ALL-IN-THE-WELL, a juvenile game in Newcastle and the neighbourhood. A circle is made about eight inches in diameter, termed the well, in the centre of which is placed a wooden peg, four inches long, with a button balanced on the top. Those desirous of playing give buttons, marbles, or any thing else according to agreement, for the privilege of throwing a short stick, with which they are furnished, at the peg. Should the button fly out of the ring, the player is entitled to double the stipulated value of what he gives for the stick. The game is also practised at the Newcastle races and other places of amusement in the North, with three pegs, which are put into three circular holes, made in the ground, about two feet apart, and forming a triangle. In this case each hole contains a peg, about nine inches long, upon which are deposited, either a small knife or some copper. The person playing gives so much for each stick, and gets all the articles that are thrown off so as to fall on the outside of the holes.

A-MANY, a great number.

AMBRY, or AUMRY, a cupboard, pantry, or place where victuals are kept. Old Fr. aumuire.

AMELL, between or among. Sw. emellan. Dan. imellem. ANAN, NAN, NON, sir! what? what do you say? Commonly used as an answer to questions not understood, or distinctly heard. Perhaps from a repetition of Fr. ain, noticed by Le Roux as, "Sorte d'interjection interrogative, commune aux petites gens, et fort incivile parmi des personnes polies."

ANCHOR, the chape of a buckle, i. e. the part by which it is fastened. Fr. ancre. Lat. anchora.

ANCLET, ANCLETH, ANCLIFF, the ankle. Sax. ancleow.

ANENST, against, towards, opposite. Used by Chaucer and Ben. Jonson.

ANG-NAILS, corns in the feet.-Cumb.

ANGS, awns, the beard of barley or wheat. Su.-Got. agn. ANTERS, AUNTERS, needless scruples, mischances or misadventures. Anters, inanters, ennanters, are also used for, in case, lest, it may be. Dut. anders.

ANTRE, a cave or den. Lat. antrum.

Of antars vast, and desarts idle.-Shak. Othello.

ANTRIMS, TANTRUMS, affected airs or whims, freaks, odd fancies, maggots.

ARDER, fallow quarter, similar to aither, a course of ploughing in rotation.

ARK, a large chest. The original and etymological sense.

Same in Su.-Got. Dan. Gael. and Dut.

ARLES, EARLES, ARNS, ALLS, or YEARLES, money given in confirmation of a bargain, or by way of earnest for service to be performed. Mr. Boucher seems to consider Arles to be the last and almost expiring remains, in our language, of a word of very remote antiquity, that was once in general use, which the Romans abbreviated into arra,, and which the Latins in the middle ages changed into arrha. It denoted an earnest or pledge in general, and was often used to signify an espousal present or gift from the man to the woman on their entering into an engagement to marry. This, as we learn from Pliny, was a ring of iron, the ancient Romans being long prohibited from wearing rings of any other metal. The giving of arles for confirming a bargain is still very common in all the northern counties. It is an old custom, still kept up, for the buyer and seller to drink together on these occasions, without which the engagement would hardly be considered valid. Gael. iarlus. Welsh, ernes.

ASS

ARNUT, AWNUT, JURNUT, YERNUT, a pig-nut, or earth-chesnut. Sax. eard-nut. Dut. aarde-noot.

ARR, a mark or scar; hence PoCK-ARRS, a common phrase for those marks on the face left by the small-pox. Su.-Got. aerr. Isl. aer. Dan. ar.

ARSIE-VARSIE, ARSEY-WARSEY, topsy-turvy. Etymology ob

vious.

All things run arsie-varsie.-Ben. Jon.

ART, quarter of the Heavens, a part of the country. Germ. ort, a place-die vier orte, the four quarters. Gael. aird, a cardinal point.

