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YORKSHIRE FOLK TALK:
Glossary

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GLOSSARY.

 

D.


Daffle,
v. C. To be confused. Also used in an active sense, To grow weak and imbecile.
Ex.It 's oft varry dafflin when yan 's patten oot o' t' way.

Daft, adj. C. Pull, stupid, foolish.
Ex. What 's ta stannin' leeakin seea daft for? Tak ho'd o' t' hoss heead.

Daggle, deggle, v. F. Vide Degg.

Dale, n. C. The common name for a valley both in the Wold district of the East Riding and in Cleveland; e.g. Deepdale, Cobdale, Thixendale, &c. Icel. Dalr (a valley).

Dale-end, a. C. The point where a dale opens out into wider country.

Dale-head, a. C. The point where a dale begins to form in the hills.

Dap, adj. R. Full-fledged, as young birds in a nest.
Ex.- If nobbut ah 'd ga'en ti skeeal a bit, afoor ah wer dap, ah sad a'e been yan o' them Parliment men noo.

Dap, v. F. To move lightly, with short and quick steps; to trip along.

Dar, v. C. To dare.
Ex.He didn't dar ti gan.

Dark, v. C. To listen unperceived; to stand unnoticed: also used of a dog scenting, when not in motion.
Ex.-What's ta darkin at? said to one caught listening.

Daub, v. C. To smear; to cause to adhere.
Ex.Steeath'd an' daubed. Thoo mucky bairn; what 's ta been daabin' thysen ower wi?

Daul'd oot, part. F. Wearied, or tired out.
Ex.Ah 's fair dauld oot.

Daytal, adj. C. By the day. This word is used in such connections as Daytalman, i.e. a man who works by the day; daytal-work, i.e. work done by a day labourer. Dan. Dagetal (number of days), I dagetal (day by day), Dagetals Arbejde (work by the day).

Dead, n. C. (pr. deead). Death.
Ex.Ah 's ommast flaay'd ti deead.

Deaf, adj. F. (pr. deeaf). Without fruit, barren, empty, blighted. This word is commonly used with regard to trees, and fruit, such as nuts, when there is no kernel; also applied to land which does not grow good crops. Dan. En dov Nod (a nut without a kernel). Icel. Daufr (without savour).

Deary, adj. C. Small, undersized; generally followed by lahtle.
Ex.It 's nobbut a deary lahtle thing.

Deave, v. R. (pr. deeave). To deafen. Dan. At dove (to deafen).
Ex.It 's fit ti deeave yan.

Deed, n. C. Doings. This word is of very frequent occurrence, and is used in either a bad or a good sense: e.g. Throng deed (busy work) ; queer deed (questionable transactions) ; dowly deed (a badtime of it, as when a person has a sick household) ; poor deed (a thin attendance, as at a meeting, &c.); great deed, sad deed, &c., &c. Sometimes also the word is used without any qualifying adjective, and in the form of a question, as when a man comes home from a fair, and the wife asks him, 'Well, what sort of deed was there?' In short, it is only by a close acquaintance with the dialect that the right application of the word can be ensured. Dan. Daad (deed).
Ex.Sike deed as nivver was. There 'll be bonny deed inoo if they deean't mahnd.

Degg, v. C. To sprinkle with water. Other forms of this word are daggle and deggle. Dan. At dugge (to bedew); also, though rarely, at dygge.
Ex.Fetch a sup a watther ti degg them cleeas wi.

Delf-rack, n. F. Shelves and bars attached to the dresser in kitchens, on and behind which plates and dishes are arranged, often up to the ceiling.

Deny. v. F. To decline, to refuse.
Ex.He denied going, i.e. he refused to go. He nivver denied ma nowt 'at ah ax'd him.

Desperate, adv. C. (pr. despe't or desprit). This is one of the commonest intensives equivalent to 'very.'
Ex.Ah 's despe't dhry.

Dess, n. C. A portion, and generally a clearly defined and regular portion, of any piled up mass. The most common use of the word is that of a rectangular block of hay cut out of a haystack, generally about 4 feet square. Jutl. D. At dese Torv (to pile peats).
Ex.-We 're middlin' off for haay; wa 've nobbut ta'en three desses oot o' t' new stack.
This word is also sometimes used as a verb, viz, to dess up, meaning to pile up neatly.

Devil-screeamer, n. F. The common swift.

Dib, v. C. To dip. Also used as a noun.
Ex.Ah gat a bonny dib i' t' dyke yisttherda (said by one who had accidentally tumbled into a river).

