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NORTHUMBERLAND WORDS .
A G L O S S A R Y
OF WORD S U S E D IN
TH E COU NTY OF ’ NOR TH U M BE R LAND
AN D ON
T H E TYN E S I D E .
B Y R E ' O L I V E R H E S L O P .
VOLU M E I .
BY KE GAN PAU L , TRENCH , T R U BN E R QO . , CHAR ING C'
ROS§ ROAD .
CON T E N T S .
I NTRODUCT ION pace
Nor thumber land
Adjacen t D ialect s x i i i .
T he Dales and the Shi re
T he Speech
The N or thumber land Bu r r
The G lossa r y xxv .
Notes
T H E GLOS S AR Y , A t o F 1 to 309
NOR T H U M B E R LAN D .
T H E d ist r ict r ep r esen ted in th i s g lossar y includes the p r esen t
coun ty of N or thumber land and tha t po r t ion of the coun ty of
Dur ham lying on the r ight bank of the r iver Tyne fr om Wylam
to Ja r r ow . Scot land is fr equen tly r ega r ded as a coun t r y lying
en ti r ely to the nor th of Eng land . I t may be well , ther efo r e , t o
co r r ect th i s imp r ession by sta t ing tha t Ber wicksh i r e and
Roxbu r ghsh i r e l ie on the weste r n confines , whi le some of the
souther n coun t ies of Scotland l ie , not t o the nor th , bu t to the
west of No r thumber land .
Th is nor ther nmost Engl ish coun ty i s t r i angular in for m ,
mea su r ing about for ty-five m i les acr oss the ba se , by about s ixty
m iles fr om the bottom to the top . G r ea t upland moo r s connect
the lofty eleva t ion of the Chev iot H il ls wi th the outl ier s of the
Penn in e Range , and fo r m the wester n fr on t ier of the coun t )and, fr om the head of South Tyne , the southe r n boundar y is
car r ied on a t r act of lofty moo r lands , a long the high lands of
Allenheads , Blanch land M oor , and H edley , and on towa rds
W ylam . Except in the va lleys , the wester n and souther n
por t ion s of th i s d i st r ict a r e w i ld and desola te ; and they for m
an effect i ve di v is ion on the landwa r d side . T he shor t st r etch
a long the r iver Tweed fr om Ca r ham to the sea , and the equa l ly
sho r t str etch of the r i ver Tyne , whe r e it becomes the souther n
bounda r y of N o r thumber land , fo r m the on ly open fr on t ier s on
the nor th and south r espect i vely . H er e the g r ea t name of H e
kingdom of Nor thumber land , the . home of those Angles who
wer e set t led on the nor th side of the r iver H umber , has su r v ived .
(Note
In the t r ad i tion p r eser ved by N enn iu s , the Nor ther n Anglian
settlemen t s or igina ted soon after the t ime of the a r r iva l of
v i i i . INTRODUCT ION .
H engi st in Ken t . (Note I t is clear that the Angl ian settle
men t of Nor thumb r ia had so fa r ad vanced that in A.D . 547 Ida
began to r eign , “ fr om whom ar ose the r oyal r ace ofNor thumbr ia .
(Note Accor d ing to N enn ius , he was the fi r st king in
Ber n icia andin Ca i r E br au c (Yor k ) (Note Bu t the Angles
nor th of the H umber and south of the Tees wer e called by the
B r i ton s Deu r,whi lst the same people nor th of the Tees wer e
known as Ber neich . T he sect ion s of th is dual kingdom wer e ,however , so near akin as t o possess
,pr obably , a common
language , and also , fr om t ime to t ime , to be subj ect to the
gover nmen t of a common'
head. (Note
T he names of two r ema r kable men ar e a t tached to Ber n icia ,
those of Sain t Cuthbe r t andof the Vener able Bmda . Bu t ver y
l ittle r emain s of the li teratu r e of th i s per iod . (Note Tha t
much ver nacular l i te r a tur e ex isted seems eviden t fr om what one
of his schola r s tel ls us , tha t Ba da was lea r ned in ou r poet r y .
(Note T he Dan ish in vasion s dur ing the la st yea r s of the
eighth and th r oughout the n in th centu r y had an impor tan t
efiect upon the Engl ish settlemen t s in Deira . The at tacks upon
Ber n icia wer e not less ruth less ; bu t they wer e confined ch iefly
to pi r a tica l descen t s on the coast s or to for ays car r ied out on a
va st sca le , the Tyne being made u se of for w in te r qua r ter s and
as a por t to r efit . Dei r a was conquer ed , divided , and
per manen tly settled by the Dane . T he Tyne , however , was
the l im i t beyond wh ich th i s complete conquest did not extend .
M oder n Nor thumber land was left in a g r ea t mea su r e in the
hands of i ts Anglian inhabi tan t s , who wer e perm i t ted to l ive
under r uler s of thei r own r ace , in subor d inat ion to the Dan i sh
kings . (Note A succession of Engl ish r uler s thus ma in tained ,in the i r capi ta l at Bambu r gh
, the in tegr i ty ofBer n icia th r oughout
the ten th cen tur y , and even tual ly passed in to the l ine of the
Ea r ls of N o r thumber land .
T he old Nor thumb r ian d ialect , the language of the nor thern
Eng l ish people fr om Doncaster to Aber deen , was, by theseeven t s , subjected to i r fluences wh ich had, as early as the n in th
T H E D I S TR I CT . ix .
and ten th cen tur ies , already begun to affect its inflectional
char acter . Th is gave a unifor m i ty to the wr i t ten language
of nor ther n England . But the va r iety of these influences
would , wi thout doubt , at a ver y ea r ly per iod , begin to a ffect the
manner of speech in each di st r ict and give permanence to the
cha r acter ist ic dia lect of each loca l i ty . Thus Dei r a , w i th its
colon ies of No r thmen ,may hencefor th be said to be separ a ted
fr om Ber n icia by the power ful solven t of a r acia l d iffer ence in
the two peoples .
T he evidence of place -names affor ds impor tan t confi rma tion
of the exten t and na tu r e of the Dan ish set tlemen t s . In the
pa r t of Ber n icia no r th of the Tyne , the term inat ion s -ham and
J on a r e ever ywher e consp icuous , wh i le the ter m inal -by does
not occu r . T he str eams a r e bums,andnowher e becks . T he
p r onuncia t ion of the is a lways full , and is never clipped, as in
the t’
, or mor e Dan i sh d ia lect s . (Note T he con t r a st in th is
r espect wi th the souther n pa r t of the coun ty of Dur ham
(Note bu t mo r e especial ly with East Yor kshi r e , is a ve r y
mar ked one ; for , ther e , -by and -beck a r e ever ywher e prevalen t ,wh i lst in speech a shor t t’ is used for the.
A fur ther sever ance was yet t o take p lace on the no r thern
bo r der . After the di sa st r ous ba t tle of Ca r ham ,in 101 8
,
Loth ian , h ither to a pa r t of Ber n icia , became a t tached to the
Scott i sh kingdom . F r om thi s per iod the Tweed became the
r ecogn i sed l im i t between the eas ter n ma r ches of England and
Scotland . (Note Fol low ing th i s poli t ica l change , the
language of the Engli sh people beyon d the Tweed even tually
became , in its fu r the r developmen t , tha t of the Cour t , of
educa t ion , and of the na t iona l l iter a tu r e of Scotland .
The Nor man Conquest appear s to have affected N orthumber
land li t tle or no mor e than the Dan ish conquest s had done .
T he Conquer or h imself was bu t once w i th in the coun ty no r th
of the Tyne , in going to and in r etu r ning fr om his Scot t i sh
expedi tion in 1072 . (Note H e r eser ved to h imself the
appoin tmen t of the Ear l s ; but , beyond thi s , did not in ter fer e
X .INTRODU CT ION .
wi th the in ter nal adm in istr a t ion of Nor thumber land . Of these
Ea r l s , who pu r chased the ir appo in tmen t , Gospatr ic a l r eady
possessed her ed i tar y cla im . W a ltheof, aga in , was son of Ear l
S iwar d , andhei r by his mother’ s side to the Ea r ldom . On the
dea th of W a l theof, Wa lcher , of Lo r r a ine , the fi r st B ishop
appoin ted by W i l l iam to the see of Du r ham ,was made Ea r l in
1075 . In 1080 ,d isputes ha v ing a r i sen in the cou r se of his
adm in i st r at ion ,dur ing a meet ing held at Gateshead the men of
Nor thumber land su r r ounded the chur ch wher e the B ishop had
met the popular leader s . To the p r over b ,
“ Shor t r ede good
r ede (sho r t counsel i s good coun sel) , ther e was added an
om inous menace . T he cr y was r a i sed , Sho r t r ede good r ede ,slay ye the B i shop and, a fte r many of his offi cia ls wer e ki l led,the Bi shop h imself was slain . (Note
W alcher’
s mu r der led to r eta l ia t ion ; and an expedi t ion in
for ce was conducted by Rober t , ca l led Cu r those , the King’ s son .
I ts ma in r esul t was the found ing of the N ew Ca stle , upon the
no r th bank of the Tyne ,near the si te of wha t hadh i ther to been
the obscu r e place ca l led M onkchester . Albr iu s appea r s to ha ve
been appoin ted Ea r l afte r W a lcher ; bu t soon wi thd r ew , and
was succeeded by Rober t de M owbr ay . Du r ing his admin is
tr a tion of Nor thumber land the Domesday sur vey was compi led .
Bu t the county o f Nor thumbe r land finds no p lace in tha t
su r vey ; for it wa s a fief w i thout the r ea lm of England . Tha t
sur vey was under taken for financia l pu r poses, and ther efo r e it
could not be expected to extend to a d i st r ict in wh ich the C r own
hadno financia l in ter est . T he Ear ldom of Ca r l isle or Cumber
land was in th is r espect p r ecisely sim i lar ly si tua ted , and these
two Ear ldoms , w i th the Bi shop r ic of Du r ham , included the
en ti r e ter r i tor y wh ich is om i tted in tha t su r vey . (Note
T he r ea lm of England p r oper , at tha t t ime , ter m ina ted at the
wapen take of Sadber ge on the Tees ; which was st i ll coun ted
w ith in the te r r i to r y of the Ear l of No r thumber land .
T he r ebell ion anddefeat of Rober t de M owb r ay , in 1095 , was
followed by the annex a t ion of Nor thumbe r land to the C r own Of
T H E D ISTR I CT . x i .
England, and the appoin tmen t Of a sher i ff in p lace of the Ea r l .
(Note W i th in the Ea r ldom , the P a la t ina te of Dur ham
hadbeen a p r iv ileged , andwa s now a r apid ly g r owing , power .
T he choi r of its g r ea t ca thed r a l chu r ch had been bui lt byW il li am de Sain t Car i lef. H is successo r , Ra lph Flambar d ,con t inued the gr ea t wo r k . (Note In 1 1 2 1 , F lambar d bui l t
the Ca st le of No r ham -upon -Tweed , on the no r ther n fr on t ier o f
Nor thumber land,and w i th in the ep iscopa l j u r isd iction of
N or hamshi r e .
T he yea r 1 1 39 wi tnessed the r ev iva l of the Nor thumber land
Ea r ldom in the pe r son of H en r y , son of Da v id,Ki ng of Scot land .
H en r y’
s mothe r wa s the daugh te r of Ea r l W a ltheof andg r and
daughte r of S iwa r d the Ea r l . Bu t th i s her edi tar y cla im n ould
of i t self have been in sufficien t to obtain so impo r tan t a n
appoin tmen t . Stephen ’ s own r ea son s of state ledhim t o accept
the a r r angemen t . In the Ear ldom thus r econsti tuted , howev er ,except ion was made of the Pa la t in ate of Du r ham . (Note
H er e , then , we may p r act ica l ly da te the sepa r a t ion of Du r ham
fr om No r thumber land . Nor thumbe r land a t th i s t ime had,
on its wester n bounds , the fr an ch ises of R eedsda le , No r th
andSouth Tyneda le , andH e xhamsh i r e ; and a ll these sepa r a te
ju r isd ict ions r ema ined long apa r t fr om N o r thumber land i t self.
T he Ear ldom , i n thi s last r etur n to the Gover nmen t of i ts
he r ed ita r y ch iefs , was thus enclosed by the Pa la t ina te on the
south,the ep iscopa l ter r i to r y of Islandshi r e and N or hamshi r e
on the n or th , and the fi anchises above-men t ioned on the
west .
T he accession to the th r one of Englan d of H enr y I I . was
followed by his seizu r e of Nor thumber land in 1 1 57 . Th i s act
p r ovoked the r ea sser t ion of thei r her ed ita r y cla im by successi ve
Scot t i sh kings ; who , fr om th i s t ime , began the ser ies of in va sions
tha t so devasted the coun t r y . Pudsey , Bi shop of Dur ham ,
Obta in ed the Ea r ldom ,in 1 190, by pu r chase fr om King Richar d .
Bu t , e ven tua l ly,No r thumber land was , in 1 242 , i nd issolub ly
confi rmed to the C r own of England .
INTROD UCT ION .
T he hi stor y may well be summa r ized in the language of the
able wr i ter of the in t r oduct ion to the h istor y of the coun ty .
Up to the cl ose of the r eign of H en r y I I I . , Nor thumber land
st il l had a sor t of na t iona l i ty of its own ,not comp letely absor bed
in the sover eign ty of England . For a consider ab le por t ion of
the per iod , indeed , i t was in the hands Of Scotti sh p r inces , nor
didthe kings of Scot land abandon thei r claim t i ll its ver y close.
In the r eign of John ,andeven in tha t of hi s successor , i t was
yet doub tful whether Nor thumber land would,ul t ima tely be
at tached to the souther n or no r ther n ' mona r chy in B r i ta in .
(Note F r om the r eign of H enr y I I I . i t was hencefo rwa r d“as much an in tegr al po r t ion of England as Sur r ey or M iddlesex ,
bound by a common in ter est , and influenced by the same
feelings which p r eva iled th r oughout the r ealm . (Note
T he condi t ions , wh ich gave ind ividua l i ty to the land fr om
Tyne to Tweed , we r e thus con t inued down t o a pe r iod when
the language had a r r ived at an ad vanced stage of developmen t .
In the examples of nor ther n l i ter a tu r e of the la t ter endof the
th i r teen th andthe ear ly par t of the fou r teen th cen tu r ies it appear s
l i t tle r emoved fr om the loca l d ia lect of the p r esen t day. So
much i s thi s the case , tha t the Cur sor M andi and The P r iehe
of Conscience p r esen t few or no d iffi cult ies to the Nor thumb r ian
r eader . (Note
To the fact , tha t the antonomy of Nor thumber land was
main ta ined th r oughout so long and so momen tous a per iod , we
may fu r ther ascr ibe the p r eser va t ion of an a r chaic cha r acter in
its d ia lect , as a spoken tongue . By outside people , a lmost
wi thout except ion , th is is r ega r ded as singula r ly bar bar ous .
I t is , however , bar bar ous on ly inasmuch as i t sounds st r ange to
the bear er . I t s r ea l char acter i s seen in the a lmost passiona ter egar d in which it i s held by its people and the histor y , thus
r apidly r eviewed , suggests tha t ou r moder n N or thumber land
includes wi th in it ter r i tor y , wher e , probably , the “ Inglis of theN or th in lede has been lea st affected , in its vocalization , byoutside infl uences .
ADJACENT D IALECTS . xi ii .
ADJACENT D IALECTS .
Included wi th in the limi t of the bur r , a character ist ic of
N or thumber land speech , is the nor ther n po r t ion of the coun ty of
Dur ham ,w i th in a l ine , d r awn fr om the r iver Der wen t , nea r
Shot ley , to the Tyne at Jar r ow Slake , andextend ing southwar d ,a lmost to the val ley of the Wear . I t is a di st r ict wher e the
coa l deposits ,wr ought exten s ively du r ing the ear ly developmen t
of tha t indust r y , a t t r acted the set tlemen t of those colon ies of
p itmen , p r esen tly to be r efer r ed to . But between th i s andthe
d ialect out side of the l ine a ma r ked d iffer ence i s per ceptible.
The folk-speech of Tynemou th and the estua r y of the Tyne ,wh ich r esemb les that of the Dur ham coa st , is r ap idly losing i ts
former char acter ist ics . Bu t South Sh ields yet main ta in s its
own d ialect sound in a mor e p r im i t ive for m . In th is po r t ion of
the coun ty of Dur ham the l ine of dema rcat ion between the
d iffer en t dia lect s coincides in a somewha t r ema r kable manner
wi th the pr om inen t featu r es of the P er m ian for mat ion . Bu t in
th is d ist r ict the ear l ier ava ilable coa l deposi t s have pr obably
mor e to do wi th the set tlemen t of a populat ion than have the
natu r a l fea tu r es of the coun t ry.
Among neighbour ing d ia lects , tha t of Lower Wea r dale
r ema ins sim i lar to tha t of Nor thumber land . Both in th is
fea tu r e , as wel l as in its place-names , i t affor ds a st r iking
con t r a st to the uppe r pa r t of the same da le beyond Stanhope ,to Teesdale , and t o the dist r ict east ofWolsingham . (Note
T he dia lect of Nor th Cumber land has close affin i ty w i th tha t of
N or thumber land ; bu t , in its voca l izat ion , its l ight tongue-t rill
and its va r ied cadence p r oduce a qu ite d iffer en t effect upon the
ea r . In the upper va l leys of the A llen and the South Tyne ,
beyond the l imi t of the bu r r , the effect of the Cumbr ian
influence is obser vable . H er e , possibly , the in t r oduct ion of
lead miner s fr om adjacen t di st r ict s has lar gely influenced the
speech .
iv . INTRODUCT ION .
T ev iotdale , in i ts dialect , closely r esembles , in many r espect s ,
the neighbou r i ng folk- speech of No r th No r thumber land. (N ote
In fact , the Nor thumber land and Du r ham d i a lect s d i ffer
so l i t tle fr om tha t of T ev iotdale , tha t P r ince Lucien B on apa r te ,
in his H ints on the Classification of the E ng lish D ialects,
makes them one w ith it , under a head ing of the “ Scotch in
England ,”
as d ist ingu ished fr om the t r ue No r th Engli sh of
W ea r da le , W estmor eland , and Yor ksh i r e . (Note In th i s
connect ion ,it is in ter est ing to note an e x tens ion of the ar ea of
No r thumber land made by the captur e of Roxbu r gh in 1 346 ,
and its con t inued occupa tion by the Engli sh un t il 1460, du r ing
the long pe r iod of a hund r ed and fou r teen yea r s . Th i s per iod
was memor able in many ways . I t included the t ime wh ich saw
the b r i l lian t car eer of H otspu r . I t a lso embr aced tha t , when
Ear l Dou gla s , in 1 380, led on,aga in st H otspu r , “ ful l twen ty
hund r ed Scott ish spear es , to the ba t tle of O t ter bu r n o r Chevy
ChaseAl l men of pleasan t T eviotda leFast by the r ive r Tweed.
T he per iod emb r aced by the Engl i sh occupancy o f Ro xbu r gh
is other wise memor able , as ca r r ying us fr om the t ime ofW ykl iffe
to the t ime of W i lliam Caxton .
T H E DALES AND T H E SH IRE .
Of the fr anch i ses of R eedsda le andT yneda le befo r e-men t ioned ,some not ice may her e be gi ven . The r e is many da les , sa id
G r ay , in 1 649 , the ch ief a r e T ineda le and R eedsda le , a
cou ntr ey tha t W il liam the Conqu er ou r didnot subdue , r eta in ing
to th i s day the ancien t laws and cus toms (accor ding to the
coun ty of Ken t) , whe r eby the lands of the fa ther i s equa lly
d iv ided a t h is dea th amongst a ll his sonnes . (Note 24 T he
Ch ief Lo r d was in possession of a l l ta x es and ci v il j u r isd iction ,
both her e and i n H e xham sh i r e ; a nd the King o f England ’s
wr its did not r u n wi thi n the ir pa le . (Note I t was not
T H E DALE S AN D T H E SH IRE . XV .
un t i l the yea r 1496 tha t Nor th and South T yneda le , andwi th
them R eedsda le (Note we r e made gi ldab le andpa r cel of the
coun ty of Nor thumber land . (N ote T he cha r acter of the
popula tion s of these va l leys was a t t r ibuted,in pa r t at lea st , t o
the long per iod of wa r far e wh ich had e x i sted on the Bor der
Gud honast men and t r ue sauyng a l i t t le shiftyng for the i r
l i v ing . God and ou r L eddie help them , s i l ie pu r e men !
(Note In the M uste r s of N o r thumber land , in 1 5 38 , the
l ight -hor semen of R eedsda le a r e ver y nume r ous ; and a r e
descr ibed as ab le men wi th ho r se and har nes and a ll sper es ;
bes ides a ll the foo t theu es . T he muster of the neighbou r ing
da le is a lso b lun t ly headed,
N or the T yndell theiffs”
; a ll of
whom a r e descr ibed as“able w ith hor s and ha r nes .
(Note
T he liber ty of H exhamsh i r e , belong ing to the A r chb ishop of
Yo r k , hadbecome l i t t le less n otor ious when it was made par cel
of the coun ty of Nor thumber land , in the 14th E lizabeth , A .D .
1 572 . B u t , even at th i s la te da te , the da les and moor s of the
west coun t r y wer e a t tached to N o r thumber land in n ame r a ther
than in r ea l i ty ; and thei r tu r bu len t inhab i tan t s became the
object s of sever e legi slat i ve r ep r ession . In 1 550 (N ote S i r
Rober t Bowes , in h is r epo r t on the sta te of the Bor der s ,r ecommended the t r an spor ta t ion of the super fluous popula t ion
to places too fa r di stan t fo r thei r r ela t ion s and coun t r ymen to
r esor t to . (Note Tha t such an exodus shor t ly after war ds
took place is ev iden t for the Redesda le Begga r , in tha t cen tu r y ,descr ibes how he ever ywher e met w i th those of ou r cun tr ith
bor ne , even in the fa r south wher e he then was . (Note
A ci r cumstance wh ich specia l ly bea r s upon th is subject is the
fact tha t those who now wen t for th fr om T yn eda le and Redes
dale ,to seek thei r
“
for tune on the lower Tyneside , wer e held in
a ve r sion ; a ndwer e den ied admi t tance t o the cr afts and fellow
sh ips of the t own s . On the 1 4th No vember , 1 5 54 , the M e r chan t
Ad ven tu r er’
s Company of Newcast le passed an Act p r eclud ing
any b r other fr om tak ing an app r en t ice of such as is or sha l l
xvi . INTROD UCT ION .
be bor ne or br ought up in Tynda ll , R yddisda l l or anye other
suche lycke places . (Note T he Act con tinued in for ce
un t il 1 676 ; when i t was modified ,“ in r egar d those pa r t s a r e
mo r e civil ized than former ly .”
T he men of T yneda le wer e , all
al ike , included under the st igma of their di st r ict . On Sunday
la st,w r ites the Deputy-keeper of T yneda le , in 1 559 ,
“ I appr e
hended two notable th ieves , being gen tlemen ca l led Fenw icks ,
and ha ve sen t them to the gaol of Newca stle .
”
(Note
Yea r by yea r , her eafter ,“ ther e is many of them brought in of
them in to the goa le of Newca stle , and at the Assizes ar e
condemned andhanged . (Note
T he r ap id sp r ead of the u se of coal in the time of Queen
E lizabeth called for th a demand for wor ker s to hew and to
ca r r y i t. (Note G r ea t number s of the for mer l ight hor se
men wer e d r iven by the st r ess of ci r cumstances tofind in th is
occupa t ion a less p r ecar ious , bu t not less haza r dous , employmen t .
At a la ter da te , they a r e descr ibed as“ Scot tish men and
Bor der er s that came out of T ynedale and R iddesda le .
(Note To these da lesmen we owe the st r ong clan sh ip of
the colon ies of p i tmen and keelmen sca t ter ed a long Tyneside
and th r oughout the coll ier y d ist r ict s ; wher e the d ia lect of
Nor thumber land has been p r eser ved wi th a vigour peculia r to
these loca li ties . I t is in th is connect ion tha t the min ing terms ,used in the pit di st r ict s , r eta in many wo r ds of impor tance t o the
d ia lect . They o r igina te in the common speech of the wor kmen
anda r e hence included in thi s vocabulary .
THE SPEECH .
Wi thin the a r ea wher e the guttu r a l 7 , or N o r thumberland
bu r r , pr evai ls ther e ar e fou r dist r ict s , each wi th var ia t ion s inthe manner of speech . They ar e N ORTH NORTH UMBERLAN D
,
SOUTH NORTH UMBERLAND , TYNES IDE , andWE S T-TYN E , andar e
shown on the sketch map by the let ter s N S T . , and W .-T .
x v ii i . i NT R OD U CT ION .
d r opped these wor ds a r e hea r d as had, fad, caad. O r they a r e
spoken wi th the l , as hould, fauld, could. I t is a lso om i t ted or not ,
at wi ll , in waa (l) (wa l l) , smaa (l) (sma ll) , &c.
R is hea r d in the str ong guttu r a l form , ca lled the bur r , or bar ,of wh ich a special notice w il l be g iven pr esen tly .
S appear s as a wor n down for m of sha l l in such expr ession s
as Aa’
s be wi’
ye syun”
( I shal l be w i th you soon ) . In the
for m aa’
s i t stands for am Aa’s aal r eet ( I am all r ight) .
S is used for sh in ass (a shes) , buss (bush ) .
T H , in the, is never shor tened to a mer e t’
. I t is spoken
l ightly in byeth (both) , lj'
eth ( loth) , br eeth (b r ea th , b r eadth) , &c. ,
and heav i ly in the , them , thor (those) , &c. I ts a l ter na t ive u se
with cl has a lr eady been noted
Of the vowels , the most cha r acter i st ic a r e the following .
T he sho r t A , l ike the sound of a in it la mode , o r in the Ger man
salz (sa l t) . Sa lt , ma l t , faul t a r e pronounced thus , except in
VVest-Tyne.
T he same sound p r olonged p r oduces the N or thumber land (m
(or are as i t i s sometimes wr it ten ) in who (wa ll) , blaa (blow) , 5mm
(snow) , &c. ,wh ich a r e thus spoken in South Nor thumber land and
on Tyneside .
T he long ai , hear d in chai r , is hea r d th r oughout N o r thum
ber land in maister (master ) , gai r cl (guar d) , quai r t (quar t) , &c.
OW , p r onounced as the our in now, is sounded in bowld (bold ) ,r owl ( r ol l) , cowld (cold) , howld (hold) , &c.
T he Southern Engl ish p r onunciat ion of man (maen) and
S imi l iar wo r ds , is the sound her e g iven to the plu r al fo r m (men )and to pr ofi t (p r in t) , splet ( sp l it) .
T he shor t I , as in fi l or sin , is hea r d in r ich (to reach) , andfinor find (to find).
T H E S PEECH . xix .
E E , the sound in feel , is hea r d in br eest (br ea st) , a nd in a l l
par t s , except ing in Nor th N or thumber land , in the wo r ds seet
( sight) , leet (light ) , fleet (n ight) .
0 long , as in for , is sounded in for st (fi r st) , par se (pu r se) , kor l
(hu r l ) , &c. , except in pa r ts of the nor th of the coun ty .
T he U ,hear d in utter , i s in eve r y pa r t spoken in r at ( r oot ) ,
f ut (foot) , fim(d) (found) , han (d) (bound) , g r an (d) (g r ound) .
00, as in fool , is the gener al for m in spoot (spout) ,pr ood(p r oud) ,tr oot ( t r out) , doot (doubt) , &c.
T he wor ds , stone , bone , home , whole , &c. , r ep r esen t a vowel
to wh ich a r ema r kab le prolonga t ion of the sound is given in
South N or thumber land , wher e stee-yen is hear d for stone . On
Tyneside and in No r th N or thumber land th is is shor tened to
styen , whi lst in West -Tyne the sound is steen . M oon a lso is
hea r d in each of these d ist r icts r especti vely as mee-
yan , myzm,
andmeehn or meen.
T he fol low ing compar a t ive tab les w i ll show the r ange and
va r iation s of the for egoing sounds in the subdivision of the
d ialect °
S ou th Nor thumber land salt malt fa lt (fau lt)Tyneside salt ma lt falt
saat
Nor th Nor thumber land sat
sa lt
W est-Tyne soat moat foat
waa [1] (wall) blaa (blow) sh ad (snow long awaa [l] blaa snaa
blaawaa [I] { blaze a ce as in awe
W .-T . blo o as in solo.
owldand kawlda dbawld (bold) r awl ( r ol l) 12W , (cold) hadbowld
cowldand howldand
mad had
jcaad had
cowld howldjW .
-T . coad hood
XX. INTRODUCT ION .
br eest (br east) seet (sight) leet ( l ight) neet (n ight)br eest seet leet neet
br eest sight l ight n ight
W .-T . br eest sect leet neet
for st (fi r st) par se (pur se) hor l (hu r l )
for st par se hor l
fu r st pur se (hu r l
lfor st par se hor l
W .-T . par se hor l
stee-yen (stone) bee-yen (bone) hee-yein (home) hee-yel (whole)styen hyem hyel
stych kyem byel
steen heem heel
bee-ynt pee-yu l fee-ynl
(boot) (pool) (fool )byut pynl fyu l
191 elmynn bynt {$3}q {gul l
W .-T . meakh peel feehl
In the folk-speech a euphon ious effect is pr oduced by the
u se of pa r ticles wi th va r ied forms , r egula ted by the following
vowel or con sonan t . B i (by) i s used befor e a con sonan t
as ,“ B i thi s an
’
bi tha t ” (by th i s and by tha t) . Bu t
when a vowel follows , the for m becomes bi t) , or bin ; thus
B ia a ll he saa (by a ll he saw) or , I t wis deun bin a cr ood
on them (it was done by a cr owd of them ) . T he p r eposi t ion s
in common u se have these alter n at i ve for ms , of which fr e, fr ev,
fr en (fr om) , i’
, iv ( in ) , wi’
, win, win (wi th ) a r e examples . To,
i s r ep r esen ted by a fur ther fo rm , and can be spoken as ti , ti a ,
ti l andtin. T he usage is a lso app lied to some ver b s thus , di ,div (do) , he, hev (ha ve) , ga , gaa (gave) , a r e spoken at discr et ion
to sui t the euphony of the sen tence in which they occur .
Of ver bal fo r ms , the u se of aa’
s , for I am, is gen er a l . T he
ter mina t ion - ing in the pr esen t par ticiple is p r onounced in , and
in South No r thumber land een ; and the - ing , commonly hea r d inhing , r ing , br ing , &c. , is nowher e sounded in the par ticiple. T he
ter mination - in, or -een
,is somet imes p r onounced as a mer e
mod ificat ion of n ; l ike wai t/i n , for wa i t ing or i t app r oaches thesound of an ; as mahan , for making . (Note
T H E B U RR . xxL
T he pa ssi ve par t iciple in -eh is cha r acter istic of many ver bs ,beelden (bui lt) , br nngen (br ought) , cassen (cast ) , dr ucken (d r unk) ,
fanton (fought) , getten (got ) , hitten (hi t) , pntten (put) , str uchen
(st r uck) , sitten (sat) , thonten (thought) , a r e e x amp les of pa ssive
par t iciples which may be mult ipl ied gr eatly , as the for m is of
con stan t occu r r ence in the folk-speech .
In weak ver bs the p r e te r i te usually ends in -ccd, or -ect. Thus ,hur teet (hur t ) , wa iteet (wa i ted) , sor teet (so r ted) , &c.
In colloqu ia l talk the per sona l p r onoun is fr equen tly r epea ted
in a sen tence especia lly i f i t be a r ecr imina tor y one “ Ye cla r ty
young monkey , ye ,” Thoo gr ee t lout , thoo , a r e fami lia r
examples of th is .
Another tendency is tha t of placing the subject of a sen tence
at the end of a ph r a se . H e’
d getten a sa i r tumm ’
le jack
had. They ’ve come oot o ’
skyu l , the ba i r ns hez . Th ’or
myestly a’ that colour , wor coos .
T he u se of the th i r d per son of the pr onoun , when the subject
of a sen tence is a compound one , is a usual form .
“ M e an’
me
ma r r ow wis gann in ti war k .
”Bella an
’
him’
S faan oot .
T he tendency to assimi la te the form of the d ialect wi th the
cu r r en t Engli sh o f the schools is incr easing . Bu t the vocal iza
t ion r emain s and th is is obse r vable i n the char acter istic
vowel sounds , in the cadence of the speech , andespecially in the
bu r r, or bar .
THE NORTHUMBERLAND BURR .
T he letter r , in England spoken w i th a glide of the pa la te,
and in Scotlan d t r illed shar ply on the poin t of the tongue , is ,in Nor thumber land , sounded fr om the ton sils . Thi s ton sil , o r
u vular r,i s common ly known as
“ the Nor thumber land bar
and it is used , in wha teve r pa r t of a wo r d the let ter may occu r ,as an in i t ia l , media l , or final sound .
xx ii . 1NTROD UCT ION .
T he bar is said to be a sloven ly p r onunciat ion o f the let ter .
I t is a lso descr ibed as an a t tempt to comp r om ise be tween the
smooth Engli sh sound and the Scott i sh t r illed r . And, aga in ,
it is a lleged tha t the No r thumber land people el ide the r in thei r
speech on accoun t of the i r inab i li ty to p r onounce it . Bu t the
bur r i s d i fficul t to acqu i r e , and few, not bo r n a nd b r ed i n the
coun ty , lea r n to speak i t. In actua l sound i t is an exagger a ted ,r ather than a supp r essed or elided , r ; and its utter ance r equi r es
vigou r to enuncia te i t w i th its cha r acter ist ic fo r ce.
The uvula r r in va r ious pa r t s of England is an occasiona l
fam ily pecul ia r i ty . I t i s a lso hea r d in the speech of a few smal l
places on the East Coast of Scotland . Of the v i llage of Cha r l ton ,
in Leicester sh i r e , i t i s sa id : “ All tha t a r e bor n ther e in have an
har sh and r at tl ing kind of speech , ut ter ing thei r wor ds wi th
much d ifficul ty and whar l ing in the th r oat ; and cannot wel l
p r onounce the letter R . (Note In a l l these in stances
the ba r r may be sa id to be spor adic. In No r thumber land i t is
gene r al ; andnowher e else in these I slands does it e x tend o ve r
a la r ge ar ea as a cha r acter ist ic of a Spoken d ia lect .
T he uvular r , or r g r asséyé , is p r eva len t in many pa r t s of the
Con t inen t . Anyone who w ill p r onounce for cibly the P a r is ian
r in Par is, may p r oduce the No r thumber land bur r .
”
(Note
Bu t , to speak i t as the No r thumbe r land man does , it is not
sufficien t to p r oduce the sound of the letter i tself. I t s pecu lia r i ty
andd ifficulty l ie in i ts modifica t ion of the p r eced ing vowel .
In the wor ds r a in , r oa r , r ob , &c ., the in itial r is so st r ongly
utter ed as to sound like ar r , or a r r (a r r ain , a r r oa r , or r ob) . T he
med ia l r , in ea r ly , me r r y , mer cy , ver se , ver y , ter r ier , &c. ,
mod ifies the p r eced ing vowel , so tha t the er becomes ar , and
somet imes or , and the wo r ds ar e spoken ar ly , mar ry ,ni ar cy ,
var se,
car ry , tar r ier , &c. So , also , the fina l er,in mother , b r other , Si ste r ,
father , &c. , has the same or andar sound .
Aga in , the i r anda r in the fol lowing wor ds become or . B ir d ,si r , fi r st , shi r t , fi r -t r ee , &c. , ar e sounded bard, sor
, for st, short ,
T H E B U RR . xxfiL
for -tree ; and pur se , tu r n , bur n , cu r se , hur r y , &c. , ar e par se, tor n ,bor n, cor se, har ry. These r ules a r e appl ied to a ll wo r ds in wh ich
the vowels a r e sounded as in the examples gi ven .
The l ine which encloses the bur r extends along the ea s ter nseaboa r d ;
‘
but does not follow the coun ty bounda r y on its
landwa r d s ide .“ T he Nor ther n l im it s of the bnr r a r e ver y
sha r p ly defined , ther e being no t r an si tional sound between i t
and the Scotch r . F r om Ca r ham ea stwa rds,the bounda r y
fol lows the Tweed , wh ich it leaves , however , to include the
town and l iber t ies of Ber wick, wh ich in th i s , as in otherr espect s , now adher es to the Souther n in p r efer ence to its own
side of the Tweed . Along the l ine of the Cheviots , the Scotch
r has d r i ven the bnr r a few m i les back , per haps because many
of the fa rmer s andShepher ds ar e of Scot t ish o r igin . (Note
T he lim i t is con t inued southwa r d by Alwin ton , to Bi r ness in
R eedsda le, thence t o the neighbou r hood of Fa lstone in Nor th
Tyneda le. As the Bor der i s appr oached fr om any of these
poin t s the Scotch t r ill becomes mor e appar en t . F r om Fa lstone ,acr oss the moor s , the boun da r y goes on to the South Tyne .
wh ich it cr osses at a poin t about two m iles west of Ba r don
M i ll . I t then tu r ns south ea stwar d , pa ssing nor th of A l lendale
Town andcr oss ing the r i ver A llen . F r om the la t ter r iver the
l ine t r ends eastwa r d , acr oss H exhamshi r e , to the moor s
immediately no r th of B lanch land . Thence it follows the l ine
of the r iver Der wen t to the neighbou r hood of Shot ley B r idge ,wher e it passes the r iver and en ter s the coun ty of Du r ham .
In”
th is d ist r ict of i r onwor ks and collier ies a m ixed and
fluctua t ing popula tion is met wi th . C r ossing the h igh land byPon top , the line is con t inued down in to the upper va lley of the
r iver Team ; passing thence to the south of B i r tley i t a voids
the valley of the Wea r and st r ikes no r th -ea st t i ll , in a few
m i les , i t r eaches the Tyne at Ja r row S lake .
Ther e is no evidence of any extension of th is bounda r y l ine
ha v ing taken place in r ecen t t imes . On the con t r ary it appear s
INTRODU CT ION .
to have been d r iven in on the west and south -west a nd effor t
is made , in the la r ge t own s especia l ly, to over come the tendency
to bnr r .
I t is a common suppos ition tha t th i s pecul ia r i ty of Speech
has come down fr om r emote t imes . (Note B u t P r ofessor
Tr autmann’ s in vest iga t ion s Show tha t , as in Anglo-Sa x on
gener al ly , so in O ld No r thumb r ian , the supposi t ion must be
r ejected . (Note T he O ld Nor thumb r ian r was spoken
with the t ongue ; and, even in la ter per iods of the No r thumb r ian
d ia lect , the bur r cannot be r ega r ded as ex ist ing . P r ofesso r
Tr autmann in fer s that the bnr r in No r thumbe r land is of com
par atively r ecen t or ig in ; and i s confi rmed in th i s v iew by the
fact , established by his r esea r ches , of the r ecen tness and r ap id
sp r ead of the bu r r i n F r ance and Germany . O r igin at ing in
F r ance no ea r l ier than the m idd le of the seven teenth cen tur y ,the bnr r has been t r aced in its p r ogr ess , fr om tha t t ime , th r ough
Germany . I t has passed to Denma r k,wh ich it now dom ina tes
absolutely. I t has a lso sp r ead in Belgium , and has r eached
as fa r as Nor way in one d i r ection, andhas a ffected Swi tzer lan d
in the other . (Note
T he wor k of P r ofesso r T r autmann ca lled fo r th an impo r tan t
commun ica t ion fr om D r . J . A . H . M ur r ay,i n wh ich r efer ence is
made to a t r adi t ion former ly cu r r en t in No r thumber land . T he
t r adit ion is tha t the No r thumber landbnr r began as a per son a l
defect of the celeb r a ted H otspur, was im i ta ted by h is
compan ions , and by the Ear ldom as a whole . (Note
Shaksper e’
s descr ipt ion of H otspur is h igh ly suggest ive . H is
honour
S tuck u pon him as the sun
In the g r ey vau lt of heaven andby h is l ight ,D ida l l the ch ival r y of EnglandmoveT o do b r ave acts ; he was i ndeed the g lass
W her e in the noble you th diddr ess themsel ves,
H e hadno legs , that pr actis’
dnot h is gai t
And speaking th ick , wh ich natu r e made h is b lemish ,
Became the accen ts of the val iant ;F or those that cou ldspeak low , and ta rdi ly,
INTROD U CT ION .
The column s of a popu lar newspaper have usua lly beencon s ider ed a somewha t ephemer al medium of publ ici ty . In
th i s in stance the med ium p r oved to be the ver y best tha t cou ld
ha ve been adopted . Th r ough the pages of the Chr onicle the l ist
was subm i tted in deta il to the scr ut iny of innumer able r eader s ,in t ima tely acquain ted wi th and natu r a lly jea lous of the co r r ect
r ender ing o f thei r mother tongue . As the ser ies unfolded i t self
week by week ther e came fr om all pa r t s of No r thumber land,
and fr om N o r thumber land men r esiden t in d istan t Shi r es of
England andScot land , cor r ect ion s and add i t ion s of in ter est and
va lue ; wh i le , th r ough the fa r -r each ing ci r cula t ion of the paper ,other s who had set tled ab r oad , in Amer ica , South Afr ica ,
Aust r a lia , andN ew Zea land , con t r ibuted to the enr ichmen t of
the stor e .
In acknowledging the gener ous a id wh ich he has r ecei ved
fr om a l l qua r ter s , in his effor t to elucida te and exempl i fy the
r ich and exp r essive d ia lect of his nat i ve coun ty , the author
desi r es to make specia l men ti on of those who en t r usted to his
ca r e t r ea su r ed documen t s r elat ing to the subject , in which wer e
embod ied the r esul t of long con t inued obser va t ion andthe fr ui t
of ca r eful r esear ch .
Among these documen t s wer e two M S S . compi led by the
R ev . John H odgson , the h isto r ian of No r thumber land . F r om
mate r ia ls ob ta ined dur ing the p r ogr ess of his g r ea t wor k ,M r . Hodgson had p r epar ed a glossa r y
,eviden tly in tended
for publica t ion ; bu t wi th char acter ist ic gener osi t y , find ing
M r . B r ocket t engaged upon a sim ila r under taking , he p laced
the collect ion at h is ser vice . A t r an scr ipt of the M S . came in to
the possession of M r . W . H . W i l lan s , of Newca stle-upon -Tyne ,who kind ly offer ed it for u se in the p r esen t wo r k , andhas since
p r esen ted it to the l ib r a r y of the Society of An t iqua r ies of
Newca stle -upon -Tyne . La ter i n l ife M r . H odgson ,r ever t ing
to hi s o r igina l in ten t ion ,cop ied out hi s wor d -l ist
,wi th a few
va r ia t ion s ; bu t did not l i ve to complete it . Th i s secon d M S . ,
now in possession of the h istor ian ’ s g r andson , M r . John Geor ge
T H E GLO S S ARY . Xxv l l .
H odgson , of N ewcastle -upon -Tyne , wa s gener ously len t by him ,
and, wi th the t r an scr ipt befor e men t ioned , is ind icated , in the
succeed ing pages her e in , by the wor ds H odgsan M S
Another col lect ion , the r esul t ofmany yea r s observat ion , was
supplied by M r . M idd le ton H . Dand , of H aux ley , who , for
mo r e than quar ter of a cen tu r y hadnoted down the fa rm wo r ds
and agr icul tu r a l ph r a seology of N o r th No r thumber land in the
ma r gin of a copy of B r ockett ’s G lossa r y , which he kind ly placed
at the d i sposa l of the comp ile r . M r . Dand a l so con t r ibuted
notes andexplana t ion du r ing the p r ogr ess of the wor k .
An annotated copy of B r ockett’
s G lossa r y , bea r ing the
signa tur e of “J . O rd,
”and con ta in ing many mar gina l notes
,
was a lso placed at the d isposa l of the autho r , fr om the l ib r a r y
of M r . R ichar d Welfor d , t o whom the w r i ter is indeb ted fo r
many kindnesses , andfo r p r act ica l help andcoun sel th r oughout
the under taking . S im i la r ser v ice was cheer ful ly r ender ed byM r . G . H . Thompson , of A lnw ick ; who a lso copied , for
the w r i ter ’s u se , his e x ten si ve and va luab le col lect ion of
No r thumbe r land wo r ds ; and who ga ve a ss istance , dur ing the
weekly i ssues , of the most helpful cha r acter .
To M r . J . E . Ander son , of L illswood, H exhamsh i r e , the
author is indebted for numer ous obser va tion s on the pecul iar i t ies
and va r ia t ion s of the dia lect , wi th notes of wo r ds , va lua ble
fr om the w r i ter ’ s specia l knowledge of the coun ty .
M uch va luable ma ter ial wa s fur n i shed by M r . John Aver y ,of Ch r iston Bank. As a na tu r a l ist , his obse r va t ion s on local
names wer e especial ly helpful ; whi lst his p r actica l knowledge
of the deta i l and the techn ica l i t ies of fa r m ing was embod ied in
an unstin ted supply of notes sen t in as each let te r of the
a lphabet wa s successi vely r eached in pub l ica t ion .
Colonel J . A . Cowen , of B laydon Bu r n , an a ssiduous Obser ver
o f b i r d l ife , had for med a col lect ion of the common names bywhich bi r ds ar e known in v a r ious pa r ts of England . Th i s
xxv i ii . INTRODUCT ION .
exten sive ca ta logue he car eful ly annotated for the u se of th is
wo rk ,dist ingu ish ing the names peculiar to Nor thumber land .
M r . Thoma s Dun lop p r epa r ed l ists of bi r d -names used in
Nor th Nor thumber land , andadded examples of many col loquial
and gene r a l terms . M r . R . Y . G r een ,of Newcastle , r ev ised a
l ist of local plan t -n ames , ba sed upon D r . John son ’
s inva luable
Botany of the E aster n Border s. M any l ists of sa lmon fi sh in g
gener a l fa r m ter ms , and colloqu ia l isms we r e con t r i buted by
M r . R . Ceci l H ed ley , of Cheviott .
T he u se of extr act s was gener ously a llowed by M r . G . C .
G r eenwel l , now of D u ffield, near Der by , fr om h is impor tan t
Glossary of Terms used in the Coal T r ade of N or thumber land and
D u r ham. Thi s wo r k was i ssued by h im , anonymously , in two
ed it ion s , da ted 1 849 ; and, avowedly , in a th i r d ed i t ion ,
publ ished in 1 888 . Wher e the t i tle is not ful ly ci ted , ext r act s
fr om these wor ks ar e ma r ked Gr eenwell .
A Glossa ry of Terms usedin the Coal T r ade of N or thumber landand
D u r ham, ba sed upon the 1 849 ed i t ion s of M r . G r eenwel l , wa s
publi shed in 1 888 , by M r . W . E . N icholson , l ib r a r ian to the
Nor th of England In st it ute of M in ing and M echan ica l
Engineer s . Thi s con tained addi t ion s to the ea r l ier glossar y ,wh ich we r e kindly a l lowed to be used in the p r esen t wor k .
M r . N icholson a lso r ender ed many ser vices in expla in ing
techn ica l i ties .
P r ofessor G . A . Lebour , of the Dur ham Col lege of Physical
Science , added notes of many local terms for geological
phenomen a . At the outset of th i s wor k , M r .W . J . H agger stone ,
of the Newcastle Publ ic Libr a r y , a r r anged , for r efer ence , thela r ge col lection of local books in tha t in st itution .
M ost of a ll is th is wo r k indeb ted to M r .W . E . Adams,Edi to r
of the N ewcastle Weekly Chr onicle, for in va luable a ssistance , a nd
for con t inued in ter est in and di r ection of the unde r taking
TH E GLOS S ARY .
th r oughout i ts ser ial i ssue. I t i s difficul t to exp r ess the measu r e of
indeb tedness , wher e g r ea t per sona l kindness has been added
to wi se coun sel , based upon wide exper ience .
Obl iga t ion s fo r assistance and for con t r ibution s a r e fur ther
du e to the following —M r . J . B . Atkin son , H .M . In spector of
M ines ; M r . Wm . Ayn sley , Fer r y H i l l ; M r . R . Atkin ,
Cor b r idge ; M r . James Ander son , Newca stle ; M r . Thoma s
Al lan , Newcastle ; the R ev . J . R . Boyle , M r . Wi ll iam
Bulman , V ictor ia , B r it ish Columb ia ; M r . Rober t Bewick ,
Whal ton ; M r . Rober t B lai r , Sh ields ; M r . Geor ge
Bu r net t,Whanga r ei , N ew Zea land ; M r . M . Wa lton B r own ,
M in ing In st itute , Newca stle ; M r . W . S . L . Char lton , The
Keenes , Bel lingham ; Capta in Car r -El li son , M aclou sti , South
Afr ica ; M r . D . D . D ixon , Rothbu r y ; M r . T . Emb leton , H o r n
cliffe M a in s,Berwick ; M r . M a t thew G lass , London ; M r . J .
G ibson , Custodian , Norman Keep , Newcastle ; M r . T . G i lch r ist ,M .E . ,
P eri sher ; M r . J . P . G ibson , H exham ; M r . W . Col v i lle
G ibson , Scotswood ; M r . J . S . H ounam , Rothbu r y ; M r . S her iton
Holmes , C .E Newca stle ; the la te M r . James H o r sley , N ew
ca stle ; M r . J . H ar bot tle , Ga teshead ; M r . J . H umble , M ining
Engineer , West Pelton ; M r s . H . A . Jackson ,Lowick ;
M r . I saac Jeavon s,W in la ton ; M r . Thomas Laws , Napier ,
N ew Zea land ; M r . T . M a theson ,M or peth M r . A . L . M i ller ,
Berwick ; D r . Hugh M cL ean ,Cor br idge ; M r . M at thew
M ackey , Jun r . , Newca stle ; M r . J ohn Oxber r y , Fel l ing ;M r . John Rowel l , Twizell , Co . Du r ham ; M r . W . S impson ,
Newca stle ; M r . W . N . St r angeways , Bir m ingham ; M r . A . G .
Schaeffer , Newca st le ; M r . C . J . Spence , N or th Shields ; the
R ev . F . Stephen s , H or sley , O tter bu r n ; the R ev . E . J . Taylor ,N ew Shi ldon ; M r . R . S . Tu r nbull , N ewca st le ;
M r . Thomas Taylor , Dun ston ; M r . Geor ge Thompson , N ew
cas tle ; M r . Cuthber t Thompson , London ; M r . J ohn Wi lson ,
Leazes Par k , Newca stle andM r . James W r ight , Ryton .
In addi tion to the a ssi stance r ecei ved fr om cor r esponden t s
specia lly acqua in ted wi th the loca l d ialect , much outside help
XXX. I NTRODUCT ION .
was cor d ia lly r ende r ed . T he R ev . A . Smythe Pa lmer , of
Wood fo r d , Essex , r eadi ly suggested sour ces of in forma t ion , and
a lways r esponded wi ll ingly to the many calls made upon him
for adv ice and cr i t ici sm . Th r oughout the ser ial i ssue of the
wor k the R ev . P r ofesso r W .W . Skea t pa t ien t ly andcour teously
an swer ed enqui r ies , and, fr om t ime to t ime , made co r r ect ion s
and added valuable notes . To the R ev. Canon G r eenwel l ,Dur ham , the wr i ter has been under many obl igat ion s . F r om
D r . J . A . H . Mur r ay , of Oxfor d , un stin ted help was r eceived ,especia l ly in the invest iga t ion of the peculiar i ty of the
No r thumber land bur r . To M r . John Butter wor th , of T he
M ar ket St r eet P r ess , M anchester , much is due for the appea r
ance of the wor k in its pr esen t for m . Lastly , the autho r i s
gr ea tly indeb ted to M r . John H . N oda l, the Honor a r y
Secr etar y of the Engl ish D ialect Society , not on ly for d i r ect ion
in the pr epa r a tor y wo r k , bu t , mor e especia l ly , for pat ien t
su per vi sion in the p r ocess of r eca st ing the li st fr om the ser ial
in to its p r esen t for m .
Wh ile th i s wor k was appear ing in the pages of the Chr onicle,
a compr ehensive col lect ion of Tyneside S ongs and R eadings was
published by M essr s . Thomas and Geor ge A llan (Newca stle
upon -Tyne , When quoted in these pages , M essr s .
Allan ’ s book i s specia l ly des igna ted . T he wor ds Allan’
s
Collection r efer to a fo rme r , unda ted , wor k , published under
the edi tor ship of M r . Thoma s Allan , about the year 1 863 .
Reader s , an x ious for a r eady-made etymology in e ver y case
may be di sappoin ted to find tha t D r . John son ’ s defin it ion of a
lexicogr apher i s bu t par t ia lly fulfilled in the w r i ter of these
pages . F or he defines LEX I COGRAPH ER . A w r i ter . of
d ict ionar ies ; a har m less d r udge tha t busies h imself in t r acing
the or iginal , anddeta i ling the s ign ifica t ion of wor ds . Bu t, i f
the w r iter of these N or thumber land Wor ds has not “ busied
himself in t r acing the o r iginal , he has otherwise done his par t
as“a harmless d r udge . Etymologies ar e given in ver y few
instances ; and, in these , on ly on author ity . F or , as has been
NOTE S .
obser ved by one who has so va stly added to a knowledge of the
h isto r y of ou r Engli sh wor ds , “ I f we could bu t have an
under standing tha t etymology is , in gener al , best left a lone or
ver y war ily handled , and, a s fa r as may be , left to exper ts , we
should do much mor e to advance the study of i t. T he
col lection of wor ds and fact s ought to go fi r st ; it is ver y
u nph ilosoph ica l to r ush to conclusion s befo r e a ll the a t tainable
info rma tion i s at hand . (Note In the spi r i t of thi s
admon i tion the col lect ion of wor ds and fact s in th is volume
is pr esen ted to the r eader .
NOTES .
Baada , Ecclesiastical H istor y , book i i . c. 9 .
S ee N enn iu s,T he H istor y, 38 .
S axon Chr on icles , Ear le ,1 865 , p . 16 .
N enn ius , T he H istor y, 50.
Ida , the Be r n ician , Ael le , the Dei r an , o r thei r r espective successor s
appear as r u ler s of a un i ted Nor thumber land, or of one or other of
i ts componen t states.
S ee R ev. Pr ofesso r S keat , Pr inciples of Engl ish Etymology, fi r st ser ies ,p 4 1 ; a lso Ang lo—S axon Liter atu r e , Pr ofessor Ea r le , 1 884 . pp 1 10,
1 1 1 , 1 69 , andnote ; andD ialects of the S ou ther n Coun ties of S cotland,
J]A H . M u r r ay , 1 873 , p . 20
Cu t ber t'
s Letter on Dea th of Baeda , S ymeon , Du r ham , de E cc i . 1 5 .
H inde , H istor y of Nor thumber land, pp 1 20, 1 58 , &c. For tab les of
Ber n ician kings and ear ls , see H inde , pp . 1 24 and 1 58 A lso
L ongstaffe in Ar chaeolog ia ZE l iana ,vol vi i pp. 89 and 196 .
D ialects of the S ou ther n Coun ties of S cotland, J . A . H M u r r ay, 1873 ,pp . 25 , 86 , 89 , andnotes.
For compa r ison of place-names , see Place-Names of the Cou nty of
Du r ham, by J . V . G r egor y. A r chaeolog ia ZE l iana , vol . x . , p . 180.
S ee also W ea rdale Names of FieldandFel l , by W . M . Egg lestone .
H istor y of Nor thumber land,H inde , p . 1 62 . Border H i stor y, R idpath ,
p . 54 . An accou nt of the battle is given by S ymeon , H istor y of the
Chu r ch of Du r ham , l ib . i i i . , c. 5 .
S axon Chr on icle , Ear le , 1865 , p . 2 1 1 . Deta i ls of th is expedition a r e g ivenin the V i ta Oswin i of John de Tynemou th
R oger de W endover , E d. Coxe , vol . i i p 1 8 . S ymeon , bk . i i i ch . 24 ,
p . 2 1 3 S axon Ch r on icle , Ea r le , p . 2 16 .
H istor y of Nor thumber land, H inde , p . 247 .
H istor y of Nor thumber land, H inde , p . 203 .
Dur ham Ca thedr al , R ev . W . G r eenwel l , secondedi tion , 1 886 , p . 2 1 .
H istor y of Nor thumbe r land,H inde , p 2 1 5 .
H istor y of Nor thumbe r land,H inde , p r eface , p . v i .
H isto r y of Nor thumber land, H inde , p . 289 .
S ee D i alects of the S ou ther n Coun ties of S cotland, I . A . H . M u r r ay,
p . 24 , wi th examples pp . 3 1 ci seq. Also obser vations by R ev . Pr of.W . W . S keat , Pr i nciples of Engl ish Etymology, fi r st ser ies , p . 34 .
xxx i i . INTROD UCT ION .
W eardale Names of Field and Fell , W . M . Egglestone . p . 1 2 . An
extr aordinar y in fu sion of Nor thumber landb loodex ists in W eardale .
T he W a ltons and F eathe r stons have for ages been the pr eva i l ingclans in that once semi -bar bar ou s va l ley.
”— W . H . D . L ongstaffe ,
Fr agmen ts . R ichardson'
s r epr int of Denham ’s S logans ,
"&c p . 3 1 .
Har r ison ,G ibson , and W atson wer e also p r eva len t su r names i n
Lower W eardale .
D ialects of the S outher n Counties of S cotland, J . A . H . M ur r ay,1 87 3 ,
86 .
Ber ihicksh i r e Natu r al ists' Field C lub T r ansactions , 1 873 , vol vi i . , p . 26 ,
quoting letter fr om D r . J . A . H . M ur r ay.
G r ay,
“ Chor og r aph ia ,1 649 , p . 26 .
H istor y of Nor thumber land, Hodgson , pt. i i . , vol . i i i . , p 3H istor y of Nor thumber land, Hodgson , pt . i i , vol i . , pp . 66 , 67 . Ber wick
shi r e Na tu r al ists' Field C lub T r ansactions , 1 863
-68 , vo l . v . , p . 427 .
Ar ticle , Har bottle Castle , by Geo . Tate .
H istor y of Nor thumber land,Hodgson , pt . i i . , vol . i i i p . 3 .
A D ia logue aga inst the Feuer Pesti lence , by Wm. Bu lle in , 1 578 , E . E .
Text S ociety, 1 888 , p . 6 .
Ar chaeolog ia XE l iana , 4to . ser ies , vo l . iv . , pp 169 , 18 1 .
As to this date , see Border Holds of Nor thumber land, by C . J . Bates ,p . 5 1 , note 1 85 .
H istor y of N or thumber land, Hodgson , pt. i i . , vol . i . , p . 70.
W . Bu llein , su pr a , p . 7 .
Vestiges of O ld Newcastle , Boyle and Knowles , p . 20. M er chan t
Adven tu r er s , S u r tees S ociety, p . 27 .
S adler , S tate Paper s , vol . i . H istor y of Nor thumber land, Hodgson ,
pt i i . , vol . i ., p . 190, note.
G r ay, Chor og r aph i a , 1649. p . 26 .
H istor y of Coa l M in ing in G r eat Br ita in , W . L . Gal loway,1 882 , p . 33 .
G r ay, in his Chor ogr aph ia , says , the coal t r ade began not pastfour scor e yea r s since , p . 2 1 . Ev identlymean ing that i t on ly then ,
that i s in 1 569 o r ther eabou ts , began to assume la r ge pr opor tions.
H istor y of Newcastle andGateshead, R ichardW el ford, vol . i i i . , pp 348
and 392 .
S ee a r ticle “ On the pr esent par ticiple in the Nor thumbr ian dialect ,by R alph Car r . H istor y of Ber wickshi r e Natu r a l i sts
’ Field C lub ,
vol . iv . , p . 3 56 . In th i s the ethnogr aphy of Nor thumber landis also consider ed.
Fu l ler ’
s W or th ies , pt . i i p . 1 26 .
D r . J A . H . M ur r ay,D ialects of the S ou ther n Counties of S cotland,
1 873 , p . 86 .
Ibid.
S a int Cu thber t i s descr ibed as speaking “ the r ough Nor thumbr ianbu r r , J . R . G r een , S hor t H istor y of England, 1 876 ,
p . 25 .
Pr ofessor M or i tz Tr au tmann ,
“ Ang l ia ,
"vol . i i i . , 1 880,
p . 2 1 2 .
Ibid. p . 22 1 .
Ibid. p 376 .
T he R ev. Pr of. \V. W . S keat, pr eface R ay'
s Glossar y, p xxvu
2 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
AA,AW
, AH , I— the p r onoun of the fi r st per son . Th is long ,b r oad sound is a cha r acte r istic of the d ialect of the Tynesideandof South N or thumber land . In loca l wor ks it i s gener allyr epr esen ted by the let ter s aw.
AA,A AAL L [S . and T .J , a l l . “ I t ’ s aa ower . Not
at aa . A r e ye aa ther e ? Aall’
at aa aadwis eyteen
pence Z a ll tha t I owed was eighteenpence . Compare OA .
“ Aall the wa r ld an’ pai r t o ’ Gyetside , a common p r over b ,
used jocula r ly . I t suggest s some sly humou r at the expen seof the good people of the Tyneside bor ough .
Aall togither , l ike the folks o ’ Sh ields . T he clan sh ip ofthe sea far ing folk at the mouth of the Tyne is p r over b ial ;hence a l i t tle coter ie is sa id to be “ Aull tog ither , l ike thefolks o
’
S hields.”
That's a’
aw can tel l ye aboot M y Lord’
S ize.—John S h ield, died
1 848 , M y Lord’
S i ze.
AA , to owe , Aa aa nowt .” Ad is used to denote owner ship orpossession , as in the in ter r ogat ive ph r ase , “ VVhe
’
s da th is
AABU T , almost , “all bu t.
W hen want has a ’but ower tyen u s ,
S he a’
ways keeps ma hear t abu in .
”
Pi tman '
s Pay , ed. 1 843 ,p . 1 4 .
AAD , AWD , AUD , old ; AAD I S H , old i sh . Onldis anotherfor m of the wor d . T he West Tyn e pr onuncia tion i s Oad.
Au andwife cr ies , W or on the Ba r .
E . Cor van , died 1 865 , War kwor th Feast.
AA ’D , I had, I would .
“Aa’
da been there mesel wouldhave been ther e myself.
They sa id aa’
d got me claes i weekly number s .— J .W eams , Gates
headM asher .
AAD -BAT , in the old form , j ust in usual good heal th andci r cumstances .
Aa’
s ju st the aad—bat, aa’
s ju st the aad-bat,Thor ’
s nowt aboot me ye may fear , lad,
Bu t elways aa’
s g lad, whethe r good time or bad,
Ju st to say, aa’
s aboot the aad-bat.’
S ong , TheAad—bat.
AAD E R , the compa r a t ive of Aad older . Aadest oldest .
NORTH UM BERLAND WORD S . 3
AAD -FARRAND , AAD -FARRAN , p r ecocious , or , as it i s
ter med , old-fash ioned .
An aad-far r an l ittle fel low, sitting in the neuk , wou ldpu t in his claimfor a histor y beuk o r bal lan t if deddy had a penny to spar e .
”—ThomasW i lson ,
note to par t fi r st Pi tman ’
s Pay , ed. 1 843 .
Auld-far r and,‘ favou r ing
’
; that is , r esemb l ing the oldor adu l t ; havingthe manner s or sagaci ty of age.
—N ew E ng . D iet.
AAD -FAS H INT , p r ecocious , applied to a ch i ld old-fashioned ,an t ique .
AAD -LANG -SYNE , a favour i te phr ase , by wh ich oldper son sexp r ess thei r r ecollect ion s of fo rme r kindnesses andj uven i leenj oymen t s in t imes long s ince past . —B r ockett.
AAD M AN , the name for oldandunknown pit wor kings . Ther efe r ence is to d iabol ic agency . S ee AAD
’U N .
T he mor e moder n wor kings have Often sudden ly holed into the old
mine wastes , wh ich hadbeen a l r eady excavatedby the industr yof the ‘ Old M an ,
’
as such ancient wor kings ar e cal led.— T om John
Taylor , A r chaeology of the Coal Tr ade, 1 852 .
AAD PE G , old m i lk cheese ; a very tough and th r ifty sor t offood .
AAD’
U N , a fam i lia r name for the devi l . Ye he ’ the impittenceo ’ the aad
’
un,
”the aadone.
AAF U L ,awful . “ S he let off the aafulest skr ikes .
AAGU S T , August .I
AAH (or E h-ah What ? in ter r oga t ive , or , What do you say ?
AAKE R T , per ver se , stubbor n , awkwa r d .
AA’
L L , I will . Wh il st wi ll is her e Shor tened to an l sound on ly ,as it is in or d inar y con ver sa t iona l Engl i sh (
“ I’
ll be wi th youj ust shal l in the d ia lect ha s sha r ed the same fa te , andappear s as an s on ly .
“ Aa’
s be ther e ther eckly.” Thor’
s be
bonny gam on when a a get ther e.
”Aa
’
s hev setisfaction o’
thoo . S ee AA’
s 2 .
Come l ist ye S andgate skipper s a ’
,
Aa’
ll sing a bonny sang .
”
AAL L GAT E S ,in ever y way.
“Aa’ve been up and doon
aal lgates.”
Aa’
ve sowt fo r ’d aal lgates. S ee G ATE .
AAM ACK S , of a ll kinds . They he ’
for n itor , an’
cr ocker y,an
’
byu ts , an’ shoes , an
’
aamachs 0’ things .”
4. NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORD S .
AAM U S ,ALMOUS
, a lms ; p r onounced in two syl lables .O .E . aelmysse.
W ith thei r dooles andalmosewe ar e r el ieved.— R edesdale Beggar , 1 565 .
T o ew’
y hows of a lmonse ordeynet for bedr ydens in Newe Castle ;i mar c.
— Wi l l of R oger T hor nton , 1429 . R ichardW elford’
s H istory ofNewcastle andGateshead, vol . i . , p . 28 1 .
AAN , to own , to acknowledge , to possess . “ H e aan’
dto beeinther e h i ssel .” I t is a lso the p r esen t pa r t iciple of aa , t o oweWha t ’ s he aan (owing) ye
AAN AWN , own . M e aan fi r eside. W or aan hoose.
I tem, paid to the por ter s for b r ing ing home the tapsterye fr om the
M anor to thar awne howeses that did owe the tapster y, 16d.— Newcastle
M unicipal Accounts , N ov. , 1 56 1 .
AAN E R , OU N E R , owner .
AAN S E L , own self, h imself. L et him ax fo r’d his aansel .
T hor’
l l be nyen bu t wor aansels ther e .
”
AAR ID D Y ,a l r eady.
AA ’S,AW ’S (I is) . 1 . I am.
Aw’
s a cl ivver chep , aw'
s sur e ,
T ho’
aw de say'
dmesel ."
B i lly Oliver'
s R amble.
2 . I wil l , I shall .“ Bu t aa
’
s gi’
ye , W i l l , to under stand,
As lang as aa can wieldme hand.
"
Aa’
s g ie ye— I wi ll g ive you ; “ Aa
'
s be ther e ther eckly-I shall be
ther e , &c. [S ]
3 . I have .
“Aa’
s did i t. [S .]“Aa
’
s deu n’
d.— [T ]
AAS OM E , awful . T he seet on’
t wis dasome.
AA’VE , I have.
AA WARN , AA-WAR N D , AA’S -WARN
, I war r ant, I suppose .Aa -war ud, noo , ye th ink yor sel
’
cl ivvor “ Act’
s-war n a
kyem besu’
t been iv his ha i r thi s twee mon ths .
ABACK , ABACKA , ABACKEN , beh ind , at the back of
sometimes shor tened to back. H oway aback o ’
the hoose an’
aa’
l l show ye .
”H e com’
in a t the fin ish j ust aback on him.
”
Aw dr eam’
daw was at the Nor th F owl ,I t
’
s a fine place aback o’
the menu .
R . Emer y ,Pitman '
s Dr eam,
Ba rds of the Tyne, 1 849 , p . 1 86 .
S he lost her pocket andall her moneyAback o
’
the bush i’
the ga rden , honey.
E lsie M ar ley.
NORTH UM B ERLAN D W ORD S . 5
ABACK , backwa r d . H adaway aback, aa tell ye . Ye ’vecom
’ ower far on ; gan aback ti the r oad end.
”
ABACK—A BEH INT , the ver y last beh ind . Abaclc-a -behint
the set , mean s the ver y la st waggon , not simply a b inder
waggon . I t mean s the ext r eme r ear of anyth ing . “ Get upaback-a -behint
”is get up over the hor se
’ s r ea r .
ABACK-A-BE YONT , fa r away beh ind— out of ken .
ABAWE,to daun t , astoni sh , lower , abash .
— B r ockett, thi r d ed.
Pr obab ly fr om old Fr ench abaub- i r , abab- i r , to aston ish , confound,
fr ighten , disconcer t .
"— D r . M u r r ay, N ew E ng D ict.
ABBU T , aye but. Abbat aa’
ll not let ye . Very commonlyused for but.
ABEE (or L et abee) , to let a lone .
Let's away and he'
some yel l , and let sic th ings abee man .— The
Keelman ’
s r easonsfor attending chur ch — A l lan’
s Collection ,1 863 .
Pr obably fr om at-be, ea r ly Nor ther n infin itive= to be.— D r . M ur r ay,
N ew E ng . D cct.
ABE E R , to endu r e , to bea r .
“ S he couldn ’ t abeer to sit a sidehim.
” “ A wor d of honou r able an t iqui ty,says D r . M u r r ay ,
“ widely d iffused in the d ia lect s ; in London r eckoned as
a vulga r i sm .
”
AB E YU N ABYU N , [T .J , above . T he wo r d is oftencon t r acted as byun .
An'
ower abyan this band 0‘ men .
— J . Hor sley, The Cuddces an’
the
Hor ses, 188 1 .
ABLE , weal thy ; as “an able man.
— B r ochett. (Obs .)
ABLEEZE , ablaze , on fi r e .
ABOON , ABOU N [N .] above . I t i s often shor tened to beun.
S ee AB E YU N .
In Chyviat the h i l ls abonu .— Chcvy Chase.
ABOOT , about .
ABREDE , in b r eadth , sp r ead ou t — B r ockett.
ABY ,a side , tha t is , a -by o r a -oneside. S tan ’
aby ther e is a
fam i lia r shout in a cr owd when a way is to be clea r ed .
ACAS , because ; ACAS ON , on accoun t of. H e wadn’
t gan
acas he wis fla id . H e couldn ’ t r un acas on his badfoot .
6 NORTH UMBERLAND woR D s.
ACCYD AVY , affida v i t .
ACKER , to cu r l , as the cur l of wate r fr om the wind— B r ockett.
ACKER , a r ipp le on the su r face of the water .— B r oclcett. A
ca t spaw .
” Compar e CAAL , 2 .
ACKE R S P R IT , ACKE R S P E IR ,
“ver b used when the
b lade in mau l t g r owes out at the oppos i te endof the root .R ay
’
s Collection of N or th-Country Words, E .D .S . A va r ian t ofACRO S P I R E .
ACKNOW,to acknowledge , to confess—B r ockett.
ACL IT E ,out of j oin t , awr y . S ee CL E YT , CL ITE .
Newcastle ’s now a dowly place , al l th i ngs seems sor e acl i te,
For her e at last Bl indW i l l ie l ies. an honest , harmless wight .
R . G i lch r ist , died 1 844 , B l i ndWi l lie'
s Epitaph.
ACOW , AGAW ,crooked , ob lique , awr y .
— B r ochett.
ACRE -DALE LANDS , or ACRE -DEAL LANDS , landappor tioned in acr e st r ips . D eal is a por t ion . To deal is togive to each his lot . H ence Acr e-deal L ands wer e lands sodealt out o r appor tioned , each dea l or lot being an acr e st r ip .
T he fields r ound a S axon vi l lage wer e open fields , and gener al lydiv ided into acr e str ips , in the tenth centu r y , j u st as the v ision of P i er sPlowman was quoted in pr oof that i t was so in the fou r teenth cen tu r y.
F . S eebohm, Eng l ish Vi llage Communi ty , th i rdedition , 1 884 , p . 106 .
ACRON , an acor n .
ADAM AND E VE , the tuber s of Or chis latifor ia ; the tuberwhich s inks being Adam and tha t which swims being E ve .
Cain and Abel is another n ame for these tuber s , Ca in beingthe hea vy one .
— Johnston , Botany of E aster n Border s, p . 1 93 .
ADAM ’ S NEEDLE . S ee EDOM .
ADDER -GRASS the spotted or ch i s , Or chis maculata ; ca l leda lso H en s , H en s-kames , andDeed -man ’ s H and .
ADDER -S T YE N , a stone wi th a hole th r ough i t . These wer epicked up and hung behind the door a s a cha r m . M r . M .
H . Dand says : “W i th in my r ecol lect ion no fish ing-boa t was
w i thout one of these stones suspended fr om the inwiver . Nowen t i r ely d isused . S ee HOLEY- S TON E .
Andva in LordS ou l is's swordwas seen ,
Though the h i lt was adder stone."
The Cont of Keeldar .
NORTH U MB ERLAN D W ORD S .
AD D IVVIS S E N , had I wissen tha t is , “ H ad I bu t known !A phr ase near ly obsolete , bu t stil l r etained by some oldper sons.
B r ockett.
ADDLE , AID L E ,E D D L E , to ear n .
H e addles th r ee ha'
pence a week ,
That ’s nobbu t a far din ’
a day.
S ong , M a Laddie.
N ot fr om the AS wordedlean , a r eward, r ecompense , &c. bu t fr omIcelandic Odlask , to ea r n .
—Pr of. S keat , Note to R ay ,Collecti on of Nor th
Country Words , E .D S .
N ow exclusively dia lectica l— usedever ywher e fr om Leicester shi r e toNor thumber land; not in S cotland.
”— D r . M ur r ay, N ew E ng . D i et
ADDL INS , ear n ings . “ H e’
s hadgood addlins th i s quar ter .
ADGE , an adze .
AD IT , a horizon tal ga l ler y for d r ain ing a m ine . S ee WATERGATE .
ADNA , the sound of ( la de na , I do not. “Adna wan t ye .
AD SM ASH A p r ofane exclama t ion . S ee EXCLAMAT ION S .
AD VE N T E R , adven tu r e .
T he ear ly Engl ish auentu’
r e soon passed in popu la r speech thr oughthe forms an entu r , aun tur , to auntur andanter (sti l l common in S cotland) ,wh i le aventu r e r emained a l iter a r y form . I n fifteen th to sixteen thcentu r ies the Fr ench was Often r e -spelt adventu r e in imi tation of Latin , a
fash ion which (though i t soon died ou t in Fr ance) passed into Englandandpermanently affected the word.
— D r . M ur r ay, N ew E ng . D i et.
AE [N .] one.
“ Tweedsays to T il l ,‘W hat gar s ye r in sae i l l
S ae sti l l as I t in , and sae fast as ye gae ,
W her e ye dr own ae man , I dr own twae .
AFEARD, afr a id . Aa was afea rd ye wa r n
’
t S ee
FEARD .H is hor e beard
W as fowly dight , andhe of death afear’
d.
S penser , Faer ie Q ueene, bk . i i i . , cant x. , st. 52 .
AFER a hor se .- H alliwel l
’s D iet. Thi s i s the same as
AVER , wh ich see .
AFIRE , on fi r e .
M a keel’s aa afir e, ma for tin
'
s aa spoiled.-E . Cor van , died 1 865 ,
Keel Afir e.
8 NORTH UMB ERLAN D WORD S .
AFOOR [N .J AFORE [T .J befor e .
“Gan on afor e.
Afor e yor fit to fight yor way.
"— Thomas W i lson , The P i tinan’
s Pay,
1843 cd. , p . 45 .
AFOOR LANG ,sho r tly , in a Shor t t ime .
AFOR CE , a ter m in col lier y wo r king ; “ to hole a boar d in toan adj oin ing boa r d un in ten tional ly.” —Gr eenwell .
AFOREH AND , befo r ehand . This i s somet imes wo r n downand sounded as afor an. S ee next wor d .
AFORRAN , AFOR N ,on hand , r eady for use . N owt afor r an ,
nothing r eady .
AFTER-DAM P , the nox ious gas r esult ing fr om a coll ier yexplosion .
This after -damp is cal led choah-damp andsurfeit by the col l ier s , and isthe car bon ic acid gas of chymists .
"— A Descr iption of F ell ing Coll ierypr evious to M ay 25 , 1 8 1 2 , by R ev . John Hodgson .
T he sense of vapou r , steam , smoke expr essedby the German dampf ,Dutch damp, denip, damp, may have a r isen in two ways . T he German
dampf sign i fies shor t W i nd,dampfig , br eathing with difficu lty , andas the
desi gnation of the phenomenon is common ly taken fr om the mostexagger ated man i festation of it , the term may have been appl ied in thefi r st in stance to the b r eath , and thence to exhalat ion , steam , smoke . O r
the designation may have been taken fr om r egardi n g smoke , du st , vapou r ,steam as su ffocat i ng , stifl ing , choking agen ts . T he German dampf isexpla ined by Adel ung ,
‘ Any th ick smoke , mist , or vapou r , especi al lywhen i t is of su lphu r eou s natu r e ,
’ wher e the r efer ence to the idea of
su ffocation is obv ious . In the choke-damp of ou r mines ther e is a
r epeti tion of the elemen t sign i fying su ffocation , addedto supply the lossof that mean ing in the Eng l ish damp.
"— Wedgwood, D i ctionary of E ngl i shE tymolog 1 872 .
AG , to hack , or cu t wi th a stroke — B r ockett.
AGATE , AGYE T , afoot , a st i r , on the way, out and about .Aa
’
s plea sed to see ye agate agyen .
—Gate in the Nor ther n dialect sign ifies a way ; so that agate is at or
upon the way.—R ay
’
s Col lecti on , 1691 .
AGE , to ad vance in yea r s , to appea r old. H e ages fast .
AGEE , a twi st . T he g i s sounded soft . S ee AGLEE .
H ae ye seen my Jocker , comin’
up the quay,
W iv h is shor t b luejacket , andh i s hat ageeP"
R . Nunn , died 1 85 3 , 70cker .
I O NORTH U MB ERLAND W ORD S .
AID L E ,to ear n ,
to manage . S ee ADDLE
AIGH T , eight (pr onounced eye t) . A ighth, eighth .
AIK [N .J , oak . S ee YE K.
AIL S E Y ,Al ice ; a lso Elsie.
AIR-BOXES , tubes of wood used for ven t ila t ion in a pit wher ether e is on ly one passage or open ing — M in. Gloss. , N ewcastle
Terms, 1852 .
AI R C ,ARK
, a la r ge chest . A meal-ar k is st ill the name givento a mea l -chest in coun t r y places .
A r ks wer e made of oak, andconta ined the fami ly dr esses , &c. T he
fr ont was often or namentedwith car vedborder s andjoinedwith woodenpins .
” —Hodgson M S .
AI R CH , an ar ch .
AIR -CROSS ING , an ar ch bu il t over a hor seway o r other road ,wi th a passage or a i r -way above it.— M in. Gloss. , N ewcastle
Terms, 1 852 .
AI R F , AIR F I S H [N . and ARF [T .J , app r ehen si ve . Acondi tion of mind in which it is necessa r y to p r oceed w i thgr ea t caut ion . Yen ’ s r ether ai rfish aboot eet .
”S ee AR F ,
A I RTH , wh ich wi th ai rf a r e forms of the wor d argh.
AI R M , an arm. Sounded as two syllables in S . Nor thumberland .
An’sendamang the gang , M r . M ayor , M r . M ayor ,
A i r in— W hat d’
ye ca'
him — S tr ang , M r . M ayor .
”
QuaysideD i tty , 1 816 .
Andhe haves on thor u h is ar um,
Ther of is fu l mikel har um.
”
H avelok,quotedby Hal l iwell .
AI R S B IT , Archbold . A fr equen t su r n ame .
AIRT , to find out , to di scover .
“ I’
l l ai r t it oot .
AIRT (pr onounced d-a r t) , a r t or pa r t of the compa ss , d i r ect ion .
W ha t ai r t’s the wind in thi day ?”
People common ly say,when star t ing on a j our ney , tha t they go ea st , west , n or th , orsouth , as the ca se may be. Wha t ai r t ar ’
ye gan thi dayOff they r ade
They r ade the a i r t o’ Liddesda le .
Death of Par cy R eed.
A str anger— who cannot ver y wel l comp r ehend the countr y people
when di r ecting him what a i r ts to obser ve— wi l l be ver y l iab le to lose hisr oad.
"— S . O l iver , jun ., R ambles i n Nor thumber land, 1 835 , p . 9 .
NORTH U M B ERLAN D W ORD S . I I
AIRTH , fea r ful , a fr a id . H e was a i r th to do i t,” tha t i s , afr a id .
“An a i r thful n ight ,” tha t is, a fr ightful n ight .— H odgson M S .
S ee A R F,A I RE .
AIR T H F U L ,fea r ful . S ee above .
AIRWAY , a passage a long wh ich the cu r r en t of a i r t r a vels ina coll ie r y .
AITH , an oath .
AITS [N .] oa t s . S ee YETT S .
AIX , an axe .
Cu t off‘
wiv a chopp in a ix .—Geordy
’s Last, 1 878 , p . 4.
A IXE L ,AIXE L -TREE , o r AIX-TREE , an axle .
AJYE , AJEE , on one side , atwist ; same as AGEE , AGLEE .
AKW E R T , AAKE R T , awkwa r d . An datier t th ing for thecoo In Nor th N or thumber land , anker t.
ALANG ,a long .
F r e ther e aa went a lang the b r ig .— M a Canny H inny
AL AN T OM , AL AN T U M , a t a d istance , a long t ime — B r ockett.
In R ay’
s Collection i t appear s a s A lantom, adv at a d i stance .
Kennet t , M S . L ansd. , 103 3 , gi ves the e x amples , “ I saw hima t alungtun ,
”and “ I saw him alantum off.
”— H alliwell’
s D iet.
(ObsS ome of our lads b
’
ing ver y kind, A lantom fol lowedme behind.
G . S tuar t , yam-S er i ous D i scour se, 1 686 , p . 72 .
Cor r uption of Fr ench 8c lointa in— at a distance.— D r . M ur r ay, N ew
E ng . D iet.
ALDE -H E -WAY , the ancien t r oad wh ich con t inued the Ca r elSt r ee t , or K a r legate , eastwa r d fr om H owford, by Acomband An ick , to Co r b r idge , thence t o Newca s tle andT inmouth .
-H odgson , N or thumber land, i i i . 2 , p . 4 1 1 .
ALEAN [N . and ALYE N [T .J a lon e . Let ’ s alyen ,
letme a lone . Thor wis th r ee on them , let alyen his fethor”
her e i t mean s let alone, or besides.
ALGATES , a lways ; a ll manner of ways ; however ; a t a ll
even t s . A compound of all andgates, or ways . -Aug lo-S axon,H all iwell
’
s D iet.
1 2 NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S .
ALLER , the a lder , Alnus g lutinosa . S ee ELLER andOLLER .“ Ther e g r owyth many alter s and other r amel l wood, wh ich ser vethe
muche for the buyldinge of suche smal l hou ses as be u sedandinhabytedby husbandmen in those par tes .
