WILTS GLOSSARY (continued 3)

Poison-berry. (1) Fruit of Arum maculatum, L., Cuckoo-pint.—N.W. (2) Fruit of Tamus communis, L., Black Bryony.—N.W.

Poison-root. Arum maculatum, L., Cuckoo-pint.—N.W.

Pole-ring. The ring which fastens the scythe-blade to the snead (A.).—N.W.

Polly. A pollard tree.—S.W. A Wiltshire man, on being told by the hospital surgeon that his arms would have to be amputated, exclaimed, 'Be I to be shrowded like a owld polly?'

Polt, Powlt. A blow (B.). A blow with a stick (A.). In Glouc. apples, walnuts, &c., are beaten down with a 'polting-lug,' or long pole.—N.W.

Ponshard. See Panshard.

Pooch out. (1) To project or stick out.—N.W. (2) To cause to project.—N.W. (3) 'To pooch out the lips,' to pout.—N.W.

Pook. (1) n. A small cock of hay, &c. (S.).—N. & S.W. (2) v. To put up in pooks (D.).—N. & S.W.

Pooker. A woman employed in pooking.—S.W.

Pookers'-tea. The yearly treat given to the pookers.—S.W.

Pooking-fork. The large prong, with a cross handle, for pushing along in front of the pookers, to make up the hay into pooks.—S.W.

Pop-hole. A rabbit-hole running right through a bank, as opposed to Blind-hole (Gamekeeper at Home, ch. vi). Any hole through a hedge, wall, &c.—N.W.

Popple-stone. A pebble (S.). A.S. papol.—S.W.

Poppy, or Poppies. (1) Digitalis purpurea, L., Foxglove, so called because children inflate and 'pop' the blossoms. Papaver is only known as 'Red-weed' by children about Salisbury.—S.W. (2) Silene inflata, L., Bladder Campion, also 'popped' by children.—S.W. (Salisbury.) *(3) Stellaria Holostea, L., Greater Stitchwort (Sarum Diocesan Gazette).—N. & S.W. (Lyneham and Farley.)

Posy. The garden Peony, from its size.

Pot, or Put. (The latter is the usual S. Wilts form.) *(1) A tub or barrel (D.).—Obsolete. (2) A two-wheeled cart, made to tilt up and shoot its load (D.).—N. & S.W. Manure used formerly to be carried out to the fields in a pair of pots slung across a horse's back. When wheels came into general use the term was transferred to the cart used for the same purpose (D.). See Dung-pot.

Pot-dung. Farmyard manure (Agric. of Wilts, ch. vii).—N.W.

Pots-and-Kettles. Fruit of Buxus sempervirens, L., Box.—S.W. (Barford St. Martin, Deverill, &c.)

*Pot-walloper A 'pot-waller,' or person possessing a house with a 'pot-wall,' or kitchen fireplace for cooking. All such persons formerly had votes for the borough of Wootton Bassett. See Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxiii. p. 172.

Poult. (1) 'A turkey poult,' a young turkey.—N. & S.W. (2) 'A perfect poult,' an awkward girl.—S.W. (Warminster.)

Pounceful. Masterful, self-willed. Cf. Bounceful. 'He preached pouncefully,' i.e. powerfully, forcibly.—S.W.

Powder-monkey. (1) Damp gunpowder, moulded into a 'devil,' or cake which will smoulder slowly, used by boys for stupefying a wasp's nest. (2) Ash leaves with an even number of leaflets, worn by boys on the afternoon of May 29. See Shitsack Day.

Power. 'A power o' volk,' a number of people. A quantity of anything.—N. & S.W.

'A's got a power of plaguy long spikes all auver's body.'—Wilts Tales, p. 118.

Powlts. (1) Peas and beans grown together.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.) (2) See Poult and Polt.

*Poyn. To pen sheep (D.).

Prawch. To stalk, to swagger. 'I see un come a prawchin' along up the coort.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Preterites. A few specimens may be given, as craup, or crope, crept; drowd, threw; flod, flew; fot, vot, or vaught, fetched; hod, hid; hut, hit; lod, led; obloge, obliged; raught, reached; scrope, scraped; slod, slid; woc, awoke; seed, seen, saw.

Pretty-money. Coins, such as old George-and-dragon crowns, or new Jubilee pieces, given to a child to keep as curiosities, not to be spent.—N.W.

Pride. (1) The ovary of a sow.—N.W. *(2) The mud lamprey (H.).

'Petromyzon branchialis. L., ... in the southern part of England is locally known as the Pride.'—Seeley, Fresh-water Fishes of Europe, p. 427.

'Lumbrici ... are lyke to lampurnes, but they be muche lesse, and somewhat yeolowe, and are called in Wilshyre prides.'—Elyotes Dictionarie, 1559, quoted by Hal.

Primrose soldiers. Aquilegia vulgaris, L., Garden Columbine.—N.W. (Huish.)

*Prin it. Take it (A.H.Wr.).—N.W.

Privet, Brivet. 'To privet about,' pry into things. 'To privet out,' to ferret out anything. See Brevet.

Pronged. A scythe-blade with a small flaw in the edge which may develop into a serious crack is said to be 'pronged.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Pronouns. I, he, and she do duty as accusatives, as 'He towld I, but I bean't a-goin' to do nothen for he.' Her and us are nominatives, as 'Her be a girt vule, that her be'; 'Us be at coal-cart s'marnin.' Thee is used for both thou and thy, as 'What's thee name?' 'What's thee'se want to knaw vor?' 'Never thee mind.' Hyn, or more commonly un,=him, or it, as 'I seed un a-doing on't'; 'poor zowl on hyn!' This is the old hime, the accusative of he. A=he, as 'How a hackers an bivers!' Thac, Thuck, or Thuck there=that. Themmin=those. Thic, Thissum, Thease, Thic here, &c.=this. Theesum, or Theesum here=these. Occasionally Theesen in S. Wilts. Thick and Thuck require some explanation. Thuck always=that, but is mainly a N. Wilts form, its place in S. Wilts being usually taken by Thick. Thic or Thick often=this in N. Wilts, but far more frequently=that,—in fact, the latter may probably now be taken as its normal meaning, although it would appear to have been otherwise formerly. In Cunnington MS., for instance, it is stated that 'The old terms thic and thoc almost constantly exclude the expressions This and That,' and similar statements are found in other authorities. In Thick here and Thick there the use of the adverb defines the meaning more precisely. As regards the neighbouring counties, it may be said that in Som. and Dors. thick=that; while in N. Hants it never does so (see Cope's Glossary), always there meaning this. It should be noted that the th is usually sounded dth, much as in Anglo-Saxon. His'n=his; Hern, or occasionally Shis'n,=hers; Ourn=ours; Theirn=theirs; Yourn=yours; Whosen=whose, as 'Whosen's hat's thuck thur?' Mun=them, is occasionally, but not often, used. Arra, Arra one, Arn, &c.=any. Negatives, Narra, Narra one, Narn, &c. 'Hev 'ee got arra pipe, Bill?' 'No, I han't got narn.' In the Pewsey Yale Ma is occasionally used for I, in such phrases as 'I'll go we 'ee, shall ma?' or 'I don't stand so high as he, do ma?' About Malmesbury (and elsewhere in N. Wilts) the following forms may be noted:—Wither, other; Theasamy, these; Themmy, those; Totherm or Tothermy, the other.

Proof. n. Of manure, hay, &c., the strength or goodness. 'The rain hev waished aal the proof out o' my hay.' 'That there muckle bain't done yet; the proof yun't gone out on't.'—N. & S.W. A thriving tree is said to be in 'good proof.'

Proofey. Stimulating, fattening.—N.W.

'The Monkton pastures used to be of good note in Smithfield, from the very feel of the beasts. There are no more "proofey" fatting grounds in Wilts.'—Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. vi. p. 29.

Proof maggot. The larva of the gadfly, which causes warbles in cattle.—N.W.

Proper. 'Her's a proper beauty,' is extremely handsome. 'He's a proper fool,' an utter idiot.—N.W.

Proud. When wheat is too rank and forward in winter, it is said to be 'winter-proud' (D.).—N.W.

Pucker. Perplexity, dilemma (S.) 'I be in a main pucker 'bout what to do wi' they taters.'—N. & S.W.

Pucksey (1) A quagmire. 'The roads wer aal in a pucksey,' i.e. very muddy. 'Out of the mucksey (=mixen) into the pucksey,' from bad to worse.—S.W. (2) Hence, a mess or muddle. 'What a pucksey the house be in!' i.e. a dirty untidy state.—S.W.

Pud. The hand; a nursery word.—N. & S.W.

*Pud-beggar, Pudbaiger. The Water Spider (S.).—S.W.

'A very interesting word. M.E. padde, a toad, paddock, Dev. and East Anglia. M.E. pode, tadpole, Icelandic padda, used of any beetles or insects that inhabit stagnant water.'—Smythe-Palmer.

Puddle or Piddle about. To potter about, doing little jobs of no great utility.—N. & S.W.

*Pue. The udder of a cow or sheep (A.). Fr. pis, Lat. pectus.

Pug. (1) n. The pulp of apples which have been pressed for cider.—N.W. *(2) v. To eat (H.Wr.). *(3) To ear, plough, till (Wr.).

Pummy. n. A soft mass. 'To beat all to a pummy'; from pomace, the apple-pulp in cider-making.—N. & S.W.

Purdle. To turn head over heels in a fall.—N.W.

Pure. In good health. 'Quite purely,' quite well (A.).—N. & S.W.

Purler. A knock-down blow, a heavy fall.—N.W.

'One of them beggars had come up behind, and swung his gun round, and fetched him a purler on the back of his head.'—Gamekeeper at Home, ch. ix.

Purley. Weak-sighted (A.H.Wr.). Pearl blind is sometimes similarly used.

Pussy-cats, Pussies, and Pussies'-tails. Catkins of willow and hazel, more commonly of willow only (S.).—N. & S.W.

Pussyvan. See Puzzivent.

Pussy-willow. Salix.—S.W.

Put. See Pot (S.).

Put about. To vex, to worry. 'Now dwoan't 'ee go an' put yourself about wi't.'—N.W.

Puzzivent. A flurry or taking. 'He put I in such a puzzivent.' Formerly used in both N. and S. Wilts, but now almost obsolete. Fr. poursuivant. According to a note in The Astonishing History of Troy Town, by 'Q,' ch. xvii, the phrase originated from the contempt with which the West-country sea-captains treated the poursuivants sent down by Edward IV to threaten his displeasure. Hence pussivanting, ineffective bustle, Dev. and Corn.—N. & S.W. Pussyvan (S.).—S.W.

Puzzle-pound. The game of Madell, q.v.—S.W. (Longbridge Deverill, &c.)

*Pwine-end. The whole gable-end of a house, which runs up to a sharp point or pwine.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Quakers. Briza media, L., Quaking-grass.—N. & S.W.

Quamp. Still, quiet (A.B.G.).—N.W.

*Quamped, Quomped. Subdued, disappointed. See Quamp.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

*Quanked. Overpowered by fatigue (A.). Compare Cank.

Quar, Quarr. (1) n. A stone-quarry (A.B.G.S.).—N. & S.W. (2) v. To work as a quarryman (A.B.).—N. & S.W.

Quar-Martin. Hirundo riparia, Sand-Martin, from its breeding in holes drilled in the face of sandy quarries (Wild Life, ch. ix).—N.W.

Quat, Qwot, or Qwatty. (1) To crouch down (sometimes, but not always, remaining quite still), as a scared partridge (Amateur Poacher, ch. iii). To squat (A.); to sit (S.).—N. & S.W. (2) To flatten, to squash flat.—N.W.

*Quavin-gog or Quaving-gog.A quagmire (A.B.H.Wr.). See Gog.—N.W.

'In the valley below the hill on which Swindon is built, are some quagmires, called by the inhabitants quaving-gogs, which are considered of great depth, and are consequently shunned as places of danger.'—Beauties of Wilts, vol. iii. p. 8.

*Quean.A woman.—N.W. (Castle Eaton.)

'The Saxon word quean, woman, is still used without any objectionable meaning, but its use is rare.'—Leisure Hour, Aug. 1893.

'When a man says of his wife that "th' old quean" did so and so, he means no disrespect to her, any more than if he were speaking of his child as "the little wench."'—Miss E. Boyer-Brown.

Queed, Quid. (1) n. The cud. 'To chamme the queed' is given as a Wiltshire phrase in MS. Lansd. 1033 (H.).—N.W. *(2) Quid. v. To suck (A.).—N.W.

Queen's-cushion. A seat for a little girl, made by two persons crossing hands, and so carrying her between them. When a boy is so carried the term used is King's-cushion.—N. & S.W.

Quest, Quist. The Woodpigeon, Columba palumbus (A.B.); Quisty. 'Thee bist a queer quist,' i.e. a strange sort of fellow.—N. & S.W.

'The Wiltshire labourers invariably call it ... the "Quisty."'—Birds of Wilts, p. 318.

Quid. See Queed.

Quiddle. (1) n. A fussy person; one hard to satisfy in trifling matters of diet, &c.—S.W. (2) n. To make a fuss over trifles (S.).—S.W.

*Quiet Neighbours. Centranthus ruber, DC., Red Spur Valerian.—S.W. (Longbridge Deverill.)

Quiff. A knack, a trick. 'Ther's a quiff about thuck old gate-latch.'—N.W. Compare:—

'Mr. F. J. Kennedy, secretary of the Belfast Angling Association ... "worked a quiff," to use a slang phrase, on a well-known Lagan poacher.'—Fishing Gazette, Aug. 20, 1892, p. 154.

*Quile. A heap of hay ready for carrying. Fr. cueiller.—N.W. (Cherhill.)

