A»9Tr«(vf/^' 
 
 h 
 
 ,v 
 
 w^. 
 
 ^^0 
 
 4^. 
 
 ^^ «•*«-
 
 r//i^i 
 
 m 
 
 9^^:^
 
 
 TWm 
 
 
 fmn 
 
 m 
 
 ^^f ■li 
 
 wWi 
 
 Mm 
 
 f/ff
 
 THE 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT 
 
 IX THE 
 
 DIALECTIC WORDS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 XiUNTIES OF NORTHAMPTON & LEICESTER. 
 
 BY TlfK 
 
 Rev. JOHN DAYIES, M.A.Cantab. 
 
 MEMBEK OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. ETC. 
 
 Repruded from the Akch^kolooia Camukensis. 
 
 LONDON. 
 
 1885.
 
 gircIiiieffl0ijiH Camlrr^jtjjijj. 
 
 FIFTH SERIES.— VOL. II, NO. V. 
 
 JANUAEY 1885. 
 
 THE CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTIC 
 WORDS OF THE COUNTIES OF NORTH- 
 AMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 In a late communication to the Archceologia Cambrensis 
 I have pointed out that the author of the Conquest of 
 Fjuglaiid has abandoned hi this work his former posi- 
 tion with regard to the race that inhabited England 
 at the time of the Saxon invasion. His first statement 
 w^as that this race had been wholly dispossessed and 
 destroyed by their Teutonic invaders. The slaughter 
 had been so complete that the race had disappeared ; 
 or if some still lingered as slaves round the home- 
 steads of their conquerors, their number must have 
 been very small. Even the existence of this scanty 
 remnant was doubtful. Practically the population of 
 England was exclusively of Low German or Scandina- 
 vian origin ; it had no Celtic element large enough to 
 have any appreciable influence in the formation of the 
 English people. 
 
 This dogmatic assertion was afterwards modified. 
 It was admitted that in a part of England said to be 
 occupied by the Wealhcyn, or Welsh race, there was a 
 blending of British and Saxon blood ; but then, from 
 the eastern coast to an indistinct line drawn from the 
 Yorkshire moorlands to the Cotswolds and Selwood, 
 there lay a people of " wholly English blood". In this 
 vehement assertion a challenge is implied to pro^e the 
 
 5th ser.j vol. II. 1
 
 '2 CIM/nr KI.KMKN r IN 'II Ii: 1)1 ALKCTS 
 
 conlniry. The .stiitciiicnt is .sup|)().s(Kl to be absolutely 
 ccM-t:iiii, !iii<l it is mafic with a rather defiant air. I 
 {iccoj>t the cliallciii;!!, and am content to refer the ques- 
 tion <(> (he ju(lL,nii(Mit op Eno-lishmcn after they have 
 considcrcMl tlie evidence whicli I sliall lay before thetn. 
 I enf^aji^c to prove that a large Celtic element exists in 
 th<! part which is assumed to be purely Teutonic ; as 
 lana', in fact, as in the part where it is now admitted 
 there \vas a blendinf]^ of races. 
 
 As it is impossible, within reasonable limits, to ex- 
 amine the dialectic words of every county in England, 
 I must make choice of some part that may be fairly 
 tiiken as a representative of the whole. After some 
 hesitation I have selected the counties of Northampton 
 and Leicester as the best representatives of the country 
 lying between the eastern counties and the line within 
 which a mingled race is allow^ed to exist. Any other 
 part would answer my purpose equally well if an ade- 
 quate glossary of its dialectic words has been published. 
 I select these two counties because, — (1), they are 
 remote from the line within which a mingled population 
 is now admitted ; (2), there can have been little con- 
 nection, if any, between this part of the country and 
 Wales or Ireland since the time of the Saxon conquest ; 
 and (3), there are no parts difficult of access, wdiere a 
 conquered race might have found shelter from their 
 foes, as in North Lancashire or Cumberland. In this 
 part, if there w^as not a complete destruction of the 
 Celtic race, there must have been an early mixture of 
 races, as there is no probability of the Celtic population 
 being able to maintain itself, even for a comparatively 
 short time, as a separate people. 
 
 The part that I have chosen is not the most favour- 
 able for my purpose. For Northamptonshire there is 
 a fair glossary of dialectic words by Miss Baker, pub- 
 lished in 1854; and for Leicestershire, a glossary of 
 such wa)rds was formed by the late Dr. Evans of Mar- 
 ket Bosworth, and published in 1848. An edition of 
 the latter was issued by the English Dialectic Society
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. .i 
 
 in 1881. This was edited, with additions, by Dr. Sebas- 
 tian Evans ; but it is not rich in purely dialectic words. 
 Unless such words have been driven out by the uni- 
 form teaching of our School Boards, it is probable that 
 if the inquiry can be carried on by some one who has 
 been familiar with the dialect from his youth, many 
 more such words would be brought forward to the 
 advantage of my argument. If in these circumstances 
 I shall be able to prove that there was a blending of 
 races here, I may reasonably demand that the proof 
 shall suffice for other parts of England. 
 
 The eastern counties are separately considered in 
 their dialectic element in order to show that along the 
 east coast, from the Thames valley to Northumberland, 
 the Celtic race that occupied the land before the Saxon 
 conquest was allied to the Gaels. This Gaelic race had 
 spread over the whole country, though sparsely in 
 some parts, before the coming of the Cymric race ; but 
 along the whole eastern line, from the county of Kent 
 to Scotland, it maintained in this part a predominant 
 position.^ 
 
 ' My authorities for the dialectic words of the two chosen counties 
 are : — 
 
 1. A Glossary of Northamptonshire "Words, by A. E. Baker. 
 1854. (H.) 
 
 2. Leicestershire Words and Phrases, by A. B. Evans, D.D. 
 1847. (L.) 
 
 3. An enlarged edition of No. 2, by Dr. Sebastian Evans. E. D. S. 
 1881. (L.) 
 
 4. The Glossary of Midland Words, Leicestershire being the cen- 
 tre, contained in Marshall's " Fural Economy of the Midland Dis- 
 trict." E. D. S. 1873. (L., M.) 
 
 5. Archaic and Provincial Words, by Halliwell-Phillips. (H.) 
 
 6. Old Countiy and Farming Words, by J. Britten. E, D. S. 
 1880. (B.) 
 
 For the eastern counties: — 
 
 1. Provincial Words current in Lincolnshire,by J.E.Brogden. 18G6. 
 
 2. A Glossary of Words used in Holderness. E. D. S. 1877. 
 
 3. A Glossary of North Country Words, by J. T. Brockett. 1846. 
 
 4. A Glossary of Words used in the Neighbourhood of Whitby. 
 E. D. S. 1876. 
 
 5. The Vocabulary of East Anglia, bv the Rev. R. Forby. 1830. 
 
 6. Suffolk Words and Phrases," by E." Moore. 1823. 
 
 7. A Border Glossary. Alnwick, circa 1820. 
 
 1 =
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 Tin; COUNTIES OF NORTH A.MPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 AN(Ji,()-f'Ki/rir. 
 Agng, anxious, eager (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 W. go(/i, to shake or quake 
 
 " Literally on the jog or start, from gor/, synonymous 
 with jog or shog, a gogmire or quagmire." (Wedgewood, 
 s. V.) To the W. gogi may be added the Gaelic gog, to 
 shake the head, to nod ; Manx, goghyr, hope, expecta- 
 tion ; and Arm. gogea, railler, critiquer ; a fluttering 
 motion, being used to denote both expectation and a 
 jibing attack. Professor Skeat says that agog is of 
 Scandinavian origin, from O. N. gcegiaz, '' to be all agog, 
 to bend eagerly forward and peep." Haldersen explains 
 it as latentcr lorospectare ; Egilsson asfiirtim 'prospec- 
 tare, curiosis oculis inspicere. The latter connects it 
 with g(vgr, obliquitas. Its primary meaning seems to 
 be, to peep slyly. 
 
 Ahker,'^ io shake or tremble (N.). S. 
 
 A Ifjcr, quick-witted, keen, sharp (N.) ; 
 
 O. N. alft'iurdr, algiurr, perfectus, 
 
 oonsummatus ; i.e., fully done or 
 
 achieved 
 Asker, a newt or lizard. Lacerta pa- 
 
 lui^tris. (N.) " Ask, a water-newt" 
 
 (N.). HaU. 
 Aslosh, aside. " Stand aslo.^h, wool 
 
 ye 
 
 (L.) 
 
 Axmtij, frisky ; spoken of horses ; 
 usually and properly written 
 ha uiit If or hanti/. Halliwell has the 
 latter form. From andcki/ (Evans) 
 
 Aust, to dare (L.); oss (Lane); 
 Lat. auileo 
 
 AvfTii, uncouth in person, dress, and 
 manners. A slatternly, overgrown 
 girl would be called a great avern 
 thing (N.) 
 
 W. achrpth, trembling; creth, quak- 
 ing, shivering : Ir. Gael, crith. id. 
 
 W. al, great, high, very ; as al-ban, 
 very high ; egj-, for egei- ; Ir. Gael. 
 ger, gear, sharp ; Lat. acer 
 
 Gael. CISC, a snake, an adder ; aschu 
 (water-dog), an eel ; Ir. easga, id. 
 
 Ir. Gael, o, in, on, as a hhos, on this 
 side ; .sfoo.9, side, flank, side of a 
 hill 
 
 W. havniiifi, animated, brisk ; haiont, 
 alacrity, briskness 
 
 W. osi, to dare, to attempt 
 
 "W. hafr. a slattern ; hafren, a slat- 
 ternly woman, a trollop 
 
 * I am obliged to bring forward words that have appeared in former 
 lists becau.se many Celtic words are common to Xorthamptonshire and 
 other districts, and are required here to make my argument as complete 
 for the counties now under consideration as for Lancashire and elsewhere.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Azzled, chapped. " My hands are so 
 azzled" (L.). Cf. hazzle or azzle, 
 to dry slightly (L.) 
 
 Badge, to cut and tie up beans in 
 shocks (L.); only to cut them; 
 Bag, " to bag peas is to cut them 
 with a hook or bill" (N.) S. 
 
 Badger, a corn-dealer (N., L.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Probably the word means inflamed, 
 and has a relation to Ir. Gael. g.s, 
 to kindle a fire, to set on fire ; 
 Manx, as, fire ; ascaid, boil, pus- 
 tule ; Sans, ush, to burn 
 
 W. Arm. hack, hook ; Ir. Gael, hac, 
 id. ; bachall, clipping, shearing ; 
 Manx, hacal, a crook 
 
 Formed as soger from soldier. Allied 
 to Fr. hladier, from a Celtic word 
 represented by W. hlaivd {hlad), 
 meal ; hlodiwr, mealman ; Arm. 
 bleud (one syll.), flour, meal 
 
 I think this word is of native origin, — (1), because of 
 its general use formerly among our peasant class ; (2), 
 from the pronunciation ; d, followed by a vowel, being 
 often pronounced as j, from a Celtic usage. Thus 
 " dead" is often pronounced jed, and " guardian", gar- 
 jeen. 
 
 Bam, fudge (N.) Arm. hamein, to deceive, to bewitch ; 
 
 Bamboozle, to bilk, to deceive (N.), prim., to strike ; Corn, horn, a 
 to deceive by flattery (?) blow; Ir. Gael, heiim, heim, stroke, 
 
 taunt ; Manx, heim, cut, reproach; 
 Ir. Gael, hosbhuail (lit. to clap 
 hands), to applaud, extol ; pron. 
 bosail, bh being sUent 
 
 Barnish,^ harness, to fill out, grow Ir. Gael, barr, borr, something large 
 fat and well-liking (L., N.). S. or swelling ; knop, head, great- 
 
 ness; borr, to swell, increase; 
 Ir., barn, judge, nobleman ; prim., 
 a great man ; Arm. barra for bar- 
 na, to fill up; Corn, bor ; Ir. barr, 
 fat 
 
 In the Celtic languages -as or -es (here ess and ish) is 
 a verbal formative. (Zeuss^, 535.) 
 
 Bash. A pig is said to hash when 
 it dwindles and declines in flesh 
 (N.) ; Fr. ahaisser, to lower 
 
 Bat, a club, a blow (L., N.) 
 Battin, a narrow deal board, 7i ins. 
 
 by2|^ ins.; when wider it is called 
 
 a, plank (N., L.) 
 
 W. basu, to make shallow, to lower ; 
 
 has, low ; non profundus, depres- 
 
 sus (Dav.); Corn, basse, to fall, 
 
 lower, abate 
 Ir. Gael, bat, bata, stick, staff ; v. to 
 
 beat ; Manx, bad; Arm. baz, id.; 
 
 Ir. Gael. baitin=hatin, a little 
 
 stick 
 
 ^ " To shoot and spread and harnish into man." 
 
 Dryden, A Northh. Man.
 
 6 
 
 CKI/nc KI.K.MHNT IN TIIK DIALECTS 
 
 ANCI.O-CKI.TIC. 
 
 liiitfrr, to lean or incline, — applied 
 to walls (X., L.); I'i'f'V- Sw. hatt- 
 iia, to lay out, expound, to swell 
 out 
 
 IJatliti'j, a l)un(llu of straw (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Manx, hdtlcr, a slope (applied to 
 hedges), from bed, a slant ; W. lai, 
 fault, crime ; prim, crookedness ; 
 Ir. Gael, haic, a twist, turn, crook 
 
 W. hatinynij a sheaf of corn ; pro- 
 bably connected with Ir. Gael. 
 Ixnnt for hmul, band, chain ; Sans. 
 baiidh, to bind 
 
 Ir. bee, beak, bill ; Gael. beic=beci, 
 id. : hence our dialectic form, be- 
 kay ; Arm. bee, beak, snout 
 
 -oc is a Celtic verbal formative.* 
 Ir. Gael, bel, W. bil, mouth ; Ir. 
 beoldch, talkative 
 
 W. bidan, a poor little thing 
 
 Ir. bigeun, bifjin, cap, cowl, coif, hair- 
 lace ; from Ir. beag, little ; in 
 Manx, biggin (little one) means a 
 pet lamb 
 
 Biijrjen is so common as a dialectic word that I think 
 it must have come, as the Fr. beguin, directly from its 
 Celtic source. 
 
 Befifi;/, the lower jaw of a pig (N.) ; 
 Fr. bee, beak 
 
 lie I lor /c, to cry or roar (N.) ; 0. N. 
 
 batila ; Prov. Sw. belja, to low as 
 
 kine, to bellow 
 Biddy, a word used to call chickens 
 
 (N.) 
 Biggen, the under-cap of an infant 
 
 (N.); Fr. beguin, id. 
 
 Binge, to soak.^ A heavy rain is a 
 good bingeing shower. Generally 
 applied to the soaking of tubs, 
 etc., to pi'event leakage (X. and 
 L.). Cf. hauge, light, small rain. 
 (Essex) bangy, rainy, misty, id. 
 
 Blab, blob, the under-lip (N.) 
 Bleb or bloh, a little bubble (N.) 
 Blobs, a name given to several large 
 flowers. Water-lilies are water- 
 blobs (N.). S. 
 
 0. Ir. banna, a drop (Ir. Gl., 114) 
 Ir. bain, Gael, buinne, a drop 
 baingidh, milky ; bainne, milk 
 Manx, bine, a drop of liquid ; bi- 
 nagh, to fall in drops ; Ir. Gael. 
 buinne, a stream ; buinneach, a flux; 
 Arm. banne, bannech, a drop, a 
 quantity of liquid 
 
 Ir. Gael, blob, blobach, thick-lipped ; 
 Manx, bleb, a pustule, a blister. 
 Cf . W. Hob, a blockhead ; prim, a 
 lump 
 
 From the same root (blow) as bladder. (Skeat.) 
 
 Bod, to take the husks off walnuts 
 (X.) S. 
 
 Arm. j)6d, pot, any concavity that 
 contains something; W.])ot, a pot; 
 poten, a paunch, a pudding ; Ir. 
 Gael, bodach, a measure equal to 
 a pint ; pota, a pot, a vessel ; 
 
 * Cf. Eng. dial, bommock, to beat, with Corn, bom, a blow. In Gaelic 
 the form is often ich or aieh, as eotaich, to provide a coat, from cota, a 
 coat ; grianaieh, to bask in the sun, from grian, the sun ; in Irish, igh or 
 aigh, as eruadhaigh, to harden, from cruadh, hard. (Zeuss-, 487, 534.) 
 
 * Cf. Sans, rintlu, bindu ; Ved. a drop of water or other liquid. The 
 Gaelic bainne represents an older binda. The d coming before a vowel 
 has taken, by a Celtic usage, the sound of J.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. CELTIC. 
 
 Manx, po<, pot ; pot-veg, a kettle; 
 Sans, pota, a vessel, a boat 
 
 " The nearest word (to poc?) is the Dan. hude, a 
 cushion ; Pro v. Sw. hude, id." (Skeat.) The radical 
 meaning of pot or hot is roundness. Cf. W. hot, any 
 round body ; and Sans, vat (for an older hat), to encom- 
 pass ; vata (hata), a small shell, ball, globule, a round 
 lump ; Arm. hod, a tuft. 
 
 i?o/7, to move. " Come, Z/o(/ off" (N.); 
 Fr. hourjer, to stir-, budge, flit 
 (Cot.). A Celtic word. A nasal- 
 ised form is liunk (L.) 
 
 Bogle, a spectre (N. and L.) 
 
 BuijaloOjhughear, hobgoblin (N.) 
 
 Bommoch, to move awkwardly and 
 strike clumsUy (N.); properly, to 
 strike 
 
 Boniu/, good, jolly, pretty, etc., espe- 
 cially applicable to a healthy 
 plumpness (L.)' 
 
 Ir. Gael, bog, to move, to stir; Manx, 
 boggey, to cause to float, to push 
 off ; Sans. bu(njg, to abandon 
 
 W. bwg, a hobgoblin; bicgan.a bug- 
 bear ; Ir. Gael, bugha, fear ; W. 
 he, dread, terror, a bugbear 
 
 Corn, ham, a blow, with the Celtic 
 verbal formative -oc : Ir. Gael. 
 beum, to strike, to cut 
 
 The root is the W. hon. Ir. Gael. 
 bonn, a stock, the round body of a 
 tree ; bunuch, stout, sturdy ; bon- 
 anta, strong, stout ; Gael, hunanta, 
 stout, weU-set ; Manx, bun, the 
 stem or body of a tree ; buniuy, a 
 sheaf of corn ; bunnee, funda- 
 mental 
 
 Fr. honne, fair, from hon, good. But where does honne 
 mean fair ? 
 
 Boodle, the corn-marigold, Chrysaii- 
 themuin segetum (N.) 
 
 Bosk, to abash, confound (L.) 
 Bossuck, large, fat, coarse (N.); Fr. 
 bosse, hunch, hump, boss 
 
 Ir. Gael, buidhe, boidhe, yellow, yel- 
 lowish red ; biddheag, any yellow 
 flower. The Gael, name for the 
 marigold is bilebmdhe, yellow 
 brim. Boodle is probably a cor- 
 ruption of boidlie=bode, and luigh, 
 herb 
 
 See Bash 
 
 W. bos, a swelling or rising up, a 
 boss ; bost'io, to boast ; prim, to 
 swell ; Arm. bos, bosen, the plague, 
 from its boils ; Manx , boss, a has- 
 sock. The termination is Celtic. 
 Cf. Ir. borr, pride, prim, swelling; 
 borrach, insolent 
 
 ^ Ash has " bonny, pretty, gay, plump"; "Webster, " plump, well-formed". 
 Among miners bonny means a round lump of ore. Cf . Fr. bitgne, bounie, 
 boutou, tumeur. (Roq.) In Shropshire, according to Miss Jackson, /^oh?/?/ 
 means "'comely, stout ; what the Fi-ench understand by embonpoint.''''
 
 CKLTIC KLKMKNT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANOLO-CKLTIC. 
 Ihillirr, t(i perplex, to bo troublu- 
 Hoiiioly teasing and noisy (N.) : 
 l>i)lli(r'ni(/, a groat scolding (N.) 
 
 (;kltic. 
 Ir. Ij()(lli/ir, Gaol, hothar, deaf ; Tr. 
 hothair, to deafen, to stun with 
 noise; Gael, hoilhradli, deafening, 
 stunning ; W. ht/rldur^Com. /jothar, 
 Arm. fjouruir, deaf ; W. byddaru, 
 to deafen, to stun 
 
 Prof. Skeat refers, after Garnett, to Ir. hiiaidhim, I 
 vex, disturb. This is probably connected with hodha7\ 
 and all with Sans. hadhWa, deaf. 
 
 Iiot!<, a name for all under-grubs 
 
 (N.) 
 liottU' of hay, a bundle (N.) 
 Uollani, a ball of thread (N.) See 
 
 Hod 
 
 Boufjp, an insect which sometimes 
 infects sheep, " but which I have 
 been unable to identify" (L.) ; 
 Fr. houfje, a swelling, boss, belly 
 
 W. hot, any round thing ; hotv;jn, a 
 boss; both, bothcll,^ a round vessel, 
 nave of a wheel, a boss; Arm. bod, 
 a tuft, a bunch ; Ir. Gael, hot, 
 cluster, bunch; both, a booth, tent; 
 hard, a bottle ; Gael, hotut^, a bot 
 
 Formed, as lots, from a root denot- 
 ing roundness ; W. borj, swelling 
 or rising up ; Ir. Gael, bocaim, I 
 swell : bocoid, a boss ; Gael, bdc, 
 pimple, pustule; W. birccn, a mag- 
 got ; probably the Leicester bouge 
 
 Ir. Gael, buac, liquor prepared for 
 washing or bleaching ; to bleach ; 
 bitacc'tr, cow-dung {bu, cow, (jaorr, 
 dung) ; Ir. buacuire; a bleacher 
 
 Bonk, buck, to wash coarse linen 
 clothes by placing them in a tub 
 and covering them with a cloth. 
 On this is spread a quantity of 
 ashes, over whicli water is poured 
 (N.) 
 
 Though hyka in Sweden, and hijge in Denmark, mean 
 to wash, it is certain that bleaching or washing by this 
 process was a Celtic usage, and that the word huch is 
 Celtic. (See Arch. Camh., Jan. 1884, p. 11, and Prof. 
 Skeat, s. v.) 
 
 Bond, a hoop for trundling (L.); Sw. W. bivl (boot), a rotundity, a round 
 bula. Germ, beule, boil, boss thing : birlan, a round straw ves- 
 
 sel; Arm. iow/, bowl, globe: Sans. 
 bula, strength, stoutness, bulki- 
 ness 
 
 Brag, to boast- (X., L.) W. brag, a sprouting out, malt; bra- 
 
 gio, to swell out, to boast ; Arm. 
 hraga, to walk in a fierce way, put 
 on fine clothes ; Ir. braguhn, I 
 boast 
 
 ' Hence the Leicestershu-e words bottle-tit, the long-tailed titmouse, and 
 hottle-JHfi, a bird (I suspect the hedge-sparrow) ; Ir. Gael. g\uhj=giug, a 
 drooping, crouching attitude. Bottle-jug is=round- bodied creeper ; Fr. 
 se juclnr, to roost. 
 
 2 This can hardly be called a dialectic word ; but Miss Baker and Mr. 
 Evans so regard it.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Brangle, to wrangle or quarrel (L.) ; 
 0. N. hrang, turba, tumultus ; 
 hramla, tumultuari 
 
 Brafch, any kind of spring-sown corn 
 (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Ir. brang, to snarl, carp, cavil ; Gael. 
 brionglaid, wrangling, disagree- 
 ment ; W. bragal, to vociferate ; 
 Ir. braighean, quarrel, debate 
 
 W. Corn, brag, Ir. Gael, hraich, 
 Manx, braUi, malt 
 
 Pliny says that the Gauls had a fine sort of grain 
 of which they made beer, and this kind of corn they 
 called brace, — "genus farris quod illi vocant brace". 
 Probably the W. brag, Ir. braich, meant primarily a 
 tine kind of barley used for malting ; and hence came 
 to denote malt, and figuratively to boast, from the 
 swelling of the grain. 
 
 Brock, a badger (N., L.); A.-S. broc. 
 
 A Celtic word (Skeat) 
 Broiise, the small branches of a tree, 
 
 not fit for timber (N.) ; Fr. broust, 
 
 sprig, young branch (Cotg.) ; brosse, 
 
 brush 
 
 (N.) "Pure Saxon." 
 
 Ir. Gael, broc, grey, a badger; Manx, 
 
 broc, id.; W., Arm. broch, id. 
 Ir. brus, small branches of trees ; 
 
 Gael, brids, fragments, splinters ; 
 
 Ir. Gael, broma, a fagot ; W. 
 
 hncys, thick - branching ; Arm. 
 
 brous-koad, petit-bois; A'oof/=wood 
 Ir., W. bran ; Gael, bran, brain, bran 
 
 Brun, bran 
 (Baker) 
 
 I insert this word, though dialectic only in form, 
 because it shows a Celtic and Sanskritic usao-e in chans;- 
 mg short a to u. 
 
 Buck, to wash clothes (N.) 
 Budgy, thick, clumsy (N.), commonly 
 pudgy 
 
 Buffer, a fool (N., L.) 
 
 Bug, big, proud, conceited (L.) 
 
 Bug, to take offence. " He was quite 
 bugged (N.) Boog, to take fright 
 or offence (L.). Halliwell has " to 
 take bug, to take fright or offence." 
 See Bogle 
 
 Bug, in Maybug, the small cockcha- 
 fer, Scarabceus solstitiaris (N.) 
 
 See Bouk 
 
 W. j^'f-^t, short, squabby ; invten, a 
 short, squabby female ; allied to 
 W. bot, any round thing ; Arm. 
 boutek, a round pannier, a dosser ; 
 Ir. bodach, a clown, pint-measure, 
 codfish ; the primary idea being 
 roundness 
 
 Gael. baobh=babJia, a foolish wo- 
 man ; Ir. baobhcdta, simple, fool- 
 ish {baobhal, a fool) ; Arm. abaff, 
 foolish, stupid 
 
 W. bog, a swelling or rising up ; bo- 
 gel, the navel ; Arm. bouch, tuft, 
 bunch ; Ir. Gael, boc, to swell ; 
 bochd. to swell, grow turgid ; full, 
 complete ; Manx, boggyn, boast- 
 ing, pride ; Arm. bugad, ostenta- 
 tion, vanterie 
 
 W. bugad, a terrifying ; bu-gwth, to 
 frighten, to scare ; bwg, a hobgob- 
 lin; bygv)l (pron. bugool), threat- 
 ening ; bygylu, to threaten, inti- 
 midate 
 
 W. bwcai, a maggot
 
 10 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANOLO-CKLTIC. 
 
 liule, tho semicircular handle of a 
 hatchet, pot-lid, etc. (L.) See 
 
 Bullies, sloes, fruit of the bullace 
 (N.). Cf. " bullies, rouud pebbles. 
 South." Hall. 
 
 Bumhle-foot, a thick, clumsy foot 
 (N.); bumpy, knobby (N.) ; bum- 
 mel, Inmimlp, ball of the hand or 
 foot (L.); '■'■bumble, a small round 
 stone (West), a confused heap 
 (N.)."Hall. ^^ Pummel-footed,cluh- 
 footed'\ Hall. 
 
 Bun, the stubble of beans left by 
 the scythe after moAving (N.); 
 Bone or Bun, to draw a straight 
 line from one point to another by 
 means of three sticks, for the 
 purpose of surveying (N.). The 
 meaning is to take a base 
 
 Bunk, be off, apage (L.) 
 
 Bunny, a juvenile name for a rabbit 
 (N.) 
 
 Bunt or punt, to kick or strike with 
 the feet (N.), to push; Du. honsen, 
 to knock hard 
 
 Burgoo. "As thick as iio-^roo."' "An 
 Irish dish, I am informed ; but 
 why the rustics in this midland 
 district should go so far for a com- 
 parison I cannot conjectui-e" (N.) 
 
 CELTU;. 
 
 W. hid (bool), a rotundity, round 
 body, bole ; bwlan, a round vessel 
 
 See Bule. W. hwlas, winter sloes, 
 bullace ; Arm. boulas, bourgeon, 
 bouton qui pousse aux arbres ; 
 holos, prune sauvage ; Ir. bulos, a 
 prune ; Gael, buluister, a buUace, 
 a sloe 
 
 W. pirmpl, a knob, a boss ; pv'H'Pi * 
 round mass, a lump ; Arm. bom, a 
 rising ; Sans. ])un, to collect or 
 heap together 
 
 Ir. Gael, bun, a stem, stalk, base, 
 bottom ; Manx, bun, id. ; W. bon, 
 stem, stock, base ; bonad, base- 
 ment 
 
 See Bog 
 
 From bun, meaning here, tail; prim, 
 
 bottom or base : W. bonyn, stem, 
 
 stock, base 
 Arm. hounta, bunta, pousser, repous- 
 
 ser, heurter, choquer ; W. jnmio, 
 
 to beat, to thump 
 The word is still used in Ireland, 
 
 though nearly obsolete. Probably 
 
 a compound of Ir. bun', knob, 
 
 lump, and coth, food ; in comp. 
 
 goth 
 
 The word came by inheritance. It is the name of a 
 thick oatmeal pudding. See Ash, s. v. 
 
