Chapter 2

'Lore ta zee zom on'ms hair,Like girt bee pots a hanging there.'—Slow'sPoems, p. 43.

Been,Bin. Because, since; a corruption ofbeing(B.S.). 'Bin as he don't go, I won't.'—N.W.

Bees. A hive is aBee-pot.Bee-flowersare those purposely grown near an apiary, as sources of honey. Of swarms, only the first is aSwarm, the second being aSmart, and the third aChit. To follow a swarm, beating a tin pan, isRingingorTanging.—N.W.

*Beet. To make up a fire (A.B.C.G.). A.S.bétan, to better; to mend a fire (Skeat).—N.W., obsolete.

Beetle. (1) The heavy double-handed wooden mallet used in driving in posts, wedges, &c.Bittle(A.H.).Bwytle(S.). AlsoBwoitle.—N. & S.W.

'On another [occasion] (2nd July, 25 Hen. VIII) ... William Seyman was surety ... for the re-delivery of the tools, "cuncta instrumenta videlicet Beetyll, Ax, Matock, and Showlys."'—Stray Notes from the Marlborough Court Books,Wilts Arch. Mag.xix. 78.

(2) The small mallet with which thatchers drive home their 'spars.'—S.W.

*Beggar-weed.Cuscuta Trifolii, Bab., Dodder; from its destructiveness to clover, &c. (English Plant Names).

Bellock. (1) To cry like a beaten or frightened child (A.B.).—N.W., rarely. (2) To complain, to grumble (Dark, ch. x.).—N.W.

*Belly vengeance. Very small and bad beer.—N.W.

'Beer of thevery smallestdescription, real "belly vengeance."'—Wilts Tales, p. 40.

Cf.:—

'I thought you wouldn't appreciate the widow's tap.... Regular whistle-belly vengeance, and no mistake!'—Tom Brown at Oxford, xl.

Belt. To trim away the dirty wool from a sheep's hind-quarters.—N.W.

*Bennet.v.Of wood-pigeons, to feed on bennets (A.).

'They have an old rhyme in Wiltshire—"Pigeons never know no woeTill they a-benetting do go;"meaning that pigeons at this time are compelled to feed on the seed of the bent, the stubbles being cleared, and the crops not ripe.'—Akerman.

'They have an old rhyme in Wiltshire—

"Pigeons never know no woeTill they a-benetting do go;"

meaning that pigeons at this time are compelled to feed on the seed of the bent, the stubbles being cleared, and the crops not ripe.'—Akerman.

Bennets,Bents. (1) Long coarse grass or rushes (B.).—N.W. (2) Seed-stalks of various grasses (A.); used of both withered stalks of coarse grasses and growing heads of cat's-tail, &c.—N. & S.W. (3) Seed-heads of Plantain,Plantago major, L., andP. lanceolata, L.—N. & S.W.

Bents. SeeBennets.

Bercen(chard). SeeBarken. 'This form of the word is given inMS. Gough,Wilts, 5, as current in Wilts' (H.K.Wr.).

Berry. The grain of wheat (D.); as 'There's a very good berry to-year,' or 'The wheat's well-berried,' or the reverse. SeeOld Country Words, ii. and v.—N.W.

Berry-moucher. (1) A truant. SeeBlackberry-moucherandMoucher(A.).—N. & S.W. (2) Fruit ofRubus fruticosus, L., Blackberry. SeeMoochers.—N.W. (Huish.) Originally applied to children who went mouching from school in blackberry season, and widely used in this sense, but at Huish—and occasionally elsewhere—virtually confined to the berries themselves: often corrupted intoPenny-moucherorPerry-moucherby children. InEnglish Plant NamesMochars,Glouc., and Mushes,Dev., are quoted as being similarly applied to the fruit, which is also known as Mooches in the Forest of Dean. See Hal., sub.Mich.

Besepts. Except.—N. & S.W.

'Here's my yeppurn they've a'bin and scarched, and I've a-got narra 'nother 'gin Zunday besepts this!'—Wilts Tales, p. 138.

Besom,Beesom,Bissom, &c. A birch broom (A.B.S.).—N. & S.W.

*Betwit. To upbraid (A.B.).

Bide. (1) To stay, remain (A.S.). 'Bide still, will 'ee.'—N. & S.W. (2) To dwell (A.). 'Where do 'ee bide now, Bill?' 'Most-in-general at 'Vize.'—N. & S.W.

Bill Button.Geum rivale, L., Water Avens.—S.W.

Bin. SeeBeen.

Bird-batting. Netting birds at night with a 'bat-folding' or clap-net (A.B., Aubrey'sNat. Hist. Wilts, p. 15, ed. Brit.). Bird-battenen (S.).—N. & S.W.

Bird's-eye. (1)Veronica Chamaedrys, L., Germander Speedwell.—N. & S.W. (2)Anagallis arvensis, L., Scarlet Pimpernel.—S.W. (3)Veronica officinalis, L., Common Speedwell.—S.W. (Barford.)

Bird's-nest. The seed-head of Daucus Carota, L., Wild Carrot.—N. & S.W.

'The flower of the wild carrot gathers together as the seeds mature, and forms a framework cup at the top of the stalk, like a bird's-nest. These "bird's-nests," brown and weather-beaten, endured far into the winter.'—Great Estate, ch. vii. p. 137.'The whole tuft is drawn together when the seed is ripe, resembling a bird's nest.'—Gerarde.

'The whole tuft is drawn together when the seed is ripe, resembling a bird's nest.'—Gerarde.

Bird-seed. Seed-heads of Plantain.—N. & S.W.

Bird-squoilin. SeeSquail(S.).

Bird-starving. Bird-keeping.—N.W.

'This we call bird-keeping, but the lads themselves, with an appreciation of the other side of the case, call it "bird-starving."'—Village Miners.

Birds'-wedding-day. St. Valentine's Day.—S.W. (Bishopstone.)

Bishop-wort.Mentha aquatica, L., Hairy Mint.—S.W. (Hants bord.)

Bissom. SeeBesom.

Bittish.adj.Somewhat. ''Twer a bittish cowld isterday.'—N. & S.W.

Bittle. SeeBeetle.

Biver. To tremble, quiver, shiver as with a cold or fright (S.). Cp. A.S.bifian, to tremble.—N. & S.W.

'Bless m' zoul, if I dwon't think our maester's got the ager! How a hackers an bivers, to be zhure!'—Wilts Tales, p. 55.

Bivery.adj.Shivery, tremulous. When a baby is just on the verge of crying, its lip quivers and is 'bivery.'—N.W.

Blackberry-moucher. (1) A truant from school in the blackberry season (H.). SeeBerry-moucher, Mouch, &c.—N.W. (Huish, &c.)

'A blackberry moucher, an egregious truant.'—Dean Milles' MS., p. 180.

