Dear all
I remember my grandma saying I was running about like a scoppididdle (not sure of the spelling) what does it mean and where does it come from?

Any ideas. Is it a real word. My family origonates from Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool.

Sue:loopy:

we have discussed this elsewhere in this section (i think in the "Strange Sayings" thread - Sheffield Rhymes and Sayings, I think it was called)

I seem to remember that it was decided that the owrk "Skopadiddle/ Scopididdle" probably referred to a mouse, in the way it scurries about, so fast.

My ex mother in law uses that very phrase.

PT

Thanks will search for it

Sue

A Scopadiddle is a small spinning top. That's what my grandmother always called them, she was born at Bents Green in 1911 but I don't know if it is particularly a Sheffield term.

Fantastic! I thought my mum invented Scoppididdle. I still use it a lot and people look at me gone out.

My Mother used to say I was jumping up and down like a scopadiddle, now you have me wondering what one is, I think it is a Sheffield saying.

A Skopadiddle was a toy clown which ran up and down a stick.

gularscute,you've just introduced another one 'looked at me gone out'. That's a good old Sheffield saying.

Thanks for clearing that up:hihi: So we have quite a few scopadiddles out there but not quite sure what it is only that it is fast moving.

Any more suggestions.

Thanks Sue:lol:

Dear all
I remember my grandma saying I was running about like a scoppididdle (not sure of the spelling) what does it mean and where does it come from?

Any ideas. Is it a real word. My family origonates from Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool.

Sue:loopy: Dont know Sue but my Mother used the same saying when i was a kid in the late 20ties, Arthur

I thought it was an early form of a yo-yo. Not sure of the spelling but my oldies used to say "You're up and down like a scopadiddle" when we were restless and wouldn't sit still, but the clown on a stick sounds feasible too. Something that went up and down anyway.

Thanks for clearing that up:hihi: So we have quite a few scopadiddles out there but not quite sure what it is only that it is fast moving.

Any more suggestions.

Thanks Sue:lol:

A scopadiddle was a flying shuttle on a weaving loom. It's an old Lancashire word.

I think an alternative term for it is a scopperill. My copy of The Yorkshire Dictionary of Dialect, Tradition and Folklore by Arnold Kellett (1994) defines it as "a small top, sometimes made from a button and a small peg, set sinning by finger and thumb; a lively child; a small wheel used to impress a design into butter. Also applied to the squirrel". Various etymologies are given and it's most likely a word taken over from another language. The word seems to have currency well beyond Sheffield.

Fantastic! I thought my mum invented Scoppididdle. I still use it a lot and people look at me gone out.

Told you so, told you so!

Mothers so called made up words realy do exist!

Nasty big sister - not me!

The goat whisper (only 4 in the house at the moment)
xxx

A scopadiddle was a flying shuttle on a weaving loom. It's an old Lancashire word.

Thats what I've always understood it to mean.

My Mother used to say I was jumping up and down like a scopadiddle, now you have me wondering what one is, I think it is a Sheffield saying.

This is exactly what my mum says. I asked my mum what a scopadiddle was,
she said she didn't know but my Nan used to say it to her.
I said the same thing to my kids and now say it to my Grandaughter.

Still don't know what one is though.:confused:

Does anyone recognise/use this word. My mum uses it all the time and I dropped it into a sentence the other day and shocked everyone because no-one had heard it. They're still laughing at me now!

Never heard of it!

yes yes yes!! I thought there was only our family used that word!

yes, it's used to describe a little creature, of sorts.

Does anyone recognise/use this word. My mum uses it all the time and I dropped it into a sentence the other day and shocked everyone because no-one had heard it. They're still laughing at me now!

Yes and I think there's a thread on it somewhere! Up and down like a scopadiddle ... some sort of old tyme toy like a yoyo I think.

I remember Fiona Foster (TV presenter) once using it years ago when she was reading some financial news on BBC TV saying the FTSE was "up and down like a scopadiddle" - it'd been replaced with the word yoyo at the next bulletin! She's from Sheffield too, so maybe it's a local word? :)

My Auntie used to have a cat called Scopadiddle! I always thought it meant mischievous.

If you do a search on the Forum and you will find a couple of threads about the word.

Hee Hee we use this word all the time in our family! My dad uses it all the time to describe his grandchildren

yup we say it too,,, but we say scoppididdle.

Hee hee!

I'm glad I'm not the only one that uses this word! I think it's a great word. I used it the other day when we had the floods and our power kept going off I said 'I was up and down the ladder to the circuit breaker like a scopperdiddle!'

My grandmother who was Lancastrian and lived in Rhyl used the word a lot. It means 'rascal'.

Yeah, my uncle uses it a lot, he has lancastrian connections.

My grandmother who was Lancastrian and lived in Rhyl used the word a lot. It means 'rascal'.

So why would it be "up and down" - "up and down like a rascal"? Just doesn't seem to mean anything that, does it?

Our elderly neighbour always refers to someone who's name she can't remember (or won't) as "Mrs. Jinocky"....it's standard usage in our house now! :hihi:

Our elderly neighbour always refers to someone who's name she can't remember (or won't) as "Mrs. Jinocky"....it's standard usage in our house now! :hihi:


ermmm ... what? :confused: :huh:

ermmm ... what? :confused: :huh:

Look, rubyd....I know your username...so I promise not to refer to you as "Mrs. Jinocky". :hihi:

Look, rubyd....I know your username...so I promise not to refer to you as "Mrs. Jinocky". :hihi:

so what is the point of her in this thread? Did she actually have a scopadiddle or something similar? Did she? eh, eh?? :hihi:

my mum used to call me that name from time to time ,i'd fogotten all about it till now

yup we say it too,,, but we say scoppididdle.

My grandad always used it and so do I with this pronunciation,we originallly came from north Sheffield and now in the south east suburbs not many know it at all:hihi::hihi:

My grandma was from bents green, she used scoppadiddle to mean a spinning top.

so what is the point of her in this thread? Did she actually have a scopadiddle or something similar? Did she? eh, eh?? :hihi:

Actually, no. :hihi: I just thought it was irrelevant enough to get you to reply to me. :hihi:

Actually, no. :hihi: I just thought it was irrelevant enough to get you to reply to me. :hihi:

OMG! ~How foolish do I feel now?

I fell into your cunningly laid trap .... drat! :)

Just found this, most of the googles that came up were from Sheffield Forum threads, but there was this ....

scopadiddle
1 person has chosen scopadiddle as their favourite word. Here's who and why:
Ken, South Yorkshire: An old yorkshire term for spider
If scopadiddle is your favourite word, and you would like to add your reasons, click here.
To search for another word on the wall, click here
Tell a friend about the Wall of Words.

*Does Robert Robinson impression*

So it's:

- a yoyo or a spinning top toy
- a rascal or mischievous person
- a spider type creature

:huh:

scopadiddle is the old derbyshire tongue for "crayfish" hang me if im not right :thumbsup:

scopadiddle is the old derbyshire tongue for "crayfish" hang me if im not right :thumbsup:

Consider yourself drawn and quartered too. We'll never get anywhere if we bring Derbyshire into it too. :D

Consider yourself drawn and quartered too. We'll never get anywhere if we bring Derbyshire into it too. :D dont start ????

Yes, leave it out Nabs, Derbyshire is a red herring, crayfish or whatever :rolleyes:

We've already established it's either a York or Lanc word ... and it goes up and down ... just like a scopadiddle ... :)

Mod: Threads merged.

Sue....the way my mother used it, I always thought it was a polite way of saying "stop runnin round like an idiot"

yes yes yes!! I thought there was only our family used that word!

Same here:hihi: