Yorkshire Folk Talk

YORKSHIRE FOLK TALK:
Glossary

Smally, adj. F. Puny, slight, thin.

Smiddy, n. C. A blacksmiths shop. Dan. En Smedie (a smithy).

Smiddy-cum, n. C. The sweepings of a blacksmith 's shop.

Smit, n. C. Contagion or infection; also used as a verb. Dan. Smitte (contagion or infection).
Ex. It's that 'at taks smit ti folks (said of the particles of skin in a case of scarlet fever).

Smit, Smitch, n. C. A particle of soot which falls from smoke. Dan. Hver Smit og Smule (every particle).

Smitting, adj. C. Contagious or infectious.
Ex. Ah doot all t' bairns 'll tak t' mezzles; they re varry smitting.

Smittle, n. and v. C. This word is used in the same sense as smit.

Smock, n. R. A chemise. This word is now commonly applied to the short fustian or other kind of jacket tied by a hand with button round the waist and worn outside the other garments.

Smoor, v. C. To smother; this word is generally followed by up.
Ex. Thoo maun't smoor 'em up.

Smout, v. R. (pr. smoot). To hide the face through shyness, like a child. Dan. At smutte (to steal away).

Smout-hole, n. C. (pr. smoot-hooal). An opening at the bottom of a fence wall, used for letting hares or sheep pass through; also in the E. R., a hole in a hedge through which the snow drifts. Dan. En Smutte (a secret entrance) ; Smut-sti (a by-way); Smut-vei, &c.

Smout-stone, n. C. A large stone for stopping up a smout-hole.

Smouty-faced, adj. R. (pr. smooty-feeaced). Bashful, shy.

Smudge, v. C. To smear, to soil, esp. in writing, painting, &c. Dan. At smudse (to soil).
Snaffle, snavvle, v. C. To speak through the nose. Dan. At snole (to muffle).

Snag, v. C. To cut off the branches from a felled tree; also commonly used as a noun for a branch cut off.

Snape, v. C. (pr. snaap and sneeap). To check. This word is of wide application, and refers to things as well as people, e.g. plants that are killed or checked by frost. Dan. D. At snaevve (to check).
Ex.- Them lads is awlus in a mischeef an' they 're bad ti snaape an' all. T' frost has snaaped wer taaties sadly.

Snarly, adj. F. Gusty and biting (of the weather). I have never heard this word applied simply to chilly weather, but only when accompanied by wind, and esp. squally or gusty wind. It is happily expressive of what it describes. Dan. At snerre (to snarl) ; snerret (bitterfrom too long boiling).

Sneck, v. C. A latch or fastening of a door or gate; also commonly used as a verb.
Ex Is t' sneck brokken ? Sneck t' yat.

Snevit, n. F. A blow (of the nose). This word, which is used in the E. R., is connected with snifter and with the Std. Eng. sniff Dan. At snive (to sniff); Icel. Snippa.

Snickle, v. C. A wire snare for catching game or any animals; also commonly used as a verb, and sometimes under the form sniggle.

Snifter, n. F. A snuff, a scent, a smell of short duration; also used as a verb
Ex. Give him a snifter on 't. What's ta snifterin at?

Snig, v. C. To draw timber along the ground from where it has been felled, horses being always used for the purpose. The idea conveyed by this word is that of moving slowly and bit by bit. Dan. At snige (to slink or steal away).

Snig cut, n. F. A short cut. The primary meaning of this expression is a secret way, that by which one can get away unobserved; hence, a short cut generally.

Snite, v. C. To blow the nose; either with or without applying a handkerchief Dan. At snyde (to blow the nose) ; snyd din naese corresponds to snite thi nooaz in our dialect, as commonly addressed to a child.

Snitter, v. F. To laugh in a subdued and derisive manner.
Ex. What 's ta stannin' theer snifterin' an' laffin' at.

Snockanarls, n. C. The twistings or entanglements of thread, string, rope, &c. Dan. At snaere (to bind up tight, to tangle) obsolete.

