CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORELAND WORDS OF SCANDINAVIAN ORIGIN.

From: The Northmen of Cumberland and Westmoreland by Robert Ferguson 1856

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Returning to the dialect of Cumberland and Westmoreland, I propose, as it is a very important branch of the enquiry to ascertain what remains of Northern languages are to be found in the living tongue of the people, to give a list, first of words which I conceive to be of Scandinavian origin; and secondly, of words which may be either Anglo-Saxon or Scandinavian. Neither of these lists can be considered as anything but very imperfect, no complete glossary of the Cumberland and Westmoreland dialect having as yet been compiled. The greatest number of words, both of these two counties and of Northumberland, is to be found in Mr. Halliwell's " dictionary of archaic and provincial words," in which he has laid all previous glossaries under contribution, and supplied many words from private sources. But a number of words which are common to all three counties, are here given as only Northumbrian. From this valuable work are taken all the words marked as Westmoreland in the following lists, many of which are among the more uncommon words of the dialect. Most of them are, however, no doubt common to Cumberland.

In order to show the connection between the dialects of the North, I note the words which are also to be found in the Northumberland, the Craven, and the Scotch. The last are of course taken from the great work of Dr. Jamieson—a work the value of which those only who have had occasion to go over the same ground can be able fully to estimate.

(N. Old Norse. D. Danish. S.-G. Suio-Gothic. A. S. Anglo-Saxon.)

AandoRn or Orndorn. An afternoon repast. Also simply the afternoon. D. onden, dinner, used in Jutland and Fünen. The D. anden, second,  may perhaps give the origin of it—the second meal in the day, or the second part of the day, i. e., the afternoon.
Ack. To heed, regard. N. akta, to make account of. Generally used in the imperative—" never ack," never mind.

" Neer ack—there's nae hard laws in England Except this bit thing about game." Miss Blamire.

May not this be the prefix in "acknowledge f The hybrid derivation from Lat. agnosco, and Eng. " knowledge" can only be suggested by Mr. Todd for want of a better. North.

ACKER. To curl or ripple, as water in a breeze N. aka, to agitate. Crav. acker, a ripple.

Amell. Between. N. ámilli, D. imettem. The " mell-door" or " amell-door" in a Cumberland farm-house is the space or passage between the inner and outer doors. As before mentioned, "mell," in the sense of a boundary, enters very frequently into the names of places. North.

Ard, Aird. Dry, parched, arid, applied to the quality of a soil. Mr. Boucher derives it from Celt. ardh, high, of which he makes it a secondary sense— such lands being dry and parched because they lie high. But I think it may be from N. öreyddr, empty, exhausted. In the sense of " high" I do not find it in our dialect, or in our names of places. In the instances which he quotes where " aird" is used substantively in names of places as
in Aird-Patrick, it may be more probably from jörd, a property or estate.

Arles-penny or Earles-penny. Earnest money for work to be performed; the money advanced to farm-servants when they are hired. Jamieson has given a learned dissertation upon this word, but seems to have missed the most natural derivation of it, N. erla, to work continuously or uninterruptedly. Hence " earles-penny" would be earnest money for continuous work or a regular engagement—the term of hiring in Cumberland and Westmoreland being six months. This seems to be the meaning with us—Jamieson gives it the wider sense of "an earnest, of whatever kind."— North. Grav. Sco.

Arr. The mark of a wound, a scar. D. ar. North. Grav.

Arvel. A funeral. Its literal meaning seems to be the ale distributed at a funeral, as that of "bridal" is the ale distributed at a wedding. Arvel-bread is a sort of cake given at the funerals of the poor in the North of England. D. Arveol, a feast held in honour of a deceased chief, at which the succession was declared—from N. arfi, an heir, and ol, ale. North. Grav. Sco.

Awns. In the south of Cumberland and in Westmoreland pronounced Angs—the beards of wheat or barley. N. ögn (plural agnir), D. awn, S.-G. agn. " Angs" is not, as Mr. Halliwell seems to think, a corruption of "awns," but is rather, in fact, the older word—both the Cumberland " awn" and Dan. avn being softened forms of the original. North. Grav. Sco.

