Some of them we might still be using today with our friends and co-workers. The more we like them, the more we call them horrible names. The North East boasts some colourful slang, and Sunderland folk have a huge number of playful insults to pick from. Here’s our run-down of the 15 insults you’ll know if you’re a mackem – though hopefully you haven’t been on the receiving end of more than about six of them. Do you know some that aren’t here? We probably can’t use them ...
1. Eurgh, that's minging
Minging typically means disgusting or gross, and can refer to anything from food that's gone off to a person's physical appearance. It's used around the country but especially here in Sunderland. Photo: JPIMedia/Pixabay
2. What a spenk
Spenk is our city's own version of a dork, geek, or dweeb Photo: JPIMedia/Pixabay
3. Look at the state of that clip
A clip refers to someone whose dress sense, personal style or grooming is not all it ought to be. Photo: JPIMedia/Pixabay
4. "Stop giving me that hackey look!"
A hackey look means 'giving the evils'. It can be a scowl, a stare, the raising of an eyebrow. There are also parts of the North East where hackey can mean literally dirty; i.e. "Look at us man, I'm all hackey". Photo: JPIMedia/Pixabay