Page:Glossary of words in use in Cornwall.djvu/461

100 THE DIALBCT OF Perch (pronounced peerh or peark), Peroh {p€drh)y to examine. This meaning is thus derived. Pieces of cloth are placed over a pole or perch, to he thoroughly examined in order to discover hurls or motes. I have heard this word used to explain the looking through an account-hook with the view of dis- covering errors. Perfectly. Mentioned here to note a peculiarity of the dialect in laying the accent on certain words of three syllables ; thus, perfecfly. apectcK^les, Danccufer, Manchesfer, and no doubt many more, are ali accented on the middle syllable, which has a singular effect, especially in the word apedacles, Pettlbab, or Pettibabe, a spoilt child j also used for older folks who behave childishly. Pewtling, Puteling, or Poutling (pronounceil pay-ooUtng), crying. Perhaps connected with puling. Pic, or Pick, pitch from tar ; also an emetic. To ^pick up ' is to vomit. Also for pickaxe. Pick, to pitch. To pick down is to throw down ; to pick up, to throw up. See last word. Observe what in the south is called 'picking up * is here ' samming up.' To pick also means to throw the shuttle, and the thread thus laid is called a 'pick.' When speaking of the number of threads, the weavers sometimes say, so many * picks to the inch. ' To pick a pick ' is to throw the shuttle once across. [Pick in the sense of to pitch occurs in Shakespere, Coriolanua: 'pick a lance,' i. L 204. — ^W. W. S.] A cow which cornea before her time is said to pick her calf. If the cow were frightened it would not be ' arrandsmittle ' (which see), but if the occurrence takes place natur- ally, it is so. Pickin hoil, i. e» pitching-hole, a hole in the wall of a bam through which hay, &c are tossed in. When J. N. lived at Almondbury in the house at the top of Qrasscroft, he was annoyed by the road, which led to his kitchen-door, being too near some assmiddins. He accord- ingly caused the road to be altered, and the doorway from the lane to be walled up, leaving what is called & jnckin-hoily two feet square and two feet from the ground, through which the coals mi^ht be shovelled. A Bo/t innocent woman, L. B., nad often come to me kitchen door with messages from her mistress. Lo ! she found the way walled up, except the narrow aperture. * What,' she exclaimed, ' is this all the gate there is to t' haas P ' * Yus,' was the answer given by J. L., W. EL, and other awkward bystanders ; * yus, yo're lawk to go thro' theer.' She had a jug in her hand coutfuning becut as a present, and she hesi- tated. ' Eh, bud yo mun traw, SaUy I ' Thus encouraged, she put her pitcher of beast first, and then her head, and man£^^ed to strug^e part of the wav through, but got wed^ped fast. The bystanders urged her on with snouts of laughter. This caUed out the owner, to mid the unfortunate woman vainly struggling. On seeing him she ex- claimed, 'Eh! maister, Aw'd ha' msMde a bigger gate nor this to t' haas, yah-iwer I ' As soon as he could recover from his merriment