University of Virginia Library

SOUTHERN (Group 7): EAST SUSSEX.

The following quotations are from the Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect, by the Rev. W.D. Parish, Vicar of Selmeston; E.D.S. 1875. The Glossary refers rather to E. than to W. Sussex, Selmeston being between Lewes and Eastbourne.

• Call over, to abuse. "He come along here a-cadging, and fancy he just did call me over, because I told him as I hadn't got naun to give him." (Naun, nothing.)
• Clocksmith, a watchmaker. "I be quite lost about time, I be; for I've been forced to send my watch to the clocksmith. I

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  couldn't make no sense of mending it myself; for I'd iled it and I'd biled it, and then I couldn't do more with it."
• Cocker-up, to spoil; to gloss over with an air of truth. "You see this here chap of hers, he's cockered-up some story about having to goo away somewheres up into the sheeres; and I tell her she's no call to be so cluck over it; and for my part I dunno but what I be very glad an't, for he was a chap as was always a-cokeing about the cupboards, and cogging her out of a Sunday." (The sheeres, any shire of England except Kent and Sussex; call, reason; cluck, out of spirits; coke, to peep; cog, to entice.)
• Joy, a jay. "Poor old Master Crockham, he's in terrible order, surelý! The meece have taken his peas, and the joys have got at his beans, and the snags have spilt all his lettuce." (Order, bad temper; meece, mice; snags, snails; spilt, spoilt.)
• Kiddle, to tickle. "Those thunder-bugs did kiddle me so that I couldn't keep still no hows." (Thunder-bug, a midge.)
• Lawyer, a long bramble full of thorns, so called because, "when once they gets a holt an ye, ye doänt easy get shut of 'em."
• Leetle, a diminutive of little. "I never see one of these here gurt men there's s'much talk about in the peapers, only once, and that was up at Smiffle Show adunnamany years agoo. Prime minister, they told me he was, up at London; a leetle, lear, miserable, skinny-looking chap as ever I see. 'Why,' I says, 'we doänt count our minister to be much, but he's a deal primer-looking than what yourn be.'" (Gurt, great; Smiffle, Smithfield; adunnamany, I don't know how many; lear, thin, hungry; see, saw.)
• Sarment, a sermon. "I likes a good long sarment, I doos; so as when you wakes up it ain't all over."
• Tempory (temporary), slight, badly finished. "Who be I? Why, I be John Carbury, that's who I be! And who be you? Why, you ain't a man at all, you ain't! You be naun but a poor tempory creetur run up by contract, that's what you be!"

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• Tot, a bush; a tuft of grass. "There warn't any grass at all when we fust come here; naun but a passel o' gurt old tots and tussicks. You see there was one of these here new-fashioned men had had the farm, and he'd properly starved the land and the labourers, and the cattle and everything, without it was hisself." (Passel, parcel; tussicks, tufts of rank grass.)
• Twort (for thwart), pert and saucy. "She's terrible twort--she wants a good setting down, she do; and she'll get it too. Wait till my master comes in!"
• Winterpicks, blackthorn berries.
• Winter-proud, cold. "When you sees so many of these here winterpicks about, you may be pretty sure 'twill be middlin' winter-proud."