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Oxford 
 
 HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY 
 
YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK 
 
 
 • 1 « * 
 
 WITH 
 
 CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE WHO SPEAK IT 
 IN THE NORTH AND EAST RIDINGS 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. M. C. F. MORRIS, B.C.L., M.A. 
 
 Vicar of Newton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire. 
 
 Bonbon 
 
 HENRY FROWDE, AMEN CORNER 
 
 JOHN SAMPSON 
 1892 
 
 1 
 
■J -)1 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Four years have now gone by since I circulated a 
 letter among those who, so far as I knew, took an 
 interest in the subject of our East Yorkshire dialect. 
 The main object aimed at in the following pages will 
 perhaps be best understood if I in part repeat what 
 I said at that time. I will quote my own words : — 
 
 'Those who have made a study of the English 
 dialects, and have listened attentively to them as 
 they have been spoken, cannot but have noticed that 
 a considerable change has taken place in the ordinary 
 language of our country-folk during the last twenty 
 years. The North and East Ridings of Yorkshire 
 are no exception to the rule. Railways and certifi- 
 cated schoolmasters, despite their advantages, are 
 making sad havoc of much that is interesting and 
 worth preserving in the mother tongue of the people. 
 This is to be regretted. It is with the object of 
 collecting any such relics of the past, which would 
 otherwise be doomed to oblivion, that I make the 
 following appeal to my brother Yorkshiremen, many 
 
 796941 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 of whom, I know, must have a sort of affection for 
 the rich and powerful dialects of the Eastern half of 
 the County. These sound like music in the ears of 
 many of us. I am well aware that much valuable 
 work has been already done in this direction, and 
 that by more able hands than mine. Still, it is prob- 
 able that the mine is not exhausted ; and if, as 
 Professor Max Miiller observes, in his Lectures on 
 the Science of Language, "some of the local dialects 
 of England, as spoken at the present day, are of 
 great importance for a critical study of English,'* 
 surely no stone should be left unturned for discover- 
 ing any particles of ore which still exist in out of the 
 way places, and for thus rescuing what can still be 
 saved of our decaying dialect. 
 
 ' Not only, however, am I desirous of gathering 
 together any lingering traces of bygone words, but 
 also of collecting peculiar Yorkshire phrases, sayings, 
 modes of expression, and grammatical usages. Far 
 less has been written about these than about mere 
 dialectic vocabularies, and yet I think it will be 
 admitted that to a Yorkshireman, at all events, they 
 possess a certain interest. There are, I believe, still 
 a vast number of such more or less local peculiarities 
 of expression which are worthy of being preserved. 
 
 ' But there is a further branch of enquiry which 
 may well be pursued. It has been said that every 
 other Yorkshireman you meet is a character. There 
 is truth in this remark. A healthy independence, 
 originality, and sense of humour meet one at every 
 turn. Many are the Yorkshire stories that can be 
 
PREFACE. VU 
 
 related to illustrate such independence and origi- 
 nality — stories which have never yet been placed on 
 record. Very grateful shall I be, then, to those who 
 will be good enough to furnish me with any such, to- 
 gether with any dialectic peculiarities that come before 
 their notice ; and in the case of these latter, it will 
 add greatly to their value if the name of the district, 
 or better still the exact place where they are known 
 to have been used, is mentioned. I feel sure there 
 is sufficient material of this kind to fill many a volume, 
 if only it could be collected.' 
 
 This request met with a willing response in many 
 quarters, and I have much pleasure in acknowledging 
 my obligations for the assistance I have received 
 from others. These are too numerous to name in- 
 dividually. But my thanks are due in a special way 
 to Hr. Pastor Feilberg, of Darum Praestegard, Den- 
 mark, the learned author of the Jiitlandic Dictionary^ 
 whose kindly and ever-ready help was invaluable ; 
 also to Mr. R. H. Lipscomb, of East Budleigh, Devon- 
 shire ; Mr. E. P. Allanson, of York; Mr. G. Frank, 
 of Kirby Moorside ; and the Rev. D. S. Hodgson, late 
 of Helmsley, for many interesting literary contribu- 
 tions. To Canon Atkinson, of Danby, for those ex- 
 amples of the dialect from the Cleveland Glossary, 
 which I have quoted with his permission in a few 
 cases, as well as for other valued aid, I must ex- 
 press my gratitude. But lastly, and it may also be 
 said mainl}^, am I indebted to my friend the Rev. E. S. 
 Carter, of York, without whose hearty support and 
 able co-operation, especially at the outset, I should 
 
VIU PREFACE. 
 
 scarcely have ventured on my undertaking. To him I 
 accord my best thanks. 
 
 It will be at once seen that many words, idioms, 
 and grammatical as well as other usages, noticed in 
 these pages, may be found in other parts of England 
 also. To have inserted those which are peculiar to 
 East Yorkshire only would have been wellnigh an im- 
 possibility : my rule, therefore, has been to give any 
 which deviated in some way from the usage of ordi- 
 nary English ; even thus difficulties arose, for it was 
 not in every case apparent whether a word or phrase 
 should be reckoned as dialectic or not. On this point 
 opinions will differ. 
 
 The Glossary will be found to contain not far short 
 of two thousand words, and there are throughout 
 the volume about twelve hundred original examples 
 of the dialect. By far the greater portion of these 
 I have heard at various times from the lips of the 
 country-folk themselves, many of whom have most 
 willingly given me information in cases of doubt. 
 
 After each word in the Glossary I have indicated 
 by a distinguishing letter whether it is commonly, 
 fairly commonly, or only rarely used at the present 
 date in the folk-speech. A word is given as in com- 
 mon usage if it is so in any locality in the North or 
 East Riding, and not necessarily throughout the whole 
 of that district. I am not aware that this has formed 
 a feature of any previous Glossary; I have, however, 
 made this addition because it seemed to me likely 
 to give greater interest to a work of this kind. A 
 few obsolete words are also inserted : these are cases 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 which have either only .recently fallen out of use, or 
 else are connected with observations which have been 
 made in the earlier pages of the volume. 
 
 In a large number of instances the Danish equiva- 
 lents or derivations are given, and as often as possible 
 I have connected the Jutlandic words with our own, 
 bearing as they do such a close likeness, not to say 
 identity with them, in many cases. 
 
 In a treatise on Yorkshire Folk-talk, many pages 
 can hardly be otherwise than dull to any but enthu- 
 siasts : it has been my aim, therefore, to break the 
 monotony in some sort by introducing lighter touches 
 here and there, in the hope of making the whole more 
 varied and readable. 
 
 Many Yorkshiremen are seeking their fortunes or 
 are settled down for life in places far away from the 
 haunts of their younger days. Should this book fall 
 into the hands of any such, I shall consider myself 
 well repaid if it calls up before them pleasant re- 
 collections of iheir youth, or brings back to their 
 minds the familiar and well-loved tones of our rugged, 
 but racy and ' strengthy ' folk-talk. 
 
 M. C. F. M. 
 
 Newton-on-Ouse, 
 
 January i^th, 1892. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 -♦-♦- 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introductory .......... i 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 Grammatical .......... 17 
 
 CHAPTER ni. 
 Pronunciation ......... 40 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Idioms and Words ......... 68 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Forcefulness of the Dialect ...... 86 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Specimens of the Folk-talk 98 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Danish Comparisons 126 
 
XU CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Geographical .......... 151 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 The Yorkshire Character 164 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Miscellaneous 189 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 Customs and Superstitions 206 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 The Bible and Shakespeare ....... 250 
 
 GLOSSARY 265 
 
 INDEX 403 
 
' J-- 
 
 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 -♦-♦- 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 ' He gav oot sikan a stevn,' said an old man to me one 
 day in the course of a conversation in which he was 
 describing certain events and reminiscences of liis early 
 days. This he did in words of great force and interest. 
 He was a Yorkshireman of the old school, and spoke 
 the dialect in all its richness, raciness, and purity : he 
 poured it forth as if he revelled in its very broadness, 
 though there was in fact not a sentence but what was 
 perfectly free and natural : it was his mother-tongue, and 
 so best told his thoughts. To many his talk would sound 
 almost like a foreign tongue, but his English was better 
 than a great deal that passes for such at the present 
 day : it is true his words and modes of expression were 
 archaic, but it was that that gave them their charm ; 
 they were always clear, pointed, and incisive ; it was 
 a treat as well as a lesson to listen to him. My old 
 friend was approaching fourscore years and ten, and 
 when speaking of his age he would often say, ' Aye, 
 ah think ah 'sommost gitten ti t' far end,' or 'Ah doct . 
 ah 's gannin' fast.' Nevertheless, for his years he was 
 wonderfully hale and hearty ; he had a rich profusion 
 
 r B 
 

 
 ^2 • " '*''■"'-" YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 of silvery hair and an undimmed eye, and though 
 troubled with rheumatism he was still able to get about. 
 He had never travelled more than a few miles from the 
 place where he was born, or, as he quaintly expressed it, 
 * Ah deean't gan bauboskin aboot leyke sum on 'em ; ah 
 sticks ti t' heeaf.' His own 'coonthry' or ' heeaf ' — 
 that is, the immediate neighbourhood of his home — was 
 to him his world, and of that he knew every inch. He 
 was honest as the day, and as true as steel. The likes 
 of him are not now often to be met. They are relics of 
 a bygone time. 
 
 It was the last word of the first above-quoted sentence 
 that chiefly arrested my attention on this occasion. 
 Yorkshireman though I was, I did not remember to 
 have heard it spoken before, though formerly ' stevn ' 
 was well understood as a literar^^, and till lately as a 
 dialectic word also. The same word occurs, for in- 
 stance, in The Owl and the Nightingale, a poem attributed 
 to Nicholas de Guildford, about the year 1250, where 
 we read at line 229, 
 
 'That nis noght soth, ich singe efne 
 Mid full dreme and lud stefne.' 
 
 Although this poem is written in one of the (so-called) 
 dialects of the South of England, we may find in it 
 many of our East Yorkshire words. Two occur in one 
 of the lines just quoted, viz. dreme and that just alluded 
 to ; the former is found in our word dream-holes, as 
 applied to the slits or holes in church towers for letting 
 out the sound of the bells, dreme or dream meaning 
 song, or musical sound ; while the latter is, as 1 have 
 observed, tiiough rare, still current coin, and means a 
 loud shout, and may be connected with the modern 
 Danish word stavne, to summon or cite. 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 3 
 
 It is indeed only seldom that one hears such out-of- 
 the-way words as these spoken in the ordinary flow 
 of human talk ; the channels in which they have for 
 centuries run their course are wellnigh dried up. No 
 language or dialect can ever be permanent ; but with 
 regard to our own folk-talk, it has never received such 
 a shock as in the last quarter of a century. The lan- 
 guage of the country people of fifty years ago is very 
 different from what it is at the present time : much of 
 it remains, it is true, and will remain for years to come, 
 but much is being lost, and that speedily. As an old 
 dame with whom I was once speaking on this point 
 said with manifest tokens of regret, in which I fully 
 shared, in alluding to the speech of the young folks of 
 the present day, they 'prim it doon noo.* When I 
 make use of the term dialect or folk-talk throughout 
 these pages, I mean the mother-tongue of the elder 
 portion of the community which is spoken freely among 
 one another, but which is widely different from that 
 which they speak before strangers or those of a different 
 social status from themselves. No doubt all their 
 speech has a character of its own, but that which they 
 speak on all occasions, except when they are perfectly 
 at their ease, is always more or less toned down. It 
 would be thought too familiar and very unbecoming to 
 address a stranger in their broadest speech. 
 
 It is not perhaps always understood how much is in- 
 volved in the word Mialect,' at least if we may judge by 
 our own in East Yorkshire. It does not mean merely 
 that a certain number, or even a large number, of pecu- 
 liar out-of-the-way words are used which one does not 
 hear elsewhere ; nor yet besides, that ordinary English 
 words are pronounced with a strong accent, but it means, 
 in addition to the fact of every vowel having other 
 
 B 2 
 
4 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 treatment from what it has in ordinary EngHsh, that the 
 whole structure of sentences and modes of expression 
 are different from what we hear elsewhere. It is 
 scarcely too much to say that there are very few sen- 
 tences of ordinary English beyond the briefest that in 
 the mouth of Yorkshire folk of the old school would not 
 be recast in a different mould. An example or two will 
 illustrate my meaning. ' It is impossible ' is not a long 
 sentence, neither is it an out-of-the-way one, but short 
 and simple though it appears, the Yorkshireman would 
 not so express himself; there is the Latin word impos- 
 sible, and he does not like it, and so he says instead 
 'there isn't such a thing.' Or let us take such a com- 
 mon expression as ' he spread a report that ' ; here 
 again is the Latin derivative report, which would be 
 avoided thus — ' he set it about that.' Yet once more, 
 the Yorkshire way of expressing ' remind me of it ' 
 would be 'think me on about it,' or again 'since I can 
 remember,' 'since I can tell.'' 
 
 It is remarkable, though easily accountable, how very 
 few words other than those of Anglian or Norse extrac- 
 tion are made use of by our elderly people when 
 conversing freely together. It is to be feared that in 
 days gone by my brother clergy have not sufficiently 
 borne this in mind in their preaching. No doubt this 
 difficulty grows less as education spreads itself, but 
 some half century ago the Sunday discourses in our 
 churches must have been to many practically as an 
 unknown tongue. In those days it is probable that not 
 a few were like an old lady in the parish of a friend of 
 mine in the East Riding who had invited a stranger to 
 preach for him on one occasion. Meeting his aged 
 parishioner in the village a few days afterwards, he 
 enquired in the course of conversation ; — 'And how did 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 5 
 
 you like the sermon last Sunday, Betty?' ^Aw,' she 
 replied, 'it wer a varry good 'un.' ' Do you think you 
 could tell me what it was about, Betty?' asked the 
 Vicar. 'Naw,' she says, 'ah 's seear ah can't, bud ah 
 felt it wer varry good !' As with her, so with others : 
 they had often to be satisfied with a sentence here and 
 there which they could follow, and imagined the rest 
 from the preacher's voice, intonation, and manner, 
 which, if impressive, went a long way with them. 
 
 In days when schooling was but little thought of, some 
 of the less educated preachers in various religious com- 
 munities showed no little common sense in that they 
 made no attempt whatever at fine language in their 
 oratory, but addressed their hearers in a tongue ' under- 
 standed of the people,' that tongue being downright good 
 incisive broad Yorkshire ; they did not beat about the 
 bush, but went straight to the point and hit hard. I 
 remember hearing many years ago of some preacher in 
 the East Riding who was discoursing upon the duty of 
 Christian forbearance, and by way of summing up some 
 previous remarks said, with much emphasis, ' If they 
 call ya (i.e. if they call you names) tak neea heed on 't ; 
 bud if they bunch ya or cobble ya wi steeans,, gan ti t' 
 justice, an' a'e deean wi 't at yance.' How much more 
 forcible is this than the same idea would be when clothed 
 in the ordinary language of the pulpit of a generation 
 ago, which might be somewhat as follows : — ' If you are 
 brought into contact with those who make use of oppro- 
 brious epithets towards you, remain absolutely passive 
 with regard to them ; but if they inflict upon you griev- 
 ous bodily injury, it may then be expedient, with a 
 view to preventing a recurrence of similar conduct, to 
 seek redress through the ordinary channels of legal 
 procedure.' On another occasion, also in the East 
 
6 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Riding, I remember as a boy hearing of a certain 
 preacher who worked himself to a high pitch of ex- 
 citement, and who, after extending his vocal organs 
 'fortissimo ' for a considerable length of time, found at 
 last his throat failing him, and by degrees became so 
 hoarse that his words were wellnigh inaudible : he went 
 on, however, as long as possible, but ultimately had 
 to give in, which he did with the singularly brief 
 apology, 'Ah 's roopy,' whereupon he retired and let 
 someone else finish. His explanation, though brief, was 
 intelligible, and so sufficient. And this reminds me of 
 a story of a clergyman who, in the middle of the service, 
 found his voice giving way, and was compelled to 
 announce to the congregation that he was 'physically 
 incapable of proceeding,' an expression which was 
 amusingly misunderstood by one of his hearers, who 
 met the Vicar a few days afterwards, and in alluding to 
 the incident, condoled with him in the following terms, 
 ' Well, ya see, sorr, we all on us a'e ti tak physic noos 
 an' thens ! ' Our roopy friend knew better than to make 
 use of such circuitous verbiage as this clergyman did, 
 and there could at least be no mistake with his hearers 
 as to what he meant when he announced his incapacity 
 to continue his discourse. 
 
 The good old-fashioned Yorkshire dialect of former 
 days possessed so many features of its own, and such 
 interesting features too, that the question naturally sug- 
 gests itself, what account can it give of itself? in other 
 words, what is its history? A general survey of its 
 vocabulary, structure, and pronunciation points mainly 
 in one direction. The home of our folk-talk lies on 
 the other side of the North Sea. It is to the land of 
 the Norseman that we must look for nearly all the 
 component elements of our dialect, those elements of 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 7 
 
 course I mean which may strictly be called dialectical. 
 Speaking roughly, I should say that at least three- 
 fourths of our Yorkshire words may be traced either 
 directly or indirectly to Scandinavian origin. It is 
 impossible to say when the Scandinavian adventurers 
 first began their incursions upon this north-eastern part 
 of the country. Ethelred began his reign in 866, but 
 long before that time there must have been inroads made 
 upon the country by ruthless Vikings with more or less 
 of success, though their foothold in this part of England 
 was not a firm and wide-spread one till after the year 
 just named. It was not until the death of Ethelred 
 that the Danes had strongly established themselves in 
 Northumbria and elsewhere. The multitude of lands 
 called after them in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire 
 proves the thoroughness of their conquest and the per- 
 manence of their occupation. 
 
 The great Anglian settlement which preceded that 
 from more northerly shores has also left its traces upon 
 the present day folk-speech of East Yorkshire, though 
 it is by comparison only faintly defined. It is some- 
 times hard, if not impossible, to determine whether 
 words still in use in Yorkshire are vestiges of the 
 Angle or the Norseman. And then again, who can 
 say exactly what the Anglian tongue was? Whether 
 it was composed mainly of Western Teutonic dialects 
 or others of Scandinavian growth, or again a mingling 
 of these two, philologists must decide : most probably 
 the latter is nearest the mark. That the Anglian 
 tongue contained at least some Norse elements there 
 can be no doubt. And so even long before the great 
 Danish stream set in there must have been in the folk- 
 speech of Northumbria and East Anglia at least traces 
 of the language of the pitiless pirates who afterwards 
 
8 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 made the country from the Tees to the Wash the 
 main centre of their conquests and devastations. 
 
 During the lengthy period over which the Viking 
 invasions extended themselves, it was East Yorkshire 
 and Lincolnshire especially that formed as it were the 
 fulcrum through which their overwhelming force was 
 exerted : it was here that the pressure, so to speak, 
 was strongest ; and to this day there is no part of 
 England where their impress upon the folk-talk is more 
 strongly marked than in these two counties. 
 
 Two Norse streams have in short poured in upon 
 this part of England : the first, a more or less diluted 
 one through the Anglian invaders ; the second, an 
 undiluted and stronger one through the savage Viking 
 marauders. Whatever we may say of other parts of 
 England, the strongly prevailing element in our East 
 Yorkshire folk-talk has for wellnigh a thousand 3^ears 
 been Norse. What it was before that is less certain. 
 
 It would be an interesting if a laborious study to 
 compare the dialects of Jutland, Slesvig, Holstein, and 
 Holland, to sa}^ nothing of parts of Sweden. A wide 
 philological field here lies open from which a rich 
 harvest might be gathered. Let us hope that at no 
 distant day students will be forthcoming to take such 
 a work in hand. Much new light might thus be shed 
 on our own Yorkshire dialect. 
 
 It is asserted by writers on early English that in the 
 thirteenth century the speech of the country was divided 
 into three main dialects. Viz. the Northern, the Midland, 
 and the Southern ; the former of these being spoken 
 throughout the greater part of Northumbria, as well 
 as in the Lowlands of Scotland, the North and East 
 Ridings would consequently be included within the 
 range of its influence. 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 9 
 
 Anyone acquainted with the Yorkshire dialect who 
 has read my namesake Dr. R. Morris' Specimens of 
 Early English, which contains numerous extracts from 
 standard EngHsh authors from the year 1250 to 1400, 
 cannot but be struck with the large number of words 
 and phrases identical with those in constant use at this 
 day among our Yorkshire country folk, but which have 
 become rare or obsolete as literary English. When it 
 is stated, as it has been stated, that certain of these 
 examples are written in the Northumbrian dialect, we 
 must clearly understand what that statement means. To 
 suppose that these authors who are quoted wrote in the 
 Northumbrian dialect, as we understand the word 
 dialect, is quite misleading: they are merely specimens 
 of English of that date, with a certain admixture of local 
 peculiarities ; so that they give us little or no idea of 
 w^hat the actual speech of the country folk was. In 
 reading through these and such-like examples, we 
 hardly find three consecutive words of what may 
 be called dialect pure and simple. It is unfortunate 
 that we have so few examples i-ecorded of what the 
 actual folk-talk of that or a much later period was. 
 I do not remember to have seen any at all earlier 
 than the sixteenth century, if so early. But that 
 there was a distinct folk-talk then, as now, none 
 will doubt, and it is scarcely less doubtful that the 
 speech of the tillers and the masters of the soil 
 was much more widely separated than it is at the 
 present day. 
 
 It is worth noticing in what a comparatively straight 
 course the folk-speech of East Yorkshire — we might 
 rather say of East Anglia — has seemingly run during 
 the last thousand years. Influences which told so 
 strongly on the state language itself seem to have made 
 
lO YORKSHIRE FOLK TALK. 
 
 comparatively little impression upon the mother-tongue 
 of the Northumbrian people. 
 
 In his grammatical introduction to the work just 
 referred to, the author points out a number of differ- 
 ences between the northern and southern, so-called, 
 dialects. It is interesting to see that many of these 
 northern peculiarities still survive in full force. Thus, 
 for instance, there is the dropping of the final c in 
 irregular verbs, as in spak for spakest. Sal and sidd 
 (pr. sud) for shall and should. Again, the final en in past 
 participles is never dropped ; thus we say piitten, 
 ho^dden, fowten, letten, &c., in our every-day speech for 
 put, held, fought, let, &c. ; this is quite a feature in our 
 dialect. Fi'a (from), //'/ (to), though still very common in 
 East Yorkshire, are unknown in the southern dialects ; 
 the substitution of k for ch in such words as bink 
 (bench), kist (chest), skrike (shriek), birk (birch), is com- 
 mon. Dr. Morris says, p. xix, 'As early as the latter 
 part of the twelfth century we find a tendency in 
 northern writers to adopt the ^5 as the genitive inflexion 
 of feminine as well as of masculine nouns.' This ma}^ 
 be so, but whatever northern writers in the twelfth 
 century may have done in adopting the es in the 
 genitive. Northern speakers at the close of the nine- 
 teenth century very commonly do not adopt it, but 
 continue to say, e. g., the dog tail, the cat back, for the 
 dog's tail, the cat's back. The personal pronouns are 
 frequently used reflexively, as / rest me (I rest my- 
 self), sit you (sit yourself, used actively). The northern 
 dialect employed gate (way) as a suffix ; we still retain 
 it in certain cases, e.g. neea-gates (no-how), oujiy-gates 
 (any-how). No-but (only), so common to this day in 
 the north, was not found in the southern dialect, and 
 the same may be said of at (that). A glance at the 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 1 1 
 
 copious notes at the end of the Specimens of Early 
 English, shows how many of the old EngHsh and 
 Anglo-Saxon words may still be heard in the folk-speech 
 of East Yorkshire, some being identical with the 
 mediaeval usage, and others slightly changed ; as 
 examples we may take funden (found), gret (cried \ 
 lathes (barns), bleike (pale), reke (smoke), settle (a seat\ 
 litel (little), to dark (to hide, or lie motionless). 
 
 Among the verbal inheritances from the past, we 
 might at first sight expect to find in our Yorkshire 
 folk-talk many vestiges of ecclesiastical terms, for in no 
 part of England it would seem was the influence of the 
 Church so great as in Northumbria ; and yet, if we may 
 judge by what we know of the dialect at the present 
 day, it is remarkable how very few words traceable to 
 ecclesiastical sources have been introduced into it, 
 though some there clearly are : it can have assimilated 
 but little at any time from that quarter ; while upon the 
 language of the country at large ecclesiastical influences 
 made themselves felt to an extent both wide and deep. 
 Words of Romance origin, even at the present day, are 
 scarcely used at all by our older country people, and 
 when they are used, their meaning is frequently mis- 
 understood, and so they are often employed very 
 inappropriately. It is unfortunate that they ever at- 
 tempt to use them when they can express themselves 
 more simply and plainly by the phraseology of their 
 traditional tongue, which is so essentially a northern 
 one. 
 
 It was the same with regard to the Norman Con- 
 quest. Words which, after that far-reaching event had 
 taken place, were forced by the prevailing Court in- 
 fluence upon the language of the State into legal 
 proceedings and documents, and which were so univer- 
 
12 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 sally adopted by the aristocrac}^ of the country, scarcely 
 touched the old and homely language of the inhabitants 
 of Northumbria. These were a different race, and 
 clung tenaciously to their Norse or Northern tongue. 
 It was they who influenced the language of the rest of 
 the country, rather than that they were influenced by it 
 or others. In the standard English of the present day 
 there is a very considerable admixture of words of 
 Scandinavian origin, while the proportion of words 
 other than Norse in the pure dialect of East Yorkshire 
 is, comparatively speaking, but small. This an3^one 
 may examine for himself by studying any good philo- 
 logical dictionar}^ of the English language. 
 
 As compared with Queen's English, it is not easy to 
 say what constitutes a dialect. To hear some discourse, 
 it would seem as if a mere disregard of the main rules 
 of English grammar, with the introduction of a sprink- 
 ling of mispronunciations, was sufficient to enable any- 
 one to imitate the dialect of a district such as that of 
 which we are speaking in these pages. I need hardly 
 point out that such an idea is absurd and erroneous. 
 Dialect is far other than that. It may be said to be the 
 traditional unwritten speech of the people of any dis- 
 trict. It is folk-talk as distinguished from the language 
 of the Court or the Government ; it is a mother-tongue, 
 rather than a scholastic or written tongue ; it is local 
 speech as distinct from national speech. I will quote 
 two or three words here by way of illustration. Thus 
 in our dialect we call a house a lioos, or, as it might be 
 written, liiis. This, the Yorkshire pronunciation of the 
 word, is the traditional pronunciation. It is the ancient 
 sounding of the word, as it was uttered when it was 
 first introduced into this countr}^, as it is still the ortho- 
 dox pronunciation of it in the region from whence it 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 13 
 
 came to us. If some Member of Parliament, in address- 
 ing the House of Commons, were to speak about this 
 Hoos, he would assuredly bring ridicule upon himself. 
 And yet, on philological grounds, he would be quite 
 within his rights in calling it Hoos. But, on the other 
 hand, if one of our native country-folk were to say to 
 a friend and neighbour who had just called, ' gan inti 
 t' house/ he would be considered to be knacking, that is, 
 talking in an affected, mincing manner ; or, as we 
 sometimes express it, scraping his tongue. The fact is 
 that hoos is as good or better than Jioitse, and as there 
 are a considerable number of Yorkshire Members of 
 Parliament, possibly if they all agreed among themselves 
 always to call it Hoos instead of House, something 
 might be done towards restoring to the word its rightful 
 vowel sound. 
 
 On the same principle we say noo instead of noiv ; 
 this, again, is merely a retention of the old form of the 
 word, and we pronounce it to this day as they do in 
 Scandinavia ; nevertheless, noo would be considered 
 vulgar in polite society, while now among the country 
 people would be thought ridiculous. Or, again, aJi is 
 the equivalent for /in the dialect ; it is a more euphoni- 
 ous vowel-sound than the generally received i-sound, 
 as every vocalist well knows ; but yet ah is dialectical, 
 and so is thought vulgar, coarse, and barbarous ; still 
 for all that, it possesses a certain interest, for to this 
 day over a great part of West Jutland it is preserved 
 as the pronunciation or an old form of the personal 
 pronoun. 
 
 It would not be thought the thing, in the language of 
 the court, to pronounce come as koni ; and yet in the 
 dialect we always so pronounce it, and, I may add, 
 quite correctly ; for thus the word has been handed 
 
14 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 down to us from the times of the Danish settlement in 
 East Anglia, and so it is now pronounced in modern 
 Danish. 
 
 The same remarks might be repeated with regard to 
 the Yorkshire for home and again, which we commonly 
 pronounce heeani and ageean ; these two words being 
 almost in exact agreement as to sound with their 
 Danish equivalents hjem and t'gjcn. So that when we 
 say, as we might say, Noo ah 's kom heeam ageean 
 (now I have come home again\ the sentence should 
 not be regarded as a mere vulgar pronunciation of 
 standard English, which it is not, but as a really correct 
 Norse form of the words handed down from father to 
 son through ten centuries, while the classical English 
 equivalent is so far a deviation from its Norse 
 original. 
 
 I think we may say that our dialect of East York- 
 shire is something very much more worthy of study 
 than some are apt to suppose. It is true that a great 
 amount of its individuality has in the course of years 
 been lost ; still, it is not a little surprising that so much 
 remains, especially when we consider how small an 
 attempt has been made to consolidate it by men of a 
 poetical or literary turn of mind. What Professor Earle 
 says in his learned work — The Philology of the English 
 Tongue — of dialects generally is to a great extent true 
 of our own. He writes (p. 94) : — 
 
 ' Even so it is with the dialects— all their goodness is gone 
 into the King's English, and little remains but their vener- 
 able forms. Such power and beauty as they still possess 
 they cannot get credit for, carent quia vate sacra, because they 
 want a poet to present them at their full advantage. Where, 
 in some remoter county, a poet has appeared to adorn his 
 local dialect, we find ourselves surprised at the effect pro- 
 duced out of materials that we might else have deemed 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 15 
 
 contemptible. A splendid example of this is furnished by 
 the poems of Mr. Barnes in the Dorset dialect ; unless a 
 Southern fondness misleads us, he has affiliated to our 
 language a second Doric, and won a more than alliterative 
 right to be quoted along with Burns.' 
 
 With these remarks I cordially agree. Our own 
 dialect possesses power, but for this it gets but little 
 credit with the outside world ; nor will it, till some 
 Yorkshire Burns or Barnes is raised up to show it to 
 the world in whatever of force or beauty belongs to it. 
 
 But although, from a literary point of view, our 
 dialect, in common with others, is so little appreciated— 
 at least, not to the extent it might be — by any beyond 
 a comparatively few who still take delight in it, and 
 who are enthusiastic about it from old associations or 
 on other grounds, yet it may be studied with interest 
 and advantage by those of philological inclinations. In 
 this respect a special charm seems to attach to it. And 
 it is surprising how this pursuit grows upon the 
 student of the dialect. At first he is only a casual 
 observer, and his ear is slow to catch any unusual 
 word or phrase ; but his faculties are wondrously 
 quickened in the use, and he becomes more earnest 
 and more accurate as time goes on. It is one of the 
 delights of the country to hear country talk as well as 
 to see country sights. Nevertheless, how frequently it 
 happens that those who live in the country know but 
 little about country things, country habits of life, 
 country work, and especially of country speech. I 
 know that there are often difficulties in the way of 
 a comparative stranger getting at a thorough know- 
 ledge of the folk-talk, to which difficulties I have 
 . elsewhere alluded ; still there is abundant scope for 
 the exercise of his faculties, if he is so minded, with the 
 
1 6 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 means generally at his disposal. But, like everything 
 else, the study requires perseverance, care, and ac- 
 curacy of observation. 
 
 I have frequently met with persons who have lived 
 all their lives in Yorkshire, who know little or nothing 
 of the phraseology that is daily being uttered around 
 them b}^ thousands of voices, — a phraseology which 
 will well repay investigation. And again, there are 
 others who, though they may have a wide knowledge of 
 the peculiar words which are in every day use with our 
 people, are yet ignorant of those idiomatic usages and 
 modes of expression which differ more or less from 
 those of ordinary English. 
 
 It has been my aim in writing these pages to awaken, 
 if it ma}^ be, a keener interest in the study of our 
 dialect, which I believe every true Yorkshireman has 
 an affection for, and which, when spoken in its purity, 
 sounds like melody in his ears. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 GRAMMATICAL. 
 
 One needs some apology for speaking about Grammar: 
 of all dry and unpalatable subjects, whether for the 
 schoolboy, or for those of maturer years, English 
 Grammar is the driest. It has always been a marvel 
 to me that our hard-worked schoolmasters in the Ele- 
 mentary Schools can ever get the country lads to learn 
 it at all. A few years ago there were ugly rumours of 
 strikes even among the scholars of some of our schools : 
 I cannot but think that English Grammar must have 
 been at the bottom of all that ! What can the ideas of 
 the children be of Greek and Latin affixes, prefixes, 
 and suffixes ? Multiplication no doubt vexes their 
 youthful minds, division may do the same, rule of three 
 may puzzle them at times, especially if it be 'double'; 
 still even those horrors may be endured, and the young 
 folks may perhaps come out of the ordeal all the clearer 
 headed for it; but of all maddening things, English 
 Grammar must be to them the most maddening. The 
 one consolation to them is that the Education Depart- 
 ment, with its attendant Code, cannot follow them 
 beyond the school precincts, that they can leave their 
 Greek and Latin affixes, prefixes, and suffixes behind 
 them upon the desks as soon as they get outside the 
 
 c 
 
 s 
 
1 8 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 school doors and return — relapse or retrogress if you 
 like — to Yorkshire Grammar once more. I confess 
 that I cannot refrain from a sort of inward satisfaction 
 when I hear, as I have so often heard, at the close of 
 a long three hours in school on some fine summer day, 
 the sudden and joyous transition on the part of the 
 scholars as they rush into the fresh air, from ' Depart- 
 mental ' to Yorkshire Grammar ; it is a regular trans- 
 formation scene. They drop as they w^ould a hot 
 potato their Greek and Latin derivations and forms, 
 they scatter to the four winds their distinctions between 
 strong verbs and weak verbs, between even singular 
 and plural, and fall back with evident delight and relief 
 to their traditional and homelier rules of speech. And 
 small blame to them for it. What though they say, the 
 moment their backs are turned upon the school, Ah is or 
 Thoo teirdor Hehoded; is not this what their fathers and 
 mothers have spoken before them ? After all is said and 
 done, Grammar is but, in some sort, a fashion ; and the 
 worst that can be said of Yorkshire Grammar is that 
 it is old-fashioned : to ordinary ears no doubt it may 
 sound barbarous or even ridiculous, but I can assure 
 the most rigid English grammarian that if only he could 
 live for a few years among a people who always prefer 
 to say Ah 's to / am, the former would in time sound 
 quite as much ' de rigueur ' as the latter. It is not, 
 after all, such a long step from AJi is to Jie is ; and at 
 least our use has the merit of uniformity ; it is, more- 
 over, quite as intelligible as what is generally deemed 
 the correct form. 
 
 However, in spite of outside pressure and the great 
 educational movement of late years, Yorkshire Grammar 
 is not yet quite a tiling of the past, and I daresay it may 
 still be some little time before it is so. I have, there- 
 
GRAMMATICAL. I9 
 
 fore, given in this chapter, for the sake of those who 
 may wish to know something of our rules of speech and 
 to speak or write the dialect more correctly, a very 
 brief outline of some of its more salient grammatical 
 peculiarities. I can only hope that I shall not have 
 ' my Lords ' of the Department down upon me for pre- 
 suming to encourage or give countenance to a code of 
 grammar antagonistic to their own, or for wishing their 
 grammatical syllabus at a place not many miles from 
 Jerusalem ; for, as far as our dialect is concerned, I 
 confess I do so wish it ! In any case, however, I ven- 
 ture to think that the scholars themselves will not 
 quarrel with me for desiring longer life to the old rules 
 of Yorkshire folk-talk. 
 
 The Article. 
 
 The indefinite article has the same usage as in 
 standard English. 
 
 The definite article should be invariably written f, 
 whether before a vowel or consonant, e. g. T' airm (the 
 arm), f hoos (the house), /' bairn (the child). 
 
 It is sometimes asserted that the article is omitted 
 before a consonant : this, I venture to think, is quite a 
 mistake; it is not omitted in 'classical' Yorkshire, 
 though frequently it is scarcely audible. 
 
 Sometimes (and this is especially the case in the 
 Holderness district), the f is softened down to d\ thus, 
 gan inti d^ hoos (go into the house). 
 
 The only exception to the abbreviated form of the 
 definite article is when used before Lord, as applied to 
 the Deity. 
 
 This shortening of the definite article is quite a lead- 
 ing feature in the dialect, and makes words which would 
 
 c 2 
 
1 8 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 school doors and return — relapse or retrogress if you 
 like — to Yorkshire Grammar once more. I confess 
 that I cannot refrain from a sort of inward satisfaction 
 when I hear, as I have so often heard, at the close of 
 a long three hours in school on some fine summer day, 
 the sudden and joyous transition on the part of the 
 scholars as they rush into the fresh air, from ' Depart- 
 mental " to Yorkshire Grammar ; it is a regular trans- 
 formation scene. They drop as they would a hot 
 potato their Greek and Latin derivations and forms, 
 they scatter to the four winds their distinctions between 
 strong verbs and weak verbs, between even singular 
 and plural, and fall back with evident delight and relief 
 to their traditional and homelier rules of speech. And 
 small blame to them for it. What though they say, the 
 moment their backs are turned upon the school, Ah is or 
 Thoo feU'd or HeJiddcd] is not this what their fathers and 
 mothers have spoken before them ? After all is said and 
 done, Grammar is but, in some sort, a fashion ; and the 
 worst that can be said of Yorkshire Grammar is that 
 it is old-fashioned : to ordinarv' ears no doubt it may 
 sound barbarous or even ridiculous, but I can assure 
 the most rigid English grammarian that if only he could 
 live for a few^ years among a people who always prefer 
 to sav Ah '5 to / aiit, the former would in time sound 
 quite as much ' de rigueur ' as the latter. It is not, 
 after all, such a long step from AJi is to he is ; and at 
 least our use has the merit of uniformity ; it is, more- 
 over, quite as intelligible as what is generally deemed 
 the correct form. 
 
 However, in spite of outside pressure and the great 
 educational movement of late years, Yorkshire Grammar 
 is not yet quite a thing of the past, and I daresay it may 
 still be some little time before it is so. I have, there- 
 
GRAMMATICAL. 1 9 
 
 fore, given in this chapter, for the sake of those who 
 may wish to know something of our rules of speech and 
 to speak or write the dialect more correctly, a very 
 brief outline of some of its more salient grammatical 
 peculiarities. I can only hope that I shall not have 
 ' my Lords' of the Department down upon me for pre- 
 suming to encoura2:e or srive countenance to a code of 
 grammar antagonistic to their own, or for wishing their 
 grammatical syllabus at a place not many miles from 
 Jerusalem ; for, as far as our dialect is concerned, I 
 confess I do so wish it ! In any case, however, I ven- 
 ture to think that the scholars themselves will not 
 quarrel with me for desiring longer life to the old rules 
 of Yorkshire folk-talk. 
 
 The Article. 
 
 The indefinite article has the same usage as in 
 standard English. 
 
 The definite article should be invariably uTitten f, 
 whether before a vowel or consonant, e. g. T' ainu [the 
 arm\ f Jioos (the house\ /' bairn ithe child). 
 
 It is sometimes asserted that the article is omitted 
 before a consonant : this. I venture to think, is quite a 
 mistake ; it is not omitted in ' classical ' Yorkshire, 
 though frequently it is scarcely audible. 
 
 Sometimes land this is especially the case in the 
 Holderness district^, the f is softened down to d\ thus. 
 gau inii lV hoos \^^o into the housed 
 
 The only exception to the abbreviated form ot the 
 definite article is when used before Lord, as applied to 
 the Deity. 
 
 This shortening of the definite article is quite a lead- 
 ing feature in the dialect, and makes words which would 
 
 c 2 
 
20 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 otherwise sound familiar become almost unintelligible 
 to strangers : it scarcely needs any examples to illus- 
 trate this, for it can be seen at a glance that such a 
 question of the tailor for instance as, Is t' wax i f 
 windther? would hardly be understood by a 'foreigner' 
 as the equivalent for ' Is the wax in the window ? ' Of 
 course the article thus abbreviated is much more clearly 
 heard before a vowel or w than before a consonant, and 
 again more clearly before some consonants than others : 
 thus, for example, it would be plainly audible before yi 
 /, or 5 ; not so plainly before h, m, or n ; while before 
 words beginning with d or t its presence would not be 
 detected except by practised ears ; still, under all cir- 
 cumstances, it is there, and in writing the dialect as 
 spoken at the present day, it should never be omitted. 
 
 Number. 
 
 The plural number is formed in the ordinary way by 
 adding 5 to the singular ; but eye makes eeu, child 
 becomes cliilder in the plural, and sJioe is changed to 
 shoon, though in this word the old form is not now so 
 often used as formerly; while Jiooseii (houses) is now 
 but rarely heard, though even quite recently I have had 
 sensible proof of its lingering hold with old people in 
 the north-east corner of the county. In the plural of 
 certain words denoting space of time or quantity the 
 final 5 is omitted, e. g. fo'tty year (forty years , fower- 
 teen yakker iy^ouYtQen acres), fahve shillin' (five shillings). 
 
 Case. 
 
 The possessive case in 5 is not used ; the simple 
 nouns or pronouns in juxtaposition is all that is required 
 to denote possession ; thus, /' lioss liecad (the horse's 
 head), t' dog wags it iaal (its tail), Bill book (Bill's book). 
 
GRAMMATICAL. 21 
 
 The same rule applies when more than one possessor 
 is involved ; thus, if we wished to express in correct 
 dialectical form such a phrase as 'the dress belonging 
 to the wife of Tom Harrison's son Peter/ we should 
 say Tom Harrison Pctther weyfe dhriss. 
 
 Gender. 
 
 There is no deviation from the ordinary rules of 
 gender, except that all implements, mechanical con- 
 trivances even of the simplest kind, and many tools, are 
 of the feminine gender ; thus, a watch, an oven, a scythe, 
 a plane, &c., are all feminine, and are spoken of as 
 ' she.' 
 
 In certain parts of the East Riding bordering on the 
 coast, I am informed on good authority that the sea is 
 spoken of in the feminine gender. I do not remember 
 to have heard it myself, and so possibly this usage is 
 only a local one. 
 
 The Adjective. 
 
 Many adjectives form their comparative and super- 
 lative by adding er and est or r and st to the positive, 
 which in standard English would be compared by 
 prefixing more and most to the positive. Thus : — 
 
 Positive. Comparative. Superlative. 
 
 Awkard. Awkarder. Awkardest. 
 
 Backard. Backarder. Backardest. 
 
 Comfortable. Comfortabler. Comfortablest. 
 
 Menseful. Mensefuller. Mensefullest. 
 
 Sometimes also an adjective which is compared 
 irregularly will adopt the same form ; as, Lahtle^ lah- 
 iler, lahtlest. 
 
 The numeral adjective monny (many) is seldom used 
 in the ordinary sense, a deal or a vast being the usual 
 
2 2 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 expressions. When, however, it is so used, the indefinite 
 article is prefixed ; thus the equivalent for many of them 
 is either a deal on ^em or a monny on 'em. Great is not 
 used in conjunction with deal, the necessar}^ intensive of 
 it being supplied by varry, e.g. a varry deal is used for 
 ' a great deal.' 
 
 In the same way the indefinite article is often placed 
 before much without change of meaning, e. g.. There 'II 
 he a micJi ti tell; this, however, is by no means so 
 common as a deal or a vast. 
 
 In the termination th of the ordinal numerals the final 
 // is always omitted in the dialect ; or perhaps it would 
 be more correct to say that the th is here pronounced as 
 t. Thus 'fourth, fifth, sixth,' &c., are pronounced /oz£;^r/, 
 fift, sixt, &c. 
 
 Frequently the adjective is used as an adverb : e.g. 
 yan mud easy fall {out might easily fall); it gans varry 
 whisht (it goes very quietly). It may be noted that the 
 word bettermy, which is commonly used in the expression 
 hettermy folks, is a curious example of a comparative 
 formed by the addition of more (of which my is a cor- 
 ruption) to that which is already a comparative, thus 
 forming a double comparative. It would be more 
 correct perhaps to write the word bettermer, though the 
 pronunciation is more in harmony with the other form. 
 
 The Pronoun. 
 
 The personal pronoun / is used as follows : — 
 
 Singular. Plural. 
 
 Norn. Ah and / (short) (I). Wa (we). 
 
 Ace. Md (me). Uz (us). 
 
 The form of the nominative singular varies according 
 to the sense and the position it occupies in a sentence. 
 
GRAMMATICAL. 23 
 
 being generally ah, but sometimes short /. Thus we say 
 Ah mun cum (I must come), whereas ^ must I come ? ' 
 would be expressed by mun i cum ? When any degree 
 of emphasis is requisite, ah is always used ; thus we 
 should say mun ah cum or Dick ? (must I come or 
 Dick ? ) 
 
 Thou is an important word, and in familiar speech 
 between equals it is invariably used rather than the you 
 of modern English. It is thus declined : — 
 
 SiNGiTLAR. Plural. 
 
 Nom. Thoo, Tha or Ta (thou). Ya (<7-short) (you). 
 
 Ace. Thd (thee). Ya ((7-short) (you). 
 
 In the nominative singular thoo is always used when 
 it is the first word in the sentence, or elsewhere when 
 special emphasis is required, as : — thoo knaws (you 
 know), dust thoo think at thoo can skelp mah bairn (said 
 in anger). 
 
 Ta is used after an auxiliary verb in ordinary familiar 
 conversation ; as, wilt ta cum wi ma ? and in all 
 questions in the second person ta is closely connected 
 with the verb, so as to form part of it, as sa'nt-ta ? (shall 
 you not ?), harks-ta (listen), leeaks-ta (look;. 
 
 Tha is also used instead of ta, but no rule can be 
 laid down with regard to the interchange of these forms. 
 
 The nominative form thoo is used for the accusative 
 when stress is intended to be laid upon that word ; thus, 
 he 's com for thoo and he 's com for tha would have a 
 well understood distinction of meaning, the former 
 implying that the person sought was one of many, the 
 latter without regard to others. It is sometimes 
 supposed that ta or tha (thou and thee) is not used 
 except in the objective case, but as a matter of fact it is 
 used both in the nominative and accusative cases : thus, 
 
24 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 we have tlie expressions wilt iha ? (will you ?) and he 
 sent tha (he sent you). 
 
 He, she, and // are decHned in the ordinary way. It, 
 however, is generally abbreviated to 7, especially at the 
 end of a word, as on 7 (of it), wi 7 (with it) /// 7 or //// 7 
 (to it), &c. 
 
 It is to be noted that in certain parts of the North 
 Riding the abbreviation 7 for // is always made, e.g. he 
 brak 7 /" two (he broke it in two) ; fettle 7 up (put it 
 into order). The usage is not so common in other 
 districts. 
 
 The accusatives hiui, her, them are often used for the 
 nominative, as e.g. him {her or them) at zuants can gan 
 (he who wishes can go). 
 
 The peculiar use of the pronouns he and sha to 
 denote ' husband ' and * wife' should be noticed. Thus the 
 husband or wife would say in speaking of the other, sha 
 (or he) 's nut i 7 hoos (she is not in the house), neither 
 the name nor the relationship having been previously 
 mentioned. 
 
 Possessive Pronouns^ 
 
 The possessive pronouns mah (my), thah (thy), oor or 
 wer (our\ &c., do not deviate in their use from ordinary 
 rules. There is, however, a use of oor in the sense of 
 'belonging to our family ' which is to be noted, e.g. oor 
 Bet (our daughter Bet). 
 
 The compound personal and possessive pronouns 
 most commonly in use are as follows : — mysen and 
 mysel (myself) ; thy sen, tJiysel (thyself) ; hissen, Jiissel 
 (himself) ; hersen, hersel (herself) ; itsscn itssel (itself) ; 
 wersens, wersels (ourselves) ; yersen, yersel (yourself) ; 
 yersens, yersels (yourselves) ; thersens, thersels (them- 
 selves). Of these forms, those ending in en and ens 
 
GRAMMATICAL. 25 
 
 are commoner than those in el and els, though these 
 latter are by no means infrequent, especially in the North 
 Riding. 
 
 The personals tJioo and thaf and the possessives thah 
 or thi (thy) and thaJin 'thine), are always used in the folk- 
 talk, you, your and yours being reserved for that of 
 a supposed more refined style of speech. 
 
 As in other parts of the country, so in Yorkshire, nie 
 is often used for / ; as, John an me 's gitten across (John 
 and I are not on good terms). 
 
 Relative Pronouns. 
 
 The relative pronouns ivho and which are seldom used, 
 at being substituted. At may be merely an abbrevia- 
 tion of ' that ' ; but with more probability it is the old 
 Norse relative pronoun at unaltered. 
 
 When ivho is used relatively, which it is sometimes, 
 the w is always sounded, so that ivho is pronounced 
 sometimes as whau and sometimes as wheca ; thus, AJi 
 deean't knaw wheea (or whau) 's gitten V (I don't know 
 who has got it). Whenever used relatively, ivheea and 
 ivhau are employed indiscriminately. 
 
 Interrogative Pronouns. 
 
 The dialectical form of the interrogative who is either 
 wheea or whau ; as, ivheea 's yon ? (who is that there ?) 
 whau telled ya ? (who told you ?) 
 
 Which is unchanged ; as, which on *ein is 't ? (which of 
 them is it ?) 
 
 ' Whose ' is pronounced wJieeas. This word is seldom 
 used by itself as an interrogative. For instance, it 
 would be incorrect to say wheeas is 7 skep ? (whose is 
 the basket?), a slight periphrasis would be adopted which 
 
26 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 requires explanation. The Yorkshire for whose ts the 
 basket ? would be either wheea 's owes 7 skep ? or wheea 
 belangs f skep ? The latter of these is the simpler, and 
 is merely a curious attaching of the greater to the 
 smaller, a rule which holds good in all cases. With 
 regard to the former, this written in plain English is 
 who is owns the skep ? — a phrase which is unintelligible 
 grammatically, unless we supply the missing link, which 
 is as follows : who is (it that) owns the skep ? And this 
 is further simplified when we bear in mind that as is 
 frequently substituted for who, e.g. we say them as likes 
 (those who like.) . 
 
 In parts of the North Riding the interrogative phrase 
 above cited would take the form, wheea owes f skep? 
 This, though less common, is plainer, and merely 
 represents, who owns the skep ? The word owe (to own) 
 was formerly in common use ; examples of this may be 
 found in Shakespeare, thus : — 
 
 ' To parley with the sole inheritor of all perfections that 
 a man may o\v^'— Love's Labour'' s Lost, Act II, Sc. i. 
 
 Demonstrative Pronouns. 
 
 The pronouns this, that, these, those, are used dialec- 
 tically much in the manner of standard English, except 
 tha.t yon is generally substituted for ' that,' and them for 
 'those,' SLsyon man (that man), them yows (those ewes). 
 Yon is seldom used with a plural noun ; though, in order 
 to give them a more demonstrative force, yonder is 
 frequently added, ^?>—them bo'ds yonder (those birds 
 there). 
 
GRAMMATICAL. 27 
 
 Indefinite Pronouns. 
 
 The indefinite pronouns commonly in use are the 
 following : — Ally beeath (both), few, mich, and mickle 
 (much), monny (many), neean (none), onny (any), sich, 
 sikan, and sike (such), uther (other), yan (one). 
 
 It may be noted that the old form mich is now much 
 more frequently used than mickle (Old Norse mikill) ; 
 indeed this latter is rapidly becoming obsolete. 
 
 Care must be taken to distinguish jk<7« ixomyah (one). 
 Southerners, in endeavouring to learn the dialect, fre- 
 quently make mistakes over these words. Yah is a 
 numeral adjective, jj^a?^ an indefinite pronoun. Thus we 
 should say, yan on 'em seed nobbut yah coo i f pastur 
 (one of them saw only one cow in the pasture). It 
 would be an unpardonable mistake to sa.y yah on 'em, 
 or yan coo. To avoid errors of this kind it should be 
 borne in mind that yah must alwa3^s have another word 
 agreeing with it, whereas yan may stand alone ; thus, 
 nobbut yan. 
 
 It should be observed that sike or sich is used before 
 a consonant, and sikan before a vowel ; as, sike deed 
 (such doings), sikan a vast on 'em (so many of them). 
 Sometimes, however, sike or sich is found before a 
 vowel, as sike yal (such ale), and while they are used 
 with words of both the singular and plural numbers, 
 sikan is restricted to those of the singular. It often 
 happens that in modern speech sich is followed by an, 
 either as part of it or as a separate word, but in either 
 case it is merely another form of sikan. 
 
 The Verb. 
 
 The grammatical peculiarities under this head are so 
 numerous that it will not be possible to do more than 
 
30 
 
 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 The simple form of the present tense is as follows : — 
 
 Singular. Plural. 
 
 Ah a'e or ev (I have). We a'e or ev. 
 
 Thoo ez or as. You a'e or ev. 
 
 He ez. They a'e or ev. 
 
 As the form of the verb varies in affirmative, negative, 
 and interrogative phrases, it will make it clearer if we 
 illustrate this by a simple example ; for this purpose let 
 us give ' have taken ' as a model. 
 
 Singular. 
 
 Affirmative. Negative. 
 
 Ah Ve ta'en (I have Ah a'e n't ta'en (I 
 
 taken). have not taken). 
 
 Thoo 'z ta'en. Thoo ez n't ta'en. 
 
 He 'z ta'en. He ez n't ta'en. 
 
 Interrogative. 
 
 Ev ah ta'en ? (Have 
 
 I taken ?). 
 Es ta ta'en ? 
 Ez a ta'en ? 
 
 We 've ta'en (We 
 
 have taken). 
 You 've ta'en. 
 They 've ta'en. 
 
 Plural. 
 
 We a'e n't ta'en (I 
 have not taken). 
 You a'e n't ta'en. 
 They a'e n't ta'en. 
 
 A'e wa ta'en? (Have 
 
 we taken ?) 
 A'e ya ta'en ? 
 A'e tha ta'en ? 
 
 It should be observed that the ist pers. plur. of the 
 negative is sometimes we ev n't ta'en. 
 
 In the 3rd pers. sing., and in the ist, 2nd, and 3rd 
 pers. plur. interrogative, I have preferred to write a, 
 wa, ya, thd, instead of he, we, you, they, in these cases 
 the pronouns being pronounced short- 
 Imperfect Tense. 
 
 Singular, Plural. 
 
 Ah ed or ad (I had). We ed or ad. 
 
 Thoo ed, ad, edst, or adst. You ed or ad. 
 
 He ed or ad. They ed or ad. 
 
 Imperative Mood. 
 Ev (have) or a'e. 
 
GRAMMATICAL. 3 1 
 
 Infinitive Mood. 
 
 Ti a'e or ev (to have). 
 
 Present Participle. Past Participle. 
 
 Evvin' (having). Ed or ad (had). 
 
 In the imperative, ev is used before a vowel, and a'e 
 before a consonant ; as, ev it riddy (have it ready) ; a'e 
 nowt ti deea wiv 'em (have nothing to do with them). 
 Ev, however, is sometimes used before a consonant 
 instead of a'e, but there is no rule as to when it shall 
 be so used. 
 
 SHALL. 
 
 The verb s^al (shall) requires no special remark, ex- 
 cept that with a negative it becomes sahn't, and some- 
 times sal nut : thus, ah s^al rahd (I shall ride), ah sahn't 
 rahd, or ah sal nut rahd {i shall not ride). 
 
 The Conditional Mood. 
 
 The use of the conditional form of the verb 'to be' in 
 any sentence has been already noticed. I may here 
 repeat, hov/ever, that if I be is always preferred to 
 * if I am '; thus — If ah be awt leyke (if I am fairly well). 
 The conditional form of a verb is often introduced by 
 nobbut; thus in the last example it would be equally 
 correct to say nobbut ah be owt leyke. 
 
 In order further to illustrate the peculiarities of the 
 verb, we will here add one or two tenses of the verb 
 ' to do.' 
 
 Indicative Mood. 
 
 Present Tense. 
 Singular. Plural. 
 
 Ah deea or diz (I do). We deea. 
 
 Thoo diz. You deea. 
 
 He diz. They deea. 
 
32 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Perfect Definite Tense. 
 Singular. Plural. 
 
 Ah 's or ah've deean (I We a'e or 've deean. 
 
 have done). 
 Thoo 's deean. You a'e or 've deean. 
 
 He 's deean. They a'e or 've deean. 
 
 It should be noted that in the ist, 2nd and 3rd pers. 
 plur. ivc 've, &c., are used affirmatively, and we a'e, &c., 
 negatively and interrogatively, e.g., we've deean ; we a'e 
 n't deean ; a'e wa deean ? 
 
 The first future, Ah s'al deea, or Ah 'II deea, and the 
 second future, Ah s'al ae deean, are declined regularly. 
 
 General Remarks. 
 
 As has been already observed, the adoption of is 
 for 'am' admits of no exception ; its use is often very 
 deliberate and emphatic. Example : — Ah is glad. Again, 
 Q. Are you John Smith? A. Ah is. 
 
 The future tense is frequently used for the present. 
 Thus : O. Is William younger than Dick ? A. Ah se 
 think he will. Yon 'II he John (that no doubt is John). 
 
 The other most common verbal divergences from 
 standard English in the dialect are to be found in the 
 formation of the perfect and of the participle, especially 
 the latter. 
 
 The vowel-changes here, as compared with standard 
 English, are numerous and irregular ; it would be 
 difficult to classify these deviations from ordinary usage ; 
 it will, therefore, be sufficient merely to add a list of 
 some of the more ordinary ones. 
 
 By far the commonest change is the addition of en 
 to the past participle ; indeed, it may be said to be the 
 rule for the past participle to take this form. 
 
GRAMMATICAL. 
 
 33 
 
 Thus we have :- 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 Present. 
 
 Perfect. 
 
 Participle. 
 
 A'e or Ev (have). 
 
 Ed. 
 
 
 Ed. 
 
 Beeat (beat). 
 
 Bet. 
 
 
 Bet or Betten. 
 
 Beeld (build). 
 
 Belt. 
 
 
 Belt. 
 
 Bid (bid). 
 
 Bad. 
 
 
 Bidden or Bodden. 
 
 Binnd (bind) 
 
 Bun. 
 
 
 Bun. 
 
 Bleead (bleed). 
 
 Blid,bled,orblaad. 
 
 Bledden. 
 
 Brek or Breke 
 
 Brak. 
 
 
 Brokken. 
 
 (break). 
 
 
 
 
 Brust (burst). 
 
 Brast. 
 
 
 Brussen or Bros- 
 sen. 
 
 Cheeas (choose). 
 
 Choaze. 
 
 
 Chozzen. 
 
 Creeap (creep). 
 
 Crep or 
 
 crop. 
 
 Croppen. 
 
 Cum (come). 
 
 Cam or com. 
 
 Cum'd. 
 
 Cut (cut). 
 
 Cut. 
 
 
 Cutten. 
 
 Ding (throw down). 
 
 Ding'd or dang. 
 
 Ding'd. 
 
 Drahve (drive). 
 
 Drave. 
 
 
 Drovven. 
 
 Fele (hide). 
 
 Felt. 
 
 
 Felten. 
 
 Feyght (fight). 
 
 Fowt. 
 
 
 Fowten. 
 
 Finnd (find). 
 
 Fan. 
 
 
 Fun. 
 
 Flig (fly). 
 
 Fligg'd. 
 
 
 Fligg'd. 
 
 Fling (fling). 
 
 Flang. 
 
 
 Flung. 
 
 Flit (change one's 
 
 Flitted. 
 
 
 Flitten. 
 
 abode). 
 
 
 
 
 Freeze (fi-eeze). 
 
 Fraze. 
 
 
 Frozzen. 
 
 Gi'e (give). 
 
 Gav. 
 
 
 Gi'en (pr. geen). 
 
 Git (get). 
 
 Gat. 
 
 
 Gitten, getten, or 
 gotten. 
 
 Grave (dig). 
 
 Grave. 
 
 
 Growen. 
 
 Greeap (grope). 
 
 Grape. 
 
 
 Groppen. 
 
 Grund or Grahnd 
 
 Grund. 
 
 
 Grunded or Grun'. 
 
 (grind). 
 
 
 
 
 Hear (hear). 
 
 Heerd. 
 
 
 Heerd. 
 
 Hing (hang). 
 
 Hang or 
 
 ■ hung. 
 
 Hung or Hing'd. 
 
 Ho'd (hold). 
 
 Ho'ded. 
 
 
 Ho'dden. 
 
 Ho't (hurt). 
 
 Ho't. 
 
 
 Ho'tten. 
 
 Kep or kip (catch). 
 
 Kept or 
 
 kipt. 
 
 Keppen, kippen, 
 kept or kipt. 
 
 Lig (lay). 
 
 Lig'd or 
 
 Lihd. 
 
 Lihn. 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Present. 
 Lig (lie). 
 Lit (let). 
 Leet (light). 
 Loss (lose). 
 Mow (mow). 
 Preeave (prove). 
 Put (put). 
 Rahd (ride). 
 Rahse (rise). 
 Rahve (tear). 
 Saw (saw). 
 See (see). 
 Sell (sell). 
 Sew (sew). 
 Set or sit (set). 
 Shak (shake). 
 Shoe (shoe, as e.g. 
 
 of a horse). 
 Shut (shut). 
 Sit (sit). 
 Smit (infect). 
 Snaw (snow). 
 Speak (speak). 
 Splet (split). 
 Spreed (spread). 
 Stan' (stand). 
 Stick (stick). 
 Strahd (stride). 
 Strahve (strive). 
 Strike (strike). 
 • Sweer (swear). 
 Tak (take). 
 Tell (tell). 
 Thrahve (thrive). 
 Thrust (thrust). 
 Treead (tread). 
 Win (win). 
 Worrk (work). 
 Wreyte (write). 
 
 Perfect. 
 Lig'd. 
 Lit or let. 
 Let. 
 Lost. 
 Mew. 
 Preeav'd. 
 Put. 
 Rade. 
 Rase. 
 Rave. 
 
 Sew (pr. sue). 
 Seed. 
 Seird. 
 Slew. 
 Set. 
 Shak't. 
 Shod. 
 
 Shut. 
 
 Sat. 
 
 Smitted. 
 
 Snew. 
 
 Spak. 
 
 Splet. 
 
 Sprade. 
 
 Stood. 
 
 Stack. 
 
 Strade. 
 
 Strave. 
 
 Strake or strak. 
 
 Sware or swar. 
 
 Teeak or teuk. 
 
 Telled. 
 
 Thrave. . 
 
 Thrast. 
 
 Trade. 
 
 Wan. 
 
 Wrowt. 
 
 Wrate. 
 
 Participle. 
 Liggen or Lig'd. 
 Litten or letten. 
 Letten. 
 Lossen. 
 
 Mow'd or mown. 
 Provven. 
 Putten. 
 Ridden. 
 Risen. 
 Rovven. 
 Saw'd or Sawn. 
 Seen. 
 Sell'd. 
 
 Sew'd or sewn. 
 Setten. 
 
 Shak't or shakken. 
 Shodden. 
 
 Shutten. 
 
 Sitten. 
 
 Smitted orsmitten. 
 
 Snaw'd or snawn. 
 
 Spokken. 
 
 Spletten. 
 
 Spridden. 
 
 Stooden. 
 
 Stucken. 
 
 Strodden, 
 
 Strovven. 
 
 Strukken. 
 
 Sworn. 
 
 Ta'en. 
 
 Telled. 
 
 Throvven. 
 
 Thrussen. 
 
 Trodden. 
 
 Won. 
 
 Wrowt. 
 
 Written. 
 
GRAMMATICAL. 35 
 
 The verb is frequently placed at the end of a sen- 
 tence when ordinarily it would occupy another position. 
 No rule can be given on this point ; it will best be 
 illustrated by a few examples : thus the common York- 
 shire equivalent for ' it has turned very cold ' is it '5 varty 
 cau'd tonnd. Or again, ' Harry had to go to York/ 
 would very generally be thus expressed : Harry liad ti 
 York ti gan. Frequently we find the verb reiterated at 
 the end of a sentence, e. g. it 's a useful thing is a 
 taatie ; or again, Sha iver nobbut an oot 0' /' waay body 
 IV as n't Mary. 
 
 The Adverb. 
 
 The adverbial peculiarities are numerous, some of 
 which will be noticed here. 
 
 The following are some of the adverbs most com- 
 monly in use, with their equivalents : — 
 
 Adverbs of Time. 
 
 Afoor (before\ alius or aidus (always) ; for aivhts is 
 equivalent to 'continually'; eftther {a.her), i*-noo (soon), 
 mostlins (generally) ; sometimes ' in general ' is used, 
 but ' generally ' is not heard in the dialect ; nivver 
 (never), sen (since), ti-morn (to-morrow), yesferneet 
 (last night). We may observe that yance ozver is the 
 equivalent for 'once,' 'on one occasion,' 'at one time' ; 
 thus — Ah thowt ah wer boun ti be badly yance ozver (I 
 thought I was going to be ill at one time). Tallin by 
 chance is used for ' occasionally.' 
 
 ■ Adverbs of Place. 
 
 Aback (behind), aboon (above), ahint (behind), atwixt 
 (between), onywheers (anywhere), sumwheers (some- 
 where). 
 
 D 2 
 
^6 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Adverbs of Manner, Degree, Number, &c. 
 
 Ablitis (possibly), aye (yes, indeed), eneeaf (enough), 
 fair {^mte). Example: — AJi 's fair bet, i.e. I am quite 
 beaten, giitner, as /ief liefer (rather, sooner), happen {\>eT- 
 haps), mebbe (perhaps), mich (much ; ' too ' is never used 
 before 'much,' but always ower), naiv, iieea, nooa, naay 
 (no), nobbut (only), part (many, much, a large quantity 
 of anything), partlins (partly), reetlins (rightl}^), seemlins 
 (seemingly), varry (very). Strange is also commonly 
 used for ' very,' as sttlirange queer deed. Despert again, 
 is used in the same way. Sairly has a like meaning, 
 for which the corresponding adjective with and is 
 sometimes substituted ; thus we may say, he zver sairly 
 vexed, or, he wer sair an' vexed. IVeel {well), what for r* 
 (why?), ivhya (well — in assent). 
 
 The ordinary adverbial termination ly is not so 
 common in the dialect as in ordinary English, lins 
 sometimes taking its place, and sometimes the adjective 
 is used instead of the adverb. That, whahl take the 
 place of so, that; thus — Ah 's that badly whahl ah can 
 deea nowt (I am so poorly that I can do nothing). 
 
 Better is often used for 'more,' e.g. he 's been oot o' 
 work better 'an a fo'tnith (he has been out of work more 
 than a fortnight). 
 
 The adverbs of affirmation and negation require 
 notice. Yes is not used in familiar speech, but when 
 employed otherwise it is pronounced yis ; the wellnigh 
 universal equivalent is aye. 
 
 The adverb of negation has four forms, all of which 
 are in more or less common use, viz. naw, neea, nooa, 
 and naay. That in most general use is naw ; naay is 
 seldom used except when accompanied by a phrase 
 following in close connection, e.g. naay, noo, tlioo 
 
GRAMMATICAL. 37 
 
 maunt git that inti yer heead ; in such connections it is 
 very common. 
 
 The Conjunction. 
 
 The conjunctions most commonly in use are the 
 following: — «//' (and\ the </ being never sounded; 'an 
 (than), an' «// (also, as well) — this last is a word of very 
 general use ; it is also used as an adverb in the sense 
 of 'indeed,' e.g. aJi did an' all, i.e. 'I did indeed'; in 
 the same sense that is used, e.g. ah did tliat\ at (that), 
 hud owivver (still, nevertheless), if in case, if so be (com- 
 mon redundancies for 'if'), nowther (neither), seea (so), 
 sen (since). Withoot, wVoot, widoot, bcdoot (unless), 
 whahl (until). 
 
 Note. As is used instead of 'rather than ' ; thus, ah 
 fhoivt he 'd betthcr cum yam as staay wheer he zvas (I 
 thought he had better come home rather than stay 
 where he was . 
 
 For to is commonly used for 'in order to,' thus: — ah 
 's here for ti deea f job (I am here in order to do the 
 job). 
 
 The Preposition. 
 
 Some of the prepositions most commonly in use in 
 the dialect are given below, together with a few illus- 
 trative examples. 
 
 Aboon (above ,. Example : — // leeaks bad aboon hecad 
 (it looks bad above head). 
 
 Afoor (before). Example : — Afoor lang (before long). 
 
 Again (against). 
 
 Ahint (behind). 
 
 Amang, sometimes abbreviated to mang (among). 
 
 Fra,frev (from) : fra is used before a consonant ox y ; 
 
38 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 frev, before a vowel. Example: — Ah amis fra York) 
 ah cujjis frev 'Uli {\ come from York — Hull). 
 
 Infi, I'nfiv, iutil, intiil (into). /;//// and intiil are more 
 prevalent in the North than in the East Riding. Intiv 
 is only used before a vowel. Example \—Hc cam intiv 
 oor toon (he came into our village) ; ah didn't put nowt 
 intiil H (I did not put anything into it). 
 
 Nearhand (near). The preposition near is never 
 used without the suffix hand. Nearhand is also used in 
 the sense of 'nearly/ e.g. nearhand fahve pu nd {nedirXy 
 five pounds). 
 
 Ozver (over). 
 
 Oiver-anenst (over against). 
 
 IVi, wiv (with . Wiv is only used before a vowel; 
 
 ' wi before a consonant and occasionally before a vowel 
 
 also. Example : — Wi sum on *em (with some of them) ; 
 
 all wrowt wiv 'im, or ah wrowt wi 'im (I worked with 
 
 him). 
 
 With is always used instead of by in the sense of 
 by means of; thus, ah HI send it wi f carrier, by the carrier; 
 also for by simply, as, he lives wiv hissen, i. e. by himself 
 
 At is used for on when it signifies point of time, e.g. 
 ah seed him at Settherda (I saw him on Saturday). The 
 curious use of this preposition must not be mistaken for 
 an abbreviated form of on 7, from which it is wholly 
 distinct. In the southern part of the North Riding this 
 usage oi at is exceedingly common. 
 
 0/*instead of * for ' is found in the expressions of a long 
 while, of a good bit, &c., meaning 'for a long time.' 
 
 The Interjection. 
 
 The noteworthy interjections are the following : — 
 Aa! (oh), expressive of admiration. 
 Aw! (oh). 
 
GRAMMATICAL. 39 
 
 Gc7' awaa ! or gc7' awaa wi ya! (pooh !), literally ' get 
 away with you ! ' said especially to throw disbelief or 
 doubt on an assertion. 
 
 Noo! (well !), the common form of salutation made b}' 
 two friends on meeting. 
 
 Sitha, lo' tha, Id ya, lecaks ta I (lo ! look !) 
 
 Well-owivver ! (indeed !), an expression of surprise. 
 
 Whisht, whisht wi ya ! (hush !). 
 
 For other grammatical usages and examples of rules 
 alread}^ given, I must refer the reader to the specimens 
 of the dialect to be found in the body of the work as 
 well as to those in the Glossary. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 PRONUNCIATION. 
 
 Few writers ever had a closer acquaintance with the 
 folk-speech of their country than Sir Walter Scott. The 
 frequent illustrations he gives of the Lowland Scottish 
 tongue, so closely allied to our East Yorkshire verna- 
 cular, give additional life and interest to his ever-fresh 
 writings. Another Sir Walter Scott there can never be 
 again ; still, it may be wished that we had some native 
 Yorkshireman of literary fame who would take up our 
 own folk-talk somewhat in the same spirit at least as the 
 author of Waverley did that of his country. 
 
 The attempts which authors sometimes make to 
 introduce touches of the Yorkshire tongue into their 
 writings are, it must be confessed, for the most part 
 failures ; the older country-folk would, I feel sure, be 
 generally at a loss to know what such parodies of their 
 parlance were meant for. This failure can only be 
 explained by the fact that it is not altogether an easy 
 thing for those who live at a distance from it to know 
 any country speech well. Even the mighty literary 
 gifts of Sir Walter Scott would have failed him in this 
 particular had he not lived all his life among the people 
 whose language he so often reproduced ; nor would 
 that have sufficed had he not besides constantly held 
 
PRONUNCIATION. 4I 
 
 intercourse with the country folk themselves, and so 
 become at first hand thoroughly in touch with their 
 habits of life as well as with their modes of thought and 
 expression ; in short, had he not been perfectly ' at 
 home ' with them. In this way, and in this way only, 
 can a folk-talk be really known. 
 
 Our country people here are in a sense bi-lingual, 
 like the Welsh ; with this difference, that the two 
 varieties of speech which the Yorkshireman makes use 
 of are not so widely dissimilar as in the case of the 
 Welshman. Still, our people have the language which 
 they employ when talking freely among themselves and 
 that which they make use of when conversing with 
 strangers or those of another class than their own ; 
 these two modes of speech are quite distinct. And here 
 one of the great — perhaps I should say the great — diffi- 
 culty in acquiring a thorough mastery of the Yorkshire 
 dialect presents itself. The people are most reluctant 
 to address an outsider, so to speak, in terms they would 
 employ amongst themselves ; as before stated, to do so 
 would be thought disrespectful. 1 am speaking now, be 
 it observed, of what remains of the dialect in all its 
 purity, which is quite another thing from indifferent 
 English with a strong provincial accent and a quaint 
 word or two thrown in here and there. It is only by 
 stealth as it were, and that ' by habs and nabs,' as we 
 say, that a stranger can learn much of the true folk- 
 talk of the country ; and even then his ear must be quick 
 and sensitive, for the chances are ten to one if you ask 
 a Yorkshireman to repeat again a sentence containing 
 some out-of-the-way word or phrase which you failed at 
 first to catch, that on the second occasion he will make 
 use of a different word altogether, and perhaps will re- 
 construct his sentence in the mould of every-day English. 
 
42 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 And further, your difficulties will not be lessened if your 
 friend has the least inkling that you are attempting to 
 extract information of a literary kind from him ; in that 
 case your chance is wellnigh hopeless, and you may as 
 well lap lip at once : it is only when they are absolutely 
 at their ease that they will converse freely in their 
 mother-tongue. Sometimes too their homelier phrases 
 may be best heard when under the influence of excite- 
 ment or strong emotion. Frequently has it occurred to 
 me, in the ordinary course of conversation with our 
 country-folk, that I have caught the first syllable or 
 perhaps only the first letter of some every-day and 
 familiar word which, before the utterance was completed, 
 has been replaced by some supposed more polite but, 
 perhaps, in reality far less expressive one. It is natur- 
 ally, as I have said, when under excitement or the 
 influence of deep feeling that their language is of the 
 purest. 
 
 A rather remarkable instance of this I well remember. 
 I was visiting a poor woman some years ago, whose son 
 had recently died : she was describing to me minutely 
 the course of the lad's long illness, and especially the 
 final phases of it ; but when she came to tell me of his 
 last moments, what he said to her and she to him, her 
 words suddenly changed from those of more or less 
 ordinary English, in which she had up to that point been 
 speaking, to those of the broadest dialect : her deep 
 feeling seemingly drew forth the language of her heart, 
 and she fell back instantly and unconsciously upon her 
 mother-tongue. 
 
 Another case comes to me which further illustrates 
 the point. On this occasion I was visiting a parishioner 
 who was dangerously ill. The aged mother of the sick 
 man was standing by as I was enquiring about his 
 
PRONUNCIATION. 43 
 
 malady. He was in a very weak state : he could do 
 scarcely anything for himself. Says the mother, ' he 's 
 
 neea f : he can deea nowt for hissen.' There was a 
 
 sudden pull up at the letter f. I knew what it meant : 
 she was going to say ' he 's neea fend aboot him ' ; only 
 she thought it would be a little more polite to turn the 
 expression in the way she did. 
 
 In speech the utterance of the Yorkshire people is for 
 the most part somewhat slow and deliberate. Words 
 are not wasted in the expression of thought ; and 
 although the vocabulary of the older people may be 
 rather limited, yet this deficiency is more than made 
 up for by the force of the words which they have at 
 command, and by the manner and intonation with which 
 they are spoken. In the language of the blue jacket, 
 they may not have many shot in their locker, but every 
 shot tells. 
 
 In the following remarks upon the pronunciation of 
 our dialect I cannot hope to do more than give but a 
 very imperfect idea, to those unacquainted with it, of 
 what it sounds like. It must be heard to be appreciated : 
 no amount of explanation of which my limited powers 
 are capable can convey an absolutely correct impression 
 of certain of the vowel-sounds : they can only be 
 approximated by the ordinary methods of pen and ink. 
 
 A former Bishop of St. David's, so the story goes, on 
 first coming to take up his abode in Wales, was wishful 
 to learn something of the language. The pronunciation 
 proved a difficulty, and especially that of the Welsh //. 
 It was a veritable crux. The learned prelate did not 
 like to be beaten, and so with a view to overcoming, as 
 he thought, all obstacles, he engaged a native Welsh 
 scholar to give him instruction in the language. The 
 Welshman, who was very obsequious in manner, saw 
 
44 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 that the Bishop had great difficuk}^ with the //, but how 
 to explain accurately the lingual process by which this 
 formidable sound was to be correctly uttered he knew 
 not. He was almost at his wits' end for an explanation. 
 At last a bright thought struck him, though he felt a 
 little shy in putting it point-blank to his illustrious 
 pupil ; accordingly, he coated the pill with as much 
 sweetness as he was able, and with deferential utterance 
 addressed the Bishop thus: 'Your Lordship must please 
 to put your episcopal tongue to the roof of your apostolic 
 mouth, and then hiss like a goose ! ' I do not think we 
 have anything quite as bad in the Yorkshire dialect as 
 the Cymric //; still, the same kind of difficulty attends it 
 that there does any foreign tongue ; the southerners can 
 never frame to pronounce it aright, or as I once saw it 
 rather oddly expressed somewhere, ' It takes a York- 
 shireman to talk Yorkshire.' 
 
 By no ordinar}^ method of spelling is it possible, as I 
 observed, in all cases to give the true and exact pro- 
 nunciation of our folk-talk, and the scientific devices 
 adopted by modern philologists in recording the finer 
 gradations of the vowel-sounds, valuable though they 
 might be, would be out of place in these pages ; but even 
 with these aids errors are liable to creep in, for the speci- 
 mens given in those philological treatises dealing with 
 the subject are often of necessity received second or 
 third hand. Some of those interested in the dialect 
 have suggested half-jokingly that the phonograph should 
 be brought into requisition in registering the tones of 
 the folk-speech. The idea is a delightful one, no doubt, 
 but there is one insuperable difficulty in the way of its 
 being carried out. It is no easy matter to get the old 
 folks to talk their broadest every-day speech to 3^ou in 
 the ordinary interchange of ideas ; there is always a 
 
PRONUNCIATION. 45 
 
 certain unwillingness about it ; and I am thoroughly 
 convinced that one would have about as much chance 
 of inducing them to talk their archaic Yorkshire into 
 a phonograph as of getting them to pla}^ a sonata of 
 Beethoven. 
 
 And so I have fallen back upon the more easily 
 understood, if less scientific, plan of using the ordinary 
 letters and spelling in writing the dialect. This, I 
 admit, is not always satisfactory, for some of the dialec- 
 tical vowel-sounds are so unlike anything we find in 
 standard English that it requires a certain amount of 
 artifice to indicate them. Let me, by way of explanation, 
 take a single example. There are few vowel-sounds 
 more difficult to pronounce than that in the common 
 word owt (anything^ This word is not pronounced as 
 out, nor as ought, nor yet as ote in wrote. The best 
 indication I can give of the true sound is to say that it 
 is about half way between ote and out. It is a very 
 shibboleth. The pronunciation of the following short 
 sentence would be no bad test as to whether a man is a 
 native or not: Dust tJioo knaw owt aboot it? (Do you 
 know anything about it ?) 
 
 There is, unfortunately, no recognised system of 
 spelling in the dialect. It is hardly to be looked for 
 that there should be. Our native writers of the folk- 
 speech are few and far between, at least those of any 
 note. Of dialect poets worthy of the name we have 
 none. In our v/ide county and with our rich vocabulary 
 this failure is rather remarkable : but with a people so 
 eminently practical and matter-of-fact as the Yorkshire 
 folk are there is perhaps not so much room for wonder 
 after all. This lack of high-class dialectical literature 
 throws one upon one's own resources a good deal in the 
 matter of orthography. 
 
46 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 My aim on this point has been to give, by aid of 
 the spelling, some indication of the pronunciation by a 
 comparison with a corresponding spelling in ' Queen's 
 English.' I am afraid that the spelling may not be 
 found to be quite consistent throughout. Still, I trust 
 it may be thought sufficiently so, and that it may be easily 
 read, at least by those who are acquainted with the 
 dialect at all. 
 
 The letter-sounds will be briefly touched upon pre- 
 sently ; but there is one letter so especially characteristic 
 of the dialect, that a few preliminary words may be said 
 upon it. That letter is a. I know of no other part of 
 England where it is pronounced exactly as it is in York- 
 shire. It is heard to greatest advantage when uttered 
 by itself as an interjection expressive of admiration. 
 
 I remember ver}^ well a woman once describing to me 
 a big Sunday School gathering which she had seen 
 when on a visit to a relative in the West Riding. It 
 was a gigantic affair ; and the children, dressed in a 
 sort of uniform, passed by her in hundreds, if not 
 thousands. From the way she spoke I imagined my 
 friend had never before witnessed such a spectacle. She 
 described minutely every detail, and summed up with 
 the remark, ^ Aa! they did Iceak bonny' The words 
 were simple, but there was an indescribable expressive- 
 ness in the pronunciation of the introductory interjec- 
 tion which spoke volumes. It was drawn out to a great 
 length, and in sound approached closely the rt in 'air,' 
 care being taken to detach it from the ' ir.' I draw 
 special attention to this letter-sound and the description 
 of it, because essentially the same, though not so ex- 
 tended a pronunciation of it, takes place in every word 
 where the a-sound, as in 'rate,' occurs: of such words 
 there are, of course, a large number. The pronuncia- 
 
PRONUNCIATION. 47 
 
 tion in these cases is generally indicated by aa, e. g. 
 laate, braad, maade, flaad, 'caashon, I'aade, saave, braay, 
 a-gaat, ivaay, saay, &c. 
 
 The ordinary middle a which is found in such words 
 as 'back/ 'man,' 'hand,' is in the dialect changed to a 
 broader sound, not easy to indicate accurately, but un- 
 mistakeable when heard ; it is not so extended as aJi, 
 nor yet is it by any means equivalent to the short o, as 
 is sometimes supposed : it may be best likened to the 
 short aJi, only that the sound is abrupt ; so that ' back,' 
 'man,' 'hand,' and all similar words might be written 
 bahk, malm, hahnd, &c. But this spelling looks awkward, 
 and might easily be misunderstood ; I have therefore 
 adopted the ordinary spelling in these cases. 
 
 The ah-sound pure and simple occurs very fre- 
 quently ; we have it in ah (I\ uiaJi (my), tJiahn (thine), 
 also in wahrm (warm\ dwalirf (dwarf), taJiin (time), 
 sithrahd (stride), rahd (ride), and in numberless other 
 words. 
 
 The short a-sound is also of frequent occurrence; 
 we meet with it, for instance, in nta (me), iha (thee), iva 
 {we),fra (from) ; also very generally in all words ending 
 in ay or ey, as Sunda (Sunday), Bev'la (Beverley), &c. : 
 in all such cases it is sounded rather abruptly, as in 
 ' enigma.' 
 
 A great amount of expression can be thrown into the 
 Yorkshire a by the modulation of the voice ; so much so 
 as to give quite a different meaning to the same word 
 when it occurs. This, for instance, is the case with 
 naay in such sentences as ^ Naay, ah deeaiitknaw' (I am 
 sure I cannot tell), and ^ Naay, noo, ah 's tint hoiui ti 
 belecave that ' (you are mistaken if you suppose I am 
 going to believe that). The difference in the modula- 
 tion of the voice in pronouncing the word naay in these 
 
4^ YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 two examples at once prepares us for a different frame 
 of mind in each case. In fact, the altered tone gives 
 practically an altered meaning to the word. The same 
 thing occurs in ordinary English. There are many 
 ways, for example, of saying ' yes ' ; it ma}^ be pro- 
 nounced so as to mean ' I assent to that,' or * I am 
 doubtful,' or 'indeed?' and so forth. Professor Max 
 Muller, in alluding to this point, in his Lectures on the 
 Science of Language, gives an amusing illustration of 
 these modulations in the Annamitic language, where 
 the word ' ba ' pronounced with a grave accent means 
 a lady, an ancestor ; pronounced v/ith the sharp accent it 
 means the favourite of a prince ; pronounced with the 
 semi-grave accent it means what has been thrown away ; 
 pronounced with the grave circumflex it means w'hat is 
 left of a fruit after the juice has been squeezed out; 
 pronounced with no accent it means three ; pronounced 
 with the ascending or interrogation accent, it means 
 a box on the ear. 
 
 Thus ' Ba ba ba ba,' is said to mean, if properly 
 pronounced, ' Three ladies gave a box on the ear to 
 the favourite of a prince.' 
 
 Now, although the modulations of the voice of the 
 Yorkshireman are said to be expressive, 3^et I think it 
 will be admitted that he must yield to the men of Annam 
 in that respect. Still, in our dialect a good deal may be 
 expressed in a small compass by merely giving different 
 modulations to the letter a for instance ; and the differ^ 
 ent gradations of the vowel-sound are numerous. These 
 will be alluded to presently. In our every-day speech 
 we might have at least three different rt-sounds in one 
 short sentence, thus : — 
 
 A, bud a an "t. 
 
PRONUNCIATION. 49 
 
 This would be equivalent to, ' Indeed I have not.' The 
 first a is the peculiar Yorkshire a, the pronunciation of 
 which is indicated on another page, and for convenience 
 might be written aa ; the second is the ordinary Italian 
 a, and may be written ah ; the third is shorter than the 
 first, and is perhaps best described in writing as ae, 
 though it should be noted that there is here but one 
 vowel-sound. It may be observed that none of the 
 three rt-sounds here given is anything like the ordinary 
 English a ; that sound does not exist in the dialect at 
 all : it is quite foreign to it. All the different gradations 
 of this vowel in our folk-speech are single, and therefore 
 purer vowels than the ordinary English a. We may 
 illustrate this by a single instance. Take, for example, 
 the word 'made' ; here the rt is pronounced as a double 
 vowel, the latter part of which is a distinct e or ee ; 
 but in the Yorkshire form of the word maade there 
 is but one vowel-sound pure and simple. It is the 
 same in principle with the other two examples given 
 above. In the latter of them the sound corresponds 
 very closely with that of the Danish ce. It is im- 
 portant to notice these distinctions in pronouncing 
 the dialect, for mistakes are frequently made on this 
 point. 
 
 In so large an area as that comprised within the 
 limits of the North and East Ridings, one might reason- 
 ably expect certain diversities of pronunciation and ex- 
 pression ; nor are such diversities wanting : still, they 
 are, comparatively speaking, few, and need not be dwelt 
 upon. The main features of the dialect are identical 
 all the district through. 
 
 What then, it may be asked, are the leading charac- 
 teristics of the dialect ? I will try and point them 
 out. 
 
50 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 First, the pronunciation of the letter ' u.' In no part of 
 England is this vowel uttered with a closer adhesion to 
 its correct and ancient sound than here; it is the true 
 w-sound, and cannot be mistaken. We have it indeed 
 in certain words still in standard English, e. g. full, 
 pull, bull, put, push, &c., but these instances are, com- 
 paratively speaking, few ; the sound is quite lost in such 
 words as sun, must, run, but, rub, up, under, hunt, and 
 many other which might be named ; but in Yorkshire 
 the genuine ?/-sound is retained in all these words with- 
 out exception; we delight in it. In some words it is 
 rather more strongly marked than in others, especially, 
 e.g., in bud (but), where the u treads closely upon the 
 heels of the oo-sound, but never quite reaches that limit. 
 Who that has ever heard the expression. Cum thi 
 waays, htiney, as spoken by a mother to her bairn, can 
 doubt for a moment what the true pronunciation of the 
 old English, or Norse, or Anglo-Saxon u must have 
 been ? 
 
 One of my early recollections when coming home 
 from school was to hear called out at Milford Junction 
 ' Change here for Hull,' the u being always given with 
 its characteristic Northern accent. The pronunciation 
 of that single vowel told me that I was not far from the 
 borders of Northumbria. 
 
 Closely connected with the w-sound pure and simple 
 is the oo-sound, which may be regarded as an extension 
 of it. A large number of words which in standard 
 English take the ou-sound, as in 'out,' in the dialect 
 rigidly keep to the oo or w-sound. Such, e. g., is the 
 case with cow, now, house, ground, mouse, town, 
 gown, found, round, out, brown, &c. ; in all such 
 words the oo-sound predominates over the ?/, but in 
 these cases it is not easy to draw the line which 
 
PRONUNCIATION. 5I 
 
 separates the two, so gradually do they shade off into 
 one another. 
 
 It may, however, be said without hesitation that the 
 ow-sound of standard English is never heard in the 
 dialect at all ; the nearest approach to it is perhaps in 
 the isolated word poiviid (a pond\ the pronunciation 
 of which is peculiar and exceptional, the ow being like 
 neither that in 'own' nor in 'frown,' but between the two. 
 The pronunciation of owt ''anything), already alluded to, 
 and loivze (to loose), are also approximations to the on- 
 sound, but yet quite distinct in each case. On the other 
 hand, by a strange perversity, certain words which in 
 ordinary English possess the true ^^sound, are in the 
 dialect changed variously. Take, for instance, such 
 words as book, cook, foot, &c. The first of these has 
 no less than three pronunciations, viz. bccak, bcwk, 
 and book, in which last the 00 is pronounced as in 
 'root'; 'cook' has two pronunciations, viz. ceeak and 
 cook, the 00 being here again long. ' Foot ' is in- 
 variably pronounced y^^fl/. 
 
 As a general rule, then, the pure ^/-sound is retained 
 in the dialect in all those words which in standard 
 English are spelt with a //, and adopted or preserved 
 in many others which are spelt with oti or simple 0. 
 This, as I said, forms a very marked feature of our 
 dialect, and not the least pleasing one ; for when the 
 ordinary ozi'-sound, as in 'how,' and the Yorkshire u or 
 00 are sounded side by side, it is not difficult to decide 
 which of the two is the more euphonious. 
 
 The second strong characteristic of the pronunciation 
 of the dialect is the prevalence of the eea-sound. It is 
 quite remarkable what a large proportion of our vowel- 
 sounds take this form. Nearly all standard English 
 words in which the e and a are found in juxtaposition 
 
 E 2 
 
52 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 and form one syllable, are in the dialect distinctl}^ and 
 almost invariably sounded as two S3dlab]es, a certain 
 amount of stress or accent being laid upon the e. 
 
 It would perhaps be more correct to say that formerl}'- 
 the ea was pronounced as two s^dlables, and while in 
 course of time this double sound has gradually merged 
 into one in the English language of the present day, in 
 the Yorkshire dialect the old double sound goes on as 
 of yore. 
 
 The word 'meat/ for example, is in the dialect pro- 
 nounced meeat ] so too, dread, dream, head, bread, 
 instead, lean, mean, speak, team, leave, leaf, &c., 
 become dreead, drceaju, lieead, breead, iiisteead, Icean, 
 meean, speeak, teeaiii, leeavejeeaf, &c. ' Lead' (the verb) 
 is generally, however, pronounced in the ordinary way, 
 while ' learn ' and ' earn ' are changed to larn and am 
 in the dialect. Again, words having the ordinar}- 
 English rt-sound generally, but not invariably, come 
 under this head, and take the ^^«-sound in the folk- 
 speech. For instance, cake, dame, name, lame, same, 
 safe, tale, waste, &c., are changed to cccak, deeam, 
 neeam, leeatn, sccam, sceaf, teeal, iveeaste, &c. Some- 
 times, when the pronunciation is very broad, the cea 
 almost develops into a j'-sound ; but it is incorrect to 
 write it so ; I have therefore in all cases disregarded 
 this tendency in the examples given. But a much 
 larger class of words, containing the vowel-sounds o or 
 00, are attracted as it were by main force to the eea- 
 sound. Thus 'stone' becomes 5/^<:'(7;/ (though ^Z*?;/^, and 
 very rarely 5/^w, are also used), 'fool' hecomQS feeal, 
 and floor, roof, door, noon, school, soon, no, do, so, 
 spoke (of a wheel), bone, cool, whole, boot, foot, root, 
 look, home, proof, with many others that might be 
 named, are pronouncedyZtY^ar, 7'eeaf, decar, ncean, scheeal, 
 
PRONUNCIATION. 5^ 
 
 seean, neea, deea, seea, speeak, beean, keeal, heeal, beeat, 
 feeat, reeat, leeak, heeam (also yam), preeaf. 
 
 Again, some words in ' ough ' — namely, enough, 
 plough, tough, bough, &c., in the dialect must be 
 written as they are pronounced, eneeaf, pleeaf, teeaf, 
 beeaf {also bcw), &c. ' Rough ' is, however, pronounced 
 with the ?/-sound, and the same may be said of brough. 
 From the above few examples I have given, it will be 
 seen what a strong leaning there is in our dialect 
 towards this ^^<7-sound ; so much so, indeed, that I have 
 no hesitation in regarding it as one of its three most 
 salient marks. 
 
 The third feature of the dialect to which I shall 
 draw attention, is the very peculiar use of an abbre- 
 viated form of the definite article in particular, and of 
 abbreviations generally. The abbreviation of ' the ' to 
 /' is practically a universal rule. 
 
 It is scarcely to be wondered at that strangers are 
 given to think that the definite article is omitted in our 
 dialect, if not generally, at least in a great number of 
 cases, for it has that effect with south-countrymen. The 
 truth is that their ears being unused to this shortening 
 of the article, they fail to catch the /'-sound, lightly 
 touched by the tongue as it generally is, especially 
 before consonants. I grant that sometimes it may be 
 omitted in rapid speech, just as in ordinary English 
 words and letters are not unfrequently slurred. But 
 that is not the rule. The rule is in all cases to sound 
 it, and sounded it alwa^^s should be, however lightly in 
 some connections. In the following sentence it maybe 
 thought difficult to pronounce the article before each 
 word, where it occurs, eg. T' bairns drave /' coo ti V 
 pashtr aback o' /' toon ; but even where the word follow- 
 ing begins with /, the article may be invariably detected, 
 
54 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 not indeed by a double movement of the tongue, but, 
 as in the two words /' toon in this sentence, by a very 
 sHght and almost imperceptible pause between the / and 
 ioon. 
 
 As regards abbreviations generally, I need hardly do 
 more here than merely allude to them ; they will be best 
 understood by examining the numerous examples of 
 the dialect I have given in the vocabulary at the end, 
 and in other specimens of the folk-talk throughout the 
 volume. Let the following instances suffice to indicate 
 what is meant. The conjunction 'and 'and the noun 'hand' 
 always have the <i^ elided ; 'than' becomes <?;/ ; 'with 'is 
 changed to wi\ 'it' is shortened to'/, especially at the 
 end of a sentence ; but in Cleveland this abbreviation is 
 universal : 'of ' ver^- commonly becomes o' and 'have,'<T;'^. 
 It would perhaps be incorrect to say that our Yorkshire 
 at is an abbreviated form of 'that' e.g. aJi telVdhim at, &c., 
 for it is by no means improbable that this may be the 
 traditional usage of the old Norse or Danish at in the 
 same sense. That / is not an abbreviation of 'in,' but the 
 Danish / pure and simple, I have no doubt ; this con- 
 clusion becomes almost irresistible when one hears such 
 a sentence as T'keeani hrak itii i f bairn han (the comb 
 broke in two in the child's hand;. 
 
 It may lead to a more correct idea of the pronuncia- 
 tion of the dialect if under the head of each letter a few 
 of the peculiarities are pointed out, and their correct 
 rendering illustrated by examples, though in many cases 
 the true pronunciation can only be approximated by this 
 means. / 
 
 A. 
 
 There are several sounds belonging to this vowel, 
 which is one that is never pronounced as in ordinar}'^ 
 
PRONUNCIATION. ^^ 
 
 English. The principal of these sounds are the follow- 
 
 \r\cr ' 
 
 (i) The long a (aa) in such words as grate, slate, 
 wait, ail, which may be written for convenience graaie, 
 slaate, ivaate, aal. The expression of the ' tone-hold ' of 
 this vowel has been alluded to on another page. 
 
 (2) The middle <?, as in can, ran, gan, &c. This sound 
 is broader than the common English a as in 'man,^ but 
 not equivalent to ah. Its pronunciation has been 
 explained above. 
 
 (3) The short a, as in the abbreviated form for ' have ' 
 [cie) ; this is sounded without any of the ^-sound, as in 
 the ordinary English a, thus a'e ya ? (have you ?) 
 
 (4) A followed by r, as in part, arm, park, &c. In 
 such cases the r is scarcely, if at all, heard, and the 
 vowel-sound corresponds to something between aa and 
 ai. 
 
 The words just quoted might perhaps best be written 
 pairt, atnn, paifk, &c. ' Dark ' and ' hark,' however, do 
 not follow this rule, but more nearly approach the 
 ordinary pronunciation. 
 
 (5) A in the sense of/ is sounded as in the standard 
 English word ' father,' and is generally written ah ; the 
 a in 'father' (dialectic) is pronounced almost as in (4). 
 
 B. 
 
 This consonant follows the rule of ordinary English, 
 except that it is not heard in such words as tumble, 
 nimble, bramble, thimble, tremble, ramble, gamble, &c., 
 which are pronounced tumm'l, nimniU, bramnil, thimm'l, 
 tihrimm'l, ramm'l, gamm'l, &c. 
 
 In the word ' hobble,' the equivalent for which in the 
 dialect is hopple, b is changed into p ; but in ' cobble' the 
 b is retained. 
 
56 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 c. 
 
 C followed by h is sometimes pronounced hard, as k. 
 This is the case in the following words : — bench, chaff, 
 churn, chest, thatch, birch ; these are changed to bink, 
 kaff, ken (the r not being sounded) kist, theeak, birk. 
 
 D. 
 
 The </-sound plays a distinctive part in the dialect, 
 especially in connection with th and /, which it very 
 frequently takes the place of. Thus, e. g., ' without ' 
 becomes bedoot or widoot ; ' but ' is changed to bnd\ and 
 'bottom,' 'farthing,' are sounded boddom, fardin. 
 
 In the middle of a word d is often pronounced like 
 a soft th (as in * then ') which we may call dh or dtk. Yox 
 instance, nidder, murder, binder, under, wonder, 
 window, &c., become in the dialect nidther, niodther, 
 bindther, Jindthcr, wondtJier, windther, &c. 
 
 It is difficult to describe accurately the precise rules 
 of pronunciation of this letter, but it will be alluded to 
 subsequently. 
 
 D final is frequently suppressed: thus fajid (the 
 perfect tense of 'find') is pronounced fan' ] so too 
 ' bound ' is boun' ; also stand, and, hand, grand, &c., are 
 changed to stan\ an\ han\ gran\ &c. 
 
 When preceded by n and followed by/, d is mute, as 
 in candle, handle, randle-bauk, &c., which are sounded 
 cannl, liann'l, rami'l-batik. On the whole, there is a 
 decided tendency for the d to be softened or omitted 
 altogether in folk-speech, thus following a general rule 
 with regard to it in Danish. 
 
 E. 
 There are not such marked changes in this vowel- 
 
PRONUNCIATION. ^J 
 
 sound as in a or o; still we have several variations from 
 ordinary rules. 
 
 They are as follows : — 
 
 (i) In the pronouns me, she, we, the e is changed 
 to short <7, as ma, ska, wa. 
 
 (2) The ^-sound when followed by r is changed into 
 long a in some words : for instance, serve, certainly, 
 discern are pronounced sarve, sartainly, disarii. 
 
 (3) In the word 'errand,' e becomes ea. 
 
 (4) In a large class of words, of which get, yet, dress, 
 ready, friend ma}^ be quoted as examples, the e is 
 changed to a distinct /', and these words should be 
 written ^//, jV^^; dhriss, riddy,frinnd. 
 
 (5) Words or names ending in el or <?//, of more than 
 one syllable, change the e into /; thus Morrell, parcel, 
 chancel, chisel, garsel, are pronounced Morrill, parcil, 
 chaiictl, chisil, garsil. 
 
 {6) There is a strong tendency to drop the <?-fmal in 
 monosyllables ; thus, make, game, take, shame, gate, 
 wake, came, shake, ale, &c., are pronounced mak, gam, 
 tak, sham, yat, zvak, cam, shak, yal, &c., but no general 
 rule on this point can be laid down, many of these 
 forms being Norse derivatives. In tame, mane, and 
 some others, the ^-final is retained. 
 
 G. 
 
 The following are some of the changes under this 
 head. 
 
 (i) G preceded by ;/ is never sounded as in 'finger,' 
 but as in 'singer'; that is to say, the g is not dwelt upon 
 or doubled. Such words as anger, monger, longer, 
 single, swingle, mangle, new-fangled, and all words 
 of more than one syllable, follow this rule, which admits 
 of no exception. 
 
58 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 (2) In the words 'length/ 'strength,' and any others 
 hke them, the g is omitted, and the words pronounced 
 /entk, strenth, &c. 
 
 (3) G-final preceded by n is generally mute in words 
 of more than one syllable ; thus middling, parting, 
 reading, &c., are pronounced iniddlin\ partin\ reading 
 Sec, while ling, ding, bring, &c., are sounded as 
 written. 
 
 (4) In adverbs ending in I'ngs, as pari/ifigs, luosflings, 
 aiblings, &c., the g is mute. 
 
 H. 
 
 As a rule, the aspirate is omitted in words requiring 
 it, but not by any means so invariabl}^ as in some parts 
 of England, and it is seldom inserted in words that do 
 not need it : where it is so inserted the object apparently 
 is to give additional emphasis, e. g. hivvry yan on 'em 
 (every one of them) ; not infrequently the aspirate is 
 prefixed to the affirmative aye (yies), though it is not 
 strongly sounded. 
 
 A peculiar aspirate is given to some words beginning 
 with ho, e.g. 'hope,' 'hole,' &c. ; these are pronounced 
 somewhat as whooap, wliooal, &c., and although^'^?/;/ and 
 heeam are the usual and more correct equivalents of 
 ' home,' yet in the East Riding worn is also frequently 
 heard. 
 
 The principal sounds of this vowel are the following :-- 
 (i) Ah] as in the equivalent for T (pers.pron.), 'mind,' 
 'mine,' &c., which are pronounced ah, mahnd, mahn, &c., 
 though in the case of 'mind,' minnd is also heard. 
 
 (2) ah ; as in fine, line, wine, &c., pronounced almost 
 as/ahin, lahin, ivahin, &c., the ah not being very strongly 
 
PRONUNCIATION. 59 
 
 emphasized : thus, for instance, it would be wrong to 
 pronounce ' fine ' disfaJin pure and simple, the a/^-sound 
 not being simply open. 
 
 The border-line between (i) and (2) is sometimes not 
 very clearl}^ defined : it is only use that can give the true 
 pronunciation in every case. Thus, in the case of 'mine' 
 the pronunciation is niahn, without any trace of the 
 /-sound, while in the case of ' fine ' the i is distinctly 
 blended with the aJi-sound. 
 
 (3) Ey ; as in kite, like, sike, lite, hipe, wipe, pipe, 
 ripe, &c., which are pronounced somewhat as keyte, leyke, 
 seyke, leyte, heype, weype, reype, &c., or approximately so. 
 
 Certain words in which igJit is a component part 
 follow this pronunciation, e. g. fight, might, blight, 
 &c. ; others take the ^<?-sound ; vide infra. 
 
 (4) Ee ; as in bright, frighten, light, night, right, 
 &c., which are sounded breet, frceten, led, neet, reet, &c. 
 Certain words in which ia occur in juxtaposition also 
 follow this rule, as e. g. briar, liar. 
 
 (5) Words in which the / is long frequentl}^ take short 
 / in the dialect ; thus bind, blind, climb, find, &c., are 
 changed to hinnd, bliniid, climm, fiimd, &c. ; while on 
 the other hand, Mittle ' is pronounced lile as well as 
 lahtle, and ' wind ' is pretty often pronounced wind. 
 
 (6) / followed by r is pronounced nearly as o. Thus, 
 first, third, bird, dirt, thirty, mirth, &c., become fo'st, 
 tho'd, bo'df doU, ilio^t-ty, ino'th, &c. On the other hand, 
 as exceptions to this rule we have girl, girth, and 
 girn pronounced gell, getli, and gejt. 
 
 It should be borne in mind that the description of the 
 pronunciation given above is only an approximate one, 
 the actual utterance in these cases being by no means 
 in perfect unison with the ordinary o-sound ; it is some- 
 thing between that and a very short aw-sound. 
 
6o YORKSHIRE FOLK- TALK. 
 
 J. 
 
 This letter follows the ordinary pronunciation. 
 
 K. 
 
 K before s is sometimes omitted, especially in place- 
 names, as ' Stokesle}^,' Stowsla. 
 
 As observed above, this letter-sound is retained in 
 the dialect in certain words which in standard English 
 begin or end with ch ; these words are for the most 
 part of Norse origin. 
 
 L. 
 
 When /precedes d, f,f, k, especially when it follows 
 a, o, It, and the diphthongs ait and on, it is silent : thus, 
 salt, cold, old, bulk, fault, shoulder, &c., are pro- 
 nounced sait't, caiid, atCd, hoo'kyfaiit, shod'dher, &c. 
 
 M and N. 
 (No change'. 
 
 O. 
 
 The principal changes of this vowel are the follow- 
 
 ing : 
 
 (i) Eca ; for instance, words ending in o, as who, do, 
 so, two, &c., are sounded zoJicca, deca, seea, tweea, &c. 
 
 (2) A ] thus, long, among, wrong, &c., are changed 
 to lang, amang, wrang, &c. 
 
 (3) Aw ; thus, low, toe, snow, crow, blow, row, &c., 
 are pronounced law, taw, snaw, craw, hlaw, razv, &c. 
 
 (4) Long is sometimes changed to short o,as 'post,' 
 pdsf. 
 
 Also in a large class of words, such as lost, tossed, 
 frost, cost, Szc, the o is pronounced perceptibly shorter 
 than in ordinary, especially Southern, English. 
 
PRONUNCIATION. 6l 
 
 (5) The diphthong oa is generally pronounced azv ; 
 for instance, foal, load, toad, road, &c., become fazu/, 
 lawd, tawd, rawd, &c. 
 
