Cow

Source : Wright, Joseph English Dialect Dictionary
web : https://eddonline4-proj.uibk.ac.at/edd/main.html

COW, sb.1 Var. dial. uses in Sc. Irel. and Eng. Also
in forms caa w.Yks. e.Lan.1; cah w.Yks.; caw w.Yks.4;
coo Sc. N.I.1 Nhb.1 Cum.1 Wm.1 n.Yks.2 ne.Yks.1 e.Yks.1
n.Lin.1; cu- Dev.; kah Lan.; kahe Chs.1; kaw Wm.;
keaw e.Lan.1; keo Ant.; keow Chs.1 Chs.2 [kū, w.Yks. kā,
Lan. kē, s.Cy. keu.]
I. Gram. forms. pl. (1) Kahe, (2) Kahes, (3) Kee, (4)
Key, (5) Keye, (6) Kie, (7) Ky, (8) Kye.
(1) Chs.1 Kahe is equivalent to kine, and is applied to the species.
(2) Chs.1 Kahes is used when several individual beasts are spoken
of. (3) n.Dev. Kae·ee, Exm. Scold. and Crtshp. (1746) Gl. (4)
Chs.2 Chs.3 (5) Cum.1 n. Chs.1 Used when several individual beasts
are spoken of. (6) N.Cy.1, n.Yks.2 (7) Abd. Girse for supper to
the ky, Shirrefs Poems (1790) 89. N.Cy.1 Wm. Wheeler Dial.
(1790) 48, ed. 1821. n.Yks. Castillo Poems (1878) 18. e.Yks.
Nicholson Flk-Sp. (1889) 90. Chs.3 (8) Sc. Murray Dial. (1873)
159. N.I.1, N.Cy.1, Nhb.1, Dur.1 Cum.1 c.Cum. and e.Cum. n.Yks.1 n.Yks.2 n.Yks.3, ne.Yks.1
e.Yks.1 Used to denote particular herds, kine being used for cows
in gen. m.Yks.1, w.Yks.1 w.Yks.2 w.Yks.4, Lan.1, ne.Lan.1 Chs.1 Used collectively
for the species; Chs.2 Chs.3, Der.1 Obs., Der.2, nw.Der.1, Lin.1, n.Lin.1
II. Dial. meanings. 1. In comb. (1) Cow-baby, a
childish, timid person; a coward, simpleton; (2) Cow-bache,
a wide grassy road between thorn hedges where milch
cows are pastured; (3) Cow's-backrin, cow's dung dropped
in the field; (4) Cow-baillie, the farm-servant in charge of the
cows; also used derisively of a cow-herd; (5) Cow-ban(d, (a)
a large horseshoe-shaped collar of wood or iron, by
which cows are secured in their stalls; (b) a rope for
tying together the legs of cows during milking; (6)
Cow's band, an ancient custom by which when a man
borrowed money he gave the cow's band in pledge; (7)
Cow-banger, a man who attends on cows; (8) Cow-barken, (9)
Cow-barton, a milking-yard, a cow's yard; (10) Cow-beast, a cow,
ox; (11) Cow-belly, a quicksand; (12) Cow-bield, a shelter for
cows; (13) Cow-blades, (14) Cow-blakes, cow-dung dried in the
sun and used for fuel; see Casson; (15) Cow-boose, a cattle-stall;
(16) Cow-bow, see Cow-ban(d, (a); (17) Cow-box, a square box,
wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, from which cows
eat licking; (18) Cow-boy, a playful woman; (19) Cow-byre,
a cow-house; (20) Cow-calf, a female calf; (21) Cow-cap, a metal
knob put on the tip of a cow's horn, to prevent it doing
mischief; (22) Cow-casings, (23) Cow-casson, see Cow-blakes; (24)
Cow-cattle, cows; (25) Cow-chain, the chain with which cows are
tied up in the ‘shippen’; (26) Cow-cheese, old milk cheese;
(27) Cow-clag, (28) Cow-clap, (29) Cow-clat, lumps of earth or dung
adhering to the buttocks of cows and sheep; cow-dung;
(30) Cow-clans, (31) Cow-cleansings, the after-birth of a cow; (32)
Cow-comforts, rubbing posts or pillars for cattle; (33)
Cow-cottager, a class of peasants; (34) Cow-couper, a cow or
cattle-dealer; (35) Cow's-courant or Cow-coranto, very rough play,
noisy romps, noisy conversations; (36) Cow-craik, a mist with
an easterly wind; (37) Cow-crib, a crib for cattle, a round
feeding-rack placed in the middle of a yard; (38) Cow-cumber,
a short pole suspended by a chain hung over a cow's
neck to prevent it getting out of its pasture; (39) Cow-dab,
cow-dung; (40) Cow-doctor, a country veterinary surgeon;
(41) Cow-down, a cow-common; (42) Cow-easings, see Cow-dab; (43)
Cow-feeder, a dairyman who sells milk and keeps cows;
a milkman; (44) Cow-file, a painful crack in a cow's hoof;
(45) Cow-footed, having an awkward gait, club-footed; (46)
Cow-gang, a cow's walk; (47) Cow-gap, obs., the time when cows
are taken on or off for the grazing season; (48) Cow-gate or
Cow-gait, (a) the right of pasturage for one cow on common
land; (b) see Cow-trod; (49) Cow-green, the green or field on
which a cow is pastured; (50) Cow-grip(e, a trench or channel
in the floor of a cow-house to carry off the water, &c.;
(51) Cow-ground, a cow-pasture; (52) Cow-hair-ball, a ball made
of the cast hairs of a cow, rolled up in the hand with milk;
(53) Cow-heart, a coward, timid person; (54) Cow-hearted, (a)
timid, cowardly; (b) of plants: tender, wanting in vitality;
(55) Cow-hemmel, a cattle-shed; (56) Cow-hide, to flog with
a heavy whip; (57) Cow-hocked, of horses: having the hind
legs bent towards each other like a cow's in running;
also used fig.; cf. cat-hammed; (58) Cow-how, a state of
excitement; great noise, much ado; (59) Cow-hubby, a cowherd;
(60) Cow-hurdle, a ‘flake’ or spar hurdle; (61) Cow-ill,
a disease of cows; (62) Cow-itch, a powder given to cows to
relieve them of the itch; (63) Cow-jobber, (64) Cow-jockey, see
Cow-couper; (65) Cow-'s-knob, see Cow-cap; (66) Cow-lad, a boy entrusted
with the care of cows; (67) Cow-lady-stone or collady-stone,
a species of quartz; (68) Cow-lake or Cow-leck, a glutton; one
over-greedy of gain; (69) Cow-lays or Cow-lease, see Cow-ground;
(70) Cow-leading, the game of ‘follow your leader’; (71)
Cow-leech, see Cow-doctor; (72) Cow-leg, to pitch a back with one leg
only, the other remaining on the ground; (73) Cow-lick, (a)
a lock of hair on a cow's hide, gen. on the forehead, which
will not lie flat; also used of human beings; (b) a mess
for cows composed of chopped hay mixed with barley,
&c.; (74) Cow-lone, the constellation ‘milky way’; (75) Cow-mig,
the liquid manure or drainage from a cow-house or dunghill;
(76) Cow-milk, cow's milk; (77) Cow-mouth, the hollow
wrongly left by the workmen when cutting poles; (78)
Cow-mouthed, loud-voiced, bellowing, ‘blaring’; (79) Cow-paps,
cow-teats; (80) Cow-par, a straw-yard, fold-yard; (81) Cow-pasture,
(a) a pasture field near the farm-house which is
never mown; (b) a pasture set apart in some parishes
for the sole use of the cottagers' cows; (82) Cow-pie, a pudding
made of the second milking of a cow, after she has
calved; a custard pudding encased in pastry; (83) Cow-pine,
a cow-pen or stall; (84) Cow-plague, (85) Cow-plat, see Cow-dab; (86)
Cow-pock, cow-pox; (87) Cow-price, a long bill, the price of
a cow; (88) Cow-pushla, a single dropping of a cow; (89)
Cow-quag, see Cow-clat; (90) Cow-quake, (a) a disease of cattle; (b)
cold easterly winds in May, which often produce the
disease; (91) Cow-quaker, a storm that usually comes in
May after the cows are turned out; (92) Cow-rent, rent paid
for the use or hire of a cow; (93) Cow-renter, a person who
hires a cow; (94) Cow-shite, a contemptible person; (95)
Cow-shod, see Cow-clat; (96) Cow-shooter, at Winchester: a hard
felt hat; (97) Cow-shot, (a) a species of marl; (b) see Cow-clat;
(98) Cow-slaver, fig. nonsense, rubbish; (99) Cow-slop, see Cow-clat;
(100) Cow-sow, a wooden frame to fasten cows in their stalls;
(101) Cow-span, see Cow-ban(d, (b); (102) Cow-squat, see Cow-clat; (103)
Cow-stalk, the hollow stem of the cow-parsnip, Heracleum Sphondylium;
(104) Cow-stall, see Cow-sow; (105) Cow-strippings, the
last few drops of milk drained from a cow; (106)
Cow-stropple, a cow-tie; (107) Cow-swat, the semi-fluid dung of
the cow dropped in the field; (108) Cow-tail, coarse wool
from the hind legs of sheep, gen. inferior in quality to
‘britch’ (q.v.); (109) Cow-tail-dyer, a man who dyes small
warps in sections of one or two yards in length, each
section being of a different colour; (110) Cow-tenter, an old
man, who is only equal to ‘tent’ or watch cows while
grazing; (111) Cow-teort, see Cow-clat; (112) Cow's-thumb, a small
space, hair's breadth; (113) Cow-tie, (a) see Cow-ban(d, (b); (b)
a spancel fastened to horses' feet to tether them; (114)
Cow-t'od, see Cow-dab; (115) Cow-tongued, deceitful, having a tongue
like a cow, smooth on one side and rough on the other;
(116) Cow-trod, the path that cows take to and from pasture
along a hillside; (117) Cow-trodden, cross-grained, awkward
to manage; (118) Cow-turd, cow-dung; also applied to
cheap cigars; (119) Cow-tyal or Cow-tile, see Cow-ban(d, (a); (120)
Cow-tyin, stall accommodation for cows, upright posts to which
cows are tied in sheds; (121) Cow-ure, the udder of the cow;
(122) Cow-whisket, a flat, oval basket made of cleft ash, used
like the cow-box (q.v.); (123) Cow-white, obs., the payment
for a cow; (124) Cow-yoke, see Cow-cumber.
(1) s.Hmp. I ain't a cow-beaby to ask her alms, Verney
L. Lisle (1870) xxiii. Wil. Cowbabby, gawney, &c., were the
epithets bestowed on the boy, Kennard Diogenes (1893) xiii;
Wil.1, Dor.1 Som. Jennings Obs. Dial. w.Eng. (1825); W. & J. Gl.
(1873). w.Som.1 Kaew· bae·ubee. Appl. to a boy. (2) Yks. N. & Q.
(1852) 1st S. v. 402. (3) Gall. (Jam.) (4) Abd. (A.W.), Cld. (Jam.)
Ayr. The cow-baillie had recently rebelled against the poverty of
the feeding, Johnston Glenbuckie (1889) 164. Bwk. Sometimes
given in contempt to a ploughman who is slovenly and dirty
(Jam.). (5, a) Lakel. It was fastened to a stake called a rid-stake.
The two ends hung downwards and were joined by a crosspiece
called the catch, and remained fastened by the elasticity of the
bow, Ellwood (1895). Cum. Gat his leevin' by makkin cow-bands,
Richardson Talk (1886) 1st S. 44; Cum.1 Wm. T'coo-band's
brokkun (B.K.). (b) Wm.1 (6) Gall., Dmf. (Jam.) (7) w.Yks.
Leeds Merc. Suppl. (Jan. 30, 1892); w.Yks.3 (8) Som. Likewise
the ould cow-barken, Agrikler Rhymes (1872) 65. (9) Dor. The
dairyman... always kept the gossip in the cow-barton from
annoying Rhoda, Hardy Wess. Tales (1888) I. 71. (10) Ayr.
Bringing pigs and eggs and young coo-beasts to the fair, Johnston
Kilmallie (1891) I. 85. (11) Lan. This foundation... was right
on the quicksand, or, as it was termed in that district, cow-belly,
Holden Foundations (1885). (12) w.Yks. (J.T.) (13) N.Cy.1
(s.v. Casings). (14) N.Cy.2, Nhb.1 Obs. Yks. Leeds Merc. Suppl.
(July 11, 1896). e.Yks.1 MS. add. (T.H.) Chs. (K.) (15) Wm.
