Z is for -> not zebra

So for the second time during this challenge I consulted the Dictionary of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Dictionary of Newfoundland English. There are 3 whole words for the letter Z.

Zad, zeed and zever, neither of which appealed to me in the least. So I called home... Mudder said Zoo, Fadder said Zebra, and the one sister currently living at home said "I don't know b'y, ask dad." Which brought me back to zebra, there are NO Zebra in Newfoundland, nor do we have a Zoo.

Hummm that (and a couple cups of wine) gave me an idea. What else don't we got? The island of Newfoundland don't got, raccoons, skunks, snakes, deer, porcupine, groundhogs or zebra.


We do have (native to the island) caribou, fox, otters, meadow voles, muskrat, weasels, black bears, beavers, lynx and this guy, the Newfoundland Marten.

The letter Y

Kiddo and Husband having a yarn.

What are ye getting on with? No need to yop the head off me, I'm only having a yarn with my youngster.

---

yarn - to converse casually

ye - plural of you

yop - to bite

youngster - a child

---

Bad news, the fence in my backyard blew down yesterday in all the wind, and I couple shingles were liberated off my roof.
Good news, I got my computer back last night, today I plan on hitting as many new blogs as I can (within reason or course,I do have to get some study done)

Where would you mark your X?

OK, I know I'm reaching on this one, but I consulted the Dictionary of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Dictionary of Newfoundland English and there are NO Newfoundland words that begin with the letter X. So after a glass of wine of four, I thought of people signing their names as an X and thought, humm X = name, and Newfoundland has some dandy place names. So here we go...





If you cut hay all day in Meadows
In Sheave's Cove or in Lawn
Could you Pacquet up in Haystack
Then on Cow Path, be gone?
You may come by chance to Come by Chance
Or find Chance Cove in your wanders
But to bide a while in Bide Arm
You must branch off past Port Saunders


Birchy Head, Black Duck Brook, Puddle Pond, Brighton, Jerry’s Nose, Mad Dog Lake, Barachois Brook, Torrent River Falls, Spirity Cove, Cape Eagle, Trompe l’Oeil Point, Joe Batts’s Arm, Badger, Cape Fox, Nameless Cove, Fleur de Lys, Seal Island Bight, Blow Me Down, Beaver Cove, Lark Harbour, Cape Cormorant, Rose Blanche, Rattling Brook, Nippers Harbour, Trinity Bay, Gander, Tickle Cove, L’Anse-au-Loup, Trouty, Cape St. Mary’s, Witless Bay, Mosquito, Port-aux-Basques, Dildo, Point au Gaul, Fogo, Cupid's, Heart's Content, Mooring Cove, Paradise, Brigus, Bauline, Swift Currant, Englee, Bar Haven, Garnish, Holyrood, Famish Gut, Barneed, Codner, Fortune, Grand Bank, Conception Bay, Goblin, Petty harbour, Bay Bulls, Goulds, L'Anse a L'Eau, Traytown, Heart's Desire, Heart's Content, Codroy, Blow me Down, Placentia, Quidi Vidi, Renews, Salvage, Virgin Arm. My X would go on St. Lawrence.

A wack, a welt and a wop...

Whore's Egg

"Were you born on a raft? Get in here and keep an eye out, the old man was playing poker last night, and he come home with a wad of money, I means to count it and take half. You better keep your mouth shut or I'll give you such a wop on the head, a welt won't even take away the pain."

wack - much, many a lot

wad {rhymes with nod} - a large quantity or amount

welt - a large drink of an alcoholic beverage

were you born on a raft? - close the door

whore's egg - sea urchin (also called oar's egg, cosy egg, ose egg, osy egg)

wop - to strike


--- this A to Z is certainly proving challenging, first exams than 4 days without my laptop, blogging via iPhone... Means I'm slower than usual! Hope to catch up later tonight.

V is for vamps (not the twilight kind)

I'm vitrid ! My sister borrowed my vamps, and snagged them out on the veranda, now I got to find someone to darn them.

vamps - short, thick woolen socks

veranda - a patio, or wooden (and sometimes concrete) structure outside the entrance to a house

vitrid - vengeful

Ugly Sticks and Umbrella Trees

ugly stick - a percussion musical instrument made from an old mop or broom handle with beer caps ir nail heads attached to make a jingling sound. A second stick is carved with a serrated side and is dragged along the ugly stick like a fiddle bow or is used to strike the ugle stick to make noise. There is often an old rubber boot, shoe or coffee can on the end.





umbrella tree - a landmark in my community

T is for...

