GLOSSARY OF WILTSHIRE WORDS

Oxford
HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY

A Glossary of Words
USED IN THE
COUNTY OF WILTSHIRE.

BY

GEORGE EDWARD DARTNELL
AND THE
REV. EDWARD HUNGERFORD GODDARD, M.A.

London:

PUBLISHED FOR THE ENGLISH DIALECT SOCIETY
BY HENRY FROWDE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE.
AMEN CORNER, LONDON, E.C.

1893.
[All rights reserved.]

PREFACE

The following pages must not be considered as comprising an exhaustive Glossary of our Wiltshire Folk-speech. The field is a wide one, and though much has been accomplished much more still remains to be done. None but those who have themselves attempted such a task know how difficult it is to get together anything remotely approaching a complete list of the dialect words used in a single small parish, to say nothing of a large county, such as ours. Even when the words themselves have been collected, the work is little more than begun. Their range in time and place, their history and etymology, the side-lights thrown on them by allusions in local or general literature, their relation to other English dialects, and a hundred such matters, more or less interesting, have still to be dealt with. However, in spite of many difficulties and hindrances, the results of our five years or more of labour have proved very satisfactory, and we feel fully justified in claiming for this Glossary that it contains the most complete list of Wiltshire words and phrases which has as yet been compiled. More than one-half of the words here noted have never before appeared in any Wiltshire Vocabulary, many of them being now recorded for the first time for any county, while in the case of the remainder much additional information will be found given, as well as numerous examples of actual folk-talk.

The greater part of these words were originally collected by us as rough material for the use of the compilers of the projected English Dialect Dictionary, and have been appearing in instalments during the last two years in the Wilts Archæological Magazine (vol. xxvi, pp. 84-169, and 293-314; vol. xxvii, pp. 124-159), as Contributions towards a Wiltshire Glossary. The whole list has now been carefully revised and much enlarged, many emendations being made, and a very considerable number of new words inserted, either in the body of the work, or as Addenda. A few short stories, illustrating the dialect as actually spoken now and in Akerman's time, with a brief Introduction dealing with Pronunciation, &c., and Appendices on various matters of interest, have also been added; so that the size of the work has been greatly increased.

As regards the nature of the dialect itself, the subject has been fully dealt with by abler pens than ours, and we need only mention here that it belongs to what is now known as the South-Western group, which also comprises most of Dorset, Hants, Gloucester, and parts of Berks and Somerset. The use of dialect would appear gradually to be dying out now in the county, thanks, perhaps, to the spread of education, which too often renders the rustic half-ashamed of his native tongue. Good old English as at base it is,—for many a word or phrase used daily and hourly by the Wiltshire labourer has come down almost unchanged, even as regards pronunciation, from his Anglo-Saxon forefathers,—it is not good enough for him now. One here, and another there, will have been up to town, only to come back with a stock of slang phrases and misplaced aspirates, and a large and liberal contempt for the old speech and the old ways. The natural result is that here, as elsewhere, every year is likely to add considerably to the labour of collecting, until in another generation or so what is now difficult may become an almost hopeless task. No time should be lost, therefore, in noting down for permanent record every word and phrase, custom or superstition, still current among us, that may chance to come under observation.

The words here gathered together will be found to fall mainly under three heads;—(1) Dialect, as Caddle, (2) Ordinary English with some local shade of meaning, as Unbelieving, and (3) Agricultural, as Hyle, many of the latter being also entitled to rank as Dialect. There may also be noted a small number of old words, such as toll and charm, that have long died out of standard English, but still hold their own among our country people. We have not thought it advisable, as a general rule, to follow the example set us by our predecessors in including such words as archet and deaw, which merely represent the local pronunciation of orchard and dew; nor have we admitted cantankerous, tramp, and certain others that must now rank with ordinary English, whatever claim they may once have had to be considered as provincial. More leniency, however, has been exercised with regard to the agricultural terms, many that are undoubtedly of somewhat general use being retained side by side with those of more local limitation.

