What is this "wee" word i see everywhere

[meditereb]

What does it mean ? Why is used for everything ?

I’m Canadian and I use it a fair deal. I’ve just texted a friend about it, though, and she denies using it at all. So I’m not sure if it’s just me! There were a lot of Scottish immigrants here, when I was a wee girl loads of people’s parents were Scots. The lady up the road who was often babysitting me when my mum was at work was from Northern Ireland.

You’ve never met any Scottish people? None at all? Where are you based!

Assuming you don't live in Scotland or northern Ireland and only see it on influence things, best to unfollow those wee annoying people.

I live in the south

@eggandonion i unfollowed one of them but i went back out of curiosity and put sound on her stories she is not scottish or irish or at least her accent isnt .

I grew up in the south. My best friends parents were Scottish. There are Scottish people everywhere.

It’s not a affection, OP. The use of ‘wee’ isn’t done to be cute or cool. It’s literally someone’s language.

It’s heavily used in NZ. Many of the white people who settled there were Scottish/Irish. I moved to London and couldn’t figure out why no one used the word until I learnt the etymology.

@FlamingoAndJohn I understand that now .

Hello Musicaltheatremum! We just missed overlapping at DUMS, I qualified in 1980. Are you still in practice? I retired 3 years ago, currently ill with Covid (day 9 and knackered), but I’ve offered to go back if I survive and get enough strength back.

Being a wee bit pedantic or possibly even dare I suggest, very slightly tongue-in-cheek racist against the Scottish or the Irish who favour it, are you OP? Whichever, it is widely used and immeasurably less irritating than many other far less sensible expressions so suggest your exercise a wee bit of tolerance

Humm, might be a UK site but.... people travel, people move, there’s other don’t know how many languages in the world love.
Get out of your bubble and just explain to her.
Be Kind 😊

Forgive me if this has already been mentioned.

To be sung on school trips out:

Stop the bus I need a wee-wee
Stop the bus I need a wee-wee
Stop the bus I need a wee-wee
A wee, wee drink of juice!

I didn't know it was used in Ireland, I just read it in a Scottish accent when I see it

Firstly "this wee man" that could be any male, most likely to mean an unknown elderly gentleman.Where as "the wee man" would be your own smallest son or grandson or nephew.

Or even a boaby...

Northern Ireland and Scotland are very close - lots of people in the north of Ireland identify as Ulster Scots. Donegal, home of Wee Daniel O'Donnell, has very close ties to Glasgow and the west coast of Scotland.

At the risk of being pedantic, ‘wee’ is a Northern Irish thing. It’s not at all common in ROI.

What.... r u bored op 🤣🤣

Here in Yorkshire we also say ‘wee’ for small. Babies are often called ‘chabbies’. In Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire you will often be greeted as ‘me duck’, which I think is lovely but my absolute favourite is in the North East where you can be called ‘Bonny lad’ or ‘’Bonny lass.’

I taught on some nurse training in South Shields years ago and one of the patients used to greet me with ‘come away in Bonny lass.’ It sounded so lovely!

Donegal is in the Republic, but is further north than Northern Ireland, just to confuse people.
Bonny lad/lass is lovely!

Wee is piss darling. Did noone tell you that 😬
A wee bit of piss taking there sorry

You mean haway in bonny lass. (im a mackem)

Hmm it probably is common in Donegal.

It may be more accurate to say it’s uncommon outside of Ulster.

@Lincolnfield.... I think you mean "haway in bonny lass/lad." im a mackem we dont say what you said.

And the wee county of Louth.

@meditereb well if ye dinnae like oor wee sayins then move yer wee arse along and get yer wee suitcase packed and yersel on a wee plane and fly the hell oot oor wee 'annoying' country. Ya wee nippy sweetie ye!