Any visitor to Manchester will have witnessed that we have our own unique way of doing and saying things.
There is a lot to be proud of living in Manchester, from the football, music, culture and fashion to, of course, our humour and swagger. But its also our use of slang words and phrases that make native Mancs easy to recognise in or outside the city.
While the Mancunian accent is one of the most distinctive and well known in the UK, it's also our turn-of-phrase that makes us stand out. For those who grew up in Manchester, these are easily understood - but for those outside the city region - they can just be confusing.
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If you're a stranger to the city, you've likely felt a bit baffled hearing words such as "Dibble" or "Scran" in Manchester and not understanding the meaning or context. This list isn't intended to be comprehensive, so if there are any you feel we should have included, let us know in the comments section below.
1. Chuddy or chud
Example: "Do you want a chuddy?"
Manc meaning: chuddy means chewing gum. Unlike some other parts of the UK where it's slang for underpants.
2. Duds
Example: "You seen me duds, mam?"
Manc meaning: underpants. Not the typical meaning of 'dud' as something that doesn't work properly or is worthless.
3. Gaggin'
Example: "I'm gaggin' for a drink."
Manc meaning: thirsty. Never to be confused with its use outside Manchester actually used to describe a strong sexual desire.
4. Salfords
Example: "Pull your Salfords up."
Manc meaning: A short stocking usually reaching to the calf or just above the ankle (Mancunian rhyming slang: Salford Docks = Socks). Not actually referring to the neighbouring town in this context.
5. Dead
Example: "That exam was dead 'ard."
Manc meaning: extremely. Not actually deceased.
6. Nice one
Example: "Nice one! Top one."
Manc meaning: excellent or very good. Not 'nice one' as in a particularly fine example.
7. Fettled
Example: "I'm taking my car to get fettled."
Manc meaning: to fix. Not its more common use of being in 'fine fettle' - meaning a state of good health or spirits.
8. Mint
Example: "That's well mint."
Manc meaning: excellent or great. Not to be confused with the aromatic herb that gives your toothpaste that zingy fresh taste.
9. Strop
Example: "She threw a strop soon as I got in."
Manc meaning: outburst or tantrum. Not the traditional device, typically a piece of leather known as a strop, used to sharpen razors.
10. Angin'
Example: "I'm angin' this morning after last night."
Manc meaning: sick feeling often a used after consuming too much alcohol, and also used to describe something unpleasant - "I think this food has gone off, it's angin'". Not sure what those not in the know would make of this.
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11. Dibble
Example: "The dibble got him yesterday."
Manc meaning: police, likely a reference to the 1960s cartoon, Top Cat. Officer Dibble, was the police officer who unsuccessfully attempted to arrest or clear the alleyway of Top Cat and his gang. Outside Manchester, a dibble (or dibber) is a pointed garden tool used for making holes in the ground.
12. Cock
Example: "Y'alright cock (or cocker).
Manc meaning: a term of endearment, like mate or dear. Not a male chicken, or tilting something at an angle...what?
13. Sound
Example: "He's a sound bloke."
Manc meaning: good or decent. Not referring to vibrations that travel through the air and can be heard when they reach a person's ear.
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14. Buzzin'
Example: "I'm buzzin' for this."
Manc meaning: extremely happy. Not actually emitting a noise like a bee.
15. Now then
Manc meaning: Informal greeting. This popular phrase would likely confuse an outsider who might think you're trapped somewhere between the past and the present. But Mancs obviously have a flair for an oxymoron, a fine example being Oasis' succinctly titled debut album, Definitely Maybe.
16. Mad
Example: "Mad fer it."
Manc meaning: eager. This classic Manc word definitely does not mean mad as in annoyed.
17. Bobbins
Example: "That is bobbins."
Manc meaning: not very good. Not actually referring to bobbins as a spool or spindle typically used in sewing.
18. Brew
Example: "Fancy a brew?"
Manc meaning: a nice cup of tea or coffee. Nothing at all to do with making beer or a bubbling witch's cauldron.
19. Do one
Example: "Do one, mate!"
Manc meaning: go away immediately. "Do what, exactly?" would be something likely go through the mind of somebody not from Manchester told to "do one" during a heated exchange.
20. Scran
Example: "I'm going home to get some scran."
Manc meaning: food. Not really sure what an outsider would make of this, but you would surely have to explain it to them at least once.
21. Bag on
Example: "He has got a bag on."
Manc meaning: in a bad mood. Not actually wearing a bag on his head.
22. Newtons
Example: "Look at the state of his Newtons."
Manc meaning: a rare example (compared to London) of Manc rhyming slang where Newtons refers to Newton Heath, meaning teeth. Not a reference to the great physicist, Sir Isaac Newton or the international metric unit of force named after him.
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