Quill. The humour, mood, or vein for anything. 'I can work as well as or a man, when I be in the quill for 't.' To 'Quill a person' in the language in use at Winchester College is to please, or humour him. This is very near the Wilts use.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Quilt. (1) v. To swallow (A.B.C.G.). 'The baby wur that bad, it couldn't quilt nothen.' This is used of swallowing in the natural way, while glutch is to swallow with difficulty (C.).—N.W. (2) n. A gulp, a mouthful of liquid. 'Have a quilt on't?' have a drop of it.—N.W.

Quinnet. n. (1) A wedge, as the iron wedge fastening the ring of the scythe nibs in place, or the wooden wedge or cleat which secures the head of an axe or hammer.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.) (2) See Scythe.

Quirk. To complain (A.B.G.); spelt Quisk by Akerman in error. To grunt (S.); to croak. A frog often quirks, and a toad sometimes.—N. & S.W.

Quiset about. To pry about (Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxii. p. 112).—N.W.

Quisk. See Quirk.

Quist, Quisty. See Quest.

Quob. (1) A soft wet place, a piece of marsh or bog.—N.W. Cp. W. of Eng. quob, a bog; quob-mire, Salop. (2) Hence 'all in a quob,' said of a bad bruise.—N.W.

Quomped. See Quamped.

*Quop. To throb (A.B.G.).

R. (1) In pronunciation r often has d or t affixed or prefixed, as Cavaltry, horsemen; Crockerty, crockery; Millard, miller, &c. (2) See Har. (3) Transpositions frequently occur, as cruds, curds; cruddle, to curdle; girn, to grin; girt, great; gird'l, a great deal; hirn, to run.

Rabbit-flower. Dielytra spectabilis, DC., the flowers of which, when pulled apart, form two little pink rabbits.—S.W., occasionally.

Rabbits. Blossoms of Snapdragon when pinched off the stem.—S.W.

*Race. The heart, liver and lungs of a calf (A.B.).

Rack. (1) A rude narrow path, like the track of a small animal (A.S.). See Gen. Pitt-Rivers' Excavations in Cranborne Chase, vol. i. ch. i. On Exmoor the wild deer always cross a wall or hedge at the same spot. The gap thus formed is called a 'rack.' See Red Deer, ch. iv. Also in W. Somerset.—S.W. (2) Apparently also sometimes used in the sense of a boundary.—S.W.

Radical. 'A young radical,' a regular young Turk, a troublesome young rascal. Also used in Somerset.—N.W.

Rafter. To plough so as to leave a narrow strip of ground undisturbed, turning up a furrow on to it on each side, thus producing a succession of narrow ridges (Agric. of Wilts, ch. vii). See Balk-ploughing.—N.W.

Rafty, Rasty, Rusty. Of bacon, rancid (A.B.S.).—N. & S.W.

Rag-mag. A ragged beggar, or woman all in tatters.—N. & S.W.

Rail. To crawl or creep about, to walk slowly (Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxii. p. 112). 'I be that weak I can't hardly rail about.'—N.W.

Raims, Reams. A mere bag of bones, a very thin person. 'He do look as thin as a raims.'—N. & S.W.

Raimy. Very thin.—N. & S.W.

Ramp. A curve (S.).—S.W.

Ramping. Tall, as 'a rampin' gel.'—N.W.

*Randin. Riotous living.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Randy. (1) n. A noisy merry-making (S.).—N. & S.W. (Malmesbury, etc.) (2) n. 'On the randy,' living in a riotous or immoral manner.—N. & S.W. (3) adj. A woman who used to be a regular attendant at all the tea-meetings and other gatherings of the kind in her neighbourhood in N. Wilts was usually spoken of as being 'a randy sort o' a 'ooman'—randy apparently being there applied to such gatherings.

*Range. Two drifts or rows of felled underwood (D.).

Rangle. To twine round anything as a climbing plant does.—S.W. (Som. bord.)

Rank, Ronk. (1) Audacious. 'Hands off! Thee bist a bit too ronk!'—N.W. (2) Outrageous, as applied to a fraud or a lie.—N.W.

*Rannel. adj. Ravenously hungry.—N.W.

'A man comes in rannel vor 's food, and plaguey little dacent vittles can a get.'—Dark, ch. ii.

Rant. (1) v. To tear.—N.W.

'She "ranted" the bosom of her print dress.'—Field Play.

(2) n. A tear or rent.—N.W.

Rantipole. Daucus Carota, L., Wild Carrot (English Plant Names).—N.W.

Rap, Wrap. A thin strip of wood.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Rapid. 'A rapid pain,' 'rapid weather,' i.e. very violent. Always so used at Clyffe Pypard. So in W. Somerset.—N.W.

'This is a Latin use: cf. Virgil's rapidus aestus (Bucol. ii. 10) and rapidus sol (Georg. ii. 321)=strong, violent.'—Smythe-Palmer.

Rare. Underdone, but not raw. Reer (A.). Pronounced Raa.

Rash. To burn in cooking (H.Wr.). Sometimes used of malt.

Rasty. See Rafty.

*Rathe-ripes. (1) An early kind of pea (B.). (2) An early kind of apple.

*Rattle-basket. (1) Rhinanthus Crista-galli, L., Yellow Rattle.—S.W. (Zeals.) *(2) Erica cinerea? Heath. Heard only from one person.—S.W. (Deverill.)

Rattle-thrush. Turdus viscivorus, the Missel-thrush, occasionally extended to any very large Song-thrush. Rassel-thrush at Huish.—N. & S.W. (Salisbury, &c.)

*Rattle-weed. Silene inflata, L., Bladder Campion.—N.W. (Lyneham.)

Rave. The ring of twisted hazel by which hurdles are fastened to their stakes or shores.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Raves, Reaves. The waggon-rails (D.S.). At Clyffe Pypard applied to the flat woodwork projecting over the wheels from the side of the forward part of a waggon.—N. & S.W.

Rawmouse, Raamouse. The reremouse or bat; used at Tormarton, Clyffe Pypard, &c. Bat-mouse is, however, in more general use. Ryemouse (A.B.).—N.W.

Rawney, Rowney. (1) adj. Thin, poor, and uneven, as applied to badly manufactured cloth (A.B.C.).—N.W. (2) adj. Of persons, extremely thin.—S.W. (Som. bord.), occasionally.

Ray, or Array. v. To dress and clean corn (D.).—N.W.

Ray-sieve. n. A sieve used to get the dust out of horses' chaff. Rayen-sieve on Dorset bord.—N.W.

Reams. See Raims.

Reap-hook. The 'rip-hook' is a short-handled hook without teeth, the blade bent beyond the square of the handle; used to cut to the hand a handful at a time (D.). The old reaping-sickle was toothed or serrated. See Hal. s.v. Hook.

Red Bobby's eye. Geranium Robertianum, L., Herb-Robert.—S.W. (Redlynch.)

Red Fiery Bang-tail. See Bang-tail.

Red Robin Hood. Lychnis diurna, Sibth., Red Campion.—S.W. (Zeals.)

Red-Robins. Lychnis diurna, Sibth., Red Campion.—N. & S.W.

Red-weed. Red Poppy (D.). The only name for Papaver Rhoeas, &c., used about Salisbury and Warminster, Digitalis being the 'Poppy' of those parts. One of our oldest plant-names.—N. & S.W.

Reed. Unthreshed and unbroken straw reserved for thatching (S.). A Somerset and Devon word. 'Reed' is seldom used in Wilts, where ordinary threshed straw, made up into 'elms,' is the common material.—S.W.

Reer. See Rare.

Reeve. To draw into wrinkles.—N.W. (Malmesbury, Clyffe Pypard, &c.)

Remlet. A remnant.—N.W.

Reneeg, Renegue (g always hard). To back out of an engagement, to jilt.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.) In Ireland a horse refusing a fence would be said to renage. See Whyte-Melville's Satanella, ch. i. p. 7: Lear, ii. 2, &c.

Revel. A pleasure fair; a parochial festival, a wake (A.B.), as 'Road Revel.' A village Club Feast (S.).—N. & S.W. There was a revel held at Cley Hill formerly, on Palm Sunday, and one at Kington Langley on the Sunday following St. Peter's Day.

Rhaa. Hungry, ravenous. See Rhan.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard, rarely.)

Rhan (pronounced Rhaan). To eat voraciously (S.). A form of raven. Cf. West of Eng. ranish, ravenous.—S.W.

*Rhine (pronounced Reen). A water-course. This is a Som. word.—N.W. (Malmesbury.) Mr. Powell mentions a Wiltshire poem, which begins:—

'There once were a frog that lived in a ditch, Or 'twere may be a rheen, it don't matter which.'

Rick-barken. A rick-yard (A.). See Barken.—N.W.

Rick-stick. In thatching, after the 'elms' are fastened down with 'spicks' or 'spars' the thatch is then lightly combed over with the 'rick-stick,' a rod with a few teeth at one end and an iron point at the other by which it can be stuck into the thatch when not in actual use.—S.W. (Warminster.)

Riddle. (1) n. A coarse sieve (A.B.). Cp. A.S. hridder. See Rudder.—N. & S.W. (2) v. To sift. 'Hev 'ee riddled they ashes well s'marnin'?'—N. & S.W.

Ridge-tie. A back chain for shafts. Wridgsty (S.).—S.W.

*Riffle. A knife-board on which 'callus-stone' is used (Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxii. p. 113).—N.W. (Cherhill.)

Rig. (1) n. A horse which has not been 'clean cut,' i.e. is only half gelded, owing to one of its stones never having come down.—N.W. (2) v. To climb up upon (S.), or bestride anything, either in sport or wantonness. 'To rig about' is commonly used in S. Wilts of children clambering about on wood-piles, walls, &c.—N. & S.W.

Rigget. A woodlouse.—S.W. (Heytesbury.)

Ring. 'To ring bees,' to make a noise with poker and shovel when they swarm.—N.W.

Rinnick. The smallest and worst pig of a litter. Sometimes abbreviated into Nurk. Cf. North of England Rannack, a worthless fellow.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Robin's eyes. Geranium Robertianum, L., Herb Robert.—S.W.

Rock. The 'fur' or calcareous deposit inside a kettle.—N. & S.W.

Rocket. 'Don your rocket,' put on your bonnet.—S.W. (Downton.) No doubt originally this meant a woman's dress or cloak (rochet), as in M.E., but it has long been transferred to the bonnet. In Devon rochet is still sometimes applied to female dress.

Roke. Smoke.—S.W., occasionally.

Rollers (o short). (1) n. The long lines into which hay is raked before pooking.—S.W. (Warminster, &c.) (2) v. Rolly. To put grass into rollers (Cycl. of Agric.).—S.W.

*Rommelin. Rank, overgrown (A.).

Ronk. See Rank.

*Rook Hawk. Falco subbuteo, the Hobby (Birds of Wilts, p. 72).

Ropey. adj. (1) 'Rawpey bread,' a term applied to that peculiar condition of home-made bread, known only in dry summer weather, and caused by a kind of second fermentation, when the inside of the loaf appears full of minute threads, and has a disagreeable taste.—N.W. (2) Also applied to thick drink (S.).—S.W.

Rough. (1) adj. Unwell, as 'He bin terr'ble rough this fortnight.'—N. & S.W.

'There, she was took rough as it might be uv a Monday, and afore Tuesday sundown she was gone, a-sufferin' awful.'—The Story of Dick, ch. viii. p. 85.

(2) 'To sleep rough,' or 'lay rough,' to sleep about out of doors like a vagabond.—N. & S.W. (3) v. To treat roughly, to ill-use. 'Thuck there hoss 'll kick 'ee, if so be as you do rough un.'—N.W.

Rough Band. A housset. See Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. i. p. 88.

Rough-carpenter. The same as Hedge-carpenter.—N.W.

Rough Music. The same as Housset and Skimmenton.—N. & S.W.

*Round-tail. v. To clip the dirty locks of wool off the tail and legs of sheep, previously to shearing. Very commonly used in many parts of the county.—N. & S.W.

*Round-tailings. The locks so clipt, which are washed and dried, and usually sold at half-price.—N.W.

*Rouse. 'To catch and rouse,' see Catch.

Rowet-grass. The long rough grass in hedges, &c., which cattle refuse; rowan or coarse aftergrass.—N.W.

Rowetty. Of grass, coarse and rough.—N.W.

'Tangled dead ferns and rowetty stuff.'—Gamekeeper at Home, ch. ii.

'That "rowetty" grass seen in the damp furrows of the meadows.'—Wild Life, ch. ii.

'Our low meadowes is ... rowtie, foggie, and full of flags.'—Harrison's Description of Britain.

Rowey. Rough (C.). See Rowetty.

*Rowless-thing. In the Diary of the Parliamentary Committee at Falstone House, S. Wilts, 1646-7, this curious phrase frequently occurs, apparently meaning waste and unprofitable land. It is once applied to a living. Several forms of it are used, as Rowlass-thing, Rowlist-thing, and Rowless-thing. See Wilts Arch. Mag., Nov. 1892, pp. 343-391. We have been unable to trace the word elsewhere, so that it may possibly be of local origin.

'George Hascall is become tenant for a Rowlass thing called Dawes-Frowd, land of Lord Arundell and estated out to Mrs. Morley a recusant ... John Selwood and Richard Hickes tenants unto Sir Giles Mompesson for his farm at Deptford and his Rowless-thing called Hurdles at Wiley.'—Diary, &c.

Sir Fras. Dowse, of Wallop, is said to have been possessed of 'another thing called the Broyl [Bruellii = woods] of Collingbourne.' See 'Wiltshire Compounders,' Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxiv. p. 58. In the New Forest a 'rough' is a kind of enclosure.

'Philips promised to feed the horse in a "rough" or enclosure ... which was well fenced in, but the bank foundered and the animal got out.'—Salisbury Journal, Aug. 5, 1893.

Rowney. See Rawney.

Rubble. (1) In Wilts usually applied to the hard chalk used in making roadways through fields (Wild Life, ch. ii),—N. & S.W. (2) Rubbish (A.B.C.S.).—N. & S.W.

