Grockles
Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
Grockle is a word originally used disparagingly to refer to tourists, in the Southwest of England – Devon and Cornwall, for example. Its usage spread to other parts of the country and even migrated to the former Northern Rhodesia, now known as Zambia, and Southern Rhodesia, which is now part of Zimbabwe. I don’t know if it’s still current in those countries. I doubt it!
I discovered that it has even been used by climbers to refer to people who visit mountains as sightseers rather than participants. In North Wales, the two easiest routes to the summit of Yr Wyddfa, which is more familiarly known as Mount Snowdon, are called Grockle Tracks.
On the Isle of Man, tourists in cars are called grockles. They are believed to be easily identifiable because all Manx numberplates have MN or MAN on them. When I tried to verify that, I found the following:
‘Not all cars on the Isle of Man have MN or MAN in their registration plates . . . . while MY and MAN are common, they aren’t the only options available.'
Isn’t it difficult to find reliable information on the internet? Sometimes, things are just contradictory! So, I checked on Grockle Tracks and discovered:
‘Grockle Tracks isn’t a specific term used for Snowdon’s paths . . . the easier tracks to the summit are often referred to as the Llanberis Path and the Snowdon Ranger Path. These are generally more accessible and popular with casual hikers and tourists.’
There’s nothing quite like facts to ruin a good yarn!
One definition of grockle suggests that it may derive from ‘grackle,’ an old name for the Jackdaw, whose Latin name is Graculus. When I checked that, I found it to be inaccurate. The jackdaw’s Latin name is Corvus monedula while ‘Graculus’ refers to the Yellow-billed Chough, ‘Pyrrhocoras graculus.’
Another suggestion is that the word came from a strip cartoon in ‘The Dandy.’ This Scottish children’s comic from 1937 featured a boy called Jimmy who had a pet that resembled a dragon and made the noise ‘grockle.’ Previously, in the 1920s, the grockle appeared in the comic ‘The Rover’ as Jimmy Johnson’s Grockle.’
One final explanation claims that holidaymakers in Torbay, Devon, were compared to little clowns. Grock, (1880-1959) was a Swiss music hall artist known as ‘the king of clowns.’ He used the piano and violin in his act and was one of the highest paid performers of the period in Europe.
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ReplyDeleteGrackles I'm familiar with; grockles not so much. Both Common Grackles and Great-tailed Grackles were fairly common in our yard and at my bird feeders when we first moved here thirty-six years ago. Today we don't see them that often, although they are more common in the winter months.
ReplyDeleteNever let facts get in the way of a good story. Locals of a couple of generations ago on Hayling also used the term for tourists - apparently identifiable for wincing going barefoot on the flinty beaches. I don't believe for a minute that most locals (also regular wearers of shoes) didn't also hobble over those flints
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, you used to be able to get a badge in the west country which said. 'I'm not a grockle I live here!'
ReplyDeleteI have to say that having lived here for more than 30 years I have never heard tourists referred to as grockles by locals. I was aware of the term in use across the water though.
ReplyDeleteOur Corvus are quite different to yours. I like the word grockle and it should apply to something. I'll choose the last explanation.
ReplyDeleteWe never used the term in our local part of Somerset, I only heard it once I travelled to Cornwall, having had a recent trip up Snowdon, the trail did look like a grockle path, the number of people who were not wearing hiking gear. I do love an old wives tale as my mum used to call them.
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