What it means
Cornish dialect for handsome but used far more broadly to mean lovely, beautiful, or really great. It can describe a sunset over the coast, a well-built boat, a cream tea, or a genuinely good person. Often paired with proper for maximum enthusiasm. Proper ansome is as good as it gets in Cornish compliments and covers everything from scenery to scones.
Usage examples
"The view from Tintagel this morning was proper ansome, I tell you. Sun coming through the mist and the sea all turquoise like something off a postcard."
"Proper ansome pasty that, my dear, best one I've had in weeks down at the harbour."
"Sun came out over Mevagissey this afternoon, ansome day for a walk on the cliff path."
Where it comes from
Cornish dialectal pronunciation of "handsome", where the initial H- is dropped (a feature shared with West Country English and Cockney) and the vowel is flattened. In Cornish use the word has expanded far beyond physical attractiveness: a sunset, a pasty, a fishing boat or a kind neighbour can all be "ansome", which makes it the all-purpose praise word of the Cornish coast.
Other ways to say it
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