Monday, December 21, 2009

Sunsets in the afternoon?

I've never experienced a sunset before 4:00 pm before--except for, well, yesterday--when the sun set at 3:54 at our home here in Birmingham. Today the sun is scheduled to set at 3:53pm in England, which means it will be nearly dark by 3:45 or so. It's the Winter Solstice--the shortest day of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, which means that our minutes and seconds of daylight will gradually begin to increase again after today (thank god!). Although it's not really speeding towards summer-time's gloriously long days; tomorrow is only longer by a mere 2 seconds, and Wednesday will be a scant 7 seconds longer than that!

Equally strange is the late sunrise, which today occurred at 8:04am, and by a strange trick of science is still continuing to get later, even though the days are getting longer. By next weekend, the sunrise will occur at 8:07am. I feel terribly for D at this time of year. He gets up at 5:30am when it's still the dead-dark of night, and begins his workday at a reasonable 7:30am, when daylight has not yet even scratched the surface of the horizon. Meanwhile, I'm barely able to scrape myself out of bed at 8:00 when the light starts to peek through the windows. This photo was taken yesterday from our bedroom window--from the slant of the light, it looks like the early hours of morning, but I think it was actually taken closer to 10am.

Although we had snow this weekend for the first time this winter (beautiful!) and are having a terrible cold-snap, the sun has been shining for more hours of the day than in previous weeks, which has been great for taking quick runs and walking the dog. I'm trying to get outside for at least 30 minutes a day to make sure I get a vitamin D infusion from the sunlight and avoid the symptoms of Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) experienced by so many northern-dwellers. So far, I haven't felt too bad, and am looking forward to the sun rising on Friday at 8:06am over the first "White Christmas" I've ever had without leaving home.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market


Beer, sausage, cheese & chocolates. The Germans sure chose a fine selection of foods to become internationally known for! D and I made a visit to Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market in the city center one night last week with some friends and felt obliged to pay homage to German culture by taking part in some of the hearty eating and drinking that was going on.

With over 2 million visitors a year, the market is the largest authentic German Christmas market outside of Germany or Austria, and apparently Frankfurt is Birmingham's "partner city" under some EU sister city program. The market here opened mid-November in Victoria Square and runs until December 23rd (although I have heard rumors that the city council are considering leaving it open until February, since it has brought so much life to the central business district). It's open all day, from 10am to 9pm, which has allowed me to nip over during my afternoon holiday shopping outings for a mug of mulled cider or a hot Bratwurst sandwich.

The shops are found in cute little timber huts which have been erected around Victoria Square and down part of New Street, all covered in pine boughs and holly. About 1/2 of the stalls are food oriented, selling roasted nuts, marzipan loafs, chocolate treats, hard candies, soft pretzels, Germans sausages, German breads, and of course beer, mulled cider and mulled wine (Gluhwein). The remaining stalls sell mostly craft-work or handmade gifts, including ceramics, candles, glasswork, jewellery and Christmas decorations. A number of stalls also feature traditional German items such as wooden toys, nativity scenes and marionettes.

I found out that the origins of the Christmas Market in Frankfurt can be traced back to 1393. In Medieval times, Frankfurt originally apparently held the Christmas Market exclusively for the burghers (members of the governing class), while the city craftsmen reserved their finest wares for local people.

Most of the crafts for sale aren't really my cup of tea, but there's definitely some fine handiwork on display. I really enjoyed seeing people out during their lunch hours having mugs of beer and hot cocoa, watching children from some of the local schools sing Christmas carols up on the small stage near the top of Victoria Square. In the evenings workers crowd around the beer stalls drinking in groups and avoiding their holiday to-do lists. It feels altogether cheerful considering the weather and the economic climate that would otherwise be dampening spirits at this time of year. As the German's say: Froehliche Weihnachten!!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Train-Riding Etiquette for Beginners