The chief existing sources of information are as follows:—(1) the Glossary of Agricultural Terms in Davis's General View of the Agriculture of Wilts, 1809; reprinted in the Archæological Review, March, 1888, with many valuable notes by Prof. Skeat; (2) The Word-list in vol. iii. of Britton's Beauties of Wilts, 1825; collated with Akerman, and reprinted in 1879 for the English Dialect Society, with additions and annotations, by Prof. Skeat; (3) Akerman's North Wilts Glossary, 1842, based upon Britton's earlier work; (4) Halliwell's Dictionary, 1847, where may be found most (but not all) of the Wiltshire words occurring in our older literature, as the anonymous fifteenth-century Chronicon Vilodunense, the works of John Aubrey, Bishop Kennett's Parochial Antiquities, and the collections by the same author, which form part of the Lansdowne MSS.; (5) Wright's Dictionary of Obsolete and Provincial English, 1859, which is mainly a condensation of Halliwell's work, but contains a few additional Wiltshire words; (6) a Word-list in Mr. E. Slow's Wiltshire Poems, which he has recently enlarged and published separately; and (7) the curious old MS. Vocabulary belonging to Mr. W. Cunnington, a verbatim reprint of which will be found in the Appendix.

Other authorities that must here be accorded a special mention are a paper On some un-noted Wiltshire Phrases, by the Rev. W. C. Plenderleath, in the Wilts Archæological Magazine; Britten and Holland's invaluable Dictionary of English Plant-names, which, however, is unfortunately very weak as regards Wilts names; the Rev. A. C. Smith's Birds of Wiltshire; Akerman's Wiltshire Tales; the Flower-class Reports in the Sarum Diocesan Gazette; the very scarce Song of Solomon in North Wilts Dialect, by Edward Kite, a work of the highest value as regards the preservation of local pronunciation and modes of expression, but containing very few words that are not in themselves ordinary English; the works of Richard Jefferies; Canon Jackson's valuable edition of Aubrey's Wiltshire Collections; and Britton's condensation of the Natural History of Wilts. In Old Country and Farming Words, by Mr. Britten, 1880, much information as to our agricultural terms may be found, gathered together from the Surveys and similar sources. Lastly, the various Glossaries of the neighbouring counties, by Cope, Barnes, Jennings, and other writers, should be carefully collated with our Wiltshire Glossaries, as they often throw light on doubtful points. Fuller particulars as to these and other works bearing on the subject will be found in the Appendix on Wiltshire Bibliography.

We regret that it has been found impossible to carry out Professor Skeat's suggestion that the true pronunciation should in all doubtful cases be clearly indicated by its Glossic equivalent. To make such indications of any practical value they should spring from a more intimate knowledge of that system than either of us can be said to possess. The same remarks will also apply to the short notes on Pronunciation, &c., where our utter inexperience as regards the modern scientific systems of Phonetics must be pleaded as our excuse for having been compelled to adopt methods that are as vague as they are unscientific.

To the English Dialect Society and its officers we are deeply indebted for their kindness and generosity in undertaking to adopt this Glossary, and to publish it in their valuable series of County Glossaries, as well as for the courtesy shown us in all matters connected with the work. We have also to thank the Wilts Archæological Society for the space afforded us from time to time in their Magazine, and the permission granted us to reprint the Word-lists therefrom.

In our Prefaces to these Word-lists we mentioned that we should be very glad to receive any additions or suggestions from those interested in the subject. The result of these appeals has been very gratifying, not only with regard to the actual amount of new material so obtained, but also as showing the widespread interest felt in a branch of Wiltshire Archæology which has hitherto been somewhat neglected, and we gladly avail ourselves of this opportunity of repeating our expression of thanks to all those who have so kindly responded. To Dr. Jennings we owe an extremely lengthy list of Malmesbury words, from which we have made numerous extracts. We have found it of special value, as showing the influence of Somersetshire on the vocabulary and pronunciation of that part of the county. To Sir C. Hobhouse we are indebted for some interesting words, amongst which the survival of the A.S. attercop is well worth noting. We have to thank Mr. W. Cunnington for assistance in many ways, and for the loan of MSS. and books, which we have found of great service. To Mr. J. U. Powell and Miss Kate Smith we owe the greater part of the words marked as occurring in the Deverill district. Mr. E. J. Tatum has given us much help as regards local Plant-names: Miss E. Boyer-Brown, Mr. F. M. Willis, Mr. E. Slow, Mr. James Rawlence, Mr. F. A. Rawlence, Mr. C. E. Ponting, Mr. R. Coward, the Rev. W. C. Plenderleath, Mr. Septimus Goddard, Mrs. Dartnell, the Rev. C. Soames, and the Rev. G. Hill must also be specially mentioned. We are indebted to Mr. W. Gale, gardener at Clyffe Pypard Vicarage, for valuable assistance rendered us in verifying words and reporting new ones.

