Dialect/slang

String o' beads · Post by **String o' beads** » Fri 26 Sep, 2008 9:26 pm

Chrism wrote: Aye but weren't they called Navigators? Yes indeed. Navvies for short. Should have said that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navvies

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Fri 26 Sep, 2008 10:44 pm

NAVIGATOR by The PoguesThe canals and the bridges, the embankments and cuts,They blasted and dug with their sweat and their gutsThey never drank water but whiskey by pintsAnd the shanty towns rang with their songs and their fights.Navigator, navigator rise up and be strongThe morning is here and theres work to be done.Take your pick and your shovel and the bold dynamiteFor to shift a few tons of this earthly delightYes to shift a few tons of this earthly delight.They died in their hundreds with no sign to mark whereSave the brass in the pocket of the entrepreneur.By landslide and rockblast they got buried so deepThat in death if not life theyll have peace while they sleep.Navigator, navigator rise up and be strongThe morning is here and theres work to be done.Take your pick and your shovel and the bold dynamiteFor to shift a few tons of this earthly delightYes to shift a few tons of this earthly delight.Their mark on this land is still seen and still laidThe way for a commerce where vast fortunes were madeThe supply of an empire where the sun never setWhich is now deep in darkness, but the railways there yet.Navigator, navigator rise up and be strongThe morning is here and theres work to be done.Take your pick and your shovel and the bold dynamiteFor to shift a few tons of this earthly delightYes to shift a few tons of this earthly delight.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 27 Sep, 2008 12:12 am

Geordie-exile wrote: sundowner wrote: Just a thought could it stem from the name for the men who built the canal navvys? T'other way round sundowner. That's where the navvies got their name from. The navvies got their name from the navigations they were building, in time the navvies were replaced by Steam Navvies (shovels) built at Thos Smiths of Rodley (and elsewhere) Excavators to this day are called "navvies" on some sites.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 27 Sep, 2008 12:14 am

Geordie-exile wrote: Tidgy = little. Perhaps from a similar root to the nickname Tich? We say "scoddy" for something little. Whether it's a word that's migrated here from Ossett (Helen's an Ossetter) I'm not sure, but I seem to remember using it when I was a kid.

Lilysmum · Post by **Lilysmum** » Sat 27 Sep, 2008 5:41 pm

Has anyone mentioned "Gert"(great) as in "Yer gert big lummox"?

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Sat 27 Sep, 2008 8:43 pm

Trojan wrote: Geordie-exile wrote: sundowner wrote: Just a thought could it stem from the name for the men who built the canal navvys? T'other way round sundowner. That's where the navvies got their name from. The navvies got their name from the navigations they were building, in time the navvies were replaced by Steam Navvies (shovels) built at Thos Smiths of Rodley (and elsewhere) Excavators to this day are called "navvies" on some sites. Ah, yes. Smiths of Rodley, and their neighbours, Booths, also builders of excavators. Half the boys in my year at school left after 'O' levels to take up apprenticeships at one or t'other. The other half went to Crofts or English Electric in Bradford. I wonder what happened to them all? They sure didn't get jobs for life at any of those places!Me? I was a dreamy arts scholar, not one of your practical budding engineers. Drove the careers advisors nuts in those days of science for boys and arts for girls.

rangieowner · Post by **rangieowner** » Sun 28 Sep, 2008 4:12 am

Lilysmum wrote: In answer to the question "whats that?" we used to get told "it's a wigwam for ducks to peak on"?? in other words mind your own business! Anybody else come across that? Stalled = fed upFast = in need of as in "if yer fast for a job,get them pots washed"Runnin wick = with nits/fleas "Fast" means Stuck is in STUCK FAST! So read above as "If yer stuck for a job........etc. And something can be "runnin wick" with anything that moves, not just fleas and nits eg: "That field is runnin wick wi rabbits" or "That boozer is runnin wick wi wimmin"

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sun 28 Sep, 2008 11:16 am

Uno Hoo wrote: Trojan wrote: Geordie-exile wrote: sundowner wrote: Just a thought could it stem from the name for the men who built the canal navvys? T'other way round sundowner. That's where the navvies got their name from. The navvies got their name from the navigations they were building, in time the navvies were replaced by Steam Navvies (shovels) built at Thos Smiths of Rodley (and elsewhere) Excavators to this day are called "navvies" on some sites. Ah, yes. Smiths of Rodley, and their neighbours, Booths, also builders of excavators. Half the boys in my year at school left after 'O' levels to take up apprenticeships at one or t'other. The other half went to Crofts or English Electric in Bradford. I wonder what happened to them all? They sure didn't get jobs for life at any of those places!Me? I was a dreamy arts scholar, not one of your practical budding engineers. Drove the careers advisors nuts in those days of science for boys and arts for girls. There's a Smiths thread on here somewhere.

arry_awk · Post by **arry_awk** » Sun 28 Sep, 2008 12:33 pm

Trojan wrote: Uno Hoo wrote: Trojan wrote: Geordie-exile wrote: sundowner wrote: Just a thought could it stem from the name for the men who built the canal navvys? T'other way round sundowner. That's where the navvies got their name from. The navvies got their name from the navigations they were building, in time the navvies were replaced by Steam Navvies (shovels) built at Thos Smiths of Rodley (and elsewhere) Excavators to this day are called "navvies" on some sites. Ah, yes. Smiths of Rodley, and their neighbours, Booths, also builders of excavators. Half the boys in my year at school left after 'O' levels to take up apprenticeships at one or t'other. The other half went to Crofts or English Electric in Bradford. I wonder what happened to them all? They sure didn't get jobs for life at any of those places!Me? I was a dreamy arts scholar, not one of your practical budding engineers. Drove the careers advisors nuts in those days of science for boys and arts for girls. There's a Smiths thread on here somewhere. Crisps or Speedometers ??? LOL

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Sun 28 Sep, 2008 1:58 pm

arry awk wrote: Trojan wrote: Uno Hoo wrote: Trojan wrote: Geordie-exile wrote: sundowner wrote: Just a thought could it stem from the name for the men who built the canal navvys? T'other way round sundowner. That's where the navvies got their name from. The navvies got their name from the navigations they were building, in time the navvies were replaced by Steam Navvies (shovels) built at Thos Smiths of Rodley (and elsewhere) Excavators to this day are called "navvies" on some sites. Ah, yes. Smiths of Rodley, and their neighbours, Booths, also builders of excavators. Half the boys in my year at school left after 'O' levels to take up apprenticeships at one or t'other. The other half went to Crofts or English Electric in Bradford. I wonder what happened to them all? They sure didn't get jobs for life at any of those places!Me? I was a dreamy arts scholar, not one of your practical budding engineers. Drove the careers advisors nuts in those days of science for boys and arts for girls. There's a Smiths thread on here somewhere. Crisps or Speedometers ??? LOL No, The band!!