Yorkshire Dialect: A Proper Boxin' Day Affair
You don't get a black eye for nothing, as Mike Shaw's dialect tale reveals.
"Asta 'ad a nahce, peaceful Kersmuss?" Ah asked Jooa Sykes wen Ah bumped inta 'im.'
'Aye it wer varry quahrt, except wen t'grandchilder gate frachin' aftar t' dinner," 'e replahd.
"Tha's ter put up wi' it, coas wen tha looks back we were nobbut t' same wen we were their age. Tha'd think they'd be laikin baat onny trouble wi' awl t' new-fangled toys an' watnot. They were awlreight fer an haar or sooa, then John fot Peter a reight bat wi' 'is new trumpet. 'E reckoned Peter'd been pinchin' chocolates fra 'is selection box. Not that ther wer onny shortge o' spahce. Yar front room wer just lahke Willie Wonka's chocolate factory."
Ah paused ter leet up mi pahpe an' sed at leeast it'd lahven up 'is day a bit.
"We wer at Ethel's cousin Hetty's an' it favvered a morgue wen we were awl noddin' off afta t' dinner."
Jooa sed fra wat 'e'd yerd a couple o' fellas med it a proper Boxin' Day at t' Rooase an' Craan. "They tell me ther were a reight set-to ovver a game o' dominoes, an' t' lanlooard 'ad ter step in ter quahrten 'em."
Ah telled Jooa: "That explains a lot. Ah wer daan at t' club last neet wen Charlie France cam in wi' a couple o' black een. "Awl 'e'd say abaat 'em wer wen Jack Bamforth asked 'im who'd geen 'im 'em."
"Nubdy gave me 'em, Ah'd ter feight fer 'em, if tha must know!" sed Charlie.
