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Newfy Speak

Thought you guys might like to learn a little about the Newfoundland language which is somewhat different than the King's English. There are some expressions and words that do not mean the same thing as they do on the mainland. Some words are totally Newfoundland created and used. It's no wonder that most people around the world, even other Canadians do not understand what the Newfies are saying. So have some fun and try out some of these words and expressions on your firends and family. I'll post a few each day.

 

aback: behind. The cellar is aback of the house.

 

ampery: sore and infected. I cut my finger and now it is right ampery.

 

ar: any. I left the house without ar breakfast this morning.

 

aye b'y: I agree.

 

baffed out: 1. exhausted. 2. getting old.

 

bare legged cup of tea: A cup of tea served without food offered.

 

barmp: Honk the car horn.

 

bees: 1. go. I bees berry pickin' sometimes. 2.am. I bees in CBS sometimes.

 

best kind: in great condition, healthwise or otherwise.

 

boil up: a meal in the woods.

 

 

 

 

 

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Newfy Speak

Pete,

So does it work like this:

 

When that idiot pulled in front of me I let out a good long barmp!!

 

Smiley Tongue

Charles

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Newfy Speak

Exactally right Charles. BTW, "b'y" means boy but is pronounced as if it were "buy". You hear a lot of "yes b'y" around here and it is also applied to women. So here are a few more.

 

bread and cheese:  The name applied to a rocy barren hill.

 

breeze: press hard. "Breeze down hard on the board while I cut the end off."

 

 

 

 

 

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Newfy Speak

brush: a sudden gust of wind

 

bulls eyes: hard candy

 

burned: frost bitten

 

burning weather: cold enough to cause frostbite

 

case hardened: stubborn

 

caught over: beginning to freeze over. "It must have been cold last night because the harbour caught over."

 

CFA: a person who is not a native Newfoundlander but "come from away"

 

chaw and glutch: bread and tea

 

chummy jigger: refering to an item whose name can not be recalled or is unknown.  "Hand me that chummy jigger on the bench, will you b'y."

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Newfy Speak

clever looking: handsome

 

clum or clom: to clutch or hold. "Clum on to that stick."

 

cod: to trick or fool. "You wouldn't cod me would you?"

 

cold junk: unconcious. "Roy hit his head on the door facing and fell down, a cold junk."

 

corned: intoxicated

 

crackie: a small dog of mixed breed and strictly a pet,  not a working dog. (My Princess was a crackie.)

 

cramp: a humorous person. "I haves a good time when I goes fishing with Joe because he's a real cramp."

 

cramps: laughs heartily. "I cramps at him." From getting stomach cramps from laughing so much.

 

Newfoundlanders seem to add an "s" at the end of many words that is not quite proper English. Examples are: haves, dies, gos (goes), needs and they love to add an "h" where there isn't one and drop the "h" where there is one very much like the British when they speak. Therefore, haves becomes "aves" and ain't becomes "hain't" and so forth. How about "urry hup!"

 

 

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Newfy Speak

Aaoouw, shades of Eliza Doolittle (h's that is...)!

Charles

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Newfy Speak

crousty: cross or ill tempered. Pa gets crousty if Ma doesn't have supper ready.

 

curbs: blankets

 

dear: expensive

 

deese: these

 

devil's birthday: Saturday

 

devil's pelt: a mischievous child

 

dickey bird: 1. a rooster 2. the male organ

 

directly: soon or right away. "I'll be over there directly."

Message 7 of 13
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Newfy Speak

A lot of it sounds like Aussy bushys speak, maybe they are related somewhere, most originate from pomgolia

 

Smiley LOL

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Newfy Speak

I think it all has to do with the common Irish and English roots of both places. Also the fact that the sea is so prominent in the creation of both OZ and Newfyland.

 

My sister-in-law was brought up on the Labrador, not the Island and she has a very harsh dialect. Very Cockney. One of her favorite sayings is: "I dies at you." Translation......I die lauging at you because you are so funny.

 

dowsy poll: a moth

 

doxy: a man's sweetheart

 

ducky: a friendly address to another, man or woman. "How are you today my ducky?"

 

dumbledore: the bumble bee

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Newfy Speak

empt: to empty out any container

 

face: nerve. "You've got some face to say that to me."

 

fag: a cigarette

 

fagged out: exhausted

 

faggot: a small pile of fish.

 

farbed up: confused and not in control.

 

farty: forty

 

fashion: a habit. "He's got a fashion of squinting when talking to you."

 

feature: to bring to mind. "I feature the time we went rabbit catching."

 

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Newfy Speak

finest kind: in great condition. "How are you?"  "Just finest kind, thank you."

 

firk: to scratch or dig gently. "The hen is firking in the ground for a bit of seed."

 

flick: a short distance "Lewisport is just a flick from here."

 

floption: pronunced flop-shun. In a stste of confusion.

 

fluxing: beating. "You're going to get a fluxing when your father gets home!"

 

folly: follow. "Folly me to Winterton as I knows the way, b'y."

 

foss: a kick. "Stop tormenting me or you'll get a foss in the starn." (rump - note the spelling)

 

fousty: moldy and smelling bad

 

foxey: red headed.

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Newfy Speak

frettin' frame: a bed

 

froppish: cranky. "The baby is froppish today."

 

funk: to cause a bad smell

 

gally beggar: a scarecrow

 

garnipper: mosquito

 

glutch (rhymes with touch): to swallow. "She swallowed the candy in one glutch."

 

God walkers: new shoes for Sunday church service

 

gone: aching or sore. "I shoveled the snow until my back was gone."

 

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Newfy Speak

What are you at?   = what are you doing/what's up?

 

Twakking =never heard this one other than one newf, supposedly means shopping.  (never would know he's a newf compared to the ones I knew while iin greenwood.

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