Sloomy

Sloomy (adjective / UK regional slang)

(Also heard as: Right sloomy, Proper sloomy, Feeling sloomy)

Definition: Proper dozy, slow, or walking round half-asleep. Basically when you’ve got zero get-up-and-go.

Pronunciation: /ˈsluː.mi/

Where It Comes From: Northern dialect from way back. In places like Yorkshire, a sloom was just an old term for nodding off on the sly. Folk kept it alive in everyday talk to poke fun at anyone who moves like they’ve still got sleep in their eyes.

How People Actually Use It: You slap this on someone when they’re dragging their feet. It’s what your mum calls you when you wander downstairs at midday with bedhead, or what you feel like on a grim, rainy Tuesday after scoffing a massive carvery. Your brain just refuses to kick into gear.

Examples in the Wild:

• “Had four slices of toast and now I’m right sloomy.”

  Translation: I overate and now I can’t be bothered to move.

• “Look at him in the corner, he’s dead sloomy.”

  Translation: He’s about two seconds away from falling asleep.

• “Don’t try talking to me yet, I’m still pure sloomy till I get a tea.”

  Translation: I’m completely out of it until I’ve had a brew.

Similar Slang: Dozy, Groggy, Lethargic, Heavy-eyed, Settee-bound, Zonked