ADDENDA

Tile. SeeTeel.

Tiller. The upper handle of a sawyer's long pit-saw. SeeBox.—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 threetiningsis to draw the harrow two or three times over the same place. See Cope'sHants 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.). SeeTang.—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 asHyle.—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.). SeeStodge.—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. SeeHacker.—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 asTutti-men, and carryTutti-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 touchingwood, 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 tofroward.—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.). SeeTraipes.—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'sTop. Descr. Wilts., p. 407.

Triangle. 'To plant cabbages triangle,' to set them inquincunxorder.—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 ofVespa 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. SeeTewley.

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, orTun-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.) SeeMeasure for Measure, iii. 2.

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

*TurnorTorn. 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, 11d. 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 wordTurngives place toSpinning-wheel.

In 1809-10 the wordTurngives place toSpinning-wheel.

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

Turvin. SeeTuffin.

Tutto. SeeTotty.—N.W.

Tutty. SeeTotty(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!' InCunnington 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.

'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 asPerkins, q.v.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

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

U.Uis often soundedow, asfowsty, 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. SeeGreat Estate, ch. iv, where it is said that anything stirred with a pointed instrument is 'ucked'; alsoGamekeeper at Home, ch. ii. 'It is apparently not a perversion ofhook, and should be compared withhuck, 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.

UnkedorHunked. Lonely (A.), but always with an idea of uncanniness underlying it. ''Tes a unked rwoad to take late o' nights.' AlsoUnkid,Unkerd(B.C.),Unkert(C.), andUnket(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.

'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.

Hereunkid=ominous and uncanny.

Unthaw. To thaw (S.Wr.).—N. & S.W.

Up-along. A little way up the street or road (S.). SeeDown-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, asVoreright, usually pronounced with a V, will be found underF.

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. SeeFalling(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. SeeCradock 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.

VeldevareorVeldever. SeeVelt.

*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, asVulverat Huish andVeldeverat Clyffe Pypard. AlsoVeldevare.—N.W.

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

Vert. SeePlim.

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

'To wash up the vessel (sing.notpl.) is to wash up plates, dishes, &c.'—MissE. 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.' SeeBlue-vinnied. (2)adj.Nervous. 'Do 'ee stop telling about they ghostises, or 'tull make I vinny.'—N. & S.W.

Vlonkers. SeeFlunk(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 toToward.—N.W. (2) Hence sometimes used asadj.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.Avrammerdis a blade set at right angles on a short handle, used for splitting laths or rails.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Vrow. SeeBrow.

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

Vulver. SeeVelt.

W. Often not sounded at the beginning of a word. Thuswant, a mole, becomes 'oont, andwithinandwithoutare usuallyathinandathout.

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 theWaggon-bed. The transverse pieces which support this over theExes(axles) are thePillars,Peel(A.). The longitudinal pieces on each side on which the sides rest are theWaggon-blades. The similar pieces under the centre of the bed are theBed-summers. The cross piece at the back into which theTail-boardhooks is theShetlockorShutleck. TheTail Polejoins the front and hind wheels together underneath. TheHoundis the fore-carriage over the front wheels. TheSlideis the cross-bar on the tail of the 'Hound.' TheDrippleis the strip running along the top of the side of the waggon from which over the hind wheels project theWaggon-hoops, and over the front wheels theRaves. The shafts are theDillsorThills. ThePartersare detached pieces of wood at the side, joining the 'Dripple' to the 'Bed.' TheThorough-pinis the pin which fastens the 'Waggon-bed' to the 'Carriage.' Also seeArms,Hoops,Overlayer,Sharps,Draughts,Limbers,Strouter,Ridge-tie,Blades, andSpances.

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

Wag-wants.Briza media, L., Quaking Grass (S.). AlsoWeg-wants,Wig-wants,Wing-Wang, andWagtails.—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).Wealein Dorset. (2)v.To rake hay into lines.—N.W.Want. A mole (B.S.); alsoWoont(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.

Waps,Wopse. A wasp (A.S.). A.S.wœps.—N. & S.W.

Warnd,Warn. To warrant (A.S.). 'You'll get un, I warnd.'—N. & S.W.

Warning-stone. SeeGauge-brick. Also seeAddenda.

Wart-wort. (1)Chelidonium majus, L., The Greater Celandine, the juice of which is used to burn away warts.—N. & S.W. (2)Euphorbia Peplus, L., Petty Spurge.—N.W.