Snod, adj. F. Smooth, neat-looking.
Ex It leeaks neyce an' snod at t' top.

Snow-flag, n. C. A snowflake. Dan. En Sneflage (a snowflake).

Snubbits, n. F. Two pieces of wood let into the back part of the body of a cart on which it rests when tilted up.

Soamy, adj. C. Close, warm, oppressive (of the weather).

Sock, n. C. The ploughshare.

Sodgy, adj. R. Bulky, fat, large-sized.

Soft, adj. C. (1) Of weak intellect, half-witted. (2) Applied to the weather when it is very rainy.
Ex. Whya! ah think t' poor bairn 's a bit soft. We 've had a soft tahm on 't.

Soles, n. C. (pr. saules) Four pieces of oak wood running along the length of the framework of the body of a cart, the two outside ones being thicker than the other two. This is probably another form of syles, used in other parts for the main rafters of a house.

Soonest, adj. C. (pr. soonest and seeanest). This word is commonly used as an adj. in the sense of shortest and quickest, as applied to a road or distance.
Ex. If thoo gans by t' trod it 'll be a deal t' soonest.

Sort, n. F. (pr. soort). Many people or things; a gathering of people more or less.
Ex. Frev iv'ry pairt a soort o' chaps did thrang.' ' York Minster Screen.

Soss, v. C. To fall with a splash sometimes, however, the word is used abverbially, some other word being employed for the act of falling; e.g. it is said he soss'd inti t' beck or he tumml'd soss inti t' beck. Also used as a noun. This word is further used commonly to express to drink with a noise, to lap like a cat or dog.
Ex. See ya! t' dog 's sossin all t' cat milk. It fell wi a soss.

Soughing, n. C (pr. so'in or soo'in). The noise made by the wind or anything similar to it; a sighing.
Ex. Ah 's gitten sikan a so'in i mah heead.

Sound, v. C. (pr. soond). To faint, to swoon. Also used as a noun.
Ex. Sha ommaist soonded reet awaay.---He felt intiv a soond.

Soup, v. C. (pr. between sope and sowp). To soak with water.
Ex. Ah 's ommaist soup'd thruff. T' things is soupin' wet.

Sowl, v. C. To rinse or wash with water, generally accompanied with a decided amount of exertion; also to chastise. The corresponding noun is sowling.
Ex. Ah sowled them drisses weel.Give them things a good sowlin, they 're varry mucky.

Spade-graft, spade-graff, n. C. The depth of a spade as made by digging.

Spane, v. C. (pr. speean). To ween, esp. lambs. O. N. Speni (the breast).

Spang, v. R. To throw forward with force or vigour; to throw forward the legs; hence, to walk quickly (an old use). Dan. At spanke (to walk upright). I do not remember to have ever heard this word used in the sense of to walk quickly, and it is probably now obsolete, though its disappearance is regretable, being very expressive in such a phrase as spang thi gaits, i.e. put your best leg foremost. It is, however, still in use in such a phrase as he spang'd him doon, i.e. he threw him violently to the ground.

Span-new, adj. F. An expression frequently used instead of brand-new.

Sparrow-feathers, n. C. This term is commonly applied to the chaff of oats when used for beds instead of feathers.

Spattle, n. F. Spittle.

Speak, v. R. To address, to accost.

Speeak, n. C. The spoke of a wheel; speeakwood being the wood from which spokes are made.

Spelder, v. F. To spell, as a child in reading.

Spelk, n. F. A thin piece of wood used in thatching, a stackprod a splint. The spelks for thatching houses are generally made of hazel or willow, split down the middle and pointed at each end; they are then bent like a staple and pushed in to hold the thatch. Dan. At spjaelke (to bind up by spelks).

Spell, n. C. A thin piece of wood for lighting candles, &c., a spill. It is a common thing to see a bundle of wooden spills hung up by the side of the fireplace in cottages. Icel. Spilda (a slice).

Spice, n. C. Gingerbread, whether a solid cake, nuts, or thin and chippy; but a spice-keeak would be a rich plum cake, and spice-bread would be cake of the bread and currant type.

Spit, n. C. A long and thin spade for draining. Dan. Spid (a spit), Spids (a point). There is also an intermediate tool of the same kind between a spit and a spade, which is called a mule.

Spittle, n. C. A small kind of spade; also used as a verb.
Ex. He 's spittlin' yon trod.

Splauder, v. F. To spread out, to expand, to display, to make a display.

Splaudy, adj. F. Having a tendency to spread out, wide-spreading.

Splaws, n. R. The part of a pen which expands under pressure, the nibs.

Sponge, n. C. To swell or rise by, or as by, leaven. To cause bread to rise; to rise, to swell, as a dead body frequently does. Atkinson gives another use of this word as a noun, viz, a portion of leavened dough reserved to raise or lighten the next hatch with.
Ex. T' breead nobbut sponges badly ti-daay.

Sprent, v. R. To spurt out as any liquid does when struck, &c. This word is seldom heard now; but formerly it was very commonly used by school-boys when speaking of a pen that spurted.
Ex. Pleeas sir! malt pen sprents badly.

Spring, v. C. A word commonly applied to a cow near calving time, when parts of the body undergo change.
Ex. Sha springs for cauvin'.

Sprunt, n. R. A steep hill, or road up a hill.

Spurrings, n. R. The publication of banns of marriage in church. This word, so common formerly, is now seldom heard, although there is no single word which so well expresses the act as this. Dan. At sporge (to ask.
Ex. Pleeas sir! will ya put up mah spurrins i t' morn-in ? A'e they gitten t' spurt-ins put up yit!

Squab, n. F. A roughly made couch or long-settle with cushions; frequently seen in cottages. It differs however from the ordinary long-settle, in that it has one arm instead of two.

Stack-bar, n. C. A Hurdle.

Stack-garth, n. C. (pr. staggarth). The enclosure on a farmstead in which the stacks are made. Dan. En Stak (a stack); en Gaard (a yard).
Ex. Wa 've gotten a good staggarth fall o' coorn.

Stack-prod, n. C. A stick commonly used in thatching to which the thatch bands are tied.

Staddle, n. R. A frame of posts and cross-beams on which a stack is built. These are not so common in the North as in the South of England; in Yorkshire at least the stacks are for the most part built upon the ground. Dan. Stade (a station). This word has also another and commoner application, viz, a mark, or stain, or spot left upon anything, esp. on clothes after washing; e.g. inferior 'blue' is sometimes said to go staddled upon the linen.

Stag, n. F. A gelding of over a year old. This word is not so much used in the south of the North Riding as in some other parts, e.g. Cleveland. The derivation is the same as steg.

Stagnated, part. C. Greatly surprised, astonished. Though other parts of the verb are also heard, the participle is by far the most general.
Ex. Ah wer fair stagnated. It stagnates yan ti hear tell on 't.

Staithe, n. F. (pr. steeath, but in pl. the th is dropped). A landing-place. Icel. Stodh (a harbour).

Stakker, v. C. To stagger.

Stall, v. C. To fill to the full, to satiate, to weary out.
Ex. Ah 's fair stall'd oot.

Stand, v. C. To be responsible, to make responsible, esp. in monetary transactions.
Ex. Ah s'all a'e ti stan tul 't. - It stood him ti fahve pund.

Stand for, v. C. To act as sponsor.
Ex. We s'all be varry pleeas'd if you 'll stan' for oor bairn.
In Denmark the custom at a Baptism is for the sponsors to stand up at a certain part of the service while the rest of the congregation sit.

Standing, n. C. (pr. d silent). A stall for a horse or beast in a stable, cow-house, &c.

Stand-ups, a. R. Godparents on the occasion of a public baptism. (I have not heard of this word except in Cleveland.)

Stang, a. F. A long pole. This word is only used in the expression 'riding the stang.' Dan. En Stang (a pole or bar).

