A Guide to Understanding Broad Norfolk

Published date: September 2020

The Norfolk dialect which is also known as Broad Norfolk has some fantastic words and phrases unique to this part of the country. Norfolk folk can get a little cross when people try and imitate their accents, often talking more like someone from the west country rather than someone who is Norfolk born and bred!

The following is a simple guide for those visiting Norfolk, so that you can familiarise yourself with some typical words and phrases that may be heard when in the county.

Some must-learn phrases for when in Norfolk:

‘Oid rarely loike a bear’ – ‘A pint of your finest beer please old chap’.

‘Oh dare, oi hit a dare’ – ‘Unfortunately I seem to have hit a deer with my motor vehicle’.

‘Keep yew a troshin, moined ow yew gooo’ – ‘Look after yourself’.

‘Bor, thassa lud a ole squit’ – ‘Fellow, what you have just said is a load of nonsense’

‘Afta a fooo bears I wuz on the huh’ - ‘Too many beers left me feeling awry’.

‘I driv all way a Cromer an on way back tha snew’ –‘ I drove my motor vehicle all the way to Cromer and on the way back it snowed’.

‘Come yew hair, a’yer got a light boi?’ – ‘Would you mind coming here so I could trouble you for a match to light my cigarette?’

‘Ar yer orrite bor?’ ‘Hello, how are you?’

‘Co ter heck, thass a rum un’ – ‘My goodness! How very strange!’

Norfolk vowels dictate that a bear and a beer sound the same. The same goes for pear, pair and pier. For example, ‘I ate a pear on Cromer pear, followed by a pint of bear whilst holding my granddaughter’s teddy bear’.