Mochy, mizzly, or mothery? Ten regional words to describe the weather

The UK is often characterised (particularly in the US) as a damp and windy island with unusually changeable weather. The past week here has done little to dispel this impression, with flash floods in the North and muggy heat here in the South. Last week we asked our Twitter followers to describe the weather in their area, and their responses flagged up some fantastic regional words.

They inspired us to compile a further list of unusual meteorological terms to describe some very specific weather conditions. So, next time you want to complain about the weather, consider using one of the following words:

airish
Now chiefly Scottish and U.S. regional (south. and south Midland). Of weather: cool, fresh, breezy, chilly.

dreich
Scottish. (especially of weather) dreary; bleak.

letty
Now English regional (Somerset). That lets or hinders. Chiefly of weather: making outdoor work difficult; rainy.

maumy
Scottish and English regional (chiefly north.).  Mellow; soft and insipid; (of weather) mild, humid.

mizzle
Chiefly dialect. Light rain; drizzle.

mochy
Scottish and Irish English (north.).Damp, moist. Of weather: damp and misty; muggy.

mothery
English regional (Lincs.). Of the weather: damp, drizzly; close.

siling
Dialect. Of rain: To pour (down).

smirr
Dialect and Scottish. Fine rain; drizzle.

soft
Dialect. Of the weather: rainy, moist, or thawing.

Do you have another favourite regional term for the weather? Add it to our comments section below.

Posted on: June 29 2012 | Categories: English in use, Varieties of English | Tags: dialect, English in use, Irish English, meteorology, regional, Scottish English, synonyms, US English, weather, wordlist