"Poorly"

[MrsMuddle]

Silly question, and maybe not the right topic to post in, but what does "poorly" mean?

Obviously, I know it means ill, but does it mean a wee bit ill, or very ill?

I've only ever come across it in MN and on radio phone-ins, and it seems to cover the gamut of illnesses from slightly-under-the-weather to death's door!

I think it just means "ill" and can have the same degrees. So you can be 'a bit poorly' or 'really poorly'.

Although I don't think you would use it for someone dying.

Well, I think it can range from "a bit poorly" to "very poorly" so I guess it can cover every ailment . I used to use it, but the DCs just kept on correcting me. "no he's not poor Mummy, he just doesn't feel very well!!"

I think it does differ - you're right. Where I'm from it means a bit under the weather. But I do know it's also used when people are quite ill in hospital etc...

So, to answer your question - it means both a bit ill, and very ill.

That probably didn't help that much did it?

Everyone I know that uses the word also has 'levels' of it
So we have people who are 'a little bit poorly' or 'quite poorly' and 'very poorly'

lol

So to me it is just another word for 'sick'

you can have 'poorly sick' too...
'sick' is pretty vile imo

Thank you. I always though it meant slightly ill (or "wabbit" as we say in the West of Scotland!) but then I saw it used in one of the Jade threads, and I'd never seen it used in that contect before.

I hate poorly. Don't know why but it really grates. When I lived in Yorkshire, it meant not very seriously ill. Unless someone was 'proper poorly'.

context! I'm on a smaller-than-usual keyboard!

Ooh, edam, you beat me to it. 'Proper poorly' would certainly elicit looks of concern in Yorkshire ( my native county) 'though I also remember the expression 'badly', as in ' he's been taken badly'. The opposite of this was 'champion', especially 'he's doing champion'.

All a mystery to me at a tender age - and I knew the grammar was wrong

In Glasgow/Ayrshire it goes:

weel (well)
no awfy weel (a bit out of sorts)
no weel (not well)
awfy no weel (nearly dead)

i use poorly a lot

i think it implies empathy

at the Glasgow sliding scale

Campion, I haven't heard anyone described as 'champion' for I don't know how long ? you took me right back to childhood there.

you need to get back to yorkshire Edam

DS has just learned to ride a bike 'champion!'

Or 'Pooley' as my Brummy dad says

I would love to go back to Yorkshire but don't think dh would be keen. Sadly. And MIL is frail and elderly so we need to be near-ish.

Poorly to me means a bit ill if talking in general terms.

When you're nursing though, and say to another nurse that a patient is poorly, it means seriously ill and probably dying .