Rubbly. adj. Of soil, loose from being full of broken bits of chalk (Agric. Survey).

Rucksey. Muddy, dirty, untidy, as applied to road, weather, or house.—S.W.

Rudder. (1) n. A sieve. A.S. hridder. See Riddle.—N.W. (2) v. To sift.—N.W.

Rudderish. Passionate, hasty (A.B.G.).—S.W. (Som. bord.)

Rudge. n. The space between two furrows in a ploughed field.—N. & S.W.

Rumple, v. To seduce. The full force of the word can only be given by futuere, as:—'He bin rumplin' that wench o' Bill's again laas' night.'—N.W.

*Rumpled-skein. Anything in confusion; a disagreement (A.).

Rumpum-Scrumpum. n. A rude kind of musical instrument, made of a piece of board, with an old tin tied across it as a bridge, over which the strings are strained. It is played like a banjo, or sometimes with a sort of fiddle-bow.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Rusty. See Rafty.

Ryemouse. The bat (A.B.). A form of Reremouse.—N.W.

Saat. 'Saat bread,' soft, sweet puddingy bread, which pulls apart in ropes or strings, made from 'grown-out' wheat. Cp. Halliwell (s.v. Sad): 'Sad bread, panis gravis, Coles.' See Zaad-paul.

Sails. The upright rods of a hurdle (D.). Hurdle-zailin', sing. (Clyffe Pypard).—N.W.

Sally-withy. A willow (A.H.Wr.). A curious reduplication, both parts of the word having the same meaning in Anglo-Saxon.

Sar. (1) To serve (S.) or feed (Wilts Tales, p. 112). 'Sar the pegs, wull 'ee,' i.e. 'Give them their wash.'—N. & S.W. (2) ''Twon't sar a minute to do't,' will not take a minute.—N.W.

Saturday's Pepper. Euphorbia Helioscopia, L., Sun-spurge (English Plant Names). Saturday-night's-pepper (Village Miners).

Sauf. As if (S.). 'Looks sauf 'twur gwain to rain.'—N. & S.W. (Clyffe Pypard, &c.)

Scallot. Quarrymen's term for one of the upper beds of the Portland series—a fine white stone (Britton's Beauties of Wilts, vol. iii).

Scambling. 'A scambling meal,' one taken in a rough and hurried way.—N.W.

'In the Percy Household Book, 1511, "Scamlynge days" is of constant occurrence for jours maigres.'—Smythe-Palmer.

Scat. v. To whip, beat, smack, slap.—S.W., occasionally.

Scaut. (1) v. To strain with the foot in supporting or pushing (A.); as at foot-ball, or in drawing a heavy load uphill; to stretch the legs out violently. Scote in S. Wilts.—N. & S.W.

'Stick your heels in the ground, arch your spine, and drag with all your might at a rope, and then you would be said to "scaut." Horses going uphill, or straining to draw a heavily laden waggon through a mud hole "scaut" and tug.'—Village Miners.

(2) n. The pole attached to the axle, and let down behind the wheel, to prevent the waggon from running back while ascending a hill (A.S.).—N. & S.W.

*School-bell. Campanula rotundifolia, L., Harebell.—N.W. (Enford.)

Scoop. (1) A shovel (D.).—N.W. (2) Allowance or start in a race, &c. 'How much scoop be you a going to gie I?'—N. & S.W. (Baverstock, &c.)

'Alwaies dyd shroud and cut theyre fuel for that purpose along all the Raage on Brayden's syde alwaies taking as much Skoop from the hedge as a man could through [throw] a hatchet.'—Perambulation of the Great Park of Fasterne near Wootton Bassett, 1602.

The original document is in the Devizes Museum.—N.W.

Scotch. A chink, a narrow opening. The spaces between the boards in a floor are scotches.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard, Huish, &c.)

Scote. See Scaut.

*Scottle. To cut badly or raggedly (H.Wr.). 'Her did scottle the stuff so, that my new gownd's 'tirely spwiled.'—N.W.

Scraamb. 'To scraamb a thing down' is to reach up to it and pull it down violently (S.), in the manner thus described by Jefferies:—

'Suppose a bunch of ripe nuts high up and almost out of reach; by dint of pressing into the bushes, pulling at the bough, and straining on tiptoe, you may succeed in "scraambing" it down. "Scraambing," or "scraambed," with a long accent on the aa, indicates the action of stretching and pulling downwards. Though somewhat similar in sound, it has no affinity with scramble: people scramble for things which have been thrown on the ground.'—Village Miners.

It would not be used of such an action as scrambling about on rocks.—N.W.

*Scram, Skram. Awkward, stiff as if benumbed.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Scran. *(1) A bag (A.H.Wr.) in which food is carried.—N. & S.W. (2) Victuals (S.).—S.W.

Scratch Cradle. Cat's-cradle (A.B.).

Screech. (1) The Missel Thrush, Turdus viscivorus (A.).—N.W. (2) Cypselus apus, the Swift (Birds of Wilts, p. 309).—N. & S.W.

Screechetty. adj. Creaky (S.).—S.W.

Screech Thrush. The Missel Thrush, Turdus viscivorus (Birds of Wilts, p. 129).—S.W. (Sutton Benger.)

*Scricele. To creak or squeak. See Scruple.—N.W. (Wroughton.)

Scriggle. To take the last apples. See Griggles.—N.W.

Scroff, Scruff. Fragments of chips (S.). The refuse of a wood-shed; ashes and rubbish for burning.—S.W.

Scrouge. To squeeze, press, or crowd any one (A.B.). 'Now dwoan't 'ee come a scrougin' on I zo!'

Scrow. (1) Angry, surly (A.H.).—N.W. *(2) Sorry, vexed.—N. & S.W., occasionally.

'Lawk, zur, but I be main scrow to be ael in zich a caddle.'—Wilts Tales, p. 137.

Scrump. (1) n. A very dried up bit of anything (S.), as toast or roast meat 'done all to a scrump' (Cottage Ideas).—N. &. S.W. (2) Hence, sometimes applied to a shrivelled-up old man.—N. & S.W. (3) v. 'Don't scrump up your mouth like that!' i.e. squeeze it up in making a face.—N. & S.W. (4) v. To crunch. A sibilated form of Crump.—N. & S.W.

Scrumpshing. Rough play: used by boys (Bevis, ch. ix).—N.W.

Scrupet. To creak or grate, as the ungreased wheel of a barrow (Village Miners). Also Scroop, Scripet, Scrupetty, Scroopedee (S.), &c.—N. & S.W.

Scruple. To squeak or creak. 'When the leather gets old-like, he sort o' dries up, an' then he do scruple—he do scricele, Sir!' i.e. the saddle squeaks. Cf. Scroop.—N.W. (Wroughton.)

Scuff about or along. To drag one's feet awkwardly, as in too large slippers; to 'scuff up' the dust, as children do for amusement, by dragging a foot along the road.—N. & S.W.

Scuffle. An oven-swab.—S.W.

Scythe. The various parts of the scythe are as follows in N. Wilts:—Snead, or Snaith, the pole; Nibs, the two handles; Pole-ring, the ring which secures the blade; Quinnets (1) the wedges which hold the rings of the nibs tight, *(2) the rings themselves (A.); Crew, the tang of the blade, secured by the pole-ring to the snead.

Seed-lip. The box in which the sower carries his seed (D.) (Village Miners). A.S. léap, basket, Icel. laupr.—N. & S.W. Misprinted Seed-tip in Davis.

Seer! or Sire! 'I say, look here!' a very usual mode of opening a conversation when the parties are some distance apart.—N. & S.W.

Seg, Sig. Urine.—S.W.

Seg-cart. The tub on wheels in which urine is collected from house to house for the use of the cloth mills.—S.W.

Sewent, Shewent, Suant. (1) adj. Even, regular (A.B.C.S.), working smoothly. Formerly used all over the county, but now growing obsolete, although it is not infrequently heard still in S. Wilts. O.Fr. suant, pr. part. of suivre, to follow.—N. & S.W.

'A Piece of Cloth is said to be—shewent—when it is evenly wove and not Rowey—it is also applied in other cases to denote a thing Level and even.'—Cunnington MS.

*(2) Demure (C.).—N.W., obsolete.

'To Look Shewent, is to Look demure.'—Cunnington MS.

*Shab off. To go off (S.).—S.W.

Shackle. (1) A hurdle wreath or tie (S.): a twisted band of straw, hay, &c.—N. & S.W. (2) 'All in a shackle,' loose, disjointed (S.).—N. & S.W. (Devizes, Huish, Salisbury, Clyffe Pypard, &c.)

Shaft-tide, or Shrift. Shrovetide.—S.W.

Shaggle. Of a bough, &c., to shake.—S.W.

Shakers. Briza media, L., Quaking-grass.—N. & S.W.

*Shally-gallee. Poor, flimsy (Great Estate, ch. iv). Compare Spurgally, wretched, poor, Dors.; and Shally-wally, a term of contempt in N. of England.—N.W.

*Shame-faced Maiden. Anemone nemorosa, L., Wood Anemone (Sarum Dioc. Gazette).—S.W. (Farley.)

Shammock. To shamble or shuffle along hastily.

*Shandy. A row about nothing (S.). Probably a form of Shindy.—S.W.

Shape (pronounced shap). To manage, arrange, attempt, try. 'I'll shap to do 't,' try to do it. Compare the similar use of frame in some counties.—N.W. (Devizes.)

Shard, Shord, Sheard. (1) A gap in a hedge (A.B.).—N. & S.W.

'I went drough a sheard in th' hedge, instead o' goin' drough th' geat.'—Wilts Tales, p. 167.

'1636. Itm. to Robert Eastmeade for mendinge a shard in Englands ijd.'—Records of Chippenham, p. 207.

(2) A narrow passage between walls or houses; usually Shord.—S.W. (3) 'To put in a shard, or shord,' to bay back or turn the water in a meadow trench by a rough dam, such as a piece of wood or a few sods of turf.—N.W.

(4) 'A cow-shard,' a cow-clat.

*Shares. The cross-bars of a harrow (D.).

Sharpish. Considerable. 'I be eighty-vive to-year, an' 'tis a sharpish age.'—N.W. (Huish, &c.)

Sharps. The shafts of a cart (A.S.).—N. & S.W.

Shaul. v. To shell nuts. Compare Shalus, husks (Chron. Vilod.).—N.W.

Sheening. Thrashing by machinery (Wild Life, ch. vi).—N.W.

Sheep. See Agric. of Wilts, p. 260; also quotation below.

'In the article of sheep what strange nomenclature! Besides the intelligible names of ram, ewe, and lamb, we have wether hogs, and chilver hogs, and shear hogs, ram tegs, and theaves, and two-tooths, and four-tooths, and six-tooths. So strange is the confusion that the word hog is now applied to any animal of a year old, such as a hog bull, a chilver hog sheep. "Chilver" is a good Anglo-Saxon word, "cylfer" [this should be "cilfer"] ... a chilver hog sheep simply means, in the dialect of the Vale of Warminster, a female lamb a year old.'—Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xvii. p. 303.

*Sheep-bed (Ship-bed). When a labourer had drunk too much, he would 'take a ship-bed,' i.e. lie down like a sheep to sleep in a grass-field, till he was sober.—N.W., obsolete.

Sheep's-cage. The same as Lamb's-cage.—N.W.

Sheep-sleight. See Sleight (D.). Common in Wilts (Jackson's Aubrey, p. 10).

Sheer. Sharp, cutting. 'Uncommon sheer air s'marnin', yunnit?'—N.W.

Shekel. (1) The old reaping sickle, now quite superseded by the vagging-hook. The first e is long. An old labourer, on being asked how he used to sharpen his ancient reaping-sickle, said, 'I did allus use to car' a grab [crab-apple] wi' me, an' draa my shekel droo un,' the acid biting like aquafortis into the curiously serrated edge of the steel, and renewing it without injury. Farm-lads still sharpen their knives thus. See Great Estate, ch. v; also Summer in Somerset.—N.W., obsolete. (2) The fork in which 'elms' are carried up to the thatcher.—N.W.

Shepherds'-crowns. Fossil Echini.—N.W.

*Shepherds'-pedler. Capsella Bursa-pastoris, L., Shepherds' purse.

Shepherds'-Thyme. Polygala calcarea, Sch., Chalk Milkwort.—S.W. (Salisbury, Bishopstone, Little Langford, &c.).

Shepherds'-weatherglass. Anagallis arvensis, L., Scarlet Pimpernel.—N. & S.W.

Shewent. See Sewent.

Shick-shack. See Shitsack.

*Shim. It seems. 'He's a fine fellow, shim' (A.B.C.H.Wr.).—N.W.

'This word is rather of Glocestershire, but it is nevertheless in use on the North Border of Wilts.'—Cunnington MS.

*Shimmy. Convolvulus sepium, L., Great Bindweed. Reported to us as 'Chemise.'—S.W. (Little Langford.)

Shirp, or Shrip. (1) 'To shirp off,' to shred or cut off a little of anything.—S.W. (2) 'To shrip up,' to shroud up the lower boughs of roadside trees, to cut off the side twigs of a hedge or bush.—N.W.

*Shirt-buttons. Flowers of Stellaria Holostea, Greater Stitchwort.—S.W. (Deverill.)

Shitabed. Leontodon Taraxacum, L., Dandelion (H.).—N.W.

Shitsack, or Shitzack. An oak-apple (H.Wr.). Oak-apple and leaf (S.).—N. & S.W.

Shitsack, or Shick-shack Day. King Charles' day, May 29. The children carry Shitsack, sprigs of young oak, in the morning, and Powder-monkey, or Even-Ash, ash-leaves with an equal number of leaflets, in the afternoon. See Wild Life, ch. v.—N. & S.W. (Clyffe Pypard, &c.)

Shivery-bivery. All in a shake with cold or fright.—N.W.

Shog. To sift ashes, &c., by shaking the sieve.—N.W. (Devizes, Huish, &c.)

