Page:Studies in Lowland Scots - Colville - 1909.djvu/116

92 hae a misfortune," "to think shame," "to mind it weel," "to pou' a flower," "to stay at a place." In the use of particles with verbs Scots is strongly Germanic, as cast up, a kick-up, tak on (run up an account), tackin in, up-tack, intack, oncast, oncost. A logical habit comes out in the use of "argue" for goes to prove, as "A hang-dug glower argues a man either a thief or an ill-set scoondrel." The wrangling of the causeyhead lives in "argie bargie." Odd uses from the English point of view are to cry on a man to arrest his attention, "gie him a cry in the passin'"; to challenge or call in question, with its synonym to quarrel; to tell for to bid or order, to turn sick, to weary alone, to think shame. My watch is behind, to play cards, What o'clock will it be? Mrs. Calderwood (1758) uses one of the above words, quarrel, in characteristic fashion thus: "Lady Nell bought a gown and quareled wi' the talior (Fr. tailleur) that made it. Capt. Dalrymple bought some cravats and quareled wi' the woman that made them, and she scolded him like a tinkler."

The Scot is credited with Doric reticence, but on occasion he protests too much, as in "There's no matter" for no matter, "He was in use" for he used to, "I'm hopeful that" for I hope, a four-square table for a square table. Even in the formation of words he errs by excess, as mishanter for mischance, residenter for resident. At times there is method in his excess. Tinkler and kittlen seem to carry more than tinker and kitten. On the other hand, he takes a short cut in inconvene, slippy under influence of the German suffix ig, necessar, ordinar, expiry for the clumsy expiration.

Metaphorical epithets offer another characteristic feature as a coarse day, dull o' hearin', fresh weather, a windy (boastful) body, chancy for risky. But even matters of fact are not put in the English way, witness cripple for lame, failed for debilitated, frail for feeble in health and its opposite, stout, an inward (internal) trouble, hard fish, sweet butter, roasted cheese, butter and bread, fork and knife. Some of the commonest words become in the North traps for the unwary Englishman. Thus his fog is moss, and a pig in a bed is very different from a pig in a poke. Sidelights again on social history are thrown by special uses, for