Andy Capp glossary
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Many slang words or terms have appeared in the British comic strip Andy Capp, some of which are unfamiliar to readers in the United States, Canada, or other parts of the English-speaking world. The following is a glossary of those words and terms, with appropriate explanations about their origins and/or context.
Many of them are indigenous to the "Geordie" dialect spoken in the setting of the strip, Hartlepool, England, a town located on the North Sea shore in the northeastern part of the country; still others are colloquial British English used throughout the United Kingdom. Strip creator Reg Smythe generally used these heavily in the cartoon's early years in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the main audience was readers of the Daily Mirror newspaper, before beginning to replace them with standard English, especially when the strip became popular in the U.S. By the late 1980s, most of them had been discontinued; the current artists for the strip, Roger Mahoney and Roger Kettle, seldom if ever use them today, except for the ubiquitous "pet".
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[edit] A
afore (conjunction)--corruption of before.
about (adv., general British)--synonym for around in North American usage; e.g., Andy: "I thought I'd 'ang about a bit in case the barmaid needs a walk 'ome."
argy-bargy (n.)--argument, dispute, verbal conflict.
[edit] B
bairn (n.)--child; Northern English/Scottish English term.
balmy/barmy (adj.)--strange, eccentric, crazed, out of one's mind.
big (h)ead (n.)--proud, arrogant, cocksure, insensitive to other's people's feelings or opinions; e.g., Flo to Andy: "Yer a right big head, lad, you are. Can't yer say anythin' to me Mum without sneerin' at 'er?".
bird (n., general British)--young woman, girl; term is considered vulgar or offensive (i.e., sexist) in much of British society today.
blimey (exclamation, general British)--contraction of "blind me," an oath dating from the Middle Ages.
bob (n., currency)--one shilling; used prior to 1971 decimalisation.
bloke (n., general British)--man, especially someone not an acquaintance; e.g., Flo to Andy: "The bloke from the coal company wants 'is money, pet, or 'e'll bring winter 'ere early."
[edit] C
carry on (v., general British)--go forward, make progress.
champion (adj.)--very well, great; especially someone's state of health.
clip (n.)--a strike or blow to someone's face, nose, or ears, as in fighting; e.g., Andy to Flo: "Now, yer watch yerself, lass, or I'll give yer a clip across y'chops."
coach (n., general British)--motorbus. Andy takes them to attend United's football matches on the road; Flo occasionally joins a group of women on a day-long "coach outing" throughout northern England.
cor (exclamation)--expresses surprise, shock, or delight; sometimes used as an intensive of "blimey" (see above); e.g., Andy to Percy (rent collector): "Cor! Yer just won't take 'next week' for an answer, will yer?"
costume (n.)--clothes in general, not just special or theatrical attire, as in American usage.
crib (n.)--contraction of cribbage.
cuein(g) (n.)--aiming a billiards cue, either in gameplay or practice.
[edit] D
daft (adj., general British)--silly, nonsensical, stupid.
dead cert (n.)--horse that is an overwhelming or prohibitive favorite in a race; Andy often begs Flo for money to bet on one.
dead loss (n.)--failure, parasite, worthless person; e.g., Flo: "Me 'usband is a such a dead loss, 'e is. The las'time 'e worked, Winston Churchill was still livin'."
disgustin(g) (adj.)--degenerate, morally offensive behavior, usually related to and/or caused by public intoxication. It describes the condition Andy and his friends usually are found in on a nightly basis.
the dogs/horses (n.)--greyhound or horse racing.
double top (n.)--darts scoring terminology; see related article.
dustbin (n., general British)--garbage can.
[edit] E
enquiry (n., general British)--investigation (typically by the police, in the strip's setting).
[edit] F
fancy (v., general British)--to desire, want to do something.
(the) first, second, third, etc. (n., sequence)--order of horse race on a day's card; Andy and his friends refer to it when making off-track bets. Sometimes, in place of this, the time of the race (afternoons) is mentioned instead; e.g. the "one-thirty" or the "four."
fiver (n., currency)--five pounds sterling.
flippin(g) (adj.)--intensive used in the Tyneside region of northeast England in place of bloody or bleeding elsewhere in the U.K.; e.g., Flo to Andy: "Now look, mate, why don't yer get off yer back and get yerself a flippin' job? The collectors could take away everythin' any day now." Probably the second-most frequently used colloquial word in the strip, behind pet.