(2) Hence, the fruit ofRubus fruticosus, L., Blackberry. SeeBerry-moucher, Moochers, &c.—N.W. (Huish, &c.)

*Blackberry-token.Rubus caesius, L., Dewberry (English Plant Names).

Black-Bess. SeeBlack-Bob.

Black-Bob. A cockroach (S.).Black-Besson Berks border.—S.W.

Black-boys. (1) Flower-heads of Plantain.—N.W. (Huish.) (2)Typha latifolia, L., Great Reedmace.—N.W. (Lyneham.)

*Black Couch. A form ofAgrostisthat has small wiry blackish roots (D).Agrostis stolonifera.

Black Sally.Salix Caprea, L., Great Round-leaved Sallow, from its dark bark (Amateur Poacher, ch. iv). Clothes-pegs are made from its wood.—N.W.

*Black Woodpecker.Picus major, Great Spotted Woodpecker (Birds of Wilts, p. 253). Also known as the Gray Woodpecker.

Blades. The shafts of a waggon (S.).—S.W.

Blare, Blur. To shout or roar out loudly (S.).—N. & S.W.

Blatch. (1)adj.Black, sooty (A.B.).—N.W. (2)n.Smut, soot. 'Thuc pot be ael over blatch.'—N.W. (3)v.To blacken. 'Now dwon't 'ee gwo an' blatch your veäce wi' thuc thur dirty zoot.'—N.W.

Bleachy. Brackish.—S.W. (Som. bord.)

Bleat. Bleak, open, unsheltered. 'He's out in the bleat,' i.e. out in the open in bad weather. See K for examples of letter-change.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Bleeding Heart.Cheiranthus Cheiri, L., the red Wallflower (A.B.).—N.W.

Blind-hole.n.A rabbit hole which ends in undisturbed soil, as opposed to a Pop-hole, q.v. (Gamekeeper at Home, ch. vi. p. 120).—N.W.

Blind-house. A lock-up.

'1629. Item paied for makeing cleane the blind-house vijd.'—Records of Chippenham, p. 204.

Blind-man.Papaver Rhoeas, L., &c., the Red Poppy, which is locally supposed to cause blindness, if looked at too long.—S.W. (Hamptworth.)

*Blink. A spark, ray, or intermittent glimmer of light (A.B.). SeeFlunk.

*Blinking. This adjective is used, in a very contemptuous sense, by several Wilts agricultural writers.

'A short blinking heath is found on many parts [of the downs].'—Agric. of Wilts, ch. xii.

Compare:—

''Twas a little one-eyed blinking sort o' place.'—Tess of the D'Urbervilles, vol. i. p. 10.

*Blissey. A blaze (A.H.Wr.). A.S.blysige, a torch.

Blobbs, Water Blobs. Blossoms ofNuphar lutea, Sm., Yellow Water Lily (A.B.); probably from the swollen look of the buds. Cf.Blub up.

Blood-alley. A superior kind of alley or taw, veined with deep red, and much prized by boys (S.).—N. & S.W.

Bloody WarrThe dark-blossomed Wallflower,Cheiranthus Cheiri, L. (A.B.S.).—N. & S.W.

Blooens. SeeBluens.

Bloom. Of the sun; to shine scorchingly (B.); to throw out heat as a fire. 'How the sun do bloom out atween the clouds!'—N.W.

Blooming. Very sultry, as ''Tis a main blooming day.'—S.W. (Salisbury.)

Bloomy. Sultry.Bloomy-hot.Excessively sultry (A.B.).—S.W.

Blooth, Blowth. Bloom or blossom.—S.W.

Blossom. A snow-flake. 'What girt blossoms 'twer to the snow isterday!'—N. & S.W.

'Snow-flakes are called "blossoms." The word snow-flake is unknown.'—Village Miners.

Blow. Sheep and cattle 'blow' themselves, or get 'blowed,' from over-eating when turned out into very heavy grass or clover, the fermentation of which often kills them on the spot, their bodies becoming terribly inflated with wind. See the description of the 'blasted' flock, inFar from the Madding Crowd, ch. xxi.—N. & S.W.

Blowing. A blossom (A.B.H.Wr.). SeeBluen.—N.W.

Blowth. SeeBlooth.

Blub up. To puff or swell up. A man out of health and puffy about the face is said to look 'ter'ble blubbed up.' Cf. Blobbs.—N.W. Compare:—

'My face was blown and blub'd with dropsy wan.'—Mirror for Magistrates.

Blue Bottle.Scilla nutans, Sm., Wild Hyacinth.—S.W.

Blue Buttons. (1)Scabiosa arvensis, L., Field Scabious.—S.W. (2)S. Columbaria, L., Small Scabious.—S.W.

Blue Cat. One who is suspected of being an incendiary. 'He has the name of a blue cat.' SeeLewis's Cat.—S.W. (Salisbury.)

Blue Eyes.Veronica Chamaedrys, L., Germander Speedwell.—N.W.

Blue Goggles.Scilla nutans, Sm., Wild Hyacinth. Cf.GreyglesorGreggles.—S.W.

BluenorBlooens.pl.Blossoms (S.). Also used in Devon.—N. & S.W.

Blue-vinnied. Covered with blue mould. See Vinney. Commoner in Dorset as applied to cheese, &c.—N. & S.W.

Blunt. 'A cold blunt,' a spell of cold weather. See Snow-blunt. CompareBlunk, a fit of stormy weather, which is used in the East of England.—N.W.

Blur. SeeBlare. In Raleigh's account of the fight in Cadiz Bay, he says that as he passed through the cross-fire of the galleys and forts, he replied 'with a blur of the trumpet to each piece, disdaining to shoot.'

Board. To scold, to upbraid. 'Her boarded I just about.'—S.W. (occasionally.)

Boar Stag. A boar which, after having been employed for breeding purposes for a time, is castrated and set aside for fattening (D.). Cf.Bull Stag.—N.W.

Boat. Children cut apples and oranges into segments, which they sometimes call 'pigs' or 'boats.'

Bob. In a timber carriage, the hind pair of wheels with the long pole or lever attached thereto.—N.W. In Canada 'bob-sleds' are used for drawing logs out of the woods.

*Bobbant. Of a girl, romping, forward (A.B.H.Wr.).—N.W.

Bobbish. In good health (A.B.S.). 'Well, an' how be 'ee to-day?' 'Purty bobbish, thank 'ee.'—N. & S.W.

Bob-grass.Bromus mollis, L.—S.W.

*Bochant. The same asBobbant(A.B.G.H.Wr.).

Bod. SeeBad.

Boistins. The first milk given by a cow after calving (A.). See N.E.D. (s.v. Beestings).—N.W.

Bolt. In basket-making, a bundle of osiers 40 inches round. (Amateur Poacher, ch. iv. p. 69).