We take this opportunity of acknowledging gratefully the assistance which we have throughout the compilation of this Glossary received from H. N. Goddard, Esq., of the Manor, Clyffe Pypard, to whose wide knowledge and long experience of Wiltshire words and ways we owe many valuable suggestions; from the Rev. A. Smythe-Palmer, D.D., who has taken much interest in the work, and to whose pen we owe many notes; from Professor Skeat, who kindly gave us permission to make use of his reprints; and last, but by no means least, from the Rev. A. L. Mayhew, who most kindly went through the whole MS., correcting minutely the etymologies suggested, and adding new matter in many places.

In conclusion, we would say that we hope from time to time to publish further lists of Addenda in the Wilts Archæological Magazine or elsewhere, and that any additions and suggestions will always be very welcome, however brief they may be. The longest contributions are not always those of most value, and it has more than once happened that words and phrases of the greatest interest have occurred in a list whose brevity was its only fault.

George Edward Dartnell,
Abbottsfield, Stratford Road, Salisbury.

Edward Hungerford Goddard,
The Vicarage, Clyffe Pypard, Wootton Bassett.

CONTENTS

[INTRODUCTION]

The following notes may perhaps serve to give some slight indication as to pronunciation, &c., but without the aid of Glossic it is impossible accurately to reproduce the actual sounds.

A is usually lengthened out or broadened in some way or other.

Thus in hazon and haslet it would be pronounced somewhat as in baa, this being no doubt what the Monthly Magazine means by saying that 'a is always pronounced as r.'

When a is immediately followed by r, as in ha'sh, harsh, and paa'son, parson, the result is that the r appears to be altogether dropped out of the word.

Aw final always becomes aa, as laa, law, draa, draw, thaa, thaw.

In saace, sauce, au becomes aa.

A is also broadened into eä.

Thus garden, gate, and name become geärden, geät, and neäme.

These examples may, however, be also pronounced in other ways, even in the same sentence, as garne, yăt, and naayme, or often ne-um.

A is often softened in various ways.

Thus, thrash becomes draish, and wash, waish or weish.

It is often changed to o, as zot, sat, ronk, rank.

Also to e, as piller, pillar, refter, rafter, pert, part.

In vur, far, the sound is u rather than e.

The North Wilts version of the Song of Solomon gives frequent examples of oi for ai, as choir, chair, foir, fair, moyden, maiden; but this is probably an imported letter-change, chayer or chai-yer, for instance, being nearer the true sound.

E is often broadened into aa or aay.

Thus they gives us thaay, and break, braayke.

In marchant, merchant, and zartin, certain, the sound given is as in tar.

Ei takes the sound of a in fate, as desave, deceive.

Left, smell, and kettle become lift, smill, and kiddle.

In South Wilts ĕ in such words as egg or leg becomes a or ai, giving us aig and laig or lăg. Thus a Heytesbury Rosalind would render—

'O Jupiter, how weary are my legs!'

by 'O-my-poor-vit'n-laigs!' uttered all in one gasp. In N. Wilts the e in these words is not perceptibly so altered.

The ĕ in such words as linnet usually takes the u sound, giving us linnut. In yes it is lengthened out into eece in S. Wilts, and in N. Wilts into cez.

Long e or ee is shortened into i, as ship, sheep, kippur, keeper, wick, week, fit, vit, feet, the latter word sometimes being also pronounced as ve-ut.

Heat becomes het, and heater (a flat-iron), hetter; while hear is usually hire in N. Wilts.

I short becomes e, as breng, bring, drenk, drink, zet, sit, pegs, pigs.

Occasionally it is lengthened into ee, as leetle, little.

In hit (pret.) and if it usually takes the sound of u, as hut and uf or uv; but hit in the present tense is het, and if is often sounded as ef in N. Wilts.

At the beginning of a word, im, in, and un usually become on, as onpossible, ondacent, oncommon.

In present participles the sound given varies between un', en', and in', the g almost invariably being dropped.

O very commonly becomes a, as archet, orchard, tharn, thorn, vant, font, vram, from, carn, corn.

Quite as commonly it takes the au or aw sound, as hawp, hope, aupen, open, cawls, coals, hawle, hole, smawk, smoke.

In such words as cold and four, the sound is ow rather than aw, thus giving us cowld and vower.

Moss in S. Wilts sometimes takes the long e, becoming mēsh, while in N. Wilts it would merely be mawss.

