The Wanderer; A Thesaurus

[Montreal Wanderer]

I like nesh, nesh is good.
Pillock too, that's a splendid word.
They're both Yorkshire I believe.

It's in use across much of the north of England. I've been described as nesh by several people over the years.

I first came across it in print in a book by Liverpool author James Hanley - I think it was Boy. It was written (incorrectly) with an i in the middle but it's also been used by Thomas Hardy, DH Lawrence and even Chaucer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nesh

Nesh seems to have many meaning, all going back to Old English hnesce . In what sense was it applied to you, LGM, and what does LLS understand it to mean?

Susceptible to cold - that's the only meaning I've ever come across.

Thanks. The Oxford English Dictionary gives many senses, some obsolete and many regional, including susceptibility to cold. I include some, but not all, of them below. Sense 4 is the most prevalent usage but even that covers more than just cold.

Adj, noun, adv.
Now regional.
A. adj.
1.
a. Soft in texture or consistency; yielding easily to pressure or force. In later use chiefly: tender, succulent, juicy.
†b. In extended use: soft, not harsh or violent. Obs. rare.
c. Damp, moist, wet, chilly.

2. Lacking courage, spirit, or energy; timid, faint-hearted; lazy, negligent. Now Eng. regional, chiefly north. rare.

†3.
a. Mild, gentle, kind; inclined to pity, mercy, etc. Obs.
b. Easily yielding to temptation; inclined to lust or wantonness. Obs

4.
a. Delicate, weak, sickly, feeble; unable to endure fatigue, etc.; susceptible (to cold, etc.).Now the prevalent sense.
b. Fastidious, squeamish, dainty

As a verb
trans. with it. Eng. regional (chiefly midl.). To turn faint-hearted; to draw back; to back out; to lose one's nerve.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I like nesh, nesh is good.
Pillock too, that's a splendid word.
They're both Yorkshire I believe.

It's in use across much of the north of England. I've been described as nesh by several people over the years.

I first came across it in print in a book by Liverpool author James Hanley - I think it was Boy. It was written (incorrectly) with an i in the middle but it's also been used by Thomas Hardy, DH Lawrence and even Chaucer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nesh

Nesh seems to have many meaning, all going back to Old English hnesce . In what sense was it applied to you, LGM, and what does LLS understand it to mean?

Susceptible to cold - that's the only meaning I've ever come across.

Thanks. The Oxford English Dictionary gives many senses, some obsolete and many regional, including susceptibility to cold. I include some, but not all, of them below. Sense 4 is the most prevalent usage but even that covers more than just cold.

Adj, noun, adv.
Now regional.
A. adj.
1.
a. Soft in texture or consistency; yielding easily to pressure or force. In later use chiefly: tender, succulent, juicy.
†b. In extended use: soft, not harsh or violent. Obs. rare.
c. Damp, moist, wet, chilly.

2. Lacking courage, spirit, or energy; timid, faint-hearted; lazy, negligent. Now Eng. regional, chiefly north. rare.

†3.
a. Mild, gentle, kind; inclined to pity, mercy, etc. Obs.
b. Easily yielding to temptation; inclined to lust or wantonness. Obs

4.
a. Delicate, weak, sickly, feeble; unable to endure fatigue, etc.; susceptible (to cold, etc.).Now the prevalent sense.
b. Fastidious, squeamish, dainty

As a verb
trans. with it. Eng. regional (chiefly midl.). To turn faint-hearted; to draw back; to back out; to lose one's nerve.

I spent some, but not all, of my formative years in Yorkshire and I still use nesh in it's meaning defined by both 2 & 4a above. There was one kid nicknamed Nesh Neville because he refused to play cricket with real balls as they hurt and would only play when they were replaced by tennis balls and so was branded as nesh. I'm aware outside of Yorkshire that most people don't have that understanding of the term and nesh is used exclusively as a term for someone susceptible to the cold.

[Bruce Rioja]

I wish I hadn't bloody mentioned it now. Though I was using it specifically in response to someone moaning about the cold, the Stockportians that I learned it off would use it in response to any general mardy-arsed-ness.

However, they would also say "It's a bit nesh out", meaning it's a little cold outdoors.

Where does "It's a bit parky" come from b the way?

[Lord Kangana]

Dunno, but my great uncle used to say he was starving, meaning he was cold.

[Harry Genshaw]

I was talking to a Leyther lass once (girl from Leigh) and she started a sentence with

" I was sut down and.."

