Hearing the Darrowby locals speak is assuredly part of why we love All Creatures Great and Small on MASTERPIECE, aye? The colorful and instantly recognizable Yorkshire dialect (known as Broad Yorkshire, Tyke, or Yorkie) can be traced back to the fifth century. Today, accents vary greatly throughout the Dales but retain commonalities like dropping lots of T’s and H’s. We offer this glossary of some common words and phrases to ‘elp you “talk Tyke.”
Allus
Meaning: always, as in “I allus say so.”
Bagsy
Meaning: to claim something for yourself, as in “Bagsy me t’back seat!”
Chuffed
Meaning: delighted, as in “I’m just chuffed to be asked.”
Ey up
Meaning: hello, hey hi, as in “Ey up, ‘ow’s it goin?”
Faffin
Meaning: messing about, as in “Stop faffin about, will ye!”
Fill thi boits
Meaning: enjoy yourself, as in “Eat up then, fill thi boits.”
Gormless
Meaning: clueless or lacking intelligence, as in “T’bloke looks positively gormless.”
Lug ole
Meaning: ear, as in “Open yer lug ole, lad.”
Mi’sen
Meaning: myself, as in “I don’t like curd tarts much mi’sen.”
Nesh
Meaning: to feel the cold, as in “Nesh, it’s only 12 degrees out!”
Nobbut
Meaning: just or nothing but, as in “I’ve nobbut ten minutes left.”
Owt and nowt
Meaning: anything and nothing, as in “Ye won’t get owt for nowt.”
Proper gander
Meaning: to take a closer look, as in “Let’s have a proper gander at t’sheep.”
Put t’wood int’ ‘ole
Meaning: literally, put the wood in the hole—or shut the door.
Si’thee
Meaning: see you or goodbye, as in “Right, I’m off now, si’thee.”
Summat
Meaning: something, as in “I did hear summat about it.’”
Wang
Meaning: to throw, as in “Wang it over ‘ere!”
Weerzt or Wheerzt
Meaning: where is the, as in “Weerzt tv remote? It’s time for All Creatures Great and Small!”
For more practice with Broad Yorkshire, check out the Yorkshire Dialect Society’s website to hear samples of the Yorkshire dialect or see it written.
