COMMON EXPRESSIONS

The following sayings and expressions were written down by George Paterson in his book Country Cracks: Old Tales from the County of Armagh (first published in 1939, these are from the 3rd edition of 1945)

Frontispiece to Paterson's book Country Cracks.

Fut-the-gutter, untidy walker.
Clash-bag, gossip.
Ram stam, without due care.
Cogley, unsteady.
Girn, complain.
Flooster, to pet.
Jundry, to push or shove.
Yammer, cry.
A gopin, the full of both hands.
To boke, to vomit.
To gunk, to disappoint.
A blad, a lump of anything.
Champ, mashed potatoes.
Trollip, an untidy woman.
Targe, a bad tempered woman.
Truff, to steal.
Stoon, a pain.
A dwam, faintness.
A brash, more serious illness.
Whamlin' a hen, putting her under cover to keep her from " clockin'."
Slither, to slide.
Hunkers, bended knees.
Clabber, mud.
Cloots, hooves.
Glar, mud at the bottom of a pond.
Gab, talk.
Stack of ribs, thin person.
In swithers, undecided.
Stoor, dust.
To dunch, to shove.
Whigmaleeries, silly ideas.
I can't hear my ears, a common expression to noisy children.
Egg him on, encourage him.
Out by, out of doors.
A trimmin', a beating.
A weltin', a beating.
A kittery, a fool.
A whang, a leather lace.
A turrey, a young pig.
He's not himself, he is not well.
Skelly, squint.
He's got a back-set, he has got a relapse.
A bat, a blow.
A quare bat in the lug, a blow on the ear.
Hochle, to walk in a slovenly way.
Thin-skinned, easily annoyed.
Dreep, to drip.
Thinking long, waiting and wishing for.
Feckless, feeble-minded.
In a jiffey, quickly or in a short time.
He tuk me in, he fooled me.
Tack, a bad taste.
She is a bidable wee one, an obedient child.
Blethers, foolish talk.
Scrunty, small.
Well put on, well dressed.
Doin' bravely, feeling fairly well.
Deave or Dave, to stun with noise.
To take the rust, commonly applied to horses who refuse to pull properly.
Stroe, straw.
To duke, to crouch.
Fadge, a largish piece of bread.
Soople, active.
Blether-come-skite, silly person.
Can't see a stime, total blindness.
Sonsy, lucky or healthy.
Cornaptious, irritable.
Speel, to climb.
Smit, to infect.
To gunk, to disappoint.
A harl of bones, a lean person.
I'm set up entirely, unable to proceed, but also used in exactly the opposite sense in acknowledging a gift.
Shill, shell.
Sned, the shaft of the scythe.
A lash, a great deal.
To let on, to pretend.
Spencal, a rope used to tie up goats.
Brightify, to make bright.
Slithery, slippery.
Daunder, walk slowly.
A good settin' down, a good scolding.