Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2014 September 22

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September 22

"Well good"?

I've heard the above expression now twice in two days in British TV shows. I'm not familiar with the expression in Australian English. (But I am old, so quite possibly of touch.) I gather that if something is well good, it's very good. Please correct me if I'm wrong. A little searching found me Lee Nelson's Well Good Show, a BBC program. Where does the expression come from? How common is it? HiLo48 (talk) 00:25, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Urban Dictionary has a definition, and says something to the effect of "used by people who can't be arsed to think of a better term". Basically means "very good" in colloquial British English from what I can see. --Jayron32 00:31, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

I've only heard it from one person, in a similar expression, "that was well funny!" She spoke with a thick English accent, she was about 14, and it was 2006. I'm starting to think it must be colloquial British, and it's certainly been around. IBE (talk) 06:32, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Yes, as a Brit I can confirm that "well good", "well funny", etc., is colloquial British English among 'the younger generation', "well" being a one-syllable equivalent of the two-syllable "very". Ghmyrtle (talk) 07:00, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Yes, It's not an expression that I would ever use, but fairly common amongst the younger British generation. Dbfirs 07:57, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

The lower class younger generation that is (eg the 'chavs') 131.251.254.110 (talk) 08:44, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Totes. Well sick innit. Spesh if you got the wiki-seebs. Martinevans123 (talk) 10:45, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Thanks: I've noticed it in Bad Machinery and wondered whether it's an invention of the author. —Tamfang (talk) 08:45, 23 September 2014 (UTC)

And I think more Northern? Certainly I heard it growing up near Manchester, before I heard it on TV/radio. Matt's talk 09:18, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Well good, well tasty, well fast, well hungover, well drunk, well hard... the use of well to mean very, extremely, or the like, is common and well-established. I've been familiar with it for about thirty years - initially in Cornwall, so not noticeably Northern. To editor It's Been Emotional: - whatever do you mean by "a thick English accent"? There are many English accents, but no "English accent". DuncanHill (talk) 10:25, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Or at least 40 years, and with further emphasis, "Bloody Well Right". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 10:32, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Not sure about that. "Bloody well right" works fine in Australian English, but just plain "well right" doesn't. HiLo48 (talk) 10:40, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Yes, "Bloody well right" is an intensified version of "bloody right" - OED has uses of well after "bloody", "jolly" etc back to the 19th century. DuncanHill (talk) 10:45, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

If you can point me to an internet audio file that illustrates the different accents, I will be able to tell you which. The bit that matters is, it was English, it was thick, and it was an accent. There may be many accents, but I'm sure she only had one of them. IBE (talk) 11:51, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

To editor It's Been Emotional: You might find something on the British Library website Sounds Familiar pages. DuncanHill (talk) 12:16, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Also from the British Library Sound map - Accents & dialects. DuncanHill (talk) 12:20, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Probably the first one here. Scroll down to the light brown section. IBE (talk) 15:16, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

I think it may be a re-emergence of a very old usage, as in Hail fellow well met. -- Q Chris (talk) 10:31, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

In 'Hail fellow well met', 'well' modifies a verb, which has always been its main usage as an adverb. In 'well good', it modifies an adjective instead, which is what marks this particular usage. Adverbs often modify adjectives - after all, one wouldn't bat an eyelid as 'very good' - so there's nothing obviously 'ungrammatical' about 'well good'. It simply wasn't standard usage before. AlexTiefling (talk) 21:45, 28 September 2014 (UTC)

The OED has a draft addition from 1993 for well in this sense -

slang. Used as an intensifier to qualify any adj., esp. in commendatory language; = good and at good adj., adv., and n. Phrases 22.

1986 T. Barling Smoke i. 16 That was about the time Kosher and Eyetie had their straightener and had kept Archie well busy ducking and diving and sorting.

1987 Blues & Soul 3 Feb. 34 No dress restrictions, music policy is well 'ard with P. Funk, House, Go-Go and Electro cutting it.

1989 Face Jan. 59/3 A city where Walters is ‘well sound’ and Led Zeppelin are ‘a better buzz’. This is Liverpool in 1988.

1990 Daily Tel. 9 June 13/1 This boy looked in wonder at the polyurethane and leather marvel and offered it the coolest of street compliments. ‘Well wicked,’ he breathed.

DuncanHill (talk) 10:36, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

An earlier one is

He was a well good wright, a carpentere

from The Canterbury Tales, at the end of the 14th century. -- Q Chris (talk) 10:40, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

To editor Q Chris: you should write to the OED and tell them about that. DuncanHill (talk) 10:42, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

I believe that this construction is associated with Multicultural London English. Alansplodge (talk) 14:06, 24 September 2014 (UTC)