Shog off. To decamp in a hurried, stealthy, or cowardly manner (A.B.C.).—N.W.

Shoot, Shute. (1) A young female pig of three or four months old (D.).—N. & S.W. (2) Fore-shoot and Backward-shoot, the pieces of wood immediately behind the coulter of a plough (D.). (3) A precipitous descent in a road; a steep narrow path.—N. & S.W.

Shord. See Shard.

Shore. n. The edge of a ditch on the meadow side (Wild Life, ch. xviii).—N.W.

'A Mearstone lyinge within the Shoore of the Dyche.'—Perambulation of the Great Park of Fasterne, 1602.

Shot, or Shut of, to be. To rid one's self of a thing. 'Her can't get shut o' thuck there vool of a bwoy.'-N. & S.W.

Shoulder, to put out the. At Clyffe Pypard and Hilmarton it is customary to ask a man whose banns have been published once, 'How his shoulder is?'—because you have heard that it has been 'put out o' one side,' owing to his having 'vallen plump out o' the pulput laas' Zunday.' Next Sunday will 'put'n straight agean.' This implies that the banns were formerly published from the pulpit.—N.W.

Showl. A shovel (A.B.D.); occasionally a spade (D.).—N. & S.W.

Shrammed. Chilled to the bone, benumbed, perished with cold (A.B.M.S.).—N. & S.W.

'I was half-shrammed (i.e. perished with cold) on the downs.—Monthly Mag. 1814.

Shrift. See Shaft-tide.

*Shrigging. Hunting for apples (S.). See Griggles and Scriggle.—S.W.

Shrill. To shudder. 'I never couldn't eat fat bacon—I do allus shrill at it.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Shrimps. A particular kind of sweets.—N. & S.W.

Shrowd. (1) To trim off the lower boughs of a tree (S.).—N. & S.W. (2) To cut a tree into a pollard. See Polly.—N. & S.W.

Shrub. To rub along somehow, to manage to live after some sort of a fashion. 'I do shrub along middlin' well, when I bain't bad wi' the rheumatiz.' A sibilated form of rub.—N. & S.W., occasionally.

Shrump up. To hunch up the shoulders. 'Don't shrump up your shoulders like that!'—N.W.

Shucks. Husks of oats, &c.—S.W.

Shuffet. To shuffle along hurriedly.—N.W.

*Shurne. Cacare (MS. Lansd. 1033, f. 2), Cp. A.S. scearn, dung.—Obsolete.

Shut. (1) v. To join together; used of welding iron, splicing a rope, joining woodwork, laying turf, &c.—N. & S.W. (2) n. The point of junction, as where rick is built against rick.—N. & S.W. (3) adj. See Shot.

Shutleck, Shutlock (S.). See Waggon.

Sibilated words. These are somewhat common in Wilts, as Snotch, notch; Spuddle, puddle; Scrunch, crunch; Spyzon, poison; Spicter, picture.

Sick. 'Turnip-sick,' of land, exhausted as regards turnip-growing (Great Estate, ch. i). 'Tater-sick,' &c.—N.W.

Sideland ground. Sloping ground on a hillside.—N.W.

Sidelong, Sideling. (1) With one side higher than the other (Wild Life, ch. vi). 'I wur nigh upset, th' rwoad wur that sideling.'—N. & S.W. (2) Sitting sidelong, i.e. with the side towards the spectator (Gamekeeper at Home, ch. ii).

Sig. See Seg (S.).—S.W.

Sight. A quantity, as 'a sight o' vawk,' 'a main sight o' rain.'—N. & S.W.

*Sil. Seldom. 'Sowle-grove sil lew,' February is seldom warm (H.).—Obsolete.

Silgreen. Sempervivum tectorum, L., Houseleek (Village Miners). A.S. singréne. See Sungreen—N.W.

*Sillow, Sullow, or Sul. A kind of plough (D.). A.S. sulh.—S.W., obsolete.

'Sylla, a plough, was used at Bratton within the memory of persons still living. Sylla-foot, or Zilla-fut, was a guiding piece of wood alongside of the share.'—Miss Waylen.

*Silver-bells. The double Guelder-rose of gardens.—N.W. (Cherhill.)

Silver-fern or Silver-grass. Potentilla Anserina, L., which has fern-like silvery foliage.—N. & S.W.

Sim. n. A smell, as of burning wool or bone. 'That there meat hev got a main sim to 't.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

*Simbly. To seem.—N.W.

'He've a bin and tuk dree bottles o' doctor's stuff; but I'll be whipped if a do zimbly a bit th' better var't.'—Wilts Tales, p. 137.

Simily. Apparently, as 'Simily 'tis a bird.'—N.W.

Simmin. It seems. 'Simmin to I 'tis gwain' thic way.'—N.W.

Sinful. Excessively, as 'sinful ornary,' very ugly.—N.W.

Sinful-ordinary. Plain to the last degree in looks.—N.W.

'I once knew a young gentleman in the Guards who was very ordinary-looking—what is called in Wiltshire "sinful ordinary."'—Illust. London News, March 23, 1889.

Singreen. See Sungreen.—S.W.

Skag, Skeg. (1) v. To tear obliquely.—N.W. (2) n. A ragged or oblique tear in clothes, such as is made by a nail.—N.W.

Skeart. To cause to glance off, as a pane of glass diverts shot striking it at an angle.—N.W.

Skeer. (1) To skim lightly and quickly over a surface, barely touching it, as a ball does along ice.—N.W. (Malmesbury.) *(2) To mow summer-fed pastures lightly.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Skeer-devil, Skir-devil. Cypselus apus, the Common Swift.—N.W. (Malmesbury, &c.)

Skewer-wood. Euonymus Europaeus, L., Spindle-tree.—N.W.

Skewy, Skeowy. When the sky shows streaks of windy-looking cloud, and the weather seems doubtful, it is said to 'look skeowy.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.) Compare:—

'Skew: thick drizzle or driving mist.'—Jago's Cornish Glossary.

*Skiel. A cooler used in brewing beer (A.B.G.H.Wr.).

Skiffley. Showery. Perhaps from O.E. skyfte, to change.—S.W.

Skillet. A round pot to hang over the fire.—N.W.

Skillin, Skilling. A pent-house (A.C.S.); an outhouse or cow-shed. A.S. scyldan, to protect; Old Germ. schillen, to cover (A.). Skillion is used in Australia for a small outhouse.—N. & S.W.

Skimmenton, Skimmenton-riding. A serenade of rough music got up to express disapproval in cases of great scandal and immorality. The orthodox procedure in N. Wilts is as follows: the party assembles before the houses of the offenders, armed with tin pots and pans, and performs a serenade for three successive nights. Then after an interval of three nights the serenade is repeated for three more. Then another interval of the same duration and a third repetition of the rough music for three nights—nine nights in all. On the last night the effigies of the offenders are burnt. Housset is the same thing. The word and the custom have emigrated to America.—N.W.

Skimmer-cake. A cake made of odd scraps of dough (S.). See Skimmer-lad.—S.W.

Skimmer-lad. A dunch-dumpling, or piece of dough put on a skimmer and held in the pot while boiling.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Skippet. The long-handled ladle used for filling a water-cart, emptying a hog-tub, &c.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Skipping-ropes. Sprays of Clematis Vitalba, L., Traveller's Joy.—S.W. (Bishopstone.)

Skit. A passing shower (Great Estate, ch. i).—N.W.

*Skive. To shave or slice (Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxii. p. 113).—N.W. (Cherhill.)

Skram. See Scram.

Skug, Sqwug. A squirrel. 'I say, there's a skug! Let's have a cock-shot at him with your squailer.'—N. & S.W.

Slack. Impudence, cheek (S.). 'I'll ha' none o' your slack!'—S.W.

Slammock, Slummock. A slattern. Slammick (S.).—N. & S.W.

Slan. A sloe (A.). A.S. slán, pl. of slá, sloe.—N.W. (Castle Eaton, &c.)

'Those eyes o' yourn be as black as slans.'—Wilts Tales, p. 81.

Slang-up, or Slang-uppy. Untidy, slatternly.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Slat. (1) v. To split or crack (A.B.S.). 'Thuc plate's slat.'—N. & S.W. (2) n. A crack. 'What a girt slat thur is in un.'—N. & S.W. (3) n. A slate (A.). 'Thur's a slat blowed off.'—N.W.

Slay. See Sleight.

Sleek. (1) adj. Slippery. 'The rwoad's terrible sleek.'—N.W. (2) n. Sleet.—N.W.

Sleight, Slay. (1) v. To pasture sheep on the downs (D.).—N.W. (2) n. Sheep-sleight, a sheep-down (D.); a pasture good for sheep.—N.W.

Slent. (1) v. To tear (S.). 'I've a bin an' slent ma yeppurn.'—S.W. (2) n. A tear or rent in clothes.—S.W.

Slewed, Slewy. Drunk (S.).—N. & S.W.

*Slickit. (1) A long thin slice (not a curly shaving) of wood (Village Miners).—N.W. (Berks bord.) (2) 'A slickit of a girl,' a young undeveloped girl (Ibid.).—N.W. (Berks bord.) Cp. Slacket, slim, Cornw.

Slide. The cross-bar on the tail of the fore-carriage of a waggon. See Waggon.—N.W.

Slip. To shed. Of a horse, to shed its coat.—N. & S.W.

Slippetty-sloppetty. Draggle-tailed, slovenly. 'I never zeed zich a slippetty-sloppetty wench in aal my barn days.'—N.W.

Slire. v. To look askance or out of the corners of your eye at anything.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard, &c.)

'"Why should you suspect him?" "Aw, a' be a bad 'un; a' can't look 'ee straight in the face; a' sort of slyers [looks askance] at 'ee."'—Greene Ferne Farm, ch. ix.

*Slize. To look sly (A.B.H.Wr.). To look askance at any one.—N.W.

Slocks. See Slox.

Slocks about. To go about in an untidy slatternly way.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Sloe. In S. Wilts, about Salisbury, the large fruit is known as Sloes or Slues, and the small as Snags; in N. Wilts, at Huish, Slŏns are large and Hedge-speäks small, while at Clyffe Pypard the same terms are used, but the latter is not confined to the small fruit. At Cherhill Hilps and Picks are the names. Slues is used in both N. and S. Wilts, and Slŏns or Slăns in N. Wilts.

Slommakin. adj. Of females, untidy, slatternly (S.).—N. & S.W. (Malmesbury, &c.)

*Sloop. To change (A.H.Wr.). Perhaps a perversion of slew, or a misreading of swop in badly written MS.

Slop about. To shuffle about in a slipshod slovenly fashion.—N. & S.W.

Sloppet. (1) v. The same as Slop about.—N.W.

'He "sloppets" about in his waistcoat and shirt-sleeves.'—Hodge and his Masters, ch. xxiii.

*(2) v. Applied to a rabbit's peculiar gait, and the manner in which it wears away and covers with sand the grass near its bury (Amateur Poacher, ch. ii).

Slouse. To splash about, as a horse or dog does in water.—N.W.

*Sloven's year. A wonderfully prosperous season, when even the bad farmer has good crops (Great Estate, ch. viii).

Slox, Slocks. To waste, to pilfer from employers (A.B.C.H.Wr.).—N.W.

Slummock. See Slammock.

Sly. 'A sly day' looks bright and pleasant, but the air has a chill nip in it. 'Sly cold' is the treacherous kind of cold raw weather that was very prevalent during the influenza epidemic two or three years ago.—N.W. (Huish.)

Smaak. n. 'Aal in a smaak,' quite rotten; used of potatoes.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Smarm. To bedaub. 'Don't smarm me aal auver wi' they dirty paws o' yourn.' Smaam (S.).—N. & S.W.

Smart. A second swarm of bees.—N.W.

Smart, Smartish, adj. Considerable (H.), as 'a smartish lot o' vawk.'—N. & S.W.

Smeech. Dust.—S.W. (Salisbury, Hill Deverill, &c.)

Smeechy. Dusty.—N.W. (Cherhill.)

*Smicket. A smock or shift (A.).

Smother. A weed and rubbish fire in a garden.—N. & S.W.

Snag, Snaig. (1) A badly shaped or decayed tooth; often used of a child's first teeth.—N.W. (2) Fruit of the sloe, q.v. (S.).—S.W.

*Snag-bush. Prunus spinosa, L., the Sloe (Miss Plues).

Snake-fern. Pteris aquilina, L., Bracken.—S.W. (Deverill.)

Snake-flower. (1) Verbascum nigrum, L., Black Mullein. Children are cautioned not to gather it, because a snake may be hiding under the leaves.—S.W. (Salisbury.) (2) Stellaria Holostea, L., Greater Stitchwort.—S.W. (Barford.)

*Snake's-head. Potentilla Tormentilla, Sibth., Tormentil.—S.W. (Zeals, Hill Deverill, &c.)

*Snake-skin Willow. Salix triandra, L., so called because it sheds its bark (Great Estate, ch. v).

*Snake's-victuals. Arum maculatum, L. Cuckoo-pint.—N.W.

'In August ... she found the arum stalks, left alone without leaves, surrounded with berries.... This noisome fruit ... was "snake's victuals," and ... only fit for reptile's food.'—Great Estate, ch. ii.

Snap. A trap, as Mouse-snap, Wont-snap.—N. & S.W., occasionally.

Snaps, Snap-jacks. Stellaria Holostea, L., Greater Stitchwort.—S.W.

*Snap-willow. Salix fragilis, L., from its brittleness (Great Estate, ch. v).

Snead, Snaith. The pole of a scythe (A.). A.S. snǽd.—N.W.

Snig. A small eel.—S.W.

Sniggle. (1) To snigger.—S.W. (2) 'To sniggle up,' to toady or endeavour to ingratiate yourself with any one.—S.W.

*Sniggling. 'A sniggling frost,' a slight frost that just makes the grass crisp.—S.W. (Steeple Ashton.)

Snig-pot. An eel-trap.—S.W.

