Yorkshire colloquialisms

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Yorkshire colloquialisms, Yorkshireisms, dialect, or slang are mostly spoken, but not often written, in Yorkshire. Generally these colloquialisms start to occur as one travels into Yorkshire and words that can be found in older versions of the English Bible, such as Thee, thou, thy & thine, etc can be heard frequently.

1904 map of Yorkshire
1904 map of Yorkshire

The Yorkshire dialect contains not only a unique glossary of words, but also a unique grammar and phonology which partly have origins in Old Norse.

The main difference compared with RP English is the use of the letters A and U.

The word bathroom, in Received Pronunciation (hereafter known as RP) English, is pronounced as baarth-ruum, whilst in the North the A is pronounced in the same way as athlete: bath' rooom. The word up is pronounced in the North as in the word 'coop'.

The definite article "the", is swallowed as a silent gap in a sentence, as in, "Could you close(slightly swallowed pause)...window", or "I'm off ter (slightly swallowed pause)pub" - "I'm off to the pub"

This article lists many Yorkshire colloquialisms, in as much comprehensive detail as possible, considering the fact that it was/is a dialect that was/is rarely written down. What is clear is that Northern colloquialisms are different from others, because of the way the words are said, and the melody that is used to express them.

This page is a collection of Northern words and phrases that were used in the past, and also the ones that are still being used today. The words are written down in as phonetic a way as possible, so as to make it easier for people to be able to say them out loud, although written "Northern" differs somewhat.

