58 Trmisactions. 



was abundantly fostered, and their pride was flattered by the 

 subjugation of the Anglo-Saxons. The old English chronicles 

 contain bitter complaints, touching the humiliation the natives 

 were exposed to. Thus, if an Anglo-Saxon chanced to meet a 

 Dane upon a bridge, he was obliged to wait in a posture of 

 lowly reverence — nay, even if he were on horseback he was 

 obliged to dismount until the Dane had crossed over." Atkinson 

 observes, " Verily, the Dane might be looked upon as ' particular' 

 or ' nice ' under such circumstances, and his generic name Dansk 

 passed into a word expressive of such characteristics. In the 

 idioms and modes of expression there is a remarkably similarity 

 — " to sit upon one's knee, i.e., to kneel." Chaucer has — 



' ' And doon anon he sitte him on his knee. " 

 " To sit up on end," in contradistinction to reclining ; " I'm 

 doubtful it'll rain afore night ; " " He has been sair haoidled wi' 

 the cauld ; " " I'sjecdous he's after nae guid." We also find words 

 common in our current literature, but used much more in accord- 

 ance with their use in olden times — " Fetch," in the sense of to 

 carry — "bid him fetch it;" "Few," used as a quantity or num- 

 ber — " there was a good few at the kirk ;" "Reach," to hand a 

 thing to another — " reach me yon spade ; " " Pit," to match — 

 " thae twa dog's weel pitted;" "Even," to compare, to liken — 

 " I wad ill like tae even her wi' Jean." Tlie adverb " out " is 

 used as in out-hy, not far off, just outside ; out-ga-ng, the way out, 

 an outlet ; OM<-ganging, going out of doors ; out-gate, a way of 

 egress ; out-]j, thoroughly, fully ; out o' fettle, out of repair, 

 health, &c. The preposition " by " may be taken as another 

 example — By-gang, a by-way ; by-passed, used in reference to 

 past time ; by the time, past the time — " They're lang by their 

 time." All the above phrases and use of particular words are 

 identical in both districts. Words are used ag augmentatives in 

 both districts, not commonly used as such elsewhere — " Fearful," 

 most fearful bonnie ; "Desperate," most desperate kind; 

 " Terrible," most terrible sweet ; " Dungeon," a dungeon o' wit. 

 The "slang" language of the present day is introducing aug- 

 mentatives of this kind. A young lady was heard to say the 

 other day, " it was ripping fun ; " and it is somewhat curious to 

 notice that the present use of the slang word " Fit " — I lieard a 

 lady say she " felt very fit "—is a reverting back to its old 

 Teutonic application. In Yorkshire they would say^" Weel, 