There's nothing more relaxing than a quiet hour spent reading a good book in the nearly empty coach of a train passing through the English countryside, listening to the dull rattle of the train moving over the tracks or the rain splashing on the windows. I have really come to enjoy train-riding here. A majority of the time the experience is thoroughly enjoyable and the journey passes quickly. However, after visiting London on several train trips over the past few months, I have a few simple requests for all my fellow train-riders:

1. Please preserve the peace & quiet that others are enjoying around you, especially if you choose to sit in one of the "Quiet Zones" that are now available on many trains. If you are in a Quiet Zone, that means no talking on your mobile or to other passengers, listening to music on your iPod (see # 6 below), or even sending text messages on your mobile or Blackberry unless the tones are turned off on your keypad and the new message alert is silenced. If you choose to talk in other areas of the train, please keep the volume to a whisper and the conversation length to a minimum. Your life is not that interesting. Funnily enough, I haven't heard any loud Americans on the train in England yet, but there does seem to be a corresponding increase between the volume of non-English speakers and the distance from England of that language's origin (i.e., French, Germans and Spaniards are on the quieter end of the scale, but things get louder as you move towards the Russian, Arab, Chinese and African dialects).

2. If a woman is travelling alone and carrying 3 or 4 huge bags (especially on the Tube), you should definitely offer her your seat or at least a place to stand where she can set the bags down during transit without causing severe trauma to the feet of her fellow travelers.

3. When there are signs posted in narrow passageways or stairwells in train or Tube stations asking travelers to "KEEP LEFT" to allow movement in both directions, if you choose to ignore said signs, you immediately lose the right to protest when travelers traveling in the correct manner whack into you as they pass or shove you out of their way. They are rushing to get on the train platform as much as you are rushing to get off of it.

4. Bringing hot french fries onto the train at any time is a definite sin. It is completely disrespectful of all dieters on the train and may cause more than 1 rider to 'fall off the wagon' and rush into the nearest McDonalds in shame upon exiting at their destination.

5. Do not travel on the Tube at rush hour unless you are willing to be a human sardine and will not complain about it or attempt to prevent it. If there are 2 inches of space left in your car, surely you can fit at least four more people in.

6. If you insist on listening to your iPod or music player at full volume, please invest in a good pair of in-ear earphone buds or Bose-type silencing headphones that prevent your music from being shared with the entire coach full of train travelers. Just because you are enjoying your new playlist, doesn't mean we want it to be the soundtrack to our day.

7. If you intend to use the lavatory while traveling on the train, it is best not to travel with a group of your drunken friends on a stag do (i.e., bachelor party). These types are known for opening the door to the toilet while you are taking a leak and attempting to expose your modesty to every hapless woman traveler passing through the corridor. You are also not likely to leave the bathroom without a puddle on the floor, which will not likely be a welcome sight to the next toilet seeker.

Bon voyage!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Sunday Night Showdown: X-Factor v. Snooker?

Sometimes I just have to laugh at what I'm willing to spend time watching on television here in England! This weekend, we spent at least 3 hours between Saturday and Sunday watching the finals of Simon Cowell's UK talent show hit, "The X-Factor", just to find out who 10 million English teenage girls would prefer to see crooning at them in tight black pants and a skinny tie. Seriously, neither of the two finalists has a voice or a look that appeals to me personally, yet I was held captivated as the entire country screamed and shouted over them in a massive love-fest. During the last 2 nights, the singers were even joined onstage by Michael Buble, Robbie Williams, George Michael, Leona Lewis, JLS and even Sir Paul McCartney--wouldn't these stars rather be dueting with someone who's already a famous singer rather than a teenage hopeful? iTV must have deep pockets!

Although the 18 year old winner, Joe McElderry, has a strong voice, he looks about 12 years old, is super short, and would get eaten for breakfast by the likes of Justin Timberlake or even Chris Martin in terms of stage performance ability. Although the winning acts from the past two years of X-Factor have done well commercially on their own (Leona Lewis has gone world-wide, and JLS is popular here), I don't really see little Joe ever reaching an audience outside of his X-Factor support base. The runner-up, Olly Murs, has a ton of stage personality, but a weaker singing voice, and he seems like he'd be more suited to musical theater.

