Last Train to Lime Street

Glossary

GlossarySome of the Words and terminology use by the people of Liverpool can be confusing, even for fellow Brits, so it's hardly surprising they are sometimes confusing for my American readers in particular. Some U.S. readers have criticised the grammar, but must realise that it would be extremely rare for a Liverpudlian police officer to say, for example, “Izzie and I are going to see a witness,” and would generally say, “Izzie and me are going to see a witness,” which though grammatically incorrect, is the way people actually speak, and so, that's how it will appear in the dialogue in the book.

La' - a contraction of the word, 'lad' popularly used in the local Liverpool dialect.

'ould – a local version of the word 'old' pronounced as 'owld' e.g. 'My 'ould man,” = “My father.”

Z Cars – a hugely popular British TV series set in the fictional town of Newtown based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. It ran from 1962-1978 and popularised the ubiquitous Ford Zephyr 6, as used by the officers in the series.

Boot (of a car) – what Americans call the trunk.

Oppo – opposite number, as in partner or assistant

Scrote – Slang for a worthless, obnoxious, contemptible person

999 – UK equivalent to 911

S.I.O. – Senior Investigating Officer

D.C.I. – Detective Chief Inspector

D.I. - Detective Inspector.

D.S. - Detective Sergeant

D.C. - Detective Constable

Scally: Local Liverpudlian description (from the word scallywag), used to describe a ne'er-do-well, a mischief maker or small-time thief or hoodlum.

There may be a few words I've failed to mention, but I think you'll get the hang of the 'Scouse' accent after a while. Speaking of the word 'Scouse'

Scouse/Scouser, a common term to refer to the natives of Liverpool, derived from the once popular dish 'scouse,' served in Liverpool households for many years, though not so much nowadays a' a contraction of the word, 'lad' popularly used in the local Liverpool dialect.