Boltin,Boulting. A sheaf of five or ten 'elms,' prepared beforehand for thatching. 'Elms' are usually made up on the spot, but are occasionally thus prepared at threshing-time, and tied up and laid aside till required, when they need only be damped, and are then ready for use. Cf.Bolt.—N.W.

Bombarrel Tit.Parus caudatus, the Long-tailed Titmouse (Great Estate, ch. ii. p. 26). Jefferies considers this a corruption of 'Nonpareil.'—N.W.

Book of Clothes. SeeBuck(Monthly Mag., 1814).

Boon Days. Certain days during winter on which farmers on the Savernake estate were formerly bound to haul timber for their landlord.

*Boreshore. A hurdle-stake (S.).—S.W.

'This is a kind of hurdle stake which can be used in soft ground without an iron pitching bar being required to bore the hole first for it. Hence it is called bore-shore by shepherds.'—Letter from Mr. Slow.

*Borky. (Baulky?) Slightly intoxicated.—S.W.

*Borsy. See *Bawsy.

Bossell.Chrysanthemum segetum, L., Corn Marigold (D.).Bozzell(Flowering Plants of Wilts).—N. & S.W.

Bossy,Bossy-calf. A young calf, whether male or female.—N.W.

Bottle. The wooden keg, holding a gallon or two, used for beer in harvest-time (Wild Life, ch. vii).—N. & S.W.

Bottle-tit.Parus caudatus, L., the Long-tailed Titmouse.—N.W.

Bottom. A valley or hollow in the downs.—N. & S.W.

Boulting. SeeBoltin.

Bounceful. Masterful, domineering. SeePounceful.—N.W.

Bourne. (1)n.A valley between the chalk hills; a river in such a valley; also river and valley jointly (D.).—N. & S.W.

'In South Wilts they say, such or such a bourn: meaning a valley by such a river.'—Aubrey'sNat. Hist. Wilts, p. 28. Ed. Brit.

(2)v.In gardening, when marking out a row of anything with pegs, you 'bourne' them, or glance along them to see that they are in line.—N.W.

BoxorHand-box. The lower handle of a sawyer's long pit-saw, the upper handle being theTiller.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Boy's-love.Artemisia Abrotanum, L., Southernwood (A.B.).—N. & S.W.

Boys. The long-pistilled or 'pin-eyed' flowers of the Primrose,Primula vulgaris, Huds. SeeGirls.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Bozzell. SeeBossell.

*Bozzy. See *Bawsy.

Brack.n.A fracture, break, crack (S.). 'There's narra brack nor crack in 'un.'—N. & S.W.

Brain-stone. A kind of large round stone (Aubrey'sNat. Hist. Wilts, p. 9, ed. Brit., H.Wr.). Perhaps a lump of water-worn fossil coral, such as occasionally now bears this name among N. Wilts cottagers.

*Bramstickle. SeeBannis(S.).

Brandy-bottles.Nuphar lutea, Sm., Yellow Water-lily.—S.W. (Mere, &c.)

Brave.adj.Hearty, in good health (A.B.).—N.W.

Bread-and-Cheese. (1)Linaria vulgaris, Mill., Yellow Toadflax.—N. & S.W. (2) Fruit ofMalva sylvestris, L., Common Mallow (S.).—S.W. (3) Young leaves and shoots ofCrataegus Oxyacantha, L., Hawthorn, eaten by children in spring (English Plant Names).—S.W. (Salisbury.)

Bread-board. The earth-board of a plough (D.).Broad-boardin N. Wilts.

Break. To tear. 'She'll break her gownd agen thuc tharn.' You stillbreaka bit of muslin, but toteara trace or a plate now grows obsolete.—N.W. Similarly used in Hants, as

'I havea-tornmy best decanter ... havea-brokemy fine cambrick aporn.'—Cope'sHants Glossary.

Brevet,Brivet. (1) To meddle, interfere, pry into.—N.W.

'Who be you to interfere wi' a man an' he's vam'ly? Get awver groundsell, or I'll stop thy brevettin' for a while.'—Dark, ch. xix.

(2)To brevet about, to beat about, as a dog for game (A.).—N.W. AlsoPrivet.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard; Castle Eaton, &c.)

'Brivet, a word often applied to children when they wander about aimlessly and turn over things.'—Leisure Hour, Aug. 1893.

*(3) To pilfer. 'If she'll brevet one thing, she'll brevet another.'—N.W. (Mildenhall.)

Bribe. To taunt, to bring things up against any one, to scold. 'What d'ye want to kip a-bribing I o' that vur?'—N.W.

Brit,Brittle out. (1) To rub grain out in the hand.—N.W. (2) To drop out of the husk, as over-ripe grain (D.).—N.W.

Brivet. SeeBrevet.

Brize. To press heavily on, or against, to crush down (S.). A loaded waggon 'brizes down' the road.—N. & S.W.

Broad-board. SeeBread-board.

Broke-bellied. Ruptured.—N.W.

Brook-Sparrow.Salicaria phragmitis, the Sedge Warbler; from one of its commonest notes resembling that of a sparrow (Great Estate, ch. vii;Wild Life, ch. iii).—N.W.

'At intervals [in his song] he intersperses a chirp, exactly the same as that of the sparrow, a chirp with a tang in it. Strike a piece of metal, and besides the noise of the blow, there is a second note, or tang. The sparrow's chirp has such a note sometimes, and the sedge-bird brings it in—tang, tang, tang. This sound has given him his country name of brook-sparrow.'—Jefferies,A London Trout.

Brow. (1)adj.Brittle (A.B.C.H.Wr.); easily broken. Vrow at Clyffe Pypard. AlsoFrow.—N.W. *(2)n.A fragment (Wilts Arch. Mag.vol. xxii. p. 109).—N.W. (Cherhill.)

Brown. 'A brown day,' a gloomy day (H.Wr.).—N.W.

Bruckle. (Generally withofforaway.)v.To crumble away, as some kinds of stone when exposed to the weather (Wilts Arch. Mag.vol. xxii. p. 109); to break off easily, as the dead leaves on a dry branch of fir. Comparebrickle=brittle (Wisdom, xv. 13), A.S.brucol=apt to break.—N.W.

Bruckley.adj.Brittle, crumbly, friable, not coherent (S.).—N. & S.W.

Brush. 'The brush of a tree,' its branches or head.—N.W.

Brushes.Dipsacus sylvestris, L., Wild Teasel. SeeClothes-brush.—N. & S.W.

Bubby-head.Cottus gobio, the Bullhead.—N. & S.W.

Buck. A 'buck,' or 'book,' of clothes, a large wash—N.W.

Bucking. A quantity of clothes to be washed (A.).—N.W.

