with him said by a woman
of a son who died.
CROWDER [kraewdur], sb. A fiddler. (Com.)
They'd a-got a crowdtr, and they keept up a purty old game, sure 'nough.
Croivde, instrument of musyke. Chorus. Pro nip. Pcirv.
Cnvth, sb. A musical instrument called a croud a fiddle. Cnvthor, s. One that plays upon a croud a
fiddler.
Welsh, Richanfs Diet.
And whanne he cam and ny3ed to the hous: he herde a symfonye and a croude, and he cleped oon of the
seruauntis. Wyclif, Lufoxv. 25.
Loue thai his name in croude: in taburn and in psautere synge thai til him.
Hampole, Psalter, p. 490. Ps. cxlix. 3.
I' tli' head cf all this warlike rabble,
Crowdero march'd expert and able.
Hudibras, I. Cant. II. 1. 106.
Es could a borst tha croud in Shivers and tha crouder too, a voul Zlave as
a wos. Ex. Scold. 1. 391.
CROWN [kruwn, kraewn], sb. In all deciduous vegetables or plants, such as rhubarb, asparagus,
&c., the part from which the new
shoots spring forth. If the roots of these were planted with the crown downwards they would probably
die.
CROWN [kruwn, kraewn], v. t. To hold an inquest upon a dead person.
[Haun bee um gwarn tu kraewn dhu poo'ur oa'l Jiimz Eo'd?] when are they going to hold an inquest on
the poor (q. v.) old James Wood?
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9032) (tudalen 172)
|
1/2
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
CROWNER [kruwnur], sb. Coroner. (Always.)
The crowner 'ont be yur vore tomarra, 'cause he's holdin a quess up to Langport, an' he 've a-zen word to
the serjeant
the crowner hath set on her and finds it Christian burial. Hamlet, V. i.
CROWNER'S QUEST [kruwnurz kwas']. Coroner's inquest. (Very com.)
1st. Clown. But is this law?
2nd. Cloivn. Ay marry is it: crowner 's quest law. Hamlet, V. i.
CROWNMENT [kraewnmunt]. A coroner's inquest.
The doctor Ve a-gid a stifficate, zo there 'ont be no crownment.
CROW OVER [kroa- oa'vur], v. To bully; to triumph: as a cock does when he has won a battle.
CRUB [kruub], sb. A crib for cattle; not a manger. It is only found in stalls for cows or oxen, and
merely consists, for the most part, of
a stiff railing of horizontal bars across the end of the stall, behind which the hay or straw is placed.
When solid in form, as is now becoming
usual, a crub is larger than a manger. See RACK.
CRUB [kruub], v. To curb.
[Oa'l vaa's! kruttb-m ee'n!] hold fast! curb him in!
CRUB-CHAIN [kruub-charn, or chaayn], sb. A curb-chain (always). See CURB.
GRUBBING [kruub-een], sb. Kerbing /. e. the wooden frame, cut to fit round the top of a washing
copper. See FURNACE.
GRUBBING SAW [kruub'een zau', or zaa-], sb. A narrow but very coarse-toothed saw, used by wheelers
to saw out the fellies; also a narrow
saw used by sawyers for cutting curved work.
CRUEL [krue-ee'ul], adv. Very; (when emph. always a tri-syllable).
\KriU' e?ul geo'd tu poo'ur voaks,] very good to poor folks. (The vernacular is often a very literal
description of indiscriminate
almsgivers.)
CRUMB [kreo-m]. See BIT AND CRUMB.
A person or animal improving in appearance, is said "to be picking up his krlo'ttiz." Always so
pronounced.
Zich perty promises, egosh!
Zeem words o' cuse, a pack o' trosh;
Wind, faith! net one crume better:
Peter Pindar. Royal Visit to Exeter, P. 3.
CRUMPLING [kruunrpleen], sb. An apple which does not mature, but which shrivels on the tree.
Sight o' crumptins de year, I count 'tis the dry saison.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9033) (tudalen 173)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 1/3
CRY [kruy], v. t. To repudiate a wife's debts. No, he 'ont ha no more to do way her, and
he had her scried last Zadurday night.
CRY-BABY [kruybae-ubee]. A big child given to crying. A term of mockery used much amongst children,
when tears flow too readily.
CRYING THE NECK [kruyeen dhu nak-]. An ancient custom of reapers when they have cut the
last of the corn on a farm. A bunch of
ears is tied together called the neck (q. v.).
CRY SHAME OF [kruy shee-um oa]. To blame publicly; to hold up to contempt.
Everybody do cry shame o' un> eens he've a-sar'd her. Tidn no odds hot com'th to jish fullers, nif
't-ad-n a-bin vor he, her widn a-bin
lyin a-bier, an' the poor little chillern way nobody to look arter 'em.
CUB [kuub], sb. A young fox; no other English animal so called.
CUBBY, CUBBY-HOLE [kuub-ee], sb. An out-of-the-way snuggery, such as children are fond of
creeping into; a hiding-place.
[Aay noa'us u puurdee lee'dl kuub'ee, Jiinvee,] I know a pretty little snuggery, Jimmy.
CUCKOLD DOCK [keok'oa'l dairk]. The Burdock.
(Cuckold is always pronounced {ktck'oa~l~\, while cuckoo and its compounds have initial g.)
CUCKOO-BUTTONS [geo'keo-buufnz]. The very adhesive seed-pods of the \boa'r duyshl,~\
Boardistle (q. v.). Also of the
Burdock.
CUCKOO-FLOWER [geo'keo-flaawur]. (Much the commonest name.) Cardamine pratensis.
With hardocks, hemlocks, nettles, ntckoo- flowers %
Darnel, and all the idle weeds that grow. King Lear, IV. iv.
CUCKOO-LAMB [geo'keo-laa'm]. A lamb born out
of season.
CUCKOO-ROSES [geo'keo-roa'uzez], sb. Daffodils. The proper name o'm's Lent-lilies, but we
always calls em guckjo-roses. April, 1884.
CUCKOO SHOP [geo-keo-shaup], sb. An illicit beer or cider-shop.
[Aay muyn haun dh'oal Wee'ul Joa'unz yuez tu kip u geo'keo-shaup-K\ dhik
aew'z,] I remember when the old Will Jones used to keep a cuckoo -shop in that house.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9034) (tudalen 174)
|
174
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
CUCKOO-SPAT, or SPATTLE [geok'eo-spaaH]. The spume called elsewhere cuckoo-spit. See SPAT.
CUDDLE [kuud'l], v. To press, or cling close to, as a child to its mother.
This word does not imply to fondle or embrace, as it expresses the action of the one who is embraced, or
who seeks to be so. Two children lying
very close together in bed would be said to be cuddled together. Again, chickens are said
to cuddle in under the hen. The word
rather signifies a seeking after protection or warmth.
CUDDLEY [kuud'lee], sb. The common wren.
[Aay noa'us u kuttd'leez-nzs wi vaawur ai'gs een un,] I know a wren's nest with four eggs in it.
Middlin luck this year; an't a-lost but one chick, out o' all the lot, and thick was a poor little thing, no
bigger-n a cuddley. March 12, 1887.
In North Devon this bird is a crackety \kraak' utee~\.
CUDGEL PLAYING [kuuj'eel plaayeen]. Single-stick.
This was our favourite West Somerset game, as wrestling was that of Devonshire. Both have been quite
common at “revels” until within the
last twenty or thirty years.
CUE [kue*], sb. The iron heel of a boot; often nearly as heavy as a donkey's shoe; generally made and put
on by the blacksmith. Sometimes called
cute and skute [kiiet, skiiet]. See TIPS.
Did ever mortal see sic brutes, To
order me to lift my aites. Ad! smash
the fool, he stands and talk, How can
he learn me to walk, That's walk'd
this forty year, man? The Pitman's
Revenge against Biiomtparte, quoted by Brockett. p. 52.
CUFF [kuui], v. t. To strike or beat the head; to box the ears. Not applied to striking with any other
weapon than the hand, or to any other
part than the head.
CULBIT [kuul'but], sb. Culvert.
Called also a barrel arch [baaree'ul aa'rch], that is, a circular conduit made of brick-work. See COVERED
GUTTFR.
Cw/^V-bricks are specially made segment- shaped, and so as to be built without a “centre," or
sustaining frame.
CULCH [kuul-ch], sb. Broken crockery, oyster shells, and the usual siftings from an ash-pit.
CULL [kuul], v. t. To separate the best sheep from the inferior. Not used in selecting generally, but only
with sheep.
CULLS [kuul'z], sb. Inferior sheep picked out of a flock.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9035) (tudalen 175)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. J75
CULM [kuul'um], sb. The slack of non-bituminous or anthracite coal is known by no other name. The large
lumps are "stone-coal." It
has long been used for burning lime and for drying malt. At nearly every coa^ -yard will be seen
written up, “Coal, Culm, and Salt
Merchant." It is found in South Wales, and for the past few
years it has been sold largely as
“smokeless coal” in other districts.
CUM-ATHER! CUM-ATHER-WAY! [Km-ae-dhur 1 Km-ae'dhur-waree-u!
Kiinv-aedhur-waree-u!] The words used by all
carters to their horses, to direct them to come hither i.e. to
the near or left side, on which the
carter always walks when driving without reins. The \ - waree-u~\, though
precisely the same sound as that used
to cause horses to stop, is probably in this combination with ye come hither, with ye! See WAY, WUG.
CUMBERMENT [kuunrburmunt], sb. Incumbrance, hindrance, impediment.
You zee, mum, tidn same's 'off I was a young man 'thout no cumberment; anybody could do then eens they
be aminded.
CUNNING [kuurreen], adj. Wise, able, skilful, dexterous.
This word in the dialect keeps only its original meanings, and conveys no such idea as the conventional
cunning. A cunning sort of a man might
be said of a good preacher, a clever mechanic, or a good farmer. Comp. cunning as used in the
A.V.
Let my right hand forget her cunning. Ps. cxxxvii. 5.
The modern notion is expressed in the dialect by “artful” or "false."
CUNNY-FINGERED [kuurree ving-urd]. A way of bending the thumb into the closed hand to shoot the
taw, in playing at marbles.
CUP! [kuup!]. The invariable call when it is desired to call a horse towards one, or to catch him in a
field kuup! kuup! kuup!
CUP! [kuop! koop!]. The call to fowls or turkeys. It is sounded precisely as a northerner sounds
cup.
No native would ever confound these calls or sound them alike. Comp. cup. Mid Yorkshire Glossary.
CUPBOARD [kuub'id], sb. The climax or superlative absolute of lew (q. v.). A very sheltered spot is
described as [su lue'-z u ^ so lew as
a cupboard.
CUPS AND SAUCERS [kuups-n saa'rsurz]. Acorns.
CURB [kuurb], sb. i. A curve.
W r e shall bring the wall to a [rig'lur kuurb'}.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9036) (tudalen 176)
|
i;6
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2. v. To curve.
Take and \kuurb-\s\. een raewn] to a regular sweep i. e. curve it round. See CRUB.
CURCHY [kuurchee], v. and sb. Curtsey.
\Kuur*chec tu dhu lae'udee, lig u geo'd maa'yd,] curtsey to the lady, like a good girl.
CURDLE [kuurdl], v. t. and /. and sb. To curl; a curl (always). An example of the insertion of d between r
and /, as in guur'dl (girl); kwaur'dl
(quarrel); wuurd'l (world); puur'dl (purl) (q. v.).
CURDLY-GREENS [kuurdlee gree-nz], sb. (always). Curly-greens, or the curled
kale brassica fimbriata.
CURDLY POLL [kuurdlee poa-1], sb. A curly head. Our Billy's a proper little curdly-poll.
CURMSON [kuurmzn]. Crimson (always).
The nose o' un wadn hurd (red), I tell ee, he was downrait curmsori) and no more shape nor form-n a
dough-fig.
In a sey ev gold an' curmson clouds
Outstratchin' dru the west,
The zun, lik' a gilded sheenin ball,
Ez zinken into rest. Pulman, Rustic S kef ekes.
CUROSITY [keo-rau-sutee], sb. Curiosity (always).
Jim Giles zeed thick there pipe you gid-me, hot you brought home, an' he zaid how he sh'd like one o'
they, vor a curosity like. May 21,
1866.
CUROUS [keo'rus], adj. Particular; fastidious; over nice; careful.
Ter'ble curous old jinlmun 'bout's mait 'n drink nif tidn rezackly to his mind, he 'ont never tich o'
it.
I be glad you liked they paths, I was uncommon curious about 'em /". e. took great pains. Gardener.
J. F. C.
Jjenne alle Ipe toles of tolowse mo^t ty^t hit to kerue, J>us is he kyryons and clene ]>at
J>ou his cort askes.
Early Allit. Poems, Cleanness, 1. 1108.
CURRY [kuuree], sb. A kind of rough waggon used only for harvesting, or carrying straw, browse,
wallett, or similar stuff. It has no
close body, and is therefore unsuitable for such loads as stones, manure, corn in sacks, &c.
Possibly the word, though usually
printed curry^ is in reality “kerry” (wain), and no doubt the auctioneer who wrote the following thought
so* too:
Agricultural Implements, and Dairy Utensils. I strong waggon, 3 kerries^ 2 Crosskill's carts, small two-wheel
dog-cart, ditto pony ditto, putt.
Advertisement of Farm Sale. Wellington Weekly News, Oct. 15, 1885.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9037) (tudalen 177)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 1/7
CURSHIN [kuursheen], sb. A cushion (always).
Cf. \waursheeH) faa-r-sheeri\, washing, fashion, &c.
CURSHINS [kuursheenz], sb. pi. The plant Thrift (very com.). Armeria vulgaris.
Of Thrift, or our Ladies Cushion. Gerard, p. 602.
CURSNIN [kiirsneen], sb. Baptism, christening. See CHRISTENING-VAULT.
CUSS [kuus, kuus'ee], v. and s. Curse, swear.
[Uur ded fcuus-n, shoa'ur nuuf,] she did curse him, sure 'nough! [Jish fuul-ur tu kuus'ee, yue niivur ded-n
zee dhu fuul'ur oa un,] such a fellow
to swear, you never saw his like.
CUSSIN-DAY. Ash Wednesday, or whenever the Commination is read.
CUSSIN-SARVICE [kuus-een saa-rvees]. The Commination.
CUSTOMARY-LAND [kuus'tumree Ian-]. A tenure of land depending upon the performance of some act,
specified by the original grantor; as
the due payment of a pepper-corn by way of
rent. This is a very common nominal rental for many properties in this district. See LAND.
CUT [kuut], sb. Weaver's term. The length as marked on the warp or chain (q. v.) required for a piece
of cloth. The warp may contain several
cuts in length.
CUT [kuut], v. castrare (always). 'Tis
time to cut and tail the lambs.
a gowne of scarlet with slyt slyues y-furred, and my cuttyd hors.
Will of Rich. Dixton 1438. Fifty Earliest Wills, p. m, 1. 23.
CUT AND COME AGAIN [kuut-n kairm ugee'un], sb. A very prolific variety of kale or winter greens;
much grown in cottage gardens.
CUTTER [kuufur], sb. A gelder (always). I have known a man of this profession all my life, but never
heard him called by any other name
than “Cutter Marks." I do not know his Christian name.
CUT THE LEG [kuut dhu lai'g], phr. It is common for men when working together, to hear one say:
Well soce? somebody 've &-cut their leg then, sure 'nough. This is followed by the inevitable
spitting, whenever any foul odour is
perceived.
CUTTY [kuut-ee]. The wren; not so common as cuddley (q. v.), and a little “fine talk” in this district.
N
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9038) (tudalen 178)
|
1/8
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
The blackbird 'pon the thorn-bush zits,
The dursh 'pon th' elem high,
The rabbin, golefinch, cutt, and lark
Wi 'one er t'other try. Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 42.
1. The use of this letter seems somewhat
erratic and arbitrary: in the dialect
it is often dropped in words where it is sounded in lit. Eng., while on the other hand it is
often inserted redundantly after final
/ and;/, when these follow long vowels. Thus it is dropped in all words ending in Id, nd (such as
mild, child {chee'ut}, wild, field,
yield, scald, emerald, Sujfield, old, fold, scaffold; and wind, land, hand, command, hound, find, &c.),
except errand, which is always
[aarunt]. It is also dropped in some words ending in rd, when the preceding vowel is short or
without stress, as in shepherd
[shiip'ur]. It is inserted in mile [muyuld]; smaller [smaal'dur]; tailor [taa'yuldur]; finer
[fuyndur], &c. In some cases,
though rarely, the final d is sounded before a vowel. See lists of literary words at the end of each
letter.
D used for th is rare, but sometimes heard perhaps oftener than most observers are aware of. Dashle,
thistle; datch for thatch, are quite
common; also de for the may be heard from individual speakers in many districts, while of course
it is a well-known rule that all words
in lit. English beginning with thr are dr in the dialect, as drash, dree, dread (thread),
drow, drough, drum (thrumb).
2. Contraction for had and would when following vowels and liquids also after/, b, v,f, s, z.
Yd (he'd, she'd, you'd, they'd) a got a lot one time.
Yd a gid a sovereign out o' my own pocket, vore should a-hap'd ees I wid.
BillW a-had 'z dinner vore a started.
Our JimV a zoonderd a fight it out and zo a wid, nif BobW a-bin ort of a man.
[Miis'tur Bruys t-Ee'ul Taap-df a-boa'ut-n turaak'lee, neef Joa*unz dhu faaryur-^ u-zee'd-n,] Mr. Brice to (of)
Hill Top would have bought him directly
(/. e. on the spot) if Jones the farrier had seen him.
DAB [dab], sb. i. A thump; a hard blow with hand or fist, but without a weapon.
I'll gie thee a dab under the ear, s'hear me.
Als he hit togidd, out to habbe,
Philot him gaf anothir dabbe;
That in the scheld the gysarme
Bylefte hongyng, and eke the arme.
Weber, Met. Romances, Kyng Alisaunder, 1. 2307.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9039) (tudalen 179)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS.
2. A lump of anything.
Jim, let's have a dab o' putty, wit?
DAB [dab], sb. Daub. An old-fashioned way of building was to build the four outside walls of a house
as high as the eaves of cob (q. v.).
The gables and partitions were then made of rough round poles or sticks nailed upright, and
across these some split sticks for
laths; over all was put a coat of dab or very rough mortar. This method is called split and dab [splee't-n
dab']. A great many thatched cottages
still existing are so built.
I daube with claye onely. Jardille. I am a poore man, I muste daube my walles, for I can make none other shyfte.
Palsgrave.
DAB-HAND [dab-air], sb. An expert.
[Muy bwuuy-z u rig-lur dab-an' tu fig-uree,] my boy is a regular expert at cyphering.
DAB IN THE HAND [dab'-m dh-air], sb. i. Compensation; earnest money; a sum on account to clinch a
bargain. A very common saying over a
bargain when “earnest money” is paid, is
[Wuul, u dab'-m dh-an'-z bad'r-n u buump-m dhu baak',] well, a dab in the hand is better than a bump in
the back.
2. A bribe, a douceur.
They zess how Turney Smith had a middlin dab in tttand 'bout makin o' thick there will.
DABSTER [dab'stur]. An expert not so common as dab-hand, but the same meaning. It is a little
"finer talk," and would be
used by such people as would choose their words, and who know better than to be so common as to sound v
for/, or z for s. Hence these persons
would always talk of singk and fellum they know better than to call it zingk (zinc), or vellum.
I know many such.
DACIOUS [dae'urshus], adj. Impudent; rude (a favourite word with women).
[Yue dae'urshus yuung raa'skl!] you audacious young rascal!
DAFF [daaf], adj. Stupid, dull, idiotic.
Tis a wisht thing vor em. sure 'nough, vor t-ave two o'm daff and foolish like that there. Nif twid but
plase th' Almighty vor to take em: but
there I spose her'd vex herzul to lost em, same's off they was sensible like. Not now used as
a subs.
DAFFE, or dastard, or he J>at spekythe not in tyme. Oridurus.
Promp. Paw.
And when this jape is tald another day
I sal be held a daf, a cokenay.
Chaucer, Reeve's Tale, 1. 287.
and herodes ]>e daffe
$af hus douhter for daunsyng: in a disshe ]>e hefde Of ]>e blessyde baptiste: by-fore alle
hus gustes.
Piers Ploiv. xi. 177. See also Ib. xiv. 236.
N 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9040) (tudalen 180)
|
ISO
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
DAFFY-DOWN-DILLY [daafee-daewn-dul'ee], sb. The daffodil. (Very com. with
children.)
DAG [dag]. To "set a dag" is to perform some feat in such a way as to challenge imitation; such as
walking along a round pole across a
deep canal; or diving off from a considerable height. It is very common in such a case for the
leader to say to his companions [dhae-ur-z u dag' vaur ee] there's a dag for
you /. e. there is a feat do that if
you can. See dazzity in Robinsoris Mid
Yorkshire Glossary. E. D. S.
DAG, DAG-END [dag, dag'-een], sb. Of a sheaf of corn or reed, the end opposite to the ears. Of a faggot
of wood, the end having the biggest
sticks. Of a single branch, the stem end.
Thee art a purty fool to load, art-n? Why thee's a put the sheaves back-n-vore, way the dag-een
towards the middle; they 'ont ride lig
that.
DAGGED [dag-ud], adj. Same as jagged. Applied to clothes ragged at the bottom, as of a woman's skirt
or a man's trousers. “Daggid-ass” is a
common term of contempt for a woman whose
skirt is jagged and foul at the lower edge.
The word now implies the result of wear and tear no longer dags of fashion.
DAGGYDE. Fractillosus. 'DAGGYNNE. ' Fractillo. IAGGYD, or daggyd. Fractillosus. Promp.
Parv.
See Wey's note, p. in.
but there is also the costly furrying in their gowns, so much punching of
chisel to make holes, so much dagging
of shears.
Chaucer, Parson's Tale, De superbia.
and ]>anne lowh loude lyf . and let dagge hus clones.
Piers Plow. XXIII. 143.
ffor wolde J>ey blame J>e burnes . )>at brouzle newe gysis, and dryue out j>e dagges: and all )>e
duche cotis,
Langland, Rich, the Reddes, in. 192.
thek gurt banging, thonging, muxy Drawbreech, tftgg^teal'd Jade.
Ex. Scold. 1. 501.
DAGGERS [dag-urz], sb. The broad straight leaves of the common iris or flag.
DAGGERS-DRAWD [dag-urz-draird], adj. Extremely hostile. [Dhai bee rig'lur dag'urz-drau'd^ they are
regularly at daggers-drawn.
DAGGINGS [dag-eenz]. The clotted wool which is clipped off from sheep which have had the scour (q.
v.). See GRIBBLE.
DAIRY [dae'uree], sb. The milking cows belonging to any farm or house.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9041) (tudalen 181)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. l8l
If a number of cows were seen going home to be milked, it would be usual to ask, “Whose dairy's this
here?” To let a dairy by no means
implies the letting of premises except incidentally, but is the technical way of expressing the
letting of cows /. e. the owner
provides the cows, their fodder and shelter, while the dairy-man has to
attend to the cows, and takes all their produce, for which he pays so much a year per cow.
DAIRY-GOODS [dae-uree geo'dz], sb. Butter, cheese, cream; dairy produce. Used by other than dairy
people in speaking of the above; by
the latter the produce is called goods simply.
"Pis winderful the sight o' dairy goods they do zend off vrom our station.
Ees, but the goods baint a wo'th nort har'ly tidn a bit same's use to, hon butter was nineteen and twenty
(/". e. pence per lb.).
DAIRY-MAN [dae'uree-mun], sb. One who rents a dairy (q. v.). Very rarely, a man employed as a labourer
about a dairy.
DALL, DALLY! [daa'l, daa'lee!], interj. Quasi, or apologetic imprecations.
{Daa'lee, zir! kaa*n nii'vur voo'urd tu due* ut vur dhu muun'ee,] dall 'ee, sir! (I) can never afford to do
it for the money. Sept. 2, 1886.
Nif I do, I'll be dotted.
I'll be daVd if owr Mary thare hath'n a bin
An parchis'd be zom mayns a nu crinalin.
Nathan Hogg, Ser. II. p. 14.
DAME [dae'um], sb. i. The title of a woman of at least middle age, of the lower middle-class such as the
wife of a small farmer.
Th' old dame Glass gid me they there lillies.
Its use implies great familiarity perhaps a little disrespect; no one would speak of a lady as dame unless a
slight were intended. It is equivalent
here among the peasantry to “mother so-and-so," in speaking of a person; but in legal
instruments and on tombs, Dame is a
title equal to Madam or Mrs.
2. The dam, mother: applied to animals or birds. (Always.) Not now to persons.
Her's the [dae'um] dame o' your bay 'oss. They young holm-screeches 've
a-lost their dame.
And whane')>e dame hath ydo, ]>at to }?e dede longith, And hopith ffor to hacche, &c.
Rich, the Red. in. 1. 43. See also Ibid. 1. 48.
Alsone as that childe y- borne is It
hath wytt or har I wys, And may speken
to his dame: Now is this a selkouthe
game.
Weber, Met. Rom. Kyng Alisaunder, I. 5024.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9042) (tudalen 182)
|
1 82
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
DAMSEL [daamzee-ul], sb. Damson. (Very com.) By some individuals always so called.
DANCE [daa-ns], sb. and vb. Often used to express displeasure.
[Lai'd mee u puurdee daa'ns^ led me a pretty dance.
[Zoa aay mus dawns ubaewt aa'dr ee-,] so I must dance about after^him.
[Un-eebau-dee mud bee VL-daa'nseen baewt au'l dhur tuym,] one may be dancing about all their time.
Compare, to dance attendance.
DANCY [daa'nsee], v. i. To dandle, as with an infant. Nurses sing to children:
Dancy, Dancy, Daisy,
What sh'll I do to plaze ee?
Take thee on my lap
And gi' thee a sop,
And that's what I'll do to plaze ee.
DANDY-HORSE [dan-dee airs], sb. A velocipede.
This was the name of the old-fashioned bicycle, which was just high enough to take the rider's
weight, and was propelled by his
pushing against the ground with his toes. I have often heard it used for an ordinary tricycle
driven by a crank; and latterly even
the modern bicycle is constantly so called in the remoter districts.
DANG [dang], v. A compromise for damn.
\ - Dang' yuur blid!] would be said by a person who would be shocked at being accused of swearing, and
who would never under any provocation
use the ordinary imprecation on the eyes. The
number of words of this class, by which people let off their
anger, and yet salve their consciences
by these silly attempts “to cheat the
devil," is quite astonishing.
Bit dang et aul! I'm riting aun, Till
aui tha papers moast agaun.
Nathan Hogg, Ser. I. p. 38.
DAP [daa-p], v. i. To go quickly, briskly.
[Leok shaa'rp-m daa'p lau-ng,] look sharp and go along quickly.
[Aa'l daa'p een umbuy,] I'll pop in by-and-by.
2. v. i. To hop as a ball. A stone thrown along the surface of water so as to make “ducks and drakes” is
said to {daa'pee}.
3. v. To fish with a rod in a peculiar manner. When the stream is flooded and the water muddy, the
bait, whether fly or grub, is kept
close to the top of the rod, with only an inch or' two of line, and is made to bob up and down
very quickly on the surface of the
water.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9043) (tudalen 183)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 183
4. sb. Trick, ruse, artifice.
Annointed rogue, there idn no dap nor move that he idn up to.
5 . v. t. with down. To lay or put down; it implies a temporary or provisional laying down.
Hot 's lef thy bag o' tatees yur vor? I 'ant a-left em; I on'y dapt em down while I dapt into Joe's arter
a pint o' cider.
DAP [daa'p], sb. Hop of a stone on the water, or of a ball. Thick there made zebm (seven) daps, and
thine didn make on'y but vive.
DAP-CHICK [daa-p-chik], sb. (Always.) Dabchick, or little grebe. Podiceps minor. See DIPPER.
DAPS [daa'ps], sb. pi. i. Habits or ways. Applied either to persons or animals.
[Ee-z u au'kurd kuus'tumur, neef iin*eebau*dee ded-n noa* dhu daa'ps oa un,] he (a horse) is an awkward
customer, if one did not know his
ways.
Anybody idn no good vor want-catchin, nif they baint up to the daps o'm, purty middlin like.
2. Likeness; image. (Very com.)
[Dhu vuuree daa'ps uv liz faa'dhur,] the very image of his father.
Tha hast tha very daps o' thy Old Ount Sybyl Moreman upazet.
Ex. Scolding, 1. 229.
Ha zim'd steev'd way tha cold, an tha daps me deer Jan, Uv a thing es uv raid aw thay kals a
say-man.
Nathan Hogg, Ter Abbey Vaistings.
DARE [dae'ur], v. t. i. To forbid sternly or under a penalty; to frighten from a purpose; to defy.
[Ur dae'urd-n t-ai'n stoa'unz tu dhu duuks,] she sternly forbad him to throw stones at the ducks.
[Ee daeu-rd dhu paa'sn neet tu km ee'n t- tee'z aewz noa moa'ur,] he forbad the parson to come into his house
again.
2. To threaten.
[Dhu poa'leesmun dae'urd-n. haut ee-d due* tiie un,] the policeman threatened him what he would do to him.
DARK-NIGHT [daaik-nait], sb. Nightfall. The beginning of night.
The expression “daylight to darknight” is very common, to signify the entire day from dawn to nightfall.
Another common form is “Vrom day's light to darky-night"
DARN [daarn], v. Quasi oath. Same as DALL, DAZ, &c.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9044) (tudalen 184)
|
1 84
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
DARTER-LAW [daa'rtur lau], sb. (Always.) Daughter-in-law. See Book of Ruth,
ii. 20, in W. S. Gram. p. 108.
, DASHLE [daash'l, duVl, duyshl, duysl], sb. Thistle.
All the forms of pronunciation are about equally common \ but in none is th ever sounded.
DATCH [daach], v. and sb. Thatch.
Used generally in certain districts, particularly about Culmstock in East Devon, and by individuals in many
parts. I know several in this
neighbourhood (Wellington) and also round Wiveliscombe, who always say, Here's the datcher comin
vor to datch the ricks.
The datch 'pon Jan Gadd's house is proper a-weared out.
DATCHER [daacrrur], sb. Thatcher. (See above.)
DATCHES [daacrrez], sb. pi Vetches. (Very com.) By some this is pronounced dhaach'ez;
indeed v and dh are usually
interchangeable.
DAUNT [daa-nt], sb. i. A check through fear.
[Dhaat puut u daa'nt paun un puurdee kwik,] that put a check upon him pretty quickly.
2. v. t. To tame.
You'll have to do ever so much vor to daunt thick there colt vore you can git tap o' un.
For oft tymes he, bounden in stockis and chaynes, hadde broken the
chaynes, and hadde brokun the stockis
to smale gobetis, and no man mi^te daunte hym.
Wyclifvers. (Morris and Skeat). Mark v. 4.
I dawnte, I mate, I overcome. Je matte. This term is yet scarsly
admitted in our comen spetche.
Palsgrave.
DAY [dai], v. I; p. t. daid; pp. v-dai'd. To die. Usual pronunciation; precisely as in lit. day.
Her's ter'ble bad: I be afeard her's gwain to day.
Never sinze his wive daid he 'ant a bin a bit the same man.
but she denyed hit and seid ]>at she had leuer dey J>an consent
f>erto. So within short tyme, j?e
maister drew to a fer lond, and Jjere he deied.
Gest. Rom. p. 88.
after J>e lord J)at daide for me. Ibid. p. 25.
do let me hennes bere, Jjat y ne daye
in J?is degre: cristned y wold y were.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 777. See also 11. 2579, 2589.
Thare ez yus'd ta meet and chatter
Talk uv ghosts, an uv tha dayd, 'Till
horn vast our veet wid clatter,
Most aveer'd ta go ta bayd.
Nathan Hogg> Ser. II.
DAY [dai]. “To lose a day” is to be unable for some reason to work for a day, and so to lose a day's
wages.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9045) (tudalen 185)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 185
Plase, sir, I wants to lost half-a-*/<ry /. e. to go from my work for half-a-diy, and allow ha\f-a.-day's wages.
DAY-MORNING [dai-maurneen]. This morninglit, this day morning. (Very com.)
[Aa*n u-zee'd-n siinz dai-maur'neen u brak*sus-tuym; ] (I) have not seen him since this morning, at
breakfast-time.
FaL What's the matter? there be four of us here have ta'en a thousand pound this day morning. I Henry IV. II. iv.
DAY'S MARCH [darz maarch], sb. (Very com.)
[Yue oa*n vuyn dhu fuul'ur oa un neet-n u dai'z maar'ch,~\ you will not find his equal, not in a day's
march.
DAY-TALE FELLOW [dai-tae'ul fuulnir], \ sb. A labourer hired
DAY-TALE MAN [dai-tae'ul mun], } by the day. Hence
a term of reproach, meaning a lazy, slack workman whose only
care is to have his wages, and to do as little as he can to earn them.
(Very com.)
DAY-TOOL [dar-teol], sb. A bad or worn-out tool.
[U praup'ur dai'-tiol} implies such an implement as a man would use who found his own tools and worked by
the day. The term is of everyday use.
Applied also fig. to persons.
He's a purty old day-tool he too why I widn gie un zix pence a wik i. e. he is used up, worn out,
good-for-nothing.
DAZ! [daa'z!], v. Very -common form of damn this is the bucolic form of dash.
[Daa'z ee! nuvur muyn. Daa'z muy buut'nz neef aay due*!] Daaz'd if I don't make thee know, s'hear
me! See DANG.
Chuck vul, ez wul, tha winder waz,
Zeth I, “Mee deer, now I'll be dazl
Yul yewze up aul the lite; An widn'et
bee a purty lark Ta layve tha wurd'l
in tha dark
An turn tha day ta night."
Nathan Hogg, Ser. II. p. 61.
DAZED [daeniz], adj. Giddy, dazzled, bewildered, confused. [Waut ae-ulth ee? dhee urt sae'um-z
un-eebau'dee u-Jae-uz,"] what is
the matter with you? you are like a person bewildered.
DASYD, or be-dasyd. Vertiginosus. Promp. Parv.
DEAD [dai'd], adv. Using a lever without much purchase, or length of leverage. See PINCH.
We never can't turn the piece, nif you catch the lever so dead. There now! nif has'n a-catch-n deader
again! /. e. still more dead.
DEAD [dai'd], adj. i. We have two or three similes which are used about equally with this word \ - dai'
d-z u aanrur,] dead as a
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9046) (tudalen 186)
|
1 86
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
hammer (never a door-nail), and [daid-z u mag'ut,] maggot. In these combinaions it is applied only to
animals or man. Of game, it is most
usual to say, \daid~z u rag]. A man looking for a bird supposed to be only wounded would cry out,
Here (it) is! so deaf* a rag [yuur
liz! zu daid-z u rag].
2. Flat, stale, as applied to drinks.
[Dhu suydur-z-u dai'd-z dee'ch-wau'dr,] the cider is as dead as ditch-water.
DEAD AGIN [dai'd ugiirr], adv. Strongly opposed to. [Mae'ustur-z dai'd ugun' dim paa'sn,]
master is averse to, or on bad terms
with the parson.
DEAD-ALIVE [dai'd-uluyv], adj. Dull; wanting in energy; phlegmatic.
I should'n never like to be a-tied up to jish poor dead-alive thing's her is: her's 'nough to gie anybody
the blues vor to look to her, let
alone to live way her. See DEAD-LIVERED.
DEAD-HORSE [dai'd-au's], sb. Work done in redemption of debt is called [wuurkeen aewt dhu
dai'd-au's,~\ working out the
dead-horse.
[Aa! aay dhau'rt u wiid-n kau'm; ee doa'n luyk tu wuurk aewt dhu dai'd au's,] ah! I thought he would not
come; he does not like to work when he
has been paid beforehand. So it is
common to say, Ah! that's a dead-oss job meaning it is badly done because paid for beforehand, or only
done - to work out an obligation.
Hence the old saying, “Vorehand-pay and never-pay 's the wist (worst) of all pay."
DEAD LIFT [dai'd liif-], sb. When horses are attached to a weight beyond their strength to move, they
frequently refuse to try a second
time; in such a case it is said, [dhai oa'n peol tiie u dai'd luf',~\ they won't pull at a dead lift. On the
other hand it is common to hear a
seller say of a horse, I'll warn un to pull twenty times veiling (following /. e. in succession) to
a dead-lift.
DEAD-LIVERED [dai'd-luyvurd], adj. Dead-alive, dull; stupid, sluggish.
I zim her's the {dai'd luyvurdz^\ dead-liver dest, gurt, gawky-looking piece
in all the parish.
DEAD-MEN'S-FINGERS [daid-mainz-ving'urz]. The plant Orchis maculata (com.).
DEADS [dai'dz], sb. The subsoil. The barren ground or gravel immediately below the top stratum.
[Toa*n due tu pluwee tue* tuurubl dee'p, yue-ul uun'ee bring aup dhu dai'dz], it will not do to plough
too terrible deep, you will only bring
up the barren subsoil.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9047) (tudalen 187)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 1 87
DEAF [dee'f ], adj. Applied to any kind of fruit or seed enclosed in a shell or husk, which when opened is
barren.
Dee'f kau-rn is an ear of corn without grain in it. Nuts without kernels are always decf.
[Noa zee'ud een ut, u plai'ntee u buud", bud au'l oa-m dee'f,] no seed in it, a plenty of buds, but all of
them deaf. This was said to me of a
field of clover, which seemed very good in appearance. Sept. 1884.
Always pronounced deef. The regular superlative absolute (see W. S. Gram. p. 22) is always "so
deef's a 'addick” though why a haddock
should be deafer than other fish, or why a hammer is deader than other tools, seems quite
inscrutable to any but the bucolic
mind.
and all the dou^tris of song schulen wexe deef.
Wyclif-vcrs. Eccles. xii. 4.
His eres waxes deef, and hard to here.
Hampole, Pricke of Conscience, 1. 782.
)>e folkes heste ys
So yharded, J>at hii be]) blynde and deve ywis, )>at hii nolle)? non god ]>yng yhure
ne yse.
1298. Robt. of Gloucester, p. 352.
Ley no deef ere to my spekyng, I swere
you, sir, it is gabbyng. 1370.
Chaucer, Romaunt of the Rose. Works; Bell, 1856 (v. 7), p. 357.
For thay ben doumbe, and therto they ben deve, And chargeth him his y doles for to leve. 1390. Chaucer, Seconds Nonnes Tale, Cant.
Tales, 1. 12,214.
A detfma.n and a doumbe was helid of Crist.
1375. Wyclif, Sunday Gospel, Scrm. xii. (Select English Works) I. p.
29.
Ich drawe men, qua]) seint Andrew: lo god }>at so]) is
ac wrecches and false 3oure beoj?: and deue and dombe iwis.
1305. St. Andrew, Early English Poems (1862), p. 99.
For deue Jior^h hus doynges, and dombe speke and herde.
1393. Piers Plowman. Pass. 22, 1. 130.
Many of hem becamen . . . deve for the noyse of the water.
1356. Mandeville, ch. 30, p. 306 (ed. 1839).
DEAF -NETTLE [dee'f niifl], sb. Dead nettle Lamium furpureum.
DEAL [dae'ul], sb. Lot, quantity, part, bit.
Why, I'd zoonder go 'thout em, by a purty dale,-n I'd pay jish prize. (Very com.)
And Roland iherd hit euery del: and his auaunttyngge hem greuede sore, Ac ])O3 him self had born him wel:
]>anne spake he no more.
Sir Fenimbras, 1. 44.
And with one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of
an hin of beaten oil. Exodus xxix. 40.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9048) (tudalen 188)
|
1 88
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
DEAL [dae'ul], v. i. To conclude a bargain of purchase or sale; to buy.
[V-ee u-*/#<?*/ud?] have you dealt? may be heard fifty times in every market or fair. It is the regular
question put to a seller by a buyer
when he wishes to know if the former has sold his commodity to the departing bidder, so that
if not, he may begin to chaffer for
it.
[Yiie oa-n taek noa las-? Noa. Wuul dhan aay shaa-n dae'ul,~\ you will not take less? No. Well then I
shall not buy.
[V-ee u-boa'ut dhik au*s? Noa, keod-n dae'ul^\ have you bought that horse? No, (we) could not deal (t. c.
agree as to price).
At fairs and similar places, the women who keep the "fairing," or gingerbread stalls, always salute the
passers-by with [plaiz tu dae-ul,~\ i.
e. please to buy.
See W. Som. Dial. pp. 19, 20.
DEAN [dai'n], sb. A wide valley, a vale as Tauntcn Dean.
)>ou says ]>ou trawe} me in )>is dene, By cawse )>ou may with y^en me se.
Allit. Poems. The Pearl, i. 295.
DEARY [dee'uree], inter/, adj. and sb.
\ - Dee'ureel dee'uree mee!] deary! deary me!
[Leok, Ai'nee! dhur-z u dee'uree niid'l gib'ee laam!] look, Henny (Henry), there is a deary little gibby
lamb!
[Dhae-ur, muy dee'uree I dhai shaa'n uurt ee,] there, my deary! they shan't hurt you.
DEATH [dath]. It is a sure sign of death in the family, if in swarming the bees should settle on a dead
tree or bush. If any one should put the
bellows on the table. If the flowers of May or white-thorn are brought into the house. If
a hare runs across the path. If the
owl hoots close to the house. If a winding-sheet or coffin-handle form in the candle. If
four magpies are seen together. If
parsley be transplanted.
DEATHLY-LIKE [dath'lee-luyk], adv. ] Very pale; deathly; colourless in complexion.
[Aay ziim uur leok'ud dath'he-luyk^ I fancy she looked pale as death.
DEATH-STRUCK [dath-streokt-], part. adj. Death-smitten.
[Aa*! aay zeed u wuz dath-streok't, zu zeon-z uvur aay tlaa'p mee uy paun un,] ah! I saw he was
death-smitten, as soon as ever I
clapped my eye upon him.
DECEIVE [dee-sai-v], v. t. and /*. To disappoint with no implication of
deception or guile.
Be sure-n be there now; you 'ont decave me, will ee!
I was proper deceived 'bout they there boots, you know I looked
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9049) (tudalen 189)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 189
vor t'ave em to wear a Zinday; and you never let me had em gin the middle o' the week.
Sir, tak this son to mi techeing,
I wald noght he decayued ware. Met. Roman. Seuyn Sages, 1. 109.
DECENTNESS [dai'sunt-nees], sb. Decency; good conduct.
There idn no order nor decentness 'bout nother one o' the sort o'm, they be all alike.
Come! you bwoys, d'ye know what day 'tis? let's have a little decentness.
DECLINABLE [deekluynubl], adj. Likely to go into a decline. Consumptive.
A friend, a doctor with considerable practice among the poor, tells me that one of the most frequent
questions parents ask when bringing
their children for advice is, “Do you think he (or she) is declinable?” i. e. shows signs of phthisis.
A woman speaking of her son who was ill said to me, “His cough's so bad I be afeard he's
declinable."
DECRIMENT [daek-rimunt], sb. Decoration, ornament.
Thick there thing there a-stick't up-on-een, lig that there, idn ho decrimtnt, I don't consider. Remark upon an
erection in a garden; mostly used with
a negative.
J. B. Clamorous for a motto. It is foolish to encourage people to expect
such decoraments.
G. Lockart. Life of Sir W. Scott, vol. iii. p. 311 (ed. 1839).
DEE [dee-], sb.
An iron shaped like letter D- Such an iron is used in cart-harness to connect
the leather of the breeching with the chains.
Called also a tycopse. See COPSE.
DEE-LOCK [dee'-loa-k], sb. A very common, cheap kind of padlock, used for gates, &c. It is a
simple piece of iron in the shape of
letter [), having a joint at one angle and a screw working in a short pipe at the other.
DEEP [deep], adj. Clever, cunning, crafty.
[Deep-s gaa'rlik} is a very common saying. I believe that Garrick is the simile intended. The
corruption is curious.
DEEP [deep-], sb. Depth. (Very com.)
A farmer asking me to have a new well dug for him, said, “Tidn vor the deep you must go down, vor to come
to the water."
He wan ... all the othere kyngdoms unto the depe of Ethiope.
1356. Maundeville, ch. 7, p. 79.
They ymagin wickednesse, and kepe it secrete amonge themselves, every
man in ye depe of his herte. I 535-
Cover dale Bible, Ps. Ixiii. 6.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9050) (tudalen 190)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS.
And drouned all the hoost of Pharao and sancke down in to the deep of the
see. 1483. Caxton, Golden Legend, fo.
Iviii. col. 2.
Every goode housbande hath his barleye falowe, well dounged, and lyenge rygged all the depe and colde of wynter.
1534. Fitzherbert, Book of Husbandry, p. 22.
. . . Ride forth and bid the deep
Within appointed bounds be heaven and earth; Boundless the deep, because I am who
fill Infinitude, nor vacuous the
space.
1668. Milton, Paradise Lost, bk. vii. 1. 168.
And in the lowest deep a lower deep.
Ibid. bk. iv. 1. 76.
DEEPNESS [deep-races], sb. i. Craft, subtlety. [Yue niivur dud-n zee dhu fuul'ur oa un vur
deepmees,] you never saw his equal for
craft. (Very com.)
2. sb. Depth.
The deepness o' the water do bide jist about the same all the year round.
J>e Amerel vmtil a wyndow ran: and J>ar lep out )>at syre Wei XX U fejjme ful he J>an: of dupnisse
vmtil A myre.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 2311.
DEPENESSE. Profunditas; altitudo. DEPENESSE of vatur (watyr). GURGES.
Promp. Parv.
it spedijj to him }>at a mylneston of assis be hangid in his necke &
]>at he be dreynt in-to depnesse of
>e see. Wyclif (Works, E. E. T. S.), pp. 61-2.
but othir sedis fillen in to stony placis: where thei hadden not moch
erthe, & anoon thei sprungun vp
for thei hadden not depnes of erthe.
Wyclif 'vers. Matt. xiii. 5. Also deepenesse in A. V. 1611.
DEFAUT [deefau-ut], sb. Fault, defect.
I'll warn the job'll answer nif you vind any defaut I'll be bound to make it good.
DEFAWTE. Defectus. DEFAWTY. Defectivus. Promp. Parv.
W T hen the Emperoure harde telle Jns, he come thidir, and put a defaute to
this forsaide sarvaunt. Gest. Rom. p.
133.
J>es ben perilous ypocritis and cursed of god for defaute of charite.
Wyclif ( Works, E. E. T. S.), p. 4.
Lo, oure folk ginnej) to falle for defaute of help.
Will of Palerme ( Werwolf), 1. 1 185.
Thurgh }>e defaut here of kynd God j>an wille Alle t>e defautes of J>e lyms
fulfille.
Hampole, Pricke of Conscience, 1. 5015.
DEFY [deefaa-y], v. t. To forbid; to denounce. See FY.
After the calling of banns in a church, well known to the writer, a man stood up and proclaimed: [Aay
deenaa'y ut un deefaay ut, dh-uunrun-z
muyn!] I deny it and defy it, the woman is mine!
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9051) (tudalen 191)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. IQI
And a fals feond anticrist * ouer alle folke regnede,
That were mylde men and holye >at no meschief dradden,
Defieden al falsnesse * and folk >at hit vsede.
Piers Plffivmany XXI II. 64.
DEGESS [dee--jas], sb. Digestion.
The thing o't is, he's so bad in his deegess 'tis on'y but very little he can make use o'.
DEJECT [deejak-], v. i. To project; to lean.
[Dhik dhae'ur dhae'ur deejak 's een'wurdz,] that one there
projects inwards.
DENIAL [dai'nuyul], sb. Loss, injury, hindrance.
[Twuz u maayn dai'nuyul tu dh-oal mae'un, haun u lau's iiz duung'kee,] it was a great drawback to the
old man, when he lost his donkey.
DENTURES [darnchurz], sb. Indentures.
In years past, when parish apprentices were common, this word was in daily use. Now real field-craft
among boys is almost as obsolete as
the indentures.
DENY [deenuy], v. To refuse; to oppose; to prevent. [Ee nuvur diid-n denuy hautuvur uur aa'ks
oa un,] he never refused whatever she
asked. See DEFY. Did I deny to go,
zoon's you ax me?
but she denyed hit, and said, )>at she had leuer dey pan consent
]>erto.
Gest. Rom. p. 88.
for he sent unto me for my wives and for my children, and for my silver
and for my gold: and I denied him not.
I Kings xx. 7.
Zure and zure you wont deny to zee me drenk?
Ex. Scold. 1. 529.
DETERMENT [dafurmunt], sb. Injury, detriment. Very common word amongst the most ignorant.
[Tao-un bee noa dat-urmunt tue un], it will be no injury to him: said of a horse which had cut his knee.
DEVIL AND THE MALTSTER. It is always said that on Culmstock Fair-day, May 2ist, "'tis a
fight twixt the devil and the
maltster” to decide if there shall be cider to drink, or whether
it must be beer. This is but a
development or perhaps another version
of the old saw,
Till Culmstock Fair be come and gone,
There mid be apples, and mid be none.
DEVIL-IN-THE-BUSH [daevl een dhu beo-sh], sb.
Commonest name for the plant “Love in a mist” Nigella damascena.
DEVILMENT [daevlmunt], sb. Mischief; practical joking; larking.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9052) (tudalen 192)
|
I Q2
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
[Dhur lidn dhu fuul'ur u ee- vur daevlmunt un roa'guree, neet-n airl dhu kuun'tree,] there is not the
fellow of he, for larking and roguery,
not in all the country.
DEVIL'S BIT SCABIS [daevlz beet skarbees], sb. The common plant scabiosa succisa found growing in
pastures. It bears a mauve-coloured flower on a long stem, and blooms in
August and September. See PRIOR.
Gerard (p. 726) seems to imply that Devfls bit is not scabiosa. He says, “It floureth in August, and is
hard to be knowne from Scabious,
saving when it floureth."
As to the name, Gerard says, “It is commonly called Morsus Diaboli, or Diuelsbit, of the root (as it
seems) that is bitten off: for the
superstitious people hold opinion, that the diuell, for enuy that he beareth to mankinde, bit it off,
because it would be otherwise good for
many vses."
DEVIL'S COW [daevlz kaew], sb. i. A large black beetle. 2. The large black shell-less dew-snail.
See W. S. Dial. p. 20.
DEVIL-SCREECH [daevi skreech], sb. The swift (cypsdus apus).
DEVIL'S SNUFF-BOX [daevlz snuuf-bau'ks], sb. A puff-ball.
DEVILTRY [daevltree], sb. Rubbish; any undesirable object, as a quantity of weeds in a crop a quantity
of hay or thistles in a fleece of
wool; in such a sense the word is common, but I never heard it applied to moral conduct. See
TOADERY.
Take your hove, and scrape out the highest o' that there deviltry, else they there plants ont never do no
good.
DEVONSHIRE COAT-OF-ARMS [dab'mshur koa-ut-u-aarmz]. Said of a horse with broken knees. Is he
much blemished? Ees fy! a proper
Devonshire coat-o '-arms!
DEVONSHIRE-MARK [dab'mshur maark], sb. Same as DEVONSHIRE COAT-OF-ARMS.
DEVONSHIRE WINE [dab'mshur-wuyn], sb. Cider.
DEW-BIT [jue'beet], s ^ A mouthful or snack of food, taken in the early morning before going to work.
This time o' year, hon anybody's about mowin or ort, I zim they do want a dew-bit like, vore they goth to
work.
DEW-CLAW [jue-klaa], sb. The small claw or hoof which grows like a short thumb on the inside of a
stag's foot, at the fetlock.
Some dogs have this dew-claw or rudimentary thumb. In the horse it appears far above the knee, and is
horny like the hoof.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9053) (tudalen 193)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 193
for oftentimes he will close his clawes together . . . agayne will open
them and stray them wyde . . . and
hitting his dtw-clawes upon the grounde.
1575. Tubcrville, Art of Venerie, p. 122 (quoted by Collyns, p. 144).
In soft ground the marks of the deiv-claws of a heavy stag will often be apparent, especially when the stag is
fatigued. Collyns, p. 87.
DEW-SNAIL [jue- snaa-yul], sb. The large black slug.
The regular way to charm warts is to take a dew-snail and rub its slime upon the warts. Then to stick the
dew-snail on a blackthorn, and as the snail perishes and disappears so will
the warts.
DICKY [dik-ee], sb. i. A loose or false shirt-front. See CHEAT.
2. The driving seat of a closed carriage.
3. A child's name for a bird.
[Poo-ur lee'dl dik'ee f\ We often hear \dik'ce buurd] also.
DIDDLE! [diid'l!], inter/. Call for young ducks.
DIDDLE [dud *l], v. t. To make water (said to and by children).
DIDDLE-DADDLE [dud-l-dad-l]. { f and
DIDDLE-DADDLING [dUd'1-dad-leen]. ^
A proper old diddle-daddle never can't get no sense like out o' un, one way nor tother. He'll bide
diddle-daddlin so long, gin anybody
else wid a-bin and a-do'd the work dree or vower times over.
DIDN'T OUGHT [ded-n airt]. 1 Q , DON'T OUGHT [doa-n aut]. J Jught nOt *
[Uur niivur ded-n au*t t-u-zad noa*urt tue*
un,] she never ought to have said
naught to him.
Mary, you doa-n au't vor to burn that there coal; you must vatch (fetch) vrom tother heap.
DIE [duy], v. i. Said of animals slaughtered. A farmer speaking of a cow which was being fattened said: He
idn a very bad piece o' beef now,
mind; I warn he'd die well inside, nif was to kill-n to once. (Very com. expression.) Animals are
said to die well or “bad” in
proportion to their internal fatness.
I was proper a-tookt in way thick yeffer her died shockin bad /*. e. proved lean inwardly.
DIG [dig, daeg'], v. t. To work ground with a mattock. [Z>/"een tae'udeez] means taking up
potatoes with a mattock. Ground is
never said to be dug with a spade. See SPIT, GRAFT.
DIK [dik], v. t. To dike. To make good the sides and top of a hedge, which in this district is
usually a high bank/, e. to throw up
the parings upon the top.
o
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9054) (tudalen 194)
|
IQ4
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
[Tus toa-un dik~\ is to build up a sort of wall of stones without mortar (a dry wall) against the bank.
[Tud-n u beet u geo'd tu dik'-r\, ee mus bee K-stoa'un-dik^ it is not a bit of good to dike it (/. e. merely
throw up the earth), it must be
stone-diked.
We should give the order to [dik aup dh-aj'-n uurd aewt dhu dee'ch,] dike up the hedge and rid out the
ditch.
This must have been the meaning in the following passage /. e. to dig out a deep ditch, and to dike or
steen up the sides to prevent their
falling in.
He criede, and comaundede alle crystene people,
To delue and dike a deop diche al aboute vnite
J)at holychurche stod in holynesse as hit were a pile.
Piers Plow. xxii. 364.
DILDRAM [dee-uldrum], sb. Idle story; silly talk. Let's yur some sense, not a passle o'
dildrams.
ha vvull tell Doil,tell Dildrams, and roily upon enny Kessen Zonl.
Ex. Scold. I. 511.
DILLY [duTee], sb. A cask on wheels for carrying liquids; a water-cart. Also a low four-wheeled truck
on which mowing-machines and other implements are drawn. See PUGGER.
DILLY-DALLY [duTee-daal'ee], adj. Undecided; shilly-shally.
DIMMET [diinrut], sb. Dusk; evening twilight; when the light has become dim.
I was looking round, eens I always do, just in the dimmet, and I yurd a shot tother zide o' the hedge: and
tho' I jumped up and zaid, “I've
a-catcht 'ee to last then, Mister Ginlman."
Evidently this is a verbal noun from the old dimmen, to become dim like dringtt, from dringen.
And whenne he drow to ]>e dore: )>anne dymmed hus eyen He thrumbled at J?e preshefold: and jjrew
to J>e earthe.
Piers Plow. VII. 407.
in the Desk o' tha Yeaveling, just in tha Dlmmet. Ex. Scold. 1. 166. DIMPSY. See DUMPSY.
DING [ding], v. i. To beat or to force comprehension into a dull understanding.
[Aay dhau'rt aay mivur sheod'n ding" ut een'tu dhu ai'd oa un,] I thought I never should drive it into his
head.
Ryht swa ])e devels salle ay dyng.
On ]>e synfulle with-outen styntyng; Hampole, Pricke of Conscience, 1.
7015.
2. v. To importune; to reiterate.
You can't do nort else: you must keep on dingin away.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9055) (tudalen 195)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 1 95
DING-DONG [ding-dairng], adv. In good earnest; with a will. We zeed eens we'd a-got vor to do it, zo we
in to it ding-dong, hammer and tongs,
and twadn very long about.
DINSH [diinsh], adj. Dull, stupid. Probably var. pron. of dense.
He ont never do hizzel no good, a's to dinsh by half.
DIP [diip], v. t. Tech. A process applied to sheep after shearing; to kill vermin, and cleanse the
skin. They are placed singly in a bath
of strong poisonous liquor, care being taken not to immerse the head.
Bee yue gwain tu diip' yur sheep dee yuur?] are you going to dip your sheep this year?
DIP [diip], sb. Salt. Used only in the following phr. Mate! we don't get no mate; all we gets is
tatees and dip i. e. dipped in salt.
DIPPER [dtip-ur]. The water-ouzel. Hydrobata aquatica. Cinclus aquatic us. See WATER -CoLLY.
This name is sometimes applied to the dap-chick, and possibly originally so; but in this neighbourhood it
has come to be used only for the above
very common bird.
DOPPAR, or dydoppar, watyr byrde, Mergulus. Promp. Parv.
DIPPING [diip'een], sb. A strong poisonous liquor, for dipping sheep, to kill vermin, and to prevent the
scab. See DIP, v. t.
DIRD [diird], sb. Thread.
This pronunciation is precisely according to rule in the dialect.
Thr is always sounded dr, as in drash, drish, droa'ut, &c. Thus thread would be and very often is
pronounced drad or dred then comes the
constant metathesis of the r, and dred becomes derd or diird, just as bread becomes berdcn biird,
and drish (thrush), dirsh.
DIRECT [durak*], sb. Sense, reliance, dependence.
No use t' hark to he; idn no direct in un, no more-n a dog berkin.
Here, Bill! thee show 'em the way to do it. Thee's a got some direct in thee, but the rest o'm be like a
passle o' fools, I zim.
and more an zo, there's no direct to hot tha tell'st.
Ex. Scolding, 1. 149.
DIRSH [diirsh], sb. Thrush. Always either dirsh or drish.
DIRT [duurt], v. t. To soil; to dirty.
Tommy, mind you don't dirt your clean pinny.
This is one of the cases in which the y final of the literary transitive verb is dropped in the dialect;
comp. car = carry, store = story.
O 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9056) (tudalen 196)
|
196
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
No doubt this is from A.-S. ydritan = cacare by the common metathesis; and although to dirt now means
in the dialect to soil or to befoul,
yet the original meaning is still kept alive in the phrase, “to dirt oneself," as in “Billy 've
a-bin and dirt hissel" which is
perfectly well understood.
DIRT [duurt], sb. Soil, mould, muck.
Ter'ble sight o' dirt vor to be a shifted, can't do it vor the money.
[Ted-n zan' flit vur mau'urtur, ted-n noa'urt bud duurt^ it is not sand fit for mortar, it is nothing but
earth.
[Dree ur vaawur loo'ud u duurt j\ three or four loads of earth.
DRYTE, doonge. Merda, stercus. Promp. Parv.
See DIRT, v. t.
and J>us in a maner ]>ei sillen soulis to sathanas for a litel
stynkynge drit or wombe ioie, or pride
and worldly worschipe.
Wyclif (Works, E. E. T. S.), p. 182.
DIRTY [duurtee], adj. i. Said of land infested with weeds, and especially couch (q. v.).
[Dhik'ee vee'ul-z tu duurtee tu zee'ud aewt tu stan*. Yue oa*n niivur git-n tlarn, dhaewt yue bee u muyn
tu tuurmut-n tue* yuur vaul'een,] that
field is too foul (with weed) to see4 out to stand, /. e. sow down to permanent grass. You will
never get it clean, unless you choose
to turnip it /'. e. have a turnip crop, two years in succession.
2. Mixed with soil or mould.
That there zand ont do vor mortar, 'tis so dirty.
DIS [diis], didst? or, dost?
When any one makes an assertion or expresses a strong opinion, it' is very common to hear, by way of
rejoinder \Dus-n^ dus?~\ t (thou)
didst not, didst? or, dost not, dost?
Dis thee think 1 be gwain to put up way thy slack? Nif dis-n stop thy gurt tatee-trap, I'll kick thy ass
out o' the shop.
DISCOOSE [deeskeo-s, deeskue's], sb. Bad language, obscenity, swearing, blasphemy.
Of all the discoose ever I yurd in my life, that there beat everything.
DISEASE [deesai'z], sb. Annoyance, discomfort, inconvenience, unpleasantness.
Inviting an elderly woman to accept a lift on the road, she said, "Thankee, sir, sure! I hope I
shan't be no disease to ee."
October, 1885.
DYSESE, or greve. Tedium, gravamen, calamitas, angustia.
Protup. Pai~v.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9057) (tudalen 197)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 197
and here-fore disceisen hem and putten hem in prison, and sumtyme
mor]>ere hem a^enst goddis la\ve
and the kyn^ys.
, E. E. T. S.), p. n.
& tiei passid to the holy londe, &
turnid a-yene withoute hurting or disese.
Gest. Rom. p. 100.
& her-by schulde be no more cost to jou ne traueile ne deisese, but
worschipe to god & endeles good to
3oure self. Wyclif ( Works), p. 179.
or eny other man, that wille trouble, disese, or pursevv of my trew
seruandys. Fifty Earliest Wills, Sir
7. Brooks, 1483, p. 130.
Obsolete as a verb in the dialect.
DIS-GEST [dees-jas-], v. t. and /. To digest.
I baint able vor to disgest my mate. Thick there piece o' beef ate tough, I count he out disgesty very
well.
DISGESTION [deesjas-chn], sb. Digestion.
[Dhu dauktur zaes aew ur deesjas'chn-z tuurubl wai'k uur kaa'n dees-jas- ur viit'lz,] the doctor says her
digestion is very weak; she cannot
digest her food.
DISH [dee*sh], v. To hollow; to make concave.
The went o' the mill's too big; he idn holler 'nough you mus' dish-i\ out a good bit.
DISH [dee*sh], sb. i. Two sizes of brown cups or mugs with handles, made of cloam or coarse earthenware,
are always called [LI ae'upmee
dee'sh~\ or [u pan'ee dee'sh^\ halfpenny or penny dish. These vessels are always sold at these
prices; they hold about a pint and
quart respectively. So also we always say [u det'sh u tay] for a cup of tea.
2. The bottom of a cider-press, on which the cheese is put up.
DISHABLES [dee'shublz], sb. pi Working dress. Very common among farmers'
wives and peasant women. Fr. Deshabilles.
[Haun aay warn tu voa*r doo'ur, dhae-ur wuz MuVus tu paa'sneej, un aay wuz au 1! een mee
dee'shublz eens aay-d u-biin'
u-wau-rsheen,] when I went to the front-door, there was mistress of the parsonage, and I was in my working
dress, just as I had been washing.
A woman at her wash-tub would be nearly sure to say to a lady who called upon her, “Plaise t'excuse me,
mum, for I be all in my
dishables."
DISHCLOUT [dee-sh klaewt], sb. A kitchen cloth.
Master Harry, you can't keep on comin out here in the kitchen, makin up such work, else you'll vind the
dishclout a-pinned on to your back one
o' these days.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9058) (tudalen 198)
|
198
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Then sighing, said it was a cruel thing
Thus like a Dishclout, his poor heart to wring.
1795. Wolcot, Pinderiana, vol. iv. p. 112.
DISHING [dee-sheen], adj. Concave.
Sometimes applied to cart-wheels, same as DISH-LATE.
DISH-KETTLE [dee-sh-kufl], sb. A very large open iron pot, having a swing-handle by which it is
suspended on the chimney-crook over the fire. It is used to warm the skim
milk before turning to cheese, but
generally it serves the purpose of the modem
washing copper, or furnace, as we call it in the West.
[Man'urz! wai, uur wuz u-bau'rnd een u tuuru-eep, un u breed aup'-m dhu dee'sh-kut'l^\ manners! why she
was born in a turf-heap, and bred up in the dish-kettle.
It is always spoken of as the dish-kettle, like the oven there being never more than one in a household.
DISH-LATE [dee-sh-lae-ut], adj. A term used by wheel-wrights to describe wheels. These are either
[au'pmrf] or [dee'sh-lae'tif]. In the
former the spokes are placed perpendicularly to the axis; in the latter they are inclined towards the front
of the wheel, so that the periphery
shall be even with the "nose" of the axle. This construction gives
more or less general concavity to the front of the wheel, and is technically expressed by
dish-late.
DISH-WASHER [dee'sh-wairrshur], sb. The water-wagtail. The only name for the bird in this
district.
GUIGNE-QUEUE. The little bird called a wagtail, or Dish-washer.
Cotgrave.
DISMALS [diiz'mulzl sb. pi. Low spirits; brooding despondency.
Come, Jane, hot ailth ee? I zim you be all down in the dismals like.
DISOBLIGE [deesublee-j], v. t. To stain; to soil. Used by quaint old people of the better class.
Mary, my love, how you have disobliged your frock,
DISPRAISE [deesprai-z], sb. Disparagement; under-valuation. The nicest sort of a young urn man you
shall vind any place no dispraise to
present company.
Rager Hill es as honest a man as any in Challacombe: no Dispreise.
Ex. Scold. 1. 68.
DIS-SIGHT [duV-uyt], sb. Disfigurement; unsightly object. This word is very common indeed among
people of quite the better class, and
is certainly more expressive than its literary equivalents. A neighbour erecting a
building at some distance from my
house said "I don't think 'twill be any dis-sight to you." May, 1886.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9059) (tudalen 199)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS.
DISTRACTED [deestraak'tud], part. adj. Mad; overcome. Ever zinze Zadurday nait, I bin maze
distracted way the toothache, and nort
ont do me no good.
Better I were distract, So should my
thoughts be severed from my griefs.
King Lear, IV. vi.
I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy
terrors I am distracted. Psalm
Ixxxviii. 15.
and how the Boy repented and went distracted, and wos taken up, and was hang'd vor't, and sung Saums and sed his
Praers. Ex. Scold. 1. 442.
DIT [ddt], sb. Dirt, soil.
Tommy, you'll make yourzel dit all over.
DITP^MENT [duytmunt], sb. Indictment (very com. at assize time).
DIZ [diz], sb. Tech. A small piece of horn pierced with a flattened hole, used by hand wool-combers,
through which the sliver is drawn. See
PAD.
DO [du; emphatic due*]. Pres. due', or du; past, due'd^ or diid; p. part, \\-due~d) u-dile'. i. The
periphrastic auxiliary with which most
of our verbs are conjugated in the present tense, as:
[Dhai du leo'k maayn wee'sh,] they look very sad.
For ample illustration, see W. S. Gram. pp. 45, 71.
2. v. t. To make; to finish; to repair.
Now thoose that round Ould Burnet stood
And zweared it clumzily was dood.
P. Pindar, Royal Visit to Exeter. See
also Nathan Hogg's Letters, Ser. I. p. 33, &c.
Used also in all the senses found in lit. Eng., but the past tense remains as it was in Mid. Eng. /. e. do'd,
or dude.
he weop nout one mid his eien, auh dnde mid alle his limen.
Ancren Riivle, p. no.
kyng Charlys J>e Sarsyns speche y-hurde: and so dude al his host.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 1 1 2.
and she dnde of hir harnes & come & laye downe by him.
Gest. Rom. p. 159.
And to slen ey]>er oj>er in J?at plas: eyther dude ys mi3te. Ibid. 1.
663.
As, schrove herr', hoselder, and aneled herr', he dtide also
And saycle, dou3t' loke )>at )> u be of gode chere,
For up to ])i spouse J) u shalt now go,
And dwell in hevene w 1 angels clere. Chron. Vil. St. 501.
Your trap ont be a-afoW, fit to use, vore Zadurday.
