Tow

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

TOW, sb.1 and v.1 Sc. Irel. Nhb. Wm. Yks. e.An. [tou.]
1. sb. In comb. (1) Tow-band-tether, a hempen tether;
(2) Tow-card, a card for carding flax; (3) Tow-gun, a pop-gun;
(4) Tow-hards, the refuse of flax or hemp; see Hards; (5)
Tow-heckler, a dresser of tow for spinning; (6) Tow-rock, the flax
distaff; (7) Tow-rope, a hempen rope or halter; (8) Tow-tap, the
portion of flax put on the distaff; cf. top, 11; (9) Tow-teaser,
a hemp-picker; a flax-dresser; (10) Tow-wheel, a wheel for
spinning tow to make hemp yarn.
(1) Edb. Aikman Poems (1816) 237. (2) Rnf. Pair tow cards...
£0 18. 0. Scots, Hector Judicial Records (1876) 342. Lth. A
hecklin' kame, A pair o' gude tow-cards, Thomson Poems (1819)
114. (3) Lnk. Nane can fire a towgun like oor Wee Kate,
Nicholson Idylls (1870) 53. [So called from ‘flax’ or tow
being used as material for firing (A.W.).] (4) e.An.2 (5) n.Cy.
Grose (1790) MS. add. (P.) (6) Ayr. The spindle in the tae hand
and the tow-rock in the tither, Chambers Pop. Rhymes (ed. 1870)
82. Lnk. Tugging at their tow rocks, Graham Writings (1883)
II. 19. (7) Gall. Saunders Lennox's tow rape will break mony a
promise on Monday mornin' by nine o' Kirkcudbright clock,
Crockett Dark o' Moon (1902) 334. (8) Edb. The tears o'er the
tow-tap will whiles fa' like rain, Maclagan Poems (1851) 241.
(9) n.Yks.2 (10) e.An.2 The employment of the servant-girls in
the Suffolk farm houses in winter evenings, after ‘shutting-in.’
2. Phr. (1) other tow on one's rock, (2) other tow to tease,
other business to attend to, ‘other fish to fry’; see
Other, adj.1 II. 1 (2); (3) to give one's rock another tow, obs.,
? to give one something else to think of; (4) to go like fire
and tow, to go quickly; see Fire, 4 (5); (5) to heckle a
person his tow, to give him a severe scolding; (6) to set the
low to one's own tow, to bring the misfortune one has
meant for another on to one's own head; (7) to take one's
tow, to take one's work when visiting a neighbour, &c.;
(8) tow to tease, employment of any kind.
(1) Sc. (Jam.); From the questions they put to me I judged
they had other tow on the rock, Scott Rob Roy (1817) xxxix.
Edb. Beatty Secretar (1897) 104. (2) Sc. I'll not do that neither,
for I have ither tow to teaze, Scotch Haggis, 52. Slk. The king
has gotten ither tow to tease than persecution, Hogg Tales (1838)
56, ed. 1866. Uls. (M.B.-S.) (3) Rnf. He vows and swears he'll
hae me soon, I'll gie his rock anither tow, And gar the body
change his tune, Rnf. Harp (1819) 163. (4) Wm. Nivver tell a
mucky teeal aboot neabody fer it gahs like fire an' tow, yance it
gits off (B.K.). (5) B.K. (6) Edb. Gif she will talk, lat her, she'll
maybe set the low to her ain tow, Beatty Secretar (1897) 226.
(7) Wm. Awr lass hes taen her tow, Wheeler Sngs. (1821) 113;
When a person goes out to visit a neighbour and takes work to
do while out, as knitting or needlework, &c., it is said she has
taken her tow. The origin of the expression seems to have
arisen from the practice of spinning or working flax at home, and
when finished taking it to the employer (E.W.P.). (8) Nhb.1
3. Flax or hemp prepared for spinning.
Sc. (Jam.), Cai.1 Per. Thirty stane o' lint and tow, Spence
Poems (1898) 34. Lnk. Jenny Nettle, spinnin' tow, Nicholson
Idylls (1870) 9. Dmf. Entries are made of tow, showing that the
spinning wheel went round, Wallace Schoolmaster (1899) 26.
Gall. Plaff! ye gang up like a waft o' tow thrown in the fire,
Crockett Standard Bearer (1898) 144.
4. Hair.
Wm. Used mostly with some slyness in it. ‘Takt cooam an
streiten that tow oot afoor anybody sees tha’ (B.K.).
5. v. with out: to unravel.
n.Yks. T'band will tow out (I.W.).