Know becomes either knaw or kneow.

O is often sounded oo, as goold, gold, cwoort, court, mwoor'n or moor'n, more than, poorch, porch.

Oo is sometimes shortened into ŭ, as shut, shoot, sut, soot, tuk, took.

Very commonly the sound given to ō is wo or woä. Thus we get twoad, toad (sometimes twoad), pwoast, post, bwoy, boy, rwoäs, a rose, bwoän, bone, spwoke (but more usually spawk in N. Wilts), spoke.

Oa at the beginning of a word becomes wu, as wuts, oats.

Oi in noise and rejoice is sounded as ai.

In ointment and spoil it becomes ī or wī, giving intment and spile or spwile.

Ow takes the sound of er or y, in some form or other, as vollur and volly, to follow, winder and windy, a window.

U in such words as fusty and dust becomes ow, as fowsty, dowst.

D when preceded by a liquid is often dropped, as veel', field, vine, to find, dreshol, threshold, groun', ground.

Conversely, it is added to such words as miller, gown, swoon, which become millard, gownd, and zownd.

In orchard and Richard the d becomes t, giving us archet and Richut or Rich't; while occasionally t becomes d, linnet being formerly (but not now) thus pronounced as linnard in N. Wilts.

D is dropped when it follows n, in such cases as Swinnun, Swindon, Lunnon, London.

Su sometimes becomes Shu, as Shusan, Susan, shoot, suit, shewut, suet, shower, sure, Shukey, Sukey.

Y is used as an aspirate in yacker, acre, yarm, arm, yeppern, apron, yerriwig, earwig. It takes the place of h in yeäd, head, yeldin, a hilding; and of g in yeat or yat, a gate.

Consonants are often substituted, chimney becoming chimbley or chimley, parsnip, pasmet, and turnip, turmut.

Transpositions are very common, many of them of course representing the older form of a word. For examples we may take ax, to ask, apern, apron, girt, great, wopse, wasp, aps, the aspen, claps, to clasp, cruds, curds, childern, children.

F almost invariably becomes v, as vlower, flower, vox, fox, vur, far, vall, fall, vlick, flick, vant, font.

In such words as afterclaps and afternoon it is not sounded at all.

L is not sounded in such words as amwoast, almost, and a'mighty, almighty.

N final is occasionally dropped, as lime-kill, lime-kiln.

P, F, V, and B are frequently interchanged, brevet and privet being forms of the same word, while to bag peas becomes fag or vag when applied to wheat.

R is slurred over in many cases, as e'ath, earth, foc'd, forced, ma'sh, marsh, vwo'th, forth.

It often assumes an excrescent d or t, as cavaltry, horsemen, crockerty, crockery, scholard, scholar.

H has the sound of wh in whoam, home. This word, however, as Mr. Slow points out in the Preface to his Glossary—

Bob. Drat if I dwon't goo wom to marrer.

Zam. Wat's evir waant ta go wimm var.

Bob. Why, they tell's I as ow Bet Stingymir is gwain to be caal'd whoam to Jim Spritely on Zundy.—

is variously pronounced as wom, wimm, and whoam, even in the same village.

As stated at page 72, the cockney misuse of h is essentially foreign to our dialect. It was virtually unknown sixty or seventy years ago, and even so late as thirty years back was still unusual in our villages. Hunked for unked is almost the only instance to be found in Akerman, for instance. But the plague is already fast spreading, and we fear that the Catullus of the next generation will have to liken the Hodge of his day to the Arrius (the Roman 'Arry) of old:—

Chommoda dicebat, si quando commoda vellet
Dicere, et hinsidias Arrius insidias ...
Ionios fluctus, postquam illuc Arrius isset,
Iam non Ionios esse, sed Hionios.

Touching this point the Rev. G. Hill writes us from Harnham Vicarage as follows:—'I should like to bear out what you say with regard to the use of the letter h in South-West Wilts. When I lived in these parts twenty years ago, its omission was not I think frequent. The putting it where it ought not to be did not I think exist. I find now that the h is invariably dropped, and occasionally added, the latter habit being that of the better educated.'

H becomes y in yeäd, head.

K is often converted into t, as ast, to ask, mast, a mask, bleat, bleak.

T is conversely often replaced by k, as masking, acorn-gathering, from 'mast,' while sleet becomes sleek, and pant, pank.

