Is the word ‘Brizzle’ becoming more acceptable or should it be banned forever?

First it was displayed in lurid red neon at the new Brewdog bar in the area of the Harbourside now rebranded to Canons Yard. Then it appeared in the window of the soon-to-open Mowgli restaurant on Corn Street. Next, the new Miss Millie’s in the centre dedicated almost an entire wall to it.

What is this abomination? It’s the word ‘Brizzle’, a colloquialism never used by those from around these parts but uttered by newcomers to our fine city as a way to ingratiate themselves to its linguistic charms.

Is the word ‘Brizzle’ really that abysmal though? Should we reclaim the term as an affectionate nod to the capital of the South West? Or should the word be discarded, thrown into an incinerator at Avonmouth never to be seen again?

Brizzle and Brewdog can both get in the bin – photo: Martin Booth

Many a Bristolian is likely to have received The Dictionary of Bristle, published by Tangent Books, as a stocking filler in Christmases past and probably Christmases future.

Notice the spelling in the book’s title: ‘Bristle’. Subtlety different to ‘Brizzle’.

Dictionary co-author Harry Stoke told me via email that he was “not a fan” of the word ‘Brizzle’ which he said is “actually a bastardisation of the actual (and correct) local phonetic pronunciation which is of course ‘Bristle’, as originally highlighted by our old fan Dirk Robinson in his 1970s seminal work Krek Waiter’s Peak Bristle.

“I think the term ‘Brizzle’ stems from a playful way to identify with our unique accent, through both the growth of the city with an influx on non-native speakers trying to seem cool (and getting it wrong), and the constant evolution of language over the generations and non-questioning adoption by a younger generation, in the same way rappers commonly ‘axe’ a question rather than ‘ask’ one.

“But I appreciate wider feelings about the use of ‘Brizzle’ are mixed. Some Bristolians like it. They see it as a cute nickname, a link to their cultural roots. Others, especially those who say ‘Bristle’ the right way, might roll their eyes a bit.

“Much as the debate over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not, there are two types of people: those who think it is, and those who are wrong.

“As Bristol has grown and brought in folks from all over, the ‘Brizzle’ versus ‘Bristle’ debate has taken on a life of its own.

“The city has always been a beautiful mixing pot of culture and identity, and the microcosm of our language plays a big part of that. It’s definitely part of what makes Bristol special.

“I think the resurgence or this debate in recent times might just be the result of more people getting in on the action, trying to keep the local culture alive in their own unique way. Or just being wrong.”

Indian restaurant Mowgli promise to be ‘serving Brizzle soon’ – photo: Martin Booth

If there is one shop that can lay claim to be the official purveyor of all things Bristol, it’s Beast in St Nick’s Market.

On a recent afternoon soon before the market was due to close for the day, I headed there to do some hard-hitting investigative journalism.

Among the mugs, magnets, socks and other assorted paraphernalia (including a particularly good guidebook), I found not one reference to ‘Brizzle’ until Beast co-owner Lucy Wheeler pulled out a light blue t-shirt from a rail featuring the words ‘made in brizzle’.

You can hear Lucy in her own words and judge my decidedly mediocre interviewing technique on the most recent Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:

Lucy, 55, grew up in Horfield and was even sent for elocution classes when she was younger, as was the norm for many women of her generation.

“We designed this t-shirt about 18 years ago,” she told me. “Brizzle, we just liked the sound of it.

“My mum has got quite a strong Bristolian accent but she would never say ‘Brizzle’. She would always say ‘Bristle’… but we just quite liked to put the z’s in.”

So are Lucy and her colleagues at Beast taking the blame for the resurgence of the word ‘Brizzle’?

“Part of the blame. The blame for encouraging it, I guess… But it’s a media thing I think. It’s not what people say. People don’t say ‘gert lush’ either but we just like it…

“We celebrate the accent. We just have fun with it, we enjoy it.

“When I grew up, people were sometimes ashamed of their accent. I tried to hide mine. People took the mick.

“My mum sent us to elocution lessons. She was ashamed of us having Bristolian accents… What we were thinking (at Beast) was let’s not be ashamed, let’s celebrate it. Talk about the history of where some of this stuff has come from and how language changes…

“We should be proud of our accent. The fact that it’s been passed down from your granny, through the generations. Although phrases change over time, it’s something with history behind it.

“Just accept it. That’s who we are. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Beast co-owner Lucy Wheeler gets her hands grubby with the shop’s one piece of ‘Brizzle’ merch – photo: Martin Booth

Despite Lucy’s warm words, I chose not to buy Beast’s ‘made in brizzle’ t-shirt. It says Bristol on my birth certificate and that’s all the accreditation I need.

The problem is that I live so close to Brewdog’s neon ‘London, Tokyo, Berlin, Brizzle’ abomination that I see it every time I open the door to our flat’s bike store.

But I’ve made my peace with the word ‘Brizzle’. If you want to use it, then I won’t be stopping you. I’ll just say that you’re wrong.

Main photo: Martin Booth

Read next:

• Dozens queue as new Miss Millie’s opens
• ‘Bristol, my Brizzle’
• Canons Yard new name for Bristol’s ‘leisure and entertainment quarter’
• Sustainable fashion, forest schools and ‘Brizzle’

Listen to previous episodes of the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: