FIR-APPLES—Cones; seed.

FIRE-EDGE—Enthusiasm. He’d plenty o’ fire edge on. Appetite. That

dumplin’s tian t’ fire edge off.

FISSLE—Uneasy movements. Can’t ta sit whiatly an’ nut fissle aboot? Is

that a moose fisslen’ aboot amang t’ gerse?

FIX-FAX—Gristle.

FIASEN—When a lal ’un hes a berry shag gie’n tult, an’ it scowps o’ t’

preserves off, that’s fiasen it. Siam when it licks it’s plate efter

dinner.

FIELD, FEEAL, FIELDIN—Hide. Let’s laik at fielden. Yon lal tagalt’s

fielded mi specs, an’ nowder hee ner low can Ah find them.

FIUT—Keep up with. Ye gang that fast Ah can hardly fiut ye.

FIUT—Trace. We can fiut a hare on t’ snow.

FIUT—To establish; to introduce. Whia what we’st hev ta fiut ye.

FIUTED—To perform a journey on foot. We fiuted it iv’ry stride.

FIUT-IT—A good dancer or walker. By jen but he can fiut-it.

FUIT-LETH—A quarter of a stone.

FLAAS—Turf for fuel.

FLA-SCAREL—A scarecrow. An untidy body’s sometimes co’ed a fla-scarel.

FLAAENS—Boggles, ghosts.

FLACKER—Palpitate. Ah’s o’ in a flacker wi’ runnin’.

FLESH-MEAT—Butcher meat. It’s varra lal flesh-meat yan mun hev

noo-a-days.

FLACK, FLACKIN—A thin sod pared for the purpose of covering a turnip or

potato heap.

FLACKER—A good flacker is one who can neatly cut a flack or flackin’.

FLAM, FLAATCH, FLAUP, FLAUP-POT, FLAACTHEN—These is o’ yah sooart,

but different maaks. T’ meanin’ is grease, whakly talk, er duabment.

They’re nut i’ mich repute i’ Lakeland, “Where men are bold and

strongly say their say,” but it’s happen as weel ta put them in, as lal

as they’re set bi.

FLIGMAGARIES—Bits of showy articles of finery in dress.

FLAY-CROW—A person whose appearance is more striking than usual. A

regular flay-crow. An object made up with old rags and stuck in a field

to frighten the birds.

FLEEK—A frame of wood filled up with straw or bracken, with which a

stone-breaker shields himself from the weather.

FLECK’T—Spotted. It was fleck’t wi’ froth, he’d droven that hard.

FLEEK—A frame hung from the ceiling on which bread and bacon or

clothing are placed to dry.

FLEWAT—A rough blow. It catcht mi seck a flewat ower t’ heed.

FLINT-AN’-STEEL—A smiuker’s tackle fer gitten a leet afoor they hed

matches, e’ go yut.

FLIRT—Flirt aboot frae spot ta spot. Unsettled. A giddy body.

FLIT—To remove. A miun-leet flit is a removal by night time to avoid

observation.

FLOONCE, FLOONCED—A temper. He was in a floonce. They floonc’d oot i’

neea time.

FLUKE—A flat potato.

FLUKER—Large of its kind. That’s a fluker ano.

FLUMMAX—Stew. By jen, but thoo’s put me in a flummax.

FLAIL-HINGIN—T’ workin’ part ov a flail.

FLAIL-SOOPLE—T’ strikin’ end ov a flail.

FLAIT—Frightened. Thoo’s mair flait ner hurt.

FLAP—Saddle flap; coat flap; britches flap; shoe flap; flap door. These

o’ mean summat ’at’s lowse an’ laps ower.

FLAP—To beat. Flap their wings; a flap under t’ lug; they’d a bit ov a

flap.

FLAPPEN—A light, giddy manner. Flappen aboot. A tussle; they’d a bit ov

a flappen on atween thersels.

FLAUP—An untidy woman. A gurt idle flaup.

FLAUPT—To drop down in an indolent way. She flaupt hersel doon.

FLAUPEN—To go about in an untidy manner. Flaupen aboot frae moornin’ ta

neet, nivver wesht ner nowt.

FLOWTER—Flutter. By gok, but thoo’s put me in a flowter wi’ that tial

Ah’s sewer thoo hes.

FLOTHERY—Gaudy trapping seck as ribbons an’ owt ’at doddery flappy tail

’t mack at fooak put o’ ther backs ta be smart.

FLURCH—A lot; good measure running ower.

FLAY—Skin. It was ommost flayed alive.

FLAY—Freeten. Ah war flayed oot o’ mi skin acomen hiam, wi’ that gurt

barguest of a cuddy.

FLAYSOME—Hideous, pitiful. What’s ta makken that flaysome din for? She

liuks flaysome.

FLEEMS—Fleems an’ t’ bleedin’ stick. T’ nag doctor ’ll show ye what

these is.

FLEP—Bottom lip. He hings a flep like an auld meear i’ barley seed time.

FLIGHT—Chide, scold. Ah gat seck a flighten as Ah’s nivver fergit fer

takkin a few plums.

FLING, FLANG, FLUNG—To throw as in wrestling. He gat flung wi’ a chap

hauf his size.

FLONKER—An outsizer. A tale that smells of a lie. That’s a flonker an’

neea mistak.

FLONKIN—A thrashing. Thoo’ll git a flonkin fer rivin’ thi shirt.

FLUSTER—Excitement. We’re o’ in a fluster.

FLUSTERED—Broken out. T’ barn heed ’s o’ flustered oot wi’ gurt scabs.

FLUSTERIN—Going about or working in an excited manner.

FLUSTERED—Confused. Ah gat fairly flustered amang seea many fine fooak,

an’ seea mich meemo an’ nackin.

FLUSTRATED—Aboot t’ siam as flustered.

FLOWE—Wild; uncongenial; out of temper. It’s a cauld flowe wind. T’

pastur ligs varra flowe. He went by liuken as flowe as neea matter.

FLUZZ, FLUZZ’D—When ye’re driven a stiak inta t’ grund and t’ end ye

hit wi’ a mell gits bruised, we say it’s fluzz’d. A rattle under t’ lug

is co’ed a fluzz sometimes. Ah gat seck a fluzz at t’ side o’ t’ heed

wi’ his nief.

FLUSH—A game played for nuts.

FLUSH—To drive game out of cover.

FLYEREN—“The loud laugh which betrays the vacant mind.” Theer they war,

flyeren an’ nickerin at iv’ry thing an’ iv’ry body.

FLYPE—Brim. Thoo’s plenty o’ flype on ta keep t’ sun off.

FOTHER, FUDDER, FODDER—In the years 1588, 1600, and 1612 respectively,

these are given in some old documents belonging to the Parish Church of

Morland for fodder.

FOISON—Quality or quantity; good in both.

FOWT—A fight. Says Whitehead:

But fowts er sometimes t’ easiest fowt,

Befoor they’re fowt at a’.

FOORMAL, FOORMAL’D—Bespeak; order. Ah coe’d an’ foormal’d a pig oot o’

that lot.

FOLLOW—A young fella ’at’s just begun ta “follow” a pair o’ nags thinks

hissel neea treacle jacky, an’ he’s gaily oft leadin’ yan o’ them.

Anudder’s said ta be “followen” somebody’s daughter ’at he want’s ta

keep. I’ that sense it means he’s gaan wi’ her, keeping her company,

an’ varra clooase company ano’, else he might be sucked in, an’ loss

her. Do ye follow o’ this er nut? We deea “follow” at times, durt we

noo? Varra whiat than, when we’re “followen” fer t’ last time.

FOILED—Soiled with dung. They foiled mair ner they eat.

FOISTY—Stale. This flour’s gaan foisty.

FOOAK—This is put in acos fooak co’ yan anudder fooak yet; your fooak,

oor fooak, fadder fooak, an’ seea on. Ther’re net gitten to be people

er persons yet.

FOOMET—Aye fool eniuf if t’ stink bi owt ta gang bi. Thoo stinks warse

ner a foomet.

FORCE—A waterfall. T’ fooarce is gayly full.

FOTR—To take the awns off barley or awny wheat.

FOTRIN-IRON—An implement designed to remove the awns off barley, &c. In

shape something like a fork handle, with grate or bars attached.

FOWER ROOD ENDS—Cross roads. Famous places for hanky-panky tricks,

seck as charmin’ warts away, tellin’ luck, buryin’ uncanny bodies, an’

findin’ ther ghosts. Ah darn’t fer t’ life o’ me put in o’ t’ tials at

Ah’ve hard aboot t’ fower rooad ends. They wad flay o’ t’ lal ’uns an’

some t’ gurt ’uns oot o’ ther wits wheniver they’d ta gah by yan. T’

varra guide stoops ’ll mak yan’s skin fair whidder on a dark neet. An’

ther’s war things ner a guide stoop.

FORRAD—Fast; in front. A forrad lad er lass is yan ’at’s shot ther

horns i’ good time.

FOND—Foolish; imbecile.

FORENWESS, ENWESS-AWAY—For ever, without end, a great lot. We’ve hed

forenwess o’ bodder aboot that will. Ah mak nowt o’ fooak at’s allus

grumlen, an’ blacken enwess-away frae dayleet ta dark.

FOOAL-MEEAR—A mare with foal at foot.

FORRAD—Git forrad. To be going on with a task or journey. Ah’ll git

forrad.

FOR-NOUGHT—Laiken fer fun o’ t’ thing—neea wins.

FORENOON-DRINKIN’—Ten o’clock; bait; lunch, an’ seea on.

FODDER-GANG—Up bi’ t’ bius heeds, whar they fodder t’ kye. It was theer

whar yan ov oor Lakeland chaps first larnt ta ride his velocipede. A

good spot ano.

FOG—Grass grown after mowing. Ye can tell kye er cauves ’at’s eaten

fog, bi’ ther tails.

FO O’ T’ LEAF—T’ spring o’ t’ year, an t’ fo o’ t’ leaf. Spring and

autumn.

FOOL-MOOTHED—Blackguardly.

FORBYE—In addition. Yan er tweea mair forbye.

FORE-ELDERS—Forefathers.

FORFOUGHTEN, FORFUFFEN—Wearied in a struggle. They war sair forfuffen

ta git a trailen on.

FORKED, FOLD-BITTEN, FOLD-BIT—These is o different macks o’ marks

an’ whols intul a sheep lug ta ken it bi. Ass a shipherd fer full

pertic’lars.

FOR SURE—Er ye gaan? Aye fer sewer Ah’s gaan!

FOTS—Knitted socks fer barn feet.

FOTTYS—Children’s feet. Warm its fottys afooar t’ fire.

FOOR-START—A bit o’ time, er a bit o’ space at’s geen in ta mak things

main equal. Ah’ll run thi fer sov’ren, an’ gie thi ten yerds foor-start.

FORIVVER—A great deal too much. Thoo’s forivver ower auld ta wed a

young thing like that’n.

FORE—For good; for keeps. It means like this: When lads is laiken at

marvels they laik fer “fore” or fer “nought”; if on fer “fore” they

keep what they win, if on fer “nowt” they durt.

FOR-KEEPS—When you keep what you win in a game. It’s like feiten fer

love if it izzant for keeps.

FOONDER’D—Shattered as horse feet are by constant work on hard roads,

&c. Struck dumb. Ah was dum-foonder’d ta hear ower thi faddur, sista

’at was Ah.

FRAP—A sharp noise. He was blertin’ an’ frapen’ aboot wi’ an auld gun.

FRAG-END—What’s left; the tag-rag-and-bob-tail. Ther’s t’ frag-end ov a

ham shank on t’ shelf. A lot o’ t’ frag-end hed a row amang thersels.

FRAJ, FRAJD—Frayed. Worn by contact. Ah’ve frajd o’ t’ skin off mi heel.

FRATCH—Fo’ oot. We varra near fratch’t ower ’t.

FREET—Grieve. Nivver thee heed honey, du’t freet.

FREMD—Strangers with whom there is no intercourse. They war nobbut

fremd fooak at they leev’d amang.

FRAE—From. Whar does thoo co frae? Ah cum frae hiam, whar does ta think?

FRAE-TULL—From; off. What’s up wi’ thi hat flype? It’s cum frae tull.

FRETTED—Perforated. It war fretted throo an’ throo wi’ t’ worms.

FRIGGLEN—Struggling. Sairy thing, it was frigglen aboot an’ varra near

at last gasp.

FRUMERTY—Stewed wheat.

FRUTTISES—Little cakes baked in a frying pan. They say good stuff’s

lapped i’ lal room, an’ it’s true o’ fruttises.

FRAMATION—A commotion, a hullabaloo. Sec a framation Ah niver dud see.

FROSK—Frog. Kill a frosk an’ it’ll leeten.

FROG—Fir-trees. Auld mear tails.

FRABBEN—Argyen, feiten, strugglen. Ah’s sto’ed o’ frabben ower nowt.

FUFF—A sudden gust. A fuff o’ wind put t’ leet oot.

FUFF’D—Blew. O’ t’ reek an’ siut fuff’d doon an’ oot o’ t’ fire spot

inta t’ hoose.

FUFFEN—Whirling; veering. T’ wind was fuffen aboot first oot o’ yah art

an’ than oot ov anudder.

FUFFEN—Fighting; fight. He wad fuffen wi’ a feddur.

FULLAKEN—Well grown. He’s a rare gurt fullaken chap.

FULLOCK—A rough blow. He catcht him a fullock under t’ lug wi’ his nief.

FUNNY-BIAN—Elbow point. Ah catcht me funny-bian ower a throo, an’ it

dimel’d oot at mi finger ends.

FUSSIKER—An incredible story. That’s a fussiker.

FUZZ-BO—A dried fungus.

FULL-COCK—Off he went, full-cock. That is, charged ta t’ brim, an’

ready fer owt.

FULL-SPLIT—Aye fer sewer. In a gurt pash. At it, full-split.

FURMS—Seats fer fooak i’ t’ kirk or meetin’ is co’ed furms.

FURTH—Out on a visit. We’d been furth ta mi aunt’s that neet at t’ gurt

fliud.

FUSTY-LUGS—A lal, short-legged, fat chap. Thoo’s a lal fusty-lugs i’

that cooat.

FUZZY—Soft. These taties is gaan fuzzy.

FUZZY-GANNY—A hairy catterpillar. Fuzzy-ganny, hairy witch.

FULTERSOME—A cumbrous article of clothing, or gear. A gurt cooat’s

varra fultersome when yan’s ta clim ower dikes and wo’s.

FUMMELEN—Groping. Fummelen i’ yan’s pockets fer a match, an’ seea on.

FYLARKINS—A satirical epithet.

GABBIE—Grandfather.

GAKEN—Projecting in a dangerous or awkward manner. Sis’ta he was drunk

as a looard, an’ he’d tweea gullies as sharp as lances gaken oot of his

jacket pocket.

GAKY—Awkwardly placed. Shut them cubbert doors, they liuk see gaky.

GAB—Cheek an’ impidence—Let’s hev nin o’ thi gab.

GABBLE, GABBLEN—Noisy. Give ower gabblen an’ makken that noise.

GA, GAH, GAH’D, GANG, GAN, GAN’D, GANGEN, GANNEN—Gah hiam; varra auld

uns is these.

GAILY—Gaily’s summat efter t’ siam fashion as Gay. An old lady (she was

near 90) asked as to her health replied, “whia, what fer mi years, Ah’s

fresh; aye, Ah’s gaily fresh, an’ gangen aboot.”

GANNY—Grand-mudder; an’ ther’s war things i’ this weary world ner a

good auld ganny.

GANTRY—What t’ yal tub stands on.

GAP—An opening. It maks a gurt gap i’ yan’s wark.

GAP-RAILS—Wooden bars to close up a gap-steed instead of a gate.

GAP-STEED—An opening in a fence. Thoo ca’t hit t’ gap-steed, ’at can ta

nut.

GAR—Makes. Thoo gars mi greet honey wi’ thi talk aboot lang sen things.

GARBRISH—Foul vegetable matter. Bury that garbrish. Unsound or unripe

fruit. Thoo eats ower mich o’ that garbrish.

GARD—It’ll be t’ siam as Garth; fer instance, ther’s Lin-gard.

GARNWINNLE—A revolving frame on which to put a hank of garn to be wound

into balls for knitting.

GARTH—Enclosed piece of land of small size, seck as t’ kirk garth, cauf

garth, chitty garth, &c.

GAUM—Judgment, common sense. He’s nowder gaum ner gumption.

GAUMERIL, GAUMERIL-HEED—A silly lout. Thoo gurt gaumeril, what’s ta

shutten t’ cat for? Gaumeril heed’s t’ siam, wi’ a bit mair foorce in

’t.

GAUP—The manner of a rustic—Gaup aboot.

GAUPY—A rustic. A gurt gaupy.

GAY, GEY—Moderate; average. Ah’s gay fair; it’s gay wet, gay het, gay

cauld; it’s a gay lang while sen ye co’ed; butter’s gay cheap noo; eggs

is gay dear. An’ seea on.

GARRACK—Lone; empty howe. A gurt garrack gammer-stang—it’s a clownish

sooart ov a fellow wi a empty noddle.

GARN—Wool for knitting. Garn Willie frae Kendal was one of the

institutions thirty or forty years ago, whose pack invariably contained

a bit mint cake.

GARAWA—Get away. We tell t’ dogs ta garawa by! when we want t’ kye

fetchin’.

GAIN—Near; it’s gain hand.

GARSIL—Underwood cut for pea rods.

GAFFER—Master. T’ gaffer an’ me’s gaan ta t’ fair.

GALLAS—Reckless; ill-behaved. A gurt lowse gallas fellow, ’at is he.

GALLASES—Braces ta hod yan’s britches up.

GALLAWA—A lal nag. Is ther a lad i’ Lakeland ’at doesn’t like a gallawa

aboot as weel as hissel?

GAM-LEG—T’ poor man’s goot.

GAM—Plucky. Ah’s gam fer owt o’ that sooart.

GATELAN—A field wi’ a gate—that is, a cart rooad—er a trod throo ’t.

GAWKY—Ungainly, awkward manners. A gurt gawky, he wadn’t say boo tul a

gius.

GAUVISON—A silly fellow. Thoo gurt gauvison, thoo.

GAMMER-STANG—Varra common for a body ’at’s a bit gofferemish i’ ther

ways, but Ah lite it’s ta deea wi’ gaffer an’ gammer o’ t’ auld days.

Thoo gurt silly gammer-stang thoo, liuk whar thoo’s gaan.

GAYSHEN—A bit barnish an’ soft.

GERSE-NAIL—T’ bit o’ wire frae a scythe bliad ta t’ shaft, to keep ’t

i’ t’ spot.

GERAWABACK, GERAWABY—Dog orders ta gah farder oot, an’ fetch ’em.

GESLIN—Gosling. Ah’ve hard fooak talk aboot geslin-green.

GESS—Dog niam.

GEDDERS—Pleats of a dress. O’ oot at gedders is a bad sign, an’

indicates idleness; besides it liuks seea. T’ lads ’ll deea ta see at

ther’s neea gedders oot. Ah’ll say neea mair.

