Jeannie Robertson explains cant words and their meanings.
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1954.103.A9
Original Tape ID
Summary
Jeannie Robertson explains cant words and their meanings:
habben: bread, all kinds of food
pennam: loaf
scran: food (although they never used such a word)
sweetnie: sugar
smout: butter
carnish: all meat (ham, mutton, beef - no separate name for beef)
jerrum or yerrum: milk
yarris: eggs
slab: tea
peeve: drink
peevin kain: pub
scrievin: read, write
loodnie: whore
stripach: whore
chova: shop
Item Notes
Sources of cant words:
habben: Romany (food)
pennam: cf. Romany pani (water)
scran: Scots and slang
carnish: slang from Italian
yarris: cf. Romany yoro (egg)
peeve: cf. Romany péava (to drink)
ken, kain: slang, possibly from Romany
scrievin: Scots scrieve (to write)
loodnie: cf. Romany lubbeny (harlot)
stripach: Gaelic strìopach
chova: slang chovey
See:
'Romano Lavo-Lil. Word-Book of the Romany, or, English Gypsy Language' (George Borrow, 1874)
'A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English' (Eric Partridge, 8th edn revised Paul Beale, 1984)
'The Scottish National Dictionary' (available online [[http://www.dsl.ac.uk]], accessed 31 May 2009)
Recording Location
County - Aberdeenshire
Parish - Aberdeen
Village/Place - Aberdeen
Language
English, Scots, Traveller Cant (Scots/Romani)
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good