The second form of/, part, is equally common.
I'll warn the job'll be &-do vitty, nif you do let he do un.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9060) (tudalen 200)
|
200
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
and bo3te on be grete ob: bat he him adde er ydo.
Rob. ofGlou. Will. Conq. 1. 15.
bare-vore William potte bat kny}t out of cheualry, vor he hadde ydo an vnkunnynge dede. Trevisa, Norm. Invasion,
Lib. vi. cap. 29, 1. 126.
and euer when eny Counseille shuld be ydo in be Empire, be yong kny}t
was called berto. Gesta Rom. p. 44.
and now hab schewid mo benefices to mankynde ban he hadde do in iudas tymes. Wyclif (Works, E. E. T. S.), p. 167.
be ladyes comen renyng bo on yche a syde
To se be myracle b* bere was y do.
Chron. Vil. St. 336. See also 16. St. 73.
And whon bou hast so I-do $if bi
benyson ber-to. Stacions of Rome > 1. 271.
See DON ED.
DO [due-], v. t. (Always with stress.) To get on; to prosper; to improve in state or condition: of
animals, to thrive; to grow.
They can do very well in thick farm, nif they do stick to it /. e. the work.
They zess how the young Jim Bond's doin capical up to Bristol.
They young beast be safe to do in your land.
.[Aay luyks dhiish yuur ee'njee mae'ul, muy pai'gz du due' vuuree wuul buy ut], I like this Indian meal, my
pigs, do do /. e. thrive very well
upon it.
DOAK [doa-k], sb. A stupid booby; a dullard.
Never zeed no jish gurt [doa-k,'] never in all my born days.
DOAN [doa-un], adj. Damp: said of corn, hay, sheets, linen, &c. W. H. G. Dec. 6, 1883. Com. in
Devon.
DOATY [doa'utee], v. i. To nod when dozing in a sitting position.
[Uur d-au-vees doa'utce tu chuurch,] she always nods at church.
But thee, thee wut ruckee, and squattee, and doattee in the Chimley
Coander lick an Axwaddle. Ex. Scold.
1. 144.
DOCITY [dau'sutee], sb. Intelligence, gumption. He idn no good to nobody, there idn no
docity 'bout'n.
Tha hast no stroil ner Docity, no Vittiness in enny keendest Theng.
Ex. Scold. \. 209.
DOCK [dauk], sb. The crupper of either saddle or harness.
DOCK [dauk], v. t. i. To put the crupper under a horse's tail. Some horses press their tails down very
tightly, and such are said to be
[stiif- tu dauk,] stiff to dock.
2. v. t. Applied to sheep. To cut off the wool clotted with dung, from around a sheep's tail.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9061) (tudalen 201)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 2OI
3. v. t. To cut short.
They docked his wages a shillin a week, and told'n next tims he'd lost his work.
His heer was by his eres rounde i-shorn,
His top was dockud lyk a preest biforn.
Chaucer, Prologue (Reeve), 1. 590.
Also fig.
Mr. Ginlman's to big by half, 'tis time he was ^.-docked.
DOCKINGS [dauk-eenz], sb. Wool clotted with dung, called also daggings (q. v.).
DOCK-SPITTER [dauk-spiifur], sb. A tool for drawing out the roots of docks, called also
\dauk-drau'ur^\ dock-drawer.
DOCK UP [dauk aup-], v. t. When a colt is first “hampered” (q. v.), it is usual to \ - dauk-n aup'^\
dock him up, that is, to put a crupper
and girth upon his body, and then to rein in his head tightly, making fast the bridle.
o
DOCTOR [dauk'tur], sb. The seventh son in. a
family, born in succession without a
girl, is always called the “doctor," and is believed to be born with special aptness
for the healing art.
DOCTOR UP [dauk'tur aup-], v. t. To patch up; to cobble; to repair in a makeshift manner.
T'other zide o' Wilscombe, bump goes down th' old gig way the spring a-brokt, so we was fo'ced to bide
and doctor up th' old trap vore we
could come on.
DODIPOLL [daud'ipoa-1], sb. A dunce; a blockhead; a softy, Nif thee art'n a dodipoll, tell me! Get out
the way, and let zomebody way zome zense come to it.
DOFFER [daufur], sb. The last of the many cylinders of a carding-engine; that which has to do off or
deliver the wool or cotton from the
machine. Comp. “to dqff\he, hat."
& dere hert, deliuerli .: do as ich |>e rede, Dofblme Jris bere-skyn: & be stille in
J>i clones.
William of Palerme, 1. 2342.
DO FOR [due* vaur], v. /. To perform the household duties.
He do live all by his zul, but he'v a got a umman that do g'in and do vor'n i. e. makes his bed, cleans
his house, washes and mends his
clothes; all this is fully comprehended in the use of to do for in this sense.
I do always do vor my zul, eens I've a do'd 'z twenty year.
An old man in the Wellington Almshouse, said, “My darter do do vor me her com'th in every morning, zo I
baint a left no way scan'lous” (q.
v.). June 6, 1886.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9062) (tudalen 202)
|
202
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
DOG [datig], sb. Same as AN-DOG (q. v.\ Although used constantly as an
alternative name for Andiron, yet there was and is a difference. In large hearth-fire places it
was usual to have two pairs of irons,
particularly in kitchens where great fires were needed for roasting. One of these pairs were dogs,
the other Andirons. The former were
mere plain bars of iron with three short legs, used for the actual work of supporting the
burning logs at all times, and
therefore kept near the centre of the hearth. Both kinds are treated of, under HAND-DOG but the
following shows that in Shakespeare's time, the Andirons, or
“Hand-dogs," were the ornamental
and not the useful dogs which really bore the fire.
lachimo. The roof o' the chamber
With golden cherubims is fretted: her andirons (I had forgot them,) were two winking
Cupids Of silver, each on one foot
standing, nicely Depending on their
brands. Cymbeline, II. iv.
DOG DAISY [daug darzee], sb. The large marsh daisy, or Marguerite. Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum.
DOGGERY [daug-uree], sb. Trickery.
[Aay-v u-yuurd um zai' liz daug-uree-n uvuree trae'ud sups drai'veen u baa'ru gun dh-ee'ul,] I have
heard (there) is trickery in every
trade, except driving a barrow against the hill.
DOG-HORSE [daug-au's], sb. A worn-out old horse, only fit for dog's-meat.
You widn own jish passle o' old dog-osses some o'm can't hardly scrawly out o' the way.
DOG-LAME [daug-lae-um], adj. or adv. Applied to horses when so lame as to be almost obliged to go
on three legs like a dog.
Hot ailth the mare! why, her's proper dog-lame!
"Lame as a dog" is the constantly-used expression to denote severe lameness, whether in man or beast.
See p. 22, W. S. Gram.
DOG'S MOUTH. We have an old saying, [Mud zu wuul git buad'r aewt uv u daug'z maewf-s muun'ee
aewt uv u tuurnee,] as easy to get
butter out of a dog's mouth, as money out of a lawyer.
DOG-SPEARS [daug spee'urz], sb. The Wild Arum Arum maculatum.
They'v a-got differ' nt names like, but we most times calls 'em dog-spears. Under Gardener. Dec. 18, 1879.
DOG'S TASSEL [daug'z tairsl], sb. The plant Wild Arum Arum maculatum. (Very com.) See PARSON IN
THE PULPIT.
DOG-TIMBER, DOG'S-TIMBER [daugtunvur, daug'z turn--bur]. Dogwood Cornus
sangufnea.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9063) (tudalen 203)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 2O3
I cannot admit Dr. Prior's explanation as quoted from Threlkeld, “that skewers are made of it." The
exact contrary is the fact. Butchers
all say, “Dog-timber stinks wo'se-n a dog tidn fit vor skivers: t'll spwoil the mate."
Batchers' skewers are made of "skiver-timber" Euonymus Europeans and when buying them of gypsies
or others, they are careful to smell
them, because the appearance of the wood is alike.
DOG-TIRED [daug, or duug-tuyurd], adj. Quite done up; exhausted.
[Aay wuz rig'lur duug-tuyurd^ I was completely tired out.
DOG-TROT [daug'-traat], sb. Same as JOG-TROT. (Very com.)
DOLLED UP [dau-ld 2np\ part. adj. Petted, indulged. (Com.) Mar. 13, 1882. A woman on being asked by
the chairman of the Wellington
School-Board why she had allowed her boy to
grow up without learning anything, said, [Wuul, ee wuz dh-aun'lee chee'ul aay-d u-gairt, un aay spoo'uz u wuz
u dau'ld aup* u beet,] well, he was my
only child, and I suppose he was a little
indulged.
DO-MENT [due'munt], sb. Fuss, row, disturbance. [Dhur wuz u puurdee due'munt wai um,] there
was a pretty disturbance with them.
DONE! [duun! ], inter/. The word for accepting a bet. [Aai bat vai'v shuTeenz uur oa'n ab-m. Duun
/] I'll bet five shillings she will
not have him. Done!
DONED [duun'd]. Com. form of past tense and /. part, of "to do," adding the weak inflexion to the
strong. See W. S. Gram. p. 48.
Although sometimes used transitively, this may be taken as the intransitive form.
Well there! we could'n do eens we was a mind to, zo we doned zo well's we could.
Plase, zir, the coal's all a doned.
Nif I wad'n able to a doned no better-n that there is darn'd if I widn a let it alone, and not a tich'd o'
it.
DONNICK [daun-ik], sb. A privy. (Com.)
DONNINGS [duurreenz], sb.pl. Sunday clothes; also finery. [Aay zeed ur, u-rig'd aewt een au'l ur
duun'eenz,] I saw her rigged out in
all her finery.
DOONDLE [deo-ndl, deo-nl], v. To dwindle.
There used to be a good lot o' boys there, but now they be a doondled down to vive or zix.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9064) (tudalen 204)
|
204
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
DOOS [due-z], sb. pi Doings. (Com.)
Purty doos way em last night, up to 'Valiant Soldier' (Inn).
DOT AND GO ONE [dairt un goo wan-]. The common phrase to describe the walk of a person lame from
having one leg shorter than the other.
Also used as an epithet for the person so lamed. See HOPPETY-KICK.
DOUBLE COUPLE [duub'l kuup-1], sb. An ewe with twin lambs. See COUPLE.
[Lat dhu duub-l kuup'lz ae*u dhu fuus buyt u dhu graa-s,] let the ewes with twin lambs have the first bite of
the grass.
DOUBTSOME [daewtsum], adj. Doubtful.
[Tez u daewtsum kee'uz, wuur uur-1 git oa'vur-t], it is a
doubtful case whether she will get over
it.
DOUGH-BAKED [doa'bae'ukt], adj. Stupid, void of sense, soft. (A very common expression.)
He's a poor tool, he, sure 'nough lookth dough-baked like, s'off a was a-put in way the bread and a-tookt
out way the cakes.
Much dowebake I praise not, much crust is as ill, The meane is the Huswife, say nay if ye
will.
Tusser, 79, 2.
DOUGH-FIG [doa-feeg], sb. A Turkey fig (always). See FIG.
DO UP [due aup], v. t. Applied to a horse to give him his bed, and make him ready for the night.
Look sharp 'm do up your horses and come in to supper.
DOUT [daewt], v. t. To extinguish; to put out: applied to fire or lights.
[Wee* keod-n daewt ut, dh-ee'njun waud-n noa* moo'ur geo'd-n u skwuurt,] we could not put it out, the
engine was no more good than a squirt.
\ - Daewt dhu kairl-n km au'n,] put out the candle and come on.
BOON' OWTE, or qwenchyn'. (lijth, K. lyth, H.) Extinguo. Promp. Parv.
When Bob, the blacksmith, 've wash'd ez face,
An' dowted out ez vire place,
An' he an' all the workmen tally
Play'th skittles in the Dolphin alley;
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 27.
DOUZE! [daewz!]. A very common form of quasi swearing.
I have heard very often [<&Kr*-nae*ushun sai'z ut au*l! daewz yur ai'd!] (never your eyes), [daewz ut
airl!]. See DAZ, DANG, NATION.
DOWN [daewn, duwn], adv. Laid up; confined by illness. Well, Thomas! how is your wife?
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9065) (tudalen 205)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 2O$
[Au! thang-kee, uur-z tuurubl miid'leen, uur-z daewn ugee'un wai dhu buurn-tuytees,] Oh! thank you, she
is terrible middling, she is laid up
again with bronchitis.
DOWN-ALONG [daewn laung], adv. Downwards. See ALONG.
DOWN-ARG [daewn-aaTg; v. t. and /'. / p. t. daewn-aa*rg; p.p. u-daewn-aa'rg]. To contradict rudely; to
brow-beat; to maintain stubbornly; to
insist on the last word.
[Ee'd daewn-aa'rg dhu vuuree daevl uz-zuul',] he would down-argue the very
devil himself.
They down-arg I eens they vound the hare 'out 'pon the common, but I knowed better. Oct. 1883.
DOWN-CALVING [daewn kyaa-veen], /#?/. adj. In calf, and near the time of calving. (Very com.)
25 Down-calving cows and heifers. Local advertisement of sale.
DOWN-COME [daewn-kau-m], sb. A fall in price. A come-down i. e. a social
fall.
I yurd em zay how zomebody zeed the squire's son out t' Australia, zome place, a loadin of a
dung-butt. Well! nif that idn a
down-come vor he, then tell me!
DOWN-DACIOUS [daewn-dae'urshus], adj. Audacious, impudent, obtrusive.
A down-datious young ozeburd.
DOWN-DAP [daewn-daap ],//$>-. Ready money. (Very com.) [Neef aay du buy un muyn, aa'l paay vaur-n
daewn-daap- ,~\ if I buy it, mind, I
will pay ready money for it.
DOWNFALL [daewnvaa'l], sb. Snow or rain.
I zim we be gwain to zee a downvall vore long, the wind tokenth vor't.
DOWN-HOUSE [daewn-aewz], adv. Down-stairs. (Usual.) Lor! I never shan't vorget thick night. I
was jist a-go up'm chimmer, and he was
down-house, hon the wind tookt the chimley,
an' down he come, right drue the roof and the planching o' the chimner, right down into the middle o' the
house. He was a sot by the vire, an'
twas jist a come, that 'tad'n a vailed pon tap o'un. But there, by the blessing o' th' Almighty
nother one o' us wad'n a ticht o'.
A farmer speaking of some repairs to the bedrooms said, [Wee bun foo'us tu zlai'p daewn-aewz liz
vau'rtnait,] we have been forced to
sleep downstairs this fortnight. Sept. 1884.
Wee waud-n u-goo* tu bard, wee wuz daewn-aewz haun ut aa'pt,] we were not gone to bed, we were downstairs
when it happened.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9066) (tudalen 206)
|
2O6
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
DOWN IN THE MOUTH [daewn een dhu maewf], adv.
Depressed, chagrined, disappointed.
1 zeed in a minute eens he was over-drowed, 'cause he looke'd zo down in the mouth like.
DOWN-LOOKING [daewn-leok'een], adj. Ill-looking; having a bad expression; unable to look one in the
face.
[U wuz airvees u daewn-ftok'cen oa'zburd aay bee vuuree glad tu yuur-z u-kaecrr tu laa's,] he was always
a bad-looking rascal; I am very glad
to hear he is caught at last.
DOWN STRAIGHT [daewn straa'yt], adv. Straightforward. [Lat-s ae'-ut aupruyt-n daewn straayt,~\
let us have it upright and
down-straight /. e. quite straightforward. (Very com.)
DOWNY [daewnee], adj. Cunning, wheedling, crafty. Darned if you must'n get up by time vor to
be upzides way he: a downy son of a
bitch.
DOWSE [daewz], v. To use the divining-rod for the purpose of finding springs of water.
The faculty possessed by some individuals is truly marvellous, and is not to be explained by the ordinary
method, of ascribing the action to
chicanery, as the evidence to unbiassed minds is beyond cavil. Moreover, the power is not
hereditary nor communicable. Nascitur non jit. The power of the Dowser to
discover water is not merely a
surviving superstition, but is believed in by
hard-headed, practical men of the world, who still habitually pay their money for the advice of these men,
and who have proved by repeated trials
that it is always correct, and worth paying for.
Quite recently a Sanatorium was to be built upon a high and apparently very dry spot, where of course
the first necessity was water. Three
professional Dowsers were sent for separately, and unknown to each other. Each came on a
different day from the others, and
under the impression that he alone was being employed, with the result that
all three pointed to the same spot,
where a well was dug and abundant water found.
Inasmuch as one of my own daughters has the power to some extent, I am able to testify that trickery
plays no part in the performance, and
she herself is quite unconscious of anything by which the rod is acted on.
The rod or twig I have seen used is a fork of about a foot long, cut off just below the bifurcation, and in
size each limb is about as large as a
thick straw. The wood, it is said, must be either “halse," or whitethorn, and may be
used either green or dry. The operator
holds an end of the twig firmly between the fingers and thumb of each hand, and with the elbows
pressed rigidly against the sides;
consequently the two ends of the twig are
pulled asunder, with the centre, or juncture of the fork, pointing
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9067) (tudalen 207)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 2O/
downwards. He then moves very slowly forward, and when over a spring the twig turns outwards, and
twists upon itself into an upright
position. This movement may be repeated any number of times the rod twisting over and over
again upon reaching the same spot, and
with equal freedom when both rod and fingers
are held by sceptical witnesses. The position in which the twig
is held seems to make it impossible
that it can be turned by any conscious
muscular action. Indeed both my daughter and the professional Dowser I have seen, assert
that they cannot twist the rod by any
conscious effort.
In some parts of the county the operation is called Jow sing, and the operator ajowser.
DOWSER [daewzur], sb. One who practises with the divining-rod.
DOWSING [daewzeen], sb. The operation of searching for water with the divining-rod.
DOWST [daewst], sb. The husk or chaff of grain, distinguished respectively as \wai'tn daewsf\, (wheaten
chaff), [wtitn-dfoffzertf], (oaten
chaff), barley-dkav/, c. The husk of the oat is still used in some farm-houses, to make beds for
servants, and is by no means a bad
stuffing; it is easily shaken up and does not get hard or matted like flocks.
Applied also to all the refuse blown out of corn by the process of winnowing.
Chajfis never applied to anything but chopped fodder.
In the chamber over the Kitchinge. 'm a duste bedd with ij duste bolsters,
a wollen blanketts and two olde rugges
In the Cocklofte over the Court. It'm iij duste bedds, ij duste bolsters,
iiij old ) s cov'letts and two paire
of wollen blanketts \ Xx ' Inventory
of goods and chatells of Henry Gaudy e, Exeter, 1609.
The pronunciation of the dialect seems to ba the ancient form.
and htm ssewej? his zennes and his defautes zuo J>et )>e ilke wende by
al klene. ban wynde> in zuo uele
defautes, and of motes, and of doust wyj>out tale.
Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 108.
See DUST in Stratmann.
Deth cam dryuende after ' and al to doust passhed Kynges & Knyjtes Kayseres and
popes; Lered ne lewed he let no man
stonde,
Piers Plow. B . xx. 99.
DOZEN [diiz'n], sb. In past times, when wool-combers used to take the wool home to their own houses,
the quantity weighed out to them at a
time, and which they used to carry away in a bag
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9068) (tudalen 208)
|
208
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
on their back, was called variously apiece, a stint, and most commonly a dozen, although it actually weighed 30
Ibs. See Diz.
DRACKLY- MINUTE [draa-klee-miirveet], adv. Instantly; ///. directly-minute.
[Jaa-k! yue mus vaach een sm eo'd draa'klee-mun'eet aa-n u bee't-n aewzj Jack! you must fetch in some
wood this moment, (we) have not a bit
in (the) house.
DRAFT [draa-f(t], v. t. i. Hunting. To select certain hounds from a pack for gift or sale to other
parties.
It is needless to say small hounds should be drafted when the strength of
your pack will allow it.
Lord Fortescue^ Records of North Devon Staghounds, p. 6.
(Privately printed, N.D.)
2. sb. Hounds selected from a pack.
I must mention here the kind assistance rendered by Mr. C. Davis, who supplied us with six couple of hounds, and
with other drafts the pack was set on
foot. Collyns, p. 107.
DRAFT [draef], sb. i. The bar to which the
horses are attached in ploughing or
harrowing; not required for oxen. See BODKIN.
2. A thatcher's tool, with which he drives in the spars and knocks in the reed.
3. A wheelwright's tool a heavy hammer with which he drives the spokes into the “nut." Called also
SPOKE-DRAFT.
DRAG [drag], sb. T. In fox-hunting, the line of scent where a fox has been during the previous night,
before he is found and started by the
pack. Each sporting animal has his special name for his scent before the find just as he
has for his footprints. See
TRAIL-WALK.
2. Any strong-smelling thing drawn along the ground so as to leave a scent for hounds to follow. A
red-herring or a ferret's bed are the
commonest drags used.
DRAGGLE-TAIL [drag'1-taa-yul], sb. and adj. Name for a slovenly, untidy woman.
Her's a proper nasty old draggle-tail her idn fit to come into no 'spectable body's house.
Chapperonniere: a poor slut, a draggle-tail. Cotgravc. A sluttish DRAGGLETAILE. Houssepaille'e.
Sherwood.
DRAGS [dragz], sb. Heavy harrows; not used in the sing. A single one is spoken of as [aaf u pae'ur u
dragz,'} half a pair of drags.
lh' old farmer Passmcre used to work eight gurt bullicks all
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9069) (tudalen 209)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 209
together, way two pair o' drags one avore tother; that was somethin like farmin in they days.
DRAIL [drae*ul], sb. In plough equipment, an iron running under the beam, and attached to the breast
of a “timbern sull," to relieve
the beam from the strain of the draft. Called also drailire. The word is also
applied to the short chain, called also foot-chain, attaching the sull to the
draft or bodkin. The latter is
sometimes called drail-chain.
DRANE [drae'un], sb. Drone. Usually applied to the wasp. Contraction of apple-drane.
'Tis surprisin th' apples they there dranes '11 ate.
DRANE [drae'un], sb. A drawl in speech.
He'd always a-got a sort of a dram like, same's off the [jaa'z] jaws o'un was a-tired like. I reckon they
works vaster hon ez han'lin the knive
an' vork.
DRANG- WAY [drang'-wai], sb. A passage or narrow alley between two walls. (Always.)
Nobody wouldn never believe there was so many houses up there, way no comin to, but thick there
drang-way.
DRANY [drae'unee], v. i. To drawl.
[Spark aup shaa'rp, mun! neet drae'unee zoa*,] speak up sharp, man! (do) not drawl so.
[Dhu drae'uneens fuul'ur,] the drawlingest fellow.
DRAPPY [draap-ee], v. i. To rain slightly.
Does it rain? [Wuul! du draap'ee u lee'dl beet, but tiid-n noa-urt,] well! it drops a little, but it
is nothing.
DRASH [draa-sh], v. To thrash (always).
See Ex. Scold. 11. 94, 346, 515.
DRASHER [draa'shur], sb. Thrasher; a thrashing-machine. They be a-go arter th' ingin, and zoon's
they comes way un, they must go back
arter the drashtr.
DRASHLE [draa-shl], sb. i. A flail (q. v.)f. e. a thrashing instrument.
This name is the usual one {vlaayul} flail is known but never applied to the entire implement by an old
hand.
A drashle is made up of four parts, viz., the handstick (q. v.), capel) middle bind, &&& flail.
2. The sill of a doorway; the threshold. Not used to express the entrance ', as in lit. "at the
threshold," but only as above.
Plase, sir, be I to put a new drashle to John Gadd's house, or else make it out way a vew bricks?
p
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9070) (tudalen 210)
|
2IO
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
DRAT [draat]. A quasi imprecation = (d-rot). (Very com.)
DRAUGHT [draa-f], sb. The turning of the scale; the difference between the
exact balance and the full weight when the
scale descends.
In selling wool in the fleece it is customary to give an actual overweight amounting generally to i Ib. on
60, or 4 Ibs. per pack, and this
allowance is called the draught. The real meaning is the drawing of the beam in the buyer's favour.
DRAVE [drai'v; /. tense, droavd; p. part, udroa'vd], v. t. To drive (always).
I draves Mr. Bird's osses. You must drave in some stakes. Thicks on'y fit to drave away the
birds. We know nothing of the old p.
t. drave.
and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart. I Chronicles xiii. 7.
DRAW [draa'], v. i. Applied to a screw or a wedge; to bite; to hold.
The wadge 'ont draw; drow in some brick-stuff.
Applied to land; to exhaust, as [tae-udeez du draa' dhu graewn maa'ynlee,] potatoes exhaust the soil
mainly.
[Mang'-gul-z u tuurubl draa'een kraa-p,] mangold is a very exhausting crop.
DRAW [drau-, draa-], v. t. i. Applied to chickens, young turkeys, or pheasants. These are subject to “the
pip” or “the gaps," a disease
caused by a worm in the windpipe. The only effectual cure is to draw them /". e. to push a
small feather down the windpipe and
twirl it round. One or more worms will be found sticking to the feather, and the young bird
soon coughs out the rest.
2. To extract the entrails of poultry or game. A hare ought to be carefully drawn, and the body stuffed
out with nettles.
DRAWE FOWLYS, or dysbowaylyn. Excaterizo, eviscero. Promp. Parv.
3. Hunting. To draw a covert either for a stag or fox is to cause the hounds to disperse about it for
the purpose of finding and driving out
the quarry that he may then be hunted. Hence
we read so often in sporting news, such a covert “was drawn
blank” /. e. the hounds found nothing
there.
To "draw a fox" is quite different. When he has "gone to ground” then the terrier is sent into the
hole, not so much in the hope of his
being able to draw or drag the fox out, but by his wapping to draw the huntsmen and show them
the direction of the
"earth," and to keep the fox at bay until he is dug out
with mattock and shovel.
Another meaning of drawing a fox or badger, is when the animal
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9071) (tudalen 211)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 211
has been captured then it is a test of the gameness of the terrier if he will go into the bng or cage and so
fasten upon the “varmint” as either to
draw him out, or be drawn out still holding on.
I cannot agree with Nares on this word, but do not attempt to explain “drawn fox."
I'll back my Pinch vor a vive pound note, to draw a fox or a badger way other terrier in the county.
DRAW-BORE [draa'-boar], v. Tech. In pinning a tenon, to bore the hole so that the pin shall force
it tightly into the mortice.
Thick joint idn up tight, mus draw-bore-n a good bit, an' that'll draa un op.
DRAW-BOX [draa', or drau'-bauks], sb. i. A tool for cutting the worm or thread in wooden screws.
2. The sucker of a pump.
DRAWBREECH [draa'biirch], sb. A slut; a slovenly woman. (Very com.)
Burn her face! I widn keep jish gurt drawbreech not in my house, nif her was to pay vor bidin zay
nort 'bout no wages.
thek gurt banging, thonging, muxy Drawbreech, daggle-teal'd Jade.
Ex. Scold. 1. 501.
DRAW IN [draa' een], v. i. i. To draw back. A bully after hectoring and bragging, if attacked, draws
in, or draws in his horns /. e.
becomes less fierce.
Jim Gamlin was gwain on, same's he do, 'bout the fullers he've a-drow'd, hon in come Georgy Stone! an' you
should a zeed how Jim draa'd ee'n tho.
2. To contract expenditure.
They can't go on so vast now, they be a-fo'ced to draw in, sure 'nough.
3. To become shorter: spoken of the days.
[Dhu dai'z bee draa'een ee'n, bae'un um?] the days are shortening, are they not?
DRAW 7 OUT [draa- aewt], v. t. i. Tech. Applied to iron. To hammer out; to forge to a point; to beat
thinner and narrower at the end, so as
to sharpen.
Thick there pick's a-beat up to a proper dump, he must be a-car'd in to be &-drawed out.
2. To compose in writing; to draw up.
Hon th' old Tom Warren's dunkey died, 'twas a 'nation good job vor th' old Tom. Mr. Greedy in to shop,
draa'd aewt a brief vor-n, an' he
car'd'n about, an' I'm darn'd if he did'n git op vower poun' a-gid'n, in 'bout o' dree days: an'
th' old dunk wadn never a wo'th vive
shillins.
p 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9072) (tudalen 212)
|
212
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
DRAW TO [drae-u tu], v. /. To amount to.
[Aay vrak'nz dhai ill drae'u /-arrdee vaawur skaor,] I reckon they will amount to nearly four score.
DREAD [draed], sb. Thread. See BIRD.
DREADFUL [drai'dfeol], adv. i. Very.
\ - Drardfeol kuyn, drai'dfiol puurdee maa'yd, drai'dfeol geod jaub',] very kind, very pretty girl, very
good job.
2. Friendly; very thick.
[Dhai zaes uw aawur mae'ustur-z drai'dfiol wai Mus* Taa*p tu Pau-n; bud aay doa'n kaewnt t-1 niivur kaum
tu noa'urt,] they say how our master
is very thick with Miss Tapp (of) to Pond (Farm); but I do not believe it will ever come to
anything.
Missus was always dreadful wai we maidens, but we never didn look arter her /. e. did not care for her.
DREATEN [draefn], v. t. Threaten (always).
Dear! how his father have &-dreaten thick bwoy ees, and a-leatherd-n too;
but tidn not a bit o' good, we can't make-n go to school.
DRECKSTOOL [draek'steol], sb. Threshold; same as DRASHLE (2). Usual in the Hill and Exmoor
districts.
DREDGE [draj], sb. i. Mixed corn of several kinds, as oats, wheat, and barley sown together; done very
commonly for game feed. (Usual name.)
DRAGGE, menglyd corne (drage, or mestlyon) mixtio (mixtilid).
Promp. Parv.
Thy dredge and thy barley go thresh out to malt,
Let malster be cunning, else lose it thou shalt. Tusset\ 21-2.
2. A box by which flour is scattered or dusted upon food while cooking.
DREDGE [draj], v. t. To scatter or sprinkle flour over any article being cooked.
Mary, be sure you dredge the turkey well.
DREE [dree], num. adj. Three (always).
DREE-HALF-PENCE AND TWO PENCE [dree aa'pns-n
tuup'ns], adv. phr. A slow ambling canter.
[Dh-oa'l au's au'vees geos lau'ng dree aa'pns-n tuup'ns}, the old horse always goes along in a slow ambling
canter.
DRENCH [draensh], sb. A dose of medicine for a horse or bullock.
Please, sir, I've a-brought a drench, and must be sure-n keep her so hot's ever can.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9073) (tudalen 213)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 213
Sche fet him a drench >at noble was: and mad hym drynk it warm.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 1387.
DRENCHING-HORN [dratrcheen airrn], sb. A horn for the purpose of administering medicine to
cattle.
DREWLER [driie-lur], sb. A silly person; a fool; a driveller. [U rig'lur oa'l drue'lur,~] a regular old
driveller.
DREWLY [drue-lee], v. i. To slobber; to drivel: said of infants.
Thick there boy do drewly zo, he do wet drough all his clothes two or dree times a day.
DRIBBLE [dnib'l], v. i. To cause to move slowly.
In playing at marbles, "to dribble up" is to shoot the taw
slowly so as to make it stop near some
desired point. At skittles, "a
dribbling ball” is one that goes slowly up to the pins.
2. v. i. To trickle; to ooze: as applied to liquids. This is precisely the opposite of "to fall in
drops” given by Webster as the
definition. We speak of a little dribbling lake of water /. e. a very small trickling stream.
DRIFTWAY [draef-wai], sb. A cattle-path or lane; a drove leading to “ground” or to outlying fields.
A path through a wood is often so
called; sometimes drift alone is used.
Mere track is implied, not a made road. See DROVE.
DRIGGLE-DRAGGLE [drigrl-drag-1], adv. and sb. In a slovenly, slatternly manner specially
applied to women's dress; also as an
epithet.
Her's a purty old driggle-draggle vor to have in your house.
DRING [dring, dring-ee], v. t. and /. i. To press; to crowd together. (Usual word.)
A farmer, about to enter a railway-carriage in which were several women, said, [Yuur! uus muus'-n g-een yuur,
uus muus'-n dring aup dhu lae-udeez,]
here! we must not go in here; we must not
crowd the ladies. April, 1883.
[Haut bee dring'een zoa vau'r?] what are you pressing so for?
The vokes did dringy most ter'ble vor to zee th' elephant.
Thay wis drin/d up an ballin, an zwearin, an hootin, An pushid za hard thit I lost holt me
vootin.
Nathan Hogg, Bout the Rieling, Ser. I.
Huzzain, trumpetin, and dringin,
Red colours vleeing, roarin, zingin.
So mad simm'd all the voke.
P. Pindar, Royal Visit to Exeter, p. i.
2. sb. A crowd. I h'ant a-zeed
no such dring o' stock's longful time.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9074) (tudalen 214)
|
214
WEST SOMERSET WORDS,
Now to the rume to zee the king, They
all march'd off, a clever dring.
Peter Pindar, Itoyal Visit to Exeter, p. i.
DRINGET [dring-ut], sb. A press; a crowd. Comp. DIMMET. [Dhai wuz airl tue u dring'ut tu fae'ur,]
they were all in a crowd at the fair.
(Very com.)
DRINK [dringk], J& (Very com.) i. Ale brewed for harvest, or any light beer; malt-liquor.
[Wiit av-u draap u dringk ur u draap u suydur?] wilt have a drop of ale or a drop of cider? Cider is
never called drink.
[Guut-nee fraash dringk, mis'us?] have you any (lit. got any) fresh ale, mistress?
2. Beer in the process of brewing, or. in fermentation. [V-ee guilt koa'ldurz nuuf t-oa'l dhu
dringk T\ have you coolers enough to
hold the wort?
DRINKINGS [dring'keenz], sb. The grog and tobacco provided for farmers after a rent or tithe feast.
Such an entertainment is always called [11 diin'ur un dring'ketnz^ a dinner and drinkings.
DRINKY [dring'kee], adj. Having had too much, but not absolutely drunk.
Well he wadn not to zay drunk, your honour, but a little bit drinky, merry like; he knovved well enough
what he was about.
DRISH [drish], sb. A thrush. More com. than DIRSH. I know's a drishes nest way dree eggs in
un.
DROAT [droa-ut, drau'ut], sb. Throat (always). Do ee gee me a drap o' cider, my droafs jis
the very same's a lime-kill I be jist
a chucked.
Th' air wi new-barn insec's zwaarms, An'
ev'ry copse an' grove Vrem veather'd
drots a chorius pours Ev whis'ling
notes ev love.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 7.
Et be dahngerous vath! bit twid be es aim vaut, If tha munny'd a truckel'd irt down in es
draut.
Nathan Hogg, Tor Abbey Vaistings.
DRONING [droa-neen], sb. A monotonous humming sound, as the droning of a bagpipe; monotonous
preaching.
[Mus'tur 's droa'neen-z u-nuuf' tu zai'n iln'eebau'dee tu-
zlee*up,] Mr. s droning is enough to send anybody to sleep.
Hee comme first too ]>e King: and too )>e kid Queene, And sithen hee buskes aboute J>e bordes
echone, Hee drouned as a dragon
dredefull of noyes.
William of Palerme. Alisaunder (E. E. T. S. 1867), 1. 983..
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9075) (tudalen 215)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 215
DROOL. See DREWLY.
DROPPER [draap-ur], sb. A tightly-strained wire, in all kinds of spinning-machines of the Jenny or mule class,
by means of which the spinner can wind
the spun thread evenly on the bobbin.
D ROUGH [driie], adj. Through (always).
DROUGH AND OUT [driie- un aewt], adv. Throughout; from the first till now.
[Aay noa'd ut aui drue' un aewt,~\ I knew it all through from the first.
DROVE [droa f v], sb. A track across fields, or a path through a wood; a roadway, but not a constructed
road. Same as DRIFTWAY.
There idn no road, but just arter you be a-come pon tap th' hill, you'll zee a spy-post, and a little vurder
on you'll come to a drove turns away
pon your left 'and; you volly thick and he'll car you straight's a line down the bottom gin you
come to tother road.
DROVED [droa-vd], past tense of to drive (always); p. part. \u-droa'vd\. See DRAVE.
Example of the weak inflection added to the strong form. See W. S. Gram. p. 48.
I droved home last night long way Mr. Lock to Beer.
DROW [droa-; p. t. droa'ud; //. u-droamd], v. t. i. To throw (always).
Joe Hunt [droa'ud-n~\ threw him a fair back vail dree times gwain.
2. v. t. To fell (throw) timber.
[B-ee gwai'n tu droa' un*ee oa'k dee yuur?] are you going to fell any oak this year?
[Ee's-n Uurchut Stoo'un-v u-teok't ut tu droa'tcn^ yes, and Richard Stone has taken it to felling.
3. v. t. To spring a snare or trap, without catching the prey. They lousy boys Ve a bin an' \ - u-droa'ud]
all my want-snaps vor
mirschy.
They badgers be that crafty, I'd a-got vower traps, one time, a-zot vor one, and he went and u-drowd
every one o'm, but never catch'd a
hair o' un.
DROW [druw, drawee], v. t. and *. To dry. (Always.) [Shaa-rp een bee dhu vuyur-n
^rwa/'yur-zuul,] (look) sharp, (and
go) in by the fire, and dry yourself.
[Aay zum t-1 druwee, um-baa'y,] I seem (/. e. think) it will be drying weather by-and-by.
and lewede men techeres
And holy churche horen help: auerous and coueytous, Drawefy vp dowel: and distruyej) dobest.
Piers Plowman, xv. 20.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9076) (tudalen 216)
|
2l6
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
An' thee must zee to the dairy pans,
Er the creyme '11 be spwoiled therein,
An' thee must mine to turn the malt
That's droughin in the kiln.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 30.
DROW IN [droa- een], v. t. To give or accept a challenge in a wrestling or cudgel-playing match.
When the ring is formed, some one throws in his hat this is “to drow in," and is a challenge to any man
present. He who accepts, then throws
in his hat. This is “to drow in agin un."
When the bout is over, and two new contenders are required, the "cryer" crys out \Tiie aats!
Tue aats^\ two hats; and a new bout
commences between fresh players. The winners of the several bouts or heats have to play each other,
until the final winner is ascertained.
It often happens that a noted champion can get no one to accept his challenge. Then it is very common to
hear, “Nobody widn drow in agin
un."
They zess how zome o' they there Wilscombe fullers be comin to revel; aa'll warn our Will's there long
way urn; there idn nort he do like
better-n tis vor to drow in gin one o' they.
DROWND [draewnd], v. t. Drown. Very com. pronun. Billy, how come you to drownd our chick?
Our Rose whelped day-mornin, but all the pups be &-drownded in to one /. e. except one.
Zucks fill the Cup, we'll drownd all Sorrow
And never thenk about To-morrow.
1762. Collins, Ninth Ode of Horace, in Somerset Dialect, Miscellanies,
p. 115.
DROWN THE MILLER [draewn dhu miil-ur], phr.
To pour too much water on the spirit in mixing grog, or to make the tea too weak, often leads to the
expression, "Now you'xe ^.-drownd
the miller"
DROWN WIGS AND FEATHERS! [draewn wigz-n vadh'urz!]
An exclamation of surprise, rather implying disapprobation. Such an expression might be heard over a
game of cards on losing a trick
unexpectedly.
Also an asseveration.
[Aa-1 niivur due ut, draewn muy wigs-n vadh'urz neef aay due! ] I'll never do it, drown my wigs and
feathers if I do!
A common, though cumbrously long ejaculation is, “Drown wigs n burn veathers, hang stockins-n shoes!”
DROW OUT [droa- aewt], 7;. To twit with past delinquencies; to rake up old disgraces. In the Hill district
this is to drow-vore. [droa-voa-ur].
In the Exmoor Scolding this is called "to drow vore spalls." See 11. 175, 180, 309.
Quite recently a man asked me if I knew what had become of
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9077) (tudalen 217)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS.
some fowls which had been stolen from my premises, and said further:
[Aay yuurd Joa un Jiim M-droa'een aewt tu waun ur tuudh'ur, un Joa droa-ud aewt aew Jum stoa'ld um, un
dhoa Baub, ee zad haut feo-lz dhai
wau-z vur tu droa- aewt lig dhaat dhae'ur,] I heard Joe and Jim twitting one another, and Joe threw
out how Jim stole them, and then Bob,
he said what fools they were to throw out
like that.
DROWTH [draewth], sb. i. Thirst.
I 'ant a-veel'd no jish drowtKs longful time, I'd a-gid the wordle vor a cup o' cider.
2. Dryness, as applied to timber or articles requiring to be “seasoned." “Lot of board warranted
two years' drowth"
3. Drought.
[Wee aa'n u-ae'ud jus draewth uz nuunrbur u yuurz,] we have not had such a drought for a number of
years.
DROWTH. Soifj on, comme driness. Sherwood.
Ac ic haue porett plontes * perselye and scalones, Chiboles and chiruylles * and chiries
sam-rede, And a cow with a calf and a
cart mare, To drawe a feld my donge '
J>e whyle drouth lastej).
Piers Plowman, ix. 1. 310.
DROWTHY [draewthee], adj. Thirsty. \ -
Draewthee wadh'ur aay zum,] thirsty weather, I fancy.
DROW UP THE HAND [droa- aup dh-air], /^r. Lit. to throw up the hand with a cup in it, understood.
To drink too much; to be inclined to
drunkenness. See EMPTING CLOAM. (Very com.)
Is George Brown any steadier than he used to be?
Well, sir, I can't zay how I've a-zeed-n not to zay drunk like's good bit; but I be afeard he do drew up his
hand more-n he off to.
DRUCK-PIECES [druuk-pee-sez],^. Sleepers in a well, either to support the pump itself, or the pipe
belonging to it.
DRUG [druug], v. t. i. To drag = trahere.
The word implies dragging along the ground by main force in opposition to drawing upon any kind of
rollers or wheels. Hence "to
drug" timber is to attach horses actually to the tree and pull it along the ground, often to the great
damage. of the surface, while “to
draw” [draa*] timber is to haul it upon some truck or carriage.
[Aay druug-n aewt.] See West Som. Gram. p. 97.
And to the court he went upon a day,
And at the gate he profred his servyse,
To drugge and drawe, what so men wolde devyse.
Chaucer, Knigktes Tale, 1. 566.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9078) (tudalen 218)
|
2l8
\VEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2. v. i. and /. To put the drag or shoe upon a wheel, or in some way to cause it to slide instead of
turning.
The word is quite distinct from any sort of application of a friction-break, and implies a complete
stoppage of the wheel either with or
without a shoe.
[Bae'un ee gwain tu druug, daewn dh-ee'ul? ] are you not going to put the drag on, down the hill?
[Diis-n zee- dhu wil-z M-druug'd u-rad'ee? ] dost not see the wheel is dragged already?
3. sb. The shoe or skid by which the wheel of any wagon or other carriage is made "to
drug" (q. v.).
Plase, zir, wants a new drug vor the wagin, th' old one's a-wear'd out.
DRUG-BUTT [druug-buut], sb. A three-wheeled cart, shaped like a large wheel -barrow. See BUTT.
DRUG-CHAIN [druug-chain, or chaa-yn], sb. The chain by which the wheel of a carriage is held when
dragged.
DRUGGISTER [druug -eestur], sb. Druggist. (Usual name.) [Uz faa'dhur-z u druug' eestur, ~\ his
father is a druggist.
A DRUGGISTER. Drogueur. Sherwood.
DRUGS [druugz], sb. Dregs. Always so pronounced. This is purty stuff you've a-zend me, why
'tis half o' it drugs.
DRUG-SHOE [druug-shue], sb. The shoe for dragging a wheel.
DRUM [druum],^. Thrumb. (Always.) A thrumb is an inch or two of cloth attached to the waste part
of a weaver's warp. It is that part
where all the threads of a new warp are tied on to the old, and is not suitable to be woven on
account of the great number of knots.
The thrumb is consequently the fag-end of the
last cut in a warp.
In the Parlor.
It'm one Dornex carpett, iiij old drumb cushions, and a cubbord ) .. cloth of dornex. J V J '
In the Chamber over the Parlor.
It'm, vj drumb cushions. xx f .
Inventory of Goods of Henry Candy/, Exeter. 1609.
DRUNKING, or DRUNKEN-WILLY [druung-keen weenilee]. Red valerian. Centranthus ruber. (Very
com.)
DRUNKS-NEST [druungk's-nas], sb. An occasion of drunkenness. (Very com.)
[Dhaat-1 bee u puurdee druungk-s-nas,] that will be a nice excuse for a drinking bout. Said of a
guinea given to the ringers.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9079) (tudalen 219)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 2IQ
DRY [druy], adj. i. Humorous, shrewd, eccentric. [Jish u druy oai fuul'ur, kaa-n uurp
laa'rfeen oa un,] such a humorous old
fellow, (one) can't help laughing at him.
2. Applied to a cow not giving any milk. Sometimes called Zue or Zew.
We always likes to have some just in the flush o' milk, when the tothers be dry.
DRYE, as kyne (nete P.), or bestys J>at wille gyfe no mylke. Exuleris.
Pronip. Paw.
3. Thirsty.
I be fit to chuck; I sure 'ee, sir, I be that dry I could'n spat a zixpence.
4. Meat, well cooked. (Very com.)
[D-ee luyk ut gree-n ur druy f] do you like it under-done, or well done? See GREEN.
DRY AS A BONE [druy-z u boo-un]. This is the almost invariable simile to express the
superlative of dryness.
DRY-JOB [druy jaub], sb. Work without cider; any work tending to induce thirst.
Ter'ble dry-job, maister! we be jist a-chucked way smeech; half a pint would do anybody a sight o' good.
DRY MEAT [druy mart], sb. Hay and corn.
[Dhik'ee mae*ur nuVur doa'n due* bee druy mai't,~] that mare never thrives on hay and corn.
DRY-PIPE [druy puyp], sb. Smoking a pipe without the usual glass of grog therewith.
Mr. Jones, what '11 ee plase to take? I ax your pardon, I never zeed you was smokin a dry pipe. (Farmer's
wife.)
DRY-SHOD [druyshaud], adv. phr. Without wetting the feet. Never zeed the water so small (/'. e. river
so low) avore, could go 'cross
dry-shod 'most any place. See WET-SHOD.
and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod.
Isaiah xi. 5.
DRYTH [druyth], sb. Drought, thirst.
Frequently used, but not so common as drowth used by rather a better class than the latter.
DRY- WALL [druy-wau-1], sb. A wall built of stones only, without any mortar.
DRY- WALLER [druy wairlur], sb. One who builds walls without mortar, a very
different man from a mason.
DRY- WALLING [druy wau'leen], sb. Building without mortar.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9080) (tudalen 220)
|
22O
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
DUBBED, DUBBY [duub'ud, duub'ee], adj. Blunt: applied to anything pointed.
[Kaa-n drai'v dhai naa'yulz, dhai bee zu duub'ud,~\ can't drive those nails, they are so blunt-pointed.
Jim, the pick's ter'ble dubbed, do ee car-n in and ha-un a-drawed out.
DUBBING [duub-een], sb. Suet; also the fat used for dressing leather, called “currier's dubbing"
DUBIOUS [jue'bees], adj. Word of very common use, and expresses a negative, or undesirable
expectancy, as [aay bee jue'bees dhaat
oa'n aa'nsur,] I do not think that will answer.
[Dhik-1 vaa'l-n brai'k zaunrbud'eez ai'd aay bee jue'bees^] that will fall and break somebody's head, I
expect. The word would not be employed
to express a wished-for expectation.
They bullicks '11 vind their way in, I be dubious i. e. into a field where they would commit damage. Ap. 18,
1882.
DUCK [duuk], sb. A game.
A stone is placed upon another larger one, and the players stand at a certain distance, and in turn
throw other stones at it so as to
knock it off. Upon a player striking the duck a general rush and scramble takes place.
DUCK'S BILL [duuks bee'ul], sb. A boring instrument used in a stock like a centre-bit. It is mostly
a chair-maker's tool.
DUCK'S BILLS [duuks bee'ulz], sb. Iris. (Huish Champflower.) The narrow-leaved variety. Also Dielytra
Spectabilis.
DUDS [duudz], sb. Clothes.
[Peold oa*f mee duudz-n. wai'n tu bard,] pulled off my clothes and went to bed.
DUG [duug], sb. i. An iron pin; a dowel for fastening the bottom end of a durn (q. v.) to a stone or
brick floor.
2. The teat of a woman's breast.
DUGGED [duug-ud], adj. Bedraggled; same as DAGGED.
DUMBLEDARY [duunvldae'uree], sb. i. A large kind of wild bee, but not the very large humble bee,
which is called buirtle.
2. A dolt; a blockhead.
Get 'long, ya gurt dumbledary!
DUMPS [duums], sb. i. Twilight; same as DIMMET. [Twuz jis lau-ng een dhu duunrs luyk,] it
was just along in the twilight.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9081) (tudalen 221)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 221
2. Melancholy; brooding; absent in mind as "down in the dumps'' There is no sing, in the dialect.
To PUT INTO DUMPS. Donner la muse A, faire muser.
In DUMPS. Morne. Sherwood.
DUMPSY [duunvsee], adv. i. Towards night; not used for early dawn.
[Jis ee'ns twuz gifeen duttm'see luyk,~\ just as it was getting towards night.
2. adj. Dark, gloomy, cloudy. Ter'ble
dumpsy^ I zim, can't hardly zee.
Chaps hurnin' dru the vallin' snow
Da be-at the'r han's an' the'r vingers blow.
Shart dumpsy days an' longful nights:
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 63.
DUMPY [duum'pee], adj. Blunt as-to point; round-ended. [Dhik stae'uk oa-n goo, ee-z tu duum'pee
taap-ud,] that stake will not go, it
is too blunt-topped. Same as DUBBED.
DUNDERHEAD [duun-dur ai'd], sb. A blockhead; sometimes dunderpate.
DUNG-BELLY [duung-buul'ee], sb. A big coward: a craven. Much the same as DUNG-HILL^ but rather more
conveying awkwardness of size.
[Guurt duung-buul'ee / wai u chee'ul ud drai'v-m,] great coward! why a child would drive him. S~e GOR-BELLY.
DUNG-BUTT. See BUTT.
DUNG-CROOKS [duung-kreoks]. See CROOK. Same as short crooks; for carrying manure on a
pack-horse.
DUNG-HILL [duung-ee*ul], sb. A craven; a cowardly, mean-spirited fellow.
Well, I never didn think Joe Stone wid be jish dung-hill's that is.
No doubt this is a relic of cock-fighting.
Any cock can crow 'pon his own dung-hill hence a dung-hill cock as distinguished from a game-cock.
DUNG-PICK [duung'-pik], sb. A dung-fork. (Always.)
DUNG-POT [duung'-paut], sb. A kind of tub having a hinged bottom, one of which is slung on each side
of a pack-horse, for carrying earth,
stones, or other heavy material.
DURN-BLADE [duurn blae'ud], sb. hjamb or door-post, while detached from its fellow, called [ duurn],
simply, when fixed in the wall
opening. The term would be applied to a piece of timber sawn to the proper size for the purpose.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9082) (tudalen 222)
|
222
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
This here '11 do vor a dum-blade he idn long enough, I don't think, vor to make two, praps can get a
durn-hcad out o' un.
DURN-HEAD [duurn ard], sb. The cross piece at the top of a door-frame, whether straight or arched.
DURNS [duurnz], sb. The frame of a door in situ; called [u pae'ur u duurnz^ while being made or when
detached from the building. This and
the foregoing terms are only applied to a solid door-frame, and not to what are known as
"linings” or "jambs."
I've jist a started two houses, and I want to bide home a Monday, vor to fix the durns, eens the masons mid
go on an' I've a-got two pair o' durns
more vor to make, zo I can't come no-how vore
Tuesday. April 9, 1887.
DUST [dus], v. t. To thrash; *. e. to make the dust fly by blows.
[Aa*l diis dhu jaa'kut u "dhee! shuur mee?] I'll dust the jacket of thee, dost hear me?
DUTCH [diich], sb. White clover. (Almost like lit. ditch.) I do like to zee the Dutch come up showth
there's some proof in the ground.
DUTCH OVEN [diich oa'vm], sb. A tin hastener, in which food is roasted in front of the fire. (Only
name.) Hastener is unknown.
DVVALLY [dwau'lee], v. i. To talk incoherently as a man in his cups, or in delirium.
Here, Jim! let's take th' old fuller home and put-n to bed; tidn no good to let'n bide here and dwally all
night.
This may be a survival of the traditional effect of the dwale, or nightshade atropa belladona.
To bedde goj> Alein, and also John,
There nas no more; neede]> J>em no dwale.
Chaucer, Reeve's Tale, 1. 4158.
DWALE, herbe, Morella Sompnifera, vel morella mortifera. Promp. Parv.
It is called .... in English Divale, or sleeping nightshade. . . . This
kinde of Nightshade causeth sleep,
troubleth the mind, bringeth madnesse if the berries be inwardly taken. Gerard, Herbal, p. 341.
and do> men drynke dwale: >at men drede> no synne. Piers Plow. 1.
379.
See Note by Way in Promp. Parv. p. 134. Also p. 453, Skeat's Notes to Piers Plow. Also Prior, British Plants, p.
70.
Wilmot . . . Lock! dest dwallee or tell doil? Ex. Scold. 1. 137.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9083) (tudalen 223)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 223
E
E [ai*]. i. Always has sound of Fr. e.
2. [ar]. He, she (emphatic). This form is not now so com. as it used to be.
{Ai' ul bee buureed tu siinrutuuree, oa-n at?"] she will be buried at the cemetery, will she not?
This was said to me quite recently of a lady who had died the day before.
A man said to me of his daughter, for whom he wanted to obtain a situation:
[At'-z u maa'yn guurt straung maa'yd, ai ai'z,] he (she) is a great strong girl she is. See HE.
E [ee', ee], pr. He, she, it, emph.; you, unemph. (Usual.)
Thomas, is the cow any better?
[Ees, aay ziim ee-u\ due* naew aardr u beet,] yes, I think he (she) will do (recover) after a while.
[Aewsumdu'vur ee oan git uz miilk baak ugee'un,] notwithstanding (this
improvement) h~ (the cow) will not get his milk back again.
Where's the key?
\Ee wuz ang-een aup beeuyn dhu doo'ur beenaew,] he (it) was hanging up behind the door just now.
\Ee aan u-kaard'-n uwar, zavee? ] you have not carried it away, have you?
EAGERLESS [ai'gurlees], adj. Headstrong, eager, excited.
You did'n ought to zit yerzel up zo, take it quieter like, and not be ^eagerless.
A groom said of a horse, “So zoon's ever he do zee th' hounds, he's that eager/ess, can't do nort way un.
EAN [arn], z>. /. Used mostly in /. t. and /. part, [ai'nud, u-ai'nud]. Of sheep, to bring forth; to
lamb; to yean.
I know her've a-ean'ed some place, but I can't zee no lamb; be sure the fox 'ant a-bin arter-n a'ready.
The infin. [arnee] eany is sometimes heard.
Thick yoe ont eany-z dree or vower days.
Yean is never heard.
ENYN, or brynge forthe kyndelyngys. Feto. Promp. Parv. To cane. Agneler. Cotgravc (Sherwood).
EAR-BURS [yuur-buurz], sb. A kind of swelling or kernel behind the ears.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9084) (tudalen 224)
|
224
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
EAR-DROPS [yuur-draups, yuur-draaps], sb. i. Ear-rings of all shapes. The usual term.
Her'd a-got on gurt ear-drops, same's a half-moon like, so big 's a crown-piece: nif they was gold, they must
a cost a purty penny, sure 'nough.
2. The common name for the fuchsia.
EAR-GRASS [yuur-graa's], sb. The same as YOUNG GRASS (q. v.). The annual or biennial grasses
sown upon arable land.
I have placed this word under E in deference to the authority of previous glossarists; but believe it should
be year-grass, /. e. annual; and that
it has nothing to do with A.-S. erian, for the reason that we do not say y arable, while we do say \ -
yuur'-graa's~\.
EAR-KECKERS [yuur-kaek'urz], sb. pi. The glands on each side of the throat, which when swollen are
called mumps. The ear-keekers o' un be
a zwelled out so big's two hen-eggs.
EAR-MARK [yuur-maark], sb. and v. t. A notch or hole in the ear of any animal by which it may be
recognized again. Hence any mark or
token by which a thing may be identified.
I always ear-marks my wethers way a snotch outside th' off ear, and the ewes outside the near ear. Com
p. the legal dictum, “you cannot
ear-mark money in account."
EARNEST-MONEY [aarnees-muun-ee], sb. A small payment on account of a purchase by which the
bargain is clenched. Hence a recruit
is bound on receipt of the “Queen's shilling."
Whiche is the ernes of ^oure eritage: in to the redempcioun of purchasynge
in to heryinge of his glorie. Wyclif
vers. Ephes. i. 14.
ERNEST, supra in ARNEST, hansale: strena. Promp. Parv.
to gif him V. mark for )>e werkmansshipe, (of ]>e which I haue paied
him a noble on ernest), I wol ]>e
same couenant be fulfilled.
1424. Roger Flore. Fifty Earliest Wills, p. 59.
EARTH [uurth, aeth], sb. i. The hole of a fox. The earth-stopper's duty is to
go very early in the morning to stop the earths or holes where the fox is sure to make for
when pressed by the hounds. If he has
failed to do his work the cry “gone to earth”
is most likely to be heard.
I knowed well 'nough where he was makin vor: I zaid he'd sure to go \t-aeth\ to earth in Chipstable 'ood.
The EARTH, or hole of a Fox or Badger. Gould, Mere.
Cot grave (Sherwood).
2. A ploughing. Comp. varth, math, c.
[Wee niivur doa'n gee wart bud wau'n aeth,~] we never give wheat but one earth, /". e. we sow
after once ploughing.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9085) (tudalen 225)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 225
You can break 'em up and put 'em to corn all to one earth. Oct. 28, 1882.
ERYAR of londe. Arator, glebe. \
ERYYN' londe. Aro. > Promp. Parv.
ERYYNGE of londe. Aracio. )
Elf eax ne kurue, ne ]>e spade ne dulue, ne J?e suluh ne erede, hwo kepte
ham uorte holden? Ancren Riivle t p.
384.
Tho seyde perken plouhman "by seynt peter of rome, Ich haue an half acre to eren ' by )>e
hye weye.
Piers Plowman, IX. 1. I.
huo ]>aune ssolde erye, and zawe and ripe and mawe and opre er}>liche
workes to done. Ayenbite of Inwyt, p.
214.
Such land as ye breake vp for barlie to sowe,
two earthes at the least er ye sowe it bestowe.
Tusser, 35/50.
EARTH-NUT [aetrr-nut], sb. Common hog-nut. Bunium flexuosum called also Pigs-nut.
Apios is called .... in englishe an ernute or an earth nute, it groweth plentuouslye in Northumberland. Turner
(Britten}, p. 14.
An Earth-nut. Noix chastaigne. Cotgrave (Sherwood).
Guinterius thought the word was corrupted, and that Balanocastanon
should be read; .... of some, Nucula
terrestris or the little Earth-nut: it is thought to" be Bunium Dioscoridis of some, but
we think not so. Gerarde, p. 1065.
EAR-VRIG [yuur-vrig], sb. Earwig.
This is one of the words in which we retain the sound of the old w before r but how our forefathers got
the r into A.-S. earwicga is for
savants to determine.
EASE [aiz], ref. v. i. To ease oneself = cacare.
EsYifr .... stercoriso, nurdo t egero. Promp. Parv.
2. sb. See LITTLE EASE.
EASEMENT [arzmunt], sb. Relief, assistance.
Nif you could vind me a job vor the 'osses now and again, zir, 'twid be a easement o' the rent like; and
I'd do it so rais'nable as anybody
should.
Also I wott )>at on Laffarebrugge be spendid, to make hit att of stone,
vjc markes, in esement of the comyns,
if hit so be j>at no man be bounde by his
lond to make hit. 1426. Wm. Hanyngfeld. Fifty Earliest Wills, p. 70.
See also illustration under EM i.
EASTER LILY, EASTER ROSE [ai-stur Ml-ee roa'uz]. Same as LENT LILY. Daffodil Narcissus
pseudo-narcissus. One of our commonest
spring flowers. Certain orchards and meadows are covered with a sheet of gold for a few
days, while fortunately two or three
weeks later not a vestige of the leaves can be found
Q
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9086) (tudalen 226)
|
226
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
among the grass. To this rapid disappearance of the leaf may be ascribed the survival of the flower. If
the bulbs could be readily found they
would soon find their way with ferns and
primrose-roots to the “common garden."
EAT [ai-t; p. art; //. u-ai't]. See THERE.
[Uur aa-n u-ai't noa'urt ziinz uur art dhai dhaer dhae'ur tae'udeez,] she has not eaten anything
since she ate those potatoes. Thick
bwoy wid ait us out o' ouse and 'ome, let-n have it.
EAT OUT [ai-t aewt], v. t. i. To corrode.
Why don't you take more care o' things? Here, I've a vound one o' the knives a drow'd out way the
rummage, and now he's all a ate out
way rist.
2. Applied to land to absorb; to swallow up.
Ter'ble field o' ground 'bout aitin out o' dressin 'tis a-go in
no time.
EAT THE CALF IN THE COW'S BELLY [ai-t dhu kyaa-v een dhu kaewz buul'ee], v. To forestall; to
obtain money in anticipation of
earnings.
Plaise to let it bide gin I've a finish the job; I never don't like vor to draw no money avore I've a sar'd it,
I zim 'tis aitin the calve in the
cow's belly.
EAVE [ee'v], sb. The projection of a roof beyond the wall supporting it. More often called office in
this district. Many roofs are built
without any [ee'v] i. e. when the rafters do not project beyond the face of the wall.
Eaves (plur.) in old Eng. meant the clippings of the thatch.
See Skeat; Ancren Riwle, &c.
EAVER [ai'vur], sb. i. A well-known grass, usually called Devon-eaver. Lolium perenne.
I don't care vor none o' these here new farshin'd things, I always zeeds out way nort but clover and eaver.
Wanted, up to 600 bushels Devon eaver , unadulterated, and weighing 20
Ibs. to bushel. Address K. 18, Morning
News, Plymouth.
2. Applied to the seeds of any of the lighter grasses.
A man in a barn who was sifting clover-seed, said to me, [Aay du puut ut driie' dhu ruyveen zee'v, vur tu
tak aewt au'l dh-ai'vur,~\ I put it
through the riving sieve to take out all the light grass seeds.
For a grass the name seems to be peculiar to the western counties, while haver (Mod. Ger. hafer, Dutch haver,
haber,) in other counties is the name
for oats. In Lincolnshire it means wild oats.
(See Peacock, Britten, &c. E. D. S.)
Haver means wild oats. Prior, p. 105.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9087) (tudalen 227)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 22/
Havyr: auena, auenula. Otys: vbi hatter. Cath. Ang.
A fewe cruddes and creem and an hatter cake.
Piers Plowman, B. v. 1. 284.
Gerard has Avena Vesca: common Otes. He says, “In Lancashire it is their chiefest bread corne for Jannocks
Haucr-cakss . . . and for the most part they
call the graine Hauer" Gerard, p. 74.
He also (p. 74) says Festuca Italica, or JEgilops Narbonensis, is called
in English Hauer- grasse.
Aveneron: wild oats, barren oats, hauer, or oat-grasse. Cotgrave.
EAVY [ai'vee], v. i. To condense moisture.
Before a change of weather it is very common to see flag-stones and painted walls become quite damp. This
occurs as often in hot dry weather
before rain as in wet weather or in thaw. When this condition appears it is said “to
eavy"
The kitchen vloor d'eavy, we be gwain to zee a change.
Hal. is quite wrong in denning "Eave to thaw."
EBET [eb-ut], sb. Eft, or small lizard. The newt is called a [wau'dr ebut,~\ water ebet. Elsewhere
called evet.
an euete enforsith with hondis, aud dwellith in the housis of kingis.
Wyclif, Proverbs xxx. 28. ED [ud, -d].
Would, had.
[Jiim ud u-gid-n sau'm turaa'klee,] Jim would have given him some directly. See D 2.
[Dhai-df niivur u-kmd au*m, neef Wee'ul*^ u-biin laung wai* um,] they would never have come home, if Will
had been with them.
The corresponding negative is [eod'n] would not, pronounced precisely like the adj. wooden.
EDDISH [aed'eesh], sb. (See ARRISH.) The term used in leases and by auctioneers for a stubble-field,
after corn of all kinds, flax, peas,
beans, or clover-seed. It is not applied to grass after hay, but after any crop which has been
allowed to mature its seed, the land
until again ploughed is an eddish.
(This is identical with arrish d between vowels often changes to r, as in parrick from paddock^
EDGE [aej], v. t. i. To urge; to incite.
[Ee eod'n u due'd ut, neef uur ad-n u-tf^/'-n au*n,] he would not have done it, if she (/. e. his wife) had
not urged him on.
of god J)et we ]>eonne de$ bute God one, and his engel, )>et is ine
swuche time bisiliche abut en to eggen
us to gode. Ancren Riwlc, p. 146.
Fader of falshede, fond hit furst of alle
Adam and Eue he eggede to don ille.
Piers Plowman, II. 1. 60. Alswa devels
sal accuse f>am ]>ar Til whilk
J>ai egged >am, bathe nyght and day.
Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 1. 5480.
See also Will, of Palerme, Werwolf, 1. 1130.
Q 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9088) (tudalen 228)
|
228
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2. To push; to nudge, as when two boys are sitting together and one pushes the other to make him move a
little; this would be called \aej'een
oa un,] edging of him.
EDGEMENT [aej'munt], sb. Incitement, urging, temptation as by example.
[Ee-d bee soa'bur nuuf, uurree dhur-z au'vees zaum aej'munt ur nuudtrur,] he would be sober enough, only
there is always some temptation or
other.
EGMENT, or sterynge. Incitamentum instigacio. Promp. Parv.
" Mother," quod she, "and maiden bright Mary, Sooth is, that through wommannes
eggement Mankind was lorn, and damned
aye to die."
Chaucer, Man oj 'Law 's Tale, 1. 5 2 ^i.
ED'N [iid-n]. Is not (usual form; see endless examples throughout this Glossary).
[Uur ud-n u beet luyk ur zuVtur,] she is not at all like her sister. Very often written idn. See W. S. Gram. p.
55.
EEL [ ee'ul], sb. Ill, or evil. Any local affection of the flesh has this word generally suffixed as [poa'l
ee'ul^\ poll-ill (q. v.); [uud'ur
ee'ul, briist ee'ul^ kwaurtur ee'ul], udder-ill, breast-ill, quarter-ill.
Compare KING'S EVIL.
vor heo habbefc idon muchel eil to moni on ancre.
Ancren Riwle, p. 62.
EEL-HUTCH [ee'ul-uuch, yael'-uuch], sb. A fixed iron trap or catching eels or other fish.
EEL-POT [ee'ul, or yael'-paut], sb. A wicker trap for catching eels.
EEL SPEAR [ee'ul, or yael* spee'ur], sb. An instrument having many barbed blades set closely together in
a row and attached to a handle. It is
thrust down into the mud of pools or ditches
where eels abound.
EEL-THING [ee'ul-dhing], sb. (Evil-thing.) Erysipelas; St. Anthony's fire.
Plaise to gee mother a drap o' wine.
What is the matter with her?
Her 'th a got th' eel-thing a brokt out all over her face.
EENGINE [ee-njiin], sb. i. Engine (always).
ENGYNNE, or ingyne. Machina. 2. Hinge.
Maister Ve a-zen' me arter a pair o' T eengines, vor t 'ang the door way.
EENS [ee-ns], adv. i. Even as (/. e. in such a manner as).
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9089) (tudalen 229)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 229
[Ee'ns mud zai*,] as one may say, is one of the commonest endings of any kind of sentence.
It seems peculiar to this district, but is really one of the most used of any everyday word: abundantly shown
in these pages.
2. How.
[Aa'l shoa ee ee'ns kn due* ut,] I'll show you how (one) can do it.
3. What.
[Aay tuul'ee ee'ns tai'z,] I tell you what 'tis!
4. Why, or wherefore.
Nobody never ont know ee'ns her do'd it vor.
5. But that.
Maister didn think no otherways ee'ns he was all ready vor to go to work. See Note, p. 66, W. S. Gram.
6. conj. That; so that. See BURNS.
You told me ee'ns you wadn gwain: else I should a-went too.
EEN TO [ee-n tu], adv. All but; wanting only. Lit. even to. [Dhur wuz dree skao*r ee'n tu dree ur
vaawur,] there were three score,
wanting only three or four.
Hon I come, all the vokes was ago, een to 'bout of half a dizen.
EES [ee's], adv. Yes. (Commonest form of all.)
EET [eet], adv. Yet. (Always.)
[Wee bae'un gwain, naut **/,] we are not going, not yet.
[Ee-z u bae'ud fuul'ur, un eet vur au'l dhaat, ee doa'n saa'r uur* zu bae-ud luyk,] he is a bad fellow, and
yet for all that, he does not serve
her (/. e. his wife) so badly.
EGG-PLANT [ag'-plaent], sb. Solanum Melongena. Very com. in cottage windows.
EGGS AND BACON [agz'-n bae'ukn], sb. Common Toad-flax. Linaria vulgaris.
EGGS AND BUTTER [agz'-n buad'ur]. Same as BUTTER AND EGGS. Daffodils; also garden narcissus of
any kind.
EH? [ai'],zVz/<?r/. Used interrogatively and alone, it means what do you say? At the end of an interrogative
sentence, it repeats the question, as
[Wuur-s u-binr tiie, ai? ] where hast been, eh?
EITHERWAYS [ai-dhurwai-z], conj. Either. (Com.) Eitherways you can zend the wagin home when
you've a-doned
o'un, or else you can let'n bide gin I do zend vor'n. Do jist eens
you be a mind to.
ELBOW-GREASE [uul-boa-grars], sb. Manual labour.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9090) (tudalen 230)
|
230
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
It is a very common saying about painting:
[Las paa-ynt-n moo'ur uul'boa-grais,~] less paint and more
elbow-grease.
ELDERN [uul'durn, uul'urn], adj. Made of elder wood. I zim eldern nettin-neels be always the
best like.
Fader of Falsness he foundede it him-seluen;
ludas he lapede * with >e lewes seluer,
And on an Ellerne treo hongede him after.
Piers Plowman, I. 65.
ELEM [uul-um], sb. Elm.
Yours is good Ian', can zee it by the gurt elems.
ELEMEN [uul-umeen], adj. Made of elm.
[Uul'umeen kau'feen,] elm-coffin. [Uul'umeen plan'sheen,] elm flooring.
ELEMENT [uul'eemunt], sb. The sky; the firmament; the atmosphere.
[Dhu vuyur ziSm tu lai't aup au'l dh-uul'eemunt,] the fire appeared to light up the whole sky.
[Dhai zaes aew tuz saunvfeen een ^-uul'eemunt du uurt dhu tae-udees,] they say how 'tis something in
the atmosphere (which) injures the
potatoes.
A man describing a thunderstorm (Aug. 1879) said, “n 'ti element was all to a flicker."
Wherfore he het >e ekmentes to helpe 30 w alle tymes, and brynge forth
3oure bylyue. Piers Plowman, n. 1. 17.
The elements shall melt with fervent heat.
2 Pet. iii. v. 10, 12. See Twelfth Night, Act I. sc. i.
We do not use the word in the plural.
ELEVEN-O'CLOCKS [lab'm-uklau-ks], sb. Luncheon; a slight repast taken by field labourers and
washerwomen. See NOMMIT, FORENOONS.
Come on, Soce! Let's ha our labm o'clocks, vore we begins another load.
ELSE [uuls], adv. Otherwise; on other conditions.
You shall zend em to my house, else I out have em.
Thee stap along s'hear, I'll help thee else!'
Used also to express much more than this.
I'll warnt thick's too big, try un else i. e. if you think otherwise.
J>e rauen rayke} hym forth ' J>at reches ful lyttel How alle fodez J?er fare * elle^ he fynde
mete;
Alliterative Poems. Deluge, 1. 465.
ELVER [uirlvur], sb. A young eel. At certain seasons they
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9091) (tudalen 231)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS.
2 3 I
may be seen in shoals, going up the streams
from the sea. They are about three
inches long, and the size of a fine straw.
EM [um, 'm], pron. i. Them. The literary them is unknown in this dialect. Neither is it used, as in
some districts, for the nom. ' case e.
g. them books are nice.
I 'ont zill em vor the money, but I'd let 'ee take the pick o'm in my prize. See abundant illustrations
elsewhere in these pages.
Wan )>ay weren alle yn y-paste ' |>e mayde and )>ay yfere,
Florippe het schitte j>e dore faste ' and welcomed em with gode chere.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 2027.
Alle >at >ai >an alacche mi^t: >er na ascaped em non. Ib. 1.
3098. (In this poem the usual forms
are hem or hymen.} See MUN.
also in esement of Idany and of lohn of the spetytt, for Almys I lent hem,
a chest, and a vergyous barer}, and a
fyerpanne.
1432. Isabel Gregory, Fifty Earliest Wills, p. 91.
3if ]>ei bynden hem to most charite and J?er wij) ben in gret enuye
amongis hem self .... bes ben perilous
ypocritis.
Wyclif (Works, E. E. T. S.), p. 4.
and the tungis of hem ben maad sijk a^ens hem, alle men ben disturblid,
that sien hem; and ech man dredde.
Wyclif vers. Psalm Ixiv. 9, 10.
2. They, in interrogative sentences.
[Zoa dhai-v u-kaech* Jiim tu laa's, aa'n um? Aay dhau'rt dhai wid; ] so they have caught Jim at last,
have not em? I thought they would.
Have em a-yeard ort 'bout Mr. Pratt's vowls? Be em gwain to war, d'ee think, sir? Where in the wordle
did em all go to? Can em get'n a-do'd
gin tomarra?
EMMET [yaanrut], sb. The ant. A.-S.
One of the words to which y is prefixed. Comp. YEFFER, YEFFIELD.
The yammets be making work sure 'nough way th' abricocks, de year, they be wis-n wapsies, hon they
takes to it.
O! thou slowe man, go to the amte, ether pissemyre: and beholde thou
hise weies, and lerne thou wisdom.
Wyclif vers. Prov. vi. 6.
and J>e more ha leue]> ]>e more him wext his strengjpe, alsuo ase
]>e litel amote.
Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 141.
EMMET-HEAP [yaanrut-eep], sb. Ant-hill. The large pile of wood and dust, so often collected in
woods by the large wood ants.
EMONY [aenvuneee], sb. Anemone. Com. gardener's name.
We can put in they emony roots in there.
Also often called enemy [aeirumee].
We be middlin off vor racklisses, but 'tis a poor lot o' enemies.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9092) (tudalen 232)
|
232
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
EMP, EMPT [ai-mp, armt], v. t. To empty (final y always dropt). Comp. CAR, DIRT.
[Plai'zr, aay kaa*n ai'mp dhik saes'turn bee meezuul*,] please, sir, I cannot empty that cistern by myself.
You must'n emp nort down thick there zink, vore he's a put in order.
So help me God thereby he shall not win
But empt his purse, and make his wittes thin.
Chaucer , Canon's Yeoman 's Tale, 1. 16208.
ac hi bye]) of grat cost and harmuolle and perilous, ase |>o ]>et
emte]> J>e herte ofhireguode.
Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 58.
He slipp'd behine th' pollard stump,
An' empt ez powder horn.
Pulman t Rustic Sketches, p. 29.
EMPTIN CLOAM [armteen tloa-m, armteen u tloa-m], phr. Drinking to excess. See DROW UP THE HAND.
[Wuul, Jan! haut-s dhu maafr? Bun ai'mteen tloam ugee-un, aay spoa'uz!] well, John! what is the
matter? (You have) been emptying cloam
(crockery, i. e. the cup) again, I suppose.
[Ee lid-n u bae'ud soa'urt v-u fuul'ur, neef u waud-n zu fau'n u ai'mteen u tloa'm luyk,] he is not a bad
sort of a fellow, if he were not so
fond of drinking.
Work! the work he likth best is emptin tf cloam, and he'll work to that way anybody.
EN [-n, un], pron. Him, her; [-m] after /, b, f, v. See W. S. Gram. p. 33, et seq.
Tell ee hot I should do way en why I'd take 'n nif I was you, and gee en a darnd good hidin. See hundreds
of other examples in these pages. See
UN. See Ex. Scold, 11. 214, 364.
-EN [-een, after /, m, n, p, b, v, // -n after other consonants], regular adjectival inflection: employed in
the dialect with the name of every
material capable of use.
[U stee-ute pwauynt,] a steel point. [U ^o'\een au's klau'th,] a woollen horse-cloth. [Uul'unw/z kau'feen,]
elm coffin. [Tloa'm^vj pan,]
cloamen-pan. [Tee'ruwz-pan,] tin-pot. [Weobvwz brae'usuz,] web-braces. [Tuurfez bangk,] turf bank.
Oak' table, arsh'/z plank, leathers apron, glass';* winder.
and herwij) ordeynen costly chambris and beddis and siluerene vessel and
gay do>es. Wyclif (Works, E. E. T.
S.), p. 6.
Wei two Mile to loke aboute f a stryde voide J>er nas, J>at of )>at ilke he]>enene route
al ful was euery plas.
Sir FeriimbrciS) 1. 3221.
END [ee-n(d], sb. and v. t. (always so pronounced). [Un ee-n,] on end. [Stan un ee'n,] stand on
end/, e. on the head. [Aup-m ,] up on
end.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9093) (tudalen 233)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 233
Tommy, where 'v 'ee bin to? neet vive minits agone I do'd your hair vitty, and now 'tis all up on een
again, [aup-m ee'n]. There idn no een
to some vokeses wants. Better pay it,
and make a eend o' it. The show was
all a eended vore us come.
EENDE. Finis. EENDYD. Finitus,
terninatus.
EENDYN, or makyn a(n) ende. Finio consummo, desino.
Promp. Parv.
ENDILOPE [ai'ndeeloa'p], sb. Envelope (very com.). I couldn post my letter 'cause I had'n a-got
nother endilope vor to put'n in.
A vew lines pin tha endilope praps I kin scral: Vury vew it muss be tho, an now me deer
Jan, Yu zee wat they'm doing all droo
out the Ian.
Nathan Hogg, The Rifle Corps, p. 46.
ENJOY [eenjauy], v. To endure; to experience.
[Poo*ur blid! uur ^-eenjauy shauk'een bae'ud uulth,] poor thing! she enjoys very bad health.
ENOW [uneo-], adv. Very common form of enough.
See W. S. Gram. p. 26.
Come, Bill! I sh'd think thee's a-'ad enow by this time.
Furfcer i$e desert, J>o he hefde iled ham ueor r<5e wildernesse, he
lett ham J>olien wo inouh hunger ^
Jmrst, ^ muchel swine ^ muchele weorren ^ monie.
Ancren Riwle, p. 220. See also Ib. pp. 160, 340.
Ah Jet ne Jmnche'fc ow nawt inoh to
forleosen ow ]ms in hulli misbileaue;
Life of Saint Katherine, 1. 346.
Wiliam hit sende hire vaire inou ' wijjoute eny [ing wareuore: As king and prince of londe * wijje nobleye
ynou A^en him wif vaire procession
)>at folc of toune drou. Rob. of
Gloucester (Morris and Skeat), 11. 203, 211. See also Ib. 234, 242, &c.
Rynges with Rubyes ' and Richesses I-nowe,
J>e leste man of here mayne ' a mutoun of gold.
(Morris and Skeat), Piers Plow. in. 1. 24 (p. 189).
ENTER [ai'ntur], v. t. and /. Hunting term applied to hounds.
" A young hound is said to be \mentered till he has taken his part in the running of the pack. He may be taken
out with them, but if he does not join
in their working on his own account, it is said he does not enter but when he finds the
scent for himself, and joins in chorus
with the others, he is said to be entered." W. L. C. Dec. 26, 1883.
In the Declaration issued by the Inland Revenue for return of articles liable to duty, one of the
exemptions under heading “Dogs” is “A
Master of a Pack of Hounds, for young hounds up to the
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9094) (tudalen 234)
|
234
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
age of twelve months, and not entered in, or used with the pack." The in here is a mistake, and should be
deleted.
Great attention must be paid to the puppies when at walk (q. v.) until
entered to their own game, which
should never be till they are full fourteen months old. Lord Fortescue, Records, North Devon
Staghounds, p . 6.
The young hounds should always be entered in the spring instead of the summer hunting, as in the former, fewer
horsemen attend the hunt. The puppies
are therefore less likely to be frightened or rode over. Ib. p. 6.
Several puppies were entered this year in the spring at ten months old;
this may do for hare-hunting, but
staghounds should be fourteen or fifteen months old' before entering. Collyns, Wild Red
Deer, p. 206.
ENTER [ai-ntur], v. t. Used in hunting.
A kind of rite practised at the death of a hunted deer upon novices, male or female, who witness the
death for the first time. The quarry
having been brought to ground, the hounds are kept off the "mort" is sounded on the
horn the woo-hoop, death-halloo yelled; and as soon as the “field” has come
up, the throat is cut. Then if any
novice is present, some old hand dips his finger in the blood and draws it across the face;
and thus the novice is said to be duly
entered i. e. to be initiated into the art of venery.
When the Prince of Wales came into Somerset to hunt with the staghounds, the ancient custom was
observed.
The Prince receiving the knife from the huntsman, gives the coup, and is
duly entered 'by Mr. Joyce- Daily
News, Aug. 23, 1879.
During my hunting days I may say I have entered a great many of both
sexes, and I would venture to say one
hardly ever forgets who gave him the mark in
this way, when thinking over old times and first experiences in the
hunting-field. I well remember who
entered me. IV. L. C. Dec. 26, 1883.
ENTIRE-HORSE [eentuyur airs], sb. Stallion.
ENTRY [ai'ntree], sb. A young hound just fit for work, for the first time taking his part with the pack.
Joe in an evil moment had drafted out some of his best entries to give
them blood; and three of them lay dead
at the feet of the quarry. Collyns, p. 66.
EQUAL [ai'kul, ai'gul], adv. and adj. Quite. (Always so pron.) [Muy tae'tideez bee ai kul zu geod-z ee'z,]
my potatoes are quite as good as his.
I J d \ai'kut\ so soon g' ome as bide here.
Felowe of egal power collegat. Palsgrave, p. 219.
and for the extent Of egal justice,
us'd in such contempt?
Titus Andronicns, IV. iv.
EQUALLY [ai'kulee, argulee], adv. Same as EQUAL. I do consider they was all [ai'gulee] to
blame.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9095) (tudalen 235)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 235
Also to the Nonnes of the said chirch, egally to be departed among hem,
to pray for my soule x marc. 1431. R.
Tyrell. Fifty Earliest Wills, p. 90.
neuertheles it is geuen in dyuerse wyse, and not egally, for some hath
more, and some hath lesse, after their
merytes. Gesta Rom. p. 434.
ER [uur, ur], pron. I (enclitic), he, she, we, you, one (impers.), her, our, they. See W. S. Gram. pp. 33,
36,39.
[Aa 1! aat-n daewn, shaal ur T\ I will knock him down, shall I?
[Sh-1 ur ab-m neef aay zain un aartur-n?] shall he have it, if I send him after it.
[ Uurz u puurtee beotee, uur uz,] she is a pretty beauty, she is.
[Gee- ur ur suup-ur,] give her her supper.
[Wee kn goo tumaaru, kaa*n ur T\ we can go to-morrow, can we not?
[An oa-vur dhu vuurkeen wiil ur T\ hand over the firkin, will you?
[Uneebau'dee wiidn due ut vur noa'urt, wud urf\ one would not do it for nothing, would one? More commonly
[wud um?]
[Ue dud nr gee' un tue-? Wuy uur bee shoo'ur,] who did he give it to? Why her to be sure!
[Km au*n, soa'us, lat-s ae* ur nau'meet,] come on, mates, let us have our luncheon.
[Dhai diid-n due ut dhoa' aardr au'l, dud ur .?] they did not do it then after all, did they?
Hou long hev er bin dead? Well, let me zee, zes Tim, .... why, if he'd lived till tamarra he'd bin dead lizac'ly a
week.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 25.
ERD [uurd], sb. and adj. Red. (Always.)
\Suurd-z u fau'ks,] so red as a fox, is our usual superlative of redness.
ERRISH [uureesh], sb. A stubble field, as, [Wait uureesh^ wheat stubble. [Pai'z uur'eesh,~\ pease
stubble. [Bee'un uureesh^\ bean. [Woet
uureesh^\ oat. [Tloa'vur uureesh,~] clover stubble. See EDDISH.
This word is usually spelt eddish or arrish in local advertisements, also by Webster; but in this district it is
always pronounced as above, and is not
applied to any grass except clover, and then only when the clover has been mown for seed, so
as to leave a real stubble.
ERRISH RAKE [uureesh rae'uk], sb. A very large and peculiarly shaped rake, used for gathering
up the stray corn missed by the
binders; now nearly supplanted by the horse-rake.
ERRISH-TURNIPS [uureesh tuurmuts], sb. pi. A late crop of turnips sown after the corn has been
taken. It is very common to begin to
plough up the stubble as soon as the corn is cut, and while it is still standing in stitches.
After an early harvest good crops of
roots are frequently grown. See Es for illustration.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9096) (tudalen 236)
|
236
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
ES, EZ [uV, -z; -s after t, k, p~\. i. Contraction of this, these, in the sense of during, or for the space
of; applied to time, either past or
future.
Wherever have ee bin? we bin a-woitin vor ee uz hour-n more /*. e. for the past hour and more.
I thort he must ha bin dead; I han't a-zeed 'n-z twenty year.
Tid'n not a bit o' use to look vor'n; he 'ont be ready-.? vortnight.
[Aay aa'n u zee'd noa jis wait uureesh tuur'muts^ naut-j yuurz,] I have not seen any such wheat errish
turnips not's (these) years.
See Ex Scold, p. 130; W. S. Gram. p. 34.
2. [ees, aes], pron. I (enclitic); us (nom.).
[Aay spoo'uz kun kaar-n, kaa.'n-ees?] I suppose (I) can carry it, can I not?
[Aes bae-un gwai'n,] we are not going. (Very com.)
ETH [aeth], sb. Earth. See ATH.
EVEL [aevl], sb. Heddle, heald in Yorkshire and Lancashire. In this district the word is applied by
weavers, only to the actual eye, if of
steel, or loop, if of twine, through which the thread of warp is passed, and not to the whole heddle
or heald. See HARNESS.
EVEL-TWINE [aevl-twuyn], sb. A weaver's term for the twine used to repair the harness.
EVELING [ai-vleen], sb. Evening. I'll
look in umbye in th' evelin.
Net trapesee hum avore the Desk o' tha Yeavling.
Ex Scold. 1. 200. See also 11. 166, 223, 314.
EVEN [ai-vm], v. t. To divide equally.
Mother zaid we was t' even [ai'vm] even it 'mongst us.
Imogen. Thou art all the comfort
The gods will diet me with. Pr'ythee away:
There's more to be considered; but we'll even All that good time will give us.
Cymbeline, III. iv.
EVEN-HANDED [arvm-airdud], adv. In making any “chop” or exchange, when there is no money to pay
by way of adjustment on either side it
is said to be even-handed.
When an even-handed bargain is made respecting an exchange of horses, they are said to be “turned tail to
tail."
You must gee me vive pound, then I'll chop vor your little mare. No, I ont chop even-handed.
EVENING PRIMROSE [aivmeen piirmroa'uz], sb. (Enothera. (Always.)
EVERLASTING PEA [uvurlaasteen pai], sb. Perennial sweet pea. This variety does not form seed-pods.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9097) (tudalen 237)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 237
EVERLASTINGS [uvurlaas'teenz], sb. pi Flowers which do not wither. Applied to several varieties.
Gnaphalium, Helichrysum Rhodanthe.
EVER SO [uvur zoa], sb. phr. An indefinitely large amount.
[Aay eod-n due- ut, gi mee uvur zoa,~\ I would not do it, give me any amount.
We also use the general phrases: ever so much, ever so far, ever so long, ever so big, every so many, ever
so few, &c.
EVERY BIT AND CRUMB. See BIT AND CRUMB.
EVERY-DAYS [livuree-darz], sb. Week days.
[Au! aay keeps dhar vur Zun'deez, aay doa'n puut um au'n pun uvuree-dai'z^ oh! I keep those for
Sundays, I don't put them on upon week
days.
So we talk of “Sundays and every-days” “Every-day clothes," &c. An "every-day horse" is
one that can work all the week long
and thrive upon it not like a [Paa'snz airs,] Parson's horse, which can only work Sundays.
EVERY WHIP'S WHILE [uvuree wuops wuyul], adv. phr. Every now and again.
[Tak-n due- un aup fuurnr luyk, naut vaur-n tu kaum tu due'een uvuree wuops wuyul,~] take and repair it up
firmly, not for it to come to
repairing every now and again.
EVIL-EYE [ai-vl uy], sb. The evil glance, having the power of bewitching, possessed by witches. See
OVERLOOK. The belief in this power is
still very widely prevalent.
[Dhai du zai- aew dhut drroa'l dae'um Tlaap-v u-gaut dh-ai'vl uy un uur kn
mak three bau'dee puyn uwar luyk, neef uur-z
u muyn tue,] they say how that the old dame Clap has the evil eye, and she can make any one pine
away like, if she has a mind to.
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou
his dainty meats. Proverbs xxiii. 6.
EWE-BRIMBLE [yoa-bninvl, or (fine talk) briinrbl], sb. The common bramble Rubus Fruticosus. This term
is generally applied to an individual
specimen, and mostly when of a coarse
rank growth.
Brooms made of heath are always bound round with & yOa'brum'L See BROOM-SQUIRE.
EX [eks, heks], sb. Axe (always).
Ex, instrument. Securis. Promp. Parv.
nout ase swin ipund ine sti uorte uetten, r \ forte greaten a^ein )>e cul
of J>er fax. Ancren Riwlt, p. 128.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9098) (tudalen 238)
|
238
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
EXLE [ek'sl], sb. Axle *". e. the entire connection between the two wheels of a "carriage"
(q. v.). In carts or waggons it
consists of three essential parts viz. the two "arms" on
which the wheels revolve, and the
wooden |>\y/-kee'us,] axle-case, to
which the arms are attached. Axle-tree is never heard.
EXULTRE, or extre, supra in A, AXILTRE. Promp. Parv.
Strong exeltred cart, that is clouted and shod,
Cart-ladder and wimble, with percer and pod. Tusser, 17/6.
EYE [uy], sb. A brood in speaking of pheasants. This is the regular word corresponding to covey of
partridges. I zeed a fine eye o'
pheasants, z'mornin.
EYE [uy], sb. The centre of a wheel.
The wheel was a-tord limbless, there wadn on'y the eye o' un a-left.
EYES. See BLOOD AND EYES.
EYES AND LIMBS [uyz-n kimz]. These are very constantly associated in imprecations. Note that the
blood is put before the eyes and the
eyes before the limbs.
EYEBRIGHT [uybruyt], sb. Applied to more than one flower. The commonest is Veronica
chamcedrys, or Speedwell. I have heard
it applied to the bright blue flower of Alkanet Anchusa officinalis; also to Stellaria
Holostea. The Editor of Tusser gives
Eiebright (44/5) as Euphrasia officinalis , but he does not quote his authority possibly the
following:
Eufragia, or Ophthalmica ... is called in englishe Eyebryghte, and in duche Ougentroit. Turner (Britten), p. 84.
Common eyebright is a small, low herb, rising up usually but with one blackish green stalk. It groweth in meadows
and grassy places.
Culpeper t Herbal \ p. 168.
EZ-ZULL [liz-zuul-], pr. Himself; by himself alone. See W. S. Gram. p. 42.
[Neef ee ka-an due ut tiz-zuul', Jiim mus mrlp-m,] if he cannot do it by himself alone, Jim must help him.
F. It will usually be found that words
beginning with/ which have come to us
from the Latin, whether through French or not, and all imported words in /, keep their
initial letter sharp and distinct,
while Archaic and Teutonic words, though written with f, are sounded as v. It is the neglect of
this rule, and of the cognate one as
to s and z, which has made Western dialect writers
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9099) (tudalen 239)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 239
ridiculous to native ears from Ben Jonson and Shakespeare down to Punch and the local newspapers. Even
Peter Pindar and Nathan Hogg have
transgressed very frequently.
On the other hand it often happens that words in initial v, especially when emphasized, are pronounced
as if in sharp/
Tidn a town, 'tis a.fillage, I tell ee.
I hant not a bit o' fifties (victuals) to put in their heads.
and Jif J>ei frozen bi irose fisege a}en men )>at tellen hem treuthe,
noo drede J?ei frozen heere owen
confusion. Wyclif, Unpub. Works, p. 307.
A wel fair kni^t was Firumbras: ounarmid wan he lay, Ac ys Fysage al discolourid was: for is
blod was gon away.
Sir FerumbraS) 1. 1079.
J>e bond ]>at \sfysage was bounden wy}>: to stoppen is louely si^t.
Ib. 1. 1162.
FACE [fae'us], v. t. To answer an accuser. In this sense very common.
[Aay kn far us ee' ur mree uudh'ur bau'dee,] I can answer his accusation or any other person's.
Grumio. Face not me: thou hast braved many men; brave not me. I will be neither faced nor braved. Taming of the
Shrew, IV. iii.
FACE [fae'us], sb. Assurance, impudence.
[Uur-v u-gairt fae'us unuuf- vur lureedhing,] she has assurance enough for anything.
Was this the face, thatyforWso many follies,
And was at last out-fac'd by Bolingbroke?
Richard II. IV. i.
FACE-CARD [fae-us-kee-urd], sb. Court-card. Used by the educated, as well as in the dialect.
FACKET [faak'ut], sb. Fagot; also a term of reproach to a woman. (Always pron. with , not g.)
[U puur'dee Odi'lfaa&'ut, uur ai'z,] a pretty old fagot, she is. [Faak'ut eo'd,] fagot wood;
[aar'shn/^^-w/,] ashen fagot.
Ashen fatkots cracklin' bright, An'
cursmas can'les all a-light, In doors
da cheer us while we meet Our neighbour
furns in parties zweet.
Pulman t Rustic Sketches, p. 63.
FAD [fad], sb. Fancy, whim, hobby.
Maister 've a-got a fad now 'bout warshin o' pigs, but Lor! I zim 'tis on'y time a-drowed away.
FADGE, FODGE [fauj], sb. A wool-sack only partly full. The word does not signify, as Webster says,
a pack or sheet /'. e. empty but the
entire package.
The only difference between a bag of wool and a fodge, is that
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9100) (tudalen 240)
|
240
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
the former is a full, stuffed-out, plethoric article, while the latter is a partly empty, limp, shapeless one.
There was zix bags an' &fodge 'pon the little wagin.
FAGS! [fagz!], inter/. By my faith.
[Fagz! diid'n ees puut-n ulau'ng,] faith! did not I make him go lit. put him along.
FAIN. See FEND.
FAIRING [fae'ureen], sb. A peculiar kind of thin, brown cake sold at fairs, called by the better
class “gingerbread nuts” in London in
my schooldays called "Jumbles."
[D-ee \\iykfae-ureenz ur kaunrfurts bas'?] do you like fairings or comforts (q. v.} best?
FAIRISH [fae-ureesh], adj. and adv. Pretty good. [Dhur wuz u fae'ureesh shoa* u bee'us tu
fae'ur,] there was a pretty good show
of cattle at the fair.
FAIRY, FARE. See VARY.
The remark appended to Fairies in Marshall's West Devonshire Rural Economy, E. D. S., B. 6, is
inaccurate. They are neither squirrels
nor polecats , but the common weasel (mustela vulgaris).
My cook came in after breakfast and told .me, “Law, sir, Gyp [the dog]
have bin and killed a fairy!” It was a
weasel. She was from Worcestershire, and
hearing the gardener call the creature vairy, interpreted it as fairy.
Letter from Dr. Prior.
For other instances of words in v being pronounced in /, see word lists, FISAGE, &c. This is the
common emphatic form. See F.; also W.
S. Dial. p. 72.
FAITH. See FIE.
FALDERALS [faal'diraa-lz, faul'dirau'lz], sb. Women's adornments. See
FAL-LALS.
FALL [fau-1], sb. i. A vail.
[Keod-n zee ur fae'us, kuz uur-d u-guuf u fau'l oa'vur-n,] (I) could not see her face, because she had a
vail over him (it).
2. [vau-1], Vale district; [vaa'l], Hill. The autumn; often spoke of as the/fl// of the year.
3. [vaa'l]. A term in wrestling.
A man may be thrown with the greatest violence, but the umpire will shout [noa vaa'l /] unless the man
thrown falls so that both his
shoulder-blades touch the ground together; in that case the umpire or tryer (q. v.) calls [fae'ur
vaa-l], or [fae'ur baak vaa'l}.
4. [vau-1, vaa'l], v. i. To be born: said of animals.
How old is he? Dree year off; he vailed 'pon Mayday day.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9101) (tudalen 241)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 241.
Geld bulcalfe and ramlamb, as soone as they falle,
for therein is lightly no danger at all. Tusser, 35/32.
FALL- ABROAD [vairl, or vaa'l-ubroa'ud], v. i. i. To become stouter in build; to grow more sturdy or
thick-set.
Well, how Mr. Chardles is a-valled-abroad! twadn on'y but tother day, I zim, a was a poor little
fuller, not wo'th rearin, an' now a's
a-come a gurt two-handed chap, fit vor a dragoon [drag'eo'n].
2. adj. Applied to figure or build; slack, flabby, fat, stout.
You knows Jim Salter, don 'ee?
Ees; gurt, slack, knee-napped, vail-abroad fuller, idn er?
FAL-LALS [faal'-laalz], sb. Laces, ribbons, and such-like ornaments worn by women. Rather implies
tawdry finery.
FALL-DOOR [vairl-doo'ur], Vale; [vaa-l-doo'tir], Hill. Trap-door.
To a new fall-door to seller and fixin, vind inguns, \ g nals, scrues, two cote pant. J
Item in Tradesman's Bill, Jan. 1885.
FALLING-AXE [vairleen-eks], sb. Axe used for felling trees. The only survival of the old verb tr. to
fall. In this district we do not now
fall or fell our trees j we always [droa,] throw them, but use a falling-axe.
Escalus. Ay but yet,
Let us be keen, and rather cut a little
Thanyfc// and bruise to death.
Meas. for Measure, II. i.
FALLING-ILL [vairleen-ee-ul], sb. Fits, epilepsy. (Com.) It is usual when any one is taken with
either a fainting or epileptic
fit to say he or she is "a drapped away" the complaint is the
falling-ill.
Her d'ave the vallin-ill sometimes two or dree times a week.
]>e Falland Euylle: epilencia comicius vel comicialis, morbus cad^^cus t
noxa, gerenoxa, epilensis; epiknticus
qui patitur illam infirmitatem. Cath. Ang.
FALLING-POST [vau'leen-pau'us], Vale; [vaa'leen-pau'us], Hill.
The post against which a gate shuts, and to which the hapse is fastened.
In hanging of a gate, nif you've a got a good firm hanging-post (q. v.), 'tid'n much odds about the
valling-post^ 'most anything '11 do
for he.
FALLINS [vau-leenz,] Vale; [vaa'leenz], Hill. Apples fallen from the trees.
[V-ee u-begee-n suydur-mak'een? Wuul! wee-v u-puut aup u chee'z u dhu fuus vau'leenz,~\ have you
begun cider-making? Well, we have put
up a cheese (g. v.) of the first fallings.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9102) (tudalen 242)
|
242
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
FALLOW [vuul'ur], sb. (This word and felloe are pronounced precisely alike.)
1. sb. Land ploughed and harrowed several times, ready for the seed-bed.
[Neef ee muyn t-ae'u tuurmuts, mus maek u dhuuru geo'd vuul'ur^] if you wish to have turnips (you)
must make a thoroughly good fallow.
2. sb. Land merely ploughed up and left untilled for a season, so that it may rest from bearing a crop.
This is constantly done in winter
after corn, but occasionally there is what is called a summer fallow [zuunvur vuul'ur} for the
purpose of thoroughly cleaning the
land of couch and other noxious weeds.
FALLOW [vuul'ur], adj. i. Rarely used, except with field. [U vuul'ur fee'ul], when applied to land
merely ploughed or which has lain
fallow.
2. v. t. To plough and to leave fallow all the winter.
[Wee bee gwain tu vuul'ur dhu guurt tarn ae'ukurz,] we are going to fallow the “Great ten acres."
To summer fallow is to plough in the spring, and leave untilled until autumn.
In this sense ploughing alone is implied. If other work, such as rolling, dragging, harrowing, &c. are
done, the field is said to be “worked
out” (q. v.).
and if he wolde go a brode forowe, he setteth it (plough) in the
vttermoste nicke, that is best for
falowynge. Filzherbert, 4 40.
FALL UPON [vairl, or vaa'l paun], v. t. To assault violently.
Her's a mortal tarmigunt; tidn no use vor he to zay nort, her'll vail pon un way the poker or the bellises
or ort and drave 'm to doors in two
minutes.
Your dog do vail pon mine so sure's ever he do zee un.
J And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall
upon him. And he smote him that he
died. 2 Sam. i. 15.
FALSE [fairls], adv. i. “To swear false” is to commit perjury.
2. adj. Wheedling, coaxing.
Her's that there false, her proper gits over me, I never can't zay no to her.
3. adj. Insincere; pretending to friendship.
He's fair 'nough to your face; but you can't 'pend 'pon un, he's so false as the very Old fuller.
4. Sly, deceitful, cunning.
FALSE-BLOSSOM [fau'ls-blau-sum, or faa'ls-blaus'um], sb. The male flower of melon or cucumber.
(Always.) Said also of any blossom which
fails to set.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9103) (tudalen 243)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS, 243
FALSE-BLOW [faa-ls-bloa], sb. An unfair blow; a blow struck below the knee in cudgel-playing or below
the waist-belt in boxing.
FALSE-FLOOR [faa'ls-vloo'ur], sb. Space between the ceiling and the floor above. Very often in old
houses, where heavy beams are found,
two sets of joists have been used; one to carry the floor above, and the other to carry the ceiling
of the room below, with a considerable
space between them. These spaces were often very convenient hiding-places.
FALSE-KICK [faa'ls-kik], sb. An unfair kick/, e. above the knee in wrestling.
FALSING [fairlseen], sk Wheedling, coaxing.
Her can get anything her do want like, out o' th' old man, way her falsin ever since her mother died he's
that there a-tookt up way her, he'll
let her have hot ever her's a mind to.
FALSYN, or make false. Falsifico. Promp. Parv.
FALTER Y [fairlturee], v. i. To show signs of old age; to break up in constitution.
[Ee du fau-lturee tuurubl. Aa! poo'ur oa'l fuul'ur, ee oa'n bee yuur vuuree laung,] he fails rapidly. Ah!
poor old fellow, he won't be here very
long.
FAN [van], v. t. To winnow.
FAN [van], sb. A.-S.fann. An ancient but nearly obsolete winnowing implement. It consists of a
wooden frame mounted on two pivots,
and turned by a handle. Broad strips of sack-cloth are fixed to this frame, which when turned
rapidly fly out like sails, and create
a strong current of air; the corn is then thrown from a zimmet (q. v.) in front of the fan and the
chaff is blown away. This rough
apparatus is still used in some of the Hill farms, and is the usual one in Spain, and until lately
in Italy. Compare the /as sounded mfan
w&& fancy.
FANN, to dense wythe corne. Vannus. Promp. Parv.
A FAN: capisterium, pala> vannus, ventilabrum. Cath. Ang.
Fanne, to fanne with uan. I fanne with a fanne. le vanne. vng homme peult vanner plus de bled en vng
jour quil ne peult batre en granche en
deux. Palsgrave.
FANCICAL [fan-seekul], adj. Tasteful; particular as to the way in which work is done.
[Mae-ustur-z u fan'seekul soa'urt uv u jinrlmun,] master is a particular sort of a gentleman /. e. he
will have his work done his own way.
FANCIES [fan -seez], sb. Whims; ideas; odd likes and dislikes; delirious talk.
R 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9104) (tudalen 244)
|
244
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
I 'sure you, mum, tis one body's work vor to tend pon un; some days he's all vull o' his fancies like, and
then I be 'most mazed way un; he do
tell up all sorts o' stuff: sometimes tis 'bout angels he do zee, and then the devil's comin arter-n.
FANCY [fan-see], sb. A man is said to have a fancy when he is in love. Of a woman the word is used to
express the longings of pregnancy. The
popular notion is that unless the fancy of a
pregnant woman is gratified, the child will be marked with an image of the thing longed for.
The /in this word, and all its combinations, is always sharp and distinct; never approaching v.
They zaid how Jim Snow-d a-got a bit of a fancy t' our Liz; but her widn ha nort to zay to he.
FANDANGLES [fairdang-lz, not dang-glz], sb. pi. Ornaments of the jewellery class. Any kind of
fanciful adornment. Also antics,
capering, dancing about.
[Wuy dh-oa'l mae'ur-z au'l veol oa ur fan'dang'lz uz maur-neen,] why, the old mare is all full of her antics
this morning.
FANG. See VANG. FAR. See VAR.
FARANT [faarunt], adj. Foreign.
\Faar 'unt eol], foreign wool.
[Ee ud-n wau'n yuur ubaewt; aay kaewnt u kaum vrurn zaum faarunt pae-urt,] he is not one (from) here
about; I count he came from some
foreign part.
This would not necessarily mean from abroad, but simply beyond the local district. See FOREIGNER.
FARDEL [faardl], sb. Obs. alone, but in very com. use in the expression, “Pack and fardel”
[paak-n^wrvjSff.
I bundled her out pack and fardel i. e. bag and baggage.
Note this word always keeps the /sharp; no one could say vardel, any more than he could s&yfarden
(farthing); always varden.
FARDELLE, or trusse. Farddlus. Promp. Parv.
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life.
Hamlet, III. I.
J>at if any man had I-lost x. assis with hire fardels, "come to him,
and J>ey shulde haue hem. Gesta
Rom. p. 285.
A FARDLE. Fardeau; fat's, pacquet.
Cotgrave (Sherwood).
FARDEN [vaardn], sb. Farthing. (Always.)
[Dhik ed-n u-waetlv u braa-s vaardn^ that is not worth a brass farthing.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9105) (tudalen 245)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 245
FARDETH [vaarduth], sb. A farthing's worth. (Always.) [Mairdhur-v u-zarn mee aardr u vaarduth u
miilk,] mother has sent me for a
farthing's worth of milk.
FAR-FAUGHT. See VAUGHT. FAR-FORTH. See
VAR-VOTH.
FARMER ARTERNOON [faa'rmur aa'turneon]. A name for a slovenly farmer; one who is always
behindhand with all his operations.
[Ee-zu praup-ur oa'l faa'rmur aa'turneon; ee-z airvees u-kuufeen haun uudlvur voaks bee kaa'reen,] he is a
regular old farmer afternoon; he is
always cutting when other folks are carrying.
So also “Afternoon-farmer” and “Afternoon farmering” have the same meaning.
FARMERING [faa-rmureen], sb. Farming as a pursuit.
FARMER'S HEARTACHE [faa-rmurz aa-rtae-uk]. Very commonly used in reference to the custom of
farm-servants being boarded by the
farmer, when anything betokening an unusual
appetite is said to beyf/ to make a farmer's heart ache.
When a very large pocket-knife is produced, one often hears: [Dhae-ur-z u nai'v! dhik ud-n u-shee'umd u
noa'bau'deez buurd-n chee'z ee-z flit
tu maek ufaa'rmurz aa~rtae'uk,~\ there's a knife! that one is not ashamed of nobody's bread and
cheese he's fit, &c. See CAGE OF
TEETH.
Showing a large clasp-knife to a keeper he said:
Thick's hot they calls a farmer's heart-ache. April 21, 1887.
P'ARMERY [faa'rmuree], v. i. To practise the trade or operation of farming.
In this case as in most others of the like kind, such as [blaak'-smiithee,]
blacksmithy (q. v.}, the word is frequentative. It would only be applied to the pursuit or trade
itself, and would never be used in
speaking of the manner in which the pursuit were carried on.
[Ee du faa-rm shau-keen bae'ud luyk, tiiz mau-s tuym vaur-n tu jaak aup faa'rmureen^\ he farms very badly,
it is almost time for him to jack up
farming.
No one would ever say, "He do farmery shocking bad," but if asked his business, the answer would be,
not "I am a farmer" but “I
do farmery."
Wile I'm talkin a this I mit jist za wul zay,
I wiz owt tu a varmerin vrends tother day.
Nathan Hogg, Mai Browrfs Crinalin.
The v in the above is quite wrong written for effect. See F. Baird never really heard varmer in his
life.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9106) (tudalen 246)
|
246
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
FARNTICLES [faarrrtikulz], sb. pi. Freckles. (Com.) A FARNTIKYLLE: lentictila, lentigo, neuus,
sesia. Cath Ang.
FARRING [faareen], sb. Farriering; the work, business, or art of a farrier. (Always.)
Nif a cow's a took't way milk faiver, cold steel's the best doctor; I ont never spend no more in farrin. See
HEDGE-BOAR.
FARROW.
FART [faa-rt], v. i. and sb.
Tussis pro crepitu, &c. &c.
Hudibras, Pt. I. co. i. 1. 831.
PET: a fart; scape, tail-shot, or crake. Cotgrave.
See Promp. Parv. Cath. Ang. Palsgrave, p. 218.
Ich can nat tabre ne trompe: ne telle faire gestes, Farten, ne fi]>elen: at festes ne
harpen.
Piers Plow. xvi. 205. FARTH. S
FARWELL [faarwiml-]. Farewell. (Always.)
Precisely like Germ. fahr.
$e, Sir, quod the clerke, now ]>ou haste ]>i lif savid, do 3eld to me my nede and go \farwett.
Gesta Rom. p. 3.
FAST [vaa-s]. One of the many uses of fast in the dialect is shown in the very common saying:
[Aa'rk fee*? u-1 tuul luyz zu vaa's uz u daug-1 art weet'paut,] hearken to him? (/. e. believe him?] he
will tell lies as fast as a dog will
eat white pot. See W. S. Gram. p. 22.
'' In the lit. senses of firm, fixed, and also of quick, speedy, the pronun. is always as above [vaa's]; but in
both v. and sb. meaning abstinence
from food, it is always [fee 'us]. Indeed feast and fast are identical in sound.
The v. to fasten is unknown; we always say make vast, or put vast.
FATCH [faach, vaach], v. and sb. Thatch.
" Men baint a bit the same's they used to, idn one in ten can vatch a rick, and put'n out o' hand like
anything. When I was a bwoy, farmers'
sons used to be able to fatchy where is 'er one can do it now? “Speech of an old farmer at
a ploughing-match dinner. Culmstock,
Oct. 31, 1883.
FATH! [faa-th!], interj. By my faith. Used affirmatively and negatively. (Very com.) You don't say so!
Chell tack et out wi tha to tha true Ben,/7z /
Ex. Scold. 1. 19. See also p. 164.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9107) (tudalen 247)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 247
A very com. asseveration is vatftn trath!
It was too sneaken, falh and troth A
poor groat glass between them both!
No/aM / it wasn't vitty.
Peter Pindar, Royal Visit to Exeter.
In the above, Wolcot sacrificed the alliteration of the dialect to the exigency of his rhyme. He should have
rather written bath for rhyme, because
it is always trath in this com. saw.
A big bullied veller had a got holt (ees vath /) A boocher vur karrin es pig in tha path.
Nathan Hogg, Gooda Vriday.
Iv'ry wan in tha rume look'd bewtivul vath,
Bit mis zee in tha day vur ta tull a gude clath.
2b. Bout tha Ball.
FATHER-LAW [faa'dhur-lau]. Father-in-law. (Always.)
FATHER-LONG-LEGS [faa-dhur-lau-ng-ligz]. Called daddy-long-legs elsewhere.
A very common cruel pastime is to take the well-known crane-fly or a
long-legged spider and say:
[Oa '1 faa 'dJmr-lau 'ng-ligz Wud-n
zai uz prae'urz; Tak-n buy dhu laf'
lig Un droa un daewn-stae'urz.]
At the same time pulling out his legs by jerking his body away.
FATIGATE [faafigee-ut], v. t. To weary; fatigue; tire. Used by those rather above the lowest
class.
When we come home I 'sure you we was proper a fatigated [u faafigee-utud]. (Very com.)
When by-and-by the din of war gan pierce
His ready sense: then straight his doubled spirit
Requicken'd what in flesh was fatigate.
Coriolanus, II. ii.
To FATIGATE: Fatiguer. FATIGATED: Fatigue.
Cotgrave (Sherwood).
FAT IN THE FIRE [faaf-n dhu vuyur],//^. Fat is generally an emphatic word, and hence mostly retains
its sharp initial. A flare up; a
violent altercation and outburst of wrath.
They wad-n very good cousins avore, but hon George yurd how he'd a-bin to zee her, the/at was in the
vire sure 'nough.
FAULT [fairt], v. i. and /. Hunting. To lose the scent.
through Nulscale Brake, into Stoke Combe, when we again faulted for some time. Rec. North Devon Staghounds, p. 29.
then turned out and lay down in a potatoe garden: the hounds faitlted
her, and were cast down stream a mile
and half without hitting her: then backed
(q. v.) it and passed over her a second time. Collyns, Wild Red Deer,
p. 211.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9108) (tudalen 248)
|
248
WEST SOMERSET WORDS,
FAUT [fairt], v. t. i. To find fault with.
[Mae-ustur niivur doa'n fau't muy wuurk,] master never does not find fault with my work.
2. sb. Default; want; defect also fault, failing, misbehaviour. There wadn no faut o' vittles. 'Twas all
yourfaut. The / of the Mod. Eng. word
is never heard.
FAWTE, or defawte. Defectus. Promp. Parv.
]>ey were so ffeble and ffeynte: for ffaute of }oure lawe.
Langland, Rich, the Red. II. 63.
if thei shulde do penaunce, J>e settith ano)>er to fulfitt her J
"aivtis.
Gesta Rom. p. 44.
m.em\>fawte of bileue & dispeire of )>e gracious gouernance of god.
Wyclifi Works, p. 388.
Bot he defendid hym so fayr, ]>at ^Q faut semed.
Sir Gawayne, 1. 1551.
FAUT-VINDING [fairt-vuyndeen]. adj. (Very com.) [Ee-z dhu fau't-vuyndeens mae'ustur dhut
uvur aa'y-d u-gau't,] he is the
fault-findingest master that ever 1 had.
FAUTY [fau-tee], adj. Defective, imperfect.
I calls 'n zfauty piece o' timmer.
FAWTY, or defawty. Defectivus. Promp. Parv.
or ellis men mosten say Jat god is and was fawty in ordenance of boj>e
his lawis. Wyclif, Works, p. 364.
Now am I fa^vty, & fake, and ferde haf been euer.
Sir Gaivayne, 1. 2382.
Such waiter \sfautie that standith so by
Onmindful of seruice, forgetting his ey. Tusser^ 99-2.
FAUTY [fau-tee], adj. Grumbling, scolding.
[Uur-z u brae-uv-m fau'tee oa'l dhing, ur ai'z,] she is a brave and (/". e. very) scolding old thing,
she is.
FAVOUR [fae-uvur], v. t. To resemble. (Com.)
[Uur du fae-uvur ur mairdhur nuzaak'lee,] she resembles her mother exactly.
FAY [faa'y], v. To prosper; to succeed.
[Toa-un niivur faa'y wai un, un zoa aay toaid-n tue uz fae'us,] it will never prosper with him, and so I
told him to his face.
FEATHER [vadh'ur], sb. Condition, humour.
[Aew wauz- ur? wuz ur een mud'leen vadh'ur?~\ how was he? was he in a good humour?
FEATHERFEW [vadlvurvoa-], sb. The plant feverfew. Pyrethrum parthenium.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9109) (tudalen 249)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 249
FEATY [fee'utee], adj. i. Applied to wool; when a number of coarse short white hairs are mixed with
the finer wool of the fleece called
also kempy (q. v.).
Used also to express any bad condition; such as scabby, stained, or mixed with foreign matter.
2. adj. This word expresses a particular kind of injury to which wool or woollen cloth is liable if
left long in the damp it seems to be
rotten as to strength, while in appearance there is little change.
FEED [feed], v. t. To suckle. Of babies only in this sense.
FEEDED [fee-dud, ^rfeed'ud, u-fee'dud], p. t. and/, part, of to feed. Fed.
[Ted-n naut u beet u yiie's vur tu dhengk dhai dhae'ur faz'-unts-1 buyd au'm,
udhaewt dhai bee M-fee'dud rig'lur luyk,] it is no use to think those pheasants will stay at
home unless they are regularly fed.
Jan. 26, 1882. Spoken by a man upon the subject of rearing pheasants.
A keeper speaking of a petted dog said:
He's &-feeded by all the chillern; they be ter'ble a-tookt up way nn. Dec. 10, 1886. (Very com.)
FELL-MONGER [vuul', or vael'-muung'gur], sb. A man whose trade it is to buy sheep-skins, and to
treat them with lime, so as to get the
wool off. He then sells the skins, called pelts (q. v.), to the tanner, and the wool to dealers or
manufacturers.
That ]>ey ffeblen in ffleissh, \n.ffelle, and in bones.
Langland, Rich, the Red. III. 16.
Vpon &felle of ]>e fayre best, fede J>ay ]>ayr houndes.
Sir Gaivayne, 1. 1359. A FELL-MONGER:
Peaucier, Pelletier, megissier, megicier.
Cotgrave (Sherwood). Felmongar meg
issier. Palsgrave.
FELLOW [fuul-ur], v. t. To match; to find the equal. (Very com.) Frequently spelt fuller as a sb.
[Aa'l bee baewn yue doa'un fuul'ur dhik dhae'ur duug, neet dheen twain'tee muyuld u dhu plaeais,] I
will be bound you do not match that
dog within twenty miles.
FELL-WOOL [vuul'-eol], sb. The wool pulled from sheep-skins in distinction
from the \ylee'z-eol^\ (fleece wool) shorn from the living animal.
In this district fell-wool is the usual name in most others it is skin-wool.
Fell, a skyn of a shepe peati de layne. Palsgrave.
Corin. Why, we are still handling our ewes: and their fells, you know, are greasy. As You Like If, III. ii.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9110) (tudalen 250)
|
250
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
FELT [fuult, vuult), sb. Fieldfare (rare).
FELT [viilt], sb. Raw hide; dried untanned skin of any animal. Felt always, in all senses,
pronounced [vult].
FEND [farn; p. t. fai'n; /. p. u-farn], v. To forbid.
[Ee fai'n un vrum gwai'n pun ee'z graewn,] he forbid his going on his land.
The word is also much used by boys in their games \ - fai-n sliips,] at marbles, [fai'n pee'peen,] at hide and
seek, &c.
FENDER [fa'indur], sb. A sluice. The only name in use to imply the whole apparatus for controlling
water-flow, but the fender proper is
the door or shutter which slides in a grooved
frame this latter is called the fender frame.
You zaid you'd have the fender a-do'd: can't turn the water into thick there mead till he's a-put in order.
FERANDUM [furan'dum], sb. Verandah.
You main, Sir, out by ft&ferandum. Oct. n, 1886.
A good example of the rule under F (q. v.}.
FERND [fuurnd], sb. Friend. (Very com.)
He bin awvis a good fernd to you, mind, an' I wul zay it, 'tis sheamful vor to urn un down behine 'is back
like that there.
Now reyders all, I tull ee wot,
Theckfurnd of mine who was a sot,
An' guzzl'd till ee'd almost bust,
Now only drinks ta quinch es thust.
Pulmaii) Rustic Sketches, p. 18.
FERN-OWL [vee'urn-aewul], sb. The Nightjar Caprimulgus Europ&us. Not so com. as Night-crow.
FERSH [fuursh], adv. and adj. Fresh.
Plase, Sir, Mr. Haddon zess your coat must befers/i a-lined.
)>ar bu]> also salt welles fer fram ]>e se, & buj> salt al
]>e woke long for-to Saturday noon,
andfersck from Saturday noon for-to Monday.
Trevisa t Des. of Brit. Lib. I. c. 41, 1. loo.
FESS [faes-], v. To confess.
He never widn fess who 'twas do'd it, but we all knowed he'd a-got a hand in the job.
FETCHY [vach-ee], v. i. To recover; to improve in health. Thomas, how is your wife? Thank-ee, Sir,
her'll vetchy up again now, I zim, but
her've a-bin ter'ble bad.
FETTERLOCK [vafurlauk, rarely fafurlauk], sb. Fetlock of a horse the usual name in the district.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9111) (tudalen 251)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 251
FEW [veo*], adj. i. Little in quantity; always used with broth and some other liquids.
[U veo' brau-th,] a. few broth /. e. a small quantity.
Bill, urn arter a vew turps this here paint's to thick by half.
This use seems wide-spread. See Brockett, Northumberland Glossary, 1825.
2. sb. An undefined number. [U geo'd
veo'^\ a good few.
FEWSTER [feo-stur], sb. Fester, or gathering.
Of a lame dog, a keeper remarked two or three times:
He've a-got zfewster behind the shoulder o' un. Nov. 27, 1886.
FIDDLE-FADDLE [fii<H-fa<H], v. i. To trifle; to make pretence of work.
[Dhee-t fud'l-fad'l aul dhu dai lau'ng, lat dhee uloa'un,] thou wouldst trifle and do no work all the day
long (if one) let thee alone.
2. sb. Trashy talk; nonsense.
Hot's the good to tell up a passle o' fiddle-faddle 'bout it?
FIDDLER'S-MONEY [md'lurz-muun-ee], sb. Small change; three-penny and four-penny pieces, if
several are given together. Why,
missus! this here's hot mid call fiddlers-money. See Dev. Assoc. vol. ix. ist Rep.
Provincialisms, p. 8.
FIDDLING [fiid-leen], adj. i. Applied to a piece of work of a more intricate or minute kind than
customary. A blacksmith accustomed to
shoe horses, would call it [u fud'lttn jaub,] a fiddling job to repair the “wards” of a
key. So a field-labourer would call
\\. fiddling work to fork up a flower-border.
2. verbal sb. Any pretence of work, while nothing is really being done, is called fiddling about.
Hast-n a finish'd not eet? I zee thee art gwain to bide fiddlin about, eens thick job mid least gin
Zadurday night!
FIE! [faa-y! or fae'ee!] inter j. By my faith! = par foil O. Fr. fei.
Is it true? [Ee*s faay un dhaat t-ai'z!] yes, by my faith, and that it is.
[Nuo, faay /].no, fie! This form is quite as com. zsfath (q. v.).
Jai asked quat j>ai soght, and ]>ai
Said, a blisful child, par /a*.
Cursor Mundi, Visit of the Magi, 1. 75.
Her were a forser for ]>e in/aye,
If ]>ou were a gentyl lueler.
Early Alliterative Poems, The Pearl, 1. 263.”
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9112) (tudalen 252)
|
2$2
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
What? fy! schold i a fundeling for his fairenesse tak? Nay, my wille wol nou}t a-sent ' to my
wicked hest.
William of Palerme, 1. 481.
MAFEY, othe (maffeyth, S.). Medius fidius . Promp. Parv.
FIE [fuy, faa'y], i>. t. To curse; to cry shame on. Rare now in this sense, except in the common
phrases, “Fie upon thee 1” "Oh
./?/" i. e. shame.
FY. Vath, racha (vaa, P.). Promp. Pai~v.
but I seie to 3011 that ech man that is wrooth to his brothir, schal be gilti
to doom, and he )>at seith to his
brothir fy, schal be gilti to the counceil;
Wyclif, Matthew v. 22.
and J>ow hast feffyd hure with fals '.fy on such lawe!
Piers Plow. III. 137.
" Fy" qua)) Moradas, “wat ert )>ow: )>at telest of me so
lyte? For such a do^eyne y make auow:
y nolde no3t 3yve a myte."
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 1578.
& )>at wannehe spak of crystendom, How he spatte &.fyede
)>ar-on.
Ib. 1. 5443.
And soft unto himself he sayed. Fie
Upon a lord that will have no mercy.
Chaucer, Knightes Tale, 1. 1775.
FIELD [vee'ul, fee'ul], sb. This word is rarely used alone. An enclosure is [u zww/u graewn,] a field of
ground.
[Aan ee u-fiuveesh dhik'ee vee'ul ML graewn naut ee't?] have you not finished that field not yet?
[Viml-iir ./&/,] fallow field/, e. ploughed, but not sown.
[Lai 1 vce'ul,~\ grass or pasture field, of sown or annual grasses.
[Vleks /#"#/,] flax field. It is rare to connect^/tf with the crop. A wheat-field would be [u pees u wait; pees
u baarlee; pees u tae-udees, pees u
tuurmuts, pees u rae'up,] piece of wheat; &c.
FIERY-TAIL [vuyuree-taa-yul], sb. The Redstart. See LADY-RED-TAIL. Phcsnicura
ruticilla.
FIFTY-SIX, sb. See VIVTY-ZIX.
FIG [fig], j. Common pudding raisin. (Always.) See DOUGH-FIG.
FIGGY-PUDDING [fig'ee-puud'n], sb. The ordinary name for plum-pudding. Also a baked batter pudding
with raisins in it.
FIGURE [figmr], sb. Resemblance, likerress.
[Uur-z dhu vuuree fig'ur uv ur mau'dhur,] she is the very image of her mother.
FIGURY [fig-uree], v. i. To cypher; to do sums of figures. [Yue* plai'z vur rak'n ut aup*; aay
kaa'njig'uree zu wuul-z-au'm,] you
please to reckon it up; I cannot cypher as well as some (people). [Kaa-pikl bwuuy \ufg'uree^ capital boy at
cyphering.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9113) (tudalen 253)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 253
I don't zee no good in zo much larnin. Zo long's anybody can raid ther Bible an' vrite a leedle, an'
figury 'nough vor to reckon up ther
money, 'tis a plenty. I never did'n have but a quarter's schoolin, an' then I was a put to work, an' thank the
Lord, I be all so well off' s zome o'
they hot do zim they do know zo much.
FILDEVARE [vuTdivae-uree, viil'vae'uree, vuTeevae'ur], sb. The fieldfare. Turdus pilaris.
FELDEFARE, byrde (felfare, P.). Ruriscus. Prornp. Parv.
A FIELD-FARE, or FELDIFARE. Grive-trasle, grive-sisalle, tourd, tourdelle.
Shenuood.
TRASLE: f. a Thrush, or Fieldifare. Cotgrave.
Feldefare, a byrde. Palsgrave.
FILE [fuyul], v. t. To defile (emph., hence/ sharp). [Ee oa-n fuyul ee'z-zuul wai gwai'n dhur,
wul ur? ] he will not defile himself
by going there, will he?
FILE, sb. and v. Used by smiths. Always pron. [vuyul]. FILE, sb. and v. as tvfile bills on 9.
file. Always pron. [fuyul].
FILT [fuTt], sb. Filth: epithet for a dirty person. [Yu guurt ful't, yue!] you great filth,
you!
[Yu duur -tee /////, yue! leok tu yurpeen'ee!] you dirty filth, you! look at your pinafore!
FILTRY [fill-tree], sb. Litter, rubbish. Used very commonly to express any mixture or foreign
substance; as in corn or seed, mixed
with other seeds, dirt, or other matter.
[Vuuree plaa'yn saanvpl u kau'rn; u suyt u ful'tree een ut,] very plain (/. e. bad) sample of wheat; a great
deal of rubbish in it. Conveys no such
idea as filth. Comp. DEVILTRY.
FIND [vuyn], v. t. i. To maintain; to protect; to support; to provide with food.
They don't 'low me but dree and zixpence a wik, and that id'n much vor to lodge andyfrz^/ and mend a gurt
hard boy like he.
Also he witt that she haue the money pat is reised, in Lyncolne Shire be his patent, ivfynd her with. 1418. John
Browne, Fifty Earliest Wills, p. 43.
FYNDYN, helpyn', and susteinyn hem ]>at be nedy (fynde theym that ar
nedy, p.). Sustenlo. Promp. Parv.
then spak the sone, “fader, drede the not: )>ou shalt abide with me, and
I ^RsXi fynde the att the daies of my
lif. 1320. Gesta Rom. p. 45.
for )>ei wolen not stire riche men to fynde pore children able of witt,
and lyuynge to scole for to lerne, but
to fynde proude prestis at horn to crie faste in J>e chirche in sijtte of )>e world.
Wyclif, Works > p. 1 76.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9114) (tudalen 254)
|
254
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Ac fauntikynes and fooles: )>e whiche fauten Inwytt, Frendes schnldenj^ttufaf hem: and fro folye
kepe.
Piers Plow, XI. 182.
and for to fynde to grame scole my cosyn), his sone William, xxiiij 8 for
the tyme of iiij. yere. 1454. Fifty
Earliest Wills, N. Sturgeon, p. 133, 1. 16.
as moche money as wolde fynde hym and all his house meate and drynke a moneth. Fitzherbert, 153, 20.
2. A very common expression of contempt for man, beast, or thing is:
[Wuy aay wiid-n vuyn un,] why, I would not find him! /. e. if he or it came in my way derelict and to
be had for taking, I would not
appropriate.
Call thick there a knive, why I widn vin' un! equivalent to “would not pick it up in the road."
A man, speaking of another as a lazy good-for-nought, said: “He idn a-wo'th his zalt; why I widn vin'
un." Dec. 13, 1886.
This saying very well illustrates the lax notions held by peasantry generally on the question of trover.
{Vuyndeenz kee'peenz,] findings keepings, is the commonest of sayings, and nearly the rule of action.
FIND-FAULT [vuyn-faut], sb. A scold; a grumbler. Tidn no good, do hot 'ee will, you can't
never plase thick there old vind-faut.
(Very com.)
and the liberty that follows our places, stops the mouths of all find-faults.
Henry V. V. ii.
FINE [fuyn, fuyndur, fuyndees], aij. Affected; stuck up; proud. (D always inserted in comp. and
super.) See D i.
[Uur-z tu fuyn vur tu muTkee, uur mus ae--u pee-an'ee, aay spoo-uz!] she is too proud to milk, she
must have a piano, I
suppose!
I nivver zeed ayfwakrday, Th' vish wiz
all za vull o' play!
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 1 6.
FINE [fuyn], adj. Clear, transparent, limpid applied to any liquid.
This yer cider's so thick's puddle, can't get \\.fine no how.
But now, za zoon's the wauder's turniny?;/^,
An' gittin' low, t'il be a famious time:
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 45.
FINE DRAW [fai-n, or fuyn draa], v. t. To exaggerate.
[Dhik dhae-ur stoa'ur-z tu fai'n u-draa'd,] that story is too fine-drawn i. e. grossly exaggerated. Comp.
the slang “Draw it mild."
FINE-DRAWING [fuyn-draireen], sb. Tech. The name of one of the sorts of long or combing wool,
sorted out of the fleece.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9115) (tudalen 255)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 255
FINGERS [ving-urz], sb. Foxglove. (Com.) Digitalis pur pur ea.
like almost to finger stalkes, whereof it tooke his name Digitalis.
Gerard, p. 89.
FINNIKIN [fdrrikeen], adj. Minute and intricate as applied to a piece of work. Trifling, petty, as
applied to character. See FIDDLING.
Tis ^.finnikin sort of a job, but there, must put up way it, I spose.
There idn nort like a man about'n he's toofitmikin like, same's a old 'oman.
FIR-BOB [vuur-baub], sb. A fir-cone.
FIRE [vuyur; emphatic, fuyur], v. To discharge any kind of missile; to shoot in this sense the word is
emphatic, and hence always sounded
with sharp/"; while fire as a sb. is always vire.
He fired at the rooks with his bow and arrow.
" Fire hard!” is a common cry of boys when playing at marbles.
[Plai'z-r, dhik bwuuy kips a.unfuyureen u skwuurt aui oa'vur dhu maa-ydnz,] please, sir, that boy keeps on
firing a squirt all over the girls.
FIRE-NEW [vuyur-nue*], adj. Quite new; brand-new; new from the fire of the smith hence new from
any maker. As: [U vuyur-niie aat,] a
fire-new hat. [U vuyur-nue sect u kloa-uz,]
a fire-new suit of clothes. Brand-new
is never heard in the dialect.
You should then have accosted her, and with some excellent jests
fire-new from the mint, you should
have bang'd the youth into dumbness.
Twelfth Night, III. ii.
FIRE-STONE [vuyur-stoa-un], sb. Flint.
I can mind hon wadn nort vor to strik a light way but th' old-farshin
teender-box, way a steel and a vire-stone.
'Tis 'most all vire-stones up 'pon Welli'ton Hill.
FYYR STONE, for to smyte wythe fyre. Focaris, U G. in laos, velfocare.
Promp. Pai~u.
FIRING [vuyureen], sb. Fuel. Only applied to wood. In local advertisements of farmers for
labourers we constantly see,
"good house and garden, firing for cutting i.e. that fuel
maybe had for the trouble of cutting.
FIRKIN [vuurkeen], sb. The small keg in which labourers carry their daily allowance of cider
holding usually three pints. They are
made in various larger sizes, and are then distinguished as two- quart, dree-quart, or vower- quart
virkin, &c., according to capacity.
As a measure of quantity firkin is unknown.
Plaiz, mum, Jan Snell 've zend me in way his virkin, maister zaid how he was to be a-villed [agee'un,] again.
Fyrken, a lytell vessel -filette. Palsgrave.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9116) (tudalen 256)
|
256
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
FIRM [fuurm], sb. i. A bench; a form. (Always.) 2. The form or seat of a hare or rabbit.
Form is thus pronounced only when used in the above senses; when it signifies shape or rule it is
always fau'rm, as in lit. Eng.
FIRST ALONG [fuust ulatrng], adv. At the beginning, and for some time after. (Very com.)
Well, Jim, how's your son gettin on up to Lon'on?
Au! no gurt things; they do'd very well fust along, but now I count they'd be all so well home here.
FIT [fiit], adj. Used peculiarly in different senses. As:
I was that a-tired I wasyf/ to drap.
[Aay wuz/z//' tu brai'k mee nak* dhu laa's tuym wee wuz dhae'ur,] I was very nearly breaking my neck the last
time we were there.
[Wee wuz oxAf&F tu staart,] we were all ready to start.
[Bad-r/^/- yiie-d u-buyd aunr,] it would have been better if you had stayed at home.
Better fit i. e. it would be more suitable or desirable, is a very common phrase.
[Dhai bee'us bae'un /&/*,] those beasts are not sufficiently fatted.
[Uur wuz fiit' tu kee'ul-n,] she was ready to kill him i. e. so enraged as to be ready.
I was that mad way un, I was fit t' hat -n down.
FITCH [fuch], sb. The only name for the polecat.
[Staenk-s lig ufuc/i,'] stinks like a polecat. This is the climax of bad smells. See VARY.
Called fitchew by Shakespeare. See Troilus and Ores. V. i., and Othello, IV. i.
Fissan. A. fitch, or fulmart. Cotgrave.
A FITCH, or FULMATE. Pitois fissan. Sherwood.
FITTY. See VITTY.
FLAGGY [vlag-ee], adj. Flabby, limp.
FLAIL [vlaa'yul], sb. Among genuine peasants this word is only the name of a part of the thrashing
implement (DRASHLE, q. v.). It is the
short, thick club with which the blow is struck, having a raw-hide loop fastened by a thong at one
end, through which the middle bind (q.
v.) passes, and so connects it with the capel and handstick. The following shows how old
these names are:
A FLAYLE: flagellum, tribulus, tribulum vel tribula: versus: Quo fruges terimus instrumentum tribulum
fit, Est tribula vepres, purgat Aras
tribula. Tres tribuli partes
manutentum, cappa, flagellum.
Manutenttim, a handstaffe; cappa, a cape, Flagellum, A swewille (swivel). 14&3-
Cath. Ang.
FLEYL. Flagellum. FLEYL CAPPE. Cappa. FLEYLSTAFFE, or hond staffe. Manutentum. FLEYLE SWYNGYL. Virga. 1440.
