Last week’s Donkey Dialogue demonstrated a difference in marine life vocabulary between Jèrriais and Dgernésiais:
Sh’est acataï atou d z-écâles d’fllies. (listen to mp3)
To buy with limpet shells. (Said of someone who is short of money who makes a purchase)
The usual word for limpet in Jèrriais is baîni. The Saint Pièrrais are nicknamed les Ventres à Baînis (limpet-bellies), for example, and a limpet shell is eune êcale dé baîni.
However, we do also have the cognate fliée for limpet – although the Dictionnaire Jersiais-Français notes that by 1957 the usage of this word was very rare and confined to Saint Ouen. Still, the word lives on in the verb fliêter – to remove limpets from rock. And for that purpose one uses a tool called un fliêteux or un baînitcheux. To go limpet gathering, on the other hand, is baînitchi, and a limpet-gatherer is un baînitcheux (if masculine, and presumably, if feminine – eune baîniqu’rêsse). A large limpet is un êcaillard – those aren’t fliêtés from their rocks because they’re supposedly not good for eating.
baînitchi – to go limpeting, to gather limpets
j’baînique = I go limpeting
tu baînique = you go limpeting
i’ baînique = he/it goes limpeting
ou baînique = she/it goes limpeting
j’baînitchons = we go limpeting
ou baînitchiz = you go limpeting
i’ baîniquent = they go limpeting
- cliuté coumme un baîni = stuck like a limpet
- i’ vos f’thait aller ès baînis la mé haute = he’s having you on, he’s pulling your leg
- les baînis sont dans la pouque = that’s that; job done; it’s all over; it’s in the bag
- j’ai d’aut’s baînis à êcovi = I’ve got other fish to fry; I’ve got better things to do
- n’faut pon aller ès baînis sans pouque = be prepared
Èrchettes – Recipes:
- Un Pâté d’Baînis
- Des baînis enhalaûdés = limpets fried in batter
Textes: