Madron

Dialect	Meaning	Comment	Term
A ‘ead like a bladder o’ lard	Bald	Newlyn dialect	Appearance
A hatful of wind	No real wind	Newlyn dialect	Weather
Ain’t seen ‘air nor ‘ide ov’en	S/he is lying low	Newlyn dialect
Bawjack	Rough. uncouth	Newlyn dialect
Bojock	Rough, uncouth	Newlyn dialect
Caggled	Filthy dirty	Newlyn dialect
Chow	Twist of tobacco	Newlyn dialect
Chucked or starved	Famished	Newlyn dialect
Dirty muss	Grubby person and ways	Newlyn dialect
Dog in do’	Disgruntled	Newlyn dialect
Face like a rusticock	Red-faced	Newlyn dialect
Feedin’ yer face	Eating	Newlyn dialect
Goin’ like clappers ov a mill	Rushing	Newlyn dialect
Goin’ nineteen to the dozen	Rushing	Newlyn dialect
If s/he cain’t drive they waint ride	Must be top dog/bossy	Newlyn dialect
Keepin’ out the road	Shamefaced	Newlyn dialect
Like Great Aunt Jane, don’t want nobody with ‘er and don’t want to be left alone		Newlyn dialect
Nawthen’ going nowhere and less comin’ home		Newlyn dialect
Not very ocions	Unfriendly	Newlyn dialect
Ocions	Ingratiating	Newlyn dialect
Proper bojock (Bawjack)	Rough, uncouth	Newlyn dialect
S/he ‘ave got to be ‘ead an’ chief	Must be top dog/bossy	Newlyn dialect
S/he d’know everything’ about everythin’ an’ a lot more besides		Newlyn dialect
S/he’s mouth out	All talk but not much else	Newlyn dialect
Snaggles	Bad teeth	Newlyn dialect
Some mussy toad	Grubby person and ways	Newlyn dialect
Stop hollerin’ and ollerin’ an’ kickin’ up a carousel (pronounced karowsal)	Granfer keeping order in Sunday school accompanied by loud ringing of fish bell	Newlyn dialect
Sun crackin’ the ‘edges	A very hot day	Newlyn dialect
They’re ‘eavin’	Anyone dirty or smelly	Newlyn dialect
Trumpeter dead?	Sarcastically/putting someone down	Newlyn dialect	Query
Wet ass an’ no fish		Newlyn dialect
Wot a life says Alfick, gi’us a chaw (of tobacco)	Fed up but resigned	Newlyn dialect
Wot was a like? Raw milk my dear, raw milk.	Referring to a first encounter after a row	Newlyn dialect

Dialect	Meaning	Comment	Term
A firm gurt fella		From husband 50 years ago?	Appearance
Aapath	Halfpence; daft person		Human condition
Abroad	Open (door)
Auvice	Eaves of a house		Architecture
Alley	Large marble		Toy
Apernt	Apron
As blunt as a dag	As blunt as a miner's axe		Mining
As green as a lick	As green as a leek
As plum as a wont	Overweight
As smooth as a bull horn	Smarmy
As wild as a fitcher	Out of control
Athirt	Across	AT's grandparents
Athurt	Not straight
Backlong	In days gone by
Bagel/bagle	Nuisance
Bagyl	Crosier or shepherd's crook
Bealing	Eggs that are hatching
Belvin like a bull	Bellow
Better fit I staid 'ome	It would have e better had I stayed at home
Black as a turf rick toad	Dirty
Boiscat	Abandoned mine		Mining
Bolt	Drain
Bow-di-go	Tramp
Box hetters	Iron heaters
Brah way	Long distance
Brandis	Tripod for cooking in an open chimney
Brea ill few	Large numbers
Brembles	Brambles
Bucca	Scarecrow
Bull horn	Snail
Bullhorn	Snail
Bussa	Large earthenware pot
Caadge	Beg
Caggled	Covered
Caggled	Covered in muck
Call 'ome	Remember
Can't abear 'en	Dislike
Can't abide 'n	Dislike
Can't take cats	Not used to very much so a bit big-headed	Possibly picked up from Mr Thomas (Douglas) 50 years ago
Can't tell A from the back of a duck	Unintelligent
Carring too much sail	Living beyond one's means
Caunce	A paved roadway
Chacks	Cheeks
Charlie	Chamber pot
Cheens	Loins	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Cheldern	Children
Chow	Chew
Chuckles head	Stupid person
Churcks	Cinders
Clean’s a whistle	Spotless	Newlyn dialect
Click handed	Left handed
Clidgy	Sticky toffee
Close (weather)	Humid; sticky
Close hom	Shut the door
Close ome	Shut the door
Clout	An old cloth
Clucky hin	Broody hen
Cob	Forelock
Coddle	Mess (noun)
Collybrand	Sheet lightning
Collywobbles	Stomach pains
Come-by-chance	Illegitimate child