"— S u r vey of Cheviot, 1 542 Catt, M S SHodgson ,
Nor thumber land, par t i i i . , vol . 2Pa ide for 3 al ler spar s , 1 6d.
”— NewcastleM un icipal Accounts , N ov . 1 595 .
T he h istor ica l form al ler su r v ived t il l the eighteenth centu r y in l iter a
tu r e , and is sti l l gener al in the dialects.— D r . M u r r ay, N ew E ng . D i et.
ALLERS, clog soles . H e has on a pair 0’
new alter s. Clogsoles wer e made of alder wood .
ALLER -TROOT , ALDER -TROOT ; the small b r and l ingt r out or “ skegge r , ca lled fr om their habi t of haun ting ther oots of a lder t r ees tha t gr ow by the S ide of the st r eam .
S . O liver , F ly -F ishing , 1834 , p . 1 7 .
ALLEY, a boy
’ s mar b le made of a labaster or of any fine wh i testone .
AL L E YBLAS T E R , ALABLASTER , a laba ster .
ALL-IN -T H E -WE LL , a j uven i le game in Newca stle andthe
neighbour hood . A ci r cle is made about eight inches indiameter , ter med the well , in the cen t r e of wh ich is placed a
wooden peg , four inches long , wi th a button ba lanced on thetop . Those desi r ous of playing give button s , ma r bles , or
anyth ing else , accor d ing to agr eemen t , for the p r i v ilege of
th r owing a shor t st ick , w i th which they ar e fur n ished , at the
peg . Shou ld the but ton fly out of the r ing , the playe r isen t i tled to double the st ipulated va lue of wha t he gives for thestick . T he game is a lso p r act ised at the Newca st le Races ,andother places of amusemen t in the Nor th , w i th th r ee pegs ,wh ich a r e put in to th r ee ci r cula r holes , made in the g r ound ,about two feet apar t , and fo rm ing a t r iangle . In th is caseeach hole con ta in s a peg , about n ine inches long , upon whichar e deposited ei the r a sma ll kn i fe or some copper . T he
per son playing gives so much for each stick , and get s a ll the
a r t icles tha t ar e th r own off so as to fa ll on the outside of theholes . —H al liwell
’
s D iet.
ALMERY, a cupboard . See AMBRY .
ALM OUS , alms . S ee AAM U S .
ALN the p r onunciat ion of thi s wo r d is notable . I t i s soundedas Ale r i ver , Yel waater , An-nich (Alnwick) town , and at its
mouth is the vi l lage of Yel -inooth (Alnmouth) .T he Lord Ever s claymed fr om the con fynes of Ber wick , sou th-east
ward to the water of Aylle.
"— S i r R ober t Bowes ’
s R epor t to the M a r qu is ofDor set, 1 55 1
NORTH UMB ERLAN D WORD S . I 3
ALOW , ablaze , al ight . T he ow is sounded l ike on in t r out .I t wis aa ll iv alow iv a m inute .
”S ee L OW E .
ALOVVS E , loose , fr ee. L et yor sel alowse, was the exhor tat ion of a pi tman to a fr iend who was ba t ting st iffly at a
cr icket match .
AL SWA [S .J a lso in OldEngli sh th i s is alsua ; alswa . S o in
the d ia lect has retained thi s sound of swa , soo-a .
AM ACKAL LY , in a manner , as well as one cam— H odgson M S .
(Obs.)
AMAIN , to r u n wi thout check . W hen a set of waggon s r undown an incline wi thout br eak , or wi thout being a t tached tothe r ope , or th r ough the acciden ta l detaching or b r eaking ofthe r ope , they a r e said to “
r un ani ain.
”
As i f ma wits had r un ama i’
n .
Thos. W i lson , The Pi tman ’
s Pay , 1826 , p . i i . v . 1 2 .
Couch’
dh is spea r e , andr an a t h im ama ineS penser , Faer ie Queene, bk . vi . , cant i ., 33 .
AM ANG , AM ANGS T , among , amongst ; often shor tened tomang , mangst.
That at the last thai ordeindtuelve ,T he thoughtfu lest amang thamselve .
Cu r sor M undi , A .D . 1 320.
Amang the r est aw cowpedma cr eels .
"
T . Thompson , (1. 1 8 14 , 7 immy yoneson’
s Wher ry.
AM ANY , a gr ea t many . “ Tho r ’ s amany at d issen t knaa wher ete tor n for thor next meal .
AMBRY (p r onounced aumry) ,“a pan t r y , or cupboar d ‘to set
victuals in . P r over b— ‘ N o sooner up , bu t the head in theaumbry , and n ose in the cup.
’ I suppose we m ight have it ofthe Nor man s .”— R ay
’
s Col lection of N or th-Country Words,1 69 1 .
M r . B r ocket t quotes the pr over b above as if fam i lia r in N ew
castle . Somet imes spel t aumery or unwry.
S ome slovens fr om sleeping no sooner be upB ut hand is in aumbr ie, andnose in the cup.
Tusser ’
s Five Hundr edPai nts, 1 573 , i i . , 5 .
Against the nor th andsou th wal ls ther e wer e a lmer ies , r ichlydecor ated,
conta in ing a lar ge number of pr ecious r el ics .— R ev . Pr ov . Consi tt , L ife
of S t. Cuthber t, p . 205 .
AM E AS T (p r onounced a -me-ast) , a lmost . I t is a lso abbr eviatedto weast, myest, the former the S . Northumbe r land for m , thelat ter Tyneside.
This wine ’
s ama ist got in my head.
”-S er ious D iscour se, p . 20.
I 4 NORTHU MB ERLAN D W ORD S .
AM ELL , among, betwixt . Some pr onounce it ameld.
—R ay’
s
Collection , 1 69 1 . Compa r e M ELL , 2 .
Amell them twa to dr ive a bar gain .— 7oco-S er ious D iscour se, p . 29.
Between— Nor thumber land. I t seems to be I slandic c’
i mi l li . I t is
statednot to be u sed in S cotland — Hal l iwell’
s D i et.
AN , if.“An yer gann in the mo r n , will ye tyek us wi
’
ye
T o the new castel l when they cam ,
T he S kottes they cr yde on hyght ,S ir H ar ye Per ssye , andthow byste within ,
Com to the fylde and fygh t .
Battle of Otter bur n .
AN AAL , a lso , too , l ikewise . S ee IN AA.
T he folks was gaun in , so aw bools in an’
J . P . R obson , died 1 870,A Cut at War Teen , 1 849 .
They b r ought up the Pee dee ju st l i ke a duck’
dcr aw,
And the skipper wi ' langhin’
fel l smack ower an’
a’
.
“ Half D r oon’
dS hipper .— M ar shall
’
s S ongs, 1825 , p . 196 .
This can n ight , this ean n ight ,Ever y n ight anddwle,
Fi r e andfleet andcandle l ight ,AndChr ist r eceive thy sawle.
Oldnor ther n song over a deadcorpse.
M S . Lansdown , 103 3 , under wordF leet, quot. Hal l iwel l .
ANANTER , per ad ven tur e , in ca se , in the even t tha t . F r oman , on , o r in , andaunter , aven tur e , adven tu r e , chance . Tha tis ,
“ if per ad ven tur e .
” “ Ananter s aa get well home ,” mean s
In ca se I get well home . S ee AD VE NT E R .
ANCE , ANES , once . Yonce i s mor e common ly used , however .H e wen t ance eer and, mean s he wen t a specia l jou r ney .
AN CHOR , ANKER , the bend of a scythe , or of an adze , orother wor kman ’ s tool . Some men p r efer the angle at wh icha scythe blade is set fr om the hand le to be mor e or less acute .
H ence the d i r ect ion in fix ing a new hand le is G ive ’
or a
bit ma i r anhor ,”or
“ A b it less anhor ,”
as the ca se may be .
T he same d i r ect ion is given in fix ing a new han dle to an adze.
The wor d come, or cum, has p r ecisely the same mean ing .
ANCH ORAGE , the abode of an ancho r et or her m i t . TheAnchor age S chool at Ga teshead Chu r ch .
1 340, N ov . 14 . License g r an ted to John Wawayn , r ector of B r ancepeth , for bu i lding a cell in the chu r chyar dof S t . M a r y
’
s , Gateshead, foran anchor ess, p r ovided a conven ient place can be found for her , and ther ector of the chu r ch g ives his consent . T he name i s pr eser ved to thisday in the Anchor age S chool a ttached to Ga teshead Chu r ch .
"-R ichar d
W elford, H istory of Newcastle andGateshead, vol . i . , p . 107 .
NORTH UMBE RLAND W ORD S . I S
AND IRONS , i r on s on the hear th to suppor t bu r n ing wood .
OldF r ench , dadier .
AN E [N ] , one .
ANEAR , nea r . Dinna gan anear the wat te r . T he ket tle ’ sboi l in
’ dinna gan anear’
d.
”
ANEATH , benea th , under nea th . VVher e
’s the maiste r ?
H e’
s aneath the steeth .
ANENST , ANENT , ove r aga in st . Often spoken as nenst.
“ Thar was sar taye shipes taken fr om anens H ar tilpowll , taken byF r anchemen .
— Newcastle M unicipal Accounts, Aug , 1 563 .
ANES , once , at any one t ime . S ee AN CE .
I ne'
er yet saw the Tyne se b i gN or r unn ing anes se l ike a sea
70ek o'
the S ide.
AN G , the ha iry par t of an ear of ba r ley— pr obably a cor rupt ionof awn.
— H alliwel l’
s D iet.
ANGER -NAIL , a p iece of skin at the side of the na i l wh ichhas become sem i -detached and gives pa in . T he wor d isalways sounded ang -er not an -
ger .
ANGER-BERRY , ANGLE -BERRY , a wa r ty excr escencegr owing on the umb i licus , or scr otum , or tea t s of an an imal .These a r e h ighly va scu la r andea si ly hu r t .
Among old people in Nor thumber land, as a t Whelp ington , ang leber ryis the name o f a vetch p r obab ly becau se i t angles o r ca tches holdand
cl ings to plan ts or sh r ubs str onger andtal ler than i tself. — Hodgson M S
ANGOR T (p r onounced ang -or t) , anger ed .
M e mu thor'
s ba i r ns gat angor t at u s.—J . P . R obson , d. 1 870, S ang
0’
S olomon , Newcastle ver si on , ch . i . , v . 6 .
ANGRY (ang -ry) , inflamed o r pa inful , as a suppu r at ing sor e .
M e fing r’
s beeldin’aa
’
s fla id— it leuks se ang ry.
ANKISH , anx ious .
ANKLET , ancle .
W i ' anhlets shaw’
d, an'
scather ed fee t .— T . W i lson , Pitman ’
s Pay ,
1 843 , pt. i i . , v . 1 6 .
S ometimes a ga iter .— Hall iwell ’s D iet.
ANNET , the common gull , so called in Nor thumber land .
H alliwell’
s D iet.
1 6 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
ANUNDER , AN U N E R , unde r . M ind yor eye , w ill ye ?Aa
’
s gan dunner .
”
Aw sets me ways doon anunder his shada .- J . P . R obson , d. 1 870,
S ang 0’
S olomon , Nor thumber land ver sion , ch . i i v . 6 .
Ther e ’
s plen ty of coal dug fr om the deep mine , that gans th r ou gh
anunder wor r iver .-W . M i tford, Tyne Her oes ,
" Bards a] the Tyne, 1 849 ,
p 540
A-ONE , an individual , one per son .— H alliwell
’s D iet. Thor ’ s
not a -one on ye da r come .”
APOR POS E , on pu r pose . H e’s deundaporpose to myek hi sselleuk clivvor .
APPET IZE , to p r ovoke an appeti te for food .—H alliwell
’
s D iet.
APPLE -CAIR T . That ’ s upset his apple-cai r t for him , aa
th ink -that has completely stopped his proj ect .
APPLE D U M PL IN S , the grea t hai r y wi llow her b , Epi lobiunihi r sutuni . Ca lled a lso Cor r an duniplin.
APPLE SH EELY , the chaffi nch . F r ing i lla coelebs. Commonlyca lled S heely .
APRIL,APE R H IL , and APR ILE . Aper hil bor r ows th r ee
days of Ma r ch , and they ar e i ll . S ee BORROW ED DAYS .
APRIL -GOWK , an Ap r i l fool . T he cuckoo has becomesynonymous wi th jest andj oke gawk is cuckoo . Boy
“ H i,
canny man , see what ye’ve d r opt .” T he canny man tur ns
round to see , and is hailed wi th a yell , O , ye Ap r i l -gawk !as the boy r un s off.
ARAN -W E B , is a cobweb in Northumber land .— H alliwell
’
s
D iet.
ARBERS , fal lowings or ploughings of gr ound . R ay’s Collection ,
1 65 1 , pr eface. Thi s wor d is included by B r ocket t in his
glossar y , and ther e defined as“ O r der , by cour se . In
husbandr y , the arder s a r e the d ivi sion s of t i llage land set
apa r t for r egular cour ses of cr ops in successi ve year s ;or for cour ses of cropp ing in r otat ion .
” See ATH ER .
1 8 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
ARNUT, the ea r th -nu t— ard-nut. The ed ible r oot of Bunium
flexuosum.
AR OON D , a r ound ; often r oondon ly .
ARR,
“a ska r , Pock-a r r s , the ma r ks made by the sma l l
pox . Th is i s a gener a l wo r d common t o both n or th and
south — R ay, 1 69 1 . Any sca r fr om a healed wound is ca l ledan ar r . H e hes an ar r on his finger .
ARRAGE , a sha r p poin t or cor ner .— M in. Gloss. , N ewcastle
Terms, 1 852 .
ARSE -LOOP , a sea t or wide Ioop in a r ope or cha in in wh icha man is slung when r epa i r ing or wor king in a pit
-Shaft .
ARTH , ea r th , the ea r th . In S . No r thumber land it i s ye-ar th oree-a r th.
AR -WO -H AY , a car tman’s term to his hor se to Steady .
ASIDE, beside . S it doon aside us , hinney .
ASIDEN, beside . “ S he wis si t t in ’
asiden him .
ASK, a wa ter newt , a l iza r d . T he newt i s usually ca lled a
wa t ter ask,”as d i st inguished fr om a dr y ask.
”
S nakes andneder es thar he fand,
Andg r et b lac tades gangand,
Andar shes andother wormes fe l le .
Ta le of a U sur er .
”-M etr ica l Homi l i es (ci r .
In the da r ksome depths of the pool is the water newt , Lacer ta aquatica ,
wh i le the n imble l i ttle for m of h is much p r ettier compan ion , the l i zard,
Lacer ta ag i l i s , is seen amongst the heather and shr ubs on the hi ll . A
popu lar bel ief once p r eva i led that these harmless l i tt le r epti les wer ev ;enomous both a r e known unde r the local name of the ‘Ask.
-D . D .
D ixon , Vale of Whittingham,1 887 , p . 39 .
ASKLENT , a slan t .
ASPER ,r ough , fier ce . In OldEngli sh Asper aunt i s used . In
the L ife of Wallace i t i s : “ In A sper speech the Per sye thengan spea r .
— Book v . p . 67 . (Obs.)
ASS , ashes fr om a fi r e.
ASSAY ! (I say) , a common exclama t ion .“ Assay I wha t ar e
ye dein ther e ?”
ASS -H W OL E , an ash-hole , a r eceptacle for ashes .
NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S . 19
ASS -M IDDEN , ASS -P IT , an ash heap .
ASS IL -TREE , an axle . S ee A IX E L .
ASS I L -TYE U T H , a gr inder or molar tooth .
AST , a sked .
AS T AR N , aster n .— R iver side term.
AST ITE , j ust as soon , as l ief. Aa wadastite stop where aa is ,“ Ye
’
dastite gan W iv u s . S ee ST ITE , T ITE .
ASTON IED , aston i shed .
AS T R ID D L E , ast r ide .
AT , tha t . T he a i s pr onounced ve r y sho r t , andthe wor d soundsa lmost l ike i t. “ Them at
’s gan up .
”H e
’
s se st r ang at hecan l ift a seck 0
’ floor .
AT ,
’
at . A wor n down form of that, per haps fr om o ldNo r se at (u sedin pr ecisely the same senses) , pe r haps independently developed in theNor ther n dia lect , in wh ich i t was ver y common in 1 4
-1 5 th centu r ies ;r ar e , even in S cottish wr iter s , after 1 500 ; bu t sti l l i n r egu lar u se in
Nor ther n dialect speec — D r . M u r r ay, N ew E ng . D iet.
AT,somet imes used as for . What a r e ye stann in
’ ther e at P
I t i s used in thi s sen se in S i r Gawayne. S ee H all iwelt’
s D iet.
AT ANES , AT YE N CE , at once . Yen— one. Yence— once.
A t ans a l le thr e he tok.
Cu r sor M undi .
AT E L
'
IN , a yetl ing , or yetlin . Th is wor d occur s in one of the
old pa r ish books of Hexham , da te 1 702 . In a l ist of pla teand other p r oper ty belonging to the chu r ch occur s “
a coffinto bu r y poo r people . I tm . an atelin in the Abbey g r ea tki tchen .
ATH ER , an adde r . A thery-l ike, l ike an adder . S ee ETH ER .
“ T he eel , when cr awl ing among the g r ass , has a ver y ‘atthery
- l ihe’
look.
”— R ichardHowse , N at. H is. Tr ansue. , vol x 1 890, p . 33 1 .
ATH ER , a field . Befor e the common s enclosur es , the t i llageland was d i v ided in to “ fields . Each field con sisted of a
g r ea t number of scat ter ed st r ips or“ ya r d lands . T he
Ea st field ,” “West field ,
” “ No r th field ,”
or other namesgiven , r ep r esen ted gr oups of d iffe r en t fr eeholds— each ownerhavi ng yar d lands in a ll the “ A ther s,
”or
“ fie lds . T he
object of thi s d ist inct ion in the g r ouping of the freeholds into
20 NORTH UMB ERLAND WORD S .
“ fields ” was t o a rr ange for a r ota t ion of cr ops . Thus , theEa st field being fa l low ,
the West field would be under oa t s ,the N or th field under whea t , and so on in annua l r ota t ion .
(Obs.)" In the coun ty o f Nor thumber land, speaking of thei r system of
hu sbandr y , they say they have thei r ti llage land in th r ee or fou r A lber soats , fal low , wheat , or oats.
”— HodgsonM S .
A-TH I S - S IDE , on thi s s ide of.
ATOM Y , NOT OM Y , an excessively th in per son . H e’
s justa bit atomy , or H e just l ike an atomy .
”
Q ueen M ab D r awn with a team of l ittle atomies.— R omeo andyul iet,
act i sc. 4 .
AT OPA , AT OPON , on the top of. “ Yor fethor’
s atapa thehay
-stack. Wha t he ’
ye atopa yor heed“ A tapan an
aadhoose .
AT T ACKT E D , at tacked . I t is ver y commonly used in N ewcastle .
Attack’
d-ed attacked, a common par ticiple her e , butmor e extensivelyu sed, I am told, in Amer ica .
”— Hal liwel l .
ATTERCOP , OT T E R COP . Thi s wor d , says the R ev . JohnH odgson , mean s a spider ’ s web . A .S . A ttbr coppa , a spide r .M r . M or r i s (Specimens of E a r ly E ng lish, p . 403) says tha t
“ i t
sign ifies l i ter a l ly poi son cup, fr om attor , otter , poi son , and
cuppa , a cup. Cob-web (OldEngli sh copweft) r eta in s the lastsyl lable on ly of the or igina l wor d . In some of the Teuton icd ialect s , the Spider is cal led a hoppe, on accoun t of its ca rr yinga bag .
” A town sh ip in Redesda le is ca lled A tter cops, andM r .
B r ockett th inks it der i ves i ts name “ per haps because in wa rm ,
hazy wea the r , in September , the gr ass and spa r ty gr ound issilver ed over wi th gossamer , or cobweb s . T he name is noww r i t ten Otter caps, bu t in olddocumen t s A lter topps or A lti r cops.T he wo r d , accor d ing to D r . Mur r ay , OldEngl ish , A ttor coppafr om a
’
tor , attor , poi son , and coppa , der i va t i ve of cap, top ,summ i t , r ound head , or copp ,
cup, vessel in r efer ence to thesupposed venomous p r oper ties of sp ider s . Compa r e a lsoDutch spinne-cop, sp ider ,
”andCOB-W E B , for mer ly eap-wehbe ;
whence i t appea r s p r obable tha t the Simp le coppa was i tself“ sp ider .” 1 st, a sp ider ; 2nd, figur a t i vely , app l ied to a
venomous , ma l ignan t per son 3 rd, m isappl ied to a sp ider ’ sweb .
— N ew E ng . D iet. I t is con sidered ver y unlucky toki ll spider s .
NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S . 2 1
AT VVE E , in two , a sunder .
Enough to r ive atwee the hea r t. —ThomasW i lson , The P i tma i'
s Pay ,
1 826 p . i i . , v . 1 7 .
ATWEEN , between . Aa’
ve many a t ime seen her hadd inher heed atween her hands .
I t was atween Hebbu r n and Jar r ow, thor came on a vat r y str anggale .
— S ong , L i ttle Pee D ee.
ATW IX , betwixt . H e was a twix an a tween the twe
AT -YE N CE , AT -YANCE, a t once .
AUD , old. S ee AAD .
AU K E R T awkwar d .
AU M BL ING , walking .
Teach h im aumbl i ng by the handTi ll he his paces under stand.
"
f ew-S er ious D iscou r se, 1685 , p . 67 .
AU W E R T , awkwar d , a thwar t , as a sheep on its back unableto r i se . Th is is p r obably the same as over -thwar t. Compa r eAW E LT .
On tham gangT o andfr a , aver
-thewr t andendlangHampole , d. 1 349 , The Pr icke of Conscience, M or r is, l ine 8582 .
AVE L INGE S ,in an oblong
, or o va l shape ; bu t possi blyappl ied a lso to a p iece taper ing a t each end. M aj o r M oo rsays , Wor kmen— r eaper s or mower s— appr oach ing the s ideof a field not per pend icular or pa r a llel to the i r l ine of wo r k ,w ill ha ve an unequa l po r tion to do ; the excess o r deficiency ,is ca lled avel long wor k.
”— H alliwell’
s D iet. under Avelong .
T he avelong her e would appea r to be the gor e o r t r iangu la rshaped p iece left a fter wor king squar e
'
in the field , and it
suggests tha t a p iece of cloth cu t avelinges may possiblybe a squa r e p iece cut d iagonal ly fr om cor n e r to co r ner , so a sto make two t r iangula r -shaped p ieces . “ I w i ll tha t on myday of bu r ial be g i ven th i r teen g r ey gown s t o th i r teen poo rwomen , andeach to ha ve ha lf a ya r d of linen cloth cu t avel i nges,in stead of hoods , wh ich I have r eady made .
”— B a r hain Wi llsBa r ba r a Thomlinson , 1 577 .
— Quoted , R . Welfor d , H ist. ofN ewe. ,
X VI . Cent. , p . 507 . T he appa r en t u se of the half ya r d of
l inen cloth is for the wh i te sca r f or shawl , wor n at fune r a lsby poo r women to the p r esen t day.
22 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
AVER , a bea st of bu r den , a d r aught ox , or hor se ; hence ,special ly a hor se used fo r hea vy wor k, a ca r t hor se : and in
la ter usage in N or thumber land d ialect an old o r wor thlesshor se ; 1 69 1 Blount L aw D ictiona ry , under wor d Afi r i (tr ansl .Spelman) . In Nor thumber land , to th i s day, they ca ll a dullor Slow hor se a false aver or afer .
— D r . M ur r ay , N ew E ng . D iet.
Aver acr es andOver acr es occu r as field names in sever al par t sof No r thumber land .
They have pastu r e ther e for 100 sheep ; and 30 aver s or hor nedcattle , andfou r hor ses — Hexham Cha r tu la ry , fol io 1 4 b . and 1 5 .
Ca r r yi ng ser vices a r e fami l ia r in manor ial r ecords u nder the name ofaver ag ium.
— S eebohm , Ear ly Vi l lage Communi ties, p . 247 .
Fr om old Fr ench avei r , aver ; moder n Fr ench avoi r , possession ,
pr oper ty , stuff , stock ,
’
cattle , domestic an ima ls , beasts of bu rden l iter al lyhaving , ’ substantive u se of avei r , avoi r . Latin , habé r e, to have .
"— N ew
E ng . D i et.
AVER , peevi sh , N or thumber land.— H a lliwell
’
s D iet.
AVERISH , a ver age . I t ’ s oney an aver ish cr op .
AVER I SH , AVERAGE , the b r eaking of cor n fields ; edd ish ,r ough ings . —R ay
’s Collection of N or th-Country Words, 1 69 1 .
T he stubble andg r ass left in cor n afte r ha r vest— the po r tionof the aver s — B r ockett.
In these mou thes a fter the cor nue bee i nned, i t is meete to pu ttdr aughte hor sses and oxen into the aver ish .
— A r choeolog ia , xi ij., 3 79.
Q uoted, Ha ll iwell ’s D iet.
T o have , occupy, andenjoy al l such avcryshe andstowbles.— R ichard
W el ford, H i st. of Newe. , X VI . Cent. , p 368 .
AW . S ee AA and following wo r ds .
AWAR , awa r e . Shor tened often to war .
“ H e’
d getten in
afor e aa wis awar .
”
AWAY , con stan t ly used for go , or go away . Aa mun awayI must go . Let ’s away — let us go .
AWAY-GAN N IN , going away . Away-
gannin cr op, thecer ea ls belong ing to the outgoing tenan t of a fa r m .
AW E L T , AVVE L D , AW E R T , la id on the back ; said of a
Sheep when cast upon its back and unable to move . S ee
CAS S EN andA U W E R T .
S ome cau ldmor n in they’
l l fi n’
ye. I ween
L yin dwelt andfr ozen by W a’
b i ttle Dene .
James Armstr ong , Anither S ang , 1 87 2 .
NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S . 23
AWNS , the bear ds of ba r ley or whea t .
AX , to ask. In the r oya l style of assen t ing to bi lls in
P ar l iamen t , the ph r a se Be a s it is axed was used .
W ickliffe ’
s Gospel has Wha t schal I ar e P Andshe seide,
the heed of John Baptist . Chaucer a lso uses the same wo rd,
bu twe do not findi t used by Spen ser . H ence we may conclu detha t by the t ime of E lizabeth i t had been super seded in thel i ter a r y d ia lect by the p r esen t fo rm ask.
”Ash is o r ig ina lly the
no r the r n for m , bu t ax is con stan t ly used in No r thumber land .
I movedyou fi r st , my Lo rdof Can ter bu r y , axing you r l icense to pu tthis matter in qu estion .
"— Cavendish , L ife of Wolsey
AX AT CH URCH , to publ ish the bann s of ma t r imony.
AY-DI -M I a common exclama t ion exp r essi ve of r egr e t or p i ty ,P r obably sho r tened from Ah, clear we Fam il ia r ised byThoma s Ca r lyle ’ s let te r s , bu t often hea r d as a sigh exp r essedby oldpeople in No r thumber land .
A-YOU -A-H INNY , A -U -H INNY BORD , a Newca stle lullaby .I t
’
s 0 bu t aw ken wel l— A - U , hinny bard,
T he bonny lass o' Benwel l— A - U . hi nny bard,
S he'
s lang legg’dan mother l i ke , A - U . hinny bard.
S ee , she’s r aking up the dyke ,
A - U -A .
Oldsong .
A -U -A , maw bonny ba ir n ,
A - U —A , upon my a i rm ,
A - U -A thou suen may la i r nT e say dada se canny.
”
R obt . Nunn , S andgate Wife’
s Nur se S ong .
AYONT , beyondToi l andpa in ayont conceiv in .
P i tinan’
s Pay , par t ij v. 7 1 .
AYLE,a lways , a ll a long . (Obs.)
Andayle I wh istled a s I came .
G . S tuar t , 7 oco-S er ious D iscour se, 1686 .
AY-T H E -M A I R , a ll the mor e.
BAA an exclama t ion of wonde rmen t . Aa wis gan ower the
moor an ’
a gr ea t coo wis r u nn in’
mad-l ike . S he cha sed fowe ror five folk, yen efte r the other , an
’ thor wis a gr eet cr oodstann in ’
aboot . A sa ilor chep comes up ; tyeks the bea st hithe hor n s ; an
’ tor us ho r r eet on tiv hor back. An’
aa l l the
people ses‘Baa —L ocal anecdote.
BAAD Y , bawdy , lewd .
24 NORTHUMB ERLAN D WORD S .
BAAK , BALK [S . andT .] BAWK, BAULK , BOAK [W .
-T .J1 . A p iece of unploughed tur f left between the ploughedlands as a boundar y in the open town fields . T he fr eeholds ,in the system of cul ti va t ion befor e the Commons Enclosu r eAct s , wer e thus d i v ided .
T he whole ar able ar ea of an un inclosedtownship was u sually dividedup by tu r f balks into as many thou sandof these str i ps as i ts l imi ts wou ldconta in— the balks which div ide into str ips being , as the word impl ies ,simpl y two or th r ee fur r ows left unploughed between .
"— S eebohm,
Eng l i sh Vi l lage Commun ity , 1 884 , p . 3-4 .
2 . Appl ied sometimes t o the ploughed st r ip i t self.A l ittle bank near the dene , conta in ing by estimation 35 acr es .
— R .
Welford, H ist. of Newe. andGateshead, X VI . Cent . , p . 168 . S ee R E AN .
3 . A r idge or piece left unploughed by acciden t or
ca r elessness ; a piece m i ssed in plough ing .—Dr . Mur ray ,
N ew E ng . D iet.
4 . A squa r e p iece of t imber . The r oof t imbe r in a coa l -pit.W e must have either oaken spar s or fi r r bawks.
— J C . , TheCompleatColl ier , 1 708 , p . 1 5 .
5 . A r after or tie beam . In oldone-stor ey houses they wer eoften exposed andused for hanging o r placing a r t icles on .
D r . M u r r ay , N ew E ng . D iet.
6 . A r oost for a bir d .
“ T he bu r d si t s mop ing o ’
the balk,l ike somethin
’
iv a flay.— T . Wi lson , The Washing D ay ,
1 843 .
T he hen baaks a r e the hen r oosts .
7 . Whe r e the r oof of a m ine is not level , bu t comes downin to the coa l wi thout any cor r espond ing depr ession of the
th i l l , thus causing a n ip (ca lled a lso a r oll, or hor seback) , or ,
wher e the coa l seam is cu t off w ith a wa sh .
8 . To “ lay to the balks is used metaphor ically to denote a
disuse of any implemen t or inst r umen t.
BAAK S , or “ BALKS AND BREDS , beam and sca les forweighing .
BAAKY , a p iece of wood w i th r ope a t tached put r ound a cow ’ sneck to tie he r up to the stake . T he wood is a lso ca lled a
“ ba ikie-st ick ”and the r ope a
“ ba ikie-tow .
”
BAAL , to bawl .
BAAL , BAA [S . and T .J , BO [W . a ball . “ Buy the
ba i r n a stottin’-baal .
BAAL-PYET, ba ld pate.
26 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
BACK , to fi ll in the space beh ind the r ings of cr ibbing in a
pit-shaft . S ee BACK ING -D EALS .
T he sinking“ was cr ibbedandbacked, andthen wal led.
—Bor ings andS inkings , A .B . , p . 10.
BACKBOARD , or BAKEBOARD , a pa ste or baking boa r d .
BACK -BY , j u st beh ind . Away fr om the face of the coa lnea r er the shaft is sa id to be back-by .
BACKCAST , a r elapse , or any kind of th r owing back.
“Aa
wis get t in ’
n icely bet ter , bu t aa’
s beda sa i r backcast.”
BACK-END , the annexe at the back of a house .
BACK-END ,
“ the par t of a judd left in the wor king place of
a pit after the sump is br ought down .— M in. Gloss., N ewe.
Terms, 1 852 .
BACK -END,autumn . La st back-end, last autumn .
BACK E R L Y , backwa r d , la te in sea son . The tormi ts is
va r r y backer ly thae’
ea r .
”
BACK -GAN N IN , a r et r ograd ing in ci r cumstances or hea l th .
BACKING -DEALS , dea ls placed beh ind cr ibs to keep backloose st r a ta .
— Gloss. of N ewe. M in. Terms, 1 852 . S ee BACK , 4 .
BACK -O -BE YONT , of an unknown d istance. S ee ABACK-A
B E YONT .
BACK -OVERM AN , an overman who has the immed ia teinspect ion of the wo r kings and wor kmen dur ing the backshi ft . —Coal T r ade Gloss. , 1 849.
T he back-overman super intends the managemen t of the pit fr om the
time the overman leaves un ti l 5 o’
clock in the even ing , when thé pit is
sa id to loose or stop wor k.— D r . R . W i lson , Coal M i ner s, Dur ham and
Nor thumber land.
BACK -OWER , a r etu r n back.
“ H e cam back-ower tiv u s . Afal l backwar ds H e wen t back-ower .
”
BACK-SH IFT . T he for e-sh ift andback-shift a r e the fi r s t and
second shi ft s of hewer s tha t go down the pit. S ee FORE -S H I FT .
NORTHU MBERLAN D W ORD S . 27
BACK-S IDE , the back p r em ises of a house or bui lding . B i llyPu r v is used to invi te the cr owd fr om his fr on t stage to en terh is show , adding : “ Them ’
at d issen t l ike to wa ak ower thestage can come in b i B i l ly’ s backside. T he backside of a
chu r ch is the nor th side . Bur ia ls former ly wer e on ly madeon the south side .
N icholas W ar d, un for tunately smoordto dea th in S i nking for a dr awwe l l i n h is father
’
s back-side, 1oth Feb r uar y, 1 7 16 .— S har p , Chr onicon
M i r able.
In the books of the Fol ly W ater W or ks Company, Newcastle , is the
fol lowing entr y : R obt . Attkinson cu tt himsel fe off , hauv ing sunok a
well in his back-side, at M ichas , 1 7 1 7 , wch . supply’
s h ime .
"— M ackenz ie ,
H ist. of Newe. , p . 7 25 , note.
W hi le shewer edr unken— she lefther left foot shoe upon M r .Ander son'
s
bac-syd when she cl imbed over the wal .
"— R . W elford, H ist. ofNewe. , X VI . Cent. , p . 3 89
As up Jenny'
s backside we wer e bang in ,
K i Geordy , H ow ! wher e ar e ye gann in
S ong ,B ob Cr anky
’
s’
S i ze S unday .
A llan’
s Col lection , 1 863 , p . 3 1 7 .
BACK -SKIN , a st r ong hide or co ve r ing wo r n on the back bysinker s and men in pumping pi ts or wet places . A back-shinwas a lso wor n by a putter ’ s “ foa l ” as a p r otect ion when hehad to th r ust back aga in st a loaded co r f in its descen t of an
incl ine in a pit.
BACKSTER , BAXTER , a baker .
BACKSTONE . S ee E A R S TON E .
BACK-U P , t o subscr ibe . We’ ve caa led to see if ye ’
l l
back-up the l ist .” To suppor t . “ I f ye ’ll j ust gan on , noo ,
we ’
ll back-
ye up.
BACKUS , the back-house , or wash-house , or more gener a llybake-house .
— H all iwell’
s D iet. as Backas.
BACKWATT E R , the st i ll or dead wa te r tha t r ises in a fieldor back place du r ing a r i ver flood ; the o ver flow fr om a m il l r ace.
BAD , i ll .
H e lucks , poor body , ver r a bad.
T .W i lson , The Pi tman ’
s Pay , 1826 , p . 1 5 .
S ometime since a pi tman w is tyen var r y bad
W . Ar mstr ong , The Gl i ster , 183 3 -4 .
T he time that me fether wis bad.
7oe Wi lson , d. 1 875 .
28 NORTHUMBERLAND WORD S .
BAD ,pa st tense of bidz bade . H e bad us b ide wher e we
wor .
BADGER , a black coaly band appr oach ing towar ds an infer iorcoar se coa l ; a term sim ila r to “ M aeket.
”— S . C . C r one ,Bor ings andS inkings, F .K . p . 1 1 1 , note.
BADGER ,
“one who buys co r n and other commod i t ies and
ca r r ies them elsewher e to sel l ; an i t iner an t dea ler , who acts asm idd leman between p r oducer (far mer , fi sherman , &c.) and
con sumer ; a cadger , hawker , or huckster . St ill common inthe d ialects .
”— D r . M u r r ay , N ew E ng . D iet. Th is wo r d i s
given by B r ockett , bu t is now pr obably a l together obsolete inNor thumber land .
BADLY i ll , somewha t unwell . She ’ s nobbut badly , poorbody .
BADLY -OFF , poor , in wan t .
BAD -M AN , the devil . I f ye gan on so the bad-man’
ll get ye .
S ee AAD’
U N .
BAD -MAN ’S OATM EAL , the flower andseed of the hemlock,Coniummaculatum. S ee DEED -MAN ’ S OATM EAL .
BAD -WEATH ER-G E OR D Y , a name by which the cockleseller is known .
As the season at wh ich cockles ar e in g r eatestdemandis gener al ly the
most stormy in the year— S eptember to M a r ch— the sa i lor s
’
wives at theseapor t towns of No r thumber land and Du r ham cons ider the cr y of the
cockle man as the har b inge r of bad wea ther , and the sa i lo r , when he
hea r s the cr y of ‘cockles a l ive ,
’
in a dar k wintr y n ight , concludes that
a storm is at hand, and b r eathes a p r ayer , backwards , for the sou l o f‘BadWeather -Geordy.
’ — S . Ol iver , R ambles inNor thumber land, 183 5 , p . 207 .
BAER , BEAR , a blacksm ith's tool for punch ing holes in i r on .
T o R ober t Th ickpenny, h is ser vant , a pa i r of bel lows , a for e hammer ,
a nai l hammer , and a baer .— Wi ll of R d. Hogg . of Newcastle, blacksmi th .
Pr oved3 rdja i i uary , 1 502 .— R . W el ford, H ist. of Newe. , X VI . Cent. , p . 2 .
BAFF , blank . A p i tman , if pa id fortnight ly , speaks of the
alter nate weeks a s “the bafi
'
week ,”and “ the pay week.
T he Bafir week is o
’
er -no r epin ingPay S atu r day
’
s swift on the wingHen r y R obson ,
“ The Col l ier ’s Pay Week .
A l lan’
s Collecti on , 1 863 , p . 23 7 .
A ca rdnot a tr ump is a bafi’
one . T he par tly decayed, S pl i t , o r r oot
endof a log or tr ee of t imbe r i s a lso ca l led the bap'
end and fr om the
bafi‘ends , or other wise u seless pieces o r ends of t imber , ar e cu t haf s ,
which a r e used to keep the wooden cr ibs in position , when s inking pi ts inou r N or th-Countr y.
” —Newcastle Weekly Chr oni cle, M ay 15 , 1886 .
NORTH UM BERLAND W ORD S . 29
BAFF-ENDED , b lun ted. Picks a r e sa id to be so when the
poin t s a r e off — B r ockett.
BAFFLET , a wooden mallet for ki lling sa lmon . I t i s esteemedver y un lucky to pr oduce the bafflet un ti l the fish a r e d r awnashor e .
BAG ,d i smissal . H e
’
s get t in ’
the bag means “ H e’
s been
d ismissed .
” Th i s is ju st as fr equen tly exp r essed “ get tin ’
the seek.
” T he explana t ion of thi s cu r ious ph r ase seems tobe in a r efer ence to the paymen t r eceived on dism i ssa l ,wh ich would be ca r ried in a sack, or bag . Theman d ismi ssedwould thus go off wi th bag andbaggage .
An’we maun shor tly fol low them ,
An'
tyek the bag ,maw wor thy gen tles .
Then what'll poor Newcastle dee ,
Depr ived0'
aa her or namentalsR . Gi lchr ist , BoldA r ehy.
Allan’
s Collection , p . 77 .
BAG , the paunch , the udde r of a cow.
Next to the tents 'we hied, te get
S ome stufli n 'for wor bags, man .
W . M i tford, X .Y.Z .
BAG , a cavity found occasiona lly in fier y seams of coa l ,con ta in ing h ighly conden sed gas . U sual ly ca lled “
a bag ofgas. Also , a cav i ty in a pit , fi l led wi th water , as, “
a bagof water .
”
BAGG I E , the bel ly .
BAGG I E , the st ickleback , or p r ickleback fish . Gaster osteusaculeatus, L inn .
W h ich the Nor th of Englandboys call the baggie.— Newcastle Da i ly
Chr onicle, Jan . 4 , 1 888 .
BAGG I S H , baggage .
BAGG IT -F I SH , a sa lmon on the eve of deposi ting its ova .
James A r mst r ong , The Cu r ing of S almon R oe.
BAGGOT , BAGG I S H , useless , con temptible. I t is appliedto a l it t le , v ixen ish ch i ld , or t o a wor thless man ,
“a d r unken
baggot. Come oot ye bagg ish.
”
BAGGY , cor pulen t .
BAGGY-M EN I M , the th r ee- spined st ickleback. S ee BA INS T ICKLE .
30 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
BAG IE ( the a sounded as in bay , the 9 har d) , a Swede tur n ip .
The term is never appl ied to wh i te or yellow tur n ips .Fr om R uta Baga , the S wedi sh tu r n ip .
—Note by M r . R ichardWelford
BAIDE endur ed— N or thd. H all iwell’
s D i ct. , fr om B ide.
BA IKIE -ST I CK , a p iece of wood at tached to a cow ’ s neck.
BA IKIE -TOW , a rope for ty ing up a cow.
BA I L , BALE , a signa l of a lar m , a bon -fir e .— B r ockett.
BAIL IWICK , the l im i t s wi th in wh ich a ba i liff of the dukeexer cises jur isdiction .
— Newbur n Bai liwick, &c.
BAIN S T ICKL E , the th r ee-spined stickleback. Gaster osteus
aeuleatus, L inn.
BA I RN , a chi ld . T he power of a homely wor d is in no casemor e exemplified than in the u se of the wo r d bai r n . I t is ful lof a ffect ionate tender ness , and whether used in oldba l lad orin the folk- Speech of the p r esen t day it equa lly b r ea thes a spi r i tof yea r n ing love for the l i tt le folk . A bi t bai r n or a bai r nie is
a l i tt le ch i ld . T he pr onuncia tion is somet imes lengthened ,and a mother is hear d to call “ Gan up to the or
M ind the baior inW her e hest te been , maw canny h inny ?
Wher e hest te been , maw bonny ba i r nS ong , M aw Canny H inny .
A llan'
s Collecti on , p . 284 .
BA I RN I SH , chi ld ish .
BA I RN ’S -PLAY , ch ild’ s -play .
BA I RN -TEAM , b r oods of ch i ldr en , as they expound it tome .
— R ay’
s Glossary , under Bear nteams.
BAI R S E , BAISE ,the space for p r ovender in a cow sta l l .
BAIR S E , BAE R S E ,imper tinen t , impuden t .
BAI S E L [N .] to bustle about , to exer t oneself her e andther e .
A’m baiselin ma sel ta get dyun i
’ t ime te ca tch the t r a in .
”
BA I ST ,to beat . S ee BASTE .
H e paidgood R obin back andside ,Andba i st h im up anddown
Andwi th his pyke-staff laidon loud,Til l he fell in a swoon .
"
R obin Hood, i . , 102 , quotedby Hal l iwel l .
NORTH U MB ERLAN D W ORD S . 3 1
BAIT ,to feed . H adaway bait the hor ses .
BAIT , food ; BA IT-POKE ,food bag .
W i th a tin bottle ,fu l l of coldwater or tea . a piece of b r ead, which is
ca l led his ba i t, the hewer says good-bye to his wi fe , and speeds off to
wo r k .
"— D r . R . W i lson , Coal M iner s of Nor thumber landandDu r ham.
Aw pu t the ba it-poke on at eight ,
W i’
sar k andhogger s , l ike ma b r other s ,T . W i lson , Pitman '
s Pay , pt. i i v . 1 1 .
BAIT , the longi tud inal d i r ect ion of wood , the g r ain , as i t i s
ca lled . A fter wood has pined i t is sa id , “ You can see the
bait”— tha t is , the gr a in has become visible .
BAIT IE S , fishe r gi r ls who ga ther ba i t .
BAKE -ST ICKS . S ee B EAK -S T I C K S .
BAKIN , the number of loa ves baked for a household at one
t ime .
“ A bakin o ’
b r eed .
”
BAK S T ON E , a flat stone used for baking oat-cakes , &c.
T he bakstone was often th r ee or fou r feet in diameter , capable of
holding two cakes , and fixed upon th r ee or fou r low pi l la r s : the g irdlewas less and l ighter , and u pon an i r on tr ipod, ca l led a b r andr eth .
Hodgson ,Nor thumber land, pt . ij. , vol . ij., p . 306 , note.
BALD -COOT ,BAL -POOT , or BELL -POOT , the coot .
F ulica atr a , L inn.
BALK , a beam . S ee BAAK .
BALL , the cha r ge fr om a puddling fu r nace , a lso the fusedmater ials fr om an a lka li maker ’s ba lling fu r nace.
BALL , a nodule . I r on stone balls.
B r own th i l l mixedwith post balls.— Bor i ngs andS inki ngs, A.R p . 146 .
BALL -FURNACE , the fur nace used for fusing a m ixtu r e of
l imestone , coal , and sulpha te of soda , in a lka l i wor ks .
BALLANT , a ballad .
Aw l ikeda ballant or a bu ik .
"—T . W i lson , Pitman’
s Pay , 1 829 , pt. i i i . ,v . 101 .
BALLINGER , the ancien t name for a vessel ca r r ying aboutfor ty men ,
act ing in a fleet , appa r en tly , a s a fr iga te. (Obs .)Ever y g r eat ship mu st have attending upon him a ba r ge and a
ball inger . R . Welford, Newe., X V. Cent. , p . 305 .
32 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
BALL-M ONEY , money demanded of a mar r iage company andgi ven to pr even t thei r being ma l t r ea ted . In the Nor th , i t iscustoma r y for a par ty to a t tend a t the chur ch gates , after a
wedd ing , to enfor ce th i s cla im . T he gi ft has r eceived thi sdenom ina tion , as being or iginally designed for the pur chaseof a football .— B r oclcett, 3 rd. ed., p . 23 .
BALN -STONE , r oof stone in a pi t. S ee BARN - S T YE N .
BAND ,the st r ing by which the old sp inn ing wheel was d r iven .
To keep the band in the n ick is an expr ession used todenote abili ty to con tinue in any given way.
BAND , a th in layer of stone or shale inter str atifiedwi th coa l .Somet imes appl ied to a th in st r atum of any kind fr om halfan inch to six inches in thickness . Compa r e G I RDLE .
BAND , a b r oad flat hinge .
BAND -GANNER , the sheld r ake , Tador na belouzi , R ay. Th i sbi r d has a band of r usty r ed colou r , and flies wi th grea tspeed— hence its name.
BAN D IS H , a bandage.
BANDOLEERS , car touche boxes wi th lea ther sling bands .
(Obs.)Pd. one pa ir e of bandelear s, 2s. —GatesheadChur ch Books
,1634 .
Pd. for tower pa i r of new bandaleer s with bellts str ings and baggs ,
7s.-The same, 1669.
Also var iously in same , bandaleryes, bandeler aws.
BANDSTER , a sheaf binder in the har vest field .
BAND -STONE , the stone immed ia tely ove r laying the coa lat the shaft and p r ojecting in to it.— B r oekett. S ee BARNS T YE N .
BAN D W IN , BAN D SW IN , a band of six r eaper s occupyinga man to bind after them . S ix a r e usual ly as many as a
bandste r can conven ien t ly bind after .
BANDY , t r aver sed by bands. S ee BAN D , 2 .
Hard scar e bandy coal .”— Bor i ngs andS inkings, A .B . , p . 163 .
Coal , fou l , scar ed, bandy .—The same, p . 66 .
BANE [N .] a bone.
34. NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORDS .
BANG IN , lar ge andj ol ly , as a bang in’
lass .
W o r bu siness dii in , wor p itcher tu im ,
J ack ou t h is p r ivate bottle dr ew,
Andwi’
a bang i n’
glass 0’r um ,
W e fini shed off as i t str uck two
T . W i lson ,P i tman ’
s Pay , 1829 , pt . i i i . , v . 74 .
BAN IS TY , or BE N I S T Y, anyth ing done secr et ly . What i sfor b idden , or banned ,
”is termed “ done under banisty.
”
BANK, an incl ine , a steep r oad or str eet . Butcher Bank, Byker
Bank, Lang Bank, Sa ltwell Bank, S odhou se Bank, Fo r thBank, &c.
BANK , the sur face , or top , of the pit .
“ At bank.
You ar e to buy in a stock of hor ses to dr aw your coals to bank
(or day) ou t of the pit.”— Compleat Coll ier , 1 708 , p . 32 .
BANK-OUT,to teem the coa ls in to a heap as they a r e drawn ,
in stead of in to the waggon s — Coal T r ade Gloss. , 1 849.
BANKSIDE, the side of a slope . T he Bankside
”in N ew
ca sfle.
BANKSM AN , the man who has con t r ol of the Shaft top . H e
r egula tes the descen t of the p i tmen , lands the coal s at the topof the pit , d r aws the full tub s fr om the cages , and r ep lacesthem wi th empty ones . H e a lso puts the ful l tubs to thescr een s , and teems the coa ls .
T he Banck’
s-man , or he that gu ides the sledge hor se , has an emptyS ledge to set the loaden cor fe on .
— Compleat Col l i er , 1 708 , p . 36.
BANKY , having many bank s . A banky r oad is a r oad wi thmany h i l ls , or ups anddown s .
BANN I E L S , baggage. H e’s off wi
’
aa his banniels.
BANNOCK , a th ick cake of oaten or ba r ley mea l kneaded w ithwater .
T he word is adopted fr om Gael ic baunach , quer y an adaption of Latinunicium, formedon panis , b r ead.
”— D r M u r r ay , N ew E ng . D i et.
A th ick cake hak’
t befor e the fi r e.— G . S tuar t , yam-S er iousD iscou r se,
Newcastle , 1 686 , p . 62 .
BANTY , BAN T L IN , a ban tam .
BAP , a baker ’ s r oll . A penny bap is a penny r oll .
BAR , p.t. of bear . H e bar up l ike a man .
NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S . 35
BAR ,naked . H e wis iv his ba r skin .
BARBER-EEL , the vivipar ous blenny , Z oar ces vivipar us, Cuvier
BAREBACKS , tu r n ips wi th the tops cu t off.
BARFIT , bar e-footed , shoeless and s tockingless .
BARGA IN , a p iece of wor k t o be done at a cer tain p r ice .
N ewe. M in . Gloss. , 1 852 . Specia l wo r k let by p r oposa l ,amongst the wo r kmen at a coll ier y , to the lowest offer .
In lead min ing ,
“ M iner s gener al ly take a cer ta in leng th of g r ound,extending e ither twelve , fi fteen , or twen ty fathoms , in wh ich they p r oposeto r ai se or e , for a fixed time , at so much per b ing , according to the
r ichness. qual ity, or hardness of the mine. These ba r ga i ns ar e taken in
par tner ships , consisting of fr om two to eight men .
"— M ackenz ie , Hist. ofNor thumber land, 1 825 , vol . i . , p . 100.
BARGAIN -M E N , men who wor k by the bar gain at specialwo r k , such as stone or coal d r ift ing , r ol leyway making , &c.
BARGE-DAY , or BARGE -THURSDAY . Ascension -D ay,on wh ich the M ayo r andCor por a t ion of N ewca stle , wi th theM a ste r and E lder B r eth r en of the Tr in i ty H ouse , in thei rr espective Sta te ba r ges , r owed over the t ida l l im i t s of ther iver Tyne fr om the Spa r H awk t o H edwin St r eams , w ithinwh ich the Co r por a tion of N ewcastle cla imed r ight to the soilof the r iver . As an annua l custom th i s has been abandoned ,bu t is now ca r r ied out at longer in ter vals wi th l i t tle of the
ancien t pomp andpagean t r y wh ich former ly cha r acter ised i t.Compar e G ANG-W EE K .
0 wou ld the Tyne but cease to flow,
O r , l ike a sma l l bu r n , b ubble
Ther e wou ldnot be a ba rge-day now ;
N or we have al l th is tr ouble ;B ut her e , alas , we sa i l ing r oamAbou t i ts conser vation ,
Insteadof sleeping safe at home0 what a Cor po r ation !
R . G i lchr i st , 1 835 ,A N ew S ong for the Barge-D ay.
Bards of the Tyne, p . 398.
BAR -GUEST . T he B r ag andthe Bar -ghaist ar e both of themlocal “ boggles . S ee G U E S T , G EYE ST , andB RAG .
Barghest. Also bargha ist, guest, ghost, gest, ga ist [per haps adapted fr omGerman ber g
-
geist, moun ta in demon , gnome ; bu t by S cott r efer r ed to
German bahr e, b ier , hea r se , and by other s to German ba r , bea r , withr efer ence to its al leged for m] . A gob lin , fabled to appea r in the shape of
a lar ge dog , wi th var iou s hor r i ble cha r acter istics , and to por tendimminent death or misfor tune.
"— D r . M u r r ay, N ewE ng . D iet.
36 NORTH UM BERLAND W ORD S .
BAR ING , in a quar r y , the super ficial deposi t s or othe r bedstha t ha ve t o be bar ed or r emoved .
- Hugh M i ller , Geology ofOtter bur n andE lsdon.
—Geolog ical S ur vey M emoir , 1887 .
BAR I SH ,scan ty , r a ther bar e . T he cupboar d wis bar ish.
Thor wis a bar ish ma r ket the day.
”H e
’
s bar ish O’ b r ass the1100.
BARK , a cyl ind r ical r eceptacle for candles ; a candle -box . Atfi r st it was on ly a p iece Of bar k nai led up again st the wall .H alliwell
’
s D iet.
BARK , t o ab r ade the skin .
BARK , a badcough .
BARKEN , BAR CL E , to clot , to har den .
“ L et the bloodbar ken on the sa r e ; it saves pla ister s . Gener ally used inconnect ion wi th the coagu lat ion of b lood .
BARKER , a tanner .“ T he Incor por a ted Company of Bar ker s
or Tanner s in N ewcastle.
”
(Obs.)
BAR KH AAM,
a d r aught -hor se’ s collar . S ee BRA ’AM andB R I H AM .
BARLEY , to claim . T he wor d is used in a cur ious sense,a lmost always by ch i ld r en in play . T he expr essions , “ H e
bar leyed tha t sea t ,” “ Aa bur leyed the shul ,
” mean that atsight of the a r t icles one has been fi r st to cr y out ,
“ Bar leyme tha t sea t , or tha t shovel .
”T he fi r st to do so has a r ight
to the u se of the ar t icle named , and it is a poin t of honou ramong lads to acknowledge andgive place to the one so doing.
BARLEY-BAY, BARLEY -FAA
, or BARLEY -FAA -AN’
KING ’S SPEECH , a pa r ley or t r uce ; a tempor a r y su spen
sion of a game. T he wor ds always mean tha t the speakerwi shes the game to stop un t i l some po in t of o r der i s settled .
In the N ew E ng . D ict., bar ley is sa id to be“ per haps a cor r upt ion
of F r ench par lez , Engl i sh par ley . Thi s defin i t ion exactlycor r esponds to the loca l u se of the wor d . To ba r ley a thingi s to speak fi r st for i t. Compar e BAR LEY above .
BARLEY-DUGGAR , a cake made of bar ley meal . Cal leda lso Bar ley
-dick.
BAR M E K IN , or BAR N E K IN . a for tifi ed wa ll about a peeltower or castle.
— H odgson M S .
“ T he ou termost war d of a castle , within wh ich the bar ns , stables ,cowhouses, &c. , wer e placed.
"—Hal liwell ’s D i et.
NO RTH UMBERLAN D WORD S . 37
BARN -S T YE N , the r oof of the pit a t the en t r ance of the
wo r kings .
Wor nose with in the bar n-siyen set."— T . W i lson , F ith ian
’
s Pay , pt. i i .
1 827 , v . 3 1 .
BARRAS , obsolete for m of bar r ace, fr om the OldF r ench bar r as,
f. bar r e ba r , a bar r ier o r outwo r k in fr on t of a for t r ess , the barof a t r i buna l a hind r ance o r obst r uction , the enclosur e with inwh ich kn ightly encoun ter s took place ; the l ists . T he wor din Ba r r as B r idge in Newca st le i s appa r en tly der ived fr om the
l ist s, or bar r as, wher e kn ightly encoun ter s took place outside
the town in open field . Both ancien t spel ling and tha t sur erguide , the folk-speech , p r eser ve to u s the wor d bar r as, not thebar r ows (or gr aves of the leper s) , as a last cen tur y an t iquar yingen iously sur mi sed .
BARRA -S TYE N , the stones of the fi r eplace t o wh ich the ba r sa r e fixed ; the stone sea t in an
“ ingle n euk . Th i s wasfr equen tly a d isused and inver ted cr eein t r ou or
“ bea r
stone .
”
BARRATER , a b r awler . (Obs.)For bar r atter s or disorder ly per sons .
”— P r esentmen ts of Offences
committed in the pa r ish of Gateshead— R d. W elford, H i st. of Newe. and
Gateshead, X VI . Cent. , p . 458 .
BAR R IE D , buried .
Her e a’
wor ba i r ns may chr istendbe ,
W or lads and lasses mar r iedAndwhen at last we dr oop anddee ,
Her e we may a'
be bur n ed.
T. W i lson , O i l ing of D ccky’s Wig , 1826 , v 5 2 .
BARR I ER , a st r ong p i lla r of coa l left be tween two r oya lties ,or between two d ist r icts of wor kings , for secu r ity again stcasual ty arising from wa ter or foul a i r .
BARR I ES , ber r ies .
BARRIN -OOT. S ee N I CHOLAS D AY.
BAR R OVV, in a pit, th e sledge , or t r am , on wh ich cor ves wer eha lled.
”
BARROW-COAT , BAR R ICOAT , an in fan t’ s first unde r d r ess .
38 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
BARROW-M AN , a putter ; one who puts the tubs of coalsfr om the wor king p laces to the cr anes , flat s , or stat ion s ,whence they a r e taken by hor ses a long the main or r ol leyways to the shaft .— Gloss. of Coal T r ade, 1 849 . T he ter mbar r ow-man i s ver y old, for in a lea se of five m ines in the
Manor of Whickham , by B i shop H a tfield , in 1 3 56 ,“cynq
ba r r owemen”
- five ba r r ow-men— a r e men tioned .
Tr ams in a pit wer e former ly wor kedby pu tter s and bar r ow-men , the
latter pu l l ing befor e , andthe former pu tting or th r u sting behind: boys
abou t fi fteen or S ixteen year s o ldar e employed in th is depa r tment of thecol l ier y.
— A Descr iption of Fel l ing Coll i ery pr evious to M ay 25 , 1 8 1 2 , bythe R ev . John Hodgson .
Ther e is another sor t Of labou r er s which ar e cal led Bar r ow-men , or
Coal -Pu tter s , these per sons take the hewedcoal fr om the hewer s as theywor k them , or as fast a s they can , and fi l l ing the cor ves w i th these
wr ough t coals , pu t or pu l l away the fu l l cor ves of coa ls , wh ich a r e set ,
when empty. upon a sledge of wood, and so hal led"al l a long the
bar r ow-way to the pi t shaft by two or th r ee per sons , one befor e andanother behind the cor fe .
" —J C . , Compleat Coll ier , 1 708 , p . 36 .
BARROW -PIG , a cast r ated boar .
BARROW-WAY ,
“an old ter m for t r amway , or iginally fr om
the t ime when the coa ls wer e br ought out fr om the wo r kingsi n ba r r ows . — M in . Gloss. N ewe. Terms, 1 852 .
Cor ves a r e set upon a sledge of wood, and so bal led" al l a long the
bar r ow-way to the pit shaft .
”— J C . , Compleat Col l ier , 1 708 , p . 36 .
BARRY , t o bu r y
A cor p they'
r e gaun to bar ry.
" —T . W i lson , Captains andthe Q uayside,1 843 .
BARRY , to th r ash co r n .
BARTLE -KNOT , the knot nea r est the g r ound in st r aw .
BA-SANG ! M A-SANG ! a common exclama t ion . Ba -sang .
’
bu t he ’
l l get it het noo .
BASEL , to r un in a hu r r ied and labo r ious manner . S ee
BAI S E L .
BASELER , a per son who takes car e of neat ca t t le . - B r ockett.
S ee BAI S E L .
BASH , t o d r ive o r d in t w i th v iolence.
“ Aa bashed me heedaga in the top .
”H i , canny man , ye
’ ve bashed yor hat.
S he bashedthe door i ’ me fyece .
NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S . 39
BASH , a hea vy blow tha t beat s o r smashes in a su r face .— D r .
M u r r ay , N ew E ng . D iet.
BAS L AR D , a long dagger , gener a lly wor n suspended fr om the
gi r d le . H all, H en r y V I .
, folio 101 , men t ion s “a souther ne
byl to conter vayle a n o r ther n baslard,”so tha t per haps in h is
t ime the weapon wa s mor e g ener al ly used in the Nor th of
England .— H a ll iwell
’
s D iet. (Obs.)
BASON -CROP , ha i r of the head cu t st r aight r ound .
Thr ee appr entices , showing themselvesdisobedient andver y obstinate ,
wer e fi r st in open cou r t (wher e a dish is sa id to have been kept , by the
edge of wh ich the ir hai r was cu t r ound) made exemplar y by shor tn inge
thei r hai r .— Books of M er chant Adventur er s ,Newcastle , Decembe r 7 , 1649 .
BASS , the soft r eeds fr om which bass-mats, &c. , a r e made ; a lsothe mat made fr om bass , or fib r e , and the foot -stool cover edwi th bass.
BASSET , to cr op out a s a seam of coal does . U sed a s a nouni t mean s an outcr op .
T he g r eat l imestone“ bassets ou t on the no r th bank o f the Tees and
near Fr oster ley.
”— Geor ge Ta te , Geol of Nor thum. andDu r ham— T r ans.
of the N at. H i st. S oc. of Nor thum. andDur ham,vol . i i new ser ies , p . 1 2 .
T he H igh M a in bassets ou t in the cl iffs between Cu l le r coats andTynemou th .
— M acken z ie , H i st. of N or thu i n 1 825 , vol . i p . 79 .
I ts basset forms , in many instances , the l imi t of cu ltivated landT . S opwi th , On the M ini ng D istr ict, p 4 . Q uotedby Geor ge Tate above .
BASTARD, or BAS T E Y , applied to stone or min er a l s , mean s
impur e or nondescr ipt . Basta rdl imestone ,impu r e l imestone .
A “ bastard sole ”
(o r lemon sole) i s the fish lemon dab ,
P latessa micr ocepha la , F lein .
Basta rd, thr eady whin .
”-Bor ings andS inkings , A B . , p . 8 1 .
‘Bastardwh in is hard post or sandstone ,
bu t not so fl in ty as to be cal led ‘whin .
’
Bastey , g r ey stone.— The same, A .B p . 62 .
BASTARD EAGLE , the osp r ey.
BASTE , to th r a sh soundly. Beyest [N . and S ] , Byest [T .J .
Aa’
ll g ie ye sic a byestin’
a s ye n ivver gat 1’ yor l i fe . To
b r and sheep or ca t t le . S ee B E YS T .
BAS T E L -H OU SE , BASSEL -H OUSE , a for tifiedhouse , suchas i s yet common on the Bo rder . A typ ica l e x ample may be
seen a t Th r opton , n ea r Rothbu r y . T he g r ound floor is a
la rge apa r tmen t wi th vaulted r oof. Ove r th i s a r e the living
40 NORTH UM BERLAND W ORD S .
rooms of the owner . T he wa l ls a r e of gr eat th ickness ,affor ding its i nma tes p r otect ion again st a ma r auding par ty .
T he Peel (or Pele) tower s a r e ca stles on a sma l l sca le .
Towns , tower s , bar nekynes, par yshe chu r ches , bastelt houses bu r ned
and destr oyed 192 . Exploits done upon the S cots.
”— R . W elford, H ist. ofNewe X VI . Cent. , p . 2 19 .
W halton was pr obab ly composed of bastle-houses, simi la r in thei r
constr uction to the Pele tower s , though not so str ong or wel l bu i lt ; and
inhab i ted by the vassals employed in cu l tivating the ou tlying fa rms
R ev . J . E . E ll iot , Tr ans. Bks. Natur alists’ Club, vol . vi p . 235 .
BAST ILE , the wo r khouse.
BAT , a blow A bat o ’ the jaa .
I t ne’
er cou ldbe b r ought to behaviou r ,
Though it has got many a bat.”
T he M idfor dGalloway'
s R amble.
BAT ,mar i ner , sta te , condi tion . At any bat — under
ci r cumstances . “ I f aa divvent gan thi s week aa’
l l gan
next , at any bat.“ Aa
’
s ju st th ’
aad-bat : aa'
sju st th ’
aad-bat;Thor ’
s nowt aboot me ye may fear , lads ;Bu t elwis aa
’
s g lad, whether good time or bad,
Ju st to say— aa
’
s aboot th’
aad-bat.”
S ong , Th’
Aad-bat.
BAT , a mar gin Of land wi th in the t ide mar k of floods or of thespr ing t i des .
“ Var ious fi sher ies on the sou th side of the Tweed between Berwickb r idge andthe sea ar e ca l ledBats , such as ‘Ba i l iff ’
s bat,’ Davie ’
s bat.’
&c.
U pon these fisher ies (and also upon other s not thu s denominated) a r eheaps of stones cal ledbats, upon wh ich the nets a r e dr awn when ther e is
no means of landi ng them in the u sual way (fr om the bank Of the r iverbeing
— R . W eddell , S a lmon F i shing in the R i ver Tweed.
A r chceologza Ai l iana , vol . iv . , quar to ser ies , p . 307 .
BATCH , a smal l lot of mea l for fam ily u se . The hinds , whenpaid i n kind by cor n , &c. ,
t ook these sma l l quan t i t ies tothe m il ler , who made them in to batches. A baking Of b r ead ,or as much as the oven wi ll hold at one baking is ca lled a
batch.
BATE , to aba te in p r ice , to lower in amoun t . “Aa winnabate a penny .
”
BATE -WORK , in a pit, shor t wor k .
BATTABLE , deba teable . A battable g r ound lying betweentwo coun t r ies.” —H odgson ’ s N or thumber land
,i i i . , 2 , p . 342 . S ee
DEBATEABLE -LAND S . Compa r e T H R E Ap - LAN D S .
42 NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S .
BAU GH L IN , rep r oach ing , taun t ing . T he inhabi tan t s of
T yneda le and Redesda le wer e in fo r mer days g iven tobaughling , or r ep r oach ing , an adver sar y— dar ing him to fight .
(Obs .)Baughl ing at the meetings of the S cotch and Eng l ish wardens , as i t
fr equen tly led to b lows , was p r ohib ited u nder the pena lty of a mon th'
s
imp r isonmen t .— S . O l iver , R ambles in Nor thumber land, 1 835 , p . 1 3 8
— note.
Any band, or p r omise , or bauchl ing , that might be made .—Laws 0
the M ar ches.
BAULK . S ee BAAK .
BAWBE R , a salmon poacher .— Berwick.
BAXTER , a baker .
BAY , the imagina r y enclosu r e or place of safety in outdoorgames . Thoo canna catch me , noo aa
’
s i’ the bay.
”
BAZE , to a la rm , to puzzle .—B r ockett. S ee BU MBAZED .
BEADSM AN , one who offer s up pr ayer s fo r the welfar e of
another .— H all iwell’
s D iet. T he Hospi tal of St . M a r yMagdalene at Newcast le p r ovides for “ three poor beadsmen .
A peti tionerYou r poor or ator s andbedemen , the bur gesses with in the commonalty
of Ga teshead.
”— R . W elford, H ist. of Newe X VI . Cent. , 1 526 , p . 94 .
BEAGLE , a beadle .
I t. pd~ for the helmans Cote and the beag le
'
s and the p iper 's cots ,
£ 1 . 1 3s. 10d.— GatesheadChur ch Books, 1 633 .
Pd. to the belman for bu r ieing thejoldbeagell , 4d.— The same, 1 634 .
B l indW i l ly slawly ledthe hand,
As beag le o’the way, man
A staff he car r ied in h is hand,
An’shook his heedse g r ey, man .
Thomas M ar shal l , d. 1 869 , Luckey'
s Dr eam.
BEAK , the nose , the face.
T o the beak o’the secondaw heldupme fist .
— Bob Cr anky'
s Account
of the Ba lloon , 1 8 1 5 .
W e’ll get penny loaves , an
’
dr ink tiv wor beak .— Oldsong , Coll ier
’
s
R ant.
BEAK , to wa r m at the fir e .
BE AK IN -FULL , full to r ep let ion .—B r ockett. S ee BOU KIN .
BEAKS , a pun i shmen t infl icted upon the loser in a game of
ma r bles , by fir ing ”a ma r ble at the knuckles .
NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S . 43
BEAK -STICKS , BAKE -STI CKS , a t r iangula r fr ame of woodor i r on ,
r esembl ing a sma ll ea sel , w i th a p r op a t the back, for
holding gi r d le cakes in fr on t of the fi r e to fini sh the baking ,o r somet imes to wa r m an oldcake .
BEAKY , having a p r om inen t nose.
BEAL , to r oar , to bellow .-B r ockett.
BEAL ,t o suppura te , to ga ther . S ee B E E L D .
BEAM -B IRD , or BE E -B I RD , the spotted flycatcher
M usicapa g r isola , L inn.
BE ANG E R , anyth ing la r ger than o r dina r y of i ts kind .
B r ockett. S ee BANGER .
BEANS , sma ll coals , so-ca lled fr om their S ize. D ufi'
is the
sma llest coa l left after scr een ing ; peas a r e next in S i ze beans
next grade h igher ; then nuts,
—r oondy coa l being the lar gesti n S i ze .
BE -AR , the p r onuncia t ion of bea r .
BEAR , bar ley ; the o r igina l Engli sh name , in la ter t imesr eta ined on ly in the Nor th— hence specia l ly appl ied to the
coa r se var ie ty (H ordeum hexastichon o r tetr astichon) ,— wi th S ix
(or fou r ) r ows of g r a in in i ts ea r , t i ll la tely ch iefly cult i va tedin the N or th ; a lso d istingui shed as bear -ba r ley and bigg .
D r . Mu r r ay , N ew E ng . D iet. S ee B IGG .
BEARDY-LOACH , the loach fi sh , Cobitis ba r batula , L inn.
Called a lso the Tommy Lodger .
”
BEAR ING -DOOR , a ma in door in a pit wh ich for ces the a i r
th r ough an en t i r e di st r ict — Gr eenwell .
BEAR-STONE , a husking t r ough for bear or ba r ley ; ca lleda lso “
cr ee in t r ou .
BEAR-THE -BELL , to be pr e-em inen t .S till Piper Tony bea r s the bell , —7oca-S er ious D iscour se, 1 686 , p 20.
BEAS BE E S S , BE ACE , BEES , beast s . “ Tor n thor beoss,lad.
BEAST IE , d im inut ive of bea st .
44 NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S .
BE AS T L IN S , B E AS T IN S , the fi r st m ilk of a newly-ca l vedcow. F r om th is i s somet imes made a beastlinpuddin, whichis con sider ed a delicacy . Compa r e HEFT , 2 .
BEAT , to feed a fir e wi th fuel . S ee B EET.
BEAT , p . Bet, p.p. Betten ,to excel , to sur pass , t o over come in
con test . Aa’
l l g ie ye the star t an’
beat ye.
”R en for th bet
ivvor ybody.“ Aa wis fa i r betten and deun for .
” To gobeyond ou r comp r ehen sion , t o puzzle .
“ I t beats me wha the
’
s gan te de wid.
”
O f a'
the plagues a poor man meets,Alang l ife
’
s wear y way,Ther e ’
s nyen amang them a'
that beats
A r ainy weshin’
day.
”
T . W i lson , The Washzn’D ay , 1 843 .
H oo aa got up aloft, i t wadbeat me to tel l . — James Hor sley, Geordy’
s
Dr eam.
BEAT , to b r u ise the feet w i th excessive walking . A bet footis a foot br ui sed by wa lking .
Constant hardwor king hor ses ar e subject to beat or founder to thei rfeet or leggs.
—The Compleat Col lier , 1 708. p 34 .
A bet-hand. a hand which , fr om being vesicated or bl ister ed withha rdwor k , has fester ed.
” —Gr eenwell .
BEATER , a tool for bea t ing down stemm ing on a charge of
powder for a blast in a coal pit ; a lso a stone used for br ayingsand .
BE AT M E N T , a measu r e hold ing a qua r te r -peck. I t was
for mer ly in gener a l u se in the d ist r ict , especia l ly in the r eta i lsa le of vegetables and coa l s . T he mea su r e was common lymade of wood staves hooped , wi th a di v i sion so placed tha tat one endup a beatment could be meted and a t the othe rha lf-a -beatment . Another for m of the wor d occur s as
beahment. At H exham the measur e was double the size of the
Newcastle beatment ; hence the p r over b Hexham measu r e ,heaped full , an
’
r unn in ower .
”
Aa’s sti l l sai r beset,
Coals is thr eepence a beatment, andnyen for te get.
E d. Cor van , d. 1 865 , The R ise in Coats.
BEAUM ONT , the name of a seam of cOa l . S ee ENG IN E S EAM .
I t ob ta ins these names fr om the en ter p r i sing gen tlemannamed Beaumon t .
M aster Beaumont , a gentleman of g r eat Ingenu ity and r ar e pa r ts ,adventu r ed into ou r mines wi th h is th i r ty thousand pounds ; who
b r ought wi th him many r ar e eng ines not known then in these par ts .
"
G r ey’
s Chor og r api a , 1 649 .
NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORD S . 45
BEAUM ONTAGUE , BOM ONTAGU , a m ixtu r e of tar andch ina clay , bea ten up ha r d and used in stemm ing acidconden ser s and stone acid tanks and cister n s in chem ica lwor ks .
BE B ,to act as cr oupier in the gambl ing game of “ p itch and
toss .” T he bebber i s one who ga ther s in the penn ies ; gener allythe one who has lost anddoes th i s to ear n something to star tthe “ school ” aga in , shou ld hi s employer win .
BE CAM , became , p.t.
BECK , a sma ll st r eam . Th i s ter m , wh ich is found in Dan i sh andNor wegian sett lemen t s in England , occu r s about sixty-thr eet imes in the coun ty of Du r ham . Thi r ty-eight of these ar e
w i thin the Tees di st r ict . In Nor thumber land it is r ep r esen tedin the sol i ta r y case of the Ri ver Wan sbeck ,
”and in this it
is quest ionable whether the second syllable is beck. In A.D .
1 1 39 i t is ca lled Wenespic andWinispic ; in t ime H en r y I I I .Wanspic ; in H en r y V I . it is Wanspike and Wanspyke ; in1568 , Wanspek ; and in 1 604 it occu r s as Wanspiclce ; in Speed
’ smap of 16 10 i t is Wanspek ; and in 1 63 2 , Waynspecke.
BECK , to nod the head and cluck as a st r utt ing cock doesT he mui r cock he becks in his wi ld mossy hame or a jer k
of the head l ike the act ion of a hor se wi th weak legs .“ I t becks.
”
T he mu i r cock’
s beck cou ld I bu t hea r .
Jas . A rmstr ong , A idCr ag , 1 879 .
BECKER , a wooden d ish— N or thumber land.— Halliwell . S ee
B I CKER .
BECK-NAILS,thin , flat na ils , 2 t o 5} inches long , used for
na i l ing spou t ing for wa ter wheels , &c.
BE CR IKE , by Ch r i st ! a p r ofane exclamation wh ich is oftenhear d as becr ikey t or cr ikey .
’
Od’
s mar cy ! wey, mar r ow , becr ike, it'
s Lord’
S i ze ! ” -J . S hield, M yLord ’
S i ze.— Al lan '
s Collecti on , p . 1 58 .
BE D . Such a one has getten her bed is the un iversal ter mused in speaking of a woman ’s being confined .
BE D, the founda tion of a wa l l or cr ibbing — Gloss. of N ewe. M in.
Terms, 1 852 .
BE D D Y , in soft layer s , appl ied to stone.“ Beddy fr eestone
is thu s d i stingu ished fr om a compact , granula r deposi t .
46 NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S .
BE D E S FOL K , the inhab i tan t s of r el igious houses or a lmshouses , who offer ed up p r ayer s for the r epose of the founder s .S ee B EAD S MAN .
T he hospital of ou r Lady cal ledW est Gate S p ital , with in the townOf Newcastle , was founded, as it is r epor ted, by the inhab itan ts of the
town of Newcastle ,’
for the pu r pose. among other Objects . of keepingsix beadfolks in the almshouse ther e .
’ — R ichardWelfo rd, H ist. of Newe.in X VI . Cent. , p . 235 .
I tem :“ T o the bede-folk at cer ta in times , 5 3 . 1od. ; for twen ty chalder
of coals to the bede-folk , 1 7s . 4d.
” —The same, p . 202 .
BEDFAST , bedr idden .
BE D -GOON , bed-gown , a shor t loose-fitting jacket , wor n bywomen in the hay-fieldor har vest -field.
BE -DR ITTEN . defiledw ith or du r e.— B r ockett.
BEDS , a ch i ld r en ’ s game , gene r a l ly called hitchey-dabber .
BE D S T ICK , a st ick used to st r a ighten the bed-clothes in thebox-beds, wh ich used to be common in the coun t r y .
BEDSTOCK the stock, or st r ong s ide t imber of a bedstead .
An’
i’
the twinklen of an c'
c,
W as fa i r ly ower the bedstock bang in
T . W i lson , Pi tman’
s Pay , 1 827 , pt. i i . , v . 14 .
BE D S T OCKS , a boys’ game. In th is game sides ar e formed ,
andthe lads on one side give chase to those on the other .
When a captur e i s made the pur suer spi t s over the head ofhis p r ey , the capt ive i s put in to a ma r ked-off place , andthecaptu r e r places his foot on a spot about two ya r ds Off. H er e
the capt i ve shouts lust i ly to his side, “r elieve a mar r ow !”
As each is b r ought in , his captur er takes the place of the
lad on gua r d , andone can hold sever a l capt ives . Bu t i f one
of the side tha t is being cha sed can manage to r un th r oughbetween the guar d and his capt ives , the whole of his side a r e
r elieved , andthey r un off . T he game becomes incr ea singlyd iffi cul t to the Side tha t is “ out ” as fu r ther captu r es a r e made ,because the captu r er s leave on ly one of thei r number on gua r d ,andhave thus a con stan t st r ength to pu r sue the d im in i sh ingnumber s of the “ out ” s ide. Th i s is the game known elsewhere as
“ P r i soner ’ s Base .
BE E -BAA , t o lull a sleep .
T he windbee-bawed, aw whish’
dme squee ls ,An yence mai r aw was mu r r y.
”
T . Thompson , d. 1 8 16 , f eminy f oneson’
s Wha r ry.
NORTH U MB ERLAN D W ORD S .
BE E -B I KE , a wild bee’ s nest .
BE E -B IRD , the spot ted flyca tcher , Butal is g r isola , L inn.
BEEL , o r BE E L D , to bui ld .
H e becls his aan boat .— J . P . R obson , Ha r ry C lasper , 1 849.
BE E L D , t o ga ther , to suppur a te . When a Swelling or
ga ther ing occu r s , the pa r t i s sa id to beeld. A bu ilt o r beelt
hand is a swollen hand , and i t is sa id to be hove— tha t is ,r a i sed .
BE E L D , the shelter for ca t tle .“ T he beeld side of a house
or fence , is that opposite to the wind or stor m . Beelds for
sheep , &c. , a r e common on the h igh moor s in N or thumber land .
They a r e ci r cula r or cr oss wa lls of ear th or stone.—H odgson
M S . Compa r e STE LL , SH EEP -S TE LL , SH EAL .
BEELBY , shel ter ed fr om cold . Aa’
ve get t in a beeldy place .
BEELEY , the ch r ist ian name I sabella .
BEER , BE -AR , the p r onunciat ion of bear .
BE E R T H , b i r th .
BEES .
I t is never consider ed lucky to be the sole owner of bees . A mananda woman , not man and W i fe , shou ld be pa r tner s. I f e ither shou lddie , some one shou ld go a t midn ight , tap each h ive th r ee times , anddesi r e the bees to wor k for thei r new master o r mistr ess , as the case maybe .
”— R ev . J . F . B igge , S uper stiti ons at S tamfordham —Tr ans. of TynesideNatur a l i sts
’ Fi eldClub, 1 860-62 , vol . v . . p . 9 1 .
BEES,the second and th ir d per son s s ingu la r of the pr esen t
ten se of the ve r b to be , somet imes hea r d in Nor thumber land.
Wha t bees thoo deein ? " T he sound i s some t imes Sho r tenedto bis H e bis ne use at aall .”
BEESEN , BEEZEN , bl ind— B r ockett.
BE E -SKEP,a beeh ive— made of st r aw .
BE E S T L IN S ,BE E S T IN S . S ee B E AS T L i Ns.
BEET , the b it of a b r id le . T yek the beets, sa id to a hor seunwi lling to adm i t the b i t s in to his mouth .
48 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
BEET , to feed a fi r e wi th fuel . Thi s wor d is most appl icablet o st r aw ,
hea th , fer n ,fur ze , and especial ly to the husk of oa t s
when used for heating the gi r dle s on wh ich oa ten cakes a r e
baked .— H odgson M S .
‘ T o beet a fi r e T he development of this (the ch ief extan t) sense ,
the antiqu ity of wh ich is shown , not mer ely by the fgjr bé ton , bu t byi ts existence in the other Teu ton ic languages (compar e Du tch vuu r boeten ,
L ow German fu r boten , etc is somewhat obscu r e , fr om the fact that in the
ear l iest instances i t appear s to mean , not‘to mend a fir e,
’
bu t as in
moder n Du tch ,
‘ to make, kindle, put on a fi r e .
’ Per haps this is to be
explainedby the pr imi tive condi tions (wh ich p r eva i led mor e o r less t i l l
the days of phosphor u s matches) , according to which fi r e was not
gener atedanew each time i t was r equ i r ed, bu t was u sual ly pr opagatedbya
‘
glede’ fr om an ex isting fi r e , often car r ied and kept a l ive for days
(compar e Genesis xxi i . , wh ich was su r r ounded wi th combu stib les ,and ‘ beeted
’
into a blaze , when a fi r e was r equ ir ed.—D r . M u r r ay, N ew
E ng . D iet.
BEET-H AMMER , a ma son ’ s hammer , having a flat face at
one end anda po in t a t the other .
BEETLE ,B ITTLE , an in st r umen t used for bea ting in the
wa sh ing of clothes ; a pota to ma sher . S ee BATTLE .
BEET-NEED , a resource in extrem i ty. “We’
l l not have tou se it except as a beet-need.
”
BE FAA , befa l .
BEGGAR , a ter m of address t o a fam il iar . Where ’ s theli ttle beggar gan t e
T he S kipper saw ’
dfi r st , andhe gov a g r eet shou t ,How , beggar , man , D ick , her e
’
s a g r u nstone afloat.W . Armstr ong . d. 1 883 -4 , F loatin
’
Gr unstan .