S usually takes the sound of z, as zee, to see, zaa, a saw, zowl, soul, zaat or zate, soft, zider, cider, zound, to swoon.

Thr usually becomes dr, as dree, three, droo, through, draish, to thrash.

In afurst, athirst, and fust, thirst, we still retain a very ancient characteristic of Southern English.

T is always dropped in such words as kept and slept, which become kep' and slep'.

Liquids sometimes drop the next letter, as kill, kiln; but more usually take an excrescent t or d, as varmint, vermin, steart, a steer, gownd, gown.

W as an initial is generally dropped in N. Wilts in such cases as 'oont, a want or mole, 'ooman, woman, 'ood, wood.

Occasionally in S. Wilts it takes the aspirate, 'ood being then hood.

Final g is always dropped in the present participle, as singin', livin', living; also in nouns of more than one syllable which end in ing. It is, however, retained in monosyllabic nouns and verbs, such as ring and sing.

Pre becomes pur, as purtend, pretend, purserve, preserve.

Sometimes a monosyllabic word will be pronounced as a dissyllable, as we have already mentioned, ne-um, ve-ut, ve-us, and ke-up being used concurrently with naayme, vit or fit, veäce, and kip or keep.

The prefix a is always used with the present participle, as a-gwain', going, a-zettin' up, sitting up.

The article an is never used, a doing duty on all occasions, as 'Gie I a apple, veyther.'

Plurals will be found to be dealt with in the Glossary itself, under En and Plurals.

Pronouns will also be found grouped together under Pronouns.

As is used for who, which, and that.

Active verbs govern the nominative case.

Verbs do not agree with their nominative, either in number or person.

The periphrastic tenses are often used in S. Wilts, as 'I do mind un,' but in N. Wilts the rule is to employ the simple tenses instead, merely altering the person, as 'I minds un.' In S. Wilts you might also say 'It be a vine night,' whereas in N. Wilts ''Tes a vine night' would be more correct.

In conclusion we would mention that we hope in the course of the next year or two to be able to deal with the grammatical and phonological sides of our Dialect in a somewhat more adequate manner than it has been possible to do on the present occasion.

[A LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL ABBREVIATIONS USED.]

[For full titles of works see Appendix.]

N. & S.W. North and South Wilts, the place-names following being those of localities where the word is reported as being in use.

* An asterisk denotes that the word against which it is placed has not as yet been met with by ourselves in this county, although given by some authority or other as used in Wilts.

[WILTS GLOSSARY]

A. He; she. See Pronouns.

A, pl. As or Ais. n. A harrow or drag (D.); probably from A.S. egethe, M.E. eythe, a harrow (Skeat).—S.W., obsolete. This term for a harrow was still occasionally to be heard some thirty years ago, in both Somerset and Wilts, but is now disused. Davis derives it from the triangular shape of the drag, resembling the letter A.

A-Drag. A large heavy kind of drag (Agric. of Wilts). Still used in South Wilts for harrowing turnips before the hoers go in.

Abear. To bear, to endure (S.). 'I can't abear to see the poor theng killed.'—N. & S.W.

Abide. To bear, to endure. 'I can't abide un nohow.'—N. & S.W.

About. (1) adv. Extremely. Used to emphasize a statement, as ''T'wer just about cold s'marnin'.'—N. & S.W. (2) At one's ordinary work again, after an illness. 'My missus were bad aal last wick wi' rheumatiz, but she be about agen now.'—N. & S.W.

Acksen. See Axen.

Adder's-tongue. Listera ovata, Br., Twayblade.—S.W.

Adderwort. Polygonum Bistorta, L., Bistort.—S.W. (Salisbury, &c.)

Afeard, Aveard. Afraid (A.B.S.).—N. & S.W.

*Agalds. Hawthorn berries. (English Plant Names.) Aggles in Devon.

Agg. (1) To hack or cut clumsily (A.B.H.S.Wr.); also Aggle and Haggle.—N. & S.W. (2) To irritate, to provoke.—N. & S.W.

Ahmoo. A cow; used by mothers to children, as 'Look at they pretty ahmoos a-comin'!'—S.W. (Som. bord.)

Ailes, Eyles, Iles, &c. The awns of barley (D.); cf. A.S. egle, an ear of corn, M.E. eile. Hail in Great Estate, ch. i.—N. & S.W.

Aisles of wheat. See Hyle.

All-a-hoh. All awry (A.B.C.H.Wr.); also All-a-huh. Unevenly balanced, lop-sided. A.S. awóh. 'That load o' carn be aal-a-hoh.'—N. & S.W.