Also dominating prime-time last night was the UK Snooker Championships. Seriously, does anyone in America even play snooker? It's definitely on the list of questionable 'sports' along with table tennis, car racing and shooting. I have never met anyone who has a snooker table or knows the rules in my whole life--it's a bit like pool, but with a larger table and twice as many balls. I don't even like to say the word "snooker" (pronounced "snU-ker" here)--it sounds like something a cranky old lady would carry around in her purse. D was of course aghast that I have spent my existence in ignorance of this important UK 'sport', so we watched the final match last night while he tried to explain the rules. Before falling asleep I managed to learn that the players must alternate between trying to sink a 'colored' ball and a 'red' ball, the former being worth a varying amount of points, depending on which colored ball is sunk. The colored balls are brought back out onto the table after being sunk, but once all the red balls have been pocketed, the player with the highest score wins.

Maybe next week I can sneak in a few minutes of Sunday Night Football on ESPN America to bring me back to reality!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Wherefore art thou Shakespeare?


I admit it. I actually paid 17 GBP to ride around on one of those super-touristy, hop-on hop-off, double-decker tourist buses on my first visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon with D in February, and I had a good time. Normally I try to stay away from those types of tourist traps, but in this case we only had a few hours of the afternoon left to see the city, and it was freezing cold out, so the idea of finding our own way through the town and possibly getting lost was about as appealing as frostbite. On that visit D and I didn't pay to visit any of the Shakespearean homes, but we did at least see them all from the outside. We passed by the vacant outdoor tables of cozy teahouses, past sleepy canals with boats shuttered and docked for the winter, and past white-washed Elizabethan buildings fronted by the characteristic raised, black wooden beams.

After I moved over to England in June, I went back a few more times during the summer. On the first summer visit I took part in a city walking tour organized by Stratford Town Walk, that started near the waterfront and meandered past most of the city's major landmarks during the 2 hour stroll. Our guide was quite well informed, and after 2 hours, I knew lots more about the city's history and felt like I could navigate the town fairly easily on my own. Being on my own, I decided against lunch and instead stopped into Benson's Tea Room and had a delicious cream tea while reading my book.

One of the benefits of the Stratford Town Walk was that we were given 5 coupons/ vouchers good for discounts at several dozen restaurants and tourist establishments around town, including the Shakespeare homes operated by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Using one of my vouchers I bought a ticket to visit all five Shakespeare homes (good for 1 year) on the next visit back (for GBP12 instead of the normal GBP 17 price). In about 3.5 hours, I was able to visit three of the homes: Shakespeare's Birthplace, New Place and Hall's Croft. The Birthplace was the most interesting of the 3, with live guides in some of the rooms giving you information about what you saw inside, and costumed actors out in the gardens performing scenes from some of the Bard's most famous plays. Hall's Croft was also fairly informational and well-signed, but New Place was a little on the boring side. If you only have 1 day in Stratford, focus on the Birthplace and adjoining museum and skip the remaining homes. Since my ticket is good until next July, I decided to leave the last 2 houses, Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Mary Arden's House, until sometime next year.

Today I went back for a little mooch (i.e., English-speak for 'a look around') in some of the boutiques and shops in anticipation of Christmas and came across a few cute places:
- Vinegar Hill (http://www.vinegar-hill.co.uk/) a cute shop with jewelry, decorative accessories for the home, party accessories, cookbooks, journals and other small gifts.
- Aspire (http://www.aspirestyle.co.uk/catalogue) a funky shop selling fashion, jewelry and gifts
- Havilands Tea Room (5 Meer Street, Stratford Upon Avon, CV37 6QB), a cute delicatessen with attached tea room - great home-made sausage rolls for 60p!
- Revital Wholefoods (http://www.revital.co.uk/Revital_Health_Shop_Stratford_on_Avon) found a great well-priced selection of organic and asian cooking staples (some of which I'd only seen previously in London), as well as the usual vitamins and supplements.
- Chadds Sandwich Bar (6c Union Street, Stratford Upon Avon CV37, Tel:+44(0)1789 294 044) discovered the most delicious, fresh baguette sandwich I've had yet in England: Thai Red Curry Chicken Sandwich with cucumber, onion and lettuce on a wheat baguette for GBP 2.50. The filling was tasty and the bread was still warm from baking in the oven. Far better and cheaper than Baguette du Monde, Greggs, Subway, Pret a Manger, or any of the other chain shops!! I'm gonna try and replicate the sandwich filling at home and make my own.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

