# Teaching > General Teaching >  Major Barbara

## James Logan

Dear readers,
I'm an Englisn teacher in Central Europe, and I got a task to do. There are some sentences, from "Major Barbara" by G.B. Shaw, as far as I know they are in Cockney English, but can not interpret them: 
1. Waw shouldnt Aw git a bit o me aown beck? Is it "Why shouldn't I get a bit of my own back?"
2. Bly me if Jenny Ill didnt tike arter all. "after all" is all I understand.
3. To serve you aht for ittin me acrost the fice. Is it "To serve you out for hitting me across the office"?
and 4. Uve ad it aht o y---This one exceeds my thinking capacity.  :Biggrin: 
Can anyone help?

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## kev67

> Dear readers,
> I'm an Englisn teacher in Central Europe, and I got a task to do. There are some sentences, from "Major Barbara" by G.B. Shaw, as far as I know they are in Cockney English, but can not interpret them: 
> 1. Waw shouldnt Aw git a bit o me aown beck? Is it "Why shouldn't I get a bit of my own back?"
> 2. Bly me if Jenny Ill didnt tike arter all. "after all" is all I understand.
> 3. To serve you aht for ittin me acrost the fice. Is it "To serve you out for hitting me across the office"?
> and 4. Uve ad it aht o y---This one exceeds my thinking capacity. 
> Can anyone help?


1. That's how I read it.
2. 'Bly me' is a slang exclamation that just expresses surprise. I think the phrase derives from 'Blind me'. Is 'Ill' Jenny's surname? Not sure what 'tike' means. I would guess 'take', but 'talk' seems to make more sense.
3. I expect 'fice' means face, but otherwise you are correct.
4. "You've had it out of your" perhaps? What are the dashes?

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## mona amon

Jenny Ill = Jenny Hill, I think.

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## James Logan

Thank you all!!! The dashes I think for interrupting the sentence.

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