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