English Words Explained!

One of D's favorite sayings when we're turning in for the night is "You coming up the apples?" It took me about 2 weeks to figure out that this was short for "You coming up the apples & pears?", which was actually Cockney rhyming slang for "You coming upstairs?"

Without even touching on the difficulties of understanding Cockney rhyming slang, I wanted to run through a few of the most commonly used English words that differ from US terms, or are not used in America at all. I plan to add to this list whenever I hear a new word, so keep checking back or subscribe to an RSS feed for this page!

People & places
Babb = darling, dear (for a woman), used informally
Son = buddy, pal (for a man), used informally & for those older than you
Bloke = man (informal)
Brummie = someone from Birmingham, England
Bluenose = a supporter of the Birmingham Blues Football Club
Jock = someone from Scotland
Geordie = someone from Newcastle region
Manc = someone from Manchester region
Cockney = someone from East London
WAGs = wives and girlfriends (usually of football/soccer players)
The Old Bill = the police
Bobby = a policeman
Gaffer = (slang) old man; (informal) boss, football manager
Pikey = a derogatory word that used to refer to Irish travelers; now generally used to refer to someone whose life is characterized by itinerancy, theft or regard for authority, without reference to national origin
MOT = Ministry of Transport (like DMV in America), MOT Test = annual vehicle roadworthiness test
OAP = Old Age Pensioner, senior citizen
Poof = derogatory reference to a homosexual male
Off-license = store for the sale of alcohol to take away and consume at home; liquor store

Clothing
courts = high heeled pumps
jumper = sweater
vest = tank top
trainers = running shoes or sneakers
body = bodysuit (usually with snaps in crotch)
braces = suspenders
pants = underwear, underpants
kecks = underwear
knickers = women's underpants
Y-fronts = men's briefs or jockey shorts (i.e. tighty-whities)
trousers = pants
nappy = baby's diaper
plaited = braided
swimming costume = swimsuit
suspenders = garter belt for holding up ladies stockings
wellies = rubber rainboots, Wellington boots

Items or Things
fag = cigarette
rubber = eraser for pencil
flat = apartment
pavement = sidewalk
petrol = gasoline
bin = wastebasket
queue = line up
arse = buttocks
pram = stroller, baby carriage
pushchair = forward facing stroller for a small child
dummy = baby's pacifier
artic lorry = semi trailer truck
blues & twos = slang for an emergency vehicle w/ lights & sirens
bog roll = toilet paper roll
boiled sweet = hard candy
building society = a savings & loan association
fanny = a woman's genitalia (i.e., the English say "bum bag", never "fanny pack" for a bag worn around the waist)
butty or sarnie or sarny = a sandwich
caravan park = trailer park
coach = bus
carriageway = lanes of auto traffic on a road
central reservation = lines dividing traffic on highway (i.e., median strip)
cashpoint = ATM
council flat = public housing
dole = welfare
dosh = (slang) money
dress circle = seats in the first balcony of a theater (balcony or loge)
stalls = seats in the ground floor level of a theater (orchestra section)
estate car = station wagon
flannel = washcloth (for the face)
fairy lights = Christmas lights
fortnight = 14 days, or 2 weeks
fringe = bangs, describing the hair covering the forehead
hash sign = the pound key (#)
high street = the primary business & shopping street in a town
hob = stovetop burner; the hot surface on a stove
pelican crossing = pedestrian crossing with traffic lights operated by pedestrians
varruca = a wart on one's foot, a Plantar wart

