Dialect

[Linda]

Been sat here playing Chihuahua on my day off and thinking I really should be getting on with some housework, but my excuse is that I am improving my word power and exercising my brain.  It was then that I thought you might like to hear of some Cumbrian dialect words which describe my situation:

I am gay thrang, keeping my mind lish and trying to ignore the scrow in the house!

Translated this means -

I am very busy, keeping my mind active/agile and trying to ignore the mess in the house!

(Note: Cumbrians use the word 'gay' a lot - confusing for outsiders but it simply means 'very')

Just thought I'd share this with my fellow Chihuahua players!   

[biggerbirdbrain]

Thanks a bunch, Linda.
That was really cool.

In another thread, I got into a discussion about Australian stuff, so it's really fun to hear someone from England giving us a different lesson.

From across the sea,
 
B-B-B

[technomc]

Hi B.B.B. and Linda,
or in my local Dorset dialect "Howdo me Deario's.
Here is a little poem about my County i thought you may like...

'Tis 'ere that skies be bluer,
'Tis 'ere that birds zing zweet,
'Tis 'ere that maids be truer
Than any maids you meet.
'Tis 'ere that earts br kinder
though words, mid be, but vew
'Twas 'ere that i did vind 'er
As zweet as marnin' dew.
An' bless 'ee, she be neater
than t'others iver be,
But ah! 'er smile is zweeter
When she d'look on me.
Zoo 'ere we'll bide for iver,
'Till we've a-growd real old.
And 'ere we'll rest tigether
Beneath the Darset mould.

I hope you understand it..
Technomc   

[Linda]

Hi technomc

Lovely poem - 'gay good' - understood every word (honest!)    

[biggerbirdbrain]

Ditto for me, T.

Thanks for the lilt of the lay, it has a ring of sweetness and Romantic verse. Loved it. Appreciate your taking the time to send it.

 
B-B-b

[Viz]

hi all - i think the pupmeister should add those words eg scrow - (it might be in there of course, but if its not it should be)
Viz

[Linda]

Hi Viz

I'm glad you liked my Cumbrian dialect words ... I think they're very descriptive and the Pupmeister ought to add them to his list as it is partly his fault that my house is a scrow as I am too thrang keeping lish by compiling my list of Chihuahua words !   

[biggerbirdbrain]

Scrow is a word, but it can mean a scroll, clippings from skins, or currier's cuttings, according to Webster's.
 
B-B-B

[Linda]

Thanks for the definitions of scrow BBB - still think the Cumbrian definition is more descriptive!  Speaking of which, I think my head must be in a scrow today because I am finding the Challenge v. frustrating!  I think it is partly to do with the fact that there are 4 vowels in the selection - I seem to get on better with consonants!!!  Why?   

[Alan W]

Scrow is already an allowed word in Chihuahua. In the Shorter Oxford, in addition to the definitions B-B-B gives, and some other meanings, there is also:

A state of confusion or agitation; a commotion or fuss. Sc. and north. E19.

Thrang is also in the list already. Although I couldn't find it in any general dictionary, a query to the Lexigame Research Department (Google) turns up several websites featuring "thrang = busy" in lists of dialect words for Cumbria, Scotland and Yorkshire. It appears on the List of Yorkshire dialect words of Old Norse origin, with alternate forms "throng" and "threng", and the definition "very busy, hard pressed, crowded out with work". This site also has notes on derivation, suggesting a connection with "throng" in its usual meaning of a crowd.

Lish is the only one of Linda's Cumbrian words that is not currently in our word list. References to this word are a bit harder to find, but the website Trouble at mill lists it as a Lancashire dialect word for "agile, fit", and a website of the North Craven Heritage Trust in Yorkshire has a 1933 journal extract that says of the village wheelwright, Old Joe Stout, "In his early days he was a lish, agile man."

So, after all that, we'd better add lish. It'll go in the next update, which will happen sometime when I'm not gay thrang.

Thanks for helping us broaden our vocabularies, Linda. And thanks for the Dorset verse, Technomc.

[Alan W]

While we're enriching the word list with some dialect words, perhaps it's a good time to add some more Aussie words.

The list already has quite a few words used only in Australia and/or New Zealand. For instance, "hooroo" (= good bye), which was used in another topic on this forum is there, though I wouldn't want to hold my breath waiting for enough Os to use it. But the list does not include the other Aussie word used at the time, onya (a shortened form of "good onya", meaning congratulations, or just a general salutation).

Some other candidates are:

• cray = a crayfish
• duco = paint on a car (originally a brand name, but now used generically)
• daks, also dacks = trousers or pants (also originally a brand name)
• trackies = tracksuits (not sure if this is strictly Australian - seems to be used by some Brits too)
• tracky = tracksuit, especially in expressions like "tracky dacks"
• vego = vegetarian (not a derogatory term - see its use in the vegetarian action : living vego Web page)
• sool = egg someone on; originally, to set a dog on someone

[Viz]

hi linda - thanks for suggesting lish - i was able to use it in yesterday's (saturday's)  standard puzzle

viz

[Linda]

Hi Viz

Glad to be able to help my fellow Chihuahua players.  Finding today's Challenge rather tricky and my score is, as they might say in Cumbria, 'nowt ower'! - which, of course, means 'nothing special' - but I'm sure you knew that!!!

[Viz]

well linda, it might be nowt ower to you, (and i did not know that, although i  might have been able to work it out from the context) but it's still  a  lot better than mine!

[Linda]

Kind of you to say so, Viz, but I have spent 'ower lang' on this one and am getting increasingly irritated!!!     Will maybe go and tidy up some scrow and wait for inspiration!  :