Tek a deek ut oor dialect in action.
If thu werm weather hez thu'minding aboot garn away fur thu holidays, hev a deek at Joe and the Landlord aboot mekking sure thu gits the brossenful (or hafe croon wooth) wen thu stops af fur the scran.
Az wer garn Crosby Ravensworth fur oor bienniel Kirk Service, ah thowt it wud be gud tu listen to Ted Relph oor former President, in oor mek of tark.
As Joe's scran includes poddish, I thowt ah'd tell thu aboot Haver and Poddish in oor Wordhord.
I' ME younger days, when ah was a la'l bit ov a lad, ah was oalas thowt gaily cute an' sharp, an’ me fadder us'd offen to say to me,“Joe, thoo's far ower sharp an'cliver for a plewman, or a preest orowt o' that mak, ah think we mun sen' the' to Lunnon, whoare they'll seun mak a man o' the'.”
Fadder keept offen sayin' this to me, an' tellin'me what a grand thing it wad be if ah meade me fortun, an' com back to Cumberlan', an' set up for a fine gentleman.
“Ivery body,” he sed, “wad be touchin' their hats to me, an' if ah kept a guid teable aw t’gentry, an' t parsons tew (for they're t best judges o' gud eatin' an drinkin), wad flockroond me like wasps aboot a sugger pot; an' than what a fine thing it wad be to hev yan's neame i' print in aw t’news-papers ivery nooan' than, and to be ameast worship't by ivery body.”
When fadder keept tawkin' on i' this way, he at last persuaded me 'at ah was far ower cliver a chap to stay at heame, an' seea nowt wad sarra but ah mun gang to Lunnon an' try me luck theer. Thinks ah to mesel', a'll nut be like Borrowdale Jwohnny, or Croglin Watty, or any see like daft maizlins, but ah’ll keep me een wide oppen, an' nut be tean in an'deun for as they war.
Noo ah dunnet mean to say owt aboot what happent to me i' Lunnon, bit just ta tell ye ov a queer brek 'at ah bed on trwoad. I' them days fwoak travell't i'cwoaches; theer wor neea railrwoads fund oot than, nor a lang row o’carriages fleein' throot country at t' tail of a thing like a girt kettle o'boilin' watter wid a lang chimney ebben up asteed of a spoot.
Seea ah got on t top of a cwoach leate ya neet,an' we travell't aw neet, an' when it was dayleet t'cwoach stopt at a public hoose to let t’passengers git a bit o’breakfast. T’landlword o’this public hoose hed nobbet a mirdlin character –he an' t' driver o' t cwoach used to lay their heeds togidder to hinder t passengers fra eatin ower mickel, an' t'cwoachman hed as mickel drink as he leiked for nowt seea lang as he help't t'landlword to play tricks on'travellers.
As seun as t cwoach stopt t' landlword com oot to ax t’passengers to step in. He was a girt brussen like fellow, wida breade reed nwose, an' a feace thick sown wi' plocks. Neabody wadha' tean him for a teetotaller. We aw went intul a lang room whoare theer was a girt teable. After a lal bit tea an' coffee werebrowt in, an' ham, an' steak, an' eggs an' sec like, T’ neet airhed meade me stomach as sharp as a cross-cut saw, seea ah fell teu at yance.
Nowder me nor any o' t'udder travellers hed swellied mair nor a cup o' tea when t guard's whorn soonded, an' t'landlword com in an' sez 'at time was up an' t' cwoach was gaun tostart, seea we med tek our seats at yance, or we wad be left ahint.
Up jumpt aw t’passengers bit mesel’ an paid hoaf-a-croon a piece for just aggravatin’ their stomachs wi' la'l mair nor a moothful o'twoast an' a speunful o'tea. They growled an'grumbled terrible; sum hed tears i' their een acause their moothswere scoded wi' het tea an' coffee, an sum acause they hed hoaf-a-croon to pay for hevin' them scoded.
Howiver ah keept pangin mesel wid ham collops an'eggs an' sec like; as for t' wheet breed, it was cut seea thin 'at yan mud see throo 't an' seea just melted i' yan's mooth like watter. Ah ax'd t waiter if they hed ony gurdle ceakes, but he'd niver heerdtell o' sec a like thing.