 Bur-head, the name of a plant called 
 cleavers, Galium Aparine (N.), a 
 hybrid word 
 
 Burk, to warm by fondling, to try 
 to lull a child to sleep. '■'■Burk 
 the chUd off to sleep." A brood 
 hen burks her chickens under her 
 wings (N.) 
 
 Ir. Gael, burr, knob, lump. Found 
 also in bur-dock (Gael, dogha, the 
 burdock) 
 
 The word denotes properly to warm 
 the child, to set it to sleep by 
 warming its feet at a fire, as nurses 
 are wont to do. Ir. barg, hot, ex- 
 tremely warm, which becomes 
 burk from the u sound in Sanskrit 
 
 ^ The Rev. F. Crawford, Rector of Derryloran, Ireland, wrote to me 
 some years ago, in answer to an inquiry on this subject, " The word bur- 
 goo is used to denote a kind of food prepared from oatmeal and water or 
 milk, and more commonly known as stirabout. In Ireland it is made very 
 thick."
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 11 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. • CELTIC. 
 
 and partly in Irish ; g represent- 
 ing a prior c or k. The O. Gael. 
 harg has the same meaning. The 
 W. bar, affiiction, fury, is, I think, 
 from the same root. Cf. Sans. 
 tapas, heat, pain, suffering, and 
 rushd (prim, light), heat, anger 
 
 This is an interesting word, showing that the lan- 
 guage of the nursery was often Celtic. It is connected 
 with Sans, hhrdj, to shine, to gleam, and hhrajj, to fry, 
 to scorch ; the ideas of light and heat being often inter- 
 changed. 
 
 Burr, the sweet-bread or pancreas Ir. Gael, buri', borr, a knob, hunch, 
 of a calf, a round piece of wood lump ; borra, a swelling 
 or iron on the nut of a screw, the 
 calyx of the burdock (N.) ; Prov. 
 Sw. horr ut sa, to stretch out one- 
 self 
 Buskins, upper stockings without Ir. buiscin, thigh-armour ; buisgin, 
 feet, like gaiters (N.) ; Du. h-oos, haunch, buttock ; Gael, bmscean 
 a buskin (Skeat) {busceii), thigh, haunch, thigh- 
 
 armour (Armstrong). The root 
 is bos, a lump ; Manx, bossan, a 
 bulb or boss 
 Buss, a kiss (N.); Fr. baiser ; Prov. Ir. Gael, bus, the mouth, lip, ^ a kiss ; 
 Sw. 2)t^ss, kiss ; j^ussa, to kiss busog, a kiss ; W. bus, the human 
 
 lip ; gioefus, id. 
 Buttrice, a tool used for paring a Ir. butun, butan, a smith's paring 
 horse's hoof before shoeing (N.). knife (O'Don.); W. trych, a cut ; 
 "i?M^, a shoemaker's knife" (N.). tr ychu, to cui\ W. i?i-s,9, a tool for 
 Hall raising the bark in gi-afting 
 
 Cabal, noise, loud talking, confusion Ir. Gael, cab, the mouth ; cabais, 
 of tongues (N.) talking, babbling ; Manx, cab, the 
 
 jaw 
 Cac, dung, excrement (N.), S. ; Du. Ir. Gael., Manx, cac, dung, ordure ; 
 kak, id.; Lat. cocaj-e W. each. Corn, cac. Arm. kakach, 
 
 dung ; Sans, kalka, dirt, faeces 
 
 The Dutch kah must be a borrowed word. 
 
 Cad, a blinker (L.) W. caead, cover, lid 
 
 Caddee, an under-servant (N.) W. caeth. Corn. caid=cadi, servant, 
 
 bondman ; Arm. kaez,'^ id. ; Sans. 
 
 cheta, servant, slave (?) 
 
 ^ Hence, probably, bussock, a Leicestershire name for a young ass ; Ir. 
 Gael, busach, snouty, having a large mouth. 
 
 2 The Arm. kaez represents an older kaed=kadi, probably from a root 
 cad, implying misery. Cf . Sans, kad, to grieve, to suffer. If caeth and 
 Corn, caid are from Lat. captiviis, the word cadclee has come down from a 
 Celtic race.
 
 1 2 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANOLO-CFLTIC. fKLTIC. 
 
 Ca(l<hi, the caddis- worm, or grub of Ir. ruideoy, an earthworm 
 
 the May-fly (N.) 
 
 CW/oc/:, charlock or wild mustard, W. cerhv, mustard; llysfoTlIych,herh, 
 
 Sinapis (irven.sis (N., L.); some- plant; fia.nn.katu, — (1), pungent; 
 
 times charlock (2), mustard 
 
 The char in charlock is from Ir. Gael, ciar, black, 
 from the colour of the seeds. 
 
 Cdffle,^ to quarrel (N.); Fr. caviller, W. cabin, to calumniate, abuse ; 
 
 to reason crossly (Cotg.), to Arm. ^a/y/o, insulter, outrager, in- 
 
 wrangle; Lat.cat'i//«?-i, to satirise, jurer. The root is Ir. Gael. ca6, 
 
 jest. Prof. Skeat says, "origin mouth ; Manx, cab, jaw 
 obscure" 
 
 In Lancashire, to jaiv a man means to abuse and re- 
 vile him ; Pro v. Sw. gaffia, to talk insolently or fooHshly; 
 Ir. Gael, gab, mouth. 
 
 Ca/jg, "an old caga", any old, Ir. caio^, Gael. caJa//, an old, tooth- 
 wrinkled female (N.) ; Prov. Sw. less female, a tattling woman. 
 kagg, a passionate man The vowel-flanked b has dropped 
 
 out in the Northampton form 
 Calkin, the hinder part of a horse's Ir. Gael, calg, sting, prickle, sharp 
 foot turned up to prevent slipping point ; culgin, a single prickle ; 
 in frosty w^eather (N.) Manx, caulg, the ears of barley ; 
 
 O. W. colginn for colc'inn, arista 
 {Cod. Juv.) ; W., Corn, col. Arm. 
 kolo, koloen, beard of corn, sharp 
 point 
 Callice, sand of a large grit (N.). S. O. W. caill, Arm. kail, hell, a stone 
 
 Callice seems to sIioay that the old plural of caiU= 
 calli, was callls, now ceilliau. Of. Sans, gclti, ace. pi. 
 gatis. 
 
 Cambrel (L.), cammerel (N.), a curved Ir. Gael., W. can\, crooked, curved ; 
 stick used by butchers to suspend W. preu, in comp. bren, wood 
 a slaughtered animal 
 
 Blount has the form camhren {Glossographia, a.d. 
 1G61). He derives it from " the ancient British". 
 
 Cank, punishment (N.), S.; prim, a W. mwijr, eawgrc, bough, branch ; Sans, 
 stick or switch sdkiui=kdkhd, id. 
 
 Sivitch is used in Lancashire for a slight branch of a 
 tree, and also as a verb, to beat, to punish by beating. 
 Cf Sans, daiid, to punish ; dancla, stick, staff. 
 
 ' I think this word is of native origin because the root is Celtic, and is 
 used in the Craven country as caf, with the same meaning. The Fr. cavil- 
 ler means to use quibbles, to scoff.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 13 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Canl; talk, gossip ; to talk, prattle 
 (L.) ; Fr. cancan, plainte, bruit 
 (Roq.) 
 
 Cant, canny, to coax, to wheedle (N., 
 L.); Lat. cantare 
 
 Car, a bottle or keg of one or two 
 
 gallons (L.) 
 Cast, warped, twisted (N., L.) 
 
 Cat, a stand made of three pieces of 
 wood or iron to hold toast (N., 
 L.); Grerm. kante, border, brim, 
 ledge 
 Caul, hdl, the thin membrane that 
 sometimes covers the face of an 
 infant at its birth (X.) 
 ( C«ri°, to form fissures in the earth, 
 J. to fall in (N.); Lat. cavus 
 ( Cawing. A female with a bare neck 
 is said to look caving (N.) 
 Chats, small bits of dead wood, etc. 
 
 (N., L.) 
 Chizzel, wheat-bran (L.) 
 
 Chock, chuck, a throw with a jerk ; 
 V. to throw or cast up (N.) ; cook, 
 to cast, to chuck (N.)^ 
 
 Chorion, calf's tripe, a delicacy (L.) 
 
 Chuck, a great piece of wood (N.) 
 Chunk, lump, stock of a tree (N., 
 
 L.) 
 Chuckle-headed, thick-headed, dull 
 
 (N.). The prim, idea seems to be 
 
 roundness. See Cock 
 Chuff, pleased, delighted. "The 
 
 children are quite chuff to come" 
 
 (L.) 
 Churn, an aquatic plant, but of what 
 
 kind unknown (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 W. cynghan (pron. cungaii), talk, dis- 
 course ; cynganhu, to talk, from 
 cyd^cum and canu, to sing,descant 
 
 Ir. Gael, ca'int, speech, language ; 
 cainteach, loquacious ; W. canu, 
 to sing, descant; Arm. kana. Corn. 
 kane, id. 
 
 From the Celtic car, prim, winding, 
 circling ; hence car, cart, dray, etc. 
 
 Ir. G-ael. cas, to curve, to twist ; 
 caMa, twisted (Ir. GL, p. 120) ; 
 Manx, cast, twisted 
 
 W. cader. Arm. kador, seat, chair ; 
 Corn, cader, a frame for a fisher- 
 man's line ; Ir. Gael, cathair, chair, 
 bench 
 
 Ir. Gael. ceo /=cf/«, a cover; Ir.calla, 
 0. Gael, call, veil, hood ; W. caul, 
 a calf's maw 
 
 W. cau for cai\ empty, hollow, a 
 vacuum ; Arm. kao, kav, a hollow 
 
 W. cat, piece, fragment 
 
 W. sisel, bran of wheat : idem quod 
 
 rhuddion ,canica,wheat-bran (Dav.) 
 W. cwg (coog for cook), a projection; 
 
 chware cwg, a game of ball ; Arm. 
 
 kouga, to raise {Arch. Camh., Jan. 
 
 1882, p. 12) _ 
 W. cor, dwarf, little one; ton, skin (?) 
 
 W. cocw, a lump ; cocos, cockles ; 
 Arm. kok, holly-berry ; Ir. Gael. 
 cochul, skull, head, cowl, pod ; 
 Sans, kucha, female breast ; kos'a 
 =koka, bucket, shell, pod 
 
 "W. hoffi, to delight in, to love ; hoff, 
 
 dear, fond ; Sans, chujj, to move, 
 
 to stir (?) 
 Ir. cuirin-en, the water-lily, from cui- 
 
 rin, a small pot (the form of the 
 
 flower) 
 
 Britten says that churn is a name in North Lanca- 
 shire for the Narcissus pseudo-narcissus, and in Oxford- 
 
 ^ The boys in Northamptonshire play at a game called cook-a-hall, 
 which is the same as the W. chirare-cu-g (ch ivar e^game, play). Prof. 
 Skeat refers chuck to Fr. chequer, to give a shock. This, however, does 
 not mean to throw up, but to jostle.
 
 14 
 
 CELTIC EL FOMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 sliire for the capsule of Nuphar Lutea, the yellow water- 
 lily. (Eng. Plant-Names, E. D. S., p. 104.) This is, 
 no doubt, the Northamptonshire churn. 
 
 ANGLO-CEI-TIC. 
 
 Clnhhi/, worm-eaten, applied to car- 
 rots (N.) 
 
 Cla;/, hoof of a cow or sheep (L.); 
 "corruption of clavi' (Evans) 
 
 A later / often takes the 
 when lost, is often replaced 
 clay, Germ. hlei. 
 
 cut, to cleave (unite) tightly (N.) S. ; 
 
 A.-S. chit, clout. A Celtic word 
 
 (Skeat, s. v.) 
 Clock, the head of the dandelion 
 
 (N.); "so named because children 
 
 blow off the seeds to determine 
 
 the hour"! (B.) 
 Clough, a large, shallow, earthen pan 
 
 (N.), S.; a stock of a tree (Cumb.) 
 
 Clout, a blow on the head (N.) 
 
 Clutter, to huddle together, to heap 
 
 in a disorderly manner (L., N.) 
 Cob, to strike; a blow (X., L.) 
 
 Cobnut, a large nut (N.) 
 Cobbles, small, round pieces of coal 
 or stone (N.) 
 
 Cock, cogger, a striped snail-shell 
 
 (N.) 
 Conger, a snail-shell, a cucumber 
 
 (N.) 
 Cock, the top of a rick (N.) S. 
 Cock-hend, the common knop-weed 
 
 (X.); Sw. koka, a clod of earth 
 Cock-eyed, having a cast in one eye 
 
 (N.) 
 Cocker, to fondle or indulge children 
 
 (N.), p. 'J().; Fr. coqueliner, to 
 
 dandle, cocker, pamper (Cotg.) 
 Cod, a pod (L.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 W. claf, sick, corrupt ; clqfr, scurvy ; 
 
 Arm. klanv. Corn, claf, sick ; Jr. 
 
 Gael, clamh, scurvy 
 Ir. Gael, crag, paw, foot ; Manx, 
 
 craug, paw of a beast 
 
 place of an older r ; and g, 
 by i. Cf. A.-S. clceg, Eng. 
 
 W. clwt, piece, clout; clytio, to piece, 
 to patch ; Corn, clut, Ir. Gael. 
 dud, Manx, clooid, aclout 
 
 W. choch (clooch), a round body ; 
 clogoren, a bubble ; Ir. (xael. clock, 
 the pupil of the eye ; clog, bell, 
 head ; Manrx, dag, bell 
 
 Corn, clout, W. cleivtan, a blow ; Arm. 
 kaoud for klaoud, an attack 
 
 W. dueler, heap, pile ; cludeirio, to 
 heap together 
 
 W. cob, a blow ; cob'io, to beat, tun- 
 dere (Dav.) ; Hind, hob, beating, 
 pounding 
 
 W. cob, tuft, head ; Arm. kah, head; 
 Ir. Gael, caob^coba, a lump ; co- 
 pan, boss, cup; Sans, kuhja, hump- 
 backed 
 
 W. cocw, a round lump ; cocos, cockles ; 
 cogwrn, a round body, a shell ; 
 Arm. kokes, cockles {Rev. Celt., iv, 
 159) ; Ir. Gael, cochul, shell, pot, 
 husk ; Sans. s'ankha=.kankha, a 
 shell 
 
 Ir. Gael, caog, to wink ; caogach, 
 
 squint-eyed 
 W. cocru, to fondle, indulge 
 
 W. cod. coden,' pouch, bag, pod. 
 
 • The truth is exactly the contrary. The time is supposed to be indi- 
 cated by the calj'x of this plant because the real meaning of its name had 
 been lost in course of time. 
 
 2 Prof. Skeat thinks the W. end may be borrowed, and refers to O. N.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 15 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Cod, coddle, to cover, to wrap up 
 (N.), S.; the primary meaning 
 
 Cof/(7^?-, a rough, uncivilised old man 
 (N.) 
 
 Coqgle, easily shaken or overturned 
 (N.) 
 
 Cole, a conical heap (N.), B.; Prov. 
 Sw. holl, upper part of the head^ 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 bladder-husk ; Arm. Icod, bag. 
 
 pouch ; W. cod'i, to rise, swell up ; 
 
 cv)ddu, to rise round, encompass ; 
 
 cuddio. Arm. Tcuza, to cover, to 
 
 hide; Ir. cwdd, surrounding; Corn. 
 
 cudhe, to hide; Sans, hat, to cover, 
 
 surround; hut, to curve; hutr, hota, 
 
 a curve, house, tree, etc. 
 0. W. cott, old ; coth, an old man ; 
 
 Arm. hot, old ; W. egr for eger, Ir. 
 
 Gael, ger, sharp, sour 
 W. gogi for cogi, to shake, waver, 
 
 tremble. Cf. Sans, huch, to bend, 
 
 curve 
 W. col, a sharp hillock; Corn, col, a 
 
 pointed hill; Ir. Gael, coll, head; 
 
 colann, body, trunk 
 
 Beans are mowed with a scythe, and after being 
 turned over are put in coles in the fields, like hay. 
 (Agric. Sure. B., p. 119.) 
 
 Collar, the fork of a tree where the 
 branches spring out from the 
 trunk. In bird's nesting a boy 
 says, "I'll swaum up the butt, 
 and I shall soon be in the collar''' 
 (N.) 
 
 Colly, a term of endearment for a 
 cow (L.), a name for a cottager's 
 cow. " Goo and fetch the collies 
 whoam" (N.) 
 
 Colly -v'eston. When anything goes 
 wrong, it is said, "It is all along 
 o' Colly Wcsfori'' (N.). In Lanca- 
 shire it is Colly-west, and means 
 going on the wrong road, speeding 
 at a loss. (See Arch. Ccunb., Oct. 
 1882, p. 2.55) 
 
 Colt, a third migration of bees; they 
 are then said to have colted (N.); 
 Prov. Sw. hulla, to cut off hair, to 
 clip wool 
 
 Conger, a cucumber, a snail-shell (X.) 
 
 W. cidl, separation ; cyllu, to part, 
 separate; c«<;Zas, a compartment in 
 a building 
 
 Ir. Gael, colan, a young cow 
 
 W. coll, loss, and gioes (in comp. 
 wes'), motion ; gwesod, departure, 
 straying ; give st, gwesta, to go about 
 
 W. cyllu (hilly), to part, separate ; 
 cii:ll, a separation ; Sans, hrit^ 
 hart, to cut, cut oif, divide 
 
 See Cock and Coger. The Sans. 
 s' anhha=canh}ia has retained then 
 
 kodd'i, a pillow ; hothr'i, scrotum ; and to Sw. hudde, a cushion. If the 
 root-meaning here is that of surrounding or enclosing, then the Sans, 
 roots hat and hut show that these are borrowed words. 
 
 ^ Rietz, in his excellent Svensh Dialeht Lexicon, connects this word with 
 Ir. (and Gaelic) coll, head. The Swedish word is certainly borrowed. Cf . 
 Sans, kola, breast, haunch, wild boar, from hul, to make a mass or heap.
 
 c. 
 
 CELTIC; F:LKMr<:NT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 AN(ii,i>-('Ki/n(;. 
 C(>iif/;/rrr, a naiiu- for ii rabbit-warren 
 (N.), S.; usually con/jurar 
 
 (•Fj.ric. 
 Ir. coimn,2L rabbit (lit. a little dog); 
 coinicfr, a raljbit-warren ; cerir, 
 placing, putting; W. cwnbifj-f/ear, 
 rabbit-warren 
 
 Concijheare in Carlow, Conicar in Galway, Conigar 
 in Limerick, and other places in Ireland, are so named 
 from their rabbit-warrens. (See Joyce's Irish Place- 
 Names, i, 430. The Danish Jcanin, coney, is borrowed.) 
 
 Cook, to throw. " See how that cat 
 is cnok'nif] (tossing) that mouse 
 about (N.) 
 
 Coomh, tlic hollow at the junction 
 of the main branches of the trunk 
 of a tree (N.) ; A.-S. comb, a valley; 
 a pure Celtic word 
 
 Coo/>, to throw (N.). S. 
 
 Cot, a fleece of wool matted toge- 
 ther, refuse wool (N.), H.; Germ. 
 hotz", a shaggy coverlet 
 
 Cotter, to plague, vex, annoy (L.) 
 
 CottPrhifi, cott'nirj. A person who sits 
 close to the fiie is said to be cot- 
 tiitij it. If children creep close to 
 their mother she will say " Don't 
 stand cotterhif] round me so" (N.). 
 " Inclosing or securing", says Miss 
 Baker, " appears to be the primi- 
 tive meaning of the word co/" 
 
 See Chock, Chuck 
 
 W. cvjin, 0. W. ciomb. Arm. 
 hollow, valley 
 
 komh. 
 
 Perhaps from W. cohio, to strike. If 
 the word means to throw over, 
 see Coup 
 
 W. cotfoin, dag wool ; Ir. ca'itin, shag, 
 coarse hair, blossom of osier 
 
 O. W. cothivy, laedat {Rev. Celt., iv, 
 .339) ; W. cocldi, to vex, afflict ; 
 Corn, cothys, grief 
 
 The primary sense of cot has been 
 accurately preserved in these 
 words : W. cot, hut ; cod. bag ; Ir. 
 coit=coti, boat ; Sans, kofa, hut, 
 fort, curvature ; r. kut, to curve, 
 wind, be crooked; Sans. kuta,hut, 
 fort, water-pot, etc. 
 
 From the idea of winding or circling comes that of 
 surrounding or straitening ; hence W. codi, to straiten, 
 to vex ; and the Celtic cota, coat, as that which sur- 
 rounds or incloses the body. See Cod, Coddle. 
 
 Coulch, to fall or slip without any 
 impetus, as the edge of a bank 
 (N.) 
 
 Coup, to tilt or tip (N.) 
 
 Cozie, snug, warm, comfortable (N.) 
 
 W. r?r/, dropping, flagging : cwhjn, 
 a dropper ; Arm. koufch for koii- 
 eJch, a fall, movement of a body 
 that falls 
 W. civy»ipo, to throw down, to fall 
 Corn, cos-h soft, quiet; Ir. cir.'i (coos), 
 quiet, rest : cysol, quiet ; ojs^ur, 
 comfort ; Manx, cox-'-al. solace, 
 comfort : cossalagh, comfortable 
 
 Jamieson {Scot. Diet.) has cosie, which he says is radi- 
 cally the same as cosh, snug, quiet.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 17 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Cradle, a framed, wooden fence for 
 a young tree (N.) 
 
 Crag, crog, a large quantity (N.). 
 
 " What a crog of things !" (N.) 
 Crab}, pile-wort, Ranunculus ficaria 
 
 (N.), B., (K), S. 
 Crank, brisk, lively (N.); 'Du.krank, 
 
 sick, ill (Skeat) 
 Cratch, a hayrick (L.), M. 
 
 Crates, panniers used to carry tur- 
 nips (N.). They are made of 
 plaited rods 
 
 Craw, the bosom (N.), S. ; a shirt (?). 
 Cf. craw-buckles, shirt -buckles 
 (Beds.), H. Craio may mean 
 bosom. Cf. W. cropa ; Ir. Gael. 
 (s)groban ; Manx, {s)crobane, crop 
 of a bird ; Du. krop, id. 
 
 Creach, the thin laminae of the lime- 
 stone (N.), S. ; loose rock (N.) 
 
 Creemy, trembling, nervous (N.), S. 
 
 Creeny, small, diminutive (N.j, S.; 
 crinklin, a small, early apple (N.), 
 
 o. 
 
 Ci-ib, to obtain surreptitiously (N.) 
 
 Crick, a sudden twist in the neck 
 
 (N.) 
 Cricket, a small stool, footstool 
 
 Grizzle, to freeze (N.), S.; to crisp, 
 grow hard or rough by heat or 
 cold (N.), L.;' Dan. kruse, to curl 
 
 Crocks, earthenware (N.), L. ; A.-S. 
 crocca ; Du. kruik, Germ, krug, 
 pot. " Probably originally Celtic" 
 (Skeat) 
 
 Crocus- men. At a yearly division of 
 land at Wirkworth a feast is pro- 
 vided by the hay warden. He and 
 the master of the feast are called 
 Crocus-men. (Bridge's Hist, of 
 N'hamp., i, 219; Brand, ii, 12, 13) 
 (N.), S. 
 
 Croiv, the pig's fat fried with the 
 liver (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Ir. Gael, craidhal, creathall, a cradle ; 
 
 crath, to shake, to rock ; Ir. crud, 
 
 a cradle (Richards) 
 W. crug for crag, Corn, cruc, Ir. Gael. 
 
 cruach, heap, pile 
 The Irish name of the plant is Grain 
 
 aigein 
 Arm. kren, vigorous, impetuous; W. 
 
 crai for crain, fi'esh, vivid 
 Ir. Gael, cruach, heap, pile. See 
 
 Crag 
 Ir. creathach, a hurdle; Ir. Gael, cli- 
 
 ath=crati, a hurdle; W. cliayd, id.; 
 
 Sans. Icrit, to twist, to spin 
 W. craw, a covering ; W. Corn, crys; 
 
 Arm. kres, a shirt 
 
 Ir. Gael, creach, rock ; W. crag, a 
 hard coating, rock 
 
 W. cryn, a shiver, trembling ; crynu; 
 Arm. krena, to tremble ; Manx, 
 craynagh, trembling 
 
 Ir. Gael. crion=crina, withered, 
 small : W. crin, id. ; crinell, what 
 is dried 
 
 W. cribo, to comb, card ; used figu- 
 ratively 
 
 W. erych, a curling, wrinkling; cry- 
 chyn, a curl 
 
 W. crug (pron. crig), mound, tump; 
 crugaidd, of a roundish form 
 
 Arm. krlz, wrinkle, fold ; kriza, to 
 wrinkle ; W. crych, criched, a 
 wrinkle ; crych, wrinkled, wavy ; 
 crisp, a crisp coating or covering 
 
 W. crochan, pot ; crioc, pail ; Ir. cro- 
 gan,Gael.crog, jar, pitcher; Manx, 
 c?-oc/i'an,earthen pot; Sans. ^araA-a, 
 water-pot 
 
 Ir. croic=croci, and in the nomina- 
 tive case crocis, a venison feast (?). 
 A round of beef now is the main 
 dish, but formerly venison may 
 have been offered 
 
 W. cro, a round ; croen, skin, cover- 
 ing 
 
 ^ In glass-making a plate is said to crizzle when it becomes rough, and 
 loses its transparency ; its surface is wrinkled. 
 
 5th ser., vol. ir. 2
 
 18 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Q'uddle, to curdle, congeal (L.); 
 cruds, curds (L.) 
 
 Crudge, to crowd (N.) 
 
 Crummy, plump, fleshy (N.); Germ. 
 krumm, crooked, bent 
 
 Crumpet, a kind of light, round cake 
 (N.) 
 
 Crunch, to crush with a noise, as a 
 dog with a bone (L.). Prof. Skeat 
 refers to Du. schransen, to eat 
 heartily 
 
 Cuck, to throw (L.) 
 
 Qiddy, the hedge-creeper (N.) 
 
 Cuff, to remark upon, talk of (N.). 
 
 " The appearance of Miss H. was 
 
 aiffed over at the ball." (N.) Sw. 
 
 kufwa, to strike, overwhelm; A;«^a, 
 
 verberibus insultare (Ihre) 
 Culls, inferior cattle separated from 
 
 the rest (N.) 
 Cushat, the stock-dove, columba 
 
 cenas (N.) ; A.-S. cusceote, the 
 
 ringdove 
 
 Cutchel, to house or inclose comfort- 
 ably. "I think I have cutcheVd 
 him nicely", said of a pig (L.) 
 
 Cuts, lots ; to draw cuts, cast lots 
 
 (N.) 
 Dad, daddy, a child's name for a 
 
 father (N.) ; Prov. Sw. dad, father 
 
 Daddle, the hand (N.); Dade, to hold 
 
 a child by the hand in teaching it 
 
 to walk (X.) 
 Daffle, to be bruised or decayed (N.); 
 
 daffled, applied to fruit that is 
 
 bruised or decayed (N.) 
 Dag a sharp, sudden pain^ (N.), S. 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 O. Ir. cruth, gruth, pressed milk, curd ; 
 
 gor-gruth, lac pressum {Gold., 76); 
 
 Gael, gruth, curds; Sans, hrud, to 
 
 become thick 
 W. crug, heap, pile ; crugo, to heap 
 
 up 
 W. crrvmach, spherical, convex, a 
 
 rotundity ; crwm, round ; Arm. 
 
 kroum, courb6 
 Corn, crampoethen, a pancake ; W. 
 
 crempoyen, a fritter ; Arm. kram- 
 
 poez, fine cake ; W. crempog,'^ pan- 
 cake, fritter 
 Manx, crancal, to make a noise ; 
 
 cranch, to grind with the teeth ; 
 
 Gael, cracan, crackling ; Ir. crac, 
 
 to make a noise 
 See Cook 
 
 W. cuddan, wood-pigeon ; cuddio, to 
 hide; Arm. kuza for kuda, to hide, 
 conceal 
 
 Ir. G&el.cubhas, a word; cabais, tat- 
 tling; cab, mouth ; Sans, kup, to 
 speak 
 
 W. cwll, separation ; cyllu, to sepa- 
 rate 
 
 Is not cusceote Celtic ? Cf . Com. 
 cus, wood, and W. civt-iar (short 
 bird), coot, water -rail. Cf. W. 
 cictyn, a plover 
 
 Ir. Gael, cochal, cope, cowl, pod, 
 shell (prim, meaning, inclosure); 
 Sans. kus'=kuk, to surround, in- 
 close 
 
 W. cictws, a lot ; Manx, kuht, id. 
 
 It. GaeL daid=dadi, father; W. tad, 
 
 dad. Corn., Arm. tad, id. ; Sans. 
 
 tafa, Hind. tat. father 
 Ir. Gael, doid^dadi, the hand. 
 
 O'Clery has dae (for dadi), lamh 
 
 (hand) 
 W. daif, a singe, a blast ; deifio, to 
 
 nip, to blast ; deifiol, blasting 
 
 Ir. daga, dagger; Arm. dag, id.; dagi, 
 
 ^ Probably compounded of W. crtcm, round, and the old root retained 
 in Sans, pach, to cook. 
 
