{Page539}I’m indebted to conversations with Phil and Audrey Wallis, as well as Douglas Tregenza’sDeparted Days: Mousehole Remembered (Dyllanstow Truran, 1984) and Ben Batten’sOld Newlyn Speech (self-published, 1984) for the following terms:
agro—short for aggravation
ansum—handsome
bagle—a troublemaker
brill—short for brilliant
caboleen—rounded stone used as an anchor
carker—little cork boat with a slate or iron keel
come ‘pon that—so far as that goes
dog in a tayser—square peg in a round hole
emperent—cheeky, pert
fore and after—clergyman
garm—expression of surprise, wonder
kitey—a bit loony
la Ley!—exclamation
making some crant—creating a fuss
oh raw we—exclamation
sparking—courting
tatchy—irritable
tee-ta-taw—a vaguely critical or mocking comment
that do belong—that’s unusual
{Page540}three scats behind—too slow, late
tuck-net—small net used to lift up pilchard in a seine
two-deckers—any four-footed animal; sailors call them this rather than by their common names to ward against bad luck
up country—the rest of England
wam—very finicky person
well, I go to sea—surprise, astonishment
white choker—clergyman