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duckish
DCHP-2 (Jul 2016)
Spelling variants:duckies, duckest
exp. — Newfoundland, somewhat rare
dusk or twilight.
Type: 2. Preservation — Duckish is one of many lexical preservations from West Country English, brought to Newfoundland with the large number of immigrants to Newfoundland from southwest England (Clarke 2010b: 106). The term derives from duck, a variation of 'dusk' originally used in Devon, Dorset and the Isle of Wight as well as Newfoundland (EDD, s.v. "duck" (sb.4)). The spelling variant duckies is marked "Nfld." in EDD, which was published between 1898 and 1905, thus making the Newfoundland character of the term(s) a long-known fact. The variant duckish is most common in Canada. All hits in Chart 1 relate to Newfoundland. It is often used in combination with the progressive form of come and the get-passive construction to express the shift from day to night (see, for example, the 1992 and 2012 quotations).
See also COD-2, s.v. "duckish", which is marked "Cdn (Nfld)", ITP Nelson, s.v. "duckish", which is marked "Newfoundland.", DNE, s.v. "duckish", and EDD, s.v. "duck" (sb.4), which is marked "I.W. Dor. Dev. Nfld." [Isle of Wight, Dorset, Devon, Newfoundland].
See also COD-2, s.v. "duckish", which is marked "Cdn (Nfld)", ITP Nelson, s.v. "duckish", which is marked "Newfoundland.", DNE, s.v. "duckish", and EDD, s.v. "duck" (sb.4), which is marked "I.W. Dor. Dev. Nfld." [Isle of Wight, Dorset, Devon, Newfoundland].
Quotations
1896
J A Folklore ix, 28 Twilight is expressed as 'between the duckies.'
1909
[During the day we kept the land aboard; and between "dark and duckish" (the fishermen's term for twilight), another light peered out of the gloom; it was Gull Island, of Cape John.]
1918
Duckies. Twilight is expressed as "between the duckies," an expression which seems to resemble the Hebrew phrase "between the two evenings." So duckish meaning dark or gloomy, which Wright and Halliwell give as Dorsetshire for twilight.
1924
When it come duckish [dusk], de wind chopped to de nar-narwest, wonnerful sharp. But I don't want to intrude on [bother] ye. We'm ahl rate 'cept fer bein' a little cowed out [tired].
1967
Some of the lazy ones added colour to the village by supplying wit instead of industry and often worked harder getting something for nothing than many a man who toiled and worried from dawn to duckish.
1972
"Still and all, 'twas scary enough betimes. One evening our engine give out. We had the big trap skiff and no thole-pins for the oars so we had to scull her along. It were coming on duckish* and we was alone in The Ha Ha and them whales begun coming up all round. [...]"
1982
Any well-versed Newfoundlander will tell you that on an airsome day when it comes duckish and you're baffed out, there's nothing like going home, gathering breastneys for a fire and sitting down to a scoff, maybe with some good bangbelly.
References
- COD-2
- ITP Nelson
- DNE
- Clarke (2010b)
- EDD
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