ARVEL-SUPPER, a funeral feast given to the friends of the de

ceased, at which a particular kind of loaf, called arvel-bread, is sometimes distributed among the poor. The practice of serving up collations at funerals appears to have been borrowed from the cæna feralis of the Romans, alluded to in Juvenal (Sat. V.), and in the laws of the twelve tables. It consisted of an offering of milk, honey, wine, &c. to the ghost of the departed. In the case of heroes and other illustrious men the same custom seems to have prevailed among the Greeks. With us, it was anciently a solemn festival made at the time of publicly exposing the corpse, to exculpate the heir, and those entitled to the effects, from fines and mulcts, and from all accusations of having used violence. Welsh, arwyl, funeral obsequies.

Ass, ESSE, ashes. Sax. asce.

Germ. asche. Isl. aska. Dan. aske.-ASS-HOLE, a place for receiving ashes.-ASS-MANNER, manure of ashes.-Ass-MIDDEN, a heap of ashes.-AssRIDDLIN, the riddling or sifting of the ashes on the hearth, on the eve of St. Mark. The superstitious notion is, that, should any of the family die within the year, the shoe will be impressed on the ashes.

ASSI

ASSIL-TREE, axle-tree. So invariably pronounced. Fr. asseul. Gael. aisil. Ital. assile.

ASSIL, or AXLE ToorH, a grinder-situated near the axis of the jaw. Isl. jaxlar, dentes molares, maxillares.

ASK, ASKER, Esk, a water newt, a kind of lizard, believed,
without foundation, to be venomous.
Gael. asc.
ASTITE, ASTY, rather, as soon as, sooner, literally as tide.
Sax. and Isl. tid.

ATTERCOP, North. and Dur.; ATTERCOB, Cumb. a' spider's web. Sax. atter, poison and coppe, a cup; receiving its denomination, according to Dr. Jamieson, partly from its form and partly from its character—a cup of venom. The word is occasionally used to denote the spider itself; and a female of a virulent or malignant disposition is sometimes degraded with the appellation of an attercap.

AUDFARANT, AUDFASHINT, grave, sagacious, ingenious. Chil

dren are said to be audfarant when they are wiser or more witty than those of their age usually are. Dut. ervaren. Dan. erfaren, experienced.

AUK, a stupid or clumsy person. From old Got. auk, a beast, or it may be from the northern sea birds called auks, of proverbial stupidity.

AULD, AUD, old. Sax. eald.

Then take auld cloak about thee.-Shak. Othello.

AULD-LANG-SYNE, a favourite phrase in the North, by which old persons express their recollection of former kindnesses, and juvenile enjoyments in times long since past; rendered immortal by the beautiful Scotch song,

Should auld acquaintance be forgot.

AUM, the elm. Old Fr. oulme. Allum is also, in some places, pronounced aum. Br. alm.

AUN'D, ordained, fated. "I'm aun'd to this luck."

AUNTS.

"One of my aunts" is, in Newcastle, a designation for a lady of more complaisance than virtue. Shakspeare and other play writers use the term.

AUP, a wayward child. Ape.

AUTER, altar. Many of our old authors write auter, or awter.

The high altar-a term still retained in Cumb. where it is pronounced as one word heeautre-was so called to distinguish it from the Saint's altars, of which there were several in most churches. Old Fr. auter.

AUWARDS. A beast is said to be auwards when it lies backward or downhill, so as to be unable to rise. Sheep, heavy in the wool, are often found so, in which case they soon swell and die, if not extricated. Sax. awerd, perversus,

aversus.

AVER, an old worn out cart horse. V. Spelman, affri, affra, and Du Cange, averia. Nearly obsolete.

AVERISH, average, the stubble and grass left in corn fields after harvest, winter eatage. Fr. hiver, and Eng. eatage. But see Ray.

Aw, the pronunciation of I.

Aw was up and down,

MAW, my. Aws, I am.

seekin for maw hinny,

Aw was thro' the town, seekin for maw bairn.

Song, Maw Canny Hinny.

Fareweel, fareweel, maw comely pet!

Aw's fourc'd three weeks to leave thee;

Aw's doon for parm'ent duty set,

O dinna let it grieve thee !-Song, Bob Cranky's Adieu.

AW-MACKS, all makes, all sorts. V. Bouch.

AWN, own, to visit. "You never awn us now," i. e. you never

visit, or call on us.

C