Regional sayings that throw others

[catherineofarrogance80]

I'm West Midlands born and bred. A few phrases or words I say to people outside of my area are met with considerable confusion. I was talking to someone about someone else who smokes a lot and said 'yes he's always got a fag on' and was asked what the hell I was on about
Any regional sayings that others would be baffled by?

I once heard a story from a friend who used to work in the railway industry, about a level crossing somewhere in Yorkshire which had no barriers - just lights, and a sign which read STOP WHILE LIGHTS FLASH.

Unfortunately, in that part of the world, WHILE means UNTIL. Go figure...

Fortunately the sign was changed before there was a serious accident.

I will yea!
Sketch
Mitch
Pog ma thoin (please ignore lack of faddas i dunno where they go).

This last one may out me as it is really local but: getting a honkey

First time working in the West Midlands, and getting directions from a colleague (pre sat-nav) days, they said to cross the island. It took me some time to work out they meant a roundabout, rather than Britain.

My uncle in South Yorkshire says island. He also uses cock and chicken as terms of endearment, and snicket for (I think) a passage between houses.

I love the variety of local expressions and dialects, the richness (and sometimes confusions) of language is a beautiful thing.

Oh also, put the delph back in the press will ya.

I remember being mildly confused by DH's family talking about taking the baby for a walk in the trolley. Eventually twigged they meant a buggy/pushchair and not a receptacle for groceries.

I'm from the East Mids and live in an East Mids city (not my home town) which is even more so; we say "he looked at me gone out" to mean "he looked at me in considerable surprise, as if he had no idea what I was saying".

A friend used to work in London (where she was known as Lisa from Xxxx*) and once used this phrase. Everyone looked at her gone out!

There are many many more including "it's siling down" (it appears to be raining rather heavily); "he's a bit mardy" (he is rather a grumpy sort of a chap); and ayergorreriwya? (Is your good lady wife accompanying you today perchance?)

*Not her real name
**The city she is from, where I live!

"My ankle just cruckled then" when your ankle kind of goes to the side and you nearly fall over, a common phrase in my old area but when I moved no one knew what I meant

Aarrgh that last one should be "Ayergorrerwiya", sorry. You need to read it out loud btw.

I see others have the same phrases yay @merryhouse they say croggy where I live now (it's Derby btw) but I (from South Lincs) call it a backy!

A Henry - in Gloucestershire thats an orange juice and lemonade.

DH (from north Lincs) uses "mafted" to mean really hot and bothered. Is that your meaning @Hopeisnotastrategy?

Loving these btw! A friend asked me the other day what I called a jitty (or ginnel maybe) - I said they don't have them where I come from (massive rural area with loads of space and every house built on half an acre of land) so I don't have a word!

I'm from Dudley, the Black Country.
My husband and in laws are only from around 20 miles away, but they couldn't get over how different I spoke compared to them. A lot of different words/phrases/pronunciations are used in the Black Country like:

Phrases
Saft (mix of daft and soft to describe a person or thing)
Are (yes) I know are (I know yeah)
I cor (I can't)
Ar bay (I'm not) Ar bay arf (I'm not half) yow bay (you're not)
I ay (also means I'm not) I ay arf, he ay, yow ay, they ay (all just means not)
I dow (I don't)^
I wor^ (I wasn't)
Peckin' arseholes (kind of equivalent to 'omg')
Ar sid (I saw)

Pronunciations
Hoss (horse)
Opple (apple)
Sailin (ceiling)
Wearta (water)
Babbi (baby)
Am ya (are you?) where am ya? / How am ya?

• Hence 'yam yam' term as you hear a lot of this.

Grammar
There's also the fact we use 'her' in place of 'she' and 'his' instead of he/he is

• Her's over there but his here, her's got a nice coat, her ay. His a nice bloke ay e

And we call everyone 'Bab' which is just friendly.^^ 😂

@WarmSausageTea

First time working in the West Midlands, and getting directions from a colleague (pre sat-nav) days, they said to cross the island. It took me some time to work out they meant a roundabout, rather than Britain.

