A new study has been looking into the most iconic slang words of the north- and some are more surprising than others.
The Hoot Leeds reports that a new study from Preply has revealed that there are plenty of slang words synonymous with cities across the UK, including some rather unusual ones.
Here in Sheffield it's no surprise that 'mardy' came out on top. An ode to the influence that the Arctic Monkeys have had on Sheffield, the word has been a common slang across Yorkshire, but one we hold particularly close to us.
'Chuddy' made it to second place, best said in a thick Yorkshire accent, it means chewing gum (for anyone not in the know) and it follows on from a list of very traditional Yorkshire slang words found by the study.
There's plenty of reason to love the saying 'Mardy Bum' besides the musical influence, and there's indie makers aplenty offering signs, mugs and slogans with the iconic slang on, including from Me & Thee.
Image: Shop Indie
Surprisingly for fellow Yorkshire city it wasn't 'reyt', 'chuffin' or 'ey up' that made it to the slang shortlist...
The top word for Leeds is actually 'gill', which means a half pint, and whilst this certainly isn't the first word to come to mind for us, it' is certainly a well known Leeds slang that's clearly stood the test of time.
This is followed by 'scraps' - 'the lovely loose bits of batter on your traditional Northern chippy'.
And it's not just Leeds-own slang that's got the country talking about the city, apparently Leeds also has the highest number of 'slang addresses' in the country- meaning there's 17 different road names with slang like 'butt' and 'balm', courtesy of Butt Lane and Balm Place, in them.
The top slang for other northern cities is as followed:
Birmingham: Babby - term of endearment meant for people you know quite well
Bristol: Drive - reference to bus and taxi drivers
Liverpool: Chocka - busy
London: Dapper - reference to a man dressed in a fashionable and tidy way
Manchester: Our Kid - sibling
Sheffield: Mardy- moody
Glasgow: Stoater - someone who is fantastic
Leicester: Jitty - a passageway or alleyway
Leeds: Gill - a half pint
For the full report on UK slang, visit the Preply website for more information.
Feature Image- Unsplash
The Sheff
A pizzeria where every pizza is served with scissors has confirmed its opening date in Sheffield
Forbici is coming to Sheffield and the best part? They're giving away 1,000 free pizzas to celebrate.
Always a hot topic of conversation around a pizza is how to eat the damn thing – knife and fork, slice and hold, fold it up?
And now a new pizza concept is heading to Sheffield, where authentic Neapolitan pizzas are always served with a pair of scissors for cutting up your dinner.
We here at The Sheff are firm believers that scissors are a far superior tool for getting your pizza into slices, so news that Forbici (which literally translates as ‘Scissors’ from Italian) is opening in the city centre is music to our ears.
Images: The Manc Group
Forbici has officially confirmed it will open its doors in Sheffield’s Millenium Square on Friday 27 March.
And after becoming a firm favourite amongst foodies over in Manchester including none other than Marco Pierre White who hailed it as the 'best pizza I've ever had in my life!', we're sure it's going to go down a treat.
To mark its Sheffield debut, Forbici is giving away 1,000 margherita pizzas to hungry locals keen to get the first slice of the action.
The giveaway will take place on Friday 27 March, 12pm–2pm, at Forbici at its Millenium Square restaurant on a first come, first served basis.
Claiming to be arriving in town with ‘the world’s most powerful pizza dough’, the restaurant hails a ‘new wave’ of pizzeria.
Its roots will be firmly in Naples, with puffy biga dough handmade fresh daily and proofed for 12 hours. It’ll be made so fresh every day that pizzas will only be available while the dough lasts.
Forbici will serve its pizza the Neapolitan way too – quartered (it’s ‘four ways always’, with scissors, which protects that signature airy crust.
The Kooks, Miles Kane and Milburn to open Rock n Roll Circus as the festival expands to four days
Clementine Hall
Just when it you thought that the Rock N Roll Circus Sheffield line-up was complete, organisers have confirmed a major expansion for 2026.
That's right, the festival will now open a day earlier on Thursday 27 August.
The brand-new opening night will be led by The Kooks, Milburn and Miles Kane - this is going to be a bank holiday weekend you'll never forget.
Further artists for Thursday 27 August - and across the entire four-day weekend - will be announced in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled.
It's a welcome addition to what was already shaping up to be one of the standout festival weekends of the summer.
Image: Supplied
Friday will see The Streets headline with a special performance of A Grand Don’t Come For Free in full. Saturday will be led by one of the UK’s most exciting modern guitar bands, Wunderhorse, supported by Baxter Dury, Mercury Prize winners English Teacher, and London favourites Fat Dog, whilst Sunday will be closed by the one and only Richard Ashcroft.
Festival Director Ali O’Reilly said:“Opening the weekend with The Kooks performing Inside In / Inside Out in full, Milburn returning home and Miles Kane joining the bill feels like a statement night for Sheffield.
“What makes Rock N Roll Circus special is that we can celebrate iconic albums and artists that shaped a generation, while also giving space to the next wave of talent coming through. That mix of heritage and hometown pride is exactly what this festival is about.
“Sheffield has always brought an incredible atmosphere to Don Valley Bowl, and expanding the programme this way gives us even more room to create something memorable for the Bank Holiday weekend.”
Rock N Roll Circus Sheffield takes place at Don Valley Bowl from Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 August 2026, and you can get your tickets here.
Clementine Hall -
1st June 2025 
