nobbut
/ˈnɒbət
/adverb Northern English
Nothing but; just: he looked a lot like his uncle when he was nobbut a lad...
- When I was a nobbut a lad, a tree to climb or a beck to dam was all the ‘equipment’ we needed to keep ourselves occupied for hours at a time.
- For we are discussing a subject which, when I was nobbut a lad, was strictly labelled Ladies Only.
- Farmer Johns, who wasn't too well and so was having a late breakfast, had a visit from farmer Green who said: ‘Is thou nobbut just gitting up Nathan?’
Origin
Middle English: from the adverb no + the preposition but1.