All-amang, Allemang, All-o-mong. Mingled together, as when two flocks of sheep are accidentally driven together and mixed up (A.B.G.H.S.Wr.). Seldom heard now.—N. & S.W.

All one as. Just like. 'I be 'tirely blowed up all one as a drum.'—N.W. Compare—

''Twere all as one to fix our hopes on Heaven
As on this vision of the golden year.'—Tennyson.

All one for that. For all that, notwithstanding, in spite of, as 'It medn't be true all one for that.'—N.W.

Aloud. 'That there meat stinks aloud,' smells very bad.—N.W.

*A-masked. Bewildered, lost (MS. Lansd., in a letter dated 1697: H.Wr.).—Obsolete.

'Leaving him more masked than he was before.'

Fuller's Holy War, iii. 2.

Ameäd. Aftermath. See note to Yeomath.—N.W. (Cherhill.)

*Anan, 'Nan. What do you say? (A.B.); used by a labourer who does not quite comprehend his master's orders. 'Nan (A.B.) is still occasionally used in N. Wilts, but it is almost obsolete.—N. & S.W.

Anbye. adv. Some time hence, presently, at some future time. 'I be main busy now, but I'll do't anbye.'—N.W.

Anchor. The chape of a buckle (A.B.).—S.W.

And that. And all that sort of thing, and so forth. 'Well, he do have a drop tide-times and that.'—S.W.

Aneoust, Aneust, Anoust, Neust, or Noust. Nearly, about the same (A.B.G.).—N. & S.W.

Anighst. Near (A.S.). 'Nobody's bin anighst us since you come.'—N. & S.W.

Anneal. A thoroughly heated oven, just fit for the batch of bread to be put in, is said to be nealded, i.e. annealed.—S.W.

Anoint, 'Nint (i long). To beat soundly. 'I'll 'nint ye when I gets home!' See Nineter.—N.W.

*Anont, Anunt. Against, opposite (A.B.H.Wr.).

Any more than. Except, although, only. 'He's sure to come any more than he might be a bit late.' Usually contracted into Moor'n in N. Wilts.—N. & S.W.

Apple-bout. An apple-dumpling. (Cf. Hop-about.)—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Apple-owling. Knocking down the small worthless fruit, or 'griggles,' left on the trees after the apple crop has been gathered in. See Howlers, Owlers, and Owling.—N.W.

Aps. Populus tremula, L., Aspen; always so called by woodmen. This is the oldest form of the word, being from A.S. æps, and is in use throughout the south and west of England. In Round About a Great Estate, ch. i. it is misprinted asp.—N.W.

Arg. To argue, with a very strong sense of contradiction implied (S.). 'Dwoan't 'ee arg at I like that! I tell 'ee I zeed 'un!' See Down-arg.—N. & S.W.

Arms. 'The arms of a waggon,' such parts of the axle-tree as go into the wheels (Cycl. of Agric.).—N.W.

Arra, Arra one, Arn. See Pronouns.

Array, 'Ray. To dress and clean corn with a sieve (D.).—N.W.

Arsmart. Polygonum Hydropiper, L., and P. Persicaria, L.—S.W.

Ashore, Ashar, Ashard. Ajar. 'Put the door ashard when you goes out.'—N. & S.W.

Ashweed. Aegopodium Podagraria, L., Goutweed.—N. & S.W.

*Astore. An expletive, as 'she's gone into the street astore' (H.). Perhaps connected with astoor, very soon, Berks, or astore, Hants:—

'The duck's [dusk] coming on; I'll be off in astore.'

A Dream of the Isle of Wight.

It might then mean either 'this moment' or 'for a moment.'

At. (1) 'At twice,' at two separate times. 'We'll ha' to vetch un at twice now.'—N.W. (2) 'Up at hill,' uphill. 'Th' rwoad be all up at hill.'—N.W.

Athin. Within (A.B.).—N. & S.W.

Athout. Without; outside (A.B.S.).—N. & S.W.

*Attercop. A spider. A.S. atter-coppa.—N.W. (Monkton Farleigh), still in use. Mr. Willis mentions that Edderkop is still to be heard in Denmark.

*Attery. Irascible (A.B.).

Away with. Endure. This Biblical expression is still commonly used in Wilts. 'Her's that weak her can't away with the childern at no rate!'

