Yorkshire

[f. YORK sb. + SHIRE 5.] The name of the largest of the northern counties of England.

  1.  attrib. Pertaining to or characteristic of Yorkshire.

1683.  G. M[eriton] (title), A York-shire Dialogue, in its pure Natural Dialect.

1685.  Dryden, Sylvæ, Pref. a 6. Like a fair Shepherdess in her Country Russet, talking in a Yorkshire Tone.

1826.  Zool. Jrnl., II. 555. An Account of an undescribed Fossil Animal from the Yorkshire Coal-field.

1859.  Househ. Words, 15 Jan., 148/2. Anything more contrary to his sullen, self-willed, local Yorkshire nature could scarcely be imagined.

1886.  Kington Oliphant, New Engl., I. 31. Hampole’s … ‘Pricke of Conscience’ … is in the Yorkshire dialect.

  b.  Applied to things originating in or cultivated especially in Yorkshire, as Yorkshire ale, cabbage, cord, drab, fog (FOG sb.¹), fustian, gray, grit (GRIT sb.¹ 2), kidney (potato), pie, sanicle (SANICLE 2), shoe, stone, tyke (TYKE 3), white(s; Yorkshire bond, cement, light, maiden, mile (see quots.); Yorkshire pudding, a batter-pudding baked under meat.

1683.  G. Meriton (title), The Praise of *York-shire Ale.

1892.  Dict. Archit., *Yorkshire bond, or flying, or garden wall, bond, is chiefly used in building garden walls, one brick thick; the face shows three or four stretchers to one header; or five courses of stretchers to one of headers.

1786.  Abercrombie, Gard. Assist., 228. Cabbage seed … some early dwarf sorts, early *Yorkshire.

1892.  Dict. Archit., *Yorkshire cement, the same as Mulgrave, Whitby, or Atkinson’s cement.

1849.  H. W. Herbert, Frank Forester, I. 3. A pair of most voluminous unmentionables, of thick *Yorkshire cord.

1810.  Sporting Mag., XXXVI. 240. A driving coat of *Yorkshire drab.

1612.  in Halyburton’s Ledger (1867), 308. *Yorkshyre or Northern fusteanes.

1679.  Trials of T. White & Other Jesuits, 83. In Gray Cloaths, a Gray Coat like a Shepherds Coat, a *Yorkshire-Gray.

1892.  Dict. Archit., s.v. *Yorkshire stone or Grit, is a name sometimes given to Bramley Fall stone; it is one of the most general of the sandstones sent to London, and is used for paving, copings, and other rough work.

1849.  H. W. Herbert, Frank Forester, III. 144. There was a *Yorkshire ham, which had not suffered so deeply by the last night’s onslaught.

1770.  Bridges, Burlesque Transl. Homer (1797), II. 319. A pastry-cook, That made good pigeon-pie of rook, Cut venison from *Yorkshire hogs.

1842.  Loudon, Suburban Hort., 639. The red-nosed kidney and the white *Yorkshire kidney.

1892.  Dict. Archit., *Yorkshire light, a term used in Lancashire, for a sliding sash.

1752.  Gentl. Mag., Jan., 32/2. A Machine for washing of Linnen, called a *Yorkshire Maiden.

1711.  E. Ward, Quix., I. 44. Not caring to perform much more Than one good *Yorkshire Mile an Hour.

1889.  N. W. Linc. Gloss., Yerksheer mile, a long distance.

1838.  Dickens, Nich. Nick., vii. A young servant girl brought in a *Yorkshire pie.

1894.  Garrett’s Encycl. Pract. Cookery, II. 803/1. Yorkshire Pie. A pie under this name sold at Italian warehouses is nothing more than a galantine packed in terrines of different sizes.

1794.  Wedge, Agric. Chester, 23. The Rotherham or *Yorkshire plough.

1747.  Mrs. Glasse, Cookery, 69. A *Yorkshire Pudding. Take a Quart of Milk, four Eggs,… make it up into a thick Batter with Flour, like a Pancake Batter.

1832.  Macaulay, in Trevelyan, Life (1876), I. v. 272. They feed me on roast-beef and Yorkshire pudding.

1836.  [Hooton], Bilberry Thurland, I. vii. 140. At the bottom of all … lay about half an acre of sad and heavy Yorkshire pudding, like a leaden pancake.

