Written in Black and Wight: I
Created | Updated Nov 12, 2017
Yep, it's another entry in the quiz series dedicated to the Isle of Wight's dialect, as preserved in A
Dictionary of Isle of Wight Dialect by WH Long (1886) and Isle of Wight Dialect by Jack Lavers
(1988)1.
I
This week is words beginning with I. I know what you're thinking – I is a vowel. What is the
point of having more vowels when you already have the multi-purpose letter A? Sadly, there are fairly few
examples of words beginning with this letter, so it is a short quiz this week.
Isle of Wight Quick-Fire Round
This round has examples of things named 'Isle of Wight _?', but the correct meaning isn't next to the right
word. Can You correctly identify which is which?
| Phrase | Definition |
|---|---|
| Isle of Wight Calves | Moth |
| Isle of Wight Dog | Cheese |
| Isle of Wight Helleborine | Cormorant |
| Isle of Wight Parson | Dull-witted man |
| Isle of Wight Rock | Bryony |
| Isle of Wight Vine | Orchid |
| Isle of Wight Wave | Laziness |
Of course, Isle of Wight Rock now normally describes a hard stick-like confectionery sold at seaside
towns.
Main Round
Can You identify which of the three meanings is the correct one for the words below?
Idle
- Someone who is saucy, wanton and/or flippant.
- Someone who always looks on the bright side of life.
- Statue of the Island's local deity, the Great Randini.
Igg
- Small, local tree-climbing lizard.
- An egg
- Small domed house made out of bales of straw.
Inn
- Entrails.
- Something indecent.
- To enclose.
Innsoever
- Someone who never leaves the pub.
- Someone who is insensitive.
- Howsoever.
Inyuns
- Onions.
- Indians – the wild, untamed natives of the West Wight.
- A dedicated follower of fashion and/or trend setter.
Ire
- Colourful.
- Iron.
- Barbed wire.
Itt
- A sand fairy.
- Having an itch or the act of scratching.
- Yet
Click on the picture for the answers!
Authors by Edward Turner (1900) and The English Dialect Dictionary ed. Joseph Wright (1906).
Other works include poem A Dream of the Isle of Wight by Mrs Mary Moncrieff (1863) and
Legends and Lays of the Isle of Wight by Percy Goddard Stone, (1911).
