I love Somerset. Visiting Somerset is like stepping back in time, to an altogether more laissez-faire era, where people are generally more relaxed, laid back and easy going.
Indeed, Somerset is a quirky, colourful county, home to Glastonbury Tor, the Vale of Avalon, the Wookey Hole Witch and Cheddar Man among others.
But did you know that Somerset has its very own unique dialect, dating back to the Anglo Saxon period? If you’ve never experienced it before, you are in for a treat! In this short post I am going to introduce you to some of the most beloved Somerset words and phrases that are still in use today, so that when you visit this glorious county, you’ll be able to converse with confidence. Some of them you may well know already, some of them you may have heard and thought ‘What the…?’.
Once you think you have the hang of the Somerset lingo (ahaha ahahahaha!) then you can attempt the quiz below…
Somerset Words and Phrases:
Zummerzet
Somerset #obvs
Gurt
Large but also great or very, as in: 'That’s gurt lush.' Or 'That’s a gurt big hole.'
Lush
Lovely, nice, wonderful.
Dimpsey
The fading light at the end pf the day, ie dusk. See photo to the right of Glastonbury Tor...
Where You To
Where are you? My personal favourite and used extensively around here.
Where’s That To
Where is it? Another personal fave, in keeping with the above.
How Be On
How are you?
Yer Tis
Here it is.
Alright Me Luvver
Hello! An affectionate greeting. We used this a lot at school. Which was in Wiltshire. Go figure.
Ark At Ee
Listen to him! Said with surprise or sarcasm/incredulity.
G’woam
Going home.
Betwaddled
Confused. Maybe after you’ve had a pint too many Zummerzet zyders.
Proper Job
Good job! Great work!
Begrumpled
Unhappy about something.
Cow-Baby
A coward.
Bobbish
In high spirits, good health.
Right, so now you’re fully fluent in the local Somerset lingo, see if you can translate these sentences – answers in the link at the bottom!
1 | That there’s a gurt lush titty-todger. (Note: there’s a clue below…) |
2 | Alright me luvver, getting a bit dimpsey round the Tor baint it? |
3 | I’m g’woam – he’s had too much zyder and is proper begrumpled |
4 | Ark at ee – din I say he’s feeling bobbish? |
5 | Me ol mucker bin agon gallivantin agen. |
6 | Diddee see the buzzies in the bog house? |
7 | Yer uz be - zackly whirr um spunkies be. |
Feeling betwaddled? Answers Here:
Somerset Flora and Fauna:
Just as a final note – here are some Somerset words for the local flora and fauna. How lovely are these?
Flittermouse – a bat! And the name of our shepherd hut
Buzzies – flies
Bumtowel – long-tailed tit
Yappingale - woodpecker
Fuz-Pig – hedgehog
Lady-Cow – lady bird
Muddy-Want – a mole
Titty-Todger – a wren
Dumbledore – a bumblebee
So now you’re fluent in the Zummerset dialect you can converse with confidence down the Halfway. Over a pint of zyder. Natch.
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