YORKSHIRE	ENGLISH
aboon	above
addle	earn
agate	do(ing) something, e.g. get agate = go on then, get started at it, get doing it
allicker	old term for vinegar
allock	something which is tiring
allus	always
amangam	amongst them
appen	perhaps
arrand	notorious
arrant	downright small
awerbread/awercake	oatcake; once a popular part of local diet, now hard to find in Yorkshire though it is still popular under the name oatcake in Staffordshire
ax	ask, e.g. nivver ax a copper fway
axels	molar teeth
aye	yes, especially when beginning an affirmative sentence, e.g. aye it's a fine neet = yes it's a beautiful night
backend	autumn
backword	to give backword is to call off a previous arrangement
badger	a dealer in flour, cornmeal, etc.; also to persistently press someone for information
bahn	as in: weer ta bahn? = where are you going? Weer 'as ta bahn? =  Where have you been?
band	string, millband soaked in oil and used to light fireworks, etc.
t'nick	literally to make sure that a driving belt is in the pulley; usually used to mean to keep the machinery working
barguest/bargest	ghost/mischievous hobgoblin
barley	children's truce word used in certain games to claim temporary immunity from capture, etc., many other truce words are found in different parts of Yorkshire, e.g. Barlow, Craven, Kings, Katzen, etc.
bawson	noisy person
beck	small river or stream
bensel	thrash (someone)
best bib and tucker	best clothes, dressing up for a night on the town
biddy	louse
bide	like, e.g. ah can't bide that lad ahr Lizzie's courtin' = I don't like that young man our Elizabeth is going out with
billio	doing something without resting, with gusto, with a great deal of energy
birk	birch tree
black clock	black beetle; can also be used to name a cockroach
blue murder	big trouble
blutherin'/blubberin'	crying, weeping
bob	an old shilling/to depart for a short time, e.g. ahm just bobbin' out f  pub for a quick'n / to punch
bobbin	reel for cotton thread, silk thread, etc.
boggart	ghost, mischievous housegoblin/hobgoblin
boskin	a wooden or stone or concrete division between each two cows when tied up
brass	money; other words for it are: gelt, penker, ackers, moola, e.g. Wen lads 'ave brass ther're men, wen ther're spent up there' re lads agen
bummerskite	a lazy person, a drudge, or a harmless writer of almanacs and word books
butterfingers	said to someone bad at catching
by gow/by gum	euphemism for My God
call (pron. kal)	gossip, chatter, e.g. she's allus callin = she's always gossiping
call'oil	place to stop and gossip; this can be a cafe, a house, a bus shelter, or even a back yard
cant	healthy
capt	surprised, astonished, e.g. ahm fair capt to see thee agen = I'm rather surprised to see you again
champion	excellent (an expression of approval)
checkerbrat	woolsorter's overall
chelp	to talk loudly, e.g. stop thi bairn chelpin, this 'ere's a library = please keep your child quiet, we are in library
chimley	chimney
chitlins	chicken gizzards (a traditional delicacy)
choose ah/choose ow	no matter how, e.g. ah cudn't get the lock undone choose ah = I was unable to open the lock no matter how I tried
chuffed	very excited/very pleased/very proud of or about something
chunterer	grumbler
chumpin	collecting firewood for Bonfire Night
clap dahn	put something down in a hurry
clawk	to claw
clem/clam	starve with hunger
clever clogs/ clever dick	conceited person, know all, or simply an insult to take a person down a peg
click	beetle/dandelion in seed
clock (n.v.)	to snatch at e.g. ahl clock thee = I'll hit you.  Also: t'clock market = Halifax covered market / t'clock almanack = the most famous of the Yorkshire dialect almanacs
coil 'oil	where the coal is kept in the cellar water
corporation pop courtin	going steady with, or just going out with, someone of the opposite sex
crammocky creel	wooden framework hoisted to the ceiling, originally used for drying oatcakes, later became standard in houses to dry clothes
daft	stupid (along with some other dialect words such as grand, gormless, etc., this has entered standard English)
dander	anger, passion
delf delve	quarry dig
din doff	noise
dollop	take off lump, piece
doy	dear, darling; usually used in addressing a child
eck!	Hell! Damn!
ee(n)	Eye(s)
egg on	to urge someone to do something (usually refers to a bad act)
eller	Alder tree
endways	forwards
fain	glad, willing
fair	quite, almost, rather, e.g. fair t'middlin = I'm quite well thank you (upon asked how one is)
famished	hungry
fettlin'	working, e.g. cum on lads get fettlin = come along everybody, get working. Also note Get Weyvin == get working
feckless	useless (when referring to a person)
ferntickles/ fawntickles	freckles
first fooit	first person over the threshold on New Year's Day, an old custom to bring good luck (a first fooit should carry a piece of coal, a lump of bread, and a pinch of salt to signify warmth, food, and health for the household for the year to come and in return
flaggin	wearying
flagstoan	paving stone, e.g. its crackin'  flags = it is very hot today
flaid	afraid
flibberty gibbet	chatterbox
flipping	a mild expletive, e.g. mi flippin' watch 'as stopped = what a shame my watch seems to be not working
fortyleg	centipede
fowk	folk, people, e.g. thers nowt sae kweer asn fowk= people are the strangest things
fond	a liking towards someone, can also imply amorous intentions
forced	sure to be, normally used in the negative, i.e. I'm not forced to be there. As in the story of the company director from Buckingham saying to his staff "there is an important meeting on Wednesday and I hope you will all be there" to which Yorky replies "I'm going to Hull that day and I'm not forced to be back in time." Company director: "It isn't compulsory!"
frame	shape oneself, e.g. frame laddie or it's door! = you had better shape up at work or you can go home for good
fratchen	to argue
friggen 'ell	a supplication to the Norse mother goodess of fertility and good fortune
frummenty	Yorkshire porridge (coarse hulled wheat instead of porridge oats)
gaffer	boss
gallivant	travel about; out of the town; often pejoratively meant in terms of a person's uselessness
gallock	left
galluses	trousers braces, 'e's short o' more 'an galluses = he's a bit stupid. A Yorkshireman traditionally wears both braces and belt to make double sure
gawby	silly, naive
gear	a person's clothing, and bits and pieces
ginnel	passageway between two or more houses
goat	playing around in a childish manner or doing something disapproved of
gob slotch	greedy person, glutton
goosegog	gooseberry
gormless	silly; accident prone; not very intelligent
grand	great, fantastic, fabulous
	“H” is not used much to start words with in Yorkshire. Sometimes when trying to talk 'posh', people over-compensate and put aspirants in places where there is no need. Yorkshire, like German, has silent ‘aitches’, so when written down, e.g. harkled = entangled it is never pronounced.
inr	in  the
jannock	a good person, someone sound and reliable
jaunty	flighty
jiggered	exhausted/tired
jock	food;lunch
kag 'anded	left-handed/clumsy
kale	seaweed sherbet
kali (pron. kay-lie)	rubbish (referring to useless objects or waste)
ket kid	child (also bairn or barn but these are now uncommon). To kid is to tell a tall tale with a straight face - the height of Pennine humour chest
kist	chest
kit	milk pail
kitlin	kitten cat
kittle	crafty
kwick	quick
kwacken/quacken	to cure, e.g. a doctor can't kwack a corpse. The old open air market in Bradford was nicknamed the ‘quack market' referring to the number of travelling herbalists who used to operate there and who gave many an open air diagnosis and remedy
laik	to play (children's games)
laithe	barn (see also mistal)
lame	painful, e.g. by gum this 'ere tooth's lame today
lark	good fun
lating	looking for a person
lig	lie, e.g. Jack's still liggin' i' bed = Jack is still in bed
loopy lop	stupid, backward, daft flea
lowsin' time (pron. loosin)	finishing time (at work, etc.)
