DIALECT AND WORD MEANINGS

[Stanley]

We have that here as well Julie but I have always heard it as 'worriting'. I think it stems from worry and can be used for that as well but when you think we still talk about a dog worrying a rat.

[Cathy]

I've just learnt a new word. Roiled.
"While visiting her doctor, her stomach roiled with nerves."
It means to make (a liquid) torbid or muddy by disturbing the sediment. Can also mean to feel or show anger.

[Stanley]

Not often used but I have come across it Cathy.
1580s, of uncertain origin, probably from Middle French rouiller "to rust, make muddy," from Old French roil "mud, muck, rust" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *robicula , from Latin robigo "rust" (see robust). An earlier borrowing of the French verb is Middle English roil "to roam or rove about" (early 14c.).

[Stanley]

See Forgotten Corners for some useful words......

[plaques]

In the defence of Boris Johnson. Comically polemical.

[Stanley]

In his case the comedy is an act to hide the rabid Tory underneath.... Never forget it.

[Stanley]

Dialect can be quite useful, sometimes in surprising ways. I remember once when I told David Moore that I was going to have to spend time in London in meetings with quite important officials in English Heritage he told me to act the Blunt Northerner and talk as broad as possible. He said that secretly the men in London were intimidated by these rough people from the North. I took his advice and it worked like a charm, I got everything I wanted and a brown paper bag to take it away.
One of the men I was dealing with was so important he had two secretaries and he quite took to me and was a very good friend and advisor over the years. I told him what David had said and he said he was quite right. He is still alive and I am still corresponding with him so it might have worked! A useful tip if you are ever in that position.....
Can any of you remember when the BBC once tried using Wilfred Pickles as a newsreader? It didn't last long, they said the Great British Public wasn't ready for national news read in a broad dialect and Wilfred refused to condescend to them.

[Bodger]

I enjoy the sound of Stephanie ? on BBC news, makes a change to hear a Northern accent, whilst on about sounds, one that we don't have any more, the "humming" of telephone wire,
An expression i do not hear now a days "cronk" as in to cronk down, ie do a squat

[Stanley]

Never heard that one Bodge.... Thrutch seems to have vanished as well....
Unfortunately we seem to lose a lot of telephone links now that we have 'improved digital communications'. There was talk at one time about a bum computer system which they couldn't change at the BBC. Could that be the reason?

[Tizer]

..one that we don't have any more, the "humming" of telephone wire..

When I was a young child we would walk through the fields and lanes at Pleasington and you could hear the `humming' of the wires. My parents had me put an ear to the poles and they use to tell me that my teddy bear at home was sending messages to me. I think they were unknowingly predicting the smartphone!

[Stanley]

There was a good 30 minute programme on R4 yesterday about the internet and how it is hidden from us. Mid morning......
I was always impressed by the sound that emanated from the very high voltage transmission lines on the pylons, you could actually hear the effect of the energy passing through.

[Cathy]

How versatile is the word "stuff"?
The word comes from Old French estoffe 'quilted material, furniture, provisions ' from estoffer 'to equip' from the Greek stuphein 'to draw together.'
That's the stuff. Meaning approval.
Stuff yourself. Mng eat heartily.
Don't give a stuff. Mng don't care.
Stuffed up. Mng blocked nose.
A stuffy person. Mng uptight.
Stuffed shirt. Mng pompous.
"Ambition should be made of sterner stuff."
. Shakespeare
I have more, do you?

[Stanley]

How about 'We're Stuffed!' as in the game is up.....

[plaques]

Becoming a generic term for everything we buy, imports etc: especially electronics and gadgets we don't really need.

[Wendyf]

Stuff was the term for any manufactured fabric at one time.

[PanBiker]

I have mentioned this before, I use stuff extensively to attach to folder names on my computers. Word Stuff, Excel Stuff. One Guy Stuff etc

[Tizer]

Have you got a Stuff Stuff folder yet?

[PanBiker]

No, but I do have one called Other Stuff.

[Tripps]

I have a folder which I have recently labelled 'Long Grass' Seems to be working OK.

[Stanley]

With a sub-folder 'Cans. Disposal of'? (I like it.....)

[Stanley]

Cheers this morning for the headline writers in the Sun. They have produced a critique of a painting depicting the Rolling Stones naked by one of the members.... Why this is interesting is that the by-line of the author is Toulouse le Plot....

[Tizer]

The one-liner weather forecast read out at 08.30 on `Today' said something like `Widespread rain and wind is envisioned'. The Radio 4 presenter quite rightly asked why the last two words were thought to be necessary. That reminds me - for some time now John Humphrys hasn't needed to ask the forecaster what `organised rain' means. I think his criticism finally got through to them!

[Stanley]

Don't get me started on the affectations adopted by people wishing to distinguish themselves from the herd. My pet hate at the moment is the peculiar inflexion being adopted by reporters and politicians which is to alter the emphasis on keywords by introducing what is almost a dwell on the first syllable. I think it's done to suggest emphasis but in effect it makes it very annoying to listen to.... All right I'm a Grumpy Old Fart.....

[Tizer]

There's a lot of that type of `stress' going on now. It's become fashionable, unfortunately.

Have we ever discussed the northern dialect word `mard' (`marred'?) used to mean soft, scared etc. If I told my gran I didn't wan to go outside because it was raining she'd say `Don't be mard'. Is the word used like this in Barlick?

[Tripps]

Is the word used like this in Barlick?

I hear it quite often from 'Uncle Jim' who lives near Preston. When a child is having a bit of what used to be described as a 'paddy' (can you still say that without terminally offending someone?) he describes it as 'having a mard'.

Perhaps we'd better use the more modern term 'meltdown'. Aren't words interesting?