[from A Vocabulary of the Anglo-Manx Dialect, 1924]

A VOCABULARY OF THE ANGLO-MANX DIALECT

NOTE—
B. The Rev. T. E. Brown.
C. Miss Josephine Kermode (‘ Cushag ‘).

K

KAATEE [], ' Kattie'.
Kaatee Keig and Kerree Clague
Feedin big on hafe an egg. (Children's rhyme.)

KAYAR [], ' coir', strong rope made of coir fibre.
' Kayar ! liayar !' says ould M^cQueen, 'that'll bring her up' (B.). Spun from nothin but the wind of hell-that's the kayar ! and wasn it a pity? (B.)

KAYMERD, KAYMAD [], ' Kermode'. The expression 'Dick and Kermode' is applied to two inseparable friends.
They're like Dick and Kaymerd-always together. Aye, they came in together like Dick and Kaymad.

KEBEG [] (Mx.), a cry to call calves.
She ups at once and begun to call ' Kebeg ! kebeg ! kebeg !' that loud till you could hear her at Chibber Pherick (Patrick's Well).

KECK [] (Mx.), excrement, dung of any animal.
The way he got the name 'Johnny-be-wise ' was, 'cause when he was at Tynwald Feer sellin gingerbread, a cow upset the table and everything on it in the keck, and he shouts out to his lil boy-' Johnny ! be wise, be wise, and pick up the gingerbread nuts, they'll be none the wuss, it's only keck-y-vooa' (cow-dung).
Aw, that man is slingin behin' and lettin every boat in the harbour gerrout before him ; he's a keck-'sy-phurt (dung in the port), i. e. a stick-in-the-mud. And the hens and ducks all over the house, keckin everywhere.

KECK, KICK [], to turn up a cart.
Here ! keck up the cart and emp'y it. Them boys-the wickads !-kicked up the cart, and every one of us was threw in the muck.

KECKER, KICKER [], the bar which connects the body of a cart with the thill.
Others tryin to draw the kecker (B.).

KEKLAGH [ ] (Mx.), a worthless person. I wudn be seen spakin to that kecklagh of a falla.

KEDGE [ ], anchor, used metaphorically in the phrase 'hold your kedge', i. e. keep quiet.
Hold your kedge, I seen her spreadin clothes on the hedge (B.).

KEEIGH [] (Mx. keeaght), a plough.
He's dead these years-his body gone to dus', and his keeigh gone to rus'.

KEEILL, KILL [ ] (Mx. keeyl), a small ancient cell or chapel.
As hard to count as the keeills in the Isle o' Man.
' Keeill-vrisht' (broken church), a name for the ruins of St. Trinian's :-Aw, the keeill-vrisht is ruined intirely now with these ones that have been diggin at it; they've purra new white wall on it like the side of a new barn-I'm wondher'n the buggane isn about !
' Cronk-ny-kill- Eoin' (hill of the church of John), a name for Tynwald Mount:-It's no saycret now, no more tel if the Cor'ner called it on the top o' Cronk-ny-kill Eoin.

KEEIR, KIER [] (Mx. keear), a dark brown colour, the natural colour of what is called in England a black sheep.
The keeir wool the farmer's wife was spinning was from their own sheep. The kier would be made in yarn for stockin's.
' Keear-Lheeah' (brown-grey) was the combination of brown and grey wool spun and woven into cloth :-The old Manx-men wore coats of white flannel, and keeir-Lheeah knee-breeches, and carranes of raw hide for shoes.

KEIMAGH [] (Mx.), a spirit which haunts church-yard stiles and guards the dead.
Is it fearful ye are of the keimagh, that ye won't venture in the buryingroun' afther dark ?

KEIY [] (Mx. keoië), wild, mad.
They used to be callin him Paddy keiy because he was aisy made wild.

KELLAGH [] (Mx.), an obsolete wooden anchor; a cock; the male of many kinds of fowl.
In oul' times the boat would be anchored with a wooden kellagh that had a big stone in it to sink it. Up kellagh and out of this ! Our men that don't know Manx say ' kellag', and the ones that do, say ' kellagh', they say ' Let go kellagh'.
Kellagh by itself is manin a hen-cock, but kellagh-ghuiy is a gandher, and kellagh-hunnag is a dhrake.

KEOGH [] (Mx.), frenzy, madness.
The cows is on keogh bad, aye, with the heat they're all runnin wild. What keogh is there on ye ?

KERD [] (Mx. keird, 'a trade'), professional skill, finish.
She sent me dhress home, and there was no kind of kerd at all on it. Aye,
there's a little bit of keird on this. Let me see if there's a keird on it.

KERN, KEIRN [] (Mx. cuirn), the mountain ash or
rowan, and its fruit. Pyrus Aucuparia. See Crosh-kiern.
The root of an ould kern (B.). He's got the kerns (B.). I'm goin to
morrow to gather kerns to decorate the church. And lips as red as keirns, and eyes as black as slaw's.

KERREE, KIRREE [], 'Kitty'.
Where's Kerree and Merree (Mary) gone to ? Kirree is livin in Kil-Loran (Kirk Lonan).
'Kerree-verree' [] (Mx. Kerree varrey, 'sea Kitty'), a name for the stormy petrel or Mother Carey's chicken :-There's a storm when the kerree-verrees is thick about.
Another name for this bird is ' Kirree Viddyr' (Mx. Kerree Pheddyr, Peter's Kitty'). It is so called from its walking like St. Peter :-The kirreeviddyr walks on the sea, and lives on the lodhen (Mx. luddan, 'sea-scum').

KESH [] (Mx. kiësh), froth, foam, lather.
You're dhrivin too fas', the hoss is all over kesh. There was kiesh on it like soap-shuds.

KESMAD [] (Mx.), step, stride.
The days len'then a kesmad-kellagh-kiark (a hen-cock's stride) from St. Thomas's Day to oul' New Year's Day.
On oul' little New Year's Day-the twelf' day afther first New Year's Day-the shadow at dinner-time (noon) is a kesmad-kellagh-kiark shorter tel at St. Thomas's Day (zx December)-and you know a hen-cock's step is middlin short.

KEYM-CHREEST [] (Mx., lit. 'Christ's steps'), the centaury, Erythroea centauriurn. There is a tradition that when Christ went up to Calvary, the flowers of the centaury, rose-red, sprang up wherever his foot was pressed-hence its Manx name.
Tay of keym-Chreest is good to sup when you're bilious.

KIALTER [], woollen cloth before it is milled or tucked, usually applied to heavy flannel. Men's coats made of it are called ' perree bane' (Mx. teddee, ' a vest').
The women would be spinnin the yarn and takin it to the fidder (weaver) to make a web of kialter for them.

KIARE-AS-FEED [] (Mx., lit. 'four-and-twenty'). This is the designation of the House of Keys in the Manx language-the number of its members being twenty-four.
He's as wise in his own consate as the whole Kiare-as-feed. There was a falla, and they were callin him ' Yn Chiare-as-feed' (the twenty-four) for he had such a terrible big inside.

KIARK [] (Mx.), hen, applied to several kinds of fowl.
He can duck like a kiark-ushtey ('water-hen', coot). As speckled as a kiark-rhennee ('fern-ben', partridge).

KIARTAGH, KIARTHER, CARTHER, KIARTHAN [] (Mx. kiartagh, 'adjusting, putting to rights'), applied to odds and ends of jobs.
The work I had to do, feedin calves, pigs, and fowls, milkin, and hapes of other kiartagh. I'll be clearing these kiartagh away. They'll not take the trouble to do their carthers. Get the kiarthans done.

KIBBA [] (Mx. kiebbey), a spade.
It's many a day's work I done with the kibba.

KICKY [], addicted to kicking.
There's some of them rough, and kicky and pushy and bould enough (B.).

KIDDHAG [] (Mx. kitittag), the left-hand.
And workin the kiddhag (B.).

