Introduction

Discovering Dialect

A - Z of Dialect Words

Latest News - Words, from Kea added. see Mid Cornwall

Collected by Mr Timms of Kilkhampton

Aapern

Apron

aawe

vb-to hoe

'ackoes

hackles

addick

a post cf. deave's a addick

addle egg

non-fertile egg under sitting hen

addle-ade

person with little brain-power

addle-muck

stinking farmyard effluent

ade

head

'ade-taw

adjustable hitch on horse-gear

adge/adgy

vb-to make or repair a hedge

'adge-straw

ground or gutter at foot of hedge

'aff-rad

linear measurement of 8ft 3ins

agin/gin

until

'ailer

tarpaulin

'airy-mouze

the bat

akko

vb-to function properly

'ale

vb-to bank up potatoes or heal wound

aller

alder tree

alley

large marble used as the 'shooter'

'ame up

vb-to shut off stock from field for mowing later

ammel

freezing rain

'ammertinker

vb-to'fiddle' about,achieving very little

ampassy

the '&' always chanted at end of alphabet

amziz

hames fitted over horse's neck-collar

'angbew

'tail' of farm gate for fixing of hinges

'angins

hinges of gate or door

angletitch

fidgety or flighty person

'apse

hasp of door or gate

'ard

proud (over-vertical) side of rick or wall

'ard at

bowler hat

'ard 'ood

hard wood or cordwood

'ard tack

good,but uninteresting food

arr/arty

vb.-to harrow

arrish

or errish ....stubble left after cutting cereal crop

arrish 'moo'

small round temporary rick for drying sheaves

arrish rake

wooden hand-rake for raking arrishes

arriz

Harrows -Spring-H,Ting-H,Chain-H,Disc-H

'arves

harrows

'atch

stable-type door or trapdoor

awl

vb.-to heal esp.to cover up potatoes with earth

awl ^yore

open plough furrow left on finishing casting cut

awvis

eaves

ayry-mouze

hairy mouse or bat

ay-uth

earth

ayve

vb.-to heave or lift or throw

ayver

ryegrass

Azry

local farm where everyone talked at once

ba-all

vb.-to bawl

ba-ate

vb-to abate

backalong

recently

backsifore

back to front

bail

bed

baidin

animal bedding-us. straw

bail

vb.-chick to break open egg

bare

measure (minus) for timber or glass

bar-ire

crowbar

barra

wheelbarrow

barra-peg

barrow or castrated pig

batt

width of plough land

baystins

foremilk or colostrum

belong to

vb-ought to

belong to

vb.-to be related to

belve

vb.-to bellow

berry

burrow

bewd

bent or buckled

biddick

mattock

billers

hogweed

billiz(ez)

bellows for enlivening fire

bissly

filthy

bite

grazing quality or quantity

bittle

large wooden mallet

bivver

vb.-to shiver

bizzens

business

blacklade

'blacking' for polishing kitchen range

blownk

burning,flying ember

bluestone

copper sulphate for footrot treatment

bluestone

slate flooring slabs

bock

vb.-to blindfold us. breaking horse

bockers

blindfold on animal

bodley

cast-iron cooking range

bolker

carborundum sharpening stone

bolster bar

competition or game

boltink

what-for"-a beating in a contest

bond

band...e.g.belly bond

borrid

sow in season

boy-yur

augur for drilling holes

bra-ake

copse us. of gorse

bra-aker

animal difficult to fence in

brandiz

triangular trivet on open fire

bravey

large or good

break down

vb.-to make good tilth

brech

tilth (degree of suitability of earth for sowing seeds)

brichin'

horse harness

briss-plu'

breast plough for skimming spen

britted een

dented

broth

bread,milk & hot water

brouze

thicket of brambles etc

brown-limer

ripe hazel nut

bullid

cow in season

burden rawp

rope for binding oaten sheaves

bush

vb.-to toss with horns

buss-ca-av

calf suckling cow

buster

dseadi U event

buster

bit of a lad

butt

horse-cart with tipping box

cab away

vb.-to faint,give up the ghost

cabby

damp & cold

cackhanded

awkward, left-handed

caste

vb-to plough furrows away from each other

cavins

useless grain from thresher

cawedid

liver riddled with fluke-worms

chacks

cheeks

chaff

straw chopped for horse feed

chap

young farmworker "living in"