Actions & emotions
argy-bargy = (informal) pushing & shoving or outright fighting
blag = (v.) to obtain or achieve by deception, to bluff, to rob or (n.) a tall story, bluff
chuffed = proud, pleased or satisfied
to 'pull' or 'cop off with' = to successfully engage the company of a potential sexual partner, or to fornicate with
to snog = make out with, to French kiss
to fancy = to like someone or something, to have a desire for
fit = highly attractive, hot
have a kip = take a nap
minging = dirty, rotten, smelly, unattractive
parky = cold, usually with reference to the weather
to row = to have a fight
skint = out of money, broke
to slag off = to badmouth, defame or speak badly of someone
take the piss/take the mickey = to make fun of someone, or to transgress beyond what's acceptable, as in "the increases in car taxes are taking the piss"
to go 'tits up' = to suddenly go wrong (mildly vulgar)
to whinge = to complain or whine about something

Profanities and Vulgarities
sod (as in "Sod it!"), sodding = f--k, f--king
Sod off! = Get lost, go away
bugger (n.) = a--hole, jerk, or more innocently ('a cheeky bugger' = a rascal)
bugger! = Damn! or Shoot!
bugger it (v.) = screw it
I buggered it = I screwed it up
We're buggered = we're thwarted, in a predicament, screwed
Bollocks = literally refers to male testicles, used as "Bollocks!" (i.e. "Dammit!") or "That's a load of bollocks."
git = a scumbag, idiot or annoying person
tosser or wanker = a no-good waster, a jerk

Monday, December 7, 2009

Black Country Speak

After having been told that the dish D requested last month (faggots & peas) originated in the Black Country region of the West Midlands (called faggits & pays there), I followed up with D's stepfather, Ian, who provided me with a wealth of information on the Black Country dialect. Even though the region is about 30 minutes from where we live and the language is technically English, on nights out with his former Black Country co-workers, Ian reports that he often couldn't follow a word of what was being spoken. Here's why:

"Ow we spake" (Black Country Dialect): Compiled from various sources by Ian Beach

The dialect of the Black Country area remains perhaps one of the last examples of early English still spoken today. The word endings with 'en' are still noticeable in conversation as in 'gooen' (going), callen (calling) and the vowel 'A' is pronounced as 'O'as in sond (sand), hond (hand) and mon (man).Other pronunciations are 'winder' for window, 'fer' for far, and 'loff' for laugh - exactly as Chaucer's English was spoken. This "dictionary" is Black Country in general and not particularly Sedgley in origin. Local dialect was (and probably still is to a lesser degree) quite distinctive between the different towns and villages of the Black Country.

Dialect Word

Meaning

Ackidock

aqueduct

Agen

again

Airk

as in belly ache, stomach ache etc.

Ait

eat

Aks(axe)

ask

Anunst

against, next to, eg "The housen anunst
hisen"

Ar

Yes as in "Ar I am"

Ay or A

haven't or isn't.
"Is it just the way we speak or lazyness
which enables us to phase an entire
sentence in single letters such as
I A A I (I haven't, have I)."

Babby

Baby

Backerds (backeds)

Backwards

Barly

a truce. Sometimes "Arley-Barly"
is used. (Possibly a corruption from
the French "Parlez" to talk?)

the Baggies

West Bromwich Albion Football Club

Bai or bay

am not, eg "I bay gooin' ter tell yow
agen"

Bally

Belly, stomach

Bamboozle

puzzle, bemuse

Barmpot

A silly person

Barmy

Daft, silly

Bawk

hinder or confuse. Probably
from 'balk'

Bay or Baynt

am not

Beezum

a broom of birch, also playfully
used to refer to a pert young
woman

Bibble

A pebble

Bin

been, have been, are, have I bin
affirmative reply to question

Bist

are, eg "how bist yow?" = How
are you?

