Bondsman vs Nief - What's the difference?
bondsman | nief |
A male slave.
A male indentured servant.
Someone who signs a bond that states that they have taken responsibility for someone else's obligations.
A serf or bondsman born into servitude.
* 1886 , "The Fight at the Pass of Coleshill", The Red Dragon "Notes and Queries", page 471
(chiefly, Scotland, Ireland, Northern England) A fist.
*1934 , (Lewis Grassic Gibbon), Grey Granite'', Polygon 2006 (''A Scots Quair ), p. 597:
*:Ake thought if ever he was walking alone on a dark-like night and Jimmy came on him, he with his bare nieves and Jimmy with a knife, he'd stand as much chance of getting home safe as a celluloid cat that had strayed into hell….
* 1989 , (Anthony Burgess), The Devil's Mode :
* 2004 , Jeff Silverman, The Greatest Boxing Stories Ever Told , p. 160:
As nouns the difference between bondsman and nief
is that bondsman is a male slave while nief is a serf or bondsman born into servitude or nief can be (chiefly|scotland|ireland|northern england) a fist.bondsman
English
Noun
(bondsmen)See also
* bail bondsmannief
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl), from (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)- That is, because the girl was his nief , or bondwoman, the daughter of one of his villains
Alternative forms
* neifEtymology 2
From Old Norse hnefi'', ''nefi , of unknown origin.Noun
(en-noun)- Nestorius exploded at that and hit out. He roared and dismissed the class, hitting out with his old mottled gnarled niefs .
- "But t' Maister can stop and hit rarely. Happen he'll mak' him joomp when he gets his nief upon him."