Just then t' guard cums in an' sez 'at cwoach was just startin' an' ah wad be left withoot ah meade off at yance. “Let it start,” says ah, “bit ah'll nut start till ah've eaten me hoaf-croon's worth.”
Oot t' guard went, an' ah heerd cwoach wurl away. Ah sent t' waiter oot ivery noo and than for mair eggs an' ham. Ahlast sez ah to him, “Ah dunnet think ah can full mesel wid what ye've gitten here; cud ta mak me a la'l few poddish, sec as ah've been used teu at heame?”
T’ waiter glowered at me wid beath his een, an'sed 'at they cuddent mak ony poddish. “We'll,” sez ah, “cud ta mak a crowdy?”
Nay, he knew nowt aboot crowdies. Ah tel't him they war meade o' haver meal, but t' daft hoaf-thiek duddent know what haver meal was. Ah then ax'd him if he'd iver seen whats growin', bit asteed o' givin' me a street-forret answer, he geaped an' glowered like a nicked-at-heed.
Weel, thinks ah to mesel, this is mebbe t'un-civilised part o' t country whoare t' fwoak know nowt aboot what's guid to eat an' drink, but leave in a hoaf savage way, puir feckless creatures.
At last sez ah till t waiter, “Bring me a sup boiled milk, with a few bits o' wheet breed in't, just to top up wid.” Sea efter a bit he brings t’milk.
“A speun if ye please,” sez ah-but theer wasn't a speun on t' teable. T’waiter leuk'd aw aboot, an' cuddent find a teable speun nor hardly a tea speun owder. He went oot, an' t'landlword com in, leukin as soor as vinegar at me just as if ah'dstowen his speuns. He said 'at they wor aw silver uns, an' noo they cudden't be fun' neea way.
Ah sed 'at sum o' t’ passengers hed grumbled sair acause they warn't alood to full their bellies, an' seea mebbe they'd full'd their pockets wid t speuns, just be way o' hevin summat to show for their hoaf-croons.
When ah talked i' that way t’ landlword's reed feace began to turn rayder whitish, an' he went oot in a hurry, leavin' me to sup me milk wid an oaldpewder speun, 'at was guid eneuf to sup wid bit nut guid eneuf tosteal. He went to t hostler an' order'd him to saddle best nag i' t steable, an'gallop efter t' cwoach as hard as he cud.
Efter gallopin' a matter o' tweea or three miles, he owertuik t' cwoach, an' whisper't summat i’ t’ driver's lug. T’driver turn't back directly, an' as beath him and t' guard an' thostler aw luik'd varra serious an' soor, t' passengers aw saw 'at summat horrid hed happent. Sum thowt at’ ah'd chowk't mesel wid eatin' ower fast, sum 'at ah'd brossen mesel wid eatin' ower mickle, an' sum gest ya thing, sum anudder.
At last t' ewoach gat back to t’ public hoose, whoare me an' t' landlwoard an' a constable swort o' chap 'at he'd sent for wor aw stannin' at t’front waiten for ‘t.
As seun as t’cwoach stopt, ah sed ‘at ah was reet fain to see aw t’passengers agean, as ah thowt ah’d lost them, an up ah jumpt to me pleace as lish as a squirrel.
T' oald kneave of a landlword wad hev t’constable to greape aw t' passengers' pockets for t’ silver speuns,bit ah tel't him 'at if he wad tek t’ advice of a puir simple chap like me he wad gang an' lift t’ girt coffee-pot lid, and see iftheer wor owt inside, Him an' t' constable went an' luik'd, an' sure eneuf, theer wor aw t missin silver speuns.
“Aw’s reet,” sez ah to t’cwoachman,“drive on, an' mek up for lost time." Seea off we set, an'just as we left ah turn'd me heed aboot, an' gat a gliff o tlandlword shackin' his heed an' his neef at me.
Ah believe 'at he'd a gay guid guess whea pot t'speuns i' t coffee pot, an' for that matter ah'd me oan thowts teu, bit ah oalas keep them to mesel. Neabody can say 'at ah's atealepiet. Ah nivver say nowt to neabody.
Barfin - A horse collar. A grand thing is a barfin ta gurn throo. (see Braffam - Braugham below)
Brim - Top
Brossen-full - Hed mair to eat than’s easy er good.
