eat - Hamely Tongue
Source: The Hamely Tongue: A Personal Record of Ulster-Scots in County Antrim
Author: James Fenton
Comments: ‘The Hamely Tongue’ has been widely acclaimed as the authoritative record of contemporary (surviving) Ulster-Scots in its heartland of County Antrim where James Fenton faithfully recorded his dictionary items among a network of other native speakers over a 30-year period. This searchable online version of his book takes its text from ‘Part One’ of the fourth edition of 2014 and includes over 3000 word entries. The book preliminaries, supplementary word lists and end matter have been excluded.
eat ~ fig. scold savagely (waitin ready tae eat me; ready tae eat the face/heid aff him. Hence eatin a severe scolding or verbal attack). A’m naw gan tae eat it/ye (said to someone who is reluctant to hand something over/come closer). big eater one with a large appetite (A’m no what ye’d cal a big eater, but A like guid meat). could eat a man aff his horse (see horse). Eat tae ye cannae see the wa (exhortation to eat to the limit of one’s ability). eat yer hearty fill eat until fully replete. for naethin but eatin an sh-tin (of a useless, lazy person). maks ye eat (of a relish) gives appetite. wud eat ye alive (see alive). wud eat ye ooty hoose an hame (of someone, esp. a visitor, having a voracious appetite).