Contents

[edit] Examples of Yorkshireisms

[edit] Words

  • A bad-un (A bad person)
  • All-us (Always)
  • Any road (any way)
  • Awd/Ord (old)
  • Aye (Yes; it is pronounced the same as the letter "I" in the alphabet)
  • Bab (Faeces, or the act of excretion - also known as "Baba"; a word used by children. Can also be used to describe something that is useless or bad)
  • Babbie (Baby. The middle 'b' is emphasised)
  • Back-end (Autumn (back-end of the year). Also the back of a car, or an anus/colon.)
  • Backword (to cancel an arrangement)
  • Badly (Someone who is not well)
  • Bairn (Child - although this is also used in the North-East of England - see external links)
  • Barmcake (A round flat bread-roll or bun)
  • Barmpot (A silly person)
  • Barn (bound as in bound somewhere)
  • Barn-te'r (Bound/sure to do something)
  • Beef (Cry)
  • Beefing (Crying)
  • Be-fuddled (Confused)
  • Bevvy (Beer)
  • Bewer (A Good Looking Girl)
  • Bins (Glasses)
  • Black Dag (Black Pudding)
  • Boits (Boots)
  • Boo (verb to cry)
  • Brat (Apron)
  • Bray (Beat up)
  • Breadcake (A flat bread-roll, or bun)
  • Brig (Bridge)
  • Broddle (Verb: to poke around, to pick out or to make holes)
  • Brussen (Someone who thinks of themselves as being something special, excessively proud. Can also mean someone who's a bit of a rough character)
  • By 'eck! (An exclamation of astonishment; equivalent to, "I'm shocked")
  • Call/callin (To talk, gossip - rhymes with pal)
  • Cack-handed (Useless with tools, or left-handed)
  • Champion (Really good - as in, "It were reet champion")
  • Chabbies (Noun - Small children. Mainly confined to the South Yorkshire region)
  • Charver (Chav)
  • Chasty (rubbish)
  • Cheb (To lob or to throw "Cheb us mi flat cap")
  • Chosty/Choisty (Big, massive, huge etc. see 'Chusty')
  • Chuckie (chicken; eggs are often referred to as 'chuckie eggs')
  • Chuddy (Chewing gum)
  • Chuffin' eck! (Surprised, or shocked)
  • Chuffin' ell! (politer way of saying 'fucking hell')
  • Chusty (Big, massive, huge etc. i.e. "Look a t'chusty get twonk!" - Look at the huge great idiot!)
    • Coil-oil (Coal-hole - the cellar where coal is stored)
  • Co-ed/Code/cowd/cord/cawd (Cold - "By 'eck its cowd art theear" - It's cold out there)
  • Cumf'ts (Said like 'comfort'; 'cumf't day, cumf't weekend' (i.e. come for the day, come for the weekend). A derogatory term for people from West Yorkshire given to them by people from East Yorkshire, particularly around Bridlington)
  • Deard (Dead - rhymes with beard)
  • Dee-Dars (noun - refering to those of South Yorkshire esp. Sheffield, who pronounce Thee and Tha as Dee and Da)
  • Dougie (stupid)
  • Doylum (Idiot. Pronounced D-oi-lum)
  • Dozy Twonk (A silly, sleepy idiot - see also 'Twonk')
  • Duddy/dodie (A baby's dummy)
  • E by gum! (Instant shock. If somebody else is present they may reply 'can ya belly touch ya bum')
  • 'e-ya! (Hold on a minute)
North Yorkshire Moors
North Yorkshire Moors
  • Ginnel or gennel (alleyway between houses, often covered)
  • Gan (Verb: to go)
  • Gate (Street, road)
  • Gebbs (Spectacles, glasses)
  • Gigs (Glasses)
  • Ginner (Prounced with a 'j' sound, somebody with red hair)
  • Gip (Unwell, or to retch)
  • Gloit (Nerd or idiot)
  • Goodies (Sweets - usually hard-boiled sweets)
  • Gradely (as in, "It were reet gradely", meaning it was really good)
  • Growler (Pork pie)
  • Gruds or Grots (Underpants)
  • Jitty (alleyway between houses)
  • Kelter (Junk/clutter)
  • Krog or 'Kroggie (A ride on the back of somebody's bicycle)
  • Lake/laik/Leck/Larkin (Verb: to play, and also "a laker" time off work for no good reason: "Is 'e laiking agin?")
  • Lass (young woman or girl)
  • Learn (=to teach, as in "That'll learn yer" - that will teach you a lesson)
  • Lop/loppy (Flea/or knits when you are itching a lot),dirty/unclean
  • Mack-off (Big, massive etc. Sometimes pronounced "Whack-off")
  • Maungy (Sullen, moody. Pronounced "Morn-jee". Possibly deriving from 'mangy' meaning to suffer from the mange)
  • Mardy (Moody/Miserable/Petty, taking your football home if you can't be the captain)
  • Ma'sell/Mi'sell or Ma'sen/Mi'sen (Myself)
  • Middin (A mess in a room)
  • Mytherin' (Worrying about something without reason/to bother or pester someone)
  • Nacker (a slug)
  • Nankle/Nankling (Fiddling with something, sometimes with an aim to fixing it)
  • Na then' (Informal greeting)
  • Nay (no)
  • Neev or Nieve (Fist)
  • Nesh (soft or effeminate; feel the cold easily)
  • Netty (Toilet)
  • Nowt (Nothing)
  • Now then' (Informal greeting)
A Yorkshire pub
A Yorkshire pub
  • Offcumdens (Offcomers/outsiders)
  • Ole/Oil (hole)
  • 'Osen (Stockings)
  • Our lass (wife, girlfriend - 'old lass' = mother)
  • Our kid (Brother or sibling)
  • Our youth (Brother or sibling)
  • Ovver/Ova/Of'er (Over; as in over there, said like hover without the 'h')
  • Owd (Old)
  • 'Ow ist? (How are you? literally How is tha?)
  • Owt (Anything)
  • Oxter (Armpit)
  • Oxtercogging (Linking arms - i.e. to oxtercog = to link arms)
  • Pot (A tea mug - as in pottery. Also another word for a cast)
  • Radge (A tantrum or an offensive term meaning to make someone mentally disabled e.g. 'to radge someone up')
  • Radgey (Bad tempered)
  • Real (Good or outstanding)
  • Rigg or Rygg (Ridge/back, espcially of hill)
  • Right/reyt/reet (Very/really - as in, "It's right/reyt/reet good")
  • Roarin roorin' (crying loudly)
  • Scree-tin (Crying in a loud way)
  • Sen (Self)
  • Siling (to rain heavily)
  • Sith-ee/ahl sithee (Listen / Goodbye, literally I will see you (again/soon))
  • Sith-ee/suth-ee (See here, pay attention)
  • Skeg (verb - to look)
  • Skerrick (small amount)
  • Skit (A mocking response to anothers misfortune commonly restricted to children. Can be used on its own or in the form "skit on you" and is often accompanied by pointing at the object of derision)
  • Snap (Packed Lunch / other snack)
  • Snicket (Uncovered footpath or alleyway between houses)
  • Souse (gravy)
  • Spawny/Sporny (Lucky)
  • Spice (Sweets - usually "hard-boiled" sweets, liquorice or sherbert)
  • Splig (Spider)
  • Spogs (Sweets)
  • Starved/ stiven (cold )
  • Steg See Minger
  • Stots See Knackers
  • t' (the, accompanied by an apostrophe, e.g. "Has tha seen-t'new Pope? Eye's of a killer, 'e 'as")
  • Taffled (Tangled as in "it's all taffled up")
  • Taws/tors (Marbles)
  • Ta' ra (Goodbye)
  • Tea/te-ah cake (a bread roll, sometimes with raisins in)
  • Teggies (Superstore chain Tescos)
  • Tets (Short for Tetley's beer. eg, "A pint of Tets, please love")
  • Tha/Thou/thee (You)
  • Tha-sen/thisen/yoursen (Yourself)
  • Ticked-off (Angry, or disturbed about something/someone)
  • T'old lass (An old woman)
  • T'old lad (An old man)
  • T'old kid (An old man)
  • T'owd lass (An old woman)
  • T'owd lad (An old man)
  • Towd (Told)
  • Tup (A male sheep, ram / verb referring to two sheep fornicating)
  • Twonk (Idiot)
  • Tyke (a yorkshireman; originally a very rude term for men from the East Riding)
  • Us (Ours, or me - We should put us (=our) names on us (=our) property")
  • Vit-ner-ee (Vet - Veterinarian)
  • Waahm (Warm, the first part spoken like a baby's cry; 'Wah')
  • Wazzock/Wazak (Fool)
  • Wezzie (A derogatory term for people from West Yorkshire given to them by people from East Yorkshire)
  • While (until) [example: "I'll stay while eight" - I will stay until eight o'clock]
  • Wi/Wi-owt (With/without)
  • Wor (Were)
  • Yan/Yon (One)
  • Yow (Ewe; an adult female sheep)
  • Yu'sell or Yu'sen (Yourself)

