“The Language of Old Burton, Burton Bradstock, Dorset”

by Douglas Northover with notes of parallels to Newfoundland usage by Martin J. Lovelace

Introduction by Martin Lovelace

The following glossary of the language of Burton Bradstock, a coastal village in West Dorset, is the work of Douglas Northover, retired professional gardener, former part-time fisherman, and amateur of local history, whose personal recollections of life in “Old Burton” go back to the 1920s. His family tradition extends much further: there have been many generations of Northovers in Burton engaged in its characteristic occupations: agriculture; net braiding; the inshore fishery prosecuted from small boats launched from the beach, and the other activities of a traditional micro-economy: gardening, poaching, and smuggling. Burton men also commonly joined the Navy or became merchant mariners.

The “Old Burton” of the title is to be understood as much as a place in time as in a geographical sense and the wordlist is a portrait of its people and landmarks as well as a record of the language spoken there. Burton Bradstock is now much favoured as a weekend cottage and retirement community. The crucial effect for this work of a complex set of social and economic changes is that the old Burton families, and speakers of the dialect, are now decidedly in the minority.

I was introduced to Douglas Northover in December 1986 at the suggestion of Peter Robson who had interviewed him on local calendar customs. Douglas showed me his glossary, which was already extensive, in a typescript painstakingly prepared by his wife, Georgie. Some days later I lent him a copy of the Dictionary of Newfoundland English(1), in which he noted many parallels, but this did not lead to any bias, I feel, in what he chose to set down as his recollection, and collection, of old Burton words. While much is from memory, a proportion is made up of words and phrases which arose from his conversations with old friends-other survivors of the prior generation of Burton people.

Neither Douglas nor I have any training as dialectologists; ideally I.P.A. symbols should have been used here. As a folklorist, however, I found the glossary fascinating as a composite picture of the way of life that lay behind the words. There is material on blason populaire, belief, custom, games, and foodways amidst a general picture of village history and folklife. As a native of the area (my grandmother was born in Burton) transplanted to Newfoundland, I found an equal interest in comparing the wordlist with Newfoundland English. My only contribution to Douglas’s work, beyond a little folkloristic elicitation ofextra detail in a few places, has been the addition of page references to DNE.

The historical connections between the West Country and Newfoundland are well known (the reader should see the entry on “West Bay Gardens” below for the export of cabbage plants from Burton to Newfoundland). Documentation and analysis of the transfer of folk culture from Dorset, Somerset, and Devon is regrettably scant, however, with the exception of Theo Brown’s article “The Mummer’s Play in Devon and Newfoundland”, and a survey of areas of lore and language yet to be investigated which was written by J.D.A. Widdowson in 1969(2). Approximately one quarter of the words listed here can be found in DNE. The rate of correspondence would be higher, however, were it not for the many local placenames, glosses on local customs, and entries showing pronunciation of otherwise standard English words that are appropriately included in the Burton collection. A focus on sea terms would obviously raise the proportion of words with Newfoundland parallels. By whatever measure is taken it is apparent that the lexical transfer between Dorset and Newfoundland is substantial. Those of us who are privileged to live and study in Newfoundland should feel challenged by a work of this kind to continue to assemble the record of language and folk tradition related to West Country settlement there; as Douglas Northover’s glossary shows, it is still possible to record valuable new material on language and folklife in Dorset which deepens our knowledge of the roots of Newfoundland English.

The Language of Old Burton by Douglas Northover

In my early days just after World War I, the everyday life of the village was still dominated by the lerritt fishing and the work of the seasons on the land. The last of the full time fishermen was still alive, there were a few agricultural craftsmen: hedgers, ditchers, scythemen and singlers (thinners of root crops) making a living.

The language that my parents and grandparents spoke was, I think, unique, being the dialect of Dorset refined and added to through contact with the sea and seamen. I believe that many of the words they used were pure Old English (i.e. Saxon), with some of Celtic and Norman French origins, the latter appertaining to the fishing. The language of Old Burton is no longer spoken; a few people remember words and phrases from their youth but, like the lerritts and the net braiders, the old seasonal way of life has died and, more’s the pity, the dry, salty humour is extinct.

Dictionary may take a few seconds to appear

Abouda	Around, almost, nearly.
Ackel	To work, of improvised plans, repairs or tools.
Adder	After.
Addernoon	Afternoon.
Aggurdun ‘ill (as wold as)	Aged, very old (Eggardon Hill is a local Iron Age settlement or hill fort)
Ah	Yes, affirmative. “Ooh ah”-”Oh yes.”
Aish	Ash tree.
Aked	Rotten or rotting of wood, worn out.
All manner	All sorts of things, plants, etc.
‘and bar	Wooden stretcher used for carrying nets, fish etc. on beach. Mainly used to put a ready-for-use seine bodily into a boat. DNE 238
‘andy, ‘andy yer	Close, near to this place. DNE 239.
‘ang gallus	Guilty looking.
