Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Liverpool's Language

Its cosmopolitan origins have given Liverpool an accent and language of its own, and dictionaries exist for those wishing to extend their linguistic skills. A few important words should suffice the average traveller:

Scouse: Like many other nicknames, (eg kraut, frog, rosbif), the word is food-based. It was originally the word for a stew, with everything – meat (usually lamb), potatoes, veggies – cooked in one pot. If you couldn't afford meat it was called 'blind scouse'. In addition to the food, it is now the adjective for anything to do with Liverpool. A person from Liverpool is a scouser.

Cack: Shit (thus the American pronunciation of khaki arouses mirth).

Dicky Sam: Another word for a scouser. The female equivalents are Maggie May and Mary Ellen.

Kecks: Men's trousers.

Jigger: An alleyway at the back of a house.

La: Male mate or friend. (See also wack) The female equivalent is 'judy' – hence 'Hey Jude' – though some claim it originated as 'Hey Jule' (John Lennon's son Julian.)

Rhyming slang: Imported from London. Substitution of a word, phrase or part of phrase that rhymes instead of the word meant, eg. 'ducks and geese' for 'police' or 'boracic' (from 'Boracic lint') for 'skint'

Skint: Short of money. See Rhyming slang.

Ta: Thank you.

Wack: Mate or friend.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let me see if I got this right...
Khakis are shit, ( is it pronounced keck? ) kecks are it, Maggie Mae was about all Liverpool women, Julian Lennon is really a girl (!?!) That's wack.

Tuscan Traveller said...

You're nearly there - just a brief visit and you'll have it.
But go when the Bluesox are playing at home.

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