A Very Mersey Murder

Glossary

GlossaryAuthor's note: Some of the dialogue used in this book includes certain regional accents that might be unfamiliar to readers in the USA and other nations around the world. For those who may be confused by some of the idiosyncratic speech found in the following pages, I have provided a short glossary of terms to help to explain some of these odd sounding words and phrases.

Tanner, popular term for a sixpenny piece, a small silver coin, used in pre-decimal times, equivalent to 5 pence in today's money.

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

Babycham and Cherry B two popular drinks in the UK in the 1960s, the first a perry, resembling champagne, but made with pears, the second a form of cherry brandy, both popular with female drinkers of the time.

Lead – Leash

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

Tights – Pantyhose

Knickers - Panties

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.

On the 'never-never' – On credit.

Up the duff – pregnant (slang)

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.

In the case of Albert Cretingham senior, he is from the neighbouring county of West Yorkshire and does not have a Liverpool accent. Instead he speaks with a broad Yorkshire accent and has a habit of dropping the letter 'H' from the beginning of his words, e.g. 'is instead of his, 'er instead of her etc. I'm sure you'll soon catch on. The phraseology and grammar are also different and though not correct English, I have written it as it spoken by the people of that part of the country.