Hev him she will, en she ligs in a sendry kaw boose ivvery neet,
Wheeler Dial. (1790) 109, ed. 1821. Lei.1 (16) Lakel. Ellwood
(1895). w.Yks. Lucas Stud. Nidderdale (c. 1882) 31. (17) Chs.1
(18) Ant. (W.H.P.) (19) Sc. (A.W.) n.Yks. Ah'd gett'n on te me
feeat te gan out o' t'coobyre, Tweddell Clevel. Rhymes (1875) 36;
n.Yks.1 n.Yks.2 (20) Sc. (A.W.) s.Oxf. That's the best calf I ha' got,...
and my missus she don't want for to part with it, seein' it's a cow-calf,
Rosemary Chilterns (1895) 40. Brks.1 (21) Shr.1, Dor.1 (22)
Yks. (K.) (23) n.Lin.1 (24) Cmb. Little attention is paid to the
improvement of the common breed of cow-cattle, Marshall
Review (1811) III. 261. (25) Chs.1 It slides up and down the
ratch-stake by means of the frampath. Shr.1 (26) Nhb. Cowcheese
by the score from the hilly districts of the Breamish and the Aln,
Dixon Whittingham Vale (1895) 184. (27) n.Yks.1 n.Yks.2, ne.Yks.1 e.Yks.
Marshall Rur. Econ. (1796) II. 314. m.Yks.1 (28) N.I.1 Ant.
Ballymena Obs. (1892). Cum.1, e.Yks.1 w.Yks. Leeds Merc.
Suppl. (Jan. 30, 1892). ne.Lan.1, Chs.1, nw.Der.1 n.Lin.1 She's
as common as coo-claps are on Butterwick Haale at harvist time.
Lei.1, Wil.1 (29) n.Yks.2, Lei.1, War.3 Oxf.1 MS. add. Wil.1
w.Som.1 Ee-d pluw u kaew-klaat wai uz noa·uz vur ae·upmee:
ee·s! un dhuur·t-n baak· vur u pan·ee [He would plow a cow-dung
with his nose for a halfpenny ─ yes! and plow it back crosswise
for a penny]. nw.Dev.1 (30) Lei.1 (31) e.Yks.1 (32) Dev.
A rubbing-post being sometimes called ‘cows' comfort,’ Bray
Desc. Tamar and Tavy (1836) I. 53; Hewett Peas. Sp. (1892).
(33) Rut.1 What they call in our village a cow-cottager. (34)
Abd. Willie Futtrit, the well-known veteran coo-couper, Alexander
Ain Flk. (1875) 111, ed. 1882. Bwk. A cattle dealer, or,
as it is commonly called in Sc., a cow-couper, Henderson Pop.
Rhymes (1856) 118. (35) w.Cor. Bottrell Trad. 195. Cor.3 (36)
Lnk. The cow-craik destroys a' the fruit (Jam.). (37) Lei.1 Nhp.
In cow-cribs like a coach, Clare Poems (1827) 10. Glo. Sometimes
with a roof over, sometimes without. He was seen to
stagger towards a cow-crib, on which he sat down (S.S.B.). Oxf.1
MS. add. Ken.1 So constructed as to be low at the sides and high
at the corners. (38) Der. (B.K.) (39) Dev. Let but a cowdab
show its grass-green face, Peter Pindar Wks. (1816) I. 78. (40)
Sc. How have you learned this?... Ou, just frae the coo-doctor,
Whitehead Daft Davie (1876) 127, ed. 1894. (41) Wil. Cow
commons, called cow downs, Reports Agric. (1793-1813) 17;
Wil.1 Obs. (42) w.Yks.1, n.Lin.1 (43) Sc. Jean ─ daughter of
David Deans, cowfeeder, Scott Midlothian (1818) xxiii; Chiefly
purchased by milkmen or cow-feeders, as they are usually called,
Stephens Farm Bk. (ed. 1849) I. 203. (44) n.Yks.2 (45) N.Cy.1,
n.Yks.1 n.Yks.2 (46) s.Sc. Ye may get muckle mair guid o'm, than a'
that ye'll loss by the takin' o' the cow-gang, Wilson Tales (1839)
V. 378. (47) Nhb.1 Spent at the Cow gapp with the grassmen,
7s. 2d., Gateshead Ch. Bks. (1672). (48, a) Nhb.1 Lakel. Ellwood
(1895). n.Yks. A cowgate to a cottage holding under the said
landlord, Tuke Agric. (1800) 62; n.Yks.1 n.Yks.2, ne.Yks.1, m.Yks.1
Lan. There is a custom all over the country of what they call
cow-gates (taking cows on tack for such a season), Young Annals
Agric. (1784-1815) XX. 11. Lan., Chs. Still in use, YOUNG Annals Agric. Note.
Chs.1 Many of the farms at Frodsham have so many cow-gates on
Frodsham marsh according to the size of the farm. Not.1 Lin.
A cow-gait in the muir. A cow-gait on a common, Young Annals
Agric. (1784-1815) XXXVII. 537. n.Lin.1 sw.Lin.1 Two cow-gates
being reckoned for a horse's pasture. They all have
cowgates in the marsh. Lei.1 (b) Wm. (B.K.) (49) Nhp. Set
the cow green in a blaze, Clare Remains (1873) 193. (50) n.Cy.
(K.), Nhb.1, n.Yks.1 n.Yks.2, Lan.1, n.Lan.1 (51) Glo. Marshall Rur.
Econ. (1789) I; Glo.1 (52) w.Mid. Formerly much used by
children. These balls would get dry and hard, and would sometimes
last a considerable time (W.P.M.). (53) Dor.1 w.Som.1
Dús-n dhee bee jish kaew·-aart-s vur bee·ut u lee·dl maa·yd [Do
not thee be such a coward as to beat a little girl]. (54, a) s.Wor.1
w.Som.1 A timorous person is said to be kaew-aa·rtud. (b) w.Som.1
An old gardener forking up the roots of the troublesome withy-wind
remarked,‘ Túz dhu moo·ees kaew·-aar·tuds stuuf, úz·, neef
dhu zún· ur u bee·t u vrau·s ur oa·urt du kaech· ut aewt u graew·n,
t-l kee·ul-t tu-raak·lee’ [It is the most cow-heartedest stuff (there)
is; if the sun or a bit of frost or aught do catch it out of (the)
ground, it will kill it directly]. (55) Nhb. Wor bonny Toon Hall,
... That coo-hemmil structor [structure], Local Sng. (1889).
(56) Mid. Much better than knocking him down, or even cow-hiding
him, Blackmore Kit (1890) III. xii. (57) w.Som.1 A very
common but ugly feature in Exmoor ponies. Dhai bee au·vees
strau·ng, haun dhai bee kaew-uuk·ud [They be always strong when
they be cow-huckéd] is a piece of bucolic wisdom. Dev. My
wive is nayte and tidy 'bout tha heels. 'Er idden wan ov the
cowhocked zort, Hewett Peas. Sp. (1892) 105. nw.Dev.1 (58)
Bnff.1 The hail toon wiz in a cowhow fin they hard faht wiz deen.
She made a sad cowhow fin she wiz tellt her sin wiz droont.
(59) Sc. Grose (1790) MS. add. (C.) (60) Ken. A ‘cow hurdle’
... a great, heavy, awkward thing stuck in about five feet high,
made of strong round oak waste, Boldrewood Sydney-side Saxon
(1891) ii. (61) Sc. Auld Edie Ochiltree that... has skill o' cow-ills
and horse-ills, Scott Antiquary (1816) xii. (62) Nhb. A wis
put ti bed amang sum coo-itch, Chater Tyneside Alm. (1869) 39.
(63) w.Yks. T'cah-jobber said ‘Thah's seen nowght i' t'cah line
up to me,’ Yks. Wkly. Post (Feb. 29, 1896). Chs.1, nw.Der.1
(64) N.Cy.1 Nhb.1 Obs. w.Yks.1 (65) Glo.1 (66) e.Lan.1 (67)
Rxb. (Jam.) (68) Cor.1 (69) Hmp.1, I.W.1 Dor. You'll find
it a shorter road druh the cowleys (C.W.). (70) Nhb.1 (71)
n.Yks.2 s.Chs.1 Ky'aaw· or ky'aay-leych. Nhp. Northall Gl.
War.2 War.3, s.Wor.1, Shr.1, Glo. (A.B.), Glo.1 (72) War.2 (73, a)
Sc. (Jam.), N.Cy.1 Nhb.1 A tuft of hair which obstinately stands
up on the crown of the head. A ‘calf-lick’ is the same, but
above the forehead. Chs.1 Chs.2 Chs.3 n.Lin.1 Believed to have assumed
the form they bear from the animal constantly licking them.
Nhp.1, War.2, e.An.1, Suf.1, I.W.2 (b) w.Yks.2 w.Yks.3 (74) Lan. When
tha goes up th' cow-lone to th' better place, Flk-saw, Yks. N. & Q.
(1888) II. 206. (75) n.Cy. Grose (1790) Suppl. n.Yks.2 e.Yks.
Marshall Rur. Econ. (1788). (76) Sc. Scoticisms (1787) 40. Ayr.
Gie them guid cow-milk their fill, Burns Death of Mailie, l. 31. (77)
Ken. (W.F.S.) (78) s.Wor. (H.K.) (79) w.Yks. Yks. Wkly. Post
(July 25, 1896). (80) Nrf. Grose (1790); Holloway. (81, a)
n.Yks.1, ne.Yks.1, n.Lin.1 (b) n.Lin.1 (82) w.Yks. We taunt Earlsheaton
folks with a love for ‘cah pie’ or custard, Binns Vill. to Town
(1882) 87. Brks.1 (83) Som. (s.v. Pen) W. & J. Gl. (1873).
w.Som.1 The cow-pines be come to repairin sure 'nough, they be
all to pieces. (84) Chs. Brockett Gl. (1846); Chs.3 (85) Cld.,
Rxb. (Jam.), Slk. (J.F.), N.Cy.1, Nhb.1, Dur.1, Cum.2, Glo.1 (86) Lei.1
(87) n.Yks.2 I shall owe you a coo-price. Lan. Aw wouldn't ha' bin
one o' thoose bobbies for a keaw price, Wood Hum. Sketches 114.
(88) N.I.1 (89) n.Yks.2 (90, a) Sc. (Jam.) (b) Sc. Come it aire,
come it late, in May comes the cowquake, Ray Prov. (1678)
364. e.Lth., Cld. (Jam.), Lan.1, ne.Lan.1 (91) Yks. This is a
cowquaker (F.P.T.). (92) Cor. The hirer pays his cow-rent in
milk and butter, Marshall Review (1817) V. 547. (93) Cor. These
cow-renters gen. have a piece of ground allotted them by the
farmer, MARSHALL Review (94) Bwk. She told them that they would ‘a' turn out
cow-shites at the last!’ Henderson Pop. Rhymes (1856) 83. (95)
Dev. Grose (1790) MS. add. (M.) (96) Slang. (A.D.H.); (E.F.)
(97, a) Sc. The brown and gray sorts, usually called cowshot,
Maxwell Sel. Trans. (1743) 265 (Jam.). (b) Chs.3 (98) Lan.
He talked sich keaw-slaver 'at I could hardly howd for flingin' a pot
at him, Waugh Chim. Corner (1874) 197, ed. 1879. (99) Chs.1
(100) s.Lan. (W.H.T.) (101) Som. (W.F.R.) (102) ne.Lan.1
(103) Cor.3 Plaise, mester, 'twarnt I as was spetting the eglets
through the cowstalk. (104) Brks.1 (105) n.Yks.3 (106) Nhb.1
(107) Cum.1, Lan.1, ne.Lan.1 (108) w.Yks. (J.W.) (109) w.Yks.
(S.K.C.) (110) n.Yks. (R.H.H.) (111) Lan. I leet dissact o'
meh back in a kah-teeort, Paul Bobbin Sequel (1819) 14. (112)
Slg. Ye're no a cow's thumb frae 't (Jam.). (113, a) N.Cy.1, Nhb.1,
Dur.1, Cum.1 Wm. Fassen them tagidder wi a coo-tee (B.K.).
n.Yks. (I.W.), ne.Yks.1 e.Yks. A short thick hair rope, with
a wooden nut at one end, and an eye formed in the other,
Marshall Rur. Econ. (1788); e.Yks.1 Lan. N. & Q. (1875) 5th
S. iii. 276. Chs.1 A cow-tie is gen. made of horsehair; it has a
loop at one end and a wooden button at the other. It is passed
round one thigh, just above the hock, and the two ends are twisted
once or twice; the ends are then passed round the other thigh,
and the button put through the loop to fasten it. Der.1, s.Wor.
(H.K.), Shr.1 (b) w.Yks. We have in these parts no other name
but cow-ty, Thoresby Lett. (s.v. Spancel) (1703). (114) n.Lin.1
It is said of a man who after much display suddenly comes to
poverty, that ‘he went up like a' arrow an' lighted in a coo-to'd.’
(115) Nhp.1, e.An.1, Nrf.1 (116) Wm. (B.K.) (117) Lei.1 A carpenter
will complain of ‘a nasty cow-trodden piece o' wood.’
(118) Cor. We nothing smoaks but oak leaves and cue-terd,
W. Eclogue in Gent. Mag. (1762) 287; (M.A.C.); Cor.3 (119) Not.3,
Nhp.1 (120) s.Chs.1 We speak of having ‘tyin'’ for so many cows.
Hrf.2 (121) n.Yks.2 (122) Chs.1 (123) Wil.1 (124) Wm. (B.K.)
2. Comb. in plant-names: (1) Cow and calf, the flowers
of the cuckoo-pint, Arum maculatum; (2) Cow-bane, the
water hemlock, Oenanthe crocata; (3) Cow-bells, the buttercup,
Ranunculus bulbosus; (4) Cow-berry, (a) the red whortleberry,
Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea; (b) Comarum palustre; (5)
Cow-cabbage, a large cabbage planted in fields for cattle; (6)
Cow-cakes, the wild parsnip, Peucedanum sativum; (7) Cow-clog-weed,
the common cow-parsnip, Heracleum Sphondylium;
(8) Cow-cloos, (9) Cow-clover, the common trefoil clover, Trifolium medium;
(10) Cow-cracker, the bladder campion, Silene inflata;
(11) Cow-cranes, the marsh-marigold, Caltha palustris;
(12) Cow-cress, (a) the marshwort, Helosciadium nodiflorum;
(b) the water pimpernel, Veronica Beccabunga; (13)
Cow's-eyes, the white oxeye, Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum;
(14) Cow-flop, (a) the cowslip, Primula veris; (b) the foxglove,
Digitalis purpurea; (c) see Cow-clogweed; (d) the common
cultivated oat, Avena sativa; (e) a tall flower, resembling
the great mullein, Verbascum Myconi; (15) Cow-flop oats, oats
so called from their resemblance to ‘cowflops’ or foxgloves
gloves; (16) Cow-foot, the common ragwort, Senecio Jacobaea;
(17) Cow-grass, (a) see Cow-clover; (b) the common purple
clover, Trifolium pratense; (c) the rough cock's-foot,
Dactylis glomerata; (d) the lesser spearwort, Ranunculus flammula;
(e) the common plantain, Plantago major; (18)
Cow-heave, the coltsfoot, Tussilago Farfara; (19) Cow-itch, the
seed-heads of the dog-rose, Rosa canina; (20) Cow-keeks, see
Cow-clogweed; (21) Cow's-lick, the white briony, Bryonia;
(22) Cow-mack, see Cow-cracker; (23) Cow's-mouth, see Cow-flop (a);
(24) Cow-mumble, (a) see Cow-clogweed; (b) the cow-parsley,
Anthriscus sylvestris; (c) the sheep's parsley, Chaerophyllum temulum;
(d) the hedge Umbelliferae generally; (25)
Cow-paigle or Cow-peggle, see Cow-flop (a); (26) Cow-parsley, see
Cow-mumble (b); (27) Cow-parsnip, see Cow-clogweed; (28) Cow-quakers,
(29) Cow-quake(s, (a) the common dodder or quaking grass,
Briza media; (b) the toad-flax, Spergula arvensis; (30)
Cow-rattle, (a) the white campion, Lychnis vespertina; (b) see
Cow-cracker; (31) Cow-sinkin, the oxlip, Primula elatior; (32)
Cow-stick, a name given to several of the families of the
Polyzoa; (33) Cow-strippling, (34) Cow-stropple, (35) Cow-struplin,
see Cow-flop (a); (36) Cow-vetch, the common tufted vetch; (37)
Cow's-weather-wind, the common hedge-nettle, Stachys sylvatica;
(38) Cow-weed, (a) see Cow-mumble (b); (b) the water
crowfoot, Ranunculus fluitans; (c) the sweet Cicely,
Myrrhus odorata; (39) Cow-wheat, the penny-grass, Rhinanthus Crista-galli;
(40) Cow's-withy-wind, see Cow's-weather-wind;
(41) Cows and calves, (42) Cow and kies, see
Cow and calf; (43) Cows'-grass, see Cow-grass (c).
(1) s.Not. (J.P.K.), Glo.1 (2) w.Yks. Lees Flora (1888) 257. (3)
War.3 (4, a) Nhb.1 Cum. Hutchinson Hist. Cum. (1794) I. App.
41. w.Yks.1 (b) Sc. Used to rub the inside of milk-pails to thicken
the milk. (5) n.Yks. Tweddell Hist. Cleveland (1873) 110. Oxf.1
MS. add. (6) Lth., Rxb. (Jam.) (7) Glo.1 (8) n.Sc. (Jam.) (9)
n.Yks. [The cow or meadow clover, Stephens Farm Bk. (ed. 1849)
I. 619.] (10) Dmf. N. & Q. (1871) 4th S. viii. 143. (11) Nhp.
(12, a) Hmp.1 (b) Ess. (13) Cor. (14, a) Dev. They call it cow-flop
mead, because such lots of cowslips grow there, Reports
Provinc. (1890). (b) w.Som.1 Kaew·-flaup. Dev. Reports Provinc.
(1884) 15; Dev.1 Dev.4, nw.Dev.1 Dev., Cor. Monthly Mag. (1808) I.
432. (c) Cor.1 Cor.2 (d, e) Dev.4 (15) Dev. The gardener informs me
that you can see cow-flop oats advertised in the papers, Reports
Provinc. (1889). (16) Shr.1 (17, a) Chs.1, n.Lin., Nhp.1 (b) Rxb.
A species of clover called cow-grass, Agric. Surv. 132 (Jam.). N.Cy.1
Nhb.1 Very good for cattle, but very noisome to witches. Called
also Wild Sookies and Zig-zag. I.W. Often applied to a cultivated
form of this plant known as T. pratense perenne. (c) e.An.1 (d) Ldd.
(e) s.Not. (J.P.K.) (18) Slk. (Jam.) (19) Chs.1 So called from
the similarity of their effects to those of the true Cowage or Cow-itch
(Mucuna pruriens). Schoolboys sometimes put them down
one another's backs, causing an irritation which is almost unbearable.
(20) Nhb.1 Called also Kelks, or Kecks. (21) Nrf. (22) Sc.
Supposed to have great virtue in making the cow desire the male
(Jam.). (23) Lth. (JAM.) (24, a) Lin. (W.M.E.F.), e.An.1, Nrf.1 Suf.
Science Gossip (1882) 113. (b) Cum., Nrf., Ess. Ess. (J.B.) (c) Suf.
(C.T.) (d) Ess. (25) Hrt. There be plenty o' cowpeggles in the
fields to year (H.G.). (26) Glo.1 Oxf.1 MS. add. Brks.1, Cmb.,
Nrf., n.Ess., Hmp.1 (27) Stf. (B.K.) (28, a) s.Chs. (T.D.), Der.,
Shr.1 (b) e.Cy. (29, a) Nhb.1 Called also Dotherin-dicks, Tremlin-grass,
Quakin-grass, and Ladies'-hair. w.Yks.2 [Come it early or
come it late, In May comes the cow-quake, Swainson Weather Flk-Lore
(1873) 92.] (b) e.Cy. (30) s.Bck. (31) Cum. Hutchinson
Hist. Cum. (1794) I. App. 40. (32) Bnff.1 (33) n.Cy. Grose (1790)
Suppl. Cum. Perhaps from an imagined resemblance of the plant
to the plaits of a cow's throttle (J.W.). Wm. I like ta ga when t'coo
stripplins an' t'violets er oot (B.K.). n.Yks.3, ne.Yks.1 e.Yks.
Marshall Rur. Econ. (1788). (34) N.Cy.1, Nhb.1 Obs., Dur., (35)
Cum.1 Obsol. (36) Glo.1 (37) s.Bck. (38, a) Ess. Cows eat it
greedily. (b) Hmp. Ringwood, where their cows are fed night and
morning on a weed procured out of the river Avon, Young Annals
Agric. (1784-1815) XL. 555. (c) w.Yks. Lees Flora (1888) 263. (39)
sw.Cum. (40) s.Bck. (41) Lakel. Penrith Obs. (Dec. 7, 1897). e.Yks.
Marshall Rur. Econ. (1796) II. 314. Not., n.Lin.1 sw.Lin.1 Known
sometimes as Lords and Ladies, or Bulls and Cows. Nhp.1 War.
B'ham Wkly. Post (June 10, 1893); War.1 War.2 War.3, s.Wor. (H.K.), Shr.1
Bck. Science Gossip (1891) 119. Wil.1 Dor. (C.V.G.); (C.W.);
Dor.1 Som. (W.F.R.); Sweetman Wincanton Gl. (1885). Dev.1 Dev.4
(42) n.Yks. (43) Nrf. In some parts of Nrf. it is called cows' grass,
from their being very fond of it, Young Annals Agric. (1784-1815)
XXXVII. 454.
3. Comb. in the names of birds, insects, &c.: (1) Cow-baby
(cubaby), the ladybird, Coccinella septempunctata;
(2) Cow-bird, the yellow wagtail, Motacilla Raii; (3) Cow-boy, the
ring-ouzel, Turdus torquatus; (4) Cow-fish, any large oval
shell-fish, esp. Mactra lutraria and Mya arenaria; (5)
Cow-klit or Cow-kloot, see Cow-bird; (6) Cow-lady, (7) Cow-lady-key, see
Cow-baby. Also called Cushi-coo-lady.
(1) n.Dev. Cubabys be good, an' maskills too, Rock Jim an' Nell
(1867) st. 124. (2) w.Wor. Berrow's Jrn. (Mar. 3, 1888). Nrf.
From frequenting cows at marsh for the purpose of insects attracted
thereby, Cozens-Hardy Broad Nrf. (1893) 44. [Swainson Birds
(1885) 45.] (3) Tip. (J.S.); Swainson Birds (1885) 8. (4) Or.I.
(Jam.) (5) [Swainson Birds (1885) 45.] (6) n.Yks. Science Gossip
(1882) 161; n.Yks.1 n.Yks.2 w.Yks. Jinny-spinners, cah ladies, twinges,
caterpillars, Tom Treddlehoyle Thowts (1845) 39; w.Yks.1;
w.Yks.2 Cowlady, Cowlady, fly away home; Thy house is on fire,
thy children all gone; w.Yks.3 w.Yks.5 Lan. The lady-bird is also known
as lady-cow, and cow-lady, Harland & Wilkinson Flk-Lore (1867)
71. Chs.1 Chs.3, Der.1, Not. (W.H.S.), Not.2 Not.3, s.Not. (J.P.K.), n.Lin.1
sw.Lin.1 The bairns are so fond of getting cowladies. Nhp.1 There
is a familiar rhyme which is repeated by children, if one of them
happens to settle on the hand, to induce it to take flight; if it does
not obey the command, it is thrown into the air. ‘Cow-lady, cow-lady,
fly away home, Your house is on fire, your children are gone;
All but one, and that's little John, And he lies under the grindle
stone.’ War.1 War.2, Oxf.1, Brks.1, Hnt. (T.P.F.), Cmb.1, Ken. (E.E.S.)
(7) Lin. (J.C.W.), sw.Lin.1
4. phr. (1) a cow and a cloot soon runs out, a warning
that if one's savings are much reduced they will soon be
spent; (2) cows and calves, (a) the alternate long and
short teeth of a saw; (b) little rolls of dirt-charged
moisture made by children rubbing their moist hands
after play; (3) the cow gives a good deal of milk but kicks
down the bucket, said of a person who, after praising any one,
turns round and finds fault with him; (4) the boy's gone
by with the cows, said of any one who has lost an opportunity;
(5) we don't go by size or a cow would catch
a hare, prov.; (6) to look like a cow at a bastard calf, to look
coldly, suspiciously at any one; (7) like a cow handling
a musket, a simile to express awkwardness; (8) tumbled
in mud, like Collins's cow, a common simile; (9) to grow
down like the cow's tail, said in derision to a person who
does not grow; (10) a ten, twelve, &c. dairy, a dairy farm
keeping ten, twelve, &c. cows; (11) the brown cow, a
barrel of ale or beer.
(1) Ant. Ballymena Obs. (1892). (2, a) Wil.1 (b) Glo. Northall
Gl. (3) Nhp.1 (4) Oxf.1 Dhu bwau·yz gaun buuy wi dhŭ kyuuwz.
(5) Shr. Burne Flk-Lore (1883) 588. (6) Shr. BURNE Flk-Lore 594. (7) nw.Der.1
(8) Cor.3 (9) N.I.1 (10) Dor. It was an eighty-cow dairy, Hardy
Wess. Tales (1888) I. 57. (11) Lnk. The auld anes think it best
With the brown cow to clear their een, Ramsay Poems (1800) II.
214 (Jam.).
5. mining term: a wooden or iron fork, hung loosely
upon the last tub of a ‘set,’ used on an incline as a
brake.
Nhb. The capstan was prevented ‘running off’ by ‘a pall or cow,’
Richardson Borderer's Table-bk. (1846) V. 245; Nhb.1 In a forward
movement the ‘coo’ drags loosely behind, but, at any recoil, the
forked end, being thrust into the ground by the retrograde movement,
prevents the waggons from running ‘amain,’ or it enables
the weight on a gin to be held when the strain is taken off the
‘start.’ Nhb., Dur. Greenwell Coal Tr. Gl. (1849). e.Dur.1 Dray-carts
and others have such rods dangling at the axle-tree, to take
the strain off horses on a ‘bank.’
[1. (112) That I may die regularly, observing all the
ceremonies, formalities, and punctualities: à la coûtume,
which is, according to our barbarous translation, to a cow's
thumb, V. Bourne Poemata (ed. 1764) 37 (note); To a cows
thumb, ad amussim... a la coustume, i.e. pro more,
fashionably, Skinner (1671).]

