| Summary: | diddies n pl A little persistence can throw light even/ on such apparently unpromising words as, _diddies_, _frapse_, _purdle_. _Diddies_ is used to describe a nightmare, or the condition of one having a nightmare. Reference to the O.E.D. uncovers the English dialect word _didder_, meaning to tremble or shake, a variant of dither. _Frapse_ means to tie in a careless way. Reference to Wright's Dialect Dictionary gives us _frape_, a Devonshire word meaning 'to bind', and also _fraps_, a Norfolk word, meaning 'entanglement'. [see 'dawnies', 'Old Hag'] PRINTED ITEM G.M. story MAY 1970 JH MAY 1970 Used I Used I Used I ditties, dither, HAG, HAG-RODE, dawnies, Old Hag Checked by Cathy Wiseman on Fri 30 Jan 2015
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