Ax. To ask (A.B.S.).—N. & S.W.

*Axen. Ashes (A.B.); Acksen (MS. Lansd.: G.H.Wr.).—Obsolete.

Babies'-shoes. Ajuga reptans, L., Common Bugle.—S.W.

Bachelor's Buttons. (1) Wild Scabious (A.B.), Scabiosa arvensis, L., S. Columbaria, L., and perhaps S. succisa, L.—N.W. (2) Corchorus Japonica (Kerria Japonica, L.).—N.W. (Huish.)

Back-friends. Bits of skin fretted up at the base of the finger-nails.—N.W.

*Backheave. To winnow a second time (D.).

Backside. The back-yard of a house (A.B.).—N. & S.W., now obsolete.

Backsword. A kind of single-stick play (A.H.Wr.). Obsolete, the game being only remembered by the very old men. For an account of it see The Scouring of the White Horse, ch. vi.—N.W.

Bacon. To 'strick bacon,' to cut a mark on the ice in sliding; cf. to strike a 'candle.'—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

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

*Bad, Bod. To strip walnuts of their husks (A.B.H.Wr.); cf. E. pod.—N.W., obsolete.

*Badge. v. To deal in corn, &c. See Badger.—Obsolete.

'1576. Md. that I take order of the Badgers that they do name the places where the Badgers do use to badge before they resieve their lycens.... Md. to make pces [process] against all the Badgers that doe badge without licence.'—Extracts from Records of Wilts Quarter Sessions, Wilts Arch. Mag. xx. 327.

*Badger. A corn-dealer (A.B.); used frequently in old accounts in N. Wilts, but now obsolete.

'1620. Itm for stayeinge Badgers & keepinge a note of there names viijd.'—F. H. Goldney, Records of Chippenham, p. 202.

Compare bodger, a travelling dealer (Harrison's Description of England, 1577), and bogging, peddling, in Murray. (Smythe-Palmer).

Bag. (1) v. To cut peas with a double-handed hook. Cf. Vag.

'They cannot mow it with a sythe, but they cutt it with such a hooke as they bagge pease with.'—Aubrey, Nat. Hist. Wilts, p. 51, ed. Brit.

(2) n. The udder of a cow (A.B.).—N.W.

Bake, Beak. (1) v. To chop up with a mattock the rough surface of land that is to be reclaimed, afterwards burning the parings (Agric. of Wilts, ch. xii). See Burn-beak. *(2) n. The curved cutting mattock used in 'beaking' (Ibid. ch. xii). (3) n. The ploughed land lying on the plat of the downs near Heytesbury, in Norton Bavant parish, is usually known as the Beäk, or Bake, probably from having been thus reclaimed. In the Deverills parts of many of the down farms are known as the Bake, or, more usually, the Burn-bake.—S.W.

Bake-faggot. A rissole of chopped pig's-liver and seasoning, covered with 'flare.' See Faggot (2).—N.W.

Ballarag, Bullyrag. To abuse or scold at any one (S.).—N. & S.W.

Balm of Gilead. Melittis Melissophyllum, L., Wild Balm.

Bams. Rough gaiters of pieces of cloth wound about the legs, much used by shepherds and others exposed to cold weather. Cf. Vamplets.—N. & S.W.

'The old man ... had bams on his legs and a sack fastened over his shoulders like a shawl.'—The Story of Dick, ch. xii. p. 141.

Bandy. (1) A species of Hockey, played with bandy sticks and a ball or piece of wood.—N. & S.W. (2) A crooked stick (S.).

Bane. Sheep-rot (D.). Baned. Of sheep, afflicted with rot (A.B.).—N.W.

Bang-tail, or Red Fiery Bang-tail. Phoenicurus ruticilla, the Redstart.—N.W. (Wroughton.)

*Bannet-hay. A rick-yard (H.Wr.).

Bannis. Gasterosteus trachurus, the Common Stickleback (A.B.H.Wr.). Also Bannistickle (A.B.), Bantickle (A.Wr.), and *Bramstickle (S.). 'Asperagus (quoedam piscis) a ban-stykyll.'—Ortus Vocab. A.S. bán, bone, and sticels, prickle. (See N.E.D.).—S.W.

*Bannut. Fruit of Juglans regia, L., the Walnut (A.B.).

Bantickle. See Bannis.

*Barber's Brushes. Dipsacus sylvestris, L., Wild Teasel (Flower's Flora of Wilts). Also Brushes.—N.W.

