WOMMEL, Or WUMBLE, an auger. From wimble. WON, WUN, to dwell, to haunt or frequent. Not obsolete, as stated by Ash; being common in Cumb. and Lanc. Sax. wonian, wunian. Teut. woonen, habitare. Cornish, won nen, to stay, to tarry. Woo, wool. A common pronunciation in many places. WORD. To take one's word again, to retract, to change one's mind. WORM, a serpent of great magnitude, a hideous monster in the shape of a worm or dragon. Popular tradition has handed down to us, through successive generations, with very little variation, the most romantic details of the ravages committed by these all devouring worms, and of the valour and chivalry displayed by their destroyers. Without attempting to account for the origin of such tales, or pretending in any manner, to vouch for the matters of fact contained in them, it cannot be disguised, that many of the inhabitants of the County of Durham in particular, still implicitly believe in these ancient superstitions. The Worm of Lambton is a family legend, the authenticity of which they will not allow to be questioned. Various adventures and supernatural incidents have been transmitted from father to son, illustrating the devastation occasioned, and the miseries inflicted by the monster-and marking the self-devotion of the Knight of the Lambton family, through whose intrepidity the worm was eventually destroyed.But the lapse of centuries has so completely enveloped in obscurity the particular details, that it is impossible to give a narration which could in any degree be considered as complete. The story related in the recent, splendid, and elaborate History of Durham is incorrect in many particulars. Those parts which allude to the profane fishing on a Sunday, and the consequences resulting from it, are mere modern disfigurements of the original tradition, utterly at variance with the state of the times-amusements on the Sabbath, in those days, when Catholicism prevailed, not being regarded as an act of profaneness. A conical hill is still shewn on the banks of the Wear, about two miles from Lambton, which from time immemorial has been called the Worm Hill, and round which the serpent is said to have coiled itself. WORMIT, Worm-wood, The wormit-hill, in High Friar Chare, Newcastle; now removed. WORRY, to eat voraciously, to choak, to suffocate. V. Ray. Wou, the worst kind of swipes. "That's sorry wou-real rot gut." The word is also applied to weak tea, or any very worthless liquor. "Farthing wou.” WRACK, OF WRACKRIDER, another name for the same species of trout as the brandling, which see. It is faintly barred or branded down the sides. WRANG, Wrong. Pure Saxon.-WRANGSLY, falsely. WRECKLING, an unhealthy feeble child-the youngest or weakest of the breed among animals-the smallest bird in the nest-any ill-grown creature. See DoWPY. WRIDDEN, or Wreeden, cross, ill-natured; applied in particular to children. WROUT, to bore, to dig up like a hog. Sax. wrotan, subigere. Chaucer has wrote. WUD, with.—Cumb. "God be wud her"-God rest her soul. WYE, well, yes.—WYE—WYE, very well; yes, yes. A common expression of assent. Fr. oui. WYLECOAT, an under-vest; generally of flannel. WYLLEMENT, or WULLEMENT, a pale, sickly looking person. Y. YAD, YAWD, a worn out cart horse—an old mare. Jade. YAITINGS, YEATINGS, single sheaves of corn; especially of oats. YAITS, YETS, oats. "A poke o' yets." See the last article. YAMMER, to complain, to whine. Germ. jammern.-YAMMERING, making a continual noise; such as proceeds from contentious women, or from fretful and peevish children. The word, indeed, stands for a very complex idea, into which enters a combination of habitual fretfulness, discontent, brawling, and anger. Come, dinna, dinna whinge an' whipe, Like yammering Isbel Macky. Song, Bob Cranky's Adieu. YAN, YEN, One.-YANCE, YENCE, once. YANSELL, YENSELL, one's self. YAP, apt, quick. Sax. gep, astutus. In Peirs Ploughman I find yep, which Dr. Whitaker considers of the same origin, and explains in the sense of alert and vigorous. YAP, YEP, an opprobrious epithet. "A twea-faced yep.""Had yor tongue yah yep.” YARK, or YERK, to wrench or twist forcibly. YARK, to beat soundly. Isl. hreckia, pulsare. A favourite word among the vulgar. "Aw'l yark yah, yah dirty bastard yah; aw've had mair fash wah yee nor a' the bairns aw ever had, in aw me life; there's ne sic thing as leeving for yah !" YAUPING, crying, lamenting. Teut. galpen, gannire instar vulpis. Kilian. YEATHER, a flexible twig used for binding hedges. YEBLINS, YEABLESEA, YEBBLESEE, perhaps. See ABLINS. YELP, to cry out in a loud manner; as it were like a dog.— YELPING, shouting. YEARTH, YEORTH, a common pronunciation of earth. YERNING, rennet. Germ. gerinnen, to coagulate. A plant used in North Tindale to curdle milk for cheese is called yerning grass. See KESLIP. YET, YETE, YAT, a gate. Both Chaucer and Spenser use yate.-YET-STOOP, a gate post. YETLING, a small pan or boiler. So called, I suppose, from being made of cast metal. V. Jam. yetland. YEUK, v. to itch. Dut. jeuken.-YEUK, s. a cutaneous disease -jocosely denominated the plague of Scotland. YISSERDAY, yesterday.-YISSERNEET, yesternight. YOR, your.-YOR-SELL, yourself. You, Yowe, a ewe. Sex. eowe, ovis fœmina. YOUL, YOWL, to cry, to howl. Isl. gola, ululare. YOUNGSTER, a novitiate in any thing. YOUTH, in the sense of vigorous age. "He's a fine old youth.” YURE, the udder of a cow. Dut. uijer. YULE, YULL, the festival of Christmas-the winter solstice of the Northern nations. V. Ihre, jul.-Jam. yule-and Brand's Pop. Antiq. vol. i. p. 364. YULE-CLOG, or YULL-CLOG, a large block or log of wood laid on the fire on Christmas Eve; and, if possible, kept burning all the following day, or longer. A portion of the old clog of the preceding year is sometimes saved to light up the new block at the next Christmas, and to preserve the family from harm in the mean time. Many, otherwise sensible, persons, though ashamed to admit their belief in these ridiculous notions, would be uncomfortable, did they entirely neglect them. Come bring, with a noise, My merrie, merrie boys, The Christmas Log to the firing; While my good Dame she Bids ye all be free, And drink to your heart's desiring. Herrick, Ceremonies for Christmasse. Part must be kept wherewith to teend, Herrick, Ceremonies for Candlemasse Day. YULE-DOUGH, or YULL-DOO, a little image of paste, studded with currants; baked for children at Christmas; intended originally, perhaps, for a figure of the Child Jesus, with the Virgin Mary. V. Ihre, julbrod-and Brand's Pop. Antiq. vol. i. p. 410. THE END. |