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Pardon?? (Update: some have been done)
A brief exchange between myself and Whatsisface utterly confused Keith-Kid, the poor bairn.
That reminded me that, as well as the language confusion between English and American (we walk on pavements, you drive on them), there is a deeper, older division.
I am from Cumberland. It's "Cumbria" now, but it's old - many of the town names are Icelandic and Viking in origin. Parts of the county were so insular that neighbouring valleys had different languages. The town of my birth is Workington - the name translates as "The town of the people of Worca" - the town, and the land around it, were a small tribal state, ruled by King Worca.
So, I thought I'd lay down a little challenge.
What do you think these traditional Cumbrian dialect words mean?
Google if you must, but you're probably wasting your time...
That reminded me that, as well as the language confusion between English and American (we walk on pavements, you drive on them), there is a deeper, older division.
I am from Cumberland. It's "Cumbria" now, but it's old - many of the town names are Icelandic and Viking in origin. Parts of the county were so insular that neighbouring valleys had different languages. The town of my birth is Workington - the name translates as "The town of the people of Worca" - the town, and the land around it, were a small tribal state, ruled by King Worca.
So, I thought I'd lay down a little challenge.
What do you think these traditional Cumbrian dialect words mean?
Google if you must, but you're probably wasting your time...
- Thissen - yourself, you
- Sneck
- Shillies
- Hag worm
- Segs
- Scrunt
- Tupping
- Uppies and downies - Traditional precursor to football. Played at Easter.
- Whisht - Quiet, be quiet - "Haud your whisht", Be quiet.
- Tod - Fox. You can also be "on your tod" = alone.
Discussions
11 years ago
Tod meaning to be on your tod?
Reply 11 years ago
Same meaning as To be on your Bill, Billy No mates.
Reply 11 years ago
Point to that man!
Eight to go...
Reply 11 years ago
I forgot - alone is the English translation. There's an older meaning, from which "alone" was taken.
Reply 11 years ago
I just realised alone is comprised of a and lone, as in a lone person.
I'm smart, really I am
and I can ride my bike fast.
Reply 11 years ago
You're getting close - what animal is known for wandering around, alone?
Reply 11 years ago
Wolf.
Ranger
Reply 11 years ago
No wolves in Cumberland for a few centuries...
Reply 11 years ago
Then ranger it is.
Reply 11 years ago
You were closer with wolf...
Reply 11 years ago
Wordsworth.
Reply 11 years ago
Come on, you must get it, you're a teacher.
Reply 11 years ago
But not an English teacher. It's nothing to do with daffodils, try John Peel instead.
Reply 11 years ago
So you didn't get the reference? I wandered lonely as a cloud... etc?
Reply 11 years ago
It's not cloud, either. You were definitely much closer when you thought "wolf".
Reply 11 years ago
Cat? wild cat.
Reply 11 years ago
Colder...
Reply 11 years ago
Er...fox? As in the picture?
Reply 11 years ago
He shoots, he eventually scores!
Reply 11 years ago
Ah, but what is a tod when one is on it?
11 years ago
What's a bairn? *shame*
Reply 11 years ago
A youngling.
11 years ago
kite...you do know that you're single handedly ruining the internet by actually putting something educational on it right? someone post some porn to equalize the balance....QUICK! Thissen would be yourself?
Reply 11 years ago
Correct!
(Did you google?)
As for porn, I suppose one of those words could be taken as rude. Or fun, if you're a sheep.
Reply 11 years ago
i can honestly say i didn't google....
i did go to http://www.worldwidewords.org/index.htm though hehehe
came up in the definition for attercop
http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-att1.htm
"Tha’ won’t go in cos’ of an attercop? Tha’s an attercop thissen!”. [tha: you; thissen: yourself.]
"
Reply 11 years ago
hmmm that didn't post right...stupid auto formatting " “Tha’ won’t go in cos’ of an attercop? Tha’s an attercop thissen!”. ~tha: you; thissen: yourself.~ ""
Reply 11 years ago
LOL
Reply 11 years ago
hehe yeah i'd defy anyone to translate that last quote from me about the attercop if i hadn't posted the link to WWWords
Reply 11 years ago
I like the extension - cross-grained people. I know a couple of people like that on this site...
11 years ago
Uppies and downies
elevator?
Reply 11 years ago
Uppies and downies is a lot older than elevators!
Reply 11 years ago
dumbwaiter ?
Reply 11 years ago
Way off track...
Reply 11 years ago
:( *sob*
Reply 11 years ago
does it happen to be a historical version of football, dating to Medieval times. all hail the power of teh googlez.
Reply 11 years ago
On the nose!
Up and Down being directions in a town on a hill. There are no limits on team-size, and matches sometimes last late into the night (the match ends with the first goal), with the ball sometimes only moving inches at a time in the centre of a giant scrum.
11 years ago
Uppies and downies Referring to the social ladder?
Reply 11 years ago
Certainly a social phenomenon, but wholly working class.
11 years ago
Segs - A two wheeled method of transportation?
Kite, do you guys have an oil well in your back yard?
Reply 11 years ago
Last kind of Cumberland Farm I heard of made Cumberland Sausage.
Reply 11 years ago
The best Cumberland Sausages come from Haigh's butchers.
Reply 11 years ago
Segs are vaguely connected to transport...
Cumberland Farms is just a distributor - I think they may have started as a cooperative.
11 years ago
LOL at the keywords!
11 years ago
Thissen
This one? 'kay, that was probably a total failure.
Reply 11 years ago
Nah, you must be confusing Cumbria with the American South.
Reply 11 years ago
This'n, meaning "this one" is just modern laziness.
Thissen is pronounced thi-sen - slight emphasis on the second syllable.
11 years ago
Whisht
Shut up (or be quiet)
=D
Reply 11 years ago
You googled!
Reply 11 years ago
Did not! I don't live in Scotland for nothing!
Reply 11 years ago
So I've heard ;-)