My uncle in South Yorkshire says island. He also uses cock and chicken as terms of endearment, and snicket for (I think) a passage between houses.

I love the variety of local expressions and dialects, the richness (and sometimes confusions) of language is a beautiful thing.

Within a month of moving to the West Midlands my toddler had been encouraged to do a gambol, we were directed to turn right at the island and find someone's house near the outdoor. I hadn't a clue apart from us finally realising the island must be the roundabout. Apparently what I would call an island is a traffic island! The other tumble totters were doing forward rolls.

On the other hand,no one seemed to know what a ginnel is,or a buffet or a teacake.

I'm almost fully bilingual now

Somewhen
Anywhen
Alright Mush
I'll chav that
Down the way

Where I'm from it's a cob
Where my husbands from is a bap/roll
Where my in laws partner is from it's a batch!?

All the same thing 😂

@WarmSausageTea

First time working in the West Midlands, and getting directions from a colleague (pre sat-nav) days, they said to cross the island. It took me some time to work out they meant a roundabout, rather than Britain.

My uncle in South Yorkshire says island. He also uses cock and chicken as terms of endearment, and snicket for (I think) a passage between houses.

I love the variety of local expressions and dialects, the richness (and sometimes confusions) of language is a beautiful thing.

I completely agree! I love the accents and the colloquialisms. I find it sad in a way that its bring lost.

Where I am from playing truant is ''playing the wag''ie ''wagging off school'',
Also a turnip is a snadgy
Dirty is manky
Clamming means hungry
Scran is food, and scranning means eating
Never refer to a woman as a poor cow, you will get your face punched in.
If you have had a run of bad luck you are referred to as having a few bad paper rounds

One of my patients had delerium and shouted this charming local rhyme multiple times one night shift....

I'm Dorset born and Dorset bred,
Strong in the arm
And thick in the fuckin 'ead!!

He did recover.

Disclaimer: I'm Dorset born and very intelligent as are all my friends.

@WeatherwaxLives

I'm from Cornwall and I've no idea what any of you are on about! except fur coat and no knickers - but DGM was from Durham!

I give you dreckly, which is probably a well known one. Radger - which is very local, probably people from 20 miles away wouldn't know that one.
Pard
Stank (it's nothing to do with a smell)
Abroad

One that completely threw me when I went to Scotland, which I don't think people even realise isn't universal, was 'just now'

Down here, if something is 'just now' it's already happened - I was asked if I wanted my food 'just now' in a restaurant, I was completely stumped, I though they were asking if I'd already had it and wanted to pay! That was a confusing conversation...

I know dreckly because, well, Show Of Hands...

Penzance. Where's that to? Complicated descriptions of geography. As in out at just, over marazion and into penzance. Up the line is anywhere past Plymouth. Grockles think all that's a bit crazy.

Helluva good. Janner. I've become janner since I've been in Guz. Back along - in the past.

I often get myself up a height not sure how well known that one is. My southern friend had no clue.

Playing the nick =truanting
Plodge= paddling
Satched= soaking wet
Teemin'/hoying it down= raining heavily
Sackless = gormless
Git hellish = really good
Stott= bounce an object (hard) off another...usually a ball
Palatic= drunk
Bray = hit hard, beat up
Play war/get wrong = get told off
Brazen fond = cheeky
Femmer= fragile

Anyone recognise where Im from?

@CaptainMyCaptain

he's always got a fag on What part of Britain would this not be understood? It's not one of my everyday sayings but I would have thought it was universal.

I moved from London to near Sheffield over 30 years ago and had to learn words like mardy, manny, nesh and many more I can't remember offhand. My husband still comes up with sayings that baffle me.

Nope, never heard of it before this thread. I think I could guess what it means, but I wouldn't be sure.

I’m from South Staffs, right on the border with the Black Country and we say that we/he/she went all around they Wrekin when something goes on longer than it should’ve.

Donny/donnies meaning hand or hands - have you washed your donnies?

My friend in Yorkshire told me they'd had a fuddle at her work. I was !

@FoxyTheFox

Yes! North east!

See!

"A went plodgin' in the burn and got wrong off me mam!"