I Never Knew There Was a Word For It
Page 38
cowboy (US slang) a quick bath using little water (since cowboys bathed sparingly)
psychrolutist (1872) one who bathes in the open air daily throughout the winter
BEDDY-BYES
Before sinking into a well-deserved rest, wherever in the house the fancy takes you:
nid-nod (1787) to nod off
counting rivets (Royal Navy jargon) going to sleep: it refers to lying down and looking at the rivets above the bunk
hypnopompic (1901) the fuzzy state between being awake and asleep
to sleep in puppy’s parlour (Newfoundland 1771) to sleep on the floor in one’s clothes
bodkin (1638) a person wedged in between two others when there is proper room for two only (a bodkin was a small sharp dagger)
admiral’s watch (underworld slang 1905) a good night’s sleep
to drive one’s pigs to market (US 19C) to snore
WORD JOURNEYS
detect (15C from Latin) to unroof
climax (from Ancient Greek) a ladder; then (16C) in rhetoric, an ascending series of expressions
curfew (13C from Old French: couvre feu) to cover the fire
AW WHOOP
Animals
You may beat a horse till he be sad,
and a cow till she be mad
(1678)
In a world where dogs are unclean in some cultures and on the menu in others, the British Isles is one place where the life of the average mutt might not be so bad:
snuzzle (1861) to poke around with one’s nose, as dogs do
flew (1575) the pendulous corner of the upper lip of certain dogs, such as the bloodhound
lill (Gloucestershire) used of the tongue of a dog dropping his saliva
slink (Shropshire) to draw back, as a dog does when about to bite
pudding (underworld slang 1877) liver drugged for the silencing of house-dogs
ar dawg’s a sooner (Ulster) my dog prefers to pee on the carpet rather than go outside
GRIMALKIN
Our other favourite domestic animal is supposed to have nine lives and knows how to enjoy all of them:
ess-rook (Shropshire) a cat that likes to lie in the ashes on the hearth
tawl-down (Somerset) to smooth down a cat’s back
brebit (Shropshire) a cat that continually hunts for food
furs bush (Sussex) the cat’s tune when purring
PRANCERS AND DOBBINS
The Queen is said to prefer horses to people, and there’s little doubt they get to mix in the best of company:
fossple (Cumberland 1783) the impression of a horse’s hoof upon soft ground
trizzling (Devon) the slow, lazy trot of horses
brills (1688) a horse’s eyelashes
skewboglish (Lincolnshire) a horse that is apt to shy
reeaster (Yorkshire) a horse making less effort than the others in a team
feague (UK slang b.1811) to put ginger or a live eel into a horse’s anus to make him lively and carry his tail well
jipping (horsetraders’ slang mid 19C) staining part of a horse with Indian ink to conceal a blemish
LIVESTOCK
It’s all very well going to the races, but where would we be without the milk and cheese from our herds of Jerseys and Guernseys (to say nothing of the beef from Herefords, Galloways and Lincolns)?
ganners (Shetland Isles) the inside of a cow’s lips
noit (Yorkshire) the period during which a cow gives milk
tulchan (1789) calf’s skin set beside a cow to make her give milk freely
shick (Caithness) to set the head as a bull does when intending to toss
giddhom (Ireland) the frantic galloping of cows plagued with flies
LAND OF THE LONG WHITE FLEECE
Sheep are the animal most mentioned in the bible (lions and lambs came in second and third). In New Zealand, where there have long been more sheep than people, a whole separate language grew up for talking about them:
break back (1864) to run or dash in the reverse direction to the drive
pink (1897) to shear a sheep carefully and so closely that the skin shows
raddle (1910) to mark an unsatisfactorily shorn sheep
huntaway (1912) a noisy sheepdog trained to bark on command and drive sheep forward from behind
drummer (1897) the worst or slowest sheep-shearer in a team
cobbler (late 19C) the last and least willing sheep to be sheared
PORKER
In strong competition with the Danes, our hogs and sows do their level best to bring home the bacon:
hodge (Shropshire) the large paunch in a pig
wurtle (Cumberland) to work underneath or in the ground like a pig
treseltrype (Somerset 1883) the youngest in a litter of pigs
FOWL PLAY
Some birds we keep as hunters or pets, some we breed to mow down with guns, a few we eat …
turdoid (1823) akin to a thrush
ostreger (1400) a keeper of goshawks
hack (1575) eagles before they become acclimatized and can hunt on their own
ossiger (Orkney Isles) the condition of a fowl when moulting
jollop (1688) to gobble like a turkey
zoo-zoo (Gloucestershire) a wood pigeon (from the sound it makes)
… but they’re always worth listening to:
quit-quit (Wiltshire 1900) the note of the swallow
quee-beck (Scotland 1901) the cry of grouse when startled
hoolie-gool-oo-oo (Banffshire 1876) the cry, hooting of an owl
valentine (1851) to greet with song at mating-time (said of birds)
chavish (1674) the sound of many birds chirping together, or many people chatting at once
QUEENS AND WORKERS
In other parts of the world they eat fried grasshopper and chocolate-coated ants; but with one glorious exception, insects are not much help in our national diet:
warp (Tudor–Stuart) bees in flight working themselves forward
cut (Gloucestershire) the second swarm of bees in the same season (hob or kive: the third swarm of bees)
spear (Sussex) the sting of a bee
narrow-wriggle (East Anglian) an earwig (the Yorkshire version is forkin robins)
dulosis (Modern Latin 1904) the enslavement of ants by ants
GREAT AND SMALL
The ordinary garden mole was known in Middle English (1100–1500) as a mowdiwarp. Later he became known as the little gentleman in black velvet (early 18C), the subject of a famous Jacobite toast to the mole that raised the hill that caused their oppressor King William to fall from his horse and die. Other animals have avoided such glorification …
fuz-pig (Somerset) a hedgehog
bubbly jock (Scottish) a turkey
pilser (b.1828) the moth or fly that runs into a candle flame
… but nonetheless their most obscure parts have been carefully noted …
junk (New Zealand 1837) the soft part of a sperm-whale’s head
dewlap (1398) the pendulous skin under the throat of cattle, dogs etc.