GEDDEREN—Collecting, of coorse—muck, mushrooms, nuts, taties, apples,

an’ many a lot o’ mair things ’at’s pickt up.

GEAR—What’s o’ this gear? T’ lad’s mudder ass’d him that, as she was

emptyen his pocket, an’ aboot a swillful o’ stuff—string, marvels,

knives, bits o’ iron, indy-rubber, pencils, an’ seea on com oot.

Annudder ’ll say he’s oot o’ gear when he’s badly; an’ a chap’s badly

geared up when his gallases breck, er his shirt button comes off, er

his dicky flees lowse.

GELD—Not with calf.

GHYLL—A gurt sowen crack, er whol in a hill side, whar t’ rocks is

roven i’ tweea, an’ splintered aboot, an’ bushes an’ trees growen oot

o’ t’ cracks, an’ a beck purblen at boddum, wi’ clean watter in’t, an’

fish. We used ta gang ta t’ ghyll when we war lads, an’ gedder nuts,

an’ git ferns, an’ lait cushat an’ hewlet nests, an’ persuade oorsells

we war young backwoodsmen.

GIAL—A sudden’d stang through t’ nerve of a tiuth wi’ cauld wind gitten

in’ ’t.

GIALD—Wood cracks when it’s dried ower fast; _i.e._, it gials. Lads put

ther burtree guns i’ t’ watter tub ta swell up t’ gials.

GIAPS, GIAPY—Ass a pooltry-man. It was an’ auld hen at hed it, an’

funny she liukt. Did ye ivver see a hen yawn? That’s it ta nowt.

GIAT—Appetite. It gies yan a bit o’ giat fer yan’s breakfast ta hev a

good walk amang t’ plewed land. He hes a giat wi’ him, an’ neea mistak

aboot ’t.

GIAVELOCK—A gurt iron bar ta wharrel wi’.

GIBBY—A stick wi’ a hook on ’t. We used ta git a gibby ta gang nutten

wi’.

GIBLETS, GIBLET-PIE—Gius pie, miad oot o’ t’ inside warks. Try yan

aboot Christmas, er enny other time if ther’s a chance.

GILDERT—A bird trap miad o’ hair snarls, an’ set amang t’ snow.

GILT—Ass a pig jobber fer particulars; o’ Ah hev ta say it’s an auld un.

GIMMER—A sheep afooar it’s hed lambs. An “auld gimmer” is used in terms

of disrespect.

GIN, GIN-HOOSE—The circular path of a horse yoked to a threshing

machine, churn, &c. T’ gin-hoose is t’ shed ower t’ gin.

GIP—It fair maks yan gip. Ah could hev gipped mi heart up ower ’t. It

means ta ratch an’ heave fer nowt.

GIRD—Gird an’ thrust. It means ta put o’ t’ weight ye can on, an’ deea

yer varra miast, an’ at siam time gurn a bit.

GIRDLE—A frying pan withoot a ledge, ta biak flat ciak on. A girdle

ciak buttered warm’s up ta t’ mark.

GIFT-AGAIN—That’s t’ luck penny at’s thrown back at sattlin’.

GIRSE—Grass. T’ young kye are put oot to girse. A mower or a wrestler

gits girsed, an’ theer’s girse-weedas ’at’s single afoor ther time.

GIN—If; in case.

GINNEL—A narrow passage. A crack or opening in a crag or rock. Famish

spots fer a fox to bur intul when she’s hard throssen wi’ t’ hoond dogs.

GIT, GAT, GITTEN—Get, got, gotten. These is o’ i’ full go, an’ gitten

is oft used for seized or taken, _e.g._, Ah was nearly gitten that time.

GIAT—Way. Thoo’s allus i’ somebody’s giat.

GIAT—Road, street, thoroughfare. Every Lakeland town has its street

named after some distinctive gate, and every village its toon-giat.

GIAT—Pasturage; coo-giat is pasturage for a cow, mostly a common claim;

sheep-giat, gius-giat, an’ seea on. Also see Whittle-gate.

GIAT—The opening made by a saw. Run a saw-giat doon ’t.

GIT-OWER—To get the better of anyone in a bargain. When they git ower

thee they’ve nobbut anudder ta git ower.

GIZZUN, GIZZUN’D—To choke. Dry taties ’ll mak ye gizzun. Ah war varra

nar gizzun’d wi’ lime stoor.

GIRDEN—Girden an’ laughen at somebody ’at hez hed nobbut a bit o’

baddish luck—say they’re tummel’d inta t’ sump—is t’ sign ov a wake

knowledge box.

GISS-NER-STYE—Ye shoot giss when ye want t’ swine to come, an’ stye

when ye want it ta gang, an’ them’s o’ t’ remarks a swine wants frae

ye; hooivver, when ye say nowt ta neeabody aboot nowt, but keep mum an’

whiat, this yan co’s in. Ah said nowder giss-ner-stye, but let him deea

o’ t’ camplin hissel.

GISS—What we shoot when we want t’ pigs ta come an’ be sarra’d, an’ ye

needn’t shoot twice.

GISS-TROFF—Aye, whia, ye know what that is.

GIVES—Yields. It gives a gay bit iv’ry poo.

GIVES-AN’-TAKS—Yan ’at can deea wi’ a bit o’ nonsense an’ plaguein. He

gives an’ taks.

GLAZNER—A glazier. In the old papers of Morland Parish Church the word

is spelt glazner, A.D. 1609. Seea we’re nut far oot.

GLEP—Glance.

GLAPE, GLAPEN, GLAP’D—Stare around. He wad glape aboot like yan lost.

Ah was glapen roond t’ market fer somebody Ah kent. He glap’d up as we

war gaan by, but nivver spak. Something of the slower, less affected

manner of the country is conveyed in all these.

GLEE—A varra moderate form ov squint. He glees a bit wi’ yah e’e.

GLUMPEN—What’s thoo glumpen for? Sulking, ’at is ’t.

GLISK—Gleamen, glinten, an’ what ther’s bits o’ glisks fer us o’ if

whiles it’s a bit dark.

GLENT—A sudden glimpse. Ah just gat a glent on him.

GLENDEREN—Staring about in a half-dazed condition. Ah war glenderin

aboot at dark, an’ Ah could see nowt wi’ comen oot frae t’ leet o’

t’ lamp, an’ Ah ran mi’ nooas up again t’ yat bar. That’s yah mak o’

glenderen, an’ ther’s tweea er three mair sooarts, at Ah’ll not put in.

GLIF—Glimpse. T’ first glif Ah gat o’ them they war gaan like

nickt-at-heeds.

GLIME—A sullen sideway look. Thoo may glime.

GLOOAR—A good steady gaze. What’s ta glooaran at?

GLOP, GLOPT, GLOPPEN, GLOPPENED—It miad me glop. Ah just glopt up wi’

mi een. That wad mak them gloppen. Noo o’ these mean ta oppen yer een

an’ use them reet handy. Surprised. Ah was gloppened.

GLOPPERS—Blufted specs fer sair een.

GOOD-DAY—Oor way o’ sayen good-bye, when we’re off ower t’ fells an’

far away fer many a day an’ happen ivver—good-day!

GOWLANS—The stems of burnt whins gathered for fire eldin.

GOB—Noo this is a rough hag’d un, but it’s varra useful at times, an’

a pooak’s nin prood. Ye can talk aboot a pooak gob, er fur that matter

any sooart ov a gob, withoot given offence. It’s t’ mooth ov owt.

GOBBLEN—As ye’ll know noo, it’s gitten summat intul t’ gob middlin

handy an’ gitten t’ oot o’ seet mair sharp, an’ plenty on ’t. That’s

gobblen; it also means sauce, an’ nasty tempered talk.

GOB-STICK—What they sup poddish wi’. A gob-stick’s a spiun, bigger an’

better, neea matter whedder it’s wood er iron.

GOBY, GOVY—A fellow ’at does silly senseless things. He selt that nag

fer less than hauf it’s worth, an’ thowt hissel clever. A gurt goby ’at

he is.

GOFFEREN-FRAME—A frame to curl a cap border in. It’s a gay bit sen noo

’at I saw yan i’ use.

GOOD-STUFF, GOODIES—Sweets, confectionery. Ass t’ barns.

GOODISH—This yan’s a bit ov a cautious character in ’t. It’s a goodish

bit ta your hoose. Aye, an’ what it’s a goodish bit sen ye war here.

Aye, Ah’ve hed a goodish bit o’ wark just liately. Goodish crop, a

goodish price, an’ seea on.

GOON—A dress, er rayder a frock fer a woman; an’ Ah’ve hard fooak talk

aboot a goonskirt, an’ a goon skirt pocket, an’ seea on.

GOOSE-SKIN—When ye’re starved, er flait, an’ yer skin o’ wrinkles up i’

lal bits o’ lumps, that’s gius-skin, acos Ah lite when gius is plooated

reddy fer t’ yubben it’s t’ siam as neea matter.

GOOSE-STEE—Ye’ll see sometimes an auld steg popen aboot wi’ a stick

hung tull his neck. That’s his stee; it’s seea as he ca’t smoot.

GOLLER, YOLLER—Crying out. Thoo’s neea need to goller an’ shoot, Ah

izzant gaan ta rive thi heed off. But he was gaan ta poo a assel tiuth

wi’ a pair o’ pliers—t’ chap mud weel goller.

GOWK—Pith; core; the heart of an apple, or of a tree.

GOWK—A clownish fellow. He was a gurt silly gowk ta gang an’ full t’

chimla wi’ streea, an’ than tie t’ door sneck fast. T’ miast on us hes

bin miad April gowks afooar noo, seea we know what it is.

GOWL—Cry with pain. It miad me gowl when he poo’d mi assle tiuth oot.

GOWLEN—Howling; creat a great noise; the chang of the hounds. Give ower

gowlen. Do ye hear t’ hoonds gowlen oot?

GO-BON, GO-SIMS, GOY-BON, GOY, GOX—These is o’ used asteed o’ war

words, when some mack o’ soul relief is sairly needed i’ words.

GOFFISH—Slightly light-headed. He’s nobbut a bit goffish. Innocence is

implied.

GOFFRAMITE—A silly fellow and mischievously disposed. T’ gurt silly

gofframite, he act’ly driav a harrow tiuth i’ t’ grund whar his faddur

was mowen, becos he’d hed him throo hands.

GOOSE-TURD-GREEN—Noo ye o’ know what that means, seea what for than

stick yer nooases up at it? Read this lal bit frae a grand old parson

co’ed Harrison, written when oor gurt good Betty was t’ Queen of

England, ower three hundred years an’ mair sen. He says: “I might

here name a sort of hues devised for the nonce wherewith to please

fantastical heads, as goose-turd-green, peas porridge tawny, popingay

blue, lusty gallant, the devil-in-the-head (I should say hedge), and

such like.” That’s oot ov as canny a lal biuk ivver was printed, er Ah

wadn’t ha put it in. Ye can snifter ’at wants.

GOWPIN—The two hands held together and used as a measure. A gowpin full

o’ good stuff; put a gowpinful o’ bran in; an’ seea on.

GRIPPER—Yan at taks hauld o’ owt at t’ brass line an’ sticks tul’t.

GRAIN—Bait ov a lump o’ wood. Across t’ grain is when it’s summat ’at

doesn’t chime in wi fooak’s temper.

GRADELY—Decent; menseful; fair. A gradely job.

GRANKLY, GRANKEN—Complainen, ailen. Hoo’s t’ mistress? Is she up afiut

yet? Aye she’s howken aboot, but she’s a bit grankly.

GREASE-IN—To make up a quarrel with a bit of whakly talk; to gain

favours by using an oily deceptive tongue.

GRAVEL-RESH—Bicycle riders ’ll tell ye aboot this yan; its when ye come

doon an’ full t’ skin o’ ye wi’ muck an’ seck.

GREY-HEN—T’ bottle ’at a mower carries his looance in.

GRIAP—Ta catch fish wi’ kittlin’ them wi’ yer fingers.

GRIAP-HAULD—A good firm grip.

GRIAVE—Dig. We’ll griave t’ garden ower.

GRIME, GRIMY—Siut; smears. Thoo’s o’ grime. T’ kettle co’en t’ pan

grimy.

GRIMIN—A slight covering. Ther’s bin a grimin o’ snow i’ t’ neet.

GRIPE—A large stable fork with four or five grains.

GRIPED—Seized with pain. Ah’s that griped Ah cart bide neea whar.

GRIPES—Barn belly wark.

GRIUN—A spot whar a swine wears t’ ring; fair on t’ end o’ t’ snoot.

GRIZZLED—Ah’ll tell thi what, thoo’s gaan grizzled i’ good time. Grey

headed an’ grey whiskered was all the remark implied.

GROBBLE—Grope or probe. He war grobblen i’ mi gob wi’ his tankliments

tell he brak’t, and he grobble, grobble, grobble tell he’d ta fetch a

pair o’ pinchers tull ’t, t’ auld beggar. (An actual experience with

the tooth puller.)

GROOAS—When a lad’s voice is brokken, er yan gits cauld i’ yan’s

wind-pipe, yan’s voice is grooas. Rum an’ honey for ’t.

GRUNTEN—Grumbling. Some fooak’s niver reet if they’re net grunten.

GREEN-SIDE-UP—Land that is not ploughed but growing grass.

GREEN-CHRISTMAS—Oppen an’ neea snow. Said commonly that a green

Christmas maks a fat kirk-yard.

GRAINS—Boughs. T’ grains reach ower t’ rooad.

GRAMMUCK—T’ watter’s as thick as grammuck, that is, puddle.

GRIP—A gutter, furrow, channel.

GRIUBY—Beardy; mucky. Thoo liuks varra griuby.

GRUB—Food. Ah’s off mi grub.

GRUND-WARK—A beef stiak or bowl o’ poddish is a good grund-wark fer a

mial, but a gurt stian at boddum of a wo’s t’ grund-wark ment mainly.

GRAFT—A spiad-graft deep. The depth of the spade.

GRAITH—Condition. Ah’s i’ fair graith noo, ’at is Ah.

GRAITHE—Prepare, or put in condition. We’ll graithe t’ scythes up if it

rains.

GRAND-SIRE—In the hamlet in which the writer was reared a small

field is known as “Gransir Garth.” Obviously this is grandsire in an

abbreviated form, and viewed in the light of the use now found for the

fine old term “sire” it is interesting as a survival of what at one

time was current.

GRATER—Wear away on a rough surface. But fooak say “it’ll grater mi

inside oot, will yon auld draten fiddle,” meanen t’ soond will.

GREASEHORN—A flaup pot. Net varra mich account. Yan ’at gits bits o’

favours wi’ tellin bits of lees an’ tials aboot udders. A greasehorn’s

aboot as nasty as owt yan o’ that soort can be co’ed efter.

GREASY-LEGG’D—Ass t’ vet. This izzant a doctor biuk.

GREASY-HEELED—Easy and fat. Nags hev ’t wi’ diun nowt.

GREET—Cry, whinge. Niver mind, du’t greet neea mair ower ’t.

GRYKE—A crevice in a floor. That shilling’s rowled intul a gryke, thoo

may depend on’t.

GULDER—Ta gobble an’ shoot i’ talken.

GUIDE-STOOP—A post set up at cross roads with direction arms,

purporting to guide the traveller on his way, but really for lads to

practice the art of stone throwing on when herding. Ah speak from

experience. It’s a remarkable illustration of public ignorance, that

ever and again shows itself in the complaints of persons unable to

read the names on the guide stoops at cross roads; that is not their

purpose, as any lad of eight can testify.

GUIVERSOME—With avidity. Du’t eat seea guiversome.

GULLY—An open cutting or watercourse. Ther’s a lal bit gully ’at we

jamp ower.

GUTS—Inside works. Ah’ve gitten t’ clock guts oot, but git them back Ah

can’t fer mi life.

GUFFO—Peals o’ laughin’. He fetcht yah gurt guffo efter anudder, an’ t’

tears rowled doon his fiace wi’ fun.

GULLED—Deceived. Ah was gulled wi’ yon auld nag.

GULLY—A gurt whidderen knife, seck as t’ butchers use to stick sheep

wi’, er they carve wi’ at a sial, an’ seck like.

GULLY-BAG—A leather pouch. What t’ butcher carries his gullies in.

GUMPTION—Sense of fitness; varra near t’ siam as gaum.

GURN—Gurn, an’ bide ’t. It’s good philosophy when ye ca’t run away frae

’t. Ah yance saw a fella gurnen throo a barfun fer a pun o’ bacca, an’

he gat it.

GURT—In love. Gurt wi’ t’ sarvant lass, eh? Pregnant. Gurt wi’ barn.

GURT-END—Gurt end, biggest part, main end, means the major portion, an’

that wad mean the biggest hauf, seea noo than what’s plainer?

GUT—Fiddle strings an’ fishin’ tomes. Nacken fooak durt like ta say

cat-gut, seea t’ woman ass’d fer “a penn’oth o pussy bowels.”

GUTTER—A water course. Mind whar ye lowp, an’ durt fo’ i’ t’ gutter.

GUTTERAN—Repairing the roads or dike drains. He’s gutteran an’ menden

t’ rooads, an’ seck like wark.

GYE—Crooked. Thi necktie’s o’ gye.

GYE-MOOTH—Gye-mooth, an’ gye-neck, an’ gye-nooas, they’re ther awn

explainers—they’ll git nin frae me.

HACKEN AN’ COUGHEN—A bad do at t’ neet time when ye’ve a cauld.

HAUVES AN’ HAILES—Halves and wholes. And this reminds me of the old

Lakelander whose money was all threepences and three-ho’pences (pints

and gills), and to give a penny away spoiled a set.

HACK—A pick axe.

HACK-UP—To tear up with a pick axe.

HACKT—Chipt, crackt. Mi hands is o’ hackt wi’ t’ frost wind.

HAGSTOCK—A block to chop wood on.

HAILE or HAYLE—The handle of a plough.

HARDHEEDS—A flower resembling that of a thistle.

HARDLINS—Scarcely.

HACK-AN’-HEW—A bit o’ craft wi’ a scythe, rivin ’t up bi t’ riuts.

HACK-AN’-HASSLE—T’ siam wi’ a razor. Is ta shaven, er thoo’s skinnen

mi? That’s hack an’ hassle.

HACK-DYKES—Ta mow aback o’ t’ dykes, whar t’ machine cart git tul. Lads

mainly git t’ job o’ hackin dykes, an’ doesn’t it mak men o’ them when

they stan up ta whet?

HACKER—Stutter.

HALE—Whole; healthy; sound. It’s a riut grown ’un is this. Hoo’s thi

faddur? Hale an’ hearty.

HALLAN—A partition; a place walled off.

HANTEL—Supply; quantity. Tak a hantel o’ hay wi’ tha fer t’ hoggs.

HAPSHA-RAPSHA—How-scrow; ham-sam; hap-hazard.

HAVEY-SCAVEY—All in a mess. Throw them in havey-scavey.

HARRIDGE, or ARRIDGE—A fine edge, or line. A plewer, if he’s a good

’un, ’ll set it up with a good arridge. A knife will tak’ a good

arridge. When ye’ve a good stomach, an’ can fell a good big basin o’

poddish, it’s becos ye’ve a good arridge. The pronunciation varies, and

sometimes has the aspirate more clearly marked.

