Chapter 3

*Cow-baby. A childish fellow, a simpleton (S.).—S.W.

Cow-clap. A form ofCow-clat, q.v.—N.W.

Cow-clat,Cow-clap. A pat of cow-dung (A.).—N.W.

*Cow-down. A cow-common (Agric. Survey).—Obsolete.

Cows-and-Calves. (1)Arum maculatum, L., Cuckoo-pint.—S.W. (2) When a saw has alternately long and short teeth, they are known ascowsandcalvesrespectively.—N.W.

Cowshard. Cow-clat.—N.W.

*Cowshorne. Cow-clats. Obsolete.

'The poore people gather the cowshorne in the meadows.'—Jackson'sAubrey, p. 192.

*Cow-white. SeeWhite.

*Crab. To abuse (Wilts Arch. Mag.vol. xxii. p. 110). Compare North Eng.crab, to provoke, andcrob, to reproach. Originally a hawking term, hawks being said tocrabwhen they stood too near and fought one with another. SeeFolk-Etymology, p. 81 (Smythe-Palmer).—N.W. (Cherhill.)

*Crandum. The throat (S.).—N.W.

'I first heard this word near Hungerford, where some farm hands were having a spree. There was a six-gallon jar of beer on the table, which they were continually smacking with their hands, whilst they sang in chorus:—"Let it run down yer crandum,An' jolly will we be," &c.I have only heard it applied to the human throat, never to that of an animal.'—Letter from Mr. Slow.

"Let it run down yer crandum,An' jolly will we be," &c.

I have only heard it applied to the human throat, never to that of an animal.'—Letter from Mr. Slow.

*Crap. Assurance (H.Wr.). There is probably some mistake here.

Craw. The crop of a bird; hence, the bosom (A.). 'A spelt th' drenk down 's craw,' he spilt it down his bosom (A.).—N.W.

Crazy,Craisey,Craizey. The Buttercup (A.B.H.Wr.). Buttercups in general,Ranunculus acris,R. bulbosus,R. repens, and oftenR. Ficariaalso, but at Huish never applied to the last-named. In Deverill the termCraiziesis restricted to the Marsh Marigold. See N.E.D. (s.v. Crayse).—N. & S.W.

Crazy Bets. (1) The general name all over Wilts forCaltha palustris, L., Marsh Marigold; apparently always pl. in form.Crazy Betties(Great Estate, ch. ii) andCrazy Betseysare occasionally used, the latter at Little Langford, S.W. Cf. 'Pretty Bets,' Oxf. and Nhamp., for Red Spur Valerian and London Pride, and 'Sweet Betsey,' Kent, for the former. In Glouc. Marsh Marigold is merely aCrazy.—N. & S.W. *(2) Mr. Slow says that 'Crazy bets' is applied to the 'buttercup' in South Wilts. *(3)Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, L., the Ox-eye Daisy.—S.W. (Hampworth.)

Crazy-more,Crazy-mar, orCrazy-moir. (1)Ranunculus repens, L., Creeping Buttercup.More=root or plant.—N.W. (Devizes; Huish.) (2) At Clyffe Pypard, N.W., and probably elsewhere,Crazy-marmeans a plant of any kind of buttercup.

Crease. A ridge-tile.—N.W.

'From the top of Aland's house ... a slate ridge-crest (or crease, as it is provincially termed) ... was carried northwards about 40 yards.'—The Great Wiltshire Storm, Wilts Arch. Mag.vol. vi. p. 378.

Creed.Lemna minor, L., Duckweed (Great Estate, ch. ii).—N.W.

*Creeny. Small (A.B.H.Wr.).

*Creeping Jack.Sedum, Stonecrop.—N.W. (Lyneham.)

Creeping Jenny. (1)Linaria Cymbalaria, Mill., Ivy-leaved Toadflax.—S.W. (Salisbury.) (2)Lysimachia Nummularia, L., Moneywort.—N. & S.W.

*Cresset,Cressil.Scrophularia aquatica, L., Water Figwort (Great Estate, ch. iv).

Crew. The tang of a scythe-blade, fastening into the pole-ring.—N.W.

Cribble about. To creep about as old people do.—N. & S.W.

Cribbles. Onions grown from bulbs. SeeGibblesandChipples.—S.W. (Som. bord.)

Crick crack. People who try to talk fine language, and cannot, are said to use 'crick crack' words.Crick crach: words not understood (S.).—N. & S.W.

'Crink-crank words are long words—verba sesquipedalia—not properly understood. SeeProceedings of Phil. Soc.v. 143-8.'—Cope'sHants Gloss.

