15 Problems Only People From Stoke-On-Trent Will Understand

3. People From Other Places Don't Understand Ordinary Words Like "Nesh"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12epwE7Wroc Although the accent in Stoke is now a lot milder than it used to be (like in most other places), the Potteries still boasts a few surviving words that are unknown elsewhere. Within the boundaries of the city, these terms are thought of as perfectly ordinary. But when Stokies leave the Potteries, they find that many of their favourite words are incomprehensible to non-Potters, which is clearly the fault of all those other people. For example, "nesh" is often sprinkled into Potteries conversations, usually as a way of asking if someone is going soft by feeling the cold. Other word bombs that can stun a listener into puzzled silence are "mither" (bother), mardy (spoilt), pous (muck/rubbish), scran or snapple (food), and slat (throw). This last word can be heard on an almost daily basis in sentences such as, "It's slattin' it down wi' rain agen." What with the bitter wind, the rain is least pleasant when walking "up bank" (uphill) - sorry, that sounded nesh, didn't it? Also, non-Potters are constantly thrown by the frequent references to PMT. Stokies are not, in fact, overly concerned with menstrual cycles: PMT is the local bus service.