Stang, to ride the, v. F. A rough-and-ready way of shaming a husband who ill-treats his wife. The custom, which is still kept up here and there, is as follows: A cart with a long pole in it, on which is placed a representative of the offender in straw, &c., is drawn up and down the village by lads or men, a horn being blown the while, accompanied by loud shouting and jeering. At length the cart is pulled up opposite the offender's house, where a long 'nominy' or doggerel is recited recounting the man's offences. This is repeated for three successive nights, and at the end of the third occasion, amid wild excitement, the effigy is burnt in the street, accompanied by a bonfire.

Starken, v. C. To become stiff or rigid; also to tighten, esp. a rope.

Start, v. C. To begin. This word, which is found commonly in Std. Eng., is used in the dialect universally to the exclusion of all others of like meaning: 'begin' or 'commence are never heard it started ti rain, he starts ti roor, they've started harvest, wa sa'n't start whahl t' mornin', &c., &c., are the invariable forms of expression.

Starve, v. C. This verb is generally heard in the passive voice, in the sense of to suffer from cold, or to be cold. It is however sometimes used in the active voice, in the sense of to make cold. In the active voice it sometimes is also used in the ordinary sense of 'to cause hunger,' but it is never so used in the passive. Thus e.g. He starves t' bairns would properly mean, he lets his children suffer cold; but it might also mean, he does not sufficiently feed his children. Whereas ah 's starved could only mean 'I am very cold.'

Staup, v. F. To walk with heavy and clumsy tread. The derivation of this word seems to be from the Danish stolpe or stolpre (to stagger or totter), the latter form being only used colloquially.
Ex. He gans staupin aboot.

Stawter, v. R. To stumble.

Stead, n. C. (pr. steead). This word is obsolete as used alone, but is very common as a suffix, and signifies a fixed place ; we find it most commonly in such connections as door-stead, fire-stead; midden-stead; &c. Dan. Et Sted (a place).

Steck, v. C. (pr. steck and steek). To shut, to fasten, esp. a door, gate, &c.
Ex. Steck t' yat. Steck t' deear.- Steck thi een.

Stee, n. C. (pr. stee, but sometimes not with quite such a closed sound as indicated by this spelling of the word). A ladder; a series of steps upwards, even when there are but two or three, as in a stile.. Dan. At stige (to mount) ; en Stige (a ladder). In Jutl. D. this word is pr. stie.
Ex. Wilt tha set ma ti t' stee? i.e. Will you accompany me to the stile?

Steean, n. C. A stone. The form stane is also used, though not so commonly, and stein very rarely. Dan. En Sten (a stone).

Steer-tree, n. C. The left-hand hale or handle of a plough.

Steg, n. F. A gander. Icel. Steggi (a gander).

Stegly, adj. F. Unsteady, lively. The root of this word is probably connected with stagger. Icel. Stakra (to stagger).

Stell, n. C. A large open drain.

Stevn, stevven, n. R. A loud shout, a roar. Also used as a verb. Dan. At stirvne (to summon, to cite).
Ex. He gav oot sikan a stevn. It stevvons and stoors (Whitby Glossary), i.e. It blows hard and comes down like dust.

Stickle-haired, adj. C. Bristling as to the hair; commonly applied to the hair of a horse. Dan. Stikkel-haaret (bristly-haired).

Stiddy, a. C. An anvil. Icel. Stedhi (an anvil). Jutl. D. Stede (an anvil).

Stife, stify, adj. F. Close and suffocating as to air; also strong tasted, but in this sense probably the word is obsolete.

Stingy, adj. F. (pr. g soft). Fretful, irritable, esp. of a child.
Ex. T' bairn 's that stingy ah can't deea nowt wiv her.

Stinted, part. F. A stinted pasture is a pasture limited to carry so many sheep: if, e.g., it would carry two hundred sheep, A. would be said to have fifty stints, B. thirty, and so on, dates being fixed for stocking and clearing. I have only heard of this word being used in the West of the North Riding.

Stirk, n. C. A heifer, or bullock of more than a year old.

Stirrings, n. C. Any show or unusual excitement.
Ex. We 're gahin ti Allerton ti see t' stirrins.