Crink. A crevice or crack.—N.W.

*Crippender. Crupper harness.—S.W. (Bratton.)

Critch. A deep earthen pan (S.). Also used in Hants. Fr.cruche.—S.W.

Crock. A pot; especially an earthen one (A.B.S.).—N. & S.W.

Croud. SeeCrowdy.

Croupy down. To crouch down (S.) as children do when playing hide-and-seek.—N. & S.W.

Crow-bells(pl. used as sing.).Scilla nutans, Sm., Wild Hyacinth (H.Wr.).—S.W. This is probably the flower referred to in Aubrey'sWilts, Roy. Soc. MS., p. 126 (p. 52, ed. Brit.), under the same name:—

'In a ground of mine called Swices ... growes abundantly a plant called by the people hereabout crow-bells, which I never saw any where but there. Mr. Rob. Good, M.A., tells me that these crow-bells have blue flowers, and are common to many shady places in this county.'

Crowdy. A kind of apple turnover (S.).Croud(H.Wr.).—N. & S.W.

Crow-flower.Scilla nutans, Sm., Wild Hyacinth.—S.W. (Hants bord.)

Crow-hearted. Young cabbage and broccoli plants that have lost their eye or centre are said to be 'crow-hearted.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Crowpeck. (1)Scandix Pecten, L., Shepherd's-needle (D.).—S.W. (2)Ranunculus arvensis, L., Corn Crowfoot.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

*Crow's-legs.Scilla nutans, Sm., Wild Hyacinth.—N.W.

Crump. To crunch or munch.—N.W.

Crumplings,Crumplens. Small, imperfectly grown apples.—N. & S.W.

Cubby-hole. A snug corner, a sheltered place (A.S.). AlsoCooby; cf.Coopy-house.—N. & S.W.

Cuckoo. About SalisburySaxifraga granulatais known asDry(orDryland)Cuckoo, andCardamine pratensisasWater Cuckoo, from their respective habitats. The use ofCuckooin a plant-name always implies that it flowers in early spring.

Cuckoo-flower. (1)Cardamine pratensis, L., Lady's Smock.—N. & S.W. (2)Anemone nemorosa, L., Wood Anemone.—S.W.

Cuckoo fool.Yunx torquilla, the Wryneck.—N.W. (Broadtown.)

Cuckoo-gate. A swing-gate in a V-shaped enclosure.—N. & S.W.

Cuckoos.Anemone nemorosa, L., Wood Anemone.—S.W. (Hamptworth.)

*Cuckoo's bread-and-cheese. The young shoots of the Hawthorn (Great Estate, ch. iii).—N.W.

Cuddickwaay! Order to a horse to 'Come this way.'

Cue(1),n.An ox-shoe (A.). Only used on flinty lands.—N. & S.W. (2)v.To shoe an ox.—N. & S.W.

Cull, orTom Cull.Cottus gobio, the Bullhead (A.B.).

Culls. Sheep or lambs picked out of the flock, as inferior in size or in any other way, and sold. Fairs at which they are sold are called 'Cull Fairs.'—N.W.

Curdle. A curl of hair (S.).—N. & S.W.

Curly-buttons. Woodlice.—S.W.

Curly-cob. The Bullhead,Cottus gobio—S.W. (Bishopstone.)

Curry-pig. A sucking pig (H.Wr.). AlsoCure-pig.

Cushion-pink.Armeria maritima, Willd., Thrift; the garden variety.—N.W.

*Cushions.Scabiosa arvensis, L., Field Scabious.—N. & S.W. (Enford, &c.)

*Cusnation. An expletive (A.).

'Ha' done, Jonas! Dwon't 'e be a cussnation vool! I'll call missus!'—Wilts Tales, p. 83.

Cut-finger-leaf.Valeriana, All-heal. The leaves are good for application to sluggish sores, whitlows, &c. Mr. Cunnington quotes it asV. dioica.—N.W. (Huish, &c.)

Cutty.Troglodytes vulgaris, the Wren (S.).—S.W.

D. (1) In comparatives, &c.,dis frequently added to liquids, ascoolder, cooler;thinder, thinner; feeldins, feelings; andscholard, scholar. InChronicon Vilodunense, fifteenth century, we findjaylarde, a gaoler. (2) It is also used forth, asdraish, thresh;droo, through;dree, three. (3)Dnot sounded after a liquid; examples:—veel, field;vine, to find;dreshol, threshold.

Daak. SeeDawk.