T is for Tide pool

"There it is b'y. We spent all Tib's Eve out traipsing around all night with a bunch of Townies. We had some time, we were even did some twacking down on Water Street.

--------
there it is - the truth

Tib's Eve - December 23rd (also called Tipsy Eve or Tip's Eve)

time - a social gathering or party

touton - A Newfoundland delicacy of fried bread dough. Bread dough is
fried in butter in a pancake type manner and then covered with butter and molasses Rock Recipes, has a great recipe here

townie - anyone who lives in St. John's

traipse - walk

trigger mitt - a wool mitten with a separate finger for pulling the trigger of a gun (also called finger mitt, trigger finger mitt, thumb glutton)

twack - to visit stores with no intention of buying anything

twenty sixer - a 26-oz bottle of an alcoholic beverage. Since conversion to the metric system its now 750ml or 26.4 0z

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Moe if you're reading today, Happy Birthday!

ssssssssss lots of S's

S is for Stage

salt and pepper cap - a peaked hat that it wedge shaped, being slightly taller at the back and lowering at the peak, speckled black and white in appearance

salt box house - a wooden house of one and a half or two stories, with a steep saddle roof

salt fish - codfish that has been cured by removing the water with salt and drying in the sun

sauce box - an insolent person -> "Would you listen to the mouth on him, what a little sauce box."

savage - angrey -> "Don't get too close to Mudder, she's savage I pipped off school today."

scad - a small amount -> "The snow is scad the past few days, the weather is so good."

scalded - {pronounced: SCAWLED} - made, overcome, licked, beat -> "Go on girl, all the studying you did, you got that test scalded."

scattered time - not often -> "I caught sculpins a scattered time down off the end of the stage."

scoff - a big meal -> "Right on, Mudder's cooking jiggs dinner, time for a scoff."

scrawny - skinny -> "She's so scrawny if she turned sideways and stuck out her tongue, she'd look like a zipper."

Screech - the brand name for a Jamaican rum bottled in St. John's. (If you ever makes it to Newfoundland, head George Street and get Screeched in.)

scribbler - a covered notebook made with lined, newsprint quality paper

scruff - the back of the neck -> "Mudder was so mad at him, she grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and walked him out the door."

scrunchins - small fried cubes of pork-fat cubes often used as a garnish, especially on fish and brewis

scuff - dance -> "Would you like to go out on the floor for a scuff?"

sculpin - refers to several species of big mouthed scavenger fish found in inshore waters, especially fishing stages where much fish offal is discarded. I've often referred to people as sculpins, its not a compliment. (also called horny whore, pig fish, plug eye, scolping, scopin, scopy, scully, scrummy, scumpy, scushie, again great nicknames)

scraggley - a small mis-shaped tree -> "What a scraggley little thing, looks like it come out of a Charlie Brown movie."

scraub - to scratch or claw -> "If you don't back off, I'm gonna scraub the face off ya."

scut - a dirty, mean person

seal oil - the oil obtained from rendering seal fat, which was exported and used locally to fuel lamps, make soap and for medicinal purposes.

sealskin - the pelt of a seal with the blubber removed, used for export as well as making clothing footwear and snowshoes

shanty - a shack

sin - shame -> "Its a sin how they treats that poor child."

sleeveen {pronounced: slee - VEEN} - a sly a despicable person (another of my favs)

slewed - turned, twisted, crooked or bent -> "You got your cap all slewed backwards."

slop bucket - a bucket with a cover used as a indoor toilet.

snarl - 1) a tangle in a rope or line 2) a person in a general state of disarray -> "I'm in such a snarl, I don't know weather I'm coming or going."

snoff - extinguish -> "before you goes to be, be sure and snoff out that fire."

soiree - a social gathering or party

sook - a cry baby -> "Oh go home, you old sook."

soused - drunk ->"b'ys oh b'ys I'm soused."

