The Dialect of the West of England; Particularly Somersetshire Part 19

Rawd. _part._ Rode.

To Rawn. _v. a._ To devour greedily.

Raw'ny. _adj._ Having little flesh: a thin person, whose bones are conspicuous, is said to be rawny.

To Ray. _v. a._ To dress.

To Read. _v. a._ To strip the fat from the intestines; _to read the inward_.

Read'ship. _s._ Confidence, trust, truth.

To Ream. _v. a._ To widen; to open.

Reamer. _s._ An instrument used to make a hole larger.

Re'balling. _s._ The catching of eels with earthworms attached to a ball of lead, hung by a string from a pole.

Reed. _s._ Wheat straw prepared for thatching.

Reen, Rhine. _s._ A water-course: an open drain.

To Reeve. _v. a._ To rivel; to draw into wrinkles.

Rem'let. _s._ A remnant.

Rev'el. _s._ A wake.

To Rig. _v. n._ To climb about; to get up and down a thing in wantonness or sport.

Hence the substantive _rig_, as used in _John Gilpin_, by COWPER.

"He little dreamt of running such a _rig_."

To Rig. _v. a._ To dress.

Hence, I suspect, the origin of the _rigging_ of a vessel.

Righting-lawn. Adjusting the ridges after the wheat is sown.

Rip. _s._ A vulgar, old, unchaste woman. Hence, most probably, the origin of _Demirip_.

Robin-Ridd.i.c.k. _s._ A redbreast. [Also _Rabbin Hirdd.i.c.k_; the r and i transposed.]

Rode. _s._ _To go to rode_, means, late at night or early in the morning, to go out to shoot wild fowl which pa.s.s over head on the wing.

To Rose. _v. n._ To drop out from the pod, or other seed vessel, when the seeds are over-ripe.

To Rough. _v. a._ To roughen; to make rough.

Round-dock. _s._ The common mallow; _malva sylvestris_.

Called round-dock from the _roundness_ of its leaves. CHAUCER has the following expression which has a good deal puzzled the glossarists:

"But canst thou playin raket to and fro, _Nettle in, Docke out_, now this, now that, Pandare?"

_Troilus and Cressida_, Book IV.

The round-dock leaves are used at this day as a supposed remedy or charm for the sting of a nettle, by being rubbed on the stung part, with the following words:--

_In dock, out nettle, Nettle have a sting'd me_.

That is, _Go in dock, go out nettle_. Now, to play _Nettle in Docke out_, is to make use of such expedients as shall drive away or remove some previous evil, similar to that of driving out the venom of the nettle by the juice or charm of the dock.

Roz'im. _s._ A quaint saying; a low proverb. _s._ Rosin.

Rud'derish. _adj._ Hasty, rude, without care.

Ruf. _s._ A roof.

Rum. _s._ Room; s.p.a.ce.

Rum'pus. _s_ A great noise.

This word ought to be in our English Dictionaries.

Rungs. _s. pl._ The round steps of a ladder.

S.

The sound of S is very often converted into the sound of Z. Thus many of the following words, _Sand-tot, Sar, Seed-lip, Silker, Sim, &c._, are often p.r.o.nounced _Zand-tot, Zar, Zeead-lip, Zilker, Zim, &c._

Sa'cer-eyes. Very large and prominent eyes. [Saucer eyes.

Sand-tot. _s_. A sandhill.

To Sar. _v. a._ To serve--Toearn; as, _I can sar but zixpence_ a day.

Sar'ment. _s._ A sermon.

Sar'rant. _s._ A servant.