Comed	Came
Comin' to come	Starting to work out; getting there when turning cream to butter
Confloption	Great flurry
Consart	Concern
Coose	Chase; hunt
Coozing	Idle gossip; wasting time
Core	Night shift
Core	Spell of work
Could'n knock the skin off a rice puddin'
Couldn't fight 'is way out of a paper bag	Pretty wisht - weak, physically or mentally
Craaft	Croft
Cravel	Lintel over a chimney
Crow	Pigsty (pronounce chow)
Cudden	Could not
Cummis-zon	Come on
Cuney	Mildew
Curls	Carols
Cussn't	Cannot
Custa	Can you; will you
Dacent	Decent
Dag	Axe
Dark as a shaft			Mining/building
Dear as saffron	Expensive
Deef as a toadlick	Deaf as a haddock
Delving	Enquiring	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Dish clout	Dish cloth
Don't know nuff to know they don't know nawthin'	Ignorant
Drushell	Doorstep
Ellens	A very thin person
Ellens	Slates clapped together like two
Epps	Stable door
Fenton	A spring (water)
Fentonpyth	A surface well
Fitcher	Ferret
Full as a tick	Eaten too much
Full as an egg	Replete
Full of sauce and impertinence	Very cheeky
Geave	To exude moisture
Give un Bill tink	Give him a good hiding
Gone poor	Gone bad (of fruit and veg)
Gone poor	Tainted; rotten
Gone scat	Bankrupt
Gook	Bonnet
Groushans	Dregs
Gucco	Bluebell
Haa' Path	Halfpence; daft person
Haaf	Half
Hair pitched	Rough; animals with unbrushed coats
Half baked	Silly or stupid person
Hailed	Pullled with great strength
Hailen	Pullled with great strength
Hames	Part of horse's harness, fits over collar
Hanled	Pulled with great strength
Harken	Listen
Harky	Listening
Haves	Eaves of a hours
Hayrick	Haystack
Head like a turmot	Head like a turnip
Headlands	Unploughed areas in a field at the end of furrows
Heave	To exude moisture
Hellens	Slates clapped together like two
Helvens Affins	Halves; sharing
Henderment	Delay; hindrance
Hepps	Stable door
Hiding	Thrashing (of a person)
High up like Webb	Exalted (Sometimes tongue in cheek)
Hoity toity. I seen a white blackbird	Almost certainly Cornish and said by an old man who was trying to hold his own in a bragging competition. The white blackbird was a magpie.	Mr Pengelly., who came from Tywardreath
Holidays	Missing patches (in dusting or painting)
Hom	Door
Home	Shut the door
Horny wink	Ornament
Hungry	Mean; miserly; stingy
Hurts	Whortleberries
I eats well and I sleeps well, but when it comes to work, I shivers all over	Frequently said by a Cornishman.	Mr Pengelly., who came from Tywardreath
Idnt	Is not
In'd 'urted	Is not damaged
Innards/Innerds	Intestines
Ishans	Corn husks
Ishans	Corn husks
I've ate my words and I went no further	Fall silent
Jaffle	Handful of hay or straw
Jaffle	Handful of hay or straw
Johny fortnight	A travelling draper
Jordan	A large cup
Jubbed	Horse refusing to pull
Just alive	When the ore is a load can scarcely be seen		Mining
Keem	To comb
Keem	to comb
Keggas	Hemlock
Killiars	Rough, ferny ground
Klidgy	Sticky
Lace	Measure of land 18 square feet
Lagged	Covered in mud
Laiken like a basket	Leaking
Lathe dag	Axe for cutting lathes		Building
Lather	To beat or wallop
Launder	Gutter
Launder	Guttering
Leary	Hungry
Leary	Hungry - weak and faint from hunger
Leat	A small stream
Lerrups	An untidy person
Lerrups	Untidy person
Lewth	Sheltered place
Lewth	Sheltered place	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Lewth	Sheltered place
Liard	Liar
Lick	Leek
Lick and a promise	Finish off quickly
Licker	Huge; a great licker
Lie	Beaten down (describing growing corn)
Lights	Lungs
Like a bundle of straw tied in the middle	Overweight
Like a cow with a musket	Awkward; clumsy
Like a thing	As it were; as you might say
Like a yard of pump water	Straight hair (person)
Like two hellens	Slapped together (very thin)
Linney	Shed with a roof but no sides
Licker	Huge
Look sharp	Get a move on; take notice
Look sharp1	Watch out!