sou'wester - a water-proof fisherman's hat made of oilskin or oil cloth and having a brim all the way around, with a longer brim in the back to keep the water off the fisherman's neck

squid juice - an inky secretion given off by squids to drive away their enemies. When squid are hauled from the ocean on a jigger their defense mechanism is activated and squid juice fies in every direction.

start - a scare -> "I got some start when the gun went off."

still and all - nevertheless -> "Still and all, she climb up and went again like she never fell."

stogged up - clogged -> "Honey, the kids used too much toilet paper and now the toilet is all stogged up."

stories - lies -> "Don't listen to that one, she's always telling stories."

streel - an untidy person -> "I looks like a streel, still with my pajamas on and my hair not combed this two days."

stunned - stupid. According to NL comedy group Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers, the difference between stunned and stupid, is that there is a cure for stupid, but stunned in incurable -> "Sure that one is as stunned as me arse."

swig - to take a drink from a bottle. -> "Hand us the Screech, I takes a swig."

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This is my longest A to Z post yet, I promise they won't all be this long. There are just too many Newfoundland S words, I picked a bunch of the more common ones and my favorites. Oh, and did I mention I have nothing else to do for a while?! (No hardcore studying until after Easter)

We'll Rant and We'll Roar

Republic Flag

Right on, now give me a hand to rig up the rodney you randy old rag moll before I gets rotted and leaves you alone.

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ragged - jagged, especially cliffs

rag moll - an untidily dressed person

randy - 1)sexually aroused 2)a boisterous party

ravel {rhymes with gravel} - a loose thread

republic flag - old pink, white and green flag from 1843, recently revived and used as a symbolic gesture of discontent with the Canadian Government

Republic of Doyle - got to give a shout out to Newfoundland television (available on Netflix I might add)

rig - to outfit for a voyage or venture (also rig out or rig up)

rodney - a small rowboat with a sleek, round hull an small flat stern

rotted - angry

The letter Q

Quilts

She's some queer hand, over there quat down by the side of the road. Makes me quamish just looking at her.

-------

quamish {pronounced: KWAM - ish} - queasy or nauseated

quat {rhymes with not} - to crouch down

Queen's Birthday - May 24

queer hand - a person with an odd personality

quintal {pronounced: CANT - ull} - 112 pounds on uncured codfish. When cured the fish weighed approximately 110 pounds

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In case you didn't see my update yesterday, I PASSED my Oral Skills Comprehensive Exam at the school, with a bunch of exrta marks to spare. Yeah ME!

Lots of P's

Pitcher Plant


Pancake Day - Shrove Tuesday

parlour - the innermost part of a lobster trap

partined off - divided by a wall or partition, partitioned

partridge berry - the mountain cranberry or lingon berry. These berries are very popular because of their abundance and have been made into jams for years, although it takes lots of sugar to make palatable, its a great accompaniment to turkey. pictured here

pease pudding - split yellow peas boiled in a cloth bag along with Jigg's dinner. Butter and pepper are added before served

pea soup fog - dense fog

peppermint knob - a hard peppermint flavoured candy produced in Newfoundland

perishing - very cold

periwinkle - a snail like saltwater mollusk, also referred to as a winkle

pick off - surprise

pinnicle - a jutting point on the top of an iceberg

piss pot - an impolite term for a chamber pot

pitcher plant - Although it was not declared the provincial flower of Newfoundland and Labrador until 1954, this strange plant appeared on the new Newfoundland penny during the late 1880s. The Pitcher Plant is found primarily in bogs and marshland throughout the province. It has one large wine-red flower with a red and gold centre and hollow pitcher-shaped leaves which are attached to the base of the stem. As an insectivorous plant, it feeds off the insects which become trapped inside the leaves when they fill with water. Pictured above.

plait - a length of hair that has been braided

plastered - drunk

pogey - employment insurance

poisoned - fed up

porch - a room on the main level of a house, usually at the rear, through which people enter and exit, and used for storage of items including firewood, and winter footwear

prate {rhymes with late} - talk

puffin - an auk with a brightly coloured beak inbreeding season. They breed in large colonies, nesting in burrows or crevices, they mate for life. With its orange beak and yellow bill, it is often called the parrot of the sea. Its black cape has also earned it the name 'parson bird'. It is Newfoundland's provincial bird. Interesting fact, puffins poop is orangish red (if you've ever gone a whale and bird tour, you have perhaps been used a puffin's target

punt - a small round bottomed boat between 20 and 25 feet in length that could be rowed, sailed or sculled

purity - Purity Factories is a Newfoundland company since 1924, they are the ones responsible for Peppermint Nobs, candy kisses, flavoured syrups, jam jams and hard bread.

