Yorkshire Dialect: A Liverish Set-to
Mike Shaw’s dialect tale tells of a row over a bit of liver.
Wen Ah wer aat walkin' wi' Jack Bamforth last week Ah telled 'im abaat a row 'at Ethel 'ad t' day afooar wi' t' butcher.
"Sumdy who wer theer sed 'er an' Sam 'ad a reight set-to i' Sam's shop.
"Tha'll niwer believe it but it wer awl ower a bit o' liver 'at we wer baan ter 'ave fer teea.
"Ethel's nooan sed a word ter me abaat it an' Ah daren't bring it up cos it maht be me 'at gets a claat raand t' lug-oil.
Ah explained ter Jack 'at Ethel wer in a queue, just behand Lizzie Walker, who asked Sam fer three-quarters o'
liver.
"Whahle 'e wer cuttin' it up an' weighin' it Ethel telled Liz¬zie shee'd lahke a paand o' liver cos Ah'm fair partial to it.
"Lizzie paid Sam 57p an' then 'e cut up another piece, weighed it, wrapped it up an' sed it wer 76p.
"Ethel gate 'er 'air off an' reight, tellin' Sam 'at 'e'd ovver-charged'er bi 19p.
"’Nay, Ah'm nooan 'avin’ that,’ replahd Sam. ‘Tha asked fer a paand o' liver an' that's wat tha's getten.’
"Ethel sed shee nivver asked 'im fer a paand. Shee wanted t' same as Lizzie, 57p worth.
"Sam, who wer gettin' reight flustered bi this tahme, sed: ‘Tha sed tha'd lahke a paand o' liver cos tha Bill's partial to it. Ah yerd thee wi' mi own ears.’
"They reckoned Ethel 'ad a face lahke a beetrooit as shee replahd: ‘Wat Ah sed ter Lizzie wer 'at Ah'd lahke a paand, same as Ah'd lahke a big piece o' beef if Ah could affoard it.
‘It serves thee reight for listenin' in ter fowks' prahvate conversations. Sooa tha can just cut a sliver off t' liver an' Ah'll give thee 57p 'at Ah owe thee!"
