The Dialect of the West of England; Particularly Somersetshire Part 3

Ban'nut. _s._ A walnut. [Only used in northern parts of county.]

Barrow-pig. _s._ A gelt pig.

Baw'ker, Baw'ker-stone. _s._ A stone used for whetting scythes; a kind of sand-stone.

To Becall'. _v. a._ To censure; to reprove; to chide.

Bee'as, Bease. _s. pl. [Beasts]_ Cattle. Applied only to _Oxen_ not Sheep.

Bee-but, Bee-lippen. _s._ A bee-hive

Bee'dy. _s._ A chick.

Beedy's-eyes. _s.pl._ Pansy, love-in-idleness.

Beer. _s. See_ ALE.

Befor'n. _prep._ Before.

To Begird'ge, To Begrud'ge. _v. a._ To grudge; to envy.

LORD BYRON has used the verb _begrudge_ in his notes to the 2nd canto of Childe Harold.

Begor'z, Begum'mers. _interj._

These words are, most probably, oaths of a.s.severation. The last appears to be a corruption of _by G.o.dmothers_. Both are thrown into discourse very frequently: _Begummers, I ont tell; I cant do it begorz._

Begrumpled. _part._ Soured; offended.

To Belg. _v. n._ To cry aloud; to bellow.

Bell-flower. _s._ A daffodil.

To Belsh. _v. a._ To cut off dung, &c., from the tails of sheep.

Beneapt. _part._ Left aground by the recess of the spring tides.

To Benge. _v. n._ To remain long in drinking; to drink to excess.

Ben'net. _v._ Long coa.r.s.e gra.s.s.

Ben'nety. _adj._ Abounding in bennets.

Ber'rin. _s._ [burying] A funeral procession.

To Besk.u.m'mer. _v. a._ To foul with a dirty liquid; to besmear.

To Bethink' _v. a._ To grudge.

Bettermost. _adj._ The best of the better; not quite amounting to the best.

Bet.w.a.t'tled. _part._ In a distressing and confused state of mind.

To Betwit'. _v. a._ To upbraid; to repeat a past circ.u.mstance aggravatingly.

To Bib'ble. _v. n._ To drink often; to tope.

Bib'bler. _s._ One who drinks often; a toper.

Bil'lid. _adj._ Distracted; mad.

Billy. _s._ A bundle of wheat straw.

Bi'meby. _adv._ By-and-by; some time hence.

Bin. _conj._ Because; probably corrupted from, being.

Bin'nick. _s._ A small fish; minnow; _Cyprinus phloxinus._

Bird-battin. _s._ The catching of birds with a net and lights by night. FIELDING uses the expression.

Bird-battin-net. _s._ The net used in bird-battin.

Birch'en. _adj._ Made of birch; relating to birch.

Bis'gee. _s._ (g hard), A rooting axe.

Bisky. _s._ Biscuit. The p.r.o.nunciation of this word approximates nearer to the sound of the French _cuit_ ["twice baked"] the t being omitted in this dialect.

To Bi'ver. _v. n._ To quiver; to shake.

Black-pot, _s._ Black-pudding.

Black'ymoor. _s._ A negro.

Blackymoor's-beauty. _s._ Sweet scabious; the musk-flower.

Blanker. _s._ A spark of fire.

Blans'cue. _s._ Misfortune; unexpected accident.

Blather. _s._ Bladder. To blather, _v. n._ To talk fast, and nonsensically [_to talk so fast that bladders form at the mouth_]

Bleachy. _adj._ Brackish; saltish: applied to water.

Blind-buck-and-Davy. _s._ Blind-man's buff. _Blindbuck and have ye_, is no doubt the origin of this appellation for a well-known amus.e.m.e.nt.

Blis'som. _ad._ Blithesome.