a’ - Hamely Tongue

a’ ~ all. a’ by finished, all over (It’s gan tae be a’ by before we get there. It’s a’ by wae him noo). a’ mae boarn days (see boarn). a’ mae time only after maximum effort (I bate him, but it took me a’ mae time). an a’ and all (commonly used to give emphasis or significance: He bocht her presents, an a’. The Broons and Brimleys an a’ wur there. He couldnae dae it, smairt an a’ as he is). a’ the far all the distance (For a’ the far it is, there’s naethin tae hinther ye tae trevel). a’ the much (see much). a’ there quite sane (The cretter’s naw a’ there. More emphatically: naw a’ there an a lump trailin not quite sane and going to get worse). a’ the weel just how well (Efter a’ these years, is that a’ the weel ye know me?). a’ the while all the same, nevertheless (He haes his ain wies, but a richt boady a’ the while). a’ the yin the only one, the only one available (A wush A could gie ye a better yin, but that’s a’ the yin A hae). a’ the yin thing all one (It’s a’ the yin thing whather ye dae it that wie or the ither wie roon). a’ yin noo no longer matters one way or the other (The boady’s deed, an it’s a’ yin noo what he wuz). for a’ that (see that). lake a’ that (see that). wha a’; who a’ exactly who; all those who (Wha a’ wuz there? She towl me who a’ wuz aksed). whut a’ exactly what; what in total (Whut a’ wuz taen?). (Also al; loc. aw.)

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The fourth, expanded edition of James Fenton’s seminal work is now available as a Kindle ebook and can be downloaded from Amazon stores:

The Hamely Tongue: A Personal Record of Ulster-Scots in County Antrim (ebook)

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