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The Town of
Torbay, Newfoundland





Terms and Phrases






"Arn?" , "N'arn."
"Are there any fish?" "No, there aren't any."


Barrens
A natural dry, open area, covered with low shrubs and rocks, usually berry grounds.


Bawlin
Crying


Bight
A deep cove. "Torbay Bight"


Buddy
A reference to a person whose name you dont' know or forgot; anyone in general. "Here comes buddy."


Come ffrom away.
A person from the mainland.


Crackie
A small yappy dog. "Saucy as a crackie."


I dies at you.
You're very funny.


Faggot
A pile of half-dried cod.


Fairy Squalls
Little wind twisters that take up the dust.


Flake
A platform, made of tree limbs and thin trucks, wher the cod are spread to dry.


Flat
A small, flat-bottomed row boat.


Goowiddy
Any low shrub growing in the barrens.


Graplin
A small metal anchor with four barbs.


Handy To
Near


Jiggin
A method of catching fish with a hook and line.


Juniper
Larch or tamarack


Killick
An anchor used to moor a boat or cod trap, made from a large stone secured by four pieces of wood.


Lanch
A launch or slipway for landing boats.


Line
A cross-country road linking to a major road with a settlement.


Longer
A thin limbed fir trunk.


Mash
A marsh or log.


Mauzy
Weather that is misty, foggy and drizzly.


Outport
A small coastal community.


Pare Up or Top
To remove the limbs from the logs.


Partridgeberry
Mountain Cranberry.


Partridgeberry
Mountain Cranberry.


Puncheon
A large wooden barrel.


Right
very "It's right warm out."


Saucy
Sarcastic or bold.


Scoff
A big meal.


Some
Very or very good. "We had some scoff."


Sook
A whiney person.


Stage
A small building used to store fishing gear.


Stagehead
The outdoor platform of the stage where the fish are landed.


Stunned
Stupid


Starrigan
Fresh cut green fir.


Tolt
A high hill, usually standing alone.


Torment
To bother or pester someone.


Trap
A type of net used to catch cod.


Up Along
From the mainland.


Var
Dried fir.


Vexed
Angry or annoyed.


Waterhorse
Refers to cod on the first day it is laid on the flakes.


Warf the wood
Pile up the wood in a criss-cross fashion.


Yaffle
An arm load of dried cod.



Dictionary Of Newfoundland English



Last updated September 25, 2003.



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Shelley O'Brien
28 Doyle's & Quigley's Lane
Torbay, NF
A1K 1A7
email: shelley_obrien30@hotmail.com