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AN
ATTEMPT AT A GLOSSARY
OF
SOME WORDS
USED IN
CHESHIRE.
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive
in 2008 witii funding from
IVIicrosoft Corporation
littp://www.arcliive.org/details/attemptatglossarOOwilbricli
'^(rryoif.
ATTEMPT AT A GLOSSARY
OF
SOME WORDS
USED IN
CHESHIRE.
COMMUNICATED TO THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES,
BY
ROGER WILBRAHAM, ESQ. F.R.S. AND S. A.
IN A LETTER TO
SAMUEL LYSONS, ESQ. V. P. S. A.
FROM THE ARCHAEOLOGIA,
VOL. XIX.
WITH CONSIDERABLE ADDITIONS.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY W. BULMER AND W. NICOL,
CLEVELAND-ROW^ ST. JAMES*S.
1820.
AN
ATTEMPT AT A GLOSSARY
OF
SOME WORDS
USED IN
CHESHIRE.
Head before the Society of Antiquaries, 8th May, 1817.
PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.
Although a Glossary of the words peculiar to
each County of England seems as reasonable an
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
820
2 An Attempt at a Glossary
beautiful and expressive -, many of their phrases,
adages, and proverbs are w,ell vrorth recording,
and have occupied the attention and engaged the
pens of men distinguished for talents and learning,
among w^hom 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 wanted^ a General Dictionary of
the English Language.*
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
pretty well ascertained that he was himself much
dissatisfied with it j but as an Etymological Diction-
ary, it certainly has no claim whatever to praise 5
* This deficiency no longer exists, as the new edition of Dr.
Johnson's Dictionary, by the Revd. H. J. Todd, now forms a
most comprehensive and satisfactory vocabulary of the English
language. So that the author of this little provincial Glossary,
may truly say, in the words of the great poet of Italy, " Poca
favilla gran fiamma seconda."
of some Words used in Cheshire. 3
for the learning of Dr. Johnson, extensive as it
was, yet did not embrace a knowledge of the Go-
thic, 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 languages. By following the traces of Junius
and of Skinner, he has indeed, though not very
successfully, attempted to supply the former de-
ficiency 3 but to remedy the latter, namely, his
ignorance of the Old French language, was not so
easy a task j his own labour and industry in that
branch of learning being absolutely necessary, as
there is scarcely a single Lexicographer of the
English tongue, who, though aiming at Etymo-
logy, seems to have possessed a competent know-
ledge of the old French language.
Had life, health, and the avocations of politics
aflforded 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
Tooke) sufficient leisure to accomplish his great
plan of a general Etymological Dictionary of the
English language, we should certainly have a
clearer view into the origin of our mother tongue,
than what we have at present.
Most of the leading terms in all our provincial
4 An Attempt at a Glossary
Dialects^ omitting those which are maimed and
distorted by a coarse or vicious pronunciation, are
not only Provincialisms but Archaisms also, and
are to be found in our Old English authors of va-
rious descriptions 5 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 mutaiitur in annos
Prima cadunt, ita verborum vetus interit ^tas. 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 j 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, would 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 learn-
ed of our Commentators, would perhaps be per-
fectly intelligible 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 per-
severance to accomplish a General Dictionary of
the English language.
In a letter 1 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
I professed myself unable to explain it 3 however
6 AnAttempt at a Glossary
having since that time reflected a good deal upon
this singular circumstance^ I will endeavour at
least in some measure to account for it.
The truth of the observation inade by the
same learned gentleman, that all Provincialisms
are also Archaisms, to those w^ho are 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 intercourse with
the neighbouring counties j 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 3* so that the
Original customs and manners as well as the old
language of the county haye 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. €. 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 some 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 j
these he has evidently taken from Ray's Proverbs ;
others he marks as obsolete, or as local. With
regard to those called by him obsolete, it is appre-
hended, 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 meaning 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, whose
communications in different 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, which 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 justifiable. 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, Stawk for Stalk, and St. Awbans
for St. Albans 5 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 3 thus we call
All , aw
Always awways
Alsager "| f Auger
Altrincham > names of places <! Autrincham
Alvanley J L Awvanley
Bold bowd.
Calf cauf
Call caw
Can con
Cold cowd
Colt cowt
Fold .fowd
Gold , gowd
False • fause
Fowl, dirty, ugly fow
Fool foo
Full foo
Fine ••••«.•.. «« foin
C
10 An Attempt at a Glossary
Hold howd
Holt ....,., howt
Half hauf
Halfpenny hawpenny
Hall haw
Long lung
Man , mon
Moldy mouldy
Many mony
Manner monner
"Might meet
Mold mowd
Pull poo
Soft saft
Bright • breet
Scald e scawd
Stool stoo
Right , • • reet
Twine twoin
Flight • . . fleet
Lane • . loan or lone
Mol mal
Sight see
Sit seet
Such sich
The following abbreviations have been adopted :
Lancashire - - - Lan.
Junius, Etymologicon Anglicanum Jun.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 11
Skinner^ Etymologicon Ling. Angl. Skin.
Wachter^ Glossarium Germanicum Wach.
Ihre, Glossarium Suio-gothicum Ihre
Kilian, Etymologicon Linguae TeotiscaeKil.
Somneri Dictionarium Saxo-Latino-
Anglicum - • Som.
Jamieson, Scotch Dictionary - Jam.
Law Latin Dictionary - - L. L. D
Nyerup, Glossarium Linguse Teotiscse Nye.
Promptorium parvulorum Clericorum 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 Fran^aise - Pal.
Hormanni Vulgaria - - H. V.
Littleton's Dictionary - Litt. D.
Benson's Anglo-saxon Dictionary - Ben.
Shakespeare - - Shak.
Old Word . - - O.W,
Scherzius^ Glossarium Germanicum
medii aevi - - Scherz.
Haldersoni Lexicon Islandicum - Hald.
Randle Holme's Academy of Armoury
Acad, of Arm.
Wolfs Danish Dictionary - Wolf.
12 An Attempt at a Glossary
AcHORN^ 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 little value. Corn,
and particularly barley, which has germinated be-
fore it is malted, is said by the malsters in the
eastern counties of England to be acrespired or
eagerspired, i. e. early grown. Bailey's Diet.
AcKERSPYRE, to sprout, to germinate. Jam.
Aftcrings, s. the last milk that can be drawn
from a cow : the same as Strokings.
Agate, adverbial expression, means not only a
person up and recovered from a sick bed, but
also one that is employed 3 '' he is agate mar-
ling" or ^*^ ploughing."
Agg, or Egg, v. to incite or provoke, from the
Danish word Egger, to provoke. Wolf. part.
Agging, Egging.
AiTCH, AiTCHEs, s. SO prououuccd 3 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 3 pain,
ach. Som.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 13
Anenst^ or Anainst, pre/), opposite, over against
Anent. O. W. Chaucer. B. Jonson uses Aneiist.
AneenD;, adv. upright, not lying down^ on one
end 3 when applied to a four-footed animal it
means rearing, or what the Heralds call ram-
pant. It is always pronounced aneend, and
possibly should be written on eend. Aneend
means also perpetually, evermore.
Antrims, s. whims, vagaries, peevishness 3 the
same as Tanterums or Anticks. Anticks how-
ever is common.
Aster, s. Easter.
At aft:er, adv. afterwards.
B
Bacco, s. Tobacco. Lan.
BAGGiNG-Time, s. Lan. the time of the afternoon
luncheon.
Baith, adj. both.
Bain, adj. near, convenient 3 common in the
North. Jamieson derives it from the Islandic
beina, expedire.
Ballow, v. to select or claim. It is used by boys
at play, when they select a goal or a com-
panion of their game. I ballow, or ballow me
that situation, or that person. Ihre has walja,
or valjan, eligere, and wal, electio 3 the w is often
changed into the v, and the v and the b are also
J4 An Attempt at a Glossary
convertible letters. '^ Walja mig," choose me
that situation. Fris.
Balks^ s. the hay-loft is so called, I suppose from
its being divided into different compartments
by Balks or Beams. Balk in the old Northern
languages is a separation or division, and Balk
is used for Capita, or Chapters in the titles of the
old Swedish laws 3 see Ihre, Glossarium Suio-
gothicum, in voce Balk.
Bally of pigs, i. e. a bellyful, is a litter of pigs.
BANDY-Hewit, s. a little bandy-legged dog, a turn-
spit. Of Hewit I can make nothing, unless it
be a corruption of Keout, which itself is pro-
bably derived from Skout. See in voce Keout,
Lan. where a different explanation of it is given.
Bar ST, perfect tense of the verb, to burst.