COW, sb.2 Sc. Nhb. Also written kow Sc. (Jam.)
Nhb.1 [kou.] 1. A goblin, sprite, boggle, apparition.
Lnk. He appear'd to be nae kow, For a' his quiver, wings, and
bow, Ramsay Poems (1800) I. 145 (Jam.); She fled as frae a shelly-coated
kow, RAMSAY Gentle Shep. (1725) 22, ed. 1783. Nhb. The Hedley
Kow was a bogie, mischievous rather than malignant, Henderson
Flk-Lore (1879) vii; Nhb.1 A lonely part of the road where the kow
used to play many of his tricks, Oliver Rambles, 101.
2. Comp. Cow-man, a name given to the devil, esp. used
to frighten children. Sc. (Jam.)
3. phr. to play kow, to act the part of a goblin or boggle.
(JAM.)
[And Browny als, that can play cow Behind the claith
with mony a mow, Roull's Cursing (c. 1500) 330 (Jam.).]

COW, sb.3 e.An. Ken. Hmp. Dev. Cor. [keu.] 1. The
cowl of a chimney; the movable wooden top of the
chimney of a hop-oast or malt-house. e.An.1, Ken.1 Ken.2, Hmp.1,
Dev.3
2. A windlass, with a cowl-shaped top, for supplying
mines with air.
Cor. That theere cow do blaw wind to the men what's working
under, Tregellas Tales (1865) 145; Cor.1 Cor.2
3. A turned or faced quoit. e.An.1
[Repr. liter. E. cowl (of a chimney).]

