Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

Barbe, a kind of veil. Barber-monger, one who consorts with barbers, a low fellow.

Barm, yeast; used in the midlaud counties, and in Ireland and Scotland.

Barnacles, a kind of shell-fish, growing on the bottom of ships. Barne, a child. Barrfull, full of impediments. Bases, a kind of loose breeches. Basta, 'tis enough. Bate, strife or contention. Batlet, the instrument with which washers beat their coarse clothes. Batten, to grow fat. Bavin, brushwood, which, fired, burns fiercely, but is soon out.

Bawcock, perhaps from beau and coq, a jolly cock, or cock of the game.

Bay curtal, a bay docked horse. Bay windows, bow window Beadsmen, chaplains, or persons maintained by charity to pray for their benefactor. Bear a brain, to have a perfect remembrance.

Beck, a salutation made with
the head in the North, it
means curtsying.
Becomed, becoming.
Behests, commands.
Behowl, to howl at.

Beldame, ancient mother.
Be-lee'd, becalmed.
Belongings, endowments.
Be-mete, bemeasure.
Bemoiled, bedraggled, be-
mired.
Besmirch, to foul or dirty.

Bestraught, distracted:

give or bestow, or to permit, deign, or suffer. Bevy, a company, or number, originally applied to larks. Bewray, betray, discover. Bezonian, a term of reproach; from bisognoso, a needy per

[blocks in formation]

Bilberry, the whurtle-berry. Bilbo, a Spanish blade, flexible and elastic; the bestof which are made at Bilboa.

Bilboes, a bar of iron, with fetters annexed to it, by which mutinous sailors were anciently linked together; derived rived fron from Bilboa, which was famous for the manufacture of instruments of steel. The bilboes may be seen in the Tower of London, among the spoils of the Spanish armada. Bill, articles of accusation. Bill, the old weapon of English infantry, still used by the watchmen in some towns.

[blocks in formation]

Blank, i. e. of the eye, the white, or the white mark at which arrows are discharged. Blank and level, mark and aim, terms of gunnery. Blaze, i. e. of youth, the spring of early life. Blench, to to start off, to fly off. Blent, blended, mixed together.

Blind-worms, the Cæcilia, or slow-worm.

Block, the thing on which a hat is formed.

Blurted, or blurt, an expres-
sion of contempt.
Bobbed, fooled out of, cheated.
Bodge, to botch, or to budge.
Boitier, a box to hold salve, or
simples.
Bolds, emboldens.
Boltered, bedaubed, begrimed.
Bolting-hutch, a wooden re-
ceptacle into which the meal
is bolted.

Bombard, a barrel.
Bona-robas, ladies of pleasure.
Bores, stabs, or wounds.
Borne in hand, deceived, im-
posed upon.

Bosky, woody; bosky acres are fields divided by hedge-rows; from boscus and bosquet. Bots, worms in the stomach of a horse. A bots light upon, an imprecation.

Bottled spider, a large bloated,

glossy spider. Boulted, sifted, or refined. Bourn, boundary, or rivulet

dividing land. Bow, yoke. Bower, chamber.

Bowlins, or bowlines, ropes by which the sails of a ship are governed when the wind is unfavourable.

Bowling, or the smoothness of a bowling-green. Bowstrings, i. e. hold or cut, at all events.

Brace, the armour for the arm: warlike brace, state of defence.

Brach, a kind of hound; or used as a term of contempt.

Brack, to salt. Braid, crafty or deceitful. Brain's flow, tears. Brake, an instrument of torture, or a thicket or furzebush.

Brands, a part of the andirons, on which the wood for the fire was supported. Brasier, a manufacturer in brass, or a reservoir for charcoal.

Brave, to make fine; bravery was the old term for elegance of dress.

Bravely, splendidly, or gallantly.

Bravery, finery.
Brawl, a kind of dance.

Braying, an epithet applied to

the sound of the trumpet, harsh, grating. Break, to begin. Break up, to carve.

Break with, to break the mat

[blocks in formation]

Breeching, liable to school discipline.

Bribe-buck, a buck sent for a bribe.

Bridal, a nuptial feast; a word yet used in the North. Brief, a short account, a contract hastily performed.Now-born brief, is the breve originale of the feudal times. Bring, attend or accompany. Bring out, bring forth. Brize, the gad, or horse-tly. Broach, to put on the spit, to transfix. Brock, the badger. Brogues, a kind of shoes. Broken, communicated. Broken mouth, a mouth that has lost part of its teeth. Broken tears, tears which are interrupted.

Broker, a matchmaker, a pro

curess.

Broker, deals as a broker. Brooch, a trinket with a pin fixed to it.