An’ goo	With energy; for instance, a blacksmith would ‘ammer an’ goo!
Anguish	Inflammation under the skin. DNE 8.
‘ant	Have not.
An’ that	And other things; e.g. “‘Em put on ‘is jacket an’ trousers an’ that.”
An’ went	Was excited, carried on work or operation with gusto; as “‘Em waved ‘is arms an’ ‘ollered an’ went!”
Apern	Part of drift net nearest the boat which was pulled inboard occasionally to see whether net was fishing properly and catching fish.
Apse, on the apse	Unlocked, unlatched, of doors and windows. DNE 240, hapse.
Arg, argy	To argue. DNE 9.
Arms	Wings of a seine net.
Arn	Any. DNE 9.
Article	A rascal, a naughty child. DNE 10.
As ever was	Really, truly.
‘assen thee?	Haven’t you?
Asso to brekfusstime	All over, all the way.
Ast	Ask.
At, at thee?	Are, are you?
At	Doing something, e.g. “Wot be at?”-”What are you doing?”
At	Being somewhere, point of arrival; as “War be at?” meaning “Where are you?”
‘aul up an’ spread	In or before bad weather boats were pulled up the beach as high as necessary and the seine nets spread on the shingle.
Avore	Before.
Away da goo	Carry on, continue, e.g. “I picked up me tools an’ away da goo!”
Baccy weed	Fine, brown leaved seaweed growing on rocks off Burton Cliffs, good for setting prawn nets or pots. DNE 570, tobacco...in names of various plants.
Back along	Formerly, some time ago.
Back end	Autumn, early winter.
Back house	Lean-to shed against a cottage wall. Cp. DNE 13.
Back o’ November (as black as the)	Dark, dismal, murky or dreary
Baid	Bed
Baint	Am not, are not.
Bait	Whitebait.
Ball-cootered	Drunk and incapable.
Ball-kick(er)	Football, footballer.
Bally-rag	Gossip, argue.
Bar	Wheelbarrow. DNE 28.
Barber (The)	Land mist drifting out to sea on frosty nights, when frost settled on one’s beard and clothing. DNE 23.
Barken	Cow barton, an enclosure or shed for dairy cattle. The cow barton that once stood on the site of Cheney’s garage was demolished in the 1920s.
Barney	A row, argument, sometimes fight.
Barr	Enclosure with cart sheds etc. demolished to make Charles Road.
Basin (The)	West Bay Harbour.
Bat vowlin	Catching small birds roosting in ivy walls by use of net on two sticks and lantern. A source of protein in bad times.
Bay back	To restrict the flow of water in stream or river. Cp. DNE 32, bay, sense 2.
Bayed up	The mouth of the river Bride at Freshwater was bayed up when it was blocked by shingle thrown up by the sea. This caused flooding in the village in the old days. Cp. DNE 32, bay, sense 2.
Be	Am, are, e.g. “I be yer, wer be you?” Cp. DNE 34.
Be	By, near, e.g. “The kiddle’s be the vire”-”The kettle’s by the fire.”
Beckon (the)	The signal that a catch of fish had been made, usually a bushel basket hoisted on a pole.
Beckon’s up!	A crew has made a catch.
Bedder	Better.
Beedle	Wooden (usually apple) mallet used for driving stakes, splitting wedges etc. Cp. DNE 38, beetle.
Beer man	Trawler from Beer in Devon or any place west of Lyme Regis.
Beeyans	Beans.
Benders, bents	Stalks of grass standing high in pasture or mown grass.
Biddlehead	Miller’s thumb, a small freshwater fish with a large head.
Billet	A lump of wood. DNE 43.
Bin	Been.
Bine Bar	Bind-barrow, a tumulus east of Burton Hive.
Birds Eye	Common speedwell, a weed.
Bizzom	A crone, an eccentric old woman. Cp. DNE 43, besom [for association of besom with women].
Blackie	The blackbird.
Black pot	Black pudding, a sausage made by stuffing pigs’ intestines with a mixture of blood and suet. The School Bridge was a favourite place for washing the intestines.
Blackthorn Winter	A cold period in Spring when the blackthorn is flowering.
Blare	To cry, weep. DNE 48.
Blight	Could mean any pest or disease except caterpillars but was used mainly to describe depredations of aphids or the potato blight.
Blen, blin	Local name given to all species of pout whiting which used to be caught on lines in large numbers from the shore and from boats at sea.
Blooth	Bloom, flowers.
Blow	Stormy period with strong onshore winds.
Blubber	Jellyfish caught in nets.
Bobby dazzler (a)	A clever, smart or skilled person.
Bond	Knack, skill, the know-how of doing a job or operation
Bond (a)	A tie for a faggot or bundle of thatching spars made by twisting a withy or hazel stick into a loop.
Bendy hook	Bill hook for cutting thin sticks; a sickle.
Booatt	Boat.
Booee	A boy.
Booee chap	Adolescent youth.
Boogy man	Imaginary being used to frighten children into obedience. DNE 57.
