will not say "made out," in Tod's Johnson. Chaucer has span-new, as—

"This tale was aie span-new to beginne."

SPILL, a quantity. There was a good spill of apples this year. (Hallamshire Glossary.) In New England they use spell, though not exactly in the same way, yet approaching it: we shall have a long spell of bad weather; he was confined to the house a spell; he had a bad spell of sickness. Whence it comes, we know not. There is a Dutch and German word, spil, and spiel, a game; also, a Dutch word, spell, a pivot or hinge; but this meaning is not analagous to that we give the word. Spill and spell appear the same in origin.

SPLASH. This word, besides being used for throwing

water about, dirty water too, in some places has a more superb application. To cut a splash, was formerly said of one who, by dress or equipage, endeavored to make himself very eminent. To cut a dash, is a synonym. We took it from our English ancestors of Hampshire and Sussex.

SPREE, sport, merriment, a frolic.

(Brockett.) This

has some slight existence among us. It was imported with "Tom and Jerry," and is continued by the patrons of that firm.

SPREY, spruce, ingenious. Grose takes this from the Exmoor Dialect. Jennings defines it nimble, active, which is the common and only way in which it is used in New England. "Come, be spry," a Yankee will

He was

say to one whom he wishes to urge to haste. the "spriest chap ever I see," means one who could run or leap, or was in other ways more than usually active.

SPUNK, mettle, spirit, vivacity. (Brockett.) This and spunky are both in common use in the sense of spirit and spirited. Forby defines spunky, brisk, mettle

some.

SQUAT. To bruise, or make flat by letting fall; said by Grose to be used in the South of England. It is frequent in New England, though not confined to a thing let fall; as, his hat was all squat in; his trunk was squat in; in the sense of pressed upon. An old word. Moor gives squat, as meaning to settle; in Suffolk, a squatter is, then, a settler; but we, though no doubt taking the word from that county, always use it in a bad sense. Its meaning with us is, to occupy another's land.

SQUIRM. To wriggle and twist about briskly, after the manner of an eel; it is usually spoken of that fish. We have extended the application of this word, which Grose mentions as peculiar to the South of England. The signification includes the one above, though modified by circumstances. We do not say an cel, or any other animal, squirms, (for we apply it to all living things,) unless we mean also in agony. See that poor creature squirming; or, how it squirms, would mean that it was writhing in torture. To a movement brisk and lively with pleasure, I have never heard it applied.

STALLED. An animal is said to be stalled, who sticks in the mud. Marshall has it as a word in use in the Midland Counties, but I find it nowhere else. It is frequent here.

STAND. Forby defines this, to behoove, to concern, to interest; as, "it stands you in hand to look to that." This may be heard in New England, and also the Yankee expression, such a thing will stand you in so much, meaning that it will cost him a certain sum. STANG, a long bar; a wooden pole. (Brockett.) Riding. the stang, a punishment among the vulgar. From the account given by this gentleman, this punishment is the same as one known in New England as riding the rail; it also seems to be applied to the same cases. These are generally of a nature which the law could not reach; very offensive to the morals of small communities, though practiced in large ones without notice or rebuke. The word stang, I have never heard. Riding the rail was lately applied to a captain of militia, in Kensington, by his men, for appearing on parade intoxicated.

STARK, stiff, rigid. Used for the state of the body after excessive fatigue; also as a superlative, as stark blind. (Hallamshire Glossary.) As a superlative, in the expression, stark staring mad, I have heard this word very often, but in no other way.

STEEPLE. Invariably means a spire. (Jennings.) I have seldom heard the word spire in this country, and in England I never heard steeple. The steeple of the meeting-house, is universal in New England. A

แ

steeple chase" shows that the word is known in England.

STEW. In a sad stew, in a state of great perplexity. (Brockett.) Common here, in this sense. STONE-DEAD, for quite dead; dead as a stone. (Britton.) A word in frequent use among us. STOOP, or STOWP, a post, fastened in the earth.

(Brock

ett.) In Pennsylvania, a stoop is a porch with a bench on each side, where the summer evenings may be passed in smoking and talking at will. It was brought here from Holland or Germany.

STORE. It is rather strange that the way in which the word is sometimes used in New England is not given in any of the glossaries. We say, everywhere in this country, a store instead of a shop, the only word employed in England; but they also say, in New England, "I set no store by it," i.e. I do not value it. An expression, to tell no store, may be found in Chaucer, of precisely a similar meaning to that of New England. Tod's Johnson, generally so full, has not noticed it. Holloway has stoar, value, used in the North of England. Cromwell uses the word in one of his letters: "A great store of great artillery." STRAPPING TALL, STRAPPER, a large man or woman. (Brockett.) Both are common here. He's a strapping big fellow, and, what a strapper, are frequent. STRIPPER. Applied here to cows nearly dry. A word, of the same meaning and origin, strapper, is used in the North of England.

STUB. He stubbed his foot. I know of no authority

for this. In the sense of short and thick, we have it still, from old authority:

"Than Margery Mylkeducke

Her hyrtill did up take,

An ynche above her kne,

Her legges that ye myght se;

But they were sturdy and stubbed."-SKELTON.

STY. A troublesome and painful swelling on the eyelid. (Brockett.) This disease, and the mode of cure mentioned by Brockett, are both well known in New England. He says that a wedding-ring must be applied to it, and repeated nine times. Excepting this last condition, of which I remember nothing, the rest was always recommended.

SURE AS A GUN, absolutely certain. (Brockett.) A common colloquial comparison.

SWAP.

Several authorities can be found for this word,

and in the same sense in which we use it.

Soft, I'll not swop my father for all this.

SWEY, to poise, to swing.

LILLY'S MOTHER BOMBIE.

(Brockett.) To swey from side to side, as a carriage or chaise, is a frequent

phrase.

SWINGLE-TREE. A movable piece of wood, to which the

traces of husbandry-horses are fastened. (Brockett.) We use it also for the pieces of wood to which the traces are fastened to carriages. Jamison derives it from a Teutonic word, swinghel en, to move backward and forward.

SMOUCH, to salute. An old word. (Brockett.) "Salute"