Haud yer wheesht!¹
- 'Be quiet!'

We were recently inspired to think about the words we use by the recent flurry of posting activity on the Cockney Rhyming Slang Entry. It prompted one of the Editors to recall, as a kid, using the word 'chep' to describe anything bad or of inferior quality. Maybe it was a Midlands thing; maybe it was to do with the a certain age group or the era²? But nobody seems to use the word now.

So we got to thinking, are there any words that you say that your friends don't understand? Are there any bits of regional slang, or phrases from a local dialect you still use that others have never heard of?

Aye, we dae, we dae, we dae, aye...
- Rab C. Nesbitt

• Are there any phrases or words you use - perhaps a hangover from your childhood or your parents - that baffle those around you?

• Have you picked up any new words or expressions latley? Perhaps from your school or from your kids, like the word 'chillax' for example?

• Are there any good examples of slang being used on film or television? What are your favourites?

• Is it important we keep these words? Do we risk homogenising our language if we forget them?