Fenland Words: Sayings and Expressions from Cambridgeshire

A collection of sayings, expressions and dialect words from the Cambridgeshire Fens, preserving the distinctive language and humour of Fenland communities.

Exhibition: Fenland Words

This collection records a wide range of sayings, expressions and local words used in the Cambridgeshire Fens.

Compiled from oral sources and memory, it captures:

• Everyday speech
• Humour and wit
• Local identity
  (see title and introductory pages)

 

1. A language rooted in place

Fenland speech reflects:

• Rural life
• Agricultural work
• Close-knit communities

Many sayings relate directly to:

• weather
• farming
• animals
• daily experience

2. Proverbs and sayings

The collection includes familiar and distinctive expressions such as:

• “A stitch in time saves nine”
• “As bad as a coot”
• “Bright as a button”

Alongside more localised phrases such as:

• “Duffus” – a dovecote
• “Slub” – wet mud
• “Dockey” – a meal or packed food

(see pages 1–3)

3. Humour and exaggeration

Many sayings rely on exaggeration and humour:

• “As batty as a fruit cake”
• “Has a mouth like a barn door”
• “Wouldn’t know the truth if it jumped up and bit him”

These expressions show a culture rich in:

• sharp observation
• playful language

4. Rhymes and oral tradition

The booklet also preserves:

• rhyming couplets
• seasonal sayings
• children’s rhymes

Examples include:

• “Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight”
• “Sticks and stones will break my bones…”

(see page 3)

5. Beliefs and superstitions

Some sayings reflect traditional beliefs:

• Weather prediction
• Seasonal change
• Good and bad luck

For example:

• references to May Day customs
• sayings linked to farming cycles

6. Childhood and memory

Language is closely tied to childhood experience.

Later sections of the booklet include recollections of:

• growing up in the 1940s
• school life
• games and routines

These memories show how language was:

• learned
• shared
• passed between generations

(see “Recollections of a Cambridgeshire Childhood”, pages 6–12)

7. Everyday life captured in words

Sayings often reflect:

• food and rationing
• shopping habits
• work and travel

For example:

• references to ration books
• local shops and trades
• domestic routines

(see pages 15–17)

8. Storytelling and the supernatural

The booklet also includes:

• ghost stories
• unexplained events
• local legends

These accounts highlight:

• oral storytelling traditions
• shared community narratives

(see pages 14–16)

9. Poetry and local writing

Some contributors include:

• poems
• verse
• reflective writing

For example:

• Barry Hadder’s verses about Mepal and Fenland life

(see pages 16–17)

10. Language as identity

The final section highlights distinctive Fenland words, such as:

• “Chats” – small potatoes
• “Doddy” – small
• “Yourn” – belonging to you

These terms reflect a unique regional vocabulary.

(see final page)