BALIST, (A.-N.) An engine for projecting stones in besieging a town. BALISTAR, S. A crossbow-man. BALK, S. (4.-S. balc.) (1) A ridge of greensward left by the plough in ploughing. "A balke or banke of earth raysed or standing up betweene twoo furrowes." Baret's Alvearie. (2) A beam in a cottage. A pair of couples or strong supports is placed between each pair of gables, and the balk is the strong beam, running horizontally, that unites those below. The balk was used to hang various articles on, such as flitches of bacon, &c. Balk ende whych appeareth under the eaves of a house, procer. Huloet. (3) v. To heap up in a ridge or hillock. (4) "Balk the way," get out of the way. (5) 8. A contrivance in the dairy districts of Suffolk, into which the cow's head is put while she is milked, is called a balk or bawk. (6) Balks, straight young trees after they are felled. Var. dial. (7) "To be thrown ourt' balk," to be published in the church. (2) (4.-S.) To belch. Balkyng, sum is smoki and hoot, and sum is sour; the firste cometh of heate and of hote humours that ben in the stomak, the secounde is of coold humours either of feble heate of the stomak Medical MS. of the 15th cent. (3) To be angry. Reyn. the Foxe. BALKER, S. (1) A little piece of wood by which the mowers smooth the edges of their scythes after the whetstone has been used. It is commonly fastened to the end of the sneyde by a pin. Devon. (2) A great beam. East. BALKERS, S. Persons who stand on elevations near the sea-coast, at the season of herring fishing, to make signs to the fishermen which way the shoals pass. Blount. BALKING, 8. A ridge of earth. BALK-PLOUGHING, S. A mode of ploughing, in which ridges are left at intervals. East. BALKS, S. The hay-loft. Chesh. Sometimes, the hen-roost. BALK-STAFF, S. A quarter-staff. BALL, (1) adj. Bald. Somerset. (2) 8. The pupil of the eye. "Ball, or apple of the eye." Huloet, 1552. (3) s. Cry; lamentation. Son after, wen he was halle, Guy of Warwick, Middlehill MS. (4) s. The palm of the hand. Yorksh. (5) s. The round part at the bottom of a horse's foot. See Florio, in v. Callo. (6) s. The body of a tree. Lanc. (7) v. To cohere, as snow to the feet. Northampt. (8) v. To beat a person with a stout stick, or with the hand. Cornw. BALLACE, v. (supposed to be from A.-S. behlæstan, to load a ship.) To stuff. With some gall'd trunk, ballac'd with straw and stone, Left for the pawn of his provision. BALLAD, v. To sing or compose ballads. BALLADER, 8. A maker of ballads. BALLADIN, 8. (Fr.) A kind of dance. BALLADRY, S. The subject or style of ballads. BALLANCE, S. (A.-N.) This word was formerly regarded as a plural. A pair of ballance. Barckley's Summum Bonum, p. 431. Are there balance here, to weigh The flesh? M. of Venice, iv, 1. BALLANT, 8. A ballad. North. BALLARD, 8. A castrated ram. Devon. BALLART, S. A name for the hare. Reliq. Antiq., i, 133. BALLAST, S. A ruby. See Balays. BALLAT, 8. A ballad. North. BALLATRON, s. (Lat. ballatro.) A rascal; a thief. Minsheu. BALLATROUGH,8. Afoolish prating fellow. Dev. BALLATRY, 8. (Ital.) A song, or jig. Milton. BALLE, (1) 8. The head. Chaucer. (2) v. To howl. "I balle as a curre dogge dothe, je hurle." Palsgr. BALLED, adj. Bald. BALLEDNESSE, s. Baldness. BALLENGER, s.(A.-N.) A small BALLINGER, sailing vessel used to prevent their being maltreated. In the North it is customary for a party to attend at the church gates, after a wedding, to enforce this claim. The gift has received this denomination, as being originally designed for the purchase of a foot-ball." Brockett. Ball-mony, given by a new bride to her old play-fellows. Ladies' Dictionary, 1694 BALLOCK-GRASS, s. The herb dogs'stones. Gerarde. BALLOCKS, Testiculi. 8. (4.-N.) BALLOKS, The word occurs freBALLOXS, quently in early medical receipts. Sometimes called ballok-stones. "Hic testiculus, a balok ston. Hic piga, a balok kod." Nominale, MS., 15th cent. It appears from Palsgrave's Acolastus, 1540, that ballocke-stones was a term of endearment. Also take an erbe that growith in wodes, and is lick an nettle, and it is the lengthe of a cubite ether ther aboute, and hath as it were ballok stoones aboute the roote. Medical MS, of the 15th cent. BALLOC BROTH, 8. A kind of BALOK-BROTHE, broth described in the following receipt: Balloc broth.