Page:Glossary of words in use in Cornwall.djvu/373

13 THE DIALECT OF Black, used as the word blue is, in a bad sense ; thus, * to talk hlctck ' is to use filthy language. Blaokthome, the name of a boys' game. If played on a road, two marks are made across the road at some dierfanoe anart. One boy stands on one mark, aU the rest on the other. The oad boy caUs out the word * Blackthome,* The others, 'New milk and barley-corn.' The one, 'Haa many sheep ha' yo to-day P' The rest, 'More nor yo can catch and carry away.' They then run to his mark, and he tries to catch one or more as he goes to theirs. The captiyes- join his party, and the game goes on as before. The nominy above-mentioned was said in 1814, and is still. At Lepton the word yamdy is used for ' how many,' which word is also well Known here. Bee Nominy and Tamdy. Blaggin. To go a-hlaggin is to go getting blackberries. Any little urchin bent on this errand will say, ' Au'm baan ct^blaggin,* Blags, blackberries. See Berry. Blather, a bladder. For the interchange of d and th see Letter D. Blether, vb> to make a noise like a calf ; to make a ' faal ' noise. This, in the form of UotJier, occurs in Colin Clout, U. 66-8 : ' Thus each of other hlother. The tone against the tother, Alas I they made me shudder.' BletherheSd, or Bletheryed, a bladder-head ; a stupid fellow. Blin, to stop ; to cease to move, flow, run, &c. A child may cry for hidf an hour, and never blin; it may rain all day, and never Uin; the train ran 100 miles, and never olinned. See the Fdon Sew of jRokeby, ver. 24 : ' And Peter Dale would never blinn. But as £Eist as he could rvn, Till he came to his wiie.' Again, in Minot's BcMe of NeviVs Cross, IL 61-4 : ' Both Durham and Carlisle they would never Uin The worship of England with weapon to win.' The past tense was bian. See the Rising of the North, ver. 11 : ' One while the little foot page went, » And another while he ran ; Until he came to his journey's end The little foot page never 62an.' And again in ver. 34. In the heading of one of Laurence Minot's FoliHccU Songs we read : ' How Edward at Hogges unto land wan, And rade thurgh France or euer he blan,' f . e. how Edward TTT. landed at Gape La Hogue, and passed through France without opposition. The extract is taken from Morris and Skeat's edition of apecimens of Early English, No doubt the past tense here was blan, but it seems to be forgotten now. Blinders, or Blinkers, i. e. blinders for horses.