"CRAVE = to claim, or lay claim to. Miss F-farmer's sister at Fernworthy (pronounced "Venery"), was angry, because someone else took a seat which had always been 'craved' by her family (repeatedly so used). Miss F's age might be anything from 30 to 50.-April, 1885. W. H. M." This use of the word is very common throughout West Somerset and North Devon.

"Mr. So-and-so crav'th all the river." "Crav'th a ploughpath right vore dru thick field." Crav'th the shuttin' all over the hill," &c.

"CRIPPLESHIP. Mrs. D——, of Bridestowe, aged 86, remarked, 'Mrs. Kennard, poor saul, hath been in crippleship for many years.'-April, 1885. W. H. M."

=

"CUCKOO-ROSES Daffodils. I asked a boy, a native of Great Torrington, who was carrying a bunch of single daffodils, in the spring of 1884, what flowers he had, and received the following reply, 'Their proper name is Lentroses; but we call them "Gookoo (cuckoo) rosens."'—June 4th, 1885. G. D.”

"

"DEMAND = command; i.e. watch, overlook. Gamekeeper at Culmstock, age about 40, said in my hearing, 'If you'll please to stand there, you'll be able to demand both ways.' -January, 1835. F. T. E."

Though often to be heard, this is, of course, only ignorant malaprop, and the keeper can hardly be laughed at, when I have known a person supposed to be educated write, "The honourable Secetary of the Society says the case is illegible." 'Honorary secretary," "eligible," were meant.

"DEMPSE = twilight. Just as the dempse was coming on.' Man, thatcher, 65; born and lifelong resident at Stockleigh Pomeroy.-May, 1882. S. R."

This is our old acquaintance dimps or dumps. (See Hal., Pulman, Williams, &c.)

"DETCHER = Thatcher. William H——, aged over 60, called a 'detcher' by the people of Forda, where he resides.— April, 1885. W. H. M."

is

The sound of d for th is more frequent than savants will admit. More examples are very much to be desired. Has anyone heard de for the in Devonshire? Comp. dashle, dissle, for thistle. Th before r is always sounded as d-drash, drasher, dree, for thrash, thrasher, three, &c.

"Now kiss'n thee zee ware thee bee'st a gwayn,

Zed the cricket, You nasty, vulty thing"" (filthy).
Nathan Hogg, Tha Cricket an' tha' Bittle.

"DEVIL'S-BIT SCABIS = the common plant Scabiosa succisa. At Culmstock an intelligent boy of 14 or 15, native of Ashbrittle, but now living at Culmstock, said, 'We always call it Devil's-bit scabis.'-August 9th, 1884. F. T. E.”

There is a legend that with this root the enemy of mankind practised his arts; but that the Virgin, out of compassion, deprived him of this power, and that, in vexation at the loss, the devil bit off the root to destroy its virtue as a herb. Britten says this legend was invented to account for its root.

Another legend holds that the root of the herb once being good to promote perspiration, the devil bit off that part of the root, because he needed not to be made to sweat, who lives in so hot a place, and is ever in fear of the day of wrath.

Gerard (p. 726) implies that "Diuel's-bit" is not scabiosa; he says, "It floureth in August, and is hard to be knowne from Scabious, saving when it flourisheth." "It is reported to be good for the infirmities that Scabious serueth for."

Gerard refers to the legend-"For the superstitious people hold opinion, that the diuell for envy that he beareth to mankinde, bit it off [the root] because it would be otherwise good for many vses.'

"DIMMETS, used for twilight, not infrequently in South Devon, in the Plymouth district.-R. N. W."

See Trans. Dev. Assoc., vol. vii. pp. 430 et seq.

Dist remember when tha wenst out in the Vuzzey Park, in the desk o' tha yeaveling, just in tha Dimmet, wi' tha young Humphrey Hosegood? who shud be hard by (vor 'twas in the Dimmet) bet tha Square's Bealy." Ex. Scold. 1. 164 et seq.

...

"DRAYZACKING= idling one's time; the pronunciation being in accordance with the spelling. Elderly, uneducated females in Modbury, South Devon, about the year 1840, frequently in the hearing of Mrs. Harris, my wife-who has a distinct recollection of it-used this word in the following connection, 'Don't 'e stand there drayzacking' (meaning, 'Idling your time').-S. G. H."

The pronunciation would more probably be "drayzackin.” Final g is not an ordinary sound in Devonshire.

Since going to press Mr. Harris writes: "You will be interested to know that the word 'drayzack,' which I sent to

you the other day, is frequently used, as I learnt this morning, on the borders of Dartmoor, as well as in the place. which I mentioned (Modbury). A man told me to-day that he had often at Chagford and in neighbouring parishes heard an idler spoken of as a 'drayzacker.""-July 27th, 1885.

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"DRENGED = thronged or crowded. Mr. J, age over 70, clerk and harness-maker of Bridestowe, observed that last night's concert was a success, though the room wasn't drenged like the time before.'-April, 1885. W. H. M.” See DRING. Seventh Report, 1884.

Did he not say, "Wad'n a-drenged"?

"DRUM OUT. Charlotte H, aged 45, of Coxheath, had her cheeks raped by another's nails. The 'raping' lady was so unpopular among her neighbours that when she left she was drummed out; i.e. what they (the Americans, she thought) call a 'shiveree ban.'-April, 1885. W. H. M." Common phrase. Compare-To drum out of a regiment.

