Yorkshire Folk Talk

YORKSHIRE FOLK TALK:
Glossary

Back-bearaway, n. F. (pr. back-beearaway). The common bat.

Back-cast, n. F. (pr. back-kest). A loss; especially a loss of strength or health, a loss of ground, a relapse, a failure. Throwback is frequently used instead of backcast in the sense of a relapse.

Backen, v. C. To retard, delay.
Ex. T' maaster hesn't com'd; wa mun backen t' dinner a bit.

Back-end, n. C. (1) The latter part of the year from after harvest. (2) The latter part of other periods of time. (3) (in plural) Tail-corn. Vide Hinderends. Dan. Bagende (hind part).
Ex.--We 'd nobbut a dowly tahm t' last back-end.----Ah 'll cum t' backend o' t' week.Ah wants sum back-ends for t' chickens.

Backendish, adj. F. Rough and wintry; generally applied to the weather.

Backening, n. C. A relapse.
Ex.Q. 'How is Jane to-day?' A. 'Sha 's neea bether; woss if owt; sha 's had sum sad backenings.'
This word is synonymous with back-cast.

Back-side, n. C. (pr. back-sahd). (1) The back yard and premises of a dwelling-house. (2) The lower or under side of anything.
Ex. Wa 've gitten wer back-sahds fettled up, an' they leeak weel noo; i.e. We have had the back premises of our row of houses repaired, and they now look tidy.

Backerly, adj. and adv. F. Late, backward; after the usual time. Jutl. D. Bagerlig (late).
Ex. Them ooats is a bit backerly.
This word is not heard so much in the East as in the North Riding.

Bad, adj. C. (1) Difficult. In this sense the word is universally used, besides in the ordinary sense of worthless. Hard to please, difficult to be done, hard to beat, difficult to find, &c., are never heard in the dialect, but instead, bad to please, bad to do, bad to beat, bad to find, &c. (2) Sick, poorly. The adverbial form (badly) in this sense is very common.
Ex.Q. 'Why isn't your sister here (school) to-day P A. 'Sha 's bad.' Ah 's badly.'

Badness, n. C. Mischievous evil, or active wickedness.
Ex. There 's neea badness aboot her.It 's nowt bud badness on him.

Bain, adj. C. Good, easy, near, straight; applied only to a road, path, &c. There is a good deal of confusion between bain and gain; indeed the two are frequently used indiscriminately, but often the old and correct distinction of meaning is observed, as it ought to be. Bain is properly 'good' or 'easy' ; so that of two t' bainest rooad is the road in the best condition and so the easiest one to travel on, whereas t' gainest rooad is simply the nearest in point of distance. Bainer and bainest are more frequently heard than bain. Dan. En Bane (a pathway); At bane (to lead). Icel. Beinn (straight).

Bairn, barn, a. C. (pr. ba'an: it is seldom that the r is heard, even slightly, though it is difficult to give an exact indication of the pronunciation of this word). (1) A child. (2) A term of familiarity used by elderly people to those younger than themselves, esp. in such phrases as Aye, bairn; bless ya, bairn. (3) Used jestingly, reproachfully, or in admiration to an adult as well as to a child, e.g. after some brag, or outrageously absurd statement, has been made. O.N. and Dan. Barn.
Ex.(1) Cum thi ways, mah ba'an. (2) Aw! bless ya, ba'an, t' wo'lld 's to'nn'd arsy-varsy sen ah wer a lad.-(3) Thoo is a bonny ba'an, Dick, ti deea leyke that.
The form Barn is commoner than Bairn in parts of the Wold country.

Bairn-lakings, n. R. (pr. ba'an laakins). Toys, playthings.

Bairnish, adj. C. Childish.
Ex.It 's nobbut bairnish deed.

Bakstan, n. F. A stone for baking cakes upon; but in more recent years an iron plate is used instead. A frying-pan. Dan. Bage sten (bake-stone).

Balk, n. C. (pr. bawk). (1) A beam. (2) A strip of land, whether in a field or by the side of a road. Sometimes the balk gives its name to the road itself. Dan. En Bjaelke (a beam), En Balk (a ridge of land between furrows).

Ball, n. C. The palm (of the hand), the sole (of the foot).

