Bristol’s a busy city with people from all over the country coming in for everything from city breaks and work trips to university degrees and job opportunities. You’ll find all sorts in Bristol, but only a few of us can be considered true Bristolians. So whether you’ve recently moved here from London, or live in Yate (and like to pretend you live in Bristol), make sure you avoid tripping up on these signs that are a dead giveaway that you’re NOT from Bristol.
1. You don’t thank the driver when you get off a bus
‘Cheers drive’, a phrase so synonymous with Bristol there’s a street named after it. Visit Bristol Bus and Coach Station to see the permanent neon installation with the famous saying too.
2. You call it BedMo
It’s not SoHo, New York. Call it Bemmie.
3. You call it Brizzle
4. You pronounce IKEA without an L
“Oi bin down IKEAL m’luvver.”
See also: ASDAL
5. You don’t say “Mind” at the end of every sentence
6. You don’t call it Sadley Broke
Just pure genius nicknaming.
7. You take the train to Severn Beach in swimwear
For some real beaches near Bristol head here.
8. You pronounce Montpelier the French way
It’s pronounced ‘Mont-pel-ee-er’, not ‘Mont-pel-ee-ay’.
9. You rhyme Cotham with Gotham
You won’t see Batman in Bristol because it’s ‘Cot-ham’ or, more closely, ‘Cot’um’.
10. You don’t know ‘where’s that to?’
For context, it means: ‘Where is it?’
11. You pronounce the letter ‘H’ at the start of words
‘Ipperdrome, ‘Anham ‘Igh Street, ‘Ospital, ‘Artcliffe, ‘Orfield etc.
12. You don’t say ‘can I smooth your dog?’
You say ‘can I stroke your dog?’
13. You don’t call people babber
14. You think it’s too personal to call someone ‘my lover’
15. You don’t like cider
It’s the city’s drink of choice – change your tastebuds by heading to these incredible cider pubs in Bristol.
16. You don’t where the Docks are
Everyone loves to call it Harbourside these days.
17. You’ve never heard of Chasers
A rite of passage for all true Bristolians.
18. You’ve never been down a ‘slider’
This uniquely Bristolian word means any ‘slide’, including the legendary Clifton rock slider.
19. You call it Greville Smyth Park
It’s Ashton Park, no?
20. You think snow settles
It’s pitching on the slider
21. You call them anything but ‘daps’
Plimsolls, pumps, gutties, whatever you call gym shoes, you’re wrong. They’re daps.
Some say the name comes from the former Dunlop Athletic Plimsoles factory in Bristo aka “the DAP factory”, but this is debatable.