Promp. Parv.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9117) (tudalen 257)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 257
Cappe of &flayle liasse dun flaiav. Palsgrave.
Faitoures for fere her-of flowen in-to bernes, And flapten on v/iihfaiyles fram morwe til
euen.
Piers Plowman, B. VI. 1 86.
FLAM [flaam], sb. A jesting lie; a deception; a cram; a stuffing up. See FLIM-FLAM.
[Kau'm naew! noa'un u yur flaam', lat-s noa* dhu rai'ts oa ut,] come now! none of your cramming, let us
know the rights of it.
FLANK [flangk, vlangk], sb. A spark of fire. See BLANK. 'Twas a mercy sure 'nough tother rick had-n
a-catcht the vlanks was blowin all
over the place.
For al ]>e wrecchednesse of ]>is worlde, and wickede dedis Fare]) as ^.fionke of fuyr, }>at fill
a-myde temese, And deide for a drop of
water. Piers Plow. VII. 334.
The rayn rueled adoun, ridlande Jrikke,
Of id\zflatinkes of fyr and flakes of soufre.
Early Alliterative Poems, Cleanness, 1. 953.
FLANNEN [flan-een], sb. Flannel; also made of flannel. [U pees u flan'een vur tu
is&s&i'tii flan'een shuurt,] a piece of flannel to make a flannel shirt. (Usual.)
FT AP DICK f C flaa 'P-dik], )
FTAPnnrTT < [flaa-p-dauk], \sb. The foxglove digitalis.
- K ( [flaap-idauk], )
"Like a dum'ldary in a flappydock" is a common simile to describe a busy, bustling, fussy, noisy
person.
FLAP-GATE [flaap'-gee'ut], sb. A small gate swinging without fastenings between two posts, across a
footpath called also kissing-gate.
FLAP- JACK [flaup'-Jaak], sb. A pancake; a fritter more usually an apple-turnover.
We'll have flesh for holidays, fish for fasting days, and, moreo'er,
puddings zxdiL flap-jacks: and thou
shall be welcome. Pericles, II. i.
See Notes to John Russell's Boke of Nurture (Furnivall), p. 212.
FLAPPERS [flaap-urz], sb. Clappers for frightening birds. The loose parts are generally called the
flappers, while the entire implement
including the handle is "a pair o' clappers."
FLARY [vlae-uree], v. i. Of a candle to burn wastefully, as in a strong draught. Of a fire to blaze up.
Jim, look zee how the can'l do vlary put vast the winder.
Hon th' old linhay catched, we zeed twadn no good vor to try to do nort; and my eyes! how he did vlary ,
sure 'nough!
FLASK [flaa*s(k], sb. The large oval basket used for linen by all washerwomen often called a
[kloa'z./ftrarj].
s
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9118) (tudalen 258)
|
258
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
FLASKET [flaa-skut], sb. The same as the flask. The two names seem to be used quite indifferently.
[U flaa-s u kloa-uz], or [uflaa'skutM kloa'uz], would each mean a basket (of the conventional kind) of
linen.
Banne: f. A Maund, Hamper, Flasket, or great banket. Cotgravc. A FLASKET: Banne, benne, Manequin, Manne.
Sherwood.
FLAT [flaat], sb. An oblong, flat-shaped, covered basket, used chiefly for packing fresh butter or other
provisions for market.
FLAX [vlek's], sb. i. Always so pronounced. Formerly it was very much cultivated in this district, and
most farms still have one or more deep
pools called [z//<?/ - .y-puts], in which the flax was steeped. There are also a great number of
old buildings or sheds called
[fl/*>&'-shaups,] flax-shops, in which the flax was hackled or "dressed."
2. sb. The fur of hare or rabbit when detached from the skin.
3. v. t. To rub off the fur applied to hare or rabbit; to wound. When harriers come to a
''check," it is common to hear:
[Yuur uur wai'nt au*n! uur vlek'st urzuul* gwarn dme dhee'uz yuur gee nit,] here she went on! she flaxed
herself going through this gate.
Thick rabbit was &-vlext ter'ble I count '11 die.
I zeed thick hare was &-vlext, but I did'n reckon you'd a-kill'd'n.
FLEED [flee'd], sb. The thin membrane of fat covering the intestines, more usually called the kircher
(q. v.).
FLEET [fleet, vleet], adj. Exposed in situation the opposite of lew (q. v.).
[Tiiz u vleet plae'us pun taap u dhik naap,] it is an exposed place on the top of that hill.
FLEET [vleet], sb. The exposed part; unsheltered situation. [Waut-s laf dhee au*s rait-n dhu vleet
vauru?] why hast left thy horse right
in the unsheltered spot?
FLESH-MEAT [vlaarsh-mart], sb. Animal food butcher's meat, in distinction from “green-meat” or
“dry-meat."
[Dhik dhae'ur duug auf t-av u beet u vlaar'sh-mai't, uuls yue oan nuvur git-n aup een kundee'shun,] that
dog ought to have some animal food,
otherwise you will never get him into condition.
FLICK [flik], sb. i. The fat of a pig which surrounds the kidneys, and which is always melted down
for lard.
The word is not used for the similar fat of other animals.
2. A very familiar epithet as “Come on, oldy?/V/."
3. v. To fleck; to bespatter used especially with mud. u He
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9119) (tudalen 259)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 259
was flicked all over" would at once be understood he was bespattered with mud.
4. A peculiar stroke with a whip or pliant stick. The blow is given with a jerk and withdrawn with a
jerk.
FLICKERMEAT [flik'urmart], sb. Spoon-meat, such as gruel, whitepot, junket.
Doctor, can't ee 'low me a little bit o' somethin? I be proper a-tired o' this \\vczflickermeat.
FLIGHTY [fluytee], adj. Applied to girls; unsteady; of doubtful character not quite so bad zsfly
(q. v.).
FLIM-FLAM [flum-flaam], sb. and adj. Idle talk; nonsense. Don't thee tell up no such flim-flam stuff,
else nobody ont never harky to thee,
nif ever thee-s a-got wit vor to tell sense.
This is a pretty flim-flam. Beaum. and Flet. Little Fr. L. II. iii.
These are no flim-flam stories.
Ozell, Rabelais (Trans. ), Prol. B. II. vol. ii. p. 4.
Ay, thes es Jo Hosegood's flim-flam. . . . No,
no: tes none of Jo
Hosegood's^z'w^/fcm; but zo tha crime o' tha Country goth.
Ex. Scold, p. 96, 1. 505.
FLING [fling], sb. Spell of folly or dissipation; freedom from restraint. The reason given for girls
preferring almost any occupation to
domestic service is:
[Dhai kaa'n ae*u dhm fling, ~\ they cannot have their fling /". e. they are liable to restraint.
[Ee ul bee au'l rai't ugee'un aa'dr-v u-ae'ud tiz fling.'} he will be all right again after (he) has had out
his spell of drunkenness.
FLIP [flup], sb. i. A blow from the finger suddenly let slip from the thumb; also the simple action of
letting slip the finger, and hence the
common saying, “I don't care a flip" equivalent to a” snap of the fingers."
Fyllippe with ones fynger chicquenode. Palsgrave.
2. A stroke with a whip, or anything pliant, that can give a sharp, stinging hit. Same as FLICK 4.
[U flup uv u gig-wuop-1 kee-ul u snae'uk,] a stroke of a gig-whip will kill a snake.
FLIP [fliip], adj. Pliant, flexible. Same as LIMBER.
[U flup' stik] is a pliant stick.
The common word to express the opposite of rigid. Of a fishing-rod it would be said:
[Dhik-s tu stiif* ee ud-n fltip' unuuf-,] that one is too stiff, he is not pliant enough.
s 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9120) (tudalen 260)
|
260
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
FLIP [n*up], v. t. i. To discharge a marble or other missile with the thumb. A “toss” is usually made by
flipping up the coin.
2. To suddenly and forcibly disengage either finger from the thumb. As “to flip a boy's ears;” “\Q flip
water” /. e. to dip a finger in water
and then sprinkle it /. e. to discharge it by letting the finger go suddenly from the thumb.
3. v. i. To move quickly; to hasten.
Come, look sharp and^z^ along.
FLIRTIGIG [fluurteegig-], sb. Epithet for a girl. (Com.) Nearly the same as giglet, but rather
implying lewdness. The word scarcely
means wanton, but certainly carries reproach for light conduct.
I never didn yur nort by her, but her always was a bit of zflirtigig like.
FLISK [fliiskj, v. t. To sprinkle in the form of spray as by shaking a wet cloth. The meaning is very
finely shaded; neither splash nor
sprinkle convey the idea, which implies some force in the propelling. The wetting would be
that of gentle spray or mist, although
it might be projected with considerable force. I have never heard the word in connection
with syringe, and squirt is altogether
wide.
A person standing within reach of the spray of a waterfall might be said to \&flisked all over; splashed
would not apply to this case.
FLITTER [vliifur], v. and sb. Flutter, agitate.
FLITTERMENT [vliifurmunt], sb. State of nervous excitement.
Why, mother, hot ailth ee? you be all to %. flitterment.
Keep thyzul quiet, why thee art all to &flittermmt t thee art'n the fust that ever was a married, Ynow!
(dost know!)
FLITTERMOUSE [vlufurmuws], sb. The bat. See LEATHERN
BIRD.
Tipto. Come, I will see \hz flickennouse, my Fly.
Ben Jonson, New Inn, III. i.
RATEPENADE: A Bat, Rearmouse, or Flickermouse. Cotgrave. A FLITTERMOUSE, or Rearmouse.
Chauve-souris. Sherwood.
FLITTERS [vhifurz], sb. Tatters.
[Broa-kt mee oa'l jaa'kut aul tu vlut-urz,~\ tore my old jacket all in tatters.
This word would never be used to express rags i. e. the material of paper but rather the quality of
ragged.
FLOAT, or FLOATER [floa-ut, floa-utur], sb. A cart having the axle "cranked down," so that
though the wheels are high the body is
very near the ground.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9121) (tudalen 261)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 26 1
FLOOD-GATE [vliid-, or vlimd'-gee'ut], sb. A gate hung upon a pole across a stream, so that in
flood-time it rises and falls by
floating on the water. Its purpose is not to obstruct the water, but to prevent cattle passing when the
water is low. The ancient flood-gate,
unlike the modern, was to control the water.
FLODEGATE of a mylle. Sinoglocitorium. Promp. Parv.
FLOOK [fleok, vleok], sb. The parasite which causes the coe in sheep by eating away the liver. It is
quite flat, shaped like a flounder,
and from an eighth to a quarter of an inch in length (distoma hcpatica).
Flooke, a kynde of pleas lymande. Palsgrave*
FLOP [flaup], sb. Flap.
Plaise, sir, wants a new flop to the vowl-'ouse winder.
FLOP [flaup, vlaup], adv.
[Vaa-1 daewnyto/,] fell down plump."
FLOP [flaup], v. t. To flap. his
wings.
FLOP-HAT [flaup-aaf], sb. A broad-brimmed hat,
whether of straw or other material.
The term would not be applied to a
modern clerical hat, of the straight stiff- brim kind.
FLOPPY [flaup-ee], adj. Muddy, sloppy.
[Yue ul vuyn dhu roa'ud muyn flaup'ee, aay vrak'n,] you will find the road very sloppy, I reckon.
FLOP-TAILED COAT [flaup-taayul koa'ut], sb. The conventional "John
Bull" coat, the father of the modern dress-coat. It is still to be seen in many a village
church with its high stiff collar and
brass buttons. This name is also given to an ordinary dress-coat.
[Yuung mae'ustur-z u-goo u-koo'urteen, aay spoo'uz, u staart'ud oaf- een uz flaup-taayul koa'ut,~\ young
master is gone courting, I suppose, he
started off in his swallow-tailed coat.
FLOWSTER [fluwstur], sb. i. Fluster, confusion, agitation, blushing.
[Zeo'n-z uur zeed-n, uur wuz aul oa'vur een Mfluwstur,~\ (as) soon as she saw him, she was all over in a
fluster.
2. v. Used chiefly in the /. part, \\3-fluw sturd,~\ agitated. I was that there %.-flowster 'd, I could' n
spake, nif twas to save my live.
FLOWSTERMENT [fluwsturmunt], sb. A state of confusion, agitation, &c.
You never didn zee nobody in no ysflowsUrmenfs he was, hon maister axed o' un hot he'd a-got in his
bag.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9122) (tudalen 262)
|
262
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
FLUMMERY [fluimruree], sb. Flattery; cajolery; idle talk. [Ee diid-n main noa'urt, 'twuz uuiree uz
fluum-uree,~\ he did not mean
anything, it was only his flattery. Same as FLIM-FLAM.
FLUMMIX [fluunviks], sb. and v. To agitate; to confuse; to frighten.
A person caught in any improper action would be described as [au'l tue Mfluuwiks] i. e. all in
confusion.
FLUSH [vlish], adj. i. Fledged.
[Dhai drish*ez-l bee vlish giin Zmrdee,] those thrushes will be fledged by Sunday.
2. Even; level; without projection. (Technical.)
FLUSHET [flish-ut, vlish'ut], sb. Freshet or flood in a brook. There was a proper flishet in our water a
Vriday, vor all we ad'n a got no rain
here.
FLY [fluy], adj. Light in character impudica.
FLY [vluy], v. i. To chap spoken of the skin of the hands.
[Dhush yuur wee'n du maek dn'eebaudeez an'z vluy tuurubl,] this wind makes one's hands chap very much.
[Blae-umd! eef muyan-z bae'un \\-vluyd zwl tu pees'ez] (I'll be) blamed! if my hands are not chapped all to
pieces.
FLY ABROAD [vluy ubroa'ud], v. i. To become chapped with cold wind. Same as FLY. (Very com.)
FOB [faub], sb. Froth, foam. (Usual word.)
[Kau-m naew, mils -us, dhiish yuur oa'n due*, t-ez aa'f oa utfaufr,'] come now, mistress, this won't do, it is
half of it (the beer) froth.
A man describing the effects of a storm, said:
[Aay zeed guurt muumps u faub' zu baeg-z u buuk'ut, u-kaard mooTir-n tiie- muyuld,] I saw great mumps
of (sea) foam as large as a bucket,
carried more than two miles.
FOBBY [faub -66], v. i. To froth; to foam.
Aay zum t-ez geo'd, haun du faub'ee wuul,] I fancy it is good, when (it, /. e. the beer.) froths well.
FOCE [foo-us], v. To force; to compel.
[Aay wuz u-foo'us tue, wur aay wild' ur noa*,] I was compelled, whether I would or no.
FOCE-PUT [foo'us-puut'], phr. Left without alternative; compelled.
[Haut kn un-eebau'dee due-, neef dhai bee foo'us-puut- T\ what can one do, if there is no alternative?
\ - Foo 'us-puut'-s noa chauy s,] “force-put is no choice," is a
common saying.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9123) (tudalen 263)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS.
263
FOG [vaug], sb. The long grass in pastures
which the cattle refuse. This is fog
while green, and bent, or as we^call it bau'nut, when dry. See BONNET.
He fares forth on alle faure, fogge wat$ his mete, & etc ay as a horce when erbes were
fallen.
Early Alliterative Poems, Cleanness, 1. 1683.
FOG-EARTH [vaiig'-aeth], sb. Peat, bog-earth. See Zoo.
FOG-GRASS [vaug'-graa's], s&. Coarse sedgy grass such as grows in wet places. The distinction is kept
between fog and fog-grass.
FOIL [fauyul], v. i. and /. Hunting. A deer is said to foil when he retraces his steps over the same
track. The scent, or the ground, are
said to be foiled when other deer than the hunted one have crossed the scent.
FOLKS [voaks], sb. Workpeople. (Usual term.)
[Wuur bee au'l dhu voaks? ] where are all the workpeople? They d' employ a sight o' women vokes, but
there idn very much vor men vokes to
do.
FOND [fairn(d], adj. i. Silly. Applied to old people become childish.
[Dhu poo'ur oa*l mae'un-z u-kau*m praup'ur fau'n luyk,] the poor old man is become quite silly like.
In alle these thingis Joob synnede not in hise lippis, nether spak ony
fanned thing a^ens God. ' Wydifvers.
Job i. 22.
and Joob seide, Thou hast spoke as oon
Wyclif, Job ii. 10. See also Ib. xiii. 17.
Tell these sad women 'Tis fond to wail
inevitable strokes, As 'tis to laugh
at them.
Pray do not mock me, I am a very foolish, fond old man.
2 . Pleased with; having a liking for.
Her's terr'ble fond of a drap o' gin.
Coriolanus, IV. i. King Lear, IV. vii.
FOOL-TOAD [feol-toa-ud]. Epithet of abuse one
of the very commonest, implying
stupidity.
I have heard men, boys, horses, oxen, and dogs called by this name.
FOOT-CHAIN [ve'ot'-chai-n], sb. The chain ordrail connecting the sull with the bodkin or draught-bar, by
means of the copse or clevis. T\&
foot-chain has to bear the entire force of the draught.
And yf he wyll haue his plough to go a narowe forowe .... than he
setteth his - /0&-teame in the
nycke next to the ploughe-beame. Fitzherbert, 4-37.
FOOTING [veofeen], sb. A kind of tax levied by workmen upon a new hand whether apprentice or not.
See COLT-ALE.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9124) (tudalen 264)
|
264
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
If a gentleman takes up a tool and begins to do a little of the work, whether farming or handicraft, it is
quite usual for one of the men to go
and wipe his shoes with his sleeve or cap: this is the form of asking for \hzfooting.
FOOTS [veots], sb. pi. Dregs, sediment.
This here cyder 'ont suit me, there's to much voots in it.
FOOT-UP [veof-aup], v. t. To underpin. Arch.
[Dhik wau'l-d shoa'r tiie u km daewn neef wee ad-n M-veot'-n aup wuul,] that wall would (have been) sure to
come down, if we had not well
underpinned it.
FOOTY [veot'ee], adj. Said of oil or any other fluid which has become thick or viscous.
You 'ont git nothin to bide in thick joint zo well's a drap o' vooty linseed oil.
FOR [vur, emphatic, vatrr-u], prep. i. See A. VIII. 4.
Usual before the infinitive of purpose instead of to, especially after such words as able, ready, &c.
I baint gwain vor let you hab-m in no such money.
Her idn able vor car-n, I tell ee.
I shant be ready vor go, 's hour.
Maister zend me down vor tell ee, how he 'ont be able vor come to-night.
[Haut-s due dhaat vau'r-u f] what didst thou do that for?
^if God me wole grace sende, zwto make mi chirchegong; vor trauail of }>e voul asaut & vor
he was feble er,
Robert of Gloucester, William the Conqueror, 11. 491, 498.
2. Used after certain verbs, instead of of, or redundantly. The common lit. “Not that I know of," is
always [naut, or neet-s aay noa*
vaur,~\ not as I know for.
Zu vaar voo'uth-s aay kn tuul vaur', tiid'n noa jis dhing',] as far as I can say, it is no such thing.
FOR ALL [vur au'l]. Notwithstanding; in spite of. (Very com.) Her's a-got about again nice, thankee, and
her's a-go to work
again, for all twadn but dree weeks agone come Vriday, the cheel
was a-bornd.
To hold that thine is lawfullie, for
stoutnes or for flatterie.
Tusser, Ladder to Thrift, 9-9.
FORCHES [vaurchuz]. A place at a four-cross-way on the Blackdown Hills, parish of Clayhidon, is
called Porches -corner. It is at a
cross-road. Halliwell defines Porches as "the place where two ways or roads branch off from
one." Devon (?). Possibly the
definition is made to fit the situation. Is there any other
Porches in Devon? The above is on the
boundary of Somerset. Why not
Four-ashes?
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9125) (tudalen 265)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 265
FORE [voa'r], adv. On, forward, forth. In the Hill district this word seems to be heard in nearly every
sentence, and often redundantly.
Straight on is [rait voa'r}. Yonder is [voa'r dhae'ur]. [Aay waint voa'r-n zad tue un,] I went up and
said to him. To a horse would be said,
[Kap'teen, voa'r-u.!] Captain, go on! To a sheep-dog, [yoa'rumf] go before
them. [Keep voa'r, voaT yue kaum tu
dhu vaawur kraus wai,] keep on, until you come to the four-cross-way.
dest tha thenk ees ded tell't to tha to ha' et a drode vore agen?
Ex. Scold. 1. 176. See also 16. 1. 309.
FORE-DAY [voaT-dai], adv. Before it is light in the morning.
[Dhee urt jis lig u oa'l arn \\.-voa'r-dai^\ thou art just like an old hen before daylight. (One of the commonest
of sayings.)
[Aay du mee'un vur staa'rt u naawur voa'r-dat,~\ I mean to start an hour before daylight.
FORE-DOOR [voar-doo-ur], sb. Front-door. (Always.) [Dhu voar-doo'ur-z wuyd oa-p,] the front
door is wide open. Mary, urn,
somebody's to vore-door i. e. at the front door.
FORE-HAND PAY [voa-r-an paay], sb. Payment in advance. A very old proverb runs,
[Voa'r-an paay un nuvur paay I Fore-hand pay and never pay Uuz dhu wus't uv au'l paay.] | Are the
worst of all pay.
FORE-HANDS [voar-an'z], adv. Before-hand; in advance.
[Ee dhau-rt tue u-ae-ud dhik laut, bud aawur Jan wuz voar-an'z wai un,] he thought to have had that lot,
but our John was forehands with him /. e. forestalled him.
FORE-HEAD [vaureed], sb. The heading of a ploughed field; the soil of the margins of fields.
(Always so called.)
[Tu draa aewt dhu vaureed} i. e. to cart the soil of the headings over the field a very usual operation.
FORE-HEADED [voaT-ardud], adj. Headstrong, wilful, obstinate.
[Dhu voa-r-ai'duds guurt aj'boo'ur uvur aay zeed,] the foreheadedest great
hedge-boar I ever saw. See FORE-RIGHT.
FORE-HINDER [voa-r-een'dur], v. t. To prevent. [Dhur waud-n noa'urt tu voa'r- een'dur
urn,] there was nothing to prevent
them.
The implication is of some obstacle antecedent.
FORE-HORSE [voa-r-airs], sb. A leader any horse in the team except the sharp-horse.
I shall stay here the fore-hone to a smock. Alts Well, II. i.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9126) (tudalen 266)
|
266
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
FOREIGNER [fuurinur], sb. A stranger; one from a distance no implication of “beyond sea," as in
mod. lit. Eng.
Who's he? I zim a's a. foreigner; never zeed-n avore.
At Wellington Board a Guardian remarked:
He don't belong to our parish, he's & foreigner. Nov. 25, 1886.
Railway servants speak of the trucks or carriages of other companies as foreign-trucks -. May 5, 1887.
3if eni god mon is feorrene ikumen, hercnefc his speche, and onsweriefc
mid lut wordes to his askunge. Ancren
Riivle, p. 70.
Pistol (to Evans). Ha! thou mountain foreigner!
Merry Wives of Windsor, I. i.
FORE-MINDED [voa-r-muy-ndud],/^/. adj. Predetermined. Twadn no good vor nobody to zay nort; could
zee well 'nough the jistices was all
o'm vore-minded about it.
FORE-NOONS [voa'r-neo'nz], sb. pi. A refreshment or light repast taken between breakfast and dinner
called also eleven c? clocks (q. v.).
FORE-PART [voa'r-pae'urt], sb. Front. A man in speaking of the soil sticking to the back of his
shovel said:
There's most so much 'pon the back o' un as is 'pon the vore-part o' un. Feb. 12, 1881.
What's a do'd to thy nose? Nif has'n a made the vore-part o' thy head purtier'n he was avore.
FORE PART OF THE HEAD [voa-r pae'urt u dhu ard], phr. The face.
[Dhai-d noa dhee' un-ee plae-us, dhee urt su puurtee een dhu voa'r pae'urt u dhee ai'd,~\ they would
know thee anywhere, thou hast such a
pretty face.
I heard this compliment paid to a hideously ugly fellow; the phrase is very common.
FORE-RIGHT [voa'r-ruyt], adj. Headstrong; rashly blundering; self-willed.
Same as FORE-HEADED.
FORE-WENT [voa-r-warnt], pret. and p. part, of forego. Though rare in lit. Eng., very common in
the dialect. The old present wend is
obs. in the dialect.
I widn a vore-went thick trait 'pon no 'count.
FORGET-MErNOT [vurgif-me-naaf], sb. Flower Myosotis, of any variety. No other flowers so called.
FOR GOOD, FOR GOOD AND ALL [vur geo'd, vur geo'd-n au-1], adv. Permanently; finally.
[Uur-z u-goo- tu laa-s vurgeo'd-n au'l^\ she is gone at last, for ever,
FORK [vaurk], sb. The bifurcation of the body.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9127) (tudalen 267)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 267
The water was up to my vork. (Very com.) Sometimes the word is vorke'd \yaur kud\. "So deep's
my vorted"
unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, bare forked animal as
thou art. King Lear, III. iv.
thee wut come oil a gerred, and oil horry zo vurs tha art a vorked ':
Ex. Scold. 1. 47.
FORREL [fauryul always with the /sharp], sb. The binding, or cover of a book. (Very com.) Cf. VERDLE.
[Mairdhur-v u-guut' u guurt buybl wai ttim*\Kn fauryulz tue un,] mother has a great bible with wooden covers
to it.
FORELLE, to kepe yn a boke. Forulus.
Pronip. Parv. See Way's note, p. 171.
And take witnesse of ]>e trinite, and take his felawe to wittnesse,
What he fond in afore!, of a freres lyuynge:
And bote ]>e ferste leef be lesynge, leyf me neuere after!
Piers Plow. xvi. IO2.
For ell for a bokecouertevre de liure. Palsgrave.
FORREL [fauryul], sb. Tech. The stripe which is woven across the ends of a piece of cloth to show
that it is a whole piece. The end
which is rolled or folded to come outside has usually a rather broader and more elaborate forrel
than the inner end, and the former is
distinguished as the [voa-r ai'n fauryul ^\ fore end, and the latter as the [laat'ur ai'n
fauryul, ~\ latter end forrel. The
stripes woven at each end of a blanket are also called the forrels.
FORREL YARN [fauryul yaa'rn], sb. Yarn of some colour, differing from that of the rest of the
piece, which is given to the weaver to
weave into his cloth to mark the two ends of the cut or piece.
FOR WHY [vur wuy], conj. Because, since. Often preceded
by 'cause. See CAUSE WHY.
[Kae'uz vur wuy,'] 'cause for why. (Very com.)
I baint gwain to part way em vor why, nif I do, I shan't ha
none a-left vor myzel.
Do thou awei ire fro thin herte, and remoue thou malice fro tin fleisch: for-whi Jongthe and lust ben veyne thingis.
Wyclif, Eccl. xi. 10.
. . . and go awei fro yuel. For-whi helthe schal be in thi nawle and moisting in thi boonys.
Wyclif, Prov. iii. 8, 9. See also Ps. xiv. 12, and Prov. iv. 3.
FORWHY. Quin. Promp. Parv.
FORQWHY: quia, quoniam, quumquidem. Cath. Ang.
Ano]>er a-non ryght: nede seyde he hadde
To folwen fif Jokes: for-thy (for-whi} me by-houe]>
To gon with a good wil: and greijriiche hem dryue.
Piers Plow. vui. 294.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9128) (tudalen 268)
|
268
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Ful hydus and myrke helle es kyd,
For-why it es with-in ]>e erthe hyd.
Hampole, Pricke of Conscience, 1. 6547. See also 1. 1248.
FOUR-ALLS [vaawur-au-lz], sb. pi. The name of an ancient inn at Taunton upon whose sign are painted
the Four-alls, in four divisions, a
farmer, a soldier, a parson, and the Queen (or king). The sign is thus explained by
natives:
[Dhu faa'rmur zoa'us vur au'l, Dhu
soa'jur farts vur au'l, Dhu paa'sn
praa'yz vur au'l, Dhu kai'ng uz oa'vur
au'l.]
I noticed a public-house sign from the railway neat Fulham, “The Five Alls." What is the fifth?
May 1887.
FOUR CROSS- WAY [vaawur krairs-wai], sb. The intersection of two roads.
[Haun yue kau'm tue u vaawur krau's-wai, yue mus kip raewn pun yur rait an',] is the every-day form of
direction.
FOUR O'CLOCKS [vaawur u klauks], sb. An afternoon refreshment usual in haymaking or harvest.
FOUR SQUARE [vaawur skwae'ur], adj. Rectangular. Thick frame idn vower square, I'll back try
un else. This by no means implies a
quadrilateral figure, any more than a
carpenter's square does, hence Webster is wrong.
FOWRE SQUARE. Quadrus. Promp. Parv.
FOUSTY [fuwstee], adj. Fusty generally applied to hay when badly made; in such is often found a
whitish dust, with a musty smell; also
applied to a close, unhealthy smell.
[Fuwstee aay-z saa'f tu braik u au*suz wee*n,] fusty hay is sure to break a horse's wind. (Always so pron.)
FOX-GLOVE [fauk-s-gluuv], sb. Digitalis purpurea. The polite name used only by the [jiin'lvoaks].
See FLAP-DOCK, POPS, &c.
FOXY [fauk'see], adj. i. Reddish in colour.
[Dhik dhae-ur koa'ut aa'n u-wae'urd wuul dim ziin-v u-tuur-n un prau'pur fauk'see^\ that coat has not
worn well the sun has turned it quite
of a reddish colour.
[Huurd-z vifauk's,] red as a fox, is the super, abs. of red.
2. Specked, spotted as with spots of mould or mildew. Also clouded, or uneven in shade of colour.
They've a-spwoiled thick piece he's so foxy* 's the very devil. Said of some bad dyeing.
FRACKLED [fraak'uld], adj. Spotted with freckles. Our Jim's face is &-frackled all over.
(Always.)
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9129) (tudalen 269)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 269
FRAKNY, or fraculde. Lentiginosus. Promp. Parv.
His lippes round, his colour was sanguine,
A fewe frac -kites in his face ysprent, Betwixen yellow and black somedeal yment.
Chaucer, Knightes Tale, 1. 2170.
On ys stede of Araby,
Of quente entaile was is stede, al y-fracled wy]> white & rede,
ys tayle so blak so cole:
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 3659.
FRAIL [fraa'yul], sb. A soft, bag-like basket, made of rushes or grass. The kind used by fishmongers and
poulterers always so called. (Very
com.)
FRAYLE of frute (frayil, K.). Palata. Promp. Parv.
A Frale (Fraelle, A.) of fygis. Palata, Cafh. Ang. See Skeat, Notes to Piers Plow. p. 306.
CABAS: K frail (for rasins or figs}.
Vn viel cabas. An old frail wherein figs, &*c. have been.
Cotgrave. Frayle for fygges cabas.
Palsgrave.
FRANCE [franj], sb. Fringe.
[Nue franj-n tairslz tu dhu aewzeen, smaa-rt, shoa'ur nuuf!] new fringe and tassels to the housing,
smart, sure enough!
Our modern pronunciation is little broader than the Mid. Eng.
A FRENGE: fimbria & cetera: ubi a hemme. Cath. Ang. Frengfor a bedde or horse harnesse -frenge.
Palsgrave. FRANCE: fringe. Cotgrave.
FRAPE [frae'up], v. To tuck up. Peasant women have a way of tucking the tail of their gowns
through the open slit below where they
are fastened at the waist this is constantly
seen when scrubbing or at any dirty work, and is called [dhu gaewn u-frae'upt aup,] the gown a fraped
up.
FRAY [fraa-y], v. t. Hunting. Of a stag to rub the horns against trees, so as to rub off the velvet
from the new head (q. v.).
When the hartes that are in covert do perceive that their heades do begin
to dry (which is about the xxii of
luly), then they discover themselves, going to the trees to fray their heades and rub of the
velvet.
1575. Tuberville, quoted by Collyns, p. 36.
For by his slot, his entries, and his port,
His framings, fewmets, he doth promise sport.
Ben Jonson, Sad Shepherd, I. ii.
The tree against which a deer thus rubs his
head is called
Colly ns, Chase of the Wild Red Deer, p. 34.
FREATH, FREATHING [vriith, vrardheen]. See VREATH, VREATHING. Sometimes this is pronounced
\Jriith^ frai'dh^ frai'dheeri], when
emphatic = wreath, wreathing.
A FRITHED FELDE: exdpium. Cath. Ang.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9130) (tudalen 270)
|
2/O
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
This is an enclosure surrounded by a wreathed or wattled hedge. A wood is frequently so fenced in hence the
fence is put for the wood itself.
ffor wher so >ey fferde \>affryth or be wones Was non of hem all ]>at hym hide my^th,
Langland, Kick, the Red. II. 180.
He \sfrtyed yn with floreynes and o>er fees menye, Loke ]>ou plocke J?er no plaunte ' for
peryl of )>y soule.
Piers Plow. vui. 228. FREEZED
[vree-zd],/^/. Froze.
\Vreezd aun'kauirrun dai maurneen luyk dhu dhingz pun dhu lai'n wuz Mcvree'zd zu stiif'-s u strad,]
(it) froze uncommonly today morning the things on the line were frozen as
stiff as a strad (q. v.).
FRENCH-BEANS [vrairsh-bee-unz], sb. Applied by cottagers to the dwarf varieties only. The climbing
runners are always kidney-beans, from
the colour and shape of the seed.
FRENCH NUT [vran-sh nut], sb. Walnut. (Always.) [Porlock-s dhu plae'us vur vran'sh nuts.']
FRENCH PINK [vran'sh pingk], sb. Same as Indian pink. Dianthus chinensis.
FRENCH-POPS [vran-sh-pairps], sb. The small purple Gladiolus. The flowers are in shape much
like Pops = Foxglove. They are very
com. in cottage flower-knots.
FRESH [fraash, fraa'sh], adj. i. Generally applied to horses or cattle. "Fresh condition"
means well fed, sleek, likely to
fatten quickly said of both horses and cattle generally.
"Fresh" as applied to a
horse, means spirited, eager to go.
Three, two, and one-year-old heifers, two prime fat heifers, one fresh barrener in milk. Adv. of Sale. Wellington
Weekly News, Oct. I, 1885.
2. In liquor; half drunk. Tipsy to the extent of being excited, but not so far gone as to be stupefied with
drink.
Well, he wadn drunk, your Honour on'y a little fresh like.
3. Cold, raw. Applied to weather.
Ter*blejfau& s'mornin, I zim, I can't catch yeat nohow.
FRESH-DRINK [fraash- dring-k], sb. Mild ale; table beer. FRET [frat], v. i. i. To rust.
2. To grind spoken of a grindstone.
[Kaa-pikul stoa-un, ee frats wuul,] capital stone, it frets (/. e. grinds) well.
3. To ferment.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9131) (tudalen 271)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 2/1
[Neef dhaat dhae'ur mart du buyd-n frat muuch lau'ng-gur t-1 bee u-spwuuyul t-iiz u miid'leen bratrr wai
ut urad'ee,] if that meat (pig's wash)
remains fermenting much longer it will be
spoiled, it is a middling breath (q. v.) with it already.
FRETCHETY [fraaclrutee], adj. Fidgety, uneasy, excitable applied to man and beast.
Tidn a bad sort of a mare, on'y her's always so fretchety '. Fretchety old fellow, he've a-got more
items than a dancing-bear.
FRETTEN. See VURDEN.
FRIDAY [vruydee]. The unlucky day. Never marry, set out on a journey, or begin any important work
on a Friday. The weather is believed
generally to change on Fridays, and on
Friday's weather we have two proverbs:
\Vruydee-n dhu wik* Uz-ul'dm ulik-.]
[Ee'ns Vruy'dee Zoa Zun'dee.]
Friday in the week Is seldom alike.
As Friday So Sunday.
Right so gan gery Venus overcaste The hertes of hire folk, right as hire
day Is gerful, right so chaungeth hire
aray. Selde is the Fryday al the wike
i-like.
Chaucer, Knightes Tale, 1. 679.
FRIGHTEN [fruytn; /. /. fruytn; p. p. u-fruytn], v. To astonish; to agreeably surprise. (Very
com.)
[Aay wuz u-fruytn tu zee aew dhu wait-s u-groa'd,] I was astonished to see how the wheat is grown.
[Mae'ustur-1 bee u-fruytn tu zee dhai yaarleenz dhai bee u-pliinrd aup zoa,] master will be
surprised to see those yearlings, they
oiQplimmed (q. v.) up so /. e. so improved.
A gardener speaking of an unaccountably low charge for the carriage of a live turkey, said:
They only charged eightpence. I was frightened when he told me, I thought 'twould a-bin eighteenpence
to the very least. December 23, 1886.
FRIGHTFUL [fruytfeol], adj. Timid; easily frightened; nervously fearful.
[Poo-ur lee-oil dhing! piifee \mr-z-u fruytflo!,~\ poor little thing! pity she is so timid.
FRILL DE DILLS [fruTdee duTz], sb. pi. Laces, trimmings, ornaments on dress.
Her's too fond o' \tfxfrill-dt-dilh by half purty toadery that there vor to go 'bout in. Can't sar the
pigs, sure, 'cause I'll spwoil my
things! Comp. FAL-LALS.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9132) (tudalen 272)
|
272
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
FRISK [friisk], sb. Gentle rain; Scotch
mist. I don't think 'tis gwain to rain
much, this here's on'y a bit of a
frisk twidn wet a holland shirt in a month.
FROSTED [vrau-stud], adj. Spoiled by frost (not frozen). I count they eggs baint no good, they'll
sure to be &-vrosted.
FRUMP [fruump], v. t. To hatch up; to trump up. [Uur fruumpt aup uvuree beet u dhik dhae'ur
stoa'ur,] she concocted every word of
that story.
To FRUMP.
Brocarder, gauffer, se mocquer, Sorner.
Cotgrave (Sherwood).
FRUMP [fruump], sb. A concoction; a deceit.
A FRUMP: mocquerie t brocard, cassade, nasarde,
Cotgrave (Sherwood).
FRUMP [fruump], sb. An indefinite word, like "matter," “boiling," “lot," “kit” not often
used.
He told ma the whole Fump o' the Besneze. Ex. Scold. 1. 34. Although fump is misprinted here, frump is
the word.
FRY [fruy], sb. The products of lambs' castration are called lamb's fries ) and are eaten with much
gusto.
FUDDLE [fuud'l], sb. A drinking bout.
Where's Jack, then?
Hant a-zeed'n to-day, I reckon he's 'pon the fuddle agee-an.
Hence fuddled, stupidly drunk.
FUDDLED. Guilleret, un peu yvre. Cotgrave (Sherwood).
Merrily, merrily ftiddle thy nose,
Until it right rosy shall be:
For a jolly red nose, I speak under the rose,
Is a sign of good company.
Old Song.
FULL. See VULL.
FULL AS A TICK [veol-z u tik-]. Said of any
animal, whether man or beast, which
has eaten its fill. Super, of full.
FULL-BUTT [veol-buuf], adv. i. Face to face.
I met him full-butt i. e. met him face to face, coming in opposite directions.
Full-but (Fulbuyt, A.): precise. Cath. Ang.
2. adv. and adj. Direct, headlong, impetuously, full-tilt, straight away, directly.
The horse urned right xwzy full-butt, so hard's he could lay his heels to ground.
I meet'n comin along towards me full-butt, same's off was gwain t'at me down, h full-butt blow.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9133) (tudalen 273)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 273
When Aunger hadde y-schiped hem, they seilled forth ful swythe, Ful-but in til Denemark, wyth weder fair
and lithe.
Robt. of Brunne, MS. Lambeth, 131, leaf 76, quoted by Skeat, Preface to Havelok, p. xiii.
Symonye, coueitise & oj>ere synnys
^euen ///// couseil a^enst ]>e holy gost.
Wyclif, Works, E. E. T. S. p. 213.
FULL-DRIVE [veol-drarv], adv. In real earnest; in full swing; full progress.
[Dhai-d u-begutrnd, un wuz ee'n tue ut veol-drai'v u-voa'r aay kaum,] they had begun, and were at it in
full swing before I came.
FULL-GROW [veol-groa-], adj. Adult; full grown. (Always.) Well, thick's vull-grow, once! Said of a
very large rabbit.
FULLER [fuul-ur]. Fellow. (Always.) See VULLER. Cf. felloe, which is as invariably
pronounced vuul'ur.
FULL-STATED [veol'-stae-utud]. Semi-legal phrase relating to tenure of land held upon lives.
See Ex. Scolding notes to 11. 405, 406, p. 86. .
FULL-UP [veol-aup-], adv. Quite. The idiom is always to place this adverb at the end of the clause,
and not as in lit. Eng. immediately
before the word qualified.
I count there's a hundred stitch an acre, one way tother, vull-up /. e. quite a hundred per acre on the
average.
[Dhur wuz thuurtee oa-m, aay bee saa'f, veol-anp',~\ there were thirty of them, I am sure, quite.
FUN [fuun], v. t. To cheat; to defraud.
Lousy rogue! he've a-fun me out o' vower poun zix shillins, and I wish the devil'd a-got'n.? A.-S. fandian,
to tempt.
FUNNY-BONE [fuun'ee-boa'un], sb. The well-known sensitive part of the elbow.
FUR [fuur], v. t. To throw. See VUR.
He fur'd a stone up agin the door.
Heard in W. Som. occasionally, but the word belongs to E. Som., where it is very common.
FURDLE [fuurdl], v. t. To furl; to fold up. (Always.) Look sharp and furdle up the wim-sheet, now
he's nice and dry, and put-n away,
'vore the rain do come.
The colours furdled up, the drum is mute,
The Serjeants ranks and files doth not dispute.
Taylor s Works, 1630 (quoted by Nares).
FURNACE [fuurnees], sb. A boiler or copper to be set in brickwork, with its own separate fire,
&c. '
In this district the word is never applied to the fire-place, but always to the vessel which has to be heated
by a furnace.
T
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9134) (tudalen 274)
|
274
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
I want to ax o' ee to plase to put me up a new thick I've a-got's proper a-weared out.
Galvanized iron Furnace, 27 gals. . . iu. gd.
Ironmonger's Bill.
See WASHING-FURNACE.
FURND [fuurnd], sb. Friend. See FERND.
I didn know avore how Jim Zalter was &furnd o' yours.
FURNT [fuurnt], v. i. To affront; to offend.
2. sb. A front. A kind of partial wig worn by old women.
FURSTY, FUSTY [fuurstee, fuus-tee], adj. Thirsty. (Com.)
fusty weather, I zim.
The usual word is (fry, but when a little effort is made to talk “fine," as in begging cider of “the
missus," one hears:
I be ter'ble fursty, mum, midn make so bold-s t' ax vor a drap o' cider, I s'pose?
ne presiouse drynkes Moyste me to
J>e fulle * ne myfurst slake.
Piers Plow. (Trin Coll. Text) XXI. 412.
And of meny o]>er men ]>at muche wo suffren,
BoJ?e a-fyngrede and &-furst to turne j?e fayre outwarde,
And beth abasshed to begge. Piers Plow. x. 84.
FURZE-NAPPER. See VUZ-NAPPER. FURZE-PIG. See
VUZ-PIG.
FUSS [fuus(t], num. adj. First. The / only sounded before a vowel. See Vuss.
FUTCHELS [fuudrulz], sb. The bent pieces of wood to which the shafts of a carriage are
attached.
FUZ [vuuz], j. Gorse,whin. SeeVvz. FUZ-PIG. See VUZ-PIG.
FY [faa'y, fuy], v. To challenge; to defy.
[A&'lfaay un tu preo'v ut,] I challenge him to prove it. [Aa'l fuy ur tu zai oa'urt bee mee',] I
defy her to say any harm against me.
G
GAB [gaab-, gab', gab'ee], sb. and v. i. Chatter, idle talk, im pudence. (Com.)
Come now, none o' your gab, else I'll zoon taich thee better manners!
The tongue o' her's enough to drave anybody distracted; let her 'lone her'll gabby vrom mornin to night.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9135) (tudalen 275)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 2/5
It is clear the word once meant lying talk, though that was not its exclusive meaning.
GABBAR (or lyare, infra). Mendaculus, mendacula, mendax.
Promp. Parv.
to Gabe; mentiri, & cetera; vbi to lye. Cath Ang.
yef me ham ret )>ing, J>et by to helpe to hire zaules, ne no]>yng
nolle]) do, erfan me gabbe]> of
ham. Ayenbite of Inivyt, p. 69.
to blame, sire, ar \>o burnes: f>at so ble)>eli gabbe; For my lady lis Jit a-slape; lelly, as i
trowe.
Will, of Palerme, 1. 1994.
Wei )>ou wost wyterly, bot yf )>ow wolle gabbe, Thou hast hanged on myn hals, elleuen
tymes, And also grypen of my gold.
Piers Plcnv. IV. 226.
ffirst J>at men )>at blamen hem sholden holde treu]>e and not gabbe
on hem.
Wyclif, Works, E. E. T. S. p. 297.
GAD [gad], sb. A stout straight stick, such as elsewhere called a hedge-stake. The term would not be
applied to a common rough faggot
stick. The idea of goad is no longer conveyed; if used as a weapon, it is only to strike. See
SPAR-GAD, GORE.
I zeed'n beat th 'oss 'bout th 'aid way a gurt gad so thick's a pick stale. A.-S. gad, a prick, goad.
a Gad: gerusa. Cath. Ang. Gadde for
oxen, esquillon. Palsgrave.
Champiouns, and starke laddes,
Bondemen with here gaddes,
Als he comen fro )>e plow. Havelok, 1. 1015.
GAD- ABOUT [gad'-ubaewt], sb. i. A person who is always roaming away from home. Usually applied to
a woman who is over fond of visiting.
Her's a proper gad-about, better fit her'd bide home and look arter her 'ouze.
2. A low two-wheeled carriage.
Light gadabout cart in first-class condition. A very strong useful spring
cart. Grey cart horse, a good worker
in all kinds of harness.
Advert. Wellington Weekly News, Dec. 2, 1886.
GAD-CROOK [gad'-kreok], sb. A long pole with an iron hook or claw. Most millers keep one to drag out
logs or branches brought down by
floods.
GAFF [gyaaf], sb. and v. t. A stick having a sharp iron hook at the end, used by fishermen.
You draw un in, and I'll gaff-m purty quick.
Irish. Gaf, Gafa, a hook; any crooked instrument. O'Reilly.
Welsh. Gafaelu, to hold; to lay hold on. Richards.
T 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9136) (tudalen 276)
|
2/6
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
GAFFER [gaaf-ur], sb. Master, foreman.
Look sharp, dis'n zee the gaffer's comin!
This is a new word in the district, probably brought by North -country
navvies who came to make the railway. It by no means implies an old man, yet the phr. “th' old
man” is often used in speaking of the
master, quite irrespective of age.
Mixe well (old gaffe) horse corne with chaffe,
Let Jack nor Gill fetch corne at will. Tusser, 22-18.
GAIT [gae-ut], sb. Any peculiar habit, such as a nervous twitching of the face; any antic or grimace
performed habitually.
[D-ee muyn dhu gae'ut dhoa'l mae*un -d u-gau't, u au'vees peol-een aup liz buurchez?] do you remember
the habit the old man had, of always
pulling up his breeches?
GALL [gau'l], v. and sb. To irritate; to fret; to hurt in feeling. [Dhai wuz tuurubl \\-gau'ld ubaewd ut,]
they were very much hurt about it.
De-woyde now ]>y vengaunce, }mr$ vertu of rauthe; Tha} I be gulty of gyle as gaule of
prophetes.
Allit. Poems, Patience, 1. 285.
GALLANTEE [gyaal-untar], v. t. and /. To guarantee; to warrant. Used very commonly as a mere
asseverative, like “I'll bet," or
I'll be bound," &c.
I'll gallantee you'll vind a 'oodcock in thick copse.
I'd gallantee thick 'oss, agin other 'oss in the parish.
A man having a large tumour on his arm said to me, respecting it: “They could-n do me no good in- the
Hospital 'thout cuttin o' it away, and
I think they thort I was t' old. Dr. P. ... you know, sir, zes how he could take-n off, and
he'd galantee vor to cure-n, but I be
afeard; and th' old Mr. . . . you know he've a got a good headpiece when the drink's out o'un. Well
he zess, s' ee, ' Bill, how old art? '
and I zess to un, ' Well, I be into my sixty-eight ' vor I was a-bornd pon Lady-day day beyun all the
days in the wordle; and then th' old
man zess to me, s' ee (says he), ' Bill, thee let-n alone.' I sim he do reckon I should lost
the use o' my arm, and now I can do a
little like, nif tidn very much so I s'pose I must make a shuif (shift) and put up way
it." June 2, 1886.
GALLIGANTING [gyaaHgarrteen], adj. Awkwardly big, and slovenly in gait. Applied to persons and
horses.
Gurt, slack, galligantin sort of a fuller; I should'n think is much work in he.
GALLIGASKINS [gyaal'igaas'keenz], sb. Rough leather overalls, worn by
thatchers, hedgers, and labourers. They are usually home-made from dried raw skin, and are
fastened to the front only of the leg
and thigh. Often called strads (q. v.).
Galligaskins. Chauffes & la garguesque, grecques, gregnes,
greguesqites, guerguesses. Cotgrave (Sherwood).
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9137) (tudalen 277)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 2//
GALLIMENT [gyaaHmunt], sb. i. A fright.
[Aay oa*n ae'u dhik gyaal'imunt noa moo'ur,] I will not have that fright again. Said of a horse's
running away.
We mid all a-bin a-burn'd in our beds; 'twas jis gallimenfs my old 'ummun 'ont vorget vor one while, once!
2. A frightful object.
They there ingins be galliment enough to zet up anybody's 'oss. They did'n never ought vor to let em go
'bout 'pon the roads.
GALLIS [gyaal'ees], adv. Gallows. Very; exceedingly. You be so gallis vast, dis think can do it
in no time?
GALLITRAP [gyaaHtraap], sb.? gallow-trap.
A green circle on grass land, oftener called Pixy-ring. An old superstition is that if a person guilty of
crime steps into one of these circles,
he is sure to be delivered up to justice /. e. the gallows hence probably the name.
GALLIVANTING [gyaaHvaan-teen],/^/.^'. Flirting; keeping over much among the women; acting the
squire of dames. No moral slur is
implied.
'Twid be better vor thee, nif thee'ds 'arky to thy poor old father, an' stick to thy trade neet urn gallivantin
all over the country, wherever there's
a lot o' maiden volks zay nort 'bout spendin o' money in fine clothes an' that.
GALLOWGRASS [gyaaHgraas], sb. Cant name for hemp also called neckweed.
There is an herbe whiche light fell owes merily will call Gallowgrasse,
Neckweede, or the Tristrams knot, or Saynt Audres lace, or a bastarde
brothers badge, with a difference on
the left side, &c., you know my meaning.
Wilyam Btdleyn on Neckweede, BabeJs Book, Furnivall, p. 241.
GALLY [gyaal-ee], v. To frighten. (Very com.)
[Dhai wuz puurdee wuul M-gyaal'eed haun dhai zeed mee 1 ,] they
were finely frightened when they saw me. Said of boys caught in
an orchard. A.-S. gdelan, to terrify.
An' zo, bum by, a lot o' cows
K-gallied by ez scrapes an' bows, Pulman, R. Sk. p. 69.
Gali/%, ase J>e uox de$, ^ ^elpeS of hore
god, hwar se heo durren ^ muwen;
Ancren Riwle, p. 128.
Wul varmer Plant I've yerd'n zay,
Wis gaily* d zo, ta urn away
Ha cud'n; Nathan Hogg, Ser. I. p. 58.
GALLY BEGGAR [gyaaH-bag-ur], sb. Any object which may inspire a superstitious dread, as a ghost,
or any frightening object dimly seen,
as the donkey in the “Fakenham Ghost."
GALLY-POT [gyaali-paut]. A nickname for a doctor.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9138) (tudalen 278)
|
2?8
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
" Now then, old gally-pot" was said in the hunting-field by a well-known M. H. to an equally well-known
sporting doctor.
The word is properly the name of the common white-ware pot in which ointment or pomatum is sold.
GALOCHE [gulaush-], v. t. To cover a boot with leather, all round above the sole. Old women's cloth
boots are very frequently galoshed.
GALACHE, or galoche, vndyr solynge of mannys fote. Crepitum, crepita, obstringillus. Promp. Parv.
Ne coulde man by twenty |>ousand part
Counterfeet the sophimes of his art;
Ne were worthy to unbocle his galoche.
Chaucer, Squire's Tale, 1. 10867.
As is )>e kynde of a knyght * )>at come)? to be doubed, To geten hus gilte spores, xn&galoches
y-couped.
Piers Plow. xxi. 1 1.
GAMBADERS [gaanrbae'udurz], sb. A kind of leather shield
or case for the legs of a horseman. They are attached to the
stirrup-leathers and prevent the usual splashing. They were very common within the writer's recollection.
GAMBLE [gaanrbl, gaanrl], sb. i. The hock or elbow-joint of a hind leg. Never applied to the entire
leg (vide Webster), nor confined to
horses. Properly the word applies to the strong tendon just above the joint, but is used to
express not only the joint, but the
parts above. Same as GAMMEREL.
2. A bent stick used by butchers; the slaughtered animal has the gaam'l passed through the tendons of the
gaanrl.
Lay by your scorn and pride, they're scurvy qualities, And meet me, or I'll box you while I have
you, And carry you gambrifd thither
like a mutton.
Fletcher, Nice Valour^ IV. i.
GAMBOWLING [gaambuwleen], part. Gambolling, jumping, frisking.
Anybody ought always to tail and cut their lambs middlin early like, vor to stop their gambowlin. A sight
o' lambs gets hot way gambowlin , and
then they bides about and catches cold.
Gambaude savlt, gambaitlde. Palsgrave.
Es marl who's more vor Rigging, or Rumping, Steehopping, or
Ragrowtering, Giggleting, or
Gambowling, than thee art thyzel Pitha. Ex. Scold. 1. 130.
GAME-LEG [gee-um-lig], sb. A crippled or disabled leg. Maister's middlin like, thanky; but you zee
he can't travel wi thick there
game-leg.
GAMMERELS [gaanrurulz], sb. The under-sides of the thighs, j ist above the bend of the knee. See
GAMBLE. Shockin pain in my gammerel.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9139) (tudalen 279)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 2/9
But he's a very perfect goat below,
His crooked cambrils armed with hoof and hair.
Descr. of a Satyr, Dray ton, Nymphal, X. p. 1519.
thy Hozen muxy up zo vurs thy Gammerels, to tha very Hucksheens o' tha.
Ex. Scolding, 1. 153.
GAMMIKIN [gaarrrikeen], part. adj. i. Full of antics or contortions. Posturing absurdly.
[Dhu gaanrikeens fuul'ur livur aay zeed, uz jis dhu vuuree sae'um-z u muuree An'dur,] the gammikinest
fellow I ever saw, (he) is just the
very same as a Merry Andrew.
Zo gammikin 'pon gurt high banks
Ee'd often auver-tap, An' in a deep
an' vrothy hole
Ee'd tum'le neck an' crap.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 51.
2. Awkward; loose-jointed; shambling in walk or carriage. Gurt, slack, gammikin fuller, I wid'n gee
un his zalt.
GANGER [gang'ur], sb. A navvy. The men employed in maintaining a railway are always so called.
I believe the word is an importation
of recent date /. e. since railway times.
He was a ganger 'pon the line vor siver (several) year, but come to last, they widn keep-m no longer.
Ganger Hart, Ganger Hill, are well-known navvies.
GANNY COCK [gan'ee kauk], sb. A turkey-cock.
GANTERING [gan'tureen], adj. Awkward, weedy, lanky: said of men, plants, or animals.
Gurt, gantering thing; too much daylight by half under the belly o* un is a very common mode of depreciating
a horse.
Mus' cut down they there lauriels, they be a-grow'd up so ganterin.
GAPE'S NEST [gyaap-s nas], sb. i. A gaping-stock; an occasion for idle staring.
I baint gwain in there vor to be a gape's nest vor all thick there roily.
Th' art good vor nort but a Gapers nest Ex. Scold. 1. 186.
2. The occupation of idly staring. (Very com.) [Dhae-ur dhai wauz, aul tue u gyaap's nas^\
there they were, all a gaping! See
DRUNK'S NEST.
Wile es kainid an starid an gaps-nested roun,
A gurt cart-load a pudd'ns com'd in tap the groun.
Nathan Hogg, Tor Abbey Vaistins.
GAP-MOUTH [gyaap'-maewf, maewdh], sb. A stupid, loutish person.
One of the commonest epithets: You gurt gap-mouth.
We poor know nort gaapmouths ked manage, wi our hwum-made, wold-fashin'd
vlies, ta lug out glorious dishes when he ked har'ly git a single vish.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 32.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9140) (tudalen 280)
|
280
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
GAPS [gaap-s, gyaap-s], sb. Disease to which young chickens are subject. A worm in the windpipe causes
them to keep opening the mouth wide,
and unless cured, chokes them. See PIP, DRAW.
GAP SEED [gyaap zee-ud], sb. A wonder; a sight to be stared at.
Hon the riders was here, 'twas a purty gap zeed they'd agot up forty osses and dree or vower elephants.
GAPSING [gyaap-seen], part. sb. Gazing idly at any trivial object sight-seeing, as at a fair.
Thee 't a purty sight zoonder bide gapsing about, -n mind the [bee-us,] beast I'd zoonder lef em way
little Tommy, and he idn half so big's
thee. Said in a fair.
GAP-TOOTHED [eyaap'-tecrdhud], adj. Having lost one or more front teeth. Very common as an
abusive adjective, and also as an
ordinary description.
Ya wammle-eyed, gap-toothed old son of a bitch!
Her widn be so bad like, nif her wadn so gap-toothed.
Gattothud was sche, sothly for to seye.
Uppon an amblere esely sche sat,
Wymplid ful wel, and on her heed an hat As brood as is a bocler or a targe.
Chaucer, Prol. (description of Wife of Bath), 1. 468.
GAPY [gyaap -ee], v. i. To stand idly gazing.
[Km au'n! neet buyd dhae'ur gyaap' een /] come on! not stay there gaping!
I count thee'ts bide'n' gappy gin thy eyes vail out, zay nort to thee.
That standefj at a gappe wi}> a spear,
When huntid is J>e lion or J>e bear.
Chaucer, Knighfs Tale, 1. 1641. GAR.
See GOR.
GAR. Garth, enclosure. At Dunster is a wood called “Conigar," pronounced [cuun'igur];
doubtless this is the Coney-garth. There are a few other names, as Binnegar
(by-near-garth); Yannigar
(yonder-garth), which have the same termination.
GARDEN [gyuurdn]. The word alone is always understood to mean the kitchen garden, that is, where
fruit and vegetables grow. A
pleasure-ground is spoken of as a "flower garden."
A "garden spot" is any plot of land in which potatoes, cabbages, &c. are grown, whether
separately enclosed or forming part of
a field.
GARDEN-HOUSE [gyuurdn-aewz], sb. A privy; an out-door closet. The usual name amongst farmers'
wives and women of the class above
labourers.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9141) (tudalen 281)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 28 1
GARSH [gaarsh], v. t. and sb. Gash; to cut deeply.
Ter'ble ugly garsh.
It is very common to find r inserted between a and sh. Comp. arsh, marsh, larsh, smars/i, warsh, vlarsh
(flesh), &c., but in this case the
r is archaic.
and wifcuten J>eo ilke reoufcfulle garses of ]>e lufcere skurgen, nout
one on his schonken, auh $eond al his
leofliche licome Ancren Riwle, p. 258.
GAARCE. Scarificacio. Promp. Parv. to
GARCE. Scarificare. Cat A. Ang. See Note, p. 150. GARSCHER. To chap, as the hands or lips do
in a sharp wind. Cotgrave.
Old Fr. garser, to scarify.
GARSSHE in wode or in a knyfe hoche, s.f. Palsgrave.
GATCHEL [gyaachyul], sb. Mouth: generally used to imply a very large abysmal mouth.
You knowed th'old Tatie-belly, did'n ee, sir? well, he'd a-got the on-liest gatchel of his own, ever I
zeed in all my born days.
GATE [gee'ut, gyuf], sb. A constant medium for simile. Fat thick old thing, mid so well try to fat
a gate I Her've a got a good leg of
her own, he would'n make a bad
[gy#/'-pau's], gate-post.
GATE SHORD [gyuf shoa-urd], sb. A roadway made through a hedge temporarily, but without a gate.
The permanent entrance to a field or
garden, together with its gate, is always the
\ - gyut'-wai,~] gateway.
[Dhu gyuf-wai waud-n wuyd nuuf vur dh-ee'njun, zoa wee wuz u-foo'us vur tu maek u gyut' shoa'urd,~\
the gateway was not wide enough for
the engine, so we were forced to make a gate shord.
GATHER [gaedh'ur], v. t. i. Applied to ploughing. A piece of land is ploughed by working up one way
and back another; the two furrows thus
made being called a "round." Working with an implement which turns the soil only
in one direction, it follows that the
two furrows made in any round must lie in
opposite directions, either towards or away from each other. When the ploughman turns to the right for
his return journey, he gathers i. e.
he makes the furrows lie towards each other,
because ploughs are made to turn over the soil from left to
right: and consequently at the last
round, or finish, two rolls of earth
are thrown up against each other, in what is called a by-vore i.
e. the last is thrown against the
first, the precise opposite of an
all-vore (q. v.). See THROW ABROAD.
Each ploughman is to plough the part allotted to him by gathering
one-third, and throwing abroad
two-thirds of the sixty yards. Printed particulars of. a ploughing match, held at Culmstock, October
3 1st, 1883.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9142) (tudalen 282)
|
282
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2. To glean corn.
Plase, sir, I be gatherin 'long way mother Mr. Bond zaid we mid gather all his fields.
I've a-knowed her gather so much as two bushels o' whate avore now, but her can't stoopy so vast
now.
GAUDERY [gau-duree], sb. Tawdry finery.
Better fit her mother'd make her wear things tidy like, same's other vokeses maaidens, nit let her ray
herzel up in all that there gaudery.
GAUKAMOUTH [gau-kumaewdh], sb. Same as GAPMOUTH. A gaping fool.
GAWK, GAWKUM, GAWKUMY, GAWKY [gau-k, gau-kum,
gau'kumee, gau'kee], sb. A fool, stupid fellow, lout, clodhopper generally qualified by some adjective, as
gurt, stupid, purty, &c.
Thee must be a purty gawk, vor to bring jis thing's thicky there!
The gome J>at so glosej) chartres, a goky is he yholden So is he a goky, by god, )>at in the
godspel faille]); In masse o]?er in
matynes, maketh eny defaute.
Piers Plow. XI v. 120.
GEASE [gee-us], sb. and v. t. A girth; a leather strap worn by most labourers. Common name for a
saddle-girth.
The gease brokt and off I come.
Here! gease'n up a bit tighter, he'll (the saddle) slip round, in under the belly o' un, I be afeard.
GEE [gee; /. /. gid; /./. u-gid], vb. t. and /. i. To give. This pronunciation is nearly invariable, and
only modified by rapidity of
utterance.
I baint gwain to gee no such money.
I s'pose you 'ant a got no jich thing's a old pair o' boots a-left off, vor to gee away, I be shockin bad off, I
sure ee, sir.
Hot b'ee gee-'m vor butter to-day, mum? Well, we ant a-gid no more-n ninepence in money, but we gid
Farmer Lee's wive tenpence, take it
out in shop-goods.
2. sb. A gift. See COBBLER'S CURSE.
GEE IN [gee- ee-n], v. i. To tender; to deliver an estimate.
Me and Bob Brice gid in vor't, but I s'pose we wad'n low enough, 'cause Harry Peach Ve a-tookt it;
and he on't sar his wages to it.
Tidn no good vor to gee in 'thout can get a trifle out o' it.
GEE OUT [gee- aewt], v. i. i. To give out; to thaw.
This yer vrost'll gee out avore long.
I sim 'tis geeingout a little bit. See GIVE.
2. To yield; to give in; to admit defeat.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9143) (tudalen 283)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 283
I would'n never gee out avore I was a forced to.
'Tis a terrible bad job, but there, must'n gee out to it. See JEE.
GENITIVE, DOUBLE. When the genitive of the name or title of a person is formed with the prep, of, it
is very common to duplicate it by the
use of the inflected form as well.
'Twas somebody had the very daps o' our Tom',? (note omission of the relative after somebody).
I'll swear to the hand-writin o' your maisterV any place, or 'vore other jidge in England.
Butler (Capt. T.) The Little Bible of the Man, or the Book of God opened in Man by the Power of the Lamb, written by
a Weak Instrument of the Lordj.
Bookseller's Catalogue, Jan. 1887.
GENTLEMAN [jiin'lmun], sb. One who dresses well, and can live without work.
What d'ye think o' he, then? nif that idn th'old Ropy 's son, a rayed up wi a box hat and a
walking-stick, just as 'off a was a ginlman.
GENTLEMAN WITH THREE 'OUTS' [jun-lmun wai dree aewts]. (Very com. phr.)
Call he a ginlmun! I calls 'n a ginlmun way dree outs 'thout wit, money, an' manners.
G ERR A WAY [gyaeruwai 1 ]. Get away. Always so pronounced in speaking to hounds. Gerraway, Frantic!
GERRED [gyuurud], adj. Covered, clothed (hence with mud and filth).
I was a-plastered and a gerred up to my eyes.
& of stokkes and stones, he stoute goddes call}
When )>ay ar gilde al with golde and gered wyth syluer.
A Hit. Poems, Cleanness, 1. 1343.
Nif tha dest bet go down into tha Paddick to stroak the kee, thee wut
come oil a gerred, and oil horry zo
vurs tha art a vorked. Ex. Scold. 1. 46.
GET [gut], v. t. i. To beget.
2. v. i. To thrive; to improve.
They sheep'll sure to get, in your keep /'. e. on your land.
GETTING [gtffeen], adj. Active in business; striving. None o' your arternoon farmers, he idn; idn
a more gettiner sort of a man 'thin
twenty mile o' the place.
GHASTLY [gyaas-lee], adj. and adv. i. Unsightly, dilapidated, ragged, untidy.
Well, nif thee has-n a made a ghastly job o' it, I never didn zee nort.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9144) (tudalen 284)
|
284
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
The poor old 'otise do look ghastly -, don 'er? I can't abear vor to zee un all a-tord abroad.
Th'old man and his 'oss and cart and all, do look ter'ble ghastly, I zim.
2. Terrible, frightful, dangerous.
They ingins be ter'ble ghastly things vor 'osses; they did'n off to 'low em 'pon the roads.
. 'Tis a ghastly place vor to drave in the dark; they off to put up a rail.
GIBBLE-GABBLE [gub-1-garrl], sb. Chatter, idle talk. A gibh-gable. Barragouin. Cotgrave
(Sherwood).
GIBBY [gib'ee], sb. A child's name for a sheep. A lamb is a [gib'ee laam].
GIBBY HEELS [gib'ee ee-ulz], sb. Of horses another name for greasy heels, or scratches; chapped
heels. Same as KIBBY.
GID [gid],/r^. and/./, of to give. See GEE.
I gid dree and zixpence vor'n.
They ant a gid me nort, cause they zaid how that my zin must maintain me. Her gid'n all so good's a
brought. See ALL.
GIFTS [giif-s], sb. White spots which often appear on the nails thought to betoken coming gifts. An old saw
says:
[Gtif's pun dhu dhuum*] Gifts on the thumb
[-1 shoa'ur tu kuum';] will sure to come J
[Gufs pun dhu ving'gur] Gifts on the finger
[-1 shoa'ur tu ling'gur.] will sure to linger.
GIG, GIG-MILL [gig, gig-mee'ul], sb. The machine by which the shag or nap is raised upon blankets and
other cloth. Also applied to the
building in which the machine is worked. To gig cloth is to raise the nap by means of
teasles or otherwise.
Where's your Tom now? Au! he do worky down to factory he've a-worke'd to the gt'g's two year.
GIGLET [gig'lut], sb. A giddy, laughing, romping girl. Nothing wanton or lewd is now implied.
I don't s'pose nothin ever will tame thick maid, her always was a proper giglet.
GYBELOT (gyglot, s.). Ridax.
