The Cumbrian Dictionary: A Guide to Our Dialect and Slang
When you visited Keswick, did you notice the Cumbrian dialect? Hesta been spawney enough to mind our yatter?
You may notice some language differences when you come to Keswick, so we’ve listed some of the quirks in our speech that you might come across.
You might only hear some of these words in West Cumbria, so keep your ears open if you’re in that area, too. If we’ve missed any out, please let us know and we might add to the list!
- Ackers -money
- Any road - anyway
- Badly - unwell
- Bairden/Bairn - child
- Bait - food
- Bar - pound sterling
- Barie - good
- Bewer - girlfriends
- Bowk - vomit
- Boyo - brother
- Cailo - money
- Chaff - to steal
- Claggy - dirty
- Clarty - dirty
- Clegg - horsefly
- Deek - look
- Dial - face
- Dike - hedge
- Dish - face
- Dook - swim
- Dookers - swimming trunks
- Fettle - condition
- Foily - smelly
- Gammy - rotten
- Ganzee - jacket
- Hesta - have you?
- Hoy - throw
- Is it wat - no, it isn’t
- Jewkle - dog
- Kayeled - Drunk
- Kecks - Trousers
- Ladgeful - Embarrassing
- Lowie - money
- Mind - remember
- Moy - mouth
- Netty - toilet
- Nix - nothing
- Nowt - nothing
- Parney - water
- Ragde - bad/of poor quality
- Scop - throw
- Scran - food
- Shan - embarrass
- Shant - embarrassed
- Smart - good looking
- Spawney - lucky
- Telt - told
- Thrang - busy
- Vanya/Vanyae - almost
- Waffy - unsteady
- Weez - who is?
- Welt - hit
- Yal watter - heavy rain
- Yan - one
- Yatter - talk
- Yam - home
- Zoff - it’s off