COW, sb.4 Ess. Ken. [keu.] 1. A tub. See Cowl, sb.2
Ess. (W.W.S.); Holloway; Gl. (1851); Ess.1
2. A pitcher. Ken.1

COW, sb.5 Chs. A young cabbage-plant. See Cole, sb.
Chs.1 Not very frequently used.

COW, v.1 and sb.6 n.Cy. Cum. Wm. Yks. Lan. Chs.
Der. Not. Also written cou w.Yks.4; cowe e.Lan.1 In
form cur- Chs.1 [kou.] 1. v. To rake or scrape together;
to clean roads, &c. See Cowl, v.2
n.Cy. Grose (1790). w.Yks. Hutton Tour to Caves (1781);
w.Yks.1 They cow togither a to-a-three cant words, ii. 337; w.Yks.2
Lan.1 All persons refusing to clean or cow the streets opposite their
respective houses should be fined 6d. (1734), Fishwick Hist.
Kirkham, i. e.Lan.1, Der.2, nw.Der.1
2. sb. A rake without prongs for scraping up mud, &c.;
a scraper. Gen. in Comp. Cow-rake.
Cum.1 Wm. A hardly knaa whet te co't cowrak, Spec. Dial.
(1877) pt. i. 18; Tak t'cowrak an' muck t'cauf hull oot (B.K.).
w.Yks.1 w.Yks.2 w.Yks.4 Lan.1 Aw cotter'd th' cat out wi' th' cowrake, Lahee
Carter's Struggles (1865) 24. e.Lan.1 s.Lan. (S.W.), Chs.1 Chs.2 Chs.3 Der.1
Kuuw·-rai·:k; Der.2, nw.Der.1, Not.2

COW, v.2 Cum. Yks. Chs. Wor. Written caaw Cum.1;
kow w.Yks. [kau.] 1. To bend over on one side, to
twist; to gape on one side, used esp. of shoes, &c. Cf.
acow.
n.Yks. He cow'd his shoes ower (I.W.); n.Yks.1 s.Chs.1 Ky'aaw.
Still used. se.Wor.1 I don't think my spade is o' much account,
fur 'e cowed as soon as ever a got into a bit o' gravel.
Hence (1) Cowed, (2) Cow-footed, (3) Cow-heeled, ppl. adj.
of shoes, &c.: worn, bent down on one side; (4) Cow-ow,
ill-natured, angry; (5) Cow-wow, v. of shoes, &c.: to gape at
the sides; (6) all on the kow-how, phr. all askew, crooked,
twisted.
(1) Cum.1, n.Yks.1 (2) n.Yks.2 Shoes worn down on one side,
or ‘ill-trodden,’ are said to belong to a cow-footed person. w.Yks.5
(3) m.Yks.1 (4) n.Yks. A woman kittled her rooarin bairn on
t'throat an sed ‘cow-ow, cow-ow’ (I.W.). (5) s.Chs.1 A shoemaker
was trying a shoe on the foot of a customer, ‘and it gauped at the
side.’ This was described as ‘cow-wowin' a bit.’ Cow-wow is
now almost, if not quite, obs. (6) w.Yks. Hamilton Nugae Lit.
(1843) 339.
2. To walk with the feet turned inwards or twisted.
Cum.1 n.Yks. Ah see'd her cowin' awaay down t'street
(M.C.F.M.); n.Yks.1; n.Yks.2 To ‘cow and pow’ is to walk
clumsily as with a twist in the feet. m.Yks.1
3. To walk, run, go, gen. used imper.
n.Yks. Tice me, we will cow efter the', Robinson Whitby Sng.
Sol. (1860) i. 4; n.Yks.2 Cow away! ‘Cowing’ is proceeding on
foot. m.Yks.1 Thou's going to go! Cow-away!

