person of this description was formerly appointed and sworn in every court leet.

ALGATES, an old word synonymous with always, or all manner of ways; and compounded of all and gates (which in the North denotes ways). Not obsolete, as stated in Todd's Johnson. It is used for, however, or at all events, sometimes— as παντως. V. quotations in Tooke (Vol. I., p. 179,) who strangely mistakes the derivation. In the Glossary to Way's Fabliaux, it is attempted to be traced thus:—ALGATES; ALGUISE; ALWISE, always: that is, let the guise or manner be what it may. Algatis occurs in Wiclif's venerable Translation of the New Testament, Rom. xi. 10.

ALL-A-BITS, broken, all in pieces, in rags and tatters. ALL-ALONG-OF, ALL-ALONG-ON (sometimes, by quick articulation, pronounced Aw-LUNG) entirely owing to. This term would almost seem to be a corrupt pronunciation of all owing. It is, however, of considerable antiquity in our language; being used by Skelton, Ben Jonson, and others; and may be referred to Sax. ge-lang, opera, causa, impulsu, culpa, cujusvis. V. Lye. An ingenious friend suggests, all 'longing of ; to 'long, he says, being used for, to belong, in some of our old poets. V. Tooke Vol. I. p. 424–431.

ALLER, the alder-tree. Alnus glutinosa. Smith. Sax. aler. See ELLER.

ALLER-FLOAT, or ALLER-TROUT, a species of trout-usually large

and well grown-frequenting the deep holes of our retired and shady brooks, under the roots of the aller, or alder-tree; from which it has its name.

ALLEY, the conclusion of a game at foot-ball, when the ball has passed the boundary.-Dur. Fr. a l'ais-to the plank which bounded the course, as at tennis,

ALL-HALLOWS, All Saint's day (1st. Noy.). "It is remarkable, that, whilst the old Popish names, for the other fasts and festivals, such as Christmas, Candlemas, Lammas, &c. are generally retained throughout England, the northern counties alone continue the use of the ancient term for the festival of

All-Saints." Boucher. In the name of churches, there is however an exception. See HALLE EʼEN.

ALL-IN-THE-WELL, a juvenile game in Newcastle and the neighbourhood; and perhaps in other places.

ALWAYS, however, nevertheless. Its use in this sense is common in the North; and also in Scotland. See. ALGATES. AMANG, among. Sax. mengan, to mix. But see Jamieson. A-MANY, a great number, a mixed multitude. According to the author of The Diversions of Purley, many is the past partici. ple of Sax. mengan, miscere, to mix, to mingle; and many a is a corruption for many of, and therefore improperly used with a singular.

AMBRY, or AUMRY, a cupboard, pantry, or place where victuals are kept. Sax. almerige, repositorium, scrinium, abucus. Norman Fr. ambrey, a cupboard.

AMELL, between or among, amidst. Ray says, " contracted from a middle; or perchance from the French word mesler, signifying to mingle;" but there seems little doubt of its being directly from the Swed. emellan, or Dan. imellem, the preposition for between.

ANAN, what? what do you say? Commonly used as an answer

to questions not understood, or distinctly heard. Perhaps from a repetition of Fr. ain, noticed by Le Roux as, Sorte d'interjection interrogative, commune aux petites gens, et fort incivile parmi des personnes polies;" or it may be, as Mr. Boucher suggests, merely a reduplicative of the Saxon or Gothic particle an, which is defined to be "graticula interrogationibus præmissa."

ANCHOR, the chape of a buckle, i. e. the part by which it is fastened. Fr. ancre. Lat. anchora.

ANCLET, ANCLETH, ANCLIFF, the ancle, a gaiter. Sax. ancleow. ANENST, over-against, towards, opposite to. A very old word

in our language; supported by the authority of Chaucer, Holinshed, and others; and still in common use in the northern counties.

ANENT, concerning, respecting; also over-against, opposite. V. Jam. anens; and Watson, anent.

ANG, or AWN, the beard growing out of barley, rye, or wheat. This term seems to have been adopted from the Danes ro Swedes, who got it from the Goths. V. Boucher, awnd. ANG-NAILS, corns on the toes.-Cumb. NANG-NAILS, York. ANTERS, in case, lest, it may be. Dut, anders. V. Ray, auntres, and Boucher, anantres.

ANTERS, needless scruples, mischances or misadventures.

ANTRIMS, affected airs or whims, freaks, fancies, maggots. APIECE, with the subject in the plural-pennies apiece; ones apiece.

APPERN, APPREN, a common mode of pronouncing apron, in many of the northern counties. See NAPPERN.

APPETIZE, v. to provoke an appetite for food. Juliana Barnes,

who, Warton says, wrote about 1480, uses appetydely, as an adverb, in the sense of with a good appetite. The passage wherein it occurs is sufficiently curious, in more respects than one, to be laid before the reader.