Ex.It catched ma i' t' ball o' my han'.

Bam, v. R. To take in by playing a trick upon one.
Ex.He bam'd ma.
There is the slang word bam-foozled, or bam-boozled, which has a similar meaning.

Bam, n. C. A take in, a trick, or practical joke; 'all nonsense,' as it was once described to me.
Ex.It 's nowt bud a bam. It 's all a bam.

Band, a. C. String, twine. A rope is called a band if used for binding, otherwise it is also called a line; the ligature of a sheaf of corn or the straw rope used in thatching is called a band. Dan. Baand (rope or string).

Bandmakker, n. C. The maker of bands (generally a lad) for tying the sheaves in the harvest field. The trio engaged in this part of the work were the bandmakker, the takker up (generally a woman), and the binndther. Dan. Banadmager (ribbon-maker).

Bannock, n. F. A kind of cake. Also used as a verb. To bannock i' bed means to lie in a lazy fashion.
Ex. Sha wad sit up hauf o' t' neet, an' bannock i' bed hauf o' t' daay.

Barfharne, barfam, barfan, n. C. (pr. barfam; barfan being probably a corruption). A horse-collar. There are a great variety of spellings of this word, and the derivation seems most uncertain. I have given the preference to the first-named form, for there is probably a connection between the last part of the word and the hames: vide Hames. The bumble- or bass-barfam was specially used for young colts and fillies when first yoked, and was usually borrowed, there being but few in a village. A horse-collar in some parts of Yorkshire is the bridle with blinkers, head-stall applies to a halter only.

Bargh, barugh, n. C. (pr. barf). A hill; generally an isolated one, and of no great height. The use of the word is chiefly confined to particular hills, and is not applied as a generic term. There is an analogy between the pronunciation of this word and that of though, through, plough, &c., which are pronounced thoff, thruff, pleeaf, &c.

Barguest, a. F. An apparition, described as most like a donkey, or big black dog with very large eyes. The word is now frequently used as a term of reproach or abuse, e.g. thoo barguest, the original sense being lost or forgotten. The latter part of this word is connected with Germ. Geist, the first syllable being Germ. Bahr, or Dan. Baare (a bier).

Barm, a. C. Yeast. Dan. Baerme (yeast).

Bass, n. C. Matting; sometimes also applied to material made of straw, &c. A joiner's basket is termed a bass, and a hassock is sometimes called a knee-bass. Dan. Bast (the inner bark of a tree).

Bassak, Bazaak, v. F. To strike either things or persons, to beat; the corresponding noun Bassakinga beatingis in frequent use. Dan. Et Bask (a blow, a flogging); at baske (to slap, to beat).
Ex.Ah bassak'd 'em in wi a mell.T' grund's that hard they want a vast o' bassakin' doon.

Bat, n. C. (1) A blow or stroke. (2) A state or condition.(3) In plural it is equivalent to a flogging.
Ex.(1) He gay him sikan a bat ower t' back. (2) Ah 's aboot at t' last bat. (3) Noo thoo 'll git thi bats inoo if thoo deean't behave thisen.

Bath, v. C. (pr. as bath, and never as bathe). To foment with hot water. To wash children all over. Dan. At bade (to bathe, foment).
Ex. T' doctther tell'd ma ti bath it weel.

Batten, n. C. Two sheaves of straw bound together; a bundle of straw.

Batter, n. C. A leaning or inclination inwards, as generally applied to a wall, to counteract the tendency in what is behind it to push it forward.
Ex.T' wall wants a bit mair batter back.

Battin, n. C. A spar of wood, generally 7 inches wide, 2.5 inches thick, and of any length ('deals' being somewhat wider and thicker).

Batt'l-door, n. C. Part of the apparatus, still to be seen, for mangling clothes; the other appendage being the roller or rolling-pin. The batt'l-deear, as it is called, is a piece of wood, flat at one side or both, about 2 feet long, and in shape something like a cricket bat. The use of it involved harder work than the mangle, and it is probably on this account mainly that it has given place to the modern mangle, though in some farmhouses the battel-door and rolling-pin are occasionally used still. The battel-door was also called a bittle.