Axle-tooth. A grinder. N. jaxla. North. Crav.

Bain. Near, direct, convenient, applied generally to a road—" a bainer way"—a more direct road. N, beinn, direct, Dan. bane, a beaten path, bane, v. to make passable, to pave the way. In Scotland this word has the more general sense of "ready, prepared, alert, active." North. Crav.

Barked. Incrusted with dirt, applied generally to the skin. N. barka, cutem induere. North. Crav.

Bask. Sharp, acid. N. beiskr.

Batten. To thrive, applied generally to children. N. batna. North.

Beaker. A flagon or drinking-cup. N. Wear. In the following passage it seems to be used as a verb :—

" Wi' merry lilts the fiddles chang,
The lads and lasses bicker,
The drink o' acid tastes sae Strang,
"l'wad mek an auld naig nicker."

Rosley Fair, by Stagy.

Although it is evidently used here in a sense quite the reverse of quarrelling, yet it strikes me as not improbable that it may be the origin of our word "bicker," from the petty squabbles continually occurring among men over their cups.  North.

 Beel. To bellow. N. belia. North. Crav.

Berey. To thrash corn. N. beria, to beat. North.

Birr, Burr. A rapid, whirling motion, as that of a bird through the air. Any quick and sudden movement, as a spring or leap. Probably from N. bir, a breeze. North. Sco.

Blained. Half dry, generally applied to linen hung out to dry. D. blegne, to whiten. Both North. and Crav. have " blain" in its original sense, to " whiten;" the latter also in the same sense as ours, which is no doubt a corrupted one.

Blanker. A spark of fire. N. blanka, to sparkle, whence blankr, white, the probable origin of our word "blank."

Blate. Bashful. N. blaudr, timid, effeminate, bleydi, timidity. North. Sco.

Blather, Bladder. To prate. S.-G. bladdra. North. Sco.

Bolder. A loud report. D. bidder, noise, brawl, .tumult. Sco. " buller," a loud roar.

Bole. The trunk of a tree. N. bolr., S.-G. Bol North. Crav.

Boulders, BoodeRs, or Boulder-stones. Large stones rounded by the action of water or other cause. D. bold, a hall, bolder, balls. North. Crav.

Brandling. A sort of small trout. N. branda, trutta minima.

Brandly. Fiercely. Tullie's Siege of Carlisle. N". brana, audacter ruere.

Braid. To resemble—generally applied to persons, and used to denote similarity of disposition. Jamieson traces it to N. bregda, " denoting the resemblance of children in disposition to their progenitors." Ihre gives Bregdur barni til aettar —" children take after their parents." Or, as we should say, in language nearer the original, "Baims braid o' their fore-elders." North. Crav. Sco.

Brant. Steep. N. brattr, S.-G. brant. North. Crav.

Bumble-bee or Bummle-bee. The humble bee. N. bumla, to buzz. In Old Eng. " bumble" signified to drone or hum.

"And as a bitore humbleth in the mere." Chaucer, W., of Bath. North. Crav. (Sco. "bum-bee.")

Bun, Boun. Ready, prepared, addressed to, bound for. N. búinn, ready, prepared. North. Crav. Sco.

BurE. I do not find this word in any glossary. It occurs in Stagg's Rosley Fair in the sense of a country woman.

—" a bure, her name was Meg, A winsome, weel-fared body."

It is, I apprehend, the same as our word " boor," and is from N. búiri, a rustic—from bú, the country.

Buss. To dress, to make ready ; also to kiss. I take this word to be the same as the Sco. " busk," to dress, to adorn, of which Jamieson has rather unaccountably overlooked what seems to me the most natural etymon—N. búska, to brush. We use the expression " brush up" in a similar sense —that of making tidy or smart. And " busk," " buss," seems to be generally applied to dressing up for a particular occasion. " Buss," to kiss, may perhaps be from the same origin. For though " brushing " seems a low sense of " kissing,"yet in the hirsute days of old it might be sufficiently expressive. North.

