h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I certainly thought this was a Midlands word, but have also heard it in S. Yorks. I seem to be finding it from places wider afield now though too - wasn't it in "The Royal Family", which is supposed to set in Manchester?

I too have only heard it used locally (around Derby) used as an adjective. And there's a shade of meaning which isn't covered in the definitions given, which is "selfish", "unwilling to share". Although that is to some extent covered by the "grumpy" definition, I feel that there is a more specific edge to the word on occasions such as: (a) "Can I have one?" (b) "No." (c) "Don't be mardy." Or a mother telling her child, who is refusing to share toys, not to be mardy.

As for the origin, I had no idea. Some evidence in support of the possible "Maerdy" origin is that in S. Welsh Valleys English, and I presume also too in the local dialect of Welsh, the placename is pronounced more or less exactly as in Midlands "mardy". I know because I used to stay frequently as a lad with bilingual Welsh relatives in the Rhondda Valley, one of whom worked in Maerdy. It used to make me giggle when they referred to the place because of the similarity...

I am from North Wales, but now live in Lincolnshire, and "mardy" is used extensively in both.

(BTW, The Royle Family is set in Liverpool, not Manchester).

Cheers, Rhiannon.

Liverpool or Manchester, it is still the other side of the Pennines from the Yorkshire references given. Lincolnshire and N. Wales too? Can't keep a good word down!

It certainly wasn't known in S.Wales in my youth - my relatives couldn't understand what I was giggling about. A friend from just north of Yorkshire hadn't heard of it either. I'd guess the word is spreading due to intermixing of population and better communications. I wonder how long it will be before it makes it into Standard English?

Yep mardy is definately used in Sheffield and s yorks, where too it tends only to be an adjective. To have a mardy tends to be used by Midlanders as Sheffield has the wonderful phrase "t' face on" As in "She's got t' face on again!"

I hope everyone spotted the fantastically named Mardy Fish (US, I think) who went out to the eventual winner, Roger Federer in the third round of Wimbledon. Great name & took a set off him as well!

rooftiler

Definitely in use in Stockport - as in, 'don't be mard', meaning, soft, wimpish, clinging, reliant on authority, nerdish, whining.

Just south of Sheffield, in mid-Derbyshire, it's "a face on"!

I grew up in the East Midlands and mardy was and is widely used. I believe D H Lawrence used it more than once, also mardy-arse.
It is definitely used widely in the Nottingham area. My brother lives in Ripley, a couple of miles from Eastwood, setting of more than one D H Lawrence novel.
I never realised it was known at all outside the East Midlands (Leics/Derbys/Notts) but it is definitely unknown where I now live (Mid Somerset).

i'm guessing this thread ceased to be when arctic monkeys song mardy bum started getting coverage/airplay. shame,it was a good thread
i'm from portsmouth by the way,i'm 17 and i hadn't really heard of the word before the song.