Words

All Hands: Everyone

Back-biter: a individual who talks negatively about others

Batter: Get lost,

Bawkity: uncoordinated. Trips on thin air.

Bitten Stick: Used for tying wood on a slide

Blustery: windy, rainy, miserable weather.

Bockety: Unsteady

Bollocks: generally means same as football.

Bore: as in the speed of water “keen bore in the gut”

Boxcar: used for hauling various things on a horse that would otherwise fall

off a draycar

Bulk: area in a stable for storing hay

Brazen: Smart mouthed

Bresney: bundle of firewood, load of dry twigs

Cape Ann: Fisherman’s hat

Chainies: Pieces of coloured glass that have been shaped and smoothened out and deposited by the movement of the ocean. Round chainies were called “glassy rocks”

Christer: the same as a Jo Jeezler.

Chronics: Twisted wood

Chuckle: To give a gentle blow under the chin, to grasp someone by the throat

Church Key: Bottle opener.

Clout: a smack

Codding: joking, unbelievable

Crackie: small mixed breed dog, generally barks a lot.

Crit: To stoop/squat

Croodle: To stoop/squat

Crossackle: To vex by argument

Cruisheens: Homemade stilts. The name comes right from Ireland.

Cubby: Playing house with second hand dishes, chainies and pretend food. Sometimes the girls would make a sort of lean-to “house” with boards or pieces of wood.

Dale: a long plank

Dairy: Storage Shed

Darby: Hard Case or troublesome.

Dart: a short quick trip

Day Bed: Particular shape of small bed or couch usually situated in the eating room.

Dipper: small pot for dipping up water

Dodge: to stroll casually

Dozen: 12 beers or a case of beer.

Duckish: dark and gloomy, end of the day

Dunghell: Derived from “dunghill”. “Dung” was the manure from the stable animals. It was pitched out through a hole and, over time, it formed a mound or hill. Eventually, it would be removed to spread on the gardens as a fertilizer.

Drawers: Long Underwear.

Draycar: used for hauling hay on a horse.

Dresser: An old-fashioned kitchen cupboard

Droke: Tuck or Knap of woods

Dyke: an open ditch

Eating Room: Informal Dining Room

Foolie Ollie: A person acting in a silly manner.

Football: Generally someone who is good for nothing or that has fouled something up “He’s a keen football”.

Frankum: Turpentine from a tree

Front Room: the part of the house that’s all done up but nobody was allowed to go, usually covered in plastic. Aka Parlor.

Gaff: Long or short pole with a hook used on boats.

Gadrock: a right sized rock to use in a wooden grapple anchor used for fishing nets and traps.

Gamebag: Rucksack or knapsack

Gap:Gate

Glauvaun/Glawvawn: To complain.

Glitter: Coating of ice deposited on exposed objects by freezing rain.

Gly: baited instrument used to catch gulls.

Gommel: A foolish Person

Goowitty, Goody, Goulworthy: a type of weed

Grand: Big ways.

Gulch: Small stream and valley.

Gulley: Small Stream

Gulley Jumpers: Cutoff Rubbers

gurry: blood or slime from fish

Gut: Small waterway entrance

Gruff: Pick-axe with one flat side.

Half: six pack of beer.

Hand-cart/Hand-cat: Small sled used to haul wood

Hare’s Ears, Hazures, *: A pair of pointed rocks protruding above the surface, twin peaks (of a hill), Seary, 1971 Two rocks, known as Hare’s Ears 40 Feet high, lie close eastward of Branch head. Source: Dictionary of Newfoundland English pages 241-242 Hasures (note another spelling is used by Seary in this instance) is the name given to a rock split in the middle looking like hare’s ears. 1971 Seary 87 Hare’s Ears… Is a descriptive which occurs in at least seven localities in Newfoundland to describe two steep adjacent pinnacle-like rocks. Standing offshore Please Note The Canada Gazette notes the official name as Hare’s Ears therefore everyone’s individualized spelling is correct for them!

Hayper: Nothing

Helf: Axe handle

Hip Rubbers: Hip waders

Hollywood: an exceptionally good looking woman—a favourite word of Joe Mooney—”She’s a keen Hollywood”

Hot Toddy: Hot water mixed with rum and sugar

Hotten: To heat up

Hove: to lean or produce “ he hove up his guts”

Igjit: (E-jit) – Idiot

Jingler: Small cod fish

Jink: One who brings bad luck, cast a spell on

Jinker: a person who wore grey or coloured nippers

Joog: To drink or drain completely

Jowls: the lower cheek bone of a cod fish.

Jo Jeezler: A mischievous person

Junk: a piece of wood, cut to fit a stove, or a junk of salt meat

Keen Dose: A lot of

Kersheens: Homemade stlits

Knob: stund person.

Lacing: a beating or a physical punishment

Laddio: a mischievous boy

Landwash: Beach, generally rocky.

Lassy: molasses

Lifter: Tool for lifting the lid on a wood stove.

Lolly: Loose Ice

Lots: enough - “That’s lots” as opposed to give me more “ give me a lot of it”, often confuses mainlanders.

Log-loaded: fully laden with fish, very drunk

Longer: a fence rail

Loop or lube: Rabbit Snare made of wire

Linney: A storage room or a shed attached to the back of one’s house.

Link ‘um: Join together

Maggoty: mean a lot of, very or much. “ maggoty drunk”.

Maul: big wooden hammer for driving stakes.

Mauzy: Misty

Mawkish: A silly, foolish person

Maw Mouth: A person who had a lot to say: braggart. A loud mouth.

Millering: Matchmaking

Mind: Watch your manners

Mouth Organ: harmonica

Mug-up: a light snack

Multitude: A large amount

Nippers: white knitted hand protectors padded with wool or other material. Nippers were slipped over the palm of fishermen’s hands to help prevent chaffing.

Noentoff: derived from “no end of”

Offal: discarded fish Guts and bones

Paddy Keefe: near

Parlour-End: Living Room

Pick-a-ninny: bubble gum.

Pitch-black: Very dark (like tar)

Plock: Fill

Pound: Hold for the fish in a skiff. Also stall for a horse.

Puncheon: Large measure of rum,

Prate: a lot of talk, chatter

Proper: Often used to magnify an adjective.

Prise: to lift open