DIALECT AND WORD MEANINGS

[Stanley]

'Lisk', not in Webster but it is the Geordie word for the sensitive join between the upper thigh and the groin. Now there's a little known word for you. I had never heard it until I lived with a woman born in Newbiggin.

[Stanley]

I heard an American scientist talking about a new procedure this morning and he said they needed to 'laboratory' the drugs. I suppose he meant 'conduct experiments' on them

[Stanley]

Sue's post about her hens reminded me of the saying common in my youth used to describe a 'goody-two-shoes', 'The little white hen that never laid away'. Was it a wide-spread saying?

[Bodger]

" Goody two shoes" was common in the Holmfirth area.
Dropping to the nether regions, in that district a bowel gas expulsion was refered to as a "trump" ?

[Stanley]

That was the term in Stockport when I was a lad. I don't think I've heard it in Barlick.

[David Whipp]

Plenty of trumps in our house when I was a lad!

[LizG]

That was the term in Stockport when I was a lad. I don't think I've heard it in Barlick.

and in our house in Bradford many years ago.

[Stanley]

I like it when you trip over a connection you hadn't realised existed. Thanks to Hilary Mantel for drawing my attention to the connection between 'legate' and 'legacy'. They both come from the Latin 'legatus' meaning deputy. 'Legal' is closely connected as well.

[Stanley]

A saying came to mind this morning that I picked up somewhere in my travels round farms. "The best gelder was that bloke with the scythe. He never missed a stone". Anyone else ever come across it?

[Cathy]

Re: Trumps We lived in Barlick till '64, it was definatley used then.

[rossylass]

. "The best gelder was that bloke with the scythe. He never missed a stone". Anyone else ever come across it?

Haven't come across the term, but stones are a euphemism for testicles. Sounds very painful....a scythe!

[Stanley]

That's right Rossy. Common amongst the old farmers.

[Stanley]

I was reflecting on the fact that Michaela Tabb the classy lady snooker referee is quite delectable when it dawned on me that I didn't know the exact meaning of the word. I had the uncomfortable feeling it might be quite risqué but when I looked it up I found I was safe, the root is the Latin for 'delightful'. Narrow escape!

[Stanley]

On Farming today I heard a hill farmer commenting on how slape the ground was. On a re-run of one of the old Time Team programmes, Phil Harding said he was furtling in a hole he had uncovered.
Slightly more complicated but another word grabbed me. (But you know how esoteric my thought processes are!)
There used to be a music hall comedian called Stainless Stephen and I think it was he who had the catch phrase "I am here for the hedification and uplifting of the higgerant masses!" (I might be wrong with the name but don't think so)
I always thought that 'edification' was a comic mispronunciation but buried in my latest reading, 'The later Reformation in England 1547-1603 by Diarmid MacCulloch I found that 'edification is a theological concept that is mentioned in the Bible; 'Let all things be done unto edifying' (1 Corinthians. 14:26) This isn't an archaic form of 'education' but a concept in which the building of faith in a congregation was compared directly to building a church (edifice). I'm not sure of Stainless Stephen realised this but one thing is certain, the word edification now has a completely different meaning for me. Question is, how many other words am I mistaken about?

[chinatyke]

This morning my wife asked me what a private site eating establishment was called and I replied "Canteen, like a cafe attached to a factory."

"That's funny" she said. "it is called Can ting in Chinese." [means dining hall but is pronounced tsan ting - the ts as in 'cats']

I said the word was probably adopted by us when the railroads were being built in USA and Chinese cooks were employed and called the workers to the can ting at meal times.

Not according to Collins English Dictionary. They say it is from the Romans and something to do with the iron hoop on chariot wheels. ??

I like my explanation better and at least she believed me.

All in all I'm not sure if it was borrowed by the English or Chinese or just a phonetic coincidence.

[Tripps]

Fascinating - but I would guess coincidence. I have found this....
1. a. A snack bar or small cafeteria, as on a military installation.
b. A recreational facility, bar, or small general store formerly established for the patronage of soldiers.
2. A recreation hall or social club where refreshments are available.
3. A temporary or mobile eating place, especially one set up in an emergency.
4. A flask for carrying drinking water, as on a hike.
5. a. A box with compartments for carrying cooking gear and eating utensils.
b. A soldier's mess kit.
6. Chiefly British. - A box used to store silverware.

[French cantine, from Italian cantina, wine cellar.]

[Stanley]

I like China's lady's explanation as well! Webster gives a possible root as Italian 'cant' = corner. Problem is of course that all roots are educated guesses and for far too long Western Europe has ignored anything that happened in Asia or the far east. We're getting a bit better these days as we learn more about the ancient world and you'll occasionally get scholars admitting that many things happened in China especially long before we had any knowledge of them. Think printing and the ocean navigations of the 15th century for just two examples. Look for a book called '1421' by Gavin Menzies and prepare to be amazed!

[Tripps]

So Italians say 'cant' - french say 'coin' - bricklayers say 'quoin' - and we say corner - all same root?

Found a couple of good dialect words on www.ovenbottommuffins.co.uk whilst in search for deClerq's French muffins again.

1. Oddy - or oddbrass as my favourite auntie used to call spending money. She was always good for a tanner (6d) each visit.

2. Chunner Talking incessantly.

[chinatyke]

2. Chunner Talking incessantly.

This jogged my memory, I haven't heard that for yonks. Thanks.

I have heard both chunner and chunter used with the same meaning.

[Stanley]

I've heard chunter as well. Nobody seems to know the root.
The word dishevelled caught my ear yesterday and as usual I wondered if there was a word 'shevelled'. Not quite as it turned out, Old French shevel is to do with hair so the word comes from your hair being in disarray.

[Tripps]

My hearing is going down, but I'm sure I just heard a lady on Radio 4 describe the Turkish Prime Minister as "ept".
I guess she meant as in the opposite of "inept", but all I can see on google is the English Poker Tour.
Wasn't it PG Wodehouse who said " though he was not disgruntled - he was far from gruntled" ?

[Cathy]

I imagine the word dishevelled is the same as unkempt, another word you don't hear very often these days.

[rossylass]

I've heard chunner and chunter too.

What about "out of flunter" meaning "out of kilter". ?

[Stanley]

I've heard flunter as well.... No mention in Webster but we know more than they do don't we! Common expression for a machine or circumstance that was running outside usual parameters, in other words, poorly! A useful word....
I like gruntled as well. I love taking the prfefix off these words and using what remains, think of lacking in couth.

[Cathy]

I often use the phrases 'that sounds dodgy' and 'ooh thats nasty', they both relate to so many things - occurences, people, situations, products, health problems etc.