An Entry for the New Year’s Resolution Contest from Lloyd Brown:Although in my youth I was often regarded as a lewardly fellow, a nuzzle tripe, a angishore, and was sometimes taunted as a merry-begot, I have maintained a strong affection for my out-port home, and resolve this year (2008) to return there to immerse myself in ordinary out-port activities such as shiving longers, helping to mend nets spread out on the bawn, hunting bawks and guds in my father’s skiff, yaffling dried fish, marling down to the harbour to observe flatfish in the blue drop between pans of ice, kicking the waddock on a frozen meadow, strolling down the drungs to visit old friends, cutting crunnicks in the droke just inside of Long Pond, and sitting in my Uncle’s kitchen listening to old fishermen spinning pishogues and boo stories.
Two entries from Dave Paddon:
The resolution
“Das it” said Joseph Ploughman, puffing and blowing after a five minute walk across the bawn to his house “I got to get in shape next year”.
“I s’pose you do” scolded Harriet, his wife “you looks just like the waddock and you’re so lewardly as a gud on the shore”.
“S’pose I AM a bit of a angishore” admitted Joseph.
“Ha! The only reason you takes a marl ‘round the droke once in a while is ‘cause you can’t fit through the drung with a yaffle of splits!”
“Stop shiven’ out me Dad, you old she-boo” said Josephs daughter “you got ‘en drove with your naggin’ and pishogue!”
“Merrybegot!” screeched Harriet “He won’t be gittin’ off his big arse so long as the little nuzzle tripe got ‘en in her lun”.
“P’raps I’ll get a berth on the hunt this year” said Joseph, brightening “I knows I wouldn’t get in shape fast out running ‘round the blue drop after the swiles”.
“Yes b’y” sneered Harriet “you’ll come back trim as a bawk, no doubt.”
This year I resolve to get in shape by running along the bawn, kicking a waddock around the blue drop with the merrybegot, doing chinups in the drung, taking a marl around the droke with a yaffle of splits and doing whatever it takes to change from a lewardly gud of a angishore to a shived-out bawk who doesn’t have to put up with any more new age exercise pishogue from some 20 year old nuzzle tripe hounding me like a boo.
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These resolutions were inspired by the Rattling Books New Year's Resolution Contest based on the Rattling Books facebook group REDEFiNE iT: Dictionary of Newfoundland English.
We invite you to post your own Resolution either here or on the REDEFiNE iT Facebook group page under the relevant Discussion Board Topic.
The REDEFiNE iT group was inspired in part by Mary Dalton's collection of poems entitled Merrybegot. The unabridged audio edition is available as an audio CD or Digital Download from Rattling Books. It is performed by Anita Best with Patrick Boyle on trumpet and flugelhorn.