*Buddle. To suffocate in mud. 'There! if he haven't a bin an' amwoast buddled hisel' in thuck there ditch!' Also used in Som.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Budgy. Out of temper, sulky. A softened form ofbuggy, self-important, churlish, from the Old English and provincialbudge, grave, solemn, &c. SeeFolk-Etymology, p. 42 (Smythe-Palmer).—N.W. Cp. Milton,

'Those budge doctors of the stoic fur.'—Comus.

Bullpoll,Bullpull.Aira caespitosa, L., the rough tufts of tussocky grass which grow in damp places in the fields, and have to be cut up with a heavy hoe (Great Estate, ch. ii;Gamekeeper at Home, ch. viii).—N.W.

Bull Stag. A bull which, having been superannuated as regards breeding purposes, is castrated and put to work, being stronger than an ordinary bullock. Cf.Boar Stag.—N.W., now almost obsolete.

Bulrushes.Caltha palustris, L., Marsh Marigold; from some nursery legend that Moses was hidden among its large leaves.—S.W., rarely.

Bumble-berry. Fruit ofRosa canina, L., Dog-rose.—N.W.

Bunce. (1)n.A blow. 'Gie un a good bunce in the ribs.'—N.W. (2)v.To punch or strike.—N.W.

Bunch. Of beans, to plant in bunches instead of rows (D.).—N. & S.W.

Bunny. A brick arch, or wooden bridge, covered with earth, across a 'drawn' or 'carriage' in a water-meadow, just wide enough to allow a hay-waggon to pass over.—N.W.

Bunt. (1)v.To push with the head as a calf does its dam's udder (A.); to butt; to push or shove up.—(Bevis, ch. x.) N.W. (2)n.A push or shove.—N.W. (3)n.A short thick needle, as a 'tailor's bunt.' (4)n.Hence sometimes applied to a short thickset person, as a nickname.—S.W.

Bunty.adj.Short and stout.—N.W.

Bur. The sweetbread of a calf or lamb (A.).—N.W.

Bur',Burrow, orBurry. (1) A rabbit-burrow (A.B.).—N. & S.W. (2) Any place of shelter, as the leeward side of a hedge (A.C.). 'Why doesn't thee coom and zet doon here in the burrow?'—N. & S.W.

Burl. (1) 'To burl potatoes,' to rub off the grown-out shoots in spring.—N.W. (2) The original meaning was to finish off cloth or felt by removing knots, rough places, loose threads, and other irregularities of surface, and it is still so used in S. Wilts (S.).

Burn. 'To burn a pig,' to singe the hair off the dead carcase.—N. & S.W.

*Burn-bake(or-beak). (1) To reclaim new land by paring and burning the surface before cultivation (Agric. of Wilts, ch. xii). SeeBake. (2) To improve old arable land by treating it in a similar way (Ibid.ch. xii).Burn-beke(Aubrey'sNat. Hist. Wilts, p. 103. Ed. Brit., where the practice is said to have been introduced into S. Wilts by Mr. Bishop of Merton, about 1639). (3)n.Land so reclaimed. SeeBake.—S.W.

Burrow. SeeBur'.

Burry. SeeBur'.

'Buseful. Foul-mouthed, abusive.—N.W.

Bush. (1)n.A heavy hurdle or gate, with its bars interlaced with brushwood and thorns, which is drawn over pastures in spring, and acts like a light harrow (Amateur Poacher, ch. iv).—N.W. (2)v.To bush-harrow a pasture.—N.W.

Butchers' Guinea-pigs. Woodlice. SeeGuinea-pigs.—S.W.

Butter-and-Eggs. (1)Narcissus incomparabilis, Curt., Primrose Peerless.—N. & S.W. (2)Linaria vulgaris, Mill., Yellow Toadflax (Great Estate, ch. v).—N. & S.W.

Buttercup. At Huish applied only toRanunculus Ficaria, L., Lesser Celandine, all other varieties of Crowfoot being 'Crazies' there.

Butter-teeth. The two upper incisors.—N.W.

Buttons. Very young mushrooms.—N. & S.W.

Buttry. A cottage pantry (A.B.).—N.W., now almost obsolete.

Butt-shut. (1) To join iron without welding, by pressing the heated ends squarely together, making an imperceptible join (Village Miners). SeeShut. (2) Hence a glaringly inconsistent story or excuse is said 'not to butt-shut' (Village Miners).

Butty. A mate or companion in field-work (S.).—N. & S.W.

*By-the-Wind.Clematis Vitalba, L., Traveller's Joy.—S.W. (Farley.)

*Caa-vy(? Calfy). A simpleton (S.).—S.W.

Cack. SeeKeck.

*Cack-handed, *Cag-handed. Extremely awkward and unhandy: clumsy to the last degree (Village Miners). Other dialect words for 'awkward' are Dev.,cat-handed, Yorks.,gawk-handed, and Nhamp.,keck-handed. Cf.Cam-handed.

Caddle. (1)n.Dispute, noise, row, contention (A.); seldom or never so used now.—N. & S.W.

'What a caddle th' bist a makin', Jonas!'—Wilts Tales, p. 82.'If Willum come whoam and zees two [candles] a burnin', he'll make a vi-vi-vine caddle.'—Wilts Tales, p. 42.

'What a caddle th' bist a makin', Jonas!'—Wilts Tales, p. 82.

'If Willum come whoam and zees two [candles] a burnin', he'll make a vi-vi-vine caddle.'—Wilts Tales, p. 42.

(2)n.Confusion, disorder, trouble (A.B.C.S.).—N. & S.W.

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

(3)v.To tease, to annoy, to bother (A.B.C.). SeeCaddling. 'Now dwoan't 'e caddle I zo, or I'll tell thee vather o' thee!' 'I be main caddled up wi' ael they dishes to weish.'—N. & S.W.

''Tain't no use caddlin I—I can't tell 'ee no more.'—Greene Ferne Farm, ch. viii.

(4)v.To hurry. 'To caddle a horse,' to drive him over-fast.—N.W. (5)v.To loaf about, only doing odd jobs. 'He be allus a caddlin' about, and won't never do nothin' reg'lar.'—N. & S.W. (6)v.To mess about, to throw into disorder. 'I don't hold wi' they binders [the binding machines], they do caddle the wheat about so.'—N. & S.W.

Caddlesome. Of weather, stormy, uncertain. ''T 'ull be a main caddlesome time for the barley.'—S.W.

Caddling. (1)adj.Of weather, stormy, uncertain.—N. & S.W. (2)adj.Quarrelsome, wrangling (C.).—N. & S.W.

'His bill was zharp, his stomack lear, Zo up a snapped the caddlin pair.'—Wilts Tales, p. 97.'A cadling fellow, a wrangler, a shifting, and sometimes an unmeaning character.'—Cunnington MS.

'His bill was zharp, his stomack lear, Zo up a snapped the caddlin pair.'—Wilts Tales, p. 97.

'A cadling fellow, a wrangler, a shifting, and sometimes an unmeaning character.'—Cunnington MS.

