Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch Part 9

FALOW, _vb._ to match, compare. R. R., 3510. Also the regular form of the sb. in Sco., O.N. _felagr._ See Skeat, B-S under _fela?e._ The Sco. vowel is long as in O.N. and M.E. The tendency in Sco. is toward _a_ in a great many words that have _e_ in Eng. Cp. Aberdeen _wast_ for _west_; _laft_ for _left_; _stap _ for _step_; _sattlit_ for _settled_, S. Sco. _wat_ for _wet_. Similar unfronting of the vowel is seen in _prenciple_, _reddance_, _enterd.i.c.k_.

FANG, _vb._ to catch, seize. O.N. _fanga_, to fetch, capture. Norse _fanga_, Dan. _fange_. This word in Northern England and Scotland is to be regarded as a Scand. loan-word. The word _fangast_, a marriageable maid, cited by Wall, proves this.

Literally the word means something caught (cp. Norse _fangst_). This meaning could not possibly have arisen out of the O.E. word, but is explained by the Norse use of it and the peculiar Norse custom, cp. _fanga konu_, to wed a woman, _kvan-fang_, marriage, _fangs-ti_, wedding-season, Norse _bryllop_ < _brudlaup_,="" the="" "bride-run."="" wall="" suggests="" that="" it="" may="" come="" from="" the="" root="" of="" o.e.="" pp.="" _gefangen_.="" its="" presence="" in="" s.eng.="" diall.="" in="" the="" meaning="" "to="" struggle,="" to="" bind,"="" may="" be="" explained="" in="" this="">

FARANDNESS, _sb._ comeliness, handsomeness. R.R., 1931. See _farrand_. Cp. _cunnandness_, from pr. p. _cunnand_.

FARRAND, _adj._ appearing, generally well-appearing, handsome, e.g., _a seemly farrand person_. The word frequently means "fitting, proper," O.N. _fara_, to suit, to fit, a secondary sense of _fara_, to go.

FEIR, FER, _adj._ sound, unharmed. O.N. _faerr_, safe, well, in proper condition, originally applied to a way that was in proper condition or a sea that was safe, e.g., _Petlandsfjorr var eigi faerr_, the Pentland Firth was not safe, could not be crossed. Norse _fr_ also has this same meaning, also means "handy, skillful," finally "strong, well-built." Dan., Sw.

_for_, able. So in Dunbar, 258, 51. Sometimes spelled _fier_.

FELL, _sb._ mountain. O.N. _fjald_, Norse _fjell_. See Wall.

FILLOK, _sb._ a giddy young woman. Douglas, III, 143, 10; Lyndsay, 87, 2654. Diminutive of _filly_, q.v.

FILLY, _sb._ a chattering, gossipy young woman. Ramsay, II, 328.

Sco. usage. See Skeat under _filly_, O.N. _fylja_.

FIRTH, _sb._ a bay, arm of the sea. O.N. _fjorr_, O. Sw.

_fjordher_. See Skeat.

FLAKE, _sb._ a hurdle. Douglas, IV, 14, 10. O.N. _flaki_, a hurdle, or shield wicker-work. Norse _flake_, Sw. _flake_ and O. Sw.

_flaki_. Cu. _flaks_, pieces of turf, is probably the same.

Cp. Norse _flake_, in _kote-flake_.

FLAT, _adj._ dull, spiritless. Rolland, Prol. 16. O.N. _flat_, Norse _flat_, ashamed, disappointed, _fara flatt fyrir einem_, to fare ill, be worsted, O. Dan. _flad_, weak.

FLECKERIT, _pp. adj._ spotted. Gol. and Gaw., 475. O.N. _flekkr_, a spot, _flekkottr_, spotted. The _r_ in the Sco. word is frequentative, not the inflexional ending of the O.N. See also Skeat under _fleck_.

FLEGGER, _sb._ a flatterer. Dunbar, F., 242. Dan. dial. _flaegger_, false, _flaegre_, to flatter.

FLINGIN TREE, _sb._ a piece of timber hung by way of part.i.tion between two horses in a stable (Wagner), Burns, 32, 23. O.N.

_flengja_, Norse _flenga_, _flengja_, to fling, to sling. Sw.

_flanga_, O. Ic. _flengja_, to whip up, to cause to hurry, to ride furiously. The Norse and the Dan., like the English, do not have the primary meaning seen in O. Ic. and N.Sw. See further Skeat.

FLIT, _vb._ to move, change abode. O.N. _flyttja_, Norse _flytta_, O. Dan. _flyttae_, O. Sw. _flyttia_, to move, M.E. _flytten_ . The O.N. _flyttja_ meant "to migrate," as also the M.E. word, otherwise the usage is the same in all the Scand. languages.

Sco. _flit_ is to be derived from O.N. not from Sw.

FLYRE, _vb._ to grin, leer, whimper, look surly. Montg. F., 188.

Dunbar, T.M.W., 114. O.N., _flira_, Norse _flira_, smile at, leer, laugh, Dan. _flire_ to leer, M.E. _fliren_. The three words _flina_, _flira_ and _flisa_ in Scand. mean the same.

Cu. _fliar_, to laugh heartily. See also Wall.

FLYTTING, _sb._ furniture, moveable goods. Wyntoun, VIII, 38, 50. In Wallace simply in the sense of removal. O.N. _flutning_, transport, carriage of goods. The Sco. word is probably a deriv. from _flyt_, as indicated also by the umlauted vowel.