BE GOCK , BE GOX , an exclama t ion mean ing by Gox , or byGod. T he wor d in other combinat ion s is hear d a s Cocks .S ee EXC LAMAT ION S .
Cock, a vu lgar cor r uption , or pu r poseddisgu ise of the name of God,
in favou r of p iou s ear s , wh ich in ea r ly times wer e not yet u sed to thepr ofanation of it. Hence by each, by each andpie , andsuch softenedoaths .
W e findalso cock’
spassion , coek’
s body , andother al lu sions to the S aviou r ,or his body, as supposed to ex ist in the Host ; andwhen t t bel ief wasdiscarded, the exp r ession sti l l r ema ined in u se .
‘ By coc e they a r e to
b lame .— Hamlet, iv . 5 .
‘ By cock andpye.
' J ustice S hal low'
s famou soath , adds the pie, or sacr ed book of offi ces, to the former name.
”
Nar e’
s Gloss.
Whei claver s hiv the chimlay r eek
Began , it'
s al l a homey.
”
J . Thompson , (1. 1816 , j immy joneson’
s Whar ry .
50 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
BELLY , to bulge outward .
BELLYBAND , a gir th to secu r e a car t saddle .
BE L L YF L APPE R , a blow on the stomach given by fal lingflat on the wa te r in d iving .
BELLY -F LAU T S , the fa sh ion of moun ting a bar e-backedhor se.
“ H e gat on belly-floats.
BELLYFULL, a common ter m for a r epletion of anyth ing.
“ Ye ’
ll get a bellyfull on him afore he ’
s deun taakin ’
, noo.
Her e an awdwi fe on a stu i l ,And ther e an awdman on a cha i r ,
E njoyin’
a l l a bel lyfu l lOf laugh in
’
, at ma stor ies r ar e .
T . W i lson ,Pi tman'
s Pay , 1 829 , pt. i i i . , v . 102 .
BELLY -R IM , the lowe r par t of the abdomen , wher e the basinof the pel v i s i s su r r ounded at i ts “
r im,
” wi th the sackcon ta in ing the bowels . H e
’
s b r ust his belly-r im.
T he r im of the belly is said to be br oken when i ts muscles ar e
lacer ated or v iolen tly spr a ined. R im means the ci r cumfer ence of anyr oundth ing .
— Hodgson M S .
BELLY - STEND , a st ick used by butcher s to keep open the
belly when they ar e taking the in side out of an an ima l .
BELLY-TIM M ER , food .
S cott pu ts this word into the mou th of a distingu ished euphu ist.Hall iwel l 's D iet
Th is was the kind0’
belly-timmer ,
For myekin pi tmen str ang and tu i ff .
T . W i lson , Pitman’
s Pay , pt. i i i v . 3 .
BELLY -WARK , the belly-ache , the chol ic.
BELT , bu ilt , p.p. S ee B ELDE .
BE L YVE, speedily , soon , in a shor t t ime — H odgson M S .
T o make them all mer r y belyve.
S ong , The Har e S kin .
Aboot the bush , W i l ly, aboot the beehiveAboot the bush
,W i lly, I
’
l l meet thee belyve.S ong , Aboot the Bush ,
Wi l ly.
BE N in , in to. “ Come ben the hoose. S ee B U T -AN -BE N .
W hen door s standOpen dogs come ben .—} oco-S er ious D iscour se,
NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S . 5 1
BEND -AWAY or BEND -U P , a s ignal in a pit, given to r a iseup , or set away. “ Bend-of ! — l ift gen t ly .
Bend. to str a in , b r ace , tighten , wind up, b r ing into tension (l ike astr ung bow or wound up har quebu s) . - D r . M u r r ay, Bend, v . 3 , N ewE ng . D i et.
Bend-up,
'
or‘Bend-up a bit! an order g iven by the per son in char ge
to r a ise the ca ge slowly, so that i t may be instantly stoppedon the orderHold! being given .
”— G r eenwel l .
BEND -LEATH ER , the leather of a“ bend , that i s , the
th ickest and stoutest kind of lea ther (fr om the back and
flanks) , used for soles of boots and shoes ; sole lea ther .
D r . M ur r ay , N ew E ng . D iet. Bendy-leather app lied to ice in a
half-thawed cond i tion . In tha t s ta te i t is elast ic andwill beara con sider able we ight wi thout b r eaking- in . Ch ild r en r un or
sl ide over it r epea t ing the fol lowing dogger el couplet :Bendy-leather
’
s goodto beer ,Tyek a hear t an
'
n ivver fear .
”
BENNEL a long r eedy g r a ss (A r undo phr agmi tis, L .)gr owing in stagnan t r iver s o r bur n s . “ G r een as a bennel .
”
Bennels wer e layer s of th i s r eed woven together and st r etchedbelow the r afte r s of cot tages to ser ve as a cei l ing .
BEN SE , a cow sta ll .
BENSEL , to bang or bea t .— R ay’
s Gloss.
BENT,a coa r se kind of gr ass , usua lly gr owing on wet land , or
on san d h i lls upon the sea sho r e ; hence “ theBents,”a name for
gr a ssy sand dunes . Under the gener ic name of Bent we ha veBent-gr ass , Ag r ostis vulgar is ; the Bent, Ammophila ar undinacea .
T he Car eer ar enar ia of the coa st is ca lled S ea-bent. j uncussquar r osus is ca l led Rose -bent and Stool -bent, and the la r getough pa tches for med by i t a r e ca lled Benty
-knots . T he
M olinia ccer ulea is ca lled B r oad -bent and Flying-bent. N ardus
str icta is ca l led Wi r e -bent andB lack-bent.
L ay the bent to the bonny b r oom.— Oldsong .
T he Bent ' is used for ‘a place cover ed with g r ass , as opposed to
a wood a bar e field, a g r assy pla in , unenclosedpastur e - land, a heath .
D r . M ur r ay, N ew E ng . Diet.
Bomen bickar te uppone the bent
W i th ther br owda r ar s clear e.
”
Yet bydys the Yer le D oglas uppon the bent.
Chevy Chase, 1 500.
Half the island— Lindisfar ne— is now u nder cu ltivation ; the r est iscover edwith sand— thr ough which the long , thick , wi r y bent shoots uplu xu r iantly.
— R ev . Pr ovost Consitt , L ife of S t. Cu thber t, 1 887 , p . 50,
52 NORTH UMB ERLAND WORD S .
BE O , a not uncommon p r onuncia t ion of be or bee in
Nor thumber land .“Aa
’
l l beo ther e the mor n .
BERRY , to th r esh by fla i l . “ H e’
s been ber ryin’
aa the day.
T he e has the old sound of a —and the wo r d is Spoken Bar ry.
S ee BARRY .
Hence ber r ier , or thr esher , and the ber rying-stead, the thr eshing
floor .
”-R ay
’
s Gloss.
BERRY-BROWN , nu t-b r own a le .
H adI bu t kenn’
daw , when I was in the town ,
I'
adspent t ’other g r oat on the b r isk ber ry-br own.
yaw-S er ious D i scour se, 1686 , p . 3 .
T he town her e r efer r ed to is Newcastle , wh ich was at one
time so famous for its nu t-br own beer as to in spi r e the poetCunn i ngham to wr i te ver ses in i ts pr aise.
BE R T H Y, rich , fruitful appl ied to land .
BERWICK SAUCE , the wa ter in wh ich a salmon has beenboiled , ser ved up wi th the fish as sauce . S ee DOVER .
BESEEK , to beseech .
BESSY , a char acter taken by one in a company of swor ddancer s at Ch r istma s . One of the men is absu r dly d r essedup in women ’ s clothes , andcar ries r ound the hat wh ilst theper formance pr oceeds .
W or M al l cam heym the t’
other neet
D r es 't l ike a Bessie — sic a seet.”
J . P . R obson , d. 1 870, War M ally Tur nedBloomer .
BESTED , over come in a st r uggle . We do not say tha t a man
has been “ wor sted , bu t “ bested or we say“ he bested
his mar r ow at the job .
” Jack bestedTom .
” Tom was bestedbyJack.
BE T , bea ten , surpa ssed .
Bet by nyen .
”— T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay , pt . i i i . , v . 1 23 .
H is mar r ow declar ’dhe was bet.”— S ong , The M asquer ade.
Ther e ’
s native bards in yon town ,
For wit andhumou r S eldom bet.
W . W atson ,Thumping Luck.
Bards of the Tyne, 1849 , p . 1 1 1 .
BE T , b r ui sed by heavy wa lking .
“ H e canna gan se fast ; hehes a bet foot .”
BETTER-END , a maj or i ty. “ The better -end o ’ Cat ton canna
get thor b r ikfasts t i l l the hen s lays . Th i s is a joke at the
expense of the good folks of Ca t ton .
NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S . 53
BE T T E R M E R , super ior , bet ter . Aa seed him last neet , anthowt he leuk ’
d iv a bettermer way.
T he shape an a i r 0'
yen
O’
r a ither bettermer condi tion .
"
T . W i lson , Pi tman ’s Pay , 1 829 , pt . i i i v . 4
BETTERM OST , super la t i ve for m of the abo ve . Aa th inkye ’ve gotten the bettermost yen .
”
BETTERNESS,super ior , em inen t .
A better ness kindof body.— B r ochett.
BETWATTLED , confounded , over power ed , stupefied,infa tua ted— B r ockett.
BEVEL , a slan t , a l pe , not stra ight as a bevel -eye , an eye
wi th a ca st o r slan ting look .
BE YE N [S ] BYEN a bone .
Aw toi l maw hyens.— T . W i lson , P i tman
'
s Pay , 1826 , ed. 1872 ,p . I O .
BE YE T H BYE T H [T .J both .
BE YS T , BE -UST , a br anding i r on . S ee BYE S T .
BE YS T , to mar k ca t tle or Sheep .
BEYUK BYUK a book. Th is is gener a lly spel tbuilc.
BE YU L ,BYU L , BOOL , a bowl , a smooth spher ical stone
used in bowl ing .
BE YU N [S .] BYUN [T .J above. beyond . Abb r eviated formof abeyun or aboon. It
’
s byun ten’ea r sin he left .”
BE YU T , to boot ; anything given in addi t ion to make up theva lue in a case of ba r te r . F o r in stance , in ba r ter ing ho r ses ,the man wi th the in fer ior one wi ll say,
“ Aa’
l l g ie ye five pund
te beyat.” Tha t is , he get s the hor se he wishes to pu r cha se
bygiving his own in exchange , andfive pounds added (tebeyut) .T he wor d i s sounded as beyut in S . Nor thumber land , andas
byut in Tyneside. In tenancy , the added r ight to take hay,
fi r ing , etc. , fr om the wa ste.
1 530, Augu st 4 , W ar kwor th Castle .— Letter s patent of Hen r y, Ea r l
of Nor thumber land, to Ca rmel ite Fr i ar s at H u lne , g i ving manse ther e
W i th 20 mar ks annual ly, with the fisher y ,
‘andhou sebote ,
haybo te , fi r e
bote ,’
&c — Pr oceedi ngs of Newcastle S oci ety of Antiqna r zes , vo l i i i . , p 1 84 .
54. NORTH U MBERLAN D WORD S .
BE YU T (be-yut) [S .] BYUT [T .J a boot .L u ik
'
damang the butts andshoes .
S ong , The Pi tman '
s R amble.
B I , by. The i is p r onounced ver y shor t , a s in bit. B i is usedbefor e a con sonan t , as ,
“ B i th is and bi tha t . When a
vowel fol lows , Biv is used , as , “ I t wis deun hiv a chep i ’
Gyetside.
”O r occa sional ly the euphon ious B in occu r s befor e
a vowel , as in the sen tence , To be bet bin a bit tape-wor miv a chep .
”
B I H I S SEL , d i st r acted , luna t ic. T he man ’s fa i r ly bi hissel .
”Past his sel i s the commoner for m .
B IBBER , to t r emble to shake . S ee B i VVE R .
B ICKER ,
“a small wooden d ish , or vessel , made of staves and
hoops l ike a tub .
”— H odgson M S . A tumbler gla ss . Th iswor d seems to be the Nor ther n name for beaker . Compa r eBOW I E .
Ou r fr iendBowr ie is sti l l able to bend a bicker . Long may he l ive toteem a cog .
”— D r . Char lton , No r th T ynedale .
S cotch form of beaker . Former ly, a dr inking cup of any mater ia lin moder n S cotch appl ied also to vessels made of wooden staves forholding por r idge. &c.
”— D r . M u r r ay, N ew E ng . D iet.
B I CKER , to ski rm i sh , exchange blows to fight .S a id especial ly of a r cher s and sl inger s befor e the battle was
joined.—D r . M u r r ay, N ew E ng . Dict.
Bomen bickar te uppone the bent."— Chevy Chase.
At ever y such bicker ing some of them S pent their l ives , yet by such
mean ing , l ike p r etty men , they defended thei r countr y.
”— B i shop R idleyto L a ti nier , 1 555 .
B ICK - IRON , a l ight anvi l (or iginally a two -hor ned anvi lbicor nia) , cor r upt ion fr om bicker n a l ter ed fi r st in for m , and
then in sense , by popula r etymology .
”- D r . Mu r r ay , N ew
E ng . D iet.
BID , B IDDEN , p. i . andp.p. of bide, to s tay , to r ema in , toab ide . H e hadbidden ower lang i ’ the wa t ter when he wasoot fishin . S ee B IDE .
BI D , to in v i te , t o command . T he peculia r usage of th is wo r dis tha t it is on ly descr ipti ve of an in v i ta t ion to wh ich ther e isno r efusa l . Such cer emon ies as a wedd ing or a funer a l wer eboth of them fest ival s which adm i t ted of no excuse . H ence
the command wh ich the wor d con veys . “Aa’
s bid tiv aad
An ty’
s fune r a l the mo r n (p.t. bad, p.p. boden) . H e was
boden ti gan .
”
NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S . 55
B I D , BEDE , to p r ay . H ence a bedes man , one tha t p r ayS fo rother s ; and those l it tle globules wi th wh ich they numberthei r p r ayer s a r e ca lled bedes.
— R ay .
B IDDABLE , obed ien t . I t is a l ike applied in descr ibing an
obed ien t ch i ld , o r ho r se , or dog .
“ I t ’s tha t biddable, leuk ye ,ye can de owt wi ’d.
B IDDERS , the fr iends who wen t r ound to in v i te thei r n eighbou r s to a funer a l . T he custom is now near ly d i sused .
T he fr iends of the deceased, as wel l as the ne ighbou r s , a r e gener a l lyinvi ted to the funer al by bidder sdr essedin b lack silk scar fs .
’ — M acken z ie ,
H ist. of N or thumbq 1 825 , vol . 1. p 206
B IDDY , a louse .
B IDDY , B r idget ; hence an I r ishwoman , fr om the commonI r ish Ch r istian n ame of B r idget .
B IDE , t o endu r e , to stand , to abide , to wa i t . “Aa canna bide
yon chep “ I t ’ l l not bide handl in .
” “ I t ’ ll bide wor t ime ,onyway Bide a bit.
”In past tense , bid.
“W e bida t
hyem . P a st par t . , bidden.
“ H e’
s bidden lang . Bedden is
sometimes hea r d .
“ Ye should ha ’bedden t i ll aa cam .
S ubstantials that wad bide some cu ttin .
"— T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay ,
1 829 , pt . i i i . , v . 108 .
B IELD , a shel ter , tha t is , a place bui lded . S ee B E E L D , 2
B IG , BYG , to bui ld . S ee B i GG i N .
BIG , impo r tan t , swollen wi th pride , ela ted ; as big bug , a
con sequen t ia l pe r son . In the P r icke of Conscience occu r s thepa ssage
N ow er we bigg , now er we bar e ,N ow er we hale , now seke and sar e .
B IGG , ba r ley . S ee B EAR .M or e pa r ticu lar ly that va r iety which has four r ows o f g r a in on each
ear .— Hodgson M ST he fou r - r owed ba r ley , an in fer ior bu t hardier va r iety of the s ix
r owedo r win ter bar ley (Hordeum hexastichon) , of r apidg r owth , andsu i tedto infer ior soi ls and mor e nor ther n latitudes . (Ba r ley is gener ic ; bea r
includes the S i x-r owed and fou r -r owedkinds bigg , the fou r -r owedon ly.
Bu t bea r inter changes in loca l use , now wi th ba r ley, now w i th bigg )D r . M u r r ay, N ewE ng D iet.
Good B ig-malt i s to be S old, a t 2 5 6d per Bu shel l , by R ohei t
S or sb ie , Nowo &c.
”— Advt . in Newcastle Cour ant, Aug 29th , 1 7 1 3 .
T he wo rd su r vives in the str eet name of Bigg M a r ket , in Newcastle ,wh ich is ancien tly cal led ‘
the Ber ema r ket. ’ —R . Welford, fi rst of N ewe.,
X VI . Cent. , p . 2 1 1 .
56 NORTH U MBERLAN D WORD S .
B IGGEN , to r ecover a fter lying in .
I wish you a good bigen i'
ng , that i s , a good getting up again after
lying in .— R ay
'
s Gloss.
B IGG IN , a bui lding . Newbigg in is a common place -name inNor thumber land . B igg in in a pit is a bui lt -up pi llar of stone ,&c.
, for suppor t to a r oof. “Bigg in the gob” mean s bu ild ing
a pack in a wor ked -out place in a pit.“ L ay h im ahint the bigg i n .
— S u r tees , Bal ladof F eather stonehaugh .
B IKE , a bee’s nest . S ee BYKE .
B ILDER , a lar ge wooden mallet , wi th a long hand le , used inhusband r y for b r eaking clods . —B r ockett.
BIL D E R T , a ter m of con tempt .Ye l ittle bi lder t.
"— B r ockett.
B ILE , a boi l .I t i s found in the ear ly edi tions of S hakspear e , and in most ear ly
“Ti ter s.-Hall iwell 's D i et.
B ILL , a la r ge headless na i l u sed for boot heels . Compa r eS PAR B I LL .
B ILL , to keep accoun t .Then comes the car e
T o find that al l is r ightly bi ll’
d
Thos . W i lson . Pi tman ’
s Pay . 1 826 , ed. 1 872 , p . 3 .
B ILL , the pi t pay- sheet .
E ight or a dozen men’
s ear n ings ar epu t in to one bi ll , as they call i tThos. W i lson , note tofor egoing .
B ILL -DAY , the day on wh ich the viewer examines the col l ier yaccoun t .
B ILLET-HEAD,a clea t by which a keel is moor ed when
lying st ill in the r iver .
B ILL I E , B ILLY ,fellow , compan ion , com r ade , mate .
“ Ah ,
ye si lly bil ly ,
”is a ver y common ph r a se . S ee B ULLY .
_
I t has been compar ed wi th Bul ly and German buhle, bu t to l i ttlepu r pose.
— D r . M u r r ay, N ew E ng . D i et.
" And now, dear B i lly , this is r ight .
” B i lly, b r other ,
”in mar g in .)
joco-S er ious D iscour se, Newcastle , 1 686 , p . 62 .
You r son '
s a lad, andhe’
s bu t bad,
Andbi l l i e to my son he canna be .
The Bewick andtheG r aeme, 1 750.
Now , Jock , my bi'
l l ie, quo’
a l l the thr ee ,
T he day is comedthou was to dee .
"
70ck o'
the Syde.
58 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
B I RD ’S -EYES , the germander speedwell , Ver onica cli anzaea’
rys.
B i rd’
s-eye is a lso one of the names of the Ger anium R ober tianum,
the Her b Rober t , or“ Fox ,
”or
“ W i ld -ger an ium , as it i s
sometimes ca lled .
B I RK , BR I CK , the bi r ch t r ee ; B I RKEN , bi r ch . Bi r k-bu zzomi s a bi r ch besom .
“ They made a b ier of the bar ken boughs .
”— R . S u r tees , B ar t/zr am’
s
D i rge.
T he bzr k tr ee g r ows aboon h is g r ave .— The same.
“ They hu ntedhigh , they hun tedlow ,
By heather y h i l l andbi r ken shaw .
"
The Death of Pa r cy R eed
B I RKIE , a b r i sk, active , ener getic per son : not a ter m of
opp r ob r ium .
B IRL , B IR -REL , to make a noi se , l ike the r apid tu r n ing of a
wheel . Pr obably fr om the sound— B r ockett. H ar l has the
same mean ing , and the two wor ds p r obab ly g i ve the
r ep r esen ta t ive sound of bur ly-bur ly , or in Nor thumber land
hor ley’ bor ley .
B I RR , to em i t a wh i r r ing no ise ; to move r apidly wi th such a
noi se — D r . M ur r ay , N ew E ng . D iet.
B I RSE , a b r i stle or st r ong ha i r twi sted on to the wax th r eadused in sewing lea ther . A th r ee-cor ne r ed ch isel for squa r ingout mor t ice holes . “ To set up thei r bi r ses ”
i s to a ssume a
host i le a t t i tude.
BIR S E L ,to cr ackle in cooking . S ee B R I Z Z L E .
“Well bir selled,well d r ied by the sun or scor ched by fi r e .
B I SH EL , a bushel .
B ISH OP , to bu r n food in cooking by allowing it to adher e tothe pan .
W hen a dumpl ing ,hasty
—pudding , potatoes , &c have sitten on to the
bottom of the pan in wh ich they a r e boi led, they ar e sa id to be bi s/topped,
a punn ing tr anslation of the wo rdconfirmatus. A per son who i s now sa id
to be confirmed, in the ecclesiastica l mean ing of the word, was in former
times sa id to be bi s/topped; in Latin , confirmatus , wh ich is a lso expr essi veof a dumpl i ng
’
s adher i ng to the bottom of a — S . O l iver , R amblesin Nor thumber land. 1 835 , p . 1 3 1— note.
B ishop, 5th , T o let m i lk , &c bu r n wh i le cooking . In al lusion to the
pr ove r b ,
‘ T he b ishop has pu t h is foot in to i t.’
1 536 ,‘Ti nda le Wor ks ,
’
166 (T) . I t the por age be bu r ned to , or the mea te over r osted, we saythe bishop hath pu t his foote in the potte , or the b ishop hath played the
cooke. because the b ishops bu r n who they lust andwhosoever displeaseth—D r . M u r r ay, N ew E ng . D iet.
NORTH UMBER LAND W ORDS . 59
B I SH OP . In making glue i t is pou r ed in to trays to cool,then
la id on a table , wher e it is cu t wi th an inst r umen t , not un l ikea bow ,
having a b r a ss wi r e as i ts st r ing , in to th r ee p ieces .W hen the women by m istake cu t on ly two , tha t wh ich isdouble the size is ca l led a bishop, and doomed to be mel tedo ver aga in — Impar tial H ist. of N ewe. , 1801 .
B I SON . S ee B IZEN .
BIT . 1 . Sma l l lov ingly used for d im inut i ve or homely things .An i nnocen t bit lass . Aa didwha t bit thing na cou ld for
him.
”Aa wadden t he ’ m inded , bu t , .ye see, aa had me bit
bet ter things on .
S he cloots the bits 0'
bai r ns aboot. —T . W i lson , The Weshin D ay ,
1 843 .
Aa gat the bits 0’
ba i r ns to bed.
”— T . W i lson , M ar ket D ay , 1 854 .
S he tel ls me al l her bits 0’
news .-Pi tman '
s Pay , 1 826 , p . 14 .
2 . Shor t . A bit twine .
Yen neet he ga t a bi t waak tiv h issel— Geordy
'
s Last, 1 878 ,p . 9.
S et th ine hand to this bi t wr i ting .—7 oco-S er ious D iscour se, Newcastle
1 686 , p . 62 .
3 . A shor t t ime .S es aa , hadon a bi t. —H l $ Other E ye, 1 880, p . 2 .
B IT AN’
BRAT , food andclothing .
M aw canny bai r ns lu ik pale andwan ,
Thei r bi ts andbr ats ar e var r y scant .
”
T . W i lson , Pitman’
s Pay , 1 826 , ed. 1 872 , p . 1 1 .
B ITCH ,to spoi l a p iece of wor k . Ye've bitched the byel job .
O r , as a substan t ive , Ye’ ve myeda bitch on
’
t.”
B ITCH ,BECH E , an inst r umen t made of i r on , and having
some r esemblance to the ext inguisher of a candle , used forext r act ing bor e-r ods when they br eak.
B ITCH -AND -PUPS , a mason’ s hammer used for scabbl ing
stones , havmg one ch isel in ser ted at each endof i ts face.
B ITCH -NAIL , a hold ing -down na i l for t r am -pla tes , &c. ,
having the poin t faced in the same l ine a s the head , as
d ist ingu ished fr om a dog-nai l , or dog , wh ich has a chi sel
poin t faced at r ight angles to the hook-shaped head .
B ITTERSWEET ,the woody n ightshade , S olanum dulcamar a ;
called a lso Pnzzen Ba r ry.
60 N ORTH UM BE RLAN D WORD S .
B ITTLE ,to maul , to beetle. Aa feel as i f aa
’
d been bittled
aa ower . Sa id on feeling st iff and sor e a ll over , as if thesensa t ion wer e tha t of ha ving been bea ten wi th a stick .
Singles , or handfu ls of co r n ga ther ed by g leaner s , ar e car r iedhome and after war ds bittled. S ee BATTLE .
B ITTLE , a beetle , or wooden beater for bea ting flax or l inen
clothes . “ AS b l ind as a bittle, a ver y common exp r ession .
S ee BEETLE .
B ITTOCK a li t t le bit.
This endwas ju st twa inches o '
r e ,
Andthat was sax andbittock mor e
G . S tuar t , 7oco-S er zous D i scour se, N ewcastle , 1686 , p 60.
B IV , by. I t is used befor e a vowel on ly , or befor e a si len taspi r a te , as Bet biv a m i le.
”H e ken
’d him biv his (biv ees)hat .
”H e steud bi the hor se andheld him bi the heed , and
he saa hi s fyece bio a lamp .
”S ee B 1 andB IN .
B IVVE R , to tremble , to vib r a te , to quake w ith fea r . I t ’ s aaiv a bivver . D other has the same mean ing .
“ H e wis aa l iv
a dother .
”Gann in dother in aboot .” A dother in feyul . S ee
B I BBER .B 1v15 , ver b , obsolete— to shake , tr emble.
—D r . M ur r ay,N ewE ng D iet.
B IZEN , B I SON , BYSEN , a Show , a spectacle of d isgr ace .
A holy bizen . A ver y consp icuous th ing , or an over d r essedper son . She ’s that dressed , she
’ s a fa i r bizen.
”
Andwas I not a ver y wise one
T o gang andmake my-sel’
a by-zOn 9
’
G . S tuar t , 7 oco-S er ious D iscour se, Newcastle ,1686 .
T hewr iter appends a note , Q uer y By song— a thing to bewonder edat .
A common menace they (the S andgate women) u se to each other is :
I’
l l make a holy byson ofyou .— Br and, Pop. Antiqu i ties, 1 77 7 , p . 1 85 , note.
T he r eck’
n ing , my sou l ! was a bi zan !”— T . Thompson , d. 1 8 16 , Canny
Newcastle.
Bu t tha t’
s not a , for M r . SmithTel l ’dme the candles a
’
wer e r isin
Dear me ,
‘
ses aw , S ir , what’
s that with
I t’
s by ma tr u ly qu ite a byson .
’
I t is the plaguey war , I fea r .
’
Bl i ss me ,
’
ses aw, that'
s var r y queer ,D e they fight now wi
’
candle - leet
T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay , 1 829 , pt .
A bison sight , on M onday n i ght ,T he wor st that er e you saw.
Town Cler k’
s S afety Va lve.
Ba rds o the Tyne, 1 849 , p . 503 .
NORTH U M B E R LAN D W ORD S . 6 1
B IZZ ,to buzz ; to fuss about , or go w ith a d i stu r b ing noi se .
Gann in bizzin aboot .” What ’ s the feyul bizzin aboot ther efor
B IZ Z E R , a ci r cular piece of metal fr om two to th r ee inchesd iameter , n otched r ound the edge , w i th two holes nea r thecen t r e . A double cor d is pa ssed th r ough them , and the
a lter na te twi s t ing and un twi sting when pul led causes a
buzzing noise . Thi s toy is usua lly made of a piece of
t inplate.
BLAA , b r eath . Get yor blaa , to take you r r est for an in ter valdur ing ha r d exer tion .
BLAA ,to blow .
“ I t ’s eneu f t o blaa ye off yor feet .”
H e blaa'
el
the leet oot .” “ T he W ind ’ s blaan ’
cl off.”
BLAA-M AA-L U G , a fleechin , noi sy fel low .
BLAAN -MEAT , mea t in which a“ blow -fly has deposi ted its
eggs .
BLAAN -M ILK , skimmed m ilk , tha t i s, m ilk fr om wh ich thecr eam has been taken , o r blown off.
BLAA-OOT, a d r inking bout . A man d r ank two quar t s of
beer at a publ ic-house , and, on r et i r ing , Obser ved to the
landlor d,
“ Tha t ’s good beer , mistor ; when aa come back ,
aa’
l l hev a r eg ’
la r blaa -oot.”
T he upshot was a gaudy-day,
A g r andblaw-oot w1
’ G r u ndy'
s yel l
Thomas W i lson , Pi tman’
s Pay , 1 829 , pt. i i i v . 96 .
BLAB , to talk loosely , to blaze ab r oad .
Hout , hinny, baudth’ blabbing jaw.
Pi tman '
s Pay,1 826 , pt . i . , v . 70.
BLABBER , same as B LAB ; not to be confounded wi thblubbe r ,
”bu t often used as BLETH ER , wh ich see H e
’
l l
blabber an taak aal l neet , if ye’
l l oney lissen tiv him.
BLABBER , t o cr y , t o blubber
BLACK in m in ing , any dar k colour ed st r atum — not
necessa r i ly black , as“ B lack Bandstone .
”
BLACK-A-V I S’
D , da r k in complexion ,black vi saged .
62 NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S .
BLACK -BOW -W OW E R S , BLACK -BOW -WOW -ORTS,
BLACK-BERR I ES , b r ambleber r ies— the fr ui t of the R nbns
fr ucticosns. S ee B UMMEL -K ITE .
BLACK BUNTING , the r eed bun t ing , Cinchr amns schceniclns,
L inn.
BLACK -CAP S , the field wood r ush , a nla campestr is ; ca lleda lso Peeseweej) Gr ass andCnchoo Gr ass.
BLACK COCK , the black gr ouse . S ee B ROW N H E N o r
B LACK GAM E .
BLACK COLE HEAD ,the cole t i tmouse , Pa r ns ater ; ca l led
al so Cole H eadandCole T it.
BLACK -DAM P , stythe , ca r bon ic acid gas.
BLACK -DIAM ONDS , coa ls .T he bonny black
-di amonds gaun down i’
the keels ,TO warm a
’
the sta r vedbodies i ' L unnen .
”
T . W i lson , S tanzas on a Li ne of I ntendedR oad,1 825 .
BLACK D IVER , BLACK DUCK , the scoter , Oidenzia nig r a .
BLACKEY , a blackamoor .
An’
to S how them we deal wi’
N ewcassel ,Twee B lackeys sal mense the dor cheek.
”
W . M idford’
s Col lection , Pi tman ’
s Cour tship, 1 8 1 8 .
BLACKEY , the blackbi r d , a dns mer ula .
BLACK-FASTING , r igid , sever e fast ing - B r ockett.
BLACK-GOB , a ter m of con tempt .In the books Of the B r icklayer s
’ Company of Newcastle , an entr y of
ju ly 29 , 1 8 1 2 , r eads Thomas Hewson compla ins agai nst josephGal loway for calling him B lack Gob.
T he r efer ence may be to on e wea r ing a moustache . Bea r dsandmoustaches wer e , befor e the yea r 1 85 1 , looked upon W i thgr eat con tempt .
BLACK GOOSE , the b r en t goose , Ber nicia br enta ; calleda lso War e Goose.
BLACK -HEADED LADD IES , the bul r ush , Typha latifol ia .
BLACK-JACK , the colesay ; often called R och S almon byfisher men .
NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S . 63
BLACK-JACK , blende , or sulphur et of z inc.
BLACK -M AIL , a t r ibute for mer ly exacted fr om far mer s andsmall owner s in the Bor der Coun ties of England andScot land , and a long the H ighland bo r der
, by fr eeboot ingch iefs , in r etu r n for p r otect ion or immun i ty fr om plunder .
[F r om mai l , r en t , t r ibute .] — D r . M u r r ay , N ew E ng . D iet.
B lack-ma i l , i t i s said , was le v ied in Rothbur y andRedesda le ,
in Nor thumber land , as la te as 1 720. Compa r e SAU R EYMON EY .
BLACK -M ARTIN, the swi ft , Cypselus apus ; ca lled a lso the
S cr eamer .
BLACK MONDAY , the fi r s t day of going to school after thevaca t ion ; S O denom in a ted , no doub t , fr om the Black IVIondayr ecor ded in ou r h isto r y ; for wh ich see Stowe . T he dayfollowing is ca l led Bloody Tuesday .
— B r ockett.
BLACK-N E B , the ca r r ion cr ow, Cor vus eor one, L inn.
BLACK -POW -H EED , the blackcap , Sylvia atr icapi lla .
BLACKSM ITH . B lacksmi ths will not l ight thei r fi r es on
Good F r iday . I f necessi ty compels them to do anyth ing i nthe shop , they w il l not br ing fi r e in , bu t W l l l make it byst r iking a piece of i r on un ti l it becomes r ed hot .— R ev . J .
F . B igge , S uper sti tions of S tamfordham.—T r ansactions Tyneside
N atur alists’
F ieldClub, 1 860-62 , vol . v . , p . 92 .
BLACKSM ITH -OF -KIND i s a blacksm ith the seven th indescen t of a fam ily Of sm i ths . T he R ev . John H odgsondescr ibes a cu r ious super sti t ion
I f a ch i ld be i l l , seven men , whose father s , g r andfather s , andg r eat
g r andfather s have been blacksmi ths , col lect in a ci r cle , at the cen tr e of
wh i ch the indisposed ch i ld is la id upon an anvi l , and the ci r cle wavethei r hammer s ove r i ts head, and u tter with g r ea t for ce the str oke-
g r oan‘ begh .
’
I f the chi ld be ter r ified, the symptom is favou r ab le ; if i t ber egardless of thei r menaces , l i fe is supposed to be in i ts socket T o
secu r e the cha r m each smith has 6d. , ale , and b r ead and cheese .
Hodgson M S .
T he cha r m has been wo r ked with one smi th on ly , who is a
blaehsnzi th-of -hind. S ee HEART -GROW N .
BLADDERY , hav ing a i r bubb les enclosed . S lag fr om a
fur nace , fu ll of l i t tle a i r cel ls , is said to be bladdery.
64 NO RTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
BLADE , a keen , shar p , or smar t man . H e ’ s a knaain
blade. A bonny blade ye a r e .
W h ile str oll ing down sweet S andgate S tr eet ,A man -o
’-war
’
s blade I chanced to meet
Old S ong , Ti ll the Tide Comes I n .
That blade for my siller , he’s fast in the heft.
yoeo-S er zous Discour se, 1 686 .
BLAE ,of a dar k co lour between black and blue b lackish
b lue of the colou r of the blue-ber ry . Appl ied to the complexionor colour of the human body , as a ffected by cold or con tusionl ivid . H ence black and blae, now a l ter ed to black andblue.
D r . M ur r ay , N ew E ng . D iet. S ee B LEE .
BLAE -BERRY , the b ilber ry or whor tleber r y , Vaccinium
myr tillus. S ee B LEA- BERRY.
BLAE W ING , BL E E W ING , a favou r i te artificial fly,used
by angler s on Nor th -coun t r y s treams .
BL AGAI R D , t o blackgua r d a blackguard .
BLAKE , yel low , of a golden colou r ; spoken of butter , cheese ,&c. Hence the yel low bun ting —ember iza citr inella— is
,in some
places , ca lled a blaheling . A wound i s said to be blakeningwhen it put s on an appea r ance of healing — B r ockett.
BLAKE , cold , exposed , bleak.
B lakelaw.
"— Nor thumber land.— B r oekett.
BLARE , to cr y, to lamen t to shout loudly.
A blai r in coo seun for gets hor calf."— Pr over b.
At what he sa idaw cou ldhae blai r ed.—T .W i lson , The Pitman
'
s Pay ,
1 829 , pt . i i i v. 43 .
F r ae the Point r oundthe Gi r t, a’
the time sai l ing slow,
Each bu l l ie kept bawl in , T he Empty Ki te , ho
Bu t thei r blai r in was vain , for ne Empty Kite ther e ,
Though they blai r’
dti l l thei r kites wer e byeth empty and sa i r .
R ober t Gi lchr ist , S hipper’
s Er udi tion , 1 824 .
BLARE , a weeping cr y, a loud shout .I t answer edwiv a gr oanin blai r .
— J . P . R obson , d. 1 870, H aml ick ,
Pr ince 0’ Denton .
BLARE , a pa ste made Of ta r m ixed wi th hai r , used forcaulking the seams of keels andboat s .
BLAR IN , r oa r ing loud , appl ied to peev ish ch i ldren andvu lgard r unken noise — H odgson M S .
66 NORTHUMB ERLAND W ORDS .
BLAVER , BLAWORT ,the co r n b luebottle , Centaur ea cyanus,
L . fo rmer ly kn own as Blueblaw (Tu r ner ) . I t i s an occasiona lweed in cul tiva ted fields , bu t was fo r mer ly abundan t .
BLEA-BERRY , BLEE -BERRY , blue ber r y. I t i s other wiseknown as the Bi lber ry or B lack Whor tle-ber ry . S ee B LAEBERRY .
T he fr u it of Vaccini ummyr ti l lus, ever ywher e common in denes andon
heaths , ascending to al l the peaks. 850 ya rds on Cheviot .
”-Flor a of
Nor thumber landandDur ham‘— Natur al H istor yTr ansactions. vol . 11.
BLEACH , a black shale of the na tu r e Of car bon ,found in
con tact wi th or nea r a coa l seam . B leach is p r obably blech,black .
BLEACH , the act of r a in fa ll ing in a st r ong w ind . Q .
“ I syou r r oof t ight ? A . I t ’ s a al l t ight , except when the r a in
bleaches. Tha t i s , when the wind is d r iven violen tly a slan t ,so finding i ts way be tween the lapped edges of the t iles .Aa wis oot iv aa l the wet , andwha t a bleachin aa gat
BL E ACH IN ,wander ing . H e
’s aye gan bleachin aboot .
BLEB , a bubble , a bli ster . S ee B LOB .
BLECK , pi tch or ta r upon r opes.
BL E D D E R, a bladder ; bu t see B LETH ER , wh ich is the common
p r onuncia tion .
BLEE , BLAE , livid , blue , or pu r ple , the colou r of a sloe . I tis appl ied in the sen se as when a man is sa id to “ look blue ,or to an ashen blue colou r . S ee B LAE andB LEA-BERRY .
A mi ller chep aw chanced to see ,
F r e oot amang the cr ood se blae,W is r u nn ing up a ya r dse slee .
Theatr e in an Upr oar .
Ba rds of the Tyne, 1 849 , p . 1 84 .
BLEED , to y i eld ; appl ied to cor n , wh ich is said to “ bleed
well ,” when on th r a sh ing it happen s to be ver y p r oduct ive.
B r ockett, quot ing fr om R ay’
s Gloss.
Goal is sa id to bleedwhen water oozes in dr ops fr om i ts por es .
Gr eenwell .
BLEEZE ,to b laze .
“ T he hoose is bleezin .
” “ The paanshopbleezin.
BL E E Z E R , a hood t o blow up a fi r e. f‘ Pu t the bleezer up ,and let ’s hev a lowe .
”
NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S . 6 7
BL E N D IN S , BL E N D L IN S , or BR AN D L IN S ,pea s and
bean s m i xed .
BL E N KAR D , a fighting cock tha t has lost one eye . Thewor d is also appl ied to a one -eyed per son .
“ T o be fought at M essr s S tata and S tephen son ’s pit , H igh B r idge ,
Newcastle , by cocks , on M onday , Apr i l 7 th ,1 8 1 7 , &c S tags to be
a l lowed 1 02 B lenkards 2 0z and the u sual al lowance for feather s .
Advt . in Newcastle Cour ant of the date .
BLETH ER to ta lk loosely , to b lab : to boas t
Daft John Bu l l , that blether in’
cu l l
J . P . R obson ,
“ L i zz ie L i ber ty ,
Bards of the Tyne, 1 849 .
BLETH ER , loose , blabbing talk.
Jaw’
da heap 0’
blether .
J P . R obson , d. 1 870, H aml ieh , pt . i i .
BLETH ER , a bladder , a pu r se , the bagp ipe .
R attl in’
l ike empty blether sT . W i lson , Ozli ng of D ichy
’
s Wig , 1 826
L ay by some cotter i ls i’
the blether .
T . W i lson , The Pi tman ’
s Pay , 1829 , pt. i i i v . 59
When this master of minstr elsy oxter edhis blether .
Nor ther n M i nstr els’ Budget.
BLETH ER-BREEKS , a boast ing , b r agging fellow talki ng ,not doing .
BL E T H E R S K IT E , BL E T H E R S KYE T , a babbling per son .
Fr omB lether andS kate, in S cotch u sedcontemptuously — D r M u r r ay,
N ew E ng D iet.
E LIG , a blackgua r d .
“ H e’
s a r eglor blig .
BL IN , bl i nd .
“ B lin Wi l ly .
Aw’
ve oft been sae bl in’
as te nu t knaw me mother .
”
T . W .lson , S tanzas on N ewL i ne of R oad, 1 824
BL IN,to da r ken , as thor n s put in to the gap of a hedge .
BL IN,to stop , or cause to stop , to cea se , to desi st — B r ockett.
BL INDERS , bl inke r s on a ho r se.
BL IND -WORM, or Slow-wo r m
,the Angu isfr ag ilis. S ee H AG
WORM .
68 NORTHU MBERLAN D W ORD S .
BLINK , BLENK , to glance wi th plea su r e .
O, the tr anspor ts of gladness that over me r eign
T o bl ink u pon canny Newcastle aga in .
"
T . O l i ver , Canny Newcastle Again .
Bards of the Tyne, 1 849.
M adam , indeed, i t'
s you r goodnatu r e
That blenks sae b lyth ly on you r cr eatur e.
yaw-S er ious D iscour se, Newcastle , 1686 , p 50.
BL INK , a glance , a gleam of light .
BL INKER , the eye.
Iv a’
the g r eet wonder s that da zzles wor bl inker s,l
T he tal lyg r ip’
s sar tin the king 0'
them a
J P . R obson , d. 1 870,
“ The Wonderful Tallygr ip.
”
BL IRT .
“ I n the bli r t , exposed to the fur y Of the elemen t s .I t is to be r emar ked tha t cat t le and sheep a lways fly befor ethe stor m into the bli r t hor ses never.
BL ISS , to bless .T he bonny oil lamps , too , w1 which we wer e blist,That twinkledso gai ly , l ike star s in a mist .
R . Gi lchr ist , 1 835 , S ong of Impr ovement.Ba rds of the Tyne, p . 4 1 8 .
Andhow the g r oundhe kist
Wher ein it wr itten was , andhow h imself he bl ist.
Spenser , iv v1i 46 , Nar e’
s Gloss.
BL I SS M E ! an exclama t ion .“B liss me! bai r n ,
wher e he ’ yebeen aa l l day P
”
BLOACH E R , any lar ge an imal . S ee BL U T CH E R .
BLOB , BLEIB , BL IBE , a bubble , a bl i ster . A ir blobs a r e
the floa ting bubbles on the wa ter , or soap bubb les . “ H is
feet was aa l blibes befor e he gat hyem.
”S ee B LEB .
Like honey blobs me hea r t’
11 b r ust .
J . P . R obson , Cal lerfor ney , 1 849 .
BL OBB E R S , bubbles , soap bubbles . H e’
s blaain blobber s.
They ’
r e b lawin blabber s wi ’ p ipe-stopples .”
BLONK , to disappoin t .Aw fandmawsel blonh’
dwhen te L unn in aw gat.
T. Thompson , d. 1 816 , Canny Newcastle.
BLOOD -ROOT , the to rmen ti l , Potentil la tormenti lla ; called a l soF lesh-and-blood, E we-daisy, andS hepherd
’
s-knot.
7O NORTH U MB E RLAND WORD S .
s tones at th is poin t ar e elsewher e ca l led Cuthber t S tones. (Thesame, p . In the st r uctu r e wh ich p r eceded the p r esen tSw ing B r idge , the Cuthbe r t S tones we r e r ep r esen ted by theS ingle stone which extended acr oss the en t i r e width of the
ea ster n footway . On the demol i tion Of the b r idge th is ston ewa s p r eser ve d by the ca r e of R ichar d Ca i l , Esq . , andnow
r eposes in the Old Castle at Newca st le . T he blue stone is
men t ioned in J un e , 1 598 , when the Scot t ish p ledges wer edeli ver ed by the Nor thumber land au tho r i ties to those of the
coun ty of Du r ham “a t the Blue S tone upon Tyne b r idge .
(R . Welfo r d , H ist. of N ewe. , vol . i lj. , p .
BLUEY , one of many names for the hedge Spa r r ow , wh ich isva r iously ca lled H edgy ,
F ieldy , Spowey , S mokey , S nzotty ,and
Bluey— the la tter fr om the colour of its eggs . Bluey is a lso
one of the n ames of the blue t itmouse . S ee B LUE -BOTTLE .
BLUM , bloom .
“ T he wh in s ar e in blum.
BL U R Y cold , sha r p ; appl ied to the wea ther on a dullwindy day.
BLUSH , a bl ister . Aa’
ve a blush on me foot wi ’ waakin .
To b li ster . H e blushedhis hand wi pull in the boa t .”
BLUSH , an appea r ance . Aa d idn ’ t ken him at the for stblush.
In al l coun tr ies we say he or she hath a blush of, that i s , r esemb les
such anothe r .— R ay
'
s Gloss.
BL U T CH E R , BL OACH E R , a hea vy , u nwieldy in st r umen t ,or th ing . I t is a lso appl ied to descr ibe a huge an ima l .
BLYTH , glad .
H ow blyth wer e we— 7 oco-S er ious D i scour ses, 1686 , p 8 .
BLYT H N E S S , gladness .S or r ow to blythness was instan tly tu r ned.
— 7 oco-S el ious Discou r ses,1 686 , p . 8 .
B lyth and blythuess a r e in ter preted in the ma r gin of theseNewcast le di scou r ses as wor ds otherwise un in tel ligible to theSouther n Engl ishman .
BO ,a name ter r ific to ch ild r en , and a test of manhood when
add r essed to a goose.— S .
° Ol iver , R ambles in N or thumber land,1 835 , p . 98 . Bo-man , an appar i tion , a ghost . S ee BAD -MAN .
Bo [W . ba ll .
NORTHU MBERLAN D WORDS . 7 1
BOAK , W .-T . form of balk. S ee B AAK .
BOARD . S ee BORD .
BOB , a cr ank a t tached to a pumping r od, andcalled a T bob ,
or a V bob , or an L bob , accor d ing to i ts form .
BOB , cho r usAll you navigation wel l wisher s ,Ta r s , sa i lor s , mar ines , come a long ,
You fer r ymen , boatmen andfisher s ,
Come help to bea r bob in my song'
.
Genui ne Tom Wh i t/ell , 1 8 15 .
BOB a bunch , or cluster , as a Bob 0’
r ibbons .
They saw a l so tha r e vynes g r owe wi th wonde r e gr ete bobbis of
gr apes .
”— M . S . L incoln , A . i . 1 7 f , 42— Ha ll iwell 's D i et.
Aw my Jiggs ,AndJ igging -bobs a r e la 1d aside ,
Thei r Lace , thei r R lb l‘
l S , and thei r Pr ide .
G . S tuar t , f or e-S er ious D i scour ses, 1686 ,p . 45 .
I pu’
dher a posie o’
gowan s ,An
'
laid them in bobs a t her feet .
S ong by R ober t Beiget, R icha rdson’
s Table BookLegendary D i v. , vol . i . , p . 3 17 .
BOBBE R OU S , BOBBE R S OM E , hea r ty , ela ted , in h ighspi r i ts — B r ockett.
BOBBERY , BU BBE R Y , a noisy dis tur bance .
“ What s aa
thi s bobbery aboot
BOBBY , the p ink of per fection .
An’ W i l ly thou , wi
’
the jacket blue ,
Thou was the va r r a Bobby , O
J . S elk1r k , d. 1 8 43 , S wa lu'
ell H appen.
BOB -NET, ca lled a lso r ing -net , a long salmon net w ithout
any bosom (wh ich the other n et s have) . It is fixed by a
stone or ancho r at the one ext r emi ty in the r i ver t o a post orr ing on the shor e . Compa r e STE LL -N ET andWEAR SHOT-N ET .
BOBS , ca sters , or t r immer s of coa l on sh ip boar d .
M ay he l ive to cheer the bobs
That skew the coa ls to sh iver s ,W he l ike thei r dr i nk to g r ip thei r gobs ,An
’bu r n thei r va r r y l 1ver s
S ong ,B l indWi l l ie S ing ing .
Bards of the Tyne, p . 304.
72 NORTH U M BERLAND WO R D S .
BOB ’S -A-DYING . A gr ea t r ow or racket is ca l led a Bob’
s-a
dying .
“ What a Bob’
s-a -dying they made !” mean s “Wha t
a r ow they kicked up .
BOBY , a booby .
In sense they l ikenedus to cu l ls
In manner s to a boby ,
Yet oft we’ve hadwor dancen skuels ,
Andsometimes Punch andToby.
”
T.W i lson , O i ling of D icky’
s Wig , 1826 , v . 44 .
BOCK [N .] back.
BOD [N .] to command .
BODDLE , a sma ll i r on in st r umen t wh ich woodmen u se for
peel ing oaks andother t r ees . —H all iwell’
s D iet.
BODDLE , a sma ll coin , a half-fa r th ing . I t is used in the
sense of a common or compa r a t i vely valueless th ing .
Andaw the wit in Tony'
s noddleW 111 never make them wor th a boddle.
G . S tuar t , f ace-S er ious D i scour se, Newcastle , 1686 , p . 45 .
BOD D OM , bottom.
BODE , a bid.“ Wi l l anyone gi ve me a bode P asks an
auct ioneer . An un lucky bode is a b id wh ich happen s t obe made for anyth ing not for sa le. A hor se-dea le r in passinga far m took a fancy to a hor se which he saw andmade a bode
of £ 60 for i t. T he fa r mer sa id i t was not fo r sa le , and tha tno money would induce him to par t wi th it . Next day the
ho r se was found dead in a field,wher e it had impa led i tself
on a sha r p stob . Th i s was sa id , in the yea r 1 888 , to havebeen owing to the un lucky bode.
”
BODEN , BUDDEN (p.p. of bid) , to invi te , to command . In
fr equen t u se. S ee B 1D,2 .
BODEN , t o be in a d i fficu lty. H e’
s har d boden — that i s , hei s in st r ai tened ci r cumstances — B r ockett.
BOD L E R , a lar ge pin , used to fasten a shawl or p laid .
BODWORD , an i ll -natu r ed er r and . An Old wor d for an
om inous mes sage — B r ockett. (Obs.
Bodewordcam to h im fr o heavén .
Cu r r or M undi , M S . Col l . Tr in Cantab, f 8 .—Hall iwell .
74 NORTH U M BERLAN D W ORD S .
bu ilder o r tenan t ha s never been known ; o r ther e a r e wa l lsand mounds of Roman or igin whose h i sto r y is a b lank , o r
m i les of pa ved r oad made in some fa r -off time . To a ll of
these , howeve r , the n e ighbour ing h ind ha s a legend , gi v ingthe n ame and h i stor y of a bogg le, who supe r n a tu r all
’y l i ved ,moved , and had his being in thi s wor ld , and sti ll r etur n s tohaun t the spot in ma r vel lous man ifesta tion s .
” These takethe fo rm of appar ition , t r an sfor ma t ion , r ap idi ty of movemen ton ea r th or in a i r , a nd they a r e accompan ied by fea ts o f
st r ength , or demon iaca l per for mances to fr ight the beholder .
T he gigan t ic fo r m of Lang Lonkin thus hung r ound h is
r uined castle in W hi ttle Dene , ter r ified the lone t r a veller byshaking his huge keys , or sca r ed the passer who saw his
dar k for m lu r king over his sunken t r ea sur e in the “Whor ldub . So , too , the nor th -ea st b r anch of the W a t l ing St r eet ,wh ich goes off fr om the g r ea t r oad at Bewclay, andpassesa thwa r t N or thumber land , is a scr ibed to the wor k of a boggle.
In maps , it is the Dev i l ’ s Causeway ,” bu t in loca l legend i t
i s Cobb ’ s Causey . Cobb was the bui lder of th is Cyclopeanway, and,
l ike his neighbour Cor , he was a jo'
tun. Leland , inhis I t iner a r y , descr ibes the si te of Roman Cor stopitum , and
says , Emong the r uines of the olde toun ,is a place cau llid
Colecester , wher ha th bene a for ter es or castelle . T he
peple ther say tha t ther dwel led yn i t one Yotun , whom theyfable to ha ve been a gygant .
” Thi s is “ gian t Cor ," who was
active in t imes to wh ich the memor y of men yet r eaches ,though his la ter fea t s wer e l im i ted to such simple doings as
to in ter cept a lad on his way to the Sm i thy , sna tch thecoulter wh ich he ca r r ied , and, wi th one g r a sp of his m ightyhand , to cr umple i t l ike a leaf. T he cou lter , thus ben t andtwi sted , was seen of many as it lay on the spot wher e the
gian t hadca st i t ; so that if ther e be not five j ustices’ handsat it ther e i s yet fa ir test imony fr om r espectable people as
t o the t r uth of the ci r cumstance . Cor had two b r other s ,named Ben andCon , and thus came the names Cor br idge ,
Benfieldside , and Con set t . “ They had a huge hammer incommon ,
wh ich each , at a wh i stle , could th r ow n ine m iles .On one occasion , when Con , who had become b l ind , th r ewthe hammer , i t fel l shor t , and made H owden wh ich , as thename ind ica tes , is a hol low dene nea r Con set t . (L egends andS uper stitions of Co. D ur ham, p . A bogg le of la ter or iginwas the H edley K ow.
“ About S 1x ty year s Since the coun t r ypeople in the neighbour hood of H edley , a sma ll v i llage in thesouth of No r thumber land , not far fr om Ebchester , in the
coun ty of Dur ham , wer e fr equen tly annoyed by the p r anks ofa boggle, ca lled the H edley Kow. (S . O l iver , the Younger ,
NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S . 75
R ambles in N or thumber land,1 835 , p . M r . L ong staffe g ives
the loca tion a t th is same place , bu t M r . B r ockie makes thescene of his exploi t s a t H edley , near Ra ven swor th (about 4%to 5 m i les S .S .W . of Newcastle) , and deta i ls his manyver sa ti le per fo rmances as he t r an sfo rmed h imself in to the
appear ance of man, o r beast , o r fad of st r aw , and then
sudden ly van i shed wi th a demon iac yel l of laughter . N o r
wer e these po r ten t ious be ings found on ly in the lone lonn ingsOf the coun ty . T he Bo-
ghest, or Bo-
g ha ist, wa s a ver i tableper sona l i ty 1n the st r eets of Newca stle befor e lamp and
wa tch Act s we r e obta ined . I n a l l ca ses , i t is to be r emem
ber ed tha t a loca l hab i ta t ion anda name , as wel l a s an accur a teaccoun t of the l i fe andad ven tur es of the boggle, wer e gi ven .
BOG IE , a sma ll , low, four -wheeled ba r r ow . T he wor d is
appl ied to any low t r uck for the ca r r iage of ca sks or othermer chandise to the sma l l t r uck of the pla telayer so fam i liaron ou r r a ilways ; and to the flat boa r d , wi th four sma llwheels , used by boys in p lay for r unn ing down a hil l .
In Dean S tr eet , when car ts or when bog ies came down ,
T he noise made one’
s hea r t glad, one’
s lugs fi t to stoun .
R G ilch r ist , 1 835 , S ong of Impr ovementsBa rds of the Tyne, p . 4 16 .
R e id then impr ovedwor tr ip te S hielsAndTynemou th i
'
the season ,
A k1udo’
hear se on bog ie wheels
A pa ten ’ pr ess for squ eezin’
.
T . W 1lson , Capta ins andthe Q uayside, 1 840
BOG -SP INK , the lady’s smock , or meadow bi tter ness , Cardamine
pr atensis ; ca lled a lso P inks, or s nks , M ayflower , and Cuckoo
flower .
BOG -STACKER,a gobl in ,
a ghost ; on e in a di lemma whodoes not know wh ich way t o tur n .
“ H e W is stann in justl ike a bog -stacker .
”
BOG-TH R I SSEL , the Carduus palustr is, L .
BOIL E Y , bo iled m i lk andb r ead .
H e the b r ats of the ir bozley wi l l b i lk .
S ong , Tweedside.
BOKY , soft .— N or thumber land.—H all iwell
’
s D iet. P r obably“ boagy,
”the spoken for m of boggy.
76 NORTH U MBERLAND WORD S .
BOLE -H ILLS (boal -hi lls) , heaps of metallic scor ia , wh ich a r eoften met wi th in the lead m ine d i str ict s . They a r e the
r ema in s of an ancien t andver y Simple mode of smelt ing leadby wood fi r es , on h i lls , in the Open a i r .
-B r ockett.
BOLL , BOAL , BOU , or BOW . At Alnwick , a bell of ba r leyor oa ts was six bushel s ; of whea t two bushels . AtHexham , a belt of ba r ley or of oa t s , five bushels ; of pea s ,r ye , or whea t , four bushels ; at Newcastle , two bushels ; atWooler , S ix bushels ; ther e cal led the “
aadbow (or Scotchbol l)
T he Coal Bell has been r a ised upon a measu r e equal , pr obably, tothat of cor n . I t was as much as a man cou ldconven iently ca r r y.
W hen ‘ bar r ows’wer e b r ought into u se
, the quanti tyconveyedmor eased,
and along wi th it the boll a lso incr eased. In some old g r ants this
measu r e i s specifiedas the ‘ bowle or bar r owe .
’By statu te 30 Ca r . 11
c. 8 , the bowl tub of Newcastle i s declar ed to con tain 22 gal lons and a
pottle (225 ga llon s) , W inchester measu r e ; it was 27 inches in diameter ,and ther e wer e 2 1 bol ls heapedmeasu r e to each chaldr on . By the same
Act , the content of each wa in is to be seven bolls , andeach car t th r ee
bol ls andone bu shel heapedmeasu r e , and th r ee wa ins or six ca r ts ar e to
be a chaldr on .— T . John Taylor , A r chaeology Coal T r ade, 1 852 .
T he coal boll conta ins cubic inches , or imper ialgallons
— Glossa ry to L awof M i nes, W . Ba inb r idge , 1 856 , p . 653 .
I tem pd for ten bou les of coles for the infected people ’
s u se , 55 .
GatesheadChu r ch Books, 1646 .
BO-LO , a term used by nu r ses to fr ighten ch i ld r en .“ The
Bo-lo wi ll get you S ee BOGGLE .
BOLT , to fine flou r thr ough a sieve . Whi te flour and wh i tebr ead wer e for mer ly ca lled “ bolted
”or
“ booted. An
adver tisemen t of 1828 r eads , “ H ay and M acla in , Bolted
br ead baker s , No . 14 , S ide , Newca stle . Bou lt is the
h i stor ica l spelling of the wor d— not bolt. S ee B OOTED LOAF .
BO-M AN , a ghostly being , or boggle . See BOGG LE .
BON’
, bond , su r ety . H e wis bon’
for him —he was su r etyfo r him. T he bond1s the agr eemen t between coalowner s and
thei r men . Now an obsolete term . S ee B IND IN .
BON . Th i s wor d occu r s in the common exclama tion s “ Go
bon and “ D i bon .
”Ben in these conn ect ion s looks ve r y
l ike ban , or cur se . If th is is the wor d , then Go ban ! would beequivalen t ‘ to God ’ s cur se ,
”and D i bon to D eel
’
s cu r se .
”
S ee EXCLAMAT ION S .
78 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
For the annu al midsummer ‘ banefi r e,’
or‘ bonfi r e,
’
in the bu r gh ofHawick , o ldbones wer e r egu la r ly col lectedand stor edup.down to abou t
—I n ord. Cooks , Newe 1 57 5— Br and’
s Popular A ntiqu i ti es, 1 870, i
1 78 . T he sa idFel lowsh ip of Cookes sha l l yea r el i ema in te igne andkeepthe bone-fir es— that is to say, one bone-fir e on the even of the Feast of the
N ativitie of S t John Bapt i st , and the othe r on the even of the Feast of S t.Peter the Apostle ! -D r . M u r r ay, N ew E ng D i et.
T he M ayor'
s muckle bane-fi r e set on flame .—G . S tuar t , 7oco-S er ious
D iscour se, Newcastle , 1686 , p . 1 8 .
BONGRACE , a Shade o r cu r tain fo r mer ly wor n on the fr on tof women
’ s bonnet s or caps to p r otect the comple x ion fr omthe sun ; a sun shade .
—D r . M ur r ay , N ew E ng . D iet. Th i sa r ticle of costume is yet in r egular u se among the womenwor ker s in the N o r thumber land field s, bu t the sweetness ofthe old name is now-a -days lost t o us , and it is common lycalled an “ ugly . (Obs.)
H er bong r ace was of wended str aw,
Fr om the sun’
s beams her face to fr ee
S ong , The Nor thumber landBagpiper .
BONKER , BUNKER , a fixed sea t , Often a box or r eceptaclebelow anda sea t on top .
W ha sat them close u pon the i r bonker s.— G . S tuar t, 7oco-S er ious
D iscour se, Newcastle , 1 686 .
BONN ILY , fai r ly , p r et ty wel l . Yo r get tin ’on bonni ly wi
’
d,
aa see .
BONNY , good look ing. Th i s wor d in the dia lect is oftenused , l ike the wor d “
canny , t o descr ibe char acter as well asoutwar d comeliness . “ W ha t a bonny ba i r n I t descr ibesany good appear ance , as
“ A bonny hoose ,” “ A bonny ho r se ,
”
“ A bonny place ,” “ A bonny fyece .
” “ Bonny at mor n , canny atneet .” By in ver sion i t mean s the r ever se of anything good .
Thor ’ s a bonny gam gaan on . Ye ’ve made a bonny messon
’
t, noo . Aa’
d a bonny t ime on’t.
”Yor a bonny chep ,
noo H er e’ s a bonny go .
”
M y bonny keel laddie , my canny keel laddie ,
M y bonny keel laddie for me , OOld S ong .
BOODY, BOOLY , a p iece of b r oken pot , or ear thenwar e ,used by ch i ld r en for decor a ting thei r p lay-houses . —H odgson
M S .
A whir lwindcam an’
myed a’
souse,
Like heaps 0’
babby boodies.
”
J . Thompson , 7 immy yoneson’
s Whor ry.
A heap 0’
bi ts 0’
boodies.- H is Other E ye, 1 880, p . 4 .
NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S . 79
BOOD YAN K E R S ! an exclama t ion . Boodyanker s ! her e’ s a
tr a ikle bar l br ust (chor us of j u ven i les at a shop door ) .
BOODY-H OOSE , a ch i ld ’ s play -house , set out with “ boodies .
BOOGE (hoofe) , to bulge , to give g r ound . H e never booged.
BOOK , bulk. To gan in to li tt le book.
BOOL , the bole , or stem of a t r ee below the br anches . Wha tlength is the bool P — what i s the length of the best timberthe t r ee up to i ts b r anches .
BOOL , an i r on plate a t tached to the oa r s of keel s andwher r ies .T he bool has a r ound eye in i ts cen tr e , and th r ough th i s thethole pin passes .
BOOL , a r ounded water -wo r n stone , such as is u sed for pavingside walks in coun t r y places . A bowl or ba ll , usua l ly madeof stone , and th r own in a game of bool in .
” W a r the
bool ’ — the customar y caut ion , shouted as a bowl i s th r own .
W ar the bool ther e , wor the bool ther e ! Ha r r y W ardle'
s myed a
th r ow.
"— E . Cor van , d. 1 865 , War Tyneside Champions — Allan’
s Col lecti on ,
p . 88 .
N e lad l ike h im cou ldheave a bool .
J . P . R obson ,
“ Days andDeeds o’
S hakspear e.
Bards of the Tyne, p . 99 .
Bob hez thee at loupin’
an fl ing in’
,
At the bool , footbal l , clubby, and
J . S elki r k , d. 1 843 , B ob Cr anky'
s’
S ize S unday .
BOOL , to play at the game of boolin , or bowling . T he usua lp lay is t o go r ound a cour se in the fewest number of th r ows .Weights of bowls a r e specified in a ma tch .
Then ower the moor , an’
r oondthe coa r se , ye'
l l tynd them bool in ther e .
E Cor van , Wor Tyneside Champi ons.
BOOL , to r un ver y qu ickly .
In aw bools.— J . P . R obson , Pol ly
’
s Nickstick, 1 848 .
Fr om a long r ow of g inger b r ead and or ange stal ls cou ld be hea rdsome dame cr yi ng ou t lu sti ly , Bool up and buy away .
’ — Descr iption ofS tagshawbank Fai n— R . For ste r , H istory of Cor br idge, 1 88 1 , p 67 .
T he Du tchman bool’
da lang ,U pon a g imcr ack leg
T . W i lson , Opening of Newcastle andCar lisle R ai lway , 1 838 .
BOOLIES [W . potsher ds . S ee BOODY .
BOOL T E R , a m i ller . See BOLT .
80 NORTH UM BERLAND W ORD S .
BOOLY . S ee BOODY .
BOOLY , BULLY , the bu llfinch , Pyr r hula vulgar is.
BOOM ER , smuggled g in . In the th ir d edi tion Of B r ockett’
s
Gloss. the wor d i s om i t ted . In the second ed i t ion i t appea r swi th the note , So cal led fr om a place in Nor thumber land ”
(Boulmer ) ,“ wher e tha t stagger ing test of loya l ty— the
paymen t of imposts— is impenet r ab le . T he connect ion of
Boulmer wi th smuggling was former ly p r over b ial ; and not
on ly g in , bu t all kinds of taxed commod ities , wer e common lysupplied “ duty fr ee ”
by the adven tur ous fisher men of tha tplace.
BOOM E -TREE , the name of a vener able t r ee which stood inthe wa ll of the chur chya r d at Alnwick. I t was b lown downon 1 7 th Feb r ua r y , 1 836 . I t was a n oble specimen of the
common ash (F r aximus excelsior ) .— Wm . D ickson , in H ist. ofBhs. N atur alists
’
Club, vol . iv . , p . 1 2 . Compa r e BOR -TREE .
BOON , bound .“ Aa
’
s boon to be there. Wher e a r e youbeen for ?
”
BOON , BEUN , to do ser vice to another as a landlord— R ay’
s
Gloss.
BOON , a band of reaper s . S ee BAN D W i N .
“ Ther e i s a con test among the maidens in the boon or gang ofr eaper s .
"-W . Br ockie , Legends andS uper sti tions, p . 1 1 1 .
R OOND ,to enclose. T he fina l doften si len t .
BOON D AR Y , boundary.
BOON -DAY ,
“ the ser vice Of a day ’s wor k which tenan t sr ender ed the ir lor d in agr icul tur al wo r k.
”-T he R ev. Canon
G r eenwell , Glossary to The Boldon Buke. Boon -day i s alsoa day ’ s plough ing r ender ed gr atui tously by neighbou r ingfa r mer s t o a new tenan t . On these occa sion s the teamsvie wi th each other in appear ance and in the wor k of the
day. Hor ses a r e specia lly gr oomed and ga i ly decor a ted wi thr oset tes andcolou r ed r ibbon s . S ee BOND -DARG andDARG .
BOON D E R , BOUNDER ,to con t r ol . “ Ye mun boender
yor sel” —you must con t r ol your self. Her e , Ma r y , help me
wi’ thi s jam ; i t cann a be boonder ed. T he jam was boil ing
over . [H ear d at Th r opton .]
BOOND L E S S , boundless .
82 NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S .
BOOTED -LOAF , a loaf of fine o r booted bolted) flou r , andmade specia lly for the cr yin
’ oot , the t ime when an incr easein the fam i ly occu r r ed . In t imes when b r own leavened br eadon ly was used , a loaf made of fine whi te flour was a Specia lluxur y . I t was ser ved up at confinements , with wha t was
app r opr iately ca lled “ gr oan ing cheese ,” to the neighbou r s
who hadcome to condole andhelp on the occa sion .
BOOT-H ALER , a fr eebooter , r obber , or mar auder .—B r oekett.
(Obs.)
BOOTH ER ,BOOD E R , a boulder .
BOOTHMAN , a co r n me r chan t of for mer days . T he Bo'othmen wer e inco r por a ted Wi th the company of M e r chan tAdven tur er s in N ewcastle . (Obs.)
BOOTY , unfai r ly. Obs.)
S ometimes they’
ll play fai r ly, and Wh iles they’ l l play booty .
G . S tuar t , 7oco-S er ious D i scour se, 1 686 .
BOOZE , a d r ink ing bout . H e’
s on the booze -that is, he hasa d r inking fit .
We’ll hev a r oyal booze te—day.
T . W i lson , The Oi l ing of D ieky’
s Wig , 1 826 .
We boozedaway til l the br eak of day .
Old S ong , T i l l the Tide Comes In .
BOOZY , d r unken .
BOOZY-ALLEY , an ejacula t ion used by boys .“ Ye boozy
alley ,wha t a cr ood thor is !
BOR (the pr onuncia t ion of bur r ) , the name for the guttural rof N or thumber land .
BORD , BOARD ,“ the space a llotted gener ally to one man
to wor k in , in a coll ier y .
” —Gloss. toPi tman’
sPay. A sheth ofboards, i s the n ame of a gr oup of boards. Ther e ar e
“nar r ow
boards,” “ t r a vell ing boards ,
” “ stow boards,” “ the mother ’ s ga te ,
or common going board,”&c. , a ll of them distingui sh ing the
kind of boar d wh ich they descr ibe. In a glossa r y of coa lt r ade terms , 1 849, a
“ wide board”i s descr ibed as a pi lla r in
length and fou r or five yar ds in width— a“na r r ow boa rd”
not
mor e than two yar ds w ide . The older wo r kings , however ,ar e descr ibed in the following note fr om a quain t oldbook
NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S .
'83
A yard and quar ter br oad or wide for a headways is fu l l su ffi cient ,and ou t of this i t is we tu r n oh
“
the boa rds or other wor kings , for ever ypa r ticu lar hewer , o r miner , and that boar dor wor k place for that one
man is gener a lly abou t thr ee ya rds , or better , in b r eadth , and so fr omthe headways ,
wh ich we W l l l say r u ns sou th , we wor k the boards east andwest of the headways
— J . C . , The Compleat Collier , 1 708 , p . 42 .
A passage dr iven acr oss the fib r es , or gr a in of the coal .”— M in Gloss. ,
Newe. Terms. S ee CL E AT .
T he bords, or ma in excavations , ar e dr iven in par a llel l ines acr oss theplanes of cleavage of the seam (on account of the coal being wor kedmosteasi ly in this di r ection) , and of a W idth of thr ee , fou r , or five ya rds ,accor ding to the char acter of the r oof of the mine . Between these
bords , wal ls or r ibs of coal a r e left , whi le nar r ow excavations (abou t twoyards in width ) , termed headways, a r e dr iven at in ter vals to connect the
bords with each other for pu r poses of hau lage and ventilation .
R . L . Gal loway, H ist. of Coal M i ning , 1 882 , p 85 .
In bye they bum’
dme in a cr ack,An
'
left me i'
ma fa ither’
s bord.
"
T . W i lson , P i tman’
s Pay , p . i i v . 35 .
BORD , a bi r d .“ A r ly bord is the ver y fam i l iar sound in
Newca stle for ea r ly bi r d .
”
BORDE-CLOTH , a tablecloth . (Obs.)
3 lyn bor de-clothes , a shott and a longr , 4s. 8d.-Wi ll , in R ichard
W elford’
s H i st. of Newe. X VI Cent. , p . 320.
BORDER , T H E BORDER ,T H E BORDERS— the bounda r y
between England and Scot land ; the d i st r ict adjoin ing thisboundar y on both sides ; the Engl ish andScott i sh bor der land .
(T he ter m appea r s to ha ve been fi r st establ ished in Scotland,
wher e the Engl ish bo r der , being the on ly one i t has, wa s
empha t ical ly the — Dr . M ur r ay , N ew E ng . D iet.
S he’
s ower the border andawa’
W i ’ Jock o’ Hazeldean .
"
H azeldean is in the va lley Of the Tyne , near Hal twh i stle.
S ee H odgson ,i i i . , 2 , p . 383 .
BORDER -WATCH . Th is was a r egular pa t r ol kept to “r a ise
the scr y ”in ca se of in r oad. T he l i ne of th i s by no mean s
coincides wi th the d i v is i on now known as the mar ch or
boundar y between the two kingdoms . I t cuts r ight th r oughthe p r esen t coun ty of Nor thumbe r land , and a ffor ds a mean s ofexpla in ing the d i ffe r ence between the men of Cen t r a l andSou ther n Nor thumber land and those of the fr anch ises of
Redesda le andT yneda le . T he inhab i tan ts ”of the la t ter ,
says D r . Cha r l ton ,
“ wer e eviden tly l i t t le to be t r usted by
84 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
thei r neighbou r s on the East , as wel l as by the ir Scotti shfoes on the W est . These two r i ver s wer e closely watchedever y n ight a long a l ine , extend ing fr om H a l twh i stle in SouthTyne , down to the j unct ion of the Tyne at W
'
a r den , and
fr om thence up the Nor th Tyne to Chipchace. F r omChipchace Fo r d , the l ine was ca r r ied by T h r ockr ington ,
S weethope , andWhelpington to the Coquet . Two wa tcher swer e appoin ted to each for d . Nor th T ynedale was con
sider edas beg inn ing at the N ook on the south side of the
r iver , and at R eedsmou th on the nor th bank , and extendingfr om thence up to the Bellyng , beyond which ther e we r ethen (time of H en r y i t is sa id , no habi ta tion s .
”
(D r .
Char lton , N or th Tynedale, p . T he pa r ties ther e b r oughtup a r e known either by educat ion or natu r e not to be of
honest conver sa t ion . They comm i t fr equen t thefts andotherfelonys , and no app r en t ice must be taken p r oceed ing fr omsuch lawless and wicked p r ogen i tor s .” (Richar d Welfor d ,H istory of N ewcastle, vol . i . , p . 396 , ext r act fr om Books ofM er chants
’
Company , 1 564. F or the la st 1 50 year s Nor thT ynedale and Redesda le have been “ qu iet pastor al vales ,peopled by an in tell igen t , handsome , and st r ongly-bu il t r ace ,as fr ee fr om cr ime and v ice as any par t of the B r i t ishdomin ions . (Dr . Char l ton , N or th Tynedale, p .
BORD -ROOM , or BOARD -ROOM , the width acr oss an Old
boa r d in a pit.
BOR D WAY’
S COURSE , the di r ect ion at r ight angles to theline of cleavage or clea t of coal .— Gr eenwell .
BOREN , bor ne ; thep.p. of bear (p.t. bar ) ; a lso the pronunciationof bor n. When war ye bor en P
BORE -RODS , i r on r ods and appliances used for ascer tain ingthe na tu r e of str a ta befor e s inking a pit . T he r ods a r e
scr ewed together in lengths , the end piece faced wi th a
cutt ing chi sel . A wimble takes the p lace of a ch i sel t o b r ingup t r i tu r a ted ma ter ial or clay . I t is a cyl ind r ica l box ,
o r
ca se , scr ewed l ike an auger at the bot tom . S ludger s a r e
somewha t sim i la r tools , bu t fi t ted wi th a clack to hold inmoi st ma ter ial . A bitch is used for r ecover ing br oken r ods .T he top of a set of r ods is fit ted w ith
‘
a st r ong cr oss pole or
handle ca l led a br ace-head. T he lever , by wh ich a ver t icalmot ion is given to jer k down the cutting endon the st r ata , iscalled a br eak. A r ota r y motion is given at each str oke byturning the brace-head .
86 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORDS .
BOR R OVVE D -FIRE, a l ight obtained fr om a neighbou r .
T o r equest a l ight on the mor n ing of the N ew Year , is held as a
most por tentou s omen S ever a l , wi l l not for any consider a ti on , evena l low a bor r owed fi r e to p r oceed fr om the ir dwel l i ngs .
”-J . Ha rdy,
R icha rdson'
s Table Book — Legendary D i v vol i i . , p . 288 .
BORSE , B IRSE ,a ch isel of t r iangula r shape , used for clean ing
up the cor ner s of mo r t ice-holes .— H odgson M S .
BORST , an outbu r st , a vehemen t a t tack . To “ bide the bor stis to stand the oncome . B r ockett has bi r st. S ee BRU ST .
BO R -TREE , BU R -TREE , BOUR -TREE , BOON -TREE,
BOUN -TREE, or BOR R AL , the elder t r ee , S ambucus nig r a .
T he p ith is easi ly r emoved , anda hollow tube fo rmed wh ichis used a s a pop -
g un andknown a s a bor -tr ee gun .
” Ther eis a sa l ve made fr om the elder ca l led bountry saw.
A b r anch of the common elde r , bur - tr ee, or bor e-tr ee, is supposed to
possess g r eat v i r tue in gua rding the wear er aga inst the ma levolence ofw i tches , fa i r ies , andother uncanny people . S ome say the cr oss was
made fr om the wood of the bor e-tr ee ; other s , equa l ly wor thy to be
bel ieved, that J uda s hanged himsel f on i t. In some distr icts the tr ee
is known as the Bown -tr ee , which means the sacr ed tr ee .
”— VV. B r ockie ,
Legends andS uper sti tions. p . 1 14.
BOSOM , BOOS OM , the bag of a fish ing net in wh ich thefish a r e gener a l ly caught . T he net is so const r ucted as
to belly-out in mid-wa ter when being hau led in .
BOSS , empty hollow -sounding , as an empty cask.
BOTTLE , a building , a house. Bottle Bank , W a lbottle, H a r
bottle, Shi lbottle, Newbottle, &c. Old Engli sh botl , a house ,
dwelling .
BOTTLE , as much hay or str aw ,e t iedor bound together wi th
a r opé , as a man can con ven ien tly car r y on his back. A“ fad,
"or
“ faud ,”is a lesser quan t i ty , such as can be
conven ien t ly ca r r ied under the a rm or in the hand .“ To
look for a need le in a bottle of hay— t o engage in a hopeless
sear ch .
Old F r ench botel , dim. of bot, mascu l ine form— botte, bu ndle .— D r .
M u r r ay, N ew E ng D i et
M eth inks I have a g r ea t desi r e to a bottle Of hay ; good hay , sweet
hay, hath no fel low.
”— Bottom , in M idsummer Night'
s D r eam, iv . 1 .
BOTTOM , a boa r d gener a lly Of n a r r ow d imen sion s , b ut thefull b r eadth of the t r ee i t was sawn fr om .
— H odgson M S .
Bottom boa rd, the movable bottom of a coa l waggon .
NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S . 87
BOTTOM , the floor of a coal m ine . I t is genera l ly ca lled thethi ll .
A fathom bor ing in the th i ll or bottom under the coal you wou ldwor k .
—J . C . , Compleat Coll i er , 1 708 , p . 14 .
BOU , a bol l , wh ich see.
BOUGH T (p r onounced bout) , a sheep fold . I t is Specia lly a
pen for confin ing ewes at m ilking t ime .— D r . M u r r ay, N ew
E ng . D iet.
BOUGH T-BREED (pr onounced bout-br eed) , b r ead bought fr oma bake r . T he custom in No r thumber land being to buyflourandbake i t at home causes the specia l r efer ence to the buyingof b r ead . M r . B r ocket t says it is “ the finer qua l i ty boltedbythe baker , in Opposi t ion to a coa r ser kind made at home .
Th is suggest s a connect ion between bought and bolted, bu t no
such con str uction need be put on bought br ead .
BOUK (pr onounced bank) , to er ucta te , to belch . M an a live ,ov aa things aa l ike a geuse to eat ,
’
cas it bouks up se fine .
”
Aa y a r r y n igh bouk’
dme boi ley”is a ph r a se— I was ver y
near ly S ick .
”
BOUK ,in m in ing , a r epor t made by the cr acking of the str a ta
owing to the ext r act ion of the coa l benea th ; a lso the noisemade by the escape Of gas under p r essu r e .— Gr eenwell .
BOUK (p r onounced book) , to steep or soak in lye. T he oldway of do ing up l inen .
Then the thr ed is sod, andb leaked, andbucked, and layedto dr ieing ,
&c.— Bar tholomew, 302
-6 , book xvi i . , c. 97 .— Hodgson M S .
Falstaff was ca r r ied off in a buck basket , and inter cepted. Ford :
W hither bear you th is S er v . :“ T o the lau ndr ess ,
for sooth .
”M r s . Ford :
" W hy, what have you to do W hither theybear i t ? You wer e best meddle with buck-wash ing .
— M er ry Wives ofWindsor .
BOUK , to bel low in play or anger , as an ox .
BOUK , bulk , or size .
As ear ly as the 1 5 th cen tu r y th is wordwas confoundedwith bulk sb. ,
which after wards u su r ped most of i ts sen ses and has super seded i t inl i te r a r y u se . T he moder n dia lect and S cottish bouk seems to be pa r tlya su r viva l of the mid-Engl i sh bouk [tr unk of the body ] , par tly the
r egu la r descendant Of the M E . bolk , BU L K .
"— D r . M u r r ay, N ew E ng .
D i et.
N edwas nowther la ith nor lyem,
An’
fa ith he hadba ith bouk an'
byen .
S ong , Wr eki’
nton H i r ing .
88 NORTHUMB ERLAND W ORD S .
BOU K IN -FULL , ful l to r eplet ion .
BOULT ,to si ft flou r th r ough a fine cloth . S ee BOLT , BOOTED
LOAF .
BOUNDER , a bounda r y . S ee BOON D E R .
BOU N T R Y , the elder t r ee . S ee BO R -TREE .
BOU N T R Y SAW , a sal ve , made fr om the boon or elder t r ee .
S ee BO R -TREE .
BOURD,to jest . -B r ockett. Obs .)
BOUSE , lead or e p icked and r eady for d r essing . A bouse-tea inis a heap of or e teamed, or empt ied fr om a ca r t .
T he bouse, or impu r e or e , is u sually let to the washer s at so much per
bing .
”— M acken zie. H i st of Nor thumber land, vol . i . , p . 100.
Long r ows of bouse-teams and b ing- steads on each side.—W . W .
Toml inson ,Gu ide to Nor thumber land, p . 1 60.
BOUT , BOOT , a r ecur r ing even t .— Gloss. to P itinan’
s Pay.
H e hes the pa in s agyen , an’
s heda badbout on’
t thi s t ime .
”
H oo a r e ye thi day, M ally ? O h inny,aa
’ve S ic boots
i’
me heed .
" Bout, a con test or str uggle ; especial ly when appl ied to a jovialmeeting of the legitimate son s of Bacchu s .
— B r ockett.
BOUT , a bolt .
BOUT , bough t , p.i . of buy.