Stitching, n. R. This term is used of the method by which the thatch was secured to the woodwork in old timber houses. If properly done it kept the thatch in its place a remarkably long time. The stitching was always formed of twisted straw, which was firmly tied on to the spars.

Stob, n. C. i) A piece of wood of various lengths, pointed at the end, e.g. a thorn spike; also a hazel or other kind of bough, one, two, or three feet long, used for thatching, marking out ground, &c. (2) Also commonly applied to the stump of a tree. In the dialect this word is closely connected with the Std. Eng. stab; indeed stab is used in the dialect in the same way as a prick or puncture would be in Std. Eng. The primary idea in the word seems to be that which projects in a more or less pointed form. (1) Icel. Stafr, Dan. Stay (a staff or stake). (2) Icel. Stubbi, Dan. Stub (the stump of a tree).
ExAw deear ! ah 've gi'en mi han' sikan a stab. Mak as a few stobs, Bill, wilt ta?

Stock, n. C. A post, esp. the post or framework of a bedstead, i.e. the fixed part of it. Dan. Stok (a. stick).

Stooden, p. part. of Stand, C.
Ex. Ah 've stooden theer monny a tahm.

Stook, n. C. A number of sheaves of corn (generally a dozen) placed upright in two rows against one another in the harvest field in order to dry. Also commonly used as a verb. The manner of stooking varies in different localities: sometimes two head-sheaves are placed on the top of the stook to afford additional protection from wet.

Storm, n. C. A continuance of frosty or snowy weather; there being no idea necessarily of wind contained in this word.
Ex. Wa can deea nowt wi 't whahl t' storm ho'ds. Ah doot we 're bonn ti hev a lang storm.

Stot, n. R. A bullock of more than a year old. Icel. Stutr (a bull); Dan. Stud (a bullock over four years old); Norse Stud (a bull). Vide Plough-stot.

Stothe, v. F. (pr. steeathe). To place or fix wooden bars or posts vertically on the main timbers in building old-fashioned houses. To these bars laths are nailed preparatory to plastering, this latter being called daubing; the term daubing is still used in connection with stothing, the houses built in this way being said to be steeath'd and daub'd.

Stoup, n. F. A measure for ale, a drinking-cup.

Stoup, n. C. (pr. between stope and stowp). An upright post, esp. a gate post. Dan.En Stolpe (a post); e.g. Stolpeseng (a four-post bedstead).
Ex. T' au'd yat-stoup 's gitten vary whemmly.

Stour, v. C. To blow violently in dust-like clouds, whether in snow or rain, &c. Dan. At styrre (to disturb), rarely used in the simple form, but common in the compound forstyrre.
Ex. It fair teeamd doon; it stour'd, an' it reek'd an' it drazzled (a description of a storm).

Stoven, n. F. The stump of a tree, as e.g. in a hedge; esp. one from which young shoots grow. Dan. At staevne (to lop), et Staevnetrae (a pollard).
Ex. Tak that au'd stoven oot.

Stower, n. C. A strong piece of wood of various lengths; a stake, a rail, a pole, the long pole used on barges; the middle bars of a cattle-rack. Dan. En Stayer (a stake). The Danish pr. of this word exactly corresponds with the Yorkshire.

Stra, n. F. (pr. stthrah). Straw. This form of the word is found in the E. R. Icel. Stra (straw).

Straighten, v. C. (pr. stthreighten, almost as in heighten). To put in order, to make tidy; also to correct or punish.
Ex. Noo! be sharp, an' git stthreightened up. If thoo deeant give ower this minute, ah 'll tell thi faether, an he 'll varry seean stthreighten tha.

Straightforward, adj. C. Bold.

Strand, n. C. The sea-coast, the beach. Dan. Strand (the sea-shore).

Strength, n. F. (pr. stren'th). Right, title, proof
Ex. Let him shew his stren'th for 't, i.e. the grounds of his claim (to a right of pasturage).

Strengthy, adj. F. (pr. stren'thy). Forcible, strong.

