LEXICON.

[Ed.―see also Tim Bobbin's Glossary.]

A badger's shop, a grocer's shop.
A farrantly bargain, a decent bargain, a good bargain.
A grooin' tree, a growing tree.
A layrock tootin' eawt for day, a skylark peeping out for the dawn of morning.
A mettled cowt, a spirited colt.
A warse un, a worse one.
Aboon, above.
An brut his wings at th' end ov o, and burn his wings at the end of all.
At neet abeawt a leet, at night about a light.
Aw deawt, I doubt, I think, I surmise.
Aw'll keawer mo deawn till baggin' time, I will sit me down till the afternoon meal-time.
Aw roos't her, I praised her.
Awter't, altered.
Axed, asked.
Babs, babies, pictures.
Baggin', the afternoon meal.
Baggin-time, tea-time, or time of the afternoon meal.
Ballis-pipes, bellows-pipes, lungs.
Bar-fuut, bare-foot.
Beawt, without.
Becose, because.
Belated, benighted.
Bi'th mass, by the mass, an expression brought down from Catholic times.
Bi'th mon, by the man, an ancient allusion to the Saviour of mankind.
Bi'th side of an odd cup o' tay, by the side of a lonely cup of tea.
Bonk, a bank of land, a gentle slope.
Booses, resting-places, generally applied to the stalls of cattle-shed.
Bowster, bolster.
Brass, money.
Breet, bright.
Bruns, burns.
Caps the dule, beats the devil, or excels the devil.
Cheep, to chirp, to hint at, to allude to slyly.
Cheepin' layrocks, chirruping larks.
Cheer, chair.
Chens, chains.
Choilt, child.
Clemmin, starving for want of food.
Clooas, clothes.
Cloof, clough, glen.
Cob, a lump of coal.
Co'd, called,
Con, can.
Conk, a chat.
Consate, conceit.
Cowts, colts.
Crom-full o'ancientry, cram-full of antiquarian lore.
Crack o' deein', hint at dying.
Cranky an sore, rusty and shaky, and painful.
Cratchinly, ill-conditioned, shakely-held together.
Crayter, creature.
Cupbort, cupboard.
Cuts, a name for a weaver's piece, or web of cloth.
Cwortin', courting.
Dad me, help me by the hand, as a "dad," or father does a little child in its first efforts to walk.
Dainty rindles, pretty rills of singing water.
Deawldy, down-hearted.
Deawn i' th' greawnd, down in the ground.
Deein', dying,
Do justice; act "upon the square."
Doance, dance.
Doff me, do off for me, or take off my clothes for me.
Doitch, ditch.
Don, to do on, to put on.
Donned his clinker't shoon, put on his strong shoes, nailed with great nails known by the name of "clinkers."
Drufty, droughty, parched.
Dree, wearily-continuous.
Eawl-leet, twilight, when owls begin to cry.
Fairy-greawnd, enchanted ground.
Fause, cunning.
Feightin', fighting.
Feeorin', frightening, things that frighten.
Fends, provides, works for.
Fent, a part or fragment of the web of cloth.
Fettle my yore, put my hair to rights.
Feyther, father.
Fither-deawn, the down of feathers.
Flaysome wark, fearful work.
Fleyed, afraid.
Forrud, forward.
Fotch my brid, fetch my bird.
Foo, fool.
Fowd, fold.
Fratchin', quarrelling.
Fur, further.
Fuut it leet an' limber, foot it light and nimble.
Gan 'em silk, given them silk, thrashed them finely, thoroughly.
Gate, road, path, way.
Get forrud wi' thi deein', get forward with thy dying.
Get summat to heyt, get somewhat to eat.
Gettin wed, getting married.
Glent, glimpse.
Good lorjus days, Good lord of our days.
Gradely, proper, right.
Gradely donned, properly dressed.
Gripe, grip.
Groo breet, grow bright.
Grooin' cowd, growing cold.
Grooin' polyants, cultivating the polyanthus.
Grooin' whot, growing hot.
Guinea-gowd, guinea gold, or gold without alloy.
Haliday gam, holiday game, holiday fun.
Happed him up weel, lapped, or folded him up well.
Heaw doesto feel?  How dost thou feel?
He cool't eawt o'th world, an' his e'en lost their leet, he cooled out of this world,—he died,—and his eyes lost their light.
He turn't his-sel' oe'r, like a chylt tir't wi' play, he turned himself over, like a child tired with play.
He's cowd; aw'll put summat moor on, he is cold; I will put something more, or more clothing, upon him.
He's gettin' in wi' th' quality, he is becoming acquainted with people in high life.
