I Never Knew There Was a Word for It - Adam Jacot De Boinod [137]
barley-child (Shropshire) a child born in wedlock, but which makes its advent within six months of marriage (alluding to the time which elapses between barley sowing and barley harvest)
jonkin (Yorkshire) a tea-party given to celebrate a birth of a child
crying-cheese (Scotland) a ritual where cheese was given to neighbours and visitors when a child was born
FIRST STEPS
Then there is the long, slow process of bringing up the little darling; beset with many dangers, but not, fortunately, as many as in the past …
vagitus (Latin 17C) a new-born child’s cry
marriage music (late 17C) the crying of children
blow-blow (Jamaican English 1955) babbling baby-talk
chrisom (c.1200) a child that dies within a month of its birth (so called from the chrisom-cloth, anointed with holy unguent, which the children wore until they were christened)
quiddle (Midlands) to suck a thumb
gangrel (1768) a child just beginning to walk
dade (Shropshire) to lead children when learning to walk
CHIPS OFF THE OLD BLOCK
It’s an exhausting time, but hopefully rewarding, whatever the extra commitments:
antipelargy (1656) the love of children for their parents
philostorgy (1623) natural affection, such as that between parents and children
butter-print (Tudor–Stuart) a child bearing the stamp of its parents’ likeness
stand pad (Cockney) to beg in crowded streets with a written statement round one’s neck, such as ‘wife and five kids to support’
sandwich generation (Canadian slang) those caring for young children and elderly parents at the same time (usually ‘baby boomers’ in their 40s or 50s)
POPPING OFF
Sadly, not all men seem able to stay the course:
zoo daddy (US slang) a divorced father who rarely sees his child or children (he takes his kids to the zoo when exercising his visiting rights)
baby fathers (Jamaican English 1932) males who abandon their partner and offspring
goose father (US slang 2005) a father who lives alone having sent his spouse and children to a foreign country to learn English or do some other form of advanced study
jacket (Jamaican English 2007) a man tested and proven not to be the father of the children said to be his
EARLY PROMISE
And what a course it can prove to be …
glaikut (Aberdeenshire) of a child too fond of its mother and refusing to be parted from her at any time
chippie-burdie (Scotland) a promise made to a child to pacify them
killcrop (1652) a child who is perpetually hungry
vuddle (Hampshire and Wiltshire) to spoil a child by injudicious petting
ankle-sucker (Worcestershire) a child or person dependent on others
COLTISH
ot necessarily made any easier as the offspring grow older …
dandiprat (1583) an urchin
daddle (Suffolk) to walk like a young child trying to copy its father
liggle (East Anglian) to carry something too heavy to be carried easily (e.g. of a child with a puppy)
airling (1611) a person who is both young and thoughtless
… though getting them outside in the fresh air is always a good plan …
grush (Hiberno-English) of children, to scramble for coins and other small gifts thrown at them
duck’s dive (Newfoundland) a boy’s pastime of throwing a stone into the water without making a splash
poppinoddles (Cumberland 1885) a boyish term for a somersault
triltigo (Derbyshire) a word used to start boys off in a race
treer (c.1850) a boy who avoids organized sports, but plays a private game with one or two friends (by the trees at the side of the ground)
ABC
School can take some of the heat off the parents …
abecedary (1440) a table or book containing the alphabet, a primer
minerval (1603) a gift given in gratitude by a pupil to a teacher
brosier (Eton College c.1830) a boy with no more pocket money
nix! (1860) a warning especially among schoolboys and workmen of somebody’s approach
MANNERS MAKYTH MAN
At Winchester College, as elsewhere in times gone by, discipline was strictly maintained by corporal punishment. If it wasn’t from the authorities, you could count on the bullies