When visiting the Halifax and Calderdale area, you will encounter local variants of standard English words and linguistic forms
Some of the words shown below are standard English forms – and meanings – but are used more frequently here than in other parts of the country
I also include some older terms which may be encountered when researching local and family history
As with most regional dialects, the local forms are more likely to be used by the older population, as the young adopt the received forms from radio, television and popular culture. The well-tuned ear might detect some variation in the dialect – and the pronunciation – in the various parts of Calderdale, but what follows will suffice on first contact
In the examples below, I have used:
t'
to represent the word the when it is pronounced as a glottal stop, as described in the Foldout on Pronunciation
| A |
Get a-gate! »»
Get going, on your way
The word is also used as an auxiliary verb meaning To start, to
begin doing something, as in
She's getten a-gate cleaning »»
She's started cleaning
The stress is on the second syllable.
The word may be related to the Old Norse gata
[a road, a journey] – as in the element gate
I can't abide to hear that child cry;
I can't abide the new vicar
The word comes from the Old Norse ødla
He lives again t' mill
Although the word is usually pronounced in the standard manner
= a-genn, it is often pronounced ageean with 3 syllables
He's coming an' all
He treated his kids cruelly ... the article
When he got older, he was an awkerd bugger
ax
axed
axing
| B |
Where are you baan?
Am baan to 'it 'im if 'e doesn't stop
They're not badly off, they've got a bit of money
The word may be a form of bar – as in
The word comes from the Old Norse beit
See
Jock
I can stand anything bar the hot weather »»
I can stand anything except the hot weather
He was playing outside and now he's black-bright
The word comes from the Scandinavian kluka
[a beetle]
The word comes from the Old Norse bla [blue]
See
Hob
When we get a warm day, I'll give the kitchen a good bottoming
He was braying on the door »»
He was knocking on the door
Also
Yer dad'll bray you when he gets home »»
Your father will hit you when he gets him
Sorby Brig »»
Sowerby Bridge
See
Pogged
He bucked up when he heard the news
Have a bup of your milk
it's all over bar the shouting
it's all over bar t' shouting
| C |
See
Cadger
The word is pronounced with a short a to rhyme
with shall.
She's always calling her sister
The word is pronounced as in standard English
He caps our Billy at football »»
He is far better than Billy at football
It caps owt I've seen before »»
It beats anything I've seen before
I wer' capped when she told me
See
Carr down
This may be related to cower
See
Causey
I was telling my story when she chimes in with 'er two-pennorth
See
Chip in
You can't say anything without 'er chipping in
See
Chime in
See
Cob-coaling,
Plotting and
Progging
Is t'tea ready? I'm fair clammed
The word comes from the Old Norse kleggi
She's smiling at me, I think I've clicked
The word is still used in dish clout, a dish cloth
You'll get a clout if you do that again »»
I'll hit you if you do that again
Also a sandwich – made up of a slice of potato / a piece of cod / a
slice of potato – which was dipped in batter and deep-fried
It wer crackin' t'flags last summer
Refers to weather which is so hot that the paving
stones – flags – crack
She's out calling »»
She's visiting a friend and gossipping
carr quart »»
be quiet
Ne'er cast a clout till May is out
| D |
Hold my danny;
Wash your dannies
Count yer change at t' shop, he'll try to diddle yer
From the 19th century, the word was used for the evening meal,
especially in the middle and upper classes.
See
Tea
We're having a bit of a do after the funeral;
They'll be having a do at the pub
See
Wake
See
Posser
'e's goin' dahn t' nick;
'e's gone dahn t' nick since I saw 'im last
[Archaic]
| E |
| F |
We were fair flummoxed;
We lived at the end house, fair opposite the Vicarage
I'm a bit fast what to buy 'er for Christmas »»
I don't know what to buy her for Christmas
'e wer fast on »»
He was fast asleep
Also
'e wer 'ard and fast on »»
He was fast asleep
See
Hard on
A fettler was someone who cleaned a machine in a mill
See
Swiller
He gave her a flaysome look
There's folk who don't talk to him
Frame yourself, you should have been up hours ago
Her two boys are always fratching
| G |
This is a possible origin of the name Gainest
He paid no gorm to owt I said
The word comes from the Old Norse gaumr.