 * The primary meaning is a sharp point. Cf. dag-prick, a spade that 
 ends in a point (East); dag, a pick (Devon); the projecting stump, point, 
 of a branch (Dorset).
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 19 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Daglocks, taglocks, locks of wool 
 matted together (N.) 
 
 Daps, a likeness. " The very daps 
 of him" (N.), S. 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 to strike, to stab ; Ir. Gael, dealg 
 ^dalg'i, thorn, pin, prickle 
 
 W. tag^ a clogged state ; fag-Iys, the 
 bind-Aveed ; Ir. Gael, fagh, to join 
 closely, cement 
 
 Ir. Gael, dealbh, 0. Ir. delb=dalbi, 
 form, image ; W. dpho^=delb or 
 delv, form, image, likeness 
 
 Dalbi would become in the case-form dalbis, dalpis, 
 and by contraction daps. 
 
 Dandy, the hand (N.) 
 
 Dauber, a builder of walls with mud 
 mixed with straw (N.); daubing, 
 wet and dirty (L.); 0. Fr. dauber, 
 to plaster' (Skeat) 
 
 Dawsey, sticky, as bread not suffici- 
 ently baked (N.), doughy 
 
 Deck, to desert or break an engage- 
 ment on some frivolous pretence. 
 " I'll deck the job" (N.), S.; A.-S., 
 decan, to cover 
 
 Dips, a slang word for money (N.); 
 properly pieces of money 
 
 Devilin, the swift, Hirundo apus (L.) 
 
 Dicky-bird, a child's name for any 
 small bird (N.) 
 
 Dids, breasts, properly nipples or 
 paps (N.), S.; A.-S. tit, a teat 
 
 Dilly dally, to delay, loiter, linger 
 (N. and L.); O. N. divelia, morari 
 (Skeat): Eng. divell 
 
 Dock, the plant so called. Rumexob- 
 tusifoHiis (N.); A.-S. docce (bor- 
 rowed). Cf. Gr. SavKos, a kind of 
 carrot 
 
 Dock, to lower price or wages (L.) 
 
 Dollop, a lump or large piece (N. and 
 L.) 
 
 Dohey, the hedge-sparrow (N.), some- 
 times called dunnock ; A.-S. dun 
 
 See Daddle, a nasalised form 
 
 Ir. Gael, doh, water, mud; v. to daub, 
 to plaster : W. dvb. mortar, ce- 
 ment ; dirbiwr, dauber, plasterer; 
 diofr, water. Fi'^m de-albare, to 
 whitewash (Skeat) 
 
 W. toes, dough, paste ; toesaidd, like 
 dough, doughy 
 
 Arm. techi, to flee, desert, avoid, 
 evade (fuir, s'eloigner, esquiver); 
 W.iechu, to skulk, prim, to evade 
 (?); Sans, tik, to go, move oneself 
 
 W. tip), particle, piece 
 
 Ir. duibheall=dibhal , quick, swift ; 
 
 Ir. Gael, deifir, haste, speed ; W. 
 
 diflin, unwearied, unresting 
 W. dicen, a hen, female of birds ; 
 
 perhaps used because the female 
 
 is generally the smaller bird 
 W. did, diden, nipple, teat ; didi, teat, 
 
 also pap ; Manx, did, diddee, id. 
 Ir. dala, Ir. Gael. dail=dali, delay, 
 
 procrastination, respite ; Manx, 
 
 daill, credit, trust, i.e., a delay in 
 
 payment 
 Gael, dogha, the burdock ; Ir. meacan- 
 
 dogha, the great common burdock ; 
 
 meacan, tap-rooted plant^ 
 
 W. tocio, to clip, curtail, dock 
 W. talp, lump, large piece, mass 
 
 From its colour; Ir. Gael, donn, W. 
 dv^n, dun, dusky; connected with 
 du, black 
 
 ' In Cotgrave and Roquefort, dauber means to beat, to cuff. 
 - I suspect that the Ce\i\c dogha and Gr. SavKos are connected with Sans. 
 dogha, milking (Ved.), from the juiciness of their roots.
 
 20 
 
 CELTIC ELI^MKNT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANfJLO CKLTIC. 
 
 Dowdy, dark and dull in colour (N.) 
 
 Dowle, the downy particles of a 
 feather (N.) 
 
 Dozpy, unsound, as wood beginning 
 to decay (N.). From rfoze, to slum- 
 ber, grow dull (Baker) 
 
 Drob, a female dii-ty in person and 
 slovenly in dress (X.) ; druhhled, 
 dirtied by walking in mud (N.); 
 A.-S. drdhhe, dregs, lees ; a bor- 
 rowed word. See Skeat s. v. drah 
 
 Di-pdf/rri/, carefully, cautiously. " If 
 you move her a,rm. ever so dredgei'i/, 
 it gives her pain" (L.) 
 
 Drud(ie, a female servant compelled 
 to do all sorts of laborious and 
 dirty work slavishly (N.) 
 
 Duhhy, blunt (N.) 
 Dumpy, a thick, short 
 
 thing (N.) 
 Dumple, a dumpling (N.) 
 
 person or 
 
 CEI-TIC. 
 
 W. du, black; duder, blackness; du- 
 
 aidd, blackish 
 Ir. dul, a lock of hair or wool 
 
 Allied to dawsey, q. v.; from W. toes, 
 dough; toesaidd, doughy, i.e., soft 
 
 Ir. drab, spot, stain; drahach, dirty; 
 Jr. Gael, draboy, a dirty, sluttish 
 female; drabh, refuse 
 
 W.rfryf/,carefulness, economy; dryd- 
 o/, careful, economical. We might 
 also have drydgar, careful 
 
 Ir. drugaire, Gael, drugair, a slave, 
 a drudge ; Ir. Gael, dragh, trouble ; 
 Sans, dragh, to exert oneself, to 
 be tired 
 
 W. homp, a round mass or lump ; 
 twmpan, a fat female ; twmpan, 
 a bulky one ; Ir. tuimpe, a hump; 
 in Gael, a turnip ; Ir. damba, a 
 lump (O'Don.); Manx, torn, bump, 
 swelling 
 
 Prov. Sw. tanijy, what is large and gross : a borrowed 
 word, as the Lat. tum-ulu-s and Sans. tumra,\)\g, strong, 
 show. 
 
 Dubbing, a mixture of oil and tallow 
 
 (N.) 
 Duch-atone, a name given to a stone 
 
 on which, in a game, other stones 
 
 are placed (L.) 
 Duds, rags, or clothes generally (N.) 
 Dudman, a scarecrow (N,); Du. tod, 
 
 a rag 
 Eane, to bring forth, applied to an 
 
 ewe (N.), S. ; A.-S. eanian, to bring 
 
 forth a lamb 
 
 See Dauber 
 
 W. dwg for dwc, bearing, carrying 
 
 Gael, dud, a rag ; dudach, ragged ; 
 Ir. dad, piece, a trifle 
 
 W. oen, a lamb; oena, to bring forth 
 a lamb ; Arm. oan. Corn, oin, Ir. 
 Gael, wo;?, a lamb ; INIanx, eayn, id. ; 
 eayney, to bring forth a lamb 
 
 Prof. Skeat says the only clear trace o^ eanian is in 
 the expression, ge-eane-eowa=^t]ie ewes great with 
 young (Gen. xxxiii, 13). " There can be little doubt", 
 he adds, " that ge-edne is here a contracted form oi ge- 
 edcne or ge-eacene.. .and edcen signifies pregnant. Hence 
 the verb ge-eacnian, to be pregnant (Luke i, 24), which 
 would be contracted to ge-ednian (s. v. yean).'' But the 
 A.-S. eanian is evidently connected with the Manx
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 21 
 
 eayney, W. oena, from eayn., oen, a lamb. The ideas of 
 pregnancy and birth are quite distinct. The W. o-en 
 is compounded of o, Sans, avi, Lat. ovis, and en, a suffix 
 of diminution. 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Earnest^ money given to bind a bar- 
 gain or ratify a hiring (N.) 
 
 Eccles. " Building eccles in the air." 
 A singular phrase, equivalent to 
 building castles in the air (N.) 
 
 Eccle, eecle-hickol, the woodpecker 
 (N.), S. Hickol is also used in 
 Herefordshire, and heccle in Glou- 
 cestershire 
 
 Edgy, keen, eager, forward (L.) : 
 sometimes (erroneously) ft edgy ; 
 A.-S. ecg, edge; Dan. eg, id. 
 
 Eel-pout, the barbot, the name of a 
 fish caught in the river Nen (N.), 
 S. 
 
 Ester, the inside of the chimney (L.); 
 generally astre or as<ir=hearth 
 
 Evvern, untidy as regards appear- 
 ance (N.), S. 
 Fad, whim, fancy, caprice (N.), L. 
 
 Fadge,fodge, a. loosely or half -filled 
 pack-sheet or sack (N.), In the 
 North /ar/^e means a bundle 
 
 Fadge, to make a person believe a 
 lie, to cram (L.); usually /urfr/e, 
 A.-S., facn, deceit ; Lat. fucus, a 
 dye, deceit, disguise 
 
 Fag, fog, long coarse grass (N.). Fog 
 is the more usual form 
 
 Fagged out, a term applied to a gar- 
 ment worn at the edge. "My 
 gown '& fagged ouf (N.) '^^ Fag, 
 the fringe at the end of a piece of 
 eloth" (Ash) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 W. ernes, a pledge ; em, earnest 
 money; Ir. Gael, earnas, tie, band; 
 earuadk, payment ; Ir. arra for 
 arna, a pledge; Sans. rina=arna, 
 debt, obligation 
 
 I think this must be the O. W. ec- 
 licys, church, from Lat. ecclesia, 
 though it is in the singular num- 
 ber. Perhaps the Anglicised form, 
 eccles-es would be rejected as diffi- 
 cult to pronounce 
 
 W. hie, a snap; hicio, to snap; hicell, 
 a long-handled bill 
 
 An interesting form of the Aryan 
 root ah, to be sharp, which is found 
 in W. eg-r, eager ; dl-auc, slow; 
 W. aicch=ak, edge 
 
 A hybrid form. W. pv)t, any short 
 thing ; Sans, p;/^^, to be small ; 
 pota, the young of an animal 
 
 Ir. Gael, as, to kindle a fire, to light 
 up; tir, land, earth {Arch. Camb., 
 Jan. 1884, p. 21) ; Manx, as, fire, 
 and teer, land 
 
 See Avern 
 
 Arm. fazi, mistake, error, wildness, 
 disorder (egarement, erreur, aber- 
 ration d'esprit);/a~(a, errer, s'ega- 
 rer ; W. fado, a trifle (see Arch. 
 Camb., Jan. 1884, p. 21). The 
 Arm. z represents an older d 
 
 W.ffasg, bundle, faggot ; Arm. fes- 
 had, a sheaf ; Lat. fasc'is. The 
 root seems to be Ir. fasg,'W.gwasgu, 
 to press, press together, bind 
 
 ^y.ffug, feint, deception, guile; ^w.^- 
 io ; Corn, fiigio, to feign, delude; 
 Arm. fouge, vanite, fanfaronade, 
 rodomontade 
 
 W. jfwg, dry grass; Manx, fog, after- 
 math 
 
 W. ffaig=fugi, extremity, turn, em- 
 barrassment ; Arm. /ec//, overcome. 
 wearied out ; especially used of 
 disputants
 
 22 
 
 CELTIC ELKMEiNT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 The W.ffxiifj, Arm.fech, apparently meant, brought 
 to an end, the end or extremity itself, and therefore 
 worn out, defeated. The prim, meaning was probably 
 circling or winding, and hence W. ffaig means a turn. 
 C'f. Sans, vak, to curve, wind ; vahra, winding, tortuous. 
 The course of ideas is then winding, turning, returning, 
 ending ; and hence the ideas of embarrassment and 
 being worn out. From the idea of circling we hav^e Fr. 
 fagoty a bundle of sticks fastened (encircled) by a cord. 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Fantigue, irritability, ill-humour 
 (N.); fantecuje, fit of passion, pet 
 
 (L-) ,. . . 
 
 Funtodds, a slight indisposition, 
 
 bodily or mental (L.), E. D. S.; 
 
 fcuitoddy, indisposition (L.) 
 
 Fantome, loose, flabby, as the flesh 
 of a sick child. Light, unproduc- 
 tive corn is said to be fantome. 
 Vegetation is so called when it 
 droops from heat and drought. 
 Cattle that dwindle on change of 
 pasture are fantome (N.) 
 
 Feece, convalescent, cheerful, active 
 
 (L.) ; A.-S. fus, ready, prompt, 
 
 quick 
 Fell, a holiday. A workman will 
 
 say he cannot catch a /(?//' this 
 
 week when he cannot complete 
 
 his work within that time (N.), 
 
 B. s. V. Catch (a fell) 
 Fell, to sew the inside of a seam 
 
 (N.); gen. to fold down and sew 
 
 slightly 
 Fezzle, a litter of pigs (N.), to litter 
 
 as a sow (L.); prim, a verb 
 Fiddling, trifling, loitering (N.) 
 
 Fig, to fudge, to flatter (N.) 
 
 File, a name for a shrewd, unscru- \Y.ffel=Jila, cunning, subtle, wily; 
 
 pulous old man (N.) Ir.jileoir, a craftj' person 
 
 /•"i/uwuA, to trifle, to loiter ; spoken lr.feimh=^jinia, negligent, neglect- 
 
 of servants who go idly about ful ; with the usual Celtic verbal 
 
 CELTIC. 
 Ir. Gael, fann, weak ; iaoig, a fit of 
 passion 
 
 W. gwan=van, weak ; teithl, quali- 
 ties, faculties ; taeth=tati, essence 
 (P.) ; properly being, nature ; Sans. 
 tatica, nature, being, reality 
 
 Ir. Gael, fann for f ant, weak, feeble, 
 infirm ; fantais, weakness, lan- 
 guishing ; W. gican, Arm. gicdn, 
 weak, feeble, poor; W. gifantan= 
 vantan, fickle, variable ; Sans. 
 vanda, vandam, maimed, crippled, 
 
 impotent 
 W. ffi/sg, quick, active ; Ir. Gael. 
 
 fuis:^isu, active ; fiusach=fisach, 
 
 earnest 
 0. Ir. fel, festival, holiday {Ir. GL, 
 
 70); Ir. Gael, feil, id. ; W. giojl, 
 
 id.; Lat. vigilice 
 
 Ir. Gael, fill, Manx, filley, to turn, 
 fold, plait; W. gicili, full of turns 
 or starts 
 
 Ir. Gael. feis=(fesi), a pig, swine ; 
 with the Celtic verbal suffix -at 
 
 Generally piddling. See Piddle 
 
 W.ffug, proTi.fiig. See Fudge 
 
 1 This word shows that Christianity was established in Xorthampton- 
 shire before the Sa.xon inva^<iol). and therefore before St. Augustin began 
 his mission here.
 
 OF NOBTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 23 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 their work, not in good earnest 
 (N.); 0. 'N.feim, pudor, verecun- 
 dia; feimar, pudet, pudere; Prov. 
 Sw. femma sej, to cause shame to 
 oneself 
 Fin, the rest-harrow, Afionis arven- 
 sis (N.) 
 
 Flannen, flannel (L.) 
 
 Flack, a blow (N.) 
 
 Flasket,^ a circular or oval basket 
 made of peeled osiers (N.), -L. ; 
 flachet (Holderness) \flashin (York- 
 shire) ; O. Fr. flasche, flask, bottle ; 
 O. H. Q.flasca, O. 'iH.Jiaska, id. 
 
 F letches, green pods of peas (N.); 
 O. 'N.Jlicl-a, vestis linea trita 
 
 Fletv, shallow, expansive. " Your 
 bonnet sits very fleiv"; i.e., the 
 poke is very open and wide- 
 spreading (N.) ; O. N. flcir, wide, 
 open 
 
 Flimp, a variation of limp, flaccid 
 (L.) 
 
 Flinket, a long, narrow slip of land, 
 whether arable or pasture (N.) 
 
 Flip, any poor, insipid liquor (N.) 
 In Brittany Jiip is the name of a 
 compound formed of brandy, ci- 
 der, and sugar. So called, proba- 
 bly, from its soft taste 
 
 Flommacking, loosely dressed in pal- 
 try finery (N.); flommacks for 
 flommach-es, an ill-dressed, slat- 
 ternly female ; one, for instance, 
 with a broad-bordered cap falling 
 loosely about her face (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 formative we have fimak, to be 
 careless or negligent 
 
 "Vf . ffion=finu, (1), crimson; (2), the 
 foxglove. Applied to the rest- 
 harrow from its rose-coloured 
 blossoms 
 
 An archaism. W. gwlanen = vlannen, 
 id. 
 
 Ir. Gael.^a(7, a blow 
 
 W. flasged, a vessel made of straw 
 
 or wickerwork, a basket; Ir. Gael. 
 
 fleasg =Jiaski, rod, wand ; prop. 
 
 osier, a wreath made of twisted 
 
 rods ; flasgan, a flask; Arm., flach, 
 
 a wand 
 W. hl'isg, pods, husks; plisgyn, husk, 
 
 shell; Corn, hlisg, Arm.. plusk,id.; 
 
 Ir. QsifA. ptlaosg , pod, husk^ 
 'W.fflau, spreading out ; ffreu, fluor, 
 
 fluxus (Dav.) ; ffluio, a diverging, 
 
 running out 
 
 W. llipa, flaccid ; llimp, smooth, 
 sleek. Cf . Fluellin from Llewelyn, 
 fluvimery from Uymru 
 
 Celtic from its form; probably con- 
 nected with W. ffrin, ffring, the 
 brow or edge of a cliff 
 
 W. llipa, flaccid, limp 
 
 Flommack is certainly Celtic, from 
 its verbal suflfix ; probably con- 
 nected with Ir. Gael. Nomas, os- 
 tentation. Cf., however. Arm. 
 fiammik, petit-maitre, pretentieux 
 
 ^ As many other words that belong to an early stage of civilisation, 
 fiask or flasket is Celtic. The termination -et in nouns belongs to this 
 class of languages, as in basket, bonnet, etc. ; and only by the Irish or Gaelic 
 can the v/orA flasket be explained. 
 
 2 BUsg does not seem very nearly related to fletch; but I do not know 
 any German or Scandinavian word, of the same meaning, that is nearer 
 in form. B in Celtic, as in Sanskrit, easily becomes/ or v, and g repre- 
 sents an older k. Thus we come to the form flisk, which by a not iincom- 
 mon change becomes fletch. Hiihr and skida are respectively the German 
 and Swedish names for our English pod.
 
 24 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Fluff, any downy particles (N.), L. 
 Flunnneri/, fulsome flattery (N.) 
 Flurrigigs, useless finery (N.) 
 
 Fodf/e, to make one believe a lie 
 
 (L.) 
 Foff, coarse grass (L.) 
 
 Footy, small, insignificant (L.) 
 
 Fi-eni, lusty, abundant, thriving. A 
 person liberal in a bargain is a 
 frP7n customer (N.) ; frim, fi'em, 
 lush, abundant (L.) ; /nan, fine, 
 handsome (N.), S. ; thick, rank, 
 overgrown (West), H. ; A.S. /re- 
 am, firm, strong 
 
 Friddle, to waste time in trifles (N.) 
 
 Froio (pron. as snow), to pine, 
 
 dwindle (N.) 
 Frump, to invent. " Thej/rumpt up 
 
 a fine story (X.) 
 
 Frump, a sour, disagreeable female 
 
 (N.) 
 Frt/ste, new, smart (N.): Germ. 
 
 /risch, fresh, new 
 Fudge, lying nonsense (L.) 
 
 Fullock, a violent rush ; to rush, 
 
 knock, kick (L.) 
 Fussocl\ a large, coarse woman CN.) ; 
 
 formed, as W. hoglynog, bossed, 
 
 from boglwm, a boss 
 
 Gab, a mouth, loquacity, idle talk 
 (N.), L.; O. N. gabba, decipere, 
 deludere (Hald.) ; to mock (Skeat) ; 
 Prov. Sw. gabb, derision, insult 
 
 (ioble-poles, slender rods placed out 
 side the roofs of thatched build- 
 ings to protect the thatch (N.). 
 Gable here is not a fork, but a 
 holdfast 
 
 fiat/. Cattle are s;iid to Jiave <'ot 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 W. phi/ feathers, plumage ; Lat. 
 phj7na 
 
 W. Uymru, flummery ; used figura- 
 tively 
 
 W. pfur, a bright hue ; Arm. flour, 
 lustre, brightness; W. gvnsg. Arm. 
 gwisk, di'ess, clothing 
 
 See Fudge 
 
 See Fag 
 
 Gael. /udaidh, mean,vile, contempt- 
 ible, trifling ; W. ffictog, a short 
 tail (?) 
 
 W. ffricm (/room), luxuriant, rank, 
 large ; Arm. /romm, repletion, 
 swelling (gonQement); /romma, to 
 swell out 
 
 W. ffrilian, to trifle, waste time ; 
 ffrityn, a little, flighty iQ\\ovf;ffrid, 
 a sudden start ; Manx, /j-^/, a fri- 
 volous person ; /ryttag, rag, shred 
 
 '^.ffrau, flowing, streaming 
 
 A.VT[i./ramma iov/rampa (?), to form 
 or put together ; /ramm, assem- 
 blage des grosses pieces de bois 
 pour la construction des maisons 
 
 W. /ram, fuming, testy, touchy ; 
 ffroiiiyn, a testy person 
 
 y^.ffrost, pomp, ostentation; Manx, 
 /roash, pride 
 
 See Fudge 
 
 W. ffiill, haste, speed ; ffulUo, to 
 hasten 
 
 W. bost, a swelling or rising up ; 
 Arm. bos, bosen, the plague, from 
 its boils; Corn. bost,/os. boasting; 
 prim, swelling 
 
 Ir. gab, mouth; gubaire, prater, tat- 
 tler; Gael, gob, beak, mouth: gu- 
 ba\r, goba'ir, a prating, talking 
 fellow ; Manx, gob, cab, mouth. 
 Allied to Sans, gubha, a cleft, slit, 
 opening 
 
 Ir. Gael, gabh, to take, to hold ; W. 
 ga/ael, a hold, grasp, fastening ; 
 cafael, to hold, enclose 
 
 Ir. gndh. arrow, dart; Ir. Gael, gath.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 25 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 the gad when they run madly 
 about from being stung by a gad- 
 fly (X. and L.) A.-S. gad, point 
 of a weapon, sting ; O. N. gaddr, 
 clavus (Hald.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 a spear, javelin, sting ; Gael, gad, 
 twig, withy ; Sans, gadu,^ spear, 
 javelin 
 
 The anlaut in Sans, gadu shows that gad and gaddr 
 are borrowed words. 
 
 Gaffer, the master of a house, fore- Corn, coth, goth, W. coth, Arm. coz, 
 man of workmen (N. and L.). old, old man; Ir. Gael. /ea?-, man 
 Usually it means an old man, a 
 grandfather ; goifer in Wilts 
 
 A.-S. ge-fceder, god-father (Mahn), a corruption oi gixim- 
 fer, grandfather (Skeat). 
 
 Gag, to tighten so as to prevent W. ceg, mouth, throat ; cegio, to 
 motion, as an over-tight gown (N.) choke (Skeat) 
 
 Galls, vacant places in a crop (L.), W. gal, a cleared spot ; open, cleared 
 
 M. 
 Gaily (pron. gauly), having the 
 
 hair rubbed off ; applied also to 
 
 land having patches where the 
 
 crop has not grown (L.) ; 0. N. 
 
 gain, vitium, nsevus (mole on 
 
 the skin) 
 
 The change from long a to at( is a Celtic usage (ODon- 
 ovan's //■. Gram., p. 10). 
 
 Gamble, a butcher's staff (N.) Ir. Gael., W. cam, crooked, winding; 
 
 Gambril, gamhrel, a crooked or bent W. jirai (in comp. h-en), wood 
 stick used by butchers (N. and 
 
 L) 
 
 Game-leg, a crooked leg 
 
 In Ash's Dictionary the forms are camhrel and camhren. 
 
 Garry-ho, loose, improper language 
 (N.); 0. N. gari, violentia, ssevi- 
 ties : ho, clamor opiliouuni ; only 
 our Eng. ho ! hoa ! 
 
 G^auZ^ the bubbling motion produced 
 in a liquid by its rapid conversion 
 into vapour, ebuUicion (X.), S. ; 
 Germ, ivallen, A.-S. vreallanj O. 
 N. vella, to well or boU up 
 
 Gauly, a blockhead (L.) 
 
 W. gair=gari. Arm. ger, word, say- 
 ing ; W. hodc, sprightly, volatile; 
 Sans, gir, voice, word, speech 
 
 Ir. Gael, gall, smoke, vapour, steam; 
 gaileadh, evaporating ; goil, boil- 
 ing, ebullition, vapour ; goilleadh, 
 boiling ; Manx, gall (gait f), va- 
 pour 
 
 See Galh 
 
 ' I refer to Sanskrit here, as in other places, to show that the Irish or 
 Welsh word is not borrowed.
 
 26 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN TQE DIALECTS 
 
 ANdLO-CKI.TIC. 
 
 Gaunt, emaciated (L.); Norm, ganrl 
 =(fii)it, a thin, pointed sticlc, a tall 
 and thin man (Skcat) 
 
 Gutnili/, luxuriant ; applied to trees 
 tall and over-spreading (N.) 
 
 Gaury, exuberant, quick-growing. 
 Corn too exuberant in the blade 
 is said to be gaury (N.); 0. N. 
 (jorr, plcnius 
 
 Ginon, any vessel for lading out 
 liquid (L.). a small tub(M.); var. 
 of gallon (L.) 
 
 Gawney, a simpleton (L.) 
 
 Geason, sparing, scarce (N.) ; O. N. 
 gisiiw, rarus, hiulcus (Hald.). It 
 means open, gaping ; Prov. Sw. 
 gisna, to open from drought 
 Gig, a winnowing fan (N.) 
 Giggling, goggling, unsteady, easily 
 shaken (N.) ; Fr. gigue, a dance, 
 a jig; O. N. geiga, tremere 
 
 Gimlet-eye, an eye with a squint 
 (N.); O. Fr. gimhelet, a gimlet 
 
 Gimmy, very neat, spruce, nice in 
 person (N.). Gimp in Brockett's 
 Gloss of N. Country Words. Prov. 
 Sw. giminelig, fair, beautiful, ap- 
 plied to light. Rietz refers to O. 
 N. gim-steinn, jewel, and gimlir, 
 splendour' 
 
 Gimsoning, ingenious trifling, gim- 
 cracking (N.) 
 
 Gird, a twitch, a pang (N.) ; A.-S. 
 geard, gyrd ; O. H. G. gertc, rod, 
 wand 
 
 Glauds, hot gleams between showers 
 (N.); Dan. glode, a live coal ; Du. 
 gloed, glowing heat, flame 
 
 CEI.TIC. 
 
 Ir. Gael, gann, gand, scarce, scanty, 
 little : gantar, scarcity ; Manx, 
 goan, scarce, short 
 
 Ir. Gael. gann=gant, strong, stout, 
 thick 
 
 W. gor, high, large, excessive; gene- 
 rally used as a prefix, as in gor- 
 «c/i, supremacy; Arm. ^o«r, super- 
 lative; gorre, dessus, la partie su- 
 perieure ; gorrea, elever 
 
 Ir. Gael, gann, a jug ; W. gwn, a 
 large bowl ; Sans, gaiiju, a drink- 
 ing vessel 
 
 Ir. Gael. geoin=gom, a fool, simple- 
 ton 
 
 Ir. gaisiii, Gael, gaisean, a scanty 
 crop; Ir. Gael, ^ajse, flaw, blemish; 
 Gael, gaiseadh, blasting, withering 
 
 Ir. gig-rand (rfl?;rf^=nimble), a whirl- 
 igig; giog-uch (gig-ach), unsettled, 
 moving to and fro ; giogaire, an 
 uneasy person; W. goyi, to shake; 
 gogwy, full of motion ; gogr, a 
 sieve 
 
 The root is, I think, the Ir. Gael. 
 giomh, a lock of hair, a curl, and 
 the gimlet is so named from the 
 twist or curl at its base ; Ir. gim- 
 leid, a gimlet (borrowed ?) 
 
 W. gwymp, neat, spruce, handsome 
 
 See Gimmy, Arm. sauna, to cut, to 
 form 
 
 W. gyrth, dash, hit, stroke ; gyrthio, 
 to hit, push, run against; arietare, 
 pulsare (Dav.) ; gyr, drive, onset, 
 thrust ; Ir. Gael, gearr, to cut, 
 hew, taunt; Manx, giarey, to cut, 
 wound 
 
 W. glawdd (glaud), lustre, glow, 
 splendour 
 
 ^ The 0. N. gim-steinn is, I think, from Lat. gemma (gem), and the prov. 
 Sw. gimmelig is gem-like. The Eng. gimmy is for gimpy, and the TV. 
 gwyntp, Iv.jidmh, hue, colour, are connected with Sans, viinba, mirror, re- 
 flected form, picture ; vniibit((y reflected, pictured, painted. The primary 
 idea is bright, shining.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 27 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Glaver, to flatter (L.) 
 
