19 Funny Things You’ll Know If You’re From Yorkshire

Last Updated on 7th July 2023

Despite my 9 month stint of living in New Zealand, I’ve always lived in the proud and historic county of Yorkshire.

When I saw that Sophie had launched her fab new This North Works project, I was instantly inspired and incredibly proud to be from t’ greatest county in England. Even though London gets most of the touristy credit when it comes to travelling in the UK, Yorkshire actually has an abundance of intriguing and fascinating towns, cities and people to offer.

So with that in mind, I did what any Yorkshire lass would do and have a good ol’ chinwag with some fellow Yorkshire people in order to put together my list of ‘things you’ll know if you’re from Yorkshire!’

1. You’ll have had the ‘breakfast, dinner, tea’ argument with many people

There’s been many a time where I’ve felt obliged to name it ‘breakfast, lunch and dinner’ but the simple fact is, Yorkshire people know best.

‘Breakfast, dinner and tea’ is the only correct way to name mealtimes in a Yorkshire person’s eyes and anyone who disagrees is simply wrong and should seriously reconsider their priorities (I’m only slightly joking on this one – a Yorkshire person feels very strongly about this…).

2. Yorkshire tea is the ONLY tea

If you drink anything except Yorkshire tea then you’ll inevitably be judged and cast aside. People from Yorkshire take great pride in their brews and it’s a beverage that simply cannot be scrimped on.

3. Your accent will become stronger around other Yorkshire people

Whenever I go back to Doncaster (where I was born and lived for eight years) my accent immediately becomes much stronger as soon as I go back there. If someone has a thicker accent than you, then you’ll definitely end up talking like someone who’s just come from a farm in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales.

It’s inevitable.

4. “Be reyt” is your go-to answer for most things

For those of you not from God’s Own Country, the concept of ‘be reyt’ is essentially that everything will be just fine and you shouldn’t worry about anything.

This phrase can be used in almost any situation; lost your phone? It’ll be reyt. Argument with your boyfriend? Be reyt. Lost your job, home and all your friends? Don’t worry, it’ll be reyt.

5. Yorkshire puddings and gravy are staples in everyone’s diet

Homemade Yorkshire puddings with lashings of gravy on your Sunday dinner are the things that dreams are made of for Yorkshire folk. They’re the real test of your Yorkshire roots and if you can make a good batch of homemade Yorkshire puddings then you’ll likely be having everyone round for Sunday dinner.

6. “What’s for tea?” “Shit with sugar on”

Ahh the classic reply from your mum whenever you asked what was for tea (yes tea, not dinner).

No matter how old you were when you asked your parents this question, the reply was always the same. And if they didn’t reply with this then you’d know you were really having something truly gross for tea…

7. You probably call all your family members ‘R’ something

In my family, I’m always referred to as ‘R’ Chloe as a term of endearment. It doesn’t seem to matter if the person you’re talking to doesn’t know that this person even exists, you’ll always refer to them as ‘R’ lass or lad.

8. “It’s that fine rains that gets you proper wet” in Yorkshire

Surely all rain gets you wet?

Oh no. Not according to people from Yorkshire. Here in our county we experience that fine rain that apparently gets you much wetter than regular rain…

9. Completely omitting the word ‘the’ from your vocabulary

It’s purely done out of sheer laziness, but people from Yorkshire sure do like to omit the word ‘the’.

You’ll often hear us saying the likes of “I’m just off t’ shop”; it’s certainly not necessary to do this but yet everyone seems to do it!

10. There’s a huge, dividing debate on the names of bread products

One thing us Yorkshire folk can’t seem to agree on is bread terminology; specifically team bread cake, bread bun, cob or tea cake.

Whichever side you’re on, be prepared to defend your answer and have many people disagree with your choice of bread terminology.

11. If someone’s in a bad mood they’re either morngy, mardy or have munk on.

No, these aren’t real words. Yes, people from Yorkshire use them on a regular basis.

When someone is said to be in a bad mood then they’ll be described as being morngy, mardy or having munk on. Just writing these terms down is making me cringe immensely but they’re all entirely true.

It must be fascinating to Southerners to see these words – even I can admit that they look and sound ridiculous but there’s been many a time when I’ve been described as ‘morngy’…

12. “Put big light on”

If the main light in any room in the house wasn’t referred to as the ‘big light’, are you even from Yorkshire?

Every mum I’ve ever known who lives in Yorkshire always refers to it as the ‘big light’ – I mean, what else would you even call it?!

13. “It’s like Blackpool Illuminations in ‘ere”

On the other hand, if you had the ‘big light’ on as well as many other lamps and lights then the house will inevitably be described as Blackpool Illuminations.

Quite obviously a massive exaggeration but we Yorkshire folk are nothing if not dramatic.

14. Taking your coat or jumper off indoors so you “feel the benefit”

As soon as you stepped inside any house, you were immediately ordered to take your coat/jacket/jumper off just so that you’d feel the benefit once you stepped back outside again.

I was always an extremely cold person as a child and teenager but even I can appreciate the benefit of taking your coat off when you go inside.

15. If you’re from Yorkshire and you’re “chuffed”, that’s a good thing!

Despite sounding like it might have somewhat negative connotations, the feeling of being “chuffed” actually means that you’re pretty damn happy about something if you’re from Yorkshire.

16. A Sunday Roast is a tradition in almost everyone’s household that must be upheld.

A Sunday passing by without as much as a Yorkshire Pudding or roast potato passing your lips isn’t even worth mentioning.

17. You often wonder whether anyone else in the world can understand what the Arctic Monkeys are actually saying

Listening to the words of any Arctic Monkeys song is like second nature to anyone from Yorkshire, but after a good few listens, you’ll wonder whether anyone else in the country (or the world, for that matter!) can understand what they mean when they say “summet”

18. You often accidentally say the ‘C’ word whenever you say “couldn’t”

It’s an incredibly unfortunate trait of Yorkshire folk that anytime we say “couldn’t”, it ends up sounding like an incredibly rude swear word and to anyone who doesn’t understand what we’re saying, it can sound insanely offensive!

19. If you’re from Yorkshire, then you’re a right tight arse

Being a tight arse if you’re from Yorkshire isn’t uncommon and actually, more often than not you’ll find that pretty much everyone from Yorkshire is tight when it comes to spending money on things that they think are more expensive than they should be. If you take a Yorkshire lad or lass for a pint in London, you can expect them to say for the next 20 minutes ‘ow much?!’

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• Why York is the best city to live in
• The ultimate guide of places to eat and drink in York
• The most Instagrammable places in York
• A day at the York Races

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Are you from Yorkshire? Is there anything else you’d add to this list? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @imjustagirl_16.