[edit] Phrases

  • A bit-a'snap (A snack)
  • Ah-cud eet a'scabby-donkey tween tu Bre't-Vans (I'm very hungry: I could eat a diseased donkey between two Bread Vans as a sandwich)
  • Appen (Perhaps)
  • Appens as meb'be (It might happen)
  • A rate gud so-art (A good sort of person)
  • Ah-reet kid (Are you alright? A friendly greeting)
  • Allus at't last push up (Always at the last moment)
  • As sick as a Cleethorpes donkey (Feeling bad that something has not turned out well)
  • Bahn (Going - "ah'm bahn to t' co-op)
  • Boun (Ready)
  • By ecky-thump (An exclamation of surprise)[1]
  • Eee an't got-a-clue (He has no idea)
  • Eeeh-bah-gum (An exclamation of astonishment; equivalent to "That's amazing". Though rarely used anymore, it has become something of a stereo-typical Yorkshireism)
  • Eee wor 'ard on (He was fast asleep)
  • 'Er bladder's too near 'er-eyes (Her bladder is too near her eyes = she cries too easily)
  • Ey up (Hello)
  • Flaid (Afraid of)
  • Get thee-sen off (Leave now, or you will be late)
  • Get thee-sen on (Go away)
  • Get benny on (To get upset or angry)
  • Gi' or (Give up/stop it)
  • Gi' it some pasty (Hit it - work harder)
  • Gi' it some Toby Malone (Hit it - work harder)
  • Gi'z'od (Give us hold - give it here)
  • Goin' dahn't nick (Ill/bad and maybe not going to get better)
  • Got-it back-uds (Got it backwards - the wrong way round - misunderstood the point)
  • Go't face-on (In a bad mood; their face shows that they are in a bad mood. Also, to have one's make-up on)
  • I don't gi a chuff (I don't care)
  • If tha' dances wi' devil, thal' ge't pricked wi'-is 'orns (If you dance with the devil you'll get pricked by his horns; you will suffer if you do evil things)
  • If tha' does owt fer nowt then tha does it for thee sen (If you do something for nothing then you do it for yourself.)
  • I'll go t'foot of our stairs! (Very surprised but not shocked)
  • I'll go t'bottom of our street! (Very surprised but not shocked)
  • I'll slap thee-daft (I will slap you until you are senseless)
  • Is tha barn darn tarn tha neet (are you going to town tonight)
  • It-caps owt (It beats everything)
  • I want raised ont' darn train (i was not raised on the down train/im not stupid)
  • I've seen better-legs on a-table (A woman who has ugly/thin legs)
  • I wouldn't a-reckoned it (I wouldn't have believed it)
  • It's nut jannock (It's not fair)
  • It's nowt but spit an' glue (It was not very well-made)
  • It's nowt like (It's not aynthing like the thing that you mean)
  • Livin' tally/ower't brush (Not married but living together as man and wife)
  • Meki'g'backuds (Put it into reverse gear)
  • Nah then young'en (hello to someone younger than myself)
  • Nobbut a mention (Not enough to be talked about; not worth mentioning)
  • Off f a slurp (going to the pub for a drink)
  • Owt for nowt (something for nothing)
  • Put't wood in-t'oil (Put the wood in the hole; shut the door)
  • Send it t'writing iron (print it out - from a computer)
  • She's got a pod-on (She's angry)
  • 'T in't in t'tin (It isn't in the tin)
  • Tek' rod out-yer-arse (Advice to someone who is being arrogant and overly stiff)
  • Tek-a-good likeness (Very photogenic)
  • Tha's nowt so-queer as folk (People can be strange)
  • Tha noz (thou knowest; you know)
  • Up the golden rockers (The stairs - go to bed)
  • What' tha think'tha doin', tha freetn'd mi ter deeath (Why are you doing that, you really scared me!)
  • Waybit (A short distance)
  • Wazak (fool)
  • Where tha's muck the's money/brass (Where there is dirt, there is money)
  • Where's thee/tha/ta bin? (Where have you been?)
  • Yu' could ride bear-arsed t'brat-fud on that (A knife or chisel is blunt (you can use any town name)