 Glaiiver, flattery (N.); A.-S. ^/urere, 
 a flatterer 
 
 Gleeting, a place where the land is 
 made moist by water that cannot 
 escape (N.) ; gleeting springs^ 
 " springs that have no free outlet, 
 render the earth hollow and fuzzy" 
 (Morton), N.; A.-S. glicl, Low Sax. 
 glett, slippery 
 
 Gleeve, a pole with serrated prongs, 
 used for catching eels (N.) ; Fr. 
 glaive, a sword 
 
 Gob, a small, mucilaginous lump 
 (N.); Fr. gob. "L'a valla tout de 
 gob ", at one gulp he swallowed it 
 (Cotg.); gobeau, piece, morsel 
 
 Goddle, to deceive (N.), S. 
 
 Gog, a bog (N.) 
 
 Goggy, boggy, swampy (N.) 
 
 Goggling, unsteady (N.) 
 
 Gogmire, a quagmire (N.) Cf. geg, 
 
 gaig, to swing (Warw.), E. D. S., 
 
 iv, 126 
 Goggle-shells, large snail-shells (N.) 
 Goggles, id. (N.) 
 G^o^ in goose-gog, gooseberry (L.) 
 
 Gomeril, a fool (L.) 
 
 Goodjers, an exclamation of wonder 
 and surprise (N.), S. Cf. Goodjer, 
 a term for the Devil (Dev.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 W. glof, smooth, glistening ; glafr, 
 flattery ; glafru, to flatter 
 
 To gleet is to make moist ; Arm. 
 gllz, dew (prim. liquid); W. giclith, 
 id. ; Corn, gulhy, to wash. The 
 root is Sans, gal, to ooze, distil ; 
 galita, liquified. Cf. W. gwlaw 
 rain ; gwlyb, liquid, moist 
 
 W. glaif, a bUl-hook ; falx (Dav.) 
 
 W. gob, heap, mass; cob, tuft 
 
 W. godicyllo, to deceive slightly (S.) 
 
 W. gogi, to shake, quiver ; Ir. Gael. 
 
 gogach, wavering 
 
 Ir. Gael, cochal, husk, shell ; W. co- 
 cos, cockles ; cocio, round lump. 
 See Cock 
 
 Ir. camar, a soft, foolish fellow; ca- 
 
 maran, an idiot 
 W. gygior, a grim-looking person ; 
 
 gioyu, gygu, to lower (2/=E. u) 
 
 " The gougeres (demons) shall devour them, flesh and fell (skin), 
 Ere they shall make us weep." 
 
 Lear, v, 2. 
 
 Gound, the vulgar pronunciation of 
 gown (N.). Only an archaism. 
 The word gound means what is 
 sewn ; an advance from the pri- 
 mitive skin 
 
 Goiiry, stupid, sullen (N.) ; O. N. 
 
 gari, violentia, ssevitas 
 Gouty, wet and boggy (N.), S. 
 
 Gowl, to open, enlarge, as when a 
 button-hole is worn out of shape 
 (N.) 
 
 Ir. gunn for gund, gunnadh, a gown; 
 Gael.^M'??,W. gwn, gown ; W.guviio, 
 to stitch, to sew; gynel, a close 
 gown ; Manx, goon, gown ; Sans. 
 gonl, sack ; guna, string, thread ; 
 gundana, a covering 
 
 Ir. gorach, foolish, stupid ; Gael, gur- 
 ruch, a great, clownish fellow 
 
 W. gtcst, moist, wet 
 
 W. agaici; opening, breach ; agon, to 
 open, break, expand, enlarge. Cf. 
 Vf.achreth, trembling, =creth, idi. 
 
 Agoi'i, by a common process, would become (.(<jdli, and 
 by a ciiatomaiy change (jou'l.
 
 28 
 
 CELTIC ELKiMENT IN THE DIALKCTS 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Grab, to seize, catch firm hold of 
 
 (N.), L. ; Sw. f/vdhba^ to seize. 
 
 Must be borrowed by Grimm's 
 
 law 
 Gravrx, the sediment of chandlers' 
 
 taUow (N.) 
 
 Grewed, adhered to the pot in boil- 
 ing. " The milk tastes as if it 
 were f/reired", a word of similar 
 import with hitr7it to (N.). It 
 means simply burnt. Cf. (jrown, 
 milk burnt in boiling (Line.) 
 
 Grisk'ni, the short bones taken out 
 of a flitch of bacon (N.). " Gi'is- 
 hin, the back bones of a hog broiled 
 on the coals, from the Ir. grifigin''' 
 (Ash's Diet.); O. N. gris, a pig 
 
 Groudly, grumbling, discontented 
 (L.) 
 
 Groimr', gravel (L.) 
 
 Grout, mortar mixed with small 
 stones, used for filling up inter- 
 stices of walls 
 
 Grudgeons, a sort of bran (L.) 
 
 Guhhij, knotty, full of small protu- 
 berances (N.) 
 
 Gudgir, short and thick, as applied 
 to the person^ (N.) 
 
 Gidah, ribaldry, silly talk (N.) 
 
 Gurry, an inward rumbling of the 
 bowels (L.). Cf. gyrr, to purge 
 (Lane.) 
 
 Gyvpii, sinews of the legs (N.). " Pos- 
 sibly a metaphorical use of the 
 word g'lrfs. (sic), a fetter'' (B.). It 
 is the primitive meaning 
 
 Haggy, rough and stiff. A haggy 
 road. Haggy work for the horses 
 (L.) Du. hakken, to chop, hew, 
 cleave 
 
 Halt, a command to a horse to go 
 from the driver (N.). It means 
 to go to the left hand 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Ir. Gael, grab, to stop, hinder; prim. 
 
 to seize; gream, grip, hold; Sans. 
 
 (jruh, qrabh (Ved.),' to take, seize 
 
 hold ■ 
 It is in the form of flakes. W. craf, 
 
 laminae; craf en, a flake; Ir. Gael. 
 
 ngreab, scab, crust 
 Ir. Gael, greidh (dh silent), to burn; 
 
 gris, fire, heat; W. greio, to scorch, 
 
 to singe ; graid, heat 
 
 Ir. gri-fgin, Gael, grisgean, roasted or 
 broiled meat; grls, fire, heat 
 
 W. gricyth, a murmur ; grwythol, 
 
 murmuring 
 W. 7)0, coarse gravel, pebbles; Corn. 
 
 yrou\ gravel ; Arm. grozel, groan, 
 
 gravel, coarse sand; W. yrut, grit, 
 
 coarse sand 
 W. rhuchion, husks, gurgions (P.); 
 
 rhuch, film, husk (with prosthetic 
 
 0?) 
 
 See Gob 
 
 Ir. Gael, guga, a fat fellow; giig, an 
 
 Qgg'-i gugan, a bud 
 W. golch, lye, urine; golchion, slops, 
 
 dish-watar 
 W. gyr, drive, hurry, onset ; gyru, 
 
 to drive 
 
 W. gav:=gav, sinew, tendon ; g'iau, 
 nerves; gefyn, a fetter; Corn, goi- 
 uen, nervus(Z. 110"2); Mod. Corn. 
 gryen, a sinew ; Ir. Gael, gfibh'i- 
 onn, fetters, bondage ; O. Ir. g^- 
 min, compes (Goid., 75). The root 
 is Sans, gabh (W.gafael), to grasp, 
 to hold 
 
 W. hagr, ugly, rough, unseemly 
 
 W. cinvith, left, left-handed 
 
 ' Whenever there is an accordance of Sanskrit and Celtic, the latter is 
 invariably related to the older forms of Sanskrit. 
 
 •' Hence the Fr. goujoii, Eng. gudgeon, the fish so called.
 
 or NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 29 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Harry, a jeering exclamation. When 
 a navigator (labourer) is over- 
 laden, and cannot wheel his bar- 
 row along, his fellow-workmen 
 cry harry ! harry! (N.). Fr. harau, 
 hari, cri, clameur pour implorer du 
 secours; O. H. G. harm, to give a 
 loud outcrj' 
 
 Harum, slovenly, untidy (N.) 
 
 Hassock, tuft of coarse grass grow- 
 ing on wet lands (N., L.) 
 
 Haume, to lounge about (L.). Cf. 
 hawminff, forming inelegant atti- 
 tudes (Line); curvetting (Leeds) 
 
 Haunty, playful without being vici- 
 ous, applied to cattle (N.) ; O. Sw. 
 ant, cendt, quickness, haste 
 
 Hard; a board on which a plasterer 
 or mason keeps his mortar (N.) 
 
 Hazzle, azzle, to dry slightly (L.); 
 hazle, to dry at top (Forby) 
 
 Hihp, to move suddenly or hastily 
 
 (N.) : to gore (L.) ; O. N. hika, 
 
 cedere, recedere 
 Hingy, said of beer that is at work 
 
 or fermenting (N.); Du. hinken, to 
 
 halt, go lame 
 
 Hock, a shock of hair (L.); A.-S. 
 
 sceacga, brushy hair, branches of 
 
 trees, rough, shaggy 
 Hog, a year old sheep (L.) ; Norm. 
 
 Fr. hogetz, young wether sheep 
 
 (Kelham). Not a French word 
 
 Hammocks, large feet and legs (N.); 
 
 Du. homj), hump, heap The form 
 
 in -oc is Celtic. Cf. hovss, large, 
 
 coarse feet (E.) 
 Hoop. Li the game of hide and seek 
 
 the hiding child cries hoop as a 
 
 signal to begin the search (N.) 
 Hop-pet, a small oval basket for the 
 
 food of labourers (L.); Du. hoep, 
 
 a hoop 
 Horse-hJoh, the marsh-marigold (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 W. haro, an interjection expressing 
 contempt or a slight; Arm. harao, 
 cri tumultueux pour se moquer 
 de quelqu'un. Probably a later 
 form of the Irish sar, contempt, 
 disdain. Cf. Sans, hare, alas ! 
 
 W. garro, rough, coarse ; garioen, a 
 rough female ; Ir. Gael, garhh, 
 rough ; Manx, garroo, rough, rug- 
 ged 
 
 W. hesg=hasgi, rushes, sedge; hesor 
 for hesgor, a hassock (in churches) ; 
 Ir. Gael, seasg, sedge 
 
 W. camu, to curve, wind, bend, 
 make a stride; Ir. Gael., W. cam, 
 curved, winding 
 
 W. haiontus, animated, brisk; hawnt, 
 alacrity, eagerness 
 
 W. hawg=hawc, a box, scuttle, hod 
 
 Ir. Gael, as, to kindle a fire ; Manx, 
 as, fire; Ir. adhair, fire; Sans, tish, 
 to burn ; ushna, hot 
 
 W. hicio, to snap catch suddenly, to 
 make a sudden jerk 
 
 W. heini, briskness ; brisk, lively. 
 
 Heini is probably for heinig. Ir. 
 
 Gael, ing, a stir, a move, force ; 
 
 Sans, ing, to move to and fro 
 W. s'loch, bushy hair 
 
 Ir. Gael, og, young, a youth ; oige, 
 a young woman; oigeach,a young 
 colt ; Manx, oigan, a youth ; W. 
 Jiogen, a young woman 
 
 W. gomach, a shank or leg ; Ir. cos, 
 foot, leg ; W. coes, leg 
 
 W. hic}), effort, try ; hivj) ! make an 
 effort, try 
 
 W. hob, a wooden vessel holding a 
 peck in Glamorganshire; hob, hob- 
 aid, modius (Dav.) 
 
 I am inclined to think that horse^ is 
 
 ' Cf. horse, a reed put into a barrel to draw off the liquor; W. corsen^a. 
 reed.
 
 30 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 //o.v, the sheath of corn (L.), M. 
 
 //oH.siHr/.s (prop, housing), high lea- 
 ther, horse-collars; formerly used 
 as a cover (L.) 
 
 Hougin, a covering attached to a 
 horse's collar (N.), S. 
 
 Hox, to fret, to harass. " She does 
 hox me uncommon" (N.) 
 
 CELTIC, 
 here a mutation of the W. rorf. 
 marsh, bog ; Corn, coi-s, Arm. kom, 
 bog, bog-plant 
 W. hioaan, a covering ; Arm. Z"os, 
 enveloppe de certains legumes ; 
 Sans. A;os'a, covering, case, sheath 
 
 A variation of housing (covering), 
 unless from W. huch, thin cover, 
 film ; hug, tunic, cloak ; hugyn, a 
 little cloak or covering 
 
 "W. hog'i, to whet, to irritate ; Arm. 
 hpgn, to irritate, provoke 
 
 Hox shows that the verbal form in Northamptonshire 
 was hocas. Cf. Lane, lammas, to run. 
 
 Huh, nave of a wheel (N.) 
 Huhhij, lumpy, knotty (N.); Du. 
 
 homp, hump; Prov. Sw. ho}'), heap, 
 
 quantity 
 Huff, to puff up, to swell (N.) 
 
 Huff, to scold, to tell any one of his 
 faults in low, abusive language 
 (N.) 
 
 Humly, to injure with the horns 
 (N., S.); O. N. ^wnH, battle 
 
 W. hwff, a lump ; hwfan, a rising 
 over ; hwfanu, to rise over; hufen, 
 cream, top of milk ; hufio, to man- 
 tle, overtop 
 
 See Huh 
 
 W. vfft, slight, scorn 
 shame, to upbraid 
 
 icfftio, to cry 
 
 Ir. Gael. guin=gum, points, darts ; 
 guimm, I wound, sting, stab; gun- 
 ta, wounded ; guinneach, sharp- 
 pointed. The last word points to 
 a primitiv^e gund or gunt. Cf . Sans. 
 han for ghan, to strike, wound 
 
 Some forms of Sans, han are from ghan, and some 
 from ghat. The prim, form was then ghant ; hence 
 ghund, and by the Welsh verbal formative, z^=Eng. {, 
 ghundy and hundy. 
 
 Hurburr, the burdock (L.) 
 
 Surchjn, hedgehog (N.); Lat. eritm- 
 cens, id. 
 
 Hurds, tow (L.); gen. hards, ex- 
 plained by Halliwell as "coar-se 
 flax, the refuse of flax or hemp" 
 
 Inkling, a slight desire (N.); inklf, 
 to long for, desire (Cleveland) 
 
 Jabhfir, confused, idle talk (X.) 
 
 W. hor in hor-en, a fat woman; 
 
 hinricg, a lump ; bar, bunch, tuft ; 
 
 Ir. Gael, barr, head, bunch, knob, 
 
 something large and round 
 Ir. uirchin {urchin), a pig ; Arm. 
 
 heureuchin, a hedgehog 
 W. earth, refuse, off-scouring, tow, 
 
 oakum 
 
 W. ainc. desire, craving ; aviditas, 
 desiderium (Dav.), with the Celtic 
 suffix -al 
 
 See Gab
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTEE. 
 
 31 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Jagg, a large bundle of briars used 
 
 as a "clodding harrow" (L.) 
 Jog, a small cartload (N.); gen. jag 
 Jannock, a buttress or support for a 
 wall (N.) 
 
 Jerking, fidgeting, romping (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 W. sawch, heap, pile. Sawch is = 
 
 sag, which becomes shag and jag, 
 
 shortened into jag 
 Gael, damn, a rampart (McAlpine), 
 
 with -oc, the Celtic suffix of small- 
 
 ness ; di, and sometimes da=j; 
 
 Gael, d'lubhal, pronounced juval ; 
 
 or Ir. Gael, daiugncach, a bulwark 
 W. terc, a jerk, a jolt; tei-cu, to jerk. 
 
 Cf. Manx, cheh, hot, for teak 
 
 The same as gird, to strike, from A.-S. gijrd, a rod 
 (Skeat). 
 
 Jigling, jogling, unsteady, easily See G'lgUng. 
 shaken (N.) 
 
 Joh, to thrust quickly a sharp- 
 pointed instrument into anything 
 (N.); to peck (N.) 
 
 Jobbet, a small load (L.) 
 
 Ir. Gael, gob, a bird's bill or beak ; 
 AV. gwp, id.; cobio, to strike 
 
 Jonnick, liberal, kind, hospitable. 
 
 " I went to see him, and he was 
 
 quite jonnick" (N.) 
 Jorum, joram, a brimming dose of 
 
 liquor (L.) 
 Joivl, to push, knock with force (N.) 
 
 Ci.joll, the beak of a bird (Norf .); 
 
 to peck (Lane.) 
 
 Jubs, the lower course of the great 
 oolite (N.) ; Prov. Sw. kubb, a short 
 piece cut from the stock of a tree 
 
 Kabes, chilblains (N.) ; a var. of kibes 
 
 Kailey, healey, a term for red, stony 
 land (N.); keal, sand or rock (N.) ;' 
 Cf. kail, to throw stones (Suff.); 
 Fr. caillou, flint-stone, pebble 
 
 Kecklock, wild mustard (L.), H.; 
 kecks, kex, the dry stock of the 
 hemlock or other umbelliferous 
 plants; the plants themselves (N. 
 and L.) ; Fr. cigue, hemlock, kex 
 (Cotg.) 
 
 Keel, ruddle for sheep (L., N.) 
 
 W. gob, a heap, a pUe. The termi- 
 nation -et (in Welsh -aid) is a Cel- 
 tic form 
 
 Ir. Gael, geanach, pleasant, in a plea- 
 sant humour, kind 
 
 W. gorm, a plenum ; gor, great, ex- 
 treme, high 
 
 Manx, jolg, thorn, prong ; coU, goll, 
 sharp point, sting ; Ir. Gael, colg, 
 sting, prickle ; VV., Corn, col, a 
 sharp point, sting, awn 
 
 W. gob, lump, heap ; Ir. Gael, caob, 
 a lump=caia ovcoba; Manx, ceo fe, 
 a lump; Sans, kap-dla, head, skull 
 
 W. gibics, commonly y gibi (cibi), a 
 kibe, kibed heels (Rich.;, cibivsf, 
 chilblains, from cib, vessel, shell, 
 husk (a round form), and gwst, a 
 watery humour 
 
 0. "W. caill, a stone; Arm. kell, testi- 
 cle, prim, a stone (r. cal, hard) ; 
 kail, kalch, stone, testicle 
 
 W. cecys, plants with hollow stems; 
 in some places hemlock ; cegid, 
 hemlock ; llys for llych, plant, 
 herb 
 
 Ir. Gael, cil, ruddle, red ochre 
 
 ^ " Whether they are pieces or shreds of the limestone, of the ragg, or 
 of our ordinary sandstone, they have all the name of keale."' (Morton.)
 
 32 
 
 ClilLTFC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS, ETC. 
 
 ANCLO-CKf^TK!. 
 
 Kcll, mombnine covering the omen- 
 tum of a .slaughtered animal (N., 
 L.). Sometimes caul 
 
 Keltcr, order, condition, good case 
 (N.) 
 
 Kfi/s, the seed-vessels of " the ash 
 (N., L.) 
 
 hid, a bundle or fagot of dry thorns 
 (N.) 
 
 Kidnunck, h'lddenunch. "If in a cap 
 or bonnet the ribbon is oddly or 
 irregularly placed, one part pro- 
 jecting before another, it is said 
 to stand up in hidnuncks''' (N.) 
 
 Kids, pods of beans and peas 
 
 Kill, kiln (N.), S: 
 
 Kimble, to humble. '• He was very 
 
 much Jdmbled'" (N.) 
 Kimple, to flinch from, to hesitate. 
 
 "Come, don't kimjile^ at your 
 
 work" (N.) 
 Kimmel, kimhle, a washing tub (L.) 
 
 Knack, to be more fortunate than 
 another. If one boy has a piece 
 of plum-cake, and another has 
 none, he says, "1 knack you" CN.). 
 Cf. Lancashire phrase, " That 
 beats me (sui-passes me)" 
 
 Knoggings, small refuse stones used 
 in masonry for the inside of a 
 wall (N.) ; Germ, knocken, knot, 
 bunch, a borrowed word (see 
 Skeat, s. v. knoll) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Ir. Gael, ceal (cela), a covering ; W. 
 
 cdu, to cover, to hide ; caul, a 
 
 calf's maw 
 Ir. Gael. cail=cpl, condition, state ; 
 
 -dar as a suffix (in Welsh dfr) 
 
 answers to Eng. -ness in goodness 
 W. cae inclosure 
 
 W. cedi/s, bundles of wood, fagots ; 
 
 Sans, chiti, layer or pile of wood 
 W. cyd, denoting^union ; cnioc (knook), 
 
 lump, knob 
 
 W. cydijn, a little bag or pouch ; 
 
 c%od, cod, bag, pod, etc. 
 W. cylyn, a kiln; cil, a recess 
 
 Probably from W. camu, to curve, 
 bend, wind. Cf. ceimwch (lobster), 
 from cam; Eng. kim-kam, crook- 
 edly 
 
 W. cioman, a tub (cymanell, a little 
 
 tub); Ir. rM?H,a», a dish; Gael. c(t- 
 
 7nan, a milk-pail 
 Ir. Gael, cnag for oiac, to beat, 
 
 strike ; s., a knob, a knock ; W. 
 
 cnocio, to beat, to rap (see Skeat, 
 
 s. V. knock') 
 
 W. cmoc, bunch, hump, lump ; Ir. 
 Gael, cnag, a knob; Arm. cnearh, 
 hillock 
 
 1 The word cam was primarily camh {camp), as the Sans, kamha (shell, 
 ring) shows ; and camh or camp, with the Celtic verbal suffix -al, would 
 become campal, varied into kimple. 
 
 {To be eontinued.)
 
 girchaeal0|ia Camk^n^i^. 
 
 FIFTH SERIES.— VOL. II, NO. VL 
 
 APRIL 1885. 
 
 THE CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTIC 
 WORDS OF THE COUNTIES OF NORTH- 
 AMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 (Continued from p. Z2.) 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Lace, to beat (N.) 
 
 Loivk, to beat, to thrash (N.) 
 
 Lag, to loiter, to flag (N.); Sans. 
 laghu, weak, mean ; Prov. Sw. lakk, 
 loose, limp 
 
 Lair, corn which is beaten down in 
 one direction is said to be laired 
 (N.) 
 
 Lash, juicy, rank (N.), S.; lush, id. 
 (N.), S. 
 
 Lathy, thin, slender, as a lath of 
 wood (N.) ; Du. lat, Germ, latte, 
 lath 
 
 Lawn, laund, an open space in a 
 chase or forest (N.) ; Fr. lande, a 
 wide, untilled plain; Germ, land 
 
 The diphthoDgal sound 
 in lawn is a Celtic usao^e. 
 
 CELTIC. 
 W. llachio, to beat ; llach, blade, 
 
 stroke; Corn, lace, lak, to slap, to 
 
 cudgel 
 W. llag, Corn, lac, loose, sluggish ; 
 
 W. llacaii, to become loose, to 
 
 droop; Corn, lacca, to faint; Arm. 
 
 lug, slow, lazy ; Ir. Gael, lag, 
 
 Manx, lliag, slack, loose 
 Ir. Gael, lar, the ground ; Manx, 
 
 laare, ground, floor ; W. llawr, 
 
 Corn, ler, floor, ground, earth 
 Ir. Gael, lua, water ; O. Ir. lus, gl. 
 
 ihhe, drink, liquid {O. Ir. G^Z.,101); 
 
 Ir. Gael, luis, drink ; lusach, 
 
 drinker 
 W. Hath, rod, wand ; Arm. Zas;,perche, 
 
 long baton, gaule ; Ir. ladliar, fork, 
 
 prong ; Sans, lata, branch' 
 W. llan, enclosure ; llawnt, smooth, 
 
 rising hill, lawn ; Ir. Gael, lann 
 
 for land, enclosure, house, church ; 
 
 Corn. Iaw7i, clear, open; W. llaned, 
 
 of a level and open surface; Arm. 
 
 lanou, waste, level ground 
 
 which the vowel has taken 
 "A, when long, sounds like 
 
 ' The Sans, lata means also a slender, graceful woman. 
 5th sek., vol. II. 6
 
 82 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 a in the English words call, fall." (0'Don.,/r. Gram., 
 p. 8.) 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Leam, to drop or leap from the hull, 
 as a ripe filbert or nut (N.), L. 
 
 Learn, a drain or water-course in 
 the fenny districts (N.), S. 
 
 Leech, the cuticle or harh of mutton 
 or beef which remains on the 
 back or loins of an animal after 
 it is skinned^ (N.) 
 
 Leuf, the palm of the hand (N.), " a 
 very old word" (Baker) ; 0. N. 
 lumma, magna et adunca manus 
 
 Lick, to beat (N.) 
 
 Lowk, id. (L.) 
 
 Limb, a virago, a termagant (N.) 
 
 Limp, flimsy of texture, as un- 
 starched linen, or that has lost its 
 stiffness (N.) ; 0. N. limpiaz, de- 
 ficere; linqm, limpness, weakness 
 (Skeat). Not in Halderson's or 
 Egillson's Dictionary 
 
 Listen, to meditate. " What are you 
 listening on?" (N.) 
 
 Lob, to hang down, to droop (N.); 
 looving, roving idly about (N.) 
 
 Loo ! loo ! loo ! a reiterated excla- 
 mation used to excite dogs to fight, 
 or to urge greyhounds to the pur- 
 suit of a hare (N.); commonly 
 Eloo ! the hunter's cry 
 
 Looby, an awkward, clownish fellow 
 (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Ir. Gael, leim, a leap, a spring ; 
 
 Manx, IJieim, id.; W. Ham, Corn. 
 
 lam, a leap, a bound ; in Corn, a 
 
 slip, sliding 
 Ir. Gael, lo, lua, water; leann, liquidj 
 
 lean, leana, a swampy meadow 
 W. llych,a covering; llech, a covert; 
 
 llech, a flat surface, a flat stone; 
 
 llechfa, lurking-place, covert ; Ir. 
 
 leac, a flat stone, a flake; to flay ; 
 
 Arm. leach, liach, a stone ; Sans. 
 
 lekhana, the bark of a plant 
 W. Haw, the hand, for llav ; Com. 
 
 luef, luf; Arm. lav, lao; Ir. Gael. 
 
 lamh ; Manx, lane, id. Probably 
 
 connected with Sans, labh, to take 
 
 hold of ; Gr. Ac/x/S-ofw. See Fick^, 
 
 i, 192 
 See Lack 
 
 W.llym, sharp, keen, severe; Ihmin, 
 
 of a sharp or keen quality; Arm. 
 
 lemm (for lemb?), sharp, keen, 
 
 cutting 
 0. W. Uimp, soft, smooth ; "W. llipa, 
 
 llibin, soft, flaccid; lleipr, flaccid; 
 
 Ir. Gael, liomh, to smooth ; Ir. 
 
 limbron, smooth ; Sans, lamb, to 
 
 fall, lie ; lamba, hanging 
 
 Ir. liseaclh, thinking, imagining ; 
 
 lisim, I think of, imagine ; Sans. 
 
 las, to do anything scientifically 
 
 or skilfully (?) 
 Ir. Gael, tub, to bend, bow down, 
 
 incline, curve 
 W. elu, to go, to move ; ehcch, go ye ! 
 
 Arm. elo, a kind of poplar with 
 
 very mobile leaves 
 
 W. llob, a dull feUow, blockhead 
 
 ' It is a common direction of a butcher to his boy, when skinning a 
 beast, " Take care you don't spoil the leech." The primary meaning 
 seems to be that of covering. " En Haut Leon", says Pelletier, "on donne 
 06 nom (pleach) a certaines grandes pierres plates, un pen elev^es de terre, 
 sous laquelles on pent etre a couvert." Cf. Sans, lij) (for lik ?), to cover, 
 spread over.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 83 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Lush, strong drink (L.); lushj, rather 
 tipsy, fresh (N.) 
 
 Machled, spotted (N.); Lat. macula^ 
 Fr. macule 
 
 MacJcy, neat, spruce, smart. " He 's 
 quite a viachy little man (N.) ; Du. 
 viak, tame, gentle 
 
 Mag, a penny (N.) ; meg, id. (Leeds) ; 
 Fr. mahon, cuivre, medaille de 
 cuivre (Roq.) 
 
 Mag, to prate, to chatter (N.); mag- 
 ging, disputing (N.), S. ; Fr. 7no- 
 quer, to deride 
 
 Mammered,perplexed, confused (N.), 
 S. 
 
 Mammock, to cut anything waste- 
 fully into small pieces (N.) 
 
 Maunder, to mutter, to grumble (N.) ; 
 mant, to stammer, to stutter 
 (Lane.) 
 
 Maung'm, the same meaning as maun- 
 der; 0. N. mogla, murmurare 
 
 Metheglin, honey beer, made after 
 the pure honey is extracted from 
 the last crushing of the comb (N.), 
 L. 
 
 Midgerum, fat, fat of the intestines 
 (L.);' midgerum (Lane). Halli- 
 well has midgerim. Cf . W. rhim, 
 rhimp, rim, edge, limit 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Ir. Gael. luis=lusi, di'ink, liquid ; 
 O. Ir. lus, gl. ibhe, drink (0. Ir. 
 GL, 101); Ir. Gael. Zo, lua, water; 
 laith, liquid, milk, ale, strong 
 drink 
 
 W. mad, magi, a spot, macula (Dav.) ; 
 apparently in both senses, spot or 
 mesh, for magi means a portion 
 of land, as we say a spot of earth ; 
 Ir. masla, a spot, for macla (?) 
 (Foley) 
 
 Ir. Gael, mac, clear, bright ; Gael. 
 macahh, a fair youth, an accom- 
 plished person ; Sans, makha, 
 cheerful, lively (Ved.) 
 
