I Never Knew There Was a Word for It - Adam Jacot De Boinod [145]
Animals
You may beat a horse till he be sad,
and a cow till she be mad
(1678)
In a world where dogs are unclean in some cultures and on the menu in others, the British Isles is one place where the life of the average mutt might not be so bad:
snuzzle (1861) to poke around with one’s nose, as dogs do
flew (1575) the pendulous corner of the upper lip of certain dogs, such as the bloodhound
lill (Gloucestershire) used of the tongue of a dog dropping his saliva
slink (Shropshire) to draw back, as a dog does when about to bite
pudding (underworld slang 1877) liver drugged for the silencing of house-dogs
ar dawg’s a sooner (Ulster) my dog prefers to pee on the carpet rather than go outside
GRIMALKIN
Our other favourite domestic animal is supposed to have nine lives and knows how to enjoy all of them:
ess-rook (Shropshire) a cat that likes to lie in the ashes on the hearth
tawl-down (Somerset) to smooth down a cat’s back
brebit (Shropshire) a cat that continually hunts for food
furs bush (Sussex) the cat’s tune when purring
PRANCERS AND DOBBINS
The Queen is said to prefer horses to people, and there’s little doubt they get to mix in the best of company:
fossple (Cumberland 1783) the impression of a horse’s hoof upon soft ground
trizzling (Devon) the slow, lazy trot of horses
brills (1688) a horse’s eyelashes
skewboglish (Lincolnshire) a horse that is apt to shy
reeaster (Yorkshire) a horse making less effort than the others in a team
feague (UK slang b.1811) to put ginger or a live eel into a horse’s anus to make him lively and carry his tail well
jipping (horsetraders’ slang mid 19C) staining part of a horse with Indian ink to conceal a blemish
LIVESTOCK
It’s all very well going to the races, but where would we be without the milk and cheese from our herds of Jerseys and Guernseys (to say nothing of the beef from Herefords, Galloways and Lincolns)?
ganners (Shetland Isles) the inside of a cow’s lips
noit (Yorkshire) the period during which a cow gives milk
tulchan (1789) calf’s skin set beside a cow to make her give milk freely
shick (Caithness) to set the head as a bull does when intending to toss
giddhom (Ireland) the frantic galloping of cows plagued with flies
LAND OF THE LONG WHITE FLEECE
Sheep are the animal most mentioned in the bible (lions and lambs came in second and third). In New Zealand, where there have long been more sheep than people, a whole separate language grew up for talking about them:
break back (1864) to run or dash in the reverse direction to the drive
pink (1897) to shear a sheep carefully and so closely that the skin shows
raddle (1910) to mark an unsatisfactorily shorn sheep
huntaway (1912) a noisy sheepdog trained to bark on command and drive sheep forward from behind
drummer (1897) the worst or slowest sheep-shearer in a team
cobbler (late 19C) the last and least willing sheep to be sheared
PORKER
In strong competition with the Danes, our hogs and sows do their level best to bring home the bacon:
hodge (Shropshire) the large paunch in a pig
wurtle (Cumberland) to work underneath or in the ground like a pig
treseltrype (Somerset 1883) the youngest in a litter of pigs
FOWL PLAY
Some birds we keep as hunters or pets, some we breed to mow down with guns, a few we eat …
turdoid (1823) akin to a thrush
ostreger (1400) a keeper of goshawks
hack (1575) eagles before they become acclimatized and can hunt on their own
ossiger (Orkney Isles) the condition of a fowl when moulting
jollop (1688) to gobble like a turkey
zoo-zoo (Gloucestershire) a wood pigeon (from the sound it makes)
… but they’re always worth listening to:
quit-quit (Wiltshire 1900) the note of the swallow
quee-beck (Scotland 1901) the cry of grouse when startled
hoolie-gool-oo-oo (Banffshire 1876) the cry, hooting of an owl
valentine (1851) to greet with song at mating-time (said of birds)
chavish (1674) the sound of many birds chirping together, or many people chatting at once
QUEENS AND WORKERS
In other parts of the world they eat fried