DIALECT AND WORD MEANINGS

[Callunna]

[quote="belle”]... there is a 'her' in the middle of the line..[/quote]

The word ‘her' is right I think, as you wouldn’t say in non-dialect "They'd bring she a ribbon...”

[Callunna]

Used 'mither' this morning in a post. We've covered it before but it occurred to me that there is a holding called Mither Close in Bracewell to the west of Stock. I wonder what that is rooted in.

Interesting, as “mither” seems to be more mid-Lancashire/Manchester and I only heard it when I went there to college. Up to then I’d always said “moither” or more phonetically “moider” in my part of Barlick. It was used in the sense of being bothered, pestered, irritated or anxious. TV’s Coronation Street has probably introduced “mither" to a wider audience.

A similar word meaning is ‘oyn’ but this is more to do with annoying than upsetting, at least that’s how I’ve always used it.

[Belle]

Yes Cally that's what I was getting at.

[Bradders Bluesinger]

There is a subtle difference between "Moither " and "Myther" when used in conversation , but I'm blowed if I can explain it ..!
PS "Blowed".....discuss , maybe

[Stanley]

Brad, euphemism for a swear word?

[Bradders Bluesinger]

Yes Stanley .....Probably !
You mentioned "...not burned, it's well done " on the ..."for Tea" topic
Mum tells me that they used to use the term "PINED" ,for over cooked, when she was a girl.....never heard it myself,though.

[catgate]

There is a subtle difference between "Moither " and "Myther" when used in conversation , but I'm blowed if I can explain it ..!
PS "Blowed".....discuss , maybe

"You could blow me down with a feather!" ???

[Tripps]

I was familiar with 'mither' in the Manchester area, and never heard the ' moyder' version, until I got involved with the Preston area where it is often used by my in-laws.

Going back to 'Hoo'. After five minutes intensive research, It seems it does mean 'she' and hence only refers to females. I didn't know that.
I quote as an authority this web site.

http://dunkerley-tuson.co.uk/glossary_h.aspx

Hoo/hoo’d/hoo’ll/hoo’r – she/she’d/she would/she was
‘Hoo’re oather weyshin’, cleeanin up,
Or else hoo had to bake’
Hoo shanno – she shall not (SB)

It's a very interesting website, and the section on the Regent Mill in Failsworth is exemplary.

[Stanley]

The bloke who lost his hammer in Accrington was definitely referring to another bloke!

[Stanley]

just used the word 'gammy'. How widespread is that, where did it come from?

[catgate]

just used the word 'gammy'. How widespread is that, where did it come from?

Game.

[Tripps]

My first thought was a connection with gambit, which in chess is a sacrifice of a pawn for positional advantage, and derives from the Italian for leg which is 'gamba'.
I have always associated it with the usage 'gammy leg' and my slang dictionary says it means 'lame'.
All that said - Cats may be right - game means impaired doesn't it?

[Stanley]

Had a look at Webster... They say that it comes from Medieval French for 'bent, crooked' and the ultimate root could be Latin 'gamba'. They also mention that in old Norman dialect 'gambier' was bad legs and 'gambie' meant lame.

[catgate]

Piscatorial is a very useful word.

[Whyperion]

Dunno about that Cat, seems a bit fishy to me.

[Tizer]

I used the phrase `dickey ticker' and wondered why `dickey'? The Collins dictionary says that in this type of usage it's thought to derive from `As queer as Dick's hatband'. Now then, what on earth does that mean?

[Bradders Bluesinger]

Dick's hat band notoriously "went round three(?) times , but still wouldn't meet "!....(also referred to as ...."Ockard as" Dick's hatband...)
Can't see the connection to "Dicky Ticker "though.....

[catgate]

I used the phrase `dickey ticker' and wondered why `dickey'? The Collins dictionary says that in this type of usage it's thought to derive from `As queer as Dick's hatband'. Now then, what on earth does that mean?

An old aunt of mine used to say... " As queer as Dick's hatband,..and that went round four times and then wouldn't tie." I am still at a loss to know why a man would want a hatband that went round four times...or even what it was that it went round.

[Stanley]

The phrase 'Up Dicky meadow' used to be common. Same meaning as 'up the creek'. Never heard the hat band version.

[Tizer]

There's an interesting discussion of Dick's hatband on this site (LINK) but no conclusion about the origin.
`Up the creek' can also, of course, be heard as `Up shit creek', regarded as impolite nowadays but it's origin is simply that centuries ago most towns had rivers or streams were most of the human and animal waste ended up and this was called Shit Creek (or similar) - the last place you would want to be!

[Whyperion]

Dickey Ticker , Presumably just for the rhyme , but could not be earlier than mechanical clocks ( or watches ). Dickey could be related to Dicey = something that is not a predicable outcome so thats presumably from a gambling origin.

[Stanley]

Tiz, we have a path in Barlick that the older end still recognise as 'Shitten Ginnel'.
I used an old saying that I heard first in Scotland yesterday. "A pup for the pavement but an old dog for the hard road". Anyone heard it south of the border?

[Belle]

Not heard that one Stanley but it was lovely to hear "up dick meadows" again..that was in the cellar of my memory!! (oops sorry Doc..)
Not neccesarily dialect but one of my relatives used the word 'twerp' the other day anyone any idea where that comes from?

[catgate]

Tiz, we have a path in Barlick that the older end still recognise as 'Shitten Ginnel'.
I used an old saying that I heard first in Scotland yesterday. "A pup for the pavement but an old dog for the hard road". Anyone heard it south of the border?

Presumably this Scottish aphorism is a guide for canine defecation.

[Tizer]

There was a farmer's field behind the house were I spent my childhood and everyone called it `Johnny's Meadow' but I don't recall John being the name of the farmer. I wonder if it had some other meaning or was just used to denote any field close to home?