The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #1213   Message #837968
Posted By: Lynn W
30-Nov-02 - 06:26 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Lish Young Buy a Broom
Subject: RE: Lish Young Buy a Broom
Extract from Wright's English Dialect Dictionary- may be some errors, my first go at OCR with the scanner, would have been quicker typing it out!
         
LISH, adj. Sc. Nhb. Dur. Cum. Wm. Yks. Lan. Also in forms leash Sc. (JAM.) Gall.; leesh Nhb. Cum; leeshin Nhb; leish Dmf. N Cy. Nhb.; liesh Slk. Cum. Lithe, supple; nimble, agile, active. Cf. lishy.
eSc. He was a leash lad and a leal, Blackw. Mag. (May 1820) 160 (JAM.), Rnf. Yence Marget was as lish a lass, Harp (1819) 202. Slk. Twa lang liesh chaps lying sleeping at ither's sides, HOGG Tales (1838) 7, ed. 1866. Dmf. He is a strappin' leish young fallow As e'er ye saw, Quinn Heather (1863) 37. Gall. Marle-throwing Wull, Leash Sam the Blade, MACTAGGART Encycl. (1824) 267, ed. 1876. Kcb. A fine big strappin' fallah As lish an' yal as ony deer, ARMSTRONG Ingleside,1890) 140. n.Cy. Grose (1790); N.Cy. Nhb. Whe's like my johnny, Sae leish, sae blythe, sae bonny, T.yneside, Sngsir. (1889) 66; Nhb. He's a leeshin chep. Dur. Gibson Up-Weardale Gl. (1870); Dur. s.Dur. She's a leish worker (J.E.D.). Lakel.2 Cum. A lish laughin lass ov sixteen, ANDERSON Ballads (ed. 1840) 40; CUM. Wm. They wor sae lish they seemed hardly tae tutch groond, WHEELER Dial. (1790) 99, ed. 1821; T'foke was o fair kapt ta see't ald widow trippin off an leakin sae lish, TAYLOR Sketches (1882) 6. s.Wm. (J.A.B.) n.Yks. He was a lish awd man (I.W.); n.Yks. w.Yks. HUTTON Tour to Caves (178I); He's as lish as a young 'un i' t'spite ov his seventy year (M.A.) ; w.Yks. Lan. She was as lish as a cat, EAVESDROI'PFR Vill. Life (i869) No. 25; Lan.' n.Lan. I'm pleased to see you walking so lish (R.H.H.,. n.Lan.1, ne.Lan.1
Hence Lish-like, adj'. well-made. Cum.