He's sellin' milk, an allusion to Garibaldi's farming in the island of Caprera.
Heytin, eating.
Hob, a ledge, close to the fire-grate.
Hoo gi's him brass aboon his share, she gives him more money than his share.
Hoo 'll, she'll, she will.
Hoo's bin a widow lung enoo, she has been a widow long enough.
Hoo's reet, she's right.
Houds up his yed, holds up his head.
Hutch, to twitch, to shrug, to wriggle the body uneasily.
Hutchin fain, fidgetting glad.
I fain could yer him play, I gladly could listen to his playing.
I see'd a thowtful, I saw a thoughtful.
If it coom in his yed, if it came into his head, or, if he chanced to think of it.
If yon root amung th' swathe, yo'n find doctors an' o', if you will examine the swathe left by the scythe of death, you will find that even those whose business it is to save the lives of others, die, like the rest.
I'll wear a creawn, I'll spend five shillings.
It mays little odds, for they both han to goo, it makes little difference, for they both have to go.
I'th deeod time o'th neet, in the dead, or silent, time of the night.
I'th meawt, in the moult, moulting.
I'th name o' good Katty, an ancient saying, "In the name of good St. Catharine."
I'th Owler dale, in the dale of the Owler trees.
Keawer, to sit, to rest in a couching posture.
Keawrin', sitting, crouching.
Keyther, cradle.
Kist, chest.
Lad, led.
Laithe, invite.
Lammas, to run away.
Last neet I laft the city thrung, last night I left the city throng.
Layrocks, larks.
Leawngin' i'th fowd, lounging in the fold.
Leet, light, to alight upon, to meet with.
Leifer, rather.Lev, leave
Lev, leave.
Limber, lithe, active.
Lone, lane.
Lope, leaped.
Like foot-bo's in a pastur', like footballs in a field.
Limber as a snig, nimble as an eel.
Limber-legged, nimble-legged.
Lippens, expects.
Little brids, little birds, little children.
Liven, do live.
Maisters o' lond, masters of land, landowners.
Maks, makes, shapes, kinds.
Marlock, frolic.
Marlocked, frolicked.
Marlockin' schoo', a frolicking school.
Marrow, match.
Maunderin', wandering aimlessly, dreamily.
Meawse-nooks, secret places.
Missed his tip, missed his aim, broken down.
Mon, man.
Moor sense than prouder folk, more sense than prowder people.
Moufin in a cleawt, muffin in a clout, or kerchief, or cloth.
Nattle, snappish, short-tempered.
Nee, near.
Neest, nest.
Neet, night.
Noan so weel, not very well.
Noather, neither.
Nobbut, nought but, only.
Nobbut one, nought but one, only one.
Nudgin', elbowing, jogging, pushing.
O' wur no use, all was no use.
Oather, either.
Oft leeten, oft light upon.
Oitch body, each body, each person.
Olez, always.
Olez oather, always either.
One-ly, lonely.
Oon, oven.
Ov owd, of old.
Owd, old.
Owd mon, old man, a friendly phrase, applied to both old and young.
Pass a faut, forgives a fault, or an offence.
Peawtin' an' fratchin', pouting and quarrelling.
Peearter, perter, prouder.
Pendle witches, Pendle Forest was notoriously associated with the old witch superstitions of Lancashire.
Pikein', picking, choosing.
Pickin-rod, the straight wooden rod with which hand-loom weavers pick, or throw the shuttle.
Plantin', plantation.
Poo, pull.
Poo up, pull up.
Porritch-pons, porridge pans.
Porritch thible, a piece of wood to stir boiling porridge with.
Potter's abeawt, fumbled, or fingered, caressingly.
Pow, poll.
Powler't, jolted, knocked to and fro.
Prattist, prettiest, most pleasing.
Preychin', preaching.
Puncin', kicking.
Puts eawt er leet, puts out our light.
Quare, queer.
Rackless, reckless.
Rayly, really.
Reawsty, rusty.
Reech, a smoke.
Reet anent aw geet a glent, right a-head I got a glimpse.
Reet weel, right well.
Reitch, reach.
Rindlin' weet, a little wandering, musical rill.
Rive me i' teaw, tear me into two.
Rivven, torn.
Roman haw pennies, Roman half-pennies, Roman coins.
Ronk, rank, abundant.
Rook, lot, collection number.
Roots i'th stars, studies astronomy.
Roozin' rant, a rousing frolic.
Sattle, settle.
Sattle thisel', settle thyself.
Scoaded, scalded.
Shippon, sheep-pen, cattle-shed.
Shoon, shoes.
