[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 ‘).

R

The letter 'r' when it begins a word, or comes between vowels, is a trilled 'r'. Before a consonant it is a smooth coronal 'r'. In some cases it is dropped before the letter 's' :-boss (horse), hoase (hoarse), buss (burst), vess (verse), &c. In rapid speech it is sometimes obtruded between vowels :-'The very idear of it is enough.' It is often substituted for the letter 't' when the following word begins with a vowel:-'I've gor it'.

RAA [] (Mx.), a saying.
I'm not much heedin them oul' raas.

RAAK [], 'rake', in phr.
She's raakin at me, and I'm feer posed with her.

RAALISH [] (Mx.), loose, empty talk.
Such raalish I navar h'ard as them lumps o' boys have got.

RABBIT [].
Rabbit's kiss, also W. Yks., a kind of forfeit where the kisser and the kissed are united mouth to mouth by a piece of twine which each has to begin chewing and drawing into the mouth until the mouths meet:-They had to give a rabbit's kiss, and had to do it creepin on their ban's and knees.
Rabbit's meat, any green herb eaten by rabbits, especially the sow-thistle, Sonchus oleraceus :-This lettish (lettuce) is as aisy to chaw as rabbit's mate.

RACE [], a run, a kind.
Shelve a race of sickness on her, I don't know how it'll end.

RACHE [], 'reach', hold out, suffice; help to.
Will it riche do you think ? I've got firin in that'll riche till the Chrissimis is over. We'll have to make reachin on it, however little tha's in.
Some boats once put in to the Niarbyl, and the crews went to Betty Hal's for jough. Betty was unprepared for so many, and after several rounds had been drunk she was very slow in bringing another, so one of the skippers went to hurry her. He found her in the back-kitchen pouring a bucket of water into the ale which she had drawn into a tub. ' Augh, Betty! ' said he, ' is that the way you're sarvin us ? Is that the thing you're givin us ?' Deed and it'll not make reachin on you all, this way itself,', said Betty unconcernedly.
Riche to it, i. e. help yourself to it. I'll reach to it.

RADDLE [], 'rattle', beat.
I'll raddle you up, my boy. I'll rattle thee well for that. I'll give him a raddlin when I get him home.

RADDLIN [] (Mx.), wattling.
In cull times there was no proper petitions (partitions) between the rooms, only jus' raddlins of sthraw and ling plastered over.

RAEL, RALE [], real; exact. (Sc. Ir.)
It isn every fool that's fit to make a rael good lie (B.).
It's the rale truth I'm tellin, and no word of a lie. Yiss, raelly, aw deed yiss

RAEPER [], 'reaper', reaping machine. The curn (corn) is all cut at the raeper.

RAG [], a strip of cloth, &c.; to maul.
Shelve a tongue that'll clip rags. That falla has a rag on every bush, i. e. he flirts everywhere.
Don't rag that book when you're readin it. The boys was raggin the gels
shockin. She ragged him fine with her tongue.

RAH [] (Mx.), a pungent smell, a high flavour. There was a rah on that fish fit to twiss yer nose.

RAHMUS [] (Mx. rheaymys,' extensiveness'), abundance. What rahmus there's at them !

RAM [], quantity.
There was a ram o' ones there.

RAMBLAGE, pleasure grounds.

RAM JAM [], tightly packed, crammed. It's ram-jam full.

RAMLIN [], 'rambling'.
He've got the faver bad-ram'lin and ravin.
Rambling-sailor, the ivy-leaved toad-flax, Linaria cymbalaria :-Put the ram'lin-sailor in a pot, and it'll ramble all over the winda and look rael nice.

RANCH [], ' rance', a support, a triangular wooden apparatus with hooks for hanging things on.
There was a ranch over the fireplace and things hangin on it.

RANCH-RAG.
We used to pleat our ranch rag with our fingers and it looked lovely.

RANGAN [] (Mx.), a worn-out animal.
An oul' rangan of a hoss.

RANK [], exuberant; eager.
It's time to be pullin them turmits, they're rank ripe. She was rank for work, a ruxer she was.

RANSY-TANSY-TISSIMITEE [], burden of song in a children's game.
Well it's no wonder o' me, with your ransy-tansy-tissimitee (B.). Here comes three Dukes a ridin,
With my ranssy-tanssy-tissamatee, Here comes three Dukes a ridin, With my ranssy-tanssy-tee.

RANTHER [],'ranter', Primitive Methodist.
Prayin and singin, the way you know with them Ranther fellows (B.). If thou'll call me a Ranther I'll call thee a Swaddler (Wesleyan Methodist). That man is a rael god man, awl a Ranther bumbee he is.

RAP [], a little rogue.
Gerr out, ye lil rap. Aw, he's a rap.
Land rapping, land warping-one man walking along the sand towing the boat in which another sat fishing:-We used to be Ian'-rappin near the Point of Ayre.

