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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:
LalalalalalaLand123 · 03/07/2021 00:38

Monkey peas (Kent)

PickAChew · 03/07/2021 00:39

Woodlice.

Never heard another name for them.

Tulips15 · 03/07/2021 00:41

'Earwigs'
No idea why, think this may be a name I made up as a child (West Wales)

Feelbetterforthat · 03/07/2021 00:47

Crawly bakers - Dorset

dementedpixie · 03/07/2021 00:54

@Tulips15

'Earwigs' No idea why, think this may be a name I made up as a child (West Wales)
What do you call actual earwigs then?
Friendofdennis · 03/07/2021 00:58

Granny greys. Wales

ImprobablePuffin · 03/07/2021 01:00

I've never heard a single other name for them other than woodlouse. I must be very sheltered.
(Kent/London/Surrey borders)

Friendofdennis · 03/07/2021 01:06

I thought everyone called them granny greys

StarryGazeyEyes · 03/07/2021 01:36

Chucky Pigs (Somerset) and also Baby Armadillos (an All Creatures Great And Small Reference - old gimmer)

LadyEloise · 03/07/2021 01:56

Wood Lice Dublin

fantasmasgoria1 · 03/07/2021 02:05

Woodlice. My late grandfather who was born in 1912 called them German helmets. I don't know why. I have always called them woodlice and so did my parents and sibling.

ImitatingAdulthood · 03/07/2021 02:11

Only ever known them as woodlice - London

Giggorata · 03/07/2021 02:29

Monkey peas when we were kids (SE) but later on the DC started calling them wood licences, and it stuck.

MrsDThomas · 03/07/2021 08:22

The picture on page one - I’m in north wales and call them “pryfaid lludw”.

They are definitely not “moch coed” as they are pinecones.

Starryskiesinthesky · 03/07/2021 08:26

Slaters. Edinburgh.

crossstitchingnana · 03/07/2021 08:28

Sew bugs-Suffolk

RamsayBoltonsConscience · 03/07/2021 08:39

We used to call them grannies (Wales)

Patup5 · 03/07/2021 08:46

Penny sows

Reloxa · 03/07/2021 09:51

Woodlice - from Essex/London. Had no idea there were so many names for them.

ShowOfHands · 03/07/2021 10:04

My entire family calls them moldy warps and I never knew any different growing up. I did Google it a few years ago and found out that a moldy warp is actually a mole.

lobsterkiller · 03/07/2021 10:05

Wood lice. Yorkshire.

bruffin · 03/07/2021 10:16

wood lice, london

inappropriateraspberry · 03/07/2021 10:19

Chucky pigs (also Somerset!)

flowerpotmike · 03/07/2021 11:49

Growing up my Dad called them gramfers or gramfer gravies. Sometimes Grandfathers. He was from Bristol.
Round here ( glos) everyone calls them chucky pigs.
I have a friend from Bucks who calls them oddy doddies.

HeronLanyon · 03/07/2021 11:53

Great map classica
Wood lice - London.
Once woke up in a Cornish beach property and there were thousands up on the ceiling - don’t mind a few here or there but that was awful. Would have been even worse if I had thought ‘omg sow pigs’. We left early that morning. Couldn’t face another night.