Wassail. A drinking-song, sung by men who go about at Christmas wassailing (A.B.).—N.W.

Wassailing,Waysailing. Going about singing and asking for money at Christmas (A.B.).—N.W.

*Wasset-man. A scarecrow (A.B.G.H.Wr.); alsoWusset(H.Wr.).—N.W.

Watch. If a hay-rick is so badly made that it heats, the owner is often so ashamed of it that he attempts to set the matter right before his neighbours find it out. If a passer-by notices him poking about the hay as if searching for something in it, the ironical question is asked—'Have you lost your watch there?'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.) Cp. 'To drop your watch in the bottom of the rick.'—Upton-on-Severn Words, p. 34.

Watchet,Wetched,Wetchet. Wet about the feet.Wotshedat Cherhill.Wetched(A.).—N.W.

'Either way, by lane or footpath, you are sure to get what the country folk call "watchet," i.e. wet.'—Wild Life, ch. vi.'You'd best come along o' me to the lower lands ... for it be mighty wet there these marnins, and ye'll get watshed for certin.'—The Story of Dick, ch. xii. p. 142.

'Either way, by lane or footpath, you are sure to get what the country folk call "watchet," i.e. wet.'—Wild Life, ch. vi.

'You'd best come along o' me to the lower lands ... for it be mighty wet there these marnins, and ye'll get watshed for certin.'—The Story of Dick, ch. xii. p. 142.

*Water Anemone.Ranunculus hederaceus, L., Ivy-leafed Crowfoot.—S.W. (Zeals.)

*Water-blobb.Nuphar lutea, Sm., The Water-lily (A.B.). SeeBlobbs.

*Water-buttercup.Ranunculus Flammula, L., Lesser Spear-wort.—S.W. (Zeals.)

Water-Cuckoo.Cardamine pratensis, L., Lady's Smock. SeeCuckoo.—S.W.

Water-lily. (1)Caltha palustris, L., Marsh Marigold.—N. & S.W. *(2)Ranunculus aquatilis, L., Water Crowfoot.—S.W. (Charlton All Saints.)

*Wayside-bread.Plantago major, L., Plantain (English Plant Names). Cp. M.E.wey-bredein the 'Promptorium.'

Weather-glass.Anagallis arvensis, L., Scarlet Pimpernel. SeeShepherd's Weather-glass.—N. & S.W.

Weeth. (i)adj.Tough and pliable (A.B.C.S.).—N.W. (2)adj.Of bread, moist and yet not too soft. 'I puts my lease bread on the pantony shelf, and it soon gets nice and weeth.' Often pronounced aswee.—N. & S.W.

Weffet,Wevet. A spider.—S.W., occasionally.

Weg-wants. SeeWag-wants.

Weigh-jolt. A see-saw (A.B.H.Wr.).—Formerly in common use at Clyffe Pypard, N.W.

Welch-nut. A walnut (MS. Lansd.).—N. & S.W.

*Well-at-ease. In good health, hearty.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Well-drock. The windlass over a well.—S.W.

West(pronouncedWaast). A stye in the eye. SeeWish.—S.W.

Wheat-reed. Straw preserved unthreshed for thatching (D.). SeeElmsandReed.—S.W., obsolete.

*Wheeling. 'It rains wheeling,' i.e. hard or pouring.—N.W. (Lockeridge.)Whicker,Wicker. (1) To neigh or whinny as a horse, bleat as a goat, whine as a dog, &c. (S.;Village Miners;Wilts Arch. Mag.vol. xxii. p. 114).—N.W. (2) To giggle.—N.W. *(3) 'To find a wicker's nest,' to be seized with an irrepressible fit of giggling (Village Miners).—N.W.

*Whip land. Land not divided by meres, but measured out, when ploughed, by the whip's length (D.).

Whippence. The fore-carriage of a plough or harrow, &c. (D.).—N.W.

Whipwhiles. Meanwhile (S.). A Somersetshire word.—S.W.

Whissgig. (1)v.To lark about. Wissgigin, larking (S.).—N. & S.W. (2)n.A lark, a bit of fun or tomfoolery. 'Now, none o' your whissgigs here!'—N.W.

Whissgiggy.adj.Frisky, larky.—N.W.

*White. 'Cow white'=cow in milk. 'Calf white'=sucking calf.

