Wakefield Family History Sharing

 

Local Slang (more to come)

 

If you know any slag words that are from the area let me know

Words

Slang Explanation
‘od

hold ‘ Cop ‘od ov it'

'Arf baked A siumpleton or could be used as 'Well that's an arf baked idea' - a not very good idea or suggestion
Alike Similar
Allus Always
Amongam Amongst them, in the group of people
Appen Perhaps, maybe
Aye Yes
Backend The back end of the year, Autumn
Backword To give backword, call off engagement
Bad 'un No good ‘he's a bad ‘un'
Badger To persist for information. Also a dealer in flour or meal
Bagsey A childhood term - 'Bagsey my turn first',
Bally thing

Mild curse ‘Bally thing won't work'

Barmpot A stupid or idiotic person
Beast Cow / cattle
Beggar me I don't believe it an exclamation
Bide I can't bide him
Billio

Doing something with gusto as in ‘Run like billio'

Blaggin To go bramble collecting. Blaggin is also used as a term for people who are bragging about themselves.
Bleb A spot or blister
Blinkin' 'That blinkin thing'
Blubberin Crying
Blue murder Big trouble, ‘He'll be playing blue murder with you'
Bob A pre-decimal coin, the shilling. Also to 'bob in' to call in on someone, visit. Also to offer a quick punch - a bob on the nose
Bobbin A reel of cotton
Bonce Head
Bonny Pretty
Booit A Boot. Can also be used in an expression where people are 'sacked' no longer needed in their employment 'to get the booit' - sacked
Brat A noisy, unpleasant, unruly child
Brain box Very clever
Brass Money
Brock A badger
Brussen A brussen person is someone who is thought to be a bit "forward" or thinks they are "something special"!. Can also mean someone who is a bit of a rough character.
Buffit A stool
Butterfingers A clumsy person also someone who cannot catch
By gum 'O goodness' or My God. As in the term 'eeh ba Gum' Oh my God
By jingo An exclamation. 'Well I never'
Callin To talk, gossip. 'Callin to neighbours'
Capt

Surprised,astonished ‘I'm capt to see you'

Carry on Surprised, asthonished 'What a carry on'
Champion Great 'Thats champion'
Chelp(ing) To talk loudly. 'Stop chelping' - stop the back chat, being cheaky to parents/adults
Chomping Collecting wood for the bonfire
Chuffed Pleased, excited, proud of an event, person or even yourself
Chunter A moaner/grumbler 'To chunter on'. Chunterer, one who continues to ramble on after the event/conversation is over.
Clever clogs or Clever dick A know it all kind of person
Contraption A piece of machinery.
Courtin' Going out with the same girl/boy on a regular basis - 'going'steady'
Coyl 'oyl The coal cellar or place where coal was kept
Creed To cook rice in a small amount of water before adding milk/cream when making a traditional rice pudding
Daft Stupid, daft 'as a brush'
Delve To dig or search for something
Din Noise
Doff To take your cap/hat off. 'to doff your cap'
Egg on To encourage someone to do something, usually refers to mischief
Famished Hungry but nearly always embellished to suggest starving when that is not the case
Fettling To tidy up, clear away
Fibbin' Telling lies
First fooit The first person over the threshold on NewYears Day. By tradition the person should be dark haired and bring coal and bread with a pinch or salt, the household will have plenty of warmth, food and health. The house in return should offer their hospitality.
Flaggin, flagged Tired, worn out
Flippin' heck An exclamation of surprise or shock
Fond A liking for 'fond of spogs'.
Fowk Folk
Friggin' A curse 'friggin 'ell'
Gaffer The Boss
Galivant To travel, to visit lots of places or go away often
Gassing To talk
Gawk To stare 'what you gawkin at?'
Gear Clothes
Ginnel Narrow path between buildings/fences/walls
Giz, Gizzyer, Gizza Give, Give me your, Give me (us) a example 'gizza spog' - give me a sweet ; 'gizyer spogs' - give me your sweets ; 'gizza crog' - give me a lift on your bike
Goat (acting the) Playing around, acting foolishly
Go blue Get mac 'she'll go blue wi' you'
Goosegog Gooseberry
Gormless Silly, careless
Grand Good, great. 'Thats reeit grand, that is'
Gunna Going to. 'Ya gunna go shoppin' - Are you going shopping
Int' In the. 'Int th' cellar'
Jammy Very lucky. 'Jammy beggar'
Jiggered Tired, exhausted
Jock Food, lunch
Joker Nuisance, liar
Kak handed Left handed or a clumsy person
Kali (kayli) Sherbert. Was either dipped with licuorice or your finger
Kid To lead on, tell a fib. 'He's kiddin me'
Kindlin Firewood
Knockerupper A person who was paid to make sure people who started work early knew the time
Knocking off time End of work, home time
Kwak A fake or poor doctor. In past times was used for people who we now call 'complimentary therapists'
Lacadazical Lazy, dreamy, in a world of their own
Laik To play out. 'To laik art'
Lark 'to lark about' to play
Lig(gin) To lay 'to lig in bed' - to stay in bed long past when you should be up'
Livestockq Mice / vermin
Loopy Daft
Lug Your ear
Mackers stones
Manky Not very nice, unpleasant
Mashin' When making tea, leaving the leaves to soak for a while in the boiling water. ‘I've just mashed yer tea'
Midden The outside toilet, when people still had them
Middlin Average 'fair to middlin', okay
Mind Watch out 'Mind yer head'
Nesh Cold
Nin com poop Fool. 'Yer a right nin com poop, you are!'
Nithered Very cold, freezing
Nobbut Nothing but - 'Its norbutt thunder'
Nous Sense - 'Use tha nous'
Nowt Nothing
Owt Anything
Oyk To lift up for example to 'oyk up yer leg' - lift up your leg
Pikelet A crumpet
Pine Yearn for
Plot neet Bonfire Night, November 5th
Pogged To be full after eating ; to have eaten too much ; to be overfull
Poor show Went badly
Pop A soft drink. Also used to 'to play pop' tell someone off
Reek To smell, badly
Reet right
Romancin' Fibbing, embellishing the truth
Rue To regret. 'You'll rue the day'
Rum job A bad thing
Scallywag A naughty, mischievous child
Shank's Pony