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, v. to wink or move the eye lids 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 Appleton
in Cheshire it is the custom at the time of the
wake to clip and adorn an old hawthorn which
stands in the town. This ceremony is called
of some Words used in Cheshire. 15
the Bawming of Appleton Thorn. Bo^ Boa^ is
the Sui. Got. for to prepare : Ihre. Bua is Is-
landic for the same. To Bawm is common
for to dress or adorn^ it is also a good O. W.
used in Nychodemus' Gospell^ 4to, 1532. ^*^And
'^ than this mayde Syndonia washed and
'' bawmed her."
Bawson^ or Bawsin, adj. greats large^ swelled.
Bailey.
Bawson,, or BawsiNj s. a badger. Skinner de-
rives it fantastically enough from Beau Sein,
&c. &c. Baweand^ Bassant, or Bawsint in Jam.
is a term applied to a horse or cow having a
white spot in the forhead or face^ which is ex-
actly the case of the Badger, and seems a more
appropriate etymology of the word, whicji on
that account alone (it being in Johnson) has a
place here.
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 Deag-an, tingere, imbuere. See
Jamieson. To deet is to dirty.
Been, or Bin, is the plural of the present tense of
the verb to be. Lan.
Been, s. is the plural of Bee.
16 An Attempt at a Glossary
Beet the fire 5 to light, or, as we say, to make
the fire : from the Teutonic boeten het vier,
struere ignem. Kil.
Bellart, or Bellot, 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, s, an invitation to a funeral is so termed.
Bidding is also an O. W. for praying, from the
A. S. bidden, to pray 5 so it may possibly be the
offering of prayers for the soul of the deceased.
Bight, s. a projection in a river, a projecting or
receding corner. It is commonly used in sea
voyages. The Bight of Benin on the coast of
Africa. It is an O. W. for the elbow. A. S.
bygan, flectere. Som.
BiNG, V, to begin to turn sour, said of milk.
BiR, BiRRE, Ber, Burre, 5. impetus 3 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 hire all the drove (of swine)
went heed-lyng into the sea.*' See also Apoc.
c. 18. Bir, ventus secundus. Hiekes'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.
Bloten, or Bloaten, part, to be bloten of any
of some Words used in Cheshire. \7
one is to be unaccountably fond of him. It is used
in the same sense as globed to^ and is perhaps less
common. It may be a kind of inflection of the
participle Bloaten^, swelled with, full of. Or,
perhaps it may be derived from the A. S. word
Blotan, immolare, that is, sacrificed, or wholly
given up to. N. B. Grose in his Provincial
Glossary attributes this word to Cheshire.
Bobber, adj. Bobberous, the same word , sawcy,
pert. Bob, or dry-bob, is an old word for a
merry joke or tricky 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, apt to Start aside, ap-
plied 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
Cherry's Boose," Bosih, praesepe. Som.
D
18 An Attempt at a Glossary
BoosY PASTURE^ s. the pasture which lies con-
tiguous to the cow stall or Boose.
Booty-house, s. is an expression used by children
for an old box or shelf, or any place ornamented
with bits of glass, or broken earthenware, in
imitation of an ornamented cabinet 5 probably a
corruption of Beauty.
BoRSTEN, participle of the verb to Burst, A. S.
Borsten. Som.
Boss, s. a hassock to kneel upon in church -, by
Grose erroneously, as I apprehend, called a
Doss or Poss.
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.
under But and Ben, the outside and inside of
a house.
Bracco, or Braccow, used only when com-
pounded with another word, as Work-bracco,
diligent, laborious. Ray.
Bradow, v. to spread or cover. A hen bradows
her chickens, A. S. Broeden, incubare. Som.
So that Bradow is either a kind of augmentative
of Brood, or an abbreviation of Brood over.
Brass, is commonly used for copper coin. See
Shakspeare, Hen. V.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 19
Bread (pronounced long,) breadth or extent 5
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 BrowiSj s. slices of breads 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.
Bricco, adj. brittle. Brica, ruptor, A. S. Som.
Brid, 5. bird, O. W. WiclijBFe's New Testament.
P.P.C.
Brid. LEGGED ; 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
slenderer, than he hag in his own mind fixed
upon as the criterion of symmetry and taste.
Brief, adj. rife, prevalent -, said chiefly of dis-
orders. Agoes been brief, agues are common.
Brimming, adj. or part. Lan. A sowwhen maris
appetens is said to be brimming, A. S. Bremend,
mugiens, fervens. Som.
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.
Bull-head, s. a tadpole.
20 An Attempt at a Glossary
BuR^ or BoR Tbee^ s. the elder^ O. W. but com-
mon in Cheshire.
BuRR^ s. the sweet-bread.
Bushel, s. when applied to oats, means five ordi-
nary bushels.
C
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.
Cant, adj. strong, lusty. Ash calls it local. Bai-
ley has the word.
Caperlash, 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.
Carve, or Kerve, v. to grow sour : local, accord-
ing to Ash.
Cauf-Kit, or Crib, s. a place to put a sucking
calf in. A. S. Crybbe, prassepe, Som. The
same as Kidcrow.
Cheat, or Tchem, 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.
of some Words used in Cheshire, 21
Chimly^ or rather Chimbley^ s. Lan. the chimney.
Chunner, v. to grumble : a ehunnering ill-con-
ditioned fellow. A. S. Ceonian^ obmurmurare^
Ben.
Clap, v. to squat, to take her seat as a hare does ;
from the French, se clapper, se tapir^ se ca-
cher dans un trou.
Clamme, or Clame, v. to dirty or plaister over.
A. S. Clamian, linire, oblinire, oblimare^ to
anoint or smear over, to dawbe^ to foule^ to
Clamme. Som.
Clargyman, 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 3 Scotch, Jam. Claffer is
German for garrulus.
Clem, v. Clem'd, part. Lan. starved with hunger.
Ash calls it local. Klemmen, Kil. Teut. strin-
gere, coarctare, to shrink up -, the bowels are said
to be clammed, to adhere together, by hunger.
Clots, or Clouts, burrs, or burdock. A S.
Clate, Som. et in Glossario ^Ifrici.
Clussum'd, adj. clumsy, Lan. according to Ray^
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.
22 An Attempt at a Glossary
Cob, v. to throw, Lan.
Goggle, Keggle, Kickle, Tickle, adj. easily
moved -, all, I believe, the same word.
Goggle, v. to move with great ease, to be un-
steady.
GoLLOw, or Golly, v. to blacken, to colour, to
make black with a cole. Gharbonner. Pal.
Golly west, adv. directly, contrary.
Gome out, or rather Gome eyt, an odd expression,
used to a dog 5 meaning, lie still, do not bark.
CoMMiN, s. the common, waste land.
Gonny, or Ganny, is used as brisk, lively.
Their etymology may be found in all the dead
Northern languages.
GooTH, s. a cold. * Goth. A. S. morbus, vale-
tudo, Som. To sit colding by the fire is a
reproach to a person who sits idling by the fire 5
Golding seems to be used for shivering.
Gosp, s. the cross bar at the top of a spade. It
is frequently used for the head. A person whose
h^ead has been broken, is said ^^ to have had his
cosp broken.'' Randle Holme calls it Kaspe,
and when enumerating the diflferent parts of a
spade, has the head, or handle, or kaspe. Acad,
of Arm. B. 3, Gh. 8, p. 329. It can scarcely
be a corruption of the German word Kopf, the
head?
of some Words used in Cheshire, 93
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-
lieved to be produced from the cow licking
herself. The same term is used when the same
thing occurs in the human head.
Cow-Shorn, or Sharn, as in Lan. s, the leavings
of the cow. Dung, in Teutonic, is Sharn j in
Suio-Got. Skarn, and a Shar Bud, an O. W. for
beetle, is so called rather from continually liv-
ing un^er horse or cow dung, than for its being
found under shards or broken earthen-ware.
A. S. Scearn, fimus, stercus, cow-dung. Som.
Cradant and Cradantly, s. and adv, Crassant
and Crassantly, which two last words are ad-
mitted on the sole authority of Ray -, coward,
cowardly j to set cradants among boys is to do
something hazardous, to take any desperate
leap which cradants dare not undertake after
you.
Cranny, adj. pleasant, agreeable, or praisewor-
thy 3 a cranny lad. Bailey.
Creem, V, the same as Teem, to pour^ also to put
slily into one's hand. Ash calls it local.
Crewdle or Croodle, v. to crouch together like
frightened chickens on the sight of a bird of
prey.
24 An Attempt at a Glossary
Crewdling, s. a dull stupid person^ a slow mover.
Crope and Croppen^ v, and part, perfect tense
and participle of the verb to Creep. Lan.