-Take eelys, and hilde hem, and kerve hem to pecys, and do hem to seeth in water and wyne, so that it be a litel over-stepid. Do thereto sawge and oothir erbis, with f. w oynons y-mynced. Whan the eelis buth soden ynow3, do hem in a vessel; take a pyke, and kerve it to gobettes, and seeth hym in the same broth; do thereto powdor gynger, galyngale, canel, and peper; salt it, and cast the eelys thereto, and messe it forth. Forme of Cury, p. 12. BALLOK-KNYF, 8. A knife hung from the girdle. Piers Pl. BALLOON, S. (Fr.) A large inBALOON, flated ball of strong leather, used in a game of the same name, introduced from France, and thus described in a book entitled Country Contents: "A strong and moveing sport in the open fields, with a great ball While others have been at the balloon, Ben Jon., Fox, ii, 2. Minsheu, under Bracer, speaks of a wooden bracer worn on the arm by baloon players, "which noblemen and princes use to play." In the play of Eastward Hoe, Sir Petronel Flash says, "We had a match at baloon too with my Lord Whackum, for four crowns;" and adds, "O sweet lady, 'tis a strong play with the arm.' O. Pl., iv, 211. Faith, from those bums, which she through lightnesse setts (For ballone-balls) to hire, to all that play, Who must in time quite volley them away. Davies, Scourge of Folly, 1611. BALLOP, 8. The front or flap of BALLUP, smallclothes. Northumb. BALLOW, (1) adj. (A.-S.) Gaunt; bony; thin. Whereas the ballow nag outstrips the winds in chase. Drayton, Polyolbion, song iii. (2) v. To select or bespeak; used by boys at play, when they select a goal or a companion of their game. North. (3) s. A pole; a cudgel. North. "A baller, malleus ligneus quo glebæ franguntur." Huloet. BALL-STELL, S. A geometrical quadrant, called in Latinized form balla-stella. Nomenclator, 1585. BALL-STONE, s. A local name in Shropshire for a measure of ironstone which lies near the surface; a kind of limestone found near Wenlock. BALL-THISTLE, 8. A species of thistle. Gerard. BALLU, 8. (4.-S.) Mischief; sorrow. See Bale. BALLUM-RANCUM, 8. A licentious dancing party. An old slang term. He makes a very good odd-man at ballum-rancum, or so; that is, when the rest of the company is coupled, will take care to see there's good attendance paid. Otway, The Atheist, 1684. BALLUP. See Ballop. BALLY, (1) s. A litter of pigs. North. (2) v. To swell or grow distended. Shropsh. (3) adj. Comfortable. West. BALLYS, BALYWS, S. Bellows. BALMER, 8. If not a corruption, this word, in the Chester Plays, i, 172, seems to designate some kind of coloured cloth. "Barrones in balmer and byse." BALNEAL, adj. (Lat.) Refreshing. BALNY, s. (Lat. balneum.) A bath. BALO, S. A beam in buildings; any piece of squared timber. East. BALON, S. (Fr.) Whalebone. BALOTADE, S. (Fr.) An attempt made by a horse to kick. BALOURGLY, 8. A sort of broth. For to make a balourgly broth. Tak pikys, and spred hem abord, and helys zif thou hast, fle hem, and ket hem in gobbettys, and seth hem in alf wyn and half in water. Tak up the pykys and elys, and hold hem hote, and draw the broth thorwe a clothe; do powder of gyngever, peper, and galyngale, and canel, into the broth, and boyle yt; and do yt on the pykys and on the elys, and serve yt forth. Warner, Antiq. Culin., p. 49. BALOUST, (A.-S.) prep. About. BALOW. (1) A nursery term. North. (2) s. (A.-S.) A spirit; properly, an evil spirit. BALOW-BROTH, 8. Probably the same as ballock-broth. BALOYNGE, 8. Eyther arm an elne long, Lyric Poetry, p. 33 Balsam. BALSAM-APPLE, s. The name of an herb. Florio, v. Caranza. BALSAMUM, s. (Fr.) BALSAMINT, Shakesp. BALSOMATE, adj. Embalmed. Hardyng's Chron. BALSTAFF, S. A large pole or staff. See Balk-staff. BALTER, v. To cohere together. Warw. (2) To dance about; to caper. Morte Arthure. BALUSTER, S. (Fr.) A bannister. BALWE, (1) s. (4.-S. balewe.) Evil; mischief; sorrow. (2) adj. Plain; smooth. Pr. P. BALY, (1) s. (4.-S.) Evil; sorrow. (2) s. (4.-S.) The belly. (3) 8. (A.