 Gael. meachainn=mach-in, a half- 
 penny, gratuity to a servant, 
 abatement of rent ; Ir. meachain, 
 an abatement ; meaGan=mac-in, 
 hire, wages, reward ; prim, mo- 
 ney (?) ; Ir. Gael, umha, for um- 
 hag (?), copper. Cf. Sans, ambaka, 
 id. 
 
 Ir. Gael, mag, to scoff, deride, jeer ; 
 Ir. magar, a word ; macha, scold, 
 termagant ; Sans, man'h, to speak 
 
 Ir. Gael. maoim=mam\, fear, alarm, 
 surprise ; maom, fear, terror ; 
 Manx, moandagh, dull, faltering; 
 Sans, manda, id. 
 
 W. man, small, petty, fine; Ir. Gael. 
 m'ln, small; Manx, minnig, a pinch, 
 a crumb ; with the Celtic verbal 
 suffix, -oc or -och 
 
 W. mant, jaw, mouth ; mantai for 
 mantair, a mumbler; Ir. mant, the 
 gum; muntaire, a lisper; mantach, 
 lisping, mumbling; Gael, mand, a 
 lisp, a stammer ; mantair, stam- 
 merer ; Manx, moandagh, to lisp, 
 to stammer 
 
 W. miongial, to mutter, to murmur 
 
 W. meddyghjn, hydromel, a medi- 
 cinal drink, from meddyg, physi- 
 cian; Lat. medicus, and llyn, prim, 
 liquid 
 
 Ir. Gael, meadhon, middle, centre ; 
 ramh-ar, fat, gross, thick 
 
 * In the North the form is mugerorn, from W. mrich ; Ir. Gael, muc, a 
 pig, and ramh-ar, fat. Midgerum may be only a variation of mugerorn. 
 
 6«
 
 84 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 Miff, ofFoncc, a slight fit of ill hu- 
 mour or peevishness (N.), L. ; 
 Prov. Germ, muff, sulky ; muffen^ 
 to be sulky (Mahn) 
 I Mhmckinfj, sickly, weakly (N.) 
 < j]Ji)i'ikin, small, delicate (N.) 
 ( Alinnockin;/, affecting much deli- 
 cacy, aping fine manners (N.) 
 Moil, to labour, to toil wearisomely 
 (N.) 
 
 Ir. Gael, miahhan (iniv), ill humour, 
 a megrim 
 
 See Mammock 
 
 Ir. Gael, m/iol ; Manx, mryl, a ser- 
 vant; Arm. mael, servant d'armes; 
 W. mael, work. Cf . Ir. Gael, modh, 
 mocjh, slave, labourer, which, with 
 -al, become mndhal, mofjhal, to 
 act as a slave ; a vowel-flanked d 
 or g being often silent in Celtic, 
 g being represented by i 
 
 From 0. Fr. moiller, to wet, to moisten : the original 
 meaning was to soften. (Skeat.) 
 
 Mommered, puzzled, perplexed, be- 
 wildered. " He was so mommered 
 he couldn't speak" (N.), fright- 
 ened (?) 
 
 Mop, a fair at which servants are 
 hired (N.), L. ; commonly a broom^ 
 
 See Mamm^red 
 
 Mopus, money. " Have you got any 
 mopusesf (N.) In Lincolnshire 
 mawpuses 
 
 Gael, mob, anything rough, as tuft, 
 mop, mob, disorder ; mohag, a 
 rough -haired girl ; mohamn, to 
 handle roughly ; W. mapiol, a mop; 
 Ir. moipal, id. ; Gael, moibeal, a 
 broom 
 
 From mag (g. v.), a penny, whicli 
 with the case-form becomes via- 
 gas, whence, by a regular Celtic 
 variation, mapas, and afterwards 
 maupas and mopus 
 
 For the change from a primitive c (k) to p, see Kuhn's 
 Zeits, viii, 35 ; for that of a into au or o, see Zeiiss^, 
 17, and O'Donovan's /r. Gram., 8. The ancient Britons 
 had coined money in gold, silver, brass, and tin. Of 
 this last form we have a reminiscence in the slang 
 phrase, " How are you off for tin f' See Evans, Coins 
 of the Ancient Britons, p. 123. 
 
 Mart, a great quantity or number W. maicr, mor; Ir. Gael, mor, great, 
 (N.), L.; O. N. margr, multus large, W. ; W. maivredd, great- 
 
 ness ; Ir. moradh, augmentation ; 
 Sans, mahas, greatness, abundance 
 Mospsf. To say vjoses is to make a W. mmvs=mds, pleasure, delight, 
 matrimonial offer (N.) pleasant, sweet ; mawsi, to be 
 
 sweet, give pleasure 
 
 As nieaning a broom, probably from O. Fr. mappe, napkin (Skeat).
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 85 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Mozy, shaggy, covered with hair 
 
 (N.),L. 
 Mozy, tainted, musty, beginning to 
 
 decay (L.) 
 Mudgins, the fat about the intestines 
 
 of a pig (L.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Ir. Gael, mosach, rough, bristly 
 
 W. mws, stinking, rank; Arm. moues, 
 humide, un peu mouille 
 
 Ir. Gael, muc, W. moch, a pig ; cen, 
 cin (in comp. gin), a skin, a sur- 
 face ; Ir. Gael. (^s)gann, a mem- 
 brane 
 
 The d in mudgins seems only to strengthen the g, as 
 we have judge from Fr. juge ; but if it be organic, cf. 
 Ir. meath, Sans, meda, fat. In this case, however, it is 
 difficult to account for the change of vowel. The final 
 s denotes probably a case-form, -ginis. 
 
 Mug, the face. Ugly-mug is a com- 
 mon nick-name (L.) 
 
 Mug, a cup for liquor (N.) ; Sw. 
 
 mugg, a mug (Skeat). Not in 
 
 Widegren or D;ihnert 
 Muggy, damp with warmth, hazy 
 
 (N.); 0. N. mugga, caligo pluvia 
 
 V. nivalis 
 Muggy, the white-throat, Motacilla 
 
 Sylvia (N.) 
 
 Ir. muig (jnugi), a surly face ; Gael- 
 
 (s)muig, a snout, (in derision) face; 
 
 Sans, mukha, face 
 Ir. mugan, a mug ; mucog, a cup, a 
 
 hip (berry) : Ir. mogal, mogul, a 
 
 globe, a husk 
 W. mioci, fog; mwg, smoke; mwygl, 
 
 sultry, tepid ; Ir. much, smoke 
 
 W. much, gloom ; muchiad, darken- 
 ing, blackening ; mivg. Arm. nid- 
 ged, smoke 
 
 Its general colour is a rusty gray with blackish wings. 
 
 Mull, to rub, to grind, as paint (L.); 
 O. N. mylia, to bruise 
 
 J/u/Zoct, dirt, rubbish, refuse, sweep- 
 ings (N.) ; Du. mollem, violm, 
 mouldering stuff 
 
 W. malu. Arm. mala, to bruise, to 
 grind 
 
 W. miolwch, miolog (moolog), refuse, 
 sweepings, filth ; imvl, chaff, re- 
 fuse ; Ir. Gael. 7710II, dust, refuse ; 
 mollach, rough, ragged; muilleach 
 =muUec, a puddle 
 
 Primarily a mining term; W. mwn- 
 dill, a ladle, a stirrer; from vixmi, 
 ore, and dilu, to work 
 
 W. mwngial, to murmur 
 
 See 3Iuggy 
 
 W. maen=mani, stone, and tyn, 
 stretched (?) 
 
 Prof. Skeat connects midlion with munnion, &t\\\ used 
 in Dorset, and the latter with Fr. 7noignon, a stump, 
 the blunt end of a thing ; but this will not explain the 
 word muntin. The change of short a to u is common 
 in Sanskrit and Celtic. 
 
 Mundle, a wooden instrument used 
 for washing potatoes, etc. (L.) 
 
 Mungel, to murmur (L.) ; 0. N. mog- 
 
 la, to murmur 
 Mungy, sultry, hot 
 
 Muntin, the stone mullion of a win- 
 dow (N.)
 
 86 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Mupped^ crowded, inconvenienced 
 for want of room (N.) 
 
 Mask. To send pigs to mmk is to 
 send them to pick up stray corn 
 after harvest (N.) Prim, it meant 
 to send them to the wood to pick 
 up acorns ; A.-S. m^ste, food, 
 acorns 
 
 Nab, the head (N.); 7ioh, id. (N.); 
 iiobhT/, a lump of anything (N.); 
 Du. kno}), O. N. kncqyj^i', knob, 
 globulus 
 
 Nackling, striking one hard sub- 
 stance against another (N.); A.-S. 
 cmician, to knock. "Borrowed 
 from Celtic." (Skeat) 
 
 Nan, what did you say ? (N.), S. 
 
 Naunt, to bridle up (L.) 
 
 Nauntle, to hold yourself erect (N.) 
 
 Natty, spruce, smart, neat (N.) 
 
 Nitle, neat, handsome (L.); Prov. 
 Sw. 7iytli, pleasant, savoury, use- 
 ful, from njota, to be of use ; Fr. 
 net 
 
 Neddy, a simpleton (N.) ; sometimes 
 noddy, Fr. naud'in, a simpleton 
 
 Newk, corner, angle (N.) ; O. N. 
 hnocM, a hook 
 
 Nick ! Nick ! the cry of a boy when 
 obliged to leave a game^ (N.) 
 
 Nickled, beaten down, as corn by a 
 violent wind (N.) 
 
 Ni7nm, 7iim, to fidget. " Doont ye 
 nim soo"; used of one playing the 
 Devil's tattoo, tapping his foot, or 
 swinging one leg over the other 
 (L.) 
 
 Noggi)!, a short, thick lump (N.); a 
 small drinking horn (N.); a small 
 drinking ve ssel (L.); Germ, knock- 
 en, knot, bunch 
 
 Nor, than (N.) 
 
 Nub, a knob (N.) 
 
 Nubbin,^ the stump or stock of a tree 
 
 See 3fop 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 W., Corn, mes, acorns, food; Ir. 
 Gael. measg=masgi, an acorn ; 
 vieas, tree-fruit, especially acorns; 
 Arm. 7)iesa, garder les bestiaux au 
 paturage ; rather, to feed them 
 
 W., Ir., cnap, knob, boss, a round 
 thing ; Ir. cnaijnn, a lump of any- 
 thing 
 
 Ir. cnag, Gael, cnac, to knock, crash; 
 W. cnoc, a blow; cnocellu, to tap, 
 to peck 
 
 W. nan, what now ? Gael, nann, an 
 
 interrogative particle^ 
 W. nawni, to raise or hold up ; uni- 
 
 aioni, to straighten 
 
 W. nith, clean, pure ; Arm. neat= 
 nati, neat, comely (net, propre) ; 
 Lat. nitidus 
 
 Ir. Gael, naoidhe, babe, infant (?) 
 Ir. Gael, niuc^nuki, a corner 
 W. nyclia ! Lo ! behold ! 
 
 W. cnic, a rap, a blow ; cnicell, a 
 striker. See Nackling 
 
 W. mi-yf=nem, vivacity, animal 
 spirits ; mcyfo, to grow lively or 
 wanton ; Arm. n'lnra, chagriner, 
 s'inquieter, i.e., to be restless or 
 uneasy 
 
 W. cnwc, lump, knob, boss ; cnycyn, 
 pron. cnucyn, a knob ; Ir. Gael. 
 noigean, noigin=nogin, a mug, a 
 small cup : hence nugget, which 
 has a Celtic suffix 
 
 O. W. noj", than ; Arm, na for nar 
 
 W. cmcb, knob [cnybyn, pron. cnu- 
 bin, a single knob] ; Ir. Gael, cnaj). 
 
 1 See Arch. Camb., April 1881, p. 96. 
 
 2 A more common form is nix, but nick is nearer the W. nycha. The 
 player calls upon his adversary to take notice that he is obliged to leave 
 the game for a time. For nix, see Arch. Camb., Jan. 1883. p. 11. Miss 
 Baker thinks that St. Nicholas is appealed to, as he is the patron saint of 
 boys. 
 
 3 The form, nubb-in, is Celtic. It means a single lump. Cf. W. hesg.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 87 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 after it has been cut down (L.); 
 Germ, knopf^ knob, button, head ; 
 Dan. knap, small ball, boss ; Sw. 
 knubb, a short block 
 Nuddle, to nestle, to fondle (N.); 
 Lat. nidus, nest 
 
 Nunting, curtailed in dimensions, so 
 as to have an appearance of scanti- 
 ness and meanness (N.); Prov. 
 Sw. niitta, a little maid 
 q/',2 a fool, a blockhead (L.), a 
 clownish rustic (Sal.); also aiifia 
 med. Eng.; A.-S. (elf, fairy, elf 
 (Skeat) 
 
 Offling, a feeble, shufi&ing gait (N.); 
 Du. hobbelen, to toss on the water, 
 to stutter (Skeat) 
 
 Omj/, mellow, applied to land (N.) 
 
 Otchil,^ hole, lurking-place 
 
 Pack, heap, quantity, number. A 
 genuine Celtic word. The Dan. 
 packe, Germ, pack, are borrowed 
 
 Pad,, a fox's foot, sporting term 
 (N.), V. to travel on foot (N.); 
 Lat. p>es (j)eds), foot 
 
 Pads, peds, open panniers (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 knob, boss; cnapan, a small knob, 
 hillock ; W. cjiapan, a round mass 
 or knob 
 
 W. nyth, Corn, noth, Arm. nytli, Ir. 
 nead, a nest ; W. nythu, to form a 
 nest, to nestle [_nythal, pron. nu- 
 ihal, to nestle] ; Sans, nlda, nest, 
 lair^ 
 
 Ir. nainan, a dwarf (?); Lat. nanus 
 
 W. of, Ir. Gael, omh (of), raw, rude; 
 am, amh (pron. dv'), fool, simple- 
 ton; Manx, aiv (av), raw; awane, 
 a silly fellow 
 
 W. hobelu, to hobble, to move as a 
 bird, subsultare (Dav.); hobel, a 
 bird 
 
 Ir. Gael, omh, amh, raw, unsodden; 
 prim, moist, soft; W. of, raw; of- 
 aidd for omaidd, crumbling; of- 
 awd, mouldering 
 
 W. achel, hole, hiding-place 
 
 Ir. Gael, pac, paca, pack, a mob ; 
 Arm. 2iak, assemblage of things ; 
 paka, to pack, also to seize; Sans. 
 ^;as', to bind; paksh, to seize, take 
 a part ; paksha, side, troop, num- 
 ber of adherents 
 
 Ir. ^jaiit, W. 2^^d, foot ; Sans, pad, 
 foot 
 
 Ir. 2^cita, a vessel; padhal, pail, ewer; 
 Sans, patra, vessel, jar ; puta, 
 cup, vessel 
 
 sedge ; hesgen, a single rush ; caws, cheese ; cosyn, a single cheese ; plant, 
 children ; j^l^nfyn, a child. 
 
 ^ The Sanskrit 7ilda is probably for nista^=ni sta, for stha, to dwell. The 
 W. nyth represents, then, an older nista, which became 7ilta ; and the 
 vowel-flanked t becoming aspirated, nytha, nyth. The retention of the 
 primitive t is an argument for the Aryan, not Roman, origin of the W. 
 nyth ; but the y must have changed to the u sound before the Saxon in- 
 vasion. 
 
 2 The changeling supposed to be left by fairies was puny and sickly ; 
 but in Lancashire and Shropshire the oaf was a large, heavy, coarse man, 
 a "clownish rustic" in the language of Miss Jackson. He was certainly 
 stupid, but clownishness was his chief feature. In The Slang Dictionary 
 (1874) an o«/is said to be " a lumbering, awkward fellow". This describes 
 the Lancashire, and I presume the Leicestershire, oaf. 
 
 ^ I find that this word is used in Nottinghamshire, a neighbouring 
 county. It belongs, therefore, only presumably to Northamptonshire.
 
 88 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC, 
 
 Paddle^ a plough-spud to clean the 
 plough (N.); Lat. spatula 
 
 Paid, beat. " I've paid him well" 
 
 (N.) 
 Panne! , a pad with a ridge before 
 and behind to carry calves (N.); 
 Fr. panneau,a, pannel; O. Fr.^;a?t- 
 nel 
 Pattikeys, the seed-vessels of the 
 ash (N.) 
 
 (Peak,peakinff, weak, languid, nip- 
 •< ped, sharp-featured (N.) 
 (Piked, pointed, as a piked stick 
 (N.); Fr. pic, a peak 
 Peark, said to be a var. of peart; but 
 peark has more reference to 
 form, and ^5mr< to speech, though 
 not exclusively. To j)ei'k oneself 
 up is to adorn (H.) 
 Peart, lively, brisk, impudent (L.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Jr. Gael, spadal, a plough-stafiP; spad, 
 a flap; W. yspawd, a blade; yspo- 
 dol, spattle 
 
 W. piJiyyo=peo, to beat, to bang 
 
 W. pannel, a thick matting of straw, 
 cushion of a pack-saddle ; pan, 
 down, fur; Arm. ^;a?«wcZ, a cushion 
 
 W. pitw, small ; cae, inclosure 
 
 W. pig (pic), a sharp point ; Arm. 
 pik, id.; Jr. Gael, jwac, any sharp- 
 pointed thing, a long tail 
 
 W. 2Krc, trim, neat, compact ; Arm. 
 pergen, propre, net, pur, poli; W. 
 per, sweet, pleasant 
 
 W. ];>ert, smart, saucy, pert ; herth, 
 fair, neat ; Arm. p)ilt for purl, 
 sharp, biting 
 
 W. picio, to cast, to throw 
 
 W. pegiim, pin, spindle ; pegor, peg, 
 pivot ; W. pig, Corn, peg, sharp 
 point, prick 
 
 Jr. Gael. ^jcaZZ (for peltaf), skin, 
 hide ; Lat. j^ellis^ 
 
 'W.pen,head, top, summit; lie, place; 
 penile, the top-place, summit 
 
 W. paffio, to bang, to buffet 
 
 Peck, to throw, to vomit (L.) 
 Peggens, children's teeth (N.) 
 
 !Pelt, the skin of a slaughtered 
 animal, esp. a sheep's skin (N.) 
 Pilch, a ilannel wrapper; formerly 
 a mantle made of skins (N.) 
 Pendle-stone, a name given by quar- 
 rymen to the upper course in a 
 stone-pit (N.) 
 Pevy, to pelt. " He pevy''d him well" 
 (N.) 
 
 The W. Jpciffio seems to be connected with the curious 
 Northamptonshire word ])Gps, to throw at, or rather to 
 beat down, to cause to fall. A market-woman said, " I 
 was obliged to get the plums before they were ripe, the 
 boys 2^(-'ps'(-l 'em down so." A Greek scholar will be 
 reminded of Gr. TriTrra), which Fick corrects with Sans. 
 pat, to fall, descend. Cf. Sans, j^'iisat for pij^tsat, a de- 
 siderative form, but meaning " habitually falling down". 
 
 Arm. Jilip, passercau 
 
 Phillip, the sparrow, Fringilla do- 
 
 mestica (N.) 
 Pick, to throw, to cast (N.), L. See 
 
 Peck 
 
 W. picio, to throw, to fling 
 
 ^ The Latin pelliti shows that the Prov. Sw. pels, skin, must be borrowed.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 89 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 P'lch, a sharp point, a prong (N.) 
 Ficken, to sharpen (N.); ^jecZ:, short 
 
 stubble (N.) ; Fr. ^«c, a peak ; 
 
 O. N. pikka, A.-S. pycan, pun- 
 
 gere 
 Piddle, to trifle with one's food, eat 
 
 daintily without appetite (L.), to 
 
 do any light work (Glouc.) 
 Pirjgin, a small cylindrical vessel 
 
 formed of staves, one longer than 
 
 the rest serving as a handle (N.) 
 P'lghtle, intle, a small inclosure at 
 
 the back of a cottage (N.) 
 (Pike, a piece of land running to 
 -} a point (N.) 
 {Pikell, a two-pronged fork (N.) 
 
 Pile, to take off the awns of thrashed 
 barley (L., M.,N.); j^«/es, the awns 
 of barley (N.) ; Fr. peler, to peel 
 off ; Prov. Sw. ^^^eZa, to peel off 
 (borrowed) 
 
 Pill, skin, bark; v. to peel (N.), L. 
 
 P'lnglc, a clump of trees or under- 
 wood not large enough for a spin- 
 ney (N.) ; pimgled, shrivelled (N.) 
 
 Pink, Spink, the chaffinch, Tringilla 
 coelebs (N.), L. 
 
 Pinnock, to take out the feathers of 
 a bird to prevent flight (N.) 
 
 f Pm'Z, a term applied to a top when 
 
 J it revolves very rapidly. "It 
 
 I pirls well" (N.) 
 
 l^Purl, to bring the cotton from 
 
 the back to the front of the 
 
 knitting pin (N.) 
 
 Pit, a pond (L.); A.-8.pi/tt, pit, well; 
 
 Lat. puteus, a well (Skeat) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 W. pig (for pic), a sharp point ; Ir. 
 Gael, peac, id.; W. picell, dart, 
 javelin; Arm. ;jiX"a, piquer, percer; 
 pigel, houe, hoyau 
 
 W. ptitw, small, minute; Arm. pitoul, 
 delicate 
 
 "W. p)icyn, Ir. piiQin, Manx, inggyn, a 
 wooden vessel with a handle, from 
 pic, a sharp point 
 
 W. pitw, small ; lie, in comp. le, place 
 
 See Pick 
 
 W. pilio, to strip, to make bare ; 
 Arm. pila, broyer, f rapper 
 
 W. pit, paring, rind 
 
 W. pivng, mass, cluster (^pyngell, 
 
 little cluster) ; Sans, punga, puga,^ 
 
 heap, mass, quantity 
 W. 2^inc, gay, fine ; pincyn, what is 
 
 gay or smart, a finch 
 A Celtic verbal form {see Bommock); 
 
 W. pin, a pen, a stile ; Ir. Gael. 
 
 pnnne, a peg; Manx, pi?m, a stake, 
 
 a pin of wood 
 Gael, piurn, a pirn, a reed to wind 
 
 yarn on ; piridh, top, whirligig ; 
 
 Corn, pyr, round; Ir. Gael, piorra, 
 
 a squall: prim, a whirling wind^ 
 
 Ir. Gael.^^i/, a hollow, a dyke ; Manx, 
 pitt, pudendum muliebre, a pit. 
 Is the first meaning a hollow or 
 water ? Cf . Sans, pita, soaked ; pi, 
 to drink; pltha, water 
 
 If the A.-S. pytt is related to Lat. iiuteus, it must be a 
 borrowed word. 
 
 ^ The Sans, piniga, in connection with W. p<"«5', is sufficient to show 
 that the theory of a total loss of a primitive p in Welsh or Irish is quite 
 untenable. 
 
 2 Jamieson has •'■jnrl, to twist, to twine", -al is a Celtic verbal form- 
 ative. Shakespeare has the word. " From his lips did fly thin, winding 
 breath which, jmrled up to the sky". (Lucr., 1407.)
 
 90 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANCJLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Plache.t, the open part or slit in a 
 gown or petticoat, before or be- 
 hind (N.); the part that folds 
 down 
 
 Plowding, wading and splashing 
 through thick and thin (N.) 
 
 Poach, to impress pasture-land by 
 the feet of cattle (N.); Fr. pocher, 
 to push or dig out with the fin- 
 gers 
 
 Pod, to go. "Pod into the parlour" 
 (L.) 
 
 Poke, to push, to thrust (N.) ; Germ. 
 pochen, to beat 
 
 Poke, a bag (N.);' A.-S. pocca, 0. N. 
 2)oki, a bag. Cf. Poochin, a wicker 
 eel- trap (Sal.) 
 
 Poll, a hard, driving blow (N.), L. ; 
 Sw. bulta, to strike ; Lat. pultare, 
 to beat 
 
 iPoomer, anything very large (N.) 
 (Pommel, the ends which project 
 
 at the back of a cart (N.); O. 
 
 Fr. pomel, a boss 
 
 !Poothy, close and hot, applied to 
 the weather (K), S. 
 Pothery, hot, close, muggy (N.) 
 
 Pooty, a snaU-shell (N.), S. 
 
 Pother, to puff as a person after vio- 
 lent exercise. "A jist did imther 
 some" (N.), S. 
 
 Pouchy, sullen, sulky (N.) 
 
 Poult, a blow on the head (N.) 
 Pncj, to steal (N.), L. 
 
 Prog, to prick, to poke into holes 
 
 s. a short, pointed stick (N.) 
 Proke, to stir the fire (N.) 
 Proggle, a goad (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 W.plygedd, a folding ; j^^l/ff, a bend or 
 fold(2}lygedd=2)luged, ?/=Eng.w) ; 
 Arm. j?5^er/a, plier, courber, ployer; 
 2}legadur, pliage; Lat. p/i^a 
 
 Jr. Gael, jdod, a pool ; 2^lodacIi,, pud- 
 dle, mire ; plodanachd, paddling in 
 water ; Manx, plod, pool ; plodey, 
 to float 
 
 Arm. 2}uka, f aire impression, en pe- 
 sant sur un corps mou ; Jr. Gael. 
 2wc, a blow 
 
 See Pad 
 
 Jr. poc, a blow ; Gael. ^)wc, to push, 
 to jostle ; Corn. 2^o<^i a push, a 
 shove ; Arm. peiika, to butt, push, 
 press 
 
 Ir. jjoc, Gael, poca, a bag. The root 
 is the Ir. hoc, poc, to swell : hence 
 Ir. 2}oicin, a round-bellied man ; 
 2mcoid, a pustule ; pucadh, swell- 
 ing or puffing up; Sans, pa, wind; 
 2MJra, fat, corpulent 
 
 Ir. Gael. ^j«Z^ta(/, j^jaZ/tor/, a blow ; 
 Manx, 2^oalt, 23olt, a blow, especi- 
 ally on the head ; 2^oUeyr, a 
 thumper 
 
 W.picm (poom),pwm2J, a round mass 
 or lump ; piom2')l, a knob, a boss ; 
 Sans. p7«, to collect or heap toge- 
 ther 
 
 W. poeth, hot, burning; Arm. p)oaza, 
 to burn, to cook 
 
 W. pwt, any short thing ; 2nvten, a 
 squabby female ; prim, small, or 
 short and round 
 
 W. 2^oth, pothan, what bulges out, a 
 boss ; iJothellu, to puff up 
 
 W. ^jMc/i, a sigh; 2^ucMol, sighing. If 
 from 2^ont, this is Celtic ; W. ^JiwZw 
 (^p)iotii\ to be sullen, to pout ;_ptt5- 
 tio, to thrust out the lip (Skeat) 
 
 See Polt 
 
 Ir. Gael. 2^'>'S(i(^h, to seize, lay hold 
 
 of (?) 
 W. proc, a thrust, a drive ; procio, to 
 
 thrust, to stab 
 
 ^ Prof. Skeat admits that 2^oke, in each sense, is of Celtic origin.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 91 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. CELTIC. 
 
 Prog, food, provision (N.); Mid. E. Manx, x>roghan, bread steeped in 
 prokken, to beg. The noun from buttermilk, a stufl&ng ; broghan, 
 the verb (Skeat) pottage ; Ir. Gael, brochan, pot- 
 
 tage ; Gael, priogliain =pi-ogin, 
 choice food; y^.iJry^tovpryg^fooA; 
 Corn, bruha, for brugha, pottage ; 
 Ir. brachtan, wheat 
 Proud, projecting, extending, swol- Perhaps connected with W. pledru 
 len. " That lock 's a deal prouder for predru, to stretch or extend 
 on one side than the other" (L.) out; Sans. ^:wi;/j, to extend ; pra- 
 
 tan, to extend, stretch out 
 
 Prof. Skeat says (s. v. 2^'i'oud) that the root is unknown. 
 May not the root-idea be extension or projecting, as in 
 the Leic. word ? Cf. Ir. |)r^i^c?^?^, an upstart poet. 
 Pughe has prad, a gentle spread, and pryd, time. 
 
 Puddle, thick, dirty, stagnant water Ir. Gael, plodan, a small pool ; plod, 
 (N.) a pool, standing water ; plodach, 
 
 puddle, mire (Skeat) ; Manx, plod, 
 pool 
 Puddle, to poke, to push (N.) ; punt, W.pwtiOjto push, thrust, poke; Arm. 
 to push with force (N.) bunta, to thrust, push, repel; j^ou- 
 
 ta, to push 
 ( Puddock, a species of kite (N.) W. pivt, any short thing ; pwten, a 
 
 \ Puddy, 2^^'^'i9yi short, thick-set squabby female; pwtog, short and 
 (L.) ; Prov. Sw. putte, a little thick; Sans. ^w«, to be small 
 thing 
 Pug, to crowd (N.). " The two fa- W. i^wg, what pushes or swells out 
 milies live ^jM</^in^ together" (?) Cf. Sans, ^w^a, jijwn^tt, heap, 
 
 multitude ; W. pwngu, to mass, 
 cluster 
 Pugs, the chaff of small seeds (N.) Gael, puicean, Ir. puicin (pucin), 
 Puggens, the husks of barley (N.) covering, veil ; Ir. Gael, pocan, a 
 
 little bag or pouch 
 Puggy, damp from perspiration (N.) Ir. Gael, bog, soft, moist ; bogach, 
 
 soft, wet, a marsh 
 Pummel, to beat with the fist (N.) W. pwmp, a thump ; pwmpio, to 
 
 thump, to bang ; p-wm^tl, knob, 
 boss 
 Pun, to pound, to beat (N.) ; Prov. W. p^onio, to beat, to thump ; Arm. 
 Sw. punna, to beat with the hand bunta, to butt, strike against 
 
 Pun, a slow, inactive person (N.) Arm. x>ouner, heavy, dull ; W. picn, 
 
 a load 
 Punt, to push with force (N.) See Bunt 
 
 Purr-appAe, cone of the Scotch fir W. pyr, the fir-tree 
 
 (N.) 
 
