Letter E - 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-e
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Earls – earnest money. In hiring a servant or buying a cow, load of hay. &c., you give a shilling or half-a-crown as earls; that is to make the bargain sure.
Easin – the edge of the thatch where it hangs over the side-wall of the house.
Eelins – Two persons born in the same year would be said to be eelins.
Egg – To urge on to mischief, as He egged up the boys to fight.
Elder – a cow’s udder. The alder tree.
Elsin – an awl curved at the point such as shoemakers use.
Endue – for due, owe, as, You’re endue me sixpence.
Errock – a young hen which has not begun to lay eggs.
Esletree – for axle tree
Ettle – to intend, as, A ettled that yin for me.
Even – To impute; as some one will say to a listener after having made a pretty general imputation, No’ evenin’ onything o’ the kin’ to you hooiver.
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