 (6) Ozt', pronounced as in 'how' in the dialect, is 
 changed to 00 ; thus bow (a salute), brow, now, &c., 
 are changed to hoo, broo, noo, &c. 
 
 (7) Oo becomes cca, e.g. look) leeak, (crook) crceak, 
 (took) tecakf {fool) feea/, (soon) seean. 
 
 (8) Oil becomes 00 ] e.g. thou, round, sound, hound, 
 &c., are pronounced tJioo, roond, soond, Jioond, &c. 
 
 P. 
 
 (No change.) 
 
 Q. 
 
 Oil is sometimes changed to w, as in ' quick ' {wick), 
 ' quaint ' {waiiit or went), ' quean ' {wcean). 
 
 R. 
 
 The nasal r, so common in the South of England, is 
 a sound quite unknown among Yorkshire folk ; indeed, 
 this letter is but little heard at all, and is hardly ever 
 rolled or trilled. 
 
 In such words as ' bairn ' or ' arm ' the r is mute, and 
 the a is changed to aa or ay. Again, it is silent in such 
 words as forty, word, world, burnt, &c. : the pronunci- 
 ation of these has been already described. At the end 
 of a word the r is sometimes doubled, as e.g. ivhat forr ? 
 
 In words where the vowels e, i, or u are followed by 
 r, these are often transposed, thus, e. g. lantern, curd, 
 burst, &c., are pronounced lantthron, criid, briist, &c. 
 
 5. 
 
 The sibilant, so unpleasant a feature in English 
 generally, is slightly toned down in the dialect: — 
 
62 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 (i) By the omission of the s altogether in the posses- 
 sive case, as Williain Jiat, Mary book, for ' WilHam's 
 hat,' ' Mary's book.' 
 
 (2) In certain words where the sibilant is a very 
 pronounced feature it is somewhat mitigated or evaded 
 in the folk-talk; thus the place-name 'Sessay' is 
 sounded Scsza, and 'scissors ' is pronounced sithcrs. 
 
 T. 
 
 T in the middle of a word is frequently changed to 
 th, or, to speak more correctly, th is added to the 
 /-sound, which is very lightly touched with the tongue ; 
 thus 'water' becomes ivattJier, 'alter' altfhcr, 'enter' 
 entthcr, &c. : this pronunciation is a universal and 
 strongly marked characteristic in the folk-speech. 
 
 Th is not heard in ' than,' ' them ' (except at the begin- 
 ning of a sentence), and 'that' (except as a demonstra- 
 tive pronoun). Participles ending in //, as kept, slept, 
 crept, &c., sometimes have the I omitted. 
 
 The interchanges of t with th and dh are so numerous 
 and various, that it is impossible to formulate rules with 
 regard to them. 
 
 U. 
 
 This vowel has the following sounds : — 
 (i) As in the ordinary pronunciation of 'full' in all 
 words where u occurs ; which is quite one of the most 
 striking points in the dialectical pronunciation. 
 
 (2) The o-sound (approximately) when followed by r, 
 as in ' hurt,' 'durst,' &c., which are sounded somewhat 
 as ho't, dost, &c. 
 
 (3) The /-sound, as mich (much), sich (such) or sike. 
 
 (4) The ^^«-sound, as seeagar (sugar), sccar (sure). 
 
 (5) The 00-sound, as boo'k (bulk). 
 
PRONUNCIATION. 63 
 
 (6) The /<?z£^-sound, as fliewte ('flute\ rhicwhiib (rhu- 
 barb). Many words in ue or iii also take this sound ; 
 thus, triew (true), bliew (blue), fn'cwt (fruit), &c. 
 
 V. 
 
 Sometimes this letter is substituted fory, as in shav 
 (sheaf). In 'over' and its compounds v is always 
 changed to w. 
 
 The 7;-sound in 'of is omitted, thus following the 
 rule of Danish speech. 
 
 TV. 
 
 In the words 'who' and 'whose' the w is ver}^ 
 distinctly pronounced ; the dialectical forms of these 
 words are ivJieea and wheeas. 
 
 X, 
 
 In some words this letter is changed to the 5-sound 
 simph^, as e. g. ass'l (axle). 
 
 And the same remark applies to place-names in which 
 X occurs, as Asby (Haxby), Wheesla (Whixley). 
 
 Y. 
 
 Some words beginning with a, 0, or Jio prefix y before 
 the vowel-sound, as yal (ale), yance (once), yat (hot), &c. 
 
 Ey or ay final is generally pronounced as short <7, 
 especially in place-names or surnames, as Harlsa, 
 Helmsla, Pockla, Bev'la, Sprautla, Yearsla, Hartla, Bentla, 
 Pay la, &c. 
 
 The old pronunciation of 'oven ' wdiS yewn ] it is still 
 occasionally heard. 
 
 Z. 
 
 This letter sometimes takes the place of s, as doze 
 (dose), iiz (us); but in such cases it is only lightly sounded, 
 
64 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 and the ^-sound, which is a leading feature in some of 
 the Southern dialects, is by no means so in our own. 
 
 In the above alphabetical summary I have only been 
 able to give a very brief and imperfect outline of the 
 pronunciation of the folk-speech in some of its leading 
 features and other peculiarities. I have but one or two 
 further remarks to make here. 
 
 It should be obser\^ed that the ^-sound as in luc is 
 comparatively seldom heard in the dialect ; a somewhat 
 shortened use of it occurs in the case of the personal 
 pronoun /, in place of the ordinary ah, the rule 
 being that aJi is always used at the beginning of a 
 sentence and generally elsewhere, though occasional!}^ 
 the short <?-sound takes its place. Thus, ah 'II cum ifi 
 can, the / being sounded as a short e. 
 
 Again, the ^-sound in friend is changed into short /', 
 and that in settle into a. 
 
 The two-fold pronunciation of wind has been already 
 alluded to ; it may be noted however that the verb to 
 wind, is pronounced winnd, while the noun wavers, 
 perhaps not inappropriately, between winnd and wind, 
 the former being somewhat the commoner, though 
 Dr. Johnson seemed to prefer the other when he said, 
 on being questioned on the point, ' I cannot finnd it in 
 my minnd to call it winnd, but I can find it ni my mind 
 to call it wind.' This argument by alliteration falls to 
 the ground, however, with the Yorkshireman, who 
 always pronounces 'find' Zi?> finnd, 'mind ' sometimes 
 as minnd, but never as mind, and ' wind ' about equally 
 as winnd and wind. 
 
 Eight and ivcight are pronounced as Jietglit in ordin- 
 ary English, while in the dialect this latter word is 
 sounded as heyte, or nearly so. The /-sound pure and 
 
PRONUNCIATION. 6^ 
 
 simple, as in pine, is very rarely, if ever, used. The 
 pronunciation of o as aw has been mentioned above. But 
 before concluding my remarks on the pronunciation of 
 the dialect, I will give a little incident which came under 
 my own observation, and which illustrates the strong 
 leaning there is towards this treatment of the vowel- 
 sound. It was at a school inspection not far from York. 
 The inspector was giving a class of eleven boys a test 
 in dictation ; the subject was the Bear, and the beast's 
 claws were not unnaturally spoken about several times 
 in the passage read. When all was done, and the 
 work was being looked over, the inspector (who, by the 
 way, was from the South of England), was 'stagnated,' 
 as we sa}^, to find that four out of the eleven boys, 
 whenever the word daws was read, invariably wrote it 
 clothes. The poor lads must have been sorely puzzled 
 to think what a bear could possibly require clothes for, 
 but on this occasion their mother-tongue overpowered 
 their reasoning faculties. I confess I felt, as a York- 
 shireman, not altogether displeased at this indication 
 that the old speech had not quite lost its hold on the 
 rising generation, even though it might be the means 
 of bringing some of the youngsters to grief on the day 
 of the school inspection. 
 
 There is one rule of pronunciation which admits of 
 scarcely an exception, and that is with regard to the a 
 in such words as fast, glass, grass, grant, nasty, answer, 
 draft, laugh, task, &c. ; in these and in all similar cases 
 the a is sounded as in gas or mass. Master, however, 
 is pronounced maasther. 
 
 The o-sound in lost, cost, foster, and all words of that 
 kind, is short, and is never heard as if spelt au, which 
 is so universally the case in Southern England. 
 
 I must conclude this chapter with a few words as to 
 
 F 
 
66 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 the way in which th is treated in our folk-talk. Speak- 
 ing generally, there is a decided tendency to evade its 
 use. Apart from the fact that the definite article is 
 always abbreviated to /', whether before a vowel or 
 consonant, there are other usages which lead to a 
 similar elision of the aspirate ; for instance, as already 
 mentioned, than is shortened to 'an, them into *<?;;/, though 
 this latter is not peculiar to the district, and smother is 
 pronounced smoor. 
 
 On the other hand, a sound approaching the th is 
 introduced into a large class of words which do not 
 ordinarily contain it ; thus the Yorkshire for strong, 
 stride, strange, &c., is stthrang, stthrahd, stthraange, &c. 
 It is not easy to make clear in writing what this sound 
 is ; it may be said, however, that the aspirate is made 
 with the extreme tip of the tongue, and that ov\y very 
 slightly, while the closely preceding /-sound is also 
 distinctly heard. Also in words beginning with dvy 
 such as drain, dream, dress, &c., the d is changed to soft 
 dh or ddh — dJireean, dhreeam, dhriss, &c. There is again 
 in these cases a doubling of the d, like that of t in 
 words beginning with thr. 
 
 It is no easy matter for educated people to learn the 
 pronunciation of our vowel-sounds unless they have 
 from their earliest years been in the way of hearing 
 them ; for not only are they quite unlike those of 
 ordinary English in many cases, both in their forma- 
 tion and the way they are applied, but, as I have said, 
 the difficulty of hearing the dialect spoken in its 
 freedom and fulness is also an obstacle. Education too, 
 is doing its work, and among other results the young 
 people are many of them, I regret to say, ashamed of 
 their mother-tongue. And what is the consequence ? 
 Frequently either a mongrel, nondescript, neither-fish- 
 
PRONUNCIATION. 67 
 
 flesh-nor-fowl, semi-slang kind of lingo, hateful to hear, 
 or else a hum-drum, matter-of-fact, education-depart- 
 ment English, as dull and uninteresting as the Fens, 
 with no ups and downs, such as we find in our York- 
 shire folk-talk, to break the monotony of things. In 
 either case the result is not satisfactory. I remember 
 once speaking to an old Yorkshire body about the 
 speech of the present day as compared with what it was 
 half a century back. 'Aye,^ said she, 't' yung 'uns 
 dizn't talk noo leyke what tha did when ah wer a lass ; 
 there 's ower mich o' this knackin' noo : bud, as ah tells 
 'em, fooaks spoils thersens sadly wi' knackin. An' then 
 there's anuther thing ; — when deean, they can mak nowt 
 bud mashelshon on'tl ' She said truly, and the metaphor 
 was an apt one ; it is only too often the case that the 
 rising generation make nothing but ^mashelshon of 
 their 'knackin,' or fine-talk. The 'mashelshon' is a 
 mixture of wheat and rye, and like it, much of the 
 young folks' speech now-a-days is neither one thing 
 nor the other. I for one, at all events, prefer the racy 
 and forcible old folk-talk of Yorkshire as it is still here 
 and there spoken by natives who have seen three score 
 and ten or four score summers, have not had to submit 
 to the tortures of English grammar, and who have 
 never wandered far from their own heeaf. 
 
 F 2 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IDIOMS AND WORDS. 
 
 Like every other kind of speech the Yorkshire dialect 
 has its idioms. Without a knowledge of these it is 
 impossible to write it correctly or to speak it as it should 
 be spoken. Some of these usages differ but slightly from 
 ordinary English, but these may be said to form the 
 niceties of the folk-talk, and it is here that the difficulty 
 in acquiring it mainly lies. 
 
 It may possibly be found of interest if I give a few 
 examples of our idioms and modes of expression, though 
 they can only be taken as samples of hundreds of others, 
 and I shall not be able here to arrange them in any kind 
 of order. 
 
 Perhaps I can begin with no better instance than our 
 peculiar use of the verb ' to call.' In asking a person 
 his name, the Yorkshire form of the question is not 
 ' what is your name ? ' but ' w^hat do they call you ? ' 
 When examining school children in the country districts 
 it frequently happened in putting this, the first question 
 in the Catechism, to them, that I was met only with 
 vacant stares ; but the moment the form was changed 
 to that in common dialectical use the answer was in- 
 variably given. For some reason or other this first 
 question in the Church Catechism is often omitted by 
 
IDIOMS AND WORDS. 69 
 
 the teacher — a mistake surely, for many a lesson may be 
 taught from the meaning or use of a name ; and to those 
 who are inclined to pass over this important question 
 in the Catechism and who ask ' what's in a name,' I 
 reply, often a great deal. But I must not wander off 
 into by-paths. 
 
 There is another meaning of ' to call ' which is of 
 universal use throughout the district. ' To call ' people 
 means to abuse them to their faces (to abuse behind 
 their backs is to iUify), to call them bad names. Often 
 when words run high the pronoun thoo is interspersed 
 with great emphasis, thus indicating supreme contempt, 
 while in cooler moments and without emphasis it is but 
 the sign of close familiarity and friendship. There is, 
 for instance, all the difference in the world, in com- 
 mencing a sentence, between Dust ta think ? &c. and 
 Dust thoo think ? &c. The Yorkshire equivalent for ' to 
 call' anyone, in the sense of attracting their attention, is 
 'to call of him; thus we should say Noo, Polly ^ he 
 sharp ; run an' call of Tom. Similarly we say ' wait 
 of a person, never 'wait for' him. 
 
 There are two expressions in connection with the 
 verb 'to think ' which deserve notice, viz. 'think to' 
 and 'think on.' ' Think to' is equivalent to 'think of 
 in standard English, as in the phrase 'what do you 
 think to it?' 'Think on' signifies the same as 're- 
 member,' as in the sentence, N^oo, thoo mun think on. 
 This idiom is also used actively as Think ma on, i.e. 
 'remind me.' 
 
 The double negative is in universal use : it is no 
 uncommon thing to hear three or even four negatives in 
 succession where one only is required ; thus. He nivver 
 said nowt neeaivays ti neean on 'em (He never said any- 
 thing one way or another to any of them). Again, the 
 
70 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 double negative would be used in such an expression 
 as the following — He V nut putten a deal o' iiowt inti t* 
 land (He had not put much of anything into the land). 
 Times and oft when I was Inspector of Schools 
 have I heard and seen written ' Lead us not into no 
 temptation '; and this, perhaps, is as good an example as 
 any, because here the negative is thrown in when there 
 is no corresponding affirmative in the sentence, thus 
 showing what a strong tendency there is to use it. The 
 following example I cannot refrain from quoting : it 
 was said by an irate owner of a garden when peeping 
 over the wall after the reception of a few stones or other 
 missiles, and seeing a boy standing demurely, looking 
 as if butter would not melt in his mouth — neeabody 's 
 neea bisniss ti thraw nowt inti neeabody s gardin ! 
 
 There is a peculiar use of the verb 'to be' which may 
 here be noticed. The ordinary construction of the past 
 participle passive is changed to the infinitive active with 
 'be/ Thus the expression 'it will have to be taken up' 
 becomes in dialectical form it 7/ be ti tak up. Or again, 
 at a game at cricket, for instance, some one disputes the 
 word of the umpire, and indignantly exclaims : Whya ! if 
 ah's oot, ail s' all be ti hug oot (Well ! if I'm out, I shall 
 have to be carried out). Or perhaps the ball is lost, 
 whereupon the fielder calls out that // '// be ti finnd, not 
 'it will have to be found.' 
 
 Again, we frequently find words verbalised, and not 
 seldom fittingly and forcibly so. Let me give one or two 
 specimens : a good example is that formed from ' over ' 
 to be overed means to be finished, and is one of our 
 commonest usages. Or take the case of the word 
 'meat,' which in the dialect, as in the Bible (Lev. xiv. lo; 
 St. Luke xxiv. 4i», &c.), means any kind of food, and not 
 simply flesh meat — which, by the way, is called butcher's 
 
IDIOMS AND WORDS. Jl 
 
 meat : to meat mysen simply means to find my own food. 
 A relative of mine once went into the cottage of a widow 
 who was very badly off: to eke out a living she took in 
 a lodger ; the house was small and the visitor expressed 
 surprise that the arrangement could be carried out, and 
 enquired how it was managed ; whereto the widow made 
 answer : Well ya see, ma'am, he meats hissen an' ah weshes 
 him, i. e. ' he finds his own food, and I wash for him.' To 
 reet means 'to set to rights,' and is used in a variety of 
 ways : sometimes ' up ' is added to the verbal form, and 
 to reet up means 'to correct,' or, as we say in Yorkshire, 
 ti stthraiten. Thus it was said to me once with reference 
 to a troublesome boy : Ah can't deea nowt wi f lad, he 
 wants sum yan ti reet him up. To hot and to bath 
 are substituted for *to heat,' and 'to bathe ' ; even such 
 phrases as to potato and to strawberry would be 
 commonly used to express to plant with potatoes or 
 strawberries. To voice a person is to make him hear 
 by calling to him, to make the voice reach him. 
 
 ' Good ' and 'bad ' have their peculiar treatment. In 
 the first place, they have the meaning of ' easy' and 'diffi- 
 cult' ; e.g. we say good ti see or bad ti seey good ti tell 
 or bad ti tell. Again, good often signifies 'well,' e.g. 
 yan mud as good stop at yam (one might as well stay at 
 home). If a thing is well made it is said to be good 
 made ; or if a sheep has a thick fleece, it is said to be good 
 wooPd, this expression being also used figuratively in the 
 sense of plucky or brave. Also we must note the verbal 
 use of the same word, which is curious ; thus ah gooded 
 mysen means ' I raised my hopes' ; it would be used in 
 such a sentence as the following : Ah gooded mysen at ah 
 could git ti f chetch ov Eeastther Day. And lastly, we 
 have the phrase a good few, meaning ' a considerable 
 number.' 
 
72 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 There '5 nowt aboot that is an expression used in an 
 argument, and signifies 'there is nothing to be said 
 against that ' ; i. e. I admit that point. He 's going in 
 twenty^ thirty, &c., i. e. ' he is in his twentieth, thirtieth, 
 &c. year.' 
 
 The dialect is proHfic in words that relate to the state 
 of a person's health or bodily condition — medical terms, 
 as we may call them. In visiting the sick, a clergyman 
 is naturally in the way of hearing man}^ words of this 
 class, some of them very peculiar. I scarcely know how 
 a south-country man who comes suddenly to practise 
 in Yorkshire escapes making an occasional blunder in 
 prescribing for his patients, at least in the case of many 
 of the old folks. 
 
 You ask a man how he is, and he says, ah '5 hctther or 
 ah^s quiet bettlier ) this does not mean that he is im- 
 proving, but that he is quite well again ; if he wished to 
 express that he was only improving, he would say ah 's 
 betther 'an what ah a'e been, and he might add bud all '5 
 nobbut badly yit. 
 
 Let us take an imaginary case which will illustrate a 
 few of these medical words and phrases. 
 
 The mother says to her neighbour, Oor Joe's leeakeda 
 bad leeak of a lang whahl, and they agree that the doctor 
 should be sent for. He comes ; and the}' explain that 
 poor Joe catch' d caiidt' last backend) it was perhaps a 
 varry blethery tahni, an' /' lad teeak neea tent of hissen ; 
 the cold clap'd on tiv his chist and he has nivver fair 
 kested it yit, he niejided a bit aboot Kessnias, and then 
 after a week or two he had some sad backenins. The 
 doctor then asks a few questions as to how the patient 
 is affected, and the mother describes that at t' fost end 
 the lad was nobbut a bit hoarst, but that he rapidly 
 warsened till at length he was fair closed up. After that, 
 
IDIOMS AND WORDS. 73 
 
 she might go on to say, he had some dcspert bad cougJiin* 
 bouts ; that he was bedfast for a fo't-nitJiy and that the 
 cough tewed him seea whahl he couldn't git neea rust 
 neeaways. This went on till the unfortunate Joe got that 
 waakly an' doddhery whahl he could hardlins trail hissen 
 across f chaam'r fleear; at times he would be full of 
 pain, perhaps his back would wark whahl he didn't knaw 
 hoo ti bahd ; they tried oils and all manner of stuff to 
 try to dill the pain when it was on him, but it was all ti 
 neea use. The mother would perhaps relate that she 
 herself had been poorly with nursing her son, and had 
 got a cough ; but she did not think the complaint was 
 smitting, but that, what with one thing or another, she 
 was quiet stall' d oot, that she had now gotten ti t' far end, 
 and send for the Doctor she must ; and when he had 
 come and examined her son she might ask him if he 
 thought the illness had not- sadly fleeced the invalid, and, 
 if the case was serious, whether he thought there was 
 still onny mends for him. He takes the doctor's medicine, 
 and for a time possibly there is no visible improvement, 
 he nowther dees nor dows, or he niaks poorly oot] but 
 after a time a change takes place ; after several bottles 
 of stuff, another is sent which caps him, and in the end 
 he nips aboot as cobby as owt, 
 
 A severe pain would not be said to be hard to bear, 
 but bad ti bahd. If one feels shivery and shaky, as if 
 some poisonous matter had got into one's very bones 
 and blood, we sometimes say that we are all iv a atterill. 
 Many other examples under this head might be quoted, 
 but these must suffice. 
 
 In no department does the dialect retain such a strong 
 hold as in agricultural terms. Whether we look at the 
 fields, the plants, tools, implements, work, men, horses, 
 cattle, sheep, poultry, carts, harvest, corn, the dairy, or 
 
74 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 anytliing else connected with the farm, we find any 
 number of quaint words and phrases, most of which 
 have been handed down from father to son through 
 many long year-hundreds. 
 
 Let us walk through f staggarth yat and take our 
 stand there for a moment. What do we see ? There 
 lies before us the good aiCd swath which is used for /* 
 coo-pastur) beyond on one side is another swath-garth 
 which has just been mucked ower wi good manishment 
 preparatory for hay-tahm, and in hope of a good fog 
 afterwards ; on the left hand is t^ aiCd twenty yacker 
 liggin I fatigh, in which two ploughs are now at work, 
 and being strongish land and hot weather the horses 
 are weeantly tcw'd] but it is now lowsin talini, and /* 
 hames and harfanis will shortly be hung up till next 
 morning, when the horses will again h^ yoked. There on 
 the ground lie the gearing and swingle-trees , and hard 
 by is an old harrow with its hulls brokken. 
 
 At \he: far-end o^ \hQ field is Ned, j'«/^ o' t' daytal men, 
 liggin a hedge ; although gallick-handed he is a don hand 
 at t' job. Not far off is his young son coming home after 
 flaayin^ crecaks all da}^ long, while his siill younger 
 brother has been tentin' f coos i f looans. The hedges, 
 whether ' laid ' in the ordinar}^ way, or whether in stake 
 an' yether, all look neat, and the cam-sides are well 
 cleaned. But we must take a look at the dairy, and on 
 our way back through the staggarth we see some nice 
 cletches of chickens picking away at the remains of some 
 hinder-ends and caff. The dairy is well kept, with its 
 cream pankins, silcs, briggs, skeels, piggins, and all the 
 rest of it, though now-a-days skeels and piggins have 
 given place to cans of a different sort. Perhaps one of 
 the cows has just cau'ven and there are some jars of 
 beeas'lins with which to make puddings for the household. 
 
IDIOMS AND WORDS. 75 
 
 The newty-made butter is well blaked, but some of the 
 cream looks a bit bratty. 
 
 No better Yorkshire was spoken than in the hay- 
 field or harvest-field before machinery was as much 
 used as it is now. How delightful on the early morn- 
 ing in July to hear the music of the strickle against the 
 old leea\ in other words, the sharpening — sharping 2i?, we 
 call it — of the scythe, made by three or four stalwart 
 mowers. The gess as it lay i sweeath caught the rays of 
 the rising sun, which, aided by the spreedin of the hay- 
 makers, quickly did its work ; then some of the hands 
 would put in to pave the way for the rakers, and thus 
 the hay in time was got into windrow preparatory to 
 being put into cock or pike ; or, if the weather happens to 
 be wank/e, all the hands are at work to get the partly- 
 made hay off f gt^unnd and into lap-cock, which was a 
 sort of twisted armful lightly laid on the ground. 
 
 If a 'foreigner^ were to go about among the men, he 
 might catch such words as limmers, leading, shelvins, 
 skell up, teeam, bleck, thill-horse, or sniibbits, and perhaps 
 he might not be much the wiser. The hales or steer- 
 tree of a plough might even sound strange to him, if he 
 happened to get upon that subject. 
 
 Possibly one field on the farm is nowt bud reins an 
 geirs, another is seeavy or sumpy, or others full of bull 
 fronts, brassies, ketlocks, kelks or weeds of some kind or 
 other, which require hand-lukin at times. 
 
 If, at another time of the year, the stranger were to 
 look for a moment towards the stacks, he might see here 
 on the ground a dess or two of hay ready to be put into 
 the heck, or there, a bottle of straw for bedding. Away 
 in a grip in one of the fields the hind sees yan o' f yows 
 rigg-welted, and quickly sets her on her feet again : he 
 looks at her with some interest, for it is near clippin- 
 
76 
 
 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 fahn ; he finds that the hogs will require well iveshing 
 ti year, for there's a vast o' cotty 'iins aniang 'em. 
 
 Many old words keep dropping out of use in the 
 speech of the country folk, but perhaps not quite so 
 rapidly as some suppose. The dialect is not quite dead 
 yet. Let us take as a test of this the Glossary at the end 
 of vol. ii. of Marshall's Rural Economy of Yorkshire, 2nd 
 edition, 1796. This work concerns the North and East 
 Ridings, so that it is well suited for our purpose. 
 
 A correspondent from the neighbourhood of Kirby 
 Moorside, whose memory ranges over the past forty 
 years, has given me, firstly, a list of those words which 
 during that period (1851-1891) he does not remember 
 ever to have heard at all, and secondly those which 
 have become obsolete in his district during the same 
 interval. It must be borne in mind that this is but a 
 rough-and-ready test, and only applies to a very limited 
 area. 
 
 I. Words not heard from 1851 to 1891. 
 
 Addiwissen : a fool's errand 
 (nearly obsolete in 1796). 
 
 Aiger : a tide wave. 
 
 Aither : a flowing. 
 
 Angles : the holes or runs of 
 moles, field-mice, &€. 
 
 Ass-card : fire shovel. 
 
 Aumas : an alms. 
 
 Average : the pasturage of 
 common fields and other 
 stubbles after harvest. 
 
 Badger : a huckster. 
 
 Bauf : well-grown, lusty. 
 
 Beesucken : applied to theash 
 when its bark is cankerous. 
 
 Belive : in the evening. 
 
 Booac : to reach. 
 
 Boorly : gross or large made. 
 
 Bride-door. 
 
 Bride-wain. 
 
 Bun : a hollow stalk. 
 
 Buver : the gnat. 
 
 Canty : lively. 
 
 Capes : ears of corn broken 
 off in thrashing. 
 
 Clapperclaw : to beat with 
 the open hand. 
 
 Clavver : to clamber as chil- 
 dren. 
 
 Dindle : to experience a sort 
 
IDIOMS AND WORDS. 
 
 77 
 
 of tremulous sensation after 
 a blow. 
 Dordum : a riotous noise. 
 Dorman : the beam of a bed- 
 room floor. 
 Dove : to doze, 
 Dowled : flat (of liquor). 
 Droke : darnel. 
 
 Eased : dirtied. 
 
 Elsin : an awl. 
 
 Falter : to thrash barley in 
 the chaff in order to break 
 off the awns. 
 
 Fastness-een : Shrove Tues- 
 day. 
 
 Fey : to winnow with the 
 natural wind. 
 
 Fezzon-on : to seize fiercely. 
 
 Fleaks : hurdles woven with 
 twigs. 
 
 Flig : able to fly. 
 
 Fooaz : to level the top of a 
 fleece of wool with shears. 
 
 Frag : to fill full. 
 
 Frem : strange. 
 
 Fruggan : an oven poker. 
 
 Gammer : to idle. 
 
 Garfits : garbage. 
 
 Glead : the kite. 
 
 Glut : a large wooden wedge. 
 
 God sharld : God forbid. 
 
 Gossip : a godfather, 
 
 Groze : to save money. 
 
 Hagsnare ; a stub. 
 
 Heap : a quarter of a peck. 
 
 Hip : to skip in reading. 
 
 Hurn : the space between the 
 sides of an open chimney 
 and the roof of the house. 
 
 Jaup : to make a noise like 
 
 liquor agitated in a close 
 vessel. 
 
 Keeans : scum of ale. 
 
 Kimlin : a large dough-tub. 
 
 Kin : a chop in the hand. 
 
 Lafter : all the eggs laid be- 
 tween two separate brood- 
 
 mgs. 
 
 Lairock : the skylark. 
 Leap : a large deep basket. 
 Leathe : to relax. 
 Leathwake : lithe, flexible. 
 Leaze : to pick out by the 
 
 hand. 
 Leeav : to walk heavily. 
 Leeavlang : oblong. 
 Leer : a barn. 
 Maiz : a kind of large light 
 
 hay basket. 
 Mang : a mash of bran, malt, 
 
 &c. 
 Mauf : a brother-in-law. 
 Maul : a beetle. 
 Mauls : mallows. 
 Maund : a large basket. 
 Meals : mould, earth, &c. 
 Mealin : an oven broom. 
 Moot out : to break out into 
 
 holes as old clothes. 
 Murl : to crumble as bread 
 
 (verb active). 
 Nat : a straw mattress. 
 Neeze : to sneeze. 
 Nowt-herd : a keeper of cat- 
 tle. 
 Orling : a stinted child. 
 Osken : an ox-gang. 
 Owerwelt : laid on the back 
 
 (of a sheep). 
 Pannel : a soft packsaddle. 
 
•8 
 
 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Pick up : to vomit. 
 
 Picks : the suit of diamonds 
 in cards. 
 
 Piggin : a small wooden 
 drinking-vessel. 
 
 Pot-kelps : the loose bow or 
 handle of a porridge-pot. 
 
 Prood-tailier : the goldfinch. 
 
 Pubble : plump, full-bodied 
 (as corn). 
 
 Reeang'd : discoloured in 
 stripes. 
 
 Renky : tall and athletic. 
 
 Rie : to turn corn in a sieve. 
 
 Roil : to romp as a boy. 
 
 Rowt : to low as cattle. 
 
 Rassell'd : withered, as an 
 apple. 
 
 Sark : a shirt. 
 
 Saul : a kind of moth. 
 
 Scalderings : the under- 
 burnt cores of stone lime. 
 
 Shandy : somewhat crazy. 
 
 Side : long, deep. 
 
 Sind : to rinse, or wash out. 
 
 Snooac : to smell in a snuff- 
 ing manner. 
 
 Sowl : to pull about in water. 
 
 Spaw : the spit of a pen. 
 Speng'd : pied, as cattle. 
 Spires : timber stands (not 
 
 common). 
 Spittle : a little spade. 
 Spoil : the weaver's quill. 
 Stife : strong tasted. 
 Stoven : a sapling shoot. 
 Strum : the hose, used in 
 
 brewing, &c., to keep the 
 
 tap free. 
 Swatch : a pattern of cloth. 
 Teylpeyat : a tell-tale. 
 Twitters : thread unevenly 
 
 spun is said to be in twit- 
 ters. 
 Uvver : upper. 
 Wallaneering : an expression 
 
 of pity. 
 Wazistheart : an expression 
 
 of condolence. 
 Wead : very angry. 
 Whittle : a pocket-knife. 
 Wike : the corner of the 
 
 mouth or eye. 
 Wun : to live or abide. 
 Yowl : to howl as a dog. 
 
 Now it may happen that words which have fallen out 
 of use in one district survive in another. It is so in the 
 present instance. In this parish, Newton-on-Ouse, 
 eight miles north-west of York, the following from the 
 above list are still, even at this date (1891), current coin, 
 though it is true some are interchanged but seldom. 
 
 Aumas, Beesucken, Booac or Boak, Buver or Buer, Canty, 
 Dordum, Elsin, Falter, Fezzon on, Flig, Gammer, Garfits, 
 Glut, Jaup, Lafter, Leap (a fisherman's basket), Leathwake, 
 
IDIOMS AND WORDS. 
 
 79 
 
 Leeavlang, Piggin (a milking-pail), Renky, Sark, Sind, Sowl 
 Spittle, Teylpeyat (now pronounced Tellpyat), Wike, Yowl. 
 
 It is possible that others might be added to these, for 
 in certain cases, unless special enquiry were made, they 
 might easily escape notice. The word aiger would 
 hardly be heard except on a tidal river, but the cry wahr 
 aiger raised by the boatmen when the approaching tidal 
 wave is visible, is still common on the lower part of the 
 river Ouse. 
 
 Other of the words quoted may retain their hold in 
 other parts, e. g. doven, another form of dove (to slumber), 
 is still heard in the Wold country, and in one locality in 
 the East Riding nowttherer, another form of nowtherd, is 
 also in use. 
 
 2. Words gradually fallen out of use in the interval 
 1851-1891 {as above stated). 
 
 Ananters : lest, in case. 
 
 Ar : a scar. 
 
 Arf: afraid. 
 
 Ark : a large chest. 
 
 Backbeearaway : the bat. 
 
 Blendings : peas and beans 
 grown together. 
 
 Botchet : mead. 
 
 Breea : the brink of a river. 
 
 Broach : the spire of a 
 church. 
 
 Bummle-kites : blackberries. 
 
 Burden-band : a hempen hay 
 band. 
 
 Cake : to cackle as geese. 
 
 Cazzons : dried dung of cat- 
 tle. 
 
 Char : to chide. 
 
 Chunter : to repine at trifles. 
 
 Clawer : clover. 
 
 Cod : a pod. 
 
 Coop : an ox-cart without 
 
 shelvings. 
 Coor : to crouch. 
 Cowdy : pert. 
 Cowstriplings : cowslips. 
 Cruse : pleased. 
 Cushia : cow-parsnip, 
 Dessably : orderly. 
 Doory : very little. 
 Dow : to thrive. 
 Downdinner : afternoon 
 
 luncheon. 
 Draff : brewer's grains. 
 Duds : clothes. 
 Faantickles : freckles on the 
 
 face. 
 Faff: to blow in puffs. 
 Fixfax : the sinews of the 
 
 neck of cattle. 
 
8o 
 
 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Fowt : a fool. 
 Gad : a long rod or whip. 
 Gallick-handed : left-handed. 
 Gamashes : gaiters. 
 Gauve : to stare vacantly. 
 Glorfat : very fat. 
 Gotherly : affable. 
 Gowpen : two hands together 
 
 full. 
 Graith : riches. 
 Har : a strong fog. 
 Haver : oats. 
 Hotter : to shake. 
 Hurple : to stick up the back 
 
 (of cattle). 
 Kelter : state. 
 
 Mainswear : to swear falsely. 
 Met : two bushels. 
 Mint : to make a feint. 
 Moy : muggy. 
 Nithered : perishing with 
 
 cold. 
 Old farrand : old-fashioned. 
 Over get : to overtake on a 
 
 road. 
 Owergait : a gap in a hedge. 
 Pulsey : a poultice. 
 
 Purely : pretty well. 
 Ripple : to scratch as with a 
 
 pin. 
 Rooter : a kind of rushing 
 
 noise. 
 Rush : a meeting. 
 Scaldered : chafed. 
 Scug : to hide. 
 Sidelong : to fetter cattle. 
 Sie : to stretch. 
 Scraffle : to crawl in haste. 
 Skeller : to squint. 
 Snevver : slender and neat. 
 Speck : the heel-piece of a 
 
 shoe. 
 Spalder : to spell. 
 Stark : tight. 
 Sunder : to air. 
 Swaimish : bashful. 
 Taal : to settle in a place. 
 Thaavle : a pot-stick. 
 Unkard : strange. 
 Weea (to be) : to be sorry. 
 Whimly : softly. 
 Woonkers : an exclamation. 
 Yaud : a riding-horse. 
 
 The same remark applies to this as to the former list 
 of words. Many of them are at this time in common, or 
 fairly common, use in the district where I live. The 
 following are some such : — 
 
 Arf, Blendings, Chunter, Cod, Cruse, Deeary (another 
 form of Doory), Dow, Duds, Faantickles, Fowt, GaUick- 
 handed, Gauve, Glorfat, Hurple, Kelter, Mint, Nithered, 
 Old-farrand, Sie. 
 
 I am strongly of opinion that, in spite of the great 
 tendency to decay in our dialect during recent years, 
 
IDIOMS AND WORDS. 8l 
 
 there are still many more archaic words and expressions 
 in use in certain parts here and there than some of us 
 have any idea of. I know by my own experience in one 
 district at least that this is the case. It is true the old 
 words and phrases are not now so often heard by 
 educated people as they used to be ; the country folk 
 are much more shy of using them before strangers than 
 they were ; but for all that, they are used largely by 
 many of the elderly inhabitants when conversing freely 
 among themselves. 
 
 It only remains for me to add a few idioms and 
 verbal usages of a general character, most of which have 
 occurred to me in conversation with our folk from time 
 to time, some of them very frequently. 
 
 Miscellaneous examples of idioms and verbal 
 
 usages. 
 
 To. This preposition has one or two peculiar usages : 
 thus, instead of ' of no use ' we say to no use. Also we say, 
 What will you take to your dinner ? instead of /or your dinner. 
 Or again, Do you take butter to your bread .^ 
 
 There isn^t sich (or sikan) a thing. It is impossible. 
 
 // means nowt. It matters nothing. 
 
 T' au'd man, f au'd woman. These are synonymous with 
 Father and Mother, and are not so used with any idea of dis- 
 respect, but merely in a matter-of-fact way. 
 
 Other tweea, three, &c. Two, three, &:c., more. 
 
 Consider of it. Consider it. 
 
 To happen an accident. To have an accident. 
 
 Ah 'II tell ya. I assure you ; or as an intensive, e. g. ' bud 
 ah '11 tell ya, sha 's that badly whahl she can tak nowt ' (but I 
 assure you she is so poorly that she can take nothing). ' Ah 
 had ti run, ah '11 tell ya ' (I had to run hard). 
 
 Recollect. The verb remember is seldom used, recollect being 
 generally substituted ; though tell is common also, as in the 
 phrase ' Sen ah can tell' (Since I can remember). 
 
 G 
 
82 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 To /mve a rig/if is equivalent to ' ought,' or 'in duty bound,' in 
 such a phrase as the following: 'He's gotten a weyfe an' 
 bairns, an' he 's a right ti keep 'em.' 
 
 To take. To look, to consider, e. g. ' Tak it this waa}-,' i. e. 
 consider it in this light. 
 
 All as one. One and the same thing. 
 
 Satisfied. Certain : e. g. ' noo, ah 's satisfied it 's reet.' 
 
 To show. To appear : e. g. ' He shows a decent lad.' 
 
 Want. The use of this word is peculiar ; it is almost 
 equivalent to ' ought ' : for instance, ' Do those letters want 
 posting ? ' is equivalent to ' Ought those letters to be posted ? ' 
 Again, ' Does that parcel want to go ? ' is the same as saying 
 ' Has, or ought, that parcel to go ? ' I may add that this 
 usage is not confined to country folk only, but applies more 
 or less to all classes ; it is a north-country idiom. 
 
 Good tJwwt. Presence of mind. Such an expression as 
 ' presence of mind ' would not be used b}^ our older country 
 folk, the nearest equivalent being that here given. 
 
 Best ends. Best sample of anything, as apples, potatoes, &c. 
 
 What. Used interjectionally to express uncertainty ; e. g. 
 ' There '11 be— what— mebbe a scoore.' 
 
 Forced. Obliged, 
 
 Start. Begin. These two last-named equivalents, ' obliged ' 
 and ' begin,' are never used in the dialect. 
 
 Oor. Our ; in the sense of belonging to the family of 
 the speaker: e.g. 'Ah seed oor Sam' (I saw my brother 
 Sam). 
 
 Hard eneeaf. Without doubt. Example: ' Yon '11 be him 
 hard eneeaf.' 
 
 Not suited. Not pleased, or greatly displeased ; e. g. ' He 
 wasn't seea varry weel suited.' 
 
 By noo. By this time. 
 
 Hard an' fast asleep. Fast asleep. 
 
 T^ length oviH. The extent of it. 
 
 It meead us 'at wa couldn't. It was impossible for us. 
 
 To tell of To tell. 
 
 He and site. It is very common for the husband or wife 
 to be alluded to by this pronoun without any kind of pre- 
 vious mention that it is the husband or wife that is being 
 spoken of: thus the wife would say of her husband, 'He 'II 
 
IDIOMS AND WORDS. 83 
 
 be here inoo,' instead of calling him by his Christian name 
 or ' my husband.' 
 
 Went foreign. Went to foreign parts ; went abroad. 
 
 A deal. Many ; e. g. ' a deal on 'em diz it.' ' A varr}'- deal ' is 
 equivalent to ' a great many.' 
 
 To reckon nowt on. To think lightly of; e. g. ' Ah reckons 
 nowt on 't.' 
 
 He is sairly off on '/. He is very ill. 
 
 We are off away. We are going away from home. 
 
 Ah thowt for ti cum. I thought about coming, or intended 
 to come. 
 
 Year upon year. Year after year. 
 
 Ah unbefhowt inysen. I thought it over again, and found 
 out my mistake. 
 
 Along of or All along of Inconsequenceof ; e.g. ' Itwarn't 
 along o' me, it wer all along of him ' 
 
 Ah deean't want nobbut yan. This is a common way of 
 expressing ' I only want one.' 
 
 To fare on. To manage, to carry on, to do ; e, g. it would 
 be said we fared on in such and such a way for a time. 
 
 To. This preposition is sometimes used in the sense of 
 ' except ' or ' all but ' ; e. g. We lost them to three or four, i. e. all 
 but three or four. 
 
 To lay out. To explain ; e.g. 'When he laid it oot tiv her 
 sha could mak nowt on 't' 
 
 To set it aboot. To spread a report ; e. g. ' Sha set it aboot 
 'at ah 'd taen t' childer fra t' skeeal.' 
 
 To'n ti f deear. To turn out of doors. 
 
 Aleean. This is an abbreviation for ' let aleean,' i. e. to say 
 nothing of: e. g. Q. ' Is 't teeaf ? ' A. ' A3^e, it 's bad ti pull, 
 aleean choppin.' 
 
 To get up. To become fine (of the weather) ; e. g. ' Will t' 
 daay git up, thinks-ta 1 ' 
 
 Nowt seea and Neean seea. Not so, not so much ; literally, 
 nothing so : e. g. ' Ah 's nowt seea leeam bud what ah can gan 
 ti t' chetch.' ' There 's neean seea monny on 'em.' 
 
 To have it over with. To talk it over with. 
 
 Nookin or neeakin. Sitting in a chimney corner. 
 
 Ginger hair. This is the invariable expression for red or 
 light hair. 
 
 G 2 
 
(S4 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Putten oot o' /' rooad. Buried (of people or animals). 
 
 To put sideways or sideway. To put aside. 
 
 To jump until. To meet by chance. 
 
 A week was last Tliursday. A periphrasis for last Thurs- 
 day week. 
 
 Some, other some. Some, some. Also used as an equiva- 
 lent for ' others ' ; e. g. ' Some leeaked betther 'an other some.' 
 
 Aether thriiff or by. Either through or by the side of; an 
 expression equivalent to ' by hook or by crook.' 
 
 Z' bairns could tell t ' keeakfra V piece on 7. This was said to 
 me by an old man when describing the dearness of bread in 
 former days, implying that they had to be very careful. 
 
 Seea thoo knaws. Commonly said as a finale after two 
 parties have come to high words. 
 
 Noo ah 'II tellya what. Used in beginning a storj' intro- 
 duced into a conversation ; a new start or departure. 
 
 Good ti nowt. Of no use, good for nothing. 
 
 Like all that. Like anything ; e, g. ' He row'd amang 'em 
 like all that.' 
 
 Ah can't deea reel. This expression is used in the sense of 
 ' I fail to please ' (as a servant, for instance). 
 
 Ah leyke jwwtlier fegg nor shell on '/. I don't like the look 
 of it at all. 
 
 // '5 weel spokken 'at '5 weel Id en. (Old Yorkshire.) 
 
 When a man tries to talk in a more refined way than he is 
 accustomed, he is said to knack ; but there is another mode 
 of expressing the same thing, which is by sa3ang that he is 
 scraping his tongue. 
 
 It rains heavens high. It pours in torrents, especiall}' if 
 accompanied by wind. 
 
 It hardens oot. It is taking up ; said of the weather clear- 
 ing up after a heav}^ rain, and especially after one of long 
 continuance : the idea is that before the weather can become 
 settled, there must be an interval during which the ' harden- 
 ing out ' process goes on. 
 
 I add here a few sayings that have been communicated 
 to me by a correspondent. 
 
 That 's what ah wared on 't, nowther a hau'penu}' mair ner 
 
IDIOMS AND WORDS. 85 
 
 a farden less.' (To ware is the common expression for to 
 ' spend.') 
 
 A labourer being asked whether a speculation which he 
 had made in hay answered, said, ' Ah nivver reckoned it ; if 
 ah lost, it wer nowt ti neeabody, an' if ah gaaned ah warn't 
 boun ti give it away.i 
 
 ' If he can't lead he weean't pull i t' pin.' Said of a head- 
 strong man who wants it all his own wa3^ The allusion is 
 to the old-fashioned way of yoking horses in a cart, the pin 
 being the middle place of three horses in line. 
 
 ' Ah can hardlins addle mysen heat,' said by an old stone- 
 breaker as he sat on his heap of stones one cold November 
 day. 
 
 ' Ah can't mak good breead when t' beeans is i flooer.' 
 This is a common saying, the idea being that the smell from 
 the bean-flowers affects the yeast, and so the bread cannot 
 be good at that time ! 
 
 ' Ah deean't want ti teeam wahrm watther doon his back ' ; 
 that is, I don't want to praise him. 
 
 • Yan can't mak a sho't keeak oot of a watther skeel,' said 
 of a stingy person. 
 
 ' He started on wi vulgar fractions, an' catch'd him yan on 
 t' heck.' Part of the description of a row that took place at 
 an inn in the old coaching days. 
 
 ' He 's a neyce young man, but he hezn't lost t' yalla off his 
 neb ' ; i. e. he is very green. 
 
 ' It 's leyke gittin' a-gait ti mend au'd cleeas ; there 's mair 
 hooals 'an yan thinks for i t' lahinin.' Said of cutting some- 
 dead boughs out of a tree. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 FORCEFULNESS OF THE DIALECT. 
 
 The old-fashioned Yorkshireman can best express 
 himself in his own dialect ; he at all events can make it 
 cut deeper than any attempts at Queen's English. 
 There are scores of words and phrases in daily use 
 among our country folk which appear to me, and I believe 
 to most lovers of the old Yorkshire folk-talk, to carry 
 with them a strong expressiveness, a raciness, perhaps 
 I should rather say, which their equi\''alents in ordinary 
 English certainly do not seem to possess in like degree. 
 Any person who will take the trouble to investigate and 
 study our Northern dialect as it deserves to be studied, 
 will find in it much to repay him ; and unless I am mis- 
 taken, he will be surprised what a rich storehouse of 
 words full of power and interest, of terse and quaint 
 expressions, and of forcible phraseology, lies concealed 
 in the unwritten traditional mother-tongue of our sturdy 
 Yorkshire folk. It is a subject to which too little atten- 
 tion has been given in days gone by. The English 
 Dialect Society was not established a day too soon. It 
 has done a great deal, and will no doubt do more. One 
 of the latest outcomes of the work of the English Dialect 
 Socie*"y is the making up of a Dialect Dictionary, which 
 of itself is no small result of its labours, and cannot but 
 prove a valuable addition to dialectical literature. It is, 
 
FORCEFULNESS OF THE DIALECT. 87 
 
 however, very desirable that those who are engaged in 
 any such work should, as far as may be, gain or verify 
 their information at first hand, I mean from the lips of 
 the country folk themselves. This, through the rapid 
 spread of education, is daily becoming more and more 
 difficult ; but still, even at this time of day, a great deal 
 may be learnt from them which is worth noting, in the 
 lingering archaicisms of the country speech. 
 
 I should like to illustrate my meaning by a few 
 examples ; though among so many that occur, it is hard 
 to make a choice. 
 
 Perhaps I cannot give a better example by way of 
 beginning than one alluded to in the last chapter ; I 
 mean the very frequent use that is made of the expres- 
 sion to think on in the sense of 'to keep in mind,' 'to 
 remember,' ' not to forget.' I may observe that the stress 
 in uttering it is laid on the last word. This phrase has 
 always seemed to me to be full of force. We say in 
 common parlance 'hold on,' as when a man lays hold 
 on the end of a rope and is bidden not to let it go : he 
 has to keep it in his hand. So here : when a child is 
 told something by its parent, the command is frequently 
 added that it is to mind and think on ; it has, that is to 
 say, to keep what it has been told in the grasp of the 
 memory and not let it go. And while on the subject of 
 the memory I will mention another word which I do not 
 think is common to the rest of England, but rather 
 peculiar to the North ; I mean off in the sense of ' by 
 heart.' When a teacher, for instance, has given a child 
 something to commit to memory, he will ask after a 
 time if the youngster has it off, by which he means, is he 
 able to repeat it by heart ? There is also another sense 
 in which the word off is used. When a man, for 
 example, wishes to say that he is on the point of going 
 
<S8 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 somewhere, that he is just going to depart, the common 
 phrase is ah ^sfor off. 
 
 Another word which expresses a great deal in small 
 compass isfcnd : you see perhaps a poor helpless crea- 
 ture in a household who never can do anything for 
 herself, and who is a hindrance rather than a help in 
 the work of the house ; of such an one we say that she 
 can't fend for herself. And so, too, we use the same 
 expression of one who is clumsy or awkward in moving 
 about and gets in the way of others ; of such it would be 
 said that she has no fend dhoxit her. The word is also 
 used very aptly of a person making his own way in the 
 world ; or again, of an animal which no longer requires 
 the care of its mother. It is hard to see why so good 
 a word as this does not find a place in the literary 
 language, and it is not to be forgotten that we have our 
 country folk to thank for preserving it to us. 
 
 As a further illustration we might take the verb tew, 
 which is universally used throughout the district, and 
 in a great variety of ways. It is in its idea closely 
 associated with any kind of unusual exertion or work to 
 which the agent or workman has applied himself with 
 more than ordinary vigour. If, for instance, a child is 
 restless and fidgetty in bed, the mother complains that 
 it is tewing itself. If a man is anxious about his crops 
 in a wankle time, he will bestow such extra labour upon 
 them as to tew himself; or if a farmer's horses are 
 ploughing in strong land that is clum, they will teiv them- 
 selves till they get into what is called a muck lathe?'. 
 
 Again, as to other forceful expressions : when a place 
 is conveniently situated and easy of access, it is said to 
 he gain hand] and similarly, a place that is awkwardly 
 situated or un-get-at-able is said to be an tingain spot ; 
 and further, a gain road is a short road. 
 
FORCEFULNESS OF THE DIALECT. 89 
 
 If a workman is at a standstill in his work from any 
 cause — as, for example, a bricklayer for want of mortar — 
 he is said to be/ast for mortar ; and if the same workman 
 does not take kindly to his occupation, he would say that 
 he did not matter it much. Or again, when a person is 
 much occupied with work, he is throng) and if others are 
 busily engaged with him, we say that there is throng 
 deed) while the same expression would be used if there 
 were unusual stir or business going on of any kind. In 
 ordinary English we say that a person is greatly disap- 
 pointed when he finds out that he is mistaken about 
 some matter ; in Yorkshire, when this is the case, he 
 is said to be sadly begone. To ^ take away persons' 
 characters, to abuse them behind their backs, and the 
 like, is to illify them. A dull, stupid, senseless sort of 
 person is called daft or a dafty ; and from the same word 
 we have daft-heead, meaning 'a blockhead,' together 
 with daft-like, daftness, and daftish, which speak for 
 themselves. The dialectical equivalent for 'to inform a 
 man about anything,' i. e. to explain matters to him, is to 
 insense him ; the word implies more than merely telling, 
 it rather signifies to give complete information upon any 
 matter so that it can be fully comprehended : a man 
 would say that he did not understand how to do a cer- 
 tain piece of work because he was not properly insensed 
 into it : when we are fully insensed upon a subject we 
 know how to act. This old word occurs in Shakespeare, 
 although it is sometimes wrongly spelt, viz. incensed— 2X 
 least so it would seem. The following passage from 
 Richard III, Act iii. Sc. i, appears to be a case in point. 
 
 ' Think you, my lord, this little prating York 
 Was not insensed by his subtle mother 
 To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously ?' 
 
90 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Read by the light of our dialectical usage, may not this be 
 the right interpretation and spelling of the word ? It is 
 curious that a word which expresses so much should 
 now only survive in an unwritten tongue. Or again, 
 take the word hefted, which almost tells its own tale. In 
 Danish and other languages a hefte means a handle, as 
 of a knife or sword. In our dialect we speak about a 
 man being weel hefted wV brass : this surely is a more 
 forcible expression than simply saying that a man has 
 a good fortune, or that he is well off. Riches imply 
 power and influence, and he who is possessed of them 
 can wield them as a man wields a weapon or implement 
 either for defence or attack, or for accomplishing some 
 great work or end. This word, too, is to be found in 
 Shakespeare, in the expression ' tender-hefted nature ' 
 {Lear, ii. 4). 
 
 When a person attempts anything for the first time, 
 or is only beginning to get accustomed to some new 
 work or duty, we ask how h.^ frames ; that is to say, how 
 does he adapt himself to it ? what kind of promise does 
 he give of succeeding in his endeavour ? The expres- 
 sion is wide in its application, and extends to animals 
 as well as people. A horse might frame to make a good 
 hunter, or a dog to be clever with the gun. A boy who 
 is working in a careless or slovenly manner is sharply 
 pulled up and told to frame, by which he understands 
 that he is to do better, or at least make a better attempt. 
 I have even heard it said of a clergyman coming to work 
 in a new parish that he fraames middlin\ which in a 
 Yorkshireman's lips is high praise. So useful is this 
 word found to be, that a substantive corresponding to it 
 has been coined, and ?\t\\ow^ framation is not quite so 
 commonly heard as the verb from which it is derived, 
 still its meaning is well understood ; we should say, 
 
FORCEFULNESS OF THE DIALECT. 9 1 
 
 for instance, of a lad undertaking some work and not 
 succeeding in it, that he had no framatioii about him. 
 
 When a man is in low spirits he is said to feel dowly ; 
 this, too, is a word which does duty in a variety of ways, 
 and is most expressive : it is applied to things, condi- 
 tions, and places, as well as to people. 
 
 Often the employment of an appropriate word will 
 add singular force to a remark which would else be 
 comparatively tame. Thus, gi'aitJiiiig is a vocable not 
 uncommon in our folk-speech; it is used in the sense of 
 clothing, fittings, furnishings, and the like. This same 
 word was once applied in a telling manner by one who 
 had taken out a summons against a labourer for some 
 offence. The offended party was returning from the 
 magistrate who had issued the required mandate. On 
 the road he meets his antagonist, who eyed him with 
 some malevolence and curiosity. The plaintiff returned 
 the look, and called out triumphantly to the other, 
 ' Aye ! ah Ve been gittin sum graithin for tha ! ' Under 
 the circumstances, I do not know of any word that 
 would better express the state of things than that used 
 on this occasion. 
 
 Our Yorkshire folk are fond of sport, and many a 
 forcible expression might be picked up in connection 
 therewith by those who are thrown in the way of it. 
 For instance, on the morning of the day of the harriers 
 coming to the place of meeting, one man would say to 
 another in bated breath, ' We 'ev her set '; there would 
 be no mention of the word hare. It would be perfectly 
 understood that the speaker had been out with others, 
 ranging, and knew where the hare was on her ' form.' 
 
 As a rule, my fellow ' countrymen ' are supposed to 
 be pretty good judges of character, and they can some- 
 times express the good or bad side of a man in a few 
 
92 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 but telling words. I remember being told of an old stable- 
 man who, in speaking of a fellow-workman who had 
 died rather suddenly, said that John H. was one of the 
 best men that ever ate ' butter and bread ' ; he had no 
 back-door ivays about him. And I have heard of another 
 whose pithy reply to a question as to character took the 
 following form, ' Whya, there 's nut mich on him, bud 
 ivvry bit on him 's stthraight ! ' The subject was, I need 
 hardly add, not a big man. 
 
 The Yorkshireman is often wont to make a statement 
 indirectly with no little force, whereas it would ordin- 
 arily be expressed in a plain matter-of-fact sort of way. 
 To give a single example. I am reminded by a corre- 
 spondent of an old man who wished to explain that it 
 was a long time smce a certain event had taken place. 
 It would have been enough if he had said so in so 
 many words, but he chose rather to word it thus, ' Aye ! 
 there 's been a deal o' coorse weather sen then ' : in 
 this way an edge was given to his remark which made 
 it much more telling. Just in the same way, bunch is 
 the common word for 'kick,' but if the kicker wishes to 
 give a little extra force to his words, he sometimes says, 
 ' Noo ah '11 gie tha mi feeat if thoo deean't mahnd.' 
 
 Sthrovven, tJimssen, and tJintff are rather queer- 
 looking words to occur in close proximity in a short 
 sentence, but they may be 'rapped off,' as we say, quite 
 naturally by a native of the North Riding ; they were 
 so in the example I am about to give, and, I may add, 
 with considerable effect. An old dame, who had 
 received some coals from a charity, finding that a 
 smaller quantity had been allotted to her than her 
 neighbour, who was in worse circumstances, became 
 mightily indignant, and poured out the vials of her 
 wrath in no measured terms, adding as a condensed 
 
FORCEFULNESS OF THE DIALECT. 93 
 
 summary of her state of mind, ' If ah 'd a'e thowt 'at it 
 wad a'e cum ti this, ah 'd a'e sthrovven ti a'e thrussen 
 thruff widoot 'em.' Even in Yorkshire, it is to be 
 feared, pride, jealous}^, and ingratitude are not abso- 
 lutely unknown ; and it must be confessed that there was 
 just a pinch of all three in this old lady's cutting words. 
 Under the existing state of things, the payment of 
 taxes is no doubt a necessity, but to be overtaxed is not 
 only not a necessity, but is to some natures specially 
 irritating. Nevertheless, rather than that their purse 
 should suffer, or still more their principles, such sensi- 
 tive people will from time to time be found to take any 
 amount of trouble to try and get their grievances re- 
 dressed ; and who can blame them ? The sense of 
 justice is strong in all of us. It was so, beyond doubt, 
 in the case of a certain old woman from one of the dales 
 of the North Riding, of whom I was told that she one 
 day appeared before the Commissioners of Income 
 and Assessed Taxes for the district in which she lived. 
 It seems she had been surcharged for a riding-horse, 
 to her great annoyance. And so she donned her Sun- 
 day best, and in due time appeared before the said 
 Commissioners to appeal against the charge. Either 
 there was a flaw in the'formalities, or she did not state 
 her case intelligibly, or something else was wrong ; at 
 all events she did not succeed in making good her claim, 
 and she left the room somewhat crestfallen, and in a 
 very agitated frame of mind. Meeting an acquaintance 
 shortly afterwards, he asked her how it could possibly 
 be that she had not gained her point. ' Whya,' she re- 
 plied, angrily and excitedly, ' ah 'd ower good a hackle 
 o' my back ; bud ah '11 git a proper boss, an' ah '11 rahd 
 awlus ! ' 
 
 In another chapter I have drawn attention to the 
 
94 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 leading features of our dialectical vowel-sounds, and 
 among them the common change of o and oo into eca, 
 as ^^o,' dcca) ' root/ freaf. This often puzzles South- 
 erners when they hear the dialect spoken, for it fre- 
 quently makes words so pronounced sound like others 
 with a different meaning. For instance, a pauper in a 
 Union Workhouse was showing a person the beds 
 provided for the casuals, and pointing out the wooden 
 bed, and pillow of the same material, remarked, with a 
 twinkle of his e3^e betokening a certain amount of glee : 
 'Aye ! they weean't scrat their teeas thruff t' bedding.' 
 If the visitor was from a distant county^ I am afraid the 
 force of the remark would be lost upon him ; he would 
 naturally wonder what possible connection weeping had 
 with the matter. The real meaning of the word would 
 probably not occur to him. 
 
 In the dialect a cloot is generally applied to a cloth of 
 limited dimensions ; it may, however, do duty under 
 circumstances for quite a large table-cloth, in which 
 case it seems to have a force which it did not have 
 before. A clergyman's son, Robert L., tells me he 
 remembers in his young days a servant lad being allowed 
 in his father's house to come into the dining-room to 
 learn to wait, and saying to him, after vainly endeavour- 
 ing to fold up the table-cloth, ' Tak ho'd o' t' cloot, 
 Bobby, will ya?' The same gentleman, too, remem- 
 bered their housemaid, on the occasion of a dinner- 
 party, opening the dining-room door slightly, and with- 
 out even looking into the room, proclaiming through 
 the chink, ' Pleeas, we 're fast for cann'ls.' This ex- 
 pressed a good deal. It implied more than the bare fact 
 that they were without candles ; it meant that no further 
 progress could be made with the preparatio;is for dinner 
 without the said candles. The need was imperative. 
 
FORCEFULNESS OF THE DIALECT. 95 
 
 Sometimes a strong bit of Yorkshire, when accom- 
 panied with a threat, is almost overpowering. It has 
 even been known to bring a love affair to a sudden 
 termination. A story is told of a sawny old bachelor 
 in a village not far from Northallerton, who was in love 
 with a lass in a neighbouring place. He came home 
 one day to his aged mother, a black-eyed, spirited old 
 soul, whom he maintained, and who saw her home im- 
 perilled. It was late one Sunday night after meeting 
 the girl. He thus briefly described what took place. 
 ' Muther was set ower t' fire ; sha click'd up pooaker 
 an' com at ma, an' sha says, '^ If ivver thoo gans efther 
 that lass ageean, ah '11 fell tha." 'An',' he added, 'ah 
 nivver do'st.' 
 
 Every Yorkshireman knows what warniiug a child 
 means ; perhaps not a few have good reason to remem- 
 ber the force of this expression by bitter experience. 
 I do not know whether my brother ' countrymen ' 
 require more flogging than other people, but it is a 
 remarkable fact that our dialect is peculiarly rich and 
 forcible in what a Winchester School boy would call 
 ' tunding ' phrases. Ah 'II gie tha thi bats ; he bensiWd 
 hhn weel) she bray'd ma\ if thoo bunches ah Ul gie tha 
 a cloot ower f heead ) a daffener ', a good esJiin" (or 
 hezzlein') ; ah 'II dhriss (or sttrighten) tha ; ti ding doon ; 
 he fetched him a kelk ower /' shoodthers ; he leeac^d his 
 jacket) ti nevill, skelp, bazzak, pick, yeitk, &c. These, and 
 many more like them, will be familiar to many of us. 
 
 A clergyman of my acquaintance was visiting an old 
 man, who enlarged, among other things, on the devo- 
 tion of his daughter to her only child, John Robert. He 
 gave him to understand that she fairly idolised the 
 child ; and there and then seeing the boy in the street, 
 he called to him in tender tones, 'John Robert, yer 
 
9^ YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 muther wants ya.' But John Robert was not to be 
 caught without first ascertaining that the coast was 
 clear. ' Will sha wahrm ma ? ' was the lad's cautious 
 reply. The grandfather's annoyance may be better 
 imagined than described. 
 
 Occasionally in the course of conversation on the 
 most ordinary and trivial topics, we hear bits of York* 
 shire which arrest our attention by reason of their 
 raciness. Thus a Bilsdale man, in speaking of a storm 
 he was once out in while grouse driving, forcibly 
 described it as follows : he said, ' It fair teeam'd doon, 
 it stower'd, an' it reek'd, an' it drazzl'd, whahl ah was 
 wet ti t' skin an' hed'nt a dhry threed aboot ma.' 
 
 A resident in Whitby gave me some time ago an 
 account of an amusing conversation about a new- 
 coming parson into his neighbourhood. Like many 
 other clerg}^, he found it necessary to make a few 
 changes on coming to the parish. In the present case 
 the changes do not appear to have been of a very 
 violent character, but they were enough seemingly to 
 excite a few of the older inhabitants : ' Well/ was asked 
 of one of the parishioners, ' and how do you like your 
 new clergyman?' 'Whya, he 's a quiet man, bud 
 folks disn't knaw what ti mak on him ; he 's rovven 
 doon t' Ten Commandments an' the Loord's Prayer 
 an' sell'd 'em ti Tommy Tranmer for fahve shillin' ; an' 
 he wanted ti hev them uther boords doon an' all — what 
 di ya call 'em — them 'at tells what folks hez gi'en ti t' 
 chetch ; bud Jamie Smith (that 's him 'at 's chetch- 
 warner, ya knaw), he wadn't hev that ; naw, Jamie went 
 clean wahld at that ' ! 
 
 My Whitby friend also tells me of another charac- 
 teristic bit of ' Yorkshire,' which a farmer from the 
 neighbourhood once treated him to when he was apolo- 
 
FORCEFULNESS OF THE DIALECT. 97 
 
 gising to the other for his ignorance about agricultural 
 matters, but who after all was not quite so ignorant as 
 the apology seemed to imply, ' Bud,' says the farmer, 
 ' thoo knaws a vast aboot it ; ah do'st ventther wi' thee 
 for a hind/ This was taken as a high compliment, and it 
 is probable that a look of satisfaction passed over the face 
 of him who had just before professed himself unskilled in 
 the work of the farm; whereupon, the other, thinking that 
 he had perhaps gone rather too far in his remark, and 
 that his words might conceivably be taken advantage of, 
 promptly added, with true Yorkshire caution, ' Ah sud 
 mebbe a'e ti back tha oot a bit t' fo'st year ! ' 
 
 The love which every Yorkshireman has for an old 
 favourite horse is strong indeed, and when an animal 
 of this kind goes the way of all flesh the owner is often 
 wellnigh moved to tears. ^I shall never forget,' writes 
 a correspondent, 'the broken voice of my father's bailiff 
 when he came to report the death of a favourite mare 
 after a long watching; he simply said, ''it 's owered," 
 and turned away.' That announcement, brief though it 
 was, told a great deal more, so it seems to me, than 
 if expressed in any other way. 
 
 H 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SPECIMENS OF THE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 In giving examples of the traditional speech of our 
 Yorkshire countr}' folk, one naturally searches in the 
 first instance as far back as possible for specimens or 
 even traces of it ; such searching, however, is productive 
 of only meagre results. To anyone who has at all 
 studied our dialect it would be deeply interesting to have 
 before him in black and white, if it might be but a few 
 pages of a really reliable description of the unadul- 
 terated folk-talk of, say, four hundred 3^ears ago. Speci- 
 mens of Early English we have an abundant supply of; 
 but specimens of early folk- talk we have absolutely none, 
 so far as I am aware. We have nothing, for instance, to 
 show us how the sons of the soil spoke with one another 
 in the year 1500, in the dales of the East Riding or of 
 Cleveland. Whether such linguistic studies were ever 
 seriously taken in hand is doubtful ; at all events, it 
 seems that nothing of the kind has come down to us. 
 One of the earliest approaches to anything of this 
 nature is a Lowland Scottish Glossary which dates from 
 the year 1595. This Glossar}^ was appended to a Latin 
 Grammar, and the Grammar is supposed to have been 
 written by one Andrew Duncan, Rector of Dundee 
 
SPECIMENS. 99 
 
 Grammar School. Extracts from this Glossary are 
 published in an early number of the reprinted Glossaries 
 of the English Dialect Society. The folk-speech of the 
 Lowlands of Scotland bears such a strong affinity to 
 that of East Yorkshire, that a glance at Duncan's Glos- 
 sary is not without interest, albeit that its scope is 
 contracted and defective. Still, we may learn a few 
 facts from it that bear upon our subject. Thus, for 
 example, we find that certain of our Yorkshire pronun- 
 ciations of the present day are identical with those of the 
 South of Scotland at the close of the sixteenth century: as 
 instances we may quote brek for ' break,' chow for ' chew,' 
 snaw for 'snow,' blaw for 'blow,' thrced for 'thread,' 
 meer for ' mare,' and so forth ; but the list of words is 
 so limited that we cannot draw many conclusions from 
 it. A few familiar words appear among the number 
 given, viz. stope^ pig (Yorks. piggm), bladder (mud), 
 carlisJi (Yorks. cholloiis), clap, headstall, sueck, imp (to 
 insert), sheerer (harvester\ with some others. 
 
 What is most desired is however not found in Duncan's 
 Glossary, viz. a few sentences to indicate the pronun- 
 ciation at that date of ordinary vowel-sounds. One 
 would like to know, for instance, if in the folk-speech of 
 that date ' do ' was pronounced deea, (look) leeak, (dame) 
 deeam, (lame) leeam, (plough) pleeaf, (tough) tecaf, and 
 so on. One would be curious to ascertain if the 
 abbreviated definite article was in full force in the 
 middle ages as it is now; if the personal pronoun ah (I) 
 was universally used as at the present day, whether the 
 tth or ddh, another strong peculiarity of our present 
 pronunciation, was a strong peculiarity in those days. 
 Whatever our own opinions may be on these and many 
 other questions of the kind, we are in the dark as to 
 positive proof. 
 
 H 2 
 
lOO YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 The earliest example of the folk-talk in anything like 
 the true sense of the word, with which I am acquainted, 
 was written nearly a century later than the publication 
 of Duncan's Glossary. 
 
 The passage which I shall quote is from a dialogue 
 b}^ G. M. Gent, published in York in 1685, and described 
 on the title-page as ' a Yorkshire Dialogue in its pure 
 natural dialect, as it is now commonly spoken in the 
 North parts of Yorkshire.' I cannot give the entire 
 production ; the lines I quote form part of a conversa- 
 tion between a farmer, his wife, and son on agricultural 
 work. Pegg, who is first addressed, is either the 
 daughter or servant lass. The extract I have made 
 runs as follows : — 
 
 ' Mother. — You set yan on un scape an' than you rewe 
 Greeat matters of an angry word I trowe. 
 Strahd, lass, an' clawt sum eldin oot o t' hurne, 
 Then gan thy ways an' fetch a skeel o' burn, 
 An' hing t' pan ower t' fire i t' reckon crewk 
 An' ah 'se wesh t' sahl an dishes up i t' neuk. 
 
 Fat/ier.— Pray thee deea, Pegg; then ah 'se get up 
 i t' morn 
 An' late sum pokes, an' put up wer seed corn : 
 Then thoo may sarra t' gawts an' gilts wi draff, 
 An' ah 'se give t' yawds sum hinderends an' caff: 
 Then for wer breeakasts thoo may heeat sum cael 
 Till ah lie by ray shack- fork an' my flail; 
 An', John, mak riddy my harrows an' my plewgh, 
 An', he an ah, Pegg, sail deea weel eneugh. 
 Ah 've heeard it talk'd an' noo t' trewth ah 've funnd, 
 Amell tweea steeals t' tail may fall ti t' grunnd. 
 Ah lited on Hobb, an he lited on me, 
 An' nowt at all is riddy, that ah see ; 
 Nowther traces, hames, nor barfans ti finnd. 
 Swingle-trees nor belters, all 's made an ill end. 
 Bud tweea days sen ah 'se seear the}^ wer all here, 
 Hung on an heeap i t' midst of oor laer fleear. 
 

 • , ■ . • '.','.■'- ^ 
 
 SPECIMENS. 101 
 
 Son. — Faether, they 're Hggin all on oor faugh lands ; 
 Ah trailed 'em theer mysell wi my awn hands. 
 
 Father. — Thoo 's a good lad, my Hobb, that teeak 
 sike care : 
 Is t' yoaks an' bows an' gad an yoaksticks theer? 
 
 Son. — A3-e, Aye ; an' t' plewgh-staff teea, hopper 
 an' teems ; 
 Wa lack nowt bud a bay stag o' min eems 
 'At we 're ti yoak i t' plewgh afoor wer yawds, 
 An' then ah 'se seear we 'se rahve up all adawds. 
 
 Father. — Ne'er rack, ne'er rack ; we 'se tak neea thowt 
 for that ; 
 Ah 'se seear 'at it '11 bahd us billing at. 
 Oor land is tewgh, an' full o' Strang wickens. 
 Cat whins, an seeavy furs, an monny breckins : 
 It 's nowt bud gorr, it ploshes under feeat ; 
 Wa 'se finnd trouble eneugh when wa cum ti it. 
 
 Son. — Lythe ya, lythe ya, how fondly you talk 
 You think we 'se mak monny ill-favart bawke. 
 When wa do plew, wa mun tak tahm ah reed ; 
 Ah 've heeard folks offens say mair heeast warse speed'. 
 T' feck on 't 's gripp'd, an t' watther runs away ; 
 Ah w^as at t' field mysell, and saw 't ti-day. 
 It '11 bring as good blendings ah dar say 
 As ivver grew a reeat in onny clay.' 
 
 In the original; from which this is taken, there are 
 misleading spellings and slight omissions of letters, some 
 of which I have corrected. There are still a few evident 
 inaccuracies in the text : in the last line, e. g., m would 
 no doubt be more correctly written iv ; ti it in the 
 original is written teaut) tiv it or till 7 would be more 
 consistent with modern usage, and I suspect with that 
 of the period of the writing ; but I have written // // as 
 adhering more closely to what was before me. 
 
 The above is a valuable example of the dialect as 
 spoken in the North Riding more than two hundred years 
 ago, and, beyond all reasonable doubt, for centuries before 
 
102 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 that, without material alteration. It must have been 
 written by one who knew the folk-talk of that day well, 
 but probably had not been much accustomed to writing 
 it. It is noteworthy how slight have been the changes 
 in the dialect, until the last few years, during the past 
 two centuries. Indeed I venture to maintain that the 
 written language has changed more than that spoken by 
 the country folk. Take the example just quoted. In 
 the main it would be perfectl}' understood by man}^ of 
 our older people at the present time. A few expressions 
 and words have apparentl}' fallen out of use altogether ; 
 but the dialect is essentially unaltered. The quotation 
 will repay some study. 
 
 The opening expression, yon set van on ttnscape, has 
 died out ; it means 3^ou put one in mind of a thing that 
 is not convenient. 
 
 Hume is a word that has vanished, though but 
 lately ; it signified a hollow place near the chimney or 
 hood-end in old-fashioned cottages, where the kindling 
 was kept. 
 
 It would not now probably be understood what tnitie 
 eem meant ; the word, however, occurs in several glos- 
 saries of comparatively recent date, and signifies an 
 uncle on the mother's side. 
 
 Gorr is now nearly obsolete ; but Feilberg, in his 
 Jutlandic Dialect Dictionar}^, gives the word as in use 
 in parts of Denmark in the sense of slime, or filth ; it is 
 so used in the passage before us. The word is still in 
 use in standard English under the form oi gofe, and in 
 the restricted sense of clotted blood. It is curious that 
 in Icelandic the same word is used for half-digested 
 food, and in Swedish in a somewhat similar sense, as 
 also for matter or ' stuff ' generally. Whether hows, i. e. 
 hoops for carrying fodder, are still used under that 
 
SPECIMENS. 103 
 
 term in any part of the district I cannot say with cer- 
 tainty; in Jutland the word under the form bite is 
 commonly used, with a like meaning, by the cowboys and 
 others for carrying fodder from the barns to the places 
 where the cattle may happen to be. 
 
 The other less common words will be found in the 
 glossary at the end of the volume. 
 
 For the sake of those who are not so familiar with 
 our folk-talk I will add a ' translation ' of the above pas- 
 sage. 
 
 Mother. — You annoy one, and then, I trow, you greatly 
 regret an angry w^ord. Go, my lass, and gather some fire- 
 wood from the kindling hole, then go and fetch a pail of 
 water and hang the pan over the fire on the hook, and I will 
 wash up the milk strainer and dishes in the corner. 
 
 Father.— VY3.y do so, Pegg : then I will get up in the morn- 
 ing and look out some sacks and put up our seed corn ; then 
 you may feed the pigs with grains, and I will give the horses 
 some tail-corn and chaff". Then you may make hot some 
 porridge for our breakfast until I put away my threshing 
 fork and fiail : and, John, do 3^ou make ready my harrows 
 and plough, and he and I, Pegg, will manage well enough. 
 I have heard it said, and now I have discovered the truth 
 of it, between two stools the tail may fall to the ground. I 
 depended on Hobb and he depended on me, and I see that 
 nothing whatever is ready ; no traces, hames, or collars to 
 be found ; no swingle-trees or halters; everything is out of 
 its place. Only two da3's since I am sure they were all here 
 thrown on a heap in the middle of our barn floor. 
 
 Sow.— Father, they are all lying on our fallow; I took 
 them there myself with my own hands. 
 
 Father. — You are a good lad, Hobb, to take so much care ; 
 are the yokes, and fodder hoops, and long whip and yoke- 
 sticks there ? 
 
 Son. — Yes ! and the plough staff" as w^ell, seed basket, and 
 teams ; we want nothing but a bay horse of my uncle's that 
 we must harness to the plough before our old animals, and 
 then 1 am sure we shall tear up everything to pieces. 
 
104 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Father.— 'No fear, no fear ! we will not trouble our heads 
 about that ; I am sure it will require our working it well. 
 Our land is strong and full of coarse couch grass, briars, 
 rushes, and plenty of ferns. It is nothing but slimy mud, it 
 splashes under foot ; we shall find trouble enough when we 
 come to it. 
 
 Son. — How foolishly you talk ; 3"ou think we shall make 
 many poor looking ridges. When we plough I advise our 
 taking time ; I have often heard people sa}^ ' more haste 
 worse speed ' ; the greater part of it has channels cut in it 
 and the water runs away ; I was at the field myself to-day 
 and saw it. It will produce as good a mixed crop of wheat 
 and rye, I dare sa}^ as ever grew a root in any clay. 
 
 A wide interval of time separates the next specimen 
 of the dialect from that which goes before it. I hesitated 
 whether or not to insert this extract as an example of 
 the North Riding folk-talk, for it has now been pub- 
 lished many years and has not seldom been quoted. 
 But the piece is so well written throughout, and is such 
 an admirable sample of the Yorkshire tongue, that I 
 cannot refrain from giving the main portions of the 
 dialogue. It was said, when the pamphlet was published, 
 that the writer was a south-country man ; if so, the 
 production did him credit ; in any case it could only 
 have been composed by one who had heard the dialect 
 spoken for some considerable time. 
 
 One or two words by way of preface are necessary to 
 explain the drift of the conversation. 
 
 Towards the early part of the present century an 
 agitation was set on foot to remove the chancel screen 
 in York Minster. It was thought by some that its 
 removal would open out the full view of the great build- 
 ing from west to east, and so a grand effect would be 
 produced. Others argued that the screen was such a 
 beautiful work in itself that to remove it would be a 
 
SPECIMENS. 105 
 
 mistake. The point was hotly contested. Meetings 
 were held, and letters written on the subject without 
 end. The writer of the dialogue thus describes the 
 state of things at the time in a foot-note. ' To such a 
 pitch was the discussion respecting the screen carried 
 on in York about this time, that nothing else was heard, 
 spoken, or thought of. Footmen picking up scattered 
 arguments in the dining-room debated together furiously 
 in the servants' hall ; while in the kitchen the cook, 
 housemaid, and scullion were all engaged in the dispute. 
 At a dinner party given by Mr. C, a gentleman who 
 sat with his back to the fire, feeling rather cold, 
 requested a servant, whose head was full of the argu- 
 ment, to remove the screen — meaning the one at the back 
 of his chair. John started from his reverie at once, and 
 quite forgetting where he was, called out that he would 
 be hanged if it should be stoored for any man.' 
 
 Even the farm labourers got to hear tell about the 
 Minster screen ; and being just then, as it happened, 
 rather a slack talun on his farm, one of these, Bob 
 Jackson by name, takes it into his head to go and have 
 a look at the screen for himself. As he rides along 
 Goodram-gate he falls in with his friend Mike Dobson, 
 and at first would have ridden past him, but Mike calls 
 out to him, and after exchanging a few words of saluta- 
 tion, they converse with one another thus : — 
 
 ^ Mike. — Bud what brings thee ti York this tahm o' 
 t' yeer, 
 Ah 's seear it diz yan good ti see tha hear. 
 Hez ta browt owt ti t' market, owr 's thi teeam ? 
 Are all thi bairns quiet fresh at yam an' t' De'ame ? 
 Ah sud a'e thowt you 'd all been thrang at t' farm 
 Mang t' haay an' coorn, for this is t' thrangest tahm. 
 
 Bob. — Wi sum folks it may be ; bud, bairn, mah haay 
 Hez all been steck'd an theeak'd this monny a day ; 
 
1C6 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 An' as t' wheeat weean't be ripe a fo'tnith yit, 
 
 An glooarin at it weean't mak it fit, 
 
 Ah 's cum'd ti Yorrk ti weeast an hoor or seea, 
 
 Sin' ah had nowt partik'lar else ti deea ; 
 
 An', mun, for sum tahm past ah 's seear ah 's been 
 
 Just crazed ti knaw aboot this ' Minstther Screen.' 
 
 T' newspapers used ti talk o' nowt mich else, 
 
 It meead mair noise 'an van o' t' Minstther bells ; 
 
 An' seea ah 's cum'd ti see what it be leyke ; 
 
 Diz thoo knaw owt at all aboot it, Me3^ke ? ' 
 
 Mike hereupon assures his friend that he is just the man 
 to act as guide ; the nag is put up at a stable hard by and 
 carefully looked after ; the two then enter the Minster 
 together. 
 
 ' Bob. — Bon ! it 's a stthrange greeat pleeace, an' 
 dash it, Me3'ke, 
 It maks a chap feel desprit lahtle leyke ; 
 Ah feels all iv a tthrimml with the dreead 
 Lest onny bad thowt noo sud fill mah heead. 
 Bud show us owre this Screen is ti be funnd ; 
 Is "t summat up o' t' reeaf or doon o' t' grunnd ? 
 
 Mike. — Whah ! sootha, lootha, leeaks tha, theer it Stan's, 
 T' bonniest wark ere meead by mottal ban's ; 
 That thing all claam'd wi lahtle dolls is t' Screen, 
 Aboot which all this noise an' worrk hez been ; 
 An' if thoo '11 whisht a minnit, mun, or seea, 
 Ah '11 seean insense tha inti t' yal ti deea. 
 
 Thoo sees when Martin wiv his crackbraan'd tthricks 
 Set fire t' Minstther le^^ke a heeap o' wicks, 
 Fooaks frev all pairts o' t' coontthry varry seean 
 Clubb'd brass ti pay for reetin it ageean ; 
 Seea ah, mang t' rest o' quality, put doon 
 (For ivvry lahtle helps thoo knaws) a croon. 
 Noo seean as t' brass was getten,' afoor lang 
 Frev ivvry pairt a soort o' chaps did thrang ; 
 Steean-meeasins, airtchitecks, an' sike like straight 
 All clustthered roond le3^ke mennies at a bait, 
 Sum ti leeak on an' give advice, bud Bob, 
 Neea doot meeast on 'em com ti laate a job. 
 
SPECIMENS. 107 
 
 Bud when ti leeak thruff t' Minstther they began, 
 
 They started ti finnd fau't wi 't tiv a man ; 
 
 This thing wer ower big, that ower small, 
 
 Whahl t' uther had neea business theer at all. 
 
 If ivver thoo did tiv a cobbler send 
 
 A pair o' sheun he did nut mak, ti mend, 
 
 Thoo 's heeard what scoores o' fau'ts he varry seean 
 
 Wad start ti finnd oot wi thae poor o'ad sheun ; 
 
 T' sowing wad be bad, an' seea wad t' mak. 
 
 An' t^ leather good ti nowt at all bud crack. 
 
 Just seea theeas chaps funnd fau't wi neea pretense 
 
 Bud just 'at t' pleeace was nut belt by thersens ; 
 
 Noo when they com ti t' Screen it strake 'em blinnd, 
 
 For nut yah sing'l fau't wi 't could they finnd, 
 
 Until yah cunning chap ti show his teeaste 
 
 Threeap'd oot leyke mad 'at it wer wj-angly pheaced. 
 
 He said it sud a'e been thrast fodther back, 
 
 For t' Neeave leeak ower lahtle it did mak. 
 
 An' that it seea confahn'd his view o' t' pleeace 
 
 Ti let it bahd wad be a sair disgreeace. 
 
 Boh.— Whya, sike a feeal as that sud nivver stop 
 Doon heer belaw, bud gan an' glooar fra t' top ; 
 Ah mud as weel ding mah back deear off t' creeaks 
 An' then tell t' weyfe 'at it confahn'd mah leeaks ; 
 Mah wo'd sha 'd seean confahn mah leeaks for me 
 Wiv what ah weel sud merit — a black ee. 
 
 Mike. — Yah feeal maks monny is a thing weel knawn. 
 An' t' trewth on it was heer meeast tthrewly shown ; 
 A soort o' chaps 'at scarcelins could desarn 
 T' diff'rence twixt an o'ad chetch an' a barn 
 Fra t' cuntthry sahd all roond aboot did thrang. 
 An swar it sud be shifted reet or wrang. 
 Noo deean't thoo think 'at ah had nowt ti say, 
 Bud just did let 'em hev ther oan fond way ; 
 Nay; hundhreds, bairn, o' foo'aks agreed wi me 
 'At stoored it owt nut, an' sud nivver be. 
 Disputes an' diffrences 'at had neea end 
 Began ti start, frinnd quarrelled seean wi frinnd ; 
 Mair non-sense teea aboot it, bairn, was writ, 
 'An iwer hez been fairly read thruff yit, 
 
Io8 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 For monny a feeal his help each way ti lend 
 
 Geease quills an' feealscap weeasted bedoot end. 
 
 Meetins were held, men spak whahl they gat hoo'arse 
 
 An' barley-seeager rase i price o' coo'arse, 
 
 Whahl sum fooaks ti ther frinnds said seea mich then 
 
 Yah wo'd togither they 've nut spokken sen. 
 
 Bud thaugh seea dispritly they talked an' fowt, 
 
 Neean o' theeas meetins ivver com ti owt. 
 
 At last they did resolve ti call anuther, 
 
 Ti sattle t' quesh'n at yah way or t' uther ; 
 
 When eftther beeals an shoots an' claps an' greeans 
 
 Eneeaf ti wakken t' varry to'npike steeans, 
 
 T' quesh'n ti t' subscrahbers theer was put 
 
 Whether it sud be shifted or sud nut. 
 
 Wa gat it, mun, as seeaf as seeaf could be ; 
 For ivvrj' man o' sense did vooat wi me; 
 When lo ! t' oad chairman frev his pocket beuk 
 A lot o' vooats lapt up i paper teuk, 
 Wi which i speyte of all 'at we could say 
 He to'nn'd t' quesh'n cleean ti t' other way, 
 An thus desahded it sud shifted be ; 
 Bud shifted 't nivver was, as thoo may see. 
 
 • • • • • • • 
 
 Bud what did seeam ti me uncommon hard 
 An vexed ma seea ah knew nut hoo ti bahd, 
 Was 'at mah mone^^ dash it, sud be ta'en 
 Ti deea that wi, ah wished sud nut be deean. 
 Could ah a'e gitten mah croon back, ah sware 
 'At t.g% nor shell on 't they sud nut see main 
 Boh. — Thah keeas just maks ma think o' Jamie Broon, 
 T' o'ad dhrunken carpentther of oor toon. 
 Thoo sees yah day ti Jamie's hoose ah went 
 An' fan' he'd gitten t' bailiers in for rent : 
 His weyfe, poor thing, was ommost flay'd ti deead, 
 An' rahv'd off t' hair by neeavesful frev her heead, 
 An' t' bairns all roored ti see ther muther roor, 
 Ah nivver i my leyfe seed sike a stoore. 
 O'ad Jamie he was set i t' ingle neuk 
 Glooarin at t' fire wiv a hauf fond leuk. 
 
SPECIMENS. 109 
 
 For him thoo sees ah caredn't hauf a pin, 
 
 For dhrink had browt him ti t' staate he was in ; 
 
 Bud mah heart warked ti see t' poor bairns an t' 
 
 deeame ; 
 An' seea ah moonted t' meer an' skelped off heeame, 
 An' theer ah teuk fahve poond, pairt of a hooard 
 Ah 'd felt i t' Bahble ti be oot o' t' rooad 
 (For ah 's yan o' thor chaps at 's ommost seeaf 
 Ti spend all t' brass at 's handy ti my neeafj, 
 An' sent it tiv him by wer dowtther Nance 
 'At he mud pay off t' bailiers at yance. 
 Wad you believe as seean as t' brass he gat 
 He oft" ti t' public-hoos, an' theer he sat, 
 An' sat an smeuk'd, an' smeuk'd an' dhrank away 
 Fra two'alve o'clock ti two'alve o'clock next day. 
 Just then ah enttherd t' hoose as ah past by 
 Ti git a dhrink, for ah wer desprit dhry ; 
 An' theer ah fan t' oad raggil ti be seear 
 Stthritch'd ov his back deead dhrunk o' t' parlour fleear. 
 Ah thrast mah han' intiv his pocket neuk 
 An' back ageean mah fahve poond nooate ah teuk ; 
 For when ah gav him 't it wer mah intent 
 'At he sud deea nowt wi 't bud pay his rent. 
 Just seea ah think thoo had a reet ti tak 
 T' croon thoo subscrahbed, could thoo a'e gitten 't back, 
 Sen they ti whom t'was gi'en had got neea reet 
 Ti deea owt else bud what t'was gi'en for wi 't. 
 
 Mike, — An noo ah thinks ah 've tell'd tha all ah ken 
 An meead tha just as wahse, mun, as mysen ; 
 Seea cum thoo yam wi me an see t' oad lass 
 An' git a beyte o' summat an' a glass ; 
 For ah 's se'a hungered t'onnd ah scarce can bahd. 
 Ah 've gitten quiet a whemlin i t' insahd. 
 
 Boh. — Ah 've neea objections, bud afoor ah wag 
 A single leg ah 's tied ti see mah nag. 
 
 Mike. — Thoo needn't, mun, i Moss's yard he 's seeaf, 
 Ah 's warrant, ti get haay an' coorn eneeaf ; 
 His isn't t' inn wheer rogueish hostlers cheeat. 
 An' greease t' boss mooths ti set 'em past ther meeat. 
 
no YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Nay, Moss's man '11 tak mair tent o' t' beeast 
 'An onny muther of her bairn ommeeast. 
 
 Boh. — 'NeesL doot, neea doot he '11 tent it weel, bud, bon, 
 Ah mud as weel just see hoo he gits on ; 
 He may a'e slipp'd his heltther wiv a tug 
 Or gitten yah leg owr 't ti scrat his lug. 
 
 Mike. — Aweel, leeak sharp, an deeant be owr lang, 
 Or yam bedoot tha ah 'se be foorc'd ti gang. 
 
 Bob. — Yah minnit for ma, bairn, thoo needn't stop. 
 For ah '11 be back i t' crackin' of a lop.' 
 
 I may observe in passing, that the author of the 
 above dialogue gives it as a specimen of the North 
 Riding dialect ; but beyond one or two words, such as 
 bedoot and heeamc, which are confined to that division 
 of the county, it might as appropriately be assigned to 
 the East Riding, thus confirming the opinion I have 
 expressed elsewhere, that the dialectical usages peculiar 
 to either Riding are, comparatively speaking, few. 
 
 The following example of the country talk which I 
 give, consists of an absurd story I heard told many 
 years ago b}^ the master of a well-known grammar 
 school in the East Riding, whose capacity for relating 
 amusing incidents and reminiscences of various kinds 
 was quite phenomenal, and whose presence at a dinner 
 party was a guarantee to its success. His only fault 
 was that he was not a Yorkshireman, and do what he 
 would he could not frame to pronounce our vernacular 
 aright. I have therefore been compelled to turn the 
 language into as ' classical ' Yorkshire as my limited 
 powers would allow. I never heard any title given to 
 the story, and so for lack of a better, let us call it Bill 
 and I, or, Drinkers, beware! The scene of the incident 
 is laid at a wayside inn. One of the eye-witnesses 
 of the event described it in his own way pretty much as 
 follows : — 
 
SPECIMENS. Ill 
 
 ' Yah day ah wer gannin doon t' rooad ti Bo'Ui'ton wi Bill, 
 an' Bill wer gannin wi me, an' seea wa beeath on us wer 
 gannin wi yan anuther. It wer a varry wahrm day, an' 
 efthur a bit wa com tiv a public-hoos : seea Bill says ti ma, 
 " wilt ta com in, mi lad, an' git a glass o' summat ? " 
 
 ' " Wh3^a," ah says, " it 's varry wahrm an' ah 's dhry : 
 ah 's neea objections," 
 
 ' An' seea w^a beeath on us gans in ti t* public-hoos. An' 
 as wa was set suppin wer yal an' ho'ddin a bit o' pross wi 
 yan anuther, ah seed a greeat lang swanky chap set i t' lang- 
 settle ower anenst us. Noo ah seed him all t' tahm gloorin 
 at us despert hard ; an' eftther a bit ah says tiv him : 
 
 ' " Noo, mi lad, what 's ta gloorin at si hard forr ? " 
 
 ' " Whya," says he, " when yan hez'nt nowt ti sup yans- 
 sen, ah thinks 'at t' next best thing ti deea is ti leeak at them 
 'at hez." 
 
 ' Wa lafPd, an' ah says, " Whya ; bud wa can seean mend 
 that : what wilt tha tak ? " 
 
 ' "Aw," says he, "ah 's nowt partiklar." 
 
 ' " Whya, bud thoo mun give it a neeam," ah says. 
 
 ' " Then," says t' man, " ah '11 tak a quahrt o' yal." 
 
 ' " A quahrt ! " ah says, " wad n't a pahint sarve ya ? " 
 
 ' " Ah deean't think it wad," says he ; " thoo sees ah "s 
 gitten sikan a greeat thropple 'at a pahint nobbut wets yah 
 sahd." 
 
 'Seea ah tells t' sarvant-lass an' sha fetches him a quahrt 
 o' yal.' 
 
 ' Noo t' man had gitten sikan a mooth as ah nivver seed ; 
 it war a mooth ; it war a reg'lar frunt deear : an' he oppens 
 his mooth an' he sups t' quahrt o' yal at yah slowp. Noo ah 
 seed him deea it, an' Bill seed him an' all ; wa beeath on us 
 seed him, an' seea what ah 's tellin o' ya 's reet. 
 
 ' He sets t' mug doon, an' ah leeaks at him ; an' ah says 
 tiv him ; " Noo, my lad, dost ta think thoo could deea that 
 ageean ? " 
 
 ' " Whya," says he, " ah thinks ah mebbe mud " 
 
 ' " Then thoo s'al." An' seea ah gans mysen an' ah fetches 
 him anuther quahrt o' yal. An' as ah wer cumin' thruff t' 
 deear-steead ah seed a moose-trap setten aback o' t' deear. 
 an' there wer a moose, iv it an' all ; it warn't a varry big 
 
112 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 moose, an' it warn't a varry lahtle moose, it wer just a 
 middlinish sahz'd soort of a moose ; an' ah taks up t' trap 
 an' ah pops t' moose inti t' jug, an' ah teeams t' yal inti t 
 mug, an' froths it weel up, an' ah gi'es it ti t' man. Then he 
 taks t' mug intiv his han' an' oppens his mooth— (noo ah seed 
 him, an' Bill seed him an' all ; wa beeath on us seed him, an' 
 seea what ah 's tellin' o' ya 's reet)— aye ; he oppens his mooth 
 an' sups off t' yal, moose an' all, at yah slowp. An' then ah 
 leeaks at him, an' ah says tiv him, " Noo, my lad, hoo didst ta 
 leyke that yal ? " 
 
 ' " Aw," he says, "f yal aals nowt ; varry good yal ; bud ah 
 thinks there U}er a bit d hops i that last I " ' 
 
 A correspondent from the Holderness district, whose 
 knowledge of the dialect is well known by what he has 
 written on it and in it, w^as good enough to send me 
 a number of his compositions, among which was an 
 account of a visit to the country of a quick-witted little 
 lame laddie, whose lot had been cast in a dingy alley of 
 a large town. He gives a description of what the boy 
 saw, and tells some of his impressions of country life, 
 and how he revelled in it. 
 
 I will only here quote a short extract which refers to 
 what Tommy thought about the country talk which was 
 so strange to him. It aptly illustrates a few homely 
 words and expressions. He sa3^s : — 
 
 ' The words that they use are so funny, 
 
 I laugh very much at their talking. 
 When a woman is dressed up a fright. 
 
 They say — " Sha 's a greeat mollymawkin." 
 If you spill any soup on the table, 
 
 They cry out "Aw! leeak hoo thoo 's slutherin." 
 And if anyone's weeping and wailing 
 
 She 's sure to be " blairin' an' blutherin." 
 Whenever I laugh very much ;— 
 
 " Aw ! leeak hoo he werricks an' gizzens." 
 And a shirt that is scorched at the fire ; — 
 
 " Diz tha see ? Lawks a massy ! it swizzens ! " 
 
SPECIMENS. 113 
 
 When anyone shivers with cold, 
 
 "He's all of a ditherum dotherum," 
 And when you 're a tease or a plague 
 
 They say that you "werrit an' bother 'em." 
 A door never creaks on its hinge, 
 
 It always " beeals oot on it jimmer," 
 And a pot always " gallops an' boils " 
 
 When it gets much beyond a good simmer. 
 If you walk pretty hard round the house 
 
 They say that you " rammack an' cluntther," 
 And a woman who's not very neat 
 
 Is a " macktubs, a bummax, a buntther." 
 A blow on the nose is a " snevitt," 
 
 And scissors are always called " sithers," 
 W^henever the road 's very dirty 
 
 They say that it " closhes an' slithers." 
 A man never grumbles and growls, 
 
 Thougli he frequently " chitthers an' chuntthers," 
 And pigs are called " nackies " and " chackies " 
 
 Before they grow into big grunters. 
 Dull people are said to feel " dowly," 
 
 A spendthrift is always a " weeastther," 
 And when you don't walk very smart 
 
 They say that you " slammock an' sleeastther." 
 A trap for a hare is a " snickle," 
 
 A thing that is brittle is " smopple," 
 And when they are milking a cow 
 
 They tie her hind legs with a " hopple." 
 They say that a man 's in a " pankin " 
 
 Whenever he flies in a passion. 
 And an old woman dressed like a girl 
 
 Is described as " oa'd yow i lamb fashion." 
 I could tell you some scores of queer words, 
 
 And I would if my paper was longer, 
 So I'll keep 'em until I come home, 
 
 As soon as I grow a bit stronger.' 
 
 It will be found that a few of the words in the above 
 extract are not contained in the Glossary ; for, interest- 
 ing though they may be, they seem to partake of the 
 
 I 
 
I 14 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 nature of many other terms of a similar, scarcely ' classi- 
 cal/ character, which might be almost indefinitely 
 multiplied. I have consequently thought it better to 
 omit them. 
 
 A good bit of Yorkshire is that which I heard told 
 about twenty years ago by a gentleman whose powers 
 of imitation in the dialect were remarkable. It was 
 called Nannie Nicholson Taatie Pie. The said Nannie 
 Nicholson had a potato ' pie ' in her garden : one 
 morning, to her dismay, she found her store of potatoes 
 in sad disorder, holes and rents were made in it, and 
 the potatoes were strewn in all directions ; it was in 
 fact ' a bull in a china shop ' sort of business. To make 
 matters worse, she could net tell how it had happened. 
 At length one of her neighbours volunteered to make 
 enquiries, and after minute and careful investigation, he 
 came to the old lady and said that he 'dfan' it oot, and 
 he thus related the concatenation of circumstances that 
 led to the disaster : — 
 
 * It wer all along o' t' rezzil a scrattin' under t' hen bauk : 
 t' rezzil flaayed t' au'd cock, t' cock flakkered ower t' wall an' 
 flaayed t' bull, an' t' bull rooam'd agaan t' yat-stowp an' 
 deng'd t' staggarth yat off t' creeaks an' went beldherin doon 
 t' looanin leyk owt mad ; then he met Jamie Broon wi a 
 lahtle 3^effin dog, t' dog yeff'd, an' he flaay'd t' bull, an' t' bull 
 teeak ower t' hedge an lowped reet inti Nannie Nicholson 
 taatie pie.' 
 
 Other versions of this well-known story have been 
 circulated, one at considerably greater length, which 
 records some additional exploits of the bull, how that 
 after ' lowping' the hedge he made a ' bonny blash i t' 
 dike ' and then got on to a moor and ' tthrade an au'd 
 steg ti deeath/ and how that the lads gave chase and 
 
SPECIMENS. 115 
 
 ultimatel}^ captured him. But I have recorded the 
 story almost verbatim as it was told me. 
 
 As a rider upon the following example, I will add 
 one of a similar kind which I have received from 
 Holderness. A countryman of that district once re- 
 lated how a wasp made the churning of butter too salt, 
 and so spoilt it : this he described as follows, in answer 
 to a question how such a thing could possibly be : — 
 
 ' Whya, t' wasp teng'd t' dog, an t' dog hanched at t' cat, 
 an' t' cat ran owerquart t' staggarth an' flaay'd t' cockerill, 
 an' t' cockerill fligg'd ower t' wall an' flaay'd yan o' t' beeos, 
 an' t' beeos beeal'd an' stack it heead thruff t' dairy windther 
 an' flustthered t' lass seea awhahl sha let t' sau't-kit tumm'l 
 inti t' kennin' o' butther.' 
 
 It is matter for regret that any of our folk should 
 ever be ashamed of their broad speech, which they have 
 inherited from their fore-elders; but this not infrequently 
 is so. An acquaintance of mine, who till lately lived in 
 Hull, one day took a walk to a village a few miles 
 distant from that busy centre. Being a native York- 
 shireman himself, he always enjoyed hearing the, to 
 him, familiar and expressive cadences and phrases of 
 the Holderness vernacular. One good old soul whom 
 he visited on this occasion, thinking his ears might be 
 shocked by her every-day rough honest speech, made 
 some attempts to refine herself into polite English, 
 which were as needless as they were laughable. The 
 father was nursing his child, and telling it he ' wad a'e 
 ti be up afoor t' craaks i t' mornin' an' tak his braykus 
 wiv him.' Says the wife, ' nut braykus, faether, say 
 breekiis ; wa maun't a'e t' bairn browt up broad spok- 
 ken"; naw, bliss her, she shan't be browt up broad 
 spokken.' At another house our friend heard an irate 
 
 I 2 
 
IJ6 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 parent threatening to 'sowle ' his refractory son ' like a 
 dog sowHn a pig.' 
 
 Let me here insert a very typical piece from the 
 Pickering Moors; it was sent to me from that neigh- 
 bourhood by one whose knowledge of the Yorkshire 
 tongue is well known. 
 
 The dialogue is between two farm labourers in the 
 ploughing field, during a short pause in their work:—. 
 
 Assy Gooadge. — What 's tha want noo, sum bacca ? ' 
 
 Mate. — Naw. We 'r gahin' ti a'e waint deed seean, a'e n't 
 wa ? 
 
 Assy G. — Aye, ah heeard seea mysen. What 's it all 
 aboot ? 
 
 Mate. — Whj^a, ther nobbut hez ti be yah guardian for oor 
 toon, an' ther 's tweea on "em wants ti be in, seea ther '11 be 
 a contest. 
 
 Assy G. — Sail we a'e ti deea owt? 
 
 Mate. — Aye ; ther '11 be paapers sent roond, an' then thoo 
 '11 a'e ti vooat wheea thoo 's forr. 
 
 Assy G. — Bud ah can't reyte. Canst ta giv uz a leet ? 
 
 Mate. Here 's a match. Ah gi'en ower smeukin' mysen 
 ommost. T' weyfe can sahn thi vooat fo' tha, ah 's think. 
 
 Assy G. — Aye, sha 's a good scholar, an' lahrnt hersen ; sha 
 reytes all oor letthers, sumtahmes gans ti t' skeealmaastther 
 ti ax him ti dhriss t' onvallops for her. Bud what deea tha 
 git for bein' guardian ah w^undher ? 
 
 Mate. — Aw, nowt 'at ah knaw on. 
 
 Assy G. — Well howiwer ! That caps owt, it diz ah 's seear. 
 Wheea '11 a'e ti pay t' expenses o' t' election then ? 
 
 Mate. — It '11 a'e ti cum oot o' sike feeals as us mebbe. Ah 
 's feelin' cau'd. Gee-up, boss ! 
 
 Assy G. — Aye ; it 's snahrly an' cau'd ti-day, bud it '11 
 seean be lowsin' tahm noo. Cum here, ahrve ; wo-hop ! 
 
 A man at Ampleforth some years ago attended the 
 funeral of an old friend there who was a Roman Catho- 
 lic, and was buried with the usual ceremonial of that 
 
SPECIMENS. 117 
 
 Church. The somewhat ornate ritual and the, to him, 
 unusual length of the service, exercised the poor man's 
 mind a good deal ; in fact, he was profane enough to 
 describe the ceremony as a whole, as ' weeant gannins 
 on,' and as to some of the details he expressed himself 
 somewhat thus : - 
 
 ' Aye, they've gitten poor au'd Kit (Christopher) sahded at 
 last. They wur a long whahl ower t' job, bud they 've deean 
 it at last. They had sum lahtle lads i wheyte goons ; an' 
 they put t' coffin upon a bink i t' Chetch, an' read summat 
 'at ah could mak nowt on. Then t' lads started ti reek t' 
 precast, an' they reek'd t' ain t' uther an' they reek'd au'd 
 Kit ; an' then they all bood ti t' precast. Eftther a bit they 
 started ti degg t' precast, then they degg'd t' ain t' uther, an' 
 they degg'd au'd Kit. Bless ya, bairn, it wer a lang job, bud 
 they 've gitten him happ'd up at last.' 
 
 It need hardly be observed that the ^reeking* and 
 the ' degging ' referred to the use of incense and holy 
 water at certain parts of the impressive service. 
 
 It is not often that one forgets the stories of one's 
 childhood. There is a bit I heard my father tell as it 
 was told to him many years ago by a North Riding 
 rector. The said clergyman was standing talking to 
 a parishioner one day when a lad passed on the other 
 side of the 'toon stthreet' that he did not recognise. 
 Enquiring of the woman to whom he was speaking who 
 it was she soon ^nsensed ' him. 
 
