AXXLE-TOOTH, ASSLE-TOOTH, A grinder. IsL. jaxle, dens molaris, situated near the axis of the jaw. There is another word of the same signification, and probably more ancient than this, mentioned by Verstegan, though I do not recollect to have heard it in Craven. "The syd teeth, he remarks, are called wang teeth. Before the use of seals was in England, divers writings had the wax of them bitten with the wang-tooth of him that passed them," which was also therein mentioned in rhyme, as thus,

"In witness of the foth,

Ich han biten this wax with my wang tothe."

May not the expression be borrowed from the whang or thong to which the seal was generally attached?

AY, Yes. Pronounced I to rhyme with die, notwithstanding Tyrwhit's observation that "ay has quite a different sound." See Sh. Ric. 2. iii. 3.

AZZY,

AZZARD, A wayward child. asellus.

AZZARDLY, Poor, ill thriven.

B

BAAD, Continued. A. S. bidan. BELG. beyden. BAAD, To bathe. A. S. badian. WELSH baad. IsL. bad. BAAL-HILLS, Hillocks on the moors, where fires have

formerly been. IsL. baal, incendium. The custom

still remains in the West of Scotland, amongst the herdsmen and young people, to kindle fires in the high grounds, in honor of Beltan or Baal. Though the light of the Gospel has, from time immemorial, dispelled from this district the darkness of heathen and idolatrous superstition, yet, as there are many vestiges of their ancient rites still visible on our moors, it may not be uninteresting to give a particular account of them, selected from Dr. Jamieson's most excellent Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish language.

"The people of the parish of Callander, Perths, have two customs, which are fast wearing out, not only here, but all over the Highlands, and therefore, ought to be taken notice of while they remain. Upon the first day of May, which is called Baltan or Bal-tien day, all the boys in a township or hamlet meet on the moors. They cut a table in the green sod, of a round figure, by casting a trench on the ground, of such circumference as to hold the whole company. They kindle a fire, and dress a repast of eggs and milk, in the consistence of a custard. They knead a cake of oatmeal, which is toasted at the embers against a stone. After the custard is eaten up, they divide the cake into so many portions, as similar as possible to one another in size and shape, as there are persons in the company. They daub one of these portions all over with charcoal, until it be perfectly black. They put all the bits of cake into a bonnet. Every one, blind-fold, draws out a portion. He who holds the bonnet is entitled to the last bit. Whoever draws the black bit, is the devoted person who is to be sacrificed to Baal, whose favour they mean to implore in rendering the year productive of the sustenance of man and beast. There is little doubt of these inhuman sacrifices having been once offered in this country as well as in the East, although they now omit the act of sacrificing, and only compel the devoted person to leap three times through the flames, with which the ceremonies of this festival are closed.

Baal or Ball

"Baltein signifies the fire of Baal. is the only word in Gaelic for a globe. This festival was probably in honour of the sun, whose return, in his apparent annual course, they celebrated, on account of his having a visible influence, by his genial warmth, on the productions of the earth. That the Caledonians paid a superstitious respect to the Sun, as was the practice among other nations, is evident, not only by the sacrifice at Baltein, but upon many other occasions."

Statist. Acct. of the Parish of Callander, Perths, by V. Widdershins.

The following places on the borders of Craven, and at no great distance from each other, have probably, as observed by the respectable and learned G. S. Faber, B. D. received their names from these idolatrous rites, viz.—

Baildon, from Baal, and dune, a hill.

Idle, from Idol.

Bellinge, near Rawden, from Bell, and ingle, a fire, a fire dedicated to Bell or Baal. Qu. Is not Baalfire the true etymon of the present bon-fire? Mr. Todd supposes that the primitive meaning of the word is " a fire made of bones;" but I think the other is much more probable.-The Craven pronunciation baan for bone, changing the letter n for 1, exactly corresponds with Baal. On any public cause of triumph or exultation, it is not likely that a parcel of bones would be collected to make a fire. The quotation from Beaumont and Fletcher is more applicable.

"This city would make a marvellous bone-fire,

'Tis old dry timber, and such wood has no fellow." BAAN, Bone. "What's bred ith baan's ne'er out o't flesh," shews the difficulty of eradicating innate vicious principles.

C

BAAN-FIRE, A bon fire, alias baal fire. IsL. bein, bael-fyr, rogus. See Mr. Todd's 2d Edit. of Johnson.

BAANS, Bones.

difficulty.

2.

"To mack naa baans," is to make no

To pay no regard.

"There is good liklihood of that man, which is any ways scrupulous of his wayes; but he which makes no bones of his actions is apparently hopeless."

Bp. Hall's Contemp.

"The king bad him to tell this tale againe, which the other making no bones thereat, did with good will."

Dannett's Hist. of Philip de Comines, 1614. "The Lord Cardinall makes no bones to maintain."

King James I. Works. BAAN-CART, The body. "I'll rattle thy baan-cart ;"

threatening of a violent beating.

BAATH,

BATH,

BAITH,

ВАВ,

BABBY,

Both.

"Gud captains bath."

Sh. H. V. iii. 2.

"Or like a torch at baith ends burning.”

Ferguson's Poems.

D. Virg. 62 p.

Chevy Chase."

"What ever betide, ane welfare or ane skaith,
Sall be commoun and equale to us baith."
"Thoroue lyvar and longs bathe.

Baby.

"And tyl ane bab commit the battellis charge,"

D. Virg. 10 B. 251 p.

"In the first cirkill or the uttir ward,
Young babbies saulis weping sare they herd."

D. Virg. 6 B. 178 p.

D. Virg. 251 p.

"How the first monstres of his stepmoder she
Ligging one bab in creddil stranglit he."

BACCO, Tobacco.

BACKARDS-WAY, Backwards. "To fall backards-way

ou'r;" to fall backwards.

BACK-BAND, An iron chain passing in a groove of the cart saddle to support the shafts.

BACKBOARD, A thin board on which meal is riddled for oat cake dough.

BACKEN, To retard, "This pash o'rain 'ul backen our

BACK NER EDGE, i. e. I can make nothing of him, neither head nor tail.

BACK O' BEYOND, Of an unknown distance, of the same signification as that of Shaks. Cymb. iii. 2,

"For mine's beyond beyond."

"You whirled them to the back of beyont to look at the auld Roman camp."

Antiquary, I. 37.

"Back o' beyond," whear't mear foaled't fiddler." Dr. Jamieson has filed for defiled, which is a common occurrence. Our reading is more correct; for a country little known is generally replete with wonder. This evidently is a corruption of the English phrase. Though I would most willingly indulge the learned doctor in every parental fondness for his numerous offspring, I think he must candidly allow that they have not all come North about, but that they have frequently sprung from an English stock. These, travelling and halting in different English counties in their

way to Scotland, have retained the sound but have sometimes lost the sense.

BACK-STITCH, An ornamental mode of sewing wristbands and necks of shirts, &c. in which the needle having advanced two threads on the cloth is made to pass back again.