H - Buckinghamshire Vocabulary

The following list of words are quoted from three articles published in the "Records of Buckinghamshire" by Alfred Heneage Cocks, M.A, between 1897 and 1909 (some editing has been used to produce a unified list). See the introduction for further details..

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HA-Y, for have. I overheard my farm-boy, addressing one of the horses: "Go on, Buller, goo and ha-i-ye some water." The intonation of the word is only imperfectly expressed by the letters used..
HAGGLE-CART (see also Aggle-cart), A cart kept to be hired for all purposes, such as carting wood, stone, manure, etc. To work by the haggle = to work by the piece.
HAHS-BUSH, for haws-bush: the hawthorn. (See Hawsey-bush).
HAINED, grassland kept for mowing. Halliwell gives as the second meaning of Hain, to save, to preserve (North country); hence, to exclude cattle from a field so that grass may grow for hay.
HALF-I'-TWO, "broken half i' two" = broken completely, in two pieces.
HAMPSHIRE-SKIFF, a carvel-built, flat-bottomed boat, something on the model of a punt, and fitted with a "well," "till," etc., but with pointed bow and tapered stern, with stern-post for rudder; for punting or sculling; handy for river shooting or fishing.
HANGER, see Shaw.
HANSER (-CORD) (? spelling). When a barge is moored at a place where the water is too shallow to allow of its coming close alongside the bank, barge-poles are placed at an angle to prevent it getting aground; round their T-shaped tops and belaying-pins inside the gunwale of the barge (see under Tampin), a turn is taken with a short piece of pliable rope - of manilla, I fancy - made expressly, and called hanser or hanser-cord. Can the word refer to the old Hanseatic League, this pliable cord being first made at one of the Hanseatic towns? The word Hanse is given by Halliwell as "the upper part of a door frame," which does not seem likely to be the word wanted. In the churchwardens' accounts of Great Marlow, for 1673, is a charge for "hasser to splice a Rope," which is probably the same word. The word being invariably pronounced aspirated, it is by no means unlikely that its first letter is in reality A. [The following was added in the second part of Alfred Cocks' Bucks Vocabulary] I have found an earlier use of this word in L'Estrange's "Church Bells of Norfolk," p. 169, quoted from the accounts of the Sacrist of Norwich Cathedral, for the year 1432: "Paid Richard Roper fot the bellropes hauncerys and lynes 8s." The two early forms "hauncerys" and "hasser" resemble hawser, with which hanser may possibly be connected.
HAPS, a hasp.
HARD-HEADS, the Knapweed (Centaurea).
HARD-WARE, besides ironmongery, is used for hard, stony soil, or heaps of flints, brick-bats, etc.
HARRUP, TO, to dig, or "muss" (said of dogs); also to "harp upon," i.e., to talk or scold about anything with wearisome repetition, to nag. Mr. Gurney adds: "Despite the dictionaries, it is probable that the word 'harp' or 'harrup' in this sense has no connection with the musical instrument, but is perhaps from the same root as 'harrow.'" "Diggin' and harrupin,'" the latter word merely emphasises the former one.
HATCH, a board across the bottom of a doorway for stopping young children; a door-latch.
HAUTBOIS, strawberry; from the favourite old-fashioned variety. Mr. Gurney gives 'OBI as the haut-bois strawberry.
HAWSEY-BUSH (pronounced Harsey-), a haw-thorn.
HAY-BEECH, see Horned-beech.
HAYBIRD, the Whitethroat (Sylvia cinerea); also the Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla). Halliwell assigns this name to the Willow-Wren (Phylloscopus trochilus).
HAZLE, TO, to drip, or drain, the first process in drying washed linen. Halliwell gives the first meaning, as used in the eastern counties.
HEAP, a hyperbolical way of expressing a great number or quantity. "A whole heap of people."
HEARING, TO HAVE ONE'S -, to be defendant in a Court of Justice.
HEART AND EYES, used in such a phrase as "He s'oore heart and eyes 't were true."
HEATHER, TO, to wattle, or finish off the top of a laid hedge. Subs. HEATHERING and HEATHER.
HEAVENS HARD, very hard. Apparently only used of rain.
HECTH, height, stature. "What a hecth that there man be."
HEDGE-MOLLIE, the Hedge-sparrow (Accentor modularis).
HEDGE-PIG, very commonly used instead of hedgehog.
HEDGE-POKE, the Hedge-sparrow (Accentor modularis).
HEDGE-POKER (pronounced 'edge). See Hedge-poke.
HEDGE-POOK, the Hedge-sparrow (Accentor modularis).
HEN-TOED, with the toes turned in. See Pin-toed.
HERE, used instating dates and numbers, apparently, with the meaning of "about," "approximately," (or perhaps, "in the case in point"?). "Whoy when were that, then?" "Must 'a bin 'ere a fortnight and four days sin." "I awffered 'im 'ere three pound, but 'e wouldn't 'ave no deal."
HICKLE, see Ickle.