CADE-LAMB A pet lamb. The writer in the Kendal Mercury derives this from D. kaad, sportive, wanton. But perhaps N. kdd, an animal newly born, is the more appropriate. North. Crav.

Caleever. To make a riot. As a noun, it means obstreperous conduct. N. giáfi, lightheadedness, dissoluteness; giálfra, to make a riot. Halliwell gives " gilliver," a wanton wench, as North. This shows the origin of the word more
clearly than ours.

Chaft. The jaw. N. kiaftr.  North. Grav. Sco.

Clam, To starve. N. klemma, to pinch, to squeeze.North. Grav.

Clart. To daub, besmear. Clarty, dirty, miry. Jamieson derives this word from S.-G. lort, filth. I think, however, that the root both of this and some other north-country words of the same meaning, as " lair," " glair," " slairy," is to be found in N. leir, mud, mire, to which have accrued the various particles g, k, and s. " Clarty " always implies the idea of " wet dirt." North. Grav. Sco.

Clat. Cow-dung. N. klatr, rejectanea.

Claver. To climb. D. klavre. North.

Cluve. A hoof. N. klauf, D. klov.  Sco.

Collops. Lumps or slices of meat. Also used in the singular for meat in general. A Cumberland farmer, dining with his landlord, replied, on being invited by the lady of the house to take some pudding, " Na, na—aw'd titter ha' collop than pudding any day—mess wad aw !" that is—" I would rather have meat than pudding any day— truly (by the mass) would I." S.-G-. kollops, lumps of meat.

Coup. To exchange. N. kaupa, to traffic.  North. Cram.

 Crab. A mixture of cheese, vinegar, and mustard.— N. krabba, to mix.

Cream. To squeeze or press.—Westm.  Crim. A small portion of anything.— Westm. N. kremia, to squeeze, to break, whence kröm, pressure, and kremmingr, a handful

Creel. A basket of wicker work. N. krila, to plait, to weave together. North. Grav. Sco.

Crouse, Cruse. Forward, confident—or better expressed by Mr. Halliwell as " bumptious." Jamieson suggests D. kruus, crisp, curled, which seems a probable derivation—many words of similar meaning appearing to have a like origin. Thus from A. S. cirpian, to curl, to crisp, may be derived " chirp," to be lively and in good spirits. While from N. bruskr, a brush, comes probably " brisk," Old Eng. " brusk," and Fr. brusque. We have also another dialectic word which seems to be of similar origin. See Swap. North. Grav. Sco.

Cutter. To converse in a low tone, to whisper together apart.

" I' th' pantry the sweethearters cuttered sae soft." Sleekell Marry-neet.

N. Kytra, to lie hid in a corner. Or, S.-G. kutra, to chatter. North. Crav.

ORIOIN.

Daft. Crazy, foolish. N. daufr. North. Gram. Sco.

Darrick, Daark. A day's labour. This word has been generally supposed to be a contraction of " day's-work," but the writer in the Kendal Mercuury suggests that it may be from D. dyrke, to till. This, however, seems rather doubtful. Such contractions are not uncommon in the dialect, and moreover, "darrick" is used in a very general sense. " Thou's meade a bonny darrick" is applied in the " Upshot" to a bungling player at cards. Yet " darker" or " darricker," a daylabourer, might seem to be naturally referred to D. dyrker, a cultivator of the soil.

" The laird and darker, cheek hy chowl.
Wad sit and crack, of auld lang syne."  Poems by John Stagg.

(" Of" is here used for " in"—the allusion being to a supposed happy time when the "laird," or man of landed property, and the day-labourer met "together as equals.) Upon the whole, it is not very clear to me which of the two derivations is the one to be adopted.

Darter. Active, powerful. It is also used as a noun. Perhaps from N. dart, quick, vehement.

Deave. To deafen. N. deyfa.  North. Sco.

Deg. To sprinkle. Daggy, drizzly. N. deigr, wet, dögg, rain, from deigia, to moisten. North. Crav. (Sco. " dag," to rain gently.)

