I really enjoy Kathleen Faragher’s work and have compiled this list of Manx words and Manx dialect words from 6 of her books.
across – on the mainland
aigh vie – good luck
banya – milk
bin-jean – junket
bithag – cream
blawgan – a coarse fish
blein vie noa – a good new year
bogh – a poor creature, a silly person
bogie – a small handcart
boghtnid – nonsense
braew! braew! – fine! fine!
brat – an apron
bree – a hot sweat/a temperature
bree – energy
brooghs – banks sloping to the shore
bugganes – evil spirits
butched – bewitched/under the evil eye
bwee – a buoy
carnoan – a slow-witted person
carthans – household jobs
chis’ – chest
chiollagh – hearth
colloguin’ – hobnobbing
commawlyers – old friends
commisthries – strangers
cooish – a cosy chat
couth – cold
cowl – cold
craad tou goll? – where are you going?
crawgan – horsefly
craythur – creature
creep – a sly person
cren aght ta shiu? – how are you?
cretchy – irritable
cribbed – withered
cuckthee – cussed
dhooie – bad luck
dhriss – agitation, fuss
dhrylhen – a shiftless person
dibs – money
dub – pool
dy-liooar – enough
farlin’ – farthing
flitters – limpets
flook – a flat fish
fridlagh – a worthless person
friggin – frown
friken – frightened
futher-killyer (fud-e-cheilley) – troubled, confused
gadgicks – gadgets
ga-hoo – an ungainly person
gibbin – a sand eel
gimp – thing
ginnal – genial
git – speed
glister – trouble
gob – mouth
gobbag (govag) – a dogfish
Gob-ny-Rona – Point of the Seals
goll as gaccan – going and grumbling
graape – a rake
graih-my-chree – love of my heart
graow – miserable
grin – weep
hadgies – crabs
hice – hoist
hiced – hoisted
hogh! hogh! – exclamation of pity or surprise
jacks – winkles
jeel – mischief, damage
jesh – right
jink – monkey
jinny-divers – cormorants
jo-in/jo-en – scolding
jo-id/jo-ed – scolded
jonaugh – jovial
jough – strong drink
keekin’ – peering
kilt – killed
kirree fo niaghty – sheep under the snow
kithag – crossed
lannan-shee – a friendly spirit or fairy
late – slow
lhergy – slope
liggey-mee-thraa – a dilatory (tardy) person
lumper – a small child
lumpers – growing children
maiden – clothes horse
maul – miserable
Mhelliah – harvest supper
mob-beg – small crowd
mollags – buoys
move – recognise
obstropolous – obstreperous
oie vie – good night
Ollick Ghennal – Merry Christmas
pant – fun
perks – parks
phynnodderee – a satyr
pockards – pockets
polt – sharp bang
prathag – of little account
priddhas – potatoes
prinjeig – stomach
progs – goods, provisions
Qualtagh – first foot
queel – wheel
quile – while
rollock – rowlock
roosh – naked
scoothin’ – scum
skeddan – herring
skeet – look, peep
skeetin’ – looking, peeping
skeigs – hawthorn berries
skutch – a small crowd
skutcher – a tarter
slaa – wipe
slaader – daub
sleech – a sly person
sleechy – sly
slough – store
smull – frown
soon – fast
sooryin’ – courting
sorderagh – easy-going, slow-moving
spinyeag – frog
spithag – a small thing
spithags – small things
sthoo – chase
sthugga – thick-set person, well-developed
sthrooged – with dragging step
stroogin’ – stroking
tarroo ushteys – water bulls
tholtan – a ruined dwelling
threih – unhappy/miserable
threogh! – call to pigs
throuss – a slut
thrusthas – mischievous children
till – than
tobbin – a crest
traa-dy-liooar – time enough
turmits – turnips
toot – a foolish person
veg veen – dear little one/little dear
veg villish – sweet little one
wallard – wallet
(source: Where Curlews Call, By the Red Fuchsia Tree, This Purple-Misted Isle, These Fairy Shores, Kiare Cooishyn, Green Hills by the Sea, English & Manx Dialect Poems by Kathleen Faragher; artwork is of Bradda Head by James Aitken)
