stop wittling!
Goromoff
do I?
As I grew up in the mining village, populated by people of all
'nationalities- Geordies, Scots, Lancs, Welsh, Yorkies and so on, this was a
much used word.
"Stop wittling woman" or "stop worrying".
'He wittled on and on about it' could easily have used the word 'prattling or
jabbering or chattering' to the same effect.
I've looked up, or tried to look up, 'wittling/to wittle/wittled' but cannot
find it.
Can anyone help - am I simply misusing the word or is so local that it hasn't
reached the dictionaries yet?
Jackie
news:IKidneK9SZdOfr3X...@bt.com...
>
I have heard a similar expression which is `wittering` Goro but don't know
anything about it.
--
Jackie
o0o0o
wtwjgc (Joe)
OED has 'witling'
A petty wit (see WIT n. 9, 10); one who fancies himself a wit; a
pretender to wit (see WIT n. 5, 7); one who utters light or feeble
witticisms.
--
wtwjgc (Joe)
Main website <http://welcometowakefield.org.uk/>
Shh! Be very, very quiet.... I'm hunting forebears.
Bernadette
Good morning Goro. Could it be "whittling" which was a word I heard used as
a child. It is to cut small bits or pare shavings from (say) a piece of
wood. It referred to someone who kept going on about something and just
kept wearing away at it. See: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/whittling
--
Bernadette
MCC
I recognise 'wittering on' and I recognise 'whittling' as in carving a piece
of wood but I've not heard of 'wittle' before.
P.S. Neither has my spell checker because it has just underlined the word in
red <LOL>
--
MCC
30/05/2009 09:24:46
wtwjgc (Joe)
That's also the one I know. OED has this for 'witter':-
colloq. (orig. Sc. and dial.). Also whitter. [Perh. a variant of WHITTER
v.: cf. WHITTER n.1] To chatter or mutter; to grumble; to speak with
annoying lengthiness on trivial matters. Occas. trans. Freq. const. on.
Hence {sm}wittering ppl. a.
--
wtwjgc (Joe)
Main website <http://welcometowakefield.org.uk/>
I am a computer, dumber than any human and smarter than an administrator.
Gareth
From the *Oxford English Dictionary*:
*whittle, v.2*
II. 4. intr. To worry or fret. Occas. trans. dial.
1880 N. & Q. 6 Mar. 205/2 When I was a boy my mother daily used this
word to express fidgetiness or uneasiness. ‘What are you whittling
about?’ seems to ring in my ears at this moment. 1913 D. H. LAWRENCE
Sons & Lovers viii. 202 ‘How do you think I'm going to manage?’ ‘Well,
it won't make it any better to whittle about it.’ 1984 Daily Tel. 23
Oct. 10/3 ‘I'm whittled to death about the future of the mining
industry.’ These, or words like these, are attributed to Mr. Michael
Eaton, the new character in the long-runnning serial story of the
mining dispute.
Hence whittled (-()ld) ppl. a.; also whittled-down; whittling vbl.
n., (a) the action of the verb (also attrib.); (b) concr. (in pl.)
fragments cut off in whittling, shavings; also fig.; whittling ppl. a.,
that whittles, addicted to whittling. Also whittler, one who whittles,
or is addicted to whittling as an idle trick.
--
Gareth ( email address invalid ) .....
Goromoff
@homedotcom.invalid:
> Also whittler, one who whittles,
> or is addicted to whittling as an idle trick.
>
> --
>
thanks folks. Most kind of you to go to the trouble. I had found both
'witter' and 'whittle' in the word book, but neither seemed to fit, so I was
a little concerned for my sanity!!!!!!
But, yes, whittling does now and I shall make the necessary spelling
correction and continue using it.
Thank you.
Gareth
>> or is addicted to whittling as an idle trick.
>>
>> --
>>
>
> thanks folks. Most kind of you to go to the trouble. I had found both
> 'witter' and 'whittle' in the word book, but neither seemed to fit, so I was
> a little concerned for my sanity!!!!!!
>
> But, yes, whittling does now and I shall make the necessary spelling
> correction and continue using it.
>
> Thank you.
Stop whittling and get on with it. ;-)
Frederick Williams
>
> I've looked up, or tried to look up, 'wittling/to wittle/wittled' but cannot
> find it.
Partridge's Dictionary of Slang, 8-th edition: 'To talk at length to
little point; to talk nonsense [...] later C.20. Heard in E. Midlands
[...]'
It's not in the Shorter 4-th edition.
--
... when we came back, late, from the hyacinth garden,
Your arms full, and your hair wet, I could not
Speak, and my eyes failed...
Frederick Williams
> From the *Oxford English Dictionary*:
>
> *whittle, v.2*
No aitch in Goromoff's word.
gruffydd
shaz
I grew up in Lincolnshire and it was used in mine childhood and I still use
it today. Meaning stop worrying
--
shaz
Gareth
>> From the *Oxford English Dictionary*:
>>
>> *whittle, v.2*
>
> No aitch in Goromoff's word.