Baubosking, part. R. It is difficult to give the precise meaning of this word, and I do not remember to have heard it used but by a single individual; that it is a word of some interest I have little doubt. It would seem to have reference to the straying away of cattle or sheep from the pasture assigned to them. If, as seems certain, much of the pasture of cattle in the old days lay in the boscus (the 'sylva pasturalis' of Doomsday), the idea conveyed in the example given below, of straying away from the pasture to which the animals are 'hoofed,' into the woods, is quite intelligible: the expression made use of before me was a figurative one, and the speaker merely meant to say that he was a man who seldom left his own home for the sake of visiting new places. His words were these: Ah deean't gan bauboskin' aboot leyke sum on 'em; ah sticks ti t' heeaf.

Beal, Beel, v. C. (pr. beeal). (1) To bellow, to roar (used of an animal). (2) To shout, to cry, or in other ways to raise the voice above the usual pitch.
Jutl. D. At bjaele (to bellow).
Ex. What's ta beealin at? i.e. What are you crying for?

Beeast, n. C. A beast of the ox kind. (The t final is seldom heard in the singular number, and never in the plural.)
Ex.They 're gran' beeas is them.

Beastlings, Bisslings, n. C. (pr. beeaslins). The first and second milkings drawn from a cow after calving. From this milk beastlings pudding is commonly made, which is considered a great delicacyit is called beeaslin' puddin'. The milk is also used sometimes in making bread.

Jutl. D. Bjaest (the first milk after a calf is born).

Beck, n. C. A stream of running water, a brook. Dan. En Bask (a brook). This word is a prefix to several other words the meaning of which is obvious, e.g. Becksteead, Beckside, Becksteeans, &c.

Bedfast, adj. C. Confined to one's bed by sickness, either permanently or temporarily.
ExSha 's been bedfast sen Tho'sda.

Bed-happings or Happings, n. C. Bedclothes of whatever kind.

Bed-piece, n. C. That part of the framework of a cart into which the arms of the axle are laid.

Bed-stock, n. C. The bedstead proper, i.e. the wooden framework of the bed only. Dan. Senge-stok (bedstock).

Bedoot, beoot, prep. and conj. C. Without, unless. Ex.Ah 'll gan yam bedoot tha.

Beeld, bield, or beild, n. C. A shelter from weather, especially rough weather; a shed. The word building is always pr. beelding in E. Yorkshire. There seems therefore to be a connection between beeld and building, the object of a building being to afford shelter from weather. O. Swedish Bylja (to build).
Ex.T' au'd esh-tree maks t' best bit o' beeld of owt i t' pairk.

Beelding, n. C. (pr. beeldin'). A building. The form and pr. of this word is universal throughout the district. The derivation seems in all probability the same as that of beeld, vide sup.

Bee-skep, n. R. A beehive made of rushes or straw.

Bee-sucken, adj. R. This word is applied to a tree that is diseased, as shown by a gummy substance issuing through the bark. It was once described to me as 'like honey coming out of a tree.' Under these circumstances the tree is said to be bee-sucken.

Beggar-staff, n. R. A state of beggary; a hopeless state of insolvency, as when a man has to be sold up 'dish, pan, and doubler,' as the saying is. Dan. Tigger-stav (beggar-staff).
Ex.He 'll seean cam ti t' beggar-staff

Begging-poke, n. R. A bag carried by a beggar. This bag was not only used by professional beggars. but often by poor and honest folk who in hard times used to visit the houses of those well-to-do, and beg from them the necessaries of life. The bag was frequently made of ' harden,' but more often than not consisted of a pillow-slip.

Beholden, part. C. (pr. beho'dden). Under obligation, indebted.

Belantered, part. R. Belated, benighted.

Belder, v. C. To bellow as a bull; to cry aloud, to roar. Dan. At buldre (to roar).
Ex.Noo, what 's ta belderin at?

Belike, adv. F. (pr. beleyke). Probably.
Ex.Belike it may fair up.

Belk, v. C. To belch. Used also substantively.

Belker, n. F. Anything large of its kind.
Ex.It war a reg'lar belker.

Bell-house, n. F. (pr. bellhus or bell'us). A church tower, belfry. This word applies to that part of the lower story of a tower which opens into the nave of a church as well as to the part containing the bells.
Ex.T' childer awlus used ti sit i' t' bell'us.As dark as a bell'us.

