England, My England (1922), Chapter 4 – "Monkey Nuts": The word also appears in the fourth line of Lawrence's "The Risen Lord" (1929): The same usage also appears in a much less salubrious context, in the 1985 song "Now 'E's A Puff", by The Macc Lads. Part of one line of the first verse says: Usage continued to be fairly local until the word reached an international audience in the film The Full Monty. This was shot during 1997 on location in Sheffield. In this film nesh was used in the context of feeling cold when others don't. Since the appearance in the film the word, used for lacking courage, has occurred in the national press. Nowadays, it is considered to be a gently derogatory comment, that can be used to a friend. An example might be 'Why are you wearing a coat? That's a bit nesh, isn't it?'. Usage The Oxford English Dictionary lists several meanings, some of which are obsolete. Those still in use, include: Soft in texture or consistency; yielding easily to pressure or force. In later use chiefly: tender, succulent, juicy. For example, "It is hoped that the report will have a wide circulation as a guideline to asking sharp and pertinent questions that strip away the nish outer flesh and get right to the bone of the problem." Damp, moist, wet, chilly. Lacking courage, spirit, or energy; timid, faint-hearted; lazy, negligent. For example: "The worst crime was the charge of being 'nesh'... It was..nesh to..wait for the bus to stop before jumping into the road [etc.]." Delicate, weak, sickly, feeble; unable to endure fatigue, etc.; susceptible (to cold, etc.). For example: "A delicate, easily affected child, who therefore needs more than ordinary care, is said by old people to be nash." Fastidious, squeamish, dainty. The definitions in the Microsoft Encarta Dictionary are: sensitive to cold: very sensitive to cold temperatures. timid: lacking courage or self-confidence. The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines nesh as: "soft – in consistency, mind, or morals". Webster's Online Dictionary 1913 defines nesh, in its earlier usage, as: "'Soft, tender, delicate". References External links Personality traits English dialect words