Dab. An expert at anything; sometimes used ironically, as 'He's a perfect dab at gardening,' he knows nothing whatever about it.—N. & S.W.

Dabster. A proficient (A.). SeeDapster.—S.W.

Dack. SeeDawk.

Daddick,Daddock.n.Rotten wood (A.B.G.).—N.W.

Daddicky.adj.Of wood, decayed, rotten (A.B.S.). Cf.Dicky.—N. & S.W.

*Daddy's Whiskers.Clematis Vitalba, L., Traveller's Joy.—S.W. (Farley.)

Daffy. The usual name in N.W. for the wild Daffodil.

Daggled. SeeDiggled.

Daglet. An icicle (A.H.S.Wr.). SeeDaggled.—N. & S.W.

'Thatched roofs are always hung with "daglets" in frost.'—Village Miners.

Dain. Noisome effluvia (A.B.C.H.Wr.). Formerly applied mainly toinfectiouseffluvia, as 'Now dwoan't 'ee gwo too nigh thuck there chap; he've a had the small-pox, and the dain be in his clothes still.' (SeeCunnington MS.). Now used of very bad smells in general.—N.W.

Dainty. Evil-smelling. 'That there meat's ter'ble dainty.'—N.W.

Dall. An expletive (S.).—N.W.

''Od dal th' vor'n ungrateful varment!'—Wilts Tales, p. 50.

Dandy-goshen. SeeDandy-goslings.

Dandy-goslings. (1)Orchis mascula, L., Early Purple Orchis. SeeGandigoslings, &c.—N.W. (2)O. Morio, L., Green-winged Meadow Orchis.Dandy-goshenat Salisbury (English Plant Names), also at Little Langford.—S.W.

*Dane,Daner. In Kingston Deverill there was an old man who called red-haired men 'Danes,' or 'Daners,' as 'Thee bist a Dane.' This being in the centre of the Alfred district, the term may be a survival. In Somerset red-haired men are often said to be 'a bit touched with the Danes.'

*Dane's Blood.Sambucus Ebulus, L., Dwarf Elder (Aubrey'sNat. Hist. Wilts, p. 50, ed. Brit.). It is popularly believed only to grow on the ancient battle-fields, and to have sprung originally from the blood of the slain Danes.

Dap. (1)v.To rebound, as a ball.—N. & S.W. (2)n.The rebound of a ball.—N. & S.W.

Dap on. To pounce down on, to take unawares.—N. & S.W.

Daps. (1) 'He's the daps on his feyther,' the very image of him (S.).—S.W. (2) 'He got the daps o' he's feyther,' he has the same tricks as his father.—N.W.

'Dap, a hop, a turn. The daps of any one would therefore be his habits, peculiarities, &c.'—Jennings,Somerset Gloss.

Dapster. *(1) A nimble boy.—S.W. (Deverill). (2) A proficient (S.). SeeDab.—S.W.

*Dar.n.'To be struck in a dar, to be astonished or confounded.'—Cunnington MS.Apparently from O.E.dare, to frighten birds.—N.W., obsolete.

'Never hobby so dared a lark.'—Burton,Anatomy of Melancholy.

*Daver. To fade, fall down, droop, as flowers or leaves on a hot day.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Dawk,Dack,Daak,Dauk. To incise with a jerk, or insert a pointed weapon with rapidity (H.Wr.). To stab and tear together as a cat's claw does. To puncture.—N.W.

'Should a savage cat tear out a piece of flesh from the hand, she is said to "dawk" it out. Dawk expresses a ferocious stab and tear combined.'—Village Miners.

Also used of a baker marking loaves:—

'Prick it and dack it and mark it with T,And put it in the oven for baby and me.'—Nursery Rhyme.

This seems to be identical with A.S.dalc,dolc, Dutch and Danishdolk, Icel.dálkr, Germ.dolch, all meaning a sharp piercing instrument, a skewer, a dagger, &c. (Smythe-Palmer).

Dead hedge. A wattled fence (Agric. of Wilts, ch. x).—N.W.

Dead pen. A sheep pen is occasionally so called in S. Wilts.

Dead-roof. A skilling roof made of bavins and thatched over.—N.W.

Dead year. Often used with possessive pronoun, as 'his dead year,' the year immediately following his death (Wilts Arch. Mag.vol. xxii. p. 111). A widow should not marry again 'afore the dead year's up.'—N.W.

Deaf-nettle.Lamium album, L., the Dead nettle. Cf.Dunch-nettle.—S.W.

Deaf-nut. A rotten or empty nut.Deaf=useless, inactive.—S.W.

