Meal-porridge hot,
Meal-porridge cold,
Meal-porridge in a pot,
Nine days old,

Beef and bacon boiled in a hat;
In four letters spell me that.

Ans. -T-h-a-t.

Higgledy-piggledy,

Here we lie;

Picked and plucked,

And put in a pie.

Ans.-Pigeons.

LANCASHIRE RHYMES.

Lancashire law

No stakes, no draw.

This is often quoted by those who, having lost a wager, do not wish to pay, on the ground that no stakes had been deposited.

As foolish as monkeys

Till twenty or more;

As bold as lions
Till forty and four;
As cunning as foxes
Till threescore and ten,
They then become asses,
Or something-not men.

WEATHER RHYMES.

IF red the sun begins his race,
Expect that rain will fall apace.

The evening red, the morning gray,
Are certain signs of one fair day.

If woolly fleeces spread the heavenly way,
No rain, be sure, disturbs that summer's day.
In the waning of the moon,

A cloudy morn-fair afternoon.

When clouds appear like rocks and towers,
The earth's refreshed by frequent showers.
When Pendle wears its woolly cap,

The farmers all may take a nap.

Owd Know [i.e., knoll, a hill between Rochdale and Rossendale] hes bin awsin [offering] to put hur durty cap on a time or two to-day; an as soon us hoo can shap to see it, ther 'll be waytur amang us, yo'll see.

Of the Duddon and other streams in the north of Lancashire, a local expression states that, "Up with a shower, down in an hour."

PROVERBS.

It is of no use laying sorrow to your heart when others only lay it to their heels.

Mouse-coloured dun is the foulest colour under the

sun.

A Friday's flit will not long sit.

My butter-cake always leets [falls] th' butter-side down.

Two are company, three are none.

Too much of ought is good for nought.

All this for nothing, and more for a penny.

Long and lazy, little and loud,

Fair and foolish, dark and proud.

One year's seeding makes seven years' weeding.

If you see a pin and let it lie,

You'll need a pin before you die.

You're a long time out of your money if you take me for a flat [foolish person].

I'm nod gooin to a fair to buy thee for a foo [fool]; if ah doo, ah shall wear [spend] my brass [money] badly.

SIMILES.

JUST tak' th' chill off it [ale].

Aw're us't that aw could ha' swallut it iv it had bin as cowd as snowbo's; bo' mi clock-wark's gettin like owd Gimp's cart-shaft-rayther temporary.

As hee's th' Teawer o' Babel, an' a breek or two o' th' top on 't.

Aw'm thawin' neaw, like a snowbo' on a top-bar.

Aw've no moor use for a penknife nor Queen Victorey has for a yeld-hook [heald-hook].

A foowt-bo' 'ut 'll beawnce like a yung widow at a clubdinner.

He doanc't abeawt th' floor like a scopperill.

As toof as Jone o' Buckler's barn-beef.

As still as a mile-stone.

"Every mon to his likin, but no moor o' yor stew for me," as Holloper said when he fund th' ratton-bwones in his lobscouse.

"Neaw for summat fresh," as Adam o' Rappers said when he roll't off th' kitchen slate into th' middenhole.

He danc't up an' deawn war nor a drunken pace-egger. As stiff [dead] as a maggot.

As cramm'd [ill-tempered] as a wisket, an' as 'cute as Dick's hat-band.

That winter 'ut things wurn so bad bent him deawn like a windle.

His hant wur as thin as a comm [comb].

He're as quiet as a stopt clock; he 're stark deead. Aw'd no brass [money] o' mi awn; nobbut what had as monny legs as an earwig.

We're o' oo a litter, like Kitter pigs [i.e., the pigs of the sand-knockers of Smallbridge].

It's war [worse] nor muckin wi' sond an' drainin wi' cinders.

His e'e-seet cuts across somewheer abeawt th' end ov his nose as sharp as a pair o' sithors.

"Every one to ther likins," as owd George o' Jammy's sed when he swallut th' suvverin.

Off aw seet deawn th' fowt, like a thrail dog.

It 'ud melt th' heart o' a whet-stone, or, what's harder, a putter-eawt.

That's same as owd Nanny Roger's blynt hoss; it's a ripper.

He sprawlt like a stricken tooad upo' the greawnd.
As quiet as a chapel.

He're straight as ony picken-rod,

And limber as a snig.

Goo trailin' abeawt

Like a hen at 's i' th' meawt [moult].

Rascots i' th' ward ar' as thick as wasps in a hummobee neest.

As thrunk as Throp's wife, when she hang'd hersel' in th' dish-cloot.

As cross as an ex [the letter x].

Hoo keck'd as stiff as if hoo'd swallud a poker.

As droy as soot.

As fat as a snig, as smoot as a mowdywarp, an as plain as a pike-staff.

As gaunt as a grewant [greyhound].

As mute and modest as mowdywarps.

As stiff as a gablock [crowbar].

As gawmless as a goose.

As hongry as a rotton.

Me throttle's as dry as a kex [gex = gewse = Long saxifrage].

It'd weeary a grooin tree.

He skens [squints] ill enough to crack a lookin'-glass welly.

He's as feaw [ugly] as an empty pot ole o'er beside bein as dirty as Thump o' Dolly's 'at deed wi bein wesht.

He stares like a tarrier-dog uts watchin a ratton.

Aw've no moor use for a book nor a duck has for a umbrell.

Aw'st keep comin ogeean, yo may depend ;-like Clegg Ho' boggart.

As rich as Cheetham o' Castleton.

They swore like hoss-swappers.