• «
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 AT LOS ANGELES 
 
 IJ 
 
 Dahlerup Library
 
 AN 
 
 ATTEMPT AT A GLOSSARY 
 
 OF 
 
 SOME WORDS 
 
 USED IN 
 
 CHESHIRE. 
 
 COMMUNICATED TO THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES, 
 
 BY 
 
 ROGER WILBRAHAM, Esq. F.R.S. & S.A. 
 
 IN A LETTER TO 
 
 SAMUEL LYSONS, Esq. V.P.S.A. 
 
 FROM THE ARCHMOLOGIA, 
 VOL. XIX. 
 
 SECOND EDITION, 
 
 WITH CONSIDERABLE ADDITIONS. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED FOR T. ROOD, GREAT NEWPORT STREET. 
 MDCCCXXVI.
 
 LONDON; 
 
 PRINTED BY RICHARD TAYLOR, 
 
 SHOE LANE.
 
 AN 
 
 ATTEMPT AT A GLOSSARY 
 
 OF 
 
 SOME WORDS 
 
 USED IN 
 
 CHESHIRE. 
 
 Read before the Society of Antiquaries, 8th May, 1817. 
 
 I 
 
 CQ PUELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 -^ Although a Glossary of the words peculiar to 
 — each County of England seems as reasonable an 
 o object of curiosity as its History, Antiquities, Cli- 
 mate, and various Productions, yet it has been 
 generally omitted by those persons who have un- 
 dertaken to write the Histories of our different 
 Counties. Now each of these counties has words, 
 if not exclusively peculiar to that county, yet cer- 
 tainly so to that part of the kingdom where it is 
 situated, and some of those words are highly 
 
 B 

 
 ;2 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 beautiful and cxprt-ssive ; many of their phrases, 
 adages, and proverbs are well worth recording, 
 and have occupied the attention and engaged the 
 pens of men distinguished for talents and learning ; 
 among whom the name of Ray will naturally occur 
 to every Englishman at all conversant with his 
 mother-tongue, his work on Proverbs and on the 
 different Dialects of England being one of the most 
 popular ones in our language. But there is a still 
 more important benefit to be derived from this 
 custom, were it practised to its full extent in a 
 publication comprising all the provincial Dialects 
 of England, as they would, when united all to- 
 gether, form the only true and solid foundation 
 for a work much v.anted, a General Dictionary of 
 the English Lan^uaire*. 
 
 Far be it from me to attempt in the least to de- 
 preciate the wonderful powers displayed by Dr. 
 Johnson in his Dictionary, although it is now pret- 
 ty well ascertained that he was himself much dis- 
 satisfied with it ; but as an Etymological Dictio- 
 nary, it certainly has no claim whatever to praise : 
 
 * Tliis deficiency no longer exists; as tlie new edition of 
 Dr. Johnson's Dictionary, by the Rev. II. J. Todd, now 
 forms a most comprehensive and satisfactory vocabulary of 
 the English language. So that the author of this little pro- 
 vincial Glossary may truly say, in the words of the great 
 poet of Italy, " Poca favilla gran fiamma seconda."
 
 of some IVords used in Cheshire. 3 
 
 for the learning of Dr. Johnson, extensive as it 
 was, yet did not embrace a knowledge of tlie 
 Gothic, Teutonic, or Anglo-Saxon languages, nor 
 of the other various Northern sources of our lan- 
 guage ; and moreover, he seems to have had very 
 little acquaintance with the old French or Nor- 
 man lanijuaores. Bv following the traces of Junius 
 and of Skinner, he has indeed, though not very 
 successfully, attempted to supply the former de- 
 ficiency : but to remedy the latter, namely, his 
 ignorance of the old French language, was not so 
 easy a task ; his own labour and industry in that 
 branch of learning being absolutely necessary, as 
 there is scarcely a single Lexicographer of tlic 
 Englisli tongue, who, though aiming at Etymolo- 
 gy, seems to have possessed a competent know- 
 ledije of the old French lanoruajje. 
 
 Had life, health, and the avocations of politics, 
 afforded to another gentleman, one of the most 
 acute grammarians, and of the most profound 
 etymologists that ever adorned this or possibly 
 any other country (I mean, the late Mr. Home 
 'i'ooke), sufficient leisure to accompliiih his great 
 plan of a general Etymological Dictionary of the 
 Englisli language, we should certainly have at 
 this time a clearer view into the origin of our mo- 
 ther-tongue than we liave at present. 
 
 Most of tlie leading terms in all our provincial 
 B 2
 
 4 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Dialects, omitting those which are maimed and 
 distorted by a coarse or vicious pronimciation, are 
 not only Provincialisms but Archaisms also, and 
 are to be found in our old English authors of va- 
 rious descriptions ; but those terms are now no 
 longer in general use, and are only to be heard in 
 some remote province, where they have lingered, 
 though actually dead to the language in general. 
 
 Ut silvae foliis pronos mutantur in :innos 
 
 Prima cadunt, ita verl)orum vetus iiiterit actas. — Hor. 
 
 The truth of this observation of the poet is fully 
 illustrated by an example taken from this very 
 Cheshire Dialect ; there being several words re- 
 corded by Ray as belonging to it, which are even 
 now no longer in use, at least as far as it could 
 be ascertained by the investigations made by the 
 writer of this ; so that they have actually perished 
 since the time of Ray. 
 
 Provincial words, accompanied by an explana- 
 tion of the sense in which each of them still con- 
 tinues to be used in the districts to which they 
 belong, wovdd be of essential service in explain- 
 ing many obscure terms in our early poets, the true 
 meaning of which, although it may have puzzled 
 and bewildered the most acute and learned of our 
 commentators, would perhaps be perfectly intelli- 
 gible to a Devonshire, Norfolk, or Cheshire clown.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 5 
 
 Some of our provincial Dialects, as the North- 
 Devon, Lancashire, and a few others, are already 
 in print, though in a very imperfect state ; but by 
 far the greatest number of them, either have not 
 yet been collected, or, if they have, exist solely in 
 MS. 
 
 To bring these all together, as well those which 
 have already been published, as what might be 
 collected from different MS. copies, as well as 
 from individuals now living, is a most desirable 
 object, and would, when accomplished, form a 
 work eminently useful to any English philologist 
 who might have the courage to undertake and the 
 perseverance to accomplish a General Dictionary 
 of the English language. 
 
 In a letter I formerly received from the late 
 Jonathan Boucher, vicar of Epsom, (a gentleman 
 who, had he lived to execute his plan of a General 
 English Dictionary, would probably have render- 
 ed the observations here made quite superfluous,) 
 he mentions the great similarity in many instances 
 between the Dialects of Norfolk and of Cheshire, 
 though the same similarity does not subsist be- 
 tween either of them and those of the interjacent 
 counties, and expresses his wish to have some 
 reason given for this circumstance. His observa- 
 tion I knew at that time to be well-founded, but 
 1 professed myself unable to explain it ; however,
 
 6 An Attcinpl al a Glofssary 
 
 liavinf>[ since that time reflected a jrood deal upon 
 this singidar circunistance, I will endeavour at 
 least in some measure to account for it. 
 
 'J'he truth of the observation made by the 
 same learned gentleman, that all Provincialisms 
 are also Archaisms, to tiiose who arc well ac- 
 quainted with our old English authors, is too evi- 
 dent to stand in need of an illustration. Now the 
 county palatine of Chester, having been in great 
 measure a separate jurisdiction till the days of 
 Queen Elizabeth, had very little intercom-se with 
 the neighbouring counties ; the principal families 
 of the county, and much more those in a middle 
 station of life, for the most part intermarried 
 among each other, and rarely made connections 
 out of the county, — a practice which is recom- 
 mended in an old Cheshire adage* : so that the 
 original customs and manners as well as the old 
 language of the coimty have received less changes 
 and innovations than those of most other parts of 
 England. 
 
 The inhabitants of Norfolk too, living in an al- 
 most secluded part of England, surrounded on 
 three sides of it by the sea, having little inter- 
 course with the adjoining counties, have conse- 
 quently retained in great measure their ancient 
 
 • It is better to marry over the mixen than over the moor : 
 i. e. your neighbour's daughter rather than a stranger.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 7 
 
 customs, manners, and language, unchanged by a 
 mixture with those of their neighbours. Even 
 at this day in Norfolk a person born out of the 
 county is called a Shireman or rather Sheerman, 
 i. e. one born in >ome of the shires or counties of 
 England ; not without some little expression of 
 contempt on that very account. So that the two 
 languages of Cheshire and of Norfolk, having suf- 
 fered less innovation from a mixture with others, 
 have also retained more of their originality, and 
 consequently must bear a closer resemblance to 
 each other than what is observable between most 
 of the other Provincial Dialects of England. 
 
 Dr. Ash in his English Dictionary has admitted 
 many words which belong to the Cheshire Dialect ; 
 these he has evidently taken from Ray's Proverbs : 
 others he marks as obsolete, or as local. With re- 
 gard to those called by him obsolete, it is appre- 
 hended, that, if they are still in use in any part of 
 England, the term obsolete is improper. Of those 
 which he calls local he does not specify their pre- 
 cise locality, so that the reader is left at liberty to 
 assign them to whatever district of England he 
 pleases. He has some Cheshire words also to 
 which he has attributed a different meanincr from 
 what they now bear in the county. These three 
 last descriptions of words, namely those Dr. Ash 
 marks as local, those called by him obsolete, and 
 those to which he has given a different sense from
 
 8 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 what they now convey, have all a place in this 
 imperfect Glossary. 
 
 A few words are likewise admitted on the sole 
 authority of Ray, though some of them never oc- 
 curred to the compiler of this catalogue, wliose 
 communications in diHerent parts of the county 
 have since his early days been very slight, and 
 merely occasional. 
 
 The Reader will observe many words, particu- 
 larly in the Appendix, wliich may be found in Mr. 
 Todd's edition of Dr. Johnson's Dictionary : these 
 Mr. Todd speaks of as northern words, and not 
 in common use, except in the northern counties ; 
 but as they are so in Cheshire, I thought the ad- 
 mission of them here perfectly ju.stifiable. To 
 words of this description the name of Todd is 
 generally subjoined. This, however, is not so 
 much the case in the first list of words, which was 
 sent to the Antiquarian Society before Mr. Todd's 
 Dictionary was completed. 
 
 The very great resemblance of the Dialects of 
 Cheshire and of Lancashire may be observed by 
 the frequent repetition of the abbreviation Lan. in 
 this Glossary. 
 
 One peculiarity in the English language is to 
 change, if I am not permitted to say soften, the 
 pronunciation of many words in the middle of
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 9 
 
 which is the letter L preceded by either of the 
 consonants A or O. Thus in common discourse 
 we pronounce Bawk for Balk, Caaf for Calf, 
 Haaf for Half, Wawk for Walk, Tawk for Talk, 
 Foke for Folk, Stavvk for Stalk, and St, Awbans 
 for St. Albans ; but in the Cheshire Dialect, as in 
 all the other Northern ones, this custom, and the 
 practice of substituting the o for the a and the 
 double ee for the igh, prevail in a still greater de- 
 gree : thua we call 
 
 All aw 
 
 Always awways 
 
 Alsajjer -\ r Auj 
 
 / 
 
 f\ltrincham > names of places < Autrincham 
 
 Alvanley -^ '^Awvanley 
 
 Bold bowd 
 
 Calf cauf 
 
 Call cav/ 
 
 Can con 
 
 Cold cowd 
 
 Colt cowt 
 
 Fold fowd 
 
 Gold gowd 
 
 False fause 
 
 Foul, dirty, ugly fow 
 
 Fool foo 
 
 Full foo 
 
 Fine foin
 
 1 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Hold howd 
 
 Holt hovvt 
 
 Half hauf 
 
 Halfpenny liawpenny 
 
 Hall haw 
 
 liOng lung 
 
 Man inon 
 
 Many mony 
 
 Manner monner 
 
 Might meet 
 
 Mold niowd 
 
 Pull poo 
 
 Soft saft 
 
 Bright breet 
 
 Scald scawd 
 
 Stool stoo 
 
 Right reel 
 
 Twine twoin 
 
 1' light fleet 
 
 Lane loan or lone 
 
 Mol mal 
 
 Sight see 
 
 Sit sect 
 
 Such sich 
 
 The following abbreviations have been adopted 
 
 Lancashire . Lan. 
 
 Junius, Etymologicon Anglicanum . . . Jun.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 1 1 
 
 Skinner, Etymologicon Ling. Angl. . Skin, 
 
 Wachter, Glossarium Germanicum , . Wach. 
 
 Ihre, Glossarium Suio-Gothicimi . . . Hire. 
 
 Kilian,EtyinologiconLingufeTeotiscae.Kil. 
 
 Somneri Dictionarium Saxo-Latino- •) 
 
 SSom. 
 Anoliciun J 
 
 Jamieson, Scotch Dictionary- Jam. 
 
 Law Latin Dictionary L. L. D. 
 
 Nyerup, Glossarium Linguae Teotiscoe. Nye. 
 
 PromptoriumParvulorumClericorum. P. P. C. 
 
 Ortus Vocabulorum Ort. Voc. 
 
 Ray's Proverbs Ray. 
 
 Grose's Provincial Glossary G. P. Gl. 
 
 Ash's Dictionary Ash. 
 
 Palsgrave, L'Ecclaircissement de la 
 
 Langue Fran9aise 
 
 Hormanni Vulgaria H. V. 
 
 Tiittleton's Dictionary Litt. D. 
 
 Benson's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary . . Ben. 
 
 Shakespeare Shak. 
 
 Old Word O. W. 
 
 Scherzius, Glossarium Germanicum •» ., 
 
 .,,..„. > Scherz. 
 
 Medn JEvi J 
 
 }Pal. 
 
 Haldersoni Lexicon Islandicum .... Hald. 
 Handle Holme's Academy of Ar- -^ Acad, of 
 
 moury J Arm. 
 
 Wolf's Danish Dictionary VVolf.
 
 AcHouK, or rather Aitchorn, s. to go aitchorning 
 is to go gathering Acorns. The pigs are gone 
 o aitchorning. 
 
 AcKERSPRiT, part, said of potatoes, when the roots 
 have germinated before the time of gathering 
 them, and consequently are of httle value. Corn, 
 and particularly barley, which has germinated 
 before it is malted, is said by the maltsters in 
 the eastern counties of England to be acrespired 
 or eagerspired, i. e. early grown. Bailey's Diet. 
 Skinner derives this word from the A.S. iEcer, 
 seges, satum, and noslro spire, spica. 
 
 AcKERSPYRE, V. to sprout, to germinate. Jam. 
 
 Affrodile, s. a daffodil. 
 
 Aftcrixgs, s. the last milk that can be drawn 
 from a cow : the same as Strokings. 
 
 AoaTE, adverbial expression, means not only a 
 person up and recovered from a sick-bed, but 
 also one that is employed ; " he is agate mar- 
 ling" or "ploughing." A convalescent is said 
 to be on his legs again. Agate is also used in 
 the sense of, employed with, or setting about a
 
 1 I An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 work. I have been agate a woman, directing 
 her in the road. I am agate a new cart, I am 
 making a new cart. 
 
 Ago, or Euc, r. to incite or provoke, from the 
 Danish word Eggcr, to provoke. Wolf. pari. 
 Agging, Egging. 
 
 AiTCH, AiTcnEs, s. so pronounced ; ache, aches, 
 pain, pains. It is also used for a paroxysm in 
 an intermitting disorder. This seems to be the 
 same word in an extended sense. Hot aitches 
 are flushings in the face. A.S. Ace, dolor; pain, 
 ach. Som. 
 
 All along, adv. or, when abbreviated, aw long, 
 wholly owing to, aw long of such a one I coidd 
 not do what I intended. 
 
 Anenst, or As Am ST, prep, opposite, over against. 
 Anent. O. W. Chaucer. B. Jonson uses Anenst. 
 
 Axeend, adv. upright, not lying down, on one 
 end ; when applied to a four-footed animal it 
 means rearing, or what the heralds call ram- 
 pant. It is always pronounced antcnd, and 
 possibly should be written on cend. Aneend 
 means also perpetually, evermore. 
 
 Antuims, s. whims, vagaries, peevishness ; the 
 same as Tanterums or Anticks. Anticks hovi - 
 ever is common. 
 
 Aster, *. Easter- 
 . At after, adv. afterwards.
 
 of some Words used in ChesMre. 1 .■> 
 
 B. 
 
 Bacco, s. tobacco. Lan. 
 
 Badgek, s. a dealer in corn, from the A.S. byc- 
 gean, cmere. 
 
 BAGGiNG-Time, s. Lan. the time of the afternoon 
 luncheon. 
 
 Baith, adj. both. In Hearne's Glossary to Ro- 
 bert of Gloucester's Chronicle we have bathe 
 used for both ; Beithe, is the same thing. 
 
 Bain, adj. near, convenient ; common in the 
 North. Jamieson derives it from the Islandic 
 beina, expedire. 
 
 Ballow, V, to select or claim. It is used by ])oys 
 at play, when they select a goal or a companion 
 of their game. I ballow, or ballow me that si- 
 tuation, or that person. Ihre has wtilja, or val- 
 jan, eligere, and wal, electio ; the w is often 
 changed into thei', and the o and the b are idso 
 convertible letters. " Wiilja mig," choose me 
 that situation. Fris. 
 
 Balks, .v. the hay-loft is so called, I suppose, from 
 its being divided in'o different compartmeniii 
 by Balks or Beams. Balk iu tho old Northern 
 languages is a separation or division, and Balk 
 is used for Capita, or Chapters in the titles of 
 the old Swedish laws ; sec Ihre, Glossarium 
 Suio-Gothicum, in voce Balk.
 
 16 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Bally of pigs, i. e. a bellyful, is a litter of pigs. 
 BANDY-Hewit, s. a little bandy-legged dog, a turn- 
 spit. Of Hevvit I can make nothing, unless it be 
 a corruption of Keout, which itself is probably 
 derived from Skout. See in voce Keout, Lan. 
 where a different explanation of it is given. 
 Barst, j)erj'ect tense of the verb to burst ; barsten, 
 
 is the participle. 
 Batch, s. besides the common sense of a general 
 baking, implies the whole of the wheat flour 
 which is used for making common household 
 bread, after the bran alone has been separated 
 from it. 
 Batt, I', to wink or move the eyelids up and 
 down : to bate is a term of falconry, when the 
 falcon beats his wings in this manner. 
 Bawm, v. to prepare, dress, or adorn. At Apple- 
 ton in Cheshire it was the custom at the time of 
 the wake to clip and adorn an old hawthorn 
 which till very lately stood in the middle of the 
 town. This ceremony is called the Bawming 
 of Appleton Thorn. Bo, Boa, is the Suio-Got. 
 for to prepare : Ihre. Bua, is Islandic for the 
 same. To Bawm is common for to dress or 
 adorn; it is also a good O. W. used in Nycho- 
 demus' Gospel), 4to, 1532. "And than this 
 " mayde Syndonia washed and bawmed her." 
 Bawson, or Bawsin, adj. great, large, swelled.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 17 
 
 Bailey. In Andrew Boord's Breviary of Health, 
 p. 35, we meet with a balson ele, for a very 
 large eel. 
 
