Auld Willie Bowt, Ah unbethought,Ow’d him fer a quart Ah’d lang sen gitten,Seea up Ah gat, an’ oot Ah pot,An’ wisht them o besmitten.
Auld Willie Bowt, Ah unbethought,Ow’d him fer a quart Ah’d lang sen gitten,Seea up Ah gat, an’ oot Ah pot,An’ wisht them o besmitten.
Auld Willie Bowt, Ah unbethought,Ow’d him fer a quart Ah’d lang sen gitten,Seea up Ah gat, an’ oot Ah pot,An’ wisht them o besmitten.
Auld Willie Bowt, Ah unbethought,
Ow’d him fer a quart Ah’d lang sen gitten,
Seea up Ah gat, an’ oot Ah pot,
An’ wisht them o besmitten.
UNDER-GROWTH—Apples that grow on the under side of the tree, and which are longer in ripening, and are sweeter for it.
UNGAIN—Roundabout. That’s a ungain way o’ gaan aboot thi wark min.
UNKID—Weird; strange; cross; queer. He telt us a unkid tial aboot his broughtins up.
UPBANK, DOONBANK, IN-BANK—Ah’ll put these ota-pgidder becos they’re o o’ yah mak’. Upbank’s gaan uphill, doonbank and inbank’s gaan doon. Upbank wark’s tryen ta git on i’ t’ world; doonbank’s a way a lot on us gah withoot mich tryen. An auld sayen is “Thoo’s like a coo tail; thoo grows doonbank.”
UPSHAW—Over. It’s aboot upshaw wi’ him.
UPSHOT—Final. T’ upshot was ’at they mud feit an’ feit tell o was black and blue they dud.
UPSTIRRING—Up and busy. We mun be upstirrin afooar t’ sparrows i’ t’ moornin’.
UPTACK—Reward for finding. They gat a croon fer t’ uptack o’ that hoond.
UPHOD—Maintenance. He’s a chap at’s at a ter’ble gurt uphod sen he was seea badly.
URCHIN, URCHANT—Hedgehog. They sook eggs, an’ kye, an’ lads throw them i’ t’ pond ta oppen them oot.
URL’D—A knotty tree, or piece of wood; a youth of poor physical development. He’s a laal url’d stunt; he’s set on an’ ’ll niver grow neea bigger.
USE-IN-DRUM—Interest on a small sum lent oot:
“Ah’ve three hauf croons put oot ta use,An’ sixteenpence beside;An’ Ah just draw the use-in-drum,An’ let the heeal stock bide.”—Old Song.
“Ah’ve three hauf croons put oot ta use,An’ sixteenpence beside;An’ Ah just draw the use-in-drum,An’ let the heeal stock bide.”—Old Song.
“Ah’ve three hauf croons put oot ta use,An’ sixteenpence beside;An’ Ah just draw the use-in-drum,An’ let the heeal stock bide.”—Old Song.
“Ah’ve three hauf croons put oot ta use,
An’ sixteenpence beside;
An’ Ah just draw the use-in-drum,
An’ let the heeal stock bide.”—Old Song.
VAGABOND’S-FRIEND—Solomon’s seal. Cure’s black een, brossen snoots, bruises, an’ sec!!! It hez a good niam awur.
VARGUS—Thoor’s as soor as crab-varjus.
VAST—A large quantity, Ther’s a vast o’ fooak at’s back ta year wi’ t’ hay.
VIEW-HALLA—“My lugs rang as if John Hudson hounds hed startit a fox, an’ he was givvan t’ view-halla.”—Joe and the Geologist.
VIRGIN-MARY—A garden flooer.
WADDITER—India-rubber for removing lead pencil marks—wad-eater.
WATTER-JOWLED—Soaked or sodden as potatoes are sometimes when cooking.
WAD—Would. Wad ye mind lenen mi mudder your cheese, we’ve some company dropt in? Ah wad’nt, honey, but Sarah hes ’t.