BOW D YK IT E , a con temptuous ter m , often used to a for war dchi ld ; a p r esumptuous or un ski lful per son , a young scapegr ace . T he term is always app lied to a ma le . I t is a ter mof der i sion applied to a youth who has shown some pr ecociousta len t . H e
’
s j ust a bowdykite lad.
De ’
i l smash a good teun cou ldth is bowdykite play.
R . Emery , b . 1 794 ,d. 1 87 1 , Baggy-nanny .
BOWEL H IVE GRASS , the par sley p ier t , A lchemi lla ar vensis.
I t i s made in to a decoct ion andg iven in ca ses of hives.
BOWEL-H OLE ,BOO -E L -H OLE , the w indow sli t in a by r e ,
a sma l l ci r cula r per fo r a t ion in a for t ified bu ild ing , any unglazedaper tu r e in a wa ll . D r . M u r r ay , N ew E ng . D ict. , gives bowelas a r a r e va r ian t of bole or boat, an unglazed ape r tu r e in thewa l l of a ca stle , cot tage , stable , &c. , fo r admit t ing a i r o r
l ight ; somet imes closed w ith a Shut ter .
”In No r thumber
land bowel is p r onounced as boo-cl .
90 NORTH UMB ERLAN D WORD S .
BRAA (same as the Scotti sh br aw) , fine , handsome , t r im , nea t .
BR AALY ,in fine cond i tion . H OO is thoo the day ?
“ Aa’
s
br aaly ,lad.
”
BRABBLEM ENT ,a noisy quar r el , or indecen t wr angl ing .
B r ockett.
W e holdou r time too pr eciou s to be spentW i th such a br abler .
”
K i ng 70hn , v . 2 , quotedby Na r es.
BRACE -H EAD ,in a bor e - r od, is the st r ong oak o r a sh cr oss
ba r at the top of the r ods , by wh ich they a r e moved r ounda t each ver t ica l st r oke in bo r ing .
BRACK , p.i . of br eak or br ick.
H e br aek his sh in .
T . W i lson , Pi tman’
s Pay , pt. i i v . 20.
BRACKEN ,BR E CKAN , the b r ake fer n , P ter is aqi i i lina , L .
I t is r egu lar ly har vested for the bedd ing of ca ttle. I t wasfor mer ly used for the manufactu r e of soap andglass .
BRACKEN -CLOCK , the sma ll gay-colou r ed chafe r , Phylloper thahor ticola , L .
BRADE OF, BR EID OF , to be like in cond it ion .
— R ay’
s
Gloss. ,1 69 1 . Obs .)
BRADS , coins , money .— J . P . Robson , Gloss. to Bards of the
Tyne.
BRAE ,BREE , a steep bank , as, the b r oken gr ound by a r iver
s ide . S ee B REE .
BKAIK , or BRAKE , a kind of har r ow used by farmer s forclod breaking .
B R A F F A M , B R I F F A M , BA R F H AM ,E R I H A M ,
B R AU GH AM , a hor se colla r . I t is cu r ious tha t this wor dis seen in such guises tha t the v ar ious for ms given ha r dlyexhaust the ways of spel ling it .
Pa ide fo r a g r ete br i gham to the car te heede , 25 . 6d.
"—NewcastleM un icipa l Accounts , M a r ch , 1 592 .
As countr y lads be a’
a r r ayed
W i ’ b r anks andbr echam on each ma r e.
”
jock o’
the Syde .
NORTHU MB ERLAN D W ORD S . 9 1
BRAG ,a gobl in . T he Por tobello B r ag was wel l -known and
fear ed at the Low Fell . S ee BAR -GU E ST andBOGGLE .
A kindof w icked spr ite .— T . W i lson , note to The Oi l i n
’
o’ D icky
’
s
Wig ,1 826 .
“ T he descr iption o f the Pelton B r ag , con ti nues M r .
W i lson , by S i r C u thber t S har p in h is B i shopr ick Gaaland, induces me
to bel ieve that i t mu st have been the same r ogu ish spr i te that play edsuch tr icks at Por tobe l lo . I t del ighted in mischief, and whoevermounted i t (for i t a lways appear ed in the shape of an ass) wer e su r e
to be th r own in to some bog o r whin bush at the last , when the cr eatu r e ,as i f enjoying the misch ief, wou ld r un off n icker in
’
an’
BRAID , b r oad . Compa r e B RED E .
‘ Bessie wi th the br a id ap r on ,
’was a fami l iar ep ithet app l ied to
E li zabeth , daugh ter of Lor d Dacr e ,the W ife of Lord W i l l i am Howard
(Bel tedW i l l) , whose br oad lands swel led the for tunes of his younger
br other , the p r ogen i tor of the famil ies of Ca r l i sle andCor by.
"— B r ockett.
L ean in on the bud steahyn wi’
his br aid shou ther s .— T . Bewick ,
The Howdy , &c. , ed. 1 850, p . 10.
BRAID ,to br aid, descr ibes the muscula r action wh ich
p r ecedes vom i t ing , r each ing , heaving.
”— H odgson M S .“Aa
’
ve
br aidedsa i r aa ll neet , docto r .
BRAID -BAND . Ba r ley is often la id in br oad-band to dr y whenr eaped .
BRAKE , a lever form ing pa r t of the appa r a tus used in coa lbor ing . I t is a simple beam ha v ing a cr ook at one end towhich the bor e - r ods a r e a t tached by a cha in and sl ing r ope .
When the depth a t ta ined in bor ing has become S O gr ea t tha tthe bor e- r ods can not be lifted by the men at the b r ace -head ,then the br ake i s br ought in to r equisi tion . By i ts power fullever age the r ods a r e l ifted and then a l lowed to d r op , ther ods being tur ned by the b r ace -head at each st r oke .
BRAKESMAN , the man in char ge of the wind ing -engine at
a pit.
BRAM BLING , the moun ta in finch , F r ing illa montifr ing i lla .
BRAN , a boar ; a male pig .
BRANDED , BRAND IT ,b r indled . A br anded quey
,
” “ Abr andit stot ,
”is a
‘
beast of a m i xed black and r edcolou r .
BRANDERS , the pier s o r abutt ing pa r t of the founda t ions ofa b r idge wh ich become v i sible when the wa ter i s low.
BRAND -IRONS , and-i r ons . The i r on s for hold ing up the
logs in a wood fi r e.
92 NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S .
BRANDL ING , a r iver trout caught in the Tyne .
BRANDL INGS , la r ge pea s of a b r own i sh -yellow spottedcolou r , qui te d iffer en t fr om the o r d ina r y gr ey pea , muchfancied and in r equest for car lin s ’
BRANDL ING -WORM (pr onounced br anlin) . the wor m foundin manu r e heaps , wh ich has r ed st r ipes r ound it . I t is wellknown to t r out fisher s , andis also called the D ewworm.
BRANDRITH , a t r i ve t or other i r on on wh ich to set a vesselover a fir e.
-R ay’
s Gloss. Compar e G l R D L E , 2 .
BRANDY-SNAPS , ver y th in , b r i t tle cakes , made of gingerb r ead , andbaked har d .
BRANK , to hold the head up affectedly ; to put a b r idle orr est r ain t on anything — B r ockett.
BRANKS , a br idle of pr im i t i ve con st r uction , having a p ieceof wood on each side j oined to a ha lter . These side piecesa r e r eferred to in Bu r n s ’ D eath andD r . H or nbook
Andthen i ts shanks ,They wer e as th i n as shar p
, an sma'
,
As cheeks o br anks.
"
Somet imes a b it is added ; bu t mor e fr equen tly a woodennose r esembl ing a muzzle .
—Ogi lvie , Imper ial D iet. I t wasthus tha t the exped i t ion of the La i r d ’ s J ock , the La i r d
’ sW at, and H obbie Noble wer e in st r ucted to set out forNewcastle '
You r a rmou r goodye manna shaw,
N or yet appear l ike men 0’
wei r ;As coun tr y lads be a
’
ar r ayedW i ’ br anks andb r echam on each mar e.
jock o’
the Syde.
In A yew-S er ious D iscour se, by Geor ge Stuar t , p r in ted forBenjam in Toole , London , and John Stor y , Newcastle , 1 686 ,p . 27 , the wor d in the fol lowing passage is expla ined ,
“ b r idleor hal ter ”
W hen wanton Yaudhas cast her r ider ,And taen sike fr eeks that nane can gu ide her ,U nder her feet she gets her br anks,Andstar k-hor n -madshe p lys her shanks .
Bu t i t is as a b r idle for human i ty tha t the br anks is bestknown in Newca stle andM o r peth ; for at each Of these townsan i r on muzzle is kept andknown as
“ the br anks.
” I t is a
cage-l ike st r uctur e , going ove r the head . In fr on t is a
tongue of i r on wh ich pa ssed in to the mouth and effectual ly
94. N ORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S .
BRASH , a vigor ous push o r pul l ; a st r ong spu r t in violen texer t ion i s ca lled a br ash. In chu r n ing
,for instance , the
p r offer of help is Often gi ven N oo , maa lass , aa’
l l gie ye a
br ash.
”
BRASH Y , sma ll , delica te in con st itut ion , subject to fr equen tbod i ly ind isposi t ion or weakness . Soft stone is a lso said tobe br ashy .
— B r ockett. Compa r e BRAS H , 2 .
BRASS , money . Impudence is ca lled br ass. S ee B RAZEN .
T he cheps that fandthe br ass.- T . W i lson , Opening of R ailway , 1 838
BRASS , i r on pyr ites found in the coal mea su r es ; also calledB r ass lumps.
Coal mixedwith br ass.— Bor ings andS inkings, A .B ., p . 23 3
BRASS BAND , a layer of i r on pyr i tes .
BRASSY , con ta in ing i r on pyr i tes .
T he coal has the r epu tation of being in par ts br assy .— Hugh M i l ler ,
Geology of Otter bur n andElsdon .— Geol . S u r vey M emoir , 1 887 ,
p 33 .
BRASSY ,per t , l i vely , for wa r d in manner . P r incipa lly appl ied
to young people of an active bu t p r esumpt ive tur n .
“ Abr assy ca llan t .” A br assy l i t tle fellow .
”
BRAST , bu r st (thep.i . of br ust) . Tr avel ler : Bella , didonybodyivver get d r unk on yer smaall beer , h inny ? H ostess : N a ;
bu t ther e was twee that br ast.
BRAT ,the name for the tu r bot on the N or thumber land coa st .
T he cr abby aaddealer s in l ing , cod, and br ats ,An
’the v i r gins that tempt u s wi
’
n ice ma iden skyet.
T . W i lson , The M ovement, 1 839 .
BRAT , a neglected or di sagr eeable chi ld .
BRAT , a kind Of dua l ap r on , usua lly made of a sheepskin , or
coar se sacking , wor n by farm men when bu ild ing cor n stacks ,or when ba th ing sheep . In the la t ter case i t i s ca lled a
“ bath ing br at.” B r at (knee) , a cover ing for the knees usedby stacker s , gener a l ly made fr om coar se sack ing , or sheepskin wi th the wool on it. A ch ild ’s bib . Ra imen t .
M aw canny ba i r ns lu ik pale andwanThei r b its andbr ats a r e var r a scant
T . W i lson , Pi tman’
s Pay , 1 826 , pt. i v . 57 .
H e r e bi ts andb r at s mean food and r a imen t .
NORTHUM BERLAND W ORDS . 95
BRAT , a scum on the su r face of l iqu id ; the cur dled soapfloa t ing on the top of wa ter after wash ing a har d andb r okencr ust on the su r face of soi l . Compar e B RAT , in coa l m in ing ,andB RAT , to cur dle or sol idify , below .
BRAT , in coal min ing , a thin st r a tum of coar se coa l or blackstone , sometimes m ixed wi th car bona te of l ime and pyr i tes
,
fr equen t ly found lying at the r oof of a seam of coal .Limestone br at 2 feet 6 inches — Bor ings andS inkings, L .R . , p . 1 1 3 .
BRAT , to cu r dle. Thunder br ats the cr eam . Earth is said tobe br attedwhen baked andcr acked wi th the sun , and plan t s ,when simi la r ly d r ied andcracked , a r e sa id to be br atted.
BRATCH ET , an i ll -behaved ch ild ; bu t often appl ied fami lia r lyand affect iona tely to a l ively ch i ld .
“ Ye cunn in’
l i t tlebr atchet ; aa see ye ther e .
”
BRATCHET , a th in liquor made fr om the last squeezing of
the honeycomb .—B r ockett. See B RAGGET . (Obs.)
BRATT ISH , BRATTISH ING , BRATT ICE , a par t i t ion .
The h igh wood back act ing as scr een to a long -set tle iscalled a br attish. A N or thumber land man was a sked to come
fu r ther in to the r oom . H e r ep l ied : N o , thank ye ; a a’
l l
just sit ah in t the br attish. H e had modestly taken a sea tnea r the scr een at the door . In a r oom , a por t ion i s said tobe br attishedof
” when a wooden par t i tion has been r un upto for m a d ivision or second apar tmen t . In m i n ing
,wher e
one shaft is used for a double pur pose , it is d ivided by a
br attish, or br attice ; thi s is ca lled the shaft br attish. A woodpar t i tion used for ven t ilation when ther e is on ly one Open ingor pa ssage .
”(Gloss. N ewe. M ining Terms, 1 8
“ T he br attice
tha t d iv ided the back Shaft , or pumping side , fr om the for eshaft , wher e the coals as well a s the men and boys wer ed r awn up to and fr om thei r wo r k.
”
(Rob t . Scot t , Venti lationof Coal M ines, 1 868 , p . When in other pa r t s of the pit,it is ca lled the “ d r ift ,
” “ headways ,” “ boa r d ,
”&c. ,
br attish,
accor ding to the si tuat ion in which i t i s placed .“ T he
col ler ens which for mer ly suppor ted the br atticing we r e a ll
gone to decay . (R . Scott , Above, p . B r attice-elotli is
st r ong can va s steeped in Ar changel ta r , andused in makingtempor a r y a i r cour ses . In a r ch i tectur e , car ved wor k on thetop of a sh r ine. Befor e we descend let us g lance betweenthe br attishing wh ich sur r ounds the sides .
”
(R ev . P r ovostConsitt , L ife of S t. Cuthber t, 1 887 , p . To for t ify wi th
96 NORTHUMB ERLAND W ORD S .
timber . At Clennel i s a l i t tle tower of the inher i tance of
one P e r ci va l Clennel , gen t . , n ewly r eper el ledandbr attyshed.
”
(S ur vey of N or thumber land, in 1 54 1 , S i r Rober t Bowes .H odgson M S .) S ee Ba tes , Border H olds, p . 54 .
BRATTLE , a fr ay , a loud noise , a peal of thunder .
S ays he ,I have got qu ite enough ,
S ae thu s we gave ower the br attle.
S ong , Va lentine'
s D ay .
Bards of the Tyne, p . 1 67 .
BR AU T IN S , gi r dle cakes wi th cheese sandwiched between .
M r . B r ocket t says the d ish was for mer ly p r epa r ed for
mower s in the hay har vest , and ca r r ied to them in the field .
On the author i ty of a woman , aged 99 , he adds tha t th i s wasa r epast on M idsummer E ve , and also on St . Thomas ’ sN ight .
BRAVE , an emphat ic pr efix , adding in ten sity ; for in stance ,B r ave an
’
dr y mean s ver y dr y B r ave an’ seun ,
”in ver y
good time ; “ B r ave an’
near , ver y nea r indeed . H e’
s a
br ave st r ang nu ,
”he
’
s a ver y st r ong one. A br ave lad,” is a
n ice comely fellow . B r ave must always be j oined wi th someth ing agr eeable .
BRAVELY , in excellen t heal th— however deficien t in cour age .
B r oekett. See B R AALE Y .
BRAXY-M UTTON , mutton of a sheep tha t has d ied of a
d i sease termed “ the br axies.‘
S ee TRA I K .
pound , t o hammer at , to assaul t . B r ayed sandsandstone. Aa
’
l l br ay the sowl oot o’
ye .
”
H e br ay’
daway byeth lang andsa i r ,Befor e the stann in cor f was hew
’
dW as dr oppin sweet fr ae iv ’
r y ha i r ,An h idden iv a r eeky cloud
T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay, 1 827 , pt. i i v~
36 .
BRAYER , or BRAYING -STONE , a bea ter used in pound ingsoft sandstone.
BRAYS , smal l coke. S ee BREEZE .
BRAZEN , impuden t . She ’s a br azen huzzy.
BREAK , a cr ack or small natura l cavi ty in a coal seam .
98 NORTH UM BERLAN D WORD S .
BREED , to make , to extend . H er e , lads ! let’ s br eeda slidey,
tha t i s, “ L et us wor k on t ill a sl ide is made on the ice.
S ee B REDE .
BREED , b r ead .
Think Of a heap 0’
hungr y ba i r ns
Abou t an empty cubboardcr yin’
,
W i mobby he that ha rdly ea r ns
Thei r da ily br eed, in s ickness lyin
T. W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay , pt. i ii v . 5 1 .
BREED -AN -CH E E S E , the open ing budof the hawthorn t r ee.
I t is often eaten by ch i ld r en , and thus called .
BREEK , to put in to t r ouser s . A memor able t ime in the l ifeof youth .
Fr ae beein’
br eek’
dtill fit to mar r y.
T . W i lson , Pi tman’
s Pay, 1827 , pt . v . 78 .
BREEKS , t rouser s .M a b r an new coat an br eeks wis gyen .
S ong , Wor M ally Ter nedB loomer .
Then fier ce as fi r e she seizedthe br eeks.T. W i lson , P i tman
’
s Pay , 1 826 , pt. i . v . 45 .
BREER ,the eglan t ine or sweet -b r iar . Wi ld sweet br er e, the
wi ld r ose, R osa tomei i tosa .
BREEST , b r east . “ H is ba r e br eest. T he chim ley br eest.To give an
'
infan t “ the br eest i s to suckle i t.
BREEST , the i r on in a smi th ’ s fi r e next the snout , or nozzle,of the bellows .
BR E E T , b r ight .H er high
-heeledshoon , wi’
buckles br eet.
T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay , 1 829 , pt. i i i . , v . 12 .
BR E E T H , breath . Aa’
s r un t ill aa ’
s oot o ’ br eith.
BR E E T H , b r eadth . A han ’ s br eeth — a handsbr eadth.
BREE ZE , BRAYS , small coke , or the dust Of coke .
B R E M E L or BR IM M E L , the br amble .
B R E M E L -BARR I ES , b r amble-ber r ies . Called a lso Bummelkites, B lack Bow-wower s, &c.
BR E NCH , a branch .
NORTH U MBERLAN D W ORD S . 99
BRENT ,steep . B r ent-br ow , a steep hi ll ; metaph. The br ow of
a h ill , the edge or side of a hi ll , or p r ecip ice.— R ay
’
s Gloss. ,
169 1 , B . 1 5 . Someth ing set up or stand ing up ;hence appl ied to a “ stuck-up or con sequen tia l per son . S ee
B RANT .
J ust then aw saw wor lads gann in’
by,As str ei ght as r asher s , andsae br ent.
S hield’
s R aces.
Bards of the Tyne, 1 849 , p . 492.
BR E N T IN , the act, in playing ma r bles , of placing the handon the knee and so d ischar ging the ma r ble fr om an elevation .
“ B r ent doon ”is the inst r uction , in playing , to keep the hand
down on the gr ound .
BRERE , to sp r out , t o sp r ing up , to p r ick up in the mannergr a in does when i t fi r st ger m ina tes .— H odgson M S . I t hadj ust br eer ed when the caad h ipt i t — tha t is , the plan t hadj ust shown above gr ound when the cold n ipped i t. See a l soB REER .
BREWERY , a boys’ game a t mar bles . S ee BOOR E Y.
BREW I S , crust s or pieces of b r ead soaked in the fat ofpottage .
-Bai ley’
s D iet. Obs.)
BR IAN ,“ to br ian an oven , to keep fi r e a t the mouth of i t,
ei ther to gi ve l ight or to p r eser ve the heat .— R ay, N or thCountry Words, 1 69 1 .
BR I CK , to b r eak .
Ye ’
ll br ick yor neck , mind.
Yor high-flown cheps oft iyel an
'
br ick.
T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay , 1 827 , pt. v. 95 .
BRICK , a patch Of g r owing tur n ips su r r ounded by a net wi th inwhich sheep a r e p laced to eat off the cr op . T he br ick (br eak)no doub t di stinguishes between i t and the unb r oken part ofthe cr op . S ee BREC K , 2 .
BRICK ,the bi r ch t r ee . S ee B I RK .
BR I CKER , BREAKER , a fissu r e p r oduced in the r oof of them ine , fr om the pr essu r e on r emov ing the p illa r .— B r ockett.
BR ICKWAS T ,BR ICKFAS T , b r eakfast .
BRIDAL , BR IDE -ALE , a wedd ing feast .When B rydals, or Hor se R aces fel l .
” —G . S tuar t , 70eo-S er iousD iscour se,1686 , p . 1 9 .
BRIDE -SPURS , spurs a llotted to the best r unner after themar riage ceremony. —B r ockett. S ee KAl L . (Obs .)
I OO NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S .
BRIDE ’S -WAIN'
, a wedd ing custom . (Obs.)On the occasion of the celeb r ation of a mar r iage , the b r ide
’
s fur n itu r e was br ought in a wa in or waggon to her husband
'
s hou se , wi thmuch pomp and cer emony ; on the top o f the load, and fo rming the
most pr ominent object in it , was her sp inn ing wheel , gai ly decor atedwith r ibbon s . Th is was cal led the br ide
’
s wa in .
"-R ev. J . E . El l iot ,
H i st. of Bks. N at. Club, vol . v i . , p 246 .
BR IEF ,a memor ial , or begging letter signed by some
r espon sible per son , and car r ied about by a poor pet itionerwho has lost a cow or hor se
, or suffer ed some mi sfor tune .
BR IERS , beams or gi r der s fixed across a shaft top .
BRIG ,a b r idge .
“ T he aadbr ig .
”Cor br ig .
S he'
l l neist tr y the Q uay— the Cu stom-House , teeT he B r ig— an
’
wor awdcoaly r iver .
T . W i lson , The M ovements , 1 839 .
P r e ther e aa went alang the B r ig .— M a Canny H inny.
E R IH AM , BR IM E , a hor se collar . Thi s wor d has sever a lfor ms— bar kham, br ajfam, br ifiam,
barfham, br augham, br echam,
& c.— bu t the common p r onuncia tion is br iham. S ee note under
H E YE M S .
BR I H AM ,or B IRGH AM -FLAP , the olda r r angemen t of the
t r ouser band andfr on t .
BR IM . A sow in kind is sa id to be “a b r imme r , or
“a
br eeming . A sow is said to go to br im when she goes t o theboa r .
BR IT CH IN , tha t por tion of hor se har ness buckled to the car tsaddle
,pa ssing r ound the h inder pa r t of the hor se andfastened
by cha in s to the “ l immer s ” of the ca r t .
BR IZZ , BR I SS , to p r ess , t o squeeze , to bear a weight upon ,
t o p r ess down wi th the finger s , to const r a in wi th the a r ms .Come , let me br izz you r b r eas t to m ine “ To br ize beneath
the heel of con tempt .
BR IZ Z L E ,BR I STLE
, BI R S E L , to cr ackle in cooking .T he ca r l ins wi l l then par ch , cr ack , and, as we pr ov incially cal l i t ,
br i stle when they beg in to bu r st they a r e r eady to eat . — Cor r espondentfr om Nor thumber land to Gentleman ’
s M agaz i ne, 1 788 , p . 1 89 .
M r . Geor ge S tephenson , the enginee r ,
‘
was at M r . H inde ’s dinner
(Br i tish Association , Newcastle , H e told me that he andhis son
had made an incl inedplane in thei r wor ks to ascer ta in why the r a i l r oad
did not r ust , andon laying si lk on the l ine , after it hadbeen u sed, that i t
all br izeled up,
’and l i e was then assu r ed that they wer e electr ified
jour nal of R ev. 70hn Hodgson , R a ine’
s L ife, vol . i i pp . 382-3 .
" T he moder n S cotch is bi r sle ; bu t 1 6th cen tu r y Engl ish hadbr issi ll ,and 17th centu r y Nor ther n dialect br usle.
— D r . M u r r ay, N ewE ng . D i et.
102 NORTH UMBE RLAN D WORD S .
BROCKWELL ;“ the lowest wor kable (coa l ) seam of any
di st r ict i s, ipse facte, cal led the B r ockwell . — P r ofessor G .
A . Lebou r , M .A . , Geology of N or thumber land andD ur ham, 2nd
ed. , 1 886 , p . 5 1 . Compa r e wi th BROCKLE , above.
BROD , a smal l na i l . (Obs .)Fou r hundr ed br eds, r s . 8d. ; two bouches laths , 25 .
— R ichardW elford, Hist. of Newe. X VI . Cent. , p . 356 .
BROD , or BRUD , to separ a te peas from bean s by mean s ofa r iddle.
BR OGL E R , an un t r a ined per son , a feckless body . H e’
s
j ust a br egler — tha t is , he is a poor hand , as a poor p r eacher ,an unqua l ified med ical p r act i t ioner , or a badwor kman .
BR OGLY , shaky , twi sted , uneven . Aa’
ve a pa i r 0’
com
pa sses , bu t thor y a r r y br eg ly yen s — tha t is , ben t and twistedin the legs andgener al ly shaky . “ T he r oad ’ s a va r r y br egly
yen .
BROKEN ,
“a par t of the m ine wher e the p i llar s a r e in cou r se
of removal .”— M in. Gloss. N ewe. Terms, 1 852 .
They beg in to wor k off the standing pi lla r s of coal , which is (as theminer s say) wor king i n the br oken .
— R obt . S cott , Venti lati on of CoalM ines , 1 868 , p . 14 .
“ T he par tial wor king of pi lla r s was commenced at W alker Col l ier yby Thomas Bar nes in 1 795 , and impr ovedby M r . Buddle at Per cy M a in
in - Gless. of Coal T r ade Terms, 1 849 .
BROKEN -MEAT , meat left a fter a meal .
BROKET , a lar k—N er thumber land. S ee Pennant ’ s Tour inS cotland, 1 790, i . , 48.
— H alliwell’
s D iet.
BRONG ,an occasiona l p . ten. of br ing . H e br eng it aall on
h issel .” B r engen andbr eng a r e used as p .par t. Ifye’
doneybr eng it seuner .
”S ee B R OW T .
BROO , the for ehead “ S ic a heed ! a ll mooth an ’
br ee. Theface of a dyke in a pit. S ee CANCH .
T he fr ont of the dep r essed r oof at a dip hitch .
"— G r eenwell .
BROO ,incl ina t ion , good op in ion . U sed in the negat ive . Aa
hedn o br ee on’
t” —I hada badop in ion of it andwas t imo r ous
of the i ssue.
BROODY , having a b r ood . A br eedy hen , a hen w ithch icken s . B r eedy , o r br oddy , is sa id of a ma t r on who hasher ch i ld r en in quick success ion .
NORTH UMB ERLAN D WORD S . 103
BROON , b r own .
BROON -BU Z Z OM S , besoms made of br oom . S ee B RU M .
BROON -GEORGE , br own bread .
BR OON IE , a b r own spi r i t , popular ly supposed to be distingu ished fr om a fa i r y , or fa ir -complexioned sp ir it , by i tsb r own skin . S ee D U E R GAR .
BROON -K ITTY , or K ITTY-WREN , the wr en , T r og lodytes
par vulus.
BROON -LEAM ER , a hazel nu t, when i t becomes br own andmealy ended , r ipe and r eady to fal l out of i ts husk .
—R ev . J .Hodgson , A r chaeolog ia E liana , vol . i i ., p . 1 3 2 .
T he term is figu r atively appl ied to gener ous per sons, cal led also
B r ewnshiller s.
”— Hal l iwell ’s D iet.
BROSSEN , BR OS T E N , BRUSSEN , or B R U S T E N , bu r stA br ossen kite,
’
onewith a lar ge andwel l -r eplen ishedcor por ation .
Hodgson M S .
BROTH , used as a plu r al noun . A few b r oth .
BROTT , shaken corn .— R ay
’
s Collection of N or th-Country Words,1 691 .
B R OT T s , fr agments , dr opp ings .— Hall iwell ’s D iet.
BROUGH , BR OOF , in Nor thumber land , the name for the
ha lo wh ich in th in , hazy weather enci r cles the moon, and
is seen in m ist sometimes over the sum— H odgson M S .
H e’ye seen the br eef r oond the myun thi
’
nee t I t ’ s a langway off. T he bel ief is tha t the la r ger the diameter of the
ci r cle the g r ea ter the an ticipa ted stor m .
BR OU GH T E N S , in Rothbu r y par i sh , a r e cakes , w i th th inlayer s of cheese put on each side and baked , to g ive to
mower s for thei r noon , or luncheons .— H edgsei i M S . S ee
B R AU T i Ns .
BROUT , brought . H e br ent them 0 up .
’
S ee B R OWT .
BR OVVD E N , BR OOD IN , t o be anx ious for , or wa r m lya ttached to , any Object ; to be enamou r ed of i t. —B r ockett.
S ee B ROO , 2 .
BR OW D IN , BR OOD IN , va in , conceited , bold , for war dB r ockett, 3 rded.
104. NORTH UMBERLAND WORD S .
BROWN -H EADED -DUCK , the golden -eye duck, Clangula
g laucien.
BROWN -H E N , a name for the black g r ouse , Tetr ao tetr ix. I ti s a lso cal led black cock andblack game.
BROWN L INNET , one of the names for the l innet , Ca i inabinal ineta . O ther names for the b l rd a r e lennar t, and g r ey , r ed,andr ose l innet.
BROWST , a b r ewing , a quan ti ty br ewed at any one t ime .
B r ockett, 3 rded.
BR OW S T E R , a b r ewer .— B r ockett, 3 rd ed.
BR OW T , b r ought , p . pa r t. br ewten . H e br ewt his fethe r win
him ; it’
s a wonder he hadn ’ t br ewten his g r andfether tee .
H e br ewt him up to the bu tchin business .” B r eng is an
occasiona l for m .
BR OW T E N S -U P , upb r inging . I t j ust shows h is br ewtensup - tha t is , i t shows the way in wh ich he has been b r oughtup . I t is gener ally applied to m isconduct or wan t of ear lyt r a in ing .
BRUCH , the old name for a toad -stool , or a fungus — H odgson
M S .
Toad-stool , or , as the Nor thumber s cal l them, br uches.— Tu r ner '
s
Her bal , 1 562 .
BRUCKLE , t o di r ty. — R ay’
s Gloss.“ T o br ookle, or br ukle, in the Nor th , is to make wet and di r tyKennett , p . 1 37 , quotedHal liwell
’
s D i et.
BRUCKLED , d i r ty.— R ay’
s Gloss.
W et , stormy ; appl iedto the weather .— B r ockett.
B r aehel'
dwants explanation . Her r ick speaks of boys and br uckel’
dchi ldr en , playing for points and p ins .
’ — Nar e’
s G loss . S ee explanationabove.
BRUD , to sepa r a te pea s fr om beans . S ee BROD .
BRU I SER , a bullying fellow .
H e can wal lop a’
the br u i ser s an’
g r eet bu l l ies on the Kee.—E d~
Cor van , 1 854 , Fi r e on the Q uay.
BR U L L IM E NT , a b r oi l or quar r el . —B r ockett.
BRUM , the plan t b r oom .
“ B r um (or br oon) buzzoms a r e
bezoms made fr om b r oom , or , as they ar e ca l led in colloquialEngl ish , “ b r ooms .
106 NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S .
BUBBLY , snotter y , soft , blubber ing .H e
’
s an ugly body, a bubbly body,An i l l—far
’
d, ugly loon .
S andgate G i r ls’ Lamentation .
Bel l 's R hymes, 1 81 2 , p . 48.
T he keel-bu l l ies a’
, byeth gr eat andsma ,M yeda bubbly tide 0
’
the hoppin ’
, O
J . S elki r k , d. 1 843 , S walwell Hopping .
Bell ’s R hymes, 1 81 2 , p . 47 .
BUBBLY-JOCK , the ma le tur key. P r obab ly so named fr omthe wa t tles hanging fr om the fr on t of his bi ll anddown hisneck.
BUCK , the d r iver used by player s in the games of t r ippetandquoi t and ki t ty-cat-an ’
-bi i ck-st ick.
”
BUCK , the hook for a t tach ing the chain s to a plough beam .
BUCK-BUCK , a game p layed by two boys . One boy makesa back ,
”andthe other player leaps on it , call ing out , Buck
buck, hoo many finger s div aa had up .
”If the buck guesses
right the player s exchange p laces .
BUCKER , a sand bea ter , used for making bray -sand ”; adomest ic uten si l , wi th i r on head and wooden handle , forcr ush ing sandstone to a powder for stone floor s . Backer s wer eused former ly for cr ush ing lead or e before the in tr oduct ion of
machin er y for stamping .
”
BUCKET , the p iston of a l ift ing set of pumps in a pit.— N ewe.
M ining Terms. S ee SWORD .
BUCKET-TREE , the p ipe between the wor king barrel of a
pump andthe windbore.
BUCKLE , to mar r y.
BUCKLE , a din t , o r bend , or twi st in the face of a pla te of
i r on ; a buckled pla te”is a pla te tha t has got twi sted or set
aw r y on its face.
BUCKLE -HORNS , ben t horns .
BUCKLE -M OOT H E D , having a twi sted month . S ee BUC KLE ,2 , above
W hat a fyess , begok l hadbuckle-meethedJock ,.When he twinedh is jaws for the baccy , O .
"
J . S elki r k, S walwell
NORTH U M B ERLAN D W ORD S . 107
BUCKLE -TO , to wor k in ear nest , to ag r ee wi th . “ Come ,lads , let
’ s buckle to.
”
N ow , they’
dnothing mor e to doB u t make the mother buckle to
W h ich mu st be done , or else the bar gain
W ou ldnot be wor th a single fa r thingEdwa rdCh icken , The Coll i er
’
s Wedding , 1 735 .
BU CKS H E E N E D , ha v ing the sh in bones bucked, or cr ookedto the fr on t ; a cond i tion p r oduced by r icket in ea r ly l ife .
Bucksheen’
dBob , fr a S tel la , O .
J . S elki r k , S walwell Hopping .
BUDDEN ,or der ed ; invi ted to a funer al . S ee BODEN and
B i D , 2 .
BUDDOCK the buttock , or nether par t .H e sits in h is huddock andclaws his ba r e buddoek.
S ong , Bonnie Keel Laddie.
BUDDY -BU D , BUDDY -BU S , the flower of the bu r r , or
bu r dock , A r ctium lappa , L innwus.— B r ockett.
BUDDY-BUDDY , the call to ch icken s for their food .
BUER , a gna t . —R ay’
s Gloss.
BUESS , BE U S T , or BUST , a sta ll , sta t ion , or pa r t Of office ,or business ; a beast sta ll , or booze— B r ockett. S ee BOO S E .
BUFF , a blow gi ven by one boy to another t o p r o voke him t ofight . Compa r e COW BAT .
BUFF , to bea t . A wor d for mer ly in poli te u se. (Obs.)Ther e was a shock
T o have bu/f'
dou t the bloodOf ought bu t a b lock .
Ben Jonson , quoted in Nar e’
s D iet.
U FF , to labour heavi ly .
H e was bufit
‘
n’
at a back as ha rd as whinstoneT . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay , 1 843 , pt v . 34 .
UFF , to poli sh a kn i fe , a fter sharpen ing it, by stroking , orbufi ng it on a soft lea ther st r ap .
FF , the bar e skin . H e wis st r ipped to the buy?”
Adam wor e his na tive bufi — Na r e’
s G loss. , u nder wordAdam Bel l .
F F E T , a foot -stool ; somet imes ca lled a bufiet-steel .“ Five bufi
'
ette-stools , 2 5 . 6d.-Wi l l of R ober t Cla i
'
er ing of Callaly, in
108 NORTHUMBERLAND W ORD S .
BUFF-FRONTS,BUFF -FACE S ,
‘
O r BULL -FACES , t uftsof coa r se gr a ss , A i r a cwspitesa . S ee B U LL -PYET.
BUFF-NOR -STYE . H e could neither say bufi’
nor stye
sa id of a s impleton , or of one who is sur p r ised pa st speech .
Another for m of th i s exp r ession is g r ufl-ner -stye. H e
nowther sa id g r zfi -ner -stye”
- tha t is , he chu r l i shly ga ve no
an swer wha tever . I t is said when a per son has been gr osslyin sul ting in his manne r by r efusing to an swer when spokento . In N ar e
’
s Gloss. , bi ifi'
ne haj'
i s gi ven Neither one th ingnor another . N oth ing a t a ll .
”
BUGH T , a sheepfold . S ee BOUGHT .
A str uctu r e descr ibed by the shepherds as a bught for mi lking ewes,
or assor ting sheep .— James Hal l , Guide to G lendale, 1887 , p 99 .
Aneath the dusky peak 0’ Cheviot,
W her e the falcon sp r eads h is flashing wings ,
W her e the wi ld thyme spr ings , andb lue-bel ls blossom,
And the lavr ock o’
er the yowe-bught sings .
"
James Ander son , The S cottish Lassie, 1 879 .
BU IK ,BU I CK , a book. P r onounced bee-yak and byuk, wh ich
see. In Anglo-Saxon the wor d is bo’ e ; and the accentedvowel is in Nor thumber land sounded as ee-yu .
BU IRDLY ,stout , sta lwar t , of la r ge sta tely fr ame .
BU I S , a Space for the fo r age of sta ll -fedca t tle. S ee BU ES S .
BU I ST , BU E S T , or BUST , to put a mar k or b r and uponsheep o r cat tle by thei r owner s — B r ockett. T he p r onuncia t ioni s b-yeast. S ee BYE S T .
BULE , BOOL , the bow of a pan or ket tle — B r ockett.
BULK , the open stall of a shop .
T he shop w indows of one of these hou ses (N O . 76 , Headof the S ide)wer e the last wh ich r ema ined ung la zed in Newcastle , and r eta ined,
wi th in l iv ing memor y, what wer e known as open bu lks.— Knowles and
Boyle , Vestiges of OldNewcastle, 1887 , p . 4 .
BULL , a r ound ba r of i r on used in bla st ing in wet holes . T he
hole be ing stu ffed wi th clay,a bull is dr i ven th r ough it , and
thus a wa ter - t ight pocket for the bla st ing -cha r ge is made.
A lso a sho r t p r op , wi th for ked end,hung loosely at the r ea r !
of a set of tub s in a scending ; or so ba lanced in fr on t of a set
of descending tubs , on an inclined plane , as to st r ike wi th
1 10 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
BULLS-AND -COWS , “ lor ds and ladies , the flowers of thA r ummaculatum. Also cal led L ani -lakens.
BULL-S E G , an imper fectly cast r a ted ox .
BULL ’ S -EYES , large lozenges made of toffey, andflavou r
wi th m in t .
BULL -TROOT , a la r ge fine species of fish pecul ia rNor thumber land , and much esteemed . T he lar ger kindsalmon t r outs taken in the Coquet ar e in Newcastleca lled bull tr outs ; bu t these fish a r e much la r ger than sa lmont r outs in the head , wh ich is a pa r t gener ally adm ired for itssmallness .
Bi lhope B r aes for bucks andr aes,
AndCa r i t Haugh for swine ,AndFar r as for the goodbul l tr out,I f he be taen in time
OldR hyme— B r ockett.I t is the S alme er iex . Bu ll tr out , among u s in Nor thumber land,
fr om i ts g r eat si ze .— Tur ner .
BULLY , equ iva len t to b r other ; a mate , a com r ade . Thcr ew of a keel a r e a lways ca l led “ the bu llies.
”
T he bu ll i es an’
pee-dee a ’
huddledtogether ,Yen an
’
a didag r ee it was tor r ib le weather
S ong , The Devi l , or the Nanny Goat.Keel -bull ies is a term u sed for th is species of water men ; bu llies is a l
a common appel lation among the people concer ned in the coal w
b r other s .— E r a r.d, H ist. of Newe vol . ij 1 789 , p . 26 1 , note.
Fou r or five days befor e R ipley died, heAgnes say to him ,
‘ Bu l l ie, thou hast g iven thy si lver wh istle anto LeonardHa r k , bu t I tr ust thou sha l t l i ve to wear it thyself.
”
of 1 584 , R icha rdW elford’
s H ist. of Newe. , vol i i i . , p . 19 .
BULLY , the bu llfinch . S ee BOOLY .
BU L R U S H E R , a bul r ush .
BU M ,to make a humm ing or d r umming noi se like a bee,
bumler ; also to spin a top . T he soon’
s bummin in my ea r sTo d r ive v iolen tly or hu r r iedly. ‘
fThey wer e bummed ootH adaway bum yo r top .
”
In bye they bum’
dme in a cr ack .
P i tman ’s Pay , pt. i i v. 35 .
After they bumm’
du s r oundaboot ,F or a
’the wor ldl ike a teetotum .
"
Pi tman ’
s Pay , pt. v . 30.
T he tr avel ler s i ’ thor whi r l igi gs bummi n .
"
T . W i lson , S tanzas, 1 824 .
NORTHUMB ERLAN D W ORD S . 1 1 1
BU M a sher iff ’s Officer who d ist r a in s, or takes possession .
Ther e was Pr eston , the bail iff, Joe C r aggs was h is bum.
S ong , L imbo.
BUMBAZED , bamboozled . S ee BAZE .
BU M -CLOCK , a flying beetle .
BUMM EL , a bungle .
They made sic a bummel wi ’ sai l andwi ' l ine ,That they var r y n igh cowpt thor sels inti theTyne .
S ong , The Keelman’
s S tick.
BUMM ER , the d r iver of a car r iage or g ig . In former timescommer ci al t r avellers wer e all gigmen , or bummer s.
A r oad for hor se— a r oadfor postAndyen for a
’
the bummer s.
”
Thomas W i lson , The Ot'
l i'
n’o
’ D icky’
s Wig , 1 826 .
BUMM LER , a la r ge fly , a bee . A bummle bee is the humblebee. H e hummed the tune l ike a bummler iv a r ose bush ,
”
said of a m in ister who hada t tempted to raise a tune.
BU M M L E K IT E , BU M M L E R S K IT E , the blackber r y , the
fr ui t of the b r amble , R ubus fr uticosus. S ee B LACK-BOW -W OW E R S .
T he fr u it is vu lgar ly known in the distr ict by the name of bumblekyte, fr om its being supposed to cau se flatu lency when eaten in too
g r eat a qu anti ty. N O knowledgeab le boy wil l eat these ber r ies a fter
M ichaelmas D ay, becau se the a r ch -fiend is bel ieved to r ide a long the
hedges on the eve of that g r eat festi val , and pol lu te ever ything that
g r ows in them , except the sloes , by touch ing them with h i s clu b foot .
T he same notion p r evai ls fu r ther Nor th , wher e the b r amb le-ber r ies ar e
cal led lady’
s ga r ter ber r ies.
”— W . Br ockie , Legends and S uper sti tions,p . 1 15 .
BUMM LER -BOX , a smal l house ; an old square bed wi thsliding panels in fron t .
BUM P , to d r ive again st . He bumped his heed again the topan
’
myest felled h issel .
a knock , a blow , the swell ing or lump caused by a
“Bump aga inst ,” to fall or d r i ve aga in st wi th v iolence.
T he laddie r an sweatin , r an swea tin ,
T he laddie r an swea tin aboot ,Ti ll the keel went bum agyenst Jar r ow,
An’
th r ee 0’
the bu l ies lap oot.”
“ L i ttle Pee D ee.”—A llan’
s Collection , p . 194 .
1 1 2 N O R T H U M B E R L XN D W ORD S .
BU N ,BUND (p.p. of bind) , bound .
“ H e wis bun app r en t icetiv a cai r twr ight.
”Aa
’
s ban to gan the mo r r ow , o r Aa’
s
tied ti gan the mo r r ow. Compa r e N ew E ng . D iet. , Bound,
ppl . a2. In the p r esen t ten se the i is shor t in bind, find, &c.
,
and sounded like the i in tin.
Another lang andslavish yea rAt last aw fai r ly str ugg led thr ough
Gat fettledup a set of gear
W as thought a man— andbun to hew.
T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay, pt . v . 7 3 .
BU N , r eady to star t . Wher e a r e ye bun for ,
BU N , a har e or r abb i t’
s tai l .
BUNCH ,to st r ike , to d r ive wi th the knee aga inst the backside .
BUNCH -BERRY , the fr u it of the R ubus saxati lis, of wh ich thecoun t r y people Often make ta r ts — B r ockett.
BUNG ,to close up .
“ T he cundy ’ s bung’
dup wi ’ cla r ts .”
gat sic a bat i t bung’
dhis eye up .
”
BU NG ,a wor thless per son . I t is ver y usua l to call a person
a lazy bung ,
”an idle bung .
BUN S , bounds . H e’
s oot o ’
the buns.
BUNT IN ,the cone of a fi r t r ee.
“ To peppe r buntins, i s to
th r ow buntins in play.
BUNTON ,a p iece of squa r ed t imber . T he r afts of squa r ed
t imber ly ing by the r i ver s ide wer e a lways ca lled “ the
bui i tens.
Tr ansver se pieces of woodplaced in shafts to which the gu ides forthe cages a r e attached — G r eenwel l , G lossa ry, 1 888 .
In timber ing the shafts of coal mines bun ions and sheets ar e pu t in
for the pu r pose of conducting the cages up anddown the shafts.— John
R owel l , cor r espondent Weekly Chr oni cle, M ay 22 , 1 886 .
I t . pd for one bunting andtwo spa r r es to a yeat (gate) andthemakeing
it , 45 . 4d.
”— GatesheadChu r ch Books , 1 63 3 .
BU R ,the hooked seed vessel Of bu r dock.
BU R , the chock placed beh ind a cr owba r and used as a
fulcr umR a isedby lever s andbu r s on r ol ler s up an incl inedplane.
—Hodgson ,
H i st. of Nor thumber land, pt . ij. , vol 3 , p . 276 .
BURDEN -BAND , a hay-band or r ope , mor e common ly ca lled
a plot-band.
1 14. NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S .
BURN -GULLY , a ter m of der ision . For mer ly , and in li v ingmemor y , coun t r y b lacksm i ths we r e the p r incipa l maker s ofedge -tool s used in husband r y , such as a xes , hedge kn i ves
,
g ul lies, &c. , andmany of them a t tained to gr ea t p r oficiency inthe a r t of temper ing steel . O thers , aga in , not p r oficien t inthei r a t tempts at the business , bur n t the tempe r out of thesteel , and con sequen tly spoiled thei r wor k , andwer e ca lledin der i sion “ bu r n gu ll ies.
”In cou r se of t ime the ph r ase
exten ded to inefficien t wor kmen in other t r ades .
BURNS IDE , the Side of a bu r n .
BURNT . S ee B RU NT .
BURN -T H E -B I SCU IT , a boys’ game .
BURR (p r onounced ber ) , the sounding of the letter r by a st r ongton si l b r ea th ing , as di st ingui shed fr om the pa late r of the
south , and the “ tip-tongue- t r i l l of the let ter as hea r d in
Scotland . I t i s the guttur al sound which st r ikes a st r angera s the d ist inct ion in the N or thumber land folk -speech .
People nor town shou ld I have knownH ad I not heardthe Bur r .
T he l ine wi th in wh ich the bu r r i s spoken may be said tocoincide w ith the coun ty Of Nor thumber land , bu t it passesn or th of the Tweed at Ber wick , and over in to the coun ty ofDu r ham on i ts no r th cen t r e . On the Cheviots it is
r eplaced by the Scotti sh r . A l i t tle to the west of Bar donM i l l i t gives way to the t r i l led r . At Su nder land andSou th Sh ields an absence of the st r ong r ma r ks off a d i a lectd iffer ence which is most notewo r thy . T he ber fr om the
N or thumb r ian th r oa t i s an in ten sifica tion ,not an el ision of
the r sound . S ee R .
BURRAN , a badger — Yetholm.
Bar ean ,
’ ‘B a r end,
’and ‘Bor r on ’— a wel l known word in Nor th of
England, a r ocky slope, or hi l l . wher e foxes and badger s bu r r ow. I t
r anges at least as far sou th as Kettlewel l , wher e i t appear s as B or r ance,’
the stony scr ees below the l imestone g i rdles or cl i ffs . I t is also cal led‘ Bur r an ,
’
andamong the Yetholm gipsies , Bur r an’ means a badger .
Jos Lucas , Natur e, vol . xxxvi N O 928 , p 3 39 , 1 st col . , Aug . 1 1 th , 1 887 .
BURR -TREE , the elder -t r ee. S ee BOOR -TREE .
BURTON -CH INE , a cha in made Of ver y good i r on , used inlower ing andhoi st ing the ma sts of keels andwher r ies .
BU S , a bush . A whin bus,” A cor r in bus,
” “ A grozer bus,&c.
NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S . 1 1 5
BU S , a sunken r ock , on wh ich a t ver y low t ides the long sea
weed is v i sible , l ike a bush hence , p r obably , the name .
Bondica r bus,”
P an bus,” Togston bus.
BUSE , a stall , a s a cow-buse, a hay-buse. S ee BOOSE .
BUSH EL- I RON,scr ap i r on . (Obs .)
BUSH M ENT , an ambushmen t . (Obs.)
After which so doone , and the bushment and for r ay met. — Ear l ofNor thumber land, letter to Henr y V I I I fr om Berwick , N ov . 20th , 1 532 ,
in D D D ixon ’
s Va le of Wli i tti ngham, p . 1 2 .
BUSK , to get r eady , to d r ess . Aa’
l l j ust bush mesel an gan .
H e’
s weel bus/ti t, he i s wel l d r essed .
“ Aa’
l l busk a t r ootflee . S ee B U S S .
W hen the fields busk thei r spr ing time a tti r e .
R . R oxby,PoeticEpistle, 1 845
R ise up Josep andbush andga ,
M ar ia an’
th i ch i ldal -sua
Cur sor M undi
BUSKER, a p r ofessiona l mendican t m in st r el .
BUSKY (a var ian t of bosky) , bushy .
BUSS , or BUSK , to d r ess , to don .
T he feather s of the woodpecker wer e p r eser ved to ‘ buss fl iesR ev J F . B i gge , in H i st. of Ber wi ckshi r e Natu r al i sts
’ C lub, vol ix p 562 .
Fai th thOO ’
s buss’
d l ike any lady.
E d. Ch icken , The Col l ier’
s Wedding ,1 735 .
Smash ! Jemmy, let’
s buss we'
l l off
Andsee N ewcassel R aces
W . M idfor d, 1 8 14 .
For Geordy aw’ddie , for my loyalty
’
s tr ig ,
An’
aw own he’
s a good leu kin mann ie ;Bu t i f wor S i r M atthew ye buss iv h is wig ,Bygocks , he wadju st leuk as canny.
’
J . Thompson , d 1 8 16 , Canny Newcastle.
B uss’
das aw was iv a’
maw best.
T . W i lson , Opening of R a i lu'
ay , 1 838
B U SS , a kiss. Come g i’
s a buss, ma bai r n .
U S S E S ,hoops for the top of a car t or waggon .
— H alliwell’
s
1 16 NORTHUMBERLAND W ORD S .
BUSS IN -T H E -TYUP , d r essing the tup . T he tap was the
las t cor f Of coals d r awn out of the pit on the la st day of the
year ; and by way of showing thei r plea su r e at the gaudydays now commencing , the pi tmen cover ed it wi th bur n ingcandles .
T he lads beg , bor r ow, andsteal candles for the occasion .
"— Note toPi tman'
s Pay , 1 843 .
BUSY-GAP -ROGUE . T he name or iginal ly was , p r obably ,bussy , tha t is bushy-
gap, a pa ss abounding in bushes . B usy-
gapis a
“ wide b r eak in the r idge of basa lt , about a m ile fr omS ewingshields . Th is was the pass most fr equen t ly chosenby the fr eebooter s of the M iddle Ages when on thei rmau r ading expedi t ion s to the r ich va l ley of the Tyne , and
hence it acqu i r ed an evi l r eputa t ion . In Newca stle for mer ly ,to ca ll a b r other bu r gess a Busy
-Gap-R egue was to incu r thecen su r e of one ’s gui ld , as i s a t tested by an en t r y in the booksof the Company of Baker s and B r ewe r s of Newca st le-uponTyne.
—W . W . Toml inson , Guide to N or thumber land, 1 888 ,p . 192 .
BU T , an abbr evia t ion of hal ibut. On the Nor thumber landcoast the tur bot goes by the n ame of br at.
Hol ibut , cal led ther e tu r bot, a r e caught off Holy Islandwi th the
hook.
" —S . O l i ver , R ambles i n Nor thumber land, 1 835 , p . 2 10.
B U T ,outside of. “ But and ben , outside and in side . T he
following old r hyme was used in wind ing ya r n“ B ut the hou se an
’
ben the hou se ,
In the hou se andou t the hou se ,
D r oon the hou se an bu r n the hou se ,
An’
heck that'
s yen .
Thi s was u sed by the sp inner s of ya r n when for m ing the i rbanks on the gr ea t wheel .
BU T AND , an old form of and. Between the Yule but and
the P a schBetween the n ight but andthe day
An Excellent Balladon the S ickness, & c. , of E cky’
s M ar e,
by the late Ber nardR umney, Bell’
s R hymes, 1 8 1 2 , p . 166 .
BU T CH IN’
,butcher ing . H e
’s star ted the butchin ’
business .
BUTLER ,a ter m appl ied in the Nor th to a fema le who keeps
a bachelor’ s house , a fa r mer
’s housekeeper .— B r oekett, 3 rded.
Cook , slut , andbutler ,”a common e xp r ession applied to a
per son who does a ll the tu r n s of wor k in a house .
Butler 's-gr ace, without any cer emony.— Ha ll iwell ’s Diet.
1 1 8 NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S .
BY , beside , nea r to . I t i s used in combina t ion , a s Inby , Ootby ,
Ower by , Backby ,Fo r by ,
Upby ,D oonby . Inby is fu r ther in ,
or in s ide ; in a pit it is in fr om the shaft . Ootby i s j ustoutside , o r in a pi t i t i s the d i r ect ion towa r ds the Shaft
,or
e x i t . .Ower by i s j ust acr oss ; B ackby j ust beh ind ; Fo r by is
in addi tion to ; Upby i s j ust up the st r eet or r oad ; and
D oonby is j ust down the way. I n a ll these , close neighbou rhood is suggested .
Pa ide to John Car r , post , for keep ing hor ses for bye-poste . Pa ideto M r . Den te
,for keepeing the by-booke of the r en te of Gatesheadand
Whickham, 5 l —Newcastle M un i cipal Accounts , October , 1 593
T he by-post is the loca l post , and the by -book is the local ,
or bor ough , or town book of accoun ts .By ,
as a suffi x in place -names , elsewher e so commonin the di st r icts of la ter No r se settlemen t s , is not found inNor thumber land . Ten andham ar e , on the other hand , foundth r oughout .
BY’
D , by it . Stand hy’
d,stand by i t.
BYE , the l ine fr om which each player fi r st shoots in a game at
mar bles .
BYE AK I E, the upr ight por tion of a wooden ca t tle band
for mer ly in u se. I t was a t tached by a loose j o in t to a ben twooden band cal led a fr ammel t. S ee BA I K I E - ST I C K .
BYE -BOOT IN S , BYE -BOLT INGS , or SHARPS , the finestkind of br an .
BYE -COM M ON , mo r e than common or o r dina r y .
BYEN , a bone.
BYEN -FIRE , a bonfi r e . F r om sim ila r i ty of sound the wo r doccu r s at W in la ton as bu r n-fi r e. Un t i l about 1 878 the bu r n -fi r e
was annual ly l ighted ther e on the 29th of M ay. I ts t r an s ~fer ence fr om M idsummer to Roya l Oak D ay a t th is place iswor thy of note. S ee BON E F I R E .
BYER , BYRE , a cow-house.
“ T he mucking o ’
Geor d ie ’ s
BYE S T , a b r and or ta r mar k on Sheep or ca tt le.
BYE S T , BASTE ,BU I ST (p r onounced byest) , to ma r k ca t t le
o r sheep wi th tar . After cl ipping , each sheep is byeasted,ei ther w ith its owner ’ s in itia ls , or w i th some d ist ingui shingdevice.
NORTH UM BERLAN D WORD S . 1 19
BYE T , wor k left undone .
I f aw sudget maw wa r k ower su in ,
S he’
s flaid te deeth aw'
ve left some byel .T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay , ed. 1 87 2 ,p 10.
Leaving some byel’ means he has not completed h i s day
’
s wor k , or
hewed the number of cor ves placedhim by the overman .— Note to above.
BYE T H , both BE YE T H [S . andN .]Ther e ’
s be nou se aw winnot de
To myek u s byeth a happy hyemT . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay , pt . i i i . , v . 5 8 .
BYGANE , ago.
M ony year s bygane.— G . S tuar t , 7oeo-S er i ous D iscour se, 1686 , p . 36
BY-H AND,settled , or a side .
BYKE , BE E -BYKE , a wi ld bee’ s nest . S ee B I KE .
BY-M -BY , bye-and-bye .
BYSEN . S ee B IZEN .
BY SONG , or BY -SANG , often M AA -SANG , an exclama t ion .
By-sang ! tho r
’
d a been a bonny wa r k , if aa hadn ’ t gettenther e .
”
BYS PE L T , a st r ange , awkwa r d figu r e , or a misch ievousper son — B r ockett. (Obs .)
BYUK [T .] BEYUK [S . andN .J , a book . Often spel t bu ik or
beach in local wr i tings .Aa l ikeda bal lant or a bank
T . W i lson . Pi tman ’s Pay , pt. i i i v. 101 .
BYUN , above , beyon d . Va r iously used as a byun , beyun. I t’s
byun a j oke -it i s beyond or to o much of a j oke.
BYUT , to -boot , a boot . S ee B E YU T .
CAA , CAW , a tin pai l .
CAA coa’
d; p . pa r t., caan) , to ca l l . “ G ive him a caa .
’
A lso to abuse o r cal l names . H e coa’
d us ivvor ything .
’
S ee CAAL , 4 and 5 .
CAA,to d r i ve , to p r opel . “ G i s a bit caa O
’
the g r un stan
said by a man ha v ing an axe to gr ind .
“ To caa -tee”is to pu t
to , to close,to shut . “ Caa tee the yet t . “ Caa -oot d r ive
out . “ Caa -in ,
” d r ive in .
“ Caa the yows oot bye. Caa
in tha t na il .”
Ca Hawkie , ea Hawkie ,
Ca Hawkie th r ough the watter .
Hawkie i s a swe i r bea st ,An
’ Hawkie winna wade the watter
OldS ong .
120 NORTHUM BERLAND WORD S .
CAAD , COULD [T .] CALD ,CAULD [N .] COAD [W .T .J
cold .
“Caad-comfor t ,
”cold-comfor t ; “ Coad-deed
,stone dead ,
or cold and dead . To “ca tch caad i s used i r on ica lly for
what i s known as“ ge tting in to hot wa te r .
”
I f can’
ddeedye’
dfr eeten’
dwor skipper, se b r ave ,
W e’
dmyedye te fol low hi s byens to the g r ave .
"
W . M idfor d, The Bewi lder edS kipper , 1 8 1 8 .
CAAD I S H ,cold ish , somewha t cold , bu t gener ally Spoken
caadr if.
CAAD -P I E , CAW D -P IE ,any acciden t happen ing to the
t r a in or ca r r i age ( in a pit) — Gless. to P i tman’
s P ar .
S ic then was the poor pu tter ’
s fate,
W i’
now an’
then a stann i n fr ay ,
F r ae yokens , caw'
dpies , stowen ba it ,O r cowpt cor ves 1
’
the ba r r ow wayT . W i lson , Pi tman
'
s Pay, 1 827 , pt . v . 5 5 .
CAAD R IF CAW D R IF E , ch illy , sh ive r ing , or cold .
T ha faither , N ed, i s fa r fr ae weel ,H e lucks , poor body, ver r a bad
A’ower he hez a cawdr i/e feel ,B u t th inks it
’s bu t a waff 0
’
cawd.
T . W i lson , P i tman ’
s P ay , 1 826 , pt i v . 95 .
CAA-H ANDED , CAW -H ANDED , or CAR-H ANDED, left
handed .
CAAK E R , the i r on pla te on a clog or shoe heel ; the heel of a
hor se-shoe .
CAAK E R ,or CORKER ,
an a ston i sh ing sta temen t,mean ing a
“ stopper .
” Tha t ’s a caaker , Geordy
CAAL , need .
“ W ha t caa l had ye to come ther e at a l l P
CAAL, the movemen t of wa ter d r i ven by the w ind on i ts
su r face .
“ Call of the sea .
” Compa r e CAA, 3 . T he con t r a r yphenomenon (smooth oi ly su r face of the wa ter ) is known as a
held on the Tyne .
CAAL, a m ill dam . H e was fish in below the caa ll , and
t umbled in to the wettor . T he “ca ll -heed i s the top of a we i r
o r dam cr ossing a st r eam . . T he dam is somet imes ca lled a
“caa -back .
”
CAAL , COA to cal l . “ Thoo tyeks a va st o ’
caalin on—you ar e long in r espond ing to my ca ll . To abuse.
“ S he
did n owt bu t caal u s .
1 2 2 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
CAAL E R ,an auct ioneer . T he on ly auctioneer in R eedwater
for many year s was one J ock B r own , who was always knownas
“ Jock the Caaler .
CAAL IN -COURSE , the t ime at wh ich the men a r e ca l led togo to wor k .
Aw thought the time wadne’
er be gyen ,
That cal l i n-cour se wadnever come ;Andwhen the ca ller ca l l
'
dat yen ,
Aw’
dgetten neithe r sleep nor slumT . W i lson , The Pi tman ’
s Pay , 1 827 , pt. v . 1 3 .
CAAN (p . par t. of caal ) , cal led .
“ H e’s caan Bobby efter his
g r anfether .
” “ Aa wis caan back hyem agyen .
”S ee CAAL ,
4 and5 .
CAAS, cause ; a lso the sound of the plur a l of ca lf , for calves.
I t ’ s been the caas 0’
aa the fash .
’
Caas and’
cas a r e a lsoabbr evia t ed forms of because.
CAAS E Y (the p r onunciat ion of causey) , a way, a cau seway .
Causey Bank ,
” N ewca stle . Keep on the caasey aa l the way ;the r oad ’ s se dor ty.” S ee CAU S EY .
CAAT ION , caution . I t ’ s a coation noo . H e’
s a caatien
tha t is , a spectacle , someth ing ext r aor dina r y. A “caatien
boa r d ”in a pit , i s a boa r d set up t o wa r n the men of the
condi t ion of the m in e beyond i t.
CAB , GOSH -CAB , or GO -CAB , exclama t ion s of obscu r emean ing . S ee EXCLAMAT ION S .
CABBI S H , a cabbage.
Ye’
l l be sayin at coal’
s nowt bu t cubbish staaks and tatie peel ins .
Geordy’
s Last, 1 878 , p . 1 .
CABB I S H IN , CABIS ON , a str ong ha l te r , pur posely made tolead about young hor ses when fi r st b r oken in . S ee KABB I S H IN .
CAB IN , a wooden shel ter house , sto r e house , or watchman’ s
hut .
W her e aal l the twisty , twiney, bad-temper edaadbeggor s comes fr ev’
at gets pu tten in ti cabi ns beats me — Geordy’
s Last.
CABLE , or CAVEL , a st r ipe or Shar e of land appo r tionedby lot , or kyevel hence cable, a s it i s common ly spel t indocumen t s the cables in field names . S ee CAVE L .
CAD E , or KYE D , the sheep lou se.
NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S . 1 23
CADGE ,an anchor . S ee KAD GE , KEDGE .
CADGE ,to ca r r y .
“Wher e a r e ye cadg in the box to H e
cadged the poke aa l l the way on ov his back . To beg .
“ Aa’
ll cadge a ma tch Off him.
“ H er e’ s a chep come to
cadge— appl ied to a begga r .
CADGER ,
“a per son who goes fr om house to house pu r cha s ing
butter , eggs , fowl s , &c. ,and takes them for sale . A higgle r ,
a huckste r .
”
(H odgson M S .) A car r ier . F o r the ca r r iage of
coal s about A.D . 1 605 , ther e wer e employed “ the cadger s and
wayne-,men wher e coa ls ar e not ca r r ied by wa ter .
”
(B r and ,1 789 , H ist. of N ewc. , vol . ij. p . 22 , note.) Cadger s , befor e theun i on , wer e the ch ief agen ts in car r yi ng on the commer cial
in ter cou r se between the two kingdoms . (R ev . A . H edley ,A r chwoleg ia A3 liana , vol . i . , p .
“ Like gen tlemen ye
maunna seem , bu t look l ike cor n -cadger s ga’
en the r oad .
”
(7ock o’
the Syde.) W her e few bu t cadger s wi’ thei r cai r ts t i ll
noo hev i ver been . (T . Wi lson , Opening N ewcastle andCar l isle
R a i lway ,
“ Befor e the speci al applica t ion of cadger toone who bought and ca r r ied cor n , &c.
,the ter m appea r s to
ha ve been used for any ca r r ier Of mer chand ise .
”
(Richa r dW elfo r d , H ist. of N ewe. , vol . i i i . , p . Nowadays a cadger
is used on ly as the name for a begga r . Compar e wi th BADGER .
R espect to Q u al ity was lost ,T inker s andCob ler s r u l ’d the r ost
T he Nobles wer e the Common'
s Cadger s ;T he Gentr y bu t the S oldier s
' Badger s ;Andsae far
’
dwe , fr a i ll to wor se ,
W hen Car t was set befor e the Hor se .
G S tuar t , f ace-S er i ous D i scour se, 1686 , p . 36 .
CADGY , hea r ty , Cheer ful , mer r y , especial ly a fter good eat ingandd r inking .
—B r ockett.
CAFF , cha ff, the husk of oat s . “ A cayf bed was the commonkind of bed in u se wher e fea ther s could not be p r ocu r ed.
Figu r atively, any l ight th ing .
“ Als fyr e that cajfe son may br yn— Hampole , d. 1 349 , Pr icke of
Consci ence (M o r r is) , l i ne 3 148 .
S cr imp mea ls, eafi beds , and claim s.
—T . Thompson , d. 1 8 16 , The
N ewKeel R ow.
W i ’ pleasu r e aw was ower the mu in ,
A’
else wis cafi'
and sandto mineT . W i lson
,Pi tman ’
s Pay , 1 829, pt. i i i . , v . 63
CAG , a sma ll ca sk , a keg . S ee KAC .
1 24 NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORD S .
CAGE ; in a coa l pit ,“ A fr ame of i r on which wor ks between
slides (cal led guides) in a shaft , and in wh ich , since the substi
tu tion of tub s for cor ves , the t ub s of coal a r e d r awn to thesu r face , anda l l passage in the shaft car r ied on . (G r eenwel l ,Coal T r ade Terms, T he cage in i ts moder n formcon si st s of th r ee or fou r stor ies or stages , in to each of whichtwo tubs a r e r un . T he whole st r uctu r e is slung fr om the
wind ing r ope a t tachmen t by“cage -cha ins ,
”which a r e un i ted by
a la r ge cen t r e link , fr om wh ich they depend , to the a t tachmen tat each cor ner of the cage. T he a scending and descendingcages a r e stead ied by
“cage- Shoes ,
” which cla sp the “ guidesat each side. T he “
cover ,”or
“ top ,”is a sheet -i r on shield ,
wh ich r oofs the cage . T he t ubs ar e held in thei r places bythe “ sneck , a simple bol t passing th r ough the top of eachfloor , wi th p r oject ing r evol v ing ca tches at each end, whicha r e tur ned down as the tubs ar e passed on . At the top of
the shaft the cage is r eceived and suppor ted by“ keps ,
”
ca tches which yield to the upwa r d passage , bu t wh ich fa lloutwa r d immed ia tely , and for m p r ojecting r ests , on wh ichthe cage stands wh i lst the fu ll tubs a r e being r emoved and
r eplaced by empty ones , as each floor in tur n is made to passand r est on the “ keps .” At the bottom of the shaft thestr uctur e descends in to the “
cage-hole ,” wher e its va r ious
stages a r e r el ieved in tur n of the empty tubs , and r efilledwi th laden ones .
CAGM AG , coa r se , bad food ; as an old goose , an infer iorsheep .
CAGU M , a“ fa i r r ound belly . H e
’
s pu ttin on a cannycagum
- tha t i s , g r owing stout .
CAIN -AND -ABEL , the ear ly pu r ple or ch is , Or chis mascula .
CAINGE , to wh ine , to g r umble .
CAINGE L ,a cr abbed fellow .
— B r oekett, 3 rded.
CAINGY , cross - temper ed . S ee KAI NGY.
CA I RD , a t inker — N er thumber land.—H alliwell
’
s D iet.
CAIRD , a car d . A lso a wool car d , for mer ly used for prepar ingthe wool for sp inn ing in to ya r n .
Har der cai rds than wor e to play.
T . W i lson , P i tman ’s Pay , pt. v . 62 .
CAI R D E R , a wool comber .
1 26 NORTH U M B ERLAND W ORD S .
CALLANT,a young man .
Ye col l ier callants , so clever ,R esiding
’
tween Tyne and the W ea r
Col l ier ’
s Pay Week , 1 801 .
Nyen bu t ver r a clever ca llantsCou ld lear n in
’
s leather mount se hie .
Thos . W i lson , The Pi tman'
s Pay , 1 829 , pt. i i i . , v 104 .
I t i s also applied to a loose fellowGang seek you r callands.
—G S tuar t , 7oco-S er iousD iscour se, 1686 ,p 64 .
CA L L E E V E R I N G , flying wi ldly or act ively about .“ Calleever ing o ver the h ill s .
“ A wi ld ca lleever ing youth .
”
H odgson M S .
“ Come in t i the hoose an’
divent stop ther ecaleever in on .
”
CALLER (a shor t) , fr esh , cool . Th i s wo r d is ver y fam i l iar inthe str eet cr y,
H er e’ s yor cal ler har r in , her e
’ s yor bonnyfr esh ha r r in .
” Let ’s hev some caller ai r I t ’ s a fine caller1 ”
11101 11111
G ie me Ca i r ter’
s ca l ler spr ingT . W i lson , Car ter
’
s Wel l .
CALLER . S ee CAAL E R .
CALLET,to scold .
“ A calletin housewife is a per t , saucy ,confi r med scold— B r ockett.
CALLS . Some of the ca l l s to the an ima l s on a fa r m a r e as
fol low : Whi te-hoddy , or Gandy-
gandy , a ca ll to geese ; H ickhick to ducks Chack-chuck to hen s Pea -pea to tu r keysCujf -cufi
'
to pigeon s Gise
gis to the pig S ty is under stood tomean “
off to you r sty ”
; Fy-lake is a sim ila r command to
geese ; H oof-hoof , or H eavy-heavy , or Gaash-coash (a lways twice
r epea ted) , t o cows H ap-howay to u r ge on . In speaking to ahor se a pecu l iar noi se is made someth ing l ike Fwyee, or Fwyeeah-ha ; Whoa , or Wea , is stop ; H eck
,o r H ite, or H ye, go to the
left , or the side on which the man wa lks when a foot a longsidehis hor se ; Gee is go to the r ight . In u r ging a dog to d r iveca tt le away , Fy neut i s ve r y often used . A cr y of encour agemen t to a dog i s H one-lad.
CAL L U S T ,har d to the touch . S ee KALL U S T .
CALM -PENCIL , a slate -penci l made fr om ver y soft beds of
Clay-sla te cal led cam, or calm. I t is got at G r ea t Swinbu r neM i ll , says M r . H odgson , anda t other places wher e beds ofclay-sla te have been pa r tia l ly baked by wh in dykes .
”
Her e , too (near H ou sesteads) , a bedof tor r ified l imestone , with one
of coam or penci l sch ist , l ies diagona l ly in the basa ltic cl iff .
” —Hodgson’
s
Nor thumber land, i i i 2 , p . 288 .
NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S . 1 27
CAM (p.t. of come) , came . A chep cam up , ga me a fr ee t ;’ twa s l i t tle Skipper C la r k , man .
”S ee CO M .
CAM , o r KAM E , the ear th th r own up fr om a d i tch on wh ichthe quicks for a hedge ar e plan ted ; an ea r then dyke . S ee
KA IM .
T he hoonds heda g r an r un , bu t some 0’
the fieldhed sai r tues at the
finish gettin’
ower the cams.
"-Descr iption of a Hunt.
CAM ,CAM S [N .] a mould , gener a lly fo r making bullet s .
CAM , a wh i t ish , indur a ted sha le .
“ Swinbu r n cam.
CALM -PENC I L .
GAM M EREL ,CAM BREL , a cr ooked stick , used by butcher s
for hang ing up car cases . T he hock of an an imal . S ee
H ANGE R E L .
CAM P ,to r ace , or st r ive in shea r ing cor n . In the har vest -field
the r eaper s wer e accustomed to sta r t upon thei r a l lotted r igs ,and the campin was the r ace in which one st r ove to fin i sh hisr ig fi r st . T he custom wa s abandoned about 1 872 , in con
sequence Of the gener a l adopt ion of r eaping machines . T he
wor d is a lso found as kemp .
CAM PLE , to a r gue , to an swe r per tly and fr owar dly whenr ebuked by a super ior .
— B r ockett.
CA M S T A R Y , C A M S T E A RY ,K AM S T A R R Y , w ild ,
unmanageable . S ee KAM S T AR I E .
A gadman to take cha r ge of the team. H is i r on-pointed instr ument
was made of a young mou nta i n ash o r r owan tr ee , wh ich kept thewi tches away fr om making the cattle camsteery .
”— W . Br ockie , Legends andS uper sti ti ons, p 1 1 8 .
CAN , the al lowance of beer cla imed by keelmen . Can-money isthe cash paymen t cla imed by the same honest fr ater n ity ofkeel bull ies ,
”in stead of the fo rmer customar y d r ink. Can
house , an a le-house .
Ever y time they loada keel Of coals fr om the staith , or dyke ,’
they
get a‘can ,
’
or a l lowance of ale equ a l in va lue to two sh i l lings andsix
pence — The Nor ther n Tr ibune, 1 854 , vol i p . 2 10
Pat by wor gea r andmoor edwor keel ,Then went anddr ank wor can
Weel may the Keel R owA llan
'
s Col lection , p. 324
1 28 NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S .
CANCH , a p r ecip i tou s r i se l ike a step . In a r i ver bedor in a
r ock cutt ing , wher e the st r ata lea v e step -like p r ojection s ,they a r e known as canches.
At Tyne M a in once ther e was a ca unch ,
And famous spo r t was fou nd ther e .
S o long i t stood— so h igh andstaunch
A l l vessels took the g r ound ther e .
R . G i lch r ist , 1 83 5 , “ A N ew S ong for Barge D ay .
Bards of the Tyne, p . 937 .
Ther e ar e a str ing of canches fr om the W i l lows to the g lass-hou ses on
Blaydon Haugh , the r iver winding abou t those canches l ike a mi ll r ace .
T he sa idcanches mu st g r ow wor se and wor se un less something he done
to pr otect the channel fr om the action of the inflowing bu r ns .— Newe.
Dai ly Chr onicle, Aug . 23 r d, 1 887 .
A p r otu ber ance , or cer tain thickness of stone to be wor ked opencast .
—M in ing Gloss . , Newe. Terms , 1 852 .
In a th in seam of coa l it i s necessa r y to wor k ei ther an uppero r lowe r str a tum Of stone a long wi th the coal , to give heightto the pa ssage way. T he coa l being wo r ked fi r st
, lea ves a
steep -l ike p r oject ion of stone . Thi s is a canch. Coal and
stone ar e thus wor ked away a l te r na tely . A top much is
left un t i l the stone in the “r oof i s thus wor ked away . A
bot tom canch when the stone in the “ th i ll ” is being takenout . Wher e a slight fau l t or Sl ip occu r s in a bed of coal ,the d isloca t ion lea v es one par t of the seam above the other ,the step thus for med being a canch. H er e top and bot tomcanch have to be wo r ked away to make a g r adien t for ther oadway : A top coach i s a lso ca l led a br oo (br ow) .
CANDLE -BARK ,a r oun d cylind r ical box , used for stor ing
candles . Often ca lled simply a bar k.
CANDLE -CREEL ,a basket fo r stor ing cand les . Play ing
a t candle-cr eel , p laying at ca r ds for candles . In ear ly win ter ,fa rmer s used to set off to a neighbour ing r endezvous , eachman wi th a cr eel or ba ske t of candles . A successful playerobta ined a stock enough to ser ve his needs for the far m u se
th r oughout the r est of the win ter .
CANDLE -S IEVE , a candle wi th w ick made of the pi th of a
r ush .
CANDYM AN , a bum-ba iliff or p r ocess ser ver ; the man whoser ves n ot ice of ejectmen t . As the pi tman occupies his
house in par t paymen t of wages , i t becomes necessar y forhim t o v aca te it , shou ld he leave hi s wor k at the coll ier y .
Du r ing “ the gr ea t st r ike , as i t i s s t i ll ca lled , in 1 844 , the
wa r between capi ta l and labou r was car r ied out ver y b i t ter ly ,
1 30 NOR T H U M BE R LAN D’
WOR D S .
CANN INESS , kindl iness , andal l the vi r tues included in beingcanny .
CANNON -NAIL , the na i l tha t holds the car t body to the axle.
CANNY,an embod imen t of all tha t is kindly , good , andgen tle .
T he highest complimen t that can be pa id to any per son is
to say tha t he or she is canny . As “ home ”e xp r esses the
Engli sh love of the fi r eside , so in Tyneside and Nor thumberlan d does canny exp r ess ever y home vi r tue . All tha t is goodand loveable in man or woman is cover ed by the expr ession ,
Eh , wha t a canny body A Chi ld appea l ing for helpo r p r otection a lways addr esses his elder as canny man .
P lease , canny man , gi’
s a li ft i ’ yor ca i r t.” O
, canny man ,
0 Show me the way toW a ll ington .
” Wha t Nor thumber landba i r n bu t has appea led , when pun ishmen t impended , P lease ,canny man , i t wa sn
’ t me T he fishwife who wi shes tocompl imen t her customer says , N oo , canny-h inny
, see wha t
yorO , bonny Hobby E ll iot ,O , canny Hobby sti l l ,
0,bonny Hobby E l l iot ,W ho l ives at Har low H i l l .
T he word “r efer s as wel l to the beau ty of form as of manner s and
mor als ; bu t most par ticu lar ly i s u sed to descr ibe those m i ld andaffectionate dispositions wh ich r ender a per son agr eeable in the domesticstate .
”— Hodgson M S .
W o r canny hou ses , dufii t theek’
dW or canny wives wi th in
’
em,
W or canny ba i r ns , se chubby cheek’
d,
And sweet andclean ye’
l l find’
emA r e a
’ deckedou t in S unday tr im,
T0 mense this g r eat occasion .
”
T . W i lson , The Oi l i n’
o’ D icky
’
s Wig , 1 826 .
Gan wi’ me , l ike a canny lad.
"
T . W i lson , Pi tman’
s Pay , 1 826 , pt . i v . 7 1 .
I t has a lso the following sign ifications : Endea r edH ow wel l we r emember the canny bit shop .
”
R . Gi lch r ist , 1 83 5 , S ong of Impr ovements.
Bards of the Tyne, p 4 1 7 .
ModestT o get u s a canny bi t leevin ,
Aw kinds 0’
fine sweetmeets we’
ll sel l .
W . M idford, P i tman ’
s Cou r tship, 1 81 8 .
What canny l ittle wegges we u sedta ha ta payGeo. Chatt , OldFarmer , 1 866 .
O r der ly , nea t“ E h , lads , bu t i t
'
s a bonny way !Bu t what myest pleasedwor Nanny,
W as seeing fog ies, awdandg r ay,Pa idju st for keepin
’
t canny .
”
T . W i lson , The Otli'
n'
o’ D icky
'
s Wig ,1 826 .
Ca r eful Be canny wi’ the suga r .
NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S . I 3 I
Canny i s a lso used adver bia lly , as“ Canny , noo, canny
l
or“ Gan canny
”— tha t i s, go gent ly .
A , U , A ,maa bonny ba i r n ,
A , U , A , upon maa a i rm ,
A , U ,A , thoo syun may la i r u
T o say dada se canny .
R . Nunn, d. 1 85 3 , S andgate Wife
'
s Nur se S ong .
They str oked them canny , wi’the ha i r .
T . W i lson , Opening Newcastle andCar l isle R azlway , 1 838.
No canny mean s unhuman , as a witch or wiza r d . S ee
note under N o .
In combin a t ion , we have canny-bit
,a con s ider able por t ion of
anyth ing , a good dea l . Aa’
ve steudin’ her e a canny
-bet
I’
ve stood her e a con sider able t ime. H e w is a canny-bit
aheedon us — he wa s a good way ahead of us . Canny-few,
a fa i r number . W a s thor mony at the meetin’the day
W ey, a canny-few.
”
Then Gyetside jackW addance w r
'
gogg le -eyedM al ly, 0 ;Bu t up cam Nick , an
’
gav him a kick
An’a canny bet kindof a fal ley, O
J . S elki r k , d 1 843 , S walwel l Hopping .
CANNY -NANNY , a sma ll species of the humble bee , dist ingu ished by ha v ing s ix st r ipes , commencing on the nose .
I t i s so cal led because i t is stingless .
CANT , an ang le gr ea ter than a r ight angle ; a sha r p , suddentur n which upsets . T he tip or tur n gi ven t o a sca le beamin weigh ing is ca lled a cant. In the th r ifty ma r ket ing of the
p i tman , the poun d of sugar is descr ibed as“ in quar ter
pounds in o r der to secur e fou r cants of the scale in weighing .
” — T . W i l son , N ote to P itman’
s Pay , endof pt . i ., 1 843 .
I f the tr am hadg i en a cant,’twadflung the ma ister oot .
— T . R V
A R amble to see S adler’
s Bal loon , 1 8 16 .
CANT,to tur n on edge , to tip ove r , t o make w ith a cant.
H exagon n uts ar e ca l led cantednuts .
CANT,to sell by auct ion . Hence cantin , an auct ion ; andcante
'
n
caalor , an auctioneer .
I W i l l yt al l my goods a fter my deathe sha lbe canted and sold at myfor edor e —Newcastle Wells andI nventor zes, 1 570
CANT-D OG , a handsp ike wi th a hook , used for tur ning overla r ge p ieces of t imber .
1 32 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
CANTEEN , a small wooden flat ba r r el , con ta in ing about halfa ga l lon , in which a p i tman car r ies wa ter or coffee w i th himto his wor k — Gloss. of Coal T r ade Terms, 1 849.
CANTER , oldmi lk cheese .
CANTLE , the top of the head , the cr own ; the head of a ca sk .
CANTLE -P I ECE , tha t pa r t of the end of a ca sk in to whichthe tap i s d r iven— N or thnmber land.
—H al liwell’
s D ict.
CANTR IP ,CANTRAP , a spell , a charm , a t r ick, or out -oi
the -way per for mance.
W her e l ike a conju r or he ’
dsit,H is black a ir t at some cantr aps tr yin
T . W i lson , The Pi tman’
s Pay , 1 827 , pt. 11 v , 46 .
CANTY , l ively , cheer ful , andcomfor table.