GYGELOT, wenche (gygelot, wynch, s.). Agagula.Promp. Parv.
Here he praysis him of his wife, that is na gigelot, hot vndire the guuernand
Hampoltt Psalter, p. 166. Ps. xliv. xi.
Romont. If this be
The recompence of striving to preserve
A wanton giglet honest, very shortly
'Twill make all mankind pandars. Do you smile, Good lady looseness 1 Mas singer, The Fatal
Dowry, III. i.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9145) (tudalen 285)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 285
Young Talbot was not born To be the pillage
of & giglot wench. I Henry VI. IV. vii.
Go not to ]>e wrastelinge, ne to schotynge at cok, As it were a strumpet or a giggelot:
How the good wijftau^t hir dou$tir t Babes' s Book, p. 40.
Hare's net as zome Giglets, zome prenking mencing Things be.
Ex. Scold. 1. 566.
GIGLETING [gig'lteen], part. sb. and adj. Giggling; silly laughing.
The boys mus zit down under there'll never be nort but gigletin way the maaidens, zo long's they zits in
the gallery.
See Ex. Scold. 11. 131, 141, 568.
GIG-SADDLE [gig-zacH], sb. The saddle belonging to a set of single-horse carriage or gig-harness, as
distinguished from the cart-saddle, or
the hackney- saddle.
GILAWFER [jiilau-fur], sb. Stock, gilliflower.
[Wuyvsnjutau'furz,'] Whitsun gilliflowers the white double rocket Hesperis Matronalis. dovz-gilawfer
carnation. (Very com.)
The Mod. Eng. pronunciation of gilliflower is unknown in the dialect; the latter retains the sound
familiar in Chaucer's time. GYLLOFRE,
herbe. Gariophilus. Promp. Parv.
And many a clove- gilof re, And nutmeg
to put in ale, Whether it be moist or
stale, Or for to lay in coffer. (Gilfillan) Chaucer, Rhyme of Sir Topas, 1.
13692.
Schadowed ]ris worte$ ful schyre and schene
Gilofre, gyngure and gromylyoun
And pyonys powdered ay by-twene.
Allit. Poems, The Pearl, 1. 42.
GIROFLEE: A gilloflower; and, most properly, the Clove-gillojlower. Cotgrave.
Queenes GILLOFLOWERS. Matrones. Marsh or cuckoe GILLOVERS. Barbaries
sauvages. Sherwood.
GYLLOFER, a flour girouflee, oyllet. Palsgrave.
GILD [giild], v. t. To geld.
Not far from my home is a board on a house: John . . . , Farmer and Gilder. See CUTTER.
Gelder of beestes chasterevx. Palsgrave.
GILL [gee-ul], sb. The lower jaw.
He up way his vice (fist) and meet way un right in the gill, and down a vall'd. GILTY CUP [gul-tee, or gee'ultee kuup],
sb. Lesser Celandine, Ranunculus
jicaria.
'Mong the turf let the daisies an' gulticups
wave, Wi' the stream ever ripplin' a
hymn roun' my grave.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 72.
GIMCRACK [jimrkraak], adj. Slight in construction; weak; badly contrived. Not used as a sb.
I be safe thick there ont never answer, I calls 'n a proper gimcrack concarn he'll be same's th' old
umman's spinnin turn; there must be a
new wheel these year, and a new body next.
GIMLET-EYED [gunrlut-uyd], adj. Having eyes which not only squint, but are always in motion a
peculiarity not uncommon; the phrase
is well understood.
Gee me ort! a gimlet-eyed old bitch, 'tis wo'th zixpence to git a varden out o' her.
GIMMACES [gunveesuz], sb. Handcuffs.
GIN [gee'n; p. t. gee'nd, gumrd; p. p. u-gee'nd, u-gumrd], v. To begin. A.-S. ginnan, to begin. The
modern first syllable is most commonly
dropped, and in the dialectal form of the phr. I am, or they are beginning, it is so
always:
I (or) they be ginnin to pull down the burge.
Of some new houses a man said to me: Two o'm be a-zold Vore they be a-gun'd i. e. before they are
begun. May 13, 1887.
And to deliuri j>e zaules of J)e hole uaderes, and of alle J)on )>et uram J>e ginningge of
]>e wordle storue in zoj).
Ayenbite of Imvyt, p. 12.
Lo the oak, )>at ha)> so long a nourisching From the time that it ginne\ first to
spring.
Chaucer, Knighfs Tale, 1. 3020.
Lo, cure folk ginne\ to falle: for defaute of help.
William of Palerme, 1. 11^5,
Hark! Hark! the lark at heaven's gate sings,
And Phoebus gins arise. Cymbeline, II. iii. Song.
GIN [jiin], sb. A steel trap, as a rat-gin, fox-gin, pole-gin. All these act on the same principle. A trap
implies a means for catching the prey
alive, except among keepers, who are beginning to use trap, where until lately they always
said gin.
GINGER [jun'jur], adj. Reddish in colour; ginger whiskers. Ginger-poll is a common
nickname for a red-headed boy.
GINGERBREAD [jiin-jurbraed], adj. Weak; slight in make; wanting in stability; bad in material.
Applied to any kind of construction;
much the same as GIMCRACK.
What's the good vor to put up a gingerbread thing of a linhay like that? The fust puff o' wind '11 blow
un away.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9146) (tudalen 286)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 28/
GINGERLY [jwvjurlee], adv. Cautiously, carefully, gently.
Now this yer new machine must be a-han'ld gingerly like, else he'll zoon be a-tord abroad.
Thick there plank idn very strong, mind you must stap gingerly over-n, else in you goes.
GIRD-IRE [gurd'-uyur], sb. A gridiron. (Com.) See GRIDDLE. GYRDIRON, gril, grillon. Palsgrave.
GIRDLE, GIRDALE [guurdl; emph. guurdae-ul]. Great deal.
[Maekth u guurdl u duf'urns, wae'ur yue du paa'y daewn daap', ur uurn aup bee'ulz,] (it) makes a great
deal of difference whether you pay
ready money, or run up bills.
Thick there's better-n yours by a \ - guur dae'ul\ great deal.
GIRDLER [guurdlur], sb. One who mocks at or ridicules another; one who grins. For a boy, the
epithet is precisely analogous to
giglet for a girl.
Young osbird! I calls-n a proper young girdkr nobody can't have no pake vor-n.
GIRDLY [guurdlee], v. i. To grin; to sneer; to mock at.
What art thee girdlin to? I'll make thee know, s'hear me! Anybody's well off, nif they can't go long
'thout a passle o' lousy boys girdlin
and hollerin arter em.
GIRN [guurn], v. i. To grin. (Usual pronun.)
Thee's a-got a purty face o' thy own; thee'rt jis fit vor to girn
drue a ho'ss collar idn nother one can come aneast thee vor
purtiness.
They goe with the corpses girning and flearing, as though they went to a beare-baiting. Larimer's Sermons, fol. 220,
b. (quoted by Nares).
GIRT [guurt], v. and sb. (Tech.) i. In measuring timber, the length and girt (girth) are taken. The
latter is arrived at by getting the
full circumference with a cord, and then by twice doubling the cord. The length in inches of
this fourth part of the circumference
is called the girt. To measure in this way is
“to girt the tree," or to see what “he'll girt."
What size sticks be em will any o'm girt a voot or over?
2. A girth.
Plase, sir, you must have some new girts, yours baint safe.
and a headstall of sheep's leather . . . one girt six times pieced and a
woman's crupper of velure. Taming the
S/trew, III. ii.
3. adj. Great (Always.)
4. adj. Intimate, friendly, thick. See DREADFUL.
They was always ter'ble girt like, ever since I've a-knowed em, and eet they be a-vall'd out to last.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9147) (tudalen 287)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS.
GIRT HAP [guurt aap], sb. Providential escape; unusual good luck; lucky chance.
'Twas a girt hap they had'n both o'm a-bin a-killed. 'Twas on'y by a girt hap eens he hap to
meet way un.
And nif by gttrt hap tha dest zey mun at oil.
Ex. Scold. 1. 267. See also Ib. 1. 315.
GIRT MIND [guurt muyn], //$/-. Great mind; same as GOOD MIND (q. v.\
His father told-n he'd a-got a girt mind to gee un a downright good hidin.
GIRTS [guurts], sb. pi Grits, oatmeal.
Mind how you bwoil the girts t eens the gruel mid'n be nubby.
GIRT SHAKES [guurt shee'uks], //;-. A slang importation conveying much the
same meaning as girt things, but more derogatory when applied to a person. No girt shakes =
a bad lot.
GIRT THINGS [guurt dhing-z], phr. Used negatively. They baint no girt things i. e. not of much
account. I baint no girt things
to-day, mum, thank'ee /. e. I am not
very well.
GIRTY [guurtee], adj. Gritty.
Hot ailth this yur paint? 'Tis ter'ble.V>/y, I zim.
GIVE [guv], v. i. To condense moisture. The usual word is tave (q. v.), but to give in this sense is
very com., especially among the better
classes.
How the kitchen-floor do give we be gwain to have rain.
GIVING, as stones in rainy weather. Moite. Cotgrave (Sherwood).
GIVED [guvd, p. tense, and M-guvd, p. part.~\ of to give. Gave and given are unknown. Not so com. as gid:
used by those with a little schooling.
Her legs gived away. They zaid how they had'n a-gived no more.
GIVE TONGUE [gee tuung-], v. Applied to a dog, fox, or badger to make the vocal sound of his kind
when his prey has just started, or he
is hunting by scent. This is a very different
thing from "to bark." Any dog barks by way of alarm, but
only spaniels, terriers, and hounds
give tongue. A pointer or a greyhound would be worthless if he did so. A
small dog is said to wap (q. v.).
Nif you hear th' old Ranter gee tongue, mind, 'tis a sure find.
GLAM [glaam], sb. Talk, noise, clamour.
Hold your glam, anybody can't year theirzel spake.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9148) (tudalen 288)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 289
]>enne such a glauerande glam of gedered rachche}
Ros, ]>at ]>e rochere^ rungen aboute. Sir Gawayne^ 1. 1426.
Muchg/am & gle glent vp J?er-inne. Ib. 1. 1652.
GLARE [glae-ur], sb. and z>. /. Glaze or enamel.
[Tloa'm lid-n geo'd, neef lid-n u miid'leen glacur paun ut,] cloam (crockery) is not good, if (there) is
not a middling glaze upon it. Most o'
it's ^.-glared way zalt.
[Dhu roa-ud-z au'l tiie u glarur,] the road is all of a glaze (of ice).
CLASSEN [glaas-n], adj. Made of glass.
[U glaas-n deesh,] a glass dish.
GLASY, or glasyne, or made of glas (glasyn of glasse, p.). Viireus.
Promp. Parv. GLASSES [glaas-ez], sb.
pi. Spectacles.
GLAST ONBURY THORN [glaa'snbree dhuurn], sb. A variety of white-thorn which puts out rather a
sickly-looking white blossom in
winter, and is said to blossom on Christmas Day. Its name is from the legend of Joseph of Arirnathaea, who
planted his staff on Wearall Hill at
Glastonbury, whence sprung the famous thorn. I had until recently a fine specimen, which
certainly did bloom at Christmas, but
only the second blossoming in May was fertile. Called also Holy Thorn.
GLINTY [glun-tee], v. i. To glisten; to sparkle. I thort I zeed something glinty, and there
sure enough I voun 'un, all to a heap,
eens mid zay. Said of a ring lost in a hayfield.
GLISTERY [glus-tureen], v. i. To glisten.
Must put a little elbow-grease about'n, gin he do glistery; he idn no otherways'n a bit o' lid (lead).
GLOBES [gloa-bz], sb. Trollius Europaus. (Very com.) Rarely found wild, but common in cottage
gardens.
GLUM [gluum], adj. Sulky; sullen; cross in temper: applied to appearance only.
Maister lookth mortal glum z'mornin, I zim; I reckon he bide a bit to market last night.
GLUMPING [gluum-peen], adj. Sullen; out of temper. Au! I likes it middling like, ony her's
(mistress is) main glumpin every
whip's while. Servant's opinion of situation.
Thomasin. How! ya gurt chownting, grumbling, glumping, zower-
zapped, yerring Trash! Wilmot. Don't
tell me o' glumping.
Ex. Scold. 1. 39. See also 11. 41, 313.
GNARL [naardl], v. t. To gnaw.
Here, Watch, here's a bone for thee to gnardle.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9149) (tudalen 289)
|
2QO
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
GNAW-POST [naa'pairs], sb. A stupid, ignorant lout.
GO [goo; /. /. goa'd, wai'nt; p. p. u-goo, u-wai'nt]. When followed by a vowel loses the o. As:
[G-een,] go in; [g-aa'dr,] go after; [g-au'p, or g-uirp,] go up; [g-aewtj go out; [g-oa-vur,] go over;
[g-oaf,] go off; [g-oa-m,] go home.
G-aup'-m g-een dhu ween'dur,] go up and get in the window.
They did'n never ought to a-went. (Always thus.) See AGO.
But a always goed clappaty like, 'pon thick voot.
GO [goa, goo], v. i. i. To discharge; to suppurate.
Her've a-got a tumour gwain (i. e. going) from her sittin (q. v.).
2. v. i. To intend /'. e. to set about.
I be safe he never did'n go vor to do it.
Used in this sense only in a negative construction.
3. To die.
Poor blid, her time ont be long, but there, her's ready vor to go. Poor old maister's ago to last; well there,
nobody could'n wish vor-n to
a-suffer'd no longer.
GO [goo, goa], v. i. To walk. A very com. proverb is:
A cheel that can tell avore he can go,
'11 sure t' ha nort but zorrow and wo.
Th' old man cant go 'thout two sticks. I can go middlin like, on'y I baint very vast 'pon my veet like.
But had ]>e good greehonde, be not agreued,
But cherischid as a cheffeteyne, and cheff of 3oure lese
3e hadde had hertis ynowe at 3oure wille, to go and to ride.
Langland, Rich, the Red. II. 113.
So that after and many a daye
He wold warn no man the waye
Neythyr to ryde nether goo. Sir Cleges (W'eber), 1. 460.
but 3if me dooj? hem harne, >ey goo\> awey and come]> nou3t a3en.
Trevisa, De locorum prodigus, xxxv. vol. I, p. 371.
GO [goa], sb. Spirit, energy, pluck.
Nif he idn a proper dunghill not a bit o' go nor muv in un.
GO AWAY, v. i. To leak. Said of a pump, or of any leaky vessel the water goth away.
GO BACK [goo baak-], v. i. To deteriorate; to get behind in money matters; to lose flesh (of animals
or persons); to fail in health or
strength (of persons).
The concarn bin gwain back 'is ever so long.
They beast be a-gv back wonderful since I zeed 'em; they baint so good by two a-head /. e. 2 each.
I was a-frightened to zee how your missus is z-go back. I tell'ee hot 'tis nif you don't take a sight o' care
o' her, you'll lost her.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9150) (tudalen 290)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 29 1
[Dhai yoa*z bee gwai'n baa'k tuurubl,] those ewes are losing in condition very fast.
[Aay bae'un een noa wun'durmunt dhu bae'uleez bee dhae'ur ee bun gwai'n baa'k uz yuurz,] I am in no
wonderment the bailiffs are there he
has been getting behind for years past.
Poor old fellow! well, I did'n think he was going so soon; but there, I've a zeed he been going back 's
ever so long.
GOB [gaub], sb. A piece; a mass or lump: usually applied to some soft substance, as a gurt gob o' clay;
a gob o' cow-dung.
mynse ye J>e gobyns as thyn as a grote,
])an lay Jjeiii vppon you re galantyne
stondynge on a chaffre hoote:
Russell's Boke of Nurture (Furnivall), p. 161*
GOBBED [gaub'd],/./. Plaistered. All a
gobbed up wi grease and dirt.
GOBBLE GUTS [gaub'l guuts]. Com. name for a greedy person.
A proper old gobble guts her is; her dont come vore up eight o'clock, and then her must have breakfast
avore her begins, and vore 'leb'm
o'clock her's callin out vor her vore-noons.
A Goble-gut. Gobequinant, goulard, gouillard. Sherwood.
GOD ALMIGHTY'S BREAD AND CHEESE [gau'd umai'teez buurd-n chee'z]. Wood-sorrel. Oxalis
Acetosella. (Very com.)
GOD ALMIGHTY'S COCK AND HEN [kauk-n-arn].
[Rab'een Uur'dik-n Jun'ee Ra'in,] Robin Ruddock and Jenny Wren, [Bee Gau'd umai'teez kauk-n-ai'n.] Be God
Almighty's Cock and Hen.
GOD ALMIGHTY'S COW. The Lady-bird.
GOD'S TRUTH [gau'dz treo;th]. The real truth; the exact truth. A very common asseveration.
That there's God's truth, nif tidn I an't a got thick stick in my hand! so true's you be standing there there
now!
GOFFERING [goa'fureen], sb. A kind of frilling of small pleats. \ - Goa'fureen uyurz,] goffering irons are
the fluted rollers with which it is
made. Always pronounced with o long.
GO FOR [goa- vaur], phr. To have the reputation of being, or belonging to.
What is he? Well there, he do go vor a ginlman like.
Is that his daughter? Ees, her go'th vor\, once.
[Dhu plae'us au'vees wai'nt vur ee'z, bud niivur t-waud-n,] the place was always reputed to belong to him,
but (it) never did.
GOING [gwai'n, gwaa'yn], adv. In succession; following; one after another.
u 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9151) (tudalen 291)
|
292
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Why you've a-turn'd up th' ace dres times gwain. I've a-knowed our Mr. Jim kill twenty shots
gwain.
GOING FOR [gwai-n vur], phr. i. Approaching in age or number when a round number is used.
I count th' old man's gwain vor vower score. This would be said indefinitely if he were over seventy.
2. Used before a definite numeral signifies that the number previous has been exceeded.
Hot's the clock? Gwain vor half arter dree. This means that it is more than twenty-five minutes past.
'Tis time Joe was to work, he's gwain vor vourteen /. e. he is over thirteen.
GOLDEN-BALL [goa'ldn-bau-1], sb. The guelder rose. Viburnum opulus. (Very
com.) Also a variety of apple.
GOLDEN CHAIN [goa'ldn chaa-yn]. i. The laburnum. Cytisus Laburnum. (Very com.)
2. Ranunculus globosa. (Com.)
GOLDEN CUP [goa-ldn kuup]. i. Marsh marigold. The usual name. Caltha Palustris. Called also
King-cup.
2. Ranunculus globosa. (Com.)
GOLDEN-DISHWASHER [goa-ldn-dee-shwaurshur], sb. The yellow wagtail. (Always.) Motacilla Raii.
GOLDEN-DRAP [goal'dn-draap-]. A well-known variety of plum.
GOLDEN-NOB [goal-dn-naub-]. A variety of apple; a kind of golden-pippin.
GO-LIE [goo-luy], adv. phr. i. Said of corn or grass when beaten down by wind or rain.
[Dhik-ee vee'ul u wai't-s airl M-goo-luy,] that field of wheat is all laid flat.
2. Said of the wind after a storm.
[Dhu wee'n-z M-goo-luy ',~\ the wind has gone down.
GOLLOP [gaul-up], sb. A lump, as a gollop o' fat, a gollop o' clay.
GO-LONG [goo-lau-ng], v. /'. To pass by; to cross over; to ford.
You bwoys off to be 'sheamed o' it, not to let the maaidens^-/<?^ quiet like.
Nobody cant go-long thick way, you'd be up to your ass in mud.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9152) (tudalen 292)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 293
The river was all out over the mead; cou'dn go-long 't-all; we was a'foced to come back and go-long round
by the burge (bridge).
GO 'LONG WAY [goo laung war]. To keep company with: said of two sweethearts, not necessarily
implying engagement. All young people
of the servant class like to be, or to have, a beau, who may or may not become more closely connected.
Our Jane do go 'long way the young butcher Bishop but lor! her widn have jich a fuller's he 'pon no
'count, for all he'll come to the
business when th' old man do drap. He idn good-lookin enough for our Jane.
GONE [gairn], p. p. Dead.
[Uur-z gau'n, poo'ur blid! ] she is dead, poor soul!
GOOD-FOR-NOUGHT [geo'd-vur-noa-urt], sb. and adj. A lazy, shiftless person.
Her's a proper good-for-nought; her'll zoon bring his noble to nine-pence.
GOOD HUSSEY [geod uuz'ee], sb. A needle and thread case.
GOODISH [geod'eesh], adj. i. Pretty good, or perhaps very good, depending on stress and individual
expression.
[Dhur wuz zum geo'deesh bee 'us tu fae'ur,] there were some very good cattle at the fair.
2. A very indefinite measure of length or quantity, but rather implying much than little. As \glod m eesh
war, geod'eesh pruyz,] long way, high
price.
GOOD LIVIER [geod luViur], sb. One who keeps up a good establishment.
Th' old Squire was always a good livier, and none o' the chil'ern wadn never a-brought up vor to sar nort,
but now fy! they must work or else
starve!
GOOD MIND [geod muyn],/^r. Strong inclination. I've a-got a very good mind to zend em all
back, and zay I 'ont have em. I'd
a-got a good mind to go and do it, myzel.
GOOD MUCH [geod muuclr], sb. A great deal; a large proportion,
[U geod muuch' u dhu wart-s u-kaard,] a large proportion of the wheat is carried /. e. stacked.
GOOD-NATURED [geod-nae'uturd], adj. Said of a woman to imply lewdness.
I've a-know'd her's twenty year, and never didn yur no good by her; her was always one o' the good-natured
sort.
GOOD NEIGHBOURS [geod naayburz], sb. Red Valerian. Centranthus ruber. (Com.)
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9153) (tudalen 293)
|
294
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
GOOD NOW [geod'-naew, emphatic; geo'-nur, ordinary}. A very common phrase implying “you know."
[Y-oa - n ae un vur dhu muun'ee, geo'-nur,~\ you will not have it for the money, you know.
I tell ee hot tis, good now, you be so pokin, they'll be all a-go vore you be come.
GOODS [geo-dz], sb. i. Household furniture and utensils. Their goods be gwain to be a-zold a
Zadurday.
2. Dairy produce, butter, cheese, cream.
There idn nort like cake vor cows; the goods be so much better vor 't.
I don't like to much cake vor cows, the goods baint near so good there's always a taste like.
GOOD TURN [geod tuurn], sb. Fortunate, or lucky chance.
[Twuz u geod tuurn yue ad-n u-biin- dhur,] it was a lucky chance you were not there.
\ - Geod tuur'n mae'ustur ded-n zee* dhee! ] (it was) fortunate master did not see thee.
GOOD WAYS [geod wai'z], sb. A considerable but indefinite distance.
He do live a good ways herefrom. How far? Well! a good ways. Yes, but how far? three miles? Au!
ees, tis dree mild, vull up; I count
tis handier vive.
GOOD WOMAN [geod uurrrun], address to the wife of a peasant, while the Squire's wife is [geod lae'udee],
good lady.
These refinements are practised by the class above the labourer.
GOODY [geod-ee], v. i. To thrive; to improve; to grow. Said of cattle of all kinds. A.-S. godian,
to do good.
How they there young things will goody in your keep. (Com.)
vor }e muwen muchel Jmruh ham beon \-goded > and i-wursed on ofcer halue.
Ancren Riiule, p. 428.
Petha, dest thenk enny Theng will goodee or vittie wi' enny zitch a Trub
es thee art. Ex. Scold. \. 262.
GOOKOO, GOOKOO-BUTTONS. See CUCKOO.
GOOKOO-COLOUR [geok-eo-kuul'ur], sb. A spotted grey, peculiar to fowls. (Very com.)
The man 've a-brought vower stags (cocks), and you can keep which you mind to. Two o'm be
gookoo-colour>d, and I likes they
best. Oct. 23, 1886.
GOOKY [geok'ee], v. t. To bend backwards and forwards. Evidently from the swing of the cuckoo when
perched. To act
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9154) (tudalen 294)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 2Q5
the cuckoo. Women in pain, or in any mental strain, are very prone iogooky.
Tidn a bit o' use to gooky over it, you cant help o' it now.
and wi' the zame tha wut rakee up, and gookee, and tell doil.
Ex. Scold. 1. 145.
Cf. Northern geek, to toss the head scornfully. Brockett, p. 80. GOOLFRENCH [goo'lvranch], sb. Goldfinch.
GO ON [goo au'n], phr. i. To prosper; to be trustworthy.
How's Bill M going on?
Well, I be half afeard o' un he owth me vor some barley; but he ont' ha no more o' me, avore he've
a-paid. I've a-yeard he idn gwain on
nezackly. June 24, 1886.
Our Bob's a steady chap, he'll go on, I'll warn un.
2. To leave off; to cease; perhaps it may mean to move on, but no such idea is conveyed in the phrase.
Only used in the imper.
In a quarrel either of the parties themselves, or a third, who wishes to stop it, says "go on” / and
means “be quiet."
3. To scold; to quarrel; to swear.
Th' old Jim Shallis and Bob Hart vailed out last night 'bout the money vor cutting Mr. Pring's grass, and
did'n em go on! they called one tother
but everything. They was a gwain on sure 'nough.
GOOSEBERRY [geo-z, or giie'zbuuree], sb. The devil.
[Dhu buurdz bee plaayeen dh-oai gue'zbuuree wai dhu wai%] the birds are playing the deuce with the
wheat.
Arter he've a-had a little drap nif he ont play the very old gooseberry: said
of a man, implying that he becomes drunk and riotous.
GOOSE-CAP [geo-z-kyup], sb. A silly person; a giddy girl.
Come, Liz, hot be larfin o' now? I never didn zee no such goose-cap as thee art. One o' these days
thee't larf tother zide o' thy mouth
[maewdh].
GOOSE-CHICK [geo-z-chik], sb. Gosling. (Very com.)
GOOSE-FLESH [geo-z-vlaarsh], sb. A rough appearance of the skin caused by cold or chill.
GOOSE-FLOP [geo-z-flaup], sb. The common daffodil. Narcissus
Pseudo-narcissus. (Very com.)
GOOSE-GOG [geo-z-gaug], sb. Gooseberry.
GOOSE-GRASS [geo-z-graas], sb. A dwarf sedge. Carex hirta.
GOR! GOR EYES! [gau-r uyz!] interj. A very common quasi-imprecation or exclamation.
Gor eyes! how a did tan un! I 'ont do it, by gor!
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9155) (tudalen 295)
|
296
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
GORBELLY [gairrbuul-ee], sb. An over-corpulent person. (Very com.)? Welsh, gor, intensitive = very
(large) boly, belly.
Prof. Skeat says it is from gore, filth, and that all doubt is removed by comparing Swed. gor bolg. No idea of
filth or contents, or of any moral
attribute, is implied by Eng. dialect speakers. In the latter cases dung-belly is used, but only
then in a figurative sense. Gorbelly
would never be used in speaking of a woman, whether pregnant or not.
GORE [goa'ur], sb. A piece of cloth tapering to a point. An umbrella is made entirely of gores.
So a gorecoat is a petticoat made so as to fit closely at the waist without gathering.
A seint she weared, barred all of silk,
A barm- cloth eke as white as morwe milk Upon her lendes, full of many a gore.
Chaucer, Miller's Tale, 1. 3236.
Goore of a clothe. Lacinia. Promp. Paru.
Thy Gore Coat oil a girred. A*. Scold. 1. 154.
GORE [goa-ur], v. t. and /. To stab or pierce with the horns said of cattle and deer.
Th' old cow Ve a gored two o' they pigs, eens I reckon you'll be a-forced to kill 'em vor to save the lives
o 'm.
The stag kept on goring at the hounds.
GORE [goa-ur, goo'ur], sb. Goad. A.-S. gar. A long rod tipped with a small spear for driving oxen.
Always so called.
GOSSIP [gaus-up], sb. A sponsor.
GOSSIPPING [gaus-airpeen],^. i. A christening feast. Hence the act of frequently attending such
gatherings, where much scandal and
small talk is heard; and so of talking scandal, and thence a gossip = one who talks scandal.
2. v. i. and sb. A merry-making.
[Dhai bee au'vees u gaus'au'peen ubaewt,] they are always gadding about at merry-makings.
[Dhur wuz u maa-yn gaus'au'peen u Dhuuz'dee, aup tu Faa-rm Stoa'unz,] there was a fine carouse on
Thursday, up at Farmer Stone's.
GOT [gaut, goa-ut], p. p. Used always with have, when possession is implied.
Hast-n a got thy rags (jacket) here? Why, thee't want em vore night /. e. thou wilt want.
Nif I'd a got the vallyation (q. v.) of two or dree thorns, could zoon stop thick road.
" I an't a got none” is the invariable form of the polite “I have not any." Her've a got the browntitis.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9156) (tudalen 296)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 297
GO THE WRONG WAY [goo dhu rairng or vrairng war], phr. Said commonly of cattle. A peculiar season
or insufficient food often causes a
chronic state of diarrhoea under which the animal wastes away and dies. This is what is
perfectly well understood as going the
wrong way. See SKENTER.
I don't like the look o* thick yeffer, 'tis much to me nif her don't go the wrong way.
GO TO [goa* tu, goo- tu], phr. Intend used negatively.
A boy strikes another by accident, and in reply to the consequent abuse, says: I didn go to do it.
Please, sir, I drow'd the stone, but plase, sir, I didn go to tear the winder. He never went vor to hat you,
did er?
Swete lefdi seinte Marie, uor ]>e muchele blisse J>et Jw hefdest J>o
Jw iseie Jnne brihte blissful sune
)>e te Gyus wenden vorto ajnaisemen, ase anoj>er deafclicli mon, wifcute hope of ariste: Ancren Riwle,
p. 40.
GOYLE [gauyul], so. A ravine; a deep, sunken, water-worn gully, usually with a running stream down
it. A chine in the Isle of Wight; a
gill in Cumberland.
Let's try the goyle here uncommon likely place vor a pheasant.
A scramble down into the goyal; a clatter up the other side; much
crushing in gate- ways; a heat of
sun-rays and anticipation, and we gallop over Wilmotsham Common to the ravine called Nutskale.
Account of a Stag Hunt in Wellington Weekly News, Aug. 19, 1886.
GRAB [grab], v. t. To seize; to snatch.
GRAB APPLE [grab* aa'pl], sb. A wild apple; a seedling apple-tree. Pyrus
malus.
GRAB EYE [grab- uy], sb. A peculiar grey eye in horses said never to go blind.
GRAB STOCK [grab- stauk], sb. The young seedling apple tree on which the better kind is grafted.
GRACY DAISIES [grae'usee darzeez], sb. Daffodils. Narcissus Pseudo-narcissus. (Com.)
GRAFT [graa-f(t], v. t. To dig with a spade, so as to push the tool down to its full depth each time the
soil is lifted. In draining land or
digging a grave, if the soil works well, so that it can be taken out with a spade without digging
first with a pick-axe, they would say
[Kn graa'ft ut aewt,] one can graft it out. To graft is to go much deeper than to spit. East
Yorkshire, to grave.
that is, apertly, that men may see, and nane is forto graft t that is, to
hide the slawndire of synnes.
Hampole, Psalter, p. 291. Ps. Ixxviii. 3. See also pp. 296, 339, 340.
GRAFTING-TOOL [graafteen-teol], sb. A kind of spade, long
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9157) (tudalen 297)
|
298
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
in blade, straight in handle, and curved on the cutting edge, used for draining, or digging clay.
GRAINDED [graa'yndud], /. p. i. Grained; painted to imitate natural wood.
Sh'li er paint the door, or will you plase t 3 ab-m a-grainded?
2. Ingrained with dirt.
My 'ands be that z-grainded, they ont be fit vor to put in the butter 'is week to come.
GRAMFER, GRAMMER [graanvfur, graam'ur], sb. Grandfather, grandmother.
Mauther! there's thousands o' cats out'n garden!
Nonsense, cheel, hot be 'e tellin o'?
Well then, there's hundids then!
Dont tell up sich stuff!
Well then, there's a sight o' cats.
Hast a-told em, cheel?
No! but I zeed grammer's cat-n ours!
-wont ye g'up and zee Crammer avore ye g'up to Challacombe?
Ex. Scold. 1. 537. See also 1. 542.
Oh lor! cud gramfer, dead, but larn
All this, t'id vex'n, I'll be boun'!
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 4.
GRAMFER-LONG-LEGS [graa-mfurlairng-ligz], sb. Daddy long-legs. Zipula oleracea.
GRAMMER'S APPLES [graanvurz aa-plz]. Grandmother's apples a well-known kind.
GRAMMER'S PIN [graanrurz peen], sb. A large shawl-pin.
GRAMMER'S TATIES [graanrurz tae'udeez], sb. A well-known variety of potato.
GRASS BEEF [graas- beef], sb. Meat of a grass-fed beast.
Complaining of the shrinkage of a certain joint, the butcher said: “You know there idn nothin but grass beef
this time o' year, and we always
expects grass beef to lost a little."
When Machrell ceaseth from the seas,
John Baptist brings grasscbcefe and pease. Tusser, 12-4.
GRATE [grae-ut], v. To graze.
[T-wuz u nee-ur tuch, dhu wee-ul grae'utud aup ugiiir mee baak',] it was a near touch, the wheel grazed
against my back.
GRAWL [grau-ul], sb. i. Gravel. (Always.) V is often dropped before /. comp. [shuwul, naa'ul,
klaa'ul,] shovel, navel, clavel.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9158) (tudalen 298)
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 299
A very good bed o' grawl, good 'nough vor garden -paths.
Hereof this gentle knight unweeting was;
And, lying down upon the sandy graile,
Drank of the streame, as cleare as chrystalle glas:
Faerie Queene, I. vii. 6.
2. The subsoil sometimes called deads.
Nif I zets-n (the plough) any deeper, he'll be down in the grawl.
GRAWLY [grau-lee], adj. Gritty, sandy, gravelly applied to soil. What's the good to bring me a passle o'
graivly stuff like that tid-n a bit
fit vor flowers.
GRAZE [grae-uz], v. t. and /. i. To fatten; to become fat -
applied to cattle, but quite as much to stall-fed as to grass-fed.
Father don't main to zell thick, we be gwain to graze her out, arter we've a-tookt off the flush o' milk.
I'll warn he to graze well, I knows the sort o' un (of a cow).
2. To weigh after fattening applied to a pig.
A farmer speaking of the prices of fat pigs, said: [Aay-v u-gaut' u guurt zaew aay rak'n-ul
grae'uz aup purd'ee nuy thuurtee
skoa'ur, bud aay shaa'n maek noa jis pruyz u uur,] I have a great sow I reckon will graze up
pretty nigh thirty score, but I shan't
make no such price of her. December 21, 1886.
GRAZING [grae'uzeen], adj. Applied to land rich, proofy, fattening.
Capical farm, 'most all o' it grazin-\a.nd.
GREASY [grai'see], adj. Said of a horse's heels when chapped, and giving out a slimy discharge. A very
com. ailment in the winter, consequent
on bad grooming and want of exercise. See GIBBY.
GREAT-HOUSE [guurt-aewz], sb. A house of the better class, such as the squire's, or the parson's
better than the farm-house, and still
better than the cot-house. These distinctions are quite common among the higher classes as well as
the lower.
GREE [gree'], v. i. To agree; to live in amity. Of a quarrelsome pair one often hears:
'Tis a poor job way em they never [doa*un grec'] don't gree very long, and her'll vail 'pon he in two
minutes.
I witt ]>at myn executours do her) gre by god discrecion atte )>e value
of xx ii amonge hame. Will of T.
Broke, Thorncombe (near Chard), 1417. Fifty
Earliest Wills, p. 27.
I have brought him a present. How gree you now?
Merchant of Venice, II. ii.
GREE ABLE [grarubl], adj. Suitable; convenient; in agreement with; matching.
I must look out vor a dog greeable to thick I've a-lost.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9159) (tudalen 299)
|
303
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
That there gurt heavy plough-tackle idn no
ways greeable to your 'osses: they
baint nothing near big enough vor the land.
J>ann take )>e iij. clothe, & ley the bou3t on >e Inner side
plesable, and ley estate with the
vpper part, >e brede of half fote is greable.
1450. John Russell's Boke of Nurture (Furnivall), 129/190.
Alle prechers, residencers, and persones >at ar greable, apprentise of
lawe In courtis pletable. M>> P-
l8 9-
GRP:EDY-GUTS [gree-di-guuts], sb. A glutton. (Very com.)
A GREEDY-GUT. Glouton, gourmandcur, gourmand, goulard, sacre,
gobequinaut, gouillart, freschedent,
bauffreur. Cotgrave (Sherwood).
GREEN [gree'n], sb. Immature, unripe as green drink, the wort before it is fermented into beer.
Green timber, that which is
unseasoned; a green goose; green apples. In carving a joint it is very common to ask, "Do
you like it green or dry?"
meaning underdone or well done. Green walls are walls newly built, or freshly plastered, which have not
had time to dry. Green cheese, new
cheese fresh from the press. (Always so called.)
A GREEN GOOSE or young goose. Oison, oyson, oyon, coupau.
Cotgrave (Sherwood).
Pandulf. How green are you, and fresh in this old world!
King John, III. iv.
There is iiij sorts of Chese, which is to say, grene Chese, softe chese,
harde chese, or spermyse. Grene chese
is not called grene by y e reason of colour,
but for y e newnes of it, for the whay is not half pressed out of it,
and in operacion it is colde and
moyste.
A. Borde, quoted by Furnivall, John RusselFs Boke of Nurture, p. 2OO.
GREEN-LINNET [gree-n-liin-ut], sb. The Green-finch. This bird is always so called. Coccothraustes
chlorts.
GREEN-MEAT [gree'n-mai't], sb. Succulent vegetable food, in distinction to dry-meat (q. v.}. (Always so
called.)
There idn nothin in the wordle do do osses so much good this time o' the year 's a bit o' green-mate; a
vew thatches, or trayfoliun or ort.
beware of saladis, grene metis, and of frutes rawe for ]>ey make many a man haue a feble
mawe.
John Russell's Boke of Nurture (Furnivall), 124/97.
GREENS [gree-nz], sb. The leaves of any kind of kale but not applied to those of cabbage, brocoli,
or cauliflower; also the second or
winter shoots of turnips hence we speak of "A vew greens vor dinner “curly -greens,
winter-greens, turmut-greens.
GREENY [gree-nee], v. /'. To become green. (Very com.) Nif this yer weather do last 't'll zoon
'gin to greeny, and we shall have some
keep vor the things.
t>ise >inges make> J>e grace of }>e holy gost mid herte, and
hi de> al g reny and flouri, and
bere frut. 1340. Ayenbite of Imvyt, p. 95.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 301
CREEP [gree-p], sb. A bundle; a grip such as can be carried under the arm of straw, sticks, &c., in
distinction from a burn (q. v.).
I meet'n comin along way a greep o' hay, vor the boy's rabbit, I s'pose.
GREY [grai-], sb. Morning twilight, early dawn. Never heard it applied to evening. See DIMMET,
DUMPS. Jist in the grey o' the mornin.
GREYBIRD [grai'buurd], sb. Fieldfare. (Com.) Turdus pilaris.
GREY-MARE [grai-mae-ur]. A wife who rules, in the very common saying: “The grey mare's the best
oss."
GRIBBLE [grtib-1], v. t. To cut off the dung which accumulates and mats the wool about the tails of sheep.
[Dhee goo yun- een Vauk/smoar un grub'l dhai yoa'z,] thee go yonder in Foxmoor and gribble those ewes.
GRIBBLE [grub'l], sb. A wild apple-tree; an apple-tree for grafting. The fruit of the wild or seedling
apple-tree. Same as GRAB.
GRIDDLE [guurdl], sb. i. Gridiron. Called also gird-ire.
Seint Lorens also ifcolede ]>e te gredil hef him upwardes mid berninde
gleden.
Ancren Riwle, p. 122.
Ich theologie ]>e tixt knowe, and trewe dome wytnessej>,
|>at laurens )>e leuite, lyggynge on ]>e gredire,
Loked vp to oure lorde: Piers Plow. III. 129.
2. v. t. To broil on a gridiron.
Mate idn a quarter so good a-vried eens 'tis ^.-girdled.
GRIG [grig], sb. i. A cricket.
"So merry's a grig" or "So merry's a cricket," are
equally common, and have the same
meaning they are the regular
superlative absolute of merry. See W. Som. Gram. p. 22.
A MERRY-GRIGGE, Roger bon temps, gale bon temps, goinpre. Sherwood.
2. sb. In phr. "Sour as a grig" the usual superlative absolute of sour j but I have no idea what a grig is
in this sense.
3. A pinch; a bite.
Nif th' old Bob (horse) didn gee me a grig in th' arm, eens I can't hardly bear to muv-m (move it).
GRINCUMS [gring-kumz], sb. Lues venerea. (Very com.) Called also crinkum-crankums.
Calipso. .... no bridge
Left to support my organ if I had one:
The comfort is, I am now secure from the crincomes, I can lose nothing that way.
Massinger, The Guardian, IV. iii.
|
|
|
|
|
|
302
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
GRINDING-STONE [gruyneen-stoaim], sb. Grindstone. (Always.)
GRIP [griip], sb. A ditch cut through a bog common on the hills of North- West Somerset (Exmoor
District).
Our hill idn a quarter zo bad's he used to, sinze the squire had they there grips a-cut drue the zogs.
GRYPPE, or a gryppel, where watur rennythe a-way on a londe, or watur forowe. Aratiuncula. Promp. Parv.
GRIP [griip], v. t. To rid out, or cleanse a ditch.
And will and shall properly grip up and surface gutter all the meadow
and pasture land hereby demised; Lease
of farm, dated Sept. 27, 1884.
GRIST [gree-s; //. gree'stez], sb. The corn carried at one time to be ground. Formerly the miller always took
his payment in a toll of the corn, and
hence one of our most common proverbs:
[Dhu toa'l-z moo'ur-n dhu gree's^\ the toll is more than the
grist. The precise equivalent for Le
Jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle.
The small mills for grinding people's own corn, all over the country side are always called ^m/-mills
[gree'S-mee'ulz].
GRIZZLE-DE-MUNDY [guurzl-di-muun'dee], sb. Abusive epithet. Awkward sawney; grinning idiot
generally used wither/ before it.
(Com.)
GRIZZLY [guurzlee], v. i. To grin; to laugh; to jeer. Hot art thee girzlin to? I'll make thee
larf the wrong zide o' thy mouth
torackly, s'hear me?
GROANING [groa-neen], /0/V. sb. Labour; childbirth.
GROANING-CHAIR [groa-neen chee-ur], sb. The large chair often found by bedsides.
GROANING-DRINK [groa-neen-dringk], sb. Ale brewed in anticipation of childbirth. Not many years
ago this provision was made in most
farm-houses.
GROAT [grairut], sb. Fourpence. The usual simile for exactness is:” 'Tis so near's fowerpence is
to a groat."
GROGRAM [graug-rum], adj. Mottled; grey in colour. Tech. in weaving; a white chain and black abb.
Hence "a grogram forrell” is a
plain band of black yarn woven at the end of a white piece of cloth. Grogram as a colour is
quite well understood as a woven mixture
of white and black, and not a mixture of wools before spinning. The latter is grey.
GROPE [groa-p, groa-pee], v. t. and /. To catch trout by gently feeling for the fish under the stones where
they lie, then seizing them behind the
gills a good groper is a deadly poacher of trout.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 303
I once witnessed a dinner improvised on Exmoor. "Jack, go and catch a dish of fish." Jack walked
into the stream, and in a very few
minutes over twenty mountain trout were ready for us.
I grope a thyng that I do nat se; 2e taste. Palsgrave.
Muche him wondrede of }>at cas ' and ]>an gropede he euery wounde, And founde hem )>anne in euery plas '
ouer all hoi & sounde.
Sir ferumbraSj 1. 1388.
GROSS [grau*s], adj. Over fat applied to meat.
Bacon can't never be to gross vor me.
That there beef's to gross, our vokes 'ont ate it.
GROSS [grau-s], sb. i. Scum; dross of melting metals or other liquids.
2. Thick stoggy food, such as porridge, pig's-meat, &c. Thick there dog' 11 ate the clear vast
enough, but he 'ont tich o' the gross.
GROUND [graewn], sb. Cultivated land; the use of the word is redundant. A "good piece, or field
of ground" would be understood to mean simply a good field. When
directly qualified by an adjective it
means surface land. Thus [ee'ul graewn,'] hill ground, does not imply hilly land, but poor, rough,
uncultivated soil, covered with furze,
heath, and ferns. See FIELD.
GROUND-NUT [graewn-niit], sb t Bunium flexuosum.
GROUND-RAIN [graewn-rai'n, or raa'yn], sb. A steady, soaking rain, that well saturates the ground.
We shan't ha' no turmuts, 'nif we don't get a downright good ground-rain, purty quick.
GROUNDRISE [graewnruyz], sb. Of a sull. A shoe or guard corresponding to the landside, which
was fixed to the bottom of the old
wooden broadside, to raise the soil and
take off the wear and tear from the wood. In modern iron implements there is no groundrise to the
turnvore.
GROUND-STICK [graewn stik], sb. A sapling of any kind growing from its own roots, and not a mere
offshoot, as- [graewn oak; graewn
aarsh; graewn uul'um^\ (elm).
GROUT [graewt], v. t. and sb. Tech. To pour in thin mortar or liquid cement upon wall-work, so as to
entirely fill up all interstices.
Hence it is common to see in architects' specifications: Every third course to be well grouted.
GROUTS [graewts], sb. pi. The grounds of tea or coffee.
GRUB [gruub], v. t. and i. i. To dig out by the roots; to root up; to clear land of roots.
|
|
|
|
|
|
304
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
I should like to grub thick piece o' ground, now the timber's ago, but mus' let it alone, 't'll cost to
much money.
2. To feed; to eat.
The horse is very bad, he ont grub.
GRUBBER [gruub'ur], sb. i. A tool for rooting a combination of axe and mattock. Sometimes called a
[gruub-een eks, or reofeen eks,]
grubbing or rooting axe. See BISGY, TWO-BILL.
2. sb. Applied to horses. A good grubber is one that is never off his feed hearty at all times, but
especially after a hard day's work.
[Dh-oa'l au's d-au'vees leok wuul", ee-z jish gruub'ur^] the old horse always looks well, he is such (a)
good feeder.
GRUMBLE-GUTS [gruunrl-guuts], sb. A confirmed grumbler. D' I know th' old Jack Hooper? Know un?
Ees! there idn no such old
grunfle-guts 'thin twenty mild o' the place.
GRUMPHY [gruum-fee]. GRUMPY [gruunvpee], adj. Surly, sulky, ill-tempered. Same as GLUMPY.
GUBBY [guub'ee], adj. Thick, sticky, viscous.
This here paint wants some thinners, 'tis so gubbfs bird-lime.
GUDGEON [guuj-een]. i. The journal or end of an arbor or spindle. The gudgeon is usually of
smaller diameter than the rest of the
arbor, so as to prevent its moving laterally in the "bearing" (q. v.) or journal-box.
No part of a spindle on which it may
turn, other than the end, is called the gudgeon.
2. The pin driven in or fixed to the end of any shaft upon which it may revolve. A barrow-wheel is
usually made with a wooden stock,
having a gudgeon driven into each end.
GULCHY [guul-chee], v. i. To swallow; to gulp. Sometimes, though rarely, [gluucrree].
Somethin the matter way his droat; can't gulchy vitty.
In literature the word seems to imply greedy swallowing, gluttony it has lost this meaning in the dialect.
ne beo hit neuer so bitter, ne iuelefc heo hit neuer: auh gulche%> in
^iuerliche, & ne nimefc neuer
3eme. Ancren Riwle, p. 240.
Galaffre: m. A ravenous feeder, greedy devourer, glutton, gulch, cormorant.
Cot grave.
Tueca. . . . slave, get a base viol at your back, and march in a tawny
coat, with one sleeve, to Goose-fair:
then you'll know us, you'll see us then, you
will, gulch, you will. Ben jonson, Poetaster, III. i.
GULLET [guul-ut], v. and sb. Term used by sawyers in sharpening their large saws. The gullet is
a hollow formed by a
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 305
round file at the bottom of each tooth, alternately on each side of the saw-plate, by which a very sharp
edge is obtained at the back of each
tooth. A sawyer, who had sharpened a large saw for me, said:
[Dhu guul'uts oa un, zr, wuz au'l u-wae'urd baak', zoa aay-v u fraa'sh guul'ut-n au'l drue un aewt], the
gullets of it, sir, were all worn
back, so I have fresh gulletted it all through.
GUMMER [guunvur], sb. A name/..?, good-mother, prefixed to that of an old woman.
[Dh-oa'l guuni'ur Greedy's kyat-n aawurz,] the old mother Greedy's cat and ours.
Zo th' old gummer Marks is dead to last: well, I spose her've a put ever so many to bed by her time, an'
now her turn's a-come.
GUMPTION [guunrshun], sb. Intelligence; common sense. [Ee ul due - , dhur-z zm guunrshun een
ee',] he will do, there is some sense
in him.
GUN-BOW [guun'-boa], sb. A cross-bow. These are very common playthings for boys, but are never
called cross-boivs.
GURDLY [guurdlee], v. i. Growl. (Usual word.)
[Poo'ur oal An 'dee! ee mivur doa'un guurdlee dhaewt t-iiz
stranjurz,] poor old Handy! he never growls except it is strangers. Is thick dug a chained up firm? Darn un! I
be afeard o' un;
he gurdled to me an' showed his teeth s' ugly's the devil by now.
GUTS [guuts], j. The stomach; the intestines generally; the abdomen.
The ball meet wai un right in the guts i. e. struck him in the stomach.
" More guts'n brains," is a very common summing-up of character.
At is heste >ey wente per-to: & softe gunne taste is wounde,
His lyure, ys lunge & is guttes al-so: & found hem hoi and sounde.
Sir Ferumbmsy 1. 1095.
if you would walk off, I would prick your guts a little, in good terms as
I may; Henry V. II. i.
Who wears his wit in his belly, and \teguts in his head.
Troihts and Cress. II. i.
Chad a most a bust my guts wi' laughing. Ex. Scold. 1. 151.
Diseases of the guts and adjacent parts.
Phil. Trans. Royal Society, 1695, vol. xix. p. 77.
GUTSING [guurseen], adj. Greedy.
A gutsing son of a bitch, better keep he a week'n a month.
GUTSY [guufsee], v. i. To eat greedily.
There they'll gutsy an' drink all Zunday, and gin the money's a-go, and then they be most a-starved vore
Zadurday night.
x
|
|
|
|
|
|
306
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
You never didn zee the fuller o' he; he'll keep on gutsing so long's ever you or anybody else '11 vind
mate vor'n.
GUTTER [guut-ur, guaoVr], sb. A drain; a common field drain made with the ordinary draining pipes.
"The gutter's a chucked," is the commonest way of saying
"the drain is choked."
You 'ont make thick field dry 'thout some cross gutters.
A house-drain is usually "a andergroim'-/fcr.*
GUTTERING [guufureen, guadween], sb. i. Draining land -
i,e. digging out trenches, laying pipes along the bottom, and filling in the earth.
I yerd you was gwain to zet on some guttering, sir, so I com'd in to zee nif I could take it to doin.
2. sb. and adj. Guttling, gormandizing. Same as GUTSING. You on't vind the fuller o' he vor
gutterin, not here about, once!
A goffering hawchamouth theng! Ex. Scold. 1. 187. GUTTER TILES [guad'ur tuyulz], sb. Com.
draining-pipes.
GUTTERY [guut-uree], v. i. A candle in a draught, when the tallow runs down on one side and forms
wasteful masses, is said to guttery.
Put vast the door, Sam, dost'n zee how the can'l's a guttering mid so well burn daylight.
GWAIN [gwai-n, gwa a yn], /#?-/. Going; also
used as an adv. following, in
sequence, as:
[U uun'did gwai'n^\ a hundred following one after the other.
GWAINS ON [gwaaynz au'n], sb. pi. Goings on; doings; proceedings.
[Dhai-z bee puurdee gwaaynz au'n, shoa'ur nuuf-! dhai'z yuur yuur bee,] these are nice goings on, sure
enough! these here here are. See
PUT-GWAIN.
H [ae'uch]. This letter, or aspirate, when
initial, is seldom sounded in the
dialect, except by way of emphasis. Certain literary words amongst the following, which have no
initial aspirate, are here spelt with
k. They are mostly interjections, or else for some reason pronounced with strong emphasis.
HA [u; ae-u, or hae'u, emph.; aa, or haa emph. before negative], v. To have. The v is only sounded before a
vowel and not always even then.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 307
I 'ont [u] ha none o' this yer nonsense. The usual invitation to drink is, [Haut-1 ee ae'u? ] what will
you have? [Dhai aa-n. u-gaut noa'un,]
they have not got any. See W. S. Gram. p. 59.
Also II. A. p. 2.
If ]my lyuede ywot to wysse Of hem y scholde ha herd or J>ysse,
and now y ha lost hem so. Sir Ferumbras, 1. 4011. See also 1. 954'
Then brother anglers, mind your eye,
In arder haa yer traps ta vishy
Good spoort, wi' all my heart, I wish ee.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches.
HA [u], pr. He, she, it. The sound is usually very short, precisely like short e in the book spoken
rapidly. This form is most common in
the Hills of W. Som. and in N. Dev.
Thy missus is bad again idn ha? Sometimes written a. See III. A. 2. See W. S. Gram. p. 96.
Nixt J>an: ha zette streng]>e ' J>et
J>e vyendes J>et sle^e zent to zygge to keste out. Ayenbite of Inwyt, E. E. T. S., p.
263.
By Mahomet ys o]> f^anne a swer. Sir Fentmbras, 1. 82.
]>an Jx^te he as a stod. Ib. 1. 92.
& by seynt dynys a swer is o]> ]>at after ]>at tyme a
nolde. Ib. 1. 127.
Nefde ha bute iseid swa, ]>* an engel ne com lihtinde, \vi<$ swuch leome, from
heouene.
Life of St. Katherine, 1. 665.
how ha mullad and soulad about tha. Ex. Scold. 1. 167.
Hot ded tha Yoe do ... but vurst ha buttoned.
2b. 1. 214. See Ib. Note, 6. p. 49.
HAB [ab], v. A very common form of have. When followed by n or m (the shortened form of him\ hab
is nearly invariable.
Well then I tell ee hot tis, I 'ont \ab-m~\ i. e. have it in no price.
He come to me and zaid how you should zen 'tin vor to borry my hook, zo I zaid to un, now s' I, nif I
lets thee \ab-m~\ wi't thee bring un
back agean?
The n is changed to m always after p, b, f, v. See W. S. Dial. p. 17. See also W. S. Gram. p. 57.
)>ou ne sselt habbe god bote me: ne worssipie ne serui.
Ayenbite of ' Inwyt, p. 5.
In bytoknyng of trawj^e, bi tytle >at hit habbe^.
Sir Gawayne, 1. 626.
]>e betere y hope ^ow may spede, and J?e sykerer ben on al $our dede, Hab }e hem se^e eft-sones. Sir Ferumbras,
1. 5041.
HAB OR NAB [ab- ur nab-], //jr. = "Get or lose”“ Hit or miss" "I'll chance it."
(Very com.) In a market, a buyer
pretending to walk off, says:
X 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
308
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Then you 'ont take no less? (Seller). No, I 'ont, not one varden. (Buyer.} Then I'll ab-m hob or nab!
This is probably the original form, still surviving, from which the hab-nab of literature is derived.
Turfe. I put it
Even to your worship's bitterment, hab nab.
I shall have a chance o' the dice for't.
Ben Jomon, Tale of a Tub, IV. I.
With that, he circles draws, and squares,
With cyphers, astral characters,
Then looks 'em o'er to understand 'em,
Altho' set down habnab at random.
Hudibras, Part II. Canto iii. 1. 990.
HACK [aak*], sb. The long row or open wall in which bricks are set up to dry before going into the
kiln.
The rain come avore we'd agot time vor to cover em, and spwoiled the wole hack o' bricks.
HACK [aak-], v. t. and /'. i. To dig with a mattock, so as to break the clods. The term rather implies
digging ground which has already been
turned up with a spade. (Obs. as a sb.)
Spit it (the ground) up rough, and after 't have a lied a bit, take and hack it back.
Connected with axe, hatchet, adze, and Hackle (q. v.)
A HACC. Videns, & cetera: vbi hake.
An Hak; videns, fossorium, ligo, marra. Cath. Aug.
To HATCH, or HATCHEL flax serancer du lin. Sherwood.
Agolafre com for}? wij> ys hache: "Ribaux," said he, “ich 3ou
attache, A3eld Jow anon to me. Sir
Ferumbras, 1. 4517.
I hacke small lentaille, andyV hache. Palsgrave.
2. To kick especially in wrestling and football.
They there Wilscombe fullers, hon they be a little bit a-zot up, they do hack sure 'nough.
3. To ride on horseback along the road.
I've a-knowed th' old man hack all the way to Horner, to meet, and that's twenty mild vull up, and then
he'd ride all day way the hounds, and
hack home again arterwards.
4. In the phrase hack about. To scamper; to ride hard; to give a horse no breathing time, or rest.
Ter'ble fuller to ride; I wid'n let-n hack about no 'oss o' mine vor no money.
5. To chop; to cut unevenly; as to hack a joint. A good gate hacked all abroad.
HACKETY [aa-kutee], v. i. To hop on one leg.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 309
I ve a -squat my voot, eens I be a-foc'd, otherways to bide still, or else to hackety 7 pon tother.
HACKETY [aa-kutee], sb. Sometimes called \ - ik- utee-aak'utee^ hickety-hackety. The game of hopscotch.
Come on, Bill! lets play to hackety! (Never” let's play at.")
HACK-HORSE [aak-airs], sb. A hackney; a roadster. What sort of a thing is it?
Well there, tis a useful sort of a hack-horse like, but I 'ont zay he've a-got timber 'nough vor to car you.
HACKLE [aa-kl], sb. i. The long piece of gut attached to the end of the line, together with the
artificial flies for fishing attached
to it. The flies themselves severally are never so called, but
the name is used for the whole
apparatus, gut and flies together.
2. A feather from a fowl's neck, suitable for making an artificial fly.
Our Jim can dress a hackle way anybody t. e. prepare the feather and tie it on to the hook, after which it
becomes a” fly."
HACKLE [aak'l], sb. and v. A kind of rough comb, through which the fibres of flax are drawn to
prepare it for spinning. The process
is called hackling; by it the outer skin of the fibrous stalk is broken up and got rid of.
HEKELE (heykylle, HARL. MS. 2274), Mataxa.
HEKELYNGE. Mataxatio.Promp. Parv.
An HEKYLLE: mataxa.Cath. Ang.
To hackle flax is to prepare and separate it from -the raw stalk to the fibrous condition.
Hetchell fcr flaxe, serancq, serant.
I heckell flaxe. le cerance. Am I nat a great gentylman my father was a hosyer and my mother dyd heckell flaxe.
Palsgrave, p. 582.
To HATCHEL. Serancer, serencer, brosser.
A HATCHELLER. Serancur.Cotgrav*(Shtr*wA).
HACKLY [haa-klee], v. i. To haggle; to chaffer. (Com.) They'd bide and hackly for an hour about
twopence.
HACK-MAL, HACKY-MAL [aak'-maal, aak'ee-maal], sb. The common torn-tit. Parus cczruleus. (Very
com.)
We 'ant a got no gooseberries de year, the hacky-mals eat all the bud.
HACKNEY SADDLE [aa'kn-ee zad'l], sb. The ordinary saddle on which a man (not a woman) rides. This is
a relic of the time when the
pack-saddle was commonest, and hence the riding-saddle had to be distinguished. If spoken of as an
equipment for a saddle
|
|
|
|
|
|
310
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
horse, we always say a [bruydl-n-zad*l] bridle and saddle, but if the saddle only were spoken of, we say: [Kaar
een dh-aa'kn'ee-zad'l-n. ae'un u
diie'd,] carry in the hackney-saddle and have it mended, to distinguish it from the cart or the gig
saddle.
HAKENEY, horse. Bajullus equifirus. Promp. Parv.
HACK-SAW [aak'-zau, or zaa,] sb. A saw used by smiths and others for cutting iron.
There idn nort better vor a hack-zaw-n. a old zive (scythe).
HAD [ad*], p. part. Got. Very com. in this sense.
Could'n look vor much of a crap; we ad'n ad but two little tad-dicks o' dung
a-left, vor to dress all thick spot o' groun.
Her zaid how, gin her'd a-paid everybody her ad'n ad but thirty shillins for to go on way.
This use is only found in negative construction.
HADDOCK [ad-ik], sb. The usual complement of the superlative absolute of
deaf. We seldom hear "deaf as a post" or any other than “so deef 's a 'addick."
Whether haddock is intended I much
doubt; but I never heard adder called addick.
This simile is quite common all over Devon and Cornwall. A friend living not far from the Land's End
said in a letter “Why do the people
always say ' so deaf as a haddock ' 9 Is a haddock more deaf than other fish?”
Th'art so deeve as a Haddick in chongy weather.
Ex. Scold. 1. 123. See Ib. note 1 6, p. 37.
HAFT [haaf], sb. Handle as of a knife, hook, &c. Not so common as hart (q. v). A. -Sax. hceft.
HEFT. Manubrium. Promp. Parv. p. 232.
And he schal have al the wordes^ Under
heft and under hond.
Weber, Met. Rom. Seityn Sages, 1. 258.
Of |)o two ])O haftes schynne outward be,
Of j>o thrydd ]>e hafte inwarde lays he.
Boke of Curtasye, 1. 675.
Hafte of any tole, mane he. Palsgrave.
HAG [ag], sb. A witch; a wizened old woman: applied also to the fairies or pixies.
HAGGAGE [ag'eej]. A term of reproach to a woman; baggage. Ya gurt Haggage.Ex. Scold. 1. 27.
HAGGAGING [ag-eejeen], adj. Slovenly in dress; beggarly; dressed like a hag.
cluttering. . . . lonching, haggaging Moil.
Ex. Scold. 1. 64. See also Ib. 1. 503.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 311
HAGGLE-TOOTHED [ag'1-teo-dhud], adj. Having teeth growing across or
projecting; snaggle-toothed. (Com.)
Wey zich a whatnosed, /^^-tooth'd, stare-bason ... as thee art.
Ex. Scold. 1. 54.
HAG-MALL [hag-maa'l], sb. Hag-moll an epithet for a slattern, or draggle-tail.
Her's a purty old beauty, her is a rigler old hag-mall.
HAG-RID ED [ag'ruydud], adj. Suffering from nightmare. Also applied to horses which often break
out into a sweat in the stable, and
are said to have been hag-rided, or pixy-rided. The belief is quite common that the pixies come
and ride the horses round the stable
in the night. Most farm stable-doors have a
rusty horseshoe nailed, sometimes to the threshold, generally on the inside of the lintel, to keep off the
pixies.
HAG-ROPE [ag-roo'up], sb. The wild clematis whose tangled growth is much like cordage. It is uncertain
if hag in this word has any
connection, as it has been suggested, with pixy, though the plant may well be called fairy's cordage.
(Clematis vitalba?) It seems much more
probable to be the survival of the A.-S. haga^ hedge. Hedge-rope appears more rational.
HAG -THORN [ag'-dhuurn], sb. The hawthorn. Cratagus oxyacantha. In this, there can be no doubt,
we have the older form haga, than the
haw of Lit. Eng.
Alba Spina, haeg-])orn. Earle. Eng. Plant Names.
HAIN [ai'n], v. t. To stone; to throw. Ang.-Sax. hdenan, to stone. See AIN for illustrations.
as here staat axi]> bi fals dom of J>e world, ]>ei schullen be hatid
and hayned doune as houndis, (stoned
down like dogs), and eche man redi to peiere hem in name and worldly goodis. Wyclif, Works, p.
250.
Tha wut drow, and hen, and slat, ....
Tha henst along thy Torn, &c.
Ex. Scold. 11. 248, 255. Also note, p. 134.
HAIRY FARMER [ae'uree paarmur], sb. The palmer-worm the common hairy caterpillar, (Very com.)
HAIVS [ai'vs], sb. Haws. Berries of the white hawthorn. We be gwain to have a hard winter, the
haivs be so plenty.
HALFEN DEAL [aa'frn dae'ul], sb. A half part of anything. The word rather implies a division by
counting, although it is used
occasionally with reference to division by measure only, as of liquids, cheese, &c.
I let'n had a full half en deal, same's off we was to share and share alike.
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 I2
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
)>at hahiendol ]>an di}te he; wi|)inne for]) to stonde,
& )>at o>er dol wyjxmte to be; to shute and caste with honde.
Sir Ferurnbras, E. E. T. Soc. xxxiv. 1. 3253.
half to me, and the tother hahiyndel to Walkyn my sone.
Fifty Earliest Wills, E. E. T. Soc. p. I, 1. 7.
HALF DOWN, or TO HALFEN DOWN [aa'fm daewn], v. Tech. To make a kind of half ploughing, by
which a shallow sod is turned upside
down upon the adjacent unmoved sod. This
is a very common operation, when it is desired only to rot the surface growth without burying it deeply.
HALF-FOOL [aa-feol], adj. Generally used with fellow [fuuVur], or some word expressing person. Stupid,
ignorant, half-witted.
I never widn ha nort to zay to no jis half-fool fellow as he, [aa'feol fuul'ur-z ee 1 ].
HALF-SAVED [aa'f-sae'uvud], part. adj. Stupid; half-witted a very common description.
Poor bwoy, you can't 'spect much vrom he he idn 'boo half a-saved.
HALLANTIDE [aa'luntuyd]. All Saints' day November ist. (Rare.)
'Twas a ter'ble hard winter tho I mind 'twas nort but vrost and snow vrom Hallantide gin Can'lmas.
HALLOWMAS [auiurmus], sb. The feast of All Hallows, or All Saints November ist.
We always reckons to pay our Michaelmas rent to Hallowmas \\.-au' lurmus],
whose father died at Hallcnvmas: Was't not at Hallowmas, master Froth?
Measure for Measure, II. i.
Once Hallaivmas come, and a fire in the hall
Such sliuers do well for to lie by the wall. Tusscr, 23/1.
HALSE [hau'ls, haa-ls], sb. Hazel; the hazel nut. (Always.) Three adjoining parishes in the district
are Halse, Oak, and Ash in Domesday
the former is Halsa. A hazel-rod is always a
"halsen stick." Corylus Avellana.
HALSENING [aal'zneen], sb. Predicting evil; speaking evil.
Oil vor whistering and pistering, and hoaling and halzenin^, or cuffing a
Tale.
Ex. Scold. 1. 298.
HALSENY [aa-lznee], v. i. To divine with the hazel-wand hence to foretell or predict; then to
predict evil; and hence the present
meaning to wish evil; to foretell the worst; and so generally to speak evil. Rarely pron. [oa'znee]. See
DOWSE.
You never don't hear her zay no good by nobody, but her'll halscny all the day long 'bout everybody.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 313
Aug. -Sax. h&lsian, h&lsian (augurari, obsecrare}. O. ii. Germ, heilison (augurari).
" Ich halsie ou," he sei$; Seinte Peter, "alse unkufce & pilegrimes.
Ancren Riwle, p. 348.
ich you helsny ]?et ye ase oncouj>e and pilgrimes.
Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 253.
and halsede hure on J?e heie name ' er hue Jennys wente.
Piers Plowman, II. 7-
These examples are rather of obsecrare than augurari.
HALTER [airltur], v. t. To bridle a colt for the first time. I had'n a rough colt never haltered.
In the year 1816 I bought an Exmoor pony for twenty-three shillings, a
fair price in those clays. When
haltered (caught, that is, after I had concluded my bargain and secured him) for the first time
in his life, he proved to be two years
old. Collyns, p. 156.
O. H. Germ, halftra. O. Dutch, halfter, halter. Heltyr (or halter, s.). Capistrum, Promp.
Parv.
HALTER-PATH [airltur-paa'th], sb. A horse-road, but not suitable for any carriage. There are still
many of these left in the Hill
district where, since my recollection, pack-horses were the chief mode of transit. See PLOUGH-PATH.
