[From Manx Dialect, 1934]

G

Gallaperoo (stress on last syllable), a man's nickname and a term of playful abuse. " I've Yard Willie say he was a Manx Sinn - fëiner, whatavar surt of a gallaperoo that is at all."

Gallivant, to go about on pleasure. " He's for ever gallivantin' about Douglas when he ought to be at home workin'. " " For though me hair gets thin and whitey-grey, Back galavants me heart to boyhood's day " (Quarrie, " Old Times "). Used in England also.

Gass. A gass of ling or gorse is a bunch twisted tightly to burn slowly in a fire. " They would put a gass or two of ling under the oven to keep the fire in," in the little building called ' the Chamber' at Ballamooar, Arbory, the upper room of which afforded a night's shelter to the travelling beggars. Gaelic gas, a stem, bunch.

Gavelock, an iron crowbar used in quarrying, etc. A Scottish and Northern English dialect word also. Gawbie, a Northern form of ' gaby,' a simpleton. " ' Hould your whisht, you gawbie,' whispered Pete " (Caine, The Manxman, pt. 6, eh. x.).

Ghart. See " Fore-rig."

Ghersaghey, consoling, comforting. "Some herb that'll put ghersaghey on him " (Douglas, The Master of Raby). Manx.

Gilthabeg (stress on ' beg Me lil gilthabeg " (Quarrie, " The Melliah "). Defined in Quarrie's glossary as " a little hearty boy." Manx guilley beg, little boy.

Get. 1. (Verb transitive.) to be called by a name. Most Manx people below a certain social level -and some above it-' get ' a nickname. " The other chap was Harry Creer-From Dalby he came, and so he was gettin' ' Harry from Dalby ' " (Brown 52o).

" He was gettin' ' Burnt-the-Bible ' ever after." "She got ' Jinny the Whinny ' when she was livin' in Ballaugh." In a more general way, " I doubt it's coortin' It'd get with us, but the quality Mus' have a differin' name, ye see " (Brown 438) ; i.e., " I suspect we would call it courting, but " etc.

2. " Get " (intransitive), used absolutely, means to get loose, go where desired, move about at will. " The dog was wantin' to get when he saw the rabbits." " An' him so held that he couldn' get " (Cushag, " The Lil Oul' Ghost "). For why, there were knots in his shroud. " When you fetch your blow and strike back, it cannot get from that " (Roeder, Lioar Manninagh, iii, 138)-how to deal with a Tarroo-ushtey:

3. Advance, get on-chiefly of time. " The everin' was gerrin, he said " (Rydings 1ig). " I mus' now be gettan' " (Gaelk, " The Taffy Spree ").

Glare, a language. " The oul' Manks glare'll navar be dhropt as long as the Isle o' Man'll float " (V.A.D., " Manx "). Manx the same.

Gleam, to glance meaningly. " John gleams at Henry " (Kneen, The Magfiies ; stage direction). Glister, a squall, squally weather. "There's a terrible glisther on to-night . . . an' the rain comin' peltin' down the chimley " (Morrison, Manx Fairy Tales, page 4).

Gling (noun and verb), a ringing sound ; to make such a sound. " The sickle made a gling and a grunt as it went Through handfuls of corn " (Quarrie, " The Melliah "). " An' the money goin' glinging into the till all day long." Manx glingal, to jingle.

Glint, a glimpse, glance. " Gev a lil glint from behint it to see if he was comin' " (Rydings 37)-from behind her handkerchief. " Tomsellar got a glint of our Thobm at the door " (Rydings 77).

Glommering, scowling, glowering. " Don't stand glommering theer " (Cushag, Hommy Beg).

Gloo, the warp of cloth. " He's good all through, innagh and gloo "-ix., weft and warp. (See V.A.D., " Innagh.")

Glug, a bubbling noise, as from a river, a bottle, a turkey-cock, or other qualified agent. " In that mighty pot How fat was the bubble and glug ! " (Quarrie, " The Melliah "). Manx has the same word.

Glunks, a thud, concussion. " They fell with a glunkse enough to bust " over the rope stretched to trip them in the harvest-field horseplay (Quarrie, " The Melliah "). Kelly has glonek for the sound of a splash.

Go, great busyness, much ado. " The go that was arram for weeks was somethin' shockin' tarrable " (Rydings 42) ; i.e., the wedding preparations. " He heard the go of them "-the fairies.

