What it means
A proper Geordie all-rounder. Canny can mean nice, decent, kind, or just generally good. You can call someone a canny lad or canny lass if they’re lovely company, and you can also use it to beef things up a bit, like a canny few for quite a lot or canny good for really good. Tiny word, loads of graft.
Usage examples
"Howay man, that gig was canny good. Met a canny few mates after, had a couple pints, and still got home before me mam noticed."
"He's a canny lad, always the first to lend a hand when someone's stuck."
"We had a canny night down the club, good crowd and not too dear either."
"She’s a canny lass, man, brought snacks for everyone and still asked if we were alright."
"There were a canny few waiting outside the chippy, so we sacked it off and went for pizza instead."
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Where it comes from
Canny goes back to older English and Scots use tied to knowing, carefulness, and clever judgement. In the North East it settled into Geordie speech and stretched out beautifully, so now it can mean pleasant, kind, fair decent, or serve as an intensifier. It’s an old word that’s grown extra local sparkle.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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