Belly-wark, n. C. The stomach-ache. Dan. Baelg (belly), vaerk (ache).

Belong, belang, v. C. To own, to form part of. When used in the sense of 'to own,' the owner is made the appendage of the article rather than vice versa.
Ex. Wheea belangs t' stick? Yon swath field belangs John Smith farm.

Belt, p. part. of Build. C.

Bensil, n. F. A blow with the fist or a stick: also used as a verb.
Ex.Give him a good bensil.

Bent, n. C. A species of wiry grass or rush that grows commonly on the moorland hills.

Berry, berry-tree, n. C. The gooseberry, par excellence. The other fruits of the berry kind take a prefix, as corr'nberries, strawberries, blackberries, &c.
Ex. There 's a vast o' berries ti year; oor trees is that ragg'd whahl they 're fit ti brek.Q. Wheer's t' lass? A. Pullin' berries. (This in the dialect can only mean 'picking gooseberries.')

Besom, n. C. (pr. bizzum). A broom. The simile as fond as a besom, is commonly used for a very foolish person.

Bessy-babs, n. F. One given to silly talk, or one fond of childish things also used of a female fantastically dressed.
ExSha 's a poor bessy-babs.

Best, adj. C. The right; as applied to hand or foot. Better is also used in the same sense. There is, again, a verbal use of this word in the sense of to get the best of.
Ex.My best hand. T' best feeat.

Bet, part. C. Beaten. Also perf. tense of To beat.
Ex.Ah wer fair bet. We bet 'em at creckit.

Better, adv. C. Well, after an ailment; generally preceded by quite (pr. quiet).
Ex.Q. How are you to-day? A. Ah 's nut betther yit; bud ah 's a deal betther 'an what ah a'e been. Ah feels quiet betther.

Better, adj. C. More, longer in time.
Ex.Betther 'an a scoore. Betther 'an a twelvemunth. Betther 'an a fo'tnith.

Bettermy, adj. C. Of a higher class in the social scale.
Ex. They're bettermy folks. Sha 's quiet a bettermy body.

Beuf, n. C. (pr. beuf, and more commonly beeaf). A bough of a tree. The form bew is also common.

Beyont, prep. C. Beyond.

Bid, v. C. To invite to a feast, as at a wedding or funeral. Dan. At byde (to invite). The corresponding noun biddingis also commonly used.

Bide, v. C. (pr. bah d). (1) To wait, remain. (2) To bear, to endure or suffer. (3) To dwell. Dan. At bie (to wait).
Ex.- It's bad ti bahd. Sha bahds at Malton.

Big, v. O. To build; whence biggin, a building. Dan. Bygge (to build), Bygning (a building). Although obsolete generally, the word is still found in many local names, as Newbiggin, Biggin-houses, &c.

Bigg, n. C. Barley having four rows of ears on each stalk. Dan. Byg (barley).

Bike, n. C. The nest of the wild bee.
Ex.Ah 's funnd yan o' them bee-bikes.

Billy-biter, n. C. The common blue tit.

Billy-boy, n. C. A keel rigged for sea, with bulwarks, gaff, boom, and bowsprit, and carrying fore and aft sail.
Ex.-Sha leeaks leyke yan o' them billy-boys.

Bind, v. C. (pr. binnd). To bind, to tie sheaves of corn with 'bands.'
Ex.T' maasther wants ya ti cum an' binnd for 'em.

Binder, n. C. (pr. binndther). The tier up of sheaves of corn.

Bink, n. C. A bench or long seat without a back, whether of wood or stone. The stone bink is commonly placed near the cottage door. Dan. En Baenk (a bench).

Birk, n. C. the birch-tree. Dan. En Birk (a birch-tree).

Bisen, n. F. (pr. bahzen). An unusual sight or spectacle of a personal kind. Also used as a term of reproach.
Ex.Thoo mucky bahzen.

Bisshel, n. C. Bushel. I do not remember to have heard this form or pronunciation of the word except in Cleveland.

Bitings, n. F. A name given to certain fields in the Wold country ; grazing land. Icel. Beit (pasturage).

