WAITS, musicians who play by night in the streets about the time of Christmas and the new year; originally a townband of musicians. One of the old towers, in Newcastle, was formerly called the waits' tower, and was the place of their meeting. Their playing to Oliver Cromwell, while that extraordinary character was entertained at dinner, on his route to or from Scotland, is traditionally remembered. The term is apparently from Mo.-Got. wahts, vigilia, excubiæ; these waits being anciently viewed as a sort of watchmen.

WAKE, v. to watch by a corpse, to sit up with a person all night. See Lake-wake.

WAKE, s. a country feast, a rural fair. V. Hutchinson's History of North. vol. ii. p. 26; and Brand's Pop. Antiq. vol. i. p. 422.

Tarts and custards, creams and cakes,

Are the junketts still at Wakes.-Herrick.

WAKE, a. weak. Sax. wæc. "A wakely body."
WALE, WEAHL, v. to select, to choose, to sort.

Su.-Got.

waelia, eligere. Germ. wahlen, to pick out.-Wale, s. choice.

WALK-MILL, a fulling-mill. Germ. walkmuhle. Before the introduction of machinery it was customary to use the feet in fulling cloth.

WALL, WALLE, to boil. Su.-Got. waella, æstuare, fervere.— WALM, a slight boiling.

WALL-EYED. In those parts of the North, with which I am

best acquainted, persons are said to be wall-eyed, when the white of the eye is very large, and to one side. On the borders, “sic folks" are considered unlucky. The term is also applied to horses with similar eyes. The author

of the Crav. Gloss. explains wall-een, to mean white or green eyes; and does not consider the etymology very satisfactory, either in Nares or Todd. Their ideas cer ́tainly are at variance with the Northern signification of the word. Grose defines it, " an eye with little or no sight, all white like a plaistered wall."

WALLOP, to move quickly and with much agitation of the body or clothes. Teut. wal-oppe.-WALLOPING, a slatternly

manner.

WALLOW, insipid. See Welsh.

WALLUP, v. to beat. “ Aw'l wallup yah.”—WALLUP, s. a blow. WAME, WEAM, WEIME, the stomach, the belly. Mo.-Got. wamba, uterus. Sax. wamb, venter.

WAN, a corruption of wand. “A yard-wan.”—“ A mill-wan.” WANDY, long and flexible; like a wand.

Wang-tooth, dens molaris. Pure Sax. Before the use of

seals in England, according to Verstegan, persons passing deeds bit the wax with the wang-tooth.

WANKLE, WANKELLY, uncertain; as wankle or wankelly weather. Sax. wanel, instabilis, vacillans. Germ. wanken, to change. It also means, weak, loose.

WAR, worse. Sax. wærra. A Spenserian word.

and war"-worse and worse.

WARBLE, a sort of worm in cattle. V. Jam.

War

WAR-DAY, every day in the week except Sunday. Working

day. "Sunday and war-day."

WAR, beware. "War below." Sax. warian, cavere.

WARE, v. to expend or lay out money; originally, perhaps, on

wares.

WARE, s. sea-weed. Sax. war, alga marina.

WARE, s. delf. "White ware."-" Brown ware."

WARK, v. to ache. "Maw heed warks."-WARK, s. a pain or "The belly wark," Sax, wærc, dolor.

ache.

WARK, v. to work. "He can neither wark nor want.".

WARK-FOLKS, labourers.

WARM, to beat.

"Aw'l warm yor hide."

WARN, WARND, to warrant. "Aws warnd him.”

WARP, to open. A hen is said to warp when she lays. Sax.

awarpan, ejicere.

WARSE, worse. "Warse and warse."

Chaucer uses werse.- -WARST, the worst.

WARSEN, to grow worse.

Mo.-Got. wairs.

"He warsen'd sadly."

WAISTING, a consumption, a decline.

WA'T, indeed. "Wa't is't"—indeed it is.