WAE-WORTH-THA—When yan’s summat nasty ta say an’ can’t find nowt better.
WARK—Ache.
WASS—Soor and acidy.
WAR’DAY—Week-day. See’sta, he went tull t’ market i’ his war’day clias, an’ fooak o giapen an’ glooaren wi’ o t’ een they hev at him, t’ auld maddlin’.
WARE—Spend. Thoo mun ware thi brass carefully.
WARF—Stale; damp. This meet tiastes warf. A pantry smells warf, an’ seea on.
WARN’D—Ah’s warn’d yer gaily thrang.
WARNING—Notice. He’s gi’en warnen ta quit.
WATER-SHOT—To form a wall or a stack on such a principle that water will run outwards and off.
WATER-WIER—To protect the sides of a water-course—they’re watter wieren t’ beck.
WATH—A way ower a beck wi’ gaan throo ’t, whar a rooad an’ it crosses an’ ther’s neea brig.
WATTLES—Countenance. Nivver let thi wattles doon ower a thing like that min.
WAWL, WAWEN—The music of cats at neet time.
WAX—Grow. Thoo niver waxes a bit.
WAXING-PAINS—When young fooak grow ower fast fer ther strength.
WAX-KERNELS—Lumps i’ t’ skin like nuts.
WAY-GAAN—Oot gaan er off-gaan crops an’ seck like, when a farmer comes to t’ end of his lease an’s gaan away.
WAF—A current of air. Keep oot o’ t’ waf o’ t’ train, er it’ll draw thi in anunder ’t.
WAFFY—Faint. Ah’s that waffy thoo could fell mi wi’ a fedder.
WAFFLE, WAFFLER—Change about. Thoo’l waffle aboot an’ say owt; thoo’s nowt but a silly waffler.
WAG-BI’-T’-WO—A clock wi’ neea wood-work an’ ye can see o’ t’ guts.
WAISTREL—A chap ’at gahs through his time an’ his substance withoot diun mickle good.
WAD—Lead. Thoo’s as blue as wad. Len’ us a bit o’ wad pencil.
WAD—Stuff; plug; gorge. Wad thisel wi’ some beef an’ taties.
WALLOP—Thrash. Ah’ll wallop thi fer thi craft.
WALLOPER—Large. That’s a walloper.
WALLOPEN—Thrashing.—Thoo’ll git a wallopen. Very large; it’s a gurt wallopen barn.
WALLAT—What a man carries his tommy in tied ower his rig. A corner field.
WANDLY—Gently. Oppen t’ deur wandly an’ creep in. In a quiet, suave manner. He wandly sez: “What, Joe, thou mapin wad’nt like to tell a body how thou gat on wi’ t’ oald jollyjist.”
WAP—A bundle of thrashed straw. He’d a wap o’ streea on his rig.
WATTER-BRASH—Anudder fer t’ coo doctor.
WALL-EYED—A dog with eyes of two colours.
WALLIKUR, WALLIKEN—Very big. A gurt walliken chap. That’s a wallikur.
WALLOW—Welsh. Ah’ve a nasty wallow tiaste i’ mi’ mooth like rotten eggs.
WAMLY—Faint from hunger. Ah’s wamly as owt fer mi dinner.
WANDS—Willows; switches.
“Noo’s thy chance then, thee be choosin’,Likely wands are less’nin fast,An’ if thoo gangs on refusin’Thoo mun he’e t’ creeakt stick at last.”—Bowness.
“Noo’s thy chance then, thee be choosin’,Likely wands are less’nin fast,An’ if thoo gangs on refusin’Thoo mun he’e t’ creeakt stick at last.”—Bowness.
“Noo’s thy chance then, thee be choosin’,Likely wands are less’nin fast,An’ if thoo gangs on refusin’Thoo mun he’e t’ creeakt stick at last.”—Bowness.
“Noo’s thy chance then, thee be choosin’,
Likely wands are less’nin fast,
An’ if thoo gangs on refusin’
Thoo mun he’e t’ creeakt stick at last.”—Bowness.