 ' Whya, Sorr,' says she, 'decant ya knaw? They call him 
 Timmy James's cute lad' 
 'And what do they call him Timmy James's cute lad for?' 
 ' Whya ! then ah 's leyke ti tell ya. Ya see yah day his 
 meeastther sent him ti Hoonton wiv a cart wi a toop ; an' as 
 he wer gannin doon t' lonnin he meets yan o' thor Pedlars 
 wi seein-glasses. Says t' chap, " mah lad, wilt ta bahy a 
 seein-glass ? " " Naay," saj^s t' lad, "ah a'e na brass for 
 
I I 8 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 seein-glasses." Seea then they gans banttherin along wi 
 yan anuther. Says t' lad, " Nobbut thoo 'lit let mah toop see 
 hissen iv a seein-glass, ah '11 gie tha saxpence." (Noo he 
 kenn'd 'at t' toop wer varry guilty o' buttin.) An' seea he 
 said he mud. An' t' lad ho'ds yan o' t' seein-glasses up 
 afoor t' toop, an' t' toop runs at it wi sikan a mash ! Says t' 
 chap, " Thoo young raggil, bud ah '11 mak tha pay for this." 
 Seea he gans eftther him ti Hoonton an' he pleeans tiv his 
 maastther on him. Bud t' lad varry seean cums in an' he 
 shoots out " Maastther, Maastther, gi'e him nowt ; a 
 bargin 's a bargin ; ah gav him saxpence ti let t' toop see 
 hissen iv a seein-glass." An' seea t' oa'd chap went awa}'' 
 an' he gat nowt.' 
 
 The story of the cat and the drowning mouse has 
 been frequently told, but I give it here as another short 
 example of Yorkshire, 'as she is spoke.' I have not 
 seen it written, and so I write it from memor}^ There 
 may be other versions in existence, but the moral of 
 the story is in all cases one and the same. 
 
 ' Ther wer j-ance a moos 'at had gitten it hooal just agaan 
 a greeat vat iv a briewery ; t' vat wer full o' liquor iv a gen'ral 
 waay, an' yah day t' lahtle moos chanced ti tumm'l in an' 
 wer leyke ti be dhroonded. An' seea, says t' moos tiv itsen, 
 what mun i deea ? T' sahds is seea slaap an' brant ah doot 
 ah sa'll nivver git yam na mair ; ah 's flaayed ah sa'll a'e ti 
 gan roond an' roond whahl ah 's dhroonded. Bud eftther a 
 bit t' cat pops it heead ower t' top o' t' vat, an' sha leeaks at 
 t' moos an' says, what wilt tha gie ma if ah git tha oot o' t' 
 vat ? Whya, says t' moos, thoo s'all a'e ma. Varry weel, says t' 
 cat, an' seea sha hings hersen doon o' t' insahd ; t' moos varry 
 seean ran up t' cat back and lowp'd reet fra t' top o' t' vat 
 intiv it hooal an' t' cat eftther it ; bud t' moos wer ower sharp 
 an' gat fo'st ti t' hooal, an' then to'ns roond an starts ti laff at 
 t' cat ; t' cat wer ommost wahld at that, an' shoots oot, did'nt 
 thoo saay 'at if ah gat tha oot o' t' vat ah sud a'e tha. Aay, 
 bud, says t' moos, fo/ks '// saay owt vohen they ^re i dlirink!^ 
 
 The following short passage is a specimen of our 
 
SPECIMENS. 119 
 
 dialect, in which a farm lad attempts to describe to his 
 friend the symptoms of an attack of the influenza, and 
 how he contracted the ailment, or rather, we should say, 
 how it was brought to a crisis. 
 
 This friend, whom we will call Dick, remarked how, 
 a month ago, with some concern, he had noticed that 
 Jack, the other dramatis persona, had 'leeak'd a bad 
 leeak '; whereupon Jack gives an account of himself in 
 these words : — 
 
 ' Whya ! noo then ah '11 tell tha hoo ah is. Thoo sez 'at 
 ah leeak'd a bad leeak when thoo seed ma a bit sen. Ah 
 laay thoo wad a'e leeak'd a bad leeak an' all if thoo'd been 
 hann'ld as ah 've been hann'ld. Fooaks calls this complaint 
 'at 's stirrin t' inflewenza ; but as ah tells 'em, it 's neean it ; 
 it 's summat a vast warse. Thoo knaws yah day at t' forend 
 o' t' year ah 'ed ti tak fower beeos for oor maastther ti Bev'la : 
 it wer a varry cau'd daay, an' afoor ah gat ti t' far end it 
 started an' it fair teeam'd doon wi raan, an' varry seean ah 
 'ed n't a dhry threed ti mi sark. 
 
 ' When ah gat ti t' spot, t' man war n't theer ; an' seea ah 
 gans ti t' hoos ti see t' missis, an' sha sends a lahtle lad ti 
 laate him. Noo then, as ah was stood i t' deear-steead wi t' 
 missis, yan o' t' beeos see'd t' coos iv a pastur, an' afoor ah 
 could git tiv im he was ower t' hedge an' dyke an' intiv a seed 
 clooas, an' went beealin an' lowpin' ower t' lan's fit ti rahve 
 up t' grund : ah eftther him wi t' dog, an' he runs fo'st ti yah 
 sahd o' t' clooas an' then ti t' uther, whahl ah thowt ah wer 
 boun ti be fair bet wiv him, bud at last wa gat him thruff t' 
 yat an' back ti t' uthers. Ah left mi beeos and started back 
 for yam. 
 
 ' Noo, bairn, when ah gat tiv oor pleeace, ah felt mysen iv a 
 varry queer waay. T' cau'd had clapp'd on ti ma, an when 
 neet com ah wer all iv a atterill : an' seea ah varry seean 
 fligged up ti t' banks as t' au'd hens diz ; an' then ah wer 
 bed-fast for ommost a fo'tnith. Tahm 'at ah wer liggin i bed 
 ah could hardlins bahd ; mi heead wark'd an' mi beeans 
 wark'd ; bud ah was t'warst i mi limbs reet fra mi lisk ti mi 
 teeas. T' doctther com, an' he ga' ma sum stuff ti dill t' paan. 
 
I20 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 bud next daay 't wer as bad as iwer ageean. T' Settherda 
 eftther t' Doctther com'd, ah started ti boaken hard, an' ah 
 think 'at that did ma t' maist good of owt, bud all t' tahm ah 
 felt that waak an waffy an' doddery whahl ah thowt j^ance 
 ower at it wer boun ti be owered wi ma. Bud hovvi\'A^er, at 
 t' week end ah started ti mend, an' ah teeak anuther bottle o' 
 stuff an that meead ma 'at ah could eeat a bit, and then ah 
 teeak anuther an' that just capp'd ma ; an' noo thoo sees ah 
 "s aboot at t' aud bat : bud mahnd ya, Dick, ah a'e n't fair 
 kessen 't yit. Sum fooaks says at it 's smittin, bud ah 's 
 seear ah knaw nowt aboot that neeways. Bud ah'll tell ya., 
 lad ; thoo maunt git it yoursen, or else it '11 fleeace ya, an' 
 varry sharp an' all.' 
 
 Although the scene of what I am next going to relate 
 is, strictly speaking, beyond the border of the North 
 and East Ridings, though still in the count\^ of broad 
 acres, I cannot withhold it. I am indebted to a corre- 
 spondent for it. 
 
 Among the inhabitants of a country village in the 
 West Riding, were a goodly number of folk whom 
 Apollo had inspired to tune a variety of instruments of 
 music, both for strings and wind, as well as to make 
 melody with the voice. And so it came to pass that 
 these good people determined to give a concert. A 
 conductor was invited from a neighbouring town, and 
 after much practising a night was fixed, and the per- 
 formance came off. Among the attractions of the 
 programme was an orchestral piece, which everybody 
 was looking forward to with intense pleasure. All 
 went in splendid style until the fourth movement, an 
 adagio. In the middle of this the trombone all by him- 
 self, gave out a sound almost loud enough to blow the 
 roof off. The audience were startled, while the con- 
 ductor looked furious ; and when the grand finale of 
 the piece was reached, he took the trombone-player to 
 
SPECIMENS. 121 
 
 task, and blew him up sky high for such erratic conduct ; 
 'Why/ said the man, by way of apology, 'ah thowt it 
 wur a nooat, an' it wur nobbut a fly — bud ah plaayd it! ' 
 Nothing illustrates our folk-speech better than those 
 short, homely, every-day phrases and sayings which 
 may be constantly heard round cottage doors, or in the 
 fields, by those whose ears are open for them. With 
 few exceptions, all the short sentences which are here 
 added I have myself heard at various times, and I give 
 them as they were spoken. 
 
 1. Cum thi ways in an' sit ya doon. 
 
 2. T'hosses was good 'uns ; they 'd buckle undher wi ther 
 bellies ommost ti t' grunnd when wi was teeaglin up t' tim'er 
 on ti t' waggin ; aye, poor things, they was grand 'uns. 
 
 3. Ah deean't gan bauboskin' aboot leyke sum on 'em ; ah 
 sticks ti t' heeaf 
 
 4. Ah '11 wahrm tha thi jacket if thoo deean't give ower this 
 minnit noo, ah 's telhn o' ya. 
 
 5. T' pales has ommost whemm'ld ower inti t' plantin. 
 
 6. When t' boss wer new yauk'd it lowp'd reet on end. 
 
 7. Hoo 's yoor fooaks ? 
 
 8. Ah 's sadly tew'd aboot oor Dick ; he gits set i t' public- 
 hoos of a neet, an' then he cums yam as meean as muck, 
 whahl he 's fit ti rahve all afoor him. 
 
 9. T' pigs has been makkin sad deed reeatin up t' swath. 
 
 10. Yan '11 niwer see t' marrow tiv him. 
 
 11. Sum daays ah 's middlin' ; an' uther sum ah 's as waify 
 an' waake as owt. 
 
 12. Ah put a bit o' ass uppo t' cauzer— au'd fooaks falls 
 numb. (Said by one who had strewn ashes on the foot-path 
 in frosty weather.) 
 
 13. Q. — What sort of work had you to do ? 
 
 A. — Wa striked, an' lowsd shafifs an' helped ti windher 
 lahn an' all soorts ; we was niwer fast. 
 
 14. Is ta laatin oor maastther ? 
 
 15. He nips aboot as cobby as can be. 
 
 16. Ah wrowght an' tew'd amang t' taaties an' wezzels ti 
 scrat eneeaf ti feed t' pig. 
 
122 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 17. Wa didn't want ti hing him oot o' t' way. (Spoken with 
 reference to hanging a dog. ) 
 
 18. Wheer a'e ya felt yoiirsell ; we 've laated ya all ower. 
 
 19. Thoo fraames leyke an au'd woman i stthraw boots. 
 (Said of one working indolently.) 
 
 20. A.— I am sorry to hear your husband has been getting 
 drunk frequently lately. 
 
 B. — He did cum yam a bit fresh yah neet ; bud ya see 
 it 's Kessmas tahm ! 
 
 21. They meead nowther end nor sahd oot ; it was nowt 
 bud differin' an' threeapin. 
 
 22. Pleeas 'm will ya wakken us at fower, acoz it 's weshin 
 mornin. 
 
 23. Ah s'all niwer mannish w^idoot Jack gans an' all. 
 
 24. Stop a bit whahl wa git wer dinners. 
 
 25. Sha tell'd sike teeals as niwer you heeard. 
 
 26. Noo deean't be neyce (i.e. shy) ; help j^oursells. 
 
 27. Pleeas, we're oot o' streea ; there 's nowt bud a bit o' 
 mushy stuff at t' far end o' t' loft fleear. 
 
 28. Nowt o' t' sooart. 
 
 29. T' lass sets her ti t' stee, an' her muther taks her t' rest 
 o" t' vvaay yam. 
 
 30. Ah teeak cramp i mi leg, an' all t' guidhers cotthered 
 up all ov a lump. 
 
 31. Sha dhropt t' pankin uppo t' fleear an' pashed it all i 
 bits. 
 
 32. He was bitten wiv a ratten an' gat prood flish intiv it, 
 an' his hand was all ov a atterill. 
 
 33. Baa'n, ah was ommost mafted, it wer that wahrm : ah 
 did feel putten oot o' t' waay, it was seea maftin'. 
 
 34. They 'd mutton ti ther dinners, bud it wer nowt bud 
 glorr. 
 
 35. Ah '11 gie tha yan on thi nappercracker (head). 
 
 36. He hackered an' stammered leyke an au'd ganthert 
 chooakin wi bran. 
 
 37. T' craws is varry throng ; they 're fettlin up ther nests 
 ageean ; bud sum on' em 's been rahvin 'em all i bits leyke 
 all that, an' they 've been fe3'ghtin yan anuther reet doon ti t' 
 grunnd. 
 
 38. Q. — Is there much corn out northwards ? 
 
SPECIMENS. 123 
 
 A, — Aj^e, a vast ; ah seed sum i peyke, an' sum i 
 sweeathe, an' sum i all forrms. 
 
 39. T' lahtle lass is nobbut badly ; sha 's cuttin' her assel 
 teeth. 
 
 40. Tak t' bands off t' shelvin' an' ah '11 fetch t' lad ti tak t' 
 au'd meer yam. 
 
 41. Thoo hang-gallas thief, thoo, ah '11 wahrm tha thi jacket 
 fo' tha, nobbut ah could catch tha. 
 
 42. Let 's feeal it, an' gang laat it. (Let us hide it and go 
 and seek it.) 
 
 43. Jack, standing among a group of lads, loq. Jim ; a'e ya 
 a bit o' bacca on ya ? 
 
 Jim. — Naw, ah 's seear ah a'e n't. 
 
 Jack. — A'e ya ony o' ya ony on 't on ya ? (This speci- 
 men was told me many years ago.) 
 
 44. Q. — Well, N., how do you manage to get your pigs to 
 look so well ? 
 
 A. — Whya, ah gi'es 'em a bit o' slap i t' mornins' 
 an' a bit o' wo'zz'l at neets, an' they corresponds wi yan 
 anuther. 
 
 45. Thoo 's a dossel-heead. (Dossel is the straw knob on 
 the top of a stack.) 
 
 46. Ah 've stthraan'd t' guidhers o' my shackle. 
 
 47. We 've gotten him neycely sahded, i, e. we have got 
 him decently buried. 
 
 48. He stack t' au'd ass wi t' shill (shaft) end. 
 
 49. He gans wiv his nooaze uppo t' grunnd. (Said of a man 
 who was very much bent.) 
 
 50. Whyah, noo ! ah think this dinner tahm '11 set him, 
 (Said of one who was lying in extremis^ 
 
 51. Sha hings an' trails aboot t' hoos ; sha 's sadly oot on 't. 
 
 52. Cloot his lugs. (Box his ears.) 
 
 53. Wheea 's owes ya, an' wheer deea ya cum fra } (Said 
 to a small boy by a stranger.) 
 
 54. iQ.— Well, how are you to-day ? 
 
 A. — Whya ! ah 's aboot at t' au'd spot ; ah 's neea for- 
 rarder, ah 's backarder if owt. 
 
 55. Q. — Now, A., how is your wife this morning ? 
 
 A. It 's ti neea use tellin o' ya a stooary ; sha 's been 
 i bed a good bit an' ah think sha '11 nivver cum oot neea mair 
 
124 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 awhahl sha 's hugg'd oot ; 3^a see sha 's been a woman 'at *s 
 wrowght hard an' had a stthrang fam'ly. 
 
 56. Q. — Are you still at the same work, John ? 
 
 A. — Naw ; ah Ve lapp'd up wi Joe ; ah seean lowsened 
 fra t' job. 
 
 57. In a former parish of my father's an old woman fell 
 down and broke her leg, and on his asking her how it 
 happened, she said, ' Ah chipp'd ma teea i t' pooak on t' 
 fleear.' (I tripped up, or caught, my toe in the sack on the 
 floor.) 
 
 58. They weean't a'e ti be varry numb-heeaded uns ti start 
 at that job. 
 
 59. (p.— Well, William, what 's it gahin ti deea ? 
 A. — Whya, ah doot it 's gahin ti be blethery. 
 
 60. Ah nivver sees him noo bedoot ah git a glent on him 
 ov a Sunda as he passes. 
 
 61. Thoo leeaks as thoff thi poddish was welsh (i. e. you 
 put on a wry face). 
 
 62. What wi coughin' an' spittin' ah 's kept agait. 
 
 63. Q. — But who is to pay for the pump being mended ? 
 A. — Wa s'all a'e ti mak a getherin. 
 
 64. Q. — How is 3'our husband ? 
 
 A. — He 's gotten ti worrk ageean, an' ah thinks he 
 betther for 't ; 3'a see, when he 's set i t' hoos he gits agait o' 
 studyin', an' he maks hissen that nerrvous whahl yan dizn't 
 knavv what ti deea. 
 
 65. When ah wed mah missis sha wer a lahtle cobby lass, 
 bud noo sha 's a greeat poshy body. 
 
 66. They went thruff t' hooals at t' backsahd o' t' hoosen. 
 (This was heard by me not long since near Whitby ; the old 
 plural hoosen is now rarely used.) 
 
 67. We 've awlus letten him mootther oor bit o' stuff. 
 (Said of a miller grinding corn for a farmer, which he did 
 by multure, i. e. taking a portion of the corn as paj^ment for 
 grinding.) 
 
 68. Thoo mun think ma on ti remmon it. 
 
 69. Ah doot thoo '11 nut a'e tahm ti put t' bell in for au'd 
 John afoor t' Chetch. 
 
 70. They yan lited on t' uther ti deea 't. (They depended 
 on one another to do it). 
 
SPECIMENS. 125 
 
 71. Are t' broth cau'd eneeaf ti sup. (Broth is alwaj'-s 
 spoken of in the plural number.) 
 
 72. Ah 've ta'en t' top off' n t' clock ; ah 's freetened o' 
 nappin' t' glass. 
 
 73. You 've gitten a grand leeak-on o' gess ti year (i.e. 
 there is every prospect of a good crop). 
 
 74. What 's ta nestlin at ? Wheer ivver is t' meer gahin ti 
 git crowled teea ? (Blacksmith to a mare he is shoeing.) 
 
 75. They niwer diz neea good eftther they git ankled in 
 wi them lot. 
 
 76. Deean't fash thj^sel ower 't. 
 
 77. Tak care t' hansel thi new bonnet o' Eeastther Sunda ; 
 it suits tha tiv a pop. 
 
 78. Ah v^eean't a'e ya scrattin up mah new tthrod ; noo 
 then, ah 's tellin o' ya. 
 
 79. Ah 's had a weary whahl on her, bud ah 's gitten shot 
 on her noo. (Said by a man who had recently lost his wife !) 
 
 80. Ah 's jealous ah sal niwer be quiet betther. 
 
 81. Thoo mucky bairn ! what hiwer hez ta been deeain' ti 
 git thi feeace all setten in wi muck leyke that : gan thi w^aays 
 ti t' beck an git thisen weshed, or ah '11 help tha. 
 
 82. Mah wo'd, bud them 's gran' uns. 
 
 83. Noo he did leeak sadly begone did poor au'd Frank as 
 seean as he fan' it oot. 
 
 84. Jack. — Bill, what tahm hez 't gitten teea? Bill. — If ah 
 's reet it '11 be fahve or a bit betther mebbe. Jack. — Then ah 
 mun lap up, an' away an' git t' beeos foddhered. 
 
 85. Dick ; whau 's yon ? Dick.—^Psh 's seear ah deean't 
 knaw ; ah 's neea kennin for him. 
 
 86. They 're awlus differin' an threeapin aboot summat. 
 
 87. Au'd Mary 's gotten t' heart diseeas : an' sha can't bahd 
 ti be clash'd or putten aboot or owt ; it tews her sadly. 
 
 88. Ah leeamed mysen sadly wi t' axe, bud ah lapp'd 
 t' pleeace up : it blooded t' clout despertly at fo'st, bud it 
 varry seean mended. 
 
 Examples of this kind might be indefinitely multi- 
 plied, but enough perhaps have been cited to show the 
 general character of the folk-talk at the present date. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 DANISH COMPARISONS. 
 
 To anyone who is acquainted with the folk-speech of 
 East Yorkshire a visit to Denmark cannot but be deeply 
 interesting. Everyone knows that the languages of the 
 two peoples have much in common ; nay, it is not too 
 much to say that the backbone of the Yorkshire dialect 
 is Danish pure and simple. This has been from time to 
 time brought out and exemplified by others who have 
 written upon the subject. When one hears Danish 
 spoken in some of the country districts, the likeness is in 
 some respects still more striking than it appears when 
 written, as I will presently briefly draw attention to in 
 one or two particulars. A Danish friend of mine, an 
 artist, told me some years ago that when he first came 
 to England to. sketch and study on our Yorkshire coast, 
 he knew but little of our language, and absolutely no- 
 thing of our Northern dialects : he took up his abode for 
 a time near Flamborough, and used frequently to listen 
 attentively to the broad speech of the Flamborough 
 fishermen, which contained so many Danish words and 
 modes of expression that he could at once make out 
 much of what they were talking about without any 
 
DANISH COMPARISONS. I 27 
 
 difficulty. I subsequently sent my friend a specimen of 
 our North Riding dialect, requesting him to make notes 
 of words and expressions therein that were familiar to 
 him in Denmark. When he returned the document the 
 notes were so numerous as quite to surprise me at first ; 
 though when we consider the extent and character of 
 the Danish occupation of this part, of England, it is 
 hardly to be wondered at that its indelible impression 
 upon the language of the people still remains so clearly 
 and deeply marked ; in fact it would have been strange 
 had it been otherwise. During the year 1890 I made 
 two journeys to Denmark to stay with Danish friends ; 
 once to the extreme East of the country within a few 
 miles of the Swedish coast, and once to the extreme 
 West, within hearing of the roar of ' Vesterhavet ' as it 
 lashes in its fury the long low sandy shores of Jutland. 
 To me these visits were full of interest. My friend in 
 the West was unsurpassed in his knowledge of the 
 Danish dialects and folk-lore, and being an excellent 
 English scholar, I learnt much from him. I had, too, 
 an opportunity of hearing the Danish folk-talk spoken 
 in its fulness, for the people of that part had mixed but 
 little with the outer world, and in their speech and 
 customs were not far removed from their fore-elders of 
 former centuries. 
 
 Almost the first place I visited in the neighbourhood 
 was the island of Fano. This is the most northerly of 
 the Frisian group, and the only one of them which still 
 belongs to Denmark. It was a sunny day in July when 
 I crossed over the narrow belt of water which separates 
 Fano from the mainland. The impressions made by 
 what I saw on this quaint little island I shall not easily 
 forget. In days gone by, each of the different islands 
 had its own peculiar costumes ; but, sad to say, the irre- 
 
3 28 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 sistible force of fashion has broken through traditional 
 usase, and Fano alone remains faithful to its old and 
 pretty fancy in the matter of dress. The Fano folk have 
 nothing to say to the latest Paris novelties ; they know 
 better what suits them : it is a picturesque sight on a 
 Sunday morning to see the streams of people — men, 
 women, and children, book in hand, scrupulously tidy 
 and clean in appearance, wending their way to the Kirk, 
 the women clad in costumes and decked with adorn^ 
 ments similar to those of generations long passed away, 
 which I will not attempt here to describe, while the 
 children are taught to know or at least to like no other 
 garb. I will only add in passing that it requires seven 
 skets, as we call them in Yorkshire, of fourteen feet each, 
 in order to make a dress for a Fano woman — that is, 
 nearly thirty-three yards of material, which seemed to 
 be somewhat in excess of what is usually thought 
 enough in this part of the country ; but these ample 
 folds contribute to the appearance as well as to the 
 warmth of the dress. 
 
 My return journey from Fano to the mainland was 
 attended with some little risk of being stranded. There 
 were two Danes with me when we hired the boat to take 
 us across. We delayed starting beyond the appointed 
 hour, and the tide was rapidly ebbing. The skipper, a 
 fine specimen of a sailor of the old school, who must 
 have seen more than seventy summers, assured us with 
 some anxiety that it would be as much as we could do 
 to get over the strait, even if we started at once. We 
 made haste and jumped into the boat : the sail was 
 hoisted, and we were under way in less than a minute. 
 A stiffish breeze was blowing at the time, and we made 
 rapid headway, though not without once or twice 
 touching the bottom with the keel ; in fact so little water 
 
DANISH COMPARISONS. 1 29 
 
 was there to spare that one of the party had to sit in 
 the bows to trim the boat, with two of us amidships and 
 the skipper astern. At length we were nearing the 
 opposite shore in safety, and the passenger in the bows, 
 thinking that all cause for anxiety was over, made a 
 motion to alter his position in the boat, whereupon the 
 old Viking shouts excitedly with the true Jutlandic 
 accent ' Du maa ei komme endnu.' To my ear this 
 sounded as much like our Yorkshire dialect as anything 
 could do that was not it ; and I feel sure that any 
 Yorkshireman on hearing it would have at once under- 
 stood it. It is true we have no negative like ci in our 
 folk-speech ; cndnu is pronounced precisely as our inow, 
 which had perhaps better be written inn ; and although 
 the meanings of endnu and inn are not quite identical, 
 yet I cannot but think these two words are in reality the 
 same in their origin, the transition of meaning from ' at 
 present' to 'almost at present' or 'shortly,' being an 
 easy one. 
 
 The similarity between the Danish dialects and our 
 own is to be seen in a great variety of ways over and 
 above the form of the words themselves. 
 
 In a single chapter it would be impossible to draw 
 out the points of resemblance at any great length ; I 
 must be content with touching upon a very few of them 
 which may be taken as types of others not less in- 
 teresting. 
 
 Turning our eyes homewards, we see that the whole 
 face of the countr}^ from the Tees to the H umber, to 
 say nothing of East Lincolnshire, is thickly covered 
 with Scandinavian names, and no inconsiderable part 
 of the ancient language is spoken even at this day, and 
 with the old traditional pronunciation. Before pro- 
 ceeding further, however, I will give a single, but what 
 
 K 
 
130 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK- 
 
 seems to me a very remarkable example of the numerous 
 survivals of the Northern tongue of a thousand years 
 ago. 
 
 There is a word in our Yorkshire folk-talk still cur- 
 rent, which I have repeatedly heard used by some of our 
 older people to express the corners of the mouth or the 
 e3^es — I mean the word weeks. T' weeks d yer inooth or 
 /' weeks o' yer een are expressions well understood at this 
 time in the North Riding. Who would suppose at first 
 sight that the corners of one's mouth and eyes had any- 
 thing in common with the word universally employed to 
 designate the bands of savage marauders or pirates who 
 for centuries devastated our shores — the Vikings ? Yet 
 so it is. We sometimes hear this word pronounced 
 Vi-kings, as if these invaders of our shores were a sort 
 of petty kings or chiefs instead of merely Vik-ings, that 
 is to say, inhabitants of the Viks — the ba3^s or creeks 
 of the shores of various corners of Scandinavia, and 
 specially, as it would seem, of the southern parts of the 
 peninsula and of Denmark. Our word week above men- 
 tioned, and Vik or Vig, are the same word, and uttered, 
 be it observed, with exactly the same pronunciation as 
 is preserved in Denmark at the present day. So that, 
 instead of calling the hardy yet cruel Norse pirates Vi- 
 kings, we ought rather to term them Veek-ings or Week- 
 ings, just as in modern Danish a man from the Faroes 
 is called a Faroing. The same word appears over and 
 over again as a place-name,sometimes under the {oYm.wick 
 and sometimes as Wyke, in the latter case pronounced 
 as it is spelt ; and in other parts — Lincolnshire, to wit — 
 the word appears again as Wig, which, substituting v 
 for w, is the Danish spelling of the old Norse Vik. The 
 form wyke can be nothing more than a corruption of the 
 original word. I have long regarded this Yorkshire 
 
DANISH COMPARISONS. I3I 
 
 word weeks, as applied to the corners of the mouth and 
 eyes, as one of our most interesting rehcs; for the true 
 Norse vowel- sound of Vik is preserved with singular 
 clearness by means of that solitary word in our dialect, 
 although there are other words where the same sound 
 is drawn near to. 
 
 When it is observed that the surface of the country 
 is covered with names of Scandinavian origin, I do not 
 refer only to place-names, our bys and our thorpes, 
 though these are as ' common as peas,' as the saying is, 
 but to words which give us an insight into the nature or 
 surroundings of the land, as well as to terms that pertain 
 to the settlement upon, and the cultivation of the soil. 
 
 On the subject of place-names commonly so called, I 
 do not propose to dwell, although much might be said 
 about them ; I may, however, mention in passing, that 
 any one who has travelled in the West of Denmark 
 may easily imagine how the by originated. It is one oi 
 the most striking features of that region to see the 
 numerous farmsteads with their enclosures dotted about 
 over the country : a single rude farmstead at the time 
 of the Danish colonisation of Northumbria would con- 
 stitute a by, and by degrees other houses clustered round 
 or near them ; a by was in fact in the first instance a 
 settlement, and afterwards a village or town. As regards 
 ihorpe it is worth notice that in our Yorkshire pro- 
 nunciation of that word is conserved its Danish form 
 very closely. Tthrup represents as nearly as may be 
 the dialectic rendering of the word, the aspiration being 
 very slight, and this is nothing more nor less than the 
 Norse termination &up. 
 
 But what about our Yorkshire higs and carrs, our 
 dales and rtggs, our ridings or riiddings and reins, our 
 rakes and gaits, dykes and becks, stells and kelds ? 
 
 K 2 
 
133 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 These and many other Hke words carry on their face 
 their Norse complexion — nay, their Norse essence. 
 Nearly every parish in the district that has a river 
 flowing through it possesses its ings, which is the same 
 word as the Danish cuge, cng being a generic word 
 signifying low ground, flooded now at times or not as 
 the case may be, but always near water, and divided by 
 ditches into /<;';///<?r varying considerably in size. These 
 fenner or fens are so called, as far as I could understand 
 from the people in Denmark of whom I made enquir3% 
 not in consequence of the character of the land itself, 
 but because of the way in which it is divided by ditches 
 or rather trenches. We in this country always associate 
 moisture with the fens, but it does not appear that that 
 is the primary meaning of the word. In this district of 
 East Yorkshire at the present day ings are what they 
 are in Denmark, meadow land near water ; and although 
 in our own country it does not of necessity follow that 
 they are on low-lying ground— for there are cases where 
 they are found on higher situations, even on the high 
 ground in the Wolds sometimes — yet these instances 
 are comparatively rare. Neither is it a matter of course 
 that all meadow lands near water are called ings ; 
 many are not, though how it is there are these distinc- 
 tions I am at a loss to determine, unless it be that the 
 meadows have been brought under cultivation subse- 
 quently to the Danish settlement, or that the old term 
 has been gradually superseded by others. I may 
 add that as the emge are divided by fenner, so also 
 are the agrc (fields) divided by rener or narrow balks, 
 our Yorkshire word rein^ which I will again refer to 
 presently. 
 
 There are many parishes, especially in the East 
 Riding, which have their carrs — a word quite familiar 
 
DANISH COMPARISONS. I33 
 
 to every farmer in those parts. The word comes from 
 the old Norse kjarr, and in modern Danish is spelt 
 kjcer or kcer (pronounced cm'c), and in Jutlandic kjar. 
 In Denmark at the present day the term is used in two 
 senses, viz. either for a village horsepond, called a 
 gadckjcer, or for moist, boggy rough meadow land made 
 ' sour ' 'by standing water and overgrown with what are 
 called in Danish halvgr'cesser, or reeds. In this sense 
 the word exactly corresponds with the Yorkshire use 
 of it at the present date, except that with us the land so 
 named need not necessarily be meadow. Land of this 
 character is for the most part what we call in the folk- 
 speech soor (sour), a pronunciation identical with sur^ 
 which is in Denmark applied in precisely the same way ; 
 perhaps I should rather say such was the character of 
 the carr land, for in recent years drainage has done 
 much to alter the face of the country and the character 
 of the land. There can be no doubt that in former 
 times the carrs were little better than swamps over- 
 grown with brushwood, the happy resorts of numberless 
 waterfowl, but of small value for the farmer. 
 
 At the present date the carrs^ although drained, are 
 not as a rule good land, being greatly beholden to the 
 season for anything like a full crop. The soil is for 
 the most part peaty ; and in working the land large 
 stumps of trees, which have lain there for ages, are 
 frequently brought to the surface. The dark-coloured 
 wood is still hard when first dug out of the ground, and 
 not unfrequently the farmers make gate posts of it ; 
 they do not, however, prove very durable — exposure to 
 the air soon causing the wood to rot. 
 
 I need not go beyond the limits of this parish of 
 Newton-on-Ouse for additional traces of the old Danish 
 settlements of more than a thousand years ago. Every 
 
134 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 cleared way through a wood is called a riding ; and 
 there is a field in the parish which always goes by the 
 name of the riiddings : this word indicates clearances 
 from forest land. Royd and rod, like ro</in Denmark, are 
 elsewhere common terminations, all implying the same 
 thing. The old Norse rydja meant to clear land, es- 
 pecially of wood, the modern Danish form of the word 
 being rydde, and a clearance of anything is a rydning. 
 It need hardly be pointed out that the word riding, or 
 ridding, in the sense of a wood clearance, has nothing 
 to do with the divisions of the county into Ridings, a 
 term which has reference to the tripartite division of 
 it : the origin of this word, however, is Norse, coming 
 from the Icelandic thridjungr. 
 
 Less common, but still in usage in our folk-speech, is 
 the word rein, meaning a strip of land at the edge of a 
 field, so rough and overgrown with brushwood that it 
 cannot be cultivated. Thus, sometimes a man will com- 
 plain in ploughing a field, that it is difficult to do, 
 because it is nowt bud reins an' geirs : that is to say, 
 that it is full of coarse or thorny strips and triangular 
 bits at the corners, awkwardly shaped, being too narrow 
 for the plough to be turned round in them. In that 
 short phrase, which happened to be said to a friend of 
 mine in conversation with a farmer, we have two inter- 
 esting old Norse words, rei)i and geir : the former of 
 these is derived from the Icelandic rein, a strip of 
 land ; while geir is the same word as the Icelandic 
 gejr, an arrow-head. Thus, too, an eel-spear is called 
 aalegejr, because of the triangular shaped end to each 
 prong. 
 
 Again, another field or fields in this parish is called 
 the Sheep-rakes ; so it has been called from time out of 
 mind, though none of our people know why it is thus 
 
DANISH COMPARISONS. I35 
 
 designated. Here, also, is evidence of the old Norse 
 tongue, for a cattle-rake or sheep-rake signifies a right 
 or place of pasturage for cattle or sheep, a stray, as we 
 should now call it, from Icelandic reika, 'to wander.' In 
 much the same sense at the present time do we use the 
 word gait', we speak about gaits for cattle, cow-gaits, 
 and so forth, meaning right of pasture for them. The 
 derivation from Icelandic gata is obvious. 
 
 To go from land to water : our Yorkshire country- 
 folk scarcely, if ever, make use of the word stream, 
 beck is used instead ; dyke has a wide application, being 
 sometimes employed with reference to a ditch, or, as I 
 have frequently heard it, to the river Ouse ; a stell is a 
 wide open drain, and though kcld has passed out of the 
 dialect as an ordinarily used word, it is to be found in 
 many place-names. 
 
 Turn which way you will, old Norse and Danish 
 words meet us everywhere. In agricultural nomencla- 
 ture especially are they noticeable ; indeed, it is hardly 
 straining a point to say that it is difficult to find words 
 that spring from any other source, and which, when 
 used, are at once understood. Go into a hind's cottage 
 with its farm-yard close b}^, either in Holderness or in 
 Cleveland, and in talking with any native of middle or 
 advanced age you may, if you are so minded, practically 
 bid good-bye to Queen's English and converse in the 
 Danish tongue. The time of your visit may be either at 
 th^ forend^ of the year, or at clippin tahrn'^, or at the 
 backend^, or when the yule clog'^ stands ready for the 
 fire with the other cldin ^ ; you go into the hoos ' (or, as 
 we should more properly spell it, hus , or you turn and 
 
 ^ Danish Forende (front part). * D. Jul fChristmas). 
 
 2 D. Klippe to cut). ^ d jj^j i^j-g , 
 
 ^ D. Bagende (hind part}. ® D. Hus i^house). 
 
136 
 
 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 meet the husband^ in the garth -. Possibly you may be 
 sensibly reminded of the nearness of the muck-niidden^ 
 and inyg'^, which have not yet been scaled-', over the 
 szua/h^. Hard by is the lathe', and on the floor there 
 ligs"" some bigg" barley or blend-corn^^ . Hanging on 
 the wall is the ley ", with its accompanying strickle '-, 
 and an old flail with its swipple^'' bent. Out in the fields 
 or in the fold-garth are the stots^'^ and the ivyes^'' and 
 the gimmers^, together with one or two drapes^" and 
 stags '^^, while some species of the very flies that tettg'^^ 
 them are called clegs -°. Near hand -^ is the coo-byre -■^, 
 and the milk-maid has just done stripping'-'^ the kye^^, 
 and is coming with her pails to the dairy. The old 
 sheets '■^'' and kits -'"' have gone out of fashion, but the 
 sile'^'^ is still in use. You may see perhaps some of the 
 men on the farm scruffiiiig'^^ turnips or cleaning the kaui- 
 sides'^'' and balks^^\ or burning old gat^sel"'^ which the 
 hask^^' wind helps to consume. The bairns ^^ may be 
 
 ^ D, Husband ^^master of a 
 house\ 
 
 - D. Gaard ''a farmstead '. 
 
 ■' Jutl. D. Mog manure) modd- 
 ing (manure heap'. 
 
 * D. Mog manure). 
 
 ^ D. Skille vto separate\ 
 
 '' D. Svaer rind . 
 
 ' D. Lade (a barn). 
 
 ^ D. Ligge (to lie). 
 
 9 D. Byg 'barlev\ 
 
 ^^ Jutl. b. Blandkorn 'a mix- 
 ture of barley, oats, peas, and 
 vetches;. 
 
 ^1 D. Le (a. scythe). 
 
 ^2 D. Stryge (to rub). 
 
 ^^ D. Svippe to crack a -whip). 
 
 ^^ D. Stud (a bullock over four 
 years old). 
 
 '^ D. Kvie 'a young heifer). 
 
 ^^ Jutl. D. Gimmer(aewelamb). 
 
 1" O.N. DriopaC?) 
 
 ^^ D. Stag (a male, applied to 
 certain birds and animals). 
 
 '^ D. Taenger (tongs :. 
 
 2° N. Klang 'a horse-'fly). 
 
 ^^ Jutl. D. Naerhaand (near, ap- 
 plied to a horse in a pair . 
 
 -^ D. Ko cow^. Bo to dwelly. 
 
 ^^ D. Strippe (to strip). 
 
 -* D. Koer cows). 
 
 -■' O. N. Skiola (a milk-pail), 
 D. Skaal a bowd . 
 
 -^ Dutch ; Kit [a. small tub). 
 
 " N. Sil a strainer^. 
 
 '^ D. Skralle i to pare'. 
 
 ^^ D. Kam fa comb or crest\ 
 
 30 D. Bjalke (a balk . 
 
 2^ D. Gjaerdsel (dead hedge 
 wood), 
 
 ^^ D. Harsk ^rusty, rancid). 
 
 "^ D. Barn a child). 
 
DANISH COMPARlSO*NS. 1 37 
 
 flayin kreeaks^, or tenting the geslins^^^ or pulling ^^Z- 
 locks and what not called lukin ^; or it may be Martinmas 
 time, and the lads and lasses have returned from the 
 neighbouring town, where they have just got hired, 
 and have brought back their /t^s/ or godspenny^, after 
 having deposited the addlins of the previous twelve 
 months in the bank. 
 
 Words and expressions like these might be added by 
 the score ; but the agency of the Northern tongue may 
 be seen in an even more interesting manner when we 
 consider the way in which it has preserved to us certain 
 vowel-sounds in words which difter only slightly from 
 the standard pronunciation. Take, for instance, such 
 a word as leek, which in the dialect is the common pro- 
 nunciation of ' leak '; leek comes much more nearly to 
 the Danish pronunciation of its own word leek than does 
 'leak.' Again, when we speak about a 'sack/ it is 
 true we as often as not call it a poke, which is probably 
 one of the comparatively few words the dialect has 
 grafted into its vocabulary from the French ; only, be 
 it observed, when we do make use of the other term, we 
 invariably pronounce it seek ; or, to speak more cor- 
 rectly, we retain the old pronunciation of the Icelandic 
 form of the word sekkr, wherefrom comes the Danish 
 seek, and from which 'sack' is a deviation. It is as 
 easy to say ' sack ' as seek, but the traditional and 
 correct vowel-sound of this word has been preserved in 
 the folk-talk from time immemorial. 
 
 Again, in the Yorkshire pronunciation of ' building ' 
 we have a key to the true meaning and origin of the 
 word. In the dialect the word is distinctly sounded 
 
 1 O. N. Flaja (to frighten). ^ Icel. Lok a weed). 
 
 D. Krage a crow;. ^ D. Faeste ^to secure). Jutl. D. 
 
 ^ D. Gjsesling (a gosling). Gudspenge (earnest money;. 
 
138 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 bedding, and a bceld is a shelter of any kind from the 
 weather ; it need not necessarily consist of bricks and 
 mortar ; a tree or a hedge might, and often do, act as 
 a becld for the traveller against wind and rain, and in 
 that sense the word is very commonly used. Here, 
 again, we have an inheritance from the Norsemen care- 
 fully preserved in the unwritten folk-speech. Some 
 raised object there must be to form a building, but it 
 would seem from our dialectical form of the word that 
 the fundamental idea contained in it was that of a 
 shelter, and not necessaril}^ a structure of masonry, as 
 we now generall}^ understand the term, this latter being 
 only a secondary or subordinate meaning. 
 
 The children who watch the geese in the lanes in the 
 summer days call the young birds geslins ; it is not a 
 long march from ' gosling ' to gesliiig, but in this our 
 Northern pronunciation of the word we cling to the 
 ancient vowel-sound, and in gesliug we have precisely 
 the pronunciation as in the modern Danish gjoesling. 
 Here we may see another example of the undeviating 
 transmission of sound in the mother tongue of the 
 people through a series of long centuries, despite the 
 many literary changes that have passed over the 
 English language during such an epoch of time. 
 
 The old tinder-box of our grandfathers' time has now 
 been cast aside. Messrs. Bryant and May, and a host 
 of other 'match-makers' after their sort, have done 
 away with the necessity for such a tedious operation in 
 striking a light as that which accompanied the tinder-box. 
 But the old folks, in speaking about this antiquated 
 article of the domestic furniture of their childhood, 
 always call it hinder instead of ' tinder.' This also falls 
 in with ancient usage, for in Icelandic the word is 
 titndr \ while the modern Danish form is tonder, both of 
 
DANISH COMPARISONS. 
 
 ^39 
 
 which sounds are much more in harmony with our York- 
 shire pronunciation of the word than 'tinder.' 
 
 These latter few instances I have given may seem to 
 some but trivial matters, scarcely worth speaking about ; 
 but as straws show from which airt the wind blows, so 
 do these words by their peculiar vowel-sounds show 
 the source from which the language of the people has 
 in the main been drawn, even if there were no other 
 traces. The mighty Northern stream which swept over 
 Northumbria may still be traced by means of these and 
 other similar tiny distillations which have not yet quite 
 evaporated into thin air. 
 
 The following are a i^w examples taken indiscrimin- 
 ately, which will perhaps help further to illustrate the 
 point aimed at in this chapter. They might be added to 
 indefinitel}^ 
 
 Yorkshire Dialect. 
 
 The use of with for by 
 means ' of,' e. g. Ah com wi f 
 traan (I came by the train.) 
 
 The employment of to for 
 of in the phrase, Ti neea use 
 (of no use). 
 
 A piece of way, e. g. gan a 
 piece d way wi ma (go a part 
 of the distance with me). 
 
 Ah gav him 7 (I gave it to 
 him). In this particular 
 phrase the v is retained in 
 gav, but in He ga' mootJi (He 
 uttered a shout) it is omitted, 
 as frequently before a con- 
 sonant. 
 
 Til and Ti (To). 
 
 Danish. 
 
 The same usage is com- 
 mon, e. g. Jeg kom med toget 
 (I came by the train). 
 
 Det er til ingen nytte (lit. It 
 is to no use). 
 
 Gaae et stykke vei med niig. 
 (Go a piece of way with me.) 
 
 A {jeg) ga^ ham et (I gave 
 him it). 
 
 Til (To). In ordinary con- 
 versation this preposition is 
 
]40 
 
 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Yorkshire Dialect. 
 
 A-gait (on the go ; in 
 operation). 
 
 Tden or Teean (an ab- 
 breviation for 'taken'). 
 
 Brek,2iCo\nm.on pronuncia- 
 tion of break, perfect tense 
 Brak. 
 
 Sikan (such). 
 
 The frequent use of k for 
 ch in such words, e. g., as 
 skrike (shriek), busk (bush), 
 skimuier (shimmer), biiik 
 (bench), flick (flitch), kist 
 (chest). 
 
 What do they call you ? 
 (What is your name ?) This 
 expression is invariable. 
 
 Folk^ Folks. The word 
 'people' is not used in the 
 dialect. 
 
 TJioo (Thoui. This word 
 is alwaj^s used colloquially 
 and familiarly instead oi you. 
 
 He teeak off {^Q ran away 
 from home or situation). 
 
 He 's broivt ti f beggar staff 
 (He is utterly ruined). 
 
 Ti brek i two (to break in 
 two). This pronunciation is 
 identical with the Danish : 
 and the letter /in such words 
 as finnd, nnnnd^ blinnd, &c., 
 is much nearer the Danish 
 sound than is the ordinary 
 English sound inthese words. 
 
 He com (He came). This 
 
 Danish. 
 
 frequently pronounced Ti, 
 which is in accordance with 
 the Yorkshire usage, 
 
 I gang (in motion, in opera- 
 tion). 
 
 Tein (Dialectical abbrevia- 
 tion for tagen). 
 
 Broekke (pr. Brekke, perf 
 tense Brak). 
 
 Sikken (such a). 
 
 S/^/7>^ (shriek), ^W5>^ (bush), 
 skiiute (to gleam forth), ba^nk 
 (bench), ffik (patch), kist 
 (chest). 
 
 HvadhedderDc? (lit. What 
 be called you ?j 
 
 Folk (people). 
 
 Du (Thou) ; also similarly 
 used and pronounced. 
 
 Han tog til (He went to). 
 
 Han er bragt til Tigger- 
 staven (He is utterly ruined). 
 
 At brekke i tu (to break in 
 two). Finde, niinde, blinde, Sec, 
 
 Han koDi (He came). 
 
DANISH COMPARISONS. I4I 
 
 Yorkshire Dialect. Danish. 
 
 form of the perfect of come is 
 very common. 
 
 Like io : althoug-h used in Lige ved at (on the point 
 
 other senses, there is one of), e. g. Jeg var lige ved at 
 which may here be noted, tiunle (I was on the point of 
 viz. on the point of, e. g. it tumbling), 
 would be used in such a 
 phrase as Ah wer like to 
 tumnt'l (I was on the point 
 of tumbling). 
 
 The pronunciation of modern Danish, and especially 
 that of the West Jutland dialect, bears, as has been 
 already remarked, many striking resemblances to cor- 
 responding utterances in our own East Yorkshire folk- 
 talk. To one or two of these let me brietly allude. As 
 I have elsewhere observed, the //-sound is one of the 
 leading characteristics of our dialect. This sound, as we 
 utter it, exactly accords with the Danish pronunciation. 
 Nu, hus, ting, midd, inuge, brim, ritnd, are strikingly 
 parallel as to the vowel-sound with the Yorkshire 
 pronunciation of now, house, young, mould, muck 
 (verb), brown, round ; and cases of this kind might be 
 indefinitely multiplied. 
 
 The treatment of the letter d in Danish agrees in a 
 remarkable manner with the Yorkshire usage. In the 
 middle or at the e-nd of a word it is very frequently 
 omitted in speech ; thus in such words as hund, kunde, 
 mandcn, gloende, bunden, handel, the d is mute ; similarly 
 in the East Yorkshire dialect this letter is silent in 
 stand, fand, landing, windle, thunder, meddle, and 
 many like words, these being pronounced stan, fan, 
 lannin, ivinnU, thunner, mel. 
 
 The letter v is also another case in point ; the Jutlandic 
 utterance of that letter being in unison with our pronun- 
 
142 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 ciation. In the dialect, 'over' is pronounced ower, 
 which accords precisely with the Danish pronunciation 
 of the same word. Ovn (oven) is pronounced owiiy 
 the ow being sounded as in ' how' ; this again, is almost 
 identical with ycwn or yown, which is the Yorkshire 
 rendering of the word. Another strikingly parallel case 
 is to be found in the word dovter, the Jutlandic for 
 daughter ; this is pronounced as our doivtther. 
 
 Although the Danish dialects when written appear at 
 first sight so different from what we are accustomed in 
 Yorkshire, yet a close examination of them discloses 
 many points of resemblance. I here give two examples 
 of Danish folk-talk, the first from the borderland of 
 Slesvig and Jutland, the other from the parish of Ulv- 
 borg in North Jutland. They will prove, I trust, not 
 uninteresting to the student of our Yorkshire dialect. 
 
 Specimens of Danish Dialect. 
 
 I. 
 
 Daer war engang aen kong ; han haai sen kauk au sen sket 
 som hir Jaep. Saa blow ae kongs kauk au Jaep ujaens faa de 
 han kom et mse vilt ; so saa Jaep a kun gan skyr aen las vilt 
 o ae daw ; sau gek ae kauk in au saa de te ae kong. Haar han 
 saai er, saa skal han o gyer er ; lae ham kom in. So saa han 
 te Jaep ; haar do saai do kun skyr an las vilt o ae daw ? Han 
 saai naai ; men ae kong saa ; do har saai er, o do skal o gyer 
 er, haejsen ska do taas te faang, maen kommer do mae en las 
 ska do fo di fo an blyw fri faar o vaer sket. 
 
 Jaep gaa sae te o skrol, sau gek han. Sau fon han aen 
 gamm'l piv, sau blaest han i daen, sau kam daer vilt frae aal 
 fi vaerens hjorner, sau skor han saalaeng te hen faek aen las. 
 
 Sau skul han hen atter aen uwen te au kyr bans vilt hjem 
 o. Sau kam han faabi nawe skaelebasier daer sor i naat 
 haestsnaws. Godaw, saa Jaep ; hwa besteler i ? Vi hoker o 
 aen uwen do skal ha o kyr di vilt hjem o. Tak skal i ha ; 
 sau behewer a et au go laenger. Sau gek han en let ; sau 
 
DANISH COMPARISONS. I43 
 
 kam han te tow jererkauper daer sor o spon. Godaw, saa 
 Jaep ; hwa spiner 1 te ? Vi spiner o naat toj do skal ha te 
 haesttoj au kyr di vilt hjem mae. 
 
 Sau gek han en let, sau kam han te tow myk dser kam 
 skaenen. Godaw saa Jaep ; hur vel i skaen o ? Vi el skaen 
 haen au kyr di vilt hjem. Tak skal i ha, sau behewer a et o 
 go laenger. 
 
 Sau kam an te ae jerekauper o faek ae haesttoj, au sau kam 
 han te ae skaelebasier o faek ae uwen, sau laser han ae vilt o 
 sau kor han hjem i kongens gor te de skralerer i ae baaregor. 
 Sau kam ae kong ur au sij ae vilt. Sau saa han ; no ae do fri 
 naer do steer mae aen anen sket. Sau gek han ur faar o ste 
 aen sket. Daen fost han kam te han saa han tur et, faa han 
 war raej han ku et. Sau saa Jaep ; jaaw, de kan do gaat ; 
 kan do et fo vilt, sau ka do faatael ham nyt. Hur skul a fo 
 nyt naer a gor i ae vil mark ? Ka do et fo san sau ka do brug 
 lown, de haar a gor sau mane gaang. 
 
 Sau kam han daer. Daen fost daw han gek ur o jawt faek 
 han slaet et. A kong kam te ham ar ae awten au saa ; haar 
 do faat naat vilt ? Sau saa han naej. Haar do hor naat nyt ? 
 Han saa ja ; a haar hor to ae vaesterhaw war braen aw o di 
 slot er mae byghalm. Daen anen daw faek han haejer et vilt, 
 maen da haaj han nyt : daer war flowen aen stuwer faawl 
 ower aen kaerk o daen gor aen aek, o aal daem faalk daer war i 
 ae kaerk o aen hal mil naer ve en di draawner i daen aek. . 
 
 Sau blow ae kong vre au gek op te daen gamm'l skot o saa ; 
 de aer aen snaws kaal a haar faat ; vilt for han et aw, lown 
 haar han naak aw. Hwa haar han da saaj ? Daen fost daw 
 han kam hjaem, da saa han, ae vaesterhaw war braen aw o di 
 haaj slot er mae byghalm. De ka vaer san ; daer ae komen 
 mane las bode kogt o staejt fesk haer faabi, saa Jaep. Daen 
 anen daw, saa han, daer war flowen aen stuwer faawel ower 
 aen kaerk, o aal daem faalk daer war i ae kaerk o aen hal mil 
 naer ve en di draawner i daen aek. 
 
 No kan a faasto de, saa Jaep, faa daer ae komen baaj om 
 aal daem snaejker daer vil kom di kun fo arber au gyr ligkister, 
 au di sku vaer spes te ae aen au drywes i ae juwer mae aen 
 raenbok, faar haejsen ku daer et blyw plas te daem, 
 
 Sau trowe ae kong de. Ater daen tij ku han gaat go ; faek han 
 vilt, sau war er guwe ; o faek han nyt sau trowe ae kong er. 
 
J 44 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Translation. 
 
 There was once a king ; he had a cook, and a gamekeeper 
 who was called Yep. The king's cook and Yep came to 
 loggerheads because he did not come with any game ; 
 accordingly Yep said, ' I could easily shoot a load of game in 
 a da3^' So the cook went in and told this to the king. ' If 
 he has said this he shall also do it ; let him come in,' Then 
 he said to Yep, ' Have yow said you could shoot a load of 
 game in a day?' He said 'No.' But the king said 'You 
 have said it, and you shall also do it, or else you shall be 
 taken to prison ; but if you come with a load you shall get 
 3'our food, and become free from being a gamekeeper. Yep 
 uttered a cry and departed. 
 
 Then he found an old pipe and blew into it, and game 
 came from all four quarters of the globe ; so he shot long 
 enough to get a load. 
 
 Next he would go in search of a waggon to drive his game 
 home on, and came past some black beetles which lodged in 
 some horse manure. ' Good day,' said Yep, ' what are you 
 doing ? ' ' We chop on the waggon you shall have to carr}^ 
 3^our game home on.' ' Thank j'^ou ; then I need not go any 
 longer.' Then he went on a little and came to two spiders 
 who sat and spun. 'Good daj^,' said Yep, 'what are you 
 spinning for .? ' ' We are spinning some things you shall 
 have as harness to drive yovs game home with.' 
 
 Then he went on a little and so came to two gnats which 
 came running. ' Good day,' said Yep, ' where will you run 
 to ? ' ' We will run away and drive your game home.' 
 ' Thank you ; then I need not go further.' 
 
 Then he came to the spiders and got the harness, and so 
 on to the beetles and got the waggon. Afterwards he loads 
 the game and drives home to the king's palace so as to make 
 a rattling in the court3^ard. Then the king came out to see the 
 game, and he said, ' Now 3^ou are free when 3^ou engage me 
 another gamekeeper.' 
 
 Accordingly he went out to engage a gamekeeper. The 
 first he came to said he did not dare (to engage himself) for 
 he was afraid he could not (do the work). But said Yep, 
 ' Yes, that 3'ou can very well. If you cannot get game, at 
 all events you can tell him news.' ' How shall I get news 
 
DANISH COMPARISONS. I45 
 
 when I go into the rough country ? ' 'If j^-ou cannot make 
 up what is true, you must tell lies ; I have done that ever so 
 many times.' 
 
 So he came to the palace. The first day he went out to 
 hunt he got nothing at all. The king came to him in the 
 evening and said to him, ' Have you not got any game ? ' 
 He said ' No.' ' Have you heard any news ? ' He said, ' Yes ; 
 I heard that the Western sea was burning up, and that they 
 quenched it with barley straw.' The next day he got no 
 game again ; but then he had news (to tell). A great bird 
 had flown over the church, and it laid an egg, and all the 
 people who were in the church and half a mile near to. it 
 were drowned in that egg. 
 
 Now I can understand that, said Yep, for word is come 
 that all the carpenters who would, could come and get work 
 to make coffins which should be pointed at the end and be 
 driven into the ground with a mallet, for otherwise there 
 would not be room for them. So the king believed it. After 
 that time he could manage well : if he got game, then it was 
 satisfactory, and if he got news, then the king believed it. 
 
 H. 
 
 ' Daer waar sen praest aap ve Tyner i gamm'l daw ; han 
 waa grow gere, au ku aler own aa gi hans faalk naawe. 
 
 Saa kam dser aen gaang i se slaet sen kal te ham aa tow 
 tjsenest ; han skul vser dsen fost a se slseterer, aa om se 
 awtener ful han mae dsem ur o se seng. Saa snar di waa 
 komen dserur saa gu kal te dsem, de ser aler vser aa slo grsejs, 
 no'll vi er aa drek saa Iseng vi har naawe, aa sau'll vi leg waas 
 te aa sow bag aeter, aa hset saa howres som vi ka. Di gor 
 da som han saa, aa haj aal slas lostehier a vsen di blow kow 
 aet lo di dsem ti aa sow oner se vun. Om se maaner vsen di 
 blow vagen, mien han igsen te no kun et aler betal sse aa 
 begyn mse se orber han vil tsej se hiele ansver o sse ; aa sau 
 or di hwa dser waa tebag aa haj et howres somel te her a 
 merestier ; sau saat di dsem o se vun aa kor hjsem ; msen aal 
 tesam'ls waa di da rej faar hwa far vil ssej vsen di kam hjsem 
 aa aler haj bestilt sen smiten ; msen se kal saa di skul et vser 
 rej, han skul naak sore faa di hiele. 
 
 L 
 
14^ YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 O 36 vej kam di faabi aen stej hwo daer lo grow mane 
 skaelebaser ; as kal saa di skul haal stel, ban sprang a se vun 
 aa samlet ae meelmaskaare bal ful a skselebaser. Omsier 
 kam di da hjsem, aa ae prsest kam rsenen ur imuer daem, aa 
 no waar et atal te ae kal skul snak faa di aner. Naa, hvordan 
 gaar det ? bar I faaet hele engen slaaet ? saa ae praest. Ja 
 vael ba vi de, swar gu kal, ae bar da ejsen fonen naawe o ae 
 vej ae gaen vil bej far om. Naa, bac du det, bvad er det 
 min son ? Ja, far, ae bar fonen aen swarm bi. Det var 
 da godt, det er bestemt mine ; der er i dag flojet en swaerm 
 bort fra mig. J a maen ae vil gaen bej far om aa gi mae daen 
 swarm : far bar sau mane ; ae aer aen fate kal aa bar slaet ene. 
 Nej, det kan jeg paa ingen maade, min son ! Aa jow far ku 
 gaen gi mae no daen jaen swarm. Nej paa ingen maade, bvor 
 er de benne jeg maa straks bave dem. Ja, svarae kal, vel far 
 ba daem, sau bar ae em i mi maelmaskaare ; maen faa de far 
 et ku la mae ha em — ae bar sjael fonen em aa aer ekkons aen 
 fate kal ; — sau el a onsk te aal ae bi maa blyw te skaelebaser 
 aa aal ae graejs vi bar slowen i nat maa res sae o ae ruer 
 igaen. 
 
 A praest faek ae kaare aa lot en op ; dae waa jo et ant som 
 skaelebaser. No blow ban rej faa si graejs aa skeket aen 
 dreng baen faar aa sije buren et gek mae ae aeng. Han raent 
 daenier aa so laant baen te ae vin blest ae graejs aap bwor di 
 haj lo om ae nat, aa sau straeft ban aa raen bjaem aa roft laeng 
 for ban baj naaj ae praest som kam imuer bam : Far, far ae 
 graejs ae rest snar aalsamel, aa de res ino staerk i daen jaen 
 bjon. 
 
 Translation. 
 
 Tbere was a priest up by Tonder in olden days : be was 
 very greedy, and could never afford to give bis servants any- 
 thing. 
 
 Tbere came tben once in bay harvest a man to him and 
 entered his service. He wished to be the first of the mowers, 
 and in the evening be followed the others out on to the 
 meadow. As soon as they were come there the good man 
 said to them, it is never worth while to cut grass : now we 
 will eat and drink as long as we bave anything, and then we 
 will lay us down to sleep afterwards, and enjoy ourselves as 
 
DANISH COMPARISONS. I47 
 
 pleasantly as we can. They did then as he said, and had all 
 kinds of diversion, and when they were tired of it the}^ laid 
 themselves to sleep under the waggon. In the morning 
 when they were awake he declared again that now it could 
 not be worth while to begin with the work : he would take 
 the whole responsibility upon himself; and so they ate what 
 there was left and enjoyed themselves together up to dinner- 
 time ; then they sat themselves on the waggon and drove 
 home ; but they then became anxious among themselves for 
 what father (the priest) would say when they came home 
 and never had done a stroke of work ; but the man said they 
 need not be anxious, for he would certainly manage the whole 
 affair. 
 
 On the way they came by a place where there la3" a great 
 many black beetles ; the man said they were to stop ; he 
 jumped from the waggon and collected the luncheon basket 
 half full of black beetles. At length the}^ came home, and 
 the priest came running out towards them, and now it was 
 agreed that the man should speak for the others. 'Well, 
 how are you getting on ? Have you got all the meadow cut ? ' 
 So said the priest. ' Yes, it is all right,' answered the man, 
 ' I have, moreover, found something on the road I would 
 fain ask father about' ' Indeed, have you so? What is it, 
 my son ? ' ' Yes, father, I have found a swarm of bees.' 
 ' That vvas fortunate ; it is certainl}^ mine ; there is to-day a 
 swarm flown awa}'- from me.' ' Yes, but I would fain ask 
 father to give me that swarm : father has so many ; I am a 
 poor fellow, and have none at all.' ' No, that I can on no 
 account do, my son.' ' Oh, yes, father could now kindly give 
 me this one swarm.' ' No, on no account ; wherever they are 
 I must instantly have them.' ' Very well,' answered the 
 man, ' if father will take them, I have them in my luncheon- 
 basket ; but for that, father could not let me have them — I have 
 myself found them, and am but a poor man — so I will wish 
 that all the bees may become black beetles, and all the 
 grass we have cut down during the night may rise on its 
 roots again.' 
 
 The priest got the basket and opened it ; there was nothing 
 whatever but black beetles. Now he became anxious for 
 his grass, and sent a boy off to see how it fared with the 
 
 L 2 
 
148 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 meadow. He ran down there, and saw far away that the 
 wind blew the grass up where it had lain during the night, 
 and then he hastened and ran home and cried, long before 
 he had reached the priest who went towards him : ' Father, 
 father, the grass has risen almost all at once, and it is rising 
 now rapidly in the one corner.' 
 
 Through the help of a Danish friend I have trans- 
 lated the above story as literally as might be, so that 
 the two may be compared together. 
 
 On a careful examination it will be seen that there 
 are many words and expressions which bear a close 
 likeness to those corresponding with them in our own 
 dialect. For instance : — war (wer), engang 'yan gang), 
 saa or sail (seea), kom (kom), a (ah), te (ti), haar </(9(ha'e 
 tha), gaa see ti skrol (lit. gav hissen ti a skirl — gave 
 himself to a shriek),/6>;^ (fan),/r^ (fra), hjorner (hurnes, 
 i. e. corners, an old Yorkshire word ; vide Glossary), 
 hiele (heeal, i.e. whole), Icenger (langer). Let these suffice 
 as examples of many others which might be given. The 
 words in brackets are the Yorkshire equivalents to the 
 Jutlandic. It must be borne in mind that the Jutlandic 
 d is frequently pronounced as our soft th ; ce is sounded 
 very much as our Yorkshire a described in another 
 chapter — thus the word ce (hay) in one of the foregoing 
 passages harmonises exactly with our pronunciation of 
 the word. The aa varies between and an, but more 
 closely approaches the latter than the former : thus 
 faalk is the exact equivalent of our Yorkshire way of 
 pronouncing folk; faawel similarly of fowl. The 
 Jutlandic i agrees in sound with the Yorkshire very 
 generally, which is so different from that of ordinary 
 English, being equal to ee in most cases : and closely 
 connected with this sound is that of the Danish/: 
 indeed it is the combination or interchanging of these 
 
DANISH COMPARISONS. T49 
 
 two sounds that go to make up that strongly marked 
 feature of our dialect, the eea sound — egjen, hjem, hjcem, 
 jen or cett^ for example, are nothing more nor less than 
 our Yorkshire forms ageean, yam, heeam, yan. The 
 Danish j, when it occurs elsewhere than as the first 
 letter of a word, is by no means always sounded : thus 
 in gjore (to do or make) the j is mute, and in the Jut- 
 landic dialect the word assumes various forms, such as 
 gor, ger, gyr, with many others. This word was re- 
 tained, almost in one of its modern Jutlandic forms, till 
 recently in our Yorkshire folk-speech as gar: for in- 
 stance, our old people used to say // gars ma paan (it 
 causes me pain), // gars ma greet (it makes me weep). 
 The same remark applies to the word gja'k from which 
 our gicken or gecken is derived. 
 
 With the exception possibly of certain districts in 
 Sweden there is no part of Scandinavia where the folk- 
 speech so nearly approaches that of East Yorkshire as 
 in West Jutland and North Slesvig. Any student of our 
 own dialect who wishes to investigate the matter more 
 deeply for himself cannot do better than refer to Mr. 
 H. F. Feilberg's learned and elaborate Jutlandic Dic- 
 tionary, entitled Ordbog overjyske Almuesmal, now going 
 through the press, which is the most complete and 
 valuable work of the kind that has ever been compiled. 
 It is written by one who knows the folk-speech as well 
 as his own, and who has spent a life-time upon this 
 and kindred studies. One great merit of the work 
 lies in the fact that the information is mainly drawn from 
 the most reliable source — the people themselves. 
 
 Before I conclude this chapter I would just remark 
 that there is one peculiar feature in the West Jutland 
 dialect which I have 'not seen noticed elsewhere, and 
 for which it is difficult to account; I mean the pro- 
 
njO YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 nunciation of the letter r. This sound is in that region 
 identical with the nasal r of the dialects of Southern 
 England. It is quite universal in south-west Jutland, 
 while in Yorkshire there is not even the faintest trace of 
 it. On hearing the Danish dialect spoken for the first 
 time, this remarkable peculiarity struck me very much. 
 I do not know over what extent of country this sound is 
 heard, but from the fact that we have not a vestige of it 
 in Yorkshire, I imagine it must be an importation and 
 probably a comparatively recent one; but this is a point 
 that requires investigation. 
 
 For further comparison of the folk-talk of the two 
 districts, I must refer the reader to the deriv^ations, 
 incomplete as they are, which are given in the Glossary 
 at the end of this volume. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL. 
 
 Whatever difficulties may surround the derivation 
 of place-names, those of some of our field-names are not 
 less perplexing. A large number of these have become 
 so torn and twisted in the course of ages that their first 
 shape is almost past recognition. Still, perhaps I 
 should sa3^ therefore, they prove an interesting study 
 to those who are able to give themselves to it. What 
 an amount of physical geography they unfold. They 
 tell very often, too, of stirring events, of battles and 
 invasions, of camps and settlements ; they record some- 
 thing of the natural history and botany of the district, 
 of animals now no niore to be found in their old haunts, 
 and of plants and flowers that no longer deck the 
 ground ; they speak of families who had perhaps for 
 generations inhabited the spot, but whose place now 
 knows them no more. Although many of these old 
 field-names are so mangled that they can with difficulty 
 tell their own tale, yet it is surprising what a history is 
 revealed by those which can speak. Not to go beyond 
 the boundaries of this parish of Newton-on-Ouse ; here 
 nearly every field has a name, and although many are 
 of no special interest, sometimes merely recording the 
 name of a recent occupier, yet a large proportion have 
 
i ^2 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 held their ground for many centuries and afford food 
 for thought and study. 
 
 This parish consists of three townships, and in one 
 of these — Linton-on-Ouse — I felt that without much 
 difficulty I could get a fairly complete list of the old 
 field-names. This I did by the aid of one of my elderly 
 parishioners, of whose accurate knowledge of local 
 geography I had heard, but which in reality far 
 exceeded my expectations. He knew the name and 
 the characteristics of every field in the township, and 
 being a thorough Yorkshireman, he was able to give 
 the designation in each case with the correct traditional 
 pronunciation. According^, I invited him to come to 
 my house one evening and he began at one end of the 
 place, and without note of any kind, went through the 
 whole township of about 2,300 acres, giving the name of 
 every field. These I took down one by one carefully, 
 with the exact pronunciation, as far as I could, as he 
 uttered it. He never hesitated for a moment, and to 
 the best of my knowledge and belief not more than 
 one close was omitted. Such a list not having been 
 previously made, as far as I know, and some of the 
 field-names being curious, I will give the list tn extenso, 
 only omitting those names which merely described the 
 field by the number of acres it contained, of which 
 there were a fair sprinkling, though these have a special 
 interest of their own. He took the township farm by 
 farm, and I have kept to the same grouping. 
 
 The names are as follows : — 
 
 Farm No. i. — Roger wood, Tom wood, T' carr, T' clay 
 pownd. Spring Wood clooas, Mark hill. Jack wood, T' bull 
 garth, Ned Paak, T hag, T' fo'st branfits, T' middle branfits, 
 T' far branfits. Mill clooas. 
 
 No 2.— By hoos field. Mill clooas. Middle ings, Far ings, 
 
GEOGRAPHICAL. 1 53 
 
 T' fox heeads, T' field i t' ft-ont o' t' hoos, T' fo'st branfits, T' 
 far branfits, Hall garth ingses. 
 
 No. 3.— T' corner field, T' fo'st branfits, T' second branfits, 
 Gowly field, T' hag, Gibson hill, T' boddums, T' brig field, 
 T' high garth, T' low garth. 
 
 No. 4.— T' fo'st hag, T' fox hag, T' field i t' front o' t' staable, 
 T' field aback o' t' staable, T' hag just ower t' brig, T' bod- 
 dums, T' corner field, T' ooak-tree field, Nor' crovs (crofts), 
 Harry Dunnington clooas, T' coo-pastur. 
 
 No. 5.— Rush clooas, T' hill clooas, Dawson corner clooas, 
 T' fo'st (or girt) sumlers (or sumleys), T' second sumlers, T' 
 field aback o' t' brick garth. Middle field. Far field, Dawson 
 hill, T' clay field ower t' brig, T' boddums, T' corner clooas, T' 
 hall garth, T' ingses, T' croft, T' toon-end piece. Moor end. 
 
 No. 6.— Spring wood clooas, T' far oot wood, Snahry clooas, 
 T' dreean sumlers, Girt sandwith, Robison clooas, T' clooas 
 at t' front o' t' barn, T' shoodther o' mutton, T' sumlers, 
 Charles garth, T' ingses, T' law (low) bell garth, T' high bell 
 garth, Grassin sumlers, Sumlers hill, T' girt hag. 
 
 No. 7. — T' fo'st field agaan t' rooad. Tommy Reet hill, T' far 
 clooas joinin' Smith's, Six yakker joining t' plantin', Snahry 
 clooas, T' fo'st sandwith, T' second sandwith. Nor' crovs, 
 T' au'd hoos garth, T' seed clooas, Corner clooas. 
 
 No. 8. Linton lane, Broon clooas, Girt sandwith. Girt 
 ling clooas, T' whinny garth, T' avvy lings {or P avvyl ings), 
 T' au'd twenty yakker, West field, Field top. 
 
 No. 9.— Reet clooas, Tommy son clooas, T' Ruddings, T' 
 rush, Frank garth, New clooas, T' field. Nor' crovs, T' bull 
 garth, Field top, T' lang field, T' fo'st flats, T' far flats, T' 
 ingses. 
 
 No 10. — Fox cover clooas, Margery well, T' clooas aback 
 o' t' hoos, Peckitt wood field, T' clooas aback o' t' wood, T' 
 wights garth, T' plaans, T' whale jaws clooas, Gowlan field, 
 T' coo-pastur, Seeavy flats, T' hut clooas, Girt flats, T' ingses, 
 T' plewin ings, Gowlan hill, Morrill clooas, T' lahtle galls. 
 Girt galls. Corner clooas, T' parson clooas. 
 
 No. II. — Mowin' ings, T' bull paddock. Girt sheep rakes, 
 Lahtle sheep rakes, T' staggarth clooas, Little wo'th, Wood 
 sahd clooas, Peg dike, Lahtle Thackra, Girt Thackra, Corner 
 clooas, T' coo-pastur. 
 
154 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Odd fields. — Billy Keeak clooas, Pidner croft, High garth, 
 Watther mill field, Bland field, T' galls, T' lock ings, Apple 
 garth, Law (low) Priest garth. 
 
 A glance at the above names shows us that a con- 
 siderable portion of the area described must in former 
 years have been covered with wood. Such appellations 
 as Hag^ SnaJiry Clooas, Ruddings, SandwitJi, &c., 
 clearly indicate this ; indeed, a certain part of the 
 township, and that not a small one, still goes by the 
 name of Linton Woods. 
 
 A Hag is a wood of some kind, not one probably 
 with large trees in it, but partaking of the nature of 
 low brushwood or stump}^ trees, something like a 
 rough overgrown hedge ; the Danish word for a hedge 
 is Hcgn or Hock, which is probably connected with our 
 word Hag. 
 
 Snahry Clooas is a field which contains snars, or, as 
 they are or were sometimes called, Jiag-snars. This is 
 a ploughing field, and although it has been for some 
 time under cultivation, there are still so many old 
 stumps or5;;<7r5 that the plough is sometimes broken by 
 striking against them. The Ruddings, as before stated, 
 tell us that there has been a rydniug or clearance from 
 the ancient forest. Carrs are seldom met with in this 
 part of the country, but the carr at Linton, as else- 
 where, indicates a combination of wood and moisture in 
 that particular spot. Paak is our Yorkshire pronuncia- 
 tion of 'park,' and a park may be either a pond or an 
 enclosure, while ned, which precedes it, may be con- 
 nected with our word nether (flower). ' Mark Hill ' may 
 simply be so-called after a man's name, or it may be 
 the Danish word for a field or collection of fields. 
 Branfits is a word which it is difficult to trace. There 
 is the old word fiitis or fitts, which is applied to low- 
 
GEOGRAPHICAL. 1 55 
 
 lying strips of land beside a river, which may probably 
 account for the latter part of the word. Being near a 
 river we have our ings in all directions ; it is, however, 
 very seldom that one hears of plewin (ploughing) ings, 
 these being almost always meadow land. T' fox liceads 
 has nothing to do with heads, Jiccads being our local 
 pronunciation of earths. Gowly field may be so 
 called from the corn-marigold, which goes by the name 
 of gowlan in the dialect. T' boddojus, I take it, are 
 merely low-lying fields ; some connect the word with 
 the Icelandic botn : this no doubt might apply in a hilly 
 country, but these boddoius are surrounded by no rising 
 ground whatever, be3'ond the gentlest slope. 
 
 A field which is now called the Hag has a r?/s/? or 
 narrow strip of wood or rough ground at the end of it, 
 hence the name Rush clooas. Siunlers, it would seem^ 
 might be Summerleys, or summer pasture land, though 
 the derivation of the word is by no means clear ; the 
 Dreean sumlers I imagine, are so-called from the fact 
 of their having been drained at some time, or from 
 having a drain running through them. Spring wood 
 clooas lies adjacent to a wood which has a runnel going 
 through it, which may give the name to the wood ; 
 this, however, is not the only place in the neighbour- 
 hood where the word ' spring ' is associated with wood, 
 and which may have nothing to do with water. The 
 two bell garths are probably named after some previous 
 owner or occupier, at least I can account for the name 
 on no other supposition. 
 
 The designations Girt ling clooas and V whinny garth 
 tell us that that part of the township at least was covered 
 at one time with heather and gorse. The name of the 
 next field to these is the most puzzling in the list. 
 Beyond doubt the exact traditional pronunciation is as 
 
1.^6 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 I have given it, but whether the orthography is /' avvy 
 lings, or f avvyl ings, I cannot say ; it is possible, too, 
 that the first letter may not be the definite article at all, 
 in which case two fijrther suppositions arise as to the 
 name, which are tavvy lings or iavvyl ings : one has but 
 little to go upon in this case, but on the whole t' avvyl 
 ings seems to me the most probable. It has been 
 suggested that aviyl may be a corruption of av?^il, w^hich 
 is a common north-countr}^ pronunciation of April, so 
 that the name might simply be 'the April meadows,' a 
 parallel case with ' May Fields' of other districts; the 
 field, however, is a late one as to season, which militates 
 against this idea. Red clooas is a field no doubt which 
 formerly belonged to a man called Wright. Why out 
 of hundreds of neighbouring fields there should be one 
 that goes by the general title oi f field I cannot explain. 
 Nor' crovs will be easily recognised as North Crofts. 
 
 It ma}^ seem strange that within such a contracted 
 area there should be so many generic appellations for 
 the now enclosed fields. Thus we have in this average- 
 sized township the following :y?<;'A/, clooas, garth, hoddunis, 
 crofts, pastiir, ings, yakker, plaans, rakes, and fats. 
 With regard to the two latter, rakes is clearly from the 
 Icelandic word reika or reka, to drive, so that sheep- 
 rakes are wide spaces for the sheep to stray in. The 
 word fats almost speaks for itself, being simply 
 level pastures. 
 
 To proceed : T' wight's garth would seem to indicate 
 that this was a field supposed for ages to be haunted by 
 some unknown beings. Seeavy fats are merely the 
 level pastures which are moist, and consequently grow 
 an abundance of seeaves or seves, the common soft 
 rush. Galls are described in Halliwell as 'springs, 
 or wet places in a field.' If this be so, then the galls 
 
GEOGRAPHICAL. 157 
 
 have in course of time given the name to the whole field 
 in this case, which indeed is highly probable. Peg dike 
 and Thackra are both uncertain in their derivations ; 
 the latter looks like a man's name, and yet in the 
 other cases of that kind, some generic field-name is 
 invariably added. Billy Keeak Clooas is nothing more 
 than our Yorkshire way of writing ' William Cook's 
 Close/ and Pidner is a common corruption of ' Pinder.' 
 I have had neither the opportunity, nor, I fear, the 
 training to become learned in the subject of field-names, 
 interesting though it be ; I have made this scanty allu- 
 sion to it in the hope that others, who have not already 
 done so, may be induced to take up the matter with 
 more earnestness. It is one which will well repay 
 study, and will tend to give those who apply themselves 
 to it and kindred subjects additional interest in country 
 life, which, after all, has some attractions over that of 
 the town, notwithstanding what some may say. Much 
 may be learnt from the examination of old maps and 
 other documents ; still it must be borne in mind that we 
 go nearer to the fountain-head in gaining our knowledge 
 of local geography by examining the localities for our- 
 selves, and learning what we can about them, both as 
 regards traditional nomenclature and physical character- 
 istics, from those whose forelders have lived for ages 
 on the spot or in the immediate neighbourhood. 
 
 There are some interesting terms connected with the 
 natural features and peculiarities of the course of 
 rivers, which may not be generally known. Thus, in 
 our own river, the Ouse, we have our canshes and clay- 
 hiitSj as well as our showds and gyme-holes, our 7'acks 
 and nabs ; but as these words are noticed at the end of 
 the volume, I need not dilate upon them here. 
 
 It is surprising what a minute and accurate know- 
 
158 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 ledge of local geography many of our country-folk have. 
 They may not be able to tell you the name of a single 
 river or mountain in Asia, nor could some of the older 
 of them tell you the name of the capital of Germany or 
 France, but every scrap of their own ' country ' or im- 
 mediate neighbourhood they know, and know in such a 
 way that they can not only give you the name of every- 
 thing that has a name, but also are so thoroughly 
 familiar with the nature of the soil as to be able to state 
 the crops which each field or part of a field is best 
 suited for, to describe exactly where the unsound 
 places are, and what makes them so, which pastures are 
 best for feeding cattle, and which for dairy purposes ; 
 in short, to have a thorough and practical acquaintance 
 with the physical characteristics of every acre of every 
 farm in the township. 
 
 When my old friend just alluded to gave me the list 
 of field-names which I quoted, I mentioned the fact of 
 his having done so to one of our farmers, who re- 
 marked, ' Yes ; and he could have told where every 
 drain was laid if you had asked him.' Here was 
 geography, with a vengeance. Surely knowledge of 
 this kind was of far greater importance to this man 
 than if he could have described to me the course of the 
 Rhine, or told me the whereabouts of the Falkland 
 Islands. In the matter of geography in schools, I am 
 afraid v/e generally begin at the wrong end. Why we 
 teach our country lads the geography of Africa before 
 they have learnt that of their own parishes or neigh- 
 bourhood, I am at a loss to know ; it is not so interest- 
 ing to them, neither is it so useful. There is an outcry 
 just now for technical instruction. So be it ; ought not 
 then those who will be called to the work of husbandry 
 to be, before all things, instructed iji a knowledge of the 
 
GEOGRAPHICAL. 159 
 
 land they will in all human probability have to cultivate, 
 rather than be made to learn a few general facts, soon to 
 be forgotten, about countries thousands of miles away, 
 which they will never see, and seldom even hear of? 
 
 Having said this much, I must not be misunderstood, 
 I would not by any means have our school children 
 utterly ignorant of the geography of the world, but I 
 would put local geography into the first place. 
 
 No doubt in days gone by the local knowledge was 
 often acquired at the expense of the general, as what 
 here follows will indicate. The moorland district north 
 of Helmsley is a wild, out-of-the-way region, where old 
 customs were kept up till lately with great tenacity, and 
 where the folk-speech is rich in archaic words and 
 forms. The people there seldom travelled far from their 
 own homesteads, which were to them their world. A 
 former assistant Curate of Helmsley informed me that 
 he used to hear moorland farmers speak of Helmsley 
 as ^t' coontthry.' They would sometimes complain, 
 for instance, that the farmers in ' the country/ that is 
 to say, round about Helmsley and the more lowland 
 parts, could feed their beasts and get better prices at 
 the markets than they themselves could. He has even 
 heard Helmsley spoken of as ' England ' ; in speaking, 
 for example, of the doings of their neighbours a few 
 miles below them, they would talk of that district as 
 'doon iv England.' 
 
 This reminds me of something I once heard, which 
 shows the exalted ideas that we Yorkshiremen have of 
 our own county ; and just as the designers of the 
 ' Mappa Mundi ' at Hereford Cathedral placed Jeru- 
 salem as the centre of the world, so a Yorkshireman, if 
 he were to construct a 'Mappa Mundi' after his own 
 ideas, would doubtless place Yorkshire as the great 
 
l6o YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 centre of all things; and his own 'toon' as the heart 
 of Yorkshire itself! 
 
 The groom of a gentleman living near York was on 
 one occasion sent up to London with some yearlings 
 for sale at Tattersall's. He had never been far from 
 home before, and the great metropolis was utterly 
 strange to him ; he felt like a fish out of water. A 
 friend happening to meet him at the great horse mart, 
 began by asking him how he liked London. ' Whya,' 
 said the Yorkshireman, ' ah deean't matter it mich.' 
 ' You don't ? ' added the other. ' Naw,' said the groom, 
 ' ah 's seear ah deean't, an' what 's mair, ah s'all be 
 varry glad when ah 's back iv oa'd England ageean.' 
 
 If the geographical knowledge of the people of a 
 generation or two ago with regard to regions compar- 
 atively near home was vague, that of more distant 
 places was vaguer still. 
 
 The faith which some of our country folk place in 
 almanacular prognostications is quite implicit. These 
 annual publications are held in high esteem. There is 
 nothing like a good comet year for the sale of them. 
 On such occasions alarmist predictions are wont to 
 swell the pages of these productions. And not a few 
 of the more nervous portion of the community well- 
 nigh tremble and quake with fear. An amusing instance 
 of this kind was told me about twenty years ago by a 
 friend whose ability for telling Yorkshire stories w^as 
 remarkable. My only regret is that I cannot remember 
 more of them. 
 
 The gallant Colonel, for such he was, went one day 
 to call and see an old woman in the place where he 
 lived. It was in the year of the great comet, 1874. He 
 found the old lady in rather a perturbed state of mind ; 
 in fact, she had just been studying carefully her favour- 
 
GEOGRAPHICAL. l6l 
 
 ite almanack, and taking in every sensational rumour 
 of the dire disasters which the comet would bring upon 
 certain parts of the world, and especially upon France. 
 After exchanging a few commonplace remarks, the 
 old lady proceeded to unburden her mind. 
 
 ' They tell me, Conneril, 'at folks is leeavin' France,' she 
 observed, with a concerned look. 
 
 'Leaving France?' replied the Colonel, 'what are they 
 leaving France for, Betty?' 
 
 ' Aw ! Sir, deean't ya know ? ' 
 
 'No, indeed I don't ; what 's the matter then?' said the 
 other. 
 
 ' Whya, ' adds Betty, ' they say 'at this greeat comet 's boun 
 ti bo'n ivvry yan on 'em up.' 
 
 The Colonel saw that he was in for a little entertaining 
 talk, and kept the old dame on the track of the comet, 
 and so continues : — 
 
 ' Well but, Betty, perhaps the comet will come to England ; 
 and if it does, what shall you do ? ' 
 
 Whether such a possibility had ever occurred to 
 Betty's mind it is hard to say; she was at all events 
 ready with her resolve, which she thus expressed : — 
 
 ' Ah sud gan tiv America.' 
 
 'That' says the Colonel, ' is a great way off, and it would 
 take a long time to get there ; and then, j^ou know, there 's 
 the water to cross ; you wouldn't like that, I'm sure.' 
 
 The water, however, presented no difficulty to Betty's 
 scheme, for she added at once, 
 
 ' Bud ah sud gan roond by t' banks ! ' 
 
 The old soldier could scarce restrain his laughter, 
 and he thought it prudent not to interfere with these 
 quaint geographical notions, and so he allowed Betty 
 
 M 
 
l62 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 fondly to imagine that by some circuitous route along 
 unknown shores she might eventually arrive in America. 
 
 ' But, Betty,' continues her friend, ' what if the comet gets 
 to America ? ' 
 
 He looked eagerly for her reply, thinking that now 
 she must be driven into a corner. Not a bit of it ; she 
 rose to the occasion, saying with a slight jerk of the 
 head and a sparkle in her eye, — 
 
 ' Aye, bud ah la}' t' comet wad git weel sleck'd afoor it gat 
 tiv America.' 
 
 The Colonel felt that there was nothing more to be 
 said after this, and he left Betty in her imagination on 
 American soil defying all comets. 
 
 If I remember rightly, it was the same old woman 
 who was holding a conversation with my friend about 
 Shetland ponies. He asked her slyly, knowing that 
 geography was not her strong point, if she could tell 
 him whereabouts Shetland was ; she gave him to un- 
 derstand she could not. tell to a few miles, ' bud,' says 
 she, 'ah yam it's sumwheers up agaan Roosha !' 
 
 It is said that in 185 1 people could travel by rail 
 from York to London and back for the surprisingly 
 small charge of five shillings, and many thousands 
 availed themselves of this opportunity to go and see 
 the first great Exhibition, opened in that year. Many 
 of those who went had no conception of the distance 
 London w^as from Yorkshire ; possibly the extreme 
 lowness of the railway fare may have thrown not a few 
 out of their calculations, but whatever ideas as to dis- 
 tance they may have had in their minds, there were 
 those who took it for granted that the London police- 
 men would at once be able to ' challenge ' stray visitors 
 from Yorkshire villages, however remote. A case of 
 
GEOGRAPHICAL. 1 63 
 
 this kind is recorded of two friends from the neigh- 
 bourhood of Pickering, who thus journeyed to the 
 metropohs on the occasion referred to. On their 
 arrival they in due course^ along with crowds of sight- 
 seers^.made their way to the Exhibition. At the turn- 
 stiles the crush was so great that the two companions 
 got separated, and for a time they lost one another. 
 Immediately on discovering this, the one last to enter 
 became rather concerned and flustered, and seeing a 
 policeman near the entrance, he rushed up excitedly 
 to him, exclaiming in tones of anxious enquiry, ' A'e ya 
 seen owt o' Smith o' Marishes?' London policemen 
 have much to put up with, but at times their minds 
 even when on duty are unbent by little diversions of 
 this kind ; and well may they be. 
 
 M 2 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE YORKSHIRE CHARACTER. 
 
 When it is asserted, as it has been with much truth, 
 that every other Yorkshireman you meet is a character, 
 it must be borne in mind that over and above isolated 
 pecuharities, there are certain characteristics attaching 
 to the people generally who inhabit this part of 
 England ; indeed, it may be doubted if there is any 
 county where the country-folk are so much stti generis 
 as they are in Yorkshire. Although, I had almost said 
 because yan on em myself, I feel It no easy matter to do 
 them justice in attempting to delineate a few of the 
 leading traits in their character. Born in the North 
 Riding, living the chief portion of my life in the East, 
 and now for the last twelve years having taken up my 
 abode again in my native Riding, I have spent the main 
 part of my time in the midst of Yorkshire folk. A six- 
 years work as Diocesan Inspector of Schools took me 
 to nearly every parish on this eastern side of the 
 county, and brought me into contact with people of 
 almost every sort and condition ; my work, too, as a 
 country clergyman has thrown me not a little into the 
 society of my brother Yorshiremen, and afforded 
 opportunities which no other calling in life can give so 
 favourably (unless it be the medical profession), of 
 
CHARACTER. 165 
 
 learning something of the ways, habits, modes of 
 thought, customs, virtues, faults, failings, peculiar- 
 ities, in short the character of the people among 
 whom I have lived. It is inexcusable if by this 
 time one has not learnt something of their ways. 
 
 It is allowed that Yorkshiremen are, as we say, good 
 ti challenge : this saying is true more especially of that 
 which presents itself to the eye and the ear ; but I think 
 the expression may be in a sense extended to the 
 deeper and more real qualities of their nature, which 
 certainly seem to possess features that mark them out 
 as somewhat different from others. I have repeatedly 
 noticed that when south-country people take up their 
 abode with us in Yorkshire, they do not, as a rule, get 
 on well with our people. The people do not take to 
 them, and they do not like the people. For this, as 
 for everything else, there must be a reason. 
 
 It is in the first place instructive to see how the 
 Yorkshire character strikes the south-country man. 
 Now there is a question which I have for years asked 
 of miy southern friends residing amongst us ; it is this : 
 ' What struck you most in the character of the York- 
 shire people on coming to live amongst them ? ' I 
 need hardly say that the replies have been varied ; 
 sometimes pointed, sometimes amusing, and generally 
 more or less instructive. But out of them all there 
 were two or three so oft repeated that I take it they 
 were unmistakeably warranted by the fact of the case, 
 and so make clear to us what some of our main 
 characteristics really are. 
 
 To begin with what is unfavourable to us. Nearly 
 all Southerners agree that our manners are not good. 
 We are supposed to be rough and rude. ^ Yorkshire 
 people do say such rude things, and then they expect 
 
1 66 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 US not to mind it/ said a south-countr}^ lady to me one 
 day in some distress of mind. I endeavoured to 
 console her by reminding her that the rudeness could 
 not have been intended, but was merely a straight- 
 forward way of putting things, which was after all more 
 to be wished for than mere polish. No doubt the 
 happy combination oi fortitcr in re and siiaviter in modo 
 is the state of things the most to be desired ; but I 
 think it must candidly be admitted that the latter is not 
 one of our strong points. William of Wykeham's 
 motto, 'Manners makyth man,' is not the typical 
 Yorkshireman's motto; to say the least of it, he values 
 what are generally deemed good manners very cheaply, 
 though I am certain there is no one more quick to 
 appreciate good breeding, not only in horseflesh, but 
 in human kind, than he. The Yorkshirem.an has, no 
 doubt, a way of speaking his mind very freely, and 
 telling you what he thinks, even if his opinion be never 
 so contrary to your own ; what others would let you 
 know by an innuendo or side-wind, he makes known 
 'to you without the slightest reserve or disguise. How- 
 ever unpleasant this habit may be at times, it has its 
 advantages ; you at least know where you are with 
 them ; you can always tell whether a Yorkshireman 
 likes or dislikes what you do ; he as good as tells you. 
 I must add, however, that this bluntness of manner is 
 more marked as between Yorkshiremen and strangers 
 than as between themselves. Very frequently, too, it 
 is aggravated or accentuated by the south-countryman's 
 way of dealing with us : we are independent people, 
 and any kind of interference with the free exercise of 
 that independence is quickly resented. I have not 
 unfrequently seen cases where Southerners, when in 
 positions of authority, have treated our Yorkshire folk 
 
CHARACTER. -[6^ 
 
 in a patronising spirit, and as if incapable of knowing 
 their own minds. Few independent people like such 
 treatment, but to Yorkshiremen this is especially 
 galling : they like to be approached on equal terms of 
 manhood. This in no way interferes with their willing- 
 ness to treat others with respect ; they will always 
 respect any man whom they have proved to be worthy 
 of respect. But prove him they must, before he can win 
 their confidence or esteem ; but having won it, it is a 
 man's own fault if he forfeits it. The Yorkshireman's 
 independence is of the most healthy kind ; it is not 
 only a good thing in itself, but it also fits a man for 
 making his way in the world, and struggling with the 
 battles of life. And yet I have very often heard this 
 very quality spoken of as if it were something to be 
 deplored. ' You Yorkshiremen are such an inde- 
 pendent lot ' ; 'I never came across such independent, 
 ill-mannered people ' ; ' They are so independent, they 
 don't seem to care for anybody ' ; — these are the kind 
 of remarks I have had to put up with in speaking 
 with strangers about my fellow Yorkshiremen. This 
 does not hurt us much ; they do not understand us, 
 that is all. 
 
 But yet it is not quite all ; for outsiders have other 
 dreadful things to say in answer to my stereotyped 
 question. ' Yorkshiremen are such money-lovers ' ; 
 ' They keep such a tight grip over their purses ' ; 'It 
 is uncommonly hard to get any money out of them.' 
 Well, I daresay it is true that we, like a great many 
 others, know the value of money fairly well. Perhaps 
 even we attach a greater value to such a small sum as 
 twopence than the Londoner does ; still for all that, 
 the Yorkshireman can be, and is, most liberal with his 
 money when the reason for laying it out seems to him 
 
1 68 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 clearly to be a strong and a valid one. And this brings 
 me to perhaps his most strongly marked characteristic, 
 I mean his practicality. A more practical people do 
 not exist than Yorkshire people. They look at every- 
 thing from a practical point of view. What is best to 
 be done under the circumstances, is a question which 
 thev know well how to answer in effect at all times. 
 When a difficulty has arisen and the Yorkshireman 
 says jv<^;^ inun deea f best yan can, you feel fairly satisfied 
 that nothing will be left undone that should have been 
 done. Closely connected with this feature is his utilita- 
 rianism. These two qualities combined guide him as to 
 the expenditure of money. Sentiment or taste or orna- 
 ment appeal to him but feebly. Again, most cautious 
 and circumspect is the Yorkshireman in all matters, 
 and especially those that touch his pocket directly or 
 indirectly. This appreciation of the power of the 
 purse makes him shrewd at making a bargain, and 
 economical in all his ways. 
 
 I have been told many times that Yorkshire people 
 are ' hard to get at ' ; that is to say that it is hard at 
 first to know them. I remember once speaking to a 
 young man who had just come from the South of 
 England to enter upon business in Yorkshire, about his 
 impressions of the people : he came with excellent 
 recommendations, and his character was in every way 
 a satisfactory one. I put my old question to him in due 
 form. The poor fellow seemed quite disheartened, ' Oh,' 
 he said, ' they don't seem to take to me at all, although 
 I have very good testimonials.' I felt half inclined 
 to say, ' Of course they don't, and your testimonials 
 might as well not have been written for all the good 
 they will do you.' However, I encouraged him as best 
 I could, and told him not to be too hasty in forming an 
 
CHARACTER. I 69 
 
 opinion of the Yorkshire folk, because they were apt to 
 be a httle cold at first, but they were good at heart, and 
 so forth. I met him again a year or so afterwards. His 
 spirits were this time much more buoyant, and I could 
 see that he was in an altogether happier frame of mind. 
 He had won the confidence of those with whom he had 
 to deal, they had treated him with kindness and con- 
 sideration, and he said that nothing would induce him 
 to go back to the South again. The fact was, the young 
 man was content to do his best and wait patiently, and 
 he found that, after all, the Yorkshiremen were not so 
 unloveable as they at first appeared ; he found, in short, 
 that they had not only heads, but hearts also. It is 
 true they are suspicious and shy of strangers, but when- 
 ever they admit another to their confidence, they are 
 the truest and most steadfast of friends. 
 
 It is difficult to imagine two natures more opposite 
 than those of the Irishman and the Yorkshireman ; the 
 quick, impulsive, excitable temperament of the Celtic 
 character is utterly foreign to that of the Clevelander 
 or East-Ridinger. In all his dealings the York- 
 shireman is deliberate and calculating. Even under 
 circumstances the least expected this characteristic at 
 times comes out. I remember once being somewhat 
 amused b}^ a friend telling me of a man he knew who 
 was supposed to be courting a cook in the neighbour- 
 hood. Mary was a young woman of excellent character, 
 but, as is not unfrequently the way with cooks, her pro- 
 portions were, to say the least of it, considerable. On 
 being taxed with what was thought to be a tender feeling 
 on his part towards Mary, the young man replied 
 humorously that he ' thowt sha wadn't suit him'; for, 
 he added, ' it '11 tak all mah addlins ti git her a new 
 goon.' 
 
I JO YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 I alluded just now to the Yorkshireman's cautious- 
 ness : strangers sometimes mistake this quality for 
 timidity ; it causes him, moreover, to be misunderstood 
 in other ways. Thus a Yorkshireman, trom his excessive 
 caution, will always understate a fact rather than the 
 reverse. If he likes a thing ever so much he will not 
 express himself accordingiy, but will merely say that he 
 likes it very ivell. Southerners invariably misinterpret 
 this expression. Or if he is asked if he would like to do 
 so and so, and he keenly desires to do it, all he says is 
 'Ah deean't mahnd if ah deea.' Or again, if he says 
 ' Ah '11 mebbe deea so and so,' it is as good as certain 
 that he will. 
 
 Without showing it \Qvy much, Yorkshiremen will 
 attach themselves most faithfully to those they can look 
 up to and respect, but they are slow in taking in and 
 acting on an abstract principle. The}' look at the 
 principle through the man who is supposed to represent 
 it, and if that representative disappoints them the 
 principle has to take care of itself If a Member of 
 Parliament were unpopular with his Yorkshire con- 
 stituents for some purel}' personal or private reason, 
 however attentive to his public duties and true to his 
 principles he might be, he would stand but a poor chance 
 of being re-elected. 
 
 It is generally supposed that Yorkshire people are 
 musical. This is a statement which requires consider- 
 able qualification. Yorkshire is a large area, and there 
 are parts of the count}' of which it certainly cannot be 
 said that the people are musical. The most musical part of 
 the county is unquestionably the manufacturing district 
 of the West Riding : those who have been present at a 
 Leeds Musical Festival, for instance, can never forget 
 the ringing clearness of the voices there. They seem too 
 
CHARACTER. IJI 
 
 to possess an unlimited reser\'e of power which at times 
 fairly carries one awav. But of the West Ridins: I do 
 not speak in these pages. In nearly every village 
 school in East Yorkshire I have had an opportunity of 
 testing the voices of the children. It always seemed to 
 me that the most musical part of East Yorkshire is the 
 Wold country, and the least so, the flat low-lying 
 district round York. It is much more common to hear 
 the farm lads on the Wolds singing at their work in 
 the fields, and singing well, than in the lower countr\'just 
 named ; their voices too are clearer and of altogether 
 better quality. If good air has anything to do with 
 forming a good voice, the East Riding lads and lasses 
 ought to be second to none as vocalists. This is a 
 subject which has been much discussed : I cannot help 
 thinking^ however that a hillv countrv is distinctly more 
 favourable to vocal power than a flat countrs', and good 
 air, of course, than bad air ; but perhaps race has more 
 to do with it than either ; and if we compare the Celt 
 with the Norseman in this respect the palm must 
 unquestionably be given to the former. 
 
 I should give a very incom.plete account of the York- 
 shireman's character if I did not say that he is hos- 
 pitable ; in this respect at all events he is seldom found 
 wanting. If you enter a Yorkshireman's house, he is 
 ever ready to welcome you to his table and to offer you 
 the best he has ; this excellent quality per\'ades all 
 classes alike. 
 
 It is sometimes instructive to know what strangers 
 think of us. I will therefore here quote the words of two 
 correspondents who were good enough to give me a 
 few impressions they had formed of some of our York- 
 shire ways. One of these, writing from a remote parish 
 in the East Riding near the sea, speaks thus in a letter 
 
17^ YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 I had from him some few years ago, of the farm serv^ants 
 and their work. 
 
 'The Yorkshireman of these parts appeared to me, as con- 
 trasted with the Southerner, and still more as contrasted 
 with the Irish, rather rough and independent in their 
 manners, but good honest men at heart. The statute hirings 
 at Martinmas are rather injurious to the young men, who are 
 also boarded and lodged with a hind, and thus a good deal 
 cut off from better influences, though when they grow up 
 the}^ appear to improve and settle down into good industri- 
 ous men. The farm labourers begin their work early in the 
 day and are a hard-working set. As a rule they are better 
 fed (certainly with more butcher's meat) than those in the 
 South, and the cottager manages to have a greater variety 
 of food, living very much on pastry in various forms, which 
 they say " lies longer on the stomach than bread," the latter 
 being very little used. I was struck with the fine agricul- 
 tural horses generally used here, which seem to be usually 
 of a larger size than those used by farmers in the South, 
 the lads frequently riding as postillions on the waggon horses, 
 which I never saw done in the South.' 
 
 I can quite corroborate what my correspondent says 
 wdth regard to the food of the Yorkshire farm lads as 
 contrasted with that of the labourers in the South. I 
 fear our ploughboys w^ould make a wry face if what used 
 to be the fare of their compeers in Berkshire (sa}^) were 
 offered them. When at school in that county I well 
 remember noticing the food of the husbandman there, 
 and thinking to myself how poor it was by comparison 
 with the workman's fare in the East Riding : bread and 
 cheese was commonly used ; instead of which the York- 
 shire farm-servant would have feasted on good whole- 
 some beef, or pies, or something equally substantial and 
 sustaining. 
 
 Then, as to the second of my two correspondents. One 
 of the Helmsley clergy, himself a Lancashire man, two 
 
CHARACTER. 1 73 
 
 or three years ago gave me the following as his ex- 
 perience of the Yorkshire character as compared with 
 that of the people of his own county. His remarks 
 are so much to the point that I will quote his own words. 
 He says : — 
 
 ' Compared with Lancashire, Yorkshire folk seem money- 
 lovers. Perhaps in the Lancashire manufacturing districts 
 people used to make money easily and so learnt to spend it 
 as easily as they made it. 
 
 ' Yorkshiremen are very hospitable. The people I visit 
 on the moors are poor, but invite me to tea, and offer me 
 the best in the house ; but if I ask for a small subscription 
 for some religious purpose, that is another matter. 
 
 'The}^ are very sociable and friendly with one another, 
 but are suspicious of strangers. 
 
 ' They seem cautious in all their sayings and doings. 
 
 'They do not like to make a definite promise or commit 
 themselves. When I ask a moor lad if he will come to 
 Church next Sunday and he sa3's " perhaps I will," I feel it 
 is almost equal to other people's "j^ou may rely upon me." 
 
 ' Like Lancashire people, they are warmhearted, but it 
 seems to me, much more reserved. 
 
 ' Having been accustomed to towns all my life, I was 
 greatly struck when first I came here by what seemed to me 
 the almost despotic authority of masters and mistresses over 
 their servants. They demand a strict obedience. This is so even 
 in small farms where there is one hired lad who eats at the 
 same table with his master ; yet in spite of this familiarity, 
 an obedience is exacted which a Lancashire lad would soon 
 rebel against. This stern discipline does not, however, 
 seem to destroy the self-reliance and independence of those 
 subjected to it. 
 
 ' I have noticed a strong sense of quiet humour amongst 
 all classes. They are too simple to appreciate sarcasm. 
 
 ' Their ideas of geography and history are, as one might 
 imagine, amusingly vague ; but they know every inch of 
 their own country, and treasure the biographies of their own 
 kin.' 
 
174 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 From what has been already said, however briefly 
 and imperfectly, some little idea may be gathered, I 
 trust, of what a few of the leading traits in the character 
 of the Yorkshireman are. The rest of the chapter will 
 be devoted to illustrating that character by side lights as 
 it were, that is to say, by quoting such incidents of a 
 trivial nature as have been recorded and sent to me by 
 friends, and which may perhaps bring out with more or 
 less clearness one or two of our weaknesses or virtues. 
 
 The Yorkshireman in London, especially if it happens 
 to be his first visit to the metropolis, and he has not 
 travelled far from his native village before, is always 
 good company ; his impressions of the new sights and 
 sounds that meet him are generally told in quaint 
 fashion. 
 
 It is recorded of one old Robin Wood, from a remote 
 moorland village, that he once took it into his head to 
 go to London. He had Jieeard tell on 'ty and he thowt he 
 mud as weel see for liissen what there was to be seen. 
 What he saw does not matter. His chief delight when 
 liGgaf ti f far cnd\Y^?> to walk into any shop that seemed 
 specially to interest him, and air his broad Yorkshire 
 speech. In his wanderings through the streets he came 
 upon a certain store of general wares. It struck Robin 
 as an interesting-looking establishment. Accordingly, 
 he walks in, looks about him as if the place belonged to 
 him, and presently says to the shopman, ' What diz ta 
 keep here ? ' The collection was a truly miscellaneous 
 one, and so the man felt justified in replying * Oh ! 
 everything.' Robin looks at him and adds, 'Ah deean't 
 think thoo diz : hes-ta onny coo-tah nohsl ' (the piece of 
 wood that secures the 'tie ' for the legs of cows when 
 being milked). The shopman looked bewildered ; he 
 had never heard of such things before, and the precise 
 
CHARACTER. 1 75 
 
 form in which the request was made did not enlighten 
 him much upon the point. 
 
 An old sporting character, now departed, who was 
 always at evidence at the big sporting functions of the 
 aristocracy, whether by covert, flood or field, was noto- 
 rious for his brusque manner and broad Yorkshire 
 dialect. 
 