 Bawson, or Bawsin, s. a badger. Skinner de- 
 rives it fantastically enough from Beau Sein, 
 &c. &c. Bawsand, Bassant, or Bawsint, in Jam. 
 is a term applied to a horse or cow having a 
 white spot in the forehead or face, which is ex- 
 actly the case of the Badger, and seems a more 
 appropriate etymology of the word, which on 
 that account alone (it being in Johnson) has a 
 place here. Gavin Douglas in his Translation 
 of Virgil, 14G, oQ, renders Frontem albam, by 
 bawsand-faced. Balzano in Italian, and Bal- 
 zan in French, both mean a horse with a white 
 leg different from the general colour of the 
 horse. Can this be the origin of Douglas's 
 bawsand-faced ? 
 
 Beardings, or a Beard-hedge, s. the bushes 
 which are stuck into the bank of a new made 
 hedge, to protect the fresh planted thorns. 
 
 Bedeet, part, or adj. dirtied, seems to come from 
 the Scotch word Bedyit, dipped, and that from 
 the A.S. word Deagan, tingere, imbuere. See 
 Jamieson. To deet is to dirty. 
 
 Beex, or Bin, is the plural of the present tense of 
 the verb to be. Lan. formerly of the verb to 
 ben, to be. 
 
 c
 
 1 8 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Been, s. is the plural of Bee. 
 
 Beet the fire, v. to light, or, as we say, to make 
 the fire : from the Teutonic boeten het vier, 
 struere ignem. Kil. 
 
 Bellart, or Beli,ot, as it is pronounced, s. a 
 bear-leader. There was an old family of that 
 name in Cheshire, now, I believe, extinct. 
 
 Berry, s. a gooseberry. 
 
 Bidding, *. an invitation to a funeral is so termed. 
 Bidding is also an O. W. for praying, from the 
 A.S. Biddan, to pray; so it may possibly be the 
 offering of prayers for the soul of the deceased. 
 A bidding is also an invitation to a wedding- 
 feast, as well as to a funeral. Cowel, in his 
 Law Dictionary, in voce Bidale or Bid-all, 
 says, "It is the invitation of friends to drink at 
 some poor man's house, who thereby hopes to 
 receive some assistant benevolence from the 
 guests for his relief: — written by some, Bildale, 
 and mentioned in Henry VIII. cap. (i. The 
 same is used also in the county palatine of 
 Chester by persons of quality towards the re- 
 lief of their own or neighbour's poor tenants. 
 
 Bide, or Abide, v. to endure : bide is also used 
 for to stay or remain. 
 
 Bight, s. a projection in a river, a projecting or 
 receding corner. It is connnonly used in sea 
 voyages : as, the Bight of Benin on the coast
 
 of some Words used in Cliesh'irc. 19 
 
 of Africa. It is an O. W. for the elbow. A.S. 
 bygan, flectere. Soni. 
 
 Bight, or Bought, is used for anything folded or 
 doubled : a sheet of paper is by Horman in liis 
 Vulgaria called a bought of paper. 
 
 BiNG, v. to begin to turn sour, said of inilk. 
 
 BiR, BiRRE, Ber, Burre, s. impetus : to take 
 birr is to run with violence as a person does 
 before taking a great leap. See the Glossary to 
 Wicliffe's New Testament by Lewis, Matt. 8. 
 " and lo in a great bire all the drove (of swine) 
 went heed-lyng into the sea." See also Apoc. 
 c. 18. Bir, ventus secundus. Hickes's Island. 
 Diet. See also Douglas's Glossary. From the 
 same source is derived what is called the Bore 
 or Eager in a tide-river. In Ellis's Early En- 
 glish Poets, vol. i. p. 389, we read, " And land 
 first rumbland rudely with sic here." Mr. Ellis 
 explains Bere by noise; but wrong, as I appre- 
 hend : it is rather violence. 
 
 Bloten, or Bloaten, part. To be bloten of any 
 one is to be unaccountably fond of him. It is 
 used in the same sense as globed to, and is per- 
 haps less common. It may be a kind of inflec- 
 tion of the participle Bloaten, swelled with, full 
 of. Or, perhaps it may be derived from the A.S. 
 word Blotan, innnolare, that is, sacriliced, ov 
 wholly given up to. N.B. Grose in his Pro-
 
 20 An Attemi.t at a Glossary 
 
 vincial Glossary attributes tliis word to Che- 
 shire. 
 
 Blufted, ^3or/. a term used at the game of bhnd- 
 man's buft". It is your turn to be bluftcd. This 
 appears to be a mistake for buffeted, which is 
 occasionally the lot of the individual who per- 
 sonates the blind man. 
 
 Bobber, adj. Bobberous, the same word ; sawcy, 
 pert. Bob, or dry-bob, is an old word for a 
 merry joke or trick. Dobson's Drybobs, is the 
 title of a merry story book. We still use the 
 phrases, to bear a bob, and bobbish, in familiar 
 discourse. In the Suio-Gothic we have BofFra, 
 to play tricks. See Ihre, in voce Bof. 
 
 BoGGY-BO, or Boggart, s. a bug-bear or scare- 
 crow. Bauw, Belgice, a spectre. To take bog- 
 gart is to take fright, as a horse does when he 
 starts aside. See Skinner, in voce Bug, and 
 Ihre, in voce Puke. Also A.S. Bauw, larva. 
 
 BoGGARTY, or BuGHARTY, adj. apt to start aside, 
 applied to a horse. 
 
 BoKE, V. to poke, or thrust out. Lan. 
 
 BoosE, s. O. W. a cow's stall. Cherry being a 
 favourite name for a red cow, — which colour is, 
 among the country-people, the most esteemed 
 for milking, — any person who is got into a com- 
 fortable situation is said to be " got into Cher- 
 ry's Boose." Bosih, praBsepe. Som.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 21 
 
 BoosY PASTURE, s. the pasture which Hes conti- 
 guous to the cow stall or Boose. 
 
 Booty-house, s. is an expression used by children 
 for an old box or shelf, or any place ornament- 
 ed with bits of glass or broken earthenware, in 
 imitation of an ornamented cabinet : probably 
 a corruption of Beauty. 
 
 BoRSTEX, j)«r^ of the verb to burst, A.S. 
 Borsten. Som. It is used for ruptured. See 
 Barst or brast, in Hearne's Glossary to Robert 
 of Gloucester's Chronicle. 
 
 Boss, s. a hassock to kneel upon in church ; by 
 Grose erroneously, as I apprehend, called a 
 Doss or Poss. 
 
 BoTHaM, s. bottom. 
 
 Bout, adv. or prep, without : " Better bad than 
 Bout," as I heard a woman say, when urged to 
 quit a bad husband. If a mother refuses any 
 thing her child asks for, she says. You mun be 
 bout, — you must go without it. See Jam. un- 
 der But and Ben, the outside and inside of a 
 house. 
 
 Bracco, or Braccow, used only when compound- 
 ed with another word, as Work-bracco, dili- 
 gent, laborious. Ray. 
 
 Brad, s. a small nail. 
 
 Bradow, v. to spread or cover. A hen bradows 
 her chickens: Teut. Broeden, incubare. Kil.
 
 22 An Altcmpt at a Glossary 
 
 So that Biadow is either a kind of augmentative 
 of IJrood, or an abbreviation of Brood over. 
 
 Brax, s. or Brant, j)o;7. burn, or burnt. Old 
 word. 
 
 Brass, is commonly used for copper coin. See 
 Shakspeare, Hen. V. 
 
 A Brat, or A Bishop, is a child's l)ib. ]\uddiman 
 derives this word from the A.S. Bratan, conte- 
 rere. 
 
 Bre, or Brae, s. Brow. Eyebraes, eyebrows. 
 The old word is Brc. 
 
 Bread (pronounced long), s. l)roadth or extent. 
 There is a great bread of corn this year, i. e. a 
 greater extent of land than usual, sown with 
 corn this year. 
 
 Brewes, or Browis, s. slices of bread, with fat 
 broth poured over them, O. W. but at present, 
 I believe, used only in Cheshire and in Lanca- 
 shire. A.S. Broth, jus; or Brew, A.S. jus, jus- 
 culum. 
 
 Bricco, adj. brittle. Brica, ruptor, A.S. Som. 
 
 Brid, s. bird, O. W. WicHffe's New Testament. 
 P. P. C. 
 
 Brid-legged, adj. The Cheshire farmer, who holds 
 that the perfect form of female beauty consists 
 more in strength than in elegance of limbs, often 
 uses this contemptuous appellation to any fe- 
 male whose limbs happen to be somewhat slen-
 
 of some Words used in Clicshire. 23 
 
 (lercr than he has in his own mind fixed upon 
 as the criterion of symmetry and taste. 
 
 Brief, adj. rife, prevalent ; said chiefly of disor- 
 ders, Agoes been brief, — agues are common. 
 
 Brimming, adj. or 2^(1^. Lan. A sow when maris 
 appetens is said to be brimming. A.S.Bremend, 
 mugiens, fervens. Som. O. W. used by Phile- 
 mon Holland. 
 
 Brock, s. a badger, (common.) 
 
 Brords, or Bruarts, s. the young shoots of corn 
 are so called: A.S. Brord, frumenti spicae, corn 
 new come up, or the spires of corn. Som. 
 
 Brore, or Brord, v. to spring up, as corn does. 
 
 Beosier, s. a bankrupt. It is often used by boys 
 at play, when one of them has nothing further 
 to stake. In the P. P. C. we have Brosyn or 
 Quashin, v. This is the origin of our modern 
 word, to bruise. 
 
 Bruart, s. is the narrow thin edge of anything. 
 Hat-bruarts are the parings of the brim of a hat. 
 
 Bruart, v. to shoot out as newly sown corn does. 
 Bishop Kennet, in his M.S. vocabulary in the 
 British Museum, has to Brere, or to be brered, 
 as corn just coming up. Dunelra has Brord, 
 frumenti spicse. 
 
 Bull-head, s. a tadpole. 
 
 Bur or Bor Tree, s. the elder, O. W. but com- 
 mon in Cheshire.
 
 24 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Burr, s. the sweet-bread. 
 
 Bushel, s. when applied to oats, means five ordi- 
 nary bushels. 
 
 Cadger, .v. a carrier, 
 
 Cale, or Kale, s. turn, chance, perhaps only Call. 
 It is used by persons doing any thing by rota- 
 tion. It is my cale now. Kele, Lan. Kilian has 
 Kavel, sors, sortitio, sors in divisione bonorum, 
 rata portio, which is very nearly the sense in 
 which it is now used. Kavel is lot, and Ka- 
 velen to draw lots, in Flemish. See Halma. 
 
 Call, v. To call a person out of his name, is to 
 abuse or vilify him. 
 
 To call all to pieces, is to treat with the most 
 opprobrious and abusive language. 
 
 Cant, adj. strong, lusty. Ash calls it local. Bai- 
 ley has the word. In the Glossary to Lang- 
 toft's Chronicle by Hearne, Kant, adj. is ex- 
 plained by courageous. 
 
 Cap, or Cappel, v. to put a new cover over shoes 
 worn out at the toe. 
 
 CaPERLAsii, s. abusive language. To Cample is a 
 northern word for to scold. See Grose. 
 
 Capo, s. a working horse, Ray. Corrupted from 
 Capyl or Capel, from Ceffyl, Welsh. O. W.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 25 
 
 Carve, or Kerve, v. to grow sour : local, accord- 
 ing to Ash. 
 
 Case, adv. because, perhaps. In the first example 
 it seems to be an abbreviation of becase, so 
 pronounced in Cheshire ; and in the second in- 
 stance itJias the appearance of being shortened 
 from percase, a word used by Bacon, though 
 now of very rare occurrence. 
 
 Cauf-Kit, or Crib, s. a place to put a sucking 
 calf in. A.S. Crybbe, prsesepe, Som. The 
 same as Kidcrow. 
 
 Cheadle Dock, or Kedle Dock, is the Senecio 
 Jacohcea. 
 
 Chem, or Tciiem, s. a team, a team of horses, a 
 team of wild ducks. Somner talks of a team 
 of young pigs. 
 
 Childer, s. children, Lan. The Ang. Sax. plural 
 termination. 
 
 Chimly, or rather Ciiimbley, s. Lan. the chimney. 
 
 CnuxNER, V. to grumble : a chunnering ill-con- 
 ditioned fellow. A.S. Ceonian, obmurmurare, 
 Ben. To chowre, is a good old word for to 
 scold. So in Turberville's translation of Ovid, 
 
 " But when the crabbed nurse 
 Begins to chide and chowre." 
 
 Clap, v. to squat, to take her seat as a hare does 
 when pursued by the hounds, in order to escape
 
 26 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 from them ; from the French se clapper, se ta- 
 
 ph-, se cacher dans un trou. 
 Clamme, or Clame, v. to dirty or plaster ovqr. 
 
 A.S. Clamian, linire, oblinirc, oblimare, to 
 
 anoint or smear over, to dawbe, to foule. to 
 
 Clamme. Som. 
 Clargvman, s. a ludicrous appellation for a black 
 
 rabbit. 
 Clat, s. To tell Clats of a person is to tell stories 
 
 of him. 
 Claver, .s'. idle talk ; Scotch, Jam. Claffer is 
 
 German for garrulus. 
 Clea, s. a claw. It was anciently written Clea. 
 
 See Fleming's Dictionaric, et passim. 
 Clem, v. Clem'd, part. Lan. starved with hunger. 
 
 Ash calls it local. Klemmen, Kil. Teut. strin- 
 
 gere, coarctare, to shrink up : the bowels arc 
 
 said to be clammed, to adhere together, l>y 
 
 hunger. 
 Clomb, per/", tense and part, of the verb to climb. 
 
 It is an old word, and used by Spencer in the 
 
 perfect tense. 
 Clots, or Clouts, burrs or burdock. A.S. Clate, 
 
 Som. et in Glossario -Sllfrici. 
 Clouts, Axle-tree Clouts, s. plaits of iron nailed 
 
 at the end of it. Clouted shoon, are shoes done 
 
 in the same way. 
 Clussum D, adj. clumsy, Lan. according to Ray,
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 27 
 
 but it means more, i. e. a hand shut and be- 
 numbed with cold, and so far clumsy ; certainly 
 a corruption of closened, or closed. 
 
 Cob, v. to throw, Lan. To cob is to lead or 
 domineer, also, to govern or surpass or excel 
 others in any art or skill. 
 
 Cob, .y. a blow. I believe always a blow on the 
 head. Cob is also a leader, a chief: This boy 
 will always be Cob. It is a good old word, 
 and used by Horman in his Vulgaria. 
 
 CoBNOBBLE, V. to correct or chastize. 
 
 CoGGLE, Keggle, Kickle, Tickle, adj. easily 
 moved ; all, I believe, the same word. 
 
 CoGGLE, V. to move with great ease, to be lui- 
 steady. 
 
 CoLDiNG, part, seems to be, shivering : To sit 
 colding by the fire-side is to sit idling by the 
 fire-side. 
 
 CoLLow, or Colly, v. to blacken, to colour, to 
 make black with a coal. Charbonner. I'al. 
 
 Colly west, adc. directly contrary. 
 
 Colly Weston is sometimes used when anything 
 goes wrong. It is aw along with Colly Weston. 
 This seems to be some personal allusion, and, I 
 sliould apprehend, very local, and by no moans 
 general throughout the county. 
 
 Come. Sunday come se'night, the next Siuulay but
 
 28 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 one. This expression was formerly very com- 
 mon, not only in colloquial but in written lan- 
 guage, and may be found in Foxc's Book of 
 Martyrs. 
 
 Tomorrow come never 
 When two Sundays come together. 
 To a person less given to the fulfilling than to 
 the making of promises, these words are often 
 repeated by way of quip, when he engages to 
 do anything. 
 
 Come out, or rather Come eyt, an odd expres- 
 sion, used to a dog ; meaning, lie still, do not 
 bark. 
 
 CoMMiN, 5. the common, waste land. 
 
 CoNNA, V. cannot. 
 
 CoNNY, or Canny, adj. is used as brisk, lively. 
 Their etymology may be found in all the dead 
 Northern languages. 
 
 CooTii, *. a cold. Coth, A.S. morbus, valctudo, 
 Som. 
 
 Cosp, s. the cross bar at the top of a spade. It 
 is frequently used for the head. A person whose 
 head has been broken is said "to have had his 
 cosp broken." Randle Holme calls it Kaspe ; 
 and when enumerating ihc different parts of a 
 spade, has the head, or handle, or kaspe. Acad, 
 of Arm. B. 3, Ch. 8, p. 329. It can scarcely
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 2d 
 
 be a corruption of the German word Kopf, the 
 head ? 
 
 Cowlick, s. is that part of a cow's hide where the 
 hairs of it, having different directions, meet and 
 form a projecting ridge of hair. This is be- 
 heved to be produced from the cow hcking 
 herself. The same term is used when the same 
 thinff occurs in the human liead. 
 
 Cow-SiiORN, or Shark, as in Lan. s. the leavings 
 of the cow. Dung, in Teutonic, is Sharn ; in 
 Suio-Got. Skarn; and a Shar Bud, an O. W. for 
 beetle, is so called rather from continually liv- 
 ing under horse or cow dung, than for its being 
 found under shards or broken earthen-ware. 
 A.S. Scearn, fimus, stercus, cow-dung. Som. 
 Handle Holme, in his Academy of Armory, says 
 Shorn is the dung of a bull or cow. It is also 
 called Cowshot or Cowplague. In Philemon 
 Holland's translation of the Natural History of 
 Phny, vol. 2. p. 327, we read : "They say that 
 bull's Sherne is an excellent complexion for- 
 sooth to set a fresh rosat or vermilion colour on 
 in the ball of the cheeke." 
 Cradant and Cradantly, s. and adv. Crassant 
 and Crassantly, which two last words are ad- 
 mitted on the sole authority of Ray ; coward, 
 cowardly : To set cradants, among boys, is to do
 
 no An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 something hazardous, to take any desperate 
 leap which cradants dare not undertake after 
 you. 
 
 Cranny, adj. pleasant, agreeable, or praisewor- 
 thy : A cranny lad. Bailey. 
 
 Creaciiy, adj. crazy, out of order, in bad repair, 
 or sick. 
 
 Creem, v. the same as Teem, to pour; also to put 
 slily into one's hand. Ash calls it local. 
 
 Crewdle or Croodle, r. to crouch together like 
 frightened chickens on the sight of a bird of 
 prey. 
 
 Crewdi-INg, s. a dull stupid person, a slow mover. 
 
 Crope and Croppen, jicrf. tense and part, of the 
 verb to Creep. Lan. 
 
 Cruel, or Crewel, adj. is still in use for worsted. 
 To work in crewels, is to work in worsted. 
 
 Crunner, s. Such is the pronunciation of Coroner. 
 
 Cumberlin, *. a troublesome worthless person; 
 from cumber. 
 
 C!uRRAKE, s. cowrake, used to clean the cow- 
 house from filth. In P. P. C. it is written 
 Colrake. 
 
 Cute, adj. quick, intelligent ; probably an abbre- 
 viation of acute.
 
 of some Words used In Cheshire. 31 
 
 D. 
 
 Daddle, v. to walk with short steps, Lan. much 
 the same as Dawdle. See Jam. Dwalen, Dutch, 
 hue illuc obambulare ; or perhaps only the di- 
 minutive of Dade. 
 
