The Dialect of the West of England; Particularly Somersetshire by James Jennings (the mitten read aloud TXT) 📕

Graced with huff-cap terms and thundering threats, That his poor hearers’ hair quite upright sets.

Bp. Hall, Book I, Sat. iii.

Some editor of Hall has endeavoured to explain the term huff-cap by blustering, swaggering. I think it simply means difficult.

Hug. s. The itch. See SHAB (applied to brutes. )

Hug-water. s. Water to cure the hug. See SHAB.

To Hul’der. v. a. To hide; conceal.

Hul’ly. s. A peculiarly shaped long wicker trap used for catching eels.

To Hulve. v. a. To turn over; to turn upside down.

Hum’drum. s. A small low three-wheeled cart, drawn usually by one horse: used occasionally in agriculture.

From the peculiarity of its construction, it makes a kind of humming noise when it is drawn along; hence, the origin of the adjective humdrum.

Hunt-the-slipper. s. A well-known play.

I.

I. ad. Yes; I, I, yes, yes; most probably a corrupt pronunciation of ay.

Inin. s. Onion.

Ire. s. Iron.

Ire-gare. s. See GARE.

Ise. pron. I. See UTCHY, [West of the Parret].

Ist. [i long]. s. East.

Istard. [i long]. adv. Eastward.

It. adv. Yet, [pronouced both it and _eet>]. see N’eet.

J.

Jack-in-the-Lanthorn, Joan-in-the-Wad. s. The meteor usually called a Will with the Wisp.

Ignis Fatuus.—Arising from ignition of phosphorus from rotten leaves and decayed vegetable matters.

Jaunders. s. The jaundice.

To Jee. v. n. To go on well together; see To GEE. Jif’fey. s. A short time: an instant.

Jist. adv. Just.

Jitch, Jitchy. adj. Such.

Jod. s. The letter J.

Jorum. s. A large jug, bowl, &c., full of something to be eaten or drank.

To Jot. v. a. To disturb in writing; to strike the elbow.

K.

The sound K is often displaced by substituting qu, as for coat, corn, corner, cost; quoat or (_quût_) quoin, quiner, quost.

Keck’er. s. The windpipe; the trachea.

Keep. s. A basket, applied only to large baskets.

To Keeve. v. a. To put the wort in a keeve for some time to ferment.

Keeve. s. A large tub or vessel used in brewing. A mashing-tub is sometimes called a keeve.

Kef’fel. s. A bad and worn out horse.

To Kern. v. n. To turn from blossom to fruit: the process of turning from blossom to fruit is called kerning.

Kex, Kexy. s. The dry stalks of some plants, such as Cows-parsley and Hemlock, are called Kexies. As dry as a kexy is a common simile.

Kill. s. A Kiln.

Kil’ter. s. Money.

King’bow, or rather, a-kingbow. adv. Kimbo.

Chaucer has this word kenebow, which is, perhaps, the true one—a kenebow, implying a bow with a keen or sharp angle.

“He set his arms in kenebow.”

CHAUCER, Second Merchant’s Tale.

Or place the arms a-Kingbow, may be to place them in a consequential manner of commanding, like a king.

Kir’cher. s. The midriff; the diaphragm.

Kirsmas. s. Christmas.

Kirsen. v. a. To Christen.

[These two words are instances of the change of place of certain letters, particularly r.]

Kit. s. A tribe; a collection; a gang.

Kit’tle, Kittle-smock. s. A smock frock.

Knack-kneed. adj. In-kneed; having the knees so grown that they strike [_knock_] against each other.

Knot’tlins. s. pl. The intestines of a pig or calf prepared for food by being tied in knots and afterwards boiled.

L.

Lade-Pail. s. A small pail, with a long handle, used for the purpose of filling other vessels.

Ládeshrides. s. pl. The sides of the waggon which project over the wheels. See SHRIDE.

Ladies-smock. s. A species of bindweed; Convolvulus sepium. See WITHY-WINE.

Lady Buddick. s. A rich and early ripe apple.

Lady-cow. s. A lady-bird; the insect Coccinella Septempunctata.

Lady’s-hole. s. A game at cards.

Lai’ter. s. The thing laid; the whole quantity of eggs which a hen lays successively.

She has laid out her laiter.

Lamager. adj. Lame; crippled; laid up.

Larks-leers. s. pl. Arable land not in use; such is much frequented by larks; any land which is poor and bare of grass.

Lart, Lawt. s. The floor: never applied to a stone floor, but only to wooden floors; and those up stairs.

Las-charg’eable! interj. Be quiet! The last chargeable: that is, he who last strikes or speaks in contention is most blamable.

Lât. s. A lath.

Lat’itat. s. A noise; a scolding.

Lat’tin. s. Iron, plates covered with tin.

Lattin. adj. Made of lattin; as a lattin saucepan, a lattin teakettle, &c.

Laugh-and-lie-down. s. A common game at cards.

To Lave. v. a. To throw water from one place to another.

To Le’ät. v. n. To leak.

Le’ät. s. A leak; a place where water is occasionally let out.

Leath’er. v. a. To beat.

Leathern-mouse, s. A bat.

Leer. adj. Empty.

Leer. s. The flank.

Leers. s. pl. Leas; rarely used: but I think it always means stubble land, or land similar to stubble land.

Lent. s. Loan; the use of any thing borrowed.

Lew. adj. Sheltered; defended from storms, or wind

Lew, Lewth. s. Shelter; defence from storm or wind.

Lib’et. s. A piece; a tatter.

Lid’den. s. A story; a song.

Lie-lip. s. A square wooden vessel having holes in its bottom, to contain wood-ashes for making lie.

Lights. s. pl. The lungs.

Lighting-stock. s. A horse-block; steps of wood or stone, made to ascend and descend from a horse.

