19 sayings you’ll only understand if you’re from South Yorkshire
Ee by gum, what a list!
You can only expect to hear the best phrases and dialect from the place known to many as 'God's own country'! Anyone from outside the glory land might look at you as if you've got two heads if you utter any of these phrases.
We guarantee you'll hear at least one of these phrases when in South Yorkshire, whether you're a resident or if you're just passing through! We've put together a list of 19 of our favourite South Yorkshire sayings...
‘Blackpool illuminations’
This one is sure to come from your Dad or Grandad, too. When he thinks there's too many lights on in the house you'll hear "It's like bloody Blackpool illuminations in 'ere! Turn them lights off!" and he'll claim he also pays the 'leccy (electricity) bill so gets final say on what lights are on around the house.
‘Put wood in t’ole’
Meaning to shut the door, this is usually followed by "you're lettin' cold in!"
‘Spuggy’
Meaning the little bird found in your garden, the sparrow, spuggy is used regularly when gazing out of your kitchen window. Sometimes you'll hear, "oh no, the cat's got a spuggy again!"
‘T’werk’
Not to be confused with the fast booty shaking, 't'werk' is in fact where South Yorkshire people tend to go from 9-5, yes it means to 'go to work'.
Breadcake/teacake
We couldn't not include this in our list. Mention the 'breadcake, bap cob' debate to anyone and you're guaranteed to start an argument across the country.
‘Tha meks a better door than a window!’
When you're trying to watch the TV on Christmas day and someone's faffing (messing) about in front of you, someone will shout "tha meks a better door than a window!' meaning that you 'can't see what's going on because you're in the way'.
‘Arse end a nowhere’
You're driving in the car and Mum's giving directions to Dad on a map that's older than you, most likely printed in 1975. You can see your Dad getting more annoyed followed by "God sake! We're in arse end a nowhere ere!" meaning that you're now lost.
‘Bagsy’
Once the word is mentioned there's no going back, this is now stronger than a legal agreement. You've now claimed something for yourself. An example would be "BAGSY THE FRONT SEAT" followed by a mad dash to the car.
‘Be reyt’
No matter what has gone wrong, someone will say 'dunt matter, they'll be reyt'. Meaning they'll 'be OK'.
‘Croggy’
This one's fallen out of use a little, but still an iconic phrase. Meaning to get a lift on someone's handle bars of a bike, it's usually used with 'Give us a lift on your croggy and I'll buy you some sweets from t'shop'.
‘Dollop’
This usually means a lump of something, in most cases a lump of food. "Give us another dollop of mash wimme pie will ya".
‘Ey up’
Meaning to 'watch out' or 'be careful', this phrase can also mean 'hello'.
‘Can’t see wood for trees’
When something is so obvious and right in front of you, but you just can't see it.
‘Mardy bum’
Made more popular by Sheffield's own the Arctic Monkeys, mardy bum is used to describe someone who is sulking or moaning. If someone says this to you, you'd better slap a smile on your face sharpish. This is also the only phrase non-Yorkshire people can say properly because they've sang it that many times.
‘Lug ‘oil’
Don't worry, if you hear someone chatting about their 'lug 'oil', they haven't lost their mind. This phrase actually means 'ear'. As strange as it might sound, anyone from South Yorkshire would think nothing of referring to their ear as this.
‘Leking’
Travel anywhere in South Yorkshire and you'll actually hear this word in different contexts. Head over to Barnsley and 'leking' means to play out. But if you head down to Rotherham 'leking' is used for someone who's bunked off work or pulled a sicky.
‘In a bit’
'Meaning goodbye' or 'see you later', this is a typical phrased used by someone from the region.
‘Tin tin tin’
People from outside the region just can't seem to understand this phrase. Meaning 'it isn't in the tin'. Unfortunately, this isn't used very often but when it does it's usually said really fast to prove no Southerners can say it properly.
‘Put the big light on’
As the day draws to an end, your living room will start to get darker. This is when the phrase "PUT BIG LIGHT ON" will echo from your Dad's mouth, meaning the main light in the sitting room needs turning on.
There we have it! A crash course in typical South Yorkshire phrases with 19 of the best ones you’ll hear along the Don. Can you think of any better ones?