stattis - An assemblage for the hiring of farm and domestic servants . . . regarded by the Sheffield people as one of the most important events of the year. ~ Sidney Addy's
Sheffield Glossary of Words, 1888
[At hiring fairs] carters fasten to their hats a piece of whipcord, shepherds a lock of wool, grooms a piece of sponge, etc. ~ Ebenezer Brewer's
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 1898
beevers - A portion of bread and allowance of beer laid out in Winchester School Hall at
beever-time. From French
boire, Old French
boivre [to drink]. From Italian
bevere, whence our
beverage.
Beever-time, a quarter of an hour's relaxation allowed to the Winchester [School] boys in the middle of afternoon school in summer to give them an opportunity of disposing of
beevers. ~ William Cope's
Glossary of Hampsire Words and Phrases, 1883
bibliothecary - Keeper of a library. ~ Elisha Cole's English Dictionary, 1713
Bibliotaphe, one who shuts up his books as if in a sepulcher; from Greek biblion, a book, and taphos, a tomb. ~ Robert Hunter's Encyclopaedic Dictionary, 1895
niscal - The smallest of a brood. Formed like the old word
nescook, from the Anglo-Saxon
nesc . . . tender, delicate . . . Other derivatives of this word have a similar sense in other provincial dialects. Grose['s
Provincial Glossary] has "
Nestling, the smallest bird of the nest or clutch; called also the
nestlecock and
nestlebub." . . . In Devonshire . . .
nestledraft is "the last and weakest child of the family" . . . The least pig of the litter is called a
cadma or a
whinnock in the southern counties and an
anthony pig in Kent. ~ G. C. Lewis's
Glossary of . . . Words Used in Herefordshire, 1839
flexanimous - Having power to change the disposition of the mind. ~ Samuel Johnson's
Dictionary of the English Language, 1755
king's stroke - The touch of the royal hand for kingsevil. ~ Sir James Murray's
New English Dictionary, 1901
This belief in the supernatural authority of monarchs . . . resulted from the conviction that they could trace their pedigrees back to the deities themselves. ~ Charles Hardwick's
Traditions, Superstitions and Folklore, 1872
God's acre - A churchyard; "acre" in the sense of enclosed land. ~ Albert Hyamson's
Dictionary of English Phrases, 1922
Properly,
God's seed-field, in which the bodies of the departed are sown (1 Corinthians:15) in hope of the resurrection. ~ Sir James Murray's
New English Dictionary, 1901
jokesmith - A professional joker; one who manufactures jokes. ~ Daniel Lyon's
Dictionary of the English Language, 1897
buggarty - Timid, skittish; of horses. ~ Thomas Darlington's
Folk-Speech of South Cheshire, 1887
hung on wires - An American expression for one suffering from "nerves" - a nervous or fidgety person. ~ Trench Johnson's
Phrases and Names: Their Origins and Meanings, 1906
draw-gloves - A sort of game . . . between lovers. ~ Robert Nares's
Glossary of the Works of English Authors, 1859
brune - A dark girl or woman. The same as
brunette, though properly a
brune should be darker than a brunette. From French
brun, brown. ~ C. A. M. Fennell's
Stanford Dictionary of Anglicised Words and Phrases, 1892
inauration - The act [of] covering with gold. From Latin
aurum, gold. ~ John Boag's
Imperial Lexicon of the English Language, c. 1850
Among chymists, a rich cordial liquor with pieces of gold leaf in it. ~ Nathaniel Bailey's
Etymological English Dictionary, 1749
* Note the highlighted entry this time is just a favourite of mine that stood out to me.