Deedy. (1) Industrious, busy, as 'He's a deedy man.'—N.W. (2) Intent, as 'What bist looking so deedy at?'—N.W.

*Dee-gee. Mr. William Cunnington writes us as follows:—

'"Twas a Dee-gee" was the name of a kind of dance, which our old nurse taught us as children, mostly performed by moving sideways and knocking the feet together.'

This would seem to be a survival of the Elizabethanheydeguies. See Spenser,Shepherd's Calendar, June.—N.W., obsolete.

*Densher. To prepare down-land for cultivation by paring and burning the turf (Aubrey'sWilts Nat. Hist., p. 103, ed. Brit.). SeeBakeandBurn-bake.

Desight,Dissight. An unsightly object (H.Wr.).—N.W.

Devil-daisy.Matricaria Parthenium, L., Common Feverfew, andAnthemis Cotula, L., Stinking Camomile, from their daisy-like flowers and unpleasant odour.—S.W.

Devil-in-a-hedge.Nigella damascena, Love in a mist.—N.W.

Devil-screecher.Cypselus apus, the Common Swift.—N. & S.W.

Devil's-ring. A kind of hairy caterpillar which curls up on being touched (Wild Life, ch. xvii).—N.W.

'Devyls-gold-rynge, the colewort worme.'—Huloet.

'Oak-egger and fox moths, which children call "Devil's Gold Rings."'—Kingsley,Chalk-stream Studies.

Dew-beater. A man who has large feet, or who turns out his toes, so that he brushes the dew off the grass in walking (A.S.).—N. & S.W. Compare:—

'The dew-beaters [early walkers, pioneers] have trod their way for those that come after them.'—Hacket'sLife of Williams, i. 57.

Dew-bi. A very early breakfast (A.).—N. & S.W.

Dew-pond. A pond on the downs, not fed by any spring, but kept up by mist, dew, and rain. Such ponds rarely fail, even in the longest drought. AlsoMist-pond.—N.W.

*Dewsiers. The valves of a pig's heart (A.B.G.); a corruption of O.F.jusier.

Deyhus,Da'us,Day'us. A dairy, a cheese-room (A.B.). Fromdeye, a dairymaid; Icel.deigja(Skeat). In this and similar words, as Brewhouse, Woodhouse, &c.,houseis always pronounced as A.S.hús(Akerman), theh, however, not being invariably sounded.—N.W.

Dibs. A game played by boys with sheep's dibs or knuckle-bones (S.).—N. & S.W.

*Dick-and-his-team. The Great Bear.—N.W. Compare Jack-and-his-team.

'I know the north star; there it is.... And the Great Bear; the men call it Dick and his Team.'—Greene Ferne Farm, ch. vi.

Dicker. (1) To bedeck. 'Gels be allus a dickerin' therselves up now-a-days.'—N.W. (Huish.) (2) 'As thick as they can dicker,' very intimate.—S.W. (Amesbury.) 'All in a dicker (or 'digger'),' very close together.—S.W.

Dicky. (1) Of vegetables, decayed. (2) Of persons or plants, weakly or in ill-health (Wilts Arch. Mag.vol. xxii. p. 110). Cf.Daddicky.—N.W.

Dicky-birds.Fumaria officinalis, L., Common Fumitory.—S.W.

Diedapper.Podiceps minor, the Dabchick;Divedapperin Shakespeare. In common use at Salisbury until quite recently. Before the streams running through the city were covered over, it was an every-day occurrence to see a dripping urchin making for home, with an escort of friends at his heels yelling 'Diedapper, Diedapper, Diedapper, die!'—S.W.

*Diggle.v.To grow thickly together. 'They weeds be a coming up agen as thick as ever they can diggle.' SeeDicker.—N.W. (Potterne.).

Diggled,Daggled. Covered over or hung thickly with anything. CompareDaglet. 'Thick may-bush be aal diggled wi' berries.'—S.W. (Salisbury.)

Diggles.n.Abundance, plenty (S.). 'Let's go a blackberryin'; there's diggles up Grovely.' SeeDiggle.—S.W.

Dill,Dill Duck. A young duck.—N. & S.W.

Dillcup.Ranunculus Ficaria, L., Lesser Celandine (S.).—S.W.

Diller. The shaft-horse (H.Wr.). SeeThiller.—N.W.

Dills. SeeThills.

Dimmets. Dusk, twilight.—S.W.

Ding. To strike violently (Dark, ch. xv).—N.W.

Dishabille. A labourer's working clothes. The word is not used in Wilts in its ordinary sense of undress or negligent costume, but a common excuse for not appearing at church is that a man has nothing but hisdishabilleto wear. Fr.déshabillé.—N.W.

Dishwasher. (1)Motacilla flava, the Yellow Wagtail (A.S.).—N. & S.W. (2)M. Yarrellii, the Pied Wagtail (A.S.).—N. & S.W.

Do. 'To do for any one,' to manage or keep house for him.—N. & S.W.

*Dock.Malva sylvestris, L., Common Mallow (A.). Now restricted toRumex.

Dodder,Dudder,Duther, &c. (1)v.To bewilder, to deafen with noise (A.B.H.S.Wr.). 'I be vinny doddered, they childern do yop so.'—N. & S.W. (2)n.'All in a dudder,' quite bewildered (H.).—N. & S.W. (3)v.To deaden anything, as pain. 'It sort o' dudders the pain.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

*Doddle-grass.Briza media, L., Quaking Grass (English Plant Names).

Doddler. 'A bit of a doddler,' a small boy.—N. & S.W.

Dog, how beest? This phrase seems worth noting. At Clyffe Pypard a person complaining of loneliness, or the want of sociability or kindness amongst the neighbours, will say, 'There isn't one as 'll so much as look in and say, "Dog, how beest?"'

Dog-Cocks.Arum maculatum, L., Cuckoo-pint. CompareDogs-dibblein N. Devon.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Dog-daisy. Any large daisy-like white flower, such asChrysanthemum leucanthemum, L., Ox-eye Daisy.—N. & S.W.

Dogged. (2 syl.) Very, excessively; asdogged cute(A.).—N. & S.W.

'Maester was dogged deep, but I was deeper!'—Wilts Tales, p. 110.

*Dog out. To drive out anything, as a sheep out of a quagmire, by setting the dog furiously at it (Great Estate, ch. viii).

Dog's-mouth.Linaria vulgaris, Mill., Yellow Toadflax.—N.W.

*Dom. A door case (H.Wr.): probably a mistake forDornorDoorn.

Domel. SeeDumble.

Doner. A man, animal, &c., 'done for' and past hope (S.). 'Thuck old sow be a dunner; her 'll be dead afore night.'—N. & S.W.

*Donnings. Clothes (A.B.).

*Dooke. (2 syl.) Do ye, will ye. 'Be quiet, dooke' (H.M.Wr.).

'Obsolete, having been superseded bydo 'ee. It was pronounced as a dissyllable.'—Skeat.

Door-Drapper(i.e. Dropper or Dripper). The piece of wood fastened to the bottom of cottage doors to shoot the water off the 'Dreshol' (threshold).—N.W.

*Doorn. A door frame (H.Wr.). AlsoDurn(S.). At Warminster applied only to the sides of a door-frame.—S.W.

Double. 'He is a double man,' i.e. bent double with age or infirmity.—S.W.

*Double-Dumb-Nettle.Ballota nigra, L., Black Horehound.—S.W. (Charlton.)

*Double-ladies'-fingers-and-thumbs.Anthyllis vulneraria, L., Kidney Vetch.—N.W. (Enford.)

Double-mound. A double hedge (Amateur Poacher, ch. xi;Wild Life, ch. ix. p. 152). SeeMound.—N.W.

*Double Pincushion.Anthyllis vulneraria, L., Kidney Vetch.—S.W. (Barford.)

Doublets. Twin lambs (Annals of Agric.).—N.W.

Dough-fig. The same asLem-feg. A Turkey Fig.—N.W.

Dout. To put out, as 'Dout the candle' (A.B.S.): to smother or extinguish fire by beating.—N. & S.W.

'An extinguisher "douts" a candle; the heel of a boot "douts" a match thrown down. But the exact definition of "dout" is to smother, or extinguish by beating.'—Village Miners.

Dowl. The fine down of a bird.—N.W.

'Coots and moor-hens must be skinned, they could not be plucked because of the "dowl." Dowl is the fluff, the tiny featherets no fingers can remove.'—Bevis, ch. vii.

Down. To tire out, to exhaust. 'That there 'oss's downed.'—N.W. (Wroughton.)

Down-along. 'He lives down-along,' a little way down the street (S.), as opposed to 'up-along.'—S.W.

Down-arg. To contradict in an overbearing manner (A.B.S.), to browbeat.—N. & S.W.

Down-dacious. Audacious (S.). 'Her's a right downdacious young vaggot, that her is!'—S.W.

*Down-haggard. Disconsolate (S.).—S.W.