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*sorry no blurb today, just a huge assortment of P words. My mind is on a different P word... Pass! Its my big OSCE at school, the last hurdle before they let me graduate. Wish me luck (I need a minimum of 70%)


--> UPDATE--> finished my final Oral Skills Comprehensive Exam with my 70 + a bunch more marks to spare!! Now to get my drink on!! woot woot

Today's post is brought to you by the letter O

Outport - model outport, in St. Mary's

"How you getting on, me old trout? Me and the old woman are going out in the boat, do you got any extra oil skins on hand that will fit her?"

"Sure thing old buddy, I got a set out by the door owing to company that comes every once in a while."

-------
oil skins - any outer clothing worn by fishermen that has been treated with oil to make it waterproof

old man - husband

old man's beard - a lichen which grows on evergreen trees and is beard-like in appearance

old trout - a friendly way to address a male (also old cock)

old woman - 1. wife, 2. inedible part of a lobster located inside the lobster near the eyes. So called because it resembles an old woman sitting in a rocking chair

on hand - to have something close by, ready for use

orphan - the dough left over after bread is baked that is too small to make another loaf. Often gets made into toutons

out by the door - outside

outporter - anyone who lives in an outport

owing to - because of

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Sorry, I'm still a little slow getting around to your blogs, today is the last day of studying. (well sort of, still have to do my provincial registration May 18, but it will be the last hard core studying for a while). If you leave a link, I will get back to you faster... and if I haven't been to your blog in a while or its of a pressing matter feel free to srop me a line via email -> link on the side.

The letter N

Nets

Sure that net is not hurt, nar need looking for a needle. Just take your nunny bag,and be off now the once, ya old nawpoll. Its a nice ways you got to travel and the air is nippy.

--------

nar - none, not any (also neither, ne'er nair)

narn - never a single one, not a single one

narrows - a confined entrance to a harbour

nawpoll - a stupid person

net needle - a device carved from a piece of wood, used to make and repair the mesh in fish nets

Newfie - a jocular term for a Newfoundlander, sometimes used in a derogatory sense (if you are not from Newfoundland, you shouldn't use the "N" word)

nice - considerable

nippy - cold weather

noggin - a person's head

not hurt - in good condition, without a stain or mark, hardly worn, like new

now, the once - shortly

nunny bag - a small bag used for carrying provisions while travelling

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Hey Mudder, if you're reading this, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, we'll call you tonight!

Mussels, Mummers, and Mainlanders

Mussel

Hey me ducky, me and the missus were out mummering last night, and on the way home we stopped to the pub, I tell you the place was maggoty with mainlanders! We had such the time we're going again tonight, you want to come?

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Maggoty - in large numbers.

Mainlander - one who lives in continental North America or its adjacent islands outside Newfoundland and Labrador.

Make away with - to kill.

Me ducky - a friendly way to address someone.

Missus - wife.

Mudder - mother.

Mummer - a disguised person who goes door to door during the 12 days of Christmas to have fun and merriment. (also called janney)

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I'm happy to report that the semester is over, and that I finished it off with an 81 average! WAHOO!! I'm not done yet, still have one hurdle to jump before they let me graduate, a seven stage comprehensive (Tuesday afternoon) that requires a minimum mark of 70. I'm blocking off a few hours today to blog hop, then back to it.

Like ducks...

Lighthouse


Luh b'y, like ducks I'm going lollygagging on that landwash. I can sit here and enjoy my bread and lassy and watch the lops just fine.

-------

Landwash - the shoreline of beach.

Lassy - molasses.

Like ducks - under no circumstances.

Lollygagging - wasting time by horsing around.

Lops - small white-capped waves on the water.

Luh - look.