 Quail, to curdle, coagulate (N.); Fr. W. ceido, to curdle 
 
 cailler, to curdle 
 
 Queegle. to swing backwards, crouch- W. cJnviongl, a sudden turn; chwylo, 
 
 ing down on the heels (L.) to turn, revolve
 
 92 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANGLO-CICr.TIC. 
 
 Quihhlinr/^ an attempt to deceive, a 
 subtle evasion (N.) 
 
 Quiddle, to suck as a child sucks its 
 
 thumb (N.), L. 
 Quilt, to beat (N.) 
 
 QuirJcinrj, quick turning (N.); qmrk, 
 to question, draw one out; Germ. 
 zioerchy awry 
 
 Quob, to throb, to palpitate (L.); 
 
 prim, to beat ; Low Germ, quah- 
 
 beln, to waddle 
 Race, the heart, liver, and lights of 
 
 a calf (N.). It is applied to them 
 
 in their totality as a row or mass. 
 
 Prov. Sw. ras (pron. rose), rank, 
 
 file, line. The proper Sw. word 
 
 is rad 
 Rag, a whetstone for a scythe, from 
 
 being made of the stone called 
 
 Weldon rag (N.) 
 Ramp, a technical term for the slope 
 
 between a higher and a lower wall 
 
 (N.) 
 Ramping, coarse and large ; used 
 
 most to wild, luxuriant vegetable 
 
 growth (N.) ; O. Fr. ramjjer, to 
 
 climb 
 Randan, a name given to ground 
 
 corn after the second sifting (N.) 
 Raum, to reach with an effort after 
 
 a thing, to stretch after (L.) 
 
 CKLTIC. 
 
 W. chivip, a quick flirt or turn ; 
 
 girAhl, an abrupt turn, an eccentric 
 
 course, a quirk ; gvnh, a quick, 
 
 sudden motion; Ir. cuiiAe^, fraud, 
 
 deceit 
 W. chxind, a quick turn ; ehzvido, to 
 
 move quickly ; chioidro, id. 
 Jr. cuilse, a beating ; probably from 
 
 cuilc, a reed ; as we say, to cane a 
 
 man 
 W. chic'ired, a sudden start or turn ; 
 
 craft, cunning ; chwyrn, quick, 
 
 nimble; Gael, cuireid, a turn, wile, 
 
 trick 
 W. chwap, a blow, a stroke; chicapio, 
 
 to strike smartly 
 
 W. rhes=rasi, row, rank, line ; Arm. 
 reiz, id.; Sans, ras'i, heap, group, 
 series 
 
 A corrupt form of crag, W. crag, Jr. 
 Gael, craig, stone, rock 
 
 W. rhamp, a running or reaching 
 out; rham, a reaching out; rhamu, 
 to rise up or over, to soar ; rhem- 
 p\o, to run to an extreme ; Arm. 
 rampa, glisser en ecartant les 
 deux jambes ; Gael, rama'ir, a 
 romp, a coarse, vulgar fellow 
 
 W. rhan, part, division, and dain 
 (dani), fine, delicate (?) 
 
 See Ramp 
 
 The diphthongal sound is a regular Celtic mutation of 
 d. Cf. caivm, to curvet (Leeds) ; W. camu. 
 
 Rathes, rath'mg, the movable rails Gael, rath, W. rhaiod, raft, float 
 round a wagon (N.) 
 
 In Craven it is the frame added to a wagon for the 
 purpose of carrying hay or straw. 
 
 RaunpiJccd, said of an old oak that W. rhawn=^'aun. Arm. reun, long, 
 has the stumps of boughs stand- coarse hair ; W. pig (pik), sharp 
 ing out of its top (L.), M. point, top 
 
 Not for raven-piked, as Mr. Marshall supposes, for that
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 93 
 
 gives no sense. The small shoots that grow in such a 
 position are not unlike hairs. 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Raves, the same as Rathes (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 May be only an accidental variation ; 
 but cf. Ir. Gael, ramh, branch, 
 bough 
 Ret, the growth of weeds in a pond Ir. 7-od, sea- weed ; Gael. 7-dd, weed 
 or river (L.) cast on shore 
 
 Probably rati or roti at first, then by a well known law 
 reti and ret. 
 
 Riddle, a large, coarse sieve (L.); 
 Germ, rddel, a riddle, a little wheel 
 
 Rolloch, to romp about rudely (N.) ; 
 
 O. Fr. roler, to roll 
 Rommack, to play and romp about 
 
 boisterously (N.) 
 Romps, rude, boisterous play (N.) 
 
 Rost, hurry, bustle (L.) 
 Rosty, impatient, hasty (L.) 
 
 Rounce, to bounce, to move uneasily 
 
 (L.) 
 Rout, fuss, bustle, stir (N.) 
 
 Rub, an indirect reproof (N.) 
 Rum, odd, queer (N.); common 
 
 Runt, runty, a dwarfish person (N.) ; 
 a breed of short-legged oxen : 
 hence a short, stout, stunted per- 
 son (L.) ; Du. rund, bullock, ox 
 
 W. rJiidyll, Arm. 7'idel, a sieve ; W. 
 
 rhidio, to drain ; rhid, a drain ; 
 
 Corn, ridar, Ir. Gael, rideal, a 
 
 riddle; San. rit, moving, flowing 
 W. rholio,to roll; Ir. rolaim, I roll; 
 
 with a common Celtic suffix 
 See Ramp 
 
 Arm. rust, rude, violent, brusk; rus- 
 tu, restive ; W. rhys, a rushing ; 
 rhysedd (?/ = Eng. u), a rush, a vio- 
 lent course 
 
 W. rhont, a frisk ; rhontio, to frisk 
 
 W. rhawter, a tumultuous rout ; 
 rhaiotio, to hurry on ; rhawnt, 
 vigour, spirit, activity 
 
 W. rhwb, a rub, a chafe ; Ir. Gael. 
 rubh, rubha, a wound ; rubadh, 
 friction ; ruboir, a rubber 
 
 In Scotland it means excellent (Ja- 
 mieson); as a slang word, "any- 
 thing large, good, or strong" 
 (Slang Diet, by Bee, 1823) ; for- 
 merly " gallant, fine, rich" (BaUey, 
 1776) ; rum cull=rich. fool; ruin 
 bung, a full purse ; rum bleating- 
 cheat, a very fat wether. This 
 last is the primitive meaning. Ir. 
 Gael. ramh-ar,iat;^ raimhe^rami, 
 fatness ; with the Celtic pronun- 
 ciation of short a 
 
 Manx, runtag, a round lump of a 
 thing ; Ir. Gael, ron, strong, fat, 
 gross 
 
 ^ In slang language fat means rich. The idea of eccentricity seems to 
 have arisen from the independence of a rich state. A rich man may in- 
 dulge in whims.
 
 94 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANOLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Sad, heavy, as brcafl that is not pro- 
 perly leavened (N.), L. 
 
 Sags, segs, rushes, reeds (N.), L.; 
 A.-S. secg, sedge, reed 
 
 Sale. " The proprietors of the un- 
 derwood are empowered, by the 
 ancient laws of the forest, to fence 
 in each part or sale as soon as it 
 is cut." (Britten, p. 117) 
 
 A.-S. seel, time, occasion. A borrowed word{?). It does 
 not refer to space. 
 
 CELTIC. 
 W. sad, firm, solid ; Manx, sod, id.; 
 
 Jr. sodaii, a dumpy (O'Don.) 
 Ir. Gael. spasg^ = sesga, sedge or hur- 
 
 reed ; W. hesg, rushes ; hesgen, a 
 
 single rush 
 Ir. Gael, seal, a while, space of time, 
 
 distance, course ; Sans, sel, sal, to 
 
 go, to move 
 
 Sammy, a term of endearment, a 
 favourite. " He 's quite saminif 
 (N.). In Shropshire it means a 
 fool. Corn that is soft, and will 
 not grind freely, is said to be 
 sammy 
 
 Sap, a silly fellow, weak in intellect 
 (N.) 
 
 Saioney, a silly, half-witted person 
 (N.) 
 
 Scald, to boil slightly (N.); scald, to 
 scorch (Norf.); 0. Fr. escalder, to 
 warm; Lat. excaldare, to wash in 
 warm water (Skeat) 
 
 Scale, to disperse, to scatter (N.); 
 A.-S. scylan, to distinguish, sepa- 
 rate, divide 
 
 Scamp, a worthless, unprincipled 
 fellow (N.); Ital. scamjjare, to es- 
 cape, shift away (Skeat) 
 
 Scome, a mantel- piece (N.) 
 Scotch, to dock or curtail (N.), L. 
 
 Ir. Gael, sarnh, samhach, pleasant, 
 quiet. Sometimes used unfavour- 
 ably, as samachan, a soft, quiet 
 person ; samach, quiet, soft 
 
 Ir. Gael, saobh^sapa, silly, foolish 
 
 W. san, a maze ; sanol, amazed, stu- 
 pefied; synnu, to wonder 
 
 Ix. Gael, seal, to burn, to scorch ; 
 gal, heat ; Ir. sgoll (for sgold), 
 Manx, scoaldey, to burn, to scald; 
 Arm. skaot (for skrilt), brulure 
 causee par I'eau ; skaota, bruler 
 
 Ir. Gael, scaoil, sgaoil, to spread, 
 disperse, scatter ; scaol, flight ; 
 Manx, skeayl, to spread, to scat- 
 ter ; W. chwalu, to spread, dis- 
 perse 
 
 Arm. skoemp, skoem, a knave, a 
 swindler (Rev. Celt., iv, 166) ; Ir. 
 scambhnn,^ a, roguish trick, a vil- 
 lainous deed; scanili, a wry mouth; 
 Gael, seamhan, a villainous per- 
 son, a term of great reproach ; 
 Manx, scammylt, a reproach 
 
 Probably connected with Ir. Gael. 
 sgonn (pron. scone), a block of 
 wood 
 
 Ir. Gael, sgoth, sgatJi, to cut, to lop; 
 Gael, sgoch, to cut ; W. cytio, to 
 cut, cut off ; ctrta, short ; Sans. 
 skhad, to cut, lop 
 
 ' Seasg means also dry, barren. The root is the Sans, s'ush, to dry, dry 
 up ; and from it is formed s'ushka, dry, barren. Seasg is = saski. It is a 
 genuine Celtic word. 
 
 2 The root is cam, crooked, awry, perverse.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 95 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 Scrab, to scratch (N.) ; scrabble, to 
 
 scratch, as dogs at a rabbit-hole 
 
 (L.) 
 Scribing -iron, a tool for branding or 
 
 marking trees (N.); Lat. scribo, to 
 
 scratch, engrave, write ; O. N. 
 
 skrapa, Du. schrapen^ to scrape 
 
 Scrim, crim (Hall), a small bit of 
 any edible (N.); A.-S. scrimnian, 
 to dry, wither 
 
 Scroot, a weak, sickly child. " A poor 
 little scroot" (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Ix". Gael. s[/riob, scriob, a scratch, fur- 
 row;' to scratch, engrave; Manx, 
 screeb, a scratch, a graze; W. cra- 
 fu (for crabu), to scratch ; craf, 
 claws, talons; cribo, to comb; Arm. 
 krafa, to scratch, engrave 
 
 Ir. Gael, crimog, a bit, a morsel ; 
 
 Manx, cramman, a fragment, a 
 
 piece 
 Ir. Gael, sgruit, any lean creature; 
 
 sgrut, send, a mean, contemptible 
 
 person; W. crwtyn, a little, dumpy 
 
 fellow 
 
 Prov. Sw. skruten, feeble from age, frail. The W. root 
 criut, seems to show that the Sw. shruten is borrowed, 
 as many Swedish provincial words are. 
 
 Scuff, scuft, nape of the neck (N.) 
 Scug, a pet name for a squirrel (N.) 
 
 Scuttucl', a little bit, of the lowest 
 value (N.) 
 
 Seam, the best lard (L.); Germ, seim, 
 thick, glutinous slime 
 
 Secket, a term of reproach for a child 
 (N.); Lat. siccus 
 
 Segg, a castrated bull (L.) 
 
 Sess, a kind of peat turf (N.) 
 
 ShammiJig, counterfeiting (N.) 
 
 Shindy, a spree, a row (N.). It is the 
 name of a rough game played 
 with curved sticks and a knob or 
 knur of wood. This knur and the 
 game itself are called shindy 
 
 W. gioddf, the neck ; Arm. gouzouk, 
 neck, throat 
 
 Ir. Gael, eosog, a squirrel; probably 
 for eascog, connected with easgna- 
 im, I climb, ascend ; easgnaidh, 
 nimble. E is a frequent prefix in 
 Celtic. Cf. W. efryd=e+bryd 
 
 Ir. Gael, cutach ; Manx, skuttagh, 
 short ; W. civta, short ; cyiio, to 
 cut, curtail ; Sans, kut, to cleave, 
 divide 
 
 W. seim, fat, grease; Arm. soa, soav 
 =soam; in the ninth century, 
 suif=sem, fat, lard ; Corn, seiin, 
 train-oil 
 
 Ir. Gael, sioc, seac, dry, dried up; 
 siocair^, a little, contemptible crea- 
 ture ; seacta, secta, dried up 
 
 Ir. segh, ox, buffalo (Cormack, p. 41), 
 or sioc, W. sych, dry; Ir. seasg, dry 
 
 Probably connected with Ir. Gael. 
 seasg, (1), dry; (2), sedge_ 
 
 W. siom (shorn), a void, deceit, seem- 
 ing to be when there is nothing ; 
 sio77ii, to balk, deceive; Gael. sio??ia- 
 guad (deceit-word), evasion,, pre- 
 tence 
 
 Ir. Gael, sine, sinne (tor sinde), what 
 is round, a teat, a ball or knot of 
 wood; Manx, shinney (tor shinteij), 
 id. 
 
 ' The primitive meaning of the Lat. scribo. The first writing was with 
 a style or graver.
 
 96 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS, ETC. 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. CELTIC. 
 
 5/tir7(;, to twist about in your clothes, W.trrcu, to jerk, to twist; <e?-c, a 
 as when the skin is irritable (N.) jerk 
 
 In some parts of Ireland, t before a vowel "is pronounced 
 sibilantly". (O'Don., p. 39.) 
 
 Shommacks (iov ahommack-efi), a slip- Gael, sgonnach, lumpish, coarse, 
 shod, untidy slattern (N.); Germ. shapeless, rude 
 schaumig, frothy 
 
 The termination -s, for -es, is Celtic. Cf. W. dyn, man ; 
 dynes, woman. 
 
 Shoddy, the waste in worsted mills W. sothach, dregs, refuse 
 (L.) 
 
 What is shed or separated in spinning wool; A.-S. scea- 
 dan. (Skeat.) Shoddy is made by " tearing into fibres 
 refuse woollen goods". (Webster.) 
 
 Shoo! used to drive poultry or scare W. siw (pron. shoo), similarly used 
 . birds (N.) 
 
 O. Fr. chou, id., an old Armoric word still used. {Eev. 
 Celt., iv, 148.) 
 
 Shoi-ry, a large stick on which hedg- Corn, skoren, branch, stake ; W. ys- 
 ers carry fagots (N.) gvjr^sL-our, ysgyren=skuren, id.; 
 
 Arm. skourr, id. 
 Shrud, shruddy, grave, stern (N.) W. ysgrad=scrad, rigid, stiff 
 
 Sometimes appears in slang as shirty, 
 
 Shiiff, a quick gust of wind (N.) W. chicaff,^ a quick gust 
 
 Sidder, light, loose, friable ; applied W. sitr, what jags or shreds (P.); si- 
 to soil that breaks up readUy (L.) trachu, to jag, to shred ; sittrach, 
 
 lacinise (Dav.) 
 
 ^ The Welsh chw represents an older sic. Cf . Sans, svid, to sweat ; W. 
 chtvysu. 
 
 {To be continued.)
 
 rclm^ffl0jgia d^ambr^usiH. 
 
 FIFTH SERIES.— VOL. II, NO. VIL 
 
 JULY 1885. 
 
 THE CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTIC 
 WORDS OF THE COUNTIES OF NORTH- 
 AMPTON AND LEICESTER 
 
 (Continued from p. 96.) 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Sizzle, to dry and shrivel up by the 
 fire; formed from the sound pro- 
 duced by the action of heat on 
 greasy substances (N.). Properly 
 it means to crackle^ 
 
 SLeg, the wild damson (N.), S. 
 
 Skelper, a tall, lanky youth (L.) 
 
 Skerry, sJcerrig, the thin, grey bands 
 (of stone) found in the red brick- 
 earth near Bosworth (L.) 
 
 Skid, an iron slide applied to a wheel 
 on going down hill (L.); A.-S. 
 scid, a billet of wood 
 
 Skilly, a drink made of oatmeal and 
 water (L.) 
 
 Slats, the sleepers or rails for the 
 bed of a cart (N.) 
 
 Slim, thin, slender, slight (N.); O. 
 Du. slim, awry, bias-wise (Skeat) 
 
 Slommacks {slommack-es^^, a drab, a 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 W. sis, a low sound ; sisialu, to mur- 
 mur 
 
 Ir. Gael, sgeach^skega, the haw oi 
 berry of the whitethorn ; Manx 
 skaig=skaga, id. 
 
 Gael, sgecdp=skalpi, a tall man ; Ir. 
 Gael, sgealh, a long stake, a splin- 
 ter 
 
 Ir. Gael. sgreag=skragi, W. careg, 
 rock, stone ; Manx, karrig, sker, 
 id.; Ir. W. craig, rock 
 
 W. esgid=skid, Corn, escid, a shoe ; 
 Sans, sku, to cover 
 
 W. isgell, Corn, iskell, broth, pot- 
 tage 
 
 Ir. Gael, slat ; Manx, slatt, branch, 
 bough; W. llatJi, rod, lath ; Sans. 
 lata, branch 
 
 Ir. Gael. sZi/H, lank, lean, thin; Manx, 
 sliman, a loose garment; W. llym, 
 sharp in edge or point ; Arm. 
 lemm, id. 
 
 Ir. slab (for slam); Gael, slaib, mud. 
 
 ^ '■'■ Sizzle, the half hiss, half sigh of an animal; of an owl, for instance" 
 (Hall). Ray says that yeast is called in the North sizzing, from the sound 
 of the working beer. 
 
 - -.s> or -es is a Celtic feminine sufi5x. 
 
 5th ser., vol. ir. 11
 
 1G2 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANOi-o-cEr/rK,'. 
 
 .slovenly girl or woman (N.); A.-S. 
 
 .s7/w, Germ. Kchlnm., slime, mud 
 Sli/)i('ii, the faces of the peculiar 
 
 "jointing" found in the coal-beds 
 
 are called slynes by the colliers 
 
 (L.) 
 ^na<i, to hew or cut roughly with an 
 
 axe (N.) 
 Sock, a farm-yard drain (N.), S. ; 
 
 A.-S. SOCHI n, to soak; Sw. iiO(/y,wet 
 
 Sor/, a mass of earth, any solid bulk 
 
 (L.) 
 Soo ! Sue ! a word addressed to a 
 
 cow that she may be quiet (N.), S. 
 Soom, to drink a long draught (L.), 
 
 H.; O. N. suiubla, compotare, de- 
 
 glutire 
 Sosh, to dip as in flight, to plunge 
 
 suddenly (N.) 
 Soss, anything foul or muddy (N.) 
 
 Soiujh, a covered drain (N.), L. 
 Sow, a wood-louse (L.) 
 
 Spade-bonp, blade-bone or shoulder- 
 bone (N.), L. 
 
 Spank, to strike with the open hand, 
 to smack (N.), L.; O. N. hang, pul- 
 satio 
 
 Spicket, a spigot or peg, a faucit 
 (N.), S. 
 
 Spiff, dapper, dandified (N.); Germ. 
 puff, a puflf, something puffed up 
 
 Sprer, a lark, a wild frolic (N.) 
 
 Spud, a small, narrow spade for re- 
 moving weeds (N.), L. 
 
 Spuddy, short, thickset (N.) ; Du., 
 Dan. spade, spade 
 
 Sptivl; mettle, spirit, vivacity (N.); 
 Lat. spongia, spunge 
 
 Slank, a dam across a stream, a pool 
 formed by such a dam (L.) 
 
 CEi/rir;. 
 mire, filth ; Ir. slum, slime {slam- 
 arh, slimy, dirty) 
 Ir. Gael, slinn, a flat stone or tile ; 
 also a weaver's slay or slea ; pri- 
 marily a flat stone 
 
 Ir. Gael, snaigh, to hew, cut, cut off; 
 
 M.anx, sneih (pi. sne'ujliyn'),a. wound 
 W. soch, a drain ; sng, moisture, 
 
 juice; Corn, .so/y, moist, wet; Sans. 
 
 s'lich (for such), to give moisture, 
 
 to wet 
 W. sawrh, heap, pile, load ; Corn. 
 
 saio (for sav:g:=sog), id. 
 Ir. Gael, .so, W. hoe, rest, quiet 
 
 Ir. sum, to gulp, to swallow ; sumaire, 
 a gulper, a great drunkard ; Ir. 
 Gael, sumaid, a wave 
 
 Ir. Gael, sios, downwards, down 
 
 W. SOS, a sluttish mess ; pulpamen- 
 tum sordidum (Dav.) ; Gael, sos, 
 an uncleanly mixture, a foul mess 
 
 See Sock 
 
 Ir. Gael, sor, a louse 
 
 W. ysbawd=spud, the shoulder-bone 
 
 W. yshonc, a jerk, smack, slap ; ys- 
 hongc, ictus, verber (Dav.) ; Ir. 
 speach, a kick, a blow ; Ir. Gael. 
 spag,ii paw; 'W .paic,pawen ; Arm. 
 pao, paw, hoof 
 
 Ir. Gael, sp'wcaid, a spigot. The root 
 is p\c, a sharp point ; Ir. spice, a 
 spike ; W. pigodcn, a prickle 
 
 Ir. Gael, spa'ilp, a beau, one with 
 airs of importance ; spa'dpin, a fop, 
 a conceited fellow 
 
 Ir. spre, a spark, life, animation; Ir. 
 Gael, sprac, spra'ic, a spark, life, 
 motion, vigour : W. ashri, mis- 
 chief (?) 
 
 W. pict, any short thing ; short, 
 squabby; pu-fen,a, short, squat fe- 
 male; Sans. ^j«//, to be small 
 
 Ir. Gael, sponc, touchwood, tinder; 
 
 Manx, spongey, spunk, anything 
 
 dried up and ready to take fire ; 
 
 v. to dry up, parch 
 Ir. Gael, stang, a ditch ; tain, water; 
 
 Arm. stank, a pool : Lat. stagnuni
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 163 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Steio, stour, vapour, dust, dust in 
 
 motion (N.) 
 Stoor, in the North (Brogden) 
 
 Suck, a word used to call sheep, etc. 
 (N.), S.; prim., to call pigs, as sic 
 in Hallamshire; A.-S. sugu, a sow 
 
 Swither, fright ; to fear (North) ; 
 sivooth, a fright (L.), H. ; Sw. swida, 
 to burn, to give severe pain ; O. 
 N. svicla, to burn 
 
 Tab, the latchet of a shoe fastened 
 by a string or thong (N.) 
 
 Taching-einls, shoemaker's threads 
 with a bristle for attaching the 
 leather (N.) 
 Tack, to attack (N.) 
 Tackle, a horse's harness (N.) 
 
 Tag, the low rabble (N.) 
 
 Tang, to ring bells (N.) 
 Tank, a blow, a stroke (L.) 
 
 Tantarroio, a savoury pie made of 
 apples, onions, and fat bacon (N.) 
 
 Tantle, to fondle, make a pet of (L). 
 Tantrums, airs, odd freaks of pas- 
 sion (N.), L. 
 
 Tare, tear, to go at full speed (N.), 
 L. 
 
 Tawsey, a term applied to hay when 
 
 it clings together in masses (N.) 
 Tazz, a heap of knots, etc. (L.); Fr. 
 
 tas, A.-S. tass (borrowed) 
 Ted, to spread about new-mown 
 
 grass (N.) 
 Teer, to smear with earth (N.), L. ; 
 
 totr?/, adhesive as earth (N.); Lat. 
 
 terra 
 Teg, a yearling sheep (N.) 
 
 Tetlwr, to confine animals by a rope 
 (N.); Low Germ. ;ir/ffl-. "Proba- 
 bly of Celtic origin" (Skeat) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Ir. Gael, stxir, dust; Manx, stoor, id. 
 
 Ir. su\g, a pig; suige=suge, a call to 
 
 pigs ; W. hwch, a sow ; Sans. st(- 
 
 kara, pig 
 W. stogd, awe, dread; swydo, to awe; 
 
 Ir. sgath, fear, fright; W. ar-sv)i/d, 
 
 terror 
 
 W. tap, a projecting ledge ; Arm. 
 iapen, a piece 
 
 Ir. Gael, taca, pin, nail, surety, bail; 
 tagli, joining, weldering, soldering; 
 Manx, taaghry, to solder, cement; 
 tag gad', a little nail ; Arm. tach, 
 nail ; Ir. tac, a lease ; facair, one 
 holding land under a lord ; W. 
 taig, a nail 
 
 W. taeog, ta'iog, vassal, tike, peasant; 
 rustic, rude, clownish ; or from 
 the tag of a cord. See supra 
 
 W. tone, a ringing of bells; toncio, to 
 ring 
 
 Arm. tonka, tounka, toucher ou f rap- 
 per dans la main, en signe d'ac- 
 cord ; W. ton, shattered, broken ; 
 tvmio, to break 
 
 W. tan, a spread, and farad, taste, 
 flavour (?) 
 
 W. tant, a throb, sudden gust of pas- 
 sion. Prim, tant means a cord, 
 and its contortions are used figu- 
 ratively. Sans, tantu, a thread 
 or cord ; iantri, chord of instru- 
 ment 
 
 W. taer, eager, ardent ; Arm. tear, 
 vif, prompt ; teara, marcher vite; 
 Ir. Gael, tura, brisk, quick ; Sans. 
 tur, to hurry 
 
 W. tas, heap, rick, stack ; Arm. tas, 
 amas, monceau ; Ir. Gael, taisce, 
 store; taisg, laid up, stored; Sans. 
 tas, to cast, throw up 
 
 W. teddu, to spread out ; tedd, a 
 spread, row, range ; tyddu,to lay out 
 
 W., Ir. Gael, tir. Corn, teer. Arm. fir, 
 land, earth; Sans, sthird, earth 
 
 Ir. Gael, othaisg, a yearling sheep 
 
 Ir. tead, fed, a rope ; Gael, teadhair, 
 rope, tether; Manx, tead, teid, id.; 
 W. fid. chain 
 
 112
 
 164 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANGLO-CKLTIC. 
 
 Thrave, thave, a female yearling See Teg 
 
 sheep (L.) 
 Thump, to beat, to strike (N.), L. 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 TImrrock, a heap, chiefly applied to 
 manure (L.) ; A.-S. tor, tower, 
 high hill (borrowed) 
 
 Tiff, a slight quarrel (N.) ; til 
 wrangle, dispute (L.) 
 
 ?f, to 
 
 T'ui ! tig! tig! a call to pigs (N.); 
 
 Low Sax. tik, a call to hens 
 Till, to entice, draw on, tempt (N.); 
 
 toll, to attract, entice, allure (L.); 
 
 O. N. tcela, decipere 
 
 Tiller, to throw out a number of 
 stems from the same root (N.) ; 
 Prov. Sw. tilldr, to roll as a ball 
 
 Tin, a name given to some meadows 
 near Grace Dieu Abbey (L.) 
 
 W. twmpian, to strike, to stamp ;^ 
 Corn, tumrnas, a blow; Arm. tum- 
 pa, verser, en parlant d'une cha- 
 rette ; Sans, tuj), tump, to hurt, 
 wound 
 
 W. twr, heap, pile \Jyrog, a little 
 pile] ; Arm. tor, belly ; torgen, 
 small hill : Com. tor^ prominence, 
 womb, hill ; Jr. Gael, tor, tower, 
 lord ; Sans, tor una, mound or ele- 
 vated place 
 
 Ir. Gael, tihhe, jibe, taunt ; tahaid, 
 broil, quarrel ; Arm. tuhut, bruit, 
 dispute, querelle 
 
 Ir. Gael, tigh, come ! 
 