RARE, RAER [], underdone. The rawss beef was that raer it was all in blo RASTHAGH [] (Mx. rastagh), boisterous. It's a rasthagh day. It's doin rastagh weather.

REACH [] (Mx.), race, rush.
He made ranch arrit and catched it. There's a ranch of win' on, i. e. a strong breeze.

RATHER [], to prefer.
One was prutty and one was or'nary, and of coorse he rathered the prutty one.

RAWL [], to sing tunelessly, to bawl.
I can't beer to hear them rawlin and no tchoon in it. They were rawlin all the road home like dhrunken men-and them supposed to be gud Methodisses.

RAWSS [], 'roast', broil.
A rawss herrin is what I'm havin of a mornin.

RAY-ON [] (Mx. real 'even, smooth, regular'), continuously. The rain come down ray-on all day. Yer tongue is goin' ray, ray, reglar.

REACH. See Rache.

READHAN, RAEDHAN [] (Mx. readan), a gust of wind, blast.
A raedhan'll blas' the apple-blossom at once. Poor John is a bit slack-he wants a woman with a good readhan on her.

REAL. See Rael.

RECORDS [], the Manorial Rolls-Liber Rotulorum. He went down to Douglas to s'arch the Records.

RED [].
Red head, fiery skull,
Every louse as big as a bull.
(Said to a red-haired person.)
He's no Prodestan', he's a red-neck Roman.
He can run like a Red-shanks (Scotsman).
She sent her childher out beer-fut (bare footed) like Red-shanks (Scottish Highlanders).
Green forsaken, Yalla fortaking, And red for followin the boys. (Called after a girl wearing anything red.)
I've heard it said that a woman with red hair is very unlucky to meet the first thing in the morning if going on a journey or on business, but I think it all nonsense, what can that have to do with it unless she's a witch.

REDDY [], 'reddish'; a name for a red potato. It was a reddy surt o' colour.
I want two stone o' reddies.
Reddy-penny, red-penny, a variety of potato :-I like them reddy-pennies jus' as well as the blues.

REDNIN [], reddening, ruddle, red ochre.
A junk o' rednin is lastin no time, when ye're scrawgin it like that on the steps.

REE [] (Mx.), king.
Ree yn Laa (King of the Day), a sea name for the sun. Another sailors' name for the sun is Gloyr y Theihll (Glory of the World) and for the moon Ben-rein Nyhoie (Queen of the Night).

REEKER [], bonfire.
They set fire to the goss and made thremenjus reekers. They had the candles burning, and a big reeker of a fire blazing on the chiollagh (hearth) and the big pot hanging on the slouree.

REELAGH [] (Mx. reealley, 'sifting'), a thinly spread scattering; a moderate catch offish.
There was a reelagh of herrin over the fishin' groun'-we didn strike the bush (dense part).
We had a nice reelagh las' night. There was no big shots goin, but we had a reelagh las' night with the res' o' them.

REE-RAW [], irregular or contrary motion.
When they wor singin, the tannor and the haze was all goin ree-raw agains' one another; and it seems this ree-rawin was done o' purpose, and it was beauriful the way it was goin a puttin.

REESS, REEST [] (Mx. reeast), a rough uncultivated stretch of ground.
He's livin at the Reess. Many is the time I was with me Gran' father up at the reest.

REEVE [], 'reef', roll up.
And lek to reeve a surt of a laugh through his shouldhers lek (B.).

REEZHAGH [] (Mx. reajagh), smooth of sound.
He's talkin that reezhagh and slaw I'm thinkin there's a birro' the sleetch in him.

REGARD [], notice, heed.
On his back, a bundle-I didn regard what, but something white (B.). She
don't regard what she says, i. e. she is reckless of speech. I dont regard him, nor noan of his seed, breed, and generation.

REMLAD, REMLOCK [], a remnant of cloth.
I gorra nice lil remlad chape at the dhraper's. I navar seen batther remloeks for the money.

RENEAGUE, RENAEG [], to withdraw from an engagement, to revoke at cards.
I thried to houl' him to his bargain, but he reneagued. He knows well how to renaeg.

RES' [], 'rest'.
They're gettin married to give a res' to their jaws, i. e. they will not have such a plentiful table as in their previous homes. Aw, she's got married to give a res' to her jaws, i. e. she has married a poor man.

REVIEW [], to examine.
He wants me to call at his house to review his rods and fishing tackle.

REW [], 'rowed'.
He rew the boat across the bay.

RIBBAG, RIVVAG [] (Mx. rlaybbag), a shred. He toor it all in ribbags. Theer wasn a rivvag of it lef'.