Bottom rope	Hauling rope bent on to seine, put into boat first (i.e. at bottom) and carried ashore last on completion of shot.
Bowl dish	Bailer, bowl or large basin with wooden handle for bailing.
Braiding	The local cottage industry of net making by hand.
Braiding needle	Wooden shuttle with one end closed round a tongue on which twine for net making was wound.
Brimble	Bramble or blackberry bush.
Broom (to put out the)	A broom hung out of the window supposedly denoted a masculine house needing a woman. May have stemmed from ancient ale-house sign. Cp. DNE 69 (signal of ship for sale).
Budder	Butter.
Buddery dore	Cider apple, good for eating and cooking, once grown in quantity in Burton area.
Budget	Carrier for whetstone worn on belt at the back.
Bull at a geeatt (like a)	Like a bull at a gate; to act on impulse, without thinking.
Bull’s cock	The wild arum; “lords and ladies”.
Bumbye	Bye and bye, later.
Bunt	The fine meshed bag at the centre of a seine net; also known as “hose”.
Burgoo	Scum on the sea, dirty water, floating sewage. DNE 75.
Burry	Berry.
Burton knot	Knot used in braiding meshes, said not to slip.
Burton Reel	The local folk dance.
Burton’s Veast	Annual village fete held in streets in late August; discontinued after World War I.
Bury	An animal’s hole, rabbit warren.
Byett (to)	To beat.
Caddy’s Cross	St. Catherine’s Cross. Road junction and site of chapel between Burton and Shipton Gorge.
Calling the fresh	The boat’s crew catching the first mackerel of the day would send a boy with a string of mackerel to shout news of the catch through the village.
Car (to)	To carry.
Cark	Cork, plug.
Carner Wall	Section of wall at the Post Office and where the men of Burton met and sat to talk. Blacksmith’s Corner at the other end of the flat topped wall was another meeting place.
Carver seed cyek	Caraway seed cake.
Cass?	Can you? “Cass ‘old these rope?” “Can you hold this rope?”
Catch a crab (to)	To miss a stroke when rowing.
Catch a cripple (to)	To have an accident.
Cave	Storage heap covered with straw and earth for root crops in winter.
Cheese	Seed of the mallow.
Cheese	Mixture of apple pomace and straw for making cider.
Cheeul	Child.
Chimley, Factory Chimley	Chimney. The chimney of the flax mill on the end of the factory warehouse stood as high as the church tower; now converted into cottages.
Chimp	Potato shoot, chit.
Chipper	Cheerful.
Chipples	Spring onions, salad onions.
Chirdern	Children.
Chops	Face, chin. Cp. DNE 259, horse chop(s).
Chuck off (to)	To hint, to tease in a nasty way.
Chuck off (to)	To fish from the beach with a hand line.
Chucking off	Hinting maliciously.
Chucking off	Fishing from the shore.
Clarty	Heavy (of soil).
Claves	Blue lias cliffs to east of Burton Beach.
Claves End	Cliff’s End, now usually called Cogden Beach.
Clint	Bend over nails etc. with hammer. DNE 100.
Clitty	Lumpy (of soil). Cp. DNE 100.
Clocks	Dandelion seed heads.
Closet	Lavatory, earth loo; often at far end of garden.
Coddle	Tangle of string, ropes etc. DNE 90, caudle.
Come from Bridport	Anyone leaving a door open was asked if they “came from Bridport?”, the myth being that citizens of that town kept open house, i.e. kept doors open. I have been asked this as far inland as Sherborne.
Connipshun	A fit, seizure.
Cooatt	Coat.
Coold	Cold, a cold.
Coos thee?	Could you?
Cop ‘old	Take, get hold of.
Copse	To cut undergrowth in woodland or weeds (thistles, ragwort, etc.) in pasture.
Crabbied	Upset, ill-tempered.
Crewel	Cowslip.
Crib	To grouse, complain.
Cripse	Brittle. DNE 122, crispy.
Crissmass burry	Holly, holly berry.
Cronick	Dead stems left after gorse was burnt off on the Common of Bindbarrow, gathered by women for firewood. DNE 127, crunnick.
Croopie	To crouch down. Cp. DNE 113, coopy.
Croopie down (a)	A baby girl
Crubb	Ridge of shingle thrown up by the sea on Chesil Beach.
Crunchens, cushens	Boiled sweets. Cp. DNE 444-5, scrunchins, cruncheons.
Cubby hole	Small niche or cupboard, usually barely accessible, in cottage.
Cuddy	The wren.
Cuddy	In the stern of a lerritt a cupboard with a sliding door in which tins of grease, spare corks, weights and twine were kept. DNE 127.
Cuss?	Could you?
Cyek	Cake.
Damsel	Damson. DNE 133.
Dap down	Put down quickly.
Dash bagger	The weed fat hen.
Dead Man’s Hole	Gully or ravine in Common in dense thicket of thorns. Believed to have been a smugglers’ hiding place for contraband; now filled in.
