The history and antiquities of Boston, and the villages of Skirbeck, Fishtoft, Freiston, Butterwick, Benington, Leverton, Leake, and Wrangle; comprising the hundred of Skirbeck, in the county of Lincoln. Including also a history of the East, West, and Wildmore fens, and copious notices of the Holland or Haut-Huntre fen ... sketches of the geology, natural history, botany, and agriculture of the district; a very extensive collection of archaisms and provincial words, local dialect, phrases, proverbs, omens, superstitions, etc. By Pishey Thompson. Illustrated with one hundred engravings.

PROVINCIALISMS. 721
Rock — A portion of flax wrapped round a stick called the rock-stick, attached
to a spinning-wheel. DANISH, rok, a distaff. SKELTON, vol. ii. p. 167.
Roil (to). —" He roiled my temper," made me angry. "' The beer was roiled,"
made thick by being shook. " The horse roiled the water by walking in it."
Roky.- C It's very roky weather; " misty, foggy. DANISH, rig.
Roman Willow.-The lilac, Syringa cceruleo fore.
Ropy.-Beer in a thick, unwholesome state, resembling cords or strings.
Bread is called ropy when it is in something like the same state; hanging
together; viscid.
Rousing.-" A rousing fire," large.
Rowan-tree.-The mountain-ash. DANIsH, ronne-trcer.
Rucko.-The whole ruck; the whole number or quantity.
Ruckeytown. —A small portable apparatus to suspend from the waist, on which
to wind the thread from the spool (which see) into balls or bottoms; with
this a woman could go a gossiping, and take a ruck (a walk) through the
town; hence a woman on a " gossip" was said to be "gone a rucking."
Rue bargain.-An agreement repented of, and a fine generally paid to be
released from it.
Rum. —He's a rum fellow; odd, queer, singular.
Rumpus.-A noise or tumult.
Runagate.-A lawless man; a renegade.
Rung.-The step of a ladder; sometimes rong.
Runty.-A thick and short person; sometimes a bad-tempered one: " He's
so runty."
Russle.-To wrestle.
Ruttle. —To ruttle in the throat; which is often done, immediately before death.
S.
Sad.-Applied to bread which is heavy and not sufficiently leavened.
Sad-bad.-"' He's a sad bad boy;" very bad.
Safe.-" He's safe to come," sure to come.
Sag.-To drop or sink by its own weight. SHAKESPEARE in Macbeth.
Sallocking.-Awkward in gait; long, loose-jointed.
Sallow.-The swamp-willow, Salix aquatica. Applied to a person's complexion;
not florid, yellow.
Sap-skulL-A weak, foolish person.
Salve (to).-"Don't salve me;" don't flatter me. See PIERCE PLOWMAN, RITSO'N,
&c.
Sauce (to).-" Don't sauce me;" don't be impertinent.
Sauce-box.-An impertinent person.
Saul or Soule.-The dark-coloured substance within a fowl, adhering to the
back-bone.
Saumpy.-A saumpy fellow; foolish, weak.
Say. —" I'll have my say;" I'll have a voice in it.
Scalp.-Boston Scalp. An oyster-bed is called a scalp in Scotland. Oysters
were formerly found on the Scalp-sand.
Scaly.-Mean; shabby; stingy.
Scambling.-"You've made a scambling dinner, I fearl"-scramnbling. Tihe
"scamblynge days in Lent," were days on which no regular meals were
provided in religious houses, when every one scramblkd and shifted foir
himself as he could. —Antiq. Repertory, vol. iv. p. 305.
Scamp. —" IHe's a scamp," a worthless fellow,
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