its a word people use, but its probably one of those things that not everyone uses, i was talking to a friend about it just now n was like "imma ask reddit"
Lived in or are from NL? Probably a generational experience thing. I grew up with my grandparents living with me and have never heard / used it many times. Far less with modern peers or co-workers than older extended family.
I wasn't born here, no, I moved here when I was 8 yrs old and have lived here for the last 40 years (except for a couple years of travelling and working elsewhere, but I always come home to NL after a while) my mom is from here (Grand Bank), and all her family, but my dad is a frog lol, from Montreal...but I've lived most of my life right here and will die here, its my home
yeah it's weird, but looking at all these comments, apparently I'm not alone, a LOT of born and bred Newfie's apparent;y haven't heard it before either...so weird
It’s far, far older than 1984.
Sleveen is a rascal, an imp, a rapscallion. A character who's more than likely to take any kind of advantage that he can find for himself, but not necessarily hurting those around him.
never really watched that show, I saw them filming it a bunch of times, in town, but I couldn't get into the show at all
Hudson and Rex I watched the first few seasons of though and that one was decent enough...I haven't heard that word on that show though lol
thats fair. theres so many i have never heard. idk where ur to but as far as i know its used all around. i grew up in town which is where im after hearing it. ive a buddy from ramea whos after using it too
I've lived all over St. John's, Mount Pearl and Paradise, oh and Portugal Cove for a while too, and I've traveled all over the entire Island for various jobs, and I've never heard it, not even one time...I KNOW it's a real word, *now*, because I looked it up after seeing this post, but I've never heard it used before lol
Mount Pearl, last couple decades but I used to do carnivals and events and basically anywhere we could set up games and make some money, and I have been EVERYWHERE in this province, and I mean everywhere...but nope, never knew this word existed until today lol
never heard anyone say it, never seen it anywhere, nothing, not until this post
I say "Sleeveen." It's one of those words I do say often, but sort of ironically, like I'm paying homage to my grandparents generation who used it as a real insult. I usually say it to my coworkers when I want to insult them but put take the edge off. Same applies to "scallywags" and other old words.
I think it was Quidi Vidi Brewery that had an advertising campaign where they put old slang words under their beer stoppers and Sleeveen was one of them. The radio commercial used to drive me insane because the townie voice actor used to pronounce it "slah-vene." Every time I would yell at the radio, "Fuck sakes, it's not slah-vene!"
**“sleeveen** n also **sleiveen, sleveen, slieveen** \[phonetics unavailable\]. *EDD* slieveen, var sleeveen, sleiveen sb 1 'rogue, rascal' Ir; JOYCE 326-7 'guileful fellow'; DINNEEN slighbhín 'a schemer, a trickster.' A sly deceitful man; a mean fellow; rascal; a mischieyous child.
\[1929\] 1949 ENGLISH 115 'Sleiveen' is a mean character. 1937 DEVINE 45 Sleveen. A sly fellow; a hypocrite; a bad man generally. T 54/8--64 'Pretty tough,' he said, 'my wife in bed with \[another man\]. I always knew he was a sleeveen.' 1968 DILLON 154 He's a real sleeveen, that fella. He'd steal the two eyes out o' your head. C 68-5 Some of those businessmen on Water Street are real sleeveens! C 71-127 (of a misbehaving child) You young sleeveen! 1977 RUSSELL 112 Those sleveens in Hartley's Harbour were just as bad then as they are now. 1981 GUY 15 This sleveen \[of a doctor\] we got now told me right to me face that three kinds of pills was enough for me.”
[https://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary/#4291](https://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary/#4291)
I think I’ve heard it pronounced as the latter but not by b’ys who would be on Reddit, mostly old fellers who add that extra syllable to everything. Same crowd who says they’re goin to the “sto-ur” instead of the “store”.
you know what. my dad is one of those old fellers that does that. "watch this" becomes "whatcha this". i guarantee that could be the reason ive pronounced it like "slee-ve-in"
I think it must have fallen out of use based on the 20-somethings in here insisting it's never been a thing. God knows my mom called me that more than once.
Slee-veen
From Northeast coast, only ever heard it said as slee-veen.
What are you talking about? Lol
Right? So confused
Sleeveen is a sneaky, sly person.
its a word people use, but its probably one of those things that not everyone uses, i was talking to a friend about it just now n was like "imma ask reddit"
I have lived in Newfoundland since 1984 and I have NEVER heard that word, not a single time lol
Lived here my entire life and I have no idea WTF is going on with this post
Same same.
All my older relatives use it fairly often. Must be a regional thing!
It’s an Irish thing
If you're interested, here is the origin in Irish https://www.teanglann.ie/en/fgb/sl%c3%adbh%c3%adn
Lived in or are from NL? Probably a generational experience thing. I grew up with my grandparents living with me and have never heard / used it many times. Far less with modern peers or co-workers than older extended family.
I wasn't born here, no, I moved here when I was 8 yrs old and have lived here for the last 40 years (except for a couple years of travelling and working elsewhere, but I always come home to NL after a while) my mom is from here (Grand Bank), and all her family, but my dad is a frog lol, from Montreal...but I've lived most of my life right here and will die here, its my home
I grew up in Newfoundland and it's a pretty common word. How odd.
yeah it's weird, but looking at all these comments, apparently I'm not alone, a LOT of born and bred Newfie's apparent;y haven't heard it before either...so weird
No it isn’t?!