See
Gaumless
See
Sackless
The word comes from the Old Norse gapa
The word comes from the Old Norse gymbr
The word is related to the Swedish gunnel,
which has the same meaning
See
Snicket
T' smell made me gip
The word is pronounced with a hard
g
| H |
'appen I'll go.
The word comes from the Old Norse happ,
as in perhaps
'e wer 'ard on »»
He was fast asleep
Also
'e wer 'ard and fast on »»
He was fast asleep
See
Fast on
I don't know what the heck he's doing
The word is used as a general term for a place in forms such
as:
chip-'oile »»
fish and chip shop
coile-'oile »»
coal house, coal shed, coal cellar
What the heck is that? »»
What the hell is that?
Heck! Look at that!
back-'oile »»
back room, shed
The coile-'oile features in a popular rhyme:
Other versions use t'bum bailiff in place
of t'landlord, and end with repeating the 2 lines:
We're reyt dahn in t'coile-'oile
Where t'muck slahts on t'winders
We've used all us coil up
An' we're reyt dahn to t'cinders
An' when t'landlord comes
E'll never finnd us
We're reyt dahn in t'coile-'oile
Where t'muck slahts on t'winders
| I |
[Archaic]
The term can take many years to wear off a new arrival
| J |
This leg's givin' me jip
Other parts of the region use names such as snap [South
Yorkshire] and pack-up [Lincolnshire].
See
Bait
| K |
I sent her a birthday card, just to keep t' band in t' nick
The expression comes from the mill-worker's task of ensuring that the
yarn did not jump out of the guiding mechanism, and the driving rope
or belt did not come off the wheel.
See
Mill band
| L |
5 or 6 laisins make a burden
The bairns were laking in t' yard
It is also used to indicate a worker who is on holiday or vacation.
The word comes from the Old Norse leika [to play].
See
Knurr & spell
The word comes from the Old Norse lemja
He allus does things at t' last push up »»
He always leaves things until the last minute
See
Sneaky
He's bin liggin' in bed all day.
The word comes from the Old Norse liggja
A loitch is a wooden spindle used in domestic weaving and
spinning
The word comes from the Old Norse hloppa [a flea]
T' mill's losing »»
The workers are leaving the mill at the end of the shift
The word comes from the Old Norse lugge
an armful of hay
it goes straight through you instead of blowing round you
T' school's losing »»
School is out, the children are leaving school at the end of the day
| M |
I'll mash a pot of tea
Give the tea time to mash
She's been badly ill, but she's on t'mend now
See
Fresh
The word comes from the Old Norse mykidyngja.
From the 19th century, the name was also used for a dustbin or a
small building where refuse was dumped.
This would be cleared every week by a gang of men who shovelled all
the refuse on to a horse-drawn cart.
See
Mixen
On bonfire night, this was a popular means of lighting
fireworks, because the oil-soaked rope could be lit and would burn
slowly during the celebrations.
She was mimmymoking to draw my attention
It was later moved to the 4th November, the eve of Guy Fawkes's
Night
my-ther
with the stress on the first syllable
You moan't complain
... and I don't want to hear a muff out of thee
What a mullock she made of t' dinner
You mun be careful, it's slippy outside
The negative form is moan't which rhymes with don't.
You moan't complain.
The word comes from the Old Norse mun
See
mungo
See
Strongs
| N |
I've got this naging pain in my back
The g is hard and the word rhymes with vague.
The word may be related to nag and gnaw
The element is also used in placenames
Is it cold today, or is it me that's nesh?
He was nobbut a lad
She's poor, but she's better nur some people;
He's warr nur a babby »»
He's worse than a child
See
Warr
| O |
Our Jack, Our Carol
| P |
An extended meaning is To wear-in a new pair of shoes:
Yer shoes won't hurt once you've panned them in
Joe's started courting Mary Jane we s'ell after see a'h things pan out
Peak thissen dahn there
The word is pronounced
pee-erk
[Archaic]
Scraping all this wallpaper off with this little knife is like pissin' in bed wakken
He played pop when she wer late »»
he was angry when she was late
See
Chumping,
Cob-coaling and
Progging
Am fair pogged
I'm quite full
See
Brussen
It may also be pronounced pawse as in Tuppin' 'n Pawsin'
matches
See
Dolly stick
I'll mash a pot of tea
- not necessarily a tea-pot of tea.