-N.) A bailiff. BALYE, 8. (4.-N.) Dominion. Bot for he sau him noht bot man, Cursor Mundi, MS. Èd., f. 54. BALYSHIP, 8. The office of a bailiff. Balyshyp: Baliatus. Pr. P. BALZAN, 8. (Fr.) A horse with white feet. Howell. BALZE, adj. (4.-S.) Ample; swelling. BAM, S. (1) A story which is invented to deceive or jeer, probably an abbreviation of bamboozle. (2) v. To make fun of a person. BAMBLE, v. To walk unsteadily. East. BAMBOOZLE, v. To deceive; to make fun of a person. Sometimes it is used in the sense of to threaten. BAMBY, adj. By and by. Devon. BAN, (1) v. (4.-N.). To curse. I ban their souls to everlasting pains. Marlow's Jew of Malta. (2) 8. A curse. (3) s. An edict; a proclamation. That was the ban of Keningwurthe, that was lo this, That ther ne ssolde of heie men deseri:ed be none, That hadde i-holde aze the king, bote the erl of Leicetre one. Rob. Glouc., p. 568. (4) s. A summons; a citation. Of ys rounde table ys ban aboute he sende, That eche a Wytesonetyd to Carleon wende. Rob. Glouc., p. 188. (5) v. To shut out; to stop. Somerset. (6) s. A kind of dumpling. Lanc. BAND, 8. (4.-S.) (1) A bond; an engagement or covenant. (2) pret. t. of binde. Bound. On slepe fast yit sho him fande, His hors until a tre sho band, And hastily to him sho vede. Fwaine and Gawin, 1. 1776. (3) s. Imprisonment. His moder dame Alienore, and the barons of this land, For him travailed sore, and brouht him out of band. Langtoft's Chron.. p. 201. (4) s. String or twine. Var. dial. (5) s. A hyphen. (6) s. An article of dress for the neck, worn commonly by gentlemen. His shirt he chaungeth, as the moone doth chaunge, His band is starch'd with grease, frenchrusset cleare. Davies, Scourge of Folly, 1611. Some laundresse we also will entreate, For bannes and ruffes, which kindnes to be great We will confesse, yea and requite it too. Rowlands, Knave of Spades, 1613. (7) s. A space of ground twenty yards square. North. (8) 8. The neck feathers of a cock. Holme. BAND-BOX, 8. Originally a box for bands and other articles of dress which required to be kept from rumpling and crushing. BAND-CASE, 8. A band-box. By these within a band-case lies thy ruffe, And next to that thy brush, and then thy muffe. Cranley's Amanda, p. 31. }pa BANDERS, 8. Associators; conspirators. BANDISH, 8. A bandage. North. BAND-KITT, 8. A large wooden vessel, with a cover to it. In Yorkshire it is said to be known by the name of bow-kitt; and in Lincolnshire, of ben-kit. BANDLE, v. To bind round; to encircle with a scarf. BANDO, 8. A proclamation. Shirley. BANDOG, S. A fierce kind of dog, conjectured by some to have been thus named because it was always kept tied up on account of his fierceness. Bewick describes it as a cross breed between the mastiff and bulldog. But, Grazus, if thy sole repute bee bralling: A bandogge is thy better, by his balling. Davies, Scourge of Folly, 1611. BANDON, 8. (A.-N.) Dominion; subjection; disposal. Merci, queth, ich me yelde Beves of Hamtoun, p. 42. BANDORE, 8. (Ital. pandura.) A musical instrument, very similar in form to a guitar, but whether strung with wires like that, or with catgut, like the lute, we are not told. BANDORF, S. Holme. BANDOW, 8. (Fr. bandeau.) A band round the head, worn especially by widows. BANDROLL, s. (Fr.) A small banner, or pennon, fixed near the point of a lance. A penon banner. BANDS, 8. (1) The hinges of a door. North. (2) The rings of a hinge. They speak of "hooks and bands." Leicest. BANDSTERS, s. Those who bind the sheaves in reaping. North. BANDSTRING, s. The string or tassell appendant to the band or neckcloth. They were to stand mannerly forsooth, one hand at their bandstring, the other behind the breech. Aubrey. BANDSTRING-TWIST, 8. A kind of hard twist made of bleached thread thrice laid, used in making laces for females. BANDSTROT, 8. A charm. BANDY, (1) s. A game played with sticks called bandies, bent and round at one end, and a small wooden ball. (2) v. To toss a ball, a term at (3) v. To join in a faction. (6) 8. The small fish called a stickleback. Northampt. BANDY-HEWIT, 8. A little bandy legged dog; a turnspit. |