I'm quite aware of that which is why he couldn't find it! i.e. he spelt
it wrong!
Gareth
>> This is a phrase that I grew up with and still use. I know what it means,
>> or
>> do I?
>>
>> As I grew up in the mining village, populated by people of all
>> 'nationalities- Geordies, Scots, Lancs, Welsh, Yorkies and so on, this was
>> a
>> much used word.
>>
>> "Stop wittling woman" or "stop worrying".
>>
>> 'He wittled on and on about it' could easily have used the word 'prattling
>> or
>> jabbering or chattering' to the same effect.
>>
>> I've looked up, or tried to look up, 'wittling/to wittle/wittled' but
>> cannot
>> find it.
>>
>> Can anyone help - am I simply misusing the word or is so local that it
>> hasn't
>> reached the dictionaries yet?
>
> I grew up in Lincolnshire and it was used in mine childhood and I still use
> it today. Meaning stop worrying
My relatives in Bedfordshire & Northamptonshire still use it.
noreen @ home
"Jackie" <Jack...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:7ZSdnSIS4PG4dL3X...@brightview.co.uk...
I would have said "wittering" too Jackie as in stop "wittering woman ";-)))
--
Noreen
May the good lord take a liking
to you ( but not yet) ;-)
Gareth
>> I have heard a similar expression which is `wittering` Goro but don't know
>> anything about it.
>
> I would have said "wittering" too Jackie as in stop "wittering woman ";-)
The 'Witterings' are coastal villages in West Sussex, east of Hayling
Island.
East Wittering and West Wittering. ;-)
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?sourceid=navclient&hl=en-GB&rlz=1T4DSGI_en-GBGB304GB304&q=West+Wittering&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=uk&ei=610hSoaDCpm7jAfnwJy-Bg&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1
Goromoff
@homedotcom.invalid:
> My relatives in Bedfordshire & Northamptonshire still use it.
>
thanks Shaz and Gareth. It's obviously a colloquialism that's used only in
certain areas.
Back to me story then, and change the word back to how I'd written it!
wtwjgc (Joe)
Wittering is the village next to Burghley (of horse trial fame)
--
wtwjgc (Joe)
Main website <http://welcometowakefield.org.uk/>
Backup site <http://wtwjgc.110mb.com/>
Futuristic: It will only run on a next generation supercomputer.
Graham
<news:9ydUl.35836$OO7....@text.news.virginmedia.com> expounded this
theory:
> Wittering is the village next to Burghley (of horse trial fame)
And RAF Wittering is "The home of the Harrier" :)
Gareth
>> My relatives in Bedfordshire & Northamptonshire still use it.
>>
>
> thanks Shaz and Gareth. It's obviously a colloquialism that's used only in
> certain areas.
> Back to me story then, and change the word back to how I'd written it!
But spelt with the *H* ;-)
shaz
"Gareth" <gar...@homedotcom.invalid> wrote in message
news:mn.f44c7d954...@homedotcom.invalid...
> Goromoff wrote in message :
>>> My relatives in Bedfordshire & Northamptonshire still use it.
>>>
>>
>> thanks Shaz and Gareth. It's obviously a colloquialism that's used only
>> in
>> certain areas.
>> Back to me story then, and change the word back to how I'd written it!
>
> But spelt with the *H* ;-)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/derby/content/articles/2005/08/19/voices05_derbyshire_dictionary_feature.shtml
Dunna wittle!
Don't worry about it.
--
shaz
Frederick Williams
>
> Frederick Williams sauntered in and penned :
> >> From the *Oxford English Dictionary*:
> >>
> >> *whittle, v.2*
> >
> > No aitch in Goromoff's word.
>
> I'm quite aware of that which is why he couldn't find it! i.e. he spelt
> it wrong!
I'm not so sure: see my other post.
Gareth
>>>> My relatives in Bedfordshire & Northamptonshire still use it.
>>>>
>>>
>>> thanks Shaz and Gareth. It's obviously a colloquialism that's used only in
>>> certain areas.
>>> Back to me story then, and change the word back to how I'd written it!
>>
>> But spelt with the *H* ;-)
>
> It it here under D
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/derby/content/articles/2005/08/19/voices05_derbyshire_dictionary_feature.shtml
> Dunna wittle!
> Don't worry about it.
It's not the first time the BBC has made a spelling mistake. ;-)
Gareth
>> I've looked up, or tried to look up, 'wittling/to wittle/wittled' but
>> cannot
>> find it.
>
> Partridge's Dictionary of Slang, 8-th edition: 'To talk at length to
> little point; to talk nonsense [...] later C.20. Heard in E. Midlands
> [...]'
>
> It's not in the Shorter 4-th edition.
But it is in the OED
http://dictionary.oed.com/
Gareth
>> I've looked up, or tried to look up, 'wittling/to wittle/wittled' but
>> cannot
>> find it.
>
> Partridge's Dictionary of Slang, 8-th edition: 'To talk at length to
> little point; to talk nonsense [...] later C.20. Heard in E. Midlands
> [...]'