COW, v.3 Yks. Chs. Also Ess. Also in form caw
Chs.1; coo n.Yks.; kah w.Yks. [kū, kau, keu, w.Yks.
kā.] To cower, shrink; to sit or kneel; gen. with down.
n.Yks. He coo'd doon when Ah snub'd him (I.W.). w.Yks. Cow
thu down (H.W.); They... invoited me to a seeat. I kah'd me
dahn, Hallam Wadsley Jack (1866) ix; w.Yks.5 Cow'd darn i' his
best breeches. Chs.1 Caw thee dain. s.Chs.1 Ky'aaw, Kuw. Ess.
When leather'd is a runnin' hoss, It ollis makes him cow! Clark
J. Noakes (1839) st. 117; Ess.1

COW, see Chow, sb.2, Coe, sb.2, Come, v.1 I. 1 (8).

COW, COWE, v.1 and sb.1 In gen. dial. use in Sc. Irel. and
Eng. Also written coo Nhb.1 Cum.1; kah w.Yks. [kū,
kau, w.Yks. kā, s.Cy. keu.] 1. v. To intimidate,
frighten, subdue, quell, scold. In gen. colloq. use.
Sc. This will cow her pride, Drummond Muckomachy (1846) 9;
Wha's coming to cow yer cracks? Scott Waverley (1814) xxx.
Frf. Ye'll no be cow'd whae'er sud flyte, Watt Poet. Sketches
(1880) 62. Fif. That wou'd hae cow'd his croakin, Tennant
Papistry (1827) 8. Ayr. Shortly they will cowe the louns! Burns
To W. Simpson (May 1785) st. 29. Lnk. Some michty men...
Wha never had been cowed before, Deil's Hallowe'en (1856) 17.
Lth. Nocht could e'er his courage cowe, Smith Merry Bridal
(1866) 206. Slk. She sat shaking her head at me,... but I
trow I cow'd her for 't after, Hogg Tales (1838) 22, ed. 1866.
Dmf. Not used of an inferior (Jam.). Uls. Uls. Jrn. Arch. (1853-1862).
n.Cy. Border Gl. (Coll. L.L.B.); N.Cy.1, Nhb.1, Cum.1
n.Wm. Did he cow thi? (B.K.) n.Yks.1 n.Yks.2 w.Yks. Hutton Tour
to Caves (1781); w.Yks.4 Chs.2 Chs.3, n.Lin.1, Nhp.1, War.1 Shr.2
Dunna be cowed at such a fellow as that. Glo. Baylis Illus. Dial.
(1870). Dor. Barnes Gl. (1863). w.Som.1 Aay bee rig·lur
u-kaewd aew·t [I am quite tired out].
Hence (1) Cow-carl, sb. one who intimidates others,
a bugbear; (2) Cowing, (a) vbl. sb. a snubbing, humiliation;
an alarm, fright; (b) ppl. adj. disheartening, discouraging.
(1) Dmf. (Jam.) (2, a) Sc. Ye hae gi'en Dranshogle a bonny
cowin', St. Patrick (1819) III. 42 (Jam.); Sair snool'd wi' the cowin',
Picken Poems (1813) II. 136. n.Yks.2 They gat a good cowing.
(b) Nhb. It was, ne doubt, a cooen seet, Wilson Pitman's Pay
(1843) 24; Nhb.1
2. To surpass, outdo, beat, gen. in phr. that cows a'.
Sc. ‘This cows all!’ she cried, ‘you come to me to speir for
her?’ Stevenson Catriona (1892) xix. Elg. This cows a' rhyme
an' reason! Tester Poems (1865) 151. Abd. Ony badrans, he or
she, Wad cow the bitch, Cock Strains (1810) I. 101. Frf. Weel,
that cows, for he has nane to blame but himself, Barrie Minister
(1891) vii. Per. The fat cattle cowed a' thing for price, Ian
Maclaren Auld Lang Syne (1895) 98. Fif. The view cowed a'
description, Robertson Provost (1894) 21. Rnf. Does't no cow
a' hoo bardies lo'e To nestle 'mang the clouds sae blue, Young
Pictures (1865) 164. Lth. ‘That cowes a',’ said the miller,
Strathesk Blinkbonny (ed. 1891) 145. Gall. Davert! that cowes
a', Crockett Stickit Min. (1893) 58.
3. phr. (1) to cow the cady, (2) cow the cuddy, to surpass,
outdo, excel, beat; (3) cow the gowan, (a) a fleet horse, one
that cuts the ground; also used as a v.; (b) see cow the
cuddy.
(1) Ayr. E'en cowe the cadie! Burns Author's Cry (1786) st.
19. Rxb. You've fairly cow'd the cady, A. Scott Poems (ed.
1808) 72. (2) Bnff.1 Ayr. It juist cowes the cuddy, and the cuddy
cowes a', Service Dr. Duguid (1887) 132. (3, a) s.Sc. (Jam.) (b)
Bnff.1 Abd. That does cowe the gowan fairly, Alexander Ain
Flk. (1875) 150, ed. 1882. e.Fif. That cows the gowan! Latto
Tam Bodkin (1864) vii. Lnk. It fair cowes the gowan a' thegither,
Wardrop J. Mathison (1881) 9.
4. sb. A fright, terror.
Ayr. New-light herds gat sic a cowe, Burns To W. Simpson
(May 1785) st. 27; ‘I'll gie ye a cow ye'll no forget this while’ is
a common threat (Jam.). Lnk. O sic a cowe is Betty! Her vera
glow'r turns sweet to sour, Rodger Poems (c. 1838) 42, ed. 1897.
5. A coward.
Per. A common term of contempt used by schoolboys: Ye're a
coo! (G.W.) Cum. In brulliments thou art nea cow, Stagg Misc.
Poems (ed. 1807) 92.
6. phr. to take the cow(e, to be afraid.
N.Cy.1, Nhb.1 Cum. He's teann t'cowe and 's knockt under,
Dickinson Cumbr. (1876) 94.
[1. ON. kūga, to force, tyrannize over, cow. 5. Couard,
a coward, a bastard, a cow, COTGR.]