 Dagg, v. to moisten or wet the feet or lower cloth- 
 ing, Lan. ; generally used to females who wear 
 petticoats. Dagg is an O. W. for dew. In 
 Norfolk a shower of rain is called, a Dagg for 
 the turnips. Johnson calls it a low word; it is 
 however in common use in Cheshire and else- 
 where : daggle-tailed is also common. A.S. 
 Deagan, tingere. 
 
 Dander, v. to wander about. It is also used for 
 to ramble in conversation, to talk incoherently. 
 Jam. explains one of its meanings, to bewilder 
 oneself on a way, generally including the idea 
 of a want of attention, or of stupidity. 
 
 Dandy Cock or Hen, are Bantam fowls. 
 
 Dangerly, adv. possibly, by chance. 
 
 Deaf, adj. a nut without a kernel is said to be 
 deaf. 
 
 Deave, v. to deafen, or stun by noise. Doof or 
 doove, Flem. deaf. Halma. Deave, v. Scotch. 
 
 Deavely, or Deafly, adj. lonely, retired ; a 
 deavely place, a place where nothing is heard.
 
 32 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Deet, v. To deet is to dirty ; perliaps a corrupt 
 
 pronunciation of dight. 
 Much good DEET you, — Much good do it (i. e. 
 may it do) you: an exact translation of tlie Ita- 
 lian Buon pro vi faccia. 
 
 Dematii, s. a daymath, or a day's mowing for one 
 man, generally used for a statute acre, but er- 
 roneously so, for it is properly one-half of a 
 Cheshire acre, which is to the statute acre in 
 the proportion of 64 to 30}, consequently the 
 Demath bears that of 32 to 30i to the statute 
 acre. Diemat, Deymath, Daymath, is common, 
 as I am told, in East Friseland. Wiarda explains 
 it as, a piece of land containing 400 square- 
 yards. " Sa suere hi tuene ethan fire thet 
 demat," so let him swear two oaths for the 
 deymat, (LL. Brockmanorum). Tagmat, as 
 much as a labourer can mow in one day. De- 
 mat, Deimat, Demt, Dicmt, all mean the same 
 thing. 
 
 Dick's Hatband. As fine as Dick's Hatband; this 
 must be very local. 
 
 DiDDY, s. the female breast with milk in it. It is 
 used also for the milk itself: to give the child 
 some Diddy is to give it some milk. 
 
 Dig, or Digg, s. a duck. Bp. Kennet, in his MS. 
 Glossary in the British Museum, has this word.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 33 
 
 DiGHT, Vi to dress. 
 
 Ding, v. to surpass or get the better of a person. 
 Teutonic, Dinghen, contendere. The usual 
 sense of to ding is to give a great blow. 
 
 Dither, or Didder, v. to tremble or shake. 
 Todd. 
 
 DiTHiNG, s. a trembhng or vibratory motion of 
 the eye. From Dither or Didder. 
 
 In Dock out Nettle is a kind of proverbial say- 
 ing, expressive of inconstancy. It is supposed 
 that upon a person being stung with a nettle, 
 the immediate application of the dock-leaf to the 
 aggrieved part, repeating the precise words, "In 
 dock out nettle," three times (which constitutes 
 die charm), will mitigate the pain. These 
 words are said to have a similar effect with 
 those expressed in the old monkish adage, 
 " Exeat ortica, tibi sit periscelis amica," the fe- 
 male garters, bound about the part which has 
 suffered, being held a remedy equally effica- 
 cious. 
 
 Doe, v. (pronounced as the female deer is,) to live 
 or fatten on little food. It is generally used speak- 
 ing of cattle. Scotch, Jam. A Cheshire adage 
 says, " Hanged hay never does cattle ; " Bought 
 hay, which has been weighed in the scales, is 
 not economical. I believe it to be only an ex- 
 tended sense of the verb to do, i. e. to do well.
 
 34 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 DoESOM, or DosoM, adj. healthy, thriving upon 
 little. Lan. Bp. Kennet derives it from the A.S. 
 Dugan, valere. 
 
 Dree, adj. long in continuance, tedious, abun- 
 dant in measure, more than it appears to be. A 
 dree rain is a close thick small rain. Ihre has 
 Draella, stillare, unde aliquid crebro decidit. 
 Suio-Goth. 
 
 Deee, v. to continue or hold out. 
 
 Drudge-box, s. the flour-box. Dredge is the old 
 word for oats and barley mixed ; — perhaps it 
 may have been originally the dredge-box. 
 
 Drumbow, or Drumble, s. a dingle or ravin, ge- 
 nerally with trees in it. 
 
 DuNCii, adj. deaf. 
 
 DuNGOw-DASH, or Drumbow-dash, s. dung, filth. 
 When the clouds threaten hail or rain, it is said, 
 There is a deal of pouse or dungo-dash to come 
 down. 
 
 DuNNOCK, s, the hedge-sparrow ; from the very 
 dark or dusky appearance of that bird. Dun 
 was anciently a dark colour, very different from 
 what is now called a dun colour. See Shake- 
 speare passim. Quere if not Dun-neck ? Bailey 
 in his Dictionary mentions a dun-neck as a bird. 
 
 DuzzY, adj. slow, heavy; perhaps a corruption of 
 Drowsy.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 35 
 
 E. 
 
 Eale, s. ale, pronounced as in the A.S. Eale. 
 
 Eam, or Eem, v. to spare time, to have leisure. 
 Lan. I cannoh eam now. A.S. iEmtan, quies, 
 otium, tempus, rest, leisure, spare time. Som. 
 Bailey has to eein, to be at leisure ; but I never 
 heard the word so pronounced. 
 
 Eamby, adv. close by, at hand. 
 
 Easings of a house, s. the eaves. Lan. 
 
 Eaver, or Eever, s. a quarter of the heavens. 
 The wind is in the rainy eaver. The Scotch 
 use in this sense Art, Arth, Airt, or Airth. 
 Jam. Bailey admits Eever, as a Che^ire 
 word. For the etymology of this word I am 
 tempted to look to the A.S. adverb Weard, 
 versus, in the direction of, as it is exemplified 
 in its derivatives toward, froward, forward, 
 backward. The sense corresponds perfectly, 
 and the v and w may be regarded as the same 
 letter. The whole difficulty consists in the first 
 short syllable of the word : but let it be remem- 
 bered, that it is with considerable diffidence that 
 this etymology is suggested. 
 
 An Eddy, or a Neddy, s. an idiot ; of which word 
 it may possibly be a diminutive or a corruption. 
 
 Edderings, s. Radlings in a hedge are so called. 
 A.S. Edor or Edar, septum. Som. Bailey has 
 p2
 
 o6 An Attcnijit ot a Glossary 
 
 " Eder l)rt'che, tlie trespass of hedge-break- 
 ing." Tusser has 
 
 " Save Edder and stake, 
 Strong hedge to make." 
 
 Eder, s. a hedge : a good okl English word. See 
 Cowel's Law Dictionary, folio edition. 
 
 Elder, s. the udder of a cow. Lan. See Skinner, 
 Belgice Elder. 
 
 Eller, s. the elder-tree. 
 
 EsuiN, or AsHiN, s. a pail. These pails are, I be- 
 lieve, always made of ash wood. 
 
 EsHiNTLE, s. an Eshin full. 
 
 Ess, or Esse, s. ashes, or a place under the grate 
 to receive them in. Bailey calls it a Cheshire 
 word. 
 
 Expect, v. to suppose, believe, or prognosticate ; 
 rather an extended sense of the word. 
 
 Fantome corn is light corn. Fantome hay, light, 
 well-gotten hay. North. 
 
 Farand, or Farrand, s. manner, custom, appear- 
 ance. O. W. We have, old farrand : farantly : 
 to do things in the right or wrong farand. 
 
 Farantly, adj. or as usually pronounced, farancly 
 or farincly, is supposed to be composed of the 
 two words fair and clean ; but it is simply the
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. S7 
 
 adjective of Farand, and means clean, decent, 
 orderly. In Scotland well- or ill-farand are used 
 for well- or ill-looking : To fare is there also to 
 go; and a farand-man is a traveller or stranger. 
 Jam. In P. P. C. we read, comly or well fa- 
 rynge in shape ; elegans. In Hormanni Vul- 
 garia we have, " He looked unfaringly, aspectu 
 fuit incomposito." A.S. Faran, to go. Fare, a 
 journey. Som. To a gentleman ordering a 
 pair of shoes of a Cheshire shoemaker, he an- 
 swered, "I know what you would wish, sir; you 
 would have a pair of shoes with a farantly toe 
 and a mannerly heel." Farantly and mannerly 
 have much the same meaning, except that to 
 the latter is attached rather more elegance than 
 to the former. 
 
 Fare, v. to go. To fare road is to trace the foot- 
 steps of a hare along the road. The fare of a 
 hare is her trace. 
 
 Farther, adv. expressive of repugnance. I will 
 be farther if I do that, means, I will never do it. 
 
 Fashous, adj. unfortunate, shameful ; either from 
 the verb to fash, to tease, or from the French 
 fascheux, unfortunate. 
 
 Faugh, s. fallow ; an abbreviation of the word. 
 
 Favour, v. to resemble, as one person does to 
 another : That child favours his father. To fa- 
 vour, though admitted in this sense into many 
 
 3^4868
 
 38 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 of our dictionaries, and though a good authori- 
 ty for the use of it be cited by Dr. Johnson, 
 yet I do not recollect to have ever heard it in 
 conversation, except in Cheshire, where it is 
 very common. 
 
 Fay, or Faigh, s. the soil before you reach the 
 marl. To fay is to remove it. In other parts 
 of England to fie is to cleanse a ditch or pond. 
 Fowings, emundatio, in P.P.C. 
 
 Feaberry, or Feeberry, s. a gooseberry. 
 
 Fend, v. to work hard, to struggle with difficul- 
 ties. In hard times we must fend to live. Lan. 
 Fend is also used in the following sense. When 
 a person is not easily convinced, it is said, You 
 must fend and prove with him. It is probably, 
 in both senses, an abbreviation of Defend. 
 
 Fettle, s. order, good repair. 
 
 Fettle, v. to repair, or put in order, Dr. John- 
 son explains this word, to do trifling business, 
 to ply the hands without labour ; and calls it a 
 cant word, from Fed. Mr. Todd says this is a 
 mistake, and that it probably comes from the 
 Suio-Gothic Fykt, studium. The sense in which 
 it is used in Cheshire and Lancashire is, how- 
 ever, different from that assigned to it by these 
 gentlemen. In both these counties it means, 
 to mend, to put in order any thing which is 
 broken or defective, as the substantive. Fettle,
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 39 
 
 means order, good condition, proper repair. 
 Being used in this sense, it appears to me to be 
 derived from some deflection of the word Faire, 
 to do, which itself comes from the Latin Facere. 
 The nearest which occurs to me is the old 
 French word Faiture, which has exactly the 
 same meaning as our substantive Fettle, and is 
 explained by Roquefort, in his Glossaire de la 
 Langue Romane, by Fa^on, mode, forme, &c. 
 Few, v. flew, perfect tense of the verb to fly. 
 Few, adj. is not only a small number but also a 
 little quantity : — a few broth. Fea, A.S. pauci. 
 Som. 
 Fewmot, or FooMOT, s. i. e. a foulmart, a pole- 
 cat, or weasel. 
 FiTCHET-piEj s. a pie composed of apples, onions, 
 and bacon, served to labourers at harvest-home. 
 Flake, or Fleak, s. a hurdle. It is used by 
 
 Harding in his Chronicle. 
 Flange, or Flange out, v. to spread, diverge, to 
 increase in width or breadth, like the mouth of 
 a trumpet or a French horn. 
 Flash, or Plash, s. a shallow piece of water. 
 Flasker, v. to choke, or stifle. A person lying 
 in the mud and unable to extricate himself is 
 said to be flaskered. In Lan. it bears a diffe- 
 rent sense.
 
 40 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Flatter Dock, or Batter Dock, s. pond weed, or 
 potamogeton. 
 
 Flee, s. a fly. 
 
 Fleetings or Flittings, or Fleetmilk, s. part 
 of the refuse milk in the process of cheese- 
 making. Belg. Vlote-melck. Skinner. InP.P.C. 
 Flet of mylk or other hke, despumatus. 
 
 Fleck, Flick, Fleg, Flegge, Flig, v. to fly. A.S. 
 Fleogan, to fly. Ben. 
 
 Flig, or Fligge, adj. spoken of young full fledged 
 birds. Flj'gge, plumea. Pal. Fligge as bird, 
 maturus, P. P. C. Flig, volatilis. Junius, ad- 
 denda. 
 
 Fliggers, s. young birds beginning to fly. From 
 the A.S. Fliccerian, motare alas ; or from Flig- 
 gheren, Teutonice volitare. Kilian. 
 
 Flougii, s. (pronounced gutturally) a flea. In 
 Lan. Fleigh. 
 
 Fly-dod, s. (pronounced Flee-dod) Ragwort; 
 Senecio Jacobcea, vulgarly called Mare f — t. 
 It is generally covered with a dusky yellow fly, 
 which accounts for the first part of its name : 
 Dock is also a common termination of the 
 names of different weeds, by no means always 
 of the same class, so that perhaps it should be 
 Flee-dock. Gerard in his Herbal gives the 
 name of " Flea-docke" to a plant.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 41 
 
 Fow, adj. foul, ugly. 
 
 Frampot, s. the iron ring which fastens the Sowl 
 or cow yoke to the iron range. 
 
 Frem'd, adj. strange, inimical. — It is also used for 
 tender, and is sometimes pronounced Frim. 
 A.S. Frem'd, exterus. Som. 
 
 Fretten, ^9«rif. rubbed, marked, O. W. used 
 chiefly in Pock-fretten. From the French Frot- 
 ter, and that from A.S. Frothian, fricare, Som. 
 
 Frim, adj. tender or brittle. Lan. 
 
 Frort, Frowart, or Frowarts, adv. forward. 
 
 FoRTHiNK, V. to repent. O.W. Chaucer. Piers 
 Ploughman. Jam. 
 
 FoRTHouGiiT, s. repentance. Forethought is fore- 
 cast or prospective wisdom ; but our word has 
 quite a different sense, the little word For sig- 
 nifying privation, as for in forget, forgo (so it 
 ought to be written and not as it generally is, 
 forego). The pronunciation of Forthought is 
 very diflPerent from that of Forethought. 
 
 FuKEs, s. the hair. Bailey has Fax for the hair, 
 and derives from it the names, Fairfax, Halifax. 
 A.S. Feax, coma, capilli. Som. 
 
 G. 
 
 Gafty, adj. doubtful, suspected. A gafty person 
 
 is a suspected person. 
 Gate, s. a road. " Gate heo goes," is the usual cry
 
 42 An Allcmpt at a Glossary 
 
 of tlie huntsman when he pricks (i. c. traces) the 
 hunted hare along the high-road. Gate is not 
 only porta l)ut also portus — Sandgate, Margate. 
 
 Gawm, v. to comprehend. Gauwe, Teutonicc acu- 
 tus, attentus. Kil. Gaw, intelligent. Flem. 
 Halma. Palsgrave has, to awme, to guess, 
 which I suppose is nothing but to aim. 
 
 Gawn, s. a gallon. 
 
 Gee, v. to fit, suit, or agree together. Lan. from 
 the O. W. to gee or to gie, to go. 
 
 Geff, or Jeff, adj. deaf. 
 
 Gell, or Jell, s. a great deal. 
 
 Gesling, s. a gosling. 
 
 Gheeten, jutrt. gotten. 
 
 To GO Giddy is to go in a passion. A.S. Gidig, 
 stultus, vertiginosus. Som. a very trifling de- 
 flection from the common meaning of Giddy. 
 
 GiLLER, or rather Guiller, *. several horse hairs 
 twisted together to compose a fishing-line. 
 
 GiL-iiooTER, s. an owl. 
 
 Gird, *. and v. a push, to push as a bull does. 
 Shakesp. Ash calls it a twitch, a pang, but I ap- 
 prehend wrongly so. Gyrd, perce, or strike tho- 
 row with a spear or weapon, Pal. Johnson gives 
 it a diiferent sense from what it bears in Che- 
 shire. So in Shakespeare's Henry IV. act i. 
 sc. 2. Falstatt' says, " Men of all sorts take a 
 pride to gird at me."
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 43 
 
 Glaver, or GlaffeRj v. to flatter, coax, or fondle. 
 
 Cliff, s. a glimpse. Flemish Glimp, apparence. 
 Halma. 
 
 Globed to, jmrt. wedded to, foolishly fond of. 
 In Ray alone ; from Glop, fatuus. Ihre. 
 
 Gloppen, v. to astonish, or stiipify : from Glop 
 also. 
 
 Gnatter, or Natter, v. to gnaw to pieces. A.S. 
 Gnaegan, to gnaw. Som. 
 
 GoLDiNG, s. a marygold. 
 
 Good, s, a property of any kind. A.S. Gode, bona. 
 
 Goody, s. goodvvife ; a kind of familiar address 
 or title given to women rather in an inferior 
 station of life. It grows much out of use. 
 
 GoRSE-iioppER, s. the bird called a whinchat. 
 
 Gowd-neps, or GoLD-NEPS, s. a kind of small red 
 and yellow early ripe pear, the petit muscat or 
 sept en gueule of Duhamel. 
 
 Gradely, Greadly, Graidly, adj. decent, or- 
 derly, good sort of man, thriving honestly in 
 the world ; gradus, Latin; or to gree, O.W. for 
 agree. A.S. Grith, peace, used by Chaucer. 
 
 Grazier, s. a young rabbit just beginning to 
 feed on grass. 
 
 Crosier, s. a gooseberry. 
 
 GuEOUT, s. the gout ; it is also a soft spungy part 
 of a field, full of springs, a defective place, per- 
 haps used in a figurative sense.
 
 44 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 GuiLL, V. to dazzle, chiefly by a blow. 
 
 Gull, s. A naked gull ; so are called all nestling 
 birds in quite an unfledged state. They have 
 always a yellowish cast, and the word is, I be- 
 lieve, derived from the Ang. Sax. geole, or the 
 Suio-Goth. gul, yellow. Som. and Hire. The 
 commentators, not aware of the meaning of the 
 term " naked gull," l)lunder in their attempt to 
 explain those lines of Shakspeare in Timon of 
 Athens, 
 
 " Lord Timon will be left a naked Gull, 
 Which flashes now a Phoenix." 
 
 GuTTiT, s. is, I am credibly informed, almost 
 the only name by which Shrovetide is known 
 among the lower orders in Cheshire. This 
 word seems to be a corruption of Good tide. 
 Shrovetide was formerly not only, (to use the 
 words of Mr. Warton,) "a season of extraordi- 
 nary sport and feasting," but it was also the 
 stated time for repentance, confession, and re- 
 ceiving absolution. For either of the above rea- 
 sons, it may fairly have obtained the name of 
 Good tide, in like manner as the day of the Cru- 
 cifixion has obtained that of Good Friday.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 45 
 
 H. 
 
 Hagg, s. To work by the Hagg is to work by the 
 great, in contradistinction to day-work. The 
 price of day-labour is pretty much fixed ; but to 
 work by the great or by the job must be sub- 
 ject to a bargain, i. e. to a Hagg or Haggle, the 
 frequent consequence of bargaining. 
 
 Haigh, or Hay, v. to have. Lan. 
 
 Halow, or Hailow, adj. (Lan. healow,) awkwardly 
 bashful, or shy: from the A.S. Hwyl, bashful. 
 