'All the small tithes such as wool and lamb, cow white and calf &c. throughout all parts of the parish unexpressed in the several foregoing particulars. The usual rates at present being fourpence a cow white—sixpence a calf ... the sheep, lambs and calves are due at St. Mark's tide—the cow white, and fatting cattle at Lammas.'—Hilmarton Parish Terrier, 1704. SeeWilts Arch. Mag.vol. xxiv. p. 126.

Usually defined as above, but perhaps more correctly written ascow-witeandcalf-wite, i.e. the mulct or payment for a cow or calf.

'Tythes of Wool and Lambs and Calves, and three half pence which is due and payable at Lammas being Composition Money for the Tythe White of every Cow.'—Wilcot Parish Terrier, 1704.

As regards the ordinary derivation, comparewhite-house, a dairy,white-meat, milk,whites, milk.

'Wheatly (On the Common Prayer, ed. 1848, pp. 233-4) quotes from a letter of one G. Langbain, 1650, as follows:—"certe quod de Lacte vaccarum refert, illud percognitum habeo in agroHamtoniensi(an et alibi nescio) decimas Lacticiniorum venire vulgo sub hoc nomine,The Whites of Kine; apud Leicestrenses etiam Lacticinia vulgariter dicunturWhitemeat."'—Smythe-Palmer.

White Couch. SeeCouch.

White-flower.Stellaria Holostea, L., Greater Stitchwort.—N.W. (Huish.)

*White-house. A dairy (H.Wr.).

White-livered. Pale and unhealthy-looking (S.).—N. & S.W. At Clyffe Pypard the word has a yet stronger idea of disease about it, and a 'white-livered' woman is popularly supposed to be almost as dangerous as was the poison-nurtured Indian beauty who was sent as a present to Alexander the Great. How the 'whiteness' of the liver is to be detected is not very clear, but probably it is by the pallor of the face. At any rate, if you discover that a young woman is 'white-livered,' do not on any account marry her, because the whiteness of the liver is of a poisonous nature, and you assuredly will not live long with a white-livered young woman for your wife. It is most unhealthy, and ifshedoes not die,youwill! The word is so used of both sexes.

White Robin Hood.Silene inflata, L., Bladder Campion.—S.W. (Zeals.)

White-wood.Viburnum Lantana, L., Mealy Guelder-rose.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)White-weed.—S.W. (Farley).

*Whitty-tree.Viburnum Lantana, L. (Aubrey,Nat. Hist. Wilts, p. 56, ed. Brit.)

Whiver. (1) To quiver, hover, flutter.Wiver(S.).—S.W. (2) To waver, hesitate.—S.W.

*Who'say,Hoosay. An idle report.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Wicker. SeeWhicker.

Wig-wants. SeeWag-wants.

Wild Asparagus.Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, L., Spiked Star of Bethlehem.—S.W. (Som. bord.)

Wildern(ishort). An apple-tree run wild in the hedges, as opposed to a true crab-tree.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

*Wild Willow.Epilobium hirsutum, L., Great Hairy Willow-herb (Great Estate, ch. ii).

Will-jill. An impotent person or hermaphrodite.—N.W. CompareWilgilandJohn-and-Joanin Hal.

*Willow-wind. (1)Convolvulus, Bindweed (Great Estate, ch. viii). (2)Polygonum Fagopyrum, L., Buckwheat (Ibid.).

Wiltshire Weed, The. The Common Elm. See notice inAthenaeum, 1873, of Jefferies'Goddard Memoir, alsoWilts Arch. Mag.vol. x. p. 160. This is a term frequently occurring in books and articles on Wilts, but it would not be understood by the ordinary Wiltshire folk.

Wim. To winnow.—S.W.

Wind-mow. A cock of a waggon-load or more, into which hay is sometimes put temporarily in catchy weather (D.), containing about 15 cwt. in N. Wilts, and a ton elsewhere.—N. & S.W.

Wing-wang. SeeWag-wants.

Winter-proud. Of wheat, too rank (D.), as is frequently the case after a mild winter. SeeProud.—N.W.

Wirral,Worral, orWurral.Ballota nigra, L., Black Horehound.—S.W. (Som. bord.)

Wish,Wisp. A sty in the eye.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard, &c.)

Wissgigin. SeeWhissgig(1).

