Page:Studies in Lowland Scots - Colville - 1909.djvu/213

Rh Irishman's "Tridd on the tail of me coat," seems to preserve the custom. Curiously the Kelso March market is to this day known as the Bull Ring. The homely "coo-lickt," for hair that would part only in one place, is familiar in Teviotdale. The Cumberland euphemism for an illegitimate, "cum by chance," the Borderer applies, as "come o' wills," to potatoes left in the field and growing up in the following year. His "hick nor ree," said to a cart horse as a guide to left or right, is the Border phrase, "neither hup nor hie," or neither right nor left. Another farm variant is rig-welted, said of a sheep lying on its back and unable to get up, and so the Scottish awal. It is formed of rig, the back, and welter, to roll.

Weather-lore has always been in great favour with the rural wise. "Morland fleud ne'er did good," refers to the damage done in a hilly district by Lammas spates and the bursting of water-spouts. All along the foot of the Ochils widespread havoc has been caused in this way. On 4th October 1775 the Tyne at Haddington rose seventeen feet. But the record flood is the memorable one that Sir Thomas Dick Lauder described so well. One can still, on crossing the new bridge at Forres, note the almost incredible height to which the Findhorn suddenly rose in 1829. Any abnormal summer, or want of it, has aired much weather-lore such as this,—

The Cumberland glossary says that hoddenly is frequently, continuously, without interruption: "He's hoddenly been a good husband to me." Hodden, sair hodden, in straits to accomplish a task: "Ah was hard hodden to keep mi tongue atween mi teeth an' keep frae tellin' mi mind." This reminds one of Scott's fool, who had little to complain of as fetch-and-carry for the farm toon, save that he was "sair hodden doon wi' the bubbly Jock."