CuRRAKE^ s. cowrake^ used to clean the cow-
house from filth.
Cute, adj. quick, intelligent -, probably an abbre-
viation of acute.
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-t ailed is also common. A. S.
deaghan, tingere.
Dander, r. 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.
of some Words used in Cheshire, 25
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.
Deavely, or Deafly, adj, lonely, retired, a
deavely place.
Demath, 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 3^ to 30| 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, Diemt, all mean the
same thing.
DiDDY, s. the female breast with milk in it. It is
used also for the milk itself 3 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.
E
26 An Attempt at a Glossary
Dither, or Didder, v. to tremble or shake.
Todd.
Ding, v. to surpass or get the better of a person,
Teutonic. Dinghen^ contendere.
DiTHiNG, s. a trembling or vibratory motion of
the eye, from dither or didder.
In Dock out nettle, is a kind of proverbial sayr
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 constitute
the 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 to
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 extended
sense of the verb to do, i. e. to do well.
D5ES0M, or DosoM, adj. healthy, thriving upon
of some Words used in Cheshire. 27
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.
Sui. Got.
Dree, V. to continue or hold out.
Drudge-box, s. the flour box. Dredge is the
old word for oats and barley mixed 3 perhaps it
may have been originally the dredge-box.
Drumbow, or Drumble, s. a dingle or ravin,
generally with trees in it.
DuNGow-DASH, or Drumbow-dash, v. 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 5 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 Shaks-
peare, 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.
E
Eam, or Eem, V to spare time, to have leisure.
Lan. I cannoh eam now. A. S. aemtan, quies.
I
28 An Attempt at a Glossary
otium^ tempus, rest, leisure^ spare time. Sorn.
Bailey has to eein, to be at leisure, but I never
heard the word so pronounced.
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 Cheshire
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 syl-
lable of the word 5 but let it be remembered,
that it is with considerable diffidence that this
etymology is suggested.
Edderings, s. Radlings in a hedge are so called,
A. S. Edor or Edar, septum. Som. Bailey has
'^ Eder br^che, the trespass of hedge-break-
ing." Tusser has
** Save Edder and stake,
" Strong hedge to make."
Elder, s. the udder of a cow. Lan. See Skinner,
Belgice Elder.
Eller, s. the elder tree.
EsHiN, or AsHiN, a pail. They are, I believe,
always made of ash wood.
of some Words used in Cheshire, 29
EsHiNTLE, 5. an Eshin full.
Ess, or EssEj 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.
F.
Fantome corn is light com. Fantome hay,
lights w^ell-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
adjective of farand, and means clean, decent,
orderly. In Scotland well or ill- farand are used
for well and ill-looking j 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 j elegans. In Hormanni Vul-
garia we have, '' he looked unfaringly, aspectu
fuit incomposito." A. S. Faran, to go. Fare, a
journey. Som.
Farther, expressive of repugnance 3 I will be
farther if I do that, means, I will never do it.
30 An Attempt at a Glossary
Fashous^ adj. unfortunate^, shameful^ either from
the verb to fash, to teaze, or from the French
fascheux, unfortunate.
Faugh, s. fallow 3 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
of our dictionaries, and though a good autho-
rity 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 3 in other parts
of England to fie is to cleanse a ditch or pond.
Fowings, emundacio, in P. P. C.
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 pro-
bably, in both senses, an abbreviation of De-
fend.
Fettle, s. order, good repair.
Fettle, v. \o 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 mis-
of some Words used in Cheshire. 31
take^ 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,
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 Fagon, 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.
FiTCHET-PiE, s, a pie composed of apples, onions,
and bacon, served to labourers at harvest-home.
Flange, v. or flange out, to spread, diverge, to
increase in width or breadth.
Flash, or Plash, s. a shallow piece of water.
Flasker, V, to choke, or stifle ; a person lying
;n the mud and unable to extricate himself, ia
32 An Attempt at a Glossary
said to be flaskered. In Lan. it bears a different
sense.
Flatter Dock, or Batter Dock, pond weed, or
potomogeton.
Flee, s. a fly.
Fleetings or Flitting8, or Fleetmilk, s. part
of the refuse milk in the process of cheese
making. Belg. Volt-melch. Skinner. InP. P. C.
Flel of my Ik or other like, despumatus.
Fleck, Flick, Fleg, Flegge, Flig, v, to fly,
A. S. Fleog-an, to fly. Ben.
Flig, or Fligge, adj. spoken of young full fledged
birds. Flygge, plumea. Pal. Fligge as bird,
maturus, P. P. C.
Flough, pronounced gutturally , a flea. In Lan.
Fleigh.
Fly-dod, s. pronounced Flee-dod, Ragwort^
Senecio Jacobeia, vulgarly called Mare f — t.
It is generally covered w^ith a dusky yellovi^ 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.'*
FnAMPOT, s. the iron ring which fastens the Sowl
or cow yoke to the iron range.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 33
Frem'd, adj. strange, inimical.— It is also used for
tender, and is sometimes pronounced Frim.
A. S. Frem'd, exterus. Som.
Fretten, part, rubbed, marked, O. W. used
chiefly in pock-fretten. From the French Frot-
ter, and that from A. S. Frothian, fricare,
Som.
I Frim, adj. tender or brittle. Lan.
Frort, Frowart, or Frowarts, adv. forward.
FoRTHiNK, V. to repent. O. W. Chaucer. Piers
Ploughman. Jam.
FoRTHouGHT, s. repentance. Forethought is
forecast or prospective wisdom ; but our \ *jid
has quite a different sense, the little word for
signifying 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
different 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.
Gafty, adj. doubtful, suspected -, a gafty person is
a suspected person.
Gawm, v. to comprehend, Gauwe,Teutonice acutus,
attentus, Kil. Gaw, intelligent. Flem. Halma.
F
34 An Attempt at a Glossary
Gawn, s. a gallon.
Gee J V. to fit, suit^ or agree together. Lan. from
the O. W. to gee or to gie^ to go.
Geff^ or Jeff, deaf.
Gell, or JelL;, s. a great deal.
Gheeten^ part, gotten.
To GO GIDDY, is to go in a passion. A. S. Gidig,
stultus, vertiginosus. Som. a very trifling deflec-
tion from the common meaning of Giddy.
GiLLER, or rather Guiller, s. several horse hairs
twisted together to compose a fishing line.
GiL-HooTER, s. an owl.
Gird, s. and v. a push, to push as a bull does*
Shak. 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 different sense from what it bears in Che-
shire.
Gliff, s. a glimpse. Flemish Glimp, apparence. .
Halma.
Globed to, part, wedded to, foolishly fond of.
In Ray alone, from Glop, fatuus. Ihre.
Gloppen, v. to astonish or stupify : 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.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 35
Goody, s. goodwife ; a kind of familiar address
or title given to women rather in an inferior
station of life. It grows much out of use.
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 j 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.
GuEouT, s. the Gout j it is also a soft spungy part
of a field, full of springs, a defective place, per-
haps used in a figurative sense.
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
Sui. Got. gul, yellow. Som. and Ihre. The Com-
mentators, not aware of the meaning of the
term naked gull, blunder 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
I
30 An Attempt at a Glossary
the only name by which Shrovetide is known
among the lower orders in Cheshire. This,
word seems to be a corruption of good tide.
Shrove tide 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.
H
Haggj 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.
Hantlb, or Handtlk, s. a handful. Jamieson
rightly explains this word, as it is commonly
used in Scotland, by a great quantity j but the
doubt which he expresses of its being derived
from handful, when we state that the two si-
of some Words used in Cheshire, 37
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.
Haviours, or Havers, s. behaviour j to be on ones
haviours is to be on one's good behaviour. Jam.
uses havins, or havings, in the same sense.
Hawpenny,5. Hawporth, 5. halfpenny, halfpenny-
worth.
Midlands, s. concealment. When a person keeps
out of the way from the fear of being arrested,
he is said to be in Hidlands.
Hilling, or Heeling, s. the covering of abook>
the quilt or blanket. Lan. to hill, or hilling.
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 Ihre in voce
Hilja, operire, A. S. Helan, tegere. Som.
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 5 indeed it is believed to have anciently
belonged to the male sex^ and to mean a rude
38 An Attempt at a Glossary
ill-behaved person. See Todd's Diet, in v6ce
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, s. to put up potatoes in this way.
Hoo, or rather oo, pron. 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 Resti-
tution of Decayed Intelligence, has *' Heo for
she."
Hull, V. to throw.
HuLLOT, or HuLLART. s. an owlet or owl.
HuRE, s. the hair. Lan.
HuRE-soRE, when the skin of the head is sor^
from a cold.
Hurry, s. a bout, a set to, a scolding, a quarrel,
perhaps from the old word to harry, or to
harass.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 39
Jack Nicker^ s. a Gold Finch, 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 3 a Magpie is
always called Madge, a Starling Jacob, a Spar-
row Phillip, and a Raven Ralph.
Jack-sharp, or Sharpling, s. a small fish called
a Stickle Back.
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, adv. awry.
Jersey, or rather Jaysey, a ludicrous and contemp-
tuous term for a lank head of hair, as resem-
bling combed wool or flax, which is called
Jersey. He has got a fine Jaysey. *^ Jarsey,
the finest wool, separated from the rest by
combing.^' Bailey's Diet.
In SENSE, V. to instruct, to inform 3 to lay open a
business to any one, is to insense him.
Intack, s. an inclosure on a common, waste, or
forest. An Intake.
40 An Attempt at a Glossary
JuRNUT, or Yernut^ 5. a pignut^ Bunium Bul-
bocastanum .
Kale. See in voce Cale.
Kailyards^ or rather Kelyards, the name of cer-
tain orchards in the city of Chester. Kailyard
in Scotch is a cabbage or a kitchen-garden.
Jam. Yard and garden are both of them the
same thing, and derived from the A. S. Geard.
See Diversions of Pm*ley, vol. 2. p. 275.
Kazardly, adj. Lan. milucky, liable to accident :
perhaps a corruption of hazardly.
Keck^ v. to put any thing under a vessel which
lifts it up and makes it stand uneven. In Lanca-
shire to Keyke or Kyke, is to stand crooked.
Keck^ V. is usually to heave at the stomach.
Keeve, v. to overturn or lift up a cart, so as to
unload it all at once. Ash calls it local.
Kench> 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 Armory, uses Skaut or Kaut
for the same, which seems to designate Scout
of some Words used in Cheshire. - 41
for its etymology, and this is partly confirmed by
that line of Tusser —
•* Make bandog thy Scout- watch to bark at a thief."
KervEj v. to turn sour.
KiD-CRow_, or KiDCREWj §. 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
Wicliffe in his MS. translation of the Psalms.
Knocker-knee'd, adj. said of those knees which
in action strike against each other. It is usually
called baker knee'd.
Knotchelled, or Notchelled, adj. or part.
When a man publicly declares he will not pay
any of his wife's debts, which have been con-
tracted since some fixed day, she is said to be
knotchelled, a certain disgraceful imaginary
mark. Lan.
Knottings^ 5. thin corn, not well grown, Acad.
Arm.
G
42 An Attempt at a Glossary
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.
I/AT, s, a Lath. Lan.
Lat, adj. Lat. lattance, s. hindrance, Lat, v, to
hinder. Jam. has lattance, as well as to lat, v.
to hinder. Ang. Sax. latian, to hinder or delay.
Lathe, v. to ask, to invite, O. W. Lan.
Laws you now, exclamation. See you now, used
as Lo ! The Ang. Sax. for Lo is La.
Leet, v. to let, also to light with a person, or meet
him. I cannoh 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. In Jam. Scotch Dictionary
we read to leit, leet, let, to pretend to give, to
make a shew of. Junius assigns Laeten, Belg.
for its origin, Laeeta, Icelandic, simularc,
se gerere. Late, gestus, Belgice, L^ten, videri.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 43
simultari, gerer. se hoc vel iUo modo. Gothics,
Linter, dolus, Linta, hypocnta.
LicKSOMB, or L.SSOM., adj. lightsome, p easant
agreeable. Chiefly applied to places or situations
Lissome often means active, agile, the same as
hinge. A pretty girl is said to be alicksomegirl.
LiPpi..tolippen,toexpect.ASa..Leaf-an,
credere. . ,, ^
Lite, .. a little. A farmer after enumerating the
number of acres he has in wheat and barley,
will often add, and a lite wuts, i. e^a little oats
ItisanO.W. used by Chaucer. Danish Lidt.
a little. Wolf. Dan. Diet.
l1., . to lithe the pot, is to put thickenings
Tn'o it. A. S. Lithan to lay one thing close to
another. Som.
LiTHEB,ad;-.Lan. idle, lazy; long and Ither is
L'd Jf a tall idle person. Ash calls it obso
Lte. A.S.Lith, mollis, lenis. Chaucer uses it
as wicked . .,^i for the pot,
LiTHiNG, or LiTHiNGS, s. thickening i f
either flour or oatmeal. Lyder, Islandic, to
alye,isanO.W.fortomix.
LiTXGioiJs, adj. I have heard weather that impe-
nd the harvest so called; but I believe it is
only a cant term, and not a true county word_
LockL, part, a faced cardin a pack IS said to be
loked.
'44 An Attempt at a Glossary
LiOOM, s. a utensil^ a tool^ a piece of furniture.
Som. says Geloma, utensilia^ supellex, utensils,
things of frequent necessary use, household stuflf.
Belgis eodem sensu Alaem, alem. Hinc juris-
peritorum nostrorum heir-lome, pro supellectili
haereditaria.
A LONG WITH, All along with, Awlung with,
cause, occasion, it is all along with such a
person that this business does not proceed,
he is the occasion, &c.; evidently from the A. S.
Gelang, ex culpa. j
Lop, LOPPEN, perfect tense and participle 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 AUonger,
French, to lunge. A lunge, is common for a -
violent kick of a horse, though Dr. Ash has
omitted it.
LuRKEY-DisH, s. the herb penny-rpyal.
M.
Madpash, s. a madbrain. Pash is the head. See
Jam.
of some Words used in Ches hire. 45
Maigh, or May^ v. Lan. a corruption of to make.
Maigh th'dur or th'yate, shut it, or fasten it,
perhaps an abbreviation of make fast An
Italianism, far la porta, is to shut the door.
Mare-F — T, s. the name of the yellow Ragwort.
Senecio Jacobeia.
Masker, v, the same as Flasker. Jam has to
mask, to catch in a net. Maske, mesh of a net.
Flemish. Halma.
Mara, the Forest of Mara, the old name of the
Forest of Delamere. Randle Holme, passim.
Maw, s. the stomach. A. S. Maga, stomachus.
Som.
Maw-bound, s. said of a cow in a state of cos-
tlveness.
Mawks, s. a dirty figure, or mixture. Ash callg it
colloquial.
Meal, s. the appointed time whan a cow is milked.
She gives so much at a meal. A. S. Mael,
portio, aut spatium temporis. Som.
Measter, s. master.
Meet, a kind of adverbial expletive, expressive
of something of late occurrence 3 just meet
now, is just even now. See Junius in voce Meet.
A. S. Gemet, obvius, which Somner translates
Met, in English.
Melch, adj. mild, soft 5 perhaps from milk.
46 An Attempt at a Glossary
either through the medium of the A. S. Meolc :
or the Belgic, Melk. Lan.
Mich, adj. Michness, s. Scotch. Jam. Mich of a '
miehness, much the same.
MiCKLES;, s. size. He is of no micklesj he is
of no size or height. Mickle is common in the
North, both as a substantive and as an adjec- j
tive, but the word Mickles I believe peculiar to
Cheshire and Lancashire.
MiD-FEATHERj 5. is a uarrow ridge of land, left '
between two pits, usually between an old marl
pit and a new one which lie contiguous to -
each other.
MizzicK, s. MizziCKY, adj. a boggy place. John-
son has mizzy.
Mizzle, s. small rain. Dr. Ash admits the verb
to mizzle, but rejects the substantive.
Mot, s. moat, a wide ditch for defence, sur-
rounding antient country seats or castles.
MoRTACious, ad;, mortal, mortacious bad, very bad.
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.
Much, s. a wonder, an extraordinary thing. It is
much if such a thing happen.
Mun, must. Moune, or have a right, possum>.
P. P.C. mowe for may is common in Spenser.
0/ some Words used in Cheshire. 47
MuNcoRN^ blencorn, s, Mengecorn and Blende-
corn, maslin, wheat and rye mixed together as
they grow. Mungril is mixed. See Minshew.
Mysell,, pron. so pronounced, myself.
N
Naar or Nar, near or nearer. Littleton hasNarr
for nearer. Danish, Nsehr, nigh. Wolf. Dan.
Diet.
Natter*d, adj. natured, i.e. ill-natured 3 very
natterd is very ill-tempered. Knattle, in Lan.
is cross, ill-natured.
Neest, s. Nest. The boys say to go a bird's
neezing 3 that is, in search of birds nests.
Neese, to sneeze.
Neezle, v. to nestle, to settle oneself in a good
situation.