HAULD—Whar t’ fishes field under t’ breeas an’ stians. A back hauld’s

summat ta set yer back again ta thrust. An’ when ye git a eel to deal

wi’ ye’ll want a gay good hand-hauld on’t, er else it’ll be off. In

wrestling it’s time ta start when they’ve “hauld.”

HAG-AN’-TRAIL—Cut an’ carry. It means ’at a man mun deea o’ ’at ivver

he can fer hissel; he mun hag-an’-trail his awn.

HALLAK, HALLAKEN—To hallak about and hallaken about are two more terms

of disgust at habits of idleness, or for men who do not honourably gain

their living in independence and industry. It’s a pity that in our

refinement we should have had to part with so many useful words, and to

have encouraged bad habits by giving them an acceptable designation.

HAND-FASSENED—A bargain that is sealed only by striking hands over

it—no payment or signature. He’d nobbut hand-fassen’d ’t, t’ fiul ’at

he was, an’ t’ chap ran off.

HAND-OWER-HAND—As yan poos a car riap; also used as a term for

wastefulness.

HAND-OWER-HEED—As yan dives inta debt.

HAND-STAFF—T’ snod-end of a flail’s co’ed t’ hand-staff.

HANK—Noo ye wrusslers, wi’ yer chips, this is yan, izzant it?

HANK, HANKLE, HANKLED—Engtangled. Wuns barns! We’re gaan on Ah’ll tell

ye wi’ gurt words, an’ ye’ll want some if yer fishing tome gits hankled

in a tree. An’ young fellows ’at’s gaan away frae hiam (an some ’at

stop at hiam) they git hankled on wi’ bad company ’at’s t’ ruination

o’ them. An’ a hank o’ wusset ’ll o’ gang intul a hankie when ye’re

windin’ it.

HARD—Sour. This yal’s as hard as a whinstun.

HARD-ON—Close to. It’ll be hard on ta Christmas afooar we can come ta

see ye.

HARD-WORD—Abuse. He gat t’ hard word frae t’ maister.

HARD-WATER—Spring watter ’at jikes when ye wesh in ’t.

HARD-HEEDS—Sowen gurt apples, an’ as hard as granite.

HASTER—A haster’s different frae a hadder. When it’s comen doon a

regular haster ye know what ta deea.

HASTERED—With the skin roughened by contact with the weather, or

disease. Yon nag’s o’ hastered.

HASTY-PUDDIN—Thick poddish an’ treacle. It’ll stick ta yer ribs.

HANGLIT—Hanglit on’t, asteed o’ war words when fooak loss ther temper.

HALLOW-ROOD—Holy cross, _e.g._, Hallow-rood, Hallow-rood-Fair,

Hallow-mas-Day.

HACKLE—Fit; gear; tidy. Hackle thi’sel up a bit. Thoo’s poorly hackled

fer this weather. Hackle t’ barn fer t’ skiul.

HAG—To chop with an axe. Hag it doon.

HAG-CLOG—A clog o’ wood ta hag on.

HAG-MA-NA—A new year’s gift. Ah’ve come ta lait mi hag-ma-na.

HAGS—Whar t’ wood’s been stubbed.

HAG-WORMS—Reptiles. As crazy as a hag worm.

HAKE—A merry do amang a lot o’ old women at t’ heed o’ some gurt event.

An auld song says:

We drank five cups o’ tea apiece,

Eat hauf a pund o’ cake;

An’ then we hed a jig er tweea,

Ta finish off the hake.

HAM-SAM—Indiscriminately. Hem! That’s nacken, an’ plenty on’t fer

yance. Ham-sam’s when ye throw yer things by all in a fluster an’ hurry.

HANNIEL—A ho-buck an’ a hanniel. They mean a fellow ’at’ll jump ower a

haystack ta git inta some mack o’ mischief.

HARD—Fierce, strong, when applied to the wind. Joe Steel says:

When t’ wind blows hard frae Stowgill eyast,

Ye may foad yer sheep an’ hoose yer beyast.

HARD-AGAIN—Close to. It’s hard again t’ fell sides.

HARD-HODDEN—This is yan ’at co’s in when we’re sair fashed aboot many

things. Ah was hard hodden ta keep mi tongue atween mi teeth an’ keep

frae tellen mi mind streck oot.

HAUF-THICK—A thick heed’s yan ’at’s nut o’ theer. T’ woman at t’ shop

was tryen ta sell a chap a hat, but cudn’t suit him, an’ she kept on

tellen him “It’s not such large heed, but it is such a thick heed.”

Well, a hauf-thick’s yan ’at’s nobbut hauf as silly as a thick-heed.

HAVER—A haver an’ a hodder’s gay neear alike.

HAKE—Trail aboot. Ye wad hake yan aboot wi’ ye as lang as ivver yan

could trail.

HAKEN—Dragging about. Ah’s fair doon sto’ed wi’ haken aboot efter yon

ducks an’ things, they’re seck a boddur a to mi.

HAND-RUNNIN—Yan efter anudder, streck forard like.

HANKLATH—A pocket handkerchief.

HANKLOOT—A tooel. T’ hankloot aback o’ t’ door.

HANSEL—A first sale, a beginning. What, ye wad o’ ken Potter Jammy, an’

Jinny t’ wife. Whia, Ah’ve hard Jinny say ’t mair ner yance, “Noo than,

will ye give us a hansel, ta-day? Deea noo!”

HAP—Cover. Hap yersel weel up fer it’s cauld eniuf ta starve a giavlock.

HAPPIN—Bed clothing. Hev ye plenty o’ happin on?

HAPPEN—Perhaps. Happen ye’ll len me sixpence?

HATHER, HEATHERAN, HADDER, HADDEREN—A heavy mist, as near rain as neea

matter. Do ye think it’ll rain to-day? Nay, it’ll rain nin, nut it

marry; it may hadder a bit. T’ party ’at assd knew neea mair ner a fiul

what hadder meant, an’ they set off withoot top cooats, an’ come back

wet throo, an’ gaan on aboot this hadder, an’ yan o’ them says, “Ye may

nut hev ‘hed her’ but you’ve ‘hed huz.’” Fooak at sweets a lot ’ll say,

“Ah’s o’ in a hather.” An’ mony a yan ’at’s bin oot ’ll come in an’

say, “It’s nivver geen ower hadderan sen Ah went oot.”

HAVER—Oats. That field o’ haver liuks weel.

HAVERBREAD—Bread made from haver meal. It is of various names: thick,

thin, riddle, clap, girdle, squares, snaps, or treacle parkin,

according to its preparation, which is various.

HAVER-GRUST—Oatmeal e’ t’ rough state.

HAVERMEAL—Oatmeal. Havermeal poddish fer yan’s supper.

HAVERMEAL-POOAK—A wallet that a beggar carries wi’ him to put his meal

in when he gits eny gien.

HAVERSACK—A cleanish pooak wi’ t’ havermeal in ’t. Tak a haversack wi’

ye.

HANG-DOG—He liuks a reg’lar hang-dog liuk, he’s neea good.

HAWKY—Hod. What t’ wo’ers hes ta tek lime an’ stians up wi’; an’ t’ man

’at sarras t’ wo’ers.

HARDIN—Rough material used for coarse aprons. A hardin brat.

HARRIED—Tired; more than sufficient. Ah’s fairly harried. Ye’ve harried

mi’ wi’ meat.

HARRY—When t’ poddish hes been sarra’d oot, an’ ther’s some left,

that’s Harry.

HATTY-CAP—A lads’ gam.

HASK—Rough, dry, kizened. It maks yan’s hands hask to howk amang lime.

Mi skin’s as hask as owt. Well waiter’s ower hask to wesh in.

HAUVED—A sheep mark. Hauf a lug off.

HAY-BAY—A great commotion. He kickt up a gurt hay-bay aboot his money.

HAFFLE—To waver; to speak unintelligibly.

HANSEL-MONDAY—The first Monday in the new year, when it is customary to

make children and servants a present.

HAUNCH—To throw.

HANG-GALLOWS—A sheepish, slenkin appearance. He’d his heed doon atween

his legs, an’ liukt a reg’lar hang-gallows liuk.

HARKS-’TA—Hear tha. Harks-ta at that noo, is that thunner?

HACKEN—A term of disgust. T’ gurt brossen hacken wad eat tell he dud

hissel a mischief.

HEART-SLUFT—Sickened; sorrowful; cast-down. Ah was heart-sluft when

Ah fand oot Ah’d ten mile ta walk ower t’ fell, an’ dark ano. She was

heart-sluft when her mudder deed. They war heart-sluft when it rained

day by day, an’ seea mich hay doon.

HEED-RIGGS—The unploughed margins, or the margins that are ploughed in

a contrary direction owing to turning, er t’ heed riggs.

HER, SHE—Let her alian, noo she’s fit ta len oot, she’s a gay whent

’un is——. Ah won’t say wheea, but it’s a genuine Lakeland spak. A

Highlander or a Welshman (vide “Valentine Vox”) we expect to hear use

the feminine pronoun, but the above had reference to a man considerably

advanced in years, and the practice among us of so alluding to men as

“her” or “she” is further accentuated by another remark: “She’s a gay

laddy fer suppin’ her yal, is Auld Jooan.”

HERON-SEW—A jammy-lang-neck. He shot oot a neck as lang as a heron-sew.

HET-FIUT—In a great haste, or, in a moment of excitement. Off Ah set,

het-fiut, theear an’ than, at top o’ mi majesty, ta hev ’t oot wi’ him.

HET-WHITTLE—O’ t’ lads ’at ivver Ah kent knows what a het-whittle is.

It’s ta booar a burtree gun, er owt else, oot wi’, an’ ye mak ’t het.

An auld tally iron heater maks a grand ’un, but fairation, du’t gang

an’ breck t’ tally iron becos Ah’ve telt ye.

HEAF, HEAF-GAAN—The pasture of a mountain sheep; ther native spot, an’

when they’re selt wi’ t’ farm they’re heaf-gaan.

HEAFED—As t’ heaf of a sheep is that particular part on which it has

to secure its food, and to which it becomes attached, so a new sheep

has to get heafed, and the word has an extended application to persons

who are moving. They’ll like when they get heafed. Some niver deea heaf

doon at a new spot, an’ some er siun heafed—they can heaf anywhar,

varra near.

HECTOR—Wheea he was, an’ whar he co frae, an’ what he was aboot Ah’ve

neea mair idea ner t’ deed, but as soor as Hector’s a varra common

sayen.

HEEDAMANECKUM—This sud be “heed ’im” er “neck ’im,” neea doot—that is,

“bi a heed,” er “bi a neck,” but it’s used as Ah’ve set it doon. He

shot oot, si tha, t’ better leg first an’ off he went, lick fer smack,

heedamaneckum. That’s yan ’at’s gaan ta win a rias. Anudder ’ll say

siam as a chap was tellen mi yance, he was gaan ta t’ station ta gang

bi t’ train ta Pe’rith, an’ ta git a bit bainer he cot ower a dyke on

t’ line, an’ i’ runnen doon t’ batter he gat his fiut fast i’ yan o’ t’

wires they set ta catch pooachers, an’ poo t’ signals wi’, and seck. He

was gangen at a gay good bat ta begin wi, an’ ower he went, heed ower

heels, an’ landed i’ t’ gutter, heedamaneckum, an’ neea bark left on

his snoot, an’ his dicky spoilt, an’ sair as a kyle.

HEEMER—Higher. A bit heemer up ner that.

HEEMEST—It’s t’ heemest o’ t’ lot.

HEART-BLOOD—Theer gahs a drop o’ heart bliud, they say, when yan sighs,

and Herbert refers to this belief when he says:

“The sigh then only is,

A gale to bring me sooner to my bliss.”

HEATER—It’s an iron ta heat t’ iron, ta iron wi’, is t’ heater, seea

noo than ye hev ’t, an’ o’ aboot it.

HEAT-DROPS—Gurt wallopin drops ’at come oot o’ t’ sky when it’s varra

het an’ nut many cloods aboot.

HEAT-SPOTS, HEAT-LUMPS, HEAT-RASH—O’ these mean yah thing; it’s t’

bliud at gits oot o’ fettle when it’s seea het.

HECK—The place where hay and straw is put up for cattle to eat from. It

is formed of bars, or rails.

HECK—A passage within a building. Famish spots fer boggles is t’ hecks.

HEE-BUR, HEE-BER—Rising ground on the side of the Lyvennet.

HEE-FLOWN—A body’s ’at’s gurt ideas. Yan ’at’s a bit ov a temper, teea.

HEE-MOOR—Likely frae t’ time afooar t’ common went up.

HEE-GARY—It means a hee temper. A chap when he’s hed a bit ov a tiff

wi’ his best lass, an’ sets off an’ ’lists, does it in a hee-gary. Many

a yan leeves ta be sooary fer deein’ things in a hee-gary.

HEFT—Handle of a knife.

HEG—See egg.

HEFTIN—A putting up. Ah gat a heftin wi tryin’ ta carry that pig on mi

rig.

HEG-BATTLE—Yan ’at breeds mischief. Ther’s nearly allus a heg-battle

amang a lot. He tells yan a bit ov a tial aboot what anudder’s been

sayen er diun: than he gahs back an’ puts a bit tult. T’ next thing he

says ’at seea an’ seea ’ll feit, an’ he gits them tagidder. Noo than,

says he, t’ better cock spit ower my thum, an’ he sticks his thum oot,

an’ likely biath ’ll spit, than yan o’ them gies tudder his coo bat, er

tig, an’ a duel i’ miniature is t’ result.

HEG-BERRY, HECK-BERRY—Dog-cherry. We used ta lait them i’ t’ dikes.

HELM-WIND—Aboot t’ Brough Hill time o’ t’ year ther’s mair fooak knows

aboot it ner cares. It’s when t’ wind comes off t’ fells in a bad

temper, an’ fit ta skin a tiad. It’s grand when it’s blowin’ stacks

ower, riven trees up, an’ clashen t’ hens an’ t’ turkeys aboot like

flees. Noo them ’at’s nivver seen a helm-wind at its warst du’t know

iv’rything ther is i’ seck a simple thing as t’ wind.

HERD—Herden t’ kye i’ t’ looanens. It’s a dowly job fer yan, but some

lads Ah kent lang sen used ta mak some fun fer thersels wi’ hevin

riases. Yan riad on an auld black cowey, an’ tudder on a cuddy, an’ ta

this day they’ll talk aboot it, an’ laugh tell ther sides wark, an’ ta

liuk at them ye wad think they war biath ower mome an sooaber fer owt

but a funeral.

HERDWICKS—A lish mak o’ lal sheep ’at gahs on t’ fells.

HESP—A door sneck; yan at gah’s ower a stiaple.

HESPIN—A vigorous determined effort. He was hespin intul ’t wi’ a

rattle.

HEFTED—Established. He gat hissel fairly weel hefted in, an’ nin o’

them cud touch him.

HELPLY—An’ this is a good auld hes been, fer a helply mak ov a body’s

yan ’at’ll deea a good turn when we’re sair in need on’t.

HEN-PEN, HEN-BANE—It’s bane o’ owt else besides hens, an’ Ah never saw

yan written, did ye?

HECK-BOARD—A loose board at the back of a cart.

HEUCK—Hook; a crook; a sickle.

HEAVY-TAILED—This refers to the magnitude of wealth a prospective bride

may possess. In some cases they are brokkun backt’ ’t; an’ in some

they’re leet i’ t’ heed.

HEMP—A rough hardy fellow, wi’ nut ower mich manners. Thoo’s a gurt

rough hemp.

HETHER-FACED—A bit stubbly.

HEEZE-UP—Lift up.

HEV—Have.

HED—Had.

HEED—What Ah’ve kent ye bi heed this many a year. It means ta know

wheea ye er, what ye deea, an’ whar ye co’ frae withoot hev’in a

speaken acquaintance. Yah auld chap was nooated becos iv’rybody he met

he kent bi heed.

HEED-WARK—Red campion.

HIAMS—These is things ’at nags is yoked tull, but what they er caps me

ta tell ye. Some fooak co’ them homes, some hames, but we stick tult

auld ’uns—hiams.

HIDE-BUND—A complaint amang t’ kye ’at’s crippled.

HIGH-LOW—A card gam. High-low, Jack an’ t’ gam.

HIGH-LOWS—A mack o’ shoon ’at come ower t’ ancle.

HIGHT—A chap ’at’s seea greazy ’at he’ll put ye in his pocket yah day,

an’ t’ next snap yer heed off. Ther’s an auld sayin’ aboot this but

space an’ seck hinders me frae putten ’t in. Ye’ll o’ happen think on

’t noo. Ah wonder what auld Parson Harrison wad think aboot us an’ oor

memo ways aboot t’ words ’at he used.

HIRPLE, HURKLE—Ah’ve put these tweea tagidder fer they’re a draft, Ah

think. They mean ta limp. Ah can hardly hirple fer corns. Ta sidle up

to. He wad hurkle up tull her if he hed t’ least lal bit ov a chance.

HITCH—To hop on one foot. Hoo far can thoo hitch?

HITCHI-POT, HITCHI-BED—A gam ’at lasses laik at wi’ bits o’ pot, an’

they hitch it aboot o’ yah fiut.

HITTY-MISSY—A ning-nang sooart ov a chap ’at’s easy put off, an’ izzant

varra particular aboot keepen his word, er diun as he says he will.

Also something of which there is much doubt, as, for instance, the

continuance of fine weather, the success of some undertaking depending

on many circumstances. He’s nobbut a hitty-missy customer, izzant yon;

ye mun watch him. Oor picnic’s a Setterda, an’ it’s hitty-missy fer a

fine day for ’t, t’ way t’ glass is gaan doon.

HIUK, HIUKS—A coo wi’ a hiuk doon liuks aboot as funny as a chap wi’

yah lug. What a hiuk is ye mun ass t’ coo doctor. Ah nivver saw inside

o’ yan.

HIAM-SPUN—A rough article of any sort is said to be a hiam-spun ’un. A

person of homely and unaffected ways is hiam-spun, and drink that is

brewed at home is hiam-spun.

HIDEN—A thrashing. Ah gat a hidin for ’t.

HIE—Hurry. Hie thi ways hiam honey ta thi mudder.

HINDERENDS—Kaff an’ seck ’at comes oot through t’ deetin machine.

HIP-HAWS—Hawthorn berries.

HISK—To draw the breath through the closed teeth, making a hissing

noise. A sign of alarm or fear. Thoo fair maks yan hisk wi’ thi tials

aboot goasts.

HIULET—An owl. Commonly known amang lads as a jinney-hiulet.

HIUZ—A nasty, plagy cough, frae a ticklin’ throoat. That coo hez a

nasty hiuz wi’ ’t; it’s a bit o’ turnip i’ t’ throoat.

HIUZENS—Husks. Broon leemers ’ll shell oot o’ ther hiuzens.

HITHER AND YON—Here and there.

HICK-HAW—A cuddy love-song.

HIND—A farm manager who lives on the farm, and carries it on as a

farmer would.

HINGKAPONK—An imposter, or deceiver. Thoo’s an auld leein hingkaponk,

an’ Ah wadn’t believe thi as far as Ah cud throw a bull bi t’ tail.