Snippy. Mean, stingy.

Snivett. A newt. Perhaps a sibilated form of Evet.—N.W.

Snop. (1) v. To hit smartly, as in chipping a stone.—N. & S.W. (2) n. A smart blow (S.), as 'A snop on the yead.'—N. & S.W.

Snotter-gall. The yew-berry, probably from its slimy pulp.—N. & S.W.

Snotty. (1) 'A snotty frost,' a slight crisp rime frost.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.) (2) Nasty, dirty, mean.—N. & S.W.

Snowball-tree. The double Guelder-rose. Snowballs, its blossoms.—N. & S.W.

Snow-blunt. A slight snowstorm.—N. & S.W. See Blunk.

Snow-in-harvest, or Snow-in-summer. Cerastium tomentosum, L.—S.W.

Snowl. (1) n. A large piece of anything (S.). 'Gie I a good snowl o' bread, mother!'—N. & S.W. *(2) n. The head.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Snow-on-the-mountains. (1) Saxifraga granulata, L., White Meadow Saxifrage.—S.W. (2) White Cress.—N. & S.W.

Snuff-rag. A pocket-handkerchief (S.).—N. & S.W. (Lockeridge, &c.) Also used formerly at Clyffe Pypard, N.W.

Sobbled. Soddened, soaked with wet (Village Miners).—N.W.

*Soce. Friends; addressed to the company generally, as 'Well, soce, an' how be ye all to-day?'—N.W. (Malmesbury.) Very rarely heard in Wilts, but common in Dev. and Som. It is probably a relic of Socii, as used by monkish preachers. In the old ghost-story in Jefferies' Goddard Memoir (see Waylen's History of Marlborough, p. 555), the use of the word soas (there spelt source) by one of the characters is alluded to in such a way as to show that it was looked on as a curious peculiarity of his. See W. Somerset Words.

Sod-apple. Epilobium hirsutum, L., Great Hairy Willow-herb, from its smell when crushed.—N.W.

'Willow herb ... country folk call it the sod-apple, and say the leaves crushed in the fingers have something of the scent of apple-pie.'—Great Estate, ch. ii.

*Soft-tide. The three days next before Lent (Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxii. p. 113).—N.W. (Cherhill.)

Sog. Soft boggy ground (S.).—N. & S.W. (Malmesbury, &c.)

Sogging-wet. Soaked.—N.& S.W.

Soldiers. Papaver Rhoeas, &c., Red Poppy.—S.W.

Soldiers'-buttons. Arctium Lappa, L., Burdock.—S.W. (Hamptworth.)

Soldiers-sailors-tinkers-tailors. Lolium perenne, L.—S.W.

Souse. 'Pigs'-sousen,' pigs'-ears.—N.W. (Malmesbury, Clyffe Pypard, &c.)

*Sow-flower. Sonchus oleraceus, L., Sowthistle.—(Lyneham.)

*Sowle-grove. February. (A.H.Wr.)—Obsolete.

'The shepherds and vulgar people in South Wilts call Februarie "sowlegrove," and have this proverb of it:—"Soulgrove sil lew,"—February is seldome warme—sil pro seld, seldome.'—Aubrey, Anecdotes, Camden Society, cxlvii.

Spade. The congealed gum of the eye (A.B.). Also Spady in N. Wilts. A.S. sped, phlegm.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard, &c.)

*Spances. 'Raves or sides, spances, compose the waggon-bed' (D.).

Spanky. Showy, dashing (A.B.).—N.W.

Spar. In thatching, the 'elms' are fastened down with 'spicks' or 'spars,' split hazel rods, pointed at both ends, and bent into hairpin shape, with a twist just at the bend to give them a tendency when fixed to spring outwards, and so hold faster.—S.W.

Sparked, Sparky. Of cattle, mottled or of two colours (D.); pied, variegated (Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxii. p. 225).—N. & S.W.

'One of the earliest indictments on the roll of the Hilary Sessions [Wilts], 1603-4, tells of quatuor vaccas quar' due color sparked et una alia coloris rubri et altera color browne.'—Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxii. p. 225-6.

Sparked-grass. Phalaris arundinacea, L., Striped Ribbon-grass.—S.W. (Som. bord.)

*Spawl. A chip or splinter from a stone.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Spear. (1) n. A stalk of reed-grass (S.).—N.W. (2) v. See Spurl.—S.W.

Spend. To turn out. 'How do your taters spend to-year?'—N.W.

Spick. (1) In thatching, the same as Spar.—S.W. (2) Lavender. Spick (Som. bord.), and Spike (Hants bord.).—S.W.

Spikenard. (1) Lavender.—N.W., occasionally. (2) Anthoxanthum odoratum, L., Sweet Vernal-grass.—N.W. (Bromham.)

Spill. (1) The long straight stalk of a plant.—N.W. (Malmesbury.) *(2) 'To run to spill,' to run to seed.—N.W. (Malmesbury.) *(3) Hence, figuratively, to be unproductive.—N.W. (Malmesbury, occasionally.)

Spit, Spet. (1) n. 'The very spit of his father,' his very image (Wilts Tales, p. 31). Cf. Spit, to lay eggs (Skeat). Just like (S.).—N. & S.W. (2) v. 'To spit up the ground,' to work the surface lightly over.—N. & S.W.

Splash. Commoner form of Plash, q.v.—N.W.

*Split-fig. A short-weight grocer (S.).—S.W.

Sploach. To splutter (S.).—S.W.

Sprack. (1) Lively, active (A.B.C.S.); also Sprag (B.).—N. & S.W.

'That's a sprack mare o' yourn.'—Wilts Tales, p. 68.

(2) Intelligent, quick (A.C.).—N. & S.W.

'He had picked up a few words and phrases with which he sometimes "bothered" his neighbours, who thought Jem "a mortal sprack chap"; but in truth he was a great fool.'—Wilts Tales, p. 65.

Sprank. A sprinkling of anything. 'There be a good sprank o' fruit to-year.' Also used in Somerset.—N.W. (Mildenhall.)

*Sprawing. A sweetheart. This word is given for Wilts by Britton, Akerman, Halliwell, Wright, and others, but should be treated as a 'ghost-word,' and struck out of our glossaries. In Cunnington MS. it is written as Sprawny, q.v., but Britton when transcribing from that source would appear to have misread it as Sprawing, probably not being himself acquainted with the word, while Akerman and others must simply have taken it blindly on his authority.

*Sprawny. A sweetheart (Cunnington MS.). A variant of Sprunny. See note on Sprawing. A male sweetheart in Glouc.—N.W., obsolete.

'Whipped to some purpose will thy sprunny be.'—Collins, Miscellanies, 1762.

Spreader. The thin pole or bar which keeps the traces apart (Wilts Tales, p. 173).—N.W.

*Spreath, Spreeth. Active, nimble, able (A.B.H.Wr.). 'He is a spreeth young fellow' (B.).

Spreathed. Of the skin, roughened or chapped by cold (B.S.) Spreazed (A.).—N. & S.W.

Spreyed. Of the skin, roughened by cold, but not chapped. Spryed on Som. bord.—S.W.

Spring. Of a cow, to show signs of calving.—N.W.

Spring-dag. A chilblain. Cf. Dag, a twinge of pain.—S.W.

Spring-flower. The garden Polyanthus.—N.W.

Spuddle. (1) v. To stir about (A.B.), to fuss about at doing trifles. 'He's allus a-spuddling about like, but there yen't nothen to show for 't ses I.'—N.W. (2) v. To make a mess (S.). A sibilated form of puddle.—S.W.

Spudgel. A wooden scoop (S.).—N. & S.W.

Spuds. Potatoes (S.). Perhaps introduced by Irish harvesters.—N. & S.W.

*Spur. See Spurl.—S.W.

Spurl. To spread dung about the fields (S.). Also Spear, Spur, and Spurdle.—N. & S.W.

*Spurling-boards. Boards set to prevent the corn from flying out of the threshing-floor (D.).

Spur-stone. A projecting stone, set in the ground as a support to a post, or to protect anything near the roadway (Bevis, ch. v).

*Squab. The youngest or weakest bird of a brood or pig of a litter (A.). The 'darling' of a litter.—N.W. (Lockeridge.)

Squail, Sqwoil. (1) To throw (A.H.S.); used of sticks, not stones.—N. & S.W.

'In the orchard Bevis and Mark squailed at the pears with short sticks.'—Bevis, ch. xvi.

'They would like to squail a stick at his high and ancient hat.'—Ibid. ch. xvi.

(2) Fig. To do a thing awkwardly (H.), as 'Her went up the street a squailing her arms about.'—N.W. *(3) Cock-squoilin, throwing at cocks at Shrovetide (A.).—Obsolete. Bird-squoilin, killing birds with stones (S.). (4) Of a candle, to gutter.—N. & S.W.

Squailer, Squale, Squoile. A stick or loaded cane, used by boys for throwing at apples, rabbits, squirrels, &c.—N. & S.W.

'The handle of a "squailer" projected from Orion's coat-pocket. For making a squailer a tea-cup was the best mould:... A ground ash sapling with the bark on, about as thick as the little finger, pliant and tough, formed the shaft, which was about fifteen inches long. This was held upright in the middle of a tea-cup, while the mould was filled with molten lead. It soon cooled, and left a heavy conical knob on the end of the stick. If rightly thrown it was a deadly missile, and would fly almost as true as a rifle ball. A rabbit or leveret could thus be knocked over; and it was peculiarly adapted for fetching a squirrel out of a tree, because, being so heavy at one end, it rarely lodged on the boughs, as an ordinary stick would, but overbalanced and came down.'—Amateur Poacher, ch. iii.

'The "squaler" came into use very early in the school's history, and was for years almost as much a part of the ordinary equipment of a Marlborough boy as a cricket-bat would now be. To later generations the very name probably conveys no meaning. The weapon itself was simple enough, though extremely formidable. It consisted of a piece of lead something the shape and about the size of a pear, with a cane handle about eighteen inches long. A squaler could be thrown a great distance and with terrific force, and at short ranges by the practised hands of the Marlburians of those days with great accuracy. Its ostensible purpose was squirrel-hunting, as the name suggests [No, it is not a contraction of "squirreller," but is from squail, to throw.—G.E.D.], but it came in handy for the larger quarry which the more adventurous tribes pursued and slew, such as rabbits, hares, and very frequently even deer. It lingered on as an article of local sale till the middle of the sixties; but ... was made contraband, and finally died out.'—History of Marlborough College, ch. ix. p. 94.

'To make a squailer you provide yourself with an eighteen-inch length of half-inch cane, two inches of which you sheath with tow and then insert in a ladle of molten lead. There you manipulate it in such sort that there is presently left to cool at the end of your cane a pear-shaped lump of lead of the weight experience has shown you to be proper. With this weapon an adept can bring down a squirrel from on high, or stop one on the level at five-and-twenty yards, almost to a certainty.'—W. F. Waller in Notes & Queries, 8th series, ii. p. 197. 'Another Marlborough mode of making it is to pour the melted lead into a cone composed of many folds of well-wetted paper, tied round the slightly notched upper end of the cane or ground ash.'—G. E. Dartnell in N. & Q., 8th series, ii. p. 257. Also see various letters in N. & Q., 8th series, ii. pp. 149, 197, 257. Squailers were in use at the Grammar school as well as at the College, up to about 1867.

Squailing. Clumsy, badly, or irregularly shaped, as 'a squailing loaf,' 'a squailing sort of a town,' &c. (H.).—N.W.

Square. Thatching is paid by the 'square,' which is 100 square feet.—N.W.

Squat. See Squot.

Squeak-Thrush. The Missel Thrush.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Squeeze-belly. A V-shaped stile.—N.W.

Squelch, Squelp. (1) adv. 'A vell down squelch,' he fell heavily (A.B.).—N.W. (2) v. To squash to pieces, as a heavy stone would an egg.—N.W.

Squinney. (1) v. 'To squinney round,' to peep about.—S.W. (2) n. 'Squinney-hole,' a peep-hole. Sometimes also used of a hagioscope in a church.—S.W.

Squish. (1) v. Of soft or boggy ground, to give under foot with the peculiar spirt and sound that denote a water-logged condition. 'The rwoad wer squishing under I ael the waay to 'Vize.'—N. & S.W. (2) v. Of mud, to spirt and splash up as it does in a boggy place. 'It wer main hocksey, an' the muck squished up ael over I, purty nigh up to my eyes.'—N. & S.W.

Squishey. adj. Soft, wet, swampy.—N. & S.W.

'The ploughing engine be stuck fast up to the axle, the land be so soft and squishey.'—Wild Life, ch. vii.

Squoil. See Squail (S.).—S.W.

Squot or Squat. (1) n. A bruise (Aubrey's Wilts MS.).—N.W. (2) v. To bruise or crush (S.), as 'I've bin an' squot my thumb.' To bruise by compression (B.).—N.W.

Sqwawk. To squall out as a hen does when pulled off the nest.—N.W.

Stabble. v. Of ground, to poach up by continual treading, as near a field gateway (Village Miners). Children are always 'stabbling about' indoors, making a mess and litter.—N. & S.W.

Stack. 'A stack of elms'=either one score or two score of 'elms.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Staddles, Staddle-stones. The pillars on which a rick stands (A.B.S.). Cf. Stavel (Steevil in S.W.). A.S. staðol.—N. & S.W.

Stael. See Stale.

Stag, Steg. A rent in clothes.—N. & S.W.

Staid. Of mature age, elderly (S.).—N. & S.W.

Stake-and-ether-hedge. A wattled fence. See Ether.—N.W.

Stale, Stael, or Steale. The long handle of any husbandry tool (A.B.). A.S. stel (in compounds).—N.W.

'A was as lang and as lane as a rake-stael.'—Wilts Tales, p. 177.

'The peculiar broad-headed nail which fastens the mop to the stout ashen "steale," or handle.'—Wild Life, ch. iv.