Aryse erly serve God devowtly: and the world besily. Do thi werke wisely: yeve thyn almesse secretly: goo by the waye sadly. Ansuere the peple deinurely: goo to thy meete appetydely. Sytte therat dyscretly: of thy tonge be not to lyberall: aryse therfrom temperately. Goo to thy souper soberly and to thy bed merely be in thyne inne jocondly. Please thy love duely; and slepe surely.

APRIL-GOWK, an April fool. See Gowk.

ARAN, or ARAIN, a spider.-York. Lat. aranea. Fr. araignée. Span. arana. Ital. aragno,

ARAN-WEB, or ARAIN-WEB, gossamer, a cobweb.

ARDER, order, or course. In husbandry the arders are the divisions of tillage land set apart for regular courses of crops in successive years; or for courses of cropping in rotation. ARF, ARFISH, timid, fearful, apprehensive. "Am rather arfish

about that." See AIRTH.

ARGY, assertion in dispute. The term is generally applied to a person who is not only contentious, but pertinacious in managing an argument. Isl. iargr, keen contention.

C

ARK, a large chest for keeping corn or meal. The original and etymological sense of the word. In the will of Bernard Gilpin, 1582, the testator leaves to the " poore of Houghton pishe. the greate new ark for corne, standinge in the hall, to provide them grotes in winter." ARLES, ARNS, ALLS, EARLES, or YEARLES (these variations being undoubtedly in their origin one and the same word), money given in confirmation of a bargain, or by way of earnest for service to be performed. Gael. iarlus. Welsh, ernes. Mr. Boucher seems to consider Arles to be the last and almost expiring remains, in our language, of a word of very remote antiquity, that was once in general use, which the Romans abbreviated into arra, and which the Latins in the middle ages changed into arrha. It denoted an earnest or pledge in general, and was often used to signify an espousal present or gift from the man to the woman on their entering into an engagement to marry. This, as we learn from Pliny, was a ring of iron, the ancient Romans being long prohibited from wearing rings of any other metal. The giving of arles for confirming a bargain is still very common in all the northern counties. It is also an old custom, seldom departed from, for the buyer and seller to drink together on these occasions. Without it the engagement would hardly be considered as valid. ARNUT, AWNUT, a pig-nut, an earth-nut. Bunium BalbocastaSax. eard-nut. Dut. aarde-noot.

пит.

ARR, a mark or scar made by a wound, a cicatrice. Hence, POCK-ARRS, a common phrase in the North for the marks left on the face by the small-pox. The word may be satisfactorily derived from Dan. ar, a seam, scar, or mark of a wound; or from Su.-Got. ærr, cicatrix. The term is also found in the Islandic language—ær or år.

ARSEWARD, perverse, obstinate. Sax. æwerd, perversus, aversus. ARSEY-WARSEY, ARSIE-VARSIE, topsy-turvy-vice versâ.

All things run arsie-varsie.-Ben Jonson.

ARVEL, a funeral.—ARVEL-SUPPER, a funeral feast given to the the friends of the deceased, at which a particular kind of loaf,

called arvel-bread, is sometimes distributed among the poor. The practice of serving up collations at funerals appears to have been borrowed from the cœna feralis of the Romans, alluded to in Juvenal (Sat. V.), and in the laws of the twelve tables. It consisted of an offering of milk, honey, wine, &c. to the ghost of the departed. In the case of heroes, and other illustrious men, the same custom seems to have prevailed among the Greeks. With us, it was anciently a solemn festival made at the time of publicly exposing the corpse, to exculpate the heir, and those entitled to the effects, from fines and mulcts, and from all accusations of having used violence. In conjecturing an etymology, the late Dr. Whitaker, after stating that he had vainly sought in every etymologicon to which he had access, refers (though he admits with very little confidence) to the word arferial, in Kirchmán de Funeribus Romanorum, p. 554. V. Hist. Richmond. II. 298. Surely we ought to be satisfied, either with Welsh, arwyl, funeral obsequies; or Dan. arveöl, a funeral feast; from arve, to heir

or inherit. ASK, ASKER, ESK, a water newt, believed by many, but without any foundation, to be venemous. Lacerta palustris. Gael.

asc.

Ass, ashes. This manner of pronouncing and using the word is general in all the northern counties.. It has evidently been adopted from some of the northern languages:-Sax. asce. Germ. asche. Isl. aska. Dan. aske. Dr. Johnson says, the word wants the singular; but, as remarked by Mr. Todd, it is common in the singular, in the north of England. ASS-HOLE, a place for receiving ashes-an ash-hole. ASS-MIDDEN, a heap of ashes, collected for manure. ASS-RIDDLIN, the riddling or sifting of the ashes on the hearth, on the eve of St. Mark. The superstitious notion is, that, should any of the family die within the year, the mark of the shoe will be impressed on the ashes.

ASSIL-TREE, an axle-tree. So invariably pronounced in the North. Fr. asseul. Gael. aisil. Ital. assile.