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YORKSHIRE FOLK TALK:
Glossary

Source=h:/!Genuki/RecordTranscriptions/YKS/Books.txt

GLOSSARY.

R.

Rack, n. C. This word is commonly applied to a bend in a river, generally of no great length, which deviates almost at right angles from its general course; thus when a vessel is sailing with a fair wind up a river and comes to a rack, she cannot proceed through it under sail, but has then to be navigated by towing or other means; this is called leading the rack. There are numerous racks along the Ouse, e.g. Cuddy Shaw Rack, Nanpie Rack, Poppleton Rack, Crabtree Rack, &c.

Raddle, v. C. To beat soundly with a stick, &c.

Raddling, n. C. A sound beating.
Ex. He gav him a good raddlin'.

Raffle, v. C. To lead a loose, dissolute sort of life; to become dissipated.

Raffle-pack, n. F. A good-for-nothing fellow.

Raffling, adj. C. Riotous, disorderly, loose (in mode of life).
Ex. Ah deean't want ti gan wi that rafflin' lot.

Ragabash, n. C. A disreputable character; the lowest of the low.

Rageous, adj. F. Savage, furious.
Ex. That dog o' yours is rageous.

Ragg'd, part. C. Covered, or laden with fruit.
Ex. T' berry trees is weel ragg'd ti-year. They 're ragg'd as thick as they can hing.

Raggel, n. C. (pr. raggil). A rascal, a blackguard. Jutl. D. En Raegl (a rag).
'An' theer ah fan' t oad raggil ti be seear,
Stthritch'd ov his back deead dhrunk a' t' parlour fleear.'

(York Minster Screen.)

Raitch, n. C. The white mark or star on a horse's face.

Raited, part. C. Influenced or damaged by exposure to the weather; frequently said of line or flax when so exposed and steeped, by which means the shivs are more easily detached. Dan. Rode (putrefaction).

Rakapelt, n. C. A man of dissolute habits.

Ram, v. C. To work with vigour. Dan. At ramme (to hit, strike).
Ex. Noo, lads; ram away, an' wa s'all seean a'e deean.

Ram, adj. C. Stinking, offensive in smell. Dan. Ram (sharp, acrid in taste) ; En ram Smag (an offensive taste). Icel. Rammr.

Ramble, v. C. (pr. ramm'l). This word, which is in very common use, has a different meaning in the dialect from what it has in Std. Eng. It is seldom, if ever, used in the simple sense of wandering abroad, but generally in a bad and more restricted sense, esp. of children getting into mischief, e.g. by climbing to a place where they ought not; it is also applied to young fellows idling about a village, without any idea of roaming away from it.
Ex. Cum off that stee this minute; thoo 's awlus ram'lin aboot an' gettin' intiv a mischeef Them lads o' Frank's is awlus ram'lin aboot t' toon.

Rammack, v. F. This word is equivalent to Rannack, of which it is another form.

Ramp, v. C. To make a series of inclined drops on the upper part of a wall, when built on sloping ground, by which means the coping of the wall is kept horizontal.
Ex. Wa mun ramp it doon a bit mair.
This word is also used as a substantive.

Ramper, n. C. The sloping side of a raised footway, whether paved or not; sometimes also applied to a similar slope at the coping of a wall.

Randle-balk, n. F. (pr. rann'l-bauk). A beam or bar across the upper part of a fire-place, from which are hung the reckons. The old randle-balks were always of wood, and so should they always be, as the name implies.

Rannack, v. C. To be noisy, wild, and boisterous. A word frequently applied to children.
Ex. Them bairns o' Betty Robison's is awlus rannackin' aboot t' stthreet.
Also used as a substantive in the sense of a person of dissolute habits.

Ranty, adj. C. Heated with passion, excited, angry.
Ex. Mah wo'd, bud he was ranty !

Rap off, v. C. To throw off quickly, esp. of speech.
Ex. Ah thowt nowt aboot it; ah just rapp'd it off.

Rash, v. C. To air or dry thoroughly, esp. of clothes before the fire. This word is mainly used in the E. R.

Rasps, n. C. Raspberries.
Ex. Berries, corr'n-berries, an' rasps, i.e. Gooseberries, currants, and raspberries.

Ratten, n. C. A rat. Dan. En Rotte (a rat).

Rattener, n. C. A rat-catcher.

Raum, v. C. (pr. raum and reeam). To raise the voice unduly, to shout. Dan. At raabe (to shout).
Ex. What's ta raumin' oot leyke that ti-deea?