WANGLE, WANGKLY—Weak, without strength or vigour. Ah’s nobbut wangkly. Ah can hardly wangle aboot.
WANTER—Fooak ’at want a partner:
“He lives aw his lane; but he’s surely to blameWhen a wanter like me may be had sae near heame.”Anderson.
“He lives aw his lane; but he’s surely to blameWhen a wanter like me may be had sae near heame.”Anderson.
“He lives aw his lane; but he’s surely to blameWhen a wanter like me may be had sae near heame.”Anderson.
“He lives aw his lane; but he’s surely to blame
When a wanter like me may be had sae near heame.”
Anderson.
WAP—A bundle of straw put round a pump or a tap to keep the frost out.
WAPEN-TAK—An officer employed to recover debt. “If he doesn’t pay up Ah’ll set t’ wapen-tack on tull him.” This officer is reported to have existed in the town of Kendal till as late as 1836.
WARBLE—A maggot in a cow’s hide.
WAR-OOT—War-oot o’ t’ way. Git oot o’ the rooad o’ danger.
WELT—Upset. Sooa! sooa! thoo murt welt t’ bucket. A rough blow. A welt ower t’ lug.
WEAKY—Moist; mellow. Put a wet cloot on t’ cheese ta keep ’t weaky.
WEATHER-BREEDER—A fine day amang a tot o’t tudder mak.
WEATHER-GLEAM—To perceive some one or something in the distance or dusk. Ah could weather gleam ye on afront on us.
WEATHER-GO—A lump of a rainbow end.
WEATHER-WISE—Yan ’at knows what soort o’ wedder we want, an’ prophecies ’at it’ll land up.
WEE—A laal wee chap wi’ a gurt heed.
WEEZEN’D—Wrinkled an’ shrivelled. A weezen’d laal monkey ’at is he.
WELSH—In want of a tonic. Ah’s as welsh as can be this moornen—this is efter a spree, when a saut heeren er owt o’ that mack gahs doon gaily grand.
WEZ’N, WEZ’RIN—Wind pipe.
WERT, WURT—Will not. Ah wert gah anudder step tell thoo pays me.
WEATHER-GLASS—Barometer—’t lasses played a breck yance wi’ yan, an’ t’ auld man put it oot o’doors amang t’ rain with the remark “See fer thisel thoo auld leer.”
WEATHER-GLASS—Red rubrum. Shuts up when its garn ta rain.
WHIFFLE, WHAFFLE—One that is easily turned. He whiffles an he whaffles; he’s like a dictionary, he sticks ta nowt neea length o’ time. Siam way wi’ t’ wind.
WHIGMALEERIE—A bit leet an’ whimmy. Nowt bad ye know, but just a bit fanciful amang t’ lasses an’ seck.
WHUFFLES—When t’ wind booasums a gay deal.
WHYTE-TA, OD-WHYTE-TA—About like ‘twiteta’; rayder a whiat mack o’ sweeren.
WHAFFIN, WHUFFIN, WHU’IN—The continued barking of a whelp or a chained dog. What’s ta whuffin at?
WHANG—A shoe liace; to throw down. He whang’d him doon wi’ seck a leddur.
WHANGEN—Aboot t’ siam as Brashen.
WHANGHY, WHANGBY—Summat er owt ’at’s varra teuf, a mack o’ cheese.
WHANKET—A rough piece. He’d a gurt whanket o’ cheese i’ yah nief, an’ a lump o’ broon Geordie i’ tudder, ’at he was trying ta fettle.
WHAKLY—An’ oily insinuating manner. Ah mak nowt o’ yer whakly, greasy fooak. Gie me yan ’at says what he thinks an’ neea mair on’t.
WHEEZE, WHEEZLY—Breathe. He can hardly wheeze an’ blow. Ah’s varra wheezly.
WHIDDEREN—Big; somewhat awkward. A gurt whidderen fellow.