 Once, on the occasion of a grand battue, luncheon was 
 being served at the covert side, when ' Jack ' was invited 
 to partake of the unusually good things provided. 
 Amongst delicacies of great variety, pate de fois gras 
 was handed round to the members of the party, and 
 seated on a mossy bank our friend proceeded to attack 
 the dainty morsel with his pocket-knife. One of the 
 sportsmen, a nobleman from the south countr}^, seeing 
 Jack evidently enjoying the French food he had just 
 been introduced to, asked him what it was he was eating, 
 when he made the following characteristic reply, ^ Ah 's 
 seear ah deean't knaw, bud it 's meeast leyke pig liver 
 of owt ! ' 
 
 The same noted character had a terrier ; and on one 
 occasion he was relating an episode that took place 
 between this favourite animal and a monkey. In the 
 encounter, it would seem, the monkey got the worst of 
 it, and by way of adding to the glorification of the terrier. 
 Jack described its antagonist by saying ' He wasn't yan 
 o' them bits o' things aboot t' boo'k o' yan's hand, bud 
 yan o' them what di ya call 'ems, them Ryungtangs ! ' 
 It is needless to say he meant ourang-outangs. 
 
 Jack used to be introduced to all the great people 
 that came within reach of him, and made free with them. 
 Among others, one of the royal princes came into the 
 neighbourhood, and on being introduced, Jack seized 
 the royal hand, exclaiming 'Ah 'av shak'd hands wi all 
 
176 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 t' greeat folks iv England, bud ah nivver thowt ti shak 
 hands wi t' Queen's son ! ' 
 
 A correspondent residing in York described some 
 few years ago an amusing scene that occurred at a 
 farmer's 'ordinary' in a certain market town. The 
 occasion was a Christmas rent dinner, and a relation of 
 my informant was to preside at the table. In the earlier 
 part of the day a farmer, who was not averse to a good 
 dinner, came to him and thus addressed him : — 'Mr. W., 
 you 're boun' ti carve to-day, an' seea ye '11 say ti ma, 
 " Mr. I., will ya tak some torrkey ? " an' ah s'all say " a 
 lahtle bit if you pleeas, Mr. W." Bud ya maun't mahnd 
 what ah says.' Mr. W., fully taking in this hint, gave 
 him, when the time came and the pre-arranged farce 
 had been duly gone through, a terrific help of turke}^, 
 which was followed by a considerable quantity of beef 
 and plum-pudding to the same quarter. The cheese 
 appeared ; when, said Mr. W. : ' Let me give you a 
 little cheese, Mr. I.' ' Naw, ah thenk ya, Mr. W., ah 's 
 deean week' ' But you must have some cheese.' 
 ' Naw, thenk ya, sir.' ' Now do,' says Mr. W., 'a small, 
 piece.' 'Whya, then,' adds the other,' 'a lahtle bit just 
 to fill up t' cracks wi ! ' 
 
 From the same authority I learnt that at a certain 
 village in the North Riding there lived an elderly man 
 who had been married three times, but had been as 
 often bereaved. Subsequently to the death of the third 
 lady, a report was circulated to the effect that he was 
 about to enter wedlock yet once again. One of his 
 friends, interrogating him on this subject, he is said to 
 have replied in the following decisive manner : ' Naay, 
 nut ah ; what wi marry in' on 'em an' what wi burr3dn' 
 on 'em, it 's ower expensive. Ah can't affo'd it nae 
 mair.' 
 
CHARACTER. 177 
 
 This correspondent also informed me that some 
 few years ago there died at the village of W. a 
 miser who had amassed considerable wealth. He was 
 a blacksmith by trade, and earned about a guinea a week. 
 He had somehow acquired a little capital, which he in- 
 vested in house property at Middlesbrough when that 
 town was rapidly rising to the height of its prosperity. 
 At the time of his death, previously to which his houses 
 had been sold, he was said to be worth three thousand 
 pounds, but during his life he, after the manner of his 
 kind, denied himself every comfort and almost every 
 necessary as generally so deemed. In his own house 
 he never had a fire, but at night, during the cold part of 
 the year, would go to sit over that of some neighbour. 
 His bread was a black-looking mixture of flour and 
 water baked before the furnace in his smithy, and it 
 was believed that his sole other food, besides what 
 might be given him, consisted of potatoes boiled on the 
 same fire. 
 
 After his demise, his wardrobe sold for three shillings 
 and sixpence sterling, and as this included at least one 
 good sack and several other articles not wearable but 
 useful to the villagers, his strictly personal outfit cannot 
 have been accounted of much value. And yet in a hole 
 between the beam across the top of his one sitting-room 
 and the ceiling, a hole perfectly black through continual 
 contact with his dirty hand, there was found a bag con- 
 taining eight hundred pounds. This, and the other 
 savings, worked no benefit either to himself or his 
 friends ; for, as he was born illegitimate and died 
 intestate, his whole property reverted to the Crown. 
 
 His cottage, after a good deal of purification and 
 renovation, was taken by a young couple, and was one 
 day visited by the squire's niece. She asked the bride 
 
 N 
 
178 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 how she hked her new house. 'Aw, ah 's varra com- 
 fortable/ she said, ' an' ah isn't freetened.' ' Frightened ! 
 why should you be frightened ? ' asked the lady. 
 ' They say 'at Dick (the miser) walks,' was the reply, 
 ' bud ah 's neean flaay'd, for if he 's gone ti heaven, he 
 weean't want ti cum back ; an' if he 's gitten ti t' uther 
 pleeace they weean't let him ! ' 
 
 This village of W. must have been noted for its char- 
 acters, for in the same ' toon ' lived a man whose ' by- 
 name' was 'Coffee Jack,' who gloried in his loquacity, 
 or in being, as he termed it, ' raether a blatherin' sooart 
 ov a chap.' Having lost his first wife, and having been 
 deserted by his family as the several members of it 
 grew up and married, he, in middle life, took to himself, 
 by way of a second venture, a woman called Susan. 
 .She was a tall raw-boned creature of masculine aspect, 
 and, like Jack, was middle-aged. In consequence of her 
 neither very numerous nor specially feminine attractions, 
 her husband was subjected to a good deal of chaff about 
 her ; but he used to say that ' Susie was a gay au'd lass,' 
 and for a time seemed quite content with his mediaeval 
 happiness. By and by Susie began to fall into ill health, 
 and also into a querulous condition of temper, so that 
 Jack's erewhile bliss was checked. He confided his 
 domestic troubles to his companions in the field, but 
 received not the sympathy he had a right to expect. 
 ' Weel, Jack, hoo 's Susie ? ' they would cry on his 
 appearance among them ; to which he made some such 
 reply as 'Aw, sha gans graanin' an' twinin' on ; sha 's 
 gitten a gumbahl iv her back noo.' My informant 
 says : ' The poor woman grew worse, and at length 
 became rather an encumbrance than a helpmate. 
 Jack now confessed that her inability to look after 
 herself or perform her household duties was a sore 
 
CHARACTER. 1 79 
 
 trouble to him, and gave it as his pious opinion that ''it 
 wad be a massy if the Lord wad tak her." His wish 
 was shortly realised. One morning as I sat in the 
 garden, I heard what is locally called the " death-bell." 
 " Who is that for, John ? " I asked of the servant work- 
 ing close by; "Ah think it 's for Susan R., sir/' he 
 replied ; and I felt that Jack was again a free man. 
 Very soon I descried his earth-coloured smockfrock 
 and trousers looming in the distance as he approached, 
 presumably to tell me of his /oss ; and I at once com- 
 posed my features to a due solemnity in which I might 
 offer him my condolences. The old man came toiling 
 along, his face down, until he was within thirty yards of 
 me ; then stopping short and planting his curled stick 
 on the ground firmly, he looked up and called out, " Aa, 
 Mr. Teddy, He 's takken her at last ; ah is sae thankful." 
 
 'Jack continued to live on in the old place, but in 
 course of time he grew too old for farm work " laying " 
 hedges, and the like, and took to stone-breaking for a 
 livelihood. Though a Yorkshireman, he was not above 
 giving a bit of " blarney " sometimes. One day I drove 
 past the place where he was working by the road-side, 
 in a high and tolerably new Whitechapel, drawn by a 
 dashing brown mare, and a day or two afterwards in a 
 very old and well-proved phaeton, between the shafts of 
 which shambled a grey pony with a cow-like action. 
 On the latter occasion, I stopped for a moment to speak 
 to him, when he said, "That isn't sikan a grand trap as 
 ah see'd ya in t* uther daay, Mr. Teddy, bud (with great 
 emphasis) it 's a good 'un." 
 
 'Again I passed by him when the scene of his labours 
 was another road. The clergyman, with his brand- 
 new light cart and highly-stepping pony had just pre- 
 ceded me. My own steed was the very sorry animal 
 
 N 2 
 
iHo YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 just mentioned. Says Jack, " Aa, Mr. Teddy, that's a 
 grand pawny o' yours !— steps weel ; ah deean't leyke t' 
 parson's hoss a bit, gans all ower t' pleeace " (imitating 
 with his elbows), ^' ower mich daayleet undher 't." 
 To my modest representation that I feared my own 
 beast was much inferior to the parson's, he replied, 
 '' Naay, it 's a good 'un." ' 
 
 Along our Yorkshire coast, from Whitby to Spurn 
 Point, may be found as brave and hardy a race of sea- 
 men as any one need wish to behold ; but within the 
 breast of the more inland agriculturalist there is im- 
 planted a deeply-rooted aversion — I had almost said 
 dread — of going on the water : in this respect they are 
 in strong contrast to their seaboard brethren. 
 
 At a certain inland village in the North Riding there 
 dwelt a small farmer, quite the oddest fellow in the 
 place, who told a friend of a visit he had just paid to 
 a cousin at Liverpool, who, it seems, was called Eli. 
 After hearing a good deal of his impressions concerning 
 the great seaport, his friend asked him whether he had 
 crossed the Mersey to Birkenhead. It would appear 
 from his answer that he had intended to do so, but 
 that having been unable to strike while the iron was 
 hot, his courage had oozed away through his doubt as 
 to the capacity of the vessel to carry him. ' Me an' Eli 
 yam'd ti gan,' he said, ' bud when wa gat ti t' pleeace 
 t' booat wasn't in. Wa sat wersens doon a lahl bit, an' 
 sha com in efther a whahl, bud ah says tiv Eli, '^ We '11 
 neean gan ; t' beggar '11 mebbe sink ! " ' 
 
 It is a well-known fact that in making a bargain the 
 Yorkshireman can generally manage to sail pretty close to 
 the wind. The agent of a landed proprietor in the North 
 Riding gives me an example of this that came under his 
 notice, which I think would not be out of place here. 
 
CHARACTER. ' l8l 
 
 Once, when at a farmhouse, he observed a good piano- 
 forte by Collard in the parlour, and enquired of the 
 farmer where he got it. He answered : — 
 
 ' Ah gat that pianna i raether a queensh sooart o' waay. 
 Just sit ya doon, an' ah '11 tell ya t' taal. We 'd a guverness 
 for mi dowtther, an' t' weyfe sha said 'at sha owt ti hev a 
 pianna. Varry weel,ah says, ah knaws nowt aboot sike things, 
 bud ah 's gahin' ti market ti-morn, an' thoo mun gan an' all, 
 an' we '11 see if wa can leet o' yan. Seea t' next daay, when 
 ah 'd gitten mi beeas bowt, wa went ti t' pianna shop, an' ah 
 
 sez, " Noo Mr. , ah wants a pianna, an' sha mun be 
 
 a good un' an' all, bud ah deean't want ti paay ower mich for 
 her thoo knaws." " Varry weel," he sez ; an' seea he starts 
 ti plaay on a vast o' piannas whahl he cums ti this here, an' 
 he said 'at sha war a varry good un." " Mebbe sha is," sez ah, 
 "ah knaws nowt aboot sike things, bud what's t' muney ? " 
 "Well," he sez, '' it had been sixty guineas, bud it had been 
 oot for a piece on hire, an' seea ah '11 tak fifty guineas." 
 " Aw ! " ah sez, " ah sees thoo 's all i f guinea lahin ; noo, us 
 poor farmers is glad ti git it i punds ; seea ah' 11 just tell ya 
 what ah '11 deea wi ya ; ah '11 just gie ya tho'tty-fahve pund 
 for t' pianna." " Naay, naay," he sez. Bud ah taks oot 
 seven fahve-pund nooats, an' ah claps 'em doon atop o' t' 
 pianna, an' ah sez " Noo then, theer 's t' brass ; thoo can a'e t' 
 mune}^, an' ah '11 a'e t' pianna, bud ah weean't, gi'e ya na 
 mair." Well then, he tewed an' he wrowt, an' he maade 
 sike deed as nivver was, bud at last he teeak it. Seea ah 
 sez " if thoo '11 send thy young man wi t' conveyance ti t' 
 frunt deear ah '11 help ya oot wiv her inti t' stthreet." An' 
 seea he did ; an' bi t' tahm wa gat yam sha wer setten up i t' 
 parlour.' 
 
 The same gentleman who gave me the foregoing il- 
 lustration of the way we do business in Yorkshire also 
 sent me an account of another little experience he had. 
 It was this : — 
 
 ' A few years ago,' he says, ^ I had occasion to go into 
 a farmhouse in the North Riding, and I found a small pig, of 
 
1 82 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 a day or two old, laid by the kitchen fire. I remarked to the 
 farmer's wife that it was rather an unusual place for a pig '■> 
 to which she replied, " It wer yan of eleven, an' yester morn 
 ah thowt it wer boun to dee ; seea ah browt an' set it bi t' 
 fire-sahd, an' when neet-tahm com, ah teeak it ti bed wi ma, 
 an' ah gat up fahve times thruff t' neet ti sarve it." ' 
 
 Again he adds: — 
 
 ' Not long after this, on going to another house, I found two 
 little pigs in a hamper in the kitchen, so I told the old 
 woman of the incident just mentioned, and jokingly asked 
 her if she knew of the custom of taking pigs to bed, when 
 she said, " Naw, sir, ah nivver did that, bud ah awlus taks t' 
 geslings ti bed wi ma ; an' when mah good man wer alive, 
 it wer t' awnly thing him an' me used ti differ aboot ; for he 
 used ti saay when ah went ti bed wiv a basket full o' geslins 
 'at there wer neea peeace i bed at all ! " ' 
 
 My fellow-countrymen, shrewd as they are at making 
 a bargain, are not as a rule in the habit of boasting un- 
 duly of their successes in this particular, but generally 
 keep such matters to themselves. It was so, at least, in 
 the following instance. The son of a former Rector of 
 Welbury, long resident in the county, and possessing 
 a thorough knowledge of the Yorkshire character and 
 tongue, has given me, among many other of his notes, 
 a short one which well brings out this characteristic 
 feature, together with a bit of quiet humour not less 
 true to the life. After market days the Rector's sons, 
 being at that time young lads, would discuss the affairs 
 of the day with their father's bailiff. On these occasions 
 all manner of subjects would come up for argument, 
 and not a little quiet chaff was interchanged. One day, 
 which is well remembered, the Rector had sold some 
 wheat, and after the bailiff's return from the market his 
 youthful friends surrounded him, to hear the news, and 
 particularly as to the sale of the wheat. 
 
CHARACTER. 1 83 
 
 ' Well, Jim,' says one of the lads, ' how did you sell the 
 wheat ? ' 
 
 ' Hoo did ah sell 't ? ' replied Jim, ' why a, i pooaks ti be 
 seear.' 
 
 ' No, no, Jim ; what did you get for it ? ' 
 
 ' What did ah git for 't ? Whya brass ! ' was the old bailiff's 
 stubborn rejoinder. 
 
 ' Well, but how much brass ? ' urged the youngster. 
 
 ' Nay, nay, noo ; you want ti knaw ower mitch,' was the 
 unanswerable stopper that was put upon the lad's inquisitive- 
 ness. Henceforth further enquiry in that quarter was hope- 
 less. 
 
 It is well known what an affection Irishmen have for 
 their pigs, but it must be confesssd that in that particular 
 Yorkshiremen are scarcely behind them. I should not 
 like to say that they very often think more of these in- 
 teresting animals than they do of their children, but 
 particular cases have been known where this would in 
 truth almost seem to be so. 
 
 An old friend of ours used to give rather an amusing 
 illustration of this. She was visiting a poor woman one 
 day, and asked her, 
 
 ' Well, Hannah, how are you to-day ? ' 
 
 'Whya! ah 's just middhn' mysen, ma'am, thank ya, bud 
 poor Jim he 's iv a sad waay.' 
 
 ' Why, what 's the matter with Jim ? (her son), said the 
 lady. 
 
 ' Aw, ma'am, he 's lost two pigs an' two childer ! He taks 
 on weeantly aboot t' childer ; bud as ah says tiv him, nivver 
 heed aboot t' childer, they 're a deeal betther off 'an ivver 
 thoo can deea for 'em : bud, ma'am, ah is sorry aboot t' pigs ! 
 he scratted an' scratted ti git 'em up, an' they wer wo'th two 
 pund a-piece, an' noo they 've beeath on 'em deed.' 
 
 The same lady visited old Hannah again, when her 
 husband was dying, when she said, in her quaint, 
 matter-of-fact way : — 
 
184 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 ' He taks on weeantly ma'am, bud ah says tiv him, deean't 
 tak on seea ; wa didn't all on us cum inti t' wo'ld tigither, 
 an' vva can't all on us leeave it tigither.' 
 
 The excuses which some make for non-attendance at 
 church are at times somewhat original, if not altogether 
 valid. A clergyman of my acquaintance was walking 
 one day through the village where he lived, when he 
 met a parishioner who, till a short time previously, had 
 attended church with commendable regularity, but sud- 
 denly, from some unexplained cause, gave up attending 
 altogether. The parson pressed the matter home, and 
 gave his friend to understand that it would be more 
 satisfactory if he might be favoured with some explana- 
 tion of his abrupt change of custom. 
 
 ' Well,' said the other, ' then ah 's leyke ti tell ya : noo ah 
 's nivver cummin na mair whahl au'd Izak 's theer ' (Isaac 
 being the Parish Clerk). ' How so ? ' replied the Vicar, ' what 
 has Isaac got to do with it ? ' ' Whya, ya knaw, t' last tahm 
 'at ah wer at t' chetch ther was neeabody for ti sing bud me 
 an' mah dowtther, an' seea atwixt us wa raised t' tune as 
 neyce as could be, an' wa thowt at wa'd deean middlin an' 
 all ; an' when t' chetch lowsed wa met au'd Izak agaan t' 
 deear, an' ah thowt for seear at he 'd a'e paad us a bit of a 
 compliment for wer singin.' Bud what ivver deea ya think 
 'at he said ti ma ? He says " Singin' ! what, thoo buzzed leyke 
 a bee iv a bottle, an' sha skirled leyke a pig iv a yat." Naw, 
 naw, naw, Mistther G. ah 's niv\^er cummin na mair whahl 
 au'd Izak 's theer ! ' 
 
 There is no meal so much thought of in Yorkshire as 
 tea ; it is all important, and a good substantial tea is 
 more enjoyed than anything. Sometimes circumstances 
 of the most pressing kind have to give way to the re- 
 ception of this repast. As an instance of what I mean, 
 let me mention an incident that happened to the wife 
 of the clergyman just alluded to. She one day went 
 
CHARACTER. 1H5 
 
 to see a woman who was dangerously ill. She arrived 
 at the house, and without delay went upstairs. She 
 found the poor woman much worse even than she ex- 
 pected to find her ; in fact, she was dying, and might 
 breathe her last at any moment. To her surprise the 
 husband was 'i t' hoos ' below getting his tea ready. 
 Thinking he could not be aware of his wife's critical 
 state, the good lady went downstairs at once to tell him 
 how matters stood. She thought, of course, that he would 
 immediately hasten to the bedside of the evidently 
 dying woman. But it was not so; and the only re- 
 sponse she received to the earnest entreat}^ that he 
 would go to the ' chamber ' without delay, was, ' Whya, 
 whya, bud ah mun a'e mi tea ! ' 
 
 Among the many changes that have taken place 
 during the present century, few are greater than those 
 connected with our parish churches, and the manner in 
 which the services are conducted in them. One could 
 hardly credit the stories of neglect and irreverence of 
 which one has heard as having taken place in former 
 times ; and 3^et they were, alas, only too true. I have 
 heard old people say that they thought no more in 
 days gone by of going to the mother church of the dis- 
 trict to be confirmed by the Bishop, than they did of 
 going out for a day's pleasure. Happily that is now 
 no more. The preparation for Confirmation in the 
 olden days was too often of the most meagre descrip- 
 tion. To show the gross ignorance of some of those 
 who offered themselves as candidates for Confirmation, 
 I cannot forbear quoting an instance that was con- 
 nected with a parish near Stokesley, many years ago. 
 It was in Archbishop Harcourt's time, and an elderly 
 woman from the parish alluded to, whose training in 
 Church principles had been as much neglected as her 
 
l86 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 education generally, expressed herself as desirous 
 of being confirmed. For some unexplained reason 
 she would not consent to be prepared for the rite by 
 her own clergyman, who thereupon reported the case 
 to the Archbishop, and asked him what was to be done. 
 The case being such an exceptional one, the Archbishop 
 said that he himself would examine her when he came 
 to the place. In due course his Grace arrived, and the 
 interview came off. Among other interrogatories, the 
 Archbishop put the very practical question, ' Do you 
 keep the Commandments ? ' 'Aye,' says the old woman, 
 ' ah keeps Paumston Settherda at Stowsla, an' Trinity 
 Munda at Yatton, an" Pancake Tuesda at heeam.' ' You 
 are a poor weak woman,' remarks his Grace. 'Aye,' 
 replies the catechumen, ' an' seea wad you be weak an' 
 wanklin if you 'd been as badly as ah 've been for t' last 
 three weeks.' For such answers the Archbishop was not 
 prepared, and thus the catechetical examination was 
 brought to a sudden termination. 
 
 The country practitioner of olden days sometimes 
 had a rough-and-ready way of dealing with patients of 
 the humbler class. But when we are told of one who 
 'scrafQed' in the eye of a patient whose sight was 
 affected, the operation sounds exceptionally trying, to 
 say the least of it. Let us hear what the patient had to 
 say himself of the treatment he received at the hands of 
 his medical adviser. In this case the sufferer was a 
 besom-maker, who felt his sight failing him, and accord- 
 ingly sought help from the local doctor. After his visit, 
 he was interrogated by his friends as to how he had 
 'come on.' The poor fellow was rather indignant, for 
 the manner in which he had been ' handled ' was any- 
 thing but comforting. He described it thus : — 
 
 'Whya! he scraffled an' wrowt i mi ee, an' then he 
 
CHARACTER. 1 87 
 
 oppen'd t' deear an' bunched ma oot, an' said ah 'd plenty o' 
 seet for mah tthraade.' 
 
 Possibly this doctor was the same as one of whom 
 it used to be said that he had only 'two kinds of medi- 
 cine, one or other of which he applied in every case. 
 The test question which he put to all those who sought 
 to him for relief from their maladies was to the effect as 
 to whether the medicine required was a 'binndther' or 
 a ' scoorer.' 
 
 Bishop Wilberforce, of Oxford, used to be credited 
 with telling a great many good stories, and his ready 
 wit was well known. It is said that on one occasion, 
 when giving a large dinner-party at Cuddesdon, he had 
 his coachman in to help to carry out dishes, plates, &c. 
 In the middle of the entertainment, as he was carrying 
 a pile of plates, his foot slipped as he was going through 
 the door, and down went all the plates with a fearful 
 crash. The ladies of course were much startled, where- 
 upon the Bishop pulled himself together and quietly 
 observed, ' Ladies, don't be alarmed ; it is only my 
 coachman going out with a break.' 
 
 It is no doubt rather dangerous work employing out- 
 siders to do inside work to which they are not accus- 
 tomed; the Cuddesdon catastrophe is an instance of this. 
 But that was a trifle compared with what happened once 
 at a clergyman's house near Yarm. He was about 
 to give an extra grand spread on some great occasion, 
 and determined to do the thing in style. Accordingly, 
 he put his general servant-man into silk stockings, and 
 had him in to help to wait at table. As a final pre- 
 liminary this same man was told to carry in a pile ol 
 hot-water plates, while the parlour-maid went her way 
 to announce that dinner was ready. He certainly did 
 carry his burden in with all safety, but when the guests 
 
I 88 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 paired into the dining-room they found, to their con- 
 sternation and intense amusement, a hot-water plate 
 carefully put on each chair ! He probably never heard 
 the end of this, and on this special occasion he came in 
 also for no small amount of chaff anent his silk stock- 
 ings ; and when asked how he liked wearing them, he 
 would say he ' wasn't sae varry weel suited ; it was 
 leyke being up ti yan's knees i cau'd watther ! ' 
 
 A Yorkshire squire, who spent part of the year in 
 London, used sometimes to give one or two of his ser- 
 vants a treat to the opera. One of them, who had a short 
 time before been at a great agricultural show, and had 
 looked with admiration and interest at the prize animals 
 and their owners, real or imaginary, was asked by his 
 master on his return from the opera what had struck 
 him most of all he had seen there. He expected to 
 hear the man loud in praise of some noted voice or 
 scene ; instead of which, to his great amusement, his 
 servant said that he really thought that what struck 
 him most was to see among the audience the man who 
 had won the prize for the best bull at the great show. 
 
 I end this chapter with what was told me b}'' a corre- 
 spondent from Kirby Moorside ; it well brings out a 
 touch of the Yorkshire character for cuteness. An old 
 gentleman, after the funeral of a relative, was listening 
 with rapt attention to the reading of the will, in which he 
 proved to be interested. First, it recounted how that a 
 certain field was willed to him ; then it went on to give 
 the old grey mare in the said field to some one else with 
 whom he was on anything but friendly terms ; at which 
 point he suddenly interrupted the proceedings by 
 exclaiming indignantly, 'Then sha 's eeatin ma gess !' 
 (grass). 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 It is scarcely to be wondered at that strangers to our 
 folk-talk should sometimes be at a loss to catch its 
 meaning when by any chance they are brought into 
 the way of hearing it. The words and phrases, and 
 especially the vowel-sounds, are so different from those 
 of ordinary English, that those who are at all new to 
 them are at times sorely perplexed, and not unfre- 
 quently make amusing mistakes. I do not know if we 
 in Yorkshire are more unconscious than other people 
 of the use we make of unusual modes of expression : 
 perhaps we are ; certainly some of us are. I am re- 
 minded of an example of this which Professor Earle 
 quotes in his Philology of the English Tongue. It is to 
 the point. He alludes to it in connection with our use 
 of the word while, which in Yorkshire does not have 
 the ordinary signification of ' during the time that/ but 
 is equivalent to 'until'; quite well-educated people 
 will sometimes use the word in that sense. At a village 
 in the south of the county, there lived a highly respected 
 retired druggist. By way of making himself useful on 
 the Sundays, he acted as superintendent of the boys' 
 Sunday school. The lads occasionally were very up- 
 roarious, and when the din became quite unbearable, he 
 
190 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 always appealed to the scholars in the following set 
 phrase: — ' Now boys, I can't do nothing while you are 
 quiet ! ' 
 
 I have from time to time heard many curious mis- 
 takes made by those from a distance, in conversing 
 with our broad-spoken Yorkshire folk. I will briefly 
 instance a few cases of the kind. 
 
 What amusing passages have from, time to time taken 
 place in courts of law in days when education was not 
 so advanced as it is now, and how perplexed have 
 judges and counsel been, who were unused to the tones 
 and expressions of our dialect, in endeavouring to 
 understand what witnesses have had to say ! Frequent 
 mistakes have occurred through this. One such in- 
 cident is recorded by a friend of mine as having 
 happened between counsel and a little girl, who was 
 called upon to prove that her father's housekeeper had 
 opened and robbed a certain box. The woman ad- 
 mitted having opened the box, but said she did so only 
 from curiosity, and in the little girl's presence. 
 
 The girl detailed how the woman took her into the 
 room where the box was and then said, mud slia oppen 
 f box ? that is, ' was she to open it ? ' Counsel looked 
 puzzled, and repeated the question : ' What did she 
 say ? ' But the girl's reiterated answer beat him 
 utterly : he then turned and repeated it solemnly to 
 the judge, pronouncing mud as in 'blood,' and sajdng 
 he really could not see what ^ mud ' (filth), had to 
 do with it ! 
 
 In such cases as the foregoing it is well if someone 
 is at hand to interpose and act as an interpreter. This, 
 no doubt, has often been done. I remember the late 
 respected squire of the parish where I live, telling me 
 of an example of this kind which occurred in court. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. I9I 
 
 when he, as High Sheriff, was sitting near the Judge, 
 whose name he gave me ; only in this instance it was 
 the witness who failed to understand what was said by 
 counsel. It was an assault case. ' Was she excited ? ' 
 asked the barrister. But there was no response. The 
 question was renewed, but nothing was elicited beyond 
 bewilderment. Whereupon the High Sheriff whispered 
 to the Judge that he should turn the question into its 
 Yorkshire equivalent : — IVas she put about? This sug- 
 gestion was acted upon, and the effect was, of course, 
 instantaneous : ' Aw, sha was putten aboot sair,' was the 
 speedy reply, and the examination went on. 
 
 As has been noticed in a previous chapter, one of the 
 principal peculiarities of the pronunciation of the York- 
 shire dialect is the strong tendency to adopt the eea- 
 sound in certain vowels. Thus, for instance, ' same ' is 
 always sounded seeam, but as there is another word in 
 common use with the like pronunciation, mistakes have 
 been sometimes made on that score : the other word 
 pronounced ' seeam ' is saim (lard). As an illustration 
 of this possible confusion of meaning, I was told not 
 long ago of an apprentice who took out a summons 
 against his master on the ground that, amongst other 
 improper food, he had, as the apprentice expressed it, 
 seeam tiv his hreead (lard with his bread), instead of 
 butter. The presiding Justice of the Peace, before 
 whom the complaint was heard, not quite understand- 
 ing the case, asked the master what he (the master) ate. 
 ^ Butter,' he replied. Turning to the lad, the question 
 was repeated to him. He answered, seeam. Thinking 
 he meant ' the same,' the magistrate dismissed the case 
 without further enquiry, merely remarking 'why do 
 you come here if you get the same to eat as your 
 master ? ' 
 
igZ YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 A clergyman of my acquaintance in the East Riding, 
 told me of an amusing interview he had when first he 
 came to reside in Yorkshire. My friend is an Irish- 
 man, and when he accepted a living in the Wold 
 country, was as ignorant of our folk-talk as he was of 
 Welsh or Russian. He had but just come over from 
 Ireland, and had not had time to make the acquaintance 
 of any of his parishioners. If I remember rightly it 
 was on a Saturday night, and he was to do duty at the 
 church on the following morning, when the servant 
 announced that a man wished to see him. The vicar 
 went to learn what was wanted. The stranger intro- 
 duced himself by bluntly ejaculating, 'ah's t' man 'at 
 leads t' cauls for t' chetch,' adding enquiringly, 'mun 
 ee continny ti lead t' cauls for t' chetch ? ' This was a 
 poser for the new vicar ; he could make nothing what- 
 ever of it ; and the Yorkshireman onty repeated the 
 question, 'mun ee continn}^ ti lead t' cauls for t' 
 chetch ? ' The other onty stared in mute astonishment. 
 Thinking, however, that two heads were better than 
 one, he retired to the drawing-room for a few minutes, 
 to confer with his wife, to see if she could throw any 
 ray of light upon what this ' leading t' cauls for t' 
 chetch ' could possibly be ; but being equalh^ new to the 
 country and its speech, it was quite unintelligible to 
 her also. At length, after revolving the strange sound- 
 ing words in his mind once more, a happ}'' thought 
 struck him, and he decided that this man must be a 
 sort of ecclesiastical crier, and that as the town crier 
 gives out public notices in the streets, so this hitherto 
 unheard-of official ' led calls,' which was interpreted to 
 mean giving out notices, hymns, &c., in church. So, 
 thinking that no great harm would come if the man 
 continued in this peculiar office for another Sunday, at 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 1 93 
 
 all events, he so far assented to the request, though 
 somewhat hesitatingly, and the Meader of calls' 
 withdrew. I imagine the new vicar expected to hear 
 some strange performances in church on the Sunday, 
 but all went well, and on enquiry afterwards he dis- 
 covered that his solicitous parishioner was no 'caller' 
 at all, in church or out of it, but merely a poor man 
 who had been accustomed to cart the coals for heating 
 the church ; and as he was anxious not to lose this 
 small part of his livelihood he determined to be before- 
 hand in securing the work under the new regime. It 
 would seem therefore that a touch of the Yorkshire 
 character came out, as well as its dialect. 
 
 Among my earliest recollections are those of fishing 
 expeditions with my father, who at that time greatly 
 enjoyed the sport. On the occasion to which I here 
 allude, he had a friend with him from London, who 
 was also a keen fisherman, and they were trying their 
 skill in a well-known trout stream in the East Riding. 
 The day was windy and cold. There was a little lad 
 with us from the neighbouring village, who came to 
 late a job, or merely to look on. The day wearing on, 
 and seeing the lad crying, our south-country friend 
 went up to him and asked him what was the matter. 
 Whereupon he sobbed out, ' Pleeas sir, ah 's stahv'd.' 
 Thinking that he was famished with hunger, the 
 Londoner, in the kindness of his heart, produced his 
 packet of sandwiches and proceeded to offer the boy 
 some, which to his astonishment he refused. At this 
 I ventured to intervene as interpreter, and explained 
 that it was the cold which made the lad cry and not 
 hunger. The incident apparent!}^ made an impression 
 on me. I must have been about seven at the time, but 
 it seems as fresh on my memory as yesterday. 
 
 o 
 
194 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 A generation ago it was the almost universal custom 
 for the clergy to wear bands in performing Divine 
 Service. One Sunday a young parson from West 
 Rounton went to preach at a neighbouring church, and 
 on his arrival discovered that he had forgotten to bring 
 his bands ; whereupon he suddenly turned to the 
 clerk and asked him to try and find a pair : the clerk 
 hurried off, and in a few minutes returned with two 
 pieces of string, which he solemnly presented to the 
 officiating clergyman. This reminds me of a little 
 experience of my own : some years back I was doing 
 duty for a friend, and on reaching the vestry I enquired 
 of the clerk where the surplice was : ' It 's yonder, see 
 ya,' says he, 'and there 's t' hassock an' all,' pointing to 
 a cassock. There can be little doubt that if our young 
 parson of West Rounton had asked his clerk for a 
 cassock he would have received a hassock, and if he 
 had demanded a hassock he would possibl}^ have got a 
 cassock. Such is the perversity of human nature, York- 
 shire included. 
 
 Not long since I was staying with a friend near 
 Yarm, when I was told of a ludicrous mistake made by 
 a member of the legal profession from London, when 
 on a visit to that neighbourhood on business. A 
 property was for sale in the parish where my friend 
 lives, and the said lawyer came to look over the estate 
 for a client who had some thoughts of purchasing it. 
 He understood but little of the Yorkshire tongue, and 
 had no slight difficulty in understanding some of the re- 
 marks of the tenants on the estate. 
 
 On looking over the buildings of one of the farms he 
 confronted the farmer, who, of course, instantly under- 
 stood the object of the visit, and thought he would lose 
 no time in making known some of his grievances, the 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 1 95 
 
 chief of which seems to have been that over the gateway 
 of the fold-yard an arch had been built, but so low that 
 in 'leading' out manure it was sometimes impossible to 
 take as full a load as could be wished, or, as the farmer 
 expressed it, ' it wer varry awk'ard in leadin' oot a laud 
 d manner.^ This remark was a sore puzzle to the 
 Londoner. He naturally thought that a laud d manner 
 meant a ' lord of the manor,' but on what possible 
 occasions, or for what possible reasons, the lord of the 
 manor had to be carried out of this particular fold-yard 
 on the top of a cart he could not divine, even by the 
 aid of all the legal acumen he could command. How- 
 ever, it seems he took the matter into rather serious 
 consideration, though without letting the farmer have the 
 faintest suspicion that he thought it in any way contrary 
 to custom that lords of manors should on certain solemn 
 occasions be thus carted about the farm premises. He 
 pondered the farmer's words over in his mind, and 
 thinking that if his client should purchase the property, 
 and the unfortunate lord of the manor should come to 
 grief in the way he imagined, he determined to make 
 further enquiry with regard to this hitherto unheard-of 
 practice. He had not long to wait before he was 
 enlightened. The same evening he met the vicar 
 of a neighbouring parish at dinner, to whom he un- 
 burdened his mind. Being familiar with the dialect, 
 the clergyman at once explained that the tenant did not 
 mean to say that the lord of the manor had to put up 
 with any peculiar treatment whatever, but that the arch- 
 way of the fold-yard was not sufficiently high to get an 
 ordinary sized load of manure out conveniently ; thus, 
 accompanied by no little merriment, was the legal mind 
 of the stranger relieved of further anxiety on this 
 interesting point. 
 
 O 2 
 
T9<5 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 It is not only entire strangers who fail sometimes to 
 make out the peculiarities of our folk-talk : perhaps 
 words that would be understood if spoken slowly, 
 become unintelligible under a rapid articulation, or 
 unusual blending of words together. As a simple 
 example of this, I may mention a little expression that 
 was made use of to the vicar of a parish near Whitby. 
 He was visiting an old woman one afternoon, when she, 
 on enquiring after the health of one of her neighbours, 
 said something which sounded like ' dizzily gorlous ? ' 
 For a moment her visitor failed to catch her meaning, 
 but on reflection it flashed across him that the question 
 in reality was, ' Diz a (he) lig awlus ? ' i.e. ' Does he lie 
 always?' which I need hardly explain does not mean 
 'is he addicted to untruthfulness?' but simply, 'is he 
 confined to his bed ? ' 
 
 How careful we should be to ascertain the meaning 
 of a word addressed to us that we do not at first under- 
 stand, before judging of what has been said ! 
 
 A poor person speaking to a lady of her children, 
 said by way of compliment, that she should be ' creuse 
 on 'em ' — in other words, that she ought to be very 
 proud of them. Somehow, the lady, not understanding 
 the dialect, could only imagine that the woman meant 
 she should be cursed of them ! And so she took her 
 hasty departure quite horrified at this sudden and 
 seemingly unaccountable imprecation. 
 
 Anyone unused to the dialectical pronunciation of our . 
 vowel-sounds might well be pardoned for misunder- 
 standing our vocal treatment of the verb to shout. When 
 our Yorkshire folk desire to attract the attention of 
 those at a distance, they always, according to our ver- 
 nacular, shoot at them, or shoot on 'em. To peaceably 
 disposed people who are unaware of it, this local pecu- 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 197 
 
 liarity of ours in the utterance of this word might easily 
 be misinterpreted to mean designs of a ruffianly or 
 murderous character. This common way of pro- 
 nouncing shout in these parts reminds me of a 
 trifling incident told me by a correspondent, which 
 illustrates how easily mistakes of this kind occur. A 
 Southern sportsman had come to have a little shooting 
 with a friend in the North Riding. The gamekeeper 
 in due course, when all was ready, led up his favourite 
 pointer to the gentleman, and knowing well the dog's 
 nature, thought it prudent to give just a word of 
 caution, which was merely this : ' You maun't shoot at 
 her, sir.' ' Shoot at her ! no,' was the astonished reply ; 
 whereupon the keeper added by way of explanation. 
 Nay, nay, sir, you mun mak on her (you must coax her). 
 
 In enquiring of a child its name, care must be taken 
 as to the form the question takes, or disappointing re- 
 sults may ensue. 
 
 Of the imprudence of seeking this information under 
 the ordinary form, ' What is your name ? ' I have pre- 
 viously spoken ; but still more rash is it, if on wishing 
 to find out a child's name, you break ground with, ' Who 
 are you ? ' for so you may meet with an answer you are 
 not at all prepared for. 
 
 A clergyman near Whitby went into his school one 
 day, and seeing a boy there whom he had not seen 
 before, accosted him thus: — 'Well, my lad, and who 
 are you ? ' The boy, thinking that the rector was 
 making an enquiry as to the general state of his health, 
 gave back as his response in true Yorkshire fashion, 
 'Aw, ah 's middlin' : hoo 's yoursen ? ' 
 
 Many an absurd mistake has been made over our 
 word a-gait. I was once told of a farmer's wife who 
 took a young girl into her service from the South of 
 
igH YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 England. The new comer had never heard the York- 
 shire dialect spoken before, and so, as may be supposed, 
 she was somewhat at sea at first, and made a few 
 rather strange mistakes. On her arrival, for instance, 
 her mistress harangued her as to her duties, and after 
 recounting them in detail, she wound up by saying, 
 'An' thoo mun git a-gait i good tahm i t' moornin an' 
 light t' fires.' Though rather astonished, but still 
 thinking she quite understood this injunction, the poor 
 girl was seen wandering about the fields in a disconso- 
 late way in the early morning, as if in search of some- 
 thing. After coming downstairs the mistress found no 
 fire lighted, and on asking somewhat angrily the reason, 
 the girl assured her that she had searched in all direc- 
 tions for an old disused gate to use as kindling (for so 
 had she interpreted the order), but without success, and 
 so no fire had been made. 
 
 A similar misunderstanding is recorded of a young 
 south-countr}' curate, who, on coming to a parish in 
 Yorkshire, and being seen by one of the villagers 
 shortly afterwards, was addressed by him thus : ' Ah 
 see you 're a-gait ' ; ' No,' replied the clergyman, in an 
 indignant tone, ' I'm the curate.' 
 
 As another example of a like blunder, I ma}^ mention 
 that I heard once of a lady from the South being very 
 greatly surprised one morning by the servant boy 
 coming to her with the complaint that the cook gave him 
 * nowt bud sauce.' The mistress having her suspicions 
 that the two were in the habit of 'differing,' naturally 
 surmised that the unfortunate lad, who evidently got 
 the worst of it, was complaining about what she thought 
 was the peculiar character of his food, rather than of the 
 scoldings with which ' Susan ' was paying him out. 
 
 Canny Scotchmen, and especially Scotch medical 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 1 99 
 
 men, are to be found all the country through, York- 
 shire not excepted. In general they do not experience 
 much difficulty in understanding our dialect, but oc- 
 casionally they make a maiivais pas. 
 
 A correspondent from the neighbourhood of Kirby 
 Moorside, tells me of one which came to his knowledge. 
 A Highland doctor was attending an old woman in 
 the North Riding. In the course of his visit he had 
 displayed a certain liveliness of disposition — possibly 
 he did so with a view to cheering up the old lady's 
 drooping spirits. Noticing this, the patient observed, 
 by way of a slight check, 'you 're a wick (lively) young 
 man.' He came from the town of Wick, and so, in 
 astonishment, he asked her how she had found that 
 out. She in turn could only feel embarrassed, and 
 made no very coherent reply. What the doctor 
 thought can only be guessed, but on relating the con- 
 versation when he returned home, he was enlightened as 
 to the true state of the case, and so learnt that wick folks 
 exist in Yorkshire as well as in the county of Caithness. 
 
 Here in Yorkshire we pronounce the o in such words 
 as off, frost, lost, cost, tossed, &c., much shorter than 
 south-couiitry folk, who frequently draw out the o to au, 
 making frost, for instance, sound like fraiist. Another 
 word of this kind is cough, which we Northerners pro- 
 nounce like doff, with the o short : if it were pronounced 
 caiif, as the vSoutherners pronounce it, our country people 
 would think that calf was meant, which is always so 
 sounded. A lady from the South of England was once 
 talking to a husbandman at East Rounton, and hap- 
 pened to make the statement, 'my husband has got 
 a cauf (cough) to-day.' Whereupon the countryman, 
 with an interested look, took the lady aback with the 
 enquiry, ' Is 't a bull or a wye ? ' 
 
200 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 The peculiar use of the verb to want will be found 
 noticed on another page. It is a word which is apt to 
 be misunderstood by those unfamiliar with the dialect. 
 I heard a rather diverting illustration of this when I 
 was travelling some few 3^ears ago from Nunburnholme 
 to York. When stopping at one of the stations, a 
 passenger got into the compartment where I was. 
 While the porter was standing with his hand on the 
 carriage door, the passenger's dog eagerly forced him- 
 self into the compartment to his master. Seeing this, 
 the porter observed, ' He doesn't want to go, sir, does 
 he ? ' by which he meant, ' He has not to go, has he ? ' 
 whereupon the other, who could not have been a York- 
 shireman, surely, thinking the porter meant ' he doesn't 
 want to go, does he?' in the ordinary acceptation of the 
 words, answered emphatically, ' Doesn't he want to go ! ' 
 
 It is not always an easy matter to give a perfectly 
 truthful evasive answer to an awkward question. A 
 good example of success in that art was given me by 
 the wife of a North Riding clergyman not long ago. She 
 was visiting a parishioner, one of whose ne'er-do-weel 
 sons had lately married a lass in the neighbourhood, 
 whose charms were not supposed to be specially 
 attractive. On the occasion of this visit the lady 
 naturally, though somewhat doubtfully, enquired about 
 the new daughter-in-law. The mother did not wish to 
 commit herself too strongly in her opinion of the young 
 woman, though she evidently had her feelings on the sub- 
 ject. The lady's question was parried in the following 
 characteristic and delightfully ingenious way : 'Noo,ah '11 
 tell ya, Mrs. G. ; sha 's just yan o' them lasses 'at neeabody 
 bud yan o' mah lads wad ivver a'e thowt o' marryin'.' 
 
 To the clergyman just referred to, the following 
 truly cautious answer, such as the Yorkshireman de- 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 201 
 
 lights in, was given by an old acquaintance from a 
 neighbouring parish where they had lately got a new 
 incumbent. The man was asked how he liked the new 
 parson. The Yorkshireman, however, was not going 
 thus prematurely to commit himself; and all he would 
 vouchsafe to say was, ' We 've summered him, an' we 've 
 wintthered him, an' we '11 summer him ageean, an' 
 then mebbe ah '11 tell ya ! ' 
 
 A good repartee is always enjoyable, and sometimes 
 the Yorkshireman can give one with telling effect. It 
 was said of a late Rural Dean, who had on one occasion 
 been performing his duty of visiting the various churches 
 in his deanery to see if they were in proper repair and 
 keeping, that he arrived at a certain place where the 
 church was in anything but good order ; he accordingly 
 drew the churchwarden's attention to this, and by w^ay 
 of example instanced his own church, adding that he 
 should come and see for himself what a model of clean- 
 liness and neatness it was. But the churchwarden was 
 not to be beaten nor in any way convinced by such an 
 argument, cogent though it might seem ; for he promptly 
 interposed with the rejoinder: 'Aye, bud Mr. A., 
 there 's neeabody theer gans in ti muck 't ! ' 
 
 A correspondent from Whitby tells me of a short 
 conversation which he remembered as having taken 
 place some sixty years ago, and which gives evidence 
 of a ready wit on the part of one of the speakers. There 
 was in one of the dales an old man named John D., a 
 devout farmer of the old school, who attended chapel 
 with clockwork regularity ; but John had a weakness — 
 he invariably went to sleep during the sermon. One 
 Sunday, after service (a service in which John had 
 been nodding more than usual) when the people were 
 going to their homes, one of the company said to John, 
 
20^ YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 'John, ah think there wer sum folks asleep i t' chappil 
 ti-daay ! ' John saw the insinuation plainly enough, 
 but liking to think that there must have been others in 
 the same unconscious state as himself, adds, ^ Aye, whya ; 
 mebbe if yan had been wakken, yan mud a'e seen 'em.' 
 
 I do not know what the custom in the South of Eng- 
 land may be, but in these parts there is an extraordinary 
 propensity for giving by-natnes, that is, nick-names, to 
 people; so much so, that in many villages there is 
 scarcely a person without one. Generally speaking, 
 they are amusingly appropriate. 
 
 In the preface of a glossary of Mid-Yorkshire words, 
 
 by C. C. Robinson, and published b}^ the English 
 
 Dialect Society in 1876, there is a quotation from a 
 
 little publication printed at Richmond, in the North 
 
 Riding, giving a list of by-names belonging to the men 
 
 who were sent to do permanent duty at Richmond 
 
 some time previously ; they were taken from the muster 
 
 rolls of Captains Metcalf and Stewart's companies of the 
 
 'Loyal Dales Volunteers.' I will give them here verbatim. 
 
 Grain Tom, Glouremour Tom, Screamer Tom, Poddish 
 Tom, Tarry Tom, Tish Tom, Tripy Tom, Trooper Tom (all 
 Thomas Alderson by name), Assy Will Bill, Ayny Jack, 
 Aygil] Tom Bill, Becka Jack, Brag Tom, Bullet, Bullock 
 Jammie, Buck Reuben, Butter Geordie, Bowlaway, Brownsa 
 Jossy, Cis Will, Cotty Joe, Codgy, Cwoat}^ Jack, Curly, 
 Dickey Tom Johnny, Docken Jammie, Daut, Freestane Jack, 
 Gudgeon Tom, Hed Jack. Awd John, Young John, Jains 
 Jack, Mary Jack, King Jack (all John Hird by name), Katy 
 Tom Alick, Kit Puke Jock, Kanah Bill, Knocky Gwordie, 
 Lollock Ann Will, Matty Jwoan Ned, Mark Jammie Joss, 
 Moor Close Gwordie, Nettlebed Anty, Peter Tom Willie, 
 Peed Jack, Piper Ralph, Pullan Will, Roberty Will Peg 
 Sam, Rive Rags, Skeb Symy, Slipe, Slodder, Swinny, 
 Spletmeat, Strudgeon Will, Tash, Tazzy Will. 
 
 An old joiner at Hutton Rudby was nick-named 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 203 
 
 Penny Nap, because he never charged less than a 
 penny, even if he only napped the top of a nail. 
 
 In a village in the heart of the Wold country the 
 following names occur : — 
 
 Bullock Jack, i. e. Jack who looks after the bullocks 
 Sophie Jack, i. e. John P — whose wife's name is Sophie 
 Bonwick Jack, i.e. John B — who came from Bonwick 
 Quarton Tinner, i. e. Quarton S — who is by trade a tinner 
 Zachary Ann, i. e. Ann T — whose husband's Christian name 
 is Zacharias. 
 
 Sally George would mean Sally, the wife of George, 
 or Betty John, Betty, the wife of John Robinson. Lin- 
 kie Bill would be so called because he comes from 
 Lincolnshire; Jinny Cracker, because she is fond of a 
 gossip or a 'crack' ; White Mary, because she is as 
 dark as a mulatto ; Tighty Thompson, because she 
 prides herself on her smart figure; Greeat Heifer, 
 because she is huge and ponderous ; Fancy Basket, 
 because she goes chopping with a smart-looking reti- 
 cule. If Mr. Beedham has a servant called Mary, she 
 'gits' (i.e. is called), Beedham Mary; or if Mr. Salman 
 has a dog named Jock, the animal will be designated 
 Salman Jock. 
 
 In places where there are several people bearing the 
 same name, some distinguishing mark is almost a neces- 
 sit}^ This no doubt ' aids and abets ' the habit of 
 giving by-names ; very often, however, they are given 
 when no such quasi-necessity arises, but merely from 
 fancy or caprice. Sometimes, again, a physical deform- 
 ity or defect, or trick, will cause a man to be labelled 
 with some appropriate by-name, which always adheres 
 to him. Thus we find that a man who has lost one 
 eye was nick-named * Willy wi t' ee,' or another, who had 
 but one arm, was always described as 'Johnny wi t' airm.' 
 
204 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Class by-names, as well as individual ones, are also 
 commonly given. Thus, a tailor is called ' cabbish ' ; a 
 man from a distance, an ' off chap ' ; a dweller in the 
 country, a 'cuntthry hawbuck ' or a 'joskin ' ; or a farm 
 servant would be called by the townsman 'boily,' from 
 the custom of having boiled milk for breakfast. 
 
 It does not appear that our dialect is specially rich 
 in similes. On the contrary, the illustration and the 
 thing illustrated are as a rule one and the same: ^as 
 bad as bad can be,' 'as mucky as mucky,' 'as sad 
 (heavy) as sad.' Such is the usual delightfully simple 
 form the simile takes, a form which at least has the 
 merit of being ready to hand, but which does not be- 
 token any great originality. Nevertheless, the dialect 
 does possess a considerable number of not inapt illus- 
 trations by means of the simile. I will here give a few 
 such by way of example :— 
 
 1. As blake as a gowlan. 
 
 2. As bliew as a whetst'n. 
 
 3. As brant as a hoos-sahd. 
 
 4. As breet as a bullace. 
 
 5. As bug as a leather-knife. 
 
 6. As dark as a bell 'us. 
 
 7. As dark as a black coo skin. 
 
 8. As deead as a midden. 
 
 9. As deead as a scopperill. 
 ID. As deeaf as a yat stowp. 
 
 11. As dhry as a kex. 
 
 12. As fat as mud. 
 
 13. As fond as a poke o' caff wi t' boddom end oot. 
 
 14. As fond as a yat. 
 
 15. As good as they mak 'em. 
 
 16. As hard as a grunded tooad. 
 
 17. As kittle as a moos-tthrap. 
 
 18. As leet as a cleg. 
 
 19. As meean as muck. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 205 
 
 20. As sackless as a goose. 
 
 21. As thick as inkle-weeavers. 
 
 22. As waak as a kittlin. 
 
 23. As wet as sump. 
 
 24. As wet as thack. 
 
 25. As yalla as a gowlan. 
 
 Most of the above will speak for themselves, or will 
 be made plain by a reference to the glossary. On some 
 of them a remark or two may not be out of place. 
 
 As to (4), there is an especially brilliant gloss on the skin 
 of the wild plum or bullace which fittingly gives rise to this 
 expression. 
 
 (5) Bug means self-satisfied, though why this term should 
 be applied to a leather-knife is not apparent, an extended 
 form of the saying is ' as bug as a lad wiv a leather-knife.' 
 
 (6) The Bell-'us is the Bell-house or belfrey of a church 
 which is always a dark place. 
 
 (7) This I have only heard used by those from the dales. 
 (10) Another form for ' as deaf as a post,' 
 
 (iij The withered stem of the fools-parsley gives a good 
 idea of utter dryness. 
 
 (14) I have only heard of this in the East Riding : the 
 \n\3.g\n3.Yy fondness of the yat is no doubt derived from the 
 fact that it is always knocking its head against the post. 
 
 (16) That is to say, he is a tough fellow, there is no hurt- 
 ing him ; he will bear as much knocking about as a toad. 
 
 (17) This is applied to anything in a highly sensitive, or 
 touch-and-go state. 
 
 (18) This is perhaps the aptest illustration of those quoted : 
 the horsefly seems to settle more lightly than any other 
 insect ; when it comes upon man or beast the first intimation 
 of its having done so is its keen bite. 
 
 (21) The fabric called inkle had a very narrow web, and 
 consequently the weavers could sit close. 
 
 (25) and (i) The colour expressed by the word Make is a 
 palish rather than a deep yellow : it is often applied to butter, 
 indeed the saying ' as blake as butter' is as common as (i). 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 The system of hiring farm-servants in the whole of 
 the East and a considerable part of the North Ridings 
 is one which seems first to call for some remark. Until 
 recent years, when improved arrangements have been 
 adopted, it was not too much to say that this institution 
 was one of the curses of the country. That system, 
 which till a few years ago was practically a universal 
 one, and is still largely made use of, is called the Mar- 
 tinmas system. The statute hirings — statties as they 
 are designated locally — take place, as far as the farm- 
 servants themselves were concerned, at the worst 
 possible time of the year. St. Martin's Day is on 
 November 23rd, and the days are then about at their 
 shortest and darkest, and the roads at their dirtiest. 
 The only thing that can be adduced in favour of such 
 a time is that farm work is then at the slackest. 
 
 St. Martin may be considered to be the patron saint 
 of the East Yorkshire farm-servants ; but it is to be 
 feared they lightly regarded his name. 
 
 Almost without exception Martinmas was the season 
 for the lads and lasses to change their spots as they call 
 their situations, and it was the occasion for a general 
 holiday and merry-making all through the district. 
 Martinmas week is a time of much social entertainment. 
 Friends and relatives then meet at each others' houses ; 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 207 
 
 parties, dances, and amusements of various kinds are 
 got up ; and being the one great holiday of the year 
 with the young folks, the time passes all too quickly. 
 
 Those servants who are hired under this system are 
 bound legally to their masters for one year. When the 
 farmer engages a servant he gives him what is variously 
 called his fest, Gods-penny^ or arles, which is a small 
 sum of money varying from about two to ten shillings ; 
 if the fest be returned before the appointed day the 
 servant is freed from the engagement, but if the money 
 is retained the agreement is then binding. 
 
 These statute hirings were, and still are, held at the 
 same time of the year in all the principal market towns. 
 
 As I remember them when a boy, it would be hard to 
 describe a hiring day in one of our East Riding agri- 
 cultural centres ; such scenes of riot and disorder were 
 they. Well do I recollect going through the streets of 
 Pocklington on more than one occasion when the great 
 festival was being held. It was throng deed and no 
 mistake. In the first place, the streets were more 
 probably than not inches deep in mud and sludge — all iv 
 a posh, as we should describe it in our country speech. 
 Farmers and their wives, farm lads and lasses by hun- 
 dreds, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, crowded 
 the market-place ; carriers' carts, gigs, vehicles of all 
 descriptions poured into the town and teemed into the 
 streets their living freights. Jack and Tomimy, Joe and 
 Harry, lustily greeted Polly, Sally, Jane, and Maggy ; 
 loud and hearty were the salutations between friend 
 and friend ; joyous and exuberant were the spirits of 
 these stalwart specimens of humanity. Although there 
 was an element of business in the proceedings, the 
 young folk had come there to enjoy themselves, and 
 enjoy themselves they did. The actual hiring of the 
 
2o8 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 servants took place formerly only in the open street, 
 which presented an animated appearance, and might be 
 termed a kind of slave market. No doubt the farm lads 
 and lasses were free to choose, and they received certain 
 wages for their work ; but their build, muscle, and 
 general physique were minutely scanned by those who 
 engaged them : and well was it for them if their consti- 
 tution was sound and robust ; for the w^ork to which 
 they were called, though not disliked by those who could 
 stand it, was no light matter. From daylight to sunset 
 it was one continuous round all the year through. 
 Ploughing and sowing, harrowing and rolling, wash- 
 ing and milking, work in the hay-field and work in 
 the corn-field ; hedging and ditching, an occasional 
 threshing day with its attendant hard work, livering 
 corn, plugging or scaling muc^, foddering f beeas and sike 
 like — these and countless other operations connected 
 with the farm kept the youths and maidens perpetually 
 a-gait. But after all, it was a healthy life. Early to bed 
 and early to rise, with plenty of good wholesome food, 
 preserved them in the rudest health ; and if onl}^ the 
 place to which they engaged themselves was a good 
 meat spot, as it was called, that is to say, if they were well 
 fed, all went well. A brother clerg3^man, of more than 
 forty years' standing, once told me that in all his expe- 
 rience he never once had occasion to visit a sick case 
 in the farm-servant class. The Yorkshire pleiu-lads, 
 especial^ those in the East Riding, are as fine and well- 
 developed a race as one can see anywhere ; an army 
 composed of such material might do wonders. But to 
 return to the market-place of Pocklington. Martinmas 
 Day there was a pleasure-fair day. The entertainments 
 provided for the young men and women were of varied 
 kinds. Rows of stalls lined the street, where all manner 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 209 
 
 of meats and drinks were sold which would have dis- 
 agreed with the constitutions of any ordinary mortals to 
 an alarming extent, but which were indulged in freely 
 and with impunity by these 'brufif' East-Ridingers„ 
 On these occasions 'cheap Jacks' and 'quacks' carried 
 on a brisk trade ; shooting-galleries and Punch and 
 Judy were attractions to not a few, and shows of fat 
 women, wild beasts, one-eyed and six-legged monsters, 
 and all manner of horrors were literally besieged by 
 uproarious crowds of claimants for admission, till the 
 places fairly reeked again. It was a splendid harvest 
 for the show-keepers, especially if the day was wet, and 
 under that condition of weather the public houses were 
 unfortunately also crammed almost to suffocation. It 
 was from this point of view a sad sight. Boys and girls, 
 lads and lasses, men and women were crowded together 
 in the parlours and passages of the inns in a state of 
 wild excitement, uproar, and confusion. Music, if such 
 it could be called, and dancing went on merrily ; coarse 
 jests were freely indulged in ; and songs of every 
 description were bawled out in solo and chorus, and 
 shouts of approval rent the air. It was like pandemo- 
 nium let loose. All this naturally tended to demoralise 
 the young people, and the results can be better imagined 
 than described. It was only to be expected indeed that 
 after a year's work and drudgery there should be some 
 relaxation, 
 
 ' Neque semper arcum tendit Apollo ' ; 
 
 and it was right that these hard-working farm-servants 
 should have their enjoyment like anyone else ; the only 
 melancholy part about it was that it did not take a less 
 debasing form. Happily the worst part of the old 
 system is now done away with. The statties go on as 
 
 p 
 
2 10 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 of yore, but they are conducted in an altogether improved 
 fashion. Both clergy and laity combined to get rid of 
 the worst phases of the institution, if possible, and rooms 
 are now hired in every town in which the girls are 
 assembled by themselves, and can be engaged by the 
 farmers* waves in an orderly and befitting manner ; the 
 Girls' Friendly Society and other kindred institutions 
 all help in the same good cause, and although occasional 
 brawls and disturbances take place, yet there is no 
 comparison between the state of things now and what it 
 was thirty years ago. 
 
 There is no class so difficult for a clergyman to deal 
 with as the farm-servants engaged under the Martinmas 
 system. They are a constantly shifting part of the 
 population. They like changing their 'spots,' and if 
 possible, bettering themselves ; and so at the twelve- 
 month end away they go to fresh scenes. Sometimes 
 they wall stay on another year or more in the same 
 place, if the}^ can come to terms with their employers, 
 but these cases are exceptions ; the rule is for them to 
 shift. They are at work all day, and so are tired at 
 night, and go to rest early. The late well-known 
 authoress of Plowing and Sowing appreciated the 
 difficulties of their case as much as anyone, and with 
 noble self sacrifice she devoted herself some thirty years 
 ago or more to the work of endeavouring to raise the 
 moral and religious tone of the farm-servants near her 
 home in the East Riding. No one could be better 
 qualified for such a work than she was : for years she 
 persevered in her task ; but wath all her special gifts 
 and qualifications, the success that she achieved could 
 not be said to be very encouraging, although she went 
 through so much. Still, after what has been said, I 
 feel bound to add that when these same farm lads marry^ 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 211 
 
 have homes of their own, and settle down in Hfe, they 
 turn out generally well-conducted and decent members 
 of society. 
 
 Although the work on the farms was hard, yet the 
 plough lads took an interest in it, and especially in 
 their horses. The agricultural horses in the Wold 
 countr}^ are fine well-bred animals, and as I best re- 
 member them — namely, twenty to thirty years ago— they 
 used to receive every care and attention on the part of 
 the lads whose duty it was to look after them. It was 
 a really pretty sight to see, as I have seen times and 
 oft, a waggon load of grain being led from one of the 
 highly cultivated Wold farms down to the railway for 
 transmission to the West Riding or elsewhere. There 
 was the strongly-made but not ungracefully shaped pole 
 waggon, yoked whereto were three or four handsome 
 black or bay horses with well-groomed glossy coats, their 
 manes and tails generally arranged in neatly made 
 plaits and intertwined with ribbons of varied hue, yellow 
 and red, blue and green. There sits the waggoner, 
 mounted on the near-side horse, a lad, say, of twenty 
 summers, a fine strong healthy-looking fellow as any 
 one need wish to see ; he has the four ' in hand ' and his 
 whip-stock rests on his thigh. He is well and warmly 
 clad, and his black wide-awake with a peacock's feather 
 at the side, together with his red and blue variegated 
 waistcoat add to the picturesqueness of the turn-out. 
 As they near the bottom of a slack, crack goes the 
 whip, and ' whoa-up Bonny,' 'Duke,' 'Star,' or what- 
 ever the horses' names may be, and away they go down 
 the end of the slope kicking up the dust or throwing up 
 the mud, till they are pretty nearly half way up the 
 opposite side of the rise, when the horses have to stretch 
 their limbs for a few paces till they are at the top of the 
 
 p 2 
 
2J2 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 hillock, and so again on they go, making light work of 
 their task. 
 
 The servants engaged at Martinmas are for the most 
 part boarded and lodged at the farm-house, or with a 
 hind as he is called ; that is to say, a sort of foreman 
 among them, but living at a house other than that at 
 which the farmer himself lives. This custom largely 
 prevails in the East Riding, especially on the Wolds, 
 where the farms are very large, sometimes extending to 
 1500 acres or more. 
 
 Besides the carnival of Martinmas, there are other 
 lesser times of relaxation or rejoicing. 
 
 Harvest festivities, though still kept up to a consider- 
 able extent in East Yorkshire, are not held on such 
 large or varied a scale as they were a generation ago. 
 Means of rapid locomotion, the use of machinery, and 
 gravitation towards the towns, have tended to do away 
 with many interesting local customs which in former 
 days added to country life a charm peculiarly its own. 
 
 The Mell Supper still retains its name and some of 
 its old features amongst us at the present day, though 
 shorn of much of its lustre. Its name is by some 
 thought to speak for itself almost, mell or ' meal ' being 
 probably the same as the Icelandic mjol and Danish 
 mel. The last sheaf that is gathered in, here in the 
 North Riding, is called the mell sheaf, and the expres- 
 sion We 've gotten wer mell is the same thing as saying 
 the harvest is finished. It may be interesting to note 
 in passing what some of the names are which are given 
 to the last in-gathered sheaf in Denmark. In South 
 Jutland, for instance, it is called cnken or cnkemandcn. 
 the 'widow' or the 'widower'; in Vendsyssel it is 
 named stodder or 'beggar,' and is driven home covered 
 with rags ; in Samso and Funen its title is ' the old 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 21 3 
 
 man/ and in Sealand 'the old woman.' Similarly, the 
 last load is called in West Jutland kvcedelces or ' song- 
 load/ and is driven to the farmstead with singing and 
 rejoicing. This is very much what is done, or used to 
 be done, here, and perhaps in almost every country in 
 Europe. 
 
 No mell supper can take place without dancing, and 
 formerly the advent of ' guisers ' formed one of the great 
 features of the entertainment. These ' guisers ' were 
 men with masks or blackened faces, and they were 
 decked out in all sorts of fantastic costumes. The 
 starting of the dancing was not always an easy matter, 
 but by degrees, as the dancers warmed to the work and 
 as the ale horns came to be passed round, the excite- 
 ment began to grow ; this was increased by the arrival 
 of the ' guisers,' and then the clatter of the dancers' 
 boots doing double-shuffle and various comical figures, 
 set the entertainment going at full swing. The 'guisers' 
 would at times come uninvited to the feast, and as a 
 rule they were well received, but sometimes the doors 
 would be barred against them and their entrance stoutly 
 resisted. 
 
 About fifty years ago it was very common when the 
 ' shearing ' of the corn was finished for three large 
 sheaves to be bound together; for these, races were run 
 by the women amid the greatest excitement. This also 
 was called the mell sheaf, and would contain about a 
 bushel of corn, and in the days when wheat was at 
 such a high price as it once was the prize was worth 
 having. 
 
 The mell doll is rather more a thing of the past, 
 though it is probable that there are still many old people 
 w^ho can recollect it. It consisted of a sheaf of corn 
 dressed in the costume of a harvester, and gaily decked 
 
214 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 with flowers ; it was in fact a sort of rough and ready- 
 made doll on a large scale. 
 
 I have been informed that at Kilburn, on the Hamble- 
 ton Hills, the mell sheaf was tastefully made of various 
 kinds of corn plaited together and covered with ribbons, 
 flowers, &c. When the guests were ready for the dance, 
 the mell sheaf would be placed in the middle of the 
 room, which was frequently a disused one, and the}^ 
 danced round it. It was made like a figure and was 
 sometimes called the mell doll. 
 
 At the time of which I speak, harvest thanksgiving 
 services in churches were of course quite unknown ; the 
 introduction of this custom is surely a good and sensible 
 one, as connecting religious observances with that which 
 is man's natural occupation — the tilling of the land ; in 
 this matter we are but reverting to ancient usages which 
 might perhaps be extended with advantage. 
 
 Fifty years ago seed-time had also its festival, though 
 on a lesser scale, as well as harvest. At the backend, 
 when the early sowing had been completed, the farmer 
 made a sort of feast for his men, the principal feature 
 of which was a 'seed-cake,' which was given to each of 
 them. The cake did not get its name from an3'thing 
 that it contained, for it was in fact an ordinary sort of 
 currant or plum cake, but from the occasion. On these 
 minor festivals the men had as much ale to drink as 
 they liked, and right well they enjoyed themselves. 
 This old custom has, I believe, now quite died out. 
 
 The Christmastide observances in East Yorkshire, as 
 elsewhere, are, and still more, have been in the past, 
 many and various. The season is always looked upon 
 as a time of joy even by the poorest. On Christmas 
 Eve the houses are decked with ' hollin ' or other ever- 
 greens, which are never burnt afterwards, but thrown 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 2l5 
 
 away. The Yule clog used to be brought in and placed 
 upon the fire along with a piece of that from the pre- 
 vious 3^ear which had been carefully preserved for good 
 luck, in the same way as the Yuletide candle was. 
 The Christmas candle is always a feature in the furnish- 
 ing of the feast. It is lighted by the head of the house, 
 and generally stands in the centre of the table, round 
 which the members of the family sit to partake of the 
 fruinety and other dainties that deck the board. No 
 other candle must be lighted from it, and before the 
 family retire to rest the master of the house blows it 
 out, leaving what remains of it to stand where it is until 
 the following morning. The unconsumed piece is then 
 carefully stowed away with other similar relics of 
 former years ; sometimes quite a large number of such 
 pieces are accumulated in the course of years : it is 
 considered in some localities highly unlucky to disturb 
 these remnants during the year. It was further 
 thought unlucky not only, as I have said, to take a light 
 from the Yule candle, but also to give a light to any one 
 on Christmas Day ; so that in former times, before 
 matches were invented as we have them now, the ques- 
 tion used to be asked before retiring to rest on Christmas 
 Eve, * is your tunder dhry ? ' In former times the Yule 
 candle was looked upon as almost a sacred thing. If 
 by any chance it went out, it was believed that some 
 member of the family would die during the ensuing year, 
 and if an3^one in snuffing it extinguished the light, that 
 person would, it was thought, die within the year. 
 
 The old Christmas customs hold their ground much 
 more firmly in the North than they do in the South of 
 England. How they originated it would be rash to 
 surmise, but that some of them are survivals of old 
 heathenish customs there can, I think, be little doubt. 
 
2l6 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 In the matter of the Christmas feasting there is 
 nothing so distinctive of it as in the making of the 
 fritmety. He is no Yorkshireman who does not know 
 \v\\2X furmety orfrumetyis. It is one of our institutions. 
 As regularly as Christmas comes round preparations 
 are made for the manufacture of this Yorkshire dish. 
 The name is clearly derived from frumentuni, though 
 when it was introduced into the country there is, so far 
 as I am aware, nothing to show. The principal ingre- 
 dient in this dainty, as the name implies, is grain, and 
 that grain is wheat. On Christmas Eve there is 
 scarcely a household but what makes friunety. If the 
 people have no wheat of their own they always beg 
 some from one of the neighbouring farmers, and with 
 this object in view the boys go round the villages and 
 outlying farmsteads on St. Thomas' Day. To make 
 the dish in orthodox fashion takes some time. The 
 usual order of proceeding is this. First of all, the wheat 
 is soaked in water for about a day : it is then put into a 
 bag, and beaten upon the floor a few times in order to 
 knock the hullins off, or the more effectual mode was 
 sometimes adopted of thrashing the wheat contained in 
 the bag with the flail ; after which the JutUins are 
 separated by simply putting the whole into water, when 
 the outer coat of the wheat rises to the top, and the pure 
 corn is thus extracted. It is next put into the oven to 
 cree for two or three hours ; milk is then poured upon 
 it in a pan which is put upon the fire to boil ; sugar is 
 added, together with nutmeg or other spices according 
 to people's tastes and fancies. It is a dish which is 
 highl}^ appreciated. It is eaten by the whole household 
 on Christmas Eve as they sit round the table with the 
 Yule candles burning. It is customary also to have 
 Yule cakes ' to ' the fruniety ; these are small round 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 217 
 
 cakes with currants, citron, and other ingredients : each 
 person has one. There is no dish so universally par- 
 taken of throughout the whole of East Yorkshire, not 
 excepting Yorkshire pudding, as this. It is, however, 
 never eaten at any other season than Christmastide, and 
 as a rule on no other day than Christmas Eve, though 
 some families will also make it on, or keep what is left 
 till, New Year's Eve. 
 
 The old-fashioned 'pepper cake,' the peberkage of 
 Denmark, is becoming, or rather, I should say, has be- 
 come, more a thing of the olden days. It is however still 
 made in the moorland districts of the North Riding ; 
 while in the East Riding and other parts the very name 
 is unknown. This, too, is a Yule cake ; it is a kind of 
 gingerbread, and therefore more pungent than the Yule 
 cakes of other districts ; hence the name. It has nothing 
 to do with pepper, at least not at the present date, not 
 even in Denmark ; though there, some of the dishes are 
 doubtless what we might call 'subtleties': but during 
 the time of my sojourn in that hospitable country I 
 never detected so much as a whiff of pepper in their 
 cakes. Pepper they use certainly : perhaps they use it 
 more than we do, for they have the saying ' Munden 
 lober som en Peberkvaern ' (the mouth, or as we should 
 say, the tongue, runs on like a pepper-mill), or ' Munden 
 gik paa hende som en Peberkvaern ' (she chattered away 
 at a fine rate). If our good friends the Danes liken the 
 female tongue to a pepper-quern they must surely use 
 that article of seasoning pretty freely in some of their 
 concoctions, whatever they may do in their cakes ; these, 
 I can answer for it, at all events, are free from it, and 
 Peherkager are merely gingerbread cakes, just as Pebcr- 
 nodder are what we know as ginger-bread nuts. 
 
 When the pepper-cake is eaten in the moorlands of 
 
2l8 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 the North Riding at Yuletide, cheese always is on the 
 table as a concomitant, just as cheese and apple-pie go 
 together all East Yorkshire over at all seasons. 
 
 There are many relics of old Christmastide customs 
 which are still kept up in the district, such as the plough- 
 stots and sword-dancers. Those connected with the 
 sword-dancers are curious and interesting ; they are 
 described at some length in Henderson's Northern 
 Folk-Lore, pp. 67-70. The vessel-cup, which is a cor- 
 ruption of wassail-cup, is still commonly brought round 
 by children in certain districts at Christmas. It consists 
 of a small figure in a box which represented the Virgin 
 Mary, the figure being encircled with evergreens and 
 ornamentations of various kinds. 
 
 In some places, until comparatively recently, it was 
 commonly believed that the oxen knelt in their stalls 
 on St. Stephen's Eve ; this, of course, was supposed to 
 be in honour of the birth of the Saviour. It was so 
 lately as this present year (1891) that I was speaking to 
 a native of Westerdale about old customs, when I was 
 told that it was quite within the recollection of my 
 informant that the people in that dale used sometimes 
 to go out at midnight on St. Stephen's Eve to try and 
 see the owscn kneel as they were tied up in their byres. 
 
 From time immemorial great importance was attached 
 to the first foot that crossed the threshold on New 
 Year's Day. The 'lucky bird,' as he was called, should 
 be one of the male sex, and with dark hair. At many 
 a house in this part of the country any other visitant 
 than that described would on no account be allowed to 
 be the first to enter the house on New Year's Day. In 
 some places still it is customary for a boy or man with 
 dark hair to call at every house on that day in order 
 that he may be the first to cross the threshold, that so 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 219 
 
 luck may follow during the year to the household. In 
 other districts a fair man is supposed to be luckier 
 than a dark one. Who knows but what these old tra- 
 ditions may have come down to us from those earl}'- 
 times when the fair-haired invaders contended with the 
 darker complexioned aborigines for the possession of 
 the soil ? Possibly connected with this idea is the fact 
 which I have frequently noticed among the people of 
 some parts of the East Riding, that they do not, as a 
 rule, admire any one of dark complexion ; ' dark-look- 
 ing ' and ' queer-looking ' are with them convertible 
 terms. The Norse blood of the East Ridingers may 
 in some measure account for this; the Scandinavians 
 are par excellence a fair-haired race. At the present day 
 no hair can be fairer and no eyes bluer than those of 
 the people of Eastern Denmark and Southern Sweden. 
 
 Many were the vestiges of ecclesiastical customs that 
 survived till lately in this part of the country from 
 mediaeval times. To take a single case from this parish : 
 there was at least one old custom here that was kept up 
 until comparatively few years ago. This was the ring- 
 ing of the ' compline bell.* No one knev/ even what 
 ' compline ' meant, or why the bell was rung, which it 
 always was at six in the morning, strange to say, and 
 six in the evening, every day during Lent every year. 
 The peculiar and confused nature of this usage can 
 only be accounted for by the fact that the designation 
 of the matutinal office was gradually lost in course of 
 time, and so the titles of the two services became merged 
 into one. 
 
 I need not speak of those customs which are com- 
 mon to the whole country : the keeping of the village 
 Feast, which is held on the day formerly set apart in 
 honour of the patron Saint of the church. Oi late years 
 
2 20 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 these village festivals have been shorn of much of their 
 Tormer glory ; they now frequently go by the name of 
 ' Club Feasts/ in consequence of the benefit-clubs hold- 
 ing their annual social gatherings on these days. In 
 most places on these occasions there is a service at the 
 beginning of the day in the parish church, when some 
 clergyman is invited to address the members of the fra- 
 ternity. The religious element, however, is not so 
 marked here as it is in the village feasts of some other 
 countries. I was acting as chaplain at Engleberg, in 
 Switzerland, some years ago, when the greatest village 
 festival of the year was held. A service of a very im- 
 pressive kind took place in the large church attached 
 to the monastery there. The people flocked into it 
 from all the country-side — men, women, and children — 
 all gaily decked in their holiday attire ; and very pictur- 
 esque attire it was. They were in their places in the 
 church before nine o'clock in the morning, when the 
 service began. It lasted, if I rightly remember, about 
 an hour and a half. The congregation was most 
 attentive and devout, the singing admirable. The 
 service ended, the people went out for the rest of the 
 day and amused themselves in a seemly and rational 
 manner, playing games, dancing, and so forth. It 
 seems a pity that our Yorkshire village feasts are not 
 more after the model of the Engleberg one. But good 
 things are apt to degenerate, and it takes something 
 like a revolution to restore them to their original state, 
 if they are not exterminated altogether by the shifting 
 tide of events. 
 
 It is remarkable how nearly all the days, great and 
 small, that are observed throughout the district have 
 an ecclesiastical nomenclature — sometimes distorted 
 and corrupted, but quite unmistakeable. Events used 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 221 
 
 to be spoken of as happening not upon any particular 
 day of the month, but in some such way as the follow- 
 ing : — ' A week afoor Martinmas/ * sumwheers aboot 
 Thomas Day,' 'Cann'lmas,' ^ A fo'tnith cum Barnaby/ 
 Barnaby being a local fair held on the Feast of St. 
 Barnabas ; ' aboot Peter tahm,' i.e. about St. Peter's 
 Day; 'Whiss'n Munda/ ' Paums'n Setherda/ i.e. the 
 Saturday before Palm Sunday; 'Hallow E'en,' the 
 vigil of All Saints' Day, and so forth. 
 
 The days of Holy Week were noted by means of 
 the following familiar saying :— ' CoUop Munda, Pan- 
 cake Tuesda, Frutas We'nsda, Bloody Tho'sda, Lang 
 Frida '11 nivver be deean whahl Settherda t' efther- 
 neean.' 
 
 It will hardly be believed when I say that some of 
 our old folks would not know that the civil year now 
 begins on January the ist. I remember very well on 
 one occasion having to enlighten an aged couple on 
 this point, who were unable to fix New Year's Day 
 any more definitely than by saying it was * sumwheers 
 aboot Kess'nmas ' ; but this same couple quite outdid 
 me in their knowledge of the times and seasons of the 
 local fairs and village feasts. 
 
 Another relic of mediaeval ecclesiastical terms sur- 
 vives in the saying, Tidy Mid, Miseray, Carling, Palm, 
 Paste-egg Day. What Tid and Mid are, I cannot say 
 with any degree of certitude ; some suggest that Tid is 
 a corruption of Te Deum, while Mid may be Mid-Lent. 
 Miseray is evidently a corruption of the first Latin 
 words of the penitential Psalm appointed for use in 
 Lent, — Miserere mei, Deus. Carling Sunday was very 
 generally observed till quite lately ; it is the fifth Sun- 
 day in Lent. Grey peas were always eaten on that 
 day, being fried with bacon or butter ; the Cleveland 
 
2 22 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 dales-folk used to get their peas from Whitby before- 
 hand, and I have heard them say they did not think it 
 was Carling Sunday without peas. Palm speaks for 
 itself. Palms however, or rather the substitution for 
 them — the hazel with catkins — are now seldom used on 
 Palm Sunday as they used to be. Pastc-cgg Day, also 
 called by another corruption, Pace-egg Day, is Easter 
 Monday; the derivation is obvious. On this and the 
 following day it is the custom to roll hard-boiled eggs, 
 coloured in various ways, and use them as playthings. 
 Hence Easter Monday used to be called Troll-egg Mon- 
 day : in the neighbourhood of Pickering, and probably 
 in other places^ it is still so called. Something of the 
 same kind is, or till lately was, carried on in Denmark, 
 where Paaskeleg, or, as w^e should translate it into 
 Yorkshire, Easter laakin*, is a term well understood, 
 where old and young, men, women, and bairns, meet in 
 the green fields near the town and play all manner of 
 games. I should add that in former times Paste-egg 
 Day was applied to Easter Day itself, and among the 
 country folk the five latter Sundays of Lent and Easter 
 Day were called respectively by the names just alluded 
 to — Tid, Mid, Miseray, Carling, Palm, Paste-egg Day, 
 no name being assigned to the first Sunday. 
 
 As already mentioned. Good Friday is sometimes 
 called Lang Frida, which corresponds with the Danish 
 Lang-fredag. In this part of the country it was con- 
 sidered unlucky or impious to turn the soil on Good 
 Friday with spade or plough, or in any other way. 
 Indeed, there is a strong feeling still surviving in some 
 places of Friday generally being an unlucky day ; for 
 instance, I have heard of those who would not set a hen 
 on a Friday, and of others that they would not allow a 
 fresh servant to come upon that day. There is, too, 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 2 23 
 
 very commonly a disinclination to begin a piece of work 
 on Friday; the rule generally is to do so on a Monday. 
 The saying ^ Friday flit, short sit ' is well known. 
 
 There was till lately a very strong tendency through- 
 out the length and breadth of the district of which I 
 am speaking to keep up all the old customs, to observe 
 the days and seasons as they have been observed for 
 generations. In no part of England, I should suppose, 
 do they die harder than in East Yorkshire, unless it be 
 Cornwall, perhaps. And not only is this the case with 
 regard to the old ecclesiastical institutions, dating back 
 to the middle ages, of which so many traces still survive ; 
 the times and seasons connected with agricultural 
 operations were also duly noticed — spring, summer, 
 autumn, winter, seed-time and harvest, the new moons, 
 May Day, Midsummer Day, with many more, have in 
 days gone by been in some way or other specially 
 honoured, nor are those honours yet forgotten quite. 
 
 Again, the terms employed by our country folk in 
 speaking of the different parts of the day, are peculiar, 
 and worthy of notice. In the first place, day and night 
 are not used exactly in the ordinary way ; for instance, 
 if one asks, ' Did it rain last night ? ' we may be told 
 ' No, but it rained at two this morning,' when it was 
 pitch dark. Night is night, and morning is morning, 
 in the strictest sense — with this extension, that neet 
 begins at lozvzin taJini, i.e. about 5 p.m. in summer and 
 earlier in winter. At that hour in summer-time the 
 plew-lad will perhaps stop his horses, pull up his watch 
 like a bucket from a well, and say to the girl gctherin 
 wickens, 'Anne, it 's neet.' She would simply say, 'Is 't ?' 
 and set off home. Morning begins at one o'clock, and 
 although it extends, strictly speaking, till the following 
 noon^ yet the latter part of it — that is to say, from about 
 
224 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 nine o'clock till twelve — is always designated ' fore- 
 noon/ T' eftherneean (afternoon), extends from dinner 
 till lowziii taliui. 
 
 The old idea of the sun dancing on Easter Day is one 
 that has extended itself to many parts of the kingdom. 
 It was at one time very prevalent in this district. 
 
 I was informed not long ago, by an elderly man, that 
 when he was in farm service fifty years back, it was the 
 custom on Easter morning at sun-rise for the farm lads 
 to get a bucket of water and place it so that the sun 
 was reflected in it ; if the sun glinimered, as he ex- 
 pressed it, it would be wet on that day, and if it shone 
 bright and clear in the water it would be fine. But a 
 more important prognostication was always made when 
 the day was ended ; for it was understood that if it 
 was fair on Easter Day there would be a fine harvest 
 following it, while if the morning were wet and the 
 afternoon fine, the ' fore-end ' of the harvest would be 
 wet and the * back-end ' fine, and vice versa. This 
 belief, too, was a very widespread one. 
 
 Another old Easter custom, and of a more animated 
 kind, w^as the following. From Easter Sunday noon to 
 Monday noon the men and lads, and from Monday 
 noon to Tuesday noon the women and lasses, used to 
 take each others' shoes and impose some fine for re- 
 demption. My informant, the son of a clergyman who 
 for many years held a living in the North Riding, says 
 he well remembers the excitement under this old cus- 
 tom when he was a boy (1838-48). A notorious 
 woman, a native of Welbury, used to come to that 
 place all the way from Sunderland yearl}', and timed 
 her visit so as to enjoy the fun. No really modest and 
 timid girl durst stir out alone. Big young fellows of 
 eighteen, who defied the women and girls, w^ere often 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 225 
 
 overpowered by numbers, and had their boots carried 
 off, the laces being cut. The rector's rather dandy 
 pupil had his coat torn right up from skirt to collar 
 when he attempted to walk through the village on the 
 evening of Easter Monday. At this same place it is 
 recorded that a nurse in a farmer's service, while walk- 
 ing on Easter Sunday afternoon with the children, was 
 stalked, chased, seized, and robbed of her shoe by a 
 young man in the farmer's coo-pastur, opposite the 
 rectory, and that she was seen limping back with only 
 one shoe on. A fine, cheerily given, in return for 
 * Please for your buckle,' settled the majority of cases. 
 The lasses took caps, whips, or anything else they could 
 seize. Before a shoe was taken the demand in the form 
 just given w^as always made. The word 'buckle ' was 
 of course a survival from the times when buckles were 
 in vogue ; they were not worn at the time spoken of. 
 
 In years gone by there could have been scarcely a 
 village in North Yorkshire whose inhabitants did not 
 connect the Eve of St. Mark's Day with death. The 
 notion was that those who kept St. Mark's watch — that 
 is, those who watched in the church porch at mid- 
 night from twelve till one — would see the spirits or 
 forms of all those in the place who were to die in the 
 course of the year following, pass into the church one 
 by one. By some it was thought necessary that the 
 watch should be repeated for three successive nights, 
 but generally the vigil was on St. Mark's E'en only. 
 Many times have old people spoken to me about those 
 whose faith in this supposed power of looking into the 
 future was unshaken and unshakeable. I should add 
 that if he who kept watch on St. Mark's Eve should 
 happen to fall asleep during the hour, it was understood 
 that he would himself die during the year from that 
 
 Q 
 
2 26 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 date. I remember being told of a case of this kind by 
 a former inhabitant of Westerdale. There was an old 
 dame in that neighbourhood who was noted for the 
 accuracy of her investigations in this particular ; only, 
 in her case, the watch took place always on Christmas 
 Eve instead of that of St. Mark. On one occasion, 
 it seems, as she was keeping her vigil she fell asleep. 
 It was consequently acknowledged by all who knew her 
 that she was doomed to die before the 3^ear was out ; 
 accordingly, from day to day, she was watched with no 
 little interest, in the expectation that she would sicken 
 and die. However, time went on and she appeared in 
 her usual health. Six months, nine months, ten months 
 passed, and nothing seemed to indicate that her end 
 was at hand. But during the twelfth month a change 
 came over her ; she became ill and took to her bed. 
 Still she lingered on till it came to the last week of the 
 fatal time, but she continued apparently in much the 
 same state, though she was in reality getting weaker. 
 The last day of the year came, and she was still alive, 
 though it was evident she was rapidly sinking, and so it 
 went on till within two hours of the completion of the 
 year, when she quietly breathed her last. A case of 
 this kind would make a profound impression on the 
 minds of the simple folk, and would more than compen- 
 sate for a dozen failures. I enquired of my informant 
 whether the old lady was generally right in her prog- 
 nostications, to which I received answer, in a tone that 
 clearly betokened unswerving faith, ' Aye, sha was reet 
 eneeaf 
 
 The customs connected with marriage festivities have 
 changed a good deal of late years. The old custom, 
 for instance, of running races for ribbons is not so 
 prevalent as it was when I was a boy^ and as 1 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 227 
 
 remember it in the East Riding, when the races used 
 to be run by the young men down the 'town street,' 
 generally immediately after the marriage service at the 
 church was concluded. Sometimes it used to be 
 arranged that the races should finish at the house of 
 the bride's father. The prize was nearly always a 
 ribbon or ribbons, very commonly a white one as re- 
 presenting the bride, and coloured ones similarly the 
 bridesmaids. Now-a-days, where the traditional custom 
 is still kept up, scarves or handkerchiefs are frequently 
 substituted for ribbons. It was a proud moment for 
 the victor on these occasions, and many a man will 
 recount with delight and elation the number of ribbins 
 he has won in such contests. 
 
 In some places the old custom for the bride and 
 bridegroom on their return from the church to be 
 presented at the door of the bride's house with a cake 
 on a plate is still observed. The bride takes the cake 
 and eats a portion of it, while the bridegroom lays hold 
 of the plate and throws it behind him. The future 
 happiness of the young couple is supposed to depend 
 on the breaking of the plate. Sometimes the cake is 
 cut into small pieces and thrown by the bride over her 
 head and the plate broken. Another 'use' is for some- 
 one to meet the newly married couple at the church- 
 yard gate carrying a live chicken. He follows the 
 bridal procession to the bride's house, making the 
 chicken squeak, and will not go away ' till the chicken 
 is satisfied.' 
 
 In some of the North Riding dales, and probably 
 in other places also, the antipathy to green as a colour 
 for any part of the bridal costume is still very strong. 
 I was once at a farm-house in a remote district near 
 Whitby, and, when discussing olden times and customs 
 
 Q2 
 
228 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 with an elderly dame, was informed there were many 
 she knew in her younger days who would rather have 
 gone to the church to be married in their common ever}^- 
 day costume than in a green dress. My informant 
 herself was evidently one of those who held the same 
 faith on this point as her early companions, for she 
 instanced a case that had come under her own observa- 
 tion where the bride was rash enough to be married 
 in green, but it was added that she shortly afterwards 
 contracted a severe illness ! Neither is blue much less 
 unlucky as a colour for the wedding dress, at least if one 
 may judge by the old saying anent the bride, that 
 
 ' If dressed in blue 
 She 's sure to rue.' 
 
 When the wedding part}^ are leaving the church it 
 was, and still is in certain places, a custom for a handful 
 of coppers to be thrown to the children ; and as the 
 bride and bridegroom are on their way to and from 
 the church a salute would be fired from guns filled with 
 feathers : this, too, though still practised at some places, 
 is by no means so common as it was formerly. 
 
 In olden days, before police and detectives were much 
 thought about, many more offences against the law 
 passed undiscovered than at the present time. Private 
 adventure schemes, as we might word them, for the 
 discovery of law-breakers must have been plentiful 
 enough at one time ; bftt they have now passed out of 
 mind. Some, however, have survived until a com- 
 paratively recent date. One of the longest lived of 
 these terrors to evil-doers was the custom of resorting 
 to the Bible and Key for the detection of a thief. The 
 method was a favourite one in many parts of the 
 country, Yorkshire not excepted. The modus operandi 
 was this: A key was placed in a Bible, and after having 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 2 29 
 
 been bound round tightly with string, the Bible, with 
 the key inside, would be hung from a nail in the wall 
 or some convenient place. The name of the suspected 
 thief would then be repeated three times, and if the 
 key turned in the Book, the person w^ho had been 
 named was declared the thief. The female portion of 
 the community sometimes had other, and to them more 
 interesting uses for the Bible and key, I mean the 
 finding out of their future husbands. In these cases 
 the Bible would be opened at Ruth i. i6, 17, and the 
 key placed in it there, and either fixed by a piece of 
 string and the Bible suspended by another piece 
 of string, or the key was simply placed in it at the 
 chapter named and then set upon the table. The name 
 of the wished-for husband was then mentioned, and if 
 the wish was destined for fulfilment, the key in either 
 case would be found turning towards the said verses. 
 
 Other means, however, of a less serious nature were 
 resorted to by the country lasses of a generation or 
 two ago for making the same momentous discovery 
 as that just referred to. There is an exam.ple told me 
 by one who had herself made trial of it. Twelve sage- 
 leaves had to be gathered on a given day at noon, and 
 put into a saucer : they were then kept in the saucer till 
 the midnight following : at this hour the * chamber ' 
 window was thrown open, and one by one the sage-leaves 
 were dropped down into the road below simultaneously 
 with each stroke of the hour on the clock. It was 
 believed by the young maidens that the future husband 
 would then be seen or his step heard in the street below. 
 
 Again, another tried method, not less curious than 
 that just recorded, was the following : The first egg 
 of a chicken was procured : this had to be boiled or 
 roasted. Those interested in making the test had each 
 
230 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 of them to stand on something upon which she had 
 never before stood ; it might be a pair of bellows or an 
 iron baking sheet, or anything else ready to hand. The 
 members of the company then took hold of the egg 
 and simultaneously cut it into portions. Thereupon 
 each one in strict silence took her share, ate it shell 
 and all, and walked backwards to bed. It was thought 
 that this device enabled them to dream who their 
 future partners in life would be. 
 
 There was another quaint old custom practised by 
 our fanciful forelders, of which I have been told, though 
 I have not been able to ascertain exactly what the 
 correct usage with respect to it was : accounts vary. 
 This custom is in connection with what was called 
 Love Posset, or Dumb Cake. The idea was that bv 
 a due observance of the ritual connected with its 
 manufacture, a girl's future husband could be ascer- 
 tained. The proper da}^ for making Dumb Cake was 
 the eve of St. Agnes. What all the ingredients of the 
 cake were I know not, but one principal one was salt. 
 I remember being told some years ago, b}^ an old 
 inhabitant in one of the dales, about the composition 
 of this mystic cake. It was somewhat as follows : In 
 the first place four people had to assist in the making 
 of it, each taking an equal share in the work, adding 
 small portions of its component parts, stirring the pot, 
 and so forth. During the whole time of its manufacture 
 and consumption a strict silence has to be observed. 
 Even when it is being taken out of the oven each of 
 the interested parties must assist in the work. When 
 made it is placed on the table in the middle of the 
 room, and the four persons stand at the four corners of 
 the room. When set on the table the cake is divided 
 into equal portions and put upon four plates or vessels. 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 23 1 
 
 The spirit of the future husband of one of the four 
 would then appear and taste from the plate of his 
 future bride, being only visible to her whose husband 
 he was destined to be. As a preliminary to this, every 
 door of the house had to be thrown open. The 
 traditional hour for making the feast was midnight. 
 My informant said that in her district this mystic 
 repast was made on St. Mark's Eve. I cannot, how- 
 ever, think that this was general. The orthodox time 
 was the eve of St. Agnes. An additional observance 
 was for each damsel to take her portion with her up- 
 stairs, walking backwards to the bedroom ; she was then 
 to eat her share of the undainty concoction and get 
 into bed. On carrying out strictly all the recognised 
 forms and ceremonies she might thus hope in her 
 dreams to behold her future husband. 
 
 Much more was I told about these functions con- 
 nected with the Love Posset or Dumb Cake. Dreadful 
 and unexpected things happened sometimes, especially 
 when the feast was held on St. Mark's Eve. Possibly 
 the spirit resented any deviation from the primitive 
 custom of holding the rite on any other than St. Agnes' 
 Eve ; at any rate, on one occasion of which I heard tell 
 there was evidently something not altogether pleasing 
 to the invisible powers ; for, to use the words of one 
 whose faith in them and other like mysteries was quite 
 unshaken, when the doors were opened on the night 
 referred to, ' there was a soughing and a rattling, the 
 dog's hair stood on end, and a coffin came tumbling 
 through the door and fell at the feet of one of the party, 
 who died in that year.' And again, on another occasion 
 there were such unearthly noises that the whole company' 
 rushed upstairs without even giving themselves time to 
 close the doors. On the whole, therefore, it may be as 
 
232 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 well for those who may think of resorting to the Love 
 Posset or Dumb Cake method of determining who their 
 partners for life are to be, to be careful not to attempt 
 to hold festival on St. Mark's Eve or any other eve but 
 on that of St. Agnes only. 
 
 Local peculiarities in the matter of customs and 
 feasts exist, as might be expected, to a considerable 
 extent. Thus, for instance, at Helmsley there is still 
 held once a year what is called the Vardy Dinner. In 
 the days before the Government appointed sanitary 
 officers, Helmsley elected its own local committee to 
 inspect the town once a 3^ear as regards sanitary 
 matters. In the evening the inspectors met, supped, 
 discussed, and gave their 'verdict.' Hence Vardy 
 Dinner. The form, I am told, is still kept up, but 
 chiefly for social purposes. The dinner is held annually, 
 the committee having earlier in the day gone through 
 the form of walking through the main streets, 
 scrutinising at least the outside of dwellings as they 
 pass. The Helmsley folk jokingly warn one another 
 on this important day thus — ^'Look to your drains and 
 chimneys.' 
 
 A custom with a somewhat similar intention used to 
 take place at Kilburn immediately before the village 
 feast, which there is held on the Saturday after Mid- 
 summer Day. A man was dressed up to represent the 
 Lord Mayor of York, and another to represent the Lady 
 Mayoress. These two were then dragged through the 
 village street in a cart by lads. As they went along 
 they recited a doggerel and visited all the houses of 
 the place, exhorting the people to tidy their gardens, 
 trim their hedges, and make their tenements look gen- 
 erally respectable for the feast; in the event of these 
 orders being disregarded a mock fine was imposed. 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 233 
 
 Some of the bee customs, or what we may call bee- 
 lore, prevalent in the district are curious. They would 
 be almost a study of themselves if carefully gone into. 
 Of the habits of the bees I will say nothing ; let Virgil 
 speak about that. And as regards the customs connected 
 with bees I will only just allude to one. 
 
 When a member of a family dies the bees must not 
 be forgotten. Indeed, under certain circumstances con- 
 nected wdth swarming they are thought to portend a death 
 in the family ; such for instance would be the case if 
 they took it into their heads to swarm on the dead 
 bough of a neighbouring tree. But when a death had 
 actually taken place it was, and perhaps still is, no 
 uncommon thing to put the bees into mourning. This 
 was done by tieing a piece of black cloth or crape round 
 the hives. But this was not all. When the funeral 
 had taken place, and the party had returned to the 
 house, the funeral feast began, — the arval as it used 
 to be called in olden days. On these occasions the 
 feasting was, to say the least of it, substantial. Some 
 of the humbler classes would half ruin themselves by 
 their lavish expenditure at these times : funeral reform 
 had not been heard of in those days unfortunately. 
 But what about the bees ? Well ! they had to be 
 feasted also, and feasted, be it observed, in identically 
 the same way as the house-folk had been ; that is to 
 say, a small portion gathered from every item which 
 went to form the entertainment indoors had to be 
 placed in a convenient situation for the bees without ; 
 such small portions were collected generally in a saucer 
 or plate. Bread, cake, tea, sugar, beef, ham, mustard, 
 salt ; even the wine was not omitted, this being 
 steeped into the biscuits. The idea was that if the 
 bees were not thus feasted they would all certainly die. 
 
234 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 I remember on one occasion talking to the widow of 
 a farmer in the neighbourhood of Egton about these 
 bee customs, and was somewhat amazed by her telHng me 
 of the ritual they thought proper to observe at the time of 
 her husband's death with regard to their own bees. She 
 dilated upon the nature of the feast, and went through 
 a long string of viands, a sort of ' bill of fare ' of what 
 they set before the bees, winding up at the last, as if she 
 quite enjoyed the relating of it, by adding 'aye ! bacca 
 'an pipes an' all ! ' ' What ! ' I ventured to observe in 
 astonishment, 'do you mean to say that the bees ate 
 the tobacco ? ' ' Aye,' she added, ' ah seed it mysen.' I 
 could say no more on that point, but it would seem as if 
 these bees must have had some nautical blood in them, 
 for I bethought me of the strong predilection sailors 
 have for chewing tobacco. But the pipes were not yet 
 accounted for, and so after a pause I said, ' Well ! at all 
 events the bees could not eat the pipes.' ' Bud,' she 
 replied, ' they did 'owivver.' 'How in the world could 
 they do that ? ' was my interrogation ; ' Aw,' she ex- 
 claimed, 'they teeak a steean an' mash'd 'em up intiv a 
 poodher an' mixed it wi t' stuff an' gav it tiv em.' 'And 
 did they eat it clean up ? ' I asked. 'Aye, hivvry bit ; 
 ah seed it mysen.' Ee-preeaf, or, in other words, ocular 
 demonstration, cannot well be got over ; and so there 
 was nothing left for me but to express my wonder at the 
 marvellous digestive power of the bees, and in the end 
 to assent quietly to the fact that the bees had in some 
 way or other made a clean sweep of the concoction. I 
 thought possibly, after the action of the tobacco upon 
 their systems, the bees might all have been found dead 
 next morning, but I was assured that not one of them 
 had been so found ; on the contrary, it was evidently 
 thought that it was their being fed in this way alone 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 235 
 
 that had preserved them from dying with their 
 master. 
 
 The science of Folk-lore is in these days making 
 rapid advances, though it was not till very recently that 
 it could be classed as a science at all. No one could 
 have read the account of the international Folk-lore 
 Congress held in London in 1891 without being con- 
 vinced of the probability that a great future lies in store 
 for this deeply interesting study. Many of the old 
 superstitious ideas which go to form the subject-matter 
 of folk-lore may seem to many absurd and unworthy 
 of serious thought, but out of these light materials some- 
 thing, perhaps a great deal, connected with the early 
 history of the human race may one day be extracted. 
 This, the newest of sciences, is one to which any ob- 
 servant countryman may contribute something. We con- 
 stantly meet with traces of the superstitious feeling in 
 all classes more or less. In his opening address last 
 year, the president of the Folk-lore Congress alluded in 
 playful terms to the fact of his lately meeting a young 
 lady who, as he expressed it, ' was the very muse of folk- 
 lore.' If she met a number of cows she remarked 
 whether they divided on the road or all kept to one 
 side. If she found a crow's feather in the fields, she 
 stuck it erect in the grass and wished a wish. Old 
 pieces of iron she carefully threw over her left shoulder. 
 She kissed her hand to the new moon. If there were 
 three candles alight she blew one out, not from motives 
 of economy, but because three lighted candles in a row 
 are unlucky. She was perturbed by winding-sheets in 
 a candle, and so forth. 
 
 1 am not aware that our Yorskhire folk are more 
 superstitious than some others ; and although curious 
 and strange fancies do exist in the minds of many 
 
236 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 of our older people beyond doubt, they are at all 
 events not alone in that respect. That quaint old notions 
 of this kind are held by others outside our own county 
 the following remarkable instance, which came under my 
 notice only quite lately, will clearly show. A Board of 
 Trade enquiry took place at Hull last year (1891) with 
 reference to a collision between a Hull steamer and a 
 Scarborough smack off Flamborough Head. It seemed 
 that when the collision took place the crewof the smack 
 got on board the steamer, and the abandoned vessel, 
 which became lost in a fog, went ashore five days after- 
 wards on the coast of Scotland more than two hundred 
 miles from the scene of the casualty. The officer of 
 the coast-guard at Montrose, a lieutenant in the 
 Royal Navy, in the course of the evidence alleged that 
 he went to the place where the smack went ashore 
 and examined her. She was deserted, although there 
 were no signs of any damage upon her whatever : He 
 was therefore at a loss to know why she had been thus 
 abandoned. He ascertained subsequently that she had 
 sailed through some Scotch fishing-boats ; the fisher- 
 men, seeing no one on board, thought she was a phantom 
 ship ; they refused to touch her in consequence, even 
 when she was on the rocks. Another officer of the 
 coastguard, in corroborationof this evidence, stated that 
 it was not possible that any one could have boarded 
 the smack before she got on to the rocks. The people 
 of a farmhouse informed the officer about the vessel, but 
 nobody would venture to go near her, and though he 
 offered four shillings an hour — a pretty strong induce- 
 ment with a Scotchman — to anyone who would render 
 aid in saving the ship's stores, none would go on board. 
 It was found impossible to get her off the rocks, and she 
 ^afterwards went to pieces. 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 237 
 
 As might be expected, it is in association with 
 death that the superstitious feehng survives most 
 strongly. With many minds the idea of walking 
 through a churchyard in the darkness and alone would 
 be altogether abhorrent. The same feeling exists with 
 regard to places that are supposed to be haunted ; no- 
 thing would induce some persons to visit such scenes. 
 The deeply superstitious natures of our country folk in 
 former generations caused them to live so to speak in 
 another world almost as much as in this. False and 
 absurd as many of their notions were, there were others 
 that were tinged with a picturesque interest, and be- 
 tokened a deep-rooted faith in the unseen world. For 
 these one cannot but have a certain respect. It was, for 
 instance, with the idea that nothing should be done or 
 left undone to arrest the passage of the spirit of one 
 just deceased in its upward flight, that no sound was 
 uttered beyond the faintest whisper and the window of 
 the room where the body lay, thrown open. And when 
 the spirit had actually fled to the place of departed 
 spirits the body was not neglected, but carefully tended 
 and watched till it had been reverently taken to the 
 churchyard, there to be resolved into dust. Whatever 
 arguments there may be in favour of cremation, I am 
 quite sure that the idea of such a thing would be most 
 repulsive to the minds of our country folk. On the other 
 hand, many of the old notions associated with death 
 were no doubt absurd in the extreme. It used to be 
 a common belief, for instance, and is so still with man}^ 
 old people, that a sick person cannot die if laid upon a 
 bed composed of the feathers of pigeons or of any wild 
 birds. I was told not long since of one Jane H — , 
 from the neighbourhood of Westerdale, that she was 
 lying upon a bed of that description ; that she was in 
 
238 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 extremis for a week, and when it was thought she could 
 not die in consequence of being upon a bed of wild birds' 
 feathers they took her off it and laid her upon a squab, 
 where, as I was informed, she died at once ! It is also an 
 idea with some that there is a connection between the 
 lingering vitality of the dying person and the hopefulness 
 of the bystanders or friends that the sufferer may be 
 restored to health again. Thus I have heard it said 
 that so-and-so could not die, for they would not give 
 him up. This is a curious example of a belief in the 
 kind of mesmeric influence of the mind of another 
 upon the human body; at least such it would seem 
 to be. 
 
