Verb. To orgasm. The common slang convention of mispelling words also gives us the variation 'cum'. Noun. Of distinction, high quality, excellent. E.g."We went to the boxing last night - it was a class fight that went the full distance." Adj. Intimate, friendly, sociable. E.g."Yeah I thought he was very pleasant, chummy but not creepy." See 'chum'. {Informal}

Noun. Get some sleep. Pronounced catch some zeds. Original U.S. version is pronounced catch some zees. Noun. Something that reduces anxiety and stress, and promotes relaxation. Mainly used figuratively in phrases such ' take a chill pill'. Vrb phrs. To chat. E.g."Yeah, come round and join us, we're just chewing the fat over a glass or two of wine." This is used to soften the statement that follows it, which may be potentially insensitive or offensive.Vrb phrs. To succeed, to proceed well. E.g."After a beer, the work went well. We were cooking with gas." Noun. A person, usually of poorly educated, working class origin, who dresses casually in designer sportswear and vulgar jewellery. Chavs are generally viewed as an ignorant under-class with a propensity for criminal or loutish behaviour. Usually derog. [Orig. South-west. Popular from early 2000s] Noun. A small piece of excrement that adheres to anal hairs, or fur when on animals. Also cleg nuts. Cf. 'clagnut'. Phrs. To notice, to spot, to see. E.g."He clapped eyes on her across the dancefloor and knew he was falling in love."

Verb. To make a fuss, to complain. E.g."If she's going to create all night, then I'm going home to get some peace and quiet." {Informal} Nothing to do with cauldrons or anything else witchy that the word ‘brew’ often brings to mind; this is just shorthand for a hot beverage. Similarly, the verb ‘brew up’ means “to make a tea/coffee”. This is mostly used to refer to your siblings but can also refer to a close friend or other family member (Mancs pronounce ‘our’ as ‘arr’). Verb. To mess up, to fail. E.g."I cunted up my best man speech but at least I had everyone laughing."

L

Noun. A complicated problem that may take much trouble resolving. Frequently as open a can of worms. E.g."He opened a can of worms by telling is wife about the visit to the strip club." {Informal} Phrs. Extremely cheap. Chips, referring to French Fries, and from the period when they were considered an inexpensive meal.

Phrs. To be disinclined or unwilling to make the effort to engage in something, can't be bothered. E.g."I can't be arsed with Christmas this year, I've got no money and I'm not drinking at the moment." See ' arsed'. To overindulge in something, originally drink or drugs. E.g."I've been caning speed (amphetamine sulphate) all weekend and have had no sleep for 3 days." So, in the spirit of good old investigative journalism (and having a laugh) we took to the internet and asked the question: what’s the best Northernism? We weren’t prepared for the enthusiastic response, or some of the more unusual words.

Also seen in places like Leeds (according to this map), you’ll hear this a lot if you watch Coronation Street, which is set in the fictional town of Weatherfield in Manchester.

Of an actor, to stall in one's performance or forget one's lines, often due to being made to laugh by one's colleagues. Actor's use. E.g."We had to stop filming the whole scene due to me corpsing and retake it the next day." [Late 1800s] I find living abroad, one that throws so many people is ‘alright’ as a welcome greeting,” commented James via Facebook. “The amount of times I get a worried ‘yeah why?'” Noun. A hypothetical award sarcastically offered to someone who is evidently very pleased with their achievements. E.g."So you came actually came second in the quiz? What do you want, a chufty badge?" [Northern use] How is that new?!” came a reply. “You lived in London for far too long young lady! Crebbin’ was a favourite at high school.”

T

General derogatory term for any number of people with various social or behavioural problems, such as petty criminals, troublemakers, 'chavs'. [South-east use]