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Last written final 9 am this morning. A wonderful 40% of my pathophysiology mark is on the line. I assure you I would much rather be lollygagging through some blogs than writing this exam. BUT on the plus side, as soon as I get home it will be Wine o'clock, and that means catching up on all your blogs. Thanks again for stopping by!

K - is for Kellep all slippery and green

Kellep



Not too keen that one. Hauling that killick over the slippery old kellep, like he don't have a klick, be lucky if he don't keel out with exhaustion.

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keel out - to faint

keen - intelligent

kellep - kelp, a seaweed, extensively found around the Newfoundland coast (pictured above)

killick - an anchor made of wood ans stone with wooden claws to grip the bottom. The wooden body encloses one or more heavy storms to weigh it down.

klick - common sense

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My final, final exam is tomorrow and the comprehensive (need to get a 70 to graduate is on Tuesday. Things are still a little crazy here, but I'm getting closer. Thanks for all the well wishes with my exams!

J is for Jam Jams

I'm putting on the jigg's dinner now, would you run out and get a junk of wood for the stove? If you see that little jackeen from next door, send him home to his mother, he's nothing but a little jinker that one.

-------
Jackeen - a mischievous boy

Jam Jams - moist, jam filled biscuits made by Purity Factories in Newfoundland for over 50 years. (pictured above)

Jigger - a weighted lure with two or more hooks, used to attract and snag codfish, squid and other fish

Jigg's dinner - a boiled dinner comprised of salt beef, potatoes, carrots, turnip, cabbage and sometimes parsnip, pease pudding and dumplings.

Jillik - to skip stones across water.

Jinker - a bringer of bad luck

Junk - a piece of firewood sawn off to fit a stove

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Exam #2 at 9:00 this morning... come Thursday I'll have all my exams finished and only one remaining hurdle standing between me and graduation. So please bear with me, I will be catching up with with blog visits and comments very soon.

Again, thanks for visiting, reading and commenting. "I" was inspiring, today should be "J" jolly, Thursday I will be playing Katch up(ok, that's a stretch, I'm a geek).

Idden I

Iceberg (taken by my sister)



She's always in a tear that one, in the last going off she was seeing that young fella from up the shore, the one who was ice blind last winter. Well, they got into it last night and he stormed off all in a huff. I'low now, it'll all be over.
-----
I' low - I confirm

Ice blind - to become temporarily blinded because of the glare from an ice field

Idden {rhymes with hidden} - am not

In a huff - to be angry or vexed

In a tear - in a big hurry

In the last going off - later, finally

It'll - it will

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Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to visit, read and comment on my Newfoundland alphabet. I have written finals this week, so I will be a little slow in getting back you all, but please bear with me, come Thursday afternoon, I will have been to visit you, and more! I'm loving the A to Z challenge so far and have been to see approximately 525 NEW blogs!

Now off to my exam. Idden I lucky?!

H is for...

St. Lawrence Harbour


"He's some hard ticket. We sprung a leak in the boat, and had to hug the shoreline, but that harbour tom cod wouldn't even sit down, I had a like to hove him over board and teach him a lesson."

-------
Had a like to - almost.

Harbour tom cod - an immature codfish.

Hard ticket - a hard case or impish person.

Hove - {rhymes with stove} - threw or tossed

Hug - stay close to the shoreline.

What happens on George Street...

"Go on b'y! Certainly his Misses wasn't giving it out to him because he was down on George Street? I mean, he wasn't gallivanting, he only had one cup of grog and then went right home."

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Gallivanting - {pronounced GAL-ah-VAN-ting} - running around outside when expected to be at home.

George Street - The short street is populated mainly by bars and pubs and is open only to pedestrians in the evenings and during most of the business day, only being open to traffic from 8:00am until noon, to allow bars to restock their goods. George Street has the most bars and pubs per square foot of any street in North America, and is known to have bars that are open later than most others throughout Canada.

Give it out - to scold.

Go on - is that really true?

Grog - a mixture of rum and water.

Today's post is brought to you by the letter F

"There's nothing better on a foggy, fallish day than a hot feed of fish and brewis with figgy duff for dessert. Keeps you from getting all farbed up."

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Fallish - the feeling of autumn in the air

Farbed up - confused and not in control

Fatback - a piece of fatty tissue from a pig

Figgy duff - a boiled pudding made with flour, water and raisins (also called fig duff or figgy pudding)

Fish and Brewis - a meal of fish accompanied by soaked hard bread served separately on the same plate and covered with scrunchins(fried fatback) and hot, rendered pork oil.

