Page:Glossary of words in use in Cornwall.djvu/372

ALMONDBURY AND HUDDERSFIELD. 11 Bellman, the town-crier. Belong, nsed peculiarly. In such sentences as imply ' To whom does this belong P * the phrase is, ' JVho hdongs this house, knife P ' &c. Benk, or Bank, an early form of Imu^h ; a stone seat The berik used to be outside the cottage doors, where milk-bowls, &c. were placed to cool ; and people were accustomed ' to sit on the henk i* the summer-time.' Occurs in a tract. How the Qoode Wif ihaughi hir Daughter i ascribed by Sir F. Madden to the time of Henry Y£. : ' Doughter I the praye, that thou the so be thengke What men the honouren, and sette the on the oengke* Bensel (pronounced bensit), to beat, or bang. Bay has this word. Bent, a small grass which grows on the moors. Benin, t. e, burying, or funeraL * It was formerly the custom to note, just as the coffin set off, the first person met coming in the opposite direction, and this was considered to indicate the age and sex of the neist person to be buried. At that time they always sang them away, a practice which has nearly died out' Berry, the common name for the gooseberry. Various fruits are here styled in a different way from that of the south of England ; thus, currants are currant-herriea, sometimes currans; raspberries, raspa; blackberries, hUig$y &o. Bessie (pronounced bezzle)^ to guzzle, or drink hard. Better, used peculiarly to signify todl after an illness, * Are you quite better 9 ' is a reeular salutation even amongst well-informed persons. It is curiouj^y used in such expressions as ^ I sought and letter sought,' &c. Between. A singular idiom prevails here to omit the first substan- tive or pronoun after this preposition. 'Between and next week/ ' between and the wall.' See note to Thropple. Benld, a former pronunciation of the word build (the eu aB ew in n6i{;— southern pronunciation). This may be still heard with old people. Beverage. * To pay beverage ' is to give money for the purpose of drink. When one has a new suit of clothes, or has met with good fortune of any kind, he is asked to pay beverage. * Bilberry, the whortleberry: a fruit produced abundantly upon the moors of this neighbourhood, most excellent for pies or puddings. In the season large numbers of persons may be seen gathering them. The usual present cost is about 6d, per quart (1874). Billy, a machine for stubbing cardings. Bindhome, perhaps Bindhobn, copsewood where birds lodge. Birk, the birch tree. The word not much used now in this sense, but found much in compounds: Birkhyt Birkhonse, Birksmi]!, Birks^ wood, &c BirkwiUl began to work in 1800.