Rax, v. C. To stretch to the full, esp. the limbs; to strain the joints.
Ex.- They rax thersens oot.

Rax, n. R. A strain.

Razzle, v. C. To cook meat hastily over the fire, leaving the outside scorched and the inside half done. Jutl. D. At raese (to smoke, to burn; esp. fish). Norse Raesa.

Reach, v. C. To hand or pass a thing on to another. Reach to, v. C. To help oneself at table.
Ex. Noo, deean't be ower neyce; reach tul an' git agait, i.e. help yourself and begin.

Rear, v. C. To raise to a more or less upright position. Although this word is similarly used in Std. Eng., I insert it here because in the dialect it is preferred to the word raise in cases where the latter would always be used ordinarily.
Ex. Ah can't rear mysen i bed, i.e. I can't sit up in bed. Cum here; ah can't rear this stee wi mysen.

Rear, adj. C. Halfcooked (of meat), underdone. It is noteworthy that this old word is commonly used in the same sense in the United States.

Reckling, n. C. The smallest or poorest in a number of animals; e.g. in a flock of sheep or a litter of pigs. Icel. Reklingr (an outcast).

Reck'n, n. C. The iron bar suspended from the randle-bauk, on which the pots are hung.

Reck'n-crook, n. C. The hook at the end of a reck'n-bauk, for holding the pots.

Reek, v. C. To smoke; also used as a noun. Dan. Rag (smoke).
Ex.- Oor chimler reeks sadly. T' hoos is full o' reek.

Reesty, adj. C. Rancid; esp. of bacon.

Reet, v. C. (1) To set in order, to straighten, to put to rights. (2) To comb the hair. Dan. Rede (order) ; at rede Haaret (to comb the hair).
Ex. Reet tha said to a cow preparatory to being milked, and in order that its legs might be easily tied. Wa a'en't gitten reeted yit.

Rein, n. F. (pr. as rain). The ends or edges of fields which are overgrown with brushwood and cannot be ploughed. Icel. Rein (a strip of land).
Ex. T' field's nowt bud reins an' gairs.

Reist, v. C. To be restive.

Remmon, v. C. To remove from one place to another, to set aside. This word has not the same meaning as flit, which is invariably used for the act of removing, with furniture, &c., to a new abode. Dan. At romme (to decamp) at romme en Plado (to vacate a seat).
Ex. Wa mun remmon it.

Render, v. C. To liquefy by means of heat, esp. in cooking; e.g. fat from which lard is obtained.

Renky, adj. C. Tall and somewhat thin. Dan. Rank (tall); En rank ung Mand (an upright young man).

Rezzel, n. C. (pr. rezzil). A weazel.

Rickle, n. C. A small heap of peats set up to dry. A diminutive of rook.

Ride, v. C. To travel in a vehicle of any kind. This word is used commonly for riding on horseback, but its extended usage is peculiar.
Ex. Did'st ta rahd wi t' traan ? He rade in t' cart wi ma. Wilt ta rahd? i.e. Shall I give you a lift in my conveyance? said to one overtaken on a road.

Riding, ridding, n. C. An open space in a wood, esp. a road through a wood: properly a clearance in a wood made by felling trees. This word is very commonly applied, esp. in the E. Riding, to a road through a wood, and it is pr. riding rather than ridding, though the latter is more correct. Dan. En Rydning (a clearing); Rydnings land (clearing-land). There are fields at Linton-on-Ouse called The Ruddings,' which formerly, no doubt, were clearings from the forest.

Rife, adj. F. Ready, inclined for.
Ex. He 's rife for a fight.

Rigg, n. C. The back, either of man or beast; also the ridge of anything, as of a hill, the roof of a building, lands in a ploughing field, &c.; the rows in which turnips grow. Dan. Ryg (back).
Ex. Them tonnop riggs is ower near-hand yan anuther.

Rigged, Rig-welted, part. C. Laid on the back, as a sheep which cannot raise itself from that position. I have never heard wetted used simply in this sense. Dan. At vielte (to upset, to overturn).
Ex. Sitha; ther 's tweea a' t' au'd yows rigg'd yonder.
Ah seed yan a' t' gimmers rig-welted.

Rigging, n. C. The wooden framework of the roof of a house. Dan. En Rygning (a ridge).

