Scouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Scouse |
|
|---|---|
| Liverpool English / Merseyside English | |
 |
|
| Native to | Liverpool |
| Language family |
Indo-European
|
| Early forms: | |
Scouse (also called Liverpool English or Merseyside English) is a special way of speaking English. It's both an accent (how words sound) and a dialect (the words and grammar used). This unique way of speaking comes from the city of Liverpool in the northwest of England.
The Scouse accent started mostly because many people from Ireland (especially during the Irish Potato Famine) and Wales moved to Liverpool a long time ago. Their ways of speaking mixed together and created this new accent.
What makes Scouse special is how different it sounds from accents in nearby areas. It's very easy to spot! The name "Scouse" comes from a type of stew called scouse, which people in Liverpool love to eat. Many people think the Liverpool accent sounds quite informal, like many other accents from the north of England.
Today, you can hear the Scouse accent in places near Liverpool, like Widnes and Runcorn. This happened because Liverpool grew a lot in the 1950s, and people moved to towns nearby. There are even slightly different kinds of Scouse accents, for example, a "Northern" Scouse accent and a "Southern" Scouse accent.
Scouse Words You Might Hear
Here are some common words and phrases used in the Scouse dialect:
- Abar: About
- Antwacky: Old-fashioned
- Aul fella: Father
- Bail/ Bail it: To leave or decide not to do something
- Baltic: Freezing cold
- Barnet: Hair
- Bevvy: An alcoholic drink
- Bezzy: Best friend
- Bifter/ciggy: Cigarette
- Bizzy: Police officer
- Blag: To fake something
- Boss: Great or excellent
- Brekkie: Breakfast
- Butty: Sandwich
- Chocka: Very full or busy
- Clobber: Clothes
- Clocked/Clocked it: To notice or see something
- Cob on: In a bad mood
- Da: Father
- Dead: Very (used to emphasize something, like "dead good")
- Devoed: Devastated or very upset
- Gegging in: Being nosy or intrusive
- Get on it/that: To do something or look at something
- G'wed: Go ahead
- Heavy: An expression used when something is very bad, or sometimes very good
- Fuming: Extremely angry
- Is right: An expression of agreement, meaning "that's right"
- Jarg: Fake or not real
- Kecks: Trousers or pants
- Ken: House
- Kip: Sleep
- Lad/la/lid: A male friend or a young man in general
- Lecky: Electricity
- Ma: Mother
- Made up: Extremely happy
- Minty: Dirty
- Moody: When someone or something is bad or unpleasant
- Offie: Off-licence (a shop that sells alcohol to take away)
- Ozzy: Hospital
- Plazzy: Plastic
- Plod: Police
- Prin: A girl or woman (short for Princess)
- Proper: Really or very
- Scally: A mischievous or troublesome young person, similar to a Chav
- Scatty: When something is dirty or strange
- Scran: Food
- Sound: Okay or good
- Swerve: To avoid something
- Ta: Thanks
- Ta-ra: Goodbye
- Terrored: When someone is being teased or bothered a lot (short for Terrorised)
- Trackie: Tracksuit
- Webs: Trainers (athletic shoes)
- West: Weird or crazy
- Wool/Woolyback: Someone from the towns and villages near Liverpool, often used by people from Liverpool itself
- Yous/Youse: You (used when talking to more than one person)
See also
- In Spanish: Scouse para niños
