Playing truant vs Nicking off

What a difference half a mile or so makes. I grew up in central town, she grew up in 'East'.

In a tale about her youth, she told me her younger sister was always 'playing truant'. I laughed and said I never had time for that because I was always 'nicking off'.

 

It was always called "wagging" or "wacking" in the Wigan area . Not that I ever played truant to go to the snooker hall Does anyone remember the old "ball halls " , the Billiard Halls . My mother thought these were the lowest of low life dives . I thought they were great !

 

That's what we used too. (U.K south coast)

 

School? Ah yes, the thing I stopped going to when I got hold of a blank dentists appointment card and had access to the print room at my evening job.

 

we called it 'bunking' .... done lots of that especially in secondary school (my girlfriend went to a different school, and her dad was a doctor .... she used to supply me with blank doctor's pages that had his details etc and I just scribbled in sick notes)

 

We called it 'twagging'.....My mother would be mortified even now if she knew i'd twagged.....me ...never..

 

It was 'skiving off' round our way too.
I had a favourite spot, sitting by a large fallen tree trunk in the shade of a big Ash tree, in the meadows down by the river near where I lived.
I could stay there all day and not see anybody, all I had for company were the birds and insects, a few rabbits and any other wildlife which happened to pass by.
I had my packed lunch, my transistor radio which I'd sneaked into my school bag and maybe a couple of magazines or books to read.
It sure as hell beat being stuck in a dreary classroom, listening to some uninspiring teacher droning on, or being beaten up by the school thugs at break time.
I got away with it for maybe a couple of weeks or so before I got rumbled when the school rang my parents to ask why I hadn't been at school.

 

Nicking off and skiving off were almost the same thing round here too. The very subtle difference was that skiving off usually featured some sort of excuse, whereas nicking off was just simply failing to attend without even considering any excuse.

I had a ritual down to a fine art. I'd set off at the correct time and head in the correct direction. This was essential as I have an older sister, and between her and her friends, it would be too obvious if I wasn't seen en-route. Then about half way to school, I'd turn off down a side road, which was still a perfectly legit route to school but less kids went that way. Then it was just a case of sneaking off from the other end of that road towards the sea front. My bag would then be hidden in bushes and I'd walk the few miles up the road to Saltburn. Except I didn't walk up the road, I used the coastal path or the beach. No point risking being spotted by a teacher driving along. I went to Saltburn because I had no relatives there, so no much chance of being spotted. I'd then just chill out, have a walk through the woods or chill in the park, then walk home, collecting my bag from the bushes on the way. One time I decided to just walk along the road instead. Big mistake. I heard a car horn toot so I looked round. There was my PE teacher in his car, smiling and giving me a little wave. I knew I was doomed after that.

 

In Glasgow We Called It 'Dogging It'.
The Word 'Dogging ',Now Has Sexual Connotations.(I'm Saying No More)!!!!!..

 

Another Term Used Was ' Plunking School'..

 

In West Wales we called it "mitching". Absolutely well-worth a b011oxxing on a blistering June day to slope off to the idyllic beach only 20 minutes walk away.

I always used to get caught, being too stupid to have a cast iron excuse ready. My best mate would always make up some claptrap on the spur of the moment about dentist's appointments and the teachers would believe her! What???