DBC
Nottinghamshire
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1 of 36
Mon 5th Apr 2010 7:17pm
I thought I might start a topic about dialect words which seem to be unique to Coventry. Most of these I learned from my grandmother who was born in Coventry in 1892.
I think the most commonly used one is "batch" for a bread roll. I have never heard this used apart from in Coventry plus Bedworth and Nuneaton.
Other that spring to mind are "jetty", for a small alleyway between houses, "on the box" for being on sick-leave from work, and a very rare one; This is "thrawl" which is the name for a stone or marble slab found in a food cupboard or pantry.
This last one I wasn't certain of until I was chatting yesterday to another Coventry resident who had also heard of that word.
Are there any more suggestions to add to the list?
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Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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Rob Orland
Historic Coventry
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2 of 36
Tue 6th Apr 2010 8:59pm
I can't think of any new ones right now, but I agree - "batch" is a very typical example.
Funnily enough, I once spent a few weeks working at Beeston near Nottingham. On the first morning I asked what time tea-break was - and the reply was "The cob lady comes at 10 o'clock". So I said "yes, but what time's tea-break?" So he repeated his answer. So I then asked what on earth a cob-lady was.... and he looked confused and said "Don't you know what a cob is?" On seeing my blank expression he described a 'cob'.
So I said..... "Oh I see, it's like a batch".
He replied.... "What on earth is a batch?"
Enough said! |
Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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Midland Red
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3 of 36
Thu 8th Apr 2010 2:51pm
I've lived and worked in other parts of the country and I don't recall so many roads being prefixed with "The" as in Coventry
For example,
The Allesley Old Road
The Holyhead Road
The Kenilworth Road
The London Road
The Foleshill Road
The Walsgrave Road |
Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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dutchman
Spon End
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4 of 36
Thu 8th Apr 2010 7:46pm
You can tell someone is local if they can pronounce "Cheylesmore" and "Styvechale" or if they know the meaning of "Brumagem Screwdriver".
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Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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Midland Red
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5 of 36
Thu 8th Apr 2010 7:50pm
. . . not forgetting Bed'uth and Long-ford !
Oh, and Awsley and Kersley !
And Fozull !
And Burk-swell ! |
Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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BrotherJoybert
Coventry
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6 of 36
Fri 9th Apr 2010 11:14am
Do you remember when Mercia Sound first started broadcasting?
Some of the adverts were hilarious!
Wob-burly, Wick-in etc ... |
Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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dutchman
Spon End
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7 of 36
Wed 21st Jul 2010 11:01pm
Here's a jetty
Pictures of Coventry
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Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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NeilsYard
Coventry
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8 of 36
Tue 16th Nov 2010 2:13pm
Why does every Cov Kid refer to the city centre as town, i.e. going down the town? |
Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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Rob Orland
Historic Coventry
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9 of 36
Thu 16th Dec 2010 7:32pm
I must admit, I also used to think this was a Coventry thing to say, but on the telly in recent years I've noticed a couple of people from other cities refer to their centres as 'town', too. That still doesn't explain why we say it though.
The only reason I can think of is that the saying began in the days when our city centre 'was the town', and the surrounding areas - now Coventry's sub-districts - were not yet part of it, but just nearby villages, like Stoke, Earlsdon, etc. |
Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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InnisRoad
Hessle
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10 of 36
Sun 20th Mar 2011 5:24pm
Batch and Thrawl are both in fairly widespread use and found in ordinary dictionaries. Jetty, I think was very peculiar to Coventry. Another Coventry word for jetty was entry, not commonly used elsewhere. In Rugby the term passage was used and in Hull it's ten-foot. Godcakes are common throughout Warwickshire. God cakes, made for a christening (with God parents), were often triangular, I believe.
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Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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rojwhittle
derbyshire
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11 of 36
Tue 30th Aug 2011 3:45pm
"The" was also used when people said where they worked - never "I work for Morris Engines", but "I work at 'The Morris', 'The Standard', or wherever.
A saying I remember my grandma using was "Stap me!". I asked her what it actually meant, and she hadn't a clue! |
Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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InnisRoad
Hessle
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12 of 36
Fri 2nd Sep 2011 8:07am
One thing I remember being common, at least in our family, was "Well, I'll go to Stoke!" as an expression of surprise. I don't know the origin of it.
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Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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DBC
Nottinghamshire
Thread starter
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13 of 36
Wed 16th May 2012 7:28pm
During a recent flying visit to Coventry I noticed that even the restaurant in the Herbert sells "bacon batches". Glad to see that the place is keeping up with local traditions. |
Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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Meerkat
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14 of 36
Mon 29th Oct 2012 9:27am
On 2nd Sep 2011 8:07am, InnisRoad said:
One thing I remember being common, at least in our family, was "Well, I'll go to Stoke!" as an expression of surprise. I don't know the origin of it.
Both my parents used this saying when I was child and as far as I can remember most adults did, I haven't heard it said for many years now though. |
Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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Positively Pottering
East Midlands
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15 of 36
Fri 2nd Nov 2012 6:38pm
Surely one of the most unique of Coventry words and phrases is
Catching the buz down The Meada.
Perhaps I'll meet you under the elephant.
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Memories and Nostalgia -
Words and phrases we remember
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