Dewberry	Wild raspberry. DNE 139.
Dickered	Spotted, splashed.
Dig back	To fork over pound after lifting a crop, usually of potatoes.
Dilyer	Dahlia.
Dimmity (time)	Dusk dim light.
Dip net	Net on iron hoop fitted to pole; used for dipping fish from bunt of seine. DNE 141.
Dirt	The soil, earth.
Dirty	Of sea water, see May Water below.
Diss?	Did you?
Dissen?	Didn’t you?
Dob in	Press in, plant, press down. Cp. DNE 143, dob; 157, dub.
Dooman	Woman, wife. Cp. DNE 359, old woman.
Doorstep	Thick slice of bread.
Doughbake	A fool, idiot.
Dout (to)	To put out fire or flame. DNE 148.
Down along	West of Burton. DNE 148, down, sense 1; 593, upalong.
Down street	That part of Burton below the church and the pound.
Down to, up to	When referring to a specified person or place, the preposition “to” followed “down” or “up”. DNE 148, down, sense 1.
Drain	A path or alley.
Drash	To thresh. Cp. DNE 150.
Drasher	A threshing machine.
Drasher	The thresher shark.
Dribbletts bag	Small bag or purse holding petty cash from sale of fish, held for crew until share out.
Drott	Throat.
Drow	Throw.
Dru	Through. Cp. DNE 152, drew.
Drug	Drag. DNE 155.
Drug shoe	Open ended metal shoe placed under rear wheel of cart or waggon to act as a brake through friction with the road. DNE 155
Drush	A thrush, song thrush.
Drush in the drott	Phlegm, sore throat, wheeze.
Duckish	Gloomy, dim lighted. DNE 158.
Duck stooen	Flat stone thrown to skip on surface of river or sea.
Duck stooens	Game played with flat stones, the winner being the one who made them hop the most times. Cp. DNE 434, salt-water cake.
Dumble dore	The bumble bee. DNE 159.
Duncow	A dog fish.
Dung pick	Long handled four pronged fork.
Dung pott	Two wheeled cart used to carry manure. Also used to carry sand and shingle up Old Cliff Road from Burton Beach before modern Beach Road was made. Cp. DNE 160.
Dung spur	To spread farmyard manure on fields using dung pick.
Dunnecan	Earth closet or toilet usually at the end of garden.
Dunnick	The hedge sparrow.
Dussen?	Don’t you?
Elder blooth	The blossom of the elder bush or tree used to make a medicinal tea and various sorts of wine. Cp. DNE 162- 3, elder-blossom, elder-bloom.
Elder burry	The fruit of the elder bush or tree much used for wine making.
Eldrott	Hemlock. Cp. DNE 163, eltrot, embloch. Boys made toys from its hollow stems; it was also fed to tame rabbits in hutches.
Ell out	Pour cider from stone jar into cup.
Ellum	The elm tree or its timber.
Em, er	He, she. This form of speech peculiar to area around Bridport. Cp. DNE 163, en; 591, un.
Emmett	An ant.
Emmetts’ butt	An ant hill.
Emp, empt	To empty. DNE 163.
En	It, him. DNE 591.
Esp	A cough or croak.
Espititis	Any bronchial illness.
Evett	The eft or newt.
Evetts’ pond	The pond full of efts or newts which was in the field where Hive Close is now.
Factory	The mill below the church, used as a garage. Once employed up to sixty people.
Factory bell	The bell used to call workers to the factory.
Faggot	A crotchety old person. Cp. DNE 167, sense 2.
Fail back	To refold spread seine to accelerate drying.
Fiddley	Fine, painstaking work.
Fish jute	A fish buyer.
Five Eliums	The green outside Girt House where five elm trees stood.
Flat hoe	First hoeing of potatoes after planting.
Flitter	To hurry, scurry, fly.
Flitter wings	Butterfly or moth.
Flobber chops	A glutton, noisy eater. Cp. DNE, 192.
Flower knot	Flower border against cottage wall which was a source of pride for the housewife.
Fly (the)	The flea beetle which attacked the leaves of the Brassica family.
Foot rope	The weighted rope along the bottom of a seine or net. DNE 196, sense 2.
French	A finch.
Frowsty	Rotting, mildewed. Cp. DNE 199, fousty.
Fruzzy	Hairy. Cp. DNE 204, fruz.
Gadgers Hole	Deep ditch at bottom of Kennon supposed to be haunted by a headless horseman. Probably a smugglers’ hide.
Gadger’s Luck	Jingle much spoken at one time:
	"Gadger’s Luck has turned at last
	Gadger’s Gold has turned to brass"
	It means that the Gaugers or Preventative men (Customs and Excise) slipped up and someone got away with smuggling.
Gap (The)	Break in hills at Swyre used as fishing mark. Cp. DNE 211.
Geeatt	Gate.
Gee, gid	Give, gave.
Giddon wi’!	Get on with you! Rubbish!
Gilly flowers	Stocks. Cp. DNE 215, gillflower.