WATCHING ON ST. MARK'S EVE. Young rustics will sometimes watch, or at least pretend to watch, through the night in the church porch, with a view of seeing the ghosts of all those who are to die the next year, pass by them; which they are said to do in their usual dress. The persons making, or supposed to have made, this vigil, are a terror to the neighbourhood. On the least offence they are apt, by significant looks or hints, to insinuate to the credulous the speedy death of some valued friend or relative.— Some of the young girls too follow the ancient method of sowing hemp-seed; while others prepare the dumb cake with ingredients traditionally suggested in witching doggrel.

WATH, WARTH, a water-ford. Sax. wadan, vadere.

WATTLES, teat like excrescences that hang from the cheeks of some swine, as well as the meanings assigned in Todd's John.

WAW, Wo, a wall.-North.-WOGH, Lanc. and York. Sax.

wah.

WAX, to grow.

In general use.— -WAXEN, growing.

Dut.

wassing. “Hoot man! He's just a half-wax'd lad! It's sartin he's getten the waxen churnels."

WAX-END, the waxed thread used by cordwainers.
WEA, WEHA, Oppressed with woe, sorrowful.

tus. "I am weha for you"-I pity you. your loss"-I am distressed at your loss. WEAKY, juicy, moist, watery. V. Jam. wak.

Sax. wa, afflic"I am weha for

WEARY, Vexatious, troublesome. "A weary fellow.”—“ A weary bairn.”—“ Oh! she's a weary body." Sax. weerig, infestus.

WEATHER-GALL, a phenomenon something like a second rainbow-said to indicate bad weather. Germ. wasssergalle. V. Nares' Gloss. Water-gall.

WEATHER-GLEAM, clear sky near the horizon-spoken of objects seen on the ridge of a lofty hill, so as to appear as if in the sky. In this situation, as Dr. Willan observes, a man looks gigantic; he seems to tread on air, and to be clad with radiance, like one of Ossian's departed heroes. Sax. wæder, coelum, and gleam, splendor. WEBSTER, OF WABSTER, a weaver.

Sax. webbestre, textrix, a

female weaver. The use of this term, as remarked by Dr. Jam. indicates that, among our forefathers, the work of weaving was appropriated to women. This, it is well known, was the case among the Greeks and other ancient nations, who considered it an employment unworthy of the dignity of man.

WEE, little, small. "A wee bit."—" A little wee thing." V.

Jam.

A little wee face with a little yellow beard.

Shak. Merry Wives of Windsor.

WEENS, children. Little ones. "How are the weens?"

WEEL, well.--WEEL-TE-DEE, well to do-living comfort

ably.

WEEL-SUM-OA! interjec. a blessing on you.

WEEL'S-MON-THEE! God bless you.

WEET, v. to rain, to wet.-WEET, s. slight rain. Sax. wæta, humiditas. Chaucer uses wete, v. and a.

V. Todd's John.

very hot.

WEEZE, a circular roll of straw, wool, or other soft substance, for protecting the head under the pressure of a load or burthen. Probably from Teut. wase, cæspes; or it may be from ease. Brand thinks it a corruption of wisp. WELK, to dry, to wither. WELL, to weld. Sw. wella. Sax. wellen, to be WELLY, very near—a contraction of well nigh. WELSH, insipid. Teut. gaelsch. Welsh and wallow are synonyma. Broth and water, and pottage without salt, are wallow or welsh. A person whose face has a raw, pale, and unhealthy look-whom a keen frosty morning pinches, and to whom it gives an appearance of misery and poverty —has a welsh and wallow face. A welsh day, is the same as a sleety day, when it is neither thaw nor frost: but a wallow day is when a cold, strong and hollow wind prevails. Wallow, applied to the state of the weather, is perhaps only applicable in a rugged and mountainous country. WELTER, to reel or stagger. Teut. welteren, volutare. WEND, to go. Sax. wendan. Not obsolete, as stated by Dr. Johnson.

WENT, for gone. Frequent in the North, as well as among the Cockneys. V. Pegge's Anecd. Eng. Lang. p. 233. WENT, WENTED, applied to milk when it has been kept till it be approaching to sourness.

WERRIT, to teaze. If a person, extremely ill, were impor

tuned to any measure to which he felt reluctant or contrary to his inclination, he would request not to be werrited so much about it.