Down-hearten. To feel disheartened. 'A be vurry bad, but I don't down-hearten about un.'—N.W.

Dowse. A blow (A.B.C.S.), as 'a dowse in the chops.'—N. & S.W.

Dowst. (1) Chaff or cave.Dust(D.). (2) 'To go to dowst,' go to bed, perhaps fromdowst(chaff) being used to fill mattresses. Heard at Huish occasionally, but not traced elsewhere.

Dowst-coob. The chaff cupboard in a stable.—N. & S.W.

Drag. A harrow (D.).—N. & S.W.

Drail. (1) In a plough, the iron bow from which the traces draw, and by which the furrow is set (D.).—N.W. (2)Crex pratensis, the Landrail.—N.W.

*Drainted. Of dirt, ingrained (H.Wr.).

Drang,Drangway,Drung. (1) A narrow lane.Drun(H.Wr.).—S.W. (2) A narrow passage between walls or houses. Drun (H.Wr.).—S.W.

Drangway. SeeDrang(S.).

Drashel,Dreshol, &c. A flail (D.). The correct term for a flail is adrashel, but 'a pair o' drashells' (or 'dreshols') is more commonly used, as two men generally work together.—N. & S.W.

*Drattle. Much talk (S.).—S.W.

Draught. A cart-shaft.Draats(S.).—S.W.

Draughts. Hazel-rods selected for hurdle-making (D.). A 'draught' is not a rod, but a bundle of long wood suitable for hurdles or pea-sticks, bound with a single withe.—N.W.

Drave. 'I be slaving an' draving (i.e. working myself to death) for he, night and day.'—N. & S.W.

Draw. (1) A squirrel's dray or nest.—N.W. (Marlborough.) (2) Rarely applied to a large nest, as a hawk's. Compare:—'Draw, to build a nest (Berners),' an old hawking term.—N.W. (Marlborough.)

Drawing. SeeDrawn.

Drawn. In a water-meadow, the large open main drain which carries the water back to the river, after it has passed through the various carriages and trenches.—S.W. In every-day use about Salisbury, and along the Avon and Wiley from Downton to Codford, but rarely heard elsewhere.

'Many of the meadows on either length [near Salisbury] abound in ditches and "drawns."'—Fishing Gazette, July 18, 1891, p. 40, col. 2.

'I ... descried three birds, standing quite still [at Britford] by the margin of a flooded "drawing."'—Wilts Arch. Mag.xxi. 229.

Dredge,Drodge. Barley and oats grown together.—S.W.

Dribs-and-Drabs. Odds and ends. 'All in dribs and drabs,' all in tatters.—N. & S.W.

Drieth. SeeDryth.

Drift. A row of felled underwood (D.).—N.W.

DrippleSeeWaggon.

Drive. Of manure, to stimulate growth. 'Thur, that'll drive th' rhubub,Iknaws!'—N. & S.W.

Drock. (1) A short drain under a roadway, often made with a hollow tree.—N. & S.W. (2) A broad flat stone laid as a bridge across a ditch (Amaryllis at the Fair).—N.W. (Castle Eaton, &c.)

'Drock, a water-way, or sometimes the stone slab over a narrow ditch.'—Leisure Hour, Aug. 1893.'1674. Item Paid Richard Serrell for a Stone to make a Drocke.—Records of Chippenham, p. 230.

'Drock, a water-way, or sometimes the stone slab over a narrow ditch.'—Leisure Hour, Aug. 1893.

'1674. Item Paid Richard Serrell for a Stone to make a Drocke.—Records of Chippenham, p. 230.

*(3) A water-course (H.Wr.). A water-way (Leisure Hour, Aug. 1893).—N.W. (Castle Eaton, &c.)

'Where meaning a water way, it is usually spoken of as a Drockway, "drock" alone being the passage over the ditch.'—Miss E. Boyer-Brown.

*(4) Used in compounds such asWell-drock, windlass.

Drockway. SeeDrock(3).

Drodge. SeeDredge.

*Dromedary. (1)Centaurea nigra, L., Black Knapweed.—S.W. (Barford St. Martin.) (2)Centaurea Scabiosa, L., Hardheads.—S.W. (Barford St. Martin.)

Dropping. 'A dropping summer,' one when there is a shower every two or three days (Wild Life, ch. ii).—N.W.

Drove. A green roadway on a farm.—N. & S.W.

Drown. To turn the water over the meadows.—S.W.

Drowner. The man who attends to the hatches, managing the supply of water, and turning it on and off the meadows at the proper times.—S.W.

