Appendix II: A Brief Glossary of Unfamiliar Terms

 

 

{Page539}I’m indebted to conversations with Phil and Audrey Wallis, as well as Douglas Tregenza’sDeparted Days: Mousehole Remembered (Dyllanstow Truran, 1984) and Ben Batten’sOld Newlyn Speech (self-published, 1984) for the following terms:

 

agro—short for aggravation

ansum—handsome

bagle—a troublemaker

brill—short for brilliant

caboleen—rounded stone used as an anchor

carker—little cork boat with a slate or iron keel

come ‘pon that—so far as that goes

dog in a tayser—square peg in a round hole

emperent—cheeky, pert

fore and after—clergyman

garm—expression of surprise, wonder

kitey—a bit loony

la Ley!—exclamation

making some crant—creating a fuss

oh raw we—exclamation

sparking—courting

tatchy—irritable

tee-ta-taw—a vaguely critical or mocking comment

that do belong—that’s unusual

{Page540}three scats behind—too slow, late

tuck-net—small net used to lift up pilchard in a seine

two-deckers—any four-footed animal; sailors call them this rather than by their common names to ward against bad luck

up country—the rest of England

wam—very finicky person

well, I go to sea—surprise, astonishment

white choker—clergyman