chibbles

green tops from Spring onions

chids

sprouts on potatoes

chitlins

stones from castrated lambs/pigs,fried

choog-choog

call for pigs

chuckin'

very thirsty

chuff

sulking

clat

turf cut with Cornish shovel

clibby

sticky

clicky

lefthanded,awkward

clink

prison

clitchy

sticky

clome-auv'n

earthenware oven

clonk

vb.-to gulp down quickly

clout

cloth

clout

vb-to swipe or punch

cob

mixture of clay etc for walls

cockett

small load

coil 'ome

vb-to remember

'come eer'

call to horse to turn left

coochy

left-handed

coose

course or coarse

coose

vb-to chase

coot

metal plate on sole of boot

cope

vb.-to jump over

copins

rubbish (thistleheads etc)from thresher

coy-ych

rotten mess

crab

vb.-to run off-line.eg plough

crace

ridge tile

crame

cream

craw

crow

creem

vb.-to grip firmly in jaws

crib

grub,food

cricket

three-legged milking stool

crid

curd from mastitis affected milk

crim

tiny amount

crook

hook,-eg boot-crook

crub

angle of blade to shovel stick

cruckey

vb-to crouch down

cruel

extremely-(usu. preceding a superlative)

cuff awver

vb-to come to terms, to settle

cut-een

vb-to plough first furrow for 'gathering'

cutround

bap or split

dades

refuse from quarrying operations

dashul

thistle-milky d.,oss-d.,row dashel

datch

thatch

dawbake

idiot or scatterbrain

deave

deaf

dell

deal or pine wood

dewsnell

slug

dimmit

dusk.... nearly dark

dishwasher

wagtail

doaney

damp with dew

dock

vb.-to cut off tail or trim rear-end of sheep

doit

small thing, undernourished animal

dong

dung ( F.Y.M.)

dongfork

fork with 4toes set at rt-angles

dow-ull

dull

dra-ane

bee or wasp

drag-fork

angled 4-toed fork

drags

harrows or harves

drang(way)

alley between two buildings

drash

vb-to give someone a hiding

drashel

winnowing stick or flail

drayve

vb.-to drive

dreckstu-ul

threshold

drekly

presently... after unspecified time lag

drinkin'

outdoor tea at harvest-time

drogg

iron wedge(sloo) for braking wagon

drogg

vb.-tostop motion of a machine

dru-ull

vb.-to dribble at the mouth

dryth

dryness of the air -humidity

d'thickey

that one there

d'thucker

that one

d'thumb bean

twisted straw band for binding sheaves

d'thurrUl

thin,starved or emaciated

dumpy

unwell

durn

doorframe

EACE-FAY

I’faith…yes for sure

ELVIN

Tough stone impossible to split

EMZEZ

Hames

'enjus gurt  

superlative of big or large sized

errish-moo

tiny temporary field-rick to 'save'cereal crop

evull

four-toed prong,dungfork

fackit

faggot

fay

faith

fellun

inflamatory condition in cattle

figgitydick

pudding containing currants

fitchy

weasel-like coloured ferret

flasket

clothes basket

flayed

chaffed (legs in frosty weather

flibbitygibbit

faithless person

flicket

dither

floppy-dop

foxglove

foused

faded

frape

vb.-to tie tightly or to whip

fray-o

soft woven rush basket

fries

fried stones of castrated lamb

furniggo

deception or quick-fix

ga-ake

vb.-to peer at

ga-ake

idiot

ga-all

corn of hard skin on the hand

gaff

salmon spear

gambades

big,awkward feet in animal or man

gamber

hock of farm animal

gamp

large umbrella usu. for use in pony-cart or'trap'

gather

vb-to plough furrows towards each other

gawk

someone peculiarly dressed, a clown

gawky

awkward,'cack-handed'

giddavore'um"

command to dog to round up sheep

glaze

vb.-to glare or stare

glimmut

dusk

glinny

guinea-hen

glit

glut

gnat

small (flower) garden

go quatt

vb-to crouch down

gone lie

cereal crop flattened by storms

grab

hay-grab,used with pole-elevator

graft

work

grafter

spade with curved blade for digging clay

grails

residue after melting down fat

greep

handful usu. of straw or thatch

griddle

cast-iron plate used for frying

grizzle

vb.-to smirk or grin mockingly

groot

soil usu. ready for tilling roots,tilth

grounge

vb.-to grind food with teeth,to grate teeth

grub

vb-to clear land of gorse etc before ploughing

gude

measure (plus) for timber or glass

gurr

expletive -my gurr! = my god!