Brooched, adorned.
Brought, attended.
Brow, i. e. of youth, the height
of youth.

Brown bill, a kind of battle-axe
affixed to a stick.
Brownist, a follower of Brown,
a sectarian.

Bruising irons, an allusion to

the ancient mace. Bruit, noise, or report. Brush, i. e. of time, decay by time.

[pressure.

Buckle, to bend, or yield to
Bug, bugbear.
Bugle, hunting-horn.
Bulk, body.

Bumbard, a large vessel for

holding drink.
Bung, a cut-purse.
Bunting, the name of a bird.
Burgonet, a helmet.

Burst, to break, or broken.
Busky, woody.
Butt-shaft, an arrow to shoot
at butts with.

Buxom, under good command, obedient.

Caddis-garter, a kind of wor

sted garter. Caddises, worsted lace. Cade, a barrel.

Cadent, falling.

Cage, a prison. Cain-coloured, yellow; Cain was represented of that colour in old pictures.

Caitiff, a prisoner, slave, or scoundrel.

Calculate, to foretell or pro-
phesy.
Caliver, a light kind of musket.
bad woman,
Callet, a woman, or witch.

Calling, appellation.
Camelot, a place where king
Arthur is supposed to have
kept his court.

Canaries, the name of a brisk,

light dance.

Canker, the canker-rose, dog-
rose, or hip.
Canstick, candlestick.
Cantle, a corner, or piece of

any thing. Cantons, used for cantos. Canvas-climber, one who climbs the mast to furl the canvas, a ship-boy.

Capped, saluted by taking off the cap. Capable impressure, hollow mark.

Capocchia, asot, or dull, heavy gull, from the Italian capocchio.

Capricious, lascivious.
Captious, for capacious.

Carack, a vessel of great bulk.
Caracts, characters.

Carbonado, a piece of meat cut

crossways for the Card, sea-chart. Carded, mixed.

gridiron.

Carieres, i. e. to pass the ca

[blocks in formation]

Cess, measure, tax, or subsidy. Chaliced, i. e. flowers, with cups, from calix. Challenge, law-term, the right of refusing a juryman. Chamber, London was anciently called the king's chamber. a piece of ordnance.

military phrase.

Chamber, a

common

rieres,
Means that the
bounds of good behaviour

were overpassed.

Carkanet, a kind of necklace

or chain.

Carl, clown, husbandman. Carlot, a peasant orchurl; from

carl.

one

Carnal, sanguinary. Carowses, drinks. Carpet knight, a term of reproach, spoken of knighted in time of peace, and on a carpet, on some festive occasion. Carriage, import. Case, skin, outside. Case of lives, a set of lives, or pair of any thing.

Chamberers, men of intrigue. Changeling, a child substituted for one stolen.

[thedral Channel, kennel. Chantry, little chapel in a caCharacter, hand-writing. Characts, characters. Charactery, the matter of which characters are made. Chares, task-work. Charge-house, free-school. Chariest, from chary, the most cautious. Chariness, caution. Charles-wain, vulgar name for the constellation called the Bear.

Charneco, a kind of sweet wine. Chases, a term in tennis.

Chaudron, entrails. Cheater, for escheatour, an officer in the Exchequer. Check, command, control. Cheer, countenance. Cherry-pit, pitching cherrystones into a little hole. Cheveril, kid-skin softleather. Chewet, or chuet, a pie, a noisy, chattering bird, or a fat pud ding. Chide, resound, reecho. Child, sometimes applied to knights and heroes. Childing, pregnant. Choppine, a high shoe or clog. Chopping, jabbering, talking glibly.

Chough, a bird of the jackdaw kind.

Christom, or chrisom, a chris-
tened child.

Chrystals, eyes. [dearment.
Chuck, chicken, a term of en-
Chuffs, rich, avaricious people.
Circummured, walled round.
Circumstance, circumlocution.
Circumstanced, treated

ac

cording to circumstances. Cital, recital. Clack-dish, a beggar's dish. Clamour, when bells are at the height, in order to cease them the repetition of the strokes becomes much quicker than before, which is called clamouring them

Clap in, fall to.

Cockshut-time, twilight. Cockle, a weed which grows up with corn.

Cockled, like the fish called a cockle.

Cockle-hat, cockle-shell hat, such as pilgrims wore. Cockney, a well-known term of reproach. Codding, amorous. Codpiece, a piece of dress. Coffin, an

ancient term for the

raised crust of a pie. Cog, to falsify the dice, to lie. Cogging, lying.

Coigne of vantage, convenient

corner.

Coignes, corners.
Coil, bustle, stir.
Collection, consequence or co-
rollary.

