When I was little, the word around Cardiff for describing just about anything good/fab/exciting/tasty the list goes on, was ‘lush’. This has apparently been in common usage around Swindon since at least the 60’s and of course has reached a wider English language audience with Gavin & Stacey (which by the way, I never saw, was it any good?)
My question is : What’s the Welsh language equivalent for the word ‘cool’.
I sincerely hope it’s not along the lines of the turf accountant shop sign in Harlech : ‘bwci’, or in this case ‘cwl’.
Cŵl has been adopted in slang Welsh from English, just as it came into British English from America. Just as in English I’m sure there are plenty of other more standard words you could use depending on context.
I’m sure Welsh speaking teenagers today have other words, but I’ve used cŵl in conversation and I know young Welsh speakers ( late 20s and early 30s) who use it.
I wonder if lysh comes from lash or vice versa? In my town we use the word thus: “Out on the lash/Out for a drink…” Usually, a heavy “sesh”
I’d heard the word in Caenarfon along with some other words that have currency here in the Chatham area.
Like “Sgram” for food,Scram round here.
Caused a bit of confusion when I was in Uni, this “lush” word. After a half or two of weak beer (ha ha!), I ended up sleeping on a Cofi (someonr from Caernarfon) friend’s floor, and was somewhat confused next morning when he told me “You were lush last night”…
I believe “a lush” was used in English to mean a drunkard, hence the northern Welsh, and of course, lush is short for luscious in southern Wenglish, and has made it backwards into southern Welsh from there.
If your in the Pen-y-Groes, Gwynedd area you can hear “Reu” which can meet cool. Also meaning loads of other things as well: Hello, Goodbye, Yes, No… It can be used to replace loads of words by just fitting it into different contexts…Mae hi’n reu/She’s fit!
