Just then a yuckel, passin’ by,
Was axed by them the cause to try;
“Ha! ha! I zee how ’tis!” zays he,
“They’ll make a vamous munch vor me!”
His bill was shearp, his stomach lear,
Zo up a snapped the caddlin’ pair!
Notes.—Observe z and v for initial s and f; harnet, hornet; bittle, beetle; zet, sat; proper, very; twoad, toad, wretch; a, he; stinge, sting; bagganet, bayonet.
Thuck, that; clim, climb; giv, gave; zet, sit; ael, all.
Th’ sha’sn’t, thou shalt not; mixen, dung-heap.
Yuckel, woodpecker; axed, asked; vamous munch, excellent meal; lear, empty; caddlin’, quarrelsome.
[Southern (Group 3): Isle of Wight.]
The following colloquy is quoted in the Glossary of Isle of Wight Words, E.D.S., 1881, at p. 50.
I recollect perfectly the late Mr James Phillips of Merston relating a dialogue that occurred between two of his labourers relative to the word straddle-bob, a beetle.... At the time of luncheon, one of them, on taking his bren-cheese (bread and cheese) out of a little bag, saw something that had found its way there; which led to the following discourse.
Jan. What’s got there, you?
Will. A straddlebob craalun about in the nammut-bag.
J. Straddlebob? Where ded’st leyarn to caal ’n by that neyam?
W. Why, what shoud e caal ’n? ’Tes the right neyam, esn ut?
J. Right neyam? No! Why, ye gurt zote vool, casn’t zee ’tes a dumbledore?
W. I know ’tes; but vur aal that, straddlebob’s zo right a neyam vor ’n as dumbledore ez.
J. Come, I’ll be blamed if I doant laay thee a quart o’ that.
W. Done! and I’ll ax Meyastur to-night when I goos whoam, bee’t how’t wool.
Accordingly, Meyastur was applied to by Will, who made his decision known to Jan the next morning.
W. I zay, Jan! I axed Meyastur about that are last night.
J. Well, what ded ur zay?
W. Why, a zed one neyam ez jest zo vittun vor’n as tother; and he lowz a ben caal’d straddlebob ever zunce the Island was vust meyad.
J. Well, if that’s the keeas, I spooas I lost the quart.
W. That thee hast, lucky; and we’ll goo down to Arreton to the Rid Lion and drink un ater we done work.
Notes.—Observe z for s, and v for f initially. What’s, What hast thou; nammut (lit. noon- meat), luncheon, usually eaten at 9 A.M. (nōna hōra); leyarn, learn; esn, is not; gurt, great; zote, soft, silly; casn’t, canst not; laay, lay, wager; how’t wool, how it will; that are, that there; lowz (lit. allows), opines; zunce, since; vust meyad, first made; keeas, case; lucky, look ye!