Page:Lancashire Legends, Traditions, Pageants, Sports, Etc., with an Appendix Containing a Rare Tract.djvu/235

 Rascots i' th' ward ar' as thick as wasps in a hummobee neest. As thrunk as Throp's wife, when she hang'd hersel' in th' dish-cloot. As cross as an ex [the letter x]. Hoo keck'd as stiff as if hoo'd swallud a poker. As droy as soot. As fat as a snig, as smoot as a mowdywarp, an as plain as a pike-staff. As gaunt as a grewant [greyhound]. As mute and modest as mowdywarps.

As stiff as a gablock [crowbar]. As gawmless as a goose. As hongry as a rotton. Me throttle's as dry as a kex [gex = gewse = Long saxifrage]. It'd weeary a grooin tree. He skens [squints] ill enough to crack a lookin'-glass welly. He's as feaw [ugly] as an empty pot ole o'er beside bein as dirty as Thump o' Dolly's 'at deed wi bein wesht. He stares like a tarrier-dog uts watchin a ratton. Aw've no moor use for a book nor a duck has for a umbrell. Aw'st keep comin ogeean, yo may depend;—like Clegg Ho' boggart. As rich as Cheetham o' Castleton. They swore like hoss-swappers.