Des. A pile or heap. N. des.  North. Craw.

Dill. To soothe. N. dilla. North. Crav. Sco.

Douk or Dook. To bathe, to immerse in water. D. dukke, to dip. North. Crav. Sco.

Dowly. Sorrowful, melancholy. N. dálegr, mournful. North. Crav.

Dozend. Spiritless, feeble. N. dos, languor, dosadr, languid, weary, D. doesende, sleepy. North. Grav. (Sco. " daze," to stupify.)

Draff. Brewers' grains. N. draf, swines' food. Halliwell also gives Draffit, a tub for hog's wash. North. 'Crav. Sco.

Drakes. A slop or mess.— Westm. N. dreckia, to plunge into water, to duck. Hence I presume the origin of " drake," which has not been explained by our lexicographers. The duck and the drake both seem to derive their names from plunging or ducking under water. North. " drack," to saturate with water.

Drile. To waste time.—Westm. N. drila, to delay.

Durgan. A dwarf.— Westm. N. dyrgia, a dwarf.

Dust. A tumult or uproar. S.-G. dust, a tumult. North. Crav. Sco.

Feek. To fidget, N. fika. North.

Fest. To bind as an. apprentice. Festing-penny, earnest-money paid to a servant on hiring. N. festa, to bind, to make fast. IceL festv-peningr, earnest-money. North. Crav. Sco.

Feal. To hide or cover. N. fela. North. Crav.

Fleer. To laugh mockingly, or, according to Brockett, "to have a countenance expressive of laughter, without laughing out." N. flyra, to smile. The Norse does not appear to have any sense of mocking or taunting, but rather of wheedling or coaxing, and it is most probably the origin of Eng. " flirt." Our sense then is an altered one, and the Sco. " fleyr," to distort the countenance, to make wry faces, still more so. North. Sco.

Flipe. The rim of a hat. D. flip, tip, point, extremity. Crav.

Flit. To remove from one house to another. S.-G. flytta, D. flytter. The noun flet, a house or dwelling, common to the Ang.-Sax. and Scand. languages, seems to be the origin of the verb. North. Grav. Sco.

Fout. Foolish. Also, as a noun, a spoilt child. N. fauti, a simpleton. North. Crav.

Galt, Gaut. A boar pig. N. galti. North. Grav. Sco.

Gar. To cause, force, compel N. giora. A certain Earl of Lonsdale, as the story goes, having laid a wager with a friend as to which of them should compose the best specimen of Cumberland, produced the following, and won his wager. " What gar'd the gawrment gang into't garth, and jarble a' hissel ? " What made the fool go into the field and bemire all himself?"  Worth. Grav. Sco.

Garrick. An awkwrard person. [N. gára, to make game of. An odd derivation for the name of the great actor !

Gawm. Attention. Gawmin. Ignorant, thoughtless. N. gaumr, attention—gefa gawm at, to pay attention to. We have just the same phrase—to " give gawm to." " Gawmin" seems to be formed from gawm, and N. minnnr, less; hence it is the same as Crav. gaumless. From " gawm" is also probably formed gumption, or gawm-tion, understanding, judgment—common to several dialects. Worth. Crav.

Ged. A pike or jack. N. gedda.  North. Sco.

Gilder. A snare. N. gildra.  North.

Gimmer. A ewe. Gimmer-lamB. A ewe lamb. N. gimbra, a ewe. D. gimmer-lam, a ewe lamb. North. Crav. Sco.

Glair. Mire. Probably formed from N. leir, mire, by the addition of g. So the N. has glikr aad likr, like. S, g, and k are all common prefixes. See clarty.

Glat. A gap in a hedge.— Westm. N. glatr, damage, dilapidation.

Glender. To stare. N. glenna, distendere, in the sense of stretching the eyes.

Gloar, Glower. To stare intently. N. gl6ra, to shine. Haldorsen gives glórir i kattar augun, " the cat's eyes shine," which seems to have something of the sense of our word. I apprehend that its origin is to be found in the fierce and glowing look of hostility. North. Grav. Sco.

