side next to the grass plots, which was strewn all over with many hundreds of larvæ. The night had been cold but dry. These larvæ were about an inch long, with rather pointed extremities, and were of a dirty earthy black to grey colour. They did not seem to have much power of locomotion, but some had climbed over the brass doorstep and were found in the tiled porch.

The next morning was milder, and only a few specimens were seen, but on the Friday morning, after a cold and dry night, the same kind of thing was seen as on Wednesday, but only about half as numerous.

Each morning since has been more or less mild and wet, and only about a dozen or even less have made their appearance.

Having inquired of local scientists what they were, I have been informed by one that they were a kind of wireworm.

Another gentleman pronounces them the larvæ of the fly known as the Daddy-long-legs, and avers that though they usually live under the soil, yet they occasionally make their appearance on paths bordered by garden soil, just as in my experience.

I was informed on the Thursday morning after the Wednesday when I first saw them that a similar occurrence had taken place in another (town) garden not a quarter of a mile distant.

There was a recurrence of the appearance of these grubs on the morning of Christmas Eve, when from fifty to one hundred, I should judge, were found early in the morning scattered on the footpath, and smaller numbers, from a dozen to three or four, and so on, have been noticed on frosty mornings at intervals during February.

H. B. S. WOODHOUSE.

I am inclined to think that they were the larvæ of one of the members of the Daddy-long-legs family (Tipulido), known amongst gardeners by the name of "leatherjackets." Their appearance in such numbers was doubtless. due to a sudden change in the temperature which attracted them out of the ground, where they are very destructive to the roots of grass and other plants. G. M. D.

TWENTY-SEVENTH REPORT OF

THE COMMITTEE ON DEVONSHIRE VERBAL PROVINCIALISMS.

TWENTY-SEVENTH REPORT of the Committee-consisting of Mr. J. S. Amery, Mr. R. Pearse Chope, Mr. C. H. Laycock, Rev. J. F. Chanter, Rev. G. D. Melhuish, Rev. O. J. Reichel, Miss C. E. Larter, Miss Helen Saunders, and Mrs. Rose-Troup; Mr. C. H. Laycock and Rev. O. J. Reichel being Joint Secretaries for the purpose of noting and recording the existing use of any Verbal Provincialisms in Devonshire, in either written or spoken language, not included in the lists already published in the Transactions of the Association.

Edited by CHARLES H. LAYCOCK.

(Read at Tavistock, 22nd July, 1914.)

THE Rules and Regulations of the Committee were reprinted with the Twenty-second Report in 1909, Vol. XLI; but should any member not have a copy, the Editor will be glad to supply him with one on his application.

CONTRIBUTIONS.

Each provincialism is placed within inverted commas, and the whole contribution ends with the initials of the observer. All remarks following the initials are Editorial.

The full address of each contributor is given below, and it must be understood that he or she only is responsible for the statements bearing his or her initials.

J. J. A.
M. A.

A. C.

CONTRIBUTORS.

J. J. Alexander, Grammar School, Tavistock. -Maxwell Adams, 13 South Parade, Southsea, Hants.

=Sir Alfred Croft, Rumleigh, Bere Alston.

J. F. C. Rev. J. F. Chanter, Parracombe Rectory,

=

Barnstaple.

R. P. C. R. Pearse Chope, Hollyhurst, Blythwood Road, Crouch Hill, N.

G. M. D.

T. J. J.
C. E. L.

George M. Doe, Enfield, Great Torrington.
=T. J. Joce, 3 Manor Crescent, Newton Abbot.
Miss C. E. Larter, 2, Summerland Terrace,
St. Marychurch.

C. H. L. Charles H. Laycock, Cross Street, Moretonhampstead.

H. J. L.

G. D. M.

O. J. R.

=Harford J. Lowe.

==

=

Rev. G. D. Melhuish, Ashwater Rectory,
Beaworthy.

Rev. O. J. Reichel, À la Ronde, Lympstone.

"ARMED. Of a man and his wife, as expressive of a very uxorious man, He armed her about everywhere.' C. E. L."

"BALED. Applied to eggs ready for hatching, in which a small hole has been formed by the chick inside, preparatory to its emergence. Christow, 1911. T. J. J."

The word is really "bill'd." See Bail, 18th Report, Vol. XXXII, p. 57.

"BATTS=boots. Supplied by W. P. O. J. R.”

66

BEARED=borne. Servant, of a pie, he'd ha' beared

a little longer in the oven.' C. E. L."

One more instance of the weak past participle, which is so marked a feature of our dialect.

"BETTER-WAY-it would be better if.

go straight on wai Enoch Wotton's yarn.' Western Weekly News, 9 Jan., 1909.

