274 HULL SCIENTIFIC AND FIELD NATURALISTS CLUB. 



their gore, and executing; a war-dance on their mangled 

 remains. He is only pretending. In terms of scorn, he 

 is told, " Thoo's nobbut Quaver-in' about ! " 



Surely "To rag" must be akin to the word " rage." The 

 operation of " ragging " certainly enrages. 



A Rap is a quick blow with a hard instrument, a rattle is a 

 " cloot ower heead," and a Rossellin' is literally a roast- 

 ing, a real good, sound beating, which enables the victor 

 to bring the beaten one triumphantly along bound to the 

 chariot wheels. 



A Rumpus is a disturbance of the peace, a quarrel, a kicking 

 up of the dust, a social upheaval (limited), an eruption of 

 pent-up feelings, a safety valve for slandering, back- 

 biting, and all uncharitableness, bringing about a much- 

 needed calm. 



Scrag and Scaup take their names from the part of the human 

 anatomy thereby affected — the scrag of the neck and the 

 scaup of the head. An offender's neck seems to fit 

 easily between the thumb and forefinger, by which he can 

 be hurried away willy-nilly. 



A Set teeah is a melee, a faction fight more or less infectious, 

 necessitating the advent of the doctors and the police. 

 In it all is fair, and anything or everything can be used 

 as weapons, whether natural or artificial, ancient or 

 modern, projectile or prehensile, and is very exciting 

 while it lasts. 



Skelp, Spank, and Slap are infantile punishments, when bare 

 arms and bare legs afford ample opportunity for the 

 performance of these operations. 



To Skin is to flog severely, and is figurative only, though 

 the attempt to realise it is painful enough. I have said 

 it is only a figurative expression, yet the recent sale of a 

 piece of pirate's skin, taken from a church door in Essex, 

 proves that at one time, and in one place at least, " to 

 skin " has not been an idle threat for sacrilege. In the 

 East Yorkshire story of Peg Fyfe an informant, who 

 sought to evade the consequences by telling the horses of 

 an intended robber raid, while men listened and planned 

 a counter-stroke, such informant was waylaid and 

 skinned alive. As illustration, we may say, " Bon tha ! 

 PMWskin tha wick, thoo young rackapelt." 