KINAWN [] (Mx.), a clumsy fellow.
I give him my shawl to carry and the big kinawn was dragg'n one end of it on the ground all over the Fair.

KING-O'-THE-SEA [], a name given to the herring.
It isn for his size the herrin is King o' the sea.

KINK [], chink; a violent fit of laughter. just a slit o' light-a kink (B.).
She went in kinks over it (B.). They laughed till they were in kinksaw, yis, twiss'd in knots with laughin.

KINNAGUE [] (Mx. kionnage), a piece of turf likely to blaze well.
Purra kinnague on the fire and we'll hev light enough without no candle.

KIONE [] (Mx.), head, headland.
And sailin roun' Kione Doolish (Douglas Head) and on to the harver (harbour).
Kione-chayt' (cat's head), the long-eared owl, Asio otis, also a name given in the south of the Island to the sea-urchin, Echinus :-As bris'ly as a kionechayt.
' Kione-emshyr' (weather head), applied to clouds which are in strips converging to two points in opposite parts of the sky:-S.E. and N.W. the kione-emshyr generally brings dirty weather; N.E. and S.W. fine weatherso it is supposed.
' Kione-jiarg' (redhead), the sea-pink, Armeria mantima : At Midsummer, Peel Castle is full o' kione-jiarg. The kione-jiargs'll keep colour till they're as dhry as hay.
' Kione-kiark' (hen-head), used contemptuously of a person :-Yandher kione-kiark to have a white lining to her jacket
' Kione-teayst' (dough-head), a stupid person :-That kione-teayst can't undherstan' nothin. That big kione-teayst of a block'ad.
' Kione-top' (top-head), a giddy, frivolous person :-The kione-top that's there !-never studdy (steady) one minute.
' Kione-tramman I (heavy-head), a name for the bull-head fish, Cothis gobio:-The boys are up the river after kione-trammans. Many's the time I've been catchin lil trammans-jus' about the lenth o' me finger the trammans would be.
' Kione-vreck' (pied-head), the razor-bill :-Is a coltrag and a kione-vreck the same?
' Kione-y-goggan I (Ir. Gobhag, creek, fissure, chasm), Headland of the chasms, a fisherman's name for Kione-ny-giaughyn, the very indented headland near Port St. Mary:-We had more need to grumble goin pas' Kione-y-goggan than any other Head in the island-a danger's place, and the bay there goin a callin Pool-vaaish (the pool of death).

KIONNAN [] (Mx., lit. 'Small head'), lump, a moderate quantity.
You've a nice kionnan of it yerself. There's a kionnan at him too. They were afther the apples and each had a kionnan in a bag.

KIP-NET [], whip or stick net. It consists of a round iron ring with a bag-like net and a stick handle.
We were usin the kip-net to ladle the herrin out o' the yawl and put them in the cadgers' carts.

KIRE [], 'choir'.
Them lil boys with shirts on them tha's singin in the kire.

KIRK [], church, used in names of parishes.
Ould Bobby Kirk Bride (B.), i. e. old Bobby of the parish of Bride. It's right gud Manx tha's goin a spakin in Kirk Pettherick (Patrick).

KIRKIN [] (Mx.), a giddy inconstant person.
Did ye avar see such a kirkin!-turnin roun' with every win' tha 's blawin.

KISHAN, KISHEN [] (Mx.), a peck in dry measure, a measure of eight quarts.
When you are shoppin to-day, don't forget to ordher a kishan o' peas, and pay for the kishan o' salt we had.

KISHTEY [] (Mx.), a box, a chest.
The prog she've got stored up in the kishtey would supprize ye.

KISSACK, SKISSACK [], young Pollack when of the size of mackerel. A larger size of the same fish is called ' strammian', and a larger size still 'gardash'. These names seem to be peculiar to the south of the Island.

KISSIN-BUNCH [], kissing-bush.
Catchin the gels undher the kissin-bunch. We'd a lawvly kissin-bunch, made of hollan and hibbin and misseltitoe (mistletoe).

KIST [], a stone coffin, urn.
They wor diggin, and they foun' somethin they wor callin a kist, but wharrit had to do with kissin is more than I know.

