field diary 1832 deciphering problems

[JanSeifert]

39.m1

»
of a Palm. The leaves
7 to 8 ft long, branching
at us an umbrella at
top, with marks on the
[trunk?] of the footstalks of the
leaves which had fuller
as the tree progressed.
«

[JanSeifert]

39.m2

»
The fructification
was that of the true ferns
with capsules of seeds
below the [??] . It was
growing in a moist dell
overhanging a rivulet.
«

[arthurk]

28.1 - 'shirking' is OK

28.2 - possibly 'cutting their capers' (OED: cut a caper = dance in a frolicsome way); the other one is '8'

30.1 - looks like 'stal' (possibly some local word?)

30.2 - 'by a rush'

30.m1 - my best thoughts are 'guid' (Scottish variant of 'good'); or, if he uses the long 's', 'said'. But I'm not sure of either of these.

(You've just posted a lot more while I've been writing. I can't look at these now, but if any are still unanswered later I'll see what I can do.)

[JanSeifert]

OED: cut a caper = dance in a frolicsome way

Do you use the online version of the OED or do you have a printed copy? I keep thinking about, but the online version's price tag seems a bit over the top.

J.

[Greensleeves]

39.m2 - below the fronds*

[a type of leaf found in ferns and palms]

Regards
GS

[JanSeifert]

39.m2 - below the fronds*

[a type of leaf found in ferns and palms]

Regards
GS

Thanks a bunch! That I would have never found out by myself.
J.

[Karen McDonald]

OED: cut a caper = dance in a frolicsome way

Do you use the online version of the OED or do you have a printed copy? I keep thinking about, but the online version's price tag seems a bit over the top.

J.

Hi Jan,

Have you tried this? It's free (and good!):

https://www.lexico.com/en

Best regards,
Karen

[Skoosh]

"The Caper-Hoose!" in Scots = the Assylum! 

Skoosh.

Anent guid, is this not the guide department?

[arthurk]

Re 30.m1:

Anent guid, is this not the guide department?

Skoosh is probably right here. There does look to be something after the 'd', and 'guide' would fit the context.

Do you use the online version of the OED or do you have a printed copy? I keep thinking about, but the online version's price tag seems a bit over the top.

My public library membership gives me free access to the online version. For current usage Lexico looks good, and there's also Chambers at https://chambers.co.uk/ but I don't know of anything that gives historical forms and usage as well as the OED.

There's an excellent dialect dictionary at http://www.rootschat.com/links/01j6q/ but it's based on UK usage, and doesn't help much here where it's standard English with a smattering of words from Indian languages.

Anyway, some unanswered queries:

30.m2 - only

35.1 - & ('& of' would read a bit better, I think); wretches; look

37.1 - tattoos

37.2 - Five (probably); were

37.m1 - could be chutenee - an old form of 'chutney'?

38.1 - don't know

39.1 - recd (standard abbreviation for 'received')

39a.1 - trunk; 'fallen' not 'fuller'

I think that's all, but if there are still any outstanding, including of course the ones I couldn't get, it might be helpful if you did a catch-up post from time to time quoting the ones you still need help with, as each quote will have a link to the relevant post and image.