Guide
Talk like you've been here before
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What the sayings on our conditions strip mean. Route pages sometimes add a line of Newfoundland English to the weather numbers, never instead of them. Each one is below with what triggers it; the sources are in the Dictionary of Newfoundland English.
Not fit out, b’y. — The weather is too poor to be outside. Triggered on our pages only by measured wind: gusts at 70 km/h or sustained 50.
Mauzy old day. — Damp, misty, soft grey weather; the island’s default setting some months. Triggered by light precipitation on a cool day.
A proper dirty day. — Heavy rain. Triggered at 2 mm/hour and up.
That water’d cut the breath out of ya. — The North Atlantic in its usual state. Triggered when the measured sea-surface temperature is 6°C or colder. That is also your swimming forecast.
Screech-in. — How a visitor becomes an honorary Newfoundlander: a few words said, a cod kissed, a shot of Screech rum downed, and often a certificate. It is optional, and fine without the rum. The word “screech” has its own entry in the Dictionary of Newfoundland English; the ceremony belongs to whichever room you’re in. Ask where you’re staying.
Some shockin’ good day. — “Shockin’” runs both ways here; attached to “good” it means very. Triggered by warmth, calm and a dry sky all at once.
Before you go
The Dictionary of Newfoundland EnglishStanding — the scholarly source
A full academic dictionary of this island's English, free online. Everything on this page is in it, and most of what you hear on the wharf.
heritage.nf.ca →
Questions
What does "b'y" mean?＋
Boy, worn smooth by four centuries of use, and aimed at anyone of any age or gender. It softens, emphasises, or just keeps a sentence company: "not fit out, b'y" is weather commentary, not an insult. The Dictionary of Newfoundland English carries it with citations going back generations.
What does "not fit" mean?＋
Weather too poor to be out in. "It's not fit" needs no subject because everyone knows it means outside. Our conditions widget only says it when a measured gust or wind speed crosses a threshold.
What's a "mauzy" day?＋
Damp, misty, close and grey. Not quite rain, not quite fog, very much this coast. Bring the layers the gear guide told you to bring.
What's a screech-in?＋
The ceremony that makes a visitor an honorary Newfoundlander: traditionally a short recitation, a kiss for a cod, and a shot of Screech rum, with more fun than solemnity. "Screech" is in the Dictionary of Newfoundland English; the ceremony is living folklore that varies by room. Ask where you're staying where to get screeched in; establishments run their own. It is an invitation, never an obligation. Declining is perfectly Newfoundland too, and the ceremony bends for anyone who'd rather have the alcohol-free version.
Why does a route website speak Newfoundland English?＋
Because the place does. The widget's sayings fire on measured thresholds, and this page translates them. If it's not for you, the "b'y off" button turns the voice off. It is just a setting in your own browser, with nothing tracked.
Every figure on this page was checked against its source on September 2, 2026.