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Old Mortality, Volume 2.

Page 25

by Walter Scott


  PERORATION.

  It was mine earnest wish, most courteous Reader, that the "Tales of myLandlord" should have reached thine hands in one entire succession oftomes, or volumes. But as I sent some few more manuscript quires,containing the continuation of these most pleasing narratives, I wasapprised, somewhat unceremoniously, by my publisher that he did notapprove of novels (as he injuriously called these real histories)extending beyond four volumes, and if I did not agree to the first fourbeing published separately, he threatened to decline the article. (Oh,ignorance! as if the vernacular article of our mother English werecapable of declension.) Whereupon, somewhat moved by his remonstrances,and more by heavy charges for print and paper, which he stated to havebeen already incurred, I have resolved that these four volumes shall bethe heralds or avant-couriers of the Tales which are yet in mypossession, nothing doubting that they will be eagerly devoured, and theremainder anxiously demanded, by the unanimous voice of a discerningpublic. I rest, esteemed Reader, thine as thou shalt construe me,

  JEDEDIAH CLEISHBOTHAM.GANDERCLEUGH, Nov. 15, 1816.

  Interior of Abbotsford--302]

  GLOSSARY.

  A', all.A'body, everybody.Aboon, abune, above.Ae, one.Aff, off.Afore, before.Again, against, until.Ahint, behind.Ain, own.Ajee, awry.Amaist, almost.Amna, am not.An, if, suppose.Ane, one.Anent, regarding.Anes, once.Anither, another.Arles, earnest money.Asteer, in confusion.Atweel, aweel, well.Aught, own, possessed of; also, eight.Auld, old.Awa', away.Awe, to owe. "Awe a day in har'st," to owe a good turn.Awsome, awful, terrible.

  Bab, a bunch.Back-cast, back-stroke.Baith, both.Bang, to beat.Bannock, a scone.Bawbee, a halfpenny.Beild, shelter.Bein, bien, well provided.Belive, directly.Bide, to wait, to suffer. "Bide a blink," stay a minute.Birky, a lively young fellow.Birl, to toss, to drink.Bleeze, a blaze; also, to brag, to talk ostentatiously.Blithe, happy.Blude, bluid, blood.Boddle, a small copper coin.Branks, a kind of bridle.Braw, fine, brave.Brawly, cleverly.Braws, fine clothes.Breeks, breeches.Brigg, a bridge.Brogue, the Highland shoe.Browst, a brewing.Budget, a carabine-socket.Busk, to deck up."By and out-taken," over and above and excepting.

  Ca', to call. "Ca' the pleugh," to work the plough.Canna, cannot. "Canna hear day nor door," as deaf as a post.Canny, quiet, cautious, snug.Carcage, a carcass.Carena, care not.Carline, an old woman, a witch.Cast, chance, opportunity, fate."Cast o' a cart," chance use of a cart.Certie! conscience!Change-house, a small inn or alehouse.Chield, a fellow.Chimley, a chimney.Claes, clothes.Clatter, tattle."Clinked down," quartered."Cock laird," a small land holder who cultivates his estate himself.Copleen, to complain.Coup, to barter; also, to turn over.Crap, the produce of the ground.Crowdy, meal and milk mixed in a cold state.Cuittle, to wheedle, to curry favour.Daft, crazy.Daur, to dare.Daurna, dare not.Deil, the devil. "Deil gin," the devil may care if.Didna, did not.Dighting, separating, wiping.Ding, to knock.Dinna, disna, do not.Disjasked-looking, decayed looking.Disjune, breakfast.Div, do.Dooms, very, confoundedly.Douce, douse, quiet, sensible.Doun, down.Dour, stubborn."Dow'd na," did not like.Downa, cannot."Downs bide," cannot bear, don't like.Drouthy, dry, thirsty.Dwam, a swoon.

  Ee, an eye.Een, eyes.E'en, evening; even.E'enow, presently, at present.Eik, an addition.Eneuch, eneugh, enow, enough.

  Fa', fall.Fairing "gie him a fairing," settle him.Fallow, a fellow.Fand, found.Fash, trouble.Faured, favoured.Feared, afraid.Fearsome, frightful.Feck, part of a thing.Feckless, harmless.Fend, to provide.Fire-flaught, flash.Fizenless, tasteless.Flyte, to scold.Forby, besides.Forgie, forgive.Forrit, forward.Foumart, a pole-cat.Frae, from.Fund, found.Gae, to go; also, gave.Gang, go.Ganging, going.Gar, to make, to oblige.Gat, got.Gate, way, mode, direction.Gaun, going.Gay, gey, very. "Gey thick," pretty thick.Gear, property.Gentles, aristocracy.Gie, give.Gin, if.Gledge, a side-glance.Gomeril, a fool, a simpleton.Gowd, gold.Gowpen, a handful.Grewsome, sullen, stern, forbidding.Gude, God; good.Gudeman, a husband; head of the household.Gude-sister, a sister-in-law.Gudewife, a wife, a spouse.Guide, to manage.

  Ha'arst, harvest.Hae, have.Haena, have not."Hae 't," have it.Haill, whole.Hantle, a great deal.Harry, to rob, to break in upon.Hash, a clumsy lout.Hand, to hold, to have.Hauld, a habitation.Hempie, giddy.Heugh, a dell; also, a crag.Hinny, a term of endearment=honey.Holme, a hollow, level low ground."Horse of wood, foaled of an acorn," a form of punishment.Howf, a retreat.Hunder, a hundred.Hup! used to a horse in order to make him quicken his pace."Hup nor wind," quite unmanageable.Hurdies, the buttocks.

  Ilk, ilka, each, every.Ill-fard, ill-favoured.Ill-guide, to ill-treat.I' se, I shall.Isna, is not.

  Jalouse, to suspect.Jimply, barely, scantily.Jo, joe, a sweetheart."John Thomson's man," a husband who yields to the influence of his wife.Justify, to punish with death.

  Kail, kale, cabbage greens; broth. "Kail through the reek," to give one a severe reproof.Kail-brose, pottage of meal made with the scum of broth.Kale-yard, a vegetable garden.Ken, to know.Kend, knew.Kenna, kensna, know not.Kittle, ticklish.Kye, kine.

  Lane, lone, alone. By a peculiar idiom in the Scotch this is frequently conjoined with the pronoun: as, "his lane," "my lane," "their lane," i. e., "by himself," "by myself," "by themselves.""Lang ten," the ten of trumps in Scotch whist.Lassie, lassock, a little girl.Lave, the remainder.Leatherin', beating, drubbing.Letten, allowed.Lift, to carry off by theft.Linn, a cataract.Lippie, the fourth part of a peck.Loon, a fellow.Loot, looten, let, allowed.Lound, quiet.Loup, to leap.Lug, the ear.

  Mains, demesne.Mair, more.Maist, most.Mart, a fatted cow.Mann, must.Maunder, palaver.Maut, malt.Mensfu', modest, mindful.Mickle, much.Mind, to remember.Mirligoes, dizziness.Mislear'd, unmannerly.Mistaen, mistaken.Many, many."Morn, the," to-morrow.Muckle, much.Muir, a moor.

  Na, no, not.Naething, nothing.Naig, a nag.Neb, the nose, the beak.Neist, next.Neuk, a nook, a corner.

  Onstead, a farm-steading.Ony, any.Or, before."Ordinar, by," in an uncommon way.O 't, of it.Outshot, a projection in a building.Out-taken, excepting.Ower, over.

  Peat-hag, a hollow in moss left after digging peats.Penny-fee, wages.Dinners, a cap with lappets, formerly worn by women of rank.Pit, to put.Pleugh, plough.Pleugh-paidle, a plough-staff.Pockmantle, a portmanteau.Pose, deposit.Puir, poor.Putten, put. "Putten up," provided for.Quean, a flirt, a young woman.

  Rade, rode.Randy, a scold.Raploch, coarse, undyed homespun.Rase, rose.Rax, to stretch, to reach.Redd, to clear up.Reek, smoke.Rin, to run.Ripe, to rake, to search.Rue "to take the rue," to repent of a proposal or bargain.Rugging, pulling roughly.

  Sae, so."St. Johnstone's tippet," a halter for execution.Sair, sore."Sair travailed," worn out, wearied.Sark, a shirt.Sauld, sold.Set, to suit, to become one; also, to beset.Shaw, a wood; flat ground at the foot of a hill.Shune, shoes.Sic, such.Siller, money.Skeily, skilful.Skellie, to squint.Skirl, to scream.Sort, to arrange, to supply.Sort, a term applied to persons or things when the number is small.Sough, a sigh, a breath. "Calm sough," an easy mind, a still tongue."Sough'd awa," died gently.Soup, "a bite and a soup," slender support, both as to meat and drink.Sowens, a sort of gruel.Spak, spoke.Speer, to inquire, to ask.Spunk, fire, activity, spirit.Stamach, stomach.Steer, to disturb.Stir, sir.Stot, a bullock.Stour, a battle, a fight.Strae, straw.Stressed, distressed, inconvenienced.Stude, hesitated.Sud, suld, should.Sune, soon. "Sune as syne," soon as late.Sybo, an onion or radish.Syke, a streamlet dry in summer.Syne, since, afterwards.

  Tae, tane, the one.Ta'en, taken."Tak on," to engage.Tauld, told.Tent, care.Teugh, tough."Thack and rape," snug and comfortable.Thae, these, those.Thegither, together.Threep, to aver strongly.Till, to."Till 't," to it."Tippet, St. Johnstone's," a halter for execution.Tirl, to uncover, to strip.Tittie, a sister.Tother, the other.Toy, a close linen cap.Troth! sure!Trow, to believe, to think, to guess.Trysted, overtaken.

  Unco, very, particularly, prodigious, terrible; also, strange.

  Vivers, victuals.

  Wad, would.Wadna, would not.Wallie, a valet.Walth, plenty, abundance.Wan, got, reached.Waur, worse.Wee, little.Weel, we
ll.We'se, we shall.Wha, whae, who.Whase, whose."What for," why.Wheen, a few.Whiles, sometimes.Wi', with.Win, to get. "To win by," to escape."To win ower," to get over.Winna, will not.Winnock, a window.Wotna, know not.Wud, mad.Wull, will."What's yer wull?" what is your pleasure?

  Yerl, earl.Yestate, estate.Yokit.yoked.

  THE END.

 


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