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A ginnel is a word in various Scottish and northern English dialects describing a fenced or walled alley between residential buildings that provides a pedestrian shortcut to nearby streets. Ginnels are typically found in suburban areas, and do not contain any business premises, unlike some other types of alley. Other related terms include snicket, tenfoot and snickelway.

Suburban streets in Sydney, Australia similarly feature "cut-throughs", which are fenced or walled passages found between residential lots that grant pedestrians easy access to nearby facilities situated on other roads. They may feature a nature strip and are generally secured by bollards to prevent vehicle access.

Origins

The earliest recorded use of the word was in 1613.

In 1744, pharmacist Arthur Jessop wrote a subpoena that mentioned Joseph Eastwood's wife in the "Ginnil" in the Low at Holmfirth in the West Riding of Yorkshire. A subdivision of the Taylor family was said to be of Ginnel in Meltham in 1774. In most works, there is no broad distinction drawn between ginnel and snicket, and the two have been used interchangeably.

Both are described as north-country words for a narrow entrance between houses. However, in the Holme Valley, it has been said that a ginnel goes uphill and has setts whereas a snicket does not, and is surrounded by vegetation. "Ginnel" is a dialect word from Yorkshire, UK, which appeared in dialect dictionaries in the 19th century.

Etymology

The Oxford English Dictionary states that its etymology is vague, though it compares the word to 'channel' (including being a corruption of it), and says it is 'a long, narrow passage between houses, either roofed or unroofed'. In The English Dialect Dictionary it is differentiated with 'entry', and is said to feature a roof, unlike a ginnel. Furthermore, editors of some Yorkshire glossaries asserted a connection between ginnel and a Scandinavian word for 'mouth', on the analogy of an opening.

According to Collins English Dictionary, a snicket is 'a passageway between walls or fences', and a ginnel is 'a narrow passageway between or through buildings'.

Gallery

• A "cut-through" in Western Sydney, Australia.
• A narrow, bricked ginnel in Leeds
• A ginnel surrounded by English Ivy
• In Brotton
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See also

• Vennel
• Wynd
• Easement

References

1. "ginnel". Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
2. ^ Ginnel Yorkshire Historical Dictionary. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
3. ^ This is why a ginnel is called a ginnel in Yorkshire - according to the experts By Danielle Hoe from Examiner Live. 29 March 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
4. DESIGN STANDARDS for URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE, 11, FENCES, GUARDRAILS AND BARRIERS Fences, Guardrails and Barriers, Urban Services. 2000. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
5. Guide to Road Design Part 6A: Pedestrian and Cyclist Paths Published by Austroads Incorporated. October 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
6. "ginnel". Oxford English Dictionary.
7. Jones, Mark W. A Walk Around the Snickelways of York
8. Definition of 'snicket' Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
9. Definition of 'ginnel' Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 16 November 2022.

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