Mine Language.

[Ragger]

Miners have a language all of their own.

I'm looking forward to read what others come up with, mentioning no names of course.

That wants gobbing,

I’d rather lay under a ripping lip than her.

Her family is rich; you’re in a good seam there.

That props set like the leaning tower of Pisa

It’s not a bad roof that traps you,
it’s a good roof you become complacent with.

The face is like a banana, try shoving over at the face ends.

The AFC is creeping, another few days and it'll be walking.

Keep both eyes on the roof and one on the ground.(3 eyes???)

If you work any faster you’ll stop,

See you on the brushes,

That centre lines like a dogs back leg,

Double det that one,

3 bells and were off.

Wake up its home time.

I'm not sleeping,,I’m just resting my eyes.

His legs broken shove him in the side till snap time. we're on piece work.

Stop there it's not safe, there’s a big lump hanging, "it’s the overman". OK then, send him out.

That’s a gaffer’s light; better start working.

If you were on piece- work you’d starve.

Slow down, you worked the pits out up North don’t do it here.

I’m sure she bought ham for my snap; aye the lodgers got that.

One good thing you’ll never wear that shovel out, you lazy B.

Don’t know why you have a pair of gloves, you only ever use one hand.

That bit’s as sharp as you.

You’ve hit your head once too often.

You’re as much use as a broken pair of limmers.

You work down wind of me.

Clever how you make those hollow packs.

Hope your lights brighter than you or you’ll see nowt.

Hang fire.

He gets dizzy if he climbs on the scaffold planks.

If we follow that surveyors line we’ll hit the supply gate.

I’m as tired as 2 fitters and 4 electricians.

[dazb]

There's a challenge Bill, it'll take weeks to convert into acceptable language a list of commonly used pit talk, well frum rarnd ere at least that is !!

[John]

Eee lad, sum 'o them teks me bak lad, Tears were streaming down my face from laughing Daz! ;D

[dazb]

Here's a start;

PIT EXPRESSIONS;
As soft as a tub of worms.
As soft as snow.
As thick as a thick pit fitter.
Manchester Spanner (Hammer).
Manchester Rose (Chiselled Nut or Bolt Head).
Bed Spanners (Snail Brand NCB issue tools).
Heyup, owd up, oddup, watch thi back, (lookout)
Enough lamps here to burn it off.
Twelve months today that this rope broke.
Udge up, lerra another gerr on.
Time’s time, let’s be off.
Teken more coal home in me booits (Would hev bin a lot more if it’d bin thi hat)
FBCPS…….Founder member of the British Coal Preservation Society.
She’d a face like a ripper’s vest.
Who’s gorra button in?
Get that button art.
Rap it off.
Sticky tops and soft bottoms,
Gerrit in flit.
Give us a pound here bud,
We shall have to Syly it out (???for older readers only)
Belt’s stood, bunker’s full.
Belt’s brock, wishal erta walk it.
Longwall……face,bank, benk, wall
On’t collar.
Get thi jib up lad, tha’s in’t muck.
Gerrit in gear an let’s be off.
Gerra a locker in
Back -waller (A great but “unsafe” chain lashing on method).

FALLS OF GROUND EXPRESSIONS;
A bit of flamper,
As high as Barnsley town hall,
Can see the canteen floor,
Chuck us another block,
Just look what bl..dy day shift’s left us,
Arr could see roots,
We’ll niver catch this,

CANTEEN EXPRESSIONS;
Not quite warm enough yet luv,
Sorry no pies left,
Wot yer mean clean cup?
Tea?...........very questionable at times (Bill’s Grassmoor training centre example),
Lift yer feet up duck,
Arrrr much?
Well, better go and get some rags on,
Oi that’s mucky side over there,
Dinosaur or flat pastie?
Half ounce err black an five Park Drives,
PHB, Palm and Olive,

[Ragger]

Knew you wouldn't let me down. ;D

He's ready for a scrap, must have been eating meat again.

Deputy to ripper, your useless, when you die I'll dance on your grave. "That's Ok I'm getting buried at sea."

What's that nail there for; next to the mistletoe? Whatever's hung there has to stay there for 14 days. "Put my pit boots up".

Ripper been for a good night out on the booze, managed to get a lock-in. Not bothered what the wife would say. Staggers home at 6 in the morning, gets into the bedroom and starts to undress when his wife wakes up. "By your up early this morning".
He returned downstairs double quick.

Kiss him under the mistletoe; "I wouldn't kiss him under chloroform".

[John]

A second class rides better than a first class walk.....denoting riding the belts.
Time to ride the magic carpet......riding the belts again.

[dazb]

Riding the Rubber, the Rope and the Loco………..
(the joys of youthful agility).

