[From Manx Dialect, 1934]

D

Daanys. " Aw, I know him. A proper daanys. But then there's a big touch of the click in all the Kewleys " (Shimmin, Illiam Kodhere's Wiil, page 25). ' A mischievous boy,' according to the glossary.

' Boldness, impudence,' according to the Manx dictionaries. ' The click,' eccentricity, or an eccentric person.

Dale (deal), a plank bridge. Hence the name of Dale Street, Ramsey. " Dayles " and " dails " (planks) are numerous in the Castle Rushen Inventory of 1694. The present Manx pronunciation is the former English one.

Darling (adjective), is applied to things as well as to persons and animals. " It was a darlin' summer night " (Bill Billy, " A Night with the Fairies What a darlin' little hat you've got on, Nessie ! "

Day-lift, daybreak. " And, before the day-lift, Knocked up the High Bailiff " (Brown 490). Destroyed, when used of persons, is probably borrowed from the Anglo-Irish dialect. "I'm fair desthroyed with the heat," or the rheumatics, or the indigestion, or her tongue-such complaints may be heard any day. " See that the chile millish is not desthroyed with your roarin' an' miserliness " (Cushag, Mylecharaine, page 7). ' Chile millish,' sweet child. Dharrag, a log or stump of bog-oak or other wood. These are often brought to light in the curragh lands and on the seashore, and occasionally on hillsides. Manx darragh, oak, frequent in place-names.

Dhole (as pronounced in Patrick), a place of resort, an habitual haunt. " I don't mind a bit of trespassing now and again, but I'll not have them making a dhole of the place "-his neighbour's cattle to wit (J.T.I.). Used thus by a Patrick farmer of the better sort. Irish ddil, a meeting, convention, as in Ddil Eireann, the representative assembly of (Southern) Ireland.

Diddy, nipple, breast. " Aw, take a baby from the diddy just when the mother's gettin' it ready " (Brown 379). Manx and Gaelic did, a teat.

Didees (pronounced ' did ease '), knick-knacks, trifles, especially of a household nature. " Lil boxes and didees of all kinds on the tables " (Kneen, Gool' on the Cushags). Origin unknown.

Ding-dong, to talk nonsense at a rapid rate. " There you go ding-dongin' " (Brown 576; also 587, foot).

Dirrag. See " Durrag."

Ditch, a sod hedge or stone wall ; equivalent to 'dike.' " All Manner of Tenants . . . shall make a sufficient Ditch to defend his Goodes from his Neighbours' . . . such a ditch as shall defend Horse or Cow " (Statutes, 1677). Similarly in several answers to Bishop Forster's inquisition in 1634 " the church ditch " is reported in good repair ; in another case it is " the churchyard wall," and in yet another parish it is called " the hedge " ; all meaning the same thing. A record dated 17o6 charges a man with the offence of " leaving a dirrag unshut on the fell-ditch." " Dirrag " (q.v.), a half-door.

Like ' ditch,' ' dike ' or ' dyke ' has in Britain come to mean either a trench or a wall, just as ' rean ' (q.v.), a trench, has there developed the opposite meaning of 'ridge.' When we dig a ditch or plough a furrow we necessarily raise a corresponding bank or ridge ; hence the confusing transference of names from the one thing to the other. In the Isle of Man a ' dyke,' like a ditch, is a wall. " The stone hedge is brisk, and wants building up. Now I used to be middlin' good at a dry dyke " (Shimmin, Luss ny Gyaih, page 17). Also as a verb intransitive. " Where did thou learn to dyke ? " (Shimmin, loc. cit.). On the subject of fences see also " Meer."

Doctor, another name for the ' cleg ' or horse-fly. (V.A.D., " Cleg.") Why ?

Dolly-rags, rags to make a doll. See " Taste." Doodoss, an expletive. "Little she wasn', no, doodoss ! " (Brown 515). Probably the Irish Gaelic dubh-dhoighte, terrible, dreadful-literally, ' burnt black' (Dinneen) ; but in the Brown passage not much stronger than 'my word ! ' or 'by Jove ! '

Downside. See " Overside."

Draggy, enervating, tiring ; said of mild, damp weather. To feel ' dragged' is the effect of such weather. In its personal use ' draggy ' means slow moving, tedious. " I'm too draggy " in my story (Brown 494)

Drogheen, a poor creature, a miserable object. " Throw away a farm like the Ballacomaish for yandha drogh-yeen ? " (' Juan Noa,' The Raformah, heard by him in Jurby).

Dub. 'The Dub' is a seamen's by-name for the Irish Sea. Manx and dialect 'dub,' a small pool. Old Norse djüp, deep ; Norn jube, the sea, and djüp in the Younger Edda with the same meaning. The channel between Brittany and Ireland is called by French sailors le Dib ; ' traverser le Dib ' is to cross to Ireland (Sábillot, Lëgendes de la Mer, page 29).

Duds, clothes. This English slang word is in common use. (Example under " Soother.")

Dundoie (stress on second syllable), of wretched, unkempt aspect (T.D.). Manx dyn-doaie, without decency (J.J.K.).

Durrag or Dirrag, formerly a wicket-gate in the lower half of a field-wall; now a similar gap closed by a movable slate slab (J.T.I.). " The Boundary betwixt Milntown and Claughbane from the old Durrag or outlet for sheep to " etc. (Enquest and Petition Files, 1694.) Another MS. record, dated 1706, charges a man with the offence of " leaving a dirrag unshut on the fell-ditch." Manx ; found also in field-names. Probably a diminutive formed on the same stem as dorrys, a door.

Dwale. " Then her senses dwaled away " (Caine, The Manxman, pt. 4, ch. xiv.). This does not occur in dialogue, and I cannot ascertain that ' dwale ' is a Manx dialect word. The E.D.D. credits the Isle of Man, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall with ' dwalled,' to wander in mind, talk incoherently or deliriously, but the only passage given in support of its Manx use is the one I have just quoted.

Dwine, to pine away, waste away. " She would jus' take an' dwine away wantin' it " (Cushag, Mylecharaine, page 6) ; i.e., pine away if her little silver cross were taken from her. A common word in parts of Scotland and the Borders.

Dy-ghra, indeed, forsooth, so you say. " Poor fishermen, dy-ghra ! Thou are not a poor fisherman " (Shimmin, Illiam Kodhere's Will, page 47). Manx, ' to say ' ; but perhaps short for myr ton dy ghra, ' so thou art saying.' It also exists in the dialect in a translated form, ' say so ! ' " Mylecharaine : ' I'm not feelin' very well at all.' Betsey : ' Say so ! Thou'll have a dhrink of herb-tay, an' thou'll be the betther for it ' " (Cushag, Mylecharaine, page 24). " Ealish 'This way, women ! ' Miss Skillicorn : 'Who are you that you should lead us ? ' Miss Curphey : ' Yes, say so indeed ! ' " (Kneen, Yn Blaa Sooyee, page 27).

Dy-haie, amply, in plenty. " She'll be resting dy-haie under the mould " (Douglas, The Lips of the Sea). Manx saie, enough, with adverbial prefix.

Dyke. See " Ditch."