lug	ear
mad allik	harum scarum/reckless youngster
manky	bad
mardy	bad smelling, stale
marlock	spoilt child to play
mashing	about brewing (of tea)
mauks	maggots
maumy	going bad, food becoming stale, etc.
midden	old style outside toilet (non-flushable and cleared by night soil men), e.g. ife fell i'nf midden e'd cum aht smellin' o' roses! = that man is so luckv it is just not true!
midfeather	removable post to which the two halves of a big barn door are attached when the door is closed
midge	small gnat
mind	watch out/look after, e.g. mind that iron doant fall == watch it, that iron is in danger of falling over; e.g. will ye mind ahr Trudy whilst ahr go t’ corner? = could you please look after my daughter Trudy whilst I go to the corner shop?
mistal	cow shed
mobs	old term for horse blinkers
moorcock	grouse
muck	dirt, e.g. weer thers muck thers brass = where there is dirt (from work) there is money also; or 'ark at Lady Muck = just listen to the jumped up trollop
muck lather	sweat
mud	might, e.g. thar mud 'a to do it thissen = you might have to do it yourself
mummer	person blacked up and in trampish or unusual costume who goes around from house to house on All Saints Eve (sometimes at Easter) singing a song or (more traditionally) miming
mun	must, e.g. thar mun do it thissen = you must do it yourself
nanpie	magpie
nazard	a horrid or mean person; a particularly nasty person would be an arch nazard
nesh	cold (referring to the weather)
nick	small hidden place. Also, oop a nick i' bowlin = mind your own business (if in reply to the whereabouts of someone), I don't know (if in reply to the whereabouts of something)
nieve	fist (not common)
nimrod	getting someone's attention a little disrespectfully or being petulant with a friend, e.g. Ey nimrod 'ats my beer tha's suppin = excuse me but I think you are drinking from my glass
nivver	never
nobbut	only, e.g. it's nobbut a fly waint arm thee = it is only a fly it is harmless
nous	sense
nowt	nothing
ocker	hesitate
‘od	hold, e.g. 'od on a bit = hold on a moment; also tak 'od an sup = cheers
'oil	hole; entrance way, etc.
ornament	a decoration; e.g. neither use nor ornament = someone who isn't capable of blowing their own nose
'ook	leave
owt	anything
parkin	sitting room
parlour	lounge
pawse	to kick, e.g. if ahr catch 'em ahl pawse 'em = if I get hold of them I'll give them a kicking
peggytub	washtub
pikelet	crumpet
pine	go hungry for food or affection
pipskweek	wally, wimp
pobs	bread and hot milk or bovril and bread
pop	lemonade or similar soft drink. Note playing pop = complaining or telling someone off in no uncertain terms
posser	plunger for the peggytub; also called a peggy stick
powfagged	very tired
	As an initial letter, “Q” is sometimes replaced by K. No fixed rule, but people wishing to be more educated prefer to emphasise the fact with Q whilst people who prefer to emphasise the difference with standard English or who may wish to appear uneducated would use K.
rapscallion	a no good troublesome individual
redshank	a wooden post between two cows tied up in the mistal
reek	smoke; also nowadays used to mean a bad smell
reet	right
rue	regret
sam [saim]	lard (traditionally used for cooking or as 'dripping' it was spread on bread for sandwiches)
scallions	onions
shepster	alternative name for a starling, e.g. B72 = Bradford has a lot of starlings
shippon	cow shed/byre/mistal
silin'	raining, e.g. it's fair silin' it dahn = it is raining quite heavily
sin	since, ago
sitha	excuse me, or look here! e.g. sitha if thee knaws wots gooid for thee, tharl shut it ! = excuse me but I strongly advise you to keep quiet
slart	splash
sling	as in sling yer 'ook = I suggest you go away immediately
sludge	mud
sneck	door clasp, latch, e.g. put a sneck on = close the door please
snicket	alley, back alley, very narrow street
spiceloaf	currant bread
stalled	tired, bored, weary
stand	long pole
starve	to be cold
summat	something, e.g. summat or nowt = nothing important
sup	to drink, e.g. we've supped sum stuff toneet = we have certainly drunk a lot tonight
tarra	good-bye
taws	marbles
tell	order (when said to a person directly)
teem	pour, e.g. it's teeming dahn = it is raining heavily
thackstone	laminated sandstone squares used as a traditional roof covering
think on	think (of), e.g. think on wot ahm saying = now remember to think about what I am saying to you
thissen	yourself
throng	busy, e.g. throng as Throp's wife = extremely busy
tide	fair or festival
titfer	hat
tooter	pryer/complainer/nark
twothree	a few, several
topcoit	overcoat
touched	simpleton, backward person
traps	belongings
truntlements	odds and ends of little value. Contents of an average boy's pocket
tyke	a dog; a low-life person; a stealer of horses; or a Yorkshireman (depending on the situation!)