*Drowning-bridge. A water-meadow sluice-gate (A.B.G.H. Wr.).

Drowning-carriage. A large water-course for drowning a meadow. SeeCarriage.—S.W.

*Droy. A thunderbolt (Aubrey'sWilts MS., H.Wr.).—Obsolete.

*Drucked. Filled to overflowing (S.).—S.W.

Drug. (1) 'To drug timber,' to draw it out of the woods under a pair of wheels (D.).—N.W. (2) 'To drug a wheel,' to put on some kind of drag or chain.—N.W.

*Druid's-hair. Long moss (H.Wr.).

Drun. SeeDrang(H.Wr.).

Drunge. (1)n.A crowd or crush of people (H.Wr.)—N.W. (2)v.To squeeze (S.).—S.W.

Drunkards. Flowers ofCaltha palustris, L., Marsh Marigold; probably from the way in which they suck up water when placed in a vase. The reason assigned by children for the name is that if you look long at them you will be sure to take to drink.—S.W. (Som. bord.)

Dry Cuckoo, orDryland Cuckoo.Saxifraga granulata, L., White Meadow Saxifrage. SeeCuckoo.—S.W.

Dryth, orDrieth. Dryness, drought.—N.W.

'1633. The cryer ... to give warninge to the inhabitants to sett payles of water at their doores in the late tyme of drieth and heate.'—Records of Chippenham, p. 206.

Dub. To pelt with stones. 'Just dub that apple down out of the tree, will 'ee?' SeeFrog-dubbing.—S.W.

Dubbed. Blunt, pointless (A.B.).

*Dubbing. 'A dubbin' o' drenk,' a pint or mug of beer (A.B.H.Wr.).

Dubby. Oily.—N.W.

Duck's-frost. A very slight white frost.—N.W.

'That kind of frost which comes on in the early morning, and is accompanied with some rime on the grass—a duck's frost, just sufficient to check fox-hunting.'—Gamekeeper at Home, ch. vii.

Duckstone. A game played by boys with stones (S.).—S.W.

Dudder. SeeDodder.

Dudge. (1) A bundle of anything used to stop a hole.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.) *(2) 'Peg the dudge,' tap the barrel (A.B.G.H.Wr.).

Dudman. A scarecrow.—N.W. (Malmesbury.)

Dumb-Ague. A kind of ague which is not accompanied by the usual shaking fits. ''Tis what 'ee do caal the dumb-agey.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Dumble. Stupid, dull (A.B.H.Wr.); alsoDomel, Dummel, &c.—N.W.

'Severe weather ... makes all wild animals "dummel" in provincial phrase,—i.e. stupid, slow to move.'—Gamekeeper at Home, ch. vii.

Dumbledore, orDumble. The Humble-bee (A.B.S.).—N. & S.W.

'Th' mak'st a noise like a dumbledore in a pitcher.'—Wilts Tales, p. 68.

Dumb Nettle.Lamium album, L., White Dead-nettle.—S.W. (Charlton.)

Dump. (1)n.'A treacle dump,' a kind of coarse sweetmeat.—S.W. (2)v.To blunt, as 'I've dumped my scythe against a stone.'—N.W. (3) A pollard tree, as 'Ash-dump,' or 'Willow-dump.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Dum-put. SeeDung-pot.

Dunch. (1) Deaf (A.B.C.); now rarely so used. InCunnington MS.said to be at that time the usual N. Wilts term fordeaf.—N & S.W.

'Ah! Molly, ye purtends to be as dunch as a bittle, but I kneows 'e hears ev'ry word I zays.'—Wilts Tales, p. 81.

(2) Stupid, heavy; now the common use. 'The wapses gets dunch' in late autumn. A labourer who can't be made to understand orders is 'dunch.'—N. & S.W. (3) Of bread, heavy (Wild Life, ch. vii). Cf.Dunch-dumpling.—N. & S.W.Dunchyis frequently used in S. Wilts instead ofDunch, but usually means deaf.

Dunch-dumpling. A hard-boiled flour-and-water dumpling (A.B.C.) SeeDunch(3).—N.W.

Dunch-nettle,Dunse-nettle. (1)Lamium purpureum, L., Red Dead-nettle.Dunch=stupid, inactive. Cf.Deaf-nettle.—S.W. (2)Lamium album, L., White Dead-nettle.—S.W. (Barford.)

Dung-pot. A dung-cart (D.); rarelyDum-put. SeePot.—N. & S.W.

*Dup. 'To dup the door,' to open or unfasten it (Lansd. MS.1033).—Obsolete. Cf. :—

'Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,And dupp'd the chamber-door.'—Hamlet, iv. 5.