Fog - collection of water droplets suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. (pictured above)

be it Ever so Sweet

"I spent all day eddying around looking for my elsinor, that I was so distracted I forgot to put the cover on the Eversweet, and an earwig got into it. Now I'm having an evenin with nothing to put on my excursion bread."

---------

Earwig - a variety of centipedes

Eddy - of water or wind, moving in a circular motion

Elsinor - a cap with ear flaps, especially one made of leather

Evenin - an alcoholic beverage at the end of a day's work

Eversweet - margarine manufactured in Newfoundland (pictured above)

Excursion bread - a hard bread, similar to hard tack, but sweeter and softer, eaten alone or with butter. (also called sweet bread or scursion bread)

The letter D...

Directions - Signal Hill, St. John's


"Don't get your dander up b'y. The little devilskin don't know no better, just give me a second to grab the dough boys and throw on some duds, and I'll be there directly!"

---------------
Dander - temper

Devilskin - a mischievous child

Directly - right away, soon

Don't - doesn't

Dough boy - flour, water and baking powder made into balls and boiled, usually served with boiled dinner or pea soup.

Duds - clothing

Capelin, Cod, Crackies and Crab

"Me Mudder is some crooked today, I thought she was going to smack me in the chops! I spent all day coopied over, down on the beach, catching capelin for her, and then her old Crackie dog took em while they were drying. Now we're having cod and crabcakes for supper, that should cheer her up."

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Capelin {pronounced CAPE-lynn} - slender, translucent olive coloured, small scaled smelt fish that grow to a miximum of 25 cm. Although capelin sometimes spawn offshore, the females often come ashore to leave their eggs on the pebbled beaches. The spawning process leaves the caplein quite vulnerable to predators, especially humans. They are seined offshore by longliners and caught in capelin traps. On the beaches they can be caught by hand, in a dip net or even a bucket. Kiddo once fell on the beach and one got into her boot.

Chops - the mouth.

Codfish - codfish usually grow to approximately 120cm (48in) in length and weigh 12 kg (26lb); however much larger fish have been recorded. For many years this fish was king in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Coopy - to crouch or bend down.

Crackie - a small dog of a mixed breed.

Crooked - ill tempered, contrary and cranky.

Crab - There are 3 species commercially caught, Atlantic Snow Crab and two species of toad crab. Only the male snow crab is caught as the females are too small to have commercial value. The males reach a maximum shell width of 16.5cm (6.5in), a leg span of 90cm (37in) an weight of 1.35kg (3lb).


** If you're stopping by for the A to Z challnge, please leave a link to your site so I can pay you a visit!! **

Bakeapples and other Berries

Bakeapple


partridge Berry


"Buddy, grab your berry box, we're going up on the barrens after the bakeapples and havin a bit of a boil up. By rights we should have headed up there an hour ago."

"Hold your horses would ya. I'm beat out, I was over to mudder's hauling stuff around, and she only give me a bare-legged cup of tea."

"Come on b'y!"

---
Bakeapple -A yellow orange cluster berry similar in appearance to the raspberry. Found in marshes and bogs. Also called the cloudberry, dwarf mulberry, salmonberry, creeping raspberry or yellow gold. (pictured above)

Bare-legged cup of tea - a cup of tea served without food offered.

Barrens - a plateau with low vegetation where berries often grow.

Bayman - someone who lives outside St. John's. (me, but not my husband)

Beat out - to be tired and out of breath.

Berry box - a wooden box used to transport berries from the berry hills.

Boil up - a meal in the woods.

Buddy - referring to a person whose name is unknown or not easily recalled.

B'y {pronounced; BY} - any male person regardless of age.

By rights - strictly speaking.

Today's post is brought to you by the letter A

Today is April 1st, which means it is the first day in the A to Z Challenge! So without further delay, here is my take on the Newfoundland Alphabet.

A is for




"Them little buggers grow wild all over the place, and are a general pain me arse. Aye b'y."

Alder - a small deciduous tree or sapling (pictured above)
Arse - rear end
Aye b'y - agree