Didder, v. C. (pr. didther). To shiver. This word has much the same meaning as dodder: vide inf.

Differ, v. C. To wrangle, to quarrel.
Ex. T' weyfe an' him varry seean started ti differ.

Differing, n. C. A wrangling or quarrel.
Ex.- There was part differins amang 'em. They 'd sad differin bouts.

Dike, n. C. A ditch; a long bank of earth; a river. This word has a wide signification, being used for a small ditch as well as for a wide river; it is also used figuratively, as Ah 'sail doon t' dyke, which signifies 'I am unwell.' Jutl. D. Et Dige, (1) a wall. (2) a ditch.

Dill, v. C. To lessen or take away pain; to deaden pain temporarily.

Ding, deng, v. C. To throw or thrust violently, to throw down, to strike, to wrench off. Dan. At daenge (to heap blows on a person) ; Icel. Dengja (to beat).
Ex. Ah 'll ding tha on ti t' fleear. He ding'd t' deear off t' creeaks.

Dingle, v. C. To tingle. Dan. At dingle (to swing to and fro).
Ex.Mah ears dingles like a bell.

Docken, n. C. The common dock.
Ex.Ah deean't care a docken for 't.

Dodded, adj. C. Hornless (cattle).

Dodder, v. C. (pr. dodther). To shake or tremble as with cold or fear.

Dodderums, n. F. (pr. dodthrums). A shaking or trembling.
Ex.Ah 's all i t' ditherums dodthrums.

Doddery, adj. C. (pr. dodthry). Shaky.

Doddings, n. C. The clippings of matted and dirty wool cut from the hind quarters of sheep.

Doff, v. F. To take off clothes.
Ex.Doff them au'd cleeas.

Dog-choops, n. C. The fruit of the dog-rose.

Dog-loups, n. F. The vacant spaces between two houses.

Dollop, n. F. A large quantity, either of things or persons; a lot.
ExIt did ma a dollop a' good.

Dolly, n. C. A tub for washing, made like a low barrel, and furnished with a dolly-stick or rod with a handle, and terminating at the lower end with four prongs fitted into a flat piece of wood, which gives it almost the appearance of a stool. The dolly is generally used for washing heavy articles in order to economise labour. Also used as a verb.
Ex.-Be shahp, lass, an' git them cleeas dollied.

Don, adj. F. Clever, skilful; esp. in manual labour. Dan. At danne (to shape, mould).
Ex.Sha 's a don hand at it, is t' au'd woman.

Don, v. F. To put on clothes.
ExDon thi bonnet, bairn.

Donky, donk, adj. C. Damp. This word is another form of 'dank.' Jutl. D. At dynke (to sprinkle things with water).
Ex.T' haay 's quiet donky tonnd; i.e. the hay has turned quite damp.

Donnot, n. F. A good-for-nothing person; a do-nought.
Ex.He 's a donnot at it.

Door-cheek, n. C. The side-post of a doorway.

Door-sill, n. C. The threshold of a door. Jutl. D. Daersil (threshold), syld (foundation-stones of a house).

Door-stead, n. C. (The pr. of this word is deear-steead, the first part of the word being so pronounced in all connections.) The whole framework of a door.

Door-stone, n. C. (pr. deear-stan, the t in stan being very slightly sounded). The large stone at the entrance of an outer doorway.

Doubler, dubler, n. R. A large dish, such as pies are made in, or for. putting meat on. This old word is wellnigh obsolete, it being now hardly ever, if ever, heard, except in the expression Sold up, dish, pan ana doubler, or dish and doubler, implying a state of utter bankruptcy.
Ex.Au'd Joe 's selled up, dish an' dubler at last.

Doubt, v. C. (pr. doot). To be pretty sure of a thing, when the event implied or expressed involves unpleasant or more serious consequences. The equivalent fear or afraid, is never used in the ordinary sense in which it is spoken; e.g. we should never say in the dialect, 'I am afraid' (it's going to rain, &c.), but I doubt, &c.
Ex.-Ah doot sha 's boun' ti be badly.
Of words in commonest use this is one of the few that are of French importation.

Doven, v. R. (pr. doven). To slumber, to doze. Dan. At dovne (to be lazy, to decline--used of pain dying away). This word is heard more in the East than in the North Riding.

Dow, v. R. To improve in health. I do not remember to have heard this word except in the expression He nowther dees nor dows, i.e. 'He neither dies nor grows better.' It is used in a somewhat similar sense in West Jutland, e.g. Det duer ikke til noget (it is good for nothing).