Gipsies	The flowers of fools parsley.
Girt	Big, large.
Girt Gulch	Indentation in the Claves just east of the Hive (Burton Beach). DNE 230, gulch.
Girt Rock	Large flat rock imbedded in shingle under cliffs between Hive and Freshwater.
Girt stick	Piece of timber, large piece of wood. Cp. DNE 533, stick: A timber-tree, the trunk of a tree used for various building purposes.
Glane, glancy	To smirk, smile DNE 216 glean.
Glate	An oily patch of sea usually denoting presence of herring or pilchards.
Glim	Glow, a light. Cp. DNE 217.
Glutch	To swallow. DNE 217.
Glutcher	The throat, Adam’s apple.
Goin da baid vish	The skate or thomback, thought to have aphrodisiacal qualities.
Gold french	Goldfinch. Cp. DNE 220, goldfinch.
Gollop	To gulp, swallow.
Goo	To go.
Gookoo	The cuckoo.
Goord	Rod, pole or perch; land measurement.
Got the bond	To understand how to do a job; to be skilled at something.
Graft	A long-handled spade used for digging out clay.
Granfer griggle	Early purple orchid.
Green (The)	The area between Chesil Beach and pastures at the Hive and beyond Claves End, a harbouring place for boats in winter.
Griddle	Metal grid attached to bars of cottage cooking ranges used for cooking herrings etc.
Griddle cyeks	Unleavened flat pastry cooked on griddle. Sometimes cooked with herrings so that cakes absorbed oil dripping from the fish.
Grizzle	To whine, complain.
Grizzle guts	A whining child, a grouser.
Groaner	A big catch of fish in seine.
Growler	A nasty sea; sea breaking heavily onto beach Cp. DNE 228, piece of floating ice...
Ground	A field. Often with owner’s or tenant’s name in front as “Charley Moore’s ground”. Cp. DNE 227, sense 2.
Grounder	Ground sea. Very dangerous for swimmers at Burton because of strong undertow. Cp. DNE 228.
Gudder	A drain or catchpit.
Guddle	Drink thirstily. DNE 234, guttle.
Guddle guts	A greedy drinker, a toper.
Guzzle	To drink noisily, to booze.
Guzzle	Booze, usually cider. To be “on the guzzle” was to be “on a drinking spree”.
Gwoyle	Ravine or gully used by smugglers to bide contraband.
Harbour	West Bay, the next community to the west on the coast.
Harbour yeller	West Bay fisherman.
Harp	To nag, keep on about some subject.
Hatch	A solid gate, a sluice gate. Factory Hatches were the entrance gates to the Mill. Back Hatches and Garden Hatch were sluice gates controlling the flow of water to water-wheels and turbines used in local flax spinning industry.
Hay pick	A long-handled, two pronged fork DNE 246.
Hay rake	Wooden rake used at one time for raking mown grass.
Heart Aker	Clay Hill allotment gardens which were west of Beach Road and of heavy clay soil.
Hearth-stooen	Lumps of natural chalk used for whitening the hearth and sides of the front door steps.
Heed	The head.
Heft	To lift.
Heller	A tearaway, imp, rascal.
Heller	A bad thing, trouble.
Het off	Toset off in a hurry.
Het up	Upset, angry..
Hive (The)	Burton Beach.
Holing	Fish, such as bass, rolling so as just to break the surface of the sea.
Holler, holley	To shout, cry out. Cp. DNE 256.
Holler	A dip in the ground.
Hoot owl	The tawny owl.
Hop (Threepenny)	A dance, a barn dance, usually to the music of concertina and tambourine.
Hose	The fine net in the centre of a seine. i.e. the bunt.
Hoss daisy	The ox eye daisy.
Hovel	A shed for cattle. DNE 261.
Hunderd	A hundred; mackerel were sold by the hundred.
Hurrin	The herring.
Hurrin gall	Young herring, often found amongst whitebait and chased by mackerel etc.
Idee	To hide.
Idee ole	A hiding place. DNE 253, hidey-hole.
Idge	A hedge.
Idge carpenter	A hedger.
Ill	The eel
Ill trap	An eel trap made of a sack with slitted sides and fitted with straw and mackerel innards, sunk in the river on the end of a rope. Eels entered through the slits which closed when rope was pulled.
I low zoo I spec	I believe.
Imige	Wicked person, a naughty child.
In tow	Accompanying, partnering in mischief, etc. Cp. DNE 571, toll.
Jacker	A jackdaw.
Jacko’s about	There’s been a frost.
Jack’s Hole	Large crevice in the cliff just west of the Hive.
Jar (the)	A stoneware jar, usually of ten quarts capacity, invariably attended any celebration of hot work, i.e. a good catch of fish, the share out, haymaking and harvest. Contents usually cider. DNE 274
Jenny	The wren.
Jurrymyer	A chamber pot.
Johner	The peeler or swimming crab.
Joner	Jonah, a person attended by ill luck, i.e. a fisherman who caught no fish. Cp. DNE 278 jinker, 280 jone.