S ti l l Jack ’
s an honest , canty cock ,As ever dr a in '
dthe ju ice of bar ley.
T . W i lson , The Pi tman ’
s Pay , 1 826 , pt . i v . 90.
Ha l f cock’
d, an’
canty , hyem we gat .
The same, pt . i i i v . 82 .
O , my sweet laddie ,
M y canny keel laddyS e hansum, se canty , and fr ee , 0
H . R obson , S andgate L assz'
e'
s Lament.Al lan
'
s Collectwn , p . 2 1 1 .
U pon a pin hung a silk mantyAndwi ly-coat (to make her canty) .
G . S tu ar t , yoco-S er zons D iscour se, 1 686 , p . 50
CAP ,to ove r top , to su r pa ss . Th is caps the stack is a
p r over b , mean ing someth ing over topp ing .
“ A good stor ycapped”
(Geordy’
s L ast, 1 878 , p . 5)— a good sto r y su r passed .
To put a cap o r shackle on a r ope .
An’
let wor canny town sfolk knaw
That Bi lly’s show sti l l caps them a
j. P . R obson , Bel ly Pur vis’
s Bundle, 1 849 .
CAP , the blue“ top on a candle or lamp when it bu r n s in a
m ixtu r e of fi r e -damp anda ir , not in an exp losive condition .
Gr eenwell .
CAPES (hyeps) , ear s of cor n b r oken off in th r a sh ing , or gr ainsof co r n to which the husk adher es after th r a shing .
CAPH E E D , a top p laced upon an a i r -box used in sinking a
pit , &c. , for the pur pose of catch ing as much a i r as possible .Gloss. of Coal T r ade Terms, 1 849.
134 NORTH U MBER LAND WORD S .
CARL IN S , “choice g r ey -peas , of the p r eceding autumn ,
steeped in spr ing wa ter for twel ve o r fifteen hou r s,t i ll they
a r e soaked or macer a ted ; then la id on a sieve , in the opena i r , tha t they may be exter na l ly dr y. Thus swelled , and
en lar ged to a con sider ab le s ize , and on the ver ge of vege
ta t ing , they a r e put in an i r on pot , or othe rwi se , on a slowfi r e , and kept sti r r ing . They wi ll then pa r ch , cr ack ,
and,
as we pr ov incially cal l it , b r i stle : when they beg in to bu r st ,they a r e r eady to ea t.
”
(Gentleman’
s M agazine, 1 788 , fr om a
Nor thumber land cor r esponden t .) Another method adoptedis to fr y the ca r lins wi th fat , and sea son h igh ly wi th pepperand sa l t . T he second Sunday befor e Ea ster I S obse r ved as
Car l in Sunday . A t r adi tion associa tes th i s custom w i th a
commemor at ion of the d i scip les plucking the ea r s of co r n on
the Sabba th day. Another a ssoci a tes it wi th a fam ine inNewca st le , wh ich was r el ieved by the ar r i va l of a sh ip in the
Tyne loaded w i th a ca r go of g r ey pea s . T he r ememb r ance
of thei r deliver ance was thencefor th pr ocla imed by the peoplein obser ving a fea st of ca r l ins on the second Su nday befor eEa ster . T he u se of ca r l ins on th is day is , however , not
confined to the Tyn eside people . T he la r ge pea s of a
b r own ish yellow spotted colou r , ca lled “ b r an d lings,
”a r e
qui te d i ffer en t fr om the o r d ina r y gr ey pea , and a r e muchfancied and in r equest for car lins.
CARL IN SUNDAY , the fifth Sunday in Len t .
On th is day ou r labou r ing people assemb le a t the i r accu stomed
alehou ses , to spend thei r ca r lzng-
gr oats . T he landlord p r ovides the
car l i ngs .
"— M ackenz ie , H i story of Nor thumber land,1 825 , vol . i p . 2 1 6 .
CARL I SH , ha r d , sti ff ; appl ied to r opes d ifficul t to bend , &c.
H e’
s as car l ish as a p iece 0’
bend leathe r .
CARL I SLE -GATE , CAREL -GATE ,CAREL-STREET
,
KARLE -GATE . T he old Roman r oads lead ing th r oughNor thumber land in the d i r ect ion of Ca r l isle wer e known a s
Car l isle-
gate. Gait o r Gate, a r oad . S ee S T AN E GAT E .
Befor e the year 1 293 , the king’
s Justices i tiner an t seem to have sometimes hal tedat Fou r stones on therthis way, as i t passed th r ough theNewb r ough , is ev iden tly ca l led Ca r l i sle-
gate
Nor thumber land, i i i . , 2 , p . 275 , note 0
Little mor e than a cen tu r y since , one o f the names of th
fr om Bewclay, nor th of Cor b r idge , and no r th -eastwa r d to
Tweed,
“ was cal ledCar l isle Causey .
"— The same.
T he R oman W a l l ,“ W i th the outer pa r al lel mi l i tar y
Ca ’
r el-str eet.”— The same, p . 307 .
NORTH UMBERLAN D WoR D s. 1 35
CARR,a mar sh , as P r estwick Car r , wh ich wa s fo rmer ly ha lf
lake and ha lf mar sh . T he n ame occu r s on ly once in
Nor thumbe r land— in P r estwick Car r above .
CARRE , a hol low place wher e water stands .— R ay
’
s Gloss.
CARR , in place-n ames , as Bondicar r , Ber l ing Ca r r , n ear
War kwor th , i s a r ocky p lace . I t i s noted in Nor thumber landas occur r ing twen ty times .— M r . J . V . G r egor y , P lace-namesof N or thumber land, p . 63 .
[OldNor thumb r ian— car r , r ock j A r ock now speci al ly appl ied to
insu latedr ocks off the Nor thumb r ian andS cottish coasts .— D r . M u r r ay ,
N ew E ng . D iet
S a i l ye near . or sai l ye far ,Keep off the r ocks of Bondica r r .
OldR hyme
CARROCK , CU R R ICK , CURROCK , a cr ag , a ca i r n . In M r .
J . V . G r egor y ’s P lace-names in N or thumber landits occur r ence isnoted five t imes th r ee t imes as appl ied to inhabi ted p laces .
CARROT-POW E D , r ed-hai r ed or ca r r ot -headed .
CART-BODY, the wooden body of a ca r t or waggon . Car t-ar se ,
the loose endof a car t — H al liwell’
s D iet.
CARTER -FELL, the d i v id ing r idge between England and
Scot land , fr om whence i ssues the r i ver Rede . Nea r the
souther n e x t r em i ty of the pa r i sh of S imonbu r n we ha ve the
G r een -Car ts and the B lack -Car ts, s ign ifying r especti vely thegr een heights or h i l ls , and the b lack o r heathy hi l ls — R ev . A .
Hedley, A r eha’
olog ia E liana , vol . i . , p . 254 .
CARTIES , or S AR T IE S , cer tes , sur ely .
“ S or ties, y’or iv a
ho r r y. P r obably for M da S ar ties l— an exclamat ion .
CAS , because .
CASH , a soft band ; somet imes found sepa r a t ing one st r a tumfr om another when th in , ca lled a cashy pa r t i ng — Gr eenwell .
White post , wi th cashy par tings .— B0r lngs andS inkings , A B p . 46 .
CAS IL TY , weakly , in doub t ful hea l th .
“ H oo he’
ye getten
on wi’
yor lambs thi’
eer ?” Why , tho r
’s a lot on them
nobbu t casi lty.
”R ay has the wor d
“ Kaeza rdly ca t t lesubject to die ; hazardous, subject to ca sua l t ies .
CAS IN S ,
“ dr ied cow ’ s dung,used fo r fuel . — R ay
’
s Gloss.
CAS KIT , luna r caust ic, n i tra te of s ilver .— D r . E mbleton , M S .
136 NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S .
CAS KIT , a cabbage sta lk. S ee CA S TOC K .
CAS KITY , or CAS K E TY , soft and sappy. Anything cashety ,
or full of sap and easi ly br oken , is sa id to be fr ush .
CASS , t o ca st away , to d isper se ; p . par t. , cassen. T he formof hest is used as pa st tense.
Like ony chicken efter moot ,
W hen i ts awdcoat i t fa i r ly casses
T . W i lson Pi tman ’
s Pay, 1 829, pt. i i i . , v 5 .
just l ike cassen claes
T . W i lson , Humble Petition , 1 83 2 .
N ow have I cassen away my ear s.
J . B . R umney, E chy’s M ar e
Wher e me eyes wer e casssen
I t seemedas i f the bu sy shor e’ l lCheer edcanny Tyne i
’
passmT . Thompson , (1. 1 8 1 6 , yinuny 70neson
’
s Wher ry .
CASSEN,said of a sheep when ca st upon i ts back and unable
unable to r ise . S ee AW E LT .
CASSEN -OOT , th r own out ; used wi th r efer ence to the
or dina r y déb r i s of pi t s , bu t a lso to n a tu r a l outcr ops and
faul ts . E x .— Casten -oot to theday ,
cr opping out a t the su r face .
H ugh M i ller , Geology of Otter bur n andE lsdon.— M emoi r , Geolog .
S ur vey , 1887 .
CAST,to ca st up , to th r ow up . T he wor d appea r s to be
ma r ked wi th i ts fina l t as a va r ian t fr om cass, wh ich mean sme r ely to d isper se . Cast, on the con t r a r y , is a lways di stinct lyp r on ounced , and i s a ssocia ted wi th the act of cutt ing or
shovel l ing and l ifting a thing ; hence the exp r essions , “ toeast sn ow ,
” “ to cast pea t ,” “ to cast ba lla st ” a r e a l l connected
wi th wor k don e wi th a spade or shovel . Compar e CASS , and
the substan t ive for m of the wo r d , under CAST below .
A gu tter east in the C lose for water .— M unicipal Accounts, Newcastle ,
—October , 1 656 .
Pa ide to W i l liam G r aie , for looking for casti ng ba ll ist in to- the r iver ,
or other r ubb ish .— M un icipal Accounts, Newcastle , 1 593 .
CAST , to twi r l , or wa r p , applied to wood— B r ockett.
CAST , to add up . Castin’
coon ts (P i tman’
s Pay)— add ing upaccoun t s.
1 38 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
CAT, a ball m ade by m ixing coal and clay together . T he
“ C r ow coa l ” wh ich is found in the e x t r eme south -wes t of
N or thumber land and in A lston d ist r ict bur n s w ith a foet idsmell . To p r e ven t the d iscomfor t ther eby occasioned , cats
a r e used in the domest ic hea r th . Placed in a pea t fi r e theysoon become incandescen t , p r oducing a hot , la sting glow.
They ar e sometimes cal led clay -cats.
CAT , .
a p iece of wood used in the boys ’ game of kitty-cat.
CAT -BAND, an i r on band passing over the cove r of a ha tch.
in a keel , by wh ich it is fa sten ed down it i s hooked in to a
staple at one end, and locked at the other . Sti l l in commonu se on the Tyne . A lso “
an i r on loop placed on the underside of the cen t r e of a flat cor f bow, in wh ich to inser t thehook .
”— Gr eenwell .
Pa ide for a catt-‘
bande anda staple~ for the dor e that the pr iest br unte
in p r ison , 6d.— Newcastle M un icipal Accounts, 1 593 .
CAT -BU ILT ,appl ied to an Old style of shipbui lding
,wh ich
is descr ibed as being on the N or wegian model . T he ster nwas much nar r owed , and the planking Swept up
’
in an
ell ipt ica l fa shion , gi v ing a
'
bar r el -shaped appear ance. T he“ tumble in was so con sider ab le tha t a man could stand on
the side andpa in t the bulwa r k. T he last of the old cat-built
ships i s sa id to ha ve been w r ecked about 1 850. T he p inkwas a de velopmen t of the model ,
’which was super seded bythe later type of coll ier .
CATCH a Sudden pa in , a sti tch . Aa’
ve getten a catch i’
me
side .
CATCH , asneck or ha sp for fa sten ing a door . T he moveabl
checks by wh ich tubs ar e held in thei r p laces in a pi t
ar e ca l led catches.
CATCH -DAY , a tenan t’ s obl iga t ion .
That is , to go fr om the lord’
s house wi th a hor se- loadof hisafter sunr ise , and r e tu r n befo r e sunset , bu t du r ing that time not beyonda r easonable distance — Hodgson
’
s Nor thumber land, vol . i i i , 2 , p . 67 ,note e ; a lso p . 1 44 , note.
CATCH ED , p.t. of catch .
S o hyem he com an catched the beast. — M . Catcheside , Ye L ambtoWorm, 1 867 .
CATCH Y,r eady to find faul t , or quick a t playing on
expressions of another .
NORTH UM BERLAN D WORD S . 1 39
CATCH Y , a ch ild ’ s game , in wh ich one ca tches another .
CAT-GALLOWS , a game played by ch i ld r en . I t con sists oftwo sticks placed up r igh t, wi th one a cr oss , over wh ich theyleap in tu r ns — B r ockett.
CAT-HAA, the hawthor n ber r y ; ca l led bull -haawhen of la r ge size.
M any h ips , many haas ,M any fr osts , many snaas
Pr over b.
CAT -H ER D ,an i r on stone nodule . A th in compact st r a tum i s
somet imes ca lled “a gi r d le , o r cathead.
”O r these st r a ta a r e
descr ibed as“cathead g i r dles — tha t is , n odular gi r d les .
Sha le con ta in ing nodules o f i r on stone is ca lled “cat/zeady
meta l .”
CAT H E P , CAT H IP , the ber r y of the R osa spinosissima . S ee
CAT -W H IN .
CAT -PEASE the fr ui t of the vetch , Vicia sativa .
CAT R AIL , tha t S i ngu la r wor k ca lled the Catr a i l , con sist ing ofa d itch w i th a r ampar t of ear th on each side , which hasbeen t r aced fr om the P eel fel l , between Nor thumbe r land andRo xbu r ghsh i r e , acr oss the la t ter coun ty— to M osa lee fa rm , a
mile W estwar d of G a la shiel s . (S . O liver the Younger , R amblesi n N or thumber land
, 1 83 5 , p .
“ I t is fr equen tly ca lled theP icts-wor k d i tch .
”
(The same, p .
“ T he cou r se of thi ssingu la r wor k , followmg it in a l l its wind ings , was upwar dsof for ty-five m i les . In some places the t r ench has ‘been
obser ved to be about twen ty-seven feet b r oad , and the
r ampar ts of ea r th on each s ide fr om say six to ten feet h igh ,and fr om e ight to twel ve feet th ick .
”
(The same, p .
“ I tis an in ven ted n ame for an i n ven ted r ampar t , both du e to theimag in a t ion of Cha lme r s — Caledonia , (John ston , P lace
names of S cotland, p .
CAT ’S CLOVER ,the bi r d ’ s -foot t r efo il , L otus cor niculatus.
Ca lled a lso cr aa -taes andcr aa’
s foot.
CAT ’S-COLLOP,the m i l t , or spleen of an ima l s .
CAT ’
S CROP, the cr op fr om sma l l pota toes wh ich ha ve been
left i n the gr ound du r ing the win te r , a ndwh ich sp r ing up inan i r r egular manner in the summer .
CAT ’S -FOOT , gr ound ivy.—R ay
’
s Gloss.
CAT-TAILS , the seeding sta lks of cot ton -g r ass . S ee L ING .
140 NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S .
CATTER , an old n ame for a pla ster er . T he fr a ter n i ty of
plaster er s in Newca stle wer e ancien tly styled “catter s and
dauber s .”— B r and , H ist. of N ewe. , vol . ij. , p . 268 , note. S ee
CAT ,1,andD AABE R . (Obs .)
CATTIS,st r aw much b r oken in th r esh ing is ter med knocked
aa to cattis.
” Cotton wadding or cotton wool put in the ear
is ca l led cattis.
CAT -WH IN , bur net r ose (R osa spinosissima) .— B r ockett, 3 rd. ed.
CAT-WITH -TWO -TAILS , an ea rwig .
CAUK-SPAR , bar ytes . S ee CAW K .
CAULDRON BOTTOM S , fami liar ly ca l led cau ldr on-ar ses, coneshaped ma sses of stone occu r r ing occa siona l ly in the r oof ofa coa l m ine . They ha ve smooth sides , and, when the coa l isexcava ted below , they ar e apt to d r op out wi thout war n ing ,and for m one of the ser ious danger s to which the m iner isl iable . They a r e somet imes ca lled pot-stones.
C A U S E Y,C AW S E Y (pr onounced caasey) , a causeway.
“ Cawsey Bank ,”in N ewca stle , a st r eet lead ing fr om Ci ty
Road to Gar th H eads , fo rmer ly paved w i th smal l cobb lestones ; hence its n ame . T he term is also specia l ly appliedto the r ema in s of Roman pa ved r oads in No r thumber land ,wh ich ar e popu lar ly ascr ibed to super natu r a l agency
,as
“ Cob ’ s Cawsey , or“ Devi l ’ s Cawsey ,
”a br anch fr om the
Watl ing Str ee t str iking off nor th of the Wall .
CAUTION -BOARD , a war n ing not ice in a pit to caution the
men not to p r oceed t i ll in st r uction s a r e given by the deputy,who does not per m i t a naked l ight o r an un locked safetylamp to be ca r r ied beyond the poin t indica ted by the caution
boa rd.
CAVE ,to sepa r a te ; to sepa r a te wi th a r ake and the foot the
sho r t st r aws fr om cor n . Thi s oper at ion is done by holding ar ake andkicking the shor t st r aw aga inst the teeth to separ atethe cor n . S ee CAV i N s .
CAVEL ,CAV IL
,a d ist r ibut ion by lot. Covels ar e the lots
ca st by pi tmen a t sta ted per iods for the d iffer en t wor kingp laces . Each col l ier d r aws his cavel , and the number on hi s
t icket i s the number of the “ bor d ”at wh ich he must hew
fo r a sta ted per iod , t i ll an other cavel ling takes place . T he
wo r d i s p r onounced as hyevel . Cavels ar e a lso d i v i sion s o f
land . S ee CAB LE , KYE VE L , andnote under KEVEL .
142 NORTH U MBERLAN D WORD S .
CH AIR-DAY, the evening of l i fe ; tha t per iod wh ich , fr om its
ad vanced sea son and infi r mi ty , is ch iefly passed in ease and
indulgence — B r ochett, 3 rd. ed.
CH AI R GE , cha r ge .
Pa id to M r . Ch r istopher S hafto ,lawler , in par te pa imente of h is
cha lr ges, 8l ."
-Newcastle M unicipal Accounts, 1 593
CH ALDER , CH ALDRON , in Newcastle , 13 a measu r e of 53cwts . of coa l . T he old col l ier y waggon con ta in s a chaldr on ,
and is ca l led a chaldr on waggon . Eight of these equal a keel
of coa ls .” To hea r a sh ip descr i bed as“of twen ty keels ”
r efer s to the ca r r ying capaci ty of the vessel . S ee KEEL .“ T he or igina l cha ldr on (of coals) was 2 ,000 lbs . weight . W e
acco r dingly find the chaldr on r a ted in 1 530 at si x bolls,in
a lease of m ines a t E lswick , fr om the P r ior of Tynemouth .
In 1 600 we find“ the coa l waynes con tain ing eight bol ls , andsome scar ce seven bolls .” (Books of H oastmen 3 Company .) In
poin t of fact seven anda half bolls of coa l a r e equal to ver ynea r ly 2 ,000 lbs . weight , per moder n custom house admeasu r emen t . And we thus pe r ceive how the keels wer e sa id
,so
ea r ly as 1 42 1 , to car r y twen ty- two or twen ty- th r ee chaldr ons ;twen ty- th r ee chaldr ons, of lbs . weight each , being equalto nea r ly eight moder n Newca stle chaldr ons, of 5 3 cwts . each .
If fr om the London chaldr on ,a r ight p r opo r tion is deducted
for “ heaped mea su r e ,
”we sha ll have left a lmost exactly
lbs. weight as above . (T . John Taylor , A r cheology ofthe Coal T r ade,
“ T he con ten t of the chaldr on waggon
(custom -house measu r emen t ) is 2 1 7 989 cubic inches ; and
tha t of the boll being 9676 8 , the chaldr on i s ther efor e equa lto 22 526 bol ls , andnot , as usua lly bu t er r oneou sly sta ted , as24 bol l s . (Glossary of Coal T r ade Ter ms, S ee BOLL .“ I tem ,
pa id to the colyer es for thei r San t Thoma s Chala’
er s, at
Chr ystenmas , 1 2d.
”
(N ewcastle M unicipal Accounts, December ,T he chalder was a lso a measur e of gr a in , con si sting
i n gener aBu lce, sub.
stones wer e measur ed by the chaldr on or cha lder . AtB i shop ’ s Sta i th andH ewor th Sta i th 101 chalder of g r indstones ,753 5 (Cole s I nventory ,
1 583 .— Richa r d Welfor d
,H istory of
N ewcastle, vol . p .
CH AL L E N S , CH ALLENGE , to accost , to cla im acqu
ance. Aa wadgyemclean pa st i f he hadn ’ t ehal lens’
d u“ When he challens’du s, aa says tiv h im ,
‘Ye he’
the bet
on U S .
CHAM ‘
, awry.l ; Gr ose
’
s Gloss.
NORTHUMB ERLAN D W ORD S .
CHANCE -BAIRN , an i l legit ima te chi ld— B r ockett.
CH ANCY ,p r ecar ious . Uncer ta in in oper a t ion ,
“a chancy
hor se .
”
CH ANGE , o r CH ANGER-W I FE ,an i t iner an t apple woman
,
or dealer in ear thenwa r e , who takes old clothes o r r ags inexchange for wha t she sel l s .
Cheap apples , wives ! Cheap apples ,w ives ! S eek oot a
’
you r aud
r ags , or and shoes , or andcla ise to-day— (Newcastle C r y)
— B r ockett.
CH ANGER -AND -GRATH ER , the man who changes and
r epa i r s the pump ing bucket s in a pi t. S ee G RA ITH , 3 .
CH ANNEL ,CANNEL
,gr avel ; being the ma ter ia l of wh ich
the channel or bed of a r iver is composed— D r . M u r r ay , N ew
E ng . D iet. S ee CH IN N E L .
S andandchannel . —Bor ings andS i nki ngs , F K . , p . 14 .
S andandcanne —The same, A .B p . 2 1 8 .
CHANNER , to scold , not loud ly , bu t con stan tly ; to beincessan t ly comp la in ing.
S he keeps channer , channer i ng a l l day long— B r ockett.
T he cock doth cr aw , the day doth daw ,
T he channer i n’
worm doth chideWife of U sher
’
s Wel l .
CH ANTER , the finger ing p ipe of a bagpipe , on wh ich the a i r
is played .
CH APP IN , a quar t . T he nor ther n for m of chopin. (Obs .)S end in a Chappzn of you r wine .
"— 7oco-S er i ous D iscour se, Newcastle ,
1686 , p . 14 .
CH APS , the jaws . S ee CHAFTS .
CH ARE , a nar r ow lane . Th i s wor d is in ver y common u se in
N ewcast le as the name of na r r ow st r eets or al leys in the
popu lous pa r t s of the ci ty . M any of these wer e dest r oyed bythe gr eat fi r e which followed the Ga teshead explosion of 1 854 .
In 1 800, a s many as twen ty-one char es wer e found on the
Quayside , among which wer e the following — Plumber ’ sCha r e, H or nsby
’ s Char e, B r oad Char e, Col v in’s or Colman
’ sChar e
,Pa llister
’
s Char e, Pepper cor n Char e, B lue Anchor Char e,G r inding or G r indon Char e, Goudy Char e, Byker Char e, Dar k
Char e, Peacock Char e, Tr in i ty Char e, R ewcastle Cha r e, Cox’ s
Char e, C r ome
’ s Char e, Fenwick’ s Char e. East of the Town
Wall , at the oldsubur b of Sandga te, the wor d cha r e i s of
144 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORDS .
less fr equen t occu r r ence , and is mostly r eplaced by the wor d“en t r y ”
; bu t for mer ly ther e e x i sted her e Tho r p ’ s Chor e,
Den t ’ s Chor e, E r r ington’
s or M aughan ’ s Chor e, P ea r son ’ sChor e, Fo x ton
’ s Chor e, and, a t a la ter da te ,Joiner ’ s Chor e
,
M a lcolm ’s Chor e, andCommon Chor e. A ll these wer e na r r owlanes . T he “ B r oad Chor e i t self would admi t a car t
, bu t
the other s n ar r owed down to the st r a ightest and da r kestr et r ea t s . M ost of the chor es, says M ackenzie ,
“ may be
ea si ly r eached acr oss by the e x tended a r ms of a m iddle-sizedman , and some wi th a single a rm ; bu t a stout per son wou ldfind i t r a ther incon ven ien t to p r ess th r ough the upper pa r t ofth is lane (Dar k Chor e) . T he houses her e a lmost touchedeach other a t the t op ; and the whole of these chor es wer eden sely packed w ith human ity . I t has been justly obser ved ,con t inues M ackenzie ,
“ tha t the g r ound occup ied by thesechor es is the most cr owded wi th bu ild ings of any pa r t of hisM ajesty ’s domin ion s .
”
(M ackenzie's H istory of N ewcastle
,p
In the upper town a r e found M anor Chor e, Den tonChor e, F r ia r Chor e, H igh F r ia r Chor e, andP udd ing Chor e, thefi r st-named a wide tho r oughfa r e . In Ga teshead , the lesserpa sses and a venues a r e , as in Newca stle , ca lled chor es.
O akwellgate Chor e, H igh and Low Chu r ch Chor e,St . M a ry
’ sChor e, Toml in son
’ s o r Bai li ff’s Chor e (der i v ing name fr om
some of the ancien t office r s of the bo r ough ) , and Jackson’ s or
Coll ier ’ s Chor e, and M u r k , o r M i r k Chor e. To the e x t incttopogr aphy of Ga teshead belong Poter schiher a , men tioned inthe ear l iest char ter r ela t i v e to the bor ough in the Dur hamT r ea su r y (bu t the R ev . Canon G r eenwell , who p r in t s thedocumen t i n his F eodor ium P r ior otus D unelnzensis, th inks thep r oper ty it gr an t s most p r obably was a par t of the land at
C r aml ington held by the P r ior andConven t ” ) a lso Wa ldescher e and Pylotchar e. At H exham , St . M ar y ’ s Chor e, thena r r ow st r eet , now ca l led Back St r eet , and P udd ing Chor e,n ow ca l led Back R OW . Both chor es lead to the M ar ket P lace .
They appea r on the map of H e xham da ted 1 826 . Ther e isa lso a fa rm nea r Acomb ca lled Chor e H ead . In the vi llageof Wha l ton , N o r thumber land , al so at Whickham , ther e is a
Chu r ch Chor e,”and in M o r peth ther e is a Copper Chor e.
”
At H oly I sland , Tr ipp ing Chor e is found , and at the same
place we ha ve the n ame Chor e ends ” or Chor e fi t s givento the spo t whe r e th r ee lanes conver ge nea r the land ing-p laceof the over sand r oad . Two of these chor es wh ich end her ea r e mer e field r oads , so tha t the term is not app l ied in a ll
ca ses to an a l ley of houses . T he wo r d occu r s in the neighbou r ing coun ty in Sandwell Chor e a t H a r tlepool
,in Castle
Chor e at Du r ham , and at Bishop Auckland , wher e we find
Gaun less Chor e ”and Wea r Chor e.” In Richar dW elfor d ’ s
146 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
CH AT , r efr eshment s , someth ing to eat.— H odgson M S . SeeCHACK .
CH ATS , keys of t r ees , as ash chats, sycamor e chats, &c. (R ay’
s
Gloss. ,Spr ay wood , sma ll twigs .” (B r ockett, 3 rded.)
Chats in lead -m in ing , sma l l pieces of stone wi th lead or e
adher ing to them . W hen the o r e ha s a po r t ion of the mat r ixa t tached to it , i t is of less specific g r a v ity than the solid or e ,and in p r ocess of d r essing i t comes to the sur face , and the
ma ter ia l so appear ing i s ca lled chats. I t is r aked off and
d r essed in a finer andcloser set m i l l , ca l led a chat m ill , andthe pr oduct is kn own as
“ seconds ” or chat or e .
CH ATTER , to tea r , to make r agged , to b r u i se .— H alliwell
’
s D iet.
Chatter ed, b r uised . S ee S CAT H E R E D .
CH AVYL , a cleave r , as a butcher’ s cleaver .
— H odgson M S .
CH AW D Y , the stomach of a pig , which is cleaned , boi led andeaten as t r ipe .
CH AW L IN , ea t ing wi th a mumbling sound .
CH EAT , a l inen b r ea st piece without a sh ir t to i t— a d ickey.
CH EATRY , decei t ,. fr aud .
CH ECKERS , the game of d r aughts . Checher boa r d , a dr aughtboa r d .
CH ECK-V I EWER , one who checks the wor king of coal onbeha lf of the owner of the r oya lty .
CH ECK -WEIGH M AN , the r epr esen ta t ive of the men , whochecks the weight of coals at the su r face , on behalf of the
wor kmen at a collier y.
CH EEK , the side of a place . T he door cheek.
”T he r ock on
each side of a lode of lead is cal led the cheek of the vein .
T o show them we deal w1 N ewcassel ,Twee b lackeys sal men se the door cheek .
W . M idford, Pi tman ’
s Cour tship, 1 81 8
CH EEP , to make a no ise l ike a young b i r d ; to speak weaklyor qu ietly. H e wis hi tten bad eneu f, yit he n ivver cheeped.
CH EEPER , a young b i r d , an unfledgedth ing.
NORTH U MB E RLAN D WORD S . 1 47
CH EEPY,the t itlar k.
CH EER , a common salutat ion i s “Watchhea r !”or Whatcheer P’
Chea r e, or cheer e, look ; ai r of countenance — Na r e’
s Gloss.
CH EERER , a glass of toddy . Cheer er -gla ss , a la r ge toddytumb le r . Butter ed cheer er , a l i t tle but ter added to Sp i r i tandwar m wa te r .
CH EESE . To place the cheese bottom uppe rmost was fo rmer lyconsider ed as a token of g r ea t d is r espect to the per son so
t r ea ted .
T he folk of Cha t ton say the cheese of Cha t ton i s bet terthan the cheese of Chi ll ingham ; bu t the cheese of Chatton
’
s
nee ma i r l ike the cheese of Ch i l lingham than cha lk ’ s l ikecheese .
” Another r eading of the ir Bor der Sh ibbole th begin s“ Ther e ’ s as good cheese in Ch illingham as e ver Chaft schewed . Denham quotes the above and says the gi r d ”
in
i t is at the loca l p r onuncia t ion at those p laces , sh beingsounded for ch. Th i s pecu l ia r i ty i s a lso loca ted at Chi r n s ide .
S ee M u r r ay , D ialect of S . Counties of S cotland, 1 873 , p . 85 .
T o set the cheese on the table upside down is sti l l consider ed as a
wan t of r espect for the per son befo r e whom i t is placed; and to set down
a loa f bottom uppermost , a fter cu tti ng a sl i ce o f b r ead, is supposed to beas u n lu cky an omen a s to spi l l the salt.
”— S . O l iver , R ambles i n
Nor thumber land, 1 835 , p 1 34 .
CH EESE -AN’-BREED , the budd ing leaves of the hawth o r n ,
wh ich a r e p icked andea ten by ch i ld r en .
CH EESE -AND -BREED -BELL . On Chr i s tma s E ve , a t
H e xham , the P r ior y hell was r ung at seven o’
clock p.m ., a nd
th is was ca lled the cheese-and-br ead-bell .
CH EESES , seed of common ma llow , M alva sylvestr is.
T he sitting down when school was o’
er
U pon the thr esholdof the door ,P i ck i ng fr om mal lows. spor t to please ,
T he cr umpled seedwe calleda cheese.
"
Clar e.
CH EG , CH E GGL E ,to gnaw o r champ a r esisting substance .
B r ockett.
CH E M M E R L Y , CH AM BE R LYE , u r ine bottled ti ll it fermen t s ,and then used for clean sing clothes .
148 NORTH UMBE RLAND WORD S .
CH EP , a fam il ia r name fo r a man . W or cheps mean s oura ssocia tes . “ Them cheps i s nee u se , said in po i n t ing to somefeckless fellows .
M e nyem is Bi l ly O l iver , i’ Benwell toon aw dwel l ,
An aw’
s a clever chep, aw’
s shu r e , tho’
aw de say’dmesel
'
,
S ic an a clever chepam aw,
”&c. , &c.
B i lly Ol iver’
s R amble.
Allan’
s Col lection , p . 79 .
T he ma ister was a cann ie chep,
They ca’
dhim Jacky Car ter .
R . Gi lchr ist , Voyage to Lunnin , 1 824
CH EPSTER , the star ling .— B r ockett.
CH E S F IT , a cheese vat the vessel in which the cu r d i s placedto be pr essed in to cheese .
CH ESS , to cha se. In a col l ier y aft er the wind ing engine hasbeen standing for some t ime , the cages a r e r un up anddownthe Shaft t o see tha t a l l is r ight befo r e men a r e a llowed to getin to the cage .
” Thi s is to chase or chess the r opes — Gr eenwell .
CH E S S E L L , or CH E S SW E L L , a cheese p r ess — B r ockett,
3 rded. S ee CH E S F I’
I‘
.
CH ESTED , coffined. H e wi ll ha ve to be chestedto -n ight .
CHESTER , a Roman camp . Th i s is always p r onouncedchester , never caster or cester , in Nor thumber land . As may be
expected , in the land of the Roman Wa ll, it i s of fr equen t
occu r r ence ,andabout twen ty-six p lace-names may be coun ted
in No r thumber land wh ich end in chester , or a r e comb ined wi thit . In No r ther n England we find Tadcaster , Doncaster ,Lancaster . In the M idlands and South -West it is a soft e,as Leicester , Wor cester , Gloucester . El sewher e the c has
become ch , and we find Winchester , Ch ichester , Chesterfield— the ch being sounded as in M anchester and in ou r
Nor thumber land chester s.
“ T he Roman s held B r i tain for
n ea r ly fou r hund r ed yea r s . They left beh ind them on ly S ix
wor ds— Castr o , a camp ; S tr ata , a pa ved r oad ; Colonia ,a
set tlemen t ; F ossa , a t r ench ; Por tus, a ha r bou r ; and Valium,
a r ampa r t . T he t r ea tmen t of the La tin wor d Castr o in th i si sland has been both S ingula r and s ign ifican t ; and i t has
a lways taken the colou r ing of the loca l i ty in to whose soil i tst r uck r oot . I t is wor thy of n otice tha t ther e a r e in Scot landno wo r ds ending in caster . Though the Roman s had campsin Scot land , they do not seem to have been so impor tan t asto become the cen t r es of town s . (P r of. M eiklejohn ,
E ng lish
L anguage, 1 886 , p . W hen we findou r selves in a land ,
150 NORTH U M BERLAN D W ORD S .
CH IM LEY , GH UM LA , ch imney . Chimley-cr uck , the pot -hook
hung in the ch imney . Chimley-neuk , the ch imney cor ner .
Chimley-piece , the man tel -shelf. Gen e r a l .
Losh ’
s b ig chimley at W a lker .
“ Changes on the TyneBards of the Tyne, p . 2 1 5 .
CH INE , a cha in . [S .] In fa r m wo r k , lang chines ar e ploughcha in s ; Shor t chines
”a r e t r ace cha in s ;
“ shoother chines
ar e the cha in s for yoking to the car t shafts . T he sma ll
bubbles r i sing fr om an otter as he d ives acr oss the bottom of
the wa ter a r e cal led his chine.
T he chep W1 the chine.
James Hor sley , A R ide on the S wing B r idge.
CH INK , money.N OO when aw cum ti th ink , aw
’
d better spendmaw chmk
E d. Cor van , The Comet, 1 858 .— A l lan
’
s Col lection , p 73 .
CH IN N E L , CHANNEL ,g r a vel .
CH IN N E L , to sepa r ate the dust or sma llest coal s fr om la r ge rones .
CH IN N E L Y , sma ll , as gr avel or coa l sepa r a ted fr om the dust ,or dead sma ll . “ Chinley coa ls a r e n ei ther r ound (la r ge) norsma l l , bu t such as wi ll pa ss ove r the skr een and among thebest coa ls .”— Gr eenwell . Chinnely clay is clay wi th adm i x tu r eo f gr avel . Chinnely sand i s sand W i th gr a v el . T he st r eamn ear Ba r don M i l l is ca lled “ Chineley bu r n . Compa r eTR IND LE
,T R IN I L I E S .
CH IP , to b r eak or cr ack ; sa id of an egg when the young bi r db r eaks the shell .— B r ockett.
CH IP , a ter m used by sa lmon fisher s , who say tha t a fishchips, when i t cuts the su r face of the wa ter wi thout leap ing .
CH IRM , to chi r p ; appl ied especia l ly to the melancholy unde rtone of a bi r d p r e v ious to a sto rm .
— B r ockett. “ A charm of
bi r ds S ee CH OR M .
I cherme as byrdes do whan they make a noyse a g r eat nombertogyther .
-Pa lsg r ave , Ha l l iwell'
s B u t.“ W ha t var iety of char acter , as wel l as var iety of emotion , may be
distingu ished by the p r actisedear in a‘cha rm of b i rds .
— C . Kingsley,
Pr ose Idylls, A Charm of B i rds,”zuded.
,1 874 , p 1 3 .
CH I SEL , CH IZZEL , a common qua li ty of mea l fr om oat s .A caad chisel cr owdy.” T he coar se offa l fr om flou r , known
as boxings , used for feed ing p igs .
NORTH UMB E R LAN D WORD S .
CH I SEL , the cutting face of a d r il l , or bor ing r od.
CH I ST , a chest , a va r ian t of hist.T wo olde chystes.
—W i l l , in R . W el ford’
s H istory of Newcastle i n theX VI . Centu ry , p 320.
CH ITTER , to cha t ter . M e teeth wis chitter in wi’
the caad.
CH ITTER-CH ATTER , cha t , p r a t tle ; a lso the act ion of the
teeth when cha tter ing wi th cold .
CH ITTERS , par t of the in test ines of a goose , used in makinga giblet pie .
CH IVES , the sma l l on ion s , A l lium schoenop r asum,found on the
Roman W a l l in No r thumbe r land . T he chives a t Wa lltown ,
&c. , ar e descr ibed a s“ Na ti ve , Loca l type .
” —Bake r, F lor a
of N or thnmber landandD ur ham.
“ In the cr evices of the wh in r ock chives g r ow abu ndan tly T he
gener a l opin ion is that we ar e indebted for those plan ts to the R oman s ,who wer e much addicted to the u se of these and ki ndr ed savou r yvegetables .
— D r B r uce , Handbook to R oman Wa ll , 1 884 . p . 1 7 1 .
CH OCK , packed , cr ammed , blocked . Choch up again’
d.
Choch-full .
CH OCK , to block ; to choke , as in the ph r a se , “ T he spoot wischochedup wi ’ cla r t s .”
CH OCK , a p iece of wood for stopp ing waggons at the top of a
bank . (M ining Glossary , N ewcastle Terms, A lso a
squa r e pi lla r for suppor ting the r oof of a pit , bui l t up of shor tlengths of wood .
CH OCK -AN D -BLOCK , t ightly fi lled up .
CH OKE-DAM P , ca l led a lso after -damp and surfeit, the r esul tof explosion of fi r e -damp in a m ine the dead ly ca r bon ic acidgas . German dampf ,
“any th ick smoke , m i st , or vapou r
,
especia l ly when it i s of sulphur eous n a tur e .
”— Adelungquoted byWedgwood , D iet. of E ng . E tymology.
CH OKE -DEALS (for chock-deals) , deals fi tted closely togetherso as to be caulked , i f necessar y , i n sinking .
W e lay choak-dea ls (as we cal l them) , which is dea ls pu t in as fast,or a l l a long , as we dig the sandor ear th .
”— J . C . , Compleat Col l i er , 1 708 ,
p . 2 1 .
CH OLLER , a double ch in a lso the loose flesh under a tu r keycock ’ s neck— .a cock ’
s wa t tles .— B r ochett.
1 52 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
CH OP , to make a sudden r et r ogr ade movemen t . “ T he windchopped r ound to the nor
’
r a r d.
” “ T he fox chops back and
doubles l ike a har e . (James A rmst r ong , Wanny Blossoms,p .
“ W e ha ve two L abour er s at a t ime at the handleof the bor e Rod , and they chop , or pounce .
”
(J . C ., Compleat
Cellier,
1 708 , p .
“ H a ve good st r ong wooden P lugsr eady made , wh ilst bor eing , to chop In to the Bo r e -holeimmed i a tely. (The same, p . I t a lso mean s to put out ,to con fuse . N ow , th i s has chap ’
t me by my text . (jocoS er ious D iscour se, Newca stle ,
1 686 , p . H ence a chop is a
m ischance .
“ S i r a fter thi s ther e did befaw Another chop,
was wa r st of aw (The same, p .
CH OP -BACK ,in m in ing , an excava t ion d r i ven the r ever se
way.
CH OPS , the chaps or mouth .
For hay bu t seldom b lest the ir chops (the donkey’
s far e being
gener ally— T . W i lson , T he Oel i n
’
o’
D icky’
s Wig , 1 826
T o findou t the nyem , now each wor r ied his chops — b i t h is l ipsR . G i lch r i st , The S kipper
'
s Er udi ti on , 1 824 .
CH OR CH , chu r ch . T he mor e fr equen t for m on Tyn eside ,wher e ki r k i s now seldom hear d . T he ha r d It fo r ch i s hea r din hist, a chest ; hai r n (kir n ) , a chu r n ; and in the fin a l soundof such wo r ds as thoh, tha tch ; scr at o r scar t, scr a tch ; muckle,much ; snah, sn a tch ; stich, st i tch ; bi r h, b i r ch , &c. Compa r eK I RK and following wo r ds .
N ow we’ve a chor eh te mendthe bad,
Andhelp them up to H eeven
T . W i lson ,The Otl i n
’
o'
c hy’
s W ig , 1 826
CH ORK , sa tur ated or soaked with wa ter - N or thumber land.
H all iwell’
s D iet.
GH ORM , to cr oon , to war ble .
Chormzng some bee-a-baa -sang
J . P . R obson , Lament, 1 870
CH OR M , a ch i r p , cha tter , as of bir ds . S ee CH I RM , CH URM .
S weet is the b r ea th of mor n , her r ising sweet ,W ith cha rm of ear l iest b i rds.
Pa r adi se Lost, iv 64 1 .
CH O R N E L S , sma l l har d swel l ings in the glands of the neck in
young per son s , ca l led wa x ing chi r nels.— B r ockett —Chi r ncll .
CH ORT , to squi r t wi th the teeth . B r ocket t gi ves chi r t.
1 54. NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S .
of sa l t ar e enclosed . Th is i s handed to the fi r st pe r son met
wi th on lea v ing the house . I f the in fan t be a gi r l it is luckyto gi ve i t to a man ; i f a boy, to give it to a woman , bu t it
must be given to the fi r st per son met wi th .
S he deck’
du s for chu r ch on the Chr zstning day ,
Cu t the b r ead-and-cheese mean t to be stow’
dIn the fi r st lucky pocket she met on her wayT o the chu r ch fr om thei r humb le abode
T . W i lson , The Vi llage HowdyB r ocket t says— unde r Chi ld
’
s ~ fi r st- v i si t T he fi r st t ime
an in fan t visi t s a neighbou r or r ela t ion , i t is p r esen ted w ithth r ee things— a sma l l quan t i ty of sa l t , b r ead , andan egg .
”
CH UCK , br ead . A slang or colloqu ia l wor d .
CH UCK ,a j ol ly fellow .
W e foundmony a hear ty chuck.
T . W i lson , The Oi l in’
o' D icky
’
s Wig , 1 826 .
CH UCK , to th r ow away .
Aw’s g r ievedat hear t , push r ound the can ,
Then empty fr a wor hands we’
ll chuck i t
R . G i lch r ist, 1 844 .B oldA r ch ie andB l i ndWi l lie's Lament
CH UCK ,the Shel l of the land andof the sea
‘sna i l . T he game
of “chucks an ma r vels is played wi th five of these shel ls
and a mar ble ; sometimes wi th five sma ll mutton bones , orwi th five sma ll stones . T he ma r b le is th r own up anda l lowedto stot ” ( r ebound) and is caught in its second fa ll ; betweeneach “
stot the player p icks up one of the chucks at a t ime t i l lthe five a r e in hand ; then two and one ,
then th r ee andone ,
and so on , t i l l a t the la st th r ow the whole five a r e ad r oi tlycaught at a sweep . T he game is ca lled chucks andhandiesin South Shields . Compa r e COCKS andH EN S .
CH UCKERS , DOUBLE CH U CKERS , pot ion s of a r den tspi r i t s . Ter ms wel l kn own [in B r ockett
’
s t ime] amongN or ther n toper s . D ouble-chucker s
,a bumper which r equ i r es
two chucks, or gulps . —B r ockett, 3 rd ed.
CH UCKLE -H EED , a stupid per son . Wha t a r e ye deein ,
ye gr ee t chuckle-heed, said to a clumsy wor kman by his
ma ster . S ee CU CKL E -H EED .
T he lubbar t wi’
the chuckle-heed.
R . Emer y, d. 187 1 , The Owl .
CH UCKY-OOT , look out .C lawdy, tee , might chucky-oot,H e
'
s jaws he’
d su r ely pla ister .
J . P . R obson , d. 1 870, Homl ich , Pr ince of Denton.
NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S . 1 55
CH URM , to exp r ess p lea su r e or sa t isfaction by a humm ingsound pecu lia r to quad r upeds and bi r ds . A ch i r p or b i r dnote , the coo of the dove . S ee C H OR M andCH I RM .
T he chu rm 0'
the tu r tledove is hu r d 1 wor countr y-side .
— J . P .
R obson , d. 1 870, S ong 0’
S olomon , Nor thumber land ver s ion , chap . i i . ,v . 1 2 .
CH URN -SUPPER , ha r vest supper . S ee KERN - S UPPER .
CINDER BAS IN . When a woman has lost her r eckon ingi t is sti ll not: uncommon to hear tha t “
she has lost a C inder .
Th i s ph r a se r efer s to a cinder put in to a ba sin a t sta ted t imesto mar k a da te . T he coun t ing of the cinder s should agr eewi th the r eckon ing .
I r emember a h ind’
s wife (I am speaking of sixty year s ago) , whowas bor n and b r ed i n R othbu r y For est , whe r e old super sti tions and
cu stoms l i nger ed long , andwho , in the i nter va l between her confinemen t
and b e i ng“chu r ched,
”wou ld no t go ou t of he r hou se W i thou t fi r st
pu tt i ng a cinder on the l in tel of the door fr ame .
”— Letter , M iddleton H .
Dandto wr i ter , Ap r i l 27th , 1 889
CINDER COAL , coa l dep r i ved of i ts bitumen by the act ion of
a wh in dyke or sl ip — Gr eenwell .
CIRSE , or SES , a ci r cula r sieve fo r st r ain ing butter m i lk.
S car ce, to si ft .
CLAA a claw . Cloo , cloat, to claw ,to scr a tch .
“ Claa me , claa
thee — you scr a tch my back andI’l l scr a tch you r s ; o r you do
a good tu r n for me and I wi l l r etu r n the comp l imen t .
CLACK , the low va l ve of a pump . I t s u se is to suppor t thecolumn of wa ter when the bucket is descend ing — Glossaryof Coal T r oa
’
e Terms , 1 849 . In the column of pipes in a pit ,th r ou gh wh ich wa ter is pumped , tha t sect ion con ta in ing theva l ve is ca lled the clack-p iece . T he face on wh ich the va lvecloses is the clock-sea t . T he clock-door is the p la te bol ted overthe aper tu r e wh ich gi ves acces s to the clock.
CLAES, clothes
Nyen can say we a r e i’
debt ,O r want for owther claes or scr an .
T . W i lson , Pi tman’
s Pay , pt . i v 80.
CLAG , to st ick , to make to adhe r e .
.“ Aa gets them aa clogged tog i ther agyen wi
’
cobbler’
s waax .— H i s
Other E ye, 1 880 , p . 7 .
T he pu tter cloggedhis lowe on behind ( the tr am) andp r oceeded — M r .
John R owel l , ar ticle S oom,
”Newcastle Weekly Chr onicle, Apr i l 14th , 1 888 .
1 56 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
CLAG -CANDY , candy , so called on accoun t of its sticky, or
claggy natur e. U sed to descr ibe someth ing sweet , a s :Thou ’
s a‘
clagcanded, ma bonny hinny ,
Thou ’s dou ble japanded, ma canny bai r n .
S ong , Up the R aw.
”
Bel l ’s R hymes, 1 8 1 2 , p . 298
CL AGGE R , a pa lpable h it , as wi th a soft m i ssile tha t st r ikesand sticks (clogs) ; a r epa r tee tha t effectua lly shuts up an
opponen t . Tha t ’s a clogger , noo ! A lso a cleaver , made of
a ci r cula r piece of lea ther , with a thong th r ough the cen t r e ,a boy ’ s toy ; softened in wa ter , and p r essed by the foot on a
stone , it wil l adher e to and l i ft the stone by the a tmospher icp r essur e .
CLAGGUM , toffy made wi th t r eacle and a l i t tle knead ing.F r om its st icky con sistency , i t clogs.
I f money’s shor t , I
’
l l take
R abb i t skins for claggumW . S tephenson , d. 1836 , The I ti ner ant Confecti oner .
CLAGGY , of an adher en t , viscid n atur e . T a r or t r eacle a r e
thus ca l led claggy substances .
CLAGGY -TOP , coa l adher ing to the r oof of a pit.A seam of coal i s said to have a claggv
-top when it adher es to the
r oof, and is with diffi cu l ty separ ated.— Gr eenwell .
CL AIP IN ,n oi sy , tale-tell ing .
CL AI R E D ,d i r ty , cover ed w i th mud . S ee G LARE .
CL AI R T S , or CLARTS , wool upon wh ich sheep’s d r opp ings
have ga ther ed and ha r dened , wh ich is saved and sold byshepher ds to be cleaned and r ender ed fi t for manufactu r e .
T he wor d i s qui te common among the Cheviot shepher ds,
andat Yetholm the clean ing of th is wool is a r egular t r ade .
CLAITH ,cloth .
CLAM damp and clammy , vi scous . Ye mun a i r the
shaa l it’
s qui te clam, said of a shawl tha t has got wet .
CLAM , a moveab le col lar ing for a pump , con si st ing of twop ieces of wood inden ted to r ecei ve the pump , and scr ewbolted together .
—Gloss. of Cool T r ade Terms, 1 849.
CLAM , an and- ir on . S ee CLAMPS .i i r on chimney W i th tongs , r akes , andclams.
— R . Wel ford, H istory ofNewcastle, X VI . Centu ry , p . 239 .
158 NORTH UMBERLAND WORD S .
CLAP , quickly ; to seat oneself hu r r iedly .
C lapt l i ttle Neddy on his knee .
T . W i lson , The Pi tman’
s Pay , 1826 , pt. i . , v. 86.Clapon the kettle , h inny.
H e clap’
don the jar vies i v a minu te .
I f a sl i oe’
s wan tedye ha r dly need stopIv a ji ffy they clap on a new
'
umT . W i lson , S tanzas on an I ntendedR oad, 1 825 .
C lap yor lug tiv a stob
J . P R obson , d. 1 870, Wonderfu l Tal lyg r ip.
Aa clapt mesel doon .
R . Emer y , d. 1 87 1 , Boggy Nanny.
CLAP , to cr ouch down as a par tr idge does . The co vey ’ sclapped, ye canna see them .
I f any per son come near the ca lves , they clap thei r heads close to the
g r ound.
”— James Ha l l,Gu ide to Glendale, 1 887 , p . 25
CLAP -BENNY , a r equest made to infan t s in the nu r se’ s a r msto clap thei r hands , as the on ly mean s they ha ve of e xp r essingthei r p r ayer s , or of Sign ifying the ir desir e of a blessing .
B r ockett.
CLAP -BOARD , a sma lle r s ize of Spli t oak , impor ted fr omnor th G ermany
, and used by cooper s for making ba r r el
sta ves ; in la ter t imes a lso fo r wa inscot ting .— D r . M u r r ay ,
N ew E ng . D iet. (Obs .)I tem pdfor clopbords, 23 . 8d —GatesheadChu r ch Books , 1 649 .
CL APP E R CL AVV, to bea t , to abuse .
H e clapper -claw'
d thei r jer kins soundlyG . S tuar t , 7 oco-S er zous D i scou r se, 1 686 , p . 7 1 .
CLAPPERS , the kind of r a t t le made of th r ee pieces of flat
wood , usually fa stened together by a thong . T he m iddlepiece i s about twice a s long as the other two and i s r educedat one end to for m a handle . I t i s used about a fa r m tofr ighten cr ows fr om the cor n and potatoes . Callan t gan
away to the cr aa s , and take yor clapper s wa yea .
”T he wo r d
i s also used as a s im i le for the tongue , as“ H ad yor clapper
tongu ef’
CLART , CL AI R T , to besmea r wi th mud ; to do anything in a
S loppy , sla t te r n ly way. Wha t a r e ye clor tin on wi’ ther e
CLARTS , mud , d ir t ; a lso appl ied to d i r ty wool . S ee CLAI R T S .
That hal l ion M cAdam the pavement up-tor e ,
And left i n i ts steadclar ts anddu st in ga lor e .
”
R G i lch r i st , 1 83 5 , S ong of Impr ovements.
W i ’ clar ts they shou ldbe pla ister‘
dweel
That jeer’
dBl indW i l l i e’
s
R . G i lch r ist, d. 1 844 , B lendWi l lie'
s S i ngin’
.
NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S . 1 59
CLARTY,to d i r ty. Ye ’
l l clar ty the door step wi’
yor feet .
CLARTY,muddy
, bemudded , low,mean , as
“ H e’s a clar ty
body .
Other clar ty tr icks he play’
d.
G . S tu ar t , f oco-S er ious D i scour ses , 1868 , p . 47 .
I t a lso mean s foul when applied to the wea ther . A clar tyday. At M or peth , a few yea r s ago , on a ver y wet day, theold bel lman made his announcemen t as fol lows : Oh , yes !the sa le tha t was to take place a t one o’clock by M r . Stor eyis postponed on accoun t of the clor tiness of the weather .
I f i t be cla r ty , you’
r e su r e for to get
W eel pla ister’
dbyeth’h int audafo r e , man .
T . Char lton , Newcastle Impr ovements.
Ba rds of the Tyne, 1 849 , p . 239
Clar ty fine mean s shabby gen teel , and “cla r ty finer y ,
tawd r y finer y .
CLASH , the sound made by a heavy clanking or cr a sh ing blow ,
as in the v iolen t shutt ing of a door or the let ting fa ll of tinwar e , &c.
“ S he set the tea t r ay doon wiv a clash. H e
banged the door tee wi ’ sic a clash.
CLASH , to st r ike , t o slam , to th r ow down violen tly or wi thcla t ter . H oo wis aa to pul l up , wiv a t r a in l ike tha t ah in tus
,when he j ust clashedthe d i stance sign a l i ’ me feyce as aa
wis passin’
t.”
(An Eng ine D r iver expostula ting .) At an
a ssize t r ia l in N ewcastle a wi tness deposed , H e clashed his
jaa an then clagged up his eye wi’
clar t s .”
Oh , lass , dinnet clash the door .— Joe W i lson , d. 1 875 .
CLASH , to gossip id ly ; l ight o r idle talk. Aa canna be
fash’
t wi’ tha t man ’s clash.
”
I came to have a l ittle clash
E d. Chicken , The Coll i er’
s Wedding , 1 7 35 .
CLATCH , a mess , l ps.
CLATT,to pu ll the loose woo l fr om about the udde r s of ewes
as a p r ecaut ion fr om being swa llowed by lambs when sucking .
CLATTER , a r a t t l ing noise loud ta t t ling ta lk.“ T he window
shutter cam doon wiv a clatter .
W e neednot wonder at the clatter , when ever y tongue wagsT .W i lson , Pi tman '
s Pay , 1 826 , pt. i . , v . 1 2 .
Aw’ve kuawu h im sit myest r oun
’
the clock,S wattl i ng an clatt
’
r ing on wi’ Char ley .
The same, pt . i . , v . 90.
1 60 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
CLAUGH T , snatched at— N or thumber lond.— H alliwell
’
s D iet.S ee CLAA .
CLAVER , to climb up . T he R ev . John H odgson suggest stha t the wor d comb in es the idea of “
cleaver ing or adher ing ,mi xed wi th the idea of cl imbing . In th is sen se it i s ver ysuggesti ve of the act of “
speelin’
a t r ee , or otherwi se at
once cl inging andcl imbing .
— H ill upon h il l r ises ever se hi gh .
U p whilk the poor an ima l s now dr ag thei r load,
For a’
the wa r ld l ike claver in up the sky.
T . W i lson , S tanzas on I ntendedR oad, 1 824 .
Then into the coach Geordy clover edwi’speed.
R . Emer y, d 187 1 , Newcastle Wonder s.
CLAVER , to gossip in a loud tone .
CLAVER , clover .—B r ockett.
CLAVERS loud idle talk.
Be dumb , ye leeing , yammer in’
hoonds !N or wi yor claver s fash u s.
”
W . Ol iver , d. 1848 , The Bonassus.
CLAVERS , goosegr ass , Gal ium apar ine.— B r ockett
, 3 rded.
CLAY, a pi tman
’s candlest ick , made of a piece of clay .
CL AYD OL L Y ,the woman wor ker in a b r ickfield, who ca r r ies
the b r ick fr om the moulder ’ s table t o the open field wher e i tis to be d r ied .
CLEAD , to cover , to clothe . S ee CL E E D .
CL E AK [N .] to sna tch . S ee CL I C K .
CLEAN, en t ir ely .
“ Aa wis clean done . H e wi s clean gyeniv a m in i t . Clean gyen i s a lso used a s a ma t ter of compa r i son .
“ I t is clean gyen wi’
d”— that is , super ior to some competing
ar ticle .
CLEAN, a pit is clean when fr ee fr om gas. A coa l seam is clean
when i t is fr ee fr om d i r t par tings .
CL E AN IN , the a fter -bi r th of an an ima l .
CL E AP ,to name or call . —B r ockett, 3 rded.
1 62 NORTH U M BERLAN D W ORD S .
CL E E D IN , cloth ing , cover ing.
CLEEK , CL I CK , to sna tch . S ee CL I C KI cleekedyen of them by the arm.
'j‘oco S er ious D iscou r se, Newcastle ,1686 .
CLEEK,a cr ook to catch at anything . A ba r bed book used to
land salmon . (A“ gaff is a sa lmon hook wi thout a bar b .)
A snatch hook.
H e’
s made a eleek bu t anda cr eel
A cr eel bu t anda pin
Andhe’
s away to the chimley top,
Andhe’
s letten the bonny cler k in .
Oldsong , The Keach i'
the Cr eel .
CLEEK , to b r eed or ha tch . S ee CLECK .
CL E E T , the hoof of an ox or a sheep . S ee CLUTE , CLOOTY.
CLEG , a gadfly hence applied to a tedious , t ir esome ch i ld .
CLEG , a clever per son , an adept .— B r ockett. .r"Gleg .
CLEUGH , a del l , or cleft thr ough which water r un s .A gr ay stone in a clowghe syd under a plac called the Cr owkhyl .
Awarddated1 554 .— D r . Cha r lton , Nor th Tynedale, p . 66 .
T he one of them h ight Adam Bel ,T he other Clym o
’
the Cleugh ,
T he thyrdwas W i l l iam o f C loudeslee ,An a r cher goodynough .
Oldbal lad, pr inted 1 550.
A hope is the head of a vale , a cleugh is a sor t of diminutive hope,wher e the va le is nar r owed by opposi te cr aigs.
”— S . Ol iver , R ambles inNor thumber land, 1 835 , p . 87 , note.
CLEW , a ba ll of wor sted ; hence , pr obably , a globula r swel lingl ike a boi l . When a per son 18 r est less and uneasy i t is
common to say, H e’
s getten a clew.
CLEW , CLEWS , o r CLOOS E , the floodgate of a m il l da rn.
B r ockett, 3 rded. S ee CLOOR .
CL E YT , CL ITE , to wear uneven ly, to make one-s ided .
Your shoe’s cleyted. S ee ACL IT E .
CL IAR , CL I R E , a har d substance for med gener ally on the
l iver or lungs of an ima ls . Cli r cd,having a cl ir e, a danger ous
ob st r uct i on in an animal ’ s th r oat . S ee CLYR E .
CL ICK , a r en t , a tear . Leuk wha t a greet click thor ’s iv herfr ock .
”
NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S . 1 63
CL I CK , to sna tch , to ca tch up , to clutch . H e clicked it oot0
’ me hand .
”
They lower’
d the sai l , bu t i t aa waddent dee ,
S o he cl ickedup a coal , an’ ma ist fel led the Pee-dee .
W . A rms tr ong , 7enny H oolet, 1 833 .
Aa’
ve seen h im ,in th is muddledmess ,
C l i ck up his chalk andwooden bu ik.
”
T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay, 1 827 , pt . i i v . 45 .
CL I FTY , sma r t , busy , i ndust r iously act ive . I t is now oftenerappl ied to a hor se , andmo r e pa r ticular ly to a mar e.
“ She ’ sa cl ifty ganner .
C lam up the shr ouds , andwr ought ban-spun ,
Andpr euv’
d themsels twa cl ifty men .
G . S tua r t , yoco-S er zous D iscour se, 1686 , p . 70.
Ther e ’
s ver y few can foot so n ice
As cl ifty W i l l Car sta i r s .
Genu ine TomWhittell , 1 81 5 .
CL IM , to climb . Post, clam ; p .por t clommen or elom. D r aytonuses th is for m in his Battai le of Ag incour t, p . 30. Cl immer i s toclamber .
T he waves to clemme,”ib. p . 5 .
— Hall iwell 5 D iet.
CL IM , the name Clemen t .
CL ING , to dr y up , to w i ther , to sh r i vel . In The P r icke ofConscience one of the symptoms of appr oaching dea th is
sta ted to be tha t the pa t ien t ’ s “ bely clynges. Edi tionM or r is, line 823 .
Pa l andclungen was his chek ,
H is skin was klungen to the bane .
M etr ica l Homi lies, p . 8 .
CL ING -CLANG , in confeder acy .
“ Tho r aal l cling-clong , like
the t inkle r s o ’ Yacomb .
” —Oldsaying .
CL INK , to hammer up so as to t ighten anyth ing , to clench .
CL INK R ING , an i r on r ing used in bui ld ing wooden sh ips .A bol t wi th a head i s pu t th r ough fi r st , then the r ing 15
sl ipped on the inside andclinched.
CL INKER , a fu r nace Slag , or the fused p r oducts of combustion on a sm ith ’ s hear th , or in an engine fu r nace .
CL INKER , a clever per son , an adept .
1 64 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
CL INKER-BU ILT , having the edge of each plank or layerover lapp ing , not butt ing , the n ext t o it. T he wooden steamtug boa t s on the Tyn e a r e clinker -bui lt, each st r ake o ver lappingthe one below i t . In H odgson ’ s N or thumber land, i i i ., 2 , p . 76 ,ther e is a descr ipt ion of the di scover y. at the Roman sta t ion ,
Wh i tley Ca stle , of a lar ge dung-h ill . “ I t abounds w i th oldshoes , all made r ight and left— those of men , clinker -bu ilt.
CL INT , a cliff of r ock. In N or thumber land , gener a l ly appl iedto r iver cliffs .— H ugh M i ller , Geology of Otter bur n andE ldsdon.
Geolog ical S ur vey M emoi r .
CL IP , to clamp , t o hold fast . To shear sheep .
CL IPPERS , a sp r ing hook used in sinking , by wh ich the bowof the co r f is hung on to the r ope.
CL IPPE T ,a la r ge hook fa stened to the end of a st ick , and
used in sea fish ing to haul the fish in to the boa t , or out of thevessel ’ s hold when d ischar ging car go ; the fish a r e hookedth r ough the g ills when lifted by the clippet.
CL IPS , weeding tongs ; la r ge l i fting hooks used in hoistingt imber , made like a pai r of tongs , w ith hooked ends , wh ich“ seize as the weight of the log bears .
T he pot-hooks , or bow, by wh ich a pot or pan is suspended over a
fi r e .— Br ockett, 3 rded.
S hear s , scissor s— Nor thumber land.— Hall iwell 's D iet.
CL I PSE , eclipse.“ The meun
’
s i’ the cl ipse.
CL I SH -CLASH , CL I SH -M A-CLAVER , CL ICK-CLACK ,
CL ITTER -CLATTER , var ious ter ms for' idle , gossiping
talkI clytter , I make a noyse as har nesse or peu ter dysshes , or any suche
lyke thynges .— Palsg r ave , quoted in Hall iwell
’
s c t. under Gl i tter -clatter .
CL IVES , CL IVAS , CL IVUS , a stick ou t wi th a fo r k or
hooked b r anch at one end, l ike a ver y long walking st ick.
I t is used by woodmen to hook on to a tree so as to d i r ect i tsfa l l if i t should appea r to lean a side .
“ H ad on choppin ,
m i ster , t i l l aa cu t a cl ivus. Said by a woodman at Temper leyG r ange , M a r ch , 1 890.
CL IVVE R , CL IVVOR , clever . Well , in good health . Hooa r e ye the day, ladP
”M an , aa
’
s clivver .
166 NORTH UM BERLAN D W O RD S .
CLOGGER , a clog shoemaker . In Newca stle ther e was
for mer ly , a t the Head of the S ide , a“ Clogger
’
s En t r y .
Th i s, l ike the “ Baker
’ s En t r y ,” “ F laxdr esser
’
s Ya r d ,Butcher Bank , and such other p laces , p r obably ind ica ted
the specia l t r ade car r ied on in the loca l i ty .
CLO INT E R , disor der . S ee C LUNTER .
CLO IT , a clown , a stup id fellow .—B r ockett. Clot i s the mor e
common for m in Newca stle “ Get oot , ye g r eet clot, ye .
”
CL OOD , a cloud . Cloody , cloudy .
CLOOR , a slu ice— N or thumber land.— H all iwell
’
s D iet. T he wo r dwas used by a witnes s in an a ssize t r ial a t Newca stle , J uly ,1 890. H e pul led doon the cloor .
” Compa r e CLEW , 2 .
Gloor , slu ice , &c. , dial . form of clow.
D r . M u r r ay, N ew E ng . D iet.
CLOOT,t o clout , to pa tch wi th cloth , or to mend anyth ing
wi th a pa tch , a s Cloot the t in pan .
Ods heft maw pi t claes— dis thou hear ?
A r e war se o’
wear
M ind, cloot them weel when aw'
s away.
J S hield, Bob Cr anky’
s Adieu .
To st r ike as Aa’
l l cloot yor jaw .
S he‘
cloots the b i ts 0’ba i r ns aboot ,
An packs them off ti sku i l .
T . \Vi lson ,The Washing D ay , 1 843 .
In The P itman’
s Pay , pt . i i . , v . 56 , the l i t t le t r apper boy tellswoefully
Fu l l mony a cu r se andcloutAw gat for s leepin at the door
CLOOT , a cloth , a r ag . Aa’
ll pin a d ish -cloot te yor ta il , saysan i r a te cook to an in t r uder in to the ki tchen . A cheese-cloot
is the cloth used in cheese making .
CLOOT-DOLLY , a dol l made of cloth .
CL OOTY-H AT ,a bonne t for field wor k, made of cloth .
CL OOTY , the devi l ; tha t i s , the clo ven -footed one. S ee
GLEET , CLUTE .
They cou ld, aw think , compar e'
t W I nowse
Bu t C lootie'
s gang a’
b r ocken lowse .
T . W i lson , Opening of the Newcastle andCar l i sle R a i lway ,
1838 .
NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S . 1 67
CLOSE, a small enclosu r e , as a close of land ,
”a ca lf close.
S ee GARTH . A nar r ow st r eet closed up for defence , as the
Close at Newcastle , wh ich was defended by the Close Ga teandthe Castle .
For mer ly sever al of the pr incipal Ba r ons of Nor thumber land and
people of Newcastle had houses i n i t , a lso the antient M ayor s.
"
Hodgson M S .
CLOSE -BE D , a panelled bedstead , or bunk , w i th s lid ingdoor s . These close, o r
“ box -beds wer e sometimes h iddenbeh ind wha t appea r ed to be the panelled s ide of a r oom . Nobe tte r descr ipt ion of thei r un san i ta r y condi t ion could be giventhan close-bed.
CLOSER , a fi r ebr ick 9 inches long by 2 1} inches squar e ;somet imes ca lled a soap ,
”fr om its r esemblance to a ba r of
soap .
CLOT , a clod , a sod . H e hi t him W iv a clot. A hea vy ,stup id fel low . S ee CLO IT .
CLOTCH , an unga inly per son wi th awkwa r d gai t .
CLOT CH Y , clumsy . Eh , bu t yor a clotchy
CLOT-HEED , a blockhead .
CLOUD -BERRY , the g r ound mulbe r r y , R ubies chamwmor ns, L inn.
I t is a lso ca lled , h oops, knot-ber ry , andknout-ber ry.
Abundant on Cheviot , &c. I t is sa id to have been gather ed on
S imonside and the Deadwa ter Fel l , at the head of Nor th T yneda leN ew Flor a of Nor thumber land andDur ham— Natur a l H i story T r ansacti ons ,vol . i i 1 867 , p . 1 58.
CLOU GH Y , a woman d r essed in a tawd r y manner .- Gr ose.
CLOUR , a sma l l lump or swell ing , a d imple o r inden ta t ionlike the hollow made in a p iece of tin by the blow of a
hammer . In m in ing , a clou r is a“ sma ll depr ession of r oof
i
éi to coa l , mostly in a post r oof.”— Gr eenwell . S ee CLYR E andL IAR.
CLOUR , to st r ike so a s to d in t the head .
“ H e gat a clour ed
heed — a b r oken head .
CLOUTER , CLOW T E R , to wo r k in car eless or d isor der lymanner , to per form d ir ty wor k.
CLOUTERLY , clumsily , awkward ly.
1 68 NORTH UM BERLAN D WORD S .
CLOUT-NA I LS , na ils made wi th ver y la r ge , flat heads .
CLUBBY-SH AW , a youthful game p layed by two par t ieswi th a globula r p iece of wood , anda st ick cur ved a t one end
to corr espond wi th the ba lk— Gloss. to P itman’
s Pay , 1843 .
T he famou s feats done in thei r you th ,
At bowl ing , bal l , andclubby-shaw.
T . W i lson , Pitman’
s Pay , 1 826 , pt . i . , v . 1 1 .
CLUBSTER , CL U BTAIL , a stoat .
CL U CKW E E D , CL U CKE NW E E D , o r CU KE NWOR T ,
ch ickweed , S tellar io media .
CLUB -NUT , two nuts gr own in to each other . Compar eCLUTTERS . Two n uts gr own together thus a r e ca lled a
“ St . John . Th r ee nuts s imi la r ly in ter gr own a r e ca l led a
St . M a r y . T he la t ter , being r a r e , is much p r ized , and
when found is usual ly wor n in fr on t of the finder’
s cap o r
hat. S ee J U D -N UT .
CLUFF , a cuff, a blow.“ A cluj
"o ’
the lug . To cuff. Aa’
l l
clufi'
yor jaw for ye .
”
CL U F F , to str ike in to standing co r n wi th the s ickle . T he ter mwas used to di st inguish fr om the dr awing mot ion necessar y i nusing the old ser r a ted “ hook
,wh ich was fo r mer ly in gener al
u se fo r r eaping . T he “ hook wa s super seded by the smoothedged and b r oad bladed sickle , wi th wh ich the r eaper clufi
'
ed
the cor n .
CLUM , CLAM (p.t. of cl im) , to cl imb .
CLUMPER , to encumber , to pack close . I t ’ s sa ir clumper t.
CLUM PY , CLUM P I SH , lumpy , lumpish , unwieldly.
CLUNG , closed up , or stopped . Spoken of hen s when theylay not ; it is usua l ly sa id of anyth ing tha t is sh r i velled or
sh r unk up ; fr om cling .
”— R oy’
s Gloss. , 1 69 1 . S ee CL IN G .
I f thou speak fa lse ,U pon the next tr ee thou shalt hang al iveT i l l famine cl i ng thee .
”
M acbeth , v . 5 .
CL U NGY , adhesive — B r ockett, 3 rded .
CLUNK , to h iccup .
1 70 NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S .
COAL AND CANDLE L IGH T , the long- tailed duck , H a r elda
g lacialis, L . Ca lled a lso yenny F oster .
COAL -ENGROSSERS , an old ter m for the vendor s of coalon the Tyne . (Obs .)
Hoastmen , ca lled in Eng l ish coa le-eng r osser s.— Gar diner , Eng land
’
s
Gr ievance D zscov p . 55 , ed. 1 796 .
COAL -H ILL , a landsa le pit (which) used alway s to be termedthe Coal -hil l .— Ra ine , N or th D u r ham, p . 25 2 . Colehi ll at O r de .
COAL -H OOD , the r eed bun t ing called a lso the black bun t ing ,Cinchr amus schoeniclus, L inn.
COAL ING -M ONBY.
1 mu st take my leave of this subject of sinking , after you have beenplea sed to give you r sinker s (becau se i t is cu stomar y) , the labour e r swhom I have employed for you , a iece or gu inea , to dr ink the goodsuccess of the coll ier y, which i s cal ed thei r cool i ng money .
”— J . C . , The
Complea t Col l ier , 1 708 , p . 3 1 .
COAL -PIPES , ver y th in , i r r egu la r layer s , or scar es , of coa l .
T he smal l veins of coa l , cal ledby the miner s coal-pipes.— M acken zie ,
H i st. of Nor thumber land, 13 25 , vol i . , p . 85
Coal -p ipy,str eaked wi th th in ca r bonaceous layer s , as coal -p i
'
pypost .”
COAL S AY , COL E S AY , the coal -fish . I t is a ls o ca l led podl iewhen young , andpodler , sa ith, o r scath when somewha t lar ger ;a lso black jack and often r ock salmon by the fi shermen , as i t
bea r s a st r ong r esemblance in fo rm to the salmon . S ee SO I L ,H ALLAN , andP OODLER .
S oi l is the name bywh ich the fr y is known they appear at S hields abou tJune . I n a shor t time they incr ease to abou t five inches in length , when
they a r e ca l led ha l lan . By S eptember they incr ease to abou t a foot in
length , and a r e then ca l ledpoodlcr s.
”— R ambles in Nor thumber landandonthe S cotti sh Border , by S tephen O l iver , the Younger (W
’
. A . Chatto) , 1835 ,p . 23 .
COAL SH ALE , sha le of a h ighly bi tumenou s kind . S ee J E T ,
andcompar e M ETAL .
COAL TIT , or COLE TIT , the b lackcap . S ee a lso B LACKPOW -H EED .
COALY , an old term used when the coa l t r ade was spoken of.
Pu shed aw’
dCooly fr ev h is sea t ,And r u ined al l .
T . W ilson , D i rge on Death of Coa ly, 1838.
N ORTH U M BERLAND W O R D S . 1 7 1
COALY, abound ing in coa l appl ied a lso to any bedappr oach ing
to the n a tur e of, or m ixed wi th , coa l or coa ly ma t ter .
“ Dar k coaly thi l l . — Bor mgs andS inkings , A B p 2 3 .
W or awdcoa ly Tyne ,doon fr ae S tel la to S h iels .
T . W i lson , S tanzas. 1824R iver s a r ise whether thou be the son
O f u tmost TweedO r coa ly T i ne , or ancient hal lowedD ee.
”
M i lton , A .D . 1 62 7 .
COALY-S H ANG I E , or CULLY-SH ANGEY , a r iot orup r oa r .
COAS H . A m i lk -ma id says , “'Coash-coosh, h inney !”or
“ Coash
coash, my lady !” to soothe and make the cow stand du r ing
m ilking . To cows or ca tt le gene r a ll y it is a ca l l to u r gethem to come on qu ickly .
COATS, o r COTE , comb ined in place -n ames , a s Cul ler coats,
and i n e ight other p laces in Nor thumber land . Anglo -Saxoncote
,a hu t — J . V . G r ego r y , A r che olog ia E l ia iza
, vol . ix . , p . 43 .
T he Duke of N or thumber land’
s cot tage a llotmen t s a r e ca l ledkwot-lands .
COB , a thick , amo r phous cake or loaf of b r ead . I t was usual lymade fr om the la st p iece of dough . (Obs.)
COB , a b low fr om a ba ll . In the game of “ stand -a ll the
loser s get thei r cobs.
COB , a ter m in footbal l , app lied to a kick of the ball when heldin the hand .
COB , to pull the ha i r or ea r , to st r ike , to thump . They gotthei r lugs p r ope r ly cobbed.
”
COBB IN , st r iking , thumping ; a pun ishmen t among ch ild r enandwo r kmen .
— B r ockett. S ee COG .
COBBLE , a sma ll boulder , such as is used in pa v ing sidewa lks .T o cobble with stones, to thr ow stones at anything
— Gr ose.
COBBLER ’S -WAAK , a pecul ia r kind of dance pe r fo rmed bysi tting down on the “ bunker s
”and closing the legs at the
knee . I t is ver y d iffi cult , and fr om i ts gr otesque appea r anceis somet imes ca lled the cr ab-waak.
COBBLE -TREES , double swingle- t r ees , whippens , or splin terbar s — B r ockett, 3 rded.
1 72 NORTHUMBERLAN D W ORD S.
COBB ’S CAUSEY , or CAAS E Y , a b r anch fr om the RomanWa tl ing St r eet , at B ewclay, which leads a thwa r t Nor thumber land towa r ds Berwick . Cobb is a j otun to whose wor kt r adi tion a t tr ibutes the making of th is Cyclopean way. I tpasses n ear the fo l lowing places : Rya l , Anger ton , H a r tbur n ,
Nether wi tton , B r inkbu r n , over R imside M oor , nea r H ighLea r chi ld , G lan ton , Per cy
’ s C r oss , Fowber r y, Bowsdon and
West Ord, then cr osses the Tweed about a m i le to the nor thof the la t ter place.
COBBY , b r i sk , hear ty , in good spi r i ts .T he Banker s now can spor t a smi le ,Andlu i k byeth cr ouse andcobby
N ay,they
’ve been kuawu , ju st for a wh i le ,T o ha
’
e been even gobby.
"
T .W i lson , Capta ins andthe Quayside.
COBLE , COBBLE , the nor th -east coa st fishing -boa t , an openor deckless cr aft . F akene thei r cobblez. (M S . M or teA r thar e,fo . 6 1 , quoted in H all iwell .) Cobalt in 1 372 . (R ecords of F a r neI slands.) P r onounced cowble in the nor th of N or thumber land ,and cobble in the south of the same . T he cable is bui l t wi th aver y deep cutwa ter ; but towar ds the ster n , wh ich is squar e ,it is made wi th a widen ing fla t bot tom . I t is thus a boa twi thout a “ keel ,
”bu t the flat bot tom has two bilge clogs ,
cal led a ski r va l .” Under can va s the l ines of the boa t makeher a splend id sa iler , her deep bow holds the wa ter , andhersha l lowing after -qua r ter s al low the fu r r ow that fol lows fastto close without impeding the “way.
” As the after -par t dr awson ly a few inches , the r udder is ca r r ied down much belowthe level of the bottom . These peculia r ities necessi ta te thecoble to be towed ster n for emost , or , when landed , to be in l ikemanner t ur ned ster n to the beach , andat the same t ime ther udder has to be un sh ipped . T he boa t s thus r equi r e r apidand clever handling , not on ly in wor king them under thei rs ingle mast , wi th its squa r e sail andjib , bu t in manoeuvringthem on app r oach to shor e.
COBLE -GATE , the r ight of sa lmon fishing for a coble . Asmuch as can be fished by one coble . S ee G ATE , 3 .
CO ’
BY ! or CO ’
BY , NOO come by ; tha t is , come out of theway. I t ha s been r ema r ked tha t nea r ly a l l sim i la r exclama t ion sa r e gi ven in tone of command by a Nor thumb r ian . Ther e isno
“ By you r leave”
; and the poor er the speaker the mor eper empto r y his or der to stand aside .
COCK , a thrust , a push . G i’
s a cock up , w ill ye S ee COG .
1 74. NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
COCKL ING , cheer ful .
A cockl ing per son .— B r ockett.
COCKM AD E N D Y , a self-impor tan t dand iacal body.
COCK OF T H E NORTH , a facetious name for Newca stle.
T he ch ief town of those par ts .— 7 oco-S er ious Discour se between a
Nor thumber landGentleman and hi s Tenant, by Geor ge S tuar t, Newcastle ,1 686 .
T he w in ter immigr an t bi r d , the snowflake (Plectr ophar sesnivalis) , is called Cock of the N or th, snow bunting , and over -sea
linnet.
COCK -PE N NY , a per qui si te of the schoolmaster at Sh r ovetide .
Th i s used to be the season for th r owing a t cocks , when a
yea r ly cock-fight was pa r t of the annua l r out ine of severa l ofou r nor ther n fr ee- schools .— B r ockett.
COCKS -AND -HEN S , the stem of r ibwor t p lan ta in , P lantago
lanceolata , used by ch i ld r en to play at fighting cocks. Cocks
and-hens, the water aven s , Geum r ivale. A lso the name g ivento the shel ls of the lar ge land sna il ; those of a gr ey colou ra r e called hens, the other s ar e ca lled cocks. When empt iedof the sna i ls , boys fight the “
chucks ” by squeezing themtoge ther un t i l one br eaks the other . After a successfulencoun ter a cock chuck ”
is sa id to be one yea r aad,”and
i f he r ema in s unb r oken after a second “ ba t t le ,” “ two year
aad”
; and so on ,a yea r being added each t ime . H ens a r e
con s ider ed too soft for fight ing , anda r e not con sider ed wor thp icking up . S ee a lso RATTAN -TA I L S .
COCKS -KAM ES , the ear ly o r ch i s , Or chismascnla , andthe ma r shor ch i s
, O. latifol ia . T he ea r ly or ch is i s va r iously ca l led cocks
kames and deed man’
s thumb, and the ma r sh or ch is has the
sever a l ti tles of cocks-kames , de’
i l’
s foot, deedmen’
sfinger s, AdamandE ve, Cain andAbel .
COCKTA IL,wa r m a le and r um , wi th ginger . Th i s word
p r obably mean s cocked a le , which came to be w r i t ten as a
single wo r d , cocktai l . To be cocked i s to be t ipsy , and a
man half d r unk is somet imes sa id to be ha lf cocked. Theseexp r essions may a ll possibly belong to the same r oot .
At iver y yel l hoose i’th i s toon
W e hada cockta i l pot.
J . P . R obson ,
“ The Pi tman ’
s Happy Times.
A llan’
s Collection , p . 227 .
COCK -WOB , COCK -VVE B , a cob-web .
NORTH U MBERLAND W ORD S . 1 75
COD , a per son who has cha r ge of a set of men at any pa r t icular
job , bu t who i s himself under a for eman . T he wor d is muchused among mechan ics — H odgson M S .
COD, a p il low . A codis a lso the pi llow or bea r ing of an axle
andthe counter poise on the bot tom -boar d of a smi th ’s bellows .A pin -cush ion i s called a pin -cod.
