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Aünt, is not;
clawney, kindred, associations;
dunnamany, a crasis of "I don't know how many;"
naun, nothing;
dereaway, thereabouts.
Lamentable, this like many other adjectives in the Sussex dialect, simply means very, exceedingly, extremely,
without the sightest reference to the true signification of the word. A thing may be lamentable good,
or lamentable bad - the weather may be lamentable hot or lamentable cold. The 'a' of the penultimate symbol
is pronounced long. An economical housewife is said to have brewed five sorts of liquor out of a single
galn (gallon) of malt - vis: Strong beer, alse, mild beer, table beer and lamen-table beer!
Crass, cross, angry;
a robbin ov a rate, at a great rate;
ken, akin, related;
register book, parish register;
dee, day;
rubbage, rubbish;
in tye, not I.
Verse
1. Middlemas, Michaelmas; cheps, chaps, people.
7. Tejus (tedious), a mere expletive. A local preacher's merits were once being discussed,
and one of his admirers gave it as his opinion that he "improved in his sarmons tejusly,"
meaning very much, or very rapidly!
11. Riggin, clothing; sprung, to smarten.
15. Brads, money.
18. To scratch up, to get out of bed in a hurry.
19. Gween, going.
21. Shah, a shaw or coppice.
22. Nub, a knob; ene, end.
25. Cojer, a luncheon taken about mid-day. Ploughmen commonly take a cojer-cake into
the field to eat while they and their cattle rest.
27. Otherwhile, sometimes - a fine, but almost obsolete old word.
29. Bodgin, budging - to budge is to go, to move.
32. Bruss, loftily, proudly - apparently connected with the French brusque.
34. Ashen swish, a switch. Tom's notion of a switch was rather clumsy!
38. Sauth, soft.
40. Monsus, an expletive like "lamentable" and "tejus".
42. Dun-a-much, I don't know how much.
49. A Majesty, a magistrate.
50. Low'd (allowed) said.
59. Hem, very.
71. Cuddled, courted.
77. Cut it fat, to make a great show or appearance.
79. Hugey, huge; looched, walked lazily.
94. Naun, nothing.
96. Fancy, or I fancy, is equivalent to "I assure you".
100. Twitten, a narrow alley or passage. This word is applied to confined lanes at
Hastings, Lewes and other old Sussex towns. Hem-an-all, very much.
101. Sea-a-bit like "deuce-a-bit" signifies "by no means".
104. Shuck, to shake or handle rudely.
105. Nabble-traps. To "nabble' is to talk or chatter, and this compound signifies the mouth.
106. Smack, with violence.
109. Gudge, a rude push.
114. Scrouge, crowd.
118. Hort, harm.
122. Fierd (fired) an expletive. One bitterly cold morning the author was addressed by
a rustic with "mornin sir, fierd cold, an't it?"
130. Bayly, a farm baliff; jouter, to scold.
139. Jawin, scolding.
141. Dreenin, saturated.
143. Middlin, excellent. In general however the word means tolerable or tolerably.
145. Sautly, softly, slowly.
147. Lit wud, met with.
152. Naun, nothing.
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