|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9560) (tudalen 700)
|
700 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2. A flower or seed stalk. Cabbages, rhi^arb, and other vegetables frequently throw up seed stalks
instead of the desired esculent; in
such case they are said "to run to a spill"
'Tis a thing what drows up a gurt long spill same's a flappy-dock. This description would apply to numerous
plants.
SPILL-MORE [spee'ul-moaair], sb. A tap-root. (Always.) That tree is dead then, after all our
trouble. Well, sir, he 'ad'n
a-got hardly any mores at all, he run'd straight down to a spill-more;
I was afeard about'n when we took'n up.
SPILL OF A TONGUE [spee-ul uv u tuung-], sb. The tongue proper of an animal, with the root cut off.
A butcher will refuse to sell the
spill alone.
Nif I cuts off the spill o' un, what be I gwain to do way all the root?
SPIN [spee'n; p. t. spee'nd; p> p- u-spee'nd], v.t. Spun and span are unknown, but I am beginning to
hear spund and a-spund.
And thee must mine the hank o' yarn
That I spinrfd yesterday. Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 30.
SPINE [spuyn], sb. Turf; sward. (Always.)
They bullicks did'n ought to be in there this weather, they'll tread the spine jis the very same's a
ploughed field.
SPINE-FIELD [spuyn-fee-ul], sb. A pasture field.
SPINE-PORK [spuyn-pairrk], sb. The meat of small pigs, on which the bacon is left with the skin;
hence the” crackling."
They be to big vor spine-pork, and they baint big enough vor bacon-pigs.
SPINER [spuynur], sb. i. Part of a sull. A kind of bent knife, fixed close to and in the same line
as the coulter, when ploughing grass
land. The object is to cut the surface turf or spine in such a way that all grassy edges
may be completely buried by the”
turnvore." Called in Sussex skim coulter. See Parish.
2. A kind of flat spade for cutting turf for lawns.
SPINNING-TURN [spee-neen-tuurn], sb. Spinning-wheel. Same as QUILL-TURN (q. v.).
SPIRE [spuyur], sb. Hunting. A male deer of three years old. See Bow, BROCKETT, SPAYART.
SP1RRITY [spuuritee], adj. Lively; active; spirited. Her's a spirrity sort of a maid. So
spirrity's a young colt.
SPIRT-NET [spuurt-niit], sb. A kind of fishing net, used in the pools of rapid streams. It is a shallow
bag in shape, tapering
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9561) (tudalen 701)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 7OI
off to what is called a "purse" [puus], made with a much finer mesh. The net is firmly attached to two
strong staves about seven feet long,
and reaches about half the length of the poles. These are united at one end by a chain about five
or six feet long, to which also the
bottom of the net is made fast, while the top of the net is strengthened by a strong cord,
corresponding to the chain at the
bottom. Two men are required to use it. One
holding each pole keeps the net nearly upright with the chain stretched at the bottom of the pool. In
this position it is drawn through the
water towards the stump or overhanging bank, which forms the "hover," where the fish
at once take shelter. Each man then
pokes under the bank, disturbing and fouling the water, and at the same time brings his pole
towards that of his partner. In this
way the fish are disturbed, and at once dart outwards, and so into the purse. As soon as the staves
are, in this fashion, brought
together, both men raise the ends of their poles at the same moment, and lift the four sides of the
net out of water. This is a most destructive
implement in moderately sized streams.
Called also two-stave net.
SPIT [split], v. t. i. To dig with a spade.
Maister, nif I was you I'd have thick there splat o' groun' &-spit. Well, what is 'er a wo'th to sfittiri?
Also used for extracting the stump of a tooth.
The gap-mouth fool, that ever I should zay zo, brok'n (the tooth) right off, an' zo I was a-fo'ced
t'ab'm &-spit out.
2. sb. A spade's depth in the ground.
I'll have that spot turned up two spits deep.
3. A shovelful.
Here, drow up a spit o' dirt tap o' this [dhee'uz yuur] layer.
SPITTER [spiifur],^. A tool like a chisel, with a long handle used for weeding. Called also, though
seldom, a spud.
SPITTING [spiifeen], sb. Very slight rain.
Mary, is it raining? Well, mum, 'tis and eet 'tid'n, eens mid zay; 'tis jist a little spittiri like.
SP1TTY [spiifee], v. i. To dig; to be capable of being dug. This yer ground do spitty shocking bad, I
could'n sar my wages to it in a
shillin' a yard.
SPLAT [splaaf], sb. i. Plot.
W'ell, Thomas, I zee you've a-got a rare splat o' peas up there in thick nappy field.
I an't a zeed no fineder splat o' taties de year. Allotments are called garden splats
[gyuurdn splaaf s].
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9562) (tudalen 702)
|
/02
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2t R ow in "splat o' pins," i.e. a row in one of the folded
papers in which pins are stuck.
3. Plait, or length of plaited straw.
This straw hat would look better with more brim I'll have another splat put on.
SPLATTER-DASHERS [splaafur-daarshurz], sb. i. Leggings; gaiters.
2. Same as GAMBADERS.
SPLINE [spluyn, splee'un], sb. A grudge; ill-feeling; malice. Her on't niver go aneas'n no more; why
her've a-got that spline agin un, I
ver'ly b'lieve her'd kill'n, nif her could.
SPLIT [spleet], v. i. and sb. i. To quarrel.
They bin so thick's thieves all along gin now, and now they've &-split, I count vor good an' all.
2. To run; to go quickly.
The boys split off purty quick hon they zeed me, and I hurn'd too, so vast as ever I could split^ but I
could'n catch 'em.
Wi' tha same tha splettest away down the Pennet hilter skilter as if tha Dowl had ha' be in tha Heels o' tha. Ex.
Scold. 1. 171.
SPLIT AND DAB [splee't-n dab']. See DAB.
SPOIL-IRE [spwauyul-uyur]. Spoil-iron. A cant name for a blacksmith, like "saw-bones" or
"gally-pot" for a doctor.
SPONGE [spuurrj], sb. In baking it is usual to mix over-night one half of the flour to be baked next
morning, and in this portion to place
the requisite quantity of yeast for the entire "batch." The flour thus mixed is kneaded much
"slacker" (q. v.} than is
required for the dough, but this is to allow it to” rise," or
properly ferment, by the morning. This first or highly leavened portion is called "the sponge"
and to [ziit dhu spuun'j,~\ "set the
sponge" is to insert the right quantity of barm, according to t u
e kind of flour, the temperature or
the state of the weather, and is the
most delicate operation in preparing the bread. In the early morning the rest of the flour is wetted and
kneaded much "tighter" than
the sponge was done over-night, and all is then broken down, or thoroughly incorporated
together into the great mass of dough
from which the loaves are made.
[Mae-ustur d-au'vis ziit du spuun'j uz'zuul'; ee oa'un niivur laet noa'un u wee- ticlr oa ut,] master
always sets the sponge himself; he
will never allow any of us to touch it. See RISE.
SPORT [spoo-urt], v. i. Fish are said to "be sporting" when they jump out of the water; also when they
bite or take the bait freely.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9563) (tudalen 703)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 703
SPOT [spaut], sb. Applied to land or crops. A small piece; a small enclosure; a plot.
There's a plenty o' dung vor to dress over thick spot o' groun'. Your spot o' taties lookth well.
SPOTTY [spaufee], adj. Uneven said of crops which are not equal in all parts of the field.
Turmuts be ter'ble spotty about; I don't ver'ly b'leive there idn a suant field in the parish.
SPRANK [sprang'k], v. t. i. To sprinkle; to water with a watering-pot arroser. (Always.)
Harry, mind you sprank they plants well.
For it melte]) in fuyre, and lepe]> and sprankeleth in water.
Rolfs Series. Trevisa, Higden, lib. i. p. 319.
2. sb. A sprinkling; a watering.
I gid 'em a bit of a sprank s'mornin'.
SPRANKER [sprang'kur], sb. A watering-pot. (Always.) Thick spranker's a-brokt, he on't hold
water; there's another in the linhay.
SPRANKING [sprang-keen], sb. Watering; sprinkling.
There on't be no strawberries nif we don't gee 'em a good sprankiri, and 'tidn not a bit o' use
'thout they be downright a-zoak like.
SPRAWL [sprairl], v. t. i. In carpentry to cause roughness by planing against the grain.
Dis'n zee thy plane's to ronk how he's ^.-sprawling the work? Same as SPAWL, and more usual.
2. sb. A thick rough shaving; also a chip of a stone or brick. A mason would say to his labourer Here,
hand up a vew
sprawls^ wi't.
3. sb. Agility; power of quick motion; spring.
When I be a-tookt like this in my back, I an't a bit o' sprawl in the wordle nif I was vor to slip ever so
little, down I must go.
SPRAWLS [spraa-lz], sb. See STRADDLES.
SPRAY [sprar], v. i. To become rough and sore with cold or wind. This word does not mean” to become
chapped." See FLY-ABROAD.
I don't like this wind at all, it makes my face spray so.” My hands are all sprayed, and as rough as a
rasp," would be said by educated
persons.
SPREADER [spraed'ur], sb. The stretcher used to keep apart he chain traces of a string horse.
(Always.)
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9564) (tudalen 704)
|
704 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
SPRIG [sprig], sb. i. A small brad or headless nail. (Always.)
2. v. t. To fasten or nail on with sprigs.
'Tidn no good vor to glue un, you must sprig'n. on.
SPRING-BUTTON [spring'-buut-n], sb. and adj. Small beer; thin swipes; twopenny ale. So called
because it may be drank till the
buttons fly off before it will take effect on the head. Often called Tib.
SPRINGLE [spring-1], sb. A snare for birds, made with a pliant stick and a noose.
SPRONG [sprairng], sb. Prong. (Always.) Same as SPANE, but less common.
One o' the sprongs is a-brokt out o' the dung clow.
SPRUNGED [spruung'd], /. /. of to spring; p.p. [u-spruung'd].
Well, I sprunged up purty hearty like, and zaid to the maidens, “Look-ee
there now! I've a-brokt my leg, darn'd if I an't!”
The stale o' thick pick idn a-brokt, he's on'y &-sprungd. See W. S. Gram. p. 48.
SPRY [spruy], adj. Active; energetic; nimble and strong.
I told Jim Roe nif a didn 'ook it, I'd kick 'is ass. What dids! How many o' thee? Why Jim's a spry feller,
mind he'd purty quick kick thine. See
Ex. Court. 11. 579, 581.
SPUDDLE [spuud'l], v. t. To stir; to turn over; to dig about.
1 asked an old man, for whom I wanted to find a job, if he could pull down a certain piece of hedge.
He replied:
[Ee's, aay spoo'uz aay keod sfiftud'/daewn dhik*,] yes, I suppose I could (even with my strength) stir that
down. His use of the word implied that
he was not able to do more than stir the earth about not dig it.
So a hen is said to "spuddle over the dowst” to find
"meat" for her chicken.
Pulman says a person fond of poking the fire is called a” Vire-spuddle."
Hal. is quite wrong in connecting this very common word with embers. No doubt the following is his
authority.
Vor when tha shudst be about tha Yeavling's Chuers, that wut spudlee out the Yemors, and screedle over mun. Ex.
Scold. \. 223.
SPUDDLING [spuud-leen], sb. Struggling.
I thort I yeard a brave spuddliri like; but lor! I never thort nort 'bout what was gwain on.
SPUDDLY [spuud'lee], v. i. To struggle; to kick; to resist capture; to move quickly; to be busy in a
trifling, usekss way.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9565) (tudalen 705)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 705
[Tak'n aa't-n een dh-ai'd doa'un lat dhu poaT dhing spuud-lee sae'um-z dhaaf iiz,] take and knock it on
the head do not let the poor thing
keep struggling like that.
Come now! 'tidn no use vor thee to spuddly; I shall on'y hold thee the tighter.
An old farmer, asked how he amused himself, said,” There I do spuddly about like, so well's 1 can; and I
do zee the things (cattle), and look
arter the yokes mornin' times like."
"Look sharp'm spuddly along!" is a common exhortation to be quick.
SPUNKY [spuungkee], adj. Spirited; courageous; brave. He's a spunky sort of a chap, mind; he on't
stand no nonsense.
SPUR [spuur], v. t. To spread abroad or scatter, as manure over a field. (Lat. spargere.) Comp.
SPURING-BOARD. Joe mus' g'out'n spur
that there dressin'. See STRAWE.
An' he 'od work, an' luoad, an' shoot,
An' spur his heaps o' dung ar zoot. Pulman, R. Sk. p. xxx.
SPUR-POST [spuur-paus], sb. A short, stiff piece of wood sunk in the ground alongside a post, and
firmly nailed to it, so as to give it
strength and stiffness.
SPURING-BOARD [spuureen-boo'urd]. The usual low wooden partition in a barn, which bounds the
"vloor" on each side, and
separates it from the "pool" or "zess." The use is
to prevent the grain from being
scattered in process of hand thrashing.
to SPERRE; clmidere, prohibere (inter cludere). to SPERRE JN; jncludere, trudere. Cath.
Ang.
To SPARRE: Barrer. SPARRED. Barre. Sherwood.
To \>Q tour Jjer he woren sperde^
]>er he greten for hunger and cold. Havelok, 1. 448.
SPUTE [speot], sb. Dispute; contention.
[Aay bae'un gwai'n tae'u noa splo't baewd ut, muyn; aay-d zeo'ndur paay dhu muun-ee un u due'd wai
ut,] I am not going to have any
quarrel about it, mind; I would sooner pay the money and have done with it.
SPY-POST [spuy-pau-s], sb. Direction-post. (Always.) Keep on gin you come to a vower-cross-way,
and there you'll zee a spy-post.
In the parish of Wellington are some cottages close to a cross-way where there always has been a
direction-post. I have always heard of
the people living in them,” He (her) do live up to Spy-post"
SQUAB [skwaub'J, sb. Term for a fat, squat figure usually female.
z z
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9566) (tudalen 706)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Her's a fat little squab of a thing. Hence squabby, fat, loose in figure.
SQUAB-PIE [skwaub'-puy], sb. A very favourite dish. The chief ingredients are meat (usually mutton, never
pigeons), apples, and onions, seasoned
well with pepper and salt, and over all a thick crust 1'ike a beefsteak-pie. The squab-pie
has been celebrated by most dialect
poets. See Pulman, Rus. Sk. p. 142.
SQUACKETTY [skwaak-utee], v. i. To quack like a duck. We be gwain t'a a change in the weather;
don't ee year how the ducks do
squacketty? (Very com.)
SQUAILS [skwuuryulz], sb. Nine-pins; skittles. In W. Som. and N. Dev. this word is commoner than
skittles. They are played in a”
bowlin'-alley” [buwleen-aa-lee].
There's a cnpical alley up to Ship hot d'ee zay to a turn to \skwuuryulz\. Come, I'll play thee vor
two quart.
SQUARE [skwae'ur], sb. A superficial measure of one hundred square feet, as a square of flooring,
thatching, roofing.
SQUARE UP [skwae'ur aup], v. i. To pay a debt.
I've a-bin to un time arter time, but he on't never square up I shall fo'ce to put-n into Court.
SQUAT [skwaut], v. t. i. To squeeze; to crush.
Thick there roller '11 squat it down.
Our Jack's in the hospital he catched his hand in the drashin'-machine and
squafn. all to pieces, and the doctor zess how he's afeard he'll be fo'ced vor to have'm a-tookt
off.
2. sb. The black mark of a pinch or squeeze upon the flesh.
Zee here's a gurt squat I've a-got 'pon my vinger, eens I catch-n in the door.
SQUATTY [skwaufee], v. t. To crouch down; to sit on the heels. (Very com.)
Come on! I s'pose thee'ds squatty there in over the vire all's day, let thee alone!
Eart squatting upon thy tether Eeend. Ex. Scold. 1. 160.
SQUAWKY [skwairkee], v. i. To scream; to squeal. Here, Jinn, take up the cheel, don't let'n
bide and squawky like that is. A cat
is said to squawky at night.
SQUEAKER [skweek'ur], sb. One of a late brood of partridges or pheasants.
SQUELSTRING [skwuul'streen], adj. Sultry; hot; sweltering. Ter'ble squdstrirt sort o' weather, I zim;
anybody can't do nort, and I zweats
where I Stan's.
Tha zcdst twos sqnehlring and hot while'er. Ex. Scold. I. 276.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9567) (tudalen 707)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 7O/
SQUINGES [skwun jez], sb. Quinsy. (Very com.)
Th' 'oss is ter'ble bad, he on't ait nort; I ver'ly b'lieve he
got the squinges.
SQUINNY [skwiin'ee], v. i. To squint; to shut one eye; to peep.
[Aa*y zeed dhee skwun'een raewn dhu kau'ndur,] I saw you peeping round the corner.
SQUINNY-EYED [skwiiiree-uyd], adj. Squint-eyed; having a squint.
A squinny-eyed old osbird, let me catch'n!
SQUIRTS [skwuurts], sb. Diarrhoea. Same as SQUITTERS. Called also Wild-squirts.
SQUITTER [skwdtur], v. t. To squirt.
What's the matter, my little man? Ugh! thick there bwoy 've &-squittercd me all over, ugh!
SQUITTERS [skwufurz], sb. Diarrhoea.
SQUITTERY [skwiifuree], v.t. To run out; to have violent diarrhoea. (Said of cattle.)
Mind yerzul! her's ter'ble bad, her'd squittery over a vive-lar'd gate.
STADDLE [stad-1], sb. The foundation upon which a stack of corn or hay is built up. For hay lumber,
faggot-wood, or browse (q. v.) are
commonly used, as the object is merely to keep the hay above the damp ground. For corn a
mow-staddle (q. v.) is used.
STADDLE-STONES [stad'l-stoa'unz], sb. The short stone columns and flat caps, upon which is placed
the mow-staddlt (q. v.). The stone and
cap may be likened to a tall mushroom in general shape.
STAFF-HOOK [staa-feok], sb. A hook or sickle with a handle five or six feet long, used for” paring”
hedges.
Bob, take your staff-hook and hat along the hedge gin the turnpike.
STAG [stag], sb. i. Hunting. A male deer of five years old. See HART.
2. sb. A castrated bull. The term is applied to any animal emasculated after maturity, hence a very
common adj. staggy, which means that
the animal has the appearance of having, as it is said, "run in stones too long" /.
e. not castrated early enough.
I shall drow out thick steer, I don't like 'n, I zim he looks sfaggy 'bout the head.
Z Z 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9568) (tudalen 708)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
3. sb. A cock; a gander.
We must get another ^-turkey 'vore they do begin to fat em for Kirsmas.
Tis time to kill up they young stags. Aug. 1885. Said of cock
fowls.
When applied to poultry stag-bird is the usual term for a male kept for breeding purposes. A STAGGE: pullus. A STEGGE: ancer. Cath.
Ang. See note Ib. p. 358.
A few weeks ago we had to record that Reynard paid a visit to Mr. J.
Cox's fowl-house at Hemboiough,
carrying off a fine stag turkey.
Wellington Weekly Navs, Dec. 17, 1885.
STAGGERT [stag-urt], sb. Hunting. A male deer of four years old. See SPIRE, BROCKET.
STAGNATED [staeg-nae'utud], part. adj. i. Amazed; astonished.
Hon I come vor to zee how quick they can turn out a bolt, dread 'n all, I was downright stagnated,
and I zess to myzul s' I, Joey, you 'ant
a-larned everything not eet, not 'bout blacksmithin'.
2. Become stunted in growth.
They young things don't grow one bit, they be proper ^-stagnated. That there tree's riglcr stagnated; he on't
never do no good, not there.
STAG'S HORN MOSS [stag-z au-rn mairs], sb. Lycopodium Clavatum; called also club-moss. It grows
plentifully on Dunkery and many other
of our hills.
STAIRY [stae'uree], v. i. To be able to go upstairs. At Clovelly, a donkey is no use unless he will
stairy well. The first question there,
on treating for one, is, "Will er stairy?" i.e. will he go up or down steps with a load on his
back?
STALE [stae'ul], adj. i. Applied to horses' legs; puffed and bent with age and hard work.
Poor old 'oss, he's a-come ter'ble stale in his legs, but he's middlin' hearty like.
2. v. i. To void urine of horses only.
3. sb. Handle. As mop-sfa!e, pick-state, broom-stale. The word would only be used for the handle of
such tools as require long stick-like
ones. The lung shovel of West Somerset is
exceptional, its handle is always the showl-stick.
STALKETY [statrkutee], adv. Cautiously; in a stalking, noiseless manner.
When shooting a covert, ono of the beaters, an old farmer, said,
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9569) (tudalen 709)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 709
[Mus goo stau'kutee raewn dhee'uzh yuur kairndur, uul's dim kauk's-1 aui urn aetrt,] (we) must go
carefully round this here corner, else
the cocks will all run out. Dec. 4, 1885.
STAMP, STAMPER [staanrp], sb. A stamp, or barley stamp, is an implement used in barns to knock off the
spears or ties from the barley grains.
It is a square frame with a number of knife-like, parallel bars fixed across it. The tool is
completed by an arched iron passing
from side to side of the frame, to which is fixed an upright, cross-headed handle. It is used by
forcibly jumping it up and down upon
the heap of grain. The use of this implement is now much declining, because in the modern
process of steam thrashing the grain
is well cleared of its spear by the machine.
STANDARD [stan'durd], sb. A young tree left in a hedge or copse when the underwood is cut; a sapling.
STAN DEL [stanl], sb. A growing stick left, in cutting a hedge, for a standard, to grow into a tree.
Except and always reserved out of this demise .... the plantations, and also all pollards and other trees, slips,
saplings and standels.
Lease of Farm from the Author, dated Sept. 27, 1884.
STANDING [staireen], sb. i. A stall or accustomed standing-place in a market.
See SHAMBLES.
Butcher Morgan 've a-paid for a start id in our market 'is number o' years.
2. Stall for horses.
So John 've a-tookt the Dree Cups (Inn); I do year 'tis capical premises [pninvuzeez], and stannins for up
thirty 'osses.
STANDING-BATTLES [staireen-baa-tlz], sb. The frame, with two long prongs at right angles, used by
thatchers to stand upon when
thatching. The thatch is always first laid up at the eaves or "office" (q. '.), and as it
advances up the roof, the thatcher needs
the stan'een-bact'tlz to give him foothold upon the new thatch.
STAND TACK [starr taak-], v. i. To undertake responsibility; to bear the blame.
Nif thee's break-n, I shall fo'ce to stand tack vor it.
STAND TO WORK [stair tu wuurk], phr. To work on a farm as an ordinary out-door labourer.
I droved th' 'osses 'pon thick farm vor dree an' twenty year, but now I stan's to work.
STAND UP FOR [stan airp vairr], phr. To undertake the office of God-parent at a baptism.
[Urreebairdee kaa'n stan an'p vur noa'bau'dee udhaewt dhai bun u-beeslrup,] one cannot become G
d-parent for any one unless one has
been confirmed (bishoped). (Verbatim}. January 1878.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9570) (tudalen 710)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
STAND WORD [stan wuurd], phr. To abide by an offer, or to keep to a bargain. See RUN WORD.
You shall have they ewes vor thirty-nine apiece, and I'll stand word till next Monday/, e. the offer shall
remain open for your acceptance.
STANK [stang-k], sb. A dam for keeping back or turning water aside; implies rather a more
permanent structure than a bay.
STAP [staap-], v. t. and /. i. To stop. (Always so pronounced.) Here, stop! where be gwain?
2. To reside; to lodge.
Where do you live? Well, I staps most times to Mrs. Jeffries's hon I be 'ome, but sometimes I don't stap
no place /. e. have no home.
3. To stay on a visit.
That's the young lady what's stappin to the squire's.
Her bin stappin 'Jong way her aunt to London 's dree weeks.
STARE [stae-ur], sb. Starling. (Uncommon.)
Sight o' stares about this winter.
Stares an' villvares, snipes an' cock?,
An', vrom the no'th, gurt weeld-vowl vlocks. Pulman, Rus. Sk. p. 62.
STARE-BASIN [stae'ur-bae-usn], sb. A common epithet for a bold impudent starer.
What do the gurt stare-basin want to bide gappin to me vor? I bain't gwain to be a gapsnest vor she.
W r ey zich a what-nosed, haggle-tooth' d, stare-bason, .... as thee art?
Ex. Scold. 1. 58.
START [staa-rt], v. i. i. To run away; to bolt off. They zess how Jim Brown's ^.-started an'
let' is wive 'm chillern 'pon the
parish.
2. sb. Occurrence; behaviour;” go."
Well, nif this yere idn a rum start, tell me!
3. v. t. To cause to begin.
They be gwain to start the job next Monday.
4. adj. Exposed in situation; unprotected or unsheltered from the prevailing winds; bleak.
This place is so start, if you don't put up good thick walls you'll never keep the wet out. Said to me
respecting a house about to be rebuilt
on a very exposed site. Culmstock, Oct. 1881.
STARVED [staa-rvd], part. adj. Withered; benumbed; perishing with cold.
My hands be ^-starved wi' the cold.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9571) (tudalen 711)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 711
STARY [stae'uree], v. i. i. To stand out prominently; to be conspicuous.
Now the field's a-ate down tight, the [duyshlz] thistles do stary mainly I zim.
2. adj. and v. i. Applied to animals' coats: rough, standing up; the opposite of sleek.
The coat o' un's so stary's a hedgehog; I never didn zee tin lookin' zo bad avore, and this here cold
wind makth 'n stary wis'n he wid else.
They bullicks do stary maainly in their jackets; is the hay fousty? See STIVER.
3. adj. Conspicuous; prominent; loud in colour. Ever zee zich a bonnet, he's so star/s a
house a-vire.
4. adj. Threadbare. A word used technically of cloth in which the separate threads are plainly to be
seen.
STATY [stae-utee], adj. Of cows heavy in calf. In constant daily use.
Sam, urn out arter the cows; mind you don't hurry the old Gipsy, 'cause her's gettin' staty. Farmer's wife,
October 1883.
STEAD [stiid, stid], adv. Instead.
Stid o' gwain home, nif he didn bide in to Barley Mow gin ten o'clock o' nait.
STEADY [stiid'ee], adj. i. Applied to persons correct in morals.
He's a steady young fellow, I never didn year nothin' by un.
2. Industrious; persevering.
Steady chap, always to work, honever I do go 'long.
STEEPLE [stee-fl], v. t. To stifle. (Always.)
Jim, sprank a drap o' water, thee art makin' smeech enough to steefle the devil. The latter one of the
commonest of sayings.
STEEHOPPING [stee-aupeen], pres. part. Gadding about gossiping from house to house. Usually
applied to women, but not always. Not
used in any other sense. (Com. in Hill dist.)
[Uur-z au'vees u stee'aupeen ubaewt; bad'r fut uur-d buyd air in un muyn ur aevvz, sae'um-z aay bee u-foo'us
the,] her is always a steehopping
about; better fit her would abide at home and
mind her house, same as I be forced to.
In itself equivalent to wayfaring though strictly limited in meaning. Stee or sty alone = way or ladder,
are quite unknown at present in the
south.
Hare's net as zome Giglcts, ... oil vor Gam boy ling, Ramping,
Steeheppingi and Giggleling. Ex.
Court. 1. 566.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9572) (tudalen 712)
|
7T2
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
STEEN [stee-n], v. t. i. To build up without mortar the circular wall of a well. Only word used in
this district.
A man bargaining to sink a well (May 1885), said, "Tis a wo'th a sovereign to steen un up;" and
again,” If I've a-got good stones,
I'll steen un up well, and make a downright good job o' un."
2. To put fresh metal on a road.
I do want to lodge a few stones 'gin your hedge, vor to steen Foxydown Hill way.
STEENING [stee-nin], sb. i. The walling of a well. When come to go down to zee what 'twas,
there was vive or zix voot o' the
steeniri a-rused in an' a-brokt the pipe.
2. The metal fresh laid on a road.
This yur steeniris so rough's a baich 'tis enough to tear th' 'osses' hearts out.
STEEP [stee*p], v. t. To stoop; to tilt a cask. The common use of this word is in the gerund.
[Bee shoa'ur dhee'uz yuur auk'sid u suydur iid*-n u-kau'm tu stee'peen u-raed'ee!] to be sure this
hogshead of cider is not come to
stooping already!
STEER [stee*ur], adj. Steep; abrupt in declivity. .Applied to land this word is far commoner than
stickle.
Can't never do much way tillin' thick field, he's so steer. The road's so steer's the roof of a house.
STEERT [stee-urt], sb. i. Tech. A short, thick nail, head square and countersunk used to drive
through and fasten the strakes of a
heavy cart-wheel.? Ang.-Sax. steort, stert, a tail.
2. A large nail of any kind.
STEEVE [stee'v], v. t. To stiffen; to benumb; to freeze; to make stiff now mostly used of cold or
frost.
My 'ands be proper &-steeved; we an't a-'ad no sich weather's this yur, nit's longful time.
])e hote sunne hade so hard ' )?e hides stilted,
pat hire comli closing Will, of Palcrme, 1. 3033.
Ad! tha wet be mickled and a steevd wi' tha Cold vore T'Andra's Tide.
Ex. Scold. 1. 276.
STEEVY [stee-vee], v. i. To remain close shut up and hot; to stew. The mash in brewing is said to
steevy.
They widn undo none o' the winders tho, and we was a-fo'ced to bide there and steevy , till I thort we
should a-bin a-steefled.
Let 'em bide and steevy in th' oven gin he's cold/, e. the oven is cold.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9573) (tudalen 713)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 713
STENT [stai-nt], v. t. i. To stop by force of inertia, as of horses unable to move their load. Near my
house is a heavy incline on the
railway, and some years ago, when engines were less powerful, the trains (especially
goods) used frequently to come to a
standstill. The common remark was constantly, "Puffin' Billy's 2i-stented agee-an."
The piece was s'heavy and the ground so soft, darned if we wadn proper &-stented. Said of a” plough”
unable to move a tree.
You zee nif thick there bottom don't stent all the bosses you've a-got.
They seide to hym softeliche ' "cesse shulle we nevere;
Til mede be ]>y wedded wyf * ne woll we nought stynte." Piers Plcnu.
III. 165.
he dared as doted man ' for J>e bestes dedes,
& was so styf in a studie ' J>at non him stint mi^t.
William of Paler me, 1. 4055 (used many times by him).
And of that cry ne wolde they never stenten^
Til they the reynes of his bridel henten. Chaucer, Knightes Tale, 1. 45.
take hede ]>at ]>e sonne stynte\> twyes a Jere. Trevisa, lib. i. p.
329.
Outher such word he ]>e sent i ]>at he nel neuere a.-stynte, Or he j>e habbe wy]> strengj^e y-hent
' outlier slawe ]>e with swerdes dynte.
Sir FerwnbraS) 1. 1842.
2. v. t. To cause to cease to grow not used in the ordinary sense of to stimt.
That there rape don't grow one bit, they there vrosty mornins 'ave proper 2,-stented it.
STEM [stum-], sb. A long handle. Same as STALE 3. Pipe-stcm (always),
pick-stew, rake-stew.
STEPSES [staep-sez], sb. Pair of steps; step-ladder. Here, Tom, urn in arter the stepses, 1
baint talld enough vor to raich up.
STEWARDLY [stue'urlee], adj. Like a good steward; careful; deft. Her's a proper stewarly sort of a
umman, her is.
tha stewarliest & vittiest Wanch that comath on tha Stones o' Moulton,
no Dispreise. Ex. Courtship, 1. 569.
STICK [stik], sb. i. A tree considered as timber. That's a fine stick; why he'll girt (q. v.}
purty nigh two voot. What d'ye plase
t'ax vor thick there stick of elem what hangs out over the road? I widn mind drawing o' un
vor the tap.
2. Put the stick about the back. The commonest threat of mothers to children older than infants,
which, being seldom carried into execution,
has consequently become a mere figure of speech, no more heeded that if not uttered.
Tommy, come in tor'acly, else I'll put the stick about your back.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9574) (tudalen 714)
|
714 \VEST SOMERSET WORDS.
3. v. t. Tech. by carpenters. To form a bead or moulding. A man repairing another's bad work, said of
some window-sashes, [Wuy aa'yd chaup'
um aewt wai u eo'k, un stik' um wai u
boo'urd-naa-yul bad'r-n dhaat dhaew arz,] why I would chop them out with a hook, and stick them with a
board-nail better than that there is.
To” stick a bead” or” mould” is always said.
STICKING-PIECE [stik-een-pees], sb. Tech. The part of the neck of a bullock near where the knife entered
usually discoloured with blood and sold for gravy-beef.
STICKING-PLACE [stik'een-plae'us], sb. The point in an animal's throat where the knife is stuck.
This varies in each kind of animal.
STICKLE [stik-1], sb. i. A shallow part of a river, where the water runs rapidly.
That's a rare stickle vor fish.
Raanges deep, an' stickles sharp
An' in 'em all be lots o' vish. Pttlman, Rus. Sk. p. 5.
2. adj. and adv. Steep.
Thick roofs to flat he idn stickle 'nongh.
Hence the frequent name” j//r,/<?-path."
Applied to water, the effect of a steep course, rapidity is the meaning.” The river urns stickle all the
way from Withypool to Exebridge” /. e.
follows a steeply declining course, and so runs rapidly.
STID [stud-], v. i.. i. To think; to study. One of the words in which the literary ending in y is
dropped. Cf. CAR, SLIPPER, &c.
"Whatever I shall do I can't think luxstid/" is a most common exclamation.
2. sb. Gloomy contemplation; absence of mind; brown-study. What's the matter, Jane? you be all to a
stid.
The maid lookth to be in a riglur stid.
Summe swymmed J>er-on f?at sane hemself trawed,
Summe sty^e to a stud Sx. stared to heuen. E. All. Poems, Cleanness, 1. 388.
3. Scheming; design.
All he's stid is how to get most money vor little work.
STILING-IRE [stuyleen-uyur], sb. (Not com.) The instrument used in ironing linen. To stile is now
obsolete.
Tha hasn't tha Sense to stile thy own Dressing. Ex. Scold. 1. 274.
STILL [steenil], adv. i. Used peculiarly to give a frequentative or persistent force to a verb.
A servant speaking of some logs of a wood fire, said, "They'll
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9575) (tudalen 715)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 715
still moulder for days," meaning, they will keep on smouldering for days. Used, much in the same way,
redundantly.
2. [stil], sb. Com. pron. of steel.
I mus' 'ave my bisgee fresh a lined the still o' un's all a-weared back.
Crete slabbes of styl & yre ' to ]>e walles ]>o wern y-slente; Sir
Per. 1. 3313.
STILL-LIQUORS [stee-ul-lik-urz]. Home-made illicit spirits.
An auctioneer selling an iron crock, said, "This is the thing they make what they call sti/l-liquors in
down in Devonshire must take care you
baint a-catcht though." July 8, 1886.
STILL- WATERS [stee-ul-wairdrz], sb. A spirit illicitly distilled from cider-dregs. Some fifty years ago the
practice was very commonly pursued,
and the process is described by Pulman. I
too have often tasted” necessity," as it was sometimes called,
but cannot say that anything short of
what the name implies would lead me to
swallow it. Now the reduction of duty and activity of the excise have put an end to
still-waters, so that a cider-still
could only be found among the lumber of very old farm-houses. I have seen several much more elaborate
than the rough apparatus described by
Pulman (Rustic Sketches, p. 143).
STYLLYN, or stylle watery s. Stillo, instillo. Promp. Parv.
STILLURS [stuTurz], sb. Steelyards. Var. pron., less com. than {stul-iurdz}. Plase to len' father
your stillurs.
STING-NETTLE [sting'-niifl], sb. (Always.) Urtica dioica. The word nettle alone is not used.
Sting-nettles a-bwoiled's a fine thing vor young turkeys.
STINK-ALOUD [sting-k-ulaewd], v. i. To smell strongly.
I shan't never be able not to get this cask sweet, he stinks aloud.
STINKARD [stingkurd], sb. A dirty, stinking fellow. You never can't let no jis beastly old
stinkard's he not come into your
'ouse.
STINK-HORN [sting-k-aurn], sb. A common fungus, oftener called zog. See Zoo i. Phallus impudicus.
STINT [stiin't], sb. i. Allowance of work. In certain trades where piece-work prevails, and work is
short, it is usual to limit each man
to a certain fixed quantity, to be done in the week, and no more. This quantity is called the stint.
(Very com.) Closely allied to stent,
yet not the same word.
2. v. t. To arrange that only a certain quantity of work shall be done.
The spinners be all ^.-stinted to two scarms a day.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9576) (tudalen 716)
|
;i6 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
STIRRUP [stuurup], sb. i. A shoemaker's strap, with which he keeps the last firm upon his knee. Hence
the stale joke of "a pennorth o'
stirrup oil at the cobbler's," which has got corrupted into "strap oil."
2. Tech. a bent iron used in building some kinds of roof, by which the” zide-timbers” (purlines) are
supported. The word is in common use
for any kind of iron fixed so as to act as a
pendant support.
STIRRUP-IRE [stuurup-uyur], sb. The steel bow hanging from a saddle, as distinct from the
stirrup, which includes the leather
strap.
STITCH [stee-ch], sb. and v. A shock or stook of ten sheaves of corn set up in the harvest-field. To
stitchy is to set up the sheaves, when
bound, in rows of stitches.
I've a-tookt all Mr. Bird's whait to binding and stitching, and 1 count he'll have zix score stitch an
acre, one way tother, vull up. See
HAT, WIND-MOW.
STIVER [stuvur], v. t., /., and sb. Applied to hair or like substances. To cause to become rough, or to
stand up in a wild manner, like a dog
or cat, which is said to ”stiver up his busk”
- i. e. to cause the hair
along the” busk” (back) to stand up in
anger or fear. (Very com.)
This here cold wind do stiver up the 'osses' coats, sure 'nough.
Ees, they do stivery jis the very same's a hedge -hog.
Hence from the dog's habit of raising his busk in anger at another dog, so the word is employed in a
personal sense.
My eyes! didn 'er (he) stivery up zoon's he yeard it /. e. bristle up.
Nif that there on't stiver'n up, why then nort on't.
Lucy, go and bursh your hair, 'tis all to a stiver, jist as off you'd a-bin a-drag'd drue a vuz bush by the
heels, 'tis sure. See STARY 2.
ripping up or round shaving wone tether, stivering or grizzling, tacking
or busking, a prilled or a muggard.
Ex. Scolding, 1. 311.
STOAT [stoa-ut], sb. The ermine. Mustela erminea. No other animal is called a stoat. Hal. is
quite wrong when he says a
"polecat is called a state in Somersetshire." Both animals are well known. Stoats are common. Sometimes
pron. stot [staut'j. See FITCH.
STOCK [stauk], sb. i. Cattle; sheep and bullocks of all kinds. Horses are not usually included, unless in
the general term "live stock' 1
Ter'ble sight o' stock to market an' I don't think very much o' it's a-lef 'pon hand.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9577) (tudalen 717)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2. sb. Stalk or stem of a tree; the butt.
J Tis a fine stick, sure 'nough; but I count he's holler in the stock.
STOCK [stauk-], v. t. i.” To stock a farm” is to place sufficient cattle and sheep upon it.
'Tidn no use to think o' takin' a farm nif an't a -got money enough vor to stocks.
2. To place animals in a field for the purpose of eating the crop. It is common to let pasture” only to be
stocked" /. e. depastured, not to
be mown for hay.
There auff to be a good shear, he (the field) an't a-bin ^.-stocked sinze Lady-day.
And will not slock or feed the meadow or pasture lands, &c.
Lease from Author to a Farmer , dated Sept. 27, 1884.
STOCKS [stauk -s], sb. The machine in which woollen cloth is “milled” /. e.
beaten in a damp state with soap or fuller's earth to make it shrink up to the required width
and substance. Woollen cloths are
mostly woven of a far greater width than they ultimately finish.
STOCKY [stauk-ee], adj. Thick-set; short and stout. You must know un stocky little fuller, all
ass and pockets.
STODGE [stauj], sb. Any thick, doughy matter mostly applied to” spoon-meat." Probably allied to
stag.
The rice-pudding is to thick, 'tis a reg'lar stodge. Hence the adj. stodgy. Don't make the children's
bread and milk so stodgy. The word is
used by educated people.
STODGED [stauj -d], adj. Full; stuffed with food.
Well, I should think thick boy's purty nigh ^-stodged; I've a-watch-n, and told vourteen girt junks o'
cake he've a-put o' one zide, zides
bread'n butter.
STOG [staug], v. t. To stick fast in the mud.
Th' 'osses was jist a.-stogged, they zinked in up over their knees. I know'd you'd stog 'em thick way. You
can't go thick way, you'll be stogged
if you do. We came across the fields, and were almost stogged. Said by a young lady. Hence
stogging-pl^ce^ a term for a spot
where the mire is deep and thick. Thick there
lane's a proper s fog jin' -place. Used by all classes.
STOLD [stoa-ld], /. t. and /. /. of steal. (Always.)
Zo Tom Saffin's a-started, idn 'er? Ees, an' time vor-n to;
why he stold a sheep vrom Mr. Lutley to Harts, an' there's a
warrant out vor-n.
I zeed th' eggs in the nest [uurree] only a Zinday, but gin I
passed agee-an a Tuesday they was all &-stold. Aug. 14, 1885.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9578) (tudalen 718)
|
718 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
And he vergot th' hank o' yarn,
And the puppy-dog stofd it away; And
he vergot the sparkid hen,
An' zo her laid astray. Pulman^ Rus. Sk. p. 30.
STOMACH [stuum-ik], sb. i. Appetite; power to brook or endure.
I an't no stomick vor no vittles at all.
2. v. t. To endure; to put up with; to brook.
[Aay kaa-n stuum-ik dhaat dhae'tir noa' wai'z tiid'n z-au'f aay wuz bi-oal'deen t-ee 1 ,] I cannot put up
with that at all it is not as though I
were beholden to him.
Hence stomachy [stuunvikee], adj. Proud; irascible; resentful.
Ter'ble siomicky fuller, he is you must'n thurt'n.
STONE-HORSE [stoa-un-atrs], sb. Stallion. (Always.)
STONEN [stoa-neen], adj. Made of stone.
Tim'ern plump-trows baint much 'count; I'd zoonder gee a little more'n have a stonen one.
STOOD [steo'd]. P. t. and /. /. of stand, but used as a transitive verb; to place as an
obstruction.
Somebody've a-bin and %.-stood a gurt roller right in the road. The wagon was &-stood right in the
middle o' the road.
STOOL TERRAS [steo'ul tuuruz], v. t. To stand the turves cut for firing up on edge, so that the wind
may pass through and dry them. A common
work on our Hill-country rnoors.
Why, 'twos thee thy own zel up to stooling 0' Terras. Ex. Scold. I. 175.
STOP [staup, staap], sb. A rabbit's nest. So called because the doe always stops or covers up the hole
every time she leaves it, until the young
ones are old enough to come out.
A keeper said,” This here heavy rain 've a-killed hundids o' young rabbits; the stops be vull o'
water."
STOP ON [staap au'n], v. i. To remain in service; to renew agreement for service after having given
notice to leave.
Jim Giles idn comin' away arter all; I widn stap on nif I was he. Bide 011 is more common than stop on.
STOP-SHORD [staap'-shoa'urd], sb. A temporary expedient; a make-shift; stop-gap.
Thick old zive (scythe) mus' do vor a stap-shord, I s'pose, gin I can meet way a better wan.
STORE [stoa-r], v. t. i. To stir. (Always.)
An old woman whom I remember well, who might have been the prototype of Sally Brass, and who kept
house for her brother, a farmer, in
the days of dear tea and sugar, was always credited
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9579) (tudalen 719)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 719
with siying to any visitors to tea,” Nif tidn zweet 'nough, soce, store 't, there's plenty o' rnilk."
Again we have the everyday proverb as to disturbing sleeping scandals,” The more you store 't, the wuss
t'll stink."
2. sb. Stir; disturbance; commotion.
Of a disorderly political meeting held at Wellington, Sept. 1885, I heard it remarked, "You never
didn zee no jis store in your life,
they widn let 'em zay a word."
3. sb. Story; report; statement; scandal. Comp. CAR, SLIPPER. Well, this is a purty store they've a-rosd
up about her what will
em zay next? (Very com.) There's a
store how the paa'son Ve a-vall'd out way the Squire.
STORY [stoa-ree], sb. Polite for liar rather town dialect among women servants. You wicked story, you!
STRAD [strad-], sb. Stiff leathers worn over the front of the legs (like greaves of ancient warriors) by
hedgers. They are not leggings, as
they do not cover the calf. Similar pieces are worn on the arms, and called arm-strads.
My old jacket's a-vreez'd so stiff's a strad.
This word forms the regular superlative absolute of stiff. See W. S. Gram. p. 22.
STRADDLES [strad -lz], sb. A very common disease in young ducks. They lose the power of walking, and
their legs spread out or straddle in
opposite directions. Occasionally called the sprawls [spraa'lz].
STRAIN [straa-yn], v. i. To distrain.
HONOURED SIR, I am sorry to tell you that I had to strain on William
last Wednesday. I inquired to Wiveliscombe who was the best man to put in.
Letter from rent collector, Jan. 14, 1884.
STRAKE [strae'uk], sb. The wheels of heavy carts and wagons are frequently bound, not with a single
welded iron ring or tire, but with
several separate segments fixed to the” fellies” with "steerts." These segments are
always called strakes.
Also a stripe or line; a streak.
Paint a strake all along the bottom edge. Comp. Genesis xxx. 37.
I likes bacon straky, nit all fat.
STRAM [straam], v. t. and i. i. To beat with the fists, chell baste tha, chell stram tha, chell
drash tha. Ex. Scold. 11. 94, 264.
2. v. t. To slam; to bang with a noise.
What's stram the door like that vor?
3. sb. A lie. That's a stram, I know.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9580) (tudalen 720)
|
720 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
STRAME [strae'um], sb. A kind of unevenness, either in colour, or in smoothness of surface, or texture.
Suggests the idea of lines, as opposed
to mere blotchiness. See Scow.
In spreading some lime and earth upon a pasture field, a labourer said to me,” Anybody can spur it suanter
nif they do sling it; nif anybody do
jis dap it down bezide o'm 'tis sure to be all in strames" meaning that it would not be
evenly scattered, but would be in
lines. The word is very common.
STRAMMER [straanrur], sb. A lie. My
eyemers, nif that idn a strammer /
Who told theckee strammer? Ex. Scold. \. 174.
