What it means
Manky means filthy, grotty, stale, or just plain disgusting. You can use it for dirty clothes, nasty food, a damp room, grim weather, or anything that looks or smells a bit foul. It’s a very British little insult for stuff that makes you go, nah, absolutely not.
Usage examples
"Nah mate, don't touch that bench, it's well manky and some bloke's spilled kebab sauce on it. Let's stand over there by the shop."
"Bin those manky old trainers, they have been sitting in a puddle by the back door for a fortnight and they reek."
"This takeaway's gone manky, mate. I'm not risking a dodgy stomach for half a portion of chips."
"His bathroom was proper manky, damp on the ceiling, towels on the floor, and a smell that nearly knocked me backwards."
"That fridge in the student house is absolutely manky, there's a yoghurt in there that's basically become sentient."
Where it comes from
Northern and general British for anything grimy, grotty or downright rank, the kind of thing you would poke with a stick before touching. Manky socks, a manky old sofa left out in the rain, a manky sandwich forgotten in a bag. The word sounds exactly as unpleasant as the stuff it describes, which is half the fun.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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