Vernacular of the Border 
SCOTCH 
FOREIGN EQUIVALENTS 
Reiver 
Robber 
Reafere (Anglo-Saxon) ; Roefware 
(Sueo-Gothic). 
Rynd 
Hoarfrost, rime 
Hrim (Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon). 
Ruddock 
Redbreast 
Rudduc (Anglo-Saxon) ; Rand (red) 
(Icelandic). 
Rive 
To split 
Rive (Danish). 
Roek 
Distaff, rock 
Roek (Danish). 
Sark 
Shirt 
Sark (Danish) ; Saerk (Sues-Gothic). 
Saugh 
Willow 
Sealh (Anglo-Saxon) ; Saelg (Swe- 
dish). 
Sallow 
— 
Salawa (Finnish). 
Segg 
Iris or Rush 
Saeg (Anglo-Saxon). 
To skail 
To disperse 
Skilia (Icelandic and Sueo-Gothic). 
Snaw 
Snow 
Snaw (Anglo-Saxon). 
Spreckled 
Speckled 
Sprecklot (Sueo-Gothic). 
Stane 
Stone 
Stan (Anglo-Saxon). 
Stob 
Tree-stump 
Stubb (Anglo-Saxon). 
(The Woodsorrel used to be called Stubwort, from its habit of growing 
round about tree-stumps. ) 
Swala (Swedish). 
Steding (Anglo-Saxon). 
Tove toa (Icelandic). 
Trampa (Sueo-Gothic). 
Twa (Anglo-Saxon). 
Holle oppe (Danish). 
Wether (Anglo-Saxon) ; Vedr 
(Icelandic). 
Vaerk (Danish). 
Waeter (Anglo-Saxon). 
Varre og Waerre (Danish). 
Gaard (Danish). 
Een (Danish and Dutch). 
Swallow 
Swallow bird 
Steading 
Stackyard 
Tod 
Fox 
Tramp 
To tread down 
Twa 
Two 
Uphold 
To maintain 
Wedder 
Wether 
Wark ; to 
To complain 
make a 
wark 
Waiter 
Water 
Waur and 
Worse and worse 
waur 
Yaird 
Garden 
Yen or ane 
One 
Imperfect and slight as are the above notes, they yet 
show how deeply the old lingual tracks remain, stamped into 
the ground. To any one who is desirous of further in- 
vestigation, I recommend the reading of Prof. Veitch’s 
charming “ History and Poetry of the Scottish Border ” 
where the subject is dwelt on at length. In Jamieson’s 
Dictionary there is also a most interesting introduction, 
showing how the language talked in olden days by the 
Vikings of Scandinavia had survived in Iceland, and how 
Jamieson was led to collect the local expressions around him, 
first in a small way in an old copy-book, by meeting with 
Thorbrelin, a Danish Professor of Antiquities, who said he 
had been much struck by recognising in Scotch local talk 
293 
