All regions have their own dialect peculiarities, but Wing village apparently has more than most! Ken Bandy has kindly shared this list of terms you might need to know were you to step back in time and have a conversation with your Wing ancestors. We’d be pleased to hear of any further contributions or comments – what phrases do you remember your Wing-raised parents and grandparents using?
The wider Buckinghamshire vocabulary around 1900 was captured by Alfred Heneage Cocks (with contributions from a Mr Gurney of Wing) and published by the Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society in their Records of Bucks journal – a copy of that list is available on GENUKI.
| Phrase | Meaning | Example |
| aggle | to annoy | She wore ollus aggling oer summut. |
| agin | against | E wore agin women in pubs |
| ampust | handpost, road sign | E wore a stanning up the ampust |
| ankitchure | handkerchief | E ad is ankitchure in his top pockut |
| Arson Abbots | Aston Abbots | She cum frum oer Arson Abbots |
| as was | maiden name | That wore Annie Bandy as was |
| ash bin | dustbin | She whelmed they teirter peelings in the ash bin |
| ashman | dustman | They ashmen cum Thursdays |
| axe | to ask | He axed arter her |
| backhouse | kitchen | She wore making the dinner in the backouse |
| bawl | to cry | She bawled when he left. |
| blinds | curtains | He ollus pulled they blinds when the sun shone |
| bolster | pillow | E liked a sorft bolster under is ead |
| cant | to gossip | She wore a’canting about in the shop |
| chackle | to speak quickly | She chackled on all night |
| chisel | to defraud | They butcher chiselled er out uv a shillin |
| chopse | to chatter | She chopsed at im all the wild |
| clar | to hurry | He clarred acrost the road |
| closet | WC, cupboard | She kep er best at in they closet |
| corf | cough | E corfed acrost the table |
| diddycoy | travelling person | They diddycoys cum a’knockin at they door |
| dinxing | dancing | She wore a’dinxing about with her new baby |
| dornt | don’t | I dornt know norn about it |
| dug | dog | E ad that gert dug wi im |
| Ellsbry | Aylesbury | I shan’t clar orf to Ellsbry |
| emmut | ant | They backhouse wore alive wi emmuts |
| et | ate | |
| fronthouse | living room | They laid im out in the fronthouse |
| furrenner | non-Wing person | There wore a furrenner in the shop Tuesday |
| futtball | football | They kids played futtball wi is at. |
| gallas | scoundrel | E wore ollus a little gallus at school |
| ganzi | pullover | E ad a red ganzi |
| gawping | staring | E stood a’gawping at er |
| gell | woman | Well gell, aint sin yer lately |
| gert | great,big | E ad that gert dug wi im |
| get agin | to rendezvous | I’ll axe im when I get agin im. |
| get by | to pass | I couldn’t get by while they wore a’chopsin |
| goo an | go on | The ashman said “Goo an gell.” |
| gooing | going | E wore a’gooing t markut |
| greenhorn | inexperienced | E wore a greenhorn at futtball an crickut |
| harrap | to scratch | Dorn’t harrap yer spots |
| keech | to bail, scoop | She keeched a bowl o water frum the butt to wash er ead |
| krorse | cross | E ad a krorse on is grave |
| Learton | Leighton Buzzard | Learton markut’s a Tuesday |
| let be | leave alone | When she chopses let be |
| likeness | portrait, photo | I ad er likeness on they wall |
| looking glass | mirror | She ad a looking glass in er bag |
| lung | long | That’s a lung wild since I sin yer |
| markut | market | Learton markut’s a Tuesday |
| marnt | mustn’t | I marnt clar about se much |
| momered | confused | Er aggling at me momered me |
| motor | car | They got in the motor |
| nammer | no more, no longer | I shan’t go to Learton nammer |
| norn | nothing | There wore norn in the closet |
| nut the tickut | mentally defective | They took n notice cos she wore nut the ticket |
| oller | to shout | He ollered down the road after er |
| ollus | always | He ollus ollers about |
| ommuck | to trudge | She ommucked acrorst the park in the rain |
| pantry | larder,cupboard | There wornt norn in they pantry |
| Pray! | Please! | Pray dorn’t oller |
| rowdle | to search,sort | She rowdled around in the closet fur er at |
| scroffle | to shuffle | E scroffled out o bed to the fronthouse |
| scurf | dandruff | There wore scurf on is shelders |
| shelders | shoulders | There wore scurf on is shelders |
| ship | sheep | They ship went to markut |
| sich | such | I never eard sich a row |
| sin | seen | I ain’t sin im this twelvemonth |
| soodle | to suck up | E wore a’soodling a cup a tay |
| sore | swore | She sore at im when she got agin im |
| spek | speak | What can’t spek can’t lie |
| stroddle [n] | crotch | Is trousers chaffed is stroddle |
| stroddle [v] | to straddle | E stoddled two rows a teirters |
| summut | something | E ad summut in is ankitchure |
| summut swift | stupid idea | Is gardin wore summut swift |
| sun | soon | She’ll sun be back frum Learton |
| tay | tea | E wore a’soodling a cup a tay |
| tear about | to hurry | She tore about tidying the fronthouse |
| teirters | potatoes | E stoddled two rows a teirters |
| they | those | They teirters aint n good |
| tickut | ticket | E axed fer a tickut to Wingruf |
| twelvemonth | year | I ain’t sin im this twelvemonth |
| ug | pig | E kep a gert ug in is gardin |
| warnt | wasn’t/want | I warnt there. I warnt a cup a tay |
| wash the head | wash the hair | She washed er ead wi rainwater |
| wick | week | |
| Wingruf | Wingrave | She came frum oer Wingruf way |
| wireless | radio | They aint got n wireless yit |
| yaffle | to eat(greedily) | He yaffled all is teirters |
| yarnt | to cry aloud | She yarnted about at the funeral |
| yawp | to shout | E wore a’yawping at er down the road |