*Standing, Stannin. A stall or small booth at a fair. Stannen (S.).—S.W.

Star-flower. (1) Potentilla Tormentilla, Sibth., Tormentil.—S.W. (Barford.) (2) Lysimachia nemorum, L., Wood Loosestrife.—S.W. (Barford.)

Stark. v. To dry up. 'The ground is got so stark—you see the hot sun after the rain did stark the top on't.'—N.W. (Hilmarton.)

Starky. (1) Stiff, dry (A.B.). Shrivelled up, as applied to things.—N.W. (2) Shrivelled and wasted by ill-health.—N.W.

*Stars. Campanula glomerata, L., Clustered Bellflower.—N.W. (Enford.)

Start. (1) An outing or pleasure-party. 'Wher be th' missus, Bill?' 'Whoy, off on a bit of a start.'—S.W. (2) A 'go.' 'That's a rum start, yun' it?'—N.W.

Starve. (1) v. 'To starve with cold,' to be extremely cold; to cause anything to be cold. Chiefly used in past participle, as 'starved wi' th' cowld,' perished with cold. A.S. steorfan, to die. 'My old man he do starve I at nights wi' the cowld, 'cause he got a crooked leg, and he do sort o' cock un up 'snaw, and the draaft do get in under the bed-claus, and I be fairly starved wi' the cowld.'—N. & S.W. (2) See Bird-starving.—N.W.

*Stavel-barn. A barn on stone pillars (Agric. Survey). See Staddles.

Steale. See Stale.

Stean. (1) v. To 'stone,' or cover a path or road with gravel or small stones.—N.W. (2) 'To stean a well,' to line its sides with stone (S.).—S.W.

Steaner. The man who lays the second and inner rows of sheaves in building a wheat rick.—N.W.

Steanin. (1) A road made with small stones (A.).—N.W. (2) The built-up portion of a well.—S.W. See Stean.

Steart. (1) n. The tang which fastens anything; the ring of a button, &c.—N.W. (2) n. The small iron rod, on the head of which the cappence of the old-fashioned flail played.—N.W. (3) n. A young ox. Apparently steer, with t excrescent.—N.W.

Steer. The starling. A form of Stare.—N.W.

Steip. See Stipe.

Stem. A period of time (A.H.S.), as 'a stem o' dry weather.' Work on the roads, &c., is done 'on the stem,' or 'by the stem.' A.S. stemn.—N. & S.W.

Stepple. A hoof-mark (Village Miners). Cf. Stabble.—N.W.

Stewer, Stour, Sture. Fuss, commotion.—S.W.

Stew up. To tidy up.—S.W.

Stick. To decorate with evergreens, &c. 'We allus sticks th' Church at Christmas,'—the decorations formerly consisting only of sprigs of holly stuck into holes in the backs of the pews.—N.W.

Stickle. To stick. 'They're as thick as they can stickle on it.'—S.W.

Stick-up. v. To make the first tentative advances towards courtship.—N.W., occasionally.

'I've bin a-stickin' up to another young ooman this summer, wi' a view to keepin' comp'ny wi' she.'—Dark, ch. xv.

Stipe. 'The stipe o' the hill,' the steepest part.—N.W.

*Stipe, Steip. A dozen and a half of 'elms' (H.Wr.). 'Steip of helms, eighteen helms: Wilts.'—Holloway's Dict.—S.W.

Stived up. Shut up in a warm close place. Fighting cocks were formerly kept warm in a 'stive,' or kind of straw basket like a hive, whilst waiting their turn to fight.—N. & S.W.

Stoach. To plant potatoes with a 'stoacher.' In some counties stoach=poach, to trample into holes.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard, &c.)

Stoacher. 'A tater stoacher,' a thick stake, with projecting notch on which the foot is placed to drive the sharpened point into the ground. The potatoes are dropped into the holes so made.—N.W.

Stobball-play. An old game, played with a withy-staff and a small ball, stuffed full of quills, said by Aubrey (Nat. Hist. Wilts, p. 117, ed. Brit.) to be peculiar to North Wilts, North Gloucester, and the neighbourhood of Bath; but probably a form of stool-ball (H.Wr.).—N.W., obsolete.

'Illegal games ... mentioned are ... hand-ball, foot-ball, and stave-ball or "stobball"; (pilum manualem, pedalem, sive baculinam), "nine-holes" and "kittles."'—On the Self-government of Small Manorial Communities, as exemplified in the Manor of Castle Combe.—Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. iii. p. 156.

Stodge. (1) n. Substantial food.—N.W. (2) v. To stuff gluttonously. Stodged, quite unable to cram down another morsel.—N.W.

Stodgy. adj. Of food, causing a feeling of repletion.—N.W.

Stogged. Stuck in the mud, bogged (S.).—N. & S.W.

Stoggy. Wet and sticky; used of ground that 'stogs' you, or in which you get 'stogged.'—N.W.

Stomachy. adj. Unbending (S.). Obstinate, headstrong, self-willed.—N. & S.W.

*Stone-bruise. A kind of corn on the foot. In an American trouting-yarn in Fishing Gazette, December 17, 1892, p. 429, the following occurs:—

'It's just the age for "stone-bruises" in a boy, and he must have a pair of shoes any way.'

*Stone-osier. Salix purpurea, L. (Gamekeeper at Home, ch. viii).—N.W.

Stop. A hole in the ground—not in a hedgerow, but a few yards away, or on cultivated ground—where the doe rabbit has her young; said to be from her 'stopping' or covering it over when she leaves it. Also used in Hants.—N.W., common.

Storm-cock. Turdus viscivorus, Missel Thrush (Birds of Wilts, p. 129).—S.W.

Stout. The gadfly (A.B.). 'They stowuts be so terrifyin'.'—N.W.

Stowl. (1) n. The root of a timber-tree left in the ground after felling (A.B.C.); the stump of a bush or tree, in hedge or copse, cut off low down so as to form a stock from which underwood may spring (C.D.S.).—N. & S.W. (2) v. 'To stowl out,' to shoot out thickly, as a bush cut off low down, or wheat which has been fed off when young.—N.W.

Strafe. To wander about.—N.W., occasionally.

Strapper. An Irish harvester or tramping labourer.—N.W.

Strawberry-leaved Geranium. Saxifraga sarmentosa, L. See Hanging Geranium.—S.W.

Strick. See Strike.

*Strickle. See Stritch.

*Striddling. The right to lease fallen apples after the gathering in of the crop. Cf. Griggling.

Strike, Strick. To slip up; to slip and swing out as a vehicle does when turning a corner fast on a slippery road. 'Her stricked up on thuck there slide, an' come down vlop.'—N. & S.W.

*Strim-strum. adj. Unmusical (S.).—S.W.

*Stripe. A fool, a simpleton (H.Wr.). Probably a mistake for Stupe.

Strip-up. v. To shroud the lower part of a tree, as is usually done with hedgerow timber at intervals.—N. & S.W.

*Stritch, Strickle. A piece of wood used for striking off the surplus grain from a corn measure. A.S. stricol.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

*Strommelling. *(1) Awkward, ungainly (A.B.H.). *(2) Unruly (A.B.H.), as 'a strommellin' child.'

Strong. 'Strong a-dying,' at the point of death.—N.W.

*Strouter. A strut or support in the side of a waggon (S.).—S.W.

Stub. (1) n. A stump of a tree; a projecting root.—N. & S.W. (2) v. In walking, to strike the foot against a stub or projecting root.—N.W. *(3) v. 'To stub off,' to cut off a bush or tree close to the ground (Agric. of Wilts, ch. x). (4) 'Stubs,' stubble, as wheat-stubs, barley-stubs (D.).—N.W.

Stubbed. A 'stubbed' broom is one much worn down by use, as opposed to a new one.—S.W.

*Stuck. A spike (A.).

Stud. v. To ponder over, think about. 'Don't 'ee stud upon 't so much.'—N. & S.W.

Studdle. To stir up water so as to make it thick and muddy.—N. & S.W.

Studdly, Stoddly. Thick, as beer before it settles after moving.—N.W. (Berks bord.)

*Stultch. A crutch, a boy's stilt (MS. Lansd. 1033, f. 2). (H.Wr.). Stelch in Glouc.—Obsolete.

Stun. v. To cause to make no growth. 'Grass was stunned in its growth this season' (1892).—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard, Potterne, &c.)

Sture. See Stewer.

Suant. See Sewent.

Succour. (1) n. Shelter; a sheltered place. A tender plant is set 'in the succour of the wall'; and cattle on a cold wet day get 'in the succour of the hedge.' ''Tes gwain' to rain, for the wind's down in the succours,' i.e. hollows and sheltered places generally. On bleak parts of the Downs the cottages are mostly to be found in the succours.—N.W. (Huish, Clyffe Pypard, &c.)

'Goddard the elder being a copyholder of lands in Eylden within the Manner of Ogburne near adjoyning to His Majesties Chace being a place that in winter time was a special and usual succour for preserving the breed of young deer belonging to the Chace.'—Extract from Bond v. Goddard and others, 1636. See Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxiii. p. 259.

(2) v. To shelter. An old-fashioned bonnet is said to 'succour' the ears. A cold wind cuts up cabbages, except where they are 'succoured' by bushes or walls.—N.W.

Suck-blood. The Common Leech. Zuckblood (S.).—S.W.

Suffer. To punish, to make to suffer. 'I'll suffer you, you young rascal!'—N.W.

*Suffy. To draw a deep and quick breath.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Sugar-codlins. Epilobium hirsutum, L., Great Hairy Willow-herb.—N.W.

Suggy. Wood that is soaked with wet is said to be 'suggy.' See Sog.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

*Suity. Even, regular (A.B.).

*Sultedge. A coarse apron, worn by poor women (A.B.C.). Sultredge (H.Wr.). By which is probably intended that the apron is made of sultedge, or a kind of coarse sheeting.—N.W.

*Summer field. See quotation.

'In the four-field system, where the clover is sown the second year, and mowed the third, the field becomes in the fourth year what is called, in Wiltshire, a summer field.'—Agric. of Wilts, ch. vii.

*Summer ground. See quotation.

'A custom upon two farms ... of feeding six oxen through the full range of all the summer ground belonging to the hither Beversbrook ... being the Home Close, the Middle Marsh, the Course Marsh, the Upper Lease, and Brewer's Lease; through the full range likewise of such summer grounds as belong to the yonder Beversbrook to be put in at Mortimers Gate and to feed to Burfurlong Corner, through all the afore mentioned grounds from the third of May to Michaelmas.'—Hilmarton Parish Terrier, 1704. See Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxiv. p. 126.

Summer rick. A windmow, or very large cock of hay, thrown up in the field, to remain there some time (Gamekeeper at Home, ch. iv).—N.W.

Summers or Bed-summers. See Waggon.

Summer Snipe. Totanus hypoleucos, Common Sandpiper.—N. & S.W.

Sungreen. Sempervivum tectorum, L., Houseleek. Occasionally Singreen in S. Wilts, and Silgreen in N. Wilts. A.S. singréne.—N. & S.W.

*Swaft. Thirst (H.Wr.). Probably from Fr. soif.

*Swank. To work in a slow lazy fashion, to idle. 'Her bain't no good for your place, ma'am, her do go swanking about so over her work.'—S.W. (Salisbury.)

*Swankey. *(1) adj. Boisterous, swaggering, strutting (A.B.H.Wr.). *(2) n. Weak beer; drink (S.).—S.W.

Swash, Swosh. (1) n. A torrent or great rush of water.—N.W.

'A man in answer to my question of how the rain seemed to fall, said, "It came down in swashes," and I think it may also be said that occasionally the wind came in swashes too.'—The Great Wiltshire Storm, Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. vi. p. 380.

(2) v. To swill out. 'I've bin swoshing out the back-kitchin.'—N.W.

*Sweeps. Hypericum calycinum, L., Large-flowered St. John's Wort.—S.W. (Farley.)

Sweet-briar. The young succulent suckers of any rose, which are peeled and eaten by children.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

*Sweeten. Some land requires sweetening, or chalking, to take out the acidity, before it will bear barley (Agric. Survey).

Sweethearts. Galium Aparine, L., Goosegrass, because its burs have such an affectionate way of clinging to one.—S.W. (Salisbury.)

Swilter. To smoulder away to ashes, without breaking into flame (A.B.).—N.W.

*Swittle. To cut or whittle (A.H.Wr.).

Sythe. To sigh (A.B.).—N.W.

T. Thr, at the beginning of a word, is usually sounded as dr, as draish, dree. After liquids d or t will often be added, as varmint, vermin; sarment, sermon; steart, a steer; dillard, thiller. F and v sometimes become th, as thetches for fitches or vetches. Th will also occasionally become Ss, as lattermass, latter-math. Conversely, Ss rarely becomes th, as moth, moss.

Tack. (1) A shelf, as chimney-tack (A.B.C.).—N.W. (2) Pasture for horses and cattle (A.B.).—N.W. (3) 'Out to tack,' at agistment, applied to cattle that are put out to keep by the week or month.—N.W.

Tackle. Stuff, any material, as food, solid or liquid (A.). 'This here yale be oncommon good tackle'; or dress material, 'Haven't 'ee got any gingham tackle?' (Great Estate, ch. iv). Also used of food for cattle.—N.W.

'Thaay [the sheep] be goin' into th' Mash to-morrow.... We be got shart o' keep.... Thur's a main sight o' tackle in the Mash vor um.'—Green Ferne Farm, ch. v.

Taffety. Dainty in eating (S.).—S.W.

Tag. (1) When a lawn-mower or barrow is too heavy for one man to manage alone, a rope is attached for a boy to draw by, who is said to 'pull tag.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.) (2) n. A game played by boys. One touches another, saying Tag! and the touched person has then to run after and touch another, who becomes Tag in his turn.—N. & S.W. *(3) v. To tease, to torment (C.).—N.W., obsolete.

