_Devonianisms_ (Vol. vii., p. 630.).--_Plum_, adj. I am at a loss for the
origin of this word as employed in Devonshire in the sense of "soft,"
_e.g._ "a _plum_ bed:" meaning a soft, downy bed.
Query: Can it be from the Latin _pluma_? And if so, what is its history?
There is also a verb _to plum_, which is obscure. Dough, when rising under
the influence of heat and fermentation, is said to be _plumming_ well; and
the word _plum_, as an adjective, is used as the opposite of _heavy_ with
regard to currant and other cakes when baked. If the cake rises well in the
oven, it is commonly said that it is "nice and plum;" and _vice versa_,
that it is heavy.
_Clunk_, verb. This word is used by the common people, more especially the
peasantry, to denote the swallowing of masses of unmasticated food; and of
morsels that may not be particularly relished, such as fat. What is the
origin of the word?
_Dollop_, subs. This word, as well as the one last-named, is very
expressive in the vocabulary of the vulgar. It is applied to lumps of any
substances, whether food or otherwise. Such a phrase as this might be
heard: "What a _dollop_ of fat you have given me!" "Well," would be the
reply, "if you don't like it, _clunk_ it at once." I should be glad to be
enlightened as to the etymology of this term.