mardy

mardy

English

WOTD – 29 April 2007

Etymology

Probably from marred +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑːdi/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)di

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Adjective

mardy (comparative mardier, superlative mardiest)

1. (chiefly Lancashire, Yorkshire and Midlands) Sulky or whining.

   He's a mardy child.

   • 1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], OCLC 855945, page 47:

     “I wouldn’t be such a mardy baby,” said his wife shortly.

   • 1984 Food, Health, and Identity, Patricia Caplan [1997 edition]

     When our Jonathan’s poorly...he’s mardy, very mardy....

2. (chiefly East Midlands, Yorkshire) Non-cooperative, bad-tempered or terse in communication; grumpy.
   • 2006, Alex Turner (lyrics and music), “Mardy Bum”, performed by Arctic Monkeys:

     Well, now then mardy bum / Oh, I'm in trouble again, aren't I?

Usage notes

Frequently combined with other words forming common phrases such as mardy bum, mardy cow and mardy bugger.[1] Sometimes shortened to mard particular when used in certain phrases such as mard arse or mard on (as in "he's got a mard on" to mean he's in a bad mood). Used throughout the East Midlands and some parts of Yorkshire, particularly in Hull and Sheffield. Maungy has the same meaning in most other parts of Yorkshire and east Lancashire, i.e. "he has a maunge on".

Derived terms

• mardily
• mardiness

Noun

mardy (plural mardies)

1. (chiefly Yorkshire and Midlands) A sulky, whiny mood; a fit of petulance.
   • 2001, Creating a Safe Place, NCH Children and Families Project [2003 edition]

     Sometimes my mum’s in a mardy and she says she doesn’t care about us — but she does really.

References

1. “h2g2 - 'Mardy' - A Wonderful Word”, in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition‎, 2002-07-31

Anagrams

• Madry