Yorkshire Folk Talk contents

YORKSHIRE FOLK TALK:
Glossary

Pack-rag Day, n. R. The day after Martinmas Day, when farm-servants change their places. The name speaks for itself.

Paddle, v. C. To walk, esp. slowly or with some difficulty.
Ex. Ah can just paddle doon ti t' shop.

Pafty, adj. F. Uppish.
Ex. Ah can deea nowt wiv him, he `s ower prood an pafty by hau'f.

Pain oneself, v. F. To give outward signs of pain.
Ex. He pains hissen a deal; he diz nowt bud pleean.

Pairtner, n. C. Partner, esp. a husband or wife.
Ex. T' au'd woman 's a good pairtner.

Pan, v. C. To fit into, to make to fit, to agree with ; used esp. of things that are crooked which are intended to fit on to each other. It is also sometimes used of persons much in the same sense as to frame.
Ex. It nobbut pans badly He pans weel, i.e. he gives good promise of learning.

Pankin, n. C. (1) A large earthenware vessel of various shapes, but always of considerable size. This word, which looks like a diminutive in form, is in reality the same word as pancheon. (2) A rage, a violent passion.
Ex. He was iv a pankin, noo.

Pannel, n. C. A riding pad.

Par, v. R. To dirty.
Ex. See ya noo! t' bairn 's par'd deearst'n.

Parlous, adj. C. Perilous. This word is used in a variety of senses, but it generally carries with it the idea of seine kind of badness, or danger, or difficulty. It is also frequently used adverbially as an intensive, and much in the same way as 'desperate,' 'fearful,' &c. The Danish word corresponding to this is farlig, which is used in almost identically the same sense and way as parlous, e.g. En farlig Hoben Penge (a parlous lot o' brass); farlig stor (parlous big).
Ex. He 's a parlous chap, i.e. He is a queer character; perhaps a drunkard, a rowdy, &c. It 's a parlous tahm been, i.e. It has been a season of unusually bad or unfavourable weather. T' hoos hez gitten intiv a parlous state, i.e. The house has got into thoroughly bad repair, or into a condition of great dirt and un-tidiness.

Part, adj. C. (pr. part and pairt). A considerable number, a large quantity of anything; many, more than usual.
Ex. There 's part apples ti year. There 's pairt folks astir i t' toon this efttherneean. We 've had part changes i wer nighbours.He 'd hed pairt dhrink.

Pash, v. F. To break in pieces, to smash.
Ex. They pash'd it all i bits.

Pash, n. Vide Posh.

Past, part., used as a prep. and adj. C. Beyond, incapable of.
Ex. It 's past owt, i.e. It's beyond everything. He 's past deeain' owt wi, i.e. It is impossible to do anything with him. Ah 's that full o' paan while it 's ommost past bahdin, i.e. I have so much pain I can hardly bear it.

Pawky, adj. C. Impudent, uppish, impertinent.
Ex. Q. 'Was she disobedient ?' A. Aye, an' sha wer varry pawky an' all.

Paze, v. C. To force by leverage.
Ex.We can mebbe paze it off.
Connected with this word are pawse and poose (to strike with force).

Pea-hulls, n. C. The shells of peas.

Peen, adj. C. (Pr. peean). Thin. Dan. Paen (dainty, slight).
Ex. Ho'd it by t' peean end.
This word is seldom used except when applied to the thin end or handle of an implement, tool, &c.

Peerching, adj. C. (pr. peechin'). Piercing, biting; used only of a cold wind.

Peff, v. C. To breathe hard; also used as a noun in the sense of breath. Hence also the adj. peffing and beffing. These words are connected with puff.
Ex. He 's short o' peff He 's gotten a nasty peffin' cough.

Pelt, n. C. The skin of an animal; sometimes also used derisively of the human skin in a figurative sense. Dan. Pels (the hide of an animal).
Ex. They 're thick i t' pelt is yon lot, i.e. they are idle.

Pettle, v. C. To pet, to nurse, to fondle.
Ex.- T' bairn 's badly; sha wants a deal o' pettlin.

Pick, a. C. Pitch. Dan. Beg; Jutl. D. Pik (pitch).
Ex. T' neet 's as black as pick.

Pick, v. C. (1) To pitch, to throw, to cause to fall. (2) To gather up and throw, esp. applied to forking the sheaves off a stack for thrashing.
Ex That feeal Jack picked oor lahtle Annie doon inti t' muck, an' theer sha ligged whahl t' muther com an picked her up. Sha 's pickin' atop o' t' stack.

Pick at, v. C. To make small attacks on a person by word to find fault, generally about trifles.
Ex. T' au'd man 's varry natthery; he 's awlus' pickin' at ma.

Pick-fork, n. C. A pitch-fork; sometimes also called lang-fork.

Pie, v. F. To spy about with curiosity.
Ex. He 's awlus piein' aboot t' toon.

Pie, n. C. A heap of any root crop, but esp. potatoes. It is covered first with straw and then padded down with a coating of earth: by this means the crop is safely preserved from frost through the winter, the pie is about four feet high, generally conical, and, for larger crops, long-shaped like the roof of a house. The word is also commonly used as a verb
Ex. T' bull loup'd reet inti Nanny Nicholson taatie-pie. Wa a'e gotten t' biggest part o' wer tonnops pied.

Piece, for a, adv. C. For a time.
Ex. Ah stayed wiv him for a piece.He wer theer for a neyce piece.

Piggin, a. F. A small tub or pail with a vertical handle which when empty was carried under the arm: it was used for milking into, the milk being poured from it into the larger tub or skeel.

Pig-swarth, n. C. (pr. pig-swath). The rind of bacon.
Ex. Ho'd thi noise; here 's a bit a pig-swath for tha.

Fike, n. C. A very large haycock, usually about as much as would make a good cartload. This is the universal application of the word throughout the East Riding and the southern part of the North Riding: in Cleveland, however, it is applied to a circular stack or collection of corn. The custom of pikeing hay is by no means so common as it was twenty years ago.

Pile, a. F. (pr. pahl). A blade (of grass), sometimes also used of the coat of an animal.

Pillow-slip, n. C. A pillow-case.

Pimpish, adj. F. Dainty in the matter of food, taking it in small quantities.

Pin, n. F. The middle place when three horses go in single file.
Ex. We 'll put him i t' pin.

Pinchery, n. F. A state of extreme carefulness approaching to miserliness.

Pinder, n. F. (sometimes pr. pidner). The man who has charge of a pinfold.

Pinfold, n. C. A pound or place for detaining straying cattle.

Pinshow, n. R. A child's peep-show: a plaything common formerly among children at school, the show being generally made of a sort of paper box with flowers, &c., inside, a pin being demanded for a peep.

Pisle, v. C. (pr. pahzle). To walk about in a lazy manner. With regard to this word, Atkinson quotes the Swedish D. word pisla, to walk heavily, with which it would seem to be connected.
Ex. He gans pahzlin aboot.

Pissimire, Passimire, n. C. The common ant.

Place, placing, n. C. (pr. pleence). Service.
Ex. Q. 'Where 's Anne now?' A. Sha 's gone ti Stowsla ti pleeace, i.e. She has gone into service at Stokesley.

Plain. v. C. {pr. pleean and plaan). To complain.
Ex. He gans tiv his moasther ti pleean on him Sha 's awlas pleeanin is oor Anne.

Plain, adj. C. (pr. plaan). This word refers not only to outward appearance, but also to morals.
Ex. Sha 's nobbut a plaan 'an.

Plash, v. C. To splash. Dan. At plaske (to splash).

Plate, v. C. To clench or bend back the end of a nail when driven, and so to flatten the end of it. Dan. Plat (flat).

Please, v. F. (pr. pleease). To give an equivalent or make a return for a kindness received, or something of a like nature.
Ex My muther says mud sha hev a dhrop o' brandy an' sha 'll pleease ya for 't.

Pleeaf, pleugh, n. C. A plough. The two forms of this word are about equally common, the pr. of the latter is not p1oo but pleew. Dan. En Ploy (a plough).

Pleugh-stots, n. C. Plough lads, properly twelve in number, who traverse the district in which they live on Plough-Monday; formerly a plough used to be dragged about with them, the lads representing the slots or oxen, as the word signifies. In former years the rounds lasted for a fortnight or three weeks, but now the time is shortened, and the numbers who take part in the performance are also reduced. The performers are fantastically dressed, a leading feature being the wearing of white skirts trimmed with ribbons outside their other garments: two of the number act as king and queen. The chief part of the acting consists in sword dances, for which reason they are frequently called swurd dancers. They are always accompanied with music of some kind. Vide Stot.

Pload, v. R. To walk with some difficulty through boggy or muddy places; to wade through water. Jutl. D. Pladder (thick muddy water).

Plosh, v. C. To splash; hence ploshy, i.e. splashy, as when one walks through melting snow. Dan Plaske (to splash).

Ploughing-day, n. C. The day on which neighbouring farmers assist a new tenant of a farm in ploughing his land for him.

Plug, v. C. To load a cart with manure.
Ex.Q. 'What is Tom doing?' A. Pluggin' muck.

Plugger, n. C. Anything large of its kind.
Ex. It wer a plugger.

Pluke, n. C. A spot or pimple.

Plumb, adj. C. Perpendicular; also used for the steepest part of a hill.
Ex. Wa mun 'ev it plum, howivver. They seean gat it t' plum o' t' hill.

Pluther, n: F. Sludge, and dirt in a semi-liquid state. There are various forms of this word, bladther and plother having precisely the same meaning. In South Jutland pladder is used in the same sense, and these may all be connected with the Danish word pladre (to mix up), pladder or plather being always a mixture of soil or dirt of some kind and water. Jutl. D. Pladder (sludge).

Poat, v. F. (pr. paut and pooat). To move quietly with the foot or with a stick, &c.; hence it is used of one who looks inquisitively into things. From this word pooatler is derived.
Ex. He cams pautin aboot.

Pock-arr, n. C. The mark caused by the small-pox; hence pock-arr'd, i.e. marked with the small-pox. Jutl. D. Pokarret (marked with the small-pox).

Poke, n. C. (pr. pooak). A sack or bag, esp. a corn-sack. Dan. En Pose (a bag); Jutl. D. En Poge (a bag); Fr. Poche (pocket).

Pooatler, n. F. A long stick, held about eighteen inches from the top, such as drovers use; it is something like an alpenstock. Vide Poat.

Poose, v. F. To strike, as at a cricket ball.
Ex. He poos'd her oot o' t' clooas.

Porringer, n. R. A mug bellied like a pitcher, and made of coarse ware ; formerly it was commonly used by children at meal-times. No doubt this word is derived from porridge.

Posh, n. C. A dirty mess, mud, sludge.
Ex. T' rooads is all iv a posh.

Posh, poss, v. F. To dash violently with water.
Ex. Poss them things weel.

Poshing-stick, possing-stick, n. C. A stick with feet at the end of it, used for washing heavy articles in a peggy-tub, or other vessel.

Posskit, n. R. A tub in which heavy clothes, &c., are washed by means of a possing-stick.

Post-and-pan, adj. R. A name applied to old timber-framed houses. Pan refers to the fitting of the timbers. Vide Pan.
Pot-sitten, part. O. Burnt or overdone by excessive cooking or seething. Dan. Syde (to seethe).

Prickle, v. C. To prick.
Ex. Ah 've prickled my han's despretly (said by one when 'shearing' among thistles).

Prick-o'back-urchin, n. C. (pr. Pricky-back-otch'n). The hedge-hog.
Ex. Ah seed yan o' them pricky-back-otch'ns a bit sen.

Proffer, v. C. To make an offer. The word offer is seldom used in this sense.
Ex. Ah proffered him a rahd, bud he wadn't cum wi ma. He proffered ma fahve pund for t' dog.

Press, v. F. To gossip, to talk in a familiar manner; also used as a noun. Jutl. ID. At praase (to froth, as beer to raise the dust).
Ex. He did pross.There 's ower mich prossin' aboot him.Ah ho'ded a bit o' pross wiv her.

Providance, n. C. (pr. providance). Supply of food for an entertainment.
Ex. We s' all a'e ti mak providance for 'em.

Puddings, n. C. Entrails.

Pulls, n. C. Heads of corn which have not been completely threshed; broken heads of corn.

Pull, v. C. To pick; esp. fruit.
Ex. Sha 's pullin' berries, i.e. She is picking gooseberries

Pum, v. C. To beat with the fists.
Ex. Ah pummed him weel.

Purlings, pirlings, n. C. Ribs for carrying the spars of the roof of a house.

Put aboot, v. C. To disturb in mind, to excite, to cause inconvenience and annoyance.
Ex. Ah can't bahd it; it puts ma aboot sadly.Sha wer despertly putten aboot wiv him.

Put off, put away, v. C. To put to death.
Ex. T' au'd dog 's that bad, ah think we mun put him off We 've gitten t' poor thing putten away.

Putten, part. C. Put.
Ex. Wheer 's ta putten them things?

Putting in, part. C. The act of clearing the thickest of the hay with a fork or the handle of a rake out of the way of the rakers who are to follow, by which means it is made into windrow, either for the men to form large cocks from, or for the horses to 'sweep' into pike if the hay be fully dried. The work of putting in is frequently done by women.
Ex.Run an' tell yer muther ti cum an' put in a bit; it leeaks as thoff it wer bonn ti raan.

Quality, n. C. Gentry.
Ex.-'An' ah 'mang t' rest a' quality put doon, For ivvry lahtle helps, thoo knaws, a croon. York Minster Screen.

Quart, v. F. (pr. quahrt). To cross transversely, esp. in ploughing a field a second time and in a different line to the first ploughing.
Ex. Noo, lads, we mun quahrt t' fauf

Quick, adj. C. Vide Wick.

Quiet, adv. C. Quite, entirely.

Quite better. C. (pr. quiet better). Quite well again. Vide Better.