Bisn't

aren't, opposite of Bist. E.g. "Bisn't gooin up the shaps?" for "You're not going up the shops?"

Blaberen

to talk idly

Black Bat

Black Beetle

Bladda or Bladder

Balloon

Blart

cry - from "the bleating of sheep"

Blether

to talk nonsense or talk incessantly.
"Blether yed" blether head =
someone who talks nonsense (fool)

Blobmouth

blabbermouth eg "'Ers a right
blobmouth. Tell 'er terday, the world
knows tomorrer"

Blubren

crying, eg "Ar kids blubren agen"

Bobhowlers

Any large moth

Boffle

hinder

Bonk

bank or small hill. Pitbonk = hill made
from mine waste

Bost

broken or burst, past tense ‘Bosted’

Boster

something big or possibly something
good

Bostin

literally "bursting" but actually "very
good indeed" e.g. "We 'ad a bostin
time" or "Ers a bostin wench"

(on the) box

off work, sick

Bowk

A very large recepticle like a skip

Breffus

breakfast

Brummagem

Birmingham

Bunny-fire

bonfire

Buz

Bus

Caggy or caghanded

left-handed - all the best people are!

Cag-mag

Bad or rotting meat

Camplin

gossiping

Cant(in)

gossip(ing)

Catlick

hasty wash

Caw or cor

cannot, eg "I cor goo the'er terday"

Chawl

Pork

Chops

mouth or cheeks

Chimdy or chimly or chimbly

chimney

Chuffed

pleased

Chuck

Throw

Chuky or chooky

chicken, fowl (children's word)
also Chooky Egg

Chunter

grumble under one's breath

Clack

uvula, eg "Just stop yer clack"

Clarnet

idiot, fool. "Yo' daft clarnet!"

Clane

Clean

Clemmed or clammed

starved or hungry

Clobber

clothes or possibly to hit someone

Clomber

climb

Cocka/Cocker

mate, friend

Cockaver

a smack

Codge

a poor job, eg "He's made a right
codge of it"

Cog-nogger or Cog-nocker

Thick Sandwich (variation on Noggin)

Coddin

joking, kidding, e.g. "Goo on,
yum coddin me"

Coost

could you?, also negative "thee coosnt"

Coot

coat

Cor or cort

can't

cork-aiver or cog-winder

a good punch

Cost

can you ?, also negative "I cosn't" -
I cannot

Cotter

have no cotter with 'im (have nothing
to do with him)

Crack

fun, entertainment

Craw

crop of a bird, as in "that sticks in my craw" - I cannot believe it

Croddle

huddle together

Craunch

crunch

Cuckoo

Sweetie (affectionate term)

Cuff

a cough

Cut

canal

Cutherin'

to huddle together, Cuddling?

Dahb

daub, smear

Dare-cent

dare not

Day

did not, eg "I day see 'im comin"

Desay

dare say, very likely

Dishle

cup of tea

Ditherin'

meaning to shiver with cold,
or to hesitate.

Dock

to stop or hold back wages

Doe

do not, reply to question "I doe"

Dollop

large quantity, usually of food

Donny

hand (children's word). Possibly from theFrench "Donnez" to give?

Dowl

down, soft hair on the face

Drap

Drop

Duck

evade, dodge

Dun

Do, as in "What dun yo want?"

'E

he, pronoun used to describe the
husband or household head

Ess'ole

Fireplace. I think this may be a
corruption of 'ash hole'

Fairce

face

Faggots

Black Country dish made from pig's organs, onion, sage, bread crumbs

Fai(r)ther

father

Fettle

excellent condition

Fittle

food, victuals

Fizzog

the face

Flen

fleas

Flics

cinema

Flirter

catapult usually made from elastic
(rubber) bands

Fode

Enclosure. A back yard to a house

Forid

Forehead

Franzy

irritable, particularly fretful children

Frit

frightened, eg "doe be frit"

Frowtsy

dishevelled

Fun

found

Fust

first

Gaffer

master, employer, perhaps husband

Gain

Useful, As gain as a glass eye

Gamgee

Cotton Wool. From its inventor
Dr. Samuel Gamgee, who originally
called it "gamgee-tissue."
Dr. Gamgee was born in Birmingham.