COW, COWE, v.1 and sb.1 In gen. dial. use in Sc. Irel. and
Eng. Also written coo Nhb.1 Cum.1; kah w.Yks. [kū,
kau, w.Yks. kā, s.Cy. keu.] 1. v. To intimidate,
frighten, subdue, quell, scold. In gen. colloq. use.
Sc. This will cow her pride, Drummond Muckomachy (1846) 9;
Wha's coming to cow yer cracks? Scott Waverley (1814) xxx.
Frf. Ye'll no be cow'd whae'er sud flyte, Watt Poet. Sketches
(1880) 62. Fif. That wou'd hae cow'd his croakin, Tennant
Papistry (1827) 8. Ayr. Shortly they will cowe the louns! Burns
To W. Simpson (May 1785) st. 29. Lnk. Some michty men...
Wha never had been cowed before, Deil's Hallowe'en (1856) 17.
Lth. Nocht could e'er his courage cowe, Smith Merry Bridal
(1866) 206. Slk. She sat shaking her head at me,... but I
trow I cow'd her for 't after, Hogg Tales (1838) 22, ed. 1866.
Dmf. Not used of an inferior (Jam.). Uls. Uls. Jrn. Arch. (1853-1862).
n.Cy. Border Gl. (Coll. L.L.B.); N.Cy.1, Nhb.1, Cum.1
n.Wm. Did he cow thi? (B.K.) n.Yks.1 n.Yks.2 w.Yks. Hutton Tour
to Caves (1781); w.Yks.4 Chs.2 Chs.3, n.Lin.1, Nhp.1, War.1 Shr.2
Dunna be cowed at such a fellow as that. Glo. Baylis Illus. Dial.
(1870). Dor. Barnes Gl. (1863). w.Som.1 Aay bee rig·lur
u-kaewd aew·t [I am quite tired out].
Hence (1) Cow-carl, sb. one who intimidates others,
a bugbear; (2) Cowing, (a) vbl. sb. a snubbing, humiliation;
an alarm, fright; (b) ppl. adj. disheartening, discouraging.
(1) Dmf. (Jam.) (2, a) Sc. Ye hae gi'en Dranshogle a bonny
cowin', St. Patrick (1819) III. 42 (Jam.); Sair snool'd wi' the cowin',
Picken Poems (1813) II. 136. n.Yks.2 They gat a good cowing.
(b) Nhb. It was, ne doubt, a cooen seet, Wilson Pitman's Pay
(1843) 24; Nhb.1
2. To surpass, outdo, beat, gen. in phr. that cows a'.
Sc. ‘This cows all!’ she cried, ‘you come to me to speir for
her?’ Stevenson Catriona (1892) xix. Elg. This cows a' rhyme
an' reason! Tester Poems (1865) 151. Abd. Ony badrans, he or
she, Wad cow the bitch, Cock Strains (1810) I. 101. Frf. Weel,
that cows, for he has nane to blame but himself, Barrie Minister
(1891) vii. Per. The fat cattle cowed a' thing for price, Ian
Maclaren Auld Lang Syne (1895) 98. Fif. The view cowed a'
description, Robertson Provost (1894) 21. Rnf. Does't no cow
a' hoo bardies lo'e To nestle 'mang the clouds sae blue, Young
Pictures (1865) 164. Lth. ‘That cowes a',’ said the miller,
Strathesk Blinkbonny (ed. 1891) 145. Gall. Davert! that cowes
a', Crockett Stickit Min. (1893) 58.
3. phr. (1) to cow the cady, (2) cow the cuddy, to surpass,
outdo, excel, beat; (3) cow the gowan, (a) a fleet horse, one
that cuts the ground; also used as a v.; (b) see cow the
cuddy.
(1) Ayr. E'en cowe the cadie! Burns Author's Cry (1786) st.
19. Rxb. You've fairly cow'd the cady, A. Scott Poems (ed.
1808) 72. (2) Bnff.1 Ayr. It juist cowes the cuddy, and the cuddy
cowes a', Service Dr. Duguid (1887) 132. (3, a) s.Sc. (Jam.) (b)
Bnff.1 Abd. That does cowe the gowan fairly, Alexander Ain
Flk. (1875) 150, ed. 1882. e.Fif. That cows the gowan! Latto
Tam Bodkin (1864) vii. Lnk. It fair cowes the gowan a' thegither,
Wardrop J. Mathison (1881) 9.
4. sb. A fright, terror.
Ayr. New-light herds gat sic a cowe, Burns To W. Simpson
(May 1785) st. 27; ‘I'll gie ye a cow ye'll no forget this while’ is
a common threat (Jam.). Lnk. O sic a cowe is Betty! Her vera
glow'r turns sweet to sour, Rodger Poems (c. 1838) 42, ed. 1897.
5. A coward.
Per. A common term of contempt used by schoolboys: Ye're a
coo! (G.W.) Cum. In brulliments thou art nea cow, Stagg Misc.
Poems (ed. 1807) 92.
6. phr. to take the cow(e, to be afraid.
N.Cy.1, Nhb.1 Cum. He's teann t'cowe and 's knockt under,
Dickinson Cumbr. (1876) 94.
[1. ON. kūga, to force, tyrannize over, cow. 5. Couard,
a coward, a bastard, a cow, COTGR.]

COW, COWE, v.2 and sb.2 Sc. Nhb. Cum. Wm. Yks. Lan.
Also written cou Sc. [kou, kau.] 1. v. To poll (the
head); to cut short, prune, lop. Also used fig. See
Coll, v.2
Sc. Gin ye be for lang kail, cow the nettle stoo the nettle, Cow
the nettle early, Chambers Pop. Rhymes (1808) 34; Ye wad gar
me trow my head [hair] was cow'd and I find the hair on 't,
Henderson Prov. (1832) 96, ed. 1881. Frf. Scotia soon will cow
his wing, Beattie German Lairdie (c. 1820). Ayr. They'll...
cowe her measure shorter By th' head some day, Burns Ordination
(1786) st 13. e.Lth. The lairds... 'll be nane the waur o' haein
their horns cowed, Hunter J. Inwick (1895) 88. Edb. Weel aff
are ye, wha a' your hair Did cowe awa' in time right ear', Complaint
(1795) 9. Gall. The rude Russians... Had... cowed his
garments by his wame, Nicholson Poet. Wks. (1814) 61, ed. 1897.
N.Cy.1 Nhb.1 Obs. Wm. Cuddy, who cowed you? ─ My mudder
wit shears (J.H.).
Hence (1) Cow'd or Cow't, ppl. adj. (a) cropped, clipped,
bare; (b) hornless, without horns; (2) Cow'd or
Cow't dyke, phr. an earthen fence devoid of growing
wood, not planted with quickset; (3) Cowing, (a) ppl.
adj. clipping, cutting; (b) sb. a clipping, cutting, pl. what
is cut or broken off.
(1, a) Sc. (Jam.) Cum. An audacious pretender is sometimes said to
be ‘fit to persuade folk ther' heeds is cow't’ (M.P.); Cum.1 n.Lan.
Wi dhi hiəd tlip't dhau liəks kuait kau'd ən biar (W.S.). (b) n.Cy.
Grose (1790); N.Cy.1, Nhb.1, Cum.1 Wm. Now a horned one,
and now a cowed one, Whitehead Leg. (1896) 74. w.Yks.
Hutton Tour to Caves (1781). n.Lan. A'v selt dhat rəd kau·d
hefər (W.S.). (2) Cum. The hedges are not only unsightly, but
otherwise objectionable, from their being so generally what are
called cowed dykes, Hutchinson Hist. Cum. (1794) II. 316;
Cum.1 (3, a) Kcb. 'Tis the gently moving hand... Guides the
keen cowing shears, Davidson Seasons (1789) 81. (b) Sc. Whauks
o' gude ait-farle cowins, Wilson Poems (1790) 91 (Jam.).
2. phr. cow t'lowe, snuff the candle. Cum.1
3. To crop, browse, esp. in phr. cow the bent, to eat the
coarse grass of a common, &c. Also used fig.
Sc. Your fat yow... And the four spawls o't I wat we's cow,
Jamieson Pop. Ballads (1806) II. 169; Milch cows are pastured on
the best grass; less worth cows are sent to cow the bent. When
a person is disgraced or cast off, he is said to cow the bent. The
life of poverty, disgrace or misfortune, is often called a life of cow
the bent (Jam. Suppl.).
4. sb. A cutting, clipping, polling.
Sc. Gae to the barber an' get a cow (Jam.). Lth. His uniform
‘cut’ for all boys as near the skin as the comb would permit him
to go,... there was no fear of anybody ‘ruggin'’ that hair, as no
one could grip it, so close was the ‘cowe,’ Strathesk More Bits
(ed. 1885) 39.

COW, COWE, v.2 and sb.2 Sc. Nhb. Cum. Wm. Yks. Lan.
Also written cou Sc. [kou, kau.] 1. v. To poll (the
head); to cut short, prune, lop. Also used fig. See
Coll, v.2
Sc. Gin ye be for lang kail, cow the nettle stoo the nettle, Cow
the nettle early, Chambers Pop. Rhymes (1808) 34; Ye wad gar
me trow my head [hair] was cow'd and I find the hair on 't,
Henderson Prov. (1832) 96, ed. 1881. Frf. Scotia soon will cow
his wing, Beattie German Lairdie (c. 1820). Ayr. They'll...
cowe her measure shorter By th' head some day, Burns Ordination
(1786) st 13. e.Lth. The lairds... 'll be nane the waur o' haein
their horns cowed, Hunter J. Inwick (1895) 88. Edb. Weel aff
are ye, wha a' your hair Did cowe awa' in time right ear', Complaint
(1795) 9. Gall. The rude Russians... Had... cowed his
garments by his wame, Nicholson Poet. Wks. (1814) 61, ed. 1897.
N.Cy.1 Nhb.1 Obs. Wm. Cuddy, who cowed you? ─ My mudder
wit shears (J.H.).
Hence (1) Cow'd or Cow't, ppl. adj. (a) cropped, clipped,
bare; (b) hornless, without horns; (2) Cow'd or
Cow't dyke, phr. an earthen fence devoid of growing
wood, not planted with quickset; (3) Cowing, (a) ppl.
adj. clipping, cutting; (b) sb. a clipping, cutting, pl. what
is cut or broken off.
(1, a) Sc. (Jam.) Cum. An audacious pretender is sometimes said to
be ‘fit to persuade folk ther' heeds is cow't’ (M.P.); Cum.1 n.Lan.
Wi dhi hiəd tlip't dhau liəks kuait kau'd ən biar (W.S.). (b) n.Cy.
Grose (1790); N.Cy.1, Nhb.1, Cum.1 Wm. Now a horned one,
and now a cowed one, Whitehead Leg. (1896) 74. w.Yks.
Hutton Tour to Caves (1781). n.Lan. A'v selt dhat rəd kau·d
hefər (W.S.). (2) Cum. The hedges are not only unsightly, but
otherwise objectionable, from their being so generally what are
called cowed dykes, Hutchinson Hist. Cum. (1794) II. 316;
Cum.1 (3, a) Kcb. 'Tis the gently moving hand... Guides the
keen cowing shears, Davidson Seasons (1789) 81. (b) Sc. Whauks
o' gude ait-farle cowins, Wilson Poems (1790) 91 (Jam.).
2. phr. cow t'lowe, snuff the candle. Cum.1
3. To crop, browse, esp. in phr. cow the bent, to eat the
coarse grass of a common, &c. Also used fig.
Sc. Your fat yow... And the four spawls o't I wat we's cow,
Jamieson Pop. Ballads (1806) II. 169; Milch cows are pastured on
the best grass; less worth cows are sent to cow the bent. When
a person is disgraced or cast off, he is said to cow the bent. The
life of poverty, disgrace or misfortune, is often called a life of cow
the bent (Jam. Suppl.).
4. sb. A cutting, clipping, polling.
Sc. Gae to the barber an' get a cow (Jam.). Lth. His uniform
‘cut’ for all boys as near the skin as the comb would permit him
to go,... there was no fear of anybody ‘ruggin'’ that hair, as no
one could grip it, so close was the ‘cowe,’ Strathesk More Bits
(ed. 1885) 39.

