April 30, 2023 12.00 pm This story is over 26 months old

Words you’ll only know if you’re from Lincolnshire

Have a read if you’re not too ‘throng’

| Photo: Adobe Stock

Don’t worry, you won’t be labelled a ‘gump’ if you haven’t heard all these Lincolnshire words and phrases, but you will certainly have more chance than the ‘frim folk’.

For those Yellowbellies who haven’t translated yet, gump means fool and frim folk are people from another area.

The Lincolnshire dialect is said to have derived from the Anglo Saxon language, mainly due to the agricultural background of the county.

So put on your ‘kecks’ (trousers) and, if you’re not too ‘throng’ (busy), let’s go on a ‘wick’ (lively) adventure to find out about more Lincolnshire words and phrases. Maybe go out into the Lincolnshire Wolds, walk through the ‘kelch’ (mud) and ‘proggle’, which means to poke about (with a stick).

There are plenty more Lincolnshire words too if you’re not going to ‘jiffle’ (fidget) too much to pay attention. How many of these do you know?

*Definitions from ‘Did You Know? Lincoln: A Miscellany’ compiled by Julia Skinner

  • Uneppen- clumsy
  • Reasty – rancid
  • Chunter – to complain
  • Yucker – a young person
  • Gimmer  – a ewe which has never given birth
  • Starnil – a starling

Farmer Wink, whose real name is Robert Carlton, is said to be somewhat of a dialect ‘champion’ in Lincolnshire. He has produced videos about rural life, narrated in his broad Lincolnshire accent.

A man who grew up in the Lincolnshire village of Digby did an accent/dialect challenge on YouTube, while a resident of Woodhall Spa published a dictionary of words once prevalent in parts of the county.

MyLocal Lincolnshire is the new home of The Lincolnite. Download the app now