Gammitin

playing the fool

Gammy

lame

Gamp

Umbrella (after a Dickensian character
named Mrs Gamp who always carried
a large black umbrella)

Ganzy

guernsey, jumper, cardigan

Garn

Go on

Gawby

a simpleton

Gawk

an ill dressed person, or to stare
eg "Who am yow gawkin' at ?"

Gawp

open mouthed, staring

Gleed or Glede

A cinder.

Gob

to spit, or the mouth itself,
eg "Shut yer gob" or
"'Er's got a right gob on 'er"

Goo

go, eg "Am yow gooin' ter the flics?"
= Are you going to the movies?

Graunch

"To suck a hard sweet and rattle
it in ones teeth" for example ".
..'ark at 'er, 'ers 'avin a grate time
with that sweet - graunchin' it."

Haiver

something big, eg "It's a real haiver"

Hoss road

The street. "Get out the hoss road!"
= Get out of the way!

Ivver-ovver

hesitate, eg "Stop yer ivverin' an'
ovverin' an' get on wi'it"

Jeth (jed)

death (dead)

Jiffy

brief moment, eg "E woe be a jiffy"

Joobus

suspicious, dubious

Kay-li

Sherbet powder (confectionary)

Kaylied

Drunk

Kay

Key

Kell

the lining around a faggot

Keckle

Kettle

Ketch

catch

Kissa

the face

Lamp

to beat or thrash, eg "Ee giv'
'im a right lampin'"

Larrupin' or larussin'

Also to beat or thrash, eg "Ee giv'
'im a right larrupin'"

Lather

ladder

Lather

upset or excited as "In a bit of
a lather"

Lezzer

a meadow. From the old
english Leasowe

Lickle

little

Lief

as soon as

Loff

laugh

Lommock (or lummock)

clumsy, lumbering,
eg "Yow big lommock"

Lover

common term of endearment
to children - m'lover

Lugole/Lughole

Ear or ear hole

Lungeous

play roughly, inclined to horseplay

Madden

to make wild, annoy

Maitrum

matron (of a hospital)

Maulers

hands

Maunch

to chew carefully (as with no teeth)

Maygrums

Faces as in Pullin' maygrums
= Pulling faces.

Miskin, Midden or Mixen

Rubbish heap or dustbins (garbage bin) From the Anglo-Saxon for dung

Moach or mooch

to idle about in a bored fashion or search

Mucker

confusion, e.g. "All of a mucker", can also mean a mate as in "me old mucker"

Mun

must

Myther

to bother, to irritate, or be irritated by

Nairun

none, not one

Naither

neither

Natty

tidy, neat

Niggle

to find fault in insignificant things

Node

known, eg "I've nowd 'im for 'ears"

Noggen yedded

stupid

Noggin

thick piece of bread or the head

Noo

new

Nous, Nowse

"Hav yo no nous?" meaning are

you dumb or have no intelligence

Nuss

nurse, eg Nit Nuss (checked school children
for head-lice)

Ockerd

awkward

Ode

old, eg "Th' ode lad" - the devil

Odge

push, eg "Odge up" - move up a bit

'Ommer

hammer

'Ond

hand

Ood

would

Ooman

woman

Oot

will you

Opple

Apple

Oss

horse

Ote

hold, eg "Ketch ote on it" - take hold of it

O'thatnin'

in that way

O'thisnin'

in this way

Ow

how

Owamya?

how're you?

Ow bist?

How are you?

