Minced or modified oaths are remarkably numerous in Cumberland, and in very common use. Most of them have descended from the old Roman Catholic times when, as Dr. Newman in speaking of Roman Catholic populations of the present day, avers, habitual swearing indicated piety and reverence for things sacred, and not profaneness. As heard now in Cumberland, these ancient expletives are as void of piety as of profanity, being used without any knowledge of their original signification, and merely to add force to asseveration, and to express, as varied in tone, surprise, disgust, pleasure, or indeed almost any feeling or emotion whatever. I append a few of these with their probable, often obvious, etyma:—
’Scush or Skerse God’s curse Goy, and Goy Sonn God, and God’s Son Gock, and Gock Sonn Ibid. Ibid. ’Od’s wuns an’ deeth God’s wounds and death Loavin’ days Loving Jesus ’Od’s wintry wuns God’s sundry, or wondrous, wounds ’Od’s wyte leet on thee God’s blame fall on you ’Od rot, ’Od sink, etc., etc. See _Dickinson’s_ Glossary ’ Marry By Mary ’ Mess By the Mass Dār, Dy, and Dyne Damn Faix, and Faikins Faith Cock’s wunters God’s wonders Loze Lord My song My soul Deil bin Devil be in
The peculiarities of the Scottish dialect have been explained by many writers, much more ably, as well as more at length, than may be done by me. Therefore the only assistance towards the understanding my Scots rhymes that I offer the reader is to intermingle, in the glossary appended, such Scottish words as I have used, with those proper to Cumberland and those common to both sides the Border.
The brief glossary here given consists, then, only of the words used in Scotland or Cumberland, or both, which appear in the foregoing _Tales and Rhymes_; corruptions and abbreviations being omitted. The significations I alone am answerable for, having, in nearly all instances, adopted the sense I can recollect the words being used in by the people speaking them in their daily talk. The quotations are intended to make these significations more intelligible, and also, by showing the manner in which the words so illustrated are used by others, to prove that the meanings I have so adopted are generally correct.