TOW, v.2 and sb.2 Sc. Nhb. Yks. Lin. Wor. Glo. e.An.
Ken. Som. Also written tou e.An.1; touw, towe Sh.I.
[tou.] 1. v. In comp. (1) Tow-chain, a strong chain for
hauling timber; (2) Tow-widdy or Tow-wuddy, a drawing rope
made of willow; the chain by which harrows are trailed.
(1) se.Wor.1, Glo.1 (2) Slk. It isna a strae... that I hae
grippit at... but the tap of a tow-widdy saugh, Hogg Tales
(1838) 44, ed. 1866. Nhb.1 The ‘widdy’ or willow was in former
times used instead of rope.
2. Obs. with down: to let down as with a rope.
Ayr. O row me in a pair o' sheets, And tow me down the wa',
Ballads and Sngs. (1846-1847) I. 75.
3. With up: to hand over; to ‘fork up.’
w.Yks. Aw'll have th' difference aght ov his booans if he doesn't
tow up! Hartley Clock Alm. (1883) 30; (J.W.)
4. sb. In comp. (1) Tow-gravatte, a hangman's halter;
(2) Tow-man, the man who manages the halyards of a boat.
(1) Arg. But for him we had no doubt got a short quittance
from MacColkitto, who was for the tow gravatte on the spot,
Munro J. Splendid (1898) 186. (2) Sh.I. Another also has a
charge, and on him mainly does our safety depend. This is the
man who holds the halyards (the towman), and has control of the
sail, Spence Flk-Lore (1899) 137.
5. Phr. (1) to have in tow, to have under one's influence,
power, or direction; to have well in hand; (2) to let the
tow run slack, to let one's business manage itself; (3) to
play tricks on a tow, to be hanged; (4) to take in tow, to find
fault with; (5) to wet the tows, to cast the fishing-lines.
(1) w.Yks. (J.W.) n.Lin.1 I think I've getten theäse dreäns e'
tow noo. w.Som.1 A person negotiating with another would say,
‘I've got him in tow; I expect he'll come round.’ Only applied
to persons or to business with persons, not to work, or machinery;
the latter would be ‘in track.’ (2) Lnk. For a bittock you an' I
sall let the tow rin slack, Murdoch Doric Lyre (1873) 38. (3) Sc.
He'll may be see him in cauld irons the night and playing tricks
on a tow the morn, Scott Rob Roy (1817) xxix. (4) Ayr. Ye'll
wonder what's come o'er me now, To tak' my auld frien' thus in
tow, And run the risk e'en o' a row, A deadly feud, White
Jottings (1879) 226. (5) Sh.I. We'll try ta weet da tows, an' hae
a set if it wis bit oot da lent o' da Vords, Spence Flk-Lore
(1899) 243.
6. A chain for hauling timber; a link by which the turn-wrest-plough
is drawn; the chain of a clock.
Frf. Sma' was the cost or care she needit, ─ Just pou' the tow
up when ye beddit: An' whiles a wee drap oil we gied it,..
An' round the wheels an' pinions glidit sweetly thegither, Smart
Rhymes (1834) 136. s.Wor.1 e.Ken. The plough there being
drawn by a long large iron link called a tow, Marshall Review
(1817) V. 436.
7. A rope, esp. a bell-rope; a ship's cable, or halyard;
also used fig.
Sc. Duncan Etym. (1595); Wi' your help and the tow thegither,
I'll win at ye, Scott Antiquary (1816) vii. Sh.&Ork.1
n.Sc. Wi' tows I'll tie you to a stake, Buchan Ballads (1828)
I. 178, ed. 1875. Cai.1 se.Sc. A better [horse] never hang i'
leather, Nor ever drew i' tow or tether, Donaldson Poems (1809)
63. Ayr. Now Clinkumbell, wi' rattling tow, Begins to jow an'
croon, Burns Holy Fair (1785) st. 26. Kcb. The tows had been
scarce that day, for they tie't his hans an feet thegither wi strips
o' raw hide, Trotter Gall. Gossip (1901) 382. Nhb.1
8. A coil or twist of hair.
Cai. She haes scarce a towie o' hair, McLennan Peas. Life
(1871) II. 232.
9. A hangman's halter.
Sc. (Jam.) ne.Sc. An a tow t'hang the baker, Gregor Flk-Lore
(1881) 19. Dmb. If your craig's for that wi' tow infeft I'll
ware my ain on ony tow that's left, Salmon Gowodean (1868) 88.
Edb. Porteous through a tight-tied tow Breathed his last breath,
Maclagan Poems (1851) 154. Gall. It's a wersh breakfast to
streek your neck in a tow, Crockett Moss-Hags (1895) xvii.
10. Fishing-tackle; a line for deep-sea fishing.
Sh.I. Hit's no a knuckle o' wir towes Set oot upon a haagless
sea, Junda Klingrahool (1898) 51; Sense wi laabir koft kens aye da
touw for haaleen, Burgess Rasmie (1892) 84; Sh.&Ork.1 e.An.1
An angling rod and line is called in Norfolk a fishing tow.
11. Necessary tools, tackle, or apparatus for any purpose;
snares for taking game.
e.An.1 A farmer's stock of implements is called his tow.

TOW, v.3 Yks. Wor. e.An. Also in form to Yks.
[tou.] 1. To make untidy; to tangle; to throw about
as hay with a fork; to tear weedy soil with plough and
harrow. Cf. tew, v.1 4.
e.Yks.1 You've tow'd mah kist up finely. s.Wor. Ahter the
rahin as come las' night the clover be that lodged an' towed, till
the machine on't sca'ce cut it (H.K.). e.An.1 (s.v. Tew).
2. To work.
Yks. Tha's towed reet haard wi' me, Cy. Wds. (Dec. 22,
1866) 124.
3. To harass; to fatigue. Yks. (Hall.) w.Yks. Piper
Dial. Sheffield (1824).

TOW, v.4 Obs. n.Sc. (Jam.) To give way; to fail,
perish; to die.

TOW, adj. Dev. [Not known to our correspondents.]
Pleasant, delightful. (Hall.)

TOW, int. and v.5 Obs. Glo. e.An. Also written tou
e.An.1 1. int. The word used in urging on a greyhound.
Glo. Grose Olio (1796) 178. e.An.1 2. v. To
halloo on a greyhound.
Glo. He immediately threw down his cloak and other incumbrances,
and towing on two greyhounds,.. pursued the game,
Grose Olio

TOW, TOWAIRDS, see Thou, Toll, sb.1, Towards.