Strick, v. R. To separate flax by handfuls preparatory to its being beaten by 'scutchers'.

Strickle, n. C. A tool for sharpening a scythe, being a four-sided piece of oak narrowed towards one end, with a circular handle, of a piece with the rest, at the other. The sides of the strickle are smeared with grease upon which fine gritty sand is sprinkled freely; nothing gives a better edge to a scythe than this. Other kinds of strickles are manufactured, sometimes with two and sometimes with four sides, these are called emery strickles; but they are very inferior to the old-fashioned sort. Dan. At stryge (to rub); en stryge-spaan (a strickle).

Strick-stick, n. R. A round stick for throwing off the superficial excess in measuring corn, also called a strickle. Now that corn is sold by weight the strick-stick is seldom required. When the measuring had to be done with care, the strick-stick was rolled over the surface of the measureful of corn so that the amount might be adjusted with the greater accuracy.

Stridewallops, n. K. A tall long-legged lass.

Strike, v. C. (pr. stthreyke, approx.) To kick like a horse, i.e. with a back stroke. 'Kick' is never heard in the dialect, bunch or strike being exclusively used.
Ex. Cu' by, or else t' hoss 'll mebbe strike tha.

Strip, v. C. To draw the last drainings of milk from a cow, after milking in the ordinary way. The strippings are made into a milk-dish, and not into the milking-pail.

Stritch-stick, n. C. The bar connecting the traces of a leading horse in a cart.

Strong, adj. C. (pr. stthrong and stthrang). Hard (of frost), numerous (of people, esp. of a family), heavy.
Ex. There was a stthrangish frost last neet. It's a bad job Hannah Smith lossin' er husband, sha 's sikan a stthrong fam'ly an' all.

Strunt, n. C. A tail; also commonly used as a verb in the sense of to cut the tail.

Struts, strut-sticks, strut-stower, n. C. The first two forms are applied to the posts or beams in a roof of a house, &c., which act as supports to the 'centre backs,' by being fixed into the foot of the 'king-post.' The last form is a more general term for a support, the principle of which is similar to that described. This word is found in place-names, being applied to projecting crags, e.g. Strutt Stear.

Stunt, n. C. Obstinacy, a state of obstinacy; also used as a verb, and frequently as an adj.
Ex. He teeak stunt, i.e. He took to being obstinate. He started to stunt. T' lad 's as stunt as owt. If ah says owt tiv her she 's as stunt as stunt can be.

Sturdy, n. C. (pr. sto'ddy). A disease in sheep, something like water on the brain, and from which they seldom recover. This word is also used as an adj. to signify stupid.

Sump, n. C. Any wet, boggy place. Dan. En Sump (a swamp, a pool).
Ex. Ah flang it inti t' sump-hooal. As wet as sump.

Sumpy, adj. C. Boggy, moist, wet. Dan. Sumpig (boggy). Ex. Yon 's a varry sumpy spot.

Sup, v. C. To drink (not necessarily in small quantities). Swedish Supa (to drink).
Ex. There was nowt ti sup.He was set i t' langsettle suppin' yal.

Sup, n. C. A quantity of liquid, more or less; a 'drop.'
Ex. Wa could deea wiva sup o' rain. Wilt tha tak a sup o' yal.

Supping-watther, n. C. Spring-water, drinking-water.

Sup off, v. C. To drink up, to drink what remains in a glass, &c.
Ex. Noo then; sup off; i.e. empty your glassescommonly said by a host to his guests.

Surfeit o' cold, n. C. A severe cold in the head or chest.

Swad, swat, n. F. A portion, or measure, or quantity; esp. of liquid.
Ex. Wilt ta tak anuther swad?

Swads, n. C. The outer shell of peas, beans, &c. Dan. At svobe (to wrap round).
Ex.- Ah gi'es 'em t' peea swads, bud they nivver eeats 'em (said by a servant lad, blamed for hungering the pigs).

Swag, v. F. To roll as a boat; to sway to and fro as an overloaded vehicle. Dan. At svaie (to swing to and fro).
Ex. Deean't swag t' booat seea.

