Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland Part I.pdf/290

fid(d)er and “fedder” [fædər, fɛdər], the latter, from Mod. Eng. feather. Shetl. fid(d)er, acc. to the vowel-sound, appears to spring from a “*fiðr” without changing i to ja (jǫ). O.N. fjǫðr, f. (feather but fiðri, n.: plumage), Icel. fiðr, n.; A.S. feðer, fiðer, f., feather. — The similarity of Icel. fjöður b and Shetl. fid(d)er indicates that “fjǫðr, *fiðr”, applied to a sheep-mark, is very old in the Northern (Norn) language.

fiderd, fidderd [fɩdərd, fedərd], adj., of a sheep’s ear: marked with fid(d)er (a slant cut, or a strip cut off); a f. lug [‘ear’]. With ref. to the form, cf. O.N. fiðrðr and fiðraðr, adj., feathered.

fifl, sb., see fivl, sb.

fifel [fifəl], vb., to act foolishly. Wests. (Sa.). — Ork. feiffle, fiffle, vb., to work awkwardly and aimlessly (E.D.D.). — *fífla, from O.N. fífl, n., a clown, fool; O.N. fífla, vb., is handed down in a somewhat diff. sense: to fool one; to seduce.

fifler [fiflər], sb., a foolish person. Wests. (Sa.). Deriv. of fifel, vb. [*fífla]. Fivla [fɩvla], on the other hand, as the name for a goblin (prop. the name for a sorceress) in old Shetl. tales of goblins, must be derived directly from O.N. fífl, n., a goblin; fool; cf. O.N. fífla, f., a foolish, silly woman.

†fik [fi̇̄k], sb., comm. in pl., fiks: fancies, capricious orders, esp. wanting many small things done. Uⁿ. A form of pronunc. “fɩk”, in sense of bustle (fidgety) trifling, is found in the compd. gumpelfik, sb. (q.v.). — O.N. and L.Sc. See further fik, vb.

fik [fik, fɩk], vb., to bustle about with trifles; to geng fikin aboot; what is du fikin aboot de day [‘to-day’]?; to f. at or wi’ onyting [‘something’]. No. fika, vb., to bustle; fidget; trifle, etc. (R.), of restless bustle, exactly like Shetl. fik; almost like L.Sc.

“fike, fyke, feik”, vb.; cf. Icel. and Sw. dial. fika, Da. dial. fige, to hasten (to desire; aspire). The k, preserved at the end of Shetl. fik, is prob. due to L.Sc. influence.

fikek [fikək, fɩkək], sb., a wisp; dishevelled lock; his hair is hangin’ in fikeks, like fikeks. U. Doubtless to be classed with No. fiklast, vb., to become entangled. Cf. fisk², sb.

fillafoga [fɩᶅ·afō·ga (feᶅ·a-), fəᶅ·a-] and fillafjoga [fɩl·afjō·ga (fel·a-), fəl·a-], sb. and adv.: 1) sb. in the expr.: “hit [‘it’] turned ut [‘out’] a f. wi’ him”, it came to nothing, everything has gone wrong with him. 2) adv. in the expr.: “hit guid [‘went’] or turned (is gane, turned) f.”, it went (has gone) quite wrong with the work, it became (has become) a mere muddle. Uⁿ. The compd. uncertain. filla- might have arisen from No. fikla, vb., to fidget; bungle; f(j)oga may be referred to the root in No. fokla, vb., = fikla, or to No. foga, vb. (to cram; stuff), in sense of stamping about without getting any farther.

fillek, sb., see fullek, sb.

filsk [fə‘lsk] and fjilsk [fjɩ‘lsk, fjə‘lsk], vb., to make fun; to f. wi’ de lasses. U. Prob. a more mod. verbal form; cf. filska, sb., and filsket, adj.

filska [fə‘lska], sb., foolery; silly fun; flighty behaviour; he did it t’rough [‘through’] f. N.I. Also fjilska [fjɩ‘lska, fjə‘lska]: U. occas. and Du.; more rarely fjolska [fjꜵ̈‘lska]: Wests. occas. The word seems to imply O.N. fíflska, f., folly (Icel.: foolery; madness), and O.N. fólska, f., foolishness; poss. also *villska (No. villska, f., wildness; hot temper, and villskap, m., wildness; wantonness). fjolska most prob. points to “fólska”. — Cf. fifel, vb., and filsket, adj.

filsket [fə‘lskət], adj., foolish; half