STRAMMY [straanree], v. i. To lie; to tell fibs.
You must'n harky to all he zaith; he can strammy, I can tell-ee.
STRAMY [strae'umee], adj. Uneven; stripy. See STRAME. Thick wall must be a-do'd over again, the
rain have a-washed down the fresh
paint gin he's so stramy's a bed-tie.
STRANGE [stranj*, not like lit. strarnj; sometimes stra.e*unj], adj. Shy; reserved; retiring.
Well, mum, her's a knowledgy maid, her is, I 'sure 'ee, on'y her's auvis (always) so strange like way
gin'lvolks.
STR ANGER [stranjur], sb. A small piece of stalk floating in the tea, which will not sink, is held to
portend the arrival of a stranger, and
is always so called. Taken out of the tea and placed wet on the back of the hand, it is struck
with the back of the other hand. If at
the first stroke it adheres to the other hand the stranger will arrive to-morrow or next day,
according to the number of strokes
before it adheres to the striking hand.
STRANGLES [strang-lz], sb. Quinsy in horses.
STRAP-BOLT [straap-boa-lt], sb. Tech. A bolt with a flat plate with holes through it instead of a
head, so as to nail or fasten it to
some plane at right angles to the part or piece to be held by the bolt.
STRAPPER [straap'ur], sb. i. An extra hand; one employed temporarily, as in harvest-time or for
thrashing.
[Aay du truy tu git drue* dhu wuurk wai mee oa-n voa'ks. Aay bae-un fairn u noa* straap'urz,~\ I try to
get through the work with my own folks
(/. e. regular labourers). I am not fond of temporary helpers.
2. A big strong person. Conveys a suspicion of coarseness. Her's a strapper, an' no mistake.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9581) (tudalen 721)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 721
STRAPPING [straap-een], adj. Used with great as an intensitive, implying strong, lusty, burly.
Gurt strappiri maid, fit to breed granadeers.
STRAT [straat], sb. i. A blow with the hand or fist.
[Aa-1 gidrree zich a straat--n dhu chaup-s liz dhee as'-n u-ad' vor wau'n wuyul, muyn,] I will give thee such a
strat in the chops as thee hast not
had for one while, mind.
2. v. t. To smash; to dash in pieces; to put an end to. Thick there job's &-strat^ they on't
never vind no water, and zo I told 'em
to fust.
STRAT-PIE [straat --paay], sb. A pie said to be .made of little pigs that have died at birth or before
weaning. Sometimes called
"piggy-pie." Although much talked of and joked about
very commonly, this is probably one of
those myths, like mouse-pie, which
exist only in the region of romance, or at most in practical joke. Hal. gives this as Tadago-pie. Cornw.
We've had shocking bad luck de year; never can!t mind so much strat-pie.
STRAWBERRY-TREE [stroa-buuree-tree 1 ]. The arbutus.
The fruit of the strawberry tree is of a cold temper, hurting the stomack
and causing headache. Gerarde, Herbal,
p. 1496.
STREET [strai-t], sb. Road.
A road with a few straggling houses on one side, in the parish of Wellington, is called” Ford street"
[voa'r strai't].
STRESS [straes 1 ], sb. and v. t. Distress for rent; distraint. Mr. Jones 've a-tookt a stress vor dree quarters'
rent. Well, I be zorry vor to zee a
widow umman ^-stress 1 d; but her
can't never 'spect to bide there, not if her don't pay no rent.
& 3if here rente be not redely paied here bestis ben stressid & j^ei
pursued wi>outen mercy. Wyclif t
Works, E. E. T. S. p. 234.
STRETCH [stracrr, straadr], v. t. "To stretch a rick" is to cover it hastily with the reed, so as to
keep off a little of the rain, pending
the proper thatching. This is very constantly done over-night in showery weather.
Be sure'n stretch the rick 'vore you comth away.
STRETCHER [strach -ur], sb. In "making" a hedge certain growing stakes are chopped half through,
laid down lengthwise on the hedge, and
fastened down by a crook. Earth is then thrown upon them, and they root afresh. These are
the stretchers.
Hedges so made are good fences, but very bad for hunting. I have known many horses hung up by getting
the hind legs behind a stretcher. On
one occasion I remember a horse hung
3 A
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9582) (tudalen 722)
|
722 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
up in this way until a saw could be got to cut through the stretcher on both sides of where his legs were held
fast.
STRETCH-GALLOP [straach -gyaal-up], adv. phr. Full gallop. (Always.)
Maister rode away stretch-gallop, I count was somethin' the
matter.
An niver ad a wurd ta zay,
Bit keep'd stratch-gallip aul tha way. N. Hogg, p. 71.
The town was uproar' d by es coming stratch gallop up auver Anchor Hill.
Pulman, Rus. Sk. p. 55.
STRICK [strik], sb. i. The strike or space covered in hay-making by one
stroke of the rake. See REW.
2. The strickle or piece of straight wood used to level grain on the surface of any measure of quantity,
generally a peck. Hence in particulars
of farm sales it is usual to see” peck and strike” [paek'n strik']. So” j/;7V#-measure” means
level, in distinction from
"heap-measure," as peas, potatoes, fruit, &c. are sold.
These differences are now for the most
part being superseded by the sale of
all commodities, except liquids, by weight. Thus a bag of apples or potatoes not only means three
bushels, but that quantity made up to
a certain weight. Corn too is virtually sold
by weight, because, though nominally per bushel, it is agreed or understood that the bushel shall weigh so
many pounds, according to the custom
of the particular market.
Jennings writes this stritch; Pulman streech.
Hoc ostorium. A e stryke. Wright's Vocab. 664/14.
STRIKE [struyk, strik'], v. t. i. To apply any liniment, lotion, or ointment; to anoint; also to apply
anything by way of charm to a diseased
part, or merely to stroke, or make passes with the hand as in mesmeric operations. The
ordinary specific for a stye in the
eye is "to strike it three times with a wedding-ring."
The mare's leg idn no better; I've a-bathe'n an' &-strookt the place way oils, but he's a-zwell'd jis the
same.
He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of his
God, and strike his hand over the
place, and recover the leper. II Kings v. II.
Comp. BLESS. See also Rogers, Naaman, p. 98.
2. v. L In line fishing to give the sudden jerk needful to hook the fish when he takes the bait.
3. v. t. To make a straight line by means of a cord, either chalked, or as sawyers do it, wetted in
lamp-black. This is oftener called” to
hat a line” /. e. hit.
STRING-HORSE [string --au-s], sb. The leader; the horse in
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9583) (tudalen 723)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 723
any part of the team in front of the sharp-horse or wheeler. So string-harness is that suitable for a
vore-horse. See GRIPPING.
STRIP [strup-], sb. i. A blow with a stick; a stripe. [Gee dhik dhae*ur dairg u daewnrait geo'd
sirup' ^\ give that there dog a
downright good strip.
Stryppe, stroke or swappe coup. Palsgrave.
Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. II Cor. xi.
24.
2. v. i. and tr. To rub the skin off any part of the body.
Can't think how 'tis my veet d' always strip zo bad.
I be proper a.-sfrifit way thick there trapes to Taan'un an' back.
STRIPE [struyp], sb. Tech. A medium quality of short or clothing wool, clean washed with soap, and
dry (or should be). Often called
Devonshire stripe.
STRIPPER [strdp-ur], sb. Tech. The smaller of each of the pairs of rollers on a carding engine,
called respectively worker and
stripper. The latter revolving at a much higher speed than the former.
STROIL [strauyul], sb. i. Couch grass. Triticum repens. This word is constantly applied to the
white tube-like roots which are turned
up by the plough, while couch is used in speaking of the weed generally in a growing state.
He (the field) lookth middlin' clean 'pon tap, but come to plough un, you'll zee he's so vull o'
stroil's ever he can hold.
2. sb. Dexterity; quickness of eye or limb; agility. (Com.) No more stroll about thee'n a jackass.
Tha hast no Stroll ner Docity, no Vittiness in enny keendest Theng.
Ex. Scold. 1. 209.
STROKE [stroa-k], v. t. To take part of the milk; to milk gently.
Give her this drench, and mind and stroke her every day.
Nif tha dest bet go down in the Paddick, to stroak the kee, thee wut
come oil a gerred. Ex. Scold. 1. 46.
STROOKT [streo-kt]. P. t. and p. p. of to strike, in the sense of to anoint. See STRIKE i; also see
STRUCKT.
STROUT [struwt], sb. and v.t. i. A strut or prop. (Always so pron.) A timber in the framing of a roof
acting as a prop; to strengthen, by
fixing something having the property of spanning or supporting, so as to keep parts asunder.
Thick there couple's a-brokt, nif he idn well z.-stroutcd he'll come down.
3 A 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9584) (tudalen 724)
|
724 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2. To walk affectedly.
I did larf, mind, to zee thick there little scram poppet-ass of a fuller, strouty same's a stag turkey.
This makyth men mysdo more }>an oujte ellis,
And to st route and to stare. Langland, R. the Red. xn. 188.
STROVED [stroa-vd]. P. t. and/, p. of to strive.
I sure you, sir, I widn beg nif I could help o' it. I've a-worked hard and &-stroved hard by my time, an'
a-braat up a long fam'ly, but now I be
proper a-doned up.
STROW [stroa-], sb. Straw. (Always.) It is curious that this word should be almost identical in sound
with Mod. Germ, stroh.
All stock an' cattle took'd away,
An' kip'd atwum 'pon strow an' hay. Pulman, Rus. Sk. p. 62.
STROW-MOTE [stroa'-moa-ut], sb. Straw-mote. See MOTE.
STRUB [struub-], v. t. To lose all one's money or marbles at play; to clean out.
Jim! can's len' me twenty marvles? I be proper &-struVd.
STRUCKT [struuk't]. P. t. and p. p. of to strike. Seldom used in the literal sense of a blow, but
very common to express surprise. I was
&-struckt all to a heap /. e. I was greatly astonished. Although many confound the two words, yet
genuine dialect speakers preserve the
difference between sintckt and strookt (q. v.). Perhaps to these struckt is rather a” fine”
word.
STUB [stuub], v. t. i. In hunting. To stake a horse, or to pierce his leg with a stump of a bush, is
to stub.
Holloa, Jack, how is it you be a-voot? Why I stub my 'oss a Monday, and the leg o' un's like a
gate-[pau's] /. e. swelled as large as
a gate-post.
2. sb. A sharp stump of a bush or stake; a short piece of a nail often called stub-nail.
No wonder th' old 'oss went lame, sir. See, here's a gurt stub I've a-pulled out o' the voot o' un.
Ang.-Sax. styb, stybb, a stock, trunk.
Bot stode stylle as }>G ston, oj?er a stubbe auj>er,
>at ra>eled is in roche grounde, with rote} a hundreth. Sir Gawayne, 1.
2293.
Jet thu singst worst thon the hei-sugge,
3at flijth bi grunde among the stubbe. Owl and Nightingale, 1. 505.
At that tyme I toke this ha.rme,
A stubbe smote me throw the arme. Weber, Ipomydon, 1. 1269.
STUBBARD [stuub'urd, stuub -dd], sb. An early codling apple. One of the commonest of favourite eating
apples. Not, as Mr.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9585) (tudalen 725)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 725
Couch says, peculiar to Cornwall, but well known in Devon and Somerset.
STUBBED [stubb'ud], adj. Short; stumpy; squat in figure.
[Doa'n ee noa* un? lee'dl stuub'ud aa's fuul'ur, naut noa uyur-n u tuup-nee loa'v,] don't you know him? a
little short fellow, no higher than a
twopenny loaf.
STUFF [stuuf-], v. t. To over-feed; to cram.
Her's always a stuffiri thick there nipper. I zess to her, s'l, Jinn, s'l, I be safe he'll bust one o'
these yur days, an' then thee't wish
thee'ds a-harked to me.
STUMP [stuum-p], v. t. i. To cut down low of a bush; to leave but a short stump.
Nif you want a good thick hedge, you mustn't bethink to stump', down.
2. sb. Term for a short, squat person.
Lor! I never didn think her'd be a little bit of a stump like that.
3. v. i. To step heavily, so as to make a noise in walking. Whatever be 'bout up'm chimmer, stumpiri
about fit to break
down the planchin'?
4. With //to walk.
How be comin' back? Oh! I count I must stump it
STUMPY [stuutrrpee], adj. Short; thick-set in figure.
[Yiie noa's-n wuul nuuf p stmim'pee lee'dl fuul'ur, jis luyk dhu Jaak' u Cluub'z,] you know him well enough
stumpy little fellow, just like the
Jack of Clubs.
STUN-POLE [stiiir-poal], sb. A dolt; an ass.
Well now, thee art a stun-pole, mf ever was. Same as SLIM-POLE.
STUPE [stue'p, steo-p], sb. A stupid person. (Very com.) What a gurt stupe thee art, vor to go all
thick way, an' arter all come back
empty-handed.
STURTION [stuurshun], sb. Nasturtium. (Always.) Tropaolum majus.
STURTLE-BOAR [stuurtl-boo'ur], sb. A black-beetle. See W. S. Dial. p. 20.
SUANT [sue'unt], adj. and adv. Even; regular in position or appearance; smoothly. (Usual word.)
I call that there a good suant piece o' whait. They beans didn come up suant at all. A drap o' oil '11
make the wheel urn suanter by half.
Nice suant lot o' slips. That there cloth idn a- waived no ways suant like.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9586) (tudalen 726)
|
726 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Glossarists derive this very common word from Fr. suivant. Skeat says this is suant, an older form of
suivant, and that we have the same
word in pursuant.
Reson ich seih sothliche ' suioen alle bestes in etynge. P. Plow. xiv. 143.
Men may seo on an appul treo meny tyme and ofte,
Of o kynne apples aren nat yliche grete
Ne of sewynge smale, ne of o swetnesse swete. Ibid. xix. 61.
Prof. Skeat says in reference to the above
Of seivynge, in regular order, in perfect gradation or succession from the
verb sewe, or sue, to follow; see 1.
72, below. The word suant, regular, is still used in Devonshire. Notes to Texts A. B. &
C. (Piers Plowman), p. 375.
And anoon, the nettis forsaken, thei sueden hym.
Wyclif, Mark i. 18. Also Ib. ver. 21.
And deynen not to come in pore mennus houses for stynk and oj?ere fil^e;
hou suen J>ei charite 1 Wyclif,
Works, p. 1 7.
Used frequently by William of Palerme.
An now hur veace wiz zuant quite Et
wadd'n nether urd nur wite, Bit zweet
ta luk apon. Nathan Hogg, Ser. II. p. 37.
SUB [suub], sb. i. A sum of money paid on account of work being, or about to be, done. See JACK UP.
[Plai*z-r tu lu nree ae'u suub pun kuufeen dhu wait,] please, sir, to let me have a sum on account of cutting
the wheat.
2. v. To draw money on account
I can't match it, not eet (yet), you must bide gin Zadurday night, vore I've &-sub my job.
SUCK! [zeo-k!], inter? . Call-word for a calf.
SUCK-APPLE [zeo-k-aa-pl], sb. A favourite red-coloured eating apple. Called also, but not so commonly as
in Devon, quarrener.
SUCKER [zeo-kur], sb. A suckling animal.
Where did you get that horse? Why, I've a-'ad'n ever since a was a zucker; I bought'n to Winsford fair
o' th' old Farmer Baker; and t'll be
zix year agone come the time.
SUCK IN [zeok- een], v. t. To deceive; to betray; to cheat.
I bin &-zookt in avore way thick there thing; I on't have no more hanks way un.
A lousy rogue! nif he didn zook me in way they there tay-spuns, he made wise they was zilver.
He zaid how a was purty well &-zookt in over thick job.
I widn ha no hanks way un; you'll be &-zookt in so sure's a gun.
SUDDENT [suud'nt], sb. Sudden occurrence.
The tree vailed all to a suddent, and 'twas just a-come maister had'n a-bin in under'n.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9587) (tudalen 727)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 727
SUDS. See ZIDS.
SUGAR [shuug'ur], sb. You baint afeard o' a drap o' clain water, be'ee? why you baint sugar nor eet
zalt.
A common phrase to persons who do not like to go out in the rain.
SUITERING [sec-tureen], sb. Courting. (Sometimes heard.) The use is precisely analogous to
farmering, carpentering,
druggistering, blacksmithing, taildering, &c.
SULL [zoo'ul], sb. The implement usually known as the plough. (Always.) Plough (q. v.) in W. Som.
means something very different.
The various parts of a zool are the beam, bed, breast, broadside, copse,
coulter, coulter-box, drail, groundrise, key, landside, paddle, share, spiner, sword, tail,
turnvore, wang.
The word without qualification is taken to mean the ordinary implement which turns the furrow over on
the right side. There are many
varieties of the plough, as nanny-.^//, combing--.?////, or taty-^w//, one-way-j^//, Scotch sull,
two-vore suit, two-way sull, or back'n
vore suit, right-hand sull, left-hand sull.
Combined reaper and mower, 2 iron suits, drags, harrows^ cultivator,
harness, light narrow wheel cart,
barley stamp, &c.
Cambridge's iron clod-crusher, oak roller, granite ditto, iron cultivator, 2
iron suits by” Howard."
These are from the advertisements of two different auctioneers side by side in the same paper. Wellington
Weekly News, Oct. 15, 1885. Ang.-Sax.
sulh.
$if eax ne kurue, ne J?e spade ne dulue, ne }?e suluh ne erede, hwo kepte
ham uorte holden? Ancren Riwle, p.
384.
}>et >e ilke j?et zet J?e hand a]>e zuofy and loke]> behinde him:
ne is na3t wor)>i to J>e riche
of heuene. Ayenbite of Inivyt, p. 242.
There's promise in the springing earn
Where zool an' drill hev teyz'd the groun'. Putm&t, R. Sk. p. I.
SUMMER [zuunvur], sb. i. A horizontal beam or joist. Also (tech.) the longitudinal parts of the
bottom of a wagon. Fr. sommier. The
bottom o' un's a-ratted, and so be two o' the zummers.
2. Tech. The large beam on the top of a cider-press. It is that which sustains all the pressure.
SUMMER [zuunrur], v. t. To pasture cattle or sheep during the summer months, away at a distance from
home.
'Tis all very well vor to praich 'bout grazin o' stock. I tell ee our ground idn good 'nough. Nif anybody could
zummer their things up in the mashes
now, 'twid be a different store altogether.
I should like to take some o' they hams, vor to zummer my young be'as.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9588) (tudalen 728)
|
728 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
SUMMER-FAREWELL [zuunrur-faa'rwuul-]. A variety of the Michaelmas daisy, rather common in this
neighbourhood. Mr. Britten pronounces
it to be Aster divergens.
SUMMERING-GROUND [zuunvureen grae'wn], sb. Pasture kept for summer feeding only. We know
nothing of the somerland of Kent.
SUMMERLEYS, SUMMERLEAZE [zuunrur lai'z], sb. Pasture fed only in summer. Same as SUMMERING-GROUND.
SUMMER -SNIPE [zuunrur-snuyp], sb. The sandpiper. Tringoides hypoleucus.
SUMMER VOYS [zuunvur vauyz], sb. Freckles. (Always.)
SUMMY [suunree], v. i. To cipher. Com., but less so than figury.
My Bob's a capical bwoy vor to summy.
SUMPLE [suunvpl], adj. i. Applied to leather pliant; supple. (Usual word.)
There idn nort'll beat curriers' dubbin vor to make boots sumple. Mus' get a piece o' leather more sumpler'n
that there is.
2. v. t. To make supple.
I likes neat's-foot oil vor to sumple my leather way.
SUNDAYS, A MONTH OF [zuVdeez], sb. Very common phrase for a long time is
Well! let thee alone, thee wit'n finish in a month o' Zundays.
SUNDAYS AND WICKED DAYS [zuVdeez-n wik'ud dai-z], No doubt the original intention was to say
wik'n dai'z i. e. weeken days; but the
sound and the idea are so nearly in harmony
that wicked days has become the nearly invariable form.
I be fo'ced to work all the year round, Zindays and wicked days, 'tis all of a piece way me.
SUP [suup, zuup], sb. Anything drinkable.
I be hard a-zot I sure ee, mum. I 'ant a-taste bit nor zup zinze yis'day mornin, Mrs. Dark gid me a basin o'
broth.
SUPER [seo-pur], sb. Superintendent of police. (Very com.) They (the police constables) was bound vor
to let their super know'd it.
SURDLY [suurd'lee], adj. Surly; cross-grained. (Usual pronun.) For this insertion of d, cf.
Mardle, Quardle, Burdle, Pur die.
Seel) i.
I hain't very fond o' Mr. Baker, to Leigh, he's so ter'ble surdly, no vokes 'ont bide, long way un.
Surdly Sam (I ban't bound to tull ez reyle name), &c. Pulman t R. Sk. p.
59.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9589) (tudalen 729)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 729
SURE [shoa'ur], adv. i. Certainly; to be sure. Very com. expletive asseveration, and few
conversations go on long without it.
I don't know, sure. An't 'ee sure? (Have you not really?) Ees, sure, you shall be safe to have 'm in
time. Tidn a bit o' good to try it,
tid'n sure. The above uses are varied by sure 'nough, of which abundant examples occur in these
pages. See SWELTER.
2. In phr.fvr sure, i. e. for certain.
I b'lieve 'twas he, but I widn zay, vor sure.
SURE or SAFE AS A GUN. Usual similes.
I tell ee 't'll rain avore you be a do'd, sure's a gun.
They'll sure to gee un a month vor't, saafs a gun.
An et her winder iv'ry nite Vur wicks
thare waz a dark urd lite, An twulve
o'clock, za zaff' 's ft gun, An
zomtimes up za late ez wan. Nathan
Hogg, The Kenlon Ghost. See also pp. 43, 51.
SURVEY [suurvai], sb. A sale by auction. (Very com.) They zess how the bailies be up 'long way
Farmer White, and how there's bound to
be a survey, vor to pay the rent.
SWALLOW-PEARS [zwaul'ur-pae'urz], sb. Services; sorb apples. The fruit of the Pyrus torminalis.
SWAP [swau*p, zwaup-], v. and sb. To exchange; to barter. Never swap horses while crossing the
river. Where's meet way thick dog? I
zwap way Charley Brice a bag o' taties
vor 'n.
SWAP-HATS! [swaup-aa-ts!]. A name for the Gallinea or Guinea fowl, from its peculiar cry, which
is said to be swaup-aa'ts /
swaup-aa'ts! swaup-aa'ts!
SWAPPING [zwaup -een], redundant adv. Used always with big or great. Same as THUMPING, WHACKING,
THUNDERING, &c. A zwappin gurt
rat. A big zwappin maid.
Ya gurt dugged-teal'd, swapping, rousling Blowze. Ex. Scold. 1. 16. SWAR. See ZWAR.
SWEEL [zwee'ul], v. t. To rinse; to flush with water. (Usual.) Be sure 'n zweel out the pan well.
I've &-zweel down the closet way more'n twenty buckets o' water. A.-S. swilian, to wash.
For he meked hym-self ouer skyle
Pottes and dysshes for to swele.
A. D. 1303. Rob. of Brunne, Handlyng Synne, 1. 5828.
SWEET [zweet, zwit], adj. Clean; wholesome; fresh. Applied to smell.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9590) (tudalen 730)
|
73O WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
A freshly-washed cask would be described as [zu zweet'-s u nut'].
Thick there vowl's house stink'd aloud, but now I've a-clain un out, he's so sweefs a nut. In this sense a
nut is always the climax of
comparison, while in the ordinary sense of sweet to the taste, the word used is generally sugar.
SWEET BETSIES [zweet Baefseez]. Double white saxifrage. Saxifraga hypnoides. Also occasionally
Dielytra spectabilis.
SWEET-CHESTNUT [zwif-chas-nut], sb. Usual name for Castanea vesca, to distinguish it from the
horse-chestnut, ^Esculus
hippocastanum, which is very bitter.
SWEET-HEARTY [zweet-aa-rtee], v. i. To go courting. I can mind very well when your father used
to come swccthtarting. There, 'tis a
pity to disturve 'em! let 'em zweet-hearty hon they be young.
SWEET-TOOTH [zweet-tecrth], sb. Fondness for sweets. Our Sal 've a-got a proper zweet-tooth,
her'd eat sugary-candy all the day
long, nif her could come to it.
SWELTER [zwuuHur], v. t. To cause to sweat profusely. Till I come to the tap o' th' hill I was
purty well &-zweltered, sure
'nough, my shirt! nif could'n a-wring un.
SWELTERING, SWELTERY [zwuuHuree(n], part. adj. Oppressively hot; very sultry. (Applied to
weather.) Same as SQUELSTRING.
SWIG [zwig-], v. t. and sb. To drink greedily, or at least copiously at a draught; a draught.
[T-oa-un nuvur due* vur tu laet ee' dringk fuus'. Aay-v u-noa'd-n. zwig daewn tue- kwau-rt tu wau-n
tup- un nuvur wing-k,] it will never
do to allow him to have the first drink. I
have known him gulp down two quarts at a draught, and never wink.
Here, Jim, wut 'ave a swig out o' my virkin?
SWIM [zwiim-], v. i. i. To abound; to overflow. He'll work middlin like, so long's 'tis
zwimmiu way cider; stap the drink and
'tis zoon upright way un.
He maketh thy store with his blessing to swim,
And after, thy soule to be blessed with him. Tusser, 10/59.
2. To swoon or faint.
Poor blid! zoon's her yeard o' it, her riglur zwim'd right away.
3. sb. State of giddiness or faintness.
My 'ead's all of a swim.
SWIMMER [zwiim-ur], sb. The air-bladder of a fish. (Always.) In bloaters this silvery-looking purse is
very conspicuous.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9591) (tudalen 731)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 731
SWIMMY [zwiinree, zwuonree], adj. Giddy.
I do veel ter'ble zwimmy like, I zim.
SWINGE [zwiirrj], v. t. To beat; to thrash.
I'll zwinge thy backzide vor thee, s'hear me!
And dede him hoslen wel and shriue
I wo|>, fif hundred sij>es and fme:
An ofte dede him sore wvinge,
And wit hondes smerte dinge. 1280. Havelok, 1. 212.
SWINGEING [swurrjeen, zwmrjeen], adj. i. A mere intensitive of great.
I've a-catched a swingeing gurt rat s' mornin'.
2. sb. A beating.
A downright good swingein would do un a power o' good.
SWINGLE-TREES [zwing-1-treez], sb. Of plough-tacklesame as, but less common than, BODKINS,
WHIPPLE-TREES.
Swyngilslre (swyngyltre A.) of a harrow. Protectorium. Cath. Aug.
Then there is needfull but the plow clevise, and swingle-tree, treates,
collers, harnesse, and cart-bridles.
Gervase Markkam, Countrey Farme, p. 553.
SWING-SWANG [zwing'-zwang], sb. State of oscillation. Lor! he never idn gwain to stan 'pon thick
there rope! why he's all to a
zwfng-zwangt (Heard in a circus.)
SWORD [zoo-urd], sb. i. An upright iron bar, having holes in it, fixed to the front of a tipping cart, or
butt, and so arranged that a pin put
through any one of these holes regulates the slope of the body of the cart, and keeps it in the
desired position. In carting manure on
a field this enables just so much as is wanted for a heap to be readily taken from the load, and the
remainder to be drawn on to the next
heap.
2. The coulter of a plough. See SULL.
T [tee-], i. Always so pron. Also T-iron pron. [to'-uyur], and sometimes written fee-iron.
2. In phr.” Right to a T" [rait tue u tee'~\. A common reply to questions, if numbers are correct, is,”
Right to a T, and that too." I
presume this means even the last Tor tittle is perfect.
3. Sometimes sounded for th, as in Filt (q. v.).
Now kiss'n the zee ware thee bee'st a gwayn,
Zed tha crickit, "yu nasty vulty thing; Nathan Hogg, Ser. II. p. 5.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9592) (tudalen 732)
|
732 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
A chap tole mer zo tother day, and zed that
Thay ait nort in ta wordel zept cannels an vat. N. Hogg, Ser. I. p. 34.
4. T final is dropped afters, as in [duus', fuus', bruV, vuys,] dust, first, breast, fist, and many more.
5. To in the sense of this, as in &?-day, #?-year, when followed by a vowel.
I'll do it vor ee /'evening [t'arvmeen]. ~ See T'AFTERNOON.
TABLE-BOARD [tae'ubl-boo'urd], sb. The top of the table. Table is the entire piece of furniture,
including legs, &c. Comp.
BOARD-CLOTH.
Ue'-v u-kaard uwai* dhu kai* ti dhu doo'ur? Aay laef-m uuiree binaew taap* dhu tae'ubl-boo'urd^\ who have
carried away the key of the door? I
left it only just now upon top of the table-board.
Inprimis one tabelborde, one frame, and a settell xx 8 .
It'm one olde dubbell tabelbord, w th two wicker chairs iiij*.
Inventory of goods of Henry Candy e, Exeter, 1609.
TACK [taak],^. A shelf. Although given in all the glossaries, this word, at least in West Som., is only
used in connection with claveL See
CLAVEL-TACK.
TACK [taak], v. t. To smack; to slap with the hand. Tommy! come in this minute, or I'll tack
your bottom vor 'ee, I will!
TACKER [taak-ur], sb. A shoemaker's waxed end or thread,
including the bristle. (Always.)
A man who was helping to cut down an ash said of the wood [Dhiish yuur stuuf'-s su tuuf'uz livur wuz u
taak'ur^ this here
stuff is so tough as ever was a tacker. April 18, 1882.
TACKER-GRASS [taak-ur-graas], sb. Knot-grass. The usual name, from its likeness to a
"tacker," or shoemaker's wax-end.
Polygonum aviculare. Same as MAN-TIE.
TACKLE [taak'l], v. t. i. To bring to account. So soon's I yeard o' it, I went and
tackled-n about it.
2. To accomplish.
Bill! dus' think thee art man enough to tackle thick job?
3. To attack; to contend with; to thrash.
I'm darned if I wid-n tackle dree jish fullers as he.
4. To eat greedily; to eat up.
There idn the fuller o' un vor 'is belly not in twenty mild o' the place; I ver'ly b'lieve he'd tackle a good
leg o' mutton any time.
5. To harness (of a horse).
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9593) (tudalen 733)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 733
Look sharp and tackle the mare in readiness vor Joe, zoon's he do come back. To tackle in is to put to.
Tackle in my 'oss torectly, I do want to be off.
TACKLE [taak'l], sb. i. Gear; implements as plough-/^/!?, /. e. all the horse implements on a farm.
Gun-tack?e, fishing-/r//<?, screw-
tackle (always), /. e. the tools for cutting screws.
2. Applied to drink, sometimes to food. Same as TRADE.
Nif this idn rare tackle, missus; I zim do drink moorish. This is, a grim, rustic pun upon
"moory," a term for bad, boggy water, and implies that the speaker would like
more of it.
gutter tha wutt whan tha coms't to good Tackling.
Ex. Scold. \. II. See also Ib. 1. 187.
TACKLING [taak-leen], sb. The general term to include all the harness worn by horses. The word is
seldom used otherwise very rarely for
tackle in the sense of food or drink.
Take off the tackling else he'll sure to break it abroad. Dec. 1885. Said by farmer of a horse just taken
from a dog-cart.
TADDICK [tad-ik], sb. A small quantity of anything; a measure, a cart, or bag partly filled.
'Ton't take long to put up thick bit of a taddick a man said of a very small rick of hay.
'Tidn boo half loads, they taddicks what he do draw another man said of the work done by a hired cart.
TAFFETY [taa'futee], adj. Dainty in appetite; particular in eating. (Very com.)
I never can't abear thick sort o' pigs, they be so ter'ble taffety; they'd starve to death 'pon the mait I gees
mine.
Yokes be come taffety, sure 'nough, what they used to; nif the bacon's the leastest bit rusty like, they
on't tich o' it now. Well, I zay they
off to bide 'thout it.
TAFFLE [taa-fl], v. t. To tangle.
That skein's all taffed up so, I never sha'n't undo it. Used by educated people as well as peasantry.
T'AFTERNOON, T'ARTERNOON [taarturneo'n]. This
afternoon. The usual form.
I shall be sure to zee un farternoon.
This form is used with a future construction, seldom, if ever, with a past tense in the latter case it would be
farter-noon (q. v.).
TAH! [taa!], inter/. Babies just learning to speak are taught by their mothers to say” tah” by way of
thanks.
Tommy, what do you say to the lady? Say tah! directly.
TAIL [taa-yul], sb. Of a sull. The hind part, or that where
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9594) (tudalen 734)
|
734
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
the beam ends, and to which the handles are fixed. Also the handles.
TAIL [taa'yul], v. t. To cut off or dock the tail of any animal. I always tails my lambs to zix weeks old.
TAIL-CORN, TAIL-BARLEY, TAIL-WHEAT. See TAILING.
TAILDERY [taa'yulduree], v. i. To practise the trade of a tailor. See FARMERY.
TAIL-END [taa-yul-ai-n, or ee*n], sb. The remainder; the portion left after repeated selections.
I baint gwain to take the tail-end arter he've a-zold all the best.
TAILING [taa-yuleen], sb. i. The refuse; inferior corn, which is separated by the winnowing machine, as
not fit for market.
Never zeed whait turn out better; there wadn nit a bushel o' tailing in all thick there gurt rick.
2. sb. The coarse and dirty wool shorn off from around the tails of sheep. Same as BAGGINGS.
TAIL OF THE MILL [taa-yul u dhu meenil], sb. i. The stream of water as it rushes out from under
the water-wheel. The whole stream
running from the mill is the mill-tail; that which supplies the wheel is the leat from the
mill-head.
2. That part of the channel or water-course which conveys the water away from the water-wheel. See
MILL-TAIL, LEAT.
TAIL-PIPE [taa-yul-puyp], v. /. To tie an old tin or other rattling thing to a dog's tail, and then to
turn it loose. This cruelty is
frequently practised on strange dogs, if they can be caught. The poor things run frantically, and the faster
they run the worse the clatter and the
fright. Cats are sometimes served the same way.
TAIL TO TAIL [taa'yul tu taa-yul], adv. phr. Used in making exchanges, chiefly for horses or cattle.
The precise meaning is even-handed /.
e. without any payment or other adjustment of value in the animals or things” rapped."
Mr. Baker chopped way me vor this here 'oss vor a cow and calve what I turned into fair. We was ever
so long dalin, 'cause he wanted to
turn 'em tail to tail; but I wadn gwain to chop way he 'thout drawin' o' money; and come to
last I made a sovereign [suuvreen] out
o' un.
TAIN [tai-n], num. Ten. (Always so pronounced.) Tain thousan' times tain thousan'.
'Bout teyn o'clock thee's bedder start
I wish 'ee luck wi' all my heart. Pi
my heart. Pnlftian, R. Sk. p. 17-
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9595) (tudalen 735)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 735
TAKE [tae-uk], v. t. P. t. [teokt]; /./. [u-teokt]. i. To hire; to rent.
He's lookin' about vor to take a farm. He've &-tookt the farm to dear by odds.
2. To undertake to do work.
We tookt it to low i. e. undertook to do it for too little money. I widn take it again vor double the money.
3. v. i. To grow.
A gardener said to me,” I put on all the grafts, but they did'n take, not one of 'em.
TAKE AFTER [tae-uk aa'dr], v. t. To resemble in face or carriage.
[Ee du tae'uk aa'dr-s faa'dhur maa-ynlee; dhu vuuree daa'ps oa un,] he do take after his father mainly;
the very daps of him /". e. gait,
manner.
TAKE ALL MY TIME, TAKE ME ALL MY TIME [tae-uk
mee au 1 mee tuy-m]. It will need my best efforts. Very common saying of any difficulty.
Well, I s'pose can be a-do'd; but I'll be daal'd if 't'ont take 'em all their time, whoever got the doin' o'
ut.
TAKE IN [tae-uk ee-n], v. t. i. To strip the apples off the trees in an orchard.
Mr. Bird 've &-tookt in all his apples. See PIXY-WORDING.
2. Of a stack of corn. To carry the corn into the barn to be thrashed.
We be gwain to take in a whaiten rick to-morrow; bring up the bitch, there's a sight o' rats in un.
3. v. t. To enclose. Said of common land. See HILL-GROUND.
TAKE IT OUT [taek- ut aewt], phr. To receive goods instead of money for a debt owing; to truck.
I zills my butter to Mr into shop; but I baint gwain to
no longer, cause I never can't get no money, [au'vees foo'us] (I am) always forced to take it out.
TAKE NOTICE [tae-uk noa-utees], phr. When a baby first shows signs of intelligence it is said to”
take notice"
TAKE OFF [taek au'f or oa-f], v. t. To take a likeness. Father bin &-tookt off, but 'tidn a bit
like'n.
TAKE OUT [taek aewt], v. t. , To write out; to copy. Take out Mrs. Jones's bill to once.
TAKE TO [tae-uk tue], v. t. i. To enter into possession.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9596) (tudalen 736)
|
736 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Tis all a-signed 'bout takin' o' the farm; but they baint gwain to take to un gin Lady-day.
2. Of persons or animals. To adopt.
Her know'd 'twadn 'er own calve, and 'er never widn take to un.
3. To become accustomed or attached to.
Someway or nother Robert never didn take to 'er.
TAKE TO DOING [tack- tu due'een],/^. To scold; to call to account.
Her tookt me to doing purty well 'bout thick there cat; but I told her I'd cook forty o'm, nif I catched 'em
here.
TAKE UP [taek au-p], v. t. i. To take in, or receive regularly, as a newspaper. (Always.)
We've z-tookt up the Magnet 'is tain year.
2. To contradict; to interrupt in speaking.
Well, you no 'casion vor to take anybody up so short; you mid harky gin anybody 've a-zaid what they
got to zay.
TAKE UP WF [tae-uk au-p wai], phr. i. To consort with. Pity her should take up way a fuller like
he.
2. To make a hobby of. Used only in past part. Our Jim's terr'ble &-tookt up way
raidin.
3. To be over fond: of persons.
Her's that there &-tookt up way thick there bwoy, tidn not wan bit o' good vor nobody to zay nort by un;
her on't 'arky to it.
TALE [tae-ul], sb. The full number of eggs a hen lays before she becomes broody. Sometimes called
lay-tale.
I han't a single broody hen to my name, else I let 'ee 'ave one in a minute; nother one o'm an't a-laid out
their tale.
TALER [tae-ulur], sb. A tale-bearer. See TELL-TALER-TIT. This word is never pronounced like tailor
[taayuldur].
TALLDER [tairldur], adj. Reg. comp. of tall. See D. i. Why, Joey! nif Lizzy idn talldeSn. you be!
hotever b'ee 'bout to let her get
avore 'ee?
ee jumped up all ta once, wi'out thinkin that ee was tallder than the room.
Pulman, Rus. Sk. p. 66.
^ TALLET [taal-ut], sb. The hayloft over a stable called sometimes the stable
tallet. (Regular name.) Also in any building
the space immediately under the roof; but not applied to a ceiled room of any kind, whether attic or not.
Welsh, Taflod.
The vloor o' the tallet's proper a-ratted (rotten). October, 1885.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9597) (tudalen 737)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 737
Ver tallet, maunger, rack, and bart'n
Must all be kip'd a-vill'd, ver sart'n. Pubnan, R. Sk. p. 20.
TALY [tae'ulee], v. i. To gossip; to chatter; to have a tale. Her's always ready to taly way anybody.
TAME [tae-um], v. t. To cut; to prune. (Rare.) As "to tame a bush." See Reports 3 and 4
Devon Association, 1879-81.
TAMSINE, TAMSY [taanrzee'n, taanvzee], pr. n. Thomasine. Tamsy is not an uncommon name.
TAN [tan], v. t. To thrash; to beat.
Let me catch thee again! zee whe'er I don't tan thy burches vor thee, s'hear me!
TANG [tang], sb. The spike or part of a knife, hook, or other tool which is inserted into the handle.
Can't put nother 'an'l to thick there 'ook, 'cause the tang o' un's a-brokt.
TANGLEMENT [tang-lmunt, not tang-glmunt], sb. Tangle, or knot.
However's anybody gwain to get droo these yer brimmles, nif they an't a-got nother 'ook vor to cut 'era
they be all to a proper tanglement.
(Covert-beater, Dec. 1886.)
TANNING [tarreen], sb, A beating; a hiding.
T'ANT [taa-n, taa-n t], contr. It has not
\Taa m n u-biin' u-due'd naut-s lae'ut yuurz,} it has not been done not these late years. See W. S. Gram. p.
57.
TANTARABOBUS [tarrturuboa-bus], sb. Name for the devil - usually preceded by” old." (Very
corn.) It is also used very often as a
playful nickname for any boy or man. A frequent saying in reply to a question as to the age of any
one lately deceased is
Oh! I reckon he lived same's Tantarabobus all the days of his life.
Nif thee disn mind and alter thy hand, th'old Tantarabobus '11 be arter thee! Tantarabobs given by Halliwell
is unknown. See BOGUS, New Eng. Diet.
TANTONY'S FIRE [tan'tuneez vuyur], sb. Saint Anthony's fire erysipelas.
TANTRUMS [tan'trumz], sb. A fit of passion.
Missus 've got the tantrums, sure 'nough, again s'mornin'.
TANTRUMY [tan'trumee], adj. Passionate; given to bursts of ill-temper.
I can't think hot we ba gwain to do way thick bwoy, he's that there tantrumy 'pon times, I be most afeard
to zee un go off in fits.
3 B
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9598) (tudalen 738)
|
738 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
TAP [taap], v. t. i. To begin cutting or consuming. All the grass is a-go; we must tap the
hayrick next week. I didn want to tap
thick there cave o' taties vore arter Kirsmas. Jim, urn out and tap in a cut o' hay, will
'er? /. e. will you?
2. Tech. To tl tap a screw" is to cut a female thread i.e. the screw inside the nut.
TARNAL [taarnul], adj. and adv. Eternal; extreme; constant; excessive.
'Tis a tarnal shame. Her's tarnal fond o' un.
TARNATION [taarnae'urshun], adj. A quasi oath. 'Tis a tarnation bad lot. Tarnation ugly.
TATIES AND POINT [tae-udeez-n pwauynt]. It is very common to hear old people, when expatiating
upon the hardships of their youth as
compared with the luxury enjoyed by the young
of the present day, say,” Mate, sure 'nough! we never had'n a-got none, 'twas always taties and zalt, or
taties and point, when fathered a-made
shift vor to git hold o' a bit o' bacon like for his Zunday's dinner.
This pointing at food, by way of exciting the imagination of its enjoyment, seems to be not only a very
ancient but wide-spread custom.
Rev. C. Swynnerton in Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal (Oct. 1883), on folk-lore of the Upper
Punjaub, says, among other stories
much resembling those current in English peasant life
A miser protests against another wasting his ghee by dipping his bread in
it, when by hanging up the ghee out of
reach on a nail, pointing the bread at it,
and making believe very much, he might enjoy the ghee in imagination
and save it in fact. Athetuzum, Nov.
3, 1883.
TATTERING [taafureen], adj. and sb. Tattling; chattering.
Come now, there's to much tatterin* by half, let's have less noise and more work!
Her's a tatterin\ neighbourin' sort of a thing; better fit her'd look arter her chillern and keep 'em to
school, and tidy like.
TATERYN, or iaueryn, or speke wythe owte resone (or iangelyn'. supra, chateryn, K. iaberyn, P.). Garrio, blatero.
TATERYNGE, or iauerynge (iaperynge, S. iaberinge, P.). Garritus.
Promp. Parv.
TATY-DIGGER [tae-udee-dig-ur], sb. A kind of double mattock.
TATY-TRAP [tae-udee-traap], sb. The mouth.
[Doa f n maek dheezuul' u feo'l taek'-n shuuf dhee tae'udee-traap^ don't make
thyself a fool take and shut thy taty-trap.
This is a very common piece of advice given by a friend to
another who is getting noisy with
drink.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9599) (tudalen 739)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 739
[Wuy-s-n shuut dhee gurt tae'udee-traap, un neet buyd dhae'ur gyaap-een?] why dost (thou) not shut thy
great mouth, and not bide there
gaping?
TATY-ZULL [tae'udee-zoo-ul], sb. A kind of plough, called also a” combing-zull," used for the
purpose of throwing up a comb or ridge
on each side, and so earthing up ranks of potatoes, or other crops requiring to be so treated.
T AY-RUN [tai-ruun], sb. Tea-urn. (Always.) This article being a mark of gentility, it needs to be
fitly named. Of course, even before
Board schools, we knew that” to urn” was not genteel speaking, and so when a tea-urn was first
brought into use, we felt that the
common word must not be used in connection with it. We knew it ought to be run, not urn, and
so. we have ever called it.
For a school-gathering my wife told an under-gardener to go to a friend's for a large” tea-urn." The
man not knowing what that was, said,
"What did you plase to want, mum?" Upon which I said at once, "The tay-run"
Instantly he answered, "Oh yes,
sure, mum!” July, 1884.
Many years ago I remember my old nurse calling to a fellow-servant,” Mary,
bring up the run to once." My mother, attempting to correct, was immediately answered,” I
never didn zay urn, not in all my
life."
TEA-KETTLE BROTH [tarkitl brairth], sb. A very common and popular mess. It is made of slices of
bread put into a basin, upon which are
poured boiling water. When the bread is well
soaked, the water is strained off, some butter, salt, and a
soup$on of pepper are added, then the
basin is filled with boiling skimmed
milk, in which is usually some chopped organ (q. v.).
TEAR [tae-ur], v. t. To break. Mind
you don't tear the pitcher. Who've
a-bin an' &-tord the winder? He wadn &-tord 'smornin'.
The Boughs are ready to tear with snaw,
And the vrawz'd Brucks vorget to flaw.
1762. Collins, Ninth Ode of Horace in Somerset Dialect, Miscellanies,
p. 114.
TEAR [tae-ur], sb. Passion; rage.
Maister's in a purty tear, sure 'nough, 'cause the bulliks brokt out into the trefoy (trefoil).
TEAR ALONG [tae'ur ulau'ng], v. t. To go or drive at a very rapid pace. (Very com.)
Sober! 'tidn no good to tear along like that is \ you mid so well kill anybody to once as frighten 'em to
death.
TEARING [tae'ureen], adj. Boisterous; noisy; blustering. A gurt tearing holler-mouth the parish idn
big enough vor he.
3 B 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9600) (tudalen 740)
|
740 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
TEASE [tai-z], v. t. To drive; to harass.
The only way to get rid o' they rabbits is to keep on taziri o'm.
