Page:Glossary of words in use in Cornwall.djvu/309

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40 A GLOSSARY OF DEVONSHI&E PLANT NAMES. Mournful Widow, (1) Scabiosa atropurpureOf L., and by association also applied to (2) Scahiosa arvensis, L. Qf, French, Fleur de Veave ; ItaL, FUjt ddla vedova; Flora Domegtica, p. 337 ; Britten, p. 345. Mouse's £ar, Stachys lanata^ L. The white-leayed garden variety. (See Lamb'b-tonoub.) The name is applied to seveial similar plants, either in books, or in other parts of the country. {Of. Britten, p. 345 ; Prior, p. 162.) Mustard Cress, Sinapia, L. Mustard cultivated as a salad or cress. (See Peppar Crbss.) Nancy Prbttt, Saadfraga unibrosa, L. A name in use else- where. (Cy. NoNB-so-PRBTTT, of wMch Britten, p. 350, takes this to be a corruption.) In the north of England we have Nancy- none-so-pretty." (Prior, pp. 165, 168.) Nemsnt. a corruption of Anemone. {Cf. Britten, p. 353, Neminies.) Netttlb. a name applied to the YHiite, Bed, and Yellow Lamiums, and even to the Henbit {Landum amplexicatdey L.), concerning which I was gravely informed on Whit-Monday that

  • ' they say the bees do create iV* (See Stinq Nettle.) The 2nd

or 3id of May is observed as Nettle Bay, or Sting-nettle Day, around Newton. (See Trans. Devon, Assoc, xii p. 108 ; but the old people say it has been introduced quite recently into this neighbourhood. (See Notes and Queries, July 15th, 1882, p. 54.) In some places May 29th is called Nettle Day. (Britten, p. 353 ; Prior, p. 166 ; Lankester's Wild Flowers, p. 124 ; Earle, box. 10.) Nit. An old pronunciation of the word Nut Britten gives it (p. 354) as a Scotch pronunciation only; but it is curious how many << Scotch pronunciations " the people of Devonshire have, as witness the word chiel" for example. (See the old rhyme, Many nits, many pits;" i.e. if there is much hedge fruity there wUl be many graves ; a very old and widespread superstition.) — Trans. Devon. Assoc ix. 101. We learn from Brand that pyttes (pits) was an old name for grave& NoNE-so-PRETTT, (1) Soadfroga umbrosa, L., or London Prida (Britten, p. 355 ; Prior, p. 168.) (2) The Virginia Stock, which is called Little-and-Pretty, and seems on this account to have come in to share the honours with Nanoy Pretty (which see). No-PiPS. Name of a kind of apple, marked by this peculiarity. Nut-'all, or Nut-Hall, Corylvs Avdlana, L., or the Hazel-nut bush. (See Trans. Devon. Assoc ix. 135, where we read All rhymes with CaU, and is perhaps a corruption of halse. About Torrington a fishing rod made of Hazel is generally called a NtU-<dl rod. The pure Devonian makes short work of the h generally when it is required, having used up his stock beforehand with words beginning witii a vowel. Hence the steps are all, haU, hcdse^