(3)adj.Meddlesome (S.), teasing (Monthly Mag., 1814); troublesome, worrying, impertinent (A.B.).—N. & S.W.

'Little Nancy was as naisy and as caddlin' as a wren, that a was'.—Wilts Tales, p. 177.

*(4) Chattering (Monthly Mag., 1814): probably a mistake.

Caffing rudder. SeeCaving rudder.

*Cag-handed. SeeCack-handed.

Cag-mag. Bad or very inferior meat (S.).—N. & S.W.

Cains-and-Abels.Aquilegia vulgaris, L., Columbine.—S.W. (Farley.)

*Calf-white. SeeWhite.

Call. Cause, occasion. 'You've no call to be so 'buseful' [abusive].—N. & S.W.

Call home. To publish the banns of marriage (S.).—S.W.

'They tells I as 'ow Bet Stingymir is gwain to be caal'dwhoamto Jim Spritely on Zundy.'—Slow.

*Callow-wablin. An unfledged bird (A.).—S.W.

Callus-stone. A sort of gritty earth, spread on a board for knife-sharpening (Wilts Arch. Mag. vol. xxii. p. 109).—N. & S.W. (Cherhill, &c.)

Calves'-trins. Calves' stomachs, used in cheese-making. A.S.trendel. SeeTrins. Halliwell and Wright give'Calf-trundle, the small entrails of a calf.'—N.W.

*Cam. Perverse, cross. Welshcam, crooked, wry.—N.W.

'A 's as cam and as obstinate as a mule.'—Wilts Tales, p. 138.

'They there wosbirds [of bees] zimd rayther cam and mischievul.'—Springtide, p. 47.

Cam-handed. Awkward.—N.W.

*Cammock.Ononis arvensis, L., Restharrow (D.).

Cammocky. Tainted, ill-flavoured, as cheese or milk when the cows have been feeding on cammock. SeeGammotty(2).—S.W.

Canary-seed. Seed-heads of Plantain.—N. & S.W.

Candle. 'To strike a candle,' to slide, as school-boys do, on the heel, so as to leave a white mark along the ice.—S.W.

Cank. To overcome (H.Wr.): perhaps a perversion ofconquer. The winner 'canks' his competitors in a race, and you 'cank' a child when you give it more than it can eat.—N.W.

Canker. Fungus, toadstool (A.B.).—N. & S.W.

Canker-berries. Wild Rose hips.Conker-berries(S.).—S.W. (Salisbury, &c.).

Canker-rose. The mossy gall on the Dog-rose, formed byCynips rosae; often carried in the pocket as a charm against rheumatism (Great Estate, ch. iv).—N.W.

*Cappence. The swivel-joint of the old-fashioned flail,Capelin Devon.—N. & S.W.

Carpet. To blow up, to scold; perhaps from the scene of the fault-finding being the parlour, not the bare-floored kitchen. 'Measter carpeted I sheamvul s'marning.' 'I had my man John on the carpet just now and gave it him finely.'—N.W.

Carriage. A water-course, a meadow-drain (A. B. G. H. Wr.). In S. Wilts thecarriagesbring the water into and through the meadow, while thedrawntakes it back to the river after its work is done.—N. & S.W.

Carrier,Water-carrier. A large water-course (Wild Life, ch. xx).—N. & S.W.

Carry along. To prove the death of, to bring to the grave. 'I be afeard whe'er that 'ere spittin' o' blood won't car'n along.'—N.W.

Cart. 'At cart,' carrying or hauling, as 'We be at wheat cart [coal-cart, dung-cart, &c.] to-day.—N.W.

Casalty. SeeCasulty.

Cass'n. Canst not (A.S.).—N. & S.W.

Cassocks. Couch-grass.—S.W. (Som. bord.).

Casulty. (1)adj.Of weather, unsettled, broken (Green Ferne Farm, ch. i).Casalty(Wilts Arch. Mag.vol. xxii. p. 109).—N. & S.W. (2) Of crops, uncertain, not to be depended on. Plums, for instance, are a 'casalty crop,' some years bearing nothing.—N.W.

*Cat-gut. The ribs of the Plantain leaf; so called by children when drawn out so as to look like fiddle-strings (Great Estate, ch. ii).

Cat-Kidney. A game somewhat resembling cricket, played with a wooden 'cat' instead of a ball.—N.W. (Brinkworth.)

Cat's-ice. White ice, ice from which the water has receded.—N. & S.W. (Steeple Ashton, &c.).

'They stood at the edge, cracking the cat's-ice, where the water had shrunk back from the wheel marks, and left the frozen water white and brittle.'—The Story of Dick, ch. xii. p. 153.

Cats'-love. Garden Valerian, on which cats like to roll.—S.W.

*Cats'-paws. Catkins of willow while still young and downy.—S.W. (Deverill.)

Cats'-tails. (1)Equisetum, Horse-tail (Great Estate, ch. ii).—N.W. (2) The catkin of the willow.—N.W. (Lyneham.) (3) The catkin of the hazel.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Catch. (1) Of water, to film over, to begin to freeze.Keach,Keatch,Kitch, orKetch(A.B.C.H.Wr.).—N. & S.W.

'A bright clear moon is credited with causing the water to "catch"—that is, the slender, thread-like spicules form on the surface, and, joining together, finally cover it.'—Wild Life, ch. xx.

Also seeBevis, ch. xl. (2) To grow thick, as melted fat when setting again.—N. & S.W. *(3) 'To catch and rouse,' to collect water, &c.

'In the catch-meadows ... it is necessary to make the most of the water by catching and rousing it as often as possible.'—Agric. of Wilts, ch. xi.

*(4)n.The same as Catch-meadow (Ibid.ch. xii).

*Catch-land. The arable portion of a common field, divided into equal parts, whoever ploughed first having the right to first choice of his share (D.).—Obsolete.

*Catch-meadow,Catch-work meadow, orCatch. A meadow on the slope of a hill, irrigated by a stream or spring, which has been turned so as to fall from one level to another through the carriages (Agric. of Wilts, ch. xii).

Catching,Catchy. Of weather, unsettled, showery (Agric. of Wilts, ch. iii. p. 11).—N. & S.W.

Caterpillar. A cockchafer.—N.W.

Cattikeyns. Fruit of the ash.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Cave. (1)n.The chaff of wheat and oats (D.): in threshing, the broken bits of straw, &c.Cavin,Cavings, orKeavinin N. Wilts.—N. & S.W. (2)v.To separate the short broken straw from the grain.—N. & S.W.

Cavin, Cavings. SeeCave(1).

*Caving-rake. The rake used for separating cavings and grain on the threshing-floor.

Caving(orCaffing)rudder, orrudderer. *(1) The winnowing fan and tackle (D.).—S.W. (2) A coarse sieve used by carters to get the straw out of the horses' chaff.—N. & S.W.

