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Original poster

UK regional variations - What ^don't^ you get about the area you moved to?

142 replies

hockeymum · 11/10/2006 10:37

Following on from the other living overseas thread. I thought I'd start one about regional differences. No flaming!!

Moved from Hampshire to Cardiff. I don't get...

"half an half" on Indian Menus, even the good ones, who has chips with curry?

The Word DAP. It means:-
about my dap - about my build
pair of daps - pair of trainers
set of daps - set of tyres for the car

Saying "Cheer Drive" to the taxi driver, bus driver. I wouldn't like to be called by my profession.

"Alright But!" as a greeting.

Rightyho then, add your regions and your funnies here....

OP posts:
Lio · 11/10/2006 12:08

Behaviour rather than language:

Have moved only 20 miles up the A1, but the difference is staggering:

  1. Loads more very fat people.
  2. Loads more bared flesh.
  3. More people than not smoking over their pushchairs.
evilanniedividedin2byalargeaxe · 11/10/2006 12:08

Yes Libra, that is a Scottish thing. I remember being asked it, and replied 'at home', and getting a very puzzled look in return!

Original poster
hockeymum · 11/10/2006 12:08

oh yes and you don't have a cuddle you have a "cwtch" and you definitely don't squat down for a pee you "coopie down"

OP posts:
WelshBorisKarloff · 11/10/2006 12:13

awwww cwtches are lovely

HalloweenSucks · 11/10/2006 12:13

This Northern propensity to say ?9 while 5? drives me nuts. 9 while 5 what? 9 fiddled while 5 burned? I worked in Sheffield for 3 years and nearly killed several colleagues. You mean until!

My parents are from Derbyshire so brought me up to say ?pikelet? instead of crumpet and they pronounce tongue ?tong? (with a long vowel sound) instead of the generally accepted and shorter ?tung?.

ProfYaffle I live in Norfolk too and they speak a different language. Nobody says have or haven?t it?s ?ha? or ?hent?, ladybirds are called something like bishy barnabys and the word now is randomly inserted into sentences ie ?are you now leaving?? or ?I?m now going?. And boy as a term of endearment (often shortened to ?b?)? Odd!

Dottydot · 11/10/2006 12:20

When I first moved to London from Manchester I couldn't believe that (a) the person in my local chippy looked completely baffled when I asked for a "chip barm" and (b) that London chippys don't do chips and gravy - they do chips and curry sauce - bleugh!

Chips and gravy is one of the true joys of being back up North!

Molesworth · 11/10/2006 12:24

When I moved to Carlisle (from Essex) I was astounded that there were no fish and chip shops (fish and chips were produced by chinese takeaways) and that the menu consisted of "fish supper" - you couldn't pick from cod, haddock, plaice etc

evilanniedividedin2byalargeaxe · 11/10/2006 12:25

You're right dotty, as a Southerner it took me a while to get used to chips and gravy. I also liked the 'puddings' you get in chippies up there, sort of little meat suet/teamed puddings. Very nice. A fair enough replacement for none of the chippies in Lancaster doing pineapple fritters or skate!

(also, they don't know what you mean if you ask for 'rock and chips' up north!!)

evilanniedividedin2byalargeaxe · 11/10/2006 12:25

x posted molesworth! Yes, I was surprised at that, you just ask for 'fish and chips', no choice of fish!

ProfYaffle · 11/10/2006 12:26

Oh yes, HS, definately different language. I believe the correct term for a wasp down here is a jasper? They also seem to remove all the consonants from 'hour' reducing it to a kind of 'ahhhh' sound.

UnquietDad · 11/10/2006 12:26

Oh yes, burly blokes calling each other "love"...

"Summink" etc - reminds me of "got another think coming", which I've seen debated endlessly - as if people think there is such an expression. Its "another THING", dammit!!!!

UnquietDad · 11/10/2006 12:26

it's.

dizzybint · 11/10/2006 12:29

moved to yorkshire when i graduated...totally different world! previously lived in cumbria and lancashire. i was totally confused when it was someone's birthday at work and lots of people said they'd bring buns in. i wondered why people would want to eat bread rolls for a birthday. of course buns means fairy cakes here.

evilanniedividedin2byalargeaxe · 11/10/2006 12:30

But to me dizzybint, a bun is something with currants in and a cherry on top! Hence my concern when offered a chip bun in Lancashire!

Molesworth · 11/10/2006 12:34
CheesyFeetcomingtoGETyou · 11/10/2006 12:39

I miss chip barms

You can get chip butties here but it isn't the same.

They don't do meat & potato pies in chippies here either. There was one that did, but they stopped as I was the only person in Boston who ever bought one.

Meat & potato pie, chips & gravy. Mmmmmmmmmm.

UnquietDad · 11/10/2006 12:39

Oh go on, because I genuinely CAN'T understand why anyone thinks it's think! In fact, if you imagine it's think, you've got another thing coming!

Molesworth · 11/10/2006 12:41

but the saying goes "if you think that, you've got another think coming" - now I know that doesn't make sense, but it makes more sense than "if you think that, you've got another thing coming" - at least the "think" version has a sort of internal logic to it!

HalloweenSucks · 11/10/2006 12:45
HalloweenSucks · 11/10/2006 12:46

You caved!

UnquietDad · 11/10/2006 12:46

It has no logic to it at all!

A "think" is a protracted period of pensiveness; "I'll have a think about that" I could understand entirely if it were "... you've got another THOUGHT coming." But it's not.

Consider
me to DD; "If you think I'm picking up all your mess you've got another thing coming."
DD's wrong assumption about what's coming, i.e tnat I'm tidying up after her, is one "thing", and the "other thing" is what's actually coming, i.e. the situation where I'm not picking up DD's mess.

Molesworth · 11/10/2006 12:47

"think" is definitely right

so ner

"If you think that, you have another think coming" means "You are mistaken and will soon have to alter your opinion". This is now sometimes heard with "thing" in place of "think", but "think" is the older version. Eric Partridge, in A Dictionary of Catch Phrases, gives the phrase as "you have another guess coming", "US: since the 1920s, if not a decade or two earlier". Clearly "think" is closer to "guess" than "thing" is. The OED gives a citation with "think" from 1937, and no evidence for "thing". Merriam-Webster Editorial Department writes: "When an informal poll was conducted here at Merriam-Webster, about 60% of our editors favored 'thing' over 'think,' a result that runs counter to our written evidence."

HalloweenSucks · 11/10/2006 12:47

And she's right, it's a terrible saying either way and makes little sense but our version has an internal logic.

Molesworth · 11/10/2006 12:49

The point is, it's deliberately ungrammatical UQD

UnquietDad · 11/10/2006 12:52

It would only be "think" if it were intended to be a play on words. "Think" has just come about because of the /ng/ of "thing" being palatised in the back of the throat and almost swallowed, as when people say "somethink" and "nuffink".

I lump this in with other screamers like "your not coming" and "there books".