What it means
A very British way to say it's a bit cold out. Not full apocalypse, not proper freezing, just that sharp little chill that sneaks up your sleeves, nips your ears, and makes you wish you'd brought a better coat.
Usage examples
"Ey up, it’s parky this morn. Nipped to corner shop in a hoodie and me hands went numb. Get tha coat on before t’bus comes."
"Ey up, it's parky this morning in the back garden of the terraced house on Burley Road in Leeds, nipped to the corner shop on Cardigan Lane in just a hoodie and a thin scarf and my hands went numb by the third house down, get tha proper coat on before the school bus comes round the bend at twenty past eight."
"The morning of the Christmas market in York last December was proper parky from the first stall on Parliament Street, the mulled wine seller at the booth by the Minster was selling three cups for the price of two before nine, my mother kept her wool hat on inside the Tea Room of Bettys, and the windows of the café fogged up beautifully against the cold."
"Bit parky out, innit? I came out for five minutes and my ears are already filing complaints."
"Nah, sit inside if you want, it's parky as anything and that bench is basically an ice trap."
Where it comes from
Parky has been around in British English since the 1800s meaning cold or frosty. It turns up in northern dialect use and stuck as a casual everyday word for weather that's brisk and chilly without sounding too dramatic. It's still very much a UK saying, especially up north.
Other ways to say it
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