Ashington Translator
28 Mar 2014
I’ve had this for a long time and have been meaning to make a page out of it but never got round to it. Finally here it is. This was originally published in one of the NE newspapers (maybe Evening Chronicle or Journal) so I claim none of it as my own work. I don’t even have a date for the article but it’s next to one about England fans being prevented from taking flag poles into Sunderland’s Stadium of Light for a friendly match with Belgium.
I only live a short drive from Ashington but my accent is totally different (although some people say I have a strong accent) so for those wanting to venture to the world’s largest mining village and the birth place of legends Jackie Milburn and Bobby & Jackie Charlton here is a handy aide memoir to translation.
| Word | Meaning in English | Meaning in Ashington |
|---|---|---|
| Aches | Pains | Something to chop wood (Axe) |
| Ale | Beer | Every / everyone (All) |
| Bail | Security given to court | Kicked in a football match (Ball) |
| Beard | Facial hair | What you sleep in (Bed) |
| Blur | Become vague | Expel air from your mouth |
| Blurb | Advertising | Contraceptive |
| Borst | German soup | Shatter / break (Burst) |
| Braid | Interwoven hair | Used for toast (Bread) |
| Close | Nearby | What you wear (Clothes) |
| Dug | Past tense of | Animal that barks (Dog) |
| Fern | Plant | Telephone (Phone) |
| Fete | Gala | Small Italian car (Fiat) |
| Flame | Burning | Mucous / Phlegm |
| Flirt | Toy with affections | Float |
| Fuel | Petrol etc. | Idiot (Fool) |
| Herb | Plant | Top of a cooker (Hob) |
| Here | In this place | A large rabbit (Hare) |
| Hornier | Sexier | Groin strain (Hernia) |
| Hurt | Injure | High temperature (Hot) |
| Kerb | Edge of pavement | Junior scout (Cub) |
| Kilt | Scottish dress | Cause the death of (Kill) |
| Laird | Scottish noble | Boy (Lad) |
| Lame | Crippled | Young sheep (Lamb) |
| Pain | Hurt | Cooking utensil (Pan) |
| Perm | Hair style | Story in verse (Poem) |
| Pork | Meat coming from a pig | Benefit of your job (Perk) |
| Sex | Gender | Coal bags (Sacks) |
| Shirk | Avoid or dodge duties | Surprise or charged with electricity (Shock) |
| Shirt | Clothing | Closed (Shut) |
| Short | Brief | Clothing (Shirt) |
| Skirt | Clothing | Scottish native (Scot) |
| Smirk | Grin | Have a cigarette (Smoke) |
| Stern | Strict | Large rock (Stone) |
| Tech | Normally associated with a College | Acquire something illegally (Take) |
| Term | Period of time | Short for Thomas (Tom) |
| Terrain | Ground | Railway (Train) |
| Tool | Implement | Drying cloth (Towel) |
| Trek | Journey | Railway lines (Track) |
| Turd | Dog mess | Toad |
| Turtle | Animal | The whole amount (Total) |
| Vain | Conceited | Ford Transit (Van) |
| Wear | River at Sunderland | To ask directions (Were) |
| Whirl | Spin | Comes from a sheep (Wool) |
I like the article’s final quote which says one Ashington man responded with this indignation
De ye knaa what it is? Neebody taaks like that up wor way