‘I am hungry. Have you any local sandwiches?’
8 ‘What a daft question! If we had any more sarnies in here there’d be no room for punters.’
9 ‘Pray take a sherbet on me during your break.’
baary adjective lovely [From Romany. Compare Scots barry]
We had a baary time at Whitley Bay even though we lost aal wor lowey at the shows. TRANSLATION: Our visit to the coast was fun even though we got skint at the funfair.
babby noun a baby, infant, or toddler
You’re sticking that top lip oot like a little babby. TRANSLATION: Grow up!
baccy chow noun chewing tobacco [From baccy tobacco + chow to chew]
Yee are not worth a baccy chow. TRANSLATION: You do not rank in my spectrum of esteemed persons.
badly adjective in poor health; sick; ill
If ye weren’t badly ah’d clock yer one. TRANSLATION: Your illness is an excuse for getting away with murder.
baggie noun a stickleback or other small fish
You’re nowt but a tatty baggie in yer own little pond. TRANSLATION: There is a great big world out there, sonny.
bagie noun a turnip [From Swedish (rota) bagge]
bairn noun a child [From Old English bearn]
bait noun food, esp a packed lunch [From Old Norse beita hunt]
bargie verb 1 to claim | interjection 2 bargies me! bagsy!
Bargies me that doggie in the window. TRANSLATION: I wish that scruffy mongrel could be our family pet.
barry verb to bury
Ah want to barry the hatchet – in his bliddy heed. TRANSLATION: The quality of mercy is extremely strained.
bat noun 1 a blow | verb 2 to hit (someone or something) [From French battre]
batchy adjective extremely angry; furious [probably related to batty]
Me mother went batchy when I got me new troosers hacky playing muggies. TRANSLATION: Mama was not best pleased at the state of my pants after playing marbles.
belly-topper noun a young woman wearing an outfit that exposes her midriff
Deek thon belly-topper; yee can see aal hor knickors and half her knockors! TRANSLATION: Look at that young lady! Her attire leaves little to the imagination.
beor noun beer
bide verb to wait
big end noun the concert room in a pub or club. Compare tit-and-fiddle end
The big end is stowed off, so we’ll hev to slum it in the bar. TRANSLATION: Do we really need to hear that comedian again?
bingo dobber noun a round felt pen used to mark bingo cards [Perhaps from Geordie pronunciation of dab or daub]
Wor Markie is about as sharp as a bingo dobber. TRANSLATION: Brother Mark is no Einstein.
biv preposition, adverb by. Compare divvent
Ah’ve come to this club biv mesell cos ah nivvor score when ah’m wi the lads. TRANSLATION: Lone wolves strike luckiest.
blaa verb 1 to blow | noun 2 breath; a rest [Northern pronunciation of blow]
The wind is blaain see hard we’d better tek a blaa behind the dyke. TRANSLATION: Let us shelter from the elements.
blackclock noun a cockroach [From black + clock (an obsolete or dialect word for any beetle)]
bleb noun a swelling on human skin that is smaller than a blob; a blister [Possibly a shortening of blob a bubble or blister]
I hoyed the coal in till me hands were aal blebby. TRANSLATION: Hard work has its problems.
blether verb 1 to waffl e; talk nonsense | noun 2 nonsense [From Old Norse blathr nonsense]
blethered adjective wearied; exhausted
bletherskite noun a compulsive talker [From blether to talk nonsense + skite a detestable person]
That bletherskite is mekkin me lugs hort. TRANSLATION: Please connect brain before engaging gob.
blogged adjective blocked
Wor drains is blogged and there’s a reet stink. TRANSLATION: Avoid our place of residence in the immediate future.
bogey noun 1 a small non-motorized vehicle made by small children; a go-cart 2 a large motor vehicle used to transport industrial materials [Perhaps related to buggy, originally a two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle]
Wor kid’s bogey is made of orange boxes and pram wheels. TRANSLATION: My brother’s go-cart is no Beamer.
boily noun 1 soup 2 a hot drink made with milk and pieces of bread, given especially to infants and sick people [From French bouillon]
bone verb to