Bi )>ay were tened at Jje^hy^e, and taysed to ]>e wattre}. Sir Gawayne,
1. 1169.
TEASER [tai'zur], sb. A young ram which is allowed to run with the ewes, but is artificially
prevented from copulation.
TEDIOUS [tai-jus], adj. Fidgety; unwilling to keep still; fretful.
Gipsy (a cow) do keep on belvin arter her calve; her's that tai'jus anybody can't hardly come aneast her.
TEE [tee], sb. An iron shaped like the top of the letter T, but with a chain attached to the centre instead
of the stem of the letter. Tees are at
the ends of the chain to a horse's head-stall or night-halter.
TEEHEEING [teehee-een], part. adj. Giggling; tittering; silly laughing.
[Kas'-n keep kwuy'ut, yu teehee'een yuung tea-IP] canst (thou) not keep quiet, you giggling young fool?
Te he," quoth she and clapt the window to. Chattcer, Millers Tale, 1.
3738.
But when the hobby-horse did wihy,
Then all the wenches gave a tihy.
Cobbe, Brit. Popular Antiquities, Vol. i. p. 207.
TEEN [tee-n], v. t. To kindle; to set alight.
[Yuur, Jtm! teen karri, wul'ur?] here, Jane! light a candle, will you?
t>er-o hi tende here Mjt alle in J?e place. What was >at oure Louerd Crist J>e
lig fram heuene sende & >at
folc J>at stod aboute here taperes Jereof tende. 1298. Robt. of Clou. Life of St. Dunstan
(ed. Morris and Skeat), p. 19.
On J>e wal J>at fur him hent: wij> inne a lytel space >at he be-gan J?ar-wiJ> be atend: in
an hundred place.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 3280.
Wy)> a charme he make> fyr: & a candlee he attende\.Ib. 1.
2413. rearing or snapping vrom
Candle-douting to Czndle-feenmg- in tha Yeavling.
Ex. Scold. 1. 314.
TEG [taeg], sb. A yearling sheep. Same as a hog. This word is not so often applied to the sheep
as "hog," but more
frequently to the wool Teg-wool being the same as hog-wool (q. v.\ i. e. wool of a year and a half s
growth.
TELL [tuul], v. i. i. To recognize.
. A man who had been hurt by a slate falling on his head, said in reply to my inquiry,
[Wuul, dhang-k ee, zr, aay bee gifeen bad'r, bud aay wuz dhaat mae-uz aid'ud luyk, vur aup dree- wiks
aa-dr ut, neef aay-d u meet
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9601) (tudalen 741)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 741
ee dhoa', aay keo'd-n tuul ue f yue wau-z, nu moa'ur-n dhu dai'd,] well, thank you, sir, I am getting better,
but I was so stunned (or giddy) for
quite three weeks after it, that if I had met you then, I could not recognize who you were,
any more than a dead man.
2. To talk; to speak.
He do tell in his sleep ter'ble. The word is constantly used to emphasize a piece of rustic wisdom, or a
threat, by beginning [Aay tuul'QQ haut
tai'z,] I tell ye what it is. I tell ye what 'tis, I shan't stand it no longer.
It is often used redundantly,” I tell 'ee” being in every other sentence, without adding anything to the
sense or information conveyed just
like” I say” of ordinary colloq. Eng.
I don't want'n, / tell ee.
Thei telden that thei schulden hede snarrs. Wyclif, Psalm Ixiii. 6.
$et thu me seist of other thinge,
And telst that ich ne can no^t singe. Owl and Night. 1. 309.
There were some women in the vilfege telling about it.
Accoimt of a murder, Wellington Weekly News, Aug. II, 1887.
I've a yeard tell o' it, but I never didn zee it. They was well agreed I zeed 'em teliiri
together in to Clock, (inn) the night
avore.
3. v. t. To recognize; to distinguish.
Of two men with ferrets, neither seemed to know which of the two was his own; one said,” Here, let's zee
'em, I can tell mine, any'ow, nif I
look to the teeth o'un."
I can tell my own hat 'mongst a thousand.
I be that blind 'pon times, I baint able to tell my own wive hon I meet'th her.
4. To count. (Always.)
A witness before giving evidence was thus advised
[Hau'n yue bee aak'st oa'urt, muyn yue au'vees tuulvuyv, voa'r
yue du spark,] when you be asked anything, mind you count five,
before you speak.
I may tell all my bones. Psalm xxii. 17. See also 2 Kings xvii.
5. v. t. and /. To say; to speak.
Do what I wid I couldn get'n vor to tell a word. Her told how her zeed two men gwain on, but
her couldn tell who they was.
" Do not talk nonsense” is usually,” Don't tell up such stuff."
He ne telle^ bote lyte of ous: be his wordes sterne:
Proutelich he auaunttej? hem: wij? xij for to fi^te. Sir Ferumbras, 1. 117.
Holde)? 30 w stille, and speke)> nojt: but lete> me telle as y ha
Jx>3t. Ib. 1. 4417.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9602) (tudalen 742)
|
742 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
6. In the com. phr.” Tell me!” This is a mere asseveration, and implies a challenge to contradict the
speaker. It usually takes the form,”
Nif 'tidn zo and zo," or” Nif thick fuller idn a fool, tell me J" See RATTLER 2, START 2.
TELL OF [tuul' oa],//^. To give evidence of.
[Wuul! yue aa'v udras- dhik vee'ul u graewn prau-pur, ee'ul tuul' oa ut piir-tee kwik, aa-1 wairrn un,]
well! you have dressed that field
thoroughly, it will show the effects of it very quickly, I'll warrant it.
TELL-TALER-TIT [tuul-tae'ulur-tee't], sb. Tale-bearer. The rhyme is as common here as elsewhere
Tell-taler-til) your tongue shall be slit,
All the dogs in the town shall have a little bit.
TEMPER [taenvpur], sb. Applied to soil when easily tilled. Thick there field o' groun' was in capical
temper, we made-n jis the very same's
a arsh-heap (heap of ashes).
TEMPLES [taenrplz], sb. A wooden stretcher of adjustable length, having points at either end, used
by weavers to keep the cloth as woven
of the proper width in the loom. The implement is often called a "pair o'
temples"
TEMPORY [tai-mpuree], adv. In a slight, unsubstantial manner; temporarily.
All the place is a-put up tempory, sure 'nough. (Very com.)
TENANTSHIP [taeirunshiip-], sb. Tenancy.
Why my tenantship will be a-run'd out vore the work's a-finisht. January 1885.
TEND [tai'n(d], v. t. To attend; to wait upon; to serve customers in a shop.
I can't get away, 'tis onpossible; I must tend my customers or lost 'em.
A mason's labourer always describes his work, "I do tend masons."
A” tending-duyp” in a mill is a room where the foreman receives and gives out weaver's work. See
NURSE-TENDING.
TENDANCE [tai'nduns], sb. Attention; care; looking after. Young turkeys be terr'bl nash, they wants a
sight o' tendance.
Hops dried in loft, aske tendance oft.
And shed their seedes, much more than needes. Tusser, 56/53.
TENET [taerrut], sb. A tenon. (Always.) Also tenet-saw [taen-ut zau, or zaa]. (Always.)
TERRIBLE [tuurubl], adj. i. Very intimate: thick: close friends.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9603) (tudalen 743)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 743
Hers terrible way my missus, but I baint no ways a-tookt up way her myzul.
They two young osbirds be terrible together. Comp. DREADFUL 2.
2. adv. Very. The most common intensitive in use, as "terrible purty," &c. See hundreds of
examples throughout these pages.
TERRIFY [tuureefuy], v. t. i. To importune.
[Uur-z au'vees tuur'eefuyeen ur mau'dhur vur tu lat ur goo 1 , bud aay ziinv tuz aard luyk vur tu pae'rt wai
ur,] she is always importuning her mother for to let her go (to service), but
I fancy it is hard like for to part
with her.
2. v. t. To torment.
[Dhai bwuwyz bee nuuf tu tuureefuy three bau-dee tu datrr, dhai bee 1 ,] they boys be enough to
terrify anybody to death, they be.
3. Applied to weeds; to hoe constantly.
You can't never get urd o' that there stuff, nif you don't keep on terrifyin o' it.
TERVY [tuurvee], v. i. To struggle; to writhe. Ay, man! thee mids tervy or eet poaty, but
I can hold thee, mind. See Ex. Scold.
1. 216.
TET [taef], sb. Teat. (Always.)
One o' Daisy's tets (a cow) is so zore I can't hardly tich o' her.
TETCH [taech-], sb. Habit; gait. 'Tis
a fetch her've a-got.
Tetch'e, or manner of condycyone. Mos. condicio. Promp. Parv.
I mean not that such a tech as Naaman took here may do it.
Rogers, Hist, of Naaman, p. 96.
See Trans. Dev. Association, 1883, vol. xv. p. 93; also vol. xvm. p. 101.
TETCHINESS [taech'inees], sb. Ill-temper; crabbedness.
Her's good-lookin' enough, but there's too much tetchiness about her vor me; till her's a-come to my time o'
life, a purty old queen her'll be,
I'll warn her. (Very com.)
pride of heart, stoutnesse and disdaine, techinesse, and reliques of some
old better roote which is bred in the
bone. 1642. Rogers, Naaman, p. 423.
TETCHY [tuch-ee, taech'ee], adj. Captious; irritable. (Com.) [Uur-z u maa-yn tuch'ee oa'l dhing, uur
iiz* naew, muyn], her's a main tetchy
old thing, her is now, mind. Jan. 22, 1883.
And he's as tetchy to be woo'd to woo,
As she is stubborn-chaste against all suit. Troilus and Cressida, I. ii.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9604) (tudalen 744)
|
744
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
This word, which the lexicographers
corrupted into” touchy," from
"touch," see Bailey, Johnson, Webster, has of late, since Prof. Skeat's Etymol. Diet, came out, been
reinstated in the literature, while it
has always been preserved pure in the dialect.
the masses who are constantly selfish, often tetchy, and occasionally
credulous.
Spectator, Jan. 13, 1883, p. 42.
TEW-IRON [tiie'uyur], sb. The nozzle of a smith's bellows, or of a smelting furnace. (Always.) No doubt
the vernacular form is the development
of the first attempts to pronounce tuyere; having got so far as few-ire, education steps in,
disposes of the vulgar ire, and of
course adopts the correct and polite (!) iron. Tew-irons&cs regular articles of ironmongery; indeed
there are” patent few-irons. ."
TUYERE, blast-piece; blast-pipe; tewel; tue-iron. Spiers.
TH initial (a) before r is almost always d, as in drash, draw, droat, &c.
(b) There are many differences of pro nun. as compared with lit. Eng. Thing, think, thin (not emphatic)
are always [dhing-, dhing'k, dhee'n].
See Word Lists for other examples.
-TH. Contraction of verbal inflection eth, now obsolete except in poetry and scripture, but in N. Dev. and
N. W. Som. it still remains the usual
form of speech; even there it is beginning to
be dropped in the plural. The contracted form th is the rule after all consonants and vowels alike.
Her zaiM, for she says. [Dhu kaa-s lee'ut-tffc], the cask leaks. [Dhu baa-1 aup-/^], the ball hops. [Zee-
aew u huurn/#], see how he runs. [Dhu
duug buurk/#], the dog barks. [Dhik bwuuy
tuul7/z luyz], that boy tells lies. [Ee sae-uv//^ u lau't u
muun-ee], he saves a lot of money, are
all the every-day forms. Of course in
the Vale district and E. Som., where the periphrastic form is general, this does not apply as a rule of
speech, yet the inflection is very
commonly used, and in the contracted form only.
3if hundes urneth to him-ward.
He gength wel svithe awai-ward.
Vor waune snov lith thick and wide. Owl and Nightingale, 11. 375, 430.
THANKY. See No THANKY A HANG'D.
THAT [dhaat], adv. i. So. Sometimes that there is used, but there is redundant. (Very com.)
I be that bad I can't make use o' nort.
The clay was that there lovin', 'twas jist the very same's bird-lime, eens
mid zay.
2. In phr. "and that" = etcetera.
Oh! he do do middlin' like way little caddlin' jobs, and urnin arrants and that.
Her's a good maid to work, and that; but her've a-got a bit of a Irish temper like. See ex. RISE.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9605) (tudalen 745)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 745
3. [dhut], rel. pr. Who. (Very com.)
[Dhai* dhut noa'uth bas*, du zai' aew twaud'n noa* jis dhing*,] those who know best, say that it was no
such thing.
hire ymbhwyrft eorSena *\ alle $a %e eardiafc in hire. ejus orbis terrarum et universi qui
habitant in ea.
Oldest English Texts, p. 328.
belyue ]>ou scholdest on god almi^t: \>at for ous gan blede. Sir Fer.
1. 398.
THAT EVER I SHOULD SAY SO! [dhut uvur aay shud zai-zoa!], phr. This is the
commonest of exclamations, half apologetic,
whenever an oath or other very strong expression has been used in speaking before ajtrt'Imun. It comes in
as a sort of parenthesis immediately
following the oath.
[Dhu yuung oa'iizburd! neef aay doa'n laf-n ae'u-r, aa'l bee daa'md! dhut uvur aay shud zai' zoa /] thfc
young rascal! if I don't thrash him
well, I'll be d d! that ever I should say so!
THAT THERE [dhaat dhae'ur], dist. adj. That; that one-referring to some
person or thing absent or out of sight.
" Where's that there book?” meaning a book not in sight.
"Hand over thick there book," would refer to a book visibly at hand. See THERE 3. Also see W. S. Gram.
p. 31.
Hvvan godard herde }>at \>er |>rette,
With J>e neue he robert sette
Biforn )>e teth a dint ful strong. Havelok, 1. 2404.
THATCHES "[dhaa'chez], sb. Vetches. (Very com.) The transposition of dh and v is very common.
Comp. vatch for thatch, thery for
very.
Mr. Tristram 've a-zend word to zay he can spare-ee zo many thatches as you be a mind to. May, 1885.
half day's work two horses fatching thaches . . $s.
From Bill, Oct. loth, 1887.
THAWY [dhairee], v. i. To thaw. (Always.)
[Tuv Mi-dhau'ud aul nait, un u puurdee maes tiiz*, shoa'r nuuf,] it have thawed all night, and a pretty mess
it is, sure enough. The transitive
form is quite different. See UNTHAW.
THE [dhu]. i. In speaking of trades it is usual to insert the, having a frequentative force, before a
trade implying the practice or
learning of the art. The name of the trade too takes a gerundive or adjectival form, as if trade
or business were to be understood.
One o' my boys do work to the dyein', an' tother's gwain to larn the paintin'.
Apprentices and Improvers wanted to the Millinery, to the Dressmaking, to
the Currying. Three Advertisements in
Wellington Weekly Neiv s, Feb. 3, 1887.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9606) (tudalen 746)
|
746 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Wanted, an Improver to the Smithing. Apply to James Wood, Lurley, Tiverton.
Haddon and Son have vacancies for several Apprentices to the Dressmaking. Adverts, both from same column, Wellington
Weekly News, July 14, 1887.
2. The is almost always inserted redundantly when speaking of a person if described i& poor,
young, old, big, little, &c.
Who do'd it? Why 'twas the gurt Jim Baker.
The young Squire Jones is gwain to be a-married, idn 'er? See ex. under KEW, KIN, POOR 2, &c.
In the Ex. Scold, this rule is invariable. Tha young Zaunder Vursdon, 1. 192. Tha old Hugh Hosegood, 11.
133, 134. Tha old Roger Hill, 1. 62.
Tha young George Vuzz, 1. 55. The young
Dick Vrogwill, 1. 32, &c. &c.
3. The is often omitted
(a) Before same. 'Tis same's I always told 'ee. See JOGGY 2, OUT 3, RUN ABOUT, for further examples.
(b) In the phr. "to doors," "to shop," "to
road," "in house,"
"to hill," "to harbour," "to pound,"
"to load," &c. For ex. see
HAPSE, HARBOUR i, HARVEST DRINK, OFF OF, POST OPE, HOME TO, RAKE ARTER, TIMES.
(c) Before names of public-houses or places. In phr. "up in town,"“ in to King's Arms,"“ to
fair."
I'll be to Half-moon to vower o'clock, or else I can meet 'ee to-marra to market.
For further ex. see POOR 3, PEDIGREE, SLIP IT. See also Reports 6 (p. 90) and 8 (p. 113) of Provincialisms,
Trans. Dev. Association, vols. xv.,
xvii.
THERE [dhae'ur], adv. i. In that particular. “You'm out there, mind” /".
e. you are wrong in your assertion in
that particular.
2. There is often omitted at the beginning of a clause. [Waud'n u beet u-laf-,] (there) was not a
morsel left. For further ex. see
HEART, JOBBER, MANSHIP, MOGVURD.
3. Often used redundantly, or by way of extra demonstration, after they there, thick there, that there,
&c.
Mine's a rare knive, but I widn gie much vor thick there there. See EAT, MISTRUST, ROUNDING.
THERE ALONG [dhae'ur laung], adv. of place, implying continuance of
direction. (Always.)
[Dhai aewzez dhae'ur lau'ng bee atrl oa'm vauyd,] those houses along there be all of them void.
THERE AWAY [dhae'ur uwai-], adv. of place. There; in that direction.
In pointing out a locality a person would say,” You can't zee the church herefrom, but he lies out there
away."
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9607) (tudalen 747)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 747
THEREBY [dhae'urbuy], adv. Near that place. (Very com.) Not known in the lit. sense of, by that
means.
Nif I baint there, you'll vind me thereby; I shan't on'y be in to Mrs. Ridler's to Crown.
Al anoneward j?e helm an he}: ys crest a bar adoun,
& fe cercle of gold fat sat }>er-bey: \>Q perles wer worj? a toun,
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 622.
THEREFROM [dhae'urvraum], adv. Thence. Comp. hcrefrom. (Very com.)
[Tiid-n neet ubeo* dree gumrshauts dhae'urvraum'^ it is not, not above three gunshots (distance) thence.
J?an ferthe he smot fan on ys yre: & set him with al ys rnayn,
fat ys hed fle} \erfro fe swyre: ten fet on J>e pleyn. Sir Ferum. 1. 3107.
THERE NOW! [dhae'ur naew!], inter/. (Very com.)
There now! you don't say so!
It is also used threateningly or defiantly.
Nif I catch thee again, I'll kick thy ass, there now!
'T'll take a better man 'an thee to do it, there now!
THERE RIGHT [dhae'ur rai't], adv. of place and time. Then and there; on the spot. (Very com.)
Summons-n? no tino! I took-n pared-n down, there right; an' I'll warn I've a-lef my mark 'pon the
burches o' un, too. See HERE-RIGHT.
$a malchus fas word gehyrde fe se portgerefa him swa hetelice woes tosproecende, he ofdroed sloh adun \>tzr
rihte, and him sylfne astroehte oet foran
eallum fam folce. Ael/ric's Lives of the Saints, De 7 dormientibus, 1.
717.
His body wold he putte in auntre: for ]>ere ri.y f ojte he lyn & li}t hym doun an vndre a tree: a
boje-schot fram fat host.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 89.
THERY [dhuuree], adv. Very. (Com.)
[Aay bee dhuur'ee zauree, bud aay kaa'n uulp oa 1 ut,] I be very sorry, but I cannot help o' it. Comp. THATCHES.
THESE [dhai'z yuur, dheo-zh yuur, uz, -z, -s], dist. adj.
Indefinite [Uez bee dheo'zh yuur bee'us?] whose be these here beasts? /. e. neat cattle.
Definite {Dhai'z yuur tae'udeez bee dhu bas- soa'urt u-groa-,] these (particular) potatoes be the best
sort grown.
[Aay aa'n u zeed-n uz yuurz,] I have not seen him these (/. e. for) years. See THIS.
THEY, THEY THERE [dhar, dhai' dhae'ur], dist. adj. Those.
They things be dearer' n they there.
Indefinite \Dhai m yuung peg'z mus bee u-teok't ee f n,] those young pigs must be taken in.
[Dhai'zh yuur aa'plz bee duub'l zu geo'd-z dhar dhae'ur^\ these apples are double as good as those. See W.
S. Gram. p. 30.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9608) (tudalen 748)
|
748 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Sche take]) a syde Brytamoun: a conseil, & gan him frayne: ^ askej> what buj> \>ay baroun: in
prysoun sche herde playne.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 1216. See also Ib. 11. 2361, 3140, 1824, 5091.
THICK, THICKY [dhik*, dhik'ee], dist. adj. That.
Thick there, thicky there, are equally common; but I am unable to induce any rule for the distinctive use
of either form all seem to be synonymous.
To the two latter, there is often superadded.
See THERE 3. Examples abound herein.
T; binime J?e vuele ancre tylke uniseli gile ]>et ich of seide. Anc. Riiv.
p. 68.
ich am tylke J>at haj> destruied muche of cristente. Sir Ferumbras, 1.
364.
But thilke text hild he not worth an oystre. Chaucer, Prol. 1. 182.
Med. Ay, ay, thik same! you know 'em well enough.
Ben Jonson, Tale of a Tub, III. i.
THICK [thik-], adj. i. Intimate; friendly.
[Twaud'n vuuree lau'ng ugau-n dhai wuz kau'leen waun tuudh'ur bud uvreedhing, un naew dhai bee su dhik'
uz thee'vs,] it was not very long ago
they was calling one another but everything, and now they be so thick as thieves.
2. adj. Imperfect. As” Thick o' yearin'“ (hearing),” Thick o' speech” /". e. indistinct.
THICK-HEADED [thik--ai-dud],0#. Stupid; dull. The reverse of” long-headed," which implies
astuteness rather than brilliancy.
THICK LIFTED [thik- Mf-tud], adj. Short-winded. Poor old fuller, he's a-come terr'ble thick
lifted, sure 'nough. See Ex. Scold. 1.
126.
THICK WET [thik- waef], sb. A dense mist very com. in the west.
'Twas a proper thick wet, you could-n zee not a gunshot.
THIEF [thee'f], sb. A faulty wick in a candle, which causes it to waste. (Very com.)
THING [dhing], sb. i. When applied to persons or articles is mostly depreciatory. A bad tool is [u
rig'lur dhing'~\, with much emphasis
in all cases on dhing.
[Tiid'-n noa yue's vur tu maek dhmg'z, dhai wiid'n buy um,] it is no use to make things (/. e. bad articles),
they would not buy them.
A drunken woman is [u puurdee oal dhing'']. I never heard the word applied to a man, but very often
to a horse. [Dhee-s u-gau-t u dhing m
naew, shoa-ur nuuf], thee hast got a thing now, sure enough, is a very common expression.
On the contrary, when used to express a purpose, action, or result, it has the force of implying
satisfaction.
So you'll come too; that's the thing.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9609) (tudalen 749)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 749
Nif mother'll let us come, 'twill be the very thing.
So again, according to intonation, it expresses content with person or article.
Thick there piece is just the thing. Thick there maid's the thing vor me.
2. Among keepers the regular word for ground vermin.
I've a-lost a lot o' birds way thick there thing [dhik dhae'ur dhing']. Said of a fox.
How we have a-bin a-terrified way [dhing'z] the last vortnight; we've a-killed up a dizen stoats and
varies.
Complaining of not finding game in a favourite spot, I was told, "They zess 'tis the [dhing-z] things
have a-killed it, but I knows better'n
that."
THINGS [dhing-z], //. sb. Cattle; sheep; live stock. This noun of multitude always has a singular
construction.
Anybody wid be a fool vor to keep a passle o' things and starve it.
Urchet! have ee zeed all the things? Ees! I've a-zeed it all.
THINGUMY, THINGUMYBOB, THINGUMYJIG [dhing--umee, dhing-umeebau'b,
dhing-umeejig 1 ], sb. Equivalent to "What d'ye call." Used as a cant name for
any article or tool of which the
speaker for the moment forgets the proper word.
Hand over the thingnmy.
THINK [dhing-k], z/. /. To remember; to bear in mind. (Very com.)
Now take care, mind, and think where you be, and what you be about.
THINK SHAME [dhing-k shee-um], v. i. To be ashamed. I should think shame of anybody belonging
to me if they'd a-bin there.
THIRDLE,0rTHURL[dhuurd-l], adj. Thin; lean; shrivelled; hungry-looking; pinched. Applied to animals,
also to grain. W. H. G., Dec. 6, 1883.
Thy buzzom Chucks were pretty vittee avore tha mad'st thyzel therle and
thy Vlesh all wangery. Ex. Scold. \.
73.
THIS [iiz, -z, -s]. i. Indefinite distinguishing adj., used with nouns denoting time. The sense is for, or
for the space of.
[Aay bae'un kairmeen airm-s wik-,] I be not coming home this week /". e. for a week not as in lit.
Eng., during the current week.
[Yoa-ur dhing-z bun rad'ee fa vairrtnait,] your things (have) been ready this (/. e. for a) fortnight.
[Mtiy tuym ud'n aewt-s twuul'muunth,] my time is not out this (for a) twelvemonth. See W. S. Gram. p. 29.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9610) (tudalen 750)
|
750
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2. [dz, -z]. To denote the immediate
past or immediate future.
Have you seen Mr. John to-day.
[Noa, aay aa-nt u-zee'd-n-z tiie* ur dree' daiz,] no, I have not seen him these two or three days.
I bin out to Holcombe ripping \iiz vau'rtnit] i.e. during the last fortnight.
Your job on't be a-do'd \&z aawur] /. e. for the next hour.
THIS HERE [dhee-uz yuur, dhee'uzh yuur], demon, adj. i. T his /. e. near at hand definite and
emphatic.
[Twaud'-n dhik* dhae'ur, aay tuul* ee, twuz dhee'uz yuur'^\ it was not that, I tell you, it was this.
2. [dhiish- yuur]. This indefinite.
[D hush- yuur uyur oa'n due'; ee mus bee u-au'lturd,] this iron will not do; he must be altered.
The pronunciation of these forms is distinct, and marks the difference. To both is very commonly added
another here, analogous to THERE 3, by
way of extra distinction, but the increase
of meaning is so slight, that it must be considered redundant.
What's all this here here about?
I baint no ways a-tookt up way those here here [dheo'zh yuur yuur] taytotal fullers. See GWAINS ON.
3. [dhiish yuur]. The use of this phrase, not as an actual demonstrative, is quite common, and implies
something new, as “They tell me this here preforated sine is better'n lattin”
(q. v.).
This here mowing o' wheat idn a quarter so good's the old-farshin reapin.
THO [dhoa-], adv. of time. Then. Still the usual form here, though long obsolete in literature. Never
used for then as a conjunction.
Ang.-Sax. *&d.
We bide tellin' ever so long, and tho I looked to my watch, and zeed we 'adn a-got nit a minute to lost,
vor to catch the train.
Her told'n he should have his money, but her 'adn a-got it tho.
And tho he seid to the thrid dorter, Gesta Rom. p. 49; four times on same p.
Tho quath that on, and quad that other,
Owl and Night. \. 117. Also\\. 187, 199.
To do exequies, as was tho the gyse,
Tho seyde he: "O goddes cruel, Chaucer, Knightes Tale, 11. 135,
445.
Charlis to Oliuer saide ]>o: "god help })e, dere herte,
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 324. Also 11. 187, 212, and twenty others.
And at Wynchest' y cronyd he was Of
Elmerston, Y was bysshoppe \>o;
Chron. ViL st. 7. Hundreds in this poem.
t>e bisshop seide so, bycause >at Kyng Henry )>e Secounde was
]>oo i-come in to Irlond
freschliche after J?e martirdom of Seint Thomas of Caunturbury.
Trevisa, vol. I. p. 381.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9611) (tudalen 751)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 751
Many other quotations in Trans. Dev. Association, vol. xvn. (1815), p. in.
THOFF [thairf], adv. Though. (Always so.) The sound of ough in though and trough, as compared with
lit. pron., is exactly reversed
{thau'f, troa', instead of lit. trau'f, dhoa''}. Note also difference of initial, from lit. though.
See W. S. Gram. p. 94. See S-OFF.
Do show as thoffvfo. was in vor a hard winter.
And yet the perty maids, I vow, Make
me vorgive, I can't tell how,
Thoft 'tis a serious matter./*. Pindar, R. Visit to Exeter, st. 7.
My rod da beynd, my reyl da whizz,
As thoffV& hook'd a bool. Pulman, R. Sk. p. 60. Also p. 73.
THONGY [dhaung-ee], v. i. i. To become viscous; elastic. Cider is very often said "to
thongy" when it gets into a peculiar
oily or treacly state called” reamed," or” ropy” (q. v.).
2. adj. Viscous; like oil. See Trans. Dev. Ass. 1885, p. 112.
THORNEN [dhuurneen], adj. Made of thorn. Hence a thorn-hedge is always a [dhuurneen-a.y~].
THORNS [dhuurnz]. In phr. "upon thorns." In a state of excitement.
[Uur bun aui pun dhuurnz dvur zun'z,] she (has) been all upon thorns ever since /. e. in a restless,
fidgety, unsettled state of mind.
The initial th is always dh, as in then, not as in think. Of the many glossaries which give this word not
one defines the initial.
THOU,/?', sec. pers. sing., is not used by the peasantry. The word is always thee. Thee art, tfoJds
[dhee'ds] i. e. thou hadst, thee's
[dhee's], thou hast, thee dis [dhee 1 diis], thou dost, are the usual forms. Plenty of examples are to be
found in these pages.
THREAD [draed (thraed', to the quality)], sb. The spiral convexity of a
screw.
Here, you must cut some more dread to this here bolt.
THREE-CROSS-WAY [dree--krau-s-war]. The meeting of two roads without intersecting. See FOUR-
CROSS-WAY.
THREE OUTS [dree- aewts], phr. Three (with)outs. Used in the very common rustic sarcasm,” A
ginlman way dree outs wit, money, and
manners."
THREE-SQUARE [dree'-skwae'ur], adj. and adv. Triangular. THRID [thriid*], num. Third. A very common
pronunciation.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9612) (tudalen 752)
|
752 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Comp. crids for curds; also quot. below. An exception, too, to the nearly invariable change of thr into dr e.
g. thrash into drash, &c. You be
the thr id body I've a yeard tell o' it. See TH.
Suffren pore men hungry and \>risti and in gret mischef. Wyclif, Works, p.
8.
THROUGH [dreo-, drue'], adv. In phr. "through and out" [drue- un aewt], throughout; during the
entire space of time, place, or
quantity.
The piece was scovy all drue' un aew'ti. e. through its entire length.
THROUGH AND THROUGH [drue- un drue-], adv. Completely through"
The ball went drue' un drue'. I was wet drue' un drue', in home to my skin.
THROW [droa-], v. /. i. To produce; to bear; to bring forth.
Thick mare '11 drew a good colt.
This here ground ought to drew a good lot o* keep.
2. v. t. Of animals to miscarry. See SLIP.
The sorrel mare 've z-drowed her colt.
Sight o' yoes (ewes) about 've ^-drow'd their lambs.
3. v. t. Of a gin or trap to spring it, or send it off.
[Dhu snaap-s v-droa'ud, bud lid'n noa'urt ee*n un,] the trap is thrown, but (there) is not nothing in it.
See DROW 3.
THROW ABROAD [droa- ubroa-ud], v. t. i. Tech. of a saw. To set it so as to make it "carry
more" i.e. cut a kerf large
enough for the plate of the saw to pass readily. See OPE 3.
[Kaa-n due noa'urt wai dhee-uz an'-zau vore aay-v \i-drocfd-n. nbroa'ud } ~\ (I) cannot do anything with
this hand-saw until I have set it.
2. Tech. in ploughing. To turn to the left at the end of a furrow and return. The result is that the
furrows made in going and returning
are turned away from each other, and hence at the finish of each strip there is a double
furrow, called an all-vore (q. z>.).
All this is the precise opposite si gather (q. v.).
The land for ploughing will be marked out and numbered, and each
ploughman is to plough the part
allotted to him, by gathering two-thirds and throwing abroad two-thirds of the seventy yards, the
furrows not to be less than six inches in
depth. Particulars of Culm stock Ploughing Match, Nov. IO, 1886.
THROW IN [droa- ee'n]. In wrestling or "cudgel playing" a ring is kept by the bystanders, and the
form of giving or of accepting a
challenge is to throw the hat into this ring. The umpires (see TRIER) shout [tue aa'ts! tue
aa-ts!] two hats! when two fresh men
are wanted, or [u aa't! u aa't!] a hat, when a
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9613) (tudalen 753)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 753
challenge has been given, or the man in the ring has thrown his man.
[Batrb wuz tu geo'd vairr urn; noa'un oa-m wiid'-n droa- ee'n ugin- un,] Bob was too good for them; none
of them would not” throw in” against
him.
[Aay vaewn u waud'n tu bee noa* kik'een, zoa aay wiid'n droa' ee'n^\ I found that there was to be no
kicking, so I would not wrestle. This
was said to me by a man in great disgust, who
had described to the writer how he had carefully prepared his boots to make them hard, and had gone to a
certain place on purpose to wrestle
with a well-known champion. Throwing in the
hat is precisely equivalent to throwing down the gauntlet in the days of chivalry.
So zoon's I'd a-drowed Jim Moles, none o' the tothers widn drow in agin me /'. e. would not accept my
challenge.
THROWING UP HIS HAND, THROWING UP HIS
LITTLE FINGER [droa*een aup liz an', lee'dl ving-ur]. Cant phr. for drinking.
[Kaa'pikul fuul'ur tu wuurk, neef u daed'n due* zu muuch tu droa'een aup uz an'^\ capital fellow to
work, if he did not do so much at
drinking.
[Zoa yue bun droa'een aup yur lee'dl ving'ur ugee'un, aa*n ee?] so you have been throwing up your little
finger again, have you not? Com. way
of chaffing one who is drunk.
THROW THE HATCHET [droa- dhu aacrrut], phr. To colour highly; to exaggerate.
Must-n always take he's store vor gospel; Thomas can drow ttt 'atchet way anybody.
THRUM [druum], sb. In weaving, when a warp is woven out it is necessary to leave a few inches of
the threads which pass through the
reeds and harness, in order to tie on the ends of the new warp. This part cannot be woven in
consequence of the knot on every
thread, it has therefore to be cut off as waste, and is called a thrum.
PESLES: Thrums; or that which hangs at the end of a piece of cloth like fringe. Cotgrave.
THRVMM, of a clothe. Filamen, K.Y.L.W. villus, fractillus, U.G. infrango.
Promp. Parv.
THRUM of clothe or threade -payne. Palsgrave.
O. High Germ, drum (finis, stirps). O. Dutch drom (liciunt). Stratmann. Hoc licium, a throm 78/17. Liciiun [a
throme\. Wright's Vocab. 592/35.
Approach, ye furies fell! O fates!
come, come;
Cut thread and thrum. Mich. Night" s Dream, V. i.
3 C
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9614) (tudalen 754)
|
754 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
In the Parlor. It'm one Dornex
carpett, iiij old drtttnbe cushions
and cubbord cloth of dornex vj s .
In the Chamber over the Parlor. It'm
vj drumb cushions xx .
1609. Inventory of the goods i &. of Henry Gaudy e^ Exeter.
THUMBS [dhuunrz]. Of an awkward, clumsy-handed person it is usual to say
[Au-1 liz ving-urz bee dhuum'z^ all his fingers are thumbs.
THUNDERBOLT [dhuurrdurboa'lt], v. t. To strike with lightning.
May 28, 1881, the sexton of Minehead church pointed to some repairs in the tower, and said,” He (the
tower) was a thundtrboltcd about of a
sixty year agone."
THURT [dhuurt], v. t. i. To thwart; to oppose; to cross. 'Ton't never do to thurt he the fat's in
the vire torackly.
2. To cross-cut. (Always.)
Why, 'tis a wo'th vive shillings to thurt thick there butt (tree) so well's one shillin's a wo'th another.
3. To plough across the furrows of the previous ploughing. [Yue mus pluw un un dhuur't-n, un pluw un
ugee'un, vur tu
maek* u jau'b oa un,] you must plough him (the field) and thwart him, and plough him again, for to make a
job of him.
THURT AND ACROSS [dhuurt-n ukraa-s], adv. A pleonastic form of across; athwart. (Very com.)
[Ee aup- wai uz stik' un kuuf-n rait dhuurt-n ukraa's dhu baak oa un,] he up with his stick and cut him
right across the back of him.
You be bound vor to car your gutter thurt and across Mrs. Knight's mead, vor t'have fall'd enough.
November, 1882.
THURT-HANDLED [dhuurt-an-ld], adj. Cross-handled of spades, forks, &c.
Thurt- an' led tools be better'n they t'others.
THURT SAW [dhuurt zaa-, zau-], sb. Cross-cut saw. (Always.) Plase to tich up (sharpen) the thurt saw;
can't do nort way un eens he is.
THUSTY [thuus-tee], adj. Thirsty. (Always.) Generally used in begging cups of cider of the missus. A
little polite. Dry is the usual word
to express thirst.
TIB [tiib], sb. Small beer. See SPRING-BUTTON. Th'old Bob on't never drink nort; but
th'old man's oncommon fond of his pint
or two o' tib.
To "drink nort” means not to get drunk.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9615) (tudalen 755)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 755
TICK [tuys], v. t. To entice. (Always.)
I do's my best vor to get-n to school, but they tother boys keeps on ticirt o' un away.
I tyce one by fayre wordes to my purpose. le attice. Do other men as
they lyste, but I wyll nat tyce him to
none yll. Palsgrave.
TICEMENT [tuy-smunt], sb. Encouragement; enticement. There idn no ticement vor to keep it tidy,
vor tidn a-do'd up vive minutes 'vore
they boys 've a-made it all so bad again.
TICHER [tiich'ur], sb. Toucher. In the very common phrase, “So near's a
ticker" = as near as possible; a hairbreadth escape.
'Twas jist a come they hadn a bin a-turned over right into the river 'twas so nigh's a ticker.
TICK FOR TACK [tik- vur taak-], phr. Tit for tat. (Always.)
TICKLER [tik'lur], sb. A sharp stroke with a cane or whip. I gid'n a tickler 'cross the backzide.
TICKLISH [tik-leesh], adj. Causing uneasiness; difficult; uncertain.
'Tis a ticklish job vor to load thick there piece (of timber) mind. Ticklish times. Ticklish weather vor
haymaking.
TICKS [tiks], sb. A small kind of horse-bean.
There idn no sort '11 beat th' old-farshin ticks.
TIDDIVATE [tiid-ivae-ut], v. t. To smarten up; to put on the final touch.
I s'pose must tiddivate up the garden a bit, avore the weddin.
TIDDLY WINK [tud'lee wing-k], sb. An unlicensed public. Same as KIDLEY WINK.
T1DLY [tud'lee], sb. A torn-tit. Parus.
[U tud'leez nas* wai vaawur ag'z een un,] a torn-tit's nest with four eggs in it.
'TIDN [tiid-n],” It is not." (Always.) See IDN.
TIDY [tuydee], adj. Great; large; considerable. There was a tidy lot o' volks there, sure
'nough; could a-travelled 'pon their
heads.
TIE [tuy], v. t. and sb. i. To exactly equal another in some competition; an equal. See RIDE AND
TIE. My dog tied yours, so they must
run again.
2. See tie in BED-TIE.
TIE-BEAM [tuy'-beem], sb. The horizontal part of the framing of a roof; that which ties, or prevents
the” couples” from spreading.
30 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9616) (tudalen 756)
|
756 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
TIED [tuyd], adj. Wool is said to be tied when it is matted in growth. Fleeces are often found like pieces
of felt, these are tied fleeces. See
COT.
Farmers in bargaining for the sale of their wool often say [Aay aa'n u-gairt u tuyd vlee'z tu mee
nae*um,] I have not a matted fleece to
my name.
TIED UP [tuyd airp], adj. Constipated.
I be terr'ble *.-tied up in my inside; and all the doctor's stuff don't do me no good.
TIERS [tuyurz], sb. Short lengths of cord, cut off for the purpose of tying the sacks when measuring
up corn.
TIFFLE [tuf-1], v. t. and /. To unravel the threads of cloth; to make a fringe by drawing out the threads
of weft.
That there stuff on't do 'thout he's a-hem'd he'll all tifly out.
TIFFLINGS [tiifleenz], s-b. pi. Threads drawn from any textile fabric.
I could not get any cotton to match, so I was obliged to hem it with tifflings. This word is used by.
educated people.
TIFFV [tiif-ee], adj. Irritable; easy to take offence; subject to tiffs.
Her widn be so bad nif her wadn so mortal tiffy.
TIGHT [tuyt], adv. and adj. i. Of dough. Stiff in consistency; inclined to solid.
A baker told me, "We always wets the flour in the morning double so tight as we do what we wets
night-times for the ' sponge '“ (q.
v.). That is, it is kneaded into a much more solid paste, or the opposite of” slack” (q. v.).
i. adj. Drunk. (Com. late importation.)
Now, Thomas, you was a little bit tight last night, and I count you vorgot all about it.
TIGHT ARTER [tuyt aardurf, adv. phr. Close after. The bitch was tight arter'n.-, but her wadn
quick enough vor to catch'n vore a
come to the gutter hole.
Come, soce! you be gwain to zlee'up, the wagins be tight arter ee.
For a best when it es born, may ga
Als tite aftir, and ryn to and hz.Hampole, Pricke of Conscience, 1. 470.
TILE [tuyul], sb. Slate for roofing. A
small builder said to me of a linhay to be built [Wiid yue wee'sh tu kuuvur-n wai tuyulz ur
pan'-tuyulz?] would you wish to cover
him (roof) with tiles or pan-tiles?
TILE [tuyul], v. t. Var. pron. See TILL 2.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9617) (tudalen 757)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 757
TILE-STONE [tuyul-stoo'un], sh A roofing slate. Very com. in speaking of single slates.
You mus' 'ave vower good tile-stones and put tap o' thick there chimley.
The win've a-blowed down the tile-stone an' a-tord'n all to pieces.
TYLESTONE (tyle, K.P. tyilstone, A.). Tegula, later. Promp. Paw.
Mi vertu driede as a tiyl-stoon, and my tunge cleuede to my chekis.
Wyclif, Psalm xxi. 16 (xxm A.V.).
Also there is white cleye and redde, where of thei make pottes and
tylestones. Higdcn, Polychron, Rolls
Ser. v. II. p. 19. HarL MS. 2261.
Higden has” et tegulis tingendis." Trevisa translates this
and stenes and o)>er vessel and brent tyle to hele wif> hous and
cherches as hit were, &c.
TILL [tee*ul], v. t. i. To sow seed for a crop.
Thick field's ^.-tilled to whait; last year he was in to turmuts.
2. [tee f ul, rarely tuyul], v. t. To set a gin, trap, or snare.
I must till a snap vor thick there want. Did's zee whe'er the gin was ^.-tilled? There's a new farshin
mouse-snap what don't lack no /////'
he do //// 'iszul.
Tristre is ]>er me sit mid Jje greahundes forte kepen e hearde, ofcer
tillen J)e nettes a3ean ham. Ancren
Riwle, pp. 333-4.
Seint Antonie J)et iseih al Jjene world ful of }?es deofles tildunge. Ib. p.
278.
3. To prepare; to make ready.
Speaking of the sharp practice of some neighbours, a farmer said, "But there, didn make no odds, I
was ^-tilled vor 'em." Nov. 22,
1887.
How J>ys lofe J>e helpe)> at nede
To tylle ]>y soule with almes-dede.
Robert of Brunne, Handlyng Synne, 1. 5673.
Tylyen & trewliche lyven & her flech tempren! P. Plowmaii's Creed, \.
743.
Manning, head-keeper to Sir John H. Heathcoat-Amory, said that on the night in question he and three others went
to Langwood field, part of the home
farm, having received information that some wires were tilled close
by.
Poaching Case in Wellington Weekly News, March 10, 1887.
TILL [till'], sb. The money drawer in a shop. Pronunciation very distinct from v. till.
At the Taunton assizes, Jan. 22, 1886, it was amusing to see how puzzled the judge was at the commonest
words. A woman, who had taken a bad
half-crown, said she” Put it in the
//'//." The judge asked three times,” Put it in the what?”
[Dhu tul', mee Lau'rd.] "The
what?" [Dhu #//.]” What do you mean?
I cannot understand you." [Dhu ////, wur wee du keep dhu muun'ee.] Even then counsel had to
translate.
TILLER [tee-ulur], sb. Of a gin or trap, the part to which the bait is attached, and by which the trap is
' ' tilled” or set.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9618) (tudalen 758)
|
758 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
[Dhee'uzyuur jiiir lid'n noa'geo'd, dhu tee'ulur oa- un-z u-broa'kt,] this here gin is not no good, the tiller of
it is broken.
TILL-TRAP [tee'ul-traap], adj. and sb. Unsafe; unsteady. An insecure scaffold would be a” till-trap
consarn." A rickety chair, a weak
ladder, a broken stool, would all be so described, implying that a person trusting to their
support would be trapped.
Here! mus' 'ave some better materials (q. v.) 'n what that is; I baint gwain up 'pon no jis fill-trap'?,
that there an' tread 'pon nort!
TILTISH [tuTteesh], adj. Of a horse apt to kick. I don't like thick 'oss; I zim is tiltish.
TIMBER [turn-bur], sb. Of a horse stoutness of limb. Good sort of a 'oss plenty o' timber. See
LIGHT-TIMBERED.
TIMBER-DISH [tunrur-dee'sh], sb. A trencher; a wooden platter.
1 can mind avore was much cloam about, 'most everybody used t'ave timmer-dishes tho.
TIME [tuym]; sb. i. The regular hours constituting the day's work.” To lose time” is to be absent from
work.
; Tis ter'ble 'ard vor to be a-fo'ced to lost time vor to go 'vore the Board, and then fo'ce to zen' the boy to
school arter all.
2. In phr.” It will take me all my time” i. e. utmost exertion; all I know.
Promise to finish this week, did'er? then I'll warn't 't'll tak-n all his time.
TIMES [tuymz], adv. i. Many times; very often. (Com.) I knows very well he's gwain 'long way 'er;
I've a-zeed 'em together times.
Missus Ve a-told you times her on't 'ave you comin' to back-door.
2. In phr.” 'pon times” = now and then, sometimes. You can meet way a good one 'pon times.
TIME OF DAY, TO PASS THE [tuym u dar]. Phr. in very com. use, meaning only a civil salutation.
See p. 558.
I never don't have no hanks way they; nif I meets 'em I only jist passes the time o' day, and on I goes.