Across a farm of my own is a very ancient {au'ltur paa'th"}, called “Hart's Path," which was never
wide enough for two horses to walk
abreast; it is worn in some parts from five to six feet deep, and is in fact a mere trench, but it is a
public road.
Bridle-path is also used, but not so commonly.
HALY FARMER [ae'ulee paarmur]. See HAIRY FARMER. Whether this is a slovenly pronunciation of
hairy, or whether it stands for holy
palmer, as is very probable, I cannot say.
Palmer, a common surname, is likewise always pronounced [paarmur].
For if a prest J)at synges mes
Be never swa ful of wykednes,
pe sacrament, ]?at es swa haly,
May noght apayred be )>urgh his foly.
Hampole, Pricke of Conscience, 1. 3688.
HAM [aa-m], sb. Flat, low-lying pasture land. (Very com.) A meadow near a river, if flat, is nearly
always "The Ham? or "The Ham
mead." I have three different Ham meads on my own property. Some well-known flat grazing
lands, just beyond this district, near
Bridgwater, are called “Pawlett Hams." The word rather implies land subject to be flooded,
but yet rich, and by no means swampy
or wet land. See MARSH.
Low Germ, hamm (pratum sepe circumdatuni}.
Comp. O. L. Germ. Hammabiirg. Stratmann, p. 247.
By no means to be confounded with A. -Sax. ham = home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
314
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
The Annual Letting of 700 acres of the Pawlett Hams, and Lands in Cannington, Huntspill, and Puriton, will
take place at the Clarence Hotel,
Bridgwater, on Wednesday, the 8th December, 1886, at Three o'clock
p.m., on the usual conditions.
Wellington Weekly News, Dec. 2, 1886.
HAMESES [ae-umzez], sb. pi. A pair of hameses are the strong curved wood or metal pieces strapped to a
horse's collar, and to which are
attached the chains or traces wherewith he draws his load.
In the dialect there is no singular. To denote one of the separate parts, it is necessary to say,
“one o' the zides o' th' hameses"
or "one o' th' hameses" See TUG.
They must haue hombers or collers, holmes withed about theyr neckes,
tresses to drawe by, and a svvyngletre
to holde the tresses abrode.
Fitzherbert, Husbandry, 25/41.
HAM O' PORK [aa-rn u pairurk], sb. The joint, as distinguished from the meat. Hence it is nearly
invariable to speak of “dressing a ham
o' pork," while the same speaker would say, “Thank 'ee, I'll have a little bit o' ham."
They'd a-got everything all in order: they'd a-dressed a ham o 1 pork and a gurt piece o' beef, but
twadn no good arter all. Aug. 14,
1884.
HAMPER [aanvpur], v. To coerce; to bridle a colt for the first time. (Very com.) See HALTER.
[Aay boa'ut dhik poa'nee au'l ruuf, uvoa'r u wuz livur u-aar-purd,~] I bought
that pony in a wild state, before he was ever
bridled.
[Ees! un u puurdee jau'b wee-d u-gairt vur tu aam-pur-n!] yes! and a pretty job we had to bridle him!
For wham myn hert is so hampred: & aides so nobul, ]>at flour is of alle frekes: of fairnes
and mi^t.
Will, of Palerme, 1. 441.
HANCH [arrsh], v. t. To gore with the horns said of a bull or cow. Less commonly used than horch (q.
v.).
HANCH [arrsh], sb. i. That side or end of a gate which is hinged, or "hung."
Thick piece'll mak a very good head, but he id'n stiff enough for a hanch.
We be bound vor to drow another piece o' oak vor zome more gate-stuff. There's a plenty o' larras
a-cut out, but we be short o' heads
an' [an'shez] hanches.
2. A haunch.
The Squire zend 'em a beautiful hanch o' venison.
HANCHING [an-sheen], sb. Carpentry. In the side of a door, sash, or other frame, the part which is
left outside the end mortices is so
called.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 315
The sarsh was too long; vore he'd fit, fo'ced to cut away all the handling.
HAND [an-], sb. i. The shoulder of a pig, when cut as a joint, without the blade-bone, is called "a
hand of pork."
2. In the phr. "out of hand" = (a.) immediately; without
delay. You might depend, sir, I'll do
un vor ee, right out <?' hand.
(b.) = Finished; completed.
The job shall be a-put out 0' hand in a proper, workmanship manner.
OUT OF HAND. Hastlvement, sans marchandcr, ades, actuellement .
Sherwood.
3. (a.) In the phrase, hand in i. e. in practice, or "having the knack." I shall do it faster when I
get my hand in.
(.) = Complicity; taking part. Joe Hill'd a-got a hand in thick job.
HAND-BARROW [an'-baar'u], sb. A kind of large tray on legs, with four projecting handles, by which it
is carried by two men. In constant use
by gardeners for carrying flowers, &c.; also in quarries for carrying stones. No other
name.
HAND BAROW ( handbarwe, K. s.). Epiredium.
Promp. Paw.
A handbarrow, wheel ebarrow, sholue and a spade, A currie combe, mainecombe, and whip for a
jade.
Tusser, 17/3.
HANDBEATING [an'bee-uteen, an-barteen], sb. The act of digging up with a mattock old weedy and
furzy turf (which is too full of roots
to be ploughed) for the purpose of burning it, and so rendering the land arable. The turf so dug
is called beat (q. v.). When the turf
is free of stones and roots, another process is adopted. A large flat knife called a spader is
pushed along by the chest, so as to
slice the turf. This is called “spading the beat."
whare they be shooling o' Beat, handbeating, or angle-bowing.
Ex. Scold. \. 197.
HAND-DOGS [an-duugz], sb. Commonest name for andirons. In large old-fashioned chimney-places it
was usual to have two pairs of irons.
The dogs, which were the most used, were at the middle of the hearth, and bore the fire
always. The andirons stood on each
side, and were only needed when an extra large fire was wanted. The latter, much larger
and heavier, usually had some
ornamental finish, as a brass head, a scroll, or a knob, and in kitchens the upright part of the iron was
furnished with a row of hooks, one
over the other, on the side away from the fire. On these hooks rested the great spit on which
the meat or poultry was roasted. All
this is now swept away by modern kitchen-ranges; in
|
|
|
|
|
|
316
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
the few farm-houses where hearth fires are still used, hand-dogs remain, but the great spit has given place
to the Dutch oven. I well remember the
erection of the "new range" in my father's house, in the old chimney corner, where
many an *' ashen faggot” had been
burnt, and where all the cooking used to be done with a wood fire, with hand-dogs such as are
here described. It may be but the
fancy of advancing years, but I have a firm conviction that never since have
there been such delicious roasts as
there used to be in the old days of wood fires. We used to call both sets of irons hand-dogs; only
distinguishing those with the spit-hooks
as big, and the others as little. See DOG.
It is pretty clear that although both andirons and dogs have now become hand-dogs, yet the distinction was
well maintained in the Elizabethan
age. In the Inventory of the goods, chattells, &c. of Henry Gandye, Exeter, 1609, we find:
In the Haule
It'm a payre of iron dogges in the chimney . . xij d . (but no andirons, showing probably that the
fireplace was small.)
In the Parlor
It'm a pair of andirons, ij dogges, a fier shovell, a paire of | ..- 9 ...
d tongs, a paire of bellowes, and one
iron backe . j xxl1 ^ V11 ^ '
In the Kitchinge
It'm one paire of andirons, one paire of dogges, one iron ) 8 to sett before the drippinge panne, and ij
brandizes \ x '
See SAVER, AN DOG.
It is most likely that inasmuch as Mr. Gandye's house was in the “Citty of Exon," only two of the
rooms had chimneys wide enough to take
such a fire as to require the use of andirons.
HANDLUM [an'lum], adj. Awkward; clumsy of hand; apt to let anything fall from the hand. (Very
com.)
[Uur-z dh-afrlums maa'yd livur aay zee'd; uur-ul tae'ur ubroa'ud moo'ur cloa'm-un ur wae'ujez kau'ms the,]
she is the handlumest girl I ever saw;
she will tear abroad more crockery than her wages come to.
HAND-OVER-HEAD [arroavur-ai'd], adv. phr. In a reckless, thoughtless manner.
They be bound vor to go wrong (/. e. come to grief); can't go on hand-oTer-head like that there, very long.
HANDSALE WEIGHT [an-sl wauyt], sb. Any article purchased by poising it in the hand so as to judge of
the weight without actual weighing, is
called handsale weight.
How much a pound d'e gee vor they?
I can't tell nezackly I bought em out-an-out by [an'sl wauyf}.
The awncell weight, certainly as old as the fourteenth century, and which was forbidden by statute in the
seventeenth, is most
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 317
probably the origin of our present usage, although the latter implies rather a different mode from the cheating
awncell. See AUNCELL, New Eng. Diet.
HANDSTICK [an -stile], sb. The handle of a drashle (q. v.). It is a round straight piece of very tough
ash, so shaped as to leave a
projecting ring of wood at the top. Over this comes the capel (q. v.), which is hollowed out to fit
this ring, and turns easily upon it
without coming off from the handstick. See FLAIL.
HANDWRIST [armis], sb. Wrist. The word wrist is not heard alone, but is spoken of as part of
the hand.
What is the matter? [Aay-v u-kuuf mee an'rus^ I have cut my wrist.
HANDY [arrdee], adj. and adv. i. Near; close to. This word is used both with respect to place and
time.
They did'n come home gin handy one o'clock. Come, Soce! I zim 'tis handy dinner-time. Her do live up
handy Taun'on.
2. adj. Apt, useful, clever-handed.
I 'sure 'ee, he's a rare fuller to work, and he's s'andy's a gimblet.
HANG [ang]. i. To hang a door or gate, is to set it upon its hinges; hence “to \mhang” is to lift a
door or gate off its hinges.
Technically a carpenter hangs a door or gate when he fits it to its place, fixes the hinges, and
makes it open and shut properly.
2. To set a scythe in its snead is "to hang the zive."
Thy.zive id'n a-Affflg'vitty, the toer o' un's a cocked up to much."
HANGDOG-LOOK [ang-daug-leok'], sb. A vile expression. Me, gwain to have thick hangdog- looking
fuller! why, I widn be a zeed in a
ten-acre field way un.
HANGE [anj], sb. The pluck /". e. the liver, lungs, and heart of any animal. (Always.) In dressing sheep,
the head is usually left attached by
the windpipe; this is always called a "sheep's head and hange" A calf or pig always
has the head separated; hence one
hears only of a "calf's hange" or a "pig's hange"
HANG-GALLIS [ang'gaal-ees], adj. i. Bad; villanous-looking; disreputable; “hang-gallows." A common
abusive expression, implying “fit for hanging."
You hang-gallis oseburd, tid'n good I catch thee.
Who's thick there hang-gallis fuller?
What don't know he? Why, that's the Squire's son.
2. sb. An epithet for a profligate; ne'er-do-well. I calls'n a proper hang-gallis why, I wid'n
be a zeed in a ten-acre field way un.
|
|
|
|
|
|
318
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
This last phrase is very commonly used to express repugnance at association or contact with any one.
HANGING FAIR [ang-een fae'ur], sb. An execution.
Jack and Liz be gwain to be married next Thuzday, 'cause there's gvvain to be a hanging fair to Taunton
thick morning, and they must lost a
day's work, so they be gwain there fust, vor a bit of a spree.
This actually occurred. The wedding was fixed on that day, so that they might go to see the man hung,
and be married with the loss of only
one day. I knew both parties well.
HANGING-HEAD [ang-een-ard], sb. Same as HANCH. The upright part of a gate, to which the hinges
are attached.
HANGING-POST [ang-een pau's], sb. The post to which the gate is hung or attached by its hinges.
Thick piece mid do vor a vallin-post, but he id'n good 'nough vor a hangin-post.
HANGINGS [ang-eenz], sb. i. The hinges or other apparatus on which a gate, door, or cover is made to
swing. Hinge is a term for a specific
kind of “hanging." The hook and eye or hook and twist are the common forms of gate
hangings.
(You) can put wiren hangings to thick box, neef 'ee mind to.
2. sb. Curtains of all kinds, as “\v\udiei-hangings"
"bed-hangings."
HANGYNGE of an halle, or tente. Velarium. Promp. Parv.
HANGKECHER [ang-kechur], sb. Handkerchief.
There a was, way his box hat, and his walking-stick, and a silk hangkecher sure, just like a gin'lman.
Handkerchiefs seem to have been unknown till Henry the Eighth's time, for in 1460 we read:
Yf J?y nose J>ou dense, as may be-falle,
Loke J>y honde f>ou dense wythe-alle;
Priuely with skyrt do hit away,
he tin teet at s so gay.
Boke of Cttrfasye, 1. 89.
OJ?er ellis thurghe tin tepet >at is so
But among the New Year's gifts of Henry VIII.,
an , xxxij. (1541), we find:
Item, to ye kinges launder that gave y e king handkerchers xx 8 .
MS. Anmdel, No. 97, fol. 167 (Furnivall, Babees Book, p. xc).
The Duke of Somerset, in the Tower, asks to have allowed him,
ij. night kerchers; item vj. hatide kerchers, and for the Duchess vj. hand
Ellis, Letters (Babees Book, p. xc).
By 1577 they were naturalized, and not mere luxuries confined to kings and dukes, for we read in a book of etiquette:
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 319
Blow not your nose on the napkin
where you should wype your hande; But
dense it on your handkercher,
then passe you not your band. Rhodes,
Book of Ntirtiire and Schoole of Good Manners (Furnivall), p. 78, 1. 261.
And in 1619 we see how completely fifteenth-century manners, as taught
in the Boke of C^trtasye and by John
Russell, were to be eschewed, by the following very distinct instructions:
Nor imitate with Socrates
to wipe thy snivelled nose Vpon thy
cap as he would do,
nor yet upon thy clothes. But keepe it
clene with kandkerckifff^
provided for the same, Not with thy
fingers or thy sleeve,
therein thou art too blame. 1619,
Westers Book of 'Demeanor; 1. 45 (Babees Book, p. 202).
This latter date shows that the polite handkerchief \i*.& then superseded
the more primitive handktcher, which
we still retain in the West.
HANGLES [ang-lz], sb. In farm-houses and places where wood only is burnt, a bar of iron is placed
across the chimney, six or seven feet
from the ground; from this are hung iron hooks so made as to lengthen or shorten at will, and on
these are hung the various pots and
kettles over the fire. Thess hooks are sometimes called hangles, or “a pair o* angles" but
oftener “chimbly crooks."
HANGMAN'S WAGES [ang-munz wae'ujez]. Thirteen pence half-penny. The tradition is that in the
time of good King George, or “Farmer
George," as he is still called, the hangman, himself a reprieved convict, received the clothes of
the condemned and thirteen pence
half-penny for each culprit. The price of a box of pills is still facetiously spoken of as
hangman's wages. The rate, though low,
must have proved remunerative in those
Draconic days, as pills do now. On a famous gibbet, called “Stone Gallows," not far from my home,
my father remembered nine men hanging
in a row all executed at one time.
HANGMENT [ang-munt], sb. Entanglement; also hanging, execution. (Very com.)
I thort I never should'n a-got droo they there brimmles, 'twas jish hangmen /'s never you behold.
They do zay how thick there fuller's a-let off, zo there 'ont be no hangment to Taun'on thease year.
Ac ho so rat of regum: rede me may of mede,
Hou hue absolon: to Jiougement a-broujte;
Piers Plowman, IV. 1. 411.
HANG UP [ang aup], phr. To bring in debt. A man having a bill brought in unexpectedly for goods
ordered on his account by his wife or
servant, would say:
I'm darned if I'll be a hanged up like this here. (Very com.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
320
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
This phrase is most likely the same in origin as "chalk up" viz. from the score due to a publican being
written on a slate and hung up, the
more primitive method having been to chalk it on the back of the door. It is easy to see how
the expression might get to be applied
to a more systematic debit. See PACKMAN.
HANG UP HIS HAT [ang; aup tiz aa't]. When a man marries and goes home to the wife's house
to live, he is said to "hangup
his hat"
The phrase is an everyday one, perfectly well understood by every one. It is a bantering and rather
depreciatory saying.
HANK [ang'k],^. A skein of twine, yarn, or thread of any spun material. See PAD i. See also CUT in jB
rocket fs Gloss.
HANK AFTER [ang-k aartur], v. To hanker; to keep longing for; to desire earnestly.
He do hank arter her sure-lie!
HANKS [ang'ks], sb. Connection or dealings with used only with a negative construction.
Her said how her wid'n ha no hanks way un.
The word is also applied to animals generally. I have heard people warned, moreover, "not to have
no hanks" with a certain horse,
or with an undesirable bargain.
HANKY-PANKY [ang'kee-pang'kee], sb. Shuffling; trickery; underhand dealing.
I told'n he was a vrong directed wi me; I zeed droo his hanky-panky in a
minute.
HAN'LE [an-1], sb. Handle. B or d is seldom sounded between m or n and /. Cf. caril, sham' I, warn' I,
&c.
(We) must have a new han'l to the plump, he's to short.
HANT [aa-nt]. Have not, or has not.
I han't, thee has'n, he han't or hatJin, we han't, you han't, they han't. Often written ant. See W. S. Gram.
p. 57.
HANTIC [han'tik], sb. Emphatic form of antic.
Hot ailth the mare? her's all vull o' her hantics.
HANTIC, adj. Frantic; full of excitement and gesticulation. Whot's the matter . . . what art tha
hanteck?Ex. Scold. 1. 620.
HAP [aap], v. To chance; to happen; to light on. By good luck I hap 'pon the very man. (Very
common.) Happen is never heard. Comp.
MAYHAP.
J>e couherdes hound )>at time as happe by-tidde, feld foute of J>e child and fast
>ider fulwes.
William of Paler me, 1. 32.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 321
HAPPE. Fortuna eventus, casus, omen. Prompt. Paw."
Is wi]> tresor so full begon,
That if 3e happt Jjervpon,
Je schull be riche men for cure.
Gower, Tale of the Coffers, 1. 62.
Happe that ^a//^ maye: Happe what happe shal: viengne que vouldra. And the worste happe: au pis aller.
Palsgrave, p. 578.
Hit by lott hafped ]jat Tyrrhenus went oute wy]> many men.
Higden Pol. Trnisa, vol. i. p. 157 (Rolls).
HAP [aap], sb. Chance, fortune. See GIRT HAP.
By good hap we jis meet'n eens he was a comin out.
Bisohte him help, *\ hap, *\ wisdom, as wisliche as al ]>e world is iwald
]>urh his wissunge. Li/e of St.
Catherine, 1. 185.
I have a pris presant: to plese wi]> )>i hert.
I hent t>is at hunting: swiche hap god me sent:
Will. of Palerme, 1. 411.
Teche $e me, and Y schall be stille, and if in hap Y vnknew ony thing,
teche Je me. Wyclif vers . Job vi. 24.
HAPENNY [ae-upmee, aa'pmee], sb. Halfpenny.
I'll bet thee {aa'pmee kee'uk,] a ha'penny cake, let me ha the fust bite nif I [lau*stus] lose.
HAPORTH [ae-uputh, ae'upurd, aa'purd], sb. A halfpenny-worth. (Always.)
[Plaiz tu spae'ur mau'dhur u aa'purd u miilk,] please to spare mother a haporth of milk.
HAPPERY [aap'uree], v. i. and adj. Snap or crackle.
How that there 'ood do happery!
Vir (fir) tops baint much o' viring, they be so happery.
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY [aap-ee-goa-luutee], adj. Thoughtless; laisser aller; careless; easy-going.
Her's a good-tempered sort of a maid, but there, they be both o'm a rig'ler happy-go-lucky sort of a
couple like.
HAPSE [aaps], sb. and v. t. Hasp; fastening.
Th' hapse o' the gate's a-tor'd, an all the bullicks be a-go to road.
Mind and hapse the door arter ee, you do 'most always lef-m onhapsed.
In this and many other words the much despised Hodge of the West is correct, while the literary form is
the corruption.
A.-S. keeps ^ sera, fibula.
And encombred with couetyse * )>ei conne nat out crepe, So hard hath aueryce ' hapsed hem
to-gederes.
Piers Plowman, II. 192. Y
|
|
|
|
|
|
322
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
HARBOUR [aa-rbur], sb. i. Shelter; place of entertainment. [Kairm soa'us! lat-s goo \.-aarbur,~\ come
mates! let's take shelter. The word
shelter is unknown.
HERBEREWE (Jierbonve, K. hcrbercnv, H. herbtrowe, p.). Hospittum.
Promp. Parv.
an HARBAR: hospicium, diuersorium: to HARBER: hospitari, hospituare.
Cath, Ang.
j>e frenschemen Jeanne to hure herburghes wende, And of )>e mete and drynke ]?at god hem
sende,
Murye ]>ay dude hem make. Sir Ferumbras, 1. 5689.
For archa not, nyme]> hede ' ys no more to mene, Bote holy churche, herbergh ' to alle
]>at ben blessede.
Piers Plowman, xii. 246.
2. Hunting. The place where a deer lies or has been lying; the bed of a deer.
An old stag always tries to find a young deer to turn out of his harbour, and so to put the hounds on a
fresh scent.
HARBOUR [aa-rbur], v. i. \. To frequent.
The police kept watch on the places he was known to harbour.
Her told em how he did'n harboury there.
A litel hus to maken of er}>e,
So }?at he wel ore were
Of here herboru, herbonved J>ere: Havelok, 1. 740.
2. v. t. To shelter; to conceal.
'Tis a place where they do harbour thieves and all sorts o' rough car'iturs.
HERBERWYN, or receyvyn, to hereboroghe (herbergwyn, K. herborowen, P.). Hospitor, et si significet to take
herboroghe, tune est quasi deponens. Promp. Parv.
HARBOROWE. I lodge one in an inne. le herberge t
I intende to harborowe folkes no more. Palsgrave, p. 579.
as chirchis or castelis to herberwen lordes inne and ladyes.
Wyclif, Works, p. 5.
3ondyr is an house of haras that stant be the way, Amonge the bestys herboryd may ye be.
Coventry Mystery, p. 147.
HARBOUR [aa-rbur], v. t. i. Term used in stag-hunting. To ascertain by tracking, or other means, that
the deer is harbouring or laired in a
particular spot or covert.
To HARBOUR a stag. Aller a la veue. Cot grave (Sherwood).
Here's little John hath harbour' d you a deer,
I see by his tackling. Ben Jonson, Sad Shepherd, I. ii.
Soon after eleven Lord and Lady Ebrington arrived. This was the signal
for lufters to be taken out, and the
huntsmen went down into the densely-wooded
coombe under Leigh Hill in quest a harboured stag.
Wellington Weeklv Neivs, Aug. 18, 1886.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 323
2. v. i. Hunting. Of a deer to haunt; to frequent; to make his habitat, or lair.
One glance at the slot would satisfy him. However, one point is
established. There is a stag in the
neighbourhood, and no doubt that deer has harboured with one or more hinds in the covert below.
Collyns, p. 79.
HARBOURAGE [aa'rbureej], sb. i. Shelter, stopping-place, entertainment. (Very common.)
[Noa' aa'rbureej yuur!] no shelter here! is the usual reply to a tramp.
I heard a bleak moor described as [lig u dai'zaa-rt, u-dhaewt aj', aewz, ur aa'rbureej ',] like a desert,
without hedge, house, or harbourage.
The alliteration of the dialect is more forcible than that of the received English.
2. Hunting. Covert, refuge, lair, hiding-place. The deer made for Bollam Wood, but there
was no harbourage there, so he went
on.
HARBOURER [aa'rburur], sb. Hunting. A man whose duty it is to ascertain where the deer is lying.
He is a most important person, because
upon his skill depends the finding of a stag or hind according to season, without
disturbing the other. This he can do
with great comparative certainty. Before a "meet" in any neighbourhood where it is known that
deer are used to haunt, he obtains
information from farmers and others. He then carefully examines round the outsides of the various
coverts both at evening and at daybreak.
He then knows by the slot or foot-prints whether any deer have gone in or out of the covert,
and from the shape of the slot he
knows whether stag or hind, while by its size he can tell the age, whether “warrantable” or
not /. e. fit to be hunted. He is
careful not to disturb or scare the deer, and having found the slot he wants, by making a
circuit of the cover he can readily
determine whether the particular deer has passed on or is harboured in that place.
It is of great consequence to have good and honest harbourers: there is
not one worth a farthing at Porlock.
Records of N. Devon Staghounds, 1812-18, p. n.
To the harbonrer of a stag ,\ is. od. Ibid. p. II.
The harbourer ... is as important an officer in the establishment of a pack of hounds kept for hunting the wild deer as
the huntsman himself. Indeed it would
be well if every huntsman was to serve a novitiate as harbourer.
It unfortunately happens that every uncler-keeper and loiterer about the
haunts of the wild deer, thinks he can
act as harbourer. Collyns, p. 76.
HARD [aard], adj. i. Hardy, robust; but not full-grown, understood. Hal. is quite wrong. The word
does not mean full-grown it rather
means growing. A "hard pig" is what in
Y 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
324
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
other counties is a “store pig." A ''hard boy” is a most common description of a strong lad, fit to work.
So we hear of a "hard colt,"
“hard slips” (young pigs of either sex), a “hard maid” this means a strong, growing lass.
2. adj. As applied to cider or beer sharp, sour. Good hard cider 's best to work by.
3. adj. Tech. In planing a true surface, any convex part is said to be hard; if concave, slack (q. v.).
HARD AND SHARP [aard-n shaa'rp], adv. phr. Accomplished with difficulty, or only just in time; a
near miss.
Ees, mum, we was there, but 'twas hard and sharp; the train was jis pon comin' eens we stapt.
HARD OF HEARING [aard u yuureen], adj. Rather deaf.
HARD-PUSHED [aard-peo'sht], part. adj. Hard set; hard put to it.
We was terrible hard-pushed to get em a-dood in time.
HARD WOOD [aard eo'd], sb. i. Firewood in logs or brands as distinguished from faggot-wood
[faak'ut-eo'd], or wood, simply. The
former is sold by the cord (q. v.), and the latter by the score.
To be sold, about 100 cords of hard wood, in lots to suit purchasers. Advert.
2. Applied to oak, ash, elm, and beech, to distinguish them from fir timber.
HARE'S FOOT CLOVER [ae'iirz veot kloa'uvr]. (Trifolium arvense. )
H ARREST DRINK [aarus dringk], sb. Ale brewed for harvest. It is usually thin stuff, and “fresh” or
new.
I be very zorry, zir, we 'ant nort in house but harrest-drink, and you widn care much about that, I reckon.
HARRESTING [aarusteen], sb. Working about the harvest; the act of getting in the corn.
He bin to work along vor Mr. Bird harrestin, but now he ant a got nort to do.
We cant 'tend to no such jobs as that there, while the harrestiris about.
HARK [aark, aar kee], v. i. To hearken. (Always.)
I cant never abear to hark to jis stuff. Don't you harky to he.
HARK-BACK [aark-baak-], v. i. To go back and try again. The phrase is taken from hunting talk, when
if the hounds lose the scent they are
made to hark-back, i. e. go back to a spot where they had the scent, and try to get it
again; in fox-hunting more generally
they have to “hark-forard."
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 325
HARNESS [aa-rnees], sb. The heald or arrangement of loops of twine by which in weaving, the threads
of the warp (see CHAIN) are changed in
position at every passage of the shuttle. See BOSOM.
Webster is wrong in describing harness as part of a loom; it is used in a loom, but is no more a part of it
than is the fabric woven; it is
adjusted into the loom along with the warp to which it belongs.
HARM [aa-rm], sb. The distemper in dogs. In buying a young dog it is usual to ask, “Have 'er had the
harm?”
HART [haa'rt], sb. Hunting. A male deer past mark as to his age. An old stag of seven years and
upwards. See Bow.
HART [aa-rt], sb. Handle, haft.
Thick wid'n be a bad knive, neefs had (if thou hadst) a new hart an' a new blade to un.
HART'S-TONGUE [aa-rts-tuung], sb. The common smooth-leafed fern.
(Scolopendrium vulgare.) More generally called "Lamb-tongue."
HARUM-SKARUM [ae-urum-skae-urum], adj. Headlong, thoughtless, wild.
Ter'ble harum-skarum fuller 'bout ridin an drivin.
HASH [hash, haaysh], adj. Harsh. Chiefly applied to texture or material, to denote want of softness.
The word would not be applied to
conduct.
This yer cloth dont han'le soft enough, tis too hash; I be safe t'ont wear.
HASLING PIECES [aas'leen pees-ez], sb. Tech. Upright pieces of wood fixed from the floor to the
roof in an attic, to form the sides of
a room. Upon these hasting pieces are attached the laths and plaster.
HASSOCK [as'ik], sb. A soft kind of footstool; generally made of carpet and stuffed with straw.
HAT [aaf], v. t. To hit; to strike; to knock. This is the invariable word. Pres. hat; past, hat; p.
p. a hat.
[Ee aup* wai uz vuys-n aat'-n daewn,] he up wi his vist and hat him down.
A blacksmith wanting his mate to smite with the sledge, would say, “Hat a blow, will'er?
Mind you don't [aa'f] your head. Aat een thick nail. What's aa't the boy for? He'd aa't hard, if he was
to vail (said of a pole). He've u-aa't
the tap of his vinger all abroad.
An that wance an ole clummun, droo Kenton did pass, An was hat be a chap thit vired straight ta
Starcrass.
Nathan Hogg, T/ia Rifle Corps.
|
|
|
|
|
|
326
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
HAT [aa-t], v. t. Applied to corn in
harvesting. To doubly
cap-stitch i. e. to set up the sheaves in a large stook and to cover
down the top with a kind of thatch made of some of the sheaves with the ear downwards. This method is very
common in “lappery” seasons, and it
prevents the corn from sprouting, while at the same time it allows the wind to pass through,
and so dry the straw.
I reckoned to a-car'd thick piece o' whait, but he idn 'arly fit not eet, zo I told em to go and hat'n up.
Sept. 10, 1883. Comp. Hattock,
Shropshire.
HAT [aa't], i. i. To germinate: said of seed, or plant.
The mangel did'n hat, so I put'n (the field) to turnouts. March 1882. (Usual word.)
Capical lot o' plants, most every one o'm hat. This was said of a quantity of young larches which I had
planted, and which grew well.
[Nuudh'urwairn u dhai dhae'ur graa'fs yue gid mee, diid-n aa't,'] neither one of those grafts you gave me,
grew.
HAT-BACK [aa-t-baak'], v. and sb. To hinder; to cause to relapse; to injure pecuniarily; hindrance;
a relapse; an injury in pocket. (Very
com.)
[Dhik dhae'ur aa'rus aa't-n baak' maa-yn luyk,] that harvest injured him severely.
[Twuz u tuurubl aa't-baak' vairr-n haun ee broa'k-s lag',] it was a great loss to him when he broke his leg.
Comp. Fullback, Leicester Glos. p. 219.
HATCH [aach], sb. A half door, as the barn-hatch. Often in cottages called the half-hatch.
I be safe I zeed th' old man a Zunday hon I passed, 'cause he was a stood a lookin out over the hatch.
See HUTCH 3.
Swed. hack; Low Germ. heck.
HEC, hek, or hetche, or a dore, (heche, K. heke, or hech, S.). Antica.
Promp. Paw. An HEKE; Antica. Cath.
Ang.
Hatche of a dore hecq. Palsgrave, p. 229.
The HATCH of a door. Av ant part, guichet. Cotgrave (Sherwood).
Mome, malt-horse, capon, coxcomb, idiot, patch! Either get thee from the door, or sit down
at the hatch.
Comedy of Errors, III. i.
HAT IN THE HEAD [aat-n dhu ai'd], phr. To kill by a blow on the head.
[Aay kaecht u guurt kyat ligee'un z-maur*neen. Haut-s due wai'un? Au! aay aa't-n een dhu ai'd purtee
kwik, aay waud-n gwai-n tu buyd
uytumeen war un.] I caught a great cat again this morning. What did you do with it? Oh! I
knocked it on the head directly, I was
not going to stay playing (or fiddling) with it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 327
HATS IN HOLES [aafs een oa'lz],^. A boy's game. The players range their hats in a row against a wall,
and each boy in turn pitches a ball
from a line at some twenty-five feet distance into one of the hats. The boy into whose hat it falls has
to seize it and throw it at one or
other of the others, who all scamper off when the ball is “packed in." If he fails to hit, he is
out and takes his cap up. The boy
whose cap is left at the last has to “cork” the others that is, to throw the ball at their bent
backs, each in turn stooping down to
take his punishment.
HAT UP [aa't aup], v. t. i. To trip up. Used very commonly in wrestling.
He adn a bit o' chance way un; why he hafn op, 'thout putting his hand aneast'n /'. e. he tripped him up
and made him fall, without touching
with his hands.
2. To knock up, in the sense of putting together hastily. Here, Bill, take and hat up a bit of a box
to put-n in.
HAULIER [hairliur], sb. One whose business is to haul or transport goods for hire. (Never hauler.)
“John Brown, Haulier' 1
HALYN, or drawyn. Traho.
HALYNGE, or drawynge. Tractus. Promp. Pan/.
HAVOC [aveek], sb. Waste. (Very com.)
Zee what havoc you be makin way the hay; there 'tis a-littered all the way in from the rick.
Of haitocke beware,
Cat nothing will spare.
Where all thing is common, what needeth a hutch? Where wanteth a sauer, there hauockc is
mutch. Tusser, 77/3-
HAW! [hair!]. A word used in driving cows or oxen. Haw back! is always said when they are to go
back. See JUP.
Thee art lick a skittish sture jest a yooked: Tha woudst host any
keendest Theng, tha art zo vore-reet,
nif Vather dedn't haape tHa. Ex. Scold. 1. 5 1 .
HAWBUCK [airbuuk], sb. An epithet for a clown; a chaw-bacon.
HAWCHEMOUTH [airchee-maewdh], sb. An epithet often applied to a blustering, foul-mouthed
person; also to one who makes much
noise in eating.
Th 'art good vor nort bet a Gapes-nest a gottering, hawchamouth Theng.
Ex. Scold. 1. 187.
HAWCHEMOUTHED [airch-maewdhud, airchee-maewdhud] adj. Given to coarse, offensive talk;
blustering, bullying, or indecent in talk.
|
|
|
|
|
|
328
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
He! you never did'n come 'cross a more rougher, hawchemouth-eder, cussin,
girt bully in all your born days.
HAWCHY [au-chee], v. i. To make a loud noise with the lips or mouth in eating. (Very com.)
Where's thee larn thy manners? Why's-n shut thy girt trap, not bide and hauchy, like a girt fat pig.
Whan tha com'st to good Tackling, thee wut poochee, and haiuchec> and scrumpee. Ex. Scold. 1. 187.
HAY. A very common suffix to names of places, as Cot/foy Abbey, Sw'mhay Barton, Clavdstiay (see
CLAVEL, pronounced Classy\ Combe Hay.
Others have the termination hayne, as
, Almes/iayne: this is probably the plural form.
HAY-POOK [aa-y-peok], sb. Hay-cock. The usual
word hay-cock is seldom heard. See
POOK.
Why dedst thee, than, tell me o' the Zess, or it of the Hay-pook, as tha
dedst whileer? Ex. Scold. 1. 87.
HAYWARD [aa-ywau-rd]. An officer who is still annually appointed by some old court leets. His
duties once were to look after fences
and hedges, but his office, like those of scavenger, ale-taster, and constable,
has become obsolete in propria persona.
HE [ee], pron. i. The universal nominative pronoun to represent all things living or dead, to
which the indefinite article can be
prefixed. The old saying that in Somerset” everything is he except a tom-cat, and that he is a
she" is not quite correct. He is
used in speaking of a cow or a woman, but not of corn, water, wool, salt, coal, or such things as
are not individual, but in the mass.
Abundant examples of the dialectal use are
to be found in these pages. See W. S. Gram. p. 29. See III. A. 3. pron.
Ich libbe in love-longinge, For
semlokest of alle thinge, He may me
blisse bringe, icham in hire baundoun.
Wrighfs Lyric Poetry (about 1300), VI. p. 27.
With al mi lif y love that may, He is
mi solas nyght and day, My joie aut
eke my beste play,
aut eke my love-longynge. Ib. xxxiv. p. 95.
Thus was your croune crasid, til he was cast newe. )>oru partinge of Joure pouere, to ^oure
paragals.
Langland, Rich, the Red. 1. 70.
Mantrible >e Citee ys y-called, wyj> marbre fyn ys he walled.
Sir Ferumbras , 1. 4309. The maiden
turned oyain anon, And tok the way he
hadde er gon.
Lay Le Freine, Weber, Met. Roman. 1. 177.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 329
And meche tresere he (St. Editha) }aff J/abby to, Wherefore he meche }>e belt' dude spede.
Chron. Vilodunense, Stanza 979.
The Chronicon Vilodunense, which is a life of St. Editha, speaks of her throughout as he. She is not once to
be found.
And Kyng Egbert sustre also he was
And )>ere inne also hee was ybore. Stanza 35.
Erie Wolstons wyff forsothe hee was
Or he toke ye mantell and J>e ryng
And to make a relygiose house ofhur owne place
He prayede hur brother Egbert j?e kyng. Stanza 36.
His owne spencer's dou3t' he was. Stanza 44.
2. Emphatic ace. = him.
Tid'n no good to tris' to he. See ARG, GUMPTION.
Zend vor Recoreder put he too 't We'll
warrant Hawtry zoon wull doo 't.
Peter Pindar, Royal Visit to Exeter.
If ez wife ed but take to her office agen
Her should niver be caddl'd by he.
Pulman, Riistic Sketches, p. 31.
HEAD [ai'd], sb. i. That end or side of a gate furthest from the hinges. See HANCH.
2. Applied to a mill-pond. If full, it is said, “There's a good head of water." So the pond or
reservoir from which the water-wheel is driven is called the m\\\-head, while
the stream running from the mill is
the mill-tail. See TAIL OF THE MILL.
3. Of cream. In reply to an application for milk in the forenoon, a farmer's wife's usual reply is I ont
break my head vor nobody meaning that
now the head or cream has begun to rise, I will not disturb it.
4. Throughout the west it is usual to speak of combing the head instead of combing the hair. It is
commonly said of a virago, “Her'll
comb out his head vor'n!” This of course is
metaphorical, but of a woman who is supposed to be capable of beating her husband, the usual saying
is, “Her'd comb out's head wi a
dree-legged stool.
j?e hosyn on youre shuldyr cast, oil vppon your arme ye hold; youre souereynes hed ye kembe, but furst ye
knele to ground. 1450. John Russelts
Boke of Nurture, 1. 962 (Furnivall, Babees Book, p. 181).
After you haue euacuated your bodye, & trussed your poyntes, kayme
your heade oft and so do dyuers tymes
in the day.
1557. Andrew Borde on Sleep, Rising, and Dress. Ib. p. 246.
When you haue apparelled your selfe handsomely, combe your head softly
and easily with an luorie combe.
1602. William Vaughan, Fifteen Directions to preserve health. Ib. p. 249.
|
|
|
|
|
|
330
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
The caumberlayiie muste be dylygent & clenly in his offyce, with his
head kembed. Wynkyn de Worde, Boke of
Kernynge. Ib. p. 282.
Thy head let that be kembd and trimd,
let not thy haire be long.
R. Weste, Books of Demeanor, 1. 125. Ib. p. 295.
5. To “take by the head" of a horse, is to lead him by the bridle.
To “be a-tookt by the head" of a man, is to be the worse for liquor.
To be "off his head" is to be mad, unaccountable, suffering
from mental delusions.
To “put heads together” is to consult, to deliberate in committee.
In all senses the pronunciation is the same.
'Bout zebb'n o'clock I creyp'd vrem beyde,
An' out o' winder shuv'd my heyde:
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 17.
HEAD [ai-d], sb. Hunting. The horns of a stag. Webster is wrong: head is not the "state
of," but the horns themselves. He
has a fine head or a “scanty head" according to the size and shape of his horns, without any reference
to his skull. See RIGHTS.
And standing fore the dogs; he bears a head
Large and well beam'd, with all rights summed and spread.
Ben Jonson, Sad Shepherd, I. ii.
When old their heads are shorter in the beani but thicker in the span, and
they have fewer rights At this age their heads vary much in appearance.
Records N. Devon Staghonnds, p. 9.
A large stag with an irregular head. B. T. upright.
Records N. Devon Staghounds, p. 40.
A most singular head, brow and tray, and an upright on one side, and
brow with a tall upright beam on the
other; the brow antlers very long, and the burr close to the head. Ib. p. 44.
And bycause many men can not understande the names and diversities of heades according to the termes of hunting.
1575. Tuberville, quoted by Colly ns, p. 31.
abundance of good and nourishing food, had had its effect in maturing
and perfecting the heads. Colly ns,
Chase of the Wild Red Deer, p. 35.
HEAD [ai-d], adj. Best.
[Aay vrak-nz dhiish yuur dh-ard roa'ud au 1! ubaewt,] I consider this the best road in this neighbourhood.
[Aewt-n aewt dh-ai'd au's aewt,] out and out the best horse out /". e. in the hunting field. Head
carpenter, head mason, head rat-catcher /. e. best, not the foreman.
HEADPIECE [ai-dpees], sb. Cleverness, ability, intelligence. He id'n no ways short, there's plenty o'
headpiece 'bout he. 'Tis all headpiece
've a car'd'n drue it all. Sam's a gurt rough
hedge-boar fellow, but he don't want for headpiece.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 331
HEADY [ai'dee], adj. Strong; intoxicating said of beer or other liquor.
HEAL, HEALER. See HELE.
HEAPED UP [ee-pt aup], adj. Hipped. Tech. Term in building, applied to a roof.
I don't like they there heaped up ruvs, I zim th' old farshin gable's better by half.
HEARST [huurst], sb. Hunting. A female deer, over one, under three, years old. See BROCKET.
A hind and a hearst went down to Pixey Coppice, and Tout with six couple followed them. Records N. Devon Staghounds,
p. 79.
HEART [aa'rt]. i. Often used in exclamations.
Dear heart! whatever shall I do?
Heart alive, soce! whatever b'ee about?
2. The matured wood of a tree as distinct from the sap.
Thick there piece 'ont do; he's most all zape, id'n hardly a bit o* heart in un. Cf. HEART-OAK.
A hearty piece of timber is one which has grown slowly, and has comparatively little sap.
3. Applied to land when well cultivated and in a fertile condition always
qualified by good or an adj. implying good.
Thick there field's in good heart now. Why, I've a dress-n twice over. . . . The word is not used to
express the opposite condition.
HEAR TELL [yuur tuul-], phr. To hear the report. Well, I've &-yeard tell o' jis thing,
but I never didn zee nother one avore.
I HERE TELL. Ie os dire. As soon as he herde tell that my lorde was commyng: aussi tost quit ouyt dire que
monsieur venoyt. Palsgrave, p. 583.
HEART-GUN [aa'rt-gunn], sb. A severe internal pain, colic (obsolescent). Gun, A.-S. gund, seems to
imply inflammatory ailment. See
BARN-GUN.
Is dedn't me-an the Bone-shave, ner the Heart-gun, ner the Allernbatch.
Ex. Scold. 1. 23. Also Ib. 1. 556.
HEA.RT-WHOLE [aart-woa-1], adj. Not fallen in love. This expression is constantly used with
reference to any one who may have been
in circumstances likely to lead to love.
Well! I niver didn look to zee he come home therevrom heart-wolf; but there,
p'raps he idn, arter all.
HEARTY [aartee], sb. i. A colloquial name, like "my boy." Come on, my hearty, we'll show 'em the way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
332
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2. adj. Well in health. Two farmers meeting at market would thus greet each other: Well, maister, how
be you? Hearty, thank ee, how's all
home to your house?
HEAT [yiit], sb. Always so pronounced.
'Spare work, could'n catch yit to it.
In heat [een yuf] said of a bitch.
HEATH [yaeth]. The only name for Calluna and Erica of all varieties. In this district heather is
unknown. We have the well-known
long-heath [lau'ng-jtf <?//*] and small-heath [smaa'tyoiM], as described by Britten ex Lyte, E. D. S.
Plant Names, 1879.
HEATH-BROOM [yaeth --breo-m], sb. A broom made of common heath, in distinction from a
birch-broom.
HEATH-POULT [yaeth-poait, harth-poa'lt], sb. The common name for black game. See POULT.
HEAVE [ai-v, oa'vd, u-oa'vd], v. t. To throw.
Quiet! heavin stones, you boys?
The word in this sense, and with its past tense hotfd, is confined to the fisher and seaside folk. See Trans.
Dev. Ass. 1882, p. 142.
HEAVE [ee-v, ai'v], v. t. i. To lift; to raise from the ground; to take up. Less com. than HEFT.
Thick's t'eavy to car to anybody's back, can't heavjm, much more car'n.
2. v. i. To urge, but not actually to vomit.
The breath (smell) was that bad, nif did'n make me heavy to it.
HEDGEBOAR, HEDGEPIG [aj'boa-r, aj-pig],^. Hedgehog; also a term for a lout; a clumsy, stupid
clod.
Purty hedgeboar fuller, he, for to set up for a doctor, better fit he'd take to farrin /. e. farriering.
HEDGE-CAFFENDER [aj--kaa-fmdur] f sb. A rough carpenter, such as repairs gates, rails, &c.
HEDGE-TROW [aj'-troa, trau], sb. The ditch or drain at the side of a hedge, called more often a
ditch-trow in this latter case the
trow, i. e. trough, is of course redundant.
HEEL [ee'ul]. Hounds following the scent in the wrong direction are said to "be running
heel" sometimes, but rarely,
called "running counter." The latter is very fine
gen'lvoke's talk.
The whole pack took it heel, and were stopped before they reached the
edge of the covert. Records N. Devon
Staghounds, p. 45.
HEEL [ee-ul], sb. The bottom end of anything erect, or capable of being set up on end, as the heel of a
post.
There must be a new hanch to the gate, the heel o' un's a-ratted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 333
HEEL-BALL [ee -ill-bail -1], sb. Tech. A kind of wax used by shoemakers. It is the heel-ball which
puts the smooth black finish to the
edges of the soles and heels of new boots. It is sold by all curriers.
HEEL OF THE HAND [ee'ul u dhu an-], sb. The part of the hand on which it rests in the act of
writing.
What's the matter? Bad an', zir, urnd a gurt thurn into the heel c? un, and now he do mattery.
HEEL-TAP [ee-ul-taap], sb. This is still the common term for the liquor left in the bottom of a glass
after drinking. The ordinary use of
the word is, "Come, drink fair no heel-taps f" The term might have arisen at the time when goblets
were made without feet, and every man
was expected to turn his vessel upside down.
The vessel having swelling sides would hold some of the liquor when heeled or lying on its side. Tap is
still often used for the liquor; as,
“This is a poor tap;” hence such a drain as would lie in the drinking-vessel when only heeled may
have been the heel-tap.
HEEVY [ai-vee, ee'vee], v. i. i. Same as EAVY.
2. adj. The condition of damp described above, so often noticed in a thaw, or change of weather.
D'ye zee how heeiy 'tis; I be safe we be gwain to have rain, else 'twid'n heevy so.
HEFT [haef(t], v. t. i. To poise in the hands so as to judge of the weight.
He's a very nice pullet, only please to hefm to try the heft o' un your own zul.
2. To raise; to uplift.
I don't think you be man enough vor to hef thick.
J>e Sarsyn by-gan to waxe wro]>e ' egre & eke fere,
& /if/vp ys swerd, & til him a go> i & smot to Olyuere:
Sir FerumbraS) \. 620.
With his lyft hand he he/his gysarme,
And thought to do Philotas harme.
Weber, Met. Rom. Kyng Alisaunder, 1. 2297.
*\ he, as ha het him,
hefty hatele sweord up
*\ swipte hire of ty heaued. Life of St. Katherine, 1. 2450.
HEFT [haef(t], sb. Weight. This is the only word used to express ponderance. Weight (q. v.) in the
dialect means something quite different.
You'll sure to catch a cold! your things be so light's vanity, there id'n no heft in em.
|
|
|
|
|
|
334
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
HEIGHGO! [aa'ygoa! haa-ygoa!], interj. Heigho! Heighgo! here's a row! what's up! The g is always sounded in this common
expression. Hey go! here's a purty
kettle o' fish.
Hey %o! what disyease &c. ..*. Scold. 1. 15; also Jb. 1. 283.
Heigo! Mrs. Hi-go-shit! A Beagle? And hot art thee?
Ex. Scold. 1. 247.
HEIGLER [uyglur], sb. Higgler; a dealer in poultry only. (Very com.) Always pronounced with the *
long.
HEIGLY [uyglee], v. i. To practise the trade of a poultry-dealer.
What is your father doing now?
Well, mum, he do do a little to pork-butchin, and in the winter he \uyglus^\ heigles; but he don't heig'y
so ter'ble much.
HELE [arul], v. t. To cover hence to conceal; to hide. Asking a man what a rough sack in his cart
contained, he said:
Oh, 'tis nort but a thing I brought 'long to hale the 'osses way. Feb. 12, 1881.
The word is in constant daily use. The zeed idn half a haled. Hale up that there lime 'vore rainth. Be
sure 'n /tateup the mangle way the
greens, arter 'ee've a pulled em, fear o 1 the vrost.
Comp. "Httl? Manley and Corringham Gloss, p. 135.
HYLLYN (hyllen or curyn, H. coueren, p.). Operio, cooperio, tego, velo,
contego. HYLLYNG wythe clothys
(hillinge of clothes, K. P.). Tegumentum, tegmen, velamen. Promp. Parv.
I HYLL, Je couuers. You must hyll you wel nowe anyghtes, the wether is colde. Palsgrave, p. 585.
Loke J>at J>ou be armed sad '. & hele )>y bare scolle.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 353-
Fel )>ou hem me ri}t anone: and for no)>yng hele )>ou no}t
(conceal).
Ibid. 1. 1125.
Also a chariot with twey standardes heled with lether.
Fifty Earliest mils, E. E. T. S. p. 5, 1. 27.
arid yholliche of echen him ssriue be }>an }>et he him y-uel)> gelty
no J)ing to hele (conceal) no )>ing
wyj>zigge. Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 175.
and thei camen til to me, and thei ben hilcd with schame.
Wyclifvers. Job iv. 21.
A rake for to hale up the fitchis that lie. Tusser, 17/1$.
HELER [ai-lur], sb. i. A horsecloth; coverlet. Better nit put the haler 'pon th' 'oss gin
he've a-colded a bit. Huish
Champflower, Oct. 9, 1883.
2. One who covers up or conceals hence the word is used figuratively in the every-day saying:
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 335
zu bae'ud-z dhu stai'lur,] the heler's so bad as the stealer.
Y understonde, by thy face, That them
Alisaunder beo; No hele thou nought
for me. Weber, Metrical Romances, Kyng
Alisaunder, 1. 7649.
HELING [arleen], sb. A covering; a coverlet.
Take off the helin off o' the tatee-cave, eens they mid airy a
bit. The covers of books are sometimes
called healings. See Dev.
Provincialisms, iQth Report.
HYLLYNGE, or coverynge of what thynge hyt be. Cooperlura, coopertorium, operimentum. Promp. Pan/.
HYLLING a coveryng couuerture, s.f. Palsgrave.
As wel freres as oj>er folk * foliliche spenden
In housyng and in helyynge ' in hih cleregie shewynge,
More for pomp and prude. Piers Plowman, xvn. 235.
HELLIER [huTyur, huuHur], sb. A slater; one who heles roofs. Hetty ar is quite a common surname, and is
evidently derived from the trade, like
Baker, Taylor, &c. A thatcher is never called a hellier.
We haue some sorts which by the conjectures of the most experienced
Hclliers (or coverors with Slat) haue
continued on houses severall hundreds of years.
Philos. Trans, of Royal Society, A.D. 1669, v. iv. p. 1009 (on Slates).
HELLUM [uul-um, huuVum (emph.)], sb. The stalk of beans, pease, vetches, potatoes, clover, &c.
The haulm. This word is not used in
the dialect to denote straw of any kind /. e. the stalk of grain. A coarse kind of stalk is
implied: for example, clover dried is
called clover hay, but if the clover has been left to ripen its seed, the stalk becomes rank, and after
the seed has been thrashed out, the
residuum is always "clover helium."
Ang.-Sax. healm. Old H. Germ. halm.
HALM, or stobyl, stipula. Promp. Parv.
HELP [uulp], v. When used before another verb, especially as a gerund before the infinitive of the
principal verb, the inflection passes
from the auxiliary to the principal. Thus instead of saying, “I remember helping to load the cart,"
we should always say, “I mind help
loadin the cart." The same transfer occurs in the past construction. Instead of “I helped to load
the cart," it would be, “I help
loaded the cart." See LET, MUST. See INTRODUCTION.
HEM ['m, um],/r. Them. The word them maybe said to be unknown in the dialect; it is never used
for those, as in some districts e.g.
"them bricks," &c. The emphatic form of obj. is always they, as, "I gid 'em all to
they." See EM.
Doggedlich y schal hem grete: swetyng for }>y loue, )x>3 J>er be of hem two hundred: y
wil slen hem helve.
Sir Femmbras, 1. 1289.
|
|
|
|
|
|
336
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
He sende hem )>ider fol son, To
helpen hem wij) hoc;
Parable of the Labourers , Specimens of Lyric Poetry r , T. Wright, Percy Soc. 1842.
And all J>at he met adou he fett,
And slowe hem att by dene. Chron. Vil. st. 75.
Hem is used throughout this poem. See also Fifty Earliest Wills, E. E. T.
S. HEMPEN [ai-rnpm], adj. Made of
hemp; "A good hempen rope."
HEMPEN-HALTER [armpm-airltur], sb. The ordinary rope head-stall for horses. It is customary for
the seller of a horse to provide [u
ai'mpm-au'ltur}, to enable the buyer to lead off his purchase.
HEN AND CHICKEN [ai-n un chik'een], sb. The large double daisy (Bellis perennis, garden var.).
HER [uur], pr. Used as a nominative nearly always: “Her gid'n to she." Used also for /, for
he, for we, for you, for one.
A woman giving evidence at Cullompton said:
Her come to me, and her zaid how volks was a-tellin 'bout it; but I wadn gwain to zay nort to she. Sept.
8, 1884.
See W. S. Gram. pp. 35 et seq.
In herte hur gan to greue. Sir Fenimbras, 1. 3760. ]>anne hure tornde ]>at mayde brijt.
Ib. 1. 5045.
)>an hur spak J>at made 3yng: "y )>onke god of )>ys tydyng,
& marie ]>y moder dere."
Gwy tok sche bi f>e middel ]>an & custe hym; & sayde,
"gode lemman
now am ich hoi & fere." Sir Fer umbras, 1. 5223.
For lever here (St. Editha) was J>e pore to ffedi
J>e maymot ]>e seeke to wasshe and hele. Chron. Vil. st. 274.
The gode burgeis was horn i-come,
and goth to his gardin, as was his wone,
and fond his ympe up i-hewe.
" Oh," thought he, "her was a sscherewe."
Settyn Sages, Weber s Metrical Romances, 1. 1776.
HERB-BOOK [aarb-beok], sb. A herbal. A widow whose husband had been a “worm-doctor” came to
me, and asked me to buy a Gerard's
Herbal, which she said was “his herb-book."
HERBERY [aarburee], sb. A plantation of herbs for medicinal purposes. There are many Herbalists or
"quack doctors," as they are
called, who still drive a thriving trade. One such was for many years a near neighbour of mine, his cottage
window being remarkable for its display of bottles containing hideous
specimens of intestinal worms. His son
still practises, or, as they say, "travels," and has quite a considerable herbery.
HERB-GRASS [uurb, aarb-graas], sb. Rue; evidently a corruption of herb o 1
grace (Ruta graveolens).
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 337
HERB-ROBERT [uurb, aarb-raulrurt]. Geranium robertianum. See JENNY WREN.
Herb-Robert. This herb is under the dominion of Venus. It is esteemed an excellent remedy for the stone, and will
stay blood, from whatever cause it may
happen to flow. Culpeper, Herbal, p. 204.
HERBS [aarbz], sb. Medicinal plants.
There's nort like herbs nif anybody's a tookt bad wi' most anything; they be better'n all the doctor stuff in
the wordle.
HERBY [aarbee], adj. Having a medicinal flavour. Where d'ye buy this here tay, missus? I sim
'tis ter'ble arby.
HEREFROM [yuurvraum], adv. Hence. (Very com.)
About a two mild herefrom. I 'on't budge Jierefrom gin you come back. Hence, is quite unknown.
HERE-RIGHT [yuur-ruyt], adv. Here on the spot. No! let's settle it here-right.
Gyoun turde til him hys stede; and sayde j?o, “}>ou schalt lye,
Arst y schal f>e make blede; her rty ich pe diflfye." Sir Ferumb. \.
2738.
HERE'S TO YE [yuur-z t-ee]. The commonest of all the forms of drinking health. The leader of a
party of mowers always drinks first;
before putting the cup orfirk in to his lips, he says, “Come, soce! here's -tee"
" Here's luck” is the equally common form of drinking “towards luck." Before beginning a fresh job,
such as to mow a meadow, or to bee;in
loading corn, the leader says in drinking, “Come, soce! here's luck."
HERRING-GUTTED [uureen, or yuureen-guufud], adj. Thin, lean, lanky: applied to both man and
beast. A herring-gutted old son of a
bitch.
HESK, HUSK [aes-k], sb. A kind of wheezing cough, very common in cattle; also a hoarseness in man.
No! tid'n much, 'tis only a bit of a hesk. See HOSE.
The Campanula trachelium, Linn., is called by Parkinson throat-wort or haske-vtort. Way, Promp. Parv. p. 228.
On a building in Wellington is a large inscription MANUFACTORY, Devonshire Oils. Devonshire Compound for
Husk and Scour.
HESK [aes-k], sb. Hearse. (Always).
"Coming down Porlock Hill the drug-chain brokt, and overwent the hesk, coffin and all, rattle to rip!”
This was told me by the post-boy who
was driving.
HEVEL [aevul], sb. The heddle or loop in the harness (q. v.) through which the thread or end of the warp
passes; consequently each thread must
have its own separate hevel. In other districts
z
|
|
|
|
|
|
338
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
this loop is called the eye of the heald. Hevcl also means the string, or entire guide for each separate
thread of warp.
HEVEL-TWINE [aevul twuyn], sb. A fine twine, such as is used for healds or harness.
HEVIOR [aeviur], sb. Hunting. A castrated stag.
Met at Cot Bridge at ten o'clock; tried the Arlington Coverts for the
hevior. Blank day. R^c. N. D.
Staghonnds, p. 43.
HEW-MACK [yue-maak], sb. The stock or stem of the wild rose, Rosa Canind, used for budding or
grafting upon. (Always.) D'ye please
to want a nice lot o' hewmacks de year?
HEWSTRING [eo'streen], part. adj. Wheezing, husky, asthmatic. (Common.)
Tid'n no use vor to put a poor old hewstrin old fellow like he 'bout no jich job's that there.
Ya gerred-teal'd, panking, hewstring meazel. Ex. Scold. \. 48. HICK [ik], v. L To hop on one leg.
HICKERY [ik-uree], v. i. To shiver, to chatter with the cold. Why's 'n yeat thy zul, and neet bide there
hickerin? This here wind '11 make
anybody hickery wi' the cold.
HICKETY [ik-utee]. Same as to hick.
HICKETY-H ACKETY [ik-utee-aak-utee], sb. The game of hop-scotch played with a
piece of tile, which has to be kicked by the
player, with the foot on which he hops, over lines and into
various squares marked on the ground. Several
of these are still to be seen,
scratched on the ancient pavement of the Roman Forum.
HICKETY-POUND [ik-utee paewn], sb. The game of hop-scotch. (Very com.)
HIDING [uydeen], sb. Thrashing.
Let me catch thee again, you young osebird, and zee nif I don't gi' thee a d n good hidin.
HIE [buy], v. i. and /. To go; to hasten: used very commonly to spaniels "Hie on, Dash" to
encourage them to hunt; but otherwise the word is obsolete, unless hike (q.
v.) may be another form of the same.
I zeed'n, my own zul, hiein o' the dog up in the hedge.
O! there is a fire in suche a place in J>e cite; hy you to ryng your
bellis, and Vat att >e yates of
>e cite wer stekid. Gesta Rom. p. 63.
HIGGLEDY-PIGGLEDY [ig-ldee-pig-ldee],///r. In confusion, upset.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS, 339
Somebody 've a-bin and mixed all the things up higgledy-piggledy together.
Is this Italian iglia-piglia? Precisely the same meaning.
HIGGLER [uyglur]. A poultry-dealer only.
Ter'ble rough lot, some o' they \uyglurz] out about Langley Marsh. See HEIGLER.
HIGH BY DAY [uy bee dar], adv. phr. In broad daylight. Speaking of foxes, a man said to me:
"A little while agone they come down and car'd off some chicken all high by day;” and later he said, “They
be bold, sure 'nough, vor to car off
poultry high by day." May 29, 1881.
HIGHDIGEES, HIGHDEGREES [aa-ydijee-z, aa-ydigree-z], sb. Roystering, high spirits, merriment,
dancing, romping.
When I come on by the house, there was pretty highdigecs gwain on, sure 'nough.
But friendly Faeries, met with many Graces
And light foot Nymphs, can chace the lingring Night
With heydeguys, and trimly trodden traces.
Spenser, Shepherd's Calendar, June, 1. 27.
While some the rings of bells, and some the bagpipes ply, Dance many a merry round, and many a
hydegy.
Drayton, Polyolbion, B. XXV. 1. 1162.
HIKE OFF [uyk airfj, v. i. To skulk off. To slip away, like a rat leaving a sinking ship.
jack agreed to go 'long way us, but come to last he hiked off. This phrase is not used for repudiating a
bargain. See RUN WORD.
HIKE OUT [uyk aewt], v. i. Turn out; get out; be off. Now then! hike out. Look sharp, else I'll
help thee! Hike alone means simply to
go; the addition of out emphasizes
materially.
I cude git a dressmaker wenever I likes,
Uny hold up me vinger, ta walking they hikes.
Nathan Hoggs Love- Letter. HILL
[ee'ul], sb. A common.
[Aewt pun dhu ///,] out upon the common /. e. unenclosed land quite independent of its elevation.
[Vau-lee au*n dhu roa'ud gin ee kairm tiie u ee-ul luyk,] follow on the road until you come to a sort of
common.
In speaking of land, the climax of poverty is “so poor's a /////."
HILL-GROUND [ee - ul graewn], sb. Unenclosed land; rough, uncultivated land overrun with furze or
heath.
I mind very well when 'twas all hill-ground here, so var's ever you can zee; tidn so many years agone since
'twas a-tookt in.
HILL-WATER [ee'ul wairdr,] sb. Water from a bog or moor.
z 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
340
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Tidn much account vor no meads, that there hill-water. Feb. 12, 1881.
HIM ['n un 'm], ace. pr. Used for both masculine and feminine, but not so commonly in speaking of female
persons as of animals. Thick zow '11
varrow purty quick, mind and gee un plenty o' mate. See His, HER, UN.
Gwy tok sche be J?e middel and custe hym. Sir Ferumbras, 1. 5225.
See Ex. Scold. Note 6, p. 49; also W. S. Gram. p. 32.
And so he hulde hit twey }er' and more,
By strengthe and lordeshepe of Queue Emme; J?e which had maynteynyd hy gretly byfore,
By cause he j^ou^t to ben heyr' fj'of aft' hym (i. e. Queen Emme).
Chron. Vilod. st. 962.
HIND [uyn], sb. Hunting. A female deer of four years old and upwards. Wild deer do not have young
until four years old, and never have
more than one at a time. See HEARST.
HIND [uyn], sb. A farm bailiff. (Always.) The word -bailiff is not used in this sense, but only for a
sheriff's officer.
How is your son getting on, Thomas?
Au! thank ee, zir, he've a-got a very good place and a good maister: he's hind, you know, zir, to
Squire Coles.
Ang.-Sax. hina, hine, a domestic. An
HYNE; vbi a servande. Cath. Aug. p. 186.
J?e gentyle lorde J?enne paye^ hys hyne
j^at dyden hys heste, J?ay wern |>ere-ine. E. AJlit. Poems, Pear!, 1. 632.
There n'as bailiff, ne herd, ne other him
That he knew his sleight and his covine. Chaucer, Prol. 1. 606.
Ac Alisaundre quic hoteth his hymen,
Under heore walles to myne. Weber, Kyng Alls. 1. 1215.
And yf my neyh3ebore hadde an hyne: oj^er eny best ellys More profitable an myn: ich made meny
wentes, How ich myght haue hit: al my
wit ich caste.
Piers Ploivman, vn. 1. 262. See also Havelok, \. 620.
HINDER [uyndur], v. t. To obstruct: a common pronunciation. I was Hindered in my work. See Trans. Dev.
Assoc. 1882, p. 141.
HINDER-END [uyndur-ee-n], sb. The back part of anything, as, the hinder-end of the train; the seat.
Maister's bad again; he've a got a risin pon his hinder-end now, and 's fo'ced to have a 'oss-collar vor to
zit pon.
HINDERMENT [ee-ndurmunt], sb. Hindrance.
They'm sinking the road, and I reckon that 'th a bin a
hinderment. March 9, 1882.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 34!
HIPPETY-HOP, HIPPETY-HOPPETY [eep-utee-aup-utee], adv. Lame, limping in a very marked manner:
applied to both man and beast.
Poor old fuller, he's a come vor to go all hippety-hoppety like.
HIRD [hiird], v.f. i. To clear out, to rid: generally followed by out. (Always so pronounced.)
Me an' Jim Ware 've a tookt the pond to hirdin. I reckon we can hird 'n out in 'bout a vower days, else
we shan't sar our wages.
2. v. t. To sell, to get rid of.
I've a-got to many things by half, I must hird a lot o' it. See THINGS, Too.
HIRDANCE [hurduns], sb. Riddance.
Twas a d n good hirdance, getting they Bakers out o' the parish they wad'n no good to nobody.
HIRDICK [uurdik], sb. Ruddock, the robin; generally called Rabin hirdick.
Rabin hirdick and Jenny Wren Be God
Almighty's cock and hen.
HIRDLE. A sieve. See RIDDLE.
HIRE [uyur], v.t. To hear; not much used except by old people, but I have heard it very often. The
com. form is [yuurj.
I do like to hire our paa'son, he do praich so nice and loud like. Ang.-Sax. hyran.
J>an stode jnis barouns of honour, and lokede jjyderward out of J>e tour, & al
J>ys hyrefy and seej>.
Sir Fertunbras, 1. 3794-
But it seme]) whanne lordis hiren a false confessour
J?ei hiren an anticrist to leden hem to helle. Wyclif, Works, p. 187.
The holygost hnyrety pe nat: ne helpeth fe, be j ow certayn.
Piers Plowman, XX. 220.
And to hyre J?e ydelnesses of ]>e wordle. Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 231.
Best hire ma? Ex. Scold. 1. 79. Twull do your heart good to hire et.
Ib. 1. 444. See also 11. 31, 139, 566, 617.
HIRE-SAY [uyur zai], sb. Hearsay.
What I do tell 'ee, zir, id'n no hire-say, I hired it my own zel; no, tidn no hire-say sure.
This form is not so common in this neighbourhood as in East Somerset, but a woman born and living far
in the west district (Culmstock) used
the above sentence to me. Dec. 1880.
Ze ]>et ne he]> Jnse uondinges; he ne may noting wel conne; bote ase
me lean ])Q batayle of troye, be
hycre-zigginge. Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 117.
HIRSTY [huurstee]. See RUSTY.
|
|
|
|
|
|
342
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
HIS [iiz, emph. zvi\, pos. pr. i. The usual possessive used for a female as well as a male; the lit. pos.
her being very frequently the nom. in
the dialect.
How is the cow? Well, he idn no better; I sim I do want to zee un chow 'is queed. See E, p. 223.
And thenk on, Bryxyn cosyn, how dredfutt hit is.
To by reve holy chirche his possession; Chron. Vilod. st. 986.
2. It is still very customary to use this form instead of the 's inflection in writing. "John Smith his
book," is the commonest
inscription in bibles and other books, even of the newest description.