I tem— I g ive— my bed, that is to know , a feather bed, a bolster , two
codds— b lankets , two cover lets , two sheets.
”— W i l l in R ichardWelford’
s
H ist. of Newe. , XVI . Cent. , p . 207 .
L ay my cods a l i ttle higher .
E d. Chicken , The Coll ier’
s Wedding , 1735 .
COD,t o p r act ise decei t , to pr etend . H e mu n be coddin ye
tha t is , he must be deluding you .
“W he ar e ye coddin ?
is a common inqu i r y when one is telling an imp r obablestor y ; it mean s , Whom a r e you t r ying to deceive ? ”
COD -END, the bot tom of a t r awl net.
“ T he cod-end, that is to say, the bottom of the net .— Newcastle D a i ly
Leader , October 4th , 1 890, p 4 , col . 6 , foot .
COD JYBE L L , the ear wig . Called a lso twitchbell and for kytoi l .
COFE , a deep pit , cavern , or cave — B r ockett, 3 rded. Compa r eG OAF.
COFFIN , a cinder which has flown fr om the fir e . If shapedl ike a coffin , i t i s om inous of dea th . On the other hand , ifl ike a pu r se , it omen s weal th .
COFFIN -KIST a hear se .
U nseetly cajin-kists.
T . W i lson , Captains andthe Quayside.
COFT , bought— N or thumber land.—H alliwell
’
s D iet. Past tense and
par t. of eof , to buy. Scott i sh .
COG , to th r ust , or st r ike on the backside .
“ G i’
s a cog up ,will ye ? The same as cock.
COG , COGGY , a hooped wooden vessel . A cask sawn in
half makes two cogs'
. A ch i ld ’s por r inger made of woodis called a coggy ; it is often made to r esemble a m in ia tu r em ilk-pail . A d r inking vessel is a lso a cog , or coggy.
Long may he l ive to teem a Cag .
D r . Char lton , Nor th Tynedale, p . 96 .
1 76 NORTH UM BERLAND W ORD S .
The mean ing her e i s , long may he l ive to empty a cog , or
dr inking vessel .
COG -AND -RUNG -G IN , a pit W indlass wor ked by hor ses .T he hor se t r a vel led r oun d the pit mouth pul ling a leverat tached to a ver t ica l shaft , and the cogs , or teeth , of a
ho r izon ta l wheel on th i s shaft , wor ked in the r ungs , or
Spokes , of a sma l l p in ion on the W ind la ss , or d r um shaft , thusmaking it to r evolve in the r equi r ed di r ect ion . I t was theear l iest for m of hor se engine , or g in , for r a i sing coal s and
wa ter .— R . L . Ga lloway , H ist. of Coal M ining , 1 882 , p . 57 .
S ee G IN .
COGGLE , to t r emble , to totte r , as anyth ing does when like tofa ll . “ T he waa l myest coggledower on top 0
’ them .
” Hence
cogg ly , or cogg lety , cr anky , un steady .
“ The p lank wis S e
coggly’at aa nea r ly tummeledoff .
”
COIL , to wh ip , to th r ash .
COIN S , COIGNS , a st r eet cor ner .
T he coins foot gather ing of men andboys . T he coins or coignees pointto its posi tion as a place wher e nea r ly a ll thor oughfar es conver ge .
”
R . For ster , H ist. of Cor br idge, 1 881 , p . 57 .
COL , a r oad scr aper . I t is a flat p iece of i r on pla te , l ike a
hoe , set at r ight angles t o a shaft or handle. S ee H ARLE .
COL , to scr ape together w ith a col .
COLD -FIRE , a fi r eplace filled wi th paper , sticks , and fuelr eady for l ight ing.
COLD -LORD , a boi led pudding made of oa tmeal and suet .One mixed w i th suet and some t r eacle and suga r loses thecold name .
— H odgson M S .
COLE , to put in to shape , to hollow out .— B r ockett.
COLE H EAD , or COLE T IT , the cole t itmouse , Por us ater .
Cal led a lso black-coa l -heed.
COLLAR-LANDER , a r eceptacle fixed on top of the del iver yp ipe of a pump to r eceive the wa ter befor e its deliver y in tothe condui t . H ogger ” is mor e common ly the ter m used forth i s ar r angemen t .
COLLAR SH ANK , a r Ope to fasten wor k hor ses up in the
stable .
1 78 NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S .
COLLOP,a sl ice of sa lted mea t , a r a sher of bacon . Col lop
M onday i s the day befor e Sh r ove Tuesday , on wh ich i t i susua l to ha ve eggs and col lops , or pieces of bacon for d inne r .
On Col lop M onday i t was former ly customar y to take leave of
flesh for the Len ten fast en suing . T he flesh mea t wasancien tly pr eser ved th r ough the win ter by sa lt ing , d r ying ,and hanging up . S ee M AI R T . S l ices of this kind of mea ta r e a t th i s day ca l led collops in the No r th , wher eas they a r enamed steaks when ou t fr om fr esh mea t , as un sa l ted flesh isusua lly styled her e ; a kind of food wh ich ou r ancesto r s seemto have seldom ta sted in the depth of win ter . (B r and
’sPop. Antiqu ities , 1 777 , p . T he following r hyme gi vesan old accoun t of the t r an sition t o Len t and the emer genceon the gr eat festi va l .
Col lop M onday, Pancake Tuesday,
Ash W ednesday,Bloody Thu r sday,
Long Fr iday’
11 never be done ,
H ey for S aturday at after noon .
S — for S unday a t twelve o'
clock ,
W hen the spice pudding jumps ou t of the pot .
COLLY , the black or smut fr om coa l ; called in the Nor ther ncoun t ies collow o r ki llow.
— VVa ll is , H istory of N or thumber land,
p . 46 . To blacken or make black ; fr om the substan tive .
Br ief as the l ightn ing in the col ly’
dn ight,That in a Spleen u nfolds the heaven andear th .
M idsummer N ight’
s D r eam, act i so. 1 .
Andpassion ,hav ing my best j udgmen t col l ied,
Assays to leadthe way.
Othel lo, act i . , so. 3— Nar e's Gloss.
COL -RAKE , a sma ll hand - r ake for the fi r e side ; not coal - r ake.
S ee COL .
COLT-ALE , an al lowance of a le cla imed as a per quisi te bythe blacksm i th on the fi r st shoeing of a hor se . H ence , a
customa r y en ter ta inmen t given by a per son on en ter ingin to a n ew offi ce is cal led shoeing the colt.
”T he fi r st t ime
a gen t leman ser ves on the G r and Ju r y he is called a colt.
B r ockett. S ee COUT ALE .
COM , came . U sed in stead of the mor e fr equen t com.
com in afor e me S ee CAM .
Aw com on a voyage te the toon t’
other day, man .— D . C S kipper
’
s
Voyage.”— Ba rds of the Tyne, p . 5 24 .
COM B . Seven place -n ames in No r thumber land have th isending ; examples , Acomb, Ba r combe, &c. In some of thesecases comb appear s to be a cor r upt ion of ham. Acomb isancien tly Akehom ; W incomblee
,W inkhamlee, &c. Compar e
KA I M .
NORTH UMBERLAND W O RDS . 1 79
COM ’D, CU M
’D , the p . por t. of come. Cummen is sti ll in or dinar y
u se , however H e’
d oney common in a m in i t a fo r e aa ga t
ther e mesel .They
’
ll think thoo’
s comdfr a Lunnon , Ol l
'
r eckenton H i r ingA l lan
'
s Col lection , p . 292 .
COM E , the fo r ewa r d slope of a hoe or a spade . A spade or
shovel too much ben t inwar ds is said to have too much come.
Compa r e ANCHOR .
COM E -AN’-GAN , an exp r ession implying good sto r e of
anyth ing , or r esou r ces . “ Thor ’s plen ty to come-an’-
gan on ,
meaning ther e is so much that you can cu t and come aga in,
o r tha t you can r etu r n aga in and aga in . I t is by inver sionappl ied to bodi ly or financia l cond it ion , as Poor body , hemay we
’
ll be deun he hes nowt te come-ou’-
gan on .
COM ELY . M a comely is a common exp r ession , equiva len tto my dar ling
,or my dea r .
M aa g r anny l iked sp ice singin hinn ies ,M a comely ! aw l ike thou as weel .
”
W . M idford, P i tman ’
s Cour tship, 1 8 18
N00, hinny— maw comely— aw hope ye bel ieve
That we W ish to be clean ly an’
canny.
J . P R obson , Nanny achsah’
s Letter .
B ar 5 of the Tyne, 1 849 , p . 237
CO M E -TH EE -WAYS ; COM E -TH EE -WAYS , H INNY,
common exp r essions , mean ing come fo rwar d ; gener a l lyspoken to per son s in gr ea t kindness — B r ockett. Go yourways ,
”a mode of dism i ssa l . Both ph r a ses a r e in Shaks ~
pea r e.— H alliwell
’
s D iet.
COM FORTABLE , the r owing boa t fo r mer ly used for passenger son the Tyne . H aving a r oof, i t was a gr ea t imp r o vemen ton the older open pa ssenger boa t , hence the name . (Obs .)
W e’ve comfor tables, tee , isteed,
O ’ Jemmy Joneson’
s whu r r y .
”
T : W i lson ,Capta ins andthe Q uayside.
Befor e steamboats became so numer ou s upon the Tyne , ther e wer esever a l cover ed passenger boats , cal led comfor tables , wh i ch wen t ever ytide to andfr om S ou th andNor th S hields .
" —M acken z ie , H i st of Newe1 827 , p . 7 22 .
COM IN ’-ON , in va r iably used in stead of saying I t ’ s r a in ing .
I t ’ s comin ’-ou .
”
COM M ONY , a boy’s ma r ble made of baked clay the common
ma r ble . I t is somet imes cal led a muggy , as di st ingui shedfr
l
om a“ potty ,
”the la t ter being made of a fine qual i ty of
c ay.
1 80 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
COM M OT H E R , a godmother . T he te rm was a lso used inadd r essing an aged woman . (Obs.)
I n thei r commun ica tion deponen t askedher and sa id, Commother , i fi t sha l l please God to take you to H is mer cy,
’
&c — R . W el for d,H i st of
Newe. X VI . Cent p . 379.
CON,t o fi ll ip.
— B r ockett. (Obs .)
CON E E K -M AN , an I r i sh labou r er fr om Connaught .
CON S AN T , con stan t .
CON S AT E , conce i t a sel f Op in ion . H e hes consate on hi ssel ,as th ink ,
noo .
”Consate
’
s as badas pu zzon .
”
CONSC IENCE , an exclama t ion .
“ M a conscience ! what a heedhe hes .
CONS IDERATION , money pa id to the hewer s for badcoa l ,o r for any ext r a t r ouble — M ining Gloss. , N ewcastle Terms, 1 852 .
CON S IT H E R , to con sider .
CONT R AI R Y the oldp r onuncia t ion , in gene r al use .
S l ipper s thr u st upon contr ar y feet ! -S hakspeor e.
CON T R AR IU S , per ver se , g i ven to con t r ad ict ion . H e’
s a
var r y contr ar ius chep .
” “ Yo’r the contr or iest bai r n
’
at ivver aa
seed .
”T he wo r d i s of ver y fr equen t u se .
Yh it has the wor ld, als men sese andher es ,M a [ny] other contr a r i us maner es .
H ampole, ed. M or r is , l ine
T he wor ldes Goddes emmy by skil le (natu r e) ,That contr ar ius es to C oddes wi lle
The same, l ine
CONVOY , a lever to wh ich is a t tached a clog fo r the wheel ofa coal waggon the oldname for a
“ br eak . (Obs .)A per son sits on the for e par t of the waggon , with h is foot upon a
str ong piece of woodcalled the convoy , and that moves on a pivot , wh i ch ,
r ubbing on one of the Wheels , he can incr ease or dimin ish the velocity at
pleasu r e — An Impar tial Hi story of Newcastle, 1 801 , p . 498 .
COO, a cow. An akwardth ing for the coo. T he p r onuncia t ion
of the dipthong , n ow sounded in mode r n col loqu ia l Engl ishas the on in now
,is in Nor thumber land a ma r ked peculia r i ty.
Coonci l , counci l , coun sel ; coont, to coun t ; coonier , a coun ter ;coontless, coun tless . In Anglo -Saxon hii , thu,
nu,ci i , br u, si i r ,
ar e the fo rms of how,thou
, now, cow, b r ow , sour , a l l of them
1 82 NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORD S .
COOM , the dust and scr ap ings of wood p r oduced in saw ing ;the sca les of i r on found lying near a smi th ’s anvi l . —B r ockett.
COO -PAA , the left hand . H e ga ve us his coo-poo the begga rknaas ne bet ter . Coo-poodi s left -handed .
COO -PLAT , a heap , or pla t , of cow’s dung.
COOR , to cr ouch down . S ee COUR .
COOR S E,coa r se . I t i s appl ied to r ough wea ther . I t ’ s a
coor se neet .”
COO -SH ARE , COO -SH AREN , cow’ s dung.
COO -S T R OPPL E, a cow t ie ; a l so “
a cowslip ; that is, cow’
s
thr opple, or th r oa t— looking deeper than the cow ’s l ip.
”
B r ockett, under cow-str opple. (Obs.)A cowstr ople in the month of Janua r y, 1 63 2 , was consider edsu fficiently
cu r ious to be pr esentedas a N ewYea r '
s gi ft .-S ee Chr on . M i r ab p . 2 1 .
Ha l l iwell'
s D iet.
COOTER , a coul ter or ploughshar e .
COOTH , lov ing , kind ly , a s ,“ She ’
s a cooth b it la ssie. A lsocomfor tab le .
“ H oo a r e ye thi day? ” Oh , aa
’
s cooth.
Compa r e COUTH ER, CO U T H I E LY .
COO -TIE , a hai r r ope fo r hobb l ing a cow when being m ilked .
COP , to ca tch , “ H e copt a bu tter flee . R un a fter him an’
cop’
im .
” A lways used in the sense of s iezing andcor r ect ing .
Compa r e K E P . Copper , a pol i ceman .
COPPER -TOFT , r edhai r ed .
COP -S TYE N , a cop ing stone .
COPT , o ver -topped,exceeded.
“ T ha tcopt li im — tha t e xceededhis power .
COPT , caught .
COPY-CH R I STY , Co r pus-Ch r ist i . Copy -Chr isty day. S ee
R ichar d We lfor d ’ s H istory of N ewcastle for pa r t icu la r s of playsenacted by Inco r por a ted Compan ies i n N ewcastle on Co r pu sCh r i st i day,
“a fter the la udable andancien t custom of the
same town .
” Co r pus Ch r isti day, M ay 29 ,1 567 . F or
pain t ing Beelzebub ’ s cloak , 4d.
”
(Obs .)
NORTH U MB ERLAN D WORD S . 1 83
CORE -S T YE N , a cu r b stone . S ee a lso 5 1 03 , andG L E NT S T ON E .
CORBY-CRAA, the ca r r ion cr ow, Cor vus cor one, L . G r eat-cor by ,
the r a ven , Cor vus cor ax ,L . Both these bi r ds a r e now ext r emely
ra re in Nor thumber land .
In the latter pa r t of the last centur y a r aven annually bu i l t its nest in
the steeple of S t. Nicholas ’ Chu r ch , Newcastle — John Hancock , B i rdsof Nor thumber landandDu r ham, p . 32 .
CORF, a ba sket made of pined hazel r ods . I t con ta ined fr om
ten to th i r ty pecks . Cor ves wer e for mer ly used to b r ing coa lsout of the pi ts .
A corf of hayr e —a basket of ha ir for l ime — D . Embleton , Ba r ber
S urgeon’
s Books, Newcastle.
Come , hinny , Bar ty ,len
’
s a hand
On wi’ ma corf .
"
T . W i lson , Pi tman '
s Pay , pt 11 v 3 3 .
CORF -BOVV, the hand le of a cor f. (Obs .)
Young plan ts of oak , ash , or al ler , of abou t thr ee inches thick , o r
better , for the corf—bow.— The Compleat Coll ier , 1 708 .
T he corf -bow is abou t two yards long . I t is sometimes made of i r on .
Br and, H i st. of Newcastle, vol . ij 1 789. p 68 1 , note.
CORF -RODS , the st r ong hazel r ods used for mak ing co r ves .
CORKER , a sma r t r eto r t ; somet imes ca lled a“sett ler
tha t is , an un an swe r able r eply .
“ Tha t ’ s a cor ker for him .
Bi lly P u r vi s used to say,
“ T yek him away ti R a lphy Li tt le :
he ’l l gi ve him a cor ker .
”R a lphy, a noted police -officer , wou ld
set t le his bus iness for him .
CORKY , soft th r ough e xposu r e , as wood tha t has suffer edth r ough lying too long with the bar k on . S ee DAZED .
CORL , to cu r lAW now began te cor l maw ha i r
(Fo r cor ls and ta i ls wer e then the go)T . W i lson , P i tman
'
s Pay ,1 843 ed pt . i i i
COR LYCU E , a flou r ish in w r it ing— a twi sted or cur ly ta il .
CORLY-DODD IES , the field scabious , S cabiosa ar vensis.
CORN , to feed w ith cor n . I S the ho r ses cor nedyit ?
1 84. NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
CORNAGE , o r ca stle -guar d r en t of the Nor th of England ,was or igina lly a paymen t in l ieu of cat t le , and ca lled inEngl i sh hor ngeldandneotgeld, ca tt le tax , or ox lay.
— H odgson ,
N or thumber land,i i i . , 2 , p . 3 22 . (Obs.)
I t may either mean S imply a C r own r en t (Cor onog ium) , o r a r ent
payab le in ho r ned cattle (Cor nuagium) .— A r cha olog ia E lmi ra , vol i . , newse r ies , p . 44
CORN -BARR I ES, r edor wh i te cu r r an t s .
CORN -BUNTING , the common bun t ing , M i liar ia E u r opea .
CORNEY , in l iquo r . (Obs.)Yen day when aw was cor ney
T . Thompson , d. 1 8 1 6 , yennuy yoneson’
s Wher ry .
CORNEY , p r ol ific ; applied to co r n when the ea r s a r e wellfi lled . Compa r e G I FT Y.
O R N E Y —D O L L , K E R N -D O L L , K E R N -B AB B Y ,
o r M ELL -DOLL . These var i an t for ms r epr esen t the n ame
of the figur e bor ne home for mer ly on the la st load of cor nfr om the ha r vest field . T he cor ney
-doll was an image madeby dr essing up a sheaf of co r n to appea r l ike a r ude humanfigu r e , wh ich was moun ted on the top of the la st ca r t -loadtaken fr om the field. S ee KERN andKE RN -DOLL .
CORP,a cor pse . H e was b r owt hyem a corp .
A corp they’
r e gaun te ba r r y.
”
T . W i lson , Capta ins andthe Q uayside.
CORP -CANDLE , a th ick cand le placed in a candlestick of
a pecul ia r fo r m— used forme r ly a t “ lake-wakes .”— B r ockett.
(Obs .)
CORPORATION , the stomach .
“ ‘ H e has a good corpor a tion ,
’
when appl ied to an indiv idua l , meansthat he is not deficien t in accommodation for the enter ta inment of hisv iscer a .
— Hodgson M S .
CORRAN -DU M PL IN , the gr ea t ha i r y wi l low-her b , E pilobiunihi r sutum. Ca lled in N . Nor thumber land apple-dumpl ins.
CO R R AN S ,CORN S
,cu r r an ts . Reed cor r
’
n bar r ies , r ed
cu r r an t s .Ah , h inn ies ! abou t u s the lasses didlowp ,Th ick as cur ns in a sp ice sing ing b i nn i e
T . Thompson , Canny Newcastle.
1 86 NORTH UMBERLAND WORD S .
COTS,in fe r io r sheep skins , in wh ich the wool is tangled . S ee
COT ,2 .
COTTER , a woman wor ker on a fa r m without male r elat ion sin the house wi th her in the same employmen t .
COTTERED , appl ied to stone or coa l , ha r d , cr oss -gr ained ,tough — Gr eenwell ,
COT T E R IL , a check or spl it pin put thr ough a slot in theendof a bolt to hold i t on the in side .
COTT E R IL S , money , coin .
W hen War k’
s flu sh , for time 0’ want
L ay by some cottr i ls i’
the b lether .
”
T . W i lson , Pi tman '
s Pay , 1 829 , pt i i i v . 59 .
T he loss 0’
the cotter i ls aw dinna r ega i rdT . Thompson , d. 1 8 16 ,
Canny Newcastle.
COUCH , the hole or ea r th of the otter . Also ca lled the hold.
COU H ,to cough . T he gh sound is tha t of a heavy guttur a l
b r ea th ing , qui te un l ike the moder n p r onuncia t ion of kof .
Compa r e R O U H ,for r ough .
COUL,COWL , to scr ape together dung , mud , di r t , &c. To
smooth the su r face of what i s ga ther ed— B r ockett.
COUL -RAKE , COWL -RAKE , the in st r umen t wi th wh ichcool ing i s pe r formed— B r ockett. H e adds
,Th i s ter m i s a lso
used for a fi r e- ir on ,in wh ich sen se it is mo r e p r ope r ly a coal
r ake . B ut see COL , wh ich is appa r en tly a var ian t of coo landqu i te d ist inct fr om coal .
COULTERNEB ,the pu ffin , F r ater cu la ar tica , L .
COU NGE , to beat— N or thumber land.—H all iwell
’
s D iet.
COU NGE , a la r ge lump of b r ead o r cheese .
B r ing h im (poor fel la ) a shive oh bu tter an b r eed . cu t him a goodcounge an str enkle a leap
’
yt ov sugar ont .— Thomas Bewick , TheHowdy ,
&c. , ed. 1 850, p . 10.
COUNTRY -KEEPER . So la tely a s the yea r 1 701 , the pol i ceof T inda le and R eedsda le was ma in ta ined by officer s ca lledcountry
-keeper s, who , for a ce r ta in sum,
“ insu r ed thei r own
dist r icts aga inst theft and r obbe r y , and in case of thei r takingplace ,
made good the loss .”— M ackenzie , H ist. of N or thumberland, 1 825 , vol . i . , p . 66 .
NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORDS . 1 87
C O U N T RY - S I D E , the d ist r ict , as d ist ingu ished fr om a
par t icula r spot . She ’ s the best mea r , aa tel l ye , iv aa the
country-side — tha t is , for m iles ar ound .
COUP,to upset , to ba r te r to exchange cavi ls . S ee COW P .
COUPLES , the r oof p r incipa ls ancien tly couples of chevr ons.
COUR (pr on . coor , or coo-er ) , to bend or stoop down .
doon , or ye’
l l get bi t ten .
”
They cour e so over the coles , theyr eyes be b lear edwi th smoke .
Gammer Gu r ton , in Na r e’
s Gloss. , u nder cou r b.
V i r tue i tsel f of v ice mu st pardon beg ,Yea cour b andwoo , for leave to do i t good.
Hamlet, act i i i . , so 4 .
COURSE , in coal min ing , i s the d ir ection in wh ich the m ine isw r ought . T he br oadways cour se is the d i r ection in which theboa r ds ar e wr ought— the headways cour se is the d i r ect ion at
r ight angles — B r ockett, 3 rded.
COU R S IN T H E AIR,
“causing the a i r to cir culate thr ough
ever y passage of the se ver a l wor kings of a pi t. Th i s wasdev ised about 1 760 by M r . S pedding , of Wh i tehaven .
”
T . John Taylo r , A r cheology of the Cool T r ade, p . 202 .
T he system W as fi r st adoptedon the Tyne at W alker Col l i er y abou t— R . L . Galloway, H i story of the Cool T r ade, 1 882 , pp 106 -
7 .
COU R TAIN , a ya r d belong ing to fa rm bu ild ings for enclosingca t tle , somet imes ca l led the “ fad
”
(fold) . I t wi l l be r emember ed tha t ca t t le folds on the B o r der wer e gen e r a l ly a r r angedfo r pur poses of defence ; the app l ica t ion , the r efor e , of a termin for t ifica t ion to a ca t tle fold seems n atu r a l . S ee CO R T AIN E .
COUT , GOWT , a col t . W etli er , cowt, an’
s teer . amesA rmst r ong , Wanny Blossoms, 1 879 , p . A lso a man of
st r ength , sta tu r e , and act i v i ty . T he wor d , wh ich oughtr ather to be spel led cowt, i s under stood in th i s sen se in then eighbour hood of Kei lder , a s we ll a s on the Opposi te Scott ishBor der .
”
(Richa r dson , Table Book L eg . D i v. , vol . ij. , p .
T he Coat of K ei lder is r ep r esen ted by t r ad i tion to ha ve been a
powe r ful ch ief of thi s d i str ict . Cont— tha t is , col t . (S . O l iver ,R ambles in N or thumber land, 183 5 , p .
COUT -ALE , COW T -ALE , a l lowance to the blacksm i th,
when a young hor se is fi r st shod . S ee COLT -ALE .
COUTH ER , to comfor t . S ee COOTH .
1 88 NORTHUM BERLAN D W ORDS .
COU T H I E L Y ,plea san t ly , kindly , neighbour ly .
S ae couthiely then they cr iedon me ben .
James Armstr ong ,Wanny Blossoms , 1 879 , p . 1 34
COU TO R -LASH ER , an effect i ve check a blanking or
d i sappoin t ing st r oke , as in p laying a t r ump car d . Tha t ’ sa coator - lasher for ye , noo
COVE , a caver n , a ca ve — B r ockett.
COVER , the r oof of a coa l seam .— B r ockett, 3 rded. Al so “ the
st r a ta be tween the seam (of coal) and the sur face .
N ichol son , Gloss. of Coal T r ade Terms, 1 888.
COW . Kow, or Cow, a loca l sp r i te . T he H edley Kow. S ee
Coo .
COW , to clip the ha i r , to t r im . (Obs .)I ga r r
’
da Bar ber come to me ,
H e Cow’
dmy Beardas you may see
G S tuar t , j’oeo-S er ious D iscour se, 1 686 .
CO’WAA , or CO
’WAY , come away , get out of the way. Ver ycommon ly used as a col loquia lism , and suggesting impa tienceandcon tempt when utter ed ab r uptly . Co-way ther e wi ’ye ,wha t a r e ye stann in
’ sta r in ’
for ?
COWANS , clotted wool on sheep .
COW -BAT , a blow gi ven by one boy to another to p r ovoke himto fight . “ Ther e ’s you r challenge , and ther e
’ s you r cow-bat.”
COW -BERRY , the r edwhor tle-ber r y , Vaccinium vitis-idwa, L .
COW -BLAKES , cow dung d r ied , used for fewel . —R ay’
s Gloss.Ca lled a lso casins. (Obs .)
COWEY , a ho r n less bea st . A coweet-cow is a hor n less cow.
Compar e Cow , to cl ip .
COVV-GAP , the t ime when cows ar e taken on or off for the
gr az ing sea son . (Obs.)S pent at the Cowgapp W ith the g r assmen , 7s 2d.
— GatesheadChu r chBooks , 1 672 .
Ever y fr eeman andbor ou ghman— pay a t the cowgapp for this pr esen tyea r for ever y par ticu lar cow 3s
—The some, 1 677 .
190 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
COVV-QUAKES , the common quake-gr a ss , B r iza media . Ca lleda l so dother i i i -dicks, tr eml in -
g r ass, guaki i i-
g r ass, and ladies’-hai r .
COWS , ba r e b r anches of wh in o r ling a fter thei r lea ves ar e
decayed or bu r n t off — H odgson M S Compa r e Cow , 2 .
COW T -FW OAL , a young ma le hor se whi lst sucking . T he
fema le of the same age is afil ly-fiooa l .
COX , an e xclama tion . T he oa th is now hea r d as Gock o r Gox .
Aw wadden t tyek the jaw fr e the l ikes o’
him , begock“ By
gox , wha t a fyce ye’ve getten Cock, says Nar es , is a vu lga r
co r r upt ion or pu r posed d i sgui se of the n ame of God. H ence ,
by cock, by cock andpye, and such softened oa ths .“ I
'
s cox’
t i f my words pr euve no tr ue .— } oco-S er ious D i scour se, N ew
castle ,1 686 , p . 26
By cock , they a r e to blame — Hamlet, act iv . , sc. 5 .
S hal low :“ By cock andpye, si r , you shal l not away to n ight.
Hen ry I V pt . i i . , act v . , sc. 1 .
COYSTR IL , a young fellow . [Ker sey andBa i ley ] P r oper lyan infer ior gr oom , o r a lademployed by an esqu ir e to ca r r ythe kn ights ’ a rms or other n ecessa r ies .— N ar e
’s Gloss. A r aw ,
inexper ienced‘
lad; a con tempt ible young fel low.— B r ockett.
COZY,a cover , l ike a th ickly -padded cap, placed over a teapot ,
as a non -conductor of hea t , to keep the tea hot on the table .
COZY,COZEY [W .
-T .] a causeway , a footpa th .
CRAA , CRAW , the sma ll lever used fo r d r awing the l inchpin fr om car t s . Ther e is a lso a
“shekkle cr azo
” used ford r awing bol ts fr om wood .
CRAA , CRAW , speech ; sometimes boa stful speech .
I t might suen stopp’
dme cr aa .
Geordy’
s Disaster .
A llan’
s Collection , 1 863 , p . 166 .
CRAA,CRAW , the r ook ,
Cor vus fr ug i leg us.“ Black as a cr aa .
H e lyuks l ike a sca r e-cr aa .
” When you see the cloods l ikecr aa -scr a t s an
’ fi llies ’ ta i ls , look oot for squalls”— often used
in descr ib ing a peculiar a spect of the sky.
NORTH U MBERLAN D W ORD S . 19 1
CRAA,CRAW
,a cock-cr ow , o r to cr ow l ike a cock .
“ A cock cr owing at a door is a sign o f a v isitor coming — R ev . J . F .
B igge , S uper sti ti ons at S tamfor dham —N at. H i st. Tr ans 1 860-62 , vol . vP 92
T he gor cock er atos cr ouse . A rmstr ong , Wanny B lossoms, 1 879 ,
P 69
A cr aazn’
hen anda wh istl in’ maiden
’
s twee unson sy things .—Newcastle
pr over b.
M ang cantr ips , charms , as hu r tfu’ ’een ,
And thing s un lucky to be seen ,
P lann’
dby au ld schemy clootie ,
A cr oon in’
cow, a cr awm’
hen ,
A whistl ing ma id, tu’
weel ye ken ,
A r e deemedaye un lucky.
C uddy hada cr awi n’
hen ,
Andmuckle did it g r ieve h im ;
F or what ane’twas amang h is ten
That didof l uck ber eave himH e ken t na
L . P r oudlock , 1 820, song , Cuddie andhis Cr awzn’
CRAA , CRAW , an outcr op or cr 0p of st r a ta . Cr aco coa lappear s in section s of s inkings a t Bannamoor pit , Egl ingham .
(Geor ge Ta te , in B zvks. N at. Club, vol . v . , p . I t ther eappea r s two feet in one sect ion andfour fee t th ick in an other .
T he cr ow-coal is a th in seam of coal wor ked in the S ou th Tyne ,
obtainedfr om g r ooves made in the cr ow, or cr opof the str a ta .— Hodgson ,
H i st of Nor thumber land, vol . i i i . , pt . i i p 3 3
T he cr ow-coal at M ickley Col l ier y is 2 feet 4 inches th ick . I t bu r ns
l ike a candle andwi l l bear a pol i sh equal to g lass. I t is highly bitumi nou s ,
r esembling cannel coal -Bor i ngs andS i nki ngs, L R p . 83 .
“ C r ow-seams , th in coa l seams of th r ee or fou r inches thick — Hugh
M i l ler , Geology of Otter bur n andE lsdon .— M emoi r Geolog ica l S ur vey, 1 887 .
CRAA -CROOK , the b lack cr owber r y , E mpetr um nig r um. Calledalso the cr ow-ber ry andcr ake-ber ry . Cr aa -cr ook is an adm i r ablexample of the manner in which the bur r i s spoken . I t ha sbeen descr ibed as sound ing to Souther n ea r s l ike the dy ingcr oak of an expi r ing r a ven .
Ever ywher e common on heaths , ascending fr om Pr estwick Car r to al lthe peaks , 850 yar ds on Cheviot .
—N at H i st. Tr ans vol i i . , new ser ies ,
9 244
CR AAD E N LY , cowa r d ly .
CR AAD ON , CR AW D ON , CR AD D IN , a cowar d . One boyr efusing to fight anothe r afte r a cha llenge wi ll hea r : Yo
’
r
a cr aze/don. A cr aadon cock ,
”a cowa r d ly cock . A ter m
used when cock-fighting was p r act ised . [N .] M r . Geor geThompson , in a n ote on th i s wor d , says “ he enqui r ed of a
Nor thumberland man i f he knew what a cr azvdon was .
”
192 NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S .
Aa’
ve heerd it , r epl ied his infor man t . Aa once heerd a
man tell another he wis a‘cr azvclon hen . Wha t did he
mean by tha t ?“ Aa u nder steud him ti mean ’
a t he wis
l ike a hen’
a t t r ies te cr aa like a cock .
” A cr owing hen is
con sider ed a ver y un lucky th ing about a house , and it can byno mean s be perm i t ted to st r ut and fr et wi th impun i ty . S ee
CRAA , 4 .
CRAAL , to cr awl .
CRAA-NEBS , or LADY ’S -F INGERS , the plan t Anthyllis
vulner ar ia .
CRAA -PEAS , the peas of the meadow vetchling , L athyr uspr atensis.
CRAA -TAES , the common lotus , L otus cor niculatus. A lso calledcat
’
s clover .
CRAB , a capstan , for r a i sing or lower ing of pumps , &c. , in a
pumping pit — M ining Gloss. N ewcastle Terms, 1 852 . A l ift ingwinch .
CRAB -ROPE , the r ope used on a cr ab.
CRABBY ,cr abbed , testy . H e
’
s a cr abby aadchep .
T he cr abby awddealer s in l ing , cod, andb r ats
T . W i lson , The M ovement, 1 839 .
CRACK , to gossip , to b r ag , to boast .God'
s ben ison l ight on you r hear t,W e
’
l l cr ack a b it befor e we par t .joco-S er ious D i scour se, Newcastle , 1 686 , p . 9.
They laughedandcr ackedabou t the jokeW Armstr ong , (1 1 833
-
4 , S kipper’s M istake.
S ince the hor se-couping he began ,
H e had gr eat cau se to cr ack of wea lth .
Ber nardR umney, E cky’
s M ar e.
Bel l ’s R hymes , 1 8 1 2Ther e wi ll be S am the quack doctorOf skil l andpr ofession he ’
l l cr ack .
S ong , The S kipper’
s Wedding .
Bel l ’s R hymes , 18 1 2 .
I hada few days’ fish ing , bu t noth ing to cr ack on .
A rmstr ong , Wanny B lossoms, 1879 , p . 1 72 .
CRACK , l ight ta lk , con ver sa tion , boast ing .
B ucclughe and the r est of the S cottes made some b r agges andcr aches.
”— Letter of 1 595 in D r . Cha r lton ’
s Nor th Tyneda le, p . 72 .
H e ne’
er was slackT o give the company al l h is cr ack.
Thomas W i lson , Char ley
194.'NORTH U MB ERLAN D W ORD S .
CRA IG , the neck.
Twas sometime gane , they tu ik ou r naigs ,Andleft u s eke an empty Byr e
I wad the de l l hadhadthei r cr a igsAnda
’
things in a b leeze 0’
fi r e
The Fr ay o'
H autwessell .
Ane gat a twist o’
the cr az'
gS u r tees , Ba lladof F eather stonehaugh .
S ome wer e sae keen upon the point ,They danc
’
d thei r cr a igs qu ite ou t 0' jo int .
G S tuar t, joco—S er zous D iscour se, 1 686 .
H e sta ik‘
dh is cr a i'
gThe same, p 46
CRA IG , a cr ag . S ee unde r DODD .
“ A cr aig i s u sedboth to sign ify a cl iff and the p r ecipitous side of ah i l l — S . O liver , R ambles in Nor thumber land, 1 835 , p . 87 , note.
CRAIG -CLAITH , a cr ava t : (Obs.)Andsyne Idr ew th iscr a i
’
g-cla i thou t .
’ — 7oco-S er iousD iscour se,Newcastle ,
1 686 , p 1 5 .
CR AIT CH , to complain peevi shly and per sisten tly . Same as
CRAKE , 2 .
CRAKE [W .-T .] to gossip , t o boast . S ee CRACK .
M onny oh them keept cr akin oh the bayr n an tippin i ts cheeks .
Thomas Bewick , The Upgetting , ed. 1 850. p . 1 3 .
CRAKE , to wh imper , or pla in tively ask for a th ing over andover aga in . To her p for a th ing o r to yammer for
anyth ing have much the same mean ings as to cr ake. To cr oak .
Wha t a r e ye cr akin on ther e for — a -ah S ee CR AIT C H .
T he car r ion cr aws abou t them flyingW i l l keep a cr azkmg .
G S tuar t , 7oco-S er ious D i scour se, 1686 , p . 47 .
CRAKEBERRY or CROWBERRY , the ber r y-bear ing heath ,E mbetr ummg r um. S ee C R AAC R OOK.
CRAM E , a stall or stand on wh ich any kind of mer chandi se ,chiefly sweet -stuff or sma l lwa r es , i s exposed at coun t r y fai r sor h i r ings . T he cr ame is a j oin ted sta ll , easi ly taken to p iecesand r e-er ected .
O ff to a cr ame-standwi'
a dash ,
An’
boucht her sugar candyIn lumps that day.
The Fa i r , by Dav idWa lter Pu rdie , 1888
NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S . 195
CRAM E , to mend a vessel . Ch ina o r ea r thenwa r e i s cr amed
by hol ing andw i r ing it a t the b r oken edges . Wooden bowlsar e cr amed in the same way, or mor e effect i vely by d r ivingacr oss the fr actu r e a thin st r ip of i r on shaped l ike an S .
CRAM ER , a t inker or mender of br oken china , &c. (Obs .)S ee M UGGER .
CR AM L E Y , shaking , or“ dother ing , or weak in the legs.
H a llo , ther e ! Yo’
r va r r y cr omley i’the legs thi day — a
mor n ing salutat ion to one totter ing in his gai t .
CRAM P , to wedge o r jam up t ight ly.
CRAM PER , an astounding l ie .
CRAM PET , a hook a t tached to the ends of the back-band inthe gear of plough hor ses
,fr om wh ich the chain s can be
suspended . In pit language ,'
a br acket .
CR AM PL E , to cr ump le .
“ Aa say ! yor cr amplin maa goon .
CRAM P -RING , a r ing made out of the handles of decayedcoffin s , and supposed to be a cha r m aga inst the cr amp .
H ence the name . Fo rmer ly these r ings wer e con secr a ted bythe kings of England , who a ffected to cu r e the cr amp , as wel las the king ’ s evil .— B r ockett, 3 rd ed. In N ar es
’Gloss. their
supposed v i r tue in p r even ting the cr amp i s sa id to becon fer r ed by solemn con secr a t ion on G ood F r iday , amongthe ce r emon ies of tha t gr ea t day.
—B r and ’ s Popula r A ntiqu ities,
4to ed. , vol . i . , p . 1 28 . (Obs .)
CRANCH , CRUNCH (often spoken as scr anch or scr unch) , tog r ind wi th a cr ackling nor se between the teeth , a s i n ea t ing a
ha r d cr ust ; or to g r ind the teeth themselves .
“ Cr ane/n ag
yor teeth .
”
“ S and th r own on the floor is said to cr anch u nder the feet
Hodgson M S .
CRANE , the j unct ion between the b r anch r a i lways and the
hor se r oads in a pit. H er e they for mer ly used to hoist thecor ves of coal fr om the t r am to the r ol ley ; the coa ls being“ put ” to th i s spot by the ba r r ow-men fr om the wor kingp laces . F r om the cr ane they wer e d r awn by ho r ses to thesha ft . I t is now cal led a “ fla t
”or
“ sta tion .
“ We commenced ou r su r vey at the cr ane, gomg up west— R ober t
S cott, Venti lation of Coa l M i nes, p . 27 , 1 862 .
CR AN E BOAR D , a r etu r n a i r cour se in a pi t, connecteddi r ect ly wi th the fu r nace .
196 NORTH U MBERLAN D W ORD S .
CRANEM AN , the lad in the pit who hoi sted the cor ves of
coa ls on to the r ol leys wi th the cr ane — Gloss. of Coal T r adeTerms, I 849.
CRANK , ben t , shaky , as a mach ine out of r epa i r ; hencep r obably applied to a per son who is men tal ly w r ong or
eccen t r ic. S ee CRAN KY , 2 .
CRANK , to make a ha r sh noise , to cr eak.
T he door cr anks — B r ockett.
CRANKLE,weak, sha t ter ed— B r ockett .
CRANKS , a fires ide con t r ivance consi st ing of two or mo r er ows of i r on cr ooks set in a fr ame and used for toast ingb r ead . T he fr ame stands on its own feet befor e the fi r e.
Thi s uten si l is somet imes called “a br anks .
CRANKY , cr ank , tot ter ing . Appl ied to a per son , i t mean s onewhose m ind is off the balance— a fi ighty per son .
“ C r azyor cr anky.
”O r it mean s a per son weak andpoor ly anda lmost
tot ter ing thr ough i llness . “Aa’
s nobbut cr anky-l ike thi day.
CRANKY. checked , or of a z ig-zag pa t ter n , as
“a cr anky
neckcloth ,” “
a cr anky apr on . When the pa t ter n of a p ieceof cotton is made in ben t figures it is a cr anky a r ticle . S ee
C RANK,1 , ben t .
CRANKY . T he pi tman for mer ly was called Cr anky , or Bob
Cr anky . In his d r ess on a“gaady day tha t old-wor ld pit
man must have been imp r essive , for he saysA pat on my blue coat that shines se ,
M y jacket wi’ posies se fine see ,
M y sa r k sic sma ’
th r eed, man ,
M y pig-ta i l se g r eet , man ,
Od smash ! what a buck was Bob Cr anky.
Blue stockings, white clocks , and r eedgar ter s ,Yel low b r eeks , andmy shoon wi
’
lang quar ter s ,A
’
myedwou r ba i r ns cr y,E h ! sar ties ! n i n i l
W hen they saw the smar t , clever Bob Cr anky .
Bob Cr anky’
s’S z
‘
ze S unday , 1804 .
T he te r m cr anky given by outsider s to the pi tman was in latert imes r eplaced by Geordy.
”T he men who wen t fr om the
lower Tyneside to wor k at the p i ts in South T ynedale wer ealways ca lled Geor dies by the people ther e . Cr ankyp r obably comes fr om the checked pit flannel clothes mucha ffected , when new and un soi led , as a swagger costume.
“ H owky”is another name for a pi tman . S ee CRAN KY , 2 .
198 NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORD S .
CR E E IN -TROW , a stone t r ough , for mer ly in gene r al u se as a
mo r ta r , in wh ich gr a in was cr eed, or pounded , t i ll i ts huskscame off. T he g r a in was then b01led wi th m ilk. S ee
KNOCK I N -TROW .
CREEL ,a k ind of basket of wicker wor k i n wh ich hay is taken
i n stormy wea ther t o Sheep on the moun tain s . I ts s ides a r est iff ; its bot tom supp le . Thi s is ca lled a sheep -cr eel . Ba sket sand p ins (pen s) for poult r y , and wicker uten s ils for va r iousother pu r poses a r e ca l led cr eels.
-H odgson M S . T he cr eel of a
Cu l ler coa ts fish -w ife is a ve r y fine example of basket -wo r k ,
fi tt1ng to the back , and showing a most gr aceful fo r m of
con st r uct ion th r oughout . In the days of toast s andsen t imen t sthe fol lowing r hyme was a common formula :
Heal th , weal th , mi lk an’ meal
Her e’
s tiv iver y thinkin ch iel
M ay the de'
el r ock h im weel iv a cr eel ,I f he disna wish aal l on u s weel .
"
CREEL , to pu t o r pack in a cr eel . To th r ow the leg ove r thehead of another per son . Th is is gene r a lly p r act i sed bych ildr en , who say a fte r doing i t : “ Ther e noo , aa
’
ve cr eeled
thoo an t ’hoo l l n ivve r g r ou ne bigger . S ee CR I LE . Compar eCOW P YOR -CREELS .
CREEP , a sta te of the m ine p r oduced by an in sufficiency ofcoa l left to Suppor t the r oof
,andwh ich often fo r ces the top
and bot tom Of the m in e together , and r ender s the pi t unfi t fo rfu r ther u se.
— Gloss. to P i tman’
s P ay , 1843 .
“ A heav ing up of the fl oor of the mine , occasionedby the weight ofthe super incumbent str ata — M mzng Gloss. Newcastle Terms , 1 852 .
An when l i fe 5 last stook'
s tyen away ,
Andmowse bu t wyest and r u in near ;W hen cr eepcomes owe r wor wr ought 0t clay,
Anda l l s la id in for ever her e ”
T. W 1lson , Pi tman ’
5 Pay , 1 829 , pt. i i i v . 1 22 .
CREEPERS , the sen sat ion of ch i l l on the skin fr om cold , Or thecr eep ing Of the fl esh fr om some blood -cu r d ling fr ight or fear .
CR E E S E R , a waggon g r easer .
CREESH , CREESE , to g r ea se — J . P . Robson , Gloss. to Bardsof the Tyi ie, 1 849 .
CREESH Y , g r ea sy .
see th is Lown - l ike Lordan squeezeH is chr eeshy-baggs , andLaugh , andFleer .
G . S tuar t, yoco-S er lous D lscour se,1686 ,
p . 3 1 .
NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S . 199
CREEVE , an enclosu r e . S ee CREE , 1 .
CREEVE , CR E U VE , a cr ab o r lobster t r ap . A sor t of ca secover ed wi th n et, we ighted w1th a hea vy stone and let downto the bottom . A hole at each end a l lows en t r ance bu tp r even t s egr ess . Cr eeves a r e made about two to th r ee feet longby twelve t o eighteen inches h igh . S ee CRU IVE .
CR E E VE L,cr ewel , fine wo r sted ya r n .
CREPT P ILLARS , pi lla r s Of coa l wh ich have pa ssed thr oughthe va r ious stages of cr eep — Gr eenwell . S ee CREEP .
CR IB , or CR IBB IN , the ci r cle of wood wedged t ight in a pit
shaft , to make a founda tion for wal l ing when the st r ata a r e
loose — M ini ng Gloss. N ewcastle Terms, 1 852 . O r the l in ing ofwood or i r on put r ound a pi t shaft to dam back the wa ter inwa ter -bea r ing st r a ta . A cr ib used as a founda t ion for meta ltubbing or for wa ll ing is ca lled a wedg ing cr i b. A wal ling cr ibis a l in ing Of stone o r fi r eb r icks made to the sweep of theshaft and bu i l t in wher e the st r a ta a r e loose . A r ing cr ib isan a r r angemen t for ca tch ing water wh ich wou ld otherwisefa ll down the shaft . S ee TUBB ING .
CR IB , a boy sma ll for his age.
“ W ey, that ba i r n’ s a par fit
cr ib.
”
CR IB , to l ine a r oundT he sinking was cr ibbed, and backed, then wal led.
—Bor ings and
S inki ngs, A B p . 10
A g ib let pie ,
C r ibb’
dr oun’w1
'
coi ls o’
savour y puddenT . W i lson , P i tman
'
s Pay ,1 827 , pt. v , 28 .
CR IBBAGE , CR IBB IS H ,one s ide or di v ision of a sta ll in a
stab le .
CR IBLE , to cr inge , to cu r r y fa vou r wi th a super io r .
not gan to cr i ble tiv him .
” “ H e wen t away cr ibledwen t away as i f with h is ta i l between his legs .”
CR IE F . S ee CREE , CREEVE , CRU IVE .
CR I KE , CR I KEY , an oa th . Often becr ike.
CR ILE , a poor and deformed per son . Somet imes applied incon tempt . Ye cr i le, ye !
”
C r ei l , a shor t stubbeddwa r fish man .— R ay
'
s G loss.
T o pass the leg over the head of a chi ld is vu lgar ly supposed to cr i le
or stop its gr owth .
"- B r ockett, 3 rded.
200 NORTH UM BERLAND W ORD S .
CR INE , to p ine in , t o sh r ink or sh r ivel up . Ye’ ve hadower
bet a fi r e i t’
s cr ined the meat .”
CR IN E Y , small and shr ivel led . The co r n ’
l l be var r y cr ineyan
’
smaa l l thi s ’
eer .
”
CRINGLE , a wi the or rope for fasten ing a ga te wi th — B r ockett.
CR INGLE -CR ANGL E , z ig-zag , w r inkle — B r ockett.
CR IT , the sma llest of a l it ter of pigs , &c. In metaphor - a
sma ll -sized per son . Tom ’ s the cr it i ’ the femily.
”
CROAK , to g ive up the ghost .Ba ith often
'
s W ishedthe yen was cr oakin .
J . P . R obson ,
“Betty BeesleyBards of the Tyne, p . 1 57 .
CROCKER , one outside Of a t r ade myster y . (Obs.)N O b r other shal l be par tner with any for eigner s cal led cr ocker s, on
pain of for fe iting 5— Ordinary of the Butcher s
' Company , Newcas tle ,Ju ly 20, 162 1 .
CROCKY , a l i t tle Scotch cow.—Gr ose
’
s Gloss.
CROFT .
A smal l par cel Of g r ound lying nea r the dwel l ing of the owner , bu tnot necessa r 1ly adjoin ing i t. — T he R ev . Canon G r eenwell , Gloss to the
Boldon Buke.
T he Cr oft, in Newcastle , a sma l l field, bou nded on the east side bythe town wal l , and on the west by the garden wal ls of the houses in
P 1lg r im S tr eet . I t former ly belongedto the fami ly of Car lels , or Car l iols ,
fr om whom i twas cal led the Car le, or Car lzol Cr oft.
” —M acken z ie , H i st. ofNewcastle, p . 1 79.
A hou se anda r ig lying in the Cr oft , value 6s.8d.— R ichardWelford,
H ist. of NewcastleX VI Cent. , p . 87 .
— T h 1s have I lear n tTending my flocks ha rdby i
’th hilly cr ofts
That b r ow th is bottom g lade
M ilton , Comus, 530, quotedby Na r es .
CROGGY , weak in the for e legs applied to a hor se .
CRONE , a toothless ewe ; an oldwoman .
CROOD, a cr owd to cr owd . T he hoose is cr oodedoot .
CROOK . S ee CRUCK .
CROON , cr own .
“ H e cam doon on the cr oon 0’
his heed .
Len ’
s-a ha lf a cr oon .
202 NORTH U MBERLAN D W ORD S .
CROP,to lea ve a po r tion of coa l at the bottom of a seam
in wor king . Also to “set out ” a tub or cor f of coa ls fi l led
insufficien t ly , andcon sequen t ly for fe ited— Gr eenwell .
CR OPPE N , cr ept : the p.p. of cr eep . T he ver b occu r s in the
dia lect wi th a st r ong past tense wh ich has the var ian t for msof cr ap , and cr ap, and cr op . T he pa st par ticiple ha s a lso theva r ian ts cr oppen and cr uppen .
“ W e’
d ju st cr oppen in to bedagyen . W e fund the beggar hedcr uppen oot 0’
his hole .
H e’
s getten sa i r cr oppen tog ither — ben t wi th age .
CR OPP IN ,the cr op of a bi r d . To set up the cr oppin is
to gi ve on eself an absu r d a i r of impo r tance , or to walk wi th ast r utting con sequential ga i t .
T he cler k he soon set up his cr oppi ng .
Thomas W h ittle , The M idfordGa lloway’
s R ambleBel l ’s R hymes, 1 8 1 2 , p 1 75 .
CR OS I L ,to cha r sma ll or dust coa l in the fi r e so as to make
cinder s . A b lacksm ith cr osi ls h is fi r e by blowing slowly t1l lthe duff coa l has become caked in sma ll cinder s
, wh ich hecan u se to get up a p r oper hea t when he puts in his wor k.
CROSS , acr oss . Cr oss the floor is used for acr oss the floor .H e cam
’
cr oss ower t o meet me .
In the S ide once the hou ses so nea r ly didmeet,
That folk cou ldso fr iendly shake hands’
cr oss the str eet.
R . G i lch r ist , 1835 , S ong of Impr ovements.
CROSSCUT , a pa ssage d r i ven at an angle wi th the fibr es ofthe coal : “ in any d i r ection between headways cou r se and
b r oadways cour se .— Gr eenwell .
CROSS ING , an ar ch by which a cu r r en t of a i r is ca r r iedacr oss over head in a pit.
CROSS -T H E -BUCKLE , to cr oss the arms in playing a t
skipping -r ope , o r the legs in dancing .
Can ye j ump up andshu ffle ,
Andcr oss ower the buckle
W hen ye dance l ike the cl iver Bob C r anky.
J . S elk1r k , d. 1 843 , B ob Cr anky’
s’
S i ze S unday .
A l lan’
s Col lecti on , p . 2 1 8 .
CR OT LY , CR U T LY , fr iable , cr umby . W hen the land is infine cond i t ion and cr umbles as the plough tu r n s over thefur r ow it is sa id to be cr otly . Cr otly
-hoofed , in a hor se o r
bea st , i s when the hoof cr umbles . A cr ol ly temper is a qu icktemper . T he aad ma i ster hes a temper as cr utly as ewe
m i lk cheese.
NORT H UMBERLAN D W ORD S . 203
CROUSE,CROOSE , b r isk , l ively . S ee CROO S E .
CROW . S ee CRAA , &c.
CROWBERRY , the ber r y-bea r ing heath , E mpetr um uig r um.
S ee C R AAC R OOK .
CROW COAL , a seam of coa l worked fr om a cr ow, or outcr op .
S ee CRAA , 5 .
T he cr ow coal abou t a foot or less th ick
The Compleat Coll i er , 1 708 .
CROWDY , a No r thumber land d ish , made by fi ll ing a bas inwith oatmeal , and then pour ing in boi ling wa ter . A v igor ousst i r r i ng 1s r equi r ed whi lst the wa ter i s being pou r ed ; and,when the two ingr ed ien t s a r e thor ough ly mixed , the “ hastypudding ”
i s r eady . I t i s ser ved wi th a li ttle butter , d r ipping ,or other flavou r ing , a cco r ding to taste , o r it i s taken w i thm ilk. Cr owdy is pu r ely loca l , a s app lied to sca lded oa tmea l ;for wha t is ca lled cr owdy in No r thumber land is i n pa r t s ofScotland “ b r ose. In the island of Skye cr owdy is appl iedto a peculiar cheese , wh ich is made r ich by the addi t1on of
butter , and ea ten soft , l ike cr eam cheese .
T he cr owdy is wor da ily dish .
T . W i lson , P i tman ’
s Pay , pt. i v . 56
CROWDY-M A IN , an up r oa r ious cr owd , a cock fight . T he
da lesmen of Rede and Coquet wer e accustomed to meet atH ar ehau gh
“ for the pu r pose of fight ing the i r cocks , andof
ha v ing after wa r ds a sor t of fr iendly cr owdy -ma in among themselves .” S O l iver the Younger , R ambles eu N or thumber land.
W hei , Whei , th inks aw , this caps the stack
I t was a cr owdy-ma in man .
"
J . P . R obson , M a l ly'
s Voyage, 1 849 .
CROW -FI SH,the spiney cr ab . [H oly I sland .]
CROW-GARL IC , the A llium vineale, L . , found in gra ssy placesand somewha t r a r e. In Nor thumber land i t gr ows at Belfor dandGunner ton .
CROWLEY ’S CREW, the men former ly employed by C r owley
andCo . in the h istor ic i r onwo r ks at W in la ton , Swa lwell , andW inla ton M ill . In compar ison wi th other cr a ftsmen i t wasasked :
Can they de ou se wi’ Cr owley
’
s Cr ew,
F r ev a needle tiv a anchor , 0 1”
Such , indeed , wa s the var iety of manufactu r es p r oduced bythese sm iths , tha t the boa st was sca r cely an empty figu r e of
speech .
204 NORTH UM BERLAND W ORDS .
CROWN , a ter m for the top par t of anything . T he cr own in a
pit is the h ighest level in it.
CR OW N T R E E , the top balk used in suppor t ing the r oof in a
coa l pit ; it i s the cr oss p iece la id ove r two ver tical p r ops .S ee G ALLOW S -T IM BER .
CRUCK,to cr ook
,to bend .
CRUCK, a cr ook , a hook , the h inge of a ga te. S ee CRAN K .
One pai r of t r oks.— R . W el ford, H ist of N ewcastIe X VI Cent p . 389 .
I tem p(1 to John M ar ley for a new pann and a cr ouke to the Beacon ,
1 85 .— GatesheadChur ch Books, 1 645 .
CRUCK, a d isea se causing a twi sted neck in sheep .
CRUCK-YOR-ELBOW , w r i te it down , put your name to it.
CRUCK -YOR -HOUGH , tha t i s , bend you r hough (the hough i sthe back pa r t of the knee) si t down .
“ Cr ookyour houghthe fr iend ly saluta t ion of a p i tman who wan t s you to sit downand have a cr ack.
” I t mean s either to si t on a sea t o r on
you r hunker s ; or iginally , in a ll p r obabi li ty , the la t ter .
Gr eenwell
W i , lad what’
s set te her e se lyet
D r aw in a seat , an’cr ook thy hofi
‘
T . W i lson , Pi tman '
s Pay, 1 829, pt. i i i . , v . 25 .
W iv hus i’
th ’nor th , when aw
'
m wai r sh 1 my way,
(Bu t te knaw wor warm hear ts , ye yu r sel l come)Aw l ift the fi r st latch , andba ith man anddame say ,
C r uckyour hough , canny man , for ye’
r e welcome .
T. Thompson , (1. 1 8 16 , Canny Newcastle.
CRU CK -YOR -THUM B , the in st r uct ion given as a charmagainst wi tchcr aft .
T he fists ar e clenched, bu t the thumb s a r e doubled up inside the
pa lms T he r eason for th is pecu l ian ty may, no doub t , be foundin an
o ld Nor thumb r ian super stition .
” “ Ch i ldr en,
says Hu tch in son ,
“ to
avoid app r oach ing danger , a r e taught to doub le the thumb within the
hand. This was much p r actised wh i le the ter r or s of witchcr aft
r emained.
”— W . W . Toml inson , Gu ide to Nor thumber land, 1 888 , p . 64 .
CRUD , CRUDDLE , to cu r dle.
CRUDDLE , t o cr ouch closely together .“ They wor flaid o ’
the thunnor andcr uddled in .
”
T he bar efooted younker s sit cr uddleing on a heap r ound a fi r e.
Col l ier , Essay on Char ter s , par ticular ly those of Newcastle, 1 777 , p . 8 1 .
206 NORTHU MBERLAN D W ORD S .
CRUPPER-STONE , CR U PPL E -STONE , a stepped stone ,o r ser ies of steps placed near the door outs ide a house , andfor mer ly used fo r moun t ing on hor seback , or for the womenwho moun ted on the pi ll ion . S ee a lso HOR S E - STON E , HORS INSTON E , M OUNT , andP I LL I ON
CR U PPY-DOW , a cake made of oatmeal and fi sh , muchesteemed in N or thumber land .
Dunstan -steads. for logger heads ,And C r aster for cr owdies ,
S pital -for d for cr appy-(lows ,AndEmb leton fo r howdies
OldS aying , taken down fr om the r ecitation
of M r s . Aynsley, of Embleton , 1891 .
CRU SH, a g r ea t quan t ity , a cr ush of wet , a cr ush of cor n .
B r ockett, 3 rded.
CRUSH,the fr actur e of coa l pi lla r s in a pit by the weight of
the super incumben t st r a ta .
CRUT, a dwa r f, anyth ing cur bedin its gr owth .
— B r ockett.
CR U T LY ,fr iable , ea si ly cr umbed . S ee CR OT LY.
T he cheese you sendmu st not be a cr uttley one , as they a r e so badfor cu tting into sl ices .
— Letter , M ar ch , 1888.
CR U T T L E , a cr umb .
T o cu rdle -Nor thumber land.— Hall iwell ’s Dict.
CRY -COOK , to give in, to cap itula te to an ar gumen t or
accusat ion . S ee COOK .
CR YIN’-OOT , the t ime of accouchemen t . I t was made a
special occa sion for the a ssemblage of neighbour s andgossips ,when “ booted -b r eed and“ gr oan ing-cheese ” we r e ser ved up .
“ D e ye hear’
O r shoot in ’
? T he de’i l
’ s r evenge . T hor’l l be
’ 3 ’
on e ma i r o ’ them a fo r e the mor n i n A p r over b ia l saying onth i s occa s i on .
CUBE , o r CU POLA , a sha ft sunk near to the top of a fu r naceu pca st , and holed in to the sha ft a few fa thoms below the
su r face , w i th a wide chimney e r ected over it , r i sing th i r ty orfor t y fee t above the su r face . I t r el ieves the pit top fr omsmoke . Ca l led also a t ube — Gr eenwell .
CU CKL E -H EED , a stup id per son . S ee CHUCKLE -H EED .
T he p r ocession was headedby Bar bar a Bell ,H e was fol lowedby cackle-heedChancel lor Kell .
T . M a r shal l , (I . 1 869 , E uphy'
s Cor onation .
NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S . 207
CUCKOO . S ee Gowk and following wor ds .
C U C K O O F LOWE R the meadow bi t ter ness , Cardaminepr atensis. Ca lled also pinks, spinks, bog -spinks, M ay flower , andlady
-smock.
CUCKOO -GRASS , the field wood r ush , L uzula campestr is.Called a lso pees-weep g r ass andblack-caps.
CUCKOO -M OR N IN’
,
“a hol iday on hea r ing the cuckoo for
the fi r st t ime — Gloss. to P i tman’
s Pay . (Obs .)A cuckoo-mor n i n
’
g ive a lad,H e values not h is plagues a cher r y
T . W i lson , P i tman ’
s Pay ,1 829 , pt. i i i . , v . 64
CUCKOO ’S -M AIDEN , the w r yneck— Yunx tor qui lla— wh ich
usual ly a r r ives her e a few days befo r e the cuckoo , andmigr ates in September .
-B r ockett.
I t is far fr om common in Nor thumber land, bu t is mo r e fr equentlyseen in Du r ham — John Hancock , B i rds of Nor thumber landandDur ham.
C U C K O O ’ S - M E AT , G OWK ’ S - M E AT , or GOWK ’SCLOVER , the sor r el , Oxalis acetosel la .
CUCKOO ’S -SP IT , the wh i te fr oth wh ich encloses the larva of
the Cicada spumar is.
CUCKOO ’S T IL L IN , the meadow pip i t , Anthus pr atensis.S ee T ITLARK .
CU D BE R D ,Cuthber t . S ee CUDDY andCULBE RT .
CUD -BUSH , an esculen t plan t . Cad-weed.)1 666 . December 8 -For ster to W i l l iamson [abou t a tumu l t in
S andgate , Newcastle , du r ing col lection of hear th -money] .
‘ They sa idthey wer e wi ll ing [to pay] bu t had not b r ead to ea t. Indeed, hundr edsof them for weeks have l i vedonly on oatmea l , water , andcudbush boi ledtogether .
’ — Ca lendar of S tate Paper s. Domestic S er i es , 1666 .
CUDDY , a donkey , a stupid per son . Wha t a r e ye deeintha t for , ye g r ea t cuddy P” A ha lf-W it. Cuddy W i l ly.
T o let the folks see thou’
s a Ieydy,
On a cuddy thou’
s r ide to the toon .
W . M idford, P i tman ’
s Cour tship, 18 18.
For on the new l ine an awdcuddy , Wiv ease ,
W i l l dr aw the mai l coach , or even a waggon .
T . W i lson , S tanzas on a L ine of IntendedR oad,1825 .
208 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
CUDDY , the common abb r ev ia t ion of Cuthber t . T he name of
the sain t is a ver y popula r Ch r ist ian name in Nor ther n par ts .T he for ms Cudber t andCulber t a r e st i l l hea r d on the l ips of oldpeople . S ee CULB ERT .
CUDDY-AN’-CREELS , a donkey with pann ier s .
CUDDY ’S -LEGS , her r ings . F ishwives used to call her r ingsthus Ther e ’ s yor cuddy
’s- legs an
’
lady ’ s th ighs .”
CUDDY ’S -LUGS , the gr ea t mullein , Ver bascum thapsus.
CUFF,a simpleton .
— B r ockett, 3 rded. S ee CU I F .
CUFF -CUFF , the call for a p igeon .
CU ICK (pr on . ke-yuk, kyak) , to cook. S ee C E YU K.
O f a’the kinds of hol low meats
That gr easy cu icks se oft a r e speeten .
T . W i lson , Pi tman'
s Pay , 1 827 , pt . v . 26 .
CU I F , a lout , an awkwar d fellow .
CU IF F , t o walk in an awkwar d manner ; especially with la r geb r oad feet . —B r ockett.
CU IL,K E YU L , to cool . S ee KEEL .
CU KE NWOR T , ch ickweed . S ee CL U CKW E E D .
CU L BAR D ,a cu l lish , or stupid per son .
CULBERT , or CU D BE R T , Cuthber t . Also the eider duck ,
S omater ia mol lissima , wh ich i s fam i liar in Nor thumber land andat the Far ne I slands as the Culber t, Cudber t, or Cudber t
’
s duck .
For centu r ies they have been known as S t . Cu thber t ’s ducks H e
lavishedu pon them specia l mar ks of kindness andaffection . They wer efr equently h is sole compan ions du r ing the long hou r s of his sol itar yn ights , clu ster ing r ou nd him when he watchedandp r ayedon the r ocks
wh ich su r r oundedh is home . They obeyed h is ever y wor d, andbecameso tame and fami l ia r wi th him that they wou ld a llow him to appr oachthem at al l times withou t fear , andcar ess them with his hand.
”— T he
R ev . Pr ovost Consitt, Life of S t. Cuthber t, p . 82 .
CULBERT , a varian t of culver t.
2 10 NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S .
CUNDY , a d r a in , a sewer , a conduit. A r ummel in’
cundy i s
a d r a in wi th loose , b r oken stone la id r ound to al low of
per cola t ion fr om the sur face .
“ A cundied cor f was a cor fpacked hollow to gi ve an appea r ance of a g r ea ter bu lk tothe coa ls in i t. When coa ls wer e pa id by mea sur e instead ofby weight , this was a poin t for the keeker
’ s obse r vat ion .
Paide for a lb . of pepper , and a bagg , for the r ente of the cunditt
W i thou t W estgate to M r . Thomas H i lton , due a t M icklemas last ,Newcastle M unczpal Aeconuts. 1 593
Aw’
l inspect iver y cundy an’ midden .
J . P . R obson , Collier'
s Far ewell .
GUNN IN -CYE K , a cake of o r dina r y appea r ance outwa r dly ,bu t when ou t r evea ling h idden fr ui t , cur r an t s , &c. , in the cen t r e .
CUPOLA . S ee CU BE .
CUR (pr on . cor ) , a cowar d ly man . H i t one yor s ize , ye gr eetcu r
, ye.
”
A cur r ish wor thless per son .—Hall iwel l 's D ic‘
A ketty cur ,”a ver y vi le per son — B r ockett.
CU R CH OR , a ker chief, as han’
cur chor , neckcur chor m a handkerch ief, neck-ker ch ief. T he common sound of the wo r d iskor shor — thus
,hankor shor , neckor shor .
Pa ide for a cur chor and a r a le to wind her , 2 5 . at the bu r ial o f awoman — Newcastle M un icipal Accounts, A ug uste, 1 593 .
CURFEW-BELL , the even ing bel l , wh ich was gener al ly r ungat eight o ’clock for the obj ect of ha v ing a ll fi r es and l ight se x t inguished , a r equi s ite p r ecaut ion in olden t imes . T he
name andu se is st il l r eta ined a t Newca stle.— H all iwell
’
s D ict. ,1 846 . S ee B r and ’ s Obser vations on Bour ne’
s Antiqui ties, chap . i .
CU R R E NBE R R I E S , r ed cur r an t s , R ibes r ubr um. S ee CORNBAR R i E s .
CURTA IN , the fold ya r d in the far m stead ing. T he su r v iva lof th i s wor d is a most in ter esting r el ic of the t imes when ever yNor thumber land fold yar d was a fo r t ified enclosu r e . In
for tifica t ion a cor tin or cour tine i s the wa ll or d istance betweenthe flanks of two bastion s . T he loca l pr onouncia tion is s tillcor tin . S ee COR T AIN .
CUS ,’
CUST , CUSSEN (see CA S S EN ) , ca st , app lied toanyth ing thr own aside . H e cast-oot mean s he qua r r elled .
S ee CA S T-OUT .
CUSH AT , the r ing dove. Colunzba palambas. Cal led also , bu tr ar ely , cushy doo.
NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S . 2 1 1
CUSH ION -DANCE , a coun tr y dance in wh ich one per sonheld a cush ion wh i lst the r est of the company danced in a
r ing , singing :T he best bed, the feather bed,
T he best bedov a’
,
T he best bed i'
wor hoose
I s clean pea str aw .
At the endof the chan t the cush ion was la id at the feet of afa vou r ed per son and knel t on . T he pe r son thus sa lutedki ssed the kneel ing suppl ian t and then took up the cush ion intu r n and danced r ound wi th it as the fi r st had done ; a ll
s inging aga in andagain the r efr a in . That dance of dances ,the cushion-dance.
”
CUSH Y -COO , a pet name for a cow. Cushy-cows, docken seed ,
the seed of b r oad-lea ved dock , R umex obtusifolius.
CUSH Y -COO -LADY , the lady-bi r d beetle.
CUSSEN (p.p. of cast) . Cussen in a mould — cast in a mould .Cussen down — ca st down .
CUSSEN , wa r ped .“ Them dyels is aa cussen — those deals
a r e a l l wa r ped .
CUT , an excavat ion th r ough a h ill . “ T he N ew Cut.
Cut Bank .
”
CUT , a measur e of ya r n— one-twelfth of a hank .
CUT , a n umbe r of sheep on a la r ge gr az ing far m . A hi r seli s d ivided in to sever a l d i v ision s ca l led cuts
, each keep ing toits own r ange of pastu r e
CUT , to r un qu ickly . Cut an’
r u n ,
” “ Cut away noo , a s fastas ye can ,
”Cut yor st ick ,
”Cut yor lucky ,
”a r e commands
to lea ve in stan tly . To cut is to move in a step dance .
In the dance se spr ightly,
He'
ll cut and shu ffle l ightly.
T . Thompson , (1. 1 8 16 , N ewKeel R ow.
CUT , or CUTS . To stand you r cuts — to ma inta in you rposi t ion , to hold you r own .
CUT . T he last cut. Befo r e the in t r oduction of the r eapingmach ine , at the fin i sh of the “ whi te cor n ” har vest it wa s thecustom for the young u nma r r ied women to endeavou r to get“ the la st cut,
” ther eby hOping to be the fi r st to get ma r r ied .
T he same p r actice p r eva i l s in T iv iotda le . S ee “ hinmost cntin Jamieson .
2 1 2 NORTHUMBERLAN D W ORD S .
CUT A PURSE , the method of ascer ta in ing the amoun t offine to be imposed for an offence again st the r ules of the
r iver Tyne. (Obs .)Pa ide for two pu r ses of lether which shou ld have bene cutt in the
Towne Chamber and was not , by a Fr enchman , 8d.— Newcastle
M unicipal Accounts, Auguste, 1 593
I t was a custom in Newcastle , as statedby Bou r ne , that a master of
a ship who th r ew ballast into too shallow water at sea . i f convicted, must
pay a fine of 5 wh ich was pu t into a pu r se , and the offender was
r equ ir ed to cu t the pu r se , by way of acknowledgmen t that he was no
better than those cu t pu r ses ’
who r ipped a man‘
s money fr om h is
g i rdle . Gardiner says the offender was to pay a fine of five pounds , orelse to cu t the pu r se which hangs up in the town
-chamber with sandandmoney in i t , andso mu ch as is ther ein he mu st pay, or is sent to p r ison ,
and ther e to lye ti l l he doth pay i t.” —R ichar dWelford, H i st of Newcastle,
vol . i i i . , under date 1 593 ,p . 82 .
T he cut-par se points te bygyen times ,
W hen tr u th was n iver sowt in wel ls ,W hen j u stice pun ish
’
dcapta ins ’cr imes ,
W ithou t the fash o' weights an
’
skyel ls .
T . W i lson , Glance at Polly-Technic, 1 840.
CU T BE AR D , cudbear . A l ichen tha t gi ves a pur ple dye.
T he L ecanor a tar tar ea,g r owing common ly on l imestone
r ocks .— Og i lvie.
CUTES (p r on . kyats) , the feet , used der i sively.
D id ivver mor ta ls see sic b r u tes ,T e order me to l i ft ma cntes
Geo. Camer on , song , The Pitman’
s R evenge, 1 804 .
CUTE -SKINS , CUTE -KINS, addi t iona l cover ings for the
legs du r ing snowy weather , gener a lly wor sted stockings withthe feet cu t Off ; a sor t of long ga i ter s . — B r ockett. S ee
K IT I CAN S .
CUTH BERT ’S BEADS,por t ion s of the join ted stems of fossi l
encr in i tes common in the moun tain l imestone . They ar e
found at L indisfa r ne plen tiful ly, and ther e , legend says :
S a int Cuthber t sits , andtoils to fr ameT he sea -bor n beads that bea r h is name .
W hile at this task he is supposed to si t du r ing the n ight upon a
cer ta in r ock andu se another as h i s anv i l — Note to M an n/on
CUTH BERT ’S DOWN, the down of the eider duck. S ee
S T . CUTHBERT ’S D UCKS andC U L B E R r .
“ In the l ist of a r t icles belonging to the Fer eto r y at Dur ham in 14 17a r e two pa i r s of cu shions , of wh i ch one is of Cu thber t's (town e (Eyr e) .R ev . Pr ov . Consitt , L ife of S t. Cuthber t, 1 887 , p . 82 , note.
2 14. NORTH UMBERLAN D \VO R D S .
OWQ AT coa t .
CYE K , or KYE K , cake.
T he b r ide -kyeh neist , byeth sweet andshor t ,W as toss
'
d i n p late fu ls ower the b r ideT . W i lson , Pi tman
’
s Pay, 1 829 , pt i i i . , v . 83 .
CYE K -TOASTER , a r ack made in the for m of the letter A ,
used to b r own a cake before the fi r e. S ee B E AK S T ICKS .
D i s sometimes in t r us ive , especia lly among ch i ld r en in
N or thumber land , and the ph r ase “ G i’
me -d-it , for g i ve i tme
,is hear d . W e r on by
-d- i r , for we r an by i t. D i s
a fr equen t abb r evia t ion of i t at the end of a wor d . Fo r ’
d,for i t ; wi
’
d, wi th i t ; deu n’
d, done i t ; thr aan
’
d,th r own it ;
blaan’
d, blown it ; “ Stan ’
by'
d,
” stand by i t.“ H e wi s oot
i’
d,”he was out in i t. “ Runmin inti
’
d, r unning in to it.
Gan an hy’
d," go andbuy i t. “ They ’
ll n ivvor di’
dagyen ,
do i t aga in . D idhe dee ’
d — didhe do i t
D AAB E R , DAUBER , a plaster er . (Obs .) T he R ev . J ohnH odgson , in hi s M S . D ictionary , point s out the pa ssage
One bu i lt up a wal l , and, 10, other s daubed i t wi th u ntemper edmor tar — Ezeki el , x i i i v . 10, and followmg ver ses.
“ T he fr ater n i ty of b r icklayer s in Newcastle wer e ancien tly styledcutter s and dauber s . T he cat was a piece of so ft clay mou lded i n to the
for m of a mower’
s “hetstone . This was th r ust i n between the la ths ,wh ich wer e after wards daubed o r plaster ed.
— B r and, H i st. of Newcastle,vol . ij. , p 268 , note.
D AB , an adept . H e’
s a dab, or“ H e
’
s a dab-hand at i t.
S ic a dabwas aw when young at r eadin .
T . W i lson , P i tman’
s Pay , 1 829 , pt i i i v . 103 .
D AB , a sha r p b low.
“ A dab of cla r t s is a p iece of mudthr own and stuck on wher e i t has fal len .
Aa myeks a dab at the b i t imp— H i s Other E ye, 1 880, p . 5 .
S tar lings stun worms by a dab on the nar r ow end — James Hardy,H ist. of Berwzckshzr e Natu r a l i sts
’ Club, vol . v i i . , p . 295 .
D AB , to a im a blow .
S ma l l boys may be seen— p r one on their stomachs— cr an ing over theedge of the qua y, and, wi th har poons , ingen iously manu factu r ed,
gener al ly ou t of steel p r onged for ks , dabbi ng a t the floa t i ng tr easu r es .
”
R J . Char l ton , N euci stle Town , 1 885 , p 3 1 3
DABBER , a poin ted r eto r t. Tha t ’ s a dabber for him. Ahitchey dabber
”is the piece of ear thenwa r e used in the game
of “ hitchey beds .”
NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S . 2 15
D AB -CHICK , the l it t le gr ebe . S ee D OB-CH I C K .
DAD , t o st r ike wi th a hea vy blow , bu t wi th someth ing soft , asa p i llow or a towel , &c. Aa
’
l l dadyor jaa .
”H e daddedh is
h ide Also to th r ow down heavi ly . D ivven t dad it doontha t way.
DAD , a heavy blow . H e gat sic a dadas he’ll not for get .
H e ga the noisy th ing dads agyen the waal .
James Hor sley, 7 im an’
the Clock, 1 883 .
DAD , a lar ge p iece . (Sca r ce )An
’
lumps O ’
beef , an’
dads o du ff,W as ther e for fo lks to dine .
J . P . R obson , Pi tman ’
s Happy TimesBards of the Tyne, 1 849 , p . 77 .
DAD , to da sh out a sma ll fi r e of gas ( in a pi t) , or a sma llaccumulat ion of gas , w i th a jacket — Gr eenwell .
D AD D IN , m ixing fi r edamp in a pit w i th fr esh ai r by du ffing it
w ith a jacket so as to di lute i t and r ender i t ha r mless .
DADDLE , DAWDLE , to wa lk un stead ily , t o waggle , towaddle .
DADDLE , the hand . S ee a lso M EAO ,P A S T I E , LOOF , PAw.
When H aml ick stu ck h is daddle oot ,T o g r ip h is feyther
'
s paw, man ,
H e gav a ki nd0'
cr oopy shoot
T o find the candstyen wa’
,man .
J . P . R ob son , Homl ich , Pr ince 0'
Denton. pt . i .
Bards of the Tyne, 1848 , p . 1 29
B ADGE , DODGE ,to wa lk in a vaci l la t ing way. D ade is
used elsewher e .
As wade is r elated to waddle, so is dade to daddle — Wedgwood
B ADGE , a la r ge p iece . S ee D AD .
DAE , or DEYE -NETTLE, the hemp net tle , Galeopsis tetr a/zit.
I t is often ca l led the deed (dead) nettle.
DAFF , to daun t . — R ay’
s Gloss. (Obs .)C laudio Away, 1 W i l l not have to do with you .
Leonato : Can’
st thou so day’
eme
M uch Ado About Nothi ng , act v so. 1 .
Q uoted in Nar es' G loss.
2 16 NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S .
DAFFIN [N .] mer r ymaking .
You wou’
dha’
bu r stne you r hea r t w1 laugh ingTo ‘ve seen the gang sae fu l l 0
’
dajingG . S tuar t , yoco-S er ious D is
‘
our se, 1686 , p 39
D aflin wi’
the hunter ca l lan ts.
Jas. A rmstr ong , Wanny B lossoms, p 20.
DAFFLE , to be doting , to be for getfu l . Pe r son s g r owing O ld
a nd i n thei r dotage a r e sa id to dajle. T he wor d means tobet r ay loss of memo r y and men ta l facu l ty .
— H odgson M S .
M afii e is a s im ilar expr ession for the above.
D AF F L IN , fool ing , mer r imen t . P r obably a va r ian t of dafiin.
S ee DAFF I N .
DAFT , si l ly .
Can the silly daft Car les th ink we’
l l sti ll be fools ?
G S tuar t , yaw-S er ious D iscour se, 1686 .
T hou’
l l dr ive me daft. aw often dr eed
T . W i lson . Pi tman '
s Pay , 1 824 , ed. 1872 , p . 8
S tup id, b lockish , daunted; fr om the word dafi’. Also , mad.
Nor thumber land.
”— R ay'
s Gloss M S . note
D AF TY , a sil ly per son . Ye ’
l l hit somebody , ye dafty.
DAFT-L I KE,fond o r si l ly. “ Tha t was a daft-l ike t r ick, noo .
D AG , to r ai n ,to d r izzle . It
’
s dagg in on . I t’
s dagg in
weather .
”
D AG , a p istol . (Obs .)T o Fr ancis Liddell , h i s r ap ier ; to Thomas L iddel l , b r other of
Fr anci s . his dagg .
"— W i l l o f Wm. Ander son , Feb 1 , 1 568 .—R ichard
Wel ford, H i st. of Newcastle andGatesheadX VI . Cent. , p . 4 18 .
M y dag , with the case , andal l th ings ther eto belonging .— The same,
P 377
T he M a ior of N ew-Castle wi th the Aldermen his B r ether en r id to
visit on hor s—back the colepi ts , as thei r Office is to do ever y quar tr ero f yeer , wher e by the waye he was shot with a dag into the a rme . wh ich
caused him to fal l off h is hor se .— Doleful News f r om Edi nburgh, 1 64 1 ,
quotedby B r ockett .
DAGGER -M ONEY ,a p r esent made to the J udge of Assize as
he left Newca stle by wha t is descr ibed in Nor th’ s L ife of the
L ordKeeper Gu i lforda s the h ideous r oad a long by the Tyne .
Befo r e lea v ing , the biogr apher says , “ the No r thumber landSher i ff ga ve us a l l a rms ; tha t i s , a dagger , kn i fe , pen -kn ife ,and fo r k , a l l together . T he M ayor of Newcast le ga ve eachjudge a b r oad piece of gold . In 1 56 1 th is is mentioned as
2 1 8 NORTH UM B ERLAN D W ORD S .
DANDER , DAUNDER , to walk lei su r ely.Aw tu ik a lu ik aboot the toon ,
Andefter dander zn up an doon ,
T o see what folks war dee in .
”
T . W i lson , Opening of Newcastle andCar l isleR a i lway, 1838 .
H e dander eda langGeordy
’
s Last, 1 878 , p . 9
W e“ far up W hyte Kielder did daunder .
—Jas. A rmstr ong , WannyB lossoms, 1 879 , p 1 32 .
DANDER , the slaggy cinde r s fr om a smi thy or found r y.
DANDY , And r ew .
DANDY , fine , gay ; hence“ the dandy , the ver y th ing. A
fine ca r r iage is cal led “ the dandy.
”
H oo many men get thor heedtor nedw1 dandy wordsH i s Other E ye, 1 880,
p 4 .
M ar ch to the Dandy Fish M ar ket.
W . M idfor d, song , The N ew Fish M ar ket.
Bards of the Tyne, 1849 ,p . 196 .
R osy wine , andnectar pr imeFor gods andmen the dandy
T . W i lson , Ca r ter ’
s Well .
H ence dandy-candy , ga i ly colou r ed or o r namen ta l candy .