WHIDDUR—Tremble. It maks yan’s skin whiddur to think on ’t.
WHIRLERS—Leather heels fer stockings ta keep t’ clogs, frae weearen them through.
WHISHT—Keep quiet. Whisht a bit an’ see if we can hear owt. Quietly. He was gaan on his tippy teeas as whisht as he could.
WHITE—Cut. White thi’ stick. Give up makin’ seea many whitins.
WHITTLE—Carving knife. I’ yah parish they’d nobbut yan an’ it stuck in a tree tell it was wanted. Fooak used ta shoot “Carls whittle ta t’ tree,” an’ that used ta mak them crazy.
WHUFT—T’ reek whuft doon t’ chimla. He whuft a chow o’ bacca oot. Summat diun gayley sharp wi’ a puff o’ wind.
WHYTE—Quite. He’s gon whyte away.
WHAMP—Wasp. A whamp nest.
WHARREL—Stone quarry; to quarry stone. Gang ta t’ wharrel fer a liad o’ stians.
WHATN—Whatn does thoo whistle i’ t’ hoose for?
WHAT-FOR—Why. What for does ta allus be seea unmannerly when fooak er in?
WHEEAM—Full thi wheeam, it’s last thoo’ll see fer a bit—its yan’s poddish pooak.
WHEEM—Smooth, soft-spoken, oily-tongued. He’s a gay wheem carl.
WHELLOCK, WHELLOCKER, WHELLOCKEN—A whellock ower t’ lug; a gurt whellocker. He got a whellocken. A rough lot these is fer owt ’ats awk’ard.
WHEMMLE—Overturn. Whemmle a swill ower that auld hen ’at’s clocken.
WHEN—Say when. That’s when they’re gaan ta lift owt ’at’s heavy. Yan says, “Say when.” Tudder ’ll say, “when,” then up it gahs.
WHENT—Quaint, old-fashioned, funny. He’s a whent ’un.
WHET—Ah’ll hev neea mair this whet. Whet stands for many things, such as turn, occasion, at present, and so on.
WHAMBLY—A bit shakky efter a badly roond.
WHUP-CRACKEN—A lump o’ coord ta mak a whup crack; o’ lads wants a bit.
WHUPPERSNAPPER—An upstart; yan ’at’s kilt wi’ wit; a bit of a fop; a silly clown. Efter we hed bin on wi’ these words a gay canny bit Ah gat a letter ta say ’at t’ first conclusion ’at yan o’ mi readers hed come tull was ’at Ah was a whuppersnapper, macken gam o’ fooak, an’ ther auld farrant twang; seea ye’ll know noo what ta say when ye want to plague somebody a bit.
WHUP-STREEA—Thrash. Thee gang an’ whup streea, an’ Ah’ll gah oot wi’ t’ nags.
WHUZ—A lad’s laiken miad oot ov a roond bit o’ leed, an’ spun aroond wi’ twisted string. It gangs like a circular saw, an’ fair whuzes.
WHY—A coo calf’s a why calf.
WHYA-NEEA—“Whya-neea” means “Well no,” wi’ a bit o’ foorce behint it. “Whya neea!” sez Ah, “Ah’ll deea nowt at mack nowder fer thee ner thi betters sista.”
WHYA-well; yes. Whya an’ hoo er ye o’ gaan on? Whya what wer o’ amacka middlin. Will ta hev me? Whya what Ah’s be like as thoo asses seea nicely.
WHY-LAIKENS—Beestens.
WHEWED—To throw in a temper. He whewed t’ door teea wi’ seck a leddur.
WHEWTEN—Snowing slightly.
WHEWTLE—Whistle. Whewtle us an air on ’t.
WHICHN—Whichn will thoo hev?
WHICK—Living; growing. A whick dike;i.e., a growing whick-set hedge, as distinct from a dry dike.
WHICKS—Watch a sheep ’at hez them—they’re lal mawks.
WHICK-SET—Growing hawthorn in a hedge.
WHICKENIN—A risin o’ yast.