 Many of the superstitious observances still kept up 
 by some would no doubt be dropped if the observance 
 of them involved personal trouble or inconvenience. It 
 is a very easy thing to avoid walking under a ladder, 
 for instance ; but if the superstitious foot-passenger had 
 to go half a mile round in order to accomplish his end, 
 the chances are he would pocket his scruples and w^alk 
 straight on. Still, even at this day, there are cases to 
 be found where no little exertion or bodily discomfort 
 will be endured in order to carry out some superstitious 
 form or ceremony, the observance of which is calcu- 
 lated, no matter how absurdly, to bring about some 
 blessing or to ward off" some danger. 
 
 I had a singular instance of this kind brought before 
 my notice only quite recently : it happened, I believe, 
 within a year or thereabouts of last summer. I was 
 told of it by the vicar of a remote country parish in the 
 neighbourhood of Whitby. 
 
 Somewhere about the time alluded to there was a 
 serious outbreak of measles in the village — mezzles as 
 they are called in the folk-speech. Scarcely a family 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 239 
 
 escaped. Not far from the village a small farmer lived 
 with his wife and two children. The parents felt in 
 considerable anxiety for their little ones, lest they should 
 catch the disease. The father, however, seemed to be 
 satisfied in his own mind that if the children could be 
 put through a certain prescribed ceremony of seemingly 
 traditional usage they would be proof against infection 
 from the disease. It will hardly be guessed what the 
 ceremony was. First of all, it was absolutely necessary 
 that a donkey should be procured. But unfortunately 
 there was not one to be had in the place. In order to get 
 one, they would have to go to a village on the sea-coast, 
 which lay at least four miles distant. Nothing daunted, 
 they accordingly made their pilgrimage to the village 
 referred to. The donkey was in due course obtained, 
 and the whole party — father, mother and two young 
 children — wended their way to the beach. One of the 
 children was then put upon the donkey with its face to 
 the tail ; three hairs were next drawn from the tail of 
 the animal, put into a bag, and slung round the child's 
 neck. The donkey was then made to go up and down 
 a certain distance on the sands nine times. This done, 
 the same process was repeated with the other child. 
 It must be added that all the time the donkey was in 
 motion a thistle was held over the head of the child. 
 Such was the function ; and when done they all returned 
 home as they had come. By a singular coincidence the 
 children in this case escaped taking the epidemic ail- 
 ment, and as a consequence the parents were the more 
 confirmed in their belief in the efficacy of these strange 
 precautionary measures. 
 
 The belief in fairies and witches would even yet 
 seem hardly to be clean gone ; while a generation ago 
 it was much stronger than is often supposed. 
 
240 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 A correspondent from the borders of the North and 
 West Ridings tells me of the strong belief in fairies that 
 existed among the people of his district when he was a 
 boy. It seems he used to talk to an old inhabitant who, 
 as he confessed, had often ' seen the fairies.' Figures 
 of men and women gaily clad, of full size, and in rapid 
 confused motion, he said he had often watched in early 
 summer mornings. He used to tell of an unbelieving 
 horse-dealer who had stayed the night with him. At 
 dawn the old farmer saw the fairies, as he had so often 
 done before, and called up his guest, who, unbeliever 
 though he declared himself to be, hurried out as he 
 was, very lightly clad, and sat so long on a wall 
 watching them that he caught a rheumatism that he 
 never was cured of. Many other things did the old 
 man relate, which unfortunately have passed out of 
 recollection ; and he into the unseen world. Now the 
 people will not open out as their fathers used to do, 
 though perhaps their imaginations are not inferior. 
 B}' the way, a young woman, into whose house this 
 same gentleman once went, told him that she had never 
 seen fairies (though her relations often had\ but she had 
 smelt them. On his asking what sort of odour he was 
 to expect so that he might be similarly favoured, she 
 went on to enquire if he had ever been in a ver}^ 
 crowded ' place of worship ' wherein the people had 
 been congregated for a length of time. Such was the 
 description ; a very different one had been looked for ; 
 but it is the unexpected which happens. It was 
 supposed that the young woman who was such an 
 adept at scenting out the fairies was in reality trying 
 to give an idea of the gushes of hot air one some- 
 times comes across on broken ground during summer 
 time. 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 241 
 
 To talk with one who believes in the power of the 
 wise man or witch, seems almost like conversing with 
 one from another world. Many a time, in days gone 
 by, have I been told stories of what the witch could do 
 and of the dread in which she was held, stories which 
 it was evident the narrators firmly believed in, in spite 
 of all that one could say to the contrary ; and although 
 such people might confess that wise men and witches are 
 just at the present moment rather scarce articles, still 
 they seem to have a kind of lurking notion that they 
 might easily crop up again at any time : the old ideas 
 are hard to uproot. I shall not easily forget a certain 
 occasion when I was speaking to an old man on some 
 ordinary topics, when somehow or other we got upon 
 the subject of witches. He was generally a very stolid, 
 matter-of-fact sort of old fellow, who did not apparently 
 take any very keen interest in anything particular ; still 
 he had, as it seemed, his fair complement of wits. On 
 this occasion, when recounting the doings of a certain 
 witch whom he had seen and whose name he told me, 
 his wonted stolidity quite deserted him ; I do not now 
 remember the details of the story sufficiently well to 
 repeat it with any degree of accuracy, but I do well 
 recollect how his countenance, as he went on, was 
 lit up with a degree of animation that waa quite extraor- 
 dinary, especially for such an old man (he was then past 
 eighty), and for one who in general was so imperturbable : 
 he faifly quivered again, and his eyes wore a wild ap- 
 pearance which I had never before seen in them. His 
 belief in what he said was as deep rooted as anything 
 could possibly be, and I never before realised so fully 
 as I did then, the hold that such ideas must have had 
 •upon the men of former generations. How far those 
 who gave themselves out to be possessed of the sup- 
 
 R 
 
242 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 posed powers of the wise man or the witch believed in 
 them themselves, I will not pretend to say, and I do not 
 know that I have ever been face to face with one such 
 myself so that I could hold an examination. 
 
 So many stories have been recorded of the perform- 
 ances of wise men and witches in days of old, that any- 
 thing one has heard from time to time from old people 
 touching on the subject seems merely like a repetition 
 of what is already well known. I shall not, therefore, 
 have much to say that has not been already said by 
 others. Why witches were supposed to be such 
 enemies to horse-flesh I am at a loss even to guess ; 
 this must have made them especially unpopular in 
 Yorkshire : certain it is that a horse-shoe was very 
 commonly nailed upon the stable doors in order to 
 prevent their entrance there. Mr. Henderson^ in his 
 book on Folk-lore, says he remembers a farmer telling 
 him ' how one of his horses had more than once been 
 ridden by the witches, and he had found it in the 
 morning bathed in sweat, but he had nailed a horse- 
 shoe over the stable door, and hung some broom over 
 the rack, and the horse had not been used by the 
 witches since ! ' 
 
 On the subject of horses and witches I remember 
 having a conversation with an old dame not many years 
 ago. I think the conversation started about wicken- 
 wood, which she knew about very well as a preventive 
 against the power of the witch, though she was unable 
 to tell me precisely, or indeed at all, what the nature of 
 the wood was, for in the course of conversation I said to 
 her, ' Can you tell me what they call the tree from which 
 they get the wicken-wood ? ' ' Naw,' she said, 'Ah 's 
 seear ah can't, bud ah knaw 'at wicken-wood 's t' stuff 
 'at they mak whip-stocks on for witches.' I professed 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 243 
 
 surprise that they should do such a thing now or 
 at any time, and added that at all events I supposed she 
 had never heard of any case where the fact of the whip- 
 stock having been made of wicken wood had been of the 
 slightest use for the supposed object. * Aa, bud ah ev,' 
 she replied ; and went on to say that a witch used to 
 hant (haunt) a certain ' brig ' which she named. ' Did 
 anything ever happen at the brig ? ' I enquired. 
 ' Happen! aye; an* ah '11 tell ya an' all.' ' I should 
 like to know what it was,' I said. ^Whya then/ she 
 continued, ' Yah day (it wer a good bit sen noo) sum 
 lads was cumin' wi carts, an' as seean as ivver they 
 com near-hand t' brig t' fo'st draught was stopped ; 
 t' lads leeak'd, bud they couldn't see nowt ; then they 
 shooted on him ti gan on, an' he tell'd 'em 'at he 
 couldn't: t' bosses couldn't storr; all was stopped.' To 
 the best of my recollection there were four or five carts 
 altogether, when some impassable barrier seemed to 
 stop the way over the bridge. But my old friend 
 continued her story by saying, ^ Noo, yan o' t' lads had 
 gitten a wicken-wood whip-stock ; an' when he com up 
 he said he would try ; an' then summat leyke spak ti t' 
 draughts, " here 's t' lad cumin' wi t' wicken^tree gad " ; 
 an' away they went ; sha (the witch) couldn't stop 'em 
 then.' Such was the story of the power of the wicken- 
 tree whip-stock almost verbatim as it was told me, and 
 not a shadow of a doubt did my informant seem to 
 have of the literal truth of it. 
 
 Sometimes the witch was regarded as a downright 
 pest in a neighbourhood, and when by any chance she 
 disappeared from the scene, which even these mortals 
 did in course of years, there was often as much rejoicing 
 as if a savage wild beast had been slain. I have 
 heard of one of this sort who used to live in a small 
 
 R 2 
 
244 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 village in the North Riding with her daughter. The 
 mother and daughter were on anything but good terms, 
 in fact they were incessantly quarrelling and fighting. 
 The two, however, were very equally matched : some- 
 times the victory lay with the mother, sometimes with 
 the daughter, till one day matters had got to a parlous 
 state, and there was a regular pitched battle ; in fact, it 
 was a life or death struggle between them. To use the 
 words of the old man who remembered the scene and 
 told me of it, * eftther they *d fowten (fought) t' main o' 
 t' day, t' dowtther preeaved t* maastther, an' sha killed 
 t' witch.* The news spread like wildfire, and amid the 
 greatest excitement the whole toon soon assembled 
 round the door of the house where this desperate 
 encounter had taken place. Just at first there were, no 
 doubt, some feelings of horror at the shocking scene 
 that lay before them; but 'eftther things had gotten 
 sattled,' as my old friend expressed it, the people could 
 do nothing but rejoice that so dangerous and hated a 
 character had been ' putten oot o' t' rooad.' 
 
 If the witch was sometimes a pest to a neighbourhood 
 generally, she must have been so especially to the 
 farmer ; for not only did she ride his horses, but played 
 sad havoc in the dairy, and worked all manner of evil 
 against his cattle both great and small. In those 
 imaginative days it must have cost the farmer as much 
 trouble, one would think, to keep the witches away from 
 his herds as the crows from his corn. 
 
 It was not so many years ago that I was told of rather 
 an exciting encounter which took place at a farm I 
 have frequently heard of, and the neighbourhood of 
 which I have often visited. At the present time it hap- 
 pens to be occupied by a man I know very well. The 
 struggle was between the farmer himself and a witch 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 245 
 
 that was the plague and terror of the neighbourhood. 
 I cannot give the precise date of the battle, as the school- 
 boy does ; but I judged from what ni}^ informant said, 
 that it took place seventy or eighty years ago. It 
 happened that the said farmer had lost a large number 
 of cattle. He was a very superstitious man, and the 
 only way in which he could account for the loss of his 
 cattle satisfactorily to his own mind was by attributing it 
 to the work of ' t' aud witch ' who frequented the district. 
 This v/as the more surprising, for, as I was told, ' his 
 missis had awlus behaved well ti t' witch ' ; that is to 
 say, whenever she had been to the house the mistress 
 had given her food and treated her, as she thought, 
 hospitably. It was plain, however, to the farmer and 
 his wife that something had at length offended her lady- 
 ship, and she had wreaked her vengeance upon them 
 by destroying his beasts. 
 
 One morning after this the witch was seen by the 
 farmer in his fold-garth. Thinking, of course, that she 
 was there for no good purpose, he accosted her, and 
 asked her what she was doing there ; whereupon, as we 
 say in Yorkshire, ska wer varry saucy. This was too 
 much for the farmer, so without further words he took 
 the law into his own hands and began to bray her vio- 
 lently on the back with his stick. She held her ground 
 unflinchingly : he next dealt her a heavy blow with his 
 fist. Upon this she seized a thorn stick which happened 
 to be near at hand, and then the fight waxed hotter and 
 hotter ; blow after blow was dealt in quick succession, 
 
 ' Nee mora, nee requies.' 
 Like hail upon the housetops fell the strokes ; panting 
 they fought — the farmer and the witch — in even contest ; 
 swelling bruises formed upon the limbs of each, till at 
 length the witch with fiendish force gave such a gash 
 
246 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 that blood trickled from the wound ; whereat she paused 
 and shrieked in horrid glee, ' noo ah a'e tha.' It was 
 enough ; she had gained her point, and she departed. 
 The farmer was in great distress ; he knew not what 
 to do to avert the dread consequences : he felt that his 
 enemy had him in her power. The only thing left for 
 him was to betake himself to the wise man. The wise 
 man told him that the witch had wished him a bad 
 wish, but he said that he would give him the best advice 
 he could. It was a favourite and well-known remedy, 
 though in this case it proved unavailing. He was with- 
 out delay to go home and procure the heart of a beast, 
 make up a fire in the house, carefully fill up all ' t' kye- 
 hooals, nicks i' t' deears an' crivices ti keep her [the 
 witch] oot.' Then, according to ancient usage, he was 
 to take the beast's heart and prick it all over with pins, 
 and roast it upon the fire. The savoury odour, or 
 whatever it was, would attract the witch to the house, 
 and she would come to the door and yell like a dog. 
 Those in the house when she thus came were neither to 
 speak nor stir, and then she would go away. All this 
 happened, it was asserted, as it had been foretold by the 
 wise man : the witch came, yelled, and went ; but a day 
 or two after the wounded man bled to death. ' Aye,' 
 said my informant, who quite believed in the witch's 
 power, 'sha 'd gotten ower mich ho'd on him!' Even the 
 beast's heart and pins were powerless on this occasion : 
 this time ' t' au'd witch preeaved t' maastther.' 
 
 Even until quite a few years ago it was thought, and 
 may still be so, in some places, that the witches' power 
 was supreme. I have heard, for instance, of a mother 
 losing her first-born son. It was remembered that so- 
 and-so had wished the mother a bad wish. The event 
 corroborated the half-formed idea that the evil-wisher 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 247 
 
 was a witch, and the half-formed idea developed into 
 a deep-rooted belief. In this case I was told that the 
 mother's adversary had wished a bad wish, and it had 
 ' fallen on t' bairn,' which soon died. 
 
 Scarcely Less strange than such ideas as those just 
 alluded to, was the extraordinary faith in the efficacy of 
 many fanciful remedies for all manner of diseases : they 
 would of themselves fill a volume. 
 
 One of the strangest cases that ever I heard of was 
 one that was brought to my notice at a friend's house 
 near Yarm. The lady of the house told m^ that only 
 a short time previously she had been calling to see a 
 poor woman, one of whose children had the ' thrush.' 
 The mother firmly believed that if one born after the 
 death of his father were to blow three times down the 
 child's throat the disease would beyond doubt depart ; 
 indeed, so implicit was her faith in the virtue of the 
 remedy that my friend told me that had she seemed to 
 doubt the power of the means used, the mother would 
 have felt quite hurt. 
 
 This reminds me of a cure for the whooping-cough 
 (these, by the way, might be recounted by the dozen), 
 which was resorted to in a place I know very well. 
 It is as follows : Catch a frog, and put it into a jug 
 of water ; make the patient cough into the jug ; this smits 
 the frog, and the patient is cured. ' Did it do any 
 good?' was asked in a certain case. 'Yes,' was the 
 answer, ' the frog took it, and coughed as natteral as a 
 Christian.' Another singular cure for the same malady 
 is for the child to be. passed nine times over the back 
 and under the belly of a donkey. Mr. W. Henderson, 
 in his Folk-lore of the Northern Counties, gives an 
 instance of this having taken place at Middlesbrough, 
 which operation was actually witnessed by a friend of his. 
 
24^ YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 But there are charms for animals as well as for 
 human beings. The Vicar of a parish near Yarm one 
 day noticed in his kitchen a number of little sprigs of 
 hazel, with catkins upon them, stuck into various 
 objects round the fire-place. On asking the senior 
 servant why she had made the decoration, she said it was 
 Jane (the junior maid), who had gathered them and 
 stuck them about because they were good for the sheep 
 at lambing time ! 
 
 The cures for warts are many and various. It is re- 
 markable tg find what strange methods were sometimes 
 resorted to. Here is one which seems to be rather out of 
 the beaten track of medical remedies. A common black 
 slug is caught, and rubbed several times over the wart. 
 The slug is then fixed tightly to a thorn on a hedge or 
 elsewhere, and then left to die and wither away. It is 
 supposed that simultaneously with this withering away 
 of the creature the wart will also consume away and 
 disappear. Only it is essential that the patient shall 
 not again look at the slug, otherwise the healing power 
 would be arrested in its operation. 
 
 I was told of another remedy, by a farmer whose 
 sister's warts had been supposed to have been removed 
 by the following means. It was the night of a new 
 moon ; indeed it was necessary that so it should be for 
 the efficacy of the means used. The young woman had 
 on no account to look at the moon, but some one had to 
 go out and observe in which quarter of the heavens she 
 was, and then come and lead the patient out into the 
 garden, whereupon she had to stoop down and rub the 
 warts all over with the soil without attempting to look at 
 the quarter where the moon la}^, and return to the house 
 at once. I was assured that in this case the operation 
 was a complete success ! 
 
CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 249 
 
 It is believed by many that these excrescences maybe 
 brought on by washing the hands in water in which an 
 Qgg has been boiled. An old lady, a native of one of 
 the dales, once told me that she was alwa^^s very careful 
 to throw away water in which eggs had been boiled for 
 fear of its being used for washing purposes. 
 
 There is a widespread belief that if the cock crows 
 in the house, or if the fowls enter it, visitors may be 
 expected. I remember very well going to a farm house 
 in Cleveland once, and being told by the farmer that 
 they had been looking for a visitor because the cock had 
 been crowing on the doorstead. I wonder what the 
 Irish peasantry have to say to this; their string of callers 
 must be incessant. 
 
 Happily hens do not often crow, but when such a 
 portentous event does actually take place, the unlucky 
 bird is generally immediately killed, as its existence is 
 supposed to bring nothing but misfortune upon the 
 household; a propos of this there is the old saying, 
 
 ' A crowing hen, and a whistling maid 
 Both bring bad luck ' ; 
 
 another form of which runs thus : — 
 
 'A whistling maid and a crowing hen 
 Are fit for neither gods nor men.' 
 
 When leaving a house for a journey it is deemed un- 
 lucky that at the time of departure there should be thruff- 
 oppen deears, that is to say that both front and back doors 
 should be open at the same time : if the mistress of the 
 house be leaving home by the front door, for instance, the 
 servant maid will instantly run to the back door if it be 
 open, and shut it. And after the journey has been 
 begun it is thought to be unlucky if the first person met 
 be of the female sex. Under these circumstances it is 
 a man who brings a prosperous journey. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE BIBLE AND SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 It is generally admitted, and no doubt with truth, that 
 the English Bible has done more to preserve our lan- 
 guage from decay than an3'thing else. If we want to see 
 what pure and forcible English is, we shall find it in 
 the pages of the Authorised Version : there is a musical 
 flow and rhythm about it, and as regards certain passages, 
 if we take them as specimens of our language only, they 
 cannot be surpassed for beauty. I will not take upon 
 myself to select examples, but as instances of this let 
 me give Mr. Ruskin's list. Indeed, perhaps I may be 
 allowed to quote in passing what he himself says about 
 his own Bible in his Outlines of Scenes and TJwugJifs in 
 my Past Life. He remarks : — ' I have just opened my 
 oldest (in use) Bible ; a small, closely, and very neatly 
 printed volume it is, printed in Edinburgh by Sir D. 
 Hunter, Blaine, and J. Bruce in 1816. Yellow now 
 with age, and flexible, but not unclean, with much use, 
 except that the lowest corners of the pages at i Kings 
 viii. and Deuteronomy xxxii. are worn somewhat thin 
 and dark, the learning of these two chapters having cost 
 me much pains. My mother's list of the chapters with 
 which, thus learned, she established my soul in life has 
 just fallen out of it. I will take what indulgence the in- 
 curious reader can give me for printing the list thus 
 accidently occurrent. Exodus xv. xx, 2 Samuel i from 
 
THE BIBLE AND SHAKESPEARE. 251 
 
 seventeenth verse to the end, i Kings viii, Psalms xxiii, 
 xxxii, xc, xci, ciii, cxii, cxix, cxxxix, Proverbs ii, iii, 
 viii-xii, Isaiah Iviii, S. Matthew v, vi, vii, Acts xxvi, 
 I Corinthians xiii-xv, S. James iv, Revelation v, vi.' 
 
 Far be it from me to question the desirability of a 
 Revised Version ; it is a fait accompli. That there are 
 faulty translations and blemishes in the Authorised 
 Version none will deny. These we should be at pains 
 to amend at all costs. One great object of the late 
 Revision was of course to give the exact meaning of 
 every word of the original in language thoroughly under- 
 stood at the present time. In accomplishing this, certain 
 words supposed to be obsolete had to give way to their 
 more modern equivalents; in some cases the choice of 
 the right word had to be exercised with the greatest 
 care and judgment ; different words to express the same 
 thing would naturally present themselves to the minds 
 of the translators ; those of Scandinavian origin, for 
 example, vied for the ascendency with others that were 
 Romanesque. 
 
 But between these two component sources of our 
 language there is no doubt from which the choice 
 should be made as supplying words most easily in- 
 telligible to our ordinary country folk, at least as 
 regards those who inhabit this north-eastern side of 
 the country, where the talk of the people is mainly made 
 up of words of Norse origin. 
 
 If the English Bible has done so much to conserve 
 what is best in the English tongue, we should indeed be 
 careful how we lay hands upon it, even to make a single 
 alteration. No doubt every alteration made by the last 
 Revisers was carefully weighed. There is, however, 
 just one point which perhaps has been a little overlooked: 
 I mean the fact that many words and phrases supposed 
 
252 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 to be obsolete are still in common use by a large number 
 of our people. Because such words do not ordinarily 
 appear in modern literature, it does not follow that they 
 are not spoken, and consequently well understood. 
 
 The American Committee would have gone further 
 in the direction referred to than the English Revisers. 
 This may be gathered from the list of readings preferred 
 by them and recorded at their desire in the form of an 
 appendix at the end of the volume. This appendix is 
 deserving of every respect, however much we may 
 differ from the conclusions arrived at. I will not attempt 
 to do more than make one or two remarks as far as 
 some of their recommendations bear upon our dialect. 
 
 In St. Matt. viii. 4, St. Matt, xxvii. 65, and St. Mark i. 
 44, for instance, they recommend to change 'go thy way' 
 to simply 'go.' Now, in our dialect, 'come thy ways' 
 and ' go thy ways ' are the forms alwa^'s in use in the 
 imperative mood ; it would surely be better therefore to 
 retain the old form. At St. Luke ix. 12, they suggest to 
 substitute 'provisions' for 'victuals' ; it is here worthy 
 of remark that in the dialect neither of these ex- 
 pressions would be used, but the word ' meat,' which 
 is so frequently found in the Authorised Version in the 
 same sense. There seems no reason why it should not 
 be adopted in this passage. 
 
 Again, in xxiii. 23 of the same Gospel, neither ' in- 
 stant ' nor ' urgent ' would be understood by many of 
 our people : it might be a little difficult to know what to 
 give as an alternative ; ' hasty ' would be a familiar word, 
 and would perhaps convey the sense most nearly. 
 
 The change from 'evil' to 'ill' in St. John viii. 20 is 
 a good one, /'// being a word very generally used, while 
 evt'i is never heard. 'Dark sayings ' seems preferable 
 to 'proverbs' in St. John xvi. 25, but probably 'hidden 
 
THE BIBLE AND SHAKESPEARE. 253 
 
 sayings ' would be more intelligible than either. As 
 regards Rom. viii. 13, ' kill ' or ' put to death * would 
 bring home the meaning of the passage with greater 
 clearness than ' mortify/ which in the dialect is only 
 used in a very restricted sense. Neither ' heresies ' nor 
 ' factions ' would have any meaning for our older people ; 
 the passage — i Cor. xi. 19 — would have to be expressed 
 differently. Such words as ' edification ' and ' exhorta- 
 tion ' (i Cor. xiv. 3) might as well be written in Greek, 
 but ' comfort' would be understood fully. The Americans 
 do well to suggest 'lay hold on' for 'apprehend' in 
 Phil. iii. 12. ' Figure ' would be. no better than ' par- 
 able' in Heb. ix. 9; some such expression as 'way of 
 speaking ' might be preferable to either. Why ' existing ' 
 should be substituted for 'being' (Phil. ii. 6) I know 
 not : it would, moreover, not be contained in the voca- 
 bulary of our folk-speech. 
 
 It may be seen, even from these few examples, in 
 what direction change or no change was needed in a 
 re-translation of the Bible which would be 'understanded 
 of the people ' in East Yorkshire as far as might be. As 
 has been elsewhere observed, it is remarkable how few 
 words, comparatively, of Latin derivation are used in the 
 dialect, and therefore all such words, whether written 
 or spoken, are better avoided if we would be readily 
 and clearly understood. 
 
 Nevertheless, as a whole, the language of the Bible is 
 better understood than that of the Prayer Book, which 
 presents great difficulty to many of the older country folk, 
 containing as it does such a large number of words of 
 Latin origin. But even with regard to the Bible, much of 
 it was unintelligible to the country folk of a generation 
 ago. As an instance of this I will mention what came 
 within my experience some years since. I was desirous of 
 
254 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 testing upon this point an old man whom I knew very well : 
 he was quite up to the average in intelligence, but he 
 had had very little schooling. For the purpose in view 
 I took in a haphazard way a few words from the Bible, 
 and after repeating each slowly and distinctly twice over 
 at least, and giving him plenty of time to think, I asked 
 him to tell me in his own words what he thought 
 each word meant. The words chosen, being all of 
 Latin derivation, were these '.—fragment^ expound, im- 
 pediment, admonish, doctrine, dominion, disperse, confidence, 
 consolation, contrite, esteem, descend, perpetual. For only 
 one of these, perpetual, could he give me a correct equiva- 
 lent ; but the moment I explained them as follows, the 
 meaning was perfectly understood -.—fragment (a small 
 piece of anything), expound (to tell the meaning of), 
 impediment (a stoppage), admonish (warn), doctrine 
 (teaching), dominioit (rule), disperse (scatter), confidence 
 (trust), consolation (comfort), contrite (sorrowful), esteem 
 (worth), descend (go down). This may serve to show 
 how many passages in the Bible — and in sermons, for a 
 matter of that — must have been unintelligible formerly to 
 a certain portion at least of an ordinary country congre- 
 gation. I may remark, in passing, that although generally 
 not used in every-day speech, there are some words 
 of Latin derivation which occur very frequently in the 
 dialect, and are preferred to their Anglian equivalents. 
 Of such, to expect is a fair example of what I mean. 
 This word is used in the sense of ' to understand' or ' to 
 have heard,' e.g., if I were to say ' I hear so and so is ill,' 
 the reply would probably be ' I expect so ; ' — that is to 
 say, ' I have heard so,' or ' I understand so.' 
 
 But though there is such a considerable number of 
 words in the Authorised Version unintelligible to many 
 of our older people, yet there are others which would be 
 
THE BIBLE AND SHAKESPEARE. 255 
 
 better understood by them than by many a Londoner even. 
 I do not mean to imply that the Londoner would fail in 
 ■all probability to understand the words, but he would 
 use others in preference, whereas the Yorkshireman 
 would employ them rather than others of like meaning 
 and more ordinary usage. As examples of what is 
 meant let me quote the following : — Afore, ailed, hack- 
 side, bid, brake, bray, clout, drave, fain, folk, frame, 
 gat, gather, gatherings, gotten, haft, handled, hungered, 
 light (verb), mindfid, naught, overmuch, quick (Yorksh. 
 wick), rank, shaked, spake, sware, wrought, yesternight, 
 yet. The equivalents of these, commonly in use, are 
 apparent ; but I will add them : they are. Before, 
 mattered, back, invite, broke, beat, cloth, drove, gladly, 
 people, give promise of, got, collect, collections, got 
 (participle), handle, treated, became hungry, alight or 
 settle, careful, nothing, too much, alive, thick or luxuriant, 
 shook, spokh, swore, worked or laboured, last night, still. 
 
 It may be noted that the dialectical use of the word 
 backside is applied to the back parts of things and places 
 only, and especially to the back premises or yard of a 
 house. Bi'ay is in common use in the sense of beating 
 generally, and especialty flogging. The good old word 
 fain, though dying out, is still employed by elderly 
 people. Quick is an every-day word with us under the 
 form wick. Yet is invariably used instead of still, and in 
 this sense it is very frequently found in the Bible. The 
 phrase 'Does it rain yet' would mean, not 'has it 
 begun to rain ? ' but ' is it still raining ? ' The perfects 
 spake and sware drop the final e in folk- speech, and 
 shaked is pronounced shakk'd. 
 
 These and many other words and expressions in the 
 Bible, supposed to be obsolete or nearly so, are still in 
 daily use in what are called our dialects : but in many 
 
25<5 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 of such cases the hne which separates dialect and literary 
 language is by no means easy to be traced. The two 
 streams seem at times to meet. Are we to say, for 
 instance, that our common Yorkshire word hodden is 
 a vulgarism because held has taken its place, although 
 hodden or holden occurs certainly ten times in the Author- 
 ised Version ? Chamber is used in i Kings xvii. 23 in just 
 the same sense as in the dialect, apparently, signifying 
 as it does an upstairs sleeping apartment as distin- 
 guished from the 'house.' 
 
 There are some interesting remarks made by Professor 
 Max Mtiller on this point in his Lectures on the Science 
 of Language. He says, quoting Booker's Scripture 
 and Prayer-hook Glossary : ' The number of words or 
 senses of words which have become obsolete since 161 1 
 amount to 388, or nearly one-fifteenth part of the whole 
 number of words used in the Bible.'' With all deference 
 to so high an authority, I venture to thirfk that this 
 proportion is somewhat greater than is warranted by 
 fact — if, that is, we admit that words in constant use by 
 our country folk are not to be reckoned as obsolete. 
 
 A comparison of the language of Wyclifife's New 
 Testament, which dates from about the year 1380, with 
 that of our Authorised Version and with our Yorkshire 
 dialect, would be a study worth pursuing with 
 some care. Wycliffe was born at Hipswell near Rich- 
 mond, and therefore his language might be expected 
 to have a Northern tinge, and such clearly is the case. 
 The following passages, taken from Purvey's Revision 
 of Wycliffe' s New Testament^ contain words and forms 
 in constant use at this day in the North Riding dialect 
 which have dropped out of the literary language. The 
 words in question are printed in italics : — (i) ' The 
 keperis weren afeerd^' St. Matt, xxviii. 4. (2) ' Clensid 
 
THE BIBLE AND SHAKESPEARE. 257 
 
 with besyms and maad faire/ St. Matt. x. 44. {3) ^ And 
 he took seuene looues . . . and brak,' St. Matt. xv. 36. 
 (4) ^ Monn comprehende with alle seyntis which is the 
 breede,' &c., Eph. iii. 18. (5) ' He concitide to fiUe his 
 wombe of the coddis that the hoggis eeten/ St. Luke xv. 
 16. (6) 'Whether God has not maad the wisdom of 
 this world formed f' i Cor. i. 20. (7) ^Joseph lappide 
 it in a clene sendel/ St. Matt, xxvii. 59. (8) 'And 
 thei token up . . . seuene lepisy St. Mark viii. 8. (9) 
 ' Ye spake myche' St. Matt. vi. 7. (10) ' For who that 
 trowith that he be ought when he is nought,' Gal. vi. 3 
 (11) ^ Mayster Moises seide i( ony man is deed,' &c. 
 St. Matt. xxii. 27. (12) ' For what partinge of righteous 
 nes,' 2 Cor. vi. 14. (13) ' It schal not rewe Him, 
 Heb. vii. 21. (14) 'That he schulde ridile as whete, 
 St. Luke xxii. 31. (15) 'For it was founded on a sad 
 stone,' St. Luke vi. 48. (16) 'The erthe openyde his 
 mouth and soop up the flood,' Rev. xiii. 16. (17) ' Y 
 stie to my fadir,' St. John xx. 17. (18) ' But Barnabas 
 took . . . and telde to him,' Acts ix. 27. (19) 'And to 
 brast the myddil,' Acts i. 18. (20) ' Twey men metten 
 Him,' St. Matt. viii. 28. 
 
 In order to make the connection between these 
 fourteenth-century words and the modern Yorkshire 
 forms of them perfectly plain, I will give them in order 
 as below : — 
 
 \\th Century. 
 
 Modern Yorkshire. 
 
 Standard English. 
 
 Afeerd. 
 
 Afeeard. 
 
 
 Afraid. 
 
 Besyms. 
 
 Bizzum orBezzum 
 
 Broom. 
 
 Brak. 
 
 Brak. 
 
 
 Broke. 
 
 Brast. 
 
 Brast. 
 
 
 Burst 
 
 Breede. 
 
 Breed. 
 
 
 Breadth. 
 
 Coddis. 
 
 Cods. 
 
 
 Pods or Husks 
 
 Fonned. 
 
 Fond. 
 
 s 
 
 Foolish. 
 
358 
 
 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 14/// Century. Modern Yorkshire. 
 
 Standard English. 
 
 Lappide. 
 
 Lapt. 
 
 Wrapped or Fold- 
 ed. 
 
 Lepis. 
 
 Leeps. 
 
 Baskets. 
 
 Mayster. 
 
 Maaster. 
 
 Master. 
 
 Moun. 
 
 Mun (}) 
 
 Be able. 
 
 Myche. 
 
 Mich. 
 
 Much. 
 
 Nought. 
 
 Nowt. 
 
 Nothing & Naught 
 
 Ony. 
 
 Onny. 
 
 Any. 
 
 Ought. 
 
 Owt. 
 
 Anything& Aught. 
 
 Partinge. 
 
 Parting. 
 
 Division. 
 
 Rewe. 
 
 Rewe. 
 
 Repent & Rue. 
 
 Ridile. 
 
 Ruddle. 
 
 Sift. 
 
 Sad. 
 
 Sad. 
 
 Heavy. 
 
 Soop. 
 
 Sup. 
 
 Drink or Swallow. 
 
 Stie. 
 
 Stee (a ladder). 
 
 Go up. 
 
 Telde. 
 
 TelPd. 
 
 Told. 
 
 Twey. 
 
 Tweea. 
 
 Two. 
 
 It may be noted that heps in the dialect is now only 
 used for the peculiarly shaped fishermen's baskets for 
 catching eels, &c. 
 
 The verb stie is not used, but only the noun stee — 
 that by which one steps up. 
 
 The usage of sad has become restricted, and is now 
 applied mainly to bread or food that is heavy. 
 
 On the whole, then, we may observe that as far as 
 our Yorkshire folk of the old school are concerned — and 
 there are still a considerable number of them surviving — 
 we need not be anxious to modernise in any degree the 
 stately and melodious language of the Authorised 
 Version; on the contrary, the only change advantageous 
 to our people would rather be a reverting to older 
 and still purer English by rooting out words of 
 southern growth which have never flourished in our 
 northerly air. 
 
 Happily, no one has yet thought of making a revised 
 
THE BIBLE AND SHAKESPEARE. 259 
 
 version of Shakespeare. We are content to read him 
 as he wrote. It is true the English Bible and Shake- 
 speare are not altogether parallel cases, the one being 
 a translation and the other in the original ; still, the 
 two, simply as specimens of English, date from nearly 
 the same time, and so, from a linguistic point of view, 
 they are not wholly unlike. 
 
 It is not for a moment to be supposed that our older, 
 unlettered countr}^ folk would understand very much 
 of the language of Shakespeare ; nevertheless there 
 are many words and expressions to be found in 
 Shakespeare's plays which, although they may be said 
 to have passed cut of use as standard English, are still 
 to be heard in the folk-speech of Yorkshire. I must 
 content myself with a very few examples on this point, 
 and leave it to those who may feel an interest in the 
 subject to make other like discoveries for themselves. 
 
 The word parlous is more generally used than it was 
 some 3'ears ago : whether it would now be reckoned as 
 standard English or not I am not authority enough to 
 determine : certain it is that it forms one of the very 
 commonest components of our dialectic vocabulary ; 
 parlous roads, parlous weather, a parlous tahm, &c., may 
 be constantly heard, though we should hardly say ' a 
 parlous knock,' as Shakespeare does in Romeo and Juliet, 
 
 Quick, meaning alive, is retained in our folk-speech 
 under the form wick] the transition from one to the 
 other is so slight that we may take the two words as 
 one. We have an example of this, so frequent in the 
 Bible, in the following quotation from Shakespeare :- — 
 
 ' Thou 'rt quick, but yet I '11 bury thee.' 
 
 Timon of Athens, iv. 3. 
 
 We do not reckon obliged in the sense of forced as 
 part of our vocabulary ; instead we make use of the 
 
 s 2 
 
26o YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 equivalent just mentioned or of tied; it is in this sense, 
 too, that Shakespeare wrote the word in The Taming 
 of the Shrew J where this passage occurs, 'And I am 
 tied to be obedient.' 
 
 As in Psalm xxv. we have the old use of leant in the 
 sense of teach : so too in Shakespeare the same is to be 
 found ; thus, 'You must not learn me how to remember 
 any extraordinary pleasure,' As You Like It, i. 2. I need 
 not remind a Yorkshireman that we generally emplo}' 
 this word under the form larji, the now prevailing 
 teacJi of standard English being seldom heard. 
 
 Again, we not unfrequentl}' use the indefinite article 
 before the plural noun many ; for instance, we say Ah 
 seed a niatiy on 'em, or There was a many. Here, too, 
 we are supported by Shakespeare, as in the follow- 
 ing passages : — ' A many fools.' Merchant of Venice, 
 iii. 5; 'A care-crazed mother to a many sons,' 
 Richard III, iii. 7. 
 
 It may now sound vulgar to s>2iy for to come or for to 
 do, though I confess I scarcely know why it should ; at 
 all events, it is an almost universal form still found in 
 our dialect ; and for this we have Shakespearian, to sa}- 
 nothing of Biblical, authority, as in Hamlet, iii. i, 
 where the phrase 'for to prevent' occurs. In York- 
 shire speech fond is commonly used in the sense of 
 foolish, which is also repeatedly found in the great 
 dramatist's writings. 
 
 The separation of the two parts of towards, or perhaps 
 we should rather say the addition of wards to nouns as 
 a suffix indicating direction, is of frequent occurrence 
 in our folk-talk : and this is the case after from as well 
 as after to : thus we should say // Newton-wards or fra 
 Newton-wards. Illustrations of the former may be 
 gathered from two of Shakespeare's plays, namel}', ' Unto 
 
THE BIBLE AND SHAKESPEARE. 26 1 
 
 Paris-wards,' i Henry VI, iii. 3; and again, 'And 
 tapers burned to bed-ward,' Coriolamis, i. 6. 
 
 The prepositional use of against, with regard to time 
 or event, is another case in point. For example, it is 
 good Yorkshire to say Thoo inun be riddy agaan ah cum ; 
 and in Romeo and Juliet we read ' against thou shall 
 awake ' ; also similar usages are to be found in Hamlet. 
 
 Furthermore, we have the company of the immortal 
 poet in our use of such words as afeard, awkward 
 (contrary), barm, barn, beteem (pour out : though in this 
 word the prefix is omitted), cess, chuff {co^rst), daff (to 
 befool ; the present form being daft, and only used as an 
 adjective), doiy (to refuse), eyne (eyes ; present form 
 een), sneaped (checked), urchin (hedgehog). 
 
 To sowle is used in much the same sense still as in 
 the passage in Coriolamis, iv. 5, ' He'll go, he says, and 
 sowle the porter of Rome gates by the ears.' 
 
 As a term of endearment, there is no commoner word 
 in the dialect than hunny : it is always used without an 
 accompanying noun, thus: 'aye, hunny,' 'cum thi 
 waays hunny,' &c. I am not aware that it is used in 
 Shakespeare except in agreement with another word, 
 though in that connection we find it several times, as 
 the following examples will show : — ' O honey nurse, 
 what news ? ' Romeo and Juliet, ii. 5 ; ' My good sweet 
 honey Lord,' i Henry IV, i. 2; 'And now, my honey 
 love,' Taming of the Shrew, iv. 3 ; ' My fair, sweet, 
 honey monarch,' Love's Labour's Lost, v. 2. 
 
 One of the most marked grammatical features in the 
 dialect is the want of the possessive case, which I have 
 elsewhere alluded to : perhaps the best example of this 
 peculiarity to be found in Shakespeare is when the Fool 
 says, in Lear, i. 4, 'The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo 
 so long, that it 's had it head bit off by it young.' 
 
252 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 Again, the Yorkshireman would understand better 
 than some others the force of the passage, ' The heart 
 I bear shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear,' 
 Macbeth, v. 3. To sag implies, in our dialectical speech, 
 a sinking or depression, as when a rope hangs loosely : 
 it is one of our very commonest words. 
 
 It is noticed in another chapter that beginning is a 
 word seldom heard in our folk-speech, first-end or fore- 
 cjid being generally substituted : agreeing with this 
 usage is that in the passage which runs thus, ' Where 
 I have liv'd at honest freedom ; paid more pious debts 
 to heaven, than in all the fore-end of my time,' 
 Cymbeline, iii. 3. 
 
 To crack of a thing, in Yorkshire, means to boast of it : 
 and we find it used in the same sense b}' Shakespeare 
 in the passage 'And Ethiopes of their sweet complexion 
 crack,' Love's Labour's Lost, iv. 3; and again, 'What 
 cracker is this same that deals our ears ? '—King 
 fohn, ii. I. 
 
 It does not appear that to jump with is found in 
 Shakespeare in exactly the same sense as that in which 
 it is used in Yorkshire, viz. to fall in with a person, to 
 meet one by chance, though in a sense not widely dif- 
 ferent from this it is found, viz. in Othello, i. 3; also in The 
 Merchant of Venice, ii. 9, ' I will not jump with common 
 spirits,' the expression here meaning to agree with. 
 
 Some remarks on thill-horse or shill-horse bearing 
 on the subject we are now considering will be found in 
 the Glossary following. 
 
 It may not generally be known what a hex is : but 
 that Shakespeare knew the word and the thing may 
 be gathered from the quotation, ' Nothing teems but 
 hateful docks, rough thistles, kecksies, burs,' Henry V, 
 v. 2. A kex is the fools-parsley, the stalk oi which, 
 
THE BIBLE AND SHAKESPEARE. 263 
 
 when dead, becomes so dry as to be used as a simile to 
 denote utter dryness. 
 
 Though geek is not used in the folk-speech, gicken, 
 which has the same root, is not uncommon ; a geek 
 means a fool, and to gieken signifies to laugh like a fool. 
 Thus we read : 'And made the most notorious geek and 
 gull that e'er invention played on/ Twelfth Night, v. i. 
 For further remarks on this word, see Glossary. 
 
 Many more examples similar to those above-mentioned 
 might be quoted. But let these, with previous remarks, 
 suffice to show that there are elements in our dialect 
 worthy of something better than scorn or ridicule. I do 
 not claim for it the dignity of a literary language ; though 
 more, much more, might be done towards perpetuating 
 and elevating it than has yet been attempted : we sorely 
 need, as I said, a Yorkshire Burns to uplift the good old 
 speech of a hardy, independent, practical, and hearty race 
 of men, possessed not only of human sympathies, which 
 though not perhaps appearing on the surface, are none 
 the less real and true, but imbued also with deep 
 religious feeling. 
 
 Still, though not claiming for our speech the stateliness 
 of a literary language, yet I do claim for it a history. 
 The old traditional tongue of the East Yorkshire folk 
 might be traced through many generations, resisting in 
 its essence and main features the penetrating influences 
 of the Norman Conquest, defying alike monarch, court, 
 and statesmen, having little or nothing to say to Latin 
 or French importations which have so strongly im- 
 pressed their indelible mark on the Queen's English, 
 holding its own, so to say, against all comers, and to 
 this day retaining in clearly marked lines the unmistake- 
 able lineaments of its Norse birth. 
 
 Well may every true Yorkshireman have an affection 
 
264 YORKSHIRE FOLK-TALK. 
 
 for the unwritten mother-tongue of his fore-elders and do 
 what he can to preserve this connection with the past, 
 which, though it has withstood so many opposing 
 influences in bygone times, is in these latter days in 
 danger of being blotted out of its very existence by the 
 advancing tide of education. 
 
GLOSSARY. 
 
 ABBREVIATIONS. 
 
 adj., adjective. 
 
 adv.. adverb. 
 
 A.S., Anglo-Saxon. 
 
 conj., conjunction. 
 
 D. or Dial., Dialect. 
 
 Dan., Danish. 
 
 E.R., East Riding. 
 
 esp., especially. 
 
 ex., example. 
 
 Fr., French. 
 
 Gael., Gaelic. 
 
 Germ., German. 
 
 Icel., Icelandic. 
 
 Interj., Interjection. 
 
 Jutl. D., Jutlandic Dialect. 
 
 lit., literal or literally. 
 
 N., Norse or Norwegian. 
 
 n., noun. 
 
 N.R., North Riding. 
 
 num., numeral or number. 
 
 O. Fr., Old French. 
 
 O. N., Old Norse. 
 
 part., participle or participial. 
 
 perf. or pf., perfect. 
 
 pi., plural. 
 
 pr., pronunciation or pronounce. 
 
 prep., preposition. 
 
 pron., pronoun. 
 
 rel., relative. 
 
 sing., singular. 
 
 Std. Eng., Standard English. 
 
 v., verb. 
 
 Wei., Welsh. 
 
 C. after a word signifies that it is 
 in common use in some place 
 or district in the North or East 
 Riding. 
 
 F, signifies similarly that the word 
 is in fairly common use. 
 
 R. that it is but rarely used. 
 
 O. that it is obsolete. 
 
 A. 
 
 A, num. adj. C. One. Vide Yah. 
 
 Aa ! interj. C. An interjection expressing admiration, surprise, 
 
 and other emotions. It is more generall}^ followed by 
 
 another word than used singly. The pronunciation of 
 
 this word, as well as of the a generally, is peculiar and 
 
 characteristic ; the sound corresponds ver}^ nearly with 
 
 the am. air, only in this interjection it is more drawn out. 
 
 Ex. — Aa! bud them 's bonuie'iins. — Aa! noo ska was 
 
 sair ptttten aboot. 
 
 Aback, adv. C. Behind. 
 
 Ex. — It popped oot aback o' V sfee. 
 Aback o' beyont, adv. F. A very long way off; somewhere 
 unknown through its distance. 
 
 Ex. — Ah wadn't niahnd if they was all aback o' beyont, 
 i.e. I wish they were anywhere. 
 
266 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Abear, v. C. (pr. abeear). To bear, endure. 
 Ex. — Ah can't abeear stooryin\ 
 Abide is also used in the same sense and with about 
 equal frequenc}^ 
 Ablins, aiblins, adv. C. (pr. aablins). Perhaps, possibly. 
 
 Ex. — He 'II aablins mannish. 
 Aboon, prep. C. Above ; applied either to position or 
 quantit3\ 
 
 Ex. — // leeaks bad aboon heead. — TJierc 'II be aboon a 
 scoore. 
 Abrede, adv. C. Vide Brede. 
 Accorn, n. C. (pr. accron, and yakkron). An acorn. Vide 
 
 Yakkron. 
 Acoz, conj. C. Because. 
 
 Addle, V. C. To earn, to save mone}^ by little and little ; 
 also, in a general sense, to gain. 
 
 Ex. — He 's addled a deal d brass. — Ah's addlin' nowt. — 
 He addles a good zvage. 
 Addlins, n. C. Earnings, savings, wages. 
 
 Ex. — Them 's all mah addlins. — Hard addlins an' nut 
 mich when deean. 
 Aether, conj. C. Either; there is another form — owther — 
 of this w^ord. 
 
 Ex. — He gav aether on ns yan. 
 Afear'd, part. C. Afraid. 
 
 Ex. — Ah 's sadly afear'd on 7. 
 Afore, prep. C. (pr. afoor). Before. Dan. For (before). 
 
 Ex. — He 'II mebbe cum afoor neet. 
 Again, prep. C. (pr. agaan). Against, i. e. near to. 
 
 Ex. — Oor spot ligs agaan Helmsla. 
 Agate, agait, C. (pr. agaat and ageeat). Engaged in doing ; 
 astir ; going. Dan. At gaa (to go, move, work). 
 
 Ex. — T/ioo miin git agate i good tahn-i. — Ah '5 kept 
 agate-, i.e. I am kept on the move. — They've gitten 
 ageeat ivi pleewin. 
 Agate, part. C. Set going ; let loose, as a horse into a 
 pasture. 
 
 Ex. — He set ''em all agate. 
 Agee, adv. R. (The g is pr. soft.) On one side, not straight. 
 Ah, pron. C. I. This pr. is universal ; in certain connections 
 short e or / is used instead, but never / with the pr. as in 
 Std. Eng. In the Jutl. dialect A = I. This pr. is usual in 
 the whole of North Jutland ; in other districis ce is the 
 ordinary pr. 
 
 Ex. — (i) Ah is. — (2) Ah mun cum. — (3) Mmi ah cum? 
 (4) Mun e cum ? 
 In (3) the ah is emphatic, and signifies ' must / come ' as 
 
GLOSSARY. 267 
 
 distinguished from some one else ; (4) is the ordinary 
 expression for ' must I come ? ' 
 Ahint, adv. and prep. C. (pr. ahinnt). Behind. 
 
 Ex.— // '5 imt inicli ahint f itther. 
 Aiger,n. F. The tidal wave ; the 'bore' of the South of England. 
 Ex. — Wahr aiger (the common warning when the wave 
 is approaching). 
 Aim, V. C. (pr. aam and yam). To intend, suppose, expect ; to 
 be under the impression that ; to lead in the direction of 
 Ex. — Ah amnedti git all on 7 sahded afoornoo. — Wayam 
 ti start i f morn. — Ah nivver aamed at /' lass wad a'e 
 sattled. — Yon rooad yams ti Whidby. 
 Airm, n. C. (the r in this word is silent ; the peculiar pr. is 
 
 perhaps best indicated by aa'm). Arm. 
 Airn, n. R. Iron ; seldom used now, but with some old 
 
 people the word is still familiar. Dan. Jern (iron). 
 Airt, n. R. Quarter of the heavens ; point of the compass. 
 
 Ex. — T' ivind 's gotten intiv a caud airt. 
 Ak, n. C. (pr. yak). The oak. Dan. En Eg (an oak). 
 Akwerd, akwert, adj. F. On the back ; usually applied to a 
 sheep laid on its back. 
 
 Ex. — Ah fund y an o' Simpson yows laad akwert. 
 In Cleveland rigged is the usual word. 
 Al, n. C. (pr. yal). Ale. Vide Yal. 
 All-fare, adv. R. For good and all. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 gone for all fare. 
 All-out, adj. R. Altogether, quite, entirely. 
 Ally, ally-taw, n. C. A playing marble as distinguished 
 
 from steeanies and potties — stone or baked clay marbles. 
 Al-hoos, n. F. (pr. yal-oos). An ale-house, a public house. 
 Almous, n. F. (pr. aw^mous). Alms ; money given in charity. 
 
 Ex. — What awmoHs a'eya gotten ? Dan. Almisse. 
 Along of, prep. C. In consequence of, through, owing to. 
 
 Ex. — // warn't along o' me j it ivar along of him. 
 Amaist, adv. C. (pr. ommeeast and ommostj. Almost. 
 
 Ex. — Ah iver ommost flayed ti deead. 
 Amang, prep. C. Among : frequently shortened to 'mang. 
 
 Ex. — Ah put doon mi brass 'mang /' rest on 'em. 
 Amell, prep. R. Between, among. The form mellem is, or 
 w^as till lately, used at Staithes, where the fishermen are 
 said to divide the fish, mellem yan anoother. Dan. 
 Mellem (between). 
 
 Ex, — Amell tweea steeals. 
 An' all, conj. and adv. C. (i) As well, also, besides. (2) 
 Indeed, truly. This is an abbreviation of ' and all.' 
 
 Ex. — Tak them ivi ya an' all.—Q. ' Did 3^ou enjoy your- 
 self ? ' A. ' Ah did an' all,' i. e. I "did indeed. 
 
268 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Ance, adj. C. (pr. yance). Once. 
 
 Ancle-bands, n. R. Sandals for shoes. Dan. Ankel- 
 
 baand (ancle-band). 
 Ane, num. adj. C. (pr. j^an and ane). One. Vide Yah. 
 
 Ex. — T' ane f ither. 
 Anenst, prep. C. Against, by the side of, near to ; also used 
 in the sense of opposite to. It is almost always preceded 
 by ower. 
 
 Ex.— Yo;? '5 him stannirC oiver anenst f plantin. — Ah 
 seed him set ower anenst us. 
 Angry, adj. C. (pr. ang-ry not ang-gry). Inflamed (of a 
 
 sore or wound), and consequently painful 
 Ananthers, Anthers, conj. O. In case, lest, peradventure ; 
 possibly a corruption from N. Fr. aventiire. The form 
 ananthers case was frequently used near Northallerton 
 some years ago ; but I believe the word in any form is 
 now obsolete, or very nearly so ; though anthers was 
 current a few years ago at East Acklam. 
 Ex. — TJioo niiin stop here ananthers he cams. 
 Anparsy, n. R. Boys in repeating their alphabet would say 
 X y z anparsy ; they did not know what it meant, but 
 pointed in their spelling-books to the character, and this 
 character was also termed parsy-and. 
 Any, adv. C. (pr. onny and any). At all. 
 
 Ex. — Sha dizn'tmend onny^ i. e. She does not improve in 
 health. — // didn't rain onny. 
 A-quart, ower-quart, prep. R. (pr. a-quahrt). Across, 
 athwart. The latter form is perhaps the most frequent, 
 and is used of motion across. Vide Over-quart. 
 
 Ex. — T' beeos ran a-quart f staggarth. — A-quart is also 
 
 used of people at variance. 
 Ex. — Jim an me '5 gitten a-quart. 
 Arf, arfish, adj. F. Afraid. 
 
 Ex. — Ah felt a bit arfish. — Rooads is seea slaap all '5 arf 
 o' travel I in\ 
 Ark, n. O. A large chest or bin with divisions inside, 
 
 formerly used for keeping dressed corn in. 
 Aries, n. F. Money given to a servant on being hired by a 
 master ; it is thus the pledge of a contract : the sum given 
 generally varies from 25. to 55. Also called Fest or 
 God's-penny. 
 Arr, n. R. A scar left by a wound— also occasionally used 
 as a verb. Dan. Ar (a scar). 
 
 Ex. — He '5 gitten an arr ov his back. 
 Arran-web, n. R. A cob- web. Fr. Une Araignee (a spider). 
 Arridge, n. C. The edge of a squared piece of timber, &c. 
 Arse, arse-end, n. C. The lower part or end of anything. 
 
GLOSSARY. 269 
 
 O.N. Ars. Jutl. D. Ast. The frequent use of this word 
 
 to the exclusion of others of hke meaning is remarkable. 
 
 Ex. — A Rector's wife asks, ' Are you going to carry 
 
 the wheat to-day?' ''Lead? naay!' says the farm 
 
 man, ' /' shaff arses is as wet as sump.' — Stop, nnni; 
 
 V cart arse has tunwil'd out. Atkinson (Clevel. 
 
 Gloss, p. 10) gives the following example : — Pick 
 
 time stooks doon an' let V arse-ends o' /' shaff s lig V V 
 
 sun a bit. 
 
 Arsy-varsy, adv. R. Upside down. 
 
 Arval. n. O. A funeral feast. Dan. Arve-6l (a funeral 
 
 feast ; literally, Heir-ale). 
 Ask. adj. C. Vide Hask. 
 
 Ask, esk, n. C. The newt. Gael. Esc fthe newt). 
 Ass. n. C. Ashes, as distinguished from cinders ; the latter 
 being applied generally to coke. Dan. Aske (ashes). 
 Ex. — Put a bit o' ass uppo t ' trod, it 's sae slaap. 
 Ass-coup, n. R. A wooden box or sort of pail for carr3ang 
 
 ashes. 
 Assel-tree, n. C. An axle-tree. 
 Ass-hooal, ass-pit, n. C. The hole or pit where ashes fall or 
 
 are thrown. Dan. Aske-hul (ash-hole). 
 Assil-tooth, n. C. A double tooth or grinder. Dan. En 
 axel Tand (a double tooth). 
 
 Ex. — T' lahtle lass is sadly plagued iin yan ov her assil 
 teeth. 
 Ass-manner, ass-muck, n. C. Manure from an ash-pit. 
 Ass-midden, n. C. An ash-heap. Dan. Aske-modding 
 
 (ash-heap). 
 At; rel. pron. C. Who, which, that. This is probably not a 
 corruption oi that but the O.N. at. 
 
 Ex. — Them at (equivalent to ' those who '). There '5 nowt 
 at ah knaws on. 
 At, conj. C. That. Dan. At (that), e. g. Jeg veed at, &c. 
 (I know that, »S:c.). 
 
 Ex. — Ah deeanH knaw 'at ivver ah seed him. 
 At, prep. C. To ; also used in a peculiar sense of urging a 
 request, and especially of persistent urging. 
 
 Ex. — What hez sha deean at V bairn ? — He wer aiulus at 
 ma aboot it, i. e. he was constantly making a request 
 about it. 
 At-after, adv. O. After, afterwards. 
 
 Athout, prep, and conj. C. (pr. athoot). Without, unless. 
 Other forms of the equivalent for without are wioot, widoot, 
 wivoot, bedoot, the last being seldom heard except in the 
 North Riding. With this qualification the various forms of 
 this word are used very indiscriminately, often by the 
 
270 GLOSSARY. 
 
 same individuals. Without in the sense of ' unless ' is 
 invariable. 
 
 Ex. — Wa sa nt be able ti lead ti-niorn athoot wa git a bit 
 o' ivind. 
 
 Atter, Atteril, n. F. Matter of a poisonous nature, as from 
 an ulcer ; that which causes irritation or itching to the 
 skin : a child with a scabbed face is said to be iv a atteril. 
 Dan. Edder (matter, pus). 
 
 Ex. — Ah feels all iv a atteril. — Mi riiooth 's all iv a atteril. 
 
 Attercop, n. R. A spider. Dan. Edderkop (a spider). 
 
 Aught, ought, n. C. (pr. between owt and ote). Anything — 
 a word in universal use. 
 
 E X . — A ' e ya seed owt of oor Dick ? 
 
 Auntersome, adj. O. Adventurous, bold, rash. A it litre is 
 used by Chaucer in the same sense. Venturesome 
 (pr. ventthersum) has now taken the place of aunter- 
 some and is very common, bold and rash being seldom 
 heard. 
 
 Awebund, part. F. (pr. Awe bun'). Subservient, submissive, 
 obedient. 
 
 Ex. — Ah nivver was awebuit' tiv him. 
 The primary meaning of this word is overawed, but it is 
 now seldom so used. 
 
 Awhile, conj. C. (pr. aw^hahl). While, until. 
 
 Ex. — He ligged i bed awhahl dinner iaJim. 
 Sometimes the initial letter of this word is omitted, but 
 generall}'' it is heard. 
 
 Awkward, adj. C. (pr. okkard). Contentious, obstinate, bad- 
 tempered. 
 
 Ex. — He zver vany okkard aboot it. — Ah doot f meer 's 
 boiin ti be okkard. 
 
 Awm., n. F. The elm. 
 
 Awns, n. C. The beards of corn. Dan. Avne (husks). 
 
 Ax, V. C. To ask, invite. Ax'd is commonly used in 
 reference to banns of marriage, ax'd oot signifying that the 
 publication has been made for the third time. Although 
 axd is often used with regard to an invitation to a funeral, 
 bidden is the more general word on such occasions. 
 
 A-warrant, v. C. (pr. a-wand). To certif}'. This word is 
 only used in the future tense in the phrase All 'II a-wdnd 
 ya, and is equivalent to ' you may take my word for it ' ; it is 
 generally used in a tone of encouragement, e.g. in reply 
 to a boy asking doubtfully, '■ Di ya think ah can mannish 
 7 .? ' ' Aye, ah 7/ a-wdnd it: 
 
 Aye, marry, adv. F. An intensified affirmation equivalent 
 to the slang expression yes ! ratJier ; it would be more 
 correct to write it aye Marie, being a corruption of ' yes ! 
 
GLOSSARY. 271 
 
 by Mary.' Marry is sometimes added to emphasize the 
 adverb of negation, nay, 7uarry, but it is more frequent in 
 the affirmative form. 
 
 B. 
 
 Back-bearaway, n. F. (pr. back-beearaway). The common 
 
 bat. 
 Back-east, n. F. (pr. back-kest). A loss ; especially a loss of 
 strength or health, a loss of ground, a relapse, a failure. 
 Throwback is frequently used instead of backcast in the 
 sense of a relapse. 
 Backen, v. C. To retard, delay. 
 
 Ex. — T' maaster hesn't com'd; zva nmn backen f dinner 
 
 a bit. 
 
 Back-end, n. C. (i) The latter part of the year from after 
 
 harvest. (2) The latter part of other periods of time. (3) 
 
 (in plural) Tail-corn. Vide Hinderends. Dan. Bagende 
 
 (hind part). 
 
 Ex. — We W nobbut a dowly tahm f last back-end. — Ah 'II 
 cum V backendd' V week. — Ah wants sum back-ends for 
 f chickens. 
 Backendish, adj. F. Rough and wintry ; generally applied 
 
 to the weather. 
 Backening, n. C. A relapse. 
 
 Ex. — Q. ' How is Jane to-day ? ' A. ' Sha '5 neea befher; 
 ivoss if owt; sha '5 had sum sad backenings^ 
 This word is synonymous with back-cast. 
 Back-side, n. C. (pr. back-sahd). (i) The back yard and pre- 
 mises of a dwelling-house. (2) The lower or under side of 
 anything. 
 
 Ex. — Wa 've gitten wer back-sahd s fettled up, an* they leeak 
 weel noo ; i. e. We have had the back premises of our 
 row of houses repaired, and they now look tidy. 
 Baekerly, adj. and adv. F. Late, backward ; after the usual 
 time. Jutl. D. Bagerlig (late). 
 
 Ex. — Them ooats is a bit baekerly. 
 This word is not heard so much in the East as in the 
 North Riding. 
 Bad, adj. C. (i) Difficult. In this sense the word is universally 
 used, besides in the ordinary sense of worthless. Hard 
 to please, difficult to be done, hard to beat, difficult to 
 find, &c., are never heard in the dialect, but instead, bad 
 to please, bad to do, bad to beat, bad to find, &c. (2) Sick, 
 poorly. The adverbial form [badly) in this sense is VQvy 
 common. 
 
272 GLOSSARY. 
 
 « 
 
 Ex. — Q. ' Whv isn't your sister here (school) to-day ? ' 
 A. ' S/ia 's bad: —Ah 's badly: 
 Badness, n. C. Mischievous evil, or active wickedness. 
 
 Ex. — There 's neea badness aboot her. — // '5 nowt bud 
 badness on him. 
 Bain, adj. C. Good, easy, near, straight ; applied only to a 
 road, path, &c. There is a good deal of confusion between 
 bain and gain; indeed the two are frequently used 
 indiscriminately, but often the old and correct distinction 
 of meaning is observed, as it ought to be. Bain is pro- 
 perly ' good ' or ' easy ' ; so that of two f bainest I'ooad is 
 the road in the best condition and so the easiest one to 
 travel on, whereas f gainest rooad \s simply the nearest in 
 point of distance. Bainer and bainest are more frequently 
 heard than bain. Dan. En Bane (a pathway) ; At bane 
 (to lead). Icel. Beinn (straight). 
 Bairn, barn, n. C. (pr. ba'an : it is seldom that the r is heard, 
 even slightly, though it is difficult to give an exact indica- 
 tion of the pronunciation of this word), (i) A child. (2) 
 A term of familiarity used by elderly people to those 
 younger than themselves, esp. in such phrases as Aye, 
 bairn ; bless ya, bairn. (3) Used jestingly, reproachfully, 
 or in admiration to an adult as well as to a child, e. g. 
 after some brag, or outrageously absurd statement, has 
 been made. O.N, and Dan. Barn. 
 
 Ex. — (i) Citm thi zuays, mah ba'an. — (2) Awl bless 
 ya, ba'an, f wo'lld 's to'nn'd arsy-varsy sen ah wer a 
 lad. — (3) 77/00 is a bonny ba'an, Dick, ti deea leyke 
 that. 
 The form Barn is commoner than Bairn in parts of the 
 Wold country. 
 Bairn-lakings, n. R. (pr. ba'an laakins). Toys, playthings. 
 Bairnish, adj. C. Childish. 
 
 Ex. — // '5 nobbut bairnish deed. 
 Bakstan, n. F. A stone for baking cakes upon ; but in more 
 recent years an iron plate is used instead. A frying-pan. 
 Dan. Bage sten (bake-stone). 
 Balk, n. C. (pr. bawk). (i) A beam. (2) A strip of land, 
 whether in a field or by the side of a road. Sometimes 
 the balk gives its name to the road itself. Dan. En Bjselke 
 (a beam), En Balk (a ridge of land between furrows). 
 Ball, n. C. The palm (of the hand), the sole (of the foot). 
 
 Ex. — // catched jna i' t' ball o' my han\ 
 Bam, V. R. To take in by playing a trick upon one. 
 Ex. — He bam'd ma. 
 There is the slang word bam-foozled, or bam-boozled, 
 which has a similar meaning. 
 
GLOSSARY. 273 
 
 Bam, n. C. A take in, a trick, or practical joke ; ' all non- 
 sense,' as it was once described to me. 
 
 Ex. — It '5 nowt bud a bam. — // '5 all a bam. 
 
 Band, n. C. String, twine. A rope is called a band if used 
 for binding, otherwise it is also called a line ; the ligature 
 of a sheaf of corn or the straw rope used in thatching is 
 called a band. Dan. Baand (rope or string). 
 
 Bandmakker, n. C. The maker of bands (generally a lad) 
 for tying the sheaves in the harvest field. The trio en- 
 gaged in this part of the work were the bandmakker, the 
 takker up (generally a woman), and the binndther. Dan. 
 Baandmager (ribbon-maker). 
 
 Bannock, n. F. A kind of cake. Also used as a verb. To 
 bannock V bed means to lie in a lazy fashion. 
 
 Y.y^.—Sha zvad sit up liauf o' /' neet, an' bannock V bed 
 hauf d t ' daay. 
 
 Barfhame, barfam, barfan, n. C. (pr. barfam ; barfan being 
 probably a corruption). A horse-collar. There are a 
 great variety of spellings' of this word, and the derivation 
 seems most uncertain. I have given the preference to the 
 first-named form, for there is probably a connection be- 
 tween the last part of the word and the hames : vide 
 Hames. The bumble- or bass-barfam was specially used 
 for young colts and fillies when first yoked, and was 
 usually borrowed, there being but few in a village. A 
 horse-collar m. some parts of Yorkshire is the bridle with 
 blinkers, head-stall applies to a halter only. 
 
 Bargh, barugh, n. C. (pr. barf). A hill ; generally an iso- 
 lated one, and of no great height. The use of the word 
 is chiefly confined to particular hills, and is not applied 
 as a generic term. There is an analogy between the 
 pronunciation of this word and that of though, 
 through, plough, &c., which are pronounced thoff, thruff, 
 pleeaf, &c. 
 
 Barguest, n. F. An apparition, described as most like a 
 donkey, or big black dog with very large eyes. The word 
 is now frequently used as a term of reproach or abuse, e. g. 
 thoo barguest, the original sense being lost or forgotten. 
 The latter part of this word is connected with Germ. 
 Geist, the first syllable being Germ. Bahr, or Dan. Baare 
 (a bier). 
 
 Barm, n. C. Yeast. Dan. Baerme (yeast). 
 
 Bass, n. C. Matting ; sometimes also applied to material 
 made of straw, &:c. A joiner's basket is termed a bass, 
 and a hassock is sometimes called a knee-bass. Dan. Bast 
 (the inner bark of a tree). 
 
 Bassak, Bazzak, v. F. To strike either things or persons, to 
 
 T 
 
274 GLOSSARY. 
 
 beat ; the corresponding noun Bassaking — a beating — is 
 in frequent use. Dan. Et Bask (a blow, a flogging) ; at 
 baske (to slap, to beatj. 
 
 Ex. — Ah bassak'd ''em in wia uiell. — T' gntud's tJiat liard 
 they luaut a vast d bassakiii' doon. 
 
 Bat, n. C. (i) A blow or stroke. (2) A state or condition. 
 (3) In plural it is equivalent to a flogging. 
 
 Ex. — (i) He gav him sikan a bat ozver /' back. — (2) Ak '5 
 aboof at f last bat. — (3) Noo tJioo 'II git thi bats iuoo if 
 tJioo deean't behave thisen. 
 
 Bath, V. C. (pr, as bath, and never as bathe). To foment with 
 hot water. To wash children all over. Dan. At bade 
 (to bathe, foment). 
 
 Ex. — T' doctther telVd ma ti bath it iveel. 
 
 Batten, n. C. Two sheaves of straw bound together; a 
 bundle of straw. 
 
 Batter, n. C. A leaning or inclination inwards, as generally 
 applied to a wall, to counteract the tendency in what is 
 behind it to push it forward. 
 
 Ex. — T' wall zi'ants a bit mair batter back. 
 
 Battin, n. C. A spar of wood, generally 7 inches wide, 
 2,\ inches thick, and of any length (' deals ' being somewhat 
 wider and thicker). 
 
 Batt'1-door, n. C. Part of the apparatus, still to be seen, for 
 mangling clothes ; the other appendage being the roller or 
 rolling-pin. The batfl-deear, as it is called, is a piece of 
 wood, flat at one side or both, about 2 feet long, and in 
 shape something like a cricket bat. The use of it involved 
 harder work than the mangle, and it is probably on this 
 account mainly that it has given place to the modern 
 mangle, though in some farmhouses the battel-door and 
 rolling-pin are occasionally used still. The battel-door 
 was also called a bittle. 
 
 Baubosking, part. R. It is difficult to give the precise 
 meaning of this word, and I do not remember to have 
 heard it used but by a single individual ; that it is a word 
 of some interest I have little doubt. It would seem to 
 have reference to the strajdng away of cattle or sheep 
 from the pasture assigned to them. If, as seems certain, 
 much of the pasture of cattle in the old daj^s lay in the 
 boscus (the ' sylva pasturalis ' of Doomsday), the idea con- 
 veyed in the example given below, of straying awa}^ from 
 the pasture to which the animals are 'hoofed,' into the 
 woods, is quite intelligible : the expression made use of 
 before me was a figurative one, and the speaker merely 
 meant to say that he was a man who seldom left his own 
 home for the sake of visiting new places. His words were 
 
GLOSSARY. 275 
 
 these : Ah deeanH gmi bauboskin' aboot leyke sum on ^emj 
 ah sticks ti t ' heeaf. 
 
 Beal, Beel, v. C. (pr. beealj. (i) To bellow, to roar (used of 
 an animal). (2) To shout, to cry, or in other ways to 
 raise the voice above the usual pitch. 
 Jutl. D. At bjaele (to bellow). 
 Ex. — Whafs ta beealin at? i.e. What are you crying 
 for ? 
 
 Beeast, n. C. A beast of the ox kind. (The t final is seldom 
 heard in the singular number, and never in the plural.) 
 Ex. — They 're grati' beeas is them. 
 
 Beastlings, Bisslings, n. C. (pr. beeaslins). The first and 
 second milkings draw^n from a cow after calving. From 
 this milk beastlings pudding is commonly made, which 
 is considered a great delicacy — it is called beeaslin' puddin\ 
 The milk is also used sometimes in making bread. 
 Jutl. D. Bjaest (the first milk after a calf is born). 
 
 Beck, n. C. A stream of running water, a brook. Dan. En 
 Baek (a brook). This word is a prefix to several other 
 words the meaning of which is obvious, e. g. Becksteead, 
 Beckside, Becksfeeaus, (Sic. 
 
 Bedfast, adj. C. Confined to one's bed by sickness, either 
 permanently or temporarily. 
 
 Ex. — Sha 's been bedfast sen Tho'sda. 
 
 Bed-happings or Happings, n. C. Bedclothes of whatever 
 kind. 
 
 Bed-piece, n. C. That part of the framework of a cart into 
 which the arms of the axle are laid. 
 
 Bed-stock, n. C. The bedstead proper, i. e. the wooden 
 framework of the bed only. Dan. Senge-stok (bed- 
 stock). 
 
 Bedoot, beoot, prep, and conj. C. Without, unless. 
 Ex. — Ah II gan yam bedoot tha. 
 
 Beeld, bield, or beild, n. C. A shelter from weather, espe- 
 cially rough weather : a shed. The word building is 
 always pr. beelding in E. Yorkshire. There seems there- 
 fore to be a connection between beeld and building, the 
 object of a building being to afford shelter from weather. 
 O. Swedish Bylja (to build). 
 
 Ex. — T' au d esh-tree maks f best bit o' beeld of owt i V 
 pairk. 
 
 Beelding, n. C. (pr. beeldin'). A building. The form and 
 pr. of this word is universal throughout the district. The 
 derivation seems in all probability the same as that of 
 beeldy vide sup. 
 
 Bee-skep, n. R. A beehive made of rushes or straw. 
 
 Bee-sucken, adj. R. This word is applied to a tree that is 
 
 T 2 
 
27^ GLOSSARY. 
 
 diseased, as shown by a gummy substance issuing through 
 the bark. It was once described to me as 'Hke honej^ 
 coming out of a tree.' Under these circumstances the 
 tree is said to be hee-siicken. 
 Beggar-staff, n. R. A state of beggary ; a hopeless state of in- 
 solvenc}^, as when a man has to be sold up ' dish, pan, and 
 doubler,' as the saying is. Dan. Tigger-stav (beggar-staff j. 
 Ex. — He 'II seean cum ti f beggar-staff. 
 Begging-poke, n. R. A bag carried bj^ a beggar. This bag 
 was not only used by professional beggars, but often by 
 poor and honest folk who in hard times used to visit the 
 houses of those well-to-do, and beg from them the neces- 
 saries of life. The bag was frequently made of ' harden,' 
 but more often than not consisted of a pillow-slip. 
 Beholden, part. C. (pr. beho'dden). Under obligation, in- 
 debted. 
 Belantered, part. R. Belated, benighted. 
 Belder, v. C. To bellow as a bull ; to cry aloud, to roar. 
 Dan. At buldre (to roar). 
 
 Ex. — Noo, what's ta belderin at? 
 Belike, adv. F. (pr. beleyke). Probably. 
 
 Ex. — Belike it may fair up. 
 Belk, V. C. To belch. Used also substantively. 
 Belker, n, F. Anything large of its kind. 
 
 Ex. — // war a regular belker. 
 Bell-house, n. F. (pr. bellhus or bell'us). A church tower, 
 belfry. This word applies to that part of the lower story 
 of a tower which opens into the nave of a church as well 
 as to the part containing the bells, 
 
 Ex. — T' childer awlits used ti sit /' /' belVus.' — As dark as 
 a belVus. 
 Belly-wark, n. C. The stomach-ache. Dan. Bselg (belly), 
 
 vaerk (ache). 
 Belong, Ibelang, v. C. To own, to form part of. When used 
 in the sense of ' to own,' the owner is made the appendage 
 of the article rather than vice versa. 
 
 Ex. — Wheea belaugs V stick? — Yon swath field belaiigs 
 John Sm ith farm . 
 Belt, p. part, of Build. C. 
 
 Bensil, n. F. A blow with the fist or a stick : also used as 
 a verb. 
 
 Ex. — Give him a good bensil. 
 Bent, n. C. A species of wiry grass or rush that grows com- 
 monly on the moorland hills. 
 Berry, berry-tree, n. C. The goosehevvy , par excellence. The 
 other fruits of the berry kind take a prefix, as corfnber- 
 ries, strawberrieSy blackberries, &:c. 
 
GLOSSARY, 277 
 
 Ex. — There 's a vast d berries ti year; oor frees is that 
 
 ragg'd whahl they 're fit ti brek.—Q. Wheer's f lass? 
 
 A. Pullin'' berries. (This in the dialect can only mean 
 
 ' picking gooseberries.') 
 
 Besom, n. C. (pr. bizzum). A broom. The simile as fond as 
 
 a besom, is commonly used for a very foolish person. 
 Bessy-babs, n. F. One given to silly talk, or one fond of 
 childish things ; also used of a female fantastically 
 dressed. 
 
 Ex. — Sha '5 a poor bessy-babs. 
 Best, adj. C. The right ; as applied to hand or foot. Better 
 is also used in the same sense. There is, again, a verbal 
 use of this v/ord in the sense of to get the best of. 
 Ex. — My best hand. — T' best feeat. 
 Bet, part. C. Beaten. Also perf. tense of To beat. 
 
 Ex. — Ah wer fair bet. — We bet 'em at creckit. 
 Better, adv. C. Well, after an ailment ; generally preceded 
 by quite (pr. quiet). 
 
 Ex. — Q. How are you to-day ? A. Ah '5 nut betther yit ; 
 bud ah '5 a deal betther 'an what ah a'e been. — Ah feels 
 quiet betther. 
 Better, adj. C. More, longer in time. 
 
 Ex. — Betther' an a scoore. — Betther' an a twelvemimth. — 
 Betther 'an afo^tnith. 
 Bettermy, adj. C. Of a higher class in the social scale. 
 
 Ex. — They 're bettermy folks. — Sha 's quiet a bettermy body. 
 Beuf, n. C. (pr. beuf, and more commonly beeaf). A bough 
 
 of a tree. The form bevj is also common. 
 Beyont, prep. C. Beyond. 
 
 Bid, V. C. To invite to a feast, as at a wedding or funeral. 
 Dan. At byde (to invite). The corresponding noun — 
 bidding— \s also commonly used. 
 Bide, v. C. (pr. bahd). (i) To wait, remain. (2) To bear, to 
 endure or suffer. (3) To dwell. Dan. At bie (to wait). 
 Ex. — It 's bad ti bahd. — Sha bahds at Malton. 
 Big, V. O. To build ; whence biggin, a building. Dan. 
 Bygge (to build), Bygning (a building). Although ob- 
 solete generally, the word is still found in many local 
 names, as Newbiggin, Biggin-houses, &c. 
 Bigg, n. C. Barley having four rows of ears on each stalk. 
 
 Dan. Byg (barley). 
 Bike, n. C. The nest of the wild bee. 
 
 Ex.— y^/^ ' s funnd yan o' them bee-bikes. 
 Billy-biter, n. C. The common blue tit. 
 Billy-boy, n. C. A keel rigged for sea, with bulwarks, gaff, 
 boom, and bowsprit, and carrying fore and aft sail. 
 Ex. — Sha leeaks ley ke yan o' them billy-boys. 
 
378 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Bind, V. C. (pr. binnd). To bind, to tie sheaves of corn with 
 
 ' bands.' 
 
 Ex. — T' rnaasfher ivants ya ti cinn an' hinnd for 'em. 
 Binder, n. C. (pr. binndther). The tier up of sheaves of 
 
 corn. 
 Bink, n. C. A bench or long seat without a back, whether 
 
 of wood or stone. The stone bink is commonly placed 
 
 near the cottage door. Dan. En Baenk (a bench). 
 Birk, n. C. The birch-tree. Dan. En Birk (a birch-tree). 
 Bisen, n. F. (pr. bahzen). An unusual sight or spectacle 
 
 of a personal kind. Also used as a term of reproach. 
 Ex. — Thoo mucky bahzen. 
 Bisshel, n. C. Bushel. I do not remember to have heard this 
 
 form or pronunciation of the word except in Cleveland. 
 Bitings, n. F. A name given to certain fields in the Wold 
 
 country ; grazing land. Icel. Beit (pasturage). 
 Bittle, n. C. Vide BattT-door. 
 Biv, Byv, prep. C. By. The v is here added for euphon3\ 
 
 Ex. — Nut byv o lang zvaay. 
 Blackberries, n. C. Black currants ; Brambles, or Bummel- 
 
 kites being the terms usually applied to the common wild 
 
 blackberry generally so called. 
 Bladdry, adj. C. (pr. bladdhr}'). Very muddy or dirty. The 
 
 corresponding noun, Bladf/ier, is also in common use. As 
 
 regards muddiness there are practically three degrees of 
 
 comparison of it in ordinary use, viz. mucky, bladdry, and 
 
 all iv a posh. 
 
 Ex. — T' rooads is bladdhry. 
 Blae, adj. F. (pr. blae and bleea). Blue, especially as regards 
 
 the appearance of one blue with cold. 
 Ex. — He 's blae ivi ' cau'd. 
 
 It would seem that this word is a corruption of the Norse 
 
 blaa ; while bliew, which is common in the dialect, is 
 
 another form of blue. 
 Blaeberry, n. F. The common bilberry. Dan. Blaabaer 
 
 (bilberry). 
 Blair, v. C. To bellow as a bull ; to cry as a child, 
 
 Ex. — Whist, wi ya ; ivhat '5 ta blairin aboot ? 
 Blake, adj. C. A pale yellow colour, like that of the best 
 
 quality of butter or the finest cream. Dan. Bleg. In 
 
 Modern Danish the word means simply pale or pallid, 
 
 without any idea of yellowness. In Yorks. Dial, it is 
 
 frequently used as a participle, e. g. T' butther '5 gitten 
 
 nicely blaked. The simile as blake as a gowlan is in 
 
 common use. 
 Blane, v. F. (pr. bleean). To bleach. Dan. At blegne (to 
 
 grow pale), blegning (bleaching). 
 
GLOSSARY. 279 
 
 Blash, V. C. To splash with water, whether by treading in 
 or spilHng it. Jutl. D. Blasfuld (so full that the vessel 
 runs over). 
 Blash, n. C. (i) soft mud, thick muddy water ; also used of 
 intoxicating or other drink of poor quality. (2) Nonsense, 
 foolish talk. Dan. En Plask (a splash), plask regn (heavy 
 shower). 
 
 Ex. — Ah can't sup sike blash. 
 Blashy, adj. C. (i) Wet, as regards weather, roads, (Sic. (2) 
 Weak, watery, as applied to drinks. 
 
 Ex. — It '5 a blashy tahni been. — Ah thinks this tea '5 nobbut 
 blashy. 
 Blather, v. F. (pr. bladther). To talk rapidly and incon- 
 siderately ; to talk nonsense. Jutl. D. Bladder (much talk, 
 also applied to persons who chatter a great deal). 
 
 Ex. — His chafts hing lowse : he 's alios blathering and 
 talking. — Cleveland Glossary. 
 Bleb, n. C. A drop of liquid, a bubble, a blister (most 
 common in the latter sense;. Jutl. D. En Blaeb (a cow- 
 dropping). 
 Bleck, n. C. The black grease used for cart wheels, or oil 
 that has become blackened by friction. Dan. Blaek 
 (ink). 
 Ex. — 77^00 mucky bairn j thoo '5 gitten thi feeace dauUd 
 ower wi bleck. 
 Blendcorn, n. C. (pr. blen'corn). A mixture of corn (wheat 
 and rye) used for making cakes and bread. Dan. Bland- 
 korn (mixed corn). 
 Blendings, n. C. A mixture of peas and beans. Dan. En 
 Blanding (a mixing), Blandings-korn (mixed corn). Jutl. 
 D. Blanding (blend-corn). 
 Blether-heead, n. F. A senseless, stupid fellow. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo greeat bletherheead, ger oot o' /' rooad. 
 Bless, n. F. An ugly sight, a fright, a spectacle. Jutl. D. 
 Blostre (to be red and swollen by drink or sickness). 
 Ex. — Thoo diz leeak a botany bloss V that au'd goon. — What 
 a bloss sha leeaks / 
 Blotch, V. C. To blot ; hence blotch-paper or blotching- 
 paper, the common terms for blotting-paper. Jutl. D. 
 En Blak (a blot in a book) ; also Blakpapir (blotting- 
 paper). 
 Blow, n. C. (pr. blaw). Blossom. 
 
 Ex. — There 's a good leeak on d blaw ti-year. 
 Blustery, adj. C. Windy, squally, rough. A word very 
 frequently used by people when they meet on a squally 
 da}^ and a remark is passed on the state of the weather. 
 Ex. — Noo, Bdl, it 's a bit blustthery. — // '5 varry blustthery. 
 
28o GLOSSARY. 
 
 Blutherment, n. F. Soft mud, or other slimy substance. 
 Dan. Pludder (slime). 
 
 Boddums, n. C. Low-lying fields, or low ground generally. 
 Ex. — He's doon V f boddums. 
 This word is the same as bottoms, which ma}^ be a 
 corruption of bottons (O. N. botn), but the word is by no 
 means confined to hilly districts. Vide Botton. 
 
 Boggle, n. R. A spectre, a hobgoblin. Wei. Bwgan (a 
 bugbear). ' Boggle about stack ' is a game which boys 
 used to play about the staggarfhs—a. sort of unblindeB 
 ' Blind man's buftV 
 
 Boggle, V. C. To jib (of a horse). 
 
 Bolk, bolken, v. F. (pr. bawk or booak). To vomit, to retch. 
 The latter form seems to be the commoner. 
 Ex. — S/ia booakeii'd hard. 
 
 Boll, n. C. The trunk of a tree. Dan. En Bui (a trunk 
 of a tree). 
 
 Bonny, adj. C. (i) Good-looking, pretty, fine, beautiful. (2) 
 Well-pleasing. (3) An intensive as applied to number, 
 size, &c. (4) Used ironicall}^ 
 
 Ex. — (i) T' bairn leeaks bonny eneeaf. — (2) Gie ma ho'd 
 o' /' band, theer 's a bomty lass. — (3) There '5 a boiiny 
 lot on 'em. — (4) Aw/ Polly thoo '5 brokken f pankin' j 
 ■noo there 'II be a bonny ti-deea aboot it. 
 
 Book or bouk, n. C. Size — a corruption of bulk. 
 
 Ex. — AJi 've knawn it ivver sen ah wer f book o' 7nah leg. 
 
 Borrill, n. C. The gadfly. 
 
 Bot, n. R. An iron implement used for marking sheep. 
 
 Botchet, n. R. A drink made from honey ; mead. The 
 liquid honey is first allowed to drop from the comb, which, 
 with whatever honey adheres to it, is put into water and 
 washed till all the remaining honey is extracted from it ; 
 the comb is next removed and the washings are allowed 
 to ferment ; it is then prepared for bottling. The drink 
 is intoxicating to a high degree, and is very liable to 
 produce headache, even though not drunk in any large 
 quantity. 
 
 Bottle, n. F. A bundle (of straw, hay, &c.). This word was 
 in everyday use some years ago, but is now not so 
 commonly heard. There is but little difference between 
 a bottle and a batten, except that the former has a single 
 and the latter a double binding. Other names for a 
 bundle of straw are loggin and boddin, which have one or 
 two bands indiscriminatel}^ : indeed batten, boddin, bottle, 
 and loggin all have much the same meaning, and it is a 
 matter of some difficulty to define the distinctions. The 
 following seems to me the explanation of the various 
 
GLOSSARY. 381 
 
 terms : — Boddin is a general term, being another form of 
 boddUi^ which is a corruption of burden, and means a 
 bundle of straw tied up for carrying ; but curiously enough 
 bodd'n is specially and almost exclusively applied to the 
 bundles carried by gleaners in sheets. Bottle has a 
 general signification, and means a tied bundle of straw, 
 but is more commonly used in some parts than others ; 
 being most frequently heard in the East Riding. Batten 
 or batfn is a bundle of ' drawn ' straw for thatching, &c., 
 is consequently longer than a bottle, and is generally tied 
 with two bands. Loggin has the same meaning as batten. 
 
 Botton, n. R. The lowest part of a valley. O. N. Botn 
 (found in place-names). 
 
 Bottry, n. C. The common elder ; this word may also be 
 written bur-tree ; indeed bottry is the local pr. of the 
 same. In Jutl. D. Burretree is the burdoch. 
 
 Bound, part. C. (pr. bun', approximately). Compelled, 
 whether morally or physically. 
 Ex.— ^/^ 7/ be boun' for 7. 
 
 Boun, adj. C. (pr. bun, approximately). Ready, going, or 
 on the point of doing anj'-thing. O. N. Buinn (made ready). 
 There are few words more common, and at the same time 
 more characteristic of the dialect, than this ; it is distinct 
 from the preceding word, though pronounced the same, 
 only that in this word the emphasis is always, b}^ the 
 sense, less than in the preceding one, and thus may be 
 distinguished from it. 
 
 Ex. — Ah doot f aiCd meer 's boim ti dee j ska diz leeak 
 badly. — S/ia 's boun ti git wed. 
 
 Bowdykite, n. R. A corpulent person ; but now only used 
 as a term of reproof in the case of a mischievous child — a 
 forward child. 
 
 Ex. — Til 00 bowdykite J cum oot o' /' rooad. 
 
 Brade, v. R. To spread a report. Dan. At brede (to 
 spread). 
 
 Ex. — Slia brades it aboot 'at, &c. 
 
 Brae, n. R. (pr. breea). The brink of a river. O. N. Bra 
 (the brow of the face). 
 
 Ex. — Breea full (of a stream bank full). 
 
 Braid, v. C. (pr. breead or braad). To resemble a person, to 
 take after. 
 
 Ex. — Sha breeads of her nioother. 
 
 Braid-band, n. C. (pr. breead-band). A sheaf of corn laid 
 open on a band : it is often so placed in order to diVy. 
 
 Bramble, n. C. (pr. bramm'l). The fruit of the bramble, or 
 blackberry ; also used as a verb, in the sense of to gather 
 brambles. Dan. Brambaer (blackberry). 
 
282 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Brandery, n. C. A wooden frame used in making wells. 
 
 Brant, Brat, adj. C. Steep ; generally applied to a hill side 
 or road up a steep hill, such as the road down to the 
 North Landing at Flamborough. The word brat, which 
 is the Danish form, is still retained in place-names, e. g. 
 Nunburnholme Brat, which is a very steep wooded hill- 
 side. The word also is used with a secondary meaning, in 
 the sense of pompous, or stiff in manner. Dan. Brat 
 (steepj ; Swedish Brant (steep). 
 Ex. — Aye/ but it 's a bit brant; it's V rooad t' bait lasses 
 gaiis ti gether jlithers. 
 
 Brash, n. C. Rubbish, refuse. 
 
 Brashy, adj. C. Rubbishy ; esp. applied to anything 
 of smaller quality than usual, e. g. sticks for kindling are 
 brashy when broken into small bits and half rotten. 
 
 Brass, n. C. Impudence, impertinence. 
 
 Ex. — Deean't gie ma neean o'yer brass. 
 
 Brass, n. C. Money, whether gold, silver, or copper. 
 
 Ex.— He '5 addled a deal o' brass. — T' brass II tak a deal 
 d getherin. 
 
 Brassend, adj. C. Impudent, without any sense of shame 
 (pr. Brazz'n'd). 
 
 Ex. — Slia 's a brazz'vCd un. 
 
 Brassic, n. C. (pr. brazzic). Wild mustard or charlock, also 
 called Ketlock. 
 
 Ex. — Wa a'e been pitllin'' brazzics. 
 
 Brat, n. R. A child's pinafore. Welsh Brat (a piece of 
 cloth). This word, so common in parts of the West 
 Riding, is seldom heard in East Yorksh. ; slip or pinny 
 being used instead. 
 
 Bratty, bratted, adj. C. Clotty, lump3^ curdled ; applied to 
 cream which does not melt when taken from the bowl, or 
 to milk which is turning sour. 
 
 Braunging, adj. F. Coarse in feature. 
 
 Ex. — Sha '5 a bold braiin gin' -leeakin ivoman. 
 
 Brave, adj. C. Goodly. Dan. Brav (worthy, goodly) ; en 
 brav mand. 
 
 Bray, v. C. (pr. braay). To beat violently; to flog. 
 Ex. — Ger oot o' /' hus, or ah 7/ braay tha. 
 
 Brazzil, n. C. This word, so far as I know, only occurs in 
 the two following phrases, ' as hard as a brazzil,' which is 
 an expression of very frequent occurrence to denote an}^ 
 kind of unusual hardness : if, e.g., the bread is overbaked 
 it is said to be baked 'as hard as a brazil' ; or if the 
 housewife cannot break her Bath brick easily she 
 exclaims ' it 's as hard as a brazzil.' The other expression 
 is ' as fond as a brazzil ' ; here the word brazzil probably 
 
GLOSSARY. 283 
 
 means a low impudent girl, in which sense it is sometimes 
 used still. 
 Bread-loaf, n. C. (pr. breead-leeaf). A loaf of bread, whether 
 whole or cut from, as distinguished from cakes, which are 
 so commonly used. 
 Bread-meal, n. C. Flour from w^hich brown bread is made. 
 Brede, n. C. Breadth, extent ; with the prefix a the word 
 signifies in breadth, or thickness. Dan. Bredde 
 (breadth). 
 
 Ex. — T' wall '5 nohhut a brick a-hrede. — T' brede d V 
 beck. — Z' brede o' /' Irod. — There was a greeat brede o' 
 watther oot at tahms. 
 Breeacus, n. C. Breakfast : the form breecus is also often 
 used. 
 
 Ex. — Ann, git f childer ther breeacusses. 
 Breear, n. C. The briar. 
 
 Ex. — T^ lad '5 as sharp as a breear, 
 Breek, v. C. To break. This work is also pr. brek, but 
 
 never break as in Std. Eng. 
 Bride-door, n. O. The door of the house from which the 
 bride goes to the church on the wedding morning. In 
 the olden days the bride-door was the scene of the 
 wedding festivities, and especially of the races run by 
 the young men of the place, connected with which were 
 many peculiar customs. 
 Brief, n. C. A begging letter or petition carried by one who 
 has undergone some pecuniary or other misfortune, e. g. 
 the loss of a cow or horse, and who solicits help from 
 those living in the neighbourhood." Dan. En Brev (a 
 letter). 
 Brigg, n. C. A bridge of all sorts, not excepting that of the 
 violin. Dan. En Bro (a bridge). 
 
 Ex.— i/^^ /' brigg brok ? said on the occasion of an 
 accident to a fiddle. 
 Briggs, n. C. A small frame consisting of two pieces of 
 wood with cross bars, placed as occasion may require 
 across the cream bowl in a dairy, on which the sile rests. 
 Brim., adj. F. Exposed, as regards situation; bleak, as on 
 rising ground or the edge of a cliff where the full force 
 of the wind is felt. Dan. En Bryn (a brow of a hill). 
 Ex. — Oor hits Stan's varry brim. 
 Broach, n. C. (pr. branch). The spire of a church. 
 
 Ex.— Fo// 'II be Bainton branch. 
 Brock, n. R. (i) The badger. (2) C. The cuckoo-spit insect. 
 Dan. En Brok (a badger). 
 
 Ex. 2. — Ah sweeats like a brock 
 Erog, n. F. A short piece of a small branch of a tree, esp. 
 
284 GLOSSARY. 
 
 the oak ; such a piece as might be used for a clumsy 
 
 walking-stick. This word is connected with break, and is 
 
 sometimes used as a verb. 
 
 Ex. — A brog of oak. — He 's broggin ''em off. 
 Brown-leemers, n. C. Ripe nuts ; nuts brown with ripeness 
 
 and which consequently shp easily from the hull. This 
 
 word is not applied to any particular kind of nut, but 
 
 merely to their state of ripeness generally. 
 Bruff, adj. C. Florid or fresh-complexioned ; also applied to 
 
 one of exuberant spirits combined with a certain roughness 
 
 of manner. 
 
 Ex. —He '5 a briiff-leeakin' chap. 
 Brumml-nosed, adj. F. Having a red nose and one thicker 
 
 than usual, like that of a drunkard. 
 Brusten, C. (pr. brussen). The past part, of briist (burst). 
 
 which is applied as a prefix in a variet}^ of ways, as briis- 
 
 ten tip, bnisteii oot. 
 Buer, n. F. (pr. booer). The common gnat ; another form of 
 
 the word was bitver. 
 Bugh, n. C. (generally pr. bew, but frequently beeaf is the 
 
 form used). A bough. 
 
 Ex. — T' sfee ivhemiii'ld, an' f beeaf brak, an' ah tumm'hi 
 soss inii t ' beck. 
 Bullace, n. C. The wild plum. This is sometimes confused 
 
 with the sloe or blackthorn, the fruit of which is smaller 
 
 and more oval shaped. 
 Ex. — As breet as a bullace. 
 Bull-fronts, bull-faces, n. C. The coarse rough hair-grass ; 
 
 so called from its resemblance to the tufty hair on a bull's 
 
 forehead. 
 Bulls, n. C. The long beams in a harrow, which are miade 
 
 of ash, as distinguished from the cross beams or slots, 
 
 which are generally made of oak : a harrow has four or 
 
 five bulls. Jutl. D. Buller (beams of- a harrow in which 
 
 the teeth are inserted). In Jutland a one-horse harrow 
 
 has three ' buller ' each with hve teeth. 
 BuU-seg, n. C. A bull castrated when it is full grown or 
 
 nearly so. 
 Bull-spink, n. C. The chaffinch. 
 Bullstane, n. C. (pr. bullst'n, the / being scarcely heard). A 
 
 stone for sharpening a scythe, or other edged tools ; 
 
 generally about 14 mches long, rounded, and shghtly 
 
 tapering towards the ends. 
 Bull-stang, or Horse-teng, n. F. The dragon-fly. 
 Bumble-kites, n. C. (pr. bumm'l-keytes). Common black- 
 berries. The derivation of this word is not clear ; the 
 
 following seems a probable explanation— Z?//;;/Z>/(? means 
 
GLOSSARY, 285 
 
 to hum, and sometimes to roll about as loose stones upon 
 a road ; kite being the stomach, biimblekifes would be so 
 called from the fact that they do not lie easily on the 
 stomach, especially when eaten, as they often are, in an 
 unripe state. 
 
 Ex. — Oor Bess hez been getherin bmnml-keytes. 
 Biinch., V. C. To kick with the foot or knee. This word 
 must not be confounded with punchy which is a blow^ from 
 the arm ; it is also to be observed that the word is never 
 applied to animals kicking. 
 
 Ex. — ' Pleeas 'm, will ya tell Jane to give ower,' said a 
 
 child to the Rector's wife in a Sunday School. ' What 
 
 does she doV ' Sha bunches an sha nips' — He was 
 
 fit ti bunch /' deear doon. 
 
 Bunch, n. F. Eight gleans or handfulls of gleaned wheat 
 
 bound together is called a bunch. 
 
 Ex. — Spreead oot f bunch arses an' then they iveean't 
 whemnfl ower (spoken to a lad setting up bunches in 
 the harvest field). 
 Burden, n. C. (pr. bodd'n). A bundle of gleanings carried by 
 women on the head : the bodd'n is always tied in a sheet. 
 Vide Bottle. 
 Busk, n. F. A bush, esp. a low bush. Dan. Busk (bush). 
 
 Ex. — Ah ho't niysen sadly i yan o' them ivhin-busks. 
 By-name, n. C. A nick-name. Dan. Binavn (nick-name, 
 
 also surname). 
 By now, C. By this time. 
 
 Ex. — It Ul befit by now. — He 7/ be there by now. 
 Byre, Coo-byre, n. C. A cow-house. Dan. En Buur (a cage). 
 
 C. 
 
 Cadge, v. C. To collect and convey articles or goods from 
 one place to another, especially corn to the mill. To beg, 
 or live partly by begging or picking up a livelihood 
 anyhow. 
 
 Cadger, n. C. One who cadges ; esp. one who collects corn 
 and conveys it to the mill for grinding. 
 
 Cael, n. F. Vide Kale. 
 
 Caff, n. C. Chaff. 
 
 Caff- hearted, adj. F. Weak or faint-hearted. 
 
 Ex. — 77?^ 're nobbut caff-hearted unsj they seean gav 
 ower. 
 
 Caingy, adj. C. Fretful, peevish, discontented : a term 
 generally applied to children. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo caingy lahtle thing: zvhist, wi ya! 
 
 Cake, V. C. To cackle as a goose, or as a hen when she 
 wants to sit. Dan. At kvaekke (to cacklej. 
 
286 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Call, V. C. To make use of abusive language towards a 
 person ; to call a person names to his face ; to scold. 
 This word is never used in the ordinary sense of sum- 
 moning anyone to you ; in that case call of or call on 
 would be the term invariably employed. When one 
 person calls another, and words run high, the pronoun 
 thou is used, great emphasis being laid on that word ; 
 hence to thoo anyone is sometimes the equivalent for 
 calling him names, though in ordinary parlance it is 
 used as a mark of intimacy and friendship. 
 
 Ex. — Sha called ma shamfull. — They were calling yan 
 another like all that. 
 Call, n. C. Occasion^ necessity. 
 
 Ex. — He W neea call ti saay that. 
 Call of, call on. Vide Call. 
 
 Calling, calleting, pres. part, of Callett, v. C. (pr. callin'). To 
 gossip, to spread false reports, to act the talebearer. 
 Generally used in the participial form. 
 
 Ex. — Sha's nobbitt a plain 'nn; sha 'sawlus callin' aboot. 
 Calven-cov7, n. C. (pr. cauven-coo). A cow which has lately 
 
 calved. Dan. At kalve (to calve). 
 Cam, n. C. An earthen ridge ; esp. in form of a hedge-bank, 
 which is also called a cam- side. O. N. Kambr ; Dan. 
 Kam (a comb, the top of a ridge of hills). 
 
 Ex, — He ^sfettlin up f cam sides. — Git them cams cleaned. 
 Cam, V. C. To form a cam. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo 's camm'd it ower high. 
 Cambril, or Caum'ril, n. C. (generally pr. caum'ril). A 
 notched piece of wood used by butchers on which to hang 
 a slaughtered animal by the hind legs. 
 Canny, adj. C. (i) Knowing, intelligent, skilful. (2) Cautious, 
 careful. (3) Advantageous, convenient. (4) Considerable, 
 as to size, number, &c. Cannyish is a modification of 
 canny. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 a canny soort ov a chap. — (2) Thoo '// a'e ti be 
 a bit canny wiv him. — (3) // '5 a canny spot. — (4) There 'II 
 be a canny bit on 7 left. — Great Ayton is commonly 
 called Canny Yatton. 
 Cannily, adv. F. Knowingly, carefully, cautiously. 
 
 Ex. — He mannished cannily eneeaf 
 Cansh, n. F. Vide Kansh. 
 Canty, adj. R. Lively. Jutl. D. Kanter (lively). 
 
 Ex. — Sha 's a canty au'd lass. 
 Cap, v. C. To surpass, exceed, excel ; to astonish ; to put a 
 finishing touch upon. This word is of universal occur- 
 rence. 
 
 Ex. — // caps owt, i. e. it exceeds everything ; it is 
 
GLOSSARY. 287 
 
 astonishing.—^/? wer fair capped ti see Vw. — Ah 
 muck'd it iveel V last backend, an' that capp'd it. — That 
 last bottle capp'd ma (spoken to a doctor). 
 Capper, n. C. Super-excellent of its kind. 
 
 Ex. — Noo, sitha; them '5 cappers. 
 Carl, n. R. An opprobrious epithet, generally applied to one 
 of weak intellect. Dan. En Karl (a man). 
 Ex. — Thoo greeat carl. 
 Carlings, n. R. Peas which are prepared in a special manner 
 and eaten on the Sunday before Palm Sunday, which 
 used to be called Carling Sunday. The custom seems 
 to be more kept up in the West than in the East side of 
 the county, where it has nearly died out. 
 Carr, n. C. Low marshy land containing the remains of 
 ancient forest trees ; flat land under the plough, of peaty 
 and moist quality as distinguished from ings, which are 
 almost always pasture : generally used in the pi. Dan. 
 Kjar (a bog or fen). 
 Carryings on, n. C. Disorderly proceedings. 
 
 Ex. — Sike carryings on as you nivver heeard tell on. 
 Cassen. The ordinary past part, of cast. Vide Kest. 
 Cassons or Cazzons, n. C. The dried dung of animals, 
 which is used for fuel sometimes, clay being occasionally 
 mixed with it. 
 Cat-collop, n. F. Cat's-meat. 
 Cat-haws, n. C. Hawthorn-berries. 
 Cats and eyes, n. C. Vide Kitty-keis. 
 Cat- whins, n. F. (pr. catchin). The dog-rose. 
 Causer, Cans'ay, n. C. (pr. cawzer). A paved footpath. A 
 narrow footway paved with cobble-stones or flags, either 
 b}'- the side of a road or across an open country ; a 
 corruption of causeway. — The causer must be distin- 
 guished from the ramper, which is the sloping side of a 
 raised footway. 
 
 Ex. — Ah went thruff V toon a-top o' V cawzer. 
 Cess, n. C. A rate or tax levied on a parish for any purpose. 
 This word is merely an abbreviation of ' assessment.' It 
 is sometimes used in the sense of force ; e. g. Lie cess 
 on was often shouted to persistent blockers at cricket, 
 meaning ' Hit harder.' 
 
 Ex. — We awlus pays wer cess. 
 Cess-getherer, n. C. The collector of cess. 
 Chaff, Chaffs, n. F. The jaw ; most commonly used with 
 
 reference to the pig ; e. g. Pig-chaffs. 
 Challenge, v. C. (pr. almost in one syllable). To recognise. 
 Ex. — He varry seean challenged ma. — Sha '5 good ti 
 challenge. 
 
288 GLOSSARY. 
 
 This word is a hunting term. A hound that picks up a 
 scent either in cover or at a check, and gives tongue in 
 rather a short cry is said to challenge. 
 Chamber, n. C. (pr. chaamer). A room not on the ground 
 floor, whether in a house, stable, or other building, as 
 e. g. an apple-chamber in some out-building. Dan. Kam- 
 mer (chamber). For further observations on this word 
 vide House. 
 Change, v. C. To turn sour, esp. of milk ; to show signs of 
 
 decomposition. 
 Channelly, adv. F. Grandly. 
 Chatt, n. C. A fir-apple ; a fir-cone. 
 
 Chavel, v. C. To chew, to masticate slowly, esp. of chewing 
 the cud ; to nibble at, to gnaw. 
 
 Ex. — T' dog '5 chavvefd V raake-shaft sadly. 
 Chiffs. n. F. Bran. 
 Childer, n. C. An old pi. of child, still in common use. 
 
 Ex. — T' childer '5 all gone ti skeeal. 
 Chimpings, n. R. Oatmeal grits of rough quality. 
 Chip up, v. C. To trip up. 
 