FORELDERS, _sb. pl._ parents. Gau. 15, 2. Dan. _foraeldre_, Sw.

_foraldrar_, Norse _foreldre_, parents. In the sense "ancestors" the word is general Gmc, but the above use is specifically Scand. In Sco. the word usually has the general sense. Gau has Dan. elements that are not to be found in other Sco. works.

FORJESKIT, _adj._ jaded, fatigued. Burns, 44, 29. Dan. _jask_ adj., _jaske_ vb. to rumple, put in disorder, _jask_, a rag, _jasket_, _hjasket_ left in disordered condition. Dan. dial.

_jasked_, clumsy, homely. Sw. dial. _jaska_, to walk slovenly and as if tired, _jasked_, adj. in bad condition. R.L.

Stevenson in "The Blast" uses _forjaskit_ in the sense of "jaded." The prefix _for_ may be either Eng. or Dan.

FORLOPPIN, _adj._ renegade. Sat., p. 44, 243. The pp. of _loup_, to leap, to run, with intensive prefix _for_. See _loup_. Cp. the Norse _forloppen_ from _laeupa_, used precisely in the same way, and the Dan. dial. _loben_. _Forloppin_ as sb., Dunbar, 139. See also _loppert_.

FORS, _sb._ a stream. O.N. _fors_, N.Ic. and Norse _foss_, Dan., Sw.

_foss_, stream, waterfall, O.N. _forsa_, to foam, spout. The word is very common in Norway, not so common in Sweden and Denmark.

FORTH, _sb._ Dunbar, 316, 63. Same as _firth_.

FRA, FRAE, _prep._ and _conj._ from, since. Aberdeen form _fae_.

O.N. _fra_, from, Dan. _fra_, Norse _fra_, Sw. _fr_. Deriv.

from "from," according to Wall, by a.n.a.logy of _o'_, etc. I do not believe so. It is first found in Scand. settlements and is confined to them. Besides _m_ would not be likely to fall out.

The case is quite different with _f_ and _n_ in "of" and "in"

when before "the." Furthermore, the conjunctive use of _fra_ as in Sco. is Norse.

FRECKLIT, FRECKLED, _adj._ flecked, spotted, differing slightly from the Eng. use. Douglas, II, 216, 5; Mansie Wauch, 18, 5, "freckled corn." O.N. _freknur_. See Kluge and Lutz, and Skeat. In M.W. above: "The horn-spoons green and black freckled."

FREND, _sb._ relation, relative. Wyntoun, VII, 10, 354. O.N.

_fraendi_, kinsman, O. Dan. _fraendi_, Norse _fraende_, Sw.

_frande_, id. O.E. _freond_, O.H.G. _friunt_, O. Fr.

_friond_, _friund_, M.L.G. _vrint_, "friend." Cp. the Sco.

proverb: "Friends agree best at a distance," relations agree best when there is no interference of interests, Jamieson.

FRESTIN, _vb._ to tempt, taunt, also to try. Gol. and Gaw., 902, 911; Ramsay, I, 271. O.N. _fraeista_, to tempt, Norse _freista_, _frista_, to tempt, try, O. Sw. _fresta_, Dan.

_friste_, Sw. dial. _freista_, to attempt, O.E. _frasian_.

GANAND, _adj._ fitting, proper. Dunbar, 294; Douglas, II, 24, 19.

Pr. p. of _gane_. Cp. Eng. fitting. See _gane_.

GANE, _vb._ to be suitable. L.L., 991; Rolland, II, 135. O.N.

_gegna_, to suit, to satisfy, from _gegn_. O. Sw. _gen_, same root in Germ. _begegnen_. See further Kluge. Entirely different from _gane_, to profit.

GANE, _vb._ to profit. L.L., 131; R.R., 1873. O.N. _gagne_, to help, be of use, _gagn_, use, profit, Norse _gagna_, id., O. Sw.

_gaghna_, to profit, Dan. _gavne_.

GANE, _sb._ the mouth and throat. Douglas, III, 168, 26. Cannot come from O.E. _gin_, O.N. _gin_, mouth, because of the quality of the vowel, is, however, Norse _gan_, _gane_, the throat, the mouth and throat, Sw. _gan_, gap, the inside of the mouth.

GAIT, GATE, GAT, _sb._ road, way, manner. O.N. _gata_, O. Dan.

_gatae_, M.E. _gate_. See Wall. Cp. Northern Eng. "to gang i' that rwoad," to continue in that manner.

GARTH, GAIRTH, _sb._ the yard, the house with the enclosure, dwelling. O.N. _garr_, a yard, the court and premises, O. Sw.

_garer_, _gardh_, the homeplace, Dan. _gaard_, M.E. _garth_, and _yeard_ from O.E. _geard_, Cu. _garth_, Shetland _gard_.

Is in form more specifically Norse than Dan. Occurs in a number of place-names in South Scotland, especially Dumfries.

See I, --3.

GATEFARRIN, _adj._ wayfaring, in the sense of fit to travel, in suitable apparel for travel. Johnnie Gibb, 12, 35. Wall distinguishes rightly between the O.N. and the Eng. use of the word _fare_. This Scand. use of the word is confined to Norway and Iceland, and is, at any rate in the later period, more characteristic of Icelandic than Norse. Cp. a similar use of the word _sitta_, in Norse, to look well, said of clothes that look well on a person. Not quite the same.

GAWKY, _adj._ foolish. Burns, 78, 60. From _gowk_. Cp. _gawkish_.