Should never awse, should never attempt.
Sidin' folk eawt o' seet, putting people aside, out of sight.
Singin'-brids, singing birds.
Slifter, a slit, or loophole.
Slifter'd cleawd, a broken, or slightly-scattered cloud.
Slutch, mire.
Slutchy, miry.
Sneck, an old-fashioned wooden latch.
So mote it be, so might it be.
Some'at, somewhat.
Soory, sorry.
Stoode bare-yedded reawnd, stood bare-headed around.
Swappin' his cowt for gowd, exchanging or selling his colt for gold.
Swilk, to make a noise inside, like a half-filled barrel, when shaken.
Taen to preitchen, taken to preaching, become a preacher.
Tay, tea.
Teeny, tiny.
Tentin', minding, taking care of.
Tents er Joe, take care of our Joe.
Teyches Sunday schoo', teaches in a Sunday school.
Teychin', teaching.
Th' leet, the light.
Th' leet has laft thi e'e, the light has left thine eye.
Th' lung-length, the long length, the end.
Th' mornin' side, the east side, the side from which morning comes.
Th' owd crayter's laid by, the old creature is laid aside. The words "owd crayter," are commonly used as a phrase of affection.
Th' owd mower's at wark, the old mower,—death,—is at work.
Th' tremblin' streng, the vibrating fiddle-string.
Th' yure abeawt his monly broo, the hair about his manly brow.
Th' wayter in his een, the water in his eyes.
Th' welkin, the sky.
Th' wynt, the wind, the breath.
Th' leet o' thi e'en, the light of thine eyes.
Thae'm, thou must.
Thae's yerd o' Clinker lad, thou hast heard of Clinker's lad.
That's not mich to crack o', that's not much to talk of, or to wonder at.
The mon that's larn't-up, an' the mon that's a foo, the man that is learned-up to the height of possibility, or, that knows everything,—and the man that is a fool.
There's nought on me laft, lass,—do o' at tho con,—there's nothing of me left, lass,—do all that thou can'st.
These moor-end lads, hoo turns their yeds, she is turning the heads of these lads who live at the edges of the wild moors.
They groon as breet again, they become twice as bright.
They're cowd i'th heart, an' crampt i'th hond, they are cold in the heart, and cramped in the hand.
Thinks o'll leet, thinks everything will light or befall.
Thowt, thought.
Thrut, thrown.
Till dayleet stirs i'th sky, till the dawning of the day.
To fo' eawt, to fall out, to quarrel.
To raise new clooas for Ayster, to raise new clothes for Easter. Country people in Lancashire generally make a superstitious struggle to wear some kind of new clothing on Easter Sunday.
T'other mays some marlocks, the other makes some frolics.
To toar on bi her-sel', to drag on wearily by herself, or, alone.
To th' fuut, to the foot.
Toe fair, toe the mark fairly.
Tone fro tother, the one from the other.
Toot, to peep.
Toots abeawt, peeps about, searches.
Tooted, peeped carefully.
Top-cwot, top-coat.
Toppin', the hair on the front of the head.
Tots, little drinking vessels.
Tow, toll.
Tung, tongue.
Upo' th' oon, upon the oven.
Very leet need, very light need, very little need.
Waitin' lounger wouldno do, it would not do to wait any longer.
Wakin' time, the time when workmen begin to work by candle-light.
Warty, wark-day, work-day.
Wark, work.
Wayter, water.
Wayter rindlin', water wandering musically.
We ne'er had no doctor; he dee'd of his-sel', we never had any doctor to him; he died of himself, or, without the aid of medicine.
Wheer I leet, alight, drop upon.
Welly blynt, well-nigh blind."
"We're 'o Johnny Butter'oth lads"—a common saying in Lancashire, meaning that we are all God Almighty's children.
We's ha' to sign o'er, an' be gone, we shall have to consign, hand over our worldly affairs, and be gone.
When t'one's bin strivin' o' he con, when the one has been striving all he can.
When th' layrock's finished his wark aboon, when the lark has finished his work above.
When tone has laft his feast, An' tother done his crust. When the one has left his feast, And the other done his crust.
White thatch on his nob, the white hair of his head.
Whoam, home.
Wick an' warm at work an' fun, lively and earnest at work and fun.
Wi'th wayter i' my e'en, with the water in mine eyes.
Wole, the wall,
Woles, walls.
Wortch, work.
Wortchin', working.
Wrang, wrong.
Wrang i'th yed, wrong in the head, crazy.
Yammer, to make an eager noise with the jaws, like hungry children at meal-time.
Yed, head.
Yonderly, absent-minded, thinking far away.