'I

I better-way Jan Stewer in

"You better-way get it off yer mind, misses.' Ibid., 27 Feb., 1909. R. P. C."

See Best way, 22nd Report, Vol. XLI, p. 68.

"BIGATIVE=conceited.

BIGATIVE conceited. The word was used by one servant of another; "er's very bigative.' On my repeating it to a third. E considers the housemaid very bigative,' she at once replied, 'Yes, got a good opinion of herself.' C. E. L."

This is the invariable dialectal form of bigoted, and is usually applied to one who is obstinately self-opinionated.

"BLINK. A middle-aged man, at Newton Abbot, used the expression Just on the blink,' meaning just balanced, touch and go. T. J. J."

"BREETH? This, when I expressed ignorance, was defined as earth mixed with road-dust, wood-ashes, soot, lime,' etc., well-manured soil, in short. But what was the exact meaning of breeth, or what the term may be a corruption of, I could not discover. C. E. L.”

The word is really breathe, usually pronounced braithe. It implies that the soil is light and well pulverized. "Braithe's a arsh-'eap" (ash-heap), is a common saying. Eng. Dial. Dict. has Breathe, of land; open, thoroughly tilled and pulverized for a seed-bed. Glo., Som., Dev.

It would therefore appear to be a purely Westcountry term. See Braythe, 23rd Report, Vol. XLII, p. 70.

"CHITTER=chatter,

6

CHITTER chatter, v. and sb. Chitterin' away like a starlin'.' 'There was he, vull o' chitter, an' Nancy takin' in ev'ry word o't.' Jan Stewer in Western Weekly News, 13 Feb., 1909. R. P. C."

Always so pronounced.

So chitter-bag=chatter-box.

It is probably the first half of the alliterative phrase "Chitter-chatter." Cp. "Clitter-clatter," "Smit-smats,"

etc.

66

CLITTER or CLUTTER=mess, disorder, 'Well, this is a brave clitter, sure 'nuff.' Heard at Christow. H. J. L." See 13th Report, Vol. XXV, p. 188.

Clitter is also applied to a pile of loose stones or granite boulders on the moor, called also clatters.

“COBB (verb). Yü'll cobb it vor düein' that.' This was shouted in church by a small boy in the congregation when the preacher with his elbow accidentally knocked over a vase of flowers placed on a corner shelf in the pulpit. The mishap excited the small urchin beyond control, with this result. What is the meaning of the word cobb?

C. E. L."

This is merely a local pronunciation of the common slang term cop to catch, seize hold of, capture. Hence the term "Copper" for a policeman, one whose business it is to cop or capture wrong-doers.

"COME=came. Servant, aged 60, native of Torquay,

of the cat I called'n an' called'n, but he never come.' C. E. L."

This is, of course, really comed, the weak past tense, but final "d" and "t" are not usually sounded in the dialect unless followed by a word beginning with a vowel, and not always even then.

"CROCKIE=to stoop. Used by a maid, aged 31. 'Wen I lived to Brixham the strawberries was wired in, an' I 'ad to creep in under the nettin' an' go down on my 'ands an' knees to pick 'em ; Missis use to pick 'em Sundays arter 'er come 'ome from church.'

"Listener remarked, 'How could she kneel on the ground in her best clothes?'

"Oh, 'er 'ad to crockie,' was the reply. That is, to bend down over them, not to kneel. C. E. L."

See crucked up.

The idea is rather to crouch or cower down, with knees bent, than merely to stoop.

M.E. croken, to bend; from crok, a crook, hook, or bend.

"CRUCKED UP crouched up. I reckon Samson was crucked up in chimley-cornder.' Jan Stewer in Western Weekly News, 30 Jan., 1909. R. P. C."

This may be crooked up, i.e. with the body bent as a crook; or more probably it is a variation of the common word ruckey, see 3rd Report, Vol. XI, p. 140; also 11th Report, Vol. XXI, p. 100.

"DABBED knocked down by rain, and wilted. Servant, middle-aged, at Torquay, of some nasturtiums, They gits dabbed, like other plants,' remarking on the appearance of the flowers after a night of storm. When I asked what dabbed' meant, the explanation above was given. C. E. L."

Probably the same as the common word "Dap," which means to give a slight blow.

Cp. Literary English "Tap," in the sense of to strike a gentle blow.

French Taper.

"DAZE gleam. Used as a subst. 'The window caught the daze' (of the rising sun). C. E. L."

This substantival use of verbs is not uncommon in the dialect. Cp. Daunt, 25th Report, Vol. XLIV, p. 73.