104 THB DIALECT OF Porridge, oatmeal boiled with water or milk : used for breakfast or supper, now not unfrequently. This is the substance of which Dickens thus writes : * Into these bowls Mrs. S^ueers poured a brown compo- sition which looked like diluted pincushions witnout the covers, and was called porridge,* One of my tenants remarked, ' There's not many porridge made now.' Poitywoof, or Poitywooye, wooven in a peculiar manner. A porty is forty ends, t. e, forty threads — in woollen ; and in cotton thirty- eight ends or threads is called a 6eer, bear^ or here. Bere is probably not a word of this dialect, as cotton weaving has not been much fol- lowed here until recently, [putoiiportie means a portion^ and is evidently a word of French origin. — W. W. S.] Posit, or Possit, no doubt deposit. An infant posits when the food runs out of its mouth. So liver for deliver ; plaining for complaining. Posnet (pronounced posjiit), an iron pot with feet; a skiUet, or pipkin. The word is found in old writings. P088, to rush, or plunge head first. Hall, says 'to dash about.' Clothes in a tub are poased with a stick. Said of a lamb, ' See haa he's poasin f owd ewe agean.' [Occurs in the Prologue to Piers the Plowman, and is the old form of the modem push. In Piers the Plowman it is said of a cat playing with mice that she ' possed him aboute; ' B. proL 151.— W. W. S.] Potates (two syllables), used very commonly for potatoes. Potter, to bother, stir, disorder, &c. : used in a varied sense. One is pottered when perplexed; potters coals out of the fire, or money, &c. out of his pocket. Pongh (pronounced pah-oo ; gh paa*uo), the lower lip. Pout per- haps connected with this word. Pouching is crying. Pound, pronounced pund when signifying weight, and paand when signifying money. Ponse, a baggage ; dirty slut, &c. I have heard tlus word addressed to a trespassmg cow. Weak or tasteless liquid is called 'weary pouse* I take it to be the same word as that of which HalL says, ' ft was formerly a common and not indelicate imprecation.' See Letter X, and Gttlker. Prabble, a quarrel, or squabble. When John Hepworth was ill, his mother sent Tom Bell to Dr. Bradley to get him some medicine. He said, ' If yo ple&se Au'm coom for some phezzic for little John ; he's varry, varry badly.' Dr, * Who's little John ? ' T, B, * Wha, littie John, yo know.' Dr. * What little John ? ' T, B. * Wha, little John up yonder ; ' and Tom could eet no farther. ' Little John, yo know — 3^0 know, little John.' The doctor, getting a slight understanding of the case, prepared some medicine. The mother of the boy, becoming impatient of her messenger's delay, went to meet him, and said,
- What has ta been doin', Tom, so long ? ' Tom, * Doin' ? Au' ve