Dowin - Lunch, ten o’clock.
Aye! aye! thoo allus manishes ta land up aboot dowin time.
Gallases - Braces ta hod yan’s britches up.
Gurn - Gurn, an’ bide ’t. It’s good philosophy when ye ca’t run away frae ’t. Ah yance saw a fella gurnen throo a barfun fer a pun o’ bacca, an’ he gat it.
Haver - Oats.
That field o’ haver liuks weel.
Howk - To scoop out;
howk a whol; howk t’ inside oot.
Kisened - To dry out (and I've heard kissend being used for burnt too).
As kisened as a kill stick. Noo Ah nivver saw a kill stick, but it’s summat varra dry wi’ neea natur left in’t, acos owt ’at’s kisened’s mortal near withoot any sap er owt worth niamen.
Lick-pot, Lang-Man - The first and second fingers.
Roke - Scratch.
That barn’ll roke ivvry mortal thing i’ t’hoose wi’ that nail if tho’ll let it, ’at will ’t.
Shive - Slice
A slice of bread. To cut a neat swathe.
Braffam, Braugham - A collar for a horse.
Clev. bargam. Referred by Wedgwood with much probability to the same origin as the word hamberwe, or hanahorough, a coarse horse-collar, made of reed or straw, from beiwe or borough, protection from the hames, the two words of the compound being in this case reversed. (See Barfin above).
Hag - To chop
Dutch:hakken, Old Norse: hiacka, Swedish: hagga, German hacken, to chop, hack.
Kizzent - adj. Parched or shrivelled.
Crav. kizzened. I think the author of the Crav. Gloss, is right in taking the word to be the same as guizened, which Ray gives as applied to tubs or barrels that leak through drought. The origin, then, is evidently to be found in Old Norse gisinn, leaky (of tubs and vessels.) (see Kisened above).
Lick - To beat.
Welsh llachio, to beat, cudgel, Suio-Goth, laegga, to strike.
Lonnin' - A country lane
Frisian Lona, Laan a lane or narrow passage. Perhaps from Old Norse leyna, to hide.
Mislikken - To neglect or forget.
Dut. misselick, ambiguus, dubius, in quo errare, aut de quo dubitare potest.
Poddish - Porridge of oatmeal.
In common use throughout the agricultural districts, especially for breakfast, and though irreverently compared by Dickens to "diluted pin-cushions without the covers," a very wholesome article of diet. Welsh potes, Manx poddash.
Smeeth - Smooth
Ang.-Sax. smzthe, smooth.
Teanel - A Basket (West and Cumberland Dialect)
Ang.-Sax. teanel, a basket, from tan, a twig.
Similarly swill, (contraction of swigel,) from Old Norse svigi, a twig.
Waits - Nightly musicians who used to play in the streets at Christmastide.
"Wayte, waker, vigil" Old Norse vakta; Old High German wahten; German wachten - to watch or keep awake.
Brek - Fun; a practical joke. A good story, generally of the sporting type; an amusing incident.
Curly kue - G. a flourish in writing, &c.
Fash - G. trouble ; inconvenience.
Fasten eve - Shrove Tuesday evening or the eve of the feast before Lent.
'At Fasten eve neet
Ceuks find cannel leet.'
After this night the cooking is to be done by daylight for the season, or the cooks must provide candles.
Frosk - The Frog (back in 1878 the author noted that the word was nearly obsolete!)
Gowpin - A handful; or the two hands full
Lang-end - The final end.
Pissibeds - The flowers of the dandelion plant.
Beckie - (Workington) A water bailiff who makes sure that the fisherfolk have permission to tickle the trout and salmon!
Brossenful - (sometime Brussenful) To be pleasantly full after after your meal.
Blackite - A bramble, A blackberry.
(Efter picking this yer' crop, ah telt the t'Cumberland Blackite Broonie Recipe)
Button Sticks - (Whitehaven) At the start of the Industrial Revolution poor country folk coming to work in the mines may have used sticks rather than buttons to hold their clothes together.
Chittering - Cold. Linked to shivering or trembling.
Kaylieghed - Supped ower much. Inebriated
Kersmas - Christmas
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