1 UNDERCUMSTAND, to understand. A mere vulgar change. UNGEAR, to unharness. Ungear the yoke.” UNHONEST, dishonourable, dishonest. Stated in Todd's John. to be obsolete; but it is not so in the North. UNKET, UNKID, strange, unusual. Sax. uncuth, alienus.—UNKETS, UNKIDS, news. UNLICKED-CUB, an ignorant, unpolished youth. UNMACKLY, ill-shapen, of a clumsy appearance. UNPOSSIBLE, for impossible. Not in Johnson but admitted by Mr Todd; and well authorized. The word is frequent with the vulgar in the North. UNRID, to rid. Here the particle is of no force.—UNRIP, a common word in the North-authorized by some of our best writers-is similarly circumstanced. UNSNECK, to lift a latch; as of a door. UNSONCY, UNSONSY, careless, luckless, unpleasant, disagreeable. See SONCY. UPBRAID, to rise on the stomach, as well as to reproach. UPCASTING, a rising of the clouds above the horizon, especially as threatening rain. UPHAD, UPHAUD, to warrant against defects. Uphold. UPSIDES, quits. To be upsides with any one, is to threaten vengeance for an injury or affront. UPWITH, equal. V. VAMPER, to vapour or swagger, to make an ostentatious appearance. Welsh, gwemp, splendid. VARDIE, opinion, judgment. Perhaps a corruption of verdict. VARMENT, VERMENT, vermin-also a term of reproach, particularly to a child. VARRA, VARRY, VURRY, very. VENNEL, a sewer. Probably from kennel, an open water course. VENTERSOME, VENTURESOME, rash, adventurous. VERTER, a common corruption of virtue. VIEWLY, pleasant to the sight, striking to the eye, handsome. VINE-PENCIL, a black lead pencil. VIRGIN'S GARLAND. Many country churches in the North are adorned with these garlands; in token, says Bourne, of esteem and love, and as an emblem of reward in the heavenly Church. They are made of variegated coloured paper, representing flowers, fastened to small sticks crossing each other at the top, and fixed at the bottom by a circular hoop. From the centre is suspended the form of a woman's glove cut in white paper, on which the name and age of the deceased are sometimes written. To her sweet mem'ry flow'ry Garlands strung, VOKY, VOKEY, moist, juicy. Wokie occurs in Peirs Plough man. W. WABBLE, to move easily, to reel, to wave; as growing corn on a windy day. See WAFFLE. Ff "A wad pencil." "As blue as wad." WAD, black lead.-Cumb. Pure Saxon. would. Waden, Wauden, young and active—vigorous in limb. "A waden lad." WADLER-WIFE, the keeper of a register office for servants.— Newcastle. WAE ME! or WAE'S ME! an exclamation of sorrow, equivalent to woe is me. Sax. wa is me. WAFF, Waith, WRAITH, an apparition in the exact resemblance of a person, supposed to be seen just before or soon after death. It may be from the airy form of the object; a waft or transient view being called a waff; but see Jam. wraith. I have conversed with persons who have gravely and unequivocally asserted that they have seen these spectral appearances of their deceased friends and relations. WAFFLE, to wave, to fluctuate. Sax. wafian, vacillare. WAG, to beckon with the hand. "Let's wag on him." WAG-AT-THE-WAW, WAGGER, a cheap wooden German clock. Perhaps from the pendulum being exposed; or, provincially, seen wagging against the wall. WAGE, pay for service. only in the plural. WAIFINGER, an estray. Both Johnson and Nares say, used In the North, however, the singular "What's your wage?" Law Lat. waivium. WAIRSH, WEARSH, thin, watery, weak, insipid. It is also used to express a griping in the bowels. WAIT, Wot. Sax. wat, from witan. WAITER, WAATER, water. Sax. water. V. Todd's John. WAITER, OF WATER-BRASH, a disease in the stomach. Perhaps from the bursting or discharge of aqueous humour. WAITS, musicians who play by night in the streets about the time of Christmas and the new year; originally a townband of musicians. One of the old towers, in Newcastle, was formerly called the waits' tower, and was the place of their meeting. Their playing to Oliver Cromwell, while that extraordinary character was entertained at dinner, on his route to or from Scotland, is traditionally remembered. The term is apparently from Mo.-Got. wahts, vigilia, excubiæ; these waits being anciently viewed as a sort of watchmen. WAKE, v. to watch by a corpse, to sit up with a person all night. See LAKE-WAKE. WAKE, s. a country feast, a rural fair. V. Hutchinson's History of North. vol. ii. p. 26; and Brand's Pop. Antiq. vol. i. p. 422. Tarts and custards, creams and cakes, Are the junketts still at Wakes.-Herrick. WAKE, a. weak. Sax. wæc. A wakely body." Su.-Got. waelia, eligere. Germ. wahlen, to pick out.-Wale, s. choice. WALK-MILL, a fulling-mill. Germ. walkmuhle. Before the introduction of machinery it was customary to use the feet in fulling cloth. WALL, WALLE, to boil. Su.-Got. waella, æstuare, fervere.— WALM, a slight boiling. WALL-EYED. In those parts of the North, with which I am best acquainted, persons are said to be wall-eyed, when the white of the eye is very large, and to one side. On the borders, "sic folks" are considered unlucky. The term is also applied to horses with similar eyes. The author of the Crav. Gloss. explains wall-een, to mean white or green eyes; and does not consider the etymology very satisfactory, either in Nares or Todd. Their ideas certainly are at variance with the Northern signification of the word. Grose defines it, "an eye with little or no sight, all white like a plaistered wall.” WALLOP, to move quickly and with much agitation of the body or clothes. Teut. wal-oppe.-WALLOPING, a slatternly manner. WALLOW, insipid. See Welsh. WALLUP, v. to beat. " Aw'l wallup yah.”—WALLUP, s. a blow. WAME, WEAM, WEIME, the stomach, the belly. Mœ.-Got. wamba, uterus. Sax. wamb, venter. WAN, a corruption of wand. "A yard-wan."- "A mill-wan." WANDY, long and flexible; like a wand. WANG-TOOTH, dens molaris. Pure Sax. Before the use of seals in England, according to Verstegan, persons passing deeds bit the wax with the wang-tooth. WANKLE, WANKELLY, uncertain; as wankle or wankelly wea ther. Sax. wanel, instabilis, vacillans. Germ. wanken, to change. It also means, weak, loose. WAR, worse. Sax. wærra. A Spenserian word. and war"-worse and worse. WARBLE, a sort of worm in cattle. V. Jam. "War WAR-DAY, every day in the week except Sunday. Working day. Sunday and war-day.” WAR, beware. "War below." Sax. warian, cavere. WARE, v. to expend or lay out money; originally, perhaps, on wares. WARE, s. sea-weed. WARE, s. delf. Sax. war, alga marina. WARK, v. to ache. "Maw heed warks."-WARK, s. a pain or ache. "The belly wark." Sax. warc, dolor. |