Bittle, n. C. Vide Batt'l-door.
Biv, Byv, prep. C. By. The v is here added for euphony. Ex.Nut byv o lang waay.

Blackberries, n. C. Black currants; Brambles, or Bummel-kites being the terms usually applied to the common wild blackberry generally so called.

Bladdry, adj. C. (pr. bladdhry). Very muddy or dirty. The corresponding noun, Bladther, is also in common use. As regards muddiness there are practically three degrees of comparison of it in ordinary use, viz, mucky, bladdry, and all iv a posh.
Ex.T' rooads is bladdhry.

Blae, adj. F. (pr. blae and bleea). Blue, especially as regards the appearance of one blue with cold.
Ex.He 's blae wi' cau'd.
It would seem that this word is a corruption of the Norse blaa; while bliew, which is common in the dialect, is another form of blue.

Blaeberry, n. F. The common bilberry. Dan. Blaabaer (bilberry).

Blair, v. C. To bellow as a bull; to cry as a child.
Ex. Whist, wiya; what 's ta blairin aboot?

Blake, adj. C. A pale yellow colour, like that of the best quality of butter or the finest cream. Dan. Bleg. In Modern Danish the word means simply pale or pallid, without any idea of yellowness. In Yorkshire Dialect, it is frequently used as a participle, e.g. T' butther 's gitten nicely blaked. The simile as blake as a gowlan is in common use.

Blane, v. F. (pr. bleean). To bleach. Dan. At blegne (to grow pale), blegning (bleaching).

Blash, v. C. To splash with water, whether by treading in or spilling it. Jutl. D. Blasfuld (so full that the vessel runs over).

Blash, n. C. (1) soft mud, thick muddy water; also used of intoxicating or other drink of poor quality. (2) Nonsense, foolish talk. Dan. En Plask (a splash), plask regn (heavy shower).
Ex.Ah can't sup sike blash.

Blashy, adj. C. (1) Wet, as regards weather, roads, &c. (2) Weak, watery, as applied to drinks.
Ex.- It 's a blashy tahm been.Ah thinks this tea 's nobbut b/ashy.

Blather, v. F. (pr. bladther). To talk rapidly and inconsiderately; to talk nonsense. Jutl. D. Bladder (much talk, also applied to persons who chatter a great deal).
Ex.His chafts hing lowse: he 's allos blathering and talking. Cleveland Glossary.

Bleb, n. C. A drop of liquid, a bubble, a blister (most common in the latter sense). Jutl. D. En Blaeb (a cow-dropping).

Bleck, n. C. The black grease used for cart wheels, or oil that has become blackened by friction. Dan. Blaek (ink).

Ex.Thoo mucky bairn; thoo 's gitten thi feeace daub'd ower wi bleck.

Blendoorn, n. C. (pr. blen'corn). A mixture of corn (wheat and rye) used for making cakes and bread. Dan. Blandkorn (mixed corn).

Blendings, n. C. A mixture of peas and beans. Dan. En Blanding (a mixing), Blandings-korn (mixed corn). Jutl. D. Blanding (blend-corn).

Blether-heead, n. F. A senseless, stupid fellow.
Ex.Thoo greeat bletherheead, ger oot o' t' rooad.

Bloss, n. F. An ugly sight, a fright, a spectacle. Jutl. D. Blostre (to be red and swollen by drink or sickness).
Ex. Thoo diz leeak a bonny bloss i' that aud goon. What a bloss sha leeaks!

Blotch, v. C. To blot; hence blotch-paper or blotchingpaper, the common terms for blotting-paper. Jutl. D. En Blak (a blot in a book); also Blakpapir (blottingpaper).

Blow, n. C. (pr. blaw). Blossom.
Ex. There 's a good leeak on o' blaw ti-year.

Blustery, adj. C. in , squally, rough. A word very frequently used by people when they meet on a squally day and a remark is passed on the state of the weather.
Ex.Noo, Bill, it's a bit blustthery.----It 's varry blustthery.

Blutherment, n. F. Soft mud, or other slimy substance. Dan. Pludder (slime).

Boddums, n. C. Low-lying fields, or low ground generally.
Ex.-He 's doon i' t' boddums.
This word is the same as bottoms, which may be a corruption of bottons (O. N. botn), but the word is by no means confined to hilly districts. Vide Botton.