 Hames, *. horse collars, so called (according to 
 Phillips in his New World of Words) from 
 their likeness in shape to the hams of man. 
 
 Han, the plural of the present tense of the verb 
 to have. It is an old word used by Wiclifle, 
 and seems to be a contraction of Haven. 
 
 Hantle, or Handtle, s. a handful. Jamieson 
 rightly explains this word, as it is commonly 
 used in Scotland, by a great quantity ; but the 
 doubt which he expresses of its being derived 
 from handful, when we state that the two si- 
 milar words of Piggintle and Noggintle are in 
 constant use in this county, is wholly done 
 away. 
 
 Hattle, adj. wild, skittish. Ash calls it local. 
 Bailey. 
 
 Haviouks, or Havers, s. behaviour. To be on one's
 
 46 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 haviours is to be on one's good behaviour. Jam. 
 uses liavins, or havings, in the same sense. 
 
 Hawpenny, s. Hawportii, s. halfpenny ; lialf- 
 penny-worth. 
 
 Hide, v. to beat. 
 
 Hiding, s. a beating. 
 
 HiDLANDs, s. conceahnent. When a person keeps 
 out of the way from the fear of being arrested, 
 he is said to be in Hidlands. 
 
 HiDNEs is used in the same sense as Hidlands, in 
 the Glossary to Langtoft's Chronicle, by Hcarne. 
 
 Hilling, or Heeling, s. the covering of a book, 
 the quilt or blanket. Lan. to hill, or lulling. 
 It is a good O. W. employed by Wicliffe in his 
 translation of the New Testament, but I never 
 heard it used in common conversation except in 
 Lancashire and Cheshire. See Hire in voce 
 Hilja, operire. A.S. Helan, tegere. Som. 
 
 Himsell, or Hissell, is used in the following 
 sense, He is not himself, he is out of his mind. 
 
 Hinge, adj. active, supple, pliant. 
 
 HoBBiTY Hoy, an awkward stripling, between 
 man and boy. Tusser calls it Hobart de Hoigh, 
 or Hoyh. I believe it to be simply Hobby the 
 Hoyden, or Robert the Hoyden, or Hoyt. The 
 word Hoyden is by no means confined to the fe- 
 male sex; indeed it is believed to have anciently 
 belonged to the male sex, and to mean a rude
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 47 
 
 ill-behaved person. See Todd's Diet, in voce 
 Hoiden. Hoyt in the North is an awkward boy, 
 or a simpleton. Grose. 
 
 Hog, or Hogg, s. a heap of potatoes of either a 
 conical or roof-shaped form, probably so called 
 from its resemblance to a hog's back. It is al- 
 ways covered with straw and earth, to preserve 
 the potatoes from the frost; such is the usual 
 mode in Cheshire. 
 
 Hogg, v. to put up potatoes in this way. 
 
 HoLLiN, or Holleyn, s. the holly-tree : an almost 
 literal adlierence to the Anglo-Saxon Holayn. 
 
 Holt, or rather Hoult, s. a holing, going into a 
 hole, or putting a ball into a hole, which is re- 
 quired at several games. I gained three points 
 at one hoult, i.e. at one holing. 
 
 Hoo, or rather Oo, j^ron. she. This word, which 
 is in common use in the counties of Chester and 
 Lancaster, is merely the Ang. Sax. Heo. See 
 Layamon of Ernley's translation of Wace's 
 Brut, Robert of Gloucester's Chronicle passim, 
 and Somner. Verstegan in his Glossary of the 
 Ancient English Tongue, at the end of his Re- 
 stitution of Decayed Intelligence, has "Heo for 
 she ; " and in some places in England they yet 
 say Heo, or Hoo, instead of she. 
 By Hulcii and Stulch, By hook and by crook. 
 Hulch is probably a corruption of Hutch, the
 
 45 An A I tempt at a Glossary 
 
 area frumcntaria of the pantry; and Stulch may 
 be the beginning of the word Steal, with the 
 termination in ulcli, in order to make it rime 
 with Hulch. It means, as well by saving as by 
 theft, by all possible means. The proverbial 
 expression is not, By hook and by crook, but 
 By hook or by crook ; meaning a determination 
 to obtain one's object either by direct or indi- 
 rect ways, — quocunque modo. 
 
 Hull, v. to throw. 
 
 HuLLOT, or HuLLART, 5. an owlet or owl. 
 
 HuRE, s. the hair. Lan. 
 
 HuRE-soRE, when the skin of the head is sore 
 from a cold. 
 
 Hurry, s. a bout, a set-to, a scolding, a quarrel; 
 perhaps from the old word to harry, or to 
 harass. 
 
 I. 
 
 Jack Nicker, s. a goldfinch : why so called I 
 cannot conjecture. It is particular, however, 
 to observe the appropriation of Christian names 
 to many kind of birds. Thus all little birds 
 are by children called Dicky birds. We have 
 Jack Snipe, Jack Daw, Tom Tit, Robin Red- 
 breast, Poll Parrot, a Gill-hooter ; a Magpie is 
 always called Madge, a Starling Jacob, a Spar- 
 row Philip, and a Raven Ralph.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 49 
 
 Jack-sharp, or Sharpling, s. a small fish called 
 a stickleback. 
 
 Jag, or Jagg, s. a small parcel, a small load of 
 hay or corn. In Norfolk it is called a bargain. 
 
 Jagg, or Jag, v. to trim up the small branches of 
 a tree. 
 
 Jee, or a-Jee, adi\ awry. 
 
 Jersey, or rather Jaysey, a ludicrous and con- 
 temptuous term for a lank head of hair, as re- 
 sembling combed wool or flax, which is called 
 Jersey. He has got a fine jaysey. " Jarsey, the 
 finest wool, separated from the rest by comb- 
 ing." Bailey's Diet. 
 
 Insense, v. to instruct, to inform : To lay open a 
 business to any one is to insense him. To in- 
 sense is a word formed in a similar manner 
 with the old French word assagir, rendre sage. 
 
 Iktack, s. an inclosure on a common, waste, or 
 forest. An Intake, 
 
 Jumps, s. a kind of stays worn by wet-nurses, 
 which are easily loosened in order to facilitate 
 her suckling the child. 
 
 JuRNUT, or Yernut, s. a pignut, Bunimn Dulho- 
 castanmn. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kailyards, or rather Kelyards, the name of cer- 
 tain orchards in the city of Chester. Kailyard 
 
 E
 
 50 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 in Scotch is a cabbage- or a kitdien-gardcn. 
 Jam. Yard and garden are both of them the 
 same thing, and derived from the A.S. Geard. 
 See Diversions of Parley, vol. 2. p. 275. 
 Kale. See in voce Cale. 
 Kazardly, adj. Lan. unlucky, liable to accident : 
 
 perhaps a corruption of Ilazardly. 
 Keck, v. to put any thing under a vessel which 
 lifts it up and makes it stand uneven. In Lan- 
 cashire to Keyke or Kyke, is to stand crooked. 
 Keck, V. is usually to heave at the stomach. 
 Keck is the same word, difterently applied, and 
 means to lift up, or to heave. 
 Keeve, v. to overturn or lift up a cart, so as to 
 
 unload it all at once. Ash calls it local. 
 Kencii, s. a twist or wrench, a strain or sprain. 
 Kenks (a sea term), are the doublings in a cable 
 or rope when it does not run smooth. 
 Keout, s. a little barking cur-dog. Randle Holme, 
 in his Academy of Armoury, uses Skaut or Kaut 
 for the same, which seems to designate Scout 
 for its etymology ; and this is partly confirmed 
 by that line of Tusser — 
 
 " Make bandog thy Scout-watch to bark at a thief." 
 
 Keow, or sometimes Ku, s. sounding the u some- 
 what like on, is used for Cow. — Ky, or Key, s. 
 (the plural) Cows.
 
 of some TFords used in Cheshire. 51 
 
 Kerve, v. to turn sour. 
 
 KiBBO Kir T. Thus in Cheshire is called a proof of 
 great strength ; namely, for a man to stand in a 
 half-bushel and lift from the ground and place 
 on his shoulders a load of wheat, that is, 14 score 
 weight. This is called by the name of Kibbo 
 Kift ; why, I do not know : but I have some idea 
 of havincT seen somewhere the word Kibbo or 
 Kibbow used in the sense of stroma. Should it 
 not rather be Kibbow Gift? and in that case the 
 feat above mentioned will be a gift of strength. 
 
 Kid-crow, or Kidcrew, s. a place to put a suck- 
 ing calf in. Bailey has this word, but he writes 
 it Kibgrow. Crybbe being the A.S. word for 
 stall or stable, and Crebbe being the same in 
 Teutonic, Bailey's mode of writing the word, 
 though differing from the ordinary pronuncia- 
 tion of it, is probably right. 
 
 Kind, v. to kindle the fire. 
 
 KiTLiNG, s. a kitten. Ash says it is not common. 
 It is Scotch, Jam. Kytlinge, catellus, P. P. C. 
 
 KivER, V. and s. to cover, a cover, used by Wic- 
 lifie in his MS. translation of the Psalms. 
 
 Knicky-Knacky, adj. handy, adroit. 
 
 Kxocker-knee'd, adj. said of those knees which 
 in action strike against each other. It is usually 
 called baker-knee'd. 
 
 Knotchelled, or Notciielled, adj. or part. 
 
 E 2
 
 52 An Allcmpt at a Glossary 
 
 When a man publicly declares ho will not pay 
 any of his wile's debts, which have been con- 
 tracted since some fixed day, she is said to be 
 knotchelled, a certain disgraceful huaginary 
 mark. Lan. 
 Knottings, s. thin corn, not well grown. Acad. 
 Arm. 
 
 Lad's Love, s. or Old Man, s. for by both these 
 names is the herb Southernwood called. 
 
 Ladgen, or Laggen, v. is to close the seams of 
 any wooden vessels which have opened from 
 drought, so as to make them hold water. This 
 is done by throwing the vessels into water, 
 which swells the wood and closes the seams. 
 P. P. C. has to laggen, or drabelen, palustro. 
 N.B. to drabble, to wet or dirty, is a word of 
 frequent colloquial occurrence, though omitted 
 by our best lexicographers.' 
 
 Laitii, adj. loth, unwilling. 
 
 Lat, s. a lath. Lan. 
 
 Lat, adj. lattance, s. hindrance ; Lat, v. to hin- 
 der. Jam. has lattance, as well as to lat, v. to 
 hinder. Ang. Sax. Latian, to hinder or delay. 
 An old sense of the verb to Let was to defer or 
 put off. In Herman's Vulgaria we read, — "I let 
 my journey for the lowrynge wether. Propter
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 55 
 
 nubilum distuli profectionem." To Let comes 
 either from the Gothic Latjan, tardare, or from 
 the Suio-Gothic Lattia, tardare, morari. 
 
 Lat -a- foot, adj. slow in moving. Letten, ver- 
 letten, Dutch. Latjan, Goth, tardare. 
 
 Lathe, v. to ask, to invite, O. W. Lan. 
 
 Laws you now, an exclamation. See you now ; 
 used as Lo ! The Ang. Sax. for Lo is La. 
 
 Leet, y. to let, also to light with a person, or meet 
 him. I connah leet on him, — I cannot meet 
 with him. 
 
 Leet, Leeten, v. to pretend or feign. You are 
 not so ill as you leeten yourself, — as you suffer 
 yourself to appear. Li Jam. Scotch Dictionary 
 we read to Leit, leet, let, to pretend to give, to 
 make a show of. Junius assigns Laeten, Belg. 
 for its origin. Laeeta, Icelandic, simulare, se 
 gerere, Late, gestus. Belgice, Laeten, videri, 
 simulare, gerere se hoc vel illo modo. Gothice, 
 Linter, dolus, Linta, hypocrita. 
 
 Less is pronounced as if it was written Lass. 
 
 Licii-GATES, s. are the gates of the church-yard : 
 Lich-road, s. the road by which the corpse 
 passes for interment: from the A.S. Lice, cor- 
 pus. — N.B. These gates are, I believe, never 
 opened but for funerals. 
 
 LicKSO.ME, or Lissome, adj. lightsome, pleasant, 
 agreeable. Chiefly applied to places or situa-
 
 54 An Attempt at a Glossonj 
 
 tions. Lissome often means active, agile, the 
 same as hinge. A pretty girl is said to be a 
 licksome girh 
 
 Like is used in the sense of obhgcd to do any 
 thing, forced to do it. Thou hast hke to do it. 
 
 Lipp'n, ?'. to Hppen, to expect. A. Sax. Lcaf-an, 
 credere. 
 
 Lite, s. a httle. A farmer, after enumerating tlie 
 number of acres he has in wheat and barley, will 
 often add, "and a lite wuts," i. e. a little oats. 
 It is an O. W. used by Chaucer. Danish Lidt, 
 a little. Wolf. Dan. Diet. 
 
 Lithe, v. To lithe the pot is to put thickenings 
 into it. A.S. Lithan, to lay one thing close to 
 another. Som. To Alyth is a good old word, 
 and used in this sense in the Forme of Cury, 
 p. 107. 
 
 LiTHER, adj. Lan. idle, lazy : long and lither is 
 said of a tall idle person. Ash calls it obsolete. 
 A.S. Lith, mollis, lenis. Chaucer uses it as 
 wicked. " There is no flatterer nor losyll so 
 lyther" is a line of Shelton in his Literlude of 
 Magnificence. 
 
 LiTiiiNG, or LiTiiiNGS, s. thickening for the pot, 
 either flour or oatmeal. Lyder, Icelandic. To 
 alye, is an O. W. for to mix. 
 
 Litigious, adj. I have heard weather that im- 
 peded the harvest so called ; but I believe it
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire, 55 
 
 is only a cant term, and not a true county 
 word. 
 
 Locked, part, a faced card in a pack is said to be 
 locked. 
 
 Loom, s. a utensil, a tool, a piece of furniture. 
 Som. says Geloma, utensilia, supellex, utensils, 
 things of frequent necessary use, household 
 stuff. Belgis eodem sensu Alaem, alem. Hinc 
 jurisperitorum nostrorum Heir-lome, pro supel- 
 lectili haereditaria. 
 
 A Long with. All along with, Awlung with, 
 cause, occasion. It is all along with such a per- 
 son that this business does not proceed, he is 
 the occasion, &'c. ; evidently from the A.S. 
 Gelang, ex culpa. 
 
 Lop, Loup, Loppen, pe^y. tense and pari, of the 
 verb^to leap. 
 
 LoRJUS, an exclamation. Lord Jesus ! 
 
 Lount, s. a piece of land in a common field, per- 
 haps a corruption of Lond. 
 
 Luck, v. to happen by good fortune. If I had 
 lucked, if I had had the good fortune. 
 
 LuNGEOus, adj. ill-tempered, disposed to do some 
 bodily harm by a blow or otherwise. Allonger, 
 French, to lunge. A lunge is common for a 
 violent kick of a horse, though Dr. Ash has 
 omitted it. 
 
 LuRKEY-Disii, s. the herb Pennyroyal.
 
 56 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 M. 
 
 jNIacken um doot, — make them do it. 
 
 Madpasii, s. a madbrain. Pash is the head. See 
 Jam. 
 
 Maigh, or May, v. Lan. a corruption of to make. 
 Maigli th'dur or th'yate, — shut it, or fasten it ; 
 perhaps an abbreviation of make fast. An 
 Itahanism, Far la porta, is to shut the door. 
 
 Many a time and oft is a common expression, 
 and means, frequently. This use of the word 
 Many in the singular number is by no means un- 
 common either in colloquial or in written lan- 
 guage ; Many a man, and Many a day, are expres- 
 sions fully justified by common usage. So, in 
 the Merchant of Venice, Shylock says " Many a 
 time and oft, on the Rialto you have rated me." 
 With which collo(|uial expression, though com- 
 mon through all England, Mr. Kean, the actor 
 in the part of Shylock, being unacquainted, al- 
 ways spoke the passage by making a pause in 
 
 the middle of it thus: " Many a time and 
 
 oft on the Rialto," without having any authority 
 from the text of Shakespeare for so doing. 
 
 Mara, the Forest of Mara, the old name of the 
 Forest of Delamere. Handle Holme, passim. 
 
 Mare-F — T, s. the name of the Yellow Ragwort, 
 Senecio Jacobcea.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 57 
 
 Marry! come ur, my dirty cousin, is an ex- 
 pression used to those who affect any extreme 
 nicety or dehcacy which does not belong to them ; 
 or to those who assume a distinction to which 
 they have no claim. This saying must have 
 had some local origin, which has not been trans- 
 mitted to us. 
 
 Masker, i'. the same as Flasker. Jam. has to 
 mask, to catch in a net. Maske, mesh of a net. 
 Flemish, Halma. 
 
 Maw, *. the stomach. A.S. Maga, stomachus. Som. 
 
 Maw-bound, adj. said of a cow in a state of cos- 
 tiveness. 
 
 !Mawk.s, s. a dirty figure, or mixture. Ash calls 
 it colloquial. 
 
 Meal, s. the appointed time when a cow is milk- 
 ed. She gives so much at a meal. A.S. Mgel, 
 portio, aut spatium temporis. Som. 
 
 Measter, s. master. 
 
 Measure, s. a Winchester bushel of corn. 
 
 Meet, a kind of adverbial expletive, expressive 
 of something of late occurrence. Just meet 
 now, is just even now. See Junius in voce 
 Meet. A. S. Gemet, obvius, which Somner 
 translates Met, in English. 
 
 Melcii, adj. mild, soft; perhaps from milk, either 
 through the medium of the A.S. Meolc, or the 
 Bel^ic Melk. Lan.
 
 58 An AUcmpt at a Glossary 
 
 Mich, adj. Miciiness, s. Scotch. Jam. Mich of 
 a michness, mucli the same. 
 
 MicKLEs, s. size. He is of no mickles ; he is of 
 no size or hciglit. Mickle is common in tlie 
 Nortli, both as a substantive and as an adjec- 
 tive, but the word Mickles I behevc peculiar 
 to Cheshire and Lancashire. 
 
 MiD-FEATiiER, s. is a narrow ridge of land left 
 between two pits, usually between an old marl 
 pit and a new one which lie contiguous to each 
 other. 
 
 Mittens, s. strong hedging-glovcs containing tlie 
 whole hand, not leaving any distinct places for 
 the fingers. 
 
 MixEN, s. a dunghill. A. S, Mixen. Somner. 
 
 MizzicK, s. MizzicKY, adj. a boggy place. John- 
 son has Mizzy. 
 
 Mizzle, s. small rain ; rather Mistle, as derived 
 from Mist. Dr. Ash admits the verb to mizzle, 
 but rejects the substantive. 
 
 MoNNY. Such is the vulgar pronunciation of Many. 
 
 MoRTACious, adj. mortal ; mortacious bad, very bad. 
 
 To CATCH A person NAPPING AS Moss CAUGHT HIS 
 
 MARE is a Cheshire adage, respecting which 
 Mr. Archdeacon Nares, in his Glossary, says : 
 "Who Moss was, historians have not recorded," 
 &c. We have, however, one authority for its 
 being a gray mare:
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 59 
 
 " Till daye come catch him as Mosse his grey mare." 
 
 Chrislmas Prince, p. 40. 
 
 This throws some hght upon the adage, though 
 not suflicient for its perfect explanation. By 
 his gray mare is certainly meant his wife. 
 "The gray mare is the better horse" implies 
 that the Mistress rules; and in the low colloquial 
 style of the French, La jument grise, means the 
 wife. 
 
