B’y, Whaddya At? A Beginner’s Guide to Newfoundland Slang

So, you’ve booked a trip to Newfoundland! You’re dreaming of dramatic coastal scenery, towering icebergs, breaching whales, colourful fishing villages and warm hospitality. You’ve packed your windbreaker jacket and prepared your camera for puffin sightings. There’s just one small detail you may not have considered. When you step off the plane in St. John’s, you might think your pilot has overshot and you’ve touched down in Ireland instead.

Newfoundlanders are famous across Canada for their unique dialect, colourful expressions and quick wit. Many of Newfoundland’s earliest European settlers came from the south-east of Ireland, particularly counties Waterford, Wexford and Cork, while others arrived from England’s West Country. Because Newfoundland was isolated for so long, their accents, traditions and expressions blended over centuries to create one of the most distinctive dialects in North America. Even today, visitors are often amazed by how many Newfoundlanders sound unmistakably Irish, despite living over 3,000 kilometres across the Atlantic. 

Newfoundland’s slang and unmistakable accent have become a cherished part of its identity. Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything at first. Locals are known for their friendliness and are usually more than happy to explain, often with a smile and another phrase you’ve never heard before. So, before you find yourself standing bewildered in a cosy harbour pub wondering why someone is calling you “b’y,” here’s your beginner’s guide to Newfoundland slang and how to speak like a local.

Essential Greetings:

• Whadd’ya at?
  • Translation: What are you up to? or How’s it going?
  • Proper Response: Nothin’, b’y. Whadd’ya at? (Yes, you simply repeat it back to them)

• Where ya at? / Where ya bound?
  • Translation: Where are you? or Where are you going?

Tip: Newfoundland English relies heavily on ending sentences with prepositions. If you ask a local Where are you at?, you are speaking their language. If you say “Where are you?”, they’ll know you’re from away.

Local Terminology:

• B’y (pronounced ‘boy’)
  • Translation: Friend, pal, person, or punctuation mark

• CFA (stands for Come From Away)
  • Translation: An affectionate term for visitors or newcomers who have moved to the island

The Weather:

• It’s mauzy out

• • Translation: Warm, damp, foggy, and uncomfortably sticky.
  • Usage: Don’t bother doing your hair today, b’y, it’s right mauzy out.

• Slob ice
  • Translation: That slushy, soup-like ice that forms in the harbor during late winter. Not quite water, not quite ice – just pure cold misery.

• Stunned
  • Translation: Foolish or silly, rather than shocked.
  • Usage: Don’t be so stunned, put your coat on!

Other Helpful Phrases:

• Right fine: Extremely good. (That meal was right fine!)
• Lard-awmurchy!: An exclamation of surprise (short for Lord have mercy!).
• Best kind:  Excellent, perfect, or no problem.
• I’m gut-founded!: I am starving 
• Crooked:  In a bad mood or crabby.
• Screeched In: The official ceremony where a visitor kisses a cod, drinks a shot of Newfoundland Screech (high-proof rum), and officially becomes an honorary Newfoundlander.

Feeling inspired to learn more of the local lingo and work on your Newfoundland slang? Discover our new 11-night Newfoundland and Labrador Self-Drive Holiday. In Newfoundland, ‘a candle’s in the window and the kettle is always on’ meaning you are always welcome and safe here. Newfoundlanders love welcoming new visitors from ‘away’ and it could be you! Contact our Travel specialists for your personalised trip to The Rock!