RIBLAS [] (Mx.), vagabond.
I lerrm have it in the mous (mouth), and knocked the riblas down.

RICK [] (Mx.), fixity, settled rule.
There's no rick oil yandher fellow, i. e. no surety or dependence must be attached to him. Ye can navar tell where he's goin nex' for there's no rick on him.

RIDDLE [], a large, coarse sieve.
I'll put you through the riddle. Aw, oul' Kelly the Lawyer put him through the riddle in Court to-day.

RIF [], 'rift ', belch.
He'll rif' in the Chapel till I'm ashame lis'nin to him. And a drop of punch, and shammin wake, and riftin lek (B.).

RIFTHAN [] (Mx. raftan), a worthless fellow.
He was standing outside the chapel door with a lot of rifthans. He's only a lil rifthan yet.

RIG [], (1) affair, narrative ; (2) prank ; (3) ridge.
1. And she tould him all the rig (B.).
2. And the rigs they're up to
3. Nicky's rig though-Nicky and me (B.).

RIGATHER [], regather, gather again. Water spilt upon the groun' and can't be rigathered.

RILE [], 'roil', to toss salt upon herrings and shake or rub them; to punish.
She was rilin herrin in a tub before packin them in the barrel. The herrins is gutted and riled, and ready for layin down.
Your mother is goin to give you your rilins when she catches you.

RIM [] (Mx. rheaym, 'realm'), authority, 'upper-hand'. She tuk rim on him.

RIP []. Shout.
I'm glad I didn' give a rip out of me for all.
Dont be rippin urro' ye like that when ye're singin.

ROAGAN, RAUGAN [] (Mx. shlig-roagan), the large scollop, Pecten maximus. It is about six inches in diameter. One of its shells is flat and is called the 'plate', the other is deeply rounded,
and is called the 'basin'. Both served in old times as crockery. The saucer-like shell when filled with cod oil was used as a lamp, a peeled rush or a strip of rag serving as wick.
Many is the time I seen a roagan put on the top of a jug and doin for a lamp.
When we were childher we used to be borin holes in raugans and puttin sthrings through, and makin a pair of scales and weighin sand in them pitendin we were sellin shop (keeping shop).

ROBBIN-THE-BOBBIN [], a Hunt-the-wren boy. He can shout like a Robbin-the-bobbin.
Robbin-the-bobbin the big ' belly aane' (livered-belly), He et as much as three score men,
He et a cow, and he et a calf, He et a butcher and a half,
He et the church, and he et the steeple, And he et the half of all the people. (Children's rhyme.)

RODDHAN [] (Mx. roddan), rat.
Thou'll suffer for it yet-thou'll be catched in the ribba-roddhan (Mx. abbey-roddan, ' rat-trap').

ROLLEY [] (Mx.), 'roller', a wooden spokeless barrow-wheel with an iron hoop.
Keep your eye on the joiner and the blacksmith that charged me fourteen shillin for the rolley.

ROLLIAN, ROLLAN [] (Mx. rhollan), whirler, spool. Shelve gorra mouth like the rollian of a wheel. (Said of an ill-tempered looking mouth.) Theres a rollan of a mouth on her.

RON [], 'ran'. (Cum.) He ron on like fire.

RONNAG [], an upland between Peel and Castletown. The inhabitants of Ronnag were formerly considered to be more outlandish than those of other parts of the Island.
You navar seen anyone dhressed like her-she might have come from Ronnag. He's from Ronnag, ye know, i. e. he is a complete country bumpkin.
Ronnag-eye, a round, staring fish-like eye :-He's got Ronnag-eyes as green as a cat's.

ROOM [], to make room.
We roomt up on the furrim for him.

ROOR [], 'roar' (Berks.).
The cow was roorin for her cawf. The woman was cryin, and roorin ter'ble.

ROOT [], rumble, peal; rout. See Rout.
I h'ard a root o' tundher, but I didn see no likenin (lightning).
She soon rooted the beggar off the premises. She's rootin out the dhrawers. The hosses' feet was rootin up the pavin' stones.

ROSE [], any rose-shaped flower; erysipelas (also Sc. Ir.). Them double daisies is nice lil roses.
The rose is red, the vi'let's blue, Honey is sweet, and so are you.
(A Valentine rhyme.)
She's bad with the rose in her face. She was charmin the 'rose' and sayin, ' Magh ass shoh, rose woerrin as rose fyrryn I (Out! from this, Sherose and He-rose).

ROSIN, ROSHIN [], 'resin'.
And as drunk! aw bless ye ! as drunk as rosin (B.). I used to be often hearin the oul' tune, ' Rosin the bow', but I'm navar hearin it now.

ROSY-DANDHER [], rhododendron.
Them is fine rosy-dandhers.