HIT-ON, HAT-ON—Agree. They niver cud hit-on. Meet. We hat-on at public

hoose.

HIDDLEINGS—On t’ sly. T’ lasses mead a gurdle ceak ta-day on t’

hiddleings when t’ mistris was et market. Just like a lass trick!

HIG—A bit o’ hee-flown temper. Ah went off i’ a hig.

HIGHTY-TIGHTY—A skip jack mak ov a body, wi’ mair wind ner woo’.

HING—A male salmon or trout.

HIPPIN—A baby’s under-wraps. It’s fer ther bits o’ hips, siam as

leggins is fer t’ legs.

HINK, STRIDE, AN’ LOWP—Athletic exercise. Hop, step, and jump.

HICKLEDY-PICKLEDY—He threw them in hickledy-pickledy, gurt an’ lal,

soond er unsoond. It means mixed up, without order or arrangement.

HOTCHEY-CAP, HATTY-CAP—A lad’s gam wi’ a bo’ an’ ther hats, o’ set in a

row ta throw intul.

HODDER—A sticker. Yan ’at never leaves lowse o’ owt, he’s a hodder.

HOD-IN—A plewer’s instructions tull his nags.

HOD-OFF—T’ siam again.

HOD-HARD—“Hod hard, Thomas, mi fiut’s gitten hankled i’ t’ car riap”—t’

fact was he was trailen ahint t’ car ’at Thomas was driven fer o’ he

was worth, an’ t’ lad wanted him ta stop but dudn’t like ta say seea.

It’s a good thing i’ life ta know when ta hod-hard a bit an’ liuk

aroond whar t’ next step’ll leet.

HOD-ON—When t’ car gahs on wi’ a liad o’ hay on an’ yan’s atop on’t,

hod on.

HOGG—A sheep; a swine; an idle mucky body.

HOG-WHOLS—Smoots i’ t’ wo’s fer sheep ta gang throo, oot o’ yah field

ta anudder.

HONK—Ah’s nearly sham’d o’ putten these mack doon, but they’re theer

an’ Ah mun deea ’t. Thoo gurt idle honk, thoo; thoo’ll honk aboot

anyway afoor thoo’ll buckle ta some wark.

HOOD, HOODEN—What they hap stook heeds up wi’.

HOPPET, HOPPER—What a sower carries his seed in when he goes forth to

sow.

HOPPLE—To tie a nag’s legs tagidder, seea as it ca’t gah far away.

HOW—Hoe.

HOW-SCROW—In confusion. Mair nacken. We’re o’ how-scrow at oor hoose,

wi’ weshin an’ seck like bodderment. Ye cart git yer nooase intul t’

whol hardly—that’s how-scrow.

HOWKS—A gristly substance that grows over the eyes of a pig. Oor pig’s

gitten t’ howks.

HOWKS—A disease amongst cattle and swine, followed in the former case

by sudden death unless the animal is bled.

HOWKS—When one person takes in another in trading, or gets something

out of another by unfair means.

HOBBLY—Rough, uneven.

HOLY-STONES—Stones with a natural hole through them, hung up in stables

as a charm against disease.

HORNEY—The tip of a cow’s horn made into a top.

HORSE-SHOES—The game of quoits.

HOODWINK—In hiding. They’ve a few cotters i’ hoodwink.

HOTTER—A body’s sair hodden when they can hardly hotter an’ walk.

HOWDER—Havoc. T’ frost’s played howder wi’ berry trees.

HO-BUCK—A gurt lammasen lad ’at ’ll jump ower a hoose, an’ can’t sit

whiatly fer his life, an’ ’ll gang ower dikes an’ wo’s an’ gutters fer

a breck—we co him a ho-buck. Yan ’at izzant ower mannerly, an’ does

things ’at he owt ta be ashamed on—he’s a ho-buck.

HOGGUS—T’ oot-buildens away frae t’ farm-hoose, whar t’ young beeas is

kept, an’ t’ sheep sarra’d i’ winter. Famish spots fer gitten flayed in

is t’ hogguses.

HOLME—A low level tract of land by a river or stream, _e.g._, Eden

Holme.

HOBSON’S CHOICE—That er nin.

HOCKER, HOCKEREN—A chap ’at izzant ower lish ’ll hocker ower a wo er on

ta a nag back as weel as he can. An’ sometimes if ye ass a nebbur hoo

he’s gaan on he’ll say, “Ah’s hockeren on as weel as Ah can,” an’ ye

know at yanse ’at that izzant as weel as he could like.

HOD-DEEA—Yan ’at’s a hindrance. Sista come oot o’ t’ way, thoo’s nowt

but a hod-deea.

HOD-DEEA—Noo a hod-deea’s summat ’at yan does fer t’ love o’ t’ thing,

siam as Ah’s stringin’ o’ this riapment tagidder aboot oor auld talk. A

chap ’ll garden fer a hod-deea, er he’ll keep hens, er fish, er fiddle.

Owt i’ t’ natur ov a hobby ’at’s diun at odd times fer a change. Many a

man’s a gay bit better fer hevvin a good hod-deea.

HODFAST—An iron hook for holding a rain water spoot up.

HOFFS—Hips. Ah’s as sair as sair aboot t’ hoffs wi’ mowin.

HONESTY—It grows i’ t’ garden—sometimes.

HOOK-IT—Get off sharp. Thoo mun hook it as hard as thoo can. He’s

hook’t-it—run away from his place.

HOOK’T-IT—Gone off. He’s gian an’ hook’t it wi’ my watch on him.

HOOASE-FOOAK—Dudn’t Ah tell ye ’at fooak’s fooak yut wi’ huz? Whia an’

t’ hoose fooak’s them at stops at hiam an’ du’t gah oot ta work i’ t’

fields.

HO’-PLAISTER—Plaster of Paris. Is them ornyments marble? Nay, they’re

ho-plaister.

HOTCHT-UP—Get together more closely. That’s varra nice, an’ soonds

grand, but ta hotch-up er git hotcht-up is a different thing. A chap

’ll hotch-up ta mak room on a seat withoot gitten up. Fooak ’ll

hotch-up ta yan annudder acos they like to be clooas aside o’ them; an’

sometimes they’re hotcht-up becos they mun be, whedder they want er nut.

HOW-WAY—Coo language—Hoy! how-way. Dog language—How-way by! Barn

language—How-way hiam as hard as thoo can leddur.

HOOSE-AN’-HARBOUR—Shelterless; deserted. They’ll eat ye oot o’ hoose

an’ harbour.

HORN—Impudence. Thoo’s ower mich horn fer me.

HORSIN-STIAN, HORSIN-STEPS—T’ steps whar t’ riders “horse,” or mount.

Mainly again t’ stiable door.

HOW—Hollow; empty. Ah’ve hed neea breakfast, an’ Ah’s as how as Ah can

be for ’t. Thoo liuks varra how.

HOW-BACKT—A nag wi’ a hollow spot i’ t’ back. Ah saw yan yance, an’ t’

cart saddle went intul t’ how spot.

HOW-SEEDS—They beat t’ fire wi’ them when they’re biaken havver-breed.

They’re t’ huizens off wots ’at’s gaan to be grun.

HOWK—Howk thisel off hiam. It means ta hook it, er git off reet sharp.

HOP-SCOTCH—Hitchipot.

HOIDER—Summat varra rough an’ hard i’ t’ talken line. Ah threw t’ cart

ower at t’ gap steed an’ t’ maister play’d hoider ower ’t.

HOWKEN—Howken aboot fer owt he can git. It’s yan ’at’s allus glooaren

aboot him fer a good bargen, an’ owt else.

HOWK—“Howks, grubs, an’ worms fra under t’ under breeas,” says

Whiteheed; it means ta grobble for them, an’ howk them oot.

HOWK—To turn things over when searching.

“Like otter dogs they hunt oor beaynes,

Rive up the cairns, howk through the reaynes,

Where e’er they find a heap o’ steaynes,

Like swines they’re reuten in.”

_Anthony Whitehead._

HOWK—To scoop out; howk a whol; howk t’ inside oot.

HOB—T’ guardian imp o’ t’ fireside, hob, hood, or t’ rannel baulk.

It is recorded of one of these who made himself so familiar that the

family decided to remove out of his way, and one of the family on the

eve of the removal met with him in the byre and asked what he was up

to there, got for a reply, “Oh, nowt; nobbut greasen mi shoon; we’re

gaan ta skift ta-morn.” Hob was gaan ano, seea they stopped on.

HONEY—A term of endearment for a child. Come in, honey, an’ gang ta

bed; an’ if thoo doesn’t deea as thoo’s telt, Ah’ll clash thi lugs fer

thi.

HONEY-FO—A bit o’ good luck i’ t’ legacy line. An’ it maks things gah

as snod as t’ sugared dew ’at maks t’ looanens seea sweet.

HONEY-FO—Ah’s neea botanist, naturalist, herbalist, ner nowt o’ that

mack, but fer o’ that on a fine day i’ July, when t’ sun’s shinen,

an’ t’ birds is singen, an’ t’ tree leaves glissen an’ shine, an’ t’

bees buzz amang them, an’ ther’s bin a honey-fo’, Ah like ta be i’ t’

looanens.

HOW-I’-T’-WAME—Big i’ t’ belly.

HORROCK—Played horrock amang ’t.

HODDEN—Held.

HODDEN-GRAY—Cliath miad oot o’ woo ’at’s left its nat’ral colour

without dyein.

HUMPING—Crying. What’s ta humpin aboot?

HUMMER—An expletive, a mild oath. Thee gah ta hummer, an’ tak’ thi auld

nag wi’ tha. Hummer it, Ah’ve knock’t mi’ finger nail off.

HUMMERY—Oh, hummery ta seck as thee.

HUBBLESHOO—A gurt nurration an’ fluster. Ther was seck a hubbleshoo i’

oor henhoose as yan niver hard, an’ it was a wizzle efter t’ chickens.

HUFF—In a nasty temper.

HUNSIP, HUNSIPEN—A bit ov a streitnen oot wi’ t’ use o’ varra bad

words. Ah niver gat seck a hunsipen ower owt be neabody as Ah dud ower

that auld hare Ah shot.

HUSSIF—A holder for pins and needles, made of cloth, and folds up into

a small compass.

HUFT—Bad temper’d. A bit huft; in a huff. Ah was huft ta think on’t.

HUGGIN—As mich streea, er hay, er owt o’ that sooart as yan can carry

at yance, that’s a huggin. As mich yal as a chap can carry an’ walk

streck; that’s a huggin, ano.

HUGGIN-AN-POOIN—This is efter t’ siam strain as hag-an-trail, an’ some

fooak er said ta be huggin an’ pooin thersels ta death fer t’ siak o’

siaven brass.

HULK—An idle lout. Git oot o’ mi rooad, thoo gurt idle hulk thoo, fer

thoo’s nowt else. It has been remarked that as our fore-elders were

of a roving, marauding character, their language and ours naturally

represents much of that kind of life. A closer acquaintance with the

folk speech and a fuller appreciation of the significance of its words

reveals the instinctive hatred of all that is mean, deceitful, or

underhand. No one can understand fully such a word as “hulk,” the tone

in which it is used of sheer disgust, without feeling that it comes

from an inherent dislike of the thing signified.

HULKEN—Idling, lounging ways. T’ gurt hulken, he rayder hulk aboot an’

deea owt but work.

HULL—Whar they keep cauves an’ swine, ta be sewer.

HUMLY-CUMLY—A lad’s game o’ hoppen like a tiad.

HUSK—Hoarse. Ah’ve a bad cauld, an’ Ah’ve bin as husk as husk fer ower

a week, an’ Ah’ve neea doot but a drop o’ rum an’ honey wad skift it.

HUSSLE—What for does thoo hussle like that? Fooak ’ll say thoo’s t’

scab. It means ta hotch yer back up amang yer duds.

HUTTY-BACKT—Spinal curvature.

HUPE-BAN—A band for the hips. T’ auld fashioned tailors used ta put yan

on yan’s troosers an’ aboot three buttons, but lauve in days yan wad be

laft at ta ass fer yan noo-a-days.

HUPE-BUN—A bit stiff an’ that aboot t’ hips, makken fooak walk as if

ther feet wer tied tagidder.

HUZZ, HUZZ’D, WHUZZ, WHUZZ’D—These is o’ yah mak, an’ they’re akeen ta

ooze, whiz, an’ seea on. Ooze means to come oot whiat an’ stiddy; huzz

an’ hiuz means ta come oot, but in a hurry, an’ makkin a bit o’ stir

aboot it. Water ’ll fair huzz throo a lal whol; seea will bliud oot ov

a pig throoat. A lad ’ll send a stian oot ov his sling, an’ say, “By

gen! dud thoo hear t’ whuzz!”

HUG—Wrestling. Tak hauld o’ hands wi’ yah hand apiece, an’ git hauld o’

yan anudder wi’ t’ tudder, an intul’t wi’ t’ feet; a gay lish fellow

hes t’ best chance.

HUPE—Around the body at the hips. He’s gay middlen o’ hiup.

HURREN—A shoolen, slenken, shafflen sooart ov a chap ’at’s sense left

ta be shamm’d ov hissel, gahs hurren by fooak wi’ his heed doon.

HUGGIN’ AN’ LUGGIN’—Nursing an’ suckling an infant.

HUGGINS—The hips. She’d t’ barn astride ov her huggin an’ a canful o’

watter e’ tudder hand.

HYPE—A chip i’ wrusslin. When tweea kye feit, they deea t’ hype. They

stick a horn in, an’ lift up, an’ sometimes tak t’ skin off.

ILLION-END—A wax-end.

ILL-GREEN—Badly disposed. An ill-green auld tyke.

ILK—Family; breed. He’s yan o’ t’ siam ilk.

ILL—Nut badly, but vile an’ bad. An ill-liukin’ thing, an ill-wind, an’

seea on.

ILLIFY—To slander or defame. Sista, he dud iv’rything ’at laid i’ his

poor ta illify me at mi spot.

ILL-MEZZUR—Hard usage. A briakin, a cottonin, an’ sec. Ther war tweea

or three ugly liuken thieves darken aboot, an’ he was flait o’ gitten

ill-mezzur frae them gaan hiam.

IMP—A mischievous barn’s varra oft co’d a poky lal imp.

IN—Permissible; to be allowed. Nay, come noo, that izzant in at neea

price.—meaning that something referred to is unfair.

ING, INGS—A field and place name—Wood Ing, Main Ing, Hard Ing, The

Ings, an’ sec like.

INGLE, INGLE-NIUK—Yah while it’s set doon at some ov oor auld ingles

hed hed a fire allus burnen i’ them fer generations, but it’s a fashion

’at’s deein oot, as cooal gits mair common, an’ t’ turf and peat

scarcer. But ther’s some conny auld ingle-niuks up an’ doon amang us,

an’ they’re famish spots ta sit an’ tell boggle tials when t’ wintry

neets is on, an’ t’ wind’s bealen doon t’ chimla, an’ iv’ry rattle maks

yan’s skin creep up yan’s back wi’ t’ thowts o’ t’ awful things ’at

yance war seen.

INKER—The eatable contents of a beggar’s wallet.

INKLEWEAVERS—They’re as thick as inkleweavers. Inkle is a rough mak o’

braid, er tape, an’ t’ weavers on ’t war some off-comers ’at leeved bi

thersells an’ keeped thersels ta thersels a gay bit, an’ seea t’ spack

gat set off when it hed a meanin’ an’ it sticks on when an’ whar it hes

nin o’ nowder.

INKLIN—A brief hint. Awovver, Ah gat an inklin o’ what they war efter.

INTACK—A field name.

IS, IZZANT—Ther tweea varra nearly tak’ t’ place of am an’ are. Ah is

badly; thoo is a fiul; them tweea izzant oors; we’st be theer.

IN-BANK—Doon hill. It’s o’ inbank frae Pe’rith.

IN-ANUNDER—Underneath. Dud thoo see that gurt whelken rattan gah in

anunder t’ coorn kist?

IVERSOME—Always. Iversome at yan aboot it.

JACKY-STENS—A lass gam.

JACKSONED, JACKSONIN—Thrashed, thrashing. He gat amang a lot o’ potters

at Brough Hill, an’ they gev him sec a Jacksonin as he’ll nivver fergit.

JAGG—A journey. We’ll gang anudder jagg. A load; we’ve nobbut a lile

jagg left; turn to pay; Oh! Ah’ll stand mi jagg.

JACKI-NAPES—A mischievous lad. He’s bin i’ mischief again, hes he; he’s

a young jacki-napes ta be sewer.

JANGLIN—Domestic discord. Says Bowness:

“Will te drop thi janglin’, Jinnet?

Naggin i’ that nasty way,

Nivver ligs thi tongue a minnet,

Stop it, du, I beg an’ pray.”

JABBER—Talk, an’ plenty er ower mich on ’t. Ther jabber’s nivver diun.

JACKET—Skin, Ah’ll warm thee thi jacket. ’Taties boiled i’ ther jackets.

JACKILEGS—Pocket knife. Ah’ve a famish good jackilegs at Ah’ll gie thi

for ’t, if thoo’l cowp mi.

JADE—A gay lish jade, not meaning anything but approval, of an active,

stirring woman. A gurt idle jade has the opposite meaning.

JADDUR—Vibrate. Hem! Du’t clash t’ door teea like that, thoo maks iv’ry

pot i’ t’ hoose jaddur. Clashen aboot, thoo’s warse ner a bull in a pot

shop.

JANNOCK—Fair-play. Noo that’s a lang way off bein’ jannock.

JANT—A journey for pleasure. We’ll hev a jant oot efter tea.

JARBLE—To smear with mud. Thoo’s jarbled o’ thi pettycooats.

JAUM—“T’ jaum” is generally used for chimney piece, but t’ door jaum

an’ t’ winda jaum er theer ano.

JAW—This means tongue, an’ plenty on ’t. Let’s hev nin o’ thi jaw.

JAW’D—Abused. He jaw’d me rarely when Ah spak tull him fer his awn good.

JERRY—They’re varra few noo, er t’ jerries, whar they sell yal without

ass’in t’ Queen, an’ mak ther awn. If they’re co’ed jerry whols acos o’

t’ bad yal they sell, ther’s neea wonder at “jerry” bein’ used fer seea

many maks o’ thing ’at’s up to varra lal.

JET, JERK, JERT—To throw a stone by bringing the elbow in contact with

the side, instead of the usual over-arm method of throwing. Ah cud

varra near jet it as far as thoo can throw ’t.

JET—To shake hands. Children’s rhyme, as follows:

Shak hands lal kind cousin,

Lang sen we met;

A cup o’ good ale,

Jet, Jet, Jet.

JIB—Face. Hod up thi jib tell Ah wesh ’t. Near to Shap on the Appleby

road is a point spoken of as t’ “Jib.” “We war gaan ower t’ Jib afooar

ye come ta t’ Rakes,”—from which it almost seems that the crest of a

hill or the edge; of a higher level is known as a Jib.

JIG, JIGGEN—Fussing about. Thoo’s jiggen aboot i’ good time ta-day.

JIKE—To squeak. Mi shun is jiken leddur. T’ watter’s that hard it varra

near jikes when yan weshes yansel wi’ ’t.

JIMMERS—Hinges. T’ door jimmers wants greasin’.

JIMMY-TWITCHER—A wire-worm wi’ as many feet o’ them as thers days in a

year.

JINNY-SPINNER—A lang legged moth ’at likes a leet.

JIMMY, JAMMY, JADY, JADE—James. An’ yan jammies a bit sometimes when

yan’s mair ner yan can carry streck.

JIMP—Cut out neatly. Thoo mun jimp it off nicely at t’ corners.

JIMPT—Scanty; pinched. Thoo’s jimp’t it off far ower short at t’ back.

JIP, GYP—What we co’ oor cooaly, but when a lad gits a good twanken,

that’s gip, ano! A bad lad; he’s a reg’lar gyp.

JISTE—Jisting oot, like beese ’at’s fest oot ta gerse.

JOGGLE—Loose. This seat joggles aboot. To overflow. It was that full

that some on’t wad joggle ower. Remind. He’ll mebbe fergit, but thoo

mun joggle his mem’ry.

JOCKY-TRODDLE—A bit o’ horse swappin’ mack o’ craft.

JORAM—A joram o’ yal, a joram o’ physic—it’s evident that wheeaivver

gits a joram, gits rayder mair ner’s good.

JOSS—To crowd. We joss’d again yan anudder.

JOSSEN—Crowded; squeezed. They war jossen aboot i’ lumps.

JOWL—To shake up. Thoo mu’t jowl t’ can at o’ er thoo’ll spill t’ milk.

An ugly blow. Ah catcht mi heed seck a jowl over t’ jaum. To knock; to

bring in collision. Ah’ll jowl yer heeds tagidder if ye can’t be whiat.

JONK—A rough journey. Ah com ower t’ fell tudder neet fra Mardle, en Ah

hed a tur’ble jonk.

JOWK—To clash aboot.

JOWEL—The arch of a bridge.

JOY, DOY—An endearing pet name. Come thi ways joy ta thi auld ganny fer

a berry shag. Did um doy? We’ll gie them ’t.

JONATHAN—A kind o’ ket miad oot o’ how-seeds ta mix wi’ haver meal.

Jonathan hed’nt ower good a reputation amang fooak ’at hed ta leeve a

gay deal o’ poddish, fer it maid them varra bitter, an’ neabody but

millers thowt owt on ’t.

JOIST—Agistment. See Jiste.

JUD—An ugly push. He catcht mi sec a jud i’ t’ ee wi’ his gurt hard

elbow.

JUMP—When a blacksmith wants ta shorten an’ thicken owt he jumps it,

an’ when a cricket bo’ hits ye on t’ thumb end and sends it up tweea

er three inch it’s jumped. A chap gahs ta t’ toon an’ co’s back wi’

his nooas stuck up, nacken like rotten sticks—he’s jumped up. Miss.

We’ll jump that sum, it’s a hard ’un. Ah war fair jumpen mad wi’ t’

tic. Ther’s tweea er three mair macks o’ jumps, but that’s eniuf, an’

eniuf’s plenty.

JUMPER—A drill for blasting purposes. A Welshman tells mi ’at it’s what

they co’ them teea. Yance Ah ass’d an auld chap what yan was, and he

said “a kurn jumper.” That wad be a up an’ doon kurn, Ah reckon, an’ ye

hev ’t ta nowt.

JYSELIN—It means the swaymish gait of a young chap ’at hardly knows hoo

ta hod hissel amang fooak. Many a yan jysles a bit when they’re oot o’

ther element ’at gahs streck as a seeve amang t’ nags an’ t’ kye.

KAIL-POT—An iron pan. But makkin broth is co’ed boilen t’ pot.

KATE-AN’-DAVID—Tweea ’at’s varra thick.

KATIN-AN’-SIAVIN—Scriapin a bit tagidder, an’ takken care on ’t. That’s

katin-an’-siavin.

KELTEREN—Stuff ’at’s lowse an’ scrowen aboot amang yan’s feet’s said

ta be kelteren aboot. Hoo can yan git on wi’ yan’s wark wi’ seea mich

streea kelteren aboot wharivver yan puts yan’s feet doon!

KEDGE—Kedge an’ kite mud ha been yan, as nar as Ah can tell ye. It’s t’

wiam again.

KEEABER—Kelterment an’ rubbish.

KEEK—A squinten, peepen, pinken trick is this—keep off’t. Peeped. He

was flait o’ missin summat, an’ keekt ower t’ winda blind.

KEK—Turn-up. Kek t’ cart up i’ t’ cart hoose. Sticking oot. Durt kek

thi gurt feet up like that, er somebody’s gaan ta tum’le ower them. To

trip up. Ah kek’t him ower as grand as ivver thoo saw owt i’ thi life.

KELDERMENT—A conglomeration of incongruous parts (cush barn!). Say

it’s a lad’s pocket ’at’s ower full, an’ his mudder hes ’t turned

oot. Ther’ll be a crib chain, a bit o’ flint an’ an auld rasp, his

jackilegs, an’ as mich string as wad hang him, a teetolly if it’s

Christmas time, an’ a rusty nail er tweea, a bit o’ indy if he gahs

ta t’ skiul, an’ his sliat cloot, an’ a stump er mair o’ pencil, an’

happen aboot t’ last thing’s an inch o’ twist, ’at he ca’t tell hoo

that’s gitten in. His mudder co’s it a heap o’ kelderment.

KELK—Anudder dignified term (nacken again) for a salute. Ah gat a kelk

i’ t’ stomach wi’ yon young imp ’at Ah’s nut fergit fer a bit.

KELL, KELD—A spring or well, found in place names, _e.g._, Gunner-Keld,

Salkeld, Threlkeld, &c.

KELTER—Money.

KEMP—A rough fellow. He’s a gurt cooarse kemp ’at is he. He izzant fit

to hev a cuddy.

KEN—Know. Ah dud’nt ken thi i’ that hat. See; perceive (hem!). It was

varra nar dark, but Ah cud ken summat afooar mi.

KEN’D—Saw. Ah just ken’d him as he was turnen in ta t’ fauld.

KENNIN’—Knowing. Thoo does grow! Ah’s sewer thoo gits oot o’ kennin’

barn.

KENSELIN—A thrashing. Thoo’ll git a kenselen if thi mudder catches thi

smiuken bacca. It izzant bacca, it’s fooal-fiut.

KENT—Knew. We kent yan anudder when we war lads.

KEP—Catch. Ther’s mair fooak can kep ner can keep. Crecketers can kep

t’ bo’ at times.

KESH—A dried stalk, seck as brocoli, cicely, an’ seea on. As dry as a

kesh; ther’s nowt mich ta be gitten oot ov a kesh.

KESLOP—As tiuf as keslop. It’s t’ rennet to put i’ milk ta mak cheese

on.

KESSEN—Cast. A sheep er a nag er a coo ’at gits kessen is in a varra

strait spot, laid fair on t’ back an’ can’t stir leg ner limb, an’ yan

hes ta lift a bit ta git them upended. Bent wi’ t’ sun, siam as t’

chap legs. When someone telt him they war varra bowed, “Aye,” sez he,

“they’re a bit kessen wi’ t’ sun.”

KEST—Whemmle. Swarm. T’ bees is gaan ta kest.

KET—Ah’ve neea casion ta say ’at ket’s summat o’ neea ’coont. Owt ’at’s

nasty ket is up ta nowt. An t’ aulder end ’ll varra oft say, “keep frae

amang seck nasty ket,” when they mean bad mannered fooak.

KEVEL—A blunderen awk’ard way. Kev’len aboot i’ thi gurt clogs. Anudder

an’ yan mair tull t’ lot o’ niams fer a rattle on t’ lug. He catch’t

him a nasty kevel wi’ his flat hand.

KEYED, KEYEN—When t’ maut gits intul a chap’s legs an’ they plet a bit

as he stackers frae yah side o’ t’ looanen tul tudder, he’s keyen a bit

an’ his legs is keyed.

KEY-STAN—Ah’ve kent many a queer ’un, but si’sta thoo’s t’ key-stan o’

t’ lot. That’s fully explained.

KENSPACKABLE, KENSPECKLE—Conspicuous; easily picked out. He’d nobbut

yah lug, an’ it maks a body varra kenspeckle.

KET-CRAW—A carrion crow.

KENT-GRUND—It’s when yan knows whar yan is, an’ yan’s varra feet seems

ta ken o’ aboot it.

KETTLE-O’-FISH—A sad mess. That’s a bonny kettle-o’-fish, awivver, ’at

is ’t.

KEW—Fettle. Ahs a fair good kew fer a few poddish. His nooase gat

knockt oot o’ kew wi’ feitin.

KEEP—Food. He was worken fer nowt nobbut his keep an’ happen a bit

bacca.

KIAD—A sheep loose er a bug. Ther nasty creepen kittlen things ta git

on ta yer body. What ye’ll ha seen them sauven an’ dippen, Ah lite;

that’s on account o’ t’ kiads an’ t’ wicks amang t’ woo’.

KIAVE—Noo that’s a grand ’un, an’ signifies wiaden aboot amang snow, er

gerse, er muck. We kiave aboot frae mornen ta neet.

KIAV’D—We kiav’d through; got through a difficulty anyhow. They kiav’d

doon t’ middle o’ ther bit—that is they wasted t’ middle, an’ warrant

ower nice wi’ t’ sides.

KIAVEN—Always busy diun nowt. They’re allus kiaven at it, nivver diun,

up ta t’ een i’ muck an’ wark.

KIRK-GARTH—Whar we’ll o’ gah yah day an’ lig as whyat as can be.

KIBBLE—A kibble’s owt frae a swill tull a porringer. Bring thi kibble

an’ full’t.

KIDDIED—Ta play t’trewen. Yance ov a while they warn’t hauf as nice

aboot playen trewen as they er noo, an’ some lads ’at Ah kent hed aboot

a quarter i’ yan o’ them ghylls Ah telt ye on. Hooiver when t’ cauld

wedder com they’d ta turn up, an’ in explanation of their absence

informed the man of rods that they’d “been wanderen aboot.” Them was

days when a lad hed some fun i’ bein’ whick.

KILP—Ass t’ lasses what they fassen ther frock wiasts wi’, kilps an’

e’en.

KING-COUGH—When t’ barn coughs an’ kinks tell it’s black i’ t’ fias.

KIN—A crack i’ t’ skin wi’ t’ frost, hard watter, an’ seck. Ah’ve seen

a chap drop melten shoemakker’s wax intul them, an’ he’s gurned like o’

that when it bat.

KINK—A twist. T’ dog hed a kink i’ t’ tail.

KIN’LIN—Firewood. Git t’ kin’lin in.

KIRK-MAISTER—Churchwarden.

KIRN-SUPPER—The rejoicing at the conclusion of harvest. Not so many

years ago it was a practice to serve cream that had been beaten up in

the kirn, with other good things of a similar nature, and from this no

doubt comes the name.

KIRN—To stir up. Thoos’ neeea casion ta kirn it aboot like that.

KIRN—T’ first kirn I remember owt aboot was a lang strait tub wi’ wood

hoops on. It hed a lid on ’t, an’ throo t’ middle o’ t’ lid ther was a

lang streck stick, like a riak steel; this hed a cross on t’ boddum ta

stir t’ milk wi’, an’ it liukt gaily hard wark wallopen on ’t up an’

doon. An’ this they co’ed a up an’ doon kirn, an’ t’ aulder end co’

them stand kirns, ta tell them frae kirns ’at’s worked wi’ a han’le.

KING-APOSSLE—A lad gam.

KIRNEN—In constant commotion. It was kirnen an’ jowlen, jowlen an’

kirnen, nivver still; allus at it, kirnen an’ jowlen. That was a

famish auld chap’s view o’ t’ sea t’ first time; anudder said his

booels was kirnen up an’ doon.

KISENED—As kisened as a kill stick. Noo Ah nivver saw a kill stick,

but it’s summat varra dry wi’ neea natur left in ’t, acos owt ’at’s

kisened’s mortal near withoot any sap er owt worth niamen.

KIST—Meal kist; clias kist; cooarn kist; an’ tudder, t’ last suit of o’.

KIT—O’ t’ young ’uns. Ah’ve put o’ t’ kit o’ them off ta bed. She’s

come an’ browt o’ t’ kit wi’ her, an’ seea on.

KIT—Ther’s a lot o’ different macks, let’s see. Ther’s a fish-kit, a

wiss-kit, a bas-kit, a band-kit, a watter-kit, a shop-kit, a chammerly

kit, a taty kit; t’ tinklers hes a kit, seea hes t’ sowjers on

Brackenber’s historic plain (that’s a bit o’ nacken o’ mi awn); an’

even t’ varra beggars on t’ rooad ’ll hae ther kit—a gurt wallopen

pocket, er a lal bit pooak; Ah izzant sartin that Ah’ve set them o’

doon but they’ll deea ta be gaan on wi’. Mainly a kit’s summat (varra

near owt) to put summat in an’ carry it aboot wi’ yan. In the Church

accounts at Morland, A.D. 1648, Kit is spelt CHYT.

KITE—Stomach. It lal kite’s that full ye could crack a loose on’t.

Ther’s a bit a difference atween a kit an’ a kite, but ther alike i’

yah respect, an’ that is they’re ta carry stuff aboot in. Tian’s fer t’

back an’ tudder fer t’ front mainly.

KITH-NER-KIN—They’re badly off at’s nowder kith-ner-kin.

KITLIN—A young ’un—he’s nobbut a kitlin.

KITLIN-TATIES—Howken them oot wi’ t’ fingers an’ leaven t’ tops—it

izzant a honest way, as a rule.

KITTLE—Varra spry an’ sharp. As kittle as a moose trap. Likely. A

kittle spot fer an auld hare.

KITTLE—Itch. T’ frost’s i’ mi teeas, an they kittle whel Ah can hardlee

bide i’ mi skin. A sair spot ’at’s menden kittles.

KITTLED—Pleased. He was fairly kittled wi’ a bit ov a tial aboot owt

funny.

KIRMAS-GIFT—Summat fer t’ barns. Varra oft a paper o’ pins ta laik wi’.

KIRSMAS-GLASS—This is fer up-grown ’uns they tak’t warm, wi’ a bit o’

sugar tull ’t.

KNAB—To catch; to take possession of. Ah’ll knab thi if thoo co’s here.

He’s knabb’d mi knife, Ah believe.

KNAB—A high situation; where an elevation terminates. He went ower t’

knab. Hardendale Knab, in Westmorland, an’ lots beside.

KNAP—A smart blow. He gat a knap ower t’ lug. The sound made by two

hard substances meeting. His heed went “knap” when he bat on t’ fleear.

KNAP—Deft, cunning. He’s a knap hand wi’ a gun.

KNAPPIN—A sharp manner in walking. He was gaan knappin doon t’ rooad in

his clogs. To drive small nails with a light hammer.

KNARLED—Knotty; awkward and hard to deal with. Thoo’s a knarled auld

beggar.

KNARLEN—Scolding; complaining. What’s ta knarlen aboot; thoo’s allus

knarlen aboot summat.

KNEE-DEEP—When it’s snow ’at’s knee deep, it’s deep eniuf.

KNEP—Pick. Thee jump up an’ knep a daisy is a derisive expression. The

horses knep one another, an’ a knep of corn or grass is good to catch

yan wi’.

KNIT—A swarm o’ bees “knit” whar t’ queen’ll let them; an’ fooak knit

round yan anudder when ther’s a bit o’ trouble on’, er a bit o’ fun.

KNOCK—Rate, bat. He was gaan at a ter’ble knock.

KNOCKIN’-ON—Getting forward (hem!). We’re knockin on.

KNOCKIN’-OFF—Giving over. Ye’ll be knockin off siun.

KNOCKT—Done. Oh, he’s knockt anytime.

KNOCK-KNEED, KEY-LEGGED—This izzant t’ spot ta pick fun oot o’

anybody’s misfortune, but they mun be set doon wi’ t’ rest.

KNODDEN—Wait while Ah’ve knodden. She was biaken, seea ye may guess

what it means.

KNOP—A bud. T’ rosy-tree’s i’ knop. A door handle. T’ door knop’s

lowse. A tub ’at women fooak wesh clias in. Full t’ knop, an’ set clias

ta soffen. Head. T’ barn knop’s sair. Ah catch’t mi knop ower t’ stee.

KNOT, KNUT—Top o’ t’ heed. T’ ladies’ word fer their way ov hair

dressen.

KNOT—A “lumpy” hill in a chain of hills—_e.g._, Helmside Knot, Hard

Knot, Arnsid’ Knot, Benson Knot.

KNOTTY-TOMMIES—Boilt milk wi’ t’ haver meal thrown in i’ hanfuls. It

comes oot i’ lumps as big as a cock-heed, an’ as sweet as a nut.

KNOWE—A rounded hill. We went ta t’ top o’ t’ knowe.

KNURL’D—Shrunken; shivering. T’ barn’s knurl’d wi’ cauld, tak’t in.

KNURR-AN’-SPELL; SPELL-AN-BULLET—A lad gam.

KOOK-AN’-HEYDE—Hide and seek.

KOP—Shoot kop an’ hod a bit o’ cooarn, an’ ye’ll catch a a nag happen.

KOP—Catch. She’d plenty o’ brass as far as that gahs, but she was neea

gurt kop fer o’ that.

KOPT—Caught. It copt me on t’ back; kopt e t’ wotchud; kopt in a shoor.

KYE—Cows collectively (nacken again). Gang an’ fetch t’ kye in ta milk.

KYLE—An angry or inflamed sore which does not head up to burst like a

bile. Mi nief’s as sair as a kyle whar Ah cot it.

KYSTY—Fooak ’at’s varra pensy aboot what they eat, er said ta be kysty.

KYTLE—A workmen’s linen jacket for summer. A kytle’s a varra handy

thing i’ het wedder.

LADE, LADLE, LADIN’-CAN—To empty water out of any place with a

ladin-can is to lade it oot. Poddish suppers o’ know what a ladle is

seea Ah need say neea mair.

LANSMER—Field name.

LAL—Little. A lal word’s a conny word.

LAL-’UN—Child. Hoo’s t’ lal-’un?

LAV’ROCK—It’s nowt nobbut t’ lark ’at sings i’ t’ sky, but ther’s neea

spot i’ this world whar they deea ’t better ner i’ Lakeland. An’ Ah’ll

tell ye what besides that, ther’s varra few pliaces ’at liuks any

better ner oors if ye’ll tak it i’ t’ reet time, say i’ July when t’

looanens er full o’ rooasies, an’ t’ fields full o’ gerse, an’ t’ trees

full o’ leaf an’ blossom, an’ t’ rabbits er laken, an’ t’ lavrocks

singen, an’ t’ cushats cooen. Ye chaps ’at know what setts er, an’ er

acquainted wi’ gas, tell us noo streck oot frae yer hearts, is ther owt

ta come up tul ’t ’at ye ken on?

LAIRY, LAIRT—Miry, as clayey land in wet weather. Draggled with wet

adhesive mud, as sheep may be that are on t’ turnips in a wet fit o’

weather, an’ they git clarty an’ lairt wi’ ’t.

LASH—To feed immoderately. Lash it in.

LACED—Drunk.

LACED-TEA—Tea wi’ rum in ’t fer kursenins, weddins, er owt o’ that mack.

LADIES’-GARTERS—Ornamental grass, striped.

LAD-BARN—A man child. T’ doctor’s browt huz a new babby, an’ it’s a

lad-barn.

LADDY—T’ dog.

LASSIE—T’ bitch.

LAID DOON—When tweea wrusslers meets, an’ yan o’ them turns flait, er

fer owt else, an’ wid’nt gah on wi’ ’t, he’s said ta lig doon, er he

laid doon ta seea an’ seea.

LAID-DOON—A plewed field ’at’s turned to gerse—an’ ther’s white a lot

o’ fields laid doon i’ that way i’ Lakeland.

LAIK—When a grizzled auld chap sits doon ta think aboot t’ laik lads

an’ lasses ov his barnish days it maks him feel auld an’ daft, an’

efter o’ ther’s summat aboot it ’at yan likes. Yan’s here, anudder’s

yonder, ower t’ sea’s some, i’ gurt toons an’ hee spots udders, some

hes barns o’ ther awn laiken, an’ some hezzant; ther’s some i’ t’ auld

spot, an’ some izzant whar we can see ther fiases any mair ’i this

changen scene, but them ’at’s laikt tagidder as barns er a lang time

fergitten yan anudder o’tagidder. Laiken is t’ free masonry o’ t’ grand

order o’ barns, an’ they’re lucky an’ happy ’at leets on a good lodge.

LALL—To hang the tongue out in derision. Ah’ll larn thi ta lall thi

tongue oot at me.

LALLEN-OOT—Protruding. T’ tongue was lallen oot a fiut varra nar. Said

of an exhausted horse.

LADY-CUSHION—A rockery plant.

LAMB-TAILS—The bloom of the hazel.

LALLIKER, LORRIKER—Tongue. T’ doctor wanted ta see a barn tongue ’at

was badly, an’ ass’d it to put it oot. T’ barn dudn’t understand

nacken, seea t’ mudder hed a go, “Lal oot thi lalliker,” an’ oot it com.

LAND-END—Ther’s rians, heed rigs, an’ land-ends, they’re o’ amackaly o’

yah sooart, with a difference, ye ken. If some ov oor farmer lads wad

set tull, they wad fair cap some on us wi’ ther niams an’ nooations.

LANDSLACK—Field name.

LANGEN—A feminine peculiarity.

LAITHE—Unwilling. Ah was laithe ta put him i’ t’ Coonty Coort, but what

cud Ah deea, he wadn’t come tull.

LADS—Sons. An’ they stop “lads” in some cases until they become old

men. “Neddy lads” was turned seventy.

LAG—Last. In choosing the order of playing some children’s games

“foggy” and “lag” stand for first and last.

LAP—To wrap up; to finish up; a lap o’ streea.

LAWRENCE LARRY—It’s a complaint ’at bodders fooak ’at er boorn tired

an’ nivver hev a chance to rest thersels.

LASHOP, LASHOPEN—Caleeveren aboot frae spot ta spot.

LANG-TONGUED—Yan o’ them fooak ’at talks thirteen ta t’ dozen. Thoo

lang-tongued slenk thoo; thoo wad talk a dog tail oot o’ joint.

LANT—What they mix amang yal ta mak’t grip. Cush, what stuff yan’ll

swallow.

LANT—Lant’s annudder ta t’ lot. Ah’ll lant thee thi canister. It’s a

card game ano, laiken at lant, an’ it’s summat else ’at Ah won’t put

in, er ye’ll laugh.

LASH-COOAM—What we reed wer heeds wi’, ta be sewer.

LASH—To comb. To stir water round a vessel to clean it out. Lash a sup

o’ het watter roond tweea er three times.

LASS-BARN—That’s t’ new woman i’ miniature.

LAUVE, LAUVINS, LAUVINS-DAYS, LAUVES-ME—Fullers up, siam as

Lawk-a-mercy, Lord love me, an’ tweea er three mair o’ t’ siam mack.

LAVE—Remainder.

LAWTER—A brood of chickens, or a litter of pigs.

LAZY-BED—Noo Ah’s nut a gardener, but it’s like this, ye lig yer taty

sets doon and cover them ower asteed o’ griaven a trench ta set them

in.

LANG-LAST—Owt ’at’s lang i’ comen, siam as t’ last o’ these riapen

tials Ah’s tellen. At t’ lang-last he gev ower an’ shot up.

LANG-LENGTH, LANG-STRECK—Full length, but not necessarily a “long” one,

for it is recorded of one whose diminutive proportions allowed him in

his own words to fo’ o’ his lang length ower a coo clap.

LANG-SNOOTS—A mack o’ apples.

LEDDUR-BACKS—An’ seea ’s these.

LAMMAS—Off in a hurry. Thoo mun lammas off efter him as hard as thoo

can leddur.

LANGSETTLE—A wooden seat generally provided with a good thick cushion,

and forming one of the standard items of furniture in the kitchen of a

farm house. Famish things is a langsettle when yan’s tired oot.

LASHINS—A plentiful allowance. We’d lashins o’ rum an’ milk, an’ bacon,

an’ eggs, an’ yal.

LATE, LATEN, LATED—Seek, seeking, sought. Late us mi shun, will ta?

What ar ye laten? Ah’s laten t’ cuddy fer sewer, t’ auld beggar. Tudder

chap thowt Tom was daft acos he was laten t’ cuddy an’ liuken at t’

rooad siam as if he thowt a cuddy cud field in a car-track, but Tom was

laten fiut marks, to see whilk way it hed gian. Ah’ve lated hee an’ low

fer that nooat. Fooak ’at’s allus laten er varra oft fooak ’at’s liat.

LAZY-BAND—When a cross cut saw hez ta gah through a varra thick tree,

a riap’s fassened ta t’ hannles, an’ three or fower men git hauld an’

poo, an’ that’s co’ed a lazy-band, but mind ye it izzant acos they’re

idle—net it marry.

LALDER, LALDEREN—Doe den it noo, but cush barn, Ah’ll tell ye what this

is neea laughen matter ’at is ’t nut, lalderen aboot, clashen in an’

oot first e yah body’s hoose an’ than in anudder Ah reckon nowt on ’t

’at deea Ah nut.

LANGSOME—A most expressive word, implying not only long and lonely,

but wearisome, and oppressive by reason of some haunting desire which

cannot be got rid of for want of diversion.

“I’d fain ha’ talkt, but still hed nowt ta say,

An’ seea kept silent, aw the langsome way.”

LALACKEN—Trailen aboot frae yah hoose tull anudder, tellen t’ tial an’

hearen on ’t. See Lalder.

LEG-IT—Walk hurriedly. He could leg it ower them fells, an’ up an’ doon

them gurt craggy spots.

LEG-UP—What a chap ass’es for when he wants ta git on a nag, an’ ther’s

neea horsin stian.

LEGS-AN’-WINGS—A fellow ’at’s some lang smo legs an’ arms. “A gurt

cradda bians ’at thoo is; thoo’s o’ legs an’ wings.”

LENNOK—Loose and aimless. His arm hang doon as lennok as watter. This

collar’s lennok wi’ sweet.

LEET-ON—Ah bin laiten a sweetheart fer many a year, but Ah ca’t leet-on

neea way.

LEETSOME—Cheerful, or cheering. A change is leetsome, if it be nobbut

oot o’ t’ bed intul t’ beck. Silly. He’s a bit leetsome.

LEET-HEELED—A nimble runner.

LEET-FINGERED—A nimble thief. Yan can ply his feet, an’ tudder his

nieves. They owt ta gang tagidder.

LEETEN—A sudden improvement in the condition of one who is dying; it’s

nobbut a leeten.

LEEUM, LEEUMEN—A gurt idle leum, ’at is he, leeumen aboot, an’ liggen

on t’ rooad side, er on t’ hay mew. These tweea’s aboot a chap ’at’s as

idle as Ludlam dog, an’ it laid its heed again a wo’ ta bark. An idle

leeum wadn’t turn ower when yah side ov his carcase was rusted, ta rust

tudder, if anybody wad deea ’t for him. Ah’ll leave ye ta guess hoo

idle that is, an’ say neea mair aboot it.

LET OOT—Ah war gaan by t’ gallawa tail when it let oot an’ catcht mi

seck a whiddur fair at thick o’ t’ thee, as Ah’ll nut fergit.

LET ON, LET WIT—To give heed. Ah hard him, but Ah nivver let on. Take

no notice. Thoo mun tak neea nooatice on him, co’in thi, niver let wit

’at thoo hears him; he means nowt bi’ ’t.

LET-DOON—A drink. I hev neea objection ta a let-doon, an’ Ah’s varra

nar chowkt; bring us a lal drop i’ t’ liadin’ can.

LETTIN-DOON—A disadvantage. It’s a gurt lettin-doon ta fooak when

they’re short o’ sowder. An’ some’ll say it’s a gurt lettin-doon when

fooak ca’t ken what’s ther awn, frae that o’ somebody else.

LEAD ATWEEN—It means if ye’re leaden muck wi’ three nags an’ cars,

yan’ll be at t’ midden fullen, yan at t’ field emptyen, and yan on t’

way owder gaan er comen back; him at leads atween hez t’ best job on

’t; he can ride yah way.

LEAF—T’ inside of a pig’s ribs; grand fer makkin same on.

LEAR—A sken. At dark it’s a lear. Ah liuk at this yan as bein’ varra

handy. We’ve a sken, an’ a glent, an’ a glif, an’ a glimmer, an’ tweea

er three mair fer day-leet. This is fer t’ dark, when t’ broos is

lowered wi’ streenen ta git a seet o’ summat, an’ o ivver ye manish ta

deea is ta catch a lear on ’t.

LEATHER-DICK—A leather brat fer barns, ta keep them frae burnen ther

clias.

LED-FARM—A farm that is managed, and on which the farmer does not

reside.

LEDDERDY-PATCH—Ass a fiddler. Ah nivver could dance nin, but Ah’ve hard

fooak talk aboot cross t’ buckle an’ leddery-patch; it’s sum mack o’

silly craft, Ah’ll apode it.

LEEM—To strip. Leem oot o’ thi cooat an’ gang an’ buckle teea. We

chip’t t’ maister fer a quart, an’ he leem’d oot.

LEEMER—The hazel nut when ripe or ripening, and leaves the husk.

LEE-WATTER—Serum. It’s parlish when lee-watter begins ta come oot ov a

sair spot.

LEET-GEEN—Ah’s in a quandary wi’ this yan. If Ah put it in some on

ye’ll say Ah sudn’t; if Ah durt some on ye ’ll say Ah darrant. It

refers to a bad habit some men hev ’at sud know better.

LEP—Drink. He likes his lep.

LEP—To sup like a dog by licking. Lep it up.

LEP—A bundle o’ straw is a lep o’ streea.

LEY—A scythe.

LEEVE—Rather. Ah’d as leeve be tied tul a coo tail an’ trailed ta deeth.

LIEVER—More readily; much rather.

LEG-BAIL—Run away. He gev them leg-bail, an’ ’listed.

LEADEN—Carting. We’re thrang leaden muck.

LEDDUR—Anudder fer tannin. Ah gat leddur’d fer gitten wet-shod. To go

about in a great bustle. He was ledduren aboot efter t’ cauves. To

beat. We leddured them at crecket.

LEDDERIN—A thrashing. Ah gat a ledderin for playin’ trewan.

LIASE—Still anudder.

LET IN—A bad sign when a chap’s shun let in. Deceived. Ah was let in

wi’ that skaymeril ov a potter.

LIAV-LUG’D—Drop eared. That nag’s liave-lug’d.

LICK-FOR-SMACK—If a body was gi’en ta nacken yan wad write this phrase

doon as “vigourously.” O’ ivver it means is ’at somebody ’at hed a task

afooar them—whedder it was mowin, er fieldin, er riasen, er wrusslen,

er gitten away frae something er annudder ’at they du’t like—seea lang

as they deea ’t wi’ a fullock, an’ put ther hearts intult job, an’

strip off tult, that’s lick fer smack. A chap was tellen me aboot a

feit, an’, says he, “At it they went, lick fer smack. T’ wick ’uns ’ll

trail deed ’uns oot.” That’s it to a T.

LICK-POT, LANG-MAN—The first and second fingers.

LIFT—Start. They gev him a good lift at t’ first an’ he’s nivver liukt

behint him sen. A ride. He gev us a lift amang t’ batches.

LIGGERS—Long branches which a diker cuts partly through and ligs down

to form a dike.

LIGHT—Nacken fer leet—ta sattle. Ye’ll find this yan’s an auld ’un if

ye liuk intult reet.

LIG-IN, LIG-OOT—These tweea’s aboot t’ young beeas, an’ whar they spend

ther neets. They lig-in er oot as ’t happens.

LIG-IN—This is aboot summat else; it’s when t’ family’s growen i’

numbers.

LIG-IT-IN—To put the dried hay together, so that it can be carted or

cocked. To put a scythe blade and shaft together.

LIG-IT-ON—To grow fat fast.

LILT—To go with a lively spring. She lilts aboot like a fower year auld.

LILTEN—Frisking. Give ower lilten aboot, an’ deea some wark.

LINE—Linseed growen.

LIPPEN—Paired. Whia noo, hes thoo hard t’ liatest? Nay, what is ’t?

Whia, but thoo mu’t tell, t’ heed man’s been sitten t’ youngest lass

up, an’ they’re gaan ta be wedded at t’ tierm. Whia what Ah izzant

capt, Ah lippened them tweea a gay bit sen, but Ah sed nowt ta neeabody.

LISH—Active. As lish as a tweea yer auld. It’s a good sign when yan’s

lish.

LISKS—Whar legs an’ body join. Stiff at t’ lisks, a mower ’ll say, t’

first day at it.

LIST—Energy; life; activity. Mi bians wark an’ Ah’ve neea list fer nowt.

LISTIN—A narrow strip of cloth at the side of a web.

LIST, LISTED—These er aboot gangen ta sarra t’ Queen in a reed cooat

an’ a cockade. Ther’s t’ makkin o’ some grand gunpooder food i’ some o’

oor gurt row lads, but a good job fer them an’ huz ther’s nin seea many

o’ them ’at taks tult. An’ t’ auld fooak they fair seem ta dreed owt

aboot listen. Let them feit at fratch, sez Ah, an’ nut huz.

LITHER—He up wi’ his nief an’ catched him a lither fair ower his

kisser, an’ than off.

LITHE—Lish, an’ cant, an’ fresh; thoo liuks lithe.

LITH’NIN—What they thickin gravy wi’

LINK—Arm in arm. Sweethearts in an advanced stage of the complaint

affect a good deal of linken’, and it is recorded of an auld world

farmer who went to hire a lass and came back without, explaining to his

better half that o’ t’ lasses at was up ta owt hed gone blind. “Gone

blind,” said t’ missis, “hoos that?” “Nay,” he says, “Ah du’t know

hoo ’t is, bit iv’ry man jack o’ them hed a chap leaden her bi t’ arm,

an’ thoo knows we ca’t deea w’i tweea o’ them on oor spot.” An’ she

peppered his lugs wi’ caper sauce fer some time aboot it, an’ t’ blind

lasses. T’ auld woman knew ’at love izzant blind ato’, an’ ’at it sees

a lot mair i’ linkin ner an auld dooaten fellow ’at niver gits linked

nobbut when he’s hed a lal drop ower mich gin.

LIP—Let’s hev nin o’ thi lip. It means impudence, or cheek.

LIPT—He lipt mi rarely—t’ siam again.

LISTER—A fork wi’ a lang shank to stob fish wi’ when ye can catch them

asleep.

LITE—Suppose; imagine. Ah lite yer tired wi’ trashen aboot. Met. We

could nivver lite on.

LITED—Depended; expected. We lited on ye comen ta yer tea.

LIT ON—We war gaan ower bi t’ Common Holme when we lit on wi’ tweea er

three mair fooak.

LICK-SPITTAL—This means a dirty minded man, but Ah’ve hed a go at tryin

ta find oot what a spittal is, an’ yan tells me it’s a gurt wood spiun;

if it is, lickin a spittal’s nowt ill aboot it.

LIG—To lie down. Gah an’ lig ye doon a bit.

LIGGEN—Laying. He’s liggen doan fer an hour.

LIN-PIN—It gahs through a car assle tree, an’ keeps it i’ t’ spot. We

used at yah time ta think it was a good breck ta tak a lin pin oot, an’

field it. They’ve mair sense noo.

LIMB—A rum fellow. He’s a limb.

LIMMER—Pliant.

LINJY—Agile, well-built.

LILL—To rear and whinny as young nags do.

LILLY—To coax up. He’d ower mich lilly wark aboot him fer me.

LILDEREN, LILDER—Leet i’ t’ heed as well as t’ feet. Fooak ’at lilder

aboot frae yah spot tull anudder er up ta nowt.

LIMMERS—Cart stangs.

LIG-ON—The battle cry of lads, “Lig-on.”

LIG-IN-LANKY—Pitch intul ’t.

LIMMISH—A bit ov a limb fer a breck.

LINED—Summat up wi’ t’ bitch.

LIAF-BREED—Bread in loaves, as distinct from that in cakes; but “liaf”

is frequently used for fruit loaf or spice cake.

LIATHE-LOFT—A barn over other buildings such as stable, cowshed, &c.

LIATHE—Mappen some on ye ’ll think er say ’at anybody ’at ’ll print owt

aboot a liathe sud be i’ Garlands, an’ ’at they’re barns, nut liathes

ato. But if ye’d fielded i’ yan when ye war barns, an’ rowt i’ yan when

ye’d gitten up, ye wad want a good word fer t’ auld liathe. Mewin i’

summer, threshen i’ winter, allus in an’ oot, what yan’s like ta git

weel acquainted, an’ whar is ther seck a spot fer a dance when we’re

hevin a merry neet an’ seck? It’ll be a cauld day fer huz when we

hevn’t a warm word for t’ liathe.

LICK—Yan mair fer a ledderin.

LICKT—Beaten. Thoo’s lickt me hiam. If ther’s owt in ’t, t’ main o’ t’

lickins ’at seck as we gat when we war lads was wi’ a bunch o’ birks,

’at miad yan canny aboot sitten doon fer a bit. Noo, ye classic chaps,

oot wi’ ’t.

LICK-AN’-A-PROMISE—A shuffling mak o’ diun owt ’at’s neea good. Hes

thoo wesht thi fias? Aye. Thoo’s gien ’t a lick an’ a promise, thoo

gurt idle slenk.

LIGS-ROUGH—Said of one who, having no home, sleeps in out-houses. Also

said of those who get belated. We hed ta lig rough, or sleep rough.

LIKELY—Probably. Likely ye’ll be gaan ta t’ sial. Ah likely will.

LIMBER—Varra pliable (hem!). It means like this: If t’ cart gear gits

hard, an’ ye grease it, an’ it turns soft, it’s miad it limber; yer

joints ’ll be limber at times, an’ at udders as stiff as a crutch.

LING—Heather. Ling besoms yah while war varra common, but they can’t

mak them i’ Garmany, seea what we mun deea withoot noo.

