Skip to content

Debate: Nonsense

Community guest Anne Wood asked for help with some research

27 Sep
2005

Copyrighted Image Jupiter Images Speech bubbles

I am researching dialect terms for the word 'nonsense' for my dissertation project. The context I am researching is "What a load of nonsense!!" I would appreciate any feedback of terms your dialect uses, or that you have heard used in this context.

Rate and share this page:

You haven't rated. Average rating 4.5 out of 5, based on 2 ratings

Share this page:

.

More like this

Comments

Login or Register to post comments

Post Your Comment

dialect terms for 'nonsense'

Archive Comments

I am researching dialect terms for the word 'nonsense' for my dissertation project. The context I am researching is "What a load of nonsense!!" I would appreciate any feedback of terms your dialect uses, or that you have heard used in this context.
Thank you

Re: dialect terms for 'nonsense'

Archive Comments

In Middleton and Rochdale North of Manchester it's "bobbins" - maybe after bins in the mills where they put empty yarn bobbins? Also possibly related to bob (poo).

Re: dialect terms for 'nonsense'

Archive Comments

>"What a load of nonsense!!"

I have often heard people say "What a pile of pants" or simply "pants" to mean the same thing. I only heard this once I was at University.

Re: dialect terms for 'nonsense'

Archive Comments

Balderdash, Piffle. There are some more I just thought of.

Neil

Re: dialect terms for 'nonsense'

Archive Comments

I'm from Liverpool, and I've heard loads of different terms for nonsense. I can only think of a few at the moment, as I think of more I'll post them. For now there is "tosh", "codswallop", and then the more uncouth ones like, "crap", "shit", "bull shit".

Re: dialect terms for 'nonsense'

Archive Comments

My elderly uncle is a Barnsley man. His phrase of choice would be "What a load of bunkum".

Re: dialect terms for 'nonsense'

Archive Comments

Scots uses "havers". Some other people say "boloney".

Re: dialect terms for 'nonsense'

Archive Comments

poppycock is a word for nonsense, "what a load of poppycock"

Re: dialect terms for 'nonsense'

Archive Comments

"Poppycock" comes from the Dutch "pappe cak" (apologies to Netherlanders for any spelling horrors!), which means "soft sh... you know what". "Cobblers" is rhyming slang: "cobbler's awls". It has always intrigued me that parts of the body which can be seen -- or covered up, rather -- lend themeselves to this kibnd of application, while those on the inside -- guts, heart, stomach and so forth -- are mostly positive attributes. Are there many nonsense words (such as 'nonsense') that don't derive from perceived or actual unpleasant things?

Re: dialect terms for 'nonsense'

Archive Comments

East Midland dialect often uses 'rammel' in that context, i.e. 'what a load of rammel' (I've guessed at the spelling as it's a spoken rather than written word, as many dialect expressions are). I've also heard 'what a load of daftness'.

Re: dialect terms for 'nonsense'

Archive Comments

Cobblers.

Article Information

Publication details
Tuesday, 27th September 2005
Tuesday, 27th September 2005

Copyright information
• Body text - Copyright: The Open University
• Image 'Speech bubbles' - Copyright: Jupiter Images

About OpenLearn

Hide

Explore

Try

Study

OU Courses

OpenLearn Now

Hide

Tag Clouds

Hide

Site Cloud

What are Tag Clouds?

My Cloud

Discover the latest about your passions - Sign In or Register and start a personal tag cloud.

What are Tag Clouds?
http://www.open.edu/openlearn/sites/all/themes/ole/flash/tagcloud.swf

Creative Commons License Except for third party materials and otherwise stated, content on this site is made available
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Licence

/openlearn/sites/all/themes/ole/