"

EAVER, in some places called 'crap,' in Norfolk 'white nonesuch,' is more generally known as 'evergreen ryegrass' (Lolium perenne). French, Ivraie, Darnel-Nov. 9th, 1880. P. O. H."

'WANTED, up to 600 Bushels DEVON EAVER, unadulterated, and weighing 20 lbs. to bushel.-Address K. 18, Morning News, Plymouth."

See EAVER. Fourth Report, 1881.

This word (pronounced ayver) seems in Mid. English to have meant oats. (German, hafer; Dutch, haver, haber.) Cath. Ang. has Havyr: auena, auenula. Otys: vbi hauer. A fewe cruddes and creem and an hauer cake." Piers Plowman, B. 1. 282. Gerard has "Avena Vesca: common Otes." He says, “In Lancashire it is their chiefest bread corne for Jannocks Hauer-cakes . . . and for the most part they call the graine Hauer."-Gerard, p. 74.

He also (p. 74) say Festuca Italica, or Egilops Narbonensis, is "called in English 'Hauer-grasse."

Cotg. has "Aveneron: wild oats, barren oats, hauer, or oat-grasse."

"FAINT, FAINTY = close. Mrs. D—, of Bridestowe, aged 86, used often to say, 'The weather be very faint,' or, 'It be very fainty to day.'-April, 1885. W. H. M."

Hal. has fainty, languid (Gloucester).

"FEEDED for 'fed.' 'Cattle is feeded differently now.' Wife of a coal merchant about fifty, many years resident in Teignmouth. March 22nd, 1884. W. C. L."

See Fifth Report, 1882.

"FERRY = weasel. Mrs. S-, about 70, veterinary's wife of Cross Lanes, did not know what a weasel was; but thought from my description it must be the same as a 'ferry. -April, 1885. W. H. M."

This is no doubt the same as fairy, which in its turn is but a varied pronunciation of vairy or varie. For full account of this word see Pengelly under VARE.

The change of v into f sound is common in the West when any word is to be emphasized, as, "I tell 'ee tid'n a town, 'tis nort but a pitees little fillage." This was so in olden time: "ac ys Fysage al discoulred was." Sir Ferumbras, 1. 1079; see also 1. 1162.

Cotg. has 'vair,' m. : "A rich furre of Ermines powdered thicke with blue haires, also the grayish colour of some eyes, also that which our Blasonners call verry. 'Menu vair,' Mineuer; the furre of Ermines mixed or spotted with the furre of the Weesell called Gris."

There is not much doubt but that the glass slipper of Cinderella originated in the similarity of sound between vair and verre.

FISTES, plural of 'fist.' Used by a tradesman of Great Torrington, aged about 30.-Sept. 3rd, 1884. G. M. D." Is it fistes or vistes, with i long or short? It is common throughout the West to sound the full plural es after words ending in st. The literary form is difficult of utterance. The following shows priest-es lived five centuries ago

"Hurr' obyt held po pere do anon,

And for herr', prestes he ordeynede to syng and rede; He gate to herr' tombe no ryalle stoñ,

Bot mony pore men to clothe and ffede."

Chron. Vil. st. 481.

"FORGOT = Overtake a person. 'They forgot me at the church-gate.' Labourer's wife, long resident at Cheriton

Fitzpaine, age 24.-June 11th, 1884. S. R."

This is a variety of overget, but possibly implies rather more than mere overtaking; it seems to mean passed by, i.e. "Got 'vore me."

FRICKET. The Rev. S. Rundle, jun., writes (May 25th, 1885): "With regard to 'Fricket,' which I gave last year, and which appears in the Report, I do not think that it is a personal mispronunciation; for I heard it only last week. from a blacksmith, who said, when a piece of red-hot iron was being hammered, that he did not want to be fricketted; ie. struck by the sparks."

"FRIZZ to hiss or splutter. Lydia W., sextoness of Bridestowe, aged 70, said of the old stove in church, 'You shud just hear 'n frizz in wut wuther.'-April, 1885. W.H.M."

"FROG'S MARCH. It was a regular frog's march.' Spoken by a servant-girl, about 17, born at and living in Plymouth. Applied to the carrying of a soldier or sailor, face downwards, by the arms and legs, when troublesome; in this case, to a drunken woman, who was said to have been handed to the police station in a similar manner.-Feb. 25, 1885. R. N. W."

"GALLITRAP = lumber. Mrs. O., aged about 40, wife of a small farmer of Lake, when she had set a rampart about the hearth, barricading it with a cradle, chairs, &c., pointed to 'all that gallitrap' which she had put there to prevent the infants from getting burnt.-April, 1885. W. H. M."

This word now means contrivance or contraption, by no means lumber. It is very common throughout the Western Counties.

Hal. has: "GALLY-TRAPS. Any frightful ornaments, headdresses, hoods, &c. Glouc."

But although originally it may have implied something frightful-from gally, to frighten-it no longer bears that

sense.

“GETTING ON THE STICKS = growing old. 'I tell her master's getting on the sticks.' Shobrooke woman, 79; the last sixtyfour years resident at Stockleigh.-June, 1884. S. R."

"GOOD OFFER = good try or attempt. After a club dinner at Sourton I indulged in 'three sticks a penny' at 'Aunt Sally.' As, each time I threw, her pipe only escaped destruction by the 'skin of its teeth,' the bystanders cried out, after each shot, 'That was a good offer.'-April, 1885. W.H.M." Offer is constantly used in this sense in Somerset and Devon. One might any day hear, "I should'n think nobody wid'n never offer vor to steal they flowers."