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Quiz about Yurz Greetens Vrum Darzet Dorset Dialect

Yur'z Greetens Vrum Darzet! - Dorset Dialect Quiz

Following on from my quiz about the dialect spoken here in Devon, this quiz takes another lighthearted look at the dialect of my birthplace, the county of Thomas Hardy, God's own country ... the county of Dorset!

A multiple-choice quiz by SisterSeagull. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
SisterSeagull

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
357,951

Updated
Jul 23 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
428

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Who or what is, or was, known around the county of Dorset as an 'Acker'? Hint

A woodsman

Your brother

A good friend, a mate

A ploughshare

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Question 2 of 10

2. Where, inside the home on a freezing cold January night, would you expect to find the 'backbron'? Hint

Across the legs of the family; it's a heavy rug

Lying across the gap at the bottom of a door to prevent draughts

Snuggled up in its basket; it's the family pet

Blazing away at the rear of the hearth

3. This old Dorset word has found its way into common usage thanks to a series of very successful books and films. However, these solitary beings can often be seen on warm, sunny summer days plying their 'trade' on grassy banks covered in wild flowers. What is a 'dumbledore'? Hint

A dragonfly

A caterpillar

A bumble-bee

An ant

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Question 4 of 10

4. Many years ago, those of us born and raised in rural Dorset would be given the 'granny-bonnet' to pick at after eating a particular dish. What do you think a 'granny-bonnet' might be? Hint

A slice of fruit cake

A wild flower

A rabbit's ribcage

A type of cider apple

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Question 5 of 10

5. Some people, usually from outside of the rural community, are of the opinion that you'll find an awful lot of 'stunpolls' in Dorset. They are, of course, completely wrong, but what might a 'stunpoll' be? Hint

A heavy wooden club

A small perching bird

A stupid person

A large wooden fence post

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Question 6 of 10

6. On occasion you might see one of these 'at work' in the fields protecting the crops from those who would steal them; at other times you might see someone described as one of these in a Dorset pub after a hard day at work. So, what do you think a 'gallybagger' could be? Hint

A tenant farmer

A milkmaid

The local squire

A scarecrow

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. If someone asks you, very politely of course, to shut your 'keakeharn', what are you being required to close? Hint

A window

Your mouth

A door

Your eyes

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. During the long, hot summer days whilst working the fields, the farm labourers would eat frequently. True or false: the 'jingle' that they used to describe these numerous meals reads, 'Dewbit', 'breakfast', 'nuncheon', 'cruncheon', 'nammit', 'crammit' and 'supper'?

True

False

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Question 9 of 10

9. If you've been described as being 'jopetty-jopetty', what sort of emotional state are you in? Hint

Anxious, agitated

Bewildered

Frightened

Cheerful

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Question 10 of 10

10. Some of you playing this quiz may very well have visited Dorset on holiday and could have been confused if you'd been asked if you'd seen the 'Piddles and the Puddles', especially if you hadn't! What are the 'Piddles and the Puddles'? Hint

A group of villages in eastern Dorset

The ale selection at the local public house

The result of a heavy downpour of rain

A grouping of Neolithic burial mounds near Weymouth

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who or what is, or was, known around the county of Dorset as an 'Acker'?

Answer: A good friend, a mate

This word was in common usage during the 1960s while I was at school in Weymouth but is rarely heard these days. A possible source for this word is a term that is still in very common usage, that of 'mucker'. This term was occasionally used to refer to coinage but again, is rarely heard today except very locally.

2. Where, inside the home on a freezing cold January night, would you expect to find the 'backbron'?

Answer: Blazing away at the rear of the hearth

The 'backbron' is the name given to a large log positioned at the rear of the hearth and upon which the rest of the fire is built. In days gone by a 'backbron' was often huge, sometimes an entire tree trunk would be used and fed into the hearth through a hole in the base of the chimney, which would burn for many days.

They weren't daft... The last thing that you'd want to be doing is cutting firewood outside in the middle of winter!

Answer: A bumble-bee

There are many colourful names given to the local wildlife species not only in Dorset but in many rural localities. In Dorset, caterpillars are known as 'palmers', dragonflies are referred to as 'hoss-tingers' and ants are referred to as 'emmets', a term also used disparagingly, but also affectionately, by Dorset folk to refer to visitors or holidaymakers!

4. Many years ago, those of us born and raised in rural Dorset would be given the 'granny-bonnet' to pick at after eating a particular dish. What do you think a 'granny-bonnet' might be?

Answer: A rabbit's ribcage

The 'granny-bonnet' could be used to describe many animal ribcages, but in my locality it usually referred to the ribcage of a rabbit, a creature that we used to eat an awful lot of! Where do these names come from?

Answer: A stupid person

Maybe I am mistaken; there do seem to be quite a number of Dorset words used to describe people who are blessed with less than the full complement of brains! These words include such gems as a 'noggerhead' and 'bug-a-lug'. In addition, you might also be described as 'puggled', or 'dunch'.

Answer: A scarecrow

Another name for a scarecrow is a 'mommet', but I won't go into the source of this word as some may find it offensive. Anyway, 'gallybagger' is also a term used to describe someone who looks as if they'd just crawled out of bed!

7. If someone asks you, very politely of course, to shut your 'keakeharn', what are you being required to close?

Answer: Your mouth

Your 'keakeharn' is your mouth, your 'cakehole' - I am sure many of you have used this word in the past to tell someone to shut up!

Answer: True

How on earth any work was done is anybody's guess. In addition, large flagons of strong farmhouse cider would be carried and kept cool by immersing them in streams. It's no surprise that farming has been considered a dangerous occupation; farm machinery, hot days and strong cider... There's a recipe for something in there!

9. If you've been described as being 'jopetty-jopetty', what sort of emotional state are you in?

Answer: Anxious, agitated

You'd think that we'd use the word 'jittery', just once, instead of doubling up on everything! If you feel frightened you may use the terms 'avrighted' or 'gallied', when you're in a cheerful or happy state of mind you'd be described as 'litsome' or 'litty', and if you're totally bewildered or confused you could be described as being 'torrididdle' or 'betwattled'.

Answer: A group of villages in eastern Dorset

Have any of you with an interest in industrial history or politics ever visited the village of Tolpuddle? If you answer 'yes', then you have most definitely visited the 'piddles and the puddles'. This is a collective name for a group of villages that lie along the course of the River Piddle, or Trent, bearing such quaint names as Piddlehinton, Piddletrenthide, Affpuddle, Puddletown and, of course, the world famous village of Tolpuddle, from where the first trade-unionists, the 'Tolpuddle Martyrs', subsequently deported to the colonies in Australia, hailed.

Source: Author SisterSeagull

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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