Letter K - 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-k
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Kake – A grip in the side from walking soon after taking food.
Kalyin – Talking with one another and wasting time.
Keek – To take a stolen look, as Wha’s that keekin ower the dyke?
Kemp – to complete. A’ll kemp you for wha haes daen first.
Kenspeckle – A well or easily known person. A person interpreted the judge’s charge to me in the case of a trial for breach of warranty where the seller defied the person who sold the cow, “And the judge said he was a very kenspeckle man and regular in the markets, and it was not likely the plantiff would be mistaken.”
Kep’ – to catch; as, Kep’ that in your lap.
Kib – to put in seed potatoes by making a small opening with a spade. They are manured and set or planted in ridges afterwards.
Kibey – Applied to the heels when sore with large cracks. Kibes is a sort of disease. Those suffering from it get rid of the kibes by going at night to some one’s door and knocking. When anyone asks Who’s there, the person who knocked runs away calling kibey heels, take that; Then the kibes are expected to leave the person who has the disease and pass on to the one who called Who’s there?
Kink – A fit, as a fit of coughing in chincough, and a fit of laughter.
Kipple – the triangular framework placed midway between the gables of a house to assist in supporting the roof.
Kitchen – Something given with the more solid food at dinner to make it more palatable, as soup, bacon, &c. Has rather the meaning of sauce. We have the saying, Hunger’s guid kitchen.
Kitterty – A person easily put in a passion, saying, He was mad as kitterty.
Kittle – uncertain; easily put out of order; as, Horses is very kittle gear.
Knowledgible – having considerable information.
Knuckle – To yield or submit; as, A wudnae knuckle tae him.
Kylin – saving; as, It’ll tak’ guid kylin tae mak’ the oul hie dae tae the newthing comes.
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