LING-CROPPER—Yan off t’ Black fell side.

LOLLOCK—A good big lump. As auld Nanny lad, Ike, said when they’d

company at dinner, an’ she ass’d him if he wanted sarra’en wi’ any mair

meat. “Aye,” sez he, “Ye can cut us a lollock o’ fat an’ a lollock

o’ lean tell Ah gah an’ wipe t’ sweet off mi broo.” A lal unmannerly

urchen.

LOUNDER—Handled roughly, Ah loundered him a bit wi’ t’ besom shank.

LOSHES—Our dialect has more of the harsher sounds in it, as is natural,

but this is one exception. It is used to signify the liquid “swish” of

the flooded river as it flows over the boulders in its course, and is

unequalled as an onomatopoetic. One of Lakeland’s poets, who uses its

dialect for his verses, has said of the Lyvennet that it

“..,. laykes an’ loshes ower the steaynes,

Like kitlins wi’ a cloot,

Howks grubs an’ worms fra under t’ breeas,

To feed t’ lal hungry troot.”

The contrast of sound in the two first lines and the two last is well

brought out.

LOST-AN’-LOPPART—Soor wi’ muck. Sairy things, t’ barns war lost an’

loppart i’ muck.

LOUR—Liuken dark an’ like rainen; also a fellow ’at’s his rag oot, an’

showa it—it’s louren.

LOVE—Ah’ll feit thi fer a sov’ren! Nay, Ah’ll nut tak a sov’ren frae

thi seea easy as that, but Ah’ll tell thi what Ah’ll deea, Ah’ll feit

thi fer love. Ah’ve seen chaps feit fer love tell ther heeds was like a

shammles.

LOW—A blaze. Keep thi fingers oot o’ t’ low.

LOWN—A quiet sheltered place. It’s lown here, we’ll leet up. When ther

is neea wind and everywhere is quiet and still, it’s varra lown; an’

some places lig varra lown.

LOWMER, LOWMER-DOON—Lower, it’s a gay bit lowmer (or lowmer-doon).

LOWP—Jump. Thoo miad mi lowp.

LOWPER—Jumper. He’s a rare lowper.

LOWP-DIKE—A coo ’at izzant satisfied wi’ her own, but seeketh that of

another—ower t’ dyke.

LOW-PRICED—Mean; underhand; deceitful; coarse; vicious; an’ owt else

’at’s bad is “low-priced.”

LORDS AND LADIES—See bulls an’ cows.

LOBBY—Fat. A gurt lobby lad.

LOB-LOLLY—A gurt fat easy body.

LOB-SIDED—On one side. Thoo’s lob-sided. An’ seea’s thoo.

LOFT—Upstairs. Cock-loft’s up again t’ riggin. Hay loft is varra oft

ower t’ coo ’us.

LOGGIN—A bottle of straw.

LOP—A flea.

LOW—Downhearted; fallen spirits. He went low ower a lass.

LOWERMAS—Lammas.

LOWNDER—A chap ’at izzant varra handy wi’ his legs an’ feet. Theer,

thoo’ll lownder aboot tell thoo flees ower.

LOWSE—Relaxed. Raffy. He gat inta bad company, an’ he’s gian varra

lowse an’ drucken.

LOWSE-END—Disengaged. Ah izzant hiren this tierm; Ah’ll hev an odd hauf

year at t’ lowse end.

LOWSE-OOT—To unharness, or unyoke a horse from its work.

LOWSE, LOWS’NIN—An apprentice whose time is served; a lowsnin is the

feast got up in rejoicing on the stage of journeyman being attained.

LOCK—A handy load, or a small portion. Thoo’s just a nice lal lock fer

t’ next liad. Ah’d a lock o’ streea under mi arm; a lal lock o’ cooals,

an’ seea on an’ seck like.

LOFF, LOF’D—Offer; choice. Ah’d t’ loff o’ yan at mi awn price. Ah

lof’d misel ta gang an’ help them when they war seea hard throssen wi’

yah thing an’ anudder.

LOG-WATER—That part of a pool that is distinct from the stream.

LOOANCE—Aye fer sewer, what ye’ll want t’ looance noo. It’s summat,

genarally yal, ’at’s allooed ower an’ abiun t’ price o’ t’ wark; er a

bit ov a job ov any mack—it’s a looance job, neea wage ato.

LOOANEN—A rooad wi a dike o’ biath sides is a looanen, an’ ther’s some

bonny ’uns i’ Lakeland.

LOOACH—As streck as a looach; but Ah niver saw yan.

LOOACHER—Lal fish. Tommy looachers an’ bull heeds.

LOOK—Poo thissles wi’ a pair o’ lookers. Anudder rampen good niam fer a

blow. He gat a look under t’ lug fer his trouble.

LOOKERS—A pair o’ lang legged pinchers ta poo thissles oot o’ t’ cooarn

wi’.

LOPPART—Crudded milk; it’s loppart.

LU’YA, LUSTA, LUCKSTA—Look ye. Lu-ye! lu-ye! Liuk whar yer treeden wi’

yer gurt pasty-feet.

LUBBER—A term of disgust for an idle person.

LUDGEMENT—Lodgings. Says Bowness:

“Sic monkeys are sewer ev a dirty ludgement,

’At show, like thee, meear sperit ner judgment.”

LUMP-IT—What yan doesn’t like yan hes ta lump; that is, swallow withoot

chowin!

LUG—To pull the hair or ears for punishment. Ah’ll lug thi toppin a bit

fer thi pains.

LUG AN’ LAGGEN—All over. He was grease an’ muck o’ ower; covered frae

lug ta laggen. In a tub “lug and laggen” includes the whole of the

parts.

LUG-MARK—A sheep’s ear punched or clipt to distinguish it from those of

another owner.

LUGS—The ears of any and everything. The places to which the handles

of buckets and cans are fastened; the ear covers of a cap; a part of a

clog or shoe upper.

LUG-WHOLS—Ear holes. Stuff thi lug-whols wi’ woo, an’ keep t’ cauld

wind oot.

LULLEN—Lolling; being embraced. “Basken an’ lullen in t’ arms o’ Nan

Bullon,” says Whitehead.

LUMPHEED—A silly chap ’at’s diun summat he owtn’t is varra oft co’ed a

gurt lumpheed.

LUNGIOUS—Subtle; revengeful. A gurt lungious brute.

LURRIED—Worried. He set t’ dog at them, an’ lurried them oot, an’ kilt

yan or tweea.

LUSH, LUSHT, LUSHEN—Ye’ll see on a public hoose sign boord ’at seea an’

seea is licensed to retail “ale, beer, wine, and spirits.” That means

he can sell lush to them ’at wants it; an’ some gah as far as ta say

“licensed to be drunk on the premises”—that is to be lusht. Lushen is

ta git a lot o’ drink inta a body ’at likes it.

LUSH—Juicy; rich. That beef’s varra lush an’ tender.

LUCK-PENNY—What’s given back “fer luck” off a bargin. Thoo’ll git neea

luck-penny oot o’ mi.

LUM—A deep dub whar they wesh sheep, an’ t’ lads dook.

LUMPS AN’ STULLS—Noo, that’ll cap some o’ ye nacken bodies. It’s when

t’ poddish er owt co’s oot i’ gurt lumps; they’re o’ lumps an’ stulls.

LURRY—To pull to pices with the teeth. He was lurryen at a gurt lump o’

fat meat, an’ he was grease frae lug ta laggin.

LYA—Listen. Lya at yon auld maunderen thing.

MANNER, MANNISHMENT—Manure; tillage. Thers nowt beats gaily o’

mannishment fer taties. In some old documents belonging to the parish

church of Morland “manner” is given; date 1665. An “oldest inhabitant”

in the writer’s earlier days used the same word to describe manure

formed of dung, earth, and lime.

MAIDENHEED—Summat funny frae yan ’at reckons hissel sharp. What’s e’

them pooaks? Maidenheeds.

MACK—Kind; variety. It tacks o’ macks ta mack ivvry mack, an’ some’s a

mack ta thersel.

MADDLEN—A body ’at’s a bit daft. Thoo’s a gurt maddlen ta gang an’ sell

t’ cowey.

MAINLY-WHAT—As a general rule.

For Miley is mainly-what nowt but a brick,

An’ scorns frae his heart an’ unnebberly trick.—_Bowness._

MAISTERMAN—A maisterman’s a chap ’at’s sarra’d his time, bin a

journeyman, an’ than set up fer hissel—a maisterman tailler, an’ seea

on; an’ he’s mebbe t’ maister ower neea body but hissel.

MAISTERMAN—A chap ’at hes a bit ov a temper, an’ gies way tull’t.

Thoo’s a maisterman, but Ah’ll pare thi doon a bit.

MAISTER—Superior. He’s my maister at leein’.

MAISTER, MISTRESS—“Oor maister” an’ “oor mistress” are used generally

for “husband” or “wife.”

MAJESTY—Top o’ mi majesty. It means varra oft at top of a varra poor

sooart ov majesty, co’ed bad temper.

MAK-FER-A-MAK—An’ what it’s as weel ther sud be, er else what wad

become o’ o’ them at izzant a mak ato?

MAK-NER-SHAP—Like t’ auld woman sark ’at she cot oot wi’ an axe; an’ a

lot mair things that’s oot o’ proportion varra badly. They’re nowder

mak ner shap.

MALT-CUM—Mawt-cum, sometimes co’ed cummins. Parson Harrison kent o’

aboot it varra nar fower hundred year sen. Lissen: “They take it

[barley] out, and laying it upon the clean floor on a round heap it

resteth so until it be ready to shoot at the root end, which maltsters

call combing. When it beginneth therefore to shoot in this manner they

say it is come.”

MANBODY—Ay! barn, but thoo hes grown sen Ah saw thi. Thoo’s a manbody

any minnit.

MAPPEN—This is yan ov oor cautious words. A young fellow wanted his

sweetheart ta gie him a kiss, an’ nowt seea nat’ral, an’ she wadn’t.

“Mappen,” he says, “ye will at Kirsmas?” “Whia,” says she, “mappen Ah

may than, but mappen Ah maint.” A chap ’at can carry on t’ gam wi’ neea

mair encouragement ner that desarves his reward.

MAINT—May not. Ah maint be at t’ kirk if mi cauld’s neea better.

MANTY-MEKKER—A dress-maker. Oor lasses ’al be smart this Easter Ah’s

warn’d. T’ manty-mekker’s bin workin’ varra near neet an’ day fur et

meast of a fortneth.

MANNERLY—Generous; homely. She’s a gay mannerly body wi’ barns.

MANNERLY—Average, or more than average. We’d a gay mannerly crop o’

taties.

MANNERLY—Respectable. What Ah’ve some mannerly clias fer t’ kirk, an’

t’ market, an’ sials, an’ what does ’t matter when yan’s howken aboot

bi yansel amang t’ kye?

MANNERLY—Decently. Behave thisel a mack o’ mannerly, when we’ve company

hooiver.

MANNERLY—Tidy. Noo fadder, fassen yer waistcooat, an’ liase yer shun,

an’ gah aboot mannerly, as a body sud. Git oot wi’ thi, Ah izzant gaan

by t’ fauld yat, an’ Ah’s mannerly eniuf fer that Ah sud say.

MARCH-MALICE, MEADOW-SWEET—These is herbs fer badly fooak; but Ah’s

neea doctor.

MARRA-FER-BRAN—Ther’s six o’ yan an’ hauf a dozen o’ t’ udder i’ this.

MARR’D, MAUNG’D—Petted; spoilt.

MARROW—Equal; match.

Her maister I’se sartain I nivver seed,

An’ seldom her marrow for bottom an’ speed.—_Bowness._

MARSK—A field name, an’ somebody ’ll mappen gie us t’ meanen on’t, an’

a lot mair o’ them.

MAWK—Maggot. As fat as a mawk.

MAY-GESLIN—T’ hauf-cousen tul a April-gowk. A gurt lad yance tiak me

an’ tweea er three mair aboot a mile, becos he said he knew ov a place

whar they hed fielded a lot o’ Queen’s heeds in a cunderth. We varra

nearly poo’d t’ cunderth doon, an’ than he said we war o’ May geslins,

an’ he fleered, an’ nicker’d an gurn’d becos he was seea clever an’

could let a lot o’ barns in. Ah nivver gah by that cunderth noo withoot

thinken aboot it, an’ Ah wonder what mak o’ stegs them geslins hes

turned oot.

MAD—Irritated. It maks mi mad ta see seck wiaste.

MAZICAN—A mafflin dunderheeded chap.

MAZED—Astounded. Seck seets yan saw, yan’s fairly mazed an’ wondered

what next.

MASHELTUM—Meal for bread. A mixture of wheat, rye, and barley.

MACK-AWAY—Mak a job for the crooner; wilful waste; destruction—that’s

ta mak’ away.

MADDLE, MADDLE-ABOOT—When things is gitten a bit mized i’ yan’s upper

garrets.

MAFFLED, MAFFLIN, MAFFLE—These o’ mean when yan gits muddled up, an’

lost amang things. A lad ’at Ah used ta ken, at laiken time wad run

intul a hoose an’ shoot as lads deea: “Betty, Ah’s hungry, will ye giv

us a berry shag?” Betty was allus knitten, an’ if she happen’d ta be

coonten her loops she wad say, “Thoo nasty lal mafflin, what’s thoo com

here for, thoo’s maffled me noo, an’ Ah’ve lost me coont. Ah’ll tak mi’

stick ta thi back.” But he maistly gat a berry shag fer o’ that.

MAIN—T’ main man at a spot is t’ heed fellow; an’ ther’s main rooad;

main drain; an’ many a yan ’ll say “What we’ve gitten t’ main on t’ in,

er t’ main on t’ s’ ta git in,” an’ seea on. Auld chaps ’at’s bin a bit

gam i’ ther younger days tell us hoo a “cock main” was thowt on bi them.

MAIZLE, MAIZLEN, MAIZLED—Confuse. It’s eniuf ta maizle yan o’tagidder.

A simple-minded easy going body. A gurt maizlen. Confused. Thoo’s

maizled amang t’.

MAK-WEIGHT—A lal ’un thrown in ta pul t’ doon.

MALLISON—A man that cruelly ill-uses a horse. A chap was leaden muck

yah day, an’ t’ nag tiak t’ steck, he miad neea mair ta deea, but went

an’ dipt t’ shool in a troff, an’ ivry time he hat that nag under t’

belly a gurt sowen blister wad com up. An’ auld chap ’at was watchen

’at dudn’t like nags badly usen, says tull him, “Thoo’s a mallison wi’

a nag, an’ thoo wadn’t hev ta drive a cuddy o’ mine.”

MANNERS-AND-MAKS—When fooak hev a gay deal ta say an’ nobbut varra lal

time ta say t’ in they’ll use yan like this, “Sista we’d beef, an’

mutton, an’ ham, an’ o’ manners and maks o’ good things browt in fer

oor dinner.”

MARROW—Noo Ah darsay that ye nacken mack o’ fooak ’ll at yance think

aboot t’ inside ov a bian, but Ah du’t mean that. Ah mean if ye’ve a

pair o’ owt, an’ hes lost yan, ye’ll want t’ marrow. An’ if ye’ve yah

nag, an’ somebody else hes yan, an’ ye’ve a job ’at taks a drawt, whia

what ye’ll marrow. An’ ye o’ know t’ sayen t’ marrow ta Bonny, which

means a cruel bad body o’ some mack, if he war t’ marrow ta Auld Bonny

at was gaan ta be t’ King ower huz becos we leev’d in a garden nobbut,

an’ war nowt but shopkeepers. But we larn’d him, ’at dud we.

MASH—Brew. Put t’ kettle on an’ mash a sup o tea.

MAUNDER—Roam about in an endless aimless way. He’s nowt ta deea but

maunder aboot frae moornen ta neet.

MAUNDEREN—Talking in an incoherent manner. He was maunderen on aboot

what he was worth, an’ whar he hed brass oot; he’s gian crack’t.

MAUNGY—Spoilt; petted; pampered. A gurt maungy babby. That’ll draw t’

sooal ov many a gurt petted lad ’at’s yewlen fer t’ miun.

MEALY-MOOTH—Ah tell’t ye yance afooar ’at we du’t care fer fooak ’at’s

seea soft spokken, an’ wheem, an’ eny body ’at’s mealy-moothed’s o’

that sooart.

MECKINS—Gurt rough breckins, an’ ye wadn’t think hoo bonny they liuk

when ye hevn’t seen yan fer a while.

MEG-WI-MANY-TEEAS, MEG-MANY-LEGS—Milleped.

MEGGY—Weeds of the buttercup kind.

MELCH—Mild. A chap ’at went ta a pliace whar they mak whisky, an’

they’d gien him a sup o’ reg’lar stingo, said it went doon as melch as

new milk. But it gave him a crobbacken gaan hiam, an’ shakken i’ t’ car

boddum, fer o’ it was seea nice an’ melch, an’ good ta tak.

MELL—What dikers drive stiakes wi’. An’ they give t’ warst plewer ’at a

plewin match—that taks t’ mell.

MELDER—A lot, a heap. He sat doon ta seck a melder o’ poddish as ye

nivver saw, an’ he sided t’ lot.

MELDER—A pooakful o’ haver that’s gaan ta be grund.

MEAL-SEED—The fine inner skin which is found on haver. It is of

this coating from which sowans are made and derive their nutritious

properties.

MELL—Interferes. Ah’ll warm thi canister if thoo mells wi’ oor land. Ah

niver dud mell wi’ him, Ah mell wi’ mi awn business.

MELL—SUPPER-Siam as kirn-supper.

MEMO—Ah tell’t ye afooar aboot t’ woman ’at wanted a pen’oth o’ pussy

booels—that’s memo talkin’, and ther’s memo i’ eaten, an’ walken. It’s

a complaint amang young fooak, but they git ower it, an’ happen they’re

neea warse for ’t.

MERE—An auld word fer “mark”; land-mark an’ seea on.

MEW—Mewen hay’s yan o’ t’ warmest jobs ’at a lad can be put tull, but

o’ t’ lads—an’ lasses fer that matter—’at Ah ken like ’t.

MEAT-HIAL—In gurt far-larn’d biuks yan reads aboot men an’ lasses

vowing ta yan anudder ’at they’re heart-whole. Noo this means

stomach-whole, an’ Ah’s gaan ta put it in, even if ye o’ laff at it.

Ah’s i’ gay good fettle thenk ye, er ye o’ meat-hial at your hoose?

MEBBE—It may be; perhaps; if it should so happen. Mebbe ye can len’ me

a shillin’ er tweea. It may mebbe rain, an’ than what? Mebbe if he was

telt aboot it he wad see it in anudder leet. Ther’s a lot a ways o’

usin a lal handy word like mebbe.

MENSE—Manners. They’d a siaved biath ther meat an’ ther mense if they’d

ass’d us ta hev a cup wi’ them.

MENSE—Decent in appearance. Wesh thisel an’ mak thisel a mack o’ mense.

MENSE—In good condition. Hoo er ye? A mack o’ mense.

MERRY-NEET—Oot o’ date varra nar—an’ a good job, fer if they were merry

neets they war varra oft sooary moornens efter.

