What it means
An all-purpose intensifier meaning very, totally, absolutely. You stick it in front of an adjective to crank the volume: pure brilliant, pure baltic, pure raging. Big in Glasgow and the Central Belt, and it works for praise, misery, or disbelief. It can sound dead friendly or properly annoyed depending on your tone, so listen to the delivery. Basically, if it’s intense, it’s pure.
Usage examples
"Nae chance I’m going out, it’s pure baltic and I’ve only got a wee jacket. We’ll hit the chippy tomorrow when it’s no howlin."
"Saturday night at the pub in Govan was pure mental, three hen parties, two stag dos, and the band keeping us going till close, my feet are still recovering on Tuesday morning at the desk."
"Wait till you see the new Italian on Byres Road in Glasgow, pure brilliant, the pasta is fresh, the wine list is honest, and the waiter knew exactly which dessert to push at the end."
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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