None would look on her, But cast their
gazes on Manna's face; While ours was
blurted at, and held a malkin Not
worth the time of day. Pericles, IV. iv.
TIME TO COME [tuym tu kairm], adv. phr. In future.
A very intelligent well-to-do farmer said to me, "I do think the ood pigeons '11 be more hurt-n the rabbits,
time to come; they be more destructive
by half." Jan. 15, 1886. (Very com.)
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9619) (tudalen 759)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 75 9
TIMMERN [timrurn], adj. Made of wood, as a” timmern leg." (Always.) *' Timmern hoop,"
"timmern 'an'l (handle) spoon."
[Dh-oa-1 beoks aup tu chuurch-v u-gau't turn-urn fairryulz, au'l oa-m,] the old books up to church have got
wooden forrels (covers), all of them.
"Old farshin timmern buckets be double so good's these yere galvanize things." See TROUBLESOME.
" Wooden” is a literary word used only in fine talk.
TIMMY [tiinree], sb. In the game of rounders, the stick with which the ball is struck. (Always.)
TIMOTHY [tunruthee]. Var. of grass. Phleum Pratense.
TINE [tuyn], sb. The tooth of a harrow or of a rake. 'Tis time they drags was a-tookt abroad,
and the tines o'm a-draw'd out /. e.
repointed.
Ang.-Sax. find, O. Icel. tindr, Mod. H. Germ. zint. Stratmann.
and bitweonen J?eos stalen beo$ ]>e tindes ivestned of alle gode
]>eawes.
Ancren Riwle, p. 354. TINE. To kindle.
See TEEN.
TINKERMENTS [ting-kurmunts], sb.pl Fittings; complications; odds and ends;
tools.
They there mowing machines 've a-got to many tinkerments vor me. Come, soce! put away your tinkerments^ and
let's go to supper.
TINKER'S GEE [ting-kurz gee-], sb. Tinker's gift. One of the similes for expressing extreme
worthlessness.
I widn gee a tinker's gee vor-n. See COBLER'S CURSE.
TINKER TAILOR GRASS [ting-kur taa-yuldur graa's], sb. Cock grass. Plantago Lanceolata. So called
from a game which girls of the better
class play with it; striking the heads together, and at each blow saying in succession,” Tinker,
tailor, soldier, sailor, gentleman, apothecary, ploughboy, thief." The
blow which knocks the head off marks
the one of these professions which is to be that of the future husband. See SOLDIERS. This name
is also applied to Lolium Perenne, and
the same formula is gone through in counting
the alternate buds upon the stalk.
TINKER UP [ting-kur airp], v. t. To cobble or mend in a temporary manner.
The horses had bolted and broken the pole of the carriage, when a bystander said,” Be sure can tinker up
thick, eens he'll [lee'us au-m] last
home." October, 1869.
TINNER [tiin'ur], sb. Tunner or funnel for filling tuns or casks. (Always.)
Maister lackth to borry the tinner, 'cause he's gwain to rack some cider.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9620) (tudalen 760)
|
760 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
TINO! [tuynoa!]. Negative expletive. Commonly used with no in reply to a question. No doubt it is a
shortened form of “that I know." (Very com.) Same as ZINO! =“ as I know
of."
Be you gwain to put your name down? No, tino I He on't come, tino!
[Snoa- u mmree u wau'z?] dost know how many there was? No, tino!
TIP [tiip], v. t. i. To tilt up; to drink; to drain the cup /. e. tip it up so that all runs out.
Come! tip it up, don't lef none for manners.
2. sb. A drink; a draught.
[Yuur, Bee -ill! wiit ae u tup'? yuur-z dhu vuurkeen,] here, Bill! wilt have a tip? here is the firkin.
3. sb. Tech. Toe-plate on a boot.
To new pair cues and tips, 6d. Shoemakers Bill.
TIP TOP [trip- taap], adj. Very best; capital; excellent.
I calls'n a tip tap hat, none o' your vower and ninepenny shiners.
TISTY-TOSTY [tuVtee-tau'stee], sb. The ball-shaped flower of the Guelder rose; also a ball made of
primroses to amuse children.
TYTE TUST, or tusmose of flowrys or othyr herbys (tytetuste or tussemose,
s.). Olfactorium. Promp. Parv.
TISHUMS [tee-shumz], sb. Sneezing.
Her'd a-got the tishums so bad her disturved all the church.
Comp. Welsh, tisio, and Heb. atisha.
TISS, TISSY [his-, tuVee], v. /. To hiss. (Always.) [Yue zuf-n aup, dhaat-s aui; ee'ul tus'ee
sae'um-z u kauk geo'z,] you set him
up, that's all; he will hiss same as a cock goose. So zoon's the cider do begin to tissy, 'tis
time to rack it.
TISSER [tiis'ur], sb. A slow match; a squib.
The best thing vor a wapsy's nest is a tisser. I makes em way some wet powder an' a little brimstone.
I'll kill every one o'm, eens you can
dig 'n out.
TIT [tut, teet], sb. Anything very small. Comp. TOM-TIT.
A little tit of a fuller; why he idn no higher-n a tuppenny loave.
TITCH'OOD [tuclreo-d], sb. Touchwood; rotten, phosphorescent wood.
We can't do nort way un, sir, he's so ratted's titcKood.
T1TSUM [tut -sum], sb. The plant Hypericum androsamum.
" We always calls it tttsum, but I reckon tidn the proper name o' ut." Oct. 3, 1882. Huish
Champflower.
Prior says this is Fr., and that the plant is still called by the common people in France toute-saine.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9621) (tudalen 761)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 76 [
TITTERVATE [tufurvae'ut], v. t. To aggravate; to incense. 'Tis a pity eens they can't get on; but her
do tittervate-n. terr'ble.
TITTERY [tiit-uree], v. i. To stutter or stammer.
[Wuy-s-n zai* haut-s u-gau'ut vur zar, neet buyd tut'ureen dhae'ur sae'um-z u aa-feol bab-ue'n?] why dost not
say what (thou) hast got for (to) say,
not bide stuttering there same as a half-fool baboon?
'Tis a terr'ble pity the boy should tittery zo.
TITTY [tufee], sb. i. Teat; breast of a woman; of a domestic animal [taef ].
Welsh, did, didi; Irish, did; Hebrew, dad; Arabic, tedi; Ang. Sax., tit; O. Dutch, titte; Fr., tette; O.
Fr., tete; Span., teta; Ital., tetta;
Icelandic, tdta; Germ, zitze.
Mammille, tittas . Wrighf s Voc. 265/6.
TETE, Uber.Promp. Parv.
bi j?eo titles J)et he sec ]>e mile ]>et hine uedde. Anc. Riwle, p.
330.
Whi was Y takun on knees? whi was Y suclid with teetis? Wyclif, Job in. 12.
Thi twei tetis ben as twey kidis, twynnes of a capret. /., S. of Sol. iv. 5.
T; teon J>e titles awei of >ine bare breosten. Life of S. Katherine, I.
2098.
be quite es zey, a grabbling o' wone's tetties. Ex. Court. 1. 375.
2. Also the milk from the teat.
Here then, my pretty, mother will give him some titty.
TITTY TODDY [tee 'tee taud'ee], adj. phr. Vacillating; undecided; silly;
fussy; crochety.
Never look arter a titty toddy old fuller like he 'tis one thing one minute and another the next way un.
TOTERON, or waveron'. Vacillo. TOTERYNGE, or waverynge. Vacillacio.
Promp. Parv.
TO \\.\\\, prep. i. On; upon.
[Dhik's t-aevee tu kaa'r tu yur baa'k,] that one is too heavy to carry to (/. e. on) your back.
2. Out of; as "go to doors," always said to dogs. He turned to. and put em all to doors. This latter is
the ordinary way of speaking of a
publican clearing his house.
'Tis whisper'd thou wert turn d to door,
HLotf. Job-like, very, very poor. Peter Pindar, Ode vm. To PITT.
3. Belonging to. There never wadn no kay to un.
4. [tu, tiie-]. (a) At, or by (working at, understood).
[Ee du git liz hiveen tu tae-udee jaewleen], he do get his living to tatie jowling.
Anybody can't sar their wages to it /. e. by working at it for that price.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9622) (tudalen 762)
|
762 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
*
At the Wellington Board of Guardians a farmer, residing many years at Culmstock, asking about the
earnings of an applicant for relief,
said, "What do her aim it to?" November 25th, 1886.
Steady chap, he's always to work.
(b). At. Applied to games in the sense of playing at.
[Twaud*-n ubeo* vaawur u-klauk*, bud dhae'ur dhai wau'z, au'l tu kyiirdz), it was not above (past) four
o'clock, but there they was, all to
cards /. e. playing at cards.
I know he was there, I zeed-n 'long way em to skittles.
)>o )>at williej) to leue at hame ' pleye]) to ]>e eschekkere, & summe of hem to iew-de-dame ' &
summe to tablere:
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 2224.
5. At. Applied to (a) place (always), or (I)) position, or (c) direction, distance.
(a) Her do live to Taun'un, to sarvice.
A sight o' vokes to fair.
I zeed'n to market a Zadurday. See STRAIN.
Bi J?ay were tened at ]>e hy^e, and taysed to j?e wattre}, Sir Gawayne, 1.
1169.
to fynde pore children able of witt & lyuynge to scole for to lerne,
Wydif, Works, p. 176.
In the phr.” was to” /. e. was at, or came to. At the Wellington Board a Guardian, not the above, but a
younger man, said of an applicant for
relief, "Her was to me last night." Nov. 25th, 1886.
(b) In the com. phrases, "to the very outside," "to the
very least."“ To the very nick o'
time." See FRIGHTEN.
(c) In connection with home. See HOME TO.
6. At. Applied to time.
I'll be ready to dree o'clock. He told me he'd do un to once.
No doubt this invariable use has led to the confusion of ideas, and consequent change of directly into
torackly. (Always.) Also in the phr.
"to last," the regular equivalent for "at last," which
has probably arisen from the contr. of
the phr.” Come to last" (q. v.).
To last, the poor thing couldn' stan' it no longer; her was a-fo'ced to lefm.
Zo maister Ve a-gid thee the bag to last, I've a-looked vor't 's ever so long. See SHIRK OFF.
My line got hitch'd below, ta las',
Zo I lied along upon the grass. Pulman, Ktts. Sk, p. 34.
7. adj. phr.
(a) Inconvenienced; alarmed; moved; excited.
Her was a// to about it, and no mistake.
(b) Applied to harnessing horses to a carriage.
John! missus says you must// to directly (rather genteel).
8. adv. Forward, in the phr.” to and again."
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9623) (tudalen 763)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 763
The hyener widn bide quiet a minute; there a was gwain to an' again in the cage all the day long.
9. In, or so far as concerns; used with health.
A farmer said in answer to inquiry for his wife,” Her's very well to health, on'y her's a-crippled up
terr'ble.
An hors is false to healthe; Wyclif, Psalm xxxn. (xxxm.) 17.
10. Of.
" Mr. Elworthy to Foxydown," is the regular description of the
author. [Mus'tr Uul-wiidhee tu Fauk'seedaewn.]
" Whose sheep are those?” “Mr. Bond's to Perry Elm, sir." In all the above the sound is very short as
in rapid speech
we sound the in” the book."
11. [the*], prep. Used redundantly by way of compliment to certain adverbs of place; always at the end
of the clause.
I can't think wherever they be to. Where's a- put the gimlet to?” Her didn't zay where her was a-gwain to.
At a political meeting at Taunton, Nov. 8th, 1885, a man shouted, "Where's Gordon tot"
1 2. [tu, t- dee], adj. This, with year, afternoon, as in lit. /0-day, fr-night.
Maulscrawls be ter'ble plenty to-year [dee yuur].
Your boots was a-zen 'ome farternoon (q. v.), to vower o'clock.
Wee shall lose our harvest to yere. 1642. Rogers, Naaman, p. 617.
13. adv. as a prefix = asunder; in pieces; completely. (Rare.) Reported as used in Devonshire, Mar. 1881.
See Trans. Devon
Association, 1881.
Bot )>e gynys dude }>o an5 alt to barst. 1420. Chron. Vilod. st. 1103.
Cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimeleck's head, and all to brake his
skull.
Judges IX. 53.
14. adv. as a prefix to the gerund = for; for the purpose of; for the sake of; for doing.
I've a-tookt all Mr. Bond's grass to cuttin'.
Thick hedge is a wo'th two shillins a rope to makin'.
So also "to doing," "/<? digging," "/*
building," "Crashing," &c.
Thick there rat's a wo'th zixpence to killin'.
15. For.
Tradesmen's bills are always
s. d.
To one new pair of hameses I 6
To repairing a spade I o
To master's boots soled and heeled 3 6
To account rendered, &c.
16. [tu], prep, implying connection.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9624) (tudalen 764)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9625) (tudalen 765)
|
764 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
What's he to her? /. e. what connection has he with her? They baint nort to me.
17. According to; in accordance with. This use is purely commercial, and if provincial is not
dialectal.
The goods are not to order.
MADAM, The goods to your esteemed order are this day forwarded, &c.
Note from a Draper, October 1885.
1 8. With.
I likes a bit o' sugar to my tay.
19. In comparison with, in phr. nort to.
Thick there idn nort to tother. He idn nort to his brither.
20. Very often omitted before the infinitive, especially the infinitive of purpose, which takes for
before it.
You know he did'n go vor do it i. e. did not intend to do it.
You no call vor zay how you zeed me.
Maister's gwain same purpose vor spake to the jistices vor me.
At Wellington Board of Guardians the relieving officer said a certain person was "in a position vor
contribute" towards maintaining his mother. Nov. 25th, 1886.
A farmer, native of and resident at Morebath, came to me for advice as to emigrating to New Zealand, and
speaking of leaving his farm, said,”
I'd a-got all my wuts vor zell;” and in the same conversation said, "We'm bound vor
pay. We've a-got vor do' t." June
25th, 1886.
21. [tiie-], prep. Go or have understood.
The usual way to set on a dog is,” To un! to un, Pinch!” /. e. Go at him.
22. As a mere connective in alliterative phrases e.g. Rattle-/0-rip. See
HESK, LOP-TO-LURRUP, C RINK-TO-CRANK, JIG-TO-JOG.
23. prep. In. Often more distinct and longer than the adv. too. [tue*pees-ez] to pieces. See LADE 2.
24. adv. xs\&prep. Often loses its vowel before another vowel. What's the clock? Vive minits [t-aa-yt]
/'eight. You be [t-ai'gur]
/'eager by half. He's /'old vor thee, mun. Her was 'ome /'Easter, but I 'ant a-zeed her sinze. He do live out
/'Anstey. See Too.
Wi)> that >e Sarsyns reliede hem J>er: & )>e frensche men
gunne /assaile.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 963.
25. Sometimes omitted, especially in phr. to-morrow. See TOAKENY.
TOADERY [toa-uduree], sb. Rubbish, weeds, or any undesirable object, such as
dock seed mixed with seed corn, poppies, or
other weeds among the wheat.
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 765
[Dh-eo'1-z veo-1 u toa'uduree dee yuur,] the wool is full of foreign substances this year.
[Aay zai'n dhee vur u baa'ru veol u geo'd duung*, dud-n ees? u n neet vur u paa'sl u toa'uduree sae'um-z
dhiish yuur'], I sent thee for a
barrow full of good dung, did not I? and not for a parcel of rubbish same as this here is.
TOAD UNDER A HARROW. (Actual Dialogue.)
[ Wife. Un'eebau'dee miid su wuul* bee u too'ud uun'dur u aa'ru-z bee u foo'us tu leev saenim-z aa*y bee laung
u dhee' tiiz skan'lus un shee-umfeol
aew aay bee' u-saa*rd! Husband. U uunvun-z airvees u-saa*rd wuul* neef uur ud*n u-aat ubaewt,
un dhee' aar't-n mivur u-aa't ubaewt,]
one may as well be a toad under a harrow as be forced to live same as I be along with thee
it is scandalous and shameful how I be
served! A woman is always well served if she is not hit about, and thee art not never hit
about. Comp. this with TWUD, Oxford
Gloss, p. 102.
TO AND AVORE [tiie- un uvoa'r], adv. Forwards and backwards. In ploughing, or
other work on land, the implement is
said to go to an' avore. See To 8
An work'd et too'n avore y agin
Ha com'd ta zau tha barly in; N. Hogg, Ser. I. p. 50.
TOBY-TROT [toa'bee-traat], sb. A softy; a simpleton. He's a bit of a toby-trot, too, he is; I
zim he 'ant a-got all 'is buttons.
TO-DAY MORNING [tu-dai' mau'rneen, usually contracted to dai' mau'rneen]. This morning. (Very
com.) I zeed-n day morniri vore
breaksus. We com'd away day morniri
'bout o' vive o'clock.
TODDLY ALONG [taud'lee lairng], v. i. To move on. Come, Bill! we can't bide no longer, 'tis
gettin' late, we must t oddly 'long.
TO DO [tu due 1 ], sb. Disturbance; uproar; quarrel. Purty to do up to board, wad-n 'er? I yeard
'em zay 'ow 'most come to faitin' way
'em.
TO DOING [tu due-een]. In phr. "to take to doing" i.e. to scold.
Missus tookt me to doin\ sure 'nough, 'bout the milk, but I could-n help o' it.
TOER [toa'ur], sb. Toe. Er is added to toe and /^redundantly.
What's the matter? Squat my toe-er. See LEGGER.
" War toe-ers!” is always the warning against a falling weight.
TOE-RAG [toa'-rag], sb. Dried salt cod-fish. (Always.)
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9626) (tudalen 766)
|
;66 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Anybody must have a bit o' mait now and again anybody can't auvis live 'pon toe-rag.
TOGGER [taug'ur], sb. The moveable handle, including iron work, fixed by ring and wedge, to the snead
of a scythe.
The togger-\iQ [taug'ur-uyur] is the iron tang welded to a ring, upon which the wooden A?gg?Hiandle
[taug'ur-an'l] is fixed.
The best thing you can have for togger- ari les is a ivy-drum.
I've a-got a good snead, but there idn no toggers to un.
Ang.-Sax. teogan, to tug.
ne loken ueste o none monne: ne toggen mid him, ne pleien.
Anc. Riw. p. 424.
TOGGERY [taug-uree], sb. Fine clothes; decorations. I zeed-n all a-drest out in all his best
toggery, same's off was a-gwain to be
a-married. (Late importation.)
TOKE [toa-k], sb. Cant name for bread.
A bit o' fokJs all I can meet way vor breaksus, 'thout 'tis a ing-un behap.
TOKEN [toa-kn], sb. A portent; a forewarning; a death sign. There is an implication of awe or dread in
the use of the word in this sense.
[Dhu vuuree nai't u-voa'r ee* duyd, sau'mfeen uurnd u-kraa's dhu roa'ud jist u-voa'r mee, ee'ns aay wuz
u-kaunreen oa'm laung. Aay noa'us twuz
u ae'ur, un aay dhau'rt dhoa* ee'ns twuz u toa'kn; un gin- aay kmd oa-m, neef ee' ad-n u-jis't
u-draap't u-wai'.]
The very night before he (husband) died, something ran across the road just in front of me, as I was
coming homewards. I know it was a
hare, and I thought then that it was a token; and by the time I reached home, if he had not
just fallen down in a fit.
Ang.-Sax. tdcen, a sign. Dutch teeken. Germ, zeichen. Tokne, of a thynge to cumme or cummynge.
Pronosticiim. Promp. Parv. Token of a
thyng to come presaige, signc. Palsgrave.
For roting es na better rede;
In taken he man was suld be dede. Cursor Mundi, Magi, 1. 133.
By certayn tokens, als yhe sal here,
t>at byfalles when J^e ded es nere; Pr. of Conscience, 1. 814.
TOKENY [toa-knee], v. i. To threaten; to give signs; to betoken.
[Aay ziinr du toa'knee vur raayn,] I consider (it) appears likely to rain.
Also used technically in speaking of animals.
Her toa-knus, zo her Wt be long /. e. she will calve soon. ^ [Uur toa-kn us s-au-f uur-d kaa'vee voa'r
maar'u mairrneen,] she give signs as
though she would calve before to-morrow morning.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9627) (tudalen 767)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 767
[Du toa'knee vur snoa-, aay ziim,] (It) do betoken for snow, I fancy.
3e token yuele )>e kny^t of prys: & yuele Jou schal be-tyde. Sir Per.
1. 939.
Al hali kirc, als thine me,
Mai by this schippe takened be. Homilies in Verse, Stilling the Tempest, 1.
23.
TOKER [toa-kur], sb. Money; wherewith.
I should like to buy one nif on'y I'd a-got the toker.
TOLL [toa-1], sb. The quantity of meal kept by the miller for grinding another's corn.
Hence our vernacular version of, Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle, is [Dhu toa-l-z moo'ur-n dhu gree's,] the
toll is more than the grist.
TOLLYNGE, of myllaris. Multura, vel molitura. Promp. Parv.
I tolle, as a myller doth. You shal tolle, or you go, or I wyll tolle for
you.
Palsgrave.
Wei cowde he stele corn, and fallen thries;
And yet he hadde a thombe of gold parde. A whight cote and blewe hood wered he.
Chaucer, ProL (description of Miller), 1. 562.
TOM-CAT. The saying put upon us,” Everything is he except a tom-cat, and that's a she," is a
literary hoax, because among dialect
speakers ram-cat and ewe-cat [yoa'-kat] denote the sexes.
TOMMY [taunree], sb. Bread. Used alone, it does not mean provisions in general, while in combination
it does, as in” tommy-basket,"“
TOM-POT [tairm-paut], sb. The name of a well-known red apple, excellent for dumplings.
TONGUE-TIED [tuung'-tuyd], adj. i. Indistinct in utterance; also sometimes, stuttering. Frequently it
means unable to express, or to get out
what is wanted to be said.
Hot ailth the bwoy, is 'er tong-tied?
2. Silent, as a witness in fear of incriminating himself.
TONGY [tuung'ee], v. i. To give tongue, as a hound; also to talk volubly.
I yeard the hounds tongy, and tho' I zeed the fox gwain on under the hedge in the very same field
where I was to work.
I zim her do tongy to much vor me.
TOO [tu, very short, t- before a vowel], adv. i. The pronun. of this word is peculiar and distinct as
compared with lit. Eng. In the sense
of over and above, excess, it is very short, unless particular emphasis is to be given [Aiy, tu
loa*, tu beg', tu lairng, /-ai'zee,
/-aevee,] too high, too low, too big, too long, too easy, too
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9628) (tudalen 768)
|
768 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
heavy the stress is on the adj. instead of on the adv., as in Standard Eng. Sometimes, but not often, it
is emphasized specially, as” Thick's a
little bit [tue- raung-k] too rank."
but drawen pore mennus almes and liflode to here owne couent >at ha>
to moche of worldly goodis. Wyclif,
Works, p. 13.
is our lord god, whom we lovith to liter! j Gest. Rom. p. 53.
my derworjx; herte,
to heij vs hastily henne, ' ich hope be }>e best, euenly Vis euen while * or men to mochel
walk.
Will, of Palermo Wei-wolf, 1. 1745.
See also ill. Rogers, Hist, of Naaman, p. 96, under ITEM. The second o in this word is comparatively
modern spelling.
2. In the sense of likewise, also too is always long. An' a good job [tue-] too. I zeed thee
there [tue'] too. I know of no
exceptions to the above rules of pronun. of this word.
TOOKT [tfeok-t],/. /. of take. i. To seize with sudden illness. In this sense used only in the past tense
and p. part.
The pain tookt her in the back.
Her was &-tookt fust in the zide, and tho the pain urned all over her.
2. With away. To take away cattle, is to remove them from pasture; to unstock.
'Tis time they there young bullicks was &-tookt away, they baint doing no good.
All stock an' cattle twtid away^
An' kip'd atwum 'pon strow an' hay. Pulman, R. Sk. p. 62.
TOOKT BY THE HEAD [teok't bee dh-ard],//*r. Nearly drunk.
Rare trade, that there, I never didn drink but about of a pint o' it, but I'll be darned if I wadn most
z.-tookt by tti head.
TOOL [teo-ul], sb. Person; subject.
Well, he idn much o' it; I calls-n a proper poor tool.
TOOL [teo-1 emphatic, tl unemphatic\. It will. [77 ta-ek'-n au'l uz tuy-m aay tuul'ee,
/&?/,] it will take him all his
time I tell you, it will.
TOP [taup], sb. Tech. i. A bundle of combed wool as made up by the comber for spinning usually
weighing about 281bs. See SLIVER. At
present the word is applied to the bundles of
combed wool from the machine hand combing having been quite superseded.
2. Hunting. The top of a slag's horn.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9629) (tudalen 769)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 769
A fine stag was killed after a good run of three hours, having the top of
one horn shot off, the remaining horn
had three on top with all his rights.
Colly us, p. 211.
After a great deal of trouble he was taken, some distance round the
point, brought into Porlock Weir, and
killed by the huntsman a large, heavy deer,
with two upon top on each side. Wellington Weekly News, Aug. 19, 1886.
TOP [taap],/r#. Upon. Short for "upon the top of." Where's the kay o* the poun'-'ouse? I lefm
tap the shilf day mornin'.
Wile es kainid an starid an gapsnested roun,
A girt cartload a pudd'ns com'd in tap the groun.
Nathan Hogg, Ser. I. p. 30.
Tha Daysy tap tha grave. Ib. Ser. II. p. i.
TOP-AND-TAIL, or TOP-ON-TAIL [taap'-m-taa-yul], adv. phr. i. Head over heels; upside down. (Always.)
[Nuvur zee'd noa 1 jis dhing uvoa'ur; dhu poa'nee puut liz veot. een u rab'ut's oa'l un praup'ur tuurnd
taap'-m-taa'yul^ aa's oa'vur ai'd,]
(I) never seed no such thing before; the pony put his foot in a rabbit's hole and proper turned
top-on-tail, ars over head.
Richt be the nek full felonly,
Till top our tail I he gert hym ly. Barbour s Bruce, 1. 454.
2. Tech. Mode of laying a thin coat of thatch.
Thatchers ask if you want the roof to be” thatched," or if the reed shall be put up taap'-m-taayul i. e.
with the dag or bottom end upwards.
See Stratmann, ist ed. p. 504.
TOP-DRESS [taap--dras], v. t. To manure the surface upon the growing crop.
I shall top-dress every bit o' my corn de year.
TOP-DRESSING [taap'-dras-een], sb. A manuring upon the growing crop, instead of ploughing the
manure into the land.
TORD [toa-urd],/. t. of to tear. (Always.)
Thick there bwoy hained a stone and tord the winder. See BROKT. See W. S. Gram., p. 48.
TOSS-BALL [tau-s-baal], sb. A soft ball for children to play with. TOSS-POT [tairs-paut], sb. A drunken sot.
TOSTICATED [tairstikae-utud], adj. Intoxicated. Rather a “fine” word, and
sometimes slightly facetious.
Well, William, zo you was a little bit tosticated, wad-n ee, last night? I thort you weared a blue ribbin.
TOT [taut], v. t. Generally with up. To add or count up; to ascertain the total. This is probably a
slang word, but it has become very
com. among all classes.
Have-ee a-/b/ up the figures? How much do it tot up to?
3 D
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9630) (tudalen 770)
|
770 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
TOTELING [toa-tleen], adj. Slow; inactive; dead alive; decrepit from age.
Poor toteliri old fuller, way one voot in the grave.
A toteling, wambling, zlottering, zart-and-vair yheat-stool. Ex. Scold. 1.
53.
TOTELY [toa-utlee], v. i. To slouch about idly; to dawdle. Let thee alone, thee 't totty about gin
Zadurday night over thick bit of a
job.
TOTHER [tuudh-ur], adj. i. Other = alter. See W. S. Gram., p. 28. (Usual form.) See OTHER. Jinny, urn up arter my father coat.
2. The other.
I'll have one or tother o'm, be how 'twill! See RAP 4.
Tothere, or the tothere (to>ir or the other, K. P. toyere or toder, s.).
Alter, reliquus, alms. Promp. Parv.
>ei han neij?er J>e ton ne J>e toiler. Wyclif, Works, p. 190.
Bot >e to shaft for >e toy dye.
And a martyr be, y wys. Chron. Vilod. st. 236.
To mon }>ou shalle knele opon |e ton,
J>e tcfyer to ]py self )>ou halde alon.
>e ton to stabulle >e to^er. Boke of Curtasye, 11. 165, 169.
3. Another, in the very com. phr. "one tother." I zeed 'em 'busin' one tother. This would
be often varied to one or tother, with
same meaning. See RALLY 2.
Wull thay hug'd up wan tother in za luving a way.
Nathan Hogg, 'Bout tha Bal Ser. i. p. 24.
TOTLE [toa-utl], sb. An idler. The word rather implies a slouching, lazy dawdler. The sb. is rare,
but the vb. com.
Tottle is a very common surname, no doubt a form of the old Totehylle or Toothill. It is very likely
too that the lazy, dawdling work of the
look-out man or toteler, may have led to the present meaning of totle.
TOTEHYLLE. Specula. TOTE HYLLE, or hey place of lokynge. Conspicillum.
Promp. Parv. See Way's note.
TOTTERARSE [taut 1 uraa-s], sb. One who walks in a tottering, infirm manner.
Th' old Will Jones is proper a-doned up, sure 'nough; I ant a-zeed no such old two double totterarse
'is longful time.
TOUCH [tikrr], ,sb. i. Time; turn; season.
I zim I've a-had it purty smart [dhee-uz] touch. I baint gwain to take no grass to cuttin*
[dhee-uz tuclr] this touch i. e. this
season.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9631) (tudalen 771)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 7/1
2. Attack; seizure; illness.
Well her-ve a-'ad a middlin' touch o' the inferrnation; but her's about again now, thankee, mum.
3. Miss; chance.
'Twas a near touch he 'adn a-died.
TOUCH-AND-GO [tuch'-n-goa-J, phr. A narrow shave; a near miss.
'Twas touch-and-go; another inch, mind, and over you must a went.
TOW [toa], sb. i. The refuse or short stapled part of any fibrous material, such as hemp-/bo/,
flax-/02^, silk-Arw, lamb-/0/ i. e.
tow of wool, because lamb's wool is so much shorter in staple than fleece. In ordinary use tow alone is
the refuse of flax.
2. In the phr. "in tow" i. e. in progress.
A person negotiating with another would say,” I've got him in tow; I expect he'll come round." Only
applied to persons or to business with
persons, not to work or machinery; the latter would be "in track."
TOWERY [taawuree], v. i. In shooting it very frequently happens that a bird is struck in the brain.
Instead of dropping at once it
frequently flies on as if untouched for a greater or less distance, it then seems to soar straight
up, sometimes to a great height, and
then always falls dead. To soar up in this fashion is “to towcry"
I know'd you'd vin un dead zoon-'s I zeed-n towery.
TOW 7 N [taewn], sb. A collection of houses; sometimes a single farm. The word would not be used alone to
express a farm or very small hamlet,
but is always preceded by the name of the
place. At Exton, a parish of North-west Somerset, is an example of each kind,” IrLootown” is the name of a
single farm,” Bridgetown” is that of a public-house, a mill, and about three
cottages nearly a mile from the church
and village.
It is usual to speak of any village by its name with town added. Thus the village at Exton is always
Exton-/6>aw, though there are only
the parsonage, schools, and a dozen or fifteen cottages.
So also in all parts of the district the villages are called towns when the collection of houses is specially
referred to. Huish-fown,
Winsford-^w//, Withypool-/0ow, Exford-/<?7/;z, Cutcombe-/0z/#,
&c., all these will be quite
familiar to frequenters of the Devon and
Somerset stag hunt.
It is not uncommon to speak of single farms in the same way when distinguishing the house and
collection of farm buildings from the
farm as a whole.
Hal. is wrong in his definition, the word is only applied as above.
3 D 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9632) (tudalen 772)
|
772
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
through Oaktrow Wood . . . and down the water almost to Timberscombe
Rec - N' Dev ' Staghounds, p. 59.
down the road to Swimbridge Town, up the Swimbridge Water. Ib. p. 70. ran a hind from Storridge to Upton Wood,
King's Brompton Town. . . Back by Lee
Farm to Exton Town. Jb. p. 79.
TOZE [toa-uz], v. t. To disentangle; to comb, or card. (Always.) A nurse said to a lady recovering from
sickness, whose hair had become
matted, "You must have patience, my dear, and let me toze it out, a little to a time." Ang.-Sax. t&sant&sel, teasle.
TOSYNGE, of wulle or oj>er thyngys. Carptura.
TOSON' wulle or other lyke (tosyn or tose wul, S.). Carpo. Pr. Parv.
I toose wolle, or cotton, or such lyke. It is a great craft to tose wolle
wel.
Palsgrave, p. 760. What schepe that is
full of wulle, Upon his backe they
tose and pulle. Cower; ProL Conf. A mantis, 1. 17.
TRACE [trae-us], v. t. i. To plait. (Always.)
I can't only trace dree, but our Jim can trace zix, or so many's
he's a mind to.
2. v. t. To track in the snow usually applied to hares. The foot-print of a hare in the soil is a
"prick," but in snow a” trace"
TRACE-HARNESS [trae'us-aarnees], sb. The harness worn by a "vore horse" in a cart team,
as distinguished from the “breeching," or that worn by a wheeler. This
term is a little fine, rather an
auctioneer's term; those in common use by farm carters are "cripping" (q. v.}
and "breeching."
Nine sets of breeching and trace harness, waggon lines, picks and rakes,
“Booby's” corn screen. Adv. of Sale, Wellington Weekly News, Oct. 15, 1885.
TRACK [traak], sb. Good order.
Mind and zee the drashin' machine's in track now, neet to keep the volks gapin' one across tother while
you be doin' o' un.
TRADE [trae-ud], sb. Stuff of all kinds; liquor. A Cockney might call bad beer "poor
stuff," we should call it
"poor trade"“ Whitpot's rare trade" See TOOKT BY THE
HEAD. Inferior materials would be
called "roughish trade, sure 'nough." See Reports 2, 5, 6, 8, Devon
Provincialisms, Trs. Dtv. Assoc.
TRADESMAN [trae'udzmun], sb. A handicrafts-man the old use; not applied to a shopkeeper.
A farmer's wife apologized for the noise a carpenter was making, and said,” We can't get the tradesmen to
come when we wants 'em, and when they
do we got to put up way 'em."
TRAIL [trae-ul], sb. Of an otter the line of scent followed by the hounds before starting the quarry.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9633) (tudalen 773)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 7/3
We vound a fresh trail right across two meads, but they could-n make no hand o' it, and we never vound th'
otter. See DRAG, WALK.
TRAIN [traa'yn], sb. A line of corn laid down to attract sparrows, or game. The fowler concealed
shoots along the train, and so makes
greater havoc, killing twenty or thirty at a shot.
TRAMMEL [traanvul], sb. A net used for river poaching. It is a kind of seine, but attached to rings
sliding on a long pole.
TRANSUM [traan-sum], sb. Tech. A cross bearer used by sawyers to support the end of the piece. A
spare support thrown across the” pit”
would be also called a transum. See BOLSTER-PIECE, PIT-ROLLER.
TRAP [traap], v. t. To cause to fall, by the sudden giving way of support, or by the tilting up of that
which supports.
I must have a better scaffold; I baint gwain up there vor to be ^.-trapped like a toad, and vail down and
break my neck.
A very favourite amusement for cruel boys is to trap a toad. A straight piece of wood is laid upon some
support, so that a part projects over
the edge, the toad is then placed at the other or long end of the lever thus made, a blow with
something heavy is then given on the
projecting end, which causes the toad to be thrown perpendicularly to a great height.
TRAPES [trae-ups], sb. i. A term for a slatternly, bedraggled wcman; a slattern. See Ex. Scold. 11. 65,
158, &c.
2. sb. A muddy walk; a trudge through mud.
I widn go another jis trapes, no not vor no money.
TRAPESY [trae*upsee], v. i. To walk by a wet and muddy path. See Ex. Sccld. 1. 200.
I baint gwain to trapesy thick way, and get up to my ass in mucks, I can tell ee.
Her was a-fo'ced vor to trapesy all the way on to the doctor, that time o' night.
TRAPY [trae-upee], v. i. To drag along in contact with the ground or some other object. Applied only
to clothing or the like.
Keep in the tail o' your gurt coat, eens he mid-n trapy 'pon the wheel. Her coats trapud every step her
tookt.
TRASH [traarsh], sb. Low company; disreputable people. Well, I zim nif I was he I widn be a-mix'd
up way no jis trash as that there is.
Comp. American, WHITE-TRASH.
TRAVEL [traa-vl], v. i. To walk; to walk sturdily.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9634) (tudalen 774)
|
774
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
I've ^.-traveVd over thick path hundreds o' times.
How's your foot, William? Well, thanky, sir, he's a-got purty near well again; but they keep me in there
(hospital) up dree months, and I never
shan't be able vor to travel no more same's
I could avore.
Maister idn nort the matter to his health, but he can't travel.
A keeper speaking of his work said,” I've a-got vor to travel a good many miles every day o' the wik'n
Zundays too. Dec. 24, 1887.
TREACLE-POSSET [trae'ukl-paus'ut]. A hot drink made of cider and treacle in great requisition for
colds in winter.
TREAD 'PON NORT [trard pun noa'urt], cant phr. To fall down from a height. See TILL-TRAP.
TREBBLE AND QUADRUPLE NEGATIVES. Piling up
of negatives has been sufficiently illustrated throughout this
work, but that it is not a late
corruption, as some maintain, the following
will show
Bot J?en hit fett I hurre thou^t,
What he hadde sayde and thou^t J>e ny$t byfore,
pat Seynt Edus power was nought,
Ny J) 1 God nold not do no wreche herr' fore.
1420. Chron. Vilodim. st. 1231.
A-fore fis day ne toke y nere f of no man such a schame.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 690. He never yit no
vilonye ne sayde In al his lyf, unto
no maner wight. Chaucer, Prol. 1. 70.
For ex. see ITEMS, LIKES, No ZINO, STINKARD.
TREFOY [treefauy], sb. Trefoil; trefle; clover. The annual variety more commonly known as trifolium.
TREMMLE [tninrl]. TREMMLY [tninrlee], sb. and v. i . To tremble. (Always.)
I be that waik 'pon times, I be all to a tremmle. Hot ailth the maid? how her do tremmly.
TREMELYN', Tremo, contremo.
TREMELYNGE, or qwakynge. Tremor, trepidado. Pr. Parv.
TRENDLE, TRUNDLE [tnitvdle, most commonly truVl], sb. A large oval tub some five to six feet in
its greater axis, used for many
purposes, but chiefly for” scalding” (q. v.) pigs.
About 30 three, two, and one hhd. casks, apple mill with iron and
granite rollers, vats, tubs, trundles,
ladders, poles.
Adv. of Farm Sale, Wellington Weekly News, Oct. 1$, 1885. Ang.-Sax. trendil. Mod. H. Germ.
trendil.Stratmann. Item, for naylle
for the dayschon ij d .
Item, for ij hopis to the exiltre, and for ij
dowliges to the trendell, viij Ib. xij d .
1481-90. Howard, Household Books, Roxb. Club, p. 21 1.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9635) (tudalen 775)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 775
TRIER [truyur], sb. The umpire at a wrestling, cudgel-playing, or any other match. There are usually two,
and they are commonly old players who have retired, but who have sufficient
vigour left to insure fair play, vi et
armis.
TRIG [trig], adj. Neat; tidy.
Her's so trig a little umman's you'll zee in a day's march.
Their garden always looks trig like, and I zim our's idn never
vitty.
TRIG [trig] v. t. To fasten; to block; to prevent from moving Trig ope the gate. Trig the wheel. Trig up
arter.
TRIGGER [trig'ur], sb. Anything used to trig or block. Here! thick gurt stone '11 do vor a
trigger.
TRIP [tnip-], v. i. To move on a pivot or fulcrum. A paving stone not evenly bedded when stepped upon
is apt to log this is to trip.
Don'ee tread pon thick there stone, he'll trip and drow the slurry all about ee.
TRIPOLIES [tnip-uleez], sb. A large kind of winter onions; Tripoli onions.
I shan't put in no Tripolies de year.
Cornp. Ital. Portugalli^ the invariable term for the best oranges.
TRIPSE [tnip-s], v. t. i. To balance as upon a pivot. Usually applied to a heavy weight, such as a large
piece of timber, mass of stone,
&c.
[You oa'n nuVur tuurn un neef ee doa'n trup's-r\ au'p pun saunrfeen,] you will not be able to turn it
(a large block of stone) unless you
cause it to balance upon something.
2. To prize or peize up with a lever. To tripse, the fulcrum must be fixed and the long end of the lever
depressed, so as to raise the weight
with the end of the lever. The word would not be used when lifting a weight by raising the lever.
July 4, 1883, a sawyer whom I had employed to cut a large tree in situ said to me
[Wee mus av u pee's vur tu trup's-n au-p wai,] we must have a piece (of timber) to prize it (the tree) up
with.
This sentence expressed clearly to me that a strong beam was required as a fulcrum on which” to trips”
the tree with levers.
TRIPSE, or TRIPSY [tnip-s, tnip -see], v. i. i. To balance; swing as on a pivot.
[Puut dhu jaa'k een uurrdur dh-ee'n oa un, eens kn muuv dhu roa'lur vuurdur baak* tu-waurdz dhu miid'l
oa un; dhan ee-til tr&p'see
s-ai'zee-z u gluuv,] fix the jack under the end of it (the
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9636) (tudalen 776)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
tree), so as to move the roller further back towards the centre; then he (the tree) will swing on a balance
as easily as a glove. (A glove is the
nearly invariable simile used to express the superlative absolute of ease.) May 16, 1882, verbatim.
2. sb. The state or condition of balancing on a pivot. Used much more commonly as a noun than as a
verb. Paving stones are often loose,
and in wet weather splash the unwary. This
condition is always described as being” all to a tripse."
I heard a man on a scaffold say to another,” Mind, Bill, thick plank's all to a tripse"
So of a heavy mass it would more frequently be said,” get'n up to a tripse" than” tripse '-n
up," the meaning being identical.
TRIST [triis-], sb. and v. Trust. (Always.)
If Y gesside gold my strengthe, and if Y seide to purid gold, Thou art
my trist: Wydif, Job xxxi. 24. Also Ib.
xxxix. 12. Also Prov. ill. 5.
He saide,” Charlis, whar ert ]>ou: in hwam my trist was euere? SuJ>pe J>e man y trist an most:
forsake]) me at my nede,
Sir Fenimbras, 11. 912, 191.
TRIVET [truVut], sb. i. A stand for a kettle or pot, sometimes revolving on a
pivot over the fire, sometimes loose so as to be hung on to the bars of a grate. There is
nothing in the article to suggest its
connection with tripod, as stated in Webster.
2. This word is the superlative absolute of right when applied to fitness of construction. A machine repaired
would be said to go “so right's a trivet? while a correct addition of figures
would be "right to a T." See
W. S. Gram., p. 22.
TROLLOP Y [traul-upee], v. i. To go in a slatternly, draggle-tail manner
usually applied to women.
[Dhai du zar aew uur-z u-waetlv uun'didz u paewnz, un ee't uur ul traul-upee ubaewt een u paa-sl u oa'l
koo'uts uVeebau'dee wiid'n gee
tuup'uns vau*r, noa*, naut eef dhai wuz klarn,] they do say how her is a worth hundreds of pounds, and
yet her will trollop about in a parcel
of old coats (petticoats) anybody would not give twopence for, no, not if they was
clean."
TROLLY [traul'ee], sb. A frame on four low wheels, used for carrying casks, blocks of stone, or other
heavy articles. A” hand-/;W/y” is a
low four-wheeled hand-truck.
TROUBLE, TROUBLY [truub'l, truub'lee], v. i. To grieve; to mourn.
Ever sinze father died we 'ant a-bin able to do nort way her; her do troubly terr'ble, and her's that
weak I be afeard her'll zoon go
arter-n."
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9637) (tudalen 777)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 7/7
TROUBLED [truutrld], part. adj. Afflicted. Always used in connection with disease or ailments, and it
has a frequentative force.” He's
^.-troubled way the rheumatic/' means not only that he suffers, but is subject to it
frequently.
Thank 'ee, mum, her's middlin' like, on'y her's terr'ble troubled way the wind in the stomick.
TROUBLESOME [truub'lsum], adj. i. A very general belief remains in ghosts. Any dead person who is
said to "go again" is
described as” troublesome"
The tenant of a cottage, whose predecessor had been killed by the fall of a wall, came to my father and
said, "I can't never bide in th*
ouse the poor old Harry's that troublesome; zo zoon's I be a-bed and the can'l a-douted, he do come
and drag my timmern leg all about the
chimmer by the buckle-straps." This wooden-legged man is still living,
1885.
2. Haunted said of places or houses.
Th' old 'ouse up to Park's troublesome 'pon times. See W. S. Gram. (Lord Popham), p. 96.
TROUNCE [traewns], v. t. To summon before a magistrate; to sue at law.
I knows a trick wo'th two o' bein' ^.-trounced vor a rabbit or two.
TROW [troa-], sb. Trough. (Always.) As pigV/ww, ditch-troW) pump-/;w. On the
south coast about Sidmouth a small
fishing-boat is a trow. Comp. THOFF.
TROUGHE, of a mylle (trow, K.s. trough, P.). Farricapsa.Promp. Parv.
TRUE [treob], sb. A drab; a slut; a low wanton. A most opprobrious epithet for a woman. (Rare.)
Andra wou'd ha' had a Trttb in tha, nif's Vauther hadent a strat the
match. Thomasin. How Dem! a Trttb? Ex.
Scold. 1. 104.
TRUCKLE [truuk-1], sb. i. A small cheese, in shape like a Stilton. So” /n^fc/tf-shape," applied
to cheese, refers to those of the
Stilton shape.
2. A caster. (Always.)
The very chairs 'ad a-got truckles to 'em.
A” truckle-\xz&" is a low bedstead on casters, to be wheeled underneath the usual large one.
3. v. t. To twirl; to cause to spin round, as in the well-known game” Truckle the trencher."
TRUCKLY [truuk-lee], v. i. To roll.
Nif you put thick stone gwain he'll truckly all the way down gin he com'th to the sea.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9638) (tudalen 778)
|
778 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
TRUFF [truuf], sb. Salmon peal or grilse. Com. in Devon, rare in Somerset.
They've a-catcht a little truff, nort else, Totnes, July 28. 1880.
" He s'ealthy's a truff." A very common saying applied to an elderly person in strong, robust health. W.
