About The Author
When I moved to Newcastle from Middlesbrough 5 years ago my daughter Emily was just 2 years old, growing up here she has adapted the Geordie accent as opposed to my Smoggie accent, when she started school this became more apparent when she began mocking my use of words and how they differ from hers. Sometimes there can be a bit of a language barrier and I have to repeat myself and explain the pronunciations to her.
People from Newcastle often mention my Smoggie accent or misunderstand some of the words & terms I use as they can have a different meaning to them. So for a bit of fun I decided to put together a ‘Smoggie Translator’ on my blog www.bridgetofthenorth.com starting with a few words and asking fellow Smoggies for help creating a dictionary. It was extremely popular and within days tens of thousands of Smoggies now in different parts of the world had joined in on the fun, submitted words, shared the dictionary & I was thrilled to receive many heart warming messages and stories about Middlesbrough’s history & our dialect.
The Smoggie Translator was featured on the TV, in local and national newspapers, in many online articles and on various radio stations.
Introduction
Firstly here’s a bit about my home town;
Middlesbrough is town in the North East of England, situated on the river Tees, home of the ‘Smoggie’ - a person originating from Teesside, so-called originally from the smoke from Dorman Long, and other industrial works on the Tees. Shortened from original nickname of ‘Smog monster.’ Locals call both the town and the football team (Middlesbrough FC) “Boro”
There is a distinctive Teesside accent, distinguishable from the Geordie (People of Newcastle) or Mackem (People of Sunderland) accent. Just to clarify there is approximately 40 miles separating Geordies and Smoggies with Mackem’s in between.
Some of the words found in this dictionary did not originate in Middlesbrough and can be heard in different dialects and can especially be heard throughout the North East, also some words/meanings are found in the regular dictionary and some have been changed through generations, but they have now become a main part of the Teesside dialect due to frequent use and Smoggies putting their own spin on them.
A
Ayresome Park
Aka - Crazy “He was going Aka”
Ayas- Are you guys? “ayas coming or what?”
Ayaz / Aya – Ouch ”Aya that hurt!”
Aggy Boo- Sarcastic way of laughing at someone’s bad luck
Afta- Have to “I afta sort it out later”
Akki – Filthy
Awee / Awey- Come on, come in “Awee then what are ya waiting for?”
Ali - Marble (toy)
B
Bottle Of Notes
Bray - To hit or bang “I was braying on the door for ages before you answered”
Black’un – All day drinking session “I’m going on a black’un”
Buzzin – Feeling of excitement or happiness “I’m buzzing for Danny’s party on Friday”
Bobby / Bobbies – Police ”The bobbies are on the way”
Bag Wash- Launderette
Bag ed - Drug addict
Budgies – Trousers that are too short “Those trousers are proper budgies on you”
Berra- Better ”You berra hurry up”
Bang Out – Out of Order, If someone does something that is extremely unfair, or says something that’s offensive or hurtful.
Beck - Viking word for Stream
Beck Jumping - The sport of jumping over becks to entertain yourself
Bait- Packed Lunch, dinner
Budgies - Ill fitting trousers, trousers to short
Bongo - A club found over the border
Boltic / Baltic- Freezing Cold
Buhha- Butter
Baffs- Swimming Baths/Pool
Buh- But
Binjer – A cigarette end usually discarded in the street and picked up by a person down on his luck
C
Captain Cook Birthplace Museum
Canny – Someone nice, pleasant.
Class – Very impressive
Chew- bother “I dont want no chew tonight like”
Chuck- Throw
Chore- Friend, Mate
Coggy / Croggy- To catch a lift on someone’s bike
Champion/Champo - Brilliant, good
Chockablock /Chocka - Packed, Full
Clemmy- Stone/Lump of mud
Coz- Because
Canna- Can I
Claggy - Sticky
Cotters/ Cottery - Knots in hair
Cocka/Cock - Pet, chum, friend “Ey up Cocka”
Crank- Idiot
Cack- Discusting, not very good
Clart / Klart - Muck
Codja - Old Man / Lady
Cut - Path leading through somewhere
Clamming - Hungry
Cadge - Borrow
Chuffed – Well pleased
Cob on- Bad mood
Chorva – Best friend
Clout- Hit, Strike
D
Dorman Museum
Devoed – Devastated “I was proper devoed me like.”
Dunno- Dont Know
Down Town- Visiting Middlesbrough centre
Duds- Pants, trousers
Doggie - Nickname for an area in Middlesbrough named North Ormesby
Doanah - Dont I?
