Telling people they 'look tidy'

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Would you actually say this to relatives and is it a compliment? It was said to elderly relatives recently by a relative and I found it quite rude. Like all they could aim for was to look 'tidy'. They looked great.

It depends surely. It could be loaded with other meanings but who can know. Sometimes my sister tells me I "don't look bad", which coming from her is high praise. She'd never say "Vlad you look gorgeous." It just isn't how she expresses herself.

It's not a word I would use in that context but I think it means different things to different people. I've heard it used by men before to describe women they deem to be attractive.

Is she Irish? My mother says this and it means slim
Looking tidy = your clothes cut well and are flattering and you're not overweight. Her sisters use it too.

Is the relative who said it Welsh?

i'd say welsh, and it's a compliment

Welsh is an all round word for 'well put together, nice, just right'.

it's slang. Tidy means attractive/beautiful/etc

bang tidy would only be used in cases of sexual interest though

I was going to ask if was Welsh. My ex BF's family all used to use it - and I could tell they mesnt it as a good thing.

I'm Scottish and it would be said to mean sexually attractive, much like fit means. I've never heard it said to an elderly person.

It's not purely about attractiveness. You can do a tidy job, have made a tidy wooden bench, bought a nice nearly new car- tidy!

I'm a Welsh speaker and tidy comes from "wenglish" - in Welsh, a word might translate as a particular English word but the meaning can vary.

Tidy doesn't literally mean you look like someone has placed you in a cupboard neatly. It means you look nice/ good/ neat etc. Context is also key.

For a certain kind of slightly older posh horsey person, this would be high praise. Context is key here, as has been said.

Means good/nice/attractive. I learnt that from Gavin and Stacy....

Tidy means really nice round here. It’s a compliment!

Yes tidy means really nice.

The expanded version “tidy darts” being used to describe a good situation.

In Precious Bane (written in 1924), “you’ve a tidy figure, child” is considered quite a compliment.

Agree with everyone saying it is a phrase or term that has been used in South Wales for decades. It means 'nice' / 'well presented' / really smart / 'look lovely' (depends on context a bit). It is a nice thing to say to someone. It can actually be adapted to all sorts of circumstances.
It doesn't mean the traditional English meaning of 'neat' / 'everything in the right place' in that context

Have you never watched Gavin and Stacey ? She brought the phrase to the wider population.

Tidy can definitely mean looking great.

Welsh = lookin good,compliment
Irish mammy saying smart,all in place,respectable