ROT [], 'rat'.
And the rots runnin all over the place.
Rat's-tail, the head of the plantain, Plantago major:-I'm keepin the rot's tails for the bird. See the lot of rat's tails she brought home for the bird.

ROUGH-FIRE [], fuel of brushwood.
They were burnin rough fire, and the oul' fella was puttin under with feearn (fern) and goss (gorse).

ROUGHNESS [], rude plenty; body-hair, the down on a baby's head.
There's always a bit of roughness in the house, there's always something goin, i. e. there is abundance of fare rough and ready always at hand.
He tuk a candle and singed the roughness off his arms.

ROUL, ROWL [],'roll'; a circular pad worn by women who carry burdens on their heads.
He rowlt the dhrunken man home in a wheelbarra. I like tchoons with plenty o' yowls like the oul' Methodisses had.
The childher was playin yowl tumbahga (roll tobacco), and shoutin ' a yowl, a yowl, a yowl o' tumbahga'. (A children's game where the players coil round one another in a tightly packed revolving mass.)
The gels was comin from the Big Well and carryin wooden cans o' water atop o' rouls on their heads. It was a hard job heisin the can on the top o' the roul.
Clark d the Rouls, Clerk of the Rolls, the keeper of the public records :
Deemsthars, Clerk of the Roulses, brewers-all sorts of swells (B.).

ROUN [], 'round', 'around', in
As roun' as the Tynwal' (Tynwald Mount), i. e. quite circular. He tuk the roun' o' the clock, i. e. he slept for twelve consecutive hours.

ROUNDERS, ROUNERS [], the game of prison base.
It was rounders the boys was playin. Le 's have a game o' rouners.

ROUNDY, ROUNY [], 'round', globular.
Spreadin roundy lek (B.). Lil rouny things like marvils (marbles).

ROUT [], rumble. See Root.
Some ould granny's innards routin (B.). Did ye aver hear such routytouty (senseless rumbling of talk).

ROVE [], a rivet or washer used for riveting to the end of a seam. nail (also Sc. Nhb.).
When the old Manx copper coinage was withdrawn from circulation, boat builders were using the coins with a hole punched through the centre as roves on the points of copper lant nails when building clincher built fishing boats. He told me that once when breaking up an old boat for firewood that he had gathered pounds weight of old Manx coins which had been used as roves in the building of her.

RUAG [] (Mx. roig), scrofula.
He's got the ruag, and his neck is all in lumps and runnins.

RUCK [], 'rick', a cock of hay.
They're busy in the field makin rucks. A head like a ruck of hay, the rough it is.

RUMBUSHTHUS [], 'robustious', frisky. That hoss is rumbushthus uncommon to-day.

RUMPY [] (Sc. Lane.), tailless ; a Manx cat.
And rumpy lies without a tail (B.). In the Isle o' Man there's rumpy cats and rumpy hens.
She's gorra grey rumpy that'll tackle a rot (rat) aequal to any tarrier (terrier) in the Ian'.

RUN [], a course.
He made the run much the same he did with us (B.), i.e. he took nearly the same line as with us. Jus' purra lil run over this bill (account) and see if it's right.
Put a lil run on the fireplace an'll do to-day.

RUNNER [], the Moar's deputy previous to the year 1765.
The coroners, lockmen, moars and runners held their offices for one year only. It was the Parish Runner's duty to carry the Crosh-Vushta (mustering cross) to summon the parishioners to a gathering.

RUNNET [], 'rennet', the stomach of a calf.
The cauve's (calf's) runnet is goin a saltin for to make steep.
Lek some devil's runnet thick'nin it (B.). Oie Innyd bee dty vinnyd lane
(Ash Wednesday Eve your runnet will be full). Mx. proverb.

RUNNIN [].
Running-trade, smuggling :-I had an uncle that was in the runnin-thrade.

RUN-RIG [], a term formerly applied to land belonging to different owners and cultivated in alternate ridges.
I've hard of run-riggin, but I don't knaw nothin aburrit meself.

RUB, RUBS [], 'rust'.
His face all over rus' (freckled). He's hurdin (hoarding) the pennies till they're green in russ.

RUSH [].
As sthrite as a rush, i. e. very straight. He's as wake as a peelt rush.

RUTCHIE [], Richie.
Rutchie, Rutchie, Dicky Touchy.
(Said in order to tease any one of the name of Richard.)

RUX [], rumple; shrug; wrestle.
Head thrown back, and his eyes like moons and his hair all ruxed (B.). Walk a bit, and rux the shoulders (B.). The sobs goin ruxin up her back (B.), i. e. pulsing convulsively.
Where's your huggin and ruxin now ? (B.). She has a ruxin (laborious)
life in Canada. We're ruxin along fine, plenty o' work and able for it.

RUXER [], hustler, vigorous worker.
She's a reg'lar ruxer for work.