It would appear that formerly (see quot. 1611) Yorkshire was more proverbial for dulness and clownishness than, as in modern phrase, for ‘the boot to be on the other leg’: e.g., to COME (or PUT) YORKSHIRE OVER (or TO YORKSHIRE ONE) = to cheat, take a person in, to prove too wide-awake for him. Also YORKSHIRE-BITE = a specially ’cute piece of overreaching, entrapping one into a profitless bargain. The monkey who ate the oyster and returned a shell to each litigant affords a good example. CONFIDENT AS A YORKSHIRE CARRIER = cocksure; YORKSHIRE COMPLIMENT = a gift useless to the giver and not wanted by the receiver: also NORTH-COUNTRY COMPLIMENT; A YORKSHIRE ESTATE = money in prospect, a CASTLE IN THE AIR (q.v.): e.g., ‘When I come into my YORKSHIRE ESTATES’ = When I have the means; YORKSHIRE-RECKONING = a reckoning where each one pays his share; YORKSHIRE-TYKE = ‘a Yorkshire manner of Man’ (B. E.); YORKSHIRE-HOG = a fat wether.
1611. DAVIES, A Continved Inqvistion against Paper-Persecutors [GROSART, Works (1876), ii. 81].
| England is all TURN’D YORKSHIRE, and the Age | |
| Extremely sottish, or too nicely sage. |
1706. WARD, The Wooden World Dissected, 39. All this put together must needs make him follow his nose with great boldness … no wonder … he’s MORE CONFIDENT of his Way than a YORKSHIRE CARRIER.
1772. BRIDGES, A Burlesque Translation of Homer, 2.
| At first approach he made a bow, | |
| Such as your YORKSHIRE TIKES make now. | |
| Ibid., 478. | |
| A pastry-cook, | |
| That made good pigeon-pye of rook, | |
| Cut venison from YORKSHIRE HOGS | |
| And made rare mutton-pies of dogs. |
1796. J. G. HOLMAN, Abroad and at Home, i. 1. His YORKSHIRE simplicity will qualify him admirably for the profession!
1839. DICKENS, Nicholas Nickleby, xiii. ‘Sure-ly,’ said John. ‘Wa’at I say, I stick by.’ ‘And that ’s a fine thing to do, and manly too,’ said Nicholas, ‘though it ’s not exactly what we understand by “coming YORKSHIRE over us” in London.’