Cawk,Cawket. To squawk out, to make a noise like a hen when disturbed on her nest, &c. 'Ther's our John, s'naw [dost know?]—allus a messin' a'ter the wenchin, s'naw—cawin' an' cawkettin' like a young rook, s'naw,—'vore a can vly, s'naw,—boun' to coom down vlophewar!'Caa-kinn(S.).—N. & S.W. (Clyffe Pypard; Seagry, &c.)

*Centry.Anagallis tenella, L., Bog Pimpernel.—S.W. (Barford.)

Cham. To chew (A.B.C.S.). 'Now cham thee vittles up well.' An older form ofChamp.—N. & S.W.

Champ. To scold in a savage snarling fashion. 'Now dwoan't 'ee gwo an' champ zo at I!' Used formerly at Clyffe Pypard.—N.W.

Chan-Chider. SeeJohnny Chider.—S.W.

Chap. (1)v.Of ground, to crack apart with heat.—N & S.W. (2)n.A crack in the soil, caused by heat.—N. & S.W.

Charm. (1)n.'All in a charm,' all talking loud together. A.S.cyrm, clamour (A.H.S.), especially used of the singing of birds. See Kingsley'sProse Idylls, i. Also used of hounds in full cry.—N. & S.W.

'Thousands of starlings, the noise of whose calling to each other is indescribable—the country folk call it a "charm," meaning a noise made up of innumerable lesser sounds, each interfering with the other.'—Wild Life, ch. xii.

Cp, Milton,

'Charm of earliest birds.'—P. L., ii. 642.

(2)v.To make a loud confused noise, as a number of birds, &c., together.—N. & S.W. (3)v.'To charm bees,' to follow a swarm of bees, beating a tea-tray, &c.—N.W. (Marlborough).

Chatter-mag,Chatter-pie. A chattering woman.—N. & S.W.

Chawm,Chawn. A crack in the ground (A.).—N.W.

Cheese-flower.Malva sylvestris, L., Common Mallow.—S.W.

Cheeses. Fruit ofMalva sylvestris, L., Common Mallow.—N. & S.W.

*Chemise.Convolvulus sepium, L., Great Bindweed.—S.W. (Little Langford.) This name was given us asChemise, but would probably be pronounced asShimmy.

Cherky. Having a peculiar dry taste, as beans (Village Miners).—N. & S.W.

Cherry-pie.Valeriana officinalis, L., All-heal, from its smell.—S.W.

Cheure. SeeChoor.

Chevil(orChevril)Goldfinch. A large variety of goldfinch, with a white throat. SeeBirds of Wilts, p. 203, for a full description of the bird.—N. & S.W.

Chewree. SeeChoor.

Chib. 'Potato-chibs,' the grown-out shoots in spring. SeeChimp.—S.W.

Chiddlens,Chiddlins. Pigs' chitterlings (H.S.Wr.).—N. & S.W.

Children of Israel. *(1) A small garden variety ofCampanula, from the profusion of its blossoms (English Plant Names). (2)Malcolmia maritima, Br., Virginian Stock, occasionally.

Chilver,Chilver-lamb. A ewe lamb (A.).—N.W.

Chilver-hog. A ewe under two years old (D.). 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, 'cilfer,' and is related to the word 'calf.' A chilver hog sheep simply means in the dialect of the Vale of Warminster, a female lamb a year old. SeeWilts Arch. Mag.xvii. 303.—N. & S.W.

Chimney-sweeps. Flowering-heads of some grasses.—N.W. (Lyneham.)

Chimney-sweepers.Luzula campestris, Willd., Field Wood-rush.—N.W.

Chimp. (1)n.The grown-out shoot of a stored potato (S.); also Chib.—S.W. (2)v.To strip off the 'chimps' before planting.—S.W.

Chink.Fringilla coelebs, the Chaffinch; from its note.—S.W.

Chinstey.n.The string of a baby's cap.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.) A horse's chin-strap.—S.W. Compare:—

'Oh! Mo-ather! Her hath chuck'd me wi' tha chingstey [caught me by the back-hair and choked me with the cap-string].'—The Exmoor Scolding, p. 17.

Chip. The fore-shoot of a plough.—S.W.

Chipples. Young onions grown from seed. Cf.GibblesandCribbles.—S.W.

Chisley.adj.Without coherence, as the yolk of an over-boiled egg, or a very dry cheese. When land gets wet and then dries too fast, it becomes chisley. Compare:—'Chizzly, hard, harsh and dry:East,' in Hal.—S.W.

Chism. To germinate, to bud (A.B.C.). 'The wheat doesn't make much show yet, John.' 'No, zur, but if you looks 'tes aal chisming out ter'ble vast.'—N. & S.W.

Chit. (1)n.The third swarm of bees from a hive.—N.W. (2)v.To bud or spring (A.B.C.). 'The whate be chitting a'ter thease rains.'—N.W.

Chitchat.Pyrus Aucuparia, Gærtn., Mountain Ash.—S.W.

Chitterlings. Pigs' entrails when cleaned and boiled (A.B.);Chiddlens(H.S.Wr.).—N. & S.W.

Chivy.Fringilla coelebs, the Chaffinch.—S.W. (Som. bord.).

Choor. (1)v.To go out as a charwoman (A.);Cheure, Chewree-ring(H.Wr.);Char(A.S.). Still in use.—N.W. (2)n.A turn, as in phrase 'One good choor deserves another' (A.). Still in use.—N.W.

Chop. To exchange (A.B.S.). 'Wool ye chop wi' I, this thing for thuck?' (B.).—N. & S.W.

*Chore. A narrow passage between houses (MS. Lansd.1033, f. 2); see N.E.D. (s.v. Chare).

Christian Names. The manner in which a few of these are pronounced may here be noted:—Allburt, Albert;Allfurd, Alfred;CharlorChas, Charles;Etherd, Edward;Rich'torRichet, Richard;Robbut, Robert; &c.

Chuffey. Chubby. 'What chuffey cheeks he've a got, to be showr!'—S.W.

Chump. A block of wood (A.B.); chiefly applied to the short lengths into which crooked branches and logs are sawn for firewood (Under the Acorns).—N. & S.W.

Ciderkin,'Kin. The washings after the best cider is made.—N. & S.W.

Clacker. The tongue (S.).—S.W.

Clackers. A pair of pattens (S.).—S.W.

Clangy,Clengy, orClungy. Of bad bread, or heavy ground, clingy, sticky.—N.W.

Claps.n.andv.clasp (A.).—N. & S.W.

Clat. SeeClot.

Clattersome,Cluttersome. Of weather, gusty.—S.W. (Hants bord.)

Claut.Caltha palustris, L., Marsh Marigold (A.H.Wr.).—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard, &c.)