 W. tu-yllo, to allure, deceive ; tv-yll, 
 evasion, deceit, fraud ; Arm. tou- 
 ella, charmer, seduire, tromper, 
 allecher ; Corn, tolla, to deceive, 
 allure 
 
 Ir. Gael, tilg, to throw, to cast ; 
 Manx, tilgey, to throw, throw out 
 
 W. tyyio, dale, green 
 
 So named because they belonged to a Despenser who 
 had been attainted. (Evans.) 
 
 to make yourself smart 
 
 Titivate, 
 
 (N.) 
 
 Tittup, a canter, a slow gallop (N.) 
 
 Titty, a fond name for a kitten (N.). 
 
 Sternberg has " tit, a cat" 
 Toggery, togs, clothing (N. L.) 
 
 Tommy, provisions given to work- 
 men instead of money (N.), L. ; 
 tommy, tam, bread, meat, any food 
 opposed to broth, etc. (N.), S., i.e., 
 hard food; tammy-bag, a provision 
 bag (N.), S. 
 
 W. tirtio, to make neat or trim; twf, 
 neat, smart 
 
 W. tuth («=Eng. i), a trot 
 
 to trot 
 W. titw, a cat 
 
 tiithi 
 
 W. tvyg, cloak, wrapper; Lat. toga. 
 Probably the Arm. words, toek, 
 fleece, wool, and tok, hat, head- 
 cover, may be related ; Sans, tvj, 
 to clothe 
 
 W. tama, hard food, as bread and 
 flesh ; O. Ir. iomil, manduca (Z., 
 457); Ir. Gael, tomaltas, food, vic- 
 tuals; Ir. tioinal, to eat 
 
 * In Welsh tiomp, a round mass, and ticmpian, to beat, there is the same 
 connection as between Sans, tumha, a gourd or milk-pail (from their form) 
 and tu)iih, to hurt. Perhaps the primary meaning of the verb was to 
 strike with the closed fist. Cf . p)ommel, to beat ; prim, a round lump, a 
 boss.
 
 OE NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 165 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Tomodge, the ventricle of a pig (N.), 
 S. 
 
 Tot, tot up, to add up, cast up ac- 
 counts (L.) ; toot, the whole (Suff.), 
 tote, the whole (N.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 A corrupt form of tormodr/e (?). Cf. 
 
 W. tor, a belly, and mochijn, a pig ; 
 
 Arm. tor,gvos, ventre; moch, pore, 
 
 cochon ; Corn, tor and moch 
 Ir. Gael, toit, whole, entire ; Lat. 
 
 totus ; Ir. Gael, toitear, lumpy ; 
 
 Sans, tati, so many 
 
 The Ir. toit is for toti or ^«^^, which Fick (i, 85)assumes 
 as the Aryan form for Lat. totus. 
 
 Trangle, luck, chance, way. " Turn 
 
 the pigs out, an' let 'em tek their 
 
 own trangle'' (L.) 
 Trrasels, trussels, long-legged stools 
 
 for holding up planks, etc' (N.); 
 
 Fr. treteau for tresteau, trestle 
 
 Trig, a term used by boys at mar- 
 bles (N.). It is a word for the 
 line or spot from which they 
 shoot 
 
 Trigged, decked out fine (N.) 
 
 Trim, to beat (N.); to whip or beat, 
 
 to scold (L.); A.-S. tryraian, to 
 
 set in order, prepare 
 Trolly, a dirty, indolent slattern 
 
 (N.) ; Germ, trolle, trull, trollop. 
 
 Must be a borrowed word 
 
 Trolly, a hand-barrow without sides, 
 for wheeling sacks,etc.(L.) ; Germ. 
 trollen, to roll 
 
 Trook, to give in, give way, " knuckle 
 under" (L.) ; Fr. troquer, to barter 
 
 W. trangc, departure. Now used for 
 the final departure, death. Sans. 
 trank, to go, move 
 
 "VV. trairst, rafter, beam ; trestl, 
 stretcher, frame; Corn, troster (pi. 
 tresters), a beam; Arm. treust, (rest, 
 poutre, piece de bois qui sert a 
 soutenir le plancher; Gael, treast, 
 long bench or form 
 
 W. trig, a fixed state. In North- 
 amptonshire it means a fixed po- 
 sition 
 
 W. tree, gear ; trecio, to furnish, 
 
 equip 
 W. trino, to handle, scold, fight 
 
 W. trolen, a fat female; Arm. trulen, 
 femme sale, malpropre, delabree 
 en ses habits ; Ir. Gael, troll, cor- 
 ruption, defilement; trail, a drab, 
 a slut ; Manx, trallee, sordid, dirty 
 
 W. trol, a cylinder, a small cart ; tro- 
 lio, to trundle ; troelli. Corn, tro- 
 ilUa, to turn, to whirl; Arm. troel, 
 the convolvulus, from its winding 
 shoots 
 
 W. trycio, to fail, decay ; trychu, 
 Corn, trochy, to cut, to break 
 
 Truss, & bunch of flowers growing W. fnfs,^ a covering; f)-i6-.sa, a packet; 
 
 1 Prof. Skeat has a long note on this word, which he derives from Lat. 
 transtillum, a little cross-beam, from trans. He has caught the right idea, 
 for the W. trawst is from traws, a traverse or cross ; but this is not from 
 the Lat. trans. It is a relative of Sans, tiras, through, across. The W. 
 tratcs is for tras, and hence a regular change to the dialectic form, trussel. 
 Cf. Corn, trus, transverse; trusse, to cross. 
 
 '■^ The W. trii;s means also a dress, that which is put together (?). The 
 prim, idea seems to be to grasp or keep together, as in the Sans, tras, to 
 grasp, to hold.
 
 IGG 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 in one foot-stalk (N.) ; O. Fr. 
 trusser, to pack, bind in 
 
 Tank, a blow, generally with force, 
 so as to leave an impress (N.) 
 
 7'M.s'6'or7.;, tusk (L.)) tufts of coarse 
 grass (N.); Prov.Sw.iwss, a bundle 
 of hay. See las 
 
 Tat, to be prominent, to jut out or 
 forward. A bonnet tuts up that 
 is too much elevated in poke or 
 crown (N.) ; 0. N. tiUna, tumes- 
 cere 
 
 7\(t, offence (L.) ; tutti/, short-tem- 
 pered (N.), L. 
 
 Twiddle, to twist and twirl things 
 about between the fingers (N.) 
 
 I'wig, to comprehend, observe slyly 
 (N.) 
 
 Urchin, a hedgehog (N.); urk, a small 
 child or diminutive person (N.), 
 S. 
 
 Vamped, invented (N.); a vamjjed-up 
 story ^trumped-up story (N.) ; 
 We speak of such a tale being 
 patched up; Fr. avant-jned (Skent) 
 
 Varnish, harnish, harness, to grow 
 fat and well-liking, to fill out (L.) 
 Vlannen, flannel (N.) 
 
 iWadge, a large bundle (N.) 
 Wadjet, id. 
 Wadjock, id. ; Germ, ifase, a bundle 
 of brushwood 
 Wnp, a blow; v. to beat (N.); Low 
 Germ, quabheln, to palpitate 
 (Skeat) 
 Washer, a flat ring of iron or leather 
 placed before the nut of a wheel 
 to prevent rocking (N.) 
 
 W'ff, a musty taste. " The beer has 
 a iirft of the barrel" (N.) 
 
 Welt, a seam (L.); iveltiny, a seam, 
 seaming (L.) 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Jr. Gael, trus, a bundle; to gather, 
 collect ; Sans, iras, to seize, to hold. 
 Of. Ir. fflacoin, bunch, bundle, 
 from glue, to take, seize, grasp 
 See Tank 
 
 W. tunjs, timjsfj, a tuft, a heap; tirys- 
 og ; Corn, tushoc, tufted. The 
 suffix is a diminutive ; Ir. Gael. 
 dos, Manx, doss, a tuft ; W. tusv), 
 a bunch 
 
 W. twdd=tooth (soft th), what pokes 
 or juts out (P.); twddf, a poke ; 
 ti/ddu (y=Eng. u), to spread out 
 
 Ir. Gael, tut, a bad smell, stink; tut .' 
 W. twf ! an expression of dislike 
 and anger. Cf . /it n/j, dislike; prim, 
 a bad smell 
 
 W. chwid, a quick turn ; chwido, to 
 turn quickly. Cf. fit'ii/=quill ; 
 twilt=qm\.\j (see Hall.) 
 
 Ir. Gael, tuig, to see, observe, under- 
 stand; ^MJ^sp, discernment; O. Ir. 
 ^Micd, intelligit (Z', 438); Manx, 
 toiggal, to perceive, comprehend 
 
 Ir. uirchin, urcain, Gael, uircean, a 
 little pig ; Arm. heureuchin, a 
 hedgehog 
 
 W. gtvani, a tilt, a vamp ; Ir. Gael. 
 faime, border, hem ; Sans, vimba 
 for vamha, disc of sun or moon, 
 i.e., round border ; prim, border 
 simply (?) 
 
 See Barnish 
 
 An archaism. W. giclanen for vla- 
 nen, flannel; gidan, wool 
 
 W. ffasg, a bundle ; jfas, ligature, tie, 
 band; ffasgell, a handle; ffasg u, to 
 tie in a bundle ; -et and -oc are 
 Celtic forms 
 
 W. chvKip, vap, ivah, a blow; chwa- 
 pio, to strike smartly 
 
 Ir. Gael. faisg=fasgi, to press, com- 
 
 press,bind;/o.s-f/air,keeper,binder; 
 
 fasg, band; W. gvMsgu=vasgu, to 
 
 press, to squeeze 
 W. ehii-aeth, taste, savour, or chiciff, 
 
 a whiff 
 W. gii-ald^=raU, border, rim, welt ; 
 
 Ir. (iael. faltan, belt, welt ; Jal, 
 
 rim, border; Sans, fa/, to surround, 
 
 enclose
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 167 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 W. (/war, mild, gentle, tame (?) 
 
 W. ffwestl, hurly-burly, riot ; gwest- 
 log, tumultuous; gioestol, roving 
 
 W. chwyth, blast, puff ; ckwythellu, 
 to whistle ; Avm.chouital, a whistle; 
 chouitella, to whistle 
 
 W. chwiff, a whiff, a hiss 
 
 W. chwlf, a whirl, a turn ; chwifio, to 
 fly about, to wind 
 
 W. clnoig, — (1), sour ; (2), clarified 
 whey; Sans, siikta, sour, acid (?) 
 
 W. chivyn, weeds; chivy no ; Arm. 
 chouenna, to weed 
 
 W. cifJ?/n, complaint, wailing; cwyno, 
 to complain ; Arm. keina, gemu', 
 se plaindre ; Ir. caoinim, I cry, 
 lament; caoine, dirge ; Sans. ka7i, 
 to cry as in distress 
 
 Ir. Gael, cuithe, furrow, deep place, 
 pit 
 
 See Whap 
 
 W. gwyth, anger, fret (Evans) ; gy- 
 ihu, to murmur, grumble; gythol, 
 murmuring; Sans, vid, to cry out 
 against, revile 
 
 W. chwid, a quick turn ; chivldo, to 
 move quickly, to juggle 
 
 W. wo, a stop, stop ! 
 
 Ir. Gael, ceangal, band, tie, restraint, 
 fastening ; Manx, kiangley, band, 
 tie ; V. to bind, tie, secure ; W. 
 cengl, girth ; Sans, hich,^ kanch, 
 to bind, to tie; kacha, a band 
 
 It now only remains that I should prove my former 
 statement, that the Celtic inhabitants of the Eastern 
 counties were of the older Celtic or Gaelic race, which 
 Professor Khys calls Goidelic. As this paper has 
 
 ^ The Sans, kach is a near relative of our dialectic cagg, a voluntary 
 engagement (generally to abstain from intoxicating liquors for a certain 
 period), and of the Ir. cacht, restraint, fetter. The latter is said by a 
 well known Celtic scholar to be a borrowed word from the Lat. captus. 
 Kach and cacht are related to the Lat. cingo, but have no relationship 
 whatever with raptus or cap'w. See Fick^, i, 36. 
 
 ANGLO-CELTIC. 
 
 Werrish, feeble, deficient of stamina, 
 insipid (L.), N. 
 
 Westy, giddy, confused (L.). "My 
 head 's very ivesty and bad" 
 
 Whewt, to whistle (N.) 
 
 Whiff, to puff (N.) 
 
 Whiffle, to shift as the wind, to veer 
 (N.),L.; to whisk (L.); O.'N.veifa, 
 vibrare, gyrare 
 
 Whig, sour whey or buttermilk. 
 Used only in the phrase, " Sour as 
 whig''^ (N.). N. S. hioccg, whey; 
 Du. loei 
 
 Whin, the rest-harrow (N.), Ononis 
 arvensis : gen. furze or gorse 
 
 Whinnock, to whimper, cry as a 
 child (N.), N. S. The verbal ter- 
 mination -oc is Celtic. A.-S. hwi- 
 nan, to whine; 0. H. G. loeinon, to 
 weep 
 
 White, a name given by butchers to 
 the part that joins the round, i.e., 
 the flank (N.) ? 
 
 Whop, a blow, a heavy stroke, to 
 beat (L.) 
 
 Widdle, to fret (N.) 
 
 W'tddle, to move loosely about, to 
 
 oscillate (L.). See Twiddle 
 Woa, a call to a horse to stop (L.) 
 
 Yangle, a triangular frame of wood 
 placed over the neck of a cow to 
 prevent its breaking through 
 fences (N.); L. cingulum, girdle
 
 168 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 already extended to very large proportions, I do not 
 propose to present the whole Celtic element in the 
 dialect of these counties. There are many such words 
 that are common to the earlier and the later forms of 
 Celtic speech, but I offer only some examples of the 
 earlier form or division. Some of these words may 
 have been in use among the Cymric race in the fifth 
 and sixth centuries, but it is difficult, if not impossible, 
 to suppose that all were then used, and were afterwards 
 forgotten. 
 
 IRISH OR GAELIC WORDS IN THE EASTERN 
 COUNTIES. 
 
 EASTERN COUNTIES. IRISH GAELIC. 
 
 A ijyah,^ the fat about the kidney of Jr. Gael. igJia, pron. e/jha, fat : Manx, ■ 
 
 veal ormutton(Suff.). The form eeh, suet, tallow, fat of the caul; 
 
 is properly iyah, the first a being Sans, auj, to smear, anoint 
 
 inserted according to a well known 
 
 Celtic law 
 
 Ask, lizard, newt (Line.) Gael, asc, adder 
 
 In Yorkshire ask means damp. Ir. Gael. easc=^asci, 
 water. 
 
 Bamhary. A hanihary tale is one not See Bam, Gael, heurra (pron. harm), 
 to be relied on (Line.) spoken; Ir.Gael. berach, talkative; 
 
 bearla, language ; Sans, bru (for 
 berii), to speak. Bamhary means 
 a mocking or deceitful tale^ 
 
 Bask, to be drenched in a heavy Ir. basg (base), to droyvn;bais,vrater, 
 shower (E.), F. heavy rain; O. Gael, hai.% water 
 
 Bear, a tool to cut sedge (Norf.) Ir. Gael, bearr,^ to cut, cut off, lop; 
 
 Manx, baarey, to cut; baare, edge 
 of a tool 
 
 B'lge, a teat (G.), H. Ir. Gael. hoi(/=btga, a teat 
 
 Bog-spavin, a soft spavin (Line.) Ir. Gael, bog, soft 
 
 Boof, stupid (Line.) Gael. 5ao&^=iq/a, wild, foolish ; Ir. 
 
 baobhalta, wicked, foolish 
 Bo}^, father (Suff.); O. H. S. babes, Ir. Gael, bohan, father ; Hind, bdj), 
 papes, papa (Graff.) father 
 
 ' Major Moon says that it is also called n'lyah, and sometimes ear and 
 near. This is a mistake. Near, O. N. nyra, denotes the kidney itself, 
 ren; atjah, the fat upon the kidney. '■'■Ren a nere'\ Nom. M. S, "• neare of a 
 beest, ro\g)wn'" (Palgrave, Hall.). Ear may be related to W. aren, a kidney. 
 
 - Bam-bary means in itself a false or mocking tale. The Irish Lrr-ach 
 implies a noun, btr=bari, word, narrative. 
 
 ^ The verb bcarr has not been retained in Welsh ; but it is the soui'ce 
 of W. byr, short. Cf. W. cioki, short, and cytio, to cut.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 1G9 
 
 EASTERN COUNTIES. 
 
 BotUj, proud (E.) 
 Bratti/, dirty (Line.) 
 
 Bruff", the halo round the edge of 
 the moon (Line), P. Cf. coiirjh, 
 pron. cof 
 
 Bud, a calf of the first year (E.), 
 Sufe. 
 
 Budram, oatmeal-gruel (Norf.) 
 
 Bunter, a low, bad woman (E.), H. 
 
 Bylders, a kind of water-cress (E.); 
 
 byllerne, in Promp. Parv. ; hillere 
 
 in old English^ 
 Caddoic, a jackdaw (Suff.), E.; Sw. 
 
 kaja, Du. kaauio, a daw 
 
 Cullender, the top soil of a gravel- 
 pit (Ess.) 
 
 Cast, warped (Line.) 
 
 Cat, a mass of coarse meal and other 
 ingredients placed in a dove-eot 
 as a lure (E.), H. ; Du. cost, food 
 
 Caul, a landing-place (Line.) 
 
 Caul, the fatty membrane of a pig 
 
 (Line.) 
 Clan, family, taken in a wide sense 
 
 (E.) 
 
 Cl'^cks, refuse of oatmeal (Line.), 
 
 H. 
 Cod, deception. " That 's all cod" 
 
 (Lino.) 
 
 Commence, an awkward event (Ess.). 
 Bell 
 
 Coney-foqlp, to cheat by bewildering 
 (Line), B. 
 
 IRISH GAELIC. 
 
 Ir. Gael, hoiteal (hotel), pride, arro- 
 gance 
 
 Ir. Gael, hrod {hrof), a spot ; brod- 
 ach, filthy ; W. hront, dirty, cross 
 
 Ir. Gael, bruach, edge, rim, border 
 
 Ir. Gael, hodog, hodag, a yearling 
 
 calf 
 Ir. Gael, buadh (buda), food ; ram- 
 
 har, gross, thick 
 Ir. Gael, ban, woman; tair=^ter,\o\f, 
 
 vile 
 Ir. Gael. Uolar {bilar), water-cress ; 
 
 bil, water; W. bericr, from O. W. 
 
 ber, water 
 Ir. cathag, Gael, cadhag, the jack- 
 daw; Sans.A:a/ta,erow. The change 
 
 from h to t or d is not uncommon 
 
 in Celtic 
 Ir. Gael, caille, veil, hood [cailleun 
 
 =callen, id.] ; tir, in comp. d'lr, 
 
 earth 
 Ir. Gael, cas, to twist, curl ; casta, 
 
 twisted 
 Ir. Gael, coth, food ; cothaigh, to 
 
 feed; Sans, khcid, to eat 
 
 Ir. Gael, caladh (pron. kala), port, 
 
 harbour 
 Ir. Gael, ceal, covering (W. caul, a 
 
 calf's maw) 
 Ir. Gael, clann, children, tribe; Sans. 
 
 kula, n. c. kulam, troop, family, 
 
 race 
 Gael, cailleach, husks of corn ; Manx, 
 
 cletch, bran, husk of wheat 
 Cod represents an older cuda for cu- 
 
 ta. This is the Sans, kuta, fraud, 
 
 deception, from kut, to be crooked ; 
 
 in Irish, cud-al, wicked, with a 
 
 more general meaning; W. hud, 
 
 illusion 
 A curious corruption of Ir. Gael. 
 
 cumhainge, distress, difficulty ; 
 
 Manx, comys, offence, blame (for 
 
 comy)is) 
 Ir.foghail, an inroad into an ene- 
 my's country, robbery, plunder. 
 
 Coney is pex'haps from Ir. cu, for 
 
 1 "Bibulta, billere" (E. Eng. Voc, i, 286). I cannot find hihulta in any 
 dictionary; but it must be related to blhulus, and will therefore denote 
 an aquatic plant.
 
 170 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 EASTERN COUNTIES. 
 
 Cork, a hard chalk (Norf.), Britten 
 Cosher, huge, extraordinary (Line.) 
 
 Creel, a basket (Suff.) 
 
 Cuff, to insinuate (Ess.) 
 
 Cull, the fish called bull-head (Ess.), 
 
 toiii-cull in Wilts 
 Carrel, a rill or drain (E.), H. 
 
 Dak, a call to pigs (Line.) 
 
 Z)aZZa?-M?^, dressing in a great variety 
 of colours (Line.) 
 
 Darnak, a 
 (Suff.) 
 
 thick hedging - glove 
 
 Daio, a beetle (Suff.) 
 Dihles, difficulties (E.), H. 
 
 Didall, a spade used for ditching in 
 
 the marshes (E.) 
 D'llver, to weary by labour (E.) ; dll- 
 
 vered, weary, confused, heavy, 
 
 nervous (Suff.) 
 Dorjgertj-bair, nonsense (Line). Of. 
 
 dogcjery, dull, slow (Cumb.) 
 
 Domelous, wicked; especiallyapplied 
 to a seducer (Line.) 
 
 Doon, the village prison (Line); 
 A.-S. lim, close, field, dwelling 
 
 IRISH GAELIC. 
 cun, dog (Sans, s'van). Coinrii, 
 rabbit, is in O'Reilly's Dictionary 
 
 It denotes primarily hardness ; Ir. 
 core, a hard skin 
 
 0. Ir. coscur, a marvel. " Bahard 
 in coscur^\ high was the marvel 
 (Gold. 138) 
 
 Ir. crioI=c7-ila, a basket; croil, bas- 
 ket, hamper ; Gael, croidhle {dh 
 silent), id.; Ir. crilin, box, chest 
 
 Ir. Gael, cuhhas, word, promise ; 
 cuibhet, fraud, deceit ; Sans, kujj, 
 to speak 
 
 Ir. Gael, coll, head 
 
 Ir. corr, Ir. Gael, curr, pit of water, 
 well-spring; with a suffix of dimi- 
 nution 
 
 Ir. deacadh, coming {deach, come) 
 
 Gael. cleaUair, to shine, gleam, glow; 
 Ir. Gael, dealradh, brightness, 
 splendour; Manx, dallagh, dazzl- 
 ingi 
 
 Ir. Gael, dornog, a glove; dorn, W. 
 diorn, a fist; Manx, dornaig, cover- 
 ing for the hand against thorns 
 
 Ir. Gael, daor, a beetle 
 
 Gael, d'mhliail, d'lhal, calamity, dis- 
 tress ; Ir. Gael. diobhal=dlbal, 
 loss, want, injury 
 
 Ir. Gael, dig, a dyke ; tall, to cut ; 
 tal, in comp. dal, a cooper's axe 
 
 Ir. duUbhir, Gael, duilbhearra, sad, 
 anxious, cheerless 
 
 Ir. Gael, doghra, dulness, sadness ; 
 
 dogar, sad; baidh, to speak; Sans. 
 
 vad 
 Gael. clomail^domU, injury, harm, 
 
 damage, especially by cattle in 
 
 trampling corn (McAlp.); domail- 
 
 each, hurtful, injurious; Ir. dom- 
 
 haoin, evil, w-icked 
 Ir. Gael, dun, a fort, a fortified house 
 
 or hill; v. to shut in, inclose; W. 
 
 din, city 
 
 1 The Manx didlagli seems to show that W. daJl, blind, denotes blind- 
 ness by excess of light, being dazed or dazzled. From this root dall, we 
 have dawks (Line.) for dallaches, a woman dressed in gaudy clothes.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 171 
 
 EASTERN COUNTIES. 
 
 Diiddle, to cover with an unneces- 
 sary quantity of clothes (E.); O. 
 E. duds, rags (see Nares) ; Du. tod, 
 a rag 
 
 Eerie,^ causing fear (Norf .), N. 
 
 Emer, one who rescues another from 
 any danger or difficulty (Line.) 
 
 Fapes, gooseberries (E.) 
 
 Fassil, to loiter, waste time, work 
 lazily (Line.) 
 
 Feed, to amuse by talking or read- 
 ing (Line), H.; to tell, relate^ 
 
 Feel, to smell (Line.) 
 
 Flack, a blow, especially with some- 
 thing pliant (E.) 
 
 Foky, soft ; used of fruit. Boggy 
 land is said to he foky 
 
 Froth, small, not fully grown (E.) 
 
 Gant, scanty (E.), N. 
 
 Gafer, an old man (Line); gotfer in 
 WUts 
 
 Gare, heat, heat of passion (Ess.) 
 
 Gaskin, a horse's thigh (E.) ; gas- 
 coynes, buttocks (Herts.) 
 
 Gocken, voracious. " That gilt (sow) 
 is very gocken''' (Line.) 
 
 Golls, the hands (Ess.). In Forby's 
 East Anglian Vocahulary the word 
 is said to mean " fat chops, ridges 
 of fat on a corpulent body". Nail 
 says that goll means, in Suffolk, 
 a fist. O. N. kollr, head 
 
 Grede, a small wash-tub (Line.) 
 
 Grog, vexed, excited with passion 
 
 (Line.) 
 Gulp, a short, squabby person ; 0. 
 
 N. kalpa, tumere 
 Gur, green as a wound (Line), H. 
 
 IRISH GAELIC. 
 
 Gael, dud, dudag,a, rag; Manx, doo- 
 dee, a sloven 
 
 Ir. Gael, earadh, fear 
 
 Ir. eimh^emi, protection, sanctuary; 
 
 Sans, inv, to surround, embrace, 
 
 gladden (?) 
 Gael. faob=fapa, lump, knot in 
 
 wood, acorn 
 Ir. Gael, fuasgail, to loose, untie ; 
 
 fuasgailte, loose, untied, slack 
 
 Ir. Gael, fead, fiadh=fola, to tell, re- 
 late; Ir.fed, a narration 
 
 Ir. Gael, faile, smell, scent 
 
 Ir. Gael. flag=flac. a blow, a bang 
 
 Ir. Gael, hog, soft ; bogach, morass, 
 
 bog 
 Ir. Gael. frioth=froti, small, little 
 
 Ir. Gael, gann tor gant, scarce, short; 
 
 gainne, scarcity 
 Corn, coth, goth. Arm. coz, old ; W. 
 
 coth, an old man; Ir. Gael, fear, 
 
 W. gior, man 
 Ir. Gael, gar,^ to heat; garaU, warm; 
 
 Manx, gaer, heat ; Sans, gharma, 
 
 heat 
 Ir. Gael, gasgara, buttocks ; gasg, a 
 
 tail 
 Ir. Gael. geoc=goci, throat; geocach, 
 
 voracious 
 Ir. Gael, glac, palm of the hand, for 
 
 golac; gol, drop, tear; Sans, gola, 
 
 ball, anything circular ; gula, a 
 
 pill, any globular substance. The 
 
 Essex goll meant probably, at first, 
 
 the closed hand or fist 
 Ix*. Gael, criot^creta, vessel, earthen 
 
 vessel 
 Ir. Gael, grog, frown, hufE ; grogach, 
 
 pettish, sulky; grug, morose 
 Ir. Gael, galba, stout, firm, hard 
 
 Ir. Gael, gorm, green, blue 
 
 1 This is not a modern word. " Common", says Nail, in his East Anglian 
 Glossary, " to Norfolk and Scotland." 
 
 '^ "Gestis iofcde'' (Line. MS.; Hall.); Sans, vad, to speak, tell. 
 
 ^ The root of Eng. garish, glowing. " Day's garish eye"; from gare, to 
 stare (Skeat).
 
 172 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 EASTERN COUNTIES. 
 
 Hunger-stone, a quartz pebble (L.) 
 
 Isriim, isei'um, a long, stupid story 
 (Line.) 
 
 J'lhhy, a flaunting wench, dressed in 
 flashy finery (E.) 
 
 Jlbhy-liorse, a showman's horse, de- 
 corated with trapping, streamers, 
 etc. (E.). Cf. jib, a rag, a tatter 
 (Webster) 
 
 Job, to peck with a beak, to strike 
 with a pointed instrument (E.) 
 
 Jockey, gay, very lively (Suff.) ; O. 
 Fr. gogues, jollity, glee 
 
 Jot, plump, downright (Suff.), H. 
 Jot-gut, intestinum rectum (E.), H. 
 
 Jug, to squat on the ground as part- 
 ridges at night (E.); Fr. sejucher, 
 to roost as fowls 
 
 Kain, rent paid in kind (E.), H. 
 
 Kelch, kelk, a blow or thump (Line), 
 
 Kelk, to beat severely (Newcastle) 
 
 Klich iq), to catch up quickly (Line.) ; 
 
 cf. klick, a nail to hang things on; 
 
 prop, a hook; Mucks, claws (N.) 
 Lape, to walk in mud (Line.) 
 
 Lash, soft and watery (E.), H.; to 
 pour out water (Mid- Yorks.) ; 
 lashy, wet, applied to weather 
 (Suff.) 
 
 Linty, lazy (Suff.) 
 
 Lob, to lean, incline. " The stack 
 
 lobs heavily" (Line.) 
 Locer, a carpenter's plane (Line.); 
 
 A.S.^^locer, a joiner's instrument, 
 
 a saw, a plane ? (S.)", Bosworth's 
 
 A.-S. Diet. 
 
