Snowfall

[dynamicduo]

When snow settles, people here in Dorset talk about it 'pitching'. We have also heard this word used in Wiltshire. Is it used anywhere else in the country? - and are there any other regional words for the same thing?

[Robert G]

I live in Kent and I've not heard it called 'pitching' before. I don't know if these are folklore terms around here, but I've always said the snow is 'lying' or 'laying'.

[dotjhawkes]

we say sticking

[dotjhawkes]

Sorry, up here in Lancashire we say it's sticking! Meaning it isn't melting as it lands.

[Quizmonster]

'To pitch' has meant to settle since the 16th century. It was used, for example, to describe the action of a pigeon alighting and settling on a branch, say...ie much the same as snow does. The usage seems to have clung on in the West Country rather than elsewhere.