Lim’bers, Lim’mers. s. pl. The shafts of a waggon, cart, &c.

Linch. s. A ledge; a rectangular projection; whence the term linch-pin (a pin with a linch), which JOHNSON has, but not linch.

The derivations of this word, linch-pin by our etymologists, it will be seen, are now inadmissable.

To Line. v. n. To lean; to incline towards or against something.

Lin’ny. s. An open shed, attached to barns, outhouses, &c.

Lip, Lip’pen. s. A generic term for several containing vessels, as bee-lippen, lie-lip, seed-lip, &c. which see.

Lip’ary. adj. Wet, rainy. Applied to the seasons: a lipary time.

To Lir’rop. v. a. To beat.

This is said to be a corruption of the sea term, lee-rope.

Lis’som. adj. Lithe; pliant. Contracted from light-some, or lithesome.

List, Lis’tin. s. The strip or border on woollen cloth.

Lis’tin. adj. Made of list.

To Lob. v. n. To hang down; to droop.

Lock. s. A small quantity; as a lock of hay, a lock of straw.

Lock-a-Daisy. interj. of surprise or of pleasure.

Lockyzee. interj. Look, behold! Look you, see!

To Long. v. n. To belong.

Long’ful. adj. Long in regard to time.

Lose-Leather. To be galled by riding.

Lowance. s. Allowance: portion.

Lug. s. A heavy pole; a pole; a long rod.

I incline to think this is the original of log.

Lug-lain. s. Full measure; the measure by the lug or pole.

Lump’er. v. n. To lumber; to move heavily; to stumble.

M.

Mace. s. pl. Acorns.

Madam. s. Applied to the most respectable classes of society: as, Madam Greenwood, Madam Saunders, &c.

Mallard. s. A male duck.

To Manche, to Munche. v. a. To chew. Probably from manger, French.

Man’der. s. A corruption of the word, manner, used only in the sense of sort or kind: as, âll mander o’ things; all sorts of things.

To Mang. v. a. To mix.

Mang-hangle. adj. Mixed in a wild and confused manner.

To maw. v. a. To mow.

Maw’kin. s. A cloth, usually wetted and attached to a pole, to sweep clean a baker’s oven. See SLOMAKING.

May. s. The blossom of the white thorn.

May-be, Mâ-be. adv. Perhaps; it may be.

May-fool. s. Same as April fool.

May-game, Mâ-game. s. A frolic; a whim.

To Meech. v. n. To play truant; to absent from school without leave.

Meech’er. s. A truant.

To Mell. v. a. To meddle; to touch. I’ll neither mell nor make: that is, I will have nothing to do with it. I ont mell o’t, I will not touch it.

“Of eche mattir thei wollin mell.”

CHAUCER’S Plowman’s Tale.

Mesh. s. Moss; a species of lichen which grows plentifully on apple trees.

To Mess, To Messy. v. a. to serve cattle with hay.

Messin. s. The act of serving cattle with hay.

Mid. v. aux. Might, may.

To Miff. v. a. To give a slight offence; to displease.

Miff. s. A slight offence; displeasure.

Mig. s. As sweet as mig is a common simile; I suspect that mig means mead, the liquor made from honey.

Milt. s. The spleen.

Mi’lemas. Michaelmas.

Min. A low word, implying contempt, addressed to the person to whom we speak, instead of Sir. I’ll do it, min.

Mine. v. Mind; remember.

Mix’en. s. A dunghill.

Miz’maze. s. Confusion.

Mom’macks. s. pl. Pieces; fragments.

Mom’met, Mom’mick. s. A scarecrow; something dressed up in clothes to personate a human being.

Moor-coot. s. A moor hen.

To Moot. v. a. To root up.

Moot. s. A stump, or root of a tree.

To More. v. n. To root; to become fixed by rooting.

More. s. A root.

Mought. v. aux. Might.

Mouse-snap, s. A mouse trap.

Mug’gets. s. pl. The intestines of a calf or sheep. Derived, most probably, from maw and guts.

To Mult. v. To melt.

Mus’ goo. must go.

‘Mus’d. Amused.

N.

Many words beginning with a vowel, following the article an, take the n from an; as, an inch, pronounced a ninch.

Na’atal. adj. natural.

Na’atally. adv. naturally.

Naìse. s. noise.

Nan. interjec. Used in reply, in conversation or address, the same as Sir, when you do not understand.

Nânt. s. Aunt.

Nap. s. A small rising; a hillock.

Nâtion. adv. Very, extremely: as nation good; nation bad.

Nawl. s. An awl.

Nawl. s. The navel.

Nawl-cut. s. A piece cut out at the navel: a term used by butchers.

N’eet, N’it. adv. Not yet.

Nestle Tripe. s. The weakest and poorest bird in the nest; applied, also, to the last-born, and usually the weakest child of a family; any young, weak, and puny child, or bird

New-qut-and-jerkin. s. A game at cards in a more refined dialect new-coat and jerkin.

Nif. conj. If.

Nill. s. A needle.

Nist, Nuost. prep. Nigh, near.

Niver-tha-near. adv. (Neverthe-near), To no purpose, uselessly.

Nona’tion. adj. Difficult to be understood; not intelligent; incoherent, wild.

Nor’ad. adv. Northward.

Nora’tion. s. Rumour; clamour.

Nor’ra un, Nor’ry un. Never a one.

Norn. pron. Neither. Norn o’m, neither of them.

Nor’thering. adj. Wild, incoherent, foolish.

Nort. s. Nothing. West of the Parret.

Not-sheep. s. A sheep without horns.

Not. s. The place where flowers are planted is usually called the flower not, or rather, perhaps, knot; a flower bed.

Not’tamy. s. Corrupted from anatomy: it