[edit] City & place names

City & place names that are not pronounced as written, commonly abbreviated or are sometimes altered to make them humorous.

Leeds Town Hall
Leeds Town Hall
Scarborough Lighthouse
Scarborough Lighthouse


  • Ar't West (to the West)
  • Back o-erm (Back Home - Yorkshire)
  • Bra't-fud by t'sea (Morecambe - a Lancashire seaside town, which was a popular holiday destination for Bradford residents)
  • Bubber-ist-with (A fictional place)
  • Cleck-udders-fax (A fictional place made up from the names of: Cleckheaton, Huddersfield and Halifax)
  • Darn-in't smoke (London)
  • Darn-Sarth (Down south - Anywhere lower than the place you were born)
  • Darn-tarn (Down to the centre of a town/city - also "Up-tarn")
  • God's Own County (Referring to the high esteem in which Yorkshire people regard their own county)
  • See-sard (Seaside) (also t'Coo-ast)
  • Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire (South Yorkshire generally but specifically Sheffield)
  • Up' no-arth (Up north - Yorkshire)
  • Wheear the' black-leead t'tram-lines. Old phrase for Ossett - once a heavily polluted town.
  • Yok-sha (Yorkshire)
  • Yok-sha Day-ells (The Yorkshire Dales)

[edit] Yorkshire jokes

Yorkshire jokes came about because of the harsh conditions that many Yorkshire people were forced to live with historically, and then found solace in making fun of the situation. Though conditions are no longer dire, this tradition has carried on.

Yorkshire humour is philosophical in an every-man sense; meaning gently sardonic, self-effacing and dry. Though it can sometimes display a sly cunning, it often follows the rule that all good comedy is directed firstly at the speaker, and then at others, or a combination of both; meaning that as much as others make mistakes, or say/do silly things, it is also possible for oneself to do the same things. The laughter generated is a combination of relief that one is not the reason for the joke, but is also heart-felt sympathy for the person that the joke is directed aginst.

  • "If tha' can laff... t'ole world laffs wi'-thee, bu't if tha'-crys, tha'll cry aloan."

Translation: (Laugh, and the whole world will laugh with you, but if you cry, you will cry alone).

Jokes:

  • A deputy (a foreman) in the pit, had to order 50 corrugated roofing sheets.

"Ar-does tha' spell corrugated?", he asked. "Err... jus' reet riggly-tin", his mate replied - and the only reason he could spell that was because he had a packet of chewing gum in his pocket.

("Wrigley's Chewing Gum", for the uninitiated)

  • Notes to the milkman:
    • "Please don't leave any milk today - all they do is drink it!"
    • "Please leave an extra pint of paralysed milk."
    • "Please leave no milk today. When I say today, I mean tomorrow, because I wrote this note yesterday."
    • "When you leave the milk please put coal on't fire, let't dog out and put't newspaper inside't door. P.S. Don't leave any milk."

[edit] Food & drink

Sunday dinner with Yorkshire Pudding
Sunday dinner with Yorkshire Pudding
  • Cheese-n-egg (Grated cheese with an egg on top, and a few drops of milk - on a metal plate - that is grilled until the cheese has melted and slightly browned)
  • Christmas cake (This is eaten with a slice of cheese)
  • Parkin (A type of cake normally eaten on bonfire night)
  • Pop (A carbonated/fizzy drink)
  • Tripe (The stomach lining of a cow, which was a favoured dish in Yorkshire, because of its cheapness)
  • Yok-sha ot' pot (Yorkshire Hotpot: Lamb, carrots, onions & potatoes)
  • Yok-sha puddin' (Yorkshire Pudding; batter-based that has nothing to do with sweet puddings)

[edit] Poems & sayings

  • The Yorkshire version of the "See No Jerkheads Eat No Monkeys" phrase:

Hear all, see all, say nowt.

Eat all, drink all, pay nowt,

and tha ever dus owt for nowt,

All-us do it for thee-sen.

Translated: Hear everything, see everything, but say nothing.

Eat everything, drink everything, but pay nothing,

and if you ever do anything for nothing,

always do it for yourself.[2]


  • There's niver nowt, but-what there's summat.

And when-there's summat, it's-offen nowt.

And them-that allus' thinks they're-summat,

'as-nearly allus-risen fray-nowt.

It's no-use sittin-an-waitin' for summat,

'Cos more-offen, it' nobbut' ends-wi'nowt.

An' come to-think on-it', these lines I've penned,

Are-myst-lee summat' abart-nowt

Translated:

There is never nothing, but there is always something.

And when there is something, it is often nothing.

And those that think they are something special,

have nearly always come from nothing.

It's of no use waiting for something,

because more often than not, it ends with nothing.

And if I think about it, these lines I have penned/written

are mostly something about nothing.[2]


  • "It's not't cough tha't carries-thee-off, its'... coffin they carry thee off-in".

(It is not the cough that carries you off, it is the coffin they carry you off in.[3]

  • "All I can leave thee, is what tha' makes a'thee-sen".

(All I can leave you, after I am dead, is what you make of yourself, in life.)[4]

  • "If tha knows nowt, say nowt an-appen nob'dee 'll notice."

(If you know nothing, then say nothing, and maybe no-one will notice that you don't know anything)[5]

[edit] Songs

'On Ilkla Moor Baht'at' is possibly the most famous of Yorkshire songs. The phrase "Bar-tat" translates as, "Without a Hat".

Cow & Calf rocks on Ilkley Moor
Cow & Calf rocks on Ilkley Moor

Wear 'as tha-bin since ah saw thee,

On Il-kley Moor bar-ta--at?

Wear 'as tha-bin since ah saw thee?

Wear 'as tha-bin since ah saw thee?

  • Chorus

On Ilk-ley Moor bar-tat

On Ilk-ley Moor bar-tat

On Ilk-ley Moor bar-tat!


Thar's been'a co-ortin' Mary Jane

On Il-kley Moor bar-ta--at

Thar's been'a co-ortin' Mary Jane

Tha's been'a co-ortin' Mary Jane

  • (Chorus)

Thar's barn-ter t'catch thee death a'co-ed

On Ilk-ley Moor ba-ta--at

Tha's barn-ter t'catch thee death a'co-ed

Tha's barn t'catch thee death a'co-ed

  • (Chorus)

Then we shall-ha' to bury thee

On Il-kley Moor bar-ta--at

Then we shall-ha' to bury thee

Then we shall-ha' to bury thee

  • (Chorus)

Then't worms 'll cum and eat thee up

On Il-kley Moor bar-ta--at

Then't worms 'll cum and eat thee up

Then't worms 'll cum and eat thee up

  • (Chorus)

Then't ducks 'll cum and eat-up worms

On Il-kley Moor bar-ta--at

Then't ducks 'll cum and eat-up worms

Then't ducks 'll cum and eat-up worms

  • (Chorus)

Then we shall go an' eat-up ducks

On Il-kley Moor bar-ta--at

Then we shall go an' eat-up ducks

Then we shall go an' eat-up ducks

  • (Chorus)

Then we shall-all-'av etten thee

On Il-kley Moor bar-ta--at

Then we shall-all-'av etten thee

Then we shall-all-'av etten thee

  • (Chorus)

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ ecky is described as being Lancashire, not Yorkshire, slang equivalents of heck, itself slang for hell, in Partridge's Dictionary of Historical Slang, Penguin 1972, entry for Heck.
  2. ^ a b Kirkbride. p56.
  3. ^ Kirkbride. p59.
  4. ^ Kirkbride. p105.
  5. ^ Kirkbride. p107.

[edit] References

  • Kirkbride, Audrey (2001). My childhood. SPI publications. 

[edit] See also

[edit] On film

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../y/o/r/Yorkshire_colloquialisms.html"