Aac, Oak, A. S. ac, ac, pronounced also yak. BELG. aeker. Aan, Awn, Own. Aboon, Above. Adam's Ale, Water. Addle, To earn, A. S. edlean, a reward or recompense for labor;2." to addle his shoon," is, when a horse falls upon his back, and rolls from one side to the other. Acker, A ripple on the surface of the water, a curl. Acker, Fine mould, probably, at first inclosed by the acre. A. S. acer. IsL. akur. Afearde, Afraid. COOPERI THES. Afore, Before. Aforehand, Previously. "I'll let to knaw aforehand." Ageean, Against. Agin, As if F Ajar, A door half open. Akard, Awkward. Agog, Alert, eager. FR. gogues, delight. Aigre, Sour. FR. aigre, hence ale aigre, alegar. Aith, Oath. Aath, J Alaan, Alone. Alantum, At a distance. IT. da lontano. All-i-bits, In pieces, or in rags. All-out, Entirely, quite. Alley, The conclusion of a game at foot-ball, when the ball has passed the bounds. Fr. aller. Amang, Amongst. Ananters, If so be. An, if, "An he were.' SHAKSPEARE, Much Ado About Nothing, A. 1, Sc. 5. Anent, Opposite, like the Greek enantios. Anters, Lest. BELG. anders. FR. aventure, abbreviated Aunters, auntre. Antients, Ancestors. An'tothed, If thou hadst. Antul, If thou wilt. Ar, eschar, Scar, pockard. IsL. aer. Argufied, Argued. Ark, Chest. Lat. arca. Arran, A spider. LAT. aranea. Art, Quarter, "t'wind's in an ill art." GAEL. and IR. aird, a cardinal point. DR. JAMIESON. Art'o', Art thou. Arvel, Funeral. WELSH, arwyl, funeral obsequies. A. S. arfull. Ashlar-wall, The stones of which are built in regular course and size. FR. echelle, a scale. Sc. estlar. Asker, A newt. Askins, Publication by banns, see Spurrings. Astite, As soon. A. S. tid, time, still in use, as Shrove-tide. 'ISL. titt, ready. Assle-tree, Axle. LAT. axis. FR. asseul. Ass, Ashes. S. Ass-hole. Sw. askegraf. Ass-riddlin, On the Eve of St. Mark the ashes are riddled or sifted on the hearth. Should any of the family die within the year; the shoe will be impressed on the ashes. Many a mischievous wight has made some of the superstitious family miserable, by slyly coming down stairs, after the rest of the family have retired to rest, and marking the ashes with the shoe of one of the party. Asquin, Aswin, Askew, Obliquely. WELSH, asswyn. At, That. Attercops, Spider-webs. A. S. æter venenum et copp, a covering. Aud-farrand, A respectable old person, from and old, and farrand respectable. BELG. aervaren having experience. Aum, Elm. Aumered, vide Oumer. Aumry, Cupboard. LAT. armarium. FR. armoire. Aund or Orned, Ordained. Aup, A wayward child. Autority, Authority. Average, Winter eatage. FR. hiver, winter, and ENG. eatage. Avril, April. Sc. averile. Aw, All. Awn, Own. 2. Visit. "He nivver awns us,". i.e. he never visits or calls upon us. Awns, Beards of corn. Su. G. agn. Awr, Our. Ax, To ask. A. S. axian. 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 antient 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 Azzy, Baad, Continued. B Baad, To bathe. S. badian. WELSH badd. 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 antient rites still visible on our moors, it may not be uninteresting to give a particular account of them, selected from Dr. Jamieson's 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 Beltan 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 thro' the flames, with which the ceremonies of this festival are closed. "Baltein signifies the fire of Baal. Baal or Ball is the only word in Gaelic for a globe. This festival was probably in honour of the sun, whose return, in his арраrent 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 Bal tein, 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 Rev. respectable and learned G. S. Faber, 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 Baal-fire 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 publick cause of triumph or exaltation, 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," |