More probably, a late ingenious friend thought, from neif, to lay hands on. Shakspeare makes a verb of fist, to seize. NIGH, to approach, to touch. Sax. nehwan, appropinquare.— NIGH-HAND, hard by.-NIGHEST-ABOUT, the nearest way. NIGHT-COURTSHIP, a rustic mode of wooing; fully described in Anderson's Remarks on the Manners and Customs of the Cumberland Peasantry. It is common, also, among the lower classes in Northumberland. NIM, to walk with short quick steps. Also to take up hastily, to steal privately. In the latter sense the word may be derived from Sax. niman, to take. Germ. nehmen. NINE-TRADES, nine trading companies in Newcastle-three of wood-three of thread-and three of leather. "The meeting of the nine trades." V. Letters of Tim. Tunbelly, p. 67. NIP-CHEESE, a contemptuous designation for a parsimonious, covetous person.-NIP-SCREED is identical. NIP-UP, to wipe up, to move quickly, to pilfer. Swed. knipa, to pinch, to squeeze. NIPPING, pinching; such as is produced by frost or cold. It is a nipping and an eager air.-Shak. Hamlet. NITHING, much valuing, sparing of; as, nithing of his pains. Ray. Probably from Germ. neiden, to grudge. NITLE, NITTLE, handy, neat, handsome. Sax. nytlic, utilis. NIVVER, the common pronunciation of never. "To-morrow come nivver-when two Sundays meet together." NOB, the head. Used ludicrously. It is the same word as knob, any round protuberance. An officer, whose duty it is to coerce unruly children in church during the time of divine service, is, in some places, called the knocknobber; that is, the man who strikes the head. NOBBUT, only-a compound of but and the negation not.." Nobbut let me go." See Tooke's definition of but, Vol. I., p. & seq. NODDLE, a burlesque name for the nose-also the head. NODGE, or NUDGE, to push, to jog. Teut. knudsen, to knock. Ff 202 NO-FAR, near-not far. A common North country phrase. NOODLE, a fool. Sax. nih dol, nearly stupid. The term is often used in Newcastle-sometimes ungallantly. V. Mackenzie's Hist. of Newc. p. 84. NOOLED, checked, curbed, broken spirited. Properly nulled, for annulled or nullified. Lat. nullus. NOR, for than. This transposition-so common among the vulgar-is occasionally used by people in Newcastle, in a sphere beyond the " mere ignoble." Gael. na. NORATION, narrative, speech-oration. "But aw whupt maw foot on his noration.”—Song, Canny Newcassel. NORRID, northward. "Several Greenlandmen passed norrid." NOSE-ON-THE-GRINDSTONE, a simile for the fate of an improvident person. See an illustration in Bewick's Esop, p. 128. Mr. Hunter informs me, that in Hallamshire nose to the grindstone is differently used; being said of those who are deeply humbled by an adversary. NOSE-WISE, pryingly acute. Germ. nase-weis, self-witted, presumptuous, inquisitive. Dan. næsviis, impertinent, insolent. Swed. nåsvis, saucy, pert. NOTE, to push or strike-to gore with the horns, as a bull or ram. Isl. hniota, ferire. Sax. hnitan. V. Somner. NOTTAMY, a meagre person-a skeleton. Shakspeare's hostess, among many other strange words, uses atomy, in the former sense. Nous, NOUSE, judgment, understanding, sense. Gr. vous. NOUT, or NOLT, neat, or horned cattle of the ox species. Isl. naut, bos. Old Eng. nowt. The nolt market, the ancient name of a street in Newcastle-the cattle market.-NOUT-FEET, cow heel.-NOUTHERD, a neatherd. NOUT-GELD, NEAT-GELD, cornage rent, originally paid in cattle— a horn tax. Cornage seems to have been peculiar to the border service against the Scots. The tenants holding under it were bound to be ready to serve their prince and the lord of the manor, on horseback or on foot, at their own costs and charges; and, being best acquainted with the passes and defiles of the country, had the honour of marching in the vanguard, when the king's army passed into Scotland. This species of cornage is different from that mentioned in Littleton's Tenures, chap. Grand Serjeantry. Sir Edward Coke, it would seem, too, misunderstood its nature. V. Nicolson and Burn's Hist. of West. and Cumb. Vol. I., p. 16 & seq. NOUTH, the north.