Local & Dialect Words

Has anyone ever heard the word "giggs" being used to express mild disgust?

Before anyone suggests it, it's nothing to do with Ryan Giggs, as the only person I've ever heard use it was an old woman who lived next door to us when I was a child in the late 70s/early 80s- of she saw me covered in mud or playing with insects, she'd often say "oh giggs!".
 
Reverend D said:
Has anyone ever heard the word "giggs" being used to express mild disgust?

Before anyone suggests it, it's nothing to do with Ryan Giggs, as the only person I've ever heard use it was an old woman who lived next door to us when I was a child in the late 70s/early 80s- of she saw me covered in mud or playing with insects, she'd often say "oh giggs!".
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Never heard that, but it's not dissimilar to a word I use from time to time - gads.
 
I can remember my late mother telling an anecdote from one of her first days teaching at a junior school in Cornwall.
At playtime a boy came up to her and said he'd lost his ball in the launder. My mother had no idea what he meant and said to another teacher that the boy was saying something about a ball going in the washing. The other explained that launder is Cornish dialect for guttering or drainpipe and the ball was duly returned with the aid of a step ladder and long broom.
 
One of our Scottish members might recall this phrase;

Billy Connolly does a routine (concerning when Glasgow airport was attacked a few years ago), and he mentions how one of the guys involved, when interviewed, used a word that he hadn't heard since he was little - 'Scoosh' as in ''the flames were scooshing out the back''.
 
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Floyd1 said:
One of our Scottish members might recall this phrase;

Billy Connolly does a routine (concerning when Glasgow airport was attacked a few years ago), and he mentions how one of the guys involved, when interviewed, used a word that he hadn't heard since he was little - 'Scoosh' as in ''the flames were scooshing out the back''.
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as in scoosh up and let us in?

Rapid movement.
 
Here in North Somerset you occasionally come across "Cooch" for hug or cuddle, probably from Welsh "Cwch"
"My luvver" is still fairly common greeting and occasionally you will hear "Maid" or "Maidy" as a affectionate term of address to a girl- I fear that one will soon dissapear .
 
Floyd1 said:
'Scoosh' as in ''the flames were scooshing out the back''
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Yes, that's idiomatic Scots (albeit fading in currency under pressure from Universal Standard English ie Murrican Nglish). cf "Scoosh"- to squirt out in copious quantities.

The Scots meaning referred to by @Frideswide (as in for people to 'squeeze up' within limited space) is possibly more common in urban areas, and used to be interchangeable with the eclipsing Bringlish/Irish idiomatic term 'squidge' (a word I noticed years ago seemed to offend an Australian, which I didn't really think was possible...but: I refer my learned friends to the Durex Duality Defence- which for North American readers is a variation upon that old classic confusioner "when is a rubber not a rubber?")

Beresford said:
A word with quite a few meanings, depending where you live.
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Abso-flimmin-utely! Because in fading contemporary Scots, something can similarly be said to be 'a scoosh' if it is easy/effortless.

And someone can be said to be 'a scoosh' if they are over-compliant/malleable/a walkover.

It's such a curiously-omnivalent word....
 
"Munter" is a term heard around the North Somerset/ Bristol area, used to describe someone who is not very attractive. Wether this derives from a local engineering works of that name I don't know. I have also heard it as a verb "he was well munterd" for someone who was sloshed.
 
Eyespy said:
"Munter" is a term heard around the North Somerset/ Bristol area, used to describe someone who is not very attractive. Wether this derives from a local engineering works of that name I don't know. I have also heard it as a verb "he was well munterd" for someone who was sloshed.
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Interesting, on the rave/club scene, at least in London, it's used, not in a negative way, for someone off their head on drugs.
 
Eyespy said:
"Munter" is a term heard around the North Somerset/ Bristol area, used to describe someone who is not very attractive. Wether this derives from a local engineering works of that name I don't know. I have also heard it as a verb "he was well munterd" for someone who was sloshed.
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I've heard it, but not for many years.
Minging (with a hard 'g') is another - used a lot in the army at one time (but meaning anything terrible or bad) ie 'this room is minging'.
 
Two of the things that usually bring dialect out - what did you call woodlice growing up, and what did you call it when you deliberately missed school?

