"Ow We Spake" The Dialect of The Black CountryThe dialect of the 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 particular to one area. Local dialect was (and probably still is to a lesser degree) quite distinctive between the different towns and villages of the Black Country. Older residents reckoned that they could tell which village that a person came from by the way they spoke. This has probably changed today due to the greater mobility of people. |
|
Dialect word | Meaning |
Ackidock | aqueduct |
Agen | again |
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. |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Babby | baby |
Barly | a truce. Sometimes Arley-Barly is used. (Possibly a corruption from the French "Parlez" to talk?) |
the Baggies | West Bromwich Albion Football Club (not very good!) |
Bai(bay) | am not, eg "I bay gooin' ter tell yow agen" |
Bamboozle | puzzle, bemuse |
Barmpot | A silly person |
Barmy | Daft, silly |
Bawk | hinder or confuse |
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" |
Blaberen | to talk idly |
Blart | cry - from "the bleating of sheep" |
Blether | to talk nonsense or talk incessantly |
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 |
Bost | broken or burst, past tense Bosted |
Boster | something big or possibly something good |
Bostin | literally "bursting" but actually "very good indeed" eg "We 'ad a bostin time" or "Ers a bostin wench" |
Breffus | breakfast |
Brummagem | Birmingham |
Bunny-fire | bonfire |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Caggy or caghanded | left-handed (all the best people are!) |
Cag-mag | gossip |
Camplin | gossiping |
Catlick | hasty wash |
Caw(cor) | cannot, eg "I cor goo the'er terday" |
Chops | mouth |
Chimdy or chimly | chimney |
Chuffed | pleased |
Chuky or chooky | chicken, fowl (children's word) |
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 |
Clobber | clothes or possibly to hit someone |
Clomber | climb |
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, eg "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 |
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) |
Cut | canal |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Dahb | daub, smear |
Day | did not, eg "I day see 'im comin" |
Desay | dare say, very likely |
Dishle | cup of tea |
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 a corruption from the French "Donnez" to give? |
Dowl | down, soft hair on the face |
Drap | drop |
Duck | evade, dodge |
Dun | Do, as in "What dun yo want?" |
Dialect word | Meaning |
'E | he, pronoun used to describe the husband or household head |
Dialect word | Meaning |
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 | Fold or enclosure. A back yard to a house |
Franzy | irritable, particularly fretful children |
Frit | frightened, eg "doe be frit" |
Frowtsy | dishevelled |
Fun | found |
Fust | first |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Gaffer | master, employer, perhaps husband |
Gammitin | playing the fool |
Gammy | lame |
Ganzy | guernsey, jumper, cardigan |
Gawby | a simpleton |
Gawk | an ill dressed person, or to stare, eg "Who am yow gawkin' at ?" |
Gawp(gorp) | open mouthed, staring |
Gleed | 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 ?" |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Haiver | something big, eg "It's a real haiver" |
Hoss road | The street. "Get out the hoss road!" = Get out of the way! |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Ivver-ovver | hesitate, eg "Stop yer ivverin' an' ovverin' an' get on wi'it" |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Jeth(jed) | death (dead) |
Jiffy | brief moment, eg "E woe be a jiffy" |
Joobus | suspicious, dubious |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Kay-li | Sherbet powder (confectionary) |
Kaylied | Drunk |
Kay | Key |
Kell | the lining around a faggot |
Keckle | Kettle |
Ketch | catch |
Kissa | the face |
Dialect word | Meaning |
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 |
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 |
Lungeous | play roughly, inclined to horseplay |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Madden | to make wild, annoy |
Maitrum | matron (of a hospital) |
Maulers | hands |
Maunch | to chew carefully (as with no teeth) |
Miskin or Mixen | Rubbish heap or dustbins (garbage bin) |
Moach or mooch | to idle about in a bored fashion or search |
Mucker | confusion, eg "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 |
Dialect word | Meaning |
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 |
Nuss | nurse, eg Nit Nuss (checked school children for head-lice) |
Dialect word | Meaning |
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 |
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 |
Owern | my husband, my son, my daughter, often used by women to denote member of family |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Pie-can | Silly, daft as in "Yo' pie-can" |
Piece | Slice of bread or a sandwich, often spread with jam or dripping |
Pon | Pan, as in saucepan |
Poorly | sick, ill. 'Ers proper poorly |
Pus | purse |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Reasty | Off, as in food gone bad or dirty as in "Your hands are reasty". |
Riffy | Dirty or unclean |
Dialect word | Meaning |
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 |
Scratchings | Black Country delicacy - pork rind deep fried |
Scrumpin' | pinching fruit (usually apples) from someone's orchard |
Siden | Out of perpendicular, crooked. |
Skraze | graze, scratch |
Skrobble or scromble | a tangle of wool, string, and the like |
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 |
Swelth | swelling |
Swilker | to spill or splash |
Swole | swollen |
Swopson | a heavily built woman, used in a semi-humorous sense |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Tack up | improvement in the weather, eg "It'll tack up tonight" |
Tacky-bonk or Tocky-bonk | a pit mound |
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 |
Thrope | thrash |
Tizzicky | having an irritating dry cough |
Tittle | tickle |
Tranklements | small possessions, bits and pieces, paraphernalia |
Trapes | walking aimlessly about, eg "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" |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Unkyoothe | uncouth |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Volve | valve |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Wammel | dog |
Welly | nearly, eg "Welly clemmed to jeth" |
Wench | girl, still commonly used by parents towards daughters |
Werrit | worry |
Whimsey | pit head winding gear |
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(whum) | home. "I'm gooin' wum" |
Dialect word | Meaning |
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 |
Dialect word | Meaning |
Zowk | yelp, cry out |
Zad | the letter Z |
See also 'Black Country Sayings'
Pearson/Rowley/Parrish/Batham/Gauden
Steve Pearson
PO Box 2483, Dudley, West Midlands, England, DY2 0YH
Tel: +44 (0)1384 571244 E-mail: Steve Pearson
©S Pearson 2002