Tail. (1) n. The whole skirt of a woman's dress. 'Hev 'ee got ar' a owld taail to gie I, Miss?'—N. & S.W. (2) 'Seconds' of flour (Great Estate, ch. vi); also Tailing-flour.—N.W. (3) Tail-ends or Tailings. Refuse wheat, not saleable in market, kept for consumption on the farm (A.B.G.); also Tail, Tailing-wheat, and Tailens (S.).—N. & S.W.

Tail Pole. See Waggon.

*Take. n. The sciatica (Aubrey's Wilts MS.).—Obsolete.

Take up. Of weather, to become fine.—N. & S.W.

Tallet, Tallot. A hay-loft over a stable (A.B.G.S.). Welsh taflod.—N. & S.W. See N. & Q. 8th Ser. iv. 450, &c.

*Tamed. 'By that time the ground will be tamed.' Said in Lisle's Husbandry to be a Wilts agricultural term, but not there explained.

Tan. Then is so pronounced in such phrases as Now'-an'-Tan and Twitch-an'-Tan.

Tang. (1) 'To tang the bell,' to pull it (A.).—N.W. (2) 'To tang bees,' to follow a swarm, beating a fire-shovel or tin pan (A.).—N.W. (3) v. To make a noise (S.).—S.W. (4) n. A small church bell is a Ting-Tang.—N.W.

Tankard. A sheep-bell.—N.W. It is said that the whole of the 'tankards' in use in England are made at Great Cheverell.

'Hilary ... turned back, remarking, "It's Johnson's flock; I know the tang of his tankards." The flat-shaped bells hung on a sheep's neck are called tankards, and Hilary could distinguish one flock from another by the varying notes of their bells.'—Great Estate, ch. vi. p. 123.

*Tasker. A tramping harvester or casual labourer who works by the piece (Agric. of Wilts, p. 24).

*Tawney, Ta'aney. The Bullfinch, Pyrrhula vulgaris.—N.W.

Tazzle. n. 'Her hair be aal of a tazzle,' in great disorder, all tangled and knotted and tousled.—N.W.

Tear. (1) A rage. 'He wur in just about a tear.'—S.W. (2) In N. Wilts old folk used formerly to tear their crockery, and break their clothes, but tear now seems obsolete in this sense there.—N. & S.W.

Teart. (1) Painfully tender, sore, as a wound (A.).—N.W. (2) Stinging, as a blister.—N.W. (Rowde.) (3) Tart, as beer turning sour (S.): acrimonious. See Addenda.—S.W.

Ted. To throw about hay for the first time (D.S.).—N. & S.W.

Teel, Tile. To place anything leaning against a wall (A.B.H.Wr.). Generally used with up, as 'Teel it up agen th' wall, wull 'ee?'—N.W.

Teft. The same as Heft (A.B.C.)—N.W.

Teg-man. A shepherd.—S.W. (Salisbury.)

'I am a teg-man (or shepherd) in the employ of Mr. White.'—Wilts County Mirror, October 28, 1892, p. 8, col. 5.

Temper. 'To temper down dripping,' to melt it and refine with water.—N.W.

Temtious. Tempting, inviting.—N. & S.W.

*Temzer. A riddle or sieve. Cp. Fr. tamis.—Obsolete.

'A temzer, a range, or coarse searche: Wilts.'—MS. Lansd. 1033, f. 2.

Tentful. Attentive, careful.—N.W.

Terrible. Extremely. ''Tes a terr'ble bad harvest to-year.'—N. & S.W.

Terrify. (1) v. To worry, irritate, annoy; used especially of very troublesome children. 'The vlies be terrible terrifying.'—N. & S.W.

''Twer mostly losing of a hoss as did for 'em, and most al'ays wi' bad shoeing. They gived 'em scant measure—shoed 'em too tight, they did, a-terrifying o' the poor beasts.'—Jonathan Merle, ch. xlviii. p. 520.

'Her own folks mightn't a-like so well to come and stay, if ther was al'ays a terrifying old woman to put up with.'—Ibid, ch. liv. p. 596.

'Her husband, who had been out in the fields, came home and began to "terrify" her.'—Marlborough Times, November 26, 1892.

'I be turrivied wi' rheumatics.'—Dark, ch. x.

(2) n. A source of worry or trouble. A bed-ridden woman who has to get her neighbours to do everything for her is 'a terrible terrify' to them.—N.W. *(3) v. To injure, as a hailstorm does apple-blossom (Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxii. p. 113).—N.W. (Cherhill.)

Tewley, Tuley. Weakly (S.). Sickly, tired-looking.—S.W.

Thatches. See Thetches.

Thauf. Although, or although if; as 'A never vound un, thauf he'd gone dree lug vurder on, a cudden a bin off seein' on un.' Cp. Sauf.—N.W. (Malmesbury, etc.)

Theave. A ewe of the third year.

'We have wether hogs and chilver hogs, and shear hogs, ram tegs, and theaves, and two-tooths, and four-tooths, and six-tooths.'—Wilts Arch. Mag. ch. xvii. p. 303.

There-right. (1) 'Go straight forward,' order to a horse at plough (A.).—N.W. (2) On the spot.—N.W.

Thert. v. To plough land a second time, at right angles to the first ploughing, so as to clean it more effectually. Cp. Thwart.—N.W.

Thetches, Thatches. Vetches. Lent thetches are an early spring kind.—N.W.

Thill, or Dill. The shaft of a cart.—N.W.

Thiller, Diller, Thill-horse. The shaft-horse of a team.—N.W.

Thimbles. Campanula rotundifolia, L., the Harebell.—S.W. (Hamptworth.)

Thorough-pin. The pin which fastens the waggon-bed to the carriage (D.). See Waggon.—N.W.

*Three-pound-tenner. The name given by bird-catchers about Salisbury to the 'Chevil' variety of Goldfinch, it being more valuable than the ordinary kind (Birds of Wilts, p. 203).—S.W.

Threshles. 'A pair of threshles, drashols, or flyals, a flail' (D.). The usual term for a flail. See Drashel.—N. & S.W.

Throw. (1) n. 'A throw of timber,' the quantity felled at any one time.—N.W. (2) v. To fell timber (Bevis, ch. i).—N.W. (3) 'To throw a gin or snare,' to spring or set it off (Amateur Poacher, ch. vi).—N.W.

Thunder-bolts, (1) The concretionary nodules of iron pyrites so frequently found in the chalk. See Gold; also Thunder-stones in Addenda.—N. & S.W.

'The ploughboys search for pyrites, and call them thunderbolts.—Greene Ferne Farm, ch. v.

(2) Fossil belemnites.—N. & S.W.

Thunder-flower. Papaver Rhoeas, &c., Red Poppy.—S.W.

Thunder-fly. A black midge. So called because they appear mostly in thunder weather.—N. & S.W.

'Tiny black flies alighting on my hands and face, irritated the skin; the haymakers call them "thunder-flies."'—Great Estate, ch. v. pp. 96-97.

*Thurindale. A flagon holding about three pints (H.Wr.). M.E. thriddendele, a third part.—Obsolete.

Thurtifer. Unruly, self-willed (H.Wr.).—S.W.

Ticky Pig. The smallest pig of a litter.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Tid. *(1) Lively, playful (B.G.). (2) Childish, affecting simplicity (A.), shy. 'Coom, coom, dwon't'e be tid' (A.). A.S. tyddr, tender, weak, imbecile.—N.W.

Tiddle. (1) v. To bring up a lamb by hand (A.). A.S. tyddrian, to nourish, feed.—N.W.

'"Shall I get a drap o' milk, and tiddle un a leetle, maester?" ... "Ha! to be sure! ... Put un into the basket ... and get us a bottle wi' some milk." Tom, who had often assisted the young lambs in the same way, soon procured the therewith to fashion the pseudo teat, and master and man did their best to perform the office of wet nurse to the unfortunate foundling.'—Wilts Tales, pp. 5-6.

(2) v. To tickle (S.).—S.W.

Tiddlin' lamb. A lamb brought up by hand (A.). See Tiddle (1).—N.W.

*Tiddy. adj. Weakly, delicate. See Tiddle (1).—N.W. (Castle Eaton, &c.)

Tide-times. Christmas, Easter, &c. 'He do have a drop, tide-times and that.'—N. & S.W.

Tie. Of wood, to pinch the saw while working.—N.W.

*Tig. A little pig (Dark, ch. i).—N.W., occasionally.

Tile. See Teel.

Tiller. The upper handle of a sawyer's long pit-saw. See Box.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Tiller out. To sprout out with several shoots, as wheat after being eaten off when young.—N. & S.W.

Timersome. Timid (A.S.).—N.W.

Tine. *(1) v. To light a fire or candle (A.C.). Tin'd (B.). Cf. A.S. tendan, on-tendan, to kindle, and E. tinder. *(2) To finish off a laid hedge or stake-fence by weaving in the top-band of boughs (A.B.). *(3) v. To divide or enclose a field with a hedge (A.B.C.). A.S. týnan.—N.W.

'To tine in a piece of waste ground is to enclose it with a fence of wood or quickset.'—Cunnington MS.

(4) n. A drag or harrow tooth (D.).—N.W. *(5) To give the ground two or three tinings is to draw the harrow two or three times over the same place. See Cope's Hants Gloss.

'They drag it two, three, or four times, and harrow it four, five, or six times, viz. (provincially speaking), they give it "so many tine with the drag, and so many with the harrow."'—Agric. of Wilts, ch. vii.

Ting-tang. A small church-bell (S.). See Tang.—N.W.

*Tining. (1) n. A new enclosure made with a dead hedge (D.H. Wr.).—N.W. (2) n. A fence of wood, either brushwood, pale, or quickset (C.).—N.W., obsolete.

Tippem, Tippum. A game played by six boys, three on each side of the table. The centre one 'works the piece,' i.e. passes it from hand to hand up and down under his side of the table. Then all the hands are placed on the table, and the opposite side guesses which hand the 'piece' is in, and scores or loses a mark according as the guess is right or wrong. The 'piece' may be anything available, from a knife to a pebble or bean.—N.W.

Tippy, Tippity. Easily upset.—N. & S.W.

Tistie-tostie, Tostie. A child's name for both cowslip and cowslip-ball.—N. & S.W.

Tithing, Tething. A shock of ten sheaves, for convenience in tithe-taking (D.). The same as Hyle.—N.W.

Titty-wren. The wren.—N.W.

*Toads'-cheese. Toadstool, fungus (A.).

*Toads'-heads. Fritillaria Meleagris, L., Snake's-head (English Plant Names).—N.W. (Minety.)

Toads'-meat. Toadstools; fungi (S.).—S.W.

Toad-stabber. A bad blunt knife (S.). Commonly used by boys about Clyffe Pypard.—N. & S.W.

Todge. Any thick spoon-meat, as gruel (A.B.C.). See Stodge.—N.W.

Token. *(1) A fool (H.Wr.). (2) A 'young token' is a young rascal.—N.W. (3) Formerly used also as a term of endearment. A man would call his children his 'little tokens.'—N.W. (4) 'Blackberry-token,' the Dewberry.

Toll. To entice or decoy. Tawl (S.). 'Hev' a bit o' cheese, to toll the bread down wi', will 'ee?' Still in common use. A cow given to wandering, when she breaks out of bounds, generally 'tolls' the rest of the herd after her.—N. & S.W.

Toll-bird. (1) n. A trained decoy-bird; also a stuffed bird used as a decoy.—N. & S.W. (2) 'To give anything just as a toll-bird,' to throw a sprat to catch a mackerel. Tradesmen will sell some one article far below cost-price, as a toll-bird to attract custom.—S.W.

Tom-bird. The male of any bird is generally so called in N. Wilts.

Tom Cull. The Bullhead, Cottus gobio (A.).—N. & S.W.

Tommy. Food in general (S.), especially when carried out into the fields.—N. & S.W.

Tommy-bag. The bag in which labourers take food out with them (S.).—N. & S.W.

Tommy-hacker. The same as Hacker.—S.W. (Steeple Ashton.)

Tommy-hawk. A potato hacker. See Hacker.—N.W.

*Tom Thumbs. Lotus corniculatus, L., Bird's-foot Trefoil.—S.W. (Mere.)

*Tom Thumb's Honeysuckle. Lotus corniculatus, L., Bird's-foot Trefoil (Sarum Dioc. Gazette).—S.W. (Zeals.)

Toppings. Bran and mill-sweepings ground up together.—N.W.

Totty, Tutty, Tutto. A nosegay. Used all over Wilts, in slightly varying pronunciations, the stress sometimes falling on the first and sometimes on the last syllable. An apple-tree in full blossom is 'all a totty.' At Hungerford the tything-men are known as Tutti-men, and carry Tutti-poles, or wands wreathed with flowers. Minsheu's Dict., Eng. and Spanish ed. 1623, 'a posie or tuttie.'—N. & S.W.

Touch. Coarse brown paper soaked in saltpetre and dried, used instead of matches for lighting a pipe in the open air, the spark to kindle it being struck with a knife and a flint. Commonly used up to a very recent date.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Touchwood. A boy's game, in which the pursued endeavours to escape by touching wood, i.e. tree or post, before his pursuer can seize him.—N. & S.W.

Toward. (1) Order to a horse to come towards you.—N.W. (2) Hence applied to anything near or leaning towards you (Great Estate, ch. viii).—N.W.

Towardly. Docile, as opposed to froward.—N.W.

To-year, T'year. This year. 'I bain't a-gwain' to set no taters to-year.'—N. & S.W.

Traipse, Trapes, Traipsey. (1) n. A slattern.—N. & S.W. (2) To walk in a slatternly manner; used chiefly of women.—N. & S.W.

*Trammel Hawk. Falco peregrinus, Peregrine Falcon (Birds of Wilts, p. 72).—S.W.

Trant. To move goods.—N.W.

Tranter. A haulier.—N.W.

Trapes. n. An untidy person (S.). See Traipes.—N. & S.W.