Dowly, adj. C. (pr. between doly and dowly). Sorrowful, dull, low-spirited, melancholy, gloomy, poorly, depressing. This expressive and much-used word is applied to persons, things, places, and conditions in any of the above senses. Dan. Daarlig; Jutl. D. Dole (poor, worthless).
Ex.Oor Bess has been badly a lang whahl; sha 's had a dowly tahm. It 's a dowly hay-tahm been; ah doot it 'l1 a'e gitten spoilt.It 's a weeant dowly spot.Ah feels varry dowly widoot her.

Down, v. C. To knock or throw down.
Ex.He doon'd him wiv his neeaf.

Downwards, adv. F. (pr. doonwards). This word, as applied to the wind, signifies westerly, though I have only heard it used so in a part of the East Riding.
Ex.T' wind's gotten doonwards.

Dowp, n. R. The carrion crow.

Dozzend, adj. R. Withered, shrunk.
Ex.Them apples is sadly dozzened.

Draff, n. F. Refuse, rubbish, brewer's grains. Jutl. D. Dray (grains).

Drape, n. C. (pr. dreeap). A cow not in milk. This word may spring from the same source as the Dan. Draabe (drop).

Draught, n. C. A team of horses, together with cart, waggon, &c. Sometimes it seems to be used for the cart or waggon only, as in the phrase, Ah rade iv a draught (meaning a cart); but whether in such an expression the horses are included, it is hard to decide.

Drawn - straw, n. C. Straw sorted or pulled through the hands until rough pieces are separated from it, and thus fairly straight and clean thatching straw is the result.
Ex.Q. Why have you two men at work tying up straw? A. Yan on em 's dthrawin.

Dream-holes, n. O. The holes in a church tower to allow the sound of bells to escape freely; also applied to holes in towers for the admission of light and air, and possibly for keeping a look-out therefrom.

Dree, adj. C. (pr. dhree). Long and troublesome, tedious. Dan. Droi (large, heavy), et droit arbeide (a tough piece of work).
Ex.It 's a dree job cutting these beeans; they're all ankled tigither seea.

Dreep, v. F. (pr. dhreeap). To drop slowly; to cause to drop slowly. Dan. At draabe (to cause to drop).
Ex.If ah tumml'd inti t' dyke an' gat oot ageean, ah su'd natthrally want ti be dhreeap'd.

Dress, v. C. It is difficult to determine the usages of this word as differing from those of standard English ; perhaps the commonest uses are (1) to tidy, the word up being added generally; and (2) to chastise or flog. Also used as a noun (dressing).
Ex. When his faather coms yam he 'll varry seean dhriss him up.

Drinkings, drinking tahm, n. C. A short meal in the middle of an afternoon during hay-tahm or harvest, consisting generally of bread-and-cheese and beer.

Drite, drate, v. F. To utter an indistinct sound; to speak thickly; to lack clearness in tone; to drawl in speaking. Jutl. D. Trate (to play the fool).

Drity, adj. F. Indistinct in tone or utterance, whether as regards the human voice or a musical instrument, &c.; slow in speaking.
Ex. It 's nut drity (said of the tone of an old violin which was of excellent quality and responded readily to the slightest variations of bowing).

Droll on, v. F. To draw on by feigned argument, and so to satisfy one who can ill endure the existing state of things. A mother frequently puts off a troublesome child in this way.
Ex.He dizn't want it, bud ah keeps drollin' him on.

Droppy, adj. C. Very rainy; i.e. when the rain is of long continuance.

Draughty, adj. C. (pr. dthrooty). Dry, parching. This word is seldom used except with the post-positive tahm; a dthrooty-tahm is not so much a season of dryness caused by lack of rain, as that caused (often very rapidly) by winds, especially in March, which seem at once to dry up the land and make it hard. The word drought is but little used.
Ex. We 've had a desprit dhrooty tahm.

Droup, v. F. (pr. dhroop). To drench.
Ex.Drouping wet. Ah wer drouped wi wet.

Duds, n. R. Clothes, rags.
Ex.Ah doff'd my duds.Ah off wi my duds an' jump'd inti t' watther.

Dundy-cow, n. C. The ladybird.

Durdum, n. F. (pr. doddom, and durrum). Noisy or riotous proceedings; confused disturbance, as with children at play; a drunken brawl, &c. Wel. Dwrdd (a stir).
Ex. What a durrum t' baa'ns is makkin.

Dwine, v. F. (pr. dwahin). To waste away, to wither. Jutl. D. At dvine (to pine away).



Transcribed by Colin and Pauline Hinson © 1997