 Ex. — Ah chifd up ovjer f deear-sVn. 
 Cheops, n. C. Hips, the fruit of the dog-rose. 
 Cho-w, v. C. To chew. 
 Chuff, adj. F. Fresh-complexioned, healthy-looking. 
 
 Ex. — Slia 's a chiiff-leeakiii' body. 
 Chimter, v. C. To complain, murmur ; also to speak in a 
 low tone, as if muttering to oneself. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 awlus chunterin at ma, ait' ah keeps drollin'' 
 
 him on. 
 
 Churlish, adj. F. (pr. chollous). Ill-natured, rough, cold in 
 
 manner (as applied to persons) ; rough, cold, cheerless 
 
 (of weather, esp. of wind). Dan. En Karl (a man not 
 
 of gentle birth). 
 
 Ex. — T^ wind's vajny chollous. 
 Clag, V. C. To stick to, as thick mud to the boots. Dan. 
 Klag (clay). 
 
 Ex, — T' muck dags ti yan's beeats despertly. 
 Claggy, adj. C. Sticky, very commonly applied to the roads, 
 esp. at the breaking up of a frost. 
 
 Ex. — // '5 claggy deed for t' hosses plewin\ 
 Clam or elem, v. C. To pinch ; to suffer hunger or thirst. 
 Dan. At klemme (to pinch). 
 
 Ex. — Mah insahd 'sfair clemm'd. 
 Clame, v. C. To cover over, esp. with a sticky substance ; 
 to smear ; to cause to adhere, as a notice on a wall. 
 O. N. Kleima (to smear). 
 
 Ex.— Thoo mucky ba'dn, what '5 ta been deein claamin 
 
GLOSSARY. 289 
 
 thisen all ower wi that messment. — They We claani'd 
 up, i. e. fastened by sticking. Sha claam'd f firesteead 
 fra top ti boddom wV whitetiin. 
 Clammy, adj. F. Parched witli tliirst. 
 
 Clap, V. C. To give a blow, generally a short and light one ; 
 but the word is sometimes applied to a blow of greater 
 force : to pat, as e. g. in the case of a dog ; indeed this 
 is a common word for the ' stroking ' of an animal, where 
 the motions of the hand are not always ahke, sometimes 
 being strokes properly so called, when the hand is drawn 
 more or less horizontally, and sometimes vertical short 
 blows or pats. The word is also used in the sense of an 
 ailment (esp. a cold) settling upon a particular part of the 
 body. The other uses of this word are various and 
 difficult to define, but the above are ordinary ones. Dan. 
 At klappe (to clap the hands) ; En Klap (a pat, a 
 caress). 
 
 Ex. — That dog d yours weearCt let ma clap hint. — T' 
 cau'd clap^d on tiv his chest. — Clap yoiirsen doonj i. e. 
 sit down. 
 Clart, V. C, To smear, to make dirty ; also fig. to flatter. 
 
 Ex. — DeeanH clart thysen all ower wi muck. 
 Clarty, adj. C. Sticky ; also dirty, when the stickiness of the 
 thing spoken of is liable to make dirty by touch or other- 
 wise. 
 
 Ex. — 7"' storm *s owered, an' it's despert clarty noo. 
 Clawt, V. C. To scratch with the nails ; also formerly used 
 
 for performing ordinary acts of manual labour. 
 Clash, V. C. To move about or work under the influence of 
 excitement, to shut with force, to throw down with 
 violence, to flurry, to excite ; also used as a noun. Dan. 
 At klaske (to smack). 
 
 Ex. — Sha gans clashin ahoot f hoos. — Sha carUt haha 
 ti be clash d. 
 Cleeas, n. C. Clothes. Cled is also commonly used for 
 clothed. Dan. Klaeder (clothes). 
 Ex. — Them cleeas wants weshin. 
 Clean, v. F. To tidy or dress oneself, either with or without 
 the act of washing. 
 
 Ex. — Q. Where 's Anne ? A. Cleeanin hersel. 
 Cleg, n. C. The horse-fly. Dan. En Klaege (a horse-fly). 
 Icel. Klegg. 
 
 Ex. — 75 Y clegs ''at 's plaagin f gallowa ? 
 Cletch, n. C. A brood of young birds, esp. chickens, ducks, 
 &c. ; a setting of eggs. Cletching is also used, but less 
 commonly. Dan. At klaekke (to hatch). 
 
 Ex. — Pleeas will y a sell ma a cletchin o' your eggs ? 
 
 U 
 
290 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Clever, adj. C. Well-made, good of its kind ; of a tool— that 
 which does its work well. 
 
 Ex. — // taks a clever knife ti cut it. 
 Click, V. C. To snatch ; to inflict a sudden blow^ generally 
 accidentally. 
 
 Ex. — Noo, mi lad, be sharp, click hod. — T' hoss threw 
 up it heead an' click' d ma ower V shoodther. 
 Click-net, n. C. A net for catching salmon as they jump : 
 it is held over the water, and so is distinguished from the 
 sweep-net which is drawn through the water. 
 Clip, V. C. To cut short off, as wool from a sheep, in 
 which sense this word is generally used. Dan. At klippe 
 (to clip). 
 Ex.^ — That grass wants clippin. 
 Clippin' tahm, n. C. The season for sheep-shearing. 
 Clock, n. C. A beetle (of various kinds). 
 
 Ex. — We 've getten a vast o' them clocks iv oor hoos. 
 Clog, n. C. A log of wood: vide Yule-clog. Dan. En 
 Klods (a log). 
 
 Ex.— Q. What is that wood for ? A. Them '5 clogs for V 
 stack boddiims. 
 Closed, part. C. Closed up. Oppressed with a cold, esp. 
 in the chest, and when there is consequently a difficulty 
 in breathing ; the condition of what is termed a ' surfeit 
 • of cold.' The word closed is occasionally used singly, but 
 in nine cases out of ten the expression is closed up. 
 Ex. — All 'sfull o' cold J ah ^sfair closed up. 
 Clot, n. C. A clod of earth. 
 
 Clout, n. C. (pr. cloot). A piece of cloth used for any 
 purpose, or a torn piece ; a rag. Vide House-clout. 
 Sometimes applied to a table-cloth. Dan. En Klud 
 (a rag). 
 Clout, n. C. A sharp or heavy blow, generally when 
 inflicted on the person ; also used as a verb. 
 
 Ex. — He catch' d him a bonny clout ower t' heead. — Ah 7/ 
 cloot thi lug for tJia. 
 Clubster, n. C. The stoat. So called probably from the 
 
 character of the animal's tail. 
 Cludder v. F. (pr. cludther). To collect or mass together, 
 to congregate. 
 
 Ex. — Ah seed \m cludtherin up. 
 Clum, adj. C. Sodden, heavy (esp. of land difficult to work), 
 clayey. Dan. Klam (clammy). 
 
 Ex. — T' land 's that clum, it tews f hosses iveeanfly. 
 Clunter, v. C. (pr. cluntther). To tread heavily ; to make a 
 clattering noise with the feet. Dan. At klunte (to jog, to 
 stump along). 
 
GLOSSARY. 29 1 
 
 Clunter, Cluntering, n. C. Confusion ; sometimes also used 
 of a confused noise, esp.with the feet in walking. 
 
 Ex. — They made a despert clunteriii wf ther feet i f yard last 
 neet. — Noo^ maJuid^ if they deean't com doon wi a clunter. 
 
 Coat, n. F. (pr. cooat). A gown, a dress. 
 Ex. — Sha 'd a new silk cooat on. 
 
 Cobble, cobble-steean, n. C. A smooth stone about the size 
 
 of one's fist, or larger, such as is used for common paving. 
 
 To cobble is commonly used of throwing stones generally. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo young raggil, give ower cobblin them geslins, or 
 
 ah 'II wahrm tha. 
 
 Cobble-tree, n. C. The piece of wood w^hich connects the 
 two swingle-trees to the plough-beam ; it is, in fact, a large 
 swingle-tree, and is sometimes called the ' maistther 
 swingle-tree.' It is of course only requisite when two 
 horses plough abreast. Dan. At koble (to unite). 
 
 Cobby, adj. C. Cheerful, lively ; well (in health). 
 
 Ex. — As cobby as a lop. — Ah feels as cobby as owt. 
 
 Coble, n. C. (pr. coble). A fishing-boat of peculiar build, and 
 in ordinary use on the Yorkshire coast. 
 
 Cockrose, n. C. The common scarlet poppy, called also 
 cuprose\ but cockrose is by far the commoner name. 
 
 Cod, n. C. A bag, hence a pod or shell of peas, beans, and 
 the like, called a pea-cod, bean-cod, tScc. Jutl. D. Koje 
 (a pea-shell). 
 
 Codlings, n. R. A game of the cricket type, the bat being a 
 stout straight hazel stick, the ball a piece of w^ood or stick 
 2i inches long, and the wicket a round hole about an inch 
 deep and 4 inches across. 
 
 Coif, n. R. A cap. O. Fr. Coif. 
 
 Ex. — Ah mun a'e mi mucky feeace weshed an' a cleean 
 coif on. 
 
 Collar, n. C. A halter for securing a horse in a stable : the 
 collar used to be made of hemp, but is now commonly of 
 leather. Vide Head-stall. Sometimes the word is applied 
 to the blinkered bridle of a cart-horse. 
 
 Collop, n. C. A slice of meat of any kind, but generally 
 applied to bacon. The spleen of a pig was generally 
 called cat-collop, because it would be fried for the cat. 
 
 Collop Monday, n. C. The Monda}^ before Ash Wednesday, 
 on which day collops of bacon and eggs are eaten, accord- 
 ing to an old custom. 
 
 Come again, v. C. To appear as the ghost of one dead. 
 Dan. En Gjenganger (an apparition). 
 
 Come by, v. C. (In prn. the in of the come is scarcely audible, 
 the sound of the two words approximating to cu'bahy.) 
 This expression is never used but in the imperative 
 
 u 2 
 
292 GLOSSARY, 
 
 mood, and is equivalent to ' get out of the road,' ' make 
 way,' &c. It is of very frequent occurrence, much more 
 so than any equivalent ; and is perhaps most commonl}^ 
 heard when addressed to children and animals. 
 Ex. CiChaliy wi yer. 
 Come-to, n. C. (pr. cum-teea). A place or abode. 
 
 Ex. — He '// want it for a cum-teea, he will require it as a 
 place to sta}^ at. 
 Comfra, n. R. Home, place of abode (old settlement). 
 
 Ex. — WJieer 's his comfra ? 
 Company, n. C. (pr. cump'ny). A gathering together of 
 people, with an object ; e. g. at church, at a concert, en- 
 tertainment, &c. It is noteworthy how general the use 
 of this word is, in preference f o all others of a like mean- 
 ing ; e. g. the word ' congregation ' is seldom used in the 
 way it usually is, but company takes its place. 
 
 Ex.— We 'd a good cimifny at chetch last neet. 
 Conceit, v. F. (pr. consate). To suppose, to be of opinion. 
 
 Ex. — He consated 'at it wer f uther. man. 
 Conny, adj. C. The precise meaning of this very common 
 word is not altogether apparent. I am inclined to 
 think that the primar}?- meaning is ' pretty' or 'comely' in 
 appearance, 'neat' and 'tidy' ; but there is also the sense of 
 'small' which the word has, and which, in fact, is its or- 
 dinary signification : e. g. a conny bit is a small piece ; it 
 is also added to the word lahtle much in the same way in 
 which w^e add tiny in ordinary English to the same word, 
 except that conpty generally comes after lahtle. There 
 seems to be a connection between this and the Dan. 
 word kjcl^n, handsome, or comely. En kffin sum means 
 a handsome sum (of money). It is difficult to see how 
 the sense of smallness is arrived at, except perhaps 
 through the idea of neatness. 
 
 Ex. — S/ia '5 a lahtle conny body. — Q. Will you have any 
 more pudding ? A. Just a conny bit. 
 Consumpted, part. C. Suffering from consumption. 
 
 Ex. — Mah luo'd, bud he diz look a bad look I ah doot he '5 
 consumpted. 
 Continny, v. C. (The con- is pr. distinctly, though without 
 emphasis.) To continue. 
 
 Ex. — All doot he tveean't continny lang (i. e. live long). 
 Contrary, v. C. (pr. contrary). To contradict. 
 
 Ex. — He didn't leyke ti be contraried. 
 Coom, n. C. Dust, particles of refuse : most frequently 
 applied to saw-dust, called saw-coom, and the refuse of 
 malt, which is called malt-cums. O. N. Kam (a speck of 
 dust). 
 
GLOSSARY. 293 
 
 Coo-tie, n. C. Vide Tie. 
 
 Cots, n. F. Tangled masses ; esp. of wool on a sheep — 
 i. e. wool matted together ; hence the adj. cotty. 
 Them 's nobbitt cotty 'uns. 
 Cotter, V. C. (pr. cotther). To become entangled or twisted 
 together. 
 
 Ex. •They 're all cotthered tigither. 
 Cotty, adj. C, Vide Cots. 
 
 Coul, n. C. (pr. as 'coal' approximately). A swelling on the 
 body, esp. when caused by a blow. Dan. Koll (a knoll 
 or round hill-top). 
 
 Ex. — // '5 risen a girt coul atop o' mah heead. 
 Coul, V. C. (pr. as preceding word). To scrape towards one, 
 to rake together. 
 
 Ex. — He's couliii muck off f rooads. 
 Coul-rake, n. C. A scraper for removing the mud, &c., from 
 roads, or ashes from a fireplace, &c. 
 
 Ex. — Git f ass oot aback o' f hood wi t\ coul-rake. 
 Counting, n. C. (pr. coontin'). Arithmetic. Similarly counter 
 is the equivalent for arithmetician. 
 
 Ex. — Q. How is your boy getting on at school? A. 
 He '5 gitten inti coontin\ 
 Cow-clags, n. F. (pr. coo-clag). Dirt adhering to the buttcxzks 
 
 of cattle. Vide Clag. 
 Cow-gate, n. C. Pasturage for a cow ; lit. cow-walk or way. 
 
 Dan. En Kogang (pasturage for cows). 
 Cow-pasture, n. C. (pr. coo-pastthur). A pasture-field that 
 is never mown : it is generally for convenience close to 
 the farmhouse. 
 Cowstripling, n. R. The cowslip. 
 
 Crab, V. C. To speak disparagingly of ; to give a bad name 
 to : also in passive sense, to be provoked. 
 
 Ex. — He crab'd mah 'oss, i. e. He gave my horse a bad 
 name. — He was crab'd when he heeard tell on V. 
 Crack, v. C. To brag, to talk boastfully. 
 
 Ex. — It 's nowt ti crack on. 
 Crack, n. C. (i) A short space of time ; a moment. (2) A 
 chat ; in pi. news. 
 
 Ex. — Ah 'II be back iv a crack. — We 're like to hev a crack 
 tigither. — What cracks ? i. e. What news ? 
 Cradle, n. R. Three long teeth or prongs attached to a 
 scythe and having a like curve with it. It was very com- 
 monly used some thirty years ago for mowing oats, unless 
 the crop was very heavy, when a ' bow' was used instead. 
 Crake, n. C. (pr. creeak). Any bird of the crow tribe ; 
 generally applied to the rook. Dan. En Krage (a crowj. 
 Ex.— Q. Wheer 's Tom f A. He 's flaying creeaks. 
 
294 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Cramble, v. C. fpr. cramm'l). To walk haltingly, as when 
 
 disabled by rheumatism or other infirmity ; to hobble. 
 Ex. — Ah '5 hard set ti cramiifl aboot. 
 Cramble, n. R. A crooked bough of a tree. Sometimes also 
 
 used for lengths of oak in small branches, or for a roughl}^ 
 
 made walking-stick. 
 
 Ex. — Ah stood Utah an' d yak cramml as^aan f yat. 
 Crambly, adv. (strictly), but used as an adj. C. (pr. crammly). 
 
 Not firm on the legs ; tottery. 
 
 Ex. — Ah 's noblmtvarry crammly. — Willie '5 a crammly 
 aiCd man gotten. 
 Cranch, v. C. To grind anything with the teeth, by which 
 
 the sound of the grinding is heard. 
 Craps, n. C. Pieces of skin left after ' rendering ' fat into 
 
 lard. Craps are thought a delicacy, and are eaten generally 
 
 at breakfast or tea. 
 Crashes, n. F. Water-cresses. 
 Creckits, n. F. Cricket. Laakin at creckifs was formerly the 
 
 general expression for playing at cricket. The final 5 is 
 
 now generall}' omitted. 
 Cree,v. C. To soak in order to soften. To simmer before a fire. 
 Creel, n. C. A frame on legs, upon which pigs are placed 
 
 after they have been slaughtered. 
 Creeper, n. R. A small globular-shaped piece of lead with 
 
 long hooks (four in number) fixed into it and attached to 
 
 a line. It is used by eel-fishers for drawing up night- 
 lines from the bottom of a river to the bank. 
 Cricket, n. F. A low stool with four legs, generally with a hole 
 
 in the centre for lifting it. Swedish I). Krakk (a stool). 
 Croodle, v. C. To crouch down and contract oneself into as 
 
 small a space as possible. 
 
 Ex. — When they seed ma, they all croodled doon. 
 Crook, n. C. (pr. creeak, sometimes crewkj. (i) A hinge or 
 
 hook on which gates and doors are hung. (2) A disease 
 
 in sheep*. 
 
 Ex. — T' lads 'as raJivd f yat off f creeaks. 
 Crouse, Cruse, adj. C. Feeling pride in anything, elated 
 
 with, lively, happy ; in good spirits. Dan. At kruse (lit. 
 
 to curl) ; at kruse for en (to make a great fuss about one). 
 Ex. — Sha wervany cruse on her new dhriss. — Thoo need 
 na be sae cruse, man. — Thoo '5 oiver cruse. 
 Crowdy, n. F. Oatmeal porridge, made either with milk or 
 
 water. 
 Crow-prate, n. R. A rookery. 
 Crown, n. C. (pr. croon). The centre or middle of a road or 
 
 causey. 
 
 Ex. — Gan /' V croon o" V rooad. 
 
GLOSSARY. 295 
 
 Cruds, n. C. Curds. 
 
 Cuddy, n. C. (i) The hedge-sparrow. (2) A donkey. 
 
 Cuddy-handed, adj. F. Left-handed. 
 
 Cum, n. F. (the same word as combe, but pr. rather shorter). 
 
 Long and deep-lying meadow or grazing land. Wei. 
 
 Cwm (a hollow). 
 Currant-berry, n. C. (pr. corr'n-berry). The red currant. 
 Cush-pet, n. C. A term of endearment addressed to a cow : 
 
 the common call for a cow being cush-cush. 
 Ex. — Cusli-petj reet tha, 
 
 D. 
 
 Daffle, V. C. To be confused. Also used in an active sense, 
 To grow weak and imbecile. 
 
 Ex. — // '5 oft varry dajflin when yan 's putten oot o' f way. 
 Daft, adj. C. Dull, stupid, foolish. 
 
 Ex. — Whafs ta stannin' leeakin seea daft for? Tak ho'd 
 o' /' hoss heead. 
 Daggle, deggle, v. F. Vide Degg. 
 
 Dale, n. C. The common name for a valley both in the Wold 
 district of the East Riding and in Cleveland ; e. g. Deep- 
 dale, Cobdale, Thixendale, &c. Icel. Dalr (a valley). 
 Dale-end, n. C. The point where a dale opens out into 
 
 wider country. 
 Dale-head, n. C. The point where a dale begins to form in 
 
 the hills. 
 Dap, adj. R. Full-fledged, as young birds in a nest. 
 
 Ex. — If itobbiit ah W gden ti skeeal a bit, afoor ah wer 
 dap, ah sitd de been yan o' them Parliment men noo. 
 Dap, V. F. To move lightly, with short and quick steps ; to 
 
 trip along. 
 Dar, V. C. To dare. 
 
 Kx.^He didn't dar ti gan. 
 Dark, v. C. To listen unperceived ; to stand unnoticed : 
 also used of a dog scenting, when not in motion. 
 
 Ex, — What's ta darkin at? said to one caught listening. 
 Daub, V. C. To smear ; to cause to adhere. 
 
 Ex. — Steeath'd an' daubed. — Thoo mucky bairn; what 's 
 ta been daubin' thy sen oiver wi ? 
 Daul'd oot, part. F. Wearied, or tired out. 
 
 Ex. — Ah 'sfair dauVd oot. 
 Daytal, adj. C. By the day. This word is used in such con- 
 nections as Daytalman, i. e. a man who works by the day ; 
 daytal-work, i. e. work done by a day labourer. Dan. 
 Dagetal (number of days), 1 dagetal (day by day), Dage- 
 tals Arbejde (^work by the day). 
 
29<5 
 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Dead, n. C. (pr, deead). Death. 
 
 Ex. — A/i 's oiiiuiast flaay'd ti deead. 
 Deaf, adj. F. (pr. deeaf). Without fruit, barren, empty, 
 bhghted. This word is commonly used with regard to 
 trees, and fruit, such as nuts, when there is no kernel ; 
 also applied to land which does not grow good crops. 
 Dan. En dov Nod (a nut without a kernel). Icel. Daufr 
 (without savour). 
 Deary, adj. C. Small, undersized ; generall}'^ followed hy lahtle. 
 
 Ex. — It 's nobbut a deary lahtle thing. 
 Deave, v. R. (pr. deeave). To deafen. Dan. At dove (to 
 deafen). 
 
 Ex. — It 'sfit ti deeave yan. 
 Deed, n. C. Doings. This word is of very frequent occur- 
 rence, and is used in either a bad or a good sense: e.g. 
 Throng deed (bus}^ work) ; queer deed (questionable trans- 
 actions) ; dowly deed (a badtime of it, as when a person 
 has a sick household) ; poor deed (a thin attendance, as 
 at a meeting, &c.) ; great deed, sad deed, &c., &c. Some- 
 times also the word is used without any qualifying adjec- 
 tive, and in the form of a question, as when a man comes 
 home from a fair, and the wife asks him, ' Well, what sort 
 of deed was there?' In short, it is only by a close ac- 
 quaintance with the dialect that the right application of 
 the word can be ensured. Dan. Daad (deed). 
 
 Ex. — Sike deed as nivver was. — There 'II be bonny deed 
 inoo if they deean't niaJind. 
 Degg, V. C. To sprinkle with water. Other forms of this 
 word are daggle and deggle. Dan. At dugge (to bedew) ; 
 also, though rarely, at dygge. 
 
 Ex. — Fetch a sup o watther ti degg thetn cleeas wi. 
 Delf-rack, n. F. Shelves and bars attached to the dresser in 
 kitchens, on and behind which plates and dishes are 
 arranged, often up to the ceiling. 
 Deny. v. F. To decline, to refuse. 
 
 Ex. — He denied going, i. e. he refused to go. — He nivver 
 denied ma riowt ''at ah ax'd him. 
 Desperate, adv. C. (pr. despe't or desprit). This is one of 
 the commonest intensives — equivalent to ' very.' 
 Ex. — AJi '5 despe't dhry. 
 Dess, n. C. A portion, and generally a clearly defined and 
 regular portion, of any piled up mass. The most common 
 use of the word is that of a rectangular block of hay cut 
 out of a haystack, generally about 2^ feet square. Jutl. D. 
 At dese Torv (to pile peats). 
 
 Ex. — We We middlin' off for haay ; wa 've nobbut ta'en 
 three desses oot o' /' nevj stack. 
 
GLOSSARY. 297 
 
 This word is also sometimes used as a verb, viz. to dess 
 tip, meaning to pile up neatly. 
 Devil-screeamer, n. F. The common swift. 
 Dib, V. C. To dip. Also used as a noun. 
 
 Ex. — Ah gat a bonny dih V f dyke yisttherda (said by one 
 who had accidentally tumbled into a river). 
 Didder, v. C. (pr. didther). To shiver. This word has much 
 
 the same meaning as dodder : vide inf. 
 Differ, V. C. To wrangle, to quarrel. 
 
 Ex. — T' weyfe an'' him varry seean started ti differ. 
 Differing, n. C. A wrangling or quarrel. 
 
 Ex. — There was part differins amang 'em. — They 'd sad 
 
 differin bouts. 
 
 Dike, n. C. A ditch ; a long bank of earth ; a river. This 
 
 word has a wide signification, being used for a small ditch 
 
 as well as for a wide river ; it is also used figuratively, as 
 
 Ah 's a it doon f dyke, which signifies ' I am unwell.' Jutl. D. 
 
 Et Dige, (i) a wall. (2) a ditch. 
 
 Dill, V. C. To lessen or take away pain ; to deaden pain 
 
 temporarily. 
 Ding, deng, v. C. To throw or thrust violently, to throw 
 down, to strike, to wrench off Dan. At dsenge (to heap 
 blows on a person) ; Icel. Dengja (to beat). 
 
 Ex. — Ah HI din^ tha on ti V fleear. — Tie ding'd f deear off 
 f creeaks. 
 Dingle, v. C. To tingle. Dan. At dingle (to swing to and fro). 
 
 Ex. — Mah ears dingles like a bell. 
 Doeken, n. C. The common dock. 
 
 Ex. — Ah deean' t care a doeken for'' t. 
 Dodded, adj. C. Hornless (cattle). 
 Dodder, v. C. (pr. dodtherj. To shake or tremble as with 
 
 cold or fear. 
 Dodderums, n. F. (pr. dodthrums). A shaking or trembhng. 
 
 Ex. — Ah 's all i t ' ditherums dodthrums. 
 Doddery, adj. C. (pr. dodthry). Shaky. 
 Doddings, n. C. The clippings of matted and dirty wool cut 
 
 from the hind quarters of sheep. 
 Doff, V. F. To take off clothes. 
 Ex. — Doff them au'd cleeas. 
 Dog-choops, n. C. The fruit of the dog-rose. 
 Dog-loups, n. F. The vacant spaces between two houses. 
 Dollop, n. F. A large quantity, either of things or persons ; 
 a lot. 
 
 Ex. — // did ma a dollop o' good. 
 Dolly, n. C. A tub for washing, made hke a low barrel, and 
 furnished with a dolly-stick or rod with a handle, and ter- 
 minating at the lower end with four prongs fitted into a 
 
298 GLOSSARY. 
 
 flat piece of wood, which gives it almost the appearance of 
 a stool. The dolly is generally used for washing heavy 
 articles in order to economise labour. Also used as a 
 verb. 
 
 Ex. — Be shahp, lass, an' git them cleeas dollied. 
 
 Don, adj. F. Clever, skilful ; esp. in manual labour. Dan. 
 At danne (to shape, mould). 
 
 Ex. — Ska '5 a don hand at it, is f aWd woman. 
 
 Don, v. F. To put on clothes. 
 Ex. — Don thi bonnet, bairn. 
 
 Donky, donk, adj. C. Damp. This word is another form 
 of ' dank.' Jutl. D. At dynke (to sprinkle things with 
 water). 
 
 Ex. — T' haay '5 quiet donky tonnd', i.e. the hay has 
 turned quite damp. 
 
 Donnot, n. F. A good-for-nothing person ; a do-nought. 
 Ex. — He 's a donnot at it. 
 
 Door-cheek, n. C. The side-post of a doorway. 
 
 Door-sill, n. C. The threshold of a door. Jutl. D. Dorsil 
 (threshold), syld (foundation-stones of a house). 
 
 Door-stead, n. C. (The pr. of this word is deear-steead, the 
 first part of the word being so pronounced in all con- 
 nections.) The whole framework of a door. 
 
 Door-stone, n. C. (pr. deear-stan, the / in stan being ver}'' 
 slightly sounded). The large stone at the entrance of 
 an outer doorway. 
 
 Doubler, dubler, n. R. A large dish, such as pies are made 
 in, or for putting meat on. This old word is wellnigh 
 obsolete, it being now hardly ever, if ever, heard, except 
 in the expression Sold up, dish, pari ana doubter, or disJi 
 and doubler, implying a state of utter bankruptcy. 
 Ex. — Au'd Joe 's selled up, dish an' dubler at last. 
 
 Doubt, V. C. (pr. doot). To be pretty sure of a thing, when 
 the event implied or expressed involves unpleasant or 
 more serious consequences. The equivalent fear^ or 
 afraid, is never used in the ordinary sense in which it is 
 spoken ; e. g. we should never say in the dialect, ' I am 
 afraid' (it's going to rain, &c.), but I doubt, &c. 
 
 Ex. — Ah doot sha '5 boun' ti be badly. 
 Of words in commonest use this is one of the few that 
 are of French importation. 
 
 Doven, v. R. (pr. doven). To slumber, to doze. Dan. At 
 dovne (to be lazy, to decline— used of pain d3ang away). 
 This word is heard more in the East than in the North 
 Riding. 
 
 Dow, V. R. To improve in health. I do not remember to 
 have heard this word except in the expression He nowther 
 
GLOSSARY. 299 
 
 dees nor dows, i. e. ' He neither dies nor grows better.' 
 It is used in a somewliat similar sense in West Jutland, 
 e. g. Det duer ikke til noget (it is good for nothing). 
 Dowly, adj. C. (pr. between doly and dowly). Sorrowful, 
 dull, low-spirited, melancholy, gloomy, poorl}?^, depress- 
 ing. This expressive and much-used word is applied to 
 persons, things, places, and conditions in any of the 
 above senses. Dan. Daarlig; Jutl. D. Dole (poor, worth- 
 less). 
 
 Ex. — Oor Bess has been badly a lang whahl ; sha 's had a 
 doivly tahm.—Ws a dowly hay-tahm been; ah doot it 'II 
 de gitten spoilt. — It 's a weeant dowly spot. — Ah feels 
 varry dozvly widoot her. 
 Down, V. C. To knock or throw down. 
 
 Ex. — He doond him wiv his neeaf. 
 Downwards, adv. F. (pr. doonwards). This word, as applied 
 to the wind, signifies westerly, though I have only heard 
 it used so in a part of the East Riding. 
 Ex. — 7^' wind's gotten doonwards. 
 Dowp, n. R. The carrion crow. 
 Dozzend, adj. R. Withered, shrunk. 
 
 Ex. — Them apples is sadly dozsened. 
 Draff, n. F. Refuse, rubbish, brewer's grains. Jutl. D. 
 
 Drav (grains). 
 Drape, n. C. (pr. dreeap). A cow not in milk. This word 
 ma}^ spring from the same source as the Dan. Draabe 
 (drop). 
 Draught, n. C. A team of horses, together with cart, waggon, 
 &c. Sometimes it seems to be used for the cart or waggon 
 only, as in the phrase, Ah rade iv a draught (meaning a 
 cart) ; but whether in such an expression the horses are 
 included, it is hard to decide. 
 Drawn - straw, n. C. Straw sorted or pulled through 
 the hands until rough pieces are separated from it, 
 and thus fairly straight and clean thatching straw is the 
 result. 
 
 Ex.— Q. Why have you two men at work tying up 
 straw ? A. Van on em '5 dthrawin. 
 DrearQ-holes, n. O. The holes in a church tower to allow 
 the sound of bells to escape freel)'' ; also applied to holes 
 in towers for the admission of light and air, and possibly 
 for keeping a look-out therefrom. 
 Dree, adj. C. (pr. dhree). Long and troublesome, tedious. 
 Dan. Droi (large, heavy), et droit arbeide (a tough piece 
 of work). 
 
 Ex. — It '5 a dree job cutting these beeansj they We allankled 
 tigither seea. 
 
300 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Dreep, v. F. (pr. dhreeap). To drop slowly ; to cause to 
 drop slowly. Dan. At draabe (to cause to drop). 
 
 Ex. — If ciJi tiirnmrd inti f dyke an' gat oot ageean, ah 
 Slid uaffJirally Tix^nf ti be dhreeap" d. 
 Dress, v. C. It is difficult to determine the usages of this 
 word as differing from those of standard English ; perhaps 
 the commonest uses are (i) to tidy, the word up being 
 added generally ; and [2.) to chastise or flog. Also used 
 as a noun (dressing). 
 
 Ex. — When his faather corns yam he ''II varry seean dhriss 
 him lip. 
 Drinkings, drinking tahm, n, C. A short meal in the middle 
 of an afternoon during hay-tahni or harvest, consisting 
 generally of bread-and-cheese and beer. 
 Drite, drate, v. F. To utter an indistinct sound ; to speak 
 thickly ; to lack clearness in tone ; to drawl :'n speaking. 
 Jutl. D. Trate (to play the fool). 
 Drity, adj. F. Indistinct in tone or utterance, whether as 
 regards the human voice or a musical instrument, &c. ; 
 slow in speaking. 
 Ex.—// '5 ///// drity (said of the tone of an old violin which 
 w^as of excellent quality and responded readily to the 
 slightest variations of bowing). 
 Droll on, v. F. To draw on by feigned argument, and so to 
 satisfy one who can ill endure the existing state of things. 
 A mother frequently puts off a troublesome child in this 
 way. 
 
 Ex. — He dizn't want it, bud ah keeps drollin' him on. 
 Droppy, adj. C. Very rainy; i.e. when the rain is of long 
 
 continuance. 
 Droughty, adj. C. (pr, dthrooty). Dry, parching. This word 
 is seldom used except with the post-positive tahm ; a 
 dthrocty-tahm is not so much a season of dryness caused 
 by lack of rain, as that caused (often very rapidly) by winds, 
 especially in March, which seem at once to dry up the land 
 and make it hard. The word drought is but little used. 
 Ex.^ — We 've had a desprit dh rooty tahm. 
 Droup, V. F. (pr. dhroop). To drench. 
 
 Ex. — Drouping wet. — Ah wer drouped wi wet. 
 Duds, n. R. Clothes, rags. 
 
 Ex. — Ah doff' d my duds. — Ah off wi my duds an juinp'd 
 inti f watther. 
 Dundy-cow, n. C. The ladybird. 
 
 Durdum, n. F. (pr. doddom, and durrum). Noisy or riotous 
 proceedings ; confused disturbance, as with children at 
 play ; a drunken brawl, &c. Wei. Dwrdd (a stirj. 
 Ex. — What a durrum t ' badns is makkin. 
 
GLOSSARY. 301 
 
 Dwine, v. F. (pr. dwahin). To waste away, to wither. Jutl. D. 
 At dvine (to pine away). 
 
 E. 
 
 Earn, n. O. An uncle. Germ. Oheim (uncle — poetical). 
 
 Earand, n. C. (pr. earan). An errand. Dan. En ^Erende 
 (an errand). 
 
 Earn, v. F. (pr. yearn ; or perhaps more nearly as yen). To 
 cause milk to curdle. 
 
 Earning, earning-skin, n. F. (pr. yearning or yenning). 
 That which is used for curdling milk. Rennet. 
 
 Easings, n. C. (pr. easins). The eaves of any building, 
 particularly of thatched houses. Jutl. D. Ovs (eaves). 
 
 Een, n. R. Eyes (the old plural). The singular ee is also 
 used. Dan. Oie (eye), pi. oine. 
 
 Ex. — He 's gotten tweea black een. — Bang her amang her 
 een. 
 
 E'en, n. R. Evening ; seldom heard except when used for 
 the eve of a Holy Day, as Kess'mass E'en, St. Mark's 
 E'en, &c. 
 
 Een-holes, n. R. The eye-sockets. Dan. Ft oje hul (eye- 
 socket). 
 
 Efter, prep. C. (pr. eftther). After. Dan. Efter (after). This 
 word is also used in a verbal sense, e.g. Ah efther him (I 
 went after him). 
 
 Ex. — It '5 a bit eftther f tahni. 
 
 Efter-elecking, n. F. A brood of chickens, goslings, &c., 
 hatched after the first brood of the season. This word is 
 also applied to the brood in the pi. number. 
 Ex. — Them fahve geslins is eftther-cleckins. 
 
 Efternoon, n. C. (pr. efttherneean). Afternoon. Morning, as 
 distinguished from afternoon, is always termed forenoon. 
 Morning, when used in the dialect, means early morning, 
 and forenoon the interval between breakfast and dinner- 
 time. 
 
 Eldin, n. C. Fuel, or kindling of any kind, generally wood 
 or ' turves.' This word is not so common as it was a few 
 years ago, and when used now the word fire is sometimes 
 prefixed, which is quite redundant. Dan. lid (fire). 
 Jutl. D. tiding (firewood). 
 
 Ex. — Noo, Bobby, gan an' late some eldin. 
 
 EUer, n. F. The alder-tree. Dan. En El (an alder), pi. 
 eller. There is a house near Newton-on-Ouse called 
 Filers, hence derived. 
 
 Elsin, n. C. A shoemaker's awl. I have heard this word 
 called nelsin, which is of course a corruption of an elsin. 
 
30Z GLOSSARY. 
 
 End-deck, n. F. The tail-board of a cart, more commonly 
 
 called end-door. 
 End nor side, F. Synonymous with ' nothing ' ; esp. in the 
 expression ' to make nothing of.' 
 
 Ex. — They meead nowther end nor sa/id on 7. 
 End^ways, to get, R. This expression is sometimes used to 
 denote success— to do well. 
 
 Ex. — Aye, ah heerd he 'd gitten endways. 
 Entry, n. C. The space, greater or smaller, immediately 
 
 within the entrance of a house. 
 Esh, n. C. The ash-tree. Dan. En Esk (an ash-tree). 
 Even down, adj. F. Straight down, perpendicular. 
 Expect, V. C. To suppose, to understand (from hearsay). 
 There are few words of Latin derivation so commonly 
 used as this. 
 
 Ex. — Ah expect seea. — Ah expect there 's boiin ti be a stir i 
 f toon. 
 
 F. 
 
 Fadge, v. C. To make way by a motion between a walk and 
 a trot. The word is applied to man or horse or other 
 animal. Vide Fidge-Fadge, also used as a noun. 
 
 Ex. — Ah ^sjiist fadged on wi /' au\i nieer. — Sha kept him 
 at a fadge (spoken of a man and woman when the 
 woman walked quicker than the man could). 
 Faff, V. R. To blow in puffs. 
 
 Fain, adj. and adv. R. Glad, gladly. Although this word is 
 more classical and poetical than dialectical in its use, yet 
 I here insert it because, although it has fallen into disuse 
 among the more educated classes as a spoken word, it is 
 still heard occasionally with the older country folk. It is 
 matter for regret that such a good old word should be 
 so nearly extinct. 
 
 Ex. — Sha 's Jain ti be wiv her niuther ageean. — Ah 'dfain 
 a'e gitten yam ageean. 
 Fair, adv. C. Entirely, wholly, altogether. Also used ad- 
 jectively, in the sense of easy, in a few phrases, such as 
 fair ti see, fair ti tell, &c. 
 
 Ex. — Ah werfair capfd ti see ''em. — Ah ^sfair bet wi V. — 
 T' maistther wer fair ranty when he seed what f lad had 
 deean. 
 Fair up, v. C. To become fair weather again. 
 
 Ex. — Ah think it 'It fair up inoo. 
 Fairlings, adv. C. (pr. fairlins). Fairly, clearly. 
 
 Ex. — Ah can't ken ivhau it is fairlins. 
 Fairy-butter, n. C. A fungus growing on dead trees, (S:c. 
 Falter, v. F. (pr. fawter). To knock the awns off the barley- 
 
GLOSSARY. 303 
 
 grains by means of the faltering-iron, an instrument made 
 for that purpose. The faltering-iron has gone out of use, 
 ' humblers ' being used instead. 
 Fan', fand, fun', fund, pf tense of /mnd, C. The d final is 
 seldom heard, the forms /an' and fini'' being about equally 
 common. Dan. Fandt, p. part of finde (to find). 
 Ex. — T/iey varry seeanfan' it oot.—A'eyafun' it yet? 
 Fantickle, n. C. (pr. fahnticle and fanticle). A freckle. 
 Far, adj. C. Further, more distant. Dan. Fjermer (far, 
 or ' off' horse) ; N. Fjerr ; Icel. Fjarr. 
 
 Ex. — Q. 'Where's your husband?' A. He's plewin 
 yonder i f far clooas. 
 Farantly, adj. R. (pr. fareantly). Well-behaved, orderly. 
 Fare, v. F. To go on, to approach, to draw near, to succeed. 
 Dan. At fare (to go). 
 Ex. — Sha fares o' cau'vin. 
 Far-end, n. C. The end, as opposed to the beginning of any- 
 thing. The words beginning and end are not used, but 
 instead, start and finish, as of a piece of work ; fore-end 
 and back-end, or far-end, as of a man's life or other period 
 of time ; first-end and last-end, as of a book, or other 
 matter. 
 Farness, n. F. Distance. 
 
 Ex. — // '5 sum farness. 
 Far-side, n. C. The right-hand side of a horse ; the left 
 being called the nar-side. Far-side is used in other ways, 
 e.g. the far-side of a field, road, &c. Dan. Frahaands 
 Hest (the right-hand side of a horse) ; Jutl. D. Fier 
 Hest (off-horse). 
 Fash, V. C. To create worry and anxiety (generally about 
 small matters) either to oneself or others. Dan. D. Fasse 
 (to exert oneself to do anything). 
 
 Ex. — Sha '5 a werrity body; sha oft fashes hersen when 
 there 's ni 'casion. 
 Fast, adj. C. At a standstill, esp. in work, from any cause. 
 Ex. — Ah 's nivver fast for a Job. — Why ah, nmn, he ''II 
 lend ya V galloway hard eneeaf; he weeaift see ya fast, 
 howivver. 
 Fat-dabs, n. F. A term for a fat, awkward person or child. 
 
 Ex. — Sha '5 a fat-dabs. 
 Fat-rascal, n. C. A tea-cake made with currants, butter, &c. 
 Very common in the Whitby district, but not known in 
 the East Riding. 
 Faugh, n. C. (pr. fawf). Fallow-land, used also as a verb. 
 Jutl. D. Falg (fallow-land), falge (to fallow). 
 Ex. — Wa mun start wit' fawf i /' morn. — It HI be tifawf 
 ti-year. 
 
304 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Feck, n. O. The largest part of anything ; might. There 
 may be a connection between this word and Danish fik, 
 the past tense of faa (to get). The adjectives feckfiil 
 (strong), 2iVidi feckless (feeble), seem also to have died out. 
 Ex. — T"" feck on 7 's deean. 
 
 Fele, V. F. To hide away : commonly used in the participial 
 {orm., felt. In plaj'ing the game of hide-and-seek, the crj^ 
 ' felto ' w^as generally raised by the one who had hidden ; 
 the same word is also applied to the game itself. Dan. 
 At fjaele (to hide). 
 
 Ex. — They fmi^ it felt awaay i /' Bahble. — He had it fellen 
 undher f mat.-— They 'd felt /' tweea kags o' gin amang 
 t ' ivhins. 
 
 Fellon, n. C. A disease common with cattle, esp. cows : it 
 arises in the first instance from cold. 
 
 Felly, V. F. To break up fallow land : this is done by means 
 of dragging, plowing, and harrowing. Dan. At fselge 
 (to break up fallow). 
 
 Felt, felten., F. part, of fele. Hidden. Vide Fele. 
 
 Feltrix, n, C. A disease common with horses, in the course 
 of which lumps filled with watery matter appear under- 
 neath the belly. A continuance of cold and wet weather 
 is supposed to induce the disease, as also the habit of 
 allowing the animals to lie out of doors too late in the 
 year. 
 
 Fend, v. C. To provide for ; to look after ; to manage. Jutl. 
 D. At fsente (to catch, to seek with care and toil). 
 Ex. — He 'II variy seean a'e ti fend for hissen. 
 
 Fend, n, C. Ability and readiness to act for oneself, manage- 
 ment. There are few words more expressive in our 
 dialect than this : its meaning will perhaps be best under- 
 stood by saying that one who has no fend about him is a 
 poor helpless creature. The word is often applied to sick 
 people who cannot do anything for themselves. 
 Ex. — Sha 's neeafend aboot her, na mair 'an nowt. 
 
 Fendable, adj. C. Contriving, capable. 
 Ex. — Sha's a very fendable lass. 
 
 Fest, V. F. To bind by an agreement. Dan. At faeste (to 
 secure), faeste sig bort (hire oneself). 
 
 Fest, fest-penny, n. C. Earnest-money paid by a master to 
 a servant on engaging him. Called also Aries, or God's- 
 penny. The sum thus paid generally varies from a shilling 
 to half-a-crown, but sometimes more than this is paid. 
 The word is only appHed with regard to servants hired 
 under the Martinmas system. Dan. Faestepenge (earnest- 
 money). This word is used for the fine paid on taking 
 over a leasehold farm. 
 
GLOSSARY. 305 
 
 Ex. — Ah 's ta'en V fest. — All weean't tak ffest back; ah 7/ 
 gat I. 
 Fet, V. C. To last out ; to keep one supplied with. Dan. 
 At fode (to nourish, supply with food). 
 
 Ex. — Them cauls 7/ fet ma whahl /' backend. — A'e ya 
 what 'II fet ya a twelvemonth ? 
 Fetch, V. C. To give (a blow). 
 
 Ex. — He fetched ma a big clout ozver f heead. 
 Fettle, V. C. To prepare, put into order, get ready, arrange, 
 repair ; frequently the adv. up is added to the verb, the 
 sense being the same. 
 
 Ex. — Fettle an' gan. — Wa mun fettle up iver hoos afoor V 
 
 backemi. — Yon far sahd o' /' clooas is varry sumpy ; 
 
 ah doot werstuff weean't be T ower good fettle for leading. 
 
 — Ah wasn't V varry good fettle yisttherda. 
 
 Few, n. C. A number, amount. The application of this word 
 
 is peculiar, being used as an adjective in the ordinary sense, 
 
 and as a substantive, in which latter case it is preceded by 
 
 a qualifying adjective, generally ^,ooo<^ I but others, such as 
 
 middlinish, gay, poorish, &.C., are not uncommon quali- 
 fications. Dan. Faa (few). 
 
 Ex. — Q. 'Are there many mushrooms in that field?' 
 
 A. Aye / there '5 a middlin' few on 'em (equivalent to 
 
 a pretty good number). — All see'd a good few bo'ds 
 
 amang f tonnups yisttherda, — There was a good few at 
 
 chetch last Sunda. 
 
 Fezzon, v. R. To lay hold of greedily or fiercely ; to eat with 
 
 avidity. This word was in commoner use a few years 
 
 ago. It is followed by on or in. Fezzon has the same 
 
 root a.s fest. 
 
 Ex. — He ' s fezzonin' intiv it (i. e. He is eating greedily). 
 Fick, V. C. (pr. fick or feek). To move the feet with a some- 
 what rapid motion, as an animal does when under re- 
 straint in a recumbent posture ; to struggle with the feet 
 in order to get free. The motion impHed by ficking is 
 quite distinct from kicking, although a kick may be in- 
 advertently given during the ficking. The word fick is 
 rarely used except when some kind of restraint and con- 
 sequent struggle accompanies the action. 
 Jutl. D. Atfike [or fige] (to hurry). This word is always 
 connected with quick movement : hence the ironical Jut- 
 landic phrasey?/^ et saa (make haste) ; or again, han gor saa 
 figelig. The Jutl. pr. of the word is almost identical with 
 our own. 
 
 Ex. — T' bairn ficked aboot V bed despertly. — What's V 
 au'd coo fickin leyke that ti deea ? 
 Fick, n. C. A short quick motion of the feet, whether of man 
 
 X 
 
3o6 GLOSSARY. 
 
 or beast, when subjected to restraint, esp. when lying on 
 the ground. 
 
 Ex. — T' ratten just gde three ficks an' then it deed. 
 Fire-eldin, n. C. Vide Eldin. 
 
 Fire-fanged, part. R. Burnt (in cooking) ; overdone by the 
 fire. Dan. At faenge (to catch fire), befaenge (to infect). 
 This latter signification comes very close to that oi fanged 
 in our word. 
 Fire-pote, n. R. A poker. Wei. Pwttio (to push, poke). 
 Fire-stead, n. C. (pr. fire-steead). The fireplace. 
 Fit, adj. C. Ready, inclined to, prepared. 
 
 Ex. — Ah 's fit for off (i.e. I am ready to go). — Are ya fit ? 
 (said by a schoolmaster to pupil learning a lesson by 
 heart). — They ivere fit ti nid'dther ma. 
 Flacker, v. C. To flutter ; also to throb with pain ; to flicker 
 as a candle. Dan. At flagre (to flutter). 
 
 Ex. — T' cock flackered ower f wall. — Mah feeat flackers 
 sadly. — IVhat rnaks yon camt I flacker seea ? 
 Flag, n. C. A flake ; esp. of snow. Dan. En Flage (a flake). 
 
 Ex. — // snew i girt flags. 
 Flan, V. F. To spread out at the top. 
 
 Jutl. D. At flanre (to expand towards the top). 
 Flappy, adj. C. Wild, ' harum-scarum ' ; also light and 
 frivolous. 
 
 Ex. — Sha 's a flappy body. 
 Flaup, n. F. Silly talk. Dan. Flab (chaps) ; also colloquially, 
 
 Hold flab (none of your jaw). 
 Flay, V. C. To frighten, to scare. Hence the 2id]. flaysonie 
 (frightful), which however is not very commonly used. 
 O. N. Flaeja (to frighten). 
 
 Ex. — Q. 'Why isn't your brother at school ?' A. Pleeas 
 Sir/ he ^sflaain creeaks. — T' lahtle lass luer flaay'd ti 
 gan iviv hersen. 
 Flay-boggle, n. F. A hobgoblin : that which frightens ; esp. 
 
 at night. 
 Flay-crow, flay-creeak, n. F. A scarecrow. 
 Flee, n. C. A fly. Dan. At flyve (to fly). In the Danish pr. 
 a distinct w is heard which is lost in the Yorkshire pr. 
 Ex. — T' flees plagues f hosses weeantly. 
 Flee-by-sky, n. F. (pr. fleebisky, the accent being on the first 
 and third syllables). A passionate female ; a giddy, 
 flight}^ girl. 
 
 Ex. — Sha \s a re glar fleebisky. 
 Fleece, v. €. To make thin, generally applied to persons 
 who have lost flesh through illness ; to get out of 
 condition. 
 
 Ex.— Afa/j wo'd, bud it 's fleeced him I 
 
GLOSSARY. 307 
 
 Fleece, n. F. Bodily condition ; esp. as regards fatness. 
 
 Ex. — He 's a good fleece. — // 's to' en his fleece f rev him. 
 Fleeing-ask, n. R. The dragon-fly. 
 Flesh-fly, n. C. The common blue-bottle fly. 
 Flesh-meat, n. C. Butcher's meat as distinguished from 
 
 swine's flesh. 
 Flick, n. C. A flitch (of bacon). Icel. FUkki (a flitch). 
 Flig, V. F. To fly. Dan. At flygte (to flee). 
 
 Ex. — T' cock fliggd ower f wall an' flaayed V laJitle lass. 
 Fllgged, adj. F. Fledged. 
 
 Ex. — Are they fliggd yit ? 
 Fliggers, n. C. Young birds fully fledged, those newly 
 hatched being termed bare gollies, and those in the inter- 
 mediate stage penners. 
 Flipe, n. C. The brim of a hat or cap. Dan. En Flip (the 
 
 extreme part of a thing). 
 Flit, V. C. To move to a new home, with all household fur- 
 niture and other goods and chattels. Dan. At flytte (to 
 remove, shift), flytte ind (take possession), flytte til (go to 
 live with). 
 
 Ex. — When are ya boitn ti flit? — We 've nobbiit just 
 flitted ti wer new hoos. — They ^re throng flittin\ 
 Flite, V. C. To scold ; to come to high words. 
 
 Ex. — Sha started ti flite. — A fliting bout. 
 Flite, n. C. A flow of quarrelsome w^ords. 
 
 Ex. — They 're awlus on wi ther flites. 
 Flither, n. C. The common limpet. 
 
 Ex. — Them 's f lasses getherin flithers. 
 Flittermouse, n. R. The common bat. Dan. En Flagger- 
 
 mus (a bat). 
 Flitting, n. C. A removal to a new home. 
 
 Ex. — Wer things isn't fairly reeled yit, we ^ve nobbutjust 
 gitten wer flittin' owered. 
 Flobbed up, part. C. Swollen or puffed up. 
 
 Ex. — His airm wer all flobbed up. 
 Flowtered, part. C. In a state of trepidation ; nervous, excited, 
 from any cause. The word is generally used in the par- 
 ticipial form from the verb flowfer; the substantive yZoa'/^r 
 is also used in the same sense. 
 Ex. — Ah felt flowtered all V bits. 
 Fluke, n. C. (pr. fleeak). A maggot. 
 
 Ex. — They 're as full 0' fleeaks as ivvir they can ho'd. 
 Fod, n. C. A bound bundle of newly thrashed straw. This 
 word is pr. as faud, but rather shorter, and is probabK' an 
 abbreviation oifold, i. e. an armful — that which can be en- 
 folded by the arms. 
 Fodderum, n. C. A building or part of a building for storing 
 
 X 2 
 
3C8 GLOSSARY. 
 
 fodder : it is generally in close proximity to where the 
 cattle are kept, e. g. between two cow-houses, from which 
 the " hecks ' or racks could be easily filled, I do not 
 remember to have heard this word in the E.R., but it is 
 very commonly used in the southern and other parts of 
 the N. Riding. Dan. Et Foderrum (a place for keeping 
 fodder). 
 
 Fog, n. C. Meadow-grass after the ha}^ has been in-gathered : 
 the aftermath. This curious word seems to bear no trace 
 of Scandinavian origin ; it is probably an old British word : 
 conf Wei. Ffwgws (dry leaves). 
 
 Ex. — T' fogs leeaks nnddlin' iveel ti-year. — 7/7/ mak a 
 good fog luill yon. 
 
 Foisty, adj. C. Musty, mouldy; esp. when accompanied by 
 a smell of dampness, as in the case of hay heated in a stack, 
 &c. 
 
 Fold-garth, fold-yard, n. C. (pr. fo'dgarth). The farm-yard, 
 that is, the inner yard surrounded by the farm buildings. 
 
 Folk, n. C. (pr. fau'k and fooak). People. I insert this w^ord 
 in the glossary ; for although it is frequently found in the 
 best standard English authors, yet it can scarcely be said 
 at the present time to be a word that would be used 
 exactly in an ordinary way, whereas it is throughout this 
 East Yorkshire district the word universally used for 
 people. It is used both with and without the plural termina- 
 tion s, more often with than not, though being a noun of 
 multitude this is clearly redundant. Dan. Folk (people). 
 Ex. — Folks 'II say owt. — A vast o' folk. — A deal o' folks. 
 — Sit m folks says seea. — Betknuy folk. 
 
 Fond. adj. C. Foolish, wanting in common sense, silly. 
 Dan. En Fjante (a silly person). 
 
 Ex. — Ah nivver heeard tell o' sikan afottd tlhrick. 
 
 Fond-heead, n, C. A silly fellow. 
 Ex.— TJwo fondlieead thoo. 
 
 Fondness, n. C. Foolishness, silliness, nonsense. 
 Ex. — He 's good ti noivt bud talkin' fondness. 
 
 Fond-plufe, n. O. This w^as formerly the name given to the 
 practice of dragging a plough from place to place on or 
 about the Feast of the Epiphany. The young men who 
 took part in it used to collect money, which they spent in 
 merry-making in the evening ; some of the party were 
 disguised and dressed in fantastic costumes. 
 
 Fondy, n. C, A simpleton, one half-witted. Dan. En Fjante. 
 
 Footings, n. C. The lowest rough foundation on which 
 masonry is built up. 
 
 For, prepositional in its force, though placed after instead of 
 before its connection. C. (pr. foor and forr). To, towards. 
 
GLOSSARY. 309 
 
 In this sense, which is of the commonest, it is only used 
 in such expressions as IV/ieer are ya foor? or WJieer 
 '5 ta foor? meaning 'Where are you going to?' — the 
 verb being understood. It is also used satirically w^hen 
 a person accidentally makes a mauvais pas. 
 
 Ex. — What a numb baa'n thoo is ! ivheer '5 fa foor ? 
 For anenst, R. In front of I have only heard of this word 
 being used at the present time in a part of the Wold 
 district. 
 Forboden, part. R. Forbidden. 
 
 Forced, part. C. (pr. foorced). Obliged. This word, though 
 Std. Eng., is here inserted because it is universally used 
 in the dialect in this sense, to the exclusion of all others, 
 as obliged^ compelled, &c, 
 
 Kx.—Ah 's be foorced ti gan. — They 're foorced to feud for 
 thersells. 
 Fore-elders, n. C. Forefathers. Dan. Forseldre (parents), 
 
 Forfcedre (ancestors). 
 Fore-end, n. C. (pr. foorend or forrend, with rather a strong 
 stress on the last syllable). The beginning. 
 Jutl, D. For-ende (the fore-part of anything). 
 Ex. — IVa started t' foorend o' /' last iveek. 
 Forkin' -robin, n. C. The earwig. This designation of the 
 earwig is not universal : I used to hear it very frequently 
 in the E. R., but not in the southern part of the N. R., 
 where tiuitchbell is the word generall}^ used. 
 
 Y.X.— There zvas a vast o' clocks an^ zvorrms aii forkin'- 
 robins. 
 Forks, n. F. (pr. forrks). The main perpendicular beams 
 which fork out at the top to support the roof in the old 
 timber houses ; they hold the ' ribs ' to which the ' spars ' 
 are attached ; across these again are the ' latts,' and so the 
 whole frame work is held together. 
 Fortheily, furtherly, adj. F. (pr. fo'therly). Forward, or 
 earl}^ of its kind, or for the season. 
 
 Y.yi. — Them 's mair fo'therly na V uihers. — It's a fo'therly 
 taatie. 
 Forwoden, adj. F. In a state of dirt, disorder, and w^aste ; 
 generally applied to such a state of destruction as is caused 
 by vermin. Dan. At forode (to w-aste, consume). 
 
 Ex. — Oor apple chanter is fair forwoden lui' rattens an'' 
 meyce. 
 Foulmart, n. F. (pr. foomart). The polecat. Wei. Ffwlbart 
 (the polecat). These animals were common fifty years 
 ago, when \d. apiece, or some such sum, was given for 
 one by the village constable. They are still to be seen, but 
 only here and there, and that occasionally. 
 
310 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Fout, n. C. A fool, a stupid lout. 
 Ex. — Tlwo '5 a font. 
 
 Fowt, n. C. (pr. the same way as owt). A spoiled child. 
 • Ex. — Sha '5 iwbbut a laJitle fowt. 
 
 Fra, frav, frev, prep. C. From. Fra is generally used 
 before a consonant, /raz; and frev before a vowel. Dan. 
 Fra (from). 
 
 Fra by. prep. R. Bej^ond, compared with, in proportion to. 
 
 Framation, n. F. Skill in action or management, readiness 
 and aptitude in work, esp. in beginning it. 
 Ex. — There '5 neea franiatiou abooi Jiini. 
 
 Frame, v. C. To give promise in the performance of work 
 of any kind, whether in man or beast : to make an attempt 
 or beginning in any undertaking. This expressive word 
 is one of the commonest : it occurs in Judges xii. 6, though 
 in a slightly different sense from the above. In the 
 dialect it is rarely followed b}' to as in the passage alluded 
 to. Dan. At fremme (to advance, to take in hand). 
 
 Ex. — Cmn,fraaiiie. — T' lad iwbbut com'd yisttJierda, bud 
 ah think he fraames middliii' . 
 
 Fratch. v. C. To be quarrelsome, especially as to trifles : a 
 word commonly said to children who are fretful and 
 quarrelsome with one another. 
 
 Ex. — Let him be; thoo 's aw I it s fratch i if . 
 
 Fraunge, v. C. To go on a spree. Also used as a noun. 
 
 Ex. — He taks off^fraiiugiug aboot. — He's Jiad a fraunge. 
 
 Fresh, adj. C. The worse for liquor ; drunk. 
 
 Fret. n. F. A shower of mist}' rain from the sea ; generally 
 called a sea-fret. 
 
 Fresh->Arood, n. C. The threshold of a doorwa}-. This word 
 may be a corruption of threshold. 
 
 Fridge, v, C. To rub against, so as to cause irritation ; esp. 
 of the skin, as when the clothes rub against anj' place in- 
 clined to soreness ; to wear awa}^ by rubbing ; to fra}^ out. 
 Ex. — Mah feet '5 sair, an' f beeats fridges 'em. 
 
 Frightened, part. C. (pr. freeten'd). This word is frequenth^ 
 used in a weaker sense than in Std. Eng., being equivalent 
 to ' apprehensive,' or even ' shy.' 
 
 Ex. — Ah's freeten'd 'at we 'r boun ti a'e some raan. — Noo., 
 you mun reacJi to; you maun't be freeten' d. 
 
 Frowsy, adj. F. Cross and forbidding-looking ; ill-tempered. 
 
 Fruggan, n. O. A long iron rake for scraping ashes out of 
 an oven of the old-fashioned kind. 
 
 Frutas, Fruttish, n. R. A dish consisting of an egg, flour, 
 sugar and currants, beaten together and fried. It was only 
 eaten on Ash Wednesday ; consequently that day was 
 often called Fruttish or Frutas Wednesday. 
 
GLOSSARY. 311 
 
 Fullock, n. C. Rapid motion, impetus, force. 
 Ex. — // kom lui sikan ajullock. 
 This word is sometimes used as a verb, e. g. a common 
 saying with boys playing marbles is, Knuckle doon, neea 
 fitilocking^ i. e. no false impetus from the wrist. 
 Full up, adj. C. Quite full. 
 Ex.— lVe 're/ii/l up. 
 ' Full ' or ' quite full ' are never used to express complete 
 fulness. 
 Fulth, n. R. Fill, fullness. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 liad Jiis fulth on 7. 
 Furmety or Frum.ety, n. C. A dish consisting of wheat, 
 milk, sugar, and spices, always eaten on Christmas Eve, 
 and sometimes on New Year's Eve also. The word is 
 usually pr. frumety. Lat. Frumentum. 
 
 Ex. — Wa niun de iver bit d frumety, howivver. 
 Further ly, adj. F. Vide Fortherly. 
 Fustilugs, n. R. A term of abuse. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo '5 a fustilugs. 
 Fuzzack, n. F. A donke3^ 
 
 Fuzz-ball, n. C. The large common ground fungus found in 
 fields. 
 
 G. 
 
 Gab, n. C. Idle talk. Dan. Gab (mouth). 
 
 Ex. — There 's ower mich gab aboot hint. 
 Gad, n. O. A long whip, formerly used for driving horses 
 and oxen. The word is also applied to a fishing-rod, 
 which was called a fishing-gad. Jutl. D. Gaj (a long 
 whip), fiske-gaj (fishing-rod). Icel. Gaddr. 
 Gag-bit, n. C. A strong bit used for breaking in or restrain- 
 ing ' miraklous ' horses. 
 Gah, V. C. To go. This form of the word is common 
 enough, although gan is more usual, taking the whole 
 district through : gah (pr. not quite so open as ordinary' 
 ah) is comparatively seldom heard in the E. Riding. Dan. 
 At gaae (to go). 
 
 Ex. — Wheer 's ta gah in' ? 
 Gain, adj. C. (pr. gaan). Short, near by reason of straight- 
 ness, esp. of a way or a road. Conveniently near, also 
 quick in doing. 
 
 Ex. — This rooad 'II be /' gainest. — Ah knaiv it HI be V 
 gainest cut. 
 Gain-hand, adj. C. Conveniently near, easy of access. 
 
 Ex. — Ifs a varry gain-hand spot.— We ' re gaiti-hand for 
 V scheeal. 
 
312 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Gains, n. F. fpr. gaans). Advantage. 
 
 Ex. — // '5 iieea girt gaans ti gan that rooad. 
 
 Gair, geir, gairing, n. F. A triangular piece of land at the 
 corner of a field, which cannot be ploughed. Icel. Geiri 
 (a goar, or triangular strip). 
 
 Gaits, n. F. Small sheaves, of oats generall}^ and clover 
 sometimes, set up singl}^ and tied at the ' throat ' instead 
 of at the middle. 
 
 Q. ' What are yow going to do to-day ? ' A. We We 
 galling ti binnd t ' gaits. 
 Also called ^<7/7/;;^5 ov yaitings. 
 
 Gallic-handed, adj. F. Left-handed. Dan. Gal ; gait 
 (viTong) ; e.g. Klokken gaar gait (the clock is wrong). In 
 Danish gal would be applied as we apply it in such a 
 phrase as ' the wrong hat.' 
 
 Galloway, n. C. (pr. Gallowa). An under-sized horse, or 
 an over-sized pony ; probably so-called from the district 
 from which the breed was imported into England. 
 
 Gallowses, n. C. (pr. gallases). Braces for attaching to 
 trowsers. 
 
 Gally-bauk, n. C. A pivotted iron balk or beam attached to 
 the larger or main-beam or rann'1-bauk which stretches 
 across the fireplace in houses ; from the gally-bauk pots 
 can hang off or on the fire at pleasure. 
 The word gaily is merely a corruption of gallows ; it 
 may be noted that in Jutl. D. galli is similarly a corrup- 
 tion o{ galge. 
 
 Galore, n. F. A quantity, esp. a large quantity ; sometimes 
 the word is used in pi. 
 Ex. — Galores o' stuff. 
 
 Gam, n. C. Fun, sport, ridicule. Dan. Gammen (mirth). 
 
 Ex. — N 00, give owerj thoo inaun 7 niak sik gam o' /' aud 
 man. 
 
 Gamashes, also abbreviated to Mashes, n. R. Gaiters. This 
 word is applied both to the long and short gaiters ; the 
 latter covering the foot only, the former more or less of 
 the leg also. They were generally made of stout cloth. 
 Under the heading ' Gamacha ' of the Glossarium Mamiale 
 of Du Cange, we read of this curious word ' pedulis lanei 
 species, quae etiam superiorem pedis partem tegit ; Gallis 
 Gamache., Occitanis Garamacho, Gainac/m, vox uti videtur 
 deducta a compagits vel gampagMs.' In our dialect the 
 word is distinctly pronounced ^i^<'7//?^i'//5/? ^5 : this is probably 
 one of the words we have got through the French. Dan. 
 Kamascher (gaiters). 
 
 Gammer, v. C. To idle about ; to be disinclined for work. 
 
 Gang, gan, v. C. To go. (The latter form is almost always 
 
GLOSSARY. 3 I 3 
 
 used.) Dan. At gange (to go), En Ganger (a goer, 
 poetic). The word is also, though less commonly, used as 
 a noun, in the sense of a way, generally a by-way. As a 
 verb, ofjji is the general form in which the verb is used. 
 In the pres. participle, ga/iiii' is commonly used as well as 
 gannin'' ^ esp. in N. Riding. 
 
 Ex. — C//' ;;// lad, be sharp, sneck f yaf, gati thi ivaysyaiu, 
 an" fettle f galloiva. — Ah doot ah ^s gamiiu' fast (i.e. I 
 am afraid Tam failing rapidly). — Sha 's nut gahht' yif. 
 Atkinson, in his Cleveland Glossary, gives as an example 
 of this word, Are you ganging or riding ?— ganging being 
 here used for walking, as opposed to riding. In Danish it 
 is also used in this sense. 
 
 Gang, n. F. A set or course, e. g. a course of thatch on the 
 roof of a house. 
 
 Gantree, n. C. A wooden stand for barrels to rest upon. 
 Gantree-tiles are the large horse-shoe drain tiles. 
 
 Gar, V. R. To make, to cause. Dan. At gjore (to do, to 
 make). 
 
 Ex. — It gars ma greet, i. e. it makes me weep. 
 
 Garfits, n. R. Entrails. 
 
 Garn, gairn, n. C. (pr. gaa'n, the vowel-sound being the 
 same as the a in air). Yarn, woollen thread. 
 
 Garsel, n. F. (pr. garsil). Dead sticks from a wood or hedge ; 
 undergrowth of woods, rubbish. Dan. Gjaerdsel (dead 
 hedge-wood). 
 
 Garth, n. C. An enclosure, generally of small dimensions — 
 as e. g. round a church or farm-house. The word is used 
 as a suffix in staggarth, fold- garth, &c. It is also commonly 
 applied to a small paddock near a farm-house. Dan. En 
 Gaard (a yard, enclosure near a house). 
 
 Gate, n. C. A way, road, street. This is a very common 
 termination to the names of streets in many of our old 
 towns and villages, e.g. Goodramgate in York, Baxter- 
 gate in Whitby, Nether-gate in Nafferton. Cf Cow-gate. 
 It is also in the plural a common adverbial suffix, e.g. 
 allgates, ony gates. It has, moreover, the secondary 
 meaning, in the singular, of manner. Dan. : En Gade 
 (a street). 
 
 Kx.—Ah can't mannish neea-gales.— He 'II cum ti /' 
 beggar-staff at that gate. 
 
 Gaum, V. V. To understand, to pay attention to. Norse 
 Gaum (attention), giva Gaum etter (pay attention toj ; also 
 gau, an obsolete word (clever). 
 
 Gaumish, adj. F. Quick-witted, intelligent. 
 Ex. — He 's a gaumish chap. 
 
 Gauve, v. C. To stare vacantly. This word is equivalent to 
 
314 GLOSSARY. 
 
 gaup, which is used also commonly, especially of women ; 
 hence gaitpy (one who stares vacantly). 
 
 Ex. — What '5 he gaiivhi' at? — What a greeaf gauviii' chap 
 ah is (said b}^ one who slipped, through not looking 
 where he was going), 
 Gauvy. n. C. A half-witted person. 
 
 Ex. — He 's a girt gauvy. 
 Gavelock, n. C. (pr. gaavlock). A crow-bar of any size; a 
 
 bar of iron. O, N. Gaflok (a dart). 
 Ga"wk, gowk, n. F. The cuckoo. Dan. Gjog (cuckoo). At 
 Kilvington the young cuckoo and its foster-mother are still 
 called /' gowk an'' titling. 
 Gay, adj. C. This word is generally used in the sense of 
 considerable, as regards size, number, &c., though its 
 primary meaning is also retained m its ordinary sense. 
 The diminutive gayish is also in common use. 
 
 Ex. — A gay few, i. e. a considerable number. — A gayish 
 nag tJiat leeaks ^at tJioo 's astthrahd. — A gay boiCk. 
 Gayly, adv. R. In good health, quite well. 
 
 Ex. — AJi 's gayly. 
 Gear, gears, gearing, n. C. Apparatus, machiner}'', furnish- 
 ings ; esp. harness. 
 
 Ex. — T' hoss gans weel iv all gears. 
 Gee, V. C. (pr.^soft). The word of command given to a horse 
 
 to turn it to the right hand. 
 Gen, v. C. To grin, to show the teeth, to cry as a child. This 
 word ma}^ also be written girn, though alwa3'S pr. gen. 
 
 Ex. — O////, laddie., gen (said by a man to a dog which 
 had been taught to show its teeth as if laughing). 
 Genning, ginning, adj. C. Besides the ordinar^^ meaning of 
 this w^ord as the participle of ^^^//, there is the secondar}^ 
 meaning of fault-finding, or discontented. 
 Ex. — Sha 's a ginnin' ait'd ivonian. 
 Gep, V. C. To try to gain knowledge secretly. 
 
 Ex. — They wer geppin^ ti git it if they could. — He gans 
 geppin aboot. 
 Gesling, n. C. A gosling. This is not a mispronunciation 
 of gosling, but the old form of the word. Dan. En 
 Gjaesling (a gosling). 
 Gess, gerse, n. C. (pr. g hard). Grass. 
 
 Get, V. C. (pr. git). This word, used though it is in the 
 ordinary sense, is also found in many dialectical variations. 
 Perhaps the commonest peculiarity of use is in the sense 
 ' is called ' ; e. g. Sha wer kessen'd Mary, bud sha awlus gits 
 Polly. Again, in the sense of to reach, visit, or call at 
 a place ; c. g. Ah want ti gan ti York, bud ah doot ah sant 
 git wahl Settherda. Such expressions as git a-gaie, git /' 
 
GLOSSARY. 315 
 
 length of, speak for themselves. As an auxiliary verb it is 
 very common ; e.g. Wa s oil git deean inoo. The word is 
 also used substantivally for a breed, e.g. What git is 7? In 
 the past tense there is also a common use of the word b\' 
 sailors on the east coast ; when a man is drowned at sea 
 a Flamborough fisherman would say. The sea gat him. 
 
 Getherer, n. C. (i) A collector: thus. Cess-getherer, the 
 rate or tax collector. (2) One who gathers the corn in the 
 harvest fields into bundles for binding. (3) A large, light, 
 four-pronged fork, often with a bow attached, for gather- 
 ing the swathes of oats into gaits or sheaves. 
 
 Getten. gitten, gotten, part. C. These are all common 
 forms of the past participle of get, the two last being the 
 commonest. 
 
 Gew-gow, n. C. (pr. with g hard, gow nearly rhyming 
 with how, but with a little of the <7-sound before the o). 
 Jew-trumps, or Jew's-harp. 
 
 Gib, n. F, (pr. g hard). A band or hook, as in a stick. 
 
 Gib-stick, n. C. (pr. g hard.) A stick with a hook at one end. 
 A nutting-hook is called a nut-stick. 
 
 Gicken, gecken, v. F. To laugh like a fool. Dan. En 
 Gjsek (a fool, a jester). 
 
 Ex. — Leeaksta hoc he gickens. 
 Cf. ' The geek and scorn o' the other's villany.' — Cym- 
 beline, v. 4. The word may be connected with giggle. 
 
 Gilder, gilderd, n. C. (pr. gildthert). A snare of horse-hair 
 for catching birds. Dan. Gilder or Gildre (a trap), 
 
 Gilefat, n. F, The tub in which ale is put in order to fer- 
 ment ; when it ' works ' well, it is said to be a. good gah If at. 
 
 Gill. n. C. (pr. g soft). A half-pint. 
 Ex.— Ah HI tak a gill o' yal. 
 
 Gill, n. C. (pr. g hard). A narrow rocky valley. Icel. Gil 
 (a dale). 
 
 Gilt, n. C. A young female pig. Jutl. D. En Gylte (a sow 
 when she is for the first time with young). 
 
 Gimmer, n. C. A female lamb from the time of birth to 
 that of weaning. Jutl. D. En Gimmer (^a ewe-lamb). 
 Icel. Gymbr. 
 
 Gimmer-hog, n. C. A ewe-lamb from w^eaning-time to first 
 shearing. 
 
 Ginner, adv. R. Rather ; more willingly. 
 Ex. — Ah ' d ginner gaii. 
 
 Gissy-gissy, n. The call of the tender of swine in summon- 
 ing them to him. Dan. En Gris (a pig). 
 
 Girt, adj. C. Great. There are two distinct forms of this 
 word, viz. greeat and giii ; the former is commonest in 
 the East, the latter in the North Riding. The pr. of girt 
 
3l6 GLOSSARY. 
 
 in the southern part of the N. R. is peculiar and difficult 
 to acquire, the vowel-sound being nearh' extinguished by 
 the consonantal ; so much so that the word might almost 
 be correctl}^ written grt. In this district it is difficult to say 
 whether the / precedes or follows the r, so closel}^ are the 
 two letters blended together in this word. 
 Gitten, p. part, of get, C. 
 
 Ex. — Theti ilioo 's gitten back. 
 Give ower, v. C. Leave off It is remarkable what a 
 strong preference is given to this expression over all its 
 equivalents ; leave off or stop is seldom if ever heard, 
 especially as a command. 
 
 Ex. — Give oiver ui /' baini ; noo ah 's telling o' ya. 
 Gizzenen, n. C. The gizzard. 
 
 Glazzen, v. C. To glaze ; hence glazzener, a glazier. 
 Glent, n. F. A glimpse, a look in passing ; also and more 
 common as a verb— to glance off after impact. 
 
 Ex. — Ah flang f steean at f yat stoop an it glented off an' 
 went thru fff ivindher. 
 Glifif, n. F. A glimpse. Dan. At glippe (to blink, wink). 
 
 Ex. — All Just catch' d a gUff on him. 
 Gloar, gloor, V. C. To stare hard. Dan. At glo (to stare, gaze). 
 
 Ex. — II Imt 's ta gloorin at ? — Thoo gloors hard. 
 Glor-fat, n. and adj. F. (pr. glorr, slightly rolling the r). 
 Soft fat, exceedingh' fat. 
 
 Ex. — // '.s glorr-fat ivvry bit on 7. 
 Glut, n, C. A wooden wedge for splitting timber. 
 Goalin, n. F. (pr. goalin). A narrow passage. This word, 
 which I have only heard of in the Wold countr}^ is 
 probably a derivative or diminutive o^ gole (a flood-gate, 
 a hollow between two hills, a throat, a narrow vale) : 
 cf. Loan, lonnin, which has the same termination as the 
 diminutive. 
 Gob, n. F, The mouth. Dan. Gab (mouth). 
 
 Ex. — Hod thi gob thoo au'dfeeal. 
 Gobstring, n. C. A string fastened to a bridle : a makeshift 
 
 bridle. 
 GoGspenny. n. C. Vide Aries. Jutl. D. Gudspenge, Faeste- 
 
 penge (earnest-money). 
 Goffen. V. F. To laugh idiotically : an E. *R. word. 
 
 Ex. — A^oo then. Goffenv, ivhat 's tJm goffenin' at? 
 Goke, n. C. (pr. gauk). The heart or central portion of any- 
 thing, as the core of an apple, or the centre of a hay- 
 stack, or the hard part of a boil, &c. 
 Ex. — Ah can t git /' gauk on 7 oot. 
 Goldie, n. C. The 3^ellow-hammer ; also commonlj^ called 
 a gold-spink. 
 
GLOSSARY. 3 1 7 
 
 Gollin, golly, n. C. A newly hatched bird. 
 Ex. — They 're lahtle bare golliiis. 
 The prefix ' bare ' is generally used before this word. 
 Good. V. C. To flatter (oneself). 
 
 Ex. — Ah gooded niysen 'at he W com ft see ma. 
 Good, adj. C. There are various peculiar uses of this word : 
 (i) Easy; e.g. good ti tell, i.e. easy of recognition. (2) 
 Well; e.g. Yarimud as good lap iip^i.Q. One might as well 
 finish ; Them '5 as good made 'mis as need be, i. e. Those 
 are as well made &c. (3) Considerable, e. g. a good feiv, 
 i. e. a considerable number. In Danish there is a simi- 
 lar usage to (2), e. g. Dette maleri er godt udfort, i. e. 
 That picture is well done ; Saa godt som aldrig, i. e. as 
 good as never ; or all but never. 
 GoodstufF, n. C. Sweetmeat. 
 
 Ex. — Q. ' What will you do with this halfpenny if I give 
 it to you .^ '— A. Wear 7 /' goodstiiff. 
 Gote, n. C. A narrow passage or opening from a road or street 
 to the water side. This word is very common in Whitb}' 
 and other places on the coast. I connect this interesting 
 word with the Danish Gade, a road or way, which in the 
 Danish dialects is written Gade, the vowel-sound of which 
 is identical with that of the Yorkshire word Gote. 
 Gotherly, adj. R. Kind-hearted. 
 
 Goupen, n. R. The hollow or ' ball ' of the hand, a handful, 
 esp. when both hands are placed together. Icel. Goupn. 
 Ex. — 77?^ gat gold by goiipens (De fik Guld i gjob- 
 ninger Jutl. D.). 
 Gowk, n. C. The cuckoo. Vide Gawk. 
 Gowland, n. C. (pr. gowlan"). The corn-marigold, also 
 applied to the yellow water-lily, called watergowland. 
 Dan. Gul (yellow). 
 Ex. — He leeaks as y alia as a gowlan'. 
 Graft, n. C. (pr. graft). The depth of a spade in digging: 
 also applied to that which is dug up b}' a single turn 
 of the spade. Dan. At grofte (to dig a trench). 
 Ex. — A spade graff deep. 
 Grain, v. C. To groan, to grumble, to complain. 
 
 Ex. — Oor Bet 's au'lus graanin' aboot siimtnat. 
 Graining, n. F. The point in the trunk of a tree where the 
 branches begin to spread out. Dan. En Gren (a branch). 
 Icel. Grein (a branch). 
 Graith, v. F. To clothe or furnish with anything ; also to fit 
 or adapt. Also used as a noun for any kind of furnishing 
 or provision, graithing being another form of the same 
 word when used as a noun. . 
 
 Ex. — He 's fettled an' graith' d. 
 
3 1 8 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Grave v. C. To dig. Dan. At grave (to dig). 
 
 Ex. — Ah 's gitten f garth graved ower, an' it 's a back 
 wahkin job been an^ all. 
 Greet, v. R. To shed tears, to weep. Dan. At grsede (to 
 weep). 
 
 Ex. — Noo then honey, thoo munna greet. 
 This old word is wellnigh obsolete, but it is known by 
 many old people. 
 Griff, n. R. A deep narrow valley. Robinson gives this 
 word in his lVhitl)y Glossary : it is probably confined 
 to the northern part of the county, at least I do not 
 remember to have ever heard it in the E. Riding. The 
 word may be connected with gylp- Swedish Grift 
 (a grave). 
 Griming, n. C. (pr. grahmin). A light sprinkling. It is 
 rather singular that a word suggestive of blackness 
 should al\va3's be applied to a light sprinkling of snow. 
 Ex. — Jitst a grahmin' o' snaw. 
 Grip, n. C. A small trench or narrow ditch ver^'- common 
 in clay districts, where, before the days of draining, 
 narrow rig and furrow were in vogue, and when cross 
 trenches or grips were cut at intervals to carry off the 
 furrow water to the side ditches of a field. 
 Ex. — 'Where's your father ?' Grippin' at Robert Garnet's. 
 Gripe, n. C. (pr. gre^^p). A three- or four-pronged fork 
 for digging purposes ; a short-handled muck-fork. Dan. 
 Et Greb (a grasp), at gribe (to grip). 
 
 Ex. — If thoo cant loivzen it wi yer hand, tak f gripe til 7. 
 Grizeley, adj. R. (pr. grahzl}^). Extremely \Jig\y. 
 Grob, n. C. A derisive term for a puny, undersized, 
 insignificant-looking person. 
 Ex. — Sha 's a lahtle grob. 
 Grossy, adj. C. Of large, ful and rapid growth. Fr. Gros. 
 
 Ex. — WdBzels is varry grossy ti-year. 
 Grue, adj. R. Grim, severe-looking ; dark. Dan. At grue 
 (to shudder at) ; gruelig (horrid). 
 Ex. — He leeaks as grue as thitnner. 
 Gruff, adj. F. Sulky, sullen. 
 Grund, n, C. (pr. grunnd ; n as in pull). Ground. Dan. 
 
 Grund (ground). 
 Grun'stan, n. C. (pr. / scarcely heard). A grindstone. 
 
 Ex. — 77/00 niun tak /' au'd lae ti /' gntn'stan. 
 Guider, n. C. (pr. gahdther). A tendon or sinew 
 Gulls, n. R. Oatmeal porridge, hasty-pudding. 
 Gyme-hole, n. R. (pr. gahmhooal). The hole caused in the 
 bank of a stream or river by the water washing a circular 
 sweep in it. Possibly this word may have the same root 
 
GLOSSARY. 319 
 
 2iS giinlef. I only know of one instance of its use ; but my 
 authority is such a rehable one that I have no hesitation 
 in inserting the word. Since writing the above, another 
 case of this word has come before my notice on the banks 
 of the Ouse below York, where there is a spot called the 
 ' Gyme pownds.' 
 Gypsey, n. C. (pr. g hard ). Streams that break out at certain 
 points in the chalk-formation in the E. R. are called 
 gypseys ; these frequently may be seen after a long con- 
 tinuance of rain. Icel. Ge3^sir (a hot spring). 
 
 H. 
 
 Hacker, v. F. To hesitate in speech, to stammer. 
 Ex. — He hackered an' staimnered. 
 
 Hackle, n. C. The natural covering of any animal, the 
 human skin ; a good hackle implies good-looking, well- 
 cared-for ; a good ' coat ' is the common equivalent. 
 Ex.— //^ '5 got a good hackle ov his back. 
 
 Haddock, n. R. A shock of corn consisting of eight 
 sheaves. In some districts a haddock was distinguished 
 from a stook by the latter having two additional sheaves 
 placed on the top of the other eight, as an extra pre- 
 caution against injury from rain. 
 
 Hag, n. R. A hedge, or a low, bushy wood. This word is 
 now not used except in field or other names. Dan. En 
 Hegn or Haek (a fence, a hedge). 
 
 Hag-berry, n. F. The bird-cherry. Dan. Hasg (bird- 
 cherry). 
 
 Haggle, V. F. To hail. This word is most frequently in 
 use in the E. R., where hailstones are in some places 
 called haggle-steeans. Dan. At hagle (to hail). 
 Ex. — // haggled heavy f last neet. 
 
 Hag-snar, n. R. A stump of a tree. 
 
 At Linton-on-Ouse there are two contiguous fields 
 called T' hag and Snahry clooas, A hundred years ago 
 this part of the township was wood, as the names imply, 
 Snahry clooas having had in it many snars or stumps of 
 trees which have been felled. 
 
 Hagworm, n. C. A snake : the word is used generically 
 rather than specifically. Robinson, in his Whitby Glossary, 
 gives the Cleveland usage of the word as synonymous 
 with viper, Dan. En Hugorm (a viper). 
 
 Hake, v. R. To follow with enquiries, to annoy, to pester ; 
 to hurry on. 
 
 Ex.— Hake ^em a7vay, i. e. urge them on almost faster 
 than they are able to go. 
 
320 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Hale, V. R. To pour water from a vessel. Dan. At haedle 
 ud (to empty). 
 Ex. — Hale it oof. 
 Hales, n. F. The handles of a plough ; the left-hand one 
 bein^ called the Steer-tree : also used for the handles of 
 a wheelbarrow. 
 Half-rocked, adj. F. Lacking in intellect, not very sharp, 
 sill3\ The idea implied by the word is not proper!}' 
 nursed, only half-rocked in the cradle. 
 Hallock, V. C. To wander idly from place to place without 
 an}' definite aim ; to ' loaf.' 
 Ex.— He gans haUockin aboot frev hoos ti hoos. 
 Hames, n. C. (pr. heeams). The moveable fittings attached 
 to a barfam or horse-collar, to which the traces are fixed 
 by a hook. 
 Ham-skackle, v. R. To tie the head of an animal to one of 
 
 its legs to hinder easy motion. 
 Hanch at, v. C. To make a grab at with intent to bite ; 
 almost always used of the dog. Possibly this word was 
 originall}^ a coursing term. 
 
 Ex. — TJiat dog d yours handled at ma when ah tried ti 
 clap him. 
 Hand-clout, n. C. (pr. han'-cloot). A towel, sometimes also 
 
 called a hand-towel. 
 Handle, v. C. In passive voice this word is used in the 
 sense of to be afflicted with sickness. 
 Ex. — He 's very qiieerly hannl d. 
 Hand-running, adv. C. (pr. han'-runnin'). One after another 
 in regular succession. 
 
 Ex. — We 've had three deeaths T V toon three tahius Jiaii- 
 ritnnin\ 
 Handsel, v. F. (pr. hansel). To use for the first time. 
 Dan. Handsel (earnest-money). 
 Ex. — Ah handsel' d niah new dhriss last Sunda. 
 Handstaff, n. C. (pr. han'-staff). The handle of a flail, at the 
 end of which is the cap to which the swipple is at- 
 tached. 
 
 Ex. — // '5 as good a han'-staff as onny i f toon. 
 Hand-turn, n. C. (pr. hanton). A stroke of work. 
 
 Ex. — Ah den't deean a hantdn this backend. 
 Hangedly, adv. C. Unwillingly, sulkily ; in a hang-head way : 
 
 from which idea the word possibly has its derivation. 
 Hank, n. C. A hitch or loop of a band or rope. Dan. 
 Hank (the ear of a pot). Norse Hank (a ring), Swedish 
 (string for tieing). 
 Hank. v. C. To tie a horse to a gate &c. by the bridle. 
 
 Ex.— 7b hank a band, i. e. to fasten or secure a band. 
 
GLOSSARY. 32 [ 
 
 Hankie, v. C. To be in a state of entanglement or in a 
 confused mass ; to be mixed up with ; to unite with : 
 generally used passively, 
 
 Ex. — Ifsa dree Job ; they ''re all seen hankledtigither. (The 
 
 reference is to the cutting of a field of beans much 
 
 overgrown with rubbish.) — Ah is vexed at oor Tom '5 
 
 gitten Jiaukled in wi sike a rafflin lot. 
 
 Hap, V. C. To cover over, to put on clothes, esp. of a heavy 
 
 kind ; to throw earth over anything ; to bury. 
 
 Ex.— //<7/> ma. — Thoo mun hap thysen weel ; it '5 varry 
 
 caiCd. — Then you 've gitten poor au'd iVillie happed up 
 
 at last. 
 
 Happen, v. C. To meet with, to fall out ; hence the sense 
 
 in which it is often used, viz. ' possibly,' ' perhaps ' ; this is 
 
 an elliptical form of ' it may happen.' The word is often 
 
 used in the sense of ' if b}^ chance,' ' if it happen that,' 
 
 ' perhaps.' 
 
 Ex. — Ah 's happened a bad accident. — Q. Is H boun ti 
 fair up, thinks ta? A. Happen it mud eftther a bit. — • 
 Ah ^11 waat happen sha cums. 
 Happing, n. C. A covering of any kind — ve^vy commonly 
 applied to bed-clothes. 
 
 Ex. — A'e ya happins eneeaf? 
 Hard, adv. C. Surely — only used in this sense in connection 
 with enough. 
 
 Ex. — Aye ! that '5 him hard eneeaf. 
 Harden, v. C. (i) To encourage, to incite, to egg on. (2) To 
 clear up gradually after long or heavy rain. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 azulus hardenin 'em on intiv a mischeef. — He 
 hardened hissen up at last, i. e. he took courage. — // '// 
 a^e ti harden oot afoor wa git onny matters d sun. 
 Harding, n. C. (pr. hard'n). Coarse linen for kitchen pur- 
 poses, wrappers, &c. 
 
 Ex. — Wheer '5 my aud hardn appron f 
 Hardlings, adv. C. (pr. hardlins). Hardly, scarcely 
 
 Ex. — Ah '5 hardlins fit yit. 
 Hard-set, adj. C. With difficulty able. 
 
 Ex. — Ah lay he '// be hard-set ti d'e deean afoor neet. — 
 Ah '5 hard-set ti walk. 
 Hark yer, or Hear yer, Hear yer, v. C. Hear 3'ou ; some- 
 times also repeated, as 'just fancy that ' is said. 
 Harrygaud, n. F. One given to riotous and noisy behaviour ; 
 also a great eater. 
 
 Ex. — Whau '5 them harry gauds 'at gans shootin' an' 
 beealin an gaapin i t ' toon ? 
 Hartree, n. C. The tail-piece of a gate. 
 Harv, V. C. A call to a horse to go to the left hand. 
 
 Y 
 
322 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Hask, hasky, adj. C. (pr. ask, asky). Dry, rough, harsh. 
 This word is ver}'' commonly appHed to a dry cold wind, 
 such as one gets in March ; also to bread which is dry 
 and coarse ; but it may be applied in many other ways. 
 Dan. Harsk (rusty, rancid). 
 
 Ex. — T' grass is bad ti cut, it 's vany ask at /' boddum. 
 — T' breead 's that asky ah can't eeat it. 
 
 Haunt, n. C. (pr. hant). A habit or custom. 
 
 Haunted, part. C. (pr. hanted). Accustomed. 
 
 Ex. —Ah s'ail nivver git hanted ti f job. — Hanted ti /' 
 spot. 
 
 Hauvy-gauvy, n. F. A stupid lout. 
 
 Haver, n. F. (pr. havver). Oats. The word is now seldom 
 heard except in connection with cake, haver-cake being 
 thin cake made of oatmeal, called also haver meal. Dan. 
 Havre (oat) ; Havre-mel (oatmeal). 
 Ex. — Havver-cake. — Havver-sack. 
 
 Hawbuck, n. C. A vulgar, mean, ignorant fellow. 
 
 Hay-bauks, n. C. Loose poles in a cowhouse, arranged for 
 holding hay for the use of the cattle. 
 
 Hazel, n. C. (pr. hezzle). To chastise with a stick, 
 
 Hazeling, n. C. (pr. hezzlin). A flogging : heshing or eshing 
 has a similar meaning, the derivation from the hazel or 
 the ground-ash being obvious. 
 
 Hazzled, adj. R. Speckled with red and white — applied to 
 beasts so coloured. 
 
 Head-rigg, n. C. The headland of a field, where they turn 
 when ploughing, and which is itself finally ploughed 
 horizontally to the rest of the field. 
 
 Head-stall, n. C. A halter. 
 
 Heart-grown, adj. R. Strongly attached to. 
 
 Ex. — They were despertly heart-grown on it. 
 
 Heave, v. C. To throw corn from one place to another so 
 as to expose it to a current of wind in order to roughly 
 winnow it. 
 
 Heck, n. C. A rack for fodder. Dan. En Haek (a rack), 
 also called Foderhaek. There is another application of 
 this word, or rather another word of the same form, 
 signifying the inner door of a house opening towards 
 the outer door. It is also used of the double doors 
 on the floor of a granary through which the sacks of 
 corn are hauled up ; in this sense it is sometimes pro- 
 nounced hetch. 
 
 Ex. — // blaws cau'd J steck V heck. 
 
 Heckling, n. C. A scolding. 
 
 Ex. — He gav him a good heckling. 
 
 Heeall, yal, adj. C. Whole. 
 
GLOSSARY. 323 
 
 ■ '■ Ex. — Ak ^ve deean /' heeal on 7. — Ah telVd him V yal 
 
 ti deea. 
 Heeze, v. R. To breathe thickly or hoarsely ; hence heazy 
 
 (wheez}^). Dan. Haes (hoarse). 
 Heft, V. F. To supply with a handle ; most frequent in 
 passive — to be supplied with a handle ; hence, to be fitted 
 with, or simply to be supplied with. 
 
 Ex. — He 's iveel hefted wi brass, i. e. he is well off. 
 Heft, n. C. (i) A handle. (2) An excuse, a pretence. Dan. 
 En Hefte (a hilt or handle of a sword). 
 Ex. — // '5 all heft, i. e. it 's a mere excuse. 
 Helm, n. C. (sometimes pr. helium and sometimes helm). A 
 shed (generally roughly built) in the fields or elsewhere 
 for cattle ; a hovel. Dan. Hjaelm (a kind of open 
 shed on four posts, for corn, the cover of which rises and 
 falls as occasion requires). Icel. Hjalmr, 
 Helter. n. C. A halter ; hence heltering — a term applied to 
 the first lesson in ' breaking ' a young colt or filly, when 
 a long halter shank or cart rope is attached, and when it 
 often takes half a dozen or more men and lads to drag 
 the animal forward nolens volens. 
 Hemmel, n. R. A wooden bar or hand-rail. Dan. En 
 Hammel (a splinter-bar). Jutl. D. Hamlestok (the beam 
 fastened by a bolt to a waggon pole, to which the two 
 swingle-trees are secured). 
 Hempy, adj. R. Mischievous. 
 
 Henbauk, n. C. The beam on which fowls roost ; hence a 
 hen-roost, sometimes termed bauk for shortness ; also 
 used figuratively for bed. 
 
 Ex. — Ah '5 boun ti flig up ti f banks, i. e. I am going 
 to bed. 
 Hen-bird. n. C. The domestic fowl. Cocks and hens are 
 
 generally designated male bo'ds and hen bo'ds. 
 Heronsew, n. C. The heron. O. Fr. Heronceau (the heron). 
 Heshing, eshing, n. C. Vide Hazeling. 
 
 Hesp, n. C. The fastening of gates, doors, windows, &c. ; 
 but esp. of gates, that being also called a sneck. Dan. 
 En Hasp (a bolt or fastening of a door). 
 Hetch, n. F. The loose back-board of a cart ; an E. R. word. 
 
 Vide Heck, 
 Hig, n. (i) C, (2) F. (i) Offence taken. (2) A sudden shower 
 of rain. 
 
 Ex. — (i) Sha 's tden t' hig. This is a very common 
 
 expression when a person previously on good terms 
 
 passes an acquaintance without speaking.) — (2) March 
 
 higs. 
 
 High-larnd, adj. C. Highly learned ; i. e. highly educated, 
 
 Y 2 
 
324 GLOSSARY. 
 
 well-read. High-up is similarl}'' used for one in a high 
 position in society. 
 
 Hind. n. C. A higher class agricultural labourer; i.e. one 
 who has a house on the farm rent-free, and who acts as 
 manager of a farm or part of a large farm under the 
 farmer or owner of the property. The hind is in quite a 
 different position from a bailiff in this, that the hind always 
 works with his own hands of necessity, which the bailiff 
 does not. Again, the hind is to be distinguished from 
 the foreman, who is simph' priniits inter pairs, whereas 
 the hind is in a somewhat higher position, inasmuch as 
 he has more control and responsibility than a foreman, 
 besides, as a rule, having higher wages. A farmer who 
 rents two farms generallj?' puts a hind into one of the 
 houses and lives himself in the other. (This word is 
 frequently pr. hine.) 
 
 Hinderends, n. C. Tail-corn ; i. e. corn which is light and 
 poorer in quality than the rest, and so is blown by the 
 winnowing-machine along with the chaff. Such corn is 
 generally used as food for chickens. 
 
 Hing, V. C. To hang ; to cling to, esp. as an ailment. 
 
 Ex. — // kings for rain ; i. e. it threatens or looks likely 
 to rain. — Sha /rings an' trails aboot. 
 
 Hing-by, n. R. A hanger on. Dan. Haeng paa (dependent). 
 
 Hipe, V. C. To push with the horns (said of cattle) ; also 
 used metaphorically— to attack or assail with accusations 
 as to character or conduct. 
 
 Ex. — They 're awlus hiping at ma. 
 
 Hiper, n. C. A mimic 
 
 Hirple, v. R. (pr. hopple). To stick up the back, as cattle 
 under a hedge in cold weather. 
 
 Hirsel, v. R. To move restlessly. 
 
 Hissen, pron. C. Himself. ///5-5^/ is also very common, but 
 not so frequentl}'' heard in the E. R. as His-sen. 
 Ex. — He 'II a'e ti gan wiv hissen. 
 
 Hitch, V. C. To hop. 
 
 Ex. — Ah 11 hitch tha ti yon yaf (a boy's challenge). 
 
 Hitch, strahd, an' loup, n. C. Hop, step, and jump. A 
 slight variation of this, the orthodox form, is Hitch, strahd, 
 Jamie, strahd, loup, the jamie being a crossing of the legs 
 after the hitch. 
 
 Hoarst, adj. C. Hoarse. 
 
 Ex. - Ah '5 that hoarst ah can hardlins talk. 
 The old dialectical word, now obsolete, for the throat w^as 
 hause, with which hoarst is connected. 
 
 He'd, V. C. To hold. This word, with the corresponding 
 noun, is used in a great many connections, but all more or 
 
GLOSSARY. 325 
 
 less with the sense of holding or retaining : e. g. Tak hod 
 is ' take hold ' ; Ho\i tin noise is ' keep quiet ' ; a hod is ' a 
 holding of land ' ; //' ho' d fair is ' to continue fine weather ' ; 
 // ho'd talk or pross ' to have a gossiping talk,' the Dan. 
 equivalent to this use being At holde Snak. 
 
 Hog or Hogget, n. C. A young sheep from the time of its 
 being weaned to that of first shearing. Hogs are of two 
 kinds, wether-hogs and gimmer-hogs, so called according 
 to sex ; after shearing they are all called shearlings. 
 
 Hoit, V. F. To play the fool ; hence the noun, one who plays 
 the fool. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 a hoit. 
 
 Holl, n. R. A hollow in land. 
 
 Hollin, n. C. The holly. 
 
 Holm, n. C. (as a place-name) (pr. home or howm ; in Dan. 
 the / is sounded). Land which at times is or has been 
 liable to be surrounded or partly surrounded by water. 
 Dan. Holm (an islet). 
 
 Honey, n. C. (pr. hunny, i.e. with the ^/-sound as in put). 
 A word addressed continually to children, and often, too, 
 by the old to grown-up people, as a term of endearment ; 
 it corresponds to ' dear ' in Std. Eng., that word being never 
 so used in the dialect. The derivation is obvious. 
 
 Ex. — Cuju thi waays, hunny. 
 This word is frequently found in Shakespeare in a 
 similar sense. 
 
 Hoodend, n. C. The ends or corners of the large open fire 
 and chimney place such as was always to be found in old 
 houses, and which may still be seen occasionally. In the 
 hoodend there was space for seats, and in the evenings 
 generally was to be seen f au'd man at one side, and /' 
 au'd lass at the other ; these were comfortable corners. 
 At the present time, when houses are diflerently designed, 
 the hoodend, properly so-called, is done away with, but the 
 name is retained, and I have frequently heard it applied to 
 the hobs of an ordinary iron fire-grate — a poor substitute 
 for the hoodend of older days. The hoodend evidently gets 
 its name from the fact of the fireplace and chimney being 
 built somewhat like a hood in shape, the part in question 
 forming the end of the hood, so to speak. It was formerly, 
 and is still often called simply the hood. 
 Hoof, Hofe, n. R. (pr. heeaf). The abode whether of man 
 or beast, esp. sheep ; when sheep were assigned a pasture 
 on the Moors, they were said to be ' hoofed ' to it. 
 Hooind, part. F. Harassed, fatigued. I have only heard of 
 
 this word being used in the E. R. 
 Hoomer, n. R. The grayling. 
 
326 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Hopper, n. C. The basket containing the seed-corn, and 
 hung by a strap across the shoulder of the sower — called 
 also a seed-lip. 
 
 Hoos-lek, n. C. The houseleek, commonly planted on the 
 ridge of thatched houses. When bruised with cream it is 
 supposed to be good for scalds or burns. 
 
 Hopple, V. C. To tie the legs of an animal so as to retard 
 free motion, that with which the legs are tied being called 
 a hopple. This word is also used in the sense of to limp, 
 which of course would be the natural result of tieing the 
 legs ; but the w^ord is used when the legs are free, though 
 the motion is of a Hmping character. It is another form 
 of hobble. 
 
 Ex. — He gans hopplin' aboof. 
 
 Horse-gogs, n. C. A j-ellow" plum which hangs on the tree 
 till nearly Christmas. The}^ were very common near 
 Raskelfe. Atkinson applies the word to a highly astrin- 
 gent blue plum which grows abundantl}^ in the Cleveland 
 district. 
 
 Hotter, V. R. (pr. hotther). To shake up, to throw into a 
 state of confusion, to romp or play, especially with an 
 animal inclined to be playful. The word is also used as 
 a noun, a hotter being equivalent to a shaking-up ; e. g. a 
 dog-hotter would mean a game of romps with a dog, such 
 as a child would indulge in. 
 
 Ex. — They ivere all hottJiered tigither. 
 
 Hound, V. R. To incite others, to some unworthy purpose 
 (as a rule). The usual term is to harden. 
 
 Ex. — Jack zuas aiCd eneeaf ti knaw better, bud he nobbut 
 hoonded f others on (said of lads maltreating a 
 donkey). 
 
 House, n. C. The use of this word is quite peculiar : it does 
 not signify the entire house in the ordinary sense of the 
 word, but onl}^ the daily room in which the occupants sit : 
 this single room, however small it may be, is called /' 
 hoos, the upper rooms being called cham'rs, i. e. chambers. 
 Dan. Et hus (a house). 
 
 Ex, — Sha '5 nut V bed, sha '5 /' /' hoos. 
 
 Housefast, adj. C. Confined to the house through illness or 
 some infirmity. 
 
 Housen, n. R. (pr. hoosen). Houses. An old plural. I 
 have occasionally heard this old form used even recently 
 on the moors in Cleveland. 
 Ex. — Aback o' /' hoosen. 
 
 Hout, interj. F. An expression denoting incredulit}'' on 
 hearing some statement, and corresponding to ' nonsense ' 
 ' surely not,' (Sic. 
 
GLOSSARY. '>^1'] 
 
 Hover, v. C. (pr. hower or 'ower). To hang over : it is how- 
 ever generally used in the sense of to wait, to stop, to 
 take time. 
 
 Ex. — Hower whahl they come up. — Thoo inmt 'ower 
 a bit. 
 Howsomever, conj. R. fpr. hoosumiwer). Howsoever. 
 Howze, Ouse, v. C. To bale out water from a vessel or re- 
 ceptacle. Dan. At ose (to bale), ose en baad (bale a 
 boat). 
 
 Ex. — A'eya owz'd /' watther oot on H? 
 Hubbleshoo, n. R. A great commotion among people. 
 Huffil, hoflB.1, n. C. A finger-stall, or finger-poke. O. N. 
 
 Hufa (a hood). 
 Hug, V. C. To carry. This word is used to express every 
 kind of carrying, whether e. g. carrying out for burial, 
 or holding any light article, like a stick ; it is never used 
 in the ordinary sense, to embrace. 
 
 Ex. — Hug it. — Sha 'II nivver cum oot na mair whahl 
 sha 's hug g'doot. — Wheea hugs V kei ? (who carries 
 the key ?) 
 Hiiggan, Ooven, n. F. The hip. 
 Hiike, n. R. The hip. This word is another form oi yuk 
 
 (a hook). Dan. At huke (to hook). 
 Hull, Hullin, n. C. The shell or outer covering of peas, 
 nuts, &c. Also used as a verb. Dan. At haele (to 
 conceal). 
 
 Ex. — Thoo mun braay it weel ti git f hiilUns off. 
 Hummel, v. C. To break off the awns of barley after thrash- 
 ing. The past part, (hummel'd) signifies hornless, being 
 applied generally to a cow without horns, such an animal 
 being termed a hummeld coo. 
 Hunger, v. C. (The g is pr. as in singer.) To suffer from 
 hunger ; to starve. 
 
 Ex. — Ah '5 oimnost hungered ti deead. — Alt '5 that hun- 
 gered whahl ah can hardlins hahd. — T' pigs is beealin 
 seea, ah lay you 've been hungerin' 'em. 
 Hurne, n. O. A corner by the side of the hoodend in old 
 houses, in which ' fire-eldin ' was kept. Jutl. D. Hjorne 
 (a corner). 
 Hussocks, n. C. Tufts of coarse grass growing in pastures, 
 
 esp. in moist ground. 
 Hut, n. F. A ridge of clay in the bed of a river. This word, 
 to which clay is generally prefixed, is well known in 
 places on the banks of the Ouse. 
 
3^8 GLOSSARY. 
 
 I, prep. C. fpr. /-short). In. Before a vowel v is generally 
 added for euphony. Dan. I (in). 
 Ex. — // brak i two iv 'er hans. 
 Ice shoggle, or shoglin, n. C. Icicle. Jutl. D. En Egle (an 
 
 icicle). 
 If in case, if so be that, conj. C. Common redundancies 
 
 for ' if.' 
 If no more, C. If not more. 
 