COW, COWE, sb.3 Sc. Nhb. Cum. Lan. Also written kow
(Jam.). [kou, kau.] 1. A twig, branch; a bare branch
of whin or ling after the leaves are decayed; a bush.
Sc. Birds are lilten on ilk thorn, An' heather cowe, T. Scott
Poems (1793) 3l8. Kcd. On a cow a birdie sat, Jamie Muse (1844)
62. Abd. Pit on a cow till I come o'er the gate, Ross Helenore
(1768) 83, ed. 1812. Frf. A red rantin' fire o' dried peat or whin
cowe, Watt Poet. Sketches (1880) 75. e.Fif. Divin' into the heart
o' a big broom cowe, Latto Tam Bodkin (1864) vii. Dmb. No'
a buss on't bigger than broom cowe, Cross Disruption (ed. 1877)
xxix. e.Lth. Stan'in up in the transe afore a' the folk, an' my
heid like a heather cowe, Hunter J. Inwick (1895) 69. Rxb.
Where they'd get... A rive amang the heather cowes, Riddell
Poet. Wks. (1871) I. 204. Nhb. Mosses... covered with a few
cows of heath only (J.H.); Nhb.1, Cum. (E.W.P.)
2. A besom or brush made of broom, esp. the broom
used in the game of curling.
Sc. There's naething worse faured than a curler comin' oot for
his first spell wi' an auld scrunt o' a cowe, Tweeddale Moff (1896)
87. Frf. A mair grim-lookin' hizzie ne'er lapt ower a cowe, Watt
Poet. Sketches (1880) 74. Lnk. Keen curlers noo wi' cowes an'
stanes, Thomson Musings (1881) 20. Lth. ‘He's a grand side
shot;’ and the brooms, or the ‘cowes,’ as they were called, did
their duty, Strathesk More Bits (ed. 1885) 271. Slk. Wi' her
heather-cowe clean wiping A' the floor, Hogg Poems (ed. 1865)
91. Gall. A heather cow for soopin' the rink, Crockett Grey Man
(1896) 218.
3. A birch, an instrument of correction.
Sc. ‘I'll tak a cow to you,’ is a common threatening (Jam.).
4. A weir made of brushwood. s.Lan. (W.H.T.)
[1. Fr. (Norm.) coue, ‘queue’ (Moisy); OFr. coe, ‘cauda’
(La Curne). For the development of sense see COTGR.
(s.v. Queue), where we find ‘queue’ rendered ‘the staulk
or steale of fruits,’ and an element in many names of
plants.]

COW, COWE, sb.3 Sc. Nhb. Cum. Lan. Also written kow
(Jam.). [kou, kau.] 1. A twig, branch; a bare branch
of whin or ling after the leaves are decayed; a bush.
Sc. Birds are lilten on ilk thorn, An' heather cowe, T. Scott
Poems (1793) 3l8. Kcd. On a cow a birdie sat, Jamie Muse (1844)
62. Abd. Pit on a cow till I come o'er the gate, Ross Helenore
(1768) 83, ed. 1812. Frf. A red rantin' fire o' dried peat or whin
cowe, Watt Poet. Sketches (1880) 75. e.Fif. Divin' into the heart
o' a big broom cowe, Latto Tam Bodkin (1864) vii. Dmb. No'
a buss on't bigger than broom cowe, Cross Disruption (ed. 1877)
xxix. e.Lth. Stan'in up in the transe afore a' the folk, an' my
heid like a heather cowe, Hunter J. Inwick (1895) 69. Rxb.
Where they'd get... A rive amang the heather cowes, Riddell
Poet. Wks. (1871) I. 204. Nhb. Mosses... covered with a few
cows of heath only (J.H.); Nhb.1, Cum. (E.W.P.)
2. A besom or brush made of broom, esp. the broom
used in the game of curling.
Sc. There's naething worse faured than a curler comin' oot for
his first spell wi' an auld scrunt o' a cowe, Tweeddale Moff (1896)
87. Frf. A mair grim-lookin' hizzie ne'er lapt ower a cowe, Watt
Poet. Sketches (1880) 74. Lnk. Keen curlers noo wi' cowes an'
stanes, Thomson Musings (1881) 20. Lth. ‘He's a grand side
shot;’ and the brooms, or the ‘cowes,’ as they were called, did
their duty, Strathesk More Bits (ed. 1885) 271. Slk. Wi' her
heather-cowe clean wiping A' the floor, Hogg Poems (ed. 1865)
91. Gall. A heather cow for soopin' the rink, Crockett Grey Man
(1896) 218.
3. A birch, an instrument of correction.
Sc. ‘I'll tak a cow to you,’ is a common threatening (Jam.).
4. A weir made of brushwood. s.Lan. (W.H.T.)
[1. Fr. (Norm.) coue, ‘queue’ (Moisy); OFr. coe, ‘cauda’
(La Curne). For the development of sense see COTGR.
(s.v. Queue), where we find ‘queue’ rendered ‘the staulk
or steale of fruits,’ and an element in many names of
plants.]

COW, sb.1 Var. dial. uses in Sc. Irel. and Eng. 1. In
comb. (1) Cow-beast, a cow; (2) Cow-calf, a female calf; (3)
Cow-chain, the chain with which cows are fastened in the
‘byre’; (4) Cow-cleaning, the after-birth of a cow; (5) Cow-cushions,
dried cow-dung; (6) Cow-doctor, a country veterinary
surgeon; (7) Cow-flap, or Cow-flop, cow-dung; (8) Cow-gown, the long
linen coat worn when milking; (9) Cow-grass, the common
trefoil clover, Trifolium medium; (10) Cow-keeping, the right
of pasturage for one cow on common land; (11) Cow-lad, a lad
entrusted with the care of cows; (12) Cow-milk, cow's milk;
(13) Cow-musher, a large mushroom; (14) Cow’s-paps, the starfish,
Alcyonium digitatum; (15) Cow-patch, (16) Cow-plat, (17) Cow-skitter,
see (7); (18) Cow-stool, a milking-stool; (19) Cow-swat, see (7);
(20) Cow-tail, in phr. to show the cow-tail, to give signs of
cowardice; (21) Cow-yuck't, of a horse: having the hind legs
bent inwards.
(1) Don. Macmanus O'Friel's (1903) 312. (2) s.Lan.1 (3, 4)
n.Yks. (I.W.) (5) Pem. (J.S.O.T.) (6) n.Yks. (I.W.) (7)
Chs. (T.R.C.), Hmp. (H.R.) (8) Brks. The master who puts on
a long white linen coat called a cow-gown, to protect his clothes
from defilement when busied in the yard among the livestock,
Hayden Round our Vill. (1901) 124. (9) Nhb.1 (s.v. Sookies).
(10, 11, 12) n.Yks. (I.W.) (13) Hmp.1 (s.v. Musher). (14) Dev.
Good Wds. (1864) 278. (15) s.Lan.1 (16) ne.Lin. (E.S.) (17)
Cum.4 (s.v. Clap). (18) s.Lan.1 (19) w.Dur.1 (20) Wm. Nay,
min, Ah wadna show t'coo-tail if Ah was thee, nivver give in (B.K.).
(21) n.Yks. (I.W.)
2. Phr. till the cows come up, ad infinitum.
War. I could go on eating that till the cows come up (C.T.O.).

COW, v.3 War.3

---

COW, sb.3 e.An. Ken. Hmp. Dev. Cor. [keu.] 1. The
cowl of a chimney; the movable wooden top of the
chimney of a hop-oast or malt-house. e.An.1, Ken.1 Ken.2, Hmp.1,
Dev.3
2. A windlass, with a cowl-shaped top, for supplying
mines with air.
Cor. That theere cow do blaw wind to the men what's working
under, Tregellas Tales (1865) 145; Cor.1 Cor.2
3. A turned or faced quoit. e.An.1
[Repr. liter. E. cowl (of a chimney).]

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