1770.  Bridges, Burlesque Transl. Homer (1797), II. 30. One Tychius, who dwelt in Hyle, Where *Yorkshire shoes are made most vilely.

1569.  in Black Bks. Linc. Inn (1897), I. 449. For vj fote of *Yorkeshere stone for bassys of dorys.

  2.  Used allusively, esp. in reference to the † boorishness, cunning, sharpness, or trickery attributed to Yorkshire people. To come (or put) Yorkshire on one, to cheat, dupe, overreach him. Yorkshire bite, a sharp overreaching action or person. † Also in prov. phr. a pair of Yorkshire sleeves in a goldsmith’s shop, said of anything worthless.

1620.  Westward for Smelts (Percy Soc.), 36. If she lived now, she would shew as vild as a paire of Yorkeshire sleeves in a goldsmiths shop.

1624.  A. Holland, Contin. Inquis. Paper-Persec., 85. England is all turn’d Yorkeshire, and the Age Extremely sottish, or too nicely sage.

1650.  Brief Disc. betw. Yorkshirem, & Scottish-man, 1. Yorks. I am a Yorkshireman born and bred, I care not who knowes it: I hope true Yorkshire never denies his county. Scot. I thought you looked like a subtle blade.

1700.  Step to the Bath, 10. I ask’d what Countrey-Man my Landlord was? Answer was made full North; and Faith ’twas very Evident, for he had put the Yorkshire most Damnably upon us.

1706.  E. Ward, Wooden World Diss. (1708), 53. He’s more confident of his Way, than a Yorkshire Carrier.

c. 1747.  J. Collier (Tim Bobbin), View Lanc. Dial. (1770), Gloss., Yorshar, Yorkshire; to put Yorkshire of a Man, is to trick, cheat, or deceive him.

1795.  Gentl. Mag., Aug., 629/1. I flatter myself that this will turn out to be a Yorkshire bite, and that the biter will be bit.

1796.  Holman, Abroad & at Home, I. i. I dare say, his Yorkshire simplicity will qualify him admirably for the profession!

1801.  Sporting Mag., XIX. 114. I will not denominate your coursing correspondent a Yorkshire bite, for he only snaps.

1877.  N. W. Linc. Gloss., Yerksheer, Yorkshire. When anything is done very sharp or clever, we say ‘that’s real Yerksheer.’

1887.  S. Cheshire Gloss., Yorkshire, cajolery, blarney, attempt to hoodwink or deceive, ‘Let’s ha’ none o’ yur Yorkshire.’

  3.  ellipt. as the designation of a thick coarse cloth made in Yorkshire, a breed of canary, (pl.) soldiers of a Yorkshire regiment; also short for Yorkshire dialect, etc.

1726.  Lond. Gaz., No. 6444/5. Speaks Yorkshire.

1753.  Hanway, Trav. (1762), I. VI. lxxxv. 390. Soldiers cloths, yorkshires, and flannels.

1849.  Paton, Highl. Adriatic, II. xvii. 215. The Hausknecht and Stallknecht … speaking the broad dialect of the south-eastern provinces, a kind of Yorkshire to the classic language of the Schillers and Herders.

1898.  Westm. Gaz., 31 Jan., 7/1. Fifteen of the Yorkshire Light Infantry killed; two Sikhs and thirty-one Yorkshires wounded.

1898.  Daily News, 28 Nov., 3/3. Slim and sprightly Yorkshires, with never a feather out of trim, contrast strongly with the equally esteemed Lancashires of pale yellow plumage.

1908.  Daily Chron., 7 Feb., 3/5. [Women] much prefer the graceful, stylish Yorkshire to the more rotund Norwich.

  † 4.  = YORKIST b. Obs.

1643.  Baker, Chron., Hen. VI. (1653), 278. All the enemies of the Yorkshire Faction are assembled by the Queen at Greenwich.

1792.  E. Spelman & Lemon, Hist. Civ. Wars, 125. The earl of Warwick … came over to England, in order to put himself at the head of the Yorkshire insurgents.

  Hence Yorkshiredom, the character of a Yorkshireman; Yorkshireism, an action or expression characteristic of a Yorkshireman.

1849.  Athenæum, 7 April, 356/2. Tim Matlock … who keeps his ‘canny Yorkshire-dom’ intact even on Jonathan’s hunting-ground.

1849.  C. Bronte, Shirley, xviii. Mr. Hall’s sincere friendly homily, with all its racy Yorkshireisms.