Compa r e CAN DYMAN . Descr i bing the old Tyne B r idge , M r .
J . P . Robson singsB u t , sp ite 0’
thei r r avish an'
r oot ,
B lu e-steyny is stil l to the for e , man ;T he apple-wives on her sti ll shou t,Dandy candy
’
s sti l l sel’
d in galor e , man .
J . P . R obson , T he H igh Level B r idgeBards of the Tyne, 1 849 , p . 429.
DAND Y -HORSE , the old velocipede , p r opelled by touchingthe g r ound wi th the feet now super seded by the cycles .”
DANG (p.t. of ding) , st r uck w i th v iolence .
“ D eev i l , deevil ,dang ye , aa wish Godmay hang ye ,
”i s shouted in chor us by
ch ild r en to the r obber of a b i r d ’ s nest .Ar i e tu ik h im on the heid and dang ou t all h is har nes (b r a ins) .
Letter , 1 565 , R owland Foste r fr om W a r k , in Char lton’
s Nor th Tyneda le,p 69
At last a g r eat th r u st dang h im ower ,
H e lay aw h i s lang length 0’
the flags .
Wm . M idfor d,song , The M ayor of Bordeaux , 1 8 18 .
S he wither edat ou t , anddang down al l the gear .
"
S awney Og i lby'
s Duel .
W e shou tedsome , and some dung down .
J . S elki r k , S walvell Hopping .
They dang wi'
tr ees , andbu r st the door .
The Ba lladof 7amie Telfer .
NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S . 2 1 9
DANG , an expletive . Compar e D AL .
DANGER BOARD , a boa r d fixed in a m ine to .gi ve not ice , a ta sufficien t d i stance , of danger to be app r ehended by the
p r esence of nox ious or inflammab le gas .
DANT , DENT , soft , infe r ior , sooty coa l , found a t backs , andat the leader s of h i tches and t r oubles .— Gr eenwell .
Dent, or sandstone shale .
”— Pr of. Geikie , H i st. of Bwks N at. Club,
vol . x . , p . 147 .
D anty is applied to descr ibe any st r a tum of th is soft,sooty
n atur e .
“ D anty coa l ,” “ D anty band .
”D anty coa l is a lso
ca lled “ foul coal .”
Blackdanty meta lmixedwi th coal — Bor ings andS inkings, F K p . 42 .
Coa l , black, danty , goodfor nothing— The same, p . 5 1 .
Danty stu ff .
"— The same, p . 53 .
Danty swad.— The same, L .R . , p . 148 .
DAR,to da r e to , to challenge Come nea r me , if ye dar .
Aa’
l l da r ye de tha t agyen . Aa da r’
dhim ti the door,
”or
Aa dar’
dhim oot to fight . Aa da r say”is equivalen t to
I dar e say,”or I suppose. S ee D O R .
DARE , the dace , Cypr inus leuciscus. a small r i ver fish , r a therless than a her r ing . A lso ca lled a skel ly.
DARG , DARGUE , DORG , a day ’ s wor k .
“ A day ’ s darg .
At H a lton the tenan t r y a r e r equ i r ed to give one day ’s labou ron the esta te in the year fo r wh ich no paymen t is made .
Th is is ca l led “ the bond dar g .
” Food i s suppl ied , wi thbeer , on the occa sion . In ancien t ter r ier s dagg i s used as an
equiva len t for a cer ta in quan t i ty of land . P r obably as muchas can be p loughed in one day ’ s wor k ; o r a day ’ s wo r k of
mowing , as in the Elsdon ter r ier we ha ve 9 dar gs of meadowlying east ” and “
4 dorgs in the T odholes H augh . (H odgson
M S .) 1 3 r igs being 4 dorg . (H odgson’s N or thumber land,
pt . ij., vol . i . , p . 92 , note.) A darg is occa siona lly used tomean any set wor k .
“ H e wen t th r ee da r g — he wen t th r eej ou r neys ; not necessa r i ly day ’s j our neys . [S .]
“ A mowdarg
”is a day ’s mowing . A shea r da rg
”is a day ’s r eaping .
(S ee examples under these wor ds . ) Each tenan t i s toper for m yea r ly a mow dargue.
”
(H odgson’s N or thumber land
,
vol . i ii .,pt . i i . , p. 144 , notep .)‘Thou '
s often help’
d te buss the tyup ,
Andmun knaw a’
the joy we fand;W hen labou r
’
s year ly da rg was up,
An’
lots 0’
gaudy days at hand.
T . W i lson , Pi tman’
s Pay , 2ndcd. , pt. i i i .
M idd leton H . Dand , Esq ., of Ackl ington , w r i tes : “ D ar g , a
day’s wor k. A plou ghman was former ly expected to plough
220 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
an acr e per day hence the name of a field a t Amble M oo rhouse (my p r oper ty)
‘the fou r and twen ty da rg ,
’
con si st ingof twen ty-fou r acr es . A not uncommon sa r casm is to sayt o a lazy fel low : Ay, ye
’ ve deun a dar g , aa’s
“ In
m in ing , darg is a fixed quan t i ty of coa l t o be wor ked for a
cer ta in p r ice . Th is wor d i s seldom hea r d in Newca st lem ines , bu t i t is the gener a l ter m in u se about Ber wick. I t isequi va len t to the hewing or scor e p r ice of the Newca stlecol l ier ies . (Gr eenwell .)
DARK , bl ind ; ALM OST DARK , nea r ly blind ; QU ITEDARK , stone b l ind . (Obs.)
Pity a qui te dar k man .— B r ockett.
DARK , t o eaves -d r op to wa tch for an oppor tun ity of inj u r ingother s for one ’ s own benefit .— H alliwell
’
s D iet. (Obs.)
D AR KIN , eaves-d r opp ing . (Obs .)
D AR KN IN’
, twil ight . I t was dar kh in ’
afo r e we gat hyem.
H e waakedback i’
the
DARN . T O the South endof Pi tt M oor e butts , then up to aD ar n r oad to the M ar ch ston e .” (Bounder of Old Bewick inH ist. of Bwks. N at. Club, vol . v . , p . A “ da r k way
”i s
men t ioned in the p r ev ious par agr aph . D ar n and dar k ar e
thus p r obab ly synonymous for obscu r e , secr et . T he wor d isfound in the st r eet ca lled D ar n C r ook in Newca stle , wh ichwas former ly a cu l de sac. “ A tenemen t or bu r gage , vulgar lycal led the p r i est ’ s chamber , as i t l ies andi s s i tuate in a cer ta i nvennel ca lled D a r ne cr uke . (Deed of 1 525 , in R . Welfor d ’
S‘
H ist. of N ewcastle, p . D er ne mean s secr et , anda“der ne
st r eet ” is a st r eet wher e concea lmen t or h id ing may be had.
They lokedest, they lokedwest ,They migh t no man see .
Bu t as they loked in Bar nysdale ,
By a der ne str ete
Then came ther e a kn ight r ydynge ,
Fu l l sone they gan h im mete .
Geste of R obyn Hode.The Ba l ladBook , Al l ingham, p . 1 10.
To der ne is to h ide onesel f, to skulk . Associa ted wi th th is isdea r nly ,
in which , fr om secr etly , the mean ing passes to lonely ,and so to mou r nful ly , and in th is way Spen ser uses it , whenA lcyon ,
“ b r eaking foo r th at la st , thus dear nelie plained .
”
(Spense r , D aphnaida , l . And so a lso der nly is used as
secr et ly .
“ T he l ady der nly ca lled un to her to absta in . (F aeryQueen , i i i ., xi i . , D er ne in O ld Engli sh was of cou r se
222 NORTH UM B ERLAN D W ORD S .
DAUR [N .] to da r e , to for b id . . Con stantly used in Nor thumbe r land . S ee D OR .
DAVE , to a ssuage , to m i t igate , to r el ieve .— B r ockett, 3 rd ed.
(Sca r ce .)
DAVER , to stun wi th a b low , to stupefy. H e hat him sic a
ya r k a lang the jaa’
at it daver’
t him.
” A a’
aver edaadman
i s a super ann uated o r s il ly oldman .
W as thor ivver sec a dover edfu i l
Geordy’
s Last, 1 878 , p . 1 3 .
DAVER , a stunn ing blow .
“ A daver , a devesher agyen the
metal pump ”
( M isfor tunes of R oger andhis Wife A davesheris a b low that has stunned or fel led .
DAVY , D E AVY , the fami liar name for S i r Humphrey Davy’ s
safety lamp .
DAVY-MAN ; the man who t r ims and r epa ir s the Davylamps .
DAW DOW , to th r ive. (Obs )H e neither dees nor daws
,i .e he nei ther dies nor mends.
— R ay'
s
Gloss 169 1 .
DAW , to daWn DAWIN , dawn ing .
DAW B , to plaster . (Obs.)Pa id for spar es , latts ,
nales and dawbi ng of a ch imney in the Almes~
hou se , 83 . 1d.—GatesheadChur ch Books, 1 63 1 .
D AVVBE R , a plaster er . An o r d in a r y of the incor por atedcompany of slater s of Newcastle , da ted M a r ch 1 6th , 1 677 ,sepa r a ted them fr om the company of wa ller s , br icklayer s , anddawber s, alias plaster er s — M ackenz ie , H ist. of N ewcastle, p . 697 .
S ee D AABE R .
DAY , the su r face of the g r ound , the top Of a pit shaft , the“ bank .
” A st r a tum is said at its outcr op to ha ve cr oppedout to the day .
”
Hor ses to dr aw you r coals to bank (or day) . — The Compleat Col l i er ,1 708 , p . 32
T he cor f i s dr awn up to the top (of the shaft) , or to day , as it is thei r
phr ase .
"— The same.
DAY-FA’
, a pi tfa ll .
NORTH UM B E RLAN D W ORD S . 223
D AYH OL E , an adi t or level wo r king fr om the su r face . Calleda lso , day-dr ift andg r ove.
DAY-SH IFT , when a concer n is wo rked n ight and day, daymen a r e ca lled the day-shift, andn ight men n ight -Sh ift .
DAYS -M AN , an a r bit r a tor ; an umpi r e or j udge — R ay’
s Gloss.
An Oldwordsti l l in u se among the fa rmer s .— B r ockett.
DAY-STONES , loose stones lying wea ther ed upon the su r face .
H ugh M i lle r , Geology of Otter bur n andE lsdon.—Geolog ical S u r vey
M emoi r,1 887 .
DAYTALE -MAN , a man employed by the day.
A labou r er not engaged by a master for a cer ta in time , but wor kingfor any per son who W i l l employ h im by the day or by the week.
”
S . O l iver , the Younger , R ambles in Nor thumber land, 1 835 , p . 95 , note.
D AYTAL IN , jobbing a t odd day’
s wor ks .
DAY WATER , water which penetr ates in to the m ine th r oughsome d ir ect opening to the sur face .
— M ining Gloss. N ewcastle
T erms, 1 85 2 .
DAZE,to stun . D azed, stunned , stupefied. D azed is appli ed
also to i l l -done b r ead or mea t that is , when they have beentoo long at a slow fi r e andhave in con sequence lost flavour .
T he wood of a t r ee tha t has been a l lowed to l ie too long w iththe bar k on a fter it has been fel led , and ha s been inj u r edther eby ,
’
is ter med “cor ky ”
or dazed. H ence dazed-l i ke,
benumbed -l ike , as fr om cold o r fr ight ; and dazedness
numbness , as fr om cold or exhaustion . Aa’ve a dazedness i
tha t left a i rm . S ee D E AS E D , DEASY , andD OZ Z E N E D .
A dazedlook , such as a per son has when fr ighted.— R ay
'
s Gloss.
A dazed-egg is one in wh ich the young has g r own much , but is found
to be deadat the time of hatch ing — Hodgson M 5
DE , do . Befor e a vowel de becomes div. H oodiv aa knaa
To de wor tu r n ” mean s having enough to l i ve upon . S ee
D E E .
Thou hes a W itching way 0'myekin me de what thou wi l l .
”— Pitman ’
s
Pay , 1 826 , p . 1 3
W e a’
ways hadte de wor tu r n
Andsomething for a time 0’need
T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay , pt . i i i v 1 18 .
DEADS . S ee DEED S .
224. NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
DEAL,DALE , DOLE , to d i v ide. Acr edale-lands a r e
lands d i v ided in acr e st r ips . A dole of land is a p iece of landdea l t or doledout , an a llotmen t or a ppor tionmen t . S ee DYE L .
Fr om thence as heaven water dea ls.-Descr ipti on of a Boundary
Hodgson’
s Nor thumber land, pt . i i i . , 2 , p . 24 .
DEALT-AN’-DEUN , ser ved out andfin i shed .
After a’
was dea lt an‘
du in .
T . W ilson , Pi tman’
s Pay , 1 829 , pt. i i i . , v . 95 .
DEAN , a deep wooded va lley. S ee DEN E .
DEAR KNAAS ! An e xclamat ion equi va len t to “ I do not
know , or“ Nobody knows .” “ H es he been yit
? “ D ear
knaas.
” “ D ear knaus wha t aa’s gan te dee ?
” “ H e’
s been
dear knaas hoo lang away “ Wha t the pol l is wan ti t dea r
knaas.
DEARN , lonely , sol i tar y , fa r fr om neighbou r s . —R ay’
s Gloss.
S ee DARN . (Obs.)
DEAS , DE IS , a stone bench at the door of a cottage , somet imes cover ed with sods . T he deis was “ the pr incipa l tablein a ha l l , o r the r ai sed pa r t of the floo r on wh ich it wasplaced . Also , the pr incipa l sea t at th i s tab le . Ther e we r esomet imes mo r e than the one , the high deis be ing the p r incipa ldeis in a r oya l ha l l . (H alliwell
’
s D iet.) M r . Wedgwoodshows i ts der iva t ion fr om F r ench dais or daiz, a cloth of
esta te , candpy— old F r ench dais, deis, a table , fr om discus.
T he n ame was then t r an sfer r ed to the r a ised step on wh ichthe high table was placed , o r the canopy over it . In Ra ine 'sH i story of N or th D u r ham,
in an inven tor y of goods in the
Far en I slands in 1436 , ther e is an en t r y of a“ P iece of
b lood -colou r ed tapest r y for the desse.
”S ee DE S S .
D E AS E D , wan t ing the l ife p r inciple , as a d r ied up plan t , orwood tha t has lost its sap. W hen b r ead has been baked ina slow oven andnot tho r ough ly soaked ,
”it i s sa id to be deased.
Wood beginn ing to r ot is deased. A man in a“
deasedcond it ionis one utter ly d isp i r i ted and dep r essed . S ee DAZE and
D OZ Z E N E D .
DEASY,dull
,spi r i tless , dep r essed . As appl ied to the weather ,
a deasy day i s a dul l , damp , cheer less day.
DEAVE , to deafen , t o stupefy wi th noise .
W i ' thor hai r r eet on end, andthor blud l ike to fr eeze ,M yest deavedwi
'
g r eet yel ls they dr oppeddoon on thor knees .
R Emer y, Ca rds andCr eam House Ghost.Allan
’
s Col lection , p . 295 .
226 NORTH U MB ERLAN D W ORD S .
DEED,dea th ’
. T he u se is common in such exp r essions as
Tewed to deed,”
P la id to deed,” Done to deed,
” “Wor kedto deed,
”D eed th r aw — dea th th r oe .
Al le maner e of ioyes er in that stede ,
Tha r e es ay lyfe withou ten dede.
"
Hampole , d. 1 349 , Pr icke of Conscience.
M or r i s , l ine
DEED,stagnan t . An unven ti la ted place in a pit i s sa id to be
deed.
DEED,indeed . D eed
,wi l l aa not ! “ Indeed , I wi ll not !
Geud deed!” occur s as an exclama t ion in a 7oco-S er ious
D iscour se, 1 686 , by G . Stua r t . D eed i s used so empha tica l lyas to exp r ess mor e than a mer e shor ten ing of indeed. I ti s p r obably an abb r evia t ion of geuddeed.
”
DEED -HOOSE , a mor tuar y house.
DEED -KNOCK , a supposed wa r n ing of death , a myster iousnoise.
—H all iwel l’
s D iet.
D E E D LY , deadly .
H e tr iedto shun the deedly b last .
T .W i lson ,Pitman ’
s Pay , 1 827 , pt i i . , v . 53 .
D E E D L Y -E BADE , a blood feud .
I f the (T ynedale or R edesdale) theaf be of any gr eat su r name or
kyndr ed, and be lawfu l ly execu ted by order o f ju stice , the r est of h is
kynne o r su r name bear e as much mal l ice,wh ich they ca l l deadly fedde,
aga inst such as fol lowe the lawe aga inst thei r cossen the theaf, as though
he had un lawfu l ly kyl ledbym wi th a sword, andW i ll by a ll means theycan saeko r evenge ther e uppon .
— S i r R ober t Bowes’
s R epor t, 1 55 1 .
I f any two be displeased, they expect no law , bu t bang it ou t b r avely,
one and h is kindr edagainst the other and h is Th is fighting they ca l l
thei r feides or deadly feides.
”— G r ay, Chor og r aphia , 1649.
DEED -M AN , a dead man . I t is r emar kab le tha t so manya t t r ibutes of the dead ar e r epea ted in the loca l commonn ames of p lan t s .
DEED -M AN ’S BELLOWS , the r ed r a ttle , Pedicular is palustr is.A lso the cr eeping bugle , Ajuga r eptans.
DEED -M EN ’S BELLS, the pur ple foxglove , D ig italispurpu r ea .
DEED -M AN ’S BONES, the gr ea t star wor t , S tellar ia holostea .
DEED -M EN ’S FING -ERS , the ma r sh or ch is , Or chis latifolia .
Ca l led a lso D ei’
l’
s foot, Adam and E ve, Cain and Abel , andcock
’
s kames.
NORTH U MBERLAN D W O RD S . 227
DEED -MAN ’S GR I EF , the S i lene mar itima .
DEED -MAN ’ S H AND , the spot ted or ch i s , Or chis maculata .
Known also as hen ’
s kames andadder g r ass.
DEED -M AN ’S TH UMB ,the ear ly o r chis , Or chis mascula (or
Aa r on’
s beard) .
DEED -M AN ’S OATM EAL , the seeds of hem lock , Conium
maculatum. Ca l led also bad-man’
s oatmeal .
DEED -N IP , a bluemar k on the body , ascr ibed to necr omancy .
B r ockett. (Obs. )
DEED -P IG . A deed-pig'
signifies tha t i t is all over wi thanything . N OO, noo , canny judge , play the r eet cai r d , andit
’
s a deed-pig — sa id by a mayor of N ewcast le when p layingwhi st wi th J udge Buller .
DEEDS , DEADS , the sma ll ston es , spoi l , or r efuse fr om a
quar r y , or an exca va t ion . Compar e R E D .
T he heaps of deeds , or ear th dug fr om the di tch of the mur us.
Hodgson’
s Nor thumber land, i i i 2 , p . 282 .
N o . 1 P it for the dr awing of the deads fr om the I r on M ines
Bor ings andS in kings , A .B . , p . 84 .
DEED -S M AAL , the finest coal dust .
DEED -SWEERS , ve r y lazy , ver y unwi lling — B r ockett, 3 rd. ed.
DEED -T H R AA , death th r oe , the pangs of death . See DEED .
A man , when he fi r st bor ne es ,Bygynnes towarde the dede to dr awe ,And feles her e many a dede thr aw.
Als ser e yvels andanger s when tha i byfal le ,
That men may the dede thr aws calls .
Hampole , d. 1 349 , Pr icke of Conscience.M or r i s, l ine , 2097 .
DEEP , deaf.
DEEP , ba r r en , useless , decayed . A deef nu t is a nu t with an
empty or decayed ker nel .
T wou’
dvex a man to th' ver y Guts ,
T o si t seaven year cr acking deaf Nu ts .
G . S tuar t , 7oco-S er i’
ous Discour se, 1686 p . 42
B eef ea r th , ba r r en soil . D eef cor n , bla sted com . A deef pap isthe tea t of a cow tha t does not r ender m ilk .
228 NORTH UM BERLAN D WORD S .
D E E F -STENT , D E F E -STENT , a paymen t of money to a
hind in l ieu of cowgr a ss . H inds wer e somet imes pa id inkind by fa r m p r oduce . In this was included the pa stu r ageof a cow, bu t for the per iod in wh ich the cow gave no mi lk ,
befor e the t ime of ca lving , a money equiva len t was paidcalled the deef-stent. Thi s was often as much as f 3 , andi t was the on ly ca sh paymen t r eceived for wages
, except the“ bondager ’ s ” wage , wh ich was gener ally 1 od . per day in
ha r vest t ime .
B EEFY , an empty th ing , as a nu t wi thout a ker nel— hence awor thless thing with an outwar dly good appear ance . A deafper son .
DEEP -S ITTEN , eggs in which the young bi r ds ar e a lmostr eady to ha tch out . S he hes fower eggs deep -sitten.
DEER ’S -H AIR , the tufted sci r pus , or scaley sta lked clubmoss ,S ci rpus ccespitosus.
DEER-STREET , DEOR-STREET , the name given to a
Roman r oad at West Glan ton . I t is also the ancien t namein the coun ty of Dur ham .
DEET , to set in or der , to t idy , t o clean . S ee D IGH ’ I‘ .
DEETH -H EARSE , dea th -hear se ; when thedeath-hear se, d r awnby head less hor ses , and d r i ven by a headless d r iver , i s seenabout m idn ight pr oceeding r ap idly , bu t wi thout noise , t owar dsthe chur chyar d , the dea th of some con sider able per son in thepar i sh is sur e to happen at no d istan t per iod .
— S . O l iver ,R ambles in N or thumber land, 1 835 , p . 96 .
D E G , to d r izzle . S ee D AG.
D E H YIM , D E E YE M ,a dame , a ma tr on . S ee D E YE M .
DEIL,DEEL , D E E VIL , or D IVI L . Th is wor d plays an
impor tan t par t in the str ange oaths ” for mer ly p r evalen t .I t was used as an exp r ession of impa tience or con tempt inman ifold comb inat ion , such as D eel tyek ye D eel smash
ye D eel b r ust ye D eel stop oot thee een Ande venin such r ema r kable invoca t ion s as D eel fetch ’t “ D eel
scar t yor nether par t D eel r ive ma sa r k
DEIL ’S-BARN IN -NEEDLE, Venus
’ s comb ,or Shepher d ’ s
needle , S candiz pecten-vener is. Called a lso wi tch’s needle and
Adam’
s needle.
I have r ecently heard i t cal led elshins, t.e. awls ; and the dei l’s
elshin.— James Hardy, E wks. N at. Club, vol . vi ., 1 869 -
72 , p . 159 .
230 NORT H UMBERLAND W ORD S .
D E PLOID , a cloak . (Obs.)T o Launcelot M etcal fe , a deploid and 5 5 . in si lver — W i ll of Wm
Bone , 1 501 .— R ichardW el ford,
H ist. of Newcastle in X VI . Cent. , p 3 .
D E PP ITY , DEPUTY
T he man who lays the plates and sets the timber for the hewer s ,andhas cha r ge of a di str ict of the mine —M i n i ng Gloss. Newcastle Terms ,1 852
T he deputies go to wor k an hou r befor e the hewer s Their wor kconsists of suppor ting the r oof with pr ops of wood, r emovmg p r ops fr omold wor kings , chang i ng the a i r cu r r en ts when n ecessa r y, and clear ingaway any sudden er uption o f gas or fal l of stone that m ight impede thewor k of the hewer .
— D r R . W i lson , Coa l M i ner s of Dur ham and
Nor thumber land.— Tr ans. of Tyneside Natur al ists
’ C lub, vol . v i . , p . 203
On descending to wor k , each hewer p r oceeds ‘ in by,
’
to a p laceappointed, to meet the deputy . T he deputy exami nes each man
’
s lamp ,and i f found safe , r etu r ns i t locked to the owner . Each man then
finding fr om the deputy that h is place i s r igh t, p r oceeds onwards to hiskyevel .
—The same, p . 204 .
Aw gat , at fu r st, a sh i fter'
s place ,
And then a deputy was myed.
"
T . W i lson , Pi tman '
s Pay , 1 829 , pt. i i i . , v . 99
DERN,di sma l , d r ea r y . S ee DARN .
D E S AR VE , to deser ve .
DESS,DESSE , to lay close together , to desse wool , st r aw , &c.
R ay’
s Gloss. ,1 69 1 .
DESS,tha t por tion of a haystack which is in p r ocess of being
cu t and used as r equ i r ed .
“ A dess of hay.
”In a r ound
stack the cen t r e , left a fter it had been dessed, was ca lled a
gowk .
Ling , di es, hassocks , flaggs , str aw ,sedge , &c.
— Har r ison ’
s Eng land,1 577
DESS,a step o r r a ised p lace , a bench . S ee DEAS .
D E U L L ,DOLE
,DOOL , gr ief, woe .
T he sor ow anddu le tha t tha i sal make .- Hampo le , d 1 349 , Pr icke of
Consci ence.
D E U L FOW , doleful .W hat gar r
’
s the a deulfow fo’ke compla in ? —G . S tua r t , 70co-S er ious
D i scour se, 1686 , p . 62 .
D E U M S , ver y , uncommon ly .
“ D eu i i i s slaw , o r“ dr y,
.
Or anyothe r act ion tha t r equ ir es deums to g i ve i t gr ea t effect , i s ver ycommon ly used .
NORTH UMB ERLAN D WORDS . 23 1
DEUN -OWER , over done wi th exer tion .
When wheit dyun ower the fiddler s wen t
J . S elki r k ,S walwel l Hopping .
Then Geordy didcaper ti ll myestly deun ower
S ong , Newcastle Wonder s.
D E VAL D , to cea se .
I t'
s r ainedthe byel day an'
ne’
er devalded —R othbury.
DEVEL ,to bea t , to maul . “ H e
’
s getten hi ssel sa i r develled.
I t is mo r e appl icable to a per son who ha s come out inju r ed ina mele
’
e, than to one who ha s been bea ten in a per sona lencoun ter .
D E VE S H E R , a hea vy fa ll , a cr ash . Th i s wor d occu r s in the
song of The M i sfor tunes of R oger andhis Wife. T he wife fell adevesher again st the pump— tha t is , fel l wi th a cr a sh ing b low.
DEV IL ’S CAUSEY,a b r a nch fr om the Roman way— Wa t ling
St r eet— wh ich goes off at Bewclay in a no r th -ea ster n d ir ect ion ,
cr ossing the Tweed about a m i le no r th of West O rd. I t isa lso ca lled Cobb’
s causey .
DEV IL ’S GUTS , the cr eeping r anunculus , R anunculus r epens.A lso the field convolvulus , Convolvulus ar vensis.
D E YE M , D YE M a dame ,a mat r on . The aad dyem
sat a side the fi r e.
DEY-NETTLE , the hedge syl vatica , S tachys sylvatica . Thi s isqui te d istinct fr om the dae-nettle.
D E YU K , DYUK Duke .
“ The D yuk 0’ Newcastle .
T he B eyuk 0’ N or thumber land .
D E YU K , DYUK [T .] a duck .
“ Pa ide John Belman for ca r ying a fla le to avoyd dukes ou t of thestr eet , 6d — Newcastle M uni cipa l Accounts , 1 594 .
DEYUN , DEUN , or DYUN done . D E YU N’
D ,done
i t. S ee DEU N -OW ER .
D H AE L , a funer a l . (Obs.) Compa r e D E U LL .
They spak O’
the g r eat S wi r e'
s deeth— andthe numbe r oh fwoak thatwen t to h is dhael . —Thomas Bewick , T he Upgetti ng , ed. 1 850,
p . 1 3
S he spack a dea l abou t the deeth of the swi r e andh is dhael . H ismu ther g r at mai r at the dhael than ony body that was ther e .
—The same,p . 14 .
23 2 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
D IAL ING , surveying T r adeGloss. , 1 888 .
D IBBOAR D , the dip or inclination of a seam of coa l . S eeD I PPER .
D I CKY , the head . Aa’
l l naap your dicky“ I
’
l l thumpyou r head .
”D icky, a louse .
D I CKY .
“ I t ’s a a ll dicky t” “ I t ’ s aa l dicky win him mean s i t
i s a ll over wi th a per son , or he i s completely r uined . Up todick, on the other hand , mean s absolutely per fect , ei ther ind r ess or in the per for mance of a thing . H e had on his
Sunday claes , an’
wis up to dick , a a can tel l ye !“ T he
d inner wa s up to dick , noo
D I CKY -B IRD , a sma ll b i r d . T he term is always appliedendear ingly. T he D icky
-Bi rd Society , a society of youngpeople , founded in connection w i th the N ewcastle WeeklyChr onicle, by M r . W . E . Adams . T he member s a r e p ledgedto be kind to a ll l i v ing things
,to p r otect them to the utmost
of thei r power , to feed the bi r ds in the win ter t ime , andnevertake or dest r oy a nest .
D I ’D , do i t. Aa wis a fyu l to di’d.
”Aa d idn ’
di’
d,did
a a ? I d idn ’ t do it , did I
D IDDER , to qui ver wi th cold .—R ay
’
s Gloss.
“ To dodder ,adds the R ev . J . H odgson . S ee DOTHER .
T o sh iver , to tr emble.— Ha l l iwel l ’s D i et.
D IDDER , a confused noi se or bother .— B r oekett, 3 rd ed.
(Scar ce .)D IE -SAND . S ee D YE - S AN D .
D IF F ICU L T E R , the compar ative of difi cult— mo r e difficult .T he quan ti ty is la id on the second syl lable in difiicult,difiiculties , anddefi culter .
D IG H T , DEET , D ITE , to make r eady,to p r epa r e . In ear ly
w r i ter s i t is used as a pa st pa r t . in the sen se of pr epa r ed .
Thus it i s appl ied to a har d -boi led egg :“an egge ha r d dight.
(H ampole , d . 1 349 , P r icke of Conscience.-M or r i s
, l in eAnd
,i n the same wr i ter
,
“ T he k ingdom tha t is p r epa r edfo r you ”
is r ender ed “ T he kyngdom tha t ti l yhow es dight.
(The same, l ine In th is poem i t a lso mean s decked :and the r ighteous in hea ven s i t in glo r y “
r ychely dight.
(Lin e So,too
,in Chaucer
E r i t wa s day, as sche was won t to do ,
S che was a r i sen , anda l r edy dightF or M aywi l l have no sloggardyea n ight .
Kn ighte'
s Tale, l 1ne
234 NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S .
water , as in meadows or sowb r ows , ar e not above ha lf a yardin heightToml inson , quoted in R ay
’
s Gloss R ay adds A sough i s a subter r anean
vau lt or channel , cu t th r ough a hi ll , to lay coal mines or any other m ines
dr y.
D ikes wer e a lso fr equen tly t r ackways ; and ther e a r e manyea r thwor ks of ancien t da te wh ich a r e common ly ca lled dikes.One such is known as the B lack-dyke,
” wh ich is sa id toextend fr om the head of No r th Tyne to the sea s ide ea st ofM or peth . Anothe r , “ B lack-dyke,
”r an n or th and south ,
cr ossing the Roman Wa ll at Busy Gap. Ther e a r e a lsose ver a l G r ime
’ s dikes, or G r aham ’ s dikes, on the Bo r der s .
T he en t r enchmen ts wh ich sur r ounded the wa l ls of Newcastlewer e former ly called T he K ing ’ s D yke.
”
D I KE . A depot for coa ls at the sta ith was ca lled a dike. I tmean s a jet ty or pier by the r i ver side .
Ever y time the keelmen loada keel of coals fr om the sta i th , or dyke,they get a can — Nor ther n Tr ibune, 1 854 , vol i p . 2 10.
A pier , or dike, r un ou t a t the nor th entr ance at Blyth har bou r .
M acken z ie , H i st. of Nor thumber land, vol . ij 1825 , p . 425 .
D I KE , a fault in a st r atum , caused by a cr ack , a sl ip , or by thein t r usion of an igneou s r ock , fam i l ia r ly known to the pi tmana s a
“ t r ouble .
” “ T he N inety Fa thom D ike,” wh ich passes
seawa r d a t Culler coa t s , is a fam i lia r in stance of a dike on a
colossal scale. Her e a“ sl ip ”
of five hund r ed feet b r ings themagnesian l imestone down aga inst a face of ear lier st r a ta andp r esen t s the disloca tion known as a dike. When basa l t isin t r uded , as at Tynemouth Pier , it is ca l led a whin dike. Astone dike in a pit is an ancien t “ wash ” wh ich has fi l ledup a va l ley , cutt ing th r ough the denuded seam of coa l , “ in
ca r bon i fer ous t imes , befor e or du r ing the deposition of theover lying beds .” (P r ofessor Lebour , M .A. , Geology ofN or thumber landandD ur ham, 2nded. , 1 886 , p . C lay dikes ar e mostfr equen t , andar e often impe rmeable to wa ter . Rubbish dikesa r e fi lled wi th sand , clay , and r ounded stones . S lip dikesusual ly con ta in fr agmen t s of the adj acen t st r a ta . W henthe d ike in ter r upt s the wo r king of a seam of coa l it is ca lleda downca st dike i f the con t inua tion of the seam of coa l l iesa t a lower level , and an upca st dike if it is con t inued at a
higher level . Doon - th r aa ,
”and “
up-thr aa a r e terms for
the same . Compar e H ITCH .
D IKE -L OU P E R S , t r an sg r esso r s .— B r ockett, 3 rded.
D IKER , a hedger or d i tcher ; a hedge e spa r r ow.
NORTH UM B ERLAN D W ORD S . 235
D IKE SEAM , DYKE-SEAM , a seam wor ked near ly on end.
H ugh M i lle r , Geology of Otter bur n andE lsdon.—Geolog ical S u r vey
M emoi r,1 887 , p . 59 .
D IKE -STOWER, a hedge-stake . S ee D I KE , 1 .
D ILCE,DULSE
, a seaweed , R hodomenia palmata .
D ILL , to dull (H odgson to soothe , to blun t , to s ilencepa in or sound .
D ILLER . T he ph r a se “ A diller , a doller , a ten o ’clockschola r ”
i s applied to a du ll , d i la to r y schoolboy , cr eep ing ,l ike snai l , unwil l ingly to school .
”
D ILLY . T he oldengine on theWylam r ai lway was common lyca lled “ P uffing B i l ly , o r
“ the Wylam di lly .
”D i lly ,
saysM r . H a lliwe ll , is a sma l l public ca r r iage , co r r upted fr omF r ench di ligence. T he coun ter ba lance moun ted upon twopa i r s of tr amwheels , by mean s of wh ich the empty tubs in a
pi t a r e car r ied up an incline , is ca l led a dil ly.
B INDOM , a gr ea t noi se or up r oar . S ee D U R D OM .
D ING , to st r ike , to bang , to knock wi th violence. Pas t ten sedang ; pa st pa r ticip le , dungen o r dung .
Thu s sal le thai dyng on tham ever ma r e ,
W i th g r et glowandhamer s , and nane spar e .
Hampole d. i 34g , Pr icke of Conscience.M or r is , l ine
H e hadThat tha i su ld tak kobi l le (cobb le) stanes ,Anddi ng h is teth ou t a l at anes ;Andwhen tha i wi th the stanes h im dang ,
H e stode ay lagh andthem omang .
"
The same.— M or r is, p . 288 .
T he wor d is fr equen tly used in the d ia lect in the compoundform ,
a s ding-doon and ding -ower . Stand oot o ’
the r oad o raa
’
l l di ng ye ower — knock you over . To ding a lso means todea fen , to r epea t no is ily ‘
S o , if ye please , aw‘
l l myek an end,
M y song me far ther di ng i n .
R . G i lch r ist, B l indWi ll ie S ing ing , 1 824 .
D ING ,used for damn .
D INGLY , deep ou t l ike a r a v i ne .
T he steep , wild, andwoody bank of S tonecr oft bu r n which jo ins thedi ng ly channel of the br ook.
”— Hodgson , H ist. of Nor thumber land, i i i 2 ,
P! 393
236 NORTH UMBERLAND WORD S .
D IN M ONT , D IN M ON D , a ten mon th . A lamb is called ahog in autumn , andafter the fi r st shear ing of the new yea r a
dinmont i f i t is a male sheep , anda gimmer i f it i s an ewe.
M ale Sheep fr om the t ime of wean ing to the fi r st time of cl ipping ar ecal ledhogs , hogger els , or lamb -hogs ; then they take the name of shea r ing ,
shear l ing , shear —hog , or di nmohd-tups or r ams .
"— Geor ge Cu l ley, L i veS tock , 1 801 , p . 1 8 .
D INNA , D INNET , D IVE NT , do not. Al l these wor ds a r eused wi th the same mean ing , bu t euphony suggests thei rselect ion . Thi s is an example of the r ichness of the dia lectwh ich may well be noted
Aw dinna mean te b r ag 0’
this .
T . W i lson Pi tman ’
s Pay , pt. v. 198.
D inna let it gan , M r . M ayor .
Q uayside D itty , 18 16 .
O , dinnet clash the door .
D i vent dee’
dme ma i r .
"
D INN E L , t o t ingle , as fr om a blow , or in the r etu r n of
ci r cu lat ion after in tense cold . Aa fel t me fing-er ends
dinnel agyen .
”
DINNY , d ingy , dun colou r ed . S ee D UNNY .
We tr eadaw S heels , se dinny .
T . Thompson , (1. 1 8 16 , jemmyyoneson'
s Wher ry.
DINT , as much l and as ther e is mown in one di r ect ion at a
shar pening of the scythe .
D IP , deep .
S he’
s as dipas the deevi l , or ony dr aw-well .
J . P . R obson , Wonderful Wife.
Ba rds of the Tyne, 1 849 , p. 107 .
D IP , the downward incl ina tion of st r a ta .
Ther e is a R ise , or Ascent , for a Col l ier y unde r G r ound, andso byConsequence the contr ar y way a D ipor S ettl ing .
" —J . C Compleat Col l ier ,1 708 , p . 40.
D IP -H ITCH , a hi tch , or slip , in a bed of coa l which cast sdown the seam below the le vel a t wh ich the h i tch is found .
Gr eenwell . I t is a lso ca l led a doon-thr aa , or doon -cast, or dipper .
D IPN E S S ,depth .
“ T he well ’ s nee dipness.
D IPPER , or DOWNCAST ,a faul t in st r a ta by wh ich the
coal is th r own down to a lower level .
2 38 NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S .
D IRT -B IRD , the skua gul l . Sever al species of small bi r dsa r e con founded under the not over -complimen ta r y t i t le of
di r t-bi rds, because they Sing on the app r oach of r a in .
W . B r ockie , L egends and S uper sti tions , p . 1 36 . M r . B r ockiemen tion s the woodpecker , the p lover , and the peacock as
r a in b i r ds . Bu t in the ca se of the skua the ter m dir t-bi rd isappl ied to it for an obvious andver y d iffer en t r eason .
D I S,DIZ
,dost , or does . D is thoo hea r me ? H e di
'
z
nowt aa ll day.
”
D I SANNUL,to inj ur e , to incommode , t o con t r ad ict , t o
con t r over t , to di spossess , to r emove .— H alliwell
’
s D iet. T he
word is st i ll in common u se .
I never disannu lledthy cow.— B r ockett
D I SGEST ,to d igest . “ H e hes a bad disgestin . I t is st i ll
common in No r thumber land .
This is a ver y common form of the word in ear ly wr iter s
H a ll iwell’
s D iet.
D I SH ,the length or por t ion of an under gr ound engine plane
nea r est to the pit bottom , upon wh ich the empty set standsbefor e being d r awn in -bye .
”
D IS H ALAG IE , or D I S H YL AG I E , the col t ’ s foot , or foal ’ sfoot , as i t is
’
often ca l led . Tussi lago farfar a , L inn. Ami spr onuncia t ion of the La t in name appa r en tly .
D I S H CLOOT , di shcloth .
For dishcloot ser ves her apr on .nu ik .
T . W i lson , Pi tman’
s Pay ,1 826 , p . 1 1 .
D I S H E AR K E N , to di shear ten .
D I SH ED , fuddled , over come wi th fa t igue or d r ink .
Her e D icky’
s tongue wadde ne ma ir ,H is wig was oi l
’
dcompletelyAndever ydr ou thy cr oney ther e
Was di sh'
danddu in up neatly.
T . W i lson , Oi l i n’o
' D icky'
s Wig , 1 826 , v . 68 .
D ISH ER ,a tur ner of wooden bowls or d ishes . Wi th in the
memor y of some st i ll l iving ( 1 886 ) ther e was a disher wor kingat M i tfor d . (Obs .)
D I SH -FYE CE D , hol low-faced .
NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORD S . 2 39
D I SH -PLATES , in m in ing , p la tes or r a i ls d ished to r ecei vethe fo r e wheels of a tub , to faci l ita te the teem ing — W . E .
N icholson , Coa l T r ade Gloss. , 1 888 .
B I SH T , or D E E S H T [S .] j ust tha t .
D I S N’
T , D IZ N’
T ,does not . “ H e disn
’
t knaa nowt .
D I S POR S E , to d i sbu r se ; D I S POR S E M E N T , d isbur semen t .
D ISTA , dost thou . A common col loquia l ism , as“ D ista ken
the heed o ’
the Side ? H esta , hast thou ; wasta , wer t thouista
,a r t thou ; cansta , canst thou , &c. , ar e ex amples of sim i la r
cont r actions .
D IT AR M IN , to deter mine . Aa wis ditarmin’
d to di ’d.
DITE , to sp r inkle flour .
S he for gat to el i te the g i rdle , an’
ther e’
s the kyek sittin’
on .
J . L . L uckley , Alnwick Language.
D ITH ER , to shake , to ti ngle . M a fing’
r s is dither in wi'
the
caad. S ee D i D D E R andDOTHER.
D ITH ERY -DOTH ER , the gr ass B r iza M edia . Known also asdother in dicks , ladies
’
hands, cow quakes, andquakin or tr emlin g r ass.
D IT ING , a ver y sma ll quan ti ty of meal or flou r .— B r ockett, 3 rd
ed. P r obab ly fr om the sweep ing up of flour on the boar da fter i t had been used ; the dighting .
“ Tho r wis oney a b it
deetin on’t S ee D IGHT .
D IT T E N , D ITTANY, b r oad -leaved pepper wor t , L epidiumlatifolium,
L .
Ther e is an her be wh iche ha th leaves l ike ashe leaves , ca lldD i'
ttea .
I have fou nd i t at Tinmou th Castle , wher e plentie doe g r owe upon ther ockes .
— D r . Wm Bu l lein , Book of S imples , London , 1 564 .- Q uoted i n
S . Ol iver ’
s R ambles i n Nor thumber land, 1 835 , p . 29 .
N ow destr oyed at Tynemou th — A N ew Flor a of Nor thumber landandDur ham— Natur a l H i story Tr ansactions , vol . i i 1 867 , p . 1 24 .
D IV ,do . Thi s for m is used when the wo r d p r ecedes a vowel
or an h mute : befor e a con sonan t , de is used .
“ D iv aa not
de’
d ivvor y day ?” “ Aw waddiv owt aa could .
T hor’
ll be a most wonder fu l change i f we di v.
” — R . El l iott , Pitman ’
s
Q uar r el .
D IVAA ,do I or I do . “ D
’
ye hea r us ? Aye , divaa .
240 NORTH UM B ERLAND W ORD S .
D IVAR T , to amuse . A per son is a lways said “ to be divar ted,never “ to be amused . D ivar sion , amu semen t .
D IVE N T , D IV’
N T , do not. S ee a lso D INNA , D I NN ET .
D IV IL , devi l . S ee DE I L .
D IVOT,tu r f ; a sod . S ee D U FF IT .
Jack Peel was a pitman , anda lso a theaker , a bu siness of some note
when the cottages on the Fel l wer e a l l cover edwi th di vots.
" —T . W i lson ,
Note to Pi tman ’
s Pay , ed. 1 843 .
DIVUS , shy , r eti r ing , moody , melancholy. She ’s a va r r ydivus bai r n .
”
D IZ , does . S ee D I S N’T .
D IZEN , to d r ess , to bed izen . D izen’
dd r essed .
D aydissens the skies .— J . P . R obson , TiptopWife, 1 870.
D OAG dog.
DOBBY ,a fool , a simpleton a si lly oldmam— R ay.
D OB -CH I CK , the l i t t le gr ebe , the sma l lest b i r d of the gr ebet r ibe. I t is cal led dob, or dab-chick, fr om its habi t of con stan tly“ dabb ing ”
or bobb ing unde r water .— Wedgwood. I t is a lso
ca l led doucher , dipper , or didapper . In N ar es’
Gloss. a lso dive
D OCKAN , or DOCKEN , the plan t R uniex obtusifolius, or the
R umex Cr ispus. T he seed ing stems a r e ca lled Cushy-coosby chi ld r en , who st r ip off the r ipe seeds in im i ta t ion of the
m i lking Of a cow. T he leaves a r e accoun ted an an tidote forthe p r icking of a st ingi ng net tle . Chi ldr en r ub the sting wi tha docken leaf, r epea t ing the wor ds , “ Net tle oot ; docken in .
S oor -docken is the R umex acteosa . T he flowery -docken i s the
Chenopodiuin bonus H enr icas.
DOCTOR, a hymenopter ous in sect tha t em i t s a dar k b r own
fluid fr om i ts mouth when caught . Thi s fluid is supposed bychi ld r en to hea l sor es .
DOD,to lop, to cu t off. Specia lly applied to the t r imm ing of
wool fr om the h ind pa r t s of a sheep .
DOD ! an exclama tion of wonder .
“ D od! but yor a queerfel low !”
242 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
Terms, 1 8 T he na i l s w ith a hooked head used for holdingdown t r am r a il s . S ee B IT CH H AI L . D og , used in t imber wo r k,i s an i r on bol t
,made up to about a foot in length , w i th i r on
poin ted ends . These ends a r e ben t at r ight angles to thebol t , anda r e d r iven in to the t imber wh ich they a r e r equi r edto hold together .
A wooden u tensi l in the r ude form of a dog , with i r on teeth for
toasting b r ead.
" —B r ockett.C lamps— i r ons at the ends of fi r es , to keep up the fewel . In other
places cal ledcr eeper s , or dogs.
”— R ay’
s Gloss 1 691 .
D OG-CRAB , the shor e cr ab .
D OG -DA ISY , the ox eye da isy .— Chrysanthemun leueantheni um.
D OG -H EAD , the hammer of a gu n lock .
D OG -H I PS , the fr ui t of the dog r ose , &c.— R osa eanina , &c.
D og-hips and cat-haws a r e commonly associa ted by ch i ld r en .
Cat-hows a r e hawtho r n ber r ies .
D OG -LOUP , a na r r ow Sl ip of gr ound between two houses ,on ly w ide enough for a dog to pass . “ D og
- loup Sta i r s , a
st r eet n ame in Newcastle .
T he nar r ow space a llowed for eaves dr oppings , between hou ses , isknown as a
‘dog-loup
’
(dog leap or j ump) . — John Nicholson , Folk-Speechof East Yor kshi r e, 1 889 , p . 5 .
DOGS . the dog e fish . [H oly I sland]
D OG -SH ORES , in ship launch ing , a r e the last shor es to beknocked away . They hold back the vessel on the ways .
B O ITER , to be si l ly , l ike an oldman . H e doiter edon aboot it .
D OIT E R E D , imbecile , si lly .“Yor like a doiter edaad fule.
DOLE , a dole of land is a st r ip deal t out or a llot ted , or a st r ipof pastu r e left between fur r ows of ploughed lands . S ee
DEAL .
D OL L U P , a lump or la r ge piece . T he byel dollup.
DOLLY , a clothes washing stick , made with feet , bu t otherwisel ike a poss -st ick.
DOLLY , a con t r ivance a t tached to a cha inmaker’
s an v i l forp r essing the l ink after i t is welded . A mach ine for punch ingi r on
A punching dolley , 16hcwts.—~ Inventory of WallsendColl i ery , 1 848 .
NORTH UM BERLAND W ORD S . 243
DOLPH IN , a moo r ing post in a r iver .
DON,in p lace-names , a h i ll ; sometimes den , as Wa rden-law,
wher e law has been added pleonast ica l ly . D on occur s upwa r dsof fifty
-seven t imes in N or thumber land place-names .
DON , to put on , or do on . D onned, d r essed . S ee DOFF.
S he’
s r eady donned, l ike W i lly H o'
s (Hal l’
s) dog .— OldS aying .
D ONCH , fa st id ious , over -n ice , squeam ish , especia l ly applied toone who has been d r unk over n ight .— H alliwell
’
s D iet. S ee
DENCH .
DONCY , DONSY , fat , puffed up,impor tant , un lucky (Sca r ce .)
That donsie laddie , Bi ll ie Br own .
Poems, F . Donaldson , G lanton . p . 4 .
DONK , dank , moist , hum id .
D O N K I N D A L E DANK -IN -DALE , DUNCAN -DYEL ,
hum id i ty r ising in the even ing in the hol low pa r ts of
meadows . A r aw m ist on the wa ter . I t is di fficult to exp lainth is peculia r wo r d ; bu t a key to i ts mean ing is poss ibly foundin “ down come ,
”a ver y
'
common expr ession for a sudden fa llof r a in . D yel i s to div ide , to par t asunder , j ust as a suddenfog would shut out the v iew
S wa sodan ly he sal doun come.—Hampole , d. 1 349 , Pr icke of Conscience,
l ine
DONNAT , D ON N IT , D ON OT , DONN ERT , DONNERD ,
a wi ld , pur poseless , wan ton one . D onnat (dow naught) , tha tis , th r ive not. D aw or D ow
,to th r ive .
“ H e nei ther deesnor daws
, tha t is, be nei ther dies nor mends . H e’
l l neverdow
,
” tha t is , he w il l never be good .— R ay
’
s Gloss. , 1 691 . I tis often applied to one wi th wan t of per ception ; natu r a l lystup id . She ’ s a poor
,silly
,donner t body .
”
W or awdist lass , J inny, the slee wi tch in doua i t,H adcoaxedhe r audminn ie te buy her new stays .
W . H . D . , The Pi tman ’
s T i ckor .
Allan'
s Col lecti on , 1 86 3 , p . 352 .
Janet thoo danot, I ’
l l lay my best bonnetThou gets a new gude man afor e it be n ight.
R ober t S u r tees , Death of F eather stonehaugh .
DOO , a l i t tle cake , often made in shape l ike a ch ild .“ A
yu ll doo.
” Cor ney doos. A cr oppy -dow.
DOOK , a ba the .
“ H e ye hada dook yit ?
244 NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S .
DOOK,to cl ip or to duck over head in water , to dive . Al so to
duck the head to a void a m i ssle Compar e JOOK .
Paydfor the doukinge stou l l 1 2s. (ducking stool) .— GatesheadChu r chBooks, 1628
Aw’
ddook her in wor engine powen ,
T . W i lson , Pitman ’
s Pay , 1 826 , pt . i . , v . 64 .
DOOL, a cr amp pin . S ee DOW E LL .
DOOL , DOLE , DEUL , g r ief, woe . Sometimes used as an
in ter jection . S ee D E U L L .
God sh i lde you fr om a ll doole and S hem — W . Bul lein , R edesdale
Beggar . 1 564
O dool ,’
quo he ,‘ how can I thr ive !’
James P r oudlock , Cuddi e andhis Gr awin'H en .
DOON,DOWN , to th r ow down .
“W e down’
dbyeth h im andDavy-o .
J . S elki r k , d. 1 843 , S walwell Hopping .
DOON , down . S ee note on ow, unde r Coo .
H 0 l i zzen , aw ye neighbor s r oun ,
Yor clapper s haudandp ipes lay doonI
'
ve hada swagger th r ough the toon .
W . M idfor d, Pitman’
s R amble, 1 8 1 8 .
DOON -BY , a long , or nea r by. Will ye be doon-by thi neetAa
’
s gaan doon-by .
D OON CAS T , DOWNCAST , in a downwa r d di r ect ion .
W . E. N icholson , Coal T r ade Gloss.,1 888 , under downcast.
D OON CAS T , or DOWNCAST SH AFT , the Shaft by wh ichthe a i r en ter s the m ine , as the “ upcast is tha t by wh ichr etu r n a i r i s di schar ged .
D OON CAS T , DOWNCAST , a“ t r ouble , o r dyke , or di s
loca t ion of the st r a ta or“ faul t by wh ich a seam of coa l
and its associa ted beds a r e ca st down t o a lower level . S ee
D IPP ER , DOON -T H R AA ,D IP -H ITCH .
DOON -COM E , DOWNCOM E , a descen t . Gener a lly appl iedto r educed ci r cumstances . H e
’
s had a sai r doon-come, poo rbody .
” A lso a hea vy fa ll of r a in o r snow . I t ’ S sic a doon
come as aa n ivver saa 1’
me l ife .
” T he down p ipe for r ainwater ih a house fr on t .
DOON -DAD, a puff of smoke com ing in to the r oom fr om the
chimney .
246 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
DOOSE , D OVVS E ,to bea t , to slap , to flap. Aa
’
l l doose yor
j acket fo r ye — I wi ll thr ash you soundly . S he gav him a
r eg lu r doosin.
B OOSEY-CAP ,the pun ishmen t inflicted in a boys ’ game ,
wher e the vict im is compelled to r u n the gaun t le t th r ough twor anks , each boy in wh ich stands r eady , cap in hand , to g i vea bat wi th i t as the object of the game r un s pa st .
DOOT , doubtThor ’
s mony a voice that is welcome , nee doot,B ut the bonn iest soondthat aa knaa i s Lowp oot.
’
S ong , Howdon for 7ar r ow.
B OOTIN , doubt ing .
DOR , fea r , numbness as the r esult of t r ep ida t ion . Aw was iva par fit dor a t the t ime — I was in a pe r fect sta te of fear , o rpa r a lyzed wi th fea r .
DOR dar e, a var ian t of dar . Aa dor bet ye owt i t wi l l ,
noo .
D OR D U M , D IRDUM , a g r eat noi se , upr oar . See DI RDUM .
DORG , a day’s wor k . S E E DARG .
DORL , to shake , to v ibr ate. S ee D I RL .
DOR-L INE , the line used for catch ing macke r el .
DORM ANT , the la r ge beam lying acr oss a r oom , a j oi st .H all iwell
’
s D iet.
For r enewing ou r dormand, 205 .— Tr in ity House Accounts , 1 550.
R . W elford, H i st. of Newcastle X VI . Cent p . 273 .
S ometimes calleda sleeper .— Todd.
D OR N E T , da r e not.
“ Aa dor net gan hyem for me l ife — James Ho r sley, Geordy an’
the
S over eign , 1 883 .
D OR S N’
T , da r e not.
Folks dor sei i t say owt tiv him .-E d. Cor van , Fi r e on the Q uay , 1 854 .
DORST , du r st . L et him come to me i f he dor st, noo .
DORT , di r t . H e’
s aal ower muck an’
dor t.
NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORD S . 247
DORTY di r ty , concei ted , con tempt ible . H or , an hor dor typ r ide ! “ She ’ s a dor ty body . Also wet and stor my ,appl ied to the weathe r . I t
’
s a dor ty neet .”
T he hear th is a’
wi'
cinder s str ewn ,
T he floor wi ’ dor ty duds .
”
T . W i lson , The Washing D ay .
B OSOME , hea lthy , wi th p r omi se of imp r ovemen t in it, as a
dosome beast — a bea st l ikely to tu r n out wel l .
DOSSY , dull , not br ight ; applied to seeds . Soft , not cr isp .
B r ockett. Compar e D E AS E D .
DOTH ER , DODDER , D ITH ER , D IDDER , to shake , t oqu ive r , to t r emble wi th age , to shake wi th cold .
Ham’
s mother dother edl ike a duck.
J . P . R obson , d. 1 870, Homlich, Pr i nce 0‘ Denton .
DOTH ER , to clean away the d ir ty wool fr om near the tails ofsheep . S ee D OD
,1,andDODDER , 1 .
D OT H E R IN -D ICKS , common quaking gr a ss , B r iza media .
D OT H E R S , the Spergula ar vensis. Ca lled a lso yawr .
D OT H E R Y , shaky .
“ Aa canna wr i te ; me hand’ s se dothery
th i day.
DOTTLE , the tobacco left at the bottom of a pipe aftersmok ing . In r efil ling a pipe , wher e twi st is smoked , a
common p r actice is to save the dottle andput it on the top ofthe new-filledp ipe Aw l ike a baccy dottle to leet wiv .
DOUBLE -CH UCKERS , two of a kind ; twin s .
DOUBLE -DUTCH , un in tell igi ble ta lk . Ye taakdouble-D utch,coiled agyen the su n —sa id of a ch ild or of any one speakingind istinct ly. Compar e GAL i c.
DOUBLE -H ANDED GEAR , heavy d r i lling tools wh ichr equir e two men to u se them .
—M ining Gloss. N ewcastle Terms,1 852 .
DOUBLER , a pla t ter , a la r ge d i sh , plate , or how] . (Obs .)S ee D U E BL E R .
DOUBLE -TRAM , a t r am in a pit when wor ked by a heed ’ sman and foaleys
—that is, by mor e tha t a single putter .
248 NORTH UM BERLAN D W ORD S .
DOUBLE -WORKING , in a pit , wher e mor e than one man is
put to wor k in any one wor k ing place — M ining Gloss. N ewcastle
Terms, 1 852 .
DOUBTSOME doub tful . S he may pull th r ough ; but aa’s
va r r y dootsome.
D OU F , D OU F E Y , low -sp i r ited . H e wis va r r y doufey . T hela tte r wo r d is sounded as douf-vey . S ee DOW F .
D OU FY , damp , hum id , wet.
DOUP , the buttocks .Yo r canny dowp is fat and r oond.
— R . Nunn , d. 1 85 3 , S andgate Wife'
s
Nur se S ong .
DOUP , to dump , or thump , especia lly on the hinder pa r t .H er e , lads , let
’ s doup him.
”
D OU P IN , a th r a sh ing . Aal l g i’
ye a good doupin .
DOUR,har d , sour -looking . That ’ s a dour lookin ’
chep .
D innet leuk dour i t u s.
J . P . R obson , d. 1 870, S ang 0'
S olomon , oh i . , v . 6
DOUSE -THE -ODD -U N , the game of F r ench tag .
DOVER , the wa te r in which a sa lmon has been boi led , ser vedup as sauce fo r the fish . [Ber wick .]
DOVER ,to go l ight ly to s leep , to fa ll in to a dose.
“ She ’ s j ustdover
’
d,s il ly th ing .
” D inna scr anch on the floo r ; yor fethor’
s
j ust dover ’
i .”
Aa dover edower .
”
DOW,dea r U sed in a ffectiona te add r ess . (Obs .)
M y D ow, quo she , the
’
r e wond'
r ous bonnyM y D ow (quo she) , i t
'
s ver y str ange.
G . S tuar t, f oco-S er i ous D i scour se, 1686 , pp 24 , 26 .
DOW , to be ab le to. (Scar ce .)As mickle as fou r 0
’
thei r’
b r a idbacks dow bear A rmstr ang .
D OVVE L L ,DOO -E L , an i r on or wooden cr amp ing or fa stening
bo lt . T he wooden p in s tha t connect the fel l i es in a ca r twheel a r e ter med , by ca r pen ter s , dooled. D uelledis a lso appl iedto a pin used by cooper s to keep the edges of the staves fr oms tar t ing .
A D oi i l— a na i l shar peneda t each end; a wooden pin or plug to fastenplanks with — H al l iwel l
’
s D i et.
In min ing , an i r on bol t sometimes u sed in pu tting ma in b r attice
together ; a por tion of the bolt being let into the under plank , and the
r ema inder passing in to a hole in the upper p lank .
"- G r eenwel l .
250 NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S .
D OWPY , the youngest ch i ld , the youngest of ai hatching of
bi r ds .A dowpy wife (that is , a lady in the fami ly way) .
J . P . R obson ,
“ Pawnshop i n a B leeze.
Ba rds of the Tyne, 1 849 , p 340.
DOWSE . S ee DOOSE , 2 .
D OWTOR , daughter .
Like a l ily’mang thor ns is maw love amang the dowtor s
J . P . R obson , d. S ang 0’
S olomon , Nor thumber landver sion , ch i i . , v . 2 .
DOXY , a sweethear t , in an innocen t sen se.— H a lliwell .
DOZEN, a galloway
’s load of pollings ofbi r ch andalder,var ying
fr om ten to a hund r ed in number .—Ba i ley ’ s View of Ag r icultur e
in County of D ur ham.
D OZ Z E N E D , w ithout spi r i t or ener gy ; dazed . T he wor dhas much the same mean ing as dazed, which is, benumbed , asfr om cold or fr ight , a condi t ion in wh ich the spi r i t , or l ife , orsap has gone out of a per son or thing . Compa r e DAZE
,
D E AS E D , andDEA S Y .
T he joiner s a ' p in ’
d in w1 dr outh ,
S h r unk up to spelks , anddozzen'
d.
T . W i lson,The Oi l in
’
o' D icky
’
s Wig , 1 826 .
DOZZLE, the tobacco left at the bot tom of a pipe andput on
the top of the ne x t fill . N eebody can smoke twi st withouta dozzle. S ee DOTTLE .
DOZZLE , a pa ste flower on top of a pie cover— the st r awo r n amen t on top of a stack.
DRAA,to wind coal ei ther a long the wor kings or in the Shaft.
A lso to r emove pr ops in a pit.
D r aa me to the shaft , it’
s time to gan hyem.
Old S ong , TheColl i'
er’
s R ant.
D R AAS ,d r awer s . A kist o ’
dr aas — a chest of d r awer s .
DRAA -TO, or D R AW T S , a home in wan t .
M y father , poor man , has l i ttle of th is wor ld’
s gear , bu t h is house is
a kind dr awts for his bai r ns when they stand in need of a home.
”
Hodgson M S .
NORTH UMBERLAND WORD S . 25 1
D R AAIN A JUD , b r ing ing down the face of coal , p r eviouslyset fr ee to fa l l , by wi thd r awing the sp r ags after ki r ving . In
m in ing pa r lance , ‘dr aain a j ud ’a lso mean s the r emova l of
the t imber or p r ops after the coal has been taken away inwha t is ter med a b r oken l ift , and is a danger ous , if not the
most danger ous wo r k tha t a deputy is ca lled upon to do inh is dai ly dut ies in the pit or m ine .
” “ Nor thumb r ian ,
”in
Weekly Chr onicle, Aug . 10, 1889 .
B RAAK , DRAK ,D R AU K [N .] D R OAK [W .
-T .] to satur a te .
Also to absor b any l iquid or dr y i t up wi th a dr y medium .
Pu t a bi t 0’
whiten in on the Oi l an’dr aak
’
t up .
M e heed’
s dr aekt wi’weet .
— J . P . R obson , d. 1 870, S ang of S olomon ,
Nor thumber landver sion , Ch . v . , v . 2 .
A finer kind of bar ley meal , ca l led, by way of distinction ,flou r , is
sometimes dr auked wi th mi lk , and made into th in , cr isp cakes or
biscu its .
”— S . O l i ver , R ambles i n Nor thumber land, 1 835 , p . 1 60.
DRAFT-NET, a salmon net for r iver fish ing . S ee D R I FT
N ET.
DRAG , a r ake for d r awing out li tter fr om ca t tle lair s andotherplaces . S ee HACK .
DRAG , the scen t left by an otter on his t r ack over the land .
DRAG , a sp r ag of wood thrust between the spokes of a wheelto act as a b r ake .
DRAG ,in min ing , the fr ict ion of the a ir on the su r face of the
passages in wh i ch i t t r avels .— W . E . N icholson ,Coal T r ade
Gloss. , 1 888.
DRAK , or DRUCK , drank , thep.t. of dr ink.
DRAP , a d r opW hen Cheviot tap pu ts on his cap,
0’r a in we
’
ll he’
a wee b it dr apNor th Nor thumber landPr over b.
DRAPE , a fa r r ow cow, or cow whose m ilk is d r ied up . D r apesheep , the r efuse sheep of a flock .
— R ay’
s Collection ,1 691 .
(Obs.) S ee E i L D andG E LD .
DRAUGH T ,the wo r st sheep “ d r awn , o r culled out fr om a
flock.
“ D r aught ewes . In par t s of England these ar e called
DRAW. See DRAA.
252 NORTHUM BERLAND W ORD S .
D R AW D -NAIL ,a flat-poin ted na il. [Win la ton term .] (Obs .)
D R E AP ,DREEP , to dr ip .
" M aa’
s heed‘
s dr eepi n wi dew.— J . P . R obson , d. 1 870, S ang 0
'
S olomon , Newcastle ver sion , Ch . v . , v . 2 .
D r eeping pannes .
" —Inventor y of S i r W i l liam R eade .— R aine
’
s Nor thDur ham, p . 1 78 .
DREDGE -SUM P,a set tl ing hole , th r ough which wa ter is
pa ssed on its way to a pump , in wh ich gr i t , &c. ,i s lodged ,
and so p r even ted fr om en ter ing the pump .
DREE, a Sledge or ca r t wi thout wheels . On the author i ty of
the R ev . John H odgson , it appear s (H odgson M S .) tha t dr eescon t inued in u se in Nor thumber land t il l as la te as 1 760
-70.
DREE , to suffer , to bear , to endur e .
W hatever may be her pun ishmen t in the next wor ld, she cer ta in lydr eeda heavy penance in th is.
"— R icha rdson’
s TableBook , Legenda ry D iv
vol . i 1 842 , p . 36 .
H e lugbe never , ne made b lythe cher e ,For dr ede of dede that he most efte dr eghe.
Hampole , d. 1 349 , Pr i cke of Conscience, 1.N or ever shall I wedbu t herThat ’
s done anddr ee‘
dso much for me
Lor dBeicham.
DREE,DR I E
,d r ead , to d r ead .
Alas ! he’
l l doe you dr ie andteene .
Ba l lad,Nor thumber landBetr ayedby Douglas.
T he’
Engl ish louns may hear , anddr ee.
“
f ock o’
the S ide.
Ye ’ll dr ee the deeth ye
’l l n ivver dee
Nor thumber landPr over b.
DREE, long , seeming ted ious beyon d e xpecta t ion , spoken of a
way. A ha r d ba r gainer , spoken of a per son .— R ay ,
1 69 1 .
(Sca r ce .)
DREED , to d r ead . Aa’
s dr eedin the war st , h inney .
DREED,d r ead , fear . Aa
’
ve a par fit dr eedon’
t .
T he day of dr ede
Hampole , d. 1 349 ,Pr icke of Consci ence.
W eive thy lu sts , and let thy ghost thee lede ,And tr ou th thee shal l del iver , it i s no dr ede.
”
Chau cer , GoodCounsa i l .D R E E D F U L , d r eadful .
DREEP , to d r op , to d r ip . D r eepin wet — d r ipping wet. S eeD R E AP .
254. NORTH UMBERLAND WORD S .
DROOK , DROUK , to drench with water .
“ H e wis oot iv aa
tha t r a in an’
gat dr ookedti the skin .
” Compa r e DOOK , 2 , andD R AAK .
Dr ouk, to dr ench , to soak, to besmear .— B r ockett.
D R OON D , to d r own (p.t. dr and) . D r oonded is also a commonfor m of the pa st ten se .
D R OON E D -OOT , appl ied to a colliery tha t has become fi lledwith water.
D R OOT , d r ought ; D R OOTY , droughty. See D R OOT H .
D R OOT H , th ir st .W e
’
l l not wyest ower dr ams anddr outh .
Pi tman ’s Pay , pt. i i i . , v . 60
D R OOT H Y , th ir sty.
DROP , the ar r angemen t at a coa l sta i th by wh ich a waggon islet down to the level of a S h ip ’ s ha tchway .
DROP ,used in the imper a t ive mood fo r stop . D r op that is
the usual per emptor y or der to stop doing anything .Ye cr ipple ! j ust dr opyor fondgob .
J . P . R obson , d. 1 870, M awWonderful Wife.
DROP ,a t r ick , a su r p r ise .
“Wha t a dr op t”— that is , wha t asu r p r i se. A r educt ion of wages . Thor gan in at the dr op .
”
DROP -DRY , water -t ight , said of a bu ild ing well secur ed in ther oof.— B r ockett.
DROPPY,shower y. “ I t ’s fai r yenoo , but st il l dr oppy l ike .
DROPS , the common name for fuchs ia .
DROP -STAPLE , a staple (shaft) down wh ich coals a r e lower edfr om one seam to another .
DROUK,to d r ench , to soak. S ee D R AAK.
D R OVE N , d r i ven , as w ith for ce of ci r cumstances . She ’ s beenfa i r dr oven t o deeth , poor body .
”D r oven or dr uven is used as the
p.p. of dr ive. M ony a day hev aa dr oven the gin-
g an .
DROVE -WORK , the manner of facing bu ild ing stones wi th a
ch isel , as d ist inguished fr om b r oached wor k .
NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S . 255
D R U BBY , muddy .—N or thumber land.
—H alliwell , eleven th ed.
S ee D R U VY.
DRUCK , o r DRAK , p.i . of dr ink ; p.p. dr ueken.
“ H e dr uck halfa ga llon a t a si tt in .
DRUM LY , muddy , thick. 7 ummley or jawty is used in exactlythe same sen se .
For r ight or wr ang he made nae matter ,S o he cou ldfish in dr umly watter .
"
G . S tuar t, 70co-S er ious D iscour se, 1686 .
DRUMMOCK , meal andwa ter m ixed— B r ockett.
D R U N D , p.p of dr own.
Al thai dr und in the se .
Cur sor M undi— Visi t of the Wise M en .
DRUNKARD ’S CLOAK , a tub wi th holes in the Sides for thea r ms to pass th r ough , the head appea r ing th r ough a holemade in the end, wh ich r ested on the shoulde r s . I t was thusin fo rmer t imes used in Newca stle for the pun ishmen t of
d r unka r ds and other s , who wer e led th r ough the str eet s inth is st r ange gui se .
D R U V p.t. of dr ive ; p.p. dr uven.
“ H e dr uv us ower iv his g ig .
S he 3 been ower ha r d dr uven.
D R U VY , d i r ty ; l i ter a l ly , t r oubled as wa ter i s t r oubled . D r ovy ,
o r t r oubled wa ter,is spoken of by Chaucer .
Ayon t yon dar k an’
dr uvy r iver .
T . W i lson , Pi tman’
s Pay, 1 829 , pt. i i i . , v . 1 23
DRY , not d iluted ; genuine , unadul ter ated .
DRY , a divi sion in a qua r r y or stone wher e i t can be pa r ted .
DRY -ASK , a lizar d , or a wa ter newt when found in a dr y p lace .
S ee AS K.
D ry-asks an
’
tyeds she chu r ish’
d.
J . P . R ob son , H amlick , Pr i nce 0’ Denton , pt. i i . , 1 849 .
DRY D I KE , a stone fence , bu il t wi thout l ime— tha t is , withdr y stones on ly .
D U B , a di r ty pool . A lso a sti ll , deep place in a st r eam . H e
floonder edamang the dubs — tha t i s , he spla shed andstumbledin the puddles . In Whi t tle Dene ther e is a deep pool calledthe whorl dub.
256 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORDS .
DUBB IN , the d r egs of fish oi l , used for soften ing leather . An
angler ’ s ba i t .
BUBBLER , or DUBLER , a lar ge di sh .
T wo pewter dubler s , two copper basins , and a pottle pot .—W i l l of
H . Yowton ,1 58 1 .
- R icha rdW elford, H ist. of Newcastle, vol . i i i p . 9.
T he platter s , dabbler s, andthe del f.”
Oldsong , Descr iption of S andgate.
D U BE R OU S , D U BE R S OM E , doubtful .
D U B -SKELPER , a hog t r otter .
Like a dub-skelper he tr otted.
T . Wh ittle , The M idfordGalloway’
s R amble.
Bell ’s R hymes, 1 81 2 , p . 1 75 .
D U CCOT , or P IGEON -D U CCOT , a dovecot .A waste cal led a duckett lying wi thin the castle of Newcastle
R . W elford, H ist. of Newcastle i n X VI . Cent p . 498 .
DUCK-AND -DRAKE , the game Of th r owing flat stones onwa ter which tip the sur face in thei r fl ight . F r om th i s gamepr obably o r igina ted the ph r ase of making ducks anddr akes of
one’ s money— tha t is , spending it fooli sh ly .— H al liwell
’
s D iet.
DUCKEY , a d r ink ; gener ally used in ch i ld talk.“ D is thoo
wan t a duckey , h inny
DUCK-STONE , a game played wi th smooth water-wor nstones , cal led ducks.
DUDS , clothes ; appl ied gener a lly to wo r king clothes .Dadds. A r ag ; cloth ing of an infer ior kind.
" —R ev . Canon G r eenwell ,Gloss. to the Boldon Buke
T he duds th r awn on , the b r eakfast tyen ,
They’
r e r eady for another star t .
"
T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay , pt . v . 17 .
C lad in hard labou r ’
s hyemly dudsT . W i lson , Death of Coaly .
B UDD IN , an outfi t of clothes ; a sui t of clothes .I packedup al l my duddin
R . G i lch r ist, A Voyage to London ,
M y flannel duddin donned, thr ice o’
er ,
M y b i rds ar e kissed, and then
I with a wh istle shu t the doorI may not ope agai n .
"
705 . S kipsey .
DUDDY, r agged .
“ A duddy laddy is a r agged boy.
“ H e
put on his duddiest clothes .”
258 NORTH UMB ERLAND WORD S .
DUMPY , sullen , di scon ten ted , in the dumps .
DUN , a yel lowi sh b r own colou r . Adnn hor se ,
” “a dun mar e ,
a dun cow.
”
John R ead, char ged W i th the steal ing of one Dunn mar e .— Calendar
of Pr isoner s at Newcastle, 1627 .
DUNCH , to knock again st ; to nudge.
T o dunch peop le off is most r ascal ly mean .
S impson’
s Fa i lur e.
”M ar shall
’
s S ongs , 1 827 , p . 1 82 .
S omebodydunchedhis a i rm .
Geordy'
s Last, 1 878 , p . 9 .
D U N D E R H E E D , a blockhead ; a s impleton .“ Wha t ’ s the
dunder heedmyedon’
t ?
DUNGEN , DUNG (thep.p. of ding ) , d r iven or knocked aboutw ith v iolence . S ee D ING .
G iff ony be tane wi th the loaf of a ha lpenny in bu r gh ,he aw th r ou
the toun to be dangyu . And for a ha lpenny to i i ij penys wo r th , he aw
to be mar fayr ly dangyu .
”— Fr ag . Vet. , quotedby D r . M u r r ay, S cotti sh
D ialects, p . 32 .
They’
ddung my puer har ns ou t .— G . S tuar t , f oco-S er ious D iscour se,
1 686 , p. 35 .
Aa thowt he’
d a dungen doon the door , he cam wi sic bats on'
t .
D U NGE ONABL E . A dungeonable body ; a sh r ewd per son ;or , as the vulgar exp r ess it , a divelish fel low . As Ta r tar usS ign ifies hel l , and a dungeon ; so dungeon is applied to both .
R ay’
s Collection, 1 691 .
DUNG -TEAZER, the A r ct ic skua gul l , S ki ia long icaudus ,
~B r isson.
DUNK , damp , dank . S ee DON K andD ON K i N D AL E .
DUNNY , dar k-colou r ed , smoke-beclouded , and, so , of a dunColou r ed a spect .
Tyneside seemedcladwiv bonny ha'
s ,
An’
fu r naces sae dunny .
”
T . Thompson , d. 1 8 16 , j’emmy 7 oneson
’
s Wher ry .
Come th ick n ight ,Andpal l thee in the di innest smoke of hell .
M acbeth. i . , 5 .
D U N S TANBOR OU GH -D IAM OND , a name popula r ly givento the cr ystals occa siona lly found n ea r D u nstanbor oughCast le on the coa st ; and appl ied p r over b ia lly to the youngerb r anches of fema les belonging to tha t local i ty .
— M . A .
Denham , F olk-lor e of N or thumber land, 1 858 , p . 44 .
NORTH U MBERLAND WORD S . 259
DUNT , to st r ike or give a blow on the backside . Th is was afa vou r ite custom among schoolboys , who held up the vict imby legs and a i ms and st r uck the nether pa r t of the per sonagai n st a stone .
DUNT , bad coa l , m iner al char coa l ; any imper fect ion in thequa li ty of a seam of coa l . —B r ockett.
DUNT -ABOOT , a per son i ll -used , made a conven ience of, orkn ocked about . “ Aye , poor thing , she
’s a fa i r dunt-aboot.”
DUNTER , a por poise.
DURANCE , ver y st r ong , endu r ing ma ter ia l . (Obs.)An upper body of du r anee, pa i r of new black hose , anda new apr on of
dur ance.
”— W i l l of W i l l iam G r ey, M i ller , Newcastle — R ichardW el for d,
H ist. of N ewci stle, vol . i i i . , p . 32 .
DURKE,to laugh— N or thumber land.
— H all iwell’s D iet. (Obs .)
DURR , numb .— B r ockett.
DUSH ,to th r ust , to st r ike . (Obs .)
F or thar e sal be swylk r ar yng and r uschyng ,
And r awmpyng of deeveles anddynggyng andduschyng .
Hampole , M S . Bowes, p . 2 14 .
DUST IN, a th r ashing , a h iding. Aa
’
ll g i ye s ic a dustin as’
ll
ga r ye sca r t where it’
s not yucky. Compa r e wi th DU S H .
DUSTY-M ILLER,a humb le bee tha t lea ves on the hand ,
when taken hold of, a l ight dust . T he plan t Aur icula .
D U Z Z Y ,d izzy , giddy , fool ish .
“ Ye duzzy beggor , wha t a r e
ye deein M e heed W is qui te duzzy.
”
DWALM , a sl ight i llness , a fa in t fi t . “ H e tyuk a kind 0’
dwam, l ike .
”
DWALM -OFF,to doze off to sleep , to go off in to a fain t .
Ah dwalmedoff to sleep. —D r . Embleton M S .
D WAM Y , fain t .Bet tor neddwamy , l ike to fal l .
J . P . R obson , d 1 870, BettyBeesley.
DW INE,to p ine away , to dwindle .
Cattle (twin ing away u nder the power of witchcr aft. — T . W i lson ,
Note to Newcastle andCa r l i sle R a i lway ,1 838 .
A flou r , that es fayr e to se
Than son atti r that i t es for th b r oght,W elkes anddwynes ti l i t be noght ,
Hampole , d. 1 349 , Pr i cke of Conscience (M or r is) , 1 704 .
2 60 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
D W IN E Y , sickly , i l l- th r iven , dwindling th r ough i llness .
Ther e was dwiney l ittle Peg , not se n immel 1 the leg .
W . M idford Pi tman '
s S kellyscope, 1 8 1 8 .
M en a r e se dwiney noo -a-days.
W‘ Ol iver , (1 1 848 , The Lament
D W IN IN , a decl ine , a consumpt i ve sta te , fr om dwine. “ S he
tyuk a dwinin , poo r th ing .
”
DYEL , DEAL , DALE , DOLE , to divide , to appor tion .
D yel smaa l an’ sar ve aal .
”H ence a dyel of land is a
por tion d ivided , a llot ted , o r dealt out to the occup ier .
T he tan bad dele the chi ld in tua.— Hampole , d 1 349 , Pr icke of
Conscience.
DYEL , DALE , a dea l boar d . S ee T H i L L .
Bu t heavy pu ttin'
s now for gotten .
S ic as we had i’
former days ,
Ower holey thi l l anddyels a’
spletten ,
T r ams now a’
r un on metal ways
T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay , pt . v . 67 .
D YE M, dame .
W i ll wakenedup the dr owsydyem.
T . W i lson , Pi tman ’
s Pay , pt . i i i v . 1 29 .
DYE -SAND , och r aceous sand p r oduced by pul ver izing a softsandstone . I t s b r ight colou r makes i t a favou r i te a r t icle forwa shing over stone floo r s o r steps .
DYKE . S ee D I KE .
DYUN , done (p.t. of do) . Often g i ven a s du in . D yu i i updone up , or exhausted . In Nor thumber land , gener a lly , thewor d is sounded as de-
yu ri on Tyneside a s dyun .
Aw wonder when they wi l l be du in .
T . W i lson , Pi tman '
s Pay , pt. i i i v . 28 .
D YVOU S , moody , melancholy . S ee D IVU S .
EACH , an adze. S ee EDGE .
BALD ,old, also age.
— H alliwell’
s D iet. (Obs .)
E AL D R E N , elderly.
262 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
EAT-O U T . Thi s exp r ession is appl ied when a level coa ld r ift is tu r ned to the dip, in or der to take advan tage of (oreat-out) a r i se h itch .
—Gr eenwell .
E BB , shallow ; an exp r ess ion r efer r ing both to the depth of
shafts and st r a ta .
T he coa l l ies ver y ebb .
"— Hugh M il ler , Geology of Otter bur n and
E lsdon .-Geolog ica l S u r vey M emoi r , 1 887 .
E CKY ,sor r y. Aw wadbe eeky .
-B r ockett, th i r d edi t ion .
EDDER,an adder . S ee ETH ER .
E D D L E , money ear ned . E D D L E , to ear n . S ee ADDLE .
S avin '
s goodeddle.—Pr over b.
E D D L E , put r id wa te r— N or thumber land.-H alliwell
’
s D iet.
EDGE , a r idge , or r im of gr ound , gener a lly an escar pmen t .H ugh M i ller , Geology of Otter bur n and E lsdon.
— Geolog ical
S u r vey M emoi r , 1 887 . Ther e a r e twen ty-one p lace-names inNor thumber land in to wh ich edge en ter s (Bidd leston -edge,&c.) —J . V . G r ego r y , A r che olog ia E liana , vol . ix. , p . 64 . S ee
under DODD .
EDGE , EADS , an adze .
ED I E , or EDOM , Adam .
E dam0’ Gordon .
-Per ey Bal lads.
E D OM’
S NEEDLE , ADAM’S NEEDLE , or SH EPH ERD
’ SNEEDLE , the S candix pecten vener is. Ca lled a lso Witch’
s
needle, and D eil’
s da r nin needle.
E E ,eye . EEN , eyes .
Come to me , ma l ittle lammy ,
Come ,thou apple o ’ma e
’
e.
"
Thomas W i lson , Pitman '
s Pay , 1 826 , pt. i . , v . 92 .
F e is a lso appl ied to an or ifice , such as the hole in a p ick or
hamme r , o r a gr indstone . T he mi ll -ee, the or ifice in the
ca sing of m i l l -stones wher e the flour is con veyed in to thespout or the channel hole by wh ich water passes on tothe wheel of a wa ter m i ll .
T he mousey she cam to the M i ll ee, to the M i ll ee, to the M i ll cc;T he mou sey she cam to the M i l l ee.
Cuddy a lone ah' me .
T he mou sey she cam to the M i ll cc. ther e the fr oggy for to see
K i ck m ’
lear y , cowden dan , C uddy a lone an’ me .
OldNor thumber landR hyme.
NORTH UM BERLAND W ORD S . 263
Well -ee, the mouth of a wel l . K i ln -cc, the o r ifice in a
l ime ki ln fr om wh ich the l ime is dr awn . T he p r onuncia t ionis gener a lly cc-uh, ee- ih ; p lu r a l , ee-yen. S ee a lso E YE .
That sight he sal so wi th gastly egbe.
Hampole , d 1 349 , Pr icke of Conscience.
M or r i s, l ine
E E ! an exp r ession of del ight or wonder men t .
E E ,you . I t wis ee ’
at did it — I t was you who did i t.
E E -BREE,the eyeb r ow .
I wou ldthe faem wer e ower my face ,
O r the mools on my ee-br ee.
A . C . S winbu r ne , Tyneside Widow, 1 888 .
BECHY , i tchy .
EEL . S ee EALE .
EEL -BEDS , the wa ter cr ow Ot , R anunculus aquatil i s.
BELD , to yield . Hoo much is the coo eeldin P
E E L E IT E , E L E AT OR , EELY-EELY-ITE , EELY-EELYATOR , va r ious names for a smal l eel . A boy who puts offhis clothes , bu t fea r s to bathe , is con temptuously ca lled an
eely-eely
-ite.Eely-eely-ator , cast you r tai l in a knot
And I’
l l thr aw ye into the wa itor .
"
'
j‘uven i le R hyme.
EEL -WARE , the p lan t R anunculus fluitans. Compare E E LBED S .
EEN , eyes .
EER , year .
BERAND, an er r and , a j ou r ney . H e wen t ance eer and
for ’d — he wen t a special jou r n ey or er r and for it.
BE T [S .] i t. Aa seed eet mesel .
BETH , easy —N or thumber land.—H a l liwell
’
s D iet.
W her e ease abownds yt’
s eat/i to doe amis .
S penser , Faer i e Q ueene, 11 i i i . , 40.
E E Z , a fo r m of his. So sounded in such sen tences as“ H im
an’
eez n ew fangles . When i t occu r s , however , as i n the
ph r ase , “ I f he comes he r e agyen W i’
keez new fangles ,”the
aspi r a te is st r ongly ma r ked .
264 NORTH UM BERLAN D WORD S .
EFA, a sma l l , d im inut ive per son . H e
’
s nowt bu t an efa .
EFTER, afte r .
EIDENT,indust r ious .
EIG H T , e ighth . P r ouncedcit.
This is the seevent o r eight.—Thomas Bewick , The Howdy , ed. 1 850,
p . 1 1 .
EIGH -WYE , equ iva len t to “ Wel l -you -know . A colloquia lexpr ession somet imes used to exp r ess ind iffe r ence or r eg r et .“ E ighwye ! i t canna be helped .
”E igh
-wye! tyek yor aan
way wi’
d.
”
EILD,wi thout m ilk . E i ldg immer s , ei ldewes . — Auctioneer ’ s
adver t isemen t , N ewcastle D a i ly j our nal , Ap r i l 23 , 1 887 . T he
ter m is appl ied to a bar r en ewe , or to one tha t has m i ssedha v ing a lamb ; bu t mor e fr equen tly to a cow a fter she has
ceased to g ive m i lk , r anging fr om four mon ths t i l l the t ime of
ca l v ing . S ee G ELD , 2 and 3 .
B IT , eight .
EKE , an add i t ion to a bu ilding , an added p iece. A11 “eke is
also the add it ion to a beehive .
EKE EEKE , the d r ess ing or oi l in wool len cloth .
eeke 5 no’ oot .
ELD -FAT H E R, fa ther -in -law. (Obs .)
N icholas R ayne wi lls that he be bu r ied in the Chu r ch of S t. Nicho las ,N ewcastle , as nea r my eld-father as possible may be .
- R ichardW elford, H istory of Newcastle, vol i i i p 3 29
ELD IN ,the butter -bu r r , Petasites vulgar is. S ee E L L DOCKEN
Cal led in Nor thumber landan eldin ,in Camb r idgeshi r e a butter bur .
Tur ner 's Her ba l , 1 562 ,ij 83 .
ELD IN ,r ubb ish , or b r ushwood , for fuel .
E lding , or fir e-eldi ng , fuel , such as tu r f, peat , or wood.
”—Hodgson M S .
ELDR ITCH , ghastly , fr ightful . S ee E LL E R i S H .
S cr each in ou t an eldr itch sound.— Lewis P r oudlock , Cuddle and his
Cr awi n'
H en .
E L F -SH OTS , E L F -ARROW S , stone ar r ow-heads .
E L iCK ,Alexande r . “ E liek
’
s L onn in in Newcastle.
266 NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORD S .
EM PY , empty .
E N CI E N T,ENNCIENT , the pr onuncia t ion ofancient. Ancient
mean s in old fo rms a standa r d anda standar d bear er . In the
following en t r y fr om St . N icholas ’ pa r ish r egister , Newca stle ,it is used for colou r -ser gean t 1 644 , W i l l . W ayr e ,E nncient to Cor onell A r ishin , bu r . 4 Jan .
” R . Boyle ,Cathedr al Chu r ch of S t. N icholas, p . 88 .
“ You r s I S a ve r y oldtown , M r . M ayo r , sa id a d ist ingui shed guest to the ch iefmagist r a te of Newca stle . Y is, sor ,
”r epl ied the mayor
,
“ it
a lways was an encient pleyce
END,to set upr ight , to set on end. U pend is often used
sim i lar ly , and “end it up ,
”or
“ up end it ,”a r e ind iffer en tly
spoken w i th the same mean ing .
E N D oON , hav ing the end towar ds the specta tor . H ence
con veying the mean ing of an ad vancing body . T he waggon swis com in ’
end-on.
”
E N D W E D GE , a fi r e -b r ick , g in . long by 445m.w ide , made 25m.
th ick at one end, dimin ish ing to 1 15 11 . at the other .
E N D W I S ,ENDWAYS , for wa r d , on end. Co ’
bye , let me
get endwis wi’
me wa r k .
“ E ven enclways-in an even ,
con t inuous flow . H e taakedeven endwis.”
ENDY . An endy fellow is one who is always t r ying to con t r olma t ter s for his own emolumen t .
ENEUGH , ENEW , ENOW , enough .
ENGAGE ,to a t t r act . T he wo r d is used in the d ia lect wi th
the ea r ly mean ing wh ich is st il l p r esen t in its form of engaginga t t r acti v e— in the li ter a r y d ialect .
M aw bedwadengage ony duchess.
J . P . R obson , Nannyyackson’
s Letter .
Ba rds of the Tyne, 1 849. p . 237 .
ENG INE -BAN K ,an incl ined plane at a coll ier y wher e waggon s
a r e hauled by a r ope andsta t ionar y engine.
ENG INE -P IT , the shaft of a coll ier y in wh ich the pumps ar ewo r ked .
ENG INE -PLANE . At a col lier y , a level ma in r oad , a r oadon which the tubs ar e hauled a long by r opes fr om a sta tiona r yengine.
” —W . E . N icholson , Glossa ry of Coal T r adeTerms, 1 888 .
NORTH UMB ERLAN D WORD S . 267
ENG INE -SEAM , the name of a seam of coa l on Tyneside .
In 1 649 G r ay w r ote M aster Beaumon t , a gen tleman of
g r ea t ingenu ity and r a r e pa r ts , adven tu r ed in to ou r m ines ,who b r ought wi th him many r ar e eng ines not known then inthese pa r t s .” T he memo r y of these r ar e eng ines su r v i vesin the name of the seam which he appear s to have d iscover ed ,st il l cal led the eng ine seam o r Beaumon t .
E NOO , YE NOO , shor t ly , anon . Aa’
l l be ther e yenoo.
ENTRY, a passage way ; a na r r ow lane , l ike a cha r e . Ther e
wer e in Newca st le , fo rmer ly , the Baker s ’ E ntry , C logge r s'
E ntry , F enw1ck’
s E ntry , M ackford’ s E ntry , Join t Stock E ntry ,
D owie’
s E ntry . M il l E ntry , John son’ s E ntry ,
W r angham’
s
E ntry ,Spencer ’s E ntry ,
Scot t ’ s E ntry , Wood E ntry ,Wh i te
boa r E ntry , &c. In Newca st le the wo r d is p r onounced as a
t r isyl lable— en- ter -cc. T he n ar r ow lanes in the subu r b of
Sandga te wer e near ly a ll ca lled entr ies, wh i lst those on the
Quayside wer e gener a l ly known as cha r es . T he passageway of a house . Lea ve yor dor ty shoes i
’
the entry— leave
them in the pa ssage .
S uch s ighs andsoft w ishes ,fr om lads and fr om lasses ,
Who tel l thei r fond ta les a t an entry-end.
W S tephenson , sen t . , Newcastle on S atu rday N ight.
EQUAL-AQ U AL , equa lly ba lanced .
E R D S R E W , ARD - S R E VV, the common sh r ew mouse .
ERLES , ear nest money ; pr onounced ar les, wh ich see .
E S H , the ash - t r ee , F r axinus excelsior . An even esh is an ashleaf in wh ich the term ina l leaflet is wan t ing , and the pa i r s of
leaflets a r e consequen tly even . I t is consider ed as lucky tofindan even esh
’
as to finda four lea ved clover .
ESK , a newt . S ee A S K.
E S P , the aspen t r ee , Popnlns tr enznla , or t r embl ing popla r .
ESS , ashes . S ee Ass .
ESS -H WOL E , an a sh b in .
ESTOVER , a hedge stake. Compa r e STOW E R .
ETH ER , EDDER , an adder . In N or thumber land the d r agon .
fly is ca lled bull ether , or“fleein ether ,
” flying adder .
268 NORTH UMBERLAND WORD S .
ETHER , NETHER ,t o bla st , as by fr ost or cold W ind . S ee
NETH ER .
ETH ER I SH , keen , cold , b i t ing . I t ’ s an ether ish
ETTIN , or YE T U N ,a boggle .
T he peple the r say that the r dwel led yn i t one Yotnn , Whom theyfab le to have been a Gygant .
— Leyland, on Cor b r idge , I ti ner a ry , th i rd
edi t ion , vol . v
ETTLE,t o in tend , to endea vour , to for esee , to con t r ive by
fo r ethought , and, so , to appoin t , to ar r ange a lways mean ingsome act ion tha t has been thought out befor ehand . Aa
’
l l
ettle to be ther e , noo , i f I can .
”
A galvan ic mach ine’
at aa ettled to myek mesel . — Geordy'
s Last,1 878 , p . 10.
E T T L E M E N T , in ten t ion . Tha t which is set a side or
in tended for one .
E VE N D OON , st r a ight down , st r a ightfo r wa r d ly , An evendoon
r a in is a steady downpour . E vendoon thump i s a blun t ,s tr aightfor war d sta temen t .
EWE -DA ISY , the plan t Potenti lla tormentilla . Known a lso a sshepherd’
s knot, flesh-and-blood, or blood- r oot.
E W E -DYKE . S ee E W E -H U NG .
EWE -GOWAN ,
’
or E W E -GOLLAN .
T he Da isy in N or th T indale . Gowan is any flower of a golden
colou r , andthen figu r atl vely a flower —Hodgson'
s M S .
E VVE -H UNG , a dyke set wi th hazel or w il low bows on the
top,to keep sheep fr om leaping o ver ; or a r ow of Shor t stakes
stuck in a sod hedge w i th a r ope d r awn a long thei r topsth r ough a hole in eacli .— H odgson
’
s M S .
EWER , an udder ,
EXCLAM ATIONS . M ost of these a r e nowadays used wi thoutany thought wha tever of thei r o r igina l mean ing . They a r e
spoken as“ id le wor ds ” ; bu t some of them en ter so fr equen tly
in to the common speech tha t to omi t them would be to lea vea b lank in the col lect ion of Nor thumber land wor ds . Aa
’
s
co x ed ! Aa’
s goxed Ad sma sh Aehy ! Assay ! Ay-di
me ! Baa ! Baa sang ! B i bl ist ! B i ca ver s B i.cr ike !
B i cr ikey ! Bi gel l ! Bi gocks ! B i gol ly ! B i gum ! Bi jing lBi j inks B i maa t r uly ! B i maa j inker s ! Bi me sowl
2 70 NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORD S .
God ’ s swea t , andthe “cr ucifixion in “Wun s
,
” “ Odzounds,
Od ’s wunner s , and W u n ter sfu l , mean ing God’ s wounds .
M any of these r efer ences i t wi ll be seen pa ss in to g r otesqueand mean ingless var ia t ion s , bu t i t is notewor thy tha t theseformer ly p ious exp r ession s gr ea tly p r eva i l over invoca t ion sa diabol ic kind . Fina l ly , ever y one of the expr ess ion s ofgi ven in thi s l ist is fr om r ecor ded usage in the coun ty ofNor thumber land .
EYE, the o r ifice in a p ick the hole in a g r indstone ; the open ing
at a wa ter -m il l th r ough Wh ich the wa ter is del iver ed overthe Wheel ; the d ischar ge hole in a l ime -kiln ; the o r ifice inthe casing of m il lstones th r ough which the flour passes ; themouth of a wel l . S ee E E E .
EYEN , the eyes. In common u se as late as 1 824 , now scar ce .
S ee E E N .
FA ’ AND FA ’ ABOUT , the po r t ion s of the holder s in a
field ” under the Old system of t i llage , in wh ich the st r ips ,ca l led falls, wer e said to l ie fa
’
and fa’
about, tha t is , ina lter na t ing or der . Compar e ATH ER , BAAK , CABLE , CAVEL ,R IG 2 .
FAA , the common name for a G ipsy or a vagabond , vag r omman .
” I tiner an t t inker s , besom maker s , mugger s , and suchl ike , wer e known as F aas, a fter the gipsy t r ibe Of tha t name .
T he name in Newcastle exp r esses con tempt , and in a st r eetb r awl , “ Get oot , ye clar ty F aa ,
” sums up the measur e of a
woman ’s scor n for her adver sa r y . S ee CRAM ER , M UGGER ,andT IN KLER .
T he place was a common r eceptacle for al l kinds of vagr ants , cal led‘ Faas ’ — Thos W i lson ,
note to The Oi lzn’o' D i cky
'
s Wig , 1 825
A F aw gang is a gener al name in Nor thumber land fo r a l l sor ts of
wander ing people .— Hodgson . Nor thumber land, pt . ij. , vol . i , p
note.
FAA FAAL . t o fall ; f . jaad, p.p. faan. D idye fan 2 Yis ,aa faadclean doon , an
’
a a felt n owt ti ll efter aa’dfaan. To
faa -oot is to fa ll out , to quar r el .
FAAD ,a fold ya r d . S ee a lso CORT IN .
FAAD , a fold for Sheep or ca t tle. M any-fands, man ifolds , a
kind of t r ipe.
PAAIN . FAW IN , FOVVIN ,folding ; the act of fold ing the
sheep .
NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S . 2 7 1
FAC ' AS DEETH,t r ue as death . A ver y common exp r ession .
FACE, the endof the coa l wo r king the sol id coa l at which the
hewer s wor k . S ee F E YACE .
FACE -A I R ING , the cu r r en t (of a i r ) passed r ound the face or
ext r em i ty of the wo r kings — VV. E . N icholson , Gloss. of CoalT r ade Terms, 1 888.
FACING , a cleat the ver t ica l join t or cleavage of a st r a tum .
FAD . S ee F AAD .
FAD, a bundle . A “ bott le " is as much hay or str aw bound
together w i th a r ope as a man can con ven ien t ly ca r r y on hisback. A fad, or faud, is a lesser quan t i ty , such as can be
conven ien tly ca r r ied under the arm or in the hand .
T he boggle cal led the Hedley Kow wou ld sometimes appear l ike a
fad, or tr u ss of str aw, lying in the r oad.
”— S . Ol 1ver , R ambles in
Nor thumber land, 1835 , p . 99 .
AW thowt aboot the fadO’str aa
That M ick gae te wor Dol ly.
”
The Keelman ’
s R easonsfor Attending Chur ch.
Allan’
s Collection , 1 863 , p . 1 77 .
FAD, a hobby , a wh imsical fancy .
PADDER , PETH ER , FA ITH ER , fa the r .
I am a pilg r ym , als alle myfader s was .
Hampole , Pr icke of Conscience.— M or r i s, l ine 1 386
FADDY ,fin icking , over -pa r ticu la r , bother some , l ike one in
dotage . H e’
s a va t r y faddy body .
FADGE , a bundle of st icks , a faggot — B r ockett.
FADGE , a sma ll loaf of b r ead . Gener a lly the li t t le cake or
loaf made up fr om a bi t of dough left ove r fr om a baking . I tis not baked in a b r ead tin . Near the Bor der , a fadge is an
oval bannock , or scone , about two or th r ee inches th ick ;made of pea se mea l , often wi th an admixtur e of bean mea l ,andfi r ed ver y ha r d on a gi r dle.
FADGE , to eat together . At War kwo r th , at the season of
the N ew Yea r ther e is p r ov ided a r ich cake wi th i ts usua laccompan imen t of wine . G r ea t in te r change of v i s it ing takesp lace . I t is ca l led ‘
fadging ,
’
or ea ting fadge.’
r ea lly mean s eat ing the br ead of b r other ly un ion andconcor d .
2 72 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
Come andfadge w ith me is as much as saying Come andb r eak b r ead with me and ta ste w ine , in token tha t bygonessha ll be bygones . ’ T he R ev . J . W . Dunn , on W a r kwo r th ,H istory of Ber wickshi r e N atur alists
’ Club, 1 863 , vol . v . ,p . 56 .
FAD GY , a th ick- set , fa t l i t tle man .
FAD GYAN , a ver y fat ch i ld . I t is spoken as F adgy Ann.
FAD OM , FATH OM , a fathom, an arm ’ s st r etch , or S ix feet .A huge a sh t r ee ha v ing ten t r unks , “
each mo r e than I can
fathont”— tha t is , st r etch r ound .
.(Raine
’
3 L ife of H odgson ,
vol . i . , p . A fathom of r ope i s mea sur ed off by seiz ingthe end in the r ight hand and passing it th r ough the leftacr oss the chest . T he st r etch by an a ver age man
tD
is s ix feet ,and r opes a r e in th i s way mea sur ed off most r apidly andwi thg r ea t accu r acy . Like the “ foot , the “ hand , and the inch
(F r ench pence, a thumb ’s b r eadth ) , standar d mea su r es of
length , the faa’
om is a par t of the na tur a l man .
PADOM , FAD D OM , a p r ope r u se or feel ing . I hae me
faddonz i’
my legs .
FAFF,fal low land .
FAFFLE , to stut ter , or stammer ; to saun ter ; to t r ifle ; tofumb le — H al liwell
’
s D iet. B r ocket t adds , to faddle.
FAG , the fr esh wa ter fish , the loach , Cobitis bar batula .
FAGG IT , a t er m of con tempt . “ Ye impiten t faggit.
FAH REN , the p r onunciat ion of the wor d F ar ne in Fa r ne I slandsand in L ind isfa r ne. T he a soft as in F ai r -eu
,
“ Fa i r enI slands . T he wo r d fer n 13 al so p r onounced l n the samemanner .
FAIKES , an exclama t ion , mean ing i’
fa i th 1” S ee F A1x.
FAIL , soi l or tu r f a s u sed in the Nor th in a fui l dyke. Pe r hapsi t may or igin ally have had the same o r igin as va ll , a sod
wa ll ; and i t is r ema r kab le tha t the g r ea t German W a ll , fr omthe Danube to the Rh ine , was ca lled the Pfahl or Stakes ,fr om the mater ia l s tha t composed it. —H odgson M S
In behint yon au ldfa i l dyke ,I wot ther e l ies a new-slain kn ight .
The Twa Cor bies.
274 NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S .
F ai ry-r ings, the cir cular w indings of the S pawn or r oots of
mush r ooms , or some other fungi .— H odgson’
s M S . F ai ry r ings
a r e connected in some way with the specia l mode of g r owthof Agar ions or eades andA gambosus. T he gr een sour gr a ss ” isnot , however , a lways in a ci r cle , for i t may be somet imes seenr unn ing in a wa vy l ine , in ter r upted i r r egular ly .
— Johnston ,
Botany of the E aster n Border s, p . 273 .
F ai ry-tickles, fr eckles . S ee F AI R N E Y-T I C KLE S .
FAIT H OR , FAT H OR , F E T H OR , PADDER , father .
FAKI S H ,FAKED -U P , d r essed up , made up .
FALL . S ee FAA.
FALL, the falling down of the r oof or stone in a pit.
FALL,a r ope . A block fall , or a ta ickle fall ,
” i s the r opefor a set of b locks . In a pump ing pi t a fall is used for li ft ingpor t ion s of the pumping a r r angemen t s du r ing r epa i r s . A falli s a lso the bucket or clack-fall in a pump , wh ich open s andshuts to a llow the pa ssage of wa ter .
—M ining Glossa ry , N ew
castle Terms, 1 85 2 .
FALLS , the d i v ision of a la r ge a r able field a ttached to a
vi llage.— H alliwell
’
s D iet. S ee FA’-AN D -FA-ABOUT .
FALSE -BEDD ING , obl ique lam ina t ion in a st r a tum of stone.
FALT, faul t . Th is wor d i llust r a tes a char acter i st ic sound in
the Nor thumber land d ia lect , the a being Sho r t , as in the
a in F r ench a la mode. T he wo r ds falt, malt, salt, a r e a l l
p r onounced thus . T he con t r a st between the sho r t Shar p a
andthe an sound , in the speech of the l iter ar y d ia lect , is ve r ynotable .
0 base mau lt ,Thou did'
st the fau lt.And in to Tyne thou shal t.
In No r th N o r thumber land the l is el ided in fault and salt,
and they a r e spoken fat andsat. M alt r eta in s the l , however .
FAM IL IOU S , adj ,fami ly . A fami lious compla in t .
FAM ISH , FAIM IS H , famous .T he Fel l is qu ite faimi sh for r ear in
’
young ba i r ns .
T . W i lson , S tanzas on a L i ne of I ntendedR oad, 1 825 .
FAM P ,clayey shale — H ugh M i ller , Geology of Otter bur n and
E lsdon.— Geolog ical S u r vey M emoi r , 1 887 .
NORTH UM BERLAND WORD S . 275
FAN CICL E . fanciful , cap r icious .
FANCY , var iega ted , pa r t i -m lou r ed, out of the common .
getten a fancy necker cher .
FAND (h t. offind) , found ; p.p. funden (pr onounced f unnen) , or
fund.
“ H e hadn ’t funneu’
d when aa le ft the p lace.
” “ H e
should a fundi t oot bi thi s t ime .
”S ee F U N .
FANG , to shoot down ; to captu r e. Compa r e IN FANGE N T H E OF .
FAN K IT , stuck har d andfast . In the bal lad of Par cy R eed a
descr ipt ion i s given of the t r eache r y of “ the fause-hea r tedH aa
’s ,” who
fixedh is swordwithin the sheath ,
That ou t aga in it winna come .
"
In th i s pl ight he was sudden ly a ttacked by the C r ozier s ; andthe sto r y says
B r ave Par cy r aisedh isfanki t sword,Andfelledthe for emost to the g r ound.
To fang , is to seize , to gr ipe , to clutch .
Destr uction fang mankindS hakspear e , Timon .
F anged, or fankit, is the r efor e seized , and, so , stuck fast . (Obs .)
FANNY -GRASS , couch gr ass , T r iticum r efens. Ca lled alsoquicken g r ass a ndr ack.
FANTOM E , or FANT OOM CORN , oat s which ha ve the
Shel ls empty . or so nea r ly empty tha t they a r e blown ove r theta i l-boa r d of the far mer s in the p r ocess of w innowing .
FARAND , used in composi t ion for advancing towar ds , or beingr eady . F ighting far aud, r eady for fighting ; fa r and man ,a t r a veller o r it iner an t mer chan t . Th i s usage is p r obablyfr om far e, to go . F ar and a lso mean s fashion , manner , andcountenance, per haps fr om fa r ing ; so well or i ll -far and, good o r
bad looking — H a ll iwell’
s D iet. (Obs .)Fa r andis u sed in composition : as fightzng -far aud, t.e. , in a fighting
humou r . ( S ee Andfar and — R ay’
s Gloss.
F A RA N T L Y ,or de r ly , handsome , comely , good-na tu r ed ,
r espectable , neat — H all iwell’
s D iet.
Fa i r andfar antly , fa i r andhandsome .
R ay'
s Gloss.
FARD , or FAURD , favou r ed I ll-fard,” weel -fard — tha t
is, i ll -looking or good -looking .
276 NORTHU MBERLAN D W ORD S .
FAR D IN , a fa r th ing . A fa rdin cand le — the small candle ,fo rmer ly in much u se .
FAR D IN -PANT , a foun tain , pant, or stan d at which waterwas sold for a far th ing a skeelfu l . These wer e commonin Newca st le in the t imes of the ea r ly Wa ter Company .
Edwar d Co r van absur d ly tel ls us about “ T he Phan tomSkeel a ta le of a Purdin Pant.
FARE , to near , or app r oach .
T he cowfa r es a-calv ing .— B r ockett.
FARL,a t erm of con tempt . G idaway , ye aadfar l
FARL , or FARREL , an oatcake— N or thumber land— H alliwell’
s
D iet. O r the fou r th pa r t of a round cake , as “a far l 0
’ shor tb r ead .
FARLEY , a wonder , a st r ange th ing . To “ spy far leys is
equivalen t to seeing st r ange andwonder ful ma tter s in commonp lace things .
FARM , the p r onuncia t ion offirm.
FAR -OVVER , by much too .“ F ar -ower cunn in .
“ Yor farower la te a comin .
” “ F ar -ower fa r .
”
FAR R AW ,a mi lch cow not wi th calf.
FARREL , the four th pa r t of a ci r cula r oatcake , the d ivisionbeing made by a cr oss .”— H alliwell
’
s D iet. B utfar r el is simplythe b r oad p r onuncia t ion offar l .
FASAN , a pheasan t . Ver y common . So spoken by oldpeople.
FASH ION , to gr ow in r esemblance .
I f i t fashions l ike its dad.
J . P . R obson , b . 1 808 , d. 1 870,Betty Beesley .
FAS H OU S , t roublesome.
“ Aa’ve bed a fashous job on
’
t , aa
can tel l ye .
FASTENS , or FAS T E R N S EEN , or EVEN , Shr ove or Pan
cake Tuesday ; the eve of Ash Wednesday , on which begin sthe Len ten fast . S ee P AN CAKE-TU ESDAY.
FAST-HAUD , the occu r r ence of “ the set’ get t ing off the
r oad , andthe tubs j ammed fast (in a pi t) , or the cage get tingfa st in the Shaft .” —N icholson , Gloss. of Coa l T r ade Terms, 1 888 .
278 NORTH UMBERLAND WORD S .
F E AR D L IK E ,fr ightened , a fr aid .
F E AR D Y , a fr ightened or ter r ified person . H e’
s a fea rdy .
F E AR E N T L Y , in fea r of, afr a id of.
FEARSOME , d r eadful -looking .
FEAT , neat , clever , dexter ous , elegan t — H alliwell’
s D iet.
FEATH ER , the th in s ide of a plough sock— tha t is to say, thefar side fr om near the poin t t o the “ l it tle heen ,
”or heel .
S ee also S T OCK AN D FEATH ERS .
FEATH ER-FUL , FEATH ER-POOLY , the fever few ,Pyr eth
r umpar thenium. F eather fool is appar en t ly fever fu i lle.
FEATLY, nea tly , dexter ously.
FECK,FYE K , a quan t i ty , an abundance . H e
’
ye onyfeck 9”
— H a ve you any quan t i ty of i t ? “ Aa he’
nee fyek i’
me
hands — I ha ve no gr ea t quan ti ty on hand .
FECKFUL , r esour ceful .
PECKLE,to entangle — B r ockett, th i r d edi tion .
FECKLESS , one wi thout r esou r ce .
“A feckless body ”is one
unable to make any effect i ve effor t . A weak o r incapableper son . Th is wor d is much mor e common than 1ts oppos i te ,
FECKLY, F E E KLY , ch iefly , mostly . I t
'
sfeckly his aan dein .
FEDER . fa ther ; a l so PETHER , F IT H OR ,FAD H OR , and
FADDOR .
FEE , wages .Y e shal l nev ’
r cr ave twi ce of meT he sma l lest penny of you r fee.
"
G S tuar t , j’oco-S er zous D i scour se, 1 886 , p . 26 .
To th is l ine the Newca st le author adds a mar gina l note forthe Souther n r eader , “
fee— wages . Andaga in , “ H e paysus fee a ndfinds us cleathing , p . 32 .
FEED,t o ser ve in a game . T he lad who th r ows a bal l , o r
“cat ,
" towar ds the ba t ter , o r st r ike r , in a game is said to
feed, andhe is ca l led the f eeder .
NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORD S . 2 79
FEEDER , one who ser ves in a game . Also tha t pa r t of themach iner y wher e cerea ls ar e fedin to a m il l.
FEEDER , a spr ing , or in r ush of wa ter in a pi t.
Al l wh ich water we suppose to come fr om the sea , andso being fedby that inexhau stib le foun ta in , we cal l i t by the name of a feeder .
The Compleat Col l ier , 1 708 , p . 25 .
FEEDER-IN , the per son who feeds or supplies a mach ine w ithma ter ia l to be wor ked or d r essed . T he man who passes incor n to a th r ash ing or to a winnow ing mach ine is thus ca l led .
FE E D ING-STORM , a con tinuous snowstor m .
FEEL , to per ceive . Can ye feel a smel l ?”is a ve r y common
exp r ess i on .
FEEL , FEELY , soft , smooth , downy , velvety .
F E E M Y , the Ch r ist ian name Euphem ia .
FEERY -FARY , a noise , a t umu l t . F eery-fa ry i s expla ined
in the ma r gin of the yew—S er ious D iscour se a s“coi l kept .
N ow wha t needs aw th is feery-fary P” p . 1 2 . (Obs.)
F E G , a fig ; a va lueless th ing .
’
T isn’
t wo r th a feg . Also thedr opp ings of a donkey .
FEID , a dead ly feud ; the ancien t blood feud common on theBo r der in for mer times .
FELL , a lofty b r own b il l ; a moun tain , or Open , unti l led g r ound ;b r oad wett ish moor s cover ed much wi th hea th , r ushes , andspar ts . —H odgson M S . F ell en ter s in to combination wi thabout fifty
-six p lace -names in Nor thumber land , and in tosome twen ty -eight place-names in Dur ham coun ty . Examples :Ca r ter F ell , Ga teshead F ell , Th r ockley F ell .
T he wester n par t o f Nor thumber land was bounded by Nor wegian
settlements i n C umber landand Liddesda le , andmost of the names in -fe1l
a r e in the hil l cou n tr y border ing on C umber land and S cotland.
J . V . G r egor y,A r cha logza E l i ana , vol ix p . 4 1 .
FELL , to s tun wi th a blow .
W e didna want to hu r t them. so we ju st felled them an’
flang themoot. —S . O liver , R ambles m Nor thumber land, 1 835 , p . 1 56 .
280 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORDS .
FELL , FELLON , sha r p , clever , cr afty , b r ave , endur ing ;descr ipt i ve of wor k done unde r d i fficu l ty . She ’ s a l itt le fell’
u n — sa id in compl imen t ing a ser van t g ir l , not r obust , whohaddone mor e than could ha ve been r ea sonab ly expected .
H e’
da fell job on’
t - tha t is , the wor k took mor e doingthan was an t icipa ted . T he wor d is ver y common .
“ A fellbi t cal lan t — a br ave , endur ing l i t tle body .
FELL , to sew down on the inside the edges of two p ieces ofany a r ticle sewn together .
FELL IN , FELLON , an er upt ion on the skin ; a r a sh ; a boi l ;a wh i tlow. Also a d isease in cows .
FELLY , t o p lough a r idge towa r ds the “r een ( r ean ) , in
con t r ad ist inct ion t o gather ing up towar ds the mid-r ig .
”
FELTERED , unkempt , shaggy , neglected .
I t’
s hardto say what a r aggy lad an'
a felter ed foal may tur n to
Nor thumber landPr over b.
FELTY , or FELTY -FARE , the fieldfa r e , Tu rdus pilar is. I t i scalled a lso the fendy andfendy -far e.
FEM M ER , weak , slight , fr ai l , cr anky , tender .
“ She ’ s nobbut
femmer , poor body .
”M in d hoo ye gan ; tha t br ig
’s nobbutfemmer .
FENCE , a wor d in place-names,as H eckley F ence.
FEND , to st r uggle in obtain ing a l i vel ihood .
FEND , FEN , a str ugg le for a l ivel ihood , an a t tempt at doinga th ing . F ew has much the same mean ing .
S ti l l , we have myeda decent fend,Andn iver fyel
’
dto pay wor way.
”
T . W i lson , The S hifting D ay , 1 852 .
FEND,to defend , to war d off a blow. H ence the fender used
on boar d ship . “ F eudoff tha t keel .”
FENDY,r esou r ceful , good a t man aging .
“ H e’
s a fendy body .
F ensome is used in the same sen se .
FENDY, F E N D FAR E , the fieldfar e , Tu rdus pi lar is. S ee a lso
FELTY .
An abundant winter visi tant. — John Hancock , B i rds of Nor thumberl andandDur ham.
282 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
FEW , an effo r t , a st r uggle .
“ H e made a good fewon’
t , anyway. Aa
’
ll few to be W 1 ye the mor n .
" Th is wor dis usedin a sim i lar sense to fend, wh ich see .
FEW , to‘
show an apt itude . H e’
s a l ikely leukin chep ; he
fews weel .
FEW , a sma ll quan t i ty , or a number . Wi ll ye he’
a few ma i rb r oth A good few,
"or a canny few mean s a con sider
ab le number of people or things .
FEWSOM E , ver y few. Thor ’ s oney fewsome on us the neet .Not to be confounded wi th feusome, a lthough spoken l ike thatwor d .
FE Y F ie andfay in Ha ll iwel l .T he wordfey was former ly u sedboth in S cotlandandin the Nor th of
Englandto expr ess the state of a per son who was supposed to be dying ,
bu t who wou ld r ise fr om h is bed and go abou t the hou se , conver singwith his fr iends , as i f noth ing a iled him . Per sons also in health , whose
eyes displayedu nu sual b r ightness , andwho appea r edto act andspeak ina wildandmyster ious manner when pr epar ing for battle or for a per i lou sjou r ney, wer e fr equently sa id to be ‘
fey that is , doomedshor tly to meetwith thei r death .
— 8 . O l iver , R ambles in Nor thumber land, 1835 , p . 108 .
F E -YACE [S] , FYE ACE , FYE S [T] , the face.
H is fyes as wh ite as ony cloot,S es aw ,
‘W hat he ye been aboot
S ong , A s Aw Wis Gahutu Oot Yen Neet.In a pi t the facé is the wall of coa l at wh ich the hewer wor ks .S ee PYE S .
F E YACY , FACY ,impuden t , shame-faced .
F E YACY -GATE , a b r azen -faced per son .
F E YE L [S] PYEL [T] , to fa il . “ To wan t a fr ien ’ whenna tu r fyels.
FEYUL [S] , FYU L [T] , a fool . Often spelt fa il .
F IB , to fin ish .
FICKLE , to puzzle , to do something wh ich other s cannot do .F ickly , puzzling .
F IDGE , to fidget, to wo r r y , to be anx ious . “ To fidge andfyke is to be r estless and u n ea sy .
“ F idg in fa in i s be ingwor r ied and anx ious about a thing .
F ID GY , fidgetty.
NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S . 283
FIE,p r edest ined . S ee F E Y.
FIE , shor tened form of signify . Whatfies taakin’
P”
F IELD,a d i v ision of land con s isting of many sepa r a te holdings ,
g r ouped together in the ancien t system of cul ti va t ion for thepu r pose of a r ota t ion of cr ops . T he hedged r ectangles whicha r e now fam ilia r to us as ou r fields a r e the r esul t of Common sEnclosur e Act s . F or ter ms for mer ly u sed see ATH ER , BAAK ,CABLE , G ABLE , KYE VE L , FALL , REAN , R IG , B UTTS , ACRE -DALELAND S , H U S BAN D -LAN D S , DYEL , SCR I BE , T E N , SH ETH , GORE ,S wm .
F IELD -LARK, the t r ee p ipi t , Anthus a r bor eus.
FIELDY, or FIELD -SPARROW , the hedge - spar r ow , P r unel la
medular is. Cal led a lso smokey . H edgy andbluey a r e a lso namesby wh ich th is bi r d is known . T he fieldfa r e is a lso known as
fieldy in some par t s of South Nor thumbe r land .
FIERY , app l ied to a coal -pit wher e gas is given off in dange r ousquan t i ty .
F l E R Y -HEAP , a heap in to wh ich the smal l o r duff coa ls ofN or thumber land wer e former ly teemed andbu r n t . —Gloss. ofCoal T r ade Terms, 1 888 .
T he deposi t of r ubb ish andwaste or unsaleable coal which usual lytakes fi r e spontaneously.
”— Gr eenwell .
F I FT fifth .
Her e begyns thefifte par t. — P r ieke of Conscience, A D 1 349 .
FIGH TING -COCKS , or F l GH T E E -COCKS , the stems andflower heads of P lantago lanceolata (L inn ) , or lamb ’ s tongue ,used by chi ld r en in a game wh ich t r ies the endu r ance of a
cock , or kemp,
”as i t is ca l led . Each comba tan t is p r o v ided
with an equa l number of sta lks and heads and
holds out one t o be st r uck by the opponen t . I f i t i s
decapi tated by the blow the player gi ves h is r etu r n st r okew i th a fr esh “ kemp bu t i f i t su r v i ves the b low i t is usedin r etu r n . T he p lay is thus kept up a lte r n a te ly un t i l one of
the p layer s has lost a ll h is heads . T he v icto r then coun ts hissu r v i vor s— or , as is usual ly the ca se , he i s left w ith one on lyto ma r k his conquest in the game . S ee KEM PS .
FIKE,to be ver y fidgetty ; to move in an unconstan t ,
undeter m ina te manner ; to go about id ly .—H a ll iwell
’
s D iet.
F ikes, r estlessness , t r ifl ing car es . S ee F 1D G E .
T o have thefikes.- B r ockett.
F thy , fidgetty, i tchy, minu tely tr oub lesome .—B r eckett.
284 NORTHU MBERLAN D W ORD S .
F ILE , to make foul . The “fi le in the foot is a d isea se peculia r
to ca t tle and sheep.
F ILLERS , men employed in fi l l ing the loose coa ls wher esepa r a te holer s or k ir ver s and get ter s and fil ler s a r e
employed .— Glossa ry of Coal T r ade Terms, 1 888 .
FILLETS, the hollow between a hor se ’ s r ibs andhaunch bones .
FILL INGS , infiltr ations of water .
A sump (or wel l to a coal -pit) to hold the dr awings (or fi l ings , as vse
ca ll them her e) of water , whether r a in or otherwise .
”— J C . , CompleatColl i er , 1 708 , p . 14
F l L L Y -FA IR , a concour se of young gi r ls .
FILLY -F VVOAL ,a young mar e wh i le sucking . T he young
hor se of the same age is a cout-fwoal .
FILLY -NA IL , a na il 135m. long by about ISgin . th ick in the
sta lk,ha v ing a lar ge squar e head about 1 in . acr oss andmade
TSEin . th ick . These nai ls wer e specia lly made in for mer t imes
for war ships , to cover the bottoms befor e shea th ing of othermetal hadbeen in t r oduced . They wer e made bysuper annua tedna ilor s incapable of heavi er wor k .
FILLY -TAILS , clouds of ci r r us kind , long t r a il ing Wh iteclouds .
F IN,to find. When findis used , it is always p r onounced wi th
the i shor t , as in window (p.i . fand; p.p. f und) . Aa couldn ’t
fin’ oot what ai led i t.”
FIN,to feel . I t ’ s tha t dar k , aa
’l l he
’
tofin’
for the sneck.
Justfin me hands , hoo caud th’or .
FINDY -FEE,the fee or r ewa r d pa id to the finder of anyth ing
lost .
FINDY-K E E PY , who finds keeps . A fo rmula r epea ted bych ild r en when sea r ch ing fo r any lost th ing , i ts utter ancegi v ing the finde r the r ight to keep the ar ticle . T he for m is
sometimes extended , as Lossy , seeky, findy , keepy .
FINE,quite well , pleasan t . Hoo a r e ye thi day ?
” O , lad,aa
’
sfine.
”
F INGER . Thi s is in var iably p r onounced fiug -or , not, as
moder n u se has i t, fin-
ger .
286 NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S .
F I RE -STEED , a fi r eplace.
FIRE -STONE , a si l icious sandstone , fo rmer ly u sed as fu r nacelin ings .
FIRST , un t i l , hence ,following.
“ T i l l you have occasion , wh ich I hope wi l l not be longfir st. —J .C ,
Compleat Coll i er , 1708 , p . 3 1 .
FIRST-CALLER , the t ime when the caller goes r ound to cal lthe for e-sh ift men .
— Glossa ry of Coal T r ade Terms, 1888.
F I RST-FOOT , the fi r st who cr osses the th r eshold after midn ight on N ew Year ’ s E ve. T he per son so doing must on no
accoun t en ter empty handed , anda pr esen t to the house evenof a piece of coa l or a p iece of loaf w i ll qua lify thefi r st-footer .
T he en t r an t , to be lucky , must be of thema le sex . I f he ha ve asquin t , he b r ings bad luck . I f he be of dar k comple x ion , he
is not a des ir ab le comer . T he luckiest is a fa i r -ha i r edfi r st-foot.I t is a kind ly custom ; anda hea r ty welcome is a lways gi vento those who go fi r st-footing on N ew Year ’ s mor n ing to car r yfr om cir cle t o ci r cle the gr eet ing A happy N ew Yea r .
”
I t is u n lucky to lendanything whatever on N ew Yea r '
s D ay. I t is
u n lucky to meet a fema le fi r st on N ew Year 's D ay, or indeedon any dayof the year . S pecially u n lucky i t is when a woman is your fi r st-foot.W . B r ockie ,
Legends andS uper stiti ons, p . 1 10
F IR T H L E S S ,
‘ unmethodical , sh iftless , ext r avagan t .n ivver saa sic a fi r thless cr eetu r .
”
F ISH , a flat pla te of i r on or other substance , la id upon anotherto p r otect i t or st r engthen it. A “
fish beam”i s a composi te
beam ,whe r e an i r on pla te is sandwiched between two wood
beams . A “fish j oin t is a j oin t made by bolt ing or r iveting
a pla te on each s ide nea r the ends , as in a r ai lway p la te .
FISH , to seek about bl indly , or doub t ingly. Wha t a r e ye
fishin i’ me box for Aa
’
ll gan an fish for mesel — tha t is,
endeavou r to find someth ing to eat .
FISH, a tool used for b r inging up a bor e r odor pump va lve.
S ee F I S H -H EAD .
F ISH -BELL IED , having the bot tom par t cur ved l ike the bellyof a fish
,as a
“fish-belliedr a i l ,
” wh ich was bell ied or cu r vedbetween each pa i r of chai r s .
F ISH -FAG , a fishwoman .
NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S . 287
F ISH -GARTH , an enclosu r e made of stakes and wat tles fort r apping fi sh in a r i ver . S ee CRU IVE .
FI SH -H EAD , an implemen t used for dr awing the clack fr oma set of pumps .
FISSLE , F ISSEL , to move about r estlessly andwi th a gen tlecr ackling noi se .
“Wha t do youfissel aboot on the sea t for P”
A moose wen t fisselin th r ough amang the st r ay (st r aw) . A
fisselin wund (wind) . I t is a l so applied to the cr acklingnoi se hear d in a pit when the coa l fissles, or cr ackles
,in the
ear ly stages of cr eep .—Gr esley
’
s Gloss., 1 883 .
FIT FOOT or FUT [T .] a foot , F i t-sted , a footp r in t .
FIT , p.t. of fight. S ee F owr .
FIT , able , capable . H e’
s notfit te gan . Aa’
sfit for owt ,man .
“ F i t te loup a yet t or sti le .
FIT , to sell and load coa ls . a
None shal l fitt any keel or keeles of an ie other b r other with tmt theconsen t of the owner ther eof. — Order of H ostmen
’
s Company , Januar y,
1600- 1 .— B r and, H i story of Newcastle, vol . i i . , p . 272 , note.
I
FITCH , to sh ift (wi thout a felon ious in tent ion ) . F itch tha tflake — r emove that hu r dle.
F ITCH E L , a beam or shaft of a waggon . T he fitchel bolt istha t which goes down thr ough the block andholds it to thebea r ings , or v ice ver sa.
FITTAGE , the comm i ssion allowed to a coa l sh ipper .
F ITTEN, p.p. offight.
W hen we had fai r lyfitten our sels clear 0’
them .— 8 . Ol iver , R ambles
in Nor thumber land, 1 835 , p . 1 56 .
FITTER , the agen t at the sh ipping po r t who sell s and loadsthe p r oduce of a col li er y . For mer ly ca l led hostmen . Ar unn ingfitter is an ou tdoor messenger .
M ou r n , a’
thefitter s o'
the Q uayAnda
'
the swa rms 0’ B r oker s , tee ,
That tell the capta ins mony a lee ,
T o myek them fix !T .W i lson , A D i rge on the Death of Coaly , 1 843 .
F IT T IN , coa l shipp ing .
T he fa ither s o’
thefittin-tr ade
T he Q uayside a’
ways pacinT. W i lson , Captai ns andthe Quayside.
288 NORTH UMBERLAND WORD S .
F IVE QUARTER COAL . T he “ qua r ter ” her e is a qua r terof a ya r d . F i ve qua r ter s , ther efor e , 3 feet 9 inches— thi sbeing the aver age th ickness of the pa r ticular seam .
W hich is of abou t that th ickness of five quar ter s , andthat is in somecol l ier 1es ver y fine .
”— The Compleat Coll ier , 1 708 .
F IX -FAX , the g r eat wh i te tendon of the necks of an imals .H odgson M S .
FIZ -BALL , a bal l of damp gunpowder kneaded in to the for m of
a cone. I t is l ighted at the apex , and bur n s w ith a h i ssingnoise.
FIZ -BALL , FUSS -BA’
, the fungus (Lycoperdon bovista , L inn .)found in pa stu r es . When dr y the po r es can be squeezed outl ike a cloud of smoke. Also ca lled puf -baa
’
s, devi l’
s snujf boxes,andblind-man
’
s-bujf .
FIZZER, a cake , wi th r ich kneading , baked on the gi r dle.
“ A Spicefizzer”i s a gi r dle-cake (singing -h inny) wi th cu r r an t s
(spice) . Anything super-excellen t is styled a fizzer .
F IZZ E R T , a term of r epr oach .
“ Ye clar tyfiezer t.
FIZZY . anyth ing well or clever ly done . That ’ sfizzy , noo
I t is used as the colloquial nobby is used .
“ Tha t ’ s a fizzycoat he hes on .
FLAA,flaw . D r aa , laa , &c. , ar e all simi la r ly p r onounced , the
aw becom ing a ver y long a.
FLAA,tu r f for fuel . Compa r e FLAG .
FLACKER , to flut ter , to v ibr a t e l ike the wings of a b i r d .
Compar e FLAFFER .
FLACKET ,a flask . (Obs.)
A scor e fiachetts of stone andglass.—Inventory , 1 577 .
FLAFF , to flutter same as fiafi’
er . H adyor skemy oot an’
myek him flafi”his w ings .” Boys , in lu r ing pigeon s , fiafi
'
thei rcaps to im i ta te a flutter ing bi r d . A flag on a staff is said toflafi
'
in the wind .
FLAFFER , to flutter , to move with an awkwar d r ustl ingmotion .
I t flafi'
er edoot at neets , man .
”— R . Emer y, d. 1 87 1 , The Owl .
290 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
FLANK -HOLE ,in m in ing , a bor e -hole made fr om the s ide of
a place wher e the r e is a danger of holing in to oldwor kingswh ich may con ta i n accumula t ion s of gas or wa ter .
— VV. E .
N icholson , Glossa ry of Coal T r ade Terms, 1 888 . Also a hole putin the flank or side of a d r ift to widen it by putting in a shot .Gr eenwell .
FLANNEN , flannel .
FLAP , anyth ing tha t hangs b r oad and loose , fastened on ly byone side — Todd. A manhole door in a pit . A
“flap-owe r
tyeble is a tab le wi th a fold ing leaf.
FLAP an un stable per son . A young giddy gi r l is ca l led a flap ,
or a woman o r gir l who does not set tle down to her domest icduties , bu t goes gadding about , and is gener a lly one of
s la t ter n ly habi t s .
FLAP , a shar p blow.
“ H e hadn ’ t his lessons off ; so he gathisflaps a t skyu l .
”
FLAP , to st r ike down quickly.Flap her doon at once wi
' pou ther .
T . W i lson , Pi tman’
s Pay , pt . i i . , v . 76 .
FLAPPER , a heavy , r esounding fall ; or the noise of a hea vyfall .
FLAPPER , a flat p iece of lea ther on a st ick , used by butcher sfor k illing fl ies .
FLAPPY ,un even ,
unsteady . T he ca r pet ’s lyin ’
aall flappy.
FLARE -U P , a quar r el , usually applied to a domestic broi l .Also a r out or en ter ta inmen t .
FLASH , the sma l l globules of molten i r on wh ich d r op fr om theblacksmi th’s an v i l du r ing the p r ocess of weld ing and becomeconcr et iona r y. F lash is not to be confounded wi th sca le.
”
Compar e SM IDDY G U M .
F L AS S ,a sha llow , ma r shy pond ; swampy gr ound .
FLAT, the par t of a scr een at a pi t wher e the coa ls r est , and
a r e cleaned befor e be ing put in to the waggon .— Glossary of
Coal T r ade Terms, 1 888 .
NORTH UMBERLAN D WORD S . 29 1
FLAT, the ter m ina t ion of the hor seway in a pit , the coals being
b r ought the r eto by the putte r s — M ining Glossa ry , N ewcastle
Terms,1 852 . I t i s also ca lled a sta t ion .
”S ee CRAN E .
T he later al extension of a lead ve in — Pr ofessor G . A Lebou r , M .A. ,
Geology of Nor thumber landandDur ham, seconded1tion , 1886 , p . 62 .
PLATCH,to flat ten by expan sion .
FLAT-LAD , the lad at the flats or cr ane in a pit. S ee
CRAN EMAN .
F L AT L IN S , flat ly.
FLAT-SH EETS,smooth i r on pla tes la id over an even floor at
a pit bank, on wh ich the t ub s a r e r u n to be emptied or
r etur ned to the cage . F lat-sheets a r e a lso la 1dat the foot of aShaft wher e the tubs a r e r un between the cages and the end
of the t r am l ines , or in the wor kings at cr ossings or j unct ion sof the l ines of r a il . S ee SETTLE B OARD S .
FLATTY , a flatfish . S ee F L E U CKOR , P LUC KER , &c.
FLAUGH TER , the th i n tur f tu r nedup when gr ound is par ed .
B r ockett.
FLAUT , F L OU GH T , a r oll of wool ca r ded r eady for
Sp inn ing — H odgson M S
F L AU T CH ING , fla t ter y , hollow pr a i se , fa lse coaxing , pleasu r e ,ar tfu l wheedling .
—H odgson M S S ee FLEECH .
FLAW , a j oiner’ s cu t na i l or b r ad .
FLAY , a fr ight .
FLAY , FLEY , to ter r ify , to fr ighten .
FLAY [N .] a flea .
FLAY-CRAA , a scar e -cr ow .
FLAYSOM E , l ike to fr ighten , awesome .“ T he p lan t in ’ s tha t
da r k i t ’s r eal fl zysome.” Wha t a leuk ye he
’
, aa feltfiaysomeat ye.
”
FLEAK , a long , th in piece of timber or a la th . T he use of
fleaks appear s in the weir ing of r iver s . F lakes a lso wer e la thsadapted to lay ba r ley cakes upon . Ba r ley cakes wer e fi r st
292 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
baked on the “gai rdel , then they wer e toasted befo r e the
fi r e , being placed on the “ bake-sticks a fter wa r ds they wer ela id on the flakes to dr y. T he for ms a r e a lsoflake, flaik, and
fleekA gate to set up in a gap This wordfleak sign ifies the same as
hu rdle , and is made of hasel , or other wands .— R ay. Col lection of Nor th
Country Words , 1 691 .
T he r ema ins of th is mi l l andthefleaks may sti ll be seen in the W ear
a t F inchale . T he fleaks ar e lar ge , r udely-shapedoak tr ees , fasteneddownin the water with i r on cr amps , hurdle-wise . In later times a fleak was ahu rdle , su spendedhor i zon ta l ly, a foot or two fr om the top of a r oom . I t
gener al ly bear s the cheese , bacon , &c. , of the hou sehold — R ev JamesR aine ,
jun r .— A r elzaologza Ai lmna , vol . i p . 202 , note.
FLEAM , phlegm .
F L E AS T E R , a fl uster , a hu r r y- scu r r y . Wha t a r e ye gett in’
in to sic a fleaster for ?”
FLEA -WOOD , the bog myr tle , or sweet ga le, M yr ica gale. Ahousewife ’ s cur e for flea s .
FLECK, or FLICK ,
a fl itch of bacon .
F L E GD E R , FLEDGY , a fledgling , an imma tur e per son , a
chi ld . S ee FLEG .
FLEE,to fly as a b ir d .
Flock o’ flock 0'
wi ldgeese—wher e di yefleeF r e Howdon to Bowden— to N ewcassel Q uay.
OldR hyme.
FLEE , a fly. L et tha t fl ee stick to the waa ll (pr over b)“ L et tha t ma tter r est . H alliwell givesfleg as Nor thumberland for a fly . S ee FLEG .
FLEE -BY-T H E -SKY,a r oman tic or vi sionar y per son .
FLEECH , F L AU T CH , t o fla t ter , t o wheed le . Aa wadnagan ti chur ch wi
’
him for a’
hisfleechin.
”
Thatfleetchiug knave .—G . S tuar t , f or a-S er ious D i scour se, 1 686 , p . 64.
F L E E CH Y ,a fla tter ing humbug .
FLEECY , lam ina ted . Anyth ing lying in leat s , or th in , compactlayer s , l ike past r y , or the flakes of fish , i s sa id to befleecy.
F L E E IN -ETH ER , the d r agon fly .
“ Pr obab ly cal led adder (ether ) becau se in a winged state they r ise ou t
of stagnant and pu tr id water s , and ar e constan tly found hun ting a fter
other fl ies in damp meadows .
” —Hodgson M S
294. NORTHU MBERLAN D W ORD S .
FL IGGED ,or F L IG , fledged . H ar d ly fligged ower the
dowp ” —young , imma tu r e .“ Yon bor r ids isfl ig — those bi r ds
a r e fledged .
Ah hinn ies ! Abou t u s the lasses did loupTh i ck as cu r ns in a S p ice sing in h inn ie
S ome and, and some hardlyfl igg’
dower the dowp .
T. Thompson , d. 1 8 16 ,Canny Newcastle.
FL IGH T , to set a -flying , to sta r t in fl ight . “ Aa’
l l flight yep igeons for a shil lin
FL INCH , finch as bu l lfl ineh for bu l lfinch
FL ING ,to kick ; applied to a ho r se . F ling a lso means to
vom i t , to th r ow ; to make a sa r ca st ic or scor n ful commen t ona per son or thing .
FL INT , the cor e of an an ima l ’s hor n . Cal led a lso the gowk.
T he ter m i s l ikewi se app lied to the har d excr escence fo r medon a cow ’ s head wher e a ho r n has been knocked off.
FL IPE , FLYPE , to fl ay, t o st r ip , to sk in ,t o take off the ba r k.
Aa fly/Jed h im , figu r a t i vely u sed , means , I r obbed o r
st r ipped him .
” To tu r n ha lf in side out , as a stocking isfl ipedin o r der the mor e ea si ly to put it on the foot .
FL IPE , FLYPE , a th in p iece , a p iece of sk in to r n off. Totake off in fly‘
bes. is to take off in th in pieces . A hatfl if e isthe br im of a hat .
PLIRE ,F L YR E , FLEER , to laugh , to jeer .
FL IRTIG IG , a forwa r d , ta lkat i ve , and uncon stan t gi r l .H all iwell
’
s D ict.
FLI SK , to fl ip in one’s face . D inna fl isk yor hanker sher
about tha t way.
”F l isk them fl ies off.” Also to leap n imb ly .
H efl iskedoff l ike a lop.
FL ITE , t o scold , to make a g r ea t noi se — H odgson M S .
F L IT IN , scold ing .
FLOAT -WH EY , cu r ds made fr om whey , much used inNo r thumber land .
— H all iwell’
s D iet. Compar e P LO ’ I‘ E . M i lk
squeezed fr om cheese -making .
Plot-whey , those curds left in whey, which , when bo i led, fioat on thetop.
NORTH UMB ERLAN D W ORD S . 295
FLOG ,to wor k with a hamme r and ch isel . T he wo r k of
ch ipp ing andsu r facing i r on is spoken of asflogging . To flogis any r apid action in str iking .
FLOORS , flat lands ly ing at the foot of slopes . F loor s andflats a r e of fr equen t occur r ence in field-names .
FLOTE , to fla t ten in plaster ing — H odgson M S . To flote, tofleet, t o skim m i lk ; to take off the cr eam : whence the wo r dfleeting d i sh .
F L OT H E R Y , sloven ly , bu t at tempt ing to be fine andshowy .
H alliwell’
s D iet. “ H e’
s fat an’
flother y.
”
FLOW , or FLOU ,a pea t moss , a pea t bog , gener a l ly lar g e
and straggl ing . F low in place -names occu r s , as in M anside
F low, in Nor thumber land ; p r obably fr om i ts being on the
water shed .
T he r ider dr eading ever y instant that he wil l sink over headinto theflow, cr awls ou t on his hands andknees — S . O l iver , R ambles i n Nor thumberland, 1 835 , p . 164 .
Between the hi lls ar e b r oadandflat mor asses , cal ledflowmosses.
Hodgson , Nor thumber land, pt . ij vol . i . , p 84 .
T he bog over flows along the ou tlet or outlets , and that par t of i t
which thu s dips away fr om the bog p r oper is aptly ca l led the flow of the
bog .— Pr ofessor Lebou r , Geology of Nor thumber landandDur ham, second
edi ti on , 1 886 , p . 1 1 .
FLOW , FLOU , gusty . It’
s a flow day. Wha t a flownee t !”
FLOWERY-DOCKEN , the Chenopodium bonus H enr icus.
FLOWS , FLOUS , floa t s , applied to the cluster of co r ks wh ichsu ppor t the bosom ”
of a sa lmon net.
F L OVVT E R’
D, affr ighted .
— R ay’
s Gloss. , 169 1 .
PLUCKER , or FLUKE , or FLATTY , a flounder . S ee
F L E U CKE R .
FLUFF , a sudden ign it ion . A 77q of poother . T he downfr om the wool of cloth . S ee FU FF .
F L U F T E R , FLUFFER ,to di sconcer t , to fluster .
FLUKE , the flounder , P latessa flcsus, F lem. S ee F L E U CKE R ,P LUCKER.
296 NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
FLUM ,decei t , m i slead ing ta lk. Let ’ s he’
nyen o ’ yor flum,
noo.
’
F L U M M IX ,to sup r ise , to over whelm wi th a ston ishmen t . In
a r gumen t the pe r son who has the best of 1t says , “ Aa
fi ummix’
dhim.
FLUTHER, a flutter , a sta te of men ta l agi tat ion .
“ I t putus aa l iv a flu ther .
F L U T H E R Y ,sloven ly , in a state of bustle or confusion . S ee
F LOT H E R Y .
FLY , S ly, cr afty , smar t . H e’
s a fly chep . Aa see the
gam —bu t yor notfly .
”
FLY -DOOR , or SWING DOOR ,a doo r so con st r ucted as
a lways to fa l l close when left a lone , bu t to open either towa r dsor fr om the cu r r en t of a i r , accor d ing to the d i r ect ion of the
for ce e xer ted aga in st i t. —Gloss. of Coal T r ade Terms, 1888.
FLY -D R OVE N , fly-blown . Appl ied to mea t on wh ich the
eggs of the b low -fly ha ve been deposi ted .
FLYING -BENT , the M ol i nia ecer ulea . S ee B ENT .
FLYING -CRADLE , a fr aming of about fou r feet by one and
a ha lf feet , upon wh ich one or mor e men may sit a st r ide to dotempor a r y wo r k in the sha ft .— Gloss. of Coal T r ade Terms , 1 888 .
F0 [W .-T .] to fal l . T he 0 a s in snow.
FOAL FOAL E Y.
W her e a you th is too weak toput the tr am by himsel f, he engages a
jun ior assistant , who is ca l led the foa l , andin th i s case the str ongest pu l lsthe tr am by a shor t r ope ca l led a seam, wh i le the foa l pu shes behmdS . O l iver , R ambles i n Nor thumber land, 1 83 5 ,
p . 4 1 .
T he posit ion of heedsman andfoaleys appear s to ha ve beensomet imes r ever sed ; for , wh i lst the descr ipt ion above gi vencoincides w i th the note on the subject in The P i tman ’
s P ay ,an
exper ienced wr i ter put sT he str ongest one behind and the foa ley in fr ont — M r . J . R owel l ,
N eveastle Weekly Chr on icle, Ap r i l 14 ,1 888 , a r ticle S oam
In the same pape r,M r . G . H a l liwel l , Seaham H a r bou r ,
cor r obo r a tes the la t ter sta temen t . S ee H E E D S M AN .
F OAL E Y-M EAR,a ma r e w i th young .
FOALS -FOOT , coltsfoot , T ussi lagofarfar a ,
298 NORTH UM B ERLAN D W ORD S .
FOOR -H ORSE , the far hor se , or r ight side ho r se of a pai r inplough ing . T he hor se on the left is the land ,
”or n a r -side
hor se .
FOOT,the lower par t of a st r eet , a s “ head is the uppe r pa r t .
H ead of the S ide and “ F oot of the S ide ”ar e s ti ll
constan tly used in Newca st le .
FOOTAGE -M ONEY , the foy, or fee , r ecei ved by a p ilot .The footage-monies r ecei ved by p i lots a r e cal led by them foys .
FOOT -AN’-A-HALF , a game l ike leap -fr og . T he last leaper
must call out foot-an’-a -half.
”I f he fa i ls he must become
the “ back .
” After each r ound the “ back steps on to the spotwher e the last leaper touched , and the “ fr ogs ” who fol lowmust in the secon d r ound leap fr om the o r iginal ma r k and
clea r the back . T he move for wa r d i s r epea ted after ever yr ound t ill the player s fa i l in tu r n .
FOOT-COCK , a small hayo cock , of less size than a kyle, usedin shower y wea ther . I t i s a sma l l heap of hay ga ther ed offthe g r ound and cocked l ight ly up wi th the foot and r ake toa ssist d r ying . S ee H AY-MAK ING .
FOOT H ,plen ty. S ee FOUTH .
FOOT -VVAS H IN . On the even ing p r eced ing the wedd ing daythe feet of the b r idegr oom wer e washed in a company of twoor th r ee of his ~
own pa r t icula r fr iends . A sim ilar office wasa lso per for med to the b r ide , bu t in a mo r e p r i va te way.
Richar dson ’ s TableBook, L egendary , vol . i . , p . 342 .
FOOTY , sma ll , mean , in sign ifican t , low, shabby H e’
s a bit
footy body.” Bu t when applied to a gi r l it mean s a sma ll ,nea t pe r son .
FOOT -YE L L ,the d r ink customa r y on the footin , or beginn ing
of a new wo r k . When a young hor se get s his fi r st shoes , i tis customa r y for the smi th andthe owner to d r ink the foot-yel l .Th is is the footin .
”
FOOZ , or F U E T S , the common house leek, S emper vivumtector um.
FOR,un t il . “Wa i t for aa come .
FOR,j oined to whatz why ? As Whatfor wi ll he not P
FORAN , a per son befor ehand .
NORTH U M BE R LAN D W ORD S .
FOR -A’-SYKES
, a common exclama t ion . P r obab ly “ for a l l
ou r sakes . F or -a’-sykes d r op i t.
FOR -BE CAAS . What for -beeaas P” —wha t for ?
FORBY , besides , over andabove .
T o whom pigs and pu l lets a r e sent —andother good things for by.
Addr ess to M r Peter Watson , 1 824 .
H e'
s sixteen stane onyway, for ebye the heavy side-saddle - JamesArmstr ong , Wanny B lossoms , 1 879 , p . 1 22 .
FORCED -FIRE . S ee NEED - F I RE .
FORCE -P U T ,a th ing done of
,necessi ty or under compulsion .
We’
ll not dee’d except a s a for ce-put.” “ A for ce-put
’
s me
pl isu r e- a th ing d one of necessi ty is no pleasu r e .
F OR D E R , to fur ther .
FORE, the fr on t . “ F or e door — the fr on t door .
“ I s he st ill tothe for e P
”- is he st i ll to the fr on t— tha t is , st il l al ive and
well
FORE -DAYS,POOR -DAYS , towa r ds even ing — H all iwell
’s
D iet.
FOREIGNER , the name appl ied to any cr aftsman not
belong ing to the fr eelage of the town . Fo rmer ly the fr eebu r gesses of Newca st le -upon -Tyne wer e r esolute in har assingand opp r essing eve r y for eigner , a s they emphatica lly ca l l al l
non - fr eemen . A for eigner was not a l lowed to keep a shop bu tby the suffer ance of the co r por a t ion .
FORELOCK , a washer o r ci r cular d isc of i r on for the nu t of
a bol t to p r ess aga in st when scr ewed up.
FO R E N E N S T , FOR E AN E N S T , FORNENT ,next in fr on t ,
r ight in fr on t , r ight aga in st .
FORE -SH I FT ,the fi r st shift of hewer s tha t descends a pi t for
wo r k . They go down two to th r ee hou r s befor e the boys .
FORE -WON , in a pit ,“a wa ll d r i ven ove r befor e the boa r d
was holed .— Gloss. of Coal T r ade Terms.
FOR -FAIRS , or FOR -FAIR,in ear nest . S ee FA I R.
“ W hene ’
er we sawh is sonsy face , wor steam got up for -fai r .
R . Emer y, 185 3 , Deeth 0' Bobby Nuun .
300 NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORD S .
FOR G IM M E TY ,and FOR G I M M E TY -M E -S INS , an excla
ma t ion of su r p r i se.
FORKY -TAIL, the ea r wig . Called a lso eodgybell , twitchbell , and
seotehybell .
FORPET , or FOR -P I T , a measur e con ta in ingAt Alnwick the fou r th pa r t of a peck , abou t th r ee quar ts At Hexham,
fou r qu ar ts , i peck of wheat , 1 -5 of bar ley andoats At W ooler , 4 qua r ts ,Jo. peck , 1
-
9 bu shel . T he wor d seems to be a cor r uption offour th-par t.
”
James B r itten , OldCountry andFa rming Words. ( E .D .S
FOR R AT ,FORR IT , FORRAD ,
for wa r d , bend ing for wa r d ,and,
thus , weakened . Getten sa i r for r i t i’
the knees — tha ti s , bend ing ver y much w ith age.
FOR R AT S OM E , FOR R E T S OM E , of a forwar d disposi tion ,
impuden t .
FOR S M AN , fo r eman .
S he smackedthe for sman on the face .
J. P . R obson , H aml ick , pt 11.
FOR T H E R LY ,fo r wa r d , ea r ly. A for ther ly ha r vest .
F ar ther ly potatoes.— B r ockett
FO R TH Y ,indust r ious , wel l doing , fr ee , kindly spoken . A
for thy body .
”
F OR T YFOAL S , a blue and wh i te pota to of good incr ease.
M ost l ikely o r igina l ly ca lled for ty -folds.”
FOR W H Y , wher efo r e . H e comes her e ; forwhy a a’s sur e aa
canna tell .
FOTH ER , FODDER , of coa ls , one-thi r d of a chald r on ; abouta s many coa ls as a one-ho r se ca r t wi ll con ta in . A fother oflead : 2 1 cwts . T he wor d has come t o be appl ied to a ca r tload of anyth ing in gener a l . A fother of muck , o r of l ime ,&c . T he fother d iffer s fr om the load, the la t te r be ing as
much as can be car r ied on the back of a pack -ho r se .
A fother [of coals] i s pr oper ly as much as can be conveyedin a ca r t
wi th one hor se .— T . John Taylor , A r eha’
ology of the Coa l T r ade, 1 85 2 .
“ Fother , a measu r e of coals— six bu shels .
”— Hugh M i ller , Geology ofOtter bur n and Elsdon
FOTH ER , to feed hor ses andca t t le , to give them thei r fodder .
To “ do up ho r ses or cows for the n ight . “ H e ye fother edthe beass yit P
”
FOTH ER -BARN ,a s t r aw bar n .
FOT H E R IN , the last feed ing at n ight for h o r ses andcat tle.
302 NORTH UMBERLAND W ORD S .
FOY-BOAT,a boa t used by a foy-boa tman .
FOY -BOATM AN , a boatman whose occupa t ion is to wa tch a t
sea ,O ff the mouth of the Tyne , for incom ing sh i ps , in or der
to ob ta in employmen t in moor ing them on thei r a r r iva l in thehar bou r .
FOZY , applied to a t ur n ip tha t is fr ost bi tten ; and,hence ,
spongy . A fozy tu r n ip is a lso one over g r own,deficien t in sap,
and of a dr y, spongy na tur e in side. These , when handled ,a r e ver y l ight andha ve a hol low sound . T he youngster s ona fa r m somet imes u se them for footballs .
FRA , FRAE , P R E , F R E V ,
'
F R E N,fr om .
“ Wher e hes hecome fr a .
P Th i s is the usua l fo rm in No r thumber land . On
Tyneside the sound is much sho r tened .
Fr ae Team Gu t to W h itley, W i'coa ls b lack andb r own ,
F or the Amph i tr i te loaded, the keel hadcom’
ddown .
"
R ober t G i lch r i st , S kipper’
s E r udi tion , 1 824 .
F r e is the usage when the wor d fol lowing begin s with a
con son an t ; bu t when a vowel , o r a mute a spi r a te,fol lows
,
the for ms a r e fr ev andfr en . S ee a lso FREN .
Can they de owse wi' C r owley
’s cr ew,
E r ev a needle tiv an anchor , O
FRAC, audacious , undut iful , bold , obstr eper ous .
FRAISE , FRAKE ,a di stu r bance , a fight . “ A bonny fr ake
they gat up amang them .
”
[H ea r d a t H ar bottle ] Theseappea r to be va r ian t s offr ay. Compa r e F R AS Y andFRAY .
T he au ldwives aften mak’
a f r a ise.
Poems, F . Donaldson , Glanton , 1 809 ,p . 77 .
FRAKE,a fr eak.
FRAM E , to a ttempt , to st r i ve , to Show pr om ise of abi li ty. H e
fr ames well .”
H ow does he fr ameP
FRAM E , the head gea r carrying the pulleys of a pit.
FRAM E -D AM , a strong sepa r a tion of wood andclay,to stop
wa ter back — M ining Gloss. N ewcastle Terms,1 852 .
FRAM E -DOOR , a pit door set in a fr ame of special con struct ion .
“ I t on ly opens in one di r ection , namely, aga inst the pr essu r e of thecu r r ent of the a i r , andshou lda lways be hung so as to fa ll to shou ldanyone passing th r ough i t neglect to dr aw i t close
i
”— Gloss of Coa l Tr adeTerms , 1 888 .
NORTH U MBERLAND W ORD S .
F R AM M E L T , the ben t por tion of an ob solete fo rm of ca t t leband , made of wood , to emb r ace and s l ide on the stake . T he
upr ight por tion is called a byeakie .
F R AM P I S H , to bend t ight ly .
FRAP , t o st r ike , to r ap. Aa’
ll fr ap yor heed when aa get a
hadon ye .
”
FRASE , or PH RASE , a d istur bance . Wha t ar e ye myekinthe fr ase aboot thor
’s neebody kill’
d. S ee F R AS Y.
FRASS,fine dust .
A cater pi llar mines between the bar k and the wood, and thr ows outa b r own dust or fr ass — D r James Har dy, H i st. of Bwks. N at. Club,vol . 9 , p 37 1 .
F R AS Y , fr ay , exci temen t , hubbub . T he same as fr aise. S ee
FRA S E andFRAY .
Hoping thefr asy might tur n out a hoax .—James Armstr ong , Wanny
B lossoms, 1 879 , p 1 32 .
F R AS Y ,d istu r bing , talkat ive .
“ H oot ! he’s no wor th m ind in ’
a poor fr azy body.” P r obably the adject iva l form of the
for egoing wor d .
FRATCH , to make a d istu r bance in a quer ulous , fr etful way ;a lso a sl ight quar r el , a d isagr eemen t , an obst r uct ion . H e
’
s
n ivvor ea sy t ill he can r ai se a fr atch wi’ somebody .
”
FRATCH ER,a fault finder , a di stur ber about pet ty th ings .
F R AT E D ,fr ayed , fr et ted having r ough , r agged edges , as tor n
o r wor n cloth .
FR AT I S H E D , per ished , half fr ozen , benumbed wi th cold .
B r ockett. S ee F R E T I S H E D .
F R AT I S H M E NT , sta r va t ion fr om cold .
FRAY , a g r eat d istu r bance . A house clean ing o r a washingday leads to the exclama t ion ,
“ W hat a fr ay thor’ s on thi
day.
FRAZE . S ee FRA S E .
FREAK , F R E YK , F R E KE , a strong man, a fighting man .
(Obs.)
FRECKEN , to fr ighten .
304. NORTH UMBERLAN D W ORD S .
FREE -COAL , coa l wel l j oin ted , and wor king fr eely .— H ugh
M iller , Geology of Otter bu r n andE lsdon ,1 887 .
F R E E D S T OL L , F R IT H S T OL L , F R ID S T OL L , the sea tof peace . St il l p r eser ved a t H exham .
A S tone Chai r in the Chu r ch near the Altar , to which Offender s u sedto fly for S anctuar y . Ang lo
- S axon , f r idh , peace , and stole, a seat.
BazIey’
s c i .
F R E E L E GE ,F R E L ID GE , the p r i v i lege of acqui r ing the
fr eedom of the town .
“ H e took up his fr eelege fr om his
fa ther .
”H e ser ved his fr eelege as a j o iner . (Obs.)
FREE -LEVEL , di scha r ging at the su r face wi thout enginepower .
—N icholson , Gloss. of Coal T r ade Terms.
FREEND,fr iend . Relat ives ar e gener a l ly called fr eends. Aa
’
s
g an ti see ma fr eends.
”H e
’
s a fa r away d o ’ mine.
”
T he wor d is fr equen t ly shor tened to f r in , o
FREESE -ROOTER , possib ly a name for a por tcull i s . (Obs .)
FREET ,fr ight F R E E T E N , to fr ighten .
P R E -G IT H E R , apa r t . They ’ve been lang fr e-g ither .
F R E M ,FREM D , FREM IT , st r ange .
“ F r emd folk — al ien
people .
“ Aa’
ve hed ma i r kindness shown us fr e fr emdfolknor i r e me aan kin .
” Thus gener a lly appl ied to d ist ingu ishpeople who a r e not one ’ s blood r ela t i on s . H ence anythingout of the way or st r ange. A fr emdday.
A fr emdman this .—Hodgson M S .
Fr em’
dor fr emt, far off , not r elatedto , or str ange, an enmity.— R ay
’
s
G loss 1 691 .
F R E M AN G , fr om among .
FREN,fr om .
“ H e’
s teyu n’
d fr en him .
” Thi s fo rm is u sed
in stead off r e, in the same way tha t f r ev is used . D idye get
i t f r e T om ,or f r ev Auty P
”H er e a vowel or consonan t
following deter m ine the u se off r e, f r ev, or f r en. H e ga t theteyun f r en an aad fiddler .
” “ H e played the teyun f r ememor y .”
FRENCH LENART , a r edpole .
FRESH -WOOD, the th r eshold , or foot -beam of the fr on t door
of a dwel ling -house .— H odgson M S .
306 NORTH UMB ERLAND W ORD S .
FRUGGAN , a cur ved i r on scr aper wi th wh ich ashes in an o vena r e sti r r ed .
— H all iwell’
s D iet.
FRUSH, the th r ush , or t ender pa r t of a hor se
’ s foot .
FRUSH , b r it tle.
“ I t ’ s va r r yfr ush (said bya ma son hammer inga qua r l wh ich br oke ea si ly , Any th ing ful l of sap and
easi ly br oken i s said to be fr ush.
FRY , chi ld r en .
T he sku l ls ar e shut the gabbl in f ryA
’
skelp aboot at pleasu r e .
The Oi l i n‘
o’ D icky
’
s Wig , 1826 .
Andthem befor e the fry of ch i ldr en yongThei r wanton spor tes andch i ldish mi r th didplay.
Faer ie Q ueene, I . , xi i . , v . 7 .
F U , F U H , full ; gener a lly sho r tened in th i s way when at theendof a wor d . H oosefuh— housefull ; n ieffuh— handfull , &c.
FUD , the tai l , or scut , of the har e , r abb it , &c.
FUDDL ING , a p r act ice in fish poach ing .
They not on ly u se a net when they have one , bu t r esor t to the mor e
destr uctive pr actice of what they cal lfuddl ing the fish , by l iming the wa ter ,
or th r owing into the pools a pr epa r ation of Coculus Indicus 8 . O l iver ,
R ambles in Nor thumber land, 1 835 , p . 83 .
FUE , or FEW ,to endeavou r , to st r uggle . Aa
’
ll fne to di’
d.
H e f nes well at the job .
”S ee F E W .
FUE , an effo r t . H e myedthe best f ue on’
t aa’
ve seen .
F U E T S , the house-leek. S ee Fooz .
FUFF , to puff out w ith an exp losi ve or h issing sound .
T he poother fufi‘edoff iv a j iffy.
FUG IE , F U GE E . (Obs.)T he fug i es, that is to say, such cowardly cocks as tr ied to r un and
avoidfighti ng .— W . Br ockie , Legends andS uper sti ti ons, pp 1 1 1 and 1 3 3 .
F U IL , a fool . S ee FEYU L .
FULL , r ich , wel l -to -do . (Obs .)
FULL , FULLEN , the house-leek , S emper vivum tector um. SeeF U E T S , Fooz .
Countr y people plan t the hou se-leek, or sen -
g r een , loca lly termed
fu ll or fa llen , on the tha tched r oofs of thei r cottages , in order to p r eser vethem fr om thunder and l igh tn ing , wh ich , i t is sa id, will never str ike thisever g r een her b .
”— Legends andS uper sti tions, p 1 1 7 ,
NORTHUMBE RLAN D W ORD S .
PULLOCK , to jer k o r ad vance the hand beyond the “ past ,or bounda r y l ine , in p laying at ma r bles . I t is a form of
chea t ing a t the game N ee fullockin , noo , is the commonexpostula t ion to an unfai r p layer .
FULL -PLOUGH , or FOOL -PLOUGH . Ancien t ly the
h inds and agr icu ltu r a l labou r er s of Nor thumber land usedto celeb r a te the ter m ina t ion of the labour s of the ploughby a pagean t , wh ich is va r iously ca l led the whi te-plough,stot-ji lough, full -plough, andfool -plough or fond-plough . T he men
who jo ined wer e d r essed in wh i te sh i r t s (wi thout coat o r
wa istcoa t) , on wh ich wer e st i tched a p r ofusion of colour edr ibbon s and r oset tes . They yoked themselves to a p lough
,
and wen t r ound the coun t r y- s ide p r eceded by a flag -bea r er
and accompan ied by a man w i th a gu n . At each house a fee
was demanded , and when a g ift was ob ta ined the gu n wa s
fi r ed . A r efusa l of the customa r y la r gess was followed bythe plough being d r awn in many fu r r ows th r ough the gr oundo r pa vemen t in fr on t of the house . Compar e SW ORD-DANCER SandG U IZ AR D . (Obs. )
FUM E , lead smoke .
A sor t of bad fou l a i r , or fume, exhal ing ou t of some miner als.
Compleat Col l i er , 1 708 , p . 23 .
FUMM LE , to fumble , to do a th ing clumsily . Wha t a r e ye
f ummelin on tha t way for ? To seek for in a fumbl ingmanner . Aa fummeled on t ill aa fand it .” In the d ialectthe b sound in tumble, g r umble, humble, nimble, thimble, tr emble,&c. , is a lways elided .
FUN , FUND , FUNDEN ,pr eter ites andp.p. offind.
FUNERAL -CUSTOM S . S ee B IDDERS , LAKE -WAKE , STREEK .
FUNK,to kick , to kick up the heel s as a hor se o r donkey does .
T o funk off”is to th r ow the r ider . To be in a funk
”is to
be in a ti lt o r passion about anyth ing .
“ T he gaffer ’ s in a
fi ne funk — in a g r ea t pa ssion .
FUNK,to r a i se a n oisome smell , a s is done by blowing
pungen t smoke th r ough a keyhole— tha t i s ,“ F unkin the
Cobbler .
FUNKER, a hollow cabbage sta lk or a ho r n fi lled w i th l ighted
tow , out of which volumes of smoke a r e blown by way of
amusemen t or m isch ief.
308 NORTH UMBERLAND W ORDS .
FUR , o r FOOR , a fu r r ow .
FUR , F U R R IN , the deposi t of l ime fr om l imestone wa te r .
A p ipe when choked wi th deposi ted ma t ter is sa id to befu r r edup .
FURNACE -DR I FT , a passage lead ing in to an “ upcast pit
p r ov ided w ith a fur n ace for the pu r pose of v en t i la t ing them ine . Whe r e two such passages e x i st , one on ly of wh ichhas the fur n ace bu r n ing , they ar e d ist inguished as the fur nacedr ift anddumb-dr ift.
FURTH ERANCE , e x t r a p r ice pa id to the hewe r s whenr equ i r ed to f at the coa ls (M ining Gloss. N ewcastle Terms,or as an a l lowance in r espect of in fer ior coal , a bad r oof
, a
faul t , &c. (Gr esley’
s Gloss. ,
F U R T IG ,fat igue.
F U S H E N L E S S , F U Z Z E N L E S S , dry, wan t ing in nou r ishmen t
F uzzen means ‘nou r ishment , natu r a l juyce , str eng th , plen ty. abun
dance , and r iches. — J B r i tten , OldCountry andFarming Words. (E D .S
Natu r e shou ldb r ing for th
Of i ts own kind, al l foezon , a ll abundance.
Tempest, act i i . , so . 1 .
F ushenless is , ther efor e , sapless , sackless , useless . H e’
s a
poo r , fushenlessobody.
”
F U S OM E , F E U S OM E , deft-handed , bu t gener ally in a
sin i ster manner .
PUTCH EN , fu r , p r obably of the fitchet , poleca t , or stoat .
(Obs.)A black futchen doub let , l inedwith sa r snet. —W i l l of John Lawson ,
1 578 .— R . W e lfor d,
H istory of Newcastle i n X VI . Centu ry , p . 508 .
FWOAK , folks , people. S ee F OL K .
Jenny, the ga rdner , an sum mar e sic leyke fwoah.- Thomas Bewick.
The Howdy , ed. 1 850, p . 1 1 .
FWOAL , a foa l . A cowt-fwoal is a young male ho r se wh i lstsucking . A fi l ly
-fwoal i s a female of the same age . A foalymear i s a ma r e andfoal .
FYE , an e xclama t ion ca l l ing to a t ten t ion . E ye for a guide toDur ham ! ” exclaimed the b r oken fug it i ves after the ba ttle of
N ewbu r n , in August , 1640. T he wo r d a lso occu r s in ea r ly
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