WIMBLE-STOCK [wúm'l-stauk], sb. The crank or brace used by carpenters for boring with various "bits." By confusion of sound in the rustic mind, this word is often now pronounced [waum l-stauk], as though wimble and wamble were synonyms. Wymbyl. Terebrum. WYMBYL, or persowre. Terebellum.-Pr. Parv.

A wymbylle; dolabra, dolabellula, terebrum, &c.-Cath. Ang. and bore the holes with his wymble.—Fitzherbert's Husbandrie, 24/8. strong exeltred cart, that is clouted and shod,

cart ladder and wimble, with percer and prod.-Tusser, 17/6.

Gimlet, often spelt gimblet, is the diminutive-for interchange of w and g comp. ward, guard; war, guerre.

WIM-SHEET [wúm-shit], sb. Winnowing-sheet.

(Always.)

A large sheet of strong canvas, used (more in thrashing corn by machine than in winnowing) to spread on the ground and catch the corn under the thrashing-machine.

WIND [wuy'n(d], v. i. Any surface which ought to be, and is not an even plane, is said to wind, as a door, sash, floor, board, &c. "Can't make thick old door fit; he winds purty nigh an inch," or "he's purty nigh an inch windin'."

WIND [wuy'n(d], v. t. To roll up, and bind with a cord, the fleece after shearing. Hence he whose business it is, is called a wool-winder [èo·l-wuy⚫ndur].

WINDING-SHEET [wuy'ndeen-shee't], sb. The guttering of a candle by which an excrescence is formed; also sometimes called a coffin-handle. Supposed to be a death sign to the person in whose direction it forms. I have seen people change their seats when it begins to form.

WINDLE [wún·l], sh. The redwing. (Always.) Turdus Iliacus.

WIND-MOW [wee'n-maew], sb. In a showery harvest it is very common to stack up the corn on the field in narrow ricks, so that the air may freely circulate through them. Thus the corn, if imperfectly dried, takes no damage, as it would do if put together in a large quantity. These small stacks are always called windmors. See HAT, v. t.

WIND-REW [wee'n-rèo], sb. Hay after tedding is often drawn up in light rows, so that the wind can play through it,-these are win'-rews. The same as double-strick rews."

'tourne it agayne before none, and towarde nyght make it in wyndrowes, and than in smal hey-cockes. Fitzherbert's Husbandry, 25/11.

WIND-SHAKE [ween-shee'uk], sb. and v. t.

in wood caused by too rapid drying.

A crack or split

Turn eens way that there board, else they 'll be a wind-shaked [u-wee'n-shee'ukt] all to pieces.

WINK [wing k], sb. A well from which the water is drawn by a winch, chain, and bucket. The word is applied to the shaft-e. g. "down the wink"-as much as to the winding apparatus.

WINK-EGG [wing k-ag']. A game played with birds' eggs. When a nest is found, boys shout, [Lat-s plaa'y wing·k-ag]. An egg is put on the ground, and a boy goes back three paces from it, holding a stick in his hand; he then shuts his eyes and takes two paces towards the egg, and strikes a blow on the ground with the stick-the object being to break the egg. If he misses another tries, and so on until all the eggs are smashed. This is almost the only use to which the lower class of boys put the thousands of eggs they take in the season.

WINNY [ween'ee], v. i. To neigh gently, as a favourite horse does when approached by his master. Same as WICKERY.

WINTER [wee'ntur], v. t. winter.

To keep or feed cattle through the

Mr. Stevens do winter his things ter'ble hard; but I zim don't never pay, 'tis out midsummer a'most 'vore t'll be a-pick'd up again.

WINTER-BIRD [wee'ntur-buurd], sb. Com. name for the

fieldfare.

There's two sorts o' they there winter-birds. Some do call 'em blue-rumps.-Keeper, Jan. 30, 1888. See GREYBIrd.

WINTER-GREENS [wee'ntur-gree'nz], sb. Curled kale. Same as CURLY-GREENS. Brassica fimbriata.