God's portion was the odd money over the even pounds in dividing the profits of a fishing-boat among the crew at the week-end. This money was devoted to charity, otherwise bad luck would have ensued. (See Cashen, Manx Folk-lore, page 40.)

Goggan and Noggin. A goggan is " a small tub or pail with one of the staves longer than the rest to act as a handle," and will hold several quarts (V.A.D., " Goggan "). Being wider at the top than at the bottom it was convenient for milking into. In A Second Manx Scrapbook, page 322, I confused this receptacle with the ' noggin,' a vessel holding a quarter of a pint. I now notice that both Manx dictionaries make the same mistake, unless the meaning of ' goggan ' has altered since they were compiled. Even Mr. J. J. Kneen must be numbered among the victims of the goggan (see Place-names of I. of M., page 41).

Noggins of Manx rum were appreciated by the Galloway men of yore. "And at the Ross wi' yawckin' Johnie Dowall, And Manksmen gabbling from the manor-hole, What naggins hae we drunk o' smuggled rum, just hot frae aff the Isle o' Three Legs come ! Sic joach cheers me " (Gallovidian Encyclopedia, page 85). Goggans of rum would have taxed even the capacity of Galloway smugglers.

Goo, a rumour, report, bit of news. " Did ye hear the goo that's goin' about the sthrange lil animal up on Dalby Mountain ? " Manx the same. Good-looking is equivalent to 'looking well and hearty ' ; personal beauty is not implied. ' He's up in his nineties, an' good-lookin' yet for all." " Ye're not so good-lookin' to-day." Quarrie, in his glossary to " The Melliah," defines ' stout ' (hearty) as good-looking.' The stress is on 'good.'

Goods is used repeatedly in the Statutes to mean live-stock: e.g., " Goodes brought to the Pinfold " ; " to give his Goodes water once a Day " (1577). In English law animals and other forms of property were carefully distinguished by the expression ' goods and chattels '-ix., cattle, but an Act of Tynwald of 1665 applies it to animals exclusively : " the Goods and Cattle so trespassing shall not only be pounded " etc. See also " Ditch."

Goog, a toy, a plaything. (Kneen, Gool' on the Cushags.) Perhaps an abbreviation of ' gewgaw.' Heard in Andreas.

Gor, a goat-contemptuously. " Don't be actin' the gor " (Kneen, A Lil Smock). " Do tha think I'm a gor to believe that tale ? " (Kneen, Yn Blaa Sooree, page 23). Manx goayr.

Gorriman, a blue dye made from the woad plant, wully-wus. (See V.A. D., " Wully-wus.") Manx gorm, blue, with substantival affix. See also " Manx-Blue."

Gosthag, a fishing-line baited with a row of hooks and stretched between two rocks, stakes, or other attachments. A boy was detailed to watch it till the tide covered it, to prevent the gulls from taking the bait. A Northside word. (T.D.) Probably from the Irish gaiste, a snare.

Graysh, a (Latin) prayer or exorcism. " For seven long years was the graysh doin' for him " (Cushag, " The Lil Oul' Ghost " who was confined to a tree for that period). Such confinement was understood to be ' between the bark and the wood ' or ' the bark and the tree,' which meant a thin time for the ghost ; but it is well known that ghosts and spirits are ' as thin as the wind itself,' so perhaps this form of detention was found less inconvenient than might be supposed, and was preferred to the Red Sea.

Griz (verb). " The old grandfather's clock just outside the door grizzed, and then began to strike slowly " (Christian Callister, in Methodist Recorder). Manx grees, to stir to action.

Groamagh, sulky, gloomy. " The carryin's on o' some people is fit to make anybody groamagh " (Kneen, Yn Blaa Sooree, page az). The Calliagh ny Groamagh is the supernatural hag of bad weather. Manx groamagh with similar meanings.

Grobble, to scratch about, grope, scrabble. " Grobblin' in the moul' with your hands " (Shimmin, Luss ny Graih, page 16). " Her childer used to grobble in the road for ha'pennies from the visitors."

Grounds. ' The grounds ' are the fishing-grounds. " A man'd come in From the grounds very slack " (Brown 365).

Gurr, a growl, rumble, vibration. " The las'e lil tas'e of a gurr arrim on his is " had Donald the Scotchman (Rydings 38).