The word now means the very reverse.

Dutch Elder.Aegopodium Podagraria, L., Goutweed.—S.W. (Farley, &c.)

Duther,Dutter. SeeDodder.

Ea-grass. After-grass (D.); Lammas grass as well as aftermath.—S.W.

Eass(sometimesYees). An earthworm.—S.W.

*Edge-growed. Of barley, both growing and ripening irregularly; the result of a want of rain after it is first sown (D.).

Eel-scrade. A kind of eel-trap.—S.W.

'A trap used to catch eels, placed near a weir. The water is turned into the scrade when high, and the fish washed up to a stage through which the water finds an outlet, the fish, however, being retained on the platform by a piece of sloping iron.'—F. M. Willis.

Eel-sticher. An eel-spear.—S.W.

'Wishing to secure [a Little Grebe] in summer plumage, I asked the old "drowner" in our meadows to look out for one for me—and this he very soon did, fishing one out from under the water between the spikes of his eel-sticher, as it was diving under the water.'—Wilts Arch. Mag.xxii. 193.

Effet,Evet.Lissotriton punctatus, the Newt (A.S.)—N. & S.W.

'She ... sometimes peered under the sage-bush to look at the "effets" that hid there.'—Great Estate, ii.

Eggs-and-Bacon.Linaria vulgaris, Mill., Yellow Toadflax. Cf.Bacon-and-Eggs.—N. & S.W.

*Eggs-eggs. Fruit of the hawthorn.—S.W. (Farley.)

*Elet. Fuel (H.Wr.). *Ollit(Aubrey'sWilts MS.).—N.W., obsolete.

Elm,Helm, orYelm. (1)v.To make up 'elms.'—N. & S.W.

'Two or three women are busy "yelming," i.e. separating the straw, selecting the longest and laying it level and parallel, damping it with water, and preparing it for the yokes.'—Wild Life, ch. vi.

(2)n.(Almost invariably pl.,'elms' being the usual form). Small bundles or handfuls of fresh straw, damped and laid out straight for the thatcher's use (Wild Life, ch. vi). SeeWilts Arch. Mag.vol. xxii. p. 111. According to Prof.Skeatyelm, seldom now used in Wilts, is the correct form, from A.S.gilm, a handful. About Marlborough it is usually pronounced asYelms, but at Clyffe Pypard there is not the slightest sound ofyin it. Elsewhere it is frequently pronounced asEllums.—N. & S.W.

Eltrot.Heracleum Sphondylium, L., Cow-parsnip (S.). *Altrotat Zeals.—S.W.

Emmet. The Ant (S.). 'Ant' is never used in Wilts.—N. & S.W.

Emmet-heap. An anthill.—N. & S.W.

En. (1)pl. termination, asHousen, houses;Hipsen, rose-berries;Keyn, keys;Facen, faces;Wenchen, girls;Bluen, blossoms;Naas'n, nests (rarely heard,Nestisesbeing the usual form);Pigs'-sousen, pigs'-ears.—N. & S.W.

'In North Wilts ... the formation of the Plural by affixingento the Noun is almost universal, as house housen, &c.'—Cunnington MS.

(2)adj. term., asHarnen, made of horn;Stwonen, of stone;Elmin, of elm wood, &c. 'Boughtenbread,' baker's bread, as opposed to home-made. 'Adirtenfloor,' a floor made of earth, beaten hard. 'Atinninpot.' 'Aglassencup.'Boarden, made of boards;Treen-dishes, wooden platters, &c. 'There's some volk as thinks to go droo life in glassen slippers.'—N. & S.W.

'Almost as universal too is the transformation of the Substantive into an adjective by the same termination as ... a Leatheren Shoe, an elmen Board, &c.'—Cunnington MS.

(3) SeePronouns.

'The pronoun Possessive too is formed in the same way, as hisn hern Ourn theirn.'—Cunnington MS.

English Parrot.Picus viridis, the Green Woodpecker (Birds of Wilts, p. 251).—S.W. (Salisbury.)

Ether,Edder. The top-band of a fence, the wands of hazel, &c., woven in along the top of a 'dead hedge,' or wattled fence, to keep it compact (A.B.). A 'stake and ether' fence. A.S.edor.—N.W.

'Mughall [Midghall] had nothing to doe withought [without] the Eyther [hedge] between Bradene Lane and Shropshire Marsh.'—1602,MS.,Perambulation of the Great Park of Fasterne, N.W., in Devizes Museum.

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