320 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 260. 



Lech, a leek. 



Lerriping, long and lank ; longer than in pro- 

 portion to a proper sliape. It is applied to a 

 very long and thin man, of little strength or 

 value. 



Lick, to beat, to conquer one in fight with the 

 fist ; to beat him well. 



Lights, the lungs. The rising of the lights is 

 the disease hysterics ; and the name appears to 

 be taken from a symptom by which an action, 

 appearing like strangulation, seems to rise from 

 the stomach and chest towards the throat. 



Lob. The only peculiar meaning of this word 

 with us is, as it is applied to a stone fastened to 

 the end of a fishing-line, to keep it fast when 

 thrown from the rocks. But thus used, it appears 

 to have a kindred meaning : as when applied by 

 Shakspeare in the Midsummer Night's Dream, as 

 " the lob of spirits," being the heavy one among 

 them. In like manner, a lubber is a heavy dull 

 fellow; and Query if a loblolly- boy on board a 

 ship is not also thus derived ? as meaning a person 

 who does not perform any of the active duties, 

 but is only fit for menial service. 



Lo/t, a room in the upper part of a house, but 

 including the idea of its being of large size, and 

 not a garret. The word is often pronounced laft, 

 and is not equivalent to lofty or high. Laff is the 

 usual name for what elsewhere is called a lath : 

 meaning a thin piece of wood used to fasten the 

 covering, or as they are with us called " the hel- 

 ling stones," or slates, on the roof of a house, — for 

 tiles are not thought of here. As these laff's are 

 not plastered within, it is a question whether the 

 loft or laft is not so named from them. 



Louning, thin and meager. A fish is said to be 

 louning, when it is much emaciated. 



Louster, to work hard ; violently, but clumsily. 

 We have a proverb which says, that such as 

 cannot skill, must louster. The word skill was 

 ■used, as an active verb is used in the Bible ; 

 and the meaning of the proverb is, that those who 

 cannot employ skill in their work, must work the 

 harder. 



LUg, heavy. It is used to signify the heavy 

 weeds among corn as it grows. To big, is to 

 carry along a heavy weight ; implying the carry- 

 ing it along with labour, not far above the ground. 

 It has a kindred meaning with the word log, 

 although the latter is limited to mean a heavy 

 piece of wood. 



Mammy; used, even by grown persons, for 

 mother. 



Mawl, to beat any one severely with some blunt 

 instrument, or the fist. The word, as a substan- 

 tive, anciently meant a hammer ; but with us it 

 is only used as a verb. 



Mazed, mad : out of his mind, but It scarcely 

 means furious madness. 



Mich, a micher. In common use for one who 



stays away from school, and loiters about some- 

 where else. Shakspeare uses the word. 



Mock, the root or stump of a tree. 



More, mawr ; the root of a tree or plant, where 

 it is divided into fibres in the ground : and dis- 

 tinguished from the tnock, as the latter means the 

 solid and heavy part if under ground, or the solid 

 part above ground. The more, or maior, is that 

 part by which a plant adheres to the soil ; and 

 hence we see the original signification of the word, 

 as compared with its secondary, but now most 

 frequent application, of securing a ship by it» 

 anchor. Our country people speak of tearing up 

 a thing out of the soil mawr and moule ; which 

 means, to tear up a plant with the earth attached 

 to the roots, of course with some violence. Tiie 

 word moule is the same as mould, as meaning the 

 soil. 



Mug, a quart, or largo vessel for holding drink, 

 a jug. I think the original meaning is, short and 

 dumpy. It is applied elsewhere, but not here, to- 

 the countenance when short or blunt. 



Mule, to work, to labour. It is now chiefly 

 applied to the working of dough with tlie hands,, 

 preparatory to forming it into bread, which our 

 women find to be very hard work for their arms. 



Mulligrubs, gripings of the bowels. Video. 



THE BATTLE OF SEDGMOOR, 1685. 



I think the following may be not without in- 

 terest to your readers. I had occasion to consult 

 the registers at Weston-Zoyland a few days since,, 

 and at the end of one of them found this memo- 

 randum : 



" Ann Account of the Ffight that was in Langmore, the 

 Six of July 1685, between the King's Army and the 

 J). of'M. 



" The Iniadgement began between one and two of the 

 clock in the morning. It continued near one hour and a 

 halfe. There was kild upon the spott of the King's 

 souldiers sixteen ; ffive of them buried in the churchyard,, 

 and they had all Christian buriall. One hundred or more 

 of the King's souldiers wounded ; of which wounds many _ 

 died, of which wee have no certaine account. There was 

 kild of the rebels upon the spott aboute 300 ; hanged with 

 us 22, of which 4 weare hanged in Gemmarek ( ?). Aboute 

 500 prisoners brought into our church, of which there was 

 79 wounded, and 5 of them died of their wounds in our- 

 church. 



" The D. of M. beheaded, 

 July 15, A.D. 1G85." 

 I also found, in the churchwardens' account for 

 1686, the following entries : 



£ s. d. 

 " Item exp"! upon the ringers the 6 of July in 

 remembrance of the great deliverance we had 

 upon that da\', in the year 1C85 - - - 7 - 

 It. p"* Ben Page, John Keyser (See. Sec), for 



ringing when the King was in the more - 5 

 It. p<^ (&c. &c.) for taking up the glaxes ( ?) 

 which was laid over brod ryne when the King 

 was in the more - - - - - -016 



