Seeking dialect citations for legal actions

[A. Maberry]

Not from Appalachia but,

OED p. 1582 Law 2. intr. To go to law, litigate. Also to lat it. Also
colloq. or dial in indirect passive

b. trans. To go to law with, proceed against in the courts.
1647 Trapp, "Comm. in 1 Cor. vi, 7": "By your litigious lawing one another
you betray a great deal of weaknesse"  1786 Nelson in Nicolas "Disp.(1845)
I, 169": "One sends me a challenge, another Laws me: but I keep them all
off.."  1860 Reade "Cloister v. H. (1061) IV, 398": "Alas poor soul! And
for what shall I law him?"  1870 E. Peacock "Ralf Skirl. II, 117": "You
can't law a man ye knaw for a job like that."

Allen
maberry at u.washington.edu

On Sun, 2 Jan 2000, Bethany K. Dumas wrote:

> Do you have a citation for the word "law" as a verb. meaning roughtly
> "sue" - in Appalachia or elsewhere? As in, "If ye do that, I'll law ye."
>
> Thanks,
> Bethany
>