Oct. 21. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



319 



with whom it is natural for him to associate. It 

 thus marks the race from which he has sprung, 

 and his station in society. 



Hawn, the common word for haven, as meaning 

 a harbour. Our fishermen have their Newhawn ; 

 and say, their boats are out in the hawn, as dis- 

 tinguished from being at the piers. 



Hay, an inclosure; now almost gone out of use; 

 but I remember it commonly applied to the 

 churchyard, which was called the " church-hay." 



Hob. It seems to mean flat. It is particularly 

 applied to the Hat side of the grate, where the 

 kettle is set to stand when ofl" the fire. A hobnail 

 is a flat-headed nail. 



Holt, a place of refuge, commonly implying 

 secrecy as well as security. It appears to be the 

 same as the word hold, used in the Bible. It ob- 

 viously, in the latter case, means a place that can 

 be held against an enemy ; and seems to imply a 

 place we hold fist, as distinguished from a merely 

 temporary residence. 



Hormn, home ; a mode of enunciation also trans- 

 ferred to America. 



Huhler, to gather into one close company. 

 Hull, hulk ; to hulk, to hulster, have a kindred 

 meaning. Hull and hulk mean the body of a 

 thing, without its dress, or useful or useless parts. 

 To hulk means, by way of reproach, to sit down 

 idly, without moving, usually in a dirty manner ; 

 without activity or industry. Hence, a sheer-hulk 

 is the dismantled body of a ship, no longer fit for 

 service. The word hull is also often applied to 

 the empty and rejected cases of some fruit : as of 

 peas and nuts. 



Ivgan, an onion. 



Ire, iron. 



Is, often used for the pronoun I. It is probably 

 the Saxon Ich. 



Jam, to squeeze, or thrust between two stout 

 bodies. Perhaps X\\q jambs of a door are so called, 

 as being the parts that press or squeeze the door. 



Joggle, to shake to and fro. It is used by Dean 

 Swift — '■'■ a. joggling trot;" but with us it is of 

 common use. 



Joice, the juice of anything. 



Kellick, an instrument used to moor a fishing- 

 boat at sea instead of a grapnel (here called a 

 "grape") or anchor. It is formed of two slightly 

 bent pieces of wood, which are fastened together 

 by two others, one near each end ; and one of 

 which projects more than the other on each side, 

 somewhat like the crooked part of a ship's anchor. 

 A stout stone is enclosed between the two longer 

 pieces of wood, and consequently the whole forms 

 a sort of anchor, which is used in rocky ground, 

 where the usual grape would get entangled and 

 stick fast. The word kellick, as I am informed, 

 signifies a circle in Welsh ; and it is probable that 

 the circle of wood, which holds the stone, is the 

 foundation of the name ; which therefore is a 



British word for a primitive, but very useful 

 instrument. 



Kimbly. The name of a thing — commonly a 

 piece of bread — given under peculiar circum- 

 stances at weddings and christenings. It refers 

 to a custom, which probably at some time was 

 general, but now, as far as I know, is practised at 

 Polperro only ; and, even there, is less common 

 than formerly. When the parties set out from 

 their house to go to church, one person is sent 

 before them, with this selected piece of bread in 

 the hand. A woman is commonly preferred for 

 this office ; and the piece is given to the first 

 individual that is met, whose attention has been 

 drawn to the principal parties. The word is also 

 applied to a gift given to the first bringer of good 

 news : as the birth of a child, or intelligence from 

 abroad. And I interpret it as having a reference 

 to the idea of an evil eye and its envious influence, 

 which is thus to be diverted from the fortunate 

 persons. 



Kit. It seems to mean a sort of bag or basket, 

 in which anything may be held. Sometimes it 

 is pronounced kith ; and the phrase, " kith and 

 kind " means every sort of relationship, to a dis- _ 

 tant degree, that is not only of the same kind or 

 race, but also all that can be held in the same 

 bond, bag, or lot. 



Klib. The word is used both actively and pas- 

 sively ; meaning, to adhere or stick to, or to cause 

 to adhere to. A thing is said to be klibby when it 

 is adhesive, and liable to stick to another thing. 

 Sometimes the word clidgy is used as aTi adjective 

 in the same sense. Klitch is to stick fast ; but it 

 seems to be substantially the same word with 

 clutch, to grasp, or hold fast with the hand ; ex- 

 cept that the Cornish word includes the idea 'of 

 glutinous adhesion. 



Klip, a sudden smart blow, but not a heavy 

 one. It is most usually applied to a " hlij) under ' 

 the ear." Of late, the word Hipper is grown into 

 use to describe a smart-sailing vessel : one that 

 sails very swiftly, with some distant reference to 

 the same idea. 



Knap, prominent. It is sometimes applied to 

 the prominent part of a hill ; but it is more fre- ' 

 quently used as significant of the form of a person's 

 knees, when they are distorted towards each other, 

 and which some people have chosen to term knock- 

 kneed. 



Lank, long and slender, with some idea of 

 emptiness. 



Ldry, empty ; chiefly applied to emptiness of 

 the stomach and bowels. 



Lasher, a large thing, of any sort. The mean- 

 ing sought to be conveyed appears to be, that this 

 thing beats or excels every other. The opinion, 

 that any object which excels another is able to 

 beat, lash, or inflict violence on that other, is a ■ 

 strange but not uncommon vulgar one. 



