Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland Part I.pdf/127

    a’ [â],, is the form of all, but is sometimes used in in a sense  from  (and ) and answering to the  allr; at an end; de tale or story is a’, the story is ended, complete. allr in sense of ended; finished; complete; sögan er öll, the tale is ended. — for a’, beyond recall; for good, = fyre ollu, för allo, fyri alla; he’s gane [‘gone’] for a’. —, just this minute, see *fer, — all- is found in in the and the neuter-form “” in *.   a-,, on, uponon, upon [sic]; á, for . as an independent word.   aba-knot, aber-knot,, see under , 5.  abadous,, see. abder,, see. aber [ābər],, 1) sharp; keen, of the edge of a cutting tool, a knife, a a. edge, a a. knife; , 2) with sharp outlines; clear and distinct; de land is very a. de day [‘to-day’], the land is very clear and distinct to-day (seen far off or from a distance); a a. sky, a sky with clouds which are in sharp contrast to the deep-blue in between, or: a clear deep-blue sky which is becoming overcast (harbinger of wind); ;, , 3) sharpsighted; keenly observant; watchful; vigilant; .  4) very bent on getting something; keenly desirous of something; greedy; a. aboot [‘about’] or for a thing; , de fish is a., the fish is swallowing the bait greedily . “de a. heart-cake”, a medicament to old superstitious belief; “heart-cake” (molten lead, poured into water) as a cure for excessive appetite in a child; a vessel with water, containing the molten lead in the shape of a heart, was put in a sieve and placed on the child’s head; ; for further details of the procedure in preparing a “heart-cake”, see under , (to de heart). “heart-cake” = h.-c. ( to and “feckless” h.-c. as a cure for lack of appetite). 5) magical; having supernatural power, in the “a. knot, a.-knot”, a magical knot, a slip-knot (knot composed of several hitches) used as a remedy or powerful agent. Such knots are (were) made a) on a so-called “wrestin-tread” [‘thread’] which is (was) bound round a sprained or dislocated limb and is (was) accompanied by a magic formula, b) on a fishing hand-line or long-line when the end of it chances (chanced) to stick fast to the sea-bottom, c) on a rope which is tied round the body of a sick animal ( that of a sick cow). Sometimes “de a. knot” was employed also of the eagle-knot, de knot (hitches which were 1
 * hit [‘it’] is a’, it is finished;
 * o- in,  o- in