(TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
your issue of September 10th your correspondent " K." suggests a Celtic origin for the word "soak," meaning "dry." Some of your readers may be interested to know that in Sussex the word " sushy," presumably derived from the French " seche," is used for "dry,"—e.g., "As sush as Bushy," "We're very rushy here," meaning "We have no water." The, occurrence of this and many other purely French words I could name is explained by the fact that the French, both in peace, as Protestant refugees, as also in time of war, as in 1377 and 1448, were frequent visitors to the Sussex coast. This remark may be verified by any-1 your readers who like to refer to an article on " Dialect " contributed thirty years ago to the Monthly Packet by one well versed in word-lore.—I am, Sir, &c., Y.
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