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#92099 01/16/03 01:43 PM
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When I first saw :bostoon" I wondered if it were derived from "Boston". Boston is a contraction
of St. Botolph's town. I can't figure any connection though.


#92100 01/16/03 01:52 PM
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RC's gommil reminded me of another favourite which I now use all the time:

stunned: (adj) stupid (best pronounced with the Newfoundland-style u which sounds like the Liverpudlian u) Sample sentence: "B'y, are you too stunned to see that that's not gonna work?"

Note that b'y is THE classic Newfoundland word, equivalent to the Aussie mate and used to address someone (girl or boy!) or just for emphasis. That's one I can't ever sound natural saying.


#92101 01/16/03 01:54 PM
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The Dictionary of Newfoundland English gives, for bostoon:

bostoon n also bosthoon. EDD bosthoon Ir; DINNEEN bastún. A clumsy, stupid fellow (1937 DEVINE 10).
1925 Dial Notes v, 326 Bosthoon—an extremely ignorant man.



#92102 01/16/03 01:56 PM
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AnnaS, I dunno about chopped liver but saltfish and hard bread is fish and brewis (brewis is pronounced more like brooze). Sounds unappealing though I've never had a chance to try it.


#92103 01/16/03 04:34 PM
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">Sook, sooky

Thanks, Bean. Both of these are also in common use in NZ, in fact, I used sooky in a
post in I&A a week or so back."

And in Australia. "Sook" struck me as a wonderful word and I acquired the habit of using it when I lived there. Somehow just the sound of it is so descriptive.


#92104 01/16/03 05:26 PM
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Many ofthe words I understood right off the bat - having an Irish family helps there! Another word I heard used was titivate which has a different meaning altogether from titilate. My Grandmother would say someone who spent a lot of time on thier appearance was "all titivated up."


#92105 01/17/03 08:41 AM
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Oh yes, I recognise this one. "She's just titivating herself" meaning putting the final touches to her appearance before going out, and somehow it always was she.

Bingley


Bingley
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