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GEORDIE: a beginners guide

by Phillip Steele

Why “Geordie” and what makes the dialect so unique? The origins of the Geordie have been a matter of much discussion and controversy, you just need to tune into “Night Owls” (a local radio program) a phone-in which regularly debates this subject with passion! One explanation in particular seems most convincing. In the 1800’s there word was a term of abuse likened with idiocy. King George III was an unpopular monarch and was insane (the link here: Geordie = insanity; surely not). His son took the throne in 1811. George IV, as he was, had a reputation for extravagance, and his love of pleasure and promiscuity were notorious (Geordie - extravagance, pleasure and promiscuity; that’s more like it!).

Basically, the word Geordie was a term of abuse. It became linked with Newcastle in the 19th Century, when the middle classes of the city, who disliked and feared the mining community used the word to refer to miners. As the reign of George III and George IV passed, people soon forgot about their disagreeable characteristics and Geordie gradually ceased to be an insulting word and eventually was accepted as a friendly term when applied not only to pit men, but to anyone who lived in this area.

There is no definitive Geordie dialect. There are considerable variations spoken in Northumberland and Durham. The word and phrases listed below are for practice in private only. Try them out on a real Geordie and they’ll soon realise you’re a southerner, think you’re taking the mick, and most likely “stove ya heed in!”.

Word	Meaning
AA	To owe. Aa aa nowt - I owe nothing.
AAFUL	Awful. She set off the aafulest shrieks.
AAL	All. Aal reet - all right.
BAIRN	A child.
BASH	To hit with violence. She bashed the door i’me fyece.
BATTER	A drinking bout. He’s on the batter agyen. Prostitution. She’s on the batter.
BLAA	To blow: Blaa the leet oot. - Blow the light light.
BLAA OOT	A “Blow out”. A drinking bout.
BORD	A bird. Today slang for a girl.
BOWK	To belch/vomit.
BRAZEN	Impudent, shameless. She’s a brazen hussy.
BUGGER	A rough term of affection in the North. A cany aad bugger.
BYEUT	Boot. A byeut i’ the hintend. A kick in the backside.
CAKHOOSE	A latrine.
CAAKY	Animal or human waste.
CANNY	“An embodiment of all that is gentle, kindly and good”. The highest compliment that can be paid to a person is to say that he or she is canny.
CHEBBLE	A table.
CHEP	Chap. Canny aad chep.
CLAGGY	Sticky. Claggy taffy - sticky toffee.
CLAMMIN	Hungry, thirsty. Aam clammin for a drink.
CLARTS	Mud.
CRACK	Gossip. To hev a bit crack.
DEE	Do. Before a vowel becomes div. Div aa knaa him? The negative is divvint (don’t).
DORTY	Dirty. She’s a dorty body.
EE	An expression of delight/horror.
ELWIS	Always.
FAALLEN WRANG	Become pregnant.
FETTLE	Good condition. What fettle marra?
GAAK	Stare.
GADGIE	An old man employed as a watchman.
GAMMY	Lame. He’s got a gammy leg.
GEET	Big. Geet big gob - Great big mouth.
GYETSID	Gateshead.
HAAD	Hold. Haad yer gob - Hold your mouth.
HAAD ON	Hold back. Haad on a min’t - Wait a moment.
HACKY	Tyneside slang for dirty. Hacky Dorty - means very dirty.
HINNY	Local pronunciation of honey. A favourite term of endearment applied usually to women and children. Often used together with the similar word canny.
HOY	To throw. To hoy a stone - To throw a stone.
HOYIN OOT TIME	Closing time for a pub.
HYEM	Home. I’m gannin hyem.
IVVOR	Ever.
JAA-BREAKER	A long word.
LAA	Low. He wis varry laa doon - He was in very low spirits.
LAD	A sweetheart. She was gan a waak wiv her lad - she was out walking her sweetheart.
LEAZES	Stinted grass pastures.
MOW	Moment. Had on a mow - wait a moment.
NARKT	Annoyed. He was very narkt - He was very annoyed.
NEB	Nose.
NETTIE	Lavatory.
NEWCASSELL	Usually in form Canny Newcassell.
REET	Right. Used in many expressions. Not reet iv his heed.
SCRAN	Food.
SHOOT	Shout.
SHORT	Shirt.
SLORP	To make a noise when eating or drinking with a spoon. He slorped his tea.
SPIT AN’ IMAGE	Likeness. Applies either to a person or a thing. He’s a spit an’ image of his fethor.
TATIE	A potato. Tatie-bogle - scarecrow.
US	Used for me. Wiv us - with me.
VAR NIGH	Very nigh.
WIV	With. Wiv a coal in each hand.
WIVOOT	Without. It’s lone wivoot him, that bonny lad o’ mine.
WRANG	Wrong. Wrang iv is heed dearranged.

Compiled from: “The New Geordie Dictionary” by Frank Graham.