Rigging-tree, n. C. The top and main spar of the roof of a house running along the ridge. Dan. Rygtrae (the main spar in a roof).

Right, adj. C. (pr. reet). True. This equivalent is almost universally used.
Ex. What ah 's tellin o' ya 's reet.

Right on end, adv: C. (pr. reet'n end). Straight away, straight, perpendicularly.

Right up. v. C. To put into order; to make orderly, either of persons or things.
Ex. He wants reetin up sadly.

Ring-shaken, part. F. This word is applied to wood that is diseased, and which has the appearance almost as if struck by lightning; it is not so common in the oak or ash, being most frequently seen in the sweet chestnut.

Ripple, v. F. To cut corn, esp. beans, with a long-handled sickle. By this process the strokes were short and quick, and the sheaf was gathered into the left arm. In this way the work was more quickly done than by the ordinary process: the operation is not so common as formerly. Norse Ripla (to scratch).

Rive, v. C. (pr. rahve). To tear in two; to tear, to pull, to split, esp. when considerable force is requisite Dan. At rive (to tear).
Ex. T' pig 's fit ti rahive t' yat off t' creeaks.Sha ommost rahv'd t' hair frev her heead. Ah 'll naether splet nor rahve, i.e. I'll neither split the difference, nor give back anything. The past participle of this verb is rovven.

Roar, v. C. (pr. roor). To weep bitterly, as a child.
Ex. Thoo maun't roar i that leet. T' lahtle lad starts ti roor at nowt ommost.

Roke, n. C. (pr. rauk). A fog; esp. a mist or fog off the sea. Norse Rok (pr. raak), the foam of the sea driving before the storm. Jutl. D. Raag (a drizzling rain driven by a fresh wind).

Roky, adj. C. Misty, foggy.
Ex. It 's varry rauky.

Rook, n. F. As mall heap or cock of clover or other crop twisted at the top, and set up to dry in a wet time. There is little or no difference between this and a gait or gaiting. Also commonly used of a pile of turves.

Rook, v. C. To pile or set up in a heap; commonly used with reference to clover and other crops. Also, and most frequently, spoken of turves heaped up after having been previously dried in pairs, as a final preparation before being carted away. Jutl. D. Roge (a heap of turves).

Roupy, adj. C. (pr. roopy). Hoarse; not clear in speech, from the effects of cold.
Ex. Ah 's that roupy whahl ah can hardlins talk.

Rout, n. C. A long round of visits or calls.
Ex. Ah 've had a reg'lar rout ti-day.
Also used as a verb.

Row, v. C. (pr. between ro and rou). To work hard, esp. if the work be of a rough nature.
Ex. Ah 've been rowin' amang t' tonnops.

Rown, n. C. (pr. raun). The roe or spawn of fish. Dan. Roga; Jutl. D. Rawn (spawn of fish).

Rowty, adj. C. Thick or luxuriant in growth.

Roy, v. C. To lead a fast life; to live extravagantly.
Ex.They 're royin awaay; they 'll seean a'e deean, i.e. they will soon come to the end of their money.

Royously, adv. Extravagantly (in living).
Ex.- They 're living royously awaay.

Ruckle, v. R. To spread out sheaves of 'line' to dry, a ruckle being the same as a small sheaf tied or 'lanked' at the top.

Rud, n. C. Red ochre, used for colouring floors, &c. Dan. Rod (red).

Rud-stake, n. C. A perpendicular post in a beast's stall, on which is an iron moveable ring to which the beast is tied by a chain.

Rug, v. F. To pull violently, to tear. This word is commonly used in connection with rive. Dan. At rykke (to pull, to jerk) ; Rykke en i haaret (pull one by the hair).
Ex. He 's been ruggin an' rahvin at it.

Rumbustical, adj. C. Noisy, fond of rough play.

Runnel, n. F. A rill; a tiny stream. I have only heard this word in the north part of the N. R.

Runty, adj. C. Short and thick-set ; applied either to people or animals.
Ex. Sha can deea ommost owt; sha 's a stoot runty lass.

Rust, n. C. Rest. This pr., with many of our old folk, is very common; the pr. is approximate to roost though not so long. Also used as a verb. Dan. Rast (rest); Icel. Rost.
Ex. Ah can't get a bit o' rust neeaways. Sha nobbut rusts badly.

Ruttle, v. C. To breathe with a rattling noise, as when suffering from a bronchial affection or like a person in extremis.



Transcribed by Colin and Pauline Hinson © 1997