>
> It's not in the Shorter 4-th edition.
Full title:
The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English
Frederick Williams
>
> Frederick Williams wrote in message :
> >
> > little point; to talk nonsense [...] later C.20. Heard in E. Midlands
> > [...]'
> >
> > It's not in the Shorter 4-th edition.
>
> Full title:
> The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English
There is no 'New' in the title of the work I was referring to, it's just
_A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English_. 8-th edition, as I
said.
By 'Shorter' I meant the Shorter OED.
Sorry for any confusion.
Frederick Williams
Gareth
That's why I posted what it said.
Frederick Williams
>
> Frederick Williams wrote in message :
> >> But it is in the OED
> >> http://dictionary.oed.com/
> >
> > I'm not a subscriber.
>
> That's why I posted what it said.
The post of yours that I read was about 'whittle' not 'wittle'.
Gareth
>>>> But it is in the OED
>>>> http://dictionary.oed.com/
>>>
>>> I'm not a subscriber.
>>
>> That's why I posted what it said.
>
> The post of yours that I read was about 'whittle' not 'wittle'.
As I've already told you, WITTLE is not in the OED - but in the context
that Goromoff wants to use the word, WHITTLE is the spelling that the
OED shows.
Frederick Williams
And which word is Goromoff interested in? There is surely no point in
looking up the one that he isn't.
Gareth
>>>>>> But it is in the OED
>>>>>> http://dictionary.oed.com/
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm not a subscriber.
>>>>
>>>> That's why I posted what it said.
>>>
>>> The post of yours that I read was about 'whittle' not 'wittle'.
>>
>> As I've already told you, WITTLE is not in the OED - but in the context
>> that Goromoff wants to use the word, WHITTLE is the spelling that the
>> OED shows.
>
> And which word is Goromoff interested in? There is surely no point in
> looking up the one that he isn't.
Read the thread you twat.
Frederick Williams
I assume that your descent into personal abuse means that you know
you've lost the argument.
--
Narouz began to feel the tuggings of the Underworld, the five wild dogs
of the sense pulling ever more heavily upon the leash. He opposed to
them the forces of his mighty will, playing for time, waiting for the
only human revelation he could expect--voice and odour of a girl who
had become embalmed by his senses, entombed like some precious image.
Gareth
>>>>>>>> http://dictionary.oed.com/
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'm not a subscriber.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> That's why I posted what it said.
>>>>>
>>>>> The post of yours that I read was about 'whittle' not 'wittle'.
>>>>
>>>> As I've already told you, WITTLE is not in the OED - but in the context
>>>> that Goromoff wants to use the word, WHITTLE is the spelling that the
>>>> OED shows.
>>>
>>> And which word is Goromoff interested in? There is surely no point in
>>> looking up the one that he isn't.
>>
>> Read the thread you twat.
>
> I assume that your descent into personal abuse means that you know
> you've lost the argument.
No it doesn't, it just means that I'm fed up with your stupidity.
Gareth
>>>>>>>>>> But it is in the OED
>>>>>>>>>> http://dictionary.oed.com/
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I'm not a subscriber.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> That's why I posted what it said.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The post of yours that I read was about 'whittle' not 'wittle'.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> As I've already told you, WITTLE is not in the OED - but in the context
>>>>>> that Goromoff wants to use the word, WHITTLE is the spelling that the
>>>>>> OED shows.
>>>>>
>>>>> And which word is Goromoff interested in? There is surely no point in
>>>>> looking up the one that he isn't.
>>>>
>>>> Read the thread you twat.
>>>
>>> I assume that your descent into personal abuse means that you know
>>> you've lost the argument.
>>
>> No it doesn't, it just means that I'm fed up with your stupidity.
>
> they are talking about and tries to convince them that they don't..
I was not aware that we were having an "argument" until he told me.
:-))
wtwjgc (Joe)
> Wrinklie One � sauntered in and penned :
>>>>
>>>> I assume that your descent into personal abuse means that you know
>>>> you've lost the argument.
>>>
>>> No it doesn't, it just means that I'm fed up with your stupidity.
>>
>> Waste not thy breath O erudite.... He trolls for people who know what
>> they are talking about and tries to convince them that they don't..
>
> I was not aware that we were having an "argument" until he told me. :-))
>
He's what killfiles were made for. :)
--
wtwjgc (Joe)
Main website <http://welcometowakefield.org.uk/>
Backup site <http://wtwjgc.110mb.com/>
Murphy's Computer Law 39: An ounce of image is worth a pound of performance.
Gareth
>>>>> I assume that your descent into personal abuse means that you know
>>>>> you've lost the argument.
>>>> No it doesn't, it just means that I'm fed up with your stupidity.
>>>
>>> Waste not thy breath O erudite.... He trolls for people who know what
>>> they are talking about and tries to convince them that they don't..
>>
>> I was not aware that we were having an "argument" until he told me. :-)
>>
>
Oh, I'll just ignore him...