WHICKIN-RAKE—A iron riak fer cleanen aboot t’ dike boddum.
WHIGS—Laal conny ciaks, wi’ seeds in.
WHILES—Occasionally. Whiles he’s as reet as anybody.
WHILK—Whether, which. Whilk on ye’s gaan wi’ me?
WHILLY-LILLY—Greasy whakly daubment. Ther’s neea whilly-lilly wark aboot huz, neea marry.
WHINGE—Cry. Thoo’ll git summat ta whinge for, if Ah cu ta thi.
WHINNY, WHINNYEN—The neighing of horses.
WHIMWHAM—A whuz. A lad’s laiken, like a waiter wheel in a beck.
WHIRL-PUFF—A whirlwind on a laal scale.
WHIPLETREE—A swingletree. He was a genuine type of the Lakeland character who so used this word on more than one occasion. [I do not vouch for its existence now in the above sense.]
WHIPS—Lots. We’ve whips o’ streea.
WHITLOW—A poisoned finger; gathering about the nail.
WHITTLE-GIAT—Ah telt ye what a saw giat is. This is whar t’ carvin’ knife gahs, an’ years sen it was t’ tommy ’at t’ skiul-maister hed frae them wheeas barns he was larnen ta shoot. It maks yan laff noo ta see what ways they hed a few o’ years sen.
WICKS—Twitch.
WIRE IN—To buckle teea wi’ a good will. Wire in an’ git thi niam up.
WHITCHWOOD, MICKANWOOD—Nowt nobbut t’ auld burtree ’at witches was flayed on formerly. Witches bi gom! Ah say witches an’ mowin machines! Eh! What?
WIND-IN-A-DYKE—Summat ’ats sharp he’s gian doon t’ toon like wind in a dyke, what is ther up? It went like wind in a dyke at they war gaan ta be wedded.
WIDDIES—Willy-wands at yah time used fer door jimmers.
WILLY-WAND—A willow.
WISP—A handfull of straw put in shoes or clogs to keep the feet warm. A bit of twisted straw stuck in a hole of a sack—otherwise, a miller’s cloot. To clean a horse; whisp it doon. An’ amair forbye these.
WIAS—A roond streea ring fer a pan ta stand on.
WIASTRY—Waistfulness. Seck waistry as yan niver dud see barn; it’s fair shocken.
WID—With.
WID’NT, WAD’NT—Will not; would not.
WILL-CAN—Be able and willing. Ah deea wish ’at ye will-can come as ye said, it’ll be seea grand ta gang on t’ fells an’ lait ferns.
WILLY-WI’-T’-WISP—Leets i’ dike breeasts at dark o’ neet. Varra flaysome things is willy-wi’-t’-wisp.
WIND—Scent. Wind ’em noo.
WIND—Breath. Ah’s short o’ wind. Ah’s aboot winded.
WINDED—Bacon not properly cured. It’s winded aboot t’ shooder.
WIND-FO—A rich relative’s leavings.
WIND-EGG—A egg withoot a skell. Thoo’ll run them hens tell we’ll hev nin but wind-eggs.
WIND-ROW—Hay raked up in rows.
WINE-BERRIES—Red currants.
WINNAK—A sort of leddur bottle ta carry drink er owt in.
WINNLE-STREEA—Dried stalks o’ gurse. His leg is neea thicker ner winnle streeas.
WIRE-WORMS—Milleped.
WIZZEN—Wrinkled and ill-favoured. Thoo laal wizzened imp, thoo.
WON—Secured. A stack of well-won meadow hay.
WOODY—Radishes ’at’s gitten sticky; er owt else o’ that mack.
WO’-PLATE—Atween t’ sliates an’ t’ wo. Many a bit ov a thing gits fielded up theer an’ lost.
WO’-WHOL—Whar laal rabbits skug in.
WOO-GARN—Wool-yarn.
“A rock, a reel, a woo-garn wheel,An’ a besom meayde o ling.”—Whitehead.