-NOUTHERLY, northerly. "Past two o'clock, and a frosty mornin-wind's noutherly." NOUTHER, NOWTHER, neither. Sax. nouther, nowther, neque. NowSE, nothing. Sax. naht, nihil. Germ. nichts. As to that pedant, Mr. Hall, By Jove-I'll give him nowse at all. The Vicar's Will. Noy, to vex, to trouble-to annoy. Not now in use, Dr. Johnson says. As a Northern word it is quite common. NUENTY, NUNTY, mean, shabby, scrimp, scanty. NUT-CRACK-NIGHT, All Hallows Eve. This was formerly a night of much rejoicing, and of the most mysterious rites and ceremonies. It is still customary to crack nuts in large quantities. They are also thrown in pairs into the fire, as a love divination, by young people in Northumberland, anxious to obtain an insight into their future lot in the connubial state. If the nuts lie still and burn together, it is said to prognosticate a happy marriage, or at least a hopeful love; if, on the contrary, they bounce and fly asunder, the sign is considered unpropitious to matrimony. Burning the nuts is also a famous charm in Scotland. See Burns' poem of Halloween, and the curious notes explanatory of the charms and spells of this evening, which were in a great degree common to both countries, and yet form a portion of the popular creed in the North of England. NUTMUG, a nutmeg. Our old word was notemuge. N'YEM, name. "Aw divvent ken his n'yem."— Broad Newc. 220 0. O. This letter is often used for a, in our Northern pronunciation; as mon, for man; hond, for hand; low, for law, &c. OAF, a fool, a blockhead, an idiot. V. Todd's John. and Wilb. OBSTROPOLOUS, Vociferous, turbulent-obstreperous. This word occurs in Benwell Village, a local burlesque poem, of some rarity. Cease such obstrop'lous roar. ODDMENTS, Scraps, things of little value, odd trifles. ODDS-BOBS, a vulgar exclamation of surprise, originating in the avoiding of an oath. ODDS-FISH! an interjection—a moderated diminutive of a worse term. Our renowned Maiden Queen, whose oaths were neither diminutive nor rare, used plainer language. She grew ynto a grate rage, begynnynge with Gods Wonds, that she wolde set you by the feete, and send another yn your place, if you dalyed with her thus. Letter from Sir Robert Carey to Lord Hunsdon. ODDS-HEFT, a common palliative adjuration. ODD-WHITE-TE, an equivocal malediction very frequent in the North. It may be remarked, as a trait of manners, that the common people are much in the habit of using tempered oaths or asseverations as substitutes for others of a more gross sort. OFFENS, OFTENS, the plural of often—a very common provincial peculiarity. There is, throughout the North, a similar peculiarity in the use of the word objection, which, for all ordinary purposes, good usage confines to the singular, while the common people on every occasion say, they have " no objections." -OFTISH, OFTENISH, very often. OIL-OF-HAZEL, a sound drubbing. A piece of waggery is some times practised by mischievous urchins in Newcastle, on raw inexperienced lads from the country-in sending them to a chemist's shop for a "pen'orth of oil-of-hazel." An earnest application of a good thick hazel stick is often the result. Sending for pigeon's milk is a similar joke of old standing. OLD, great, pre-eminent-such as was practised in the "olden time."-OLD-DOINGS, great sport, extra feasting-an uncommon display of hospitality, as in days of yore. OLD-BENDY, one of the many ludicrous names given to the Devil -possibly from his supposed circuitous mode of proceeding. Another of his popular names is AU'D-HOOKY-of application equally obvious. OLD-HARRY, and OLD-SCRATCH, are also designations appropriated to the arch-fiend by the vulgar in the North. But the most common of all the synonymes that have been coined for this great adversary of mankind is AULDNICK. The Danes and Germans, according to the Northern mythology of elder times, worshipped Nocka or Nicken, a deity of the waters, represented as of a hideous shape, and of diabolical principles; from which, no doubt, the term auldnick has been derived. OLD-PEG, or more frequently, AU'D-PEG, or AULD-PEG, an inferior sort of cheese, made of skimmed milk. It is also called, not inaptly, leather hungry. In Suffolk it is bang; which poor Bloomfield described as Too large to swallow and too hard to bite. Farmer's Boy. OLD-SHOE. The ancient custom of throwing an old shoe after a person for luck, is not yet disused in the North. In the case of marriages, it is often practised; even among some of the great. See on this subject, Brand's Pop. Antiq. Vol. II. p. 490; and Nares' Gloss. "As easy as an old shoe." Northern Aphorism. OMY, mellow; generally spoken of land. V. Jam. oam. ONNY, any.-ONNY-BIT-LIKE, tolerable, decent, likely.-ONNY- credulity of mother Eve. |