DIALECT AND WORD MEANINGS

[Marilyn]

If someone is a bit crazy we say they are "mad as a cut snake".

[Stanley]

On a different note... I think this is the best place for this one.... It struck me the other day that I couldn't remember what my mother called my father. He called her Mary of course. When father deserted from the Australian army after WW1 he dropped the MacDonald and was Leslie Graham after that. However, all his friends called him Mac, never Leslie. I can't for the life of me remember my mother ever using either of these names.....

[plaques]

Stanley's story may 'bring tears to a glass eye'. Now where did that come from?

[Stanley]

Never heard that one P. I think I've come across 'getting tears out of a stone'. Obviously on the same track as regards meaning.

[LizG]

We say 'getting blood out of a stone'.

[Cathy]

My mind went to 'blood out of a stone ' too. To me it relates to how hard it can be to get an answer from someone or money from an insurance company etc.

[Stanley]

I use that as well Cathy. Closely related is 'crocodile tears'.

[Stanley]

I know I am a pedant, and I also realise I have complained about this one before but will people please realise that 'slag heaps, only refers to the piles of discarded slag from iron and steel making. The features at coal and other mines are 'spoil heaps'!There is no slag associated with them. Got that!?

[Cathy]

A group of Pug dogs is called a Grumble.
(Where do they get these from?)

[Stanley]

Quite! I've never come across that one either Cathy. Do you think someone is just making them up?

[plaques]

The word "yelept". Came across it reading up on Thomas Wroe Walton of Marsden Hall.
Ref "The fine mansion has for many years been converted into a provate retreat yelept Lunatic Asylum" . I can only guess at its meaning.
"The word "provate" also takes a bit of finding.

[Wendyf]

I think it's yclept not yelept. A good scrabble word!

YCLEPT

[plaques]

It could very well be. The extract is a piece which has been transcribed from the Preston Guardian 26 February 1876. Must try to view the original paper.

[Tripps]

Must add that to my little list, to go with tergiversate.

So - it 's the past participle of 'clepe'. What does clepe mean?

[Wendyf]

To call or name I think. You are clept Tripps....

[Tripps]

Only to my friends.

Thank you.

[Stanley]

Never come across that! I love archaic words but I'll pass on that one!

[Tizer]

In a historical novel I came across `larboard' and had to look it up. It mean the port side of a ship, the opposite side to starboard, and comes from a 14th C word `laddeborde' from `ladden' to load and `borde' board. Ships tied up with their left hand side to the wharf, so that was the loading side. It triggered me to look up `starboard' which comes from `steorbord' (steor = paddle); boats were steered using a paddle over the right hand side.

[Stanley]

There is also the related 'garboard' as in 'garboard strake'. This is the row of planks on each side of the keel of a boat.

[Tizer]

Thanks for that. Collins says it's from the Old Dutch for `to gather' which makes sense.

[Stanley]

When you think about it, the plethora of specialised names used in ship construction is amazing. (Knees, ribs, stringers etc.)
During my cattle wagon days in the West of Scotland I once saw the skeleton of a new wooden fishing boat being built at Girvan and ached to stop and go over to it to look at it. The ribs were so massive and close together! It would be a very strong boat and no doubt is still afloat somewhere..... I'm sure the technology being used was directly related to the earliest 'wooden walls'.

[Stanley]

'Keks'... Where did that one come from?

[Stanley]

Something I often heard from the older end, especially in the pub when everyone was reminiscing and getting well-oiled was "We may be poor but we do see life". Optimistic and cheerful.... I can't say I have heard it lately......

[Stanley]

Another popular saying that was common when I was a lad, used particularly by fathers as an incantation when someone was giving them a good back scratch (Bliss!).
" Lord bless the Duke of Argyll. A scratching post at every mile". (LINK)

[Stanley]

I came across a very modern saying yesterday that was new to me. "He's a bit of a 404!" Referring to the standard error message for page not found.