Bargain. A small landed property or holding. 'They have always been connected with that little bargain of land.'—N.W., still in use. Sir W. H. Cope, in his Hants Glossary, gives 'Bargan, a small property; a house and garden; a small piece of land,' as used in N. Hants.

Barge. (1) n. The gable of a house. Compare architectural Barge-boards.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.) (2) v. Before a hedge can be 'laid,' all its side, as well as the rough thorns, brambles, &c., growing in the ditch, must be cut off. This is called 'barging out' the ditch.—N.W.

Barge-hook. The iron hook used by thatchers to fasten the straw to the woodwork of the gable.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Barge-knife. The knife used by thatchers in trimming off the straw round the eaves of the gable.—N.W. (Clyffe Pypard.)

Bargin. The overgrowth of a hedge, trimmed off before 'laying.'—N. & S.W.

Barken. The enclosed yard near a farm-house (A.B.); Rick-Barken, a rick-yard (A.), also used without prefix in this sense (Wilts Tales, p. 121).

'Barken, or Bercen, now commonly used for a yard or backside in Wilts ... first signified the small croft or close where the sheep were brought up at night, and secured from danger of the open fields.'—Kennett's Parochial Antiquities.

Barton was formerly in very common use, but has now been displaced by Yard.—N. & S.W.

*Barley-bigg. A variety of barley (Aubrey's Wilts MS., p. 304).

*Barley-Sower. Larus canus, the Common Gull (Birds of Wilts, p. 534).

Barm. The usual Wilts term for yeast (A.B.M.S.).—N. & S.W.

*Barn-barley. Barley which has never been in rick, but has been kept under cover from the first, and is therefore perfectly dry and of high value for malting purposes (Great Estate, ch. viii. p. 152).

Basket. In some parts of S. Wilts potatoes are sold by the 'basket,' or three-peck measure, instead of by the 'sack' or the 'bag.'

Baskets. Plantago lanceolata, L., Ribwort Plantain.—S.W. (Little Langford.)

Bat-folding net. The net used in 'bird-batting,' q.v. (A.): more usually 'clap-net.'

Bat-mouse. The usual N. Wilts term for a bat.—N. & S.W.

Batt. A thin kind of oven-cake, about as thick as a tea-cake, but mostly crust.—N.W.

*Battledore-barley. A flat-eared variety of barley (Aubrey's Wilts MS., p. 304: H.Wr.).

Baulk. (1) Corn-baulk. When a 'land' has been accidentally passed over in sowing, the bare space is a 'baulk,' and is considered as a presage of some misfortune.—N.W. (2) A line of turf dividing a field.—N.W.

'The strips [in a "common field">[ are marked off from one another, not by hedge or wall, but by a simple grass path, a foot or so wide, which they call "balks" or "meres."'—Wilts Arch. Mag. xvii. 294.

Bavin. An untrimmed brushwood faggot (A.B.S.): the long ragged faggot with two withes, used for fencing in the sides of sheds and yards; sometimes also applied to the ordinary faggot with one withe or band.—N. & S.W.

*Bawsy, Borsy, or Bozzy. Coarse, as applied to the fibre of cloth or wool. 'Bozzy-faced cloth bain't good enough vor I.'—S.W. (Trowbridge, &c.)

Bay. (1) n. A dam across a stream or ditch.—N.W. (2) v. 'To bay back water,' to dam it back.—N.W. (3) n. The space between beam and beam in a barn or cows' stalls.—N.W.

*Beads. Sagina procumbens, L., Pearlwort.—N.W. (Lyneham.)

Beak. See Bake and Burn-bake.

Bearsfoot. Hellebore.—N.W. (Huish, &c.)

Beat. 'To beat clots,' to break up the hard dry lumps of old cow-dung lying about in a pasture.—N.W.

Becall. To abuse, to call names. 'Her do becall I shameful.'—N. & S.W.

Bed-summers. See Waggon.

Bedwind, Bedwine. Clematis Vitalba, L., Traveller's Joy.—S.W.

Bee-flower. Ophrys apifera, Huds., Bee Orchis.—S.W.

Bee-pot. A bee-hive.—S.W.

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

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

Bees. A hive is a Bee-pot. Bee-flowers are those purposely grown near an apiary, as sources of honey. Of swarms, only the first is a Swarm, the second being a Smart, and the third a Chit. To follow a swarm, beating a tin pan, is Ringing or Tanging.—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.