KIT-CAT [], a primitive kind of cricket, tip-cat. Two small holes some yards apart are made in the ground. At each hole stands a player who places the end of his 'cat' (bat-stick) in the hole. One of the party throws a small piece of wood, called a 'kit', towards a player who strikes at it with his 'cat'. If a good drive is made the two players make a ° ratch' (race) and endeavour to exchange positions before the 'kit' can be thrust into one of the holes.
We would be playin kit-cat with two besom-handles for ' cats' and a bit of the end of a hoop of a herrin' barrel for a ' kit' ; the handles were sarvin for bats to knock the ' kits' away; one of the words in the game was a ' hide' or ' follagh ' (Mx. follaght, 'concealment').

KITCHEN, KYTSHEN [], anything eaten as a relish with bread, potatoes, or other plain fare.
Give me a bit o' kitchen. Navar nothin at them for kytshen but herrin. Always two or three sorts of kytshen goin on the table.

KITTLIN [], ' kitling', kitten; catkin or willow flower.
Our cat's got three lil kittlins-wan a rumpy, wan a hafe-tail, and wan a long-tail.
These little kittlins:that Is grovin on the sallies (willows) (B.).

KITTY [], the game of tip-cat.
He got but (hit) in the eye when he was playin kitty. The boys is playin kitty and knockin stones about till it's a danger.

KNED [], 'knead' (also Nhb,). Mind ye kned the daw (dough) well.

KNITTIN-CHIS [], 'knitting-sheath', a small stick with a hole in which the needle is stuck to keep it steady while knitting. This is called a knitting-stick in Yorkshire.
The knittin-chis fastened in the apron string,

KNOBBINIE [], a knob.
Her hair wos done up in a knobbinie behin'. There was a gilted knobbinie on the top o' the mas'. Asthrakan is a woolly surt o' stuff-all in lil knobbinies.

KNOBS, NOBS [], sweetmeats made of toffee in small irregular shapes. See Nob.
His pockets stuffed with knobs to be givin to the youngsters (B.).

KNOCKALOE (Aloe's or Olave's Hill), a place-name near Peel.
I always hard it called Knock-aela [] till the soldier ones begun to call it Knocka-lo [].

KOIR [] (Mx.), a box, a chest.
It's not long it'll be till I'm stored away in the koir verriu (box of the dead, i. e. coffin).

KRED [], a weak cough, a grunt.
I'm throubled with a kred of a cogh in the night. She gev a lil kred urrov her, as much as to say, ' I'm lis'nin'.

KRITLAGH [] (Mx.), the refuse fluff of a much worn garment.
She ripped every stitch o' the coat, and the kritlagh that was gathered in the seams and the corners-ye cudn believe.

KROPPEE [], See Croppee.

KURN [] (Mx.), a hooped wooden can.
She would be carryin water on her head in a kurn and a basin floatin on the top o' the water. When they were clanin out the well in Peel Castle they found an oul' kurn-ushtey (water-can).

KY-ANN [], 'cayenne'.
A ky-ann pod is Bud to put in yer cheek when you're goin out in the cooth, It's as hot as fire is this ky-ann papper.

KY-BOSH [], a humbling defeat.
He put the ky-bosh on him, i, e. he brought him to grief.

KYNNAS-THA-SHU, CANNAS-THA-SHU [] (Mx. kvas ta shiti, kys ta shiu, cre'n aght ta shim), how are you ?
Tha's about all the Manx them ones have, 'kynnas-tha-shu' and ' ee vie' (Mx. oie vie, 'good night').
The glad I am to see ye !-and cannas-tha-shu, and how are ye at all? When Adam was in Perradise,
An' Eve his fuss wife knew, The fuss words he to her did say Was 'cannas-tha-shin-jew'.
(Mx. cre'n aght ta shiin jiu ? lit. ' what way are you to-day ? ' i. e. how do you do ?)

KYOUT [], ' keout', a mean rascal. Ye bogh ! ye kyout ye ! you a man ? (B.)