cnidocil (1884) a stinging bristle of the tentacle of a jellyfish
katmoget (Shetland Isles 1897) having the colour of its belly different from the rest of the body
acnestis (1807) that part of an animal (between its shoulders and lower back) that it cannot reach to scratch
fleck (Essex) the soft hair of a rabbit
… not to mention their intriguing behaviours …
mather (Gloucestershire) to turn round before lying down, as an animal often does
squeem (Ayrshire) the motion of a fish as observed by its effect on the surface of the water
pronk (1896) to leap through the air, as an antelope does
traffic (Gloucestershire) the tracks worn by rabbits or rats near their holes
… to say nothing of their mating habits …
epigamic (1890) attracting the opposite sex at breeding time
clicket (b.1811) the copulation of foxes
&nbs
p; amplexus (1930s) the mating embrace of a frog and a toad
caterwaul (Middle English) the cry of cats at mating time
YELLS BELLS
At rutting time a badger shrieks or yells; a boar freams; a buck groans or troats; a ferret or stoat chatters; a fox barks; a goat rattles; a hare or rabbit beats or taps; a hart bells; an otter whiles; a roe bellows and a wolf howls.
SAFETY IN NUMBERS
Most of us know that geese on the ground come in gaggles. But were you aware that when they take to the air they become a skein? The collective nouns for other animals are often bizarre in the extreme:
a murder of crows
a watch of nightingales
an unkindness of ravens
a crash of rhinoceroses
a deceit of lapwings
a convocation of eagles
a business of ferrets
a wedge of swans
JUG JUG IN BERKELEY SQUARE
When it comes to the sounds of animals, some of our attempts at mimicry may leave something to be desired:
curkle (1693) to cry as a quail
winx (15C) to bray like a donkey
desticate (1623) to squeak like a rat
chirr (1639) to make a trilling sound like a grasshopper
cigling (1693) chirping like the cicada
jug (1523) the sound of the nightingale
skirr (1870) a whirring or grating sound, as of the wings of birds in flight
gi’-me-trousers (Jamaican English 1958) the sound a cock makes when it crows
PEN AND INK
In Lincolnshire, the sounds of horses’ hoofs were onomatopoeically described as butter and eggs, butter and eggs for a horse at a canter. If the animal happened to be a clicker, that is, it caught its front hoofs on its rear ones when it was running, there were extra beats in the rhythm and it went hammer and pinchers, hammer and pinchers. A horse at a gallop went pen and ink, pen and ink.
RUTH RUTH
And who knows how this strange variety of human calls to animals developed over the years?
muther-wut (Sussex) a carter’s command to a horse to turn right
woor-ree (East Anglian 1893) a waggoner or ploughman’s call to his horse to come to the right
harley-harther (Norfolk 1879) a call to horses to go to the left
aw whoop (Gloucestershire) an order for a horse to go on
fwyee (Northern) a peculiar noise made in speaking to a horse
rynt ye (Cheshire) what milkmaids say to their cows when they have milked them (similar to aroint thee – get ye gone)
ruth ruth (Ireland) an encouragement to a bull to service a cow
habbocraws (Scotland 1824) a shout used to frighten the crows from the cornfields
way leggo (New Zealand 1945) a musterer’s cry to recall a dog
midda-whoy (Lincolnshire) an instruction to a horse to turn left
bumbeleery-bizz (Lanarkshire) a cry used by children when they see cows startling, in order to excite them to run about with greater violence
soho (1307) a call used by huntsmen to direct the attentions of a dog to a hare which has been discovered
whoo-up (Lancashire and Yorkshire 1806) a shout of huntsmen at the death of the quarry
poot, poot, poot (Orkney Isles) a call to young pigs at feeding time
cheddy-yow (Yorkshire) a call to sheep being brought down from the fell, to come closer
poa poa (Northamptonshire) a call to turkeys
tubby (Cornwall) a call used to pigeons
pleck-pleck (Scotland 1876) the cry of the oyster catcher
RSPCA
However good we are as a nation to our furry and feathered friends, there’s certainly no room for complacency:
shangle (Cumbria) to fasten a tin or kettle to a dog’s tail
hamble (1050) to make a dog useless for hunting by cutting the balls of its feet
brail (1828) the leather strap to bind a hawk’s wing
gablock (1688) a spur attached to the heel of a flghting cock
bdellatomy (1868) the act of cutting a sucking leech to increase its suction
spanghew (1781) blowing up a frog through a straw inserted into its anus; the inflated frog was then jerked into the middle of the pond by being put on a cross stick, the other end being struck, so that it jumped high into the air
EXCREMENTAL
American slang has the phrase alley or road apple for a lump of horse manure. Back home in the Middle Ages the language of hunting meant that you didn’t need slang to describe the specific faeces of an animal: there were the crotels of a hare, the friants of a boar, the spraints of an otter, the werderobe of a badger, the waggying of a fox and the fumets of a deer.