Boggle, n. R. A spectre, a hobgoblin. Wel. Bwgan (a bugbear). 'Boggle about stack' is a game which boys used to play about the staggarthsa sort of unblinded 'Blind man's buff'

Boggle, v. C. To jib (of a horse).

Bolk, bolken, v. F. (pr. bawk or booak). To vomit, to retch. The latter form seems to be the commoner.
Ex.Sha booaken'd hard.

Boll, n. C. The trunk of a tree. Dan. En Bul (a trunk of a tree).

Bonny, adj. C. (r) Good-looking, pretty, fine, beautiful. (2) Well-pleasing. (3) An intensive as applied to number, size, &c. (4) Used ironically.
Ex.(1) T' bairn leeaks bonny eneeaf (2) Gie ma ho'd o' t' band, theer 's a bonny lass. (3 ) There 's a bonny lot on 'em.(4) Aw! Polly thoo 's brokken t'pankin'; noo there 'll be a bonny ti-deea aboot it.

Book or bouk, n. C. Sizea corruption of bulk.
Ex.Ah 've knawn it ivver sen ah wer t' book o' mah leg.

Borrill, n. C. The gadfly.

Bot, n. R. An iron implement used for marking sheep.

Botchet, n. R. A drink made from honey; mead. The liquid honey is first allowed to drop from the comb, which, with whatever honey adheres to it, is put into water and washed till all the remaining honey is extracted from it; the comb is next removed and the washings are allowed to ferment; it is then prepared for bottling. The drink is intoxicating to a high degree, and is very liable to produce headache, even though not drunk in any large quantity.

Bottle, n. F. A bundle (of straw, hay, &c.). This word was in everyday use some years ago, but is now not so commonly heard. There is but little difference between a bottle and a batten, except that the former has a single and the latter a double binding. Other names for a bundle of straw are loggin and boddin, which have one or two bands indiscriminately: indeed batten, boddin, bottle, and loggin all have much the same meaning, and it is a matter of some difficulty to define the distinctions. The following seems to me the explanation of the various terms :Boddin is a general term, being another form of bodd'n, which is a corruption of burden, and means a bundle of straw tied up for carrying; but curiously enough bodd'n is specially and almost exclusively applied to the bundles carried by gleaners in sheets. Bottle has a general signification, and means a tied bundle of straw, but is more commonly used in some parts than others; being most frequently heard in the East Riding. Batten or batt'n is a bundle of 'drawn' straw for thatching, &c., is consequently longer than a bottle, and is generally tied with two bands. Loggin has the same meaning as batten.

Botton, n. R. The lowest part of a valley. O. N. Botn (found in place-names).

Bottry, n. C. The common elder; this word may also be written bur-tree; indeed bottry is the local pronunciation of the same. In Jutl. D. Burretree is the burdoch.

Bound, part. C. (pr. bun', approximately). Compelled, whether morally or physically.
Ex.Ah 'll be bonn' for 't

Boun, adj. C. (pr. bun, approximately). Ready, going, or on the point of doing anything. O. N. Buinn (made ready). There are few words more common, and at the same time more characteristic of the dialect, than this ; it is distinct from the preceding word, though pronounced the same, only that in this word the emphasis is always, by the sense, less than in the preceding one, and thus may be distinguished from it.
Ex.Ah doot t' au'd meer 's boun ti dee; sha diz leeak badly.Sha 's bonn ti git wed.

Bowdykite, n. R. A corpulent person; but now only used as a term of reproof in the case of a mischievous childa forward child.
Ex.Thoo bowdykite; cum oot o' t' rooad.

Brade, v. R. To spread a report. Dan. At brede (to spread).
Ex.Sha brades it aboot 'at, &c.

Brae, n. R. (pr. breea). The brink of a river. O. N. Bra (the brow of the face).
Ex.Breea full (of a stream bank full).

Braid, v. C. (pr. breead or brand). To resemble a person, to take after.
Ex.Sha breeads of her moother.

Braid-band, n. C. (pr. breead-band). A sheaf of corn laid open on a band : it is often so placed in order to dry.

