This is the twenty-third item from Robert Dymond’s book: “Things New and Old Concerning the Parish of Widecombe-in-the-Moor and its Neighbourhood” (1876)
A FEW DEVONIAN WORDS AND PHRASES.
- Angle-twitch. A small earthworm used by anglers.
- Appledrane. Wasp. Apple drone?
- Be dappa. Be dapper or quick.
- Blow o’Mort. Bladder of lard.
- Blue Vinney. Blue, or green fade in cheese.
- Cautch. A nasty mixture.
- Chewers. Errands. Odd jobs.
- Clome. Coarse earthenware. “ A clomen dish.”
- Cramb. Dirty. “ A cramby old job.”
- Cruel. Very. “ Cruel kind.” “ Cruel bad”—very ill.
- Davered. Withered.
- Do’ed. Done. “ Is ’t do’ed ? ”
- Drangway. A narrow passage between houses.
- Evil. A three-pronged dung fork.
- Fitty or Vltty. Suitable, neat.
- Fuz or Furze-Pig. A Hedge-hog.
- Golden Chain. A laburnum.
- Hickymal or Hockeymoll. A tom-tit.
- Homescreech. A missel thrush.
- Huffling. A hollow sound in wind, presaging rain.
- Journey. A day’s work. A journey of turf, when cut, is 40 paces long and three turfs wide. Jour, Journée.
- Leary. Empty. A waggoner says, “I’m going hack leary”—-i.e., without a load.
- Leather bird. A bat.
- Lerruping. Clumsy. Trailing. Straggling.
- Llkezactly. Exactly.
- Loffer. Lower. “ Ha’n’t’ee got no loffer price ?”
- Long Cripple. A snake or lizard.
- Manch. To chew, eat. Manger.
- Maskrawl or Malskrawl. A caterpillar.
- May games. Nonsensical tricks.
- Mazed. Crazed, mad.
- Michard. A lazy loiterer or truant. “He mitched from school.”
- Mores or Maurs. Roots.
- Mucksedowd. Very dirty.
- No fay No indeed. No i’ faith.
- Notaniby. Never mind. Not as I know by.
- Nothin tearin. Nothing great or wonderful.
- Oakweb. A cockchafer.
- Opeway or Aupway. An opening. “In each other’s opes”—i.e., placed so as to look out between others in a front row.
- Orts. Remnants, refuse.
- Pillum. Dust.
- Planchard. A ï¬oor. Planche. “I skat ’en all ath’ert the planchard.” I knocked him down on the floor.
- Plumb. Light, soft. “ Plumb ground ”——i.e., soil easily tilled.
- Pomstering. Coddling. Quackery.
- Proofy. Applied to well-made bullocks that will kill well.
- Scamble or scammle. To trample.
- Skat. Struck down. “ He ’s gone skat,” become bankrupt.
- Smeech. An offensive smell from burning.
- Sproyle. Spry, active, springy.
- Stoory. Dusty.
- Stugged. Stuck in mire. “ Fit to stugg a hoss.”
- Suent. Smooth. Slipping easily. Suivante.
- Tantrums. Vagaries.
- Tellinq. ‘Talking, relating “ What be ’est telling of.”
- Thirtle. Shallow gutted. “A thirtle gutted horse.” Tucked up.
- Trade. Applied to almost everything. Physic is “Doctors’ trade.”A good sample of potatoes, “ Fine trade.”
- Two-bill. An agricultural tool.
- Wambling. Rumbling.
- Wants. Moles
- Way-wise. Heedful. Applied to young horses unacquainted with. the road. “ He isn’t Way-wise.”
- Wee-wow. Irregular, askew.
- Wisht, Dismal, uncanny.
- Wishtnesses. Ghosts, evil spirits.
- Usbard. Whore’s bird. A bastard. “ An ugly usbard,” applied to anunsuitable stone.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
“ This is a bad shilling. Is her‘? Why I vung en be now.” Why I took it just now.
“’Twill come to vang for zummut or nother.” It will come to use (or be useful) for something or other.
“ Lor, Measess, how vine theys yer young veers do graw. Why the’ll be a girt looment to the shennel I zim.” How finely these young firs grow. They will he a great shelter to the roof I think.
“Ees lack zom traed to make an outrouzen for a cruzimer.” I want some stuff to make an outer garment for an infant. Infants dying before baptism were called Chrysoms. Chrism cloth, a cloth daubed with ointment and worn by infants until they were strong enough to endure baptism.
“ ’Tis cruel (very) hot and buldrum (close) I zim; there’s a dinder (thunder planet) up, I reckon.”
“ Come leyve ofl hainin gruet there.” Leave off throwing clods of earth.
SCENE IN EXETER ASSIZE COURT.
‘Witness—“ He was kiver’d all auver wey pillum, my Lord.”
Judge-“ Pillum, pillum, whal’s that? ” ‘
Witness“ Why mux a drow’d, my Lord.” (Dried muck or mud.)
Judge—“ What’s mux ? ”
Witness——“ Why pillum a wat.” (Wet.)
Judge—“ I’m as far off from knowing as before.”
Counsel-“ Pillum means dust, my Lud.”
JAKE CORRICKS’ ADVENTURE WITH A BULL, AS TOLD BY HIMSELF.
“I were gwain (going) up drooe the veel (field) and zeed tha bool up tap the hill. So I mockeed tew en, and zed ‘ booly, booly, booly,’ tew en. An the bool hurned (ran) arter me, and I hurned and jumped down into a girt goyle (great ditch) an there I lied as still as daeth, we’ my hands avore my veace (face), and the bool com’d and ha sniffed, and ha bellard, and ha scraped wi hes vit (feet), and ha roared, that I were veerd o’ my life ha would ha jumped right in ’pon tap o’ me; but I lied steel. To laest (at last) he went u way, and I looked out atween my vingers and zeed he was a go’; zo I jumped up right auver the hadge into the lane, and I warn’ee (warrant) I niver zed ‘booly, booly’ tew en no more.” (N. B. Corrick lived near the Somerset border.)
For more complete list of local phrases see Miss Fox’s Kingsbridge and its Surroundings, and the Glossaries appended to various works in the Devonshire Dialect. See also an elaborate article on the sub- ject from the pen of Mr. W. Pengelly, F. R.S., in the volume of the Transactions of the Devonshire Association for 1875.