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Original poster

What do you call wood lice?

276 replies

toots111 · 02/07/2021 20:38

There was an article in The Times today talking about the different regional names for wood lice. It said that they call them Cheesy bugs in Surrey. Now I always thought that was a very North Kent name for them and it totally threw me that other places call them that. So What do you call them and where are you from?

OP posts:
toocold54 · 02/07/2021 21:58

My mind is blown!! I never knew people called them anything other than woodlice!!

Crunchymum · 02/07/2021 21:59

Woodlice, London

WinterPeony · 02/07/2021 22:01

Pill bugs (Sussex)

GlutenFreeGingerCake · 02/07/2021 22:04

Leather jackets - Lancashire
These are normally the larvae of Daddy Long Legs

LadyCurd · 02/07/2021 22:04

Midlands- wood lice but husband (street Somerset) calls them Grampy Krugers

I think the Somerset dialect on these is the most interesting

YewandOak · 02/07/2021 22:05

Gramfers. Somerset here.

McCanne · 02/07/2021 22:08

Slaters - Glasgow.

I love the variety of regional names for them! Some of them are magic.

Munga · 02/07/2021 22:09

Cheeselogs - Essex

Kayjay2018 · 02/07/2021 22:10

@toots111 cheesy bugs (grew up in Kent now West Sussex)

aGoodHuman · 02/07/2021 22:13

Rolly Pollies (Scotland) This is what my Scottish mum (Glasgow) called them. Have lived all over the UK and haven't heard them called that anywhere else.

ElephantCup · 02/07/2021 22:21

@LadyCurd

Midlands- wood lice but husband (street Somerset) calls them Grampy Krugers

I think the Somerset dialect on these is the most interesting

I am somerset and I I call them billy baker
Joolsin · 02/07/2021 22:22

Slaters (I live in Dublin but grew up in the north/north west of Ireland)

Timeisavirtue · 02/07/2021 22:22

Wood lice - from london

ellesbellesxxx · 02/07/2021 22:23

@Graymare

Chucky pigs. Originally from Gloucestershire.
I have always called them woodlice but since living in Stroud heard them being called Chucky pigs!!! Had to double check what it was!
Millionaireinthemaking · 02/07/2021 22:23

Woodlouse. Surrey

Hadenoughofbloodycovid · 02/07/2021 22:25

Slaters-edinburgh

confusednortherner · 02/07/2021 22:29

Slaters (originally from Edinburgh) hate them as I do clipshears which I've just realised I'm not 10% sure of proper name!

TwoUpTwoDown · 02/07/2021 22:31

My mum calls them leather jackets!

DrFoxtrot · 02/07/2021 22:32

Woodlice in Lancs. I have never heard of any other names for them Confused.

NatashaAlianovaRomanova · 02/07/2021 22:32

@confusednortherner

Slaters (originally from Edinburgh) hate them as I do clipshears which I've just realised I'm not 10% sure of proper name!

Clipshears is what I call earwigs (as does everyone I know)

Wood lice are slaters here in Fife

NiceGerbil · 02/07/2021 22:37

Chooky pigs!

Don't know how to spell it.

One of my parents used that word, from where they were from. I lived in London all my life.

I had NO IDEA that wasn't what they were called here. And you don't tend to talk about them very often.

I only found out at about 43. When I was telling a friend about something. She looked a bit ??? I asked why. And that was when I found out.

FFS.

Woodlouse? No way. They'll always be chooky pigs Grin

NiceGerbil · 02/07/2021 22:38

Are there any other posters who had no idea that where they lived no one knew what the fuck they were talking about?

ginandgingers92 · 02/07/2021 22:39

Cheesy bugs! (Surrey gal)

CCSS15 · 02/07/2021 22:40

I call them woodlice but growing up were cheesybobs - I thought it was a norfolk thing but apparently its from Guildford, Surrey

o8T8o · 02/07/2021 22:42

Why has no one mentioned roll up choogiepigs (armadillidium?)

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