258
NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. i. MAR. 26, 1910.
I venture to suggest that Spennythorne
and Spennymoor are local names which may
be considered in connexion with the word
spinney.
ST. SWITHIN.
" HEM OF A NOISE " (11 S. i. 108). With
reference to MB. MAYHEW'S query as to the
meaning of this phrase, quoted in the Rev.
J. Coker Egerton's amusing work ' Sussex
Folk and Sussex Ways,* I would venture
to suggest that it is merely, a toning-down
of the expression "hell of a noise. n The
latter expression is common in those
strata of society where expressive vigour
rather than refinement is aimed at in con-
versation, and I have often heard men
who would in the ordinary way have used
the world " hell " substitute " hem " when
addressing those whose susceptibilities might
be shocked by the use of the stronger ex-
pression. " Hem, n indeed, may be said
to serve the same purpose in rural conversa-
tion that expressive dashes do in the
columns of newspapers in reporting police-
court cases. LEONARD J. HODSON.
Robertsbridge, Sussex.
Sussex folk do not care to use the word " devil. ?? As Chancellor Parish says : " The devil is always spoken of as he, with a special emphasis " ('A Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect/ p. 35). This applies to " damned, " which is also rendered as " em " or " hem. 21 Whether it be used for one or the other, it probably represents a word slurred over, and not articulated. E. E. STBEET.
Chichester.
In the old days of army enlistment by the queen's shilling there was a story current in Kent of a stage -coachman driving through Chatham who nearly ran down a drunken soldier, who went reeling across the street just in front of the horses. The coachman bawled out : " Now then ! Out of the way, sojer ! You only costs a shilling, but they'd kick up a hem of a shine if I ran over you."
Amongst Kentish people the word " hem '* was always considered to be a euphemistic form of the word " hell."
WALTEB B. KINGSFOBD.
United University Club.
[MR. J. HOLDEN MACMlCHAEL, OLD SARUM,
MR. T. RATCLIFFE, MR. H. A. C. SAUNDERS, and MR. \V. SCOTT also thanked for replies.]
MOST EXPENSIVE ELECTION (11 S. i. 107, 191). The famous election for Yorkshire in 1807 if not the most expensive on record, was certainly one of the most costly ever fought. Wilberforce, the champion of the
abolition of the slave trade, had sat for the
county for twenty-three years without being-
opposed.; but on this occasion he was
challenged by the two great Yorkshire
houses of Fitzwilliam and Lascelles. The
poll lasted for fifteen days, the final return
being :
Wilberforce, 11,806.
Lord Milton, 11,177.
Lascelles, 10,989.
To contend with the weight of money against him, Wilberforce's supporters got up a national subscription, and it is said that in ten days over 40,OOOZ. was subscribed. An interesting account of this election will be found in the current number of The Pall Mall Magazine, p. 441. T. F. D.
"KICKING tip BOB'S-A-DYING " (11 S. i. 150). This will be found to occur, s.v. " Bob's-a-dying," in the ' E.D.D.* in forms " bob's-a-dial, ?i " bobs-a-dilo,' ? in Northum- berland, Yorkshire, Dorset, and Devon. Its meaning is " a great ' row z or racket ; bois- terous merriment n ; but the origin is not given. J. HOLDEN MACMICHAEL.
OSBALDISTONE : ITS PBONUNCIATION (11 S.
i. 85, 132). The abbreviated form Osbaston has its counterpart in Barniston, an abbre- viated form of Barnardistone. In the Fort St. George records there are many references to members of this family ; sometimes the name is spelt Burniston. They were related to the Aislabies and Scattergoods, so that there seems to be no doubt that they belonged to the Barnardistone family.
FBANK PENNY.
' A LAD OF THE O'FBIELS - (11 S. i. 46). I do not know enough about Irish names to say whether O'Friel is the same as Friel. The latter is certainly a surname. About two j years ago I met a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, Mr. Ralph Friel, who is now in the Indian Civil Service. He pronounced his name almost as, frill, or midway between ; frill and /reel. V. CHATTOPADHY!YA.
MOHACS : THE BATTLE (11 S. i. 87, 177).
There is a common Hungarian saying,
which has become almost a proverb, ' ' But
more was lost on Mohacs field," implying
that no disaster is unparalleled. An old
song referring to the battle has been trans-
lated into English, and the traditional
air arranged by Francis Korbay. In this
song the phrase above quoted occurs as a
refrain. FBANK SCHLOESSER