Bramble, n. C. (pr. bramm'l). The fruit of the bramble, or blackberry; also used as a verb, in the sense of to gather brambles. Dan. Brambaer (blackberry).

Brandery, n. C. A wooden frame used in making wells.

Brant, Brat, adj. C. Steep; generally applied to a hill side or road up a steep hill, such as the road down to the North Landing at Flamborough. The word brat, which is the Danish form, is still retained in place-names, e.g. Nunburnbolme Brat, which is a very steep wooded hillside. The word also is used with a secondary meaning, in the sense of pompous, or stiff in manner. Dan. Brat (steep) ; Swedish Brant (steep).
Ex.Aye! but it's a bit brant; it's t' rooad t' bait lasses gans ti gether flithers.

Brash, n. C. Rubbish, refuse.

Brashy, adj. C. Rubbishy ; esp. applied to anything of smaller quality than usual, e.g. sticks for kindling are brashy when broken into small bits and half rotten.

Brass, n. C. Impudence, impertinence.
Ex.Deean't gie ma neean o'yer brass.

Brass, n. C. Money, whether gold, silver, or copper.
Ex.He 's addled a deal o' brass.T' brass 'll tak a deal o' getherin.

Brassend, adj. C. Impudent, without any sense of shame (pr. Brazz'n'd).
Ex.Sha 's a brazz'n'd un.

Brassic, n. C. (pr. brazzic). Wild mustard or charlock, also called Ketlock.
Ex. Wa a'e been pullin' brazzics.

Brat, n. R. A child's pinafore. Welsh Brat (a piece of cloth). This word, so common in parts of the West Riding, is seldom heard in East Yorkshire; slip or pinny being used instead.

Bratty, bratted, adj. C. Clotty, lumpy, curdled; applied to cream which does not melt when taken from the bowl, or to milk which is turning sour.

Braunging, adj. F. Coarse in feature.
Ex.- Sha 's a bold braungin'-leeakin woman.

Brave, adj. C. Goodly. Dan. Bray (worthy, goodly); en bray mand.

Bray, v. C. (pr. braay). To beat violently; to flog. Ex.-Gerooto' t' hus, or ah 'll braay tha.

Brazzil, n. C. This word, so far as I know, only occurs in the two following phrases, 'as hard as a brazzil,' which is an expression of very frequent occurrence to denote any kind of unusual hardness: if, e.g., the bread is overbaked it is said to be baked 'as hard as a brazil'; or if the housewife cannot break her Bath brick easily she exclaims 'it's as hard as a brazzil.' The other expression is ' as fond as a brazzil'; here the word brazzil probably means a low impudent girl, in which sense it is sometimes used still.

Bread-loaf, n. C. (pr. breead-leeaf). A loaf of bread, whether whole or cut from, as distinguished from cakes, which are so commonly used.

Bread-meal, n. C. Flour from which brown bread is made.

Brede, n. C. Breadth, extent; with the prefix a the word signifies in breadth, or thickness. Dan. Bredde (breadth).
Ex.T' wall 's nobbut a brick a-brede.T' brede o' t' beck.T' brede o' t' trod.There was a greeat brede o' watther oot at tahms.

Breeacus, n. C. Breakfast: the form breecus is also often used.
Ex.Ann, git t' childer ther breeacusses.

Breear, n. C. The briar.
Ex.T' lad's as sharp as a breear.

Breek, v. C. To break. This work is also pr. brek, but never break as in Std. Eng.

Bride-door, n. O. The door of the house from which the bride goes to the church on the wedding morning. In the olden days the bride-door was the scene of the wedding festivities, and especially of the races run by the young men of the place, connected with which were many peculiar customs.

Brief, n. C. A begging letter or petition carried by one who has undergone some pecuniary or other misfortune, e.g. the loss of a cow or horse, and who solicits help from those living in the neighbourhood. Dan. En Brev (a letter).

Brigg, n. C. A bridge of all sorts, not excepting that of the violin. Dan. En Bro(a bridge).
Ex.Hez t' brigg brok? I said on the occasion of an accident to a fiddle.

Briggs, n. C. A small frame consisting of two pieces of wood with cross bars, placed as occasion may require across the cream bowl in a dairy, on which the sile rests.