I was brought up by a London mum and a Devon dad, and our woodlice were always woodlice, but my very Somerset sister in law called them Bakers. Our missing school was 'mitching', although pretending to be ill to get out of school was known by my dad as 'swinging the lead' (but I think he got this from the army).
 
catseye said:
Two of the things that usually bring dialect out - what did you call woodlice growing up, and what did you call it when you deliberately missed school?

I was brought up by a London mum and a Devon dad, and our woodlice were always woodlice, but my very Somerset sister in law called them Bakers. Our missing school was 'mitching', although pretending to be ill to get out of school was known by my dad as 'swinging the lead' (but I think he got this from the army).
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I've heard the bugs called pill bugs. Skipping school is just that, or playing hooky.
 
Skipping school up these parts was called "dossing off" , we also said "having a doss with my mates" for general fun/ mucking about. My Grandmother who we lived with HATED us young un s all using that term, as It reminded her of "doss houses" for homeless back in her day.

We also use mingers/minging and munters up here.... But been muntered means the same as Gridban said - off ones head.

I've heard these next set of odd words when living on a very rough council estate behind Armley Prison in Leeds (Clyde s) ..... They are definitely Leeds terms but maybe also influenced by prison slang from the nearby jail........ I've not heard these terms in Hudds/Halifax, only Leeds.....

So we have - Mush _ as in "alright mush" (alright mate),
" alright Charva " is the same , but a "crank" is an idiot or disliked person. "He's a reet crank"

I also heard in Leeds that the words Mush and Charva came from the gypsies but this might be BS!!!
 
And woodlice are just woodlice, or as I've always like to call them " greymen".
 
Eyespy said:
Here in North Somerset you occasionally come across "Cooch" for hug or cuddle, probably from Welsh "Cwch"
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Floyd1 said:
Minging (with a hard 'g') is another - used a lot in the army at one time (but meaning anything terrible or bad) ie 'this room is minging'.
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Throughout the U.S. cooch and minge both refer to what the British call a fanny. But in the U.S. fanny means the posterior.
 
Eyespy said:
Here in North Somerset you occasionally come across "Cooch" for hug or cuddle, probably from Welsh "Cwch"
"My luvver" is still fairly common greeting and occasionally you will hear "Maid" or "Maidy" as a affectionate term of address to a girl- I fear that one will soon dissapear .
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Cooch is also a word for a lady's private parts too!

I like the idea of Maidy, shame these quaint old terms are dying out isn't it.

Edit - just posted and ChasFink beat me to it about the Cooch-coo lol :)

Don't confuse Minge (yes another pussy word) for Minger though !! Different word and meaning.... A minger is usually a derogatory word for an unattractive female (usually a male speaking about a female, but a man can be called a Minger too)


Also it's curious that in the U SA a fanny is a bum!! And a fanny pack is what we call a bum bag!!

And a fanny is a minge , is a cooch is a pussy in the UK
 
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FunkyTT said:
Cooch is also a word for a lady's private parts too!

I like the idea of Maidy, shame these quaint old terms are dying out isn't it.

Edit - just posted and ChasFink beat me to it about the Cooch-coo lol :)

Don't confuse Minge (yes another pussy word) for Minger though !! Different word and meaning.... A minger is usually a derogatory word for an unattractive female (usually a male speaking about a female, but a man can be called a Minger too)


Also it's curious that in the U SA a fanny is a bum!! And a fanny pack is what we call a bum bag!!

And a fanny is a minge , is a cooch is a pussy in the UK
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Just to confuse things further, in the UK mingy [with the g pronounced as in jolly] can mean mean/tight/skinflint & nothing to do with ladyparts.
 
hunck said:
Just to confuse things further, in the UK mingy [with the g pronounced as in jolly] can mean mean/tight/skinflint
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Not heard that one before. It's 'stingy' (soft g) up here.
Skinflint is a good one that's still used though.
 
catseye said:
Two of the things that usually bring dialect out - what did you call woodlice growing up, and what did you call it when you deliberately missed school?

I was brought up by a London mum and a Devon dad, and our woodlice were always woodlice, but my very Somerset sister in law called them Bakers. Our missing school was 'mitching', although pretending to be ill to get out of school was known by my dad as 'swinging the lead' (but I think he got this from the army).
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'Woodlice' and 'bunking off' or 'skiving' (sky-ving).
 
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