Jonnick	True, the truth. DNE 280.
Jook	“The Duke”, William Symes, the village carrier, died 1922, known as a petty tyrant.
Jook’s Bridge	The bridge in the main street over the River Bride near “the Duke’s” cottage which replaced a bridge washed away by floodwater at the turn of the century.
Kick up	To throw a tantrum.
Kiddle	A kettle, sometimes a teapot.
Killick	A large stone picked off the beach and used as an anchor. DNE 285.
Killick rope	The line attached to the killick.
Killick stooen	An oval stone suitable for a killick.
Killick	To anchor.
Kisses	The seeds of the burdock.
Knapp	Small hill or rise in the road. DNE 287.
Kwirk	Grouse or nag incessantly.
Laces	Round pieces of wood or cane around which twine was knotted in net braiding. The diameter of the lace determined the size of the mesh. DNE 298, last.
Lake	A stream. Cp. DNE 295.
Lanches	Lynchets, ridges in fields denoting ancient cultivations. Examples can be seen on Burton Cliff.
Lardy	Slippery, greasy (of persons).
Launty	An attempt, try. To have a launty was to shoot a net in the hope of catching fish.
Lawrence is about	Someone is red of face after a drinking session.
Ledd’n bide	Leave it (him) alone.
Leff	Left, to leave. DNE 302.
Lert	The Portland lerritt, which was the main seine fishing boat used on Chesil Beach.
Less	Let us.
Liddle	Little, small.
Lie	Direction, east or west, in which boat turned when making a shot at venture or determined by the direction of a shoal when shooting “stray”.
Lie	Place where fish is swimming, when visible, especially in case of trout in river.
Lie to	Wait afloat with line ashore for fish to show.
Linnee	A lean-to shed. DNE 306.
Linnets	Folds in the arms or sweeps of a seine, pulled out when net is coming ashore to drive fish into bunt. DNE 305
Longnose	The gar fish.
Loo (in the)	Sheltered, out of the wind. Cp. DNE 314, looard.
Look zee	Take a look, look.
Lop	A broken surfaced sea. DNE 314.
Lopmint	An allotment garden; the allotments at Clay Hill in particular.
Low	Allow, believe.
Lucky stooen	A stone with a hole right through. Hung on bows of boats and inside cottage doors to avert the evil eye. Cp. DNE 316 lucky-rock.
Lumb	Loom on an oar used with thole pins. DNE 316.
Lummix	An idiot, a silly person.
Mackel	The mackerel.
Mackel bird	The common tern. DNE 318, mackerel-bird.
Mackel drail	Spinner used for catching mackerel with a line before the innovation of feather lines.
Madder	Matter, e.g. “Woss the madder?”-”What’s the matter?”
Madder	The pus from a septic wound.
Maggie	The magpie.
Maid	A girl, a daughter. DNE 319.
Make (of sea)	Become rough. DNE 321, sense 3b.
Marks	Landmarks used to determine position of fishing pounds. DNE 323.
Marr, marr marnin	Tomorrow, tomorrow morning. Cp. DNE 593, valentine.
Mayflowers	The garlands of flowers carried by children on Garland Day, May 12th. The day ended in a procession to the beach where a religious service was held to bless the harvest of the sea.
Mayflower Song	The traditional song sung by children round the houses on Garland Day morning: "Beautiful May, so fair so bright Starting forth from wintery night As to the heavens the lovely stars So to the earth these flowerlets are Beautiful May, flowery May, Queen of the Seasons, Beautiful May"
May water	Dirty water on the sea in the spring of the year. Water devoid of plankton, therefore no fish. Believed to be caused by changes in water temperature. DNE 142, dirty.
Mazed	Bewildered, flummoxed. DNE 326.
Messengers	Small clouds appearing in a cloudless sky, presaging wind and/or rain.
Mind	To remember, to look after, tend. DNE 329.
Minny	The minnow
Minny pond	A pool in the river where minnows were always abundant.
Mischee Mischief.	Mischee Mischief.
Mischee booees	Mischievous, naughty boys.
Mixen	Midden, compost heap. Cp. DNE 160, dung mixen.
Mock	A dry or rotten stump of a tree or bush, usually in a hedge.
Monge	To chew. DNE 338.
Monge Lunch.	Monge Lunch.
Monkey’s birthday	Rain and sunshine at the same time.
Mores	Roots of plants, trees, etc. DNE 333, more.
Mossel	Small piece of, morsel, a little of.
Mote	Another very local name for a hedge sparrow. Cp. DNE 334.
Mote	A hollow straw used for drinking.
Mumbly stooen	A crumbling stone, quarried locally, a soft oolite full of fossils and liable to crumble after a time when exposed to the weather.
Mump	Grunt or grumble.
Na gutted	Thin, lanky, hungry. Cp. DNE 350, nog-head, sense 3.
Na gutted quarter	The North West, so called because it was thought that crops would not grow in the cold nor fish be present in the sea, therefore villagers would go hungry.
