While it has much in common with Plymouth – the nearest city to me during my childhood on Dartmoor – such as its prominent connection to the Royal Navy, there is nowhere else quite like Portsmouth. I moved to the UK’s Island City from Manchester just over a year and a half ago when I started working at The News. From learning the local lingo to finding out some surprising and sometimes, frankly, bizarre facts about its history, there was plenty of novelty for me to enjoy when I moved here – having only had one brief visit to the city before making it my home.
Here are 13 things I discovered during my first year as a resident of Portsmouth, Hampshire:
13. "Play Up Pompey"
Admittedly I am not a football fan, but Portsmouth FC's rallying cry was completely unfamiliar to me before I moved to Portsmouth.Pictured: Portsmouth FC are crowned as Champions at Southsea common after winning Sky Bet League Two in 2017. Photo: Joe Pepler
14. "Dinlo" - Portsmouth has its own language
Well, its own slang. Moving here meant I was introduced to phrases like "Gettin' lairy", the term "mush" and what it means to be a "Scummer". One of the most famous Pompey words is Dinlo meaning 'fool'. Variations of Dinlo are also used including 'Din’, ‘Dinny’ and ‘dinny dinlo’. Photo: Vadym Drobot