Withwind, orWithwine.Convolvulus sepium, L., Great Bindweed, and other species (A.B.D.S.).Wave-wineorWither-wine(Cycl. of Agric.);Withywindon Som. border.—N. & S.W.

Wivel,Wyvel. To blow as wind does round a corner or through a hole.—N.W.

Wivelly, orWivel-minded. Undecided, wavering, fickle, and untrustworthy (Village Miners).—N.W.

Wiver. SeeWhiver.

Womble.v.To wobble about from weakness, &c. (Dark, ch. iv, where it is used of children who come to school without having had any breakfast).—N. &. S.W., occasionally.

Wombly.adj.Wobbly (Dark, ch. iv).

Wonderment. (1)n.A sight or pastime of any kind.—N.W. (2)n.Any occupation that appears fanciful and unpractical to the rustic mind. Thus a boy who had a turn for inventions, drawing, verse-making, butterfly-collecting, or anything else of a similar nature which lies outside the ordinary routine of a labourer's daily life, would be described as always 'aater his 'oonderments.'—N.W. (3)v.To play the fool, waste time over unprofitable work.—N.W.

*Wood-sour.adj.Of soil, loose, spongy. AlsoWoodsere.—N.W., obsolete.

'The strong red land on the high level parts of the Downs ... once wood-land, and sometimes expressly called "wood-sour" land.'—Agric. of Wilts, ch. xii.'A poor wood-sere land very natural for the production of oaks.'—Aubrey,Miscell. p. 211.'It is a wood-sere country abounding much with sour and austere plants.'—Aubrey,Nat. Hist. of Wilts, p. 11, ed. Brit.

'The strong red land on the high level parts of the Downs ... once wood-land, and sometimes expressly called "wood-sour" land.'—Agric. of Wilts, ch. xii.

'A poor wood-sere land very natural for the production of oaks.'—Aubrey,Miscell. p. 211.

'It is a wood-sere country abounding much with sour and austere plants.'—Aubrey,Nat. Hist. of Wilts, p. 11, ed. Brit.

Wood-wax. *(1)Genista tinctoria, L., Dyer's Greenweed (D.), Aubrey'sNat. Hist. Wilts, pp. 34 and 49, ed. Brit.—N. & S.W. (2)Genista Anglica, L., Needle Whin.—S.W. (Farley.)

Wooset. SeeHoussett.

Wooster-blister. A smack in the face or box on the ear.—S.W. (Som. bord.) Cf. Som.Whister-twister, and Dev.Whister-poop.

*Works. In a water-meadow, the system of trenches and carriages by which the water is brought in and distributed (Agric. of Wilts, ch. xii).

Worsen.v.To grow worse. 'You be worsened a deal since I seen 'ee laast, I d' lot as you bean't a gwain' to live long.'—N. & S.W.

Wosbird. A term of reproach (A.),=whore's brood. There are many variants, asHosebird,Husbird, andOozebird. Much commoner in Devon.—N. & S.W.

'They're a couple o' th' ugliest wosbirds in the vair.'—Wilts Tales, p. 89.

In hisDictionary of Provincial English, Wright defines this as 'a wasp,' a mistake too amusing to be passed over! Probably his informant heard a rustic who had got into a wasp's nest, and been badly stung, 'danging they wosbirds,'and on asking what he meant by 'wosbirds' was told that they were the 'wopses,' and not unnaturally concluded that the two words were synonyms.

Wout. A carter's order to a horse to bear off. The opposite to Coom hether.

Wrap.n.A thin strip of wood. SeeRap.

Wrastle. To spread, as cancer, fire, roots, &c.—N.W.

'These fires are, or were, singularly destructive in villages—the flames running from thatch to thatch, and, as they express it, "wrastling" across the intervening spaces. A pain is said to "wrastle," or shoot and burn.'—Wild Life, ch. iv. p. 68.

*Wreaths. The long rods used in hurdle-making (D.).

Wrick,Rick. To twist or wrench. 'I've bin an' wricked me ankly.' M.E.wrikken.—N. & S.W.

Wridgsty. SeeRidge-tie.

Wrist. To twist, especially used of wringing the neck of a rabbit or fowl (Amateur Poacher, ch. xi).—N.W.

Wug,Woog. Order to a horse (S.).—N. & S.W.

Wusset. SeeWasset-man.

Wusted. Looking very ill, grown worse.—N.W.

