The 21 words and phrases you’ll only know if you’re from Yorkshire

Have you ever had to bail on a night out because you’re jiggered, or been told to stop chelpin’ because you’re doing someone’s head in?

Local dialect is still very much alive – even if some recent studies found that some words and phrases are dying out amongst the younger generations.

But, unless you know what’s actually being said it can sometimes seem like a load of indecipherable gibberish.

On The Hoot Leeds Facebook page a while back, we asked our readers for some of their favourite sayings and phrases from Leeds.

Here are our picks of some of the best, in honour of Yorkshire Day…

Summat 

Meaning: something. 

Example: I need summat to do at the weekend.

Sithee / Sithi 

Meaning: goodbye, see you later, contraction of ‘See Thee’. 

Example: Aye lad, Sithee!

Reet 

Meaning: right or very. 

Example: We had a reet good night.

Misen

Meaning: myself. 

Example: I don’t like cricket much mi’sen.

Bob into

Meaning: To go into

Example: Just gonna bob int’ shop – do you want owt?

Radged 

Meaning: angry.

Example: He were radged about his shed being broken into.

Ere mush

Meaning: Hiya, love

Example: Ere mush, how’s you?

Tin Tin Tin

Meaning: ‘t’in’t in’t tin.. as in “It isn’t in the tin”

Ketty 

Meaning: nasty or rancid, referring to raw meat, offal or rubbish. From Icelandic or Swedish origin. 

Example: We can’t eat this chicken, it’s ketty

Bottle job

Meaning: Someone who backs out when the pressure is too much

Example: What a bottle job, he couldn’t hack it

Jiggered

Meaning: Exhausted or broken

Example: I’m proper jiggered, gonna have to give tonight a miss mate.

Spogs

Meaning: Sweets

Example: Be good and I’ll get you some spoggs later

Laik

Meaning: To play

Example: We’ve come to see if Kelly’s laikin’ out?

Ginnel

Meaning: Narrow alleyway, passage

Example: He just run down that there ginnel, I saw him a minute ago

Ey up 

Meaning: ‘watch out’, ‘be careful’, or to be used as a greeting, especially when seeing someone/something you weren’t expected. 

Example: Ey up lad! Not seen you in ages.

Capt

Meaning: Shocked, surprised

Example: You got me a present? I’m capt!

Buffet

Meaning: Stool / footstool (pronounced like “tuffet”)

Example: Get your feet off that buffet!

Kegs

Meaning: Trousers

Example: ‘Ere, ‘ave you seen my kegs about?

Chelpin’

Meaning: talking. 

Example: Stop chelpin’ and get some work done.

Ding 

Meaning: to hit heavily, to knock. 

Example: I dinged my car door on the wall getting out earlier. Gutted!

Dollop 

Meaning: a lump of something, usually food. 

Example: Can I have a dollop of mash wi me pie please?

Featured image – Gary Butterfield via Unsplash