Ey ‘Up: 10 Northern Sayings
by Northern Life
Naaa then, si’thee, sit thi’ sen darn and educate tha sen on northern sayings
10 Northern Sayings and Their Origins
Northern sayings are reet grand, like—full o’ grit, graft, and a good dose o’ wit. Up ‘ere, we don’t faff about; we tell it how it is, often wi’ a chuckle.
1. Ey ‘Up – Can be traced back to Old Norse languages. A colloquial greeting the expression is a friendly way of saying ‘Hello/Hi’. ‘Ey ‘up’ can also be used to grab someone’s attention or as an expression of surprise, similar to saying ‘Wow’.
2. Barm is another addition to the controversial and ever-lasting argument of the ‘correct’ term for a teacake/bap/bun/ bread roll. It is thought that the term comes from ‘beorma’, the Old English word for yeast. In any case, the word refers to yeast- based products, such as bread and beer, the latter of which lead to the insult ‘barmy’, as ‘barm’ can also reference the froth on fermenting beers, said to make consumers ‘barmy’ if they drank it.
3. Cack Handed is used to describe someone who is clumsy or awkward, particularly in using their hands. The term might also suggest that someone is left-handed, as ‘cack’ is an old term for left, but it is more commonly associated with general clumsiness.
4. Daft ‘Apeth is said to originate from the early 20th century nickname for half of the old one penny. In the north, a halfpenny’s worth was commonly refereed to as a ‘ha’porth’, so a foolish person is a ‘daft’ apeth’- simply worth only half a penny.
“Lovely bit o’ scran, that!”
5. Scran refers to cheap and easy food, and most often, junk food. The origins of the word point to North Germanic or Old Norse, and is generally used to describe a scrappy comfort meal, like yesterday’s leftover pie or a cheeky microwave pizza on a cold day!
6. Ginnel is the narrow pathway between houses, ginnel being the more common term used in the north. The word ‘ginnel’ in one of its many ways of spelling, comes from the French ‘chenelle’, which also translates in the form of English words like ‘channel’ or ‘canal’.
“Ee by gum!
Can your belly touch
yer bum?”
7. Ee By Gum! “By God!” That’s the phrase! An exclamation of surprise, often delivered with a touch of humour or a hint of disdain. This expression is particularly popular in Yorkshire. The term is typically used as a softer alternative to more offensive expletives.
8. Doylem in the simplest of terms means stupid or someone who is lacking commonsense. “That lad’s a proper doylem!” Dating back to the early 1960s, the term seemingly originated from the Yiddish word ‘goylem’.
“Giz a croggy t’park!”
9. Croggy is a ride given to a passenger on a bicycle, in which they sit on the crossbar or handlebars. “Can I have croogy t’ park?”
10. Sithee is an informal term meaning ‘see you’ or ‘look’ and is often used as a farewell, “I’ll sithee later” but also used to catch someone’s attention or to emphasise a point. For example, “Sithee, I told you!”
NorthernLife Dec/Jan/Feb 24/25