NoBBUT, none but. Who was there? Nobbut
John.
Noggintle, a nogginful
NoGGiNG, s. the filling up of the interstices be-
tween the timber work in a wooden building
with sticks and clay, is called the nogging.
NoiNT, V. to anoint 5 figuratively, to beat severely.
A NoiNTED one, adj. or part, an unlucky or mis^
chievous boy, who may be supposed to have
49- Jin Attempt at a Glossary
been severely corrected, is so called, a term cor-
responding with the French un reprouve.
NooKSHOTTEN, odj. disappointed, mistaken, hav-
ing overshotten the mark. Shakspeare 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 Eng-
lish coast. Pegge explains the word by '' bevel,
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 5 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 making cheese.
Nought or Naught, adj. Lan. bad, worthless j
stark nought, good for nothing, it is often em-
ployed in the sense of unchaste, as explained
by Bailey.
Nought, naught 5 to call to naught, to abuse very
much. To call to naught, is inHor. Vul. p. 134, „
in tergo. ||{
of some Words used in Cheshire. 49
OccAGioN, s. for occasion^ used in the sense of
cause or motive, as ^^ I was the occagion, or ca-
gion. of his doing so."
On, adv. a female of any kind who is maris ap-
petens, is said to be On,
Onliest, adj. pronounced ownliest, superlative of
only 3 the best or most approved way of doing
any thing is said to be the onliest way.
OoN, s. oven,
Oss, or OssE, V. 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 3" to osse is
likewise to recommend a person to assist you.
Edgworth in his Sermons in the time of Henry
VIII. uses to osse for to prophesy, in the same
sense which Holland uses it 5 but in Cheshire
it has the above meaning.
OwNDBR, or AuNDER, s. the afternoon. Undern
is used by Chaucer, and Yestronde is an O. W.
for yesterday. See Ellis's Ancient Poetry.
OwETHER, either. O. W. Piers Ploughman.
Whitaker's Edition.
OwLER, s. the alder tree. Aller and Eller are
Scotch. Jam.
H
50 An Attempt at a Glossary
Pewit Land, s. moist, spungy land j such as the
Pewit usually frequents.
Perished, part, killed, or starved with cold. I
am welly (well nigh) perished.'
PiGGiNTLE, s. a pigginful.
PiKEHiLL, s. a pitch- fork, such is the pronuncia-
tion of the word 5 but I should be inclined to
write it Pikel, and derive it from the French
piquelet, a little pike. Randle Holme writes it
Pikel.
PiLPiT, pulpit. A Cheshire farmer, on being
asked how he liked the new clerg}man, replied,
^^ he is a pretty rough mon in the reading desk,
but when he gets into the pilpit, he goes off
like the smoke of a ladle."
Pink, or Penk, s. a menow, 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 Italian,
flowers 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^
qf some Words used in Cheshire. 51
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.
Poller, or Powler, v. properly to beat in the
water with a pole 3 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 anyone comes late to work
in the morning 3 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.
Powse, Pous, or Poust, s, Lan. filth, dirt 3 per-
haps from the French Poussiere, dust. See
Skinner in voce Poust, also Piers Ploughman.
Powsels and thrums are used to signify dirty scraps
and rags. Powsels, I suppose, comes from
Pouse, and thrums is a good old word^ signi-
fying tags or ends of coarse cloths.
Prove, v. to prove pregnant, spoken of cattle.
Punger, v. to puzzle or confound. A farmer in
distress said, *' I am so pungered, I know not
5^ An Attempt at a Glossary
which eaver to turn to." To punge in Scotch,
signifies to prick or sting, mentally speaking.
See Jamieson.
Q
Quarry, s. a square pane of glass. Acad, of Arm.
b. 3, ch. 9, p. 385.
QuERKEj s. a nook shoten pane of glass, or any
pane whose sides and top run out of a square
from. Acad. Arm. ut supra.
Quick, s. quickset. Quicks are plants of quick-*'
sets.
R
Radling, s. Lan. a long stick or rod, either from a
staked hedge, or from a barn wall made with
long sticks twisted together and plaistered with
clay. See Ellis's Specimens of early English
Poetry, vol. i. p. 318. *' Radyll of a Carte,
Costee," Pal. Quaere if not a roddling ? Rad-
dles are hurdles.
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
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
Raemen, extenders Kil.
J
of some Words used in Cheshire. 53
Rank, adj!m a passion, Ranc, A. S. superbus, ac-
cidiosus. Somner.
Rank ripe, or Ronk ripe, full ripe.
Rappit, a rabbet.
Rappit it, or Rot it, a trivial exclamation ex-
pressing dissatisfaction.
Rase-bratned, adj. violent, impetuous, perhaps
only rash-brained, though Rasend in German is
mad. Also in Flemish Razen, enrager. Halma.
Raught, perfect tense of the verb to reach 5 used
by Shakspeare.
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.
Reef, s. a rash on the skin : the itch, or any
eruptive disorder 3 from its being rife or reef,
i. e. frequent on the skin.
Reeve, v. to separate corn that has been win-
' nowed from the small seeds which are among
it 3 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, rinde, liquefacere, to melt.
54 An Attempt at a Glossary
Rid J V. in the sense^ get rid of. It is used to clear
a hedge or bushes on a piece of land, chiefly to
rid gorse. A. S. Areddan, to rid away. Som.
RiGATTj s. a small chanel made by the rain out
of the common course of .the water. Rigols,
old French^ petit canal^ Roquefort Glossaire de
la Langue Romane.
RiNER, s. a toucher. It is used at the grime 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 win?
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-
thing still more so. Rinda, Ost. Got. Ihre. —
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, Kilian. A.S. Hris, long
and small boughes to make hedges, rise-wood.
Som.
RiSH^ s. a rush -, it was anciently written Rysch,
or Rysshe. P. P. C. and Ort. Voc.
RisoME, or RiSM^ s. the head of the oat. Well
risom'd is well headed : some thitlk it comes
from Racemus, but probably it has the same
of some Words used in Cheshire. 55
origin as Rise. Randle Holme, in his Academy
of Armory, 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.
Rotten, s. Lan. a rat or rats 5 Rotta is Swedish
for a rat. See Screnius's Swedish Dictionary.
Ruck, v, to get close or huddle together as fowls
do.
Ruck, s. Lan. a heap 5 not quite peculiar to this
county. Scotch. Jam. Ruga vel Ruka, Sui.
Got. cunmlus, acervus. Ihre. See Home Tooke,
Diversions of Purley, 4°, vol. 2. p. 2*29. 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 3 to bellow or roar. Ash calls
it obsolete. It is admitted here on the sole au-
thority of Ray. The rut of the sea is the dash-
ing of the waves against any thing. A.S. Hru-
tan, to snort, snore, or rout, in sleeping. Som.
Rynt, Roynt, Runt, v. Lan. in voce Rynty, to
get out of the way. Rynt thee, is an expression
used by milk-maids to a cow wlien she has been
milked, to bid her get out of the way. Ash calls
56 An Attempt at a Glossary
it local. It is used by Shakspeare^ 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, c. 14,
V. 9. Arowme is used by Chaucer, in his House
of Fame, book 2, verse 32, and is there ex-
plained by Speght, roaming, wandering, and
by Tyrwhit, at large ; perhaps remote seorsum,
might be a more appropriate explanation.
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.
Sapy, adj. foolish, perhaps only sappy, ill-pro-
nounced. Sap-scull is common.
Sarmont, s. a sermon.
Saugh. s. the sallow tree, as Faugh is from fal-
low,
Sblid, oath 3 by his blood.
ScRATTLE, V. to scratch as fowls do.
Scutch, v, Lan. a rod, a whip, perhaps switch
of some Words used in Cheshire. 5T
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 boat, 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
drawn through melted grease, which in the
northern counties serves for a candle. Todd.
Seech, v. Seeched, part, to seekj sought.
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.
Segg, s. a bull castrated when full grown. Lan.
Scotch. Jam.
Seneve, 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.
Shape, v. to begin, to set about any thing 5 to be
shaping, is to be going away. ^ Shape me 3 pre-
pare me, make me ready, m'apprester. Pal.
To shape one's course is a common expression,
either in nautical or familiar discourse. See
Ort. Voc. in voce Evado. To shape is a good
K
58 An Attempt at a Glossary
O. W. used precisely in this sense by Lidgate,
in his Historie of Thebes :
" And shope him forth upon his journie."
SelLj pron. self, in the compounds my sell, your-
sell^ hissell.
Selt, s. chance, a thing of rare occurrence;
hence, seldom and selcouth (a northern term)
Ang. Sax. Seld, rarus. Som.
Shattery, adj. hair-brained, giddy.
Shed, s. difference 3 there is no shed between them>
is a common saying. It is also used for the se-
paration 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 3 " 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.
Scheeden, separare. Kil. or A. S. Sceadan, divi-
dere. Som.
Shed, or rather Sheed, v. to spill 5 it is used
equally for liquid as for dry substances.
Shepster, s. the starling, a bird which frequents
sheep.
Shewds, s. quasi sheds, Lan. the husks of oats
when separated from the corn.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 59
j Shim, adj. a clear bright white^ A. S. Scima,
splendor. Sciman, splendere. Som.
Shippin, Shippen, or Ship'n, 5. the cow-house:
I suppose it is originally sheep-pen.
Shoat, s. in some places a Shot, a young pig be-
tween a sucker and a porker 3 it is also a term
of contempt when applied to a yoimg person.
Shoo, or Shool, s. a shovel. Tusser uses shovel
as a monosyllable.
Shool, Shoo, or Shu, v, to shoo, to drive away
any thing, particularly birds from the corn or
garden. Lan. Scheuchen, Germ, to drive away.
To GET shut of a PERSON is to get rid of him.
See Diversions of Purley, in voce Shoot.
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.
SiRRY, s. sirrah, a contemptuous term often used
to dogs.
Skeer, v. to skeer the esse, is to clear the grate 3
separating the ashes from the live coals 3 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.
60 An Attempt at a Glossary
Sken, v. to squint.
Skew, or Skew-bald, adj. bay, or browji and
white horse is so called 5 piebald is black and
white, like the magpie.
Skitterwit, s. a foolish, hare-brained fellow.
Skreen, s. a wooden settee with a very high back,
sufficient to skreen 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 Tusser's
Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, we
read,
" If ploughmen get hatchet or whip to the Skreene,
** Maids loseth their cocke if no water be seen.*'
(l^ote in Tusser redivivus.J '^ If the ploughman
can get his whip, his plough-staff, hatchet, or
anything that he wants in the, field, to the
fire-side (observe here that Skreene and fire-
side are one and the same thing,) before the
maid hath got 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.
Slack, s, small coal. Lan. sometimes pronounced
of some Words used in Cheshire. 61
sleek J also a low moist place between two hills.
Scotch. Jam.
Slather^ or Slur^ v. to slip or slide. Slidder is
a good old word.
Sleck, v. to extinguish. Lan. to slake, from the
Isl. Slagi, humiditas.
Slink, s. the untimely foetus of a cow when killed,
being in calf 3 the veal of this is called Slink
veal.
Slippy^ adj, abbreviation of slippery.
Slood, s. cart Sloods, are deep-cart-ruts. A.S.
Slog, a slough. 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 csespitosa of Linnaeus.
SoNGow, Songal, s. gleaned corn. Songow,
Songoe, Sangow, to go Sangowing, v. to glean,
or go gleaning 3 generally supposed to be so
named from picking up the single straws,
i. e. singleing. The explanation given by Kilian
is however far preferable 3 he says, Teutonic
Sangh, Sanghe, fasciculus epicarum. Germ. Sax.
Sicamb. Sang, gsang, Ang. Songe. The same
word Sanghe, manipulus spicarum, is found in
Scherzius*s German Dictionary. In Bailey's Diet.
M Ah AUimpt at • OUmmry
V i735> w« havQ Songul^ Songlit» t. a handful
off leaned com. Hereftmlthira i tottMtKiliMi
it certainly rtyht hi wying that Songe la an
EnfUth word» which di>ubtlMa may be fouftd
in aonir old Knrlish ;iiitY\(^rs. though it hat hi«
StMfK, A', a Mip . A -M>pv^ oi" i.iui it a great deiU of
rain.
Sott.jt A \u■^^^ fall.
Sr vv 4iiickj comprehentiva* alto in one'a
it^. . n . : . t^4 ^yxiUt spact^ meant he it under
« io lofmiiui. Ath callt the vrord
I ivv thU latt meaning.
s Snnk n<t Got, ihre,
le of the
iuv- (>'i>iv v^ V ^^ "• nil,
SraiNoow. m\j, Littleton hat
SpringttL
^VANUKM» t^. to aefiaiate or iU»|>er$e; to siiuaiuler
a ixivt^y iif (>arlri4gea.
STAoeaaiNo IVmi v r^ow SuPFsatt* namea
given by butohv v voungcalYeft i when
in that dtat^? thrir h \ ellow.
To »iAxo A NtaaoN on> i:> to be incumbent oa
hiuK It stands every one on ti> tiikr care of
khttself.
8r4W> r. is e, to stay : a cart «itoppcU in a sk>ugb»
I of iome Words used in Cheshire, 63
«o as not to be able to proceed, Ih said to be
stawed.
Stele^ or Stkal, 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 bucrk friend.
Stockport coach, or chaise j a horse with two
women riding sideways on it, is so called, a
mode of travelling more common formerly
than at present.
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,
part participle of the A. S. Stican, figere. See
Home Tooke, Diversions of Purley, in 4®
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.
Stbeea^ 8. 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.
Strusuion, 8, destruction. Lan.
Stubdo, or Stbubbow, s. stubble.
64 An Attempt at a Glossarij
Stut, v. to stutter or stammer.
Swippo, 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.
Taching end, s. i. e. 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 ig
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.
Taffy, .s, what is called coverlid ; this is treacle
thickened by boiling, and made into hard cakes.
Tafia, or tafiiat, sugar and brandy made into
cakes, French.
Tantrells, or rather Tantrums, s. freaks, whims.
This is often said, of a child when he is peevish
and cross, that he is in his tantrums.
Taigh, or Tay, v. Scotch, to take. Jam. j to tack
is also to take.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 65
TcHEM^ s. vide in Chem.
Teen, s. 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.
Sewn.
Tent, v. to attend to or guard -, also to hinder or
prevent, Lan.
Tether-devil, the plant, woody nightshade, sup-
posed to be so called from the complicated
growth 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.
Thistle-take, a duty of a halfpenny, anciently
paid to the Lord of the Manor of Hal ton, in the
county of Chester, for every beast driven over
the common, suffered to graze or eat but a
thistle. Bailey.
Thbippa, or Thrippow, 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 beat with a strap or leathern thong 3
or it may derive its origin (as well as the word
K
66 An Attempt at a Glossary
to drab^) from drapa, to strike or beat se.
yerely. Ihre.
Thrippows^ s. the harvest geers of carts and
waggons, which are moveable, and put on only
when hay and corn are to be carried.
A Thrippowing pungowing life, is a hard la.
borious life. Pun^ow may be derived from the
A. S. punian, conterere.
Thrunk, adj. thronged, crowded. '' As thrunk
as three in a bed," is a common saying.
Thrutch, v. Lan. to thrust or squeeze j squeez-
ing or pressing the cheese is called thrutching
it. Palsgrave says, ''Threche, pynche, pincer,
this is a farre northern term."
Thunna, s. and u. thunder.
Tickle, see Kickle or Goggle.
Tin, orTYNE, u: Lan. to shut. Tinn the dur,
shut the door.
Tin, adv, till.
To Tine a hedge is to repair it with dead wood.
To Tin, Tine, or Tind the fire, is to light the
fire. A. S. tynan, accendere. Som. The word
tinder has the same etymology 5 tgender, to
light or kindle, Dan. Wolff, or from Islandice
tendra, accendere. Hald.
ToATLY, or ToADLY, adj, quiet, easily managed,
apparently only a corrupt pronunciation of to-
wardly.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 67
ToART^ TowarTj towards, this way.
Toot, s. to pry curiously or impertinently into
any little domestic concern. To ten, O. W. for
to look out. Chaucer has toteth for looketh,
passim. A tote-hill is an eminence from whence
there is a good look-out.
TuRMiT, s. a turnip. Lan.
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.
TwiTCHEL, 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 off.
A. S. twiccan, vellicare. See Skinner.
V. U.
Value, s. amount, as well in measure as in quan-
tity 3 circiter, when you come to the value of
five feet deep.
Variety, s. a rarity.
Vew, or View, s. a yew-tree, Lan. A. S. iw.
Unbethink, v. to recollect, often implying a
change of opinion. Ash calls it local.
Unco, Uncow, or Unkert, adj. awkward, strange,
uncommon, Lan. Cockeram in his Dictionary
has ^*^ Uncoth, unknown, strange 5" merely
uncouth.
V
68 An Attempt at a Glossary
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, mak-
ing a verb of up : to tell with energy or ani-
mation. Perhaps merely rose up and told.
Upsides, adv. to declare you will be upsides with
any one is to threaten severe vengeance for
some supposed injury or affront.
