page_title: List of Cornish dialect words
section_title: B
hierarchical_section_title: List of Cornish dialect words / B
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Ruinen der Poldice Mine bei Gwennap in Cornwall. Die Poldice Mine war vom frühen 16. Jh. bis 1930 in Betrieb. English: Ruins of the Poldice Mine in Gwennap, Cornwall. The Poldice Mine was active from early 16th century until 1930.
context_page_description: This is a select list of Cornish dialect words in English—while some of these terms are obsolete others remain in use. Many Cornish dialect words have their origins in the Cornish language and others belong to the West Saxon group of dialects which includes West Country English: consequently words listed may not be exclusive to Cornwall.
context_section_description: Backalong - in former times
  Backsyfore - the wrong side first (also found in Devon)
  Bal - a mine  (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language, related to palas, meaning 'to dig')
  Bal maiden - a woman working at a mine, at smashing ore &c.
  Ball - a pest, used figuratively (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language ball meaning 'a pest', or 'the plague')
  Bamfer - to worry, harass, or torment
  Bamfoozle - deceive, confuse, especially by trickery
  Bannal - the broom plant (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language banal, short for banadhel, meaning 'broom')
  Barker - a whetstone
  Bean - (see "vean")
  Belong - 1. live or work - "where do 'ee belong to" 2. denotes habit or custom - "she belong to go shopping Fridays"
  Belving - load roaring/bellowing especially by a cow (similar to Bolving of stags on Exmoor)
  Berrin - funeral (burying)
  Better fit/better way - it would be better if...
  Bettle - mallet
  Bewattled - confused, bewildered
  Big-pattern - a show-off, "big-pattern he is"
  Big-sea - rough sea / swell
  Bilders - cow parsley
  Bimper - a peeping tom
  Biskan - a finger-stall (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language byskon, meaning 'thimble', or 'finger sheath')
  Bits - spinach-beet, green beet-leaves, Chard (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language betys, meaning 'edible plants of the genus Beta')
  Black-Annie - a black backed gull
  Bladder - blister (part of mid Cornwall and north east Cornwall)
  Bleddy - local pronunciation of 'bloody' as an emphasising adjective (e.g. "dang the bleddy goat")
  Blowed - surprised "well I'm blowed"
  Bobber lip - bruised and swollen lip
  Brake - thicket / rough woodland
  Borbas - a rockling (Newlyn, Mousehole, in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language barvus, meaning 'bearded')
  Bothel - a blister (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language bothel)
  Bothack - the bib, or pouting (Mousehole, in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language bothek, meaning 'bossed', or 'hunchback')
  Bothack - a hunchback (Mullion, in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language bothek)
  Boughten - bought (i.e. food from a shop rather than home-made)
  Bowjy - a cattle-house (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language bowji)
  Brae / brer - quite a lot
  Brandis - trivet
  Brave - much/many (often pronounced with v not sounded or almost as m. see Brae above.)
  Breal - a mackerel (Newlyn, Mousehole, Porthleven, St Ives, in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language brithel)
  Brink - the gills of a fish (Mount's Bay, St Ives, in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language brenk)
  Brock - a badger from Cornish language
  Browjans - small fragments (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language brywsyon, or brywjyon, meaning 'crumbs', 'fragments')
  Browse - undergrowth
  Browse - pulped bait (Mount's Bay, in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language bryws, meaning 'crumbled material', or bros, 'thick broth')
  Broze - a blaze, a great heat (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language bros, meaning 'extremely hot')
  Brummal Mow - an arish mow of domed form (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language bern moel, meaning 'bald stack')
  Bruyans, Brewions - crumbs, fragments (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language brywyon)
  Bucca - an imp, hobgoblin, scarecrow (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language bocka)
  Buddy - a cluster, a clump (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language bodas, meaning 'bunched', or boden, meaning 'a bunch', or 'a grouping', related to the Breton bodad and boden)
  Buffon - a bruise (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language bothenn, meaning 'a swelling')
  Bulgranack - the smooth blenny (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language pol gronek, meaning 'pool toad')
  Bulorn - a snail (in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language, related to Breton bigorn, a sea snail, or to Irish ballan, a shell)
  Bully - large pebble  (from Cornish language bili, meaning 'pebbles')
  Bulugen - an earthworm (Mousehole, in use after the year 1800, from Cornish language buthugan)
  Bun-fight - the wake after a funeral
  Bunny (also wr
caption: The ruins of Poldice mine, Gwennap
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