MENNEM—A minnow, an’ caht they swirt aboot.

MENSEFUL—Mannerly.

MEAL-ARK—A kist whar meal an’ floor’s put.

MESSAN—To upset or interfere with things. What’s thoo messan wi’ thi

fadder razors for?

MISAUNTER, MISHAUNTER—A mudded do, a mishap.

MILLER-CLOOT—A whisp o’ streea ta stick in a wholl’d pooak.

MIUN-LEET-FLIT—It’s when we lap up oor traps at t’ dark an’ whiatly

slenk away oot t’ rooad o’ rents, an’ bits o’ bills, er owt er anybody

we’ve ta pay tull, we co’ that’n a miun-leet-flit.

MIG—Sump. T’ sypins frae a middin.

MIZZLE—Fine rain; Scotch mist. It mizzles a bit but it won’t be mich

rain.

MIZZLE—Disappear quietly. I thowt that lad was worken in’t garden, but

he’s mizzled.

MILKUS—Dairy.

MILL-POSTS—Legs as thick as mill posts.

MILT—A soft-bellied fish—herrin’, fer instance.

MINT—A lot. We’ve a mint o’ plums.

MINK-MIMP—An affected manner of talking.

MISCANTER—To fail or be disappointed in an undertaking. It com off wi’

a miscanter.

MIRE, MIRES—Low-lying boggy land—_e.g._, Shap Mires.

MISFIT—One who turns out badly and does not make much effort to succeed

in life. They spent a pooer o’ money ta mak a man on him, but he turned

oot a misfit an’ it o’ was wasted.

MIGHTY—Ye’ll hear t’ lal ’uns say ta yan at wants ta cock ower t’

midden, “Thoo needn’t mak thisel seea mighty becos thoo’s some new shun

on.”

MIFF—Whimper. Keep swat an’ nivver say miff.

MINDS’TA—Ah’ll hev nin o’ thi sauce, minds’ta that noo. This is t’

origin o’ that famish classic, “Don’t ye fergit it.”

MIAL—As mich milk as a coo gies at yah milkin.

MIAL’S-MEAT—As mich as a hungry body can side at yance. They’re nivver

tul a mial’s-meat when yan drops in o’ them at feeden time.

MICKLE—Many a little maks a mickle—a gay lot.

MIDDLEMER, MIDDLEMEST—Is that t’ auldest lad er youngest? It’s nowder,

it’s middlemer. T’ middlemest o’ t’ lot.

MINDS—Reminds. That minds me ta ass ye ta come ta oor hoose ta yer tea.

MIN—Man. Ah’ll tell thi what min, but it’s gay cauld fer t’ nooase end

o’ yan.

MIRL, MURL—Varra nar t’ siam as Mosker.

MISMAVED—Disconcerted. He went tul t’ doctor, an’ he saw’d him a finger

off, an’ he was never a bit mismaved.

MITEY—Cheese ’at’s full o’ lal mawks.

MITR’D-AN’-MOULDR’D—Ye o’ know what mitey cheese is like, an’ owt ’at’s

mitr’d ’s summat ’at’s gian throo t’ siam process wi’ moths an’ worms,

whedder it’s a chair leg er owt else ’at’s sided away, an’ gits mitr’d

an’ mouldr’d.

MOCK—To imitate in derision. Mudder, oor Jack’s mocken mi slowpen mi

tea; cloot his lugs for ’t, will ye?

MOME—Smooth spoken; diffident; still. As mome as a moose.

MONKEY—Mortgate. Ther’s a monkey astride o’ t’ chimla.

MONKEY—What stians an’ mortar gahs up t’ stee in fer t’ wo’ers. See

Hawky.

MONEY-IN-IVRY-POCKET—Grows e’ t’ garden does this.

MOP—Mop it up. That’s what t’ mudders say when they want yan ta sup a

pint pot o’ salts an’ seeny fer a bad cauld er a strained wrist. Mop it

up, it’ll deea thi good.

MOPE—A body’s ’at’s nut ower mich to deea, an’ nivver gits ’t diun.

MOPEN, MOPED—Mopen aboot like a steg i’ sitten time. It means when ivry

body else is thrang, an’ neea time to bodder wi’ ye; an’ moped’s when a

chap’s sitten ower t’ fire tell he’s aboot silly.

MOUNTY-KITTY—A lad’s gam: “Mounty kitty, mounty kitty, yan, tweea,

three.”

MOWD—Mould. Ah’ve put this yan in becos “mould” even is gaan oot o’

fashion, an’ earth’s tian it’s shop.

MOWDI-MAN, MOWDI-CATCHER—A chap ’at catches mowdiwarps, an’ maks

pooches an’ purses oot’ o’ t’ skins.

MOWDIWARP—Mole. As fat as a mowdiwarp.

MOIDER—A naggen barn ’at’s allus bodderen yan wi’ questions aboot wheea

maks t’ rain, and hoo t’ sun’s fassened up, an’ wheea poos ’t blinds

doon o’ t’ sky when it’s time ta be dark, ’ll sometimes be tell’t ta

whisht er thoo’ll moider me ta deeth.

MONKEY—Anudder niam fer dander; when a chap’s monkey’s up, keep oot ov

his rooad.

MOOTER—Payment in kind for grinding. In maut er meal t’ miller mun hev

his mooter.

MOOT—Broach. Ah’ll moot it tull him.

MOOT-HO’—Town Hall. At Appleby (at all events with the older

generations), Moot-Ho is the term used for what the designation Town

Hall, City, or Municipal Buildings means in modern parlance. And

perhaps as we have so generally discarded “fooak” it is only fit that

the place of the “fooak moot” should have a name in harmony with its

functions.

MOP—T’ cur dog.

MORTAL—Ah’s mortal near chowk’t wi’ stoor an’ muck.

MORTALLY—A thing Ah mortally hate is ta see fooak ’at’s seea prood an’

throssen up.

MOSKER, MOULDER—To crumble away through the action of weather, &c. It

mosker’d away.

MOTHERS—Roots. Ah kent a chap ’at was a famish gurt mower, an’ he gat

a job o’ mowen fer a auld fellow ’at was varra pertickler. T’ first

day ’at he was agiat, t’ auld chap went ta see hoo he was gaan on. “By

goy,” he sez, “thoo’s gaan wi’ t’ mudders, thoo’l deea fer yance.”

MOTHER-WIT—Ther’s nowt mich better ta fiase a rough world wi’ ner a

bit o’ mudder-wit, ’at liuks at things at ther warst, un’ maks t’ best

on ’t withoot gitten soor, an’ oot o’ patience, an’ laughs an’ does as

they deea at Culgaith.

MOTHER—Yeast.

MOTTY—T’ hauld, when ye laik at ducky, tiggy, an’ seea on.

MOUNGE—An idle habit o’ body. Moungen aboot.

MOITHED—Tormented; teased.

“Git oot wid thi Johnny, thoo’s nowt bet a fash,

Thoo cums till thoo raises a desperate clash;

Thoo cums ivvery neet just to put yan aboot,

Thoo moithes yan terrably, Johnny git oot.”

Clash, _i.e._ gossip. “Desperate” and “terribly” illustrate a

well-known feature of the dialect speakers of the Lake Country.

MONT—Must not. Ah wad liked te hev gone t’et hunt but ah mont es t’

yowes is starten te lam.

MOTTLED—Spotted. A gay nice Herdwick tip, but rayder mottled et t’

feeace en’ t’ legs.

MOPEMENT, MAAPMENT—Silly talk. What hed ye tae yer dinner? Cauf-mutton

pie boiled. Seck mopement thoo does talk, ther’s neea seck thing as

cauf-mutton pie. Whia than it was collop-fat.

MULLY-GRUBS—A complaint ’at bodders idle fooak a lot.

MUN-AH—Must or may I. Mun-Ah ride t’ gallawa oot ta-neet? Thoo munnat.

MUCK—Manishment. Matter ’at’s oot o’ t’ spot.

MULL, MURL—Smo peat at t’ boddum at t’ stack. In t’ auld days peat mull

was famishly thowt on ta put het on t’ pie pan lid. This wad biak t’

crust an’ t’ body o’ t’ pie wad be boilin’ at t’ siam time.

MULLOCK—A serious blunder. Thoo miad a mullock on ’t ta gang an’ liver

t’ wrang bullocks, min.

MUN—The mouth.

MUMPS—Quinsey.

MUM—Varra whiat. What’s wrang wi’ thi, thoo sits as mum as a moose.

MUD, MED—Might. It mud hev bin war as t’ chap said when t’ nag ran away

and brakt t’ neck. He was thinken aboot his awn, neea doot.

MUGGY—Soft, foggy day. Neea druft. It’s a muggy day en drys laal.

MUMMEL—Bad at chowin’. What’s ta mummelin’ aboot? Is thi teeth gitten

bad?

MUCK-HACK—A drag ta poo t’ muck oot.

MUFATEES—Knitted cuffs. Grand is a pair o’ mufatees fer keepen yer

shackles warm.

MUN—Must. Ah mun gah hiam.

MUNNET—Must not. Thoo munnet stop i’ thi wet clias.

MURK-DRIFE—When t’ air’s as full o’ snow as an egg’s full o’ meat, an’

t’ winds driven an’ whirlen ’t aboot e’ o’ directions at yance, that’s

it.

MULL’D-YAL—Varra near oot o’ date. Yal an’ eggs, an’ a lot mair

kelderment mixed up, and tian het.

MUNT, MUHT, MURT—“Must not” i’ nacken. Thoo murt deea seea an’ seea.

Ther’s white a lot o’ shorthand i’ oor auld talk, these is amang t’ lot.

MUNGY—A warm damp atmosphere ’at maks yan sweet if yan stirs is said ta

be mungy.

MURNEN, MIUNEN—When fooak’s sair hodden wi’ pain they murn oot wi’ ’t.

MUSH—Sticks ’at hes o’ mirled away, er taties an’ turnips ’at boils ta

slodder—they’ve o’ gian ta mush.

MUTE—Nowder a cuddy ner a mule—atween t’ tweea—that’s a mute, an’ it

gahs neea farder.

MUZZY—A dull low spirited manner. He wad muzzy aboot fer days wi’

hardly ivver a word fer t’ cat.

MUZZYEN—Howken ower t’ fire when yan sud be up an’ aboot yan’s wark.

Sista thoo’ll sit muzzeyen ower t’ fire tell thoo’ll be as grey as a

loose.

NAB, NABBLE, NOBBLE—They o’ mean yah thing—_i.e._, a dishonest mack o’

sharp dealin’. Yan mud co’ ’t stealin i’ plain English.

NABB’D, NABBEN—To seize hold. Ah just nabb’d hauld on ’t i’ time. He

war nabben peers.

NANNY—Aggy; Agnes.

NACKERS—Bits o’ coo ribs ’at lads play wi’.

NACK, NACKEN—Fooak at’s swallowed a dictionary, forbye a spellen biuk,

an’ a grammar, an’ talk bi them, an’ whar they’re nut fine eniuf put

a bit tul o’ ther awn, that’s nacken. Nack’s like rotten sticks, is a

varra common observation.

NAF—T’ middle part ov a car trunnle.

NAG, NAGGEN, NAGLEN, NANGLY—Cross-grained, quarrelsome, camplin’,

grumlen, ways o’ some fooak when they ca’t hev o’ ther awn way.

NAIG—A dull aching pain. Mi’ teeth naig and wark.

NAILS—Owt ’at’s hard. It’s freezen like nails.

NAILT—Cheated. He bowt a stag at Brough Hill an’ gat sowenly nailt wi’

’t.

NAILED—Non-plussed. Aye, Ah sez, sez Ah, Ah can pay twenty shillin’ ta

t’ pund, an’ that nailed him, he couldn’t come again.

NAM’LE—Bad at walken. Mi corns stang whel Ah can hardly nam’le an’ gah

ato’.

NANCY-PRETTY—London pride; Love lies bleeding.

NANG-NAILS—Step-mudder jags. They grow aboot t’ band o’ t’ nail, an’ er

varra sair.

NANTLE, NANTLIN’—Ta pettle aboot diun bits o’ jobs at it hardly matters

whedder they’re diun er nut. Nantle aboot t’ garden fer days.

NAR, NAR-HAND—It was nar-hand tierm-time. Near. Close-fisted. Varra nar

an’ clooase.

NAR-SIDE—Opposite ta far side i’ nag driven.

NARK, NARKY, NARKT—It narks yan a bit ta see sec wark. He war a bit

narky ower t’ trottin’ do. Some fooak er seea siun narkt. It means put

out.

NATTER—Grumbling. Natter, natter, natter, thoo’s nivver diun, natteren’

wi’ a nivver ceasen’.

NATTLIN—A chap ’at’s nowt ta deea ’ll varr oft mak up for ’t wi’ putten

his hands in his pocket an’ than start nappen wi’ his clog heel on t’

rooad. That’s yah mak o’ nattlin nobbut amang a lot.

NATTY—Neat. A natty lal bonnet abiun a natty lal fiase. What’s nattier?

NAY-SEWER, NAY, NEEA, NIN, NOWT, NEEABODY—These is o’ i’ full go amang

us an’ come in handy i’ ther turn. Nay sewer, he’s neea thowt fer nin

o’ huz, an’ cares lal fer nowt ner neeabody but hissel, a gurt brossen

hacken.

NAY-SAY—Power of saying no to yansel. When he gits a glass it’s ower;

he’s neea nay-say wi’ him when he starts.

NAZZY-AN-SNAR—Yan o’ them soor, snipe nooased mack o’ fooak at liuks

as if they could bite stub heeds off if yan spack owt sa oppenly tull

them. What’s ta sa nazzy an’ snar aboot thoo gurnen auld hemp?

NARY, GNARY—Stoot an’ strang. He’s a nary fellah.

NAKED-LADIES—Autumn Crocus.

NEB—Bill; toe; nose; a cap peak. Sis’ta thoo’s thi’ neb i’ iv’rybody’s

business.

NEBBUR, NEBBUREN, NEBBURLY—To be on good terms; visiting; of a friendly

disposition. They’re varra prood an’ hee, an’ nivver nebbur wi’ nin o’

huz. A chap was builden a hoose, an’ he gat ower nar t’ rooad, an’ hed

ta poo ’t back, seea what he built it fower stooary hee, acos, as he

said, he’d good nebburs abiun-heed.

NEBBURS—Neighbours. Nebburs is nebburs when frens is far away.

NECK—Presumption. Thoo hes a neck ta ass seck a question, ’at hes ta.

NECK-AN’-HEELS—Bodily. Ower Ah went, neck an’ heels, intul t’ sump.

NEDDY-BEECHAM—Neddy was t’ furst silly man, an’ we’re o’ co’ed efter

him ’at’s a bit daft.

NEED-FIRE—Thoo mun work fer need-fire. It gahs like need-fire. The

original need-fire was the preventive of murrain, and obtained by

friction, hence no doubt entailing industry in getting or conveying it.

NE’ER-ACK—Nivver heed er nivver mind. Good advice at times is this.

NEEST—Next. We’ll gah hiam neest Sunday.

NEIGHBOUR-ROW—A circle around a fire. Come up inta t’ neighbour-row an’

sit ye doon, tell t’ mistress laits ye a glass.

NESH—Delicate. Sitten’ i’ t’ hoose maks yan nesh.

NETTLED—Aggravated. Ah war that nettled when he said oor barns was

mucky, ’at Ah dudn’t know which end Ah stiud on.

NEWDLED—A condition of insanity or approaching it. He’s drucken tell

he’s newdled.

NEWDLIN’—A body wi’ not varra clear nooations. He’s a lal snafflin

newdlin. He’s allus newdlen aboot t’ public hoose efter some cheap yal.

NEWSY—Inquisitive. What’s thoo shutten thi neb in for? Thoo’s as newsy

as an auld woman, ’at ista.

NIFFY-NIFFY-NACK—Lads ’at’s laken at choosin’; they shut ther neeves

an’ say, niffy-niffy-nack, which will ta tack?

NIPPY—Sharp, active. Lewk nippy wi’ tha.

NICKT-ET-HEED—A silly body. What’s ta gaan at seck a pelder for? Fooak

’ll say thoo’s a nick-et-heed, an’ they’ll nut be far wrang.

NICKEREN—Fooak at gurn an’ snuffle an’ fleer when ther’s nowt ato to

deea’t for, that’s nickeren.

NICKLETY-NOWT—Yan o’ t’ marks on a teetolly ta laik at pins wi’.

NICKT-FER-T’-SIMPLES—This is t’ siam as takken sturdy oot ov a sheep

heed.

NIEF—The clenched fist. Ah up’s wi’ mi’ nief an’ Ah fetcht him sec a

yark under t’ lug wi’ ’t an’ he shot up.

NING-NANG—An unreliable person. Tak nea nooatis o’ t’ lal ning-nang.

NINNY—Rayder slack set up i’ t’ upper garrat. Thoo gurt ninny, wheea

wad deea like that?

NINNY-HAMMER—Thoo’s warse ner a ninny-hammer, an’ that’s nine times

warse ner a fiul.

NIPT—Pinched; starved looking.

NIPPY-AN-NAR—Close fisted. They war varra nippy an’ nar i’ some things,

but O! man, a better boddy niver was ner them fer a mial.

NIUK—Ah’ll stand mi’ niuk. A card laiker’s word.

NIUK-STOWER—Iron work of a cart to which loads are secured.

NIUKLED—A coo new cauved en i’ full milk is top niukled.

NIGGLY—Varra bad ta git owt oot on in a bargin. He was as niggly ower a

penny as many a yan is ower a pund.

NIGGLED—Chowed. T’ rattans hes niggled his britches boddums. T’ gully

was blunt, but Ah’ve niggled a collop off t’ shooder as weel’s Ah cud.

NOBBUT—Wheeas that? It’s nobbut me, let’s in.

NOOASE-WHOLS—Some o’ ye’ll gurn an’ sneer, aboot this’n. Ye’ve neea

casion, it’s as good as nose-thrills er eny seck-mack.

NOOASE-ENDER—A feiten trick.

NOOASEN—Prying. Ah mak nowt o’ fooak ’at’s allus nooasen efter udder

fooak’s bits o’ fam’ly affairs.

NIVVER-CEASIN’—At it wi’ a nivver ceasin’. It means t’ perpetual

mooation i’ grumblin’ an’ grunten.

NOBBY—T’ barn nooase. Does it’s laal nobby kittle, bless it?

NOCKLE—Lads ’ll see ’at yan anudder nockles when they’re laiken at

marvels.

NOCKLETY-WHOL—Let’s laik at nocklety-whol. It’s diun wi’ marvels.

NOD, NODDEN—A sleep on t’ squab. Ah’ll hev a nod whel t’ nag baits.

He’s siun nodden is oor maister if he sits doon bi’ t’ warm fire.

NODDY—A simpleton. Thoo mun be a noddy ta lowse t’ bit oot o’ t’ nag

mooth.

NODDLE—Head; shake. Hod thi noddle whiat, will ta, whel Ah reed thi

toppin. Thoo may noddle thi heed, but it’s true.

NOGGIN—A lal pewter measure o’ gin, er owt ’at t’ short mack.