Stories and folk-lore of West Cornwall. Third Series

GLOSSARY OF LOCAL WORDS.

• Aree faa, exclamation: “dear me.”
• Bal, a mine.
• Bannel, a broom, a yellow flowering shrub.
• Beety, to mend nets.
• Benen-vat, a good woman.
• Benkeyl, a living stream.
• Ben-ma-brea, woman of my heart.
• Balsh, small rope.
• Boobun, wick of the “chill.”
• Bowjowler, a place in the fishing-boat, to keep the foot-line.
• Breal, mackerel.
• Breedy, to make nets, by meshing with needle and pin-roller.
• Broaze, on the point of boiling.
• Broazen, briskly; the fire burns briskly.
• Bruz, small furze; remnants.
• Bucca-boo, a fool; a bogey.
• Bussa, a salting pot for meat.
• Bussa-head, a blockhead.
• Caboolen, a stone used by seiners.
• Caboose, portable fishing-boat’s fire-place.
• Capis, very large meshes in a trammel-net.
• Cavers, the darnel.
• Chea, word used in calling swine to feed.
• Chea-chanter, hold your tongue.
• Chill, a lamp.
• Clibby, sticky, like molasses.
• Clomb, earthenware.
• Clunk, to swallow.
• Cobesta, a part of fishing tackle.
• Codgy or Clidgy, adhesive; gummy.
• Coits, a pile of rocks; group of stones.
• Costan, straw and bramble baskets.
• Cowal, fish basket, with a band for the head, carried by fishwomen.
• Cowl, fish-bladder.
• Cowleck, a glutton.
• Cravel, mantel-beam.
• Croggan, limpet-shell.
• Crowse, refreshment, carried to field in hay, corn, and potato harvests.
• Crum, crooked.
• Crush, shrunk with age.
• Derns, a door-frame.
• Didgen, a bit; a small portion.
• Dien, a man.
• Dowse, to throw on the ground.
• Dowsing-rod, divining rod, used to discover minerals, water, &c.
• Drethen, a sand-pot, a sand-area ’neath the sea.
• Drizzle, small rain.
• Drizzling-dour, small stream.
• Enys, an island.
• Flucan-courses, a term in mining; cross-courses.
• Freathed out, frayed.
• Friday cum-sennet, next Friday week.
• Fuggan, a cake; dinner cake.
• Fun, a small kind of rush.
• Fusy, good.
• Geek, a sly look; a peep.
• Ging, to fasten a fish hook to line with wire.
• Gord, a nine-feet rod to measure land.
• Griglens, remains of a heath broom.
• Guldize, harvest home.
• Gurry, a four-handled barrow with enclosed sides.
• Gwarrah, the farthest, the most distant.
• Gweean, perry-winkle.
• Hayl, a river.
• Heevil, three-prong fork, a stable implement.
• Hilla, the nightmare.
• Hogan, miners’ dinner.
• Huel, a mine.
• Ianken, walking quickly.
• Jonic, fair, straightforward.
• Jsenequick, italian-iron.
• Jouder, fish overboiled.
• Jowdy, to walk in water with boots and stockings on.
• Kanker, a small crab.
• Kay-yer, a coarse winnowing machine.
• Keals (quilles) nine-pins.
• Keal-alley, a bowling-green.
• Keddened and Cabageed, booted with mud; dirty.
• Keg, a dog.
• Kente-pathen-gy, wooden pins belonging to the stone anchor used in punts.[198]
• Keygans, small refuse roots.
• Kibbal, a mine bucket.
• Kibbin, to steal.
• Kicker, fishing boats’ small mizen sail.
• Keggil, a piece of wood used by thread-spinners.
• Kiskey, a rotten stick.
• Kist-vaen, stone chest.
• Ku-lar, to lend.
• Laggen, to splash in the water.
• Laister, yellow iris, or water flag.
• Lasking, keep near shore, a term used by fishermen.
• Lenth, shelter, cover from the weather.
• Ligge, broth; soup.
• Ludras, a frame for the (Killick).
• Meanolas, a fire-place, a square box made of stones and clay, made by fishermen.
• Midge-go-morrah, hesitation, doubt, excuse.
• Miggle-cum-par, mixed fuel—a term used in swine feeding; confusion, a mixture.
• Minch, to play truant—shun school.
• Moppeneede, hide and go seek, a game.
• Mowaz, a maid.
• More, the root.
• Muryan, an ant, emmet.
• Nacken, pocket handkerchief.
• Nuddick, back part of the neck.
• Padger-paw, a lizard.
• Pag-ae, please.
• Peacher, a lure, an enticement.
• Pedna-a-mean, heads and tails, a game of pins.
• Pedn-borbas, cod’s head.
• Pigal, a farm implement.
• Piler, a farm implement, used to pound, or cut the beards from barley in winnowing.
• Pilles, naked oats (avena nuda).
• Planchen, wood floor.
• Podn, mine dust; tailings.
• Pol, a pool.
• Polyn, a stick.
• Punick, a small person; a dwarf.
• Purvans, shreds of cotton used in wick-making for a “chill.”
• Quail, withered.
• Quilken, a young frog.
• Raf, refuse, waste.
• Riggling, cleaning out the fire-place with the poker.
• Rût, to rub; friction.
• Scabby-gullion, a stew.
• Scat, to knock; break to pieces.
• Schecojan, call; invitation.
• Scraggen, straggling.
• Scrof, the refuse.
• Scroggan, a worthless person.
• Scud, to spill any liquid.
• Scruff of the nuddick, nape of the neck.
• Shong, a broken mesh.
• Shethen, any thing long; a piece of hake used as bait.
• Skillet, small tin saucepan.
• Skubmaw, small parts; bits of wreck.
• Slag, small driving rain (drizzle).
• Slintrim, an incline; going down an incline.
• Slotter, a sticky wet mess.
• Stag’d, booted in mud.
• Stroath, wild haste.
• Strop, string; a piece of rope.
• Swap, a wasp.
• Sabs, to burn tabs,—grass tufts, raked together into piles for burning, in preparing ground for seed.
• Tabs, turf, harrowed fine.
• Thurl, leary.
• Timmy-noggy, a notched square piece of wood, used to support the lower end of the Vargord.
• To garm, to shout in anger; scold.
• Tolyer-predu, baking-dish.
• Toust, toiled or rumpled.
• Towse, noise; tumult.
• Towser, coarse apron.
• Trantums, friskiness; wildness.
• Tre, a farm.
• Tubbal, double ball-pick.
• Tubban, a tuft of earth.
• Tummels, large quantity, applied in agriculture to crops of straw and hay.
• Tut, hassock.
• Vargord, a spar, used as a foresail; bowline in fishing-boats.
• Vean, little; “child vean,” little child; kerris vean, little kerris; treveneth vean, &c.
• Vezy, without; distant; away.
• Vumfra, blow; a heavy slap.
• Widden, white.
• Widdles, nonsense; foolishness; romancing.
• Whinz, mine-winch.
• Zawn, a cavern.
• Zelli, a conger eel.

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