What it means
Used as an intensifier meaning very or really, slapped in front of an adjective to whack the volume right up. You’ll hear dead good, dead busy, dead tired, dead nice, and nobody’s being dramatic about death, it’s just emphasis. Sounds proper natural in Northern chat, especially when you’re selling a tiny story like it’s headline news.
Usage examples
"This queue for the tram is dead long, our kid, and it’s freezing. I’m dead starving, so let’s sack it off and hit the chippy."
"It's dead busy in town today, took me twenty minutes just to get across the precinct."
"She's dead chuffed with her exam results, been showing the certificate to everyone on the street."
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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