 Ex. — There 11 be a scoore on 'eni, if no mair. 
 Ill, adj. C. Bad. This word is commonly used in the 
 dialect in the same way as yi the old proverb, ' It is 
 an ill wind that blows nobody any good.' Dan. lid (ill). 
 Ex. — Sparrow-feathers diznf niak an ill bed when weel 
 deeaned an' ruddled. — There was ill deed amang 'em. 
 Illify, V. C. To speak evil of people behind their backs ; to 
 take away a person's character. Dan. Ilde (ill). 
 
 Ex.- — SJia diz nowtbud illify ma. — They 're awlus illifyin'' 
 yan anoother. 
 Ill thriven, adj. F. Feebly or imperfectly developed ; 
 having the appearance of illness. The prefix ill is here, 
 as in other instances, used in the sense o^ badly. 
 Ill-turn, n. C. Mischief, harm, an injury. 
 Imp, n. F. An added ring of straw or other material inserted 
 at the base of a beehive to increase its size. Dan. En 
 Ympe (a graft). 
 Ings, n. C. Grass-land near water, generally low-lying. 
 The singular number of the word is never used ; a double 
 plural ingses is frequently heard. Dan. En Eng (a 
 meadow near water). In West Jutland the low-lying 
 fields or grazing-land close to the sea are called Enge. 
 Ex.— T' wattJier 's gitten all ower f ingses. — T' beeas was 
 /' /' ings last neet 
 Ingate, n. F. A way in, an entrance. 
 Ingle, n. R. Fire ; hence ingle neuk, the fireside corner, 
 
 called also ingle-neeakin. 
 Inkleweavers, n. F. Weavers of inkle, i. e. a narrow fabric 
 something like tape, and formed}^ used somewhat as tape. 
 The word is also used as an opprobrious epithet, and is 
 applied collectively to those who cause trouble. 
 Ex. — They ^re all inkleweavers tigither is that lot. 
 Inow, adv. C. (pr. inoo). Shortly, soon, presentl3^ The 
 derivation of this very common expression is not clear, 
 and its meaning rather variable according to circum- 
 stances, being sometimes ahnost equivalent to ' at once,' 
 and sometimes to ' after some little time.' When in Den- 
 mark, I have been much struck by the identical pro- 
 
GLOSSARY. 329 
 
 nunciation of the Danish endpiu (yet, as yet, even now), 
 and the Yorkshire inoo : the following sentence, Du maa 
 ei koinme endnii (you must not come yet, i. e. at once), when 
 pronounced quickly, sounds exactly the same as Thoo 
 maiint corn inoo. In this connection jv// would be used in 
 the dialect ; still, the sentence as it stands would be quite 
 understood, except that ei for not is dissimilar. 
 
 Insense, v. C. (the accent is on the second syllable). To 
 inform, to enlighten a person, to instruct or explain. 
 Ex. — AJi 'II seean insense tha inti V yal ti deea (' York 
 Minster Screen.') — He HI gie tha f brass hard eneeaf ' 
 nobbitt he 's reetly insensed. 
 This word is found in Shakespeare apparently with a 
 similar meaning. Vide p. 89. 
 
 Intak, n. F. Land enclosed from a common, road, tSic, 
 generally a small piece. Dan. At indtage (to take in). 
 
 Inti, intil, intul, intiv, prep. C. Into. It is impossible to 
 give a fixed rule as to the uses of the different forms of 
 this word ; inti however is used before a consonant, and 
 intiv before a vowel ; intil and intul^ though not so fre- 
 quent, are still very common, esp. at the end of a sentence 
 and before ' it' 
 
 Ex. — There '5 neea spot ti put V gallowa intid. — Noo, lads, 
 rant awaay intul '/. 
 
 Intiv, prep. C. Vide Inti. 
 
 Iv, prep. C. Vide I. 
 
 J. 
 
 Jack, n. C. Half a gill ; i. e. a quarter pint. 
 
 Jag, n. C. A light load, as much as will fill the body of a 
 
 cart without being piled up. 
 Jannock, adj. C. Even, level ; hence, fair, just and right — the 
 sense in which the w^ord is generally used. Dan. Jaevn 
 (even, equal). 
 
 Ex. — Jannock (a common quasi-interjection when two 
 parties are bargaining). — It isn't Jannock. 
 Jaup, V. C. To shake violently water or other liquid in a 
 vessel. 
 
 Ex. — Deean'tjaup it aboot. 
 Jealous, adj. C. Apprehensive, afraid lest. 
 
 Ex. — Ah wer jealous sha wer bomi ti be awkward. — Ah 's 
 jealous he weean't cum. 
 Jenny-owlet, n. C. (pr. jinny-ullot). The screech-owl. 
 Jimmer, n. F. The hinge of a door ; also applied to small 
 hinges. A Holderness word. 
 
 Ex. — T' deear beealsoot on f jitnmer, i. e. the door creaks 
 
 on the hinge. 
 
33° GLOSSARY. 
 
 Job, V. C. To trade in. 
 
 Ex. — Q. What diz he deea ? A. He jobs a few hens or owt. 
 
 Jodder, n. F. fpr, jodther). A state of shaking or quivering. 
 Atkinson gives an amusing example of the use of this 
 word, viz. ' Well, how did you like your ride on the rail- 
 way, Mrs. B ? ' (A very stout unhealthy fat woman.) 
 Wheea, sae badly, ah'll nivver gan i yan a thae nasty vans 
 nae niair. Ah trimmVd an^ dither'' d ivhahl I witr all iv a 
 jother. 
 
 Joggle-stick, n. C. The movable stick in a cart, with w^hich 
 the body of the cart is secured to the shafts, the stick 
 being removed when the cart has to be tilted. 
 
 Joskin, n. F. A country lad. I have only heard of this word 
 being used in the E. R. 
 
 Joul, V. C. (pr. jowl or jaul). To jolt, to shake. 
 Ex. — They gat thersens sadly jauled ivi f rahd. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kale, Kail, Gael, n. F. (pr. keeal). Porridge, broth ; hence 
 kale-pot, F. Dan. Kaal, Kaal-potte. Wei. Caulen (cole- 
 wortj, Cawl (broth). Lat. Caulis. Gr. /cnuAo? (a cabbage). 
 
 Kame, n. C. (pr. keeam). A comb ; also used as a verb, of 
 which the p.p. is kenit. Dan. At kjaemme, p.p. kjsemmet 
 (combed). 
 
 Ex. — Git thi hair keni't. 
 
 Kansh, n. F. (i) A hard ridge of gravel or rock in the bed 
 of a river, dangerous to navigation. (2) A rough channel 
 cut on a road to carry off the surface water sidewa3'S into 
 the ditch. 
 
 Kave, V. C. (pr. keeave). To rake the ' pulls ' and ' caff' from 
 corn in thrashing ; also to paw the ground impatiently, 
 as a horse in good condition does. Norse Kava (to 
 scrape with the hands) ; Swedish Kafva ; Icel. Kafa. 
 
 Keck, V. F. To make the effect produced by something 
 between a cough and a choke ; also used as a noun. 
 
 Keckenhearted, adj. C. Over particular in the matter of 
 food, dainty, loathing the sight of food. 
 Ex. — They We varry keckenliearted 'iins. 
 
 Kedge, v. C. To fill ; generally applied to eating and drink- 
 ing. Hence a kedge, one who eats greedily ; also kedging, 
 food of any kind. 
 
 Ex. — They 're kedgin' tJier iftsahds wi mulTd yal an' 
 ivhistlejacket. — He 's oiver-kedg' d hissen. 
 
 Keek, v. R. (pr. keeak). To raise perpendicularly ; to tilt up 
 a cart, or partially so, in order that it may be the more 
 readily loaded. 
 
GLOSSARY. 331 
 
 Keld, n. O. (pr. kel). A spring of water. This word is now 
 only to be found in place-names. Dan. Kilde ; Jutl. D. 
 Kel (a spring). 
 Kelk, n. C. (i) A heavy blow or thump. (2) The common 
 foetid parsley of the hedgerows. 
 
 Ex. — He gov him sikaii a kelk ower 7 shoodthers. 
 Kelter, n. C. Condition, state, case ; esp. when applied to 
 an animal, e. g. a horse. This word has also sometimes 
 the meaning oi money. 
 
 Ex. — He 's a bit d good keltther aboot him. 
 Kelterment, n. C. Things of no real value, odds and ends, 
 rubbish. 
 
 Ex. — Ah nivver seed sike kelterment ; they 're good ti nowt. 
 Ken, V. C. To know, to recognise, to be acquainted with. 
 The use of this word is not so general as it used to be. 
 Dan. At kjende (to know). 
 
 Ex. — Ah can't kenya, bairn. — Di ya ken whau yon man 
 is? — Yan wadn't ken /' hoos noo (said after a house 
 had been re-furnished). 
 Kenning, n. C. Knowledge, recognition. Dan. Kjending 
 (acquaintance). 
 
 Ex. — Ah 've neea kennin' for hirn, i. e. I do not recognise 
 him. 
 This word is also the common pr. for churning; e.g. a 
 kenniii o' biitther is a churning of butter. 
 Kenspaek, adj. F. Easy to be distinguished or recognised. 
 This is no doubt the right form of this old word, though 
 kensmak may be sometimes used. Jutl. D. Kjendespag 
 (one who easily distinguishes). 
 
 Ex. — That '5 maist kensmak' d o' /' two^ i. e. that is the 
 better hkeness of the two. 
 Kep. V. C. To catch anything that is thrown or tossed, as a 
 ball, brick, &c. Icel. Kippa (to catch hold of). 
 Ex. — Kep it. — Noo ! canst ta kep ? 
 Kern, n. C. (pr. ken, approximate!}'). A churn; also commonly 
 
 used as a verb for the act of churning or being churned. 
 Kern, n. R. The form which this word generally takes is 
 kerning, and may be equivalent to kerneling : e. g. a good 
 kei'ning time is a good time for the grain to set after the 
 blooming ; and when it has well set it is said to be weel 
 coornea. 
 Kess'mas, Kess'nmas, n. C. Christmas. 
 Kess'n, v. C. To christen ; hence Kess'nd name (Christian 
 
 name). 
 Kest, V. C. To cast, to throw off— the past part being kess'n. 
 This word is commonly applied to throwing off any ail- 
 ment, e. g. a severe cold. 
 
^^'Z GLOSSARY. 
 
 Ex. — T' lahtle lass has had V kincough afdinith, an' sha 
 hesrCt kess'n 7 yit. — Wa tiiamt't kest wer flanmn skets 
 yitj it 's ower cau'd hi haitf. 
 Ket, n. C. Carrion, tainted meat ; also used as an adj. in 
 the sense of ' high.' Dan. Kjod (flesli meat). 
 Ex. — Ah can't eeat sike ket. 
 Ket-man, n. F. One who deals in dead animals, a knacker. 
 
 Ex. — T aiCd hoss is /it for nowt bud f ket-man. 
 Ketlock, n. C. The common charlock ; also called brassic, 
 esp. in the East Riding. 
 
 Ex. — They We pullin kctlocks yonder, see ya. 
 Kevel, n. R. A large hammer used in quarrying. 
 Kex, n. F. The dry seed-stem of the fools-parsley, cow- 
 parsnip, &c. 
 
 Ex. — As dJiry as a kex. 
 Kid, n. R. A bundle. It is noteworthy that this word is 
 only retained in connection with 'whins' or thorns ; e. g. 
 A kid o' whins. 
 
 The form kidding is also in use in Holderness, and 
 
 signifies strengthening the bank of a river, &c., by laying 
 
 bundles of thorns along the weak places. Wei. Cidysen 
 
 (a faggot). 
 
 Kindling, n. C. (pr. kinhn). Material for lighting a fire, 
 
 generally wood. 
 Kink, V. C. To laugh so as to gasp for breath. 
 
 Ex. — He fair kinked ageean wi laitgliin\ 
 Kink, n. C. A twist in a rope ; also used participially in 
 the sense of twisted. The word s commonly applied, too, 
 to a violent fit of coughing. Dan. Kink (a nautical term 
 for a twist on a rope). 
 
 Ex. — A kink d laughter. — T' raupe 's gotten kinked. 
 Kink-cough, n. C. (pr. kin'-cough). The whooping-cough. 
 
 Jutl. D. Kink-hoste (whooping-cough). 
 Kirk, n. R. A church. This word is now seldom heard 
 except in place-names, chetch having pretty generally 
 supplanted it. Dan. Kirke (church). 
 Kirkgarth, n. F. A churchyard. Dan, Kirkgaard (church- 
 yard). 
 Kirk-warner, n. F. A churchwarden ; now generally called 
 
 chetch-ivarner. 
 Kist, n. C. A chest, in its various senses. Dan. Kiste (a 
 
 chest), Ligkiste (a coffin). 
 Kit, n. F. A small pail for milking, and having a perpendi- 
 cular handle. Sometimes the kit was carried on the head. 
 The word is also used for a small kind of tub of similar 
 shape, e.g. a sau't-kit, a kit for keeping salt in. 
 Kite, n. C. The belly ; hence the adj. kity. 
 
GLOSSARY. ^^^ 
 
 Kitling n. C. (pr. kitlin). A kitten. Dan. Killing (kitten). 
 
 Kittle, kitling:, adj. C. Easily put in motion, ticklish, 
 excitable Dan. Kilden (ticklish). 
 
 Ex. — As kittle as a nioos-ti'op. — A kitling cough. 
 
 Kittle, V. C. To tickle, to excite. Dan. At kildre (to tickle). 
 
 Kitty-keis, n. F. The seeds of the ash-tree ; called also 
 cats and eyes. 
 
 Knack, v^ C. To talk affectedly, to talk in a mincing manner. 
 Kx.—A/i deean't ken their knick-knackin talk. — He spoils 
 hissen sadly wi knackin. 
 
 Knag, n. F. A stubble rake. Dan. En Knag (a wooden 
 peg to hang anything upon). 
 
 Knap, V. C. To give a short but quick blow, esp. with a 
 stick ; to knock ; also to crack anything into pieces which 
 is brittle, as a grain of corn between the teeth, a stone, 
 &:c. Also used correspondingly as a noun. 
 
 Ex. — Keep them fingers oot o' /' tthreeacle or they 'II git 
 knapp'd inoo. 
 
 Knap, n. C. A rogue, a knave. 
 
 Knar, n. F. A knot or small piece of hard wood for playing 
 the game of ' knar and spell,' called more commonly in 
 the North Riding ' dab and spell,' dab being the short 
 blow or knap requisite to raise the knar, and spell being 
 properly not the ' trap ' but the act of playing. From 
 Dan. Spil (play). 
 
 Knep, V. C. To nibble, to bite off. Dan. Knibe (to pinch). 
 Vide Wip. . 
 
 Ex. — T' ait' d coo's been kneppin t' young shuts off ageean. 
 
 Knodden, part, of Knead. Jutl. D. Knaede (to knead). 
 
 Knoll, V. F. To toll a bell, esp. a church bell ; e. g. at a 
 funeral. Dan. Knald (a report). 
 Ex. — Wheea 's f bell knolliii for? 
 
 IS^sfe, n. F. Cows. Whether this be an old plural of cow or 
 not is uncertain ; there is however a seeming analogy 
 between the Yorkshire Koo — Kye and the Danish Ko— 
 Koer. Icel. Kyr. 
 
 Ijabber, v. R. To splash about in water or mud. Dan. At 
 
 labe (to lap). 
 
 Ex. — He labbered aboot V V watther. 
 Labour some, adj. F. Laborious and fatiguing. 
 Lae, n. C. (pr. lay and leea). A scythe ; hence Leea-sattd, 
 
 i. e. sand of a biting kind for sharpening a scythe. Dan. 
 
 En Le (a scythe). This word is most common in the E. R. 
 
 at the present time. Another form of the word was lye — 
 
334 GLOSSARY. 
 
 this was used in the Northallerton district, and may be 
 so still, My aiCd lye being there a common expression ; 
 lae, however, was a much commoner form, 
 Lafter, n. C. A ' sitting ' of eggs, i. e. the whole number on 
 which a hen sits at one time. Sometimes also the word 
 is appHed jestingly to a large family of children. When 
 the hen has laid the last ^gg before sitting she is said to 
 have ' laid her lafter'; hence some have called that ^gg 
 only the lafter, but generally it is applied to the entire 
 number. 
 
 Ex. — Ah aims she 's Ugged her lafter (Atk., CI. Gloss.). 
 Lag, n, C. One of the wooden divisions of a cask or tub. 
 Lagged, part. F. Tired, exhausted. 
 
 Ex. — Ah feels omniaist lagged ti deead. 
 Lahtle, adj. C. Little. Vide Lile. O. N. Litill. 
 Lair, n. F. A barn; mostly used in the E. R. Dan. En 
 Lade (a barn). 
 
 Ex. — // '5 liggin ov oor lair fie ear. 
 Lake, v. C. fpr. laak). To play. Dan. At lege (to pla}'). 
 Icel. Leikr (a game). This word is commonly added 
 as a suffix to a specific game, e.g. ball-laakin, creckit- 
 laakin, Sec. 
 
 Ex. — Will la corn an' laak a bit, Jack ? 
 Lame, v. C. To hurt ; to damage ; to render any member 
 of the body incapable of performing its functions properly. 
 Ex. — Ah 've laamed my han' sadly. — Ah '5 weeanflv 
 laam'd /' my sJioodher wi t ' rheumatics. 
 Land, n. C. (pr. Ian). The space between two adjacent fur- 
 rows in a ploughed field. 
 Land, v. C. (i) To reach one's destination. (2) To succeed. 
 Ex. — (i) Ah had ti put V au'd meer intiv a muck lather, 
 bud it 's owe red, au' ah 's landed (said by one who had 
 driven hard to catch a train). — (2) Dust ta think thoo '11 
 land ? 
 Lang, adj. C. Long. Dan. Laeng (long). 
 
 Ex. — Deean't be ower lang. 
 Lang- length, adv. C. (pr. lang-lenth). At full length. 
 
 Ex. "Ah see'd him stthritcHd lang-lenth upd f grunnd. 
 Langsettle, n. C. A long wooden seat with high back and 
 an arm at each end ; used to be common in public-houses, 
 and may still be seen pretty frequently. A. S. Setl. 
 Ex. — Ah seed him set V f langsettle ower anenst us. 
 Langsome, adj. R. Long and tedious. Jutl. D. Langsom (slow). 
 Lantered, part. R. Belated, delayed instarting, esp. on a 
 
 journey. Dan. Laente (to linger). 
 Lantern light, n. C. (pr. lantron leet). The horn of a lantern 
 through which the light shines. 
 
GLOSSARY. ^o^j 
 
 Lanty, n. F. Late one, slow- coach ; generally addressed to 
 one who keeps others waiting. 
 Ex. — Noo ! lanty. 
 Lapband, n. F. Hoop-iron. 
 
 Lapcock, n. C. The first form of collected hay after spread- 
 ing, consisting in twisting a ' fold ' of hay in the arms and 
 laying it lightly on the ground. In a wet ' hay time' this 
 was commonly done in certain districts, and is so still 
 occasionally ; in this state, by afacoti de parler, the hay is 
 said to be ' off the ground.' 
 
 Ex. — Wa ninn de wer haay inti lapcock. 
 Lap, V. C. To wrap ; generally followed by ?//>, but by no 
 means always so ; when so followed it has also the 
 meanings to finish, to give up, to stop work, &c. 
 * Ex. — T" stuff were lapp'd iv a bit d paaper. — // wer lapp'd 
 roond wi band. — Ah think Willie 's varry seean lapp'd 
 up zvi f job. —It 's aboot tahni ti lap up. 
 Larkheel'd, adj. C. Having receding heels, the opposite of 
 duck-heeled ; said of persons. 
 
 Ex. — Ska '5 a regular larkheeP d hin yon. 
 Lasty, adj. C. Durable, esp. of wearing apparel, or indeed 
 of any fabric or material. 
 
 Ex. — It '5 a bit o' good lasty stuff". 
 Lathe, n. R. A barn ; sometimes the word was used for the 
 ends of a barn only. Another form of lair. Dan. Lade (barn). 
 Lat, n. C. A lath. 
 Late, V. C. To seek. Dan. At lede (to seek). 
 
 Ex. — Q. Wheer 's that lad ov 'oors ? A. Ah deean't knaw; 
 ah laay he 's laatin bo'd-nests. 
 Later, n. F. A seeker. 
 
 Ex. — When something had been lost, boys, as they 
 begin to search, will sometimes say to one another, 
 Lossers, laters j findders, keepers ; i. e. You who have 
 lost and you who seek, let it be understood that those 
 who find what you have lost will keep it. 
 Latty, adj. C. Thin, like a lat. 
 
 Ex. — Mr. A.'s a tall latty man. 
 Lax, n. C. Diarrhoea, or complaints of a similar nature. 
 Lay, V. C. To half cut a hedge. Vide Lig. 
 Lead, v. C. (i) To convey goods on a cart ; to carry, cart, 
 haul. (2) To navigate a vessel through a short bend in 
 a river. Vide Rack. 
 Ex. — (i) Wa start leadin' ti-morn. — Matty 'sgitten his haay 
 led, then. — T' parson 's on leadin\ — (2) They 're leading 
 f rack. 
 Lead-eater, n. R. India-rubber. In former years this was 
 the term always applied to this article. 
 
336 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Leafs, n. C. The thick lines of fat along a pig's carcase. 
 Learn, v. C. (pr. larn). To teach. 
 
 Ex. — He nivver larnt nia nowt. 
 Lease, v. R. To pick out, to gather by picking ; hence leasing, 
 
 i.e. the separating of two kinds of corn in the sheaf 
 Leathe-wake, adj. F. (pr. leeath-wek). Pliant or supple in 
 limb. Jutl. D. Lede-myg (joint-supple). This word is 
 apphed generally to flexibility of limb shortly after death, 
 or in the case of a stiff joint when it begins to show signs 
 of returning suppleness. 
 
 Ex. — It's quiet leeath-wek yit (said on picking up a dead 
 bird). 
 Leavelang, adj. C. (pr. leeavelang). Oblong. 
 Leave loose, v. C. (pr. leeav lowse). Let go, e. g. of a rope, 
 chain, «S:c. ' Leave hold ' is also in use. 
 
 Ex. — Leeav lowse han's (said by a child walking hand in 
 hand with another). 
 Leek, V. C. To leak ; also to cause to drop or sprinkle. To 
 leek on means to add more water, (See. Dan. Laekke (to 
 leak). Icel. Lek. The substantive also retains this form, 
 which has been evidently handed down unchanged 
 through many generations. 
 Lee, n. C. The watery discharge from a wound. This is 
 also the pronunciation oi lie (a falsehood) and the corre- 
 sponding verb. Dan. Lud (lye) ; Icel. Lang. 
 Leef, lief, adv. C. Willingly ; also common in the compara- 
 tive, leefer. 
 
 Ex.— Ah W as leef gan as stop. 
 Leets, n. C. The lungs. 
 Leetsome, adj. F. Vide Lightsome. 
 Lenny, n. C. The hnnet. 
 
 Lesty-day, interj. R. An exclamation, equivalent to 'alas ! ' 
 I suspect this word is wellnigh obsolete : a correspondent 
 who lived for many years near Northallerton tells me he 
 never heard but one person use the expression. 
 Let on, v. F. To divulge, to tell a secret. 
 
 Y.^.—Jack kneiv all f tahm, bud he nivver let on aboot it. 
 Leva, V. C. To raise by leverage. 
 
 Ex-— Wa mun leve it up. 
 Liberty, n. C. The area of territorial rights ; often applied 
 to a parish or township, sometimes also to a manor or 
 even small freeholds. 
 
 Ex. — Sha 's gitten inti Bo'nby liberty. 
 Lie on, v. C. To apply force to. 
 
 Ex.— He didn't lie on a deal. — Lie inair on (said of 
 hitting out at cricket). 
 Lig, V. C. To lie, to lie down in sleep, to be situate ; also in 
 
GLOSSARY. 337 
 
 a transitive sense, to lay down, esp. to half cut a hedge. 
 Dan. At ligge (to lie). 
 
 Ex. — VVheer does sha lig ? i. e. sleep. — Lig doon. — // ligs 
 ower agaan U skill ( Ulleskelf ). — Thoo maim't lig if 
 doon. — Wliaii 's that liggin yon hedge ? 
 Light, V. C. (pr. leet). (i) To alight, to settle upon. (2) To 
 fall in with, to meet. 
 
 Ex.— Q. Wheer did them bo'ds leet? — A. They let iv oor 
 coo-pastitr. — Ah let on him at V toon-end. — A' e ya 
 letteu on a job y it ? 
 Light, in that, C. (pr. i that leet). Like that. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo maun't deea it V that leet. — Just V that leet., si- 
 tha (suiting the action to the word). 
 Light on, V. C. (pr. leet on). To fare. 
 
 Ex. — Hoo sal wa leet on this tahm, thinks ta? — Your 
 Dick '5 letten on middling ah expect. 
 Lightsome, adj. F. (pr. leetsom). Light, cheerful, bright. 
 
 Ex. — Ah feels a bit leetsomer. 
 Like, adj. used adverbially, C. (pr. leyke). Likel}^, highly 
 probable, in duty bound ; to be expected. Dan. Lige (like). 
 Cf. Jeg var lige ved at tumle {ah war like ti tumni'l). 
 
 Ex. — He's leyke ti knaw. — Ah 's leyke ti gan, i. e. It is to 
 be expected I should go. — Thoo 's leyke ti cum, i. e. 
 3'ou must come. ^ 
 
 Like all that, C. Like anything. 
 
 Ex. — He ran levke all that. — T' bairn roored leyke all 
 that. 
 Lile, adj. C. (pr. lahl and leel). Little. I am inclined to 
 think that lahl is the commoner pr., although leel more 
 nearly approaches the Danish lille from w^hich this comes, 
 the Danish sound of the word being as nearly as possible 
 leeld. Leel IS a pr. seldom if ever heard in the E. R. The 
 usual equivalent is lahfle, which is heard all the dis- 
 trict through more or less, though the form laitle is 
 also used. 
 Lillilow, n. R. A flame, a blaze, the light as from a candle. 
 Dan. Lue (a flame). It is possible this word may be a 
 combination of ild and lue. 
 Lilting, adj. F. Lively, frolicsome. 
 
 Ex. — They were liltin' aboot (i. e. jumping about). 
 Limmers, n. F. Shafts of a cart, &.c. O. N. Lim (the 
 
 branch of a tree). 
 Lin, n. C. (pr. line or lahn). Flax. Dan. Liin (linen) : 
 
 linned klud (linen clout). 
 Ling, n. C. Heather : hence ling watther, i. e. water from oft^ 
 •the moors, easily distinguished bj'^ its 3ellovvish brown 
 colour. Dan. Lyng (heather). 
 
338 
 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Ling-nail, lin-nail, n. C. The lynch-pin of a wheel. Dan. 
 
 Lund-pind (lynch-pin). 
 Lingy, adj. C. (pr. linjy). Active, supple of limb ; said of 
 men, esp. if somewhat tall. 
 
 Ex. — Mr. A 's as liugv as a lad. — A lingy chap. 
 Lisk, n. C. The groin. Dan. Lyske (groin). 
 Lite, V. F. To rely upon, to wait for. Dan. At lide paa (to 
 depend upon). 
 
 Ex. — Ah lited ov him, an he lited o' me. — Ah 've lited ov 
 him ivver sae laug. 
 Lithe, V. C. To thicken anything boiled with flour, linseed, 
 &c. ; hence lithing, that which thickens anything boiled. 
 Liver, v. C. To deliver. Dan. Levere (to deliver). 
 
 Ex. — He '5 throng liverin' cauls. 
 Live upright, v. F. To live in independent circumstances. 
 Loan, Loaning, n. C. (pr. looan, loanin, lonnin, lounin). A 
 lane, a by-road, a road. Icel. Leyningr (a hollow way). 
 Ex. — Ah see' d him gannin^ doon' f looanin. — T' coos is V 
 V looans noo, an' oor Fred's tentin on 'em. 
 Loggin, n. C. A bundle (of straw). 
 
 Long-strucken, part. C. Having legs long in proportion to 
 the size of the animal, esp. a horse ; this is seen when, in 
 running, the hind feet strike the ground in advance of the 
 previous tread of the forefoot. 
 Look a bad look, C. To look very ill. 
 Ex. — Poor Jamie leeaks a bad leeak. 
 Loose end, n. C. The phrase, to be ' at a loose end,' signi- 
 fies to have ' gone to the bad ' or verging towards it. 
 Ex. — All doot at sum on ""em '5 nobbut at a loose end. 
 Loosing, part. R. Going about idly from place to place. 
 Loo' ya ! interjectionally used, C. Look ye ! 
 Lop, n. C. A flea. Dan. En Loppe (a flea). 
 
 Ex. — Ah 'II be back V V crackin of a lop. 
 Loss, V. C. To lose. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo 'II a'e ti mahnd an' nut loss it. 
 Lound, adj. C. (pr. lown'j. Calm, still, free from wind, 
 sheltered. Dan. Lun (sheltered). 
 
 Ex. — It 's varry lomi this efttherneean. — T' ivind 's loim\ 
 Loup, V. C. (pr. neither lope nor lowp but between the two). 
 To leap, jump. Dan. Lobe (to run). 
 
 Ex. — 7' beeos is loupin aboot weeantly. 
 This word is also used as a noun. 
 Low, n. C. A flame, blaze, glow. Dan. Lue (a flame). 
 
 Ex. — // brak intiv a low just as ah gat theer (said in de- 
 scribing the outbreak of a fire). — T' low o' /' cann'l. — 
 'P low 's catchrd it. 
 Lowance, n. C. The allowance of ale drunk at hay and har- 
 
GLOSSARY. 339 
 
 vest time ; this is brought into the field in large stone 
 jars and drunk at about 4 p.m. during a half-hour's pause 
 from labour. Sometimes this refreshment is called 
 ' drinkings,' but the more familiar term is lowance (some- 
 times pr. launce). 
 Lowse, V. C. (pr. loze, nearly). To loose, to unfasten ; also 
 to terminate. Dan. At lose (to loose). 
 
 Ex. — Hez V chetch lowzed yit ? i.e. has the congregation 
 broken up yet ? 
 Lowzin tahm, n. C. The time for u-nyoking the horses after 
 a day's work, preparatory^ to taking them home, generally 
 about 5 p.m. 
 Luby, n. R. Cloth clothes ; generally used for better or 
 Sunday clothes. Dan. Lu (nap of cloth j. 
 Ex. — Git that theer luby off. 
 Lug, n. C. The ear ; the handle of a jug, (S:c. 
 
 Ex. — What f akin lugs f dog 's gitten. 
 Luke, V. C. To pull up weeds from fields of corn. This is 
 commonly done by gangs of women and children in the 
 Wold country. Dan. At luge (to weed) ; Icel. Lok (a 
 weed), 
 
 Ex. — There 's a deeal on 'ein lukin V yon field seetn' nly. 
 Weeds of any kind pulled up by the hand are said to be 
 han' hiked. 
 Lungeous, adj. F. Revengeful. 
 
 Ex. — They 're a varry lungeous thing is an elephant. 
 
 M. 
 
 Mad, adj. C. Very angry. 
 
 Ex. — He ivas mad, noo. 
 Maddle, v. C. To confuse, esp. by noise ; to become be- 
 wildered. 
 
 Ex. — P noise d V organ niaddles ma. 
 Mafted, adj. C. Oppressed with heat, stifled. 
 
 Ex.— Ah iver that ma/ted, ah zuerjit ti soond awaay. 
 Main, adj. and adv. C. (i) The chief part, the largest portion, 
 the majorit3^ (2) Very, especially. 
 
 Ex. — (i) T' main on ''em gans tiv oor pump. — (2) Ah '5 
 main glad ti see tha. 
 Mainswear, v. R. To take a false oath. Dan. Mened (a 
 
 false oath). 
 Mair, adj. C. More. The superlative is Maist or Meeast. 
 Dan. Mere (more). 
 
 Ex. — Ah knaw na mair 'an nowt (or na noivt). — ' Mair 
 heeast warse speed.' 
 Mak, V. F. To pet, to make much of, to coax : always fol- 
 lowed by on. Also the common pr. of make. 
 
 z 2 
 
340 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Ex. — You maun'' f shoot (shout) af her, you mun mak on her 
 (said to a sportsman when borrowing a timid pointer). 
 Mak cot, V. C. To make progress, prosper, succeed ; gener- 
 ally^ used in a qualified sense, in which case it is 
 commonl}^ accompanied by badly. 
 
 Ex. — Auhi Neddy niaks badly oot wi' V job. — Sha maks 
 
 badly oot, i. e. makes slow progress towards recovery. 
 
 Maks and mandthers, n. C. Sorts and kinds, shapes and 
 
 sizes; lit. makes and manners. Vide Manders. 
 Mak-shift, n. C. A rough and ready substitute. A make- 
 shift. This word is not peculiar to the dialect, but I give 
 it, as a similar expression is used in Danish, Et Mage- 
 skifte, meaning an exchange. 
 Malack, n. F. (pr. maalack, the accent being on the first syl- 
 lable). A spree, a disturbance. An E. R. word. 
 Ex.— Tliere iver sike niaalacks as ah ntvver seed. 
 Manders, n. C. (pr. mandthers). Varieties, different kinds. 
 Ex. — They ivere all maks an manders. 
 This word is generally used in connection with maks. 
 and is a corruption of manners. 
 Mannish, v. C. To manage ; hence manmshment, which is 
 used esp. for manure for land. 
 
 Ex.— Oor tonnops 'as had plenty o' good mannishment. 
 Marrish, n. O. A marsh. We have this word in the place- 
 name Marishes, and it has the same meaning as Marsh. 
 the Danish for a marsh. 
 Marrow, n. C. One of a pair, or one to match another : 
 generally followed b}*^ to. 
 
 Ex. — We had two, bud we 've lost f marrow tiv it. 
 Marry, interj. F. This word is only used in cases of decided 
 assent or dissent, and is equivalent to ' 3'es, indeed.' It 
 is by no means so commonl}^ used as formerly. It is of 
 the nature of an oath, being no doubt a corruption o{ by 
 Marie. The same use of the word is found in the South- 
 West Jutland dialect. 
 
 Ex. — Aye, marry j they zvill that. — Naay, marry ; nivver. 
 Mash, mask, v. C. To make, or draw out the strength of 
 tea b3' pouring water upon it. Dan. At Mseske (to mash 
 — in brewing). 
 
 Ex.^ — T' tea isnt quiet mash" d yit. 
 Mashelson, mashelshon, mashelton, mashelgem, mashlin, 
 maslin, meslin, n. F. W^heat and rye mixed together, 
 and often grown together for the purpose of making 
 brown bread : this, however, is not so commonly used 
 as formerly. Sometimes the word is used figuratively in 
 the sense of 'neither one thing nor another.' 
 
 Ex. — They can mak nowt bud nuishelshon on 7 (said ol 
 
GLOSSARY. 341 
 
 ignorant persons who try to speak in a refined 
 manner). 
 Mask, n. F. The face, without an}'^ idea of disguise. The 
 hunters term for the fox's head or face. 
 
 Ex. — Sha 7/ fak' tin mask for tha, i.e. she will photo- 
 graph you. 
 Matter, v. C. To care for, value, take account of. 
 
 Ex. — Ah deeau't matter him mich. 
 Matters, n. C. Quantity, account. Very commonly used in 
 such phrases as neea matters, oiiuy matters, &c. 
 Ex. — Ah can't tak neea greeat matters o' meeat. 
 Mauniy, adj. C. Possessing a woolly ripeness, soft. Dan. 
 Moden (pr. moen), ripe. Jutl, D. Mo. 
 Ex. — // '5 soft an'' maumy leyke. 
 Maun't, V. C. An abbreviation of may not, and mun not, 
 
 i. e. must not. 
 Mawk, n. C. A maggot. Also used as a verb. Dan. 
 Maddike (maggot); Jutl. D. Majek ; Norse Makk ; 
 Icel. Madhkr. 
 
 Ex. — They ''II maivk leyke sheep. 
 Meadow-drake, n. F. The corn-crake. 
 
 Meal, n. C. Flour of various kinds that is not dressed ; e.g. 
 oat meal, barley meal, bread meal, which latter is wheat, 
 flour from which brown bread is made. 
 Mean, adj. C. (pr. meean). This word is not only used in 
 the ordinary sense biit also to express worthlessness of 
 character or conduct. Dan. En Men (a hurt, defect, 
 harm.) 
 
 Ex. — // '5 a varry meean tthrick, i. e. a piece of badness. 
 — He coms yam as meean as muck. 
 Meat. n. C. (pr. meeat.) Food. 
 
 Ex. — // '5 nohbut a middlin meeat spot, i. e. it 's not a 
 very first-rate house for getting well fed at. 
 Meat. V. C. (pr. meeat). To provide with food. This is a good 
 instance of the common habit of verbalizing substantives 
 in the dialect. 
 
 Ex. — He meeats hissen, an' ah zveshes Jiim, i. e. he finds 
 his own food, and I wash for him. 
 Meeastther, maastther, n. C. Master. 
 Meg, n. R. A halfpenny. I have only heard this word 
 
 used in the phrase Ah a'e n't a meg. 
 Mell, V. C. To meddle ; always followed by on instead oiivith. 
 
 Ex. - Thoo maun't mell on 'em. 
 Mell, n. C. A wooden mallet. 
 Mellsheaf, n. C. The last sheaf of corn in the harvest-field. 
 
 Ex. — We 've gotten V mell, i. e. the harvest is ended. 
 Mell-3upper, n. C. The harvest supper given b}'^ the farmer 
 
342 GLOSSARY. 
 
 to those he has employed for the ingathering of the corn ; 
 a harvest home. Dan. Mel (meal) ; Icel. Mjol. 
 Mend, v. C. To improve, to grow better— esp. in health. 
 
 Ex.— Q. How is 3'our husband? A. He 's lueudiiii^ 
 nicely. 
 Mends, n. C. Improvement ; also used much in the same 
 way as 'prospect of improvement ' in Std. Eng. 
 Kx.—A/i dooi there 's neea mends for her. 
 Mense, n. C. Decency, becoming conduct, good appearance.^ 
 Dan. En Menneske (a human being). 
 
 Ex. — ' There '5 nowther sense nor mense i sike a peeoce ' 
 ('York Minster Screen'). — Wheer de ya been? Thoo 's 
 tden all f mense off'n thi cleeas. 
 Menseful, adj. C. Decent, becoming, neat, orderl}^ ; also 
 adverbially, niensefitlly. 
 
 Ex. — A menseful funeral. — TJioo deean't leeak menseful i 
 them things. 
 Met, n. C. Two bushels measure, or five stone weight. 
 Originally no doubt this was a measure onl}', but now the 
 word is applied to things bought by weight, e. g. coals, as 
 well as those by measure. A met-poke was the name 
 given to a narrow bag holding two bushels. 
 Meuse, v. R. To stud}^ to contemplate. This word, which 
 is now wellnigh obsolete, was very common fift}' 
 years ago. 
 
 Ex. — Cum here ti meuse 7ni hand {s2i\d by a servant maid 
 as she picked up the ace of trumps). 
 Mew, perf of mow. C. 
 Mew-burnt, adj. C. (pr. mew-bo'nt). Heated or burnt in the 
 
 stack. 
 Mew up, V. F. To pile up, to store, to stack. 
 Mich, adj. C. (pr. mitch). Much. 
 
 Ex. — Nut mich. 
 Mickle, adj. R. Much. O. N. Mikill ; O. Dan. Mogel (much). 
 Midden, n. C. A manure-heap, a heap of rubbish or muck. 
 
 Dan. Modding (a manure-heap). 
 Middle-band, n. C. The band which connects the swipple 
 
 of a flail with the handstaff, allowing it free play. 
 Mig, n. C. The drainings of a manure-heap, cow-house, 
 stable, &c. ; any kind of liquid manure. Dan. Mog 
 (manure). 
 Milk-can, n. C. Milk-pail. Dan. Malke-kande (a milk- 
 pail or jug). 
 Milled in, part. R. Shrunk, withered. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 milled in a good bit. 
 Milner, n. C. (sometimes pr. minler). A miller. O. N. 
 Mylnari ; Dan. En MoUer (a miller). 
 
GLOSSARY. 343 
 
 Mind, V. C. (pr. mahnd). To remember. 
 
 Ex. — Ah inahjid yance, i.e. I remember once — a ver}^ 
 common preface to a story. 
 Mindful, adj. C. Careful. So too the verb ' to mind ' is 
 almost always used rather than to ' take care,' and ' to 
 observe.' 
 
 Ex. — 77^00 7/ c'e ft be mahndful gannin' tJiruff V yat. 
 Mint, n. C. To intend, to aim, to make a pretence at doing ; 
 to mimic. 
 
 Ex. — They didn't deea it, bvtd they minted at it. 
 Miraculous, adj. C. (pr. miraklous). Lively, precocious, 
 cleverly mischievous. This word is applied to children, 
 and sometimes to animals. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 a miraklous young jockey. — There 's neea 
 badness aboot him, bud he 's a bit miraklous. 
 I have not heard the word in the East Riding, but it is 
 very common in the south part of the North Riding. A 
 horse full of play, or frisky on being brought out of the 
 stable, would be said to be miraklous. 
 Misken, v. F. (in pr. the accent is on the second sjdlable). 
 To mistake anj^one's identity. Dan. At miskjende (to 
 misjudge). 
 Mistal, n. F. (pr. mistle and mis'l). A cow-house. 
 Mistetched, part. C. Fallen into bad habits. This ex- 
 pression is most commonly applied to a horse that has 
 acquired some bad habit through ill-usage or otherwise. 
 Ex. — Sha '5 gotten quiet mistetched. 
 Moit, n. F. A small piece or particle. 
 
 Ex. — He's nobbut just a moit o' bread. 
 Moozy-faced, mouzy, adj. C. (pr. something between moozy 
 and mouzy). Dowmy-faced,* a face having on it the first 
 symptoms of a beard. This word is also applied to the 
 moon when it looks thick and hazy. 
 Mostlings, adv. C. (pr. mostlins and meeastlins). For the 
 most part, generally. 
 
 Ex. — Ah meeastlins gans. 
 Moudiwarp, n. C. (pr. moodiwahrp). The common mole. 
 This word is frequently shortened to moudi. Dan. En 
 Muldvarp (a mole). 
 Mounge, v. F. To munch, to chew. 
 Muck, n. C. Dirt, manure. Dan. Mog ; Jutl. D. Mog 
 
 (manure). 
 Muck, V. C. To spread manure on the land. Jutl. D. 
 Moge (to muck). 
 
 Ex. — Hez Sammy gitten his swath garth mucked oiver yit ? 
 Muck out, V. C. To rid of dirt or muck. 
 
 Ex. — Noo, be sharp an' git t' pig-sty muck'd oot. 
 
344 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Mucky, adj. C. Dirty ; also used opprobriously for foul, 
 mean. Jutl. D. Moget (foul, mean). 
 
 Ex. — Thoo mucky beggar, ger out d f rooadi — There ivas 
 sike mucky deed as ah nivver seed. 
 Mud, V. (auxiliary) C. (pr. as would). Might. 
 
 Ex. — Yan mud as n^cel gan. 
 Multure, n. R. The portion of corn taken by the miller as 
 pay for grinding. Formerly when corn was sent to the 
 mill for grinding, the miller was never paid in money but 
 only in kind. More than a due share was called double 
 mooter (pr. mootther). Lat. Molitura (a grmding), 
 hence Fr, Mouture. 
 Multure, v. F. To take pay in kind for grinding corn. 
 
 Ex. — Hde ya mootther d oor cornf~lVa mostlius 
 mootthers oor bit o' stuff. 
 Mump, n. C. A blow on the face with the fist; also used as 
 a verb in a similar sense. 
 
 Ex. — He gav him a mump ower /' mooth. 
 Mun, V. (auxiliary). Must. 
 
 Ex. — Mun I tak hdd (the / here is pronounced as y at 
 the end of a word). — Yan mun deea as iveel as yan can. 
 Mun, n. C. Man (in vocative case only). 
 
 Ex. — Tak ho'd., mun. — Ah 've ta'en it, mun. 
 This form, though very common, is seldom used except 
 under a certain amount of excitement on the part of the 
 speaker, or when emphasis is required. 
 Mush, n. C. Dusty refuse, anything deca3''ed into small 
 fragments, e. g. rotten wood ; sometimes used as a verb in 
 a similar sense. 
 Mushy, adj. C. In a state of decay ; dusty from decay. 
 My song, by songs, interj. R. A corruption of the old French 
 oath (La Sangue). 
 
 Ex. — Mah song I bud ah ivill smack tha. — By songs ! 
 bud lie '5 deean it this tahm. 
 Muz-web, mus-web, n. C. Cob-web : in Cleveland muz- 
 web is generally applied to gossamer, but not so in the 
 south of the N. R. Fr. Mouche. 
 
 Na, conj. C. (pr. na). ( i ) No. (2) Than. This word is possibly 
 a shortened pronunciation of no or nor, though more pro- 
 bably it is an inversion of the letters in 'an, which is itself 
 an abbreviation of than ; it is used only, but very com- 
 monly, in certain phrases. 
 
 Ex.— Q. ' Do you remember it ?' — A. Na mair na nowt. 
 
GLOSSARY. 345 
 
 The expression na mai'r 'an now f is also common. The 
 form na is never used as the simple negative. 
 
 Naay, adv. C. Pr. of nay. Vide Neea. 
 
 Nab, n. F. An abrupt and generally rocky point whether 
 on the coast or inland ; e.g. Wo' Nab (Wold Nab), a steep 
 projection on the west side of the wolds between Acklam 
 and Leavening. Jutl. D. Nabe (a point, lit. a bill). 
 
 Nacks, n. R. An old-fashioned game that used to be played 
 a generation ago. Nine holes were made on the ground, 
 and the principle of the game was something like 
 bagatelle. 
 
 l^^aether, conj. C. (The pr. novvther is also in prett}' 
 frequent use). Neither. 
 
 K"aff, n. C. The nave or central block of a wheel. Dan. 
 Et Nav (a nave). 
 
 Naff-head, n. R. (pr. nafif-heead). A blockhead. 
 
 Ex. — 77/00 greeat naff-heead ; what 's ta deeain ? 
 
 Nafle, nSTaffle, v. F. (pr. naafle and naffle). To idle under 
 pretence of working ; to ' potter ' and get nothing done. 
 Ex. — He gans naaflin' aboot. 
 
 ISTakt, adj. C. (pr. naakt). Naked, bare. This word is always 
 pronounced as one syllable, and is commonly applied to 
 any object that looks unfurnished or bare. 
 Ex. — Z' chetch steeple leeaks varry naakt. 
 
 Nanpie, n. R. (pr. nan-pie, i.e. almost as two words). The 
 magpie. 
 
 Y.^.— Nan-pie rack (a place-name). 
 
 Nap, V. F. To prowl ; to go about with dishonest intentions. 
 Ex. — Ah see'd him nappin' aboot. 
 
 Narside, n. C. The near side, i e. the left hand side of a 
 horse, or that nearest to him who directs the animal. It 
 is remarkable that this pr. of the word only survives in 
 this phrase. Dan. Naer (near) ; naerhaands hest (the left- 
 hand horse in a pair). 
 
 Nasty, adj. C. Ill-natured, petulant, impatient. 
 
 Ex. — When ah ax'd him lie wer varrv nasty aboot it. 
 
 Natter, v. C. To complain about trifles, to be constantly 
 fretful. Dan. At gnadre (to grumble). 
 Ex. — Sha 's awUts natterin aboot nowt. 
 
 Nattery, adj. C. (pr. natthry). Given to complain about 
 trifles, petulant. 
 
 Naup, n. C. (i) A sharp blow on the head, either with the 
 fist or a stick. (2) The top part of a pig's head, the lower 
 part being called the chaff or chap. Dan. Et Knubs (a 
 blow on the head). 
 
 Naup, v. F. To give a sharp blow on the head ; hence a 
 naiipin — 'd beating. 
 
34^ 
 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Naw, adv. C. Vide Neea. 
 
 Nazzled, nazzed. nizzled, adj. F. Somewhat the worse for 
 liquor, unsteady. 
 
 Ex. — Ah seed him nizzled wi drink. — They gan nizzlin 
 aboot. 
 
 Neaf, n. C. (pr. neeaf). The fist. Dan. En Naeve (a fist). 
 Ex. — He up wiv his neeaf an' knocked Jiini ower. 
 
 Neaf-ful, n. F, (pr. neeav-ful). A handful. Dan. En Naevefuld 
 (a handful); begge Nsever fulde (both fists, i.e. hands, full). 
 Ex. — ' An' nihvd off f hair by neeavesfid frev her heead' 
 (' York Minster Screen.') 
 
 Nears, n. C. The kidneys. 
 
 Near, adj. C. Close-fisted, stingy, extra careful. Dan. 
 Noje (exact) ; Jutl D. Nyw, e. g. Han er saa nyvv (he 
 is so very parsimonious). 
 
 Wear-hand, adv. C. (i) Near. (2) Nearly. It is quite 
 remarkable how universal the use of this word is in the 
 dialect instead of ;/^'<7r, which is never used without the 
 suffix Jiand. In the sense of 'nearly,' though common, it is 
 not by any means so general — outmost^ varry near, &;c. 
 being frequently used also. 
 
 Ex. — He nivver corns near-hand ma noo. — Tho maun'' t gan 
 near-hand f dog or he 'II mebbe lianch at tha. - It cost 
 near-hand fahve piind. 
 
 Neat, n. Vide Nowterer. 
 
 nNTeavil, v. F. (pr. nevvil). To strike with the fist: hence 
 ;^^<7w7//;/o'— a pummelling Dan. Naeve (the fist) ; Jutl. D. 
 At nefle (to pull one's hair with the fist — a punishment 
 for schoolbo^^s). 
 
 Ex. — He nevilled him weel. 
 
 Neb, n. C. The bill of a bird ; also sometimes used for the 
 human nose. Dan. Naeb (bill) ; in Icel. (nose). 
 
 Nebbs, n. C. The handles on a scj^the shaft. Dan. Naeb (^nose). 
 
 Neea, adv. C. No. With regard to the simple negative 
 particle there are three varieties in the dialect : (i) Naay 
 (nay) ; this, though common, is never used singty, and is 
 b}" no means such a strong form of the negative as the 
 other two ; it is generall}' followed b}' such words as bud, 
 noo, (Sec, e.g. Naay/ bud thoo weeant gan, wilt tha? — 
 Naay ! noo, honey, sha lueean't hot tha. — Naay I ah 
 deeant knaiv. (2) Naw. (3) Neea. The two latter are the 
 ordinary forms ; neea being perhaps somewhat the 
 commoner in the E. R. It is worthy of note that in 
 Danish there are two distinct forms of the negative in 
 common use, viz. (i) Nee (though not written thus), pro- 
 nounced almost as our nay ; and (2) Nei, the latter 
 implying a more decided negation than the former. 
 
GLOSSARY. 347 
 
 Neest, adj. F. Next. Dan. Naest (next); e.g. hvad nses ? 
 
 (what next ?) 
 Neet, n. C. Night : this begins on an average throughout 
 the year at about 5 p.m., or lowzin taJun. The word 
 evening is hardly ever used. 
 Neuk, n. C. A corner of anything. Norse Nokke (a 
 
 small iron hook). 
 Nibble, n. C. A nipple. 
 
 Nice, adj. C. (pr. neyce). (i) Over particular, shy. (2) Large, 
 considerable. 
 
 Ex. — Noo^ deean'theneycej help your sells (commonly said 
 
 by a hostess at table). — A neyce few. 
 
 Nicking on, v. R. An old-fashioned rough-and-ready method 
 
 of scoring at cricket, viz. cutting a notch on a hazel stick 
 
 for every run made, a larger notch being cut at every ten. 
 
 NifF-naff, n. F. A trifle. 
 
 Nim, V. C. To move quickly ; to walk with a quick, short, 
 light step ; also to catch up quickly. Dan. Nem (quick 
 in apprehension, adroit, hand}^). 
 
 Ex. — He can nim awaay at a bonny speed. 
 jSTip, V. C. To run or walk quickly ; generally used in such 
 expressions as nip off, i.e. run away ; nip across, i.e. step 
 quickly across, (S:c. 
 
 Ex. — They can nip auvray. 
 Wither, nidder, v. C. To shiver with cold, to be chilled. 
 
 Ex. — Nitherin lambs. 
 Nivver, adj. C. Never. 
 
 Ex. — Nivver heed. 
 Nobbut, adv. C. Only ; lit. not but. 
 Ex. — They 're nobbiit just curn^d. 
 Nogg, n. R. The angle of a stream. Jutl. D. Nokke 
 
 (small hooks in the wings of the distaff). 
 Nominy, n. F. (pr. nommin}^- A doggerel rh3'me, a jingle. 
 I connect this w^ord with Lat. Nomine, and group it wdth 
 other ecclesiastical words that have been handed down 
 from mediaeval times ; it is an example among many 
 which shows how a word may degenerate. 
 
 Ex. — A'eya /' nonmiiny off ? i. e. do you know the rhjmie 
 
 by heart ? 
 
 Nog, adv. and interj. C. Now ; well ! This word when 
 
 used as an interj, is the commonest form of salutation 
 
 between man and man ; it corresponds with ' How do 
 
 you do ? ' Sometimes then is added. 
 
 Ex.— iVoo./ Bill. (Bill) Noo J—Noo then; wheer '5 ta 
 forr? i. e. Well ! where are you going to ? 
 Nogs an' thans, adv. F. Occasionally. 
 Nor, conj. Than. Vide Na. 
 
34^ GLOSSARY. 
 
 J^oration, n. F. A disturbance, a stir, a row, S:c. This 
 
 word is often applied to the play of children. 
 Nought, n. C. Nothing. This, which is one of the commonest 
 words in the dialect, is at the same time one of the most 
 difficult to describe the pronunciation of accurately, lying 
 as it does between /lofe and nozvf. There is no vowel- 
 sound corresponding to it in Std. Eng. 
 Ex. — A/i knaiv noivf ahoot it. 
 l^owt, newts, n. R. Cattle, esp. horned cattle. Vide 
 Wowtsrer. The old word noivt fair is still so-called here 
 and there. 
 Nowther, conj. R. Vide Naether. 
 
 Ncwterer, n. R. One who tends cattle. This old word is 
 wellnigh obsolete; it is, however — or was till lately- in 
 use in the neighbourhood of Millington Pastures, a tract 
 of unenclosed land in the East Riding at the edge of the 
 Wolds : in the Pastures at certain times of the 3^ear a 
 large number of cattle have gaits or freedom to §tray at 
 large. The man who looks after these cattle or nowts is 
 called T' noivttherer. Few, if any, of the people know the 
 meaning of the word, but from tmie immemorial this has 
 been the designation of the herdsman. 
 
 Ex. — Q. Canst ta tell ma iv/teer f beeos is f — A. Nazu, 
 bitd niebbe f iiowttherer can tell ya. 
 ]M"unib, adj. C. Helpless, clumsy, awkward, dull ; lacking in 
 handiness, stupid. 
 
 Ex. — Aw dear., aw dear ! ivhat a numb lah.tle lad t/ioo 
 
 is / — They weean't a'e ti be varry numb-heeaded itns for 
 
 that job. 
 
 Nut, adv. C. Not. This form of the word is universal ; the 
 
 H is pr. somewhat shorter than in most cases where 
 
 it occurs. 
 
 Ex. — Nutyan. — Ah 's nut boun' ti gan. 
 
 O. 
 
 Off-man, n. F. One from a distance, a stranger. 
 Offen, prep. C. (pr. off'n). From off, off This form of the 
 word is very generally used, the simple equivalent off 
 being rarely heard as a preposition. 
 
 Ex. — He 's rahifd V reeaf offen f hoos. Tak V top offen V 
 pot; it gallops iveeantly. 
 Oftens, adv. C. (pr. off ns). Often. 
 Ex. — Ah offns thinks aboot it. 
 Ommost, Ommaist, adv. C. (sometimes pr. ommeeast). 
 Almost. 
 
 Ex.— It wer ommost fit to burst 
 
GLOSSARY. 349 
 
 On, adv. C. Here : e. g. He 7/ be on efttJier a bit. There is 
 also a use of this word equivalent to ' engaged in ' or ' at 
 work ' : e.g. They 're on khiin' yonder. — Smith 's on leading. 
 Sometimes ivi (with) is added. 
 O'n, prep. C. Of. This usage is equivalent to o\ the n 
 being added before a vowel for euphony. 
 Ex.—Siwi o'n 'em. 
 Once over, adv. C. At one time, once, for a time. 
 
 Ex.— It started ti raan yance oiver. — Jim lived at yon spot 
 yance ower. 
 Onny bit like, owt like, C. Fairly well, tolerable ; generally 
 used with reference to health or the weather, but in other 
 connections also. 
 
 Ex. — Wa s'all be leadin' ti-moorn if it be onny bit leyke. 
 — Ah 's nobbut badly yit, bud ah 'II gan if ah be oivt 
 leyke. 
 Oot o' coorse, adv. C. Extraordinaril3% greatly ; also used 
 as an adj. 
 
 Ex. — Ah iver oot d coorse pleeased. 
 Oppen, v. C. To open. 
 
 Ex.— Mud sha oppen V box. 
 Othergates, adv. R. Otherwise. 
 
 Othersome, adj. C. (pr. uthersum). Others (the antithesis 
 to some). 
 
 Ex. — Sum Ul mebbe deea f job, an' othersum weeaii't. 
 Ought, n. C. (vowel-sound pr. as in nought). Anything. 
 
 Ex. — A'eya seed oiut o'n liim. 
 Out. outing, n.'C. (pr. oot). A.bsence from home on pleasure, 
 an excursion. 
 
 Ex. — He 's had a lang ootin.—Sha mun ev a neyce 
 oot. 
 Oct o' fettle, C. Out of repair, unfit for use, unwell. 
 
 Ex. — Ah feels all oot d fettle ti-daay. 
 Oot o' t' rooad, C. In an inconvenient situation, out of the 
 way, out of sight ; hence, destroyed, killed. 
 
 Ex. — It puts her oot d V rooad an tews her sadly. — Wa 've 
 gittiu f poor aud dog putten oot d V rooad. 
 Ouse, v. C. Vide Hcwze. 
 Outs, adv. R. At all. 
 
 Ex.— Was he outs nasty ? i. e. was he at all angry ? 
 Over, to have it, C. To discuss any matter. 
 
 Ex. — Him an' me 's had it ower tigither. 
 Overquart, prep. R. (pr. owerquahrt). Across, athwart. 
 
 Ex. — He ran owerquart f clooas. 
 Oversail, n. C. The top course of masonry in a wall or 
 
 building of any kind. 
 Overwelt, weltover, n. F. (pr. owerwelt). A fall or slip on to 
 
350 GLOSSARY. 
 
 the back, and continuing in that posture, esp. of a sheep. 
 Jutl. D, Awvaelt or ovaelt (a throw on the back). 
 Ex. — Yan o' /' yovus is owerwelted yondJier. 
 Owe, V. C. (pr. ow and aw, approximately). To own. This 
 word is only used interrogatively, in such expressions as 
 Wheea 's owes it? Wheea '5 awes V box? &c. Some would 
 express the first of these wheea 's owe f ? This, however, 
 is incorrect, and cannot be analysed satisfactorily. The 
 full rendering of Wheea 's owe '5 it? is H^Jieea is it) iivho) 
 owes it? i.e. Who is (it who) owns it? The difficulty 
 here is that // and who being omitted, the phrase does 
 not sound grammatical, for as it stands it reads Who 
 is owns it ? It must be regarded as an elliptical expres- 
 sion. Icel. Eiga (to own) ; Dan. Eie (to own). 
 Ower, V. C. To be over with, to come to an end, to cease. 
 Ex. — Ah doot it '11 varry seean be owered wi poor aii'd 
 Tommy. — T' raan 's owered. 
 Ower, prep, and adv. C. (i) Over. (2) Too. As adv. ower 
 is invariably used in place of too. It is observable that the 
 Danish pr. of over is always ower, as in Yorksh. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo mi in gan ower f brig. — There 's ower momty 
 Oil 'em. — T' maastther weean't be ower weel suited. 
 Ower anenst, prep. C. Near to, opposite to. 
 
 Ex. — He iver set ower anenst us. 
 Owerhand, owerance, n. C. The mastery, the upper hand. 
 Owergait, n. R. A gap in a hedge, or a stepping-place 
 
 across a brook. 
 Owerset, v. C. To overdo, to overtax one's strength ; also to 
 overturn. 
 
 Ex. — Deeaiit owerset yoursen wi f job. — Ah doot sha 's 
 owersetten hersen ivi V weshin. 
 Overwelted, part. C. Vide Overwelt. 
 
 Cwse, n. R. An ox; "^X.Owsen. Jutl. D. En Ows (an ox). 
 
 Owther, conj. R. Either. Besides this form of the word 
 
 there is the commoner one, aether \ the ordinary pr. of the 
 
 word is not heard in the dialect. 
 
 Oxter, n. C. The armpit. Dan. Axel (the shoulder), Axel- 
 
 hule (the armpit). 
 
 Pack-rag Day, n. R. The day after Martinmas Day, when 
 farm-servants change their places. The name speaks for 
 itself. 
 
 Paddle, v. C. To walk, esp. slowly or with some difficulty. 
 Ex. — All can just paddle doon ti V shop. 
 
 Pafty, adj. F. Uppish. 
 
GLOSSARY. 351 
 
 Ex. — Ah can deea nowt wiv him, he '5 ower prood an pafty 
 by hauy. 
 Pain oneself, v. F. To give outward signs of pain. 
 
 Ex. — He pains hissen a deal; he diz noivt bitd pleean. 
 Pairtner, n. C. Partner, esp. a husband or wife. 
 
 Ex. — T' au'd woman 's a good pairtner. 
 Pan, V. C. To fit into, to make to fit, to agree with ; used 
 esp. of things that are crools:ed which are intended to fit 
 on to each other. It is also sometimes used of persons 
 much in the same sense as to frame. 
 
 Ex. — It nobbut pans badly. — He pans weel, i. e. he gives 
 good promise of learning. 
 Pankin, n. C. (i) A large earthenware vessel of various 
 shapes, but always of considerable size. This word, 
 which looks like a diminutive in form, is in reality the 
 same word as pancheon. (2) A rage, a violent passion. 
 Ex. — He was iv a pankin, noo. 
 Pannel, n. C. A riding pad. 
 Par, V. R. To dirty. 
 
 Ex. — Seeya noo ! f bairn 's par'd deearsfn. 
 Parlous, adj. C. Perilous. This word is used in a variety 
 of senses, but it generally carries with it the idea of some 
 kind of badness, or danger, or difficulty. It is also fre- 
 quently used adverbially as an intensive, and much in the 
 same way as ' desperate,' ' fearful,' &c. The Danish word 
 corresponding to this is farlig, which is used in almost 
 identically the same sense and way as parlous, e. g. En 
 farlig Hoben Penge {a parlous lot o' brass) ; farlig stor 
 {parlous big). 
 
 Ex. — He '5 a parlous chap, i. e. He is a queer character ; 
 perhaps a drunkard, a rowdy, Slc. — It '5 a parlous 
 tahm been, i. e. It has been a season of unusually bad 
 or unfavourable weather. — T^ hoos hez gitten intiv a 
 parlous state, i. e. The house has got into thoroughly 
 bad repair, or into a condition of great dirt and un- 
 tidiness. 
 Part, adj. C. (pr. part and pairt). A considerable number, 
 a large quantity of anything ; many, more than usual. 
 Ex. — There 's part apples ti year.— There 's pairt folks astir 
 i f toon this efttherneean. — We ''ve had part changes i 
 wer nighbours. — He W hed pairt dhrink. 
 Pash, V. F. To break in pieces, to smash. • 
 
 Ex. — They pasJid it all i bits. 
 Pash, n. Vide Posh. 
 
 Past, part., used as a prep, and adj. C. Beyond, incapable of. 
 
 Ex. — // '5 past owl, i. e. It 's beyond everything. — He 's 
 
 past deeain' owl wi, i. e. It is impossible to do anything 
 
352 GLOSSARY. 
 
 with him.— -Ah '5 that full d paan while it ^s omniosf 
 past bahdin, i. e. I have so much pain I can hardl\' 
 bear it. 
 Pawky, adj. C. Impudent, uppish, impertinent. 
 
 Ex.— Q 'Was she disobedient?' A. Aye, an sha wer 
 varry pawky an' all. 
 Paze. V. C. To force by leverage. 
 Ex. — We can inebbe paze it off. 
 Connected with this word are pawse and poose (to strike 
 with force). 
 Pea-hulls, n. C. The shells of peas. 
 
 Peen, adj. C. (pr. peean). Thin. Dan. Paen (dainty, slight). 
 Ex. — Hod it by f peean end. 
 This word is seldom used except when applied to the 
 thin end or handle of an implement, tool, (S:c. 
 Peerehing, adj. C. (pr. peechin'). Piercing, biting; used 
 
 only of a cold wind. 
 Peff, V. C. To breathe hard ; also used as a noun in the 
 sense of breath. Hence also the adj. pcffu^g and beffing. 
 These words are connected with puff. 
 
 Ex.— i/^ 's short a peff. He 's gotten a nasty peffin 
 cough. 
 Pelt, n. C. The skin of an animal ; sometimes also used 
 derisively of the human skin in a figurative sense. Dan. 
 Pels (the hide of an animal). 
 
 Ex. — They 're thick i V pelt is yon lot, i. e. the}'" are idle. 
 Pettle, V. C. To pet, to nurse, to fondle. 
 
 Ex. — 2"' bairn 's badly y sha wants a deal o' pettlin. 
 Pick, n. C. Pitch. Dan. Beg; Jutl. D. Pik (pitch). 
 
 Ex. — T' neet 's as black as pick. 
 Pick, V. C. (i) To pitch, to throw, to cause to fall. (2) To 
 gather up and throw, esp. applied to forking the sheaves 
 off a stack for thrashing. 
 
 Y.^.— That feeal Jack picked oor lahtle Annie doon inii f 
 muck, an' theer sha ligged whahl f muther coin an' 
 picked her up.— Sha ^s pickin' atop o' T stack. 
 Pick at, v. C. To make small attacks on a person by word ; 
 to find fault, generally about trifles. 
 
 Ex. — T' au'd man '5 varry natthery ; he '5 awlus' pickin 
 at ma. 
 Pick-fork, n. C. A pitch-fork ; sometimes also called lang- 
 
 fork. 
 Pie, V. F. To spy about with curiosity. 
 
 Ex. — He ' s awlus piein' aboot V toon. 
 Pie, n. C. A heap of anj^ root crop, but esp. potatoes. It 
 is covered first with straw and then padded down with 
 a coating of earth : by this means the crop is safelj' 
 
GLOSSARY. ■ ^^^ 
 
 preserved from frost through the winter. The pie is 
 about four feet liigh, generally conical, and, for larger 
 crops, long-shaped like the roof of a house. The word is 
 also commonly used as a verb 
 
 Y.yi.—T'' bull loitf d reet inti Nanny Nicholson taatie-pie. — 
 Wa a' e gotten V biggest part d wer tonnops pied. 
 
 Piece, for a, adv. C. For a time. 
 
 Ex. — Ah stayed wiv him for a piece. — He wer theer for a 
 neyce piece. 
 
 Figgin, n. F. A small tub or pail with a vertical handle 
 w^hich when empty was carried under the arm : it was 
 used for milking into, the milk being poured from it into 
 the larger tub or skeel. 
 
 Pig-swarth, n. C. (pr. pig-swath). The rind of bacon. 
 
 Ex.— Ho'd thi noise J here 's a bit a pig-swath for 
 tha. 
 
 Fike, n. C. A very large haycock, usually about as much as 
 would make a good cartload. This is the universal 
 application of the word throughout the East Riding and 
 the southern part of the North Riding : in Cleveland, 
 however, it is applied to a circular stack or collection of 
 corn. The custom of pikeing hay is by no means so 
 common as it was twenty years ago. 
 
 Pile, n. F. (pr. pahl). A blade (of grass), sometimes also 
 used of the coat of an animal. 
 
 Pillow-slip, n. C. A pillow-case. 
 
 Pimpish, adj. F. Dainty in the matter of food, taking it in 
 small quantities. 
 
 Fin, n. F, The middle place when three horses go in single 
 file. 
 
 Ex. — JVe 'II put him i f pin. 
 
 Pinehery, n. F. A state of extreme carefulness approaching 
 to miserliness. 
 
 Finder, n. F. (sometimes pr. pidner). The man who has 
 charge of a pinfold. 
 
 Pinfold, n. C. A pound or place for detaining straying 
 cattle. 
 
 Pinshow, n. R. A child's peep-show : a plaything common 
 formerly among children at school, the show being 
 generally made of a sort of paper box with flowers, &c., 
 inside, a pin being demanded for a peep. 
 
 Pisle, V. C. (pr. pahzle). To walk about in a lazy manner. 
 With regard to this word, Atkinson quotes the Swedish 
 D. word pisla, to walk heavily, with which it would seem 
 to be connected. 
 
 Ex. — He gans pahzlin aboot. 
 
 Fissimire, Passimire, n. C. The common ant. 
 
 A a 
 
354 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Place, placing, n. C. (pr. pleeace). Service. 
 
 Ex. — Q. 'Where 's Anne now?' A. Sha 's gone ti 
 Sfowsla ti pleeace, i. e. She has gone into service at 
 Stokesle3^ 
 
 Plain, V. C. (pr. pleean and plaan). To complain. 
 
 Ex. — He gaiis tiv his inaasther ti pleean on him. — Sha 's 
 awliis pleeanin is cor Anne. 
 
 Plain, adj. C. (pr. plaan). This w^ord refers not onl}^ to out- 
 ward appearance, but also to morals. 
 Ex. — Sha '5 nohbut a plaan ''tin. 
 
 Plash, V. C. To splash. Dan. At plaske (to splash). 
 
 Plate, V. C. To clench or bend back the end of a nail 
 when driven, and so to flatten the end of it. Dan. Plat 
 (flat). 
 
 Please, v. F. (pr. pleease). To give an equivalent or make 
 a return for a kindness received, or something of a like 
 nature. 
 
 Ex.— 71/)' vniither says mud sha hev a dhvop d brandy an' 
 sh a ' // pleease ya for't. 
 
 Pleeaf, pleugh, n. C. A plough. The two forms of this 
 word are about equally common, the pr. of the latter is 
 not ploo hut pleew. Dan. En Plov (a plough). 
 
 Pleugh-stots, n. C. Plough lads, properly twelve in number, 
 who traverse the district in which they live on Plough- 
 Monda}' ; formerly a plough used to be dragged about 
 with them, the lads representing the slots or oxen, as the 
 word signifies. In former j^ears the rounds lasted for a 
 fortnight or three weeks, but now the time is shortened, 
 and the numbers who take part in the performance are 
 also reduced. The performers are fantastical^ dressed, a 
 leading feature being the wearing of white skirts trimmed 
 with ribbons outside their other garments : two of the 
 number act as king and queen. The chief part of the 
 acting consists in sword dances, for which reason they 
 are frequently called swurd dancers. They are always 
 accompanied with music of some kind. Vide Stot. 
 
 Pload, V. R. To walk with some difficult}^ through boggy 
 or muddy places ; to wade through water. Jutl. D. 
 Pladder (thick muddy water). 
 
 Plosh, V. C. To splash ; hence ploshy, i. e. splash}^, as when 
 one walks through melting snow. Dan Plaske (to 
 splash). 
 
 Ploughing- day, n. C. The day on which neighbouring 
 farmers assist a new tenant of a farm in ploughing his 
 land for him. 
 
 Plug, V. C. To load a cart with manure. 
 
 Ex. — Q. ' What is Tom doing 1 ' A. Pluggin' muck. 
 
GLOSSARY. ^S5 
 
 Plugger, n. C. Anything large of its kind. 
 
 Ex. — // zi>er a plugger. 
 Pluke, n. C. A spot or pimple. 
 Plumb, adj. C. Perpendicular ; also used for the steepest part 
 
 ofahili, 
 
 Ex. — IVa niun 'ev it plum, howivver. — They seean gat ti V 
 plum o' /' hill. 
 Pluther, n. F. Sludge, and dirt in a semi-liquid state. There 
 
 are various forms of this word, bladther 2ind plother having 
 
 precisely the same meaning. In South Jutland plodder 
 
 is used in the same sense, and these may all be connected 
 
 with the Danish word pladre (to mix up), pladder or 
 
 pluther being always a mixture of soil or dirt of some 
 
 kind and water. Jutl. D. Pladder (sludge). 
 Poat, V. F. (pr. paut and pooat). To move quietly with the 
 
 foot or with a stick, &c. ; hence it is used of one who looks 
 
 inquisitively into things. From this word pooatler is 
 
 derived. 
 
 Ex. — He cums pautin aboof. 
 Pock-arr, n. C. The mark caused by the small-pox ; hence 
 
 pock-arr'd, i. e. marked with the small-pox. Jutl. D. Pok- 
 
 arret (marked with the small-pox). 
 Poke, n. C. (pr. pooak). A sack or bag, esp. a corn-sack. 
 
 Dan. En Pose (a bag) ; Jutl. D. En Poge (a bag) ; 
 
 Fr. Poche (pocket). 
 Pooatler, n. F. A long stick, held about eighteen inches 
 
 from the top, such as drovers use ; it is something like 
 
 an alpenstock. Vide Poat. 
 Poose, V. F. To strike, as at a cricket ball. 
 
 Ex. — He poos' d her oot o' /' clooas. 
 Porringer, n. R. A mug bellied like a pitcher, and made of 
 
 coarse ware ; formerly it was commonly used by children 
 
 at meal-times. No doubt this word is derived from 
 
 porridge. 
 Posh, n. C. A dirty mess, mud, sludge. 
 
 Ex. — 7"' rooads is all iv a posh. 
 Posh, poss, V. F. To dash violently with water. 
 
 Ex. — Poss them things weel. 
 Poshing-stick, possing-stick, n, C. A stick with feet at the 
 
 end of it, used for washing heavy articles in a peggy-tub, 
 
 or other vessel. 
 Posskit, n. R. A tub in which heavy clothes, (S:c., are 
 
 washed by means of a possing-stick. 
 Post-and-pan, adj. R. A name applied to old timber-framed 
 
 houses. Pan refers to the fitting of the timbers. Vide Pan. 
 Pot-sitten, part. O. Burnt or overdone by excessive 
 
 cooking or seething. Dan. Syde (to seethe). 
 
 A a 2 
 
;^^6 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Prickle, v. C. To prick. 
 
 Ex. — A/i 've prickled my han's despretly (said by one 
 when 'shearing' among thistles). 
 Prick-o'-back-urchin, n. C. (pr. pricky-back-otch'n). The 
 hedge-hog. 
 
 Ex. — Ah seed yan d them pricky-back otchns a hit sen. 
 Proffer, v. C. To make an offer. The word offer is seldom, 
 used in this sense. 
 
 Ex. — Ah proffered him a rahd, bitd he ivadvCt cum wi ma. 
 — He proffered mafahve pitndfor V dog. 
 Press, V. F. To gossip, to talk in a familiar manner ; also 
 used as a noun. Jutl. D. At praase (to froth, as beer ; 
 to raise the dust). 
 
 Ex. — He did pross. — There 's ozver mich prossiri aboot 
 him. — Ah hdded a bit d pross iviv her. 
 Providance, n. C. (pr. providancej. Supply of food for an 
 entertainment. 
 
 Ex. — We s'all de ti mak providance for ^em. 
 Puddings, n. C. Entrails. 
 Pulls, n. C. Heads of corn which have not been completel}^ 
 
 threshed ; broken heads of corn. 
 Pull, V. C. To pick ; esp. fruit. 
 
 Ex. — Sha 's pullin^ berries, i.e. She is picking goose- 
 berries. 
 Pum, V. C. To beat with the fists. 
 
 Ex. —Ah pimtmed him weel. 
 Purlings, pirlings, n. C. Ribs for carrjnng the spars of the 
 
 roof of a house. 
 Put aboot, V. C. To disturb in mind, to excite, to cause in- 
 convenience and anno3''ance. 
 
 Ex. — Ah can't bahd it ; it puts ma aboot sadly. — Sha wer 
 despertly putten aboot iviv him. 
 Put off, put away, v. C. To put to death. 
 
 Ex. — T' au'd dog^s that bad, ah think ive mun put him 
 off. — We 've gitten f poor thing putten away. 
 Putten, part. C. Put. 
 
 Ex. — Wheer '5 ta putten them things? 
 Putting in, part. C. The act of clearmg the thickest of the 
 hay with a fork or the handle of a rake out of the way of 
 the rakers who are to follow, by which means it is made 
 mto windrow, either for the men to form large cocks from, 
 or for the horses to ' sweep ' into pike if the hay be full}^ 
 dried. The work of putting in is frequently done by 
 women. 
 
 Ex. — Rujt an^ tell yer muther ti cum an' put in a bit; it 
 leeaks as thoff it wer boun ti raan. 
 
GLOSSARY. '^^'J 
 
 Q. 
 
 Quality, n. C. Gentry. 
 
 Ex. — ' An' ah 'man^ V rest o' quality put doon, 
 
 For ivvry lahtle helps, thoo knaws, a croon^ 
 
 — York Minster Screen. 
 Quart, V. F. (pr. quahrt). To cross transversely, esp. in 
 ploughing a field a second time and in a different line 
 to the first ploughing. 
 
 Ex. — Noo, lads^ wemun quahrt V fauf. 
 Quick, adj. C. Vide "Wick. 
 Quiet, adv. C. Quite, entirely. 
 
 Quite better. C. (pr. quiet better). Quite well again. Vide 
 Better. 
 
 R. 
 
 Rack, n. C. This w^ord is commonly applied to a bend in 
 a river, generally of no great length, which deviates 
 almost at right angles from its general course ; thus 
 when a vessel is sailing with a fair wind up a river and 
 comes to a rack, she cannot proceed through it under sail, 
 but has then to be navigated by towing or other means ; 
 this is called leading the rack. There are numerous 
 racks along the Ouse, e. g. Cuddy Shaw Rack, Nanpie 
 Rack, Poppleton Rack, Crabtree Rack, &c. 
 Raddle, v. C. To beat soundly with a stick, tSic. 
 Raddling, n. C. A sound beating. 
 
 Ex. — He gav him a good raddlin\ 
 Rafi9.e, v. C. To lead a loose, dissolute sort of life ; to 
 
 become dissipated. 
 RafB.e-pack, n. F. A good-for-nothing fellow. 
 RafQing, adj. C. Riotous, disorderly, loose (in mode of life). 
 
 Ex. — Ah deean^t want ti gan wi that rafflin' lot. 
 Ragabash, n. C. A disreputable character; the lowest of the 
 
 low. 
 Rageous, adj. F. Savage, furious. 
 
 Ex. — That dog o' yours is rageous. 
 Ragg'd, part. C. Covered, or laden with fruit. 
 
 Ex. — 7"' berry trees is iveel ragg'd ti-year. — They Ve ragg'd 
 as thick as they can hing. 
 Raggel, n. C. (pr. raggil). A rascal, a blackguard. Jutl. D. 
 En Raegl (a rag). 
 
 ' An' theer ah fan' f oad raggil ti be seear, 
 Stthritch''d ov his back deead dhrunk o' /' parlour fleear' 
 
 — York Minster Screen. 
 Raitch, n. C. The white mark or star on a horse's face. 
 Raited, part. C. Influenced or damaged by exposure to the 
 
^S^ GLOSSARY. 
 
 weather ; frequently said of line or flax when so exposed 
 and steeped, by which means the shivs are more easily 
 detached. Dan. Rode (putrefaction). 
 
 Rakapelt, n. C. A man of dissolute habits. 
 
 Ram, V. C. To work with vigour. Dan. At ramme (to hit, 
 strike). 
 
 Kx.—Noo, lads; ram azvay, an' wa s'all seean d'e deean. 
 
 Ram, adj. C. Stinking, offensive in smell. Dan. Ram 
 (sharp, acrid in taste) ; En ram Smag (an offensive taste). 
 Icel. Rammr. 
 
 Ram.ble, v. C. (pr. ramm'l). This word, which is in ver}' 
 
 common use, has a different meaning in the dialect from 
 
 what it has in Std. Eng. It is seldom, if ever, used in the 
 
 simple sense of wandering abroad, but generally in a 
 
 bad and more restricted sense, esp. of children getting 
 
 into mischief, e. g. by climbing to a place where the}' 
 
 ought not ; it is also applied to young fellows idling about 
 
 a village, without any idea of roaming away from it. 
 
 Ex. -Cum off that stee t/iis minute y tlioo '5 aivlus ram' Jin 
 
 ahoot an' gettht' intiv a mischeef. — Them lads d Frank's 
 
 is aivlus ranfliji aboot V toon. 
 
 Ramm.aek, v. F. This word is equivalent to Rannack, of 
 which it is another form. 
 
 Ram.p, V. C. To make a series of inclined drops on the 
 upper part of a wall, when built on sloping ground, b}' 
 which means the coping of the wall is kept horizontal. 
 
 Ex. — I4^a mun ramp it doon a hit mair. 
 This word is also used as a substantive. 
 
 Ram.per, n. C. The sloping side of a raised footwa}^ 
 whether paved or not ; sometimes also applied to a simi- 
 lar slope at the coping of a wall. 
 
 Randle-balk, n. F. (pr. rann'1-bauk). A beam or bar across 
 the upper part of a fire-place, from which are hung the 
 reckons. The old randle-balks were always of wood, and 
 so should they always be, as the name implies. 
 
 Rannack, v. C. To be noisy, wild, and boisterous. A word 
 frequently applied to children. 
 
 Ex. — Them bairns d Betty Robison's is aivlus rannackitf 
 aboot f stthreet. 
 Also used as a substantive in tlie sense of a person of 
 dissolute habits. 
 
 Ranty, adj. C. Heated with passion, excited, angry. 
 Ex. — Mah wdd., bud he was ranty I 
 
 Rap off, V. C. To throw off quickly, esp. of speech. 
 Ex.— Ah thoivt noivt aboot it ; ah just rapp'd it off. 
 
 Rash, V. C. To air or dry thoroughl}', esp. of clothes before 
 the fire. This word is mainly used in the E. R. 
 
GLOSSARY. 359 
 
 Rasps, n. C. Raspberries. 
 
 Ex. — Berries, corrii-berries, an' rasps, i. e. Gooseberries, 
 currants, and raspberries. 
 Ratten, n. C. A rat. Dan. En Rotte (a rat). 
 Rattener, n. C. A rat-catcher. 
 
 Raum, V. C. (pr. raum and reeam). To raise the voice 
 unduly, to shout. Dan. At raabe (to shout). 
 Ex. — M^hat '5 ta rawnhi oot leyke that ti-deea ? 
 Rax, V. C. To stretch to the full, esp. the limbs ; to strain 
 the joints. 
 
 Ex. — They rax fhersens oot. 
 Rax, n. R. A strain. 
 
 Razzle, v. C. To cook meat hastily over the fire, leaving the 
 outside scorched and the inside half done. Jutl. D. At 
 raese (to smoke, to burn ; esp. fish . Norse Raesa. 
 Reach, v. C. To hand or pass a thing on to another. 
 Reach to, v. C. To help oneself at table. 
 
 Ex.— iVoo, deean'tbe ower neyce j reach tulan' git agait, i. e. 
 help yourself and begin. 
 Rear, v. C. To raise to a more or less upright position. 
 Although this word is similarly used in Std. Eng., I in- 
 sert it here because in the dialect it is preferred to the 
 word raise in cases where the latter would always be 
 used ordinarily. 
 
 Ex. — Ah can't rear mysen i bed, i. e. I can't sit up in 
 bed. — Cum here j ah can't rear this stee wi mysen. 
 Rear, adj. C. Half cooked (of meat), underdone. It is note- 
 worthy that this old word is commonly used in the same 
 sense in the United States. 
 Reckling, n. C. The smallest or poorest in a number of 
 animals ; e. g. in a flock of sheep or a litter of pigs. Icel. 
 Reklingr (an outcast). 
 Reck'n, n. C. The iron bar suspended from the randle-baitk, 
 
 on which the pots are hung. 
 Reck'n-crook, n. C. The hook at the end of a reck'n-baitk, for 
 
 holding the pots. 
 Reek, v. C. To smoke ; also used as a noun. Dan. Rog 
 (smoke). 
 
 Ex. — Oor chimler reeks sadly. — T' hoos is full o' reek. 
 Reesty, adj. C. Rancid ; esp. of bacon. 
 
 Reet, V. C. (i) To set in order, to straighten, to put to rights. 
 (2j To comb the hair. Dan. Rede (order) ; at rede Haaret 
 (to comb the hair). 
 
 Ex.— 7?^^/ tha — said to a cow preparatory to being 
 milked, and in order that its legs might be easily 
 tied. — Wa den'tgitten reeled y it. 
 Rein, n. F. (pr. as rain). The ends or edges of fields 
 
360 
 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 which are overgrown with brushwood and cannot be 
 ploughed. Icel. Rein (a strip of land). 
 Ex. — T' field'' s noivt bud reins an'' gairs. 
 
 Reist, V. C. To be restive. 
 
 Remmon, v. C. To remove from one place to another, to 
 set aside. This word has not the same meaning Sisflit, 
 which is invariably used for the act of removing, with 
 furniture, &c., to a new abode. Dan. At romme (to de- 
 camp) ; at romme en Plado (to vacate a seat). 
 Ex. — Wa mun remmon it. 
 
 Render, v. C. To liquef^^ by means of heat, esp. in cooking ; 
 e. g. fat from which lard is obtained. 
 
 Renky, adj. C, Tall and somewhat thin. Dan. Rank 
 (tall) ; En rank ung Mand (an upright young man). 
 
 Rezzel, n. C. (pr, rezzil). A weazel. 
 
 Rickle, n. C. A small heap oi peats set up to dry. A diminu- 
 tive of rook. 
 
 Ride, V. C. To travel in a vehicle of an}^ kind. This word 
 is used commonly for riding on horseback, but its ex- 
 tended usage is peculiar. 
 
 Ex.- Z)/V/'5/ ta rahdivi f traan ? — He rade in f cartwi nia. 
 — Wilt ta rahd ? i. e. Shall I give you a lift in my con- 
 veyance ? said to one overtaken on a road. 
 
 Riding, ridding, n. C. An open space in a wood, esp. a road 
 through a wood : properly a clearance in a wood made by 
 felling trees. This word is very commonly applied, esp. 
 in the E. Riding, to a road through a wood, and it is pr. 
 riding rather than ridding, though the latter is more 
 correct. Dan. En Rydning fa clearing) ; Rydnings land 
 (clearing-land). There are fields at Linton-on-Ouse called 
 ' The Ruddings,' which formerly, no doubt, were clearings 
 from the forest. 
 
 Rife, adj. F. Ready, inclined for. 
 Ex. — He '5 rife for a fight. 
 
 Rigg, n. C. The back, either of man or beast ; also the ridge 
 of anything, as of a hill, the roof of a building, lands in a 
 ploughing field, «S:c. ; the rows in which turnips grow. 
 Dan. Ryg (back). 
 
 Ex. — Them tonnop riggs is ozver near-liand yan anuther. 
 
 Rigged, Rig-welted, part. C. Laid on the back, as a sheep 
 which cannot raise itself from that position. I have 
 never heard welted used simply in this sense. Dan. At 
 vaelte (to upset, to overturn). 
 
 Y.y..- Sitha; ther's tweea o' /' aii'd yows rigg d yonder. 
 — Ah seed y an o' /' gimmers rig-ivelted. 
 
 Rigging, n. C. The wooden framework of the roof of a 
 house. Dan. En Rygning (a ridge). 
 
GLOSSARY. 361 
 
 Rigging-tree, n. C. The top and main spar of the roof of 
 a house running along the ridge. Dan. Rygtrse (the 
 main spar in a roof). 
 Right, adj. C. (pr. reet). True. This equivalent is almost 
 universally used. 
 
 Ex. — What ah 's tellin o' ya '5 reet. 
 Right on end, adv. C. (pr. reet'n end). Straight away, 
 
 straight, perpendicularly. 
 Right up. v. C. To put into order ; to make orderly, either 
 of persons or things. 
 
 Ex. — He ivants reetin up sadly. 
 Ring-shaken, part. F. This word is applied to wood that is 
 diseased, and which has the appearance almost as if struck 
 by lightning ; it is not so common in the oak or ash, being 
 most frequently seen in the sweet chestnut. 
 Ripple, V. F, To cut corn, esp. beans, with a long-handled 
 sickle. By this process the strokes were short and 
 quick, and the sheaf was gathered into the left arm. 
 In this way the work was more quickly done than by the 
 ordinary process : the operation is not so common as 
 formerly. Norse .Ripla (to scratch). 
 Rive, V. C. (pr. rahve). To tear in two ; to tear, to pull, 
 to split, esp. when considerable force is requisite Dan. 
 At rive (to tear). 
 
 Ex. — T' pig 's fit ti rahve f yat off V creeaks. — Sha 
 omntost rahv' d f hair f rev herheead. — Ah ' II naether splet 
 nor rahve, i. e. FU neither split the difference, nor 
 give back anything. The past participle of this verb 
 is rovven. 
 Roar, V. C. (pr. roor). To weep bitterly, as a child. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo maurCt roor i that leet. — T' lahtle lad starts ti 
 roor at nowt omrnost. 
 Roke, n. C. (pr. rank). A fog ; esp. a mist or fog off the sea. 
 Norse Rok (pr. raak), the foam of the sea driving 
 before the storm. Jutl. D. Raag (a drizzling rain driven 
 by a fresh wind). 
 Roky, adj. C. Misty, foggy. 
 Ex. — It 's varry raitky. 
 Rook, n. F. A small heap or cock of clover or other crop 
 twisted at the top, and set up to dry in a wet time. There 
 is little or no difterence between this and a gait or gaiting. 
 Also commonly used of a pile of turves. 
 Rook, V. C. To pile or set up in a heap ; commonly used 
 with reference to clover and other crops. Also, and most 
 frequently, spoken of turves heaped up after having been 
 previously dried in pairs, as a final preparation before 
 being carted away. Jutl. D. Roge (a heap of turves). 
 
3*^2 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Roupy, adj. C. (pr. roopy). Hoarse ; not clear in speech, 
 from the effects of cold. 
 
 Ex. — Ah '5 that roupy whahl ah can hardlins talk. 
 Rout, n. C. A long round of visits or calls. 
 Ex. — Ah 've had a reglar rout ti-day. 
 Also used as a verb. 
 Row, V. C. (pr. between ro and rou). To work hard, esp. if 
 the work be of a rough nature. 
 
 Ex. — Ah 've been rowin' amang f tonnops. 
 Rown, n. C. (pr. raun). The roe or spawn of fish. 
 
 Dan. Rogn ; jutl. D. Rawn (spawn offish). 
 Rowty, adj. C. Thick or luxuriant in growth. 
 Roy, V. C. To lead a fast life ; to live extravagantly. 
 
 Ex. — They ^re royin aivaay ; they 'II seean d'e deean, i. e. 
 they will soon come to the end of their money. 
 Royously, adv. Extravagantly (in living). 
 
 Ex. — They We living royously awaay. 
 Ruckle, v. R. To spread out sheaves of ' line ' to dr}^ a 
 ruckle being the same as a small sheaf tied or ' lanked ' at 
 the top. 
 Rud, n. C. Red ochre, used for colouring floors, &c. 
 
 Dan. Rod (red). 
 Rud-stake, n. C. A perpendicular post in a beast's stall, on 
 which is an iron moveable ring to which the beast is tied 
 by a chain. 
 Rug, V. F. To pull violently, to tear. This word is com- 
 monl}'^ used in connection with rive. Dan. At rykke 
 (to pull, to jerk) ; Rykke en i haaret(pull oneby thehairj. 
 Ex.- — He '5 been 7'uggin an' rahvin at it. 
 Runibustical, adj. C. Nois}'^, fond of rough pla3^ 
 Runnel, n. F. A rill ; a tiny stream. I have only heard 
 
 this w^ord in the north part of the N.R. 
 Runty, adj. C. Short and thick-set ; applied either to 
 people or animals. 
 
 Ex.— S7«<7 can deea ommost oiut; sha's a stoot runty lass. 
 
 Rust, n. C. Rest. This pr., with many of our old folk, is very 
 
 common ; the pr. is approximate to roost though not so 
 
 long. Also used as a verb. Dan. Rast (rest) ; Icel. Rost. 
 
 Ex.— ^/2 can't get a bit d rust neeaways. — Sha nol)but 
 
 rusts badly. 
 
 Ruttle, V. C. To breathe with a rattling noise, as when 
 
 suffering from a bronchial affection or like a person in 
 
 extremis. 
 
 S. 
 
 Sackless, adj. F. Idiotic, simple-minded. 
 Ex. — He 's nobbut a poor sackless bairn. 
 
GLOSSARY. ^6^ 
 
 Sad, adj. C. Heavy, as applied to articles of food ; esp. bread, 
 cake, &c. Sometimes applied to soil or land that does 
 not ' work ' well. 
 
 Kx.~He weean't bring f barm; f breead 's as sad as sad 
 ageean. 
 Sadly begone, part. C. Deceived, taken in, disappointed ; 
 esp. when outward signs of the deception (S:c. are visible. 
 Safe, adj. C. (pr. seeaf). Certain, sure, 
 
 Ex.— He 's seeaf fi com. — // '5 seeaf fi raan. 
 Sag, V. C. To hang like a chain suspended at each end, 
 which naturally sinks towards the middle ; to sink down. 
 Said, part. C. Persuaded by argument. 
 Saim, n. C. (pr. saam and seeam). Lard. Wei. Saim (grease). 
 
 Ex. — Ah 'd noivt bud a bit d saam ti mi breead. 
 Sair, adj. C. Sore. Dan. Saar (sore). 
 Sail", sairly, adv. C. Sorely, greatly. 
 
 Ex. — All iver pittfeii aboot sair. 
 Sam., V. C. To collect together. This word is used in a 
 variety of ways, sometimes e. g. in gathering of corn or 
 other farm produce, or in the house in tid3^ing or ' siding ' 
 up things that are scattered about. Dan. At samle (to 
 collect). 
 
 Ex. — Noo ah mim azvay an^ git them things sarifd up. 
 Samnier, n. F. Anything large of its kind. 
 
 Ex. — Sitha / you 's a sammer. 
 Sark, n. F. A shirt, of any kind. Dan. En Saerk (a smock, 
 
 a shift). 
 Sarra, v. R. To serve, esp. as regards supplying animals 
 with food. This old word has about died out and given 
 place to sarve. 
 Sarve, v. C. (This pr. is universal; also sarvent, sarvent, 
 /ass, (Sic). To serve, to feed. 
 Ex. — Ah '11 gan an' sarve V pigs. 
 Sattle, V. C. To settle, esp. in a new place, whether of men 
 or beasts ; also to fall in price. 
 
 Ex, — Wa 've gotten f new pig, an' it '5 sattled as neyce as 
 can be. — Barley sattled a bit V last Settherda. 
 Sauce, n. C. Impudence in word ; used also as a verb. 
 
 Ex.— S//<7 sauced her missis, i. e. she was impudent, 
 insolent, towards her. — T' lad gav him nowt bud sauce. 
 Sau't, n. F. Salt. 
 Sau't-kit, n. F. A small tub in which salt is sometimes 
 
 kept at farm-houses. Vide Kit. 
 Sauve, n. C. Salve, ointment ; also used as a verb. 
 Saw, saw, interj. R. For shame ! 
 
 Ex. — Saw, saw, lads / ah ^11 tell /' maasther o' ya. 
 Saw-cum, Saw-coom, n. C. Saw-dust. 
 
3^4 
 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Saw-horse, n. C. An extemporised frame for sawing, raised 
 
 on tressels, instead of a saw-pit. 
 Scale, V. C. To spread, to scatter ; esp. used of the spring 
 spreading of manure, lime, «S:c, witli a sort of tootlied 
 hoe. Dan. At skille (to separate). 
 
 Ex. — Q. ' Where is your mother ? ' A. Scaalin at Robert 
 Smith's (without mention of the thing scaled). — Thoo 
 mun scaal it weel. 
 Scallibrat, n. C. A noisy, screaming child ; also used as a 
 verb in the sense of using loud and vituperative language. 
 Ex. — Ah scallibrats 'em i f stthreet. 
 Scaup, n. F. The head ; a pr. of scalp. The word is 
 generally used in anger, when two people are quarrelling. 
 Ex. — Ah '11 brek tJii scaup if thoo deean't mahnd. 
 Scopperill, n. C. A teetotum ; generally made of a button or 
 
 part of a button, having a hole pierced in the centre. 
 Sconce, n. F. A ruse, a deception. 
 Ex. — // zver all a sconce on ''em. 
 It would seem as if this word were derived from the 
 O. Fr. esconer (to hide), as conveying with it the idea of a 
 hidden motive or meaning. 
 Scow, V. C. To place bark on the top of a pile of oak to dry, 
 the smaller pieces being put at the bottom and the larger 
 ones above. 
 Scraffle, v. R. To move with difficult}^, as through a crowd ; 
 to work one's way along. Dan. At skravle (to walk in 
 a tottering manner, as old or infirm people do). 
 Scran, n. F. Victuals ; meal-time being sometimes called 
 
 scran-time. 
 Scrat, V. C. To scratch ; also, to save money with difficulty 
 and by hard toil. Dan. Kratte (to scratch). 
 
 Ex. — Wa manished ti git wer rent scratted up. — See ya / 
 there '5 /' hens scrattin und flier f berry trees. 
 Scraumy, adj. C. Straggly, untidy in shape, ungainly ; often 
 applied to plants, shrubs, &:c. 
 
 Ex. — It 's a greeat scraumy thing is yon. 
 Screed, n. C. An edge or border of any material ; e. g. a cap- 
 screed. 
 Screeve, v. F. To mark wood or other substance by 
 scratching the surface ; the instrument with which the 
 mark is made is called a screeving-iron. 
 Scrogs, n. F. Stunted shrubs ; the hazel for instance. 
 Scroggy, adj. Y. This word is applied to trees that are 
 
 badly grown and so become bushy and stunted. 
 Scruffle, V. C. To apply the horse-hoe for working between 
 the turnip-rows, Dan. At skraelle (to pare) ; skra}lle 
 Plov (paring plough). 
 
 Ex. — Hez oar Jack gitten them tonnops scruffled? 
 
GLOSSARY. ^6j 
 
 Scrufler, n. C. A horse hoe for weeding between turnip- 
 rows. 
 Scuff, n. C. The back of the neck ; also as a verb — to strike, 
 shake, &c. on the back of the neck. 
 Ex. — Ali'll scuff hhn u^eel. 
 Seng, V. R. To hide ; hence scuggery (hiding). 
 Scunchins, scrunchins, n. R. Remnants of food, broken 
 meat, remains of a feast. 
 
 Ex. — Ah a'en't nionny scunchins left. 
 Sea-fret, n. F. Vide Fret. 
 
 Seckaree, n. F. The long smock formerly worn by 
 labourers ; also, and usuall}'', now applied to the short 
 smock which does not come below the waist. A Hol- 
 derness word. 
 Seea, sae, adv. C. So. The pr. of this word is twofold, viz. 
 seea and si (short), thus we say an' seea, and ivver si 
 inonny. It is preferable to adhere to the form seea in 
 writing. 
 Seear, adj. C. Sure ; the corresponding adverbial being 
 for seear. 
 
 Ex.' — Ah 's seear ah den't. — Aye, for seear. 
 Seed, V. pf. t. C. Saw. 
 
 Ex. — Ah seed 'em nobhut a bit sen. 
 Seed-lip, n. C. A long-shaped basket suspended from the 
 shoulder, from which seed-corn is taken by the 
 sower. A. S. Leap (a basket) ; Dan. En Saede-lov (a 
 seed-basket made of straw). 
 Seeing-glass, n. C. A looking-glass. 
 
 Seemlings, adv. F. (pr. seemlins). Apparently, seemingly. 
 Seeve, n. C. (pr. seeav). The common rush, which grows 
 in moist ground ; formerly used in making rushlight 
 candles. Dan. Et Siv (a rush). 
 Segs, n. C. Rushes, sedges ; this latter being another form 
 
 of the word. 
 Seize the heart, v. C. To take to heart. 
 
 Ex. — // '5 seized her heart sadly, i. e. she has taken it 
 greatly to heart. 
 Sen, adv. C. Since. Dan. Siden (since). 
 
 Ex. — Ah telVd him a bit sen. 
 Sessions, n. R. A disturbance ; a to-do, such, for instance, 
 as many people quarrelling, or a number of cattle fight- 
 ing one another. 
 
 Ex.— A^oo there HI be a bonny sessions aboot it. — There 
 was a bonny sessions amang ^em. 
 Set, V. C. (i) To accompany a person on a journey or part 
 of a journey. (2) To fix a rent for a holding. 
 
 Ex. — Ah '// set tha a piece o' waay yam. — Thoo mun set 
 
366 GLOSSARY. 
 
 her ti V tdti^ an then sha can gan wiv hersen.— He set 
 him V spot at fdtty pund. 
 Set on knees, v. C, To kneel. 
 
 Ex. — Ah seed him set ov his knees peerin' thriiff /' smout 
 hooal. 
 Setten on, part C. Short, stunted. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 setten on. 
 Setten up, part. C. Highly pleased, elated. 
 
 Ex. — T'' lahtle lass is iveeantly setten up wi startin scheeal. 
 Set-pot, n. R. A large boiler fixed by masonry in its place. 
 These were formerly common, but are at present seldom 
 seen. 
 Settle, n. C. Vide Lang-settle. 
 Shackle, n. C. The wrist. 
 
 Ex. — Ah ''ve ho'tten f gahdhers o' mi shackle sadly. 
 Shade, n. C. A shed. This pr. is universal. 
 ShafiELe, v. C. To shufflle (in its various senses). 
 
 Ex. — They luant ti shajflle thersens oot on 7. 
 Shaft, n. C. The handle of anything, e. g. a rake, fork, &c. 
 
 Dan. Et Skaft (a handle). 
 Shak, V. C. To shake. 
 
 Ex. — // shak'd it heead. 
 Shak-bag, n. C. One who is not to be trusted ; a term 
 often applied to one who has deceived another. 
 Ex. — Ah calls him nowt bud a shak-bag. 
 Shak-fork, n. F. A wooden fork used for shaking grain out 
 
 of straw in a barn. 
 Shape, V. R. (pr. shap). To give promise of; to make an 
 attempt, as by a beginner ; equivalent to frame. 
 Ex. — T' lad shaps zueel. 
 Sharp, v. C. To turn up the ends of horse-shoes to pre- 
 vent slipping in frosty weather. 
 
 Ex. — T' rooads is that slaap wa mun de f meer sharfd. 
 Sharp, adj. C. Quick ; also used adverbially. 
 
 Ex. — Be sharp J the invariable expression for ' make 
 haste ! ' 'be quick ! ' 
 Shaum, v. F. To warm one's legs by sitting near the fire. 
 This word may be derived from the Yv^xioXyjambe. 
 Ex, — He''s set shaumin' oiverV fire. 
 Shear, v. F. To cut corn with the sickle. Now that 
 machinery is so much used, this word is seldom heard, 
 except when speaking of bygone days. Dan. At skjaere 
 (to cut with a knife or other instrument) ; Leen skjaerer 
 godt (the scythe cuts well). 
 Shearling, n. C. A sheep of the first year from the time of 
 
 shearing. 
 Shelvings, n. C. The moveable four-sided framework of 
 
GLOSSARY. 367 
 
 two rails put on an ordinary cart when leading hay or 
 
 corn. 
 
 Ex. — Tak V shelvins off o' V cart. 
 Shibbin, shubb'n, shoven, n. C. That which binds or ties 
 
 a shoe, a shoe-lace, 
 
 Ex. — Sit/m I thi sJnibUn 's loivse. 
 Shift, V. C. Besides the ordinary meaning of changing 
 
 places, another very common one is to change clothes. 
 Ex. — Q. Wilt tha gan wi nia ? A. Aye^ if thoo V/ stop a bit 
 wlialil ah shift mysel. 
 Shifty, adj. C. Untrustworthy. 
 Shill, shilly, adj. C. This word is commonly applied to a 
 
 high wind. Some think it is merely another pronuncia- 
 tion of chill ; its meaning, however, is clearly ' noisy,' 
 
 ' shrill,' &c. 
 Shill, V. C. To separate, to put asunder ; to curdle milk. 
 Shill-horse, sill-horse, n. C. A shaft-horse. 
 
 ' Thou hast got more hair on thy chin than Dobbin my 
 
 thill-horse has on his tail.' — Merchant of Venice, ii. 2. 
 
 Thill seems to have given place to shill or sill in the 
 
 dialect, though I am inclined to think the two words 
 
 are distinct. Dan. At skille (to separate). 
 Shillockers, n. F. Ivory needles with a knob at one end and 
 
 a kind of hook at the other, something like a large crochet 
 
 needle ; they are used for doing a species of worsted 
 
 work. 
 Shills, sills, n. C. The shafts of a cart, &c. Also called 
 
 thills and limmers. 
 Shim, V. F. To give a glancing cut. Dan. At skimte (to 
 
 catch but a glimpse of anything). Icel. Skimi (a glimpse). 
 Shim-hoe, n. C. A Dutch-hoe, so called because of the 
 
 glancing way in which it cuts. 
 Shin, V. C. To trump at whist after playing false. To shin 
 
 aboon shin is to overtrump. 
 Shinnop, n. C. Hockey (a game). 
 
 Ship-starnel or shipster, n. C. The common starling. 
 Shirl, V. C. (pr. sholl). To slide ; to glide, esp. on ice. 
 
 Ex. — They We shollin' yonder uppo t poivnd. 
 Shiv, n. C. (pr. as in give). A broken particle of line-stalk, 
 
 husk of corn, &c. Dan. En Skjaeve (a particle). 
 Shive, n. C. (pr. shahve). A slice, a thin piece cut off 
 
 anything. Dan. En Skive (a slice). 
 Ex.— Wilt ta gie ma a shahve d breead. 
 Shog, v. C. To jog; to shake or jolt in motion ; to proceed 
 
 at a slow pace in driving, something between a walk and 
 
 2ifadge. 
 Shoglin, n. C. Vide Ice-shoggle. 
 
368 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Shool, n. R. A shovel. 
 
 Sliool, V. F. To seek to obtain a trifling advantage from 
 
 another ; to sponge upon. 
 Shoon, n. F. The plural of shoe. (At the present time this 
 
 form of the word is thought not so ' refined ' as shoes.) 
 fehoot, V. C. (The 00 is pn as it in put). To break into 
 ear (of corn). Dan. Skyde (to push) ; Skyde Knopper (to 
 put forth buds). 
 Shot, adj. C. (sometimes pr. shot, and sometimes shut). 
 Rid, free. 
 