Divvy/ Div/Doyle – Idiot “wha ya doin tha for ya divvy?”
Defos – Definitely
Deck – Threat to incapacitate someone “‘I’ll deck him, me“
Ding - Idiot, fool
Do ya in - I will assault you
Dark End - Nickname of an area named park end
Do One - Go away
Dump/ Docker- cigarette that’s been put out to save some for later
Darl - Shortened from the name darling, overused in Middlesbrough
E
Eston Hills
Eeee – “Eeee, I can’t believe it.”
Ere / Eeya – Here, can I have your attention?
Ee’s- He’s
‘er- Her
Ed- Head
Ed the ball- Insult “your a proper ed the ball you like”
Ey up- Hello or hold on, look what we have here
Ert- Hurt
Egg in a bun- Bald man with nest of hair (going bald)
Eh?- I beg your pardon
F
Flatts Lane Woodland Country Park
Fumin - Very angry “I’m fumin ma cars broke again”
Fags- Cigarettes ”Go to the shops and get us some fags please”
Filum- Randomly adding a ‘U’ to the word ‘film’
Fadgie – A bun made with lard instead if butter
G
Golden Boy Green
Gunna- Going to “I’m gunna kill our Josh for not doing as hes told”
Goosed – Shattered, really tired ”I’m Goosed after that bike ride up the hills”
Gadgie- Man, Male ”I helped an old gadgie cross the road”
Get Lost- Stop teasing me
Get in/ Get in there/ Gerrup - Pleased about something “Get in, I’ve gorra day of work today”
Gereer- Get over here “Gereer and sort this mess out”
Geggs- Glasses, Spectacles
H
Homestart Teeside
Hills- Eston Hills “Im gunna go up the hills on ma bike”
Heavin- Really busy “The post office was heavin today like”
Howey/ Aweyy / Owayy- Come on
Howl / Howling – Laugh “I was howling at that last night!”
Hammered- Incomprehensibly drunk “I’m gunna get hammered when I go down town on Saturday”
I
Ingleby Barwick
‘im- Him
“I’m not waiting round for im all day”
J
James Cook University Hospital
Jokin arn ya?- That better not be true
Jafta- Do you have to “Jafta do that?”
Janoaworramean? – ‘Do you understand what I am saying / talking about?’
Jizza- Social Security Giro “I’m going to cash ma jizza”
K
Kirkletham Museum
Kick off – Cause havoc “Our Charlie is gunna kick off when he sees this”
Kick right off – Cause lots of havoc
Kalay - Sherbert (Sweets)
Knack / Knacking – Hurt / Hurting “My feet were knacking off those shoes”
Knackered – Really Tired “I’m knackered today”
Kid- Reference to a friend or mate “Now then kid”
Keggie– A bump or swelling (often on the head) “Leigh hit her head on the door and got a massive keggie”
L
Locke Park
Laffin – Nice one, Thats good “I’m laffin now I’ve got a new job”
Lemon top - Ice cream with a tangy lemon top.
Ledge – A hero, Legend “He’s a proper ledge for doing this like”
Like- A meaningless word used as a filler in sentences “ya know warra mean like” Laterz- See you later
Looka- Excuse me, can I have your attention
Leccy- Electricity “Berra go to the shop and put some leccy on”
M
Middlesbrough Footbal Club
Mam – Mum, Mom, Mother
Mint – Very good “It’s proper mint that like.”
Maftin –Boiling “Its Maftin in ere”
Muppet/ Meff - Idiot
Mucca / Mush- Mate, Friend
Munter- Ugly “Shes a right Munter”
Moggie - Hole for marbles (Toy)
Mooch/ Mooching- Going out exploring “I’m going on a mooch”
N
Newport Bridge
Napper - Head “Our lass does my napper in”
Nor - No
Nowt – Nothing
Necta- Amazing
Naff- Nothing, “We went all the way there for naff all”
Now then – Greeting, Hi everyone. How are you all?
Nick off – To skive, Play truant
Nits - Head lice eggs
Nash - Social Security office
Naughty - Nasty, Bad ”that crash was naughty as”
Nithered- Cold
N Thaa- Randomly added to the end of a sentence
Nightmare- Unlucky “That's a nightmare that like”
O
Ormesby Hall
Our – My, a family member “its our mams birthday today”
Our Lad/Our Lass – other half, partner
Our ‘ouse – My house
Over the Border- The area of St Hilda’s arrived at by going under the railway tracks at the bottom of Albert Road (Home of the Bongo Club).