H. G., Dec. 6, 1883.
TRUG [truug'J, v. i. Used with along. To haul or carry with difficulty; to struggle. Var. of drug.
'Twas so much as ever her could trug along way /. e. her load was as great as she could struggle along
with. W. H. G., Dec. 6, 1883.
TRULL [triil*], sb. Trowel. Com. pronunciation.
There thick trull was new on'y a vortnight agone, and I gid vower'n zix vor'n, and now he idn a wo'th
tuppence. See Stratmann, ist ed. p.
508.
TRUMPERY [truum 'puree], sb. Rubbish of any kind; weeds or any undesirable growth.
Thick there spot o' ground must be a-spit up so deep's ever can, he's all vull o' trumpery.
TRUNK [truung'k], sb. i. A wooden pipe, generally square, to convey water from the eaves-gutters if of
iron it is called an iron pipe, never
trunk. A wooden tube much used in corn mills to convey the grain or flour to or from the
mills. Any wooden tube.
2. Tech. Of a water-wheel. The part which contains and regulates the supply of the water. This is
often a large and complicated iron
construction, but the name is evidently a survival of the old wooden shoot.
TRUSTLE [truus-1], sb. Trestle. (Always.)
TRUSSEL, a trestle (Norfolk). Wright.
TRY [truy], v. i. i. To fare. (Rather rare.)
How d'ye try? i. e. how fares it with you? See Ex. Scold.
w 315. 327.
2. v. t. To arbitrate; to act as umpire. See TRIER.
I'll bet a sovereign o' it, and be tried by other man in the fair.
I be saa-f o' it; (let it) be tried by other farmer you mind to.
TUB [tuub], sb. The gurnet, always so called along the coast of the Severn Sea.
TUCK [tuuk], v.t. i. Of a hay-rick; to pluck out all the loose hay from the sides after the rick has
pitched.
Now, Bob, don't bethink thy vingers, tuck-n. in tight, mind/, e. pull it out until you get to the solid
mass.
2. sb. A blow.
[Sh-uur mee! aa-1 gi dhee u geod tuuk' uun-dur dhu yuur
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9639) (tudalen 779)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 7/9
reef dus'-n wairch ut!] dost hear me! I will give thee a good tuck under the ear if (thou) dost not watch it!
/. e. take care what you are about.
3. sb. A tusk; fang. (Always.)
I'll warn the tucks o' un was vower inches long.
I shouldn like thick dug vor to put his tucks into me.
My ferrets always got their tucks a-brokt off.
He is al kareleas of his tuxes. Anc. Riw. p. 280.
Tayl he hath as an hog:
Croked tuxes as a dog. Kyng Alisaunder, 1. 6546.
TUCKED UP [tuuk't aup], part. adj. i. Applied to infants at the time when the skirts of the long
robe are” shortened," by being
exchanged for a frock in which the child can use its feet. In W. S.” shortened” is understood only by
grand folks.
I was a-frightened to zee the cheel &-tucKd up a'ready.
2. part. adj. Applied to animals, especially horses after hard riding looking thin.
Th' old mare's a bit ^-tucked up, but her'll zoon vill herzul out again.
TUCKER [tuuk-ur], sb. One who mills, or fulls and finishes cloth. The word no longer means a fuller,
but one who folds or tucks the cloth
into a neat roll or pleat fit for the shopkeeper. Probably the entire finishing of cloth,
from the time it left the weaver, was
performed by the tucker at the tucking-mills.
Taillours, tauneris & tokkeris bo)>e, masons, minours and mony oj?er
craftes,
Piers Plow. Prol. 1. loo.
TUCK IN, or TUCK OUT [tuuk ee-n, tuuk aewt], sb. i. A feast; a hearty feed.
2. v. t. To eat greedily; to eat largely.
He can tuck it in, and no mistake; why they do zay how he can zit down and finish off a leg o' mutton to
one go.
TUCKING-MILL [tuuk-een-mee-ul], sb. Fuller's stocks, or beaters for milling cloth. The term is also
applied to the building and machinery
as a whole. (Always.) There is a village in
Cornwall called” Tucking- Mills."
I works to Mr. . . . 's tucking-mills.
TUFT [tuuf(t], v. t. and /. Stag-hunting. To rouse the deer with only a few old and steady hounds. The
first process in a stag-hunt.
Tufted in Long Wood and found several hinds, tufted Kepscombe Wood and found. Records N. Devon Staghounds, p. 38.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9640) (tudalen 780)
|
780 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
What I have said will sufficiently indicate what the object of trifling is.
If a covert were drawn with the pack
it would frequently happen that the hounds
would divide on a dozen deer, leaving the stag of which the field are
in search in his lair. Collyns, p. 82.
Arrived within half of a mile of the covert, the pack is taken to a farm
and shut up in a barn. Two couple of
tried steady old hounds are drafted out as
tiifters, and with them the huntsman proceeds to the covert with the
harbourer, and begins to draw for the
deer. Ib. p. 81.
TUG [tuug-], sb. Part of carriage harness, i. The hook or other iron on the carriage, or on the
whipple-tree to which the trace is
attached.
2. The large loop of leather which is buckled to each end, and forms part of the back-strap, by which the
shafts of the carriage are supported.
3. The part of the” hameses” (q. v.}, usually jointed, to which the trace is attached.
4. The end of the leather trace at the part where it is attached to the vehicle to be drawn.
5. A loose loop buckled round the shaft, to which (when used) is fastened the kicking-strap.
6. The iron stud or hook on the under side of the shaft to prevent it slipping too far through the tug
(2). This latter is frequently called
"the tug of the shaft."
TUG-IRE [tuug'-uyur], sb. A strong iron fixed near the end of each shaft of a cart or wagon, to hook
on the chain traces of the” vore
horse."
TUMBLER [tuunvlur, tuunvur], sb. One of the rollers in a carding engine.
TUN [tun-], v. t. To pour liquor into casks; to fill a cask. Hence tunner (q. v.).
I can't bide no longer, I must tun a lot o' cider to night, eens can put up another cheese.
TUN-DISH [tuun'-deesh], sb. A wooden funnel for filling casks. Same as TUNNER.
TUNNER [tiin-ur], sb. A wooden funnel.
Urn down, Jack, to farm' Perry's and borry he's tunner. Be sure'n zay you'll bring un back again,
umbye night.
FONEL, or tonowre. Fttsorium, infusorium.
TUNNOWRE, idem quod TONOWRE, supra. Infusorium. Pr. Parv.
TURMUT [tuurmut], sb. Turnip. (Always,)
Turmuts be terr'ble short de year.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9641) (tudalen 781)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 781
TURMUTING [tuurmuteen], part. sub. The act of preparing land for and sowing turnips.
All my volks and 'osses be so busy turmutin\ I can't attend to it no way, else I'd haul 'em vor 'ee in a
minute.
TURN [tuurn], v. t. i. Applied to sheep or cattle; to drive. (Usual word.)
[Tud-n noageo'd vur tu tuurn een u paa'sl u dhing'z tu maarkut vur noa-urt,] it is not no good for to
drive in a parcel of things (cattle)
to market for nothing.
Jim! turn they yoa (ewe) hogs down in Vuz Close (Furze Close). See W. S. Gram., p. 101.
2. v. i. and /. To become sour.
The milk's all z.-turrfd 'tis the thunder.
Her do look zower 'nough to turn all the milk in the country.
3. To change in condition; to curdle. Said of cream or milk. The butter 'on't come; I can't get it to
turn a bit.
I reckon the 'urnet's stale, 't'on't turn the milk, zo you can't have no junket.
4. v. t. To mix and give air to manure.
Thick heap o 1 dressin' ought to be ^.-turned, else he 'on't ba half a-ratted.
TURN AGAIN [tuurn ugee'un], ///?-. Domestic animals when failing "to bide" i.e. to become
pregnant, are said to” turn
again"
TURN-CARD [tuurn-kyurd], sb. The card turned up by the dealer; the trump card.
TURN OF THE YEAR [tuurn u dhu yuur], sb. Term applied indifferently to all seasons, and to be
explained by the period at which it is
uttered, or by the context.
" I shan't be able to come till the turn of the year” would mean till the beginning of January.
" She won't be no better till the turn of the year" would mean the spring, or the advent of finer weather.
TURN OUT [tuurn aewt], v. t. To put horses or cattle out to grass without housing at night.
I don't turn out my 'osses most times 'vore Midsummer-day day, but this year there idn no trefoy, and the
hay's all a-do'd.
TURN TAIL TO TAIL [tuurn taayul tu taayul], phr. To exchange even-handed /. e. without payment
on either side of any difference in
value.
Have 'ee zold your 'oss? Ees, I chop'd way Joe Bond for he's 'oss, trap, harness and all we turned 'em
tail to tail. See EVEN-HANDED.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9642) (tudalen 782)
|
782 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
TURN THE WATER [tuurn dhu wairdr], tech. phr. In irrigating meadows, the water needs
frequently to have its course changed.
This requires some skill, and is called” turning water." Very commonly the farmer will not trust a
labourer to do this, but” turns the
water” himself.
TURN UP [tuurn au-p], v. t. Of horse-shoes to forge a sharp projection upon the heel of the shoe to
prevent slipping, called also "to
cork."
Th' 'oss can't stan' 'tis all to a glare. Well then, take'n down and let Dan (the smith) turn un up a bit.
TURNVORE [tuurn voa-ur], sb. The board in old ploughs, or at present the bent iron plate by which a
sull in ploughing turns over the sod
to form the furrow. See VORE.
TURR! [tuur-u!], interj. The word always used to drive pigs. See CHOOK.
TURRUH [tuuru], sb. Turf for fuel.
I remember a friendless old man who used always to say
[Aay wuz u-bau'rnd een u dee-sh-kifl un u-bree'd au-p een u tuuru eep,] I was born in a dish-kettle and
bred up in a turf heap.
In moorland districts these” turruh heaps" are always to be seen. Spelt terra in Ex. Scold., see 1.
175.
Here, Betty, drow in a turruh I zim 'tis cold like.
TWADN [twaud-n]. It was not. (Always.)
Plase, zr, twadn me, zr (plenty of other examples). See W. S. Gram., p. 56.
TWANG [twang], sb. Taste; flavour.
I don't like this here cider a bit; there's a nasty twang way it let's try another cask.
TWELFY-DAY [twuul-fee-dai]. Old twelfth-dayEpiphany, old style; i8th January. This day is kept
up still in country places, where even
now the reformed calendar has not taken root.
[Dhai d-au'vees g-aewt-n shuuf tu dh-aa*pl-trees pun twuukfee-dai^\ they always go out and shoot at the
apple-trees on old twelfth-night. See
W. S. Gram., p. 100. This was an Epiphany custom, and I find it was, and is, oftener kept up on the
anniversary of the old style than the
new.
TWELVE O'CLOCKS [twuul'v uklairks], sb. The usual name of the bulbous plant Star of Bethlehem
Ornilhogalum umbellatum.
TWELVE, TWENTY, &c. In fairs or markets it is common for dealers or farmers to omit the name of
the coin from their prices. The
animals priced or spoken of are sufficient to make it understood whether pounds or shillings
are meant.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9643) (tudalen 783)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 783
Nif I didn lost twelve a head 'pon they sheep, I'll eat 'em 'thout zalt /. e. twelve shillings.
You shall have they lambs vor twenty a piece, and I 'on't bate a varden.
He ax me zixteen a piece vor they there steers /. e. pounds.
You can't buy a good cow and calve less-n dree or vower and twenty.
TWENTY-EIGHT [twarntee-aa'yt], sb. A 28 Ibs., or quarter hundredweight stone.
Ax Mr. Wood to lend me a twenty-eight. A twenty-eight vailed down tap my voot. See VIFTY-SIX.
TWICK \twik'\ v. t. and *., also sb. To tweak; to jerk suddenly. Bide vast, what's keep twickiri zo vor?
TWYKKYN, or sum-what drawyn'. Tractulo.Pr. Parv.
TWIDDLE [twiid-1], v. t. To twirl.
[Ee-s, wee--v u-teok't ut tu due'een, un aay kaewnt dhur oa-n bee vuuree muuch* twud'lecn u ving'urz, neef
wee du saaT ur wae'ujez tue* ut,] yes,
we have taken it to doing, an I count there will not be very much twiddling of fingers, if we do
serve (earn) our (daily) wages at it.
TWINK [twing'k], sb. A twinkling; a moment.
Urn down and zay I'll be there in a twink.
TWYNKYN, wythe the eye (or wynkyn, infra}; Conniveo, nicito, nicio.
Promp. Parv.
TWINS [twee'nz]. It is usual in speaking of twins to duplicate and say,” Her had two twins," or
"a pair o' twins"
TWIRDL(Y [twuurdl(ee], #. /. and in. To twirl; to spin round.
What's the matter, Tommy, can't 'ee twirdle your top? Let me zee un. I know'd thick bird was dead zoon's
ever I zeed'n begin to twirdly. See D
i.
I'll gee thee zomefin to make thee twirdly, s'hear me!
An wen es kom'd out vur ta stan pin tha groun,
Tha piktnrs an aul awt zimM twirdlin aroun; N. Hogg, Ser. I. p. 20.
TWISTER [twuVtur], sb. A blow with a whip or other instrument, such as to
make the victim twist or writhe.
[Aay ad- dhu wuop- een mee an 1 , un aay gid'-n u twtirtur,~\ I had the whip in my hand, and I gave him a
twister.
TWITCH [twee-ch], v. t. and sb. i. To seize with a sudden pain or twinge.
The rheumatic do twitch me terr'ble, same's 'off anybody'd a-urnd a knive
into me.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9644) (tudalen 784)
|
784 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Her's a-troubled way twitches in the inside, eens 'pon times her's a-drawd most two double.
2. [tweech], s. and v. t. An appliance used to hold horses for drenching or other operations requiring
complete control. It consists of a stout stick about three feet long. At one
end is a hole through which is
fastened a loop of strong cord. This loop is
passed over the horse's long upper lip, and the stick is twisted
till a firm grip is obtained, which
makes the animal quite powerless.
To twitch a horse is to apply this apparatus.
3. sb. Couch grass. Triticum repens.
Thick field's vull o' twitch; he must be a worked out dree or vower times over.
TWITTER [twiifur], sb. State of trembling; agitation. There, hon I yeard o' it I was all of a
twitter, you mid a hat me down way a
veather.
TWIZZLE [twiiz-1], sb. i. Of a tree the top of the stem where the branches divide.
[Ue'-d u dhairrt u vuyndeen uv u rab'ut aup dhae'ur een dhu twuzl u dhik dhae'ur paul'urd?] who would
have thought of finding a rabbit up
there in the twizzle of that there pollard? Nov. 1886.
2. sb. A tangled mass.
Nobody can't never wind off this here yarn, you've a-got it all to a twizzle.
TVVIZZLY [twuz'lee], adj. Applied to wood knotty; cross-grained.
This here stuffs shockin' bad to work, 'tis so twizzly's the devil; I'd zo zoon plane the road.
TWO-BILL [tue--bee-ul], sb. A double-ended mattock. Sometimes both ends are
alike; in this shape it is lighter in make, and is often called a taty -digger. Another
two-bill is when one end is turned to
form a kind of long axe used in grubbing out roots. This kind in the vale of W. Som. is
generally called a bisgy (q. v.), or
occasionally a grubber.
TWYBYL, wryhtys instrument (a wrytys tool). Bisacuta, biceps. Twybyl y or mattoke. Marra. Promp. Pai~v.
TWO DOUBLE [tlie 1 duub'l], adj. Bent with age or infirmity when applied to persons; bent so completely
as to bring the ends together when
applied to things.
Poor old man! he's a-come to go just two double. See TWITCH i.
Th' ire bar was a-bowed two double.
Though very common, and always written two, it seems as if from analogy it should rather be to double
i. e. completely double, as in to
break. Comp. Judges ix. 53. See To 12.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9645) (tudalen 785)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 785
TWO-HANDED [the --an -dud], adj. Powerful; strong; lusty. Gurt two-handed fuller fit vor a granadeer.
TWO-STAVE NET [tue'-staeiivnut],^. Same as SPIRT NET^.Z/.)'
TWO-VORE ZULL [tue'-voa-r zoo'ul], sb. A double plough, or one which turns two furrows at once. In
light soils these are most useful, and
are coming largely into use.
TWO-WAY SULL [tue'-wai zoo'ul], sb. A plough made with shifting parts, so that it can be used to
turn a furrow at will either to the
right hand or the left. The use is, that upon coming to the end, the ploughman can turn his horses
sharp round, shift the “turnvore," and immediately return upon his
tracks, turning a fresh furrow against
the one he made in coming forward. This is
of much advantage in ploughing sloping land, where it is desired to throw each furrow up the hill. This
could only be done by ploughing along
sideways with an implement adjustable as above. Called also” Back and vore sull"
TYRANT [tuyrunt], sb. One specially capable in anything. They zess how her's a tyrant vor butter and
cheese, bet a tyrant Maid vor Work.
Ex. Court. 1. 568.
u
U [u] pronounced very shortly represents the sound of short e, as in "the book," when spoken
rapidly. This is nearly what is called
the "natural vowel." See A; also W. S. Gram., p. 112.
UFF [uuf], sb. Hoof. (Always.)
Thick oss'es voot's to long; tell Bob to mind an' pare back th' jf o' un well.
UGGLE-MUGGED [uug'1-muug-ud]. Applied to a horse - having a badly-shaped mu^gle i. e. rising
in a sort of double hump between the
pins. (Very com.) See MUGGLE.
VGGELY (vgly, S. vggyll, p.), Horridzis, horribilis. Promp. Parv.
UGLY [uug'lee, emph. huug-lee], adj. Ill-tempered; out of humour.
Holloa, Bill! hot-s the matter? Maister corned out benow lookin' so hugtys the devil.
ULLUM [uul'um], sb. Haulm the stalks of certain crops after the seed has been thrashed out, as [pai*z,
bee'un, vlek-s, vaach,
kloa'vur-uul'um,] pease, bean, flax, vetch, or eloyet-faiulm.
UM, pr. Them; also written 'em (q.?'.).
3 E
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9646) (tudalen 786)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
UMBERELL [iiunrbimml-], sb. Umbrella. (Usual.) Wull, Mary! hot 'ave ee a-bow'd your
umberell? Facetious remark on the
unfortunate article being blown to ribands.
An then hur kar'd a humberul
Wid cover aight besides herzul; N. Hogg, p. 49.
UMBYE [mbuy, umbaa-y], adv. After a little while; by-and-by. Never means
presently, or immediately. Same as BIME-BY,
but much commoner.
Umbye in the winter you'll be glad enough way they there sticks vor to light up the vire way.
Thee't be able t'ave thy boots umbye, but they baint a' do'd not eet.
Constantly used with night in the sense of to-night.
I'll call in umbye night, eens I goes home 'long.
Nif you want to catch'n, look in to Half-Moon umbye night, 'bout of a nine o'clock.
UN [un, 'n],/r. Him.
As in the days of O.E. this pron. is the same in the ace. for both masc. and neut. When the construction
relates to an animal or any definite
object except a person it is feminine as
well. Thus in speaking of a cow, it would be said,” I gid-^ the drench, but he did-n like-;?." The.
same sentence applied to a woman would
be,” I gid 'er the dose, but 'er did-n like-."
No doubt this is the A.S. hine still in daily use, as seen in hundreds of examples throughout this work.
J>one lete hyne licgean j>aer he longe waes. Beowulf, 1. 3081. ase ]>e wi<Si >et spruttefc ut
]>e betere J) 1 me hine ofte cropped. Anc. Riiv. p. 86. Pup. I'll zay't afore '
Turfe. But I can gi 'un the hearing; zit me down, and laugh at un;
Ben Jonson, Tale of a Tub, I. ii.
UN- [aun-]. In all words compounded with un the sound is on. See On 4.
UNACCOUNTABLE [auivkaewntubl], adj. Irresponsible; not compos mentis.
You mus-n look arter he, poor old fuller, he's proper on-countable.
UNBEKNOW'D [auirbeenoa'd], adv. Unknown; secretly; without the knowledge or consent of.
Her tookt up the things unbeknow'd to he, and he zess he ont never pay it.
[Dhai-v u-kaa-rd ut aim aun'becnoa'd tiz yuurz,] they have carried it on secretly for years.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9647) (tudalen 787)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 787
[Neef aay-v u-gauf-n, tiiz aun'beenoa'd tu mee',] if I have it, I am not aware of it.
Ver nort but a happy conteyntment is theirs,
Unbeknoiu 1 d \>y the gurt, 'mong the'r urches an' cares. Pulinan, R. Sk.
p. 22.
UNCLE [uung-kl]. Familiar term for any elderly man, without implying any relationship. See AUNT. Well, Uncle Jan, how be you? I yeard th' old Uncle Joe Moggs, down to
quay, tell o' it.
UNCOMMON [aurrkaunrun], adv. Very.
Well, James, this is a hot day, is it not? 'Tis, sir, oncommon.
I zim the wind's uncommon sharp s'mornin'.
UNCONVENIENT [aurrkunvarniunt], adj. Inconvenient; not so common as ill-conveniency and ill-convenient.
UNDECENT [auirdai.sunt], adj. and adv. Indecent; uncivilly. I calls it proper ondacent, way so many o'm
in thick there scram 'ouse maidens an'
all to a heap.
You no call t'act ondacent, her spokt fair to you.
UNDECENTNESS [auirdarsunt-nees], sb. Indecency. Th' ondaicentness goes on in there's
shameful. (Very com.)
UNDER [uuirdur], adv. Hunting. In speaking of a stag, he is said to have” his rights under” when he
has the regular three projections or
points upon the side of each horn (called bow, bay, and tray), without reckoning the one or
more points on the top of his horns.
See Bow.
UNDER-CROPING [uuivdur-kroa'peen], adj. Sneaking; underhanded.
Who'd harky to thick there under-cropiri son of a bitch.
UNDERGROUND ONIONS [uun-durgraewn ing-unz], sb. A variety of onions, called also
potatoe-onions, which grow entirely
beneath the soil.
UNDERHANDED [uurrdurarrdiid], adj. Shorthanded. Can ee come down to-marra and help drash a
rick o' whair, we be terr'ble
underhanded?
UNDER ONE [uun'dur wairn], adv. At the same time. Mid jis so well do it all under one i. e.
at one and the same time. (Very com.)
UNDERSTRAPPER [uurrdurstraap-ur], sb. Underling; inferior person; servant.
I baint gwain in behind the Squire's understrappers; no, I zoonder bide out altogether.
3 E 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9648) (tudalen 788)
|
;88 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
UNDER THE WIND [uurrdur dhu wee-n], adv. ph. Sheltered from the wind.
Famous linhay vor young stock, he lies so well in under the wind.
UNHAPSE [auiraa'ps], v. t. To unlatch; to unfasten. Bill, onhapse the door and let thy father
come in.
UNHEAL [aurrae'ul], v. t. To uncover. (Very com.) T'ont never do vor t' onheal the mangels
vore the vrost have a-gid out. See
HEAL.
]>auh bus glotenye be of good ale: he go]? to a cold beddyng, And bus heued vn-heled: vneisyliche y wrye:
P. Plow. xvil. 74.
Of alle his goode steedes noon was him by leved;
His howses were unfilled wt\& ful yvel dight. Chaucer; Cokes Tale, 1. 86.
Then suddenly both would themselves unhele,
And th' amorous sweet spoils to greedy eyes reveal.
Spencer, Faerie Qaeene, II. 12, 64.
UNHEEVE [aurrarv], v. i. To thaw, or rather to show condensation. Same as To
HEEVY (g.v.).
UNKETTY [uung'kutee], adj. Close; sultry; depressing. We've had a lot o' this yer unketty weather
de year.
UNKINDLY [aurkuynlee], adj. Of land undesirable, cold, clayey, hard to cultivate. Applied to any
undesirable article. A nasty, cold,
onkindly farm. Of cattle not thriving
or likely to thrive. I calls it a very
onkindly lot o' yearlins.
UNKNOWIN [auirnoa'een]. Unknown. See ONKNOWING.
. . . . but he may not conterfete,
To ben unknowen of folk that weren wyse. Chaucer, Tr. &* Crys. 1. 1591.
It is not vnknowen: to kunnynge leodis, Langland, Rich, the Red. in. 263.
UNLESSEN [aun-laes-n], conj. Unless. (Very com.) [Aa-1 bee dhae'ur aun'laes'n oa'urt shiid
aa*p,] I'll be there unless aught
should happen.
UNLIFTY [aun-liif-tee], adj. Clumsy; awkward.
Thee tack me! ya unlifty, ill-hearty, untidy Mea-zel! Ex. Scold. 1.
103.
UNLIGHT [aun-luyt], v. i. To alight. (Always.) Maister idn home, but Wt you plase
t'onlig/it? Mrs. Warren drov'd over
s'arternoon, but her widn onl.'ght, vor
all 'twas rainin' hard.
UNPASSABLE [aun-paa'subl], adj. Impassable.
Thick road's onpassable the mud's up to your backzide.
UNPEACEABLE [aun-pai-subl], adj. Quarrelsome.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9649) (tudalen 789)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 789
- aun'pai'subls voa'ks livur aaykau'md unee'us,] the unpeaceablest people
ever I came near.
UNPERFECT [auirpuurfik], adj. and adv. Imperfect. (Always.) Car back thick there gin again, an' zay I
baint gwain to keep'm, 'cause he's
onperfick. Keeper, September 1887.
but that they wer' corrupte, or vnperfite of the crafte, or vncunnynge in
the mystery. Gesta Rom. p. 170.
UNPOSSIBLE [aurrpairsubl], adv. Impossible. (Always.) 'Tis a thing onpossible vor to get'n a-do'd
by that time. Here again the dialect
has preserved what the printers have
improved off the face of the earth. In Matthew xvii. 20, the A. V. of 1611 has "and nothing shall
be impossible unto you." The
Tyndale, Cranmer, and Geneva versions have all impossible in this passage, but our modern Testaments
have changed this to impossible. The
same applies to. Luke i. 37 and xviu. 27.
UN POWER [amrpaawur], sb. Same as NONPOWER.
UNPROPER [auirpraup'ur],^'. and adv. Improper. (Always.) 'Tis very onprcper, Master Franky, to come
out here making such work in the
kitchen.
That nightly lie in those improper beds,
Which they do swear peculiar. Othello, IV. i.
UNRAY [amrraay], v. t. To undress; to take off one's things. On coming home from church a farmer would
say,” Come! look sharp and unray
yerzul, and vatch in the cows."
I unray e one, I put his garmentes from his backe. le despouille. Unray e your selfe as faste as you can.
Palsgrave.
UN-REGULAR [aun'rig'lur], adj. Irregular; uneven; unpunctual. The pays be a-comed up terr'ble onriglur.
[Jum-z dhu moo'ees aun'rig'hirs fuul'ur pun airl dhu faa'rm,] Jim is the most unregularest man upon all
the farm.
UNRIP [aurrnip'], v. t. To rip; to pick to pieces. (Always.) They curtains must be all ^-onript avore
they can be a-dyed.
UNSARTINER [aun-saartiner], adj. More uncertain. There idn no crop no more onsartiner-n.
clover zee-ad.
UNSOOTERLY [auirsue'turlee], adj. Awkward; ill-contrived; shiftless (of a person only).
UNTACKLE [aurrtaak'l], v. t. To unharness from a carriage; to strip off harness from a horse.
I shan't look arter ontackliri th' 'osses.
But vse to vntackle them once in a day,
To rub and to lick them, to drink and to play. Tusser, 23/6
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9650) (tudalen 790)
|
790
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
UNTHAW [aurrdhair], v. tr. To thaw.
They turruhs (turves) baint onthawtd not eet. To thaw, v. i. is [tu dhawee].
The plump's a-vreezed, we shan't be able vor t'ave no water 'vore we've
UP [aup], adv. i. Quite; as much as. In this sense it is used before numerals.
[A ay wuz mae-uz aid'ud luyk vur aup dree wiks,] I was giddy like for up (quite) three weeks.
How many can you spare? [Wuul, u kaewnt-s aup zaeb'm skoa'ur oa'm u-laf', bud aay doa'un spoo'uz
mus pae'urt wai au'l oa'm,] well, I
reckon (there) is quite seven score of them left, but I don't suppose (I) must part with all of
them.
Her do look op forty; I should'n never a-tookt her not vor so young's her is.
The quotation below shows that our pronunciation of this word is no modern corruption.
Y wil 3eld op, so god me saue.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 765. See also 11. 2335, 2365, 3333.
2. Often used elliptically for” got up."
Is your master at home? Ees, but he idn op; he's bad abed, and he 'on't be op nother, nit 'vore he's
better.
3. Grown up.
Her've a-got zix chillern. but then dree o'm be op out o' the way.
4. Very often used without any predicate, as” Op way un." He op way his vice (fist), and meet way un
jis under the year. I op and told the
jistices eens 'twas.
HercnecS nu, mine leoue sustren, hu hit is to uppen ^t ^elpen of god dede.
Ancren Ri-wle, p. 146.
UP-ALONG [aup'-laung], adv. In an upward direction. Come on! 'tis time we was gwain up- long.
The converse of down-along.
UP-AND-DOWN [aup'-m-daewn], adv. i. Upside-down. (Always.) Upside-down [uup'see-daewn] is
com. genteel talk. Thee's a-put the
thing up-m-down.
2. adj. Hilly.
'Tis a proper up-m-down road.
UP-COUNTRY [aup'-kuun-tree], adj. Northern or Eastern.
" Up-country volks don't do same's we do do." So we speak of “up
the country."“ I can't tell 'ee where's a-go to, some place up the country ." This may mean
anywhere beyond the immediate
neighbourhood if to the eastward. On the other hand, Devon and
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9651) (tudalen 791)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 791
Cornwall are always "down the country." "Her's a-go down
the country to sarvice." Her's
a-married up-t he-country zome place. He come vrom up-the-country. I never heard
dcwn-couniry used as an adj.
UPHOLD [aupoa'l], v. t. To encourage; to back up.
All they boys do mind is their [ee'mpiduns] impudence; and 'tidn no good to spake to 'em, vor their
mothers on'y upholds 'em in it.
UP-ON-END [aup'-m-ee'n], adv. Upright. The pronunciation of this common phrase is its
peculiarity. [Stik'-n aup--m-ee'n,~\
stick it up-on-end.
UPON TIMES [pun tuymz], adv. i. Sometimes.
I be that bad a-tookt 'pon times, I be a-bowed jis two-double way pain.
2. adv. Occasionally; now and then.
They 'on't do it always, but they will 'pon times.
UPPER [aup-ur], sb. The leather of a boot or shoe which covers the foot, as distinct from the sole.
'Tis on'y dree wiks agone, come to-marra, I paid Jimsy Hill nine shillins vor this yer pair o' boots,
and th' uppers o'm be jist a-weared
out a'ready.
UPPIN-STOCK [aup-een-stauk-], sb. A permanent erection of stone steps, still very often to be seen
near the doors of farm-houses and
wayside inns, to assist the stiff and unsteady to mount their horses. In the days of pillions these
upping-stocks were a necessity, and
without them even now farmer's wives and daughters who ride to market could not mount unaided.
UP-'PON TOP [aup--pun taap-], prep. Upon. This form of the redundant up is very common, especially
where lifting or a high place are
implied.
They brought in the poor old man, and laayd-n out up-pon tap o' the table-board.
I mind I put the kay up-pon tap o' the clock. All this is often shortened down to top (q. v.).
UPRIGHT [aup-rait], sb. i. A perpendicular. Constantly so used.
Thick there wall's a little bit out of an upright, I zee. Sept. '83.
2. A prop; a vertical post.
You must drow in another upright in under thick there beam.
3. sb. The main stem of a stag's horn. See Bow, BAY, CROCKET.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9652) (tudalen 792)
|
792 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
A male deer of one year old has in general one straight horn each side only, which we term his”
upright." At two years old he
would probably have bow and uprights above this point; at three years old he should have bow, bay,
and uprights; and at four years old
bow, bay, tray, and uprights; whilst at five years he should carry bow, bay, tray, with two
points on top each side; he would then
be what we call a warrantable stag. W. L. C., Jan. 19, 1878.
UPRIGHT - AND - DOWN - STRAIGHT [aup-rait - n - daewn-straa'yt], adj. Honest;
straightforward; fair in dealing. (Very
com.)
UPS AND DOWNS [aup-s-n daewnz], sb. Good and bad fortune; experiences of life.
'Tidn very many volks have a-zeed th' ups and downs he have. Anybody must put up way it, and take th'
ups way the downs.
UPSET [aupziif], v. t. Tech. In forging iron to hammer the end of the hot metal so as to thicken
it. The converse of to “draw out."
UPSIDES WITH [aupzuydz wai], adv. A match for; an equal to.
Must be a downright good schollard vor to be upzides ivay he, let 'lone th' artfulness o' un.
Anybody must be awaked, mind, vor to be upzides way 'em. June 24, 1887.
They thort to a-comed over me, but I show'd 'em purty quick I was upzides way 'em.
UPSITTING [aupziit-een], sb. A christening feast or gossiping. (Rare, obsolescent.)
They be gwain to hold a upzittiri to Farmer Osgood's a-Zinday, and th' old maister's comin' a purpose.
Noa, 'twas thee roil'st upon me up to Daraty Vrogvvill's Upzitfing, whan
tha vung'st to ... to Rabbin. Ex.
Scold. 1. 8. See also Ex. Court. 1. 380.
UPSOTMENT [aupzaut'munt], sb. Disturbance; break up. 'Twas a terr'ble upsotment hon th' old
maister died.
UPSTANDING [aup-staiveen], adj. Tall; big; powerful. Fine upstariin\ young 'oss. Gurt upstariirf
two-handed fuller.
UPSTORE [aup'stoa'ur], sb. Upstir; disturbance; report; scandal.
A woman giving evidence before magistrates said,” 'Tidn likely I was gwain vor to zay ort about it to she,
arter all this yer upstore"
September 8th, 1884.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9653) (tudalen 793)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 793
UP TO [aup- the], adj. phr. Alive to.; equal to; capable of. Her's up to a thing or two, mind; else I'm
a Dutchman.
UR [uur, ur], pron. She. See ER, HER. In interrogatory constructions ur answers for / (ego), he,
and //, as well as you and we. See W.
S. Gram., p. 39.
URCH [uurch, emph. huurch], adj. Rich. (Always.) They zess how the young Mr. Jones is gwain
to be a-married way a hurch lady, sure
'nough. See ill. to UNBEKNOW'D, Pulman, R. Sk.
URCHET [uurchut]. Richard. (Always.) The short form is oftener Urch [uurch] than Dick.
URGE [uurj], v. i. To retch; to strain, as in vomiting. (Always.) This word is used by the educated class as
well as by dialect speakers.
The smell was so bad it made me quite urge.
URN [uurn, emph. huurn], v. i. and t. To run. (Always.) Comp. TAY-RUN. Ang.-Sax. yrnan, inian, to
run.
ERNYN, as horse cursito. Promp. Parv. See note.
So swu<5e vleau ]>et ilke blodi swot of his blisfule bodie, J?ette
streames vrnen adun to )>er
eor<5e. Ancren Riwle, p. 112.
An )>anne welled water ' for wikked werkes,
Egerlich ernynge ' out of mennes eyen. P. Plow. B. xix. 375.
^if hundes urneth to him-ward
He gength wel svithe awai-vvard. Owl and Night. 1. 375.
Zo in ha um'd an shet tha door
An did'n look, thic nite, no moar. Nathan Hogg, I. 53.
URNED OUT [uurnd aewt], adj. Run out; spent; exhausted. They cowcumber vines be proper a.-urn*d out. This here ground's &-urn'd out eens
't'ont bear nort.
URNET [uurnut], sb. Rennet; formerly runnet.
lonchee: also a green cheese, or fresh cheese made of milk that's
curdled without any runnet. Cotgravc.
URSTY [uurstee, emph. huurstee], adj. Rusty. Said of bacon or any salted provisions when over-kept,
and become the colour of iron-rust.
I can't abear ursty bacon. See RUSTY.
URZULS [urzuul'z], pr. .Ourselves. (Always.) First syllable very short.
[Wee-kn due 1 ut urzuul'z,~] we can do it ourselves.
US [uus],/r. nom. In North Devon this use is the rule, and it is com. in the Exmoor dist., but in
Somerset it is heard less frequently.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9654) (tudalen 794)
|
794
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Us be gwain t'ave a new paa'son.
Us thoughte it nas nat worth to make it wys,
And graunted him withoute more avys. Chaucer, Pro/. 1. 785.
USE [yue-z, //. yue'z, //. u-yue'z], v. i. i. To frequent; to haunt. Very com. in speaking of both
animals and persons.
The rabbits do use here ter'ble. The bullicks 've a-use there to thick pit gin they've a-trode the ground
all to a pux.
They zess how he do use in to Green Dragon purty much.
I use, I wonte, or haunte a place or a custume. le vsite. I use it
sometyme, but nat alwayes: je lusite.
Palsgrave, p. 769.
2. sb. Custom; habit. (Very com.)
'Twas the poor old mother's uze, zo long's I can mind.
Twos olways thy Uze; and chem agast tha wut zo vore thy Een.
Ex. Scold. 1. 228.
UTHOUT [udhaewt], conj. Without; unless; except.
[Yue kaa*n git geod dhing'z udhaewt yue bee u muyn tu paa'y vaur ut,] you cannot get good things
(stock) without you be a mind to pay
for it.
UVVER [uuvur], sb. See HOVER.
V. This letter is by no means to be taken as the equivalent of lit. f t as caricaturists of West
countrymen, from Ben Jonson to Punch,
have assumed. Teutonic words spelt with initial f are nearly all pronounced as v, while French
and other imported words keep the
initial / as sharp as in the lit. dialect. See word lists F. and V. Emphasis is given to all f
or v words by sounding them as if in
sharp / as” Tidn a town, 'tis a fillage" “Youy/<? man you!” After a
short vowel and before m v changes to
, as laeb'm = eleven, ab'-m = have him, zaeb'm = seven; in each case the n changes into m after v or b. See
W. S. Gram., p. 65, W. S. Dial., p.
17. Have is shortened into v after all the vowels.
The tay 've a-burn'd 'is mouf. Sarah 've a-bin to zee un.;
[Ee-z> u-gau't-n] = he have got him. [Aay-z; u-bun 1 dhur voa'r naew,] I have been there before now.
[Joa'-z^ u-broa'kt uz buurchez,] Joe
have broken his breeches. [Ylie'-z/ u-spoavkt
urad'ee,] you have spoken already.
VAGE [vae'uj], v. tr. i. To butt said of a 'sheep or other animal. (Com.)
I mind hon I was a bwoy, sar-in the sheep, I'd a-got a willey vull o' turmuts to my back, and one o' the
old yoes vage me, and hat me arse over
head, turmuts and all Jan. 1880.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9655) (tudalen 795)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 795
2. v. t. To deceive; to cheat.
'Tis right, I 'sure 'ee; I widn vage 'ee 'pon no 'count.
to FAGE; adulari, assentari, ascenciare, assentiri, blandiri,
deblandificare, delinere, palpare.
Calk. Ang.
thei seiden to the wijf of Sampson, faage to thi man, and meue hym.
Wyclif, Judges xiv. 15.
VAINFUL [vaaynfeol], adj. and adv. Useless; deceptive; in vain.
'Tis vainful vor-n to think her '11 ever have he.
Though countrie be more painfull
and not so greedie gainful!,
yet is it not so vainfull
in following fansies eie. Tusser, 3/13.
VAIR [vae'ur], sb. The weasel. So called in North-west Som. and N. Devon. In the Vale district of W.
Som. always vary (q. v.).
VAIR: a rich fur of Ermines powdered thick with blue hairs, also, the
grayish colour of some eyes; also,
that which our Blasonners call Verry. MENU VAIR, Minever; the fur of Ermins mixed, or
spotted with the fur of the Weesel called
Gris. Cot grave.
Cinderella's glass slipper is no doubt from vair = verre.
Jere beej> veyres litel of body and ful hardy and strong. (Caxton has f
eyres. The unknown translator, Harl.
MS. 2261, has weselles.}
Trevisa> xxxn. De Hibernia, vol. I. p. 335.
VALENT [vaal'unt], sb. A short curtain. Usually applied to that which is kept in place by a lath, and
hangs on each side of a bedstead, from
the mattrass to the ground; or to such as may
hang around the head of old-fashioned ones. Also the name of the upper or fixed part (if any) of window
drapery.
Please, 'm, the foot valent of the blue bed's a-broke down he must have a new stick.
VALL [vaa'l, or vau'l], v.i. i. P. tense [vauid]; p. part. [u-vairld].' To fall. The forms jfc// and
fatten are unknown.
2. [vaa'l], sb. Fall /". e. rain or snow.
The bullicks be urnin', there'll be a vail vore long.
VALL AWAY [vaa'l, or vau'l uwai'J, v. t. To become thin; to lose flesh. Same as to pitch away, except
that the latter rather implies through
illness, while one might vail away from health or exercise. Fall always pron. with initial v.
I an't a-zeed 'ee's ever so long; how you be walled away! you an't bin bad or ort, 'ave 'ee?
Jet fifte ping is muche scheome Jet hit is, efter val, to liggen so longe.
Ancrtn Riwle, p. 326, and in many other places.
VALLIATION [vaal'iae'urshun], sb. i. Valuation; amount. The valliation wadn near so much as you
told o'.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9656) (tudalen 796)
|
796 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
2. Used also very frequently in an indefinite sense to express a small quantity.
Nif anybody'd on'y a-had the vattiation of about o' two showel-vulls o' clay,
could 'a stap'd it all to once. Said of an important outburst of water, which might have been
stopped if taken in hand at first.
VALL OUT [vaal aewt], v. i. To quarrel; to disagree. They do zay how maister and the paa'sn be
availed out, sure 'nough, 'cause the
cows brokt out to road and went in the garden.
VALL OVER THE DESK [vaal oa'vur dhu duV], cant phr. To have the banns published in church.
[Wuul, Mae'uree, zoa yiie-v M-vaa'ld oa'vur dhu dus", aan-ee? Aay ziinv, neef aay wuz yue", aay shud
nau* haun aay wuz wuul' oa'f, un lat
wuul uloa'un,] well, Mary, so you have had your banns published, have you not? I fancy, if I was
you, I should know when I was well
off, and let well alone.
And vath, niPs do vail over the Desk, twont thir ma. Ex. Court, 1. 475.
VALLY [vaal-ee], v. /. and sb. Value.
Mr. Mildon didn vally the stock in no jis money; and I zaid I widn gee no more-n the fair vally o' it.
VAN [van 1 ], sb. A fan. (Always.) An old-fashioned winnowing machine, consisting of strips of sacking
fixed lengthwise to a horizontal
framework on a spindle. This being turned by a handle causes a powerful draught, in front of
which the corn to be winnowed is allowed to fall in a constant stream, when
the chaff is blown away and the clean
corn remains on the heap. The principle
of the modern winnowing machine is the same, only with the addition of various sieves, by which the
inferior or” tailing” corn is
separated. I have seen many vans used, but they are now almost obsolete.
VANNUS, a van wherwith corne is clensed from chaffe and drosse against
the wind. Jtmius Nomendator (quoted by
Way), Promp. Parv. p. 133.
VANG [vang], v. t. To seize hold of; to grasp. (Very com.) You vang the head o' un eens he mid-n bite;
vang un tight, mind. Ang.-Sax. fon 9
to take, seize, receive, accept, undertake. P. t. feng; p. ^. fangen, fongen, gefangen.
In our modern dialect vang has all the above meanings.
beos meiden ine marhen, wes ibroht biforen him.
\ he bigon to /on on J>isses weis towart hire. St. Katharine, 1. 1861.
pen 3ede )>at wy$e a^ayn swyj)e,
& folke frely hym wyth, tofonge \>Q Knyjt.
Sir Gawayne, 1. 816. See also 11. 646, 1556, 1315, &c.
What more worschyp mo3t hofonge, }?en corunde be Kyng by cortayse? Alliterative Peons, 1. 478, p. 15. See also
\. 540, p. 52.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9657) (tudalen 797)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 797
And cristendom of preestes handes fonge
Repentyng hir she hethen was so longe.
Chaticer, Man of Lavves Tale, 1. 377 Cristendom
his )>at sacrement >at men her
ferst fonge\>. William of Shore ham, DC Baptismo, 1. 2.
For 3ef thou vangest thane cristendom,
And for than bileft clene.
William of Shoreham, quoted by Wright, cannot find the passage. See Trevisa, I. p. 247.
Not to fonge hem by avarice, or covetise, or falshede. Gesta Roman, p. 155.
And come before god present, and. fonge ther ys iuggyment To ioye oj)er pyne to wende. Sir Ferumbras,
1. 5739.
Destruction fang mankind! Earth yield me roots!
Who seeks for better of thee, sauce his palate
With thy most operant poison. Timon of Athens, IV. Hi.
The word is still very common in W. Som. and N. Devon, but there seems to be no such word as undervang
to keep alive the old underfong.
VANGLEMENT [vang-lmunt], sb. Contrivance.
I never don't zee no good in none o' these here new-farshin vanglements 'bout farmerin' an' that. They
be always gittin out o' order; and I
don't never b'leive idn no savin' way 'em.
In goyinge by the way, neyther talke nor iangle, Gape not nor gase not, at euery
nQwefangle, But soberly go ye, with
countinaunce graue; Humblye your
selues, towarde all men behaue.
F. Seager's School of Verlue, 1. 265 (Babees Book, Furnivall).
VANG TO [vang* the], v. t. To stand sponsor. Heard occasionally in the Hill
district, but obsolescent. Note all the glossaries are wrong in giving vang alone in this
sense.
When the paa'sn come there wad-n nobody vor to vang to un.
In the Exmoor Scolding it is thus used, and in this sense it is always to vang to, and evidently it has
been so used for nearly five
centuries, as the following clearly proves
And when Seynt Alphege had verylyche sey in sy^t,
That Seynt Ede hurre self was redy )>o J?er',
To fonge to J>e child as he had y tey^t,
Ry3t alyve as j?aw he }et were. Chron. Vil. st. 558.
See PENGELLY, Trans. Dev. Assoc., vol. vn., for a number of modern authorities on this word.
VANTAGE [vaa'nteej], sb. Advantage; gain.
Twidn be no vantage to he vor to tell 'ee a passle o' lies.
nor look thou here * that euerie shere
of euerie verse I thus reherse
may profit take ' or vantage make. Tusser, 3/7.