 Ex. — Ah thowt wa''d gitten shut d ya. — Ah can^t git shot 
 on ''em. 
 Shout, V. C. (pr, shoot). To call, but not necessarily in tones 
 of more than ordinary loudness. 
 
 Ex. — 77/00 maitn't shoot on him ivhahl ah '5 riddy fi gan. 
 Showd, n. F. A shallow place in a river, across which vessels 
 have to be navigated with caution. The word is used of 
 points on the Ouse where such places occur ; particular 
 names being sometimes given to them : e. g. man showd, 
 woman showd. 
 Shudder, v. C. (pr. shoodther, the 00 being rather short). To 
 shake ; used both in an active and neuter sense. 
 
 Ex. — He cam up an'' shoodthered ma. — T' ait' d helm fair 
 shoodthered ageeanj it wer om most fit ti ivhemnfl ower. 
 Shut, V. C. (pr. as put). To shoot with a gun. Also the word 
 shutters is commonly used for a shooting-party in the same 
 way as iveddiners would be for a wedding-party. 
 Shy, adj. C. Bitter and piercing, of the wind. 
 Side, V. C. To remove, esp. out of sight ; to bury. 
 
 Ex. — A^oo .' you 've gotten aiCd Willie Barker sahded. 
 Side-line, side-long. v. F. (pr. sahd-lahn, sahd-lang). To tie 
 the fore and hind leg of a sheep together, and sometimes 
 also the head, to prevent it from straying. 
 Side up, V. C. (pr. sahd up.) To put into order, to make 
 tidy, to remove things that are l3^ing about. 
 
 Ex.— 5^ sharp, Jane, an'' git them things sahded up. 
 Sidelirigs, adv. F. (pr. sahdlins). By the side of, near to, 
 alongside of. 
 
 Ex. — He went somewheers sahdlins d Lon'on. 
 Sideway, adv. C. Aside, out of the way. 
 
 Ex.— y^// put it sahdeivaay. 
 Sie, V. F. To stretch ; also to fall in drops. Dan. At si (to 
 filter). 
 
 Ex. — 77^ '5 siein^ hissen oid, i. e. he is stretching himself, 
 Sike, adj. C. Such. 
 
 Ex. — There nivver was sike deed afoor. — Ah nivver seed 
 sike apples. 
 
GLOSSARY. 369 
 
 Sike-an, sikan, adj. C. Such. This and the foregoing word 
 are sometimes confounded. They may be distinguished 
 thus : si'ke is always used when followed by a word without 
 the article before it, or when followed by a or an with a 
 noun simply, but when an adjective intervenes then sikan 
 is used. E. g. Such apples =5/^^ apples ; such an apple = 
 sike an (not sike-an) apple \ such great apples = 5/^^ 
 greeat apples ; such a great apple = 5/^(^;/ a greeai apple. 
 Dan. Sikken (such a, what a). 
 Sike-like, adj. C. (pr. seyke-le3^ke). Suchlike, so forth. 
 
 Ex.— Q. ' What had you to do .? ' A. Deea ? Whya ! Ah 
 
 had ti muck oot f pigs, an' fodther V hosses, and leeak 
 
 eftther f beeos, an' seyke-leyke. 
 
 Sile, n. C. (pr. sahl). A strainer ; generally applied to a milk 
 
 strainer. A wooden or tin vessel with a hole at the 
 
 bottom across which fine gauze or canvas is stretched 
 
 N, Sil (a strainer). 
 
 Sile, V. C. To strain by means of a sile. N. Sila (to strain). 
 
 Ex. — Thoo sahl V milk an' ah '11 sahd V childer. 
 Sile-briggs, n. C. Two pieces of wood united by two cross 
 pieces and placed across the milk-bowl for the sile to rest 
 upon when the milk is poured through it from the pail. 
 Sills. Vide Shills. 
 Silly, adj. C. In a poor state of health. 
 
 Ex. — Q. ' How is your wife ? ' A. Sha '5 nobbiit silly, an' 
 hez been of a good bit. 
 Sind, singe, v. F. To wash out, to rinse, as e.g. a dirty pail. 
 Sing, V. C. To purr. 
 
 Ex. — Oor cat sings weeantly ti-neet. 
 Sipe, V. C. To drain away gradually ; to sink away, as water 
 
 into the ground. 
 Siss, V. C. To hiss ; commonl}^ used to express the sound 
 made by water dropping on a fire, &c. 
 Ex. — It '5 tahd ti be raanin hard, f fire sisses seea. 
 Sit fast, set fast, n. C. The central part of a wound, 
 
 boil, &c. 
 Sitha. sutha, interj. C. Calls to attract attention. Sutha is' 
 sometimes used in the form of a question, being then 
 equivalent to '■ saw thou ? ' Sitha is the same as ' see thou ! ' 
 Sittings, n. C. Statute hirings : these are held at the market 
 towns throughout the district annually at Martinmas. 
 Sometimes they are called statties. 
 Ex. — We 're off for Pockliton sittins. 
 Skare on, v. F. To splice two pieces of wood together 
 in such a way that the thickness at the juncture is not 
 greater than the rest : oars are commonly spliced thus. 
 Jutl. D. At skarre ved (to join two pieces together}. 
 
 Bb 
 
370 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Skeef, n. R. The front wheel of a plough, used formerly 
 instead of the coulter for cutting the ground. 
 
 Skeel, n F. A large wooden pail into which the milk was put 
 at milking time and carried home on the head. A piggin 
 was used for milking into, and the milk was poured from 
 the piggin into the skeel. Tin cans have now almost 
 universally taken the place of wooden pails : still the 
 word skeel is very familiar to old people. The derivation 
 of this word appears to be uncertain. There would seem 
 to be a connection between it and the Danish Skaal, but 
 this word applies to a bowl of crockery or cup. The 
 O. N. word Skiola (a milking-pail) seems a more prob- 
 able derivation, the root of the word being the same in 
 each case. 
 
 Skeg, n. F. A glance (of the e^'e) ; also a squint, a cast. 
 Dan. Skjaev (oblique) ; se skjsevt til (look askance at). 
 Ex. — A skeg o' /' ee. 
 
 Skeggie, v. F. To sway from side to side, as a horse some- 
 times does. 
 
 Skel-beast, n. F. The partition which separates the cows in 
 a cow-shed. Dan. At skille (to separate). 
 
 Skell up, V. C. (pr. skell and skeyl). To tilt, esp. a cart 
 when the body is sloped to the ground while the shafts 
 remain in a horizontal position. O. N. Skaela (to turn 
 aside). 
 
 Skelp, V. C. To beat with the palm of the hand ; also to ride 
 or walk quickly. 
 
 Ex. — Whisht/ or ah 'II skelp tha. — He skelp' d off yam. 
 
 Skelping, adj. C. Very large : generally preceded hy greeat. 
 Kx.^Sha 's a greeat skelpin nieer. 
 
 Skep, n. C. A basket ; esp. a garden basket with an arched 
 handle across it. It was formerly used as a measure, and 
 is so still in Denmark, where a Skjceppe equals half a 
 tonde. This purely Danish word, so commonly used 
 in East Yorkshire, seems to be unknown in West- 
 moreland. 
 
 Skill, V. R. To distinguish, to make out. Dan. D. At 
 skelle (to discriminate between). 
 
 Ex.—// '5 bad ti skill, i. e. It is difficult to distinguish. 
 
 Skillet, skellit, n. R. A small pot for the fire, with a long 
 handle, generally made of tin. 
 
 Skime, v. F. (pr. skahm). To squint, to look scowlingly. 
 Dan. At skimte (to see faintly) ; skimte efter (to gaze 
 after). 
 
 Ex. — He skahnis oot ov his een. — He skahnis ivi yah ee. 
 
 Skimmer, v. P\ To shimmer, to glisten. Dan. At skimte' 
 frem (to glimmer forth). 
 
GLOSSARY. 2>7^ 
 
 Skirl, V. C. To scream ; hence skirling, a screaming. 
 Dan. At skralde (to peal forth). 
 Ex. — He skirls leyke a pig iv ay at. 
 Skirting, part. F. Under-cutting a haystack three feet or 
 so upwards from the ground. After due settlement from 
 ' sweating,' a stack (always called ' she 'j would be 
 'pulled,' 'skirted,' and 'topped out.' 
 Skirts, pair of, n. C. (pr. ske'ts). This is the common 
 
 equivalent for a petticoat. 
 Skrike, v. C To screech. Dan. At skrige (to screech). 
 
 Ex. — All fair skrikd oot i paan. 
 Slack, n. C. The hollow part of an undulation in the 
 ground. A slack scarcely amounts to what would be 
 called a valley : a good specimen, among many, of a 5/^7^/^, 
 is on the road from Driffield to Naff'erton, which always 
 goes by the name of The Slack. Also used as an adj., in 
 the sense of depressed, easy, light, &c. Dan. Slak 
 (slack — a nautical term). 
 
 Ex. — It iver a varry slack market yistther da. — Wa sail 
 'ev a slack taJwi inoo. 
 Slaftcr, n. F. Slaughter. There is also a similar verbal 
 
 form. 
 Slain, n. F. (pr. slaan or sleean). The bluish-black blight 
 on wheat ; hence also the adj. slainy, with correspond- 
 ing meaning. 
 
 Ex. — There '5 a vast d slaany ears antang f coorn. 
 Slair, V. F. To idle away one's time. 
 
 Slaister, v. C. To idle, or do work in a slip-shod manner ; 
 hence slaisterer and slaistering, also in common use. 
 Ex. — He ""s a slaisterin' soort ov a man. 
 Slake, V. F. To lick. 
 
 Ex. — Silha ! he '5 slaakin' V treeacle off. 
 Slap, V. C. To spill water. Jutl. D. Slap (to lap) ; slap-tid 
 (slack water). 
 
 Ex. — 77/0(7 maitn't slap if. 
 Slape, adj. C. Slippery, smooth ; also used figuratively for 
 an untrustworthy person. O. N. Sleipr (slippery). 
 
 Ex. — T' rooads is varry slaape. — Sha '5 a nasty slaape 
 soort ov a woman. 
 Slappy, adj. C. Soft and wet, puddly, esp. under foot ; but 
 sometimes also applied to the cause, viz. rainy weather. 
 Ex. — Z' trod 's varry slappy. — Jt 's a slappy tahm been. 
 Slaps, slap, n. C. Rinsings, dirty water, pig-wash, &c. 
 
 Ex. — Ah gi'es 'em a bit o' slap i t ' mornings. 
 Slash, V. C. To trim hedges with a slasher, or long straight 
 
 blade with a handle. 
 Sleek, V. C. To apply liquid to a fire with a view of putting 
 
 B b 2 
 
3/2 GLOSSARY. 
 
 it out ; also used frequentl}^ as a noun, in the sense of anj' 
 draught that alla3^s thirst well. Dan. At slukke (to quench). 
 Ex. — 7^' lalun ivants sleckiii' a bit inair. — Aa I ah was 
 dliry\ bud f yal inaks a good sleek. 
 Slidder, v. C. (pr. slidther). To slide. 
 
 Ex. — Sha ivent slidtherin doon f ramper. — Ah thowt sha 
 wer flivver boiin ti stop slidtherin. 
 Sliddery, adj. F. (pr. slidther}^). Slippery, equivalent to 
 
 slape. 
 Slight, adj. R. Smooth, glossy. Dan. Slet (level). 
 Slip, n. C. A case for a pillow. 
 
 Slipe, V. C. To remove any substance rapidly from the 
 surface of anything. 
 
 Ex.— /^^ sliped off a bit o' /' shaff. 
 Sloke, n. F. Scum ; also refuse or loose straw that attaches 
 itself to lijie, which is removed prior to ruckling, and 
 which brings with it a portion of the line itself, this being 
 twisted at the top of the sheaf when placed upright 
 on the ground. 
 Slope, V. C. (pr. slowp). (i) To leave a place in debt. 
 (2) To make a noise in drinking, to gulp ; also used as 
 a noun in the sense of a gulp, 
 
 Ex.— (2) Hoo thoo diz slowp. — He supped it at yah slowp. 
 Slough, n. C. (pr. slufif). The outer skin, esp. of fruit ; e.g. the 
 gooseberry. This w^ord is never applied to a skin which 
 cannot be easily taken or cast off. Sometimes the act of 
 taking the heads and tails off gooseberries preparatory to 
 preserving was called stuffing berries, though stricth' 
 speaking the stuff is only the skin of the fruit. 
 Ex. — Thoo niaun't eat them berry stuffs. 
 Slowdy, n. and adj. C. One who goes with his clothes in a 
 very untidy and dirt}^ state. 
 Ex. — Sha 's a big slowdy. 
 Slubbard, n. R. A basin for drinking milk out of 
 Sluddery, adj. C. (pr. sludthery). Dirty and untidy Dan. 
 Slud (rain and snow mixed). 
 
 Kx.—Sha 's a sludthery sooart ov a woman. 
 Slushing, adj. C. This word is commonly applied to a 
 situation where there is much rough work to be done ; a 
 slushing-pleeace or a slushing-spot are common expressions 
 for such places. 
 Slythe, n. R. An oppressive smell, foul air ; sometimes 
 also applied to cold or chilliness. 
 
 Ex.— We 7/ leet t\fire to be rid o' /' slythe. 
 Smally, adj. F. Pun3^ slight, thin. 
 
 Smiddy, n. C. A blacksmith's shop. Dan. En Smedie 
 (a smithy). 
 
GLOSSARY. 373 
 
 Smiddy-cum, n. C. The sweepings of a blacksmith's shop. 
 Smit, n. C. Contagion or infection ; also used as a verb. 
 
 Dan. Smitte (contagion or infection). 
 
 Ex.—// '6- ihat 'at taks sinit fi folks (said of the particles 
 of slcin in a case of scarlet fever). 
 Smit. Smitch, n. C. A particle of soot which falls from 
 
 smoke. Dan. Hver Smit og Smule (every particle), 
 Smitting, adj. C. Contagious or infectious. 
 
 Ex.—A/i doot all V bairns 'II tak V iiiezzles; they 're varry 
 smit ting. 
 Smittle, n. and v. C. This word is used in the same sense 
 
 as smit. 
 Smock, n. R. A chemise. This word is now commonly 
 
 applied to the short fustian or other kind of jacket tied by 
 
 a band with button round the waist and worn outside the 
 
 other garments. 
 Smoor, V. C. To smother ; this word is generally followed 
 
 by tip. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo maitn't smoor 'em up. 
 Smout, V. R. (pr. smoot). To hide the face through shyness, 
 
 like a child. Dan. At smutte (to steal away). 
 Smout-hole, n. C. (pr. smoot-hooal). An opening at the 
 
 bottom of a fence wall, used for letting hares or sheep 
 
 pass through ; also in the E. R., a hole in a hedge through 
 
 which the snow drifts. Dan. En Smutte (a secret 
 
 entrance) ; Smut-sti (a by-way) ; Smut-vei, &;c. 
 Smout-stone, n. C. A large stone for stopping up a 
 
 smout-hole. 
 Smouty-faced, adj. R. (pr. smooty-feeaced). Bashful, shy. 
 Smudge, v. C. To smear, to soil, esp. in writing, painting, &c. 
 
 Dan. At smudse (to soil). 
 Snaffle, snavvle, v. C. To speak through the nose. Dan. 
 
 At snole (to muffle). 
 Snag, v. C. To cut oft" the branches from a felled tree ; also 
 
 commonly used as a noun for a branch cut off. 
 Snape, v. C. (pr. snaap and sneeap). To check. This 
 
 word is of wide application, and refers to things as well 
 
 as people, e.g. plants that are killed or checked by frost. 
 
 Dan. D. At snaevve (to check). 
 
 Ex. — The^n lads is aivlus in a mischeef, an' they 're bad ti 
 snaape an' all. — T' frost has snaaped wer taaties sadly. 
 Snarly, adj. F. Gusty and biting (of the weather). I have 
 
 never heard this word applied simply to chilly weather, 
 
 but only when accompanied by wind, and esp. squally or 
 
 gusty wind. It is happily expressive of what it describes. 
 
 Dan. At snerre (to snarl) ; snerret (^bitter — from too long 
 
 boiling). 
 
374 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Sneck, v. C. A latch or fastening of a door or gate ; also 
 
 commonly used as a verb. 
 
 Ex. — Is V sneck brokken f — Sneck f yat. 
 Snevit, n. F. A blow (of the nose). This word, which is 
 
 used in the E. R., is connected with snifter and with 
 
 the Std. Eng. sniff. Dan. At snive (to sniff; ; Icel. 
 
 Snippa. 
 Snickle, v. C. A wire snare for catching game or anj^ 
 
 animals ; also commonly used as a verb, and sometimes 
 
 under the form sniggle. 
 Snifter, n. F. A snuff, a scent, a smell of short duration ; also 
 
 used as a verb 
 
 Ex.— G/W him a snifter on '/.— What 's ta snifterin at? 
 Snig, v. C. To draw timber along the ground from where 
 
 it has been felled, horses being always used for the 
 
 purpose. The idea conveyed by this word is that of 
 
 moving slowly and bit by bit. Dan. At snige (to slink or 
 
 steal awa}^). 
 Snig cut, n. F. A short cut. The primary meaning of this 
 
 expression is a secret waj^, that by which one can get 
 
 away unobserved ; hence, a short cut generally. 
 Snite, V. C. To blow the nose ; either with or without 
 
 applying a handkerchief Dan, At snyde (to blow the 
 
 nose) ; snyd din naese corresponds to s/z/Zf t Jii nooaz'm onr 
 
 dialect, as commonly addressed to a child. 
 Snitter, v. F. To laugh in a subdued and derisive manner. 
 
 Ex.— What '5 ta stannin' theer snitterin' an' laffin' at. 
 Snocksnarls, n. C. The twistings or entanglements of 
 
 thread, string, rope, &c. Dan. At snaere i^to bind up 
 
 tight, to tangle) : obsolete. 
 Snod, adj. F. Smooth, neat-looking. 
 
 Ex. — // leeaks fieyce an'' snod at V top. 
 Snow-fiag, n, C. A snowfiake. Dan. En Sneflage (a 
 
 snowflake). 
 Snubbits, n. F. Two pieces of wood let into the back 
 
 part of the body of a cart on which it rests when tilted 
 
 up. 
 Seamy, adj. C. Close, warm, oppressive (of the weather). 
 Sock, n. C. The ploughshare. 
 Sodgy, adj. R. Bulky, fat, large-sized. 
 Soft, adj. C. (i) Of weak intellect, half-witted. (2) Applied 
 
 to the weather when it is very rainy. 
 
 Ex. — Whya ! ah think t' poor bairn 's a bit soft. — We 've 
 liad a softtahni on 7. 
 Soles, n. C. (pr. saules) Four pieces of oak wood running 
 
 along the length of the framework of the body of a 
 
 cart, the two outside ones being thicker than the other two 
 
GLOSSARY. 375 
 
 This is probabl}'' another form of 5>'/^5, used in other parts 
 for the main rafters of a house. 
 Soonest, adj. C. (pr. soonest and seeanest). This word is 
 commonly used as an adj. in the sense of shortest and 
 quickest, as applied to a road or distance. 
 
 Ex. — If tJioo gans by V trod it '11 be a deal V soonest. 
 Sort, n. F. (pr. soort). Many people or things; a gathering 
 of people more or less. 
 
 Ex. — ' Frev iv' ry pairt a soort o' chaps didtJirangl — ' York 
 Minster Screen.' 
 Soss, V. C. To fall with a splash : sometimes, however, the 
 word is used abverbially, some other word being em- 
 ployed for the act of falling ; e. g. it is said he sossd inti 
 f beck or he tmnniVd soss inti f beck. Also used as a noun. 
 This word is further used commonl}^ to express to drink 
 with a noise, to lap like a cat or dog. 
 
 Ex. — See ya ! /' dog 's sossin ail f cat milk. — It fell 
 wi a soss. 
 Soughing, n. C (pr. so'in or soo'in). The noise made by the 
 wind or anything similar to it ; a sighing. 
 Ex. — Ah '5 gitten sikan a so'in i niah heead. 
 Sound, V. C. (pr. soond). To faint, to swoon. Also used 
 as a noun. 
 
 Ex.— S/?<7 oniniaist soonded reel awaay. — He fell intiv a 
 soond. 
 Soup, V. C. (pr. between sope and sowp). To soak with water. 
 Ex. — Ah '5 ommaist soufd thriiff. — 7"' things is 
 soupiii wet. 
 Sowl, V. C. To rinse or wash with water, generally 
 accompanied with a decided amount of exertion ; also 
 to chastise. The corresponding noun is sowling. 
 
 Ex. — Ah sowled them drisses weel. — Give them things a 
 good sowlin\ they 're varry mucky. 
 Spade-graft, spade-graff, n. C. The depth of a spade as 
 
 made by digging. 
 Spane, v. C. (pr. speean). To wean, esp. lambs. O. N. 
 
 Speni (the breast). 
 Spang, V. R. To throw forward with force or vigour ; to throw 
 forward the legs ; hence, to walk quickly (an old use). Dan. 
 At spanke (to walk upright). I do not remember to 
 have ever heard this word used in the sense of to walk 
 quickly, and it is probably now obsolete, though its dis- 
 appearance is regretable, being very expressive in 
 such a phrase as spang thi gaits, i. e. put your best leg 
 foremost. It is, however, still in use in such a phrase 
 as he spang'd him doon, i. e. he threw him violently to 
 the ground. 
 
37^ GLOSSARY. 
 
 Span-new, adj. F. An expression frequent!}' used instead of 
 brand-new. 
 
 Sparrow-feathers, n. C. This term is commonly applied 
 to the chaff of oats when used for beds instead of 
 feathers. 
 
 Spattle, n. F. Spittle. 
 
 Speak, V. R. To address, to accost. 
 
 Speeak, n. C. The spoke of a wheel ; speeakwood being the 
 wood from which spokes are made. 
 
 Spelder, v. F. To spell, as a child in reading. 
 
 Spelk, n. F. A thin piece of wood used in thatching, a stack- 
 prod^ a splint. The spelks for thatching houses are 
 generally made of hazel or willow, split down the middle 
 and pointed at each end ; they are then bent like a staple 
 and pushed in to hold the thatch. Dan. At spjaelke (to 
 bind up by spelks). 
 
 Spell, n. C. A thin piece of wood for lighting candles, (S:c., 
 a spill. It is a common thing to see a bundle of wooden 
 spills hung up by the side of the fireplace in cottages. 
 Icel. Spilda (a slice). 
 
 Spice, n. C. Gingerbread, whether a solid cake, nuts, or 
 thin and chippy ; but a spice-keeak would be a rich plum 
 cake, and spice-bread would be cake of the bread and 
 currant tj^pe. 
 
 Spit, n. C. A long and thin spade for draining. Dan. Spid 
 (a spit), Spids (a point). There is also an intermediate 
 tool of the same kind between a spit and a spade, which is 
 called a nutle. 
 
 Spittle, n. C. A small kind of spade ; also used as a verb. 
 Ex. — He 's spittlin^ yon trod. 
 
 Splauder, v. F. To spread out, to expand, to display, to 
 make a display. 
 
 Splaiidy, adj. F. Having a tendency to spread out, wide- 
 spreading. 
 
 Splaws, n. R. The part of a pen which expands under 
 pressure, the nibs. 
 
 Sponge, n. C. To swell or rise by, or as by, leaven. To 
 cause bread to rise ; to rise, to swell, as a dead body 
 frequently does. Atkinson gives another use of this word 
 as a noun, viz. a portion of leavened dough reserved to 
 raise or lighten the next batch with. 
 Ex. — 7"' breead nobbiit sponges badly ti-daay. 
 
 Sprent, v. R. To spurt out as any liquid does when struck, 
 (Ji:c. This word is seldom heard now ; but formerly it was 
 very commonly used by school-boys when speaking of a 
 pen that spurted. 
 
 Ex. — Pleeas sir I maJi pen sprent s badly. 
 
GLOSSARY. ^''i'] 
 
 Spring, V. C. A word commonly applied to a cow near 
 calving time, when parts of the body undergo change. 
 Ex. — Sim springs for caitvin\ 
 
 Sprunt, n. R. A steep hill, or road up a hill. 
 
 Spurrings, n. R. The publication of banns of marriage 
 
 in church. This word, so common formerly, is now 
 
 seldom heard, although there is no single word which so 
 
 well expresses the act as this. Dan. At sporge (to ask). 
 
 Ex. — Pleeas sir! will ya put up mah spurrins i V nwrn- 
 
 in ? — A'e they gitten V spurrins put iip yit? 
 
 Squab, n. F. A roughly made couch or long-settle with 
 cushions; frequently seen in cottages. It differs however 
 from the ordinary long-settle, in that it has one arm 
 instead of two. 
 
 Stack-bar, n. C. A Hurdle. 
 
 Stack-garth,' n. C. (pr. staggarth). The enclosure on a 
 farmstead in which the stacks are made. Dan. En 
 Stak (a stack) ; en Gaard (a yard). 
 
 Ex. — Wa 've gotten a good staggarth full d coorn. 
 
 Stack-prod, n. C. A stick commonly used in thatching, to 
 which the thatch bands are tied. 
 
 Staddle, n. R, A frame of posts and cross-beams on which 
 a stack is built. These are not so common in the North as 
 in the South of England; in Yorkshire at least the stacks 
 are for the most part built upon the ground. Dan. 
 Stade (a station). This word has also another and 
 commoner application, viz. a mark, or stain, or spot left 
 upon anything, esp. on clothes after washing ; e.g. inferior 
 ' blue ' is sometimes said to go staddled upon the linen. 
 
 Stag, n. F. A gelding of over a year old. This word is not 
 so much used in the south of the North Riding as in 
 some other parts, e. g. Cleveland. The derivation is the 
 same as steg. 
 
 Stagnated, part. C. Greatly surprised, astonished. Though 
 other parts of the verb are also heard, the participle is Dy 
 far the most general. 
 
 Ex. — Ah wer fair stagnated. — // stagnates yan ti hear 
 tell on 7. 
 
 Staithe, n. F. (pr. steeath, but in pi. the th is dropped). A 
 landing-place. Icel. Stodh (a harbourj. 
 
 Stakker, v. C. To stagger. 
 
 Stall, V, C. To fill to the full, to satiate, to weary out. 
 Ex. — Ah ^s fair stall' d oot. 
 
 Stand, V. C, To be responsible, to make responsible, esp. 
 in monetary' transactions. 
 
 Ex.— Ah s'all de ti stan tul 7.- // stood him ti falive 
 pund. 
 
3/8 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Stand for, v. C. To act as sponsor. 
 
 Ex. — We sail be varry pleeas'd if you 'II stati' for oor 
 bairn. 
 In Denmark the custom at a Baptism is for the sponsors 
 to stand up at a certain part of the service while the rest 
 of the congregation sit. 
 
 Standing, n. C. (pr. <f silent). A stall for a horse or beast 
 in a stable, cow-house, &c. 
 
 Stand-ups, n. R. Godparents on the occasion of a public 
 baptism, il have not heard of this word except in Cleve- 
 land.) 
 
 Stang, n. F. A long pole. This word is only used in the 
 expression ' riding the stang.' Dan. En Stang (a pole 
 or bar). 
 
 Stang, to ride the, v. F. A rough-and-ready waj?- of 
 shaming a husband who ill-treats his wife. The custom, 
 which is still kept up here and there, is as follows : A cart 
 with along pole in it, on which is placed a representative 
 of the offender in straw, &c., is drawn up and down the 
 village by lads or men, a horn being blown the while, 
 accompanied b}^ loud shouting and jeering. At length the 
 cart is pulled up opposite the offender's house, where 
 a long ' nominy ' or doggerel is recited recounting the 
 man's offences. This is repeated for three successive 
 nights, and at the end of the third occasion, amid wild 
 excitement, the effigy is burnt in the street, accompanied 
 by a bonfire. 
 
 Starken, v. C. To become stiff or rigid ; also to tighten, 
 esp. a rope. 
 
 Start, v. C. To begin. This word, which is found common^ 
 in Std. Eng., is used in the dialect universall}^ to the 
 exclusion of all others of like meaning : ' begin ' or 
 ' commence ' are never heard ; // started ti rain., he starts ti 
 roor, they 've started harvest, wa sdn't start whahl f mornin\ 
 &c., &c., are the invariable forms of expression. 
 
 Starve, v. C. This verb is generally heard in the passive 
 voice, in the sense of to suffer from cold, or to be cold. 
 It is however sometimes used in the active voice, in the 
 sense of to make cold. In the active voice it sometimes 
 is also used in the ordinarj' sense of ' to cause hunger,' 
 but it is never so used in the passive. Thus e. g. He 
 starves f bairns would properly mean, he lets his children 
 suffer cold ; but it might also mean, he does not sufficient^ 
 feed his childreiT. Whereas ah 's starved could only mean 
 ' I am very cold.' 
 
 Staup, V. F. To walk with heavy and clumsy tread. The 
 derivation of this word seems to be from the Danish 
 
GLOSSARY. 379 
 
 stolpe or stolpre (to stagger or totter), the latter form being 
 
 only used colloquially. 
 
 Ex. — He gans sfauphi aboot. 
 Sta"wter, v. R. To stumble. 
 Stead, n. C. (pr. steead). This word is obsolete as used 
 
 alone, but is very common as a suffix, and signifies a fixed 
 
 place ; we find it most commonly in such connections as 
 
 door-stead, fire-stead, midden-stead, Sec. Dan. Et Sted (a 
 
 place). 
 Steck, V. C. (pr. steck and steek). To shut, to fasten, esp. 
 
 a door, gate, &c. 
 
 F,x.— Steck f yat. — Steck f deear. — Steck thi een. 
 Stee, n. C. (pr. stee, but sometimes not with quite such a 
 
 closed sound as indicated by this spelling of the word). 
 
 A ladder ; a series of steps upwards, even when there 
 
 are but two or three, as in a stile. Dan. At stige (to 
 
 mount) ; en Stige (a ladder). In Jutl. D. this word is pr. 
 
 stie. 
 
 Ex. — Wilt tha set ma ti V stee ? i. e. Will you accompany 
 me to the stile t 
 Steean, n. C. A stone. The form stane is also used, though 
 
 not so commonly, and stein very rarely. Dan. En Sten 
 
 (a stone). 
 Steer-tree, n. C. The left-hand hale or handle of a plough. 
 Stag, n. F. A gander. Iceh Steggi (a gander). 
 Stegly, adj. F. Unsteady, lively. The root of this word 
 
 is probabl}^ connected with stagger. Icel. Stakra (to 
 
 stagger). 
 Stell, n. C. A large open drain. 
 Stevn, stevven, n. R. A loud shout, a roar. Also used as 
 
 a verb. Dan. At staevne (to summon, to cite). 
 
 Ex. — He gav oot sikan a stevn. — // stevvons and stoors 
 {Whitby Glossary), i. e. It blows hard and comes down 
 like dust. 
 Stickle-haired, adj. C. Bristling as to the hair ; commonly 
 
 applied to the hair of a horse. Dan. Stikkel-haaret 
 
 (bristly-haired). 
 Stiddy, n. C. An anvil. Icel. Stedhi (an anvil). Jutl. D. 
 
 Stede (an anvil). 
 Stife, stify, adj. F. Close and suffocating as to air ; also 
 
 strong tasted, but in this sense probabl}^ the word is 
 
 obsolete. 
 Stingy, adj. F. (pr. g soft). Fretful, irritable, esp. of a child. 
 
 Ex. — T' bairn '5 that stingy ah can't deea nowt iviv her. 
 Stinted, part. F. A stinted pasture is a pasture limited to 
 
 carry so many sheep : if, e. g., it would carry two hundred 
 
 sheep, A. would be said to have fift}^ stints, B. thirty, and so 
 
38o 
 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 on, dates being fixed for stocking and clearing. I have 
 only heard of this word being used in the West of the 
 North Riding. 
 
 Stirk, n. C. A heifer, or bullock of more than a year old. 
 
 Stirrings, n. C. Any show or unusual excitement. 
 Ex.— We 're gcihin ti Allerton ti see f siirrins. 
 
 Stitching, n. R. This term is used of the method by which 
 the thatch was secured to the woodwork in old timber 
 houses. If properly done it kept the thatch in its place a 
 remarkably long time. The stitching was always formed 
 of twisted straw, which was firmly tied on to the spars. 
 
 Stob, n. C. (i) A piece of wood of various lengths, pointed 
 at the end, e, g. a thorn spike ; also a hazel or other kind 
 of bough, one. two, or three feet long, used for thatching, 
 marking out ground, &c. (2) Also commonl}^ applied to 
 the stump of a tree. In the dialect this word is closely 
 connected with the Std. Eng. stab ; indeed stab is used 
 in the dialect in the same way as a prick or puncture 
 would be in Std. Eng. The primary idea in the word 
 seems to be that which projects in a more or less 
 pointed form. (i) Icel. Stafr, Dan. Stav (a staff or 
 stake). (2) Icel. Stubbi, Dan. Stub (the stump of a 
 tree). 
 
 Ex. — Aw deear ! ah 've gVen mi han sikan a stab. — 
 Mak Its a few stobs, Bill, ivilt la ? 
 
 Stock, n. C. A post, esp. the post or framework of a bed- 
 stead, i.e. the fixed part of it. Dan. Stok (a stick). 
 
 Stooden, p. part, of Stand, C. 
 
 Ex. -All 've stooden theer inojviy a tahni. 
 
 Stook, n. C. A number of sheaves of corn (generally a 
 dozen) placed upright in two rows against one another in 
 the harvest field in order to dry. Also commonly used 
 as a verb. The manner of stooking varies in different 
 localities ; sometimes two head-sheaves are placed on 
 the top of the stook to afford additional protection from 
 wet. 
 
 S-torni, n, C. A continuance of frost}^ or snowy weather ; 
 there being no idea necessarily of wind contained in this 
 word. 
 
 Ex. — Wa can deea nowt wi 7 wluihl f storm hdds. — Ah 
 doot we 're boun ti hev a lang storm. 
 
 Stot, n. R, A bullock of more than a year old. Icel. 
 Stutr (a bull) ; Dan. Stud (a bullock over four years old); 
 Norse Stud (a bull). Vide Plough-stot. 
 
 Stothe, V. P". (pr. steeathe). To place or fix wooden bars or 
 posts verticall}^ on the main timbers in building old- 
 fashioned houses. To these bars laths are nailed pre- 
 
GLOSSARY. 381 
 
 paratory to plastering, this latter being called daiihiug\ the 
 term daubing is still used in connection with stothing, the 
 houses built in this way being said to be steeaili' dand dauU d. 
 
 Stoup, n. F. A measure for ale, a drinking-cup. 
 
 Stoup, n. C. (pr. between stope and stowp). An upright 
 post, esp. a gate post. Dan. En Stolpe (a post) ; e. g. Stolpe- 
 seng (a four-post bedstead). 
 
 Ex.— T' aiC d yat-stoiip ^s gitten varry whemmly. 
 
 Stour, V. C. To blow violentl}^ in dust-like clouds, whether 
 in snow or rain, &c. Dan. At styrre (to disturb), rarely- 
 used in the simple form, but common in the compound 
 forstyrre. 
 
 Ex. — // fair teeam'd doonj it stour' d, an' it reek'd an' it 
 drazzled (a description of a storm). 
 
 Steven, n. F. The stump of a tree, as e, g. in a hedge ; esp. 
 one from which young shoots grow. Dan. At staevne (to 
 lop), et Staevnetrae (a pollard). 
 Ex. — Tak that au'd stoven oot. 
 
 Stower, n. C. A strong piece of wood of various lengths ; a 
 stake, a rail, a pole, the long pole used on barges ; the 
 middle bars of a cattle-rack. Dan. En Staver (a stake). 
 The Danish pr. of this word exactly corresponds with the 
 Yorkshire. 
 
 Stra, n. F. (pr. stthrah). Straw. This form of the word is 
 found in the E. R. Icel. Stra (straw). 
 
 Straighten, v. C. (pr. stthreighten, almost as in heighten). To 
 put in order, to make tidy ; also to correct or punish. 
 Ex. — Noo ! he sharp, an' git stthreightened up. — If thoo 
 deeanH give ower this minute, ah 'tt tell thi f aether^ an 
 he 'II varry seean stthreighten tha. 
 
 Straightforward, adj. C. Bold. 
 
 Strand, n. C. The sea-coast, the beach. Dan. Strand (the 
 sea-shore). 
 
 Strength, n. F. (pr. stren'th). Right, title, proof 
 
 Ex. — Let him shew his stren'th for V, i. e. the grounds of 
 his claim (to a right of pasturage). 
 
 Strengthy, adj. F. (pr. stren'thy). Forcible, strong. 
 
 Striek, v. R. To separate flax by handfuls preparatory to 
 its being beaten by ' scutchers.' 
 
 Strickle, n. C. A tool for sharpening a scythe, being a four- 
 sided piece of oak narrowed towards one end, with a cir- 
 cular handle, of a piece with the rest, at the other. The 
 sides of the strickle are smeared with grease upon which 
 fine gritty sand is sprinkled freely ; nothing gives a better 
 edge to a scythe than this. Other kinds of strickles are 
 manufactured, sometimes with two and sometimes with 
 four sides, these are called emery strickles ; but they 
 
382 
 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 are very inferior to the old-fashioned sort. Dan. At 
 stryge (to rub) ; en stryge-spaan (a strickle). 
 Strick-stick, n. R. A round stick for throwing off the super- 
 ficial excess in measuring corn, also called a strickle. Now 
 that corn is sold by weight the strick-stick is seldom 
 required. When the measuring had to be done with care, 
 the strick-stick was rolled over the surface of the measure- 
 ful of corn so that the amount might be adjusted with the 
 greater accuracy. 
 Stridewallops, n. R. A tall long-legged lass. 
 Strike, v. C. (pr. stthreyke, approx.) To kick like a horse, 
 i. e. with a back stroke. ' Kick ' is never heard in the 
 dialect, bunch or strike being exclusively used. 
 Ex. — Cii' by, or else f hoss 'II mebbe strike tha. 
 Strip, V. C. To draw the last drainings of milk from a cow, 
 after milking in the ordinary way. The strippings are 
 made into a milk-dish, and not into the milking-pail. 
 Stritch-stiek, n. C. The bar connecting the traces of a lead- 
 ing horse in a cart. 
 Strong, adj. C. (pr. stthrong and stthrang). Hard (of frost), 
 numerous (of people, esp. of a family), heavy. 
 
 Ex. — There was a stthrangish frost last neet. — It 's a bad 
 Job Hannah Smith lossin' er husband, sha '5 sikan a 
 stthrong f am' ly an' all. 
 Strunt, n. C. A tail ; also commonl}' used as a verb in the 
 
 sense of to cut the tail. 
 Struts, strut-sticks, strut-stower, n. C. The first two forms 
 are applied to the posts or beams in a roof of a house, &c., 
 which act as supports to the ' centre backs,' by being 
 fixed into the foot of the ' king-post.' The last form is a 
 more general term for a support, the principle of which is 
 similar to that described. This word is found in place- 
 names, being applied to projecting crags, e. g. Strutt 
 Stear. 
 Stunt, n. C. Obstinacy, a state of obstinacy ; also used as a 
 verb, and frequently as an adj. 
 
 Ex. — He teeak stunt, i. e. He took to being obstinate. — 
 He started to stunt. — T' lad 's as stunt as owt. — If ah 
 says owt tiv her she 's as stunt as stunt can be. 
 Sturdy, n. C. (pr. sto'ddy). A disease in sheep, something 
 like water on the brain, and from which they seldom re- 
 cover. This word is also used as an adj. to signify stupid. 
 Sump, n. C. Any wet, boggy place. Dan. En Sump (a 
 swamp, a pool). 
 
 F.x.~ Ah Jiang it inti V sump-hooal. — As wet as sump. 
 Sumpy, adj. C. Boggy, moist, wet. Dan. Sumpig (bogg}'). 
 Ex. — Yon '5 a varry sumpy spot. 
 
GLOSSARY. 383 
 
 Sup, V. C. To drink (not necessarily in small quantities). 
 Swedish Supa (to drink). 
 
 Ex. — There zuas nowt ti sup. — He was set i V laugsettle 
 suppin' yal. 
 Sup, n. C. A quantity of liquid, more or less ; a ' drop.' 
 
 Ex. — Wa could deea wiv a sup o" rain. — Wilt tha tak a sup 
 o' yal. 
 Supping-'watther, n. C. Spring-water, drinking-water. 
 Sup off, V. C. To drink up, to drink what remains in a 
 glass, &c. 
 
 Ex. — Noo then; sup off; i. e. empty your glasses— com- 
 monly said by a host to his guests. 
 Surfeit o' cold, n. C. A severe cold in the head or chest. 
 Swad, swat, n. F. A portion, or measure, or quantity ; esp. 
 of liquid. 
 
 Ex. — Wilt ta tak amtther szi'adf 
 Swads. n. C. The outer shell of peas, beans, &c. Dan. At 
 svobe (to wrap round). 
 
 Ex. — Ah gi'es 'em f peea swads, bud they nivver eeats 'em 
 
 (said by a servant lad, blamed for hungering the pigs). 
 
 Swag, V. F. To roll as a boat ; to sway to and fro as an 
 
 overloaded vehicle. ban. At svaie (to swing to 
 
 and fro). 
 
 Ex. — Deeant swag V booat seea. 
 Swaimish, adj. R. Sh}'-, diffident. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo maun't be ower swaamish. 
 Swale, V. F. (pr. swaale). To throw a cast from oneself. 
 
 Ex. — Ah swaaVd it awaay. 
 Swang, n. F. Low-lying marshy ground. O. N. Svangr 
 (a hollow place) ; Dan. Svang (the hollow of the sole of 
 the foot). 
 Swanky, adj. C. Strong and large of its kind. 
 
 Ex. — Your Tom '5 a lang swanky chap gotten. 
 Swape, n. C. A long oar or other contrivance where the 
 fulcrum is considerably nearer one end than the other, 
 though not necessarily that at which the force is applied ; 
 e. g. as in a pump-handle, which is commonly called a 
 swape. Also used as a verb. Dan. At sveie (to bend) ; 
 Norse At sveive (to turn round by a crank handle). 
 Ex. — iVbo, my lad; swaap her roond: i.e. turn the boat 
 round by means of the long oar. — T' pump swaap 's 
 brokken. 
 Swarth, n. C. (pr. swath). The outer skin, rind, or covering, 
 esp. of bacon, &c. ; also the outer covering (so to 
 speak) of land, i. e. that which has a permanent covering 
 in the shape of grass upon it ; grass-land generally. Dan. 
 Svaer (rind of porkj ; Gronsvcer (greensward). 
 
3^4 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Ex, — Give V bairn a hitd bacon swath ti suck. — Oor swath 
 '5 giften sadly bo'nt up. 
 
 Swatch, n. F. The use of this word is pecuhar : thus, if 
 a person is not to be trusted, the caution is given to keep a 
 swatch on him. This language is figurative, and has 
 reference to a custom in use at the time when home- 
 spun cloth was sent to the dyers ; on these occasions 
 a sivatch or wooden tally was given, so that when the 
 cloth was sent for after dyeing it might be at once 
 recognised. 
 
 Swathe, n. C. (pr. sweeathe and swaathe). The reach of 
 the scythe in cutting grass. 
 
 Ex. — 77/00 taks a lang sweeathe. 
 
 Swathe-bauks, n. C. The long strips of grass or stubble 
 left standing at the end of the swathes, the grass or corn 
 being never quite so closely cut at the finish of the stroke 
 as in the course of it. When an actual tuft of grass was 
 left, the lasses would often chaff the mower and tie it in 
 a knot, when it was left bare by the rakers. 
 
 Swatter, v. F. To splash water about ; hence to waste or 
 squander, esp. money. 
 
 Ex. — He 'ti vany seean swatter his bit o' brass awaay. 
 
 Sweel, V. C. To gutter (of a candle). Norse Svselle (to 
 swell). 
 
 Ex. — What '5 /' inatther? T^ cann' I sweets sadly. 
 
 S"widge, V. C. To tingle with pain. This word is generally 
 coupled with smart, from which it differs but little in 
 meaning : possibly a burning sensation is implied by the 
 word swidge. Dan. At svide (to burn or scorch ; also, 
 though rarely, to smart, burn, ache). 
 
 Ex. — Mah finger swidges an' smarts iveeantly. 
 
 Swill, n. F. A light basket, generall}^ made of willow twigs. 
 This word is in use in the Wold district as well as in 
 Cleveland. 
 
 Swing, V. R. To set up sheaves of ' line ' on the ground. 
 
 Swingle, v- F. To beat flax, i.e. to rough-dress it. Dan, 
 En Svingel (a bar). 
 
 Swingle-tree, n. C. The wooden rod which is attached 
 to the traces and keeps them in their place when the 
 horses are ploughing, harrowing, &c. 
 
 Swipple, n. F. The shorter part of a flail, viz. that by which 
 the corn is beaten : this is usually made of tough wood, 
 e. g. blackthorn. Dan. At svippe (to crack, to flick, as 
 with a whip). 
 
 Switch, V. C. To fling or throw with force. 
 
 ILx—Sha com tit' deear-steead an' switch' d a pail o' mucky 
 watther reet inti V hoos. 
 
GLOSSARY. S^S 
 
 Swizzen, v. C. To singe. Dan. At svide (to singe). 
 Ex. — Be sharp, Polly ^ them cleeas is swizzenin. 
 
 Sword-dancers, n. F. (pr. swud-dancers). Those who dance 
 the sword-dance, i. e. a dance with crossed swords on the 
 ground ; it is of very ancient origin and peculiar form. 
 It is not often seen now ; the only time when the per- 
 formers go their rounds is about Plough Monday. 
 
 Syke, n. F. A large gutter or ditch, a streamlet ; this was 
 till lately the common word in the neighbourhood of 
 Sessay for the thing described. 
 
 T. 
 
 Ta'en, part. C. (pr. ta'an). Taken. This abbreviation is 
 universal, and as pronounced is more euphonious than 
 the uncontracted form. 
 Ex. — Ah 've ta'en it. 
 Ta'en ageean, part. C. The past participle of to tak^ ageean, 
 i. e. to hold in aversion, to dislike ; similarly to tak tiv, or 
 tak til (part, ta'en tiv or til) signifies to like, to be fond of, 
 to become attached to. 
 Ex. — Oor maastther^s ta'en ageean ma, an' ah '5 seear I 
 can't tell ivhatfor. 
 Tacket, n. F. A tack or small nail. 
 
 Tak, n. C. A taking or a holding of land for a fixed rent. 
 Takj V. C. To take. Icel. Taka (to take). 
 
 Ex. — Tak hdd on '/. 
 Tak, by, C. By the piece, as distinguished from by the day, 
 i. e. in engaging labour for any work that has to be done. 
 Ex. — Ae ya ta'en it by tak ? 
 Take, n. C. A flavour. 
 
 Ex. — // hes a queer tak wiv it. 
 Tak oflf, V. C. To run away from an engagement or situ- 
 ation ; to undertake a journej^, esp. when a certain amount 
 of secrecy is implied. A somewhat similar expression 
 is used in Danish, e.g. Han tog til Helsingor would 
 mean, He went off to Elsinore. 
 
 Ex. — He zmnt ti pleeace J bud afoor a week was owered he 
 teeak off. 
 Tak on, v. C. To fret, to lament. 
 
 Ex. — Whisht, honey; thoo maun't tak on leyke that; thi 
 mother 'II be back i noo. 
 Tak on wi, v. C. To engage oneself to another, esp. in 
 
 service or with a view to employment. 
 Tak tent, v. C. To take watchful care of; to pay close 
 attention to. 
 
 Ex. — He '11 tak mair tent on 't 'an onny on 'em. 
 Takt'hig. Vide Hig. 
 
 c c 
 
^S6 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Tallow-eake, n. C. (pr. taller-keeak). A cake in which the 
 
 inner fat about the kidney of a beast or sheep is an 
 
 ingredient 
 T' ane, t' yan, pron. C. The one ; as opposed to another. 
 
 The corresponding expression to one another is /' ane 
 
 t' other (or /' ither). 
 
 Ex. — They bazzaked t ' ane t ' other. 
 Tang, n. C. The tongue of a buckle. Dan. En Tange 
 
 (a tongue of land). 
 Tangle, n. C. (pr. tang'l). The long fibre of a root, e.g. the 
 
 potato. 
 
 Ex. — When t ' tang' Is is brokken they can't taatie. 
 Tantle, v. C. To waste time, to dawdle. 
 Tastrill, n. F. A saucy, impudent child ; one who is badly 
 
 behaved ; a rascal. 
 Tatchy, adj. C. Cross, irritable, fretful. 
 
 Taum, n. C. A short line, generally made of twisted horse- 
 hair or worsted, to one end of which the fisherman's hook 
 
 is attached, and the other joined to the principal line, 
 
 which generally has several of such taiinis fixed to it ; 
 
 these are about nine inches long. They are commonly 
 
 used for eel-fishing. Norse En Tom (a bridle, a rein). 
 Teegle, v. C. (pr. teeagle). To raise timber on to the waggon 
 
 by means of tripod, pulleys, horses, &c. 
 
 Ex. — Wa mun start ti teeagle 'eni up ivi f hosses. 
 Teem, v. C. (pr. teeam). To pour from a vessel either liquids 
 
 or solids ; to unload, e. g. a cartload of coals, turnips, &c. 
 
 To pour with rain. Dan. At tomme (to empt}'). At 
 
 tomme en Flaske (to finish a bottle). 
 
 Ex. — Teeam f watther oot o' yon can. — It fair teeam' d 
 dozvn (with rain). — Com an'' help us ti teeam this keeak. 
 Tell, V. C. To recognise, to distinguish. 
 
 Ex. — Them 's varry good 'uns ti tell; i. e. those are easily 
 distinguished. 
 
 There is not much difference between tell and challenge, 
 
 except that the former is more general in its application, 
 
 challenge being mostly used of persons. 
 Tell-pye, tell-pyet, n. F. A tell-tale. 
 Temse, n. F. A sieve, commonly made of tiffany, and used 
 
 formerly for dressing flour, &c. Dan. En Timse (a coarse 
 
 hair sieve). 
 Teng, V. C. To sting. 
 
 Ex. — T' wasp teng'd t ' dog, <?;/' /' dog hanch'd at f cat. 
 Tengs, n. C. A pair of tongs. Dan. En Tang (a pair of 
 
 tongs), pi. Taenger. 
 
 Ex. — Why a, bairn, it 's a tooad ; bring f tengs. 
 Tent, V. C. To keep watch over ; to look after, esp. cattle in 
 
GLOSSARY. 387 
 
 the lanes, and birds in the corn-fields ; also, but not so 
 frequently used as a noun. 
 
 Ex.— He '5 tentin' bo'ds.— He '5 coo-tentin\ — Thoo niun 
 tak tent on 'em. 
 Teufit, n. C. (pr. teeafit). The common lapwing. 
 Tew, V. C. This word is used in a great variety of ways, 
 and is of most frequent occurrence. The root meaning is 
 to work in some way, and especially against time or 
 under difficulties ; hence it commonly implies to overtax 
 one's strength as the result of being always on the move. 
 Other meanings are, to strive hard in life, to work hard 
 and more than usual, to fidget, to lie restlessly, as a sick 
 person often does, or as a wakeful child. 
 
 Ex. — Sim's had ti tew hard, sha 's browt up a stthrong 
 faiuHy. — Noo thoo maiint tew thisen wi f job', i. e. you 
 must not overtax your strength. — Ah can't bahd ti be 
 rowin an' tewin as ah used ft deea. — T ' lahtle lass tews 
 hersen sadly i bed. — It's tewin 'deed ; i. e. it is hard work. 
 — Thoo 's awlus tewin thisen, i. e. fidgeting. 
 Thack, theeak, n. C. Thatch ; also commonly used as a verb. 
 Dan. At taekke (to thatch). Jutl. D. Et Tsekke (a roof). 
 Ex — ' Mah haay hez all been sleeked an' theeak' d this 
 monny a day.' — ' York Minster Screen.' 
 Thack or thack-tands, n. C. Bands for tieing on thatch in 
 
 order to secure it. 
 Thack or theeak-prods, n. C. The hazel or other prods 
 
 used in thatching to which the bands are attached. 
 Thacker, theeaker, n. C. A thatcher. Jutl. D. En Taekker 
 
 (a thatcher). 
 Tharfly, adv. F. Slowly, shyly, unwillingl3^ The adj. 
 Tharfis also, but not so commonly, used. Dan. Tarvelig 
 (frugal, scanty). 
 
 Ex. — T' rain nobbut cums tharfly. 
 Them, pron. C. Those. 
 
 Ex. — Them 's good ims. — Them ^at wants onny may lead 
 ^em for thersens. 
 Thills, n. R. Shafts of a cart, &c. Vide Shills. 
 Think long. v. C. To be long expectant. 
 
 Ex. — Ah thowt lang o' ya comin\ 
 Think on, v. C. (the stress is always laid on the latter 
 word). To remember, to bear in mind. This, though 
 allied to the Biblical expression ' think on these things,' 
 is not identical with it. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo mun think on. — Ah lay V lad 's dean forgot, he 
 can nivver think on, 
 Thoff, conj. C. Though. 
 
 Ex. — // leeaks as thoff it wer boun ti raan. 
 
 c c 2 
 
388 
 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Thondill, n. O. A measure of land. I have not seen this 
 word in an}^ glossary, but it has been repeatedly heard 
 bj' me from the lips of an old man with whom I have con- 
 versed. He, however, onl}^ spoke of the word as having 
 been used in his younger days ; and therefore it is prob- 
 ably now obsolete. From what I could gather, plots of 
 ploughing land on unenclosed commons were of three 
 sizes, ' broads,' ' narrows,' and thondills, these latter 
 being intermediate to the other two and about three 
 roods in extent. 
 Thorpe, n. C. (as a place-name ; pr. tthrup, the initial / 
 being exceedingly lightly touched, and thrup). A ham- 
 let. Dan. Torp, Drup, and Up (a hamlet). 
 
 Ex. — Tholthntp, Helperthrup, Loi<.it/intp , Fridaythrup, 
 Ugthrup^ Fraistthritp, Tibthntp, &c. 
 Threap, v. C. (pr. threeap). To assist or maintain obstinatel}', 
 generall}" followed by out ; to force down b}' argument. 
 Ex. — He threeap' d oot 'at he hadn't^ deean it. 
 Threed, n. C. Thread. 
 
 Threeve. Thrave, n. F. (pr. threeav). Twelve loggins or 
 battens of drawn straw for thatching, each tied with two 
 bands. For this work sixpence per threeve is the usual 
 pa3^ment, and when so, or similarly paid, the men are 
 said to work 'by threeave.' Formerly this word was 
 applied to a 'stook' of corn. Dan. En Trave (twenty 
 sheaves of corn) ; Travehob (a shock of corn). 
 Thriver, n. C. Anj^thing that thrives well. 
 
 Ex. — Noo them 's been good thrivers, aren't tha ? 
 Throng, adj. C. (pr. throng, sometimes thrang). More than 
 ordinarily bus}^ ; in a state of confusion. Jutl. D. En 
 Tr3mge (a crowd). 
 
 Ex. — We 're throng weshirf ti-day. — Ah 'II a-war'nd it 
 
 there 'II be throng deed at Pockh'ton sittins ti-tnorn. — 
 
 // 's throng with it teeth ( said of a young horse at a 
 
 time when its teeth were undergoing change). 
 
 Thropple, n. C. The wind-pipe, strictly speaking ; but the 
 
 word is sometimes used for the throat. 
 Throw, n. F. (pr. thrawj. A lathe for turning. 
 Throw-back, n. C. A relapse (in sickness). 
 
 Ex. — He had a throw-back last neet. — Ah 've had some sad 
 throws back sen ah seedy a last. 
 Thrummy, adj. C. Fat, bulky. 
 
 Ex. — Sha 's a thruimny 'un. 
 Thrumml, n. C. A loop in a rope tightly bound round a 
 grooved iron ring, so that another rope may the more 
 easily slip through it. 
 Thuniml-teea, n. F. The great toe. 
 
GLOSSARY. 389 
 
 Thysel, Thysen, pron. C. (pr. thisel, thisen). Yourself. Of 
 these two forms thysen is the commonest, and is used 
 very generally, thysel being mainly confined to parts of 
 the N. R. 
 Thrust, V. C. This word is always used in preference to 
 push, to which it is equivalent. 
 Ex. — He 's thrifsseii '/ tJiniff. 
 Ti, prep. C. To. Vide Til. 
 
 Tie, n. C. (pr. tah, or tahi). A band for tieing the hind legs 
 of cows at milking time, generally called a coo-tie. It is 
 made of horse-hair for the most part, with a spliced loop 
 at one end and a knob of wood at the other ; it is placed 
 round one leg, twisted, brought round the other, and if 
 need be, twisted again, and the knob secured in the loop. 
 Tie, V. C. Used in the passive voice only with the signifi- 
 cation 'to be obliged,' ' to be compelled,' but without any 
 idea of physical force. Also used impersonally with the 
 sense, ' it must,' ' it is sure to be so,' ' it is certain to happen.' 
 Ex. — Ah '5 tied ti leeak efter V nteer. — He '5 tied ti loss his- 
 senj he dizn't knaw V rooad. — // '5 tied ; i. e. It's sure to 
 be so. — Q. Is '/ boun ti rain ? A. It isn^t tied. 
 Tiffany, n. F. Stout gauze, from which sieves are made for 
 
 dressing flour ; the name also given to the sieve itself. 
 Tike, n. C. Vide Tyke. 
 
 Til, tul, prep. C. To. Dan. Til (to). The dialectical 
 varieties of this preposition are four in number, viz. //, 
 tiv^ til, and tul. The two latter are seldom heard except 
 in the N. R. ; ti and iiv are universal in the E. R., and 
 are common also in the N. R. Ti is pronounced short, and 
 the same may be said of the u in ////. Til corresponds 
 exactly with the Danish prep, in form, and //// seems to 
 be merely a corruption of it. But in Denmark /// is pro- 
 nounced colloquially, precisely as we pronounce // in the 
 dialect. Tiv is only, and in the E. R. generally, used be- 
 fore a vowel or h, the v being added for euphony. With an 
 infinitive mood, however, ti is used in all cases. The fol- 
 lowing examples will best illustrate the various usages : — 
 Ex. — Thoo tnun gan til (or tul) him. N. K.— Thoo mim 
 gan tiv him. E. R. — Ah '5 cooni'd ti hear him. E. and 
 N. R. — He dizn't want ti ax him noivt. E. and N. R.— 
 He gav summat tiv (or ti) ivvery yan on 'em. E. and 
 N. R. — He gav summat tiv 'em all (never tt 'em). E. 
 and N. R.— When he cam tul, i. e. came to his senses. 
 N. R. — // '// nivver com ti owt (and sometimes tiv 
 owt. E. and N. R. 
 Timersome, adj. F. (pr. timmersome). Timorous, appre- 
 hensive of danger. 
 
39° GLOSSARY. 
 
 Ti-morn, adv. C. To-morrow. Vide T' morn. 
 Tipe, V. C. To fall over. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 tiped oiver. 
 Tipe-trap. n. C. A trap of which the floor hangs on a pivot 
 and is evenly balanced, so that the weight of the animal 
 entering it causes the door to tall. 
 Tite, adv. F. Soon, willingly. The comparative of this 
 word is titter^ and is more rarely used. Dan. Tid (time). 
 Ex. — Ah 'd as lite deea f Job as not. — Titter up ca' \ i.e. 
 the soonest up in a morning call the rest. 
 Tiv, prep. C. To. Vide Til. 
 Tivvy, V. C. To run about in play. 
 
 Ex. — 7"' lads is awlus tivvyin aboot. 
 T' morn or Ti morn, adv. C. To-morrow. There can be 
 no doubt that /' morn is an abbreviation of// (or to) morn. 
 ' To-morrow morning ' would be expressed by /' mont 7 
 morn or // morn f morn ; this latter abbreviation might be 
 either at morn or V f morn., but I incline to think that 
 the former is correct. Similarly, 'to-morrow night' is // 
 ■morn at neet, or, for shortness, /' morn 7 neet. 
 Toon, n. C. Vide Town. 
 Toon-street, n. C. Vide Town. 
 Top-coat, n. C. A great-coat, an overcoat. 
 Tottering, adj. C. (pr. tottherin). Changeable (of weather). 
 
 Ex. — It '5 a tottherin tahm been this lastfo'tnifh. 
 Tottle, v. C. To toddle ; frequently applied to elderly or in- 
 firm people who walk with difficulty. 
 
 Ex. — Ah '5 nobbut waakly; bud ah can just tottle aboot a bit. 
 Town, n. C. (pr. toon). A village, of whatever size ; a col- 
 lection of habitations ; a hamlet ; a town ; the main road 
 through which is alwa3''S called f toon sttJireet. Norse 
 Tun (provincial townj ; Icel. Tun (a farmstead). 
 Ex. — Ah seed him i f toon a bit sen. — Iv oor toon. 
 Towple, V. C. To fall over ; to double over. 
 
 Ex. — To towple oiver tail\ i. e. in fig. sense to double, as 
 money might do at compound interest. 
 To you, I'll be, F. I will come to you. 
 
 Trail, v. C. To draw or pull along the ground, commonly 
 with the idea of difficulty accompanying the action ; to 
 trail oneself is to walk slowly and with difficulty. 
 
 Ex. — Ah '5 that badly, whahla/i can hardlins tthraal mysen 
 across V fleear. — Sha com ttlwaalin efther him (said of a 
 tired wife). 
 Trailtengs, n. C. An idle, gossiping female. 
 Trash, n. C. A good-for-nothing person. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 a complete bad trash. 
 Travel, v. C. To walk, to move along. It is difficult to 
 
GLOSSARY. 391 
 
 describe the usage of this word, which is quite pecuHar. 
 To ivalk is commonly used, as e. g. when a man says he 
 would prefer walking to riding, or when a man is seen 
 walking on the road ; but if the road is difficult to walk 
 along, as from snow, &c-, then it is not said to be ' bad 
 walking,' but bad tthrav'lin. Again, if an old man, stift' 
 from rheumatism, wished to express that the stiffness 
 somewhat wore off after he had begun to ivalk a little, he 
 would say, All istit seea bad when ah git agait d WiraiHin. 
 
 Trig, V. F. To fill with food, to give food, to feed (trans.), 
 esp. animals. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 frigd hissen, i. e. He has eaten greedily. 
 
 Trigger, n. C. One who supplies with food, a feeder ; e. g. 
 a bullock-trigger is the man who feeds bullocks. 
 
 Trod, n. C. A foot-path. Norse En Trod (a footpath). 
 This word is invariably used instead of path. 
 
 Troll, V. C. (pr. between troll and trowl). To roll, esp. 
 
 down a slope. Dan. Trille (to roll). This word is often 
 
 used in speaking of the custom of rolling eggs on the 
 
 . grass on Easter Monday, that day being frequently called 
 
 Troll-egg Monday. 
 
 Tup, n. C. (pr. toop, but slightly shorter). A ram. 
 
 Turve, n. C. A piece of cut turf from the moor, which is 
 used as fuel. Dan. Torv (a turve, or piece of turf for fuel). 
 
 Turve-eake, n. C. A cake commonly made in the moorland 
 districts. The cakes are put into a pan and covered over 
 with a tightly-fitting lid ; the pan is then put upon a turf 
 fire and covered all round and at the top with the burn- 
 ing turves., and so the cakes are baked. 
 
 Tweea, adj. C. (pr. almost as one syllable). Two. 
 Ex. — Ah see'd tweea on 'em. 
 
 Twilt, n. C. A bed coverlet, a quilt. 
 
 Twilt, V. C. To flog ; the corresponding noun twilling is 
 also in common use. 
 
 Ex. — He gav him a good twiltin. 
 
 Twiny, adj. C. Fretful, peevish, hard to please. 
 
 Twitch-bell, n. C. The common earwig. Vide Forkin- 
 robin, with which it is synonymous. Dan. Orentvist (the 
 earwig). 
 
 Twitters, n. F. A state of impatience, nervousness, or 
 anxiety. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 all i twitters ti be off. 
 
 Tyke, n. C. A low character, a mean fellow ; commonl}'- 
 used as a term of disdain. This word is generally 
 thought to be of Scandinavian origin : it seems to me 
 more probable that it is a British word, and may be con- 
 nected with the Welsh taeog (a villain). 
 
39 2 • GLOSSARY. 
 
 u. 
 
 Unbeknown, part. C. Unknown. This word is in common 
 
 use in the Pickering neighbourhood. 
 Unbethink, v. F. To think over again and find out a mis- 
 take. To call to mind, to recollect. 
 Ex. — Ah can't unbethink 4nysen. 
 Underdraw, v. C. To cover the underpart of a floor or roof 
 
 with lath and plaster. 
 Underhanded, adj. C. (pr. un'erhan'ed). Of puny growth, 
 undersized, not fully developed. 
 
 Ex. — // 's nobhiit a lahtle loferhan'ed thinp: 
 Ungain, adj. C. Inconveniently situated, difficult of access. 
 
 Ex. — Yon 's a vany ungain spot o'' yours. 
 Unmenseful, adj. F. Unfitting, unseemly, indecent. Vide 
 
 Mense. 
 Up account of, prep. C. On account of. An abbreviation 
 
 of ' upon account of 
 Upgang, n. F. A road or track up a hill. Dan. En Opgang 
 
 (an uphill way). 
 Up-grown, adj. C. (pr. up-grawn). Grown-up, adult. This 
 form of the word is quite universal, the ordinary form, 
 grown-up, being never heard. 
 
 Ex. — Sha'san up-grawn woman noo. — AlVatah seed was 
 up-grawn folks. 
 Uphold, V. C. (pr. upho'd). To answer for, to aver, to main- 
 tain, esp. in argument or in life. 
 
 Ex. — Aye / bud ah 's seear on Vy ah 'II upho'd it. — That '5 
 reet eneeaf, ah ''11 upJid'dit.—Ah doubt he weean' t ttpho' d 
 hissen mich langer. 
 Upset (or upsetten) with, part. C. Elated, highly pleased 
 with. 
 
 Ex. — He 's weeantly upsetten wi gannin ti skeeal. 
 Up of, C. Grown up ; arrived at (maturity). This very 
 common expression is equivalent to upgrown, q. v. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 outmost up of a man noo ; i. e. he has now 
 nearly reached man's estate. 
 Ure, n. C. Vide Yuer. 
 Use, to no. C. Of no use, useless. 
 
 Ex. — // '5 // neea use; ah can 'tfinnd it. — Them 's ti neea 
 use ; they 're good ti nowt. 
 
 V. 
 
 Varry, adv. C. Very. (This pr, is universal.) 
 Varry weel, adv. C. Very much. Vide p. 170. 
 Vast, adj. C. A large number ; commonly used as a noun of 
 multitude. 
 Ex.— y^ vast o' folks thinks seea, an' all. — Sitha, what a 
 
GLOSSARY. 393 
 
 vast o' craws there is i yon pastitr. — There 's a vast on 
 'em ciini\i. 
 Viewly, viewlysome, viewsome, adj. C. Of good appear- 
 ance, fine, handsome. 
 
 Ex. — Them '5 as viewly a pig as onny man need wish tisee. 
 
 W. 
 
 "Wa, pron. C. (pr. ver}^ short). We. 
 
 Wad, V. C. Would. (It is difficult to describe the pr. of this 
 word, it is neither such as to rhyme with had nor yet with 
 rod, but more like the former than the latter.) 
 Ex. — A/i ivadn't gie ya a haitpejiny for 'em. 
 Wae 's t' heart, R. An abbreviation for ' luae (woe) is to the 
 heart,' an exclamation that was formerly commonly used 
 on hearing of anyone's misfortune, affliction, &c. 
 "Waff, V. C. To bark as a dog. This word is probably 
 
 merely another form of Yeff. 
 Waffy, Waufy, adj. C. (pr. almost as wahflfy, but not quite so 
 open in the ah as ordinarily). Weak, feeble, esp. after 
 an illness. 
 
 Ex. — T' aiCd man 's as waffy an' waakly as ozvt. 
 "Waft, n. C. (pr. waft). A puff or sharp blow of wind. 
 
 Ex. — A ivaffo' wind. 
 Wag, V. C. To beckon with the hand or finger. 
 
 Ex. — He wagged ti ma as he passed. — Let 's wag on him. 
 Waint, adj. and adv. C. (pr. weeant). Great (when applied 
 to quantity). It is also commonly used as an intensive, 
 being equivalent to very or greatly. 
 
 Ex. — A weeant deal on 'em. — Ah 's weeant an'' glad on 7, 
 i. e. very glad. 
 Waintly, adv. C. Very greatly, exceedingly. 
 
 Ex. — Ah 's weeantly pleeas d. 
 Waintly off, C. In great trouble. 
 
 Ex. — Oor Jack '5 weeantly off about it. 
 Wait of, wait on, v. C. To wait for. 
 
 Ex. — Thoo maun'' t wait of Its. — Ah can't wait on' him, neea 
 langer. 
 Wake, wakely. adj. C. (pr. waak). Weak. 
 
 Ex. — Sha 's nobbiit a varry waakely soort ov a body. 
 Wakken, v. (act. and neut.) C. To awake. 
 
 Ex. — Ah nivver, yance wakken' d up. — Ho'd thi noise or else 
 
 thoo 'II wakken f bairn. — Lad / thoo 's asleep, wakken 
 
 up.—'' They ^re wakken'' d at Eeasby I The Lord is amang 
 
 '^/f/.'— Castillo. 
 
 Wakken, w^akkensome, adj. C. Easily roused from sleep, 
 
 lively. 
 
 Ex.— He 's varry wakken. 
 
394 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Wale, V. F. (pr. waal and weeal). To flog with a whip or stick. 
 Waling, n. C. (pr. w^aalin' and weeaHn'). (i) This word is 
 apphed to the horizontal planks or beams which are fixed 
 to piles on a river side or elsew^here to strengthen and 
 protect the work ; originally the word meant a rod : 
 hence, (2) a flogging. Old Friesic Walu (a rod) ; Icel. 
 Voir (a round stick). 
 Walk -with, v C. To court. 
 
 Ex. — 77?^ ^ve been isjalkhf ivi yan mtuther a good bit, ah 
 lay they 'II be gittin' wed i-noo. 
 Walsh, Welsh, adj. F. Lacking in flavour, watery ; also sour. 
 Ex. — It tastes varrywalsh ; i.e. it lacks flavour. — T' milk 
 's welsh. 
 Wangle, V. F. To shake, to totter, to waver; to be in a sen- 
 sitive state. Dan. At vakle (to shake, or totter). 
 
 Ex. — Thoo niun put it varry wattgling (in setting a trap). 
 Wankle, adj. F. Unstead}^, wavering, unsettled ; esp. of 
 weather, e. g. showery. This word is another form of 
 wangle. 
 
 Ex. — It '5 a wankle tahm been. — We 've had nobbut wankle 
 weather. 
 Wankling, adj. R. Shaky from weakness. 
 
 Ex. — Ah feels iveeak an' wanklin. 
 Want, V. C. The dialectical use of this word is very peculiar, 
 and is not confined to any particular class, but is heard 
 more or less with people of all classes. Want, followed by a 
 present participle, forms a kind of middle voice unlike 
 other constructions in our language. It will best be under- 
 stood by one or two examples : thus, Do those letters 
 want posting? is equivalent to 'are those letters to be 
 posted ? ' or / want my hair cutting, is the sam.e as saying 
 ' I wish my hair to be cut.' 
 War, V. C. Was. Dan. Var (was). 
 
 Ex. — Ah warn't boun ti ax him nowt. 
 Warbells, n. F. (pr. wahrbills). Swellings on the ' rigg ' of 
 a beast's back, caused by the larvae of the gad-fly being 
 embedded there. 
 Wardays, n. C. Every day in the week but Sunday. Dan. 
 Hverdag (every day except Sunday). 
 Ex. — Ah 's awlus working, Sundays an' wardays, it 's all 
 t ' seeam wi ma. 
 Wards. A common suffix signifying direction. 
 
 Ex. — Ah seed him cumin fra Newton-wards ; i.e. I saw 
 him coming from the direction of Newton. In Cleve- 
 land the word zuay is inserted between the place- 
 name and the suffix, e. g. Ah seed him ganning Danby- 
 way-wards. 
 
GLOSSARY. 395 
 
 Ware, v. C. To spend (money). 
 
 Ex. — He dizn't zvare a deal o' brass i cleeas, i. e. doesn't 
 spend much on clothes. — He ivares nowt^for he addles 
 nowt, i. e. he spends nothing because he earns nothing. 
 
 Wark, V. C. To ache, also commonly as a noun. Dan. At 
 vaerke (to ache) ; Ploved-vaerk (head-ache). 
 
 Ex. — Mail heead luarks weeantly. — It '5 a back-war kin job. 
 — Ah 've git fen /' teeath-wark. 
 
 Warp, V. C. To bring water over land by artificial means in 
 order that a deposit may be left upon the surface when 
 the water recedes. This can only be done in places which 
 the tide reaches. Through the constant ebb and flow of 
 the tide, new soil, several inches in thickness, is thus 
 formed in course of time, and land which was before 
 worthless becomes valuable. The same term is of course 
 applicable to the same process which takes place by 
 natural means. This new soil is termed warp. 
 
 Warridge, n. C. (pr. warridge and warrish). The top of the 
 shoulder-blade of a horse. 
 
 Ex. — He '5 weel up (or low) iv his ivan^idge. 
 
 Warse, adj. C. (pr. wahs). Worse. There is also another 
 pr. of this word, viz, between woss and waits. 
 
 Warsen, v. F. To grow worse, esp. as to health. Dan. 
 Forvaerres (to grow worse). 
 
 Ex. — He '5 neea better; he warsens if owt. 
 
 Warzle, v. F. To creep along softly in and out, like the 
 motion of a snake ; hence to wheedle, to obtain by flatter3^ 
 Ex. — They warzled him up, i.e. they flattered him. 
 
 Wastrill, n. F. A spendthrift. 
 
 Wath, n. O. (except as a place-name). A ford across a 
 stream. Dan. Et Vad (a ford). 
 
 Watter, n. C. (pr. watther, the rt!-sound here approximates 
 to that in what, but with less of the o-sound ; the pr. in 
 fact lies between this word and bat : there is nothing of 
 the <7w-sound in the pr. of watter). Water. 
 
 Wax-kernels, n C. Swellings in the hollow of the jaw, 
 neck, &c. ; so called because they are thought to be com- 
 monest among young people who are still growing. 
 
 Wax, V. F. To grow, often used redundantly. Dan. At 
 voxe (to grow). 
 
 Ex. — Sha waxes an' grows. 
 
 Way-corn, n. F. Oats or barley. 
 
 Ways, n. C. Way ; only used in such expressions as citm thi 
 ways, gan thi ways, git thi ways ivi tha, &c. 
 
 Wear in, v. F. To accustom to anything. This expression is 
 used in identically the same sense as to break in, except 
 that it is used of people as well as of animals. 
 
39^ 
 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 "Wean, n. F. (pr. weean). A female. This word is another 
 form of queen, and is used for the most part in a bad 
 sense. Dan. En Kvinde (a female). 
 Ex. — Sha '5 a rneean weean. 
 "Weaky, adj. F. Moist ; the opposite o'i ask. 
 Weeks, n. F. Corners (of the mouth). Dan. En Vig (a 
 creek, inlet) ; Mundvig (corner of the mouth). 
 
 Ex. — TJiey 've aivlus gitten peyps i V weeks o' tJier 
 mooths. 
 This word has the same derivation as iiyke, a not uncom- 
 mon termination in one form or another to place-names on 
 the Yorkshire coast and elsewhere. 
 Weight, adj. C. (pr. wite). Many. 
 
 Ex. — There was a girt weight o' folks theer. — There 's neea 
 girt weight on ''em. 
 Well, very, adv. C. (pr. weel). Very much. 
 
 Ex. — He leykes it varry weel. 
 Welted, part. C. Vide Rigged. 
 
 Wengby, n. R. Skim-milk cheese ; commonly applied to 
 an3'thing very tough and hard. This word is probably 
 connected with wJieng. 
 
 Ex. — TJiat cheese is reg'lar wengby, it 's nobtjut fit ti put 
 inti ratten hooals. 
 Wer, pron. C. (pr.wer, short, and oor, the former gener- 
 ally when it occurs in the middle of a sentence and the 
 latter when it begins a sentence ; though this rule is by 
 no means without exception). Our. There is also another 
 common use of this word, viz. to express the fact that the 
 person to whom the pronoun is applied belongs to the 
 famil}^ of the speaker : e. g. Uiir Jack would mean our son 
 or brother Jack. Dan. Vor (our). 
 
 Ex. — A'e ya seen owt ov oor Bet.— Wa like wer new spot 
 varry weel. — Uor niaasther cont'd an' telVd ma. 
 Werriek, v. F. To laugh in a semi-suppressed manner. 
 
 Ex. — M^hat's ta luerrickin' at/ 
 Wersens, wersells, pron. C. Ourselves. 
 Ex. — Wa s'all a'e ti fend for wersens. 
 Wether, n. C. A male lamb from the time of castration till 
 
 it is weaned, after which it is called a hog. 
 Wet- shod, adj. C. Wet as to the feet. 
 
 What for ? adv^ C. Why ? This interrogation is universally 
 used throughout the district : it corresponds to the Fr. 
 Pourquoi. 
 
 Ex.^ What for d'en'tya deean it ? — Ah deean't knaw ivhat 
 for he nivver teWd tna. — What for not ? 
 Whatsomivver, pron. F. Whatever. Dan. Hvadsomhelst 
 (whatever). 
 
GLOSSARY. 397 
 
 "Wheea, pron. C. Who. Another very common form of this 
 pron. is whan. 
 
 Ex. — Whan is 't? i. e. Who is it ? — Wheea see'd 'em ? i. e. 
 Who saw them ? — Whan 'syoii ? i.e. Who is that?— ^/; 
 can't ken ivheea sha is, i. e. I can't recognise who she is. 
 Whemnile, v. C. To totter, to shake, as before falHng ; to fall 
 over, to upset. To whemmle seldom, if ever, is used to 
 signify the act of falling simply, the premonitory symp- 
 toms of falling being also included in this expressive 
 word. 
 
 Ex. — It whenunled oiver : this expression is equivalent to 
 it tottered and fell. 
 Wheng, or whang, n. C. A long strip of leather. The word 
 is now generall}^ used for the tough white leather made 
 of horse-hide, commonly emplo^^ed for uniting the ends 
 of machine straps, or for the end of a lash. 
 Ex. — Pnt a bit d wheng at f end on 7. 
 While, adv. C. (pr. whahl). Until (the correlative to so). 
 
 Ex. — Tlioo mnn ivait luhahl f lad cnnis. — T' meer wer 
 that full o' play whahl ah could hardlins hdd her. 
 Whins, n. C. Gorse bushes. The adj. whinny, i.e. covered 
 with whins, is in use. Wei. Chwynd (weeds). 
 Ex. — 1 ' whinny garth (a field-name). 
 Whisht, interj. C. Hush, keep quiet. 
 
 Ex. — Whisht, or ah 'II skelp tha. — Whisht wiya. — Ho' dyer 
 whisht, i. e. keep silence. 
 This word is also commonly used as an adverb in the 
 sense of noiselessly. 
 
 Ex. — Sha gans varry whisht. 
 Whistle-jacket, n. F. A mixture of gin and treacle, used by 
 old-fashioned people as a cure for a cold. An E. R. word. 
 Wheats, n. C. Oats. It is not clear how best to give the 
 orthography of this word : the pr. is something like a 
 short oo followed by ats ; thus oo-ats, pronounced rapidl}' 
 as one S3^11able, will perhaps afford the best idea as to the 
 correct pronunciation. 
 Whya, interj. C. Well ! at the beginning of a remark ; also 
 very well, in assenting to anything. 
 
 Ex. — Whya ! ah deean't knaw ; they mebbe mud. — Q. Noo, 
 thoo mun think on. A. Whya. 
 Wi, prep. C. (pr. wi, short). With ; always used before a 
 consonant and sometimes before a vowel or h. Vide Wiv. 
 Ex. — Wi sum on 'em. — Gan wi 'em (or wiv 'em). 
 Wick, adj. C. Alive, living ; also lively, sprightly. This 
 word is another form oi quick (living). 
 
 Ex. — Is 'twickyit? i. e. Is it still alive ?- — Them 's varry 
 wick 'uns, i. e. Those are of a ver^^ lively sort. 
 
39^ GLOSSARY. 
 
 Wickens, n. C. Another form o^ wicks, the common couch- 
 grass. 
 
 Ex. — Sha 's getherin wickens. 
 Wicken-wood. n. F. Vide Witch-wood. 
 Wicks, n. C. (i) The common couch-grass, esp. the roots. 
 (2) Quickset hedge seedhngs, or young plants of the same. 
 Ex. — Q. What are they bonnivi yonder ? A. Ah laay they 
 'II be zvicks. — Them wicks 'llmak a good hedge eftthera bit. 
 Widdy, n. C. A willow shoot of a year's growth. 
 Wike, n. Vide Weeks. 
 Wilf, n. F. The willow ; an E. R. word. 
 Wind, to loss, F. To die. Wind is not unfrequently used 
 
 for breath in this and other phrases. 
 Winder, v. C. (pr. windther). To winnow. 
 Windering machine, n. C. A winnowing-machine. 
 Windle-straw, n. C. (pr. winn'l-stthreeaj. A dead stalk of 
 grass, &c. 
 
 Ex.- — There '5 nowt bud a few winnH stthreeas, i. e. a very 
 poor crop. 
 Winge, V. C. To threaten or begin to kick, to show signs of 
 kicking, esp. of a horse. 
 
 Ex. — Noo thoo rnitn niahnd, he 's wingein. 
 Wingey, adj. C. (pr. g soft). Inclined to kick, having a 
 tendency to kick, esp. of a horse. 
 Ex. — T' meer 's varry wingey. 
 Winter hedge, n. F. A clothes-horse. 
 
 Witch-wood ; also called Wicken-tree, and Wicken-wood, 
 n. F. The mountain-ash. This wood was commonly used 
 as a charm against witches. 
 Wiv, prep. C. With, by. Only used before a vowel or h. 
 Ex. — Ah seed hitn stannin' wiv hissen. — He 's cumin^ 
 yonder wiv aiid Matty. 
 Wivoot, prep, and adv. F. Without, unless. Widoot and 
 bedoot are commoner forms of this word. 
 
 Ex. — Ah deean't knaw, ividoot it '5 /' cat 'at '5 deean it. 
 Wold, n. C. (pr. wau'd ; or, at the end of a word, as e.g. in 
 Easingwold, almost as wood). A hill or rising ground, 
 more or less flat at the summit. The Wolds form an 
 extensive range of such hills in the East Riding. Dan. 
 En Void (a mound), 
 Woomle, n. F. An auger. 
 Wrang, adj. C. Wrong. Dan. Vrang (wrong) ; Icel. Rangr, 
 
 Ex. — Thoo ' s wrang. 
 Wreckling, n. C. Vide Reckling. 
 
 Wringe, v. C. To scream like a pig ; to whine like a dog ; to 
 utter a loud noise, as if in pain. 
 
 Ex. — T' pigs gans zuringein aboot weeantly ti-daay. 
 
GLOSSARY. 399 
 
 Wrong with. To get, C. To get across with, to be at v^ariance 
 
 with anyone. 
 Wrought, V. C. (pr. between rote and rout). Worked. The 
 perfect tense of ' to work.' 
 
 Ex. — Ah wrought arC tew'd mang V taaiies. — Ah 've 
 wrought hard i mah tahui. 
 Wye, n. C. A heifer under three years of age. Dan. Kvie 
 (a 3'oung heifer). 
 
 Ex. — We 've gitten anuther wye cauf.—is 't a bull or a ivyef 
 Wyke, n. F. A small bay on the sea-coast. A place-name. 
 Vide Weeks. 
 
 Yacker, n. C. Acre ; commonly used as a plural also. 
 
 Ex. — We 've nobbut fahve yacker mair ti plew. — Neenty 
 yacker. 
 Yah, yan, C. One. These two words are sometimes 
 confounded by strangers to the dialect. Yah is a numeral 
 adj. and always has a word agreeing with it, e.g. yah 
 pleeace, yah neet, &c. ; yan is an indefinite pronoun, and 
 a numeral adj. when used singly, the noun being under- 
 stood. 
 
 Ex — Yirzw on 'em. — Yan said yah thing an' anuther said 
 anuther. — Yah neet as ah coin yarn. — Q. ' How many 
 are there ? ' — A. Nobbut yan. — Yah daay yan o' f lads 
 com ti ma wi nobbut yah hoss ti be sharped. 
 Yaiting, n. R. Vide Gait. 
 Yak, n. C. Vide Ak. 
 
 Yakkron, n. C. Acorn. • 
 
 Yal, n. C. Ale. Dan. 01 (ale). 
 
 Ex. — A sup o' yal. — T' yalaals nowt ; i. e. The ale is good. 
 Yal-hoos, n. F. Ale-house. 
 
 Ex. — Ah seed him i V yal-hoos siippin yal. 
 Yam., n. C. Home. There are no less than three distinct 
 pronunciations to express home, viz. yam, heeam, and 
 wom. The latter, which is very common in the E. R, 
 seems to be a corruption of the Std. Eng. form, home ; 
 the other two approach more nearly the modern Danish 
 form, Hjem, which is pr. almost asyem. 
 Yam, V. C. Vide Aim. 
 Yan, num. adj. and indef. pron. C. One. Jutl. D. Jen (one). 
 
 Vide Yah. 
 Yance. adv. C. Once. 
 
 Ex.— Ah mahud yance 'at, &c ; i.e. I remember once 
 that, &c. — Nivver bud yance. 
 Yannerly, adj. and adv. R. Solitary, alone, lonely. This 
 very expressive word also conveys the idea of fond of 
 
400 GLOSSARY. 
 
 retirement, shy. It is derived from yan (one). The word 
 is seldom if ever heard now. 
 
 Ex. — He left her all yannerly at yam. — He 's varryyannerly. 
 — Whya ! yoor maistther 's geean doon ti Whidby j 
 you 'II be quiet yannerly. 
 
 Yap, n. R. An opprobrious epithet. 
 
 Yark, v. C. To inflict a blow ; to flog : also commonly used 
 as a noun. 
 
 Ex. — Ah 'llyarkyer rigg. — He gav him a yark ower f back. 
 
 Yat, adj. F. Hot. It is to be observed that this word is never 
 applied to the weather, no matter how high the tempera- 
 ture may be ; even 90° in the shade would only be termed 
 wahrm or varry ivahfm. To other things of high tempera- 
 ture j'(i!/ is frequently applied, e. g. a yat fire, a yat yewn, &c. 
 
 Yat, n. C. A gate. Dan. En Gade (a gate). 
 
 Ex.^ — T' au'dyat'sfit ti fall fra f creeaks. — Sneck f yat. — 
 T' yat-stoup '5 lowzen'd at /' boddum. 
 
 Yat-steead, n. F. The part covered by the 'sweep' of agate 
 in opening and shutting. 
 
 Yaud, n, C. A horse ; sometimes restricted to a riding- 
 horse, or applied to an animal in poor condition. 
 
 Yedder, n. C. (pr. yether, th soft). A pliant twig or young 
 shoot in a hedge, which may conveniently be utilised 
 for strengthening a fence by twisting it in and out along 
 perpendicular stakes. Hedging down in this fashion is 
 said to be / stake an' yedder, and the expression nowther 
 a stake nor a yedder signifies the same as ' neither one 
 thing nor the other,' and is frequentl}^ applied in that 
 sense to a person of whom nothing can be made and 
 who succeeds at no kind of work. 
 
 Yeff, V. F. To bark as a dog. Vide Waff. 
 
 Yenk, v. F. To flog, to thrash. An E. R. word. 
 
 Yet, adv. C. Still. This usage is universal ; e. g. ' Is the 
 man here j/^/? ' would not mean Has the man arrived ? but 
 Is he still here ? ' Does it rain J^'^/.?' would not mean Has it 
 begun to rain? but. Is it still raining? &c. 
 
 Yeth, n. C. Earth. 
 
 Yeth-worrm, n. C. An earth-worm. 
 
 Yetling, n. F. A pan or pot made of iron and used in 
 cooking. An E. R. word. 
 
 Yewn, n. F. Vide Yown. 
 
 Yoeken, yotten, v. C. To gulp ; to swallow greedily or with 
 a noise. 
 
 Ex. — Sithaf he '' s yockenin' it doon. 
 
 Yoke, V. C. (pr. yauk). To join a horse to a cart or other 
 carriage by means of harness of some kind. 
 
 Ex. — A'eya getten V meer yauk d ?—We 've yauk'd tiv. 
 
GLOSSARY. 401 
 
 Yon, pron. C. That (over there) ; used demonstratively of 
 persons or things. 
 
 Ex.^Q. Whait '5 yon f i. e. Who is that there ? 
 A. Yon '5 yan o' Tommy Ofcli'n ba'ans. — Whau 's 
 owes yon hoos ? 
 Yorken, v. C. To swallow ; another form oiyocken. 
 Yew, n. C. A ewe. 
 
 Ex. — WJieea 's oives them yows ? 
 Yown, yewn, n. F. An oven. Dan. En Ovn (an oven). 
 
 Ex. — T'' yewn isn't y at y it. 
 Yuer, ure, n. C. The udder of a cow. Dan. Et Yver (an 
 udder) ; also commonly used as a verb, to express the 
 swelling of the udder prior to calving. 
 Yuk, n. F. A hook ; also the top of the femoral bone. 
 Yuk. V. F. To beat, to flog ; the corresponding noun being 
 yukking. 
 
 Ex. — Ah gav him a good yitkkin. 
 Yule-eake, n, C. A plum-cake made specially for Christmas- 
 tide. Dan. Jule-kage (Christmas-cake). 
 Yule-candle, n. C. (pr. yule-cann'l). A candle of extra large 
 size, specially burnt in houses on Christmas Eve, accord- 
 ing to an old custom. 
 Yule-clog, n. C. A log of wood burnt in houses on 
 Christmas or New Year's Eve. 
 
 Dd 
 
INDEX. 
 
 A, the pronunciation of the York- 
 shire, 46, 47, 65. 
 — the middle, 47. 
 
 Abbreviations of words, 53, 54- 
 
 Against, 261. 
 
 A -gait, 198. 
 
 Agricultural terms, 74 7^- 
 
 Ah for I, 13, 23. 
 
 Aiger, 79 
 
 Almanacks, faith m, 160. 
 
 American Revision of the Bible, 
 and Dialect, 251. 
 
 ArC all, 37. 
 
 Anglian and Norse settlements, 7 
 
 Article, the definite, 53. 
 
 As for rather, 37. 
 
 At for that, 25. 
 
 — signifying point of time, 38. 
 
 Attcrill, alliv a, 73. 
 
 Authorised Version, language of 
 
 the, 255. 
 Avvyl ings, 156. 
 
 B. 
 
 Back door ivays, no, 92. 
 
 Bad ti bahd, 73. 
 
 Bands and Band, 194. 
 
 Bargain, the Yorkshireman and a, 
 
 182-3. 
 Be, to, 28. 
 Beck, 135. 
 Bee customs, 232, 
 Beeld and Building, 137. 
 Begone, sadly, 89. 
 Better for more, 36. 
 Betty and the Sermon, 5. 
 
 D 
 
 Bible, obsolete words, in, 254. 
 
 words of Latin origin in, 253. 
 
 — and Key, 227. 
 'Bill and I,' m, 112. 
 Bindtther or Scoorer, 187. 
 
 Boddoms, 155. 
 
 Bow, 102, 
 
 Branfits, 154. 
 
 Braykus and Breekus, 115. 
 
 By and Thorpe, 131. 
 
 By-names, 202-4. 
 
 C. 
 
 Calf and Cough, 199. 
 
 Call, to, 68. 
 
 Calls and Coa/s, 192, 193. 
 
 Cannls,fastfor, 94. 
 
 Carling Sunday, 221. 
 
 Carrs, 154. 
 
 Cat and mouse story, 118. 
 
 Cautious reply, a, 200. 
 
 Characteristics of the Dialect, 
 
 three leading, 49. 
 Christmastide customs, 214, 218. 
 Churchwarden's repartee, the, 
 
 201. 
 Claws and Clothes, 65. 
 Click' d up fpooaker, 95. 
 Clout, tak hod o t\ 94. 
 Club Feasts, 220. 
 ' Coffee Jack,' 178-180. 
 Comet, Betty and the, 161-2. 
 Comphne bell, 219. 
 Confirmation, a candidate tor, 
 
 185. 
 Coo-tah nobs, 174. 
 Crack of, ^o, 262. ^ 
 
 Cracks wijust to fill up t , 170. 
 Creuse on 'em, 196. 
 
 d2 
 
404 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Crowing of cocks and hens, 248. 
 Cures, faith in supposed, 247. 
 
 D. 
 
 D, pronunciation of in Danish, 
 
 141. 
 Daft, &c., 89. 
 Danish compared with Yorkshire 
 
 Dialect, 129, 139, 140, 141, 148, 
 
 149. 
 
 — in agricultural terms, 135. 
 
 — pronunciation of, 141. 
 Death, superstitions connected 
 
 with, 236. 
 Dialect : — 
 
 compared with the Queen's 
 English, 12. 
 
 Danish, specimens of, 142-148. 
 
 decay of, 80. 
 
 differences between Northern 
 and Southern, 10. 
 
 difficulty of acquiring know- 
 ledge of, 41, 66. 
 
 early examples of the, 98-104. 
 
 force of Yorkshire, 95. 
 
 history of Yorkshire, 6, 7. 
 
 in preaching, 5. 
 
 Jutlandic peculiarities, 148, 
 150. 
 
 meaning of, 3. 
 
 mistakes by strangers, due to, 
 190. 
 
 Northern, Midland, and South- 
 ern, 8. 
 
 of fifty years ago, 3. 
 
 pronunciation of, 43. 
 
 raciness of, 95. 
 
 specimens of, 98-125. 
 
 spelling of, 44. 
 
 study of Yorkshire, 15, 16. 
 
 utterance of the, 43. 
 'Dick' the miser, 177, 178. 
 Dizzily gorlons, 196. 
 Doven, to, 79. 
 Doivly, 91. 
 Dream Jwlcs, 2. 
 
 ' Du maa ei komme endnu,' 129. 
 ' Dumb cake,' 230. 
 Duncans Glossar}-, 98, 99. 
 Dyf^e, 135. 
 
 E. 
 
 E- sound, pronunciation of, 64. 
 Earle, Professor, on Dialect, 14, 
 
 15- 
 
 Easter customs, 224. 
 
 Ecclesiastical terms, 11. 
 — year, days of the, 221. 
 Eea-sound, tendency of vowels to, 
 
 51, 94- 
 Ecatin niali gess, 188. 
 Eight and weight, pronunciation 
 
 of, 64. 
 English Dialect Societ}-, 86. 
 Evasive answer, specimen of, 
 
 200. 
 Expect, to, 254. 
 
 Fairies, belief in, 239. 
 
 — scenting the, 240. 
 
 Fano, visit to, 127-9. 
 
 Farm -servants, 172, 210, 211. 
 
 Fast, 89. 
 
 Feilberg's Jutlandic Dictionary, 
 
 149. 
 Fen, meaning of the word, 132. 
 Fend, 88. 
 Fest, 207. 
 
 Field-names, 151-154. 
 First-end and Fore-end, 262. 
 Folk-lore and superstitions, 234. 
 Forcefulness of the Dialect, 86. 
 For to, 37, 260. 
 Fox h ceads, 155. 
 Frame, framaiio)i, 90. 
 Friday, an unlucky day, 222. 
 Frumet}^, the making of, 216. 
 
 Gait, 135. 
 
 Galls, 156. 
 
 Gcck and Gicken, 263. 
 
 Geir, derivation of, 134. 
 
 Geography, knowledge of local, 
 
 158. 
 Gesling and Gosling, 138. 
 Glossary, 265-401. 
 Gorr, T02. 
 Goivly field, \^^. 
 Grail hiiig, 91. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 405 
 
 Grammar : — 
 
 adjective, the. 21, 22. 
 adverb, the, 35, 36. 
 article, the, 19. 
 base, possessive, 20. 
 conditional mood, 31. 
 conjunction, the, 37. 
 future tense for present, 32. 
 
 — old form of, 28. 
 gender, 21. 
 interjection, the, 38. 
 irregular verbs, 33, 34. 
 number, 20. 
 
 of the schools, 17. 
 participle in eii, 32, 34. 
 preposition, the, 37, 38. 
 pronoun, the, 22 27. 
 subject of, 17. 
 verb, the, 28-32. 
 
 — reiteration of the, 35. 
 
 H. 
 
 Hackle, ower good a, 93. 
 
 Hag, 154. 
 
 Harvest festivities, 212. 
 
 Have, 29. 
 
 He and she, peculiar use of, 24. 
 
 Heeaf, 2. 
 
 Hefted, 90. 
 
 Helmsley district, 159. 
 
 Ho'dden, 250. 
 
 Holderness vernacular, 115. 
 
 Holy Week, days of, 221. 
 
 Home and again, pronunciation 
 
 of, 14. 
 Hoos and House, 12, 13. 
 Horses, agricultural, 211. 
 Hurtle, 102. 
 
 I. 
 
 Independence of Yorkshire folk, 
 
 167. 
 Indirect statement, 92. 
 Iitgs and Carrs, 132, 133. 
 Insense, to, 89. 
 Into, equivalents for, 38. 
 Idioms : — 
 
 be, to, 70. 
 
 better, 72. 
 
 call. to. 68. 
 
 going in, 72. 
 
 good and bad, 71. 
 
 illify. 69. 
 
 many, a, 22. 
 
 miscellaneous examples of, 
 
 81-85. 
 
 negative, double, 69, 70. 
 
 noivt aboot that, 7a. 
 
 reet, to, 71. 
 
 think on, think to, 69, 87. 
 
 verbalising of words, 70, 71. 
 
 IV ait of, 69. 
 Is for are, 28. 
 ' Izak, au'd,' 184. 
 
 'Jack' and the influenza, 119, 
 
 120. 
 'Jack' the sportsman, 175. 
 'Jamie Broon ' and the Church 
 
 boords, 96. 
 ' John ' asleep, 201. 
 Jiirnp with, to, 262. 
 Jutlandic Dialect, 142. 
 
 K. 
 
 Keld, 135. 
 
 Kex,' 262. 
 
 Kilburn Feast, custom at, 231. 
 
 — mell sheaf at, 214. 
 
 ' Kit, au'd,' 117. 
 
 Knacking, 13, 67. 
 
 Kotn and Come, 13. 
 
 Kvcedelces, 213, 
 
 Lang Frida, 222. 
 
 Land o' manner, 195. 
 
 ' Leader of calls, the,' 192. 
 
 Learn, to, 260. 
 
 Leek and Leak, 137. 
 
 Leeps. 258. 
 
 Letter-sounds, pronunciation of, 
 
 54-63- 
 Linton-on-Ouse, field-names at, 
 
 152-157- 
 Lowsin tahm, 223. 
 
 ' Lucky bird, the,' 218. 
 
 Ly and lins, the terminations, 
 
 36. 
 
4o6 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 M. 
 
 Mappa inundi, 159. 
 
 Marshall's Rural Economy of 
 Yorkshire, words in, 76-80. 
 
 Martinmas Hirings, 206. 
 
 Mashalshou, niak noivt bud, 67. 
 
 Matter, to, 89. 
 
 Max Mailer, Professor, on Bible 
 words, 256. 
 
 May, 29. 
 
 Meat, 79, 252. 
 
 Measles, strange cure for, 237. 
 
 Medical terms, 72, 73. 
 
 Me, pronunciation of, 64. 
 
 Me for I, 25. 
 
 Mell-doll, 213. 
 
 Mell-sheaf, 214. 
 
 Mell-supper, 212, 213. 
 
 Modulations of the voice in pro- 
 nouncing the Dialect, 48, 49. 
 
 Mild (might and //n/a? (filth;, 190. 
 
 Must, 29. 
 
 N. 
 
 ' Nannie Nicholson Taatie Pie, 
 
 114. 
 Near-hand for near, 38. ^ 
 
 ' Ned Paak," 154. 
 Negation, adverb of, 36. 
 Newton-on-Ouse, old words in 
 
 use at, 78. 
 — Danish words at, 134. 
 New Year's Day customs, 218. 
 Night and day, divisions of, 223. 
 No, equivalents for, 36. 
 Noo and Noiv, 13. 
 Norsewords in Yorkshire, 135-7. 
 Noivterer, 79. 
 
 O. 
 
 O in lost, &c., pronunciation of, 
 
 65, 199- 
 Off, 87. 
 
 Ooi; peculiar use of, 24. 
 Opera, Yorkshireman at the, 188. 
 Oti-soMnd of standard English, 
 
 51- 
 Overed, to be, 70. 
 Owe for own, 25. 
 
 Owered, it '5, 97. 
 Own a.nd yeivn, 142. 
 Owt, pronunciation of, 45. 
 
 Paaskeleg, 222. 
 
 Park, 154. 
 
 Parlous, 259, 
 
 ' Paste-egg Day,' 222, 
 
 ' Penny nap,' 203. 
 
 Pepper-cake, 217. 
 
 Piano, the Yorkshireman and 
 
 the, 181. 
 Pickering Moors, specimen of 
 
 Dialect from, 116. 
 Pigs and childer, 183. 
 Playing a fly ! 120. 
 Pocklington, Martinmas Day at, 
 
 207-209. 
 Possessive case, 20, 261. 
 Pronunciation of letter-sounds, 
 
 54-63- 
 — of dialect at present day, 66. 
 Put about, 191, 
 
 Quick, 259. 
 
 O. 
 
 R. 
 
 R, the nasal, in Jutland, 150. 
 
 Rakes, 156. 
 
 ' Reeking and Degging,' 117. 
 
 Rcct, to, 71. 
 
 Reins and Geirs, 134. 
 
 Revised Version of the Bible, 251. 
 
 Riding and Rudding. 134. 
 
 Rivers, terms connected with, 
 
 157- 
 Roopy, 6. 
 
 Rush, 155. 
 
 Ruskin, Mr., and his Bible, 250. 
 
 S' for shall, 28. 
 
 Sad, 258. 
 
 Sag, 261. 
 
 ' Saim and Same,' 191. 
 
 St. Agnes' Eve customs, 229. 
 
 St. Mark's Eve, 225. 
 
 St. Stephen's Eve, 218. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 407 
 
 Sayings, quaint, 85. 
 
 Scott, Sir Walter, and Folk-talk, 
 
 40. 
 Scraffled t nil ee, 186, 
 ' Screen, remove the,' 105. 
 Seek and Sack, 137. 
 Seedtime customs, 214. 
 Sceavy flats, 156. 
 Set, we ev her, 91. 
 Shakespeare, Yorkshire words in, 
 
 257, 260. 
 Sheep-rakes, 134. 
 Shout and Shoot, 197. 
 Sike, Sick and Sikan, 27. 
 Similes, 204, 205. 
 ' Smith o' Marishes, 162-3. 
 Snahry clooas, 154. 
 Sowle, to, 261. 
 ' Sowlin a son,' 116. 
 Specimens of the Dialect, 121-5. 
 Spechnens of Early English, Dr. 
 
 Morris's, 9. 
 Spelling of the Dialect, 45, 46. 
 Sporting terms, 91 
 Starved, 193. 
 S tatties, 206. 
 Stevn, I, 2. 
 Stie, 258. 
 Storm, Yorkshire description of 
 
 a, 96. 
 Strange, Sairly, and Desperi, 36. 
 Smnlers, 155. 
 
 T' for z*/;^, 20. 
 
 'T for ?y, 24. 
 
 Ta and 77;oo, use of, 23, 69. 
 
 Tea, importance of, 184, 
 
 Teeas and Tears, 94. 
 
 7>ze;, 88. 
 
 77;, pronunciation of, 66. 
 
 77?rt^ — whahl, 36. 
 
 Throng, 89. 
 
 ' Tid, mid, and misera}^' 222. 
 
 T^/Vfl?, 260. 
 
 ' Timmy James's cute lad,' 117. 
 
 ' Tommy ' and the country talk, 
 
 112. 
 Thriiff oppen deears, 248. 
 Tiinder and Tinder, 138. 
 
 U. 
 
 U, pronunciation of the letter, 49. 
 Ulvborg, specimen of the Danish 
 
 Dialect from, 145. 
 Up ti yans knees i caiid watther, 
 
 188^ 
 
 V. 
 
 V, pronunciation of in Jutland, 
 
 141. 
 ' Vardy dinner ' at Helmsley, 231. 
 Varry and Vast, 22. 
 Verb, position of in the Dialect, 35. 
 Very well, 170. 
 Vikings, the, 8. 
 
 W. 
 
 Want, peculiar use of, 199. 
 
 Wards, to- and from, 260. 
 
 Warming, 95. 
 
 Warts, cures for, 247. 
 
 Wasp and the churning of butter, 
 the, 115. 
 
 Wedding customs, 225. 
 
 Weeks and Viking, 130. 
 
 Welsh //, 43. 
 
 Wheeas owes it ? 26. 
 
 While, 189. 
 
 Who and How, 198. 
 
 Whooping-cough cures, 246. 
 
 Wi and wiv, 38. 
 
 Wick and wick, 199. 
 
 Wicken wood, 242. 
 
 Wind, pronunciation of, 64. 
 
 Witches and wise men, stories 
 of, 240-6. 
 
 Words of Anglian and Norse ex- 
 traction, 4. 
 
 — choice of, in preaching, 4, 5, 
 
 254- 
 
 — contained in Marshall's Rural 
 Econon-ty, 76-80. 
 
 — introduced after the Norman 
 Conquest, 11. 
 
 — Latin, 4, 11. 
 
 — misunderstood, 6. 
 
 — peculiar uses of, 66. 
 Wycliffe's New Testament, York- 
 shire words in. 257. 
 
 Wyke and Wig, 130, 
 
4c8 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Y. 
 
 Yah and Yan, 27. 
 
 Yance ower, 35. 
 
 Yes, equivalents for, 36. 
 
 Yet, 254. 
 
 ' York Minster Screen,' 104-110. 
 
 Yorkshire Burns, need for a, 15. 
 
 — bargain, 180. 
 
 — caution, 97, 169, 200. 
 
 — character, 164, 173. 
 
 — farm lads, 208. 210. 
 
 — grammar, 18. 
 
 Yorkshire hospitality, 171. 
 
 — independence, 166-7. 
 
 — manners in, 165, 166. 
 
 — music in, 170-171. 
 Yorkshireman, bilingual, 41. 
 
 — contrasted with the Irishman, 
 
 172. 
 
 — contrasted with Lancashire 
 folk, 173. 
 
 — hard to get at, 168. 
 
 — in London, 160, 162, 163, 174. 
 
 — a money-lover, 167. 
 Yule candle, the, 215. 
 
 THE END 
 
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