apple davy?

[Robin Hamilton]

> Apple Davie, currant Tarn,
> Sugar rollie, black nmri.
>
> (XairTi)
>
> [I warned you the scanning was poor!  And I don't know what "XairTi"
> might be or mean; this its only appearance in the scan.]

The original has:

        Apple Davie, currant Tam,
        Sugar rollie, black man.
                                                    (Nairn)

-- so Nairn, in Scotland.

The 40 page book is devoted to specifically Scottish Counting Rhymes:

FOREWORD,

The Counting-out Rhymes contained in this little book were orally collected,
chiefly in the North-East of Scotland. The spelling of the words is
according
to the pronunciation. The collection-read at a meeting of the Buchan
Field Club in Peterhead on Wednesday, 1st May, 1889-may be an aid to
those who wish to study this curious and interesting branch of Folk-lore, as
well as of Philology. To all who have helped me in my pleasant work I give
my best thanks.

PITSLIGO, FRASERBURGH,
June, 1891.
        .    .    .

> Clearly a sweet, and perhaps dating from the 19th century, but what's
> the recipe?
>
> Joel

I wonder whether "black man" might derive from "black bun", one of the
traditional items taken around the houses when first footing?  It struck me
that as the examples are distinctly Scottish, it might be worth checking the
DSL.  While there was no entry for "apple dav[e]y", this under APPLE seems
close:

AIPPLE, n. A frequent Sc. spelling of apple, indicating the common
pronunciation. [epl; less freq. ?pl]
   ...
    (1) *w.Dmf. 1920 J. L. Waugh Heroes in Homespun 108:
    I aye bakit, beforehaun, a girdle o' roon currant-scones, a trekkle bun,
an' an aipple-cake.

A "treacle bun" is often called a "black bun"

Robin

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org