Tidy Welsh

Ach-a-fi
An expression of disgust as in “You should ‘ave seen the state ‘e was in, ach-a-fi!”

‘Ambarg
Wenglish for ‘handbag’

Aye-aye
(a) The single ‘aye’ is Wenglish for ‘yes’. The double form is often used as a greeting or as a reply to ‘shw mai?’, ‘awright?’, or ‘hi-ya?’ (b) Affirmative or most positive confirmation, as in “Well aye-aye mun, he’s right enough there you know!” c.f. all right, shw mai, hi-ya

Bard
Wenglish for ‘ill’; “Dew I was bard mun, I was in ‘ospital frages.”

By you
According to you, as in “What’s the time by you?”

Butty
(a) A friend or workmate; “We’ve been big butties/big butts since school…” (b) One of a matching pair “I can’t find the butty to this show for the life of me… ”

Black as the Ace of Spades
Very dirty

Cack/coggy handed
Left handed

Cop
(a) value as in “I thought I had a real bargain, but there’s not much cop in this… ”
(b) Catch, or get, as in “You’ll cop it from your father when he gets home!”

Cwtch
A much loved and much used local word having a number of uses:
(a) The coal cwtch, or the cwtch under the stairs/cwtch dan star – a storage place: derived from the Welsh ‘cwt’.
(b) To keep concealed; “Keep that cwtched by there now – don’t want anybody to see it… ”
(c) Lie down, as in the order to a dog – “Go (and find your) cwtch!”
(d) To be fondled and snuggled up in an especially loving way “Cwtch up to your mam now”. A child nursed “Welsh fashion is well and truly being ‘cwtched’

Dab
(a) Creature or thing, as in “Pooer dab, she do ‘ave a lot to put up with ‘im… ” or
(b) “He’s won the Bingo again – lucky dab!”

Dap
(a) The same size and shape as “He’s the same dap as his father exactly!”
(b) An article of footwear for games and P.E.
(c) The right thing; “Just my dap, this is!”

Eisht/Highsht
Be quiet; a derivation from the Welsh ‘Ust’

Fair do’s
Fair dues, fair play

Half soaked, ‘alf soaked
Slow in movement and/or wit; “He’s proper ‘alf soaked – too slow to catch a cold.!

Hair off/’air off
Showing anger; “You’re dad will ‘ave ‘is ‘air off when ‘e sees what you been up to!”

In a minute
(a) Shortly, presently, as in “Don’t keep on will you? You shall ‘ave it now – in a minute!”
(b) Willingly; “You should ‘ave asked ‘er – she’d ‘ave done it for you in a minute!”

Is it?
Often used as an interrogative, this is a working translation of the Welsh form “going shopping is it?” or Having a bit of dinner is it?”

Jew!
A euphamism for the Welsh word Duw, (God); “Jew, there’s bard he’s looking!”, or “Jew – there’s old she’ve gone to look lately!”

Keeping on
Making constant references to… :”I thought he was happy about it, but now he’s keepin(g) on all the time.”

Knock about with
Keep company with; “… ‘e’ do knock about with a funny lot I cun tell you!”

Like a good ‘un
As well as ever, as in “Lately ‘e’ve been off ‘is food – but ‘e’s eating like a good ‘un again!”

Like a shot
Without delay, as in “I only had to ask him the once – he did it like a shot – fair play!”

Looking daggers
Giving disapproving looks

Lump
Big, as in “He’s a real lump of a boy – got to have his school clothes made special for him!”

Mind out
Take care, beware’ “Mind out – you nearly hit that over!” or “Mind that by there – move it can’t you?”, or “Mind that out of the way!”.

Moch/Mockers/Molochi
Ruining, spoiling, as in “You’ve put the moch/mockers/molochi on that fire proper with all that small coal!”

Off
(a) Going to, as in “Where (are) you off to this morning?”, or “I’m off home now.”, or “Where are you off to?”
(b) Angry, upset; “He’ll off when he hears about that!” (c) On the go; “That baby is proper craxy again – had us off all night with him he did!”

Taffy
The old Wenglish word for ‘toffee’

Teisen/teeshun lap
A simple easily prepared fruit cake.

There’s nice/lovely/posh etc.
How nice/lovely/posh etc.; “There’s nice you’ve got it now after doing the whool place up!”. Another variation is “There’s posh for you!”. Such expressions are a direct translation from the Welsh form.

There you are then
That’s it; “Well there you are then – it’s finished at last!”. This too is a direct translation from the Welsh

There’s some weather we’re having
‘Some’ in this instance may be used to mean ‘awful’/’unusual’/’wet’/’stormy’ etc

Tidy
One of the most over-worked Wenglish words, as the following examples show: tidy! – fine splendid a tidy spell – quite a long time a tidy few – quite a number a tidy feller – a decent chap, probably ‘good with his hands’ a tidy step – back and fore – quite a long way a tidy swill – a wash involving at least face and hands. a tidy bit in the bank – plenty of money – especially ‘filthy-wealthy’ talk tidy! – speak properly

To, where’s it…
Where is it?

Trailer
Wenglish for ‘caravan’; “They do ‘ave a bewdiful trailer down Trecco”…

Trewth
Truth

Tricks, how’s…
A local greeting; “Hi-ya kid – (h)ow’s tricks with yew then?”

Tump
A small hill

Twp/Twpsyn
A little slow on the uptake, but not really very dull; “She’s a bit twp this morning after being up all night, but usually she’s as bright as a button”. A person who is habitually slow may be called ; a bit of a twpsyn’. The ultimate is “twp as a sledge” because you ‘talk like a sledge’

Twt/Dwt
Small in stature, a young child; “What can you expect – only a little dwt she is after all!” (another Welsh expression).

Twti-down
To crouch, to squat. Twti is a Welsh term

Twsh
a small moustache

Ty-Bach
Toilet

Wossname
Wenglish form of ‘whotsisname’