UCB attracts students from far and wide, and just as if you were going to Paris or Rome, if you’re coming to live in Birmingham you need to learn the language!
So here’s my guide on how to translate a few select brummie sentences.
Lesson one
“I popped round the circle to get uz a cob from up the road.”
This roughly translates to…
“I popped round to the Kingstanding roundabout (B44 0UY), to go get a round bread roll from up the road.”
In Birmingham a circle isn’t a shape and a cob is basically a bap!
Lesson two
“I gambolled into Snobs then headed up the ramp!”
This roughly translates to…
“I forward rolled into the Birmingham-based indie club (Smallbrook Queensway), and then headed to the McDonalds outside the Grand Central entrance on New Street.
A gambol is a gymnastic move, a snob isn’t a stuck up person but a nightclub and a ramp isn’t just a disability ramp but a central Birmingham meeting point!
Lesson three
“I walked my babby down the gully!”
This roughly translates to…
“I walked my baby down the ally!”
Babby is just how brummy people say baby and a gully is normally like an ally down the back of an estate.
Lesson four
“Wag1 my bredrin, you criss?”
This roughly translates to…
“Hello, my brother, you good?”
Ok since Birmingham is very multicultural I thought I’d throw this in so you have an idea of what people are on about. So Wag1 is an informal greeting, and bredrin is an affectionate way of addressing normally a male friend. “You criss” pretty much translates to, are you well?
So here are four sentences to get you started in Birmingham, to help you navigate the locals!
Happy chatting – R.B
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