Word recognition

The following dialect words are known to be in contemporary use in parts of Yorkshire, but they may not all feature in your particular area. See how many you recognise.

Addle: (verb) to earn. Old English via Old Norse

’Appen: perhaps (happen)

Attercop: (noun) spider. Old English “poisonous spider” cf Adder

Baht: (Adjective/ preposition) without. As in “On Ilkla Moor baht ‘at”.

Backend / Backendish: (noun / adjective) Autumn / Autumnal….self-explanatory!

Blain / Blen: (noun) sore, swelling or boil. Old English

Cat Hawed: (adjective) drunk – pronounced “cattored”

Creel: (noun) bench for killing pigs. One of the very few Celtic words still used in Yorkshire

Kelter / Kelterment: (noun) Junk, rubbish, litter

Lap: (verb) to cover or wrap up

Laik: (verb) to play, or laze around. Old Norse

Lowance: (noun) a packed lunch; from “allowance”

Lug: (noun) ear

Mafted: (verb) to feel very hot or breathless – “Ahm reet mafted!”

Mash: (verb) to brew, as in tea

Nesh: (adjective) weak, feeble. Feels the cold. Old English

Nithered: (verb) to shiver with cold. Old Norse

Nowt: (noun) nothing. Rhymes with “stout” or “coat”, Literally Naught

Ovver / Ower: (preposition or intensifier) over. Rhymes with “hower”, “hour” or
“sower”

Owt: (noun) anything. Rhymes with “stout”. Literally Aught. NB “Owt or nowt?” Anything or nothing?

Piking off: (verb) to leave without paying. Probably related to turnpike. A pikey spent a lot of time on the road. A tramp etc

Putten: past tense of the verb to put. Cf gotten – associated with American English but surviving jn parts of Yorkshire from original standard usage

Puther: (verb) to make clouds of smoke or dust, eg “Yoon’s putherin’ toneet!” The oven’s smoking tonight!

Rick / Rigg: (noun) haystack, back or ridge. Almost any ridge-like feature

Rigwelted: (verb) on its back and unable to move (of an animal)

Rive: (verb) to tear or rip out

Sile / siling: (vert)) to rain heavily

Skell: (verb) To tip or spill. Old Norse. A sower skells the seed

Skeltered: (adjective) crooked

Slape: (adjective) slippery

Sock: (noun) a ploughshare. Another very rare Celtic survival … possibly reintroduced via Cumbria by Vikings who had previously settled in Ireland

Tagareen: (noun) junk, rope, marine stones, bits and pieces etc. A coastal term, thought to be of Irish or even Midle Eastern origin, but seemingly limited to Yorkshire and Northumberland

Theak: (verb) to thatch – hence surname Theaker. Old Norse

Thoil / Thole: (verb) to tolerate, put up with, stand or bear. Old English

Thrang / Throng: (Adjective) crowded, busy

’Ug: (verb) from “hug”. Always used to mean lift or carry, not to embrace in the standard sense

Urchin: (noun) hedgehog

Varmint: (noun) vermin. Old form surviving in America and Yorkshire

Wick: (noun / adjective) small insect, especially a lively one. Relates to quick -originally meaning alive. Eg “as wick as a lop.” – “As lively as a flea.” Old English

Yam: (noun) home

Yat: (noun) gate

Yatstead: (noun) Threshold – ie the space covered by the swing of an opening yat

Yoon: (noun) oven