 Mot, s. moat, a wide ditch for defence, surround- 
 ing ancient country seats or castles. 
 
 Much, s. a wonder, an extraordinary thing. It is 
 much if such a thing happen. 
 
 Muchness, 5. is used for similitude in size, in num- 
 ber, or in value ; as for instance : it is said of 
 two things between which there is not any dif- 
 ference or ground for choice, They are much 
 of a muchness. 
 
 MucKiNDER, s. a dirty napkin or pocket handker- 
 chief In Ort. Voc. we have Muckeder, mete 
 cloth, or towel. Littleton has Muckinger, and 
 so has Bailey. 
 
 MuN, V. must. Moune, or have a right, possum. 
 P. P. C. Mowe, for may, is common in Spenser. 
 Mowne is used by Wiclifte for must: not mown, 
 nequeo. Ort. Vocab. 
 
 MuNCORN, s. Blcncorn, Mengccorn and Blende- 
 corn, maslin, wheat and rye mixed together
 
 fiO An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 as they grow. Mungril is mixed. See Min- 
 shew. 
 
 MuRENGER, *. a superintendent of the walls of a 
 town or city. This word is in Ainsworth and 
 in Todd, but I never heard it used except in 
 the city of Chester, where two officers arc an- 
 nually selected from among the aldermen, who 
 are called the Murengers, and to whom the re- 
 paration of the city walls is confided. This 
 consideration seems to give the word Murenger 
 a title to a place in this little Glossary. 
 
 MyscLL, 2^yon. so pronounced, — myself. 
 
 N. 
 Naar, or Nar, near or nearer. Littleton has Narr 
 
 for nearer. Danish, Naehr, nigh. Wolf Dan. 
 
 Diet. 
 Natter'd, adj. natured, i. c. ill-natured ; very 
 
 nattered is very ill-tempered. Knattle, in Lan., 
 
 is cross, ill-natured. To natter, or gnatter, is 
 
 also to gnaw into small pieces. 
 Neeld, or NiELD, s. is in Cheshire in common use 
 
 for a needle. It is used by Shakespeare. 
 Neese, v. to sneeze. 
 Neest, *. nest. The boys say, To go a bird's 
 
 neezing ; that is, in search of birds' nests. 
 Neezle, v. to nestle, to settle oneself in a good 
 
 situation.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 61 
 
 NoBBUT, none but. \<\\o was there? Nobbut 
 
 John. 
 NoGGiNG, s. The fiUmg up of the interstices be- 
 tween the timber work in a wooden building 
 with sticks and clay is called the noggiiig. 
 NoGGiNTLE, s. a noggiuful. 
 
 NoiNT, V. to anoint; figuratively, to beat severely. 
 A NoiNTED ONE, (idj. OX ^mrt. an unlucky or mis- 
 chievous boy, who may be supposed to have 
 been severely corrected, is so called ; a term cor- 
 responding with the French nn reprouvL 
 NooKSHOTTEN, adj. disappointed, mistaken, hav- 
 ing overshotten the mark. Shakespeare uses the 
 word in Henry V. " That nook-shotten isle of 
 Albion;" and the commentators suppose it to 
 have reference to the jagged form of the En- 
 glish coast. Pegge explains the word by " be- 
 vel, not at right angles ; " and Randle Holme, 
 in his Academy of Armoury, among the glazier's 
 terms has, "a Querke is a nook-shoten pane, 
 whose sides and top run out of a square form:" 
 so that we may conceive what the artist meant 
 to be a quarry or right-angled pane, had, from 
 his want of skill, turned out otherwise ; and so 
 far Nook-shotten may mean mistaken, not mea- 
 sured by the square, not exact. 
 Note, s. A dairy of cows is said to be in good 
 note, when all the cows come into milking at 
 the best time for inaking cheese.
 
 62 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Nought, or Naught, adj. Lan. bad, worthless : 
 stark nought, good for nothing. It is often em- 
 ployed in the sense of unchaste, as explained by 
 Bailey. Sir Thomas More in his Apologye 
 uses nought in the sense of wicked. 
 
 Nought, Naught: to call to naught, to abuse very 
 much. To call to naught is in Hor. Vul. p. 131, 
 in tergo. 
 
 Nudge, s. a jog or push. 
 
 Nudge, v. to jog or push. 
 
 O. 
 
 OccAGioN, s. for Occasion, used in the sense of 
 cause or motive, as " I was the occagion, or ca- 
 gion, of his doing so." 
 
 Ommost is the common pronunciation of Almost. 
 
 On, adv. a female of any kind who is maris appe- 
 tens is said to be On. 
 
 Onliest, adj. pronounced ownliest, superlative of 
 Only : the best or most approved way of doing 
 any thing is said to be the onliest way. 
 
 OoN, s. oven. 
 
 Oss, or OssE, r, Lan. to offer, begin, attempt, or 
 set about any thing, to be setting out. Ash 
 calls it local, Holland in his translation of 
 Pliny has " Osses and Presages." To osse is 
 likewise to recommend a person to assist you. 
 Edgworth, in his Sermons in the time of Hen- 
 ry Vni. uses to osse for to prophesy, in the
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 63 
 
 same sense in which Holland uses it ; but in 
 Cheshire it has the above meaning. 
 
 OwETHER, either, O. W. Piers Plouhman : 
 Whitaker's edition. 
 
 OwLER, s. the alder-tree. Aller and Eller are 
 Scotch. Jam. 
 
 OwNDER, or AuNDER, s. the afternoon. Undern 
 is used by Chaucer, and Yestronde is an O.W. 
 for yesterday. See Ellis's Ancient Poetry. Un- 
 der was anciently used in the sense of Post, Lat. 
 See Skinner. Also iu P. P. C. we have Under- 
 mele, post meridianum. 
 
 Palms, s. branches of the willow in flower, with 
 which it was formerly the custom to decorate 
 churches on Palm Sunday, being substitutes for 
 branches of the palm-tree. 
 
 Pater, s. is pronounced as if it was written with 
 a double p in the middle of it ; thus, Pappcr. 
 
 Perished, part, killed, or starved with cold. I 
 am welly (well nigh) perished. 
 
 Pewit Land, s. moist, spongy land ; such as the 
 Pewit usually frequents. 
 
 Pied-finch, a chaffinch. 
 
 Piggintle, s. a pigginful. 
 
 PiKEiiiLL, s. a pitchfork ; such is the pronuncia- 
 tion of the word : but 1 should be inclined to
 
 G4 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 write it Pikel, and derive it from the French 
 Piqucict, a little pike. Kandle Holme writes it 
 Pikel. 
 
 PiLPiT, s. pulpit. A Cheshire farmer, on being 
 asked how he liked the new clergyman, replied, 
 " He is a pretty rough mon in the reading desk, 
 but when he gets into the pilpit, he goes oH' 
 like the smoke of a ladle." 
 
 Pink, or Penk, s. a mcnow, a small fish. Little- 
 ton has Penk. 
 
 Pip, or Peep, s. a single blossom, where flowers 
 grow in bunches (as in the Auricula): hence a 
 spot on the cards is called a pip, fiori in Itahan, 
 fl^owers in English, being the name of one of the 
 suits of cards. 
 
 Pipe, s. a small dingle or ravin, breaking out from 
 a larger one. 
 
 Plat, s. a small bridge over a stream or gutter, 
 probably from Flat. A plat of turnips or pota- 
 toes in a field or garden is a bed of them, merely 
 a variation of the common word Plot. 
 
 Plim, v. to plumb or fathom with a plummet. 
 
 Plim, adj. or adv. perpendicular. To plymme 
 down is used by Lady Juliana Barnes for 
 to pounce directly down as a falcon does upon 
 his prey. 
 
 PoKLE, s. i. e. a pokcful, is a bagfull. 
 
 Poller, or Powler, v. properly, to beat in the
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. Qo 
 
 water with a pole ; figuratively, to labour with- 
 out effect. 
 PoppiLARY, or Peppilary, s. the poplar-tree. 
 Poss, V. To poss is a jocular punishment common 
 among marlers when any one comes late to work 
 in the morning : he is held across a horse with 
 his posteriors exposed, and struck on them with 
 the flat side of a spade by the head workman, 
 called the lord of the marl pit. Possed, pushed, 
 tossed. Bailey. 
 PoTE, or Pawt, v. Lan. to kick with one foot. 
 
 Jam. has to paut. Belgice, poteren. Jun. 
 Pow, s. i. e. poll, the head. 
 
 PowsE, Pous, or PousT, s. Lan. filth, dirt ; per- 
 haps from the French Poussiere, dust. See 
 Skinner in voce Poust, also Piers Plouhman. 
 PowsELs and Thrums are used to signify dirty 
 scraps and rags. Powsels, I suppose, comes 
 from Pouse ; and Thrums is a good old word, 
 signifying tags or ends of coarse cloths. 
 Prove, v. To prove pregnant, spoken of cattle. 
 Pun, v. to pound or beat down. It is a good old 
 
 word. 
 PuNGER, V. to puzzle or confound. A farmer in 
 distress said, " I am so pungered, I know not 
 which eaver to turn to." To punge in Scotch, 
 signifies to prick or sting, mentally speaking. 
 See Jamieson. 
 
 F
 
 6G An Allempt at a Glossary 
 
 Q. 
 
 Quarry, s. a square pane of glass set with the 
 point upright. Acait. of Ann. b. 3, ch. 9, 
 p. 385. 
 
 QuERKE, s. a nook-shotcn pane of glass, or any 
 pane whose sides and top run out of a square 
 form. Acad, of Arm. ut supra. — A Quirke, *. 
 is a rhomb ; in which shape (that is, with the 
 points uppermost) all panes of glass were an- 
 ciently cut and placed. Holme's Acad, of Arm. 
 
 Quick, s. quickset. Quicks are plants of quick- 
 sets. 
 
 R. 
 
 Radling, .V, Lan. a long stick or rod, taken either 
 from a staked hedge, or from a barn wall made 
 with long sticks twisted together and plastered 
 with clay. See Ellis's Specimens of Early En- 
 glish Poetry, vol. i. p. 318. " Radyll of a carte, 
 Costee," Pal. Quaere if not a roddling ? Rad- 
 dles are hurdles. In Fleming's Dictionarie we 
 read "a hartheled walle, or ratheled with hasell 
 roddes, wandes, or such other, — Paries craticil- 
 lus." 
 Rake up the Fire, is not only to rake the bottom 
 of the grate, but also to supply it well with coals, 
 that it may continue burning all night, a cus- 
 tom regularly observed by the kitchen-maid to
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. (37 
 
 the kitchen fire in all the northern counties, 
 
 where coals are abundant. 
 Rame, Ream, or Rawm, v. to stretch out the arm 
 
 as if to reach any thing : from the Teutonic 
 
 Raeraen, extendere. Kil. 
 A Rampicked tree is a stag-headed tree. 
 Rank, adj. in a passion : Ranc, A.S. superbus, 
 
 acediosus. Somner. 
 Rank ripe, or Ronk kipe, full ripe. 
 Rappit, a rabbit. 
 
 Rappit it, or Rot it. A trivial exclamation ex- 
 pressive of dissatisfaction. 
 Rase-brained, adj. violent, impetuous ; perhaps 
 
 only rash-brained, though Rasend in German is 
 
 mad. Also in Flemish Razen, enrager. Halma. 
 Raught, perf. tense of the verb to reach ; used by 
 
 Shakespeare. 
 Ready, v. to comb the head with the wide-toothed 
 
 comb. Jam. has " to red the head or the hair, 
 
 — to loosen or disentangle it." 
 Reean, s. Lan. a small gutter. A.S. Rin, a stream. 
 
 Som. Randle Holme calls a Ree-an, the di- 
 stance between two buts. 
 Reef, *. a rash on the skin : the itch, or any 
 
 eruptive disorder ; from its being rife or reef, 
 
 i. e. frequent on the skin. 
 Reet, i.e. right. A common augmentative: Reet 
 
 nought, good for nothing. 
 !• 2
 
 68 An Attempt at a Glossanj 
 
 Reeve, v. to separate corn that has been win- 
 nowed, from the small seeds which are amoncr 
 it : this is done with what they call the reeving 
 sieve. Acad. Arm. 
 Render, v. Lan. to separate or disperse. It is 
 commonly used as in the phrase To render suet, 
 which is to break it to pieces, cleanse it, and 
 melt it down. See Jam. in voce Rind. Islan. 
 Raenn-a, rmde, liquefacere, to melt. 
 Rid, v. in the sense, get rid of. It is used for to clear 
 a hedge or bushes on a piece of land, chiefly to 
 rid gorse. A.S. Areddan, to rid away. Som. 
 Rider, s. a certain number of sheaves of corn put 
 
 up together. 
 RiGATT, s. a small channel made by the rain, out 
 of the common course of the water. Rigols, 
 old French, petit canal, Roquefort Glossaire de 
 la Langue Romane. 
 RiGG, s. a strong blast of wind. The storms which 
 usually prevail about the time of the autumnal 
 equinox are called Michaelmas R'lggs, 
 RiNER, s. a toucher. It is used at the game of 
 quoits. A Riner is when the quoit touches the 
 peg or mark. A Whaver is when it rests upon 
 the peg and hangs over, and consequently wins 
 the cast. " To shed riners with a whaver" is 
 • a proverbial expression, from Ray, and means, 
 to surpass any thing skilful or adroit by some-
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 69 
 
 thing still more so. Rinda, Ost. Got. Hire. — 
 Rennen, tangere. Wach. 
 Rise, or Rice, s. a twig or branch. O. W. Chau- 
 cer, In our county it is still retained in the 
 compound Pea-rise, for pea-sticks. Ash calls 
 it obsolete. Danis Riisz est virga. Jun. Teu- 
 tonic Riis, surculus. Kihan. A.S. Hris, long 
 and small boughes to make hedges, rise-wood. 
 Som. 
 
 RisH, s. a rush. It was anciently written Rysch, 
 or Rvsshe. P.P.C. and Ort. Voc. Sir Thomas 
 More in his Apologie writes it Rijssche. 
 
 RisoME, or RisM, s. the head of the oat. Well 
 risom'd is well headed. Some think it comes 
 from Racemus ; but probably it has the same 
 origin as Rise. Randle Holme, in his Aead. 
 of Arm. has " Rizomes, the sparsed ears of 
 oats in the straw. A Rizome head, a chaffy 
 sparsed head ; the corn in the oats are not called 
 ears, but rizomes." 
 
 Roche, s. refuse stone. French, Roche. 
 
 RoNK RIPE, i. e. rank ripe, quite ripe : said of fruit 
 in a perfect state of maturity. 
 
 Rotten, s. Lan. a rat, or rats ; Rotta is Swedish 
 for a rat. See Serenius's Swedish Dictionary. 
 " Thanne ran ther a route of ratones." 
 
 Piers Plouh. pass. 1. 
 
 Ruck, v. to get close or huddle together as fowls do.
 
 70 An Attcmjit at a Glossary 
 
 Ruck, s. Lan. a heap ; — not quite peculiar to this 
 county. Scotch. Jam. Ruga vel Ruka, Suio- 
 Got. cumulus, acervus. Hire. See Home Tooke, 
 Diversions of Purlcy, dto, vol. ii. p. 229, in voce 
 Ruck. 
 
 Ruckling, s. the least of a brood, or of a ruck. 
 
 RuTE, V. to cry with vehemence, to strive as chil- 
 dren do sometimes in crying to make as much 
 noise as they can ; to bellow or roar. Ash calls 
 it obsolete. It is admitted here on the sole 
 authority of Ray. The rut of the sea is the 
 dashing of the waves against any thing. A.S. 
 Hrutan, to snort, snore, or rout, in sleeping. 
 Som. 
 
 Ryfe, adj. is in the P.P.C. translated by publicus, 
 manifestus. 
 
 Rynt, Roynt, Runt, v. Lan. in voce Rynty, to 
 get out of the way. Rynt thee, is an expression 
 used by milkmaids to a cow when she has been 
 milked, to bid her get out of the way. Ash calls 
 it local. It is used by Shakespeare, and puzzles 
 the commentators. Possibly it may owe its 
 origin to the old adverb Arowne, found in 
 P.P.C. and there explained by remote, seor- 
 sum ; or from Ryman, or Rumian, A.S. to get 
 out of the way. " Rym thysum men setl, Give 
 this man place." Saxon Gospels. Luke, ch. 11, 
 v. 9. Arowme is used by Chaucer in his House
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 71 
 
 of Fame, book 2, ver. 32, and is there ex- 
 plained by Speght, roaming, wandering ; and 
 by Tyrwliitt, at large: perhaps remote, seorsum, 
 might be a more appropriate explanation. The 
 MS. copy of the P.P.C. among the Harleian 
 MSS. in the British MusemB has Arowne or 
 more otter (i. e. more outer), remote, seorsum. 
 Areavvt is in the Lancashire dialect, out of 
 doors. 
 
 S. 
 
 Safe, adj. sure, certain. He is safe to be 
 hanged. 
 
 Sahl, Sohl, Sole, Sow, s. an ox yoke. A.S. Sol, 
 orbita. A Sowle to tye an ox in the stall. Som. 
 A.S. Sahle, fustis, sudes. 
 
 Saix, Sayn, or rather Sen, the j)lur. of the jyre- 
 sevt tense of the verb to say ; as. They sen so, 
 Folk sen so. To add a final n or even the little 
 syllable en to many words when used in the 
 plural number, — as helpen for help, fighten for 
 fight, driven for drive, — is a common usage. 
 
 San Jam Pear, s. the green Chiswell pear, usually 
 ripe about the 25th of July (i. e. St. James's 
 day), is so called. 
 
 Sapy, adj. foolish : perhaps only sappy ill-pro- 
 nounced. Sap-scull is common. 
 
 Sarmont, s. a sermon.
 
 72 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Saugii, s. the sallow-tree, as Faugh is from fal- 
 low. 
 
 Sblid, an oath ; by his blood. 
 
 SciiARx, ,y, cow-dung. A.S. Scearn; fimus, stcrcus. 
 Holland, in his translation of the Natural Hi- 
 story of Phny, uses " bull's sherne," vol. ii. 
 p. 327. 
 
 ScRANNY, adj. thin, meagre. In Lancashire, a 
 Scrannel is a miserable emaciated person. Mil- 
 ton uses the word Scranel. In Kilian, we have 
 Schracl, gracilis, tenuis ; as well as Schracpel, 
 macer, pertenuis : and in Speghel's Suio-Gothic 
 Dictionary w^e find Skrinn, adj. macer, gracilis. 
 
 Scratch, s. the itch. It may seem extraordinary 
 to seek the etymology of this word in the old 
 French language ; and yet in Roquefort's Glos- 
 saire de la Langue Romane, we find Escrache, 
 gale, rogne. 
 
 ScHATTLE, V. to scratch as fowls do. 
 
 Scutch, v. Lan. a rod, a whip, perhaps Switch 
 corrupted. Ash admits the substantive and re- 
 jects the verb. 
 
 Scuttle, s. a small piece of wood pointed at both 
 ends, used at a game like trap-ball : perhaps 
 from Scute, O. W. for a ])oat, it being exactly 
 of that shape. Johnson explains the word in a 
 different sense. 
 
 A Seave, s. a rush. It is generally used for a rush
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 73 
 
 drawn through melted grease, which in the 
 nortliern counties serves for a candle. Todd. 
 
 Seech, v. Seeched, part, to seek : sought. To 
 Seech, V. is clearly derived from the Teutonic 
 word Suchen, quaerere, as to Seek is from the 
 A.S. Seccan, quaerere. 
 
 Seech, Sech, Sike, or Syke, s. Lan. a spring in 
 a field, which having no immediate outlet 
 forms a boggy place. Sich, Ang. Sax. a fur- 
 row or gutter. Som. 
 
 Seechy, adj. boggy. 
 
 Seet, s. sight, a great many, or a great quantity. 
 What a scat of birds is in the air ! 
 
 Seetly, adj. i. e. Sightly, is generally used in the 
 sense of handsome. A seetly wench, is a hand- 
 some girl. 
 
 Segg, s. a bull castrated when full-grown. Lan. 
 Scotch. Jam. 
 
 Sell, pron. self, in the compounds mysell, your- 
 sell, hissell. 
 
 Selt, s. chance, a thing of rare occurrence : 
 hence, seldom and selcouth (a northern term). 
 Ang. Sax. Seld, rarus. Som. 
 
 Sen EVE, V. A corpse which begins to change is said 
 to seneve ; so is joiners' work which begins to 
 warp. Senade is A. S. for signed, marked, 
 noted: but I dare not assign it as the etymology 
 of Seneve.
 
 74f An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 To Set, or to give a Set, is to lease, or give a 
 lease of a house or farm. It is the same as to 
 let. In Cornwall, a set of a mine is a lease or 
 grant of it for a specified number of years. I 
 believe it is common. 
 
 Shape, v. to begin, to set about any thing ; to be 
 shaping, is to be going away. Shape me ; pre- 
 pare me, make me ready, m'apprester. Pal. 
 " To shape one's course " is a common expres- 
 sion either in nautical or familiar discourse. See 
 Ort. Voc. in voce Evado. To shape is a good 
 O.W., used precisely in this sense by Lidgate 
 in his Historic of Thebes : 
 
 " And shope him forth upon his journie." 
 Shop is used in Piers Plouhman for went. 
 
 Shattery, adj. harebrained, giddy. 
 
 Shed, s. difference. " There is no shed between 
 them," is a common saying. It is also used for 
 tlie separation of the hair on the head, falling 
 to the right and left. 
 
 Shed, v. to surpass, or divide ; perhaps it should 
 be written sched. Scotch. Jam. to shed hair, 
 to separate it in order that it may fall on each 
 side. "As heaven's water sheds or deals" (to 
 deal is to separate) is a northern expression for 
 the boundary of different districts, generally the 
 summits of a ridge of hills ; from the Teut.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 75 
 
 Scheeden, separare. Kil. or A.S. Sceadan, divi- 
 dere ; Lancastrensibus To sheade. Som. — 
 Schad, jjart. distinguished, shaded, shadowed, 
 parted. 
 
 Sued, or rather Sheed, v. to spill ; it is used 
 equally for liquid as for dry substances. 
 
 ScHEDE, V. to depart; i.e. to divide or separate: 
 it is also, to pour out or spill. 
 
 To Shead is also to slope down ground regularly. 
 
 SiiEPSTER, s. the starling, a bird which frequents 
 sheep. 
 
 SnEWDS, s. quasi Sheds, Lan. the husks of oats 
 when separated from the corn. 
 
 Shim, adj. a clear bright white. A.S. Scima, 
 splendor. Sciman, splendere. Som. 
 
 Shippin, Shippen, or Siiip'n, s. the cow-house : 
 I suppose it is originally sheep-pen ; from the 
 A.S. Scipene, stabidum, bovile. Som. 
 
 SiioAT, s. in some places a Shot, a young pig be- 
 tween a sucker and a porker ; it is also a term 
 of contempt, when applied to a young person. 
 
 Shonna, or Shonnaii, shall not. 
 
 Siioo, or SiiooL, s. a shovel. Tusser uses shovel 
 as a monosyllable. 
 
 SiiooL, Shoo, or Snu, v. To shoo, to drive away 
 any thing, particularly birds from the corn or 
 garden. Lan. Scheuchen, Germ, to drive away. 
 
 Shred, v. To shred suet is to break it into small
 
 76 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 pieces. In the southern counlies it is used for, 
 to spread manure. A.S. Screadan, resecare, 
 amputarc. 
 
 To GET SHUT OF A PERSON is to get rid of him. 
 See Diversions of Purley, in voce Shoot. 
 
 Shuttance, s. riddance, dehvering from any trou- 
 blesome person or thing. A good shuttance of 
 such a one is, I suppose, the door shut upon 
 him. 
 
 SiBBED, adj. related to, of kin to. Lan. Sib or 
 Sibbe is a good O. W. for relationship, still re- 
 tained in gossip, i. e. God's Sib. Sibbe, affinitas, 
 Teut. Kilian. Sibberets, or Sibberidge, is the 
 bans of marriage. 
 
 Sin, adi\ or prep, since. 
 
 SiRRY, *. sirrah ; a contemptuous term often used 
 to dogs. 
 
 Skeer, v. To skeer the esse, is to clear the grate ; 
 separating the ashes from the live coals : pos- 
 sibly only to scour. 
 
 Skellerd, adj. crooked, out of the perpendicular; 
 from Scheel. Teut. obliquus, transversus. Kil. 
 
 Skelp, v. to leap awkwardly, as a cow does. 
 Skelp, Scotch. Jam. 
 
 Sken, v. to squint. 
 
 Skew, or Skew-bald, adj. a bay or brown and 
 white horse is so called. Piebald is black and 
 white, like the magpie.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 77 
 
 Skitterwit, s. a foolish, harebrained fellow. 
 
 Skreex, s. a wooden settee or settle, with a very 
 
 hiofh back sufficient to screen those who sit on 
 
 it from the external air, was with our ancestors 
 
 a constant piece of furniture by all kitchen fires, 
 
 and is still to be seen in the kitchens of many 
 
 of our old farm-houses in Cheshire. So in Tus- 
 
 ser's Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, 
 
 we read, 
 
 " If ploughman get hatchet or whip to the Skreene, 
 Maids loseth their cocke if no water be seen." 
 
 Note in Tusser redivivus. — " If the ploughman 
 can get his whip, his plough-staff, hatchet, or 
 any thing that he wants in the field, to the fire- 
 side (Observe here that Screene and fire-side 
 are one and the same thing), before the maid 
 hath <rot her kettle on, then the maid loseth her 
 Shrovetide cock, and it belongs wholly to the 
 men." 
 
 Skrike, v. to shriek out loud. Lan. O. W. Skraik 
 is Scotch, Jam. In P.P.C. we have Scrykinge 
 of childer, vagitus. 
 
 Slack, s. small coal, Lan. sometimes pronounced 
 sleek. Also a low moist place between two hills. 
 Scotch. Jam. It is admitted by Todd. 
 
 Slather, or Slur, v. to slip or slide. Slidder is 
 a good old word. 
 
 Sleak, v. (so pronounced, for probably it should
 
 78 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 be Slake,) to protrude the tongue. To Sleak out 
 the tongue, is to loll it out ; only that to loll 
 might proceed froijri weakness, whereas to sleak 
 it out is an act of volition. 
 
 Sleck, I', to extinguish, Lan. to slake ; from the 
 Isl. Slagi, humiditas. 
 
 Slink, s. the untimely foetus of a cow when killed, 
 being in calf; the veal of this is called Slink 
 veal. 
 
 Slippy, adj. abbreviation of Slippery. 
 
 Slood, *'. Cart sloods are deep cart-ruts. A.S. 
 Slog, a slough. Som. 
 
 Smeeth, v, to pass the iron over crumpled linen ; 
 A. S. Smgethe, smooth, Som. 
 
 Snagg, or Snig, v. to draw away by the hand 
 branches of trees ; also to cut off the lateral 
 branches. A.S. Snidan, secare. Som. 
 
 Sniddle, or Hassocks, s. that kind of long grass 
 which grows in marshy places. Lan. The Aira 
 ccespitosa of Linnaeus. 
 
 SoNGOw, SoNGAL, s. gleaned corn. Songow, 
 Songoe, Sangow, to go Sangowing, v. To glean, 
 or go gleaning ; generally supposed to be so 
 named from picking up the single straws, i. e. 
 singleing. The explanation given by Kilian, 
 Etym. Teuton., is however far preferable : he 
 says, Sangh, Sanghe, fasciculus spicarum, Germ. 
 Sax. Sicamb. Sang, gsang : Ang. Songe. The
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 79 
 
 same word Sanghe,manipulus spicarvim, is found 
 in Scherzius's German Dictionary. In Bailey's 
 Diet. 8vo, 1735, we have, "Songal, Songle, *. a 
 handful of gleaned corn. Herefordshire ;" so that 
 Kilian is certainly right in saying that Songe is 
 an English word, which doubtless may be found 
 in some old English authors, though it has hi- 
 therto escaped my observation. P.S. In Hyde, 
 de Rehgione Persarum, p. 398, we read, " Pau- 
 periores puellae virgines tempore messis triti- 
 ceae spicas legunt easque in parvum fasciculum, 
 seu manipulum, (Anglice, a Songall) colligatas, 
 domum reportant."* 
 
 SoPE, s. a sup. A sope of rain is a great deal of 
 rain. 
 
 Soss, s. a heavy fall. 
 
 SowGER, s. is the pronunciation o^ soldier. 
 
 Spact, adj. quick, comprehensive, also in one's 
 senses. He is not quite spact, means he is under 
 some alienation of mind. Ash calls the word 
 local, and does not give this last meaning. 
 Spaca, Islandic, sapiens. Spak, Ost. Got. Ihre. 
 
 Speer, s. the chimney post on each side of the 
 fire-place. A.S. Speare, hasta, sparus. Som. 
 
 Spocken, participle of the verb to speak. 
 
 * Hyde was a Ciicsliire man, being of the family of the 
 Hydes of Norbury in that county.
 
 80 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Springow, adj. nimble, active. Littleton has 
 Springal. 
 
 Squander, v. to separate or disperse : to squander 
 a covey of partridges. 
 
 Staggering Bob, or Yellow Slippers. Names 
 given by butchers to very young calves. When 
 in that state their hoofs are yellow. 
 
 To STAND A PERSON ON, is to be incumbent on him. 
 It stands every one on to take care of himself. 
 
 Stare, s. a starling. In iElfric's Glossary we have 
 Bcacita vel Sturnus, Stearn. He has also Tar- 
 dus, Staer. 
 
 Staw, v. i. e. to stay : a cart stopped in a slough, 
 as not to be able to proceed, is said to be stawed. 
 
 Ste-an, s. (pronounced as a dissyllable) is used 
 for a jug of that kind of earthenware called 
 stone; a stone jug. Stone is also often pro- 
 nounced as a dissyllable, Stee-an or Sto-an. 
 
 Stele, or Steal, the stalk of a flower, or the 
 handle of a rake or broom. Stele, Ang. Sax. 
 Ash calls it local. 
 
 Stepmother's Blessing, s. a little reverted skin 
 about the nail, often called a back friend. 
 
 Stirrow, s. or Stir-about ; a hasty pudding. 
 
 Stockport coach, or chaise ; a horse with tv.'o 
 women riding sideways on it is so called ; a 
 mode of travelling more common formerly than 
 at present.
 
 of some IFords used in Cheshire. 81 
 
 To Stouk, or Stowk, v. to put ears or handles to 
 such vessels as require them. 
 
 Stowk, s. stalk or handle of a pail ; it is also a 
 drinking-cup with a handle. A stowk of ale, 
 from the participle of the A.S. Stican, figere. 
 See Home Tooke, Diversions of Purley, 4to, 
 vol. 2, p. 220. 
 
 Stract, adj. abbreviation of Distracted. 
 
 Strain, v. expressive of the union of the sexes in 
 the canine race. A. S. Strynan, gignere, gene- 
 rare, procreare. Som. 
 
 Streea, s. a straw. One who goes out of the 
 country for improvement, and returns without 
 having gained much, is said to have left it to 
 learn to call a Streea a straw. 
 
 Strushion, s. destruction. Lan. 
 
 Stubbo, or Strubbow, s. stubble. 
 
 Stubbo, or Stubbed, adj. thick, short. 
 
 Stut, v. to stutter or stammer. 
 
 Swat, s. sweat. 
 
 Swat is the perfect tense of the verb to sweat. 
 
 SwiFPO, or Swippow, adj. supple. 
 
 Swippo, s. The thick part of a flail is so called. 
 Acad, of Arm. In Norfolk it is called the 
 Swingel. In Scotch Swap is a sharp stroke, 
 Jam.
 
 82 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Tachino end, s. i. c. attaching end, a shoemaker's 
 
 waxed string. 
 Tack, s. a lease, or part of a lease, for a certain 
 
 time is called a Tack, i. e. simply a take. A Tack 
 
 is a term of the Scotch law, and a farmer is 
 
 called a Tacksman. 
 Tack, s. hold, confidence, reliance : There is no 
 
 tack in such a one, — he is not to be trusted. 
 
 Johnson has this word, but not in this sense. 
 To Tack one's teeth to any thing, is to set about 
 
 it heartily. To Tack a stick to one, is to beat 
 
 him. 
 Taffy, .y. what is called coverlid : this is treacle 
 
 thickened by boiling, and made into hard cakes. 
 
 Tafia, or taffiat, sugar and brandy made into 
 
 cakes. French. 
 Taigh, orTAY, V. Scotch, to take. Jam. ; to tack 
 
 is also to take. 
 Tain, or Tane, is in common use, for taken, the 
 
 part, of the verb to take. In the very old me- 
 
 tri^:al description of the salutation of Vortigern 
 
 by Kovvena, tane is so used. 
 Tantrells, or ratlier Tantrums, s. freaks, whims. 
 
 It is often said of a child when he is peevish 
 
 and cross, that he is in his tantrums. 
 Tciiem, s. Vide in Chem.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 83 
 
 Teen, *. When any one is in misfortune or bad 
 plight, he is said to be in fowteen. 
 
 Teen, s. anger. Ray, Lan. Tynan, A.S. incitare. 
 Som. 
 
 Tent, v. to attend to or guard ; also to hinder or 
 prevent. Lan. 
 
 Tether-devil, the plantWoody Nightshade ; sup- 
 posed to be so called from the complicated 
 Sfrowth of its branches. 
 
 Thack and Thacker, s. thatch and thatcher. 
 Thekia, Islandic, thatch. A.S. Thecan, tegere. 
 
 Thatch-pricks, s. (or simply the latter word,) 
 sticks used in thatching. 
 
 That'n, a That'n, adv. in that manner. 
 
 Think on, v. to remind. 
 
 This'n, adv. in this way. In Hearne's Glossary to 
 Robert of Gloucester's Chronicle we have 
 thisne for this. Thisne being the accusative 
 case of the Anglo-Saxon pronoun This, tltis. 
 I apprehend it would not be proper to say 
 This'n man or This'n horse, or even That'n 
 man or That'n horse, using it only adjectively; 
 l)ut when used as a substantive, a That'n or 
 a This'n (the word manner being understood), 
 
 it is in common use. In Norfolk a-this-ne, 
 
 a-thal-ne, are commonly used for in this manner, 
 in that manner. 
 TiiisTLE-TAKE, s. a duty of ahalFpcnny, anciently 
 
 g2
 
 81' ^n Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 paid to the lord of tlie manor of Halton, in 
 the county of Chester, for every beast driven 
 over the common, suffered to graze or eat but 
 a thistle. Bailey. 
 
 Thrippa, or Tiiiiippow, v. to beat : which may 
 mean either to beat with the geers or thrippows, 
 in the same way as to strap and to leather signify 
 to beatwith a strap or leathern thong ; or it may 
 derive its origin (as well as the verb to drab) 
 from drapa, to strike or beat severely. Ihrehas 
 Drapa, percutere. Also to labour hard, Stubbes, 
 in his Anatomie of Abuses, p. 97, has " Tliis 
 makes many a one to thripple and pynche." 
 
 Thrippows, *. the harvest geers of carts and wag- 
 gons, which are moveable, and put on only 
 when hay and corn are to be carried. 
 
 A Thrippowing pungowing life, is a hard labo- 
 rious life. Pungow may be derived from the 
 A.S. Punian, conterere. 
 
 Thrope, Tiiroppen, the jjer/l tense and t\iepart. 
 of the verb to threap. 
 
 Thrunk, adj. thronged, crowded. "As thrunk 
 as three in a bed " is a common saying. 
 
 Thrutcii, Lan. v. to thrust or squeeze. Squeez- 
 ing or pressing the cheese is called thrutching it. 
 Palsgrave says, " Threche, pynche, pincer, this 
 is a farre Northern term." 
 
 Thunna, s. and v. thunder.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 85 
 
 TicE, V. per apliaeresin, to entice. 
 Tickle. See Kickle or Goggle. 
 Tin, or Tyne, v. Lan. to shut. Tinn the dur, 
 — shut the door. 
 
 Tin, adv. till. 
 
 To Tin, Tine, Tend, or Tind the fire, is to light 
 the fire. A.S. Tynan, accendere. Som. The 
 word tinder has the same etymology ; taender, 
 to light or kindle, Dan. Wolft'. or from Islan- 
 dic Tendra, accendere. Hald. — They are all 
 good old words. Horman, in his Vulgaria, 
 translates "About candle tending" hy primiste- 
 nehris. Tende, accendere, Danish. 
 
 Tit, s. a common name for a horse, and generally 
 one of an inferior kind, in all the Northern 
 counties. A Cheshire carter seeing one of 
 the horses he was driving in some danger of 
 falling down, cried out to his assistant driver. 
 Tittle Jaw. The assistant answered. What tit- 
 tle faw? Ban, was the reply, i. e. The tit will fall. 
 —What tit will fall ? Ball. 
 
 To Tine a hedge is to repair it with dead wood. 
 
 TiNiNG, s. the dead wood used to repair a hedge. 
 
 Toatly, or ToADLY, adj. quiet, easily managed ; 
 apparently only a corrupt pronunciation of the 
 adjective Towardly. 
 
 ToART, TowART, towards, this way. 
 
 Ton, the one; Ton and Tother, the one and the
 
 8fi An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 other. So in Hearne's Glossary to the Chro- 
 nicle of Robert of Gloucester, the ton is used for 
 the one ; and in Sir Thomas More's Apology, 
 p. 88, back, edition of 1553, we have " Of the 
 tone or of the tother." 
 
 Toot, v. to pry curiously or impertinently into 
 any little domestic concern. Toten, O.W. for 
 to look out. Chaucer has totcth for looketh, 
 passim. A tote-hill is an eminence from whence 
 there is a good look-out. 
 
 TuRMiT, s. Lan. a turnip. 
 
 TwARLY, adj. peevish, cross. 
 
 To Twin a field, to divide it into two parts. 
 
 TwiTCHEL, s. i. e. tway child, twice a child. A 
 person whose intellect is so weakened by age 
 as to become childish, is called a twitchel. 
 
 TwiTCUEL, V. to geld a bull or ram by forcing 
 the chords of his testicles into a cleft stick, so 
 that the chords rot and the testicles fall ofl'. 
 A.S. Twiccan, vellicare. See Skinner. To 
 twitchell, in a more general sense, is to tie any 
 living creature, a horse or a dog, with a sharp 
 tight cord to confine him. 
 
 V. u. 
 
 Value, s. amount, as well in measure as in quan- 
 tity ; circiter, when you come to the value of 
 five feet deep.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 87 
 
 Variety, s. a rarity. 
 
 Vkw, or View, s. Lan. a yew-tree. A.S. iw, 
 
 Unbethink, v. to recollect ; often implying a 
 change of opinion. Ash calls it local. Unbe- 
 think is used as a verb reflective, — to unbethink 
 oneself. It is a good old word, made use of in 
 Sir Robert of Knaresborough, one of the Rox- 
 burghe Club reprints. 
 
 Ukco, Uncow, or UNKeRT, adj. Lan. awkward, 
 strange, uncommon. Cockeram in his Diction- 
 arv has " Uncoe, unknown, strange ;" merely 
 uncouth. 
 
 Undeniable, adj. good, with which no fault can 
 be found. An undeniable road is not only a 
 long established road, but also one in perfect 
 repair. 
 
 Up and told, or rather Upped and told, making 
 a verb of up ; to tell with energy or animation. 
 Perhaps merely, rose up and told. 
 
 Uphold, v. to warrant or maintain ; pronounced 
 U2)lu>ud. 
 
 Upsides, adv. To declare you will be upsides with 
 any one, is to threaten severe vengeance for 
 some supposed injury or affront. 
 
 W. 
 
 Wage, s. in the singular is often used instead of 
 Wages in the plural. Wage in the singular is
 
 88 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 used for wages in the New Notl)rowne Mayd, 
 by John Scott : no date. 
 
 Waiter, s. water. The A and the M were inter- 
 changeably used in the Anglo-Saxon language, 
 as we see in Bosworth's Anglo-Saxon Grammar, 
 p. 5 1 . Flence the Cheshire pronunciation of 
 Water as if it were written waeter or ivaiter. 
 
 Wall, s. a spring of water, O.W. Walle, Teut. 
 ebullitio, Kil. Weallan, bullire, A.S. 
 
 Wall up, v. to spring up as water does. Old word 
 used by Gervase Markham. 
 
 Wangle, v. to totter or vibrate. See Junius in 
 voce Wancklc. 
 
 Warcii, s. pain, Lan. Scotch. Sec Jam. under 
 Wark. Ware, A. S. 
 
 Warre, or WoRRE, worse : A.S. Wo, bad, wo-er. 
 Warre and warre, — worse and worse. Vasrre, 
 Danish, worse: Wolff, Danish Diet. The Danish 
 V is equivalent to the English n. A.S. Wirse, 
 Wirs. In the Suio-Gothic, Warre, is worse. 
 
 Wart, or rather Walt, i'. In Lan. to wawt, is to 
 overtm*n ; chiefly used of carriages. To waiter, 
 in Scotch, is to overturn ; and a sheep await, is 
 a cast sheep. Skinner derives it from the 
 Islandic Valter. A.S. Wealtian,wealtigan, titu- 
 bare. Som. Kilianhas Walian, wellen, volvere, 
 volutare. 
 
 A TiiREEWEEK, s. So in the Cheshire dialect is
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 89 
 
 generally designated three weeks, making a 
 singular substantive of it, as is customary in 
 the word a fortnight. 
 
 Weet, s. w-et weather. Lan. 
 
 Weet, v. to rain rather slightly. Lan. 
 
 Welly, adv. well nigh. A.S. wel neah, pene, 
 almost, well nigh. Som. 
 
 Wern, v. abbreviation oi weren, the plural of the 
 perfect tense of the verb to be : used only when 
 the following word begins with a vowel. 
 
 Wetshet, or Wetched, adj. wetshod, wet in the 
 feet. Whetshod is used in Piers Plouhman, 
 passus 18. 
 
 Wever, *. river, from the Welsh Wy or Wye, a ri- 
 ver, and Fawr, great. 
 
 Wharre, s. crabs, or the crab-tree. Sour as wharre. 
 
 Whave, v. to hang over. Hvselve, Dan. hwelfi, 
 Island, to arch, hang over, or overwhelm : hv in 
 those Northern languages are equivalent to our 
 wh, hvid in Danish being white in English. 
 
 Whaver, s. See in voce Riner. 
 
 Wheady, adj. that measures more than it appears 
 to be. Dr. Ash explains it ill by Tedious, and 
 calls it local. 
 
 Wheam, adj. lying near, convenient, ready at 
 hand ; Lan. perhaps from home, here pro- 
 nounced whSme. Bp. Kennet derives this word 
 from the A.S. Geweene, gratus, commodus.
 
 yo An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 WiiEAMOw, adj. nimble, active, Ray. Bailey. 
 
 Every While stitch, is, every now and then, at 
 times. 
 
 WiiiNSTONE, s. a coarse-grained stone ; toadstone, 
 ragstone. Jam. 
 
 White, v. to quit or requite ; cited by Bailey, as 
 belonging to Cheshire. God white you ! 
 
 Whoave, v. Lan. to cover or overwhelm. Ray 
 has the same etymology as, Whave, above. 
 
 Whome, or WiioAM, s. home. Lan. 
 
 Whooked, adj. broken in health, shaken in every 
 joint. Asli calls it local. Perhaps merely, shook. 
 
 Whot, adj. hot. Hot was formerly writtenWhot, 
 So in the Christen State of Matrimonye, VZmo, 
 p. 8. b. we read " Then shall the indignacion of 
 the Lorde wax whot over you." 
 
 W^iBROw, Wybuow, s. the herb Plantain. The 
 old English name for plantain (see Dodoen's 
 Herbal by Lite) is Waybrede, of which word 
 I take Wibrow to be merely a corruption. 
 
 Wich, orWvcH. s. Several places in Cheshire and 
 elsewhere terminate in nich ; which when it is 
 pronounced long is supposed to designate a 
 salt-work ; and when short, to come from the 
 A. S. Vic. Wich is also a hut or hutch, and 
 so used in different parts of England, and par- 
 ticularly in the little island of Canvey in 
 Essex.
 
 of some Jl'ords used in ChcsJtirc. 9 1 
 
 Will- Jill, or Will-Gill, s. an hermaphrodite. 
 Withering, adj. strong, lusty : a great withering 
 fellow. To wither, is in the North of England 
 used for to throw any thing down violently ; it 
 is also used substantively, to throw down with a 
 wither : perhaps from the A.S. Witherian, cer- 
 tare, resistere. 
 To WizzEN or WissEN AWAY, V. to fade or wither 
 away : a poor sickly wizzened thing. Weornian 
 A. S. decrescere, tabescere. Hence also comes 
 the common word to wither. 
 WooAN, orWoNE, V. to dwell ; Wooant, did dwell. 
 Lan. Ash calls it obsolete. Woonen, habitare. 
 Kil. A. S. Wunian, the same. Som. The word 
 Wone may be found in the P. P. C. and in the 
 Ort.Vocab., and also in Skinner, but is not ad- 
 mitted by Todd. Junius among his addenda 
 has the word Woan, and cites Chaucer for the 
 use of it. Woant, s. a mole. Want is an old 
 word for the same. 
 WuT Tiiou, is Wilt thou. 
 Wvxs, Whoats, s. oats. 
 
 Wych-waller, s. a salt-boiler at oneof the wyches 
 in Cheshire. Wice, Sax. sinus, or the bend of 
 a river. " To scold like a wych-waller " is a 
 common adage. 
 Wyzels, s. the green stems of potatoes. Handle 
 Holme, in his Academy of Armory, calls them 
 " wisornes," and uses the term to carrots or
 
 92 y/M Attevijit at a Glossary 
 
 turnips. Wcize is the German for corn, as Holm 
 is for straw. Peas-holm is still in use. Straw- 
 berry Wises are Strawberry Runners in Lanca- 
 shire. In iElfr. Gloss, we have Framen, Strea- 
 berie-wisan. 
 
 Y. 
 
 Yaff, r. to bark. A little fow yaffing cur, is a 
 little ugly barking cur. Scotch. Jam. Gaf, 
 Ang. Sax. a babbler. Som. To yafF, is to 
 make a short shrill bark: to yafF would be im- 
 properly applied to the barking of a great dog. 
 From the Yrcnchjapper. — The j long and the 
 y are convertible letters. 
 
 Yate, s. gate. Lan. 
 
 Yed, or Yead, s. head. 
 
 Yedward, Yethart, s. Lan. Edward. In 
 Islandic Jatvardr is Edward. 
 
 Yelve, s. a dung fork, or prong. 
 
 Yelve, v. to dig chiefly with the yelve. 
 
 Yern, or Yarn, s. a heron. 
 
 Yernuts, s. See Jurnuts. 
 
 Yewking, Yewkingly, adj. and adv. having a 
 sickly appearance. 
 
 Yield, v. reward. God yield you ! or rather as it 
 is pronounced, God eeld you ! God reward you ! 
 Gialld, money, reward, Islandic. Giaellder, to 
 be of value, Danish, Wolff. Gelda or Jelda in 
 the Frisic. " Sa gelde the Redieva," " so let 
 the Reeve pay." (Leges Hansigiae.) SeeWiarda
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. ^3 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Some further Words, which though of common use 
 in Cheshire yet do not seem to belong exclu- 
 sively to that county, but are heard in several 
 of the adjoining counties, and particularly in 
 the northern ones. Perhaps, indeed, the same 
 objection may be made to some of the words 
 which have been admitted into the precedinjr 
 List ; but it is hoped they are not nlimerous, 
 considering the great difficulty, if not almost 
 impossibility, of perfectly avoiding this error. 
 
 A. 
 
 Addle, or Yeddle, v. to thrive or flourish, to 
 merit by labour : admitted by Todd in his edi- 
 tion of Johnson's Dictionary. A.S. iEdlean, 
 a reward, or to reward. 
 
 Addlings, s. earnings from labour. 
 
 x\doe, s. much to do, hurry, bustle, difficulty, 
 P.P.C. 
 
 Agreeable, adj. complying, consenting.
 
 Oi An Attcmi^t at a Glossary 
 
 Alleoar, s. vinegar made of Ale, generally used 
 
 with the adjunct Vinegar. 
 Anan, adi\ is made use of in vulgar discourse by 
 the lower order of persons addressing a supe- 
 rior, when they either do not hear or do not 
 comprehend well what is saifl to them, and is 
 equivalent to " what did you say ?" or " have 
 the goodness to repeat or explain what you 
 said." Mr. Boucher, in his supplement to 
 Johnson's Dictionary, of which the words he- 
 ginning with the letter A only were printed, 
 distinguishes very pfoperly between the collo- 
 quial pronunciation Anan, and the more com- 
 mon adverb Anon. He thinks the former a 
 reduplicative of the Saxon or Gothic particle 
 An, which is defined to be " particula interro- 
 gationibus prasmissa." In common discourse 
 the first letter is often omitted, and Nan is used 
 for Anan. 
 
 Appo, s. an apple. 
 
 Arrii, s. a mark or scar. Todd. 
 
 Ask, or Asker, s. a land or water newt. 
 
 Astound, pari, astonished. 
 
 B. 
 
 Badger, s. a dealer in corn. O.W. In the Law 
 Latin Dictionary it is rendered by Emax. Ju- 
 nius calls it Frumentarius, sive Mercator mag-
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 95 
 
 nariiis, fruges uncliquaque coemens atque in 
 
 iinum comportans. 
 Baith, pron. both. 
 
 Bang, v. to beat ; figuratively, to excel or surpass. 
 Bang-beggar, s. a beadle. 
 Bangle, v. to waste, or consume. Teut. Benghe- 
 
 len, csedere fustibus. Kil. 
 Bakmskin, s. a leathern apron. Barm, O.W. the 
 
 breast. A.S. Barme, sinus. 
 Beastings, or Beestings, s. the first milk given 
 
 by a cow after calving. Biest, Flemish, the 
 
 same thing. See Halma's Flemish Dictionary. 
 Bedeet, adj. bedirtied. 
 Beesom, 5. a broom. Todd. A.S. Besm, scopa. 
 
 Som. 
 Blear, or Blare, v. to roar or cry vehemently, as 
 
 children occasionally do. Todd. Dutch, Blaren. 
 Blissom, v. to tupp. Hov/ many ewes will a ram 
 
 blissom ? 
 Biggening, the recovery of a woman after lying in. 
 Bilberry, s. whortleberry. Todd. Sued. Blabaer. 
 
 In the North, Blaeberry. 
 Bin, Binne, or Bing, s. the place where the fod- 
 der for cattle is put. A. S. Binne, praesepe. 
 BoAC, or BoKE, I', to retch, keck, or kick at the 
 
 stomach. 
 BoRST and Borsten, perf. tense and part, of the 
 verb to burst.
 
 96 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 BoTiioM, s. bottom. 
 
 Bragget, s. spiced ale. Good old word, still in 
 use in the Northern counties. Bragod, the 
 same thing. Welsh. 
 
 Bratt, s. a small bib or apron worn by children 
 to keep their clothes clean. A.S. Bratt, a blan- 
 ket. This name is also given to young chil- 
 dren, probably from wearing bratts. 
 
 Brimming, j^fif't- or adj. spoken of a sow who is 
 maris appetens. 
 
 Brizz, s. the gadfly, (Estrus equi aut hovis. The 
 common dragon-fly is generally but erroneously 
 called the Brizz. 
 
 BucKOW, V. to buckle. 
 
 Butty, s. in those parts of Cheshire adjoining to 
 Staflordshirc and Shropshire is used as a com- 
 panion in any work or labour. As the word Boot 
 signifies in general advantage, profit, help ; so 
 I take Butty to be merely a helpmate. To play 
 booty, is to play false, as at cards where those 
 who cheat have often associates in their kna- 
 very ; or it may mean to play false for the stake, 
 calling it the Booty. 
 
 By Lakin, By Leakins, diminutive of By our 
 Lady. 
 
 Byspell, s. a natural child.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 97 
 
 C. 
 
 Caas, adv. because. 
 
 Cadge, v. to carry. Bailey calls it a country 
 word. 
 
 Cadger, s. a carrier. 
 
 Canker'd, adj. ill-tempered. 
 
 Carlings, s. gray peas boiled ; so called from 
 being served at table on Care Sunday, which is 
 Passion Sunday, as Care Friday and Care Week 
 are Good Friday and Holy Week ; supposed 
 to be so called from that being a season of par- 
 ticvdar religious care and anxiety. See Brand's 
 Popular Antiquities, 4to, vol. i. p. 93 ; also 
 Ihre, Dictionarium Suio-Gothicum in voce 
 " Kaerusunnadag." 
 
 Cawn, for Callen. 
 
 Clip, v. to embrace. A.S. Cleopan, cleafan, to 
 cleave or stick to. 
 
 Cocker, v. to fondle or spoil a child. 
 
 Conna, cannot. 
 
 CoNNOH, can not. 
 
 CoppET, adj. pert, saucy : perhaps a corruption oi 
 Cocket. 
 
 CoT, s. probably only an abbreviation of Cot- 
 quean; any man who interferes with female 
 domestic employment, and particularly in tlie 
 kitchen, is so called. The usual punishment to 
 
 H
 
 98 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 children so interfering, is to pin a disliclout to 
 
 their clothes. 
 Cotter, v. to mend, repair, or assist with little 
 
 effect. 
 CowE, V. to depress or intimidate. 
 Crewe, s. a coop to shut up fowls in. 
 Crewe, v. to shut up fowls. 
 Crxnckle, t'. to recede from an engagement. 
 Crud, *. curd ; a transposition of letters very 
 
 common. 
 
 D. 
 
 Dab, s. a blow. 
 
 Dab, v. to give a l)low. 
 
 Dacity, s. intelligence, quickness ; an abbreviation 
 of Audacity. 
 
 Dade, v. to lead children beginning to walk, 
 l^odd ; but not common. 
 
 Dading-strings, s. leading-strings. 
 
 Dang, v. to throw carelessly or violently : hence 
 the term of Dangwallet for a spendthrift. 
 
 Dawb, v. to plaster with clay. 
 
 Dawber, s. a plasterer in clay. 
 
 Daze, v. to dazzle, or stun by a blow. Dased, 
 vertiginosus, P.P.C. Sir Thomas More in his 
 Apologye talks of making men's eyes adased. 
 
 Deck, s. a pack of cards. It is used by Shake- 
 speare.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 99 
 
 Dee, v. to die. 
 
 Debt, part, dirtied. 
 
 Delf, s. a stone quarry. Todd, from to delve, to 
 dig. The words mines, delfs, quarries, often 
 occur in old deeds. 
 
 Doff, v. to pull off". 
 
 Dole, or Doale, s. a distribution of alms, gene- 
 rally on the death of some considerable person ; 
 from the A.S. Dgelan, distribuere. 
 
 Don, v. to put on. 
 
 DowK, or DouK, V. to duck or bow down the 
 head. 
 
 Dug, s. a dog. 
 
 DuR, s. a door, or Durre. See the Glossary to 
 Langtoft's Chronicle. 
 
 E. 
 
 Edge, v. to make room, or go aside. To edge off 
 
 is common. 
 Eend, s. end. 
 
 F. 
 
 Fain, adj. glad. Breet a — rd rain makes foos 
 fain : that is, when a rainy cloud is succeeded 
 by a little brightness in tlie sky, fools rejoice, 
 thinking it will soon be fair weather ; whereas 
 that brightness is often of short duration, and 
 u 2
 
 1 00 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 is followed by another rainy cloud, and the 
 wet weather still continues. 
 
 Fash, v. to trouble, tease, shame, or cast down. 
 To fash turnips, is to beat down their leaves. 
 — The rain has fashed the flowers. 
 
 Faw, s. or V. a fall, or to fall. 
 
 Fawse, adj. false, cunning, quick, intelligent. 
 
 Feart, adj. afraid. 
 
 Feck, or Fecks, an exclamation ; probably a cor- 
 ruption of Faith. 
 
 Fitter, v. to move the feet quickly, as children 
 do when in a passion. 
 
 Flet-milk, s. -skim milk. A.S. Flete, cremor 
 lactis. 
 
 Flit, v. to remove, or change one's habitation. 
 Todd. Flytcr, Danish, to remove. 
 
 Flitting, s. a removal. 
 
 Flite, or Flyte, v. to scold. A.S. Flytan, con- 
 tendere, rixare. 
 
 Fluke, s. a fish, the flounder. A.S. Floe, a plaice, 
 a fish, or sole. Som. 
 
 Flummery, s. oatmeal boiled in water till it be- 
 comes a thick gelatinous substance. Todd ad- 
 mits the word ; but I believe that only in 
 Cheshire and some other northern counties it is 
 in that sense in common use. 
 
 Fogg, s. rank eddish, or aftergrass. 
 
 FoiN, adj. fine.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 101 
 
 Fow, adj. fowl, ugly. To have a fow life to do 
 
 any thing, is to have a great difficulty in doing 
 
 it. 
 Fow-DRUNK, very drunk. 
 FowK, or FoKE, s. folk or persons. You hinder 
 
 folk, is often used for You hinder me in my 
 
 business. 
 Fridge, i'. to rub to pieces. 
 
 G. 
 
 Gad, v. to go. To be on the gad, to be just on 
 
 the point of going or setting out. 
 Gad, s. setting out, starting. 
 Gander-month, s. the month in which a man's 
 
 wife is confined in lying-in. 
 Gawp, v. to gape, or stare with open mouth. 
 