Nammett	Mid-morning meal, lunch. Cp. DNE 354, nunch; nunny-bag.
Nar	No. DNE 341, ne’er.
Narn	None, nothing. DNE 340.
Nary	Neither.
Natch	A notch. DNE 353, notch.
Natch er no natch	A game of pitch and toss played by impoverished fishermen using a penknife with a mark on one side in lieu of coinage, settling up when in funds.
Needle	A braiding needle or shuttle used in making nets. DNE 288, knitting.
Nestle-tripe	The smallest piglet ofa litter, a small child or person. Cp. DNE 355, nuzzle-tripe.
Niddles	Stinging nettles.
Night owl	Person addicted to staying up late; a nocturnal prowler.
Nish, nesh	Tender, soft (mostly of food), DNE 349.
Nitch	A bundle or faggot. DNE 287, knitch. Nobbin Daft, silly.
Nosey weather	Very cold and windy period.
Nosset	A sweetmeat, a luxury or delicacy.
Not no	None.
Nuddick	A large lump of wood. Cp. DNE 352, small, bare, rounded hill.
Nussle up	To nestle, get close to.
Okkerd	Awkward, clumsy.
On da goo	To carry on, to continue.
Qo ah	Oh yes (often used in a sarcastic or derogatory way).
Qod	Wood.
Ood	Would.
Ooman	Woman, wife. Cp. DNE 359, old woman.
Qos, oot	Will you, would you.
Oot thee?	Who are you?
Op vrog	A frog.
Ope seine	A seine put in the sea with one arm ashore and the other not, making a trap for shoaling fish.
Over right	Across from, near, opposite. DNE 365, overright.
Ow at? Ow be?	How are you?
Owner	The person owning a seine fishing boat; not always an active fisherman.
Palm	A fingerless hand cover made of leather or thick rubber to protect the palm of the hand. DNE 366.
Palmer	The caterpillar or larva feeding on food crops, usually that of the cabbage white butterfly. DNE 367.
Pank	To pant or gasp. DNE 368.
Panshards	Broken crockery or glass. DNE 368.
Panshard Night	It was a custom on Halloween to throw broken crockery into doorways and under windows then run away chanting: "It’s Panshard Night tonight! It’s Panshard Night tonight! Adam and Eve and Pinch-me-tight It’s Panshard Night tonight"
Parish Pump	The green near the Library and Village Hall where the village pump stood till mains water was brought in 1912 after a severe outbreak of scarlet fever.
Parley of birds	Numbers of noisy sea birds congregating at sea when shoals of fish are present.
Peck	A small spot. DNE 373.
Picket	High point of the cliff.
Pigs’ tiddies	Small potatoes which were gathered and cooked for pigs. DNE 558, tatie, tiddy.
Plim	To swell (of wood). DNE 383.
Plusher	Green rod laid to thicken a hedge.
Ply	To bend. DNE 384.
Polly wash-dish	The pied wagtail.
Portland stroke	When oarsmen are not rowing together; this would be a sarcastic comment.
Prior cork	A small buoy attached to the centre of a seine to show where the bunt is when fishing. Cp. DNE 393.
Promp	A clothes prop made of wood.
Proper	The correct way, right, real.
Prong	A hay fork. DNE 392.
Pummy	Apple pomace used for cider making. DNE 395.
Pummy, smashed to	Broken into small pieces. DNE 395.
Pummy stooen	White stone, used for washing stone floors, etc.
Pups	Septic sores from salt water. DNE 397.
Purdy	Pretty.
Purdy work	A performance, a funny event, sometimes skullduggery.
Quarr	A stone quarry. Cp. DNE 398.
Quarters (of seine)	The fine meshed net on each side of the bunt.
Quatt	To squat, to sit, to stay in one place. DNE 398.
Quatt	Place where a rabbit or hare sits more or less hidden in an open field.
Queer man	Local code name for an illegal catch, e.g. salmon, game.
Quiddle, squiddle	Young cuttlefish or squid caught in the seine.
Quizzle	To pry, to question.
Rafty	Angry, upset. Cp. DNE 402.
Ravel	A thread of wood hanging from a garment. DNE 407.
Raw bait	Whitebait or other fish in early stages of growth.
Razzer off	Slice or cut in slices.
Reckon	To add up, to work out sums.
Redd, rudd	Dark patch of whitebait massed in sea near shore.
Reeve string	The string holding the bunt together which would be cut to let go unwanted fish. DNE 409.
Rhubarb weed	Winter heliotrope which grows in damp; clayey places locally.
Rick pound	A walled-in enclosure where hay ricks were built so as to be out of reach of cattle and sheep. Cp. DNE 389- 90, pound.
Roadster	A tramp or vagrant.
Rocks Nose	Point of rock ledge in the sea west of the Hive and nearest to it.
Roddle	To rattle.
Roman Walls	Dry stone walls found on high ground in vicinity. Built wth courses at an angle of forty five degrees to the horizontal. One local authority said that they may have been built by Celts.
