Phrases of the Restigouche

Someone from the Bathurst area wrote that those were not the rule but the exception
that it is only the low life, uneducated people who spoke that way
and that this page should be removed from the site
Well I'm sorry but if that was the case, I'm proud to say low life and uneducated people
were also part of our history and ancestors and here they stay.

ARSE OVER KETTLE He took a terrible flip, went "arse over kettle"	ARSE FIRST Entering backwards or a person who is clutsey	FROM ASSHOLE TO APPETITE Split from "asshole to appetite" Or Operated on "cut from asshole to appetite"

MAKE A "BOUILLON" a stew like meal, usually make of chicken	HAVE A BLOWOUT To eat a terrible big meal	BILE THE KETTLE Boil water in a tea-kettle	BULL COOK The cook's helper

CHIARD--STEW--FRICOT Meal made with vegetables and meat mixed, cooked together	CAN'T COOK FOR SHIT Very bad cook	LITTLE MONTREAL STEAK Or POND ROAD STEAK Bologna

TO NAIL SOMEONE To catch someone doing something they are not suppose to be doing	HE'D GIVE AWAY HIS COAT A very generous person	HE'D GIVE AWAY HIS ASSHOLE AND SHIT THROUGH HIS RIBS A VERY generous person

BELLY ON HER LIKE A PREGNANT PUP Woman with a large abdomen	BABICHE Long pieces of cowhide my dad used to make snowshoes with a cowhide was dried, scraped, cut in long pieces, placed in water to make them plyable and used to make snowshoes	CHRISTER You little Christer wait til I get a hold a ya

Speaking of PREGNANT here is what you might hear a pregnant woman being called in Restigouche UP THE STUMP BUN IN THE OVEN WITH CHILD KNOCKED UP UP THE FLU	Someone taking a scolding would be taking a CARDIN' RAKIN' CACKIN' OR "CHEWED THE RAG AT" My wife gave me an awful cardin' That kid got an awful rakin I'll give you a cackin and throw you in the dike (ditch) She chewed the rag all day

BUSY AS A FART IN A MIT or BUSY AS A FART IN A MIT LOOKING FOR THE THUMB Very busy person	BY THE LIFTIN' or BY THE LIFTIN' JESUS By the liftin' Jesus you little "Christer" wait til your father comes home	CHICO Dead tree

DONT GET YOUR ARSE UP Dont get mad	DRY AS A NUN'S TIT Very dry	USELESS AS A TIT ON A BULL Useless person or thing

A FAGGOT A very different thing today ;) but back then described a Bundle of Dry Fish	HE DREW OFF AND HIT HIM or HE HAWLED OFF AND HIT HIM	How about having DIRTY WEATHER Bad weather	Or having a GREEN CHRISTMAS Christmas without snow

Or did you HANDLE YOURSELF WELL ? Act properly	To be HAPPY AS A PIG IN SHIT Very happy person under any circumstance	HIGHTAILING IT CUFFING IT Walking super fast :)

HOLD YOUR TONGUE Dont say anything	How about if you're AN AWFUL LOOKING SITE	Or a girl who is BUILT LIKE A BRICK SHIT HOUSE

If you are MADDER THAN A WET HEN You are real mad !	TO MIND Do you mind when = Do you remember when	NO SKIN OFF MY ASS It does not bother me	To PASS THE MOP on the floor

A real MORPHATITE someone weird to look at, my dad used that word mainly for a guy who looked half woman half man to him	To PASS THE TIME directly from French to English "passer le temps"	To do A PISSCUTTER OF A JOB A real good one :)	TETE A PAPINEAU A real smart person

METTRE LA TABLE To set the table	To be so poor you DONT HAVE A POT TO PISS IN	He PILED THE BLOCKS TO HIM He beat him up	To PUT THE BOOTS TO To beat someone up

If you got drunk the night before in the morning you might have have EYES LIKE PISSHOLES IN A SNOWBANK	You might hear your mother say PICK UP YOUR RIGGIN' If you leave your clothes around the house	Something QUEER something weird, funny	A female Pudendum would be called QUIFFE -- CUNT -- PUSSY -- TWAT -- BLAGUE -- POUNNE -- POINTE DE TARTE SNOOTCH -- SNATCH -- PRIVATE PARTS -- Or maybe even her WOMANHOOD

A Penis might be called PITOUNNE -- COCK -- PECKER -- WANG -- WACKER -- WEE-WEE -- TOO-TOO Or maybe even GEORGE	Woman's breasts would be described as HOOTERS -- KNOCKERS -- HEADLIGHTS -- TITS -- JUGS -- BOOBS -- RACKS HIGHBEAMS

A person who will not go away will STICK LIKE SHIT TO A BLANKET	A kid may be called a SPLIT ARSE You little split arse get out of my way	If you dont stay home much YOU RUN THE ROADS A LOT and become A ROAD RUNNER

You may also hear someone say WARSH YOUR FACE Or I HAVE TO DO A WARSH TODAY	If you were bad enough your mother might just GRAB YOU BY THE SCRUFF OF THE NECK AND GIVE YOU A RAKIN'	If you ate a lot you were A STRAIGHT GUT	You wore STAGGS Or cut off rubber boots

If you didnt feel tOo hot someday you might be SLOW AS MOLASSES IN JANUARY	Or if you had too much to do and didnt know where to start you might be RUNNING AROUND LIKE A CHICKEN WITH ITS HEAD CUT OFF Or LIKE A WHORE IN A FIT

If you came home late and tired you might just SLEEP WITH YOUR HARDS ON or your clothes on

You would go DO YOUR GROCERY

J'ai kaziment brailler = I almost cried (J'ai presque pleuré)

Being so poor you didn't have a POT TO PISS IN and some even added OR A WINDOW TO THROW IT OUT OF This one sent to me by an ex-Restigouche girl, a Ms. Bain.

OH! FRIG A DIG! instead of swearing when things don't go your way.

Sweating Blue Ants! Sent to me by Mary

This page was designed by Irene Doyle Aug. 1998 Updated March 2003

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