Owern

my husband, my son, my daughter, often used by women to denote member of family, e.g. “Owern Judy”

Pail

Beat as in I'll give yo' a pailin'

Pie-can

Silly, daft as in "Yo' pie-can"

Piece

Slice of bread or a sandwich,
often spread with jam or dripping

Pikelet

Crumpet

Pisey

Spiteful

Pon

Pan, as in saucepan

Poorly

sick, ill. 'Ers proper poorly

Puk

pick, as in pick up

Pus

purse

Purler

A fall as in "cum a purler" fall down

Reasty

Off, as in food gone bad or dirty as
in "Your hands are reasty".

Rennin

Raining

Riffy

Dirty or unclean

Sad

heavy, as in bread that does not rise.

Saft

stupid, soft (in the head)

'Safta

Shortened version of "this afternoon."
eg. See ya this safta.

Saided

sated, glutted remains left after
rendering lard

Sailin'

Ceiling as in "up on the sailin"

Scrag

To beat up as in fight

Scrawmp

To have a good scratch

Scratchings

Black Country delicacy -
pork rind deep fried

Scrumpin'

pinching fruit (usually apples)
from someone's orchard

Shek, Shekin

Shake, shaking

Siden

Out of perpendicular, crooked.
See photo of the Glynne Arms,
aka The Crooked House or Siden House

Skraze

graze, scratch

Skrobble or scromble

a tangle of wool, string, and the like

Sheed

to spill a liquid

Shed

spilled/spilt

Siken

to sigh (from the Old English 'Sican' )

Spake

speak

Splod

flat-footed

Spockle

to cover with drops of moisture

Spottle

splash

Soople

to soften, make supple

Steen

stew jar or earthenware pot

Suff

sewer or drain, eg "Up the suff"
- down the drain

Suck

Sweets (candy to the Yanks,
lollies to the Aussies)

Sup

to sip, a sip, drink

Sustifikut

certificate

Swaits

sweets

Swelth

swelling

Swilker

to spill or splash

Swole

swollen

Swopson

a heavily built woman,
used in a semi-humorous sense

Tack up

improvement in the weather,
eg "It'll tack up tonight"

Tacky-bonk or Tocky-bonk

a pit mound

Tararabit

Bye for now

Taters

potatoes

Tai(tay)

tea, also "it isn't"

Tek

take

Tek after

to resemble, look like physically,
mentally, or emotionally

Tewthree

a few, two or three, always used
as a noun preceded by "a"

Thaten

that one

Thissen

this one

Thrial

group of three, used only in the
card game of Cribbage

Thrape

thrash. Give I'm a good thrapin'

Tiswas

Confused, "getting in a tiswas"

Tizzicky

having an irritating dry cough

Tittle

tickle

Tranklements

small possessions, bits and pieces,
paraphernalia, precious possessions.

Trapes

walking aimlessly about, e
g "Trapesin' in an' ott like a dog
at a fair"

Trussen

to trust

Tummy

a snack, especially a collier's
mid-morning snack

Tunky

a fat pig, eg "As fat as a tunky"

Unkyoothe

uncouth

Volve

valve

Waggin

Playing truant from School

Wag Mon

The council official employed
to round up errant children
who were "Waggin"

Wammel

Dog

Wassin

Throat. "Get it down yer
wassin" From the Old English
"wasend" meaning gullet.

Weem

We are. Eg. "Weem gooin out
tonight" - We're going out tonight.

Welly

nearly, eg "Welly clemmed to jeth"

Wench

girl, still commonly used by parents
towards daughters. From the Anglo-
Saxon "Wencel" meaning child

Werrit

Worry

Whimsey

pit head winding gear

Wick

Nerves - as in 'Yow'm gerrin'
on me wick.'

Wik

week or weak

Woa

won't, eg Yow woa

Wool

whole, often of a brick : "A wooly 'un"

Wool

will, eg Yow wool

Wurse or Wuss

Worse

Wum

home. "I'm gooin' wum"

Yamp(e)y

Useless, hopeless (as in "He's a yampy
player)

Yawle or Yaup

bawl, shout or cry loudly

Yed

head

Yo(w)

you

Yoewer

your

Zowk

yelp, cry out

Zad

the letter Z