In the plural, it means crockery or washing-up:
11 o'clock and no pots washed
See
Chumping,
Cob-coaling and
Plotting
| Q |
| R |
He rawked all down the paintwork with his muddy hands
Don't reckon to be sick just to get off school
I'm right glad to see you
We had some right weather during our holiday
The word comes from the Old Norse rifa
Any road up »»
However, nevertheless
Look at it my road »»
Look at it from my point of view
She's allus mardy 'til she gets her own road »»
She sulks until she gets her own way
She wants rubbing out and drawing afresh
| S |
The word comes from the Old Norse saklauss
Yer Yorkshires are sad »»
Your Yorkshire puddings haven't risen;
These dumplings are sad
I'll just have a slice of bread and scrape
It can also mean to rummage – less quietly
In this district, they were usually made by Blakey's of
Armley, Leeds.
The firm is still in existence, and is now known as Pennine
Castings
The word is also used to refer to a hard callous on the hand.
The word comes from the Old Norse sigg
ThissEn »»
Yourself
HersEn »»
Herself
His'sEn »»
Himself
See the Yorkshire motto
Are you setting off this weekend?
They haven't spoken since they had that set-to at Christmas;
Mary and Dave had a right set-to about his drinking
Shim-shams for meddlers!
Get shut of something, get shut on something »»
Get rid of something
He wer sickened when he heard the news
Side them pots then we can play cards
The word may be related to the Norwegian sila [a strainer, filter].
See
Siling down and
Tems
A contraction of See Thee
The word may be related to the Swedish sken [to glare]?
There's not a skerrick of evidence against him
The word comes from the Old Norse skita
She's a bit slack set up
When t'cars come past, t'muck slarts up t'winders
My shoes are too big, they keep slobbing off
He war' sluffened when they didn't ask him to play
See
Slurring Rock and
Sluther
Stop sluthering your feet!
See
Slur
It's right sneaky out there
See
Lazy wind
The curved nose-like end of the sneck behind the door gives rise to
the dialect use of the word sneck to mean a nose
See
Ginnel
I've got a spell in my finger
See
Knur and spell and
Spell
This was served at funeral teas.
Because of this, an impending death was said to be
Some families specialised in baking such cake.
See
Funeral biscuit and
Spice Cake Lane, Halifax
We were starved when t' fire went out
See
Clammed
The word comes from the Old Norse stolpi.
In some instances, it had the specialised meaning of a sign-post to
mark a path in the snow.
Short, stubby stoops were also used to protect the corners of
buildings from damage by passing vehicles.
See
Staups
Presumably because of the need to scrape the butter or margarine
thinly on the bread when times are hard
MissEn »»
Myself
In these forms, the stress is on the E.
What are you and dad talking about, Mam?
looking like a case of spice cake and slow walking
| T |
See
Dinner
The word comes from the Old Norse toema.
See
Teeming down
See
Teem
See
Sile
[Archaic]
It was that cold, we had to light t' fire
The word may be related to the Icelandic þola.
This is a delightful word for which there is no exact equivalent in
standard English.
I couldn't thoil to spend £20 on him
I'm a bit thrang right now.
The word may be related to the Icelandic þröng [narrow, forced, tightly-pressed]?
It's a toil of a pleasure taking her shopping
There's a bit o' snow on t'tops
Clean your tussy-pegs
If one of the riders was able to touch the ground with his foot,
without falling off, then the 2 halves exchanged rôles.
If the standing players fell over, the 2 halves did not change
rôles, and another round was played
Thruuuuush!
Coming with a long tar brush
| U |
| V |
| W |
Waff it with yer 'at;
There was a waff of something unpleasant
Them shoes are too big for her, and she keeps walting over
He's no warr for it
He's warr nur a babby »»
He's worse than a child
- see Nur
Wait while your dad gets home;
Wait here while it stops raining
A potential nightmare for any Yorkshire computer programmers!
Watch that little lad, he's a wick un
That blanket in the garage is wick with ants
See
Tenter
and
Wynteredge Hall, Hipperholme
In her novel, Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë says the
word is
... a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the
atmospheric tumult to which [Wuthering Heights] is exposed in stormy
weather
| Y |
See Pronunciation and Yorkshire Dialect Society
|
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©
Malcolm Bull 2017 /
[email protected]
Revised 13:54 on 8th May 2017 / mmd32 / 78