Playing truant
Last updated: 27 November 2005
Eleri Hunter chats with her teenage son Max, her mother, Eirlys Edwards, and a BBC interviewer about, among other things, the words they use for playing truant.
Voices contributors
Eleri Hunter
Max Hunter
Eirlys Edwards
Name: Eleri Hunter
Age: 49
Occupation: Secondary school teacher
Lives in: Bangor, Gwynedd
Lived here: more than 10 years
Born in the area? Yes
Description of own accent: No accent
Languages other than English: Welsh
Listen to Eleri
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Name: Max Hunter
Age: 17
Occupation: Student
Lives in: Bangor, Gwynedd
Lived here: more than 10 years
Born in the area? No, Ascot, Berkshire
Description of own accent: Local accent
Languages other than English: Good Welsh and French
Listen to Max
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Name: Eirlys Edwards
Age: 71
Occupation: Retired teacher
Lives in: Llandygai, Bangor
Lived here: all her life
Born in the area? Yes
Description of own accent: Local
Languages other than English: Fluent Welsh
Listen to Eirlys
Read a transcript of the conversation
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your comments
Dan Evans, Bodedern
when i was in boded school we used to call it dodgin. happy days!
Thu Jan 10 13:13:00 2008
loreen belgrano
im originally from lancashire and we called it [waggin it] as in not goin to skwl wen we should of
Fri Mar 2 09:09:44 2007
nicola london soon 2 move 2 bangor
we say we're "bunking off" school here in london...not that i do it of course!
Mon Feb 12 09:53:02 2007
current friars pupil!
we still use 'skiving' today
Thu Mar 16 22:02:29 2006
Hefin Parry
Ysgol Friars some 30 yrs ago, my recollection is "dodgin'" ... not that I ever did of course! An often used phrase at the time was "Where ya been la'?" which usually generated the following response - "On the dodge ay".
Sun Dec 11 14:24:50 2005
Kerrie from Bangor
Is this what 'chwarae mwchins' means in Under Milk Wood?
Fri Aug 26 16:52:39 2005
Jason Morgan, Dyffryn Ogwen
When I was in Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen only a few years a go the word we'd use would always be 'dodging'!
Sun Aug 21 20:48:54 2005
Jo, Llanrug
I went to Ysgol Friars in Bangor and we used to say sciving on a regular basis!
Sun Jul 17 14:22:40 2005
Hywel Owen From Bangor
I'm looking at this web site while working in Sudan and Eleri should listen to herself speak after she's had a few G&T'S If she thinks she has no accent!!
Sat Jun 11 15:05:22 2005
Lez from Hannover Germany
We used to call it "bunkin off" where I grew up in Wallasey. I never did of course. Honest Sir!
Mon May 30 18:47:39 2005
Fred. Wright. Canada, Ex-Liverpool.
When I grew up in Scouseland-by-the-Sea, (if that counts for Northwest/Wales,) we used the term "sagging" for missing school.Later the term used in the Army replaced it in adulthood, "Skiving".
.
Thu Jan 20 14:24:03 2005
Ali. Anglesey.
"Wagging it" is what we would have said in Manchester!
Fri Dec 17 16:46:44 2004
Ffion, Llandudno
We used to say 'bunking off', as well as 'mitching' and 'skiving'.
Tue Dec 14 09:58:23 2004
The Pope, Pembroke
We used 'skiving' and going 'on the mitch' when playing truant in Pembs. I used to love the arcades!
Mon Dec 13 15:26:01 2004
Jane Jones, Llanrwst
We used 'sciving' for playing truant where I went to school in the Midlands.
Fri Dec 10 13:05:34 2004