W
Waiter, s, water.
Wage, s. in the singular is often used instead of
wages in the plural.
Wall, s, a spring of water, O. W. walle, Teut.
ebullitio, Kil. weallan, buUire, A. S.
Wall up, v. to spring up as water does.
Wangle, v. to totter or vibrate. See Junius in
voce, wanckle.
Warch, i\ pain, Lan. Scotch. See Jam. under
Wark.
War RE, or Worre, worse 3 warre and warre,
worse and worse. Vserre, Danish worse, Wolff
Danish Diet. The Danish v is equivalent to the ]
English w.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 69
Wart, or rather Walt. v. in Lan.to wawt, is to
overturn 3 chiefly used to 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.
Weet, s. wet weather, Lan.
Weet, v. to rain rather slightly, Lan.
Welly, adv. well nigh. A. S. wel neah, parve,
almost, will nigh. Som.
Wern, V, abbreviation of 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. wet shod, wet in
the feet. Whetshod is used in Peirs Plowman,
passus, 18.
Every while Stitch, is every now and then, at
times.
Wharre, s. crabs, or the crab tree. Sour as
wharre.
Whave, v. to hang over. Hvselve Dan.hwelfi, Is-
land, 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.
70 An Attempt dt a Glossary
WheaMj ad. Lan. lying near, convenient, ready
at hand 5 perhaps from home, here pronounced
whome. Bp. Kennet derives this word from the
A. S. geweene, gratus, commodus.
Wheamow, adj. nimble, active. Ray. Bailey.
WHiNSTONE,5.a coarsc- grained stone, toad-stone,
rag- stone. 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 Whoam, s. Lan. home.
Whooked, adj. broken in health, shaken in every
joint. Ash calls it local, perhaps merely, shook.
Whot, adj. hot. Hot was formerly written Whot.
So in the Christen State of Matrimonye, 12°
p. 8. b. we read '^ then shall the indignacion
of the Lorde wax whot over you."
WiBROW, Wybrow, 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, or Wych, s. several places in Cheshire and
elsewhere terminate in wich, 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.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 7 1
Will-Jill, or Will-Gill, s. an Hermaphro-
dite.
Withering, adj. strong, lusty, a great withering
fellow.
To WizzEN, or WissEN AWAY, V. to fade or wi-
ther away, a poor sickly wizzened thing,
weornian A. S. decrescere, tabescere. Hence
also comes the common word to wither.
WooAN, or WoNE, V. to dwell; wooant, did
dwell. Lan. Ash calls it obsolete, woonen,
habitare. Kil. A. S. wunian, the same. Som.
WuT THOU, is wilt thou.
WuTS, Whoats, s. oats.
Wych-waller, s. a salt boiler at one of 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. Randle
Holme^ in his Academy of Armory, calls them
*' wisomes," and uses the term to carrots or
turnips. Weize is the German for corn, as holm
is for straw. Peas-holm is still in use.
Yaff, u. to bark. A little fow yaffing cur, is a
little ugly barking cur. Scotch. Jam. Gaf.
Ang. Sax. a Babbler. Som.
72 -^n Attempt at a Glossary, 8iC.
Yate, s. gate. Lan.
Yed or Yeau, s. head.
Yedward^ Yethart, s. Lan. Edward. In Is-
landic Jatrard is Edward.
YelvEj *. a dung fork^ or prong.
Yelve^ v. to dig chiefly with the yelve.
Yern or Yarn, 5. 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 ! Giaird, money^ reward, Islandic, Gisellder
to be of value, Danish, Wolff. Gelda or Jelda
in the Friziac. ^' Sa gelde the Redieva," ^^ so
let the Reeve pay," (Leges Hansigiae.) See
Wiarda.
[73 ]
APPENDIX.
Some farther Words which, though of common
use in Cheshire, yet do not geem to belong ex-
clusively to that County, but are heard in several
of the adjoining Counties, and particularly in the
Northern ones. Perhaps, indeed, the same ob-
jection may be made to some of the v^^ords which
have been admitted into the preceding List, but
it is hoped they are not numerous, 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
edition of Johnson's Dictionary. A. S. ^dlean,
a reward, or to reward.
Addlings, s. earnings from labour.
Adoe, s. much to do, hurry, bustle, difficulty,
P.P.C.
Agreeable, adj. complying, consenting.
L
74 An Attempt at a Glossary
Allegar^ s. vinegar made of Ale^ generally used
with the adjunct Vinegar.
Anan, adv. is made use of in vulgar discourse by
the lower order of persons addressing a su-
perior^ when they either do not hear or do not
comprehend well what is said 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 be-
ginning with the letter A only were printed,
distinguishes very properly 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 ^* graticula praepo-
sitionibus praemissa^"
Appo, s. an apple.
Arrh, s. a mark or scar. Todd.
Ask, s. or Asker, s. a land or water newt.
Astound, part, astonished.
Badger, 5. a dealer in com, O. W. In the Law
Latin Dictionary it is rendered by Emax. Ju-
nius calls it Frumentarius, sive Mercator mag-
narius, fruges undequ^que coemens fitque in
unum comportans.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 75
IBaith^ pro. both.
Bangle, v. to waste, or consume. Teut. Benghelen,
caedere fustibus. Kil.
Bang, v. to beat, figuratively to excel or surpass.
Bang-beggar, s. a beadle.
Barmskin, 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, s, 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. How many ewes will a ram
blissom ?
BiGGENiNG, the recovery of a woman after ly-
ing in.
Bilberry, 5. whortleberry. Todd. Sued. Blabaer.
In the North, Blaeberry.
Bin, Btnne, or Bing, s. the place where the fod-
der for cattle is put. A.S. Binne, praesepe.
BoAC, or BoKE, V, to reach, keck, or kick at Jfche
stomach.
BoRST and Borsten, perfect tense and participle
of the verb to burst.
BoTHOM, s. bottom.
Bragget^ s, spiced ale. Good old word, still in
76 An Attempt at a Glossary
use in the northern countries. Bragod^ the
same thing. Welsh.
Bratt^ s, a small bib or apron worn by children
to keep their cloaths clean. A.S. Bratt, a blan-
ket. This name is also given to young chil-
dren, probably from wearing bratts.
Brimming, part, or adj. spoken of a sow who is
maris appetens.
Brizz, s. the gad fly, oestrus equi aut bovis 5 the
common dragon fly is generally but erro-
neously called the Brizz.
BucKow, i\ to buckle.
By Lakin, by Leakins, diminutive of By our
Lady.
Byspell, s. a natural child.
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. grey peas boiled, so called from being
served at table on Care Sunday, which is Pas-
sion Sunday, as Care Friday and Care Week,
are Good Friday and Holy Week 3 supposed to
be so called from that being a season of parti-
cular religious care and anxiety. See Brand's
Popular Antiquities, 4°, vol. 1. p. 93. also Ihre.
of some Words used in Cheshire, 77
Dictionarium Suio-Gothicum in voce KiERU-
SUNNUDAG,
Cawn^ for callen.
Clip^ V, to embrace. A. S. Cleopan, cleafan^ to
cleave or stick to. /
CoNNA, cannot.
CoNNOH^ can not.
CoppET, adj. pertj sawcy.
Cot J s. probably only an abbreviation of Cot-
quean, any man who interferes with female do-
mestic employment, and particularly in the
kitchen, is so called. The usual punishment to
children so interfering, is to pin a dishclout to
their cloaths.
Cotter, v. to mend, repair, or assist with little
effect.
CowE, V. to depress, or intimidate.
Crewe, *. a coop to shut up fowls in
Crewe, v. to shut up fowls.
Crinckle, v. to recede from an engagement.
Crud, s, curd, a transposition of letters, very
common.
D
Dab, s. a blow.
Dab, v. to give a blow.
Dacity, s. intelligence, quickness ; an abbrevia-
tion of audacity.
7S An Attempt at a Glossary
Dade, v. to lead children beginning to walk.
Todd -J but not common.
Dading-strings, s, leading-strings.
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.
Deck, s. a pack of cards.
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. sl distribution of alms, gener-
ally on the death of some considerable person 3
from the A. S. Daelan, distribuere.
Don, v. to put on.
DowK, or Do UK, v. to duck or bow down the
head.
Dug, s. a dog.
DuR, s. a door,
E
Edge, v. to make room or go aside. To edge off,
is common.
Eend, 5, end.
of some Words used in Cheshire. 79
F
Fain, ad/, glad. Breet a — rd rain makes foos fain 5
that is, when a rainy cloud is succeeded by a
little brightness in the sky, fools rejoice,
thinking it will soon be fair weather, whereas
that brightness is often of short duration, and
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 tp beat down their leaves.