So firmly has this true piece of bad grammar taken root, that "Mary Jones her book, the gift of her
affectionate father," may also be
seen.
HIS-SELF [iiz-zuLil-], pr. Himself, alone.
[Plai'z-r mus ees g-aewf-n uulp Uurchut? u zaes aew u kaa'n due- ut uz-zuul',~\ if you please, sir,
shall I go out and assist Richard? he
says he cannot do it by himself alone.
HITCH [ee-ch, /. /. ee'ch, /. part, u-ee'ch], v. t. To strike against an obstacle; to entangle.
I hitch my voot in a stone, and down I vall'd all along.
Plaise, sir, must have a boot, vor thick there 'oss he do hitch one voot gin tother, and he've a cut his
vetter-lock sure 'nough.
HITHER [aedlrur], adv. To the left.
In driving it is common to say keep hither to the driver, come hither [km-aedh'ur] to a horse; both mean
keep or bear to the left. The hither
side [aedh'ur zuyd] is the left side more commonly called the near side.
HIT IT [iif ut], v. Hunting: to find the scent; sometimes hit it off.
The hounds then hit it up the river, and carried it on with more or less
scent through Barton Wood. Records
North Devon Staghounds, p. 65.
When the hounds came to a check, and could never //// it off again.
Ib. p. 68.
If then you hit the deer as you draw up stream, keep the hounds moving,
and the chances are you will come upon
him in the water, and there set him up, or
hit him off, if he has broken soil. Collyns, Chase of the Wild Red
Deer.
HITY-TITY [uytee tuytee], adj. i. Haughty, easily offended, stuck up. (?) Fr. haute. tete.
They be ter'ble hity-tity sort o' vokes, I zim.
2. Full of crotchets, fussy, namby-pamby, shilly-shally.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 343
I never could'n get on way un, he's always so hity-tity like don't know his own mind not dree minutes
together.
HIZY-PRIZY [uyzee pruy-zee], sb. i. Nisi prius. We could'n get in to yur no prisoners a-tried, zo we
went in the hizy-prizy.
Hence lawyer's tricks, and so any kind of chicanery or sharp practice.
Come now! honour bright, none of your hizy-prizy.
2. adj. Quibbling; litigious; tricky.
He's a proper hizy-prizy old fuller; you'll be saafe to be second best, mind, nif you d'ave much hanks way
he.
HOBBLE [aub'l], v. t. i. Usually applied to horses or asses. To tie the legs together in such a way that
the animal cannot go fast.
2. To hovel, or work as assistant or boatman in bringing vessels to anchor or out of harbour.
3. sb. The cord or rope with which the legs are hobbled.
4. sb. A scrape, a difficulty, or awkward position. We got into a purty hobble over thick job.
HOBBLERS [aub'lurz], sb. Hovellers; boatmen or landsmen employed to assist in bringing a vessel
into or out of harbour. These men are
always known by this name in the little ports of the Bristol Channel.
HOBBY [aub'ee]. i. A child's name for a horse. See BUPPO.
2. sb. A pursuit; a pastime; a favourite plan; a delight.
Horses be all hh hobby. I never widn gee much vor nobody, nif they 'ant a-got a hobby o' one sort or
another.
A piece of landscape gardening near Wellington, consisting of a large pond, an island with temple, &c.,
is always known by old pjople who
remember its construction as Proctor's Hobby , by young people it is always the
HOBBY [aub'ee], v. i. To romp with men in a
wanton, lewd manner: said only of
females. (Very common.) Her '11 hobby
wi' any fuller.
Thee wut steehoppee, and colty, and hobby, and rigzy wi' enny kesson zoul.
Ex. Scold. 1. 267. See also 1. 299.
HOBBY-HORSE [aiuVee airs], sb. A sham horse moved by a person inside; a stage horse. In olden
times the hobby-horse formed part of
the sports of the village revel. At Minehead fair the hobby-horse used to be brought out
annually, up to within fifty years
ago.
Applied to a woman the epithet is coarse and offensive.
|
|
|
|
|
|
344
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
See Ben Jonson, Entertainment to the Queen, vol. v. p. 211, ed. Walley; als o
Shall th' hobby-horse be forgot then,
The hopeful hobby-horse shall he lie founder'd?
Beaumont and Fletcher, Woman Pleased, I. ii.
In the same act we are told how the horse was carried:
Take up your horse again, and girth him to you, And girth him handsomely.
Net zo chockling, ner it zo crewnting, as thee art, a coiling hobby-horse.
Ex. Scold. 1. 46.
KOBE! [hoa'b!]. The usual call for a cow, repeated deliberately and with much emphasis. The words used for
calling or driving animals are as
distinct and invariable in their use, as the corresponding sounds are when
applied to human beings. See JUP, HAW,
JEE, WUG, CHOOK.
Also in driving oxen the plough-boys use hole! in a sort of sing-song way,
but at the same time shout it angrily when using the gore to prod them, or to cause them to back;
then it is \Hoa'baakF\
This is the same word as Ha-ape in the Ex. Scold. 1. 51. Tha art zo vore-zeet nif Vauther dedn't ha-ape
tha. See also Ib. p. 133.
HOB-NOB [aub-naub], v. i. To sit drinking together.
They was hob-nobbin together down to Clock (Inn) last Zadurday night; I never did'n think they'd vail out
lig that there.
I cannot see any connection between hob-nob and hab or nab (q. v.), at least in the dialect; though
Nares seem to think them identical.
HOCK-HOLLER [auk-airlur], sb. Hollyhock, althea rosea. The name of a hamlet in the parish of West
Buckland, near Wellington.
HOE [hoa], sb. A hill, as the Hoe at Plymouth. Generally used as a suffix, as Pinte, Martin//^, Trentiste
the two latter in the Exmoor district.
Hoe is not an uncommon name for a farm.
HOG [aug], sb. i. Applied to horses or sheep of a year old. Hogs, simply, would be understood to mean
sheep of a year old of either sex;
these would be more particularly described as [yoa'ai/gz] ewe hogs, [wadrrur augz] wether hogs, or \
- aug raa'mz] hog rams.
A hog colt would mean either a colt or filly of a year old. In the Wellington Weekly News of March i4th,
1878, is an advertisement of a sale of “Live Stock," among which is a
“black hog cart mare." The word
hogget is not used, nor is hog applied to swine.
150 splendid fat sheep, nearly all wether hogs. Upwards of ico
exceedingly prime and extra grazed
steers and heifers.
Wellington Weekly News, Dec. 2, 1886.
2. In the com. phr. I 'ont hark to, or I don't care vor hog, dog, nor devil. This is probably an alliterative
change from hob or devil. Cf.
Hob-goblin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 345
From elves, hobs, and fairies, That
trouble our dairies; From fire-drakes
and fiends, Such as the devils sends, Defend us, good heaven! Beaumont and Fletcher, Mons. Thomson, IV.
vi.
HOG [aug], v. t. To cut short the mane of a horse or pony, so that it stands straight up like a brush.
Judging from statues and reliefs of
horses, the custom was common among the Greeks and Romans in classic times.
HOG-MANED [aug-mae'imud], adj. A horse Or pony whose mane has been cut short is so described. I
have seen the term used by auctioneers
in their advertisements.
HOGO [hoa'goa], sb. Stink, strong smell. Fr. Haut gout. Well, Soce, this here's a pretty hogo, sure
enough!
HOG-WOOL [haug- eol], sb. The wool of a hog sheep which had not been shorn as a lamb, and
consequently it is the growth of about
eighteen months instead of twelve, the ordinary growth of the fleece. Hog-wool is, by reason of its age,
of greater length of staple, and generally
of more value per Ib. than the fleece of the same animal if it had been shorn as a lamb at
six months old. Of certain breeds, and
in some districts, the lambs are never shorn; but in the south of England it is found that the lambs
thrive better in hot weather without
their coats. Hal. is utterly wrong in his definition.
HOKE [hoa'k], v. To gore; to thrust with the horns: applied to horned cattle. See HORCH.
This word rather implies the playful thrusting of the horns, while to horch implies actual or attempted
goring.
HOLD [oa'l(d], v. i. Applied to vessels containing liquid. To be sound, not to leak; to hold (liquid
understood). Thick there cask 'ont
hold, tidn no good to put it in he /. e. the cask leaks.
The b:iy's a let go, an' I be afeard we shant make 'n holi again.
The wall o' the leat don't hohl, the water's all hurnin away.
HOLDERS [oa-ldurz], sb. The fangs of a dog.
HOLDIN [oa-ldeen], /#/-/. adj. Beholden. I'd zoonder work my vingers to bones, than
I'd be holdin to they.
I am to no man holden trewely
So muche as yovve, and have so litil quyt.
Chaucer, Troylns and Cryseyde, 1. 241.
HOLD UP [oa'ld aup], v. i. To leave off raining, or to continue fine.
I hope t'll hold up zoon, or I can't think whatever we shall do about the wheat sowing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
346
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Please God t'll hold?// gin to-marra night, all our hay' 11 be up in rick.
HOLD WITH [oa-ld wai], v. i. To approve of.
I don't hold wi' none o' these here fine, new-fangled notions.
I do hold wf letting volks do eens they be a minded to.
HOLING [oa-leen], part, and adj. Picking holes; fig. given to fault-finding.
A purty holin old thing her is!
"Sir," quo]) the knyjt, "sometyme is such* hoUyin% and
perforacion goode, and not wikkiS.
Gesta Rom. p. 10.
Oil vor whistering and pistering, and hoaling and halzening, or cuffing a
Tale.
Ex. Scold. 1. 297.
HOLLER [aul-ur], v. i. i. To cry out; to shriek; to halloo. Don't you holler avore you be hurted. Never holler till you be out o' the 'ood.
2. sb. Hunting. The cry given when the quarry is seen; the view-halloo; the tally-ho!
The deer's gvvain vor Homer, I yeard a holler down the bottom.
3. sb. Hollow; a carpenter's tool; a small plane, having a concave or hollow cutting iron, with which
to plane a convex surface.
Th' old Tamlin had a got a fust-rate lot o' tools; why! he'd a got a wole set o' rounds and hollers. See
ROUND.
4. adv. Altogether; thoroughly. He'll beat he holler.
5. adj. Tech. concave.
[Kaa - n due noa'urt wai dhaat dhae'ur boo'urd, tez z-air/ur,'] can't do anything with that (lot of) board,
'tis so hollow.
HOLLER MEAT [aul'ur mail], sb. Any kind of poultry when dead. A man said to me of another who was
suspected of stealing fowls: "Jim
was always a tartar for holler meat." (Very com.)
HOLLER-MOUTH [aul'ur-maewdh], sb. An epithet for a foul-mouthed ruffian.
"A gurt holler-mouth” is a very common expression.
HOLLER-MOUTHED [aul'ur-maewdhud], adj. Noisy;
swearing; abusive; addicted to loud, coarse language.
Why, there id'n no gurt holler-moutheder fuller 'thin twenty mild.
HOLLER-TOOL [aul'ur-teol], sb. A cooper's drawing knife, bent into a shape suitable for shaving out
the inner surfaces of casks.
HOLLIN [haul'een,/*w./*w/. of to holloa, or halloo]. Hallooing; shouting; crying.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 347
I yeard em hollin mackerell s'morning, but I didn ax how they was zellin o' m.
You never didn year no jis hollin and wurrawin, eens they zot up, hon they know'd who'd a-car'd the day.
Zom hootin, heavin, soalin, haivlin!
Zom in the mucks, and pellum sprawlin;
Leek pancakes all zo flat.
Peter Pindar, Royal Visit, st. 3.
HOLM [oa-m], sb. The common holly is always so called not applied to any kind of oak.
Mind you bring some Christmasin, a good bush o' holm, and a mestletoe, s'now.
HOLME, or holly. Ulmus, hussus. Promp. Parv.
The HOLLY (Holme, or Hulver) tree. Houx, hons. Cotgravt (Sherwood).
HOLMEN [oa*meen], adj. Made of holly. A public house is called “The Holmen Clavel” /. e. the
holly beam. See CLAVEL.
Of thornes and busshes hen her garnement,
And of holmen leues, I sigge verrayment.
Wcbcr, Met. Rom., Kyng Alisannder, 1. 4944.
Of the Holme, Holly, or Hulver tree. This tree or shrub is called in Latine Agrifolium: in high DUTCH, W'ALDDISTELL,
and of diners STKCPALMEN: in English,
Holly, Huluer, and Holme. Gerard, p. 1339.
HOLM [oa*m], sb. An island. The best example is that of the well-known islands in the Bristol
Channel, the Steep Holm and the Flat
Holm, visible from every part of the Somerset coast.
HOLM, place be-sydone a watur (be-syde a water, s.). Hulmus.
See Way's note, Promp. Parv. p. 243.
HOLM-SCREECH [oa-m-skreech], sb. The missel-thrush is always known by this name, and no other.
Turdus viscivjrus.
HOLT [oa'lt], sb. A wood or grove. The name occurs in that of one or more farms, as Ash//0//,
Knock/fo//.
HOLT! [oa-lt]. Halt! stop! This word is always used by a man to his mate or mates working with him,
when he desires to stop. Among
sawyers, blacksmiths, and handicrafts, where two or more men have to work in concert, the
expression is invariable. It is never
used in speaking to horses or cattle.
HOLUS-BOLUS [hoa-lus-boa-lus], phr. Without asking leave; whether we will or no. Corruption of
nolens-volens.
They come and tookt th'osses, holus-bolus, and never so much as axed or zaid thank ee.
HOLY-FLINT [oa-lee-vliin-t], sb. A flint with a natural hole through it. It is very lucky to find such a
stone, as it is better even than a
horse- shoe to keep off the pixies, or the witche*, or
|
|
|
|
|
|
348
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
the evil-eye. Whether holy refers to the hole, or to the supposed sanctity of the stone I cannot say; but the
superstition is evidently wide-spread,
for Brockett mentions it in his Glossary of North Country Words, 1825.
HOME [oa-m], adv. Close to.
Her and her mother do live home beside o' we, the house id'n ezactly in the street, but he's home by.
I auft ta love the stream an' do Ver I
wiz born whuin (home) by es side, An'
went to school, an' sar'd my time, An'
all my furns there too da bide.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 6.
HOME-COMING [oa'm, aunv-kaunreen], sb. The arrival of the bride at her husband's home. This used
to be celebrated with much festivity,
but now it is mostly confined to a peal on the church bells.
A purty home-coming that, sure 'nough, vor to slink in to the back-door, 's off they was -asheeamed to
show therzuls.
And of the feste that was at hire weddynge,
And of the tempest at hire hoom-comynge:
What
folk be ye that at myn hom-comynge
Pertourben so my feste with cryenge?
Chaucer, Knightes Tale, 11. 25, 47.
HOME-FIELD [oa'm-fee'ul]. The piece of land next adjoining the homestead is usually the home-field; in
addition, there is usually another on
the other side, adjoining the barn, and this is nearly always the barns-dose. One or both
of these names for the fields next the
house are to be found on nearly every farm.
HOME-MADE [oa'm-mae'ud], adj. Rough; unpolished. This term is applied to any article of a
makeshift or unfinished character.
Well, 'nif thick idn the [oa-m-mae'udees] home-madest looking wagon I've a zeed 's longful time! wherever
did 'e get 'n? There idn a bit o' form
nor farshin in un.
HOME TO [oa*m tue], adv. i. As far as; up to.
The routs was up home to the nuts o' the wheels.
The water was out over the road, up home to the turnpike gate. Ees, and I was a-fo'ced to go droo it, and
'twas up home to my vork.
Home to door is a very common idiom, meaning as far as the door. We went 'long way un all the way,
right home to door.
This has nothing to do with home^ sb.
Us rests a bit, an then go'th vore, An
then I zee'th her home ta door.
Nathan Hogg, Tka Milshy, Ser. I. p. 37.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 349
2. adv. phr. All but; only excepting. A woman robbed of her cabbages, said:
[Dharv u kaard uwar airl aay-d u-gairt, oa'm tu dhee'uz yuur, un dhik idn u waeth noa'urt,] they have
stolen all I had, excepting this one
alone, and this is worthless.
HON [haun], adv. When. See HOT. (Usual form.)
I can't mind hon I zeed zo many volks to fair avore.
Hon I was s' old's you be, I was a fo'ce to work.
I'll lef the kay o' the door, and vetch 'n hon I come back along.
HONESTY [auiristee]. The flower Lunaria biennis. See
MONEY-IN-BOTH-POCKETS.
HONEY [uuiree]. A common term of endearment.
Sally my honey!
Take care o' your money.
HONEY-BALL [huuiree-baul]. Flower. Buddlea globosa.
HONEY-SUCK [uun-ee-zeok], sb. The flowers of common red clover. (Com.)
Medow Trefoile is called in Latine Trifolium pratense: .... in English, Common Trefoile, Three leafed grasse: of
some, suckles, Hony-suckles and
Cocks-heads. Gerard, Herbal, p. 1187.
HONEY-SWEET [uuiree-zweet]. i. Spiraa Ulmaria. As often so-called as iVIeadow-sweet.
2. adv. and adj. Usually applied to hay or straw.
Well, tidn very good hay, but I mixes their corn 'long way it, and puts a little bit o' salt in 'long way
it, and then they eats it honey -sweet.
I was afeard o' un (the rick), 'cause 'twas out so long, but howsomever, he
cuts out honey-sweet.
HONEY-SWEET: Melliflue. Cotgrave (Sherwood).
HOOK [eok], sb. A bill-hook for chopping wood. All other kinds of hooks have a descriptive prefix, as
a spar-hook for making spars (q. v.);
a reap-hook, a sickle for reaping corn; a staff-hook, i. e. with a long stale for trimming up
hedges. A carpenter pointing out bad
work in some sash frames, said, Feb. 1885:
" Nif I widn chop em out way a hook, and stick em way a board-nail
better-n that there is, I'd ate em 'thout zalt!”
HOOKED [eok'ud], adj. Applied to a saw when its teeth are so pointed as to catch in the wood instead
of cutting smoothly; in other
districts the saw is said to be "too rank," here it is always “too h joked" See CLOSE.
|
|
|
|
|
|
350
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
HOOP [eo'p], sb. The bullfinch usual name. Pyrrhula vulgaris.
They hoops be beating out the br.d again ter'ble, we must burn some more powder 'bout em i. e. shoot at.
HOOP [eo-p], v. i. To whoop; to shout. Used generally with holler (i v. *.).
I yeard-n hoopin and hollering ever so long nvore I zeed-n.
There was purty works way em; you never yeard no jis hoopin and holleriii in all >our live, 'twas
fit to wake the very dead.
Of horn and boon, in which they blew and powpede, And therwithal thay schryked and they
howpedc: It seemed tho as that heven
schulde falle.
Chaucer, The Nonne Prestes Tale, 1. 579.
HOOP! [ue'p!], interj. The word used by carters to their horses to move on. It is never used when the
horses are already in motion, nor is
it used except to heavy teamsters; but it is the regular word among farm carters to start
their "plough" (q. v.),
whether drawing sull, harrows, or wagon. It is precisely
analogous to the shrill yee! of French
carters.
HOOP-HEADED [eop-ardud], adj. Hunting.
A stag whose horns are curved upwards, and between which the space
narrows towards the points, is said to
be hoop-headed. Colly ns, p. 41.
HOP [haup], v. t. To cause glass or ware to crack by putting hot water suddenly into it. Mind you don't hop the glass.
HOP O' MY THUMB [aup- u mee dhuunr], sb. A dwarf or dv.arfish person; also a fop or dandy.
Hoppe upon my thombefretillon. Palsgrave.
HOPPER [aup-ur], sb. The large, tapering-shaped trough over the mill-stones, in which is placed the
grain to be ground. It is from the
hopper that the mill-clapper (q. v.) causes the grain to flow down in a small regulated stream upon
the nether mill-stone.
HOPER of a mylle, or a tramale Taratantara. Promp. Parv. HOPPER of a myll, tremye. Palsgrave, p.
232.
The HOPPER of a mill: Huche, tremie, tremuye, on trcmblante de monlin,
Cotgrave (Sherwood).
By God, right by the hopper will I stand,
(Quod John) and see how that the corn goes in. Yet saw I never, by my father's kin, How that the hopper wagges to and fro.
Chaucer, Reeve's Tale, 1. 4034.
In old, small mills the hopper itself was made to vibrate to and fro so as to shake out the corn no doubt this
is the allusion above;
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 351
but this motion has nothing to do with to hop^ as suggested by Way) Promp. Parv. 246), because a
corn-hutch or receptacle for grain,
having no connection with a mill, is still called a hopper. This is further proved by the following:
And heng hus hoper on bus hals: in stede of a scrippe; A broussel of bred-corn: brouht was
}>er-ynne.
Piers Pl<nv. IX. 1. 60.
Hopur of a seedlepe (or a seedlepe, HARL, MS. 2274). Satorium,
saticulum. Seedlep, or hopur.
Satoriitm. Promp. Parv. pp. 246, 451.
HOPPERS [aiip-urz], sb. The white maggots which are found in cheese and hams. These have the power of
curling and suddenly straightening
themselves, thereby they are able to hop or leap several inches.
HOPPETY [atip-utee], v. i. To hop. Same as HACKETY (q. v.).
HOPPETY-KICK [aup-utee-kik-]. A person lame from having one leg shorter than the other. See DOT.
You don't zay her's gwain to have thick there hoppety-kick fuller!
HOPPING-STOCK [aup-een-stauk]. Called also Upping-stoek. The stone steps so
often seen at farm-houses and roadside
inns, by which a horse is mounted. In the olden time, when
pillions were common, these steps were
essential. Called Horsing-steps in
Yorkshire.
HOPPY [aup'ee], v. i. To hop; to jump.
[Aa*l maek dhee aup'ee lairng, sh-uur mee, neef diis'n muuvee], I'll make you get on, dost hear me? if dost
not make haste.
Chell make thy kepp hoppee, wi' thy Vlanders lace upon 't.
Ex. Scold. 1. 95.
HORCH [au'rch], v. To gore with the horns.
T'on't do for they bullicks for to be a-dring'd up too much, they'll sure t' horch one or tother. This
is the common word.
HOREHOUNTD [oa-raewn], sb. A herb in much repute for fomentations. Marrubium vulgare.
Common Horehound boyled in water and drunke, openeth the liner and spleene and preuailes greatly against an
old cough. Gerard, p. 694.
HORN-BEAM [aurn-beem], sb. The wych-elm. In this district the usual name for Ulmus Montana.
Called .... in English, Horn-beam, Hard-beam, Yoke-elme, and in some places Witch Hasell. Gerard, p. 1479.
HORNEN [aurneen], adj. Made of horn. A hornen lantern is in every farm stable. A hornen cup,
hornen comb, &c.
Sing 3e to the Lord in an harpe, in harpe and vois of saum: in trumpis
betun out with hamer, and in vois of
the hornene trumpe. Psalm cvii. 6, Wyclifvers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
352
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
HORN-SHUT [airrn-shuut], adj. Crooked; twisted; out of the straight line. (Very com.)
Thick there board 'on't do; can't never get-n true, he's ghorn-s/iut's a
dog's hind leg.
Horn is one of the usual similes to express extreme crookedness.
So crooked's a horn. See SHUT.
HORRY, adj. Filthy; foul. This word occurs in the Ex. Scold. 11. 47, 155, 205.
Thy waistcoat all horry, &c.; but it is now almost obsolete. I have never heard it used, but old people
know the word.
Ang.-Sax. horig, dirty; horwa, hbnt, dirt; hynvian, to defile.
Of vche best J>at berej lyf ' busk j?e a cupple, Of vche clene comly kynde enclose seuen
make}, Of vche honved, in ark * halde
bot a payre. Alliterative Poems (A.D.
1360), E. E. T. S., ed. Morris, 1. 333.
]>e spot of hor (filth): is \>Q couaytise of J>e wordle.
Ayenbite of Inivyt, p. 228.
Somtyme envyous folke with tunge horowe
Departen hem, alas! Chaucer, Co nip. Mars and Venus, 1. 206.
)?at }>is synfull world >at so horry ys. Chron. Vilod. st. 467.
See Old. Eng. Homilies, 2. 141. Rel. Ant. 2. 176. HOWERLY, Mauley and Cor. Glos. p. 139.
HORSE [airs], sb. A cross-legged frame, on which logs are laid to be sawn up.
HORSE BUTTERCUP [airs buad'urkuup-], sb. Marsh marigold. (Very com.) Caltha palustris.
HORSE-COPER [airs-koa-pur], sb. A low kind of horse-dealer; one who frequents
fairs and markets in search of the
unwary.
'Twas a very ptirty lot o' 'm, I 'sure 'ee. There was Tom Saffin the heigler, and Gypsy George the
horse-coper, and tailder Jones; and he
what's er a called? up to Rogue's Roost, the broom-squire; lor! I can't mind the name o' un; but there
they was all to a heap, and a purty
drunksnest 'twas, sure 'nough.
HORSE-DAISY [au's-darzee], sb. The dog daisy or marguerite. Chrysanthemum
Leucanthemum. (Always.)
HORSE-FLY [airs-vluy], sb. The Gad-fly. See HORSE-STINGER.
HORSE-HOVE [au-s-oa-v], sb. and v. t. Horse-hoe. An implement drawn by a
horse which slices off the weeds just below
the surface of the ground. Often called a sham.
HORSE-MINT [airs-miint], sb. Usual name of wild mint, very common in marshy places in this district.
Mentha sylvestris.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 353
HORSES [airsez]. To "put horses together" is to agree after a difference.
HORSE'S HEAD [au'sez ai'd], sb. The usual simile with which to compare any object for its bigness
or shapeless ugliness. Dec. 1881, a
man said to me about some draining:
I never didn zee the fuller place o' it for stones; why I've a tookt out stones out o' thick there gutter,
so big and so ugly as a horse's head.
Horse as a prefix seems to have the force of Italian acci, and to imply coarseness and roughness, as in
/wrse-p\a.y, horse-daisy ,
&?rte-radish, /wrse-faced, horse-mirti.
Cf. HORSEHEAD, Derbyshire Mining Terms, B. 10.
HORSE-STINGER [airs-sting-ur], sb. The common dragon-fly of all varieties is known only by this
name. The gad-fly is never called a
horse-stinger, pace Halliwell.
HOSE [oa'uz], sb. Hoarseness. (Very common.) A well-known local cattle specific, on the wrapper of
each bottle, sets out the various
ailments it professes to cure in various animals, and inter alia reads thus:
YEARLINGS J Husk Qr ^ ScQur; chms>
CALVES J Worms in Throat.
An authentic story is told of a clergyman, who on arriving at Withypool to preach next day, found the
sexton on the Saturday night walking up
and down the river Barle. In reply to natural
inquiry, he said he was trying to get a bit of a hose, because he
had to sing bass in church next day.
Ang.-Sax. hwosta, a cough.
Hoos (hors, K, hoorse, P.). Rauens.
HOOSE, or cowghe (host, or cowhe, K. host, or cowgth, s. hoost, HARL.
Ms. 2274). Tussi's. Promp. Parv.
An HOST j tussis, tussicztla.
To HOST; tussire. Cath. Anglicum.
In Leslie churchyard, Fifeshire
Here lies the body of Andrew Brown,
Sometime a wright in Lunnon toon,
In the year seventeen hunner and seventy-three
When coming his parents for to see,
Of a cauld and a sair host
He died upon the Yorkshire coast.
Spectator, Sep. 6, 1884, p. 1173.
Then ha took up es pipe, an ha kauff'd auff tha hoce, An zeth Varmer Jan Vaggis “Wull harky now,
zoce."
Nathan Hogg, Ser. I. p. 49. See HESK.
HOSEBIRD [oa-zburd, hoa'zburd, wuuz'burd], sb. An epithet
A A
|
|
|
|
|
|
354
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
of reproach (very common); no doubt the corruption of whore's brood. Plenty of examples in these pages.
Let me catch the young hosebird, that's all, aa'll make'n know.
Not used as an adj. , like the whoreson of Shakespeare.
HOSED [oa-uzd], adj. Afflicted with hoarseness or cough. I be a hosed up that bad I can't hardly
spake. See HOSE.
Good vor nort bet scollee, avore tha art a hoazed that tha cast scarce yeppy.
Ex. Scold. 1. 1 60.
HOSED [oa'uzd],/ar/. adj. A cant phrase for died, like croaked.
Nif tha young George Hosegood had a had tha, he murt a hozed in a little time.- Ex. Scold. 1. 290.
HOSSED [au-seed], adj. The condition of a mare; horse ward.
HOT [haut]. What. In this word and in when (see HON) the w sound is omitted. (Very com.)
" Hot be 'bout then, soce!” is to be heard daily.
And more an zo, there's no Direct to hot tha tell'st.
Ex. Scold. 1. 149. See also 11. 207, 213, &c.
HOUND [aewn(d], sb. Part of a wagon. One of the two or more pieces which are morticed through the
poll-piece of the fore-carriage, and which carry the sweep-piece.. This
latter permits the carriage to turn
upon the main-pin without causing undue strain upon it. Not used in spring wagons.
HOUND [aewn]. A term of reproach generally applied to boys.
You lazy, good-for-nort young hound, I'll skin yer backzide vor ee, I will!
HOUSE [aewz], sb. i. The living room; the ground floor generally.
[Dhu vloo'ur-z u-wae'urd aewt, eens uz u guurt oa'l rai't-n dhu miid'l u dh-aewz,~\ the floor is worn out,
so that there is a great hole right in
the middle of the living room. This verbatim report conveyed a very definite idea. The floor
(q. v.) of fine concrete had been
broken, and so a hollow of the thickness of the concrete, less the trodden dirt, appeared. Gurt holes
of this kind are very common, and
often remain without much inconvenience for many years. See DOWN HOUSE.
2. A room in any building, as a im\\i-house, brew-house, malt-fiouse, pound-house, cider-house, vrash-Jiouse,
meat-house.
HOUSE [aewz], v.t. Used respecting corn or hay; to place under cover, in rick or in barn.
All the corn's ^.-housed in our parish.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 355
HOUSEHOLD [aewzl], adj. Ordinary: \aewzl brai'd,] common bread, as distinguished from fancy.
The pronunciation of this word is peculiar, the second syllable being shortened down to a mere /, quite as
short as the second syllable in
whistle.
HOUSEHOLD-GOODS [aewzl-geodz], sb. Furniture of a house is scarcely ever called by any other
name.
I would not mind giving up the house if I could tell what to do with my household-goods.
HOUSING [aewzeen], sb. A broad leather flap which is fastened to the top of a horse's collar. In
fine weather it stands upright; in wet
weather it is turned down (its true use) to keep the horse's shoulders dry. The word also includes
many kinds of ornaments erected over
the collar of the vore-horse. Not uncommonly may be seen and heard a row of
four or five loud jangling bells,
fixed under a board, and surrounded by a fringe of the brightest yellow and red worsted, all this
towering quite a foot above the
horse's shoulders.
HOVE [oa-v], v. t. and sb. Hoe.
For hovingo 1 turmuts, did'n ought to have your hove no less'n nine inches wide.
HOVER [uuvur], v. i. To remain undecided; to pause before acting. A man is said to hover about when
considering a bargain before
completing it. The idea is no doubt taken from the action of the hawk, which remains hovering or
fluttering over its prey, and then
suddenly darts upon it.
HOVERS [uuvurz], sb. Hiding-places for fish. Any overhanging stone or bank
under which a fish can hide is so called.
Also any kind of overhanging shelter, especially hollows in the
side of a hedge.
" Be sure and keep your eye; pon the hovers along thick side o' the hedge." Said by a keeper while
rabbiting. Dec. 1883.
HOW [aew], sb. Way. In the phr. “no how." I can't do it no how; no, not to save my
life.
HOWDERIN [uwdureen], adj. Applied to the weather. Cloudy, overcast, threatening, stormy.
We wants a little bit o' sun now vor to kern up the wheat; these yere howdtrin days like be good vor the
turmuts, but they be bad vor the corn.
HOWKES! HOWSHE! [aewks! aewsh!], inter j. Exclamation used in driving pigs (very com.), but
usually in connection with Turr!
[Tuuru! aewks! tuur! aeivshu /]
A A 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
356
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
HOWSOMDEVER [uwsumduvur]. Nevertheless, howsoever, at all events.
HUCK [uuk], sb. Hock. (Always.) See COW-HOCKED. HUCKLE-BONE [uuk'1-boa-un], sb. The
hip-bone.
The HUCKLE-BONE: Gnarignon, afragale, noix. Sherwood.
If thou shalte bye fatte oxen or kye, handel them and se that they be
soft on the fore-croppe, behynde the
shulder, and vpon the hindermost rybbe, and
upon the hucbone, and the nache of by the tayle.
Fit*herbcrt % Husbandry, 57, p. 53.
HUCK-MUCK [uuk'-muuk], sb. i. A strainer used in brewing. It consists of a bundle of twigs; generally
part of an old broom, which is placed
at the bottom of the mashing-keeve, or vat, to prevent the grains running out when the
wort is drawn off.
2. A term for a paltry, mean person; a humbug. I calls'n a proper huck-muck.
Ya huck-muck son of a bitch, thee't ha my tools again in a hurry, aa'll warn thee!
The old Mag Dawkins is bet a Huckmuck to tha. Ex. Scold . 1. 116.
HUCKSHINS [uuk-sheenz], sb. The hock-shins; under-side of the thighs just above the bend of the
knee. See GAMERELS.
Thy Hozen muxy up zo vurs thy Gammerels to tha very Hucksheens o' tha.
Ex. Scold. 1. 154.
HUCKSTER [uuk'stur], sb. A petty tradesman; a small shopkeeper.
They do keep a little huckster s shop, and zells can'ls, and baccy-pipes, and
that.
HVVKSTARE (huksterc, K.). Auxionator, auxionarius. Promp. Paru.
HUCSTER, a man quocquetier.
I love nat to sell my ware to you, you hucke so sore. Vous harcellez si
trestant.
Palsgrave, p. 588.
An HUCKSTER. Regrateur, regratier, revendeur, maquignon. Sherwood.
HUD [uud], sb. The shell or sheath of seed-bearing plants, as of peas, beans, &c.
'Tid'n a good sort o' peas, there's too much hud to 'em. Also the skin of fruits, as of grapes,
gooseberries. Billy, be you eating the
hud of the gooseberries?
HUFF [uuf], sb. Offence, sulks. Her
was in a purty huff about it.
HUFFY [uuf-ee], adj. Apt to take offence, or become sulky. Her's a huffy old thing, nif her id'n a
keep plaised.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS.
HUG [uug], sb. The itch; called also the Welshman's hug. Scabies.
HUGGER-MUGGER [uug'ur-mugg'ur], adj. Untidy, slovenly in housekeeping.
'Tis a shockin poor hugger-mugger concarn way em, I 'sure ee.
HUH [uuh]. Pronounced like a kind of grunt. When a thing is out of perpendicular, or when a wheel
runs “out of truth," or when
anything is lop-sided, it is said to be “all of a huh."
"The old woman (now dead) who used to keep my lodge, seeing the
gardener thinning the shrubs, asked
me, 'An' wunt yer onner ha that wee-wowy auld
olive down? I do zim he do grow all a huh like.'" Letter from Dr.
Prior, Nov. 12, 1886.
HULK [uulk], sb. Seed or grain when mixed with the chaff i. e. after being thrashed, but before it
is winnowed.
We draws in the hulk into the barn eens we do drash it, fear o' the rain. Feb. 12, 1881.
HULKING [uul'keen], adj. Ungainly, awkward generally preceded by great.
I never zeed no such gurt hulking fuller. This expression implies idle as well as awkward.
HULL [uul], v. t. i. To shell; to thrash seed from the pod or sheath.
They be coming way th' ingin a Monday, vor to hull thick there rick o' clover-zeed. They there pays (peas)
on't never pay vor hullin.
2. sb. The husk or sheath of seed, as of peas, beans, vetches, clover, &c.
HOOLE, or huske (hole, S. holl, P.). Siliqua.
HOOLE of pesyn', or benys, or oj?er coddyd fnite (hole of peson, or huske,
or codde, K. cod frute, P.). Techa,
CATH. infressus. Promp. Parv.
GOUSSE: The husk, swad, cod, hull of beans, pease, &c.Cotgrave.
I sette jowre patentes and Jowre pardoun} * at one/zV-r helel
Piers Plowman, B. vil. 193.
Note to above gives, pese hule c. (Camb. MS.); peese hole B. (Bodley MS.).
HULLER [uul'ur], sb. A special drum, or apparatus belonging to a thrashing-machine, by which the seed
pod or hull of peas, beans, clover,
&c. is broken up without injuring the seed.
HUM [huum], sb. Lie, false report. (Emphatic word.) Don't 'ee believe it, 'tis all a hum.
HUMDRUM [uunrdruum], sb. A low butt (q. #.) with broad wheels for drawing manure.
HUMOUR [yuunvur], sb. i. Matter or pus from a wound or boil.
|
|
|
|
|
|
358
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
He 'on't be no better till all the [yuunrur-z] humour 's a draw'd out.
2. A boil; a gathering.
Thick there 'oss must have a drench vor to cold-n down, and stop they humours about-n.
HUMOURLESS [yuunrurlees], adj. i. Subject to eruptions of the skin.
Ter'ble humourless [yuunrurlees] horse always somethin or nother the matter way un.
2. Humoursome, frolicsome, joking.
So good-tempered, humourless a young fellow as you shall vind in a day's march.
HUMOURY [yuunruree], adj. Of the condition of a horse or other animal; a tendency to inflammation
or eruption on the skin; liable to
boils or pustules. Much the same as humourless.
HUMP-BACKED [uump-baak'ud], adj. Applied to anything crooked or awkwardly shaped, as well as to
persons.
This here's a proper hump-backed old thing, why, he's so crooked's a horn. Said of a piece of timber.
HUNDERD-LEGS [uun-durd, or uuirdiid-ligz], sb. The centipede. (Usual name.)
HUNDRED [uun'durd,-<?r uun'diid], sb. A variable number. A small hundred is five score; a long
hundred is six score; a
“^#72*/ra/weight” is one hundred pounds, not one hundred and twelve just as fortyweight, four score
weight, &c., would be forty and
eighty pounds respectively. In markets, when buying by tale, unless "the hundred of five
score" is specially mentioned, the
hundred is understood to be one hundred and twenty, now often called “a long hundred." See COME TO.
HUNE [eo-n], sb. Handle, haft. (Not com.)
The hune o' me knive's a-brokt.
HUNGRY [uung-gree], adj. Grasping, covetous, having. Main near, hungry old feller, proper old
skin-vlint.
HUNK [uungk], sb. Hunch.
He'd a got a hunk o' burd'n cheese fit to make a farmer's heart ache.
HUNKS [uunks], sb. A miser.
How much did Mr. give?
He! he's a rigler old hunks, mid so well try to git blid out of a vlint-stone, as to get a varden out o' he.
KURD [uurd]. Red. (Always.) Also written Erd (q. v.).
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 359
Redwood is quite a common surname, always pronounced \ - Huur deo'd}.
An' wi' em there was tiurd-kwote chaps,
Wi' boots an' birches, roun'-crown caps.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 57.
HURDIN [uurdeen], sb. Redding /. e. ruddle, very commonly daubed about sheep. (Always so called.)
HURDY [uurdee], adj. Ruddy.
I spose they be burnin the hill again, the sky lookth so hurdy thick way like.
The zun, lik' a gilded sheenin ball,
Ez zinken into rest: An' ez hurdy
light, aslant a-drow'd, Da tinge the
fiel's, the trees, the road.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 23.
HURN [uurn, huurn (emph.)], v. t. and /. To run. (Always.) Ang.-Sax. jwztf/z. Abundant examples in
these pages. Hum cheel! and vetch the
tay-run (tea-urn; always so).
ERNYN, as horse, cursito. Promp. Parv.
j>et ilke blodi swot of his blisfule bodie, ]>et ]pe streames vrnen
adun to }?er eorfce. Ancren Riwle, p.
112.
par bu]> also salt welles and hoote welles, )>er-of earnest stremes of
hoot ba]>es, to-deled yn dyuers
places acordyng for man and womman.
Basilius sei)? j?at j?e water )>at eorne\> and passe]) by veynes of
certyn metayl.
Trevisa, Descr. of Brit. (Morris and Skeat), p. 236, 1. 18. In the trans,
pub. in Rolls Series, vol. II, p. 15,
the above is rendered rennet h.
Every wilde dere astore,
Hy mowen by cours ernen to fore.
Weber, Met. Rom., K. Alts. 1. 5003.
That chyld Y tok up as yerne, And
lepte to hors and gan to erne.
Weber, Met. Rom., Octouian, 1. 1933.
and f?anne welled water for wikked werkes,
Egerlich ernyng ' out of mennes eyen.
Piers Plowman, B. XIX. 375.
Now, when the cows zeed I start off,
They vollar'd me, in coose, An'
kick'd, an' htirn'd, an' drow'd ther taails
An' blarid like the deuce.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 15.
HURRY-PUSH [uuree-peo-sh], adv. phr. Bustling, driving, in haste.
Her's always alike, no rest wi' her, all hurry-push.
You can't expect to hab'm so well a made all hurry-push, as off I'd a got time for to do un vitty like.
HURRY-SKURRY [uuree skuuree], v. i. and adv. To do anything in a hasty, careless manner. Take
it quiet, what's the good to
hurry-skurry over your work, you'll only be forced to do it again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
360
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
HURSH [uursh], v. and sb. Rush.
He hursht up in the chimmer, and catcht up the cheel, just avore the roof vailed in.
HURTLE-BERRY [huurtl-buuree], HURTS [huurts], sb. Whortleberry. Vaccinium Myrtillus.
The latter is the common name, the former is a little “fine” talk, as belonging to literature. The cry
Hurts / hurts! may be heard daily in
the season, in most towns and villages of the
district; but now, alas! the Board schools are corrupting the old name into worts. They grow in great
abundance on all the moorlands of the
Quantock, Brendon, and Exmoor District.
Perhaps Dunkerry and the surrounding hills are the most prolific. Like other fruit produce they are twice as
dear as formerly, though quite as
plentiful. Thirty years ago the regular price was twopence per quart, never more; now it is
4^. and 6d.
Bewar at eve of crayme of cowe, and also of the goote, J>au3 it be late, Of strawberies and hurtilberyes with the
cold loncate.
John RusselPs Boke of Nurture (Furnivall, Babees), 1. 81.
Serue fastynge butter, plommes, damesons, cheryes, and grapes, after
mete, peres, nots, strawberyes,
hurtelberyes, and hard chese.
Wynkyn de Worde, Boke of Keruynge (Furnivall), p. 266.
lanuaries abstract. Of trees or fruites to be set or remooued. 13.
Hurtillberies.
Ttisser, p. 76.
Here we came to a long check, the deer having been blanched by some
hurtle-pickers. Records, North Devon Staghounds, p. 93.
HUSK. See HESK, HOSE.
HUTCH [uuch], sb. i. A trap, specially of a box kind, for catching the fish, animal, or vermin
bodily, in distinction from a gin. As
a i&\.-hutch, tz\-hutch, salmon-Az//^, so also a big ugly carriage is a booby-ftufc/i. See
SCUTTLE-HUTCH.
2. A box, a chest; as a com-hutch, a rabbit-ftufc/t.
HOCHE, or whyche (husch, S. hoche, or hntche, H. p.). Cista, archa. HUTCHE, or whyche, supra in HOCHE. Cista,
archa.
Promp. Parv. See Way's Note, p. 255.
Byn, to kepe breed or corne, huche. Palsgrave.
and halen al harlotrye to heren it, or to mouthen it; Tyl pernelles purfil be put in here hucche;
Piers Pl<numan, B. IV. 115.
Thenne sone com J>e seuen)>e day, when samned wern alle, & alle woned in J)e ivhichche J>e
wylde and |>e tame.
Early Alliterative Poems, Deluge, 1. 361.
3. A sluice for keeping back water.
Somebody corned along in the night, and vor mirschy (mischief) pulled up the hutch, and let go'd all the
mill-head.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 361
4. Called also the scuttle-hutch; a covered recess in a barn, adjoining the “floor," into which the
grain is shovelled as fast as it is
thrashed to await the winnowing.
5. Hatch (q. v.), or half-door to a barn or stable, also to a house. Many cottages have a hutch outside the door
proper, often called the half-hutch.
HUZZY [uuz-ee], sb. A term for a girl implying reproach. An impudent young huzzy.
I [u]. Common form of prefix to past
participles, used by writers
indifferently with a. Abundant examples are given by Halliwell, vol. i. p. 472. See VIII. A. i, p. 4.
It is to be noted, that very frequently the use of the prefix in the dialect supplants the ordinary past
inflection, whether strong or weak, as
in [u-bae'uk, u-bee, u-baeg, u-deo-, u-goo,] for baked, been, begged, done, gone, &c.
Further, inasmuch as this pxefix, whether written /, or y, or a, or u, is or may be used in the dialect with
all verbs whatsoever, it is quite
needless to extend these pages by the insertion of words merely to illustrate this use. Those only
are to be found which have some other
peculiarity e.g. loss of the ordinary past inflection, or reduplication of
inflection by addition of the weak to
the strong. See W. S. Gram., p. 48.
I-BAKE [u-bae-uk], p. part, of the v. t. to bake.
We hant i-bake [u-bae'uk] no cakes to-day.
The intrans. form would be \u-bae' ukud}.
Mr. Porter, be you gwain to baky to-morrow?
No! I hant \u-bacukud\ i-baked Zundays, not's longful time.
Ther is payn and peny-ale * as for a pytance y-lake,
Colde flessh and cold fyssh ' for veneson y-bake;
Frydayes and fastyng-dayes ' a t'erthyng- worth of muscles
Were a feste for suche folke oj>er so fele Cockes. Piers Plow., x. 92.
.... the queene Simyramus
Leet dichen al about, and walles make
Ful hye, of harde tiles wel ybake;
Chaucer, Legend e of Goode Women, Tesbe, 1. 2.
I-BE [u-bee-], p. part, of to be. Been. (Very com., usual form.) There, I will zay it! you hant i-be
[u-bee'] to zee your poor old mother,
nother once, never zinze her was a-tookt bad.
For if he had smyten J>e ymage, >ou sholdest have I-be ded.
Gcsta Roman, p. 3.
|
|
|
|
|
|
362
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Mvche a]> J>e sorwe ibe ' ofte in Engelonde, As Je mowe her & er ihure &
understonde Of moni bataile >at
a> ibe ' & >at men J>at lond nome. Rob. of Gloucester, Will, the Conqueror, 1.
I (Morris and Skeat).
Forthi, take hede of al that I shal seye,
I have with hire ispoke, and long ibe.
Chaucer, Troylus and Cryseyde, 1. 1079.
ICE-PLANT [uys plaent], sb. The common name for all varieties of Mesembryanthemum, especially
crystallium. There are many new kinds,
but each is known as “one of the ice-plants."
IDLE MAN [uydl man], sb. Gentleman; a man living on his means, without any business or trade.
Nif I was on'y a idle man, same as you be, I'd zee whe'r they should have it all their own way, or no.
IDLETON. An idler.
This word is given in the glossaries, but I cannot find that it exists in the spoken dialect. I believe it
to be a creation of some funny poet,
who has written in what he is pleased to call the "Zummerzet Dialect."
ID'N [ud'n, ed'n, aed'n]. Is not.
This is not only the common but the invariable form. “Her id*n no better” is the regular idiom for “She is
not any better." See W. S. Gram.
p. 55. Endless examples are to be
found throughout these pages.
Bit za miny wis thare thit it idcFn no gude
Vur ta tull thur wan haf uv tha things thit was dude.
Nathan Hogg, Tha Gentlemen Akters.
' Done > ^ * art ' of the v ' *' to da
These are the regular forms in daily
use. See DONED. Your job 'ont be i-do
[u-deo - ] gin 'marra night. Th' old
Bob hant i-do'd [u-deo'd dhu zuyv viifee] the scythe properly. See VITTY.
bus ido dede,
deacS ne akaste nawt Crist,
Ah Crist ouercom defc.
Life of St. Katherine, 1. 1123.
Harald him sende word * J>at folie it was to truste
To such o]>, as was ido ' mid strengj^e, as he wel wuste:
Rob. of Gloucester, Will, the Conq. 1. 21 (Morris and Skeat).
For hure broker sche gan to wepe ' ac sone sche had ido. Wy> myn enymys for to done i J>at
habbe> ido >is qued? Jat han me
muche schame ido ' & y-slawe my messagers. Sir Ferumbras, 11. 1214, 1987, 2159. See
also 11. 307, 379, 2467, 2563.
Gods Boddikins 'chill worke no more
dost thinke 'chill labor to be poore
no no ich haue a doe.
Somersetshire Man's Complaint. See Ex. Scold, p. 7.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 363
IF [neef], conj. Very often used redundantly with a negative construction, especially at the beginning
of a sentence or clause, particularly
in narration. See IN-AND-OUT.
Nif the hail wadn so big's marvels /. e. simply the hail was as large as marbles.
Nif "th' old mare didn put along fit to tear up the very stones.
Our clock was a stapt, and hon we come to church, nif the paa'sn wadn a-raidin o' the lessins, and we
thort we was middlin in time like.
IF-ING-AND-ANDING [eef-een-un-airdeen]. Hesitating.
I likes to hear anybody zay ees or no, to once, and not bide if-in-and-andin
gin anybody can't tell whe'r they be going to do it or no.
IGNORANT [ign'urunt, higrrurunt], adj. Wanting in manners. The usual description of a rough, uncouth
lout.
There idn a hignoranter gurt mump-head athin twenty mild, he idn fit vor no woman's company.
I-GO [u-g^o'], p. part, of to go. Gone. See AGO, p. 15.
A clerk ther was of Oxenford also,
That unto logik hadde long tyme i-go.
Chaucer, Prologue, 1. 285.
And multiplyinge evermoo, Til that hyt
be so ivt ygoo That hyt at bothe
brynkes bee.
C&auftr, House of Fame, 1. 293.
IKE [uyk]. Contraction of Isaac. (Com.)
So Ike Stone's a catcht to last, I thort he'd p'ay thick game
once to many; now I reckon he'll be a
tookt care o' vor one while.
I-KNOW [u-noa-], p. part, of to know. Known.
They zaid how twidn be [u-noa'~\ i-know by nobody Vore the votes was all a-told, and then twidn on'y
be i-know by they that told em.
Schal no lewednesse hem lette >e lewedeste >at I loue, )?at he ne wor)> avaunset; for Icham
I-knowe >er Cunnynge Clerkes *
schul Couche be-hynde.
Piers Plowman, in. 33 (Morris and Skeat, p. 189).
Namly to folk of heigh condicioun,
Nought whan a roote is of a birthe i-knowe?
Chaucer, Alan of Lawes Tale, 1. 2i<C.
ILES. See AILS.
ILL [ee-ul], sb. and adj. Ailment; evil, as in “King's evil." Usually applied to some local disease.
[Brust-^-/J breast-/// is a soreness
very common to women who are suckling. I have heard it applied to cancer in the breast.
[Kwairrtur ee'ul] quarter-ill is a frequent and always fatal malady
|
|
|
|
|
|
364
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
in cattle. It is an inflammatory affection which attacks the animal in the region of one of the hips, and
paralyzes the whole limb. It is most
common upon wet, undrained farms.
[Uud'ur ee'ut] udder-ill is another common ailment of cows, but of a comparatively trifling and purely
local character.
Comp. 'Tis an /// wind that blows nobody any good.
ILL-CONTRIVED [ee-ul-kuntruyvud], adj. Crabbed, cross, ill-tempered: usually applied to a woman.
Know her? Ees, I knows her, a zour-lookin, ill-contrivtd old bitch, but I never didn know no good by
her. I reckon the poor old man wid a
bin alive and well this minute, neef he 'ad'n never a-zeed her.
ILL-CONVENIENCE [ee'ul-kunvarniuns \ , sb. Inconveni-ILL-CONVENIENCY
[ee'ul-kunvarniunsee J ence. I hope we
shan't put you to no ill-convenience. We must put up way th' ill-conveniency o' it.
ILL-CONVENIENT [ee'ul-kunvarniunt], adj. Inconvenient, undesirable, inexpedient.
Tis ter'ble ill-convenient, not vor t' have nother bit of a oven.
'T would be very ill-convenient for we to part wi thick there, 'vcre we be suited in another.
ILLrDISGESTION [ee-ul-deesjas'chun], sb. Indigestion.
Well, John, how is your wife? Well thankee, sir, her id'n no gurt shakes; her can't make use o' nothin
hardly; her've a got th*
ill-disgestion so bad her've a tookt all sorts o' doctor's stuff,
but none o' it don't do her no good.
ILL-HEARTY [ee'ul-aartee], adj. Ailing, unhealthy, delicate. Her's a ill-hearty, wisht poor blid a come;
but I can mind her, thirty year agone,
a gurt hard maid's you'd vind in a day's march.
ILL-PART [ee-ul-pae-urt], adj. Ill-temperedly. Her did'n ought to a tookt it ill-part
like, 'cause he did'n go vor to hurt
her.
ILL-TENDED [ee-ul-tarndud], adj. Badly nursed, carelessly fed.
Her was that ill-tended, could'n never expect her to get on.
They sheep do look as off they was ill-tended, I zim they be gwain back.
m ILL THING [ee-ul dhing], sb. The King's evil, or St. Anthony's fire; also applied to any spontaneous sore.
Plaise, sir, they zen un home from school, 'cause they would'n 2t n come to school, 'cause he've a got a
ill thing in his neck.
ILL TURN [ee-ul tuurn], sb. Mischief, malicious act. The
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 365
phrase, in very common use, rather refers to an action or speech behind one's back; as to an attempt to
prevent one from getting a situation,
or to such an act as laying poison for another's sheep-dog.
Very good sort o' man, I never didn know un do a ill turn to nobody.
ILL-WILLING [ee-ul-wee-uleen], adj. Unwilling, disobliging. I can't abear to ask Jims to do nothin,
he's always s' ill-willin.
ILL-WISHED [ee-ul-wee-sht], adj. This is evidently the remains of the universal belief in the evil
eye. It is common to say, if the pig
is taken ill, or any other like calamity happens, “I be safe he's ^.-ill-wished by
somebody," giving a name of some old
person. The still commoner phrase, however, is overlooked (q. v.).
ILT. A spayed sow. See Ex. Scolding, p. 136. Rare obsolescent.
I-MAKED [u-mae'ukud], /. part, of to make. This is the frequentative form.
[Aay-v u-mae'ukud ree'd vur Miis'tur Breo'm au'l liz luyv, un liz faa'dhur u'voa'r-n,] I have i-maked reed
(/". e. been accustomed to make
reed) for Mr. Broom all his life, and (for) his father before him.
Whenne the bedel} hadde y-makiQ this proclamation, ther lay by the wey
too feble men, a blynde And a lame.
Gesla Roman, p. 15.
That for to speke of gomme, or herbe, or tree, Comparisoun may noon y maked be.
Chaucer, Prol. to Legend of Good Women, 1. 121.
IMAGE [eenveej], sb. Statue. (Always.)
The plaster figures carried about for sale by Italians are always images.
J?at ho nas stadde a stiffe ston, a stalworth image Al so salt as ani se and so ho $et
statute}.
E. Alliterative Poems, Cleanness, 1. 983.
An IMAGE-MAKER, statuaire, sculpteur. Sherwood.
And my Imige to be made air naked 1 , and no thyng on my hede but myn
here cast bakwardys, and at my hede Mary Mawdelen) leyng my
handes a-crosse. Will of Countess of Wanvick, 1439. Fifty E. Wills, p. 116.
IMMEDIENTLY [eemai-juntlee], adj. Immediately. (Always.) Nif tidn a teokt in hand \ -
eemarjuntlee~}, better let it alone.
IMPERENCE [eenvpuruns], sb. Impudence, cheek.
IMPERENT [eenrpurunt], adj. Impudent, rude; but especially, prone to take liberties.
Go 'long y' imperent young osebird, I should'n never a thought o' your imperence! The usual exclamation of
factory girls and others against rude
boys.
|
|
|
|
|
|
366
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
IMPIGANG [eem-pigang], sb. An ulcer or abscess. (See NIPPIGANG.) Rare.
IMPOSE UPON [eempoa-uz], v. t. i. To overcharge. This word is used by the better class as well as
by the lower orders. A high-charging
tradesman is an "imposing fellow," or the {eempoa-zeens~\ i. e. the imposingest.
2. To cheat.
I never was so imposed upon before.
IMPRECATIONS. See OATHS.
IN [ee*n], adv. i. In speaking of crops it would be said: Thick field o; ground was in to turmuts
last year, and now he's in to whait
meaning in cultivation or in crop.
2. adv. Over and above; into the bargain; without payment. As on buying a quantity of anything the
seller throws so much, or so many, in.
See BOOT.
Come now! you can Vord to drow a vew o' they apples in. I 'on't buy em nif you 'on't drow in some
o' tother sort.
3. prep. Upon, on.
Thick old ladder's so wake, I be most afeard to go up in un. We go up in a ladder, or scaffold, always,
and not upon it.
]>at at ]>e last |>ai ordeind tuelue, t>e thoghtfulest amang j>am
selue, And did ]>am in a montain
dern, Biseli to wait }>e stern.
Cursor Mundi, 1. 31 (Morris and Skeat, p. 70).
4. Used as a verb; to go, or to get in quickly. \Ee'n war ee 1 ,] in with you.
I in way my hand vore he could turn, and catcht hold o' un by the neck.
5. See IN LAMB.
IN AND IN. See BREED IN AND IN.
IN-AND-OUT [een--un-aewt], adv. Inside out. (Always.) Cf. UP AND DOWN, BACK AND VORE. In these cases
the and may stand for on, but the
phrases would be none the less singular.
[Dhu wee-n wuz tuurbl ruuf, shoa'ur nuuf; neef mee oa*l uumbruul-ur waud'n u-bloa'd een'-un-aeivt
zu zeo'n-z uVur aay puut mee ard
aewtzuyd dim doo'ur,] the wind was terrible rough, sure enough; if my old umbrella was not blown
in-and-out so soon as ever I put my
head outside the door.
IN-BETWIXT [een-beetwik-s], adv. Between. (Very com.)
What is the matter?
I've a-catch my vinger in-betwixt the door and the durn.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 367
INCLINABLE [eenkluynubl], adj. Having regard or desire for; inclination towards. Cf. DECLINABLE.
No, her would'n let'n come aneast her, her wad'n no way inclinable.
IN COURSE [een keo's], adv. Of course.
In coose you'll have your wages, whe'r you works or no.
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS always precede a plural construction, even though
distinctly referring to a single individual.
See W. Som. Gram. p. 39.
Anybody (one) widn never believe it, nif they didn zee it.
Tidn same's off anybody could do it theirzels.
Nobody could'n 'vord to do it nif they wadn well a paid vor doin o' it.
Every one o'm can do eens they be a-minded.
I make my seketowrs, lacobbe Tryche, Ion Campe, & Thomas Alnowe .... and )>er-to yt ys my wylle J>at
euer-echeon) of hem schele haue xxs' for
her (their) labor & for her besynesse.
1417. Will of Stephen Thomas. Fifty E. Wills, p. 38. See also Ib. p. 39, 1.
7.
INDETERMENT [eendaf urmunt], sb. Loss, detriment. Nif you could spare me some o'm, 'thout no
indeterment to yourzel, I should be
uncommon 'bleege t'ee. See DETERMENT.
INDIAN PINK [eenjee pingk], sb. Usual name of Dianthus chinensis.
INDOOR SERVANT [eendoa'ur saarvunt]. A farm servant living in the master's house, no matter
what his occupation may be. In all
cases the term indoor refers to the board and lodging, and not to the work done.
Well, George, where be you to work to now? Au! I be working to Mr. Venn's to Dykes, indoors i. e. I
work for Mr. Venn on his farm, and
live in his house.
Wanted a young man to drive horses, indoors. Apply, &c.
Adv. Wellington Weekly News, Nov. 18, 1886.
Wanted at once, a man, indoors, to drive horses and make himself useful
on a farm; also sufficient land for 4
or 6 cows. Apply, GREAT HIGHLEIGH FARM,
Exebridge, near Tiverton. Wellington Weekly News, Jan. 13, 1887.
INDURABLE [eendeo'rubl], adj. Lasting, durable.
Tid'n no use vor to put'n (the hedge) up like that there, tid'n no ways indurable; he'll be all down again
in no time. I tell'ee you must have
some quick and plant all 'long 'pon tap o' un.
Whatever d'ee buy jish stuff as that for, t'ont wear no time; you ought to a had somethin indurable like, for
a gurt tear-all boy like he.
INFARING [eenfae'ureen], adj. Inlying i. e. the opposite of outlying.
|
|
|
|
|
|
368
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
I mean to keep all the infaring ground in hand/, e. the land nearest home.
INFORMATION [een'furmae-urshun], sb. Inflammation.
I 'sure you, mum, I be shockin bad off, and however we be gwain to live and pay our way I can't think
nor stid. There's he, he 'ant a-sar'd
a zixpence sinze a week avore Kirsmas, and his leg don't get no better, and the doctor, he
don't do un one bit o' good, and th'
information's that bad, he's a-swelled so big's two, and I can't vind rags and that; and the Board,
they on't 'low me but dree shillins,
and I baint able vor to do much arter I've a-tended he, and a-warshed and a-mended vor the
bwoys, and I do behope you'll plase to
help me, vor I 'sure ee I do want it, &c. &c.
IN-GROUND [ee'n-graewn], sb. Enclosed land, as opposed to hill-ground (q. v.), which is unenclosed
common.
Some of the in-ground 'pon Exmoor is so good as any man need to put a zull into, but a lot o' the
hill-ground id'n no gurt shakes.
INGUN [ing-un], sb. Onion.
You can't make your ground to breathe for inguns. See Too.
INGY [een-jee], sb. India-rubber.
They be the best sort o' balls, they way a bit o' ingy in the inside o'm. (Very com.)
Hast a-got other bit o' ingy vor to rub out this here black-lead (/*. e. pencil marks). See LEAD.
INHERITAGE [eenuuritae-uj], sb. Inheritance. (Com.) Well, 'tis hard vor the poor young fuller
to lost his inheritage; but there, th'
old man was always agin un like, and he never widn spake to un arter he married th' old
Bucky's maid; but I never could'n zee
but hot her was so good's he, and th' old man's a-go where he'll smart vor't; but vor all that I
zim 'tis hard for William to lost his
inheritage. .
I graunte you inheritage, Peaceably
withoute strive During the days of
your live.
Chaucer's Dream, 1. 1192.
IN HOUSE [een aewz], adv. Indoors. This form is more common in the Hill district and Devonshire
than Mouse (q. v.), the Vale form.
Can't muv her there her' 11 bide in 'ouze over the vire all the day and all the wik long.
I baint safe wher missus is in 'ouze or no.
Us rests a bit, an then go'th vore, An
then I zee'th her horn ta door
Zomtimes es go'th in hoieze.
Nathan Hogg, Tha Milshy, Ser. I. p. 37.
INKHORN [ing-kaurn], sb. Inkstand. (Com.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 369
INKLE WEAVERS [ing-kl warvurz], sb. Formerly tape weavers; and when tapes had to be hand-
woven, a single tape to a loom, the
weavers had naturally to work very close together, and hence the common saying to express crowding
together, "So thick as inkle
weavers."
INKLING [een'kleen], sb. Fancy, inclination towards.
Don't tell me! Will Hookins would'n never come up here every whip's while for nothing; I can zee
very well he've a got a bit of a
inkling arter our Sue.
IN LAMB [een laanv]. With lamb. (Always.) The same phr. is used respecting mares, cows, &c.,
but it is mostly so when speaking of
them collectively and not severally.
Most ail my cows be in calf, but thick there, her's barren, we could'n get her way calve.
70 Nott ewes in lamb and with lambs by their side.
Wellington Weekly Neivs, Feb. 1881.
This would imply that the seventy ewes were just then lambing some of them already having lambs, and the
rest expecting them shortly. Of all
other animals not reckoned as stock, such as a bitch, cat, rabbit, it is said, with pup,
with young, &c. because, only one
or two being kept, they are spoken of severally.
INNOCENT [een-usunt], sb. An imbecile; idiot.
Poor little fellow, he'll never be no better- n a innocent. Well, nif thee art-n a rigler innocent!
Do you think you had married some innocent out of the hospital, that
would stand with her hands thus? Ben
Jonson, Silent Woman, IV. iii.
INOBEDIENT [eerrubarjunt], adj. Disobedient.
Tommy, I told you not to go out, you're a very bad, inobajient boy.
Adam inobedyent ordaynt to blysse,
]>er pryuely in paradys his place watj devised.
E. Alliterative Poems, Cleanness, 1. 237.
INOW. See ENOW.
Ye have now caught, and fetered in prisoun,
Trojans inowe, and if youre willes be,
My childe with oon, may han redempcion:
Chaucer, Troy Ins and Cryseyde, 1. 78.
IN PLACE [een plae'us].
Things be zoonder a brokt 'n they be a put in place again.
INS AND OUTS [ee'nz un aewts], sb. The fjll particulars. I baint gwain vor to make up my mind, gin
such time's I've a yeard all the ins
and outs o' it.
INSENSE [eensai'ns], v. t. To instruct; to make known. Lit. to put sense into.
B B
|
|
|
|
|
|
3/O
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
The paa'son took care t' insense 'em what time they'd a got to come. (In common use.)
INSI-COAT [een-zi-koa-ut], sb. An inside or under coat /. e. the flannel petticoat. The term is only
applied to a female's garment.
INSIDE [een'zuyd], sb. The inward parts'of the body generally, as the liver, heart, &c., but chiefly
the stomach or bowels.
I be ramping in my inside; sometimes I be a tookt that bad that I be a'most a bowed two-double.
They do zay he've a drinkt enough spirit vor to zwim in. Lor! I should think the inside o' un must be
proper a burned out. Jan. 1886.
'Tis 'most all over wai un, he ant a had the use o' his inside 'is vortnight past. April 18, 1882.
Ter'ble fuller vor his inside. I've a yeard em zay he don't make nort of a leg o' mutton, and half a peck o'
cider to warsh-n down way. See
KITTLE-BELLY.
INSTANCE [ee'nstuns], sb. Event; occurrence; curiosity.
[Twuz jish ee'nstuns uz aay nuvur dud'n zee uvoa'ur, een au'l muy bau'rn dai'z,] 'twas such (an) event as I
never saw before, in all my born days.
Said respecting the finding of a nest of adders in a
dung-heap. (Very com.)
.
INTERMENT [ee-nturmunt], adj. Intimate; friendly; thick. 'Twas on'y tother day they was like the
devil and holy water, and now they be
all s 'interment, i. e. just as friendly.
INTIMATED [ee'ntimae'utud], adj. Intimate.
Ees, I knows'n well enough to pass the time o' day, but we baint very much intimated.
INTO [ee'ntu]. i. Approaching always of age.
How old are you? I bee into my twelve year old /. e. in my twelfth year.
[Aay shl bee ee'ntu mee vaawur-skoa'ur-n ziks neef aay du lee'v gin naeks Zad'urdee,] I shall be in my
eighty-sixth year if I live till next
Saturday.
2. Excepting; all but. See EEN OT.
Thick rope's a brokt into one lissom, two or dree places.
INT'OUSE [eentaewz]. Indoors, in the house. (Very com.) Is your master at home? Dun 'naw, zr; but
I'll zee wher's
infouse or no.
I be that a crippled up that I be a forced to bide infouse all the
day long.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 3/1
INTRESS [ee-ntrus], sb. Interest. (Always.)
HONORED SIR,
I have sent by the barer 20 the Intress Due the I2th of this Month .... plese be so kind to send the receipt of
this by the barer. I remain your
Obedient servant, ROBERT T. Augest 23,
69.
Letter in possession of author. Tib.
By the Capitol,
And all our gods, but that the dear republic,
Our sacred laws, and just authority
Are interess'd therein, I should be silent.
Ben Jonson, Scjanus, III. i.
That not the worth of any living wight
May challenge ought in heaven's interesse; Much less the title of old Titan's right.
Spenser, Faerie Queen, VII. vi. 33.
IN-TY [een-taa-y], phr. after a negative assertion. “Not I." I don't know hot to zay 'bout it, in-ty.
The expression is one of every-day use,
and rather implies indecision or doubt. The
above sentence in received Eng. would be, "I hardly know
what to say about it." (Very
com.)
A country fellow, scratching his head, answered him, "I don't know,
measter, un't /" Fielding, Tom
Jones, B. IV. c. viii.
IN UNDER [een umvdur], adv. i. Underneath.
[Dhai vaewn un tu laa's aup-m dhu taal'ut, een uun'dur u buun'l u aay,] they found him at last up in the
tallet, underneath a bundle of hay.
See W. S. Gram., pp. 88, 90.
I vound my knive a vailed down in under the jib.
The watch was a put in under the bed-tie.
His body wold he putte in auntre ' for j>ere ri^t ^o^te he lyn & lijt hym doun an undre a tree ' a
bo^e-schot from ]?at host:
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 89.
2. Beneath in command; under the direction of. Our Bill's a go to work to the brew-house,
in under Mr. Joyce the maltster.
INVITE [ee-nvuyt, eenvuyt], sb. Invitation. Used by people of the better class, who accentuate the
final syllable, as well as by the
peasantry, who put the stress on the initial. I have seen in notes from educated people, "Thanks
for your kind invite"
The paa'sn 've a zend a [ee'nvuyf] t'all they hot belongth to the club.
INWARD [ee-nwurd], sb. The intestines of any slaughtered animal. The liver, lungs, and heart are not
included in this term. See HANGE. Used
only in the singular in this sense. In the
plural, the viscera of more than one animal would be referred to.
I never did'n kill nother pig way such a beautiful fat inward avore.
B B 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
372
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
INWARDS [eeirwurdz], sb. pi. The bowels, vitals, stomach, c. of a person. Same as inside, but less
common.
I be ter'ble sick, and do keep on bringtn up, and I do suffer ter'ble pain in my inwards.
For that I do suspect the lusty Moor
Hath leap'd into my seat: the thought whereof
Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards.
Othello, II. i.
IN WITH [ee-n wai], adj. Friendly, associated. He's in wi' all the roughest lot about;
there id'n a worser preacher no place.
IRE [uyur], sb. Iron. In the dialect iron [uyurn] is the adjective form. Compare Iron-bar with
Bar-ire. This seems to have been so in
the West since the Middle Ages. See IRONEN.
and boxes ben brojht for|> I-bounden with yre.
To vnder-take \>Q tol ' of vntrewe sacrifice. Piers Plow. I. 1. 97.
Flaundres louej? )>e wolle of Jris londe, & Normandy >e skynnes
& J>e fellys; Gaskuyn Ipzyre
& the leed.
Trevisa, Description of Britain, lib. I. c. 41, 1. 48.
Ys scheld |>at was wyj) golde y-batrid ' & eke wij> ire
y-bounde, Bynd hem herde wyjj/r,?
& steel ' & pote hem in stokkes of trow,
Sir Ftf'umbras, 11. 896, 1186. Also 1. 3313.
IRE GEAR [uyur gee'ur], sb. Iron work generally. Ire gear and ire stuff (q. v.) would not be used
indiscriminately. The former would
mean all kinds of ironmongery, and completed
iron-work, including machinery of all kinds j while the latter would have a more definite, technical use.
IRE STUFF [uyur stuuf], sb. The ironwork of a cart, carriage, gate, or of any construction in which iron
is used with other material.
He'd (the cart) a been a finished avore now nif ad'n a been a fo'ced to woit for the ire stuff.
IRON-BACK [uyurn-baak], sb. A large iron plate set upright against the back of the chimney for the
purpose of shielding the wall from the
blows of logs thrown on the fire, and from the fire itself. These iron-backs were
frequently ornamental in character.
There are three in constant use in the writer's own house.
It'm a pair of andirons, ij dogges, a fier shouell, a paire of > tongs, a pair of bellows, and one
iron-backe |xxxiii. iiij*
Inventory of the Goods of Henry Gandyt, Exeter. 1609.
IRON-BAR [uyurn-baar], sb. A crow-bar.
[Plai-z tu lai-n Jiimz yur uyurn-baar^ please to lend James your crow-bar. See BAR-IRE.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 3/3
IRONEN '[uyurneen], adj. Made of iron. (Very com.) This use is emphatic i. e. of iron and of
nothing else.
[Aay nuVur diid'n zee noa jis voaks vur tae'ureen u tloa'm-z aawurz bee; wee shl bee u-foo'us t-ae'u
uyurneen dee'shez un kuup's neef wee
bee u muyn vur tu kee*p oa'urt,] I never saw such folks for tearing crockery as ours be; we
shall be obliged to have ironen dishes
and cups if we be a mind to keep aught.
Ti let purhdriuen J>refter
])e spaken ^t te felien
Med irnene gadien;
Swa Y te pikes *\ te irnene preones
Se scharpe ^ se starke borien Jmrh
*\ beoren forfc feor on J)* ofcer half.
Life of Saint Kathtrine, 1. 1920.
-TSH [-eesh]. A suffix often applied to adjectives, having the force of “inclined to." Frequently
quite redundant.
Smart/V^ vrost z'mornin; but there, 'tis mczish sort o' weather for the time o' the year.
IT [ut, 't], pron. i. Never used as a neuter pronoun as in lit. English, except in such phrases as,
"You never can't do /'/."
But it frequently takes the place of them, when many animals or objects are referred to collectively.
See W. S. Gram., p. 33. When any
person, animal, or thing is referred to, singly or severally, he, or un, (q. v.) takes the
place of //.
2. When used as an abstract pronoun, as in the sentences, "// is not," "It would never
do," the word is always contracted to
J t; and, moreover, the construction following is singular
without reference to the antecedent;
e. g.
['Zlid'n muy dhingz,] it is not my things i.e. they are not my things.
['TVaud'n yoa'ur buuliks,] it was not your bullocks. 'Zis nails 1 must have. '7'is his boots,
Vidn yours.
Al )?at }?ay smytej wij? ax or swerd '. sone to dej?e it gas. Hit ne bu}?, he said, none Vauasers ' j?at
buj? )?er on j>e tour, Ac it buj)
noble bachelers ' of al france ]?ay berej? \>a.\. flour:
Sir Ferumbras, 11. 3114, 3183.
And there ben other that ben sowun in thornis; these it ben, that heeren
the word, and myseise of the world,
and dtsseit of richessis.
Wyclifvcrs. Mark iv. 18.
Comp. use of Fr. // y a.
3. As a pron. it is much more commonly used in Devon than in Somerset.
[Yue'v u-brauk't ///,] you have broken it. Devon. [Yue'v u-toa-urd-;/,] you have torn un.
Somerset.
4. Yet. 'See EET.
|
|
|
|
|
|
3/4
\\EST SOMERSET WORDS.
I TELL EE WHAT 'TIS [aay tuul- ee haut t-ai-z], phr. A very common beginning to a statement,
either of bucolic wisdom or of angry
dispute.
[Aay tuul- ee haut tai'z! yue mus art zurn moa'ur bee'f-m tae-udeez fuust,] you must eat some more
beef and potatoes first, /". e.
wait till you are older a very common phrase.
/ tell ee hot 'tis, I do zee purty plain, you've a got a darn sight more guts-n brains.
ITEM [uytum], sb. Intention, fad, purpose, crafty design. A keeper, speaking of a covey of partridges,
said:
[Dhaat wuz dhur uytum,'} that was their item, safe enough. They urned out o' the gate and back under the
hedge to the very same place where we
vound em fust. Sept. 23, 1886.
Our Tom's a cute sort of a fuller; he've a got th' item now, vor to zee whe'r he can't save a lot o' coal
way doin something to the furnace
door.
Such an Item should we give our best contents, lest perhaps if we trust
them to far, they suddenly betray us.
1642. Rogers, History of Naaman, p. 96.
ITEMING [uytumeen], part. sb. Trifling, fidgeting. Why's-n mind thy work, and not bide item-in
there?
ITEMS [uytumz], sb. plur. Fidgets, antics.
Nuvur oa-n buyd kwuyut, gaut moa-ur uytumz-\\ u daan'seen bae-ur,] (he) never won't bide quiet, (he
has) got more antics than a dancing
bear. This is one of the commonest of sayings; so also is, “All full of his items," to
describe a restless, fidgety person.
ITEMY [uytumee], adj. Tricky; uncertain in behaviour. Very often applied to horses frisky, fidgety,
restless.
Of a dog, a keeper said:
He's so ter'ble itemy, can't depend 'pon un a bit. Sept. 23, 1886.
I wants a quiet steady 'oss: I don't like thick mare 't-all, her's so uncommon itemy.
[Tuurbl uytumee au's; dhur id-n noa gifeen oa un tu goo viifee,] very fidgety horse; there is no
getting him to go properly.
I- WENT [u-wai'nt],/. part, of to wend = gone. I should'n never i-went [u-warnt] nif 't-'ad-n
a-bin vor you. Oh fie! and I always
zaid you never did'n ought to i-went.
See VIII. A. i, p. 4.
And whan he hath so fer ywente, Than
may be seen, behynde hys bak, Cloude,
and erthe, that Y of spak.
Chaucer, House of Fame, 1. 468.
IZE. I, ego. This word is inserted in deference to the compilers of other
glossaries, and it occurs in the Ex. Scolding, 1. 17. See remarks thereon, p. 136. I believe it
to be literary or author's dialect.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 3/5
JABBER [jab-ur], sb. i. Talk, chatter. (Very
com.) There they goes "on,
jabber, jabber, jabber, from morning to
night; whatever they can vind to zay I can't think.
2. v. i. To talk rapidly and indistinctly.
Tidn no odds to he, he'll jabber away just the same, whe'r you be harkin or no.
3. sb. The" under-jaw (of a fish).
When you hook 'em in the jabber you can catch 'em. G. M. D.
JABBERMENT [jab'urmunt], sb. Idle talk.
There wadn not one bit o' sense in it, I 'sure 'e 'twas nort but
a jabberment from fust to last.
JACK [jaak], sb. i. A contrivance, consisting of a lever and fulcrum, used in washing carriages, to lift
one side so that the wheel acted on
may run round freely; sometimes called a "carriage-jack"
2. The knave in cards. (Always so called.)
"Jack of Clubs” is a nickname by which I have known more than one man all my life.
3. A machine for spinning, driven partly by hand and partly by power used for spinning coarse, heavy
woollen yarns.
4. A kind of clock-work driven by a heavy weight, to which was attached an endless chain; by this the spit
was turned before the fire. See
HAND-DOGS.
These were very common before the days of kitchen-ranges, and might be seen fixed upon the right side of
the high chimney-shelf in most
kitchens of the better sort. Known also as “roasting-yj^."
JACK-A-DANDY [jaak- u-dan -dee], sb. A conceited, upstartish fellow.
Be sure, you don't never take no notice of a whipper-snapper Jack-a-dandy like he! why I widn [vuyn un]
find him! See FIND 2.
JACK-A-LANTERN [jaak-u- Ian turn], sb. Ignis fatuus.
This I believe to be the only name known in the district. The phenomenon only occurs in certain parts of
the boggy moorland of Brendon Hill and
the Exmoor district. It is said that a farmer
once crossing Dunkery from Porlock to Cutcombe, and having a leg of mutton with him, was benighted He
saw a Jack-a-lantern, and was heard to
cry out while following the light, “Man a lost!
|
|
|
|
|
|
376
AVEST SOMERSET WORDS.
man a lost! Half-a-crown and a leg a mutton to show un the way to Culcombe!”
JACK-AMANGST-THE-MAIDENS [jaak-umang's-dhu-maay-dnz]. One who is always after
women's society, and who likes to be
made much of by them. The term is applied to some parsons who cultivate female worshippers, it is, of
course, depreciatory.
JACKASS [jaak-aas], sb. i. Term of contempt, generally prefixed to some other epithet instead of
being the principal word.
You jackass fool, what's a bin and a do'd now?
A g\\rt jackass toad, d n un! that ever I should zay zo! I told'n to mind and put vast the gate, and now all
the pigs be in the orchet.
2. A donkey: not often heard, except by way of rustic wit.
JACK-CHAIN [jaak chaayn], sb. i. The endless chain by which the spit was driven. See JACK 4.
2. A peculiar kind of chain still so called. It is made of twisted wire links, and is of the description used
formerly for turning the spit. A
country ironmonger asked for jack-chain would at once know the kind required.
JACKET [jaak'ut], v. t. To thrash with some weapon other than the hand.
He hold'n vast, gin he come out in the churchyard, and then he tookt his stick, and my eyemers, how he
&& jacket 'n!
JACKETTING [jaak'uteen], sb. A thrashing; also a severe rebuke or scolding.
The judge gid Turney .... a purty jackettin, sure 'nough; a zaid, never did'n ought to a braat no such
case avore he.
JACK-HARE [jaak-ae'ur]. The male hare is always so called, while a male rabbit is invariably a buck.
The females are doe-rabbit and
doe-hare. Halliwell is wrong in saying that Jack signifes "the male of an animal" i.e. generally. It
is in that sense applied to the hare
only. Jackass by no means specially implies a male donkey, except of the human species.
JACK-IN-THE-BOX [jaak -n-dhu-bairks], sb. Same as PARSON IN THE PULPIT. Wild arum Arum maculatum.
JACK-JUMPER [jaak-juump-ur], sb. The merry-thought or breastbone of any poultry or edible bird.
So called from its often being made
into a toy. A piece of fine string tied across the two ends, a little piece of wood, as a lucifer
match, stuck in to twist the string,
and a morsel of cobbler's wax at the bifurcation. The stick is then brought over with another twist and
the end stuck in the
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 377
wax. On being placed on the floor, after a few seconds the wax "lets go," andjacfc jumps a
considerable height.
JACK-PLANE [jaak-plae-un], sb. A plane of medium length, having a projecting handle in the form of a
bent peg. With this the rougher part
of the work is done, to be finished as required by the long trying-plane or the short
smoothing-plane. Used also as a v. t.
To roughly plane over any board. }AwsA, jack-plant un over a bit, I 'spose.
JACK'S ALIVE [jaaks uluyv], sb. A burning stick whirled round and round very quickly so as to keep
up the appearance of a riband of fire.
JACK SHARP [jaak shaarp], sb. A smart tingling frost. Mornin, maister! this is what I ca\\sj'ack
sharp s'mornin. (Com.)
JACK-SNIPE [jaak-snuyp], sb. The smaller of the two common kinds of snipe. The term has no reference
to sex.
JACK-SPRAT [jaak-spraat], sb. A dwarfish, insignificant-looking man. What, thick little Jack-sprat of a
fellow! why he idn no higher'n a
twopenny loav!
JACK UP [jaak aup], ////*. To break a contract; to discontinue; to throw up.
A man said to me of a farmer [Gwarn \.\\jaak aup faa'rmureen u blee*v, ad* nuuf oa ut,] (he is) going to
give up farming, I believe, (he has)
had enough of it.
[Neef ee-v u-teok't ut tu loa f , git u geo'd suub-m/<wv& aup^\ if
you have taken it too low, get a good
sub. (sum on account), and then jack
up /. e. leave the job. Too commonly the practice.
I believe this phrase to be the bucolic corruption of "chuck
up," an expression which doubtless
contains a reminiscence of the old
prize-ring, when the friends of the vanquished used to “chuck up” the sponge in token of submission.
JACK-WEAVER [jaak-warvur], sb. The coloured dancing reflection of sunlight cast by a swinging
prism.
JACK-WEIGHT [jaak-wauyt], sb. The weight by which the spit was turned. See JACK 4.
JAG [jag], v. t. To cut roughly, or unevenly; to make notches.
I told you, Mary, to cut it straight, and you've been wad. jagged the cloth right across.
[Aay oa'n larn dhee muy nuyv ugee'un. Leok'ee zee', aew dhee-s ubiiir un u j'ag-n^ I will not lend
you my knife again. Look see, how you
have been and notched it.
Ijagge nat my hosen for thrifte but for a
bragge. Je ne chiquette pas,
Palsg,
&c.
rave.
|
|
|
|
|
|
3/3
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
To JAGGE. Ch'queter, deschequeler. Cotgraie.
Golds hath a shorte tagged \&, and groweth halfe a yarde hygli.
Fitzherbert, Husbandry, 20/26.
JAGS [jagz], sb. Tatters. Brokt his
coat all to jags.
Hark, hark, hark!
The clogs do b.irk,
The beggars be coming to town,
Some in bags, and some in jags,
And some in velvet gown.
J-; g&i or dagge of a garment. Fractillits. Promp. Parv. A J a S e > fractillus; fractillosus,
fractillatus. Cath. Ang.
Jagge a cuttyng chiqneture. Jaggedness
-chiqueture. Palsgrave.
JAGGES: chiquetteres. Cotgrave.
ffor wolde J)ey blame ]>e burnes * J>at brou^te newe gysis,
And dryue out J>e dagges * ' and all Je duche cotis,
And set hem a-side. Langland, Rich, the Reddes, ill. 192.
JAKES [jai ks], sb. i. Human excrement. (Very common.)
Zee where you be going, else you'll sure to tread in t\\e jakes.
D'ee mind thick time when we went out bird-bolting down behind the poor old Benjy Glass's, when th'
old Charley Templer vailed all along
in the jakes?
The word rather implies a considerable quantity, such as that found at the back of a privy; not the privy
itself, as in the following:
I will tread this unbolted villain into mortar, and daub the wall of a Jakes
with him. King Lear, II. ii.
2. (Fig.) Mess, confusion.
Maister, the snow have made a proper jakes of my work to-night.
JAKLE! [jai'kl!]. By jakle! is a not in r requent quasi-oath, analogous to Bigor, Egad, &c.
JAM [jaam], v. t. i. To slam; to shut with a bang. What a rattle her do make w'\' jamming thick door.
2. To squeeze or wedge in forcibly.
What's the matter with your hand? Well, th' old horse muved on, and the body of the butt vailed down,
and he (the hand) was a jammed in
twixt the body o' un and the sharps (q. v.).
JAMB [jaam], sb. i. Tech. among bricklayers and masons. The upright side or wall of any opening.
T\\QJamb of a doorway, in which there
may be no frame for a door, would mean the side of the entrance/, e. the wall, of which it is
part. So the chimney-
s in some texts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 379
jambs are the side walls of the fireplace, while the jambs of the chimney-piece are the usual upright parts
of the structure, whether wood,
marble, or other material, forming the front on each side of the fireplace from the floor to the shelf.
The jamb of a window is no part of the
woodwork, but the side of the opening in the wall; hence it is usual to talk of the “splay of
\.\\Q jambs"
2. Among carpenters. The side of the frame of a doorway. This is a technical word in the West, and
is never used to express the door-post
or durn-blade. When the frame to which a door is fastened is made of square, solid wood, the
whole frame is called a pair of durns
(q. v.); but when it is of flat shape, or, as it is sometimes called,
"linings," then the whole door-frame is a pair of jambs, of which each side is a. jamb.
Will you have the doors fixed with jambs or durns?
JAN jjan]. John. (Always thus.)
He married tfV o\&Jan Baker the blacksmith's maid. You mind the poor old Jan, don'ee, sir, the
knee-napped old fellow? Oh ees! you
min' un.
A well-known old character, also a blacksmith, used always to be spoken Qizsjan the nailer.
JANGLE Qang-1, not jang-gl; intrans. form,
jang'lee], v. and sb. To chatter, to
talk, to prate: not necessarily in a quarrelsome manner, though dispute is rather implied.
Ter'ble ummun tojangly.
Go there honever you will, there they be, always to a. jangle one across tother. Why, they'd jangle anybody
to death. This was said of a number of
washerwomen.
to JANGYLLE; vbi to chater. Cath. Aug.
shz jangleth lyke a jaye elle jangle or cacquette comme ungjay.
Palsgrave.
uor f?e stede is holy and is y-zet to bidde God: na}t uor to iangli, uor to
Ihe^e ne uorto trufly. Ayenbite of
Inwyt, p. 214. See also p. 20.
Al day to drynke ' at dyuerse tauernes,
Ther to langle and to lape. Piers Plowman, in. 98.
Whils they haue seyde; loke eke withe youre myhte Yee langle nouhte, also caste nouhte your
syhte.
Babees Book (Furnivall), p. 3, 1. 67.
How bisy, if I love, ek most I be
To plesen hem that jangle of love, and demen
And coye hem, that they seye noon harme of me.
Chaucer, Troylus and Cryseyde, 1. 799.
JANGLEMENT [jang-ulmunt], sb. Altercation; confusion of tongues; talking one across another; angry
dispute. (Very com.)
[Vas-tree meet'een! ees! un u purtee jang'v/munt twau-z dhur; aay zeed dhur wiid'-n bee noa soa'urt u
gree'munt, un zoa aay wiid-n buyd noa
laung-gur,] vestry meeting! yes! and a nice disputing it
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 So
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
was there; I saw there would be no kind of agreement, and so I would not stay any longer.
JANGLING [jang'leen], sb. Confusion of tongues; chatter; idle talk.
Here drop it, there's to much janglin by half, anybody can't year theirzul spake. (Very com.)
JANGELYN', or iaveryn. Garrulo, blatero. Promp. Parv. JANGILLYNG; loquax, & cetera; vbi
chatcryng* Cath. Aug. JANGLYNG or
chattyng -janglerie. Palsgrave.
Ich wolle haue leaute for my lavve; let be al Joure tangly ng.
Piers Plowman, v. 173. Set also J&\\. 399.
Shulle at the hyndre gate assayle,
That Wikkid-tunge hath in kepyng,
With his Normans fulle rtjanglyng.
Chaucer, Rotnawit of the Rose, 1. 5^53-
JAR [jaar], s &- A stone bottle having a handle on one side near the top often enclosed in wickerwork.
John Gilpin's famous “stone
bottles" would be jars in W. Som.
Be sure they 'an't a-drinkt out all that there cider a'ready! why, I zend up the eight qaart jar and the zix
quart virkin to 'leb'm (eleven)
o'clock, and 'tis on'y but half arter two now!
Mr. Kemp called in vor to zay, must zend on a jar o' gin and aj'ar o' brandy, cause they be gwain to
hold the revel next week.
K Jarre: arrobe, jare. Cot grave, Sherwood.
Ital. GIARA, a flagon, or great pot, a jar. Barretti.
JARGLE [jaargl], v. t. To gargle, or gurgle with liquid in the throat.
[Ee toa*l mee aew aay waz* vur tu jaargl mee droa'ut wai virrigur un puop'ur, bud dhae'ur, ded-n due* un waun
beet u geo'd,] he told me that I was
for to gargle my throat with vinegar and
pepper, but there, (it) did not do it the slightest good
JAUNDERS [jau-ndurz, jaa-ndurz, jaa'rndurz], sb. Jaundice always so, probably because in the dialect
nearly all diseases are plural nouns.
Cf. meazles, glanders, whites, mulligrubs, smallpocks (pox). See W. S. Gram.,
p. 13.
JAUNDERS TREE [jaanrdurz tree], ^. The common barbary Berberis vulgaris, from the yellow colour
of the wood.
JAW [jaa - ], sb. Abuse; impudence; impertinence; idle talk.
[Kau'm naew! noa'un u dhuy j'aa', uls dhee-t bee u-puuf tu doo'urz een u kwik stik,] come now! (let us
have) none of your abusive language,
otherwise you will be put to doors (turned out) very quickly. Com. “landlord's” threat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 381
[Ee*! wai, u-z au '!/##, lig u sheep's aid!] he! why, he is all jaw, like a sheep's head! A very common
description of an empty talker.
J EE [jee], interj. Used to horses as a signal to turn to the right. Very often \Jee airf] jee off is said. See
WUG.
JEE WAY [jee- wai], v. To go along with; to agree; to jog on together.
[Aay noa-ud uur wiid-n niiv-ur jee' wai un,] I knew she would never agree with him; they baint no ways o'
one kidney.
JELLY-DOGS [juTee-duugz], sb.pl. Harriers. (Very com.)
JENNET, JENNETING [jiirrut, jiiiruteen], sb. The name of a well-known early apple. Commonly said
to mtaxijunt-eating. The same apple is
often called Lammas apple, a much more
synchronal name. Aug. ist.
Prof. Skeat says this name is horn Jean. Cotgrave has
Pomme de S. Jean; or Hastwel, a soon ripe apple called the St. John's apple.
JENNY [juiree], sb. i. A machine for spinning various yarns, and also for twisting two or more yarns
into one thread. It was always a hand
machine, and not, as described by Webster, “moved by water or steam." The modern
machines driven by power, which have
supplanted Billy and Jenny, are called Mules.
2. Jane.
3. A female ass.
Is it a 'oss dunkey, or a. jenny, you've a-lost?
JENNY-COAT [jurree-koa-ut], sb. A skirt of any kind; a petticoat. The word, though not uncommon,
is rather used jokingly or derisively
than as a sober term.
JENNY-WREN [jtfiree-rarn]. i. The wren. See HIRDICK.
2. The wild geranium Geranium Robertianum the most usual name in the vale district of this
very common plant; in the hill
district Arb-rabert is the commoner.
JERDAN [juur-dn], sb. Chamber utensil. (Com.)
We be ter'ble a-plagued way the rats. I yeard one in the chimmer last night abed, so I up way my half-bat
and ain un to un, and I'm darnd if I
didn tear the jerdan, and a purty mess 'twas, sure 'nough!
I pray to God to save thi gentil corps,
And thine urinales, and thi jordanes,
Thine Ypocras, and thine Galiounes.
Chaucer, Prologue of the Pardoner, 1. 18.
Ich schall Jangly to }>ys Jordan ' with hus Juste wombe, And a-pose hym what penaunce is and
purgatorie on erthe.
Piers Plowman, xvi. 92. See Sheafs note, p. 304.
|
|
|
|
|
|
382
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2nd Carrier. Why they will allow us ne'er ^jorden, and then we leak in
your chimney: and your chamberlie
breeds fleas like a loach.
I Henry IV., II. i. See also 2 Henry IV., II. iv.
JERICHO [juurikoa].
Drat the boy, I wish a was to Jericho. (Very common.)
JEROBOAM [juureeboa-um], sb. A chamber utensil. This word is a facetious name, though rather
common.
JERRY [juuree], sb. Same as jerdan. Less common than jerdan, of which, or perhaps of Jeroboam,
it is very likely a diminutive.
JERRY-SHOP [juuree-shaup], sb. A beer-shop; a cider-shop; a low public house. Contr. of Tom and
ferry-shop.
Well there, I wid'n a gid up a good place vor to g'in such a house as that, why, twad'n never no other'n
a jerry-shop. Said of a groom taking a
public-house.
JERSEY LILY [juurzeeluTee],^. Vattota purpurea. Common name sometimes called Guernsey lily.
JERUSALEM SEEDS [jurue'sulum zee'udz], sb. The plant Pulmonaria officinalis. Called sometimes
Jerusalem Cowslip or Cowslip of
Bedlam.
My mother used to be ter'ble over they Jerusalem seeds vor a arb. S. R.
JET [jut]. A very short distance or space.
[Muuv aun u jut, wul* ur?] move on a very little, will you?
[Jiis dhu lais-tees//// moo'ur,] just the leastetf trifle further.
JET [jut], v. t. Same as to jot perhaps quite as commonly used.
How can anybody do it nif you will/,?/ the table?
JEW [jue-], v. t. To over-reach; to swindle; to defraud. They do say that Bob Hellings have a jewed
his brother out of all the money the
old man left em. He'd/<?w his own
father nif a could.
JEW'S EYE [juez uy]. A very common expression to denote preciousness.
[Taek-ee-ur oa un, un puf-n uwar, ee'ul bee u waeth \\Jue*z uy. zau-m dai,] take care of it, and put it
away, it will be worth a Jew's eye
some day.
Mistress, look out at window, for all this:
There will come a Christian by,
Will be worth a Jewes eye. Merchant of Venice, II. v.
JIB [jiib], sb. A stand for casks usually of wood.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 383
JIB [jiib], v. t. To place a cask upon its stand or jib.
[Aay-v u-yuurd urn zai 1 aew ee kud jub u auk'seed u suydud pun uz tue nee'z, un dringk aewt u dhu
buurrr oal oa un,] I've heard tell how
that he could jib a hogshead of cider upon his two knees and drink out of its bung-hole. A hogshead
weighs over five cwt.
JIB [jiib], v. i. Said of a horse which will not try to pull his load. See Sheaf, Ety. Diet., p. 308.
JIBBER [jiib'ur], sb. A horse which jibs, or will not pull.
[Ee' \\ju/rur! daarnd eef ee oa'un peol tue u dai-d laef' gin dhu buul'ee oa un du tich dhu graewn, voa'ur
ee'ul gee aewt tue ut. Noa! ee oa'un
jub,] he a jibber! darned if he will not pull at a dead lift (q. v.) until his belly touches
the ground, before he will give up. No!
he will not jib,
JIBBER-JABBER[jiib-urjab-ur], sb. Idle talk; chatter. Same as JABBER.
JIBBING [jiib'een], sb. This would imply a continuous stand or row of stands for casks, often a fixture
in cider cellars, whereas "a
jib" would be understood as a detached and portable stand. Used also collectively for a number of
loose stands, as in the following,
For sale, A quantity of empty cask and jibbing. Local Advertisement.
JECE Guys], sb. Joist; joists both sing, and plur. See POOL.
The dry rot's a-got into the vloor, and some o' the//V* be jis the very same's [tich-eo'd] touchwood.
Usually the final / is dropped of words ending in st. Cf. [duus, muus, fuus, buus, waes, vuys, his,]
dust, must, first, burst, west, fist,
list, and all words ending in est, ist^ rst. A few of these, though not often, resume the / when
followed by a vowel.
GYYSTE, bailee. Trabes, trabecnla. Promp. Pai~v. Cyst that gothe over the florthe soliue,
giste . Palsgrave.
JIFFY [jiif-ee], sb. A moment.
[Yue goo au*n, un aa*l oa'vurgif yiie ugee'un een aa'f u jufee.~\ you go on, and I will overtake you again in
half a moment. (Com.)
[jig], v. i. To trot; faster than \ajog. They only jigged off at the bottom of the
road. Cf. JIG-TO-JOG.
JIGGERED [jig'urd], /. part. A quasi-oath. (Very com.) No! Til \>t jiggered if I do!
JIGGETING [jig'uteen], part. sb. Gadding about; flaunting about usually said of women with a
distinctly depreciatory implication.
Wuy doavn ur buyd airm, un neet bee awees jig-u/een ubaevvt?
|
|
|
|
|
|
384
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Dhu chuTurn wild zeo-n tuul oa ut,] why does she not stay at home, and not be always gadding (or
dancing) about? The children would
soon tell of it/, e. show improvement.
What should the wars do with these jigging fools. Julius Casar, IV. iii.
JIG-TO-JOG [jig-tu-jaug']. The slow pace of a horse; just faster than a walk called sometimes “the market
trot." Very often used in
speaking to a person, as:
[Wuys-n muuv au-n, neet btiyd dhae-ur jig-tu-jaug' jis dhu vuuree sae'um-z wuop u snaa'yul?] why dost
not move on, (and) not stay
\herejig-to-jog just like whip(ping) a snail? This last idiom is very common, and although whipping a
snail would imply on the face of it
some activity and exertion, yet the phrase has the implication of going at a snail's pace.
JILLOFER. See GILAWFER.
JIM-CRACK [jiim-kraak], adj. i. See GIMCRACK.
[Tidn aa-f u gee Mat, u jum-kraak dhing, neef u au-s wuz vur tu puut uz chuV ugin- un ee-d vaal een tiie-
pees'ez,] it is not half a gate (/. e.
it is a very poor one), a slightly made thing, if a horse were to put his chest against it it would
fall in two pieces.
2. Tawdry; fantastic, as applied to a building or other permanent construction.
Our new church Ve a got a proper jim-crack look.
3. Often used figuratively to describe a person; shallow; bumptious; unreliable.
I would'n ha nothing to do wi' jis a jim-crack feller's he.
JIMMY [junree], adv. Nicely; properly; right.
Oh, that's jimmy ) and no mistake.
They got on jimmy like together, 'vore thick there up-country 'osebird corned along.
JINT Qiint], sb. Joint.
Somethin' Ve a tookt me in the/// o' my right hand-wrist.
I do suffer martyrdom in myjints.
JIS [jiis]. Just such. (Abundant examples.)
JIS SICH, JIS SISH [jus sich, jus sish]. Just such. (Very com.)
Tom Cross! why, he idn a wo'th his zalt jis sich another's thee art.
JITCH, JIS, JISH [jich, jus, jish], adj. Such. [Yue nuvur ded'-n zee noa//fo dhing
uvoa'r,] you never saw such a thing
before.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 385
\ - Jish fuul'ur-z yue 1 bee airtu bee-ang',] such a fellow as you are ought to be hung.
Unlike literary English, this word in the dialect is not followed by the adjective a or an, unless it is
desired to give great emphasis, as
\ - Jich u een'stuns aa'n u-biin u-zeed-z purtee wuyul,] such a curiosity has not been seen for a pretty
while.
It should be noted that the above form is not used alone or at the end of a clause in these cases it is
sick, as
We could make a shuf (shift) way half-a-dizen or sich, vore jis time's we've a-got some more in.
JOAN IN THE WAD. Will o' the wisp. I feid this word in glossaries, as Somerset, but cannot find it
elsewhere.
JOB, JOBS [joa-b, joa'bz], int. By Job! or by Jobs I is the bucolic appreciation of the politer By
Jove! It is a very common form of
quasi-oath.
JOB [jaub], sb. Thing; event; business; affair.
[Kaap-ikul jaub yiie haap tu bee dhae'ur,] fortunate thing you happened to be there.
[Twuz u bae'ud jaub vur uur haun ee* duyd; geo'd jaub neef twiid plaiz dh-Aul'mai'tee vur tu taek uur
tue*,] it was a sad event for her when
he (husband) died; (it would be a) good thing if it would please the Almighty to take her"
too.
JOBATION [joabae-urshun], sb. A preachment, or any continued speaking not
necessarily a scolding. A long sermon
would often be spoken of as “a rigler jobation" The word is
a little above the use of the pure dialect
speaker.
JOBBER [jaub'ur], sb. A dealer in cattle or sheep. A pig-dealer is always
called a pig-j0bfor.
I don't think I shall sell my beast gin one o' they there big up-country jobbers comth along.
Farmers be a got that there near, idn much a got now out o'
JOBBING ABOUT [jaub'een ubaewt]. Getting
employment from no particular master,
but from any one wanting assistance.
[Aay kn due* su wuul jaub'een ubaewt-s aay kan 4 wai rig'lur wuurk,] I can do as well (/. e. earn as
much) working a day here and a day
there as I can with regular employment.
A woman replied to the chairman of the Wellington Board of Guardians, "Well, sir, he 'an't no
rigler work like, he jobbus about vor
any o' the farmers hot do want'n."
This last is the common frequentative intransitive form. See West Som. Gram., p. 51; also Introduction.
c c
|
|
|
|
|
|
386
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
JOBS [jaubs], sb. pi. Caecus; to do jobs; caccare.
JOB-WORK [jaub'-wuurk], sb. Work done by "the piece," or contract, as opposed to day-work.
I baint partikler, I'd su zoon do it \.Q job-work's day-work.
JOCK [jauk], sb. i. Same as JOCKEY. One who deals in horses; one who breaks colts; a rough-rider.
Our Bill's a bit of a jock, you know; you must get up by time in the mornin' vor to take he in 'bout a 'oss.
2. v. t. To deal in horses.
Nobody can't never make out however he do live; he don't never do nort, no more-n urn about to fairs
and markets jockin a vew old 'osses.
JOCKEY [jauk-ee], sb. i. A colt-breaker.
You let Jockey Cornder hab-m, he'll zoon cure my ginlmun o' they tricks.
2. A low horse-dealer.
They calls-'n Gipsy George, but he idn no gipsy 'tino, he's one o' these here jockey fullers about to fairs
and markets way an old dog 'oss or
two.
3. v. t. To cheat; swindle.
Vokes do zay how he've z-jockey'd the poor old man out of every varden he've a-got.
JOCKERY [jauk-uree], sb. Roguery; cheating.
They do zay how there was purty much jockery over thick there vire; he was a paid vor a sight o' things
what wadn never a-burned; I knows
that, but who zot it avire I 'ont zay.
There's purty mud\ jockery about 'osses, but that seems a clubby sort of a 'oss. I. F. C.
JOG [jaug], v. t. Same as To JOT.
Here! hold-n (the candle) steady, what's jog-\\ zo for? Hence figuratively “to jog the memory." See
also JiG-xo-JoG.
JOGGER [jaug-ur], sb. One who shakes or nudges. What a jogger you be how can anybody write?
JOGGLE [jaug'l], v. t. To shake. See To JOG, JOT.
JOGGLY [jaug-lee], v. i. i. To tremble; to shake. I wish thee wits-n joggly zo nobody can't
never do nort vitty like, nif wits-n
bide quiet. See WITS.
2. To jog on; to rub along.
Well, how do the times use you?
[Wuul! dhae'ur, aay du jaug'lee ulau'ng luyk muus-n vuyn
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 387
muuch fairut,] well! there, I jog on quietly (one) must not find much fault. This the climax of a farmer's
contentment.
JOGGLY [jaug'lee], adj. Unsteady; tottering.
[Dhaat dhae'ur-z u jaug'lee soa'urt uv u skaa'fl; taek-ee'ur yvie bae-un u traa-pt een un,] that's an
unsteady kind of a scaffold; take care
you are not trapped on it. See IN 3.
JOGGY [jaug-ee], v. i. i. To move; to go; to depart. Come on, Bill, let's joggy 'long, mus'n
bide yer no longer. Well, I 'spose
'tis purty nigh time vor us to Totjoggin.
He logged til a iustice * and iousted in has ere, And ouertulte al bus treuthe ' with
“tak-this-on-amendement."
Piers Plowman, xxm. 134.
The door is open, sir, there lies your way,
You may \*t jogging, whiles your boots are green.
Taming of the Shreiv, III. ii.
2. To shake; to vibrate; to tremble.
In the market train to Exeter I heard, "Well, how this yer coach ^.Q joggy 'tis same's off the springs
o' un was a-brokt."
JOG-TROT [jaug--traat], sb. The slow pace, half walk, half trot, of some old horses called also a dog-trot.
JOHNNY FORTNIGHT [jauireevairrt-nait], sb. The packman. It is usual for the hawkers who sell their
goods on credit to go their rounds
every fortnight.
I do pay downdap vor my two or dree oddses; I can't Vord to dale way ti\vy Jonny Vortnights, they be to
dear vor me.
JOHNNY RAW [jauiree ravr], sb. A clown; lout; simpleton.
Well, nif thee art-n a Johnny Raw, sure 'nough, vor to be a-catch by a cheap
jack! zold thee a puss way half-a-crown in un, vor a shillin', did er!
JOHN'S WORT [jaurr-z wuurt], sb. Common name for dwarf Hyptricum, H. perforatum. See ST. JOHN'S
WORT.
JOINT WEED [jauynt weed], sb. Equisetum. This is the name used by "ginlvokes." “Mare's
tails," “old man's beard” are the
common names.
JOKESIOUS [joak'shus], adj. Joking; fond of fun; frolicsome; jocose.
[Dhoa'l MuVtur Baid'geod wuz }\3h joak'shus mae'un-z yue kaa*n vuyn, ugeeam,] the old Mr. Bidgood was such
a man for joking as you cannot find
again.
The farmer who uttered the above constantly used the word, which is by no means uncommon.
c c 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
388
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
JOLLY [jaul-ee], adj. Applied to a person good-natured; pleasant; lively; agreeable. Ital. allegro
is the precise equivalent of our word,
while mod. Ital. giulivo rather implies more merriment than our W. S. jolly.
So jolly a man as you shall vind. A proper jolly old fuller.
Applied to place or thing nice; pretty, as in Mod. Fr. jolt.
Joly or \osty frisenu*
Joly or fresshe -joly. Palsgrave.
JOLLIE: joli,f>isque, alaigre. Sherwood.
Sem so>ly ^at on J?at o>er hyjt cam
& \>Q /W^Japheth * wat} gendered J>e ]>ryd.
Early Alliterative Poems, Deluge, 1. 300.
J>an sete \>z\ J?re ' to solas hem at J?e windowe, even ouer J?e ioly place ' J^at to >at
paleis longed.
Will, ofPalerme, 1. 3479.
The mavis and the nyghtyngale, And
other/0/j/ briddis smale.
Chaucer, Romaunt of the Rose, 1. 619. See also 1. 639.
In this tyme, faire and/0/// Olimpias,
that faire wif, Wolde make a riche
feste.
Weber, Kyng Alisaunder, 1. 155.
JON NICK [jamrik], adv. and adj. Upright; honest; straightforward; easy to
get on with; friendly. (Very com.)
He's a proper jonnick old fellow.
Come now! honour bright, that \ft\\ jonnick at all!
We always got on jonnick enough vore thick there keeper come here.
JORUM [joa'rum], sb. i. An excessive quantity. I told ee a little bit, I did'n want a gurt
jorum; but zee what you've a brought
me 'tis enough for zix.
2. A large jug, generally of brown ware.
I let em had the vower-quart jorum o' cider, and told em I'd g'in arter another zo zoon's ever they'd
a-fmish.
I thought one time, the fire would have been too much for us, but maister brought us out a gurt jorum of
cider, and we into it again, and to
last we dout it proper; but th' old engine idn much better-n a squirt.
JOT [jaut], v. t. i. To shake; to nudge.
How can anybody write if you keep on jotting the table?
2. sb. A shake; a push; a slight movement.
I only gid'n a bit of a Jot, and down he went.
JOUDS [jaewdz], sb. pi. Rags; pieces; atoms.
This here mate's a bwoiled all tojouds. W. H. G., Dec. 6, 1883.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 389
JOWDER, JOWLER [juwdur, juwlur], sb. A hawker; pedlar. ,] fish hawker. (Very com.)
JOWDING, JOWLING [juwdeen, juwleen], sb.
Hawking. [Ee du git uz liiveen tu
tae'udee juwleen^ he earns his living
by hawking potatoes.
JOWERING [jaawureen], part. adj. Growling; grumbling.
Why, ya purting, tatcliy, stealing, jowering, prinking, mincing Thing.
Ex. Scold. 1. 21.
JOWERY [jaawuree], v. i. To grumble; to growl; to find fault in a disagreeable grumbling manner.
[Niivur ded-n zee* dhu fuul'ur oa un ee ul jaawuree au'l dhu dai lairng,] (I) never saw his fellow he
will grumble all the day long.
[Dhu jaawureenees oa*l fuul'ur livur yue zee'd,] the growlingest old fellow you ever saw.
But when the crabbed nurce Begins to
chide and chowre.
1567. Turberville, Ovid, p. 122.
JUDAS-TREE [jue-dus-tree],^. Cercis Siliquastrum. This tree, and not the elder, seems most widely
traditional, as that on which Judas
hanged himself. Elders in this country, at least, would hardly be suitable in size or strength for
the purpose. In some parts of
Portugal, especially round Lisbon, the Siliquastrum, with its bright pink blossom, is quite a feature
in the landscape during spring, and
the people believe it to be the real Judas-tree.
JUDAS-TREE. Fabagine, guainier, guaynier. Sherwood.
it may be called in English Judas-iree^ for that it is thought to be that
whereon Judas hanged himselfe, and not
vpon the Elder tree, as it is vulgarly said.
Gerarde, Herbal, p. 1428.
JUMBLE [juunvl], v. t. and sb. To mix confusedly; to bring into confusion: applied to both things and
ideas, or facts.
Well, sir, I'm certain I left the roots all sorted out proper; but now somebody've a/##r/</em all up
together.
I baint a bit same's I used to; I could mind anything one time, but now hon I do want to mind ort, 'tis all
of a jurrfle like, and my store
(story) 's all tap-m-tail like.
To JUMBLE confusedly together. Barbouiller, brouiller, mesler. Shei-wood.
Ne jompre ek no discordant thyng yfere,
As thus, to usen termes of fisyk.
Chaucer, Troyhis and Cryseyde, lib. ii. 1. 1037.
JUMP [juump], v. i. i. To agree; to suit.
They do zay how he and her don't jump very well together; but I don't hear whose fau't 'tis, so I 'spose
'tis a little o' both zides.
|
|
|
|
|
|
390
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Tranio. Master, for my hand,
Both our inventions meet sand jump in one.
Taming of the Shrew, I. i.
2nd Senator. And mine two hundred:
But though ft\&y jump not on a just account,
. yet do they all confirm A Turkish
fleet, and bearing up to Cyprus. Othello, I. iii.
2. To readily accept an offer.
Not her hab-m? Let-n ax o' her, that's all; I tell ee her'd/ww/ to un.
JUMPER [juurrrpur], sb. i. An iron bar used to bore holes for blasting, in quarrying stone. It is used by
being quickly raised and dropped, so
that its cutting end falls always on the same spot, and thus a hole is quickly drilled: hence
to jump a hole is to bore it by
jumping fae jumper up and down in the same place.
2. A short flannel or serge smock. The blue serge shirts worn by sailors and fishermen ut jumpers.
JUMP OVER THE BROOM [juump au-vur dhu breo'm]. A cant phrase for an irregular marriage.
He idn 'is wive, 'tino! they on'y jumped over the broom.
JUMP-SHORT [juump-shau-urt], phr. in hunting when a horse measures his distance badly, and does
not clear his fence. The opposite of
over-jump, when he springs needlessly high and far.
JUNK puungk], sb. A piece; a lump; a hunch.
A gurt ///#/ o' bread and cheese.
JUNKET [juung-kut], sb. This may be almost called the standing dish as a sweet in the West
Country. Although so easy to make, it
is rarely met with in perfection east of Taunton, or where "raw dairies" begin. The
best junkets are made from new milk,
warm from the cow. The sugar and a little brandy are added, according to taste, at the same time as the
rennet, and before it has had time to
thicken; scalded or clotted cream is laid all over the top. Usually a little nutmeg is grated
over all, and the junket is made.
Italian. Giuncata, a kind of cream cheese. Barrctti.
The giuncata sold in Italian shops is much more solid than our junket,
but stracchino di Milano is much more
like it. Junket in the i6th century seems
to have been thought very unwholesome.
JONCHEE: a bundle of rushes; also a green cheese, or fresh cheese made
of milk that's curdled without any
runnet, and served in a frail of green rushes.
Cotgrave.
Joncadc: a certain spoon-meat, made of Cream, Rose-water, and Sugar.
Ibid.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 391
Bewar at eve of crayme of cowe & also of the goote, ]>au3 it be
late, Of strawberies & hurtiberyes
vvitli the cold loncate, For )>ese
may marre many a man changynge his astate.
Milke, crayme, and cruddes, and eke the loncate.
John Russetts Boke of Nurture (Furnivall), 11. 81-93.
be ware of cowe creme, & of good strawberyes, hurtelberyes, louncat,
for these wyll make your souerayne
seke, . . . butter is holsome fyrst & last, for it wyll do awaye all poysons: mylke, creme,
and lotmcat, they wyll close the mawe.
Wykyn de Words, Boke of Keruyng (Furnivall), p. 266.
JUP! [juup!] interj. The word used in driving cows or bullocks of all kinds.
\ - Juupf] or \Juup au-n!] (jup on), \Juup ukurng!] or \Juub ulau'ng!] are the commonest words.
JUST A-COME [jist 1 u-kairm], adv. phr. A near chance; a close shave; almost happening. (Very com.)
'Twas jist a-come you had-n a-bin to late, the train was 'pon the very point o' startin'. See Too.
Jist a-come he had'n a-brokt 'is leg.
JUST NOW fjis nae'w], adv. Very recently; a few minutes ago. Never used in relation to the future,
as it is in Scotland and the Northern
counties.
Where's your master? Here about, I reckon, for I zeed-n just now. This is the expression of those just a
little way up the social ladder. The
common phrase of those who speak pure dialect is by now [bi-naew] (<j. #.).
KADDLE [kad'l], v. i. To loiter; to work in a
dilatory, lazy way; to pretend to
work.
[Aayv u-zee'd dhu! dhee-t buyd kad'leen dhae'ur vur u vau'rtnait, zai noa'urt tudlvee,] I have seen you! you
would stay loitering there for a
fortnight, if one said nothing to you.
KAE [kae-ee, kae'eez], sb. Cow, cows.
This is the usual pronunciation in the West or Hill Country. The following accounts for the kee of
Halliwell, but it does not represent
the true sound.
Thee hast a let the kee go zoo vor want o' strocking.
Ex. Scold. 1. no. See also Ib. 11. 202, 409.
KECKER, KECKERS [kek-ur], sb. i. The dried hollow stalk of the cow parsnip, or Limperscrimp (Heraclium
Sphondylium). The word is also applied
to any dried hollow stalks, as of chervil,
hemlock, &c.
|
|
|
|
|
|
392
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2. The throat; the windpipe.
[Yuur! tiip aup dhaaf dhaat-1 wairrsh daewn dhee kek'ur vairr dhee,] here! tip up that (/. <?. drink)
that will wash down thy throat for
thee. This is a frequent saying in giving cider, after a complaint of being "dry."
KEDGE [kaj], sb. A boat's anchor; the small grapnel usually carried in boats.
This name is used in all the little ports on the south side of the Bristol Channel, and is not applied to any
anchor belonging to a larger vessel.
KEECH [kee-ch], sb. The fat from the intestines of slaughtered animals; the caul or omentum. It is
different from the suet, or
kidney-fat, which is theyf/V/^ in a pig, inasmuch as technically
the keech is by custom part of the
offal, and is sold by butchers as tallow.
It is usually rolled up while warm into a solid lump, hence the appropriateness of the following.
Prince Henry Why, thou clay-brained guts; thou knotty-pated fool,
thou whoreson, obscene, greasy tallow-/lmr/&. I Henry IV., II. iv.
Buckingham. I wonder
That such a keech can, with his very bulk,
Take up the rays o' the beneficial sun, And keep it from the earth. Henry VIII., I.
i.
Later on Buckingham speaks of Wolsey as "This butcher's cur,"
showing that in Shakespeare's time
keech, or/' ball of fat," was a common epithet for a butcher, or any obese person. See also Good wife
Keech, the butcher's wife (2 Henry
IV., II. i.). In this sense it is now obsolete.
KEEL-ALLEY [kee-ul aal-ee], sb. Bowling alley.
KEELS [kee-ulz], sb. The game skittles, called also \kai-uh~\. Mod. Germ, kegel-spiel. See CAILES.
KEYLES (or nine pines). Quillcs. Cotgrave (Sherwood).
All the Furies are at a game call'd nine-pins, or keils, made of old
usurers' bones, and their souls
looking on with delight, and betting on the game!
Ben Jonson, Chloridia, The Antimasque.
KEEM [kee-m], sb. The scum or froth which rises upon cider when it begins to ferment in the keeve.
KEEMY [kee-mee], adj. Any liquor when fermenting and covered with a whitish creamy scum is said
to be keemy.
KEENDEST [keen 'dees], phr. Any keendest thing, ///. any kin's thing, anything whatever, any kind of
thing. (Very com.)
There I was a-lef 'thout so much as a bit of a stick: I'd a-gid the wordle vor any keendest thing a'most.
Tha has no Stroil ner Docity, no vittiness in enny keendest theng.
Ex. Scold. 1. 209.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 393
This seems to be the old form kynnes, with the very common insertion of d after a liquid, as in fine,
finder, small, smallder, tailder,
cornder, warder, scramder, &c.
Now liste me to lerne: ho me lere coude,
What kynnes conceyll: ]>at J>e kyng had.
Langland, Rich, the Red. ii. 18.
What kynnes thyng. See Skeafs Index to Piers Plow. p. 662.
And sy]>en he made hym as mery among J>e fre ladyes,
With comlych caroles, and alle kynnes ioye. Sir Gawaine, 1. 1885.
]>e wone^ with-inne enurned ware
Wyth alle kynne^ perre ]>at mo^t repayre.
Early A Hit. Poems, Pearl, 1027.
KEEP [keep, kip], v. t. i. To attend regularly.
Butcher Clay Ve a keep Taan'un market 's twenty year /. e. he has had a regular stall there.
So "to keep your church” is to be a regular attendant.
Nobody can't never zay nort by me and my man, we've always a keept our church and a paid our way, and a
brought up a long hard family.
2. To watch; to guard against; to take heed of.
Boys employed to drive away birds from seed are always said to "keep birds."
How is it your Jim has not been at school this week?
Plaise, sir, he bin keepin o' birds for Mr. Vuz (Furze), 'cause he couldn get nobody else. See KICKHAMMER.
Han evere this proverbed to us yonge,
That firste vertu is to kepe tonge.
Chaucer, Troylus and Cryseyde, Ex. LIB. SEC. 1. 244.
KEPYNG observation, Palsgrave.
3e knowe ]>e. cost of J?is cace, kepe I no more To telle yow tene} J>er-of neuer hot
trifel;
* Sir Gawaine, \. 546.
3. To maintain.
Her's a-come a gurt hard maaid, and her auf to work; tidn a bit likely they be gwain to keep her 'tis all
they can do to vind mate vor
theirzuls.
4. To attend to; to look after. As in to keep
house, I keeps the garden and the road
and that, and Jim, lie do keep the
cows and pigs.
Also I will fcat J>e nonne }?at kepidme in my seknes haue ij nobles.
1420. Will of Sir R. Sal-way n. Fifty Earliest Wills, p. 54/2.
Also y bequethe to Clemens, the woman that kepes me, a gowne of
muster-devylers. 1434. Will of Margaret Asshcombe. Fifty Earliest Wills, p.
97/2.
All the while we were with them keeping the sheep. I Sam. xxv. 16. KEEP [keep], sb. i. Food for man or beast;
fodder; pasture.
|
|
|
|
|
|
394
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
That's a rare piece o' keep, up there in the four acre mead.
Thick 'oss '11 grow a hand higher in your keep.
I never didn know keep so short, for the time of the year.
To be let, five acres prime couple keep. Local Advertisement.
Couple keep is early spring grass good enough for “couples” /". e. ewes with their lambs.
Thick boy idn worth his keep, let 'lone his wages.
Wanted, keep for six bullocks on oaten straw with an outlet. Apply, A. BOWDEN, Chappie Farm, Cruwys Morchard.
Well. W. News, Jan. 13, 1887.
2. Maintenance.
In speaking of able-bodied paupers, it is very usual to hear guardians remark, he 'on't cost the parish
nothin, 'cause can make 'n sar his
keep.
KEEP COMPANY [keep kau'mpmee], phr. To have a beau, or sweetheart, but not always with a view
to matrimony. There seems to be a sort
of shame in both sexes not to have either a
“young woman” or a “young man." Hence the stories of
servant-girls (probably from the country) paying soldiers to walk with them.
Well, Henry, are you going to be married? Not as I know by. What, are you not courting Mary Snow? Oh,
we understands one t'other, we be only
keeping company.
On the other hand, to “keep company” often implies an actual engagement to marry.
KEEPED [kee-pud u-kee-pud], p. t. and /. part, of to keep. (Always.) Kept'v* unknown; the only other
form is [kee'p, kee'p(t, u-kee'p~\. The
former is intrans., the latter trans.
'Tidn not a bit o' good: I've Zrkeeped on gin I be a-tired, and he don't take no notice.
Her've always &-keept herzul 'spectable.
Sownynge alway the encres of his wynnyng,
He wolde the see were kepud for enything Betwixe Middulburgh and Orewelle.
Chattcer, Prologue, 1. 275.
KEEPERING [kee'pureen], sb. The art or business of a gamekeeper. (Very com.)
I'd zoonder by half have thick there boy about keepcrin 'an thick there Sam, hot I'd a-got here. Dec. 10,
1886.
KEEPING [kee*peen, kip-een]. In i\\Qphr. to keeping, *. e. for maintenance.
No, I vinds 'tis cheaper vor to hire when I do want; don't pay me vor to keep a 'oss, he do cost to much
to keepin.
KEEP ON [keep au-n], v. i. To scold continuously.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 395
Come, missus, do 'ee let's have a little bit o' paice, you do keep on from Monday mornin' to Zadurday night.
They on't do it a bit better for keepin on so. (Very com.) See ON.
KEEVE [kee'v], s. A vat used in cider-making, and in brewing. As soon as the juice runs from the press it
is put into the keeve, and left there
usually for twenty-four hours, until fermentation has set in. In brewing the word is also applied
to the mash itself; after “mashing” it
is usual to cover up the vat and to leave the malt to soak for some time. This is called
"setting the keeve" [ziit'een
dhu kee'v}. Many old brewers make with their ringer on the malt the figures of “two hearts and a criss
cross," as they say, vor to keep
off the pixies, while he (the keeve) do steevy.
Fr. CUVE: An open tub: a fat or vat. Cof grave. Fatte a vessell quevue. Palsgrave.
Slat tha Podgers, slat tha Crock, slat tha Keeve> and tha Jibb, bost tha
cloam.
Ex. Scold. 1. 249.
KEFTY [kaef-tee], adj. Awkward; clumsy.
Lat-n uloa-un, au'l dhuumz! wuy, dhee urt su kaeftee-z u kaew* an'leen u muus'kut,] leave it alone, all
thumbs! why, thee art as clumsy as a
cow handling a musket. (Very common saying.)
Can this be a contraction of kay-fote kay-footy?
Gauan gripped to his ax, and gederes hit on hy^t
j?e kayfole on J?e folde he be-fore sette. Sir Gawaine, 1. 421.
KEFTY-HANDED [kaef'tee-arrdud], adj. The only term in use. Left-handed is fine seldom heard.
I never took no notice avore, how that Bill Cross was kefty-handed.
KELP [kuulp], sb. Sea-weed. (Always so called.) After a storm great quantities are often washed
ashore; this is gathered up and used
for manure.
'Tis stinking stuff, but that there kelp's good dressin, arter 'tis a-ratted (rotten).
KELTER [kael'tur], sb. Wherewith; money.
I'd have em vast enough, nif only I'd a got the kelter.
KEMMICK [kemik], sb. i. A flax field. This is rather a common name of a field.
2. A weed with strong tangled roots. Rest-harrow Ononis arvensis. (Rare.)
Peucedanum, cammocc. Gotuna, cammuc.
Wrighfs Vocabularies, 300/27, 416/9.
KEMP [kenrp], sb. Short, coarse white hairs, often found mixed with portions of the fleece. See
SKEMP.
|
|
|
|
|
|
39^
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
KEMPY [kern-pee], adj. Applied to wool having
the short, coarse white hairs which
are found in the wool of mountain sheep, or of others which have been badly fed in the
winter.
KERF [kuurf], sb. A cutting or notch. The slit made by a saw, called usually a [zzz' kuurf ~\
s&w-forf. A shallow groove is
often called a kerf. See QUIRK.
A. Sax. cyrf. O. Frisian, kerf, incisura? Stratmann.
solde .... ]>eo her (of Absolom) ]>e me kerf of uor two hundred sides
of seolure. Ancren Ri-wle, p. 398.
"Kepe J>e cosyn," quoth J?e kyng,” ]>at )?ou^on
/yr/"sette,
& if J)ou rede? hym ry}t, redly I trowe,
)>at jjou schal byden j>e bur >at he schal bede after."
Sir Gaivayne, 1. 372.
KERN [kuurn], v. t. i. To curdle or turn sour. This here thunder weather's ter'ble bad
about kerning the milk, nobody can't
help o' it.
2. To boil slowly; to simmer.
KERN [kee-urn], v. i. To fill up with seed; to form seed said of com; to kernel.
[Dhu wai't-s wuul u-kee-urn dee yuur,] the wheat is well kerned this year. (Usual phrase.)
Kerning time \kee'urneen tuym]. The time when the blossom sets and the grain is forming in the ear.
[Keod-n spak noa kraap*, twuz jish wadh'ur au'l drue kecurneen tuym,] could not expect a crop, it was such
weather all through kerning time.
Bote yf JJQ sed |>at sowen is * in J?e sloh sterue,
Shal neuere spir springen vp ' ne spik on strawe curne.
Piers Plowman, cxm. 180.
The thredde time, tho grene corn in somer sholde curne, To foule wormes muchedel the eres gonne
turne. Rob. ofGlou. (ed Hearne, p.
490), quoted by Skeat, notes to P. P., p. 270.
To KYRNELLE: granare, granere, granescere inchoatium.
Catholicum Ang.
2. Applied to a horse getting into condition; to harden. I heard it said of a young horse, “Let'n
bide a twel-month, gin he's ^-kerned
up you 'ont know un." (Com.)
KERNED [kuurnd], adj. Salted applied to meat.
That'll be a beautiful bit when he's well a kerned not to zalt. Comp. CORNED-BEEF.
KERNEL [kuurnl], sb. i. Any hardened gland or swelling; a knot under the surface of the skin.
Kernels are very frequent with some individuals, and are often painful.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 397
KYRNEL, or knobbe yn a beeste, or mannys flesche (knoble, s.). Gramdum, glandula. Promp. Parv.
KYRNELL or knobbe in the necke or otherwhere glandre. WAXYNG KYRNELS glandes, glanders.
Palsgrave, pp. 236, 286.
GLANDE: a kernel; a fleshy substance filled with pores, and growing
between the flesh and skin. Cotgrave.
2. A grain of corn is often so called.
Speaking of a sample of wheat, it is usual to say, "Tis small in the kernel" i. e. the grains are
small. This is probably the original
meaning.
Kyrnel of frute. Granum, granellum. Promp. Parv.
KERPING [kuurpeen, kyuurpeen], pr. part. Carping; discontented.
Take and let the boy have a little bit o' peace; what's the good o' keeping on kerpin about it?
jawing or sneering, blazing or racing, kerpingQT speaking cutted.
Ex. Scold. 1. 308.
KERPY [kuurpee], v. i. To carp; to grumble; to nag. I be very zorry for Mr. . . . , he's a good
sort of a man enough; but her, her
don't do nort but ballirag and kerpy all the day long.
KERRY [kuuree], sb. A kind of wagon used for harvesting or carrying straw. Instead of the ordinary
body it has only rails at the sides,
and "lades” at the ends. See CURRY.
KERRY-MERRY [kuuree-muuree], sb. A small, low, narrow dray for drawing casks.
KERS [kuurs], sb. Cress.
'Tis gettin' time to zow zome mustard-n kers.
Cresco, kerse. Wright's Vocabularies, 135/8.
Of paramours ne sette he nat a kers,
For he was helyd of his maledye;
Chaucer, Miller's Tale, 568.
KERSEN [kursn, kuursn], v. t. To christen. (Always.) They always calls'n Jack or Jan, but tidn
his name by rights, vor I do know eens
he was &-kersend Urchet (Richard).
Over the Thames, at a low water-mark:
Vore either London, ay, or Kingston-bridge,
I doubt, were kursin'd. Ben Jonson, Tale of a Tub, I. ii.
Scriben. Vaith, I cannot tell, If men
were kyrsirfd or no: but zure he had A
kyrsin name, that he left me, Diogenes. Ib. IV. ii.
KERSEY [kiz-ee], adj. i. Applied to cloth. Twilled, or woven so as to show the threads in diagonal lines
or ribs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
398
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
\Kiz-ee blang'kuts waewz duub'l su lau-ng-z plaayn wai'vud,] kersey blankets wear twice as long as
plain-wove.
2. sb. Often used for a coarse twilled woollen cloth. A piece o' blue [kiz'ee] kersey vor a
gurt-coat's cloth /. e. with which to
make a great-coat.
By this white glove (how white the hand, God knows) Henceforth my wooing mind shall be
expressed
In russet yeas, and honest kersey noes! Loves Labour Lost, V. ii.
KERSEY-WOVE [kiz'ee- wai'vud], adj. Woven with a twill in distinction from [plaa'yn-wai'vud]
plain-wove. A kerseymere cloth is certainly
a twilled cloth, but whether or not it is “a corrupt form of Cassimere" I leave to the decision
of Prof. Skeat and the savants.
KERSAY cresey. Palsgrave, KERSIE
carize, creseau. Cotgrave (Sherwood).
KERSLINS [kuursleenz], sb. Small wild plums; bullace. Called also krislings or christlings.
KERSNING VAULT [kiirsneen vault], sb. Font in a church. At Minehead, April 23, 1883, the woman who
had the key of the church said, twice,
[Bae-un ee gwai'n tu leok tu dh'oa'l kursneen vau'ltT] are you not going to look at the old font?
KERSTIN [kursteen]. Christian. (Always.)
A boy at the Wellington Sunday School said, “Plase, sir, Mr. .... zess I mus'n zay ' Our Father/ 'cause
I bain't a kerstin."
KYRSTYONE, or Crystyone, proper name (kirstiane, K. kyrstyan, or
krystum, S.). Christina. Promp. Parv.
KESSEN [kaes'n]. Christian. This pronunciation is becoming rare.
Thee wut ha' a Hy to enny Kessen Soul. Ex. Scold. 1. 232.
KESTER [kes-tur]. Christopher. (Common.)
KETCH [kaech], v. t. To catch. Always so pronounced. [P. t. kaech'(t; p. p. u-kaech'(tJ\ See W. S.
Gram, on weak verbs, p. 46.
KETTLE OF FISH [kifl u vee-sh], sb. Disturbance; uproar. Nif maister should come to know it, 'twill
be a pretty kettle of fish, and no
mistake.
KEW [keo-], sb. The heel-iron of a boot.
Th' old Jim Hill's a capical shoemaker, but he don't bethink to charge he ax me vourteenpence on'y for a
pair o' kews and nailing a pair o'
half bats. Called also cute, skute. See CUE.
KEX [kaeks], sb. Dried hollow stalks of certain plants, especially cow-parsnip. See KECKER.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST
SOMERSET WORDS. 399
KYX, or bunne, or drye weed (bunne of dry wed, H.). Calamus.
Promp. Parv.
KECKES of humblockes tviav. KICKES the
drie stalke of humlockes or burres tvyav. Palsgrave.
And as glowande gledes ' gladieth nou^te ]>is werkmen,
]>at worchen & waken in wyntres ni^tes,
As doth a kex or a candel ' )>at cau^te hath fyre & blaseth.
Piers Plowman, XVII. 217.
and nothing teems,
But hateful docks, rough thistles, kecksies, burs, Losing both beauty and utility. Henry V,,
V. ii.
KEY [kar], sb. i. A spanner or screw wrench. This has its place on every sull, by which the screws to
regulate and adjust the several parts,
are turned. Any common screw spanner is called a key. Our pronunciation of key is the old
form, and the lit. in this case again
the modern corruption.
Ang.-Sax. Clauis. Coeg.
Hec clauis. A e kay. Hie claviger, a
/foyberere.
Wrights Vocab. 667/38, 684/9.
And J>anne worstow dryuen oute as dew and }>e dore closed,
Kayed and cliketed ' to kepe J>e with-outen. Piers Plowman, B. V. 622.
Such daynte hath in it to walk and pleye,
That he wolde no wight suffre bere the keye.
Chaucer, Marchaundes Tale, \. 799.
But here an angel in a golden bed Lies
all within. Deliver me the key, Here
do I choose, and thrive I as I may!
Merchant of Venice, II. vii.
2. This word is used figuratively in the dialect as well as in lit. Eng., and usually means the crowning-point,
or best part.
I do not like that window at all.
Not like thick winder! why, I zim he's the very kay o' the work.
3. Tech. In plastering, the mortar which, passing between the laths, spreads on the other side; the
holding mortar at the back of the
laths is called the key.
No odds how much hair's in it, he 'ont bide if there id'n a good key /. e. the ceiling will not stay up. See
LOCKS AND KEYS.
KIBBLE [kib'l, kub'l], v. t. To bruise or partly grind corn or beans; to crack the corn, so as to break
the “hud."
KIBBLER [kiib'lur], sb. A machine or mill for bruising corn or beans.
KIBBY-HEELS [kib'ee ee-ulz], sb. Chapped heels of horses.
Gibbus, kybe. Wright's Vocab. 586/25.
MULARD: one that hath kibie-heels. Cotgrave. See also KlBE, Shenvood. KYBE on the heels: Mule. Palsgrave.
|
.....