uggeram	to carry something for someone (usually male helping female), e.g. ahm powfagged can ye uggerem? = I'm very tired, can you please carry these for me?
ugger mugger	panic, e.g. she's i' reef ugger mugger abaht it no mistake = she is in a dreadful panic
urnmer	bother, e.g. oh eck thers goin' to be urnmer  - there is definately going to be trouble
us	me, my, or our, depending on the context plural
usen	of us
usens	ourselves
vary	very
vittles	food (victuals)
voider	clothes basket
wark	ache, e.g. mi axels doant art wark = my molar teeth are very painful
warna	worse than, e.g. 'e's warna a lop = he is worse than a flea (i.e. he is always on the cadge, always wanting to borrow money)
watter	see corporation pop courting
wed	married
whelp	a type of dog once kept for the purpose of illegal betting races, etc., a dog similar to a greyhound
wick	full of, alive with, lively
withy/widdy	the metal ring with a swivel to which a cow chain, or tie, is fastened and which runs up and down the boose stake as the cow stands up or lies down
yon	that there, e.g. yon lass is fair cumly = that young woman over there is beautiful
Yorkham	the best ham
Yorksher	to be smart, sensible, e.g. doant try tae pull t' wool ower mi een ahs Yorksher too! = Dont't try to deceive me, where do you think I come from Lancashire?
Yorksher mixture	mixed boiled sweets
Yorksherhoss	horse bought on the blackmarket, or stolen, or simply and more usually a fine bit of horseflesh (traditionally a Yorkshire Coach Horse or a Cleveland Bay)
Yorksher parkin	best home made ginger-bread
Yorksher puddin'	self-explanatory
	IDIOMS
As daft as a dormouse	Not an intelligent person
As spendthrift as a Leeds loiner	A very miserly individual
As 'appy as a sandboy	A child enjoying him/herself
As 'appy as a pig inf' trough	Sublimely happy
As sharp as Sheffield	Someone who is quick witted
A reet ding-dong	A big argument/fight
A more jammy so and so I nivver met	That man/woman is inordinately lucky
You can't swing a cat in a ginnel	You can't do the impossible
All my and eye and Peggy Martin	Don't talk nonsense; don't lie to me; Who are you trying to fool?
Tip over tipple tails	Literally a backward somersault; idiomatically bending over backwards for somebody else's benefit
'Od thi 'osses	Just a minute, just stop what you are doing/saying
Don't lose your shirt	Don't get angry (over nothing)
Elbow grease nivver did anyone 'arm	Hard work never did come amiss
Where there's muck there's brass	Where there's dirt (from work) there's money
As clever as a clog nail	Not very clever at all
Is face is like a clog soil	He is not very handsome
From clogs to clogs in three generations	Literally a family that goes from rags to riches to rags again from grandparent to grandchild; also generally used to describe someone who has wasted the family fortune, has frittered away the inheritance
Clogs’ll  spark toneet	We'll have a fantastic party/celebration/night out this evening
A reet dogger	A hard man, a fighter
To pop one's clogs	To die