Swaimish, adj. R. Shy, diffident.
Ex. Thoo maun't be ower swaamish.

Swale, v. F. (pr. swanle). To throw a cast from oneself.
Ex. Ah swaal'd it awaay.

Swang, n. F: Low-lying marshy ground. O. N. Svangr (a hollow place); Dan. Svang (the hollow of the sole of the foot).

Swanky, adj. C. Strong and large of its kind.
Ex. Your Tom 's a lang swanky chap gotten.

Swape, n. C. A long oar or other contrivance where the fulcrum is considerably nearer one end than the other, though not necessarily that at which the force is applied; e.g. as in a pump-handle, which is commonly called a swape. Also used as a verb. Dan. At sveie (to bend); Norse At sveive (to turn round by a crank handle).
Ex. Noo, my lad; swaap her roond: i.e. turn the boat round by means of the long oar. T' pump swaap 's brokken.

Swarth, n. C. (pr. swath). The outer skin, rind, or covering, esp. of bacon, &c.; also the outer covering (so to speak) of land, i.e. that which has a permanent covering in the shape of grass upon it; grass-land generally. Dan. Svaer (rind of pork); Gronsvaer (greensward).
Ex. Give t' bairn a bit o' bacon swath ti sud Oor swath 's gitten sadly bout up.

Swatch, n. F. The use of this word is peculiar: thus, if a person is not to be trusted, the caution is given to keep a swatch on him. This language is figurative, and has reference to a custom in use at the time when homespun cloth was sent to the dyers; on these occasions a swatch or wooden tally was given, so that when the cloth was sent for after dyeing it might be at once recognised.

Swathe, n. C. (pr. sweeathe and swaathe). The reach of the scythe in cutting grass.
Ex. Thoo taks a tang sweeathe.

Swathe-bauks, n. C. The long strips, of grass or stubble left standing at the end of the swathes, the grass or corn being never quite so closely cut at the finish of the stroke as in the course of it. When an actual tuft of grass was left, the lasses would often chaff the mower and tie it in a knot, when it was left hare by the rakers.

Swatter, v. F. To splash water about; hence to waste or squander, esp. money.
Ex. He 'll varry seean swatter his bit o' brass awaay.

Sweel, v. C. To gutter (of a candle). Norse Svaelle (to swell).
Ex. What's t' matther? T' cann'l sweels sadly.

Swidge, v. C. To tingle with pain. This word is generally coupled with smart, from which it differs but little in meaning: possibly a burning sensation is implied by the word swidge. Dan. At svide (to burn or scorch; also, though rarely, to smart, burn, ache).
Ex. Mah finger swidges an' smarts weeantly.

Swill, n. F. A light basket, generally made of willow twigs. This word is in use in the Wold district as well as in Cleveland.

Swing, v. R. To set up sheaves of 'line' on the ground.

Swingle, v. F. To beat flax, i.e. to rough-dress it. Dan. En Svingel (a bar).

Swingle-tree, n. C. The wooden rod which is attached to the traces and keeps them in their place when the horses are ploughing, harrowing, &c.

Swipple, n. F. The shorter part of a flail, viz, that by which the corn is beaten: this is usually made of tough wood, e.g. blackthorn. Dan. At svippe (to crack, to flick, as with a whip)

Switch, v. C. To fling or throw with force.
Ex Sha cum ti t' deear-steead an' switch'd a pail o' mucky watther reet inti t' hoos.

Swizzen, v. C. To singe. Dan. At svide (to singe).
Ex. Be sharp, Polly, them cleeas is swizzenin.

Sword-dancers, n. F. (pr. swud-dancers). Those who dance the sword-dance, i.e. a dance with crossed swords on the ground; it is of very ancient origin and peculiar form. It is not often seen now; the only time when the performers go their rounds is about Plough Monday.

Syke, n. F. A large gutter or ditch, a streamlet; this was till lately the common word in the neighbourhood of Sessay for the thing described.