*Traveller's-ease. Achillea Millefolium, L., Common Yarrow.—S.W. (Little Langford.)

Tree-mouse. Certhia familiaris, the Common Creeper.—S.W.

'It may be seen creeping like a mouse up and down the hole of a tree. Hence it is known in the south of the county as the "Tree-mouse.'"—Birds of Wilts., p. 259.

Trendle. (1) n. A circular trough or tray in which bakers mix their dough.—N. & S.W. (2) n. Hence, a circular earthwork.—N.W.

'Chisenbury Camp, or Trendle, as it is vulgarly called.'—Britton's Top. Descr. Wilts., p. 407.

Triangle. 'To plant cabbages triangle,' to set them in quincunx order.—N.W.

Trig. (1) v. To fasten, make firm (Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxii. p. 113).—N.W. (2) adj. 'Pretty trig,' in fairly good health.—S.W. (Steeple Ashton.)

Trigger. The rod let down to 'trig up' the shafts of a cart.—N.W.

*Trim-tram. A gate which swings in a V-shaped enclosure of post and rail, so as to prevent cattle from passing through.—N.W. (Cherhill.)

Trins. Calves' trins, i.e., calves' stomachs, are used in cheese-making.—N.W.

Trip. To take off in jumping.—N.W.

Tripping. The 'take-off' in jumping.—N.W.

'Sometimes they could not leap because the tripping was bad ... sometimes the landing was bad ... or higher than the tripping.—Bevis, ch. v.

Trounce. To have the law of a man, to punish by legal process (A.B.S.); never used of physical punishment.—N.W.

Truckle. (1) v. To roll.—N.W. (2) n. Anything that may be rolled.—N.W. (3) n. A small cheese (S.)—N. & S.W.

Truckle-cheese. A small barrel-shaped cheese of about 6 or 8 lbs.—N. & S.W.

Truckles. (1) 'Sheep's-truckles,' sheep dung; the usual term in N. Wilts. Cf. 'trottles' in Linc., and 'trestles' in Sussex.—N.W. (2) 'To play truckles,' to roll anything, such as a reel, the top of a canister, &c., from one player to another, backwards and forwards.—S.W.

Trumpery. Weeds growing in cultivated ground.—N.W.

'If he'd a-let us have it rent free first year ('cause that land wer all full o' trump'ry that high) we could ha' done.'—Jonathan Merle, ch. xxxvii. p. 412.

Tuck. (1) 'To tuck a rick,' to pull out the uneven hay all round the sides, until they look smooth and even.—N.W. (2) To smart with pain (H.Wr.).—N. & S.W. (3) To blow gustily. 'The wind is so tucking to-day,' i.e. gusty, veering, blowing from all quarters, uncertain.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Tuffin, Tuffin-hay, Tuff-mowing. Late hay made of the rough grass left by the cattle. Turvin (Great Estate, ch. iv).—N.W.

*Tufwort. Probably the nest of Vespa Britannica, which in hot summers has occurred frequently in our hedges in some parts of the county.

'Between Crookwood and what is called "The Folly," they observed a large cluster in one of the fir-trees ... which turned out to be a wasps' nest. The nest, which was nearly as large as a quartern measure, was fully matured, and is described by an expert in taking wasps' nests as what is known as "the tufwort" nest. It consisted of three splendid cakes of comb, enclosed in a web.'—Local Papers, July, 1893.

Tugs. Pieces of chain attached to the hames of the thiller, by which he draws.—N.W.

Tuley. See Tewley.

Tulip-tree. Acer pseudo-platanus, L., Sycamore, the smell or taste of the young shoots being supposed by children to resemble that of the tulip.—S.W. (Salisbury.)

Tump. A hillock (A.B.).—N. & S.W.

Tumpy. Hillocky, uneven (A.)—N.W.

Tun. (1) n. Chimney, chimney-top (A.B.C.). 'Chimney-tun' (Wild Life, ch. viii).—N. & S.W. (2) v. 'To tun,' or 'to tun in,' to pour liquid through a 'tun-dish' into a cask.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard, Devizes, Huish.)

Tun-dish, or Tun-bowl. A kind of wooden funnel, like a small bucket, with hoops round it, and a tube at the bottom, used for pouring liquids into a cask.—N.W. (Devizes, Clyffe Pypard, Huish.) See Measure for Measure, iii. 2.

Turf. Refuse oak-bark from the tanner's, made into cakes for firing (B.H.Wr.).—N.W. (Marlborough, &c.)

*Turn or Torn. A spinning-wheel.—N.W. (obsolete). This word frequently occurs in the Mildenhall parish accounts, as:—

'1793. To Box and Spokes to Torn, 1s. 2d. To a Standard, hoop 4 spokes to Torn, 1s. 3d. To a Hoop 3 spokes to a Torn, 11 d. To 4 legs and standard a hope 5 spokes to Sal's Torn, 2s. 7d. To Mending Bery's Torn, 1s. 6d. 1784. Paid John Rawlins for a Turn, 3s.'

In 1809-10 the word Turn gives place to Spinning-wheel.

*Turnpike. A wire set by a poacher across a hare's run (Amateur Poacher, chs. ii. and vii).—N.W.

Turvin. See Tuffin.

Tutto. See Totty.—N.W.

Tutty. See Totty (S.).—N. & S.W.

*Tut-work. Piece-work (S.).—S.W.

Twinge. (1) n. A long flat cake or loaf of bread.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.) (2) n. A piece of dough, moulded for making into bread.—S.W. (Deverill.)

*Twire. To look wistfully at anything (A.B.C.). 'How he did twire an' twire at she, an' her wouldn't so much as gie 'un a look!' In Cunnington MS. the word is said to have been in common use at that time in N. Wilts.

'The wench ... twired and twinkled at him.'—Fletcher, Women Pleased, p. 41.

'Compare Prov. Germ, zwiren, to take a stolen glance at a thing.—Smythe-Palmer.

*Twi-ripe. Ripening unevenly (D.).

Twit. In cider-making, the same as Perkins, q.v.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

T'year. This year (A.S.) See To-year.—N. & S.W.

U. U is often sounded ow, as fowsty, fusty, dowst, dust, or chaff.

Uck. This very characteristic N. Wilts verb is used in many ways. Stable-litter is ucked about with a fork in cleaning out; weeds are ucked out of a gravel path with an old knife; a cow ucks another with the thrust of her horn; or a bit of cinder is ucked out of the eye with a bennet. See Great Estate, ch. iv, where it is said that anything stirred with a pointed instrument is 'ucked'; also Gamekeeper at Home, ch. ii. 'It is apparently not a perversion of hook, and should be compared with huck, to push, lift, gore, Hants; huck, a hard blow, Suss., and huck, to spread about manure (see Parish, Sussex Gloss.). It is perhaps a by-form of Prov. hike, to toss, throw, or strike' (Rev. A. Smythe-Palmer).

Unbelieving. Of children, disobedient. 'He be that unbelieving, I can't do nothin' wi' un.'—N. & S.W.

Under-creeping. Underhanded.—S.W.

Unempty, Unempt, Unent. v. To empty (S.).—N. & S.W.

Unked or Hunked. Lonely (A.), but always with an idea of uncanniness underlying it. ''Tes a unked rwoad to take late o' nights.' Also Unkid, Unkerd (B.C.), Unkert (C.), and Unket (B.).—N.W.

'The gamekeeper ... regards this place as "unkid"—i.e. weird, uncanny.'—Gamekeeper at Home, ch. iv.

'Related to uncouth = (1) unknown, (2) strange, uncanny, lonely.'—Smythe-Palmer.

'What be the matter with thuck dog you? How he do howl—it sounds main unkid!'—Greene Ferne Farm, ch. ix.

Here unkid=ominous and uncanny.

Unthaw. To thaw (S.Wr.).—N. & S.W.

Up-along. A little way up the street or road (S.). See Down-along.—N. & S.W.

Upping-stock. A horse-block (A.B.).—N.W.

Upsides. 'I'll be upzides wi' un!' I'll be even with him (S)., or a match for him.—N. & S.W.

V. Many words, as Voreright, usually pronounced with a V, will be found under F.

Vag. To reap in the modern style, with a broad 'rip-hook' and a crooked stick, chopping the straw off close to the ground, so as to leave little or no stubble (Walks in the Wheatfields). True reaping should be done with the hand instead of the crooked stick.—N. & S.W.

Vagging-hook. The hook used in vagging.—N. & S.W.

Vagging-stick. The crooked stick, usually hazel, with which the corn is drawn towards the reaper in vagging (Amateur Poacher, ch. iv).—N. & S.W.

*Valiant Sparrow. Yunx torquilla, the Wryneck (Birds of Wilts, p. 257).

Vallens. See Falling (S.).—S.W.

Vamp. To walk about (S.). Much more used in Dorset. 'I zeed she a-vamping half round the town.'—S.W.

*Vamplets. Rude gaiters to defend the legs from wet (A.H.). Cf. Bams. Also used in the New Forest. See Cradock Nowell, ch. xviii, 'Not come with me ... and you with your vamplets on, and all!' where the word is applied to shooting gaiters.—N.W.

Veer. (1) n. A furrow.—N.W. (Glouc. bord.) (2) v. 'To veer out the rudges,' to mark out with the plough the 'rudges' or 'lands' before ploughing the whole field.—N.W.

Veer weather. Chopping, changeable weather.

Veldevare or Veldever. See Velt.

*Vell. The salted stomach of a young calf, used for making rennet.—N.W. (Malmesbury).

*Velleys. The drain where the eaves of a cottage meet.

Velt. The fieldfare. Turdus pilaris (Wild Life, ch. xvi), the usual name for the bird in N. Wilts, there being a few local variants, as Vulver at Huish and Veldever at Clyffe Pypard. Also Veldevare.—N.W.

'Tom was a regular gawney ... and went about wi' a handful o' zalt to catch the veldevares.'—Wilts Tales, p. 177.

Vert. See Plim.

*Vessel. See quotation.—N.W. (Castle Eaton.)

'To wash up the vessel (sing. not pl.) is to wash up plates, dishes, &c.'—Miss E. Boyer-Brown.

Vinney. (1) adj. Mouldy (A.C.S.), as applied to bread or cheese. A.S. fynig. Cunnington MS. points out that it is only used of white or blue mould, never of black or rotten mould. It was said at Hill Deverill of a woman feigning to be bed-ridden, that 'she would lie there abed till she were vinney.' See Blue-vinnied. (2) adj. Nervous. 'Do 'ee stop telling about they ghostises, or 'tull make I vinny.'—N. & S.W.

Vlonkers. See Flunk (S.).—S.W.

Vrail. The whip part of the old-fashioned flail.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Vrammards, Vrammerd. (1) Order to a horse to go from you, as opposed to Toward.—N.W. (2) Hence sometimes used as adj. by ploughmen and others in speaking of anything distant or leaning away from them (Great Estate, ch. viii), as a load of hay or corn with a list to the off.—N.W. (3) n. A vrammerd is a blade set at right angles on a short handle, used for splitting laths or rails.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Vrow. See Brow.

*Vuddles, Vuddels. A spoilt child (A.B.C.H.). In Hants to vuddle a child is to spoil it by injudicious petting.—N.W., obsolete.

Vulver. See Velt.

W. Often not sounded at the beginning of a word. Thus want, a mole, becomes 'oont, and within and without are usually athin and athout.

Waddle up. To wrap up with an excess of clumsily arranged clothing; usually applied to infants.—N.W.

Wag. (1) 'To wag the Church bells,' to set them ringing. Also used of tolling the bell for a funeral.—N. & S.W. (2) To move (S.). 'I be that bad I can't scarce wag.'—N. & S.W. (3) In carrying, the boy who stands at the horses' heads, to move them forward as required, is said to 'wag hoss,' and the order given is 'wag on!'—N.W.

Waggon. The various parts of a waggon in N. Wilts bear the following names:—the bottom is the Waggon-bed. The transverse pieces which support this over the Exes (axles) are the Pillars, Peel (A.). The longitudinal pieces on each side on which the sides rest are the Waggon-blades. The similar pieces under the centre of the bed are the Bed-summers. The cross piece at the back into which the Tail-board hooks is the Shetlock or Shutleck. The Tail Pole joins the front and hind wheels together underneath. The Hound is the fore-carriage over the front wheels. The Slide is the cross-bar on the tail of the 'Hound.' The Dripple is the strip running along the top of the side of the waggon from which over the hind wheels project the Waggon-hoops, and over the front wheels the Raves. The shafts are the Dills or Thills. The Parters are detached pieces of wood at the side, joining the 'Dripple' to the 'Bed.' The Thorough-pin is the pin which fastens the 'Waggon-bed' to the 'Carriage.' Also see Arms, Hoops, Overlayer, Sharps, Draughts, Limbers, Strouter, Ridge-tie, Blades, and Spances.

Wagtails. Briza media, L., Quaking Grass.—N. & S.W.

Wag-wants. Briza media, L., Quaking Grass (S.). Also Weg-wants, Wig-wants, Wing-Wang, and Wagtails.—N. & S.W.

Wake. (1) n. The raked-up line (broader than a hatch or wallow) of hay before it is made up into pooks (Wild Life, ch. vii).—N.W. (2) v. To rake hay into wakes (D.).—N.W.

Wake-at-noon. Ornithogalum umbellatum, L., Star of Bethlehem.—N.W.

Wallow. (1) n. A thin line of hay (Great Estate, ch. iv). Weale in Dorset. (2) v. To rake hay into lines.—N.W. Want. A mole (B.S.); also Woont (B.) and 'oont (Wilts Tales, p. 173; Gamekeeper at Home, ch. ii).—N. & S.W.

'1620. Itm. to William Gosse for killing of wants, xijd.'—Records of Chippenham, p. 202.

Want-catcher, 'oont-catcher. n. A professional mole catcher.—N. & S.W.

Want-heap. A mole-hill.—N. & S.W.

*Want-rear. A mole-hill.—S.W.