Clavy,Clavy-tack. A mantelpiece (A.B.C.).—N.W., now almost obsolete. Strictly speaking,clavyis merely the beam which stretches across an old-fashioned fireplace, supporting the wall. Where there is a mantelpiece, orclavy-tack, it comes just above theclavy.

Clean. 'A clean rabbit,' one that has been caught in the nets, and is uninjured by shot or ferret, as opposed to a 'broken,' or damaged one. (Amateur Poacher, ch. xi. p. 212).—N. & S.W.

Cleat,Cleet. (1) The little wedge which secures the head of an axe or hammer.—N.W. *(2)n.A patch (A.B.C.).—N.W. *(3)v.To mend with a patch (A.B.C.)—N.W. *(4) Occasionally, to strengthen by bracing (C.).—N.W.

Cleaty. Sticky, clammy; applied to imperfectly fermented bread, or earth that will not work well in ploughing.—N.W.

Cleet. SeeCleat.

Clengy. SeeClangy.

Clim. To climb (A.S.). A cat over-fond of investigating the contents of the larder shelves is a 'clim-tack,' or climb-shelf.—N. & S.W.

Clinches. The muscles of the leg, just under the knee-joint.—N. & S.W.

Clinkerbell. An icicle.—S.W. (Som. bord.) occasionally.

Clitch. The groin.—N.W.

Clite,Clit. (1)n.'All in a clite,' tangled, as a child's hair. A badly groomed horse is said to be 'aal a clit.'—N. & S.W. (2)v.To tangle. 'How your hair do get clited!'—N. & S.W.

Clites,Clytes.Galium Aparine, L., Goosegrass (A.). Usually pl., but Jefferies has sing.,Clite, inWild Life, ch. ix.—N. & S.W.

Clitty. Tangled, matted together.—S.W.

Clock. A dandelion seed-head, because children play at telling the time of day by the number of puffs it takes to blow away all its down.—N. & S.W.

Cloddy. Thick, plump, stout (H.Wr.).—S.W.

Clog-weed.Heracleum Sphondylium, L., Cow-parsnip (Amateur Poacher, ch. vi).—N.W.

Clot. A hard lump of dry cow-dung, left on the surface of a pasture. SeeCow-clat.—N.W.

'On pasture farms they beat clots or pick up stones.'—R. Jefferies, Letter toTimes, Nov. 1872.'1661. Itm pdRichard Sheppard & Old Taverner for beating clatts in Inglands, 00. 04. 08.'—Records of Chippenham, p. 226.

'On pasture farms they beat clots or pick up stones.'—R. Jefferies, Letter toTimes, Nov. 1872.

'1661. Itm pdRichard Sheppard & Old Taverner for beating clatts in Inglands, 00. 04. 08.'—Records of Chippenham, p. 226.

*Clote.n.Verbascum Thapsus, L., Great Mullein (Aubrey's Wilts MS.).—Obsolete.

Clothes-brush.Dipsacus sylvestris, L., Wild Teasel. Cf.Brushes.—S.W.

Clottiness. SeeCleaty. Clottishness (Agric. Survey).

'The peculiar churlishness (provincially, "clottiness") of a great part of the lands of this district, arising perhaps from the cold nature of the sub-soil.'—Agric. of Wilts, ch. vii. p. 51.

Clout. (1)n.A box on the ear, a blow (A.B.C.S.). SeeClue. 'I'll gie thee a clout o' th' yead.'—N. & S.W. (2)v.To strike.—N. & S.W.

Clue. 'A clue in the head,' a knock on the head (Village Miners). A box on the ear. Cf.clow, Winchester College. SeeClout.—N.W.

Clum. To handle clumsily (A.B.), roughly, boisterously, or indecently (C.).—N.W.

Clumbersome. Awkward, clumsy.—N.W.

Clumper,Clumber. A heavy clod of earth.—N.W. (Marlborough.)

Clums.pl.Hands. 'I'll keep out o' thee clums, I'll warnd I will!'—N.W.Clumpsis used in S. Wilts in a similar way, but generally of the feet (S.), and always implies great awkwardness, as 'What be a treadin' on my gownd vor wi' they girt ugly clumps o' yourn?'

Clungy. SeeClangy.

*Cluster-of-five. The fist.Cluster-a-vive(S.).—S.W.

Clutter.n.Disorder, mess, confusion. 'The house be ael in a clutter to-day wi' they childern's lease-carn.'—N. & S.W.

Cluttered. (1) 'Caddled,' over-burdened with work and worry.—N. & S.W.

'"Cluttered up" means in a litter, surrounded with too many things to do at once.'—Jefferies,Field and Hedgerow, p. 189.

*(2) Brow-beaten. Said to have been used at Warminster formerly.

Cluttersome. SeeClattersome.

Cluttery. Showery and gusty.—S.W.

*Clyders.Galium Aparine, L., Goosegrass.—S.W.

*Clyten. *(1)n.An unhealthy appearance, particularly in children (A.B.C.).—N.W., obsolete. *(2)n.An unhealthy child (C.).—N.W., obsolete.

*Clytenish.adj.Unhealthy-looking, pale, sickly (A.B.C.H.Wr.).—N.W., obsolete.

Clytes. SeeClites.

*Coath. Sheep-rot (D.S.).—N. & S.W.

Cobbler's-knock. 'To do the cobbler's knock,' to slide on one foot, tapping the ice meanwhile with the other.—S.W.

*Cob-nut. A game played by children with nuts (A.B.).—S.W.

Cockagee,Cockygee(ghard). A kind of small hard sour cider apple. Ir.cac a' gheidh, goose-dung, from its greenish-yellow colour (see N.E.D.,s.v. Coccagee).—S.W. (Deverill, &c.)

Cocking-fork. A large hay-fork, used for carrying hay from the cock into the summer-rick.—S.W.

*Cocking-poles. Poles used for the same purpose.—N.W.

Cockles. Seed-heads ofArctium Lappa, L., Burdock.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard).

Cock's Egg. The small eggs sometimes first laid by pullets.—N. & S.W.

Cock-shot. A cock-shy: used by boys about Marlborough and elsewhere. 'I say, there's a skug [squirrel]—let's have a cock-shot at him with your squailer.'—N. & S.W.

*Cock's-neckling. 'To come down cock's-neckling,' to fall head foremost (H.Wr.).—Obsolete.

Cock's-nests. The nests so often built and then deserted by the wren, without any apparent cause.—N.W.

*Cock-sqwoilin. Throwing at cocks at Shrovetide (A.Wr.). SeeSquail.—N.W., obsolete.

'1755. Paid expenses at the Angel at a meeting when the By Law was made to prevent Throwing at Cocks, 0.10.6.'—Records ofChippenham, p. 244.

Cocky-warny. The game of leap-frog.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

*Cod-apple. A wild apple (Wilts Arch. Mag.xiv. 177).

Codlins-and-cream.Epilobium hirsutum, L., Great Hairy Willow-herb; from its smell when crushed in the hand. Cf.Sugar-Codlins.—S.W.

