If you\u2019re moving to Manchester, the chances are you\u2019ll bump into some Mancunians. Here are some of the most common Manc slang words that you\u2019ll hear at some point during your time in the city (and that I, as a Manchester native, have grown up hearing and using!).<\/p>\n
Maybe don\u2019t use too many at once, or you\u2019ll end up sounding like Perry in this clip<\/a>!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alright? \/You alright? <\/b>(Rhetorical Question): Hello<\/p>\n Mancs use this question as a greeting: just repeating it back is enough, you don\u2019t have to answer!<\/p>\n \u201cAlright?\u201d \u201cHi, y\u2019alright?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And That<\/b> (Adverbial Expression): Etc.<\/p>\n An expression I use a lot, this roughly means \u2018and everything else\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cHave you finished your essay?\u201d \u201cYeah, I just need to do the formatting and that\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Angin <\/b>(Adjective): Disgusting<\/p>\n I\u2019ve learned that in other places around the UK to be \u2018hanging\u2019 means to be hungover, but in Manchester the word \u2018angin\u2019 (we drop the first \u2018h\u2019 and last \u2018g\u2019) can refer to anything from rainy weather to your dinner. Similar in use to \u2018minging\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThis gravy\u2019s angin, it\u2019s not thick enough \u2013 it’s basically water.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bap\/Barm\/Barm Cake\/Breadcake\/Bun\/Cob\/Muffin\/Roll\/Tea Cake<\/b> (Noun): Bread<\/p>\n All the terms above are used in Manchester and can refer to the bread pictured below. The geographical spread of these terms (and others that show lexical, phonological or grammatical variation) was studied by the University of Manchester\u2019s Linguistics & English Language department and can be seen on a map here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I have a chip muffin, please?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bobbins <\/b>(Adjective): Rubbish<\/p>\n A classic example of a Mancunian colloquialism, if something\u2019s bobbins it\u2019s just a bit rubbish (pants has a similar adjectival meaning).<\/p>\n \u201cManchester United have been bobbins for years.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Breakfast\/Dinner\/Tea <\/b>(Nouns): The Different Meals of the Day<\/p>\n This has been a source of confusion for some of my housemates from down South. For many Mancunians, \u2018dinner\u2019 refers to your midday meal (what others would call lunch \u2013 we had dinner ladies in school, rather than lunch ladies) and \u2018tea\u2019, as well as meaning the hot drink, refers to your evening meal (what others would call dinner or supper); supper is a snack or meal you might have after your tea, but probably only something light.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s for tea?\u201d \u201cBogey butties\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Brew <\/b>(Noun): Cup of Tea\/Coffee<\/p>\n Nothing to do with cauldrons or anything else witchy that the word \u2018brew\u2019 often brings to mind; this is just shorthand for a hot beverage. Similarly, the verb \u2018brew up\u2019 means \u201cto make a tea\/coffee\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you fancy a brew? I\u2019m brewing up\u201d \u201cNah, you\u2019re alright\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Butty <\/b>(Noun): Sandwich<\/p>\n \u2018Butty\u2019 refers to basically any sandwich with 2 slices of bread (i.e., not dead fancy ones, like club sandwiches).<\/p>\n \u201cCan I have a chip butty with gravy, please?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Buzzing <\/b>(Adjective): Excited<\/p>\n Appropriate for a city whose symbol is the worker bee, Mancs are often buzzing about something. Sometimes it\u2019s just used as an exclamation of excitement.<\/p>\n \u201cI got a first on my exam! Buzzing\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chuddy <\/b>(Noun): Chewing Gum<\/p>\n This is another word that changes depending on where you are in the North, as shown on this map<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have any chuddy?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chufty Badge<\/b> (Noun): Metaphorical\/Invisible Badge for Doing Something Minor<\/p>\n My parents LOVE this one; they\u2019ve used it so much throughout my life that I thought it was way more common than it actually is.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve cleaned up that drink I spilled\u201d \u201cSo what? Do you want a Chufty Badge or summat?\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dead\/Well<\/b> (Adjectives): Very<\/p>\n These adjectives are dead commonly used round here. Proper is also used in the same way, but that\u2019s common all over the North.<\/p>\n \u201cHow was the film?\u201d \u201cDead good\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n \u201cThat pub quiz was well \u2018ard!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Do One\/Swivel<\/b> (Imperative\/Exclamation): Go Away<\/p>\n \u2018Swivel\u2019 is the newer of the two expressions and tends to only be used by teenagers and young adults \u2013 \u2018do one\u2019 is used much more.<\/p>\n \u201cThose thunderclouds need to do one.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ee Arr<\/b> (Idiom): Attempt to Get Someone\u2019s Attention<\/p>\n Sounds very Northern, and a bit like a pirate (also used in Manchester and Liverpool to mean \u201chere you are\u201d, e.g., when something is being passed to you). Use this at the beginning of a sentence.<\/p>\n \u201cEe arr, have you seen this?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Get Done<\/b> (Verb): To Get into Trouble<\/p>\n Another one I didn\u2019t realise was regional! Often used by schoolkids.<\/p>\n \u201cNah, put that down or we\u2019ll get done; I don\u2019t want a det.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ginnel <\/b>(Noun): Alley\/Walkway<\/p>\n Also seen in places like Leeds (according to this map<\/a>), you\u2019ll hear this a lot if you watch Coronation Street, which is set in the fictional town of Weatherfield in Manchester.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll be quicker if we cut through the ginnel.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kecks <\/b>(Noun): Trousers<\/p>\n