Page:Glossary of words in use in Cornwall.djvu/139

 Vm ANTRIM AND DOWN GLOSSARY. already found a place in Jamieson's dictionary, and in the yarious glossaries already printed by the English Dialect Society. The forms of the words may vary somewhat, because they naturally underwent changes consequent upon the lapse of time since their introduction to an alien soiL In many cases it was a difficulty how to spell the words, because I only had them as sounded, and the difficulty was increased when I frequently found that the same word was pronounced in two or more ways by different persons, either natives of different districts, or persons whose mode of speaking had been influenced by different surroundings or by more or less of education. In some districts in the east of the two counties the people still talk a Scotch dialect, but with a modified Scotch accent ; the old people talk more ' broadly ' than the young. Owing to the spread of well-managed schools the. Scotch accent and the dialect words are passing away« Some of the words in the accompanying Glossary are now obsolete, and doubtless in a few years a much greater number will have become so. I hare not attempted to collect the proverbs that are in use here, but so far as I know they are much the same as those used in other parts of these countries. There are in use many phrases of comparison, of which the following are examples : — ' As big as I don't know what,' a vague comparison. ' As black as Toal's cloak.' < As broad as a griddle.' ' As busy as a nailor.' ' As close as a wilk ' (t. e, a periwinkle) : applied to a very reticent person. ' As coarse as bean-straw.' ' As coarse as praity-oaten.' very low extraction. ' As common as potatoes.' ' As could as charity.' ' As cross as two sticks.' ' As dry as a bone.'
 * As black as Toby.'
 * As blunt as a beetle ' (t. e, a wooden pounder).
 * As clean as a new pin.'
 * As common as dish water,' very common : applied to a person of
 * As crooked as a ram's horn.'
 * As crooked as the hind leg of a dog.'