 Louche, sonitus, strepitus {Prom. 
 Parv.^). Cf. longc, to tell a fair 
 tale, to make a flattering speech 
 (Jamieson) , 
 
 IRISH GAELIC. 
 
 Jr. Gael, unga, copper 
 
 Jr. us, narrative, story ; Ir. Gael. 
 lurrum for iusram, a tedious 
 rhyme, a long story ; rariihur, 
 gross, large; raimp, fatness 
 
 Ir. Gael. giobog=gib-og, a rag, a 
 fi'inge; giobal, rag, clout ; gibeal, 
 a covering; giobog =gib-og, a 
 rough, untidy woman 
 
 Ir. Gael, gob, beak or bill of a bird 
 
 Ir. Gael, gaige, a fop, a proud cox- 
 comb ; gogaid, a giddy female ; 
 gog, a toss of the head 
 
 Ir. Gael, goth, straight, even 
 
 Ir. Gael, gluig, to cringe, droop, 
 crouch 
 
 Ir. Gael, cain, rent, tribute 
 
 Gael, sgailc, px'on. skelk (kelk), a 
 smart blow, to beat roughly ; Ir. 
 sgaileog, a blow 
 
 Ir. Gael. cl'wc=cl'ica, a hook ; to 
 catch with a hook 
 
 Ir. lap, Gael, lab, puddle, mire ; Ir. 
 
 Gael, laban, mud, mire; lapach, a 
 
 marsh; la, water 
 Ir. Gael, la, water ; luis^usi, for 
 
 lasi, drink ; lasach, slack, prim. 
 
 moist ; laith, ale, strong drink 
 
 Ir. Gael. luin=lina, sloth ; Ir. liun, 
 slothful ; Ir. Gael, lundach, lazy ; 
 luinse, sluggard 
 
 Ir. Gael, lub, to bend, incline 
 
 Ir. Gael, locar, Manx, locer, a plane ; 
 Manx, lockernj, to plane ; locker- 
 skeeagh, shavings ; Sans, lunch 
 (luk), to pare, peel, tear off ; lun- 
 cha (lunchas), that which pares 
 
 Ir. lonaiche, Gael, lonais, prattling, 
 tattling; lonach, talkative; luinne, 
 mirth, music ; luinneog, chorus, 
 glee. A nasalised form of Sans. 
 loch, to speak 
 
 ^ Written in the Eastern Counties.
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 
 
 173 
 
 EASTERN COUNTIES. 
 
 Lure, to make a loud and shrill cry 
 
 (E.) 
 Mallock, to abuse (Line.)' 
 
 3fank, a trick (Line), Y. 
 
 Marfer, the grass which grows close 
 to the hedge-side or bottom (Line.) 
 
 j MpciI, a sand-heap (Norf.) 
 I Million, a pumpkin (E.), N. 
 
 Mosey, mosy, rough, shaggy, covered 
 with hair (Suff.), Ess. 
 
 Mug, to beat (L.) 
 Alage, the hand (N.) 
 
 Alutp, an animal of the male kind 
 
 (Line), H. 
 Netting, urine (Line.) 
 
 Nof/f/in, a lump (Line); gen. a small 
 round mug 
 
 Nonnoclc, an idle whim,childish fancy 
 
 (E.) 
 Nonny, to sport, play the fool (E.) 
 
 Nookins, the corners of a stack 
 
 (Line.) 
 Okers, boots for ploughmen (E.) ; 
 
 Lat. oci-ea, legging or greave 
 
 Pelf, blow with the fist (E.), Wr. 
 Firry, a storm {Pr. Parv.) 
 Pima, to boil slightly (E.) 
 
 Quilt, to beat (Line.) 
 
 Rally, a coarse sieve; to sift (E.) 
 
 Banning, scolding (Line.) 
 Runny, the shrew-mouse (Suff.) 
 
 Rivets, bearded wheat (E.), H. 
 
 Rofhier, any large or good thing 
 
 (Line.) 
 Ruin, a woodman's term for a pole 
 
 of four years' standing (H.) 
 
 IRISH GAELIC. 
 
 Ir. Gael. liur=luri, a noise, prating 
 
 Gael, maillaich, Ir. malluigh,to curse, 
 
 condemn; Ir. mallacht, a curse 
 Ir. Gael, mang, deceit 
 
 Properly mere-grass, or grass by the 
 sea; Ir. Gael, mara (gen. of 7nuir, 
 sea), and feiir ; W. gwair, hay 
 
 Ir. Gael, meall, ball, knob, round 
 hillock 
 
 Ir. meallan, a bulb, a plump child 
 
 Ir. mosach, rough, bristly; mosan, a 
 rough, dirty fellow 
 
 Ir. Gael, mag ; Manx, mage, paw, 
 clumsy hand 
 
 Ir. Gael. 7noth, the male of any crea- 
 ture (Cormac's Gl.) 
 
 Ir. Gael, nightinn (gh silent), a mix- 
 ture of urine and other things 
 used for bleaching linen 
 
 Ir. Gael, cnoc, lump, boss ; noigean, 
 noigin (nogin), a mug 
 
 Gael, neonach, droll, capricious, ec- 
 centric ; neonachas, a droll person ; 
 Ir. nionach, pleasant, merry 
 
 Ir. Gael, niuc — nuci, corner (nucin 
 
 a single corner) 
 Ir. Gael,oc7ia?-, shoe; Manx, oashyr, 
 
 stocking ; Sans, a-char, to step 
 
 upon, go (?) 
 Ir. Gael. 2Mlltog, palltag, a blow 
 
 Ir.Gael.^io?Ta=pi?'ra, squall, strong 
 
 gust 
 Gael, plod, to scald partially, as a 
 
 pig; Ir. ^/wtaf/A, scalding 
 Ir. cuihe, a beating 
 
 Ir. Gael, rillean, sieve; rill, to sift ; 
 
 Manx, realley, to riddle, sift 
 Ir. Gael, ran, squeal, shriek ; Sans. 
 
 ran, to make a noise, shout 
 
 Ir. Gael, rihe, hair, whisker; rihrach, 
 
 hairy ; Gael. reibheid=rivet, barb 
 
 of a hook 
 Ir. rod, very great ; ro, intensive 
 
 particle ; rodhuine, nobleman 
 Ir. Gael, ruihhne (pron. ruin), pole, 
 
 lance 
 
 ' Mallock implies a root, mall, oc being a Celtic verbal formative. Cf. 
 Sans, mala, dirt, filth, impurity; Lat. mains.
 
 174 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 EASTERN COUNTIES. 
 
 Ei/ndes, trees (E.) 
 
 IRISH GAELIC. 
 
 Jr. Gael, rinn, for I'ind, tree 
 
 Sannix, hay-time (Line), M. Ir.Ga,e\.saidh=sacU,haj; nidhe,tim.e 
 
 For sad-nicas : cl or dh being often put in Irish and 
 Gael, for g or gh {kh). 
 
 Sanjiock, to weep bitterly (E.), H. 
 
 The termination -ock is Celtic 
 Sai-nick, inanimate (E.), H. 
 
 Jr. Gael, san, to dissolve 
 
 Scotch, to cut, trim (Line.) 
 
 Jr. seam, to loose, dissolve; searnach, 
 
 dissolving 
 Jr. Gael, sgath, Gael, sgoch, to cut, 
 lop 
 
 Shelp, a blow (SufE.) ; to beat with Gael. sgeaJp (skelp), a slap, a blow 
 the flat hand (Yorks.) with the hand; Ir. sfjealp, to tear, 
 
 cut, rend ; Manx, scelp, a lash, a 
 rent ; scelpagh, to lacerate 
 Skutij, smart, brisk (E.), H. Gael. s^ocZacA, proud, conceited ;s5'dfZ, 
 
 pride ; Ir. sgoid, pride, affectation ; 
 sf/oideasach, proud, affected, flirt- 
 ing 
 Smale, the form (seat) of a hare Gael, smdl, place, seat (Ebrard) 
 
 (E.),H. 
 /S/^a<, the cartilaginous membrane by Ir. Gael, sjmt, a flap 
 which an oyster adheres to its 
 shell (Suff.) 
 Speyre, the flap of an inner feminine Ir. Gael, speklhir (pron. speyre^, the 
 garment (Prom. Par v.) flap of breeches 
 
 Stithe, hot, oppressive (E.), H. Ir. Gael. teitJi, hot, warm 
 
 Ir. Gael, tagh, to weld ; taca, nail, 
 fastening, peg, security, bail 
 
 Till, the diluvial soil of the cliff Ir. Gael, tealla, earth; Lat. tellus 
 (Norf.) 
 
 Ti^, liquor, a draught of liquor (E.) Ir. Gael, daif, drink; tihre, fipra ; 
 
 Manx, tihbyr, spring, fountain 
 Tigh, teage, a close, an inclosure Ir. Gael. %A, a house; W-tij 
 (E.) 
 
 Toiml, a tiresome boy (Line.) Ir. Gael, tuathail (th silent), rude, 
 
 Towel, a wild or bad character awkward; ^i/«/,awkward,unlucky, 
 (Leeds) sinister, base 
 
 Tr«c7i;,useless commodities. "There's Ir. Gael. truagh=truga, poor, mean, 
 
 Tag, to follow closely, as if an ap- 
 pendage (E.) 
 
 useless ; W. tricch, cut, maimed, 
 
 unlucky 
 Ir. Gael, tachas, the itch, scurvy ; 
 
 Manx, taghas, the itch ; Sans, tak- 
 
 man, kind of skin disease 
 Ir. Gael. toU, will, pleasure ; Manx, 
 
 toUl, id.; Ir. Gael, to'ileil, wilful 
 Ir. Gael, guala, Gael. guaUain ; 
 
 Manx, geaylin, a shoulder 
 TFa.ss, nonsense (Line); Germ. i(>.sf, Ir. baois=basi, folly, levity, non- 
 bad, hurtful, angry sense 
 
 a lot of truck" (Ess.) ; O. N. tros, 
 waste, refuse; Ang. trash 
 Tusky, the itch (E.) 
 
 Ticall, a whim (Suff.) 
 
 Wall'is, the withers of a horse (S.)
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 175 
 
 EASTERN COUNTIES. IRISH GAELIC. 
 
 Wheuks, sickly (Line.) Gfiel. eucail, disease; Ir. Gael, aicicl^ 
 
 Manx, eigh'id, sickness, disease 
 
 Whuiry, a light boat (E.) Ir. Gael, curach, skiflf, small boat, 
 
 canoe 
 
 Yare, nimble, brisk (Norf .) Ir. Gael, gear, ger, sour, sharp (W. 
 
 garw, rough, harsh) 
 
 These instances may suffice to prove my assertion, 
 that the Celtic race along the east coast was mainly of 
 the older or Gaelic branch. The inquiry has been 
 limited to the counties of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and 
 Lincoln, but if it were extended as far as to the Border 
 line, the same result would follow. If we extend it to 
 Northumberland, there seems to be a larger blending of 
 the two divisions of the Celtic stock as we advance north- 
 wards, for there they met again after their long separa- 
 tion. The older division seems to have come from the 
 lands that borderon the Mediterranean, probably through 
 Spain, and to have crossed into England by the Strait 
 of Dover, and thence to have spread partly to the 
 west, but chiefly northwards into Scotland. The later 
 division appears to have journeyed through the centre 
 of Europe, and at the marsh land of Western Germany 
 to have split into two parts, one turning southwards 
 and entering France near its central part (as traced by 
 nant and other words); the other, advancing westwards, 
 crossed the sea to Scotland near Aberdeen (for there 
 the abei'S begin), and descended southwards through 
 Cumberland into Wales. The w^ords that belong to the 
 earlier division of the Celtic race, and are still used in 
 the counties that lie to the north of Lincolnshire, are 
 numerous, but I can only offer a small number as 
 examples, chiefly from Brockett's North Country Glos- 
 sary, 3rd edit., 1846. 
 
 EASTERN COUNTIES (NORTII). CELTIC. 
 
 Airt, point of the horizon, district Ir. Gael, mrd, region, point of the 
 
 compass 
 
 Aries, earnest-money Ir. Gael, earlas, earnest-penny 
 
 Bannoclc, a cake of barley-meal Ir. Gael, bonnach, an oaten cake ; 
 
 Manx, honnag, id. 
 
 Braugham, horse-collar Ir. hrnicam, Gael, braicheam, horse- 
 
 collar, from braigh, O. Ir. brdge, 
 neck, upper part of the breast, 
 and oma for (?«7«f/. winding, a curve
 
 17G 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 EASTERN COUNTIES (noUTII). 
 
 Brof/.-i, kind of coarse shoes 
 Cade, sheep's louse 
 Callaiit, boy, youth 
 
 Colley, butcher's meat 
 
 Coo, cow, fear 
 
 Cro, crow, bar, lever 
 
 Cutea, feet 
 
 Duiker, to wander, saunter 
 
 Difing, a very small quantity of meal 
 or flour 
 
 D'lvet, dufet, a turf or sod used for- 
 merly for thatching 
 Dortij, pettish, saucy 
 Doxy, sweetheart (in a good sense) 
 
 Dunt, bad coal 
 
 FecJde, to entangle 
 
 Fellon, a cutaneous eruption, a boil 
 
 Galore, plenty, abundance 
 
 Gash, wise, sagacious (Border) 
 
 Gowan, the daisy 
 
 Gisny, call of pigs to meat ; O. N. 
 gris, porcellus 
 
 Ingle, fire, fireplace 
 
 Kae, an interjection denoting disbe- 
 lief or contempt 
 
 Keel, ruddle 
 
 Kehhuck, cheese 
 
 Lainch, a long stride 
 
 Latter, to run about hastily 
 
 Oye, a grandchild 
 
 Partan, a crab 
 
 Sonsy, plump, thriving, lucky 
 
 Straith, valley 
 
 Tocher, marriage portion 
 
 Treet, a species of bran 
 
 Weight, iveyt, hoop with skin over it 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 Jr. Gael, hrog, shoe 
 
 Jr. (lael. cahlpog, earthworm 
 
 Jr. Gael, gallan for calkin, branch, 
 
 youth 
 Ir. Gael, colanv, flesh, a carcase ; O. 
 
 Ir. co/inn, gl. cam (Z.^, 51) 
 Ir. cofach, fearful (cota, fear) 
 Ir. Gael, cro, crodh, an iron bar 
 Ir. Gael, cos, foot; W. coes, leg 
 Ir. Gael, deach, moving, going ; Ir. 
 
 cleachair, separation, following ; 
 
 prim, going off 
 Ir. dit, end, remainder ; Ir. Gael. 
 
 dith, want, failure; Sans. fZi^i, cut- 
 ting, splitting 
 Ir. Gael, duibheid, a flat turf used 
 
 for covering cottages 
 Ir. dordha, Gael, dortha, harsh, surly 
 Ir. Gael, doigh, fire, flame, trust ; 
 
 dogh, to burn; doighir (tor dogis), 
 
 flame 
 Ir. Gael, donadh, bad, evil 
 Ir. Gael. Jigh, to weave 
 Gael, fealan, a boil ; Ir. Gael./rnZ/, 
 
 faillin, kernel, hard lump of flesh 
 Ir. Gael, gu-leor, enough, plenty 
 Ir. Gael, gaols, wisdom, prudence 
 Ir. Gael, gugan, the daisy 
 Gael, gius, a sow ; Ir. Gael, eels, pig, 
 
 sow 
 Ir. Gael, alngeal, fire 
 Ir. Gael, cha, negative particle ; ca, 
 
 what (?) 
 Ir. Gael, ell, ruddle 
 Ir. Gael, cahag, cheese 
 Ir. Gael, ling, to leap, bound 
 Ir. Gael. I at, foot; lathar, vigour; 
 
 luth, quick, nimble 
 Ir. Gael, ogha, pron. oha, grandchild 
 Ir. Gael, partan, a crab 
 Ir. Gael, sonas, luck, happiness 
 Ir. Gael, sralth for straith. valley 
 Ir. Gael, tochar, portion, dowry 
 Ir. Gael, ^j-ei^p, embrocation (a second 
 
 meaning) 
 Ir. Gael, guite, the same, used for 
 
 winnowing corn 
 
 It is impossible to determine with certainty the lines 
 which marked out the different forms of speech, but 
 they were probably the tribal boundaries, and were 
 subject to change by invasion and conquest. We may 
 assume, from the evidence of language, that the Iceni,
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 177 
 
 the Trinobantes in the south, and the Brigantes in the 
 north, were of the older or Gaelic race. The northern 
 counties of Cumberland, Westmoreland, with Lanca- 
 shire and Cheshire, were occupied mainly by the Cymric 
 tribe. The same race, but another division of it, held 
 the ancient Loegria, i.e., the rest of England from the 
 south of Yorkshire to the Channel. There was, how- 
 ever, throughout, a mixture of races. There was a 
 lower stratum of the older race, though only sparse in 
 some parts of the land. There were also some breaks 
 of continuity in different places. The Belgas, who came 
 probably at a late period from the opposite coast, occu- 
 pied part of the south, and the Parisii, apparently a 
 Gallic tribe, dwelt along the banks of the Humber. 
 There was a notable break in the extension of the 
 Cymry to the district of Elmet, of which Leeds was 
 the centre ; a spur of the wide-spreading Cumbrian 
 range. Here a Celtic and Christian community main- 
 tained itself in partial independence for a long time, 
 under its own chiefs or reguli. Its latest chief, whose 
 name, in a Latin form, was Cereticus, held sway over 
 it until deposed by Edwin in the seventh century. 
 Their independence was taken from them, but the fire 
 burned on their hearths and they wrought with the 
 plough or followed the chase, as their fathers had done 
 for many generations. As this dialect is interesting on 
 many accounts, I offer some instances of its Celtic 
 words, which are numerous, and here close ray long 
 list of dialectic words that have been drawn from 
 Celtic sources. 
 
 LEEDS DISTRICT. CELTIC. 
 
 Aag, eager O. AV. dl-auc, gl. segncm (Juv. 93); 
 
 W. egr, eager; awch=ach, sharp 
 
 edge; 8a.ns.(ls'u=aJi:u, sharp, swift 
 
 Bat'xhj, a prostitute W. baiv, dirt, filth ; baicaidd, dirty, 
 
 mean, vile 
 Bicker, to quarrel peevishly W. hicra, to fight, to skirmish (P.); 
 
 bicrr, conflictus, pugna (Dav.) 
 Bra77. " Marrow to bran''\ a match Must have been some Celtic hero 
 
 for bran 
 Brock. Not a badger, but the cuckoo- W. broch, froth, foam 
 spit insect 
 5th skr., vol. ir. li^
 
 178 
 
 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 LEEDS DISTRICT. 
 
 CIniff, pleased, excited 
 
 Codgfr, an artful person 
 Croodlp, to crouch 
 Dunuock, a hedge-sparrow 
 
 Fud^ to deceive in talking 
 Flos^ a giddy, impudent female 
 Gammy ^ crooked 
 Guffin, a dull, awkward person 
 
 Hoit^ a foolishly awkward man 
 Kinnle, to bring forth young 
 
 Malack, a disturbance 
 Merle, to crumble 
 Nogs, knees 
 
 Nor, than 
 
 0>^s, to attempt 
 
 Piggy, a name given by boys to a 
 piece of wood sharpened at both 
 ends, used in the game of " piggy" 
 
 Raum, to curvet as a horse 
 
 Seel, to look. Seeling-glasa, a look- 
 ing-glass 
 
 CELTIC. 
 
 W. hojf, dear, fond; hoffi., to delight 
 
 in 
 W. coegiior, a deceiver, a cheat 
 W. crivd, a round lump 
 W. dwn (doon), dun, dusky ; with a 
 
 Celtic suffix 
 W. ffadu, to mask, to feign (P.) 
 W.fflwch, full, flush, brisk, lusty 
 W. catn, crooked 
 
 W. cyff, a stock; cyffo ddyn, a block- 
 head ; with the suffix of indivi- 
 duality 
 W. hutan, an oaf 
 
 W. cenel, tribe, kindred ; cenedl, id. ; 
 cenedhi, gignere, producere (Dav.) 
 W. moloch, tumult, uproar 
 W. mwrl, crumbling, friable 
 W. cnuch, junction, joint ; if not 
 
 cnwc, a lump 
 O. W. nor, than 
 
 W. osi, osio, to dare, to attempt 
 W. |j«</, for 2^0, a sharp point; p'lgin, 
 a pointed stick 
 
 W. rhamu, to rise up 
 W. sel, a view ; selu, to gaze at, ob- 
 serve; Arm. sellout, regarder, jeter 
 la vue sur quelque chose ; Corn. 
 sell, view, prospect 
 W. sugno, to suck (?/^^Eng. i) ; Sans. 
 sicli, to moisten, wet 
 
 W. t\tv), a cat 
 
 W. tama, hard food, as bread and 
 flesh ; perhaps related to Arm. 
 tamopz-en, ear of corn 
 
 Arm. gwerbl (in comp. werbl), bubon, 
 tumour, glande. Dr. Davies ad- 
 mits the word, but as Armoric. 
 Richards has, '■'■Gwerhl, Arm., a 
 kernel or fleshy substance growing 
 between the flesh and skin." 
 
 The only Celtic words in this dialect that I cannot 
 connect with a Welsh equivalent are meg, a halfpenny, 
 spiff, smartly dressed, and an interesting feminine 
 word, toil, which means contentment, quietness. When 
 a husband takes the baby on his knee, and keeps it 
 quiet during the evening, the delighted wife will say, 
 " Thah's kept him \toit rarely a wait' neet (a whole 
 night) lad !" This is the Ir. Gael, tait, pleasure ; prop, 
 a pleased, quiet, contented state, as the Sans, tush, its 
 
 Six, 
 
 Let 
 
 hev a s?V, a pull at 
 your pipe ; rather a suck, A.-S. 
 sucan, to suck 
 
 Tit, used for calling a cat 
 
 Tommy, bread. " Two pund o' tom- 
 my. Missis." 
 
 Warhle, a small, hard lump on a 
 horse's back
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 179 
 
 relative, denotes/ Tait corresponds, therefore, to the 
 Arm. diidi, pleasure ; but even in the fifth or sixth 
 century the final vowel had been dropped in the Elmet 
 district. 
 
 And now my task is done. The evidence that has 
 been brought forward is conclusive, in showing (1) That 
 a large Celtic population was left on the soil in every 
 part of England. If there was any part in which the 
 theory of extermination would meet the facts of the 
 case, it would be the counties of Northampton and 
 Leicester. The Welsh border was far away. The 
 northern Celts, whether they belonged to the Cymry 
 or the Gael, could not interfere to protect their distant 
 kinsmen in these counties. There was absolutely 
 nothing to check the course of the victorious Saxon. 
 He might have commenced a war of extermination, 
 and have destroyed, as he pleased, the whole Celtic 
 race there. But the tokens of their abiding un- 
 molested in these counties are as abundant as they are 
 in Lancashire, whose northern part was not finally sub- 
 dued until the year 94.5, when, as the A. S. Chronicle 
 declares, " King Edmund ravaged all Cumberland and 
 gave it to Malcolm, King of Scots." It is evident, 
 therefore, that the Celtic population in England lived 
 and multiplied in peace, and that there was a gradual 
 blending of the two races by intermarriage. The 
 advocates of the " theory of extermination" give the 
 Saxon race very little credit for common sense, or 
 regard for their own welfare. They were only warriors ; 
 and who, if the Britons were destroyed, undertook the 
 tillage of the soil and the tending of the flocks? The 
 conquered race became, in fact, the most valuable 
 appanage of the Saxon. They ploughed for him ; they 
 
 1 Cf. Sans, tushti, satisfaction, contentment, pleasure. The Irish 
 tait is from ta(s)ti (pron. tusti), and denotes primarily quietness 
 more than pleasure. The Elmet toit has no connection with tight 
 (sometimes pronounced toit), for it is a noun, and the two words 
 express contrary ideas. Tightness denotes pressure and discomfort, 
 not a quiet, contented state. 
 
 ]22
 
 180 CELTIC ELEMENT IN THE DIALECTS 
 
 tended liis cattle ; they were his artisans, for the Celtic 
 words still used by our workmen show that they were 
 skilled in all the arts of the time, either by their own 
 ingenuity or by Koraan teaching. The civilisation of 
 .Home reached our island before the Saxon came, and 
 even before Csesar invaded the land the Britons were 
 skilful agriculturists, had. a large foreign commerce, 
 coined money, dug and exported metals, and built war- 
 chariots of wood and iron. Their weapons were such 
 that they could attack CsBsar's forces openly in the 
 field, and not always without success. The most 
 foolish course the Saxon could adopt would be to de- 
 stroy these men, who were his tutors in many things : 
 for the rude warrior-races brought very little know- 
 ledge of the arts of life, or of literature, from their 
 dense forests in Germany. He had, however, good 
 sense enough to retain and. protect the Celtic race, 
 that wrought in various ways to his advantage. If 
 this be denied — and there has been much hardihood of 
 assertion on this question — how is the large Celtic 
 element still existing in the dialects of Leicester and 
 Northampton to be accounted for ? In all future dis- 
 cussions of this subject this fact must be considered, 
 and unless it can be shown tha.t this element could 
 have been brought in by other means, it is certain that 
 a large Celtic population remained on the soil. If this 
 cannot be done, the question is at rest. 
 
 2. The evidence of our dialectic words confirms the 
 statement of the Welsh Triads, that " a great multi- 
 tude of the Loegrians became as Saxons", i.e., there 
 was a gradual and peaceful blending of the two 
 races in England. These Triads only represent a 
 national tradition ; but a tradition of this kind, so wide- 
 spread as to be accepted by the whole nation, has much 
 probability in its favour. It is much more likely, if 
 the whole of their kindred race here had been destroyed 
 by the Saxons, that such a fact would have made a 
 deep impression on the national mind, and have been 
 recorded in its traditions, from mingled emotions of
 
 OF NORTHAMPTON AND LEICESTER. 181 
 
 indignation and horror. It is not at all probable that 
 the national record, as handed down from father to 
 son, should have been of union, if extermination had 
 been the fact. Their hostility to the Saxon would 
 have been a barrier against a rejection of the sterner 
 and more hateful issue, and to the invention of one 
 which was much more to his credit. But when to 
 this improbability there is added the evidence of our 
 dialectic words, it becomes quite certain that there 
 was a blending of races, and that the possession of 
 England after the sixth century was effected much more 
 peacefully than our historians represent. 
 
 3. The dialects that w^e have now examined contain, 
 as other dialects, many words that are exclusively 
 feminine or belong to a state of childhood. This proves 
 that in the Anglo-Saxon age, the mother of the house- 
 hold must often have been of Celtic blood. When a 
 Northamptonshire matron directs that her child shall 
 be htirJced, she uses a Celtic word which means only 
 that it shall be thoroughly warmed ; and when one boy 
 asks another to give him a bunt (push up) he gives 
 evidence of the fact that some boy, like himself, had 
 been wont, in a distant age, to hear a form of Celtic 
 speech. These are only instances of a large class of 
 words. How could they have entered the nursery, or 
 been borne on the lips of children, if no Celtic inmates 
 had ever occupied the nurseries, and no Celtic parent 
 had ever trained a child to speak ? These and other 
 Celtic words must either have been inherited from 
 Celtic ancestors, or have been communicated from 
 without. The only possible inference seems to be that 
 these words are an historical record of a race that 
 formerly held possession of the soil, and w^ere retained 
 on it, as tenants or labourers, by the conquering race. 
 
 4. It seems evident from these lists that the Celtic 
 languages in a collective form survived in England to 
 a much later period than is commonly supposed. We 
 know that when a Celtic MS. w^as found at St. Alban'.s 
 near the close of the tenth century, a priest was found in
 
 182 CELTIC ELEMENT, ETC. 
 
 the country who could interpret it (Arch. Camh., 1879, 
 p. 154). And if the kmguage, as written, was under- 
 stood by some, we may reasonably assume that it was 
 still understood and spoken by many who could neither 
 read nor write. We know, also, that in the north of 
 England, along the border line, a form of Celtic speech 
 was retained as late as the thirteenth and fourteenth 
 centuries. We may then reasonably assume that the 
 Celtic form of speech that had been spoken in the 
 counties of Northampton and Leicester before the 
 Saxon invasion was still understood there until the time 
 of the Norman conquest. It was this great event that 
 happily crushed the Celts, Saxons, Angles, and Danes 
 into one mass, out of which eventually arose the 
 English people. 
 
 Here I must pause. There are many facts connected 
 with the social position of the Celtic race in the Anglo- 
 Saxon age, and with the forms of their language, to 
 which these words bear w^itness ; but from the length 
 of this paper I must content myself with my main 
 proposition, that the dialectic words in these counties 
 prove that there was a blending of the two races in 
 England by intermarriage, and that the Celtic race 
 has contributed largely to the formation of the English 
 people. 
 
 John Davies. 
 
 EREATA. 
 
 Page 16, line 42, for Ir. cios read W. cws 
 
 „ 21, „ 16, for eecle-hickol read eccle, hicJcol 
 „ 29, „ 6, for hare read hari 
 „ 87, ,, 14, for o/ read Off/ 
 „ 94, „ 10, insert (N.)
 
 Series 9482
 
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