WINTER-PROUD [wee'ntur-praew'd], adj. A corn crop which has been forced into premature growth by mild weather in winter. Such corn is said to be winter-proud.

WIPE [wuy'p], sb. and v. t. 1. A long bundle of brushwood tied with several "binds." The sides of rough sheds or "linhays" are often made of wipes placed on end close together, and bound to a horizontal pole half-way up. To furnish a shed with shelter

of this kind is "to wipe the linhay up."

Thick there linhay was so mortal start, I was a-fo'ce to wipe 'm up.-Jan. 12, 1888.

Ah'l gi' thee a wipe under the ear, s'hear me !

WIPE THE EYES [wuy'p dh-aayz]. In shooting, when one person kills the game immediately after a companion has shot at it and missed, he is said to wipe the eyes of the one who missed.

Maister wipe the pa'son's eyes dree or vower times; I count he's better to praichin-n he is to shuttin'.

WIPE THE SHOES [wuy'p dhu shèo z]. A figurative expression for obtaining a treat of drink.

[Aay shd luy k tu wuyp yur shèo'z,] I should like to wipe your shoes, would be said to a gentleman coming amongst labourers, as a polite way of saying, "I should like to drink your health." See FOOTING.

WISE-MAN [wuy'z-mae'un], sb. An astrologer. Same as WHITE

WITCH.

WISHING-BONE [wee'sheen-boa'un], sb.

The merry-thought.

(Very com.)

WISHT [wee'sht], adj. Sad; miserable. 'Tis a wisht thing vor her, poor soul, vor to be a-lef like that there, way all they little bits o' chillern, and her's a wisht poor blid too, to the best o' times.

No doubt the real meaning is bewitched or evil wisht, i. e. suffering from the evil eye; and is a survival of the time when everything undesirable or untoward was set down to witchcraft. The belief is by no means dead. See Overlook.

WISHTNESS [wee'shnees], sb. Some result of evil eye; anything mysteriously unfortunate is a wishtness.

I calls it a proper wishtness, vor to zee a poor little crater like her is, wastin away to nothin, an' all the doctors can't do her no good.-Sept. 1884.

WISS, WISSER, WISTEST [wús', wús'ur, wús tees], comp. adj. Worse; worst.

They do zay how her's wiss-n he is.

[Aay doa un zee eens uur-z ún.ee wús ur-n uudh'ur voaks,] I do not see how that her is any worser than other folks.

'Tis the very wistest [wús tees] job ever I zeed in my live.

But shameles and craftie, that desperate are,

Make many ful honest the woorser to fare.-Tusser, 10/32.

WISTURD [wús'turd], sb. Worsted.

(Always.)

Yarn spun from long-combed wool, not from carded short wool.

It'm ij doubletts, one jerkin, 2 paire of hoase, ij hatts, iij wastes,

a pair of wosterd stockins, a paire of silke garters, iij paire of xxx"

shoes and two paire of pantophels.

Inventory of goods and chatells of Henry Gandye, Exeter, 1609.

One of the

WIT [weet], sb. Sense; intelligence; knowledge. commonest depreciatory sayings is—

"He 'ant a-got no more wit-n plase God he should," or again, "Ant a-got wit to zay boh! to a gooze."

A.-S. wit-understanding; knowledge. This meaning is at least obsolescent in mod. literature.

WYTTE of vndyrstondynge. Ingenium.

WYTTE, of bodyly knowynge. Sensus.-Pr. Parv.

In dooing of either, let wit beare a stroke,

for buieng or selling of pig in a poke.-Tusser, 16/3.
Wilt? (Always.)

WIT [wút], v.

WITS; WITSN [wút's; wút'sn]. Wouldest; would est not; wilt not. See W. S. Gram. p. 61.

[Dhee wút sn ae'u dhik vur noa' jis muun'ee,] thou wilt not have that one for any such sum.

Wits thee like vor to be a-sar'd same's I've a-bin?

WITCH-ELM [wee'ch-uul'um], sb. Same as WITCH-TREE (g. v.). This is probably a word of rather recent growth, although now it and Witch-halse are the usual names of the Ulmus montana. It has very likely arisen as a sort of duplicate name like Brendon, upon the foreign word elm becoming naturalized, previous to which no doubt wyche was the only name.

