Lakeland Words / A Collection of Dialect Words and Phrases as Used in Cumberland and Westmorland, with Illustrative Sentences in the North Westmorland Dialect

by Bryham Kirkby

NOWT-FIUT-OIL, NEAT-FIUT-OIL—Ah put these tweea acos o’ t’ auld word nowt an’ neat fer cattle.

NOWT-AT-T-MACK—Dud thoo tell me that ye wanted a whelp oot o’ oor bitch. Nowt-at-t’-mack, we’ve mair dogs ner we know what ta deea wi’.

NOWT—Nothing. Ah’ll hev nowt ta deea wi’ ’t, seea noo than.

NOWT-SA—Not so. Ah’s nowt-sa much ta crack on.

NOWDER—Neither. They’re nowder o’ them neea gurt catch.

NOGS—A lad gam like skittles.

NOWT-AT-DOW—A poor sample; i’ bad fettle. He’s nowt-at-dow. Ah’ve niver bin nowt-at-dow sen Ah gat wet through.

NUM, NUMSKULL—Clumsy. Ah’s that num mi’ fingers is o’ thums. Thoo gurt numskull, liuk whar thoo’s gaan.

OBBUT—Ebbut slightly varied in sound.

OD-DAL, Od-die-bon, Od-drat, Od-wuns, Ods-wunters, Ods-scurse, Ods-sang, Ods-whinge—They’ve neea mair meanen ta them, hezn’t this lot, ner nowt. They’re ta let bad temper oot withoot sweeren reet oot.