Brim, adj. F. Exposed, as regards situation; bleak, as on rising ground or the edge of a cliff where the full force of the wind is felt. Dan. En Bryn (a brow of a hill).
Ex.Oor hus stan's varry brim.

Broach, n. C. (pr. brauch). The spire of a church.
Ex. Yon 'll be Bainton brauch.

Brock, n. R. (1) The badger. (2) C. The cuckoo-spit insect. Dan. En Brok (a badger).
Ex.-2.Ah sweeats like a brock

Brog, n. F. A short piece of a small branch of a tree, esp. the oak; such a piece as might be used for a clumsy walking-stick. This word is connected with break, and is sometimes used as a verb.
Ex.A brog of oak.He 's broggin 'em off.

Brown-leemers, n. C. Ripe nuts; nuts brown with ripeness and which consequently slip easily from the hull. This word is not applied to any particular kind of nut, but merely to their state of ripeness generally.

Bruff, adj. C. Florid or fresh-complexioned; also applied to one of exuberant spirits combined with a certain roughness of manner.
Ex.-He 's a braff-leeakin' chap.

Brummi-nosed, adj. F. Having a red nose and one thicker than usual, like that of a drunkard.

Brusten, C. (pr. brussen). The past participle of brust (burst), which is applied as a prefix in a variety of ways, as brusten up, brusten oot.

Buer, n. F. (pr. booer). The common gnat; another form of the word was buver.

Bugh, n. C. (generally pr. bew, but frequently beeaf is the form used). A bough.
Ex.T' stee whemm'ld, an' t' beeaf brak, an' ah tumm'ld soss inti t' beck.

Bullace, n. C. The wild plum. This is sometimes confused with the sloe or blackthorn, the fruit of which is smaller and more oval shaped.
Ex.As breet as a bullace.

Bull-fronts, bull-faces, n. C. The coarse rough hair-grass; so called from its resemblance to the tufty hair on a bull's forehead.

Bulls, n. C. The long beams in a harrow, which are made of ash, as distinguished from the cross beams or slots, which are generally made of oak: a harrow has four or five bulls. Jutl. D. Buller (beams of a harrow in which the teeth are inserted). In Jutland a one-horse harrow has three 'buller' each with five teeth.

Bull-seg, n. C. A bull castrated when it is full grown or nearly so.

Bull-spink, n. C. The chaffinch.

Bullstane, n. C. (pr. bullst'n, the t being scarcely heard). A stone for sharpening a scythe, or other edged tools; generally about 14 inches long, rounded, and slightly tapering towards the ends.

Bull-stang, or Horse-teng, n. F. The dragon-fly.

Bumble-kites, n. C. (pr. bumm'l-keytes). Common blackberries. The derivation of this word is not clear; the following seems a probable explanation Bumble means
to hum, and sometimes to-roll about as loose stones upon a road; kite being the stomach, bumblekites would be so called from the fact that they do not lie easily on the stomach, especially when eaten, as they often are, in an unripe state.
Ex. Oor Bess hez been getherin bumml-keytes.

Bunch, v. C. To kick with the foot or knee. This word must not be confounded with punch, which is a blow from the arm it is also to be observed that the word is never applied to animals kicking.
Ex.' Pleeas 'm, will ya tell Jane to give ower,' said a child to the Rectors wife in a Sunday School. 'What does she do?' 'Sha bunches an sha nips.'He was fit ti bunch t' deear doon.

Bunch, n. F. Eight gleans or handfulls of gleaned wheat bound together is called a bunch.
Ex.Spreead out t' bunch arses an' then they weean't whemm'l ower (spoken to a lad setting up bunches in the harvest field).

Burden, n. C. (pr. bodd'n). A bundle of gleanings carried by women on the head: the boda'n is always tied in a sheet. Vide Bottle.

Busk, n. F. A bush, esp. a low bush. Dan. Busk (bush).
Ex.Ah ho't mysen sadly i yan o' them whin-busks.

By-name, n. C. A nick-name. Dan. Binavn (nick-name, also surname).

By now, C. By this time.
Ex.It 'll be fit by now.He 'll be there by now.

Byre, Coo-byre, n. C. A cow-house. Dan. En Buur (a cage).