Y. Many words beginning with H, G, or a vowel, are usually sounded with Y prefixed, asYacker, acre;Yeppern, apron;Yat, orYeat, gate;Yeldin, a hilding; andYerriwig, earwig.

Verbs ending inyoften drop that letter. Thus empty and study becomeemptandstud.

The free infinitive inywas formerly much used, but is now dying out. It was used in a general question, as 'Can youmowy?' Were a special piece of work referred to,mowywould not be correct, the question then being simply 'Can youmowthuck there meäd?'

The following example of the 'free infinitive' is given inCunnington MS.:—

'There is also here a Peculiar mode of forming active verbs from Nouns, which are generally in use as apellations for professions—takean Example. Well Mary, how do you get on in Life? what do you and your family donowto get a Living in these times—Wy Zur we do aal vind Zummut to do—Jan, ye know, he doSmithey[work as a smith] Jin the beggist wench do spinney the Little one do Lace makey—I doChorey[go out as a Chore Woman] and the two Boys do Bird keepey—that is One works as a smith—one spins one makes Lace one goes out as a Chore woman & two are Bird keepers which Latter term were more to the purpose if expressed Bird frightener or driver.'

Yap,Yop. (1) To yelp as a dog (S.).—N. & S.W. (2) To talk noisily. 'What be a yopping there for?'—N.W.

*Yard-land. Land sufficient for a plough of oxen and a yard to winter them; an ancient copyhold tenure (D.).—Obsolete.

*Yard of land. A quarter of an acre, because formerly, in common lands forty poles long, the quarter acre was a land-yard wide (D.).—Obsolete.

Yea-nay. 'A yea-nay chap,' one who does not know his own mind.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Yeemath. Aftermath (B.).Youmath(A.B.).Yeomath(A.H.Wr.). Probably =young math, cp.young grassin W. Somerset. Cp.Ea-math,Ameädat Cherhill,Ea-grassin S. Wilts.—N.W.

Yees. An earthworm. SeeEass.

Yelding,Yeldin. n. A hilding (A): a woman of bad character (Wilts Tales, p. 3).—N.W.

'I've allus bin respectable wi' my women volk, and I wun't ha'e no yeldin' belongin' to ma.'—Dark, ch. xix.

Yellucks. SeeHullocky.

Yelm,Yelms. SeeElms(S.).—N. & S.W.

*Yellow-cups. Buttercups in general.—S.W. (Zeals.)

Yellow-Thatch.Lathyrus pratensis, L., Meadow Vetchling.—N. & S.W.

*Yoke. SeeFork(Wild Life, ch. vi).

Yop. SeeYap.

*You. This word is often thrown in at the end of a sentence, sometimes as a kind of query—'Don't you think so?'—but usually to give a strong emphasis to some assertion.—N.W.

'A' be a featish-looking girl, you.'—Greene Ferne Farm, ch. i.'Fine growing marning, you.'—Ibid.ch. i.'That be a better job than ourn, you.'—Hodge and his Masters, ch. vii.

'A' be a featish-looking girl, you.'—Greene Ferne Farm, ch. i.

'Fine growing marning, you.'—Ibid.ch. i.

'That be a better job than ourn, you.'—Hodge and his Masters, ch. vii.

Yuckel,Yuckle. A woodpecker (A.H.Wr.). So called from its cry,Yuc,yuc.—N.W.

Yaught,Yawt. To swallow, to drink. 'There's our Bill—he can yaught down drenk like anything,' or 'He can yaught a deal.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard, Huish, &c.)

Z. Among the old peopleSis still usually sounded asZ, asZaatorZate, soft;Zound, to swoon;Zorrens, servings, &c. SeeSfor many such instances.

*Zaad-paul. This term used to be commonly applied about Aldbourne to an utterly good-for-nothing fellow, but is gradually dying out now. It probably means 'soft head.' SeeSaat.

*Zam. To heat anything for some time over the fire, without letting it come to the boil.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Zammy. (1)n.A simpleton, a soft-headed fellow (S.).—S.W. *(2)adj.'Zammy tea,' half-cold, insipid tea.—N.W. (Hullavington.)

Zam-zodden. Long-heated over a slow fire, and so half spoilt. This and the last two words belong to Som. rather than Wilts. A.S.sām-soden, half boiled.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Afterclaps. Consequences, results.Atterclaps(S.).—N. & S.W.

All-amang.Add:—

Back to Index Next