Spell or splinter

[Itshotoutthere]

When I told someone I had a spell in my finger, it sparked a debate, is the correct term a sprinter or a spell?

Generations of Scots kids grew up with this poem

You’ve hurt your finger? Puir wee man!
Your pinkie? Deary me!
Noo, juist you haud it that wey till
I get my specs and see!
My, so it is – and there’s the skelf!
Noo, dinna greet nae mair.
See there – my needle’s gotten’t out!
I’m sure that wasna sair?
And noo, to make it hale the morn,
Put on a wee bit saw,
And tie a Bonnie hankie roun’t
Noo, there na – rin awa’!
Your finger sair ana’? Ye rogue,
You’re only lettin’ on.
Weel, weel, then – see noo, there ye are,
Row’d up the same as John!

Lancs here and it’s splinter but family all Yorkshire and spell sometimes used by them

Never heard of some of these, always a splinter to me. Good new words for my scrabble playing!

Brilliant!

Spelk!

Brought up on Teesside. Always a spelk.

The newspaper fire starter was a spill for us.

SameToo · Today 22:18

My dad lives near Huntingdon and I was walking the dog there. Some other dog were out and we did the canny dog, what's she called? thing.

Mine's Daisy, after a few rounds of me going "Daisy" and them going "Dizzy?" I said "Daayzee," in a cod Cockney accent.

"Oh, DAISY," they said.

Yes, a wean is a child. When I lived in the South of England I'm sure a good percentage of my colleagues thought my DS was called Wayne because I was always talking about 'the wean' 😁

I’d call it a spell

Same but I'm 41!

East Midlands here - I've only ever heard the word splinter to describe a small 'shard' of typically wood but could be glass/metal. I'm assuming that's what we're talking about

I usually say splinter, but I lived in Newcastle for a few years, so recognise spelk too, and use it occasionally. Never heard spell though.

Spell OR splinter. I'm in South Yorkshire

Scottish, I'd call it a skelf and understand the English translation as splinter.

Never heard spell before - everyday's a school day!

Spelk

Your finger sair ana’? Ye rogue,
You’re only lettin’ on.

what’s happening at this point in the poem (poyeem)?

Spelk

Another child is saying they have a sore finger too. They get it bandaged up the same as the first child

Quick google says spelk is old English/old Norse for splinter.

Would make sense as we have strong viking connections in the north east - bairn for child/barn Old Norse.

Spell or splinter. My mum said spell, she was Scottish.

Skelf here

Spell in old Sheffield language.

How dim do you have to be to post something on this thread like "Skelf here!" and then not say where here is?

So we've got:

Splinter - Standard English
Skelf - Scotland and Northern Ireland
Spelk - North East
Spell - Yorkshire
Shiver - "In my part of England" (helpful)

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