Manx title for a lawyer (solicitor)
aye
yes
biscuits
cookies
booking
reservation (at a restaurant)
boot
trunk (of a car)
car park
parking lot
chippy
a fish and chips take-out restaurant
chips
french fries
comeover
a person who moved to the island from elsewhere
cooker
oven
crisps
potato chips
cuddly toy
stuffed animal
cuppa
cup of tea (informal)
fairy cakes
cupcakes
fizzy drink
soda (or pop)
flat
apartment
gaol
jail
hire car
rental car
holiday
vacation
journal
diary
jumper
sweater
junction
intersection
knackered
tired
lift
elevator
loo
restroom
midday
noon
nappy
diaper
notes
bills (paper money)
pavement
sidewalk
pudding
dessert
queue
line
saloon car
sedan
shopping trolley
shopping cart
skeet
gossip
supply teacher
substitute teacher
starters
appetizers
telly
television
thick
stupid
till
check-out (in a grocery store, for example)
torch
flashlight
trainers
sneakers
Other notes:
CID is the Criminal Investigation Department of the Isle of Man Constabulary (Police Force).
“Noble’s” is Noble’s Hospital, the main hospital on the Isle of Man. It is located in Douglas, the island’s capital city.
When talking about time, the English say, for example, “half seven” to mean “seven thirty.”
A charity shop is a store run by a charitable (non-profit) organisation that sells donated second-hand merchandise in order to raise funds for their particular cause. They are great places to find books, games and puzzles, as well as clothing, knick-knacks and furniture.
When island residents talk about someone being from “across,” or moving “across,” they mean somewhere in the United Kingdom (across the water).
The emergency number in the UK is 999, rather than 911, as used in the US.
Hospitals in the UK have “Accident and Emergency” departments (A&E) rather than Emergency Rooms.
In the UK you enter a building on the “ground floor,” and the floor above that is the “first floor.” The numbers go up from there. In the US, it is typical to count the ground floor level as the “first floor.”
Eve’s pudding is a dessert of apples topped with sponge cake (similar to a yellow cake in the US).
A bungalow is a single-story house (in the US it would generally be called a ranch).
The word “smart,” when talking about a person’s appearance, means that they’ve taken time to dress up a bit (or just more than they normally do).
Pickle is a pickled mix of various diced vegetables, most often spread into sandwiches. It smells mostly of vinegar. (Hubby loves it and I’ve not tried it!)
Bonfire Night (5th of November) commemorates Guy Fawkes’ attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605. It is usually celebrated with a bonfire and fireworks. Children sometimes make an effigy of Guy Fawkes and “beg,” saying “penny for the guy,” although this tradition is dying out.
A-levels are exams you take at the end of your secondary education before beginning university (or a trade school or entering the work force).
Homes in the UK are rarely built with closets. Instead, you purchase large wardrobes with rails inside for hanging your clothes.
The symbol on the Manx flag is called the “Three Legs of Man” and shows three running legs connected at the centre. The motto that goes with the symbol is translated roughly as “Whatever way you throw me, I will stand.”
The island has a Lieutenant Governor who is the Queen’s official representative on the island. The House of Keys is the lower branch of the island’s parliament and its twenty-four members are directly elected by the people.
Acknowledgements
I couldn’t do what I do without a great deal of help and I’m hugely grateful to many people for their continued assistance, support, and just plain hard work.
My editor, Denise, works very hard to correct the same stupid mistakes in every single book I send her. (I do mix it up once in a while and start making new mistakes!) Thank you for your continued patience with my grammatical blind spots!
Kevin takes the wonderful photos that grace my covers (and make me miss the island even more).
My beta reading team is incredible and they never fail to offer keen insights into how readers will receive each book. Thanks to Charlene, Janice, Ruth and Margaret for being with me from the beginning and sticking with me so far!
And, as ever, thank you, readers! I love hearing from you. My contact details are on the very last page of the book. Please send me an email, sign up for my monthly newsletter or send me a note or a postcard. Knowing that you are out there and enjoying my books is my favorite part of writing!
Coming January 15, 2016
Aunt Bessie’s Holiday
An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery
Diana Xarissa
Aunt Bessie’s holiday is an unexpected treat.
When Bessie Cubbon’s best friend, Doona Moore, wins a week’s stay at an English holiday park, she’s quick to invite Bessie to join her. Bessie isn’t sure the destination, hugely popular with families with small children, is one she would have chosen herself, but with all their expenses paid, she’s determined to make the best of it.
Aunt Bessie’s holiday doesn’t exactly provide the rest and relaxation she was expecting.
They’ve only just unpacked when Doona gets an unexpected and unwelcome surprise. The next morning the pair find a dead body and Doona’s the prime suspect in a murder investigation far from home. Bessie needs to make new friends fast to help try to find a killer, but how can she tell her friends from her enemies?
Aunt Bessie’s holiday won’t be over until someone is arrested for murder.
This is book eight in the Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Series.
Have you read all of the
Aunt Bessie Cozy Mysteries?
Aunt Bessie Assumes
Aunt Bessie Believes
Aunt Bessie Considers
Aunt Bessie Decides
Aunt Bessie Enjoys
Aunt Bessie Finds
Aunt Bessie Goes
Aunt Bessie’s Holiday (release date: January 15, 2016)
By the same author
The Isle of Man Romance Series
Island Escape
Island Inheritance
Island Heritage
Island Christmas (release date: December 1, 2015)
The Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery
Novella Series
The Appleton Case
The Bennett Case
The Chalmers Case (release date: December 16, 2015)
About the Author
Diana Xarissa lived on the Isle of Man for more than ten years before returning to the United States with her family. Now living near Buffalo, New York, she enjoys having the opportunity to write a
bout the island that she loves so much. It truly is a special place.
Diana also writes mystery/thrillers set in the not-too-distant future under the pen name “Diana X. Dunn” and fantasy/adventure books for middle grade readers under the pen name “D.X. Dunn.”
She would be delighted to know what you think of her work and can be contacted through snail mail at:
Diana Xarissa Dunn
PO Box 72
Clarence, NY 14031
Or find her on Facebook, Goodreads or on her website at www.dianaxarissa.com.
You can sign up for her monthly newsletter on the website and be among the first to know about new releases, as well as find out about contests and giveaways and read the answers to the questions she gets asked the most.
Aunt Bessie Goes (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 7) Page 24
