SOME HOLDERNESS DIALECT FIGHTING WORDS. 273 



To Mob is a boy's collective punishment meted out to any 

 delinquent, not niggardly, but of full measure, pressed 

 down and running over. On Royal Oak Day, the 29th of 

 May, any boy who lacked the loyal symbol, a sprig 

 of oak tree (not dog oak), would be " mobbed,'" i.e, 

 pelted with ancient, oderiferous eggs, or struck by caps 

 or knotted handkerchiefs. Oh ! a fine malak was 

 mobbing on Royal Oak Day. 



A Mump is a back-hander on the mouth, and that selfsame 

 " mump," quickly delivered, disfigures the aforesaid 

 mouth considerably. 



Mill. — This is either another form of " mell," or refers to the 

 action of a flour mill, where the object worked upon is 

 skinned and pulverised, and greatly improved thereby. 

 So by figure ot speech, a person who receives a " mill- 

 ing'' is put through the small sieve, and is benefitted, or 

 why was he ever milled ? 



However came the word Nail to mean a beating or a 

 flogging? But so it has ! It also means "to catch," 

 to hold ; and to tell anyone that he will "catch it " is a 

 threat of the direst import. It al«o means " to clench an 

 argument," "to overcome an adversary in a con- 

 troversy." The Holderness Glossary gives the following 

 illustration : — " He said Ah sud nivver win if Ah bet o' 

 Sunda', an' Ah said, ' Sattenly yan on us must win,' an' 

 that nailed him." 



To Nevell is to beat violently with the neeaf, or fist ; while 

 Nobble and Nope are both used when the hand or some 

 instrument is brought into violent contact with the head. 

 In that serio-comic, domestic tragedy, Punch and Judy, 

 once universal, but now nearly obsolete, Punch kills Judy 

 by nobbling her — the more resounding the whacks the 

 more laughter they provoked in the juvenile audience. 



Pick and Pooak are of like meaning, though "pick" is 

 accomplished by hand and " pooak " by some instru- 

 ment. There is more celerity in " pick " than " pooak." 

 " Pooak " is to push, but " pick " is to push suddenly, 

 unexpectedly, like a torpedo attack ; as, " He pickt ma 

 doon, just fo' nowt at all, an' then thowt better on't, an' 

 pickt ma up ageean." 



A half-hearted antagonist, anxious to hide his want of 

 courage, makes much to do by sparring with the empty 

 air, knocking down imaginary foes, imbruing his feet in 