Collied, black, smutted with
coal, discoloured.
Collier, a term of reproach,
from the impositions of coal-
dealers.

Comart, a bargain.
Combrinate, betrothed.
Comforting, abetting.
Commend, commit.
Committed, lain with.
Commodity, self-interest.
Commonty, a comedy.
Companies, companions.
Compassed, round.
Composture, composition.
C'oncupy, cant word from,
concupiscence.

Clapped i' the clout, hit the Conduct, conductor.

white mark.

Claw, to flatter.

Clean kam, awry.

Clearest, purest.
Clepe, to call.

Clerkly, like a scholar.

Cling, to dry or shrink up.
Clinquant, glittering, shining.
Clipt, twined around, em-
braced.

Clout, the white mark at which
archers took their aim.
archer
Clouted, strengthened with
clout, or hobnails.
Clutch, to clasp, or grasp.
Coasting, conciliating, invit-
ing.

Cob-loaf, a crusty, uneven, gib-
bous-loaf.

Cock and pye, a popular adjuration.

Coney-catched,
cheated.

Conject, conjecture.

deceived,

Consent, used sometimes for will.

Continent, that which contains or encloses.

Contraction, marriage, con

tract.

Control, confute.
Convents, agrees, is
Convented, summoned.
Convertite, a convert.
Convey, steal, conveyance,
theft.

8, agrees, is convenient.

Conveyers, thieves.
Conveyed himself, derived his
title.

Convicted, overpowered, baf-
fled, destroyed.
Convive, to feast.

Copatain hat, a hat with a conical crown.

Copped, rising to a top or head.
Coragio, an exclamation of en-
couragement.
Corky, dry, or withered.
Corollary, surplus, one more

than enough.
Corporal, corporeal.
Corrigible, corrected.
Costard, a head.

Coster-monger, a dealer in costers, or costards, a kind of apples. Cote, to overtake. Couch, to lie with. Counter-caster, one who reckons by counters. Countercheck, an old term in the game of chess. Counterfeit, sometimes used for a portrait. Counterpoints, counterpanes. County, ancient term for a nobleman. Courser's-hair, alluding to the notion that the hair of a horse, dropt into a corrupted water, will turn to an animal. Courses, the mainsail and fore sail.

Court-cupboard, sideboard. Cowed, restrained, or made cowardly.

Cower, to sink by bending the hams.

Cowlstaff, a staff for carrying a large tub or basket with two handles.

[ly. Coyed, condescended reluctantCoystril, a coward cock, a paltry fellow.

Cozier, a tailor, from cousu; or a cobbler, or sowter.

Crack, a child.

Crack of doom, dissolution of

nature.

Cranking, crankling, applied to the rush of a river.

Cranks, windings. Crare, a small trading vessel. Crash, to be merry over. Craven, a degenerate, dispirited cock. Cowardly, to make cowardly.

Credent, creditable, probable. Cressets, a light set upon a beacon, from from croissette. Crisp, carling, winding; or for crypt, vaulted.

Crone, old worn-out woman.
Cross-gartered, an article of
puritanical dress.
Crow-keeper, a scare-crow.
Crownet, last purpose.
Cruel, worsted. Lear, applied
to garters.
Crush, to drink.
Crusado, a Portuguese coin.
Cry, a pack or troop.
Cub-drawn, i. e. bear,

one

whose dugs are drawn drawn dry. dry. Cuisses, armour for the thighs, cuisses, Fr. Cunning, knowing, skilfal, in a good meaning. Curb, to bend and truckle, from courber. Curled, ostentatiously dressed. Curious, scrupulous. Currents, occurrences. Curst, shrewd, mischievous. Curtail-dog, one which misses the game. Curtle axe, a cutlass, broadsword.

Customer, a common woman. Oth. &c. or one who visits such. Cut, horse. Cut and long tail, a phrase from dogs, poor or rich.

Cuttle, a knife used by sharpers.

Daff, or Doff, to put off.
Damn, condemn.
Dank, wet, rotten.
Darkling, in the dark.
Darraign, range, put in order.
Dauberry, counterfeit, dis-
guise.
Day-bed, a couch.
Dealt, fought by proxy.
Dear, sometimes means imme-
diate, consequential.
Dearn, direful, lone, solitary.
Deboshed, debauched.
Dock, of cards, a pack.
Decked, sprinkled.
Decline, as in grammar, to run
through from first to last.
Deem, opinion, surmise.
Default (in the), at need.
Defeat, to free, to disembarrass.
Defeature, alteration of fea-

tures. Defence, the art of fencing. Deftly, adroitly, dexterously. Delighted, spirit, accustomed to delight.

« FöregåendeFortsätt »