A VANTAGE. Avantage, surcrotst, surcrez, accessoire. Shei~ivood.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9658) (tudalen 798)
|
79$ WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
VAR [vaa'r], adv. Far. (Always.) Comp. [vuurdur], sometimes \ - vaardur~].
Super. [vuurdees(f], sometimes \vaar dces(f\.
VARDEN [vaardn], sb. Farthing. (Always.)
VARDIGREASE [vaardigrars, faardigrars], sb. Verdigris. (Always.)
Tar'n fardigraice is the findest thing in the wordle vor sheep's
veet.
VERTE GRECE. Viride Grecwn, flos eris. Promp. Parv.
VARGE [vaa'rj], sb. A narrow strip of turf in a garden, dividing a path from a bed.
VARJIS [vaarjiiz], sb. Verjuice; something very sour. The superlative absolute of sour when applied
to liquid, as grig is of solids. (Very
com.)
Can't drink this yer stuff, 'tis zo zour's varjis.
VERIOWCE, sawce. Agresta. Promp. Parv.
Be sure of vergis (a gallond at least),
So good for the kitchen, so needfull for beast. Tusser, 19/42.
VARMINT [vaa'rmunt], sb. Vermin in the sense of foxes, stoats, weasels, rats, cats, hawks,
magpies, or any other creatures which
prey upon game. The word is never applied to snakes, creeping things, or parasites. See Things
2.
Nobody widn never believe the sight o' varmint we've a-put o' one zide in the last dree mon's.
VARRY [vaaree] v. i. i. To farrow. (Always.)
2. v. i. To vary; to disagree.
Volks can varry 'thout quardlin', can't 'em?
VARTH [vaa-th], sb. A litter of pigs. (Always.) Hot d'ye ax maister vor the zow and varth
o' pigs? Thick zow've a-reared
eight-and-thirty pigs to dree varths.
November, 1884.
VAR-VOTH [vaa-r-voo-uth], adv. Far; to that extent.
I'll tell 'ee all about it so var-vottis I've a-'ad ort to doin' way ut.
654 Perkin's (W.) A DISCOURSE OF THE DAMNED ART OF WITCHCRAFT; SQ/arrefarth as it is revealed in the
Scriptures and Manifest by true Experience,
Svo, old calf, very scarce and curious, 1610 25 s.
Booksellers Catalogue, 1884.
VARY [vae-uree], sb. A weasel, not a stoat. In some parts, about Dulverton, it is called a vair (q.
v.). Most probably from similarity of
sound, this word too has been corrupted by some people, who” know better” than to say
vairy, into fairy. No doubt the word
is O.F. rair t fur, and our form Tory the diminutive, as in lovy, Billy,
&c.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9659) (tudalen 799)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 799
VAST [vaa-s, vaa'stur, vaa'stees], adj. Eager: fast. (Always.) Steady, soce! you be [tu vaa-s] by half.
Thick there dog o'
mine's vaster 'n your bitch. I calls 'n [dhu vaa'stees] dog in the
parish.
Ac J>ay slepej) all so vaste: |>ay mowe ous no3t y-here:
J>e barouns layde on hem vaste: wi]> swerd faire & bri^t,
Hure loue ys mo red on j?e ful vaste. Sir Ferumbras, 11. 2565, 2722, 2834.
VATCH [vaach], v. t. and /. To fetch. (Always.) Missus is a-tookt very bad; Joe mus' g'in
an' vatch the doctor torackly.
Wat so }>ei ben )>at lettej? ous o}t: vy tallies ^ar to vacche,
Non of ous ne sparie him no}t: strokes pat J?ai ne lacche. Sir Fer. 1. 2517.
And sayde >ey wolden J? 1 theffe
For ony mon ty wold say nay, Chron. Vilod. st. 734.
VATCHES [vaacrrez], sb. Vetches. Same as THATCHES, a always broad.
FETCHE, corne, or tare (feliche, K.). Vicia. Pr. Paru. p. 153.
VATE [vae'ut], sb. Vat. (Always.) As a pigs-vate, &c.
FATE, vesselle. Cuva, cupa, vel cupus. Promp. Parv. A vat, or vate. Vase, vaisseau, cuve.
Sherwood.
VATH, VATH AND TRATH. See FATH. Ex. Scold, p. 164.
Mouyng her heedis ^ seiynge, vath thou that distriest the temple of God;
^ in thre daies bildist it a$en.
Wydif, Mark xv. 29.
It is curious to compare the various translations of the original Qua, Tyndale, 1534, Awretche; Cranmer,
1539, A wretche; Geneva, 1557, Hey;
Rheims, 1582, Vah; Au. Ver., 1611, Ah; Revised, 1885, Ha; with Wyclifs as above.
VAUGHT [vau-t],/./. Fetched now only heard in the very common alliterative proverb
[Vuur Vc-vau't, dee'ur u-bau't,] far-fetched, dearly bought. See W. S. Gram., p. 8.
We see the word spelt vett in the Somerset Man's Complaint (pub. in preface to Ex. Scold.}, and fet by
Chaucer. In the Chronicon Vilodunense
the word is used frequently in different
forms, in all of which it has a form more like the modern dialectal.
fetten j?e shryne. Chron. Vil. st. 1174.
Bot Seynt Ede was dede forsothe byfore
And hurre soulefatte to hevene blysse. Ib. st. 549.
For bleynde men hadden f>ere hurr' sey^t
And crokette and maymotte fatton pere hurre hele: Ib. st. 586.
A basyn w* wat' po forthe was fatte. Ib. st. 704.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9660) (tudalen 800)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
hurre soule was/zte to hevene. Chron. ViL st. 482.
And of-sente hire a-swi^e Seriauns hire \.ofette.P. Plow. III. 96.
Freres with feir speches fetten him >ennes. Ib. II. 205.
And |>anne he let pe cofresfetfe
Vpon J>e bord and dede hem sette. Cower, Tale of the Coffers, 1. 45.
A Briton book, writen with Euangiles,
/, and on this book he swor anoon. Chaucer, Man of L. T., 668.
Garyn his gode stede \\\mfetten: J?at was in spayne i
Florippe het a damesel bri^te: hastelich gon andfette
A gret torche & hym alijte. Sir Per umbras t 11. 240, 1260.
VAY. See FAY.
VEATHER [vaedh-ur], v. t. In shooting to strike feathers from the quarry without bringing it down.
Well I thort thick wid a-come down, he was purty well a-veathered; but they
old cocks '11 car away a sight o'shot.
VEGEBLES [vuj-ublz], VEGETLES [vdj-utlz], sb. Vegetables. You can't have no sprouts to-day, vegetles
be terr'ble [skee'us] scarce.
VELL [vuul], sb. i. A pook or inner stomach of a calf, from which rennet is made, and which is used,
without other preparation than drying,
for curdling milk for cheese or junket. See POOK i.
2. A cataract on the eye; a film or thin membrane. I be afeard the poor old man's gwain blind,
he've a-got a veil all over one of his
eyes, but the tother idn so bad.
VELLUM [vuTum], sb. A film. A common injury to ewes and sows is to be vellum brokt, a kind of
rupture.
VELYME, Membrana. Promp. Parv.
VELL-WOOL. See FELL-WOOL.
VELLY, VELLER [vuul-ee, vuul'ur], sb. and v. t. A felloe. They wheels must be a nzvf-vullur'd Vore
they be a-bonded /. e. before the
tires are put on.
VELT. See FELT.
VELVET [vuul-vut], sb. Of a stag. When his new horns are fresh grown they are tender, and covered
with a soft velvety fur. Pity to ha'
killed -n in his velvet
VENGEANCE [varnjuns], sb. Com. name for the devil. [Haul- dh-oal Vai'njuns b-ee baewt?] what
(in the name of) the old Vengeance be
ye about? See Ex. Scold., p. 165.
VENT [vai-nt], sb. Sale; means of disposal. (Very com.)
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9661) (tudalen 801)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 8oi
Tidn trade enough; we could turn out ten times so much nif on'y could get vent vor-'t.
If vent of the market seme thee not well,
Set hogs vp a fatting, to drouer to sell. Ttisser, 19/27.
VENTURELESS [varnturlees], adj. Venturesome; foolhardy.
Our Bob's the [varnturleesee's] venturelessest fuller ever I corned across. I zess to un, s'l, Bob, I be saafe
thee't break thy neck one o' those yer
days.
VERDLE [vuurdl, seldom vuurul], sb. Ferrule; never sounded with/ Applied not only to the tube-like
ferrule, but also to the flat ring
usually called a washer.
VYROLFE, of a knyfe (virol, K. vyroll, P.). Spirula. Promp. Parv.
Vyrelli\\Q staffe at bothe endes. Boke of St. Albans (quoted by Way), p. 510.
A verril (or iron band for a wooden tool). Freti, virole. Sherzuood.
VERLY BLEIVE [vuurlee blai'v]. Verily believe. (Com.) I verly bleive the cow wid a-killed her nif
I adn a-hurn'd vor my very blid'n eyes
an' a-drov'd 'er.
Es verly believe es chill ne'er vet et. Ex. Scold. \. 303.
VERSY [vuursee], v. i. To read out of the Bible verses in turn. (Very com.) O. Fr. verseiller.
'Tis so wet can't go to church, must bide 'ome and versy.
Auh mid him ne schule je nouSer uerslen ne singen fet he hit muwe iheren.
Ancren Riivle, p. 44.
VERY [vuuree]. As an adjective. (Very com.)
You be the very man I was huntin' vor. Urn'd as off the very old fuller was arter-n. 'Twas but a very
trifle.
VETHERVOW [vaedlvurvoa 1 ], sb. Feverfew. (Always.) Pyrethnm Parthenium.
In the dialect the idea of fever is quite lost through the change of the v into th (as in thatches for
vetches']. Thus the word would become
f ether, and hence by similarity of sound would be mistaken tor feat her, which is always veather a
true Teutonic word.
VEW [veo*, viie'], adj. Few. This word does not mean little, as Hal. says. It is always used with
broth.” A few broth” was always said
by our old family doctor, and still is by all dialect speakers; but broth is always construed as
a plural sb. See SIZE, BROTH.
Ang.-Sax.yraze/.
So >at vewe contreies: be]? in Engelonde,
]>at monekes nabbej? of Normandie: somwat in hor honde.
Rob. of Glouc., IV. the Conq. 1. 263.
All J>e feldes f>o wern y-fuld: of dede men on \>e grounde, Saue an vewe j?at leye & Julde: and
abide hure def>es stoundc.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 952.
Harold .... hadde bote veaw kny^tes aboute hym. Trevisa, lib. vi. c. 29.
3 F
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9662) (tudalen 802)
|
8o2 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
VICE [vuys], sb. Fist. (Always.) Plur. [vuystez].
VIERNS [veewnz], sb. Ferns. (Always.) In speaking of vierns generally the common bracken is
meant, of which great quantities are
cut for bedding.
VIEW [vue-], v. t. and sb. Hunting to see the quarry while being hunted.
The fox jumped up in view. See ill. under SINK, SOIL.
The master being posted on Cloutsham Ball, to him presently arrived the whip with the gratifying intelligence that
he had viewed a good stag away towards
Pool. * Wellington Weekly News, Aug. 19, 1886.
VIFTY-ZIX [vee-ftee-zik-s], sb. A weight of 56 Ibs. the usual name for a half-hundredweight stone.
What's the matter with your foot, William? Well, sir, a vifty-zix vall'd down 'pon my gurt toe, and squat-n
all abroad.
He was king of Engelonde ' four & tuenti 3er al-so,
& duk ek of Normandie vifty $er & tuo. Rob. of Clou., W. the Conq. 1.
517.
VIGGY [vig'ee], v. i. To kick with the feet, as dogs do in scratching themselves; to struggle.
Thee mids viggy nif wit, but I'll hold thee, mun.
The old word \s - fike, of which fidget is the diminutive. Skeat. MakecS feir semblaunt, &fike$> mid
te heaued. Ancren Riwle, p. 206.
]jet flickered so mit ]>e, 8z. - fike$> mid dogge uawenunge. Ib. p.
290. Fykin a-bowte, infra in Fyskin.
FiskiTi a-bowte yn ydilnesse. Promp. Parv.
I praye you se ho we 3&&jysketk aboute. Palsgrave. Trotiere, a raumpe, fisgig, fisking
huswife, raunging damsell. Cotgrave.
but tliof ha ded viggee, and potee, and towzee, and tervee. Ex. Scold.
1. 216.
VILENT [vuylunt], sb. Violet. (Always.) Also very common name for a cart mare.” Vuylunt
voa'ur!" may be heard everywhere.
VILLVARE [vuTvae'ur, vuTeevae'ur, vuTvae'uree], sb. The fieldfare. Called also velt. Turdus
pilaris. Of this there are t\vo
varieties, called from the colour Greybird and Bluebird.
VIND. See FIND.
^ VINE [vuyn], sb. The plant of the cucumber. (Always.) Called also occasionally the cucumber-vine.
Must make up a new bed, they vines be a-urn'd out,
VINNED [vun-ud]. adj. Mouldy; mildewed. (Usual word.) 11 Blue-9/*a& cheese” is the correct
description of ripe Stilton or
Gorgonzola.
Our houze is terr'ble damp, sure 'nough. I'd a put my best hat
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9663) (tudalen 803)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 803
in the cubbid, an' hon I come vor to put'n on vor to go to church, nif he wadn &-vinned zo whit's a
lime-bag.
A souldiers hands must oft be died with goare, Lest, starke with rest, they finew' 'd
\vaxe, and hoare.
Mirror for Magistrates, p. 417.
Zum iggs an' bacon vinned cheese,
An' strong beer in a can. Pulrnan, Rtis, Sk. p. 28.
VINNY [viiiree], v. i. To become mouldy or mildewed. Be sure-n drow (dry) they zacks, else
they'll vinny and ratty in no time.
VIRE-DOG [vuyur-daug, or duug], sb. Andiron. In my own house we burn mostly wood; but the
various andirons are only known as
fire-dogs by polite servants. See HAND-DOGS.
A very old riddle is
[Ai'd lig u aa'pl, naek* lig u swan",
Baa'k lig u grai'aewn, un dree laegz to stan',] Head like an apple, neck like a swan, Back like a greyhound, and three legs to
stan'.
VIRE-NEW [vuyur-nue*], adj. Brand-new.
Our Urch come home vrom fair way a vire-new hat, darned if I know where the money com'th vrom.
VIRE-SPUDDLE [vuyur-spuud'l], sb. Term for one who is always poking the fire, or stirring about
the embers. My experience is that this
is a very common foible. See SPUDDLE.
VIRE-TONGS [vuyur-taungz], sb. Common house tongs. Tongs alone means the tool with which a
smith holds his hot iron.
A very old rustic riddle is
Long legs, crooked thighs, Little
head, and no eyes.
VISH [vee-sh], sb. and v. Fish. (Always.)
VITTINESS [viif inees], sb. Dexterity; neat-handedness. Why, 'Arry, thee'rt all thumbs! idn a bit
o' vittiness about thee.
the featnesse and finenesse of the bodie or attire, is the fouling and
defiling of the soule: Lives of Women
Saints, p. 25.
Tha hast no Stroel ner Docity, no vittiness in enny Keendest Theng.
Ex. Scold. 1. 209.
VITTY [viifee], adj. and adv. Proper; neat; correct; correctly adjusted, as
applied to any machine or implement.
[As u-guuf airl dhee teo'lz vut'eeT} hast got all thy tools in order?
[Dhaat lid-n u beet vut'ee; aay toa'l dhee aew tu due 1 ut,] that is not at all right; I told thee how to do it.
3 F 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9664) (tudalen 804)
|
804 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
[Yuur, aa'l shoa' ee eens yiie airf tu puut--n, yue aa'n u-due'd ut u beet vut'ee.l here, I will show ye how
you ought to put it, you have not done
it a bit properly.
Seldom heard in the comp. and superl., but I have heard, “That'll be a
vittier job."
And, look, how well my garments sit upon me;
Much/eater than before. Tempest, II. i.
Foot it featly here and there:
And, sweet sprites, the burden bear. Ib. I. ii.
Thy buzzom Chucks were pretty vittee avore tha madst thyzel therle.
Ex. Scold. 1. 72. See also p. 167.
This word is in very constant use, but has no connection with “fit” (q. v.),
which is always/^/, not vut.
VITTY-HANDED [viifee-andud], adj. Dexterous; apt with the fingers. (Very com.)
Never zeed no two brithers so much onlike one tother. Bill's all thumbs, and Jack's altogether so
vitty-handed.
VLAGGED [vlag-ud], adj. Flabby; loose; flaccid. (Com.) Thy Vlesh oil wangery, and thy Skin oil
vlagged. Ex. Scold. 1. 74.
VLANKS [vlang'ks], sb. Sparks of fire. The same as BLANKS. the two words are used indifferently.
VLARE [vlae'ur], sb. i. A star in glass or crockery; when from a centre the fracture radiates and
then stops. See CRAZE. A vlare is
always a visible damage, whereas a craze may be imperceptible, except that the article will
not” ring."
2. A flaw or defect in any article; might be used even in speaking of a horse.
3. v. Seldom used except in the p. part, u-vlae'urd. To crack with a vlare.
[Dhu wee-ndur-z au'l u-vlae'urd; dhaat-s dhai bwuuyz ugee'un!] the window is all starred; that is those
boys again!
VLAY [vlai-], sb. Flea. (Always.)
VLEE [vice-], v. i. To fly. He can vke like a bird.
VLEX [vlek-s]. See FLAX.
VLEX-PIT [vlek-s-put], sb. A deep pool in which flax is watered” or steeped. In this district,
where flax used to be grown in large
quantities, nearly every farm has its vlex-pit.
VLID [vliid], sb. Flood. (Always.)
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9665) (tudalen 805)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 805
VLITTERS [vhifurz], sb. i. Flutters; tatters; shreds; rags. Brokt my old coat all to vlitters.
2. Finery; ornament in dress.
There her was, sure, way her veathers and her vlitters; better fit her'd a-bin home to the warshin tub to
work, same's her mother do'd avore
her.
VOG [vaug], sb. Bog; swamp.
'Tis terr'ble voggy ground all drough there, but in thick there place 'tis a proper vog. Oct. 5, 1886. See
Zoo.
VOLKS [voa-ks], sb. i. People.
Thick there sort o' pigs idn no good to poor volks.
Urch volks can do eens they be a mind to.
2. Workpeople.
Come, Jim! be gwain to bide a bed all's day! There be the volks doing o' nort; cause they don't know
what to go 'bout.
Vor te biweopen isleien uolc. ^ Ich chulle scheawen al nakedliche to al uolcke Jnne cweadschipes. Anc. Riw. pp.
156, 322.
VOLLIER [vaul-yur], sb. Follower. Tech. That part of a cider or cheese press which rises and falls
by turning the screws. “No volliers” is sometimes a condition of female
service.
VOLLY [vaul-ee], v. t. and i. To follow.
I've a-brought back your dog, mum; he vollied me home last night, and I could-n drave-m nohow, he wid
bide.
" Volly your hands” is a common saying. Of work it means continue what you are doing, at games it
has the precise meaning of” follow on”
at cricket i. e. da capo.
VOR [vur, emph. vairr], prep. For. (Always.) Also all words compounded with for, as forgive, forsake,
c., are sounded with initial v.
Abundant ill. to be found in these pages, and in most of the old writers of thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries.
Hot's do that there vau'r?
VORCAUSE [vurkae'uz, vurkairz], conj. Because. (Very com.) I shan't be able vor to come 'vore week
arter next, vorcause I've a-promish'd
Mr. Corner next week.
King Willam wende a$en * |)o al ])is was ido,
And began sone to grony ' and to febly al-so,
Vor trauail of >e voul asaut * and vor he was feble er,
And parauntre vor wreche also ' vor he dude so vuele ]>er.
Rob. of Clone. , W. the Conq. 1. 489.
VORD [voo-urd], v. t. To afford.
I asked an old man whom I met in very cold weather,” Where is your great-coat, Mr. Baker?”
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9666) (tudalen 806)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
[Kaa'-n voo'urd tu waeair tiie' koa'uts tu wamrs,] (I) cannot afford to wear two coats at once.
VORE [voa'ur], adv. Forward. Used very frequently after verbs of motion, much more so than its
synonym in lit. Engl. It may be said
to take the place of out. Spake vore! = speak out. "To drow vore" is to throw out
i.e. to twit. "To hat vore? to
strike out. Words compounded of fore are always pronounced with initial v. Very often it is used
redundantly, as, Go vore to Mr. Clay
and zay 1 11 come vore to-marra.
In driving plough horses = Go on! "Captain, vore/" used to horses when standing in a cart or
otherwise harnessed. When loading hay
or corn in the field, a trained horse needs no leader, but a word from the "pitcher,"
vore/ or way / or back! as may be
required.
That ich me draje to mine cunde,
Ne mai noman thare vore schende: Owl and Night. 1. 273.
VORE [voa'ur], /r<?/. i. Before; in front of. See AVORE. Like an old hen vore day slight. I zeed-n
vore he went home. Tommy, don't you go
vore th j osses, mind.
2. Until.
You 'on't be able t'ab-m vore arter Kirsmas. You bide vore I tell 'ee. Us 'on't start vore you'm ready
vor go.
'Twos olways thy Uze; and chem agast tha wut zo vore thy Een.
Ex. Scold. 1. 229.
VORE [voaT, voo'ur], sb. Furrow. (Always.)
[Wuys-n muyn dhee zoo'ul, ee'ns u mud maek' u klarn voo'urT\ why dost thou not attend to your plough, so
that he may make a clean furrow?
Signifies both the roll of earth as well as the trench made by the plough.
FORE, or forovve of a londe. Sulcus. Promp. Parv. ]>ay prykede hure stedes with hure
spores & }>an )>ay runn? away;
Ne spared rigges nojjer vores: til J?ay mette )>at pray. Sir Ferum.
\. 1564.
Freres folowen my vore ' fele tyme and ofte. P. Plow. vii. 118.
VORE AND BACK SULL [voo-ur-n baak- zoo'ul], sb. A plough made to turn a furrow at will either to
right or left. Hence it is able to
plough vore, or forward, and back i. e. to return in the same track. Same as a TWO-WAY SULL.
VORE-BOARD [voo'ur-boo-urd], sb. Of a cart the front board on which usually the name of the owner is
painted.
VORE DAY [voo-ur dar], adv. phr. Before it is light. I do burn more can'l vore day-r\ I do burn
arter dark.
VORE-DOOR [voo-ur-doo-ur], sb. Front-door.
Hark! I yeard zomebody to vore-door, urn out and zee who 'tis.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9667) (tudalen 807)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 8o/
VORE 'EM! [voa-ur um! vocrur um!]. To a shepherd's dog the order to go in front of the sheep to
drive them back.
I was driving along a road where there were some stray sheep which I could not get past they
persistently kept just in front. I
drew as close as I could on one side and stopped, then called out” Vore 'em! vore 'em!" The sheep
instantly turned and ran past me with
a rush. December, 1885.
VOREHEAD [vaureed], j. Forehead. (Always.) A headland or space at each end of the ploughing where
the horses turn in this district
always called thus.
He've a-plough'd out thick field o' groun', in to (/. e. all but) a piece o' one o' the voreheads.
I do mean to draw thick vorehead out over the field.
VOREHEADED [voarardud], adj. Wilful; headstrong; obstinate.
Tidn no good vor to zay un, you'll on'y zit-n up there idn a more voreheadeder fuller vor cussin',
dammin', and 'busin', not in all the
parish.
VORE-HORSE [voa-r-airs], sb. A leader called in other counties the thill-horse.
Plase, sir, I be a-stented, and I want vor t'ax o' 'ee vor to plase to be so kind's to lend me a vore-oss to
help me up the hill.
And do parzent un with a van of rosemary,
And bays, to vill a bow-pot, trim the head Of my best vore-horse. Ben Jonson, Tale of
a Ttib, I. ii.
VORENOONS [voa'urneo'nz], sb. The forenoon meal or refreshment usually taken about ten. In
harvest or hay time, when the men go
to work at daylight, they require to feed between the early breakfast and the dinner. This
meal is sometimes called eleven o'
clocks [laeb'm u-klau'ksj.
Mary, idn the vorenoons ready vor the vokes? Look sharp! d'ye zee hot o'clock 'tis?
VORE-PART [voar-pae-urt], sb. The front. (Always.) So also the vore-zide is the front in
distinction from the back-zide.
I heard a man with grim humour ask a boy who had badly scratched his face
[Haut-su-due'd tu dhu voa'r-parurt u dhee ai'd?] what hast done to the fore-part of thy head?
VORE-RIGHT [voa-r-ruyt, voa'ur-rart, voo'uth ruyt], adj. Headlong; impulsive. In the dialect the
word has much more force than that
given by Webster (as obsolete), used by Massinger and Beaumont and Fletcher.
Our Jim's a vore-right sort of a chap; he 'on't put up way no nonsense.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9668) (tudalen 808)
|
8o8 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Though "he forerigkt, Both by
their houses and their persons pass'd.
Chapman, Odyssey, xvn.
The word forthright is again coming into use.
Not the skilled craftsmanship of Giulio Romano, nor the forthright skill
of Del Sarto, not the grace of Guido
nor the amenities of Guercino, availed to
avert the crash. Athenaum, No. 2962, Aug. 2, 1884, p. 152.
VORETOKENY [voa'urtoak'nee], v. i. To betoken; to foreshadow; to give
warning.
[Siivur dhingz du voa'urtoak'nee eens wee bee gwai'n t-ae'-u aard wee'ntur,] several things do
foreshadow how that we be going to
have a hard winter.
VOREWAY [voa'rwar], adv. Immediately; directly after not quite so instantaneous as” way the
same." The meaning is rather
continuous right on end.
Jim Boucher com'd over and told me they was there, and tho voreway I urned up; but I wadn quick
enough, they was a-go.
YORK [vairrk], sb. Fork. Of a tree the part where the main branches diverge. Same as the TWIZZLE (q.
v.). See Ex. Scold. p. 1 68.
VORN [vaurn]. For him contracted form of vor-un. The analogous form for them is not to be heard.
In Somerset this is vor um, or vor
'em. In Devon it is vor min t or vor mun.
VOR WHY [vur waa'y], conj. Because. See FOR WHY.
Tidn not a bit o' good to go there, vor why, t'ave bin all a-tried a'ready. Keeper, November 1886.
Frequently the phrase is varied to [kae'uz vur waay"] 'cause for why. See CAUSE WHY, FOR WHY.
A parish clerk, well-known to my mother, gave out, "There 'on't be no Zindy yer next Zindy; caze vor wfiy,
maister's gwain Dawlish vor
praich." See Ex. Scold, p. 168.
Louerd Crist, ase men wolden steken veste euerich Jmrl; vor whou? J> 1
heo muhten bisteken dea$ per vte.
Ancren Riwle, p. 62.
VOTH [voa-uth, voo-uth], sb. i. Lit. furrowth; comp. varth = farrowth. A number of furrows ploughed up
round a field with which lime or other
manure is mixed to be spread over the land.
Take in a voth zix or eight vores wide.
2. The end of the furrow where the plough runs out, and the zoo'til (sull) is turned along the heading.
[Wuy-s-n pluw dhu vee'ul tuudlvur wai? dhee-s u-guuf noa'urt bud voa'utks-n vaureedz dhik faa'rsheen,]
why dost not plough the field the
other way? thou hast nothing but voths and voreheads (q. v.) that fashion.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9669) (tudalen 809)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 809
3. Forth in VAR-VOTH (q. v.).
VREACH [vrarch], adv. Actively; in a spirited manner. See Ex. Scold, p. 169.
They must a-worked purty dapper and vreach to ha' finish'd a'ready.
Tha wut net break the Cantlebone o' thy tether Eend wi' chuering, chell \vamdy; tha wut net take et zo vreache, ya
sauntering Troant! Ex. Sc. 1. 280.
VREATH [vraeth, vriith], sb. i. A wreathing; an interweaving; a wattled
fence.
Nif you don't put up a good vreath o' thurns, mid so wull let it alone.
2. Brushwood; young underwood suitable for wreathing. In Parish's Sussex Glossary this word is
spelt frith.
VREATHE [vrai-dh], v. t. To wreathe; to wattle; to intertwine, as in basket
work. See RADDLE.
Take and cut a thurn or two and vreathe it up vitty, eens they can't get droo.
lie ysfrfyfrf yn with floreynes ' and oj>er fees menye, Loke J>ow plocke j?er no plaunte for
peryl of ])y soule.
P. Plow. viu. 228.
VREATH HURDLES [vraeth' uurdlz], sb. Hurdles made of wattled sticks.
VREATHING [vrai'dheen], sb. A wattling, or rough intertwining.
VREX [vraek's], sb. Rush. Plur. [vraek'sn, vraek'snz]. This is one of the few remaining plurals in en;
even this is scarcely recognized as a
plural, but rather as a generic name hence the very common reduplication when a distinct
plural is to be denoted. See REX. The
initial v in this word is common to all parts, but in the Hill district it is the rule rather
than the exception.
VRIGHT [vruyt], adv. Right; in proper order. The v is not sounded in right-hand, or to the right.
This distinctive pronun. is more com.
in the Hill than Vale district.
You'm i) right, Robert, arter all. They sheep com'd 'ome all vright.
And pin tha Varm, be day nur nite,
No zingle thing wid go aun vright. N. Hogg, Ser. I. p. 54.
VRITE [vruyt], v. t. and /. To write usual form in Hill district.
I baint no scholard 'bout no raidin' an' vritirf, I was a-put to work hon I was lebm year old.
Maister vrote a letter vor me, to tell her to come home to once.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9670) (tudalen 810)
|
8lO WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
Ta vrite thur zom moar I shude ha no objeeckshin, Bit I shant ha no rume vur ta vrite tha
direckshin.
Nathan Hogg, The Rifle Corps, Ser. I. p. 46.
VRONG [vrairng], adv. and adj. Wrong.
I tell 'ee 'tis all vrong hot they do zay.
Nif you goth long o' they I'll warn you'll vind you be vrong directed.
Bit Laur a macy! twadd'n long
Avaur ha voun thit ha wis vrong. N. Hogg, Ser. I. p. 57.
VULCH [vuulch], v. t. and sb. (Rare.) To nudge or shove something less than an actual blow is
implied.
Keep quiet there. Well, what did 'er vulch I vor then?
and vorewey a geed ma a Vulch in tha Leer. Ex. Court. 1. 354.
VULL [veol], adj. and adv. Full. This word is peculiar. Alone, or as a prefix, it is always sounded
with initial v. In compounds such as 2xm-full or harm/z// a nice distinction
is preserved, depending upon the sb.
compounded. When a measure of quantity
is expressed, as m pocket-full, boat-full, shovel-full, &c., then
initial v is invariable boo'ut-veol,
shuwul-v'eol, &c. But if the sb. compounded is an abstract noun, then the ful is always
sounded with f sharp, as wee'ulftol,
wilful, lau'ngfeol, longful, &c. See W. S. Gram. p. 15.
VULLER [vuul-ur], v. t., sb., and adj. Fallow. (Always.) I do mane to vuller thick piece o' ground,
and let-n bide vuller gin the fall. A
clane vuller's the kay o' the work.
VUR [vuur], adv. Far. This is the old positive of further, and is used much more commonly than vaar in
all its comparisons, vuur, vuur'dur,
vuur'dees.
Well, 'twas about so vur*s I be vrom you, to this minute.
VURDEN. See POCK-VURDEN = fretten. A.-S. frothian.
VURNESS [vuurnees], sb. Distance i. e.farncss. (Com.) [Twaud-n beo* dhu vuur'ness u yuur tu dhik
dhae'ur tree*,] it was not above the
distance of here to that there tree.
VUR-VORE [vuur-voa g ur]. Same as VAR-VOTH (q. v.).
VUSS [vims-], sb. In building the ridge piece, or piece to which the rafters are fixed at the apex of
the roof. Plase to mind and zend on a
piece for a vuss.
VUSTLED UP [vuus-ld aup], adj. Bundled up, or bustled up in an untidy manner, as a slovenly parcel,
or a woman huddled up in loose,
ill-fitting garments.
Probably bustled is the same word, b and v being nearly interchangeable.
Comp. RUVVLE and CURBE.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9671) (tudalen 811)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 8ll
Th'art olways a mtstled up in an old Jump, or a whittle, or an old Seggard.
Ex. Scold. 1. 107. VUZ [vuuz], sb.
Gorse; whin; furze.
VUZ-CROPPER [vuuz'-kraap'urj. A name given very commonly to the Porlock Hill horn-sheep. Also to the
rough ponies which run wild on the
moors.
VUZ-KITE [vuuz--keet], sb. A kestrel.
VUZ-NAPPER [vuuz'-naap-ur], sb. The whinchat. Saxicola Rubetra. This bird is very common on our
moorlands, and is known only as above.
VUZ-PIG [vuuz --pig], sb. The hedgehog. Evil things are believed of the hedgehog, but in reality he
is a harmless and useful animal. He is
said to suck cows, and that he rolls himself
on the apples in an orchard, and carries them off sticking upon his spikes. He certainly will kill young
birds and eat them.
W
W as an initial is dropped in hau't, hau'n, to'd (2), eo'l(2),
oa"un(t = what, when, wood, and
emphatic would; wool, and emphatic
will; won't, &c.; on the other hand, it is sounded in whole, woa'l, whoop! wuop! but no initial w is
sounded, as in E. Som. with old, hot,
&c., and is redundant in wuts. In other
respects its value is the same as in lit. English, except that it
has no aspirated form.
O. E. words which in lit. English have initial wr are commonly pronounced vr in some cases nearly always
e. g. write, wreath, wrestle, wrong.
See Word Lists.
WACK [waak], v. t. To overcome; to get the better of; to beat; to conquer in a lawsuit.
I ver'ly bleive little Jim Parsons could wack'n way one 'and he had-n no chance way un /. e. with Jim.
'Tis gwain to be tried to 'Sizes next wik; but I'll warnt Mr. Baker '11 wack 'em.
WAD [waud], sb. A bundle of straw tied up by a thatcher. A ridge-wad [uurj-waud] is a long narrow
bundle which the thatcher binds up to
lay along on the top to form the ridge of a
hay-rick. A bundle of reed less than a full sheaf of 28 Ibs.
weight is also called a wad.
[Dhur-z dree* ur vaawur waud'z u ree'd aup-m taal'ut aay spoo'tiz tdz mau-s unuuf,] there is three or four
wads of reed up in tallet I suppose it
is almost enough.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9672) (tudalen 812)
|
8 12 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
WADGE [wauj], sb. and v. t. i. Wedge. (Always.) Hat in a wadge. The implements for
"claivin o' brans" i.e.
splitting up firewood, are always "a battle and wadges"
2. v. t. To bet; to wage. (Very com.)
I'd wadge my life o' ut.
I'll wadge a quart 'pon it way any o' the comp'my.
WAD-N [waud'n]. Was not. (Always.) See many examples throughout this work. See also W. S. Gram.
pp. 56, 57.
Whe'er twadd'n pausable ta haa
A midnight vishin' spree. Pulman, JRus. Sk. p. 28.
Bit Jan an Mariar (tho' thay wadifn long 'bout et) Way tha ale in tha kwart, ad a manijed ta
doubt et;
Nathan Hogg, Ser. I. p. 48.
WAGON [wag-een], sb. This well-known implement has the following parts
BODY [baud'ee]. The entire construction or box carried upon the wheels, into which the load is placed.
This is made up of the following
ZIDE-STRAKES [zuy'd-strae'uks] the two outside strong longitudinal pieces to
which the sides are fixed called also the MAIN SUMMERS (see below). VORE-PIECE
[voa-ur-pees] and TAIL-PIECE
[taa-yul-pees] the two cross-pieces uniting the ends of the zide-strakes. SUMMERS [zuunvurz] the
longitudinal pieces morticed into the tail and vore or head piece, which
support the floor or” BOTTOM."
TAIL-BOARD [taa'yul-boo'urd] the movable part
of the back of the wagon. VORE-BOARD [voa'ur-boo'urd] the fixed front part of the body, on which the
owner's name, or that of the farm is
generally painted. TAIL-BOARD-PIECE and VORE-BOARD-PIECE the strong pieces or
rails forming the upper part of the
tail and vore boards. TAIL-BOARD HAPSES [taa'yul-boo'urd-aap'siiz] the irons
by which the tail-board is fastened. These
are sometimes merely called TAIL-PINS [taa-yul-pee'nz].
STROUTS, STANCHIONS, UPRIGHTS [struwts, stan'sheenz, aup'raits] various standards of wood by which the
SIDES [zuydz] are supported. STANCHION IRONS [stan'sheen uyurz] supports to
the standards. NOSINGS [noa-uzeenz]
the projecting ends of various
horizontal parts of the framing. RAVE [rae'uv] the flat projecting
part of the side, which keeps the load off the wheel. This is usually formed of open framing like a
ladder, but sometimes is filled in
with a RAVE-BOARD. LADES [lae'udz] the gate-like movable frames set up at both ends of the
wagon for carrying straw, hay, or
other light freight which needs to be piled up high. NEEDLE [nee-ul] iron strap having a nut at
each end to bolt the rave-piece, or
top framing of the side, down to the zide-strake. The needle is also nailed or riveted to the
SIDE-BOARD [zuyd-boo-urd]. TAIL-BOARD LADDER [taa-yul-boo'urd lad'ur] a
ladder-
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9673) (tudalen 813)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 8l$
like movable frame, hung on by hooks to the tail-piece, and supported in a horizontal position by a
chain attached to each end.
The UNDER-CARRIAGE [umvdur-kaareej] includes all the framework which supports
the body, and consists of the following parts
VORE-CARRIAGE [voa'ur-kaareej]. The fore wheels and framework connected with
them for allowing the wheels” to lock."
HIND-CARRIAGE, or ARTER-CARRIAGE [uyn, or aa*rtur-kaareej] the hind wheels and all their connections.
AXLE-BOX [ek'sl-bau'ks] the iron tube inserted in the centre of the wheel. AXLE-TREE [ek\sl-tree], very
commonly only axle the iron pin
fitting into the axle-box, upon which the wheel revolves. ARM [aa-rm] the same as the
axle-tree, and the most usual term of
all by which it is called. AXLE-CASE [ek'sl-kee-us] the strong piece of wood between each pair
of wheels, to which the two arms are
securely bolted. PILLAR-PIECES [puTur-pee'suz] two stout pieces of wood upon which the
vore-carriage locks or turns. One of
these, called also bolster-piece, is securely bolted at right angles to the summers, and its
fellow is firmly bolted at each end to
the axle-case, from which it is kept apart by AXLE-BLOCKS [*ek*sl-blauk*s] of
sufficient thickness to raise the body
above the VORE-WHEELS [voa'ur-wee'ulz] so as to allow them to lock under it. TURN-PIN, or MAIN-PIN
[tuurn-pee*n, or maa'yn-pee'n] the strong iron pin which passes through the
centres of both pillar and
bolster-pieces and the vore-axle-case, upon which the entire draught depends, and upon which the
vore-carriage locks. HOUNDS [aewnz]
are the curved longitudinal pieces of the vore-carriage, which are bolted at right angles to the
axle-case, and are united at the back
by the SWEEP-BAR [zweep-baa'r], which passes under the POLE or KNIB of the hind-carriage (see
below). In front the hounds support
and connect the SHARP-BAR [shaa'rp-baa-r], to which the shafts are hinged. Upon the hounds
depends the steadiness of the
vore-carriage. They bear all the pull or draught, and prevent a bending strain upon the main-pin.
GUIDES [guydz] are curved irons
sometimes fixed to the summers to keep the
pillar-piece from twisting the main-pin when in the act of
locking. CLIP IRONS [kliip- uyur/] are
stays passing under the axle-cases to
strengthen the hounds or string-pieces, also to hold the arms in their places.
Of the wheels, the NUT [nut] is the nave. Before being fashioned, and while in the rough, this is a
WHEEL-STOCK [wul'-stairk]. SPOKES
[spoa'ks] are the radii, carefully morticed into the nut. The PUG-BLOCK [puug'-blau-k] is a small
block of wood fitted into the NOSE
[noa'uz] of the wheel i. e. the front of the nave. On removing the pug-block a slit is opened
through which the LINCH-PIN [liiirsh-pee'n] can be withdrawn from the arm.
NUT-BONDS [nit, or mif-bairnz] are
iron rings upon the nave to keep it from
splitting. WASHERS [waurshurz] are flat rings of iron, fitting
upon the arm inside the linch-pin, to
take the wear of the revolving
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9674) (tudalen 814)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
wheel off the latter. The RING [ring] is the wooden circumference of the wheel, made up of segments called
felloes [vuul'urz]. The BOND [bau-n]
is the iron tire or ring upon the circumference of the wheel, by which it is bound together. Some
wheels are still, and formerly most
cart-wheels were, bound or hooped with STRAKES [strae'uks], called also WHEEL-STRAKES
[wul, or wee-ul-strae'uks]. These are
segments of tire-iron firmly nailed to the ring with peculiar square-headed nails called STEARTS
[stee'urts]. Strakes are of course so
fixed as to cover the joint between each felloe. Their only advantage is that they can be
renewed seriatim without taking off
the whole tire. In hilly districts it is very common to drug the wheel without a DRUG-SHOE
[druug'-sheo*], by which the tire-iron
becomes much worn and needs frequent renewal. This can be done readily by exchanging the worn
strake for a new one. DRUG-CHAIN
[druug'-charn, sometimes chaa-yn] is the chain attached to the drug-shoe, by which the wheel is
carried as on a sledge. SAFETY-CHAIN
[saaftee-charn] is one which is often attached to heavy wagons, by which the wheel itself may
be made fast, in case of the drug-chain
breaking, or of the wheel jumping off the shoe.
The POLE [poa-ul], or PERCH [puurch], or KNIB [nub'] is the strong piece of wood fastened at right
angles to the axle-case of the
hind-carriage, by which it is connected with the vore-carriage. STRING-PIECES [string'-pees'iiz] are curved
pieces of wood fixed on either end of
the axle-case, and meeting the pole so as to
support it and further attach it to the axle-case.
SHARPS [shaa-rps] are the shafts. The BACK-CHAIN [baa'k-chai'n] is fixed to one of the sharps, and passing
over the back of the horse, is carried
in a groove in the CART-SADDLE, and fastened with a hook called the BACK-CHAIN CROOK
[baa'k-chain kreo'k] to the other
sharp. Thus the weight of the shafts hangs upon the back-chain. BACK-CHAIN
STAPLES, or LONG STAPLES, are fixed upon each
shaft, and allow the back-chain to slide backwards or forwards as the horse is either pulling or keeping
back. The BELLY-TIE [buul'ee-tuy] is a chain attached to both shafts, passing
under the horse's belly, to keep the
shafts from rising up when going down-hill.
The BIRCHIN STAPLE [buurcheen stae'upl] is fixed on both sharps, to attach the breeching, to enable the
horse to keep back the load. STRAP
IRONS [straa-p uyurz], or DRAILS [drae-ulz], are fixed near the front end of each shaft to take the end
of the chain of the vore-horse, called
also tug-ires, and wangs.
WAKE [wae-uk], v. t. i. To watch by a corpse. The custom was formerly much more prevalent than now.
There you know, me and Mrs. Giles, we laid-n out so nice, and you never didn zee a more sweeter corpse,
and we be gwain up um bye night, and
we be gwain to have vive shillins a piece, and we be gwain to wake-n gin the mornin'.
WAKYNGE, or wetche (wach, s.). Vigilia, vel vigilit.Pr. Parv.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9675) (tudalen 815)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 815
2. [wai'k], adj. Weak. (Always.) I
'sure 'ee I be so wake's water.
WEYKE. Debilis, imbecillis.
WEYKE of hert, or hertless. Vetors. Promp. Parv.
and so ffeble and wayke: wexe in )>e hammes ]>at J>ey had no myghte.
Langland, Rich, the Red. ii. 64.
WAKY [wae'ukee], v. i. To watch, or keep watch.
A traction engine was snowed up and a labourer was left in charge. He said as to his duty,” Was a
foo-ust vor to light up a vire and
waky by un all night." Feb. 1881.
WALK [wau'k], v. t. i. To escort said commonly of lovers. Be sure your Tom idn gwain t'ave th'old
Hooper's maid! I zeed'n walkir? o' her
a Zinday t'arternoon.
Then git yer lass ta tek yer arm
An' walk her, lovin', roun' the farm. Pulman, R. Sk. p. 27.
2. To cause to depart; to drive away. Used with off.
They wad'n there very long arter Maister zeed 'em j he walked 'em offpuity quick, I can tell? ee.
3. sb. Hunting. Hound puppies are usually sent to farm-houses or others to be kept till old enough to be
"entered" (q. v.). To keep
one thus is called” to walk a pup," and the young hound is said to be on the walk.
A list of Whelps at walk, to be enter'd in the spring. Rec. N. Dev. Staghounds. 1812 1818. Lord
Fortescue (privately printed).
To any poor person who has walked particularly s. d.
well any puppy intrusted to him 10 6. Ib. p. 12.
4. sb. The scent of a hunted animal's passage from his feed; found by the hounds before the hare or
other quarry is started. See DRAG,
TRAIL.
Tufted Longwood for a hind and got upon a stale walk, which the Tufters carried on to South Radworthy, where they
found two deer.
Records of A T orth Dev. Staghounds, p. 37.
WALKING-PAY [wairkeen-paay], sb. The allowance paid by a sick club to a member unable to work, but
not too ill to walk, and so to earn a
little.
We gits vifteen shillins a-wik bed-pay, and ten shillins walking-pay, to our
club.
WALLACE [waul'eej], sb. A mass; a quantity.
" We've a-got wallages" equivalent to the politer,” We have oceans."
I 'ant a-zeed no jis wallage o' sheep to market not's longful time.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9676) (tudalen 816)
|
8i6 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
WALLET [waul'ut], sb. Underwood when cut. It is generally understood to be brushwood, without the
strong sticks usually to be found in a
faggot. Wallet is an intermediate description
between mere brambles and shearings (which are generally tied up in bundles, called” nickies," or”
nicky wads ") and faggot-wood, known always as 'ood [eo'd] simply.”
Firewood” means lumber in the
accompanying advertisement, and I suspect the
auctioneer in this case wrote "ricks of wallet" rather than
put “fire-wood, ricks of wood," which would not have been clear, and would have been a repetition of wood.