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.
Flit, v. to remove, or change one's habitation.
Todd.
Flitting, s. a removal.
Flite, or Flyte, u. to scold. A. S. Flytan, con-
tendere, rixare.
Fluke, s. a fish, the flounder. A. S.Floc, a plaice,
a fish, or sole. Som. ^
Fogg, s. rank eddish, or aftergrass.
80 An Attempt at a Glossary
EoiN^ adj. fine.
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, v. to rub to pieces.
G
Gawp, v, to gape or stare with open mouth.
Wachter says, *' li qui rem aut exitum rei
avide prsestolantur plerumque hiscentes id fa-
ciunt."
GizzERN, s. the gizzard.
Glaffer, or Glaver, v. to flatter. Todd. A. S.
Gleafan, adulari. Som.
Glour, or Glower, v. to. have a cross look.
When the clouds threaten bad weather we call
them glowering. Todd.
Graith, 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 person
is a different kind of person.
H
Haigh, v. to have.
Han, v. they han, for they have.
of some Words used in Cheshire, 81
Hannah, v. have not.
Happens, adv. perhaps, possibly.
Hauf, or Hawf, half.
Haw, s. hall.
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 r for how do you ? or how do
you do ?
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, or perhaps from his treating them as
his hinds or slaves. Som.
Hull, v. to pick peas or beans out of the hulls or
pods. Todd.
HuRE, s. the hair.
HuBN, 5. a horn.
M
^ An jit tempt at a Glossart/
JuRB, s. a blow or a push, a corrupt pronunciation
of jarr.
K
Keeve, v. to overturn.
Keow^ s. a cow, key, or kye, the plural.
Keower, v. to cower down.
KtcKLE, adj. uncertain, the same as tickle.
Kill't, killed. Todd.
Kit, s. a set or company, generally in a contemp-
tuous sense, the whole kit of them.
To Lam> Lamme^ Leather, or Lick, are all cant
words, used for to beat.
Lawkin, Ladykin, by Lawkin or Ladykin, by
our blessed Lady.
Ley, s. the law.
Lio, v. to lie> in utroque sensu verbi, according to
^ Junius. Todd.
Lythe, adj, supple, pliant. A. S. Lyth, a joint.
Todd.
M
Mal, or Mally, for Moll or Molly.
of some Words used in Cheshire, 83
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.
Mbasy, adj. I suppose mazy, giddy.
Meet, s. might.
Meety, adj. mighty.
Meg-harry, s. a tomboy, a young girl with mas-
culine manners.
Mess, 5. the mass.
MoN, 5. man.
MoRT, s. a great deal, a great number. Todd has
the word, and assigns an Icelandic etymology
for it.
Mouldy, adj. moldy.
MouLDY-WARP, s. the mole, from the A. S. Molde,
the earth, and Weorpan to cast. Som. Todd.
Mulworp, or Molworp, Teutonice, talpa. Kil-
lian.
Mulligrubs, s. to have the mulligrubs is to be in
an ill-humour. Todd.
Munnah, v. must not.
MuN, s, the mouth. Sued. Mun. Screnius.
84 An Attempt at a Glossary
N
Nesh, adj. tender^ delicate, O. W. Chaucer. A. S.
nice, soft, tender. Som.
Neshin, v. to make tender. P. P. C.
Nere, s. the kidney. O.W. P. P. C. Lady Ju-
liana Barnes uses it.
Nether, s. an adder j 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%y Cockeram
in his Dictionary. It is there written GnofFe,
which is an old word for a miser, and presents
a diflFerent 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.
Old man, s. a name for the plant southern wood.
OvERGET, t*. to overtake.
OvERWELT, part, a sheep overthrown and lying
on its back is said to be over welt, i. e. it is
overwalted.
of some Words used in Cheshire, 85
OuRN, for ours.
Outing, s. a going from home.
Pee, V, to look with one eye. This seems nearly
the same thing as to peep.
Pee'd, part. adj. having only one eye. Todd.
Peckle^ v. to spot or speckle, chiefly used in the
participle 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 Peu 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 pe-
culiar 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.
S6 An Attempt at a Glossary
PiEANNOTj 5. a pie, pieannet, French. In Scotch,
Pyeot, or Pyeat.
PiNGLE, s. 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.
PoOj V, to pull.
QuEEZE, s. quasi quest, from its plaintive tone, a
wood-pigeon or ring-dove. Littleton has the
word.
R.
Reckon, v. to suppose, conjecture, or conclude 3
I reckon he'll come.
Rheumatiz, s. Rheumatism.
Rick, a stack, s.
S
Scbat, $. an hermaphrodite. Littleton has the
word, and so has Todd. A.S. Scritta. Som.
SCEAT, s. the itch.
Seet, V, to sit.
of some Words used in Cheshire. . 87
Sri ALE, 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.
Shive, or Shiver, 5. 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. ox 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 translation
of the Ulphilan Code.
Slab, s, the outside board, sawed from a piece of
timber.
Slat, v, to throw.
Slive, V, to cut off.
Sliver, s. a slice.
Sloven, participle of the Verb to slive, divided.
Slotten, part, divided. Slot and Slotten are the
participles of the A. S. word, Slitan, to slit.
When at the game of Whist the honours are
88 An Attempt at a Glossary
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 Tristo, derived from the Latin tristis, not
only signifies sorrowful or afflicted, but alsQ
vile, or in no estimation.
SouLiNG, to go a souling, is to go about as boys
do, repeating certain rigmarole verses, and
begging cakes or money, in commutation for
them, the Eve of All Souls Day. These cakes
are called Soul Cakes.
SowRiNG, s. vinegar or verjuice taken with meat.
Sparling, s. a fish, the smelt j from the French,
Eperlan. Todd.
Sparrow-bills, s, small nails^ of a particular
kind.
SpeeRj s. the chimney post.
Sper, or Speer, v, to inquire, from A. S. Spyrian,
to inquire. Todd.
of some Words used in Cheshire, 89
Stark^ augmentative. German, Stark, strong, or
perhaps more legitimately, from the A. S.
Starck, fortis. It is generally used in a bad
sense, as stark bad.
Strokings, s, the last milk that can be drawn
fronf a cow. The same as afterings.
Swale, or Swkal, v. to burn to waste, as candles
often do when the melted substance runs down
the candle, O.W. A.S. Swaelan. Som. Todd.
SwALBR, s. 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.
Tan TONY 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.
Tatoe, s, a potatoe.
Threap^ v. to maintain with vehemence, or to
insist.
Thrave, s. is generally twelve, but sometimes
twenty-four sheaves of com.
N
90 An Attempt at a Glossary
TiKE^ or Tyke, s. a little dog. Sui. Got. Tik,
canicule, Islandic Tijk or Tijg, Ihre. A cross
child is often called a cross tike.
ToM-TiT, s. the bird called a tit-mouse.
TuMMUz^ Thomas.
V
Varment, s, vermin.
W
Wheint, adj. queint.
Which, adj. quick, alive.
VVhicks, s. quickset plants.
Winn AH, or Won n ah, w^ill not.
Won, Wone, or Wo an, v. to dwell or inhabit.
Whizzen, v. to shrivel or shrink. Todd. It is
chiefly used in the participle whizzened.
Whitester, s. a bleacher of linen.
Ward, or Warld, s, world.
Whig, s. whey. A. S. Hvvgeg, serum. Som.
Wonna, will not.
Y
Yate, s. a gate.
Yed, or Yead, s. the head.
Yedward, or Yethart, Edward.
YoY, yes. J a, pronounced yau, German.
of some Words used in Cheshire, 91
OMITTED.
Page 18^ Bowk, a pail, the origin of the common
word, bucket.
Page 31, Flake, a hurdle.
Page 32> Forkin Robin, an earwig.
Page 39, 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 81, Hirple, v, to limp.
Page 37;, Hitch, s. to have a hitch in his gait, is
to be lame.
Page 41, Kindle, v. to bring forth 3 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 45, Melder (of oats,) a kiln full, as many
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 51, Pride, to have a pride in his pace or
manner of going, is a ludicrous way of express-
ing that a person is lame.
ERRATA.
Page 22, line 8, dele comma after directly.
26, 1 7, for garters read garter.
43, ult. for loked read locked.
45, '^>for Jam read Jamieson.
53, ult. mserf Danish.
61, 4 from bottom,/(w epicarum read spicarum.
63, ult. /or Strubbow read Stubbow.
65, 3,foi' fowteen read fow teen.
69, 15, for Whetshod read Wetshod.
London: Printed by W. Bulmer and W. Nicol,
Cleveland-Row, St. James's.
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