Rompse	To skylark, to play around. DNE 417.
Rompse	A game.
Rough (to be)	To be ill. DNE 420.
Round hoe	To earth up potatoes or other crops.
Roush ashore	To pull a line or a net with a dash. DNE 422, rouse.
Rozzum	An amusing story, a joke.
Rudge	A ridge.
Rudge (winter)	The highest high water mark on the beach above which boats were pulled in winter and bad weather.
Rudge Lane	The lane along the ridge from St. Catherine’s Cross to Bennet Hill.
Ruggle’	To roll. DNE 423, ruckle.
Run	The flow of water to the beach after a wave breaks. Cp. DNE 423.
Saeen	A seine net. DNE 460.
Saeen booee	A seine boy who was responsible for the ropes and laying timbers.
Salmon peel	Variety of trout, sea trout. DNE 429.
Salted in	Of fish packed in brine. Cp. DNE 432, salt v., sense 2.
Scadders	Fish scales adhering to clothes or boat indicating that a catch had been made.
School river	Waterway flowing past the school.
School Bridge	Bridge over the waterway outside the school.
Scolerd	A clever or educated person.
Screech owl	The little owl.
Screws (the)	Rheumatism, lumbago, sciatica or similar pain.
Scroff vish	Fish, sometimes choice, sold by auction to members of the crew, the money being placed in the dribblets bag. DNE 444, scruff.
Scrunch	To eat noisily, grind, crush. DNE 444.
Sea houses	Sheds which stood on the green at the Hive. Used for storing nets etc. Demolished in 1940 to give field of fire for coast defences.
Seine stooens	Round, flat stones with a hole drilled through which were tied to foot rope for weights.
Sharker	A species of loach found in River Bride.
She	A woman (especially a wife referred to by her husband). DNE 467.
Sheep run	A low gateway in a dry stone wall for moving sheep from one field to another. Closed with loose stones when not in use. Cp. DNE 424, run n., sense 2.
Shek	To shake or tremble.
Shek o’ vish	Odd fish or so breaking surface of the sea. Might indicate shoal below.
Sher	A share, to share. Fishing was done on a share basis. When using a lerritt and a seine six shares were allocated to the owner, one share each to members of the crew. Boys got half a share until they could pull an oar. When using a square stern boat the owner got three shares, the crew one each. DNE 466.
Shered out	Ineligible for a share. If absent when a catch was made a crew member got nothing.
Shillet	Shale, flat stones found in local clay subsoil.
Shimmy	Chemise.
Shimmy shek	To tremble with shock, to shake with fright or excitement.
Shimmy shirt	A vest, undershirt.
Shinny up	To climb, to scale. Cp. DNE 471.
Shomble	To shamble, plod heavily.
Shomp	To tramp, to trudge.
Shoot	To put out seine net to catch fish. DNE 474.
Shore line	Wooden weighted line attached to the top rope of a seine thrown from the boat to the shore at the start of a shot. Cp. DNE 475, shorefast.
Shot (to have a)	To shoot or put out the seine for catching fish. DNE 474.
Shove off	To launch a boat.
Shrammed	Very cold, frozen to the marrow. Cp. DNE 441, scrammed.
Sidling ground	A slope or sloping ground. DNE 480, sideling.
Skewer	A wave rolling along the shore, usually in an east wind, making it difficult to launch or land a boat.
Skimmished	Drunk, inebriated.
Skitter	Scatter, to run in all directions. Cp. DNE 488.
Skiver	A skewer or pointed stick used for fixing bait in lobster pots. DNE 489.
Skowsher	The horse mackerel.
Slack	A period between tides when there is little movement of the sea. DNE 490.
Slatch	To dilute with water, to wash down.
Slings	Large meshed net of strong cordage put round the bunt when a heavy catch has been made to support the seine and prevent it from breaking. Cp. DNE 493, sling.
Sloo	The sloe, fruit of blackthorn.
Slummick	A slattern, slut, untidy person.
Slummicky	Untidy, slatternly. DNE 496, slommocky.
Smacko over the Bill (blowing)	Said of an east wind or south-easterly wind which caused skewers.
Smarm	To spread, to smudge.
Smart, smeart	Active, robust, healthy (of men), not necessarily smart of dress. DNE 498.
Smert	To sting (of wounds) to be painful. DNE 499.
Smop up	To clear one’s plate etc. To wipe plate clean with a piece of bread, to drink up the last of a liquid. Cp. DNE 333, mop, smop.
Smooch round	To lurk, to prowl furtively. DNE 500, smouch.
Snag	A smail type of sloe, the berry of the whitethorn.
Snakes burry	Seed pods and berries of the stinking iris.
Snaky wind	A cold, biting wind.
Snarbuckle	A tangle, a snarled up line. DNE 500.
Sooky	A whining, nagging woman. DNE 505.
Spadger	The house sparrow.
Spell	A rest from work [cp. Straight back below]. DNE 509.
Spit and tramboline