Cold weather and feeling parki !

Posted by ESC on December 19, 2003

In Reply to: Cold weather and feeling parki ! posted by Gary on December 19, 2003

: : Pub discussion centerd on the origins of this word. Surfing found this hugely interesting place ( sure to provide topics for future pub entertainment ). However to the point ... feeling parki / parky / parkie for feeling cold, or a an description of cold weather, " it's parki outside ".

: : The best we could come up with is a relationship to the russian ( ? ) word "parka" for fur clothing. Usage slipping to "weather for parkas" or "parka type weather".

: : Any opinions from the board welcome.

: : Merry christmas to all

: : Col

: I think it's a Yorkshire word. People here use it frequently at this time of year. It's also common in the (UK) Midlands. I don't know the origin. There is a rich sticky ginger cake called parkin that is often eaten around these parts in winter. It may be connected to that.

I couldn't find an origin. One reference calls parky "meteorological slang" for chilly or brisk. ("British English from A to Zed" by Norman Schur, FirstHarperPerennial edition, 1991). Another says it is, "A word of obscure origin dating from at least before World War II and still in use. Among middle-and upper-class speakers the term is occasionally altered to parquet (as in parquet flooring). ("Dictionary of Contemporary Slang" by Tony Thorne, Pantheon Books, New York, 1990).