Friday, 6th. February 2026

I was slightly confused listening to a chap interviewed by Sarah Montague yesterday on the marvellous Radio 4 news programme The World At One. It was a person who used the word ‘dimpsie’, well known amongst Devonians and which he went on to define as something that is between rain and mist, which sounded plausible.

However, I was slightly troubled, much as someone might be if they learned, at an advanced age, that they had always mistakenly referred to builders as architects. I use the word dimpsie without thinking about it, as did my mother and grand-mother before me. It describes the sometimes strange and eerie ‘dim’ light that occurs at dusk, but can be applied with great effect when the same conditions occur at any other time of day. I looked it up to check that I was right, and thank goodness I was!

However, the definition given to Sarah Montague was indeed plausible. Perhaps it is the same word used with a different meaning outside of Devon and Cornwall; in Bristol maybe?

Anyway, I thought another old Devon dialect word would seem highly appropriate for our times: ‘crams’. This means a statement that lacks credibility, being filled with false information. The Westcountry people amongst you will know of Jan Stewer, one of the best writers of humorous prose I know of, and who once wrote a story called A Parcel of ol’ Crams. Marvellous!