gut

vb-to remove intestines from e.g. rabbit

guzzle

vb-to eat greedily

henjus

superlative of almost any adjective

Huxtable

maker of one-way turnover horse plough

ijit

idiot

Iles

awns or'zeeurs' of the barley

iron-moule

iron stain on white laundry

iakes

sticky mess

jant

distance or journey

jawin'

gossiping or prattling

iudder

vb-to shiver or shudder

keer

mountain ash

ketch een

vb-to 'catch' sheaves and throw to rickmaker

ketched up

slightly burnt... or frozen !!!

ketchy

showery weather

kibbled

cracked maize, barley or wheat

kickshaw

odd person badly dressed

kilter

coulter of seed-drill

'kip kip'

used for calling horse

kittle-broth

bread and milk with hot water

knacker

person collecting carcases for sale as petfood

knatted up

ears of cereal almost 'shooting'

knatter

tying mechanism on binder or baler

knitch

bundle of reed or'longstraW

knuckle down

vb-to put one's back into a job

krim

scuddick,tiny amount

krubb

shovel set too 'angled' with stick

laades

'ladders' fore & aft of wagon to retain load

laate

mill leat

lambast

vb-to flay animal or 'drash' person

land

strip of ploughland

lanyerd

both linear and square measure

last tich

children's game of tag

law

vb-to place sheaves to make rick or load

leery

hungry

leggin's

leather lower leg protection

lent-rose/-lily

the daffodil

leppin' stone

platform (usu. stone) for mounting horse

lerrakin'

superlative of size.. .lerrakin' gurt fellah

lerrup

vb-to move quickly

lerrups

clothes ragged or torn

lew

lea (sheltered from weather)

lidney

'litany' i.e.long,boring discourse

limb

young rascal

limer

brown limer =ripe nut or sheaf badly tied

linchpin

pin for retaining wooden wheel

linney

open shed for sheltering animals or machines

looze box

shed for housing untethered horse

lop

vb-to limp

loppy

lame...(or loppity)

Jouster

hardback-aching work

Jouster

vb-to work manually very hard

Jouster

litter or waste

lug or logg

vb-to move load

lug or logg

weed or clover underlaying cereal crop

maa-bag

main stomach of any animal

maaze(d)

mad,thoughtless or stupid

maddick

mattock

maister

THE BOSS!

maun

basket for roots or potatoes

maw

vb-to mow

mawer

root of tree or plant

mayflower

false 'steeper' in hedgelaying

meeze

mice

michee

vb-to play truant or pretend

missiz

the boss's wife

moo

rick

moo-ey

mowhay or farmyard

moo-stade

'platform' under cornrick for vermin protection

mooter

vb-to spread or 'tiller viz the barley plant

mote

tree root usually the crown

moulder

vb-to grow mould

mouldered

mouldy or 'vinnid'

mutt

moat ? single straw

muzzo

muzzle for rough dog or bullock sucking cow

naave

boss of wooden wheel

nap

slope or little hill

nat

slope or little hill

natt

small (flower) garden

nattlin-grace

axle-grease from melted-down intestines

nattlins

small intestine usu. of pig

nee'urt craw

night-crow, person short of sleep,slow worker

nib

wooden peg for securing wirenetting to ground

nibby jibby

close-run event,near thing, narrow squeak

niddick

head or nape of neck

niffed

offended

nit-all

hazel bush

nizzledraff

runt usu. of sows litter

nobby

homemade bun

nobby(colt)

child's name for young colt

nonesuch

variety of apple also potato

oakum

frayed rope-ends used with tar for caulking

oar-vrost

white hoare frost

'obble

vb-to tie legs of 'breaking' sheep

'oggs

one year-old lambs

of Larr(ence)

lascitude

'oil-nit

hazel nut

oily

vb-to shout or bellow

olt

holding capability of rope fastening

'ome

gone 'ome =died          tak 'ome =made secure

ongry

hungry

'ood

wood

'oodin

vb-to cut and bind wood for kitchen fire

'oodin'      'ook

hook for cutting faggot wood

'oolers

drums at rear of wagon to tighten ropes

'oose

'husk' - liver fluke

'orny-wink

the plover

'ouze

house

ozed

hoarse

ozell

windpipe

pa-ake

vb-to go or work in a lazy manner

pa-ap

mother's milk

pachin' 'oak

steeping or'oodin' hook

pale

the horizontal bar of farm gate

pare

vb-to cut growth usu.of hedges

passun

parson

paunch

vb-to gut a rabbit

peek

a 2- or 3- pronged pitching fork for hay or sheaves

pick-eyes

a pickaxe

pinch-bar

crowbar angled one end for quarrying

pinchfurt

a miser

planchin'

bare,wooden floor

platt

small piece of land or field

ploo'

plough

pluff

unwell

plum

vb-to rise e.g. bread

plum

well aereated e.g. mattress or'tilth'

pokes

piles of hay made by raking along trones

prang

a 4-toed general-purpose fork

proper pa-ake

lazy worker

proper peg

guzzler of food (like a pig)

punish

vb-to treat badly (animal,person or ground)

puskin'

breathless

putch

vb to 'pitch' hay,sheaves or straw

putcher

man who pitches or pitcher of water

quarey

quarry

quatty

vb-to squat

qway-ull

vb-to wither or shrivel up

rad

rod (pole or perch)...16' 6"

rap

slat e.g of binder canvass

rare

excellent, unusual

ratlin' groun'

ground which has carried rootcrop previously

ratted

rotten

rayed

red

raypin' up

machine clogging with debris or weed

ream

vb-to stretch (limbs)

ridger

animal (usu pig) improperly castrated

rin

to run esp. grain from thresher

rin word

vb-to break an agreement

rinnin' ire

tool for stripping bark

rish moot

root of the rush plant

ronk

rancid or putrid smell

ruckle

vb-to crease or crumple

rummagin'

cow'riding' another-ie 'in season'

rummy

very odd

rumped up

descriptive of feverish animal or human

s'naw?

dont you know?

say

vb-to 'test' hen for likely egg-production

scad,scat

little rain-shower

scarifier

horse-hoe

scat

vb-to break,hit or slap

scat

slight rainshower

scat abroad

vb-to go bankrupt

scoot

vb-to run away

scow

vb-to tread esp in making cob

scowva-ade

awkward gait in man or horse

scud

scab

scuddick

very small amount,krim

scuff

vb-to damage leather e.g.toes of boots

scuffle

cultivator

shaffin' chains

chains on brichen to enable horse to 'back' a cart etc.

shet

vb-to shoot,also to shut

shet out

ear emergence in cereal crop

shettle

horizontal or diagonal pale of farm-gate

shule

Cornish shovel

shurd

shard or gap in bank needing repair

siss along

vb-to hurry along

skibbet

tiny box inside 'clothesbox' for studs,ties etc

skid

vb-to skate on ice

skim

part of plough

skimmer

perforated disc for skimming cream

skirt

vb-to 'half-plough' stubble in Autumn

skit

vb-to skim stones on surface of water

skitter

vb-to scatter

sley

sloping roof

slip

young (newly-weaned) pig

slipe

'runner at base of plough

slipper

slippery

slipper

agile,sprightly

sloan

the sloe

slock

vb-to entice animal with fodder

slog

hard work

slotter

vb-to spill any liquid

smeech

smoke usu. from fire with poor draft

smut

disease of cereal crops

snap

short spell of (bad) weather

's'naw?'

dont you know?

sneed

snaith or handle of scythe

snipper

a sprung trap with nothing caught

snitch

gripper used when drenching horse

spa-ade

vb-to skim off spen before ploughing

spangin'

fence over stream usu. hurdle

spare

boring

sparky

spotty cow or horse

spear 'ook

hook for splitting spars for thatching

spearstick

wooden spar for fixing thatch

spen

tough,matted root system of old grass

spit

depth of cut of shovel

spize out

vb-to squirt out under pressure

splayed

'chapped' hands or thighs due to extreme cold

spook

vb-to insert ring in usu. pig's nose

sprigs

small-headed bootnails

staff 'ook

long-handled hook for trimming hedges

stag

cockerel

stand

crop of cereals or grass... a braavey stand

stane

earthenware tub for 'salting' pig

stat

stoat

step

distance...bravy step=long distance

stewer

choking dust

stillers

steelyard (weighing scales)

stir

fuss

stog(gy)

sticky,clayey mud

stoggy

thickset (person-usu.female)

strappin'

big and strong

strat-ca-ave

vb-to abhort a calf

strike out

vb-to prepare straw for thatching

stroile

couch grass

strome

squirt of milk from lactating female

strub

vb-to 'grub up' usu.furze

tap

chunk of hayrick cut with hay-knife

tave,tathe

vb-to separate swathe of corn into sheaves

tavin' rake

rake used with reaping machine to'sheave'

tear about

vb-to hurry

tear-ass

someone in great hurry

terrify

vb-to tease or torment

tett or tit

teat

tib tib"

word used for calling sheep

tibby

child's name for lamb

tiddies

potatoes

tidlivate

vb-to put the final touches

tiffies

frayed ends of material

tilth

readiness of soil for crops to be sown

ting

tine

tizz-wuzz

in a muddle

tope

vb-to drink

toppins

haycrop from field already grazed

towg-chains

short pulling chains for'shaft' work

town

vil lage.. cf.top-town, bottom-town

towzer

apron for rough work homemade of sacking

tra-ade

vb-to tread rick or load for good stability

tra-ade

stuff or rubbish

tra-apse

vb-to trudge around continually

traw

trough

trendoe

earthenware tub for curing pig meat

trimmin'      'ook

hook for paring hedges

tripstick

retaining stick for tipping cart or'butt'

trone

row of hay left by rake

truck

dealings or rubbish

truckle

vb-to roll along

tumblejack

wooden,turnover horserake

turr"

shout used to drive pig

'udd

husk of the oat

uddern-eel

mastitis

ujackapiffy

thing-ummy-jig

'ummick

large portion of bread,cake or pasty

uppydowndap

child's game of dappyades played with ribgrass

va-ady

damp,mouldy,sleepy hay or wood

va-ake

anger or venom

vall abroad

yq put                  igt                        t»n)

varries

varicose veins

veer

vb-to farrow

veers

sucking pigs or farrows

vellies

fellows (of wooden wheel)

vennscrape

wide hoe for scraping up mud

vizgy

tool incorporating axe and mattock

vlays

fleas

vleeze

fleece

vlex

vb-to flex (when rabbits are mating)

vo-okes

folks

voot,vitt

foot,feet

vootratt

footrot

vorepare't

vb-to renew knees of corduroy breeches

vorrad

headland left after ploughing main field

vo-urr

furrow left by plough (bye-v. or oll-vourr)

vreeze

vb-to freeze

vrog

frog

vu-ul

full

vuzz

furze or gorse

wa-ant

mole

welger

big one

wether

castrated lamb

wex-een

waxed end of yarn for sewing leather

wexy

angry

Will

well

windy

afraid

wippersnapper

young (often mischievous) boy

wippin'-tree

whipple tree for attaching horse towing chains

wisht

unwell, sad, miserable (man or beast)

bliss

worse

wodd

wad or bundle of straw

wall

wall

wugg"

command for horse to turn right

wurders

'hoarders' or keeping apples

wuts

oats

wu-u l l

wool

yaw

ewe

yes-smurt

ass-smart or redshank

yett

vb-to heat up

yurr

here or ear

zades

seeds

zit-stole

vb-to laze about, rest or relax

zooker

leather valve of hand pump

zoo-peg

wood louse

zoot

soot

zoundslape

moth or candle-fly

zourzab

often 'zourgrab =sorrel

zuck,zuck"

call for calf

zum

some (superlative of any adjective)

zummers

timbers supporting 'bolsters' of a wagon

zu-uck

vb-to suck

zu-uckers

sucking pigs

zwar

swathe

zwarboard

board on mower cutter-bar to separate cut from uncut grass

zwelled

swollen

Sent in by Audrey E. Alymer