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Yelp

lfsaldenbirch ,

Yelp has some delightful obsolete meanings, but in its current intransitive use is used mostly of animals.  Tolkien used it for wolves, goblins, and poor Bombur when he was stuck in a spider web.

  • 06.012 and we saw the goblins running back yelping.
  • 06.058 yelping all round the tree
  • 06.064 and yelping,
  • 06.064 and fro yelping horribly.
  • 06.067 and yelping come up faint from far beneath him.
  • 08.089 There was a muffled yelp inside,

“yelp, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 19 May 2015.

Yew

lfsaldenbirch ,

Not only are the trees of the genus  Taxus posessed of mightily elastic wood – making them excellent materials for bowyery- but their sprigs are symbolic of sadness.  They’re mentioned in the year 985 in the Charter of AEthelred.

06.095 They would shoot at us with their great bows of yew,’
14.018 Now he shot with a great yew bow,

“yew, n.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 19 May 2015.

Yore

lfsaldenbirch , ,

The OED tells us that “yore” is archaic and I note that Tolkien only used it poetically in the work.

  • 01.074 The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
  • 10.035 To songs of yore re-sung.
  • 15.038 The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,

“yore, adv. (and adj.).” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 19 May 2015.

Awake

lfsaldenbirch , ,

Of all our “a-” words, our very last is one of the mysteries.  The “a-” is not likely to be the intensifier preposition 1, but its true root is hard to disentangle from the distinct verb “awaken” or the obscure word of parallel meaning, “awecche.”

  • 07.108 It was full morning when he awoke.
  • 08.065 and when he was awake he was not pleased at all.
  • 14.041 for they thought that war was awakening again,

“awake, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 18 May 2015.

“† aˈwecche, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 18 May 2015.

Astride

lfsaldenbirch , ,

In this example of “a-” preposition 1, Bilbo is definitely not in the position of striding across his barrel.

  • 09.056 even if he had managed to get astride his barrel,

“astride, adv., prep., and adj.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 18 May 2015.

Astray

lfsaldenbirch , ,

This is mostly likely to be “a-” preposition 1, in the situation of straying.  In this case, it is said of good plans.

  • 04.003 and of good friends like Elrond go astray sometimes

“astray, adv.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 18 May 2015.

Ashore

lfsaldenbirch , ,

Thorin and Company only move ashore – “a-” preposition 1, in a situation – during the barrel adventure.

  • 09.059 close ashore at one point
  • 09.062 and waded ashore,
  • 09.066 If they had come ashore
  • 10.012 and helped ashore

“ashore, adv.2.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 18 May 2015.

Annoy

lfsaldenbirch , ,

Such an everyday thing as annoyance is not seen from the moment the dwarves enter the barrels until Bilbo is safely home in Bag-End.  This is a case of “an-” prefix 1, a particle handy for forming verbs, adverbs, and prepositions.

  • 01.058 and annoyed.
  • 01.142 (which annoyed Bilbo very much),
  • 02.034 was most annoying.
  • 02.108 and very annoyed:
  • 03.018 or get annoyed with them.
  • 05.098 But Bilbo was annoyed at the delay.
  • 07.018 and you must be careful not to annoy him,
  • 08.049 We are quite annoyed enough with you as it is.
  • 09.034 and also rather annoyed.
  • 19.035 as Bilbo noticed with annoyance.

“annoy, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 18 May 2015.