[TANGODANCER]

I was talking to a Leyther lass once (girl from Leigh) and she started a sentence with

" I was sut down and.."

That's from the same stable as the Yorkshire "having us dinner".

[bobo the clown]

I was talking to a Leyther lass once (girl from Leigh) and she started a sentence with

" I was sut down and.."

I would venture she actually said "Ah w' .... "

[Bruce Rioja]

I was talking to a Leyther lass once (girl from Leigh) and she started a sentence with

" I was sut down and.."

That's from the same stable as the Yorkshire "having us dinner".

How?

[TANGODANCER]

I was talking to a Leyther lass once (girl from Leigh) and she started a sentence with

" I was sut down and.."

That's from the same stable as the Yorkshire "having us dinner".

How?

Both as daft and unexpainable.

[Montreal Wanderer]

I wish I hadn't bloody mentioned it now. Though I was using it specifically in response to someone moaning about the cold, the Stockportians that I learned it off would use it in response to any general mardy-arsed-ness.

However, they would also say "It's a bit nesh out", meaning it's a little cold outdoors.

Where does "It's a bit parky" come from b the way?

Apparently one of life's mysteries according to the OED.

Forms: 18 parkey, 18– parky.
Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps < parky adj.1, although a connection with perky adj. has also been suggested.(Show Less)
slang.

Cold, chilly.
1895 Sporting Times 9 Feb. 1/4 A toff came and ordered a pint of hot, As he said that the weather was parkey.
1898 Pink 'un & Pelican 273 ‘Morning William; cold s'morning?’.. ‘It is a bit parky’, assented William.

[Harry Genshaw]

Was on the phone earlier to one of Amazon's drones in a call centre, presumably in India, when I found myself saying "Oh we've had our account with you for donkeys years"

[Bruce Rioja]

Was on the phone earlier to one of Amazon's drones in a call centre, presumably in India, when I found myself saying "Oh we've had our account with you for donkeys years"

Med an ass o' thissen theyer, Gennsher!

I was around 30 before I realised that "Mither" is regional.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Was on the phone earlier to one of Amazon's drones in a call centre, presumably in India, when I found myself saying "Oh we've had our account with you for donkeys years"

Med an ass o' thissen theyer, Gennsher!

I was around 30 before I realised that "Mither" is regional.

Thee mither an thee fath-uh? or stop mithering?

[Bruce Rioja]

Was on the phone earlier to one of Amazon's drones in a call centre, presumably in India, when I found myself saying "Oh we've had our account with you for donkeys years"

Med an ass o' thissen theyer, Gennsher!

I was around 30 before I realised that "Mither" is regional.

Thee mither an thee fath-uh? or stop mithering?

Nar. Mitherin' as in pesterin'. (Though both are certainly regional)

[bobo the clown]

Thowd mam used fert say .... "come here while I gi' yer a good hiding !". Yeah, like I'm just bursting to cross over to you to be given a crack.

Also "blood & sand" .... what did THAT ever mean ?

Plus the great put down of "she's no better than she should be" ... often directed at "the sort of woman who'd go in a pub on her own".
God, I longed to meet a woman who'd go in a pub on her own. Then turned up at Uni to find 1,000's of the beggars.

[TANGODANCER]

Thowd mam used fert say .... "come here while I gi' yer a good hiding !". Yeah, like I'm just bursting to cross over to you to be given a crack.

Also "blood & sand" .... what did THAT ever mean ?

Plus the great put down of "she's no better than she should be" ... often directed at "the sort of woman who'd go in a pub on her own".
God, I longed to meet a woman who'd go in a pub on her own. Then turned up at Uni to find 1,000's of the beggars.

Not sure what it means in everyday stuff, but it was the title of an old Tyrone Power film about bullfighting back in the 40's. Remember going to see it as a kid.

[Bruce Rioja]

Also "blood & sand" .... what did THAT ever mean ?

I've always had it down as being a side-step for the would-be blasphemous.

[Lord Kangana]

My dad used to say blood and sand, usually just after he'd hit his thumb with the lump hammer. Unintentionally, of course.

[TANGODANCER]

Might have quoted this before, but it's always been a total favourite. One bloke used to wind all the young lads up when they started courting by saying: "H'ast introduced her to Fagin yet?"

[Prufrock]

When tha' starts courting, a tuppny bun costs fourpence.