 Wachter says, " li qui rem aut exitum rei 
 
 avide prsestolantur plerum([ue hiscentes id fa- 
 
 ciunt." 
 Brown George, s. the common sort of brown 
 
 bread. 
 GizzERN, s. the gizzard. 
 Glaffer, or Glaver, v. to flatter. Todd. A.S. 
 
 Gleafan, adulari. Som. 
 Glent, s. a glimpse. 
 Glour, or Glower, v. to have a cross look. 
 
 When the clouds threaten bad weather, we call 
 
 them glowering. Todd.
 
 1 02 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Throughout many parts of Lancashire, the chil- 
 dren ill all the villages salute you with what 
 sounds exactly to my ears, " Goopy good een," 
 or *' Goody good eel ; " the meaning of which 
 expression may perhaps be, " God give you good 
 de}i" i.e. good day: or otherwise it may be, 
 " May God good yld or ijicld to you:" but from 
 the sound of the words, I rather incline to the 
 first explanation, " May God give you good 
 den." In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio says to the 
 Nurse, "God ye good den, fair gentlewoman ;" 
 to which salutation the Nurse replies, " Is it good 
 den ? " Mercutio answers, " Tis no less, I tell 
 you," &c. 
 
 Graitii, s. riches. 
 
 Grout, or Growt, s, poor small beer. Todd has 
 it, but not quite in this sense. 
 
 Guest, s. instead of guise. Another guest per- 
 son, is a different kind of person. 
 
 H. 
 
 Haigii, v. to have, 
 
 Han, v. They han, for they have. 
 
 Hannah, v. have not. 
 
 Happens, adv. perhaps, possibly, or haps. Hap- 
 
 peley is an old word used in this sense. 
 Hauf, or Hawf, s. half. 
 Haw, s. hall.
 
 of some Words used In Cheshire. 103 
 
 Heaze, v. to cough, or hawk. 
 
 Heazy, adj. hoarse. 
 
 Hie, or Hye, v. to hasten. Todd. 
 
 Hie, or Hye, s. haste. Todd. A.S. Higan, festi- 
 nare. Som. 
 
 Hove, v. to take shelter. Hovel, as a sheltering- 
 place for cattle, is common. O. W. Todd has 
 it, but does not give exactly this meaning to it. 
 To hove is a common sea term. 
 
 How done you ? for How do you ? or How do you 
 do ? Done is used as the 'plur. of do ; — they 
 done well. 
 
 HoYK, V. to lift up or toss, as a bull does with his 
 horns. 
 
 To HoYND, or To HoiND, V. to make a hard bar- 
 gain, to screw up. A landlord who behaves 
 in this manner with his tenants, is said to hoynd 
 them. A.S. Hiened, humbled, subdued, van- 
 quished ; Som. or perhaps from his treating 
 them as his hinds or slaves. 
 
 Hull, v. to pick peas or beans out of the hulls or 
 pods. Todd. 
 
 Hure, s. the hair. 
 
 HuRN, s. a horn. 
 
 JcRR, s. a blow or a push : a corrupt pronuncia- 
 tion of jarr.
 
 1 04 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 K. 
 
 Keeve, t'. to overturn. 
 Keow, s. a cow. Key, or kye, the plural. 
 Keower, v. to cower down. 
 KicKLE, adj. uncertain, the same as Tickle. 
 Kill't, adj. killed. Todd. 
 
 Kit, s. a set or company, generally in a contem- 
 ptuous sense — The whole kit of them. 
 
 L. 
 
 Lake, v. a good old word, to play. We see in a 
 MS. copy of the P.P.C. among the Harleian 
 MSS. in the British Museum, Laykin used for a 
 child's plaything, Skelton in his interlude of 
 Magnificence has " By Lakin it hathe cost me 
 pence :" but here I apprehend Lakin to be the 
 diminutive of our Lady. 
 
 To Lam, Lamme, Leather, or Lick, are all cant 
 words, used for to beat. 
 
 Lawkin, Ladykin. By Lawkin or Ladykin, by 
 our blessed Lady. 
 
 Leatii, s. leisure, cessation from labour, remission 
 of pain. 
 
 Ley, s. the law. 
 
 LiG, V. to lie, in utroque sensu verbi, according 
 to Junius. Todd.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 105 
 
 Lythe, adj. supple, pliant. A.S. Lyth, a joint. 
 Todd. 
 
 M. 
 
 Mal, or Mally, for Moll, or Molly. 
 Marrow, s. mate, companion. The following 
 metrical adage is common in Cheshire : 
 
 The Robin and the Wren 
 Are God's cock and hen, 
 The Martin and the Swallow 
 Are God's mate and marrow. 
 
 Measy, adj. I suppose — mazy, giddy. 
 
 Meet, s. might. 
 
 Meety, adj. mighty. 
 
 Mec-harry, s. a tomboy, a young girl with mas- 
 culine manners. 
 
 Mess, s. the mass. 
 
 MoN, s. man. 
 
 MoRT, s. a great deal, a great number. Todd has 
 the word, and assigns an Icelandic etymology 
 for it. 
 
 MoTTY, s. talk. " None of your motty," no ver- 
 bal interference on your part. Mot is used 
 commonly in this sense, from the French mot, 
 word. 
 
 Mouldy, adj. moldy. 
 
 Mouldy-warp, s. the mole ; from the A.S. Molde, 
 the earth, and Weorpan, to cast. Som. Todd.
 
 1 06 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Molvvorp, or Mulvvorp, Tcutonice, talpa. Ki- 
 
 lian. 
 Mulligrubs, s. To liave the mulligrubs is to be 
 
 in an ill humour. Todd. 
 MuNNAii, V. must not. 
 MuN, s. the mouth, Sued. Mun. Serenius. 
 
 N. 
 
 Nere, s. the kidney. O.W. P.P.C. Lady Juliana 
 
 Barnes uses it. 
 Nesh, adj. tender, delicate, O.W. Chaucer. A.S. 
 
 nice, soft, tender. Som. 
 Nesiiin, v. to make tender. P.P.C. 
 Nether, s. an adder. A nether and an adder 
 
 are pronounced much the same. 
 
 O. 
 
 Oaf, s. a fool. This word is not peculiar to 
 Cheshire, but it is here introduced on account 
 of the singular mode of spelling it by Cockeram 
 in his Dictionary. It is there written Gnoffe, 
 which is an old word for a miser, and presents 
 a different etymology of the word from Ouph, 
 which is usually assigned to it. 
 
 Old, adj. is often used in the sense of great, fa- 
 mous. Such as was practised in old times. Old 
 doings, signify great sport, great feasting, an 
 uncommon display of hospitality.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 107 
 
 Old man, s. a name for the plant Southernwood. 
 
 OvERGET, V. to overtake. 
 
 OvERWELT, part, a sheep overthrown and lying 
 
 on its back is said to be overwelt, i. e. it is 
 
 overwalted. 
 OuRN, for ours. 
 Outing, s. a going from home. 
 
 P. 
 
 Pee, v. to look with one eye. This seems nearly 
 the same thing as to peep. 
 
 Pee'd, jjar^. adj. having only one eye. Todd. 
 
 Peckle, v. to spot or speckle, chiefly used in the 
 part, peckled. 
 
 Peerk, or Perk, adj. seems to be a corruption of 
 Pert, brisk, lively, convalescent from sickness. 
 Dr. Ash admits it, and cites Spenser for the use 
 of it, but calls it obsolete. 
 
 Perished, part, starved with cold. 
 
 Peewit, s. a lapwing. Littleton has Peewit, va- 
 nellus. The black-headed gull, which frequents 
 some of the lakes in Shropshire, and is there 
 called a Peewit, though a very different bird 
 from the common lapwing. Dr. Jamieson ex- 
 plains Pen or Pew as a kind of imitative word, 
 expressing the plaintive cry of birds. This af- 
 fords a probable etymology for the word Pewit, 
 expressive of its cry, as Lapwing is of its pecu-
 
 108 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 liar method of flying. My etymological con- 
 jecture is confirmed by what Kilian says in 
 voce Kievit, vanellus, avis Teutonice dicta a 
 sono vocis quam edit. 
 
 PiEANNOT, *. a pie; pieannet, French. In Scotch, 
 Pyeot, or Pyeat. 
 
 PiNGLE, *. a small croft. Todd. 
 
 PiTSTEAD, s. the place where there has been a pit. 
 
 Potter, v. to disturb or confound. 
 
 PoTTERD, part, confused, disturbed. Poteren, 
 agitare. Dutch. 
 
 PouK, s. a pustule or pimple ; possibly a coarse 
 pronunciation of Pock. 
 
 Power, s. a great quantity ; in old French, force; 
 and in Latin, vis : — est hederae vis. Horace. 
 
 Poo, V. to pull. 
 
 Q. 
 
 QuEEZE, s. quasi quest, from its plaintive tone, a 
 wood-pigeon or ring-dove. Littleton has the 
 word. 
 
 Quilt, v. to beat. 
 
 R. 
 
 Reckon, v. to suppose, conjecture, or conclude. 
 
 I reckon he'll come. 
 Rheumatiz, s. rheumatism. 
 Rick, s. a stack.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 109 
 
 S. 
 
 ScRAT, s. an hermaphrodite, is in Huloch. Lit- 
 tleton has the word, and so has Todd. A. S. 
 Scritta. Som. 
 
 ScRAT, s. the itch. 
 
 Seet, v. to sit. 
 
 Shale, or Shull, v. to clear peas or beans from 
 their pods. Todd. 
 
 Shear, or Sheer, v. to cut corn with the sickle- 
 hook. P.P.C. Todd. Scir, or Scyre. A.S. 
 
 Shive, or Shiver, s. a slice. Dutch, Schyf. Todd. 
 O.W. Ort. Vocab. in voce Lesca. 
 
 Shoaf, or Shofe, s. a sheaf of corn. 
 
 Shonna, or Shanna, shall not. 
 
 Shoon, s. shoes. 
 
 Sigh, adj. such. 
 
 Sin, adv. or prep, since. 
 
 Sink, s. the sewer of a house. 
 
 Skew, v. to squint. Todd has it not in this sense 
 of the word, but only in that of, to walk ob- 
 liquely. 
 
 Skitter, v. to scatter, 
 
 Skuff, s. hinder part of the neck. Gothic, Skuft, 
 the hair of the head. Glossary to the transla- 
 tion of the Ulphilan Codex. 
 
 Slab, s. the outside board sawed from a piece of 
 timber.
 
 110 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 Slat, v. to throw, or to spill. 
 
 Slive, v. to cut off. 
 
 Sliver, s. a slice. 
 
 Sloven, p«r/. of tlie verb to slive, divided. 
 
 Slotten, ^jorf. divided. Slot and Slottcn are the 
 participles of the A.S. word Slitan, to slit. 
 When at the game of Whist the honours are 
 equal on each side, they are said to be sloven, 
 or slotten. 
 
 Snig, s. an eel, generally a small one. 
 
 Snite, s. mucus nasi. 
 
 Sorry, adj. vile, worthless. Dr. Johnson assigns 
 an Anglo-Saxon origin to the word sorry in the 
 sense of grieved, afflicted, and an Icelandic one 
 when in the sense of vile or worthless. I am 
 inclined, however, to think that they are one 
 and the same word, and that the latter sense is 
 only a figurative one, just as in Italian the 
 word iristo, derived from the Latin tristis, not 
 only signifies sorrowful or afflicted, but also 
 vile, or in no estimation. 
 SouLiNG. To go a-souling, is to go about as boys 
 do, repeating certain rigmarole verses, and beg- 
 ging cakes or money, in commutation for them, 
 the eve of All Souls day. These cakes are 
 called Soul cakes. In Letters from Spain, by 
 Leucadio Doblado, p. 70, we read as follows : 
 " We heard the church bell toll what in Spain
 
 of some Words usedin Cheshire. Ill 
 
 is called 'Las Animas,' The Souls. A man 
 bearing a large lantern with a painted glass re- 
 presenting two naked persons enveloped in 
 flames, entered the court, addressing every one 
 of the company in these words — ' The holy 
 Souls, brother! Remember the holy Souls.' 
 Few refused the petitioner a copper coin, worth 
 about the eighth part of a penny. This custom 
 is universal in Spain." Our Cheshire custom 
 of ffoinff a-Souhng is somewhat similar to this. 
 SowRiNG, *. vinegar or verjuice taken with meat. 
 Sparkle, v. to disperse. Disperkleth is used in 
 this sense in the English translation of Bartho- 
 lomaeus, De proprietatibus rerum. 
 Sparling, s. a fish, the smelt ; from the French 
 
 eperlan. Todd. 
 Sparrow-bills, s. small nails, of a particular kind. 
 Speer, s. the chimney post. 
 
 Sper, or Speer, v. to inquire ; from A.S. Spyrian, 
 to inquire. Todd. It is a good old word, used 
 by Harding in his Chronicle. 
 Stark, augmentative. German, Stark, strong; or 
 perhaps more legitimately from the A.S. Stare, 
 fortis. It is generally used in a bad sense, as 
 Stark bad. 
 Strokings, s. the last milk that can be drawn 
 
 from a cow. The same as Afterings. 
 Swale, or Sweal, v. to burn to waste, as candles
 
 1 1 2 //n Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 often do when the melted substance runs down 
 
 the candle. O.W. A.S. Swselan. Som. Todd. 
 Swale R, .v. a dealer in corn, or rather one who 
 
 buys corn and converts it into meal before he 
 
 sells it again. 
 SuppiNGS, s. the refuse milk after the cheese is 
 
 made. 
 SuMMAT, somewhat. 
 Strike of corn, a common bushel of corn. 
 
 T. 
 
 Tantony Pig : To follow any one like a Tantony 
 Pig, is to stick as close to him as Saint Anthony's 
 favourite is supposed to have done to the saint. 
 
 To Tarr on, to excite to anger or violence, is 
 still used in Cheshire. It is a good old word, 
 used by WiclifFe in his Path Waye to Perfect 
 Knowledg; and also in a MS. translation of the 
 Psalms by WiclifFe, penes me : " They have 
 terrid thee to ire." 
 
 Tatoe, *. a potatoe.   
 
 Teem, v. to pour out, is in common use in the 
 north of England. Swift having used it, it has 
 become a legal English word. In P.P.C. we 
 have to tamyn, to tap or broach a vessel of 
 liquor. It is used in the "Informac'on for Pyl- 
 grymes to the Holy Land," an old poem in 4to, 
 among the lloxburghe Club reprints.
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire, 113 
 
 Thrave, s. is generally twelve, but sometimes 
 
 twenty-fom% sheaves of corn. 
 Threap, v. to maintain with vehemence, or, to 
 
 insist. 
 Tike, or Tyke, s. a little dog. Sui.-Got. Tik, 
 
 canicula. Islandic Tijk or Tijg, Hire. A cross 
 
 child is often called a cross Tike. 
 ToM-TiT, s, the bird called a tit-mouse. 
 TuMMuz, s. Thomas. 
 
 U. 
 
 Umber, Oumber, or Oumer, s. shade : from the 
 French ombre. Corn does not ripen well if it 
 is in the umber. 
 
 V. 
 
 Varment, s. vermin. 
 
 Vast, s. a great quantity or number. There is a 
 vast of corn this year. 
 
 W. 
 
 Walm, v. to seethe or boil. This word is used by 
 Gervase Markham and by Randle Holme. It 
 seems to be derived from the old word to wall, 
 to spring up. 
 
 Walm, s. a bubble up in boiling. 
 
 Ward, or Warld, 5. world. 
 
 Whap, s. a blow. A Whapper or Whapping is not 
 
 I
 
 1 1 4 An Attempt at a Glossary 
 
 uncommon in colloquial language for anything 
 
 very large. 
 Whapped, part, or verb. When any one goes 
 
 away suddenly he is said to have whapped 
 
 away. 
 Wheint, adj. quaint. 
 Whick, adj. quick, alive. 
 Whicks, s. quickset plants. 
 Whig, *. whey. A. S. Hwaeg, serum. Som. 
 Whitestek, s. a bleacher of linen. 
 Whizzen, v. to shrivel or shrink. Todd. It is 
 
 chiefly used in the participle, Whizzened. 
 WiNNA, or WONNA, will not. 
 Won, Wone, or Woan, v. to dwell or inhabit. 
 WoNNA, will not. 
 
 Yarth, s. the eardi. Such is the pronunciation 
 of this word throughout all the northern coun- 
 ties of England ; and it seems to be derived 
 from the Danish Jord, Isl. Jorth, the earth. 
 
 Yate, *. a gate. 
 
 Yed, or Yead, s. the head. 
 
 Yedward, or Yethart, Edward. Isl. latvardr. 
 
 Yeuk, or Yoke, s. the itch. Among the Suffolk 
 Letters in 2 vols. 8vo, 1824, there is one written 
 by a very lively correspondent, Mrs. Bradshaw, 
 dated 28th May 1722, from Gosworth Hall in
 
 of some Words used in Cheshire. 113 
 
 Cheshire, in which she says, " All the best fa- 
 mihes in the parish are laid up with what they call 
 the yoke, which in England is the itch." Of 
 this word, however, in Cheshire I could find no 
 trace ; and tlierefore it may appear strange to 
 admit it into this Glossary on the authority of 
 a court lady ; but when I find in Mr. Trotter 
 Brockett's Glossary of North Country Words, 
 published in 1825, " Yeuk, v. to itch,'" and in the 
 Glossary annexed to the Praise of Yorkshire 
 Ale, " To yeauke, v. to itch," — I have no doubt 
 but that the word was in common use in Cheshire 
 about a century since. By finding also in 
 the P.P.C. " Yekin, s. pruritus," it turns out to 
 be a good old English word, of which the ety- 
 mology is doubtless from the Teutonic Joocken, 
 Jeucken, prurire. 
 Yoy, yes. Ja, pronounced yau, German.
 
 IIG All AltcmpL at a Glossary 
 
 OMITTED. 
 
 Page 21, Bowk, s. a pail. This seems to be the 
 origin of the common word Bucket. 
 
 Page 41, Forkin Robin, s. an earwig. 
 
 Page 46, Hirple, v. to limp. 
 
 Page 46, Hitch, s. To have a hitch in his gait, is 
 to be lame. 
 
 Page 48, in voce Jack Nicker, at the end, " and 
 the name for the common black-and-white wa- 
 ter wagtail in the North of England is a Billy 
 Biter." 
 
 Page 51, Kindle, v. to bring forth: chiefly used 
 when speaking of hares, rabbits, or cats. Skin- 
 ner admits the word, and derives it from the 
 A.S. Cennan, parere. In the old terms enume- 
 rated by Lady Juliana Barnes, and others, a 
 litter of cats is called a kendel of cats. 
 
 Page 52, Kype, s. an ugly distorted face, a grimace. 
 To make kypes, is to make faces. [Quore, if it 
 be anything more than an erroneous provincial 
 pronunciation of Gibe ? The g pronounced 
 harsh, and the k, are in old English often used 
 the one for the other.] 
 
 Page 57, Melder (of oats), s. a kiln full, as many
 
 of some Words used hi Cheshire. 117 
 
 as are dried at a time for a meal. This word 
 is admitted as a Cheshire word by Jamieson, 
 who assigns for his authority, Grose's Provincial 
 Glossary. 
 Page 0)5, Pride, s. To have a pride in his pace or 
 manner of going, is a ludicrous way of express- 
 ing that a person is lame. 
 
 THE END.
 
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