Fliddermouse and other regionalisms [Wednesday Word]
Fliddermouse means bat. In Devon.
The BBC Voices recordings capture 1,200 people in conversation. Some of the clips are people talking about language – slang, dialect, taboo words, accents. Other clips cover all sorts of subjects and simply offer a flavour of how we talk today. As the website says, you may eavesdrop on Rotarians in Pitlochry and Travellers in Belfast, drop in on skateboarders in Milton Keynes, and overhear pigeon fanciers in Durham.
I particularly like the Word Map, where you can compare words for playing truant and being happy across the land:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/results/wordmap/
Our top 10 words for playing truant:
skive
bunk off
wag
skip
mitch
dog
hookey
twag
sag
nick off
with also-rans:
‘twag’ in Hull and Doncaster
‘cap’ in Derby and Nottingham
‘skidge’ submitted only in Paisley.
