What it means
Means pleasant, decent, or just plain good, and it also works as a handy booster for quantity or intensity. Call someone a canny lass or lad and you’re saying they’re sound and kind. Say a canny few or a canny bit and it’s quite a lot. Stick it in front of good and it turns into very good. Basically, it’s the Swiss Army knife of Geordie chat.
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."
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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