A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words: Obsolete Phrases, Proverbs, and Ancient Customs, from the Fourteenth Century, Volume 2Gibbings & Company, 1901 - English language |
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Common terms and phrases
Antiq applied Arthour and Merlin Ashmole 61 beat Ben Jonson called cant term Cantab Chaucer Chesh Chron Claud cloth Coll common corn Cornw Cotgrave Cott Cumb Cursor Cursor Mundi dede Derb Devon dial Dorset East Exmoor fellow Florio Forby Gawayne Glouc gode Gower gret grete Grose Gy of Warwike Hampole Harl hath Hearne Hence herb Heref herte Hollyband's Dictionarie horse Kennett Kent kind knyghte kyng l'ar Lanc Lansd Linc Lincoln Lond Lord Lydgate Morte Arthure Myst noghte Nominale Norf North Northumb occurs Oxon Palsgrave Parv Perceval person phrase piece Piers Ploughman play Poems Reliq round Salop schalle sche seyde Shak shal Somerset sone South stone Suffolk Sussex Taylor's thay ther thou thow thyng Topsell's Trin tyme Vespas Vilodun Warw wele West Wilts wolde wood word wylle wyth Yorksh
Popular passages
Page 864 - Tis that by which the sun and moon, At their own weapons, are outdone : That makes knights-errant fall in trances, And lay about 'em in romances : Tis virtue, wit, and worth, and all That men divine and sacred call : For what is worth in any thing, But so much money as 'twill bring...
Page 566 - SPARROW. A cruel sport practised at wakes and fairs, in the following manner: A cock sparrow whose wings are clipped, is put into the crown of a hat; a man having his arms tied behind him, attempts to bite off the sparrow's head, but is generally obliged to desist, by the many pecks and pinches he receives from the enraged bird.
Page 739 - Shrove Tuesday, at whose entrance in the morning all the whole kingdom is inquiet ; but by that time the clocke strikes eleven, which (by the help of a knavish sexton) is commonly before nine, then there is a bell rung, cal'd the pancake bell, the sound whereof makes thousands of people distracted, and forgetful either of manners or humanitie...
Page 664 - If we suppose (which appears to me very probable) that the stanzas were written one after another on a roll of parchment, that to each stanza a string was attached at the side, with a seal or piece of metal or wood at the end, and that, when used, the parchment was rolled up, with all the strings and their seals hanging together so that the drawer had no reason for choosing one more than another, but drew one of the strings by mere chance, on which the roll was opened to see on what stanza he had...
Page 872 - A thurs-house or thursehole, a hollow vault in a rock or stony hill that serves for a dwelling-house to a poor family, of which there is one at Alveton, and another near Wettonmill, coin.
Page 577 - Anticipating her kindness, he will travel ten or twelve miles over hills, bogs, moors, and mosses, undiscouraged by the length of the road, the darkness of the night, or the intemperature of the weather ; on reaching her habitation, he gives a gentle tap at the window of her chamber, at which signal she immediately rises, dresses herself, and proceeds with all possible silence to the door, which she gently opens, lest a creaking hinge or a barking dog should awaken the family. On his entrance into...
Page 684 - Clyft or ryfte," Pr. Parv. p. 81. (4) A pole, or staff. RIFTER. (1) A blow on the ribs. (2) Rotten wood powdered. Devon. RIG. (1) A ridge or elevated part in a ploughed field, upon which the sheaves of corn are arranged after being cut and bound up in harvest. North and East. See Warton's Hist. Eng. Poet. ed. 1840, ii. 484 ; and Sherwen's Introduction to an Examination, 1809, p. 11. A pair of ribbed stockings arc yet said to be knit or woven in rigs and furrows.
Page 647 - Winchard is he, that when his hose is broken and hange out at his shoes, he will put them into his shooes againe with a stick, but he wyll not amend them. This is a slouthfull knaue, that had leauer go lyke a begger then cleanly.
Page 877 - Morte Arthure, MS. Lincoln, f. 94. TISS. To hiss. Someriet. TISSICK. Atickling faint cough. East. TISSUE. A riband. (A.-N.) TISTY-TOSTY. (1) The blossoms of cowslips collected together, tied in a globular form, and used to toss to and fro for an amusement called tisty-tosty. It is sometimes called simply a tosty.
Page 620 - A pickadil is that round hem, or the several divisions set together, about the skirt of a garment, or other thing. Also a kind of stiff collar, made in fashion of a band.