0121 Do One - Sarcastic Birmingham & West Midlands put down T-Shirt

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Entry – The alleyway between terraced houses. There are loads of these in Brum, so it makes sense we’ve developed our own word for them. Bab – Nice and simple, bab is a word similar to ‘love’, or ‘dear’. It’s a term of endearment, perhaps slightly more often directed at women, but applicable to people of all gender identities. Anyone can be a ‘bab’, from someone you know and love, to someone you’ve just met.

Round the Wrekin – Going the long way round, or telling a long story rather than getting to the point. Named after the Wrekin Hill in East Shropshire. The short ‘u’ sound, used in words like ‘up’, ‘above’ and ‘hut’, is often lengthened into an ‘oo’ sound, like in ‘took’.

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Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together. Tea – This is one to confuse the Southerners, but put your kettle down, ‘tea’ is the evening meal, known as ‘dinner’ in RP. Shrapnel – Loose change. This word features all over the UK, but particularly in the Midlands, and I’ve received many confused looks from dropping it in the presence of non-Brummies. Perhaps that’s just because nobody carries change anymore, but we hope this word doesn’t die out.

Babby – A baby. Not sure why we added an extra ‘b’, but as the pronunciation is different (like ‘tabby’ cat) it makes sense. Face as long as Livery Street – Someone who looks unhappy. The phrase comes from the road running from Colmore Row to Constitution Hill, a half-mile in length.Wench – Though the term is used everywhere to refer to women, it is interpreted by some as being less-than-friendly. Not in Birmingham though, where it is usually used as a term of endearment towards women and girls. Not sure how we feel about this one – we’ll leave it up to you to decide.

Do One – Get lost/go away. (0121 is the Birmingham dialling code). Brummies aren’t an unfriendly bunch, and the phrase is often said in jest.Tip-top – An ice-pop/lolly – a flavoured liquid, frozen in a long plastic tube. This is one that has lasted the test of time, stemming from the 90s. Mom – We know, very American. For some reason, Brummies call their mothers ‘Mom’ rather than ‘Mum’ or ‘Mam’, and we’re disappointed that the card retailers in the area haven’t updated their Mothers’ Day cards accordingly. Island – A traffic roundabout. Don’t expect anything tropical when someone directs you to ‘take a left at the island’. Even when using ‘standard’ English dialect, the Brummie accent is strong enough to confuse unfamiliar ears. Here is a brief list of some of the traits of the Brummie accent, to help you chit chat with the locals. Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Pop – Always refers to a drink, though people argue about what it means, specifically. Many use it to refer to fizzy drinks, like lemonade, but some insist that this is ‘fizzy pop’, and that normal pop is just squash. But they’re wrong, obviously. Some people also use ‘council pop’ to describe tap water.Whereas ‘water’ is traditionally pronounced as ‘waw-tuh’, in Birmingham it is a little closer to ‘waw-tA’, with the ‘uh’ sound being replaced by a stronger ‘a’ sound. The same applies to a lot of adverbs and words ending -er, including ‘better’ and ‘faster’. Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special. First, I must make an important disclaimer. I am not, technically, a Brummie. My family are all Brummies, though they’ve mostly scattered out of the second city. I’ve always lived in the West Midlands, and a few years ago, I moved to Birmingham as a student. Growing up close to the city, the Brummie accent and dialect triggers many fond memories of my childhood, and living in the city means I hear it everywhere I go.