1798. ] 
Sir John Sinclair, began his literary. 
career by aneflay on Scottici{ms, which 
Y remember to have read when it was 
firit publifhed, but have not feen fince. 
There was likewife publifhed an ancny- 
mous pamphlet on the fame fubject, about 
ten years ago, from which I then took 
fome notes. ‘To thefe in acertain degree, | 
but to the notes I have made from my 
own obfervations, J am principally in- 
debted, for the provincialifms which I 
now tranfmitto you. I have given them 
as they occurred to me,*without any fy{- 
tematic arrangement ; and I have even in- 
terfperfed fome additional legal phrafes 
which I recollested fince my lait. 
I do not give this lift as perfect; but, 
as far as it goes, I hope it will be found 
tolerably accurate. It may be ufeful to 
my countrymen, 2nd perhaps in fome de- 
eree amufing to the Enelifh reader. I 
am, Sir, your moft obedient Servant. 
JaMes BANNANTINE. 
Temple Street, St. George's Felds, 
Ofober 11, 1798. 
He gave mea watchin a compliment, is 
an expreffion which a Scotchman will 
naturally ufe, for, he made me a prefent 
of a watch. 
To be angry at a perfon—angry with 
him: to be angry at a thing is proper. 
Whato chek is it ?—what is it o’clock ?— 
the aniwer would probably be, balf_fix, 
which an Enelifhman would underitand 
to mean three—it is intended for half 
paft five. 
Half nothing —much under value—Almoft 
nothing ; little or nothing. <Almoft ne- 
wer: feldom or never. 
I lott altogether of money and other pro- 
perty forty pounds—In all. Ploft alto- 
gether, means I totally loft. 
To drefs clothes-—To iron clothes. 
He is 4 mifizg-—iiifling. 
Butter and bread—cheefe and bread—milk 
and bread; for bread and butter, &c. 
He will be the better of a fleep—be better 
for a fleep. 
I afked at him—T afked him. 
Purpofelike has a meaning fomething like 
the French comme il faut, and is exaétly 
the German zeveckmafliig.—d pur- 

the ridiculoufnefs of it, had their attention 
altogether diverted from the argument of the 
fpeech—-The right honourable orator meant 
a pencil. 
Mr. fecretary Dundas, in a fpeech on the 
American war, recommended to fubdue the 
Ameritans by flarwationz, an idea he probably 
imported from his native land, but which is 
agy pretty well naturalized is England, 
Mr. Bannantine on Scotticifms. 
435 
pofelike woman, is arefpectable looking 
woman; they allo fay, to do a thing 
purpofe-like. 
Honeft-like has in fome cafes the fame 
meaning with purpofe-like—it general- 
ly however implies fomething of full- 
nefs—thus, an howeft-like man, means 
a jolly man, and an honeft-Itke piece of 
beef, is a good fubftantial joint. 
To deburfe money—to difburle. 
‘To flit—to remove. 
Plexifhing —turniture. 
To ftale--to difmifs. As, the Kirkis fcaling. 
The 4ettle, for tea-kettle—pot, for tea-pot 
—habit, for riding habit, and the like. 
Thus the moft delicate Scotch lady 
will not feruple to tell you that her 
daughter has got he pox—meaning the 
{mall-pox. 
The word neat is mifapplied by the Scots, 
nearly in the fame way, though not 
quite fo extenfively, as the unfortunate 
monofyllable xice is by the cockneys. 
A pretty houfe, is a zeat houfe; a hand- 
fome woman, a xeai-woeman ; a rnatter- 
ly picture, a neat picture. But ne 
Scetchman will venture to {peak of a 
neat haunch of venifon, a neat fong, or 
a neat day’s diverfion. 
A farmer is caileda tezant, and the clafs 
of farmers, the fezantry—a farm is fre- 
quently called a labouring, as to labour 
the land, means to till or cultivate the 
ground. A farmer’s fervant is a Arzd--- 
For, to hire a fervant they fay, zo fee a 
hind. pi 
Grain is called wzfual.. The word corz 
is appropriated to oats, which Dr. 
John{on would probably have accounted 
for, by faying, it was the only corn 
that grew there. To corm a hor/é, 
means to feed ahorfe. Inttead of to 
corn beef, they fay to powder beef. - 
Fodder, means ftraw. 
The word harve/?, befide its proper mean- 
ing, is ufed for autumn,---to reap corns, 
is to hear the harvejt---reapers, bearers 
---harvef? borte---winter. 
By fog, they mean mols. Mo/s they ap- 
ply to peats. 
A hog means a fheep, while the word fow 
is ever applied tor what the Englifh 
call hogs, pigs, &c. A Scotch geptle- 
man occafioned confiderable mirth te 
his friends, by telling them he lodged 
at the Blue Sow. 
A milk cow is ufed for milch cow---cozw 
milk, for cows milk. : 
A ftot ; an ox---A flefber ; a -butcher--- 
the latter would be confidered a term of 
reproach. 
A gainer; a gander---a deuke; a duck--- 
a ful; 