Rafters, firewood, ricks of wallet, oak posts, new gates, elm board,
carpenter's bench and vice, old iron,
grinding stone; and a quantity of dairy utensils, &c.
Advt. in Wellington Wetkly News, Oct. 15, 1885.
WALL-EYE [wau'1-aa-y], sb. Either an eye with a white iris, or one in which the lids part so as to show
the white all round the iris.
WALLOP [waul-up], v. t. To thrash; to hide; to beat. (Some stick or other weapon is implied.)
WALVING [wairlveen]. Wallowing; rolling in dust or dry earth, as fowls and partridges do.
The birds bin here then walvin, fresh enough!
WAMBLE [waunrl, waunrlee], v. i. i. To wag or move about in an untrue or eccentric manner applied to
a wheel or machinery. Also anything
loosely held or fixed is said to warn 7,
as a post not deep enough in the ground.
Look to thick wheel, nif he don't wam'ly, like a fiddler's elbow.
2. To walk in a rambling, unsteady manner.
Poor old fuller, he's a come to wammle, sure 'nough. They didn ought to let th'old man go 'bout by hiszul.
WAM-LOCKS [wau-m-loa-ks, or kirks], sb. The wool from the belly. Same as BELLY-LOCKS.
Hal. is quite wrong in giving "WAMLOKES, unwashed wool." They may be unwashed, but so may the
fleece.
WANDERING SAILORS == Ivy-leaved Toad-flax. Unarm Cymbalaria. Very common on dry walls small
purple flower.
WANG [wang], sb. and v. t. A blow; a thump. Also to thrash; to beat.
Fust he gid-n a wang way his vice (fist), and tho he catched up a stick, and my eyes! how he did wang the
burches o' un.
WANG, or WENG [wang-, waeng-], sb. i. Wing; part of a sull. A strong iron fixed to the front end of the
beam, having notches by which the end
of the foot-chain or drail is adjusted, either to
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9677) (tudalen 817)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. Si/
the centre or to either side of the line of the beam, as may be needful, according to the width of furrow
desired.
Maister, can't ploughy way thick sool the wang o' un's a-bowed.
2. Of a cart the iron loop or staple upon each shaft, to which is hooked on the chain of the vore-horse.
Same as TUG-IRE.
A byrde hath wenges forto fle, So man
hath armes laboryd to be.
1480. Lytylle Childrenes Lytil Boke (Furnivall), 1. 37.
WANGED [wang'd], part. adj. Tired; fagged; weaned out. I be proper twanged out; how much vurder is
it?
WANGERY [wang'uree], adj. Flabby; flaccid applied to meat. That there mait on't never take zalt, 'tis
so wangery. (Very com.)
avore tha mad'st thyzel therle, and thy vlesh oil wangery, and thy skin
oil vlagged. Ex. Scold. 1. 74.
WANGY [wang'ee], v. i. To bend; to yield under a weight, as a plank bends when walked on. (Very com.)
WANT [watrnt], v. t. To need used very commonly in a peculiar manner, as
You don't want to be telling everybody /. e. there is no need for your publishing it abroad.
Her don't want to bide a minute arter they be a-come /. e. there is no need for her remaining.
WANT [waurrt], sb. A mole. (Always.)
When land has become very impoverished the usual rustic pun is generally to be heard,” The wanfs a-got
into that there ground."
}>ere lakkej) also roo and bukke and ilspiles, wontes and oj>ere
venemous bestes (Higden, Caret, talpis
et caeteris venemosis).
Trevisa, Dt Hibentia, vol. i. p. 339.
W T ANT HEAP, or WANT KNAP [vvaurrt eep, or naa-p], sb. A mole-hill. (Always.)
A man brought a bill for work barely finished, and by way of apology, said, "The want's a-got into
it, else I widn a-come." Dec. 21,
1887.
WANTING [waurrteen], adj. Absent.
Well, mum, we be very glad to zee 'ee back again you've a-bin wanting longful time, I zim.
WANT-SNAP [waun't-snaap], sb. A mole-trap of any kind usually that made with two small bows fixed
in a square piece of wood, having two
wires to hold the mole when he has sprung the
trap.
WANT-WRIGGLE [waurrt-rig-1], sb. A mole track. A small
3 G
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9678) (tudalen 818)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
line of earth slightly moved, constantly to be seen where a mole has made his way just beneath the surface.
WANTY [wamrtee], adj. Applied to board or stone deficient, /. e. wanting part to make it even; not
sawn straight upon each edge. (Very
com.) Same as WANY.
Some o' that there wanty edged board '11 do very well.
WANT YE [waun'tuy], sb. The belt or strap of raw hide which used to pass over the pack-saddle and
round the belly of the horse the
wamb-tye. Pack-saddles are nearly extinct, but I have often seen them used, and well
remember the long white
wantye.
A panel and ivantey, packsaddle and ped,
A line to fetch litter, and halters for hed. Tusser, 17/5.
WANY [wae'unee], adj. Of a board cut from the side of a tree, where the edge is wanting, or not sawn.
[Yuur-z u wae'unee pees dhee*uz-l due',] here is a wany piece this one will do.
WAPPER-EYED [waap'ur-uyd], adj. Having quick-movin g, restless eyes constantly rolling from side
to side, as is seen in very nervous
persons. (Very com.)
The term "gimlet eye" expresses much the same thing.
wey zich a whatnosed haggletooth'd stare-bason,
timersome, rixy, wapper-ee'd Theng as thee art. Ex. Scold. 1. 58.
WAPPING [waup-een], adj. Yelping; barking.
'Tis a good job we've a-got a wapping dog or two about; they on't let nobody come about, 'thout spakin'.
November, 1884.
Wappyn, or boffin, as hoiundys. Nicto. Wappynge, of howndys, ivhon
}>ey folow here pray or that they
wolde hanne to. Nicticio, niccio. Proinp. Parv.
Forby has Wappet, a yelping cur.
WAPSE, WAPSY [waup-s, waup-see], sb. Wasp. (Always.) Me an' Jim Zalter be gwain to burn out dree
wapsy's nestes um-bye-night. Ang.-Sax.
weeps.
WAR! [wau-ur! ], imper. Ware! Beware!
In blasting rocks the man who applies the match to the fuze calls out, War I If any one lets fall any
weight, it is usual to cry out, [
Wau-r toa'urz!] Ware toes!
Maister Nichole of Guldeforde,
He is wis and war of worde. Owl and Night. \. 191.
War is the snelle, war is the kene. Ib. 1. 526.
WARLOCK [wau'rloak], sb. and v. t. In binding the load upon a timber-carriage, it is usual to pass a
chain loosely around the several
pieces, and then by inserting a lever, this chain may be
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9679) (tudalen 819)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 8lQ
twisted up to any desired tightness. To tighten a chain thus is to warlock it. The fastening thus made is
called a warlock.
WARM [wairrm], v. t. To beat; to thrash. No particular weapon implied.
[Zee* wur aay doa'n wau'rm dhuy aa's vaur dhee, haun' aay gits oa-ld u dhee,] see whether I do not warm
thy ars for thee when I gets hold of
thee.
WARN [wairrn], v. t. To warrant. (Always.)
[Will yiie wau'rn un suwn?] will you warrant him sound?
A most common asseveration tacked on to almost any sentence
is,” I'll warn ee," or” I'll warn un."
He on't come aneast the place, I'll warn un. I'll warn ee,
we be gwain to zee a change (of weather, understood).
WARNED IN [wairrnd ee'n], part. phr. Appointed.
The young Robert 've a-bin ^-warned in sexton. 'Twid a-bin a shame to a gid it away arter th' old man
'ad a-'ad it so many years. June 16,
1884.
WARN OFF [waurn oa-f], v. t To order; to forbid. You bin ^-warned off this here ground times
enough, zo now you must go Vore the
justices.
WARRANTABLE [wauruntubl], adj. Hunting phr. applied to a stag of five years old and upwards.
The following is from a letter, in reply to inquiries, by my relative, Mr. Chorley of Quarme, who probably knows
more of stag-hunting than any other
man living.
"At five years old he should carry bow, bay, tray, with two points on top each side; he would then be
what we call a warrantable stag, fit to hunt with hounds (a stag of ten
points). Perhaps he may go on for a
year or two with these points only, or increase them on top on one side, or on both, as the
case may be; but in doing this he may
possibly lose a bow, a bay, or a tray, on one
side or the other. I think a stag is at his best at six years
old, or seven at latest, and then goes
back in size and length of horn,
though possibly he may increase the number of points on top to as many as four on one side and three on
the other, or even four on both; but
we seldom find a pure forest stag with more than this. Supposing he has all his points (or
rights, as we call them) under, this
would make him a stag of thirteen or fourteen points, viz. bow, bay, and tray under on both
sides, and with four on top both
sides, or four and three, as the case may be.
" I have seen them with many more than this number of points, but if so, the head is palmated, and I do
not imagine the deer to be perfectly
pure in breed, perhaps by being crossed with some other kind of red deer.
3 G 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9680) (tudalen 820)
|
82O WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
" It is rare to find a deer to go on quite regularly in the
increase of horn, as I say he should
do, and does do sometimes; but they
are very uncertain from various causes, such as scarcity of food, accidents, strength of constitution,
&c., &c. I once knew a stag
shed his horns twice in one year, but he was kept by a farmer
near me, and lived both riotously and
unnaturally." W. L. C., Jan. 19,
1878.
A young stag (too youthful to be runnable) broke across the hill in full
view of the assembled field, but there
was no warrantable deer forthcoming.
Wellington Weekly News. Aug. 19, 1885.
Tufters were thrown into Winsford Allotments, whence broke three
warrantable deer. Account of a
Stag-hunt, Wellington Weekly News, Sept. 29, 1887.
WAS [waz-, emph.'], var. pron. See BURN.
WASHAMOUTH [wau-rshumaewf], sb. A blab; one who blurts out anything he has heard.
Don't 'ee tell her nort, her's the proper's little warshamouth ever you meet way; nif you do, 't'll be all over
the town in no time.
Pitha tell reaznable, or hold thy Popping, ya gurt washamouth.
Ex. Scold. 1. 137.
WASH-DISH [wau-rsh-dee-sh], sb. The wagtail. Less com. than Dish-washer.
WASHER [wau-rshur], sb. A flat iron ring, used under the nut of a bolt, or on the arm inside the
linch-pin. See WAGON.
WASHERS [wauTshurz], sb. Of horses an affection or soreness of the gums, accompanied by swelling and a
white appearance. Same as LAMPERS.
WASHING-FURNACE [wairrsheen fuurnees]. A copper for boiling clothes in. See FURNACE.
WASSAIL [wusaa-yul], v. t. To drink to the apple crop. On old Christmas Eve (sth January), or the
eve of the Epiphany, it was the custom
not long since, and may be still, for the farmer, with his men, to go out into the orchard,
and to place toast steeped in cider,
along with a jug of the liquor, up in the “vork” of the biggest apple tree,
by way of libation; then all say -
Apple tree, apple tree, I wassaail thee!
To blow and to bear, Hat vulls, cap
vulls, dree-bushel-bag-vulls!
And my pockets vull too! Hip! Hip!
Hooraw! (Bang with one or more guns.)
This ceremony and formula is repeated several times at different trees, with fresh firing of guns. I can
well remember quite a fusilade from
various orchards on old Christmas Eve.
The pronunciation of wassail is by no means wassle, but the second syllable is long drawn out, and the
first very short.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9681) (tudalen 821)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 821
WASTER [wae-ustur], sb. A imperfection in the wick of a candle. Same as THIEF.
WATER [wairdr], v. t. Applied to the process of preparing flax. The stalks are placed in deep pools
with poles weighted to keep them
under. This is to ivater the vlex.
WATER [wairdr], sb. A stream; brook. (Very com.) Holcombe Water, Quarme Water, Badgeworthy
Water, are well known to all West
Country people.
down through Sweetery Brake to East Water Foot, down the water to Homer Green. Rec. N. Dev. Staghounds, p. 67.
up the Sheardown Water, pointing for Long W T ood; turned to the left
over Hawkridge Common, and came down
to the Barle at Three Waters. Ib. p. 65.
Tufted all the coverts from Hole Water down to N. Bridge. Ib. p. 66.
WATER-BEWITCHED [wairdr-beewee'cht], ////-. Over-diluted grog; very weak drink. See
DROWN-THE-MILLER.
WATER-COLLY [wairdr-kaul'ee]. The water ouzel. Hydrodata aquatica. (Always.)
WATER-CROFT [wairdr-krairf], sb. CarrafTe; decanter. (Always.)
WATERING-POT [wau'dureen-paut], so. A garden water-pot. Water-pot is unknown. Watering-pot is less
common than its synonym,”
spranker."
WATER POPLAR [wau'dr piip-lur], sb. Populus nigra. (Very Com.) Same as BLACK POPLAR. Name also
applied to Populus fastigiata.
WATER-TABLE [wairdr-tae-ubl]. sb. The ditch on each side of a road; also a small hollow made across
a road to carry off surplus water.
WAXEN CURL [wek'sn kuurul], sb. Inflamed glands in the neck. Same as WHITSUN-CURL.
WAY [war]. In the phr. "in a way? i.e. vexed, disturbed, much moved. (Very com.)
He's in a terr'ble way 'bout the little maid.
WAY [wai'J, prep. With. (Always.) Hundreds of examples already given.
WAY! [war!], int. Used in driving horses. Stop! (Always.)
WAY-AND-BODKIN [war-un-baud-keen], sb. The heavy swingle or whipple trees used in dragging
and cultivating land. See BODKIN.
The way, or weigh, is the main tree on which both the others draw.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9682) (tudalen 822)
|
822 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
WAYS [wai-z], sb. i. Distance. (Very com.)
Tidn no ways herevrom down to where he do live.
I 'ant no time vor to go all the ways 'long way ee, but I'll go a little ways.
'Tis a gurt ways therevrom, avore you'll come t' any sort o' harbourage. See NEAR BY.
2. sb. Part; portion.
I baint able vor to meet ee way it all, but if you'll plase to take two pound, that's a good ways towards it,
and I'll pay the rest so zoon's ever I
can kill my pig.
WAY-WISE [wai'-wuyz], adj. Said of animals.
He'll come o' that, he idn way-wise not eet, /'. e. not accustomed to the work, not fully trained.
You never can't expect no young 'oss vor to be way-wise same's a old one.
WAY-ZALTIN [wai'-zaal'teen], sb. A sort of horse-game, in which two boys stand back to back with
their arms interlaced, each then
alternately bends forward, and so raises the other on his back, with his legs in the air.
The term is also sometimes used for see-sawing.
WAYZGOOSE [wai'zgeo'z, or wargeos], sb. An outing of work-people. Often spelt
waygoose. A printers' bean-feast. The word
seems only to apply to the particular trade. (Very com.)
Last Thursday the workmen employed at the Wellington Weekly Neivs Office enjoyed their annual wayzgoose (sic). The
party left Wellington by early train;
favoured by summer weather they spent a pleasant time at Dawlish and
Teignmouth, and returned home well pleased with the annual trip provided by
the proprietors. Wellington Weekly
News, Aug. 16, 1883.
WEAR [wae'ur,/. /. wae'urd, p. p. u-wae'urd], v. t. and i. Until recently this was the only form in use, and
the verb always seems to have been weak,
though a strong pret. and p. p. existed in
M. E.; but now people are taught grammar, and learn at school to write wore and worn. These, however,
cannot readily unlearn, and so in
familiar talk compromise; hence I notice it is now becoming usual to say, Mrs. So-and-So wor'd
[woa'urd] a new bonnet to church.
That there stuff you bought in to Mr. 's an't a-wor'd [u-
woa-urd] well at all. I have not yet (May, 1887) heard a-worrid [u-woa-urnd], but I quite expect to do so.
OLE, lw--weryd, as clothys and other thyngys. Vetustus, detritus.
Promp. Parv.
And yet he hadde a thombe of gold parde;
A whyght cote and blewe hood wered he.
Chaitcer, Prologue, 1. 563. See also 1. 75.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9683) (tudalen 823)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 823
WEARING [wae-ureen], adj. Tiring; causing weariness; tedious.
I don't know nothin more wearirf 'an a bad toothache.
WEAZEL-SNOUT [wee-zl-snaewt], sb. The yellow nettle or archangel. Lamium Galeobdolon. Polite name.
WED WITH [ward way], v. t. A person who is about to marry is said to be going to wed way
so-and-so.
I don't never 'bleive her on't never wed way un arter all. This is a negative sentence.
WEEK [wile]. In the phrases, "come week" "was a.
week." The former is used with
the future, the latter with the past
construction.
Next Vriday ccme week we be gwain to begin sheep-shearin, /". e. Friday week.
Her 'ant a-bin a-neast wee since last Monday was a week, and that's jist a vortnight a-gone.
WEEL [wee'ul], adj. Wild. (Var. pron.) Ridin' zweel-gallop. (Always.)
WEENY [wee'nee], adj. Tiny; minute. (Very com.) I only wants a weeny little bit.
WEEPY [wai'pee], adj. and v. i. Said of damp walls moist: or of land full of water undrained; wet;
full of springs.
We be gwain t'ave a change o' weather, zee how the walls do iveepy. Terr'ble weepy field o' ground.
WEE-WOW [wee-wuw], adv., adj. and sb. Crooked; uneven; untrue; awry. (Very com.)
Could'n gee he no prize vor ploughing 'is vores be all wee-wow.
Thick there wee-wowy old lauriel idn no orniment, I should cut'n down, nif I was you.
or wotherway twel zet e-long or a iveewow, or oil a puckering.
JSx. Scold. 1. 275.
WEIGHT [wauyt], sb. In speaking of any number of pounds in weight, it is usual to say, "Score
weight" i.e. 20 Ibs., "Forty
weight" i. e. 40 Ibs., &c., just as in lit. Eng. we speak of
a hundredweight; in W. Som., however, a hundid woit means 100 Ibs.
Plase to buy thick porker, sir, I know he'll suit ee. Why he idn 'boo (above) vower-score woit, i. e. 80
Ibs.
WEIGHTS [wauyts], sb. Beam and scales; weighing machine. [Wauy un ee*n tu dhu maa'rkut
wauyts,"] weigh it in to the market weights, i. e. scales.
WEYYN, wythe wyghtys (weightes P.). Pondero. Promp. Pai~v.
Haue waighfs, I aduise thee, for siluer & gold,
for some be in knauerie now a daies bold: Tusscr, 10/44.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9684) (tudalen 824)
|
824 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
WEIGHT STONE [wauyt stoa-un], sb. The actual weight, usually of iron, for weighing with the
ordinary beam and scales.
A farmer borrowing from another the beam and scales, would tell his man, [Muyn un bring au*n dhu
wauyts un dhu wauyt stoa'unz,~\ mind
and bring on the weights and the weight stones.
When actually using them these are spoken of as stones, with the weight to distinguish them.
A butcher would send to another,” Ax Mr. Clay to lend me a vower-pound stone" i. e. an iron 4 Ib.
weight.
AVELL [wuul], sb. A spring of water.
You'll zee a well o' water by th' zide o' the road.
The word is of course understood when applied to a shaft sunk for water, but in this sense the use is
modern, and no older than pumps. See
WINK, also PUMP-PIT, and LAKE.
WELL [wuul'], adv. Very; in phr. Well-nigh, i.e. very nearly; almost.
Nif I wadn well-nigh a-steeved way the cold; I don't zim ever I can mind jis weather.
]>oru-out al Engelond he held -wet god pes;
Rob. of Gloucester, W. the Conq. 1. 370.
God him sente ' a wel fair gras. Stations of Rome, 1. 416.
" By Mahoun," said Lukafer:” ]>at ys a w^/gret folye;
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 2 1 66.
my feet were almost gone; my steps had -well nigh slipped. Ps. Ixxiii. 2.
WELL-A-FINE [wuul'-u-fuyn], adv. phr. Very well; truly; indeed.
Ay! ay! her'll tell well-a-fine^ sure 'nough, nif anybody '11 harky to 'er.
Alas Char(les) vncle myn: & kyng i-crouned free
Now y knowe wel-a-ffyn: J?y message schende> me. Sir Per. 1. 2752.
He J>at to ry3twysnes wylle enclyne,
As holy wryjt says us wele andfyne. Boke of Curtasye, 1. 181.
Chem a laced well-a-fine aready. Ex. Scold. 1. 81. thof tha canst ruckee ivett-a-fine. Ib. 1.
269.
WELL DONE! [wuul duurr! ], interj. Very com. expression of surprise at anything narrated.
Equivalent to” Indeed!” “You don't say
so!” “Oh, brave!”
[Dhai zaes* aew dh'oa'l faarm Puuree-v u-vaal'd oa % f-s au's-n ubroa-k-s naek'. Wuul duun'!'}, they say
that the old farmer Perry has fallen
off his horse and broken his neck. Well done!
WELL SAID! [wuul zaed'! or wuul zaed's! ], interj. of approval. (Very com.)
Well zaid, soce! nit that idn a good job, I never didn zee nother one.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9685) (tudalen 825)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 825
Well zaids, my hearties! I did'n reckon you'd a-finish not eet.
Peck in a stwone behind theck weed,
Wttll sed! Now burn below;
Work en wull, an' he'll be mine
In 'bout a nour or zo. Fulman, JR. Sk. p. 60.
WELL-SPOKEN [wuul'-spoa'kn], //jr. Used by the better class of people to signify that the person
referred to talks, or at least tries
to talk, the literary language and not the dialect. The examples in these pages are by no means
derived from well-spoken persons.
"She's a very well-spoken young woman," would be praise for a domestic servant, and would imply that
she had lived in a town or been
otherwise civilized. The same would be understood by “He's a respectable,
well-spoken young fellow.
WELT, WELTING [wuul-t, wuuHeen], v. f. and sb. To beat; to thrash. My eymers! how maister ded
welfn.
He meet way zich a weltin 's he on't vurgit in a hurry.
WENCH [wairnsh], sb. A girl; a maiden; a female child.
A story is told of a child being brought to be baptized to a waggish parson in the West Country. At the
request,” Name this child," he
was answered, "You plase to name un, zir; a long one, you know, zir, out o' the Bible." Upon
this the parson baptized the child
Maher-shalal-hash-baz, and the party retired well pleased. Soon after the service, however, the father
came to the parson. "Plase, zir,
I be come vor t'ax o'ee t'ondo the cheel again." “Why?” “Why 'cause 'tis
a waunch, zir."
$if )>ei leden a-wey mennus wyues or wenches in here newe habitis, to
do lecherie bi hem. Wyclif, Works, p.
12.
WENT [wai'nt, u-waint], p. part, of wend, now used as the /. /. of to go. (Always.)
[Aay sheod'-n u-wai'nt neef t-ad'-n ubun* vur dhee',] I should not have gone if it had not been for you.
This is one of our commonest forms of recrimination. One of two boys caught stealing apples is almost
certain to use this phrase to the
other. Another equally com. is You never didn ought to a-went; for You ought not to have gone.
)>uruh Marie bone & bisocne was water, ette noces, iwent to wine:
Ancren Rhvle, p. 376. See also many other passages.
Jms othere toke ]>at cors an haste: & to j?e tour ^eate J^ar-wiJ? buj)
wente.
Sir Fenunbras, 1. 3152.
Were ys knyght Cleges, tell me heor,
For thou has wyde \-went. Weber, Sir Cleges, 1. 476.
WENT [wai'nt], sb. Part of a falling-stock (q. v.). It consists of a block of wood curved and tapering,
made to fit the back or
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9686) (tudalen 826)
|
826 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
" seat” of the” stock." Wents are of different thicknesses,
and their use is to contract the size,
or capacity of the stock, as may be
required to suit the thickness or quantity of the cloth to be
milled. If the stock is slack, /'. e.
if the cloth does not sufficiently fill it,
the heavy feet will cut the cloth instead of milling it.
WEST COUNTRY [was -kuim -tree], sb. In Somerset this means the hill country, including all the
Brendon, Dunkery, and Exmoor ranges. A
West Country farmer would be at once known to come from trie district lying between Porlock,
Bampton and Barnstaple, even if the
words were spoken at Tiverton, which lies far to the west of the locality.
The term including so definite a district in two different counties, seems to point to a feeling that the habits
and speech of the people in it are
separated from those living on their west in Devon, and on their east in Somerset.
WETHER-HOG [waedh'ur-airg], sb. A wether sheep, of a year old. (Always.) See HOG.
WETSHOD [waefshaud], adj. Wet-footed. (Always.) [Z-dhing'k aay bee gwarn een dhae'ur, mun,
vur tu git waet'shaudl
Noa-! u kaewnt!], dost (thou) think I be going in there, man,
for to get wet shod? No! I count!
WET THE T'OTHER EYE [waet dhu tuudlvur aay]. This is about the commonest form of invitation
to take a second glass. Come, now! you
baint gwain vore you've a.-wet the f other eye.
WETTY [waet'ee], v. i. To rain very slightly.
[Du jis waet-ee luyk, kaa'n kairl ut raa'yn,] (it) do just wetty like, can't call it rain.
Theck whis'lin wind an' dret'ning sky
Speyk'd raayn, ver now da wetty vast. Pit/man, Rus. Sk. p. 14.
WEX [wek-s], sb. Wax. (Always.) Rarely used as a vb. A.-S. weax, wax, wex. Shoemaker's wex.
Bees'-ze/<?#.
and >as carman anlicnyssa mid ealle fordo
swa swa wex formylt for hatan fyre.
, Natale Sancti Georgii, Martyris, 1. 138.
Att-so I devyse & ordeyne a C ib. wex to mynystere and to seme to the
vse of the salue of oure lady chapett.
Will of N. Charhton, 1439. Fifty E. Wills, p. 114.
The feire thingis of desert schulen wexe fatte; Wydif, Psalm Ixv. 13.
WHAT D'YE TELL O'! [hairt-ee tuul'oa! ]. A very com. exclamation, equivalent to You don't say
so! Indeed! Well, I never! &c.
WHATSOMEDEVER [haufsumdiivur], adj. Whatsoever.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9687) (tudalen 827)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 827
There, nif I was a umman, I wid'n 'ave sich a fuller's he, no not for no money hotsomedeier.
WHAT'S WHAT [wauf-s waut ],//*/. (Very com.)
He knows what's what so well's one here and there, /. e. he
understands, or has had experience.
WHAT VOR? [hairt vairr?] Why?
Jim, look sharp, hum! Hot vor? D thee, I'll let thee
know hot vor nif dis-n muv along.
WHEAL [wae-ul], v. t. To mark with a blow from a whip or cane; to thrash.
[Dhu baa'k oa un wuz v-wae u!d lig u guurd uyur,] his back was whealed like a gridiron.
[Zee wae-ur aay doa-n wae'ul dhee! shuur? ] see if I don't wheal thee! Dost hear?
WALE, or strype after scornynge. Fromp. Paw.
Wall of a strype enflenre. Palsgrave.
WHEELER [wee'ulur], sb. One who makes wheels of carts or carriages not the same as wheelwright. The
latter includes not only the wheeler's
work, but everything connected with the making of carts and wagons.
WHEEL-LADDER [wee-ul-lad'ur], sb. A lade for the back part of a wagon, having a small roller or
windlass attached, by which the ropes
for ^binding the load can be strained tight. (Very com.)
wheels ladder for harness, light pitchfork and tough,
shaue, whiplash wel knotted, and cartrope ynou^h. Tmser, 17/6.
WHEEL-STOCK [wee-ul-stauk-], sb. i. The nave of a wheel.
2. (More common use.) Short ends of elm timber cut to the proper length, and bored through the
centre, ready to be turned and”
bonded" for the nave of a wheel a regular article of sale.
WHEEL-STRAKE [wee'ul-strae'uk], sb. When the iron tires of wheels are not put on in one solid ring,
as is often the casj, each separate
segment is a strake or wheel-strake. See STEART.
WHE'ER [wae-ur, wur], conj. Whether. (Always.) [Kaa'n tuul- ee wur yue kn ab'-m ur noa',]
(I) can't tell you whether you can
have it or not.
'Tis all a toss-up wae'ur he do come or wae'ur he don't.
}>e beste of hem wot not what his preiere is -wor])e & where it turne
to his owene dampnacion or saluacion.
Wyclif, Works, p. 173.
WHEREWAY [wae'urvvar], sb. The wherewith; means; money. Nif I'd a-got the whereway, I widn be very
long athout-n. but tha hassent tha
ivhareT.vey.-Ex. Scold. 1. 235.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9688) (tudalen 828)
|
828 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
WHETSTONE. The liar's prize still used thus. See Ex. Scold, pp. 171-2.
WHICH Y [weeclvee], /r. Which. This form is very commonly used as an interrogative.
Mr. Bird was in to fair. Whichy? i. e. which of them. This is probably a very old form, as seen by the
following
)>an turde hymen )>ys bachelers: & se3e comynge there
xxiiij* 1 of fair somers: whichl )>at heuy here. Sir Ferumbras, 1. 2692.
See A i. c. p. 2, New English Dictionary.
WHIMSY [wiirrrzee], sb. Fancy; hobby; crotchet; whim.
Her've a-got a whimsy eens her can't stan', and there her li'th a-bed; but Lor! her can stan', ees,
and urn too, nif her was a-put to it.
WHIM-WHAM [wee-m-wairm], sb. A crotchet; a fad.
Ees! that's another o' maister's whim-whams; the vowls must be all a-claned out twice a wick, sure, I
s'pose their faces must be a-warshed
arter a bit.
WHIP [wuop], v. i. i. To move briskly.
Look sharp and whip along, and neet bide about.
2. v. t. With in. To put in; to push in; to place in position quickly implied.
Come, soce, look alive and whip it (the hay) in 'vore the rain com'th.
I zeed-n comin', zo I up way the ferret and net and whipt it in my pocket.
3. v. t. To slap with the hand.
Mothers constantly threaten their children thus” Tommy, you bad boy, I'll whip your bottom, I will, nif
you don't come in torackly." This
phrase implies no weapon whatever beyond the
bare hand.
4. In phr.” Whip a snail." See JIG TO JOG.
WHIP-HAND [wuop-arr], sb. Advantage; command. (Very com.)
Take care he don't get the whip-' and o' ee, mind.
WHIPPENSES [wup-unsiiz], sb. Swingle trees, or bodkins - used in harrowing or ploughing. Rare in W.
Som., but heard sometimes.
WHIPPER-SNAPPER [wuop-ur-snaap-ur], sb. A diminutive but rather obtrusive person; an
insignificant person. The term is
decidedly depreciatory.
Be sure her idn gwain to drow 'erzul away 'pon a little whipper-snapper like
he.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9689) (tudalen 829)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 829
WHIPSWHILE [wuop-swuyul], sb. Short interval mostly preceded by every; now and again.
Who's gwain to pay me vor my time? I can't Vord to be comin' bummin' here every whifswhile vor a
vew shillins o' rates.
WHIRLIGIG [wuurdleegig-], sb. A teetotum.
A common saying is,” To purdly round same 's a whirdligtg."
WHYRLEGYGE, or chyldys game. Giracttlwn. Pr. Parv.
WHISTERPOOP [wuVturpeop], sb. A blow on the ear or chops.
When a zaid that, he zaid to un, you-m a Hard! and way the same he up way 'is 'an' and gid-n zich a
whisterpoop right in the mouth, and
down a vails, right out.
Chell up \vi ma Veest, and gi tha a Whisterpoop.
Ex. Scold. 1. 98. See also Ib. 11. 353, 578.
WHISTLE FOR [wiis'l vur],//w. To lose; to go without. I wants to know how I be gwain to be
a-paid, else p'raps arter I've a-do'd
the work I mid whistle vor the money.
W T HIT-ALLER [vveet-aul'ur]. The elder. Sambucus nigra.
WHITE ASH [weet aarsh], sb. . The plant goutweed. jEgopodium podagraria.
(Usual name.)
WHITE-LIVERED [wuyt, or weef-luyvurd], adj. Cowardly; easily frightened. It is curious that in
compounds liver has the / very long.
Ya! weet-liverd son of a bitch, hot art afeard o'? Why, he on't ait thee.
WHITE-MEAT [weet -mart], sb. Milk diet, or milk puddings much the same as "spoon-meat."
I be most a-starved to death, they 'ant a-let me had nort but
white meafs dree wicks.
*
WHITE-MOUTH [weet'-maewdh], sb. An infant's ailment.
Missus, you must take some physic, the baby've a-got the white-mouth.
WHITE POPLAR [wuyt, or wee't paup-lur], sb. Populus alba silver poplar.
WHITE ROCKET [wuyt rauk-ut], sb. The plant Hesperis matronalis common single white variety.
WHITESUN-CURL [wuytsn-kuurul], sb. A small kernel or carbuncle; a small abscess, which rises and
becomes painful, but does not burst.
Nearly the same as WAXEN-CURL. (Very com.)
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9690) (tudalen 830)
|
830 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
WHITESUN GILAWFERS [wuytsn jiilaufurz], sb. The double white rocket. Double flowering
Hesperis matronalis. We always calls
'em Whitesun Gtiawfers.]\a& 27, 1883.
WHITESUNTIDE [wuyt-sntuyd]. Whitsuntide. The first syllable is always white. The several days
are Whitesun Sunday, Whitesun Monday,
Whitesun Tuesday, &c.
WHITE-WITCH [wee-t-wee-ch], sb. A magician; astrologer; a male fortune-teller. The word witch is in
this sense as often applied to a man
as to a woman. I knew a man for a great many
years, originally as a shoemaker, but who gave up his trade to practise as a” witch." He was known up
to his death as "Conjuror B . .
." He had regularly printed business cards with his name and address, and underneath,”
Nativities cast, Questions
answered."
ASTROLOGY, or PLANET RULING. Negatives prepared, c. Send for prospectus to J.
W. Herschell, Frome. Wellington Weekly News, Feb. 16, 1888.
and how hes Vauther went agen, .... and troubled the house so, that tha Whatjecomb, tha Whit Witch wos vorst to lay
en in the Red Zea.
Ex. Court. 1. 438.
WHITPOT [wee-tpaut], sb. A once favourite dish. It was made of cream, eggs, and flour, sweetened
and spiced, to be eaten cold. It now
remains only in name, and is preserved in the
common saying,” He'll tell lies so vast as a dog '11 eat
whitpot."
WHITTLE [wufl], sb. The regular name of a baby's long flannel petticoat. It is made with the
front open, and tied with tapes. The
whittle is left off when the baby is” tucked up” or shortened. It is really a kind of
under-cloak. A.-S. hwitel, a white
mantle, a kind of cloak.
tha wet be mickled and a steeved wi' the cold vore 'T Andra's Tide, chun,
nif tha dessent buy tha a new whittle.
Ex. Scold. 1. 276.
WHO-ZAY [heo--zai], sb. A report; an” on dit." [Doa-n ee aarkee tue urn, tuz noa'tirt bud
u heo'-zai,~\ do not you harken to
them, it is nothing buPa who-zay.
WHY VOR [wuy vairr]. Why; for what reason.
[Taek'-n aak's oa'un wuy vau'r ee kau'm tu goo',] take and ask of him why for he came to go.
WHY-VOR-AY [waa-y-vur-aa-y], sb. Wherewith; means; money. 'Tidn all o' us 've a-got the why-vor-ay
same's you 'ave, else we'd goo vast
enough. Same as WHEREWAY.
WICKED [wik-ud], adj. Addicted to the use of foul or profane language; foul-mouthed.
[Dhu wik-uds fuul'ur uviir yue yuurd spark,] the wickedest fellow (/. e. the most foul-mouthed) you
ever heard speak.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9691) (tudalen 831)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 831
[Ee-z u tuurubl wik'ud mae'un,] he is a very wicked man /". e. as to language only. No other misconduct
would be implied by either of these
expressions.
WICKED DAYS [wik'ud dai-z], sb. Week-days. (Always.) Anybody's work idn never a-finisht yer
Zindays and wicked days be all alike.
Week being pronounced wik the rest is easy. A.-S. wic.
WICKEDER [wik'udur], adj. More wicked; worse.
There idn no more wickeder liar, not in twenty mild around.
A wykkeder man >an he was on: nas non on al hure lawe.
Sir Fer umbras, 1. 2142.
WICKEDNESS [wik'udnees], sb. Foul language; cursing; swearing. The term is confined to offences
in language, and is not applied to
general misconduct.
[Yue niivur yuurd noa* jish wik'udnees een airl yur bau'rn dai'z,] you never heard such foul language in all
your life. See BAD.
WICKERY [wik-uree], v. i. To neigh.
Th'old mare knowth father's step so well's a beggar knowth his bag; nif on'y a goth 'long the court her'll
sure to wickery.
WICK'S END [wik-s arn], sb. Saturday night; week's end. All thee's look arter's the wick's end:
I'll warn 'ee, thee wit-n vurgit to
come arter thy wages.
WIDDY-WADDY [wee-dee-wairdee], adj. Stupidly weak and vacillating; unstable; not to be relied
upon; changeable.
A widdy-waddy old 'umman; he don't know his own mind nit two hours together.
WIDENESS [wuydnees], sb. Measure across. Wideness and width are not exact synonyms.
The river's near the same wideness all along.
The weir-pool takes up all the witth of the river.
WIDOW-MAN [wee'du-mae-un], sb. A widower. (Always.) He's a widow man way no family, zo you on't
have your 'ouse a-tord abroad way a
passle o' chillern.
WIDOW WOMAN [wee-du uunrun], sb. A widow.
Her was a widow 'oman avore her married way he, and now her's a-left a widow 'oman agee-an.
WILD [wuyul], adj. i. Angry; enraged.
A very common jeer to an irascible person is,” Hot's the matter then? why thee art so wi7J's a cock gooze!”
2. adj. Applied to smells.
Hotever is it here, soce? somethin* stinks terr'ble wild, I sim.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9692) (tudalen 832)
|
832 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
WILDING [wuytildeen], sb. A wild apple.
They baint no good, they baint on'y wildins, and so zour's a grig.
WILL [will*, weo'l, when very emphatic; eol, mod. emphasis; ul, or '1 in ordinary rapid speech}. I tell 'ee I wlo'l do it.
A tweyne i ivol forcleue >yn bed: wi]> my swerd her ri^te.
Sir Ferumbras, 1. 543. See also 1. 4381.
for bou^ a man breke gocldis hestis }>ei wole soone and Ii3tly assoile
him.
Wyclif, Works, p. 7.
In addition to its com. use in forming the future tense, it is constantly used in the dialect when the
present tense would be the literary
construction; particularly when any strong assertion is made, as if the old force of the word
were still retained, even when no
emphasis is laid on it.
[Aa-/ fuy dhee tu due* ut,] I will defy thee to do it /. e. I do now defy thee.
[Aa-/ tuul* dhee hau't tai'z,] I will tell thee what it is /. e. not only "I tell thee," but "I
persist in telling thee."
WILL [wee-ul], v. t. To bequeath.
Th'old man was a wo'th a good bit o' money, but 'tis shameful how he've a-left 'is wive; he willed every
shillin' to th' oldest son, and her's
a-fo'ced to be holdin' to he vor the very bread her d'ait.
WILLY [weel'ee], sb. and v. i. A machine for preparing wool for the scribbler or first carder. It forms
the second process in the spinning of
short stapled wool. In shaps it is something like a carder, but instead of "cards" it
has sharp iron teeth. The wool is
first put through the devil, by which it is opened and partially cleaned. It is then sprinkled with oil and
fed into the willy ^ which effectually
mixes it, and regularly spreads the oil through the mass.
To willy wool is to pass it through this machine.
WILLY [wuTee], sb. A large basket of a shape deep rather than flat. The word would not be used for
any shallow basket, nor for one having
a bent handle from side to side. A willy has
two small handles at the upper edge, one opposite the other. There are” half-bag willies"
"quarter-bag willies" and "two-bushel willies" made to
hold the specified quantities. Same as
MAUND. See BAG.
WILLY-NILLY [wul-ee-nuTee], sb. Willing or unwilling. Nif maister do zay it, 'tidn no use vor
they to zay nort, they must do it
willy-nilly.
WIM [wiim], v. t. To winnow. (Always.)
Our volks be all busy?vim:n o' barley.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9693) (tudalen 833)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 833
WIMBLE-STOCK [wiinrl-stauk], sb. The crank or brace used by carpenters for boring with various
"bits." By confusion of
sound in the rustic mind, this word is often now pronounced [waunvl-stauk], as though wimble and wamble
were synonyms.
Wynibyl. Terebrnm. WYMBYL, or persowre. Terebellum. Pr. Parv,
A wymbylle; dolabra, dolabellula, terebrum, &c. Cath. Ang. and bore the holes with his wymble.
Fitzherberfs Husbandrie, 24/8.
strong exeltred cart, that is clouted and shod,
cart ladder and wimble, with percer and prod. Tusser, 17/6.
Gimlet, often spelt gimblet, is the diminutive for interchange of w and g comp. ward, guard; war, guerre.
WIM-SHEET [wiirrr-shit], sb. Winnowing-sheet. (Always.) A large sheet of strong canvas, used (more
in thrashing corn by machine than in
winnowing) to spread on the ground and catch
the corn under the thrashing-machine.
WIND [wuyn(d], v. t. Any surface which ought to be, and is not an even plane, is said to wind, as a
door, sash, floor, board, &c.
" Can't make thick old door fit; he winds purty nigh an inch," or "he's purty nigh an inch windin 1”
WIND [wuyn(d], v. t. To roll up, and bind with a cord, the fleece after shearing. Hence he whose
business it is, is called a
wool-winder [eo'1-wuyndur].
WINDING-SHEET [wuyndeen-shee't], sb. The guttering of a candle by which an excrescence is formed;
also sometimes called a coffin-handle.
Supposed to be a death sign to the person in
whose direction it forms. I have seen people change their seats when it begins to form.
WINDLE [wiin-1], sb. The redwing. (Always.) Turdus lliacus.
WIND-MOW [wee'n-maew], sb. In a showery harvest it is very common to stack up the corn on the field in
narrow ricks, so that the air may
freely circulate through them. Thus the corn, if imperfectly dried, takes no
damage, as it would do if put together
in a large quantity. These small stacks are always called wind-mows.
See HAT, v. t.
WIND-REW [wee'n-reo], sb. Hay after tedding is often drawn up in light rows, so that the wind can play
through it, these are win'-rews. The
same as” double-strick rews."
'tourne it agayne before none, and towarde nyght make it in wyndrowes,
and than in smal hey-cockes.
Fitzherberfs Husbandry, 25/11.
3 H
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9694) (tudalen 834)
|
834 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
WIND-SHAKE [wee-n-shee-uk], sb. and v. t. A crack or split in wood caused by too rapid drying.
Turn eens way that there board, else they '11 be a wind-shaked [u-wee-n-shee'ukt] all to pieces.
WINK [wing'k], sb. A well from which the water is drawn by a winch, chain, and bucket. The word is
applied to the shaft e. g. “down the wink” as much as to the winding
apparatus.
WINK-EGG [wing-k-ag*]. A game played with birds' eggs. When a nest is found, boys shout, [Lat-s
plaay wing-frag-]. An egg is put on
the ground, and a boy goes back three paces from it, holding a stick in his hand; he then
shuts his eyes and takes two paces
towards the egg, and strikes a blow on the ground with the stick the object being to break the
egg. If he misses another tries, and
so on until all the eggs are smashed. This is almost the only use to which the lower class of boys
put the thousands of eggs they take in
the season.
WINNY [weeiree], v. i. To neigh gently, as a favourite horse does when approached by his master. Same as
WICKERY.
WINTER [wee-ntur], v. t. To keep or feed cattle through the winter.
Mr. Stevens do winter his things ter'ble hard; but I zim don't never pay, 'tis out midsummer a'most 'vore
t'll be a-pick'd up again.
WINTER-BIRD [wee'ntur-buurd], sb. Com. name for the fieldfare.
There's two sorts o' they there winter-birds. Some do call 'em blue-rumps. Keeper, Jan. 30, 1888. See
GREYBIRD.
WINTER-GREENS [wee-ntur-gree-nz], sb. Curled kale. Same as CURLY-GREENS. Brassica fimbriata.
WINTER-PROUD [wee'ntur-praewd], adj. A corn crop which has been forced into premature growth by
mild weather in winter. Such corn is
said to be winter-proud.
WIPE [wuyp], sb. and v. t. i. A long bundle of brushwood tied with several "binds." The
sides of rough sheds or "linhays"
are often made of wipes placed on end close together, and bound to a horizontal pole half-way up. To
furnish a shed with shelter of this
kind is” to wipe the linhay up."
Thick there linhay was so mortal start, I was a-fo'ce to wipe 'm up. Jan. 12, 1888.
2. sb. A blow.
Ah'l gi' thee a wipe under the ear, s'hear me!
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9695) (tudalen 835)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 835
WIPE THE EYES [wuyp dh-aa-yz]. In shooting, when one person kills the game immediately after a
companion has shot at it and missed,
he is said to wipe the eyes of the one who missed.
Maister wipe the pa'son's eyes dree or vower times; I count he's better to praichin-n he is to shuttin'.
WIPE THE SHOES [wuyp dhu shecrz]. A figurative expression for obtaining a treat of drink.
[Aay shd luyk tu wuyp yur sheo'z^ I should like to wipe your shoes, would be said to a gentleman coming
amongst labourers, as a polite way of
saying, "I should like to drink your health." See FOOTING.
WISE-MAN [wuyz-mae'un], sb. An astrologer. Same as WHITE-WITCH.
WISHING-BONE [wee'sheen-boa-un], sb. The merry-thought.
WISHT [wee-sht], adj. Sad; miserable. (Very com.)
'Tis a wisht thing vor her, poor soul, vor to be a-lef like that
there, way all they little bits o' chillern, and her's a wisht poor
blid too, to the best o' times.
No doubt the real meaning is bewitched or evil wisht, i. e. suffering
from the evil eye; and is a survival of the time when everything
undesirable or untoward was set. down to witchcraft. The belief
is by no means dead. See OVERLOOK.
WISHTNESS [wee'shnees], sb. Some result of evil eye; anything mysteriously
unfortunate is a wishtness.
I calls it a proper wishtness, vor to zee a poor little crater like her is, wastin away to nothin, an' all the
doctors can't do her no good. Sept.
1884.
WISS, WISSER, WISTEST [wuV, wuVur, wus'tees], comp. adj. Worse; worst.
They do zay how her's wiss-n he is.
[Aay doa*un zee* eens uur-z lin'ee wiis'ur-n uudh'ur voa'ks,] I do not see how that her is any worser than
other folks.