“A rock, a reel, a woo-garn wheel,An’ a besom meayde o ling.”—Whitehead.
“A rock, a reel, a woo-garn wheel,An’ a besom meayde o ling.”—Whitehead.
“A rock, a reel, a woo-garn wheel,
An’ a besom meayde o ling.”—Whitehead.
WORK, WROUGHT—Aye, fer sewer; that’s it t’ belly wark wi’ physic.
WOTE, WOTIN—T’ edge of a clog sole whar t’ top’s fassened on. Thoo’s worn t’ doon ta t’ wote fer want of a calker. T’ wotins a bit o’ leddur at gahs aroond ta keep t’ top fast at t’ sooal.
WOTS, WOTTINS—Siam as Orts. Bits o’ fodder left at t’ biws.
WOW—Waf an’ bark like a silly dog. Shut up wi’ tha; what’s ta keep wow’en aboot?
WOWY—Oot o’ fettle.
WOTS—Oats. A gay canny crop o’ wots yon.
WRECKLING—T’ least pig i’ t’ litter; a reckless member of a family.
WRIGLED—Ass t’ veterinary fer full particulars.
WRINE—Rind. This bacon wrine’s as tiuf as ledder.
WULF, WULFEN—Eating voraciously. Thoo’s neea casion to wulf thi dinner doon like that.
WUMMEL—Augur.
WYKE—Hollow. It slipt through t’ wyke o’ mi hand. Grease was runnen frae t’ wyke ov his mooth.
YAMMER, YAMMEREN—Grumbling in an undertone. What’s ta keep yammeren aboot?
YAP, YAPPY, YAP-STICK—A chap ’at’s a bit ov o gomeril.
YARK—Beat. To snatch roughly. Yark it oot.
YARKER—A greedy person. He’s a yarker.
YAUP—Shouting. Thoo may yaup an’ shoot as thoo’s a mind, Ah’ll hev mi awn way about it.
YEDWAND—Aboot t’ siam as Yedder.
YEWE—Wild rhubarb, burbleck, an’ what nut, t’ Latin for ’t wad cap yan ta mak oot.
YEARTH—The earth.
YEARTH-UP—To soil up growing vegetables.
YEARTH-FAST—A stone deeply buried in the ground.
YEDDER—What we bind top o’ t’ dykes tagidder wi’ Gurt hazel stick—that’s a yedder.
YERBS—Herbs.
YEDDEREN—What a lad gits fer bein ower bain, an’ diun iv’rything ’at he wants an’ nowt ’at he sud. A gurt lowse bianed chap at sledders aboot i’ rayder rough pickle is said ta be a gurt yedderen fellow.
YEDDLE, YEDDLEN—Always nattering and grumbling. He’s always yeddlen aboot summat, but nea body taks nea nooatice on him. Let him yeddle, sez Ah.
YERB-PUDDING—Easter-man-giants, brocoli, chives, nettles, chopped fine, mixed wi’ barley, an’ boiled in a pooak. That’s a dinner of herbs. They gev a Cockney some yance, an’ he brast oot yewlen, an’ sez he, Ah izzant gaan ta be a coo, is Ah?
YERD-WAND—A measuring stick.
YERLS, EARLES, ARLES, ARLE-PENNY—The money with which the farm servant is bound to carry out his agreement with a master.
YEWER—Cow’s udder.
YOD—Galliwa. Gang an’ fetch t’ auld yod, an’ t’ coddy, an’ t’ tweea grey stags off t’ fell, an’ put them inta t’ yack intack.
YOOL, YOOLEN—Cry. What’s ta yoolen for?
YOUNGERMER—Younger. T’ youngermer end o’ them hed gian ta bed.
YONDERLY—Slack set up. Ah’s a bit yonderly.
YOWE-YONUTS—Earth nuts; pig nuts. They’re like laal taties. We used ta howk them up an’ eat them, but they’re nut up ta mich.
YOWLEN—Howling. Give ower yowlen.