Ow - Excuse me “Ow, where dya think your going?”
Ow Do- How are you doing
Ows about – How about
Orite – All is good, all right “is everything orite?”
Offit- Mental, “Off your head”
Owt- Anything “do you want owt from the shop?”
Owee In - Come in
Orr eeya- Usually said in frustration "Orr eeya, I cant be doing with this like”
Our Kid - Brother
Oggy/ Hoggy- Lift “do you fancy giving us a oggy over that wall”
Oggy Raiding - Taking peoples apples from their garden without permission
Our End- The area that I live in “We don’t have one of those round our end”
P
Parmesan
Parmo – Parmo or Parmesan, a breaded cutlet dish originating in Middlesbrough
Proper/ Proppa – Very much “I proper enjoyed that Parmo”
Pilla- Pillow
Pattie- Potato, battered and fried, usually with fish.
Pigbag- Match day song for Middlesbrough FC
Packitin- Stop it “Will you two packitin doing that”
Q
Queens Square
Quality – Very good “It was a quality night.”
R
Riverside Stadium
Righto – Okay then.
Ripped Off – A product or service that is overpriced or of poor quality or an act of exploitation.
Rank/ Rammy- Disgusting “That dinner was rank”
Radged- Mental, Crazy “Your raged you like”
Rammed- Busy, Full “The market was rammed yesterday”
S
Saltburn by the Sea
Smoggie- A Person originating from Teeside, Apparently the original Smoggie term comes from the smoke from the Dorman Long, and other industrial works on the Tees (knocked down years ago and where the Riverside Stadium is) Shortened from original nickname of “Smog monster.”
Sound- Good “Proper sound that like”
Stoppy Back – Extra drinking time in a pub after closing time
Scran- Food
Scunner – A person withno moral background “he’s a right scunner.”
Shockin - Out of order
Scrounged/ Scrounger - A person who tries to get something for nothing/or a person that is greedy/will not share
Shot - Throw, Hoy, chuck “Shot those things in the car for us”
Sly Off – To sneak off
Scraps - Bits of leftover batter usually sprinkled over on chips
Summat - Something
Snidey – Sly, fake
Spot on – just right
Swear down/ Swear to god - I’m honest “I swear down on our mam’s life.”
Slaggy Island- Area in Boro named South bank, it was nicknamed Slaggy island as it was surrounded by slag heaps
Smashun - Smashing, Great
Sket - Dirty Girl
Shit Hot- Brilliant
Sozzard- Though a shortening of the phrase ‘Sorry there hard man’, it is often meant sarcastically and derogatorily, and is used against someone making a unbelievably rubbish and/or pointless point
Skank /skanky- Dirty (often ascribed to women) “She’s a right skank”
Scut/Scutty - Dirty, unclean, unwashed
Scally - An naughty/undesirable type- usually a youth.
Skivvy - Servant “I am not your skivvy”
T
Transporter Bridge
Tara - Bye
Tahoo - Tattoo
Toggyender – kicking a ball with the toes
Tarzy – A rope hanging over a tree used as a swing “we made a tarzy up the hills today”
Tattie - Potato
Tarm - Time
Taxed - Pinched, Stolen
Torchered- Harrased, teased
Twat - Hit, Strike, To physically assault
Toasted - To be beaten by an opponent “You just got toasted on FIFA there like”
Touched - Mentally disturbed “your touched you like”
Tan - Get a lift on someones bike (see also Croggy/Coggy)
Tekking- Taking “He’s taking the micky now”
Turned round - Used to describe what was said during an argument ” she turned round and said to me……”. “I turned round and told him to…..”
Two Dog - Two Litres of cider
Twocka - A person who takes things that do not belong to them
Tranies - Training shoes
Tret - The way someone has been treated “I tret our mam to tea last night”
U
University Of Teeside
Us – Me “Pass us that salt please”
V
Vertical Pier- The Beacon
The Van - Mobile shop “d’ya wan owt off the van??
W
Wilton
Wod- Pile Of Cash Wrecked- Extremely drunk
Wouldja dare – Something you wouldn’t do “Wouldja dare be you.”
Worritisright- ‘This is how it is’, a conversation starting with this usually results in ‘chew’
Woppa- Insult “Your a proper whoppa you, arn ya?” Winda- Window
Worra - What a “Worra Load of Rubbish“
X
X Factor Winner - James Arthur
Y
Yarm
Young’un – brother/sister
Yous – You people
Yad - You had
Yonks - Ages
Yer wha? – Pardon, "I’m sorry, I never quite heard you there"