WORD JOURNEYS
mawkish (17C) from a maggot; nauseated
tabby (1630s) from Attabiyah, a quarter of Baghdad, renowned for its production of striped cloth
rostrum (16C from Latin) a bird’s beak; then from the orator’s platform in the Roman forum which was adorned with the prows of captured ships
white elephant (1851) from successive kings of Thailand who gave a white elephant to any courtier who irritated them; although the animals were considered sacred, their maintenance was so expensive that anyone who was given one was inevitably ruined
SWALLOCKY
Rural life and weather
Spring is here when you can
tread on nine daisies at once
on the village green
(1910)
Out in the sticks are things not dreamt of by those who remain in town:
goodman’s croft (Scotland 19C) a corner of a field left untilled, in the belief that unless some such place were left, evil would befall the crop
loggers (Wiltshire) lumps of dirt on a ploughboy’s feet
dudman (1674) a scarecrow made of old garments
icker (1513) a single ear of corn
squeaker (Newfoundland 1878) a blade of grass held upright between the thumbs and producing a shrill vibration when blown upon
cowpat roulette (Somerset 2004) a game in which villagers bet on which plot of land will be the first to receive a cow’s calling card
FIGHTING FOR THE CLAICK
Dialects and local language identify particular aspects important to rural folk …
plud (Somerset) the swampy surface of a wet ploughed field
fleet (Somerset) the windward side of a hedge
wamflet (Aberdeenshire) the water of a mill stream, after passing the mill
chimp (Wiltshire) the grown-out shoot of a stored potato
griggles (Wiltshire) small worthless apples remaining on the tree after the crop has been gathered in
… as well as gadgets and techniques that have been developed over long years of experiment:
atchett (Devon and Cornwall) a pole slung across a stream to stop cattle passing
averruncator (1842) a long stick with shears for cutting high branches
stercoration (1605) the process of spreading manure
baggin-bill (Shropshire) an implement for reaping peas
reesome (Lincolnshire) to place peas in small heaps
claick (Scotland) the last armful of grain cut at harvest (also called the kirn-cut, mulden, or kirn-baby: it was often kept and hung by a ribbon above the fireplace; in Suffolk harvesters threw their sickles to compete to reap it)
GREEN FINGERS
On a smaller scale, gardeners always have plenty to talk about …
platiecrub (Shetland Isles) a patch of enclosed ground for growing cabbages
olitory (1658) belonging to the kitchen garden
chessom (1626) of soil; without stones or grit
pissabed (Jamaican English 1801) a dandelion (as it is a diuretic)
… and things can get pretty technical on occasion:
suckshin (Yorkshire) liquid manure
sarcle (1543) to dig up weeds with a hoe
graff (Shropshire) a spade’s depth in digging (delve is two spades’ depth)
cochel (Sussex) too much for a wheelbarrow but not enough for a cart
BOSKY
Out on the slopes beyond the hedge the trees too need careful categorizing:
maerapeldre (Anglo-Saxon) an apple-tree on a boundary
pollard (Newfoundland c.1900) a dead tree still standing
rampick (1593) a tree bare of leaves or twigs
stub-shot (Somerset) the portion of the trunk of a tree which remains when the tree is not sawn through
… and beyond that, Nature may be wilder and more magnificent still:
borstal (South English 1790) a pathway up to a steep hill
brucktummuck (Jamaican English 1943) a hill so steep that it seems to break the stomach of one who tries to climb it
UP ON THE DOWNS
Critics from abroad often claim that English weather is dreadful. But this is only one point of view; for others relish the huge variety of effects to be found in such a changeable climate. These are just those found in Sussex:
port-boys small low clouds in a clear sky
windogs white clouds blown by the wind
eddenbite a mass of cloud in the form of a loop
slatch a brief respite or interval in the weather
swallocky sultry weather
shucky unsettled weather
truggy dirty weather
egger-nogger sleet
smither diddles bright spots on either side of the sun