WITCH-HALSE [wee'ch-haa·ls]. Witch-elm. Ulmus montana. The usual name throughout W. Somerset and North Devon.

WITCH TREE [wee'ch tree], sb. The witch-elm. Ulmus montana. This name was most probably once used for all varieties of the elm, and indeed it seems to have continued so down to comparatively recent times.

A.-S. wice. Bosworth gives this, "A witche, mountain ash, rountree (?)."

Wyche, tre. Ulmus.—Promp. Parv.

And nether wheche, ne leede, to be leyde in, bote a grete clothe to hely my foule caryin. Will of T. Broke, Devon, 1487. Fifty Earliest Wills, p. 27.

This cannot mean hutch or coffin, as suggested in the footnote to the above, because it is put in apposition to lead and cloth. It refers to the wood of which coffins were and still are mostly made. Compare also the Devonshire spelling of 1487 with the pronunciation of 1886.

Ulmus is called in greeke Ptelea, in englishe an Elme tree, or a Wich tree. Turner, Herbes, p. 81.

WITH THE SAME [wai dhu sae'um], adv. phr. instantaneously.

Instantly;

[Zèo'n-z úv'ur aay zee'd-n aay staap' wai dhu saeum, un au'p wai mee wuop' un meet wai'un rai't raew'n dhu naek',] (as) soon as I saw him I stopped instantly, and up with my whip and met with him right round the neck.

WITHY [wùdh'ee]. The willow; osier. All species are known by this name, as the "basket withy," "thatching withy," "black withy," "mouser-withy."

A.-S. wrdie, widige, widde.

A Wethy; Restis.-Cath. Ang.

for they be moste comonly made of hasell and withee, for these be the trees that blome. Fitzherbert's Husbandrie, 24, 15.

The greater is called in Latine Salix perticalis, common Withy, Willow and sallow. Gerarde, Herbal, p. 1392.

Wethy leves, grene otes, boyled in fere fulle soft,
Cast þem hote in to a vesselle,-Russell's Boke of Nurture, 1. 995.

WITHY-WIND [wùdh'ee-wee'n].

Bindweed; the wild convolvulus. Convolvulus arvensis. The usual name of this troublesome weed, unchanged for a thousand years.

A.-S. wide-winde. Vivorna, wudu-winde.-Earle, Plant Names, p. 23.

the herbe which is called of the herbaries Volubilis, in english wythwynde or byndeweede, in duche Winden. Turner, Herbes, p. 20.

The small Bindweed is called Convolvulus minor, Volubilis minor, in English, Withwinde, Bindweed, and Hedge-bels. Gerarde, Herbal, p. 863.

WITTH [waet th], sb. Width. (Always.) See WIDENESS.

WIVERY [wúv uree], v. i. To hover.

I do zee two or dree hawks, darn 'em, wivering [wúv'ureen] 'pon th' hill 'most every day.-Keeper, June 12, 1886.

WO! [woa !] int. To horses. Keep quiet! (Always.) This word is not used to a horse when moving, as a command to stop, but when restless or fidgety, or inclined to kick.

Wo, mare! wo, mare!

WOBBLE [waubl], v. i. Often WOBBLY [waub'lee]. To shake, as of a water bed, or a bag of jelly.

This word would express the shaking of a very fat man's " corporation." So the smooth surface of a bog is said to wobble when any part is touched.

The stock that da eyte et's za fat an' za zlake,
That the'r gurt duds da wobble eych step they da take.
Pulman, Rustic Sketches, p. 9.

WOKT [woa'kt], p. tense, and p. part. of to wake.
The cheel wokt us dree or vower times in the night.
Come, soce! you baint half awokt up I s'pose.

Ver vreez'd-up growth's once more awoked,

By villditch rain and March's wind.—Pulman, R. Sk. p. 3.

WOMEN-FOLKS [wuom'een-voa'ks], sb. Females in general, as distinct from men-folks. Also female servants.