"He'd ride on a shovel rather than walk"
(I surely would)
At a colliery not a thousand miles away from a South Yorkshire village with both a Railway and public house Station, which had a fairly modern surface drift with a non manriding cable belt but which was lovingly known as the Big Rubber in The Sky, you had not to forget to keep your fingers away from the belt edge as the steel cable and pulleys were superbly designed to perform Digital Subtraction and not of the angiographic kind (a note for the benefit of D.I.Y. Cardio Surgery enthusiasts). Before this modern style of illicit egress was established the final few hundred yards into the original shaft pitbottom were often accomplished in true acrobatic fashion by those persons more intent on adventure, or rather early exits, by riding the bottom haulage rope. Not easy to master but once learned certainly saved a good deal of leg work. Keeping ones balance by flat handing the cables and pipes hung on the road way side wasn't easy,but the real skill came in determining when to step on the rope in order to travel outbye, choose the wrong moment and end up on your face as I once witnessed a fitter who leapt on the rope without realising that it was travelling inbye.
I was also a temporary member of the World Championship Diesel Loco Coupling Riding Team, the record established in about 1967 when six of us rode on the rear coupling of an outbye empty horse diesel at speeds that must have neared thirty miles per hour from the Dunsil / Barnsley level at South Kirkby Colliery, nobody being more amazed than the Loco driver when he stopped near the pitbottom and found that nobody had fallen off.
I daren’t even mention riding “The Panzer” in thirty four inch extraction and finding that my knee pad straps were under the chain only as I was two yards from the main gate stable hole, probably relates to my having to attend physio for my knee yesterday some thirty nine years after…………
(the sufferance of aged immobility).

[aardvark]

dazb said:

Riding the Rubber, the Rope and the Loco………..
(the joys of youthful agility).

"He'd ride on a shovel rather than walk"
(I surely would)
At a colliery not a thousand miles away from a South Yorkshire village with both a Railway and public house Station, which had a fairly modern surface drift with a non manriding cable belt but which was lovingly known as the Big Rubber in The Sky, you had not to forget to keep your fingers away from the belt edge as the steel cable and pulleys were superbly designed to perform Digital Subtraction and not of the angiographic kind (a note for the benefit of D.I.Y. Cardio Surgery enthusiasts). Before this modern style of illicit egress was established the final few hundred yards into the original shaft pitbottom were often accomplished in true acrobatic fashion by those persons more intent on adventure, or rather early exits, by riding the bottom haulage rope. Not easy to master but once learned certainly saved a good deal of leg work. Keeping ones balance by flat handing the cables and pipes hung on the road way side wasn't easy,but the real skill came in determining when to step on the rope in order to travel outbye, choose the wrong moment and end up on your face as I once witnessed a fitter who leapt on the rope without realising that it was travelling inbye.
I was also a temporary member of the World Championship Diesel Loco Coupling Riding Team, the record established in about 1967 when six of us rode on the rear coupling of an outbye empty horse diesel at speeds that must have neared thirty miles per hour from the Dunsil / Barnsley level at South Kirkby Colliery, nobody being more amazed than the Loco driver when he stopped near the pitbottom and found that nobody had fallen off.
I daren’t even mention riding “The Panzer” in thirty four inch extraction and finding that my knee pad straps were under the chain only as I was two yards from the main gate stable hole, probably relates to my having to attend physio for my knee yesterday some thirty nine years after…………
(the sufferance of aged immobility).

anybody else tried riding outbye on top of the engine compartment of an FSV driven by a certified maniac determined to throw you off ,after he'd offered you the lift! nothing to old onto and only about 18" clearance in places . sometimes you'd take off then the machine would come back up and smash you in the nuts

[John]

aardvark said:

dazb said:

Riding the Rubber, the Rope and the Loco………..
(the joys of youthful agility).

"He'd ride on a shovel rather than walk"
(I surely would)
At a colliery not a thousand miles away from a South Yorkshire village with both a Railway and public house Station, which had a fairly modern surface drift with a non manriding cable belt but which was lovingly known as the Big Rubber in The Sky, you had not to forget to keep your fingers away from the belt edge as the steel cable and pulleys were superbly designed to perform Digital Subtraction and not of the angiographic kind (a note for the benefit of D.I.Y. Cardio Surgery enthusiasts). Before this modern style of illicit egress was established the final few hundred yards into the original shaft pitbottom were often accomplished in true acrobatic fashion by those persons more intent on adventure, or rather early exits, by riding the bottom haulage rope. Not easy to master but once learned certainly saved a good deal of leg work. Keeping ones balance by flat handing the cables and pipes hung on the road way side wasn't easy,but the real skill came in determining when to step on the rope in order to travel outbye, choose the wrong moment and end up on your face as I once witnessed a fitter who leapt on the rope without realising that it was travelling inbye.
I was also a temporary member of the World Championship Diesel Loco Coupling Riding Team, the record established in about 1967 when six of us rode on the rear coupling of an outbye empty horse diesel at speeds that must have neared thirty miles per hour from the Dunsil / Barnsley level at South Kirkby Colliery, nobody being more amazed than the Loco driver when he stopped near the pitbottom and found that nobody had fallen off.
I daren’t even mention riding “The Panzer” in thirty four inch extraction and finding that my knee pad straps were under the chain only as I was two yards from the main gate stable hole, probably relates to my having to attend physio for my knee yesterday some thirty nine years after…………
(the sufferance of aged immobility).

anybody else tried riding outbye on top of the engine compartment of an FSV driven by a certified maniac determined to throw you off ,after he'd offered you the lift! nothing to old onto and only about 18" clearance in places . sometimes you'd take off then the machine would come back up and smash you in the nuts

I think we held the world record for blokes hanging off a Schoff LHD at British Gypsum though! ;D