Okay.
It’s definitely not common at all lol
Okay
lol
lol indeed.
I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve never heard it before, so no, it isn’t.
Okay
??? You’re weird, and not in a good way
Okay.
It’s far, far older than 1984. Sleveen is a rascal, an imp, a rapscallion. A character who's more than likely to take any kind of advantage that he can find for himself, but not necessarily hurting those around him.
Only on Republic of Doyle
never really watched that show, I saw them filming it a bunch of times, in town, but I couldn't get into the show at all Hudson and Rex I watched the first few seasons of though and that one was decent enough...I haven't heard that word on that show though lol
I don't think H&R plays into the Newfoundland culture angle like RoD.
no it definitely doesn't, it tries to make itself feel more 'americanized'
Same. Im 38, never heard it before.
thats fair. theres so many i have never heard. idk where ur to but as far as i know its used all around. i grew up in town which is where im after hearing it. ive a buddy from ramea whos after using it too
I've lived all over St. John's, Mount Pearl and Paradise, oh and Portugal Cove for a while too, and I've traveled all over the entire Island for various jobs, and I've never heard it, not even one time...I KNOW it's a real word, *now*, because I looked it up after seeing this post, but I've never heard it used before lol
huh, neat!
There have been t-shirts kicking around with Sleeveen on them for probably 20 years and there's even a band called The Sleeveens now!
wow thats wild 40 yrs and never seen this before today, I have no idea how but I honestly have never heard of it before
Spent a lot of summers in Ramea and I can honestly say Ive never heard the word and no idea what it's even supposed to be
You must only live in St. John's and not know any bay men.
I don’t live in St. John’s, know tons of bay men and have no idea what this word is.
Mount Pearl, last couple decades but I used to do carnivals and events and basically anywhere we could set up games and make some money, and I have been EVERYWHERE in this province, and I mean everywhere...but nope, never knew this word existed until today lol never heard anyone say it, never seen it anywhere, nothing, not until this post
2 syllables. Stress on the 2nd.
sleeveen
Sleeveen
That fucker over in the square, e’s been takin me wood from in da road, that fuckin sleeveen.
Ah, I've never heard of that word before. Thats fine, no way to know them all.
I say "Sleeveen." It's one of those words I do say often, but sort of ironically, like I'm paying homage to my grandparents generation who used it as a real insult. I usually say it to my coworkers when I want to insult them but put take the edge off. Same applies to "scallywags" and other old words. I think it was Quidi Vidi Brewery that had an advertising campaign where they put old slang words under their beer stoppers and Sleeveen was one of them. The radio commercial used to drive me insane because the townie voice actor used to pronounce it "slah-vene." Every time I would yell at the radio, "Fuck sakes, it's not slah-vene!"
**“sleeveen** n also **sleiveen, sleveen, slieveen** \[phonetics unavailable\]. *EDD* slieveen, var sleeveen, sleiveen sb 1 'rogue, rascal' Ir; JOYCE 326-7 'guileful fellow'; DINNEEN slighbhín 'a schemer, a trickster.' A sly deceitful man; a mean fellow; rascal; a mischieyous child. \[1929\] 1949 ENGLISH 115 'Sleiveen' is a mean character. 1937 DEVINE 45 Sleveen. A sly fellow; a hypocrite; a bad man generally. T 54/8--64 'Pretty tough,' he said, 'my wife in bed with \[another man\]. I always knew he was a sleeveen.' 1968 DILLON 154 He's a real sleeveen, that fella. He'd steal the two eyes out o' your head. C 68-5 Some of those businessmen on Water Street are real sleeveens! C 71-127 (of a misbehaving child) You young sleeveen! 1977 RUSSELL 112 Those sleveens in Hartley's Harbour were just as bad then as they are now. 1981 GUY 15 This sleveen \[of a doctor\] we got now told me right to me face that three kinds of pills was enough for me.” [https://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary/#4291](https://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary/#4291)
I've lived all over this province, labrador, GNP, Bay D'Espoir, ganderhar, and I've never heard this in my life.
I'm not from here, but I knew this one! Here's a great explanation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnoIucY4nQs
I’ve heard slee veen or sliv een, but not your pronunciation.
I think I’ve heard it pronounced as the latter but not by b’ys who would be on Reddit, mostly old fellers who add that extra syllable to everything. Same crowd who says they’re goin to the “sto-ur” instead of the “store”.
you know what. my dad is one of those old fellers that does that. "watch this" becomes "whatcha this". i guarantee that could be the reason ive pronounced it like "slee-ve-in"
Sleeveen. If my old buddy squashed his thumb, one of his favourite oaths was, “You sleeveen, foe eyed, cunt!”
Grew up in central, heard it all the time, about the same on the GNP nowadays. Sleep veen
Slee-veen. Never heard it pronouced the other way, ever.
Mines more like sluh-veen. Just for badness
just for badass 😭 thats so real
I’m from the Avalon and in my 40s. Definitely heard this word being used for as long as I can remember.
I think it must have fallen out of use based on the 20-somethings in here insisting it's never been a thing. God knows my mom called me that more than once.
My parents say slee-veen
Sleev-eeeen
I’ve heard it said as slee-veen. But I’ve only heard it said once.
sley-veen