*Coglers. The hooks, with cogged rack-work for lifting or lowering, by which pots and kettles were formerly hung over open fireplaces. Now superseded byHanglers.—N.W., obsolete.

Colley. (1) A collar.—N. & S.W. *(2) Soot or grime from a pot or kettle (A.B.). Compare:—

'Brief as the lightning in the collied night.'—Midsummer Night's Dream.'Thou hast not collied thy face enough.'—Jonson'sPoetaster.

'Brief as the lightning in the collied night.'—Midsummer Night's Dream.

'Thou hast not collied thy face enough.'—Jonson'sPoetaster.

Colley-maker. A saddler. SeeColley(1).—N. & S.W.

Colley-strawker. A milker or 'cow-stroker.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Colt's-tail. A kind of cloud said to portend rain.—N.W.

'The colt's tail is a cloud with a bushy appearance like a ragged fringe, and portends rain.'—Great Estate, ch. viii.

*Comb,Coom. (1)n.The lower ledge of a window (Kennett'sParoch. Antiq.). (2)n.Grease from an axle-box, soot, dirt, &c.Koomb(S.).—S.W.

Comb-and-Brush.Dipsacus sylvestris, L., Wild Teasel.—S.W.

Combe,Coombe. (1) The wooded side of a hill (D.); used occasionally in this sense in both Wilts and Dorset.—N. & S.W. (2) A narrow valley or hollow in a hillside. This is the proper meaning.—N. & S.W. Used of a narrow valley in the woodlands inGamekeeper at Home, ch. i.

Come of. To get the better of, to grow out of. 'How weak that child is about the knees, Sally!' 'Oh, he'll come o' that all right, Miss, as he do grow bigger.'—N. & S.W.

Come to land. Of intermittent springs, to rise to the surface and begin to flow (Agric. of Wilts, ch. xii).—S.W.

Comical. (1) Queer-tempered. 'Her's a comical 'ooman.'—N. & S.W. (2) Out of health. 'I've bin uncommon comical to-year.'—N. & S.W. (3) Cracky, queer. 'He's sort o' comical in his head, bless 'ee.'—N. & S.W. 'A cow he's a comical thing to feed; bin he don't take care he's very like to choke hisself.'—N.W. (Marlborough.) It should be noted that Marlborough folk are traditionally reputed to call everythinghebut a bull, and that they always callshe!

Coney-burry. A rabbit's hole.—S.W. (Amesbury.)

Coniger,Conigre. This old word, originally meaning a rabbit-warren, occurs frequently in Wilts (as at Trowbridge) as the name of a meadow, piece of ground, street, &c. SeeGreat Estate, note to ch. ix.

Conker-berries. SeeCanker-berries.

Conks,Conkers(i.e.conquerors). (1) A boy's game, played with horse-chestnuts strung on cord, the players taking it in turn to strike at their opponent's conk, in order to crack and disable it.—N.W. (Marlborough.) (2) Hence, the fruit ofAesculus Hippocastanum, L., Horse-chestnut.—N.W.

Coob. A hen-coop (H.): invariably so pronounced.—N. & S.W.

Cooby. A snug corner. SeeCubby-hole.—N. & S.W.

Coom. SeeComb.

*Coombe-bottom. A valley in a hillside (Great Estate, ch. iv). SeeCombe.

Coom hedder. (A.S.). SeeHorses.

Coop! Coop!The usual call to cows, &c., to come in.—N. & S.W.

Coopy-house. A very small house or cottage (S.). SeeCubby-hole.—S.W.

*Cooted. Cut slanting, sloped off, as the ends of the upper part of an oblong hay-rick (D.).

'Hayricks are usually made round; sometimes oblong with cooted ends, not gable ends.'—Agric. of Wilts.

Cord. 'A cord of plocks,' a pile of cleft wood, 8 ft. long and 4 ft. in girth and width (D.).—N.W.

Corn-baulk. SeeBaulk(1).

Corndrake.Crex pratensis, the Landrail; almost invariably so called about Warminster and in some parts of N. Wilts.—N. & S.W.

*Corn-grate. The Cornbrash formation (Agric. of Wilts, p. 164).

*Corn Grit. Quarrymen's term for one of the building stone beds of the Portland series (Britton'sBeauties of Wilts, vol. iii).

*Corn Pop.Silene inflata, Sm., Bladder Campion.—N.W. (Enford.)

Corruptions. Some of these are curious, and perhaps worth recording, asRainball, rainbow (always used at Huish);Lattiprack, paralytic;Nuffin-idols, Love-in-idleness;Polly Andrews, Polyanthus. Also seeNolens-volens. Bronchitis is alwaysBrantitus, and Jaundice alwaysThe Janders, plural. Persuade is alwaysSuade. The crab-apple is usuallyGrabin N. Wilts. At Etchilhampton we findPlumpfor pump, andMothfor moss, while at Huish and elsewhere proud flesh is alwaysPloughed flesh.Pasmet, parsnip, and the universalTurmut, turnip, may be noted as illustrating a curious letter-change.Varley-grassey, gone green, is evidently from verdigris. InGreat Estate, ch. iv, Jefferies tracesMeejick('a sort of aMeejick'=anything very strange or unusual) back to menagerie. Cavalry becomesCavaltry, meaning horsemen, and crockery is usuallyCrockerty. Other more or less common perversions of words arePatty Carey, Hepatica;Chiny Oysters, China Aster;Turkemtime, turpentine;Absence, abscess (Cherhill);Abrupt, to approve (Huish);Tiddle, to tickle;Cribble, a cripple;Strive(of a tree), to thrive (Steeple Ashton);Hurly-gurly, a hurdy-gurdy (S.W.);Midger, to measure;Cherm, to churn (Slow, S.W.);Rumsey-voosey, to rendezvous, as 'He went a rumsy-voosing down the lane to meet his sweetheart';Dapcheek, a dabchick;Drilly-drally, to hesitate, to dawdle over anything;Kiddle, a kettle.

Couch,Cooch. Couch-grass in general.—N. & S.W.Black Couch,Agrostis stolonifera(D.);White Couch,Triticum repens(D.);Couchy-bent,Agrostis stolonifera(D.);Knot Couch,Avena elatior.

Couchy-bent. SeeCouch.

Count. To expect or think. 'I don't count as he'll come.'—N.W.

*Coventree.Viburnum Lantana, L., Mealy Guelder rose.—S.W., obsolete.

'Coven-tree common about Chalke and Cranbourn Chase; the carters doe make their whippes of it.'—Aubrey'sWilts, p. 56, Ed. Brit.

*Coward.adj.Pure: used of unskimmed milk. Cf. 'cowed milk,' Isle of Wight (Wilts Arch. Mag.vol. xxii. p. 110).—N.W. (Cherhill.)

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