Letter A - 1892 Mid-Antrim Glossary
Author: ‘F.L.’ (William James Knowles)
Date: 1892
Source: Nine lists of local (mid-Antrim) words and sayings, with notes, published in the Ballymena Observer between April and August 1892. See 1892 Ballymena Observer (Mid-Antrim) Word Lists for original articles (USLS/TB/Hist/1800-1899/012).
Comments: This serialised ‘glossary’ was compiled in response to a letter published in the Ballymena Observer, 19 February, 1892, from P W Joyce, whose book, English as we Speak it in Ireland, was in preparation. Dr. Joyce was appealing throughout Ireland for help in amassing a record of Irish Dialect, including words of Scotch origin. The first response from the readers of the Ballymena Observer was a significant glossary of local words by ‘F.L.’ on April 8. This word list began with an appeal for other readers to “add to it and throw light on meanings which they will see are rather obscure to me”. Further word lists introduced by ‘F.L.’ then appeared on April 22; April 29; May 6; May 27; June 17; July 1; and August 18. The identity of F.L. as William James Knowles, MRIA (1832–1927), a distinguished antiquarian from Cullybackey, was confirmed by Joyce when English as we Speak it in Ireland was published in 1910. Numerous entries sourced from this ‘Ballymena Observer’ glossary were also published in the English Dialect Dictionary (1898) and the Scottish National Dictionary (1929–1946). A complete A–Z ‘merged’ glossary has been created from these entries, and appears as the ‘1892 Mid-Antrim Glossary’ in this website.
Doc. ref. no.: USLS/TB/Hist/1800-1899/013-a
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A – itself stands for I in local language, as A im, I am; A wull, I will; A’ll no’, I’ll not.
A’ – all.
A’man – I have heard this expression in the sense of everybody. Is that generally believed? It is by a’man.
Abaen – above.
Afeared – afraid.
Afore – before.
Aght – is a name, applied in a depreciating way to children, meaning imp, as, You’re a dirty aght; begone, you aght, you.
Ahint – behind.
Airt – direction; point of the compass; as, The win’s in the sooth, a very wat airt; What airt o’ the country dae you come frae?
Alow (ow as in now) – ablaze; as, The chimley’s alow, that is on fire. See “Low”.
Anew, perhaps Enew – enough; a sufficient number.
Anonce – unknown.
Anonder – under.
Anown, Anawn – due, owing; as, A’m anawn you a shillin’.
Ark – a chest; as, The meal ark.
Arr – The mark left on the skin after the healing of a cut or burn.
Ashipelt – A dirty youngster who sits among the ashes.
Asklent – for aslant.
Ast – for asked.
Athoot – without.
Attercap, Attercat (I have heard both words) – ill-tempered; as, You crabbit attercat.
Atweel – of course, all well, as, Atweel you’ll go tae the market the morn.
Atween (accent on the last syllable) – between.
Aul – for old.
Ava – all.
Ax – ask
Ayont – beyond.
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