Gloppen. To be astonished, startled, or frightened. N. glupna, to despond, to lose courage. In early writers, Mr. Halliwell observes, " gloppen" sometimes means to lament or mourn.North. Gram. Sco.

Gor. The mouth. N. gopi, D. gab, an opening, Hence Gope, to talk vulgarly and loud.—Gumb. North. Crav. Sco.

Gowk. The cuckoo; also a simpleton. N. gaukr, used in both the above senses. North. Grav. Sco.

Gowl. To weep or sob. N. gaada, to roar or bellow. " Gowl" signifies more properly a noisy lamentation—"greet," a " quiet cry." North. Sco.

Gowpen. A handful. N. gaupn, the hollow of the hand. North. Grav. Sco.

Gripe, Grape. A dung-fork. S.-G. grepe. North. Crav.

Gruby. Dirty. N. grubb, dregs.

Gryke. A chink, a crevice. N. kryki, a corner, recess. North.

Guff. A fool. N. gufa, a vapour, whence metaph. a light and empty person. Sco.

Gulder. To talk loudly, and with a dissonant voice. N. gúll, os inflatum.
Hack. A pick-axe. Dan. hakke. North. Crav. Sco.

Hack. To win everything. Perhaps allied to N. haki, end, extremity of a thing.

Ham-sam. Promiscuously. The former syllable may be from N. heimr, an assembly or gathering; the latter is evidently the Gothic particle sam, denoting concourse or conjunction, and forming a variety of compounds, particularly in the Scandinavian languages.

" But weddit fwoke rare laughin hed

I' th' bower wi' yen anither,

For five or six gat into t' bed,

And sat ham-sam togither."

TTpshot, by Mark Lonsdale,

Hank. To fasten. N. hanka. North. Crav. Sco.

HarNs. Brains. N. hiarni. North. Crav. Sco.

Harp. To harp on a thing is to revert to it again and again ; it is generally applied to some unpleasant subject which ought to be allowed to drop. N. harpa at, redarguere.

Haver. To babble, to prate. N. hdvar, garrulous. North.

Heck. A hay-rack. D. hekke. North. Crav. Sco.

Helle. To pour rapidly. N. hella. Crav. Sco.

Hoast. The curd for cheese before it is taken from the whey. N. ostr, cheese. Our word appears to show more clearly the origin of the Norse—hossa, to shake ; hoss, a gentle shaking.

HOW. An exclamation used in driving cattle. It is also sometimes used as a verb, applied to urging cattle by voice and gesture into a field or other place. The N. has hó, a cry of the shepherds, and hóa, conclamare greges, which may possibly be the origin of our word.

Howdy. A midwife. This unfortunate word has been made the subject of etymological vagaries, among which that quoted by Mr. Halliwell from " Jesus hodie natus est de virgine " is certainly entitled to the pre-eminence which he claims for it. Not very many degrees better is that from " How do ye ?" a presumed salutation from the nurse to the sick woman, and which Brockett, with less than his usual judgment, defends from the sarcasm of Brande. Mr. Brande, however, has not been very successful in suggesting a better; his derivation is from the " how," a membrane on the head, with which some children are born, and which is esteemed highly lucky among the vulgar. Jamieson's derivation from N. iód, childbirth, is no doubt the correct one. The Sco. has the verb to
" howd," from which the noun is formed. North. Crav. Sco.

Howk. To excavate, scoop out. S.-G. holka. North.

ILL. Used as an adjective. " The ladle she brake o'er ill Bell."Codbeck Wedding. N. ttlr, wicked.

Ingle or Engle. Generally explained as "fire, flame," but in Cumberland usually applied to a faggot or bundle of fire-wood. I rather incline to think that this is the original meaning, and that the ingle is properly not the fire itself, but the fuel. It may be from N. engia, to press together, as sticks in a bundle. North. Sco.

Kale. Cabbage, whence broth, in which greens are the principal ingredient. N. kal, D. kaaL. North. Crav. Sco.

Keave. To plunge, to struggle. N. key/a., to struggle against a snow-storm.

