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The language of the Potteries .. or     "Ar ter toke crate"

North Staffordshire Dialect - Words and Phrases

[A-C]  [D-G]  [H-L]  [M-Q]  [R-T]  [U-Y]

Mag to chatter
Mard spoiled, marred,  spoiled child;  too much of ma.
Marley a "marble" made of clay for games.
Mess off get away
Met, mid, mit might
Mezzled face pimply
Midge-madge a mix up
Mind "don't forget!"  People say "I don't mind"  when they should have said "Yes please" or "Thank you";  "He could if he had a mind".
Mither to bother
Moest most
Monstink a pretentious, conceited young man;  a man while still a youth
Mop to drink a lot
Moppet a moth;  "soon be moppet"  soon be dark when the moths come out.
Motty uninvited suggestions
Mouch around to wander aimlessly
Moudiwarp a mole
Muffin a plate about 8inch diameter,  to hold a muffin
Mug unintelligent
Mun must
Mush over-ripe
Must "must I do it?"  "shall I do it?"

 

Na not; canna, cosna, dunna, nedna, shanna, shouldna, wanna, wunna.
Narky bad tempered
Naught "a regular naught (nowt)"  bad man; naughty child
Neck to drink long and deep
Neck End Longton  (place name)
Nedna need not
Nesh tender; soft (early English, nesc, nescenes)
Nesses, nazen plural of nest;  nazening, looking for birds nests.
Neversweat never in a hurry
Nick to pinch; to steal
Nighest nearest; next
Nineter regular nineter,  out and outer
Nosey Parker a person who is always poking into other people's affairs
Not or else not likely
Naught "he's nout abite him",  insignificant
Noup "I'll noup you one", I'll hit you
Nous intelligence (Greek), "He's no nous abite him",  unintelligent
Nunc no creeping on in game of marbles

 

Of or on What are you doing of, or on
onct,  wunct once
Onion "I'll warm his onion for him",  hit on the nose
Ooer Woore  (place name)
Oositon Wolstanton
Ooster caked cinder from pot ovens
Oss horse;  hurry
Oss off go away,  a command
Our our Jack,  our Harry;  a member of the family
Ourn husband or children
Oursen ourselves
Oust to shift out

 

Padgelling making a garment out a small quantity of material
paint off wom get away home
Paste to bash or hit in the face
Payen "have they payen him?"  (paid)
Peart pert,  lively  (especially after an ilness)
Penker Penkhull  (name place)
Pikel a double-pronged pike for hay-making
Pinch to steal
Plug see lug
Plunder to think it out
Ponders "it ponders yer yed",  it puzzles one
Poses posts
Pous muck;  rubbish
Pretty tidy might be better
Prison bars a game of capture from a goal or bars. French prison bas, to take from the base.
Pugs marbles for a game
Purvit to search;  to poke the nose into every hole and corner

 

Quate quiet;  quite
Queedle a see-saw (old English Queedol, and argument),  an argument has its ups and downs like a queedle

 

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