Wirry-cow: Difference between revisions
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They looked like wirry-cows|[[Allan Ramsay (poet)|Allan Ramsay]]}} |
They looked like wirry-cows|[[Allan Ramsay (poet)|Allan Ramsay]]}} |
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The word was used by [[Walter Scott|Scott]] in ''[[Guy Mannering]]''. The word is derived by [[John Jamieson]] from "worry" ("wirry", in its old sense of harassment in both [[English language|English]] and [[Scots language|Lowland Scots]] and "to cow/cowe" (i.e. "to frighten") , but as the second element sometimes appeared as "carl", Charles MacKay thought more likely that the second word was a corruption of "carl" (a man or fellow). The first word is possibly akin to [[brownie (elf)|"Urisk"]] (''ùruisg'', a brownie). The "urisk" was similar in attributes to the "[[lubber fiend]]" of [[John Milton|Milton]], and the wirry-cow itself. |
The word was used by [[Walter Scott|Scott]] in ''[[Guy Mannering]]''. The word is derived by [[John Jamieson]] from "worry" ("wirry", in its old sense of harassment in both [[English language|English]] and [[Scots language|Lowland Scots]]) and "to cow/cowe" (i.e. "to frighten") , but as the second element sometimes appeared as "carl", Charles MacKay thought more likely that the second word was a corruption of "carl" (a man or fellow). The first word is possibly akin to [[brownie (elf)|"Urisk"]] (''ùruisg'', a brownie). The "urisk" was similar in attributes to the "[[lubber fiend]]" of [[John Milton|Milton]], and the wirry-cow itself. |
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It is noteworthy that "wirry-" appears in several other old compound words. |
It is noteworthy that "wirry-" appears in several other old compound words. |
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Revision as of 21:06, 11 March 2009
A wirey-cow, wirry-carl [ˈwʌrɪkʌu, ˈwɪrɪ-] etc. was in Scotland, a bugbear, goblin, ghost, ghoul or other frightful object. Sometimes it was used for the Devil, or a scarecrow.
Draggled sae 'mang muck and stanes, They looked like wirry-cows
The word was used by Scott in Guy Mannering. The word is derived by John Jamieson from "worry" ("wirry", in its old sense of harassment in both English and Lowland Scots) and "to cow/cowe" (i.e. "to frighten") , but as the second element sometimes appeared as "carl", Charles MacKay thought more likely that the second word was a corruption of "carl" (a man or fellow). The first word is possibly akin to "Urisk" (ùruisg, a brownie). The "urisk" was similar in attributes to the "lubber fiend" of Milton, and the wirry-cow itself.
It is noteworthy that "wirry-" appears in several other old compound words.
References
- MacKay, Charles – A Dictionary of Lowland Scotch (1888)
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