Geg in there: dialect words will be turned into poetry

TO SOME, they will be second nature, to others, unadulterated gibberish. But some of Britain’s most obscure dialect words, including cheeselog, dimpsy, bobowler and twitten are to be recorded for posterity in poetry, and destined for the Oxford English Dictionary.

The terms, nominated by members of the public, are part of the oral traditions of communities across the UK, but have so far escaped the attention of written records. A dozen words, chosen from thousands of nominations, are each to be made the subject of their own poem, in aid of National Poetry Day. They include ginnel, meaning alleyway, didlum, (community savings scheme), bobowler (large moth), twitten (alleyway), cheeselog (woodlouse), to twine (complain), geg in (butt in) and on the huh (lopsided, wonky). Dimpsy (twilight), mardy (moody), gurt (great or very) and fam (way of addressing a friend) are also on the list.

Poets will perform new works incorporating the words on BBC local radio on Sept 28.

Susie Dent, the broadcaster and lexicographer, said the poems “will shine a light into a lexicon that’s too often overlooked”. “Our local words and expressions are very much part of an oral tradition, and printed records are often hard to find,” she said. “The words reflect some of the verve and vibrancy of our local tongues.”

A poem featuring all 12 words will be performed by Isaiah Hull, a 19-year-old poet and spoken word artist. Some of the words will go into the next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.