Keek To peep. S.-G. Kika, J). kige. North. Sco.

Kerf. A layer of hay or turf— Westm. N. kerfi, a little bundle.

Kett. Rubbish. N. ket, dead flesh. In Crav. and Sco. " kett" means carrion. In North. it is explained " carrion—any sort of filth." The successive steps are evident by which the word has been degraded.

Kick. The top of the fashion. The origin of this word has escaped all our etymologists. Brockett suggests N. kœkr, gestus indecorus, which I hope he does not mean to say is the fashion in the North. Even Jamieson has nothing better to offer than N. kiackr, audax. It is evidently derived from N. skick, D. skik, custom, fashion—S.G. skick, elegantia morum. I have already observed on the frequency with which the prefix s is asumed in Norse, or dropped in English. Hence probably the origin of kickshaw, the derivation of which from Fr. quelque chose, is, to say the least, unmeaning, and that from " kick shoes " absurd. The latter syllable might be N. skd, optima pars rei. North. Crav. Sco.

Kink. To laugh loudly. N. kiánka. Sco.

Kite. The belly. N. kvidr. North. Sco.

Knap. To speak mincingly, to clip the words. N. knappr, D. knap, close, tight, constrained.

Krull, Crewel. Embroidery. The word is now generally confined to a hand-ball covered with worsted-work. It is evidently derived from N. krulla, signifying both to blend, to mix, and also to curl. North.

Lag. To crack or split—Westm.  N .lag, stroke of a sword or other weapon.

LaNe. To conceal. N. leyna, to hide. This appears to be the origin of Eng. " lane." Also of our word " lonnin," q.v. Crav.

Lapstone. The stone on which a cobbler beats his leather, generally supposed to be so called from being placed in his lap. But I think that it is more probably from N. lappa, to patch, to cobble. North. Grav.

Lee. A scythe. D. lee.  " Lee stones for new leeses." Sosley Fair.

Leeze. To clean wool—Westm. N. les, anything made of wool

Let On. To tell out. N. laeta, to shew. North. Sco.

Leister. A three-pronged fork for striking fish. S.-G. ljuster, a similar instrument, and used in a similar manner along with a light to strike fish at night. Its origin is no doubt ljus, light. North. Crav. Sco.

Lids. Manner, fashion. N. lidr, D. lede, A. S. I'ith., a limb, member, joint. In the manner of its use our word corresponds with the Danish. Anderledes and ligeledes, " in other manner," and " in like manner," are just the same phrase as our "other lids," and "like lids." From the N. lidlángr may perhaps be derived the English " livelong"— lidlánga nottina, the live-long night. This gives great expressiveness to the phrase—it is the night, not as a whole, but as divided into all its separate parts—the night hour by hour and minute by minute.

Limmers. Shafts of a cart. N. limar, branches, from 'which such shafts were originally roughly constructed. North. Crav. Sco.

Lisk. The groin. N. lioski, D. lyske.  North. Sco.

Lish. Smart, active, sprightly. Probably a consequential sense derived from lisk—the groin being the part of the body wherein activity might be supposed to reside.

" Yence Marget was as lish a lass
As e'er in summer trod the grass,
But fearfu' changes come to pass In this weary, weary warld." Anderson.  North. Grav. Sco.

Loff. To offer. N. lofa, to promise. N. lofa also signified to praise, which is the sense of Sco. " loif." A. S. lofian appears to have been used only in this sense.

Loft. An upper room. N. lofir. North. Crav. Sco.

Lonnin. A country lane. Both "lane" and " lonnin" appear to be from the root of N. leyna, to conceal, in the sense of shelter or seclusion. From leyna is formed leyni, a private or secluded place, whence leynidyr, the back door, in which the sense seems to approach that of Engl. "lane." Launtúng, a hiding-place, from laun, secretly, presents a form nearer to that of  lonnin." From this root are probably derived Engl. "lone" and "lonely." The
N. has the phrase, at láta lon, which seems the origin of our phrase, " to let alone." North. Craw. Sco.

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