We stopped on Newfoundland’s ‘Great Northern Peninsula’ so a guest could photograph the beautifully stacked piles of firewood lining the sides of the highway. As luck would have it, there was an elderly gentleman working this lot. Anxious for a break and an excuse to talk, he marched towards us with purpose;
“Mind all the snot don’t ruin your good clothes now.”; he greeted us.
“Hmmm,,,, yes sir,,, uhhh, what kind of wood are you cutting?”, the confused guest asked with some trepidation.
“Mostly ‘Var’ piled long ‘ere?”
“Uh huhhhh…. How do you spell that?”, he queried, hoping to avoid further embarrassment by his lack of understanding.
“Well,,,” the skipper replied slowly, hesitating to consider the question; “Suppose its on me back during winter, and me arse in the summer.”
.
“… me arse in the summer…”
Never has anyone witnessed such a perfect expression of bewilderment! The poor guest was shocked – uncertain as to how his questions could warrant such a “saucy” response.
While most people expect Newfoundlanders to exhibit a thick accent, even the keenest ear will be challenged by the hundreds of unique dialects found throughout the island. Not to mention the host of unusual “Newfoundland” words and expressions” we intersperse throughout our dialogue. But what really confuses the “Crowd from away” are the ancient interpretations we still associate with simple phrases that are commonly used throughout the remainder of the English-speaking world.
.
“… what we call fir trees…”
In this case, our guest was asking the gentleman to decipher the word ‘Var’. Which would have done him little good since ‘Var’ is what we call fir trees in Newfoundland; (“Snotty Old Var” to be exact – referring to the saccules of oozing pitch that protect its trunk). Obviously, we don’t have many ‘Spelling Bees’ in Newfoundland, and the skipper therefore thought we asked “How do you rest” (take a spell) after all the hard work required to cut, move, chop, and store the wood!
A far more pertinent issue in his mind, and one that a local McCarthy’s Party Tour guide would recognize immediately. Injecting a quick interpretation so all hands could share a laugh and an authentic cultural encounter instead of a “snotty” retreat.
Rest assured, there’s some “Comfort” in that!