[edit] G
gaffer (n.)--boss, job foreman; also slang for bartender or "publican" (see below).
give over (v.)--stop, cease from doing something.
[edit] H
H.P. (n., adj.)--acronym for "(h)ire purchase" (see below).
(h)ang on (v., general British)--stay around, remain in place.
(h)ard lines (n.)--bad results from gambling, especially off-track horse betting; e.g., Flo to Andy: " 'ard lines again at the 'orses today, pet?"
(h)ire purchase (n.; adj., general British)--furniture/appliance rental companies. In the early years, Andy and Flo often had their furniture repossessed by the local company.
(h)old with (v.)--approve of; e.g., Andy to bartender: "Y'know, mate, I don't 'old wi' this price increase on crisps."
(h)oliday (n., general British)--vacation, time off from work.
[edit] I
idle (adj.)--lazy, shiftless; mainly used by Flo to describe or castigate Andy; e.g., Flo to Ruby: "That man o'mine is so flippin' idle that 'e breaks out in 'ives when 'e has to bring the washtub in 'imself."
instalments (n., general British)--credit payments; the way in which Andy and Flo have to purchase most of their possessions, often via a "hire purchase" company (see above).
[edit] K
knock about (v.)--to fight or beat up; mainly used in the strip to describe Andy's domestic violence towards Flo.
[edit] L
lad (n., general British)--friendly or affectionate address toward males, sometimes used sarcastically; equivalent of North American son or boy.
lass (n., general British)--friendly or affectionate address toward females, sometimes used sarcastically; equivalent of North American girl or young lady.
lot (n., general British)--a number of things or people; e.g., Flo to Andy: "Let's not go in there, pet, it looks like that lot has it in f'yer--yer team beat 'em today, remember?"
[edit] M
mangle (n.)--clothes wringer used by housewives such as Flo who do not have washing machines.
mash (n.)--contraction of mashed potatoes, often served with sausage.
me (possessive)--Geordie rendering of my; e.g., Andy to bartender: "I want me money back, gaffer. I ordered bitter, and this is stout!"
missus (n.)--wife or any middle-aged or older woman; e.g., Andy: "Me missus won't let me stay out all night usually--but sometimes she does."
mob (n., general British)--contraction of mobilisation, lingo for military regiment, especially during World War II, in which Andy served on the North African front.
mouth-organ (n.)--harmonica.
Mum (n., general British)--short for Mother.
[edit] N
National Assistance (n., general British)--main governmental welfare agency in the U.K. prior to the administration of Margaret Thatcher; now referred to as "Income Support." Andy receives his (basically fraudulent) unemployment benefits from this organisation.
nil (n., general British)--nothing, zero; often used when reporting a scoreless football team.
nip (v.)--go quickly, rush; e.g., Flo to Ruby: "Must be off, Rube. I 'ave to nip down to the news agent and get Andy 'is racin' paper so 'e can get 'is bets made out before noon."
[edit] O
off (one's) rocker (phrase)--crazy, senseless, silly, mad.
[edit] P
pack it in (v.)--cease, quit, stop doing something, usually annoying, improper, or offensive; e.g., Flo to Andy: "Listen, kid, either yer pack that droppin' yer ash on the carpet in, or I'll let yer pigeons loose."
past it (adj.)--aging, beyond the prime of one's energies; e.g., Andy to bartender: "Blimey, I'm gettin' past it when I can't 'old me pint glass up to me mouth wi'out spillin' it."
pence (n., currency, general British)--plural for penny, as 1/100th of a pound sterling.
pet (n.)--dear, darling. The most commonly used colloquial word in the strip, a term of affection indigenous to the Tyneside region.
pig-(h)eaded (adj.)--obstinate, arrogant, unwilling to listen. Roughly equivalent to big-head (see above).
pinch (v.)--steal; e.g., Andy: "That bloke pinched me beer while I was in the billiards room."
pinny (n.)--contraction of pinafore, or apron; what Flo wears while working around the house.
pitch (n., general British)--the playing area in either cricket or football.
plastered (adj.)--drunk, inebriated.
pop back (v.)--return, come back after a brief absence.
pop in (v.)--visit.
pop over (v.)--go somewhere quickly; similar to "nip" (see above).
proper (adv.)--truly, honestly, quite; e.g., Flo to Andy: "The police are proper tough in this patch these days, pet. Why don't yer 'old yer singin' on the way 'ome to a whisper tonight?"
publican (n., general British)--owner/keeper of a pub. Jackie is the publican most frequently seen in the strip; sometimes Andy calls him "gaffer" (see above).
puffed (adj.)--exhausted, tired, worn out.
put the kettle on (v., general British)--make tea.
