Strangers are often puzzled to know what we Cornish people mean by some
of our words. Let us take some old Cornish words still in common use,
as skaw for the elder-tree; skaw-dower, water-elder; bannel, broom;
skedgewith, privet; griglans, heath; padzy-paw (from padzar, four), the
small grey lizard; muryan, the ant; quilkan, the frog (which retains
its English name when in the water); pul-cronack (literally pool-toad)
is the name given to a small fish with a head much like that of a toad,
which is often found in the pools (pulans) left by the receding tide
among the rocks along shore; visnan, the sand-lance; bul-horn, the
shell-snail; dumble-dory, the black-beetle (but this may be a
corruption of the dor-beetle). A small, solid wheel has still the old
name of drucshar. Finely pulverized soil is called grute. The roots and
other light matter harrowed up on the surface of the ground for burning
we call tabs. Guldaize, harvest feast. Plum means soft; quail,
withered; crum, crooked; bruyans, crumbs; with a few other terms more
rarely used.
Many of our ordinary expressions (often mistaken for vulgar
provincialisms) are French words slightly modified, which were probably
introduced into the west by the old Norman families who long resided
there. For instance; a large apron to come quite round, worn for the
sake of keeping the under clothing clean, is called a touser (tout
serre); a game of running romps, is a courant (from courir). Very rough
play is a regular cow’s courant. Going into a neighbour’s for a spell
of friendly chat is going to cursey (couser) a bit. The loins are
called the cheens (old French, echine.) The plant sweet-leaf, a kind of
St. John’s wort, here called tutsen, is the French toute saine (heal
all). There are some others which, however, are not peculiar to the
west, as kick-shaws (quelque chose), &c. We have also many inverted
words, as swap for wasp, cruds for curds, &c. Then again we call a fly
a flea; and a flea a flay; and the smallest stream of water a river.
Ishan is a genuine old Cornish word; it is only given to such dust as
comes from winnowing, the result of which process is husks, chaff, &c.
Refuse, consisting of defective grains, seeds, &c., on the “tail”
(leeward end) of a winnowing sheet, was, by old “winsters,” called
attal.
Harvest-time reminds one of our free-hearted old farmers and their
bountiful goolthise, at which all comers were welcome to eat, drink,
and be merry. This name for an entertainment given on the principal
corn-carrying day—generally the last—is preserved from our ancient
language.
In Scilly a harvest feast is called Nicklethise.
In addition to the above we have the following terms connected with
harvest work and the preparation of corn for mill or market. Dram, a
swathe of cut corn; croust, the afternoon’s refreshment, generally of
hot fuggans (cakes) and ale (Latin crusta).
Collebrands, defective and smutty ears, supposed to be blighted by the
fine weather lightning, called by the same name.
Pederack and brummal, arish mows. The former is conical in shape, with
the ear ends of all the sheaves turned inward and upwards; the latter,
which is also called a culver-house mow, is in shape much like an
old-fashioned, round, stone-built pigeon-house; having the part which
answers to a culver-house roof finished with the sheaves turned, ear
end, downwards and outwards. A brummal mow is the best for continued
moist weather, because the ears on a mow-top are less liable to sprout
when reversed. An ill-shaped, bulging pederack mow is said, in
derision, to be “like an old culver-house,” by those who don’t know
what the object of their comparison means.
Brummal is so much like a Gallic name for the sort of weather we call
slaggy (full of misty rain), that they are, probably, offshoots from
the same old root.
Colp, a short rope for carrying sheaves from a mow-hay to the barn;
also a blow. Keveran, a strip of hide or leather which unites the two
sticks of a “threshal” (flail) here called the “hand staff and
slash-staff.” Liners, threshed wheaten sheaves. Kayer, a coarse sieve
(probably a modern corruption of Cadar a-Chair, e.g., Cader Michel; St.
Michael’s Chair on St. Michael’s Mount). Layer, a winnowing-sheet. To
reeve, to separate with a fine sieve, small corn, seeds, &c., from the
good grain.
Most West Country folk use many other words connected with husbandry
which sound very unlike English, and are unknown in the eastern part of
the county, as Colpas, anything which serves as a prop, or an underset,
to a crowbar, or other object when used as a lever. Visgey (mutation
for Pigol), a large pick, or mattock; tubble is another name for the
same. Piggal, a beat-axe. Monger, a straw horse-collar, &c., &c.