Mabyer	Young hen
Make out	Pretend
Maun	Hamper
Maun	Large basket
Mazed as a urley	Stunned
Merl	Link of a chair
Merl/murl	Link of a chain
Merse	Guillemot
Middling	Fairly well
Midgan	Mite
Milky diesel	Thistle
Minch	To play truant from school
Mingy	Mean
Mingy	Mean, miserly
Mitting	Meeting
Molly caudle	To patronise
Moorstone	Granite
Mops	Bridle with blinkers
More mouth than teeth	Too much to say
Mossol	Lunch bag
Muggets	Entrails
Murfles	Freckles
Muryan	Ant
Muryons	Ants
Musn	Must not
Mutting	Sulking
Nattlings	Pigs entrails
Nause	Nose
Nic nacs	Ornament
Niflon	Dried cod
Ome	Door
Ouzle	Throat
Pard	Companion (friend)
Passel	Load of rubbish
Peath	A well where water is drawn up for collection
Peech	To entice
Peeth	Well
Pennard	A pennyworth
Pennard	Pennyworth
Pigs’ crow	Pigsty
Pike	Hay fork
Planchen	Wooden floor	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Planchon	A plank floor
Plat	Level place
Plum as bun dough	Unintelligent
Pook	A cock of hay
Pouchin'	Poking around	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Prinked out	Well dressed	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Proud as Lucifer
Pyth	Well (noun)
Quail	Wilt
Quat	Squat
Quillets	Cloves	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Quillets	Grass	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Quorns	Fainting fits
Ream	Separate the cream from the milk
Ructions	A terrific row
Scawtree	Elder tree	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Screacher	Missel Thrush
Scritchen like a whitnick	Screaming like a weasel
Scud	Dung (noun)
Scud	To spread dung
Sharps	Shafts of a cart or wagon
Sick as a shag	Disappointed
Snaggles	Bad teeth	Newlyn dialect
Some mussy toad	Grubby person and ways	Newlyn dialect
Stop hollerin’ and ollerin’ an’ kickin’ up a carousel (pronounced karowsal)	Granfer keeping order in Sunday school accompanied by loud ringing of fish bell	Newlyn dialect
Sun crackin’ the ‘edges	A very hot day	Newlyn dialect
They’re ‘eavin’	Anyone dirty or smelly	Newlyn dialect
Trumpeter dead?	Sarcastically/putting someone down	Newlyn dialect	Query
Wet ass an’ no fish		Newlyn dialect
Wot a life says Alfick, gi’us a chaw (of tobacco)	Fed up but resigned	Newlyn dialect
Wot was a like? Raw milk my dear, raw milk.	Referring to a first encounter after a row	Newlyn dialect
Some chase	A proper muddle; events/behaviour all jumbled up	Possibly picked up from Mr Thomas (Douglas) 50 years ago
Spall to un	Hit it hard	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Spence	Cupboard	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Stankin'	Walking	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Stankin' on the planchen	Walking on a wooden floor	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Staves	Starlings
Strothing	Hurrying	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Sumpin	Very wet
Sweating like a poultice
Tarred with the same brush	Regarded in the same light (of a person)
Taw	Large marble/alley
The stones are geaving
The weather is close	It's humid
Thin as a griddle
Time to go up tembern hill	Bed time
Twick	Pull or tug (verb)	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Urley	Curlew
Wet leakin	Very wet
Whidden	Weakling pig
Whitnick	Weasel
Wisht	Sad, pale in the face	AT's grandparents and used since childhood
Wont	Mole
Wont	Mole
You don't need that mor'n a toad needs side pockets	You don't need it.

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