HIGGLE, TO, to haggle, to bargain: to hawk or peddle small ware; a HIGGLER, a hawker, especially rabbits, and one that collects live poultry from the cottagers and sells them to the poulterers in the towns.
HILT, to hold; held.
HISN'S, for his. "Hisn's garden."
HOBBLING-FOOT, an iron foot, used by cobblers for nailing soles on (distinct from a last).
HOB-OWCHIN, HOB-OWNCHER, see Ob-owchin.
HODDY, or HODDY-SNAIL (see Hodimadod), the Common Snail (Helix aspera). HORNIMANDOD. From hod or hud, a case, husk, shell. French, hotte, a basket carried on the back. Cf. a hod for mortar.
HODIMADOD, a snail. Halliwell writes it Hodmandod.
HOGARS, haws, berries of hawthorn. Elsewhere, hahs, or 'ahs. See Hahs-bush, supra.
HOLD TOGETHER, "Covetchous as ever he can hold together" = as covetous as he can possibly be; meaning that if he were just a little more covetous he would be unable to hold together, but would burst.
HOLD WITH, = agree with, or approve of; "I don't hold with that way of doing it."
HOLL (for Hull, a dictionary word), the shell or husk (of fruits). Generally used in composition, as walnut-'olls, chestnut-'olls.
HOMMOCK, to tread with clumsy feet. "What made you go homockin' over that garden?"
HOMMOCKS, or HOMUKS, large legs. Halliwell gives it as a Bedfords. word.
HOMPER, TO, for hamper = hinder, impede. "I've ett too much dinner; and law! that hompers me so as you'd never credit."
HORNED BEECH, the horn-beam (Carpinus betulus). Also HAY-BEECH and SHE-BEECH.
HORNET, applied to the stag beetle, is, perhaps, merely a misnomer, or case of mistaken identity.
HORSE-STING, a dragon-fly; also a gadfly.
HOT, to hit.
HOTCH (h sometimes retained as expressing effort, but pronounced 'otch). A sudden heave or lift given to anything weighty and inanimate (boost used for animate objects). "I gin it a hotch or two, and there it were an me shoulder." (Hotch, hucket, homper, and harrup are peculiar in frequently retaining the aspirate).
HOTCHEL, to move with a slow hobbling motion. Halliwell gives it as a Warwicks. Word, to walk awkwardly, or lamely; to shuffle in walking.
HOUSEN, plural of house.
HOVE, or 'OVE, TO, to distend with wind. A HOVED SHEEP is one swollen with wind, or dead from that cause.
HOWEVER (pronounced 'a-wever). This word is very peculiarly and frequently used. It is not used much with the meaning "nevertheless," for which other phrases, such as "all the same," or "howsomever" are generally substituted, but nearly always with the meaning "at all events," "at least," "that is to say." "I bought that old 'oss for five pounds; four pounds nineteen, 'a-wever." "I went up to the medder this aater-noon; 'a-wever, I went as fur as the ge-at." "He might 'a-gin me a pint, 'a-wever." In this sentence the emphasis is on 'a-wever, giving it the meaning of "at the very least." "You ma'n't play in the ditch; you shan't 'a-wever." "Well, this is a unkid day, 'a-wever." Here, again, the emphasis is on 'a-wever, and the meaning "to be sure," "certainly." Miss Keating compares its use with that of "whatever" in Scotland.
HOWSOMEVER, however.
HUCK ABOUT, to disturb, turn over, scatter. Used in many senses, e.g., to distribute manure.
HUCKET, TO, to sob, or catch the breath involuntarily after crying. "Stop hucketting this mominit!"
HUCKLED, see Huggled.
HUD, a husk, or shell, especially of such fruits as walnuts, horse-chestnuts, etc.
HUGG-MUGGING, under-hand; secretly. Having a drink secretly. Halliwell gives the former meaning to the next :-
HUGGER-MUGGER, scattered about promiscuously, without order.
HUGGLE, TO, to cuddle. Halliwell explains it as to huddle; to crouch up in one's bed for cold.
HUGGLED, HUCKLED, or UCKLED, in a crouching position. "I sat 'ere 'uckled up chimley." There is a rare English word huckle, = the hip; huckle-backed = round-shouldered. Cf. Dutch, hukken, to squat; English, huckster; Norweg., Huk, a nook, or angle; a fish-hook was formerly called an angle.
HULLABALOO, a loud hubbub, disturbance, etc. "Don't ye kick up any hullaballoo about it, now!" Probably a corruption of Hurly-burly. Fr. hurluberlu, a hare-brained person, or adverb, giddily.
HULLUPS, or HUL-LUPS, an exclamation used when a child falls, or a piece of crockery, etc., is dropped. Probably from hold up.
HUNDRED-LEGS, a centipede.
HURDLE-BUMPER, a (raw) sheep's head. See Jimmy.
HURROCKY, in a hurried manner, hasty, in a hurry.
HUSK, in grinding wheat, the terms in use in S. Bucks (perhaps universally?) are, 1st, Husks; 2nd, Pollard; 3rd, Toppings; and, lastly, Flour.