To go by Shank's pony, is to walk

Slammed up Tidy up, make sure all is put away
Scrumping Collecting apples from other people gardens/orchards - taking without consent
Scryking To cry
Skeg To look at. 'tek a skeg o're that' - take a look at that; 'gizza skeg' - let me have a look
Skin you 'I'll skin you alive'. You are in deep trouble
Skullery A small kitchen area
Sling, slinging To throw, throwing
Snek A door catch 'put the snek on' - close the door
Snicket Alley way, footpath, back alley
Spice Sweets
Spog (s) Sweets
Spoggies Sparrows. example 'stop slinging mackers at the spoggies' - stop throwing stones at the sparrows
Stalled Fed up, bored
Starve To be hungry 'I'm half starvin'
Starved To be cold ‘You'll be starved without yer at' or 'You'll be half starved in this weather'
Summat Something. 'Summat up?'
Sup To drink. 'Sup ya tea and shut up'
Tackle Tools, equipment
Tarra Goodbye
Teem To pour 'teem that milk out' - pour out the milk. Also to rain heavy 'its teeming down'
Think on Remember what's been said
Thissen Yourself
Tickled pink Highly amused
Titfer A hat ' titfer tat'
Topcoit An overcoat
Tors Marbles - a childrens game
Touched A simple person
Trunklement(s) 'any other items, not specified' a
friend of mine uses the word for her possessions or clutter. It is sometimes can be found in old wills instead of itemising lots of small items the following was used 'and all my trunklements'
Ummer Bother, big trouble 'Blumin ummer'
us  
Warna Worse than
Watter Water, also known as 'Corporation pop'
Wick Full of energy, fast
Yonder Over there 'o'er yonder'

Sayings

Saying Pronounced Explanation
As 'appy as Larry   Said to mean a happy person, but can also in the opposite context means a miserable person. Being in the situation and knowing who the term is said about and who is saying the phrase, the context would be obvious
'assock o'er suplas   Hassock over surplus means falling, stumbling, to trip over. The hassock being a kneeling mat/cushion in churches and a surplus is part of a clergymans dress - and in the saying you can imagine a vicars legs going in the air and his 'uniform' following.
Best bib and tucker   To get dressed up for a special occasion
E's not backard at cummin forrad   A pushy, person. Someone who wishes to have their point put forward, nevermind anyone else.
Fair t'middlin   Fair, even - not at either end of one persons reason. In the middle, fair to all, even!
Happy as a sandboy   A child enjoing themselves
'Appy as a pig in muck   Very happy, content with oneself
Its lak Briggate 'ere   Briggate, Leeds is a very busy street, hence using Briggate to say somewhere is crowded. Could be used for either a house, shop or outside place
Living over the brush   An unmarried couple living together
     
More brass na brains   More money than sence. To spend on silly or extravagant things unecessarily
Nine shilling short of a ten bob note   Said about a person who is a little on the simple side or not understanding the situation
Not enough to room swing a cat   A small space, cramped or crowded
Od thi 'osses   Stop what you are doing/saying, slow down, take it easy
Pop yer clogs   When you pop your clogs - you die
Put t'wood in t'oil put twood in toyle Close the door
Tipple over tipple tales   A backward summersault or flip
Were ya born in a fild   Were you born in a field basically means you've left the door open - close it. The answer to that is yes !! - Wakefield or any other town ending in field.
Where thas muck thas brass   Possible explanation. People who handled brass get very dirty and foundry owners were wealthy. Also brass is a term for money
Westgate Drift   A local term for the employment exchange that used to be on Westgate/Back Lane. When asked where you worked you answered Westgate Drift - locals knew you were unemployed, strangers were led to believe you were employed at the local 'pit'

 

A little ditty about 'Bob'
If your Bob dosn't gi' our Bob that Bob that your Bob owes our Bob, our Bob is gunna gi' your Bob a bob on the nose !!!!

 

Translation
If your Robert does not give our Robert that shilling that he owes him, our Robert will hit your Robert on the nose !!!

 

Contributers to this list include :-    My father Mr C. Wilkinson, Wakefieldfhs mailing list subscribers, Cathryn Denby

carol[at]wakefieldfhs.org.uk

(cut and paste this into your email programme and replace the [at] with a @ )

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