[edit] Q
quid (n., currency)--pound sterling.
[edit] R
redundancy (n., general British)--unemployment caused by economic recession or technological efficiency.
rentman (n., general British)--person collecting rent for a landlord. Percy Ritson is the rentman assigned to Andy and Flo's neighborhood in Hartlepool; as such, he is usually Andy's nemesis and a target for his violent disposition.
row (n., general British)--argument, verbal dispute or fight, particularly a vocal one.
rowdyism (n., general British)--disorderly, violent behavior, usually at a pub or party.
[edit] S
same again (phrase)--request for another glass of beer at a pub; e.g, Andy to Jackie: "Same again, Jack. I can still see both yer barmaids."
shoppin(g) (n.)--groceries.
show up (v.)--embarrass; e.g., Andy to Flo: "I'm not showin' yer up, pet. I thought she'd be a good conversation piece, y'know?"
shurrup (v.)--corruption of shut up, often used with a raised voice in anger.
shut (adj.)--closed.
situations vacant (n., general British)--employment classified advertising, either in a newspaper or at an agency. Prior to the 1980s, these were usually segregated by gender.
slimmin(g) (n., v., general British)--losing weight.
sloshed (adj.)--drunk, inebriated.
snooker (n.)--popular British billiards game, which Andy and his friends usually play in pubs or amusement halls.
solo (n.)--any card game where one person competes against two or more others.
sport (n.. general British)--address used (often contemptuously) by women toward men; e.g., girlfriend to Andy: "Listen, 'ere, sport. Yer've 'ad eight drinks off me already. Isn't it time yer got them in?"
stand (one) up (phrase)--in romance, to break off a relationship, often by dashing the partner's hopes; e.g., Flo to Andy: "I said, stand 'er up at the pub tonight, lad, or yer'll sleep on the step outside when yer get 'ome."
stroppy (adj.)--irate or impatient, especially in a snide fashion.
summat (n.)--something, anything; e.g., Andy to barmaid: "Say summat, lass, I've been waitin' on me beer for ages now."
sup (v.)--drink; e.g., Andy to Chalkie: "Relax, mate, I 'aven't supped but five (beer pints) yet."
[edit] T
ta-ta (exclamation)--farewell, good-bye. Mostly used by Flo and other female characters.
tanner (n., currency)--six pence; used prior to 1971 decimalisation.
tatty (adj.)--shabby, uncouth, low-taste; a description Andy uses for unattractive women.
telly (n., general British)--contraction of television.
thump (v.)--hit, beat up; e.g., Andy to Flo: "Kid, I won't thump yer if yer don't wash me football jersey. I'll just push off to me girlfriend instead."
[edit] U
United (n.)--the local football team Andy and Chalkie devote their affections to; an actual, real-life franchise still playing as of 2007.
[edit] W
washing (n.)--laundry.
washin(g)-up (n.)--dirty dishes.
whist drive (n., general British)--whist game.
winded (adj.)--exhausted, tired, worn out; e.g., Andy to Chalkie: "That's true, mate. I don't get so winded after a cricket match as I do at the football."
wrap up (v.)--be quiet; shut up; e.g., Flo to Andy: "Why don't yer wrap up, mate? Mum'll be gone in a few minutes."
[edit] Y
yer (n.)--Geordie pronunciation of 1) you or 2) you're; 1) e.g., Flo to Andy: "Why don't yer stay in tonight, mate? I'm out of money."; 2) e.g., Andy: "All right, lad, yer gettin' to be a proper annoyance. The racin' paper says the 'orse is a dead cert." Also used sometimes to spell "your." NOTE: In instances where characters are angry and shouting or place accent on the word, they usually pronounce "you" fully.
This work is in progress.
[edit] Sources
Andy Capp strips, 1957-1985.
American Heritage Dictionary: Second College Edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1985.
