As a lot of this blog is about writing, I wanted to write a regular article on my favourite forgotten words. You know the type of thing, those poor lost words that sit at the back of our minds, gathering dust, having been discovered years ago in literary classics like Dickens, or Austen. They are the spices of the literary world, but I refuse to let them sit in a cupboard and be ignored until they go out of date! Let’s bring them back!
This month’s word is: HIED
Hied
verb
Go quickly.
‘I hied down to New Orleans’
‘I hied me to a winehouse’
The first time I heard this word it was in a song by the amazing Kate Rusby called A Ballad, from the album The Girl Who Couldn’t Fly. Until then, I never knew it existed. It fast became one of my favourite songs of Kate’s. If you’ve never listened to her, you totally should. It’s folk music, so it’s not to everyone’s tastes but Kate’s voice is unbelievable and all of her albums are great. If you hadn’t guessed, I’m a bit of a fan!
Anyway, to hied means to hurry. So the next time you’re main character is rushing, running, going to…why not use hied and see if it gives your writing an extra edge? Just a little something special. I think it’s a lovely word and perfect for historical fiction. And if you’re not a writer, just use it next time you describe running for the train or the bus and see the reaction on your friends faces! They’ll think you’re super clever!