5 Tis the very ivistest [wuVtees] job ever I zeed in my live.
But shameles and craftie, that desperate are,
Make many ful honest the worser to fare. Tusser, 10/32.
WISTURD [wuVturd], sb. Worsted. (Always.)
Yarn spun from long-combed wool, not from carded short wool.
It'm ij doubletts, one jerkin, 2 paire of hoase, ij hatts, iij wastes, ) a pair of ivosterd stockins, a paire of
silke garters, iij paire of > xxx"
shoes and two paire of pantophels. )
Inventory of goods and chatells of Henry Gandye, Exeter, 1609.
WIT [weet], sb. Sense; intelligence; knowledge. One of the commonest depreciatory sayings is
.3 H 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9696) (tudalen 836)
|
836 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
"He 'ant a-got no more wit-in, plase God he should," or again, “Ant
a-got wit to zay boh! to a gooze."
A.-S. wit understanding; knowledge. This meaning is at least obsolescent in mod. literature.
WYTTE of vndyrstondynge. Ingenium.
WYTTE, of bodyly knowynge. Sensus. Pr. Parv.
In dooing of either, let wit beare a stroke,
for buieng or selling of pig in a poke. Tusser, 16/3.
WIT[wiit], v. Wilt? (Always.)
WITS; WITSN [wufs; wiifsn]. Wouldest; would est not; wilt not. See W. S. Gram. p. 61.
[Dheeo/^'J* ae-u dhik' vurnoa- jis muun'ee,] thou wilt not have that one for any such sum.
Wits thee like vor to be a-sar'd same's I've a-bin?
WITCH-ELM [wee-ch-uul-um], sb. Same as WITCH-TREE (q. v.).
This is probably a word of rather recent growth, although now it and Witch-halse are the usual names of
the Ulmus montana. It has very likely
arisen as a sort of duplicate name like Brendan, upon the foreign word elm becoming
naturalized, previous to which no
doubt wyche was the only name.
WITCH-HALSE [wee'ch-haa-ls]. Witch-elm. Ulmus montana. The usual name throughout W. Somerset and
North Devon.
WITCH TREE [wee'ch tree], sb. The witch-elm. Ulmus montana. This name was most probably once
used for all varieties of the elm, and
indeed it seems to have continued so
down to comparatively recent times.
A.-S. wife. Bosworth gives this,” A witch e, mountain ash, roun-tree
(?)."
Wyche, tre. Ulmus. Promp. Parv.
And nether wheche, ne leede, to be leyde in, bote a grete clothe to hely
my foule caryin. Will of T. Broke,
Devon, 1487. Fifty Earliest Wills, p. 27.
This cannot mean hutch or coffin, as suggested in the footnote to the above, because it is put in
apposition to lead and cloth. It
refers to the wood of which coffins were and still are mostly
made. Compare also the Devonshire
spelling of 1487 with the pronunciation of 1886.
Ulmus is called in greeke Ptelea, in englishe an Elme tree, or a Wick tree.
Turner, Herbes, p. 81.
WITH THE SAME [wai dhu sac-urn], adv. phr. Instantly; instantaneously.
[Zeo'n-z uvur aay zee'd-n aay staap' wai dhu sae'um, un au'p wai mee wuop- un meet warun rai't raewn dhu
naek',] (as) soon as I saw him I
stopped instantly, and up with my whip and met with him right round the neck.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9697) (tudalen 837)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 837
WITHY [wttdlree]. The willow; osier. All species are known by this name, as the "basket
withy" "thatching withy" "black withy"“ mouse r-withy"
A.-S. wtftie, wffiige, wi^&Se.
A Wethy; Restis.Cath. Ang.
for they be moste comonly made of hasell and ivithee, for these be the
trees that blome. Fitzherbert 's
Husbandrie, 24, 15.
The greater is called in Latine Salix perticalis, common Withy, Willow
and sallow. Gerarde, Herbal, p. 1392.
Wethy leves, grene otes, boyled in fere fulle soft,
Cast j?em hote in to avesselle, Russell's Boke of Nurture, 1. 995.
WITHY-WIND [wudh-ee-wee-n]. Bindweed; the wild convolvulus. Convolvulus
arvensis. The usual name of this troublesome
weed, unchanged for a thousand years.
A.-S. wfoe-Tvtnde. Vivorna, wudu-winde. Earle, Plant Names, p. 23.
the herbe which is called of the herbaries Volubilis, in english
ivythivynde or byndeweede, in duche
Winden. Turner, Herbes, p. 20.
The small Bindweed is called Convolvulus minor, Volubilis minor, in
English, Withwinde, Bindweed, and
Hedge-bels. Gerarde, Herbal, p. 863.
WITTH [waefth], sb. Width. (Always.) See WIDENESS.
WIVERY [wuvuree], v. i. To hover.
I do zee two or dree hawks, darn 'em, wivering [wuvureen] 'pon th' hill 'most every day. Keeper, June 12,
1886.
W r O! [woa-!] int. To horses. Keep quiet! (Always.) This word is not used to a horse when moving, as
a command to stop, but when restless
or fidgety, or inclined to kick.
Wo, mare! wo, mare!
WOBBLE [waub-1], v. i. Often WOBBLY [waub'lee]. To shake, as of a water bed, or a bag of
jelly.
This word would express the shaking of a very fat man's” corporation."
So the smooth surface of a bog is said to wobble when any part is touched.
The stock that da eyte et's za fat an' za zlake,
:h step they < dman, Rustic
Sketches, p. 9.
That the'r gurt duds da wobble eych step they da Jake. Pul
WOKT [woa-kt],/. tense, and /. part, of to wake. The cheel wokt us dree or vower times in
the night. Come, soce! you baint half
awokt up I s'pose.
Ver vreez'd-up growth's once more awoked,
By villditch rain and March's wind. Pulman, R. Sk. p. 3.
WOMEN- FOLKS [wuonveen-voa-ks], sb. Females in general, as distinct from men-folks. Also female
servants.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9698) (tudalen 838)
|
838 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
WOOD [eo*d], sb. Used collectively faggots of firewood. A single one is called [u faa'kut u eo'\.
[Maek'een &?*/,] making wood. Chopping brushwood or tree-tops into the
proper lengths, and binding them up into faggots. This is sometimes called slatting wood,
[slaafeen to d~\*
[Aard-<W,] hard-wood. Used collectively only. Firewood, /. e. logs or brands, cut to length, and split
for burning on the hearth. Three feet
is the proper length for hard-wood.
[Faak'ut-<^r*/,] faggot-wood, is the tops of branches and sticks suitable to be tied up into faggots. Hence
advertisements offering “Five hundred of wood for sale," mean five
hundred faggots.
Wood in the sense of lignum is rarely used by peasantry, except to the” quality." See OOD.
WOOD-CARRIER [eo-d-kaa-ryur; eo't-kaa'ryur]. The caddis-worm, from the pieces
of stick which are generally adhering to its
sheath. This name is the common one among the boys who bait pins with it to catch minnows.
WOOD-RICK [eo'd-rik], sb. A stack of faggot-wood, as distinct from brand-rick.
A paperhanger complaining of the roughness of a wall said, "Anybody mid so well paper a
'ood-rick"
WOOD-WALL [eo'd-waul], sb. The green woodpecker, whose peculiar cry is said to be” Wet! wet! wet!”
and is a sure sign of rain. Picus
viridis.
REYN FOWLE, bryd (or Wodewale, or Wodehake). Gaulus, picus. WODEWALE, bryd idem q^^od REYNEFOWLE.
Promp. Paw.
and alpes, and finches, and wode-wales. Cha^^cer y Romance of the 7^>se,
1. 658. See Tenth Report
Provincialisms, Trans. Devon Assoc. 1887.
WOPPER [waup-ur], sb.; also WOPPING, adj. A big thing of any kind; a big lie.
That's a wopper. Catch'd a gurt woppin rat.
WORDLE [wuurdl], sb. World. (Always.)
I don't ver'ly b'leive there's the fuller o'un in the wordle.
Werdle or worlde. Mundtis, secuhtm, orbis. Promp. Parv.
Lute $eme he nom to }>e wordle: to alle godnisse he drouj:
Rob. of Glouc., Dunstan, 1. 29.
Lhord y-blyssed by )>o J>et wone)> ine J?yne house in wordles of
wordles.
Ayenbite of Inzvyt, p. 269.
which by sotilte and wickidnesse getith J?e goode of j^is wordle, and J?e
vanyteys of J>is wordle. Gesta
Roman, p. 8. (Very frequent in this book.)
WORD OF A SORT [wuurd-uv-u-soa-urt], phr. Angry dispute,
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9699) (tudalen 839)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 839
usually accompanied with bad language. This implies a more violent quarrel than” a vew words."
We'd a-got a word of a sort, as mid zay, and zo I thort 'twas time to pae'urt (part).
WORD O' MOUTH [wuurd-u-maewdh], sb. Parole agreement. There wad-n no writin', 'twas on'y word o 1
mouth, but I should -n never think he
wid'n be jich rogue's t'urn word. See RUN-WORD.
WORDS [wuurds], sb. Dispute; disagreement; also bad language; abuse.
What! to be sure you have not left Mr. White. What's the matter?
Well, you zee, zr, we'd a got a vew words, an' zo I corned away, an' I hope he'll get zomebody to do better
vor'n.
A vew words is the stock reason for leaving service.
WORK [wuurk]. i. In phr. making work mischief. [Dhai bwuuyz bee au'vis maek'een wuurk,~\
those boys are always making mischief.
2. Attempting to commit rape.
They've a summons-n for makiri work way Joe Salter's maid, and 1 count he'll meet way it sharp dhee'uz
tich.
WORK [wuurk], v. /". i. To ferment. Always used in connection with
brewing or cider-making.
Plase-m, the drink's &-workt all out over the vate.
2. sb. Fuss; disturbance; row.
Maister made up fine work, 'cause the gig wad-n in order; but he never zaid nort about-n vore jis up ten
o'clock.
WORK-A-DAY [wuurk-u-dai*], adj. Given up to work, as in the phr. "This work-a-day
wordle."
WORKISH [wuurkeesh], adj. Diligent; industrious. Well, Betsy, you be workish to-day, bain'
ee? He's a workish sort of a young
chap.
WORKMAN [wuurkmun], sb. A farm-labourer.
There's very good premises, and two workman's cot-houses 'pon the farm.
No, I don't drave th'osses, I be on'y a workman.
Wanted, at Lady-day, a Carter; also a Workman, cottages and garden
provided. Apply to L. Darby, Kerwell,
Huntsham.
Wellington. Weekly Neivs, Feb. 16, 1888.
WORKMANSHIP [\vuurkmunshiip-], adj. Workmanlike; substantial.
I'll war'nt shall be put out o' hand in a proper workmanship manner, eens you shan't vind no fau't.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9700) (tudalen 840)
|
840 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
WORK OUT [wuurk aewt], v. t. i. In cultivating ground, after each ploughing, the soil is rolled
and "dragged" with drags or
heavy harrows, until all the weed and couch is brought to the surface, and the earth completely
pulverized. This after process is to
work out.
We ploughed thick field, and work-n out dree times over, [un ee lid'n tlarn naut ee - t] and he is not
clean yet.
2. To pay a debt by performing work to its amount. Nif you'll plase to let me work it ouf,
I'll 'low zix shillins a wik gin 'tis
all a-paid.
WORRA [wuuru], sb. Whorle. (Always.) The word is applied generally to the grooved pulley fixed upon
the spindle of all the various
spinning machines. It is also the name of the grooved pulley upon a common blind-roller, in which
the cord works.
The pronun. is invariable. No untaught native would guess the meaning of whorle unless pronounced
[wuurul], of which no doubt our word
is a contraction.
WHORLWYL, ofaspyndyl (whorwhil, K. whorle, p.). Vertebrum. Pr. Parv.
WORRIT [wuurut], v. t. To teaze; to worry; to harass. Thick maid's enough to worrit a saint out
o' their life.
WORSHIP [wuush-up], v. t. To be fond of.
A cat had been seen in a preserve, and a man said to me,” Her idn arter the pheasants, 'tis the rabbits
her do worship" Another man
said,” I tell'ee her do worship they rabbits."
WORTH [waetlr, wuiith']. In phr.” a worth" This insertion of a before an adjective is both curious
and very com. In the case of worth it
is almost invariable, and seems to imply that
speakers feel the word to be a participle. This prefix is used
even in such com. phrases as,” 'Tidn
a-wdth while,"“ He wad-n a-w<?th
tuppence."
[Haut'-s dhik u waeth een yoa'ur muuiree, maek sti boa-1?] what is that one worth in your money, make
so bold? A very common way of
inquiring the price of any article. An equally common depreciatory saying is,” He idn
z.-wd'th a louse."
Him semede it nas no}t wor\> a lous: batayl wi> him to wage. Sir Per.
1. 439.
WORTHY [wuurdhee], adj. Able; wise enough. (Very com.) Nif on'y I'd a-bin worthy to ha' knowed it
avore.
WORTS [huurts, wuurts], sb. Whortleberries. In this district known only by this name. In the season they
are brought round in carts, the
hawkers crying, "Hurts/ Hurts!" Of late I have noticed the cry is Wuurts!
WOSBURD [woa-uzburd], sb. Common pronun. of osbird (q. v.). This pronun. makes the meaning self-evident
i.e. "whore's brood"
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9701) (tudalen 841)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 84!
WRANGWAY [rang-wai]. A hamlet in the parish of Wellington, near to which is a small farm called
Wrangcombe [rang'keo'm]. These are
situated on the ancient roadway, on which is another place called Oldway. It is probable that
the names are modern, only dating from
the cutting of the new” turnpike."
Yf hit go >y wrang J>rote into,
And stoppe )>y wynde, Jxm art fordo. Boke of Curtasye, 1. 99.
WRASTLE, WRASTLY [vraa-sl, vraa-slee], v. L To wrestle. In some districts, particularly round
Wiveliscombe, it is pron. vraifsl and
vrau'sleen.
There idn gwain to be no vraa'sleen t'our revel de year, 'cause they can't gather no money vor't, nit vrom
the gen'lvokes.
$if tvveie men goth to wraslinge.
An either other faste thringe. Owl and Night. 1. 793.
Ful big he was of braun, and eek of boones;
That prevede wel, for overal ther he cam,
At wrastlynge he wolde bere awey the ram. Chaucer, Pro!. 1. 546.
Go not to J)e wrastelinge, ne to schotynge at cok.
How the Good Wijf tau^te her dou^tir, 1. 81.
such as have wrastled much with the Lord for a blessing.
1642, Rogers, Hist, of Naaman, p. 332.
WREATH-HURDLE [vraetlr, or vrai-th-uurdl], sb. A hurdle made of wattle or basket-work, as
distinguished from the gate or “vower-shuttle” hurdle.
In Dorset and other chalk districts the wreath-hurdle is the commoner kind.
Root pulper, cake crusher, 2 iron sheep-racks, sheep-troughs, about 12
dozen gate and 3 dozen wreath hurdles,
sack trucks, corn measures.
Adv. of Farm Sale, Wellington Weekly News, Oct. 15, 1885.
WREDY [hree-d(ee], v. t. Of plants, especially corn. To throw up several stalks from one root. Called to
thiller in some counties. Rollin's a
fine thing for young wheat, 'bout makin' o' it wredy.
WRICK [rik, vrik], v. t. and sb. To sprain; to wrench.
I wrick my neck more sharper; darned if I didn think I'd a-brokt my neck.
Well, the doctor zess how 'tis on'y a bit of a vrick in my back, but I zim 'tis wiss-n that (worse than
that).
WRIGGLE. See RIGGLE.
WRIGHT [rai't, vrart], v. t. i. To repair; to restore.
[Dhik'ul due 1 ugee'un vuree wuul', aa'rtur ee-z \\-vrartud airp u beet,] that one will do again very well,
after he is righted up a bit.
2. [vrart], adj. and adv. Right. From this com. pronunciation
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9702) (tudalen 842)
|
842 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
it would seem as if the idea had taken root that the opposite of vrong must be vright.
Robert, I do vind eens you was vright all the time.
WRING [ring-, vring 1 ], sb. A press. A cheese-press is always a "cheese-zW," or by many
cheese-vring.
A well-known rock in the Valley of Rocks is called” The Devil's Cheese-wrmg"
WRITINGS [vruyteenz], sb. Title deeds relating to land. Well, he calls the place his own, but I
count he must get up by time vor to
show the vritins. (Always.)
My God, if "writings may
Convey a Lordship any way Whither the
buyer and the seller please;
Let it not thee displease, If this
poore paper do as much as they.
1620. George Herbert, Obedience.
WRIZZLED [rriz-ld, vruz'ld], adj. Shrivelled; wrinkled. Can't think how 'tis our apples 'on't keep
de year they be all &-vrizzled \y$
to nothin'.
WUG! [wuug!], imper. The word used in driving horses, to make them go to the right or "off
side." If they are to keep much
to the right it is” Wug off," if to turn round to the right, “Wug
roun'," if to turn round to the left [km yuur raewn!], come here round. This is of course because a
driver without reins always walks on
the left or” near” side.
I hollar'd” Waa! woggoffl stan' still!”
But on ee gallop'd up the hill. Pulinan^ Rus, Sk. p. 58.
WULL [wuul'], sb. Var. pron. of wool. The usual one among farmers who have learnt to spell.
FLEESE of wulle. Velhis. FLOCKKYS of
wulle or o];er lyke.
WULLE. Lana. WULLE HOWSE. Lanarium. WULLE MANN. Lanarius.
Promp. Parv.
WURD [wurd, wuurd], sb. Hoard. (Always.)
Hot be axin de year vor w&r^-apples? They there baint fit vor wurd.
See PIXY-WORDING i. e. robbing the pixies of their hoard.
WUSSER [wus-ur], adj. Worse. See W T iss.
There's so rough a lot a-lef as ever he is, and wusser. April 13, 1881.
No, wusse. Che lighted I but now in the yard.
Benjonson, Tale of a Tub, I. ii.
WUTS [writ's, waefs], sb. Oats. (Always.)
ll'itts be terr'ble low, sure 'nough; they on't paay vor tillin'.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9703) (tudalen 843)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 843
Y. i. As a consonant this letter very frequently takes the' place of h, as in yeffer, yeath, yarbs, yeat,
yerrin, &c. See YERR.
A toteling, wambling, zlottering zart-and-vairj)'//ra/-.r^W.
Ex. Scold. 1. 54. See Ib. 1. 39.
2. [ee]. As a vowel, it is commonly used to express the final infinitive inflection of the intransitive
form of verbs, as ploughy, warshy,
looky, talky, &c., of which abundant examples have been given in these pages. See W. S. Gram. p.
49.
In M. E. this inflection was used with both trans, and intrans. verbs, but in the dialect it is now
confined to the latter.
J>e due Willam anon: uor-bed alle his,
pat non nere so wod to robby. Rob. of Glottc., W. the Conq. \. 68.
]>et is a zenne pet make]) to ssewy pe gode wypoute pet ne is wyp-inne.
Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 25. Hundreds of examples herein.
Now my folkes dop pus wanye: y-lost ys myn honour. Sir Ferumbras y \. 1645.
Also pere is an ilond, pere no dede body may roty.
Trevisa, De locorum prodigiis, xxxv. vol. I. p. 361.
3. When added to any species of handicraft, it has a frequentative force, and implies the practice, or
occupation in the work named.
I do stone-crac&y lion I can get it, means I follow the occupation of
stone-breaker when I can obtain work. See MASONY.
4. The usual objective form of you.
I tell-jy hot tis. You can't, can'j>? You don't zay zo, do-jy? Usually spelt ee. See E 2.
5. Final y of lit. Eng. is sometimes dropped in the dialect. See CAR, SLIPPER, DIRT, STID, STORE.
and meyntene J>e pouvert of crist and his apostelis,
3if J>ei make profession to most hey pouvert. Wyclif^ Works, p. 5.
YA [yaa], pr. You. This form is only used when applying an epithet.
Ya gurt mumphead, you!
Ya hugly son of a bitch, I'll break the neck o' thee.
How! ya gurt chounting, grumbling, glumping, Zower zapped yen-ing Trash.
Ex. Scold. 1. 39.
YALLER [yaal'ur], sb. and adj. Yellow. (Always.)
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9704) (tudalen 844)
|
844 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
VALLER BWOY [yaal'ur bwuuy], sb. A gold coin.
I thort fust 'twas a varden, but zoon's I'd a-clane the dirt off o'un, I zeed sure 'nongh twas %.yaller
bwoy,
YALLER-HAMMER [yaal'ur-aa'mur], sb. The yellow-hammer. Emberiza citrinella.
This very common summer bird is often called, from its peculiar note”
Little-bit-o'-bread-an'-no-cheese." Our ammer is a more correct pronunciation than the lit. hammer.
Ang.-Sax. Amore.
YAMMET [yaanrut]. See EMMETT. YAP [yaap*],
sb. The shrill bark of a dog.
YAPPY [yaap'ee], v. i. i. To give the short shrill bark which spaniels or terriers do, on starting their
game.
Look out! That's th'old dog, he don't never yappy vor nort.
2. v. i. To chatter. The use of the word is distinctly depreciatory.
Mind yer work, and neet bide there yappin.
avore tha art a hoazed that tha cast scarce yeppy. Ex. Scold. 1. 261.
YAPRIL [yae-uprul], sb. April.
Thick piece o' groun 'ont be a-stock 'vore out in Yapril.
YAPS [yaap's], sb. Disease of chicken. Same as GAPS, PIP.
YAPURD [yaap-urd], sb. Halfpenny-worth.
Kyapurd o' scall-milk. (Com.)
YARBING [yaarbeen], part. sb. Gathering herbs.
We've a-bin vor a riglur day's yarbin.
Old women do vind 'em 'pon times, eens they \>z yarbin.
YARBS [yaarbz], sb. Herbs. By this is meant” simples," or medicinal herbs, while those for cooking
are always pot-heibs [paut-aarb], such
as thyme, sage, mint, organ, &c.
I don't never go to no doctor; nif any o'm be bad, I boils some yarbs down, and gives em to 'em, and they
don't lack no doctor's stuff.
YARD [yaard], sb. Of land. A measure of five and a half yards (i6| feet) both long and square, i.e.
the same as a rod, pole, or perch.
(Always.)
In this district are three distinct yards. See W. S. Gram. p. ii. For ill. see GATHER, THROW-ABROAD.
YARNEST [yaarnees], sb. Earnest. Yarnest money. Earnest money = money paid to bind a bargain.
You'll buy un then, will-y? Well then, I must 'ave a suvreign in yarnest, else I 'ont stand word.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9705) (tudalen 845)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 845
YEAR [yuur], sb. The ear. (Always.) A
tuck under thy [yuur\.
YEAR-GRASS [yuur-graa-s]. See EAR-GRASS.
YEARLING [yaa'rleen], sb. i. A steer or heifer of a year old. Whose be t\\ty yarlins? so nice a lot's
I've a-zeed's longful time.
2. adj. When applied to any other kind of animal, as u yearling-bull,"“
yearling-CQ\t" The latter is not the usual term, though heard sometimes. Hog-colt is the general
name.
YEARLY [yuurlee, sometimes yaarlee], adv. Early. You be come to yearly, I baint in order
vor-y, not eet.
YEAT [yiif], sb. and v. t. Heat. (Always.)
[Wuul, Jiimz! kiin-ee kaech yi'it' s-mau'rneen shaa'rp, ud'-n ut? ] well, James, can you catch heat this
morning (it is) sharp, is it not? See
Ex. Scold. 1. 54.
He knowed twad-n no good vor to come vor to kill the pig, 'vore we'd a.-yeat the water vor to scald-n
way.
Wul thay zot roun agane, an thay vill'd up tha kwarts,
An tha yet an tha drink zim'd ta warm up thare harts. N. Hogg, s. I, p. 48.
YEAVY [yai-vee], adj. Damp; moist. This word expresses the condition of painted walls and stone
floors upon the giving out of frost.
See EAVY.
YEFFER [yaefur], sb. Heifer. (Always.)
There, maister! don'ee call that good beef? A maiden yeffer, and so nice a one as ever I put a knive
into.
YEFFIELD [yaef-ee-ul], sb. Heathneld. Usual name for a common.
Langford Heathfield [Lang'vurd yaef'ee'ul], Chelston Heathfield, Milverton Heathfield, Crowcombe Heathfield,
are the names of commons in this
neighbourhood, and Heathfield is the name of a parish. See HILL, MOOR.
YELD [yuuld], sb. Hunting. A female deer not pregnant. See BARREN.
In the autumn hunting, ajWaTor barren hind should if possible be selected.
Collyns, p. 73.
YELK [yael-k], sb. Yolk of an egg. (Very com. prontm.) Beat up the yelk of a egg way some milk and
a drap o' rum's a fine thing vor a
cough.
3ELKE, of an eye (ey K. s. egge, P.)- Vitdlus. Promp. Parv.
YEN [yaeir, yiirr], adv. Yon; yonder. (Very com.) [Wee'ul, dhee geo yun' tu faa'rmur Snuul'z,
un aak's oa un tu plai'z tu km
oa'vur-n smoa'k u puyp umbuynai't,] Will, thee go yen
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9706) (tudalen 846)
|
846 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
to farmer Snell's, and ask him to p'.ease to come over and smoke a pipe umbye night.
YENNY [yaeiree], v. L To yean; to bring forth young said of ewes only.
Het'll yenny vore mornin'.
YE RE [yuur], adv. Here. (Always.)
[ Yuur twairz,] here it was. [Uur lid'n yuur,~\ she is not here. [Yuur! aay bae'un gwai'n t-ae-u dhaa't,]
here! I am not going to have that.
And tellej) hym how f>at Charlemayn WyJ? ys host hym comej> agayn With hym to fi3te yare. Sir Fer. 1. 5233.
See also 11. 5289, 5322.
YERR [yuur-], v. t. To hear. (Always.)
I do yerr how you've a meet way a bad job, an' a lost yer dunkey.
In certain combinations the y is dropt, as \shuur mee? ] dost hear me? A very com. saying.
[Aa'-l maek- dhee muyn, shuur f\ I will make thee mind, dost hear!
The words Jure and hear, as well as year and ear, have precisely the same sound, as above. See abundant
examples herein.
YERRING [yuureen], sb. i. Hearing; trial. (Always.) 1}\Q yerrin idn avore next Monday.
2. Herring. (Very com.)
Fine yerrins / Fine yerrins, all alive!
YET [ee-t]. See EET.
In negative sentences it is usual to find a redundant not before yet.
I tell-y I baint gwain not eet.
YETH [yaetrr], sb. i. Heath, /. e. heather. (Always.) The yettts all a-blowup t'hill do look
terr'ble purty, sure 'nough. Earth has
not the y sound as given in many glossaries. See EARTH.
2. sb. Hearth. (Always.)
The hearth is that on which a wood fire is actually burnt, and does not include the space in front of a
grate. This latter is the jjr///-stone
[yaeth-stoo'un].
So a smith's forge is the large square erection at which he heats his iron, while the yeth is limited to the
very small space in front of the”
tew-ire” (q. v.\ where the fire is actually burning.
YKTH-CRAPPER [yaetrr-kraap-ur], sb. A rough pony or horse turned out upon a common, and half
starved. See Vuz-
CROPPER.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9707) (tudalen 847)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 847
YETH-HOUNDS [yaeth'-aewnz], sb. A phantom pack of hounds, believed to hunt in the night, and
whom some superstitious people declare
they have heard. The legend is not very common, but is steadfastly believed in
out-of-the-way places.
YETH-POULT [yaeth'-poa'lt], sb. The regular local term for black grouse, including both sexes, which
were once very plentiful in the
district, and are still common enough.
The ' Poult Inn ' on Brendon Hill is a favourite meet of hounds.
There was dree \\vs\-poults and an old blackcock, but yeth-poults be got terr'ble skee'us (scarce).
YETTER [yiit'ur], sb. A heater an iron to be made red-hot and then inserted into ironing box,
tea-urn, or other article.
YOE [yoa-], v. t. i. To hew. (Always.) To hew a tree into shape fit for sawing.
'Tis a gurt piece, 't'll take us more'n quarter day to yoe un.
2. with out to shape with an axe.
[VuuHirz bee bad'r u-yoa'd aewt-n dhai bee* u-zaa'd,] felloes be better hewn out than they be sawn. Sharp, Jim, and yoe out a laver (lever).
3. [yoa], sb. Ewe. (Always.)
That's a vew culls out o' the [jw-aug'z,] ewe-hogs. See HOG.
YOE BRIMBLE [yoa* bninrl], sb. The common bramble. Rubus fruticosus. The term is specially
applied to one of the long, rank,
rope-like runners which are so obstructive to the beaters in a covert, and which are much
sought after by broom-squires for binds or tyers.
Hitched my voot in a gurtjiw briiril, and vailed all along.
The second b is never sounded except by those who wish to speak like "gin'lvokes."
YOE CAT [yoa- kat], sb. Ewe-cat; she-cat.
Sex of cats is usually distinguished as ram-cat or ewe-cat. Tom-cat is
the genteel form.
YOLK [yoa'k], sb. The grease in unwashed wool. (Always.) Terr'ble heavy lot o' ool, sight o' yolk in
it.
YOLKY [yoa'kee], adj. Of wool, unwashed; full of the natural grease.
Yfflky wool is that which is shorn from sheep without their having been washed. The custom of shearing
sheep without first washing them is
very common in Devon and Cornwall, but much
less so in Somerset.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9708) (tudalen 848)
|
848 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
YOU [yeo, yue], pos. p. Your. Very com. in speaking to children.
Jimmy, come over-n let me warsh you niddle 'ands [yeo nud'l an-z].
Lizzy, mind you don't dirt you pinny [yue pee-nee].
& certis, sirs, bote }e do: $e do]? ^ow selue schame. Sir Fer. 1. 1611.
YOUNG GRASS [yuung- graa's]. Clover or other annual grass sown upon arable land, in distinction to
that of meadows or permanent pasture.
See LAND GRASS.
YOUNG-HIND [yuung-uyn], sb. Hunting. A female deer of three years old. See SPIRE.
YOUNG MAN [yuung mae-un], sb. i. Sweetheart.
That's our Lizzie's young man.
So young-umman [yuung-uunrun] is the converse and complement. Bill Jones 've a-got a fine young umman
sure 'nough her do live cook up to
Foxydown.
2. sb. Bachelor. (Always, quite irrespective of age.) Of a man of sixty it would be said, No,
he's a young man he wad-n never
a-married.
YOUNG-STOCK [yuung'-stairk], sb. Young steers and heifers of indefinite age, from six or eight months
to two years old.
I can't keep so much young-stock to winter, I must hird a lot o' it.
YOUNGY [yuung-ee], v. i. To bring forth young said of any animal except horses, cattle, sheep, and
pigs, which have all their special
word.
I zee the bitch'v a young-ed; how many have her a-got?
[Dh'oa'l kyat' oa - n yuung'ce naut eet-s vau'rtnait,] the old cat will not kitten yet for a fortnight.
Thick there doe's gwain to youngy purty quick, I zee.
YCWLY [yaewulee], v. i. To howl; to weep loudly. Make haste along, tid-n no good to bide
there yowlin you do make noise 'nough
to frighten the very zebm slaipers.
YUCKLE [yuuk'l], sb. Woodpecker. Not so common as }Vood-wall.
YUCKS [yuuk-s], sb. Hiccough. (Usual name.)
Why, Tommy, you've a-got the yucks drink zome cold water.
Of mint "it taketh away ahhominacion of wamblyng and abateth
yexeing. Trevisa, quoted by Way. Pro
in p. Parv. p. 514.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9709) (tudalen 849)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 849
with your brest sighe, nor coughe, nor brethe, youre souerayne before; \>e yoxinge, ne bolkynge ne gronynge,
neuer J?e more;
1430. John Russell's Boke of Nurture (Furnivall), 1. 297.
The same drunke with wine putteth away windinesse out of the stomacke,
and gripings of the belly, and helpeth
the hicket or yeoxing.
Gerarde, Herbal, p. 1027.
YUMMER [yuunrur], sb. and v. t. Humour (q. v.).
Can't think hot ailth maister's hackney mare, her'th a-got zyummer a-brokt out all over the zide o' her.
You never 'ont do nort way thick there young 'oss nif you don't yummer'n.
Z. i. See remarks under S.
2. Z in rapid speech, when used for his, changes to sharp s after k or t. See ex. and remarks, COME IN.
3. contr. of fie is, there is, &c.
Wull, I be glad [tu yuurs u-kaecrr tu laa's,] to hear he is caught at last.
[Baub zaed'-s u plarntee u boo'urd aup dhur,] Bob said (there) is a plenty of board up there.
ZAHT [zaa't], adj. Soft in the sense of foolish; imbecile; daft. Poor soul! her can't help o'ut, her's a bit
zaht, you know.
ZAHTY-POLL [zaa'tee-poa'l], sb. Name for a stupid, silly, half-imbecile person.
Art-n thee a purty zahty-poll now, vor to bring the zive 'thout other whetstone?
ZALT [zaa-lt], sb. and v. t. Salt. (Always.)
ZAND [zan-(d], sb. Sand. (Always.)
ZANDY [zairdee], adj. Sandy. (Always.)
ZANY [zae-unee], sb. A sawney; a softy; a loutish simpleton. Get 'long 'ome to thy mother and zook, ya
gurt zany /
ZAPE [zae'up], sb. This word is always pronounced soft. i. Sap in wood, as distinct from heart, i. e.
the quickly grown outside part of the
trunk or branch, immediately beneath the bark.
2. The sap or circulating fluid of vegetables. The blood of trees.
'Ton't do vor to cut the,y trees 'vore winter, else all the zape '11 urn out'n they'll blid to death.
3 i
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9710) (tudalen 850)
|
850 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
ZART [zaa'rt], adj. Soft; daft. Same as ZAHT.
We on't 'ave he, a's to zart 'n th' aid vor our work.
I doant think thay got muvch, ur thay'm windervul zart;
Nathan Hogg, ser. i. p. 26. See Ex. Scold. 1. 59.
ZAW [zaa-, zavr], sb. and v. t. Saw.
Plase to len father your zaw, vor to zaw up some virin.
ZAW-BOX [zaa-bauks], sb. The handle which the pit-man or under sawyer wedges on to the pit-saw so
that he may perform his part of the
work.
Where's Joe? He've a-split the zaa'bauks 'n he's a-foced t'urn 'ome arter another.
ZEBM [zaeb'm], sb. Seven (q. v.}. (Always.) For change of n into m, see W. S. Dial. p. 17.
ZEBM-SLAPER [zaeb'm-slai-pur], sb. Seven sleeper. The dormouse. (Always.)
A keeper's boy pulled out the nest of a dormouse from a bush. What have you got there, Jimmy? A
zebm-slaper, zir. December 29, 1886.
Applied to any hibernating animal.
ZEE [zee-], v. t. and /. To see. (Always.) P. t. zee-d; /./. u-zee'd.
Saw and seen are still quite unknown. Comp. pronun. of see and sea. In lit. Eng. both are identical;
in the dialect zee' and sat:
ZEED [zee-ud], sb. i. Seed. (Always.)
This word has a very distinctive sound both as sb. and vb. from the /. t. of zee: to see, which is zee'd t and
has no fracture.
2. v. t. To seed, generally followed by out.
I shall zee'ud out thick field come the spring o' the year. I do count zee'ud '11 be cheaper then.
ZEED-LTP [zid'-lup], sb. Seedlip (q. v.). The compounding of the word zee'ud with lip shortens its
quantity. In zeed-box, however,
[zee'ud-bauks] no change occurs.
ZEFT [zaef-t], v. t. To sift.
Take the zeeve and zeft they there arshes.
ZEL [zuul*]. Self. (Always as a suffix.) Numerous examples are to be found in the preceding pages.
ZESS [zaes-], sb. A heap; pile; now only applied to one of corn in the barn ready for thrashing.
When thrashing was all done by hand large barns were necessary, because a rick of corn when uncovered must
be all removed at once to a place of
shelter. Hence the term "to take in a rick” meant to carry all the sheaves and pile
them up in a zess in the
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9711) (tudalen 851)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 851
barn for thrashing at leisure. Now-a-days ricks are not taken in, but the” steamer” is brought alongside the
mow, and all the work is completed out
of doors.
How's anybody to make good work way the reed nif you bwoys do ride up, und make jis mirschy 'pon the
zess?
Hal. is wrong in defining zess as a compartment in a barn; the compartment is the "pool," or
the” pool o' the barn."
To ransake in the cas of bodyes dede,
Hem for to streepe of herneys and of wede, And so by fil, that in the cas thei founde.
Chaucer, Knightes Tale, 11. 147, 151.
Why dedst thee, than tell me o' the Zess, or it o' tha Hay-pook?
Ex. Scold. 1. 87. See also Ib. p. 175 and 11. 32, 70, 240, 284.
ZESS [zaes-]. Regular pronun. of says. See Z'-I.
Z-'I [z-aa-y]. Short but commonest form of says I. In recounting any accident
or event in which the rustic narrator took
part, nearly every sentence has "says I” or” says he," or
[zoa' u zaes',] so he says. Generally
all oratio recta begins [Zoa aay
zaes-, z-aay,'] so I says, says I; or [zoa- u zaes- z-uur,] or [z-ee'
} ] so her says, says she, or says he.
In all cases the historic present is
mostly used in narrating.
ZIDS [zid-z], sb. Suds. (Always.) The foul water in which clothes or other things have been washed
with soap; not as in the dictionaries
"water impregnated with soap."
Idn nort in the wordle '11 stink no wis'n zids, arter Yave a-fret a bit.
ZIEVE [zee-v], sb. A sieve. (Always.)
ZIG. See SIG.
ZIM [ziinr], v. i. To consider; to believe; to fancy; to think. “I zim”
means,” it seems to me."
The numberless uses of the form in the preceding pages will show the frequency of its occurrence.
ZIMMET [zunrut], sb. An implement used in a barn for throwing the corn into
the winnowing machine, but formerly for throwing it in front of the” van." The zimmet
is in shape like a sieve, but instead
of open wire-work, the bottom is, like a drum, formed of a piece of dried skin tightly stretched. In
fact, a zimmet is a large rough
tambourine.
ZIN [zmr], sb. Son and sun. (Always.)
My zin Tom's zo fine a chap's the zin ever sheen'd 'pon.
3 i 2
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9712) (tudalen 852)
|
852 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
ZINNY [zun-ee], sb. Sinew. (Always.)
I be a-took't way that there pain in my arm, 'pon times, 'tis jis the very same's off ihe zinm'es was a-tord
out way a pinches. I be rampin, maze
way it.
[Kuut rait drue* dhu zun'cez uv uz an'-riis,] cut right through the sinews of his hand-wrist.
ZINO [zaa-ynoa], phr. As I know. Very commonly added quite redundantly to negative sentences, as
a kind of asseveration. Be you gwain
to fair?
No, z-I-know! can't stap, /. e. cannot afford the time. Same in effect, and used as frequently as
T-l-know, Tino (q. v.).
ZINZE [ziin'z], adv. Since. Sometimes [siin-z], never either [ziurs or sun's] \ but always unlike lit.
since.
[Aay aa-nt u-zee*d ee zun'z voa*r Kursmus,] I have not seen you since before Christmas.
ZIT [zut-, /. tense, zau'ut,/. /. u-zau'ut, or u-zairt], v. i. and tr. To sit; set. See SET, SOT.
Plase to zit down. Her never zot yer no more'n about of a ten minutes.
Be you comin to zee me zit the sponge umbye night?
Her've &-zot the sparked hen abrood 'pon they eggs her 'ad o' you.
ZIVE [zuyv], sb. Scythe. (Always.)
ZIVE STONE [zuyv stoo-un], sb. A whetstone. See NORWAY.
ZOG [zang-], sb. i. A very bad smelling fungus (Phallus impudicus}. See
STINK-HORN.
Hot ever is it stenkth zo yer? Why, 'tis nort but a zog.
2. sb. A bog or morass. (Always.)
Take care where you do ride, else you'll sure to get in the zogs up there.
I zeed two hares 'pon the hill yes'day, jist up there above the zogs. Dec. 29, 1887.
ZOGGY [zaug'ee], adj. Boggy. Mortal
zoggy country sure 'nough, this yer.
You'll vind it ter'ble zoggy there under the hill tid'n no good to go vor to ride thick way.
He here pointed for Knowstone, but turned to the left by Soggy Moor.
Rcc. N. Dev. Staghounds, p. 50.
ZOKE [zoa-k], sb. i. Soaker; term for a sot.
Proper old zoke, drunk half's time!
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9713) (tudalen 853)
|
WEST SOMERSET WORDS. 853
2. sb. A dolt; an ass. Same as DOKE. I
call's-n a riglar zoke.
ZOO [zeo-], adj. Dry of milk of cows.
We milks twenty cows, but you know they never baint all in milk to once, some be always zoo.
ZOOL [zoo-ill], sb. Sail (q. v.).
ZOONDER [zeo-ndur], comp. adj. Rather; sooner. This is the commonest word to express preference;
in this sense the literary rather is
unknown.
I'd zoonder be 'angd 'vore I'd leeve way her. See RATHE.
There! I'd zoonder work my vingers to bones 'n ever I'd be holdin to un.
ZOONY [zeo'nee], v. i. To swoon; to faint. See SOONY. Her zooned right away in my arms; and the
yeat and the galliment was enough to
make her zoony, sure 'nough.
" Consummaturn cst" qua]) Crist, and comsede for to sounyc
Pitousliehe and paal. Piers Plowman,
xxi. 58.
ZOWER-ZAPPED [zaawur-zaap-ud], adj. Crabbed; sour in temper even to the sap or marrow. Usually
applied to women.
Her is a purty old lade, her is! nif her idn the zower-zappedest [zaavrur-zaap-uds] old bitch ever I yeard
snarly.
glumping, zowerzapped, yen-ing Trash! Ex. Scold. 1. 40.
ZUMMER-LEARS [zuunrur-lee'urz, or lai'z], sb. Summer-leas or pasture land not mown for hay, but fed
down with stock in summer only. I have
a field thus named, written Summerleys in
the Tithe terrier.
ZWAR [zwairr], sb. i. Swath. The row or line in which grass falls when mown with a scythe.
The hay idn a-drow'd abroad not eet, there 'tis now all in zwars.
2. A crop of grass to be mown for hay.
That there's a capical zwar o' grass in the Church field, I'll warn is two ton an acre.
A SWARTHE (swathe, A.): orbita falcatoris (falcatorum) est. Cath. Ang. SWARTH of grasse newe mowen. Gramen.
Huloet.
ZWER [zvvimr], v. i., sometimes v. t. To spin round; to whirl. Lor! he no zoonder catch-n by the collar-n
he made-n zwer round same's a pug tap
(peg top).
Zwer thy Torn, else or tha tedst net carry whome thy Pad.
Ex. Scold. 1. 112. See note.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9714) (tudalen 854)
|
854 WEST SOMERSET WORDS.
ZWER [zwuur], sb. A whizzing noise, as of the sudden rise of a covey of partridges.
ZWOP [zwaup-], sb. A .whop; a blow, with hand or with some instrument. (Very com.)
Zee whe'er I don't gi' thee a zwop under the year, s'hear me, nif I catch thee agee-an hot's think o'
that, now!
and zich a zwop as shall make tha veel ma, looks zee!
Ex. Scold. 1. 40. See. also Ib. 11. 100, 517.
SWAP, or strok. Ictus. SWEYPE, or swappe. Alapd.-Promp.Paru.
|
|
|
|
|
(delwedd B9715) (tudalen 855)
|
855 LIST OF THE COMMON LITERARY WORDS, used in West Somerset,
which are not pronounced by dialect speakers as in Standard English. %% Note
that the bracket ( before a final consonant shows that this consonant is not
sounded unless followed by a vowel; following initial h it shows the emphatic
form. A turned period () shows the vowel or syllable preceding it to be long,
or accented as the case may be. Where two or more pronunciations of the same
word are given, the first is the most in use. For Key to Glossic Spelling,
see p. xlvii. %% %% Abase %% bae'us %% acre %% ae'ukur (trisyl.) %% abate %%
bae'ut %% across %% ukraa's %% abatement %% bae'utmunt %% act %% h)aak(t %%
abed %% ubai'd %% active %% h)aaktee1 %% abide %% buyd, baa- yd %% actually
%% h)aak'shulee %% ability %% bul'utee %% acute %% kuet %% ablaze %% ublae'uz
%% ad-, prefix %% often omitted %% able %% ae'ubl %% adjoin %% jauyn, juyn %%
aboard %% uboo'urd %% adjourn %% juurn %% abreast %% ubrus' %% adjust %%
jus-(t %% abroad %% ubroa'ud %% adjustment %% jus'munt %% abuse, V. %% bue-z,
beo'z %% ado %% udue* %% abuse, sb. %% bue's, beo's %% adrift %% udruf- %%
abut %% buut %% adulterate %% duul'turae'ut %% abutment %% buufmunt %%
adulteration %% duul'turae'ur- %% academy %% aak'udumee, all %% shun %%
stress on ist syll. %% advance, v. t. to %% vaa'ns %% accept %% haak'sup, emph.;
%% lend %% sup", unemph. %% advantage %% vaa'nteej %% acceptance %%
suptuns %% advertisement %% advurtuyz-munt %% accident %% haak'seedunt %%
advocate %% h)ad'veekee*ut %% accommodate %% kaunvudae'ut %% adze %% ad'ees
%% accommodation %% kaunvudae'ur- %% affected ) %% shun %% infected j %%
fack'tud %% according to %% koa'urdeen tue %% afflict %% flik(t %% account %%
kaewnt, kuwnt %% affront %% fuurnt %% accumulate %% kue'mulae'ut %% afloat %%
ufloa'ut %% accurate %% haak'urut %% afoot %% uveo't %% accursed %% kuus'eed
%% again %% ugee'un %% accuse %% kue'z %% against %% gun, gin, gee'n %% ace
%% ae'us %% age, aged %% ae'uj, ae'ujeed %% ache %% ae-uk %% aggravate %%
h)ag'urvae - ut %% acid %% aa'seed (rare) %% agree, agreement %% gree',
gree'munt %% acorn %% ae'ukaurn %% ail, v. /. %% ae'ul %% acquaint %%
kwaa-ynt %% air %% ae'ur %% acquaintance %% kwaa'yntuns %% akin %% kee'n %%
acquit %% kwee't %% alarm %% laa'rm %% acquittance %% kwee'tuns %% albert,/,
n. %% au'lburt %% %%
|
.....
