Glossary of ringing terms – W
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Words or phrases underlined are defined within the glossary. Where it assists with clarity, a definition is annotated to indicate a part of speech. (n) = noun, (vb) = verb, (adj) = adjective, (adv) = adverb. Section references refer to sections within The Tower Handbook.
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- W
- An abbreviation for the calling position 'Wrong'
- Waist
- The portion of the bell between the crown and soundbow. It is almost cylindrical and varies little in thickness
- Walking changes
- (Obsolete) Early form of change ringing with single changes every few rows, so each row was repeated several times.
- Waterfall course
- Course with the coursing order 24653, which in most even bell methods with Plain Bob coursing generates little bellroll ups on the back, ie rows ending ...23456 at backstroke. Popular on higher numbers and especially musical on ten, where the front six bells form a major key group with the sixth as the tonic.
- Weasels
- A row 14235, sometimes used for the catch after lowering on 5. It is (almost) the tune of 'pop goes the weasel'. The natural rhythm when caught after lowering in rounds causes the right dotted rhythm.
- Well formed
- A path (usually of a hunt bell) that is the same path if rung backwards and is symmetrical about two places made half a lead apart.
- West country start
- Way of starting to raise the bells in peal by swinging all bells silently and then all of them striking in the same row.
- Westminster group
- See Norwich Group.
- Wheel
- Bell wheel. A wheel attached to the headstock of a bell hung for full circle ringing. Usually made of wood, in two parts to facilitate assembly in situ and spoked.
- Wheel stay
- A bracket or bar between the wheel and headstock to increase the rigidity of the wheel.
- Whitechapel (foundry)
- One of the two remaining bell foundries in Britain, at Whitechapel in London. Formerly Mears & Stainbank.
- Whittingtons
- A musical row, from the legendary tune 'turn again Whittington', ie 531246. On twelve bells it is rung on the front and back six, ie 531246E9780T. On eight bells it is rung on the back six, ie 12753468).
- Whole hunt
- An early name for the bell doing the hunting, or treble. See also half hunt, quarter hunt and extreme bell.
- Whole pull
- Two consecutive blows or rows. A whole pull may be 'right' or 'wrong'
- Whole pull changes
- Changes rung by repeating each row once (ie ringing each row at handstroke and backstroke), thus making any touch take twice as long. Sometimes used when ringing half muffled so each row is echoed before changing.
- Whole turn
- Work (as in Stedman) with two whole pulls separated by a snap in the adjacent position. In some methods (eg Bristol) whole turns occur at internal places as well as at lead and lie. See figure 15.2-7
- Wide
- Striking too late; hence leaving too long a gap after the blow of the preceding bell.
- With
- (eg 'with the third') A bell's position or work is linked to that of another named whose work is complementary to it, eg dodging with it, making a snap, ...
- Worcester variation
- An arrangement for splicing Kent and Oxford Treble Bob Major so that neither of the tenors goes in the slow, but no calls are necessary. See also: Cam, Granta, Ilkeston, Killamarsh and Liversedge.
- Work
- What a bell does, normally referring to a specific part of the work considered as a unit (eg front work, back work).
- Working bell
- A bell that is not in the same position at each lead head in a method (ie not a hunt bell or a cover bell).
- Working together
- When the work of a pair of bells is inter-connected, eg dodging together.
- Wrap
- (n) A musical effect when the end of the handstroke row and the start of the backstroke row combine to give a run or rounds. eg 65871234.56782143 or 87123456.78214365
- Wrington six
- Ringing Minor on 123680 of a ten. Also sometimes known as 'the pretty six'.
- Wrong
- (1) A place (particularly at lead) is made wrong if it consists of a backstroke followed by a handstroke,
(2) Backwards, as in hunting wrong or leading wrong (backstroke then handstroke).
(3) Calling position with the observation bell in the penultimate working position,
(4) Calling position that affects the three bells one earlier in the coursing order than a Home. This is identical to the definition above for even bell methods, but not for odd bell methods where opinions differ. See also Middle.
(5)Clappering wrong means the clapper hits the wrong side of the bell at each stroke. See 'up wrong'.
- Wrong dodge
- (1) A dodge made while hunting wrong
(2) A dodge where the retrograde step is at handstroke
Note that these meanings can conflict, see the diagrams in section 15.5
- Wrong